#i am correct about media and i need to stop letting the many takes i disagree with peer pressure me into potentially thinking otherwise etc

[aq2003]

so true david

[leclerc-s]

paint the town red - bonus part

series masterlist

EPISODE 10 - AN UNEXPECTED PURCHASE

charles stands with max, before their final press conference of the season, when lance approaches them. he greets both of them before turning to charles, "what happened? twitter is losing it's mind."

charles laughs, max also looks visibly confused, "oh mate, the craziest thing happened."

"STARK!" lando is heard shouting before he appears in the camera's view. he crashes into charles, gripping his shoulders, "TONY FUCKING STARK JUST BOUGHT THE TEAM?"

"what?" max questioned, "who bought what team? and what are you doing here, you're supposed to be in the media pen?"

"TONY STARK JUST BOUGHT FERRARI MAX!"

"oh," lance said, "that's why twitter is losing it."

"losing it?" lando questioned, "twitter is in shambles lance. it's not everyday a fucking avenger buys an f1 team."

"correct me if i'm wrong," daniel says, approaching the group, "but didn't tony stark get attacked at the monaco grand prix ages ago?

"you should ask fernando about that," charles told lance. the canadian looked confused before realization hit him, "right, fernando's been driving as long as oscar's been alive."

"we are completely and utterly fucked if tony stark just bought ferrari. you think the red bull dominance was bad, ferrari is about to completely annihilate us," lando complained.

daniel laughed, "well, i'm sure you guys will enjoy fighting for that p3. my tractor and i will enjoy fighting for points."

will buxton sits in front of the camera, "there's not many times when the world of formula one falls silent. in 1994, it fell silent to mourn the death of ayrton senna, then again in 2014 to mourn jules bianchi. zhou's nearly fatal crash and romain's near death experience rendered it silent for a moment before it all went back to normal. but this, this is one of those moments where it all falls silent before exploding. no one saw this coming, that's how unexpected this was. we never thought we'd hear the news that a billionaire had purchased the oldest standing team in formula one. let alone an avenger."

we now see christian horner in front of the camera, “i think i’m more so upset about the fact that ferrari will now be able to steal the championship from us. if there’s one thing i know about tony stark is that he is one competitive son of a bitch. there will be no more half-assed pit stops and strategies from ferrari, that you can count on. and with his daughter as one of the race engineers and a lead engineer, that car is going to be a rocket ship. it just means the rest of us will have up our game.”

toto wolff sits in front of the camera, replacing christian horner, “this is not the first time someone has purchased a formula one team. i do not know why they are acting like this is a first. yes, ferrari will be difficult to beat next year. they will know what they are doing, but we will not give up without a fight. next year will be an interesting year for us all.”

in front of the camera now sits tony stark, his signature blue tinted glasses sit on his face. he smiles at someone off camera, before turning to the producer, "need me to take off the glasses?"

"if you would," the producer answered, "name and title please."

tony looks at the camera, "my name is tony stark and i am the new owner of scuderia ferrari's formula one team. oh! and i am iron man!"

"mr. stark, what led you to purchase the team?"

tony clears his throat, "my mother was italian and a big tifosi, she bled rosso corsa proudly. she never got the opportunity to see michael schumacher lead the team to the greatness he did. i kept up with the team in her memory, and in recent years the team hadn't been performing as well as a fan would've liked. i knew the current drivers, charles and carlos, were championship material. that much was obvious to me when sainz became the only non red bull driver to win a race in the 2023 season. for leclerc, well, there's a reason they call him il predestinato right? he won monza his maiden year with ferrari, that alone put him into the tifosi's good books. speaking of, i knew they were furious and after austin, i knew something had to be done. and if nobody else was going to do it, i was, so i bought the team."

"how confident are you that you can restore ferrari's old glory?"

"i trust my drivers and i trust my team, i think that says enough."

in front of the camera now sits an old face. sebastian vettel smiles brightly at the producer. the last time they had seen him he was in a green shirt and he looked tired, but the time away did him some good. he's happier now and back in ferrari red, back where he had started when the show first began.

"did you ever think you'd be back here?" the producer asked him. sebastian smiled, "honestly, no. i had left this all behind and i told myself i was never going to return to this sport. but when an opportunity like this comes around, you don't say no."

"are you happy with this new position or would prefer to be back in the car?"

"i'm happy with my job now."

“do you think you can help restore ferrari to its old glory?”

“yes,” sebastian quickly answers, “in the past ferrari had been stuck dwelling too much on its history. being stuck in the past for so long leads to no results. it leads to people demanding your first driver leave the team after constantly getting screwed over. we want the championship back in maranello and we will take it back. next year ferrari will put up one hell of a fight.”

“you’ve got a great team mr. vettel.”

“i know, i don’t plan on wasting it.”

charles smiles brightly at the camera, “hello.”

“hi charles,” the producer replies, “do you mind telling us what your first thought were when you heard the team had been bought? how did you find out?”

“i found out on twitter along with everyone else,” charles replied, “my first reaction was to text carlos to see if he knew, he was just as shocked as i was. no one had informed us the team had been bought much less who it had been bought by.”

“and how did you find out the team had been bought by tony stark?”

“when there was an emergency meeting called at maranello right before abu ahabi. carlos and i walked in to the factory and it felt like a different environment, people were excited and whispering to each other. you can imagine our surprise when we walked in to that meeting to see seb sitting with tony stark of all people.”

“i imagine it was a big shock?”

“yes,” charles answered, “mr. stark explained to us what he had done and told us that we should be expecting a whole new team when we arrived back from the final race of the season. it is exciting to know that things are changing.”

"is change a good thing?"

"in this case, it is. things needed to change if ferrari wants to be a championship contender once again. and this will be good for my friendship with carlos."

"are things strained between you two?"

"the truth? yes," charles replied, "it is difficult to go online and see people saying that you don't deserve your seat or that your teammate is better simply because he won a race when you haven't been able to do that this season. it places a sort of- tension? is that the word?" he looks at someone off camera, the person must nod because he turns to face the camera again, "carlos and i are good drivers, there is a reason we are formula one drivers. but the team, it has- it pit us against each other, that was what strained our friendship."

"what are your wishes for this upcoming season?"

"to win the championship." charles laughs.

carlos looks at someone off camera, nodding at whatever they're saying, before turning to look at the producer, "hello," carlos greeted.

"hello carlos," the producer greeted, "can you tell us what your initial reaction was to learning the team had been bought?"

"i was shocked, i did not think it was possible for someone to buy the team, it's ferrari. but i also felt a bit relieved? i hope maybe things will change and we can have a decent shot at the championship."

"relieved? i don't think i've heard that one yet."

carlos chuckled, "my friendship with charles was strained after this season. i hope that with mr. stark as an owner we are able to put aside our work and our friendship to achieve the goal we have in common. to bring the championship back to ferrari."

"is it difficult to separate work and life off the track?"

"sometimes, yes. after singapore was when our friendship truly hit rock bottom. i think it was difficult for us to accept that only one of us was the 1st driver. everyone knows that it's charles, it has been since 2021, but i think after a while it was difficult for me to accept that. he's- charles is loved by the tifosi, he's loved by everyone because he's charles leclerc. sometimes it is difficult to be his teammate knowing people will always see me as second best."

"i see."

"i love the kid, trust me, i do. i value his friendship very much, but sometimes it is difficult. with stark as the owner, and sebastian as the new team principal, i am hoping things will change. even if charles is still first driver, i hope i am not treated as second best by my own team. sometimes change is good, this time i think it is."

"what are your wishes for this upcoming season?"

"to win the championship." carlos answers.

will buxton is in front of the camera once again, "it will certainly be entertaining to see what ferrari manage to do next season. the lingering question that remains is, will the starks live up to the hype surrounding this purchase? i guess we'll just have to wait and see."

series taglist: @celesteblack08 @be-your-coffee-pot @evans-dejong @elliegrey2803 @bingewatche @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @lorarri @melanier7 @ironspdy @mypage-myfandoms @vellicora @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @enchantedthoughts @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @fulla02 @cowboylikemets1989 @six-call @embrosegraves @justtprachisblog @bionic-donut @rmeddar123 @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @raizelchrysanderoctavius @burningcupcakefire @spilled-coffee-cup @jamie-selwyn @cool-ultra-nerd @kami10471633 @int3rnetgf @fernandoswarcrimes @skynel09 @arieltwvdtohamflash @mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @chiliwhore @tygecjjd @nothaqks @nataliambc @formulaa1d @prongsvault @kaa212 @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole

strikethrough means i couldn't tag you

¡leclerc-s speaks! once again, merry christmas to those of you celebrate and a very wonderfully normal day to those of you who don't. either way, my gift to you is this bonus episode for paint the town red, i hope you enjoyed it. it is a pain figuring out how to write netflix style, it's over 1.7k words, although it may not look like it.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[rovermcfly]

ok I wanna talk about these posts

Now I don't wanna say these posts are wrong or that I disagree with them, but they are only two of many that I see in a similar vein and my general take is: We need to change the way we have this conversation.

Because yes. It is true that young people get indoctrinated on TikTok (and other platforms including tumblr!) in the same way older generations get indoctrinated through FOX News or Facebook.

But we can't let these conversations always start and stop with "these groups are gullible and THIS vague entity is responsible for it and I am so smart for realising this and they're stupid for not realising it".

We need to finally start solution-oriented conversations. We need people who don't just point at the problem but actually talk about how we can fix it.

TikTok has an issue with misinformation that users don't have the tools to recognise?

Well here's a list of only a few of the TikTok accounts that fight this issue right on the platform where they can get these users' attention.

MediaWise

Abbie Richards

Aslan Pahari

Astro Alexandra

Professor Casey

Hank Green

Adam Conover

All of these, to varying degrees, correct misinformation and/or provide tools to promote media literacy. Some even want to help change the platform altogether.

I know not everyone who wants to help can do things like this, but a good place to start helping change things would be to support these accounts and all the other people out there doing what they do. Most of them are on other platforms or have websites (or Patreon/Ko-Fi/etc bc monetary support for these efforts is important too) if you don't wanna get a TikTok account to help them get more attention.

And here is a Masterpost where I collect resources for how to improve your own media literacy and how to help others do the same (and I promise you, no matter how smart or skilled or media-literate you think you are, you will learn something new from these). This masterpost is updated regularly and includes a longer list of TikTok users to follow as well.

So next time you see a post like this about how stupid TikTok users are for falling for conspiracies or how Facebook is nothing but fake news or whatever, think about whether the post is actually helping in some way or only trying to make tumblr users feel superior over others, and maybe try to share something you learned here instead.

[slightly-smarter-nat]

The Sorcerer’s Daughter || Stephen Strange

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Pairing: Stephen Strange x Christine Palmer x daughter reader

Warnings: N/A. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.

Word Count: 1330 words.

Summary: Strange is eager to teach his young Daughter the power of a Sorcerer, but his Wife isn’t as enthusiastic.

A/N: I’m currently in a MoM mindset. The fic is based on a potential (AU) reality where Stephen and Christine are married and have a daughter- age of reader is about 5 or 6.

Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform), copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3.

Masterlist

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GIF not mine

The Sorcerer’s Daughter: Stephen Strange-

“Stephen, what have I told you about playing with magic portals with y/n”, Christine scolded her Husband.

“Oh come now Christine, it’s not like I don’t know what I am doing, besides she loves it” Stephen kneels down to your level to help adjust the sling-ring on your fingers; closing the portal he just opened for you in the process.

“I am quite aware that you know what you are doing, but when it comes to our daughter and magic, I urge you to take more caution. You know it can be dangerous. Any portal, to any dimension can open-“ Stephen interrupts Christine.

“Honey, we are only practicing, and besides she isn’t the one opening the portals. She doesn’t even know how to yet” Stephen attempts to reassure his Wife, walking over to her to gently grab the side of her arms.

She releases a sigh, “I know you want to show her that part of your life, but she’s still so young. Anything could happen to her Stephen, yes it’s magic and she’ll love it but it is still extremely dangerous to expose her to that so young” She places her hands over Stephen’s arms.

Stephen pulls Christine into a hug, “I know, and I am sorry, I just want her to appreciate her potential future as a Sorcerer,” Christine clears her throat, “Or a Doctor”.

“Better,” Christine remarks, causing Stephen to laugh as she buries her face into his neck.

During their heartfelt conversation, you were admiring your Father’s sling-ring, holding your hand out in front of you, mimicking your Father’s actions as you’ve seen so many times before.

You pull your arm back into yourself, wondering why the magic portal wasn’t opening. After a few seconds of pondering you remember the combination needed to summon a portal.

You stick out your sling-ring wearing hand, placing the correct fingers up. You then begin to use your other hand and draw wide circles… nothing happens. With a little huff, you try again… still nothing.

Tears flood your eyes, frustration getting the better of you. You throw your hands down by your side, suddenly seeing a golden spark form in front of you.

You stare at the space it once was, you flap your hands up and down again, and two more sparks form and disappear.

A smile graces your face, eagerly resuming your ‘Sorcerer position’, you concentrate as much as you can in the spot in front of you. Desperate to make a portal appear.

You stand firm as you move your hand in a wide circle- continuously, for several seconds. Many sparks form, creating a large circular shape in front of you.

You carry on until the portal successfully forms in front of you, causing you to let out a curious ‘ooooh’.

The scene in front of you is majestic, a grand staircase leading up to a mystical window. You start to walk towards it.

Christine finally lifts her head, noticing a glow casting around the room, “Um, Stephen, I thought y/n couldn’t conjure a portal?”

“She can’t…why?” Christine turns Stephen around, both witnessing as you stroll through the portal, it closes shortly after.

“No, no, no, why did you just let her go through?” Stephen questions Christine.

“I was just so shocked that she did it, plus you were there too you could have stopped her!” Stephen walks forward searching the area you were occupying.

“It’s okay though, you can just get her back, hop to it Mr Sorcerer.” Christine laughs, failing to spot Stephen’s frantic search across the floor.

“On a scale of one to ten, how mad would you be if I said I can’t bring her back?” Stephen continues his search.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Christine questions worriedly.

“Well, she may or may not have taken my sling-ring with her, not a huge problem, except I kind of need it to conjure a portal so yeah back to that question of you being mad,” Stephen casts his glance at Christine, wincing at the face she is displaying- murderous.

“Stephen Vincent Strange, I swear if you don’t bring our daughter back this instant, I will-“ Christine’s threat was interrupted by a portal opening in their Living Room.

Stephen rushes in front of Christine, shielding her from a potential intruder.

His whole demeanour relaxes when he sees Wong emerging from the portal, with you in hand.

“Mommy!” You shout, running over to Christine.

“Awww my darling, you’re okay!” She grabs you and picks you up into a hug, holding you tight.

“I believe this is yours Strange!” Wong shoves Stephen’s sling-ring into his hand.

“Wong, cheery as always-“ Wong sends Stephen a glare at his remark.

“Cheery? Have you failed to notice the condition I am in?!” Stephen casts a glance over Wong’s form, noticing he is soaked, and covered in a gel-like substance.

“Oh yeah, I just thought you were going for a new look, by the way watch where you step, Christine will have your head if you get any of that on the carpet”.

Wong shakes his head in disbelief, “You aren’t even curious at why I am covered in this slime?!”

“I am actually, but more so wondering how you found y/n” Christine asks.

“Well, let me enlighten you. I was doing my rounds of the Sanctum, you know, maintaining the order. When I sensed another presence inside. I ran to the staircase when I saw y/n enter through a portal. I started to make my way to her when she opened up another portal. Before I could act our old friend Gargantos made his appearance into the Sanctum-“

“Wait, Gargantos? As in that huge one eyed, tentacle monster we had to fight years ago?” Stephen asks.

“Yes, that one exactly! Anyway, I attempted to fight it off, trying to protect y/n and the sanctum when it pinned me to the floor with one of its tentacles. I thought I was done for when your daughter opened and closed a portal right through the monster, causing it to slice in half” Wong lets out exasperatedly.

“Well that’s a good thing isn’t it, my daughter saved your life, bragging rights for me achieved” Stephen smiles at Christine who glares at him in response.

“No, it is not good, the Sanctum is now housing half a squid monster, along with its brains smeared along the walls, and your daughter has Sorcerer magic.”

“How is that part bad?” Stephen questions.

“Well now it isn't just you I need to monitor for things going wrong, I bet she has inherited the ‘trouble gene’ from your side.”

Stephen puts a hand on his chest, mocking a hurt expression.

“Well she certainly got the smart gene from my side, isn’t that right my little Sorcerer.” Christine addresses you, as you smile with pride.

“You’ve changed your tune.” Stephen muses.

“I wouldn’t be so cocky, you’ve got a Sanctum to clean.” Christine remarks.

“Oh no, I am no longer the Sorcerer Supreme, it’s no longer in my job description to clean up in the Sanctum.” Stephen says in defence.

“Well if you don’t go and help Wong clean up, next time y/n goes to cover your Levitating Cloak in glitter, I won’t stop her.” Stephen whips his head round to face Christine.

“You wouldn't,” Stephen practically gasps.

“Oh but I would, see you later, Dr Strange.” Christine takes you upstairs to get rid of any stray slime that made its way onto your clothes.

Knowing Christine is one to keep to her promises, Stephen admits defeat and makes his way to the portal to the Sanctum that Wong conjured.

“You know, I think the glitter would improve your look.” Wong lets out.

“One more word out of you and you’ll be cleaning all of this up on your own” Stephen lets out.

Though he’s not in his ideal situation, he couldn’t be happier to know that you have Sorcerer potential- he couldn’t be prouder.

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[caspianthegeek]

Something's been turning over in my head over the last few days about Good Omens and queer representation. I keep seeing calls for it to be more explicit, that it's not good enough, that Neil of all people is fearful of making it absolutely queer.

None of this is true. The fact that it's been embraced by marginalized people who state "this is like me" should be all that's needed for others who it does not represent to back down and respect that. It's not their lane to declare what is representation for someone else.

And Neil, of all people, gives no fucks for what others think in regards to adding queer characters to media and has been doing so for a very long time.

What got to me though was what does explicit look like. A first time coming out story? That's not what Good Omens is. These are adults, let them simply exist in a queer way. Talking to each other about it? Why? Aziraphale and Crowley don't need to explain anything to each other. They both know the other loves them in every way fathomable to the pair, and what else matters? They literally stopped Armageddon and risked everything just to be together. Human gender perceptions that change every few hundred years? Crowley will take all the genders and do as he wants with them, knowing that it's so very temporary.

And that led me to being queer to those outside your inner circle, and it was an oh moment for me. Do you... do you think that they should be loudly out? There's nothing wrong with being loudly out of course. The people who have the privilege to be out do so much good in the world simply by existing and many of them do far more than that.

As someone who is out in every way that matters to me though: It's completely exhausting.

Even getting people to gender me correctly is an uphill battle that sometimes I choose to fight and sometimes I realize "I am going to see this person one time in my life, and I am tired." I have absolutely corrected CEOs that earn more than I will ever earn in my life because they have the ability to elicit change if pushed. It's important and I choose that battle. I don't ask the clerk at the store to gender me correctly. I just thank them and go about my day.

I did a fic on this topic for the first Our Side Zine, but coming out is a process that never ends and takes an ongoing mental toll.

And it was so delightful to see characters on screen who were allowed to simply be. Not to need to defend who they are or who they love beyond the obvious Heaven/Hell struggles. It's a shining moment of rest. And the reminder that you, too, can just exist. You don't need to constantly label yourself or explain yourself. And it's okay if you haven't found a label (or never do).

It is one reason why this representation is so important. One explanation as to why so many of us are upset when we see people dismissing it. I don't think it's any accident that many of the people I see defending Good Omens as sufficient queer rep are older LGBTQIA+ people who have dealt with the exhaustion of existing for so long. Who have learned when to fight their battles and to delight in those who know us for who we are.

It is nothing new, but it does break my heart to see us now needing to fight within our own community yet again to assert that we are enough.

I hope that the people stating Good Omens should be more explicit have their hearts in the right place. I also need them to know that they're doing real harm to actual queer people. That I've spent the last month consoling those who are hurt and needing to be consoled in return at times.

I need the people who think that Good Omens is not enough to really consider if this is the battle they want to fight, knowing that they're littering the battlefield with injured LGBTQIA+ people. You're not insulting the allocishets. They don't care, they've never cared. None of us should concern ourselves with them, because ultimately their opinion doesn't matter. There's enough in the world about them, this is ours.

Or was it never about the nonbinary, ace, and aro communities at all? Was it about seeing what you wanted in media and being upset that some of us got this piece of representation?

What I understand least of all in this is coming into someone else's house and declaring it not sufficient to fit your needs. Not everything is about you. That's okay. It doesn't need to be. Maybe look within yourself to find a piece of happiness for the absolute joy that some others within the queer community have found rather than trying to tear it from them.

[penultimate-step]

I see there's discourse going around again about if it's ok to control what kids read. I'll start off by saying that I am quite firmly in the camp of "no" and that I strongly believe that kids of any age should be able to make their own choices as far as what they read/watch/play. That said, I don't fully agree with the posts I've been seeing who argue for the same results as me. I've seen some posts going something along the line of "kids can't be harmed by anything they read, don't worry about it." which seems false to me? I do get the urge to not give a single inch to your political opponents but this seems patently false to me. of course some things are going to get kids hurt. I just think the route of maximum agency for kids is the route that minimizes harm to kids.

To me, the issue with controlling kids media intake is. well its in the name isn't it. its control. over an already vulnerable group. but more to the point, these arguments tend to speak as if censorship is a completely neutral event that spawns from the ether. It is not! To control means somebody must be the controller. What is chosen to be limited and what is chosen to be allowed are choices that in the end must be made by somebody. The extreme end of this is well documented: abusive parents, teachers, groups, any figures of authority really, if given power over a child's information diet will stop them from learning what they need, keeping the youth reliant on them. They make themselves the sole arbiter of information. Just look at basically every book banning.

But even a less extreme and well intentioned censorship is still bad. To take away the agency and ability of children to choose is to do them harm. I have to say, as someone who read many adult books as a child, and was also forbidden to read many things by my parents, most of what I read didn't do me any harm. But being treated as if none of my opinions, even about my own mind, had any value, and thinking that I had to conform to certain ways of thinking to gain approval, that stuck with me.

Also. Does nobody else on this site remember being a teenager. Be honest with yourself: when you were 13, did you really feel like your parents, teachers, school administrators, knew you well? Better than you knew yourself? Or did you feel, perhaps, as almost every child does, that they didn't understand you at all? Let us grant that I believe that books can harm kids merely by reading them. In that case, the person best equipped to make the choice on what might harm them, what they can read and what needs to be avoided, is the child themselves! As I said above, to control a child requires a controller - and that third party will almost certainly have a worse understanding of the child's limits than they do themselves, and be more likely, not less, to make incorrect, harm causing judgements.

The correct response to "some books can cause harm to children" is not "harm the child yourself by removing their agency." It is, perhaps, an argument against forcing them to read something they say they are not prepared for. If a child says they know they are prepared to read something, outside very extreme extenuating circumstances, I have no reason not to believe them over any adult authority figure in their life. Children deserve to have full autonomy over themselves.

[alarrytale]

Just like you and the other anon, i have lost some of the respect I have for Harry. One of my eye-opener was that, with ws bringing in the numbers they had been wanting, he and his team heavily leaned into his sex appeal, i know it was always the case with his image what changed was that he seemed more comfortable playing into that when it benefited his career more than anything they tried so naturally it feels like apparent changes with his moral ground, which separated him from many artist, started to shake my faith in him.

Btw there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel good in your skin and people can change their boundaries as they wish, but when I remember how he was so adamant to get it across that he was feeling uncomfortable with that oversexualized image during 1D only to center that image around his solo venture just feels bitter, people might say it is a you problem, harry doesn’t owe you fans anything and i would say neither do I so I’m free to criticize his questionable actions lol. Im not trying to shame him, but the day he debuted his supposedly o saying tattoo, some of the shots he was giving to paps were so damn embarrassing like him lowering his shorts to the point that you can practically see his pubic area or im sorry to say this but some of his stage outfits highlighting his body parts seem more deliberate on his part to get his fans to talk about him by fantasizing about him. Lbr some larries or hets are acting like this is nothing to be ashamed of but those people are first to criticize Liam for being too forward with his sexuality to “further” his career. Anyway I literally stopped feeling sorry for him when his video with emrata came out, I realized he must overcome his resentment with being reduced to someone who practically sell people this fantasy of hypersexual man, so who am i to correct his narrative when general public want to take a pass at him saying that he is where he is because young adult women would like to bone him 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sorry for being so crude but I have been watching influential larries downplaying this and essentially making other larries, who are feeling queasy about this, feel bad about themselves have been a pain to observe. I would favor fans more than a celeb with pr team who constantly gaslight a portion of his fandom feel bad about themselves just because they are trying to support a version of him which lately only makes appearance when he/his team want to sell something or create enough chaos to keep his name on social media trends.

Yessss, anon! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

It's more than okay to have conflicting feelings about him. I do think there are more people feeling icky about things then they let on. Some just sweep it under the carpet and focus on the things they still love about him. I get it. But by doing that he'll keep getting away with the manipulation and the exploitation of our loyalty. I do see people losing their patience with him more and more. Dreading things more than looking forward to things. Dwd was beyond people's boundaries. The O tattoo was too, and the citrus fruit bikes seems like it's heading that way too. People are urging each other not to buy from Pleas*ng. The larriebaiting didn’t go down well.

He's acting like he can do anything he wants without repercussions and backlash. That may have been true before, but now and in the future? I don't think so. At least i hope not. I hope people get less and less tolerant of his and his team's shit. We don’t deserve to be lied to, gaslighted and manipulated and taken for fools. Fans need to continue calling him out on it, don't pretend everything is fine and dandy. We need to acknowledge that there's been a change and that we're not liking it. We just have to hope that they listen.

[talisidekick]

Hey, so I've gotten one or two varying asks on this already over the last year or so, some very obviously trying to goad me into a trap and others that appear well meaning but you never know, so let me make this clear: I don't cover active court cases where the evidence against the accused isn't publicly available.

I have many reasons for this, and they're complex and personal, but boiled down it's part of one of my life rules: "Be righteous and have a strong sense of justice in all things." Justice is not revenge, and though many in life conflate the two, I must never lose sight of the purpose and intent of Justice at it's core: to level the scales of harm against another and to correct harmful behaviour. This means that I don't pass judgement unless I have clear and obvious evidence available to me through verifiable and legal means. This is also why you'll see me say "I just wish they'd change..." or to some effect in regards to people who have personally wronged me.

When I'm asked to cover a court case, that means you're asking me to have an opinion. This means I need to pass judgement in some regard, whether thats taking a side, or a neutral or middle stance. If I don't have access to all the evidence because the evidence is private for the duration of the case, and proceedings are not yet public, then that tells me two things: the evidence is likely largely circumstantial and prosecutors are keeping details close to the chest to preserve sensitive facts about the alleged crime in case the evidence provided is deemed insufficient for a conviction or the accused is found not guilty, and that the public coverage that is available can be widely skewed due to the sensationalist nature of modern media and I should reserve judgement until the court preceedings are over to make my opinions based on the released evidence and court transcripts.

It's for this reason I've never on this site or anywhere made a firm opinion on a case that is ongoing and I won't because it's not my obligation and nor am I expected to play public defendant or accusor in the court of public opinion while an active court case is ongoing. I don't care if the person I'm asked to cover is transgender or a member of the 2slgbtqia+ community or not. We can all do aweful things as human beings. That has no bearing on our sexuality, gender, race, or background as a basis to blanket judge others like us. I don't blanket defend or accuse any minority group based on the actions of one persons wrong-doing.

So do me a favour and stop asking. I'm not going to 'raise awareness' until after because unlike transphobes and bigots, I'm not reactionary to unfolding events in the hopes of using the ambiguity of the situation to my benefit by spreading conjecture that supports me. Playing with words and making irresponsible statements is their game to play and I won't play into it. I want my words to mean something at the end of the day which means not playing reactionary political games. I get my posts hit hard, are catchy, and have the right wording to be sensational in nature, but don't think that was the sole intention. I'm not some influencer looking to farm engagement. My posts are made with greater intent because my words aren't just paper thin wrapping. I'm trying to uplift and help drive meaningful change. I'm fighting for equality.

[speedygal]

Publicist

Companion piece to; the one that lived, the one that got to grow old, final boss, A Changed Negatron.

Alternate Universe - Jim Starling's Darkwing Duck Television Show

Characters: Darkwing Duck, Negaduck, Original Characters.

(this is a moment that happened in any variation of this reality)

-------

A middle aged duck ran through the rain with a yellow umbrella that made him stand out against the sea of black umbrellas. He even had a yellow raincoat that made him stand out in the mist and the dreary dull theme in the atmosphere held in the tightly compacted city.

He closed his umbrella once entering a restaurant that didn't have many people.

"Mr James Quackville, this way."

James held the umbrella on his arm as he walked on following the server.

"I wasn't aware that I had a meeting with anybody."

"He asked for your spot specifically at the time you normally come in."

"...hmm... who?"

"You can ask yourself, Mr Quackville."

The server paused then he looked over spotting a duck, identical, save for the light pink shirt instead of a salmon orange shirt. He had a purple raincoat seated beside him with a hat that looked like a fedora peeking out of the clump.

"Hello..."

His own voice, his own eyes, his own face, his own style of clothing, albeit smug. And so arrogant. Like a crime boss. It was unnerving being greeted by his positive counterpart.

"Mr Quackville."

James sat down into the booth.

"Call me James." James said.

"And you can call me Darkwing Duck."

James stared at his counterpart with a glare.

"You're joking."

The young duck shook his head resting his elbows on the table.

"It's incredible!" His counterpart exclaimed then stretched his arms out. "We look identical!"

The counterpart pointed back and forth as he leaned forward.

"Like we were separated at birth."

James rapped his fingers on the table. He didn't know.

"I don't suppose you've got a ulterior motive revealing the truth, Mr Duck." James said.

"Mr Quack." was the correction by Edward. "Edward Quack."

James leaned forward with a glare.

"Mr Quack, this isn't a 'i eat with other people' moment." he stretched his hand out then clenched it. "If I wanted to I would be eating with my wife and my egg."

Edward smiled back at him as he rubbed his beak.

"I have a job offer." Edward said.

"Am I going to regret it?" James asked.

"You'll be paid..." Edward let it hang there. "handsomely."

"Tricking a supervillian." James assumed then rolled his eyes.

Edward shook his head.

"I need a publicity manager and someone who can attend important media events in the day."

James slowly leaned back.

"I am not interested in politics, ceremonies, or sticking around to deal with the aftermath of a caper."

James folded his arms as he scowled.

"You come to me about that?" James lifted a brow.

There was a slight moment of pause.

"I have a family to get back to at the end of the night."

"And it isn't night isn't it."

"It's the afternoon."

"Why approach me now? Are you gonna ask me to take up the mask? Willing to stop the foolish thing you're doing fighting Megavolt."

Edward lowered his head, his fingers resting on his shoulders, sighing.

"St Canard needs a mascot, James." Edward said.

James glared back at his counterpart.

"To do the police's job for them!" James was fuming. "Wasting hours, getting hurt, showing how incompetent---"

"Supervillians are a whole another level that the police cannot deal." Edward interjected.

"Normal crime." James hissed.

"The city doesn't have the programs to help those people." Edward said, imply.

"Then why don't they?" James asked.

Edward sighed, shaking his head, then briefly closed his eyes.

"It's not a popular idea." Edward reminded.

"Like a duck the city actively despises."

Edward smiled at the comment.

"As I was saying before being rudely interrupted." He leaned forward then back as he proceeded to talk with his hands. "A heroic, cool, and available mascot in the day time!"

James squinted back at Edward.

"Someone who visits sick kids, someone who can deal with autographs and papparazi, someone who would LOVE the cameras."

James was quiet for a solid moment with his arms folded.

"You're really too soft." James complained.

"People tell me that I'm too rough." Edward said, folding his arms.

"Someone who hates your fame is gonna kill you instead of the real ire." James pointed toward Edward

"Meh." Edward shrugged. "Never gonna happen."

Practically mirroring each other on oppossite ends of the booth. One was relaxed and the other was scowling.

"Then how do you think you're gonna die?" James asked.

"Fighting a supervillian." Edward said.

James shook his head, disappointed, sighing, resting his elbow on the table as he leaned forward.

"And you are too idealistic."

Edward lifted a brow.

"And?..."

"I need the money." James confessed.

"Drinks?" The waiter arrived, drawing their attention.

"Coco fizzy water, please." Edward said

"Like some Coo-Coo Cola." James said.

"Appetizers?" the waiter jotted down on the notepad.

"Nachos!" Edward said.

"Breadsticks." James said.

"I'll be back shortly."

The tall dog departed the area then the duo's attention shifted back.

"I do love the attention..." James said.

James cupped the side of his beak as he looked on and a couple of customers departed. James planted his hands on the table.

"Say you have doubts." James said.

"No doubts about turning a bad man into a good one." Edward beamed.

"... Megavolt ceasing his criminal activities." James said, condescendingly, between a snarl.

The beaming was replaced by a grimace and his eyes became full of bitter sorrow.

"I try not to think about Megavolt." Edward said, softly.

Edward looked tired as he rested his purple umbrella between his legs and balanced his hands on the top of the curved handle. He looked older, emotionally, not a middle aged duck.

The waiter returned then deposited the drinks on to the table and the appetizers.

"Do you---"

"Taco salad with shrimp." Edward said.

"Ribs and potato and gravy and bacon." James said.

"We'll be right on it." the waiter said.

"Thanks." Edward said as the waiter departed.

James continued to stare back at Edward for a long moment.

"I never followed you after the very pleasant surprise."

Finally, James sat back down to the seat then took out a notebook and jotted down onto it. He dropped the pen on the table with a clatter then leaned back.

"You are starting something you cannot stop, Darkwing Duck." James reminded.

Edward leaned forward on the table right into the cloud gray spotlight emitting from a light fixture above their heads.

"Isn't that wonderful?" Edward asked, then smiled, his eyes twinkling.

James stared back as he tapped on the table, unimpressed. James slid the paper forward.

"My number." James said.

Edward looked down upon the number then slid it into his rain coat pocket.

"And mine, too." Edward said.

Edward took the notepad and pen, jotted, then handed it back.

"We have a lot to discuss, Darkwing."

"Hey!" James's head bobbed up.

"Have to start somewhere so it won't be weird to be called that..." Edward reminded.

James looked aside then back.

"...What about when I show up?" James asked, cradling his hand beneath his beak. "After solving cases, saving the day, leaving the scene; it's all unpredictable."

James picked up his glass then sipped it.

"You can stalk me." Edward suggested.

James lowered the glass then smiled and lifted both of his eyebrows.

"You're in luck!" James exclaimed, raising the glass up. "I love following people!"

[finelinens]

i'm half asleep and just thinking about the internet and how much it has changed even in just the last ten years, here's my rambling about it:

i truly believe people overall have become significantly more prone to aggressive emotional outbursts since the advent of social media as we know it today. i think there are a LOT of compounding factors (tldr the world sucks) which lead to all of us feeling a lot of emotions that leave us distressed and anxious and overwhelmed, and we desperately seek an outlet for those feelings. and i don't think those emotional impulses are borne of ideological beliefs, but rather the ideological beliefs are formed as a justification for the impulsive emotional outburst.

everyone has a lot of shit going on. everyone is sad, everyone is angry, everyone is so fucking tired. we all let out these emotions and expel them from our bodies and minds in one way for another, and unfortunately the people who direct those emotions toward others end up causing pain and then conjure up ideologies that they might not even really believe in just to justify and rationalize what they've done. but now their back is against the wall, and they need to stand by this ideology. they're pissed off about their job sucking and not paying enough and rent going up and healthcare being expensive and their uncle is on a ventilator with covid and they can't afford fresh fruit anymore so hey maybe being an asshole to this person online will give them a tiny bit of catharsis and take the pressure off for just a moment. and it does. so they do it again and again, and find reasons to justify that behavior. these ideologies are not really that important to them, these issues are not that significant in their lives, but they serve as scaffoldings holding them up during a time of complete emotional disarray. so they allow it. because there is nothing worse than confronting your own emotions and their roots, right?

so yeah, this is why i choose to approach all situations from a place of compassion as well as i can. not just because i believe many people are simply in a state of emotional turmoil right now, but because i have the idealistic hope that my compassion during a moment of emotional volatility may encourage them to show compassion to someone else. sure, it probably doesn't work most of the time. they probably just leave the interaction and go harass someone else. but there's a chance that me showing just one person compassion has helped them realize that they want to be kinder. i don't know. i think i am very sensitive and emotional but i am also constantly battling nihilism, so i might actually go crazy if i stop prioritizing the way i hold compassion for other people. i am definitely not a saint and i am far from a great person, but i think the fact that i am trying is worth smiling about sometimes. okay i'm starting to need to correct a lot of typos now so it's definitely bedtime, goodnight folks love you sweet dreams

[thatsnotxitsy]

That's not patronising it's literally true

Too many minors nowadays think that being a minor means that the world revolves around them. That everyone should cater to their tastes and they should never, ever, be exposed to anything that challenges their world view or upsets them even a little - unless they personally approve of it.

First of all, this is ignoring that during your childhood is actually the best and most perfect time to have things challenge your world views so you can formulate opinions with as much context, information and lack of bias as possible before those things become so stubbornly ingrained within your psyche that it is difficult for you to accept other opinions or new facts.

Also having emotions like 'sadness' in response to media is fine. It's fine to not always feel happy. If you don't want to feel sad, don't engage with media that promises to make you sad.

Secondly, if you pirate a movie rated for people above your age, if you play a game with an age rating you do not meet, if you read a book from sections aimed at adults, if you read a fanfiction which uses the correct age warnings and various other tags, if you click the 'yes I am 18' button on a NSFW site, if you unblur a blurred pictured with a warning on it - it is your fault you saw that.

It is unreasonable to expect that all adults, and teens ready to see more mature things, should not be allowed to have media reflecting their interests and the harshness of the real world. Should not be allowed to tell their real story, or tell a fictional story about real bad things that happened, because some people might not like it and some of those who don't like it might be children who shouldn't have engaged with it in the first place.

It is not patronising to assume that if you, a child, are incapable of stopping yourself from ignoring these warnings, then maybe you need to talk to a trusted adult about putting parental controls or similar on your devices. That's literally what they're there for. If you see yourself as too mature for that, then you must take responsibility for exposing yourself on purpose.

"Adults have a responsibility to keep children safe!" Your parents, family, teachers and doctors have a responsibility to keep you safe. Strangers on the internet who happen to be adults have no responsibility except morally. In which case, tagging systems are in place to keep you safe and yes, that is good enough. Stop being entitled.

I'm an adult, the body is an adult, and still there is stuff I hate seeing on the internet. I hate being exposed to it because it's not tagged. But I wouldn't go out of my way to ignore warnings that it's there and then complain that it exists.

"But x is dangerous even for adults to view!" Is just an opinion.

You as a minor are responsible for your own viewing, or you need adult supervision.

You as a minor will not want to abandon your interests once you are no longer a minor.

The word 'minor' is not a magic word you can use to have things changed to meet your needs.

Especially when there are also plenty of 'minors' who would happily not want the things you, personally, want censored because they enjoy darker themes etc

In other words, the internet's issue is not that there is content generally inappropriate for many minors, but that minors are allowed free reign over said internet and then get a inflated sense of self importance about internet content (all internet content) needing to be for them.

I get it, you can't conceive of caring about what adults like. Adults are all gross, violent predators who are only valuable insofar as they can make content you like, say the things you want to hear and have the opinions which you deem as morally sound.

But that's just not how the world works. It's fine to be distressed by things and wish you hadn't been, but if you chose to ignore warnings the takeaway should be "Well that was my own fault." not "Let's bother this stranger to try and make them censor their art because I didn't like seeing the Dead Dove they had in the Dead Dove bag, which is the appropriate way to store a Dead Dove that you've found."

- Gravy {Chalk Circle System}

[thedivinecalamity]

I just want to ramble a bit on my thoughts on James Somerton before I watch Hbomberguys video on it so I can look back at this post (and feel totally validated on getting weird vibes from him) and see If my feelings were onto something. (Also I'm not pretending like I knew all along just how bad he is and trying to feel superior, sometimes I get bad vibes from channels and am right, and sometimes I'm totally blind-sided like with Gus Johnson who's videos I used to like)

One of the things that made me stop watching him was when he talked about anime/manga. The guy very clearly had a very western biased perspective on it (or at least whoever he was plagiarizing from) and never seemed to look for perspectives from the people of that actual culture, and also just seemed racist towards it in general.

Along with saying that most women who write/enjoy gay anime/fanfic are straight and fetishizing the relationships and gay men need to 'reclaim' the medium (after all, women aren't allowed to have anything, it all needs to belong to men). A lot of those women turn out to be queer, or later identify with a different gender/no gender.

Like I won't deny that fujoshis exist and that a lot of them are annoying and it is a problem, but I feel this issue goes so much deeper that people just don't seem to think about.

I'll try to articulate this point well even if no one is reading this cause I feel like screaming into a void.

Everyone jokes about whether some piece of medium would pass the betchdel test, cause women in a lot of media barely interact with men in a non-hetero way, let alone talk to other women. Which is why I think a lot of people, especially women, gravitate towards the relationships between the men. Often cause we have nothing to work with for the women. Like in the media I consume, which is a lot of manga I will admit cause I tend to prefer non-fiction for straight up literature, I will see a lot of interesting male dynamics, but often have to go out of my way to find any female dynamics at all. I genuinely like wlw relationships more than mlm but it can be hard to find especially if you're not going out of your way for it.

I think women also write a lot of gay porn because of how they are viewed/portrayed by society. Women are often so sexualized/objectified that I think a lot of them don't want to repeat that because they're tired of their bodies being seen that way. So I think they often flip it and try to sexualize men more in a bit of a middle finger way (like the rise in art of men in bunnysuits poledancing, which decades ago would probably seem ludicrous to hear a man in that situation, or taking comic book art and swapping the genders).

I will probably need to do more research on this next point, but I hear this may be a theory on why a lot of women have rape fantasies. I'm not speaking about rape victims having those fantasies cause I am just not knowledgeable enough about that and don't want to be hurtful with uninformed opinions. It's been stigmatized that women should not enjoy sex, and made the idea that females masturbating is shameful. So these fantasies can be seen as a way to enjoy the pleasure without having the guilt that you actually want sex. Ofc I know rape victims are stigmatized just as much if not more, so maybe this point is bunk. I hope nothing I said in this paragraph is hurtful, feel free to correct me otherwise.

Also just the fact that fandom spaces have often had a lot more women than men, and are often mocked for their interests. I won't deny that men haven't also been bullied decades ago for having 'nerdy' interests like Star Wars, but those people often tended to push women out of trying to join their groups. So women go on the internet and start forming these communities, and James now says that men need to 'reclaim' these spaces from women, that often were created because men pushed them out in the first place.

(I won't deny however that fandoms do have a misogyny problem. So many people do not seem to care about female characters. I won't deny that female characters can often be more poorly written, but I've seen people on here create entire personalities for male characters with none/not even having any speaking lines with none of that energy dedicated towards female characters. Skill issue.)

[slightly-smarter-nat]

What would you say to a best friends turned to Lovers with natasha x female reader who is an avenger. And the team (it was actually Tony’s idea) decides to host a karaoke night at the compound, and when it’s reader’s turn, she sings “If You Love Her” by Forest Blakk. And the whole entire time she’s singing, the lyrics relate so much to Natasha. And the reason Reader is singing that song is a way for Nat to realize that she has feelings for her. And it’s just so feelsy and heart warming and by the end of the song, feelings are out in the open and reciprocated? Happy ending please? (And if your open to platonic moments, maybe some Reader and Tony best friend moments too? But that’s optional if you want!)

If You Love Her || Natasha Romanoff

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: N/A. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.

Word Count: 3497 words.

A/N: Thank you so much for the request anon, I really appreciate it! I’m sorry there was a delay on the posting for this fic from when I originally said, I kept getting distracted oops. I hope you all enjoy! Please note this is an au so some character’s behaviours may be different to what is expected.

Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform), copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3.

Masterlist

*Song lyrics are in Italics.

GIF not mine

If You Love Her: Natasha Romanoff-

“How many people are allowed to play Jenga at once?” You ask curiously as you delicately place your newly acquired, loose wooden block on top of the ‘Jenga’ pile.

“As many as you want. Your game, your rules I guess.” Natasha replies as she studies the wooden tower carefully, in search for her next possible move in retrieving a block successfully.

“Right, so can we remove the rule where Wanda can use her powers to keep the tower steady every time it’s your turn?” You question as you give Wanda and Natasha an amused smirk.

Natasha gasps in shock as she looks over at you, “There is no way you could have known she was doing that! What gave it away?”

“Oh please, for a spy you’re not very subtle with your hand signals- Three taps of your fingers and Wanda casually looks over with a hint of red in her eyes. What else am I supposed to think?” You explain your reasoning behind your suspicions clearly.

Wanda places her book down, mostly using it as a way of avoiding attention during the game, “She paid me twenty dollars to do it, she was adamant she was going to beat you this time.”

Natasha grabs the pillow from beside herself and throws it towards Wanda, “That’s enough out of you.”

Wanda catches the soaring pillow with ease, placing it behind her head for comfort, “It’s not my fault you can’t beat y/n at a simple game.”

Natasha scoffs, “Simple? We’ve been friends for over seven years and I have never won a game, not a single one! It’s anything but simple.”

You shake your head at Natasha’s words, “Perhaps it just ‘simply’ means that I’m awesome and you’re not.” You pout your lip out alongside a shrug of your shoulders to highlight your point.

Natasha rolls her eyes as she moves to grab a wooden block, “You wish-“ At that very moment, the Jenga tower succumbs to its demise, and tumbles down onto the living area table. Causing a wave of stray blocks to decorate the floor surrounding the three of you.

You admire your victory, scattered around you, “Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but-“

Natasha raises a hand as a signal to stop your words, “Don’t even think about gloating, I want a rematch y/l/n.”

You give Natasha an excited nod at the suggestion, “Oh, you’re on.”

The two of you make quick work in gathering all the blocks needed to rebuild the wooden tower, taking your time to ensure all the pieces are accounted for, before the next round begins.

During your efforts to rebuild the tower, Tony enters the room, instantly casting his gaze on your chosen form of entertainment.

“Please tell me you’ve not been in here all morning playing Jenga.” He says in a disappointed tone.

“Now Tony, it’s not our fault Pepper banned you from the game after the 2013 incident.” Natasha teases the Billionaire.

Wanda looks towards Natasha in puzzlement, “What incident?”

Tony immediately steps forward to silence Natasha, “Widow, don’t you dare-“

“Oh yeah, I remember that. Pepper totally freaked out. Basically, what he did was-“ Tony creates a chorus of obnoxious sounds to drown out your words.

“La, la, la! We don’t need to hear that story ever. If anyone tells that story, I’ll add a six month delay to your gadget upgrade schedule.” Tony threatens the two of you.

You and Natasha give each other a nod in silent agreement to not repeat a word of the story in question. Knowing that you both need those gadget upgrades for the upcoming surge of missions heading your way.

“Why are you even here Stark?” Wanda asks as she manoeuvres herself in her chair, giving Tony her undivided attention.

Tony claps his hands together before pointing his index fingers towards Wanda, “I’m glad you asked, Little Witch.”

Wanda rolls her eyes at the choice of nickname given to her by Tony, “I have had the most genius idea to date. Since we’re all so completely and utterly bored shi-, I mean mindless. Why don’t we host a Karaoke night here, at the compound for the whole team. What do you say?”

The three of you look between yourselves unsure, “I mean, it could be fun. It would give us all a chance to hang out together.” You say as you shove some spare blocks towards Natasha to add to the pile.

“What does everyone else think about the idea?” Wanda questions.

“They’re all on board, the only people I needed to ask were you guys, so are you in?” Tony bites his lip in hopes that you will all say yes.

“Sure Tony, whatever you say.” Natasha replies as she rests her head on her hand, waiting for the game to start.

Tony moves his hands in circular motions, attempting to encourage an answer from Wanda and yourself.

You both give him an enthusiastic nod, causing him to sigh in relief, “Well, now that’s taken care of, I’ll go start setting everything up for tonight. I’ll send you the details soon, oh and think of a song you might want to sing. We can then add it to the list alongside some others.”

“Will do Tony.” Natasha confirms as she places her first block on top of the tower, without hesitation- determined to win.

Just as you’re about to make your move, Tony addresses you, “Y/n, make sure you pick the perfect song for your crush, I’m counting on it!”

At the mention of the situation regarding your crush, you accidentally knock over the Jenga tower, causing a resounding bang to sound throughout the room.

“M-my crush?” You say in a small voice, ignoring the cheering coming from Natasha at her first victory throughout your entire friendship.

“Yes, you never know what opportunities may arise from tonight. You might be able to take the shot you’ve been waiting for.” Tony puts forward as he nods his head in Natasha’s direction.

Natasha is too busy to notice the exchange, taking it upon herself to congratulate her own efforts in taking you down after so long- even if it was through a distraction.

Wanda however is very intrigued towards the conversation at hand, “Ahhh, that just made the premise of tonight so much more interesting.”

You attempt to hide the embarrassment spreading throughout your cheeks; tainting them red.

There’s a chance that Tony may be right, and tonight would be a perfect opportunity to tell your crush- Natasha, how you really feel.

However, there’s a flip side to that statement, one that you would rather avoid at all costs, if it means that the friendship you share with Natasha could be jeopardised.

Who knew so much could rest on a song choice for an Avenger’s Karaoke night.

—————-

It’s 9 pm at the compound, the team are gathered in the living area surrounded by various drinks and snacks, as each member takes it in turn to perform their very own choice in music.

At this point, the majority of the team have had a go on the Karaoke machine Tony picked up from a store a few hours ago. The current performer on the makeshift stage is Peter Parker. He was adamant he was going to perform ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna, and who were the team to stop him.

With his combination of acrobatic skills and impressive vocals, he’s giving the team quite a memorable show.

Just as he’s about to enter the chorus of the song, alongside with a range of pirouettes; Tony makes his way over to you with a songbook in hand.

“Right, so you’re up next. What song do you want me to put up on the monitor?” He hands the book to you, allowing you to take it from his grasp.

You barely even bother to scan the titles, not really in the mood for a performance at this current moment in time.

You release a sigh, “I don’t know, just put ‘Cheap Thrills’ on by Sia or something.”

You allow your gaze to be guided towards Natasha, the current reason for your disheartened tone.

Tony looks at you in concern, opting to follow your gaze over to Natasha. He gives you a supportive tap on your shoulder once he sees the scene you can’t quite take your eyes off.

Natasha is currently in deep conversation with Bruce, laughing and joking around effortlessly with him. In your opinion, neither one of them have ever hidden their interest in one another, making it all that one bit harder for you to deal with daily.

“You know Natasha, she’s-“ Tony attempts to cheer you up but you immediately stop him.

“No, Tony. It’s fine, she clearly likes him; we’re just friends, I get it.” You quickly dismiss the idea of Natasha being interested in you as more than a friend.

Tony shakes his head in amusement, “Oh my sweet, innocent y/n. You really don’t know how this game works do you?”

You cast a curious gaze towards Tony, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, that woman, though she’s scary, is head over heels for you. You’re just too blinded by your own self doubt to realise it. Let’s take a few examples into consideration; she spends her entire day’s schedule with you, without fail; gives Steve a hard time if he doesn’t partner the two of you up for training-“ Just as you go to interrupt, Tony continues, “Don’t give me that whole, ‘we have a similar skill set so it makes sense’ bull either. From the amount of effort the two of you show for each other, you’re definitely worthy of being more than ‘friends’.”

Tony uses his fingers to replicate a quotation reference, highlighting that you and Natasha have a shot of being happy together.

You bow your head down at Tony’s words, “Trust me, take this song and use it as a chance to tell Natasha how you really feel, because it’s about time she knows. If it fails, then you can just pass it off as a random song choice. Though if it works, you can thank me with a batch of those amazing cookies you make at Thanksgiving.”

You smile at Tony’s words, using his encouragement to fuel your new plan, “Thanks Tony, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Tony gives your hair a ruffle with his hands, causing you to shift away in annoyance, “That’s what friends are for, now come on Parker is finishing up.”

As Peter finishes up his rendition of ‘Umbrella’, you and the team applaud him, showing enthusiasm for his performance.

As you pass Peter on the way to the stage, you congratulate him for his efforts, attempting to shift out your own nervousness surrounding your performance.

As you take the stage, the team gives you a chorus of cheers, unintentionally intensifying your nerves surrounding your uneasiness of performing.

Though, with a playful wave of your hand, the team quietens down in anticipation of hearing your song.

Tony catches your attention, “Y/n/n, are you sure you want to do this song?” He gives you one final chance to change your mind if you want to.

Harnessing his earlier words of encouragement, you give him a firm nod, “Let’s do this.”

He gives you a warm smile as he inputs your song choice into the Karaoke system, as you wait for Tony to finish up, you take the time to introduce your choice to the team.

“Um, the song I chose is ‘If You Love Her’, it’s a song close to my heart because I guess it really expresses how I feel about someone here, that’s super close to me... I-I, yeah, hopefully you guys enjoy it.”

You can’t help but allow your gaze to land on Natasha, somehow wishing you had the courage to outright tell her the song is dedicated to her.

As you notice the flash of lyrics come to display on the monitor beside you, you tighten your grip on the microphone as you take it out of the stand, readying yourself to sing.

Once you hear the first melody of the song start to play, you take a deep breath to centre your nerves and start to sing.

—

Take it

If she gives you her heart

Don't you break it

Let your arms be a place

She feels safe in

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She always has trouble

Falling asleep

And she likes to cuddle

While under the sheets

She loves Pop songs

And dancing, and bad trash TV

There's still a few other things

She loves love notes and babies

And likes giving gifts

Has a hard time accepting

A good compliment

She loves her whole family

And all of her friends

So if you're the one she lets in

Take it

If she gives you her heart

Don't you break it

Let your arms be a place

She feels safe in

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She'll love you

If you love her

On days when

It feels like the whole

World might cave in

Stand side by side

And you'll make it

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She'll love you

If you love her like that

Kiss her with passion

As much as you can

Run your hands through her hair

Whenever she's sad

And when she doesn't notice

How pretty she is

Tell her over and over

So she never forgets

Take it

If she gives you her heart

Don't you break it

Let your arms be a place

She feels safe in

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She'll love you

If you love her

On days when

It feels like the whole

World might cave in

Stand side by side

And you'll make it

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She'll love you

If you love her like that

She'll love you

If you love her like that

She'll love you

If you love her

She'll love you

If you love her like that

She'll love you

She'll love you

She'll love you

She'll love you

If you love her

On days when

It feels like the whole

World might cave in

Stand side by side

And you'll make it

She's the best thing that you'll ever have

She'll love you

If you love her like that

—

As you finish your last note, you allow your head to drop, attempting to shield the tears that invade your eyes at the sincerity of the lyrics surrounding the feelings you keep inside.

The team build up a round of applause at your performance, “That was awesome y/n!” Clint shouts enthusiastically.

“Great job y/n/n, that was lovely.” Steve says as he walks up beside you, giving you a side hug as he prepares himself for his go on the Karaoke machine.

You look around the room to thank everyone for their support, until you make eye contact with Natasha.

She’s leaning forwards, elbows resting on her knees as she studies you intently.

Your stomach drops once you see Bruce attempt to place a hand on her shoulder to signal her attention over to him. Though to your surprise, Natasha shrugs him off, not taking her eyes off of you for one second.

With having performed and the overwhelming sensations building from having Natasha in your presence, you opt to leave the room.

“I’m just going to get some air, thank you guys.” You quickly place the microphone back in its stand and make your way over to the compound balcony.

Once you enter the outside space, you make quick work of sliding the doors shut, hoping to have some privacy, as you take yourself over to the railings to admire the compound’s surroundings. That is until you hear the doors being opened, causing you to internally groan.

The new presence settles beside you, “Well that went well.” Tony says.

You scoff, “I don’t need the sarcasm Tony.” You rub your hands all over your face in frustration.

“I’m not being sarcastic, though I am curious as to why you’ve retreated out here.” He questions as he nudges into you slightly.

The sounds of the music coming from within makes its way to your ears, reminding you of the situation at hand.

“I just, I know what you said but I’m just worried she doesn’t feel that way about me. She’s awesome, completely and totally amazing and she’s my best friend yet I can’t vocalise everything properly like that song can. I just freak out, but deep down I want her to know I love her.”

Tony laughs, “Well, I know one thing. Throughout that song, she couldn’t take her eyes off of you. Plus, something tells me she knows that song was for her.” He says playfully.

“Oh yeah, how?” You ask doubtfully.

“Because she’s standing right here listening.” Natasha’s voice catches your attention, causing you to spin round instantly.

Tony smiles as he looks between the two of you, “I’ll leave you to it.”

He heads inside to join the others, rejoining the Karaoke night.

The silence is loud between you and Natasha. You feel awkward, knowing you shouldn’t because she’s your best friend. However she now knows you like her more than that.

“So, nice song.” Natasha says, attempting to break the tension.

You smirk, “Yeah, it’s uh, it’s great.” You internally cringe at your staggered words.

“Look, y/n-“ Natasha starts, but the tone she’s displaying lunges you into a spiral of doubt.

“It’s okay, I get you don’t feel that way about me. It’s cool, we can forget about it. You and Bruce-“ At the mention of Bruce’s name, Natasha tilts her head and raises an eyebrow.

“What does Bruce have to do with this?” She questions.

“Um, aren’t you two-“ You signal a back and forth motion between the two of them as a gesture of being together.

Natasha smiles as she shakes her head, “Why would I be seeing Bruce when there’s someone else I’m interested in?”

You can’t help how your mouth drops open slightly, you didn’t even consider that Natasha has someone else in mind, she is beautiful and all, she’s bound to have people lining up to date her.

“Oh, yes of course. I bet they’re really nice, and-“

Natasha takes a step forward and grabs your hands, “Y/n, I’m talking about you.”

You feel as though your heart has stopped to compensate for the delightful shock, “Y-you are?”

“Of course I am, y/n you’re the closest person I have in my life. You’re always there for me and you never judge me, even for my past. I can tell you always take my feelings into consideration and you’re always so patient with me if I’m struggling. I couldn’t do any of this without you. You’re my person, and I love you with the entirety of my heart. I just didn’t want to ask you out in case-“

“I said no? Yes, I know the feeling well Nat.” You both share a laugh at your mutual pining.

“What I’m trying to say is, can we be more than friends? Can we start a relationship that we both clearly want, but are too shy to ask for?” Natasha focuses her loving gaze on you.

You instantly nod at her question, “Yes, a thousand times yes!” You don’t even hesitate to bring Natasha into a hug, finally having the opportunity to have Natasha Romanoff as your girlfriend.

Natasha removes herself from the hug to plant a kiss on your head, cupping your cheeks with her hands, “Those lyrics, did you mean them?”

“Every single one, I love you Natasha, so, so much.” You confirm.

“Good, because I love you too, more than you know.” Natasha grabs one of your hands to lead you inside, until you pull her back gently, halting her movements.

“Since we’re together now, will you reconsider the no cuddling rule?” You playfully remark.

Natasha shakes her head with a laugh, “I never banned cuddling and I’ll only allow them if you let me kick your ass at Jenga more often.”

You pout your lip in thought, considering your options carefully, “Alright, I guess that’s a fair compromise.”

“Hmm, come on, I want to introduce everyone to my new girlfriend.” Natasha lets out as she urges you inside.

“You do know they all already know me, we’ve been working together for nearly a decade.” You can’t help but tease.

Natasha rolls her eyes at your words, “You’re so strange, hurry up or I’ll lock you out here all night and tell the team to ignore you.”

With that, you rush inside with Natasha, knowing that is a likely scenario to play out from her questionable sense of humour.

With now having Natasha by your side as more than a friend, you couldn’t be happier. Finally having the confidence to let her know how much she really means to you.

[f1ofc]

In need of a new perspective

one-shot inspired by the line, "No thing so sure that I can't learn to doubt it" from New Perspective by Noah Kahan mentions of parts 2 and 3 of the social media au but can be read independently ☺️ 600+ words

masterlist

It was during Bahrain’s first free practice session that Johanna first met Fernando Alonso. The team was happy with her time and still full of adrenaline, she decided to go for a walk around the paddock. Recognizing him from testing earlier that year, Jo greeted Lance as she passed the Aston Martin facilities.

He smiled as she slowed, “Hey Johanna, how’s practice going?”

“Pretty good, I think. Mick gave me some tips that turned out pretty useful. I’m having to completely adapt my driving style to take these turns at this speed.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. You’ll get the hang of it.”

He started moving back towards his team’s garage, and was happy to continue the conversation as they walked. Her black race suit stood out in the sea of green, but most smiled at her as she passed. Before long, Stroll’s engineer was calling him. On the other side of the garage Alonso was getting out his car as the time ran out for the first session of the weekend.

“Mohn,” he called as she started to turn back to her walk, “how is your first weekend?”

Jo stopped short, smiling, “Well, the team’s happy so I can’t complain.”

He nodded, “And how are you?”

She looked out to the pit lane at the other crew, staff, and journalists milling about. “Nervous. There’s a lot of expectations riding on me right now.”

“Don’t worry about all of them. I’ve seen you race. You will excel here.”

Her eyebrows raised of their own accord, “You’ve seen me race?”

He grinned, “I went back and watched most of last year’s F2 season after Audi announced you as their driver. I like knowing who I am racing against.”

Johanna was shocked. Fernando Alonso, someone she had been watching since she was little, saw her as a competitor. An equal. “That’s…that’s really cool to hear, Alonso.”

Later that day, after the second session, he commented on her tweet about the car. Laughing at his response to Lance, she showed it to Oscar and Logan.

“She’s got a mentor. Oscar, how are we going to compete with her?” Logan over dramatically fell back on the couch in her driver room, “But seriously, that’s awesome.”

After the boys left, Johanna found herself doing the one thing everyone told her not to do. The comments on her tweet - and posts made by Audi Sport’s official accounts - were full of the same general sentiment. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t good enough to compete against the other drivers. She was a PR stunt. She won’t last a year. Comment after comment it felt never-ending, and it wasn’t hard to believe the things people were writing about her. Nearly in tears, she texted her teammate. Mick was quick to respond.

Have you been reading your comments again?

c’mon, we’re not AlphaTauri

Minutes later she got a text from Fernando.

You may not see it when we are in our cars, but you have many fans on the grid

Talking to him helped quite a bit, and the two of them must of said something to her other friends because just about the second her conversation ended with Alonso she got a text from Oscar inviting her to come out with the rest of the grid kids; they had taken to calling themselves that, referring to the combined trios of 2019 and 2023 rookies, mostly because it annoyed Alex and George. While they were out, Lando pulled her aside.

“All of those comments are coming from idiots that can barely drive down the street. You have just as much merit to be here as Oscar and Logan, you hear? And if anyone around the paddock says something you just let us know.”

The others overheard and gathered closer around them. George smiled at her, “Yeah, Lewis has taught the rest of us a thing or two about correcting reporters. We have no problem putting someone in their place.”

Johanna was grateful for the reminder that she had support from the people that mattered.

[actualbird]

RHYTHM ANON HERE BACK ON MY BULLSHIT AGAIN BUT UH IM NO LONGER ANONYMOUS BC I NEED TO PUT MEDIA AND DONT WANT JT TO GO AWAY SO FUCK IT!!!

Also I'm doing better ty :D

Okay, now, to the point of this post!

I converted stellin into REAL MONEYYY HELL YEAH 💵💴💶💷

This was a little difficult but HERE IS MY PROCESS‼️ I converted them to USD and Philippine Pesos bc I THINK that's the currency you use?? I forgot I'm sorry 😭

It looks very wack at first but trust me 🤷🏾‍♀️

1. Find out how much gems and Tears cost

Self explanatory.

Don't mind the first buy bonus, if I start spending money I will NOT stop ☹️‼️

This is how many gems a Tear of Themis costs.

2. Find something that can be spent on both tears AND stellin

This was the hardest part, I redownloaded the LG event for this and might replay bc it was my favorite event since I started when the eng version came out 😍

I forgot what these are called already BUT it can be spent on both tears & stellin

It says limited but we have seen from past events that limited and regular tears cost the same amount of gems (I'm like 98% sure of this correct me if I'm wrong pls)

Don't mind that Oracles of Justice are circled I tried taking this another way at first but you can't buy those and stellin separately so ignore that

3. Convert!!!

SO the things to buy them with that I forgot the name of I will call octopus coins bc that's what they look like!!!!

10 octopus coins = 1 Tear

1 octopus coin = 15,000 Stellin

so I divided 0.99 by 10 and got 9 or 10 cents so 15k stellin is about 10 cents

That is VERY LOW not what I expected

If I tried to find out how many Stellin are worth 1 cent which I am I would get ~1,500 stellin is worth 1 cent.

I also converted this to Philippine Pesos. 1500 stellin is worth 795 Philippine Pesos so 1 Peso is worth about 2 stellin.

And I ALSO converted my saved stellin to USD

197971 Stellin is worth about 132 USD.

That is. A lot!!! More than I have saved actually 😰

Why did I do this? Impulse.

This was fun though THANKS FOR LETTING ME DUMP ALL THIS ON YOU

Well you didn't really let me I just. Did It. But if you're reading this THANKS!

hullo rhythm anon!! with the anon off JHVJKFHASKFA, im rlly glad ur feeling better :DD

and at the rest of what youve sent me

oh my GOD

YO U.....CREATED A FRIGGING EXCHANGE RATE FOR STELLIN COMPARED TO LEGIT CURRENCIES, my jaw is on the FLOOR. im not good at math so i cant say much on ur method aside from the fact it looks incredibly impressive and i applaud the amount of effort u put into this omg!!!

1PHP (which is indeed the currency i use!!) being equivalent to 2ST (stellins, i just wanted to abbreviate it so that it looks like a Legit Currency as well) is actually super believable!! this is roughly the same exchange rate for philippine peso to japanese yen.

i now vaguely wonder about the economics behind the stellin's purchasing power in the global arena ingame....and now i stop vaguely wondering because i dont know anything about economics JHVAKJHFVAKSJHFAS

thank u for doing math, u are so much braver than i ever will be (also this is all just so delightful!!!)

[hjemne]

Tell me about your strong opinions

Ooh okay

-teenagers need support and restrictions when navigating the internet, but they also need to have unmonitored spaces where they can express themselves without fear of their parents seeing, especially queer teens

-tiktok authors are a menace to society. I am mostly joking about that, but also it pisses me off to no end. What really should have been a questionable kinky fanfic is now being published and is seemingly the only thing on booktok. People are connecting their real names + faces onto poorly written books entirely based on tropes and they are ALL just 'oh this bad boy is really bad but also he likes you but also you don't have a choice in this romance. Also there's only one bed. This is Art and to say otherwise is snobbery'. Erotica has its place in published fiction but oh my god not like this please stop

-during the 2 months where I watched the entirety of supernatural I became so unwell that I had to get an emergency appointment at the hospital because they thought I might have a tumour. I am 100% sure the two were connected. This isn't an opinion, but I'll allow you to draw your own connections

-attack on titan isn't fascist. It does, however, have complicated themes & depicts military states and segregation. Neo nazis don't have good media literacy & just choose to ignore everything that very explicitly says that imperialism, racism, war etc are Bad and Wrong. Aot doesn't have an easy moral and there are definitely different valid readings of the end. I will not argue against a Jew who is uncomfortable with s4 and doesn't want to watch it. However, to call aot irredeemable also shows a startling lack of media literacy and implicitly accepts the far right interpretation as the correct one

-historians and academics need to keep using the term Anglo Saxon as a neutral historical descriptor because the moment they stop they give the term to the far right forever

-everyone who has ever commented 'women ☕' is going straight to non-denominational hell. They are deeply misogynistic and will take any socially acceptable path to express it. It genuinely terrifies me to think how quick some people are to express a real hatred and inability to emphasize with women and how they can hid that behind 'its just a meme'

-i have many many strong feelings about how shittily cyclists are treated but that is probably for another time. What I will say is that the times I've been the most scared for my physical safety have been when drivers let their impatience and road rage literally nearly kill me

I fully accept people will disagree with some of these (& I'd be v interested to hear other views) but this is what I think