writing edgar is so funny bc tom and his two english degrees cannot for the sake of their lives not overpronounce every single word in a sentence. i am Abusing the italics rn
and while we're at it, let me tell you why i think "trans women not belonging in sports" is such a massive topic for transphobes despite the percentage of trans athletes being fucking miniscule - it is an easy entry point to villanise an entire group of people
it's not that simple to convince people who are neutral on the subject to turn against a group of other people just by saying "yeah they suck". but if you start with soft allegations of unfairness, a feeling that is very easy for people to understand and empathise with, it plants a seed of suspiciousness, distrust towards said group, which can then spread towards other aspects extremely fast
and sports is such a perfect area to do this, because for people who are unaware of how a transition works, it's obvious that "they had a masculine-presenting body, so they naturally have an unfair advantage". because most people do not give a shit to read up on something if it seems this logical, especially when it's not a burning issue. and clearly - sadly - it works
so once again, please please check your sources, be critical, and listen to what trans people are trying to tell you!!
TOP 10 ATP PLAYERS AS DRAG RACE QUEENS (with explanations, without rats)
i've said before that i watch tennis like i watch rupaul's drag race, so this is my time to shine!! (inspired by this post by @uelden (which i adore) and @mousemannation for mentioning drag on my dash and sending me into a spiral🧡)
DISCLAIMERS, NOTES, ALL THAT JAZZ:
it's the current live top 10 before the us open (22.08.2025)
rat free - andrey rublev takes his place (as he should)
i'm including only the main US drag race franchise queens to make it a bit easier (BEWARE OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS!)
i've spent way longer on this than i should've so if i reach at least one person who gets me, i'll consider it a success
remember, it's not personal, it's drag - ENJOY!!
Jannik Sinner - Sasha Velour
underestimated for a long time, and then undeniably winning the whole season in the final because she was just too good
criticised for not having enough fun and proved that she does but in her own way
known for focusing on details and technicalities rather than flashy performances (a thinking queen speaks to the heart)
Carlos Alcaraz - Jorgeous
born to do drag, adored by all of the fellow queens, production and rupaul alike
three apples tall, bite sized, been compared to a puppy before
an insane performer, energy through the roof, she's everywhere and then some
Andrey Rublev - Katya
the lovable russian hooker™
the sweetest soul to ever exist, loved by everybody accordingly (miss congeniality narrative)
very open about her mental health struggles and coping with it through humour (narrator of the season storyline)
Taylor Fritz - Mirage
the most chill, laid-back person to ever do it
until it's time to perform, then it's over for you bitches
known for her floorwork choreography (much as taylor at wimbledon this year)
Jack Draper - Daya Betty
she's not there to make friends, she's there to LOCK IN
an underdog storyline - went home first, and then came back to go all the way to the finale
can be her own worst enemy (she's also 10 metres tall, platform boots not included)
Ben Shelton - Luxx Noir London
she's good, she knows she's good, she will tell you she's good
very inspired by the fashion of the past, but brings her own unique, fresh twist to it
potential future winner, as soon as she reaches her full potential (which is scary knowing her level now and how much space for improvement she still has)
Novak Djokovic - Bianca Del Rio
a perfect drag race contestant, there's pretty much nothing she cannot do
the best winner's track record to date (despite her season being over 11 years ago)
can be a villain and the sweetest auntie to the younger queens all at the same time
Alex de Minaur - Jujubee
always going to the very end but not quite making that last step
but she's still the people's princess anyway
will read a bitch but with the brightest smile known to man (was your barbecue cancelled?)
Karen Khachanov - Courtney Act
part of an iconic trio (twice, actually)
never recognised as much as the other two, though
a total sweetheart, known for uplifting her fellow queens
Lorenzo Musetti - Detox
the ultimate FASHION queen
always an angel never a god type of storyline (which would make jannik jinkx and/or alaska which i HAVE thought about)
cannot stop fucking swearing (proven by the season 5 rupaul roast)
i'm noticing the ai discourse turning towards its use for non-native english speakers, and as a non-native english speaker who's also in the field of both linguistics and creative writing i would like to add my two cents (or two hundred cents because i yap a lot, but i promise i make some points here ahhahah)
there are many reasons to not use ai, from environmental impact to unethical sourcing (which i encourage you to get informed about from people that are more qualified to explain the issues than i am), but the argument i want to make here is relatively simple - it will not make your writing better in a long term
listen, i understand that creating in a different language can be gruelling at times. sometimes your brain just refuses to process language and it is frustrating; or sometimes you compare your works to those by people whose first language is english and you see some differences that you would like to erase. i get that, those feelings are valid, but i promise you using generative ai is not a way to fix it.
writing is an everlasting process. each piece that you create helps you find your style, mould it into something distinctively yours, help you present your thoughts and ideas clearly, which is inherently what writing is all about. we learn from the shitty drafts that will never see the light of day, deleted paragraphs that we sat over for hours. there's not a single person whose first works sounded like shakespeare, it all comes with practice. i know we live in times where our brains crave instant gratification and quick rewards, but what's beautiful about writing is that it's not that at all. and it should stay like that.
it is a time-consuming hobby, and i assume that you must enjoy it if you do it, and therefore want to get better at it. i don't want to come off as saying that writing is not for everyone, because i truly believe that it is, as long as you actually enjoy the process. if you don't - i'm sorry to be blunt - but maybe it actually isn't for you. and it's okay!! find something that makes you happy rather than pretending that a certain thing does
and for the non-native speakers aspect of it all - embrace your non-nativeness!! so what if you used the wrong preposition, so what if the sentence sounds a little clunky? we come to ao3 to read passion projects made for free by people who love the same things that we do with a common understanding that it is not supposed to be professional. i would much rather read an author who awkwardly stumbles thorugh their metaphors rather than soulless ai slop polished to oblivion
let's say you put a non-perfect sentence into the engine. now it's all pretty and shiny, and it must be good because it sounds like professional perfect english, right? but so what if it's gramatically correct, when the correctness comes at a price of your beautiful ideas being shoved into a mould of repeated formulas until it's devoid of anything human and unique? and on top of that, your skillset is stalling - language/writing/research skills cannot improve if you're given the "right" answer on a silver platter
and besides, don't demean your abilities just because there are tools that make it "easier". it's not as good of an argument as you may think - just because someone's english is not textbook perfect doesn't mean they cannot be good writers. also, how do you think we managed before chatgpt was a thing?
i would like to finish by saying this: fanfiction writing is a community thing. i know it is tempting to see hundreds of kudos and comments and thinking "i want that, how do i get that", but i promise, turning to chatgpt is not going to make it satisfying. if you want help with your craft, please don't be afraid to ask. i can share a list of tools i use when i write, i can give you some feedback on your work, and i'm sure other writers here would be willing to do the same. just no ai. please.
there is something about the exaggerated grandeur of the six kings slam that reminds me of rich people buying unnecessarily expensive equipment only to not know how to use it whatsoever
because that's what this exho screams to me. from players wearing go-pros on the walkout, which we saw maybe two blurry shots from because what is there even to show, to the ridiculous golden racquet, as if the 6 million dollars were not ridiculous enough on their own. from the over-the-top 3d light shows with every special effect known to man, to the ai graphics (which in my head was a deliberate choice, because for some people using ai seems like an expression of having state-of-the-art technology for some reason)
it's a subpar product packaged in gold wrapping. calling it a slam and pretending the stakes are high while throwing dollar bills on top of it will not change the fact that it's an awkwardly executed exho at best
it's almost as if it was a metaphor for the sportswashing of it all
(there is probably also something to be said about the constant bringing up of "okay but tennis aside what about how amazing country this is, right?" and so many other things but at the end of the day it's just a stupid post with me moaning about a thing that's not sitting right with me. i also do not claim that i understand all of the depths of this situation so if you would like to share some insights - my inbox is open. i will leave you with this short article about sportswashing. it was wrtitten three years ago about qatar and the world football cup, but i think it's still pretty insightful and relevant to the topic at hand)
sorry to everyone that follows me and expects me to talk abt anything other than edgar. thats very unrealistic to ask of me when im gay, studying psychology And also very autistic. my bad tho
