#introspective thoughts

[24heuresdumax]

Hi Nina! I hope you are well. 

I have been watching Drive to Survive (my guilt pleasure, I just love how they make small things big and big things small), and one thing that have catch my attention and made me remember your Dam/Sire au, is how different Pierre, Alex, Liam, etc, reacted to a P6 then Max, Charles, Oscar, etc and this also remind me of a F1 reporter that said: “it’s very obvious and everyone warns you that you need to change the tone of the interview very fast because in one second do you’re talking to the winner in another you’re talking to the guy in P20, but no one tells you how different it’s to talk to the Ferrari guy in P6 and the Sauber one in P7”.  And to quote Suzane Collins “What young brains lack in experience they sometimes make up for in idealism. Nothing seems impossible for them.” Which I think it can be used into F1, when the drivers were kids they all dreamed to be World Champion, but the statistics don’t lie only 4,48% of the F1 drivers had been champions.  All of this made me realize how we all feel very bad for Charles and George because the aren’t champions yet, but they still have the chance, what about the ones in the bottom of the field who have already accepted that their dream will never be true.  My heart breaks for Logan (and all the others) when they have to witness the other pack treating what would be a miracle to them as if it is junk. 

Hi Anon 🖥

Dam/Sire AU: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

“It’s very obvious and everyone warns you that you need to change the tone of the interview very fast because in one second do you’re talking to the winner in another you’re talking to the guy in P20, but no one tells you how different it’s to talk to the Ferrari guy in P6 and the Sauber one in P7”. ← This!! 500% this!!

I think your ask perfectly encapsulates not just the Dam/Sire AU but also the reality of what it means to be in a "top team" vs a "backmarker team". Every single driver on the grid dreams of becoming world champion when they first arrive to the paddock but eventually, they have to face facts: Machinery, finances, strategy, team personnel. So many different aspects come together to make a championship winning team and a championship winning car that after a while, fights for the WDC title gradually become fights for a podium and then fights for points.

This would hit Logan particularly hard because for him, staying in the top 10 is such a huge triumph but for Oscar, Charles, and Max? It's an absolute failure.

Perspective is critical in these kinds of situations. I don't think Oscar, Charles, Max, or anyone in the Primary Pack would ever belittle anyone for coming in P10—just look at how Ferrari and Mercedes sent bottles and bottles of champagne to Sauber after Nico's first ever podium and how genuinely happy most of the grid was for him.

But from the Secondary Pack's POV—and in particular, Logan's POV—he fuels the insecurity in him. The fear that he's not good enough for Oscar and he'll never be good enough for him 😭

I think that's why it's so important for Max to sit down with Logan and apologize for his thoughtless words—he was trying to be funny but wound up fucking up so badly it sent his future son-in-law into an existential crisis. I can't imagine how much it would mean to Logan for the Max Verstappen to look him in the eye and say, "I'm so happy that Oscar's found you, Logan. And he better know how lucky he is to have you." Those intense sapphire eyes soften, becoming that tranquil, pacific blue that always appears whenever he's around Charles or his pack.

And shortly after this, both packs sit down with each other and Max is the first one to break the ice, to say sorry, to let everyone in the Secondary Pack know that they are not secondary—they are talented, hard-working, brilliant drivers who have been able to pull off phenomenal feats in machinery that simply should not have allowed it.

Because everyone in the F1 paddock has the capability to win the WDC title—it's just a matter of machinery and money holding them back.

And once those cards are laid down on the table? The talks flow easily—the listening, the understanding, the unfiltered apologies and unvarnished truth.

Logan sitting in Oscar's lap the entire time, head cradled against his Alpha's chest, as he watches the two packs come to an understanding more than 50 years in the making.

[the-soft-scholar]

i think this is what growing up feels like. finding steadiness without losing softness. holding my ground yet still allowing myself to change in tender and impossible ways. i want to live like this grounded, quiet, and always in motion.

[mercurial-thrills]

Why does reading help us become better fiction writers?

It's common information at this point: reading more often helps us become better writers. This is information that I, and others, have discussed plenty.

The real question I have is, why is it that reading helps us become better fiction writers? Is it because we get to pick up the little idiosyncrasies of our favourite authors? Is it because we're constantly exposed to the proper formatting of how a novel should be? Is it because it helps us understand how good stories are structured?

If it happens to be the third option, does this mean any sort of story can provide us with a better idea of how good stories are structured?

We can find stories everywhere. It's found in movies, theatre, TV shows, and video games. Even music! From the storytelling in a song like "Girls Like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko, to the associated music video, it demonstrates a story. That's only the first example that came to my mind.

if all of them are structured in similar ways, does this mean that as fiction writers, we can become better by absorbing all sorts of media? 'Cause I might start living like that's true, and have less guilt in the hours I've put into certain lore-driven video games.

In conclusion, maybe it's not the books that make us better fiction writers. Maybe it's the stories that we see in nearly every media we consume. ♥

[nixydery]

Recently, I've gotten into the korean boy band known as BTS. I know, I'm extremely late to the party. Regardless, I have only been an army for a couple of months but I can truly say that BTS has changed my life. More specifically, BTS has made me so much more comfortable in my gender identity.

Hey, I'm a transgender man, and I am no stranger to gender dysphoria and the pressures that come with trying to conform to gender roles in order to pass. I have been through the hyper-feminine phase and the hyper-masculine one. Even though the hyper-masc phase felt better than the former, it still wasn't me. I didn't like being this nonchalant tough guy. That's the exact opposite of who I am. I was making myself miserable. The consequence of trying to overcorrect and ending up in the same position I was when I started. I still wasn't being my true self.

And then I got into BTS.

BTS is not your regular boy band. They're so, so, so much more.

BTS' version of masculinity is nothing like what we have in the west. I assume this is why so many dudes trash on BTS, the tannies are everything that they hate.

BTS wears makeup. BTS sings and dances. Their songs aren't just the standard hookup sex song- they sing about self love, yearning, mental health, growing up...

BTS wears whatever they want. Even if the clothing is considered feminine.

BTS cry. They express themselves. None of that suppression bullshit. They outwardly show affection to one another and aren't afraid to love. They love SO much.

I often see their masculinity described as "gentle" and I could not agree more.

BTS are kind, caring, vulnerable, and so emotionally intelligent.

Some people think these are weak traits, but BTS have shown me that these "feminine" traits actually enhance not only your masculinity- but your entire being.

That is why they are so loved. They are gentle, loving, caring, sweet, and selfless. Which makes them seem confident, charismatic, strong, and protective.

BTS is everything a man should be.

The man that I want to be.

BTS taught me that it's okay. It's okay to just be yourself. You're not less of a man if you do partake in activities considered "feminine."

Seeing them express themselves however they want, even if it's not considered masculine, and still be loved and adored for it was life changing.

And like I said, these qualities actually elevate you as a person! You become someone everyone wants to be around. A beacon of hope, someone's sunshine, a symbol of happiness.

I not only want to be a gentleman, but I also just want to be a good person.

I can be a good man as well as a good person. And this post is probably silly, but I think it's cool that BTS inspires so many people. Inspired me.

I think more guys should get into BTS. I truly think they should be every man's role model.

I would love to hear from other army fanboys and from those armys who are also transgender!

[panther-os]

I think I've staked my identity on being a Writer (TM) for so long but actually, I'm a Storyteller. And I think that's okay, maybe it's even beautiful. Because humans are made of stories but they don't all need to be written down. I can hold them all in my heart and share the ones that want to be shared without chastising myself for not meeting an imaginary deadline or a self-constructed monthly word quota. It's okay. The writing of stories isn't the creating of them, and the creating is the part of me that's important. That's the part I want to nurture, and it's the part I no longer need to feel guilty about indulging when the writing has evaded me.

[non-conventionnel]

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” ― C.G. Jung

[velvet-script]

A Quiet Observation

Sometimes, it's in the smallest of moments that I find the most beauty. A half-read book, the sound of rain against the window, or the simple act of watching a candle flicker. It's these quiet moments that help me remember to breathe. In a world so fast-paced, I find solace in slowing down and letting the world unfold at it's own pace.

[w2tm-yume]

I hate the perception that penetration has to hurt. If you use lube and everything works properly down there, the penetrated partner should not have to feel pain, or even mild discomfort.

Of course, it can hurt, and it's completely normal to, I just don't think it has to hurt, and you shouldn't have to expect it to!

Furthermore, penetration can hurt for the penetrating partner, as well. Being crushed by another person, having one of the most sensitive organs in your body trapped within another person? Being squished and compressed beyond recognition? Shit can be painful. Especially if you're being choked. Or having your nipples pinched.

anyways thank you for coming to my ted talk, bottoming does not make you any less dom, penetration is only oppression if you make it.

use lube.