#(also while this is like. serious post and all—

[mask131]

I have not looked at all the notes below, just at these pictures.

This discussion, unfortunately coming up in the lights of all these horrible things, is something I do wish to explore further and that I already kind of felt before - see my last post about Good Omens, as the TV show adaptation and Gaiman's handling of it DID make me doubt some of his claims. While I do believe the first season was made with respect and care for Pratchett's work (despite failing to do justice to Pratchett for me, but at least there was a real sincere effort there), I also believe that with the additional seasons Gaiman was milking the non-existent cow that was the unwritten sequel and that we can't fully trust what he claims when it comes to idea planned since the early beginning and stuff he might want to add or project or on his own... But that's something that tends to happen with every book that is co-authored, so I won't go down there much further.

What I DO want to stress however is that, while yes we can put into doubt how much Gaiman was truly close or "in the papers" of Pratchett (a part of it isn't just Gaiman's own invention, another part is also a lot of popular culture projection and fan assumptions, we can't throw the stones just at Gaiman, there was also the whole cult following thingy at play), we also have to put into doubt WHO is currently putting into doubt the Gaiman-Pratchett connections.

I'll explain: Internet seems to have a very short-term memory, and people tend to forget that not so long ago transphobes literaly tried to mass-gaslight people (and gaslighted themselves) into thinking Pratchett would be against trans people, when Pratchett literaly wrote an entire book about accepting trans people. And for all Gaiman has done or has been accused of doing, we can't forget that he was one of the two fervent defensors of Pratchett - or rather one of the two major voices to denounce the absolute craziness of these people (alongside Pratchett's own daughter). And that's something people did NOT like. A lot of people got angry at Gaiman for "pretending to know" what Pratchett would think...

... This is exactly the same kind of talk that is starting to appear here and there. For very different reasons, from different people, but it is still the same doubt and so it means there's a bridge here ready to be crossed. The same way there is a certain amount of people who try to use the Gaiman scandal to "justify" or "defend" J.K. Rowling, and turn a very serious case of sex crime accusations into somehow a "turns out the transphobe was right all along".

Don't be fooled, the people who are outraged, angry or mobbing against Gaiman aren't not all defendors of women's rights, or betrayed fans, or even just decent people shocked at such a case. Some don't even want to know the truth. There's a lot of people who are ready to pounce and get in the fight just because they hated the guts out of Gaiman for being against transphobia, and for gay people, and for a lot of other causes they want to persecute or eliminate.

There was an interesting thread on Bluesky dissecting Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's relationship

TL:DR - It seems like Gaiman has been exaggerating the level of closeness between them for YEARS

[voxslays]

NSFW ALPHABET — THE SALESMAN

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

✧ Very doting. Is calm, but not in the psychotic way he usually is when recruiting. Will go run a bath while you lay on your shared bed trying to catch your breath. After that, he will just hold you in his arms as you fall asleep.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

✧ For Gong Yoo, it’s his hands. He loves the way they wrap around your neck during steamy time. On you, Gong Yoo can’t choose. He just loves all of you too much to pick. However—although he will never admit it—it’s probably your eyes.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

✧ Pretty average amount wise…and he prefers to not pull out. He just likes seeing his seed spill inside you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

✧ He so desperately wants to see you pregnant and carrying his legacy (possibly the next salesman). He’s been hinting at it for months, but you just haven’t gotten it yet.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

✧ This man is VERY experienced. I just get that vibe from him. He’s attractive and he knows it, and he knows how to make his partner feel good.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

✧ Doggy or any other position that lets him bend you over a surface that isn’t a bed. When he’s feeling Vannilla though, probably the breeding press or missionary.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

✧ Like in his every day life, the recruiter is pretty calm and focused, although every once in a while he will make a corny dad joke—which he will straight up deny once the morning comes.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

✧ Perfectly groomed. What more must I say?

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

✧ I don’t think he’d put your needs before his, per se, but he will definitely make you feel good. Will kiss you and hold your hands above your head as he pounds his length into you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

✧ This man doesn’t jerk off. He has you, so why bother? Even before he met you—he is attractive enough to basically have anyone he wants.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

✧ Breeding and bondage kink. He really wants to have a child (which he will train to be the next recruiter from a very young age) and he just loves seeing you all overstimulated and tied to the bed posts.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

✧ The bed or over his desk.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

✧ I don’t think he minds either way, but he is pretty skilled with his tongue (and long fingers).

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

✧ 99% of the time, Gong Yoo is fast and rough, mercilessly pounding into you, but the other 1% (usually during weekend mornings) he isn’t opposed to going slow to wake you up.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

✧ Absolutely not.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

✧ Oh boy…he can go for literal hours. Maybe 6-7 rounds if he’s extra energized.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

✧ The salesman is such a damn tease, it’s quite unfair. He will edge you for hours, not letting you come—before he finally does anything.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

✧ Not loud, but not quiet either. He will make little grunts as he plows into you.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

✧ Bro could go every night if he wanted to, but usually once or twice a week.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

✧ He does not sleep. This man is a light sleeper and you cannot convince me otherwise.

[asksonicverse]

You dont need to answer but I just wanted to tell you I adore Paradox being like "I hate all of them except" and then listing everyone except like 2 guys, honey you don't hate *all* of them you expressly don't hate *most of them*

Extremely charming characterization i adore it

[Creator Special number 2!]

So glad someone noticed that, I was originally going to have him name EVERYONE except Boost but then I was like “nah, Mania is just too annoying for Paradox to tolerate him”

And thanks! I’m trying to be… consistent with my characterization of each of them and stay in line with canon but like… URGH sometimes I want to deviate so bad just to indulge but I resist!

Needless to say tho, prism is probably going to get more affectionate later on. Rewatched Sonic Prime again and bro is a cutie patootie!

Headcanons… headcanons… hmm

Well, starting with the obvious, Paradox goes to therapy as I’ve mentioned which I think is hilarious. He and Lance are the only Shadows who really have their shit together which is why I think Sonadow works well for them? (we stan healthy relationships guys)

I do head canon that Eight doesn’t like being touched really at all anymore. After the metal virus, he grew so used to the fact that he couldn’t touch anyone that it sorta just stuck. He does it to save people, but not anything more. :(

And while I’m a sucker for the Trans Sonic HC I decided not to implement it in this particular AU!

I really want to include Captain Sonic and Shadow, but I haven’t played nor watched a serious play through of the game. (I’ve only really listened to a bit of the Snapcube dub..)

can someone tell me if Shadow is a Barista or a Mechanic in that game btw?? I google it, nothing pops up. I could’ve sworn there was something about a mechanic.

Uhh I LOVE Sonic Frontiers, fire game. If I include that one, it’ll ALSO be Sonamy since I’m pretty sure that game takes place before SA2 in canon?

I’m trying to keep the Sonics and Shadows balanced but I’d love to add Generations Shadow and Sonic. Just thinking of names already I get “Doom” for Shadow and “Emerald” for Sonic. (Referencing the fake emerald from their interaction in the shadow story)

Unfortunately I haven’t seen the Archie comics or Sonic Underground so I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Someone also asked about if I’d ever include different AU’s: maybe if those AU creators gave me permission I’d be down to do a collab for a few asks or something!

Nope!

I dunno I just..! … how do I do? I’m fast. And you’re slow. That’s how I did it. /ref

Ahahah just kidding! But I am very fast. A few years ago I convinced myself I was a “slow drawer” because I was in a discord server with someone I looked up to (and holy cheese they could draw out fully articulate sketches in like 30 seconds!)

So I got insecure and taught myself to draw really fast. So now I just.. zoom! This does have a terrible draw back where I will very frequently forget smaller details.

Like if you look at half the posts, Shadow is missing his eyeliner and other markings frequently.

THIS IS JUST HILARIOUS TO ME YOU GUYS. PLEASE—

I’ve gotten SO many asks in my box about using Maria to calm the Shadows down or trying to give Shadows “Maria plushies”

Imagine you’re having a bad day and you get a plushie of your dead sibling thrown at you??? LMFAOOOO

I CANT I CANT I CANT PUT THEM THROUGH THAT 💔 Also I see every single ask.

“Do you all like Latinas” and “sonic which shadow is the hottest/shadow which sonic is the hottest” have all been engraved in my brain

Was joking with a friend on how that second question would come out LMFAOO

Previous | Next

[happilykrispypirate]

can you maybe do mattheo riddle x malfoy!reader

with the slytherin group, and mattheo and reader are secretly together and they get caught by someone?

i love your work sm!!

Whoops

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x fem!Malfoy!reader

Warnings: Swearing, a very very heated makeout sesh, mentions of sex, and my shitty writing.

A/n: Holy shiiitt, it's been a while since I've posted anything. Sorry! I'm back, for idk how long. I've been through a bunch of emotional shit and now I need an outlet. So, hii.

A/n 2: okay I'm really back this time, or I should be.

-

"Are you serious right now?" Y/n laughed at Mattheo's poor attempt to catch the jellybean in his mouth.

"Hey it's not my fault you throw like shit," He laughed along with her.

"Oh, you're no better, mister!" Y/n giggled.

"Oh, really?" Mattheo then stood up and grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

Y/n squealed and giggled, before Mattheo threw her on the bed and pinned her by her hands.

"I still throw like shit?" He asked, smirking. His face close to hers, she giggled.

"I think you're improving," She said.

Mattheo chuckled, shaking his head, absolutely absorbed by her being. He never could've imagined that they would end up together. She being a Malfoy and all. Her parents would never approve, not like they'd have much of a choice if he got his father on his side.

Their friends are blabbermouths, to say the least, especially the other Malfoy. Hence why they don't know about the relationship either.

Both of them also enjoyed their little world they've created far too much to tell anyone in anyway.

Mattheo, too caught up in the moment, smashed his lips onto hers. A slight breathy moan escaped her lips onto his at the force of his kiss.

Tongues intertwined mere seconds later, Y/n wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.

Mattheo knew exactly what she wanted to happen. So, he slowly started grinding, teasing her.

A whine escaped her and her legs tightened, as if to tell him to stop teasing.

Just as Mattheo's hand was about to reach down, the door swung open.

"Hey mate, have you seen-" Blaise, the bastard, had stopped dead in his tracks, words leaving him with each second he sees the scene in front of him.

"What the fuck, Blaise," Mattheo spat, as he separated himself from the girl.

"Oh my God!" Blaise exclaimed, eyes wide as saucers. He then turned around and ran, yelling, "Mattheo and Y/n were making out!! They almost had sex!!"

"Unfortunately, almost," Mattheo groaned earning a wack on the arm.

"He's gonna tell everyone!" Y/n said.

"It's about time they knew, love," Mattheo said looking at her.

"I know," She said, and then a few moments later she giggled, "We so traumatized Blaise."

Mattheo chuckled, "I think we can do worse," He said, before he climbed back on top of her.

"Now, where were we."

---

Holy fuck I'm so sorry it took me this long to actually write and post.

[l8ncestroll]

This is MY blog and I’m sick of pretending I don’t have a big fat crush on this man

He’s actually SO yum, SO boyfriend material and so criminally underrated, neither god nor satan can stop me from thirsting over this man!!! So anyway I’ve dumped all my insanity under the cut

- HIS HAIR!!! It’s so fluffy and it has so much volume that I’m JEALOUS

- And it still looks good when he’s all sweaty post race and it’s all messy and he looks all disheveled and skrunkly

- I would sell my left kidney to have him put his head in my lap and let me play with his hair

- I WANT TO PULL IT

- listen if he was hovering over you or had his face between your legs you can’t convince me you wouldn’t want to be pulling on his luscious locks while he ruined you and that is that.

- And you could look into his big chocolatey eyes all the time, like can you imagine standing chest to chest with that man and looking up and seeing those big hypnotic eyes? I think I’d melt

- he would give the best puppy eyes ever if he wanted something from you, eyes all wide and needy, just to switch up and look at you all smug and smirking when you do exactly what he asked of you

- I just KNOW when that man makes out with you it’s FILTHY, please tell me other people have noticed his big pouty lips and how goddamn long his tounge is??? Otherwise I might just sound insane but IVE SEEN PICTURES OKAY

- ANYWAYS, I’m talking holding you close for dear life, him taking your face in his big hands, starting with small gentle pecks all over your face but quickly turning into the most disgusting make out ever, biting each other lips and sucking each others tounges, licking each others faces, him fucking up your neck so bad you’ll be in turtlenecks for the next three weeks and you nibbling on his jaw, all rational thinking out the window and no concept of time.

- piggybacking off that last thought, he just knows that his facial hair makes you feel some kind of way

- “hey babe do you think I should shave?”

- JUST to tease you and have you panic, to watch you try and come up with any serious good reason that he shouldn’t, whilst he really knows you’re only worried about the beard burn on your thighs being a thing of the past.

- A while back I saw someone on here call him beefy and I think that altered my brain chemistry

- because YES

- He IS beefy, he’s tall and broad and muscular, you just know that he’s strong enough to snap your neck if he wanted to but he hasn’t!!! And you’re still alive!!! So obviously he likes you!!!

- He’s so sporty too, out of formula one he’s definitely the sportiest of all the drivers, always skiing, or playing padel, doing all of his little side quests

- The videos that float around of him playing ice hockey????

- So hot I wish Canada was real

- He looks so confident and aggressive and in his element when he’s playing. I feel like creating an ice hockey x figure skater AU may be in order because the potential of that is endless

- I have so many thoughts about him in the big scary hockey outfit, stood next to his girl in her figure skating dress

- Now he KNEW, about the contrast between him and his girlfriend’s looks, size, aesthetic, or whatever you want to call it. But he’d never seen it displayed so clearly, him looking all big and burly and ready to play ice hockey versus his sweet little girl, looking all cute and delicate ready to figure skate? Definitely fucked with his head, also definitely turned him on, which you definitely noticed and definitely poked fun at him for, while secretly being just as turned on if not more.

- He’s definitely the possessive protective type, he insists he doesn’t get jealous but it’s only because he doesn’t let himself be put in that position

- Why should you go up to the bar alone? What if a guy tried to hit on his girl and he got jealous? He wouldn’t be having that, so he walks you up to the bar himself and cages you in, hands either side of you while you order, and while you’re looking in your bag for your purse to pay, he’s already swiped his card.

- Even if he was too tired or drunk to keep getting up with you he’s not letting his girl go on her own, he’d rather spend a small fortune on bottle service than send his girl to the cesspit that is the bar in a club

- I see him as the type to love a bit of cliché flirting too, weather it’s the first time you’ve met or you’ve been married for 10 years? That man is GOING to flirt with you, countless little compliments, always pulling out your chair or opening doors for you.

- DEFINITELY the type of guy to do the hand thing, because yeah he wants you too see how much bigger his hands are, but mainly he does it for selfish reasons, it sets alight something carnal and animalistic inside of him to see your feminine little hand against his, it just does something to him when he gets to watch the surprise on your face at how big his hands are (because let’s be fr that man has BEAR PAWS), him looking at you, watching your thought process

- which would probably be something like: aww this is so cute and cliche, okay let’s do it, woah, his hands are huge, or are mine just small?, no I think it’s definitely him, maybe it’s a mix of both, DAMN his hands are huge, damn, hmnnn, he could fit both of my wrists in one hand, 🤭, his fingers are so big…, they’d feel so good on my…, shit he’s watching me😧

- and even though you never said a word he read every thought you had from your face.

- I don’t know if anyone other than me finds this super sexy but he’s so quick witted, in challenge videos he just seems to think for a few seconds and then have some weird solution, or when people ask and uncomfortable hard to answer question, he just takes a second and then comes out with the perfect response, weather it’s a joke or a distraction or a tactful answer, he’s good at using his words

- He seems to like talking a lot too, don’t get me wrong in press conferences and most media things he’s a brick wall (understandably tbh) but in other situations when he’s comfortable and happy he seems to have a lot too say

- do you guys see what I’m getting at?

- he definitely talks you through it.

- I mean just think of him sat up on his knees between your spread legs, “you look so pretty right now, wish you could see what I’m seeing”, and then leaning over you to slap his tip on your clit, “you gonna take it for me like a good girl darling?”, then running it up and down your slit, spreading you’re wetness all over himself, “you’re fucking soaked already, I’m flattered baby”. Him just repeating “fuck fuck fuck” over and over like a mantra when he finally presses into you, “fuck you take me so well”

- idk i just can’t see him being quiet at all, if he’s not running his mouth then he’s groaning breathily right in your ear, enjoying how he can feel you clench around him every time he makes a particularly desperate noise.

- Also he has a praise kink I don’t make the rules, this could definitely make a cute fic actually, reader not knowing about him having an absolutely desperate need for her praise, and rather than just asking for it (because then in his mind it doesn’t count) , he goes above and beyond all the time in every aspect of life desperately chasing after slivers of praise from you to get his fix, and maybe as a prank or a joke or a TikTok trend one time you call him a good boy and he just goes absolutely feral and then you put the puzzle pieces together

-okay I’ll stfu now but before I go I have pictures that relate to this to share to really prove my point that I’ll leave at the bottom of this, (in order, beard, hands, eyes, sexy asf, why he pulling that face? ,And hair)

- anywho I’m so deeply sorry for bringing my depraved obsession to the internet, BUT if you fuck with it at all or wanna talk to me or add anything my ask box is OPEN and my anons are ON

- also I’m considering starting to write again so if you have any tips or inspiration I’m totally open to that even if it’s criticism or whatever

[rayraelleaizawa]

Corazon & Law with sensitive nipples

Sorry for the long period of time where I didnt post anything, I was lost in work & continueing watching One Piece. Obviously I finally got to Laws backstory and damnnnn i love these two. I need more of father figure Corazon taking care of Law.

But well, here I am, writing a bit about these two cuties :)

gn!reader

TW: slight NSFW, nothing too serious tho. MDNI

CORAZON

Give this man a break, he's already undercover to make sure his brother doesn't step too much over the line

You two are dating in secret. Corazon was scared that his brother would use you against him, and the thought of that alone broke him already. Corazon knew his brother wouldn't be scared to pull everything to get his will, and if that meant hurting you so Corazon would do what he wants, then Doflamingo wouldn't hesitate. That's why he insisted on keeping your relationship a secret

Also he doesn't like any of the family, so he didn't want them to get investigated into his realtionship with the person he adores and loves so much

It was a normal day when you approached him. When you two were with the family, it was mostly just small touches, featherlight and short so no one would get suspicious about it

You carelessly let your hand wander over his chest while passing him, and you could suddenly feel how he tenses. He wanted to take a step back but (ofc) he slipped and fell

He almost let out a sound infront of the others, but damn you grazed exactly over his nipples and he had to do everything to keep any noises to himself

The others didn't notice what exactly happened, they thought he just slipped like usually

But you noticed that it was something different

The next moment you two had some alone time, you asked him. Corazon wanted to play it off as him just being clumsy, but you grazed his chest again just like you did the last time, and this man moaned

He couldn't hold it in as the sudden sensation went through his body

You looked at him flabbergastered as he unconsciously arched his back more into your touch

Corazon and you had been in a relationship for some time now but you never noticed this wonderfull aspect about him

He blushed, and immediately knew he was in for a ride when he saw your mischievous smile

LAW

You found out in bed one time when you wanted to give him head

He beautfully arched his back and threw his head back, blushing after he realized that you found another one of his weak spots

He regrets that you found out almost every time when you wanted to get him going but he exused the idea with saying he has too much work to do

He sits at his work table and tries to work, dismissing the idea of going to sleep or anything else that has to do with something else than working

You would step behind him, move your arms to his front and just hug him

He enjoys your hug, but then your arms sneak up, and suddenly you roll and pinch at his nipples

He can't help but moan as he feels his pants grow tighter

He tries to keep all the noises in, to ignore it and push you away, but you just say how adorable he looks when he is blushing and acting like this and he immediately gives up

Gives into you every time, especially when you threaten him that if he doesnt start looking more after his own health and takes care of himself you'll start doing this infront of his crewmembers

You do have to help him release the ache you caused ofc

On most days you will have to use that method to get him to bed, but on some days he'll just pick you up, throw you over his shouder like the brat you are, and give you the time of your life in bed

[athousandbyeol]

keep up the thamepo [episode 8]

this episode easily became my favourite episode after episode 1. the flavours are beautifully mixed and I love how everything ties together into a wonderful and coherent dish.

i was fearful of the possibility of them dragging the jun-thame-po drama until the end of the episode, but I'm glad they resolved it at such a right pace and gave us more time to witness another step taken by thame and po—the progress of their relationship is beautiful and captivating. it makes me giddy and happy and shy and rooting for them even more.

i don't have much to say about the past few episodes because they're quite direct and easy to digest (in my opinion). however, I'm keen on talking about jun's side of the story and the physical intimacy between thame and po (finally!)

p.s. i do apologise for not writing this weekly thamepo post for episodes 6 and 7 for reasons I've stated previously. but without further ado, let's begin!

1. jun's unrequited love — his sacrifice for the friendship that means more than the world to him

for weeks, i've been asking myself, "what's up with jun?"

his actions confused me because the series!jun was doing things that were different from novel!jun. for context, I read some spoilers a few weeks ago, and I learned that in the novel, jun likes thame. the air hockey scene was when he was *kind of* confessing his feelings for thame, but not directly and openly. i don't know how novel!jun treats novel!po, therefore I can't really make a deduction if he's also falling for po. but in terms of the series!jun, I believe he did like po.

let's be serious. he wouldn't be here if he didn't have feelings for po. i don't think anyone can convince me (at this point) that he didn't like po romantically.

he knew thame was busy dealing with khun pemika at the company (and other stuff pertaining to MARS), so he took another step to be there for po when thame couldn't—he didn't want po to feel left out or abandoned.

it's so fascinating to me that at this point, jun believed that their feelings were one-sided; he knew po liked thame, but jun didn't believe that thame would feel the same. i think this has a lot to do with the fact that thame is more of show not tell kind of person.

jun was looking at thame and po—he was observing them. he was trying to put two and two together (and hoping that the answer wouldn't be four because if it did—he would have to back off). but the answer was indeed four and jun...

i think, at the back of jun's mind, he knew what was happening between thame and po—it was so obvious that they shared something mutual. but jun was battling his own devils. along the way, as his feelings grew for po, and all those moments spent with po—perhaps jun saw that he had a chance. he only had to be in this headspace where he believed thame didn't feel the same for po. thus, why jun was running away from thame—because jun knew, if he confronted thame (or vice versa), he would discover the truth. and I guess, he wasn't ready for that rejection.

jun was really attentive, and that wasn't a surprise. he was always watching and trying to access/understand the situation. i guess, aside from pepper, jun would be the next to see the bigger picture. he would be the one to take charge if thame and pepper couldn't.

he knew po's favourite snacks. he wanted to be there with po—for po. even though he's brash and rough, this was his way of showing that he cared—he loved.

(i think i've covered more extensively jun's character in this post for better understanding of where I'm coming from hehe)

so the confrontation began and jun said everything he wanted to say to thame.

in my opinion, jun believed that whatever thame were doing for po wasn't enough. i guess, jun put himself in po's shoes for a while here—it reminded him of how thame selflessly took all the burden of MARS and carried them on his shoulders alone. thame did those things for the sake of the group, and jun found that unbelievably selfish because they're in a group—he's supposed to be thame's best friend, someone he could trust and talk to—they should be in this together. but it was second nature for thame to take everything and leave nothing on the plate, probably because of his role as a leader.

i think jun was hoping that thame wouldn't do that alone. he didn't want thame to blame himself for everything that happened to MARS before they reunited. jun didn't like many decisions thame made, so this was why he decided to distance himself from MARS and led the other members astray from thame. it was his way of coping with problems and betrayal and disappointment: he would run because he wanted to avoid conflict—he didn't want to paint anyone as the bad guy.

so this was what he did: he avoided thame so that he didn't have to confess his own feelings for po, while he vaguely knew that po might not feel the same.

even though i know many of us (me included) were confused about jun and the reason behind his doings, this episode really cleared the air for me. he loved his friendship with thame more than anything—he loved thame a lot to put a stop to their years of friendship. people could say anything about him, but at the end of the day, jun genuinely cared about thame and po. and he chose them over his own feelings.

(i also love the back-and-forth tension between jun and thame as they confessed the things they'd been dying to say to each other. and each time they were right, the puck entered the goal. that was so effective to prove the intensity of their emotions from a literary standpoint I was actually vibrating in awe because they DID THAT so well ugh it was so delicious!!!)

but the thing that made me scream and lose my breath was thame asked jun "you like him, don't you?" and the puck entered jun's goal OH MY GOD THAT WAS PEAK CINEMA in my opinion!!!

and jun was transported back to those moments shared with po, that little time he spent with po—these feelings that were growing fonder by the second. they were fleeting, but still so beautiful. (if this isn't love then I guess... I'm blindsided by love. i don't know what love is anymore t_t)

and it broke me when jun answered, "it doesn't matter how I feel," because JUN, LOVE, YOUR FEELINGS MATTERED GOODNESS :'(

and when jun said to thame, "you don't even have feelings for him," THAME STOPPED THE PUCK FROM ENTERING HIS GOAL GOODNESS THAT WAS ANOTHER PEAK CINEMA MOMENT BECAUSE!!!!!!!

it wasn't true. he had feelings for po. he loved po. thame loved po so much.

i think, due to his inexperience, thame didn't know much about navigating his feelings for po. he didn't know what was enough and what was overdoing things. thame was always standing on this thin line between sanity and madness—he didn't know how to find the perfect balance. there was no doubt that thame liked po more intensely, but in jun's eyes (and I believe pepper too), thame wasn't doing enough. and po could be oblivious sometimes, so that was why jun saw this as a chance for him to make a move—to revolve with po. because love wasn't only about late-night texts and failed movie dates and long walks and heart-to-heart talks. love should be thame moving forward with po and not for po—love should be thame holding po's hand and facing the upcoming obstacle together—not just handling it alone.

jun just didn't want thame to repeat the same mistake he did with MARS. after he knew everything from po about thame's sacrifices (in episode 3), he was gutted that thame kept so much guilt and anger alone. he just wanted thame to prove (more to himself than anyone) that he was a man of his word—he would be there for MARS and po. he would love and protect them as promised.

jun and thame's friendship runs deeper than the sea and we can't pretend that we can't see the depth of their understanding and reliance on each other. these two individuals have so much love to give and receive, but the winner takes all—and in this game, thame won.

thame said that even though they'd been friends for a long time, neither of them had to back down if they really liked po. this also proved thame's selflessness and also his openness to accepting the what-ifs of po not picking him.

however, i believe, jun loves thame and this friendship more than his blossoming feelings for po—jun backed down for the sake of this friendship—for his love and respect for thame. //jun... I've wronged you in so many ways. I'm sorry that I doubted you. love, you deserve more than the entire world :'(//

jun said he didn't have feelings for po: this was his way of waving the white flag. i think jun believed it wasn't worth giving up years of friendship and watching it going down the drain just for a person—even though jun hoped it could transpire into something more meaningful if he never discovered about thame's truest feelings for po. but like I said, it was clear from the start that thame and po liked each other, and all jun wanted (and tried to avoid) was to believe he could be in thame's shoes if thame stayed in his spot—if he didn't get the clarification from thame about his feelings for po.

jun was obviously dejected and disheartened, but he masked it so well with that usual smugness. but at least, in my eyes, I knew jun genuinely liked po, and he cared about him in ways that thame was lacking before. but he believed po was better off with thame instead of him since their feelings were already equal.

and i have an inkling that thame—to an extent—knew that jun was lying. i think thame knew jun liked po too... and this was why episode 3!jun and episode 3!thame were so important to be understood because their friendship is so genuine and strong and nothing could ever break this bond except the both of them. thame was aware of the sacrifices jun did and vice versa. this wouldn't affect their friendship—this wouldn't make them crumble. they loved each other too much to let it happen (although they'll never say this aloud).

jun turned from a thame's potential competitor to thamepo's unofficial cupid. no one's doing it like jun. he's the OG definition of 'best friend' in my opinion: a pain in the ass, but would stand up for others no matter what.

and the way he was looking at po here... it felt like a goodbye to his feelings for po :( but I hope they'll continue being this bickering duo and frenemies because jun really helped po see his potential and po gave jun warmth and comfort like never before :(

also, shoutout to nut for being the perfect jun! you're an amazing actor! the emotional rollercoaster you strapped me into while watching your shenanigans and heart eyes for po gave me chest pains (tbvh). but friend, I love you. i hope you'll find happiness *coughs* dylan *coughs* ;)

it drives me insane that jun and po were finally meeting somewhere with a brighter setting and lighting—probably hinting that both of their feelings are no longer in the dark. no one was hiding from the truth anymore.

this was when jun got the last confirmation that po liked thame—and this was where po knew that thame liked him too. this ended on a bittersweet note for jun, but an epiphany for po. //my heart hurts for unknown reasons...//

2. physical intimacy — another step forward, a moment of clarity

sometimes, i think, thamepo took the slow burn too seriously because what do you mean in episode 8 we finally got them properly holding hands??? (but i love it so much T_T)

but the whole sequence of thame and po talking, trying to squeeze out the 'i like you' from each other but didn't get to because that felt too heavy on their shoulders for now. so they settled with conversations filled with metaphors and symbols and I'm always down for that ;)

i think this was the first time that they were this physically close. my heart was in my throat for the remaining 13 minutes because they were so shy and this moment felt so intimate and sensual and I shouldn't be prodding but I couldn't stop gawking at them finally being this close and all over each other (metaphorically) and I didn't know where they were heading—

and thame decided to watch the movie in po's room because, like jun said—

"why you should be there in a rush? seeing him today, I guess, at most, you'll just end up staring at each other. I'm telling you, during the first six months of dating him, even holding hands is an achievement. and it will take two whole years before you two get to kiss. as for going to his room, i'd say it'll definitely take up to five years."

the way i CACKLED because jun, friend, sorry to burst your bubble, but these knuckleheads FINALLY HELD HANDS!!!!!!!!!

i wondered if i was a victorian man seeing a woman's ankle for the first time because this scene got me squeaking and screeching and hollering and screaming and giggling and blushing and losing my marbles because yes!!! finally! they were one step closer (literally and physically)! thame was really proving jun wrong because this guy was done being vanilla xD

there's really this different charge in the air after thame and po reached a moment of clarity through jun. thame was visibly more confident, and po was more open to accepting thame's advances (even though he was still nervous. i think this still has a lot to do with the emotional trauma that po has after his break-up with earn).

thame did the korean male lead move here and expect me not to scream??? the audacity.

and when thame said he wanted to do so many things (to po and with po), but watching a movie in po's room would be enough for this new beginning—THAME YOU'RE INSANE!!!

and yes, thame was buying a bottle of water and lozenges for his throat to spend the night with po (and not what we had in mind... 👀)

we know what's coming next week. and that particular scene (the second picture)... if you know, you know... //readying myself to jump off the nearest rooftop//

are we even ready for thamepo dating era? //i'm not...//

[chock-and-bates]

if you're still doing it, what is get him back about?

(and for the other anon that mentioned it! but i'll be using your ask to post about the other story you asked about ❤️)

get him back! is my silly little fic for bearnelli (also heavy on lestappen [ofc] and some chollie)

Premise: Kimi’s been down bad for Ollie for over a year. But ever since their rookie f1 season started, he’s been beyond jealous that all his friend can seem to talk about is Charles Leclerc.  When he realizes that Ollie genuinely likes Charles, is, in fact, infatuated enough to consider making a move, he loses it and goes to Max for advice.  Surprisingly, Max turns out to be very willing to help Kimi get his man (while also staking a claim on his.)

this one is fun because i have two outlines and it might be a sillier 5 +1 thing or it might be a bit more toxic. i haven’t quite decided, but it will definitely include jealous kimi, jealous/possessive max, oblivious charles, and infatuated ollie (because @honeyandthunderstorms and I a chollie vision that is so fun, omg)... and some lestappen smut 😏.

Snippet under the cut!

“You seem upset,” Max tells Kimi carefully as they walk back through the paddock. “Are you all right?”

Glancing around, Kimi jerks his head to indicate Max to follow him to a quieter corner, one where he can speak more freely.

“Is Russell being a dickhead again,” Max asks, a little too knowingly. The Red Bull driver was always excited to hear about any issues that Kimi was having with his teammate.

“No, it is not George,” Kimi frowns, weighing how much to actually tell Max. It’s just- if he doesn’t talk to someone about this he thinks he’s going to explode.

“Then what?”

“It is Ollie.”

“Oh,” Kimi doesn’t like the teasing way Max smiles, his eyes crinkling, “What did Bearman do? I thought you two were mates?”

And look, Kimi could tell Max a lot about what Ollie has done. He could tell him how some nights Ollie is all Kimi can think about, or how one of his favorite things to do is make Ollie laugh, or maybe he could even tell Max about that wonderful, horrible kiss that happened last season…

But Kimi is not stupid, he knows better than to embarrass himself in front of someone like Max Verstappen.

In his angry state, he does not, however, have any issues with embarrassing Ollie.

“I need to get him to shut up about how in love he is with Leclerc.”

The smile quickly slides off Max's face.

“What?”

“He will not stop talking about Leclerc,” Kimi continues, already feeling himself getting worked up, “Any time we are hanging out, all I hear is ‘Charles said this’ or ‘I was watching Charles onboards’ or ‘Charles sat by me on the plane’. I cannot take anymore of him and his stupid crush! It is driving me crazy.”

Max has been listening closely, looking very serious all of a sudden, “You really think he has a crush?”

And Kimi knows he shouldn’t say anything more, should just leave it at that and keep Ollie’s secret. But the hurt and jealousy are still too overwhelming-

So Kimi scowls and continues, “I know he does, Max! Today I told him he should just kiss Leclerc already since he is so obsessed with him. Then he got all weird and asked me what I thought Leclerc would do if he did kiss him. Or if I thought Leclerc could ever like him.”

Max’s face twitches, “Oh, really?”

[is-this-fascism]

i found this on a joke post about first aid, but it's hard to tell how serious this person is being so i feel the need to clarify and maybe help some people learn some basic first aid. this is going to be for small, superficial cuts to the skin.

healthcare isn't free, but gauze and superglue are cheap

in today's political climate, who knows when you're going to have to rely on yourself. plus, as an American, i'm only $3000 in medical debt, all from avoiding hospitals after learning to treat myself, so you can trust me. (i am not a trained medical professional and am speaking from personal experience and research)

i'm going to start by saying you should approach personal first aid with an understanding that at any moment, you might have to accept that you can't treat this on your own and you will need to go to a hospital. just make sure it's always an open possibility in your mind. it's not a quitter's attitude, but actually an incredibly smart attitude. it's much more dangerous to push yourself past your limits over spite or stubborness or fear of debt or judgement. i'm especially talking to those of you who might have some kind of shame about self-inflicted injury.

it can be very healing and nice to tend to your own wounds, but ALWAYS be prepared to need help, and be prepared to make the decision quickly by knowing exactly what consititutes a medical emergency that is out of your scope. i talk about a couple of those scenarios in this post.

cleaning and medicating:

so first of all, for the love of GOD do NOT LICK YOUR WOUNDS. there's some factoid out there about spit having 'healing compounds' but you know what else spit has? LOTS OF BACTERIA. people get nasty tooth infections for a reason.

you don't need soap either. nor do you need iodine or hydrogen peroxide. if your wound is dirty enough that it needs soap, you should just go to the ER. soap will not stop a deep, rusty wound from giving you lockjaw.

you SHOULD rinse your wound with clean, lukewarm water. no pressure-washing, okay? just a gentle rinse. you can use soap to clean the area surrounding the wound, but don't put soap IN your wound. after rinsing, dab (don't rub) the wound dry.

a topical anti-bacterial (not anti-septic) cream or gel will do the heavy lifting in preventing infection. use a q-tip or clean fingertip to apply enough to completely cover the wound in a thin layer, then wrap it up.

wrapping:

band-aids are kind of a scam, yeah. they're okay on fingers. gauze is NOT a scam, though. the worst thing gauze can do is keep your wound too moist, but that's why it's reccomended to change the wrapping regularly. i prefer wrap gauze over pad gauze and bandaids. it's a bit excessive and makes me look like i just came out of the operating room over a papercut, but it's secure. if the gauze keeps falling off, replace it and wrap it better next time. sorry, that's just a skill issue. our limbs are mostly round and easy to wrap. anywhere you get gauze, you can also get gauze tape, which does what you think it does.

gauze holds the wound closed, keeps any medicine you applied in contact with the wound, and keeps dust and debris from the outside world away from the wound. use 2-3 layers of gauze directly applied to a clean wound and wrapped around the limb. just change it at least once a day. while you're changing the gauze, rinse the wound again and re-apply any topical anti-bacterial medicine. depending on the severity of the wound, you should only have to do this for a 3-5ish days. if there are signs of infection, it's a good idea to keep applying the medication every day even after you stop wrapping.

stopping bleeding:

the other main thing gauze does is stop bleeding. if the wound is deep or in a highly vascularized area, and the bleeding won't stop on its own, applying pressure with clean gauze will help. if it doesn't stop bleeding after a full five minutes of pressure, you're going to need to close the wound.

IF THIS IS SEVERE, I.E. IT IS GUSHING, THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF BLOOD COMING OUT, IT'S SOAKING THROUGH MULTIPLE LAYERS OF GAUZE, YOU'RE GETTING WOOZY AND LIGHTHEADED, ETC. GET EMERGENCY HELP IMMEDIATELY.

deep tissue damage:

if it's just trickling some blood but it won't stop, it's likely not dangerous, only annoying. depending on the location, it's a good idea to assess if there could be any deep tissue damage, like a tendon, muscle, bone, nerves, or large vein. typically you'll be able to tell pretty quickly due to pain and loss of function. if you cut a tendon, for example, you'll lose mobility down the anatomical line. if you cut a nerve, there will be an electric burning sensation or numbness and loss of mobility. most of these structures move out of the way of a piercing cut, but a slicing cut can easily sever things. research what the signs of various types of deep tissue damage are so you can be prepared to report it to a medical team, because you're going to need to go the ER for that one too.

closing a wound:

if there's no deep tissue damage and you feel you can close this wound on your own, the first thing to try is binding. clean the wound, apply medicine if needed (might be difficult with trickling blood but just do your best), and just wrap the thing up with gauze. wrap it tight, not so tight that you lose circulation, but enough to stabilize the edges of the wound so they don't slip or seperate. this won't work if the wound is in a highly mobile area like near a joint, or in an area with tight skin that pulls away from itself, like over the shin bone.

the second option is superglue. this works best with short cuts, no longer than half an inch. it's a good idea to have medical grade superglue in your first aid kit, because it's formulated to be totally safe, but regular hardware superglue is essentially the same thing and will perform the same function, and a drop of it to close up a skin wound isn't going to hurt you. just don't drip it into your eyes, mouth, other holes and orifices, or directly into any open wounds. yes, i knew this for years before the veritasium video about it.

to use superglue to close a wound, first clean the wound and apply whatever medicine. if you can, a light tourniquet to slow down the bleeding might make it easier. i've used hairties on my fingers and shoelaces on my forearm. just don't make it tight. you just want to slow the bleeding enough to keep the wound clear for a couple seconds. the thing is, superglue will cure FASTER when it's in contact with blood (or water), and youre going to want a bit of working time.

position your joints so the skin around the wound is loose. apply a drop of superglue to the outside edge of one side of the wound. NOT inside the wound but as close to the edge as you can get it. it's honestly fine if a little bit gets into the wound. place a finger and thumb on either side of the wound, not touching the glue, and then just pinch it closed. hold it until it cures. clean the wound again with just water and check if the bleeding is contained. if you did it right, there shouldn't be any blood seeping out around the edges of the glue. if there is, it should stop pretty quickly. if it doesn't, apply another drop without pinching and let it cure on top of the wound.

third option for closing your wound is to learn how to suture. if you can sew, you have a leg up here. you don't need a medical degree to suture your own wounds, although if you do a bad job and go to the ER to get it redone, they might laugh or scold you. so this isn't difficult, nessecarily, but it's pretty advanced and it will take prior research and practice before anyone should be confident poking threads through their skin. i've never done this, i just stick to glue and gauze and those have worked fantastically for even really bad and bleedy cuts i've had.

go forth and deny, defend, depose. while you're at it, learn to grow veggies too

[sanerontheinside]

On the basis of my own comment, "I fully missed this because I cannot handle the news except in ‘weekly postmortem’ format", I've decided to do a write-up of everything I've been reading about the crash over Washington, D.C.

If this isn't the sort of posting you'd like to see from me in the future, please feel free to block "#the post mortem". I'm not sure how many of these I have in me, but if I ever find myself struck by the fancy to do another, that is the tag I will be using.

I'd also like to thank Canary (canary_lux on Discord) for help gathering, scanning, and organizing sources, and for their insight on flight training.

Throughout this write-up, I will refer to the current president by number of term (45 or 47), mostly to differentiate policies enacted during his first term from the present.

Intro

On the night of Wednesday, 1/29/25, 67 people died in a collision between an American Airlines passenger aircraft and a military Blackhawk helicopter. This tragedy was immediately followed by outcry and the usual hunt for someone to hold accountable. This was also the first fatal air crash involving a US airline since 2009—a 16-year safety record.

While it’s tempting to assign blame to various politicians, parties, and policies for the accident—and in fact many do (FAA blames trump, trump blames DEI, FAA, Biden in particular and democrats in general, etc.)—sole political ownership cannot be assigned. The initial outcry drew attention to a hiring freeze for air traffic controllers, and to curt dismissal of FAA personnel, but the problem has been brewing for far longer.

This post mortem seeks to provide some context for the incident at Reagan National Airport by looking back at policies of the last two presidential terms, as well as the reality of local air traffic in Washington, D.C.

.

The Shortage

Before addressing the current shortage of air traffic controllers, it is important to note that since the accident all reports indicate the air traffic controller on duty that night gave proper instructions.

Both planes and military aircraft are equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), but this system is suppressed at low altitudes because of the high likelihood of false alerts. At last reporting, the Blackhawk was at an altitude of 375 ft. For helicopters, the permitted flight ceiling over Washington, D.C. is 200ft.

With that established, however, there is still value in drawing attention to the national shortage of air traffic controllers (henceforward ATC's).

In 2021, the US Bureau of Statistics ranked air traffic control as the 4th most stressful job among all. The position has a high employee turnover rate due to transfers, resignations, removals, deaths, and attrition. An ATC's skills are unique, and costly to replace both in money and time, as candidates go through 2-3 years of training and must pass a rigorous exam.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, lockdowns drove down the volume of daily flights, putting many air traffic controllers out of a job. Agencies worldwide let go of trainees, stopped hiring, and stopped training new hires. In many cases, academies closed outright. Many air traffic controllers were offered early retirement.

Once travel restrictions were lifted, demand bounced back—and the aviation industry suddenly faced a bottleneck. A 2 or 3 year one, in fact. Flights haven't really bounced back perfectly since the pandemic; many airports experience serious delays—not least because they don't have enough ATC's.

In June 2023, the DoT inspector general reported that 77% of air traffic control facilities were understaffed. In December 2023, after a series of high profile near-misses, the FAA named a panel of experts to address air traffic controller fatigue. Reuters reported that air traffic controllers work mandatory overtime and 6-day weeks.

The FAA's response to these findings was to appoint a three-member panel to "examine how the latest science on sleep needs and fatigue considerations could be applied to controller work requirements and scheduling" until more personnel could be hired. Furthermore, the FAA Reauthorisation Act of 2024 expanded air traffic controller training capacity and required the FAA to update the training process.

Unfortunately, the near-misses and flight delays are likely to continue under recent policy changes.

.

The Policy of 45

The main reason for addressing the shortage itself at the top of this write-up is that a lot of early outcry held the 47th President's recent hiring freezes, cuts, and firings responsible for the accident.

Context is critical. Obviously, trump’s hiring freeze in no way helps this issue, and neither does the dismissal of people in leadership positions. Even the panel he dismissed was the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, which is geared towards TSA operations moreso than air traffic control.

But on the ground, it's probably his policies as 45 that did the most lasting damage.

In 2018, the proposed budget cut funds to the DoT by 13%, or $2.4 billion. The proposal eliminated funding for the Essential Air Service, a program that guaranteed continued commercial air service to small communities in the US which would not otherwise be profitable. Air traffic control would also be privatized under the proposal.

This 2018 post by Democracy Forward provides a good summary of 45's policies. (It's also an interesting read if you've been following the recent changes in regulation of airline fees. In brief, the struggle to regulate fees and accessibility has been ongoing since before 2013, and trump's policies are unsurprisingly airline company-friendly.)

By contrast, in 2021 the proposed budget for the FAA included $11.4 billion (increase of $432 million from FY21) to oversee the safety of civil aviation, and to provide for the operation, maintenance, communications, and logistical support of the air traffic control and air navigation systems. There were additional requests totalling over $8 billion to improve airfield infrastructure and grants for Aviation Workforce Development programs.

The final 2021 budget, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, passed with $15 billion for airlines and airline contractors for a third extension of Payroll Support Program which would otherwise have expired at the end of March 2021. The extension prevented the furlough of more than 27,000 aviation employees. There was an additional $8 billion for U.S. airports.

As a result of 45's budget cuts, the FAA was forced to lay off many people. “He slashed our budget and a lot of people, including myself, were laid off. So, we’re just waiting to see what programs will continue,” a longtime FAA contractor, rehired under the Biden administration, told What A Day.

Former House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio also notes, "The unnecessary government shutdown [in 2019] shut down the Aviation Academy, and a number of people did not come back after the academy closed down." He cites this as a crucial interruption that was then followed by a yearlong closure due to the lockdown.

.

Congested Airspace

In his interview with Politico, DeFazio puts Congress front and center: "Every senator in particular wants a nonstop flight to and from wherever they live. As you saw, [Kansas Sen.] Jerry Moran said this was a flight which he had encouraged or otherwise supported. The last FAA bill, [Texas Sen.] Ted Cruz said he needed a direct flight to [San Antonio], so he engaged in a lengthy battle."

The bill referenced here is S. 1939, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which contained many positive items. This was the bill that required air carriers to provide a full refund for a cancelled or significantly delayed flight; it expanded air traffic controller training capacity and required the FAA to update the training process.

This bill also increased the number of daily round-trip flights allowed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), despite protests from the airport authority. (Though it should be noted that the new flights added to the airport's schedule by this bill have not yet been fully implemented.)

DeFazio has words for the military, as well: "And it’s one thing, when there’s an urgent need or a security issue, to move people by military helicopter to the White House or from one base to another in the D.C. area. It’s another to do it for convenience for generals and “very important people” who don’t want to sit in traffic. […] for training, they should be doing that in the hours when there are way fewer flights coming into National Airport."

The flight rules over Washington, D.C. are very complex, developed to manage civilian, military, and government traffic. It is simultaneously the most restricted and the most congested airspace in the country. Pilots have been complaining about the complexity of flight rules for years.

This stretch of the Potomac in particular is designated a Special Flight Restricted Area. In the words of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), "You don't get to fly in that without additional flight training." All crew members aboard the Blackhawk were experienced, having logged 500-1000 hours. Transcripts of the air traffic control instructions and responses from the pilots in the minutes before the accident show that the Blackhawk crew twice confirmed visual of the plane with the ATC, including approximately 25 seconds before impact.

But in multiple stories published since the crash, there are quotes from pilots who had similar experiences in that area, and recall near-misses with passenger aircraft coming in to the same runway. One retired Army National Guard helicopter pilot recalls that he lost sight of the jet in the city lights and descended to an altitude of 50 feet to avoid collision with an unseen flight. There are at least two reports of near-misses under very similar conditions from 2013 and 2015.

.

The Post Mortem

The President's flurry of executive orders, hiring and funding freezes, have dominated the news cycle for the last 12 days. There isn't currently evidence to support that various budget and staffing cuts, including those attempted by 47 two days before the accident, directly contributed to the incident on January 29th.

However, cutting personnel, funding, and abolishing positions once vacated will increase the risk of accidents going forward. Many US government services have not recovered from the combination of 45's policies and effects of the pandemic. They are presently in a state where funding and personnel cuts will result in direct consequences to the American people, and likely very quickly.

As for the Washington, D.C. crash itself, it is indeed a tragic loss of life. In all likelihood, it could have been prevented by appropriate response to prior near-misses, addressing concerns voiced by pilots and professionals, or perhaps a less entitled Senate.

.

Sources

https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20250120173159/https://simpleflying.com/us-atc-shortage-analysis/

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/panel-review-us-air-traffic-controller-fatigue-after-near-miss-incidents-2023-12-20/

https://www.tumblr.com/gunsandfireandshit/774138773393063936?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/huffy-the-bicycle-slayer/774137554059575296?source=share

https://democracyforward.org/work/sidebar-airlines-and-the-trump-administration/ (published 2018, edited 2022)

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/31/defazio-plane-crash-blame-00201767

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_federal_budget

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_2021

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-pros-cons-privatizing-air-traffic.html

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/asac-charter-september-2022.pdf

https://www.wdsu.com/article/pilots-worried-dc-airspace-crash/63626297

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/experts-ask-why-black-hawk-helicopter-may-have-been-flying-above-allowed-altitude/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tammy-duckworth-american-airlines-crash/

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1910&context=jaaer

[griefabyss69]

Half Light

Written for @st-loveconfessions Acts of Kindness Month day 2: Ficlets inspired by Fanart! @spicyglitterfang's pin-up of Steve is one of my favorite things anyone has ever made in this fandom, so I wanted to write something for it! I hope you all enjoy it <3

Steddie | Rated: M | 2K | No CWs apply | Tags: Nude Modeling, Garfield - Freeform, Art Shows, Photographer Robin Buckley, Post-Canon, University, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Flirting, Eddie Munson's Garfield mug

[ AO3 ] Summary

Robin is a photography student and Steve is a good friend. Eddie's a good friend too, for lending them something to help make Robin's vision real, and not sweating it when that something touches parts of Steve's body that... well.

He's a good friend.

Excerpt

“It’s not just about the subversion, Steve,” Robin declares as she does inscrutable things to her camera. “It’s also a love letter.”

“A love letter,” he repeats flatly. There’s cold tile under his bare ass and the window at his back isn’t any better. “You don’t love men, though.”

Robin peers through the camera and then stands up, coming over to mess with his hair. He’s glad they’re pretty used to each other, or having her this close while he’s naked would be... weird. It’s not like he’s excited, or worried about that, even if he’s trying not to think about the exhibitionist thrill he’s getting out of... well. Getting his picture taken like this. Modeling.

“Not that kind of love,” she mutters, distracted as she turns his head. “There. Don’t move, the light looks perfect.”

He’s not sure what makes the light more perfect with his head turned an inch further the right than it was, but he lets her do her thing. At least the Garfield mug covering his dick has warmed up to his body heat.

“Okay, now hold up the teapot like you’re offering to fill a cup,” Robin says, back behind the camera.

Steve gives her a warm smile—not even fake, not really—and holds the Garfield teapot up.

It’s a funny thing, kitschy. Eddie was reluctant to let them borrow it, and when he sees what they did to his mug Steve’s pretty sure he’s not going to forgive them, but... he’ll buy him a new one if he has to. Robin says it’ll be fine, that Eddie’s queer enough to appreciate sacrificing for art, or something. Steve secretly thinks she’s implying he’d like drinking out of a mug that had a dick in it.

“Great, okay, give your arm a break,” Robin says. “I don’t know if I got it. You look like you’re going to laugh.”

“Should I be more serious?” Steve asks, twisting his mouth around until he gets the smile out, letting it melt from his face.

“Yeah, let’s try that.”

[cottoncandythunderhead]

aiura mikoto analysis!!

i feel that theres a big lack of miko analyses in this world and its bc ppl usually ignore or justify all her character flaws bc they js wanna see her as “the better teruhashi”, so here i am to right the world and attempt 2 do an in-depth analysis on miko!! pls forgive if im missing things, i will edit this as i get a better understanding of her character. and yes i mostly focus on her relationship with saiki soz abt that :p (this is NOT a saiura post tho and ull be disappointed if u go in thinking that)

aiura mikoto is a kindhearted and mostly selfless character who goes out of her way to help ppl, usually for no reason other than she cares, and shes willing to put herself in danger for the sake of others. shes blunt and knows the value of herself and her powers- though this can go a bit too far at times…

she plays the role of kokomis love rival which makes sense since her genuine desire to help others and expect no personal gain and her upfront and honest attitude sharply contrasts kokomis ingenuity and tendency to be kind to others for personal gain (at least as far as she believes)

miko is honest to a fault, blurting out whatever she thinks, while kokomi speaks carefully to curate her image. miko has a tendency to act first and think later, while kokomi thinks first and acts in a crafted way that aligns with her goals.

and they also have things in common like both being very self-sacrificial and being kind to others at their own expense, but again kokomi does this more out of desperation for validation while miko does it out of genuine kindness

their crushes on saiki r also a bit similar, ill talk abt this more but aiura goes into her crush not bc she genuinely has feelings for saiki but bc she believes hes her soulmate and so she makes up a personality for him that matches her desires while kokomi goes into her crush not bc she was actually attracted to him but bc she was confused abt her resentment towards him and wanted him to be infatuated with her. tho, we get to see teruhashi develop past and acknowledge this while aiuras misunderstandings r consistent until the end

then theres the chapter where they switch styles and we see how their typical selfish vs selfless bit can also be reversed in ways bc the main reason for their differences is that miko is so blunt and open while kokomi hides her feelings, bc although we do see kokomi thinking badly abt miko, shes never anything but kind to her aloud while miko despite thinking so highly of kokomi, ends up being the 1 who does something to directly affect kokomi negatively

its a little hard to tell whats going in this scene but by my pov it seems like the 1st part is what saiki wanted miko to tell kokomi, with how serious it is and how thats the main focus b4 we go into kokomis own thoughts and saikis reactions, and so the 2nd thing is NOT a part of saikis objective and is miko trying to take advantage of the situation bc its her going on and on in the background while the focus has already changed. by this point kokomi has already begun to move on from her jealousy and the little freakout she had, while miko is stuck in her jealousy and seeing kokomi as "the final boss" and trying to change kokomis feelings. tho her feelings r much milder than kokomis ever were, her approach is blunt and an attempt to effect kokomi while kokomis was quiet and would only affect herself. this is why their rivalry is so important, they represent the "good" and the "bad" that the other doesnt have

as for mikos relationship with kusuo, they have a good bond thats highlighted pretty immediately when they meet and they work so well together to keep chiyo safe. bc of this, hes able to trust her (and toritsuka) to help him out with things involving his powers that at this time he cant trust any1 else for

the chapter with meras dad has them clashing a lot, but it does end up working out. the chapter highlights mikos stubborn and reckless nature clashing with saikis pessimism and tendency to refuse to look past the badness of a situation

mikos intentions r entirely selfless, but her reaction here is stubborn and unreasonable :p saiki was also not entirely reasonable, and this shows their opposite values that clash so much yet come together in the end to get the best outcome for mera. in this moment tho, it feels hurtful that saiki genuinely confides in her his hesitations and concerns for others and specifically meras health after something miko did ended up hurting her and miko responds like this and only rethinks when saiki leaves. in the end she does show that shes thought abt what saiki says, so its not a “half-hearted attempt” anymore and she goes into it knowing itll be okay bc she saw that it will

but despite this, miko doesnt learn her lesson abt recklessly using her powers nor does she think past her misunderstandings and realize saiki does care abt ppl, she still moves past this believing she was right the whole time and saiki is unreasonable and selfish. imo these chapters were a chance for them to have a way better understanding of each other especially since saiki opening up to her abt his hesitations was such a rare moment but unfortunately she didnt understand and never rlly ended up doing so beyond having a doki doki moment abt saiki caring abt her after she was the one he had to save from the consequences of her actions

tho these chapters highlight how off her perception of him is their relationship is still furthered by them bc of how wonderfully they worked together even when they werent getting along, saiki clearly trusts her a lot since this ends with him asking her to help him stop the volcanic eruption

however when it comes to romance... for all my love for miko, im never ever gonna ship saiki with someone who tried to sexually assault him :p n yes, ik its a gag manga, thats not relevant :p if ppl can like and understand toritsukas character without shipping him with ppl he sexually harassed, i can do the same with miko!!

she was genuinely surprised when he caught her here which tells me despite knowing abt his powers she didnt think he would catch her, so if he were powerless or otherwise hadnt caught her she wouldve simply sa him here. ive seen some ppl say "she realized he wasnt into it after this so shes very respectful of his boundaries" and im kinda baffled at that interpretation :p its not a flex that she realized he didnt wanna be sexually assaulted. idk guys maybe sexually assault is js generally bad??? besides, even beyond the fact this shouldnt have to be an established boundary in the 1st place, it seems way less likely that she understood a boundary here and more likely that she js realized that strategy wouldnt work on him bc of his powers :p

the one where she undresses in his bed is more of a genuine misunderstanding but it still shows how badly she misunderstands him. she ignored most of his message and only read the part she wanted and expected and had clearly been waiting for, and immediately jumped into his bed and took her clothes off, ending up in him almost kicking her out

despite these situations where he clearly expresses disdain at the idea of sexuality, this misunderstanding of hers is consistent throughout her character :p the overwhelming evidence to the contrary never makes her stop assuming that he secretly wants it or smth

i think despite being into other men, she put a lot of stake in her idea of soulmates :p she scryed it and transferred schools to find him after all, and she has a lot of trust in her own self and power, so i think she made a lot of untrue assumptions abt soulmates and how perfect they are and thought she and saiki would immediately click and get along and thered be 0 incompatibilities at all- as if finding her soulmate will fulfill all her romantic n sexual desires. this is why she makes 0 effort to build a romantic connection between them b4 declaring them soulmates and lovers, several times claiming theyre already dating, she assumed itd already exist. therefore she thinks that since SHE is very sexual, her soulmate must be as well. they seem to have nothing in common besides powers and the drive to help others which she isnt aware of, especially in what they want in life and from a partner, which i think is another reason she decided early on based on no evidence that hes a very sexual sadist and latched onto the idea, unable to believe anything else despite all evidence otherwise, for the entire show. 

shes obviously wrong. shes js too fixated on her own desires and expectations to realize that.

she originally claimed to have “fallen in love” with saiki only after seeing his powers and deciding that his mild sassiness was somehow indicative of sadism or sexuality. in the same breath she expresses disappointment in who her soulmate is and doesnt like his personality, so its pretty clear she cooked that up so she could have something to latch onto. from that point forward, i dont remember her showing attraction to anything abt saiki beyond his powers and the sadism/sexuality she misunderstood.

miko deserves some1 she doesnt feel the need to project onto js to feel like her desires r being fulfilled, and saiki deserves some1 who doesnt continuously expect from him what he doesnt want to give and has expressed that.

the thing is they have WAY better chemistry when she ISNT trying to force romance or sexuality into their relationship and she tends to misunderstand every platonic situation with him as that so it makes it a bit hard to see past her misunderstandings and see their friendship through it

at the very end of volcano arc she ALMOST ruins the moment by misunderstanding the situation as romantic and asking to kiss him but the hug she ends up giving him after is much sweeter and more emotionally impactful. its ofc not wrong for her to ask honest questions, im not saying she was wrong for it and its also not wrong 4 her to want to kiss him in that moment, but it does show her inability to read him and the situation and how this limits the chemistry between them. her stubborn nature still came out here when instead of simply accepting the “no” she said “AT LEAST let me give u a hug then” as if he owes at least something to her, but i dont fault her for this bc they both def needed and deserved a hug in that moment. saiki himself has also generally never been averse to platonic physical touch, often letting nendo or toritsuka etc to touch him without protest so this isnt any kind of boundary being broken. funnily, miko is the only person i remember him refusing to let touch him like him making her sit on the other side of the table and teleporting away from a hug but that seems to have changed by the end, or at the very least hell allow it from her in certain situations

miko is overall a good and genuine person, most notably how despite her jealousies of kokomi she still admires her so much, her defenses of kumi who was being bullied in a clothing shop, her expressing she doesnt mind helping kusuo for nothing in return (despite saying this immediately after implying she still wanted a favor after he didnt want to have sex with her, honestly not sure abt this part), and her mostly genuine intentions with her clients

this post will serve as my miko reference from now on and is subject to change!*

[jrstales]

Getting bred by the guitarist after the show

Hi all - one of the different storylines I am also working on - hope you all enjoy :-)

----------------------Tom’s POV---------------------

Backstage was a whirlwind of post-show energy as the three of us headed to our dressing room, walking past the banners “Crooked compass” screaming across them in big gold letters. The three of us were tired and hot, performing for hours under the intense light of the hall, ears ringing from the loud music and screaming fans. It felt fucking sick. I couldn’t wait to get out again.

We turned the corner to the dressing room, and a wall of cheering hit us as we saw a crowd of groupies waiting beside the door. As we walked past, one of them shoved a photo of the three of us into my hand. It was from a staged photoshoot we did at the start of the tour. The three of us shirtless at our instruments, I was stood up on mike singing, running my hand through my blonde curls, while Liam our guitarist stood beside me, his long black hair tied in a bun, winking down at the camera, both our lean bodies on display. Behind us you could see Dillon on the drums, his large muscular frame on display as he beat away at the drums. We looked fucking great.

I took the Sharpie from her and signed it, handing it back as security opened the door and ushered us into the changing room, locking the door behind us.

"Shit Tom, those lights were intense!" Liam exclaimed, collapsing onto the worn-out sofa in the room. He peeled his soaked white t-shirt off, throwing it in a corner.

 "Yeah," I agreed, grabbing beers from the fridge, 'Though a great fucking show guys." I tossed one to Dillon, and dropped down beside Liam on the sofa, handing him one. I unscrewed the lid of my one, a faint fizz filling the room, taking a refreshing gulp.

Dillon raised his bottle, “Yeah, they were definitely feeling it tonight, good crowd."

I pulled my own t-shirt off and leaned against Liam as he put his arm around me. "You know," he whispered "you looked fucking hot up there tonight."

"Yeah?' I took a sip of my beer, before rubbing my hands long Liam's toned stomach. The label made us train every day to keep us in shape, and it fucking worked.

“Yeah,” he murmured in my ear, “I couldn’t take my eyes off your ass all night long.” He pulled me closer, kissing me.

'You two at it already?' Dillon joked, sitting down on the makeup bench opposite. It creaked under his heavy weight. While Liam and I were quite lean, Dillon had some serious muscle behind him.

'Always,' I winked at him, 'You don't mind do you?' The three of us had been on tour for half a year and friends for longer. Dillon was the only one that knew about me and Liam, and after forced proximity, had just accepted he was going to see us fuck.

'Would it matter if I did. Besides, you guys have caught me with a chick in the tour bus enough times.' He joked, sipping his beer, 'Though I do want to head back, so hurry up so we can get on the bus.'

We needed no more encouragement, as I got onto all fours on the sofa and started licking Liam's chest and abs, tasting the saltiness of his sweat on my tongue.

'Fuck babe, that's it.' he moaned as I started licking his nipples. His hand reached down the back of my jeans as he started to squeeze my ass, reaching for my hole, teasing my sweaty crack. I couldn't help but moan into his chest as he played with it..

I reached down and started to unzip Liam's fly, releasing his hard 6 inches. He always went commando on stage, said it was his good luck charm. I buried my face in his crotch, smelling his musk, licking and sucking on his hard dick.

'Thats it babe, get me nice and wet.” He gave my ass another firm squeeze, “Dillon, don't just watch and throw me the lube.'

Dillon laughed, reaching into his bag and tossing over a bottle to Liam. 

'Cheers mate.' He laughed, lubing up his fingers and starting to finger my hole.

'No worries, looks like he's doing a good job there.' Dillin said, as I started deep throat Liam, gagging slightly. Liam moaned appreciatively.

'He always does - sure you don't want a try?' Liam offered. I looked hopefully over at Dillon. I had always dreamed one day he’d say yes.

'Nah, don't want to spoil your lovebirds fun. But hurry up, I want to get home.'

Liam pulled my up from his cock, kissing me while lubing up his dick. He stood up moving behind me while I began to undo my skinny jeans, pulling them down to my knees.

Liam sidled up behind me, pressing in as he began to thrust quickly into me. Liam body was slight, but his lean body was fast as he railed me quickly, generating enough force to send my body reeling as he pounded into me from behind.

'Mmhmm, yeah babe.' I moaned, my face buried into the sofa cushions. We weren’t the first band to use it, I wondered how many loads this thing had had spilt on it. 

I started stroking my own cock, a string of precum dripping onto the cushion as Liam fucked me fast just right, grunting, his hands rubbing over my already sweaty body.

'Fuck Tom, you like that.' Liam grunted.

'Fuck yeah, it feels fucking great Liam.' I moaned, his dick sending waves of pleasure through my body with every fucking thrust.

'I wanted to fuck you all show, it's my favourite part of each one, breeding you after.' I felt drops of his sweat hitting my back as he fucked me mercilessly, our wet bodies colliding over and over.

'Yeah.' I moaned. I felt my dick slick in my fist as I'm jerked off.

'Always babe. So, here's another load.' he started thrusting harder as he came inside me, grunting every time his hips slid into me.

'Fuck, I'm cumming to.' I moaned Liam kept fucking me as I came, shooting jets of cum into the cushion in front of me. 

Liam collapsed onto me, his weight driving me prone onto the sofa. We looked over at Dillon checking his phone and finishing his bear.

He gave a slow clap for us. 'Great guys, can we go now?' Dillon laughed, finishing his beer, ' And flip the fucking cushion.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all, thank you so much for reading. I will always continue to post here, however if you want up to date content in this and other storylines, some exclusive works, or even just to support me please consider checking out my Patreon below.

[lcvebuckley]

bucktommy fluffebruary snippet : day 1 - non-sexual intimacy

kiss it better

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt when Evan did that. There was something about the way Evan cared for him that felt almost unreal. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention, this kind of love—the kind that saw past his bravado and insisted on taking care of him anyway.

Tommy put his hand over Evan’s and leaned into his touch, his eyes slowly closing as he hummed in content. “And your touch is healing it already, I can feel it,” he mumbled before leaving a kiss on Evan’s palm.

Evan’s breath hitched, his smile softening as butterflies erupted in his stomach. The gesture was so simple, yet it made his chest feel heavy with emotion. It was moments like these, small and unspoken, that reminded him how deeply he loves Tommy.

Though, seeing Tommy kissing his palm suddenly gave him an idea. “Do you want me to kiss it better?” he asked, earning a look from Tommy. “What?”

“Don't you know that kisses can heal physical wounds?” Evan responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tommy raised an eyebrow, clearly wasn't buying whatever that nonsensical explanation was. “That's not a real thing,” he deadpanned.

The younger seemed surprised by that reply, pulling his hands away and crossing his arms. Oh, he’s not letting this go, is he? “Yes it is,” his tone was serious and maybe a little offended.

“Maddie used to kiss my scrapes all the time when we were kids,” Evan continued, remembering his childhood days when he would constantly get hurt doing reckless activities and while he did get a good scolding from his sister, she also took care of him and kissed his wounds better. “At first I was surprised too, but they do work!”

Tommy raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but there was a warmth in his chest that he couldn’t quite suppress. Evan was serious—adorably so—and the earnestness in his voice was enough to make Tommy falter.

the full version will be posted on my ao3 tomorrow for bucktommy fluffebruary!! i will also post a little doodle here that goes along with the fic <3

[29daffodils]

to plot or to not plot, that's the question

there's post under the tag that... really tickled my brain because i somewhat agree with it. but not entirely, considering i do still believe OP sounds... i dunno, something, while they are telling FK stans to “have some dignity”. so I'll just add to that, because i think fan interpretation and looking deep into a story is important, than say, just being fed all the info.

now let's start with saying i am a FKT stan and I'll be somewhat biased in my approach, but i will still try to keep this as neutral as possible.

that said, i do think jojo's writing needs improvement. a looooooot of improvement. the other day i was complaining to my friend @skyfish7 how jojo tends to use serious topics as plot devices and then does nothing with them. also the fact that he has a flair for drama and usually seems to include it in places to engage the viewers but he handles it poorly (boeing, I'm looking at you bitchass) or simply doesn't conclude them well (kant's phobia, bison's bdsm shtick, etc, i know we still have 2 eps left, don't kill me yet).

i do think OP was coming from a genuine place but also, i will take the time to defend jojo here too. because THK is not all trash. joong and dunk's characters are visibly seen to be falling in love, whereas first and khaotung's are more subtle.

i know what OP means by saying that it's still hard to believe that kant is in love with bison. because part of me feels that too. i believe a lot of it is because we do not see any detailed development where it's needed or it is skipped over in favour for more drama. like i said, jojo tends to gravitate towards big impactful scenes but he does not lay out the finer details. i am choosing to think that's just his writing style and not him just being a terrible writer. as my girl sky said, it leaves something to the viewer's imagination. and yes, she's right and i agree. spoon feeding every bit of a story is lame and boring, but sometime you do need to add little details where they are needed.

if you've already read my post about how THK seems to be losing steam, you might know what I'm talking about.

I'm very much convinced that this could have done well with a binge watch or if it were in movie format. but imo there's too many things going on with the focus distributed disproportionately among them, which in turn, i think, kinda makes the character development take backseat.

but let me add something about bikant because OP seems to be under the impression that they are simply trash.

jojo tends to make the falling in love subtle. at least for his FK characters. in bikant's case, they were both already smitten with each other from the first meeting. especially kant. he was head over heels for bison and it was very visible. it was deliberately shown. so when he does start the mission of getting dirt on him, the most visible emotion we see from kant is guilt. nothing else but guilt. and that is because it's already established he likes bison as a person. kant's character is written as someone who compartmentalizes things so even when he does find out bison's a hitman and there's proof (we see him staring horrified at the corkboard in their house) he quickly dismisses it. we repeatedly see style telling us that kant is smitten with bison. why? because kant doesn't have the mental capacity to think about romance right now, so it's style who tells the viewers his friend is wrapped around bison's little finger. the time when we finally actually see him do anything remotely truthful is ep#7 — the bowling alley and northern lights scene. kant has successfully gathered all the info he can and now he knows he might lose bison. so this one night he actually goes and lets himself love truthfully. he does all the things he would have done after that first meeting with bison. and then when bison gets shot, that's when he realises what he actually wants. the hospital scene is an important one because it cements the fact that kant cares, kant is in love, but his brain hasn't caught up to the feeling yet the idea is there, the proof is there, but he hasn't had the reprieve to sit and think and let that love marinate well. it's why even when kant says that he loves bison, it's difficult for us to believe. it's difficult for bison to believe. remember, we are viewing the beach scene from bison's pov and he ultimately asks, “you are not fooling me again, are you?” and that is the question from the viewers as well.

“you are not fooling us again, are you, kant?”

so all bison and we can do is take kant at face value and choose to believe him. that's all there is to it.

bison on the other hand? bro has been whipped since the first night. he is a hopeless romantic. he is an abused child hungering for love stuck in an adult's body. bison has been infatuated with kant from the get go, but he has also been suspicious and we have seen that suspicion slowly drop and build back up again time and time. but the moment bison actually spends all of ep#7 with kant and says, “i feel like my life is about to change”, that's him falling in love. that's him acknowledging that he is gone for good and he is finally choosing to believe kant despite the previous shady sus things he's done. bison had chosen to believe in him despite fadel warning him time and time again, and that's why the beach scene hits so hard. he is simply a fool in love. he is naive. he is the younger brother who doesn't know better. he just wanted to love, he loved and he got duped into being loved back (we all know that wasn't the case, but, bison POV like i said).

now, coming back to the point i was trying to make : do i think an extra tidbit of scene where kant's thought process was expanded on could have been better? yes.. maybe. but as a writer who likes to keep her readers interpreting and guessing, i choose to forgive jojo this time (as well). like i said, maybe this is just how he tends to write and honestly that's fine. every writer has a set of audience they are aiming for and i think there are plenty who enjoy his work (i do too, i just wish he'd tone down on the super big things suddenly being thrown in out of nowhere and then doing nothing with it).

and as far as sandray goes, boy do i have news for OP because ray is a classic example of a mentally ill abused child who is now an alcoholic and sand is a surrogate husband/caregiver growing up in poverty who puts himself last. that's their story. that's the story jojo wanted to tell, and i will rant about ray and sand and forgiveness (because OP thinks he is an asshole, so i want to make a point) but.... in a different post.

for now, this is it. i hope you forgive and understand kant. bro is trying and so are we.

[bianca-mii]

Paul & Richard kiss

Little post about one of my favorite kisses from the 2022 tour. There's a few different angles already "giffed", but I needed this particular sequence to write about.

The beginning is so cool with Paul's somewhat challenging look, like "okay, here we go, bring it on!"

The guitarists get close to each other and keep prolonging the final notes of Auslaender. Paul makes a gesture with his right hand, I'm not really sure what he's trying to do - tease Richard that he'll spoil something with his guitar stings?

Anyway, Richard remains unphased. He lifts his gaze at the other man and soon... Ohhh, you can easily tell when the idea comes to his mind.

He starts smirking mischievously and all his attention gets focused on Paul's cute little nose. Not for the first time though - we could watch the little pat on Paul's nose from Richard earlier on (2019, obviously the end of Puppe):

Also the other band members don't seem immune to its cuteness:

But what Richard does here is plain off limits. He tickles his fellow guitarist's nose with his predatory gaze and lips stretched into an extremely evil grin for almost 5 seconds. He stays alert, though, for any signs of Paul's disapproval, and when the rhythm guitarist moves his head, probably slightly annoyed anyway, Richard hesitates for a moment. But obviously seeing that Paul is hardly angry (we can't see it from this angle, but Richard certainly can and I believe that it is the case here), he continues his mischief for another while.

Now, I've watched this moment several times and couldn't believe it actually happened. At the beginning I thought Richard was messing with Paul's guitar head. I mean, are they even serious?! A nose tickling session?! Bloody hell! I can't with these two!! Is there anybody who can?!

Okay, another angle. And what do we have next, an annoyed Paul being like "Richard, what the hell"? Nope, of course not. We see Richard grabbing the back of the neck of a broadly smiling Paul, allowing all this like "sure this idiot right here is the biggest dork you'll ever see, but how can I get annoyed at somebody I love..." He prepares for the kiss, his chin lifted, his lips plumped, his eyes closed, and...

And the last angle... It always gets me and makes me truly, truly weak... I've seen many kisses, experienced and keep experiencing quite a few myself, but never have I seen anybody that entirely cheerful and smiling into a kiss as Richard is here. I'm suprised he was even able to kiss Paul with his lips so widely stretched into a grin. The pure joy, happiness and love for the slightly shorter man simply beams from his face with an otherwordly intensity. And when the kiss, by far not as brief as in the earlier shows, is finally ended, he looks at Paul with his eyes confessing the overwhelming feelings yet again.

Clearly deciding all what has happened in this very moment between the guitarists is fairly enough and satisfying for now, Richard lets his beloved bandmate go, probably remembering Paul's favorite places for such intimate interactions are behind the drumkit, under the B-stage, anyway, definitely not in the spotlight. The guitarists part their ways, go back to their reality, already thinking about Du Riechst So Gut intro, and it's only us, the fans, left, who need to come to terms with the fact we've just seen something we may likely never experience ourselves...

The whole video (cropped by me):

Credits: LIFAD Ukraine, richard_paulfuuuk, luisbawzaski

Quelle: Instagram