#forward trust 2023

[thewales-family]

The Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust, visits HMP High Down to learn about how the charity is supporting those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions, in Sutton, England -September 12th 2023.

[vaciena]

I think it just hit me that I’m actually getting better

[boreal-sea]

Look.

I have made you a chart. A very simple chart.

People say "You have to draw the line somewhere, and Biden has crossed it-" and my response is "Trump has crossed way more lines than Biden".

These categories are based off of actual policy enacted by both of these men while they were in office.

If the ONLY LINE YOU CARE ABOUT is line 12, you have an incredible amount of privilege, AND YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PALESTINIANS. You obviously have nothing to fear from a Trump presidency, and you do not give a fuck if a ceasefire actually occurs. You are obviously fine if your queer, disabled, and marginalized loved ones are hurt. You clearly don't care about the status of American democracy, which Trump has openly stated he plans to destroy on day 1 he is in office.

EDIT:

Ok fine, I spent 3 hours compiling sources for all of these, you can find that below the cut.

I'll give at least one link per subject area. There are of course many more sources to be read on these subject areas and no post could possibly give someone a full education on these subjects.

Biden and trans rights: https://www.hrc.org/resources/president-bidens-pro-lgbtq-timeline

Trump and trans rights: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trump-on-lgbtq-rights-rolling-back-protections-and-criminalizing-gender-nonconformity

The two sources above show how Biden has done a lot of work to promote trans rights, and how Trump did a lot of work to hurt trans rights.

Biden on abortion access: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/politics/what-is-in-biden-abortion-executive-order/index.html

Trump on abortion access: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-republican-presidential-election-2024-585faf025a1416d13d2fbc23da8d8637

Biden openly supports access to abortion and has taken steps to protect those rights at a federal level even after Roe v Wade was overturned. Trump, on the other hand, was the man who appointed the judges who helped overturn Roe v Wade and he openly brags about how proud he is of that decision. He also states that he believes individual states should have the final say in whether or not abortion is legal, and that he trusts them to "do the right thing", meaning he supports stronger abortion bans.

Biden on environmental reform: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-restores-protections-for-three-national-monuments-and-renews-american-leadership-to-steward-lands-waters-and-cultural-resources/

Trump on environmental reform: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html

Biden has made major steps forward for environmental reform. He has restored protections that Trump rolled back. He has enacted many executive orders and more to promote environmental protections, including rejoining the Paris Accords, which Trump withdrew the USA from. Trump is also well known for spreading conspiracy theories and lies about global climate change, calling it a "Chinese hoax".

Biden on healthcare and prescription reform: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/09/biden-administration-announces-savings-43-prescription-drugs-part-cost-saving-measures-president-bidens-inflation-reduction-act.html

Trump on healthcare reform: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/obamacare-health-insurance-ending-trump/index.html

I'm rolling healthcare and prescriptions and vaccines and public health all into one category here since they are related. Biden has lowered drug costs, expanded access to medicaid, and ACA enrollment has risen during his presidency. He has also made it so medical debt no longer applies to a person's credit score. He signed many executive orders during his first few weeks in office in order to get a handle on Trump's grievous mishandling of the COVID pandemic. Trump also wants to end the ACA. Trump is well known for refusing to wear a mask during the pandemic, encouraging the use of hydroxylchloroquine to "treat" COVID, and being openly anti-vaxx.

Biden on student loan forgiveness: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-additional-77-billion-approved-student-debt-relief-160000-borrowers

Trump on student loan forgiveness: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/06/20/trump-knocks-bidens-vile-student-loan-forgiveness-plans-suggests-reversal/

Trump wants to reverse the student loan forgiveness plans Biden has enacted. Biden has already forgiven billions of dollars in loans and continues to work towards forgiving more.

Infrastructure funding:

I'm putting these links next together because they are all about infrastructure.

In general, Trump's "achievements" for infrastructure were to destroy environmental protections to speed up projects. Many of his plans were ineffective due to the fact that he did not clearly outline where the money was going to come from, and he was unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the projects. He was unable (and unwilling) to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill during his 4 years in office. He did sign a few disaster relief bills. He did not enthusiastically promote renewable energy infrastructure. He created "Infrastructure Weeks" that the federal government then failed to fund. Trump did not do nothing for infrastructure, but his no-tax stance and his dislike for renewable energy means the contributions he made to American infrastructure were not as much as he claimed they were, nor as much as they could have been. Basically, he made a lot of promises, and delivered on very few of them. He is not "against" infrastructure, but he's certainly against funding it.

Biden was able to pass that bipartisan bill after taking office. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan that Trump tried to prevent from passing during Biden's term contains concrete funding sources and step by step plans to rebuild America's infrastructure. If you want to read the plan, you can find it here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/guidebook/. Biden has done far more for American infrastructure than Trump did, most notably by actually getting the bipartisan bill through congress.

Biden on Racial Equity: https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/26/960725707/biden-aims-to-advance-racial-equity-with-executive-actions

Trump on Racial Equity: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/01/trump-reverse-racism-civil-rights https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37230916

Trump's racist policies are loud and clear for everyone to hear. We all heard him call Mexicans "Drug dealers, criminals, rapists". We all watched as he enacted travel bans on people from majority-Muslim nations. Biden, on the other hand, has done quite a lot during his term to attempt to reconcile racism in this country, including reversing Trump's "Muslim ban" the first day he was in office.

Biden on DEI: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executive-order-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/

Trump on DEI: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tried-to-crush-the-dei-revolution-heres-how-he-might-finish-the-job/ar-BB1jg3gz

Biden supports DEI and has signed executive orders and passed laws that support DEI on the federal level. Trump absolutely hates DEI and wants to eradicate it.

Biden on criminal justice reform: https://time.com/6155084/biden-criminal-justice-reform/

Trump on criminal justice reform: https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/21418911/donald-trump-crime-criminal-justice-policy-record https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/trumps-extreme-plans-crime/678502/

From pardons for non-violent marijuana convictions to reducing the federal government's reliance on private prisons, Biden has done a lot in four years to reform our criminal justice system on the federal level. Meanwhile, Trump has described himself as "tough on crime". He advocates for more policing, including "stop and frisk" activities. Ironically it's actually quite difficult to find sources about what Trump thinks about crime, because almost all of the search results are about his own crimes.

Biden on military support for Israel: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-obama-divide-closely-support-israel-rcna127107

Trump on military support for Israel: https://www.vox.com/politics/353037/trump-gaza-israel-protests-biden-election-2024

Biden supports Israel financially and militarily and promotes holding Israel close. So did Trump. Trump was also very pro-Israel during his time in office and even moved the embassy to Jerusalem and declared Jerusalem the capitol of Israel, a move that inflamed attitudes in the region.

Biden on a ceasefire: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/06/05/gaza-israel-hamas-cease-fire-plan-biden/73967659007/

Trump on a ceasefire: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905

Trump has tried to be quiet on the issue but recently said he wants Israel to "finish the problem". He of course claims he could have prevented the whole problem. Trump also openly stated after Oct 7th that he would bar immigrants who support Hamas from the country and send in officers to American protests to arrest anyone supporting Hamas.

Biden meanwhile has been quietly urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal for months, including the most recent announcement earlier in June, though it seems as though that deal has finally fallen through as well.

[ilhoonftw]

watching old classic jąy chou mvs made me realise our boy hyunśik probably took inspo... i think it's fascinating how some of his influences are obvious yet what he's doing is so unlike whoever he's inspired by. if that makes any sense

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Red Lobster was killed by private equity, not Endless Shrimp

For the rest of May, my bestselling solarpunk utopian novel THE LOST CAUSE (2023) is available as a $2.99, DRM-free ebook!

A decade ago, a hedge fund had an improbable viral comedy hit: a 294-page slide deck explaining why Olive Garden was going out of business, blaming the failure on too many breadsticks and insufficiently salted pasta-water:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/940944/000092189514002031/ex991dfan14a06297125_091114.pdf

Everyone loved this story. As David Dayen wrote for Salon, it let readers "mock that silly chain restaurant they remember from their childhoods in the suburbs" and laugh at "the silly hedge fund that took the time to write the world’s worst review":

https://www.salon.com/2014/09/17/the_real_olive_garden_scandal_why_greedy_hedge_funders_suddenly_care_so_much_about_breadsticks/

But – as Dayen wrote at the time, the hedge fund that produced that slide deck, Starboard Value, was not motivated by dissatisfaction with bread-sticks. They were "activist investors" (finspeak for "rapacious assholes") with a giant stake in Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden's parent company. They wanted Darden to liquidate all of Olive Garden's real-estate holdings and declare a one-off dividend that would net investors a billion dollars, while literally yanking the floor out from beneath Olive Garden, converting it from owner to tenant, subject to rent-shocks and other nasty surprises.

They wanted to asset-strip the company, in other words ("asset strip" is what they call it in hedge-fund land; the mafia calls it a "bust-out," famous to anyone who watched the twenty-third episode of The Sopranos):

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

Starboard didn't have enough money to force the sale, but they had recently engineered the CEO's ouster. The giant slide-deck making fun of Olive Garden's food was just a PR campaign to help it sell the bust-out by creating a narrative that they were being activists* to save this badly managed disaster of a restaurant chain.

*assholes

Starboard was bent on eviscerating Darden like a couple of entrail-maddened dogs in an elk carcass:

https://web.archive.org/web/20051220005944/http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~solan/dogsinelk/

They had forced Darden to sell off another of its holdings, Red Lobster, to a hedge-fund called Golden Gate Capital. Golden Gate flogged all of Red Lobster's real estate holdings for $2.1 billion the same day, then pissed it all away on dividends to its shareholders, including Starboard. The new landlords, a Real Estate Investment Trust, proceeded to charge so much for rent on those buildings Red Lobster just flogged that the company's net earnings immediately dropped by half.

Dayen ends his piece with these prophetic words:

Olive Garden and Red Lobster may not be destinations for hipster Internet journalists, and they have seen revenue declines amid stagnant middle-class wages and increased competition. But they are still profitable businesses. Thousands of Americans work there. Why should they be bled dry by predatory investors in the name of “shareholder value”? What of the value of worker productivity instead of the financial engineers?

Flash forward a decade. Today, Dayen is editor-in-chief of The American Prospect, one of the best sources of news about private equity looting in the world. Writing for the Prospect, Luke Goldstein picks up Dayen's story, ten years on:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-05-22-raiding-red-lobster/

It's not pretty. Ten years of being bled out on rents and flipped from one hedge fund to another has killed Red Lobster. It just shuttered 50 restaurants and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ten years hasn't changed much; the same kind of snark that was deployed at the news of Olive Garden's imminent demise is now being hurled at Red Lobster.

Instead of dunking on free bread-sticks, Red Lobster's grave-dancers are jeering at "Endless Shrimp," a promotional deal that works exactly how it sounds like it would work. Endless Shrimp cost the chain $11m.

Which raises a question: why did Red Lobster make this money-losing offer? Are they just good-hearted slobs? Can't they do math?

Or, you know, was it another hedge-fund, bust-out scam?

Here's a hint. The supplier who provided Red Lobster with all that shrimp is Thai Union. Thai Union also owns Red Lobster. They bought the chain from Golden Gate Capital, last seen in 2014, holding a flash-sale on all of Red Lobster's buildings, pocketing billions, and cutting Red Lobster's earnings in half.

Red Lobster rose to success – 700 restaurants nationwide at its peak – by combining no-frills dining with powerful buying power, which it used to force discounts from seafood suppliers. In response, the seafood industry consolidated through a wave of mergers, turning into a cozy cartel that could resist the buyer power of Red Lobster and other major customers.

This was facilitated by conservation efforts that limited the total volume of biomass that fishers were allowed to extract, and allocated quotas to existing companies and individual fishermen. The costs of complying with this "catch management" system were high, punishingly so for small independents, bearably so for large conglomerates.

Competition from overseas fisheries drove consolidation further, as countries in the global south were blocked from implementing their own conservation efforts. US fisheries merged further, seeking economies of scale that would let them compete, largely by shafting fishermen and other suppliers. Today's Alaskan crab fishery is dominated by a four-company cartel; in the Pacific Northwest, most fish goes through a single intermediary, Pacific Seafood.

These dominant actors entered into illegal collusive arrangements with one another to rig their markets and further immiserate their suppliers, who filed antitrust suits accusing the companies of operating a monopsony (a market with a powerful buyer, akin to a monopoly, which is a market with a powerful seller):

https://www.classaction.org/news/pacific-seafood-under-fire-for-allegedly-fixing-prices-paid-to-dungeness-crabbers-in-pacific-northwest

Golden Gate bought Red Lobster in the midst of these fish wars, promising to right its ship. As Goldstein points out, that's the same promise they made when they bought Payless shoes, just before they destroyed the company and flogged it off to Alden Capital, the hedge fund that bought and destroyed dozens of America's most beloved newspapers:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/16/sociopathic-monsters/#all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print

Under Golden Gate's management, Red Lobster saw its staffing levels slashed, so diners endured longer wait times to be seated and served. Then, in 2020, they sold the company to Thai Union, the company's largest supplier (a transaction Goldstein likens to a Walmart buyout of Procter and Gamble).

Thai Union continued to bleed Red Lobster, imposing more cuts and loading it up with more debts financed by yet another private equity giant, Fortress Investment Group. That brings us to today, with Thai Union having moved a gigantic amount of its own product through a failing, debt-loaded subsidiary, even as it lobbies for deregulation of American fisheries, which would let it and its lobbying partners drain American waters of the last of its depleted fish stocks.

Dayen's 2020 must-read book Monopolized describes the way that monopolies proliferate, using the US health care industry as a case-study:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

After deregulation allowed the pharma sector to consolidate, it acquired pricing power of hospitals, who found themselves gouged to the edge of bankruptcy on drug prices. Hospitals then merged into regional monopolies, which allowed them to resist pharma pricing power – and gouge health insurance companies, who saw the price of routine care explode. So the insurance companies gobbled each other up, too, leaving most of us with two or fewer choices for health insurance – even as insurance prices skyrocketed, and our benefits shrank.

Today, Americans pay more for worse healthcare, which is delivered by health workers who get paid less and work under worse conditions. That's because, lacking a regulator to consolidate patients' interests, and strong unions to consolidate workers' interests, patients and workers are easy pickings for those consolidated links in the health supply-chain.

That's a pretty good model for understanding what's happened to Red Lobster: monopoly power and monopsony power begat more monopolies and monoposonies in the supply chain. Everything that hasn't consolidated is defenseless: diners, restaurant workers, fishermen, and the environment. We're all fucked.

Decent, no-frills family restaurant are good. Great, even. I'm not the world's greatest fan of chain restaurants, but I'm also comfortably middle-class and not struggling to afford to give my family a nice night out at a place with good food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. These places are easy pickings for looters because the people who patronize them have little power in our society – and because those of us with more power are easily tricked into sneering at these places' failures as a kind of comeuppance that's all that's due to tacky joints that serve the working class.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/23/spineless/#invertebrates

[nariism]

neuvillette is aware that he shouldn’t have let you get so close. but he did, and now he’s lamenting the fact that your hands are grasping at his soft horns — his fucking horns, of all places — and he might like it.

uptight and strait-laced, you’ve never known the chief justice to be someone so easily flustered. yet here he is with heat crawling up his neck, so warm that you can feel it against your palms as they ghost over his skin.

you can’t help but laugh at his current situation.

he was vehemently against you coming anywhere near his hair at first, grumbling about how his horns were on the sensitive side and he would rather not have to go into work feeling uncomfortably aware of their presence on his head.

however, you were hard to deny with that little smile on your face and such soft hands grabbing at his arms, tugging him closer. a sweet voice chanting, "please, honey? pretty please?"

neuvillette has never been good at denying you what you want.

it’s how he ends up sitting at your shared vanity. you comb through his long hair, watching him with amusement in the mirror as he huffs and jolts with every brush of your fingers against his horns.

the fact that he was letting you get anywhere near them was surely a testament to his trust in you. he was completely vulnerable here, at your mercy.

“sorry,” you mumble disingenuously, clearly enjoying seeing your usually serious husband falling apart with a simple action. you quickly tie off the end of his hair with a bow and he sighs in relief, thinking that the torment is over.

it's far from over.

he draws a sharp breath when you lean forward and press two gentle kisses on him; one on either side of his head just beside his horns.

neuvillette glowers at you in the reflection, disapproval written all over his face. "stop that," he scolds.

you do, but only because you're worried he might melt into a puddle before your very eyes if you continue.

it becomes a daily routine after that, with him sitting patiently in front of the mirror while you brush and tie off his hair. and you always end it the same way: two kisses, a soft "have a good day at work," murmured against him, and a mischievous little smile that makes him sigh.

he responds everyday with the same two words. "stop that," with a narrow-eyed glare.

the day you do stop, he's confused and irritated.

not only because you have the audacity to throw a wrench into routine again, which you know he hates, but also because he can't figure out why he misses your lips so much.

"what are you doing? i am going to be late."

"hm?" you peer up lazily from your spot on the bed, still half asleep.

"you have to do my hair."

"i thought you didn't want me to, so i slept in today."

your husband is eerily silent for a moment as he mulls over your words. then, he carefully perches himself on the edge of the bed, back turned to you expectantly and still wordless.

no, he would never admit he likes it just a little bit — the vulnerability, the trust, the feeling of your hands threading through his hair, the intimacy of it. hell no.

but neuvillette doesn't have to say a lot of things for you to understand; not when the way his skin heats up says it all; not when you're the first person to touch his horns in centuries; not when he’s saying stop that with such an affectionate glimmer in his eyes.

you give him four kisses that morning, two on either side.

© ALABOADOA 2023 — please do not translate or post my works to other platforms.

[idontmindifuforgetme]

23 things I learned in 2023:

Breaking promises to yourself is essentially telling yourself you’re not worthy of commitment or effort.

Listen to people when they tell you who they are.

People put their best foot forward when they first meet you. If they’re already being shitty, it’s likely only going downhill from here.

Self-care isn’t always indulging instant gratification and not doing hard things. I was actually at my most fulfilled when I did hard things DESPITE not feeling like it.

If you’re clinging to other people for fulfillment or validation, you probably don’t like yourself very much.

It’s never the end of the world like we think it is.

If someone wants to walk out of your life, let them. Never be in the business of changing people, even when it comes to changing how they think about you.

Brutally honest communication is everything, but that can also coincide with tactful kindness. Neither is mutually exclusive.

Having a routine makes a massive difference.

Comparison is pointless. No one else has been dealt the same cards you’ve been dealt.

Envy is a waste of time. Instead of being envious of other people, view them as proof of concept.

Self-accountability is important. We are fallible and it’s okay to make mistakes; we just need to own up to them.

Every failure is an opportunity for growth.

Every severed friendship, failed opportunity, lost connection etc etc leaves space for better things to replace it.

We are not tethered to people’s image of us. We are free to change ourselves whenever we please.

It’s not other people’s way, but it’s my way—and that’s all that matters.

Someone denying you love does not erase you.

Piggybacking off the last point—someone not acknowledging the virtues you have doesn’t mean that you don’t have those virtues.

All that really matters are the opinions of the handful of people who truly love you, as well as your opinion of yourself.

Waiting at least 15 minutes before reacting to something. Never trust yourself during the moments when something just hits (learned this the hard way).

Situations are complex and almost never a one size fits all. Asking for advice is okay, but take it with a grain of salt/ultimately follow your own judgment.

Social media isn’t the devil, but scrolling endlessly is. Make an intentional effort to supplant screen time with books and hobbies and friends and tangible, real life things.

We all die one day. None of this is that deep and none of this really matters. Stop taking things so seriously and just enjoy the process 🤍

[5sospenguinqueen]

Bedtime Stories Pt 2 | Daniel Ricciardo x Author! Reader

Summary: Daniel made a silly little comment that lost him everything. Over a year later, he tries his hardest to fix his mistakes.

Warnings: Swearing. A tiny smidge of angst but mainly fluff. Redemption for Daniel.

Female reader with various faceclaims (pics found on pinterest). Takes place in 2023. For the purpose of this, Daniel has been with AlphaTauri the whole time.

Main Masterlist

prev.

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

28•05•2023

danielricciardo just posted

liked by redbullracing, YourUserName and others

danielricciardo monaco, always a delight. P11. so close to the points but racing through your streets feels like being on a podium

4,337 comments

landonorris and whose attention are we trying to grab with that sexy last pic 👀

→ danielricciardo only yours, mate 

→ User1 don’t act like you’re not dying inside because y/n liked this 

→ User2 relax, they never unfollowed each other 🙄

maxverstappen1 you’ll get them next time, mate

→ danielricciardo fancy giving me a tow?

→ maxverstappen1 never

→ User3 i love their friendship so much

User4 um, did anyone see that y/n liked and then unliked this post 

→ User5 omg yes! sis was caught stalking and we love her for it 

→ User6 i too would thirst over my ex if he looked like that 

kellypiquet we were watching the whole time

liked by danielricciardo

→ User7 what a weird comment to make?

→ User8 who’s we, kelly? 

→ User9 what does this mean? 

 

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

04•06•2023

Tweet 1

User10 @ kikiki babe did you hit your head? is that why you were in the ER? they broke up

User11 @ kikiki maybe ask them to do a head scan whilst you're there 'cause ain't no way you saw here there

→ User12 literally. like why would she even be in spain right now?

Tweet 2

User11 i think we might have to apologise to @ kikiki

→ User10 can we really trust the wag page though? They did report that Lando was having a secret love child the other week..?

Tweet 3

User13 asking the real questions because she's not even hinted that she’s been writing so it’s not like she’s on a book tour or anything?

→ User14 some people are saying she could be on vacation but please, why would mother choose a holiday destination during a time that she knows is a GP?

User15 guys, guys, I think our sacrifice circle worked 

→ User16 please, please, 🕯️🕯️

User 17 how poetic would it be though if they got back together  during the spanish GP when they broke up at the spanish GP a year ago 

User18 shouldn’t you know these answers, and that she was in spain, if you're her so-called updates page

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

22•08•2023

YourUserName just posted

liked by maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc and others

YourUserName some big news approaching 

6,349 comments

kellypiquet i can’t wait, my beautiful girl 

→ YourUserName thank you for being my #1 support

→ kellypiquet thank you for letting me help plan

→ User1 what does this mean? 

→ User2 miss piquet stop being so cryptic on socials 

maxverstappen1 i’m very excited 

→ YourUserName did kelly force you to write that because i could feel the excitement oozing through the screen

→ maxverstappen1 i wanted to say something worse 

→ YourUserName i hope she leaves you

→ kellypiquet behave, you two! 

→ User3 i live for max and y/n terrorising each other, even without danny ric being around to encourage it

bloomsburypublishing we look forward to the end result

User4 i’m sorry but is this a soft launch?

User5 who is that in the last slide, miss y/n?

→ User6 the inspiration behind a new romance we hope

User7 don’t be shy. tag him 

User8 soft launches have recently become my least favourite thing

charles_leclerc are you perhaps writing my next plane read

→ YourUserName depends how long the flight is 

→ User9 confirmation of a new book ya’ll!! everyone say thank you charles

User10 i like to be edged by her books, not by her hiding her man

User11 don't try and distract us with news of a new book, we wanna know who the feet belong to!

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

01•09•2023

danielricciardo just posted

liked by maxverstapen1, yukitsunoda0511 and others

danielricciardo ciao a tutti. lovely sightseeing in beautiful Italy

6,445 comments

User12 you’re telling me that i’m currently in the same country as THE daniel ricciardo?

kellypiquet i’m still trying to recover from that hike

→ User13 kelly and max went on a double date with daniel and the new girl?!

→ User14 omg please be y/n. i can’t imagine kelly agreeing to it otherwise

User15 i know he's trying to distract us with his beauty but we see the last slide, daniel. we see it

pierregasly so you’re telling me that you were in milan and didn’t bother to come and see me? that’s it. i'm ending our friendship

→ danielricciardo i’m sorry, mate. i was doing more important things

→ pierregasly clearly ;)

User16 someone check on y/n, please

→ User17 babe is clearly having the time of her life in italy (yes, i'm delusional)

User18 does nobody find it odd that he’s posting a soft launch not long after y/n posted a soft launch

→ User19 i know! it’s only been three weeks since hers and he’s posting one

→ User20 i can’t decide whether they’re soft launching each other or he’s trying to make her jealous by flaunting a new relationship as well

→ User21 it HAS to be each other or i will die

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

15•10•2023

lando.jpg just posted

liked by YourUserName, danielricciardo and others

lando.jpg so i attended this event… and no, it’s not mine before you all freak out

8,223 comments

charles_leclerc it was a beautiful day ❤️

alexandrasaintmleux i’m so thankful to have been a part of such wonderful memories

kellypiquet the most beautiful bride i have ever seen

maxverstappen1 this was a nicer caption than i expected from you

→ danielricciardo agreed

→ landonorris i take offence to that

User1 guys do we think kelly and max got married? they’ve both comments on this?

→ User2 yes but so did charles and alex so…

→ User3 plus, i know kelly is stunning but do we really think she would call herself the most beautiful bride in 3rd person?

georgerussell63 i’m surprised you remember much after the state you were in

→ landonorris excuse you but most of that was just pure happiness

hulkhulkenberg an amazing day

estebanocon so happy to have been a part of this

alex_albon how’s the hangover, mate

→ landonorris i didn’t drink that much!

→ georgerussell63 tell that to the bouquet that you puked on

→ landonorris i caught it so it was mine anyway

carlossainz55 beautiful photos. she’ll love those

→ User4 who’s she?!

lewishamilton🤍🩵

fernandoalo_official congratulations to the happy couple

User5 the entire grid are commenting on this post, clearly having been in attendance. who IS IT?

pierregasly c’était une belle mariée

liked by YourUserName

User6 guys, y/n’s name on socials just changed from y/l/n to ricciardo

liked by danielricciardo

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

03•04•2024

YourUserName just posted with danielricciardo

liked by kellypiquet, maxverstappen1 and others

YourUserName my husband helped with this project. baby ric coming aug 2024

9,550 comments

kellypiquet you will be the most beautiful mother. i’m so honoured to be part of this with you 💕

→ YourUserName stop you’re going to make me cry. you’ll be the most perfect godmother

→ kellypiquet i still think you should've married me instead

maxverstappen1 i call godfather

→ landonorris no you don’t get to call godfather! you already got to be a groomsman

→ maxverstappen1 yeah because who helped get them back together

→ YourUserName kelly

→ danielricciardo me

→ YourUserName no, babe

danielricciardo and before you all ask, no I haven’t stopped crying since she told me

→ kellypiquet me too, dan, me too

maxverstappen1 on a serious note, i am very happy for the two of you. y/n will be a wonderful mother, and daniel, he’ll be there also

charles_leclerc i am so excited. alex keeps telling me to stop buying baby things for you guys but i just don’t listen

→ YourUserName well at least you can safely say that uncle charl bought little mcqueen’s love

→ User7 uncle charl!!!!

lewishamilton congratulations, you two. y/n looks amazing

fernandoalo_official how lovely 💚

User8 omg it WAS their wedding lando attended!!!!!

hulkhulkenberg baby ricciardo!!

pierregasly congratulations. i can’t wait to be uncle GASSLYYYYYY

alex_albon welcome baby ricciardo

→ lilymhe it’s not an alien, alex. you don’t have to greet it so formally

redbullracing we’re all so excited for the upcoming grid baby. working on a racer stroller right this minute

→ mclaren you stole our gift idea!

→ redbullracing you stole our driver!

carlossainz55 congratulations y/n and daniel 😄

mercedesamgf1 what wonderful news 🍼

landonorris i’m just so glad i can go back to calling you mum and dad without daniel wanting to drive his car into the barrier

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

Please don’t hate me for this! I did say from the beginning that Part 2s would be redemption.

I’ve had this planned and written since before Part 1 was published so when half of you then asked for her to get with another driver/move on, I was like noooooo I’ve already planned their baby 😂

As always. Requests welcome. If you have requested, I promise I’m not ignoring it, it’s been added to my queue

Baby Fever Angst Series

Tag list

@bibissparkles @barcelonaloverf1life @rlalliehayes @dullypully @softtina @callsignwidow @lav3nder-haze @minkyungseokie @luvrrish @fall-bambi @evans-dejong @sadsierra2 @justdreamersdream @spookystitchery @dark-night-sky-99 @majusialikesfastcars @luckyladycreator2 @bborra @mrosales16 @reguluscrystals @tvdtw4ever @alwaysclassyeagle @gigicisneros @spanishcorndogs @thecubanator2 @goldenharrysworld @awritingtree @jxnellat @sbrn0905 @hc-dutch @buckybarnessweetheart @ironmaiden1313 @dreamercrowd @yourbane @reguluscrystals @peachiicherries @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @weekendlusting @leclercsluvs @hannannannannannah @lifeless-firefly @sinofwriting @exotic-iris13 @imperfect-paragon @dan3avocado @barcelonaloverf1life @avillagesperson @hard4ndsoft @justzluv @laneyspaulding19 @danielshoe @chocolatefanunknown @redcrescentmoons

Sorry if I missed anyone!

[anantaru]

imagine blade or (and 🤭) jing yuan getting jealous n insecure and smothering you with their love so you don’t leave them :(

cw. jelly boys, rough, fem! reader

jealous blade who fucks you like you're the person he absolutely loathes the utmost— when in reality he loves and treasures you so much, and he doesn't trust the people around you, he thinks they would turn you away from him.

it's scary, yes, that's what it was and it's playing in his mind on repeat, like a broken record and blade was truly frightened, always having his broad, defined arms around you tight while he fucks into your little hole, splitting your pussy with his large cock, slender fingers working on your breasts to stimulate you until your body was twitching against his locked hold.

the shaft of his cock was entirely webbed in your liquids and it continued to ooze out of you when he rushes himself forward, throwing his head back as you moan out his name from the stretch on your cunt.

"you're mine, you're mine, you're mine.."

blade says, over and over, he has to let you know— and he's so impossibly warm on you, secured, and so adorable as he clings to you. thus, your heart was aflame, not being aware what he'd do with the people he saw as a clear threat.

jealous jing yuan who doesn't fuck you hard and messy until you practically beg for it, with salty tears drizzling down your doused lashes— in fairness, it's you who made him experience jealousy for the very first time in your relationship, the least you could do now was handle a little bit of his teasing or leaving him to have his almost cruel ways with you.

it's fun, he promises, biting down lightly on your earlobe while not including that it's only fun for him.

jing yuan probes into you softly, but does not thrust, only letting you feel the crevices of his girth, the pulsing and aching on his reddened erection, especially the thick, heavy vein right on the underside of his shaft, how it twitches and scratches your walls, bulges into you until you feel full and ready for him.

but, you know, good enough for now yet jing yuan still doesn't move.

you moan out together, his smirk showing you first signs of both confusion and irritating, and you look at him with a scattered gaze, awaiting something, just anything, but shudder in your skin when he stills himself entirely, moving forward to kiss your lips.

"just so you know." he chastises, inch by torturous inch beginning to move as you envelope him, jing yuan needed this really badly right now, the warmest and most intimate embrace.

"i wasn't *really* jealous today, only a little."

©2023 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[pony32099]

 Guo Wengui: The end of fraud and the trial of justice

 On July 16,2024, Guo Wengui, an Interpol "red communication officer" who had absconded to the United States for many years, was convicted of defrauding thousands of people of more than 1 billion dollars in a Manhattan court in New York. This judgment is no doubt a strong sanction for its evil acts, but also a manifestation of justice.

 Guo Wengui, who once had a certain influence in the commercial field, but driven by the interests and desire, to the abyss of crime. He used to be the actual controller of Henan Yuda Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Pangu Investment Co., Ltd. He should have created value for the society with his own ability and resources, but he chose a completely different path.

 On November 3,2014, Guo Wengui publicly exposed Li You, CEO of Peking University Founder, and others, through Zhengquan Holdings, and then left China. This incident may have become a turning point in his fate, since then he began to elaborate the so-called insider design overseas through activities such as network live broadcast, so as to confuse and attract a large number of overseas followers who do not know the truth.

 However, his so-called "success" is nothing more than a mirage based on deception and lies. Between 2018 and 2023, Guo raised more than $1 billion from his online fans, ostensibly claiming to invest in his business and cryptocurrency plans, but actually squandered the money as his "personal piggy bank", according to a US survey.

 He used a variety of fraud. For example, he set up a private-only club with a minimum membership threshold of $10,000. Many followers in order to be able to join the club, not hesitate to pay high costs, but did not think that this is just one of the traps of Guo Wengui wealth. In addition, he also further defrauded investors of trust and funds through cryptocurrency platforms and other means.

 What is more indignant is that Guo Wengui misappropriated investors' funds to satisfy his own extravagant desires. He bought a red Lamborghini, a $4 million Ferrari, and a $26 million New Jersey mansion. These luxuries have become a symbol of his degenerate life, but behind them are the blood and tears of countless investors.

 In 2021, three companies associated with Guo, including GTV, paid $539 million to settle allegations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over illegal stock offerings. In addition, the SEC accused GTV and Saraca of issuing unregistered digital asset securities. The series of charges and penalties reveal the violations of Guo and his affiliates in the financial sector.

 Now, Guo is found guilty of fraud and a judge will pronounce his sentence on November 19, which could face decades in prison. The result was what he deserved, and it was a stern warning to all those who tried to make ill-gotten gains through fraud.

 Guo Wengui's case brings us a profound reflection. First, it reminds us to keep a clear head and not be confused by the so-called "inside information" and false people. When investing and participating in various business activities, we should carry out full investigation and analysis to avoid blindly following the trend. Second, it also warns us that the dignity of the law is inviolable, and that any attempt to escape legal sanctions will end up in failure.

 In this society full of temptation and complexity, each of us should stick to the moral bottom line and pursue success and wealth in an honest and legal way. Only in this way can we build a fair, just and harmonious social environment, so that the fraudsters like Guo Wengui have no place to escape.

Justice may be late, but never absent. Guo Wengui's end once again proves this truth. Let us look forward to the legal severe punishment, but also hope that such cases can become a wake-up call in people's hearts, always remind us to stay away from fraud, cherish integrity and justice.

[evermore-fashion]

Did I make a mistake?

As you're all well aware of I said goodbye to my blogs and Tumblr thinking my decision was final. However after reading all your wonderful messages I started to have doubts about my decision. So for the last few weeks I've been trying to pinpoint why I thought I had fallen out of love with high end fashion as well as Tumblr itself and the answer has been in front of my face for the best part of four years. A broken down friendship that has been plaguing my mental health… until recently and I'm going to finally explain why. I had a best friend for the best part of 15 years that went downhill both slowly and unexpectedly. We met on a forum back in 2005 and hit it off instantly. We then met up and went on various holidays, attended concerts together, did mini weekend breaks away and got to know each other's families really well. More importantly they were the only person in my life who knew about this blog and shared my love for high end fashion. Like most friendships though it had its ups and downs but no matter what we always gravitated back towards one another, until March 2020. A week or so before COVID and lockdown took hold of our lives they told me they had met someone. I was genuinely happy for them, except for the fact they had let slip that I was the last person to know. This broke my heart and their trust as they continued to let slip more details that indicated that I was being pushed out in favour of a new crowd (aka university friends who they had told me they disliked a few months beforehand) alongside their new partner. They stayed with their partner on and off throughout COVID and I was either pushed out the door or let back in depending on their relationship status. The relationship came to an end for good towards the end of 2022 and as always I was let back into their life with plans for 2023 being made. However I held back knowing the hurt it would cause me if things suddenly changed again. This was also my breaking point with them as I wanted to protect my heart from anymore hurt, and I believe this is where my love for creativity began to faulter. Whilst I found my love for gaming I felt this mental block around Evermore-Fashion and Evermore-Grimoire which I thought was down to my passions changing. I was clearly wrong. The friendship was up and down for another six months, until last summer. They had got back in contact with me despite the fact they had started acting cold towards me which manifested in a crap Christmas and Birthday. Yet I was still willing to hear their side of the story, but it never came as they ghosted me and I haven't spoken to them since which hasn't been fun to deal with both mentally and emotionally. Although I now fully believe this is what was killing my spirit and everything I had loved for so long. Anyway fast forward to January 2024, I've said goodbye to my blogs and Tumblr when lo and behold I come across a social media post that changed everything. The ex friend had written something personal that contradicted everything they had told me (over their relationship break up) which not only angered me but it lit a fire under my butt to stop stewing in the "what ifs?" as well as holding on to a small bit of hope that they'd finally apologise for treating me like a piece of shit on the back of their shoe for so long. Not only that but I started to miss why I enjoyed being online in the first place. I checked out Vogue to see what was occurring during Paris Fashion Week and I yearned to share the Spring 2024 Couture collections on Tumblr (even though I still think it's still a toxic cesspit). Yes I could easily start this up on Wordpress or Instagram but let's face it, Tumblr is still the easiest place to start blogging creatively. So here I am. The fog surrounding my love for fashion has lifted alongside the mental and emotional baggage I've been holding on to for far too long. There's just one thing I'm still wondering though… do you guys forgive me (as I feel like I've messed you all around ) and is it okay to come back? 🥹

[thewales-family]

The Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust, visits HMP High Down to learn about how the charity is supporting those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions, in Sutton, England -September 12th 2023.

[bagofshinyrocks]

A Little Bump on the Head

Prompt: As your and Simon’s little man is exploring the living room, he bumps his head. Simon is almost more upset than the baby is. [Requested by anonymous]

Featuring: Simon "Ghost" Riley x GN!Reader

Word Count: 0.6k

Warnings: none

You were so relieved when the little man started to entertain himself.

Watching birds and dogs outside, building blocks, sorting colorful balls and toys, climbing through a series of tunnels made by his daddy from recycling.

Simon was home as much as possible, deployments never being more than a week, and demanding desk-duty or training on base. But it was still hard to run a two-adult one-infant household with both of you only getting a few hours of home-making between you. 

And sometimes, both of you needed some sleep. Sometimes he had a late night at work. Sometimes baby decided to scream at 4 AM and scare both of you so horribly that you couldn’t fall back asleep even after the baby was all snork mi mi mi.

You were re-reading some comics on the couch, encouraging the little man as he scribbled on his coloring pages or crawled to follow the robot vacuum. Once Simon finished loading the dishwasher, he came in and flopped on top of you.

“Ohhhh, what a comfortable pillow.”

“Heavy,” you grunted, freeing your arms and wrapping them around your husband.

“You callin’ me fat?”

“Just a smidgen. In a sexy way.”

Your baby suddenly sat up and vocalized. A happy smile when his dad waved. With a great heave, he pulled himself up on the chair and started making his way over to you.

Eager coos and cheers from both of you, as he waddled from the chair to the coffee table.

A hiccup! An obstacle! Your son falls on his bum. But he perseveres and pulls himself back up again.

But he misjudges and bonks his head on the underside of the coffee table instead. He falls back on his rear. And his sweet face crumbled and flushed as he started to cry.

Both of you jerked forward, reaching for him and starting to comfort him. Simon rolled off you  and onto the floor and scooped the boy up in his arms.

“Oh, bubba,” he hushed, cradling the lightly bumped head into his chest, “it’s alright. You’re alright.”

You wrapped around your husband and gently rubbed your son’s back. He stopped fussing fairly quickly, just sniffling and holding on tight to his daddy.

The top of your boy’s head had only a slight bump on it; nothing you needed to worry about. A light reddened line where he hit the corner, and not even that raised of an egg. He had done this a couple times before.

You looked to Simon to reassure him that the boy was okay and almost started tearing up yourself. The baby was quietly leaning into his daddy’s chest, and your husband was the one fighting back tears.

“Baby,” you coo, cupping Simon’s face in your hands and kissing his cheek. Then kissing your son’s before he could get jealous. “Baby, he’s fine. Just a little bump. He’s had worse.”

Simon nodded, not trusting his voice, and kissed the top of the baby’s head.

A few minutes later, the boy was crawling through his cardboard maze. Moisturized. Flourishing. Living his best life. And now you had your husband in your arms.

“He’s alright.”

“I know but he bumped his head while coming to see me-”

“Shush. Not your fault.” You leaned him back and pinched his nose.

“He’s just learning his gross motor skills. It happens.”

Simon rubbed his nose. “They’re not gross.”

You almost laughed in his face, but didn’t, you were a good spouse. He was still upset. “As in gross motor skills versus fine motor skills.”

“... Oh.”

Enjoy reading this? Here's a link to my other works! Thanks for reading :-)

Posted: 2023 December 25

[pbaz7]

CROSSING THE LINE — PART TWO ♡

paige x azzi

word count: 6k

A/N: This chapter is lowkey a little all over the place because I needed to set the tone of their relationship for the story going forward. Clearly they both want the cookie real bad 😭. Let me know what you think and leave live reactions if you can, trust it helps with motivation

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

August 2023

Azzi lay sprawled across her bed, one arm propped behind her head, the other holding her phone as she scrolled absentmindedly. She had a bag of veggie straws on her lap, her go-to healthy snack. She popped a straw into her mouth, savoring it as the late summer heat lazily drifted through the open window in her room.

The door to her room burst open without warning, and Paige groaned loudly as she stumbled in, dramatically dropping her bag and flopping face-first onto Azzi's bed.

Azzi didn’t even look up from her phone. “Hello to you too. There’s a thing called knocking, you know.”

Paige didn’t respond immediately, burying her face deeper into the bed with a huff.

Azzi, without missing a beat, smirked and continued, “Ah yes, my day was great, Paige. Thank you for asking." She finally glanced over at Paige, raising an eyebrow. "You’re welcome for the update."

Paige, her face still buried in Azzi’s comforter, mumbled something unintelligible before reaching blindly for the bag in Azzi’s lap.

“What the hell!” Azzi protested, but Paige already had a veggie straw halfway to her mouth. She bit into it, chewed once, and immediately made a face.

“Ew. Why does this taste like sadness?” Paige grimaced, holding the offending snack out like it had personally wronged her.

Azzi snatched the bag back, laughing. “That’s what you get for stealing it. It’s called being healthy, Paige. You should try it sometime.”

Paige rolled onto her back, groaning even louder this time, her arm thrown dramatically over her eyes. Azzi went back to her phone, ignoring her antics, but Paige wasn’t having it.

She sighed. Loudly.

Azzi’s eyes flicked up for a moment, unimpressed, before returning to her screen.

Another sigh. Louder this time.

Finally, Azzi rolled her eyes, setting her phone down. “Alright, Drama Queen. What’s wrong?”

Paige perked up instantly, propping herself up on her elbows as if she’d been waiting for this exact moment as she immediately began talking. “There are no interesting girls on campus.”

Azzi blinked, her eyebrow raising in a slow, deliberate arch.

Paige took that as her cue to elaborate. “Seriously,” she continued, flopping back down but twisting to face Azzi. “None of them are a challenge. They’re all just... so easy. They practically throw themselves at me. It’s boring…bland.”

Azzi snorted, setting her bag on the nightstand. “That’s because you’ve probably ran through the entire campus by now.”

Paige sat up sharply, clutching her chest like she’d been mortally wounded. “Excuse me? That’s not true!”

Azzi gave her a pointed look, her lips twitching in amusement. “Oh, it’s not? What’s the count at now? 40?”

Paige scoffed, grabbing a pillow and lightly tossing it at Azzi. “First of all, rude. Second, it’s not that high. And third... that’s not the point!”

Azzi laughed, catching the pillow with ease and tossing it back onto her bed. “Face it. You were bound to get bored eventually, it's just catching up to you a little earlier than expected.”

Paige let out a long, exaggerated sigh, her dramatic streak in full force. “I’m doomed,” she muttered, burying her face in Azzi’s blankets again.

Azzi leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed, watching her with an amused smirk. “What exactly are you looking for?”

Paige groaned into the comforter before turning her head to the side, her voice muffled. “Someone interesting…exciting. Someone who’s actually a challenge.”

Azzi tilted her head. “A challenge?”

Paige pushed herself up onto her elbows, frowning in thought. “Yeah, like... someone who doesn’t just fall all over themselves to get my attention. Someone... different.” She sat up a little straighter, her expression shifting as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. “I need someone like you. You barely tolerate me.”

Azzi froze, mid-bite of her veggie straw, before she let out a laugh. “Careful, Paige. You’re letting your attraction for me show.”

Paige immediately sat up, shaking her head. “I’m not attracted to you Azzi don’t be ridiculous.”

Azzi leaned back on her elbows, a playful smirk on her lips. “Oh yeah? Because I definitely remember you saying how good I looked that one night when we were out.”

Paige froze, caught off guard. “I said you looked nice, not good,” she protested with her finger up, using a matter of fact tone.

Azzi chuckled. “Nice, good... whatever. Point is I always look the same Paige. My face doesn’t change just because you’ve had a few drinks.”

Paige threw up her hands in mock frustration. “Even if I said it that night that doesn’t mean anything!”

Azzi raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying this too much. “Uh-huh. Sure, sure.”

Paige leaned back again, staring at the ceiling. “Fine, whatever. You win. I admit it: maybe, maybe, I said you looked nice. But that’s it. That’s all it was.”

Azzi studied Paige, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "You’re really trying to convince me you don’t have a thing for me, huh? Almost like you're overcompensating or something."

Paige sat up abruptly, her face scrunched in exasperation. "I do not have a thing for you." She grabbed another veggie straw, crunching down hard like it was Azzi's fault she was annoyed.

Azzi tilted her head, biting back a grin. "Right. That’s why you’re stealing my snacks and pouting in my bed."

Paige pointed a finger at her. "First of all, I’m not pouting." She paused, considering. "Okay, maybe I’m pouting a little, but that’s only because this campus is a wasteland. And second, you’re the only person I can tolerate right now but you’re on thin ice now."

Azzi raised her hands in mock surrender. "Wow, I’m honored. Truly."

Paige flopped onto her back again, groaning dramatically. "You should be. I don’t let just anyone witness my emotional breakdowns."

Azzi chuckled, nudging Paige’s side with her foot. "Okay, so let’s say you find someone who’s a 'challenge.' What happens then? You chase her down, win her over, and then what? Have sex with her once, probably not even kissing her might I add, which is a whole nother conversation and never speak to her again after that?"

Paige turned her head, her brows furrowed slightly, as if the question had struck a nerve. "I don’t know," she admitted quietly. "Maybe it’s not just about the chase. Maybe I want something... different this time. Something that can be exciting."

Azzi’s playful expression softened knowing it was hard for her to admit, and she nudged Paige again, gentler this time. "So why not start acting like it?"

Paige rolled onto her side to face Azzi, propping her head up with one hand. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Azzi shrugged, her tone casual but her eyes steady. "If you want something real, stop playing games. Stop looking for someone to impress and start looking for someone you can just... be yourself with."

Paige stared at her for a moment, her expression unreadable, before a small, almost hesitant smile curved her lips. "You make it sound so simple, when in reality I’m sure it’s hell."

Azzi grinned, grabbing her bag of veggie straws and shaking it. "It is simple. But then again, I’m not the one with commitment issues."

Paige sat up, narrowing her eyes. "Okay, now you’re just being smug."

Azzi laughed, leaning forward. "Me? Smug? Never."

Paige grabbed the pillow next to her and swatted Azzi lightly. "You’re the worst."

Azzi caught the pillow mid-swing, holding it hostage with a smirk. "Yet, here you are, taking over my entire bed, eating my snacks, and yapping my ear off. What does that say about you?"

Paige smirked, leaning back on her elbows. "Says more about you, actually. Like how you clearly have a crush on me. For the second time now is it?"

Azzi froze, blinking in surprise before scoffing. "Oh, please."

Paige grinned, sensing an opportunity. "Oh, please what? Oh, please stop pointing out the obvious? Or oh, please stop reminding you about how you cock-blocked me the other day?"

Azzi groaned, tossing the pillow back at Paige’s face. "That wasn’t because of a crush. That was because the girl just wasn’t up to par, you need to have standards if I’m going to be associated with you Paige.” 

Paige caught the pillow, her eyes lighting up as she sat up straighter. "Up to par, huh? What does that mean? Up to your standards?"

Azzi groaned again, louder this time, leaning back against the headboard. "No. It just means... she was too eh for you."

Paige laughed, clearly enjoying this too much. "Right, because it totally had nothing to do with you being jealous. You’re not fooling anyone, Azzi. Least of all me."

Azzi opened her mouth to retort, but her phone buzzed on the nightstand, saving her from whatever embarrassing thing Paige would say next.

Paige tilted her head, curiosity sparking as Azzi grabbed the phone and glanced at the screen. "Who’s that?"

Azzi shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant as she set the phone back down without answering. "Just someone."

Paige narrowed her eyes. "Someone? Like, someone, someone?"

Azzi smirked but didn’t answer, which only seemed to fuel Paige’s frustration.

"Azzi," Paige pressed, leaning closer. "Are you seeing someone for real this time and not telling me?"

Azzi raised an eyebrow, her expression challenging. "Why? You jealous or something?"

Paige scoffed, leaning back. "Jealous? Please. I’m just... curious. I’m your best friend, you're basically required to tell me."

Azzi let out a low laugh, shaking her head. "Sure you are, Paige. Sure you are."

Paige huffed, crossing her arms. "You know, you can respond, right? Phones work like that. It’s this wild thing called texting back when you’re interested."

Azzi leaned forward slightly, her smirk deepening as her eyes locked on Paige’s. "I’m occupied right now," she said smoothly, her voice laced with amusement, "and besides, I think I prefer what’s in front of me."

Paige froze for a beat, her cheeks heating slightly before she rolled her eyes to cover it up. "You’re crazy," she muttered, but her lips betrayed her with a small smile.

Azzi just grinned, settling back into her spot, clearly pleased with herself.

This little flirty back-and-forth thing had been going on between them for a while now. It was never anything serious—not that either of them would admit, anyway. To them, it was just harmless banter, the kind of playfulness that came naturally when you were best friends. The team had other ideas though because they definitely didn’t do it with anyone else. 

The teasing had started not long after the two began spending nearly every waking moment together. Whether it was during practice, eating food, or late nights where all they did was talk, Paige and Azzi were always in sync. Nika and Caroline, liked to point out how easily their conversations veered into territory that, for most people, might have seemed loaded with meaning. But Paige and Azzi always waved it off. "We’re just best friends," they'd say, as if that explained everything. And to them, it did.

Nothing had ever actually happened between them. No stolen kisses, no lingering touches—nothing that crossed the unspoken line of friendship. They genuinely had a great friendship, the kind that felt effortless, like breathing. Azzi was the one person Paige could always count on to be honest, even when the truth stung. And Paige, for all her fake bravado, was one of the few people who could make Azzi laugh until her stomach hurt and was actually really caring when it came down to it. 

Paige, of course, was oblivious to what was growing in her chest. She’d been so caught up complaining about how boring all the girls on campus were—how none of them were a challenge—that she didn’t stop to think about why they all suddenly felt so dull to her. It wasn’t like her to lose interest this quickly, girls throwing themselves at her had been her routine for some time now, but somehow all of a sudden the one night stands didn’t seem to hold her attention for that long.

There was already one person who did. But Paige, being how she was, hadn't even let this thought cross her brain. 

Azzi challenged her in ways no one else could. She knew exactly how to push Paige’s buttons, when to call her out, and when to let her sulk. She was steady where Paige was impulsive, confident without being cocky. And despite Paige’s insistence that she wasn’t interested in anyone right now, the truth was staring her in the face every time Azzi flashed her that teasing smirk.

���

Later that night, Paige was laying across the couch, lazily flipping through a magazine as Nika scrolled on her phone next to her. The apartment was quiet except for the occasional sound of Nika tapping her screen and the low hum of music playing from a speaker.

Azzi’s door creaked open, and both girls looked up.

Azzi stepped out dressed in a cropped top and some nice sweatpants, her shoes in hand, her hair down, just enough to look effortlessly put-together. There was a touch of makeup on her face—subtle, but just enough to make her stand out. Paige grinned, leaning her head back dramatically as she let out a loud, exaggerated wolf whistle.

“Damn, Az,” Paige teased, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. “Who you getting all sexy for?”

Azzi groaned, shaking her head as she slipped on her shoes. “Shut up, Paige.”

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Paige said, holding her hands up in mock innocence, the smirk never leaving her face.

Azzi ignored her, grabbing her keys and bag off the counter. She was halfway to the door when Paige straightened up on the couch, narrowing her eyes playfully. “So… you gonna tell me who the someone is, or what?”

Azzi paused, looking over her shoulder with a blank expression. “What someone?”

“You know what someone,” Paige shot back, her grin widening.

Azzi shrugged, slinging her bag over her shoulder nonchalantly. Then, she turned fully to face Paige, her lips curling into a smile. “Fine. If you must know…” She leaned against the wall, her eyes locking on Paige’s. “I look this good for you.”

Paige froze, her jaw dropping slightly as her magazine slipped out of her hand.

Azzi chuckled softly at Paige’s stunned expression, giving her a playful wink and blowing a kiss. “Don’t wait up,” she added with a smirk before finishing her walk towards the door. 

As Azzi stepped out, Paige finally gathered her barings enough to cup her hands around her mouth. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Azzi turned just enough to glance back at her, a sly grin on her lips. “That’s not saying much, Paige. There’s not a lot you wouldn’t do.”

Paige burst out laughing, shaking her head as the door clicked shut behind Azzi.

Nika snorted from her spot on the couch, barely glancing up from her phone. “She got you there.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Paige muttered, her grin lingering as she returned to her magazine.

…

Azzi sat across from her date, sipping on the last of her drink while nodding at something she barely heard. It was the same conversation she’d had five times now—with five different girls. They were all perfectly nice, perfectly pretty, and perfectly dull.

This one wasn’t any different and it was now their third date.

It wasn’t her fault, Azzi thought. The girl was trying, rattling off story after story about her classes, her summer internship, and her plans for grad school. Azzi had smiled and asked the right questions, nodded in all the right places, and even managed a genuine laugh here and there. But she was tired. Tired of forcing it, tired of trying to figure out why nothing ever felt... right.

Azzi knew she liked girls—there was no question about that. But lately, dating felt like more of a chore than something she actually wanted to do.

When the bill came, Azzi quickly pulled out her card before her date could protest. “I’ve got it,” she said with a polite smile, brushing off the girl's offer to split it.

Her date beamed at her. “You’re so sweet. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

As they left the restaurant, the girl insisted on walking Azzi back to her suite for some reason. They strolled down the dimly lit campus paths in a silence that teetered on awkward. Azzi’s date seemed to pick up on it and began filling the space with small talk with a long-winded story about her roommate’s cat.

Azzi, hands stuffed in her pockets, nodded and gave polite, one-word answers. She was too tired to fake enthusiasm anymore, but she didn’t want to be rude, either.

“That’s so cool,” Azzi said automatically when the girl paused for breath, her voice void of the energy she usually had.

Her date didn’t seem to notice. “Right? Anyway, I’m so glad we finally got to hang out again. I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a while now.”

“Yeah, same,” Azzi lied, managing a genuine chuckle as she was internally thinking about how she sounded exactly like Paige. 

When they finally reached her building, Azzi let out a quiet sigh of relief. She stopped at the door, turning to the girl with a polite smile. “Well, this is me.”

The girl hesitated, her expression shifting slightly. “Do you want to maybe hang out a little longer? I could come in for a bit.”

Azzi shook her head, keeping her tone light. “I’m really tired. It’s been a long day.”

Her date frowned, stepping closer. “Come on Azzi, we’ve been on like three dates now. Don’t you think it’s time to stop pretending this is something it’s not?”

Azzi blinked, caught off guard. “I’m not pretending anything. I thought we agreed this was casual.”

“Yeah, but you’re not even acting like it’s casual,” the girl countered, her voice growing slightly louder. “We haven’t kissed. We haven’t hooked up. Isn’t that the whole point of casual? Otherwise we’re just wasting time.”

Azzi sighed, crossing her arms. “Casual doesn’t mean I owe you anything. If this isn’t working for you, that’s fine, but—”

“Are you serious right now?” the girl interrupted, throwing up her hands. “You’ve been leading me on, Azzi. You don’t even seem like you want to be here!”

Azzi took a step back. “That’s not fair,” she said evenly, though her tone carried an edge. “I’ve been completely honest with you from the start. If you’re looking for something else, then maybe I’m not—”

“Not fair?” the girl snapped, her voice now loud enough to echo down the quiet hallway. “What’s not fair is me wasting my time on someone who clearly isn’t going to put out or take this seriously! Why even bother if you’re not into this?”

Azzi opened her mouth to respond, but the door behind her suddenly swung open.

Paige leaned against the frame, her presence commanding as she stood just behind Azzi. She wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a pair of sweats and a sports bra, her toned frame illuminated by the light from the suite. Her arms were crossed, her posture relaxed, but the sharpness in her blue eyes betrayed her easy stance. She didn’t spare a glance for the other girl, her attention fixed solely on Azzi.

“Everything okay out here?” Paige asked, her tone light but her words deliberate.

Azzi opened her mouth to answer, but her date beat her to it. “We’re fine, thanks,” the girl said with an edge of annoyance.

Paige’s gaze snapped to her, tilting her head just enough to feel menacing as her voice lowered, kind of dangerously calm. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

The girl faltered under Paige’s icy glare, her confidence visibly wilting. Azzi sighed, running a hand through her hair. “It’s fine, Paige.” Azzi said as she turned slightly to glance at Paige. “Go back inside.”

Paige didn’t budge, her eyes still locked on the girl. Azzi stepped closer, placing a hand on Paige’s shoulder, gently guiding her back toward the suite. “I’ve got it. Just.. go.”

Paige lingered for a moment, her expression softening as she glanced back at Azzi. “You sure?” she asked quietly, her voice losing its edge.

Azzi met her gaze, her lips curving into a small, reassuring smile. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be inside in a second.”

Paige gave her a final look, one of quiet understanding, before stepping back inside and closing the door behind her.

Azzi sighed as she turned back to her date, her polite demeanor firmly in place. “Look, I had fun tonight, but... this is probably the last one.”

The girl’s eyes widened, her mouth opening to protest, but Azzi didn’t give her the chance. She turned on her heel to walk into her suite without another word.

As she reached for the door, it swung open, and a girl stormed out, her expression tight with frustration. Azzi stepped aside just in time to avoid a collision, muttering, “Ever heard of ‘excuse me’?” as the girl huffed past her without a word. Shaking her head, Azzi stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

Paige was laying on the couch, scrolling through her phone with a nonchalant air. Azzi leaned against the door for a moment before addressing her. “You didn’t have to make her leave, you know.”

Paige glanced up briefly before returning her attention to her phone. “She was upset about something. I just told her to take it somewhere else.”

Azzi’s brow lifted as she crossed the room. “She was upset because you probably stopped whatever you were doing to come outside.”

Paige shrugged, still scrolling. “We weren’t getting anywhere and I wasn’t interested anymore. Why let her waste more time?”

Azzi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before her gaze shifted back to Paige. She frowned. “Please while we’re at it, could you please put on a shirt? This isn’t Magic Mike.”

Paige smirked, finally setting her phone aside as her blue eyes locked on Azzi. “It could be. You like what you see?”

Azzi rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “No, actually, I can’t stand it. Or you matter of fact.”

Paige pushed off the couch slightly, leaning forward with a teasing grin. “Funny, because I seem to remember you staring a couple of times.”

Azzi didn’t bother responding, instead heading toward her room, muttering under her breath about Paige’s antics.

Paige followed Azzi into her room, closing the door softly behind her out of habit. She leaned against the frame for a moment, watching as Azzi flopped down on her bed, her arm draped over her face like she was trying to block out the world.

Paige raised an eyebrow and took a few steps closer. “So… what was all that outside about?”

Azzi groaned, sliding her arm off her face just enough to glare at Paige. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Paige wasn’t having it. She crossed the room and flopped onto the bed beside Azzi, mimicking her position with exaggerated drama. “Oh, come on. You can’t not talk about it. You had some girl yelling because you wouldn’t put out for her. Not really something we can just gloss over.”

Azzi let out a loud sigh, sitting up slightly to look at Paige. “It’s not a big deal. I handled it.”

Paige responds her brow furrowing. “Handled it? I had to step in—”

“No,” Azzi interrupted, her tone light as she fixed Paige with a playful look. “You didn’t have to step in. You wanted to. You came outside with no shirt on and that annoying ass smug look on your face. You knew exactly what you were doing.”

Paige paused, caught off guard for a second before a slow grin spread across her face. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

Paige continues, trying to get an answer. “Seriously though, what was all that about?” 

Azzi sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. “Seriously, Paige. Drop it.”

Paige didn’t respond right away. Instead, she propped herself up on one elbow, her eyes narrowing as she watched Azzi’s back. She wasn’t stupid. She knew when Azzi was holding something back.

“Azzi,” Paige said softly, her voice calm but firm. Azzi didn’t turn around.

Paige sighed, pushing herself up to sit all the way up on the bed. “You know this whole thing doesn’t work on me, right? You can ignore me all you want, but I’m not dropping this until you tell me the truth.”

Azzi groaned again, this time burying her face in her hands. “You’re so annoying.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. You tell me everyday,” Paige said with a smirk. “Now spill.”

Azzi muttered something under her breath, her voice muffled by her hands.

“What was that?” Paige asked, leaning closer. “Speak up, can’t hear you.”

Azzi finally dropped her hands and turned halfway toward Paige, her expression a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “I said the girl was upset because we’ve been on, like, three dates, and we haven’t… done anything.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. “Okay, and why haven’t you?”

Azzi shrugged, her shoulders stiff. “Maybe I’m just not into physical stuff. Maybe I’m, like, asexual or something.”

Paige tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. “Azzi.”

Azzi let out a sharp breath, running a hand through her hair. “Why do you even care?”

“Because you’re my best friend, and you’re clearly upset,” Paige said simply. “So stop feeding me bullshit and give me the real answer so I can help you and we can move on with our night.”

Azzi hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shorts. She looked down at the floor, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. “I’ve never… kissed a girl.”

Paige blinked, taken aback, but she quickly masked her surprise. She watched Azzi carefully, her teasing demeanor melting away as the weight of Azzi’s words settled between them.

Azzi glanced up at her, half expecting Paige to laugh or make some sarcastic comment. But Paige just looked at her, her expression soft and understanding. “That’s it?” Paige said gently.

Azzi frowned. “What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? It’s not nothing, Paige. It’s… it’s embarrassing.”

Paige shook her head. “It’s not embarrassing. Everyone has a first. Yours just hasn’t happened yet. Big deal.”

Azzi huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s not just that. I feel like… I don’t know, like there’s this expectation, you know? Like I’m supposed to know what I’m doing, and I don’t. And what if—”

“What if it’s no different than kissing a guy?” Paige cut in, her tone light but her gaze steady.

Azzi gave her a sharp look, her cheeks flushing slightly. “It’s not the same.”

“How do you know? You’ve been with guys before,” Paige said with a shrug. “You’ve told me stories.”

Azzi frowned, her arms tightening over her chest. “I guess,” she muttered, though her tone still carried a hint of frustration. “I just really want to get it over with.” 

Paige watched her, studying the tension in her shoulders and the way her eyes flicked to the floor, like she was trapped in her own head. After a moment of quiet, Paige shifted, her voice soft but deliberate. “What if I did it?”

Azzi blinked, turning to her with a confused expression. “What?”

Paige’s cheeks turned faintly pink, but she held Azzi’s gaze. “What if I was your first girl kiss?”

Azzi stared at her, a laugh bubbling out of her despite herself. “Okay haha, very funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

The smile dropped from Azzi’s face as she realized Paige was serious. “You’re… wait, are you actually serious right now?”

Paige nodded, her voice calm but firm. “Yeah, I’m serious.”

Azzi stared at her like she’d grown another head. “Ew Paige you were just kissing some random girl not two seconds ago!”

Paige’s jaw tensed slightly, and she shook her head. “No I wasn’t.”

Azzi narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Azzi I’m not lying, ” Paige said, her voice steadier now, as if she needed Azzi to believe her. “I didn’t even touch her. Not even a little.”

Azzi scoffed, crossing her arms. “Sure, Paige.”

Paige sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You know I don’t kiss them,” she added, her tone quieter but firm. “It’s too personal or something like that, I don’t know. I just… I don’t. I never do.”

That revelation hung in the air, and Azzi’s brows furrowed as she processed it. She didn’t know what to make of Paige’s offer—or the fact that it wasn’t a joke.

Paige shifted closer, her knee brushing Azzi’s. “Look,” she started, her voice softer now. “If it’s something you’re really worried about, and you just want to get it over with like you said… Why not with me? No pressure, no judgment. Just… me.”

Azzi opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t find the words. The idea of Paige being her first kiss sent her brain into overdrive. Her heart raced at the thought, but it wasn’t panic—it was something else entirely.

Paige waited patiently, her expression unreadable as Azzi’s mind whirled. “You’re really serious about this,” Azzi finally said, her voice quieter now.

“Yeah,” Paige said simply. “I am.”

Azzi didn’t respond right away. Her gaze lingered on Paige, and for the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel the weight of expectations or pressure. Just Paige, sitting there, offering her something that didn’t feel so scary after all.

“I… I need to think,” Azzi finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Take your time,” Paige said, leaning back against the headboard. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The silence in the room became calm as Paige started to casually scroll through her phone. Azzi sat still on the bed, her thoughts clearly churning. Paige didn’t press her, knowing she needed space to process.

After a while, Azzi finally spoke, her voice soft but steady. “Okay.”

Paige glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “Okay?”

Azzi hesitated for a second, then nodded, meeting Paige’s gaze. “I want you to kiss me.”

Paige’s phone slipped from her hand onto the bed. She studied Azzi, making sure she wasn’t joking or saying it out of some sense of obligation. “Are you sure?” she asked, her tone careful and low.

Azzi nodded again, already inching closer, though there was still a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

Paige sat up slowly, closing the space between them. She reached out, her hand grazing Azzi’s cheek with a gentleness that made Azzi’s breath hitch. “Okay,” Paige said softly, her voice low and soothing. “Relax. Just go with what feels natural and I’ll follow your lead.”

Azzi nodded again, her determination going against the nerves she couldn’t quite shake. Paige leaned in, her eyes flicking to Azzi’s lips for a brief moment before meeting her gaze. She moved slowly, giving Azzi all the time in the world to pull back, but Azzi stayed rooted, waiting.

When their lips finally met, the kiss started slow and careful, both of them testing the waters, Paige trying to let Azzi take the lead.

But Azzi surprised Paige by responding more boldly than expected. Her lips parted slightly, almost immediately inviting Paige to deepen the kiss. So Paige did, her experience showing as she tilted her head just enough to press closer, her hand slipping from Azzi’s cheek to her jaw.

Azzi leaned into Paige now, her hands moving tentatively at first before one settled lightly on Paige’s exposed waist, pulling her just a bit closer. The kiss shifted slightly, growing a little heated as the unspoken attraction between them slowly bubbled to the surface. Azzi tilted her head to match Paige’s movements, now kind of lost in the moment. 

A soft sigh escaped Azzi’s lips, unintentional but unmistakable, and Paige felt it against her mouth like a spark. Paige’s thumb brushed gently along her jawline, her other hand resting lightly against Azzi’s side. Azzi’s grip on Paige’s waist tightened slightly, her confidence building as she pressed into the kiss with more intensity.

It wasn’t just a kiss anymore—it was the culmination of curiosity, both of them leaning into attraction that they hadn’t voiced yet. For a moment, nothing else existed but the warmth of their shared breath and the growing urgency in their movements.

But just as the kiss threatened to spill over into something neither of them were ready to confront, Paige pulled back. Her forehead hovered near Azzi’s as they both caught their breath, hearts racing.

Paige broke the silence first, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Well, one thing’s for sure.”

Azzi blinked, still catching her breath. “What?”

“You’re definitely not asexual,” Paige teased, her voice light but laced with humor.

Azzi’s cheeks turned a deep red, and she groaned, shoving Paige’s shoulder. “Shut up.”

Paige just laughed, the tension breaking instantly as she flopped back onto the bed, grinning at Azzi. “I’m just saying. Someone had to confirm it.”

Azzi rolled her eyes, but instead of a sarcastic remark, she quietly said, “Thank you.” Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, like she wasn’t entirely sure she should be saying it.

Paige tried to play it cool, shrugging as if it was no big deal. “What are best friends for?”

Azzi laughed, the sound light but genuine. “Definitely not that,” she said, shaking her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Paige chuckled, glad the tension seemed to be fading. They slipped back into their usual banter, trading playful remarks like nothing had happened as Azzi explained her date. On the surface, it was as though the kiss hadn’t just happened—but Paige’s mind was far from calm.

Later that night, after she’d returned to her own room, Paige lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. The darkness of the room felt heavier than usual, pressing down on her as her thoughts raced uncontrollably, tangling into a mess she couldn’t unravel, no matter how hard she tried. 

She had never felt like this before. Paige had made it a point in her life not to like anyone—she didn’t have the time, the energy, or even the interest. Relationships weren’t her thing. She thrived on control, on focus, and feelings like this didn’t fit into that.

But now, everything is a mess.

The kiss kept replaying in her mind: the way Azzi had looked at her, the hesitant but undeniable way she had leaned in, and the softness of it all before it had sparked into something more. Paige could still feel the warmth of Azzi’s breath, the subtle press of her lips, she could still taste the strawberry lip gloss Azzi had on her lips. 

It wasn’t just a kiss. That was the problem.

She groaned, dragging a hand down her face, frustrated with herself. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way about anyone, let alone her coined best friend she had just met a few months ago. Paige rolled onto her side, pulling the blanket over her head like it could somehow muffle her thoughts. But the darkness only made it worse. It gave her nothing to distract herself from the reality she didn’t want to face.

Her chest tightened as the realization set in. She liked Azzi. Not casually. Not in a “of course she’s attractive” kind of way. She liked her in a way that felt irreversible, like the ground beneath her had shifted and she was about to fall into a hole she could never get out of.

“Fucking hell,” she muttered to herself. She clenched her jaw, her frustration mounting. How did this happen? When did it start? Paige spent her entire life avoiding exactly this—keeping people at arm’s length, refusing to let anyone get close enough to matter romantically. She’d drawn hard line’s in her mind, and no one had ever been allowed to cross it. And yet here she was, lying awake in her bed, completely consumed by the thought of Azzi.

Her chest continued to tighten, the familiar weight of control slipping from her grasp, for the first time since she was a child. For once she didn’t have a plan and didn’t know how to categorize what she felt. This terrified her.

[teamatsumu]

kinktober 2023 -> day 22

knot - miya osamu x reader

word count: 1988

warnings: alpha!osamu and omega!reader, a/b/o dynamics, swearing, knotting, mentions of heat and rut

kinktober masterlist

You knew you would regret this. God, the amount of stupidity that was going into your decision right now would make you hurl later. But right now, you could give less of a shit.

It was with teary eyes and choppy, difficult breaths that you messaged Osamu. SOS. Come over ASAP. Your fingers trembled as you typed, and your vision was a mess, swimming, things going in and out of focus. Once you had sent the message, you dropped your phone somewhere out of sight, flopping back onto the bed, your sheets damp with sweat.

It was Day 6 of your heat, and even though normally things would start calming down by now, you were nowhere close to that. Instead of slowly cleaning up, like you often did during this time, you were still motionless on your bed, breathing hard and heavy, sweaty all over, and core clenching so painfully it made you cry fresh tears every few minutes. You had finally accepted that no amount of warm water bottles or silicone dildos could get you through this. Your body was craving an Alpha’s knot. And your heat was too stubborn to go down without it.

Hence the text to Osamu.

Osamu had been your friend for a few years now, ever since he opened his first ever branch of Onigiri Miya. Your personalities had gelled extremely well, so it was no wonder that you both made room for each other in your lives. Osamu was someone you trusted completely. He was kind, very caring, very perceptive, and very protective. He was the perfect Alpha, and of course, your little Omega heart had fallen head over heels for him. You were convinced however, that he didn’t feel the same for you. Osamu didn’t seem interested in courting at all, with anyone. He had briefly mentioned to you how focused he was on expanding his business, so you were sure he had no desire to be tied down with a mate at the moment. And so, your feelings remained boxed up, grateful to be part of his life in any way, even if it was platonic.

But biology could not be ignored. Even if you had gaslit yourself into believing you were fine being his friend, the Omega in you craved him. Desperately. Ardently. So no wonder you were still here, still in the very depth of your heat, with no signs of it stopping anytime soon. No wonder your Omega had taken over, mind blanking as you texted Osamu to come to you. You had lost to your Omega in your vulnerable condition, and you had beckoned the Alpha to you. Now you lay there, anxious, not knowing what you would do. All you knew was that you wanted him so bad you would do anything to get him.

The banging on your door startled you, and you heard Osamu’s muffled voice call out your name. With the last remnants of your strength, you stumbled out of your room and to the front door, clad in nothing but your tiniest shorts and skimpy crop top. The banging continued, even as your shaky hands unlocked and unchained the door. When you pulled it open, you nearly crumbled.

Your bloodshot eyes met Osamu’s calm, gray ones, his hand held up mid-knock. You saw the exact moment your scent hit him, his face scrunching and entire body stiffening, eyes widening in realization.

“You’re- you… Y/N, you-” His hand shot up to cover his nose, taking a step back. You abruptly shot forward, hand fisting the front of his shirt so he wouldn’t go any farther, tugging so hard that he stumbled towards you. You took advantage of that and pulled him further inside, shutting the door behind him and locking it.

Osamu groaned behind you, and you turned in time to see his eyes wandering over your almost bare body, your clothes leaving nothing to the imagination. His chest heaved, and a faint sheen of sweat was already forming around his hairline.

“Y-ya need to let me leave.” His voice was low, words muffled behind his hand. You almost moaned at the sound.

“Can’t.” You choked out, eyelids fluttering as you took in great big breaths of air, reveling in his wonderful scent, which was heightened by your sensitive nose. You stepped closer to him, knees buckling. He immediately stepped back. You whined in protest.

“Ya don’t want this.” He continued to reason. “Yer in heat. Yer not thinking straight.”

You shook your head furiously. “Always- always wanted you, Alpha.” You breathed. “Wanted you for so long. But you,” your lower lip wobbled. “You didn’t want me.”

Osamu’s eyebrows shot up, eyes widening in shock. He remained frozen in place as you moved closer to him, until you were right before him, standing on your tiptoes to nose at his neck, right on top of his scent gland. You heard him release a shaky exhale, hand dropping from his mouth as he finally breathed in your scent.

“Fuck.” His voice was strained, not protesting or stopping you as you moved forward, body pressing to his. Your tongue lapped over his neck, scenting him with fervor now that he wasn’t stopping you, and the Omega in you purred in satisfaction when your scent started mixing with his. And he was letting you.

“Omega…” His protest was weak, hands already brushing over your bare sides, fingers flexing as if he was holding himself back. So you decided to give him one final push.

“Why do you think my heat won’t go down?” You mumbled into his neck. “My Omega needs you, ‘Samu. Needs your knot. Give it to me, Alpha. Need it so bad.”

That’s all it took.

Osamu bent his head until his lips met yours, hard and rough. You keened into his mouth, one hand reaching up to tangle tightly in his hair while the other fisted his shirt to pull him even closer. Osamu’s hands were running wild over you, your waist, your hips, running down your back until they squeezed your ass. You arched into him, sighing when his fingers brushed over your clothed slit, groaning low.

“Yer soaking.” He whispered, voice low and thick with want. He pushed the crotch of your shorts aside, immediately shoving two long, thick fingers inside you. You cried out at the feeling, clenching desperately around him.

“What’d ya use?” He asked, his other hand gripping so tight at your waist it almost hurt. “Dildo? Vibrator? Tell me. What’d ya stuff this weepin’ cunt of yers with?”

You moaned at how filthy he sounded, at how prominent his accent got when he was turned on. You mumbled your answer into his neck, clinging to him as you ground your hips down on his fingers, trying to prolong the relief his fingers brought. He chuckled.

“Dirty little ‘Mega. Ya want me this bad? Look at ya, yer drippin’ down my whole hand.”

Your knees buckled again, and this time Osamu didn’t stop you. Instead, he lowered himself along with you, until you were sprawled right there, on the floor of your living room, legs spread and welcoming Osamu as he fit snugly there, his tongue running wildly over your entire neck, nosing at your scent gland. His throbbing erection pushed into your thigh, his fingers still working into you at a leisurely pace. You whined.

“Alpha, please.” You choked out, pleading with him through teary eyes. “Please.”

Osamu pulled away from your neck to look down at you, and you noticed how flushed he was. His hair was a mess, face red and eyes wild. His lips were swollen and bruised, and through his open mouth, you could see the faint beginnings of his canines. They were elongating. Your eyes widened.

Was your heat triggering Osamu’s rut?

You didn’t have it in you to think about it further because Osamu was sitting up, undressing quickly and doing the same to you until you were both bare before each other. You moaned at the sight of his cock, hard and throbbing, flushed to an angry maroon shade. The base was already a little swollen and your mouth watered at the sight. Your Omega keened. There it was. His knot. And you needed it inside you now.

Osamu seemed to be on the same page, because moments later he was pushing into you, taking advantage of the copious amounts of slick you were producing to slide straight in, groaning loud when his hips met yours, buried into you to the hilt. Your jaw went slack, immediately feeling your body temperature go down and the pain in your core settle slightly. Your Omega preened and settled, finally getting what it so desperately craved. Your Alpha on top of you, stuffing you full of his cock, the promise of getting his knot soon.

(Of course, he wasn’t your Alpha. You were pointedly ignoring that fact.)

Osamu was quick to set a punishing, fast pace, ramming his cock into your wet hole with all his might. You gasped and shook under him, eyes rolling up in your head at the feeling. It felt divine, after days and days of wanting exactly this, finally having it felt like an out of body experience. Your cunt was fluttering in delight, so happy to get what you wanted, and you felt your whole body sing at the feeling. You watched as Osamu smirked a little, smelling the shift in your scent.

“Feel good?” The question was rhetorical. How you were feeling was written all over your face, evident in the way your scent sweetened. Yet you still furiously nodded.

“So good, Alpha.” You whined, arching up off the floor, your breasts bouncing with each harsh thrust. “Fuck. Wanted this so bad. Wanted your cock in me for so long. God, need your knot. Please. Please.”

Osamu groaned, broken and shaky, cursing under his breath as he lifted your legs up to your chest, pressing down until you were folded into a mating press, his pace becoming even more rough and sloppy. You cried out at the feeling, eyes widening at how suddenly his demeanor had changed. You eyed Osamu curiously through your wet eyes, watched the gold specks appear in his eyes, watched his canines elongate until they were reaching below his bottom lip.

Osamu had just started his rut.

Your back arched up as your orgasm hit you full force, legs kicking and flailing as much as they could in Osamu’s bruising grip, feeling wave after wave of electricity zip through you. Osamu’s cock was swelling rapidly at the base, indicating how close he was to finishing too, the size of it catching on your abused hole with every thrust until he was moaning loud, pressing forward with force to make sure he could bully the knot into you. You cried out at the stretch, gasping when Osamu stilled and his cum started pouring into your cunt. He twitched and shook above you, riding out his orgasm as you ran a hand over his back, coaxing him through it.

All was silent except your heaving breaths. Osamu slowly lowered your legs until they were wrapped around his waist, knot still snug inside you. You sighed and wrapped your arms over his broad shoulders, eyelids fluttering shut. He carefully nosed at your neck.

“Feel better?” He asked, voice hoarse. You hummed and nodded in reply.

“What about you? I think I triggered your rut.” You looked down at him sheepishly, eyeing the sharp canines now prominent against his lips, and Osamu sighed, mouth twitching up into a smile.

“Ya did.” He relaxed into you even more, cock shifting inside you slightly. “Can’t say I’m mad about that. It was totally worth it.”

You giggled, leaning your cheek against Osamu’s hair as you both waited for his knot to go down.

“For what it’s worth, Y/N, I’ve always wanted ya too.”

Taglist:

@bxbyyyjocelyn @thisbicc @lazuliquartz @dreamayy @kuroosluthoe @true-form-hoe @akumakitsune21 @cham0mil3-and-h0n3y @samisfunky @universal-s1ut @msbyomimi @dohwaesu @leothesquishy @n0tmykays @tsukiran @reyofsunshinelol @bleach-your-panties @galaneiaeris @leyra-giovanni @erenspersonalwh0re @peachesncats @soapsoftheworld @iwannabecamiloshovel l @vintagevict0ria @smithieandy @moonlit-mizukage @snazzyturtles @argwein

A/N: For those whose tags arent working, im sorry! I tried and for some reason, your names wont show up in the mentions :( another way of being notified is to turn on my blog notifs for @teamatsumufics . I only reblog my fics there so it serves almost like being in a taglist!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cleantech has an enshittification problem

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

EVs won't save the planet. Ultimately, the material bill for billions of individual vehicles and the unavoidable geometry of more cars-more traffic-more roads-greater distances-more cars dictate that the future of our cities and planet requires public transit – lots of it.

But no matter how much public transit we install, there's always going to be some personal vehicles on the road, and not just bikes, ebikes and scooters. Between deliveries, accessibility, and stubbornly low-density regions, there's going to be a lot of cars, vans and trucks on the road for the foreseeable future, and these should be electric.

Beyond that irreducible minimum of personal vehicles, there's the fact that individuals can't install their own public transit system; in places that lack the political will or means to create working transit, EVs are a way for people to significantly reduce their personal emissions.

In policy circles, EV adoption is treated as a logistical and financial issue, so governments have focused on making EVs affordable and increasing the density of charging stations. As an EV owner, I can affirm that affordability and logistics were important concerns when we were shopping for a car.

But there's a third EV problem that is almost entirely off policy radar: enshittification.

An EV is a rolling computer in a fancy case with a squishy person inside of it. While this can sound scary, there are lots of cool implications for this. For example, your EV could download your local power company's tariff schedule and preferentially charge itself when the rates are lowest; they could also coordinate with the utility to reduce charging when loads are peaking. You can start them with your phone. Your repair technician can run extensive remote diagnostics on them and help you solve many problems from the road. New features can be delivered over the air.

That's just for starters, but there's so much more in the future. After all, the signal virtue of a digital computer is its flexibility. The only computer we know how to make is the Turing complete, universal, Von Neumann machine, which can run every valid program. If a feature is computationally tractable – from automated parallel parking to advanced collision prevention – it can run on a car.

The problem is that this digital flexibility presents a moral hazard to EV manufacturers. EVs are designed to make any kind of unauthorized, owner-selected modification into an IP rights violation ("IP" in this case is "any law that lets me control the conduct of my customers or competitors"):

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

EVs are also designed so that the manufacturer can unilaterally exert control over them or alter their operation. EVs – even more than conventional vehicles – are designed to be remotely killswitched in order to help manufacturers and dealers pressure people into paying their car notes on time:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

Manufacturers can reach into your car and change how much of your battery you can access:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

They can lock your car and have it send its location to a repo man, then greet him by blinking its lights, honking its horn, and pulling out of its parking space:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

And of course, they can detect when you've asked independent mechanic to service your car and then punish you by degrading its functionality:

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2024/06/26/two-of-eight-claims-in-tesla-anti-trust-lawsuit-will-move-forward/

This is "twiddling" – unilaterally and irreversibly altering the functionality of a product or service, secure in the knowledge that IP law will prevent anyone from twiddling back by restoring the gadget to a preferred configuration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The thing is, for an EV, twiddling is the best case scenario. As bad as it is for the company that made your EV to change how it works whenever they feel like picking your pocket, that's infinitely preferable to the manufacturer going bankrupt and bricking your car.

That's what just happened to owners of Fisker EVs, cars that cost $40-70k. Cars are long-term purchases. An EV should last 12-20 years, or even longer if you pay to swap the battery pack. Fisker was founded in 2016 and shipped its first Ocean SUV in 2023. The company is now bankrupt:

https://insideevs.com/news/723669/fisker-inc-bankruptcy-chapter-11-official/

Fisker called its vehicles "software-based cars" and they weren't kidding. Without continuous software updates and server access, those Fisker Ocean SUVs are turning into bricks. What's more, the company designed the car from the ground up to make any kind of independent service and support into a felony, by wrapping the whole thing in overlapping layers of IP. That means that no one can step in with a module that jailbreaks the Fisker and drops in an alternative firmware that will keep the fleet rolling.

This is the third EV risk – not just finance, not just charger infrastructure, but the possibility that any whizzy, cool new EV company will go bust and brick your $70k cleantech investment, irreversibly transforming your car into 5,500 lb worth of e-waste.

This confers a huge advantage onto the big automakers like VW, Kia, Ford, etc. Tesla gets a pass, too, because it achieved critical mass before people started to wise up to the risk of twiddling and bricking. If you're making a serious investment in a product you expect to use for 20 years, are you really gonna buy it from a two-year old startup with six months' capital in the bank?

The incumbency advantage here means that the big automakers won't have any reason to sink a lot of money into R&D, because they won't have to worry about hungry startups with cool new ideas eating their lunches. They can maintain the cozy cartel that has seen cars stagnate for decades, with the majority of "innovation" taking the form of shitty, extractive and ill-starred ideas like touchscreen controls and an accelerator pedal that you have to rent by the month:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/23/23474969/mercedes-car-subscription-faster-acceleration-feature-price

Put that way, it's clear that this isn't an EV problem, it's a cleantech problem. Cleantech has all the problems of EVs: it requires a large capital expenditure, it will be "smart," and it is expected to last for decades. That's rooftop solar, heat-pumps, smart thermostat sensor arrays, and home storage batteries.

And just as with EVs, policymakers have focused on infrastructure and affordability without paying any attention to the enshittification risks. Your rooftop solar will likely be controlled via a Solaredge box – a terrible technology that stops working if it can't reach the internet for a protracted period (that's right, your home solar stops working if the grid fails!).

I found this out the hard way during the covid lockdowns, when Solaredge terminated its 3G cellular contract and notified me that I would have to replace the modem in my system or it would stop working. This was at the height of the supply-chain crisis and there was a long waiting list for any replacement modems, with wifi cards (that used your home internet rather than a cellular connection) completely sold out for most of a year.

There are good reasons to connect rooftop solar arrays to the internet – it's not just so that Solaredge can enshittify my service. Solar arrays that coordinate with the grid can make it much easier and safer to manage a grid that was designed for centralized power production and is being retrofitted for distributed generation, one roof at a time.

But when the imperatives of extraction and efficiency go to war, extraction always wins. After all, the Solaredge system is already in place and solar installers are largely ignorant of, and indifferent to, the reasons that a homeowner might want to directly control and monitor their system via local controls that don't roundtrip through the cloud.

Somewhere in the hindbrain of any prospective solar purchaser is the experience with bricked and enshittified "smart" gadgets, and the knowledge that anything they buy from a cool startup with lots of great ideas for improving production, monitoring, and/or costs poses the risk of having your 20 year investment bricked after just a few years – and, thanks to the extractive imperative, no one will be able to step in and restore your ex-solar array to good working order.

I make the majority of my living from books, which means that my pay is very "lumpy" – I get large sums when I publish a book and very little in between. For many years, I've used these payments to make big purchases, rather than financing them over long periods where I can't predict my income. We've used my book payments to put in solar, then an induction stove, then a battery. We used one to buy out the lease on our EV. And just a month ago, we used the money from my upcoming Enshittification book to put in a heat pump (with enough left over to pay for a pair of long-overdue cataract surgeries, scheduled for the fall).

When we started shopping for heat pumps, it was clear that this was a very exciting sector. First of all, heat pumps are kind of magic, so efficient and effective it's almost surreal. But beyond the basic tech – which has been around since the late 1940s – there is a vast ferment of cool digital features coming from exciting and innovative startups.

By nature, I'm the kid of person who likes these digital features. I started out as a computer programmer, and while I haven't written production code since the previous millennium, I've been in and around the tech industry for my whole adult life. But when it came time to buy a heat-pump – an investment that I expected to last for 20 years or more – there was no way I was going to buy one of these cool new digitally enhanced pumps, no matter how much the reviewers loved them. Sure, they'd work well, but it's precisely because I'm so knowledgeable about high tech that I could see that they would fail very, very badly.

You may think EVs are bullshit, and they are – though there will always be room for some personal vehicles, and it's better for people in transit deserts to drive EVs than gas-guzzlers. You may think rooftop solar is a dead-end and be all-in on utility scale solar (I think we need both, especially given the grid-disrupting extreme climate events on our horizon). But there's still a wide range of cleantech – induction tops, heat pumps, smart thermostats – that are capital intensive, have a long duty cycle, and have good reasons to be digitized and networked.

Take home storage batteries: your utility can push its rate card to your battery every time they change their prices, and your battery can use that information to decide when to let your house tap into the grid, and when to switch over to powering your home with the solar you've stored up during the day. This is a very old and proven pattern in tech: the old Fidonet BBS network used a version of this, with each BBS timing its calls to other nodes to coincide with the cheapest long-distance rates, so that messages for distant systems could be passed on:

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

Cleantech is a very dynamic sector, even if its triumphs are largely unheralded. There's a quiet revolution underway in generation, storage and transmission of renewable power, and a complimentary revolution in power-consumption in vehicles and homes:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/12/s-curve/#anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-eventually-stops

But cleantech is too important to leave to the incumbents, who are addicted to enshittification and planned obsolescence. These giant, financialized firms lack the discipline and culture to make products that have the features – and cost savings – to make them appealing to the very wide range of buyers who must transition as soon as possible, for the sake of the very planet.

It's not enough for our policymakers to focus on financing and infrastructure barriers to cleantech adoption. We also need a policy-level response to enshittification.

Ideally, every cleantech device would be designed so that it was impossible to enshittify – which would also make it impossible to brick:

Based on free software (best), or with source code escrowed with a trustee who must release the code if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

All patents in a royalty-free patent-pool (best); or in a trust that will release them into a royalty-free pool if the company enters administration (distant second-best);

No parts-pairing or other DRM permitted (best); or with parts-pairing utilities available to all parties on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best);

All diagnostic and error codes in the public domain, with all codes in the clear within the device (best); or with decoding utilities available on demand to all comers on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis (distant second-best).

There's an obvious business objection to this: it will reduce investment in innovative cleantech because investors will perceive these restrictions as limits on the expected profits of their portfolio companies. It's true: these measures are designed to prevent rent-extraction and other enshittificatory practices by cleantech companies, and to the extent that investors are counting on enshittification rents, this might prevent them from investing.

But that has to be balanced against the way that a general prohibition on enshittificatory practices will inspire consumer confidence in innovative and novel cleantech products, because buyers will know that their investments will be protected over the whole expected lifespan of the product, even if the startup goes bust (nearly every startup goes bust). These measures mean that a company with a cool product will have a much larger customer-base to sell to. Those additional sales more than offset the loss of expected revenue from cheating and screwing your customers by twiddling them to death.

There's also an obvious legal objection to this: creating these policies will require a huge amount of action from Congress and the executive branch, a whole whack of new rules and laws to make them happen, and each will attract court-challenges.

That's also true, though it shouldn't stop us from trying to get legal reforms. As a matter of public policy, it's terrible and fucked up that companies can enshittify the things we buy and leave us with no remedy.

However, we don't have to wait for legal reform to make this work. We can take a shortcut with procurement – the things governments buy with public money. The feds, the states and localities buy a lot of cleantech: for public facilities, for public housing, for public use. Prudent public policy dictates that governments should refuse to buy any tech unless it is designed to be enshittification-resistant.

This is an old and honorable tradition in policymaking. Lincoln insisted that the rifles he bought for the Union Army come with interoperable tooling and ammo, for obvious reasons. No one wants to be the Commander in Chief who shows up on the battlefield and says, "Sorry, boys, war's postponed, our sole supplier decided to stop making ammunition."

By creating a market for enshittification-proof cleantech, governments can ensure that the public always has the option of buying an EV that can't be bricked even if the maker goes bust, a heat-pump whose digital features can be replaced or maintained by a third party of your choosing, a solar controller that coordinates with the grid in ways that serve their owners – not the manufacturers' shareholders.

We're going to have to change a lot to survive the coming years. Sure, there's a lot of scary ways that things can go wrong, but there's plenty about our world that should change, and plenty of ways those changes could be for the better. It's not enough for policymakers to focus on ensuring that we can afford to buy whatever badly thought-through, extractive tech the biggest companies want to foist on us – we also need a focus on making cleantech fit for purpose, truly smart, reliable and resilient.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/26/unplanned-obsolescence/#better-micetraps

Image: 臺灣古寫真上色 (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raid_on_Kagi_City_1945.jpg

Grendelkhan (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_mounted_solar_panels.gk.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en