#let Reg be a top 2024

[yourgalgremlin]

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Fintech bullies stole your kid’s lunch money

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Three companies control the market for school lunch payments. They take as much as 60 cents out of every dollar poor kids' parents put into the system to the tune of $100m/year. They're literally stealing poor kids' lunch money.

In its latest report, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau describes this scam in eye-watering, blood-boiling detail:

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_costs-of-electronic-payment-in-k-12-schools-issue-spotlight_2024-07.pdf

The report samples 16.7m K-12 students in 25k schools. It finds that schools are racing to go cashless, with 87% contracting with payment processors to handle cafeteria transactions. Three processors dominate the sector: Myschoolbucks, Schoolcafé, and Linq Connect.

These aren't credit card processors (most students don't have credit cards). Instead, they let kids set up an account, like a prison commissary account, that their families load up with cash. And, as with prison commissary accounts, every time a loved one adds cash to the account, the processor takes a giant whack out of them with junk fees:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/14/minnesota-nice/#shitty-technology-adoption-curve

If you're the parent of a kid who is eligible for a reduced-price lunch (that is, if you are poor), then about 60% of the money you put into your kid's account is gobbled up by these payment processors in service charges.

It's expensive to be poor, and this is no exception. If your kid doesn't qualify for the lunch subsidy, you're only paying about 8% in service charges (which is still triple the rate charged by credit card companies for payment processing).

The disparity is down to how these charges are calculated. The payment processors charge a flat fee for every top-up, and poor families can't afford to minimize these fees by making a single payment at the start of the year or semester. Instead, they pay small sums every payday, meaning they pay the fee twice per month (or even more frequently).

Not only is the sector concentrated into three companies, neither school districts nor parents have any meaningful way to shop around. For school districts, payment processing is usually bundled in with other school services, like student data management and HR data handling. For parents, there's no way to choose a different payment processor – you have to go with the one the school district has chosen.

This is all illegal. The USDA – which provides and regulates – the reduced cost lunch program, bans schools from charging fees to receive its meals. Under USDA regs, schools must allow kids to pay cash, or to top up their accounts with cash at the school, without any fees. The USDA has repeatedly (2014, 2017) published these rules.

Despite this, many schools refuse to handle cash, citing safety and security, and even when schools do accept cash or checks, they often fail to advertise this fact.

The USDA also requires schools to publish the fees charged by processors, but most of the districts in the study violate this requirement. Where schools do publish fees, we see a per-transaction charge of up to $3.25 for an ACH transfer that costs $0.26-0.50, or 4.58% for a debit/credit-card transaction that costs 1.5%. On top of this, many payment processors charge a one-time fee to enroll a student in the program and "convenience fees" to transfer funds between siblings' accounts. They also set maximum fees that make it hard to avoid paying multiple charges through the year.

These are classic junk fees. As Matt Stoller puts it: "'Convenience fees' that aren't convenient and 'service fees' without any service." Another way in which these fit the definition of junk fees: they are calculated at the end of the transaction, and not advertised up front.

Like all junk fee companies, school payment processors make it extremely hard to cancel an automatic recurring payment, and have innumerable hurdles to getting a refund, which takes an age to arrive.

Now, there are many agencies that could have compiled this report (the USDA, for one), and it could just as easily have come from an academic or a journalist. But it didn't – it came from the CFPB, and that matters, because the CFPB has the means, motive and opportunity to do something about this.

The CFPB has emerged as a powerhouse of a regulator, doing things that materially and profoundly benefit average Americans. During the lockdowns, they were the ones who took on scumbag landlords who violated the ban on evictions:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cfpb

They went after "Earned Wage Access" programs where your boss colludes with payday lenders to trap you in debt at 300% APR:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

They are forcing the banks to let you move your account (along with all your payment history, stored payees, automatic payments, etc) with one click – and they're standing up a site that will analyze your account data and tell you which bank will give you the best deal:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

They're going after "buy now, pay later" companies that flout borrower protection rules, making a rogues' gallery of repeat corporate criminals, banning fine-print gotcha clauses, and they're doing it all in the wake of a 7-2 Supreme Court decision that affirmed their power to do so:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

The CFPB can – and will – do something to protect America's poorest parents from having $100m of their kids' lunch money stolen by three giant fintech companies. But whether they'll continue to do so under a Kamala Harris administration is an open question. While Harris has repeatedly talked up the ways that Biden's CFPB, the DOJ Antitrust Division, and FTC have gone after corporate abuses, some of her largest donors are demanding that her administration fire the heads of these agencies and crush their agenda:

https://prospect.org/power/2024-07-26-corporate-wishcasting-attack-lina-khan/

Tens of millions of dollars have been donated to Harris' campaign and PACs that support her by billionaires like Reid Hoffman, who says that FTC Chair Lina Khan is "waging war on American business":

https://prospect.org/power/2024-07-26-corporate-wishcasting-attack-lina-khan/

Some of the richest Democrat donors told the Financial Times that their donations were contingent on Harris firing Khan and that they'd been assured this would happen:

https://archive.is/k7tUY

This would be a disaster – for America, and for Harris's election prospects – and one hopes that Harris and her advisors know it. Writing in his "How Things Work" newsletter today, Hamilton Nolan makes the case that labor unions should publicly declare that they support the FTC, the CFPB and the DOJ's antitrust efforts:

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/unions-and-antitrust-are-peanut-butter

Don’t want huge companies and their idiot billionaire bosses to run the world? Break them up, and unionize them. It’s the best program we have.

Perhaps you've heard that antitrust is anti-worker. It's true that antitrust law has been used to attack labor organizing, but that has always been in spite of the letter of the law. Indeed, the legislative history of US antitrust law is Congress repeatedly passing law after law explaining that antitrust "aims at dollars, not men":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

The Democrats need to be more than The Party of Not Trump. To succeed – as a party and as a force for a future for Americans – they have to be the party that defends us – workers, parents, kids and retirees alike – from corporate predation.

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/2024/07/26/taanstafl/#stay-hungry

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[wreckedandpolemic]

bunny ears and devil horns - matty healy

(mdni) in which your halloween costume gets your boyfriend so riled up that he needs to remind you who you belong to. part of the white and gold universe and promptober75 2024. 2717 words.

You fix the devil horns on the top of your head, watching your reflection to centre them. The girl in the mirror smirks back at you, lips painted a shade of red that matches your lingerie. It’s scarcely more than scraps of lace, accentuating your figure with straps that criss-cross over your body. A garter holds up your sheer stockings, feet tucked into red-bottom stilettos.

Squeezing into the red vinyl minidress that completes your “costume” is more of a task than you’d expected, but the effect is perfect. You text Matty a picture of your outfit and what’s underneath, captioned happy halloween, daddy ;) do you like the dress better on or off? Matty’s response is immediate, flashing up his contact before you’ve even put your phone down. You let it ring for a moment, make him sweat a little before you pick up with an innocent little, “Hello?”

“Jesus fucking Christ, princess. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

You giggle. “You know, this is why I call you an old man. You’re an old man with a weak heart, Matthew, and I’m going to inherit all your money when you die.”

“Behave yourself,” Matty teases. “You look gorgeous, princess. Have fun, be safe, don’t talk to any boys.” His grin is audible, and you groan.

“But what if they’re gonna give me free drinks?” you pout, half-jokingly wheedling.

“Especially not then,” Matty answers. “Should just let me drive up there instead. I can buy you much better booze than some grease-faced twenty-year-old boy, and I’m definitely better company.”

You laugh at how serious he sounds, his jealousy creeping in at the edges of his tone. “Oh, you wanna be the only man I’m using for his money, right? But it’s so fun, and they make it so easy.”

Matty practically growls, a low, frustrated noise filling your ear. “Will you behave? Such a slut, aren’t you, princess? Been too long since I’ve made you mine, huh?”

“You know I’m yours. Makes it more fun, letting them buy me drinks and think I’m gonna let them get anywhere before I tell them I have a real man waiting for me at home.”

He laughs, low and rich and sweet. “Music to my ears, princess. Have fun tonight, yeah? Call me when you’re home.”

“You sure? It’s gonna be past your bedtime.” Matty only scoffs, adding a soft I love you that makes you pout and long for him. “I love you too.”

You drink and dance your way through the evening, barely paying for anything and always slipping teasingly out of your suitors’ grasp. And it’s fun, it is, your head spinning joyfully as your friends pull you into the circle, but you miss Matty achingly, painfully conscious of the distance between you, how long it’ll be before you get to see him, have him, again.

Sure, it’s a little codependent, but you’ve never been so in love. A year ago, this would’ve been your ideal night, drunk and dancing and flirting to your heart’s content; now, though, all you want is to curl up in bed with your boyfriend and a vintage red. A little melancholy, you duck out early, barely making it to midnight and hoping you’ll still catch Matty once you’re home.

There’s an extra car in your driveway, but it’s too dark to make out the model or reg number, so you shrug and fumble with your keys to let yourself in. Coming face-to-face with Matty helping himself to coffee in your kitchen shocks you almost into sobriety, your knees practically buckling as you throw yourself into his arms. You press hungry, needy kisses over his face in a way that’s definitely indecent for your shared living space. “Hi, princess,” Matty grins.

“What are you doing here?” you laugh disbelievingly.

“Wanted to be waitin’ at home for you,” he smirks. “Make sure you remember what your real man feels like.”

You tilt your head knowingly. “You’re jealous,” you giggle. “Saw how hot I looked tonight and got mad that a bunch of silly boys were the only ones enjoying it, right?”

“Just wanna make sure everyone knows who you belong to, yeah?” You smirk, taking his hand and pulling him along to your bedroom. Matty slams you against the door as soon as it’s closed, kissing and licking and biting at your neck with abandon.

“Don’t I look pretty, Daddy?” you sigh, tilting your head to give him better access. “I want you to tell me how pretty I am, tell me everything you want to do to me,” you breathe, threading a hand into Matty’s curls and lifting his head. His eyes are black with lust when they meet yours, his lips swollen and spit-slick.

Groaning, he drops his hands to grab your ass, his gaze weighted and heavy. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, princess. So pretty for me, and only for me, yeah?” You nod feverishly. “Had to get off as soon as you hung up the phone, angel. God, this fucking dress. Couldn’t stop thinking about how gorgeous you’d look dancing, about bringing you home and getting on my knees, gettin’ you undressed and fucking you in just your belt and stockings.”

You moan, grinding against the bulge in his trousers; heat floods your body and drips into your panties, hunger gnawing between your thighs. “The shoes, too?” you tease, hooking one leg around him to press a stiletto heel against the back of his thigh.

“Shit, if you want,” Matty answers, lifting you off your feet and laying you on the bed. “So fucking beautiful,” he murmurs, half to himself. “D’you mind if I take a picture, princess? I just— y’so pretty, so perfect.”

Eagerly, you nod. “You’re so sweet, so good to me. Make me so happy,” you beam. “Y’gotta fuck me like a whore, though, okay? Maybe I was a bad girl tonight, drinking and flirting with boys to make them think they had a chance,” you say, a teasing pout playing on your lips. You toss your head wildly, posing provocatively for Matty’s camera.

“Such a dirty little girl,” he smirks. “You wanna get punished? Get that pathetic excuse for a dress off for me, okay, princess?” He’s still standing at the foot of your bed, camera poised, when you reach up at him.

“Can’t take it off on my own,” you say, biting your lip and rolling over. “S’too tight. I’m stuck,” you add, deliberately playing up the porn dialogue and arching your back. You moan happily when he straddles the backs of your thighs, his fingers warm as they find your zipper and tug gently.

Torturously slow, Matty unzips you, like you’re a gift wrapped up all for him. A stuttering gasp leaves his lips as he pulls the dress off you, grabbing your ass and kneading like he can’t resist. He spanks you harshly, and you arch greedily up into his touch. “This fucking ass drives me crazy, princess. You want me to fuck you there later?”

Your cunt throbs with need. “Please,” you moan into the sheets. “S’all yours, Daddy. Do whatever you want with me. But make me hurt first, okay? You gotta teach your little slut a lesson,” you add, smirking over your shoulder at him as his eyes go black with lust.

“So fuckin’ needy,” he scoffs, smacking the inside of your thigh. Sweet pleasure-pain arcs under your skin, hot and dizzying. “You want everyone to know who you belong to, hm? Gonna make you scream loud enough for the entire city to hear,” he smirks. Without even waiting for the instruction, you shift into your favourite position for him; face down, ass up and ready for whatever he wants to give. You knead a lace-clad breast in one hand, pinching and rolling your nipple through the thin fabric. “Jesus, y’fucking soaked through, princess,” Matty mutters, pulling your panties to the side and spitting on your dripping cunt.

You moan helplessly against your pillow, writhing greedily as you feel his spit dripping down your skin. “Daddy, please,” you beg. “M’so needy, so wet for you, I can’t wait any longer.” You gasp, entire body jolting as Matty leans down, licks a broad stripe over your cunt, kisses your clit.

“You can’t wait?” Matty says, mocking tone sending the need hammering in your veins into a fever pitch. “Greedy girl wants to get filled up and punished?” You moan out an affirmative, feeling his weight shift as he leans over to your bedside drawer and pulls out a toy. You hear him uncap a bottle of lube and slick up the toy, cunt clenching when he presses it gently against your hole. “You ready?”

“Please, Daddy. Please stop teasing. I can’t— fuckkk,” you cry, the suddenness of Matty slamming the toy into you sending liquid heat spiralling through your body. “Shit, yes,” you moan, breaking into a keening wail when he switches the toy on, the rabbit sending pulses of pleasure so intense at your clit that it nearly hurts.

“There you go, darling. All ready now, huh?” Without waiting for an answer, Matty brings his hand down to smack your ass hard. Every slap jolts the vibrator against your swollen clit, garbled whines falling pathetically from your lips. Your ass is flaming red and stinging as Matty brings his hand down again, pleasure coiling tight at the base of your spine. “Look so gorgeous all bruised up for me, princess. You’re matchin’ that pretty lace.” Your hips shift, at once desperately chasing pleasure and retreating from overstimulation.

Arching your back, you grind down against the vibrator, already melting into a slick puddle of need. “Daddy,” you whine, without even knowing what you’re pleading for. Pleasure winds itself tight through your body, your muscles tense and your head spinning.

Matty strokes the curve of your ass gently, smacks you hard, and you gasp, a high whine falling from your lips as the vibrator presses insistently against your clit. “Oh, sweet girl,” he sighs. “You gonna cum?” he coos, one hand sliding around to your front and gently cradling you. You nod helplessly, garbled whines falling from your lips. “Oh, baby. Go on, princess. Cum for me. You look so pretty when you cum, darling.”

One more hard slap to your inner thigh has you screaming, pitching headfirst into pure ecstasy. “Ohmygod, Daddy, yes!” you cry, face buried in the pillow as tears brim in your eyes. Pleasure clenches vice-tight around your organs, bordering on pain in your cunt where the vibrator still hammers against your sensitive nerves. Arousal drips down your legs, incoherent moans falling from your lips and heat licking in your belly.

Your cunt clenches as Matty pulls the toy free and you whine. “God, you’re so pretty,” he murmurs, leaning down to kiss your swollen clit. “You ready for Daddy to take what he needs, princess?”

You giggle breathlessly. “What do you need, Daddy?”

“Need to fuck this slutty little pussy, darling. Need to hear those pretty noises you make, fill you up, make sure you remember whose girl you are, alright?” Matty says, almost a moan.

“Please,” you breathe out, and the word’s barely left your lips before he’s inside you, your soaked cunt taking him greedily. Desire pulses heady between your legs, your back arching as you try desperately to fuck yourself back on him.

Matty’s nails dig into your hips, pain flaring where his body meets the sore flesh of your ass. “God, you feel so good, princess. Missed this sweet cunt so bad. Gonna fuck you ‘til you can’t remember your own name, beautiful,” he promises, slamming his hips hard against yours.

Whimpering softly, your eyes slip shut as Matty’s fingers trail slickly over your wet clit. “Wish we could just fucking stay like this forever,” you groan, dazed and swimming in pleasure with Matty buried to the hilt inside you. You can feel him nearly trembling with the effort of holding still. “Give it to me, Daddy,” you plead. “I need it. Need it so hard I can’t walk tomorrow.”

“Such a little cockslut, princess. Want Daddy to fuck you dumb, right?” You nod frantically, whining out affirmatives as he traces his thumb over your hip. “S’it okay if I turn you over, darling? Wanna kiss my sweet girl while I make her stupid for me.”

Even though you agree, a whine slips out of you when he pulls out, just for a second, to flip you over. He smiles softly down at you, adoring, brushes a stray piece of hair off your face. Pouting, you arch up towards Matty until he gives you what you want; a slow, deep kiss as he fills you exactly the same way. Ecstasy floods your body, Matty’s hips slamming hard against yours as he drips moans into your mouth. “That’s my good little girl,” he murmurs, kissing your neck. “Just gotta lay back and take it, okay, princess? Daddy’s gonna take good care of you.”

“So good to me,” you groan, locking your legs around his waist and pressing your heel into his back. Matty’s pained little moan falls straight to your cunt, pulses in your ears, slick, sweet noises filling the room. “Mmh, Daddy,” you whine, high and needy as he fucks into you.

Matty groans into your neck, sucks a bruise into soft skin. “My sweet girl,” he sighs, covering his mouth with yours. “Always so good for me, even when you’re a little slut,” he teases, circling your clit as you thrash under him.

Wild, erratic pleasure spills under your skin, your body precariously close to its end. “M’your little slut,” you moan, threading a hand through Matty’s curls and pulling him in for a kiss. “M’so close, Daddy, please!”

Smiling against your lips, Matty pinches your clit softly. “D’you deserve it, princess?” he asks, low and slightly dangerous. You bite your lip. “Nah, I didn’t think so either. Luckily for you, I’m feelin’ generous, angel. I’ll let you cum…” You bate your breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “If you beg for it,” he adds with a smirk.

“Please, Daddy,” you gasp. “Please let me cum, I need it. Need you, want you all the time, please,” you practically scream, dissolving into incoherent, wanton pleas as Matty fucks into you over and over.

Your pulse hammers between your thighs, cunt clenching desperately around him. “Go on, princess. Cum for Daddy. Soak my cock, yeah?”

He tweaks your nipple, kisses your pulse point, slams hard into you, and you break. Your body collapses in on itself, pleasure crumbling your muscles one by one as you moan out the only word you know; Daddy. Pure ecstasy wipes your mind clean, melts into a hot puddle between your legs, Matty’s body warm and grounding against yours.

You smile blithely up at him, scrunching your face when he pulls out. “Wanna paint these pretty tits, angel. You gonna let me?” Eagerly, you nod, arching your back to press your tits up towards him. Your eyes fall to his cock, slick with your arousal and drooling precum as he strokes himself. The column of Matty’s neck stretches beautifully as he throws his head back in pleasure, moaning sweetly. He chokes out your name as he comes, cum splashing across your tits.

“You wanna get one more picture?” you grin, and Matty nods with wide eyes, fumbling for his phone and breathing hard as he photographs you. You start to draw patterns in the mess across your chest, sucking your fingers into your mouth and cleaning his cum off them.

“Such a little cumslut, princess. Love how filthy you are,” Matty murmurs, leaning down to kiss you and moaning quietly at his own taste. There’s a subtle, almost imperceptible shift in his demeanour, then, and you catch the moment with both hands.

Smirking a little, you reach up to tug on his hair. “I saw that, Daddy. It’s okay, you got what you needed, can just be my good boy now. I’ll take care of you,” you promise, rolling on top of him and pressing your bodies together. The sticky mess of him smears between your chests, and you kiss him softly. “I’ll let you have whatever you want, Daddy. Just gotta say please.”

[fruitcoops]

Better Than Ever

Prompts A2: "Order Up" and D3: "Party" for a little bit of soft party vibes on day 5 of @oknutzy-week-2024, with characters by the esteemed @lumosinlove <3

TW for alcohol

Logan knew who it was before they even spoke.

“What’cha looking for, Ten?” and hands on his waist, coming around until he was held in a loose embrace with a body against his back and a light pulse of pressure at his belly.

He tilted his head up, and it was freckles as far as the eye could see. “Hi,” he murmured into Finn’s jaw, leaving a kiss for posterity.

“Hey.” Finn kissed his cheek and released him, already reaching for bottles even though Logan had left his question unanswered. “Nice party, eh?”

“It’s good to see Cap…”

“Unclenching.”

“Ouais, that,” Logan laughed. Finn’s fingers wrapped around the neck of the rum with the tenderness of familiarity. He half-shrugged and nudged the Coke a little closer with one finger. “Dunno. Just happy.”

That seemed to please Finn. His slight smile brought pink to his cheeks. “Good.”

“Knutty’s with Reg.”

“We’re never getting him back,” Finn snorted, pouring a few ounces of rum into each cup. He added Coke to Logan’s with one hand and reached for the limes with his other; not for the first time, Logan was glad he didn’t have to fight with half the bars in Manhattan for Finn’s attention. Perfect drinks whenever he wanted them with no competition.

“I thought we might go out of the city tomorrow,” Logan said while Finn rummaged around the once-organized (and now ravaged) collection of drinks. “Get some fresh air, you know?”

“Oh, yeah, we—” Finn took the bottle of ginger beer from him with a grateful look. “Mercy buckets. Yes, we should, I need to slow down.”

“Merci. Beaucoup.”

“ ‘S what I said.” His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he filled the second cup with soda that tickled Logan’s nose with ginger across the countertop. He slid the rum and coke toward Logan with a kiss to the top of his head. “Order up. You said Le’s in the living room?”

“TV room,” Logan corrected. He could tell just from the color that Finn had, as always, mixed his drink perfectly. Leo’s dark and stormy hung between his fingers with the casual grace that defined him. A lime bobbed near the rim as he tugged on Finn’s back pocket to pull him around.

Finn smelled like his going-out cologne when Logan buried his nose in his neck and took a breath. His chest vibrated with a soft hum. “Hey, you.”

Logan pushed his face harder into the comforting dark.

Fingertips trailed over the back of his neck. “You okay?”

“I love this.” It was quiet, but the force of it knocked around in his chest. He turned his face up, meeting Finn’s eyes with his mouth still pressed to the neckline of his shirt. “I love you. I love Knutty. It’s just—it’s right. It fits.”

Finn’s doe-soft eyes gentled an impossible degree. The tip of his nose poked Logan’s forehead. “You sure you’re okay, sugar boy?”

“Better than ever.”

“Did Knutty send you for his drink, or am I allowed to take it to him?”

“Was a surprise.”

Finn smiled and pressed it across Logan’s brow. It was so good. So good. “You’re sweet to him.”

“He deserves it.” Logan held him there a moment longer, rolling the seam of his pocket between his fingers. Wanted to tuck you into my pocket, Finn had said once upon a time. And keep you. “D’accord,” he sighed, taking a sip of his drink (perfect, as he expected). “Let’s go make sure they haven’t started beating each other with controllers.”

“What about the surprise?”

Logan kept his hand in Finn’s pocket all the way out of the kitchen. “It can be from both of us.”

[fruitbasketball]

oh! would you look at that. another night for alyssa thomas with a lot of assists AND a lot of turnovers.

and she’s still on “consideration” for mvp :( but but but i thought turnover issues meant you were inefficient offensively :( and it challenged every other part of your offensive game :( and also makes you not worth being named an indisputably good player (who’s going to place like 3rd in reg season mvp probably) and winner of season awards

seems like we only have those standards for certain players.

y’all are weird for waiting for vets to mess up so that you can advance your cc agenda

and before y’all say “but they didn’t even mention cc’s name”, let’s not play fucking stupid! we all know what this is about!

i have never said that turnovers make you inefficient offensively 💀💀 i think BAD EFFICIENCY (fgp, 3pfg, in case we’re confused) makes you inefficient offensively, nor do turnovers nullify the rest of your game 😭

but just to humor you let’s compare stat lines

cc at

bottom is career, top is 2024 season

caitlin outplays at in some aspects of this stat line, of COURSE, because she’s a great basketball player. but when i’m talking about efficiency, i’m talking about that 50% vs 39%

and when we’re talking ab mvp, we’re talking about more than just scoring points, right? we’re talking about how you contribute to your team, by being a more efficient scorer, by rebounding the ball more, by doing things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, like being a great defender.

i’m sick of making the same point over and over 😭😭 fr did not read a word i said OR see the fact that i PRAISE caitlin when she has a good game.

y’all js wanna put words in my mouth bro shut the fuck up 💀

[kybercrystals94]

Grounded (Part 1)

Read here on Ao3!

Febuwhump 2024 | Day 3 | Prompt 3: “Bite down on this.”

Bad Things Happen Bingo: Broken Limb

Rated: T | Words: 911 | Summary: Crosshair is injured during a mission. [Character Focus: Crosshair, Hunter]

Blinding pain greets Crosshair’s return to consciousness, and a sharp gasp ejects from his lungs. A hand clasps hard over his mouth, pressing so tight that finger shaped bruises will certainly form. Crosshair struggles against his captor, writhing, shaking his head frantically, but an arm wraps around his chest, and hot breath whispers against his ear, “We have to be absolutely silent, Cross, just a few more minutes.” The words are spoken on air, no voice, but Crosshair recognizes Hunter’s reg sounding cadence.

He sinks back into Hunter’s chest plate and nods. Hunter moves his hand, and Crosshair tries to breathe quietly, force himself to inhale and exhale steady, slow breaths. Agony stutters the attempt, making his breathing ragged.

An eternity and a lifetime goes by before Hunter’s grip around him relaxes. “They’re gone,” he says, voice still quiet, but present.

“What happened?” Crosshair manages to grit out. When he tries to sit up, his vision goes white. He barely suppresses the scream that tries to claw out of his throat.

“Don’t try to move,” Hunter warns.

Crosshair thinks of a choice comeback, but can’t make his voice form the words. He growls out a pathetic sound instead. He isn’t even sure where the pain is coming from, but it consumes him wholly.

“I’m going to lay you down,” Hunter says.

Crosshair offers a jerky nod.

In a few, excruciating movements, Hunter slides out from where he was holding Crosshair upright and lays him back on the ground. They are in a heavily forested area, evergreens looming over them, tops scraping an overcast sky. The underbrush is tall and dense, an excellent hiding place. Because they are hiding. Why are they hiding?

“What happened?” Crosshair asks again, more insistent, trying to ignore the pain induced nausea threatening to evacuate his stomach.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Hunter asks instead, turning to rummage through his kit.

“If I remembered what happened, I wouldn’t be asking,” Crosshair hisses.

Hunter casts him a sidelong glance. “Answer my question, then I’ll answer yours.”

Crosshair closes his eyes, willing himself to remember anything past the pain. “We split up…from Wrecker and Echo. Tech is with the ship. Radio silence after Tech discovered our comms had been compromised. I fell…” The sound of bone snapping is another memory that conjures up, but instead of voicing it, Crosshair lifts his head to look down at his leg.

“Don’t,” Hunter says, reaching out to stop Crosshair.

It’s too late. Crosshair chokes on a gasp at the mangled state of his left leg just below the knee. There’s blood. A lot of blood. And bone. There shouldn’t be bone.

His skin burns cold.

Hunter pushes him back gently. “Breathe, Cross, breathe.”

But Crosshair can’t breathe. His chest feels tight, compressed. No matter how hard he tries, the humid air feels impossible to drag into his lungs.

“--with me, breathe with me,” Hunter is saying, exaggerating his own breathing for Crosshair to follow.

A hand wraps around Crosshair’s, and he clutches it like a lifeline. Hunter leans into his space, making it where he can’t see his injury even if he wants to. He doesn’t want to. “Nice slow breaths. Good.” Crosshair knows he is not doing good with his shallow, gasping breaths, but the encouragement helps nonetheless. His breathing begins to steady. “Good job, just breathe. In…out…good.”

Crosshair closes his eyes again, willing himself not to panic. Panicking won’t do them any good. He knows this. He focuses on his breathing.

“I’m going to stabilize the wound so that we’ll be ready for when the extraction comes,” Hunter says after several long moments of letting Crosshair regain his composure. “I have a hypo for the pain, but it’s probably going to only take the edge off…under the circumstances.”

Crosshair’s stomach turns, but he gives Hunter a tight nod without opening his eyes.

Hunter lets go of Crosshair’s hand, and the loss of physical grounding is more alarming than Crosshair will ever admit out loud. He fists his own hands together, hoping the action will be comforting, but it isn't the same.

He can hear Hunter rummaging through their med kit again, then Hunter says, “Hypo,” before a needle prick bites into the soft flesh of his neck. The relief is small but immediate, a numbing warmth coursing through blood.

“I need to stop the bleeding. Wrap the wound to prevent any more contamination,” Hunter begins to explain. He sounds like Tech a little, the words he’s using. It’s strangely reassuring.

Crosshair feels the foliage by his head move as Hunter shifts closer. “It’s going to hurt,” he says. “I’m going to have you bite down on something so that…you know.”

Another stiff nod is the only affirmative he can give, and some kind of knotted cloth is put in his mouth. Crosshair bites down on it hard, teeth sinking into the coarse fibers of fabric.

When Hunter begins to staunch the wound, it takes every ounce of resolve Crosshair can muster not to cry out, although he does cry. He can feel pain induced tears manage to escape, mixing with the cold sweat that begins to track down the sides of his face. His hands, still knotted together, unlatch to claw at the ground. He tries not to move, but his body writhes slightly of its own volition.

“Almost done, vod,” Hunter says, voice barely breaking through the agonized haze.

Everything goes dark.

TBC

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[vro0m]

Do you think if 2024 is just as bad/maybe slightly better we will still see Lewis on the grid? I know he wants that 8th title that is rightfully his, however, it has to be the most difficult thing mentally, physically and even on a spiritual level to have the hunger, fire and want to fight up front but the machine underneath you just doesn't do what it's meant to do and doesn't seem to align well with the driver in the seat which is so disheartening to see.

Hard question. Ultimately I don't know, because I don't know him and I'm not in his head, but there's a few things I imagine would have an influence on that decision.

SORRY IT GOT SLIGHTLY LONG (duh)

1- The contract

First of all let's not forget he's contracted until the end of 2025. We all know contracts can be broken but it does make it seems he's determined to not give up quite yet.

2- The car

Of course the car performance is the main thing. It's very unlikely, unless there's a legit engineering miracle happening, that the W15 will be able to challenge RedBull. But I don't think he's necessarily asking for that much. I think if the next car feels better to him in testing, and then he sees the development finally reliably go in the right direction, even if slowly, it'll give him enough hope and fire to sustain the effort for a bit longer.

3- The 2026 regs

If the car stays bad or doesn't get much better, the second main question imo is can he keep himself going until 2026 to see if the new regs change the situation. Can you imagine retiring at the end of 2025 just for the 2026 car being good again? It would be infuriating. 2026 is in quite a long time but I do feel like he wouldn't leave without checking it out if he can't get what he's still here for until then (and he almost certainly won't).

4- The mental side of things (amp up the speculation)

I feel like it's pretty clear he had a retirement plan and the Abu Dhabi 2021 finale has pushed that back. He also said he wasn't planning on still being there at 40. So on the one hand, he might be kinda done? Or more like he wishes he was done? I do personally feel like at times he seemed tired and disengaged (understandable). But it's not necessarily a bad thing to be able to put some distance between F1 (or anything really) and oneself imo, and not be starving and frustrated all the time because it's not going how you'd like. Take Alonso. Alonso wants to win extremely bad as well. I mean he hasn't won in 5'000 years but he's STILL trying at his old age (I'm half-joking). But ultimately his detached attitude in the face of lack of performance is what he owes his longevity to. He still wants it, but he doesn't let it get to him too much when he can't get it. It's not sustainable to be angry about something you have no control over 100% of the time. You will burn out. You need to let go.

On the other hand, can Lewis really detach? No one has been as fully dedicated, no one has sacrificed so much for so long, no one has put as much effort in it, no one has set such a high standard for himself than he did. His own teammates have been saying that. His own teammates have burnt out trying to keep up. AND he's being going at that pace for so long, been on the top for so long, I wonder if he even can let go enough to wait for better days without exhausting himself mentally in the meantime. He's not used to it. I'm not saying his career has been smooth sailing, he's had subpar or even bad cars before. But not for like. A decade. In a sense he's precisely in the position his teammates have been in. But instead of them VS Lewis, it's now Lewis VS the car, I guess? My point is in both cases, when you give it your 110% and don't see ANY result coming your way, you can't keep giving 110%.

Basically it's a fight between the fire in his gut and the dull reality of things. I don't know who wins because we haven't really been there before.

5- Time

The only similar situation was the last few years at McLaren but he was winning races even then. And his solution was move teams. I think it's unlikely he will do that again, most of all because he's running out of time. Back then he had the time to build up from the ground again, but it's not the case anymore.

So the last question is, if he does keep at it, until when? At some point he will have to retire. If he manages to win his 8th, then it's pretty clear-cut. If he doesn't, when does he stop trying? The longer he stays, the further from quitting while he's ahead he is. Maybe it's just my own feelings talking but I feel like it would be also very disappointing and annoying to leave in such a lackluster way after having accomplished so much. Although I guess that's often the tragic fate of champions. Anyway, there must be some kind of deadline in his head, maybe not a fully hard one, but at his age and with where he's at in life with the rest of his projects, I don't think he's blindly walking along anymore. We have no way of knowing what the deadline is though. Time will tell.

[bunnytalksf1]

Oliver Bearman has a seat in Formula One for 2025

Officially! I had in my notebook that the Silverstone weekend would be good to announce it at, and I was right (even though this is very low hanging fruit at this point, lol).

So let's talk driver market!

I'm now of the opinion that several drivers will lose their seat at the end of 2024. So, who's safe?

Lando Norris / Oscar Piastri - McLaren (Multi / exp. 2026)

Charles Leclerc / Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari (Multi / Heavily rumoured to be exp. 2026, but officially multi)

Fernando Alonso / Lance Stroll - Aston Martin (Multi / Nepotism)

Pierre Gasly - Alpine (Multi)

Yuki Tsunoda - RB (exp. 2025)

Max Verstappen / Sergio Perez - Red Bull (exp. 2028 / 2026)

Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber (Multi)

George Russell - Mercedes (exp. 2026)

Oliver Bearman - Haas (Multi, probably exp. 2026)

Alex Albon - Williams (Multi, probably exp. 2026 or 27)

Most teams will not want rookies or new drivers in 2026 for the new regs, where feedback is key, so they're trying to finalise contracts now for then, hence why so many drivers are locked down in multi-year contracts / until post 26.

This new signing means that every team has at least one of their spots filled. All three of the top teams has both of its seats filled, leaving very little mobility for the midfield drivers. Most of these contracts are multi year, and undisclosed.

The reason I have Perez in bold is because I think that there is a huge possibility of them breaking contract in 2025 if his performance continues to be lacklustre, or if RBR loses the constructors. Tsunoda could go to the main team, or Ricciardo if CH is insane.

Who's most at risk?

Ricciardo

Marko keeps making comments about how RB is a junior team, and the team certainly doesn't want to lose Lawson, who has shown considerable promise and provided insight on the sim. His contract expires in September unless Red Bull offer him a full-time seat in F1, and Audi have shown interest. I wouldn't put it past Williams to put a punt on him, either. It's within Red Bull's best interest to promote Lawson, and Tsunoda is alrady re-signed. There's very little interest in Ricciardo outside the RBR family, and he's still under a long term contract at RBR, preventing him from shopping elsewhere.

Sargeant

His performances just haven't been good enough, and Alex Albon as a benchmark is good, but he's no Max Verstappen. He's had a rough time of it with the chassis drama etc etc but the bottom line is that he's just not been good enough for F1. He has a hand to play at Haas, but with the team in talks with both Zhou and Ocon, I think it's unlikely he finds his feet in the sport. Williams definitely do not want to re-sign him unless he performs miracles the rest of the season.

Bottas

He's aging, and has been hindered by the car for the last little while. He's just not been on the radar. He could land at Audi, or Mercedes, but he's not the first choice for either of those teams - Mercedes want Antonelli, and Audi are reportedly talking to Ocon and Lawson, who both have age on their side.

Magnussen

Not been performing when compared to Hulkenberg, and with the stunts he's been pulling i.e penalties, I wouldn't expect him to land elsewhere. He's another driver that's pretty old now, and not the most marketable either.

So, what about the rookies?

Next year, we are going to have three (or more, depending on what red bull does) rookies on the grid.

Bearman - confirmed - Haas

A well deserved seat, especially after his performance in the Ferrari at Jeddah.

Antonelli - Mercedes or Williams - unconfirmed, but extremely likely

Not sure if the right choice would be to bring him up, considering his performance in F2 hasn't been great and there's a lot of talk about how he's being rushed that isn't unwarranted. Toto doesn't want to lose him, and Williams would get a discount on engine parts.

Lawson - RB, Williams or Audi - unconfirmed, but likely

Another seat that has been long since deserved. He should have been in the RB seat this season. Audi have shown an interest. Will be a late mover, since his contract doesn't release him to other teams until September, but I expect him to be big in the market if he is released, and if Mercedes sign Antonelli.

Aron - ?? - Unlikely

Paul Aron was a Mercedes junior until midway through last year. He's currently affiliated with no F1 team, and is leading the F2 championship right now as a rookie. There's been noise about him getting a seat, but even if he wins F2, its unlikely he'll go anywhere for 2025. He's still one to watch, though, and will likely be snapped up if he wins as a rookie.

Hadjar - RB - unlikely

The ideal scenario for Hadjar would be both Perez and Ricciardo losing their seats, and for Tsunoda to go to the main team, freeing a space for him to drive alongside Lawson. Or, if RB loses Lawson, he's the next redbull driver in line. He's driving car 11 in FP1 this weekend, and sits second in the F2 standings with two race wins.

Other drivers at risk, but less so, include:

Zhou

I think he'll likely end up in Haas, and he is a driver with a huge hand to play in age and sponsorship, where he is comparable to Perez. His performances aren't horrific either. That being said, depending on where Sainz, Lawson and Bottas go, he might end up out of a seat.

Sainz

Never thought I'd be writing his name, but here we are. We've gone from Red Bull and Mercedes taking an interest in the early season to this. His management team should be fird. IN all seriousness, this is a weird one. He could definitely end up seatless if he doesnt kerb his ego, as from rumours, the reason he lost out on RBR and Merc seats was that he wanted longer contracts, i.e. in line with George Russell, and a 2+1 for RBR (both teams offered a 1 year deal). Then there's been a long line of teams interested and NONE of them seem to satisfy him. Most likely destination now is probably Alpine, but even Alpine seem to be losing interest. He needs to sign a contract now.

Ocon

I think he'll land on his feet, and end up in Audi, Haas, Williams, or even Mercedes if Toto doesn't sign Antonelli, as a stopgap driver. He's a solid driver and has a lot to offer. Could end up seatless if a very specific set of things happens, but he has options.

Anyways. Enjoy the race weekend! :3

[starsignchaser]

hello everyone and welcome to the March 2024 edition of emily's fic recs! If you saw my post this weekend you know that I bookmarked 57 fics this month... yeah idk how that happened but just know that this is gonna be a bit of a long one.

this month's list contains Jegulus, Wolfstar, and Drarry for a total of 28 fics. there are some all-time faves in this list (march was a good month) so I hope you enjoy!

without further ado, lets dive in :)

Jegulus

blue and yellow skies by alarainai, salmon_says (142k, 27/27, rated M)

Quidditch Rivals turned Quidditch Lovers. That's what the world sees them as, at least.

Too bad Regulus hates James Potter's guts, and James? Well, it doesn't matter what he feels about their definitely fake, definitely emotionless relationship.

just cute quidditch boys who love each other

i fell hard (in your arms tonight) by grimjobs (17.9k, 9/9, rated G)

Regulus didn't know he was touch starved until James started touching him.

cute boys and silly misunderstandings

i've got my eye on you by artiest (10k, rated M)

James and Regulus are friends with benefits except they're both ridiculously in love with each other.

this one was so good I had to give it an instant reread as I was putting my list together. angsty happy in-love boys

Many Happy Halloweens by SnarkyMagpie (7.6k, rated M)

Monsters come out on Halloween, but Regulus Black will gladly fight any horror, whether it's a dragon or anxiety, to protect his family.

Jeggy dads!!!!!! Technically single dad James with Harry and then Reggie joining their family <3333

stuck by you (and the glue) by cleargreen (4.7k, rated G)

The two most important people in James's life finally meet. This is how it goes.

baby harry has a crush on his dad's boyf reg

Whoops. by my_castlescrumbling (2k, rated T)

Regulus is a TA for Professor Monty Potter and Monty keeps trying to set Regulus up with his son. Regulus always refuses, of course. But what happens when, at the end of the term, he goes to the Potter Christmas Party?

yayyy happenstance!!!

a little death by noasmirrorball (1.6k, rated E)

James wakes Regulus up with a little surprise.

this is just straight up porn

heatwaves by regscupid (1.5k, rated E)

With the exit of May, James quickly came to realize he could not deal with what June brought with it. June meant hotter weather. Their flat didn’t have air conditioning.

reg in crop tops makes james' brain go mush

Wolfstar

wading in waist-high water by colgatebluemintygel (82k, 9/9, rated E)

Remus is a PhD student and hobbyist baker who finds himself adrift following his father’s death. On a whim, he enters the Great British Bake Off...

ONE OF MY FAVES OF THE MONTH!!! a wonderful balance of funny moments, bits of angst, and mostly just a lot of love between these two boys

Like Real People Do by third_crow (36k, 3/3, rated T)

Or, Remus works as a barista and Sirius comes in every morning with the world's cutest baby, and man, these two just wrote the book on mutual pining, huh?

I LOVED THIS FIC!!! there is so much angst but it is so worth it because these two are meant to find each other every time

To Be Alone With You by Shay_Fae (16.6k, 4/4, rated M)

In the summer of their sixth year, Remus Lupin tried to kill himself.

MAJOR TW for this one (as you can see from the description) but also such a beautiful take on Sirius's love for Remus and their dynamic

my castle crumbled overnight by YellowLark23 (9k, 2/2, rated T)

Sirius deals with his parents’ abuse while at school, but he never realizes just how dangerous the game they're playing is.

This fic is more black brothers focused but there is sweet background wolfstar hurt/comfort :)

i've got diamonds in my eyes (for you) by crushofdoves (6k, 2/2, rated E)

Sirius and Remus are in big, soft, filthy love.

this is so hot and also just feels so real for a sex scene like they literally stop to have a grilled cheese in the middle it's perfect

Remus' Impromptu Study Break by ravenclaw_with_no_friends (5.6k, rated E)

“Sod off Pads, I’m mad at you,” Remus decided his best way out would just be to go have a shower. He got out of the bed, picking up his pyjama bottoms to hold in front of his crotch.

wolfstar smut with sirius making the first move hehe

i was sinking and now i'm sunk by crushofdoves (3.9k, rated E)

The air between them felt electric, crackling with intention and Sirius hoped they were on the same page.

bookstore employee remus having his way with sirius in the back room

Ways to be Gentle by Quietlemonhush (3.6k, rated E)

Sirius has a bad day. Remus reminds him what softness feels like.

sad sirius being given all the love by his moony

Drarry

A Dented Old Street Sign by orphanghost (27k, rated M)

Draco knows they aren't the only students who will be completing their NEWTs this year, but they are the only ones whose home fireplaces were disconnected from the floo network by the ministry.

At least, Draco assumes as much until he sees the light falling out from the front door of one of the other rickety old houses in front of them and the three figures cast in its warm glow.

the golden trio and returning slytherins are neighbors in Hogsmede for 8th year. tension, hijinks, and love ensues

With Great Yawns and Stretchings by sugar_screw (22k, rated T)

The coffee is very good. Really. And the cats are so cute. That's why Harry goes so often.

ONE OF MY FAVES OF THE MONTH!! just sweet boys who love cats and grow together and kiss!!!

Cascade by Avonne (18.7k, rated M)

Harry wants to touch, and Draco wants to be touched. If only they could figure it out.

I want to take every 8th year fic in hold them close in my arms because these boys are so sad and fucked up but they keep finding each other and making it work. one of my faves!

Sourdough by academicdisaster (17k, rated M)

Draco writes romance novels and doesn't leave his apartment much. Harry bakes bread and sells it to Draco. Draco is quite weird. Harry might like that.

read tags before reading!!! contains some off screen heavy angst but sooo good. Again, you will always catch me at the scene of a weird little draco fic

Magical Menagerie by DorthyAnn (16k, 7/7, rated T)

Convinced by Hermione to get a new pet, Harry goes to Magical Menagerie and finds it's now owned by Draco Malfoy who has changed since the war… in a good way, a really good way.

sweet weirdo draco you will always have my heart

Said and Unsaid (or, The Value of Knowing When to Stop Talking) by bryoneybrynn (14.8k, 3/3, rated T)

When the Interrogator asked if he had anything to say on his own behalf, Draco shook his head, his lips pressed tight in a thin line. There was nothing to say that wouldn’t sound like an excuse.

again, love me an 8th year fix-it fic

Slow Show by Avonne (14.7k, rated M)

Harry doesn't know the kind of love that isn't forged in pain. He doesn't understand slow and calm and easy. He can't trust unconditional. After all, how could Draco love him if he's not allowed to sacrifice himself for it? Draco shows him.

I just can't get enough of harry being a self-sacrificing idiot and Draco being the one who can consistently cut through his bs and be like "hey!!! stop that dummy, we all love you (but me especially)"

I'll keep you (safe and sound) by arminaa (13k, 4/4, rated E)

Harry takes temporary custody of Teddy while Andromeda's comatose at St Mungo's after an accident, and Draco, his something-with-benefits, shows up unexpectedly to help.

two awkward boys who don't know how to tell each other they like each other (with baby Teddy!)

Title of Their Sex Tape by Cibee (12k, rated T)

Undercover! Heists! Draco pining for Harry! Harry being oblivious, but also can't help noticing how good Draco smells! Banters and jokes! That's about it.

Brooklyn 99-esque fic with v sweet will they/won't they moments. also the line "“I confess,” Draco said quietly. “That I had hope ... you would choose me this time.”" !!!!!!!

By Any Other Name by dracognition (8k, rated E)

A botched love potion makes it so that everyone in Harry's vicinity is madly in love with him—everyone except Draco, that is.

everyone is in love with Harry, INCLUDING Draco!!! hehehe

Swipe Right by mee4ever (2k, rated G)

Or then one where Harry swipes right, and it turns out Draco does too.

I love their banter/flirting in this one so much!!!

Harry Potter Gets a Job [ART] by dustmouth (106 pages, rated M)

Harry returns home from Romania to find Arthur Weasley has a new apprentice, and there's an extra place set for dinner.

I love this art style and the story is just so perfect, def suggest checking out more by dustmouth if you enjoy this

[grogumaximus]

Noooo ya Allah pls let red bull get their shit together and give a great car in 2025 to Max :(

they couldn't fix their kerb riding issues nor their slow corners speed since 2022 n they fucked up on their way to 2024 so on top of that they now have balance issues that part of it lost them their tyre management advantage. i feel like if the other teams aren't running legal cars then i don't see any hopes for next year lol n also that bc they'll focus on 2026 regs at one point but also anything can happen n this year has proven it

[slow-button-off]

Max was so calm because he knows all the other drivers will just let him pass like nothing (like every other time) and he'll be in the top 5 in like 2 laps lol and Ferrari will screw up with Charles so he won't be able to battle

The other drivers should start remembering that they are there to at least TRY and bring home points instead of just letting Max pass for fear of him pushing them into a wall

And you can't even say "they know their battle is not with Max" because last year they defended against Charles like crazy even though Charles was in another league, fighting for p1 and then p2, and there was no point in battling with him

They'll just let Max pass like always

I really hope we'll see the results of the penalties against Red Bull soon, when upgrades are required. Right now they have a rocket ship like last year. Last year they had some engine failures but still won almost everything. It's absurd that the penalties for cheating came so late and will probably not affect them until late this season. They cheated in 2021 and only suffer the consequences in late 2023 (but most likely 2024)? And in the meantime keep winning? While Ferrari was tanked and reduced to a mid team without proof after winning just 2 races in 2019? Absolutely ridiculous on the FIA's part. They were just tired of the Mercedes dominamce and couldn't stand Hamilton being the first driver in history to win an 8th title.

I've been watching this sport for 20 years and it's become such a joke. I thought we hit rock bottom years ago after the most infamousscandals, but apparently not.

I do agree that there are some drivers that defend weirdly hard against Charles (lando) overall it's the same for most drivers.

Max last year had by far the fastest car on the straights, there was no defending him because he just breezed past them on the straight.

Defending against Charles was a little bit more possible because he didn't just get to breeze past people with DRS.

But that's a car thing and not a Max thing. All of the Merc engines routinely let the Mercs past super easily. none of this is super out of the ordinary.

The whole Ferrari thing in 2020 with the engine was never an actual punishment. They just couldn't use that engine any more and therefore had to take those steps back because they didn't have a back up engine. The regs changed and for 2020 that 2019 engine was no longer allowed.

It's not completely comparable.

I am a little bit confused about your outrage over the regs change coming into 2022.

Regs change all the time. that's not some new thing to somehow shaft just Merc. And regs were changed anytime there was a more dominant period in F1. That has nothing to do with Lewis and the 8 titles.

To still keep it on topic with Lewis RB was super dominant with Seb and the blown diffuser and then the regs changed and only Merc got it super right. now Lewis and Merc had one of the longest dominant streaks in F1, which is something you should be aware of, and it ended like most others with reg changes.

Merc didn't get shafted mid season with new regs that was a scheduled regs change that even got pushed back. This wasn't about Lewis and specifically the 8 titles.

look at this collection of 2015 results:

Mercs 30s ahead

mercs 30s ahead of the Ferrari

Merc 40s ahead

this time only 20s

another 30s

and that's just from the first like 14 races and Merc won more that's just the ones with really big gaps.

This isn't the first time something like this is happening in F1 and it will not be the last time.

I would like for the penalty to be in effect sooner than later because I much like most people am not the biggest fan of dominance.

But this is neither unprecedented nor was there a conspiracy to keep Lewis from winning.

I can't quite believe that after 2.2 years people have forgotten just how dominant Merc was. But I think some also don't want to remember.

[trainingbrahs-blog]

Still no Tide Pods ™

Vik - This blog is the Pink Pearl Dim Sum Restaurant of blogs; a phoenix continuously arising from the ashes of blog obscurity. Let’s quickly recap all the relevant blog nonsense that I roll out each time we post, as if something may have changed and I’m not exactly the same ratchet ass ho that I’ve always been.

1) I still smoke. I’m quitting tomorrow. I don’t even feel bad anymore.

2) Wife-life-post-break-up-after-party has slowed down since Darcie is “happy” and in a “relationship.” Jokes, Kabir-Darcie is my fave 2019 combo. Karcie? Dabir? Still working on that one.

3) I haven’t competed since Worlds, and am totes cool with it. I’m mad chill rn.

4) Am going to be a purple belt forever, which is also very relaxing. Purple belt middle weight NAGA 2024 is gonna be my time to shine. I’m truly settling into mediocrity.

5) Tide pods still haven’t reached out to sponsor this blog. I’m shocked. And hurt. Our influencer status is shaky at best..

Darcie and I started working together this year and opened a home for precariously housed high risk teens. We are deep in co-lease, three joint bank account, coparent life. To be clear, this is on top of my FULL TIME JOB. And you know, because we are maniacs we also decided to start a non profit. It seemed like a natural progression, and since our feminism is constantly referred to as rabid (I see you puffy chested male identified boo boos) we wanted to find a way to assert our values (aka rabid feminism) by financially subsidizing female competitors, paying experienced women equitable fees to teach seminars and generally creating space through women only open mats to beat each other up on the reg. There’s probably a link to the non profit in this blog, so be a good person and buy a sweater or donate your hard earned dollars to support the local women in your jiu jitsu community. Also shout out to Kaboom and BCJJF for supporting this work and the female jiu jitsu community, you guys are all just the sweetest allies.

#influencer.

Since I’m not competing this year, I’ve been really enjoying getting my jiu jitsu groove back and am becoming low key obsessed with lifting heavy things. This bisch is not only chubby but also jacked now. Honestly, still mainly chubby, but a little bit jacked too. Also I think I’m going to start smoking weed. It may not go well, I ruined my brain with acid in the 90’s, and this is a potentially catastrophic experiment. More on that next time, you’ll know if it becomes a thing when I abruptly start training at 10th Planet.

I don’t have a good anchoring, concluding paragraph, so instead, I’ll just see you all at women’s open mat, and on the sidelines of every local comp cheering for all my pals.

Xo

Vik

Darc- Live from traction: It’s a recap of the last 3 months of my life!

You guys, Year of the Matriarchy 2019 started off hot. We made homes for kids, started supporting she-athletes and I competed a bunch! Here are some things that we were too busy with in real life for me to regale you with earlier:

1. I moved house twice! YES TWO TIMES. You guys, I am so good at moving. If you need any tips on Frogbox or where to get the best budget furniture, I’m your lady. The answer is Wayfair.ca btw. Anyway, I’m done moving for a while because it’s the pits even when you’re a pro and this new place seems pretty good. Also I promised my cat we’d stay a while.

2. The Portland Open is a thing now and I competed there. I learned an important lesson about always calling ahead to make sure your hotel room has a bathtub (Expedia is a house of lies) and did my first ever side smash so I could feel like a real Lovato/Kaboom student. Yes, it took me 7 months to figure out. I’m not a natural smasher. Also, I was savagely triangled in the finals. (Hi, Naomi!) So I also learned that. Don’t get triangled.

3. I competed at the Rev again in Tacoma. Everyone should compete at the Rev. It is consistently the most well run tournament I have ever been to. And I’m not just saying that ‘cause I (HUMBLEBRAG) won. I also learned that making weight after Christmas is hard and had to make some risky underwear choices to save .2 of a lb. But don’t worry, I’ve since invested in some ultra light back up pants for these situations to save you all from accidentally seeing my ass in the future. #competitor

4. I won silver at Pans! I’ve never really done well in major competitions. The last time I was at Pans was 2016 and I got subbed so quickly that Vicky missed my fight trying to get from downstairs to upstairs to watch it and I cried like a kid on Chad’s shoulder. I didn’t win a single match in a big competition until last year’s World Masters, then I got subbed in round 2. So this was a big win for me. Kabir overheard a girl on the mat next to mine finish her first fight and say to her coach “Woah. Nobody sucks here,” which is hilarious and true. Nobody sucks at Pans and Worlds, guys. Those fights are fucking hard.

5. I somehow managed to hurt myself real bad trying to do an armbar in the quarter finals then fought two more times because I’m an idiot. By the finals, I couldn’t lift my left arm or stop my head from turning all the way to the right and I got triangled in ten seconds. You guys! DON’T. GET. TRIANGLED! Then I had public jiu jitsu cry #2 because adrenaline masked how hurt I was and I was just disappointed about losing. Anyway, that was the last time I did jiu jitsu and I’m still living a life of pain. The medical folks say the left side of my thoracic spine got crunched up in some sort of shitty armbar perfect storm and a bunch of ribs popped off my back and now I live in a world of pain. I had a CT scan yesterday and my spine and nerve roots are healthy, so now I’ve just gotta wait my full recovery out. Also, I’m 2 for 2 on Pan American cries. What’s up with that? Also armbars are supposed to hurt the other person. Come on, Omori.

So anyway, catch me also on the sidelines til this shit resolves. Look for the girl in the Cascadia Women’s Fight Club sweater, right next to the really loud shroud of red hair.

Don't get triangled,

Darc