#race 225

[petit-papillion]

📸 Formula Santander

[hearts4skywalker]

shut up and drive 𐙚 anakin skywalker

❝if you can baby boy, then we can go all night❞

𐙚

synopsis: after his race, anakin fucks you rough whether he won or not.

warnings: 18+ MDNI, modern!racer! anakin, p in v sex, unprotected sex, oral (f reciving), praise kink, size kink

wc: 1.2k

ANAKIN SKYWALKER is the best racer. there's no doubt about that. everyone knew this. he's got tons of fans too. it feeds his ego to the brim.

you, being the supportive girlfriend you are, always went to his races. it didn't matter if he lost or won. you were getting used as soon as you got home. and you were completely okay with that.

here you were, standing all pretty on the sidelines of the tracks, watching your boyfriend in his fancy red car. he was doing pretty good.

that was until he saw you, all pretty watching him in his jacket that was oh too big on you.

he quickly fell behind a few other drivers. his grip on the steering wheel became tighter, knuckles turning white.

obi-wan turned to look at you. “what's he doing?” he asked you, his accent thick yet clear. he crossed his arms, watching anakin. “'m not sure.” you respond, brows furrowed and mouth parted slightly.

anakin shook his head, trying to get the thought of you out of his head. he pressed his foot a little harder on the gas, passing a few people until he moved from eighth all the way to third.

“atta boy.” obi-wan cheered, his hands moving to rest on his hips. you couldn't help but watch anakin's car in awe. anyone who looked at you would have sworn they saw stars in your eyes.

and you could have sworn you saw his ego get bigger with every sign he caught glimpse of. he was that guy who everyone went for. like travis kelce or messi. and he was well aware of that, thanks to you.

he loved when you would force him to make a video with you and read the comments out to him. "he's so fine." "he's not a want, he's a need." "adding him to the smash cake."

things like that fed anakin skywalker's ego.

you watched him closely while he passed second place, putting him in second instead. they were nearing the final lap, and you could see just how focused anakin was. his brows furrowed slightly and from what you could see, the veins in his hands popped out.

you'd be lying if you said it wasn't the hottest thing you'd ever seen.

anakin's eyes weren't even focused on the road. they were on stupid clovis and his car. anakin pressed his foot even harder on the gas, despite having a moral about not going over 225. but he'd rather not touch you for a year than loose to clovis.

he pressed down, going 235, then 250 once he'd passed clovis. there was no stopping him now. as soon as he'd made that final lap in first, you cheered with obi-wan. “holy shit.” you smiled proudly.

as soon as they waved the flag and announced the last-lap pass win, anakin got out of his car. he knew he wasn't really supposed to, but in that moment he didn't care. he had too much adrenaline.

he immediately rushed over to where you and obi-wan were standing. he wrapped his arms around your waist, picking you up in the process.

small giggles escaped your perfectly pink lips, his favorite shade of lip gloss spread on them. "hi, ani." you smiled. he set you back down on the ground. "you go on home now baby, i'll see you when this is over. m'kay?" he kissed your temple, squeezing your waist gently.

sitting at home, you already knew what was coming when he walked through that door. whether he won a race or lost, you were getting fucked.

he threw his keys down on the counter, smiling at you. you laid on the couch, scrolling on your phone. already in one of his t-shirts. there was nothing anakin loved to see more.

he got on his knees in front of the couch, lips pressing kisses to your bare thighs. your toes curled slightly, legs stretching out. your phone was long forgotten about, tossed to the side. "hello to you too, ani." your words came out in a giggle as his hair brushed against your thigh.

he looked up at you, his eyebrows furrowed. a look of need spread across his face. he stood up, climbing on to the couch. his calloused hands came up to your chest, hands rubbing your breasts through your shirt.

his hands moved, rubbing up and down your sides. goosebumps coated your skin. your body arched to his touch, causing him to need you even more.

anakin moved down, hands resting on your tummy. he moved your shirt up, letting it rest comfortably on your hips. his fingers pulled your underwear down softly, careful not to hurt you.

you looked down at him, giggling softly. this was your favorite part of his races.

he kissed the inside of your thighs softly, his hair tickling your thighs again. he placed a kiss to your clit before licking a long stroke between your folds. you let out a breathy moan, back arching even more.

he continued to lick between your folds, occasionally sucking on your clit, causing your fingers to pull his hair. silently begging and pleading him for more. his tongue lapped around your folds before he attacked your aching clit. moans spilt from your lips.

"ani m'close." you managed to breath out. he immediately stopped, kissing your thighs again few times before sitting up despite your whines of protest.

you immediately stopped complaining when you heard anakin struggling to get his belt off. when he finally got it undone, he threw it somewhere in the living room. his dick was excruciatingly hard pressed up against his tummy. his tip was red and swollen. precum dripping down the side.

he pulled his boxers down, giving himself a few strokes before lining himself up with your entrance. he started off slow, pushing himself in. he knew he was big. no matter how many times you'd had sex before, he always started slow.

you couldn't hold back the moans that fell from your parted lips. he moved the sweaty hair out of your face. "doin' so good f'me baby." he cooed, moving deeper in you. "gonna fill you up so good." he caressed your cheek softly.

after you'd gotten used to his size, he bottomed out in you, causing you to let out a string of curse words and moans. "fuck ani. feels so good." you could hardly think.

he pressed his hands back down on your tummy, watching how deep he was in you. "look at my dick, fillin' you up so good." he moved faster, causing your eyes to water up with tears.

"you're such a good girl f'me baby. takin' my cock so well. atta girl." he praised, causing you to moan. you nodded your head quickly. he chuckled softly. "i know baby. you're so good."

his thrusts became more sloppy and needy when he sped up. you couldn't hold back from being excessively loud. "close ani." you whined out, the familiar knot in your stomach tightening. "i know baby. you wanna let go f'me?" he asked you, continuing his rough pace.

with a breathy moan, the knot came undone, letting your fluid coat his dick. with a few more thrusts, anakin finished inside you. he kissed your lips, pulling out from inside you. "you did such a good job baby. m'so proud of you." he cooed, wiping your tears away with his thumbs.

he laid down next to you on the couch, kissing your face softly. "shower now?" you giggled, sitting up. "oh no baby. i won tonight. we gotta long night ahead of us." anakin smirked.

i fear smut may not be my calling 💔

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1969 Dodge Charger

The 1969 Dodge Charger presented perhaps the widest array of choices in the history of the nameplate. There was a base model, an available SE (for "Special Edition") option that heaped on more luxuries, a hot-performing R/T version, and two wild race-bred iterations: the 500 and the Daytona. Engine selections started with Chrysler's trusty 225-cid Slant Six, but also included five V-8s, topped by the rollicking 425-horsepower 426-cid "Street Hemi." Depending on the model, available transmissions were three- and four-speed manuals, plus the excellent three-speed TorqueFlite automatic.

Given all these choices, it's perhaps ironic that the car came in just one body style, a two-door hardtop. The 1969 Dodge Charger was an update of the completely restyled '68 model, which meant it was built on a 117-inch wheelbase with Chrysler's familiar torsion-bar suspension up front and leaf springs in the back. New styling touches for base and R/T Chargers included a vertical center divider in the grille and horizontal taillights.

[taikeero-lecoredier]

HELP STOP KOSA,CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS

With the end of the year approaching, we are expecting KOSA to be slipped into an end of the year spending bill. We cannot allow it to pass. There has been push by parents to bring KOSA back, not aware how dangerous KOSA actually is for children online. It would make it mandatory for platforms online to enforce age verification via ID, and deeming any content "inappropriate" for kids to be banned.This could range from not safe for work content, to health ressources, to climate change. It'll be up to politicians to dictate what is and isn't proper for kids,and, of course, killing encryption. Imagine the damage. Please focus on the entire leadership of the House,as well as reps generally, telling them to not bring KOSA up. Speaker Johnson must also be contacted, whos number is: (202) 225-2777 Heres a list of House reps to contact: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IyBUe6frFGF44rJQU3TahZ5zyG3tC7jai_hPneAKlnM/edit?tab=t.0 Use the call tool to call the House : https://www.stopkosa.com/ https://www.badinternetbills.com/#kosa

Here are scripts you can use : if your rep is GOP : I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA, the Kid’s Online Safety Act. This is a dangerous bill that will harm children. Many news organizations have reported that this bill actively harms kids by exposing their private data to strangers under the guise of protecting them. We need to hold Big Tech accountable, but KOSA is not the solution. The bill let any state attorney general and the FTC to sue any website for “harmful” content. Do we really want blue state lawyers deciding what can and can’t be allowed online? Big Tech is already censoring us. That’s why they support KOSA. This is massive government overreach. We need a bill that actually protects children by creating better security measures instead of bringing about more censorship. Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language. KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies, which would put them in further danger. How is this protecting children’s privacy? What parent would want their child’s private data in the hands of strangers like this? KOSA is actively putting kids in danger. Do NOT support this bill. Thank you. if your rep is DEM: I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA. Nearly 200 human rights and LGBT organizations total came out in an open letter opposing it. The ACLU is against it. Hundreds of thousands of Gen Z, who actually live online, are against it. We know the harms of social media, and we know this is not the solution. The new language does NOT meet any concerns brought up, in fact many organizations were ignored. Major news have reported that this bill actively harms kids. We do not want this. The rewritten bill would still allow any state attorney general, and now the FTC, to sue any website for “harmful” content. When you have Republicans calling anything LGBT “sexual exploitation” or anything about race “CRT” to successfully ban books and teachers, then they will use any justification to censor the internet. The Missouri attorney general used “mental health” successfully to ban gender-affirming care with backed up research. Suicide rates will skyrocket for marginalized youth with this bill restricting content. Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language. KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies. Furthermore, updated language threatens encryption the same way the Earn It Act does. How is this protecting children’s privacy? KOSA actively harms kids. Do NOT support this bill. Thank you.

Tell them you'll vote for your reps if they vote no on KOSA,anything goes. But most importantly it's crucial that KOSA is not being brought at all for any vote. Also,to note, Biden supports KOSA: You could try asking your GOP rep why they would support a bill that has Biden's support,and that he could use it to his advantage somehow (we know GOP does not like Biden,so it should be utilized somehow). We need to ensure the bill doesnt pass at all.

Last but not least: COME JOIN OUR ANTI KOSA SERVER ! we organize to help fight against bad Internet bills ! https://discord.gg/pwTSXZMxnH

[tender-rosiey]

immune — gojo satoru x f!reader

a/n: chapter 225 spoilers ig? + mentions of blood and death; have fun <3

your heart dropped as the scene played out in front of you.

satoru, your husband, the strongest sorcerer, had his domain broken. the shattered glass hits the ground and creates a terrifying symphony.

a symphony that ends the moment you see your husband’s neck being slashed by none other than sukuna.

you let a gut-wrenching scream, “SATORU!!”

his blood is everywhere and he has fallen to the ground. you look around, desperate for any sign that it isn’t true.

all you see, however, is tear-stained faces that have ultimately accepted their demise and the face of a man—no a curse that is grinning wickedly at the sight of your husband’s corpse.

you take a step back, and sukuna starts to approach you, kicking satoru’s head in the process, “I am sure you would like to join your dear husband, right?”

sukuna cackles at your terrified face, “’until parted by death’, huh, then I will do you a favour and reunite you both once again.”

you want to scream, run, cry, hide, anything, but you’re glued in place, trembling miserably.

a hand nears your face at a piercing speed to slash you.

“NO!”

you are jolted awake, breathing heavily. your hand flies up to your neck and face and you feel no scar.

you frantically look around—you’re in your room. you pat the spot beside you, only to find nothing.

what about satoru?

you jump off the bed and race down to the living room, “satoru, where are you?!”

“hey sweets, I was just getting a cup of water—“ his eyes finally land on you and he is silent before he speaks up again, voice much softer, “…did you have a nightmare?”

you throw yourself into his embrace and start wailing and crying loudly.

you’re holding him tightly, but even with that, he feels you shaking.

satoru feels his heart breaking as his arms wrap around your quivering figure.

he starts rubbing your back soothingly and he kisses the top of your head, patiently waiting for you to calm down.

“y-y-you—,” you try to explain, but your sobs interrupt you and you bury your face into his chest even more.

burdened with sorrow, satoru is frowning and his eyebrows are furrowed.

times like these make him wish to have had a technique of a different kind, something that will soothe you and take all these nightmares away.

but he doesn’t and the most he can do is stroke your hair and press feather-like kisses on your face.

he whispers sweet nothings into your ear, with a firm but soft, “I am here.”

after a while, your sobs die down and you slowly start to steady your breathing.

satoru smiles softly, “atta girl, you’re doing great.”

you don’t speak and just hold onto his hand. he squeezes your hand lightly and you finally feel your body relax.

you feel him kiss your cheek.

“do you want to tell me about it?” he hands you a cup of your favorite warm drink.

you look at the cup and chuckle lightly, “how did you even make this?”

he shrugs with a smile and presses a kiss to the tip of your nose.

“I…” you take a deep breath, “dreamt of you…um—dying.”

he hums , thoughtfully, and rocks both of you gently, “that does sound awful, but!”

“but?”

“that’s not something you need to worry about, gorgeous,” he calmly says.

you stress, “but, satoru, you’re only human; you’re not immune to death.”

he rests his forehead on yours, “but I can avoid it more than most, plus even if I do die—which is unlikely, you will never get rid of me unless it’s old age—I will always be with you, hun.”

you sigh, knowing that there is no arguing with him, “just…take of yourself, satoru; I don’t know what I would do without you.”

he nods and kisses your shoulder, “I will do my best, sweets.”

“I am sleepy,” you yawn.

he chuckles, “I know, y/n.”

“I am tired,” you cuddle closer.

“I know—“

“I love you.”

he smiles, “I love you too.”

taglist: @magenta-cat-drawingss @scul-pted @dazaisdeathwish @requiem626k @nameless-shrimp @shinys-bsd-world-1 @sonder-paradise @ravenina14 @jessbeinme15s-notebook @todorokichills @ginneko @missrown @shrynkk @simplyxsinned @beautiful-is-boring @starlostlaiba @izukus-gf @irethepotato @thekaylahub @dazaisbloodybandages @aeanya @sweetcloudsimp @moon-catto @the-midnightskies @pianopuppygirl @fiona782 @kisakitwister @imjustasimpxd @psychopotatomeme @dreamcastgirl99 @watyousayin @doobiebochana @laylasbunbunny @hojicha-expresso

copyright © tender-rosiey

do not copy or plagiarize or you will be smacked

[pintadorartist]

KOSA may return to the HOUSE

Recently, 32 state Attorney Generals have sent a letter to Mike Johnson urging him to pass KOSA. This comes after reports that Senator Blumenthal (Connecticut) says he talked to leadership, and they said they'd pass it.

While there isn't an exact date for when it will be voted on, it's still a good idea to remind your representatives to vote no on KOSA.

Call, email, and Fax these people as much as you can, since they are house leaders:

Dems:

Hakeem Jeffries

(202) 225-5936

Ayanna Pressley

(202) 225-5111

Ilhan Omar

(202) 225-4755

Jamaal Bowman

(202) 225-2464

Cori Bush 

(202) 225-2406

GOP:

Steve Scalise

(202) 225-3015

Mike Johnson

(202) 225-2777

And here are scripts to call, email, and fax; If your Representative is a Democrat use this one:

"I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA. Nearly 200 human rights and LGBT organizations total came out in an open letter opposing it. The ACLU is against it. Hundreds of thousands of Gen Z, who actually live online, are against it. We know the harms of social media, and we know this is not the solution. The new language does NOT meet any concerns brought up, in fact many organizations were ignored. Major news have reported that this bill actively harms kids. We do not want this. 

The rewritten bill would still allow any state attorney general, and now the FTC, to sue any website for “harmful” content. When you have Republicans calling anything LGBT “sexual exploitation” or anything about race “CRT” to successfully ban books and teachers, then they will use any justification to censor the internet. The Missouri attorney general used “mental health” successfully to ban gender-affirming care with backed up research. Suicide rates will skyrocket for marginalized youth with this bill restricting content.

Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language. KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies. Furthermore, updated language threatens encryption the same way the Earn It Act does. How is this protecting children’s privacy?  KOSA actively harms kids. Do NOT support this bill. Thank you."

If your Representative is a Republican, use this one:

"I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA, the Kid’s Online Safety Act. This is a dangerous bill that will harm children and censor pro-life off the internet. Many news organizations have reported that this bill actively harms kids by exposing their private data to strangers under the guise of protecting them. We need to hold Big Tech accountable, but KOSA is not the solution.

The bill let any state attorney general and the FTC to sue any website for “harmful” content. Do we really want blue state lawyers deciding what can and can’t be allowed online? Big Tech is already censoring us. That’s why they support KOSA. This is massive government overreach. We need a bill that actually protects children by creating better security measures instead of bringing about more censorship to everyone. 

Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language. KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies, which would put them in further danger. This also exposes everyone else. How is this protecting children’s privacy? What parent would want their child’s private data in the hands of strangers like this? KOSA is actively putting kids in danger. It censors our freedom of speech. Do NOT support this bill. Thank you."

Also call, email, and fax your Representative:

Here are some petitions and letters to sign; they both have a call tool:

[petalsscribbles]

3. first impression

"We're here, young master." The driver says, capturing Yn's attention that was up until now stolen by raindrops sliding over the car window, imagining they are in some sort of one on one race.

"Thanks. I'll see you at 3." Yn says as he gathers his things, gets out the car and unfolds his umbrella.

The rain isn't particularly heavy, but it's not your usual springtime shower either. The school's building lives up to it's reputation. The academy is well known for it's prestigous status, famous alumni and snobbish appearance. The architecture is old but well kept, the gardens and yard are neat and tidy.

Here goes nothing.

Other students run by him covering their heads with their bags as they try to get to the school as dry as possible. Yn wonders why most kids didn't bring an umbrella, but he supposes not everyone obsessively checks the radar like he does.

"Excuse me, are you Yn Ln?" Someone asks right at the entrance as Yn shakes the droplets off his umbrella. The boy is dressed in the schools uniform, face-wise about the same age as everyone else but taller than most.

"Yes, that's me." Yn confirms. The boy smiles and holds out his hand.

"I'm Lee Heeseung, the vice president." Yn takes his hand and shakes it. It's ice cold, but he decides not to comment. "Mr. school president asked to take you on a tour personally once he's done with his duties for the day. He should be finishing up by now, actually. I'll take you to him. Shall we?" Heeseung explains and points towards the staircase in a gentlemanly way.

"So uhm..." Yn starts, having no idea how to start a friendly conversation. "What's your favourite planet?"

Heeseung looks taken aback but doesn't question it.

"Venus, I guess." He answers a few beats later.

"That's a good one. Did you know Evening Star and Morning Star are both actually Venus? The acid clouds in its atmosphere make it very reflective and shiny so people think it's an actual star."

"Really? That's cool. What else should I know about my favourite planet?" Heeseung says and Ynn doesn't have to be told twice.

"A day on Venus is longer than a year. It takes 243 Earth days to rotate but 225 Earth days to orbit around the Sun. Also..."

"Sunghoon's gonna love you." Heeseung chuckles to himself, quiet enough to not interrupt Yn's Venus fact-spitting streak.

The rest of the way is spent by Yn's ramblings about Mars and Heeseung patiently listening.

"We're here." Heeseung announces, knocking twice on the door frame. The school president turns around to face the two, flashing Yn a friendly smile. Everything about his looks is unfairly perfect, as if he was chiseled by God himself. Yn doesn't know whether to feel insecure or stare in awe.

He makes his way towards them with long strides but stops midway, his lips curving into a frown and eyes turning dark red. What once was a welcoming expression is now contempt. Disgust.

Heeseung takes a step forward, shielding Yn with his tall frame.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you Sunghoon? Snap out if it right now." Heeseung warns. Sunghoon's eyes go back to normal, but the scowl stays as pushes past them and leaves the classroom.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No, you didn't do anything wrong. I don't know what's gotten into him today. I'll text Jungwon and he'll slap some into him." Heeseung reassures.

"I see." Yn says, feeling a little dejected. His only hope is that he'll be in a better mood next time they meet.

"Well, I guess that leaves the touring duty to me. Follow me."

They resume their little walk around the academy, but Yn can't help a glance in the direction Sunghoon went, the hateful gaze still lingering in his mind.

A/n: The Living Sculptures of Pemberley is such a great song to listen to while writing frfr

taglist CLOSED

@starchasing-cryptid @foxilsdenn @moonslie04 @kkurbys @winter-world @bleedingxheartt @gnusihcom @dkmyman @mortifesboy @kkyoluv @teoluvsyou @bubblztaro @conwunder @xavi-in-kpopland @monstaxpuppy @gabrielllx @tarotarosung @livingsecret

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[tomorrowusa]

It was a record shattering week at ActBlue – the site which raises money for Democratic candidates, causes, and charities.

Since autumn of 2020 Ryan Murphy at GitHub has been tracking donations to ActBlue. The most money previously given to ActBlue had previously been during the seven days starting 27 September 2020. Last week ActBlue raised $252,517,168. All but the first 13 hours and 46 minutes of that was after Joe Biden stepped aside and Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Not ALL of the money raised at ActBlue was specifically for the Harris campaign. But comparison with the previous week (beginning 14 July 2024) shows that Kamala-Mania was a HŪGE factor.

July 14th - July 20th: $61,349,601

July 21th - July 27th: $252,517,168

US: Kamala Harris campaign raises $200 million in one week

The presumptive nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris to run for the Democratic Party in November's presidential election continues to make waves in US politics. The Harris campaign team said on Sunday that in her first week since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and the party coalesced around her, the candidate raised over $200 million (€184 million) in donations. "In the week since we got started, Kamala Harris has raised $200 million dollars. 66% of that is from new donors. We've signed up 170,000 new volunteers," Harris' deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

^^^ emphasis added

Keep in mind that Elon Putz has pledged $45 million a month to pro-MAGA PACs – i.e. $225 million. Trump is soliciting $1 billion from oil execs. Far right Silicon Valley tech oligarchs like Peter Thiel are also getting involved financially with Trump.

So there's no time to rest on our accomplishments. Freedom is not free and we need to continue to offer our own volunteer and financial support to pro-democracy candidates like Kamala Harris.

In 2020 there was a stretch when ActBlue took in over $100 million for eight weeks in a row. That's part of what it took to evict Trump from the White House. A similar effort will be needed this year to keep him out.

BTW, visit Ryan Murphy's ActBlue tracker. It's updated every 10 minutes.

ActBlue Ticker Tracker / Ryan Murphy | Observable

[coimbrabertone]

The Best F1 Season For A Non-Contender?

Well, the biggest story coming out of the 2024 United States Grand Prix is without a doubt the Verstappen/Norris thing.

To recap, Lando is coming after Max hard, gets run on the backstraight after run on the backstraight, but keeps going to the outside and can't pull the move off.

Finally, on lap 52, Lando has a good enough run that he's ahead, on the outside, but ahead. So what then?

Well, Max Verstappen is on the inside so he just divebombs to get the apex, goes wide, pushes Lando wide with him, and Lando has to pass around the outside in the runoff.

He's finally ahead.

Except no, fuck you, this is F1 and fun isn't allowed.

So the stewards are investigating this move where no contact was made, nobody got hurt, and there was enough runoff all around to land an Antonov AN-225 in.

And Lando gets the penalty. Lando.

Why? Overtaking off track.

Lando is 4.1 seconds ahead at the end of the race, gets dropped behind Max in the standings, everyone on social media is pissed. Some people - who are wrong - think that Max had the right because he was in front at the apex, others think Lando should've just given the position back and retaken it on track, which probably would've been the smart play in retrospect.

It's also kinda the racing equivalent of cuckolding though, isn't it?

Like, are we really watching for someone to have to give up a position to avoid getting a penalty?

"Ah yes sir, you drove me off track like a prick sir, but here's the position sir, have a good one sir."

Ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm sure this is the 97th different place you've heard about this incident, so I'll leave it there. Instead, I'm gonna talk about something overshadowed by all the petty bullshit going on between these two championship contenders.

And that's the fact that Charles Leclerc is quietly putting together a dream season.

First, he wins the Monaco Grand Prix. Winning Monaco is already a feather in the cap for an F1 driver, but it's also his home race, so that might just be one of the most special wins imaginable. Especially when you consider how miserable Charles' luck at Monte Carlo has been before now.

Then, he wins the Italian Grand Prix in a Ferrari for the second time, no less. He's won his own home race and he's won his team's home race, what more could you ask for in a season?

Well, the first race weekend back from his birthday on October 16th, Leclerc goes and leads home a Ferrari 1-2 at the United States Grand Prix. Now, I'm an American so the USGP is a special event for me - I wrote a blogpost all about its history last week - but I recognize that isn't the case for the Monegasque Leclerc.

Still, a GP win is still an amazing birthday present.

What a way to bounce back considering he was disqualified last year for plank wear as well.

So, that's three wins on the season, each one having something special about it. Does that make it the best season ever for a non-contender?

Well, that's a difficult question.

First things first, what do we consider a contender? In a way, everyone is contending for the championship, so they're all contenders.

Is it a potential shot at the championship then? Eh, probably not, because Leclerc still potentially has a chance at winning the championship.

So how about this: being a contender is having a realistic chance at the championship. So the championship leader and the direct challengers.

This year, I'd argue that's just Max and Lando, since Max has had the best car for years and started the season with easily the best car, while Lando has benefited from a recent surge by McLaren.

For another example, in 2007, I'd argue that Raikkonen, Alonso, and Hamilton were all contenders, but Massa was not.

So how about Massa's three-win season that year?

Well, he won Bahrain, Spain, and Turkey.

Two places without much connection to him, and then a track he already won at the year before.

In that respect, I'd argue 2006 was a more meaningful season for Massa. His first year in a Ferrari, he's far off Alonso and Schumacher, but he takes his first win at Turkey and then gets to win his home race at Brazil, solidifying his position as best of the rest.

Button 2010?

Eh, he's the reigning champion going into a good team like McLaren and ends up dropping away from the championship pack after Korea, and only takes two wins to his name: Australia and China.

I can't think of a reason those races would be special for him.

What about Button in 2011? Is he a contender that year? That's actually hard for me to say. He's second, he was painted as the challenger to Vettel, but he finished more than a hundred points off. Is that much of a rivalry?

Then again, can we really say 2011 only had one contender?

I'm not sure.

Canada, Hungary, and Suzuka are a decent set of tracks if you're gonna take three wins in a season, especially given how Canada went down, with it being Jenson's career drive.

That one could count then, I reckon.

How about further back in history?

What about 1966, when Ludovico Scarfiotti did literally two races - Germany and Italy - and won the latter. An Italian winning the Italian Grand Prix in a Ferrari has got to be special, right? Especially when you consider that this is the last time an Italian won the Italian Grand Prix. Not just in a Ferrari, but at all.

I suppose it's also as close as F1 has ever gotten to that 2006 Valencia Grand Prix in MotoGP where Troy Bayliss returned to MotoGP, filling in for the injured Sete Gibernau at one race at Ducati.

A race with Bayliss proceeded to win.

Troy hadn't won any races in full seasons with Ducati in 2003 and 2004, nor in his partial campaign with Camel Honda in 2005, but he comes back in 2006 as a replacement rider for one race and goes on to win that thing.

It's a wonderful racing moment, and Scarfiotti at Monza in 1966 is probably as close as F1 ever got to that.

Oh here's one.

Jody Scheckter in 1976. The whole world is watching Hunt vs. Lauda, McLaren vs. Ferrari, and here's Jody Scheckter in a six-wheeled Tyrrell casually winning the Swedish Grand Prix, taking four second places, and ending the season as best of the rest.

The Swedish Grand Prix was a great race for these one-off weird winners actually. Scheckter in the Tyrrell P34 in 1976, Jacques Laffite in the Matra V12 powered Ligier in 1977, and of course 1979 with Niki Lauda winning in the fan car.

Ooh, speaking of 1977, I think we have a contender!

...A contender for non-contenders? Yes actually.

Mario Andretti in 1977. He's got the Lotus 78, the first ground effect car in Formula One history, and it's not quite ready to win the championship, but it's still going on a tear.

Winning the USGP West at Long Beach, a home race for Andretti. Then winning at Spain and France, and finally winning the Italian Grand Prix, the other race Mario could call home. That sounds like an awful good season to me, potentially even better than Leclerc this year. He also finished third that year, so it lines up there as well.

How about this? We'll see if Leclerc can win another race or two this year, and if not, then I'll give it to Andretti. 1977, the best championship season for a non-contender.

Feel free to leave any notable seasons I missed in the comments below, I'm eager to hear what seasons y'all can come up with.

P.S

In other news this weekend, we had the Australian Grand Prix in MotoGP. Jorge Martin won the sprint and Marc Marquez the main race. The sprint was pretty uneventful save for a few scary crashes right at the end - particularly Bezzecchi and Vinales in turn one, with both riders thankfully walking away okay - while the race saw a pretty dramatic battle between Martin and Marquez at the end.

I don't exactly cheer for either guy, so it was a bit meh for me, but at least Phillip Island put on a good race.

As for NASCAR...quite frankly I didn't watch this weekend. I was watching F1 and after that I had a headache and I was mad about the Max/Lando stuff, so I just didn't want to bother with it. I hear Logano won though, which means he goes on to the championship four. Cue up the even year memes.

Even Penske tweeted a joke about that.

Penske tweeting jokes. Heh, that's a new one.

[burningcrab]

how im imagining ᵐʸ drifter's relationships with the hex. obvy subject to change once the expansion drops and we get to know them better

arthur: you know the sibling thing where you go open your sibling's door and talk to them about stupid shit and then flip them off or something and walk away without closing the door. she does that when he's in the security office. beyond that i don't think they have much of a personal relationship. years of fighting solo in duviri means she struggles with having a commander so she probably gives him heartburn when she fucks off to do her own thing in the field

aoi: they should be at the club. specifically drifter should be at the club learning how to stop fumbling women. aoi gets them shots because drifter says she doesnt get drunk. sadly drifter has only been drinking weird duviri beer as imagined by a teenager for most of her life so the first time she gets drunk off tequila and fireball and shit she freaks out and thinks shes actually dying and turns invisible in the bathroom. aoi drags her back out to dance and then they have a homoerotic midnight atomicycle ride back to base

lettie: seething because learning vazarin healing backfired and now her stupid void body won't let her manufacture "accidental" injuries. she can't even get a paper cut and ask lettie to kiss it better because she heals too fast. drifter is down horrendous for lettie but between immunity to mild injuries and a fear of rodents its just a disaster. meanwhile lettie likes drifter more than any of the rest of the team because at least drifter's dumbass attempts to play hero on missions don't require intensive care afterwards like arthur's "Tank Incident"

amir: listens and nods while amir explains the gameplay of caliber chicks 2 at 225 wpm for six minutes. tries playing with him but doesn't get the appeal so she just sits around while he plays and offers unhelpful and irrelevant advice whenever he dies. like "you should try parrying" when he loses tetris or "do a bullet jump" in a racing game. she also steals his energy drinks, which is probably good for amir but definitely bad for everyone else who has to deal with hopped-up drifter

quincy: drifter works best with him in the field out of all the hex members. he says it's because she's really good at being annoying and distracting and getting in the enemy's face with a shotgun so he can line up his shots. she says this is true, and thank you very much quincy thats sweet of you. drifter loves to be annoying and quincy is the only one smart enough to weaponize that. drifter is also permanently banned from shooting contests with quincy after she blew a hole in the wall with a plasma shotgun instead of using a normal gun for target practice

eleanor: oscillates between wanting to help eleanor and getting annoyed with her cryptic bullshit. also oscillates between thinking the mind control/telepathy thing is completely terrifying and thinking its awesome (and kind of hot). absolutely cannot stop asking eleanor weird questions and will keep it up until she gets the psychic equivalent of a sucker punch and her nose starts bleeding (which heals before she can get to lettie). sometimes she tells eleanor stories about the lotus.

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 7, 17 mars 1886, Paris. Modèles de l'ancienne Maison Cheuvreux-Aubertot, 7, boulevard Poissonnière, à Paris. Comptoir de robes. Bibliothèque nationale de France

No. 3. — Rosine. Costume de voyage garni de velours, fond de jupe laine, de 120 à 140 fr. Avec fond de soie et étoffe plus riche, de 170 à 200 fr.

No. 3. — Rosina. Travel suit trimmed with velvet, wool skirt, from 120 to 140 fr. With silk background and richer fabric, from 170 to 200 fr.

—

No. 4. — Trotteur. Costume de courses. Jupe en écossais ou tissu rayé nouveauté, corsage-veste, avec gilet de différents tissus, avec fond de laine, de 150 à 180 fr. Fond de soie et étoffe plus riche, de 200 à 225 fr.

No. 4. — Trotter. Suit for the races. Skirt in plaid or novelty striped fabric, bodice-jacket, with vest in different fabrics, with wool background, from 150 to 180 fr. Silk background and richer fabric, from 200 to 225 fr.

—

No. 5. — Eva. Costume de visite, en étamine rayée cachemire, tunique et corsage en uni, garniture de velours, de 250 à 275 fr. Le même, avec jupe de velours, rayure soie, de 300 fr.

No. 5. — Eva. Visiting suit, in cashmere striped cheesecloth, plain tunic and bodice, velvet trim, from 250 to 275 fr. The same, with velvet skirt, silk stripe, 300 fr.

—

No. 6. — Manon. Costume en cachemire de l'Inde, garni velours, panneaux avec soutache en broderie, de 275 à 325 fr.

No. 6. — Manon. Indian cashmere suit, velvet trim, panels with embroidered soutache, from 275 to 325 fr.

[21st-century-ninja]

Thursday fic liveblog time!

All right folks my heart is still racing from doing a 225 wpm test so feels like the perfect energy to dive back into the OSSAS series by @cboffshore! I'll be picking up with Coughing Up Feathers tonight :D

Tags are, ofc, #fabro liveblogs fic and #fabro reads ossas

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1955 Chevrolet 210

TECH CHECK Owner: Eric Mead, Evansville, Indiana Vehicle: ’55 Chevrolet 210

Engine Type: BluePrint Engines Chevrolet LS3 Displacement: 376 ci Compression Ratio: 10.7:1 Bore: 4.070 inches Stroke: 3.622 inches Cylinder Heads: BluePrint Engines aluminum Camshaft: BluePrint Engines hydraulic roller (0.612/0.585-inch lift, 225/238 deg. duration) Ignition: E38 Engine PCM Assembly: BluePrint Engines Exhaust: Church Boys Racing by Stainless Works 1-7/8-inch primaries to 3-inch collector and 2.5-inch stainless pipes bent by Dave Favor’s Performance Exhaust, MagnaFlow Mufflers Ancillaries: Holley mid-mount accessory drive, PRC radiator and core support, SPAL Fans Output: 530 hp at 6,100 rpm, 508 lb-ft at 5,200 rpm

Drivetrain Transmission: ’99 GM 4L80E Automatic with TransGo valvebody kit prepared by Wathen’s Transmission (Owensboro, KY) Torque Converter: FTI Billet 3,200 stall Driveshaft: Driveline Plus Rear Axle: Strange Engineering 9-inch with Truetrac differential, 3.70 gears, 35-spline axles

Chassis Chassis: Roadster Shop SPEC Front Suspension: Strange single-adjustable coilovers, stabilizer bar Rear Suspension: Strange single-adjustable coilovers, parallel four-link, Panhard bar Brakes: Baer four-wheel disc, 12-inch front rotors with four-piston calipers, 11-inch rear rotors with four-piston calipers, Baer Remaster master cylinder

Wheels & Tires Wheels: Bogart Racing Wheels D-5; 17×4.5 front with 2.25-inch backspace, 15×10 rear with 5.5-inch backspace Tires: Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R front, 26×6.00R17; Mickey Thompson ET Street S/S rear, 295/55R15

Interior Upholstery: Holtsclaw Custom Upholstery (Francisco, IN) Carpet: Cars Inc. black loop carpet Seats: Original bench seat with black-and-white vinyl Delray pattern Steering: Summit steering column with Eddie Motorsports steering wheel Shifter: Lokar Dash: Original Instrumentation: Dakota Digital VHX HVAC: Vintage Air Wiring: American Autowire by Andy’s Hot Rod Shop (Mulkeytown, IL)

Exterior Bodywork and Paint: Reisinger Custom Rebuilding (Evansville, IN) and Andy’s Hot Rod Shop Paint: Sateen Silver/white by James Smith of Road Runner Restorations (Johnston City, IL) Hood: Stock Grille: Danchuk Bumpers: Danchuk Glass: Auto City Classics Fuel Tank: 15.5-gallon Tanks Inc. galvanized powedercoated silver

[hirocimacruiser]

Tommykaira tb brochure.

racing form

The legend of beautiful reincarnation begins.

named tommykaira

full specs

Well-established horizontally opposed 2 liter

twin turbo engine

Tommykaira has reached the limit of his trustworthiness.

For flashy spec performance

unrestrained

tommykaira original

We pursued "maximum effect with minimum changes."

boxer engine

Distinctive exhaust even in the past

With delicate tuning of the exhaust system

Play an even better sound

Evolved into Tommykaira sound.

The wagon has been reborn as a sports machine.

tommy kaira original

Digital meter modeled after racing machines.Indicators for peak torque and shift points also add to the mood.

sports dynamics

Neatness and quality.

balance and performance.

Tommikaira's ``face'' has been refined with a subtle animal-like sensibility.

The aero form, which has become a mass of texture and aggressiveness, is very exciting.

The heightened tension exceeds that of the original.

Driving into the realm of legend with a background in racing engineering.

Tommykaira tb

Tommy Kaira's emotional tuning in search of the ultimate driving taste that cannot be measured by specs

The ultimate in suspension tuning that faithfully reflects the driver's intentions. Please enjoy the exquisite seasoning that makes full use of the know-how that Tommykaira has cultivated in the racing field. The driving seat is also equipped with an original sports seat (optional) designed for sports driving. The joy of driving a wagon is expressed in every detail.

performance

Maximum output: 295ps/7000rpm 278ps/7000rpm(AT)

Maximum torque: 35.3kgm/6000rpm 33.3kgm/6000rpm(AT)

option

●Original seat ¥93,000

●Seat rail ¥15,000

Set price ¥108,000

・18-inch tire wheel set (with special nuts) Wheels are "Tommy Kaira 2", tires are "Dunlop SP SPORT 9000"

Wheel size: 7.5JJ×18+52 (F/R)

Tire size: 225/40ZR18 (F/R)

Set price ¥148,000

・Seat & seat rail price is for 1 leg. The price is the same for both driver and passenger seats.

The above prices include installation fees.

Mizuryo price (registered Sutou River, consumption tax not included) ¥3,890,000

●AT will be increased by ¥65,000.

Kyoto store delivery price

・The photo is a model taken in the catalog, so details may differ from the Kasha.

・As this catalog is a printed matter, the body color etc. may appear different from the actual product.

・Other options, specifications, equipment, body color, etc. follow the Tomita catalog.・Specifications, prices, etc. are subject to change without notice. Thank you for your understanding in advance.

TOMITA

dream factory

http://www.amsinet.ne.jp/~tomita/

e-mail: tomita@mb.amsinet.ne.jp

[mariacallous]

Gold Star Ratfucker Democratic Representative Jared Golden said not only does he want Biden to drop out, but he said, "Trump is going to win, and I'm okay with that."

Y'all know what to do:

(202) 225-6306 (DC office)

(207) 241-6767 (Lewiston office)

(207) 249-7400 (Bangor office)

(207) 492-6009 (Caribou office)

Moderate House Dem: ‘Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that’

Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), a moderate Democrat, published an op-ed Tuesday arguing former President Trump is going to win the election and he’s “OK with that.”

Golden, who has held his seat in the House since 2019, wrote a piece published in the Bangor Daily News, headlined, “Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine,” in response to the outcry of concern from his party following President Biden’s lackluster debate performance.

The Maine congressman argued that Biden’s on-stage presence didn’t rattle him like it did others because the outcome of the 2024 presidential election has been clear to him for months.

“While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that,” Golden wrote.

The House Democrat argued that others in his party are concerned that if Trump wins the election this fall, it will be a threat to democracy. The proclamations from Golden’s party were only exacerbated after the Supreme Court on Monday granted broad immunity to Trump in his Jan. 6 case.

Golden said he rejects the idea that Trump will overturn American democracy. He said sounding the alarm about a Trump victory ignores the strength of a nearly 250-year-old nation.

“Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system,” he said.

Golden, who served combat tours as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan, noted that Jan. 6, 2021, was a “dark day.” Still, he said, police officers, judges, state election officials, members of Congress joined to defend democracy like members of the U.S. military.

“This election is about the economy, not democracy. And when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House,” Golden wrote.

By January, Golden believes Trump will once again occupy the White House and Maine’s lawmakers must be willing to not only hold him accountable, but to work with him.

“I urge everyone — voters, elected officials, the media, and all citizens — to ignore the chattering class’s scare tactics and political pipedreams,” Golden wrote. “We don’t need party insiders in smoke-filled back rooms to save us. We can defend our democracy without them.”

Golden, like all other House lawmakers, is up for reelection this year. He will take on Maine state Rep. Austin Theriault, a Republican, in the general election this fall.

Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan index, ranks Golden’s district as a toss-up. Trump carried the district by 6 points in 2020.

His op-ed is a stark contrast to comments from Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who on Tuesday became the first House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to remove himself from the race.

In a post on social media platform X, Theriault said Golden’s piece was “a very phony attempt to avoid accountability.” He asked Golden if he supports Biden or not and whether he believes the president is mentally competent.

“He won’t say, because he puts politics ahead of Mainers,” Theriault said.

[mingiswow]

Chapter 01

CW: hate speech; hate comments; mentions of sexual assault; mentions of homelessness; mentions of drugs; mentions of eating disorders and diet culture, commentary on the industry, YN is introduced as mixed-race, half being Korean, and the other part is never mentioned.

YN's POV

“Soloist yn yln was recently seen at a restaurant in Hongdae with k-hiphop rising star Lee Ryuk” “The love is in the air: yn yln was spotted in Hongdae with Lee Ryuk” “More than just a song, yn yln and Lee Ryuk were seen together in Hongdae this weekend” 1. [+568, -0] Wow I can’t believe they are together. She's so much better alone. He’s just not worthy of her. 2. [+499, -5] yn and Ryuk are great singing together but I don’t want them to be dating.  3. [+486, -0] I just can’t accept that she did that to us! Ryuk is not good for her! 4. [+320, -67] You are all complaining about Ryuk but he’s the best thing yn could get. She’s just famous because she’s the niece of a Chaebol.  5. [+309, -0] Ryuk is not a good man. He smokes and drinks like an old man, yn deserves someone much better and that will treat her right. I bet it is fake. 6. [+225, -6] yn is a grown woman and she can do what she wants but that doesn’t mean I agree with her choices, she deserves so much more than a man-child like him. He mocked a lot of people before and was not held accountable. I don’t believe yn would date him. 7. [+175, -0] I won’t be a yn fan anymore if she confirms to be dating Lee Ryuk. I don’t want to be connected to these types of people.

My manager sighed by my side, her nails insistently tapping on her phone screen, probably dealing with my problems.

“Can you stop reading those stupid comments?” she spoke, her eyes still glued to her phone. The woman didn't even have to turn to you to know what you were doing. 

“I’m being massacred by a relationship that is already over” I turned my head to the window, watching as the quiet morning started to slowly awake. The buzzing started to slowly increase as people started to leave their houses for work. Seoul waking up.

Then there was silence, a quiet agreement between us both that I needed my space and peace before having to deal with the storm of fans outside the music show studio.

My mind was racing with thoughts. I felt guilty, ashamed, embarrassed. All my company’s staff worked hard for me to be where I was in my career; all for me to ruin it because of a shitty fuckboy, because I was dumb enough to fall for his words and charm. 

My management company was nicer than most of the ones in the business, allowing me to be - somewhat - free since I was their biggest name. My albums, shows and merch being their biggest source of income. 

I met Ryuk when we collaborated on one of his songs. He was the rapper, and I was the soothing voice on the chorus and bridge. He was a very talented man, one or two years younger than me, and having debuted a few months more than a year ago. He was nothing but nice, sweet and kind to me, saying romantic and flirty stuff all the time, treating me like a princess. So, me, being the hopeless romantic that I am, fell for him, blinded by all his red flags. 

Ryuk liked to play it cool to the public eye, saying stuff just for the clout, and acting like someone he did not seem to be. Not that I didn’t do that, it was part of our job after all, playing an act for the people who watched us. But his problem was that he was getting more and more problematic with his words. And the worst part was that his company was encouraging him.

Then he started to act like that with me after a few months of dating, showing his true self, ditching our dates - that it took us weeks of preparing since our schedules were always so full - to go out for smoking and drinking with his friends, coming back to my apartment completely drunk and high, asking for things I wasn’t comfortable to give him yet. Not that I was a virgin, it was that I wasn’t comfortable enough with him to do it.

The final drop was when one night he appeared in my apartment out of his mind trying to force me to sleep with him and when I refused he started yelling, spitting at me that I was a prude, then I was a whore, the throwing a bunch of gifts I had just received from my fans on the ground and walls, breaking and destroying them.

Last night we finally met at the same restaurant where he asked me to be his official girlfriend almost a year ago. I forgot to make a reservation so our table was a little visible from the windows, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to end all of this. So I did. I broke up with him and I was really glad I did in a public setting, otherwise, he would probably throw a tantrum. He just resumed his madness sending me a fudging paragraph of a text message, and proceeding to wait for my reaction. The text was far from nice, saying all the worst things and calling me all the worst names someone I thought once loved me could say. But I guess it’s better being written than screamed at my face in front of a bunch of unknown people.

I was so out of my mind, and, not gonna lie, relieved, that I failed to notice the crowd of fansites and paparazzi waiting for us outside the restaurant when we left. I just wanted to leave that place, to go back to my apartment and cry like a little kid in the arms of my manager. No. To cry like a grown woman who had her heart and trust broken.

“The director said we can have a meeting after the recording, is that okay?” I hummed confirming, still not looking at the woman by my side. “YN, sweetie, I know it’s a hard thing for you but soon a new scandal will appear and everyone will forget it” her soft hand caressed the top of my head and down my arms, squeezing my hand warmly.

“I know. I just feel so… disappointed in myself” I turned my attention finally back to her and met her motherly expression looking at me. “All the signs were there and I still chose to ignore it. I’m sorry”.

“Don’t be” Jiah shook her head, her smile never disappearing. “If the director says anything to you, I’m here to defend you, ‘kay? You’re my little girl and I’ll fight for you with my life” I chuckled and nodded, laying my head on her shoulder and letting a few teardrops fall.

Being a soloist was hard, especially after leaving my previous small company when the failed group I debuted in disbanded for an even smaller one. And even more, being a mixed-race idol. But I didn’t give up. I couldn’t give up. Not after so much work put on it. It was my biggest dream, even if that meant I’d have to go under extreme diets, plastic surgery, and training sessions that would last longer than my body could stand.

But I was lucky enough to be found and signed by my current company, they were far from my previous one. And the other ones around. They didn’t pressure me both physically and mentally, they wanted me to be true to myself and my art, wanted me to make good music, with soul, purpose. In the beginning, I didn’t debut per se, I was launched as a regular Korean singer,  outside the k-pop industry. The company, and myself included, didn’t mind if I stayed in the indie valley of Korean music, being known only inside the country, but after my first EP and music video as a solo artist was released, I regained a lot of my fans back, as well as new ones that truly enjoyed my music. I was praised by netizens and music websites articles for my raw and emotional music, which I always proudly said I was the one writing and even helping produce. 

After a few more releases, I was finally invited to participate in my first music show stage.  The rest was just a huge domino effect. Music shows, comebacks, officially being part of the K-Pop Industry™, participating in variety shows, and even having my own vlog series on my YouTube channel.

Me, my company, and all the staff were really happy with my success because they didn’t know if I was going to make it further than a few music shows appearances due to the way I was free to be the most of myself. Truth be told, the industry is merciless, those who don’t look the same, act the same, and even sound the same are ostracized, judged, bullied. I saw some of the prettiest people in the country being bullied online for such stupid things, things that did not make sense anywhere else but this industry. But I made it, I was the point outside the curve, the spark of hope for a change in the business, a role model for girls and boys who looked just like me.

The buzz of the city started to fade in the background as the loud screams of fans outside the studio started to increase closer and closer I got from it. I felt my hands clammy with anxiety, the rate of my heart increased absurdly fast and my breath become quick, short and shallow.

JIah was the first to leave the car, the square sunglasses framing her face perfectly as she walked with her perfect posture, making her look even more professional, and dare me say, scary. She was respected and loved among my fans, everyone knew how hard she worked for me and I always made sure to thank her every time I had the opportunity.

I took a few deep breaths before leaving the black car, shaking my head trying to make the bad thoughts go away and just focus on my fans and performance. As soon I left the car, I was flooded with even louder screams and flashing lights everywhere I looked. If there I was something I would never get used was the camera flashes going off all at the same time. They blinded me and made my head hurt, it even became a joke among my fans that from ten pictures taken of me, nine I would have my face scrunched or my eyes closed.

I bowed and waved to my fans, loads of them holding signs and gifts. I looked over at my manager who bowed her head and I went to talk to the people gathered in the cold air to get a chance to see me. Even after all these years, I still don’t get used to the fact that these people came to see me, to support me and my art. I smiled happily as I signed their albums, pictures, and notebooks, took some selfies with them, recorded special videos for their friends who couldn’t be there. 

I was really glad none of them brought the Ryuk issue up, only asking questions about my music, my comeback, if I had eaten or drunk coffee already, or even saying loving words about my work.

I made a few more poses for the ridiculous amount of cameras before bowing and sending flying kisses to the people and entered the studio, the warmth of the place’s heating system embracing me like a plush comforter was wrapped around my shoulders.

My lungs took the deepest breath I could, the anxiety slowly fading and taking place by another type of anxiety, this one more manageable and already known to my body.

“YN~ssi, please follow me” a girl a few years older than me, and a face of a few friends, called for me and my team. I followed her suit as I bowed and smiled at the other staff and a few other idols I met on the way, making sure everyone was treated equally. “Your performance is in a bit more than an hour, I’ll be calling you fifteen minutes before you go up on stage, make sure to be ready on time” I nodded and she left the room.

“She could at least pretend” Jiah spoke as the door closed in front of us, going straight to the table of goods. I always wondered if the other groups had the same table as me, and if they had, if they were allowed to eat. “Ugh! I love mubank so much, they have the best coffee” the woman grabbed two of the paper cups, giving one of them to me, which I gladly accepted.

After a few sips of coffee, my team finally started to work their magic on me as one of them recorded me for my vlog. 

My concept for this comeback was easily on the list of my favorite ones, it was very colorful, almost decora-like, inspired by the aesthetic of the early 2000’s. My hair was painted in a beautiful pastel shade of pink with half of my bangs and a single thick strand of hair in the front dyed blue. My hairstylist put it up in two high pigtails braided with extensions to make them look fuller and longer. I loved this look so much, It made me feel like a teenager again, being a little rebellious and experimental with my fashion and hair.

When I first debuted I was only sixteen, practically a child, with a mind even younger and immature due to years of training and lack of social interactions outside the company and the girls who would later debut with me. I wasn’t fully aware of the implications of our concept back then, I was just happy that I managed to debut. Being the maknae, I was constantly babied by the girls, the company, and our fans. But some of the fans - especially older men - were very… creepy, to say the least, with me. Both in person and online. I remember being scared of going to fan signs and fan meetings. And reading the things they’d say about me and my body online always made me sick, I hated it. But the company used me and my popularity among those men to the group’s advantage. As the comebacks passed, my clothes started to get smaller and smaller, to the point where my safety shorts were appearing. The choreographies became more explicit and sexual, and I felt like my parts, the ones where I was the the center, were even nastier. 

But, to my company's dismay, that didn’t stop your group from flopping. Two of the girls left due to unfair treatment and payment. They tried to replace them by putting three new members but only a few months after that one of the new girls got involved in a drug and cheating scandal and was kicked out of the group. The company started to treat us badly, not promoting us properly, and abusing us both mentally and physically, until the only two other original members besides me placed a lawsuit against our manager, an old disgusting man, who assaulted us. I didn’t have the money to pay a lawyer to sue them, but I got happy like I did when they won the case. The group was then disbanded and the company shut down.

After that, I felt lost, terrible, useless. I lost all my sense of self. That group was everything I had, everything I was. Without them, who was I? What I was going to do from then on?

For months, I used the little money left to stay at cheap hotels and look for places to work as I also looked for open auditions for other companies. I got severe allergies and rashes from bed bugs and other microscopic beings living in those old beds. I tried to reach what was left of my family but nobody answered, not that I expected them to, but it never hurts to try. 

After all my money was gone, I spent a few weeks going from house to house of my former members, who I still kept and keep contact with, but they also had their issues and I didn’t want to bother them any further. 

Then an angel appeared in my life. Jiah. She met me at my most vulnerable moment. I was sick, anemic, starving. I was living on the streets when she found me and recognized me. Jiah then took me to her house and gave me a warm shower, warmer food, and even warmer clothes. At the time she had a boring office job and was struggling with her at-the-time fiancé. She asked for a sign, something that showed her she needed to change, to leave everything behind and start all over. She considered me her sign. So, after that, she left her fiancé, and figured out she was lesbian, and all that pent-up anger inside her was her internalized homophobia crushing her. She left her job and started to work freelance for some of her previous clients. The real change came when I asked her to become my manager after I signed my new contract. 

Since then, she’s been by my side, being the manager I always needed and the mother I always wanted. 

“Fifteen” I heard the staff’s voice from before sound from the door, awakening me from my trip to memory lane. I was so lost, so disassociated from reality that I even realized I had my hair and makeup done, as well as dressed up.

“How long was I out for?” I asked Jiah, her eyes never leaving her tablet, already used to my moments of introspection. 

“Almost an entire hour” she answered and turned to look at me. “Try not to disassociate when doing other stuff, doll” she winked and nudged my side with a smirk, my cheeks heating at her comment. “Let’s go before I have to deal with that girl again”. 

We both left the dressing room and were met with another group in front of your door coming back from their performance. Their hairs were sweaty, falling to their faces and some of them had even taken part of their outfit off. I saw a camera behind them before bowing politely since they were my sunbaes, well, at least from my solo debut perspective. I excused myself before leaving for my performance but not without noticing a few murmurs and noises from the boys getting behind.

“I think you have famous fans” I jokingly slapped Jiah, giggling as I felt my cheeks heat a little.

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