#the great leaking of 2020

[homodennis]

feel like i'm 15 again hyperfixating on sunny rn but i'm having the time of my life

[maxillness]

🇦🇺 || From People You Know, To People You Don’t || MW2 x Piastri!Driver!Reader

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex, Danny being our favourite honey badger, angst, (slight) yearning, age gap, praise kink, self hatred, nipple play, secret relationship

Wordcount: 7.4k

You can read the request here

Some of the timeline don't match the real timeline, but just skip that fact please

Being 21 and in formula one having won both f2 and f3 championships in her first year, her parents were proud of her, as well as her younger brother

She was hyper excited when she got the news that Oscar would be driving for Alpine doing the 2021 season

She loved her brother to death. She always loved karting with him, and always did when they were younger

He always hated it, but only because she always won over him. Always beat him. Besides that, he loved it as much as she did

They always had a close relationship. They told each other everything. From girls and boys, to nasty homework, to what they dreamt of

So how did it change so suddenly for the worse?

A few days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix during the 2020 season, she had been at her apartment in Monaco, lazily watching tv as her phone rang

Osc🫶

She picked up the phone, putting it on speaker as she paused the show she was watching

“Ain’t it past your bedtime?” She asked, teasing him as it was only 8 o’clock

“I have news” He said, excitement running through his voice. She waited for him to speak up “I got a contract with Alpine”

“What?” She leant forward, putting her elbows on her knees “You got a contract with Alpine?” She heard a faint hum on the other side “For when? 2022?”

“No, next year” She could hear the excitement in his voice. It was like when they were younger and they would get candy right before bedtime

“Next year? Isn’t that a little late to make a contract?” She asked, confused as why it was this late

“It has been un-going for a while, but I only got the official call today” He explained, hoping she wasn’t mad he hadn’t told her before

“That’s great, Osc. I’m excited to drive with you next year” She said. It was obvious she was smiling as she spoke

“Yeah, and with Logan racing for Williams next year too…” Logan and Oscar was close, she knew that, but as they now were rivals, she was afraid they would fall apart

“Yeah, that’s great, Osc. I’m proud of you”

Being in Qatar at pre-testing was wonderful. The break was finally over, and she had gotten to see her brother again

She sighed as she sat down in the car. She felt great. She felt at home. She missed this. She needed this

She felt bad when a week later she qualified ahead of Oscar. She wanted him to have a good first f1 quali, but he had accepted at this point that she was the better, and more experienced driver, so he didn’t let anything bad about it cross his mind, but only congratulated his sister

She finished ahead of Oscar as well at the race. She felt bad, but on the track, Oscar was nothing more than a rival. Not her friend, not her brother. A rival

It kept going like this. Her finishing ahead, but in qualifying and in the race, him always congratulating her behind hurt eyes

A few races into the season, and she stood in the garage looking over some data, mindlessly looking over it with her manager and mentor, Sebastian Vettel, not noticing Andrea stepping up behind her

“Piastri, can I have a word with you, please?” He asked, putting a hand on her upper back

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” She seamed concerned, as well did Sebastian

“Not here” He shook his head lightly

She stood up from the chair and following him into an empty part where they could talk in private, not disturbed by anyone

“What is it?” Her voice was shaking slightly, afraid she would be dumped by the season

“I know I shouldn’t say this two days before a race, but better hear it from me than a leak from twitter” He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest

“We’re replacing you as of the 2022 season” She knew it. She knew it would be like this

“Okay… With who?” She expected someone like Lewis, Bottas, anyone than the name he spoke

“Oscar” He sighed, looking down into the ground, avoiding her eyes

“Oscar?” She asked “You’re replacing me with Oscar?” She rose her voice a little, getting frustrated at his words “I’m the better driver of the two of us, and you’re choosing Oscar?”

“Yes. Yes, we are” He still didn’t date to look in her eyes, knowing this was what she lived for

“You’re making a big mistake, Stella” She said before leaving

As she walked back into the garage, a camera was all up in her face which she pushed away without looking into it

“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked as she sat back down beside him

“They’re replacing me with Oscar next year” She sighed, not meeting his eyes as he wanted

“What? Why?” She just shrugged at his words, knowing as much as himself

During the next few races and the days in between, she had gotten all sort of messages asking why she was replaced, how she felt about it, etc.

It wasn’t just from the other drivers, but other team principals, other celebrities, fans, you name it

Her responds was always the same; ‘thank you for your concern, but I know as much as you do’

The Hungarian Grand Prix rolled around, and she was tired. She was tired of all the tweets and online stuff at all

She had a good quali, getting in the second row, again outing her brother. As well as the race

She had gotten p1, which she hadn’t gotten in a while. She felt at home again as she heard her national anthem get played and she looked down to Sebastian who was smiling up at her

She sat at the press conference, feeling her still damp hair soaking through her shirt

She sat at the far left with Lewis beside her, Fernando, Max and Daniel filling the table as well

It was nearing the end. She loved press conferences, but she really just wanted to be back at her hotel room and sleep the night through

“Y/N, how do you feel about McLaren signing Sebastian as Oscar’s Manager for next year as well?” She was utterly confused

“What do you mean? McLaren’s not signing Sebastian for Oscar” She was even more confused when Lewis pulled out his phone and opened twitter

It was McLaren’s official account, stating that Sebastian would be Oscar’s manager for next year. The four other drivers looked over at her, worry in their eyes

She sighed, looking out to the crowd again “I didn’t know about this change, but if it what they believe are best for the team, the there’s nothing I can do than continue the season out and prove to other teams that I deserve a seat next year” She spoke softly and without emotion, but her eyes were glassy and hurt

She loved Sebastian, she wouldn’t be where she was today if it wasn’t for him. She didn’t wanna part with him, but if the team believed that was for the best, then let them be with it

The conference ended and she was sat back in her drivers room. She leaned back into the couch. She was trying so hard to hold back, but a few tears had slipped down her cheeks silently

She quickly wiped them away as she heard a knock on her door “Come in” She sniffled softly as the door opened

It was Mark Webber. She hadn’t really thought about it up until now, but he was as unemployed as she was next year

“Hey. Are you in a mood to talk?” He stood in the doorway, not wanting to pry her if she didn’t want to be in his presence

“Sure. Sit” She moved more to the side, giving him space to his tall figure

He closed the door behind him before walking over to her, sitting down beside her, turning his body to face her slightly

“I’m sorry about all that have happened to you, you don’t deserve it” He said, meeting her now dried eyes

“You’re as unemployed as I am. You shouldn’t be apologising for something you didn’t do” She scoffed, feeling bad he felt like he had to apologise

There was a silence between them “You seriously didn’t know about it?” He asked, leaning in a little closer to her

“Not until Lewis showed me” She chuckled “I haven’t even seen Sebastian since. Though I would have a talk with him, but I think he’s hiding from me” She looked into her hands placed in her lap

“Sounds like him” He said “Avoiding his problems until they become serious enough” He sighed as he spoke “You gotta catch him before he have a chance to scram” He chuckled, Lightning the mood in the room

“This helped. Thank you, Mark” She sighed, smiling up at him, straining her neck a little as she had to look up at him

“Of course” He should leave now, but he didn’t want to “I thought about something” She hummed low

“I’m jobless next year, and if you get a seat next year, which you probably will, I was just thinking-“

“That’s a good idea, Mark” She said, noticing he was rambling out of nervousness as to what she would say to his thought

She was beyond mad. She was fucking pissed. He took her seat, he took her manager and mentor, and her parents had taken his side?

The season had started again after the summer break. She hadn’t talked with Oscar or Sebastian since the conference in Hungary

She couldn’t dare to look either of them in the eye, and she hated that she still had to work with Sebastian

She still loved having him as her manager and mentor, but fuck did she want to pull his head off his body

She needed to talk to Sebastian, as well as her brother, but one talk at a time

“Talk” It wasn’t a question as she pushed Sebastian into an empty corridor of the hospitality

He didn’t look at her as he leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest

“I trusted you, Sebastian” Her voice was hurt, but she kept on a brave face as well as her eyes dried

He didn’t say anything

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He was still quiet “You’ll never get my trust back” She sighed “You know what? You’re an asshole. I lost my seat, and you chose the person who took it from me. That’s a fucking shit move”

She could feel the tears starting to swell in her eyes as well as her fell and raised quicker than normally

“I fucking trusted you” Silence “You don’t even have the heart to apologise” Silence “Everything Mark said about you is true” She walked away from him, wiping a tear that had shed down her cheek

Daniel gave her a questionable look as she walked out. She only nodded softly, taking the hint, he smiled at her

After quali that weekend, she stood behind a stack of unused tyres, typing away on her phone. She was so dazed in her fingers moving that she didn’t t notice anybody walk up behind her

“I’m sorry” She was slightly startled by the familiar voice. She turned around to see the hurt eyes of her younger brother

She sighed as she turned her phone off and put it in her back pocket “Why is it, that the people I trusted the most turned against me? Care to explain?”

“Y/N, I’m sorry. I thought I was replacing Daniel-“ “Don’t bull crap me, Oscar. You knew, as well that you knew Sebastian is gonna leave me, and you chose not to say shit”

He didn’t say anything, his throat closed “You took my seat, you took my manager and mentor, and our parents are on your side”

“I used to feel bad that you were referred to as my brother and not by your name. Now? I don’t give a shit. I trusted you with my life, Oscar. And I’m gonna say the same thing to you as I did to Sebastian. You’ll never get my trust back”

“I’m sorry” She only scoffed before she walked away, going back to the motorhome

She went through the season barely being able to look eye to eye with Sebastian, and hadn’t even talked with Oscar since she cursed him out

The same week as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, she had gotten a call from a number she didn’t recognise

“Y/N” She picked it up and put it to her ear

“Hi Y/N, it’s Christian Horner” She was surprised as the two of them really hadn’t talked as much as people would think

“Hi, what can I do for you?” You could hear the surprised tone in her voice as she sat down on the couch

“I was just thinking if you wanted to come over and talk about a potential contract” She could hear his smile trough the phone

“Really? I mean sure. Now or…?” She could scream if she wasn’t on the phone

“Whenever you have time”

The next morning, she had gotten thousands of notifications from twitter as she woke up. She only got to check them when she was driving to the paddock

They were all about her being spotted shaking hands with Christian outside of the Red Bulls motorhome

Everybody was saying the same thing in one way or the other ‘Is Y/N getting a seat for next year?’ ‘Is Y/N replacing Checo for the 2022 season?’

She had seen and liked to a lot of them, but no way in hell could she do it to all of them as there were too many to even show in her inbox

“I feel bad I can’t tell them anything” She sighed talking to Daniel who was seated beside her

“You’re going to get that seat, and then you can tell the world” Daniel has always been nice to her. She liked him, he was a good friend

“Thank you, Danny” She smiled, getting one back in return “Thank you for not saying anything”

“Can’t tell them things I don’t know about, can I?” Talking to the fellow Aussie was something she looked forward to lately

In that moment her phone rang

Christian Horner

“Speaking of the devil. Y/N” She put her phone up to her ear, looking out of the window to her right as she did

“Hey, Y/N. Great news. The seat is yours if you sign the contract today” She immediately looked to her side to Daniel with a big smile

“I’ll be there as quick as I can. I’m almost there” She heard a faint ‘good’ on the other side “And about my request?”

“Mark is free to join us as well if he’s ready to come back here” She couldn’t contain her smile

“Thank you so much, Christian. I will make sure he knows. Thank you” She hung up the phone and turned to Daniel

“If I sign today, the seat’s mine” Her smile was as wide as Daniel’s normally was, if not wider

“That’s great” He pulled her into a tight hug, slightly difficult by the seatbelts they were wearing, but it didn’t matter in the moment

“You deserve the seat more than anyone” He hugged her a little tighter before letting her go, his hands still on her upper arms

“Thank you. You really are the greatest” He let go of her arms as she reminded to make a phone call

She scrolled through her call list, finding the one labeled with Mark’s name. She heard the phone ring through a few times before he picked up

“Hey, mate. What can I help you with?” She liked the way he called her ‘mate’. It was like a sweet thing that was between the two of them

“Hey, I got two great news” She said, stepping out of the car as they arrived “First of all; I got the seat for next year, I just need to sign the contract”

“That’s awesome” She heard the smile in his thick accent “The other?”

“Second of all; you’re going with me” She had stopped outside of the Red Bull motorhome, before going to her own

“Seriously? Christian agreed on that?” He scoffed, sounding surprised in some way

“In my opinion, I think he misses you” She felt good that she had made him laugh on the other end. She liked that she could do that

“I’m not so sure, but thank you for telling me before I saw it somewhere else” She sighed as he spoke “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out that way”

“No, it’s fine. Look, I gotta go, but I’ll see you, yeah?” “Of course, see you” She hung up before she headed into the Red Bull motorhome

As she walked into and out of the motorhome, she got glances from all the staff that was there. She did look out of place in her papaya shirt, but it surly wouldn’t be that

She walked into her own motorhome. She had a big smile on her lips as she greeted people in her way

By the look on Andrea’s face, she figured he had already heard about her new contract, as well as Zak that was stood beside him

She ignored than as Daniel walked over to her, hugging her again, as tight as he did in the car before

She was excited for the race, not only because she made first row in quali at p2 beside Verstappen, but because it was Abu Dhabi

If she had to choose a favourite Grand Prix, it would probably be Abu Dhabi. Even if she knew there was no way in hell she would win the championship with the amount of points Max had in his books

It was more likely Lewis was going to win the championship as he was tied with Verstappen on the points

She had finished in p3 that day with Lewis in p2 and Max p1. They all three were soaked in champagne as they got off the podium

“Congrats on the championship” She said as she shook hands with Max

“Thank you. Heard about your seat next year. It’ll be good to be working with you” He said, his slight lisp working on his tongue

They turned towards Lewis as he walked up to them “Congrats to the both of you” He said, putting a hand on both their shoulders

“Thank you” They both said in sync “I’m sorry about it” Max continued, pitty swelling in his eyes

“Hey, man. It’s fine, we’re athletes. It is what it is, congrats though” He said, pulling him into a side hug that would be easy for him to get out of if he wanted to

As she came back from the winter break and into the Red Bull’s motorhome wearing something else than the papaya colours she normally wore, she felt like she had started her life all over

She hadn’t talk with Oscar since he came to apologise, as well as Sebastian since Abu Dhabi

She felt good as she stood in her drivers room, as well as she was drenched in nervous sweat

She turned around at the sound of a knock on the door as well as it creaked open

“You’re going to be okay, Y’know” Mark said as he noticed the way nervousness was splayed on her face

“I’m nervous as shit, Mark. It’s fucking Red Bull. I can’t fuck this up” He walked closer to her, shutting the door before he did

“I know, but you’re going to be just fine. Why would they give you the seat if they didn’t think you deserved it, hm?” He had put his hands on both of her biceps, making her look up at him

“I don’t know…” “Exactly. You deserve this seat. You’re gonna be great, besides, it’s only pre-testing” He smiled as he pulled his hands away

He walked back over to the door “Blue looks good on you, by the way” He said smiling before he walked out

For some reason, she felt heat all over her body as he spoke the words. She tried shrugging it away, but she could pull the smile off her lips

There was no use in being good in pre-testing, but she would tell herself she did good. And the praise from Mark… She was afraid it would be something she would yearn for

She didn’t admit it, but qualifying above Oscar the following week had satisfied her more than anything else

And then when she also finished well above him… She didn’t even feel bad, which she probably should as she hadn’t spoken to him in half a year and skipped Christmas because of him, but she didn’t really care in the moment

She didn’t win the first Grand Prix of the year, but being up on that podium again after the break and seeing Mark standing down there and smiling up at her, she finally felt at home again

She caught the eye of Oscar as she walked through the paddock after the race, but instead of prolonging the eye contact like usual, he just turned away and kind of stepped closer to Sebastian who was walking beside him

That was the moment she felt bad. She stopped in her tracks, looking after her brother

Mark stopped as well, taking a step closer to her “You okay?” He asked, but his words didn’t reach her ears “Hey” He put a hand on her cheek, turning her head towards him “You okay?”

She sighed, feeling herself lean into his touch subconsciously “Yeah. Sorry, I’m fine. Just feels a little bad for Oscar”

His hand still lingered on her cheek. It was there way longer than what should have been appropriate

“Don’t. He took your seat and your mentor, you shouldn’t feel bad” He said, removing his hand, and she almost let out a whine at the loss of contact

“Yeah, but I skipped Christmas, and I know how important it is for Oscar and my parents, whom I haven’t spoken to either in a while” She looked down into the concrete, seeing on how close their feet were

“You’re gonna be alright, mate” He sighed, leaning down to pull her into a tight hug

As he pulled away, her body burned through the clothes she wore where he had touched her

She of course knew that she would be close with Mark as they would work together, but she had gotten closer with him in that little time than she had ever been with Sebastian

She kinda of hated herself for it, knowing damn well she would get too attached if he would ever leave her, even though he swore he wouldn’t

She still had the doubt

It was bound to be, with everything that was taken from her, she was bound to have the doubt that everybody would leave eventually

“You happy about the home race?” She asked as she walked with Mark into the paddock

“So happy. I’m tired of staying in hotels” You could see the shine in his eyes as he spoke, obviously happy about the whereabouts of the race

“Understandable” She said as they walked into the Reb Bull motorhome, her body disobeying and flushing red as Mark’s hand placed on her lower back to lead her in

She missed the warmth of his hand the moment he didn’t touch her anymore. She sighed as she closed the door to her drivers room

She slid down the door, pulling her legs flushed up her chest and banged her head back against the door

This was normal, right? It was normal to develop feelings for someone who you worked very close with

She didn’t feel like this with Seb. Seb is a friend. Sebastian was a friend

This wasn’t normal

She was startled as she heard a knock on her door. She scrambled to get up. She sighed before opening the door

“Are you okay? I heard a small bang” It was Max. He must’ve heard her

“Yeah. No, I’m fine, really. Thank you though” She smiled, nodding slightly as she spoke, her hand still on the door handle

“Okay. Good luck today” He went to walk about, but she called his name and he turned back “Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?” She was hesitant in her words, and it was obvious

“Sure. Anything” She took a step to the side so he could walk into the room with her “What’s up?”

“It’s normal to like someone you work closely with a lot, right?” She asked as he hat sat down on the couch

“Yeah, I would think so- hold on. Is this a personal question or hypothetical?” She froze, afraid he had seen right through her

“Does it matter?” She asked, her voice cracking slightly

“Of course it does. If this is a personal question, then I’m gonna find out who you like from the team no matter if you’re tell me or not, and why would it be a hypothetical question?” He explained, yapping a little too fast for her to follow

“It’s for a friend, Max. She works with her manager very closely, and she’s afraid it’s not normal because she didn’t have the same feelings with the last one” She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest

“Oh. Well, love is normal, and you can’t decide who you like and don’t, so yeah, I guess it is normal” He shrugged leaning back into the couch

“Okay. Thank you for the help” She said, Max now standing up

“Of course. Glad i could” He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him

“Thank god” She whispered to herself, letting out a deep and long breath

Doing the rest of the week, she kept replaying the conversation she had with Max every time her thoughts said that it was wrong to have the feelings she did

It was finally race day. She had unfortunately had some mechanical issues during qualifying and ended up in Q2 and with Max on pole as usual

The start is good, not perfect, but better than she had expected. She managed to get out of the cramped site with no scratches and a few overtakes

Max is far ahead. Nothing else expected from him. She manages to get into p2, getting the call over the radio that she’s faster than Max, closing in on him

She got up to him, but he kept blocking her as she tried to overtake him “Is he gonna let me through or what?” She asked her engineer

“Give me a second” They said, presumably talking to Lambiase as more than a second went by “You can overtake”

“Thank you” She sighed as Max gave her space so she could overtake him, getting ahead of him in a fraction of a second

She cheers as she crosses the line at the last lap. Seeing her team cheer for her as her first win for Red Bull

She had a big smile on her lips as she looked over the crowd as her national anthem played. She got a quick glance at Max to her side, obviously annoyed at her win

She looked back, seeing Mark in the crowd. She made eye contact with him, making her subconsciously clench her thighs together

She thought it was obvious, but maybe it wasn’t, because he didn’t look like someone who saw, neither did the two drivers standing next to her

The whole team and some other drivers went out to a nearby club to celebrate. She decided not to drink too much as she was a light drinker

“Hey, I’m gonna head back to the hotel” She said, walking over to Mark

“I could take you to mine. Then you don’t have to sleep at the hotel” He offered, knowing it sounded inappropriate

She thought so as well, but the thought of being in Mark’s house, sleeping in his house clouded her mind, and she had agreed before she could think about it

It had all been a blur. From Mark calling a cab, to the drive to his house. He helped her get her coat off, hanging it up on the rack. She kicked her shoes off, placing them neatly on the floor by the wall

“You want anything to drink? Eat maybe?” He asked, as he got his own coat and shoes off

“I don’t wanna trouble you” She said, looking down into the floor

“I’m offering, mate. You want anything?” She nodded slowly, drawing a smile on his lips “Coffee?” He asked, putting his hand on her lower back, guiding her to the kitchen

She put a hand over her cheeks, hiding the blush on her face when his hand left her back. She thanked him as he put the mug in front of her, placing one in front of himself as well

“I feel like you’re the only constant thing in my life that hasn’t left me for my brother” She sighed, looking down into her coffee “I’m grateful for that. I love that” She sighed before she took the mug to her lips “I love you” The words were whispered and hidden by the mug, almost impossible for him to hear

“What?” She froze, afraid he had heard her. She shook her head slightly, putting the mug back down

He sighed, moving to take the seat beside her, turning the chair to face her “I love you too” He spoke low

She turned his head to him, but quickly turned away again “No you don’t. Nobody does”

She didn’t get to register that he had turned her head with his hand on her cheek before his lips were on hers. She kissed back before he pulled away, hand still on her cheek

“It’s impossible not to love you” He stared directly into her eyes, making sure she understood his words

“Kiss me again. Please…” Her eyes drifted to his lips, and back up again “Please, Mark” He chuckled before connecting their lips again

She removed her hands from the mug, placing one of them on his jaw, the other placed softly on his upper thigh

His tongue swept over her bottom lip, resulting in her opening up for him immediately, whimpering at the feeling of his tongue against hers

Both his hands went to her hips, pulling her into his lap, making her yelp at the sudden movement

His hands went under her shirt, settling under her bra covered breasts, her own arms slotted around his neck

She started rolling her hips, getting none of the friction she wanted, resulting her to whine into his mouth at the frustration

“Mark. Please” She whimpered against his lips, hoping he would do something about the ache between her legs

His hands went under her ass as he kissed again. He stood up, pulling her with him, her lags attached around his hips, their lips still intertwined

Before she could think about it, her back was pressed down against the bed of his bedroom

He hurried to get her shirt off, throwing it to the ground, his lips now on her neck, nibbling softly at the skin

His hands went to her back, unhooking her bra, pulling it down her arms, throwing it with her shirt

She whimpered, almost moaning as his thumbs ghosted over both of her nipples, feeling them harden under his touch

“Mm. Sensitive” He smirked slightly, lips going back to her neck as he continued to play with her nipples

“Mark. Please” She rolled her hips, hoping to get some friction her clit, her hands grappling tightly at the sheets beneath her

He pulled back and sat up on his knees in between her legs, his hands pulling down the shorts she was wearing

She shivered at the feeling of his finger tips tracing down on the outside of her thighs as he pulled her panties down

He leaned down, kissing from her lower stomach and up between her breasts. His fingers teased her entrance as his lips went around her nipple, flicking it with his tongue

“Fuck. Mark, please. I’m begging you, please” She rolled her hips, trying to get him to get his fingers inside of her

“Patience, love” He mumbled against her skin, finally pushing his fingers inside of her

She let out small moans and whimpers as he started moving in and out of her, slowly starting to stretch her out

She moaned louder as he started curling his fingers, hitting just the right spot inside of her. The spot that made her back arch up into his mouth and her eyes roll into the back of her head

“Right there. Fuck, feels so good. Please, Mark. Please” She pleaded, not knowing for what, but whatever he could give her

He pulled out of her as she started clenching around him. She whined at the loss, but it didn’t matter when he pulled back and started discarding of his own clothes

Mark was gorgeous, but under the clothes? She might just’ve came right then and there

As he leaned down to kiss her again, her hands were all over him. His back, his chest, his waist, his hips. Everywhere she could reach

His lips went back down to her neck as he put her legs around his hips, pushing himself closer to her

She closed her eyes and whimpered as he slowly entered her, groaning in the progress of it, sending tingles all the way down her spine

“Fuck. You’re so right around me” His breath was hot against her skin as he slowly started to move inside her, drawing out whimpers and small moans from her

“So good for me, baby” He murmured, kissing her jaw, her whole body flushed at his praise, his moans starting to get louder

“Sounds so good for me” He groaned, starting to set a faster and steadier rhythm “Fuck. Feels so good”

“Mark, please” Her back was arched off the bed, hands gripping so tight on his biceps that she was afraid she would have broken through his skin with her nails

“What, baby? Tell me what you want” She whined at his words “Tell me. It won’t hurt” She slowed his hips down, groaning as she clenched around him

She whimpered before she spoke up “My clit. Please” He chuckled and sped his hips up again

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He asked with a smirked, trailing his finger tips down her body, landing on her clit, rubbing it slowly

“Fuck. Please. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop” She trembled under his touch, rapidly clenching around him, drawing out soft and low moans from him

“Mark, please. ‘M so close. Please” She squirmed under him, her orgasm so close she could taste it on her tongue

“Come for me, baby” His words almost cut short with a moan threatening to slip out

She didn’t hesitate a second before she came. Rapidly clenching hard around him, pulling him closer to the edge of his own orgasm

“Mark, please come in my, please” She whined as his thrusts became sloppy and out of rhythm

“You sure?” He had planned to pull out, but if it was what she wanted, how could he deny her?

“Yes, please. I want it” He managed a few more thrusts before he stilled his hips as he came inside her, her name rolling off his tongue in a low moan

He slowly pulled out of her, drawing a whine from her as he laid down beside her. He pulled her limp body into his, kissing the top of her head

“I’ll run the tub” Mark said, starting to get up

“It’s late. Can’t we just wait for tomorrow?” She asked, pulling him back down

“No. We’ll shower and then we can sleep. Okay?” She kissed her temple before she let him go so he could turn on the tub

“Come on, love” She helped her up from the bed, pulling her body flushed against his own, guiding her towards the bathroom

He knelt down to test the warmth of the water before he helped her get in. She leaned slightly forward so that he could get behind her

“Don’t fall asleep yet, my darling” He said snaking his arms around her soaked body, noticing she was dozing off

“I don’t wanna go home tomorrow” She sighed, her hands going up and down his arms

“You could always stay here until you need to go again” He said, kissing her cheekbone

“I could?” She asked, turning her head slightly to look better at him

“Mhm” He nodded softly, eyes drifting all over her face, looking at all the small features of it he had never before

“I just need to get my stuff from the hotel tomorrow then” She leaned her head back against his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat in her back

It was the best 11 days she could ever imagine spending with him. She had never felt better. Never felt more loved in her life

“Hey, Y/N” Daniel caught up to her as she walked down the paddock “Anything interesting happened since the last time?”

“Y-yeah. I guess so” She felt a slight blush creeping down her neck

“Really? Wanna tell me about it?” Daniel asked, slowing their steps down and looked at each other

She thought about it for a moment, before deciding to speak about it “Okay. But you can’t tell anyone. Okay?” He nodded softly

They stepped to the side, making sure nobody could hear them “What’s up?” He was slightly nervous, seeing herself nervous

“I got in a relationship” She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, looking down into the concrete

“Really? That’s nice. Who’s the lucky guy?” He was far too happy to what she was about to say

“Mark” She said it so low she was afraid he didn’t hear her

“Mark who?” “Webber” He froze, unintentionally holding his breath

“Daniel?” She looked up at him, noticing go he wasn’t breathing “You need to breath, Danny”

“I’m sorry” He led his breath out “Mark Webber? Like, your manager, Mark Webber?” She nodded “Okay…” He was obviously trying to wrap his head around it

“Could you not tell anyone? We’re trying to keep it a secret for now” He nodded, afraid to speak to say something he shouldn’t “Thank you. You’re a real friend, Dan”

“We look out for our own, right?”

After every race, she liked to watch clips from the garage. It gave her some sort of comfort in watching her team, and seeing Mark on screen, she would be redder than a tomato, knowing she could jump him when ever she wanted

At some point, she had drawn Mark into doing it too. They would be curled up into each others body on the couch at whose ever place they would be staying at

She would blush every time she saw a clip where they would talk to each other. On tv it looked so innocent

It looked like your normal manager giving the driver a tip or telling them something they should improve or look out for, but they knew damn different

They knew what was coming out of the older’s lips. The words were pure filth. Filth that would fuck them both in the news if any body heard

It was also then after Imola that tweets started flowing out about hers, Oscars and Sebastian’s “relationship”

How they went from the best circle to something that looked like multi 21 or brocedes if you put it the right way

“How do you feel about all of it?” Mark asked as he saw her closed out of twitter after reading a tweet about it

“It’s fine” She sighed, snuggling into his side under the duvet on the bed “Not like it’s not true” Mark snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her closer “Although, I do miss Oscar sometimes, only sometimes though”

“Of course, he’s your brother. He’s half of you, and the other way around. You grew up together, never left each other’s sides. It’s okay to miss him, even if he is an asshole” That drew a chuckle out of her

Abu Dhabi rolled around, and at this point, her and Max points were tied. She needed to win the Grand Prix to win the championship

It felt like last year all over again. She had heard about the pressure both drivers was on during the time in between the two races, but she never imagined it to be this though

She needed this. She needed to prove she was worth something, and that McLaren made a wrong move to replace her

She needed to prove to her parents that they chose the wrong side

She needed to prove to Sebastian he chose the wrong sibling

She got pole during qualifying, but the whole race, the two Red Bull drivers were battling wheel to wheel, always no more than a fraction of a second ahead of the other

When they crossed the finish line, none of them was cheering as they didn’t know who had gotten through first

“Congratulations, Piastri. You’re world champion” She heard it over the radio

“Seriously?” She needed to hear it again before she was sure

“You’re allowed to cheer, Y/N” It was now Christian over the radio

“Fuck. Oh my god” She hardly got any words out, her excitement getting the best of her, freezing her thoughts

She slowly drove up in front of the sign labeled with a big number 1. She got out of her car, going over to her team, hugging them all

She got to Mark, hugging him tightly, her helmet kinda getting in the way. She was so caught up in the moment, too focused in being in his arms that she didn’t care that his hand that was on her back slipped down to her lower back, too far to seam appropriate

“I love you so much” She said it low, hoping no body from the team heard her, but still hoping he heard her

She pulled back, going back to say congratulations to Max and Lewis who placed p2 and p3

Since it was the last race of the year, everybody went out celebrating. No matter what team they were from, they all went out to the same club

She sat in a booth with Max, Charles, Daniel, Lewis, and Fernando. They were all sitting and chatting about everything and nothing, each of them taking turns to give drinks and shots

Slowly, all of them went to other people to talk to them too. Once it was just her and Fernando left back, Mark had joined them

Fernando had left a little while later, going over to Lance to talk to him, seeing everybody else had left him sitting alone

“Congratulations, baby” He said, leaning closer to her so she could hear him over the music and people talking

“Thank you” Her eyes were so soft as she looked up at him “Thank you for being with me all the way. I love you so much” She leaned over, kissing his lips softly

“Everybody can see us, love” He said, pulling slightly back, knowing she was the one wanting to keep them secret

“I don’t care. We have all winter to deal with the PR” She smiled, kissing him again, her fingertips softly placed on his jaw, feeling him kiss her back, his hand placed softly on her waist

The next morning, she had woken up late, her arm launched over Mark’s waist while laying on her stomach beside him, her head turned away from him

She turned on her back before she sat up. She took her phone from the nightstand beside her

11:56

She sighed, then saw her notifications

Twitter 99+ notifications

She pressed it, seeing it was all responses to one tweet. Her sigh she let out had woken Mark

“What are you looking at?” He asked, sitting up beside her

“Don’t know yet” She pressed the original tweet “We were caught yesterday. Photo proof”

[allwaswell16]

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in Feb 2025. For more new fics, check out this month's fic roundup at @1dmonthlyficroundup ! You can find my other fic recs here.

- Louis / Harry -

🎀 can we please get back to loving? by journeytothepast / @suckerforhome

(E, 20k, famous/famous au) exes to lovers AU where Harry and Louis have to meet up with each other after their sex tape gets leaked.

🎀 tread lightly on my ground by fairytalelights / @lookslikefairytale

(E, 20k, omegaverse) the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

🎀 a flicker of hope that i wanna keep (please don’t leave) by localopa / @voulezloux

(M, 12k, canon) harry is in love with louis, and he had thought louis felt the same until he accidentally left his journal in harry’s home. 

🎀 Unholy by wickedarcher_08 / @wicked-archer

(E, 11k, demon Harry) When Harry Styles started acting different after his 26th birthday, Father Louis Tomlinson is the only one that may be able to save his soul. He has successfully performed exorcisms before. This should be easy. Until it isn't. 

🎀 Roman Empire by Speechless

(E, 11k, long distance) One day Louis answers Liam's phone while he is in the shower. That's how he meets Harry, Liam's friend who moved to Italy just a while ago. And that's how Liam loses ownership of his phone.

🎀 chasin' the high (but it was always you) by kingofthefridaynight

(G, 10k, friends to lovers) the one where there's always something standing in their way and they keep missing their chance. Until they don't.

🎀 Zero Complications by galactic_larry / @galacticlarry

(T, 8k, grief) Harry and Louis have only been on two dates so far, but things seem to be going great between the two of them. What happens when the third date ruins everything?

🎀 Sweetest Poison (series) by @hellolovers13

(E, 7k, witch Harry) It takes all his willpower to keep Harry from devouring it all now. Consume the raw energy that flows through it. Let it become part of him. Let it fuel and rejuvenate him. But it’s too soon. or Nothing like starting the day with a little bloodshed.

🎀 Fall With You by pointerbrother / @pointerbrotherblog

(E, 6k, canon) Harry and Louis are stuck in a hotel suite together watching the Euros 2020 final because they tested positive for Covid, and Louis is quite caught up in the game. Meanwhile, Harry is caught up in Louis.

🎀 The Nestuary by @homosociallyyours

(T, 5k, omegaverse) Louis has never gotten the hang of nesting, so when she gets an Instagram ad for a nest building service, she worries it's too good to be true. It's not, fortunately. She's hooked.

🎀 i forget (but i remember you) by honey_beeing

(T, 3k, established relationship) Where Harry has anterograde amnesia and needs Louis's help sometimes.

🎀 Just Another Card Again by @tippitytap

(G, 3k, epistolary) Dear reader, this is a story of Harry and Louis falling in love through greeting cards and being neighbours. With love, Clifford

🎀 I'll smile to hide the truth by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite

(NR, 2k, outside pov) the "Happier" AU that finds Louis' ex running into him and Harry as a couple

🎀 Accommodate This by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 2k, professor Harry) Harry's a professor just trying to get proper accommodations.

🎀 scent holding me ransom by larryftnoctrl / @the-larry-way

(E, 1k, omegaverse) Louis is obsessed with the scent of an omega he's never seen. Harry knows his dirty secret.

- Rare Pairs -

🎀 (Whoops) Here We Go Again by @lululawrence

(NR, 4k, Louis/Oscar Isaac) the one where Louis and Oscar have been seeing each other regularly on the elevator at work for almost nine months. Maybe it’s time for something to finally happen between them.

🎀 The Stranger the Better by @haztobegood

(G, 2k, Harry/Hozier) Sometimes a painful break-up can lead to an unexpected new beginning. The note with a famous singer’s phone number in Harry’s hand is proof of that. Thankfully it wasn’t Harry’s heartbreak that led to this, but his best friend Niall’s.

🎀 baking me crazy by @disgruntledkittenface

(NR, 2k, Harry/Seth Meyers) Harry bakes when he’s had a bad day. He finds out that his roommate Zayn has been texting their neighbor Seth to let him know on those days that free baked goods are available. 

🎀 Be With Me by @allwaswell16

(T, 100 words, Zayn/Louis) Zayn wants Louis to know she deserves the best. And well, Zayn is the best.

[curiositydoorunlocked]

The Recent News

Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things 5, including photos of actors on set.

Look, something about all this (the leak + the photo situation) feels… fishy, and I can see people in various tags are getting various levels of upset by it. So as someone who has been around the block a couple of times, I want to say something. 

First of all: hi, everyone! I’m glad to be here. I’ve been a fan of ST since early-mid 2020 and involved in the fandom since mid-late 2020 (on other accounts, which have since been deleted), so I feel at least marginally qualified to say what I’m going to say. That being said, I drifted away from the fandom before S5 filming began and haven't watched the show in a while; if I get anything wrong please feel free to correct me.

First I want to talk about Bridgerton S3. I closely followed that production in 2022 and 2023. Like Stranger Things, Bridgerton is a high-budget Netflix original show with a large cast, lots of public interest, an active fandom, and what I would call "special considerations" for filming. (In Bridgerton's case it's the historical element; in ST it's the sci-fi/fantasy element plus the historical element, albeit to a lesser degree.) They filmed for a shorter period of time than ST5 is expected to film for, yes, but many of the circumstances are/were similar. That brings me to my point: when Bridgerton S3 was filming, the best we got from the main cast was a handful of photos a) taken from relatively far away that b) did not spoil anything major. Luckily for us, the photos were clear, but in the end they didn't really amount to anything more than eye candy, something to get excited over.

In contrast, these photos from the ST5 set are clear, close, and most importantly reveal seemingly significant story beats/results. (Okay, the Mike and Hopper one isn't super close or clear, I'll give ya that. But it's still pretty damn close for a set that's supposedly locked down! Especially if they're filming a scene possibly related to a major character's death/disappearance!) Kinda odd, right? I'm not necessarily saying they were leaked on purpose to misdirect fans, because I'm not that confident in myself. I don’t have any insider/industry knowledge; I can only claim a healthy (perhaps too healthy?) level of skepticism. But I do want to put that possibility out there, because I think it’s an important one to consider.

“But wait,” you might say, “many parts of S4 were leaked, and leaked accurately at that. What’s to say these aren’t real too?”

That’s a fair point! Maybe production hasn’t learned their lesson from S4; maybe they’re truly terrible at preventing leaks and that’s the end of the story. Yes, they’ve spoken a little about security measures in the lead-up to S5 but that doesn’t mean those security measures were implemented well, or even at all.

Even keeping that in mind, I nonetheless implore everyone to chill the hell out. I say this again, with so much love: CHILL THE HELL OUT. This has happened before: even with the accurate leaks and clear photos we got during S4 filming, we lacked so much context. Mike and El’s “I love you” scene is a great example of this. There was quite the brouhaha over that leak in certain corners of the fandom… and yet the actual scene turned out nothing like the phrase “Mike finally says ‘I love you’ to El” implies. Another example are these photos (see above; my apologies for the poor quality!) of the Hawkins group in the parking lot of The War Zone. When those photos were leaked, I recall speculation that the scene would appear at the very end of the finale, that it related to an apocalypse situation, and so on, but not so! In the show it appeared before the final battle with Vecna: the town was in a panic, yeah, but no apocalypse.

That’s what I mean about chilling the hell out. We can’t assume the photos/leaks are genuine—and even if we did indulge that assumption (which is fair given production’s history!) we can’t assume we have the whole story.

Hang in there, folks. We survived S4 production and we’ll survive S5 production too :)

TL;DR: Hi, I’m new and also not new here. I made this account just to talk about this photo/leak situation because that’s how passionate I am about this godforsaken show. This is a little weird, but whether the leaks/photos are real or planted, stay calm. We know so little right now. Don’t waste your energy on blind panic, not when we still have another year(ish) to go.

[sinning-23]

My Latest crush is an alien car from space

SO this is the quick 1-3part fanfic I wrote in reference to the little post I made about mirage a couple days ago! Only a couple things changed and the stuff mentioned in the post prior will come up in later parts (here's the link to that if you didn't see it)

Okay so let’s just push all the events of the movie…now lmao I use a lot of current terms that would t have been used in the 80’s so let’s just keep everything the same…accepts it’s 2020-2023 yeah? Great! Fantastic! Uhhh enjoy shawty!

(heres the link to pt2 hotties <3)

Intro/Pt.1

Hot girl summer postponed 

“How am I supposed to do hoodrat things with my friends if you won’t fix this already!” You whine, resting your hip against the side of the beat-up Porsche. The paint was chipped and scraped, the seats were old and dusty and the oils it leaked stained the garage floor and the damn hood wouldn’t close. 

In short, it was kinda shitty. And a stick shift? Who the fuck drove the stick anymore?

Your dad only dusts his hands in his pants and sighs. It’s his fault for spoiling you rotten that you’d beg for a car now, and it was also his fault for promising it in the first place. 

“First of all, there will be no hoochie mama floozy business in my house.” You roll your eyes at the outdated term and shoot back with a reply.

“That’s fine! I said hoodrat anyway!” 

He interrupts you, pinching the bridge of his nose, great hair practically springing out his head. 

“NONE of that either. Tell you what, if you can apply for two more apartments it’s yours. 

You throw your hands up.

“Dad, what?! You know I hate being alone and you’re getting old! You’re gonna need a caretaker.” You reply with a bit of sarcasm and he raised a brow and the not-so-subtle insult.

“I’m not a senior citizen y/n. Just do it.” He replies back, ending the conversation with a peck to your forehead. 

“Not with the way your knees popped earlier!” You call back as he closes the door on you. 

You groan, pushing off the car you were leaning against and tabbing the roof, an audible ‘thunk’ sounding. 

“Soon shawty, you’ll be taking me shopping and clubbing in no time.” You chide, fingers dancing on the slightly lifted hood before you exit.

And before the garage light shut off, the Porsche purred, engine smoking. 

____4 months____

It was go time. You’d applied for about 3 more apartments just to appease and overachieve for your father. And on top of that, your girls decided that it was finally time to get you absolutely shit-faced in late honor and celebration of your graduating med school! The only problem was the mode of transportation.

Most of the girls weren’t going to be able to get you and an Uber wasn’t really what you wanted considering there was a perfectly good Porsche sitting in the garage collecting dust. According to dear old dad, he’d already tried time and time again to fix the damn thing but it wasn’t budging, every screw being too tight and every wire seeming to short hit it under his touch. It seems like no use. 

“Are you serious? I kept my end of the bargain.” You groan, rolling your eyes at the inconvenience 

You’d dad shrugs, throwing the dirty, oiled-up towel over his shoulder. 

“Unless you want to try, I  suggest you find another means of transportation.” He suggests, leaving you and the busted car alone. 

You sigh heavily letting your girls know a reschedule may be on the rise. You pull your French curl braid half up with your alligator clip and lift the hood, the engine was seemingly new, and the design seared into it looked a bit creepy. After brushing your fingers over the symbol, you tighten the hood screws to test if it’d close and sure enough, the problem solved ...kinda.

 You still weren't sure this thing started up. That was the main issue. You sigh, pulling the driver seat open and plotting down, dust making you fan your face and try to blow the particles away. The same symbol from before was engraved into the wheel and you brush over it again. 

“What a funky-looking symbol. I'm sure nothing a little sparkle won't fix, looks cool tho. Like an alien car thing? Wouldn't that be so silly?” You think out loud, looking in the back seat to see a tattered bomber jacket with silver and blue. Maybe it belonged to the previous owner?

You gasp when the driver's seat scoots forward, keeping you from reaching the jacket. Your chest pressed to the wheel making the horn honk. Gasping you throw your shaky hands up and swallow hard. 

“What the fuck…” You whisper out, eyeballing the symbol once again, trying to sneakily reach for the door to make an escape. 

It locks, The radio and lights inside flashing off and on as the engine revved filling the garage with smoke and the sound of your panicked screams. 

You try and pull the door open but fail again and when the radio buzzes to life you're met with a single song. Taylor Swift was amongst the madness just moments ago.

You need to calm down

You're being too loud 

You managed to throw yourself out of the car and scatter back into the house, coughing up the smoke that had still lingered from before. What the hell was that? So maybe it was an alien car. What was meant to become of your hot girl summer? Were you doomed to figure out this possessed car on your own? Exorcise it mayhaps? You stumble up the stairs and pull out your phone. Evidence that's what you needed, evidence. 

You stumble back down the stairs, Snapchat fully functional and ready to catch any evidence, and you'd be damned if you didn't go viral without a filter. 

Swinging the garage door open you point your camera to the dormant Porche. You're more so angry that you were so scared and you were NOT about to let some poltergeist punk you in the comfort of your own home. 

“Yeahhhh motherfucker where all that noise now? HUH? Flash some lights now bitch!” You yell, feeling only slightly insane talking to the inanimate object. 

You were met with silence, circling the vehicle with the flash on. Now narration of the prior events, you try to open the driver door only for it to lock. Oh this mf was playing with you. You yell in a fit of rage, smacking the hood. 

The car revs and honks at you, the door swinging open to hit your backside, making you trip. 

“HA! I GOT YOUR ASS ON CAMERA!” You yelp, camera rolling the entire time. Your breaths are raged but soon become hollow when the car starts to……change.

Your camera hand is shaking and parts of the car begin to shift into legs…waist...torso…arms…. Breath is caught in your throat as the damn near 10 ft tall figure standing before you with its hand in a more so ‘what gives’ position. 

“You are so aggressive, lil mama! What’s the deal?” It speaks, and before you could muster a response, your eyelids shut, and your brain powers down. 

Its eyes widen at your unconscious state and it sighs. 

“All that talk and she faints. Great.” 

____________

A breeze hits your face, the sound of traffic slowing to a haunt as does whatever you’re traveling in. It’s a bit easier to breathe now, but your breath is still shallow and your head is somewhat aching. What even happened before this? You were messing with the car and it was..possessed? No no, it was. 

You shoot up, head hitting the ceiling. In a panic you try and tug at the seatbelt and escape this demon car, breath bringing to pick up again. 

The voice from before speaks over the radio 

“Whoa whoa ok calm down I’m just taking you to a friend of mine! I’ll explain everything calm down.” 

And surprisingly enough, you do just that. In hindsight, if this thing wanted to kill you it probably would have done it already. You click the seatbelt off, crawling to the front seat. You take a deep breath, manicured fingers ghosting over the wheels before finally gripping it and tracing the symbol again. 

“O-Okay. I’m terrified right now. I’m in hella far from my house I’m assuming-“ You’re cut off by the voice again. 

“You’d assume correctly.” It speaks 

You blink your hand and take another breath. Lil shit had personality. Nod in defeat. 

“So…you’re an alien…but also like…a robot? What are you? And why are you a car? And why are you BLUE?” You question, calming down enough to exit the car and wait for a response from the culprit. 

It transforms again before your eyes, and you finally have a chance to examine him more. Instead of being afraid and shocked now, you’re more so intrigued. Curiosity engulfs your mind as you ponder its biology. Sure finishing med school required you to know the human body, but the anatomy of an alien and more mecha was intriguing. 

You circle it, a newfound confidence flooding you as it tried to explain itself.  Manicured fingers can’t help but reach out and touch the smooth-looking metal, the once dusty and scraped not nonexistent over his exterior. Perhaps that was a part of its species' biology, some sort of camouflage. You trace over the license place which appeared to look like more of a tramp stamp given his current transformed state. It reads, ‘MIRAG3’ and you can't help but let your hands wander around and underneath it. It twitched at the sudden touch, arching away from where your hands had touched in protest. 

“Can you stop poking around!” It yips, shooing you back. 

You scoff rolling your eyes, still observing. This was definitely a scientific breakthrough. No wonder it’s been hidden in its car disguise, you were sure there were plenty of people that wanted to dissect and use it for maybe not-so-good reasons. 

“So, do you have a name? Is it Mirage? I can’t keep calling you it in my head, feels rude.” You question, finally taking in its full frame. 

It gasps in fake hurt, placing the back of its, hand. Against its forehead? Damn, you needed to learn its anatomy so this would be less of a guessing game. 

“Call me Mirage doll.” He flirts, jutting his fist out to seal some sort of camaraderie. 

Reluctantly accepting, your plush fist touched his metal one, the metal warmer than you initially expected. Was there more of him? Why was he purposefully blowing his cover? Maybe he was just not as well thought out as the others if there were others. 

“Here come inside you should meet everyone else, Noah can explain this better to you too,” Mirage explains, scooting your forebears into the large storage facility as your shoes drag against gravel. 

Noah? Like the one that worked at your dad's shop sometimes? Like the one that sold the car in the first place? Your brows furrow hoping that maybe it was a different Noah considering how damn big Brooklyn seemed. The chances of that were slim though with the given information. 

Sure enough, walking into the facility was that same Noah, about to speak to Mirage but paused when he realized you were there, and…not panicking? You squint, arms folded over your chest. This mf had a lot of explaining to do and fast. 

“Noahhh, wanna tell me why you sold me and my father an ALIEN AUTOMOBILE?” You tell, poking your finger to his chest as he throws his hands up in defense. Time to explain and quickly.

____________

To say you were exhausted was an understatement. Your calves are killing you due to being practically kidnapped before your outing and now your head was throbbing over how much information it just revived. According to Noah, Mr. I sell alien cars here for himself into this mess because he tried to steal Mirage out of a parking lot way back when for a quick cash grab. There was this whole fight with some bad guys? Yeah someone called Unicorn? Unicron! Right, and he was gonna like blow up the world or something but he’s gone now…temporarily-

The point is, you didn’t need aliens right now you needed a margarita and some music to shake your ass too but NONE of that was happening any time soon. 

“So, feel like your brains gonna explode?” Mirage jokes, sitting against the wall of the facility and you nod, now sort of comfortable with the idea of, we’ll him in general.

 It’s not like you weren’t into conspiracy theories and whatnot, but for something like this to ACTUALLY be real was beyond you. You sigh and run your hands down your face, more upset you missed your one night out more than anything. And it was getting late, and that early shift you picked up definitely was gonna be a no-go if you didn’t get to bed soon. 

“This had been fun truly, but I need to get back home because I actually have a job and not one that involves OUTTERSPACE CAR PEOPLE.” You groan, seeing Mirage stand and get ready to go back to his, auto mode? 

Note to self, learn the terminology sooner rather than later. 

_________

It’s about 4am when you finally make it home, the car ride silent for the most part. Mirage had decided you’d had quite enough excitement for the night and just needed a lil tote quiet, but not before teasing you a bit about missing out on your ‘hot girl hood rat’ activities. 

You sigh once he parks, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, still too high off adrenaline to sleep. Maybe now was a good time to ask about that anatomy part? Getting the car your somewhat befriended sounded like a nice suggestion until sleep creeps up on you. 

Of course, sensing your curiosity, mirage transforms and lays in front of you, resting on his stomach while he kicks his feet. 

“Whatcha thinkin' abouttt?” He asks, more sing-songy than anything. 

“I want to study you actually, your anatomy, I’m sure it’s much different to a human but similar in the important areas.” You hypothesize, seeing his eyes widen. 

“Important areas? Damn girl we just met.” He teases, making you shake your head. 

“Not what I meant- I mean inside!” You respond back as a boyish grin crawls over his gestures 

“You’ve been inside too. Wow and you didn’t even take me to dinner first!” He jokes again, more so enjoying your reaction. 

It was going to be a longggg night and looking at it, a long day too.

[redphlox]

No matter how bnha ends, I'm grateful that I became invested because it brought me joy, and it gifted me the euphoric experience of getting to know one of my favorite characters ever: Touya Todoroki, Dabi. I will always love him, and he will always have a special place in my heart. Nothing can change that or take that away from me. Shouto, too. The soba brothers are eternal to me.

It's so typical of me to be drawn to the mysterious, cold, brooding characters, haha. Shouto and Dabi immediately captured my attention when I first watched/read bnha with @fox-conscious. I took a break from following the series for a few years until November 2020, when I casually logged into Tumblr after months of not checking and saw chapter 290 Dabi's Dance leaks. It must have been fate. Suddenly, I was fully immersed in the manga again, excited that the obvious familial connection between my two favorites was officially confirmed. This reveal reignited my excitement and gave me something to focus on and look forward to during a challenging first semester in grad school, when I was on the cusp of realizing I needed professional help for my eating disorder.

To deal with the stress and have fun, I turned to reading and writing meta, and trying to make friends to share the experience with. That's the most important thing that has come from following this series... I've met so many incredible people who mean a lot to me:

@haleigh-sloth has become a really dear and close friend of mine. We met because of this manga and bonded over crepes, breakfast foods, pasta or ramen dinners, shopping at the mall, swimming in the river, walking her dogs, sleepovers, traveling, and road trips because of our shared love of the characters and story. We are basically the same person and constantly say the same things at the same time. Through the ups and downs of school, work, moving, and even now, we've always had each other's backs and shared countless moments of laughter and ugly cackling because we can't take shit seriously, ever. She's one of my best friends for life and I can't imagine NOT having her around!

@todomitoukei was one of the first friends I made in this fandom. I can always count on her to make the funniest jokes I've ever heard, especially during a completely serious conversation, and I'm astounded how smart, quick-witted, and talented she is. Truly an inspiration. I always look forward to seeing notifications that she messaged me because she brightens my day <3

I've had the great pleasure of meeting and hugging @hamliet TWICE! She has a generous heart and an inviting, calm aura. Her kindness and intelligence are remarkable. I genuinely enjoy discussing all sorts of topics with her, both silly and serious: life, hopes and dreams, fears and daily struggles, funny memes, reading and writing. I also love seeing her pet photos and can't wait to meet them in the future.

@transhawks is truly my most insane friend, and I say that lovingly and in the most ironic way because he's level-headed, creative, articulate, and self-aware. I'm always learning from him. I can talk to him for hours and never run out of things to say, and I always look forward to his insightful commentary about anything and everything.

And of course, I'm grateful for all the discord shenanigans with my friends: watching the anime together, voice calls, memes, sharing ideas, etc. @chocolate-biscuit who always pops into the chat with funny one-liners that leave me cackling for days when they flash in my head randomly, @bootlickerhawks who is the bestest horse person ever and I get excited to see on my dash, @helga-grinduil who is the saltiest and funniest person on this hellsite and also happens to make the best bnhaedits in this entire fandom, @jecook who is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and can't wait to read fix-it fics from, @mettywiththenotes who sends cute dog pictures and makes the most hilarious memes. Together we are all unhinged, and I love it. Despite living in different time zones, different counties, we've all create a fun space to cohabitate, and I think that's really cool and beautiful.

Hmm. Looks like the real treasure was the friends I made along the way, and the shared trauma of having our favorite characters mishandled by their creator was worth it. Can't wait to keep writing fics, making memes, and making new friends like @shortstrawberryshake because of this manga. And, I can't wait to keep loving Touya and Shouto Todoroki, of course <3

[rivalsforlife]

pardon me if you’re tired of discussing this but. we know aa7 is on capcom’s radar on some level. and now they’ve rereleased every game right?? they’ve finally run out of backlog material after almost yearly releases since 2019…. Not to put the clown wig and nose back on too early but do you think we’ll actually get news about, or get to see, aa7 next year?

Never tired of discussing this!! This is right around the time of year where I'd be preparing to make my yearly AA7 Speculation Post anyway so this is great timing. (TGS, my enemy, is approaching.)

So just to make sure everyone's on the same page, here's a quick recap of where we're currently at:

In November 2020 we got internal Capcom leaks which included a calendar from 2019 with the roadmap for the AA series the next couple of years. This included:

DGS1&2 collection, which I did not think was going to happen ever, releasing April-June 2021

AA7, releasing around October-December 2021, right around the 20th anniversary.

Through late 2019-mid 2022, reconsider porting 456

We got DGS1&2 (a bit later than in the plan, but by like a month), we got the 456 ports, we got bonus AAI ports, we have nothing for AA7 nearly three years after it was supposed to come out. The pandemic is an obvious feature that could contribute to its delay, but at this point with 456 ports out I think we can safely say that this was not the only cause.

Some other things that may or may not be contributing to AA7's delay include:

Yamazaki, the previous main writer for 5&6 and the AAIs, left Capcom in 2020. If he was involved in AA7 at all, that could throw a wrench into things, but I recall hearing he intended AA6 to be his last AA game (I AM STRUGGLING TO FIND THE SOURCE THOUGH SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME), so I don't think this contributed very much. It does, however, mean that we're unsure about who the next main writer is - depending on what Takumi's up to or if they had to bring someone new on, there could be complications related to that.

I think TGAA did way better than anyone expected, which I covered in this post. It's possible that this could have shifted Capcom's priorities to porting more old games / porting to all modern consoles. It may have made people at Capcom think "damn everyone loves Takumi" so they tried to lure him back to AA7, and I have no idea how well that would have gone or if Takumi is even interested in continuing mainline AA right now. (I do think this at least contributed to the Ghost Trick ports.)

In my first ever AA7 speculation post I talked about how the ending of AA6 kind of wrote them into a corner re: how to continue with the series and which protagonist to use. I still stand by that argument even if a lot of that post aged badly.

Console ports! Previously new AA games were for whichever Nintendo handheld is out now (GBA, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS). But now that the series is doing really well on all consoles, they may have decided to try to make their next mainline entry on all consoles, which would take more development time. Adding to this is that the Switch is near the end of its lifecycle with the Switch 2 (or whatever the successor will be) being announced soon - meaning that, if AA7 is coming out soon, Capcom is in the position of "do we try to squeeze this into the end of the Switch's lifecycle" (which, I'll need to find sources for this, is speculated to be some of the reasons behind why AAI2 and DGS2 sold badly when they were first released, and they can't make the same mistake thrice... right...?) or "do we try to time it with the release of the Switch 2"?

Also, a lot of this depends on how far AA7 was into development whenever it was derailed. If it was derailed from the pandemic, then according to the calendar, it would likely have still been in the prototype stage. It may be early enough that they would have had to start from scratch whenever they picked it up again. I don't work in the gaming industry so I have no idea how long it takes them to make a game or how easy it would be from what stage they're in.

One thing we can compare to is some of the comments about the recent AAI ports: in this interview, Shunsuke Nishida, the producer of the AAI collection, says that development on the collection began in 2022. He also mentions that this began once development on 456 was concluded. This leads me to believe that (contrary to my previous assumptions) 456 and AAIC were not developed concurrently (or if so, had very minimal overlap), and that the process of upscaling graphics, porting, and localization took them... about a year, maybe? So that takes time, even without taking into consideration how long it would take to come up with a new idea + write the script + the bulk of the programming that would have to be done that isn't considered with porting + probably way more than I can think of because again I do not work in the gaming industry.

There's also the question of why 456 and AAIC weren't developed concurrently. The calendar from 2020 shows that TGAA and AA7 were meant to be developed at least somewhat concurrently, and the staff from TGAA would eventually merge into working on AA7. Once again, we don't know what happened to the staff that were supposed to be working on AA7. It's possible pandemic complications meant they got shuffled onto other projects. It's possible the AA-related team is smaller now than it was in 2020, so they only have enough people to work on one project at a time. It's also possible that there's a team that was working on ports, and a team that was working on a new game, and now the "port team" is freed up to work on the "new game team".

Either way though, pretty much every interview with the staff for the 456 or AAI ports are all saying "look forward to the future of the series", which is definitely Corporate Speak, but unless they're bringing the ports of the Layton crossover (fingers crossed) that can only mean one thing. (AAI anime?) Plus, like I've discussed in this post, AA is having fantastic sales in general. They've seemingly either hired a new social media manager or changed the strategy so there is much more engagement on twitter. And AA is getting on bigger and bigger announcements - though AA trilogy ports were announced at TGS (at an AA-specific panel), TGAA duology ports were announced unceremoniously on twitter. Afterwards, 456 ports got announced at the Capcom Showcase during Summer Game Fest. And now AAI collection got announced at a Nintendo Direct, which I imagine is even more expensive, so the series must be going in a good direction for them to think that's worth it!

That's a lot of rambling for me to say I definitely think it's coming.

When are we going to see it though!!

Coming up in September is my eternal enemy Tokyo Game Show. Since AAI collection is being released at the beginning of September... it might be a bit too soon to announce a new game, but who knows. They might think it's profitable to ride the hype they're building now for AAI collection to announce a new game. Or they might let it sit for a while.

With AAIC getting announced at a Direct, I'm thinking they'll want to make AA7's announcement a) big and b) global. AA6 was announced in Famitsu, but the problem with that is that it's a mostly Japanese audience, and some interviews have been talking about how AA's global audience is particularly contributing to how big it is right now. So I'm expecting AA's next announcement to be at something major and something that will get attention from overseas audiences.

If they have been working on AA7 concurrently -- and honestly I do think there has at least been some progress on it since 2019 -- we could definitely see an announcement within the next year. I was also saying this in 2020, though, so don't take my word for it. There's been two year gaps between ports up until the AAI collection, and they seemed pretty proud about releasing 456 and AAI in the same year, so... maybe they'll want to keep it going and announce AA7 within the next year, especially if they'll have a longer announcement -> release period than they normally would for ports.

Potential candidates include:

Tokyo Game Show: As previously stated, it's very close to the AAIC release, so I don't think it's the best timing for it. I would not want my favorite AA game overshadowed by whatever the hell they're going to do with AA7. Likelihood: depends on how fast they want to follow up on the hype.

The Game Awards: is the next major gaming event, but that's already massive in terms of the type of games that get announced there, and it's expensive! Nintendo Direct is one thing since AA has always been a Nintendo-first series, but I don't think it's big enough to justify putting in a Game Awards ad. and I already have my clown wig on for persona 6 there. Likelihood: pretty low tbh

Next Year's Summer Game Fest-related Shows: I think this is the most likely, considering both the 456 collection and the AAI collection were announced around this time. For AA7 I'd say a Nintendo Direct to get lots of eyes on it, especially if AAIC sales pay off. Likelihood: pretty high!

Which leads me into my wildcard answer:

Switch 2 Announcement Stream: If Capcom decides to go in and make AA7 one of the first games for whatever the switch successor would be, it could be announced here. I regret to admit that I am a very bad gamer and only like two things, and therefore have not ever been present for one of these things to know how many games get announced as launch games for a new console, but, like, it's possible.

In the above scenario, I'm not necessarily saying that AA7 would be a Switch 2 exclusive - because I think that would be stupid after so much of the support they've gotten from the ports has been from playstation and steam - but I am definitely the kind of person who would buy a console for one video game. Shoutout to me buying a switch in part anticipating that aa7 would come out on it and that is not looking likely

Anyways, that's my speculation!! Reminder that this is mostly uninformed and that I have no knowledge of anything related to sales or marketing or video game development, and as a result of that, I have been wrong (aside from the one time I accurately predicted AAI ports as a joke) for four consecutive years.

[justicescoolandawesomeblog]

MY BEST DAY EVER: MONSTER HUNTER EDITION

Allow me to give some background don't worry it gets less boring when I get into my perfect day part, but this was VITAL for you to know. You NEED to know my lore and background

2018 era- I still remember the exact moment my Monster Hunter journey began: January 26, 2018. A wide‑eyed 14‑year‑old me—Justice, living in Louisiana—saw the launch trailer for Monster Hunter: World and thought, “Whoa, you literally hunt monsters? Sign me up.” I’d never touched a single entry in the series (hard‑core veterans would probably crucify me for starting with World), but that title alone was enough to reel me in. The very second I got home, I booted up the game. I remember vividly the opening cutscenes and the hours of linear playing that followed before I was finally free to go about and do (mostly) what I wanted to do. I was hooked immediately and ran to school the next day to drag my classmate Avery into the chaos. We flailed through a very small portion of the game for a solid week before kinda just… stopping. The game felt brutally hard, and—let’s be honest—middle‑schoolers who have the attention span of a goldfish, not reading anything and skipping important information, are a recipe for disaster. Monster Hunter: World went back on the shelf, gathering dust while life kept rolling 2020 era- Fast‑forward to 2020. I’m in Tennessee now with a brand‑new friend group who finally convinced me to buy a PC. The Steam Summer Sale hits; Monster Hunter: World is cheap. I tell my friends that we should check it out. Summer was great—about 100 hours were sunk into the series, and we spent so many days just running around having fun—but, like everything, we played too much at once and got burned out right at the end of the big DLC, so back onto the shelf it went, again.

2022 era (third times the charm baby)-

Two years later, we dusted the game off again—and this is when the addiction clamped down harder than anything I’d felt before. We didn’t just clear the story; we 100‑percented everything: every quest, every crown, every achievement. The final monster (looking at you, Fatalis—my most hellish gaming experience ever) chewed us up for three straight months of on‑and‑off attempts before we finally triumphed. The dopamine rush was unreal.

2023-2024 MH:Rise & The Long Wait-

High on victory, we steamrolled through the next game, Monster Hunter Rise, and its Sunbreak DLC expansion. Then came the lull. The older titles weren’t on PC, but Capcom threw us a lifeline on December 7, 2023—the day they announced Monster Hunter Wilds. From that moment, our group chat became a nonstop rumor mill: datamined leaks, trailer‑frame‑by‑frame analyses, and wild theories about new weapon moves. Needless to say, we were excited.

February 28, 2025 – Enter Monster Hunter Wilds

After two agonizing years of countdowns and praying that our schedules lined up, launch day finally landed. My friend Avery from way back in Louisiana took PTO to play with us; my friends from Belmont—Tim, Raa’d, and Asher—and I (sorry, academic integrity) also skipped our classes and spent all day talking about the game. We stocked up on snacks—far too many snacks, if I’m being honest—but hey, we’d waited for this game for years, and nothing was going to stop it from being perfect, so dammit, I’m eating those Oreos! We spent the entire hour leading up to launch pressing the refresh button until 11 p.m., when we finally got in. There was a lot of screaming while we waited for the game to load, and the instant the servers went live, we dove head‑first into the untamed frontier.

mass panic right here as we struggled to get in ^ I'll breeze slightly quickly through this part of the story to get to the meat and potatoes a bit faster, but we first started with character creation and spent a good amount of time on it. I decided that this time I was going to use a Hunting Horn—which is basically a musical instrument for combat—so I made my character look like a clown / jester, which I thought fit perfectly. After the character was finished, we hopped into the action for real this time. 

my awesome character who i love so deeply ^

I have to say, despite the reviews claiming the game was unoptimized and ran poorly, we all had a really smooth time with the actual gameplay. The cutscenes were fluid, and we were able to join up and hunt together almost right away. The first few hours flew by as we got our bearings and figured out all the new mechanics. It played much like the games we were used to, so it was easy to pick up.

We tackled the first few hunts together, beating the hell out of the entire first area before branching out to get sidetracked on our own. Around 2 a.m. we were all geared up and ready to keep going. Exhausted as we were, we still pushed forward, playing through the entire day—and beyond—with literally no sleep. This went on for almost two solid days before we finally decided to take a small nap at the 31 hour mark and then continue.

the ganggggggg ^

After we woke up about six hours later, we got back to hunting—and I mean a lot of hunting. We fought through a slew of monsters together, multiple times, trying to snag the best pieces for our armor. Luckily, near the end there was one target we could all grind for to get ready for our first big hunt, but first let me explain something very important.

some cool screenshots i took during our fights ^

Every mainline Monster Hunter release is split into two parts: Low Rank and High Rank, with a brutal‑but‑fun Master Rank arriving about a year later as a DLC expansion. The roughly 40 hours my friends and I had poured in so far were just to reach the Low‑Rank boss (Zoh Shia), so we were amped to kick its butt.

awesome banana sword for my cat and my fluffy armor (not drippy at all and super ugly tbh) ^ Now this is where it gets fun-

Zoh Shia’s lore is wonderfully complex—especially for lore nerds like me—but here’s the short‑and‑sweet version: it was a secret super‑weapon engineered by an ancient civilization called Wyveria to defend the kingdom from an unknown threat. The weapon proved too powerful to control and eventually wiped out its creators. The last few survivors sealed Zoh Shia inside the Dragontorch, a living bio‑reactor that powers the entire continent. Naturally, the ultimate weapon learned to feed on the Dragontorch’s energy and began twisting the continent’s natural phenomena. Realizing the danger, the Guild assigns our hunter to slay it—which let me say it's no small task, especially on only a few hours of sleep, because this thing is an absolute beast.

Zoh Shia (if you look closely you can see me at its legs down there) ^ We got slapped around a bit, and while we didn’t have a ton of trouble, it was still a close call: we had one faint left when Zoh Shia finally neared death. Cue the screaming and panic as we ran around flailing and healing and making tons of mistakes in the heat of the moment under all the pressure.. When we finished the hunt, we celebrated—only to be reminded that even bigger threats were waiting in High Rank. That, however, would have to wait for another day. A quick glance at the timer showed our little gaming binge had lasted 59 hours, 38 minutes, and 3 seconds.

my cool hunters name and my progress ^

Reflection- 

I figured this would be the best way to knock out two birds with one stone—I’d get to binge a game with my friends and complete a hefty assignment, but it honestly turned into the best day…well, days…of my life. Even now, we still talk about it; the whole marathon became a core memory, and I love my friends for making it happen. They’d only planned to stay up for a little while, but when I told them about the assignment they buckled down with me, playing until we were ready to drop. That kind of support felt incredible.

This project showed me just how much I love and appreciate my friends—and how lucky I am to have people willing to go all‑in with me. Using what the textbook taught, I make sure to tell them I appreciate them more often, and it feels great. Seriously, it was an amazing, amazing, amazing time, and you’d better believe that when the DLC drops in a year or so, we’re doing it all over again!

onto the next adventure ^

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

These are "think tanks" that are part of the government to NGO to government revolving door, and which provide nice sinecures for the Deep State operatives as they take breathers from ruining the world.  Far from distributing rice and beans to needy children, they distribute champaign and caviar to greedy bureaucrats. They are the sort of place you would expect to see a Samantha Power bloviate about saving the world, getting applause from all the people who have been, are, or will be on her payroll in some capacity.  US taxpayers showering tens of millions on these poor, poor think tanks is just one great thing your USAID dollars go to. After all, once you have done your regime change of the day, plunging countries into violent revolutions to replace a democratically elected leader with the candidate of your choice, you need some place to sit back and sip your small barrel bourbon. 

...

Lest you think that the regime change effort is only in foreign countries, once you dig into the details of where all the money goes you see that it doesn't stop at our nation's shores. 

Republicans have criticized both think tanks over their central roles in what’s been dubbed the "censorship-industrial complex," a network of university and think tank researchers that worked closely with federal agencies to censor content on social media. In September 2020, the Aspen Institute organized a "tabletop" exercise with journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, and executives from Facebook and Twitter to draft a plan for how to respond to a hypothetical scenario in which Russia leaked documents stolen from Hunter Biden, according to documents uncovered by reporter Michael Shellenberger. Many of the participants—most notably Twitter—censored an accurate New York Post story about Biden’s laptop in Oct. 2020. The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab is led by Graham Brookie, who served on the National Security Council in the Obama administration. In October 2020, Brookie claimed Trump’s "entire strategy" in the campaign that year was "based on process disinformation in this election." Days later, Brookie dismissed reports of Hunter Biden’s laptop as "unverified misinfo." He cheered Twitter’s ban of Trump’s account and "influencers of the far right" after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots as a "welcome" decision. The State Department awarded the DFRLab a $64,000 grant in September to host two workshops at the U.S. embassy in Vienna on "countering foreign information manipulation and interference," and $250,000 the same month for a project to counter disinformation in Moldova, according to spending records.

NGOs delenda est

[hausofanya]

─── youtube : hausleo SEPT 2022. “ THE SCANDAL THAT OPENED EVERYONE’S EYES ”

would i say that cléo is a controversial figure? not really. or at least—not controversial in the way you’re thinking. cléo just has a big heart, even if her outward demeanor convinces anyone otherwise. and it’s her heart that lands her in controversial areas.

in 2019, cléo would land herself in muddy waters — no pun intended — with her first ‘scandal’ of sorts. fans noticed that she was a bit too friendly with stray kids’ backup dancers, one of which was revealed to be member of popular dance crew royal family, dante anderson - lewis. while netizens thought the friendship was cute, other fans would follow the duo around to their hangouts and gatherings, eventually capturing them on what seemed like a nighttime romantic bike ride through the streets of seoul. the pictures would reach popular kpop sites overnight, thrusting the pair into unwanted spotlight.

while cléo nor jype would make a statement about this, lewis would make a post poking fun at the whole ordeal with a post of him gifting her flowers titled ‘baby’s first dating scandal!’. lewis would have to clarify that the post was a joke in a top comment, later deleting the post altogether.

as expected, since the incident of sorts blew over quickly, netizens don’t count this as cléo’s first scandal. it would be two years later that an even worse story would break the news, thrusting her into scrutiny and making her the subject of debates concerning artist treatment and idol culture.

who is seok dowon ?

how did their paths cross ?

but as you probably already know… things aren’t as simple anymore. but now that you have the general gist of the background, now it’s time to get into the real meat of the scandal.

dispatch at the scene of the crime, again.

who was user ‘cleowrld’ ?

madness + insanity = …

so just in case you’re lost, cause this is a lot of information, here’s a brief summary of what has happened so far:

- roh junseo (cleowrld) finds 3racha in 2017

- cléo debuts in 2018 as a part of a 9 member group. the earliest cleowrld post dates back to 2018 as well.

- cléo and dante ‘scandal’ in 2019. netizens don’t care much at all besides *those* people. dowon gains success in *hotel de luna* the same year.

- premiere of the ten year pact in seoul in 2020. cléo is selected to sing its ost. dowon and cléo meet for the first time at the premiere. junseo and caila, a fangirl of dowon, meet the same year.

- junseo leaks cléo’s personal account to dispatch in sept 2021, which starts the dating rumors. cléo’s phone number is leaked, as well as some horrific messages sent to her, and she is put on indefinite hiatus by the end of the month.

good? great. awesome. this is incredibly heartbreaking and i honestly wish nothing but the best for cléo always and the fucking worst for everyone who made her life horrible always.

now this part will be rejuvenating. now we get to the part where we unravel just who the hell seok dowon is.

seok dowon’s true colors.

the apologies. one somewhat expected, one definitely not.

and then things went quiet. in total cléo was on hiatus for like seven months ( sept 21 - mar 22 ), and then stray kids had their first comeback without her as eight with oddinary. it was to be expected—she was summoned to court in april and won her case against dowon for charges of physical and emotional violence and financial fraud. jype also sued junseo and caila for the damages caused by leaking private information, also winning those respective cases. not much is known about the compensation afterwards, but it is to be noted that cléo donated to a handful of violence prevention initiatives not long after.

and then dowon retaliated on his own.

seok dowon makes his (unwanted) return.

now it’s been a year or so since cléo went on her hiatus, and people are wondering if she’s ever going to make her return. and honesty, if she never did come back, nobody would blame her.

so yeah. i know she’s prioritizing her health right now, but i’m honestly not above hoping for music. on my hands and knees. please give us something in the future.

i hope she’s doing well though. and that the terrible three are rotting in jail.

hausleo, out.

[greenhxme]

Part One: August 25th

Pairing: Hyun-su x GN!Reader | Summary: The end of the world came as a surprise to everyone, much less half a world away from ‘home’ and just after meeting a seemingly troubled stranger you have found you can't stop thinking about. Words: ~1.5k | Reading Time: ~6mins. Author’s Note: This is going to be the first part of a [tentative] series I don’t have a plan for the length of. This will be inspired entirely by the series on Netflix and my own ideas, no ties to the Webtoons nor is it meant to be entirely based on canon. (All dates and times in this part are taken directly from the show because I am obsessed with attention to detail even if I’m not great at getting it to translate in my writing.) *Warnings: Descriptions of violence, gore, injuries, and death as well as mentions of suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, violent ideation, etc. as related to the themes of Sweet Home. 

Find the next part of this series here.

August 15th, 2020 | 18:04

The black ink seeps into the paper slowly, spreading out across the white page like the lines of a spiderweb. The spider itself, a drop of built up ink that sits in the center of the small pool when you lift the pen, shakes slightly before slowly sinking and disappearing as well. You push the tip of the pen onto the paper again, just far enough for the stretching lines of spreading ink to overlap the web made last, before Jae-heon clears his throat and pulls your attention from the dark color.

“You’re not listening at all today.”

“I am.”

He frowns, his eyes looking over your face for a moment before he adjusts his glasses and clears his throat. “What were the last three terms I shared with you?” He asks, matter-of-factly.

The tick of the clock on the far wall of his living room fills the silence following the question, in a way answering him for you with its rhythmic monotonous sounds. 

Tick... Tick... Tick…

You bow your head with a soft sigh, setting down your pen. “I’m sorry.”

Another moment. Tick… Tick…

“We will cancel tonight’s session then.” Jae-heon straightens his already perfect posture as he stares back at you. “Instead, I’d like to know what’s wrong.”

“What?” The denial was already laced in your tone.

“You’re my best student, since I’ve met you. I’ve never seen you so distracted.”

You glance at your phone and you hope that he doesn’t notice. He doesn’t move as he waits, and you avoid his eyes, knowing the way that they are likely softening, slowly letting his worry take over. 

“These exams are the only way anyone will take me seriously.”

“You’ve already been accepted. These exams are the only way you’ll start taking yourself seriously.” Jae-heon corrects you simply, his voice even and detached from the softening look in his eyes. His lips press into a line for a moment before he goes on, “You’re being too harsh on yourself,” There it was, the feeling in his eyes leaking into his words. “You have been for the last year and a half.”

You sigh again, the sound enough to admit defeat to his analysis. There was no winning, and therefore no sense in arguing, not when you both knew he was right. You avert your eyes again, not wanting him to be able to read you for any new issues.

“Have you been going out? Eating well?”

You avoid the urge to look up then, in surprise, as your eyebrows pull together slightly. Were you too late in trying to hide?

“Sleeping?”

Yes. He’d already read you. Like a book. 

You reach up, over your shoulder to rub it slightly, trying to ignore the dull ache radiating from the center of your shoulder blades. How long had the anxiety been sitting there? A week, maybe more? You’d been blaming the lack of sleep on the exams, ignoring the root of the problem buried deep in your bones as well as the medication bottle sitting behind the mirror of your bathroom. Usually, or at least you told yourself this, you were good at pushing through the discomfort of your fears and the sleepless nights that accompanied. 

He would worry too much if he knew how bad it had been lately. If he knew how little you came out of your home, instead locking yourself away in your apartment and letting the roots grow beyond your bones and through to the mattress in your room. So you tried your best to keep him from noticing. 

“We’re done.” Jae-heon stands suddenly, pushing up off the floor and running his hands over his shirt to smooth the fabric before looking down at you expectantly.

“What? No-”

“Yes. Go downstairs, get something to eat, and rest. Take care of yourself, the exams can wait.”

“No, that’s not the problem-”

“Then what is?”

You pause, there is no more facade of not caring on his face. His eyes stare into yours, and you wonder if he can see in them what you had seen earlier.

“If you’re not going to let me help you,” Jae-heon moves to close the book on the table, and you wonder if this means he will offer you more scripture. He’d done it before, during times where you spoke vaguely about the things you were going through and the problems you were experiencing. It wasn’t that you couldn’t come to him with your problems, you knew that. He was like a brother to you and cared just as much as if he was, but this issue wasn’t yours to ask his help for. 

“Tell me what this means. I’ll leave and I’ll rest but-” You scramble for your phone now, and Jae-heon is surprised by the request. That a translation could have had you so distracted. “I wrote it as quickly as I could, I’m sure I saw it right.” You unlock your phone, swiping to find where you had typed it, and hesitating for a moment as you stare down at the word written in your notes. You already knew it, but you hoped to hear another answer. 

“Is everything okay?” Jae-heon reaches up as if to set his hand on your shoulder before you turn the screen to his view and he stops altogether, his hand dropping to his side again as his eyes scan back and forth over the characters.

‘자살’

“Is there another meaning for this?”

“Why?” What would make you ask me that-” His hands do go to your shoulders then, his face completely changed now. The calm demeanor he so often held is gone, his face contorted into an expression of worry, almost fear as he looks at you, his eyes searching yours again. 

Can you see it? You wonder. Can you see it like I did?

Once a stranger, now worried and protective at the sight of a single word. It was comforting in a way, this friendship you’d built over the last year and a half. But it stirred something else in you too, it feels as if the roots inside of you shake against your bones and pull you harder against the ground beneath your feet as you stand in front of him. 

“It’s not-” You shake your head, pulling away slightly, “It’s nothing about me, I’m fine.” You assure him but when he reaches for you again, you step closer and meet his eyes on purpose. “I’m okay, I’m fine.” You say softly, assuring him until he talks a slow breath. “I saw it today and I- I wanted to ask if it has another meaning.” 

The look on his face and the grip he has on your shoulders serve as answer enough. This reaction, and the one from the boy in the lobby, you could connect the dots yourself that the answer was no. 

It makes your heart sink, it makes the feeling in your chest swell, roots tightening until ribs ache.  You think of the stranger again, the dark hollow look -- the ink you’d been staring at during what was meant to have been a lesson.

You’d already been so out of it when you’d walked into the lobby, a spelling mistake on a registration form had resulted in a scolding session at the university, the secretary having yelled until you ran from the office. You had barely even noticed the man standing at the main office window to realize he was stepping backwards before you had crashed into him, finally snapping out of our daze. His phone hit the floor with a loud clatter and apologies tumbled from your lips quickly, only for you to fall silent again as the security guard scoffs, “Idiot.” 

You and the stranger had both stared blankly at him for a moment before someone else called the guard’s attention, yelling something about a bed before you looked down again, quickly reaching for the phone on the floor. “I’m sorry I really-”

The screen lit up for only a moment before he had taken it from your hands with a small bow of his head. “It’s okay,” the boy held the phone in both hands, as if wringing out a towel. He ducks his head down again, “It’s really okay.”

When he had looked up again, and his eyes met yours, it almost made your blood run colder than the banner on his phone screen with a reminder for August 25th. The mess of dark brown hair on his head almost hid them from view entirely, but you could see in his eyes that he was tired. Like he hadn’t slept in too long. Hadn’t really rested in longer. A look that probably mirrored your own quite closely. But there was something else there too, eerily familiar and so dark. So dark and hollow that your chest had ached, and your mind had gotten fixed on the titled date you had seen on his phone.

‘자살’

‘Suicide’

[readingsquotes]

Mahmoud Khalil is the first person Trump’s administration has disappeared for political reasons. The choice of victim is extremely strategic. Defending Khalil invokes political costs they don’t believe either Columbia University or the Democrats are willing to incur. So far, they are correct.

...The Democrats, in a move that should surprise no one at this point, have made no moves at all. Did anyone think they would, for someone like Khalil? That party is so allergic to even the appearance of support for the Palestinian people that the Harris campaign ordered volunteers to mark fundraising feedback that involved Gaza as “no response.” In fact, they refused to even categorize opposition to genocide “out of fear that [the] category would be leaked.”

.....“Terrorist” has always been a remarkably elastic word. For over two decades now, America has used that label to justify atrocities—usually against people who are brown, Muslim, and/or from a country we despise. The Trump administration’s use of terrorism to justify the blatantly illegal disappearance of a peaceful activist—whose ties to Hamas appear to consist exclusively of opposition to ethnic cleansing—stretches the term even further. By all appearances, they’re just getting started.

In January, the House reintroduced a bill to designate “Antifa” as a domestic terror organization. Trump has repeatedly declared his intent to prosecute people released without charges during the 2020 protests. Kash Patel’s FBI recently announced that it would stop monitoring far-right extremism and instead focus on “things like BLM and Antifa.” Patel does not need a bill or even an executive order to make that happen; he can crack down on BLM terrorists all by himself with the FBI and the ATF, plus assistance from Kristi “puppy-killer” Noem’s DHS as needed.

...Those of us outside the halls of power have far fewer options. We can contact our representatives and demand that they condemn Khalil’s detention and take some of those actions I just listed. We can e-mail Columbia University interim president Katrina Armstrong and demand that the school condemn Khalil’s detention (officeofthepresident@columbia.edu, kaa2210@cumc.columbia.edu). Action Network has a great tool that can help you e-mail your representatives and Columbia’s administrators all at the same time. The ACLU has Know Your Rights training twice a month that can teach you how to keep your community safer if the regime keeps pretending to care about the law sometimes.

[problematicsashawaybright]

I'm super sorry to ask you this but since you've been on Tumblr for a while I thought you'd know. I apologize that this is basically a running sentence I haven't slept for like 2 days. I've seen like a lot of people talk about a Tumblr shut down/scare and if it does shuts down/gets hacked(because it's now low on staff) im super anxious about my account/personal info getting leaked i obviously don't want my personal info out here and I don't want anyone I know irl to know that I'm on Tumblr. could/would our personal info get leaked. Again super sorry for asking you this I just didn't know who to ask I hope you have a good day I'm super glad ur taxes are payed and I hope your exam went great <3

Hi, no worries, everything is okay!!!! I've been on this site since 2016/17ish, and there has been a major "crisis" about the site getting shut down at least once a year, always for a plethora of reasons. I vividly remember 2018 when they banned explicit content after previously allowing it, everyone thought that was the end of the site (everyone was fleeing to twitter......) and saying their goodbyes, there was even a rumor that the information would be sold? That came and went and nothing happened, they weren't even successful in banning porn all together. It happened again in 2019, and again in 2020/2021/2022 if I'm remembering correctly? This is not the first time people were saying the site was gonna go down. Things may change on Tumblr (like mobile working slower/annoying glitches/crashing, etc), but even if they decide to completely abandon the site (which I don't think they will), there really isn't any way people can get your information, and there's no reason at all for them to make it public. Especially if you just use the standard site and don't pay for premium/have your payment info attached. I'm not a computer expert, but I have been on Tumblr for way too long, and I've never heard of anyone getting their info leaked through hacking the site. If you're worried, you can change your password and email (like make a brand new email account you only use for tumblr and has no personal info on it), but I think people can only get into your account if they have your actual password. I hope this eased your worries. If there was a potential of that happening, I would tell you, but as of right now from my experience, that really isn't something that is likely to happen.

[jangillman]

For years, he was hailed a hero. For some, he still is. Now he's exposed.

Here’s the history of the Ukraine & Volodomyr Zelenskyy you won't hear from the media.

Zelenskyy has never had the cards. He isn’t some brave leader calling the shots. He’s a desperate man, clinging to power in a collapsing regime—propped up by Western money, weapons & propaganda. And with Ukraine losing the PR war & real war, he's panicking.

Ukraine wasn't an independent actor in this war. The real power brokers are in Washington, Brussels & London, playing their geopolitical games.

This war was engineered to weaken Russia. To understand that, you need to understand the history that they’ll never tell you.

Ukraine and Russia have been bound together for over 1,000 years. Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, once the heart of Kievan Rus—the first great Slavic state—laid the foundations for Russia itself. Ukraine’s very name means "borderland"—which means the borderland of Russia.

For centuries, it was an integral part of the Russian Empire, not some “oppressed” nation. Even during the Soviet era, Ukraine wasn’t occupied—it was central to the USSR. Even Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was Ukrainian.

When the USSR collapsed, Ukraine became independent and Washington stepped in—not to help Ukraine, but to weaponise it against Russia.

The U.S. & NATO lied to Gorbachev, promising they wouldn’t expand “one inch eastward." Yet NATO moved into Poland and the Baltic States.

Ukraine was the ultimate NATO prize.

The West poured billions into Ukraine—funding pro-NATO political groups, NGOs & media to manufacture an anti-Russian state.

In 2004, the CIA backed the "Orange Revolution," overturning an election that favoured a pro-Russian candidate.

The real coup came in 2014.

Ukraine’s democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, rejected an EU trade deal that would have destroyed Ukraine’s economy. That was unacceptable to Washington. So they removed him via a manufactured colour revolution.

The so-called "Maidan Revolution" wasn’t a grassroots movement. It was a CIA-backed coup—orchestrated by officials like Victoria Nuland. So brazen was Washington, that Nuland was even caught on a leaked call, handpicking Ukraine’s next leader before Yanukovych was gone.

The violent mobs that took over Kiev weren’t peaceful protesters. They were led by neo-Nazi groups like Azov Battalion—groups that openly celebrate Nazi collaborators and wear SS insignia.

These same groups now receive Western weapons.

The post-coup regime then banned the Russian language—directly attacking millions of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east.

That’s when Donbass & Crimea said enough. Crimea held a referendum—over 90% voted to return to Russia. The Donbass also voted for independence.

The people of the Donbass rejected Kiev—but Kiev wouldn’t let them go. Instead, they launched a brutal war on their own people, shelling civilians for eight years. Where was the Western outrage? Nowhere!

And what about Zelenskyy? Who is he? Is he an organic leader who came from nowhere or was he installed?

It's reported that, in 2020, Zelenskyy secretly met with MI6 head Richard Moore. Why would a foreign president meet with the UK’s top spy instead of its PM?

Is Zelenskyy a UK asset? According to reports, he is personally protected by British, not Ukrainian security. When he visited the Vatican, he snubbed the Pope and met with a British bishop. Guess who else was there? Richard Moore from MI6 again! That's some coincidence.

Before politics, Zelenskyy was a comedian and actor—literally playing the president on a TV show. Then, with the help of Western PR teams, fiction became reality.

His campaign was funded by oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, who owned Ukraine’s largest oil company and bank.

Once in power, Zelenskyy’s priority wasn’t fighting corruption—it was making sure BlackRock & Western banks took over Ukraine’s economy.

Meanwhile, he funnelled millions into offshore accounts, and is alleged to have acquired a $34m mansion in Miami as well as a £multi London apartment. Nothing would surprise me if he did.

By 2022, NATO had armed Ukraine to the teeth, and Kiev had amassed forces near Donbass.

Russia had a choice:

Let Donbass face ethnic cleansing;

Let NATO turn Ukraine into a military base;

Or,

Intervene.

They intervened, just as other nations would in those circumstances.

The media screamed “unprovoked invasion.” But NATO expansion, the 2014 coup, eight years of war on Donbass—this war was provoked every step of the way.

Ukraine was set up as a pawn.

With Ukraine losing, Zelenskyy is being abandoned. Donald Trump told him: "You don’t have the cards." And he’s right. This war was engineered. Ukraine needed Western intervention to win and that would mean that WW3 would/could be inevitable. It’s time the world wakes up to that reality.

The war in Ukraine was deliberately provoked by the West. Zelenskyy is just another puppet—his time is running out...and Trump knows....

I'm sharing this in the hope that all of the protesters supporting Ukraine, over their own President, needs to educate themselves and learn what's really going on. Mainstream, liberal media will NEVER cover this?

[gryficowa]

2024 began to leak the Valbanase and Willy Wonke Experence, 2025 begins with Trump wanting to take over Greenland and Canada, an announcement of a comic book from Harley Queen what farts, fires in La, Elon Musk, which showed the Nazi symbol (and the media call it "accident")

Ok, there was still Mark Zuckernerg What want to do another x (Twitter) from all sides belonging to the finish line, but it seems too "normal" (because seriously, compare it with the rest)

I have Flashbacks from 2020, where it all began with fires in Australia, floods in Venice, Mr. "Virus", the risk of the war of the USA and Iran… and I probably missed something

But hey! Plus 2025 is that Europe will finally stop relying on the USA, i.e. a country, which was a weak friend in the long run and the only thing he did is show that "is such a great country for life" (And now the bubble has broken and Europe has woke up)

So I prefer to look at another side of the coin, ignored

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Object permanence

Picks and Shovels is a new, standalone technothriller starring Marty Hench, my two-fisted, hard-fighting, tech-scam-busting forensic accountant. You have TWO DAYS LEFT to pre-order it on my latest Kickstarter, which features a brilliant audiobook read by Wil Wheaton.

#20yrsago What if Bill Gates hired Linus Torvalds? https://web.archive.org/web/20050207155531/https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.02/microsoft_pr.html

#15yrsago Rogers Canada forces Android update that takes away root access https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/01/26/2358237/Canadian-Android-Carrier-Forcing-Firmware-Update

#15yrsago Sane copyright doesn’t treat all copying as the same https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/26/copyright-cory-doctorow

#15yrsago ACTA: the leaked secret memos https://web.archive.org/web/20100130005036/https://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/4730/125/

#10yrsago Plan C: The top secret Cold War plan for martial law in the USA https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2015/jan/26/plan-c-top-secret-cold-war-battle-plan-bring-unite/

#10yrsago Google strong-arms indie musicians into accepting brutal, crowdfunding-killing deal for streaming service https://zoekeating.tumblr.com/post/108898194009/what-should-i-do-about-youtube

#10yrsago Great Firewall of Cameron blocks sex-abuse charities https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/24/internet-filters-block-sex-abuse-charities

#10yrsago The Haunted Mansion was almost the Tiki Room https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2015/01/walt-disneys-enchanted-creepy-room.html

#5yrsago Two years after a federal law banning shackling women during childbirth was passed, prisoners in America are still giving birth in chains https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/24/shackled-pregnant-women-prisoners-birth

#5yrsago Andrew Cuomo’s naked hostility drives out MTA president Andy Byford, the “Train Daddy” who has transformed the world’s rail systems https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/you-blew-it-andrew-cuomo/

#5yrsago Fatal car wrecks are correlated with stock-market fluctuations https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167629619301237

#5yrsago Banks have returned to the pre-2008 world of automatic credit-limit increases for credit cards used by already indebted people https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-23/banks-are-raising-credit-card-limits-without-asking-customers

#1yrago The long sleep of capitalism's watchdogs https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/26/noclar-war/#millionaire-on-billionaire-violence

Check out my Kickstarter to pre-order copies of my next novel, Picks and Shovels!