#I was today years old when I found that there’s a limit to the number of links you can embed in a post

[leonsliga]

Could you pls post your favourite tiktoks from leon? 💖 I cant find too much content from him 🥺

I thought you’d never ask, anon 💖 it’s truly a tragedy he doesn’t have a tiktok of his own; it definitely makes finding content a little bit harder. Nevertheless, I definitely have quite a few favorites, and I’ll link them by category below the cut:

*this is gonna be an insanely long post…you’ve been warned*

Leon Whoretzka worship

That iconic Hulkretzka moment (brought to you by Bayern herself)

I’m gonna be honest; I’m only looking at your titties right now… (warning: there’s probs gonna be a lot of leongoretzkamalewife on here 😂)

Sexiest transformation in the world? Definitely.

Leon flexing (in more ways than one)

Me? Obsessed with you? Yes.

Still the greatest fit of all time. Completely unrivaled.

Don’t get in strangers’ cars, but when it’s Leon, exceptions must be made…

His titties + this past season’s home kits = heaven 🤤

Because even Leon has to give his biceps the smooches they deserve

He might need his shirt back, but I ain’t giving it to him 🤭

Who doesn’t love a lil striptease?

Leon sweetheart-retzka

What we all mean when we say “Leon Goretzka is our comfort person”

I’m not kidding, if Leon ever looked at me like this it’d be over for me

Remember to dream big kids

“Ohne euch würde die ganze geschichte nicht funktionieren.” 🥹

Bochumer Junge 🥰

Leon takes on the Bundesliga tiktok challenge (in English)

My comfort tiktok

“Die goldene henne.” (Proud papa Leon)

The handoff of the number 8

Leon with a child

Leon Jaha-retzka 😑

Bombastic side eye

“Ich bin halt clever.”

Quarantine brought out the worst in all of us… (someone please give the man his zaubertrank)

Leon’s verdict: biceps not up to par

Everyone’s favorite Scrooge 🥰

It’s hard being an introvert in a world full of extroverts

The enthusiasm radiates off the page truly

Getting up close and personal

He may be riding alone but his heart will go on

“DAS IST DER SIEBEN!!!!”

I want him to scream in my face

Jaha

Cutie pie Leon Adorabl-etzka

Die maus for a reason

Is your smile unparalleled Leon? Ja 📈📉

Soft boi baby

Those eyes…

Dressed to impress, and to make us obsess

On again, off again, love you like oxygen

So you trust him?

God knows he’s the only way to heal now

“Geil alter!”

So much more than a footballer 🥰

Easily in my top 3 Leon soft boi edits

The reason I hold on…

When he renewed with us 🥹

It’s never a cruel summer when he’s around

Just a reminder :)

Can you feeeeeellllll feeeeeeellll my love?

Süße maus

The only time I feel safe…

What do you think got me this far?

Can a person feel like home?

Ja 🕺

Where’d all the time go?

Photocrop challenge 🤪

Leon Lol-retzka

Part-time drill sergeant, part-time proud papa

We love a multitasking king

Money shot babyyyy 🤑

Leon kickstarting his reporting career

“MEISTER SAMMA!!!!”

What did I just watch 😂

He promised us a smile…false advertising

He was sucking on candy the whole time 🤦‍♀️

“Nein” 😵

The crickets are never louder than when someone dares to breathe the word “Holland” in his presence

Best Benji impersonator

He’s an old soul, really…

He’s fucking crazy, but he’s free

You know you’re touch-starved when you start spooning the training materials

Prepare to have your brain chemistry altered…

His road rage is stewing just below the surface

He’s so normal I swear

Rhythm is a dancer 🕺

He was there in spirit

“Brotha from anotha motha” (American accent on point)

Leon just never misses…they don’t call him Leon Scoretzka for nothin’

Goddamn, now I want a Leon Goretzka movie 😩

Prepping for future rap battles by spitting unnecessary bars

Have you learned your alphabet?

Ho ho ho? More like hoe hoe hoe 🎄

The problem child

A wise man once said…

This was groundbreaking 🤯

🎶We’re going to Ibizaaa🎶 🔙 to the island 🏝️

To cuddle or to soullessly pummel: that is the question

I trust you’ll pick the right one 😎

Preparing for his UFC debut

*maniacal laughter intensifies*

Whoever decided to stick Thomas and Leon in the same room is my favorite person…please give them an immediate pay raise thx xoxo

“Bin auch Händler.”

“Auf gar keinen fall.”

🐮

“Das ist doch sicher ein Dorf.”

“Komm let’s go.”

Danke 😑

“Das ist auf gar keinen Fall richtig!!” 😡

I’m ashamed to say I’ve replayed this video an unhealthy amount of times but what am I supposed to do when it legit sounds like he’s moaning

Lockdown brought out a different side of all of us

This was a life or death situation

[fangirl-dot-com]

Chapter 27 - Block Out the Haters

Hello beautiful people! How I've missed writing and uploading! I'm so sorry for the delay but this chapter and Across Every Universe part 2 had been in creation for a while. But expect a few updates this weekend!

I love you all and thank you for being so appreciating and patient!

Your body felt as though it was on autopilot as you walked through the paddock on Sunday morning. The weekend was kind to you. You completely dominated all the free practices and you’d be starting the race today on pole. 

However, it wasn’t the weekend that was unkind. 

It was them.

And it was all because of him. 

Checo had decided to show up to the paddock at his former home race on Thursday. And like all “good” journalists do, they ask questions that bate people to speak words that can be turned into something they’re not. 

Yet, the Mexican had spoken out with his chest puffed out and words full of confidence. 

“I see my replacement has done well in the car. Too bad that she’ll be replaced soon enough. Like she did to me, someone will take her seat and brag about how great they are, leaving the old driver in the dust. It’s only a matter of time.” 

Ah yes, only a matter of time until Red Bull drops you. The team that you had complete confidence in was not a ticking time bomb in your mind. 

What if you didn’t convert pole into a win? 

What if you accidentally took Max and yourself out of the race like Charles did to Checo in 2023? 

What if the team can finally see how replaceable you were? 

It had happened before…at Prema. 

Number 1 driver to ending a contract early. 

But this time, you were even further down the totem pole than you were at Prema. 

You were a rookie and the second driver. 

Replaceable and forgettable.

Your headphones were on and blasting music to cover up the nasty words thrown at you from the so-called fans. You had thankfully walked in with Max and Charles, who took the liberty to walk on either side of you. You were slouching as you walked, trying to make yourself smaller between the two men. 

At least you understood that Charles and Max knew how you were feeling. Charles, who had been booed at this very race last year. And Max, who seemed to carry boos wherever he walked. 

Your eyes widened at the sight of the large crown surrounding the opening to the garage. Checo was in the middle, smiling widely with sunglasses on his face. You froze, not walking any further. The navy and red clad drivers walked a bit before realizing that you weren’t between them anymore. 

Max’s eyes flitted toward the garage and then toward a signature blue. He put his hand on your shoulder and lightly pulled one of the headphone cushions away from your ear. 

His head jerked in the direction of the blue garage. “Why don’t you go hide in Williams for now. I’ll text you when it’s clear. Christian won’t let them get to you.” 

You silently nodded as Max put the headphones back in place before heading in the direction of the safe garage. 

Charles crossed his arms as he watched you walk away. 

“Merde, I wish Arthur was here this weekend.” 

The Monegasque sighed in relief once he saw Logan sling an arm around your shoulders and lead you away toward the back. Alex was following them, parading his limited edition Oscar Piastri paddle. 

Max was silent as he gazed at the amount of journalists in front of the garage. He was internally cringing, knowing that the journalist would attack him as well. 

Charles threw a smile in his direction as he bumped the sullen Dutchman. 

“Do you need to hide in my garage as well? Be babysat Mr. Verstappen?” 

The Ferrari driver wiggled his eyebrows as Max rolled his eyes. However, he shrugged and looked straight into Charles’s green eyes. 

“Lead the way Mr. Leclerc.” 

Charles’s eyes widened for only a moment before grabbing the backpack attached to Max. The brunette gently led the blond away, knowing that his childhood rival didn’t like crowds any more than you did. 

You had found yourself hidden away in Logan’s room, on a facetime with your boyfriend. Logan was sitting next to you, trying to reach a new high score on whatever game he was playing. Oscar had somehow also found himself in the American’s room and was currently looking at Alex’s paddle. 

The Aussie scoffed as he twirled the offending thing. He was silently listening to you borderline cry to Arthur. 

“And then they threw a water bottle at me. And it was one of the metal ones too!” you cried out, hand rubbing your face. 

Arthur offered you a sad frown. 

“What did you do?” 

You sucked in a breath. 

“I caught it and I kept it.” 

The three men suddenly laughed at your confession. You looked around confused. 

“What? It was a nice one!” 

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Nicer than the one I gave to my brother to give to you.” 

Your eyebrow cocked. “Um no, not Kevin.” 

Logan’s eyes glanced at you as he muttered, “You named your water bottle?” 

You shoved him, making him lose his spot. “You don’t?” 

Oscar suddenly piped up. “That’s a bit childish, don’t you think. And how cliche is it to fall in love with your teammate.” 

That earned him an eyeroll as you threw one of Logan’s pillows at him. He caught it easily. 

“Sorry Os-cah, at least I can act on it. We all can’t secretly be in love with our teammates.” 

A screech erupted from the Aussie’s side of the room. You and Logan giggled as Oscar’s face bloomed red with a deep blush. The pillow came back flying. 

“I am not in love with Lando. And plus, I have a girlfriend.” 

“Sure. Didn’t stop you from almost kissing Arthur that one time.” 

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Number 1, it was through glass. Number 2, he leaned in first.” 

“Excuse me?” you asked into your phone, looking at Arthur through the screen. Said boyfriend stuttered a bit as he tried to come up with an excuse. He only stopped as you spoke again. 

“It’s ok Osc, he has some nice lips.” 

A groan left Logan’s lips as he listened to this conversation. He leaned over and snatched the phone from your hands. 

“Hey!” 

“Sorry, poor connection. Call back later.” 

The American pressed the red X as you looked at him in disbelief. Logan quickly deposited your phone back to your lap before picking up his own phone. 

Your mouth was still wide open. 

You were about to reply when there was a knock on the door. Logan huffed as he stood from the couch and walked toward the door. When he opened it, he was met with Christian Horner and a very pouty Max Verstappen. You sheepishly grinned as Christian just silently pointed over his shoulder and turned around, walking away. 

Max stayed at the door, waiting for you as you packed your stuff. You quickly said goodbye to the best friends before following Max back to the Red Bull garage. You noticed his pout on the way. 

“What’s got you so pouty.” 

“I was about to beat Charles at FIFA and then Christian scared me, causing me to misplay and not score.” 

“So Charles won?” 

A huff from the Dutchman let you know that you were correct. 

Thankfully the crowd had died down when you returned. But, to your chagrin, Checo was still there, looking down into your car. Mitch seemed uncomfortable as she stood near, needing to get the last bit of data before talking to you about the strategy. 

You watched as she lightly nudged the Mexican, but was not met with any movement. Your anger rose as he blatantly didn’t move at all. You loudly cleared your throat, making most of the men turn their heads toward your direction, Checo included. 

“I think my strategist needs to be by my car. You wouldn’t mind moving far back to give her some space?” you questioned loudly. 

Perez seemed to get a bit of the message and took multiple steps back. Your jaw clenched as he smirked at you. At that moment, you knew he had done that on purpose. 

You only walked past him, going to your room to get changed. When you walked back out, there was a small interview going on, once again with Checo and now Max. 

The interviewer asked, “So Max, how does it feel to have your old teammate here to watch you win?” 

You could tell that Max wanted to wince at the question, but he let it be. 

Max replied, “Uh, it is nice to see Sergio back in the paddock. It is Mexico after all. But, Y/n is looking very strong and she won Monza from pole. So the team is just going to let us race and I’ll just try to keep up with her.” 

The laugh that the Dutchman let out was obviously forced, but you were thankful for the backing from Max. 

You watched as Checo obnoxiously laughed as he put his hands on Max’s shoulders, shaking the driver just a bit. Max’s shoulders tensed under the hard grip of the ex-driver’s hands. He was thankful that Perez wasn’t doing that to you, or you might have had a bit of PTSD because of it. 

The Mexican began to speak, “Ah Max, always so modest. I bet that he’ll overtake her on the first corner. She might pull a me from last year. Eat some Ferrari tyre and DNF on the first lap. And before you know it, the team is going to drop her. I bet Max would like that. Maybe Daniel will get his rightful seat back.” 

Max jerked away from the hands that gripped his shoulders before speaking, “Y/n happens to be a very safe driver. There might be a bit of fighting between us on the track but that’s just racing. And the seat was never Daniel’s to begin with. It was always her’s. Too bad you couldn’t keep up to keep the seat.” 

If you could see Max’s eyes, you knew that they would be stormy and cold. 

Your eyes wanted to water from the soft words that Max was speaking. He was really defending you to the best of his ability. Your eyes found Christian at the other side and your feet quickly took you toward the father-figure. Yet, you heard a closing statement from Perez that set your nerves ablaze. 

“She won’t get the win. She was lucky in Monza, but that’s all it was. Max DNF-ed, giving her the win. This race will truly show you how talented she truly is.” 

Your shoulders deflated as you tapped Christian’s shoulder, nodding over at the journalist. Christian’s eyes widened as he stalked toward the trio. He had anger in his eyes. 

“I told you, no more journalists or interviews in the garage. The race is about to start,” the Briton stated, voice ice cold. 

The journalist visibly gulped before packing up quickly and walking away. Max took this opportunity to also find his way back to your side. The two of you watched as Christian completely scolded the Mexican. You couldn’t hear it, but whatever your team principal said, it make Checo red with embarrassment. 

Max gave you a shit-eating grin before pulling you into a hug. 

“Thanks for being my best teammate kid. You’ve changed me for the better. Let’s go get you that second win.” 

You pulled away with tears in your eyes as you laughed a bit. 

“You’re just going to let me win? Thee Max Verstappen purposely losing a race to little old me?” 

The Dutchman shook his head. “No, I’m not going to let you win. You’re going to take it from me.” 

Well, Checo was right about only one thing. 

Max did overtake you on the first turn. 

But that was it. 

You didn’t eat Ferrari tyre. 

Your seat was yours to keep. 

And Max was right about everything. 

You made him work for the lead and overtook him on the second to last lap. Your cars fought for all they could give, drivers wanting another taste of victory. 

For Max, it seemed like it had been a while. 

For you, it was like Monza was yesterday. 

And that sweetness from the win. The nickname you earned there from the Italians (who were much nicer). 

Charles Leclerc, the Predestined. 

Max Verstappen, the Inevitable. 

Y/n L/n, the Long Awaited. 

The victory was oh so sweet. Maybe you just really had to learn to block out the haters. It’s what you should have done at the beginning of the weekend. 

But you showed everyone who you were as you stook on the nose of you trusted Red Bull. Fists near your body as you yelled, hunched over. 

Max was right behind you, followed by the familiar Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. The two rivals watched as you pointed at the now booing crowd. They laughed as your motioned that you couldn’t hear them, cupping your hand by your helmet where your ear would have been and shaking your head. You shrugged and jumped off. 

Your hand clasped Max’s hand and then Charles’s. You walked (more like skipped) by your team, being pulled in by the mechanics. 

You took your helmet off quickly and got in line to be interviewed. Thankfully, for once, it was a woman. 

She was smiling widely as she spoke into the microphone. 

“Y/n that was splendid driving you did out there. And congratulations on your second win. I know this win is a little different than Monza, so tell me a bit about your race and how you’re feeling.” 

You smiled as you spoke into the mic that you held. 

“Ah well, this is very different from Monza. It was fun to race against my teammate. Normally, I’m behind him getting a nice tow, but the team really wanted to see us just go at it. Obviously, at the end of the day, Red Bull is what matters, but I had fun with Max. And this win just feel more special because I can tell that not a lot of people wanted me to win.” 

You were huffing by the end of your statement, but the lady was grinning at your answer.

“Well, I will let you go celebrate, but mighty well done!” 

You skipped a bit to the cool down room before heading to the podium. You wanted to follow Charles and Max, but someone led you down to the little lift where your car was waiting. 

You knew that Charles and Max had already walked out when the lift slowly started to rise. On your head was the biggest sombrero you had ever seen. You climbed up on the nose of your car and sat cross-legged as you slowly rose. Once it stopped, you took your place at the top step and put your hands behind your back. 

Jokingly, you took the hat off and placed it on Max’s head. He only rolled his eyes (but kept it on for your amusement). 

People tried to yell and boo during your anthem, but you honestly couldn’t hear them over your own heartbeat. It was nice to see a certain disgruntled Mexican down below, arms crossed as he looked everywhere but up. 

You smirked as you showered champagne onto Max and Charles, with you getting sprayed in return. 

Fuck them haters – honestly. 

redbullracing has posted

redbullracing rookie got a second win and max got a hat! time for a siesta!

due to strong storms and flooding, the Sao Palo Grand Prix is canceled and will not be rescheduled

liked by y/n.nation, formulala_delulu, arthur_leclerc, and 534,209 others

rookie_freshmanyear OH YEAH - THAT'S MY DRIVER

max&co max got the hat back

y/n&max4ever she truly is the best teammate max has ever had

y/n_on_top true, what checo said was horribly wrong

maxverstappen1 ok you're done - no more wins

y/n.89 booooo charles_leclerc certified every other racer hater landonorris tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes oscarpiastri you all can speak for yourselves :(

y/n.nation sad for Brazil but they will be in our thoughts

formulafan still can't believe that the next race is FREAKING VEGAS BABY

rookieroo I know right! what if - hear me out - y/n wins again as a homecoming formulala_delulu ok let's get you back to bed

mericanf1_fan YEAH VEGAS 'MERICAAAAA

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @glitterquadricorn @laura-naruto-fan1998 @treehouse-mouse @sam-is-lost @kagatinkita @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @myxticmoon @angsthology @cmleitora @fly-me-away @graciewrote @ashy-kit @slutofmultifandom @aexitizen-ln4 @sugarvibez @vellicora @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @33-81 @hoetel-manager @xcharlottemikaelsonx @jayda12 @ilove-tswizzle @justme2042 @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @stopeatread @cha-hot @sadg3 @iloveyou3000morgan @s4turnsl0ver @alessioayla @torchbearerkyle @leptitlu @awekbachira @shreks-sugar-daddy @v1naco @stan-josie @mellowarcadefun @badassturtle13 @beskardroids @callisposts @poppyalice2001 @juniper-july19 @lizzypiastri

[lecsainz]

we keep this lowkey

pairings: lewis hamilton x styles!reader

summary: the one where harry styles' younger sister is seen with lewis and everyone starts commenting about a possible romance between them.

authors note: since we had lewis on the podium today, I had to write somethinggg!!!

deuxmoi

liked by leckart, harryhouse, and 18.876 others

deuxmoi New Couple Alert? Lewis Hamilton the formula one champion and Harry Styles' younger sister, Y/N, spotted having a blast on jet skis. Could this be the start of a new power and hot couple? Stay tuned for more updates! ☀️😍

view all 1.710 comment

wagloveer lewis and y/n?! my mind is blown!

hrryswft my two worlds colliding!!

luvf1 I didn't even know they knew each other.

stylesdaily I think they met at a fashion show last year russellsafes wait, wasn't it Harry who introduced them?

lewchamp Isn't she too young for Lewis? girl, you're 25 years old!

verstlerc I thought the same

hateseveryone I don't like her. 🤮

mercgirly lewis trying to hide in the first photo. 😂

yn_styles added to their story

harrystyles added to their story

yn_styles added to their story

yn_styles

liked by harrystyles, lilyjcollins, and 1.638.891 others

yn_styles When you find that special someone who can make you smile even on your worst days... that's the real deal! This man right here has stolen my heart and become my everything! Lewis, you're the one who brings sunshine to my days, makes me believe in fairytales, and shows me what true love is all about.

tag: lewishamilton

Comments have been limited.

lewishamilton You're the sunshine in my life, Y/N! Every day with you is a blessing. Thank you for your love and for making me the happiest man in the world.

harrystyles Hahaha, finally! Took you guys long enough! So happy for you both. Take good care of her, mate! And Y/N, remember to keep him on his toes 😉 Sending all my love and support!

gemmastyles Aww, my heart is bursting with happiness for you both! Seeing my little sis so happy with someone who adores her brings tears to my eyes. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and beautiful moments together. Cherish every second, you two! ❤️

lewishamilton

liked by neymar, dualipa, and 2.087.758 others

lewishamilton When you find someone who understands you in ways no one else does... that's when you know it's something special. My love, you're the one who makes my heart skip a beat and fills my life with so much love.

tag: yn_styles

Comments have been limited.

yn_styles Ah, babe, you're making me blush! 😊 You truly are the most amazing person I've ever known. Thank you for bringing so much love and happiness into my life. Can't wait for more incredible adventures together. Love you endlessly, Lewis! ❤️

mercedesamgf1 Love seeing our champion with his number one supporter! Can we finally say that she's a fan of Mercedes now? 😉🔥

lewishamilton I guess the secret's out! She's been supporting us all along!

georgerussell63 congrats, mate! looks like you found your perfect co-driver in life too. wishing you both all the happiness!

danielricciardo Congrats, you two! Wishing you all the love and happiness in the world. Oh, and Y/N, any chance I can score some free tickets to Harry's show now? 😉🎶

yn_styles Thanks, Daniel! We'll see what we can do maybe a backstage pass for you!

[matan4il]

Update post:

It's exactly six months since the start of the war. Six months since the worst massacre of Jews post WWII. Six months since the worst tragedy in Israeli history, for Jewish and non-Jewish citizens, and for non-citizens who happened to be here. Six months of still not understanding how it could happen. Six months of looking for a way to comprehend that the age of defenceless Jews being mass tortured, raped and murdered isn't behind us. Six months of watching people deny the murders, the rapes, the intentionality of these crimes, the identity of the perpetrators, the pain that we feel, the fact that on October 7 we were the victims, all of which denies our very humanity. Six months of even more Israelis getting killed, soldiers and civilians, in Israel and in Gaza. Six months of wanting my people back. All of them. Alive. The kidnapped and the massacred. Like having an adult's brain, which understands the finality of death, and a child's heart, which doesn't. Six months of trying to process images and realities I will never forget, and never understand. Six months of watching with horror as my Jewish brothers and sisters abroad are being targeted as well, of searching for ways to stand with them even from afar. Six months of hearing some non-Jews (and a minority of Jewish people) acting as if Israelis' right to live is dependent on how many Gazans the antisemitic, genocidal terrorists of Hamas manage to get killed, in order to turn the world against us. Six months of having to realize those terrorists, who never made it a secret that their intents for every Jew in the world are genocidal, might succeed. Six months of wondering how the Holocaust, the genocide perpetrated against the Jews for being Jewish, is being hijacked, distorted, and All Lives Matter'ed, by the same people who would have screamed against how wrong that is, if it were done to any other marginalized group. Six months of finding comfort in the compassion, strength and solidarity of the Jewish People, of the Israelis, and of our true allies. Six months of working to allow joy in again, even as the pain doesn't let go for a second. Six months of having to face the devastating fact, that the family scars, born out of millennia of antisemitism, are not going to stop with this generation, either. Six months of experiencing the betrayal of people who were supposed to be friends, and to listen, and to know better. Six months of discovering that there is no limit to the human heart's ability to break. Six months of grieving every day like it's the first one, because October 7 never ended here. Six months of knowing I will never be the same, right from the start, from the very first horror video I happened to come across online. Six months of never being more Jewish in my life, or closer to what my Holocaust survivor grandparents had gone through, or more broken, or stronger, or prouder, or braver, or more full of love, for my people, for my friends, for my heritage as a Jew that teaches choosing to hold up even one little light, because in a world so full of darkness, so willing to embrace it, nothing matters more than the light we choose.

<- -> <- -> <- ->

Yet another Palestinian terrorist attack happened today. Two people were shot by the terrorist attacking vehicles driving by, and one of the vistims, a 19 years old female soldier, is said to be in serious condition. The other victim is a 50 years old man. The army is in pursuit of the terrorist.

We learned that yesterday, four more Israeli soldiers were killed during the fighting in Gaza, bringing the totaly number of fatalities in the ground operation to 260, and in the war and Hamas massacre combined to 604. May their memory be a blessing.

A 17 years old Palestinian was detained, searched and then arrested yesterday at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, when they found a concealed knife taped to his body, stopping him before he was able to carry out a terrorist attack. In a Facebook post, he talked about martyrdom and the road to heaven, a message typical of Jihadists.

Liri Albag is one of the four young Israeli female hostages, who were featured on the cover of the Daily Mail, showing them before the kidnapping, and just several hours after. Her family was sent a funeral laurel wreath, and security forces believe this was done by Iran, as part of its psychological warfare against Israeli civilians.

Here's another reminder that Hamas operates outside of Israel, and is a danger to all Jews, not just to all Israelis. This week, German and Dutch police jointly arrested four Hamas terrorists. While investigating their intent to launch attacks during Christmas, these forces ended up uncovering a Hamas weapons cache in southern Bulgaria, meant to be used against Jewish targets in Europe.

This is 47 years old Elad Katzir.

He was a farmer, and a passionate soccer fan. On Oct 7, his dad Rami was murdered in their community of kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother Chana was abducted, then released during the hostage deal, at the end of November 2023. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed she was murdered, but it turned out they lied. Yesterday, we got the news that Elad, who was also kidnapped with his mom by the PIJ, was murdered in captivity, likely back in January. Intel that the IDF had collected led soldiers in a risky operation to the spot where Elad's body was buried. They brought him back home. As he volunteered so much, in so many domains, with so many people, his friends described him as, "a bachelor with many children."

May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[dairy-farmer]

Genuinely asking for advice on how to write smut. How do you write a scene so that it comes off as sensual and lewd but not in a way that sounds disgusting? I read your stuff and it's the best kind of pornographic. It feels like plucking a fruit from a tree and biting into it.

How can one strive to achieve something like that??

SOS please help me.

Smut is such an unattainable art form to me but i look at it longingly all the time.

wow thank you so much for your kind words about my writing!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ i will do my best to answer it!!

i think one of the first steps is figuring what type of smut you want to write-there's definitely different kinds of porn that you see in writing. some of it, despite the fact that it's porn, is like...grossly objectifying. that kind you can see plenty of examples of published in old straight cis male authors where they spectacularly fail at writing intimate scenes to the point you get second-hand embarrassment reading it.

so when you read a type of smut that you don't like a good tip is to figure out what exactly about the quality of writing puts you off. maybe it's their use of first person, excessive use of the word 'jiggle', or an outright refusal to call a cock a cock and using chaste words like 'rod' or 'shaft' which implies...embarrassment of the act occurring.

the thing is, when you write porn you need at least a little bit of shamelessness about it. otherwise, your reservations and hesitance about what's happening will enter into the writing and you won't be able to vividly paint the picture of what's happening.

i think in general for a lot of the smut i write i do put a lot of emphasis on one thing and that's providing as clear of a picture of what's happening as i can: sights, sounds, emotions, physical reactions.

a few years back i got a similar ask to this one about smut writing and i found that a lot of what i recommended then still rings true today so i'll include that below:

"the number one thing i think i do is try to use all the five senses by the end of the scene, describing in detail something they touch, see, taste, smell, and hear.

-where are they? what are they doing? how are they acting?

 if they’re in public or scared of being caught, areand if under a time constraint and trying to get through it quickly they might whisper lowly to each other, so they’d have to lean in close to each other when that happens when that happens they might use one of their five senses smell cologne, or sweat, they might feel warm with the proximity, they might get ticklish from having someone whisper in their ear.

if they’re alone and have plenty of time to themselves they might be louder, more willing to yell or make sounds.

when it comes to avoiding repetition in both cases it might be better to disperse ‘telling’ and ‘showing’ writing like ‘he groaned’ versus an onomatopoeia like ‘hnnnng’ ‘ah ahhh hahhnn’  in which the sound indicates they are groaning/moaning. another thing you could do to sort of spice up the former would be to add a motion with the action like ‘he groaned into his mouth, he moaned into his shoulder, he whined against the pillow’

-where is their body? how is it doing?

a good way that i use to make sure their actions are consistent is thinking about their body placement and keeping track of where it is like how at one point lance was bent over a storage unit and with keith pushing him up he had to stand on his toes, it’s a small detail but gives off a sense of not being fully in control, not being able to find his footing and making it more that he was getting lost in the sensations.

if they’re on top  they have more control, they control the pace, they can hold down hands, etc. on the bottom they might be more constricted, the amount of movement the have is limited so when they’re trying to express what they feel they might ‘writhe’ etc. 

a way ive seen in all the great smut fics ive read is that the writing makes a lot of emphasis on the povs experience, basically trying to get the person reading into their state of mind, emotions, feel what they feel.

so in sex: are they out of breath? are their thighs sore? are they slipping and have to keep maintaining their footing? are they sore? if so where? 

and then their bodily functions/condition: are they drooling? are they cold? are they hot? sweating? panting?

-how are they feeling/emotional connection?

another factor i feel is really important is emotions

depending on the ship, fic, situation, etc there might be no emotional attachment in which case it’s a matter of amplifying how the character feels physically.

for emotional connection: do their meet eyes? how does it feel when they do, do they take a second to stare and just absorb? what is the stare like? soft? tender? sweet? loving? hazy because they’re lost in lust?

there’s lots of ways to show emotional care, intertwining fingers during sex acts, stroking hair, sides, backs, cupping someones face in your hands, kisses, etc.

and then physically how their body is doing: in smut the focal point is whatever is giving or receiving pleasure,- in that case how does it feel? 

it will differ depending on the action like if it’s penetration (different for fingers tongues, dildos, or dicks), blowjobs, going down on someone. each actions has certain things attached to it like they heat of a mouth, slickness or stickiness of saliva, flexibility of a tongue or fingers.

- the buildup

when i first started writing fan fiction i tried doing a lot of research into writing and things and ended up coming across lots of critique posts like people saying that anal without lube is a turn off for readers, that bad prep scenes in writing are no good, etc.

truth is, all that is really preference based and not actual valid critiques since they didn’t even offer alternatives or options for how to write differently.

buildup is like, implying certain actions i think. depending on pace you’ll either write out all the prep or if it’s more faster paced implied actions can also suffice. 

like placing a sentence that’s like ‘he pulled the lube out from under the pillow’- that by itself is good enough for me in some cases because obviously if he’s pulling it out he’s going to use it, and everyone’s read 101 different ways how. 

(**** also side not just to make sure, fanfic sex doesn’t have to be realistic, in most cases smut and sex in fanfiction is idealized and while adding elements of realism to fics is good and all it’s really a matter of personal choice and writing style it’s not necessarily a strict ‘you have to’ it’s okay to write slightly or completely unrealistic sex, plenty of people out there will like it either way****)

buildup is also trying to play up the feelings of horniness to the max (depending on the atosphere of the scene, it its more emotional it might be better to go slower and focus on actions rather than feelings of arousal)

and then finally

 the finale/climax

in smut you’re building up towards the finale which is them orgasming or feeling some deeper emotional connection. this could precede the physical actions since something in a lot of cases catalyzes it like someone looking into someones eyes and feeling love which is followed by their release.

and this is, in my opinion, probably the hardest to pin down consistently in writing and a adore the people who’ve got it down pat. the feeling itself could be described ina variety of different ways:

- like heat, like sparks behind their eyelids, like shivers traveling down their spine, etc.

in additon to that are their other body reactions

-their toes curling, their hands gripping something in a white knuckle grip, biting down on their lip to muffle their sounds, gasping, squeezing their eyes shut, their eyes rolling to their back of their heads, crying, etc.

and after all this, if all else fails- porn is always a great reference. (sure a lot of it is acted up but it could serve as a good model if you’re really stuck)

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

hopefully this helped!!!"

[xoxoemynn]

I'm glad you feel at least a teensy bit better after sleeping. I feel pretty out of it. I've had a few weeks of ups and downs that have left me pretty exhausted before this news.

I hope you don't mind me leaving a message here. I've never been part of the fandom community, just outside of it, so I'm not even really feeling the 'at least we still have each other' sentiment. Ofmd helped me revive my creativity after years of not creating anything when I used to do so much. I'm still slower at it than I used to be, but it's a start. It's something.

Ofmd gave me the strength to come out at work, to be myself in most parts of my life rather than just carefully cultivated moments. I've found strength I never knew I had. Ffs I'm doing diversity training information stuff now??

I feels good. Feels great. And I really don't think it was a long shot to think that a successful, critically acclaimed show would get rescued. (I did wonder if making it very clear how valuable it was made HBO have an insane asking price but I hope not)

And I know s2 ended neatly (thank god) but I was so on board with Jenkins' view of "the will-they-won't-they is the least interesting part of a romance". Because you never see the payoff! It's just oh they're together now, the end, and you don't get to experience the characters as a couple. The story was the development of Ed and Stede's relationship, and a 3rd part would have given us the full scope of that.. *sigh

Idk I guess I'm just at a bit of a loss. Feeling empty. I was already struggling posting my work, or thinking how to adjust how I do it, because I don't feel its good enough for this fandom (which in my very limited experience feels very clique-y? If you're not in with the cool kids then no one cares and I'm too old for this!) It's all a bit "what's the point" I guess. I expect it'll pass but aaa, man. Y’know. Rant over, thanks for reading ^^'

The deepest of sighs, the tightest of hugs.

I feel you. Starting work today with swollen eyes and a tired heart. It sucks. This all just really sucks. And yes, I'm so grateful we got the show at all, I'm so grateful for the cast/crew, I'm so grateful for this fandom and the friends I made along the way. But this show, that did EVERYTHING RIGHT, ended before its time. And there's no getting around that just really, really sucks.

You're right, I don't think it was ridiculous to believe our renewal efforts might be successful. Because it SHOULD have been! It was a beautiful show with a passionate fan base that was also viewed very favorably by critics. In any sane world, OFMD's renewal would have been a given. And it's not silly or stupid to hope for good things to happen in a world where so often good things don't. The solution to the world being a shit show isn't to just bow our heads and accept it. It's to keep hope alive because yes, it might turn out different this time! Beautiful things deserve to be cherished, and that's what we did and will continue to do with OFMD. OFMD wasn't canceled due to a lack of love. It was corporate greed, pure and simple, and unfortunately that's a really difficult evil to fight against. But we still gave it our all, and people and the industry took note. That's no small feat.

And the show did so much for all of us! I'm so happy it gave you the strength to come out at work and live more in your authentic self. That's huge! That's the power of good art. And that's something studio heads can never take into account while they plug figures into their calculators and huff and puff about the numbers not being there.

I do hope you'll post your work, and share whatever you feel comfortable sharing. We really are of all skill levels here, and I've found genuine love of the show/its characters > the most technically well-written fic on the planet. I do hear what you say about it feeling cliquey, but for what it's worth, I also think it's very welcoming to newcomers? I realize that sounds like a contradiction. But I do think people have just kind of naturally formed little social circles of their friends and it can feel hard to break into, especially if you're an introvert like me. But I think if you start just getting in people's inboxes or reblogging with tags that show your personality/opinions/whatever, you'll start naturally forming those groups on your own. I'd also really recommend the OFMD Fic Club server if you're trying to get the courage to start posting your own work. It's a really supportive community there of people who've been posting for decades, as well as those who are just beginning to plan their very first fic.

Anyway, this is getting long and rambling so I'll end it here, but please know I'm sending you SO much love. It sucks right now but we'll get through it. And my DMs are open if you ever just want to chat. 💕

[mr2swap]

Take Me Home, Country Roads

I have to admit that at first, I was very upset with Johnny, That damn bastard managed in a way that I still don't know to exchange our bodies and our lives, one night I was sleeping in my luxurious apartment in my silk pajamas in NYC and when I woke up to a stinky hot little room in a rusty old trailer. I thought I was dreaming until the smell of my stinky sweaty armpits snapped me out of my weird dizziness and into my new reality.

Likewise, I felt strange and not only because my body was now that of a 19-year-old boy, but something was wrong with my head, it was as if my mind was getting used to the lazy and fucking brain of this boy, all my studies and my Hardboard's diploma were useless now, so I walked into another small room, avoiding the old stale beer cans littering the floor, and entered the filthy, filthy bathroom of the RV where I'd woken up.

My new face was much younger, I barely had hair on my head that seemed to have been shaved at least a month ago, and my skin was much whiter and smoother. Now I had a tattoo on my shoulder -Who the fuck is Jenny?- I surprised myself using those rude words coming out of my mouth without really being angry….

My stupid brain now limited myself, I searched the small and messy house full of garbage until I found a cell phone, but when I finally had it in my hands, my own number quickly disappeared from my mind -SHIT! NO! NO! - Without realizing it, I began to beat my own head trying to think how to get out of this shitty situation.

The heat was so unbearable and annoying that my armpits and the rest of my body began to sweat, and the small space where I now lived still smelled bad, I went to the "kitchen" and opened the fridge to find something to quench my thirst, without thinking about it Too bad I grabbed a can of ice-cold beer, and emptied it into my mouth before I realized what I'd done, but… it felt good.

I took the rest of the six-pack that was in the fridge and opened another can and sat on a sofa that had obviously never been cleaned and started drinking from the second can, I had never tried this cheap brand in my life, but somehow reason the taste was familiar and pleasant, little by little beer after beer I began to relax and watch a soccer game on the small television in front of me, I had forgotten all my problems when I had already drunk 4 cans, I no longer thought about what was happening me or where my real body was, the only thing I was concentrating on now was how big the boobs on the cheer squad were.

I looked down at my pants and had a reaction that I never had in my old life, a boner for a woman. Wasting no time pulling out my new cock and spit on my calloused hands and started jerking off letting the memories of “Jimmy” about boobs, ass, and vagina seep into my mind, my new cock was quite thick albeit a bit small, but I didn't care about that, it was the perfect size for my hands hardened by physical work.

Apparently now I'd be living in the country in a huge parking lot with a bunch of noisy southern families like me...

After that, I never tried to remember my old life or my old body, life in the country is pretty quiet, I work 8 hours a day at the local construction company and after that I go to my new friend's house to smoke, drinking, watching football and talking about all the girls we've fucked, I'm thinking about getting a girlfriend or something it would be great to have a pussy eager for me when I get to my RV.

Hey! You can support me to continue creating stories, see similar stories on my patreon, you can also join my discord if you are interested in role-playing about bodyswap, possession and transformation, m2m!

[world-cinema-research]

Stand By Me (1986)

By Jensen Boles (THE 112C 01)

The movie I watched this week would be Stand By Me. Starring the likes of Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, and Richard Dreyfuss. The film was released August 22, 1986 and directed by Rob Reiner who also directed such films as The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, as well as an adaptation of another Stephen King Novel known as Misery. The reason I chose this movie is because it happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time and every time I watch it I'm always reminded of the good times I used to have with my friends throughout my childhood.

Regarding the numbers at the box office, Stand By Me had a decent budget of 8 billion dollars for 1986 standards. It also made $52,287,414 domestically and only $1,236 internationally. Making a total worldwide budget of $52,288,650. While the opening weekend for this film was 0.5% of total gross, it also did rather poorly with their DVD sales with only $1,431,608 in total DVD sales (link for more details). The film was critically successful with positive ratings such as an 8.1/10 on IMDb, a 92% for rotten tomatoes, and a Metacritic rating of 75%. Regardless of the poor DVD sales as well as the poor international sales, this film has been deemed successful by fans and critics alike. Not to mention it made more money than the film's budget. One review that I found would be from The New York Times which says "Some 15-year-olds may well enjoy this tale about some 12-year-olds, so parents will have to decide how much they are willing to endure for their kids." I think this quote from the review means that certain age groups will have a deeper understanding of the movie once they watch it (link for the full review).

The movie begins with the narrator named Gordie Lachance who happens to be grown up in this scene and is reflecting on the summer of 1959 when he was only 12 years old, living in a small town in Oregon known as Castle Rock. Soon after we meet his friends named Teddy Duchamp and Chris Chambers playing poker in their clubhouse until another friend named Vern Tessio shows up and asks their friends if they can camp out for a sleepover when it turns out that they’re going to look for a dead body and they go on a 3 day hike to search for him, Vern found out about the body when he overheard a conversation about a missing kid named Ray Brower. The reason the kids are looking for the body is so that they become famous, however there’s a gang of bullies that also want to search for the missing kid and become famous as well (link for synopsis).

While the plot of the movie is a bit dark and depressing, I do personally think that it is good for establishing an emotional coming of age story, after all this movie is based on the novel by Stephen King entitled The Body. Despite the movie being R rated, I do think that the director wanted to target the movie to a certain age group who will deeply understand the movie (as I mentioned above). I also have to mention, the movie also has some really impactful scenes that people can somewhat relate to. Especially the ending where they mention how we have to say goodbye to our childhood (see clip below), you can tell that this has left an emotional impact on a lot of people who watched this movie, me included.

One of the limiting factors that I can think of for this film would be the R rating and how it limited most viewers under the age of 17 from seeing this movie when it first came out. By today's standards, this is still regarded as an all time classic and is also still being favored by fans and critics alike.

Although this film falls into the category of being conventional, there is one scene of the film that would be considered unconventional by some viewers. What happens in the scene is that Gordie tells a story about an obese kid looking to get revenge on the people that made fun of him because of his weight, and the kid gets revenge by entering a pie eating contest and creating what is known as a "Barf-o-rama" which involves him making the other contestants vomit as well as the attendees at the contest by vomiting on another contestant after drinking castor oil and eating a raw egg, as well as 5 blueberry pies. The reason why this would be considered unconventional is because the talk about vomit being used in a silly story that was thought up by a twelve year old, as well as being humor targeted towards middle school aged kids.

Overall, I have noticed a few personal things when rewatching this movie. Even though I have rewatched it a few times from when I last saw it at the age of 12, it would emotionally impact me more each time I would watch it, cause a lot of people can relate to not seeing their friends again after their childhood ends. For me personally, I can somewhat relate because I also have had many friends come in and out of my life.

[gingersnapwolves]

Hello,

I used to follow your website at the dawn of the century even you wrote with Karasu. I'm not sure what happened between you two and it's not my intention to bring up any bad business, however I was just wondering if your original works were still floating around somewhere where I could read them again. To be honest as a (at the time) young gay man trying to find a way to come to terms with myself and life, your stories were an honest breath of fresh air. Not many people were doing gay stories let alone inventive and well written ones, so they hold a special place in my heart. I recall you were trying to get Touch the Sky published and I had always tried to keep an eye out for it in book communities and Amazon. Were you successful and I missed it? I would love to read your original works from back then again if possible.

Thank you,

J

This is such a sweet ask, I really appreciate it! What a long time ago that was. I have some good news and some medium news for you...

Firstly, no worries about bad situations because Karasu and I are actually married now! We'll be celebrating our seventh anniversary later this year. She's not online as much as she used to be because of real life stuff, and we don't write together that much anymore but she still helps me plan all my stories.

The original stuff we wrote back then isn't technically up anymore. Our old livejournal (knkfics.livejournal.com) is still functional but it's friends-locked due to a plagiarism incident and I can't add more friends to it because they limited the number for free accounts. Our own website went down a long time ago. That being said, if you use the Wayback Machine, you can still get to some of it here (https://web.archive.org/web/20050211232749/http://www.fatalistic.net/knkfics/original.html). Just please keep in mind for anyone who clicks that link that this is stuff I wrote almost twenty years ago, mostly when I was in college, and it's not up to the standard of what I post today lol.

As for Touch the Sky, we started rewriting it but never finished. There was a lot going on back then, we wrote a LOT of different things and that one just never found an end we were satisfied by.

That being said, I do have some published novels now, although they are self-published, and they are queer as hell! If you like werewolves, you can find my werewolf series here, and if you're more of a dragon person, you can find the links to those books on my sidebar. Neither seriers is finished yet but I swear they will be someday!

It's so heartwarming to know that my stories were important to you, and I really hope your life is going well! Enjoy reading!

[mickstart]

hi! i’m just curious if you have any resources on brains finishing development around 25 being myth because i’d really love to read about it. i’ve done the old quick google search but couldn’t find anything but again would really love to read about it. thank you!

Hey! It's been a while since I've read about this. The fact I've generally remembered was that the 25 number was at first a best guess / average from the 2000s. The first study to make the "maturation" claim I think wasn't even actively scanning the brains of 25 year olds, it was basing this claim on trends in the data of a very limited sample size of 18-20 year olds, and general evidence that the brain finished maturing *some point* in the mid 20s. But the actual data tends to suggest that point is radically different, by whole years, for everyone and there's no specific year where an "on switch" clicks on in people's brains. To officially categorise who is and isn't "fully mature" by this standard, you would pretty much have to scan every single human being's brain from age 20 onward anytime they wanted to do any activity that you classed as requiring "a fully matured brain".

Basically: 25 as an 'average' of when your brain finishes developing can be helpful for social context and how we interact with each other, but not for establishing laws or restricting what people can or can't do.

I've found some sources. 1. 2. And I hope they'll be an interesting read for now! I'm kind of Stressed after today and I'd love to get back to this with the actual research I read another day.

[writtenbynath]

Today's thoughts on masturbation, orgasms and edging

I was 17 years old before I found out how to touch myself. I was 24 before I figured out how to successfully bring myself to orgasm. And now, at 41 I still sometimes 'fail' to achieve orgasm, despite having developed a wonderful ritual surrounding masturbation. This is so important and personal to me, I will share it with no one. I may bottom for hypnosex but my masturbation ritual is mine alone. Denial is a hard limit, I've spent enough time frustrated for real.

Which is interesting if you've ever had sex with me, I can cum easily and often when a partner is doing things to me. So often that some of my past partners went a little nuts about it. To make a long story short, I have come to understand the following very important truth that I wish more people understood:

It's not about the orgasms, it's about the hot fun we have together

Whether you can have many orgasms quickly or whether you have trouble even reaching one orgasm, focusing on the hot fun times you spend together is much less frustrating and agonising. And I have met a number of people who are into chastity, edging and denial who appreciate me as a Dom for understanding this. 

Not everyone wants orgasms. Can we just stop focusing so much on orgasms? Some people just want to be pleasured and loved and cherished. Some people just want praise. Some people just want to be humiliated or hurt within specific parameters. Some people just want to be aroused and edge without orgasm. 

I must say, I have a soft spot for the latter. Even though I never want to edge, I will gladly make a partner edge for me. I want to stare into their eyes, watching their inhibitions and their mind melt away. Until their eyes become vacant and hollow and their body moves on command and instinct only. I have come to call it worship when a submissive masturbates for me, thinking of me. It's one of the most flattering, intimate things a partner can choose to do with me.

[dodger-sister]

Sufficiently freaked out enough I turned on the alarm & locked the doors & put a chair under the door handle. Yesterday we rescued a cat that we had seen around the neighborhood the last week or so. She was on our porch staring in at Sis, so Sis went out & the cat jumped in her arms & started loving on Sis.

So we started our rescue routine: put her in basement guest room separate from our animals, posted on my FB & 2 local missing pet groups, called the shelter (waiting for call back) & intended to take her in to get scanned for a chip, if needed by tomorrow.

Today on 1 of the FB groups there was a comment “that’s my cat”. Something about it felt weird. When my dog went missing & ppl posted they saw him here or there, trying to help us catch him, I would reply “omg thank you, yes thats my dog!” Or whatevs. She just posts, “thats my cat.” So I went to her FB & it looked legit enough, just tons of other ppl’s missing animals & motorcycles. *But* there was no post about her missing a cat. Scrolled back 3 months, nothing. I was going to message her & ask for a photo of the cat, just to verify, since ppl do use cats as bait for dog fights around here. I understand when you are missing an animal, you can be beside yourself, so I shoulda messaged her immediately, but I was tending to things with my own pets & around the house & didnt respond immediately (ie within the hour). Thats on me.

But then I get a phone call, “you found a cat, thats our cat,” from some dude. I said “howd you get this number?” He says, “From the internet, you can search anybody nowadays.” GUYS, my FB profile name is my nickname, not my legal name! You cant search me & find me bc all searchable stuff is either from voter registration or state ID. How did he connect my nickname to my legal name? WTF. Then he says, “my gf is out looking for him - it’s a him - right now. I just gave her your address - *says my address* - that’s you, right?” Im shaking now. “How do you have my address? Someone is just coming to my house?!” I tell him I will NOT be answering the door until my sister is also here. He says, “she’s a 65 year old lady, its fine.” I said, “no, its not & my dog is super protective of me & he doesn’t let me open the door for strangers.” He says, “just bring the cat out to her then .” I stupidly, giving away that I’m disabled or whatevs, said, “cat is downstairs & I can’t do the stairs, you’ll have to wait until my sister comes home. Tell your gf to come back at 5.”

I ask if the number he has called from is his & he says yes & gives me his name. I say I’ll have my sister call to arrange a pick up. Im outside, so I go in, lock all the door, cant get the 1 door to lock properly so I put the chair there. I also turned on alarm & have my dog here, but Im freaked.

I inform Sis & she calls him. He tells her he got my number from 1 of those online Find A People sites. Thats a creepy thing to do. & then to just send someone to your house. What if a stranger just showed up at your front door asking about SM post you had made, without you having given out your info? How would you feel? Sis told him to send her a photo to prove is their cat. So then I go back to the missing animal site & there are a few more comments from the same lady, 1 saying his name is Cletus & the other saying, “We live on *street around the corner*. Please is a outdoor cat. Let him out & he will come back home”.

Ya’ll we live in the city limits! Yeah it’s only a 35k population but we have busy streets & a huge drug problem, have been labeled in the top 10 worst cities in our state, just a bad place to let your animals roam free if you want them to stay safe. Not to mention we aren’t far from the city edges, where we have coyotes. I know I had indoor/outdoor cats in my early 20s in town, but I was young & stupid & raised with barn cats so didn’t know any better. This lady is 65 years old! Yes I’m judging!

My friend is coming to stay this weekend & wanted to adopt the cat. If is theirs, obvs we hafta return it, but Id rather my friend adopt it. Rather my friend than ppl who let it roam in the city & then stalk you online & call you outta the blue & try to roll up on your house unannounced. Fuuuuuck. Also yeah he went missing, bc he begged us to let him in our house, we thought we were helping!

(Anyways, by the time I typed all this, it has been confirmed he is their cat, so we will return it to them later. In a public meet up spot.). But ya’ll, I’m wigging. WTF?

[nottyourlover]

It’s a match!

a/n: can you tell i’ve never used tinder and had to google things like “what number is a lot of tinder matches” 💀💀

summary: you and your roommate draco decide to start a fun romance competition but unbeknownst to Draco, you fell in love with him when you were 12...

warnings: none?

word count: 1914.

Saturday morning - 9:32 am:

“Wanna play a game?” your roommate asks.

“Sure,” you reply. Although this was only the second week of holidays, you two were already bored out of your minds. “We could play Uno again, but that’s getting boring. Or maybe Scrabble, Pictionary, Cluedo...” you glance at your board game cupboard, listing them all before looking back to Draco, who’s shaking his head.

“No, it’s this game I saw my friends play, on your phone.” 

“Other friends? I thought I was your one and only,” you shake your head disapprovingly. 

“Very funny, y/n. No, it’s Tinder.” he answers, grabbing his phone and moving closer to you on the couch.

“Tinder? There’s games on there now?” you ask, confused.

“No, the game is Tinder. You set a time limit, say, three days, and the person with the most matches by the end gets to dare the other people to do something,” he explains. 

“Oh. I always like a good competition,” you say. “’Get the most matches on Tinder in three days to dare the loser’ isn’t the most catchy name, but I trust you to buy a good trophy for me, since you’ve have so much practice.” you gave him a saccharine smile. 

You and Draco had a little trophy cabinet where the loser would buy the victor a trophy with whatever the competition’s name was engraved on the outside. It had become a game between you two, the winner at the end of the year would... It was undecided, but you were going to make sure Draco’s punishment was bad, or at least, totally hilarious. So far the tally was 5 to you, and 4 to Draco. 

“It’s only a one trophy difference! Anyway, make a new Tinder account, fake information but choose any pictures of real you.” he says. 

You quickly sign up, and pick 5 of your best photos. 

“’If you like water, you’ll already love 70% of me ;).’’ you laugh and look away from his phone. “Really, Draco. Pickup lines?” you snorted. “That’ll never work in this day and age.” 

He smirks. “We’ll see, y/n. I’ve heard I can be pretty charming.” 

You roll your eyes at the reference to what 13-year-old you had said when he talked you guys out of detention.

At 10am, you guys were ready to begin.

|| You: 0 matches || Draco: 0 matches ||

Sunday evening - 8:24pm:

The whole day, you were furiously on your phone, swiping right, right and right. You tried to keep an open mind and had inputted no preferences to try give yourself an advantage, but 24-year-old Dudley Dursley was still living in his mother’s basement with his girlfriend. Yeah, girlfriend. The guy put it in his bio. Even though this was a game, Fake Y/n was not about to be a homewrecker. 

“You alright there, love?” asks Draco. “Your thumb might need a break.” he laughs at you. You noticed he had been staring for a while now, watching your thumb as it furiously swiped right, with the occasional exception of people like Dudley Dursley. 

“No, I’m fine, thanks. I see you haven’t been swiping too much. Why?” you demand, not looking up from the screen.

You see him arch an eyebrow and he whistles. “Your concentration right now is intense. I think I’ve done enough, today. My matches have been rolling in.”

This makes you look up. “Rolling in?” How many have “rolled in”, Draco?”

He smirks, “Maybe 17?” 

“You’re joking!” you say, mouth open in shock. Your eyes lift up from the phone and just briefly you catch him looking at your mouth. 

“I’d never lie to my one and only friend.” he picks up his phone and walks out of the kitchen. 

|| You: 5 matches || Draco: ??? matches ||

Monday morning - 5:11am:

The next morning you woke up early, despite being up late googling the best way to get matches. To your delight, you found that overnight you’d matched with 9 more people.

“Draco?” you walk into his surprisingly clean room and dramatically throw open the curtains. “Wakey wakey!” He had work at 8, but you were looking forward to bothering him enough to at least get him to spill some of his secrets. 

He groans, and his muscular arm flexes as he grabs his blanket and covers his eyes. “What is this,” he mumbles with one eye open. “sick joke?”

“Is it working? Mind if I... take a quick peek at your match number?” you give Draco your sweetest smile and he smiles too. God, he had a great smile, even first thing in the morning. 

“Whatever, love, just let me sleep before I have to work.” he yawns and snuggles back down into his bed. Like the very best friend you are, you use his phone to take a picture, send it to yourself, and then set it as his lock screen. Snickering, you sneak out of his room, his phone in your hand. 

“Wrong password?!” you whisper to yourself. Draco changed it?! It used to be his birthday, what was it now? You tried 0000, 1111, 2222 and all the other basic combinations. His mum’s birthday, even his dad’s - even though their relationship wasn’t the best - but lastly, yours. To your surprise, it unlocked. 

My birthday? You think. Why would it be my birthday? 

Oh well. You resist looking through his photos and move right on to the good stuff. His matches. 

He lied. 17 matches? More like 6.

You smile happily, very content with your findings. Unable to resist, you take a quick peek at his messages, searching your name. 

Why, why, why was your best friend the last person he’d used your name in conversation with? The preview of the text merely said: “Y/n will love it, Draco, good luck!”

What is this thing Pansy was so sure you’d love? You’d have to confront him about that later. 

Monday afternoon - 4:30pm:

"I’m back,” Draco calls, voice echoing through the hallway. 

“Hey Dray, café busy today?” you ask while flipping through a book. 

“Actually not really, but you know what was busy? My phone. All those Tinder notifications were blowing it up.” 

“What? How?” you bunch your eyebrows and stare. “You were literally working.”

“Every girl I served, I showed her my Tinder, and I think she made sure we matched.” He snickered. 

You laugh but roll your eyes. “That’s cocky. How many matches are you on now?”

“Cocky? I prefer charming, but I have...” he looks at his screen. “15 matches now.”

You take in this information, trying not to smile. Four more people added you throughout the day, so you were only barely in the lead. Time to start furiously swiping again. 

|| You: 19 matches || Draco: 15 matches ||

Tuesday morning - 9:54am:

“Malfoy,” you nod your head. Across the room, Draco smiles.

“Last names now? Someone’s in game mode.”

“I was in game mode long before this, just thought I would go easy on you before, make sure you remember me being nice before I totally obliterate you in this competition.” 

“You’re intense,” he teases, moving to lean against the kitchen cabinet across from you.

“I checked your phone this morning. 19 matches? Cute. I’ve got 22.” You’re feeling pretty good about yourself right now, intimidating him and all. 

He claps slowly. “That’s great, love, but there’s still 6 more minutes.” 

“That’s... fine. These next,” you glance at the clock to make sure. “5 minutes I will be swiping so intensely, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

He walks towards you. “Really, y/n/n? Nothing?” You turn around and face the kitchen island, hiding, his eye contact making you go red. Suddenly, you feel something behind you. It’s Draco. Of course. 

You turn around, mouth open, about to belittle him for thinking flirting will make you go easier when you see his eyes flicker to your lips and your breath catches in your throat. He meets your eyes, in silent question. You nod.

“No, love, I need you to say it,” he brushes your hair behind your ear, the contact making you squirm. 

“Draco, kiss me.”

And then he does. One hand wraps around your waist, his other tangles in your hair. He kisses you like you’ve never been kissed before. He kisses you like he wants you. Needs you, needs this moment more than anything. You know you do.

He kisses you and you feel time stop and slow down and get quicker all at once. Or maybe it just stops.

He kisses you like he’s been waiting for this moment his entire life. 

He kisses you... and everything’s perfect, exactly where it should be. 

You pull away, breathing heavily. He rests his forehead against yours, and he smiles. You bite your lip, nervous. You two had never crossed that line before. All those times you thought he felt something too, but you had been too scared to act. You start to smile, the stereotypical line of, “If I knew you also felt that way, we could have been together for years now!” in your head.

“If I knew you also wanted that, y/n, I would have obliged you long before now.” Draco admits, voice rough. 

Oh my god.

“If I knew you also wanted that, Draco, I would not have stopped you if you did kiss me long before now.” 

For a moment, it’s all smiles and laughter, before a shrill, piercing noises hits the air.

Draco starts to laugh even harder. “Sweetheart don’t tell me that’s an alarm. You really did get competitive.”

You look down, embarrassed it ruined your perfect moment. “N...No? Pssh, what alarm?”

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s not like our moment was ruined,” he says, eyes staring deep into yours. “I have a feeling every moment with you from now on will be perfect.”

“Watch less romance, Draco,” you deadpan. 

“What can I say, I’ve been told I’m charming.” he shrugs, and you grin. 

“I wouldn’t doubt that Dray,” you say sincerely. “But I have to ask... why did you change your password to my birthday? I’m sorry for snooping but I just have to know. Why did Pansy tell you I was going to love something?” 

His eyes widen.

“I- I didn’t expect you to see the messages. I mean, the password I knew you’d get, but...” he takes a deep breath.

“Before I walked into the kitchen and we kissed, I changed my password again. It’s the year we met. The year I fell in love.” he admits.

“You’re lucky I’m in love with you too, because that was almost too cheesy,” your smile grows. 

“Yeah?” Draco smirks and you nod.

“I had this whole date night prepared, and I showed Pansy, and she said you’d love it, but... Never mind now, right?” he smirks even more and puts his arm around you. “I want to be yours, now,” he says softly. 

“I can’t believe you had plans!” you say, caught up in the fact that the Malfoy heir planned a date night?!

“I was going to wait until after this whole game these last few days, I couldn’t keep listening to you go on about the hordes of matches you had.” He smiles sheepishly. “And I hated listening to you read messages.”

You grin. “Jealous, Draco? It’s okay,” you affirm. “I’m yours now, I promise.”

|| You: 1 match || Draco: 1 match ||

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Hamas has released 3 different vids of the same three hostages over the course of just 24 hours, in the first it claims they're all alive, in the second it questions that, and by the third, it's claiming 2 of these Israelis hostages are dead. The IDF is reminding everyone that Hamas is waging a psychological war against Israeli civilians, and intentionally tormenting the families of the hostages. Nevertheless, it also says there is real concern for the lives of these 2 hostages, Itay Svirsky (on the right) and Yossi Sharaby (on the left). Itay's parents were both murdered on Oct 7. Noa Argamani (in the center) was forced to read the statement about the death of the men. Her mother, Liora Argamani, has stage 4 cancer, and has repeatedly expressed her wish to see Noa one last time before she passes away.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Thomas Hand, who is the father of Emily (a hostage of Hamas released after 50 days in captivity), said he's daughter is doing quite well, that more than 50 days after her release, her speech volume is almost back to normal, and she's only suffering from the occasional nightmare.

Mira and Barak Ayalon, the civilian mother and son who were killed by Hezbollah the other day, were buried last night in their community, Kfar Yuval. Because of the threat to everyone in northern Israel, the double funeral had to be held at night, in the dark, with a limited number of participants. Not that long ago, when Gal Hershko, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza, was buried in a similar manner, Hezbollah aired the images, and then showed how in contrast, they bury their own killed terrorists in broad daylight, with lots of participants present. We can't even bury our dead in peace, and then we get mocked for it, and that's the reality that people want Israel to continue to accept on our northers and southern borders.

I don't write daily about the Israeli soldiers killed in the war in Gaza, but we learned about at least one more death every single day. Today, we learned that 37 years old reservist Noam Ashram, who was injured on Dec 29, has succumbed to his wounds, and 21 years old Nitzan Schessler was killed in southern Gaza, bringing the death toll of Israeli soldiers in the ground operation to 190.

The IDF estimates that the terror tunnel network spreads over up to 720 kilometers (roughly 447 miles) in Gaza, with more than 5,700 shafts that allows Hamas terrorists to carry out surprise attacks.

It only took over 100 days (disregarding everything that happened before Oct 7), but the European Union has finally designated the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as a terrorist, allowing for the freezing of his assets. Looking forward to that being done to every Hamas terrorist senior.

This is 79 years old Edna Bluestein.

She's the woman murdered in the Palestinian terrorist attack yesterday in Ra'anana. The final number of additional casualties in that attack is 19 people, 4 of them severely wounded. Just a small reminder, the 2 terrorists intentionally targeted the elderly Edna, and another casualty, a 66 years old man, and kids, as 7 were wounded.

This is 22 years old Amit Man.

She was a paramedic with Magen David Adom (Red Star of David), and on Oct 7, as the attack on Israeli civilians began, she left her home, where she could have stayed in the safety of her apartment's bomb shelter, and rushed to her community's dental clinic, where the wounded of kibbutz Be'eri were being brought. For several hours she took care of them, and corresponded with her family members. During that entire time, Amit expressed her fear over how close to them the terrorists were, fear over how she could best take care of her patients, and repeatedly asked for the IDF to be directed to the clinic. The last voice messages she left for her family make it clear that she understood that she's not gonna make it out alive. Her apartment was found intact. She would have survived, had she not gone to the clinic, to help others. You can hear Amit's voice message to her sisters, her fear and the relentless gunshots, at this time stamp, and her very last voice message ever here, where she's just begging for it to stop.

Amit's mom recounted that after a difficult shift, when she had lost a patient, after they would talk, Amit would go into her room and record herself singing. The family mentioned that Amit chose to become a paramedic as a teenager, after she saw the dedicated medical treatment her dad got, before he passed away from cancer. If she hadn't made that choice, I think she would probably have been a singer, she had a beautiful voice, and it's clear this was an important way for her to express herself.

A Torah scroll had been dedicated in her honor at the Be'eri synagogue, and a rock band that she loved, Knesiat Ha'Sechel (Church of the Mind) used one of her recordings to create a postmortem duet. The song is called Nothing Is Going to Hurt Me, the original lyrics written by an Israeli soldier, 21 years old Erze Shtark, who died in a military helicopter accident in 1997. Knesiat Ha'Sechel, led by a band member who lost his brother in the Second Lebanon War (2006) turned Erez Shtark's written words in 2008 into a song, as part of a national project, called Soon We'll Become A Song, where many Israeli musicians have been doing the same for fallen Israeli soldiers along the years. The Song has two voices, that of the soldier swearing that nothing would hurt them, because that's what they promised their family, and the voice of the family, saying if anything happened to the soldier, there is no point to their life. "If you're standing here above me," the song goes, "I must have failed my promise. I'm sorry, I swear on my life." In the new version, Amit sings the part of the soldier, and the band sings the part of the family. Here's the duet, and in the vid you can also see the band performing it for Amit's family:

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[yowlthinks]

Numbers Game

Something happened today in the way of mixed age social group dynamic and I am still thinking about it. The key question I am still struggling with is what is better, what is healthier (for all the participants): segregate the participants by age with lower and upper limits, or just let everyone who wants to be part of the group be there? And then if we say "better", for whom exactly is it better?

A few days ago a massive GO fandom WhatsApp group was founded and pretty soon it swelled to nearly a 100 participants globally. Did you know you could reach 1500 (one thousand five hundred) unread messages in a group by just not looking at your phone for a couple of hours? Neither did I, but now I know. Anyway, it was lovely, just as this whole fandom is, and among all the one-liner chatter there were some really nice more in-depth discussions about life. It was a little overwhelming, but I liked it.

Now, the age of participants varied, you could see that straightaway, but that was not a problem, because it wasn't like there was anything in the discussions that you could not discuss with a teenager. But then today the inevitable question of "how old are you" came up and apparently some members were shocked to find out the age differences. When you're 36 and a 16 year old asks you "What are you doing here?", I'm not gonna lie, it stings a little.

You want to turn around and tell them that in those 20 years since you were their age you have not, in fact, disappeared. You still read and write fanfiction, enjoy a good meme and generally are allowed to have fun. Yes, even if you have a job, kids and all those other adult things. Especially, because you have all those other adult things and they weigh on you, but you are still you and it is good to remember that. You want to turn around and scream that you are not "old and boring". That you need that little happy corner to dive in and let yourself go happily unhinged over fictional characters. And you have every right to do it.

But then I guess, if you are 16 and you have this fandom where you run away from school, parents and teen angst, you want to have this as your own world. You think people who are in your fandom are essentially all more or less like you. And finally someone understands, someone knows your suffering!! And when it turns out that apparently there are people closer to your parents' age enjoying these same things, well, it feels like a betrayal. Like some sort of spies infiltrating your fortress of happiness, and you want to turn around and shout at them. How dare they take this from you?! You are already going through so much, and now these old boring people dare to steal this one happy thing from you?!

The thing is, Internet is great at mixing people and bringing them together. And fandoms are a place where discussions happen, which wiuod never happen in real life. And to get those discussions, it is good to have different perspectives, and yes, this diversity includes diversity of age.

It is also good for teens to know that life does not end after 20, or 30 or 40. Or even 50, or 70. Life only ends when you die. And there is noone who should police what you enjoy as long as you are doing this without harming others. You do realise that the first modern fanfiction authors are pushing 70 and 80 now, and can you honestly tell me that these people suddenly lost their ability to imagine and enjoy the things they love? I bloody well hope not, because being ale to enjoy what you love is what makes life worth living. It is just a little uncomfortable to think your gran is probably not averse to reading or at least imagining Kirk/Spok stories in her head, yeah, probably saucy ones too. This thought doesn't really fit the narrative, so you push it away. But knowing that it is possible, makes the thought of being an old person a little less scary. "I will still be me".

Anyway, long story short, there is now a separate group. It is smaller and also devoid of stickers (did you know WhatsApp has stickers?! I had no clue, I don't know if it is a generational or cultural thing, but whatever), and I hope it will be a joyful place and full of discussions.

That "what are you doing here?" still stings a bit. But I guess, it is the right thing to let the teens have space wherever possible, they are going through it all, so let them be.

And hey, look at me, having fun on Tumblr, coping with being in my mid-30ies so well.

[ragsweas]

Hear Ye

Chapter 2: Old Faces

Anger is a funny thing. Early on Sagar had found it to be rather destructive. As he grew older, he learnt how to let the rage brew under his skin and be let out in small bursts. People commended him for his ability to control it. In fact, the worst fit of anger anyone had ever seen with Sagar was three years ago when a criminal got a lowered sentence than what he deserved.

The same criminal sat in front of him.

Even the scoff that left his mouth was inadequate. The anger that rushed through his veins was capable to burning down buildings. He could throw the little rodent in a cell and be done with it. He could throw him in the ocean, though it would do nothing to those half fish creatures. He could-

“Is there going to be any talk or are we just, admiring each other’s faces?”

His anger did not control him, Sagar reminded himself. Even if the thief’s voice was like a grater to his nerves, Sagar could behave rationally. He could figure out how to deal with the problem. 

Alfar, a graven nearing the third decade of life with over fifty thefts to his name but never proven due to the item mysteriously returning back to the owner. That remained ignoring the number of pickpocketing, bribes and knowledge that he kept stored away. Even if he was seen at the scene of the crime, it was impossible to catch him. 

It took Sagar four years and hundreds of failed plans to finally capture the thief, only for him to receive a meagre banishment instead of a lifetime sentence or even a ban.

“I know I am a beauty, but are you really going to keep staring at me?”

He was a beauty. He was charming. The thief had talked sweetly to the King on the day of his trial, a story of dead brothers and poor mother with young siblings limiting his punishment. 

Alfar was also skilled. Sagar had no doubt that he could untie the knots on his hand, no matter how tightly Sagar had bound him. In the game that he bad started, Sagar knew he was always a step back. 

“How did you set foot in the kingdom?” Sagar asked calmly.

The thief grinned, “An invitation came for us.”

“Us?”

“My troupe and I. You must have seen us perform.”

Sagar had. He had also seen Alfar’s back and found himself admiring him before the dance started. When the song began Sagar had been spellbound, like the rest of the people. The tale of two lovers sneaking around to meet after having only exchanged letters was a long loved tale. To see it in performance, that too so well done was a treat. 

That was until his eyes landed on the male dancer and his entire body froze up. 

Sagar licked his lips, looking away, “When did you learn how to dance?”

“Perhpas when I was five, or was it six? I do not remember.”

“And why come here today? What is the purpose of parading in the halls that banished you?”

The thief chuckled, craning his neck, “It’s wonderful, isn’t it? I can do whatever I can. All the punishments are over, soldier. Oh, I meant Chief. What are you the Chief of anyways?”

Sagar ignored him, instead circling him like a predator. Unlike other Bayiks of the Royal Line, who could see into the future, Sagar’s Sight was stuck in the past. He remembered the things that were long gone, that other Bayiks would forget at every turn of the decade. Perhaps that was why he could not let go of the thief. That was why dragging him into the tiny office he shared with Nihar was not enough. Why he knew he was losing the battle even before it began.

And it only angered him more.

“Now, is this how you treat your guests?”

Snarling, Sagar leaned forward, holding the chair handles in a tight grip. When Alfar chuckled, he grabbed his curly hair and pulled back his neck.

It was like a drop of water in a raging inferno.

“Listen here, you piece of filth. You are no guest. You were banished by the King and should not have dared to step foot inside this kingdom.”

The thief was barely an inch away from him, ad he still smirked, “The banishment was for three summers, or did you forget?”

Sagar wanted to. Three summers banishment was ideal for theft, but Sagar felt he should have gotten more.

He left the thief’s hair, ignoring his stupid grin and crossed his arms. Sagar took in a depe breath, then another, before looking at him.  

“So you decided to dance your way in?”

“I told you, an invitation came for my troupe and I.”

“For you?”

“Well not specifically us,” the thief chuckleed, his curls bouncing up and down and laugh lines appearing at the edge of his eyes, “For the entire town. The four of us won the little competition and boarded the ship here.”

Sagar nodded. It was the most explanation he was going to get out of the graven, “And you are here to what? Steal again?”

The thief sighed, as if Sagar was a child asking foolish questions, “Would ya believe me if I said I have left that world behind?”

Sagar would not. So he said nothing.

“Look, you may not trust me,” he says as he pulled his hands on his lap, letting the rope fall to the floor, “And I know I have skills. But to be honest, soldier- Chief- I want to stay in Vyagar and so does my troupe. That’s all that there is to this story.”

Sagar did not believe him. He told him as much, causing the thief to chuckle. Sagar did not have the power to contain him, but he could always look out. And that was what he intended to do.

Still, telling the graven to ‘stay’ as he rushed to get an audience with teh King was thrilling.  

“Jeez, not a dog.”

Sagar smiled to himself. Small victories were all he could take. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Read the rest of the chapter here!! And the first part here!

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Hello all, welcome to the story of Hear Ye- a desi, fantasy, queer, enemies to lovers with a twist of politics and mystery.

If you want to be added to the taglist for more worldbuiling updates and chapter snippets of my Enemies-to-Lovera desi queer fantasy romance, drop a comment!

If you like my work, buy me a coffee!

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