#massa day done

[bossymarmalade]

Jenissa Sullivan (ancestral_memory)

Trinidad & Tobago's Carnival has always embodied creative resistance and radical joy as protest, since the first days our African ancestors used masquerade as social critique and as an expression of resilience. • So, we stand in solidarity with all oppressed people of the global South!

[muwapsturniolo]

✯CYBER SEX 2✯

THEE MUWAPGUCCI COLLAB

IN WHICH… Matt and Chris Sturniolo are just two inexperienced losers.

Trust me when I meet him, I'm fucking him on sight

Warnings: NSFW CONTENT AHEAD! NO ACTUAL SMUT BUT MENTION OF PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL AND BODY PARTS.

MPT 1, GPT1, GPT2

"Next...Next...Nex-Oh he's cute!" Y/n gives Mika a dirty look. The two girls were currently in Y/n's apartment, going through the submissions for the contest. The contest ended two days ago and the girl had gotten around 1k submissions. She had already gone through 10 submissions alone, now she has her friend with her and they are trying to go through the rest together.

Mika didn't want to go through the submissions with her, but with the promise of free food and one hundred dollars, Mika caved.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you know he's ugly." She points to her laptop which has a picture of a guy. "Come on he's not that bad! Ok let's look at his entry form!" Mika snatches the laptop and starts reading things out. everything about him seems normal until they get to his sexual interests.

"Ok, so it looks like he enjoys bondage, roleplay, sla- WHAT THE FUCK!" Y/n looks at Mika with crossed arms and a raised brow.

"He's into weird shit isn't he?"

"What the hell is a slave kink?! Like does he want you to call him Massa and tell you to take his conservative dick?!" Y/n falls out in laughter at Mika's disturbing words. "Yeah immediate no! I'm deleting this submission, fuck that!" Mika does just as she said, and deletes the entry, closing the laptop right after.

"That's enough for today, let's go get something to eat." Y/n groans and shakes her head, "Mika come on! I have to get this done!"

"And we will! But you promised me food and after that slave shit, I need some food. Let's go to Randy's and get a burger or something!"

The two girls leave the apartment, making their way to Randy's. The diner wasn't that far from her apartment, with it being a college town and all it was easy to travel on foot.

They make it to the diner pretty quick and walk to their usual seat. As they are walking, Y/n gets a phone call from her mom. “Hold on, I have to take this.” She walks back towards the door, completely missing Mika accidentally bumping into someone, "oh shit my-Matt?" Matt smiles awkwardly seeing the girl from the library.

"H-Hey Mika, how are you?" He adjusts his glasses and his backpack, putting more of his weight on his right foot rather than his left. "I'm good! Hey, did you ever send that girl the picture? you never updated me and everyone else on it." He laughs shyly, rubbing his neck.

"I uh yeah I did…I actually sent a video." Mika claps excitedly.

“That’s great! What did she say?! Are you guys going out now!? Did you have sex!?” A few people give them weird looks making Matt’s cheeks burn a bright red. He gives the guests of the diner an apologetic smile before turning back to Mika, “I-umm. Y-yeah she liked it… and no we haven’t gone out yet but s-she did like it.”

He does his best to make his lie believable. It’s not like he could tell the girl that he submitted a video of him drunk and jerking off to a cam girl. She would probably call him a weird loser…or maybe even an incel.

“Well, at least she liked it! Hopefully, you get a girl soon!” She playfully nudges him making him laugh.

“Sorry, it was my mom asking me how school is going.” Y/n walks up attempting to put her phone back in her purse. Matt’s eyes widen seeing the girl approaching them. He feels his body run cold and he quickly looks down, “S-sorry Mika I-I have t-to go!” He rushes past the two, bumping shoulders with Y/n as he darts out of the diner.

"Well, he was weird." Y/n mumbles, eyeing the boy through the windows. She watches as he climbs into a sleek black car. Mika gently hits her arm, "Shut up! He's not weird he's just really shy. He's actually a really nice guy. He's supposed to go out with me and the girls soon." Mika explains as they sit down.

They order their food and it’s soon brought to them.

"What were you talking about with Matt anyway?" Mika finishes chewing before answering the question.

"Sasha had asked him randomly if he ever took a dick pick after Jordan sent her one-Wait Jordan sent her a dick pic? Even after he cheated on her?-Yeah and it was a shitty one too! Made up for nothing! Anyway, Matt said he never took one but he had the opportunity to send one to a girl. So we decided to help him, teach him the best way to take the best picture."

Y/n scrunches her face up, "Wait, you had to help him take a picture of his junk? Is he like a virgin or something?'' Mika shrugs and dips her fry into her shake.

"I'm pretty sure, I mean don't get me wrong, he's cute, but he's super shy and awkward. I'm surprised he even wanted to send a dick pic considering he seemed really interested in his studies." Y/n hums and plays around with her food, her mind stuck on the boy with glasses.

Y/n huffs for what seems like the thousandth time. She's been home for about two hours now since going out with Mika. Her time was spent still going through all the submissions. She found a few people she would choose so she wrote their names down before continuing.

"Why did I do this to myself?" She mutters as she fixes the blue light glasses on her face. She feels her mouth getting dry, so she exits her room to grab a glass of water. When she walks back, she sees her cat walking along the keyboard of her laptop.

“You’re so annoying,” she grumbles walking to her bed. She sets her cup down on her nightstand before moving the brown cat. She goes to close her laptop, wanting to deal with the entries tomorrow, but stops in her tracks seeing a familiar face on her screen.

“There’s no way.” She thinks to herself.

She snatches the laptop and stares at the entry infront of her.

There’s no way that’s him…Right?

She sits down on her bed, analyzing the picture. It looks just like the boy from the diner, glasses and all. Granted she wasn’t able to get a good look at him due to him rushing past her with his head down but she had to admit,

He was attractive.

He had a bit of a beard, not a burly one but one that enhanced his jawline. He had brown hair that looked as if he ran his fingers through it multiple times. His face was adorned by a pair of oval brown glasses, complimenting his facial features well. His eyes were a dull blue, looking as if he was tired when taking the picture.

If Mika’s claims are true with him being into his studies, it was most likely he was studying when taking the picture.

She opens up his application and begins to read his answers.

She finds herself smiling when she reads about his hobbies, finding it interesting that he’s majoring in film. She begins to wonder what his favorite movies are. She reads that he loves Lego sets and looks over to the unopened boxes of Legos on her desk.

Wanting to know more about him, she continues.

“Triplet? Jesus Christ his mom had her hands full.” Her curiosity is peaked and she grabs her phone and opens up Instagram.

She searches for his name and clicks on the first profile. Sure enough, it’s his account.

He only has 100 followers, most of them being family and the few people he met in school. She scrolls through his pictures and comes to the conclusion that he has a simple life.

Lots of pictures of him and his brothers, some of him and his parents, and some with a dog.

She throws her phone down and goes back to his form.

She gets to his sexual interests and to her surprise, she finds that he doesn’t have any, stating that he doesn’t know of his interests but is open to almost anything.

Most guys his age would know their kinks and what they prefer in bed by now.

“Maybe he only has had vanilla sex.” She looks at her cat, waiting for the animal to answer.

When the cat doesn’t answer, she looks back at the screen.

There’s no way he’s a virgin…Right? He watches her streams, he couldn’t be a virgin.

She wants to text Mika and tell her about Matt's entry, but she doesn’t want to put Matt’s business out there, especially if he’s as shy and closed off as Mika makes him out to be.

She reads the rest of his entry before getting to the first video.

She adjusts the way she’s sitting and takes a sip of water before pressing play.

“Take five,” she giggles hearing the annoyance in his voice.

She watches the video and is surprised to hear his words. Most of the entry videos have been people saying that the reason they should win is because they have money, or they will give her the best dick of her life. They were cocky and Y/n found that unattractive.

She didn’t grow up with a lot of money, so people flaunting it and spending it like crazy rubbed her in all the wrong ways.

Matt on the other end was a bit more soft spoken and actually treating her like she was human, admitting that none of the other contenders should be able to take her out due to her being too good for them. He also didn't flaunt his money, granted he was a college student so he was probably broke anyway but,

It was a change of pace that she loved.

She knew what she was getting into when becoming a cam girl, being treated like she was an object rather than a human. His words made her feel,

Good.

The video ends and her heart races when she scrolls down. She was expecting to see a picture of his dick, not a video that’s 10 minutes long.

The thumbnail is of Matt in bed, getting ready to pull his pants down.

She hesitates as she presses play.

The video starts with shuffling being heard before Matt’s body clumsily falls onto the bed.

She notices the only sources of light are purple LED's and a sunlamp casting a warm glow onto the bed.

She finds herself attracted to the setting, it was almost cinematic. The way the lights cast a spotlight on him, an aura of orange, yellow, and purple covering his body.

She watches his tattooed arm pull his laptop closer, noticing an old stream of hers being pulled up. He hooks his fingers into his sweats, before releasing his hard and aching cock.

Y/n’s mouth waters.

He seemed to be about a good 7 inches, having a mushroom top. It wasn’t that girthy, but she knew that it would feel mind-blowing, especially with the thick vein running up the side.

He presses play on the video and begins to jerk himself off, spitting on his own cock.

She feels that familiar ache in between her legs.

His moans and whimpers sound like music to Y/n.

“Fuck Y/n.” She clenches her legs hearing him moan her name, loving the way it rolls off his tongue, piercing her ears and making her slick worse.

She quickly pauses the video and grabs her cat, setting the animal outside of her room and closing the door. She rushes back over to her bed and grabs the vibrator from her nightstand, quickly stripping herself of her clothes.

Usually, she would do a bit of foreplay, but she couldn’t wait. She could feel the slick between her folds, the mound between her legs aching and pleading to be touched.

She lays back on the bed and presses play on the video, immediately pushing her vibrator in between her wet folds.

Her eyes roll back at the relief, letting out a deep sigh.

She looks back at her laptop and sees Matt’s head is thrown back, his hand working hard to chase his impending orgasm.

“F-fuck Matt!” She moans hearing him moan her name once again.

“P-please let me cum m-mommy, I’ll be a good boy!” His submissive pleas do something to Y/n, unlocking a part of her that she didn’t even know was there.

She never found herself interested in guys calling her mommy, thinking they had some type of mommy issues and wanting her to baby them. But for some reason, she loved hearing Matt call her mommy and beg.

She could tell that he was close by the way he sped up his hand and the way his chest moved up and down quickly. She’s close as well, the urge to “pee” only getting stronger as the vibrations go on.

“Fuck fuck fu-“ she watches as his head hangs low biting his lip, his stomach clenching as white ribbons spurt out, some landing on his chest and face.

She yelps and arches her back as she makes a mess on her sheets. She swipes the vibrator back and forth, prolonging the orgasm as her body shakes.

She closes her eyes and swallows harshly as she tries to catch her breath, turning the vibrator off and throwing it to the side.

She opens her eyes and stares at the ceiling her mind fuzzy and filled with images of her and Matt and what a night together would look like.

After a few moments she sits up and grabs her laptop, drafting and email.

Y/e/h@gmail.com: hello Matt, I wanted to email you personally instead of through Chaturbate! This email is letting you know that you are the winner of the competition 💕 If you would no longer like to participate and would like me to choose another winner, please respond to the email stating so. Otherwise, respond to this email with the days you are free, and where you would like to meet for our date.

Can’t wait to see you again, maybe this time you won’t be as shy and you will actually look at me 💕

Xoxo, Y/n

She sends the email and smiles to herself, standing up and throwing on her robe.

She opens the door and sees her cat looking at her, “sorry miss lady, momma had to handle business. Let’s get dinner started.”

She walks into the kitchen and begins cooking dinner, her mind still on Matt.

PT 2 BABYYYYYYY!!!! IM SO SORRY THAT IT'S SHORT BUT I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE TO WRITE😭 MAKE SURE YOU READ MY POOKIE @guccifrog POSTS AND GET CAUGHT UP CUZ NEXT WEEK IS THE LAST PART OF THE COLLAB!!!

XOXO PEACHES🍑

TAGLIST 🍑

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[twinterrors29]

Cody gets bitten by a werewolf sometime during the war, and can transform at will with no full moon requirement, effectively becoming himself as a very large dog

he and Obi-Wan conspire to keep this fact hidden, as they're very aware of the danger of the Kaminoans finding out and disappearing him into their labs

when Order 66 goes out, Cody has a split second to fight it

and, well. wolves aren't exactly good soldiers, and you can only sort of expect them to follow orders.

transformed, Cody runs straight to the General, but when he gets there, he realizes that he can't actually warn him of the danger, because he can't transform back to explain without the Order taking hold

but he can whine sadly and pull on Obi-Wan's ridiculous sleeves with his teeth until Obi-Wan gets the hint and lets him lead him away to safety in a stolen ship

they make the rendezvous with Bail and Yoda

(Bail: what's with the dog Obi-Wan?

Obi-Wan, sweating: it's, um, a service dog

Yoda: ...fake, that sounds, but okay)

and then Cody and Obi-Wan make the trip to the Temple to disable the beacon, with Cody fighting off his brothers as nonlethally as he can while Obi-Wan does his best to follow his lead

after they find the evidence of Anakin's betrayal and receive Yoda's assignment, Obi-Wan sobs into Cody's fur the whole flight to Padme's apartment, and then silently the whole flight out to Mustafar hidden aboard her ship

while Obi-Wan is busy fighting with Vader, Cody manages to drag Padme's unconscious body back aboard her ship, then sneaks back closer to the fighting just in time to see the end of the duel

(if he waits to act until Obi-Wan is just far enough to not notice when Anakin's screams cut out, well, that's his own business)

he follows Obi-Wan back to the ship and drapes himself across the man's lap the whole way to Polis Massa

after Padme's death and her children's birth, Cody demands that they keep at least one of the babies

(look at his puppy dog eyes. how can you so cruelly deprive him of tubies like this.)

so Luke grows up with his Uncle Ben and their very strange, very large dog, Cody

when they end up on the Death Star nearly two decades later, Cody materializes from wherever he'd been lurking on the station just in time to drag Obi-Wan to safety during his duel with the Grand Inquisitor

as soon as their bedraggled group arrives on Yavin, Rex shows up to eagerly greet his former General; Cody, while thrilled to see his brother alive, starts viciously growling at him as he approaches: he might not understand in detail how the chips work, but he knows what he experienced that day, and he's seen what his brothers have done since then

Obi-Wan explains the situation to the man from the Cody-approved distance of half the hangar away, how Cody transformed one day and has refused to turn back since, and Rex immediately expresses his confusion, asking if they haven't removed Cody's chip

(Cody: I assure you, I did NOT let anyone microchip me!)

following Rex's explanation, Cody rushes them all to the medbay to undergo surgery, leaving Obi-Wan to explain to Luke how their 'dog' is actually his other Uncle

while Obi-Wan and Cody are distracted desperately making out with each other in the medbay, Luke sneaks off to destroy the Death Star, setting them up to all live happily ever after

[kemetic-dreams]

1938 - PAULINE JOHNSON and FELICE BOUDREAUX, sisters, were once slaves on the plantation of Dermat Martine, near Opelousas, Louisiana. As their owners were French, they are more inclined to use a Creole patois than English.

"Us was both slaves on de old plantation close to Opelousas," Pauline began. As the elder of the two sisters she carried most of the conversation, although often referring to Felice before making positive statements.

"I was 12 year old when freedom come and Felice was 'bout six. Us belonged to Massa Dermat Martine and the missy's name Mimi. They raise us both in the house and they love us so they spoil us. I never will forget that. The little white chillen was younger than me, 'bout Felice's age. They sho' had pretty li'l curly black hair.

"Us didn't have hard time. Never even knowed hard time. That old massa, he what you call a good man.

"Us daddy was Renee and he work in the field. The old massa give him a mud and log house and a plot of ground for he own. The rain sho' never get in that log house, it so tight. The furniture was homemake, but my daddy make it good and stout.

"Us daddy he work de ground he own on Sunday and sold the things to buy us shoes to put on us feet and clothes. The white folks didn't give us clothes but they let him have all the money he made in his own plot to get them.

"Us mama name Marguerite and she a field hand, too, so us chillen growed up in the white folks house mostly. 'Fore Felice get big enough to leave I stay in the big house and take care of her.

"One day us papa fall sick in the bed, just 'fore freedom, and he kep' callin' for the priest. Old massa call the priest and just 'fore us papa die the priest marry him and my mama. 'fore dat they just married by the massa's word.

"Felice and me, us have two brothers what was born and die in slavery, and one sister still livin' in Bolivar now. Us three uncles, Bruno and Pophrey and Zaphrey, they goes to the war. Them three dies too young. The Yankees stole them and make them boys fight for them.

"I never done much work but wash the dishes. They wasn't poor people and they uses good dishes. The missy real particular 'bout us shinin' them dishes nice, and the silver spoons and knives, too.

"Them white people was good Christian people and they christen us both in the old brick Catholic church in Opelousas. They done torn it down now. Missy give me pretty dress to get christen in. My godmother, she Mileen Nesaseau, but I call her 'Miran'. My godfather called 'Paran.'

"On Sunday mornin' us fix our dress and hair and go up to the missy's looking-glass to see if us pretty enough go to church. Us goes to Mass every Sunday mornin' and church holiday, and when the cullud folks sick massa send for the priest same's for the white folks.

"We wears them things on the strings round the neck for the good of the heart. They's nutmeg.

"The plantation was a big, grand place and they have lots of orange trees. The slaves pick them oranges and pack then down on the barrel with la mosse (Spanish moss) to keep them. They was plenty pecans and figs, too.

"In slavery time most everybody round Opelousas talk Creole. That make the words hard to come sometime. Us both talk that better way than English.

"Durin' the war, it were a sight. Every mornin' Capt. Jenerette Bank and he men go a hoss-back drillin' in the pasture and then have drill on foot. A white lady take all us chillen to the drill ground every mornin'. Us take the lunch food in the basket and stay till they done drill out.

"I can sing for you the song they used to sing:

"O, de Yankee come to put de nigger free,

Says I, says I, pas bonne;

In eighteen-sixty-three,

De Yankee get out they gun and say,

Hurrah! Let's put on the ball.

"When war over none the slaves wants leave the plantation. My mama and us chillen stays on till old massa and missy dies, and then goes live on the old Repridim place for a time.

"Both us get marry in that Catholic church in Opelousas. As for me, it most too long ago to talk about. His name Alfred Johnson and he dead 12 years. Our youngest boy, John, go to the World War. Two my nephews die in that war and one nephew can't walk now from that war.

"Felice marry Joseph Boudreaux and when he die she come here to stay with me. There's more hard time now than in the old day for us, but I hope things get better.

[porchlightfairy]

Haircut

summary: Eddie needs a haircut but he has trauma around getting it done. So you offer to do it for him.

eddie munson x reader

wc: 1k+

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Eddie’s hair was getting really long. His bangs were now over his eyes. You thought he was growing it out on purpose but when he continued to style it the same you knew something was wrong.

“Hey, Eddie,” you played with his hair in the back of his van at school.

“Yeah?” He looks at you.

“You’re hair is getting really long. Are you going to get a haircut soon?”

“Uh yeah, I’m just waiting for Wayne to get around to it. He’s just been really busy. I’ll get it done this week probably.”

“Okay, I’m just worried that your bangs are becoming curtains. You’ll end up like those hippie pretty boys. 

He chuckles before leaning over and kissing you, “Then you must really like it.”

The week goes by and Eddie’s hair was not cut. You were at his trailer and saw him fidgeting with it in frustration.

“I thought Wayne was going to cut it this week.”

Eddie pauses, “He… got busy.”

“Or you never asked.”

Eddie sighs and flops on the bed next to you. “I just don’t like getting a haircut. If I ask Wayne he’ll take me to a barbershop and they’ll chop it all off.” He tugs on his hair, “Or even worse they’ll grab the clipper and shave it again.”

You understood how afraid he was. In middle school, he was made fun of for his buzzed hair, and then he was made fun of again when it started to grow back, awkwardly. “Well, what if I cut it?” You suggest.

“Have you cut hair before?” He cocks an eyebrow.

You nod rapidly “Of course I have. I’ll be gentle, and we’ll take it slow.”

Eddie purses his lips nervously. You hold his face, “We’ll do it right outside in the yard. So if it got overwhelming you can run for the hills.”

He smiles and holds your waist, “I won’t do that.” He lets out a breath, “I’ll let you cut my hair. I trust you.”

You grin and pepper his face with kisses. “I will do my best and your hair will be back to normal and not an inch shorter.”

“Promise?” He looks at you with his puppy eyes.

“I promise.” You seal the contract with a kiss on the lips.

The next day, you’re back at the trailer preparing for Eddie’s haircut. You asked him to wash his hair in the morning before you arrived and you set up outside. A lawn chair with a side table for all your tools; scissors, a comb, and some mousse for when you finish.

You wait for Eddie to finish in the trailer but you soon grow suspicious when he doesn’t come out. You approach the screen and clang against the frame, “Eddie! Come out now if you’re finished. The sooner you do the sooner you’ll be done.”

There is no answer.

Slowly, you enter the trailer, “Eddie?” You continue further inside. You don’t hear the shower running or anything else for that matter. You move towards his room. You crack open the door and find Eddie laying in bed with his hair bone dry. You furrow your brows and enter the room. You grab one of his shirts lying on the floor before tip-toeing closer to his sleeping body.

“Wakey, wakey, Eddie!” You slap him with the shirt. Eddie jolts up quickly and stares at you in shock.

“What the hell?!”

“I told you to wash your hair before I came over. Get up now.” You pull off his covers. Eddie grumbles and gets out of bed reluctantly. “Now c’mon I need to wash your hair.” You grab his arm and pull him into the kitchen.

“Why here?” 

“Because I don’t want you trying to sneak down the shower drain. Now put your head in the sink.”

Eddie obliges and sticks his head in. You then turn on the faucet and run the water over his hair. You grab the shampoo and begin to lather it in. Your hands were gentle as you massaged the suds into his scalp. Your fingers comb through his dark locks of hair, nails scratching the skin nicely.

You rinse out the soap and proceed to put the conditioner in it next. As you let it set for a few minutes you look at him and smile, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Eddie shakes his head.

“Halfway there. C’mon, let’s rinse it out.” You massage out the condition and wrap his hair in a towel. “You’re lucky I brought my hair dryer.” Eddie swallows nervously.

With his hair dry, it was now time for the dreaded moment. You have him sit outside in the chair and comb out his hair. “Are you ready?”

Eddie sighs, “I guess.”

You hold out the scissors and show them to Eddie, “Okay, I’m going to do it.”

You then move to the back of his head. You take a breath and then start to cut. Eddie flinches as you catch the hair. “It’s okay. Look it’s not that much.” You place the clippings in his hand.

“Yeah, easy.” He smiles.

“May I keep going?” You ask.

Eddie nods, “Thank you, yes, you can keep going.”

You continue to trim his hair in the afternoon sun. Some of his neighbors come out and see them and smile and wave. When Eddie gets to overwhelmed you stop and take a break to let him stretch.

“Final stretch, it’s just your bangs now.” You measure them with your finger, “I’m going to cut near your face, okay? You ready?”

 He nods and takes in a breath. You begin to cut away and feather them out until you’re satisfied. As you stare at his hair you catch Eddie staring at you. “There they are. I thought I’d never see those pretty eyes in daylight again.”

Eddie smiles as his cheeks turn red.

“Take a look in the mirror handsome tell me if you like it.” You dust off the hair from his neck and shoulders and follow him inside to look in the mirror.

“It feels lighter.” He states as he examines it.

“It should, do you feel better too?”

“Way better.” He looks at you, “Thanks again, baby.”

“Anytime, sugar.”

“Does that mean, you can do it again?”

“If you look at me the way you are now, I will cut your hair forever.” 

[fcb-mv33]

Reactions to Max entering f1 at 17

"He is an exceptional talent that comes along only once in decades. Most likely Ayrton Senna [he is comparable to]. And in such a case you must not look at his age. He has been talking with people who are experts when it comes to the development of youngsters and they all say that [in terms of] his mind he is more like 22 than 16.”

"He has been racing since he was four years old - professionally. So we expect him to be competitive from the first race. We are not playing the lottery - we know what we are doing. And success proves us right." Helmut Marko.

"I think it is just one number on your passport, the age. At the end of the day you need to be ready for the challenge and be ready for Formula 1 grands prix. Some people are ready at 17, some people are ready at 28 - that is what we don't know. So before saying anything we need to see how Verstappen does next year and after six to eight races we can see if he was ready or not. But at the moment anyone is ready." Fernando Alonso

"Personally, I do think he is too young." Jean Todt, FIA president

"It's too young because in F1, the risk is high. In F1 you don't go to learn, you have to be ready. F1 doesn't allow you to do too much learning."- Mika Hakkinen

"We consider Max to be as one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully. This year he has already demonstrated how well he can cope under difficult conditions."- Franz Tost

"I think that's really positive, it's good for the sport in general. I'm happy for that Seventeen is a little bit young! For sure, we need to wait and see how he's going to perform in his first year. I think the most important thing is that he has the talent; I mean he's quick. I hope he can be clever as well, to learn everything from Formula 1."- Felipe Massa

"He is still a boy so it is very risky. You don't take a 16-year-old, who hasn't even been to university, in the best hospital as a doctor even if he is very good and very intelligent. You need to pay dues; you need to deserve it because that is only how you will become a man."- Jacques Villeneuve

"All the journalists are always asking 'is it only with money that you can get to the sport?' and things like that. It's great to see that if you have the talent and you really deserve it… there have been many examples recently that have made it into F1. That's important, that's good. Of course, it's very young but I think we'll be OK."- Nico Rosberg

"He was seventeen when he drove Grands Prix for Toro Rosso, but he already made such an overwhelming impression there. Max was immediately super-fast. And he showed that during his first race weekend with us. Max did phenomenally in the practice sessions, was even faster in the third practice session on Saturday morning and put Daniel right up against the fire."

"He is doing a great job and driving the wheels off the car and he is racing hard. When sometimes a new guy comes along and upsets the establishment a bit then they do get a bit of criticism and he is not rising to that, he is keeping his head down and enjoying his racing.”

"I don't think he has done anything wrong, he has raced hard, he is exciting and giving it everything every time he is in the car. He loves what he is doing, he is passionate about it. In Brazil, you could hear him - he wanted to go racing on Sunday afternoon - whereas a lot of others wanted to park the car."

“For a guy can’t even rent a hire car I think he’s demonstrated a prestigious talent”- Christian Horner.

“We are not playing the lottery - we know what we are doing. And success proves us right."🧡

[fortheloveofaussiegrit]

10 DAYS OF WEBBER MY FAVOURITE RBR RACES (01/10) ➤ The 2009 German Grand Prix

➤ ‘Up the hill for Mark Webber. If he wants pole position this has got to be really-really special. Very big weekend for him. Here is Webber, final corner, final charge on this pit straight. Vettel is still flying along but Webber's done it though!'

'IT LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR MARK WEBBER! The Aussie with his desires on pole... AND HE'S DONE IT! Mark Webber has achieved it. He was aiming for the front row, he's been close, but never this close and he is on pole!’

➤ WHAT A DRIVE FROM MARK WEBBER: Starting from pole position for the first time in his career, but at the start of the race he was side by side with Barrichello in the first corner, where they touched and Webber picked up a drive through penalty. But even with his penalty he was unbeatable and managed to win ahead of Vettel and Massa [His winning radio call here]

➤ HE WAITED EIGHT YEARS BUT MARK WEBBER IS FINALLY A GRAND PRIX WINNER and the first Australian to win since 1981.

[vro0m]

vro0m's rewatch - 185/332

2016 US GP

Alright we're getting so close to the end of this season it took me ages to get through. Round 18 out of 21. It's COTA, and I have a lot of content for it (including videos I'll post after this review).

Lewis is on pole. Nico is 0.2 behind, then it's Ricciardo and Verstappen, Raikkonen and Seb, Hulkenberg, Valtteri and Massa, and Sainz.

Thing is, apparently, Merc had to break curfew to change his fuel injector or something so his reliability problems aren't past him. 

We also hear during Max's interview that they had an hour-long drivers meeting in part about his defensive driving and shenanigans. He's not bothered by it as usual. Later in the broadcast we learn that Charlie has declared that they will now investigate such moving under braking moves reported to them as potentially dangerous manœuvres to try to stop it from happening. The commentators are divided. 

We get a Lewis interview! He says he'd never had a pole in Austin before and he's worked hard for it so he's happy. He says he's always had issues with turn 1. Brundle asks what's on his mind when it comes to the championship with 4 races to go. He says right now he's not thinking too much, except for his job that Sunday. He's had another problem with his engine (the thing with the fuel injector I imagine) and that's something he's "conscious of", but his team said it wouldn't be a problem for the race although he will lose a bit of performance.

But together they'll find a solution and move forward and hopefully it'll be fine. He has a somewhat unhinged smile after that, like he forgot to look unbothered by it and thinks "oh right I need to be more lighthearted."

Brundle sums up where they're at with the points and how Lewis turned it around before etc. Lewis says he just has to try to do the best job. He's got his first pole in COTA, it'd be good if he could do the same thing next week. He says he's never won in Brazil before, so they're all huge targets for him. And the last race is generally a good one, a good track for him. "Your new best friend might become RedBull, you know?" Brundle says, because they can take points away from Nico. "True," he answers. "Daniel can be, Daniel and Max can definitely be very good friends of mine," he starts laughing.

"But we shall see." Brundle says if they're wheel to wheel with Nico, if they take each other out, Nico gains because he'll still be 33 points ahead with only 75 points left for grabs instead of a hundred. Does that enter his head? "It hasn't up until you just mentioned it," he sighs and chuckles.

"But I have to believe that… (he pauses, in his thoughts) I have to believe and trust that that's not… that's not the racer that he is. Regardless of other experiences in the past but… Yeah so I, no, I believe he's gonna put in a fair fight." (Literal chills.) Brundle asks if Nico gets the title, does Lewis think he deserves it? "I mean he's done the job with what he has so, obviously he's not had any reliability problems, so he's done the job– he's had one DNF when we crashed but otherwise he's had a great run of reliability, and he's done the job with it. So, you know. (He thinks.) In terms of who deserves and who's not, I mean he's done everything he has, he's come to do." He says fortunately for Nico, he wasn't able to fight him with equal cars reliability wise. 

Like I said in another race review : Nico will always have won against someone he sees as better than him, and Lewis will always have lost to someone he sees as not as good as he is. 

Brundle asks where he's at on a scale of it's the end of the world if I don't get this championship to I've got three already, I will win more, it'll hurt but I'll get over it. He smirks.

"I'm already looking forward to going skiing at the end of the year. So it doesn't matter what's gonna happen in these next weeks, I'm still gonna go skiing. I'm still gonna get the best day of the year when I'll get on a slope. There will be family, there will be Christmas, so many great things to look forward to." He admits this year has been difficult but again only as far as reliability issues go. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Brundle asks how he's gonna sleep (it's the night before the race). "Well Coco snores quite a lot, so I wake up quite often." He breaks into laughter. "She's snoring louder and louder I don't know why. So in the middle of the night you have to give her a kick," he mimes, and laughs. Brundle says he must be kidding, he's fighting for a world championship and his dog is keeping him awake, but Lewis swears it’s true.

Brundle asks if he dreams about the perfect start. "I never actually really dream about racing," Lewis says. He says the worst dream he has and it used to happen when he was younger was spiders.

He says he recently was on a flight and everyone was asleep and he sleepwalked which hasn't happened to him in 10 years (that's pretty unusual in itself, sleepwalking is relatively rare in adults).

"Around the airplane?" Brundle asks. "No no, I just like, I stand up on top of the bed," he raises his arms above his head, "shouting like 'holy–' there's a hu– spider the size of the table, on my pillow. And it's like jumping at me and then I literally was standing and my friend had to put me back to sleep I didn't know about it."

"We woke everyone up, they all thought we were gonna crash." He laughs. 

Simon says he seems in great spirits. Brundle points out he's won there three times but only ever from second place on the grid. He says there's a longer version of this interview (that I won't be able to watch of course) and says he was "really good value" that night. "He's got plenty to say, he's always fascinating to listen to." He does say he sensed that he's more nervous than Rosberg (but then again that would make sense). They also say the team has said that regarding the engine issue it would cause a loss of between a half and a whole second over the course of the whole GP so I guess it's not that much of an issue and Lewis is just still anxious about reliability. 

They're worried about the start, the Mercedes have had pretty bad starts all year, and Daniel is right behind them on supersofts on top of it. 

Alright. Let's race. Formation lap. 

And they're racing! 

They both had good starts! Lewis' car looks a bit twitchy as they get to the first corner but he gets it fine and Ricciardo is getting ahead of Nico now! Two cars went wide at the back. Hulkenberg is last from 7th on the grid, he reports big damage at the front. Just as we hear him we see two cars collide in the midfield. It's Perez and Kvyat. They're back on track very quickly. Seb is relentlessly attacking Max, who overtook him. Valtteri has a puncture. Verstappen got really wide in the penultimate corner. Here's the top 10 at the end of the first lap : Lewis, Daniel, Nico, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Seb, Massa, Sainz, Alonso and Gutierrez. Hulkenberg and Bottas are both in the pits. Seb is very close to Max again, or still. Lewis sets a fastest lap and he's out of Ricciardo's DRS range. Jenson and Gutierrez are battling for P10. Hulkenberg has retired. There's racing in the midfield but nothing very interesting. Then Ricciardo is called in. Raikkonen as well. These supersofts really don't last long. Nico is told they're going for the long game "so push hard now" and he answers pushing hard is not the long game. Max is pitting as well and that's early. He started on the softs. It's a surprise. 

It's lap 10. Lewis, Nico +5.5, Seb +4.9, Massa +7.8, Sainz +2.5, Ricciardo +2.0, Alonso +0.4, Raikkonen +2.6, and Max overtakes Jenson for P9. Lewis is called in. They're responding to RedBull. And Nico is also called in. It's gonna be a double stop then. But Lewis stays out?! Ricciardo up in P4 now. Lewis pits the next lap. This might be close. Quick 2.3. Lewis stays ahead, it wasn't as close as we feared. Lots of pit stops now. Max overtakes Raikkonen for P5. Kvyat gets a 10 second time penalty for the first lap collision with Perez. Nico is told he's the only car on mediums and it's the long game. He's currently faster than Lewis. Seb pits from the lead. Quickly, Nico is under pressure from Max, but of course he's on the faster tyre. Gutierrez has a brake issue, he DNFs. Nico is also around a second behind Daniel. 

It's lap 20. Max is told to make sure he can finish his stint, he's pushing too much. "I'm not here to finish fourth," he answers. Lewis, Ricciardo +5.1, Nico +1.3, Max +0.8, Raikkonen +4.1, Seb +3.6, Massa +13.7, Sainz +8.8, Alonso +7.0, and Kvyat +5.2. Jenson overtakes Kvyat for P10. Max has locked up so he's not pressuring Nico as much now. (Oh Kvyat's contract has been signed.) Seb has caught up with Raikkonen and he's much faster so we're waiting for the team orders to drop. But Raikkonen pits which solves it. Ricciardo also pits. Then Max, but they weren't ready for him! Catastrophic! It's a 9.2 stop. "What happened Max?" – "I thought you boxed me, sorry." Did he start daydreaming or something? Midfield stops, now. Seb is called in. Ohhh. And Max is very slow… 

It's lap 30. It seems to be an engine failure, but he's still going, trying to reset his car… He says he feels something hitting the engine. Let's review the top 10 in the meantime : Lewis is 10 seconds ahead of Nico, then Daniel +15.7, Raikkonen +3.6, Seb +8.5, Sainz +19.6, Alonso +4.2, Massa +8.2, Perez +10.0, and Jenson +3.4. Ted reminds us that he indeed thought something was wrong with the car during Max's stop. He heard the knocking sound he is now reporting. He kept going this whole time staying out of everyone's way but now he's crossing the gravel trap and parking his car on the grass. Virtual safety car. There's an onboard replay. Complete silence in the commentators' cabin as always. I like the way they diagnose car problems by ear, it's fun. Max gets on the curbs, the car vibrates, and as he keeps going it's like the vibrating noise doesn't stop. You hear the hitting very clearly. "Yeah it's something with transmission," Brundle says. Lewis is called in during the VSC. It's great for him. Rosberg also pits. In the end it's not the long game, I guess. Ricciardo : "They got a free pit stop basically." He's told yes. "That's so fucked up". "We have some rear wing drop outs as you may notice," Seb is told. "Yeah, some ! Some is good, keep joking," he answers with a dry laugh. Raikkonen pits and it seems all good but he slows down right at the pit exit and stops! What is wrong! "Why were there sparks at the rear?" he roars. "There was a gun still attached as you left. Stop, stop, Kimi, stop, stop stop." He's trying to back into the pitlane. Incredible! He's really doing it! No he stopped. We see the replay but it's unclear what was wrong. 

It's lap 40. Raikkonen is still reversing into the pitlane. He's made it but the Ferrari mechanics are nowhere? He's out of the race. What a weird thing. He's walking to the garage. On the race transcript I read that they think a tyre is not bolted in properly. Ferrari is under investigation for unsafe release. Top 10 : Lewis, Nico +9.7, Ricciardo +6.1, Seb +10.4, Sainz (brace yourselves) +40.8 (!), Massa +0.9, Alonso +3.5, Perez +17.5, Jenson +8.2, Grosjean +6.9. Ted seems to recall that Charlie said he would start enforcing grid penalties for unsafe release. Weird idea. I feel like the end of this race might be boring. We're just looking at Massa trying to get that P5. Oh Alonso is closing on him as well. 

It's lap 50, I have nothing to say. Oh wait. Nico is closing on Lewis. The gap is down to 6. But like. There's 5 laps left so no worries. Alonso gets ahead of Massa by making contact with him and pushing him off track. Seb pitted? Well it's not like he was under pressure from Sainz but. They're not giving a point for the fastest lap yet, are they? He can't catch Ricciardo either. Front left puncture for Massa because of that contact with Alonso. He pits. He also has the gap to do so without losing places. Alonso is attacking Sainz. Lewis is starting his final lap. Alonso gets ahead, locks up, goes wide, still manages to stay ahead. Very aggressive. 

And it's the end of the race! 

Lewis wins. He gets the congratulations of both Bono and Paddy. If my calculations are correct the gap to Nico must be 26 points now. Seb got the fastest lap indeed. 

I don't know who the Merc rep is, but it's a woman. "Well done Lewis," she tells him.

He smiles and she kisses his cheek as they hug. Cute. The cool down room is otherwise very silent. It's taking ages to get to the podium celebration. 

Oh. Lewis arrives and he has his arm around the Merc rep’s shoulders and while he's holding her hand. So, so, so cute.

Ooooh it's Victoria Vowles ! James' wife. She's so pretty! I didn't know she worked for the team as well.

She gets DROWNED in champagne by both drivers, of course. Several people in the crowd are holding up shoes for Daniel lol. 

Gerard Butler is doing the interviews. Oh yeah, it's Lewis' 50th win! He didn't ask him a question, he just told him that basically. There's really nothing much happening in these podium interviews. 

Toto says it might have been boring for the spectators but for them it was a good one. Hill says we've all been absorbed in "this whole issue with Lewis, Lewis's attitude and his mood and the relationship between the two drivers", but that weekend they were perfect. He asks if Toto talked to them, did they have a discussion. "I think we underestimate the pressure under which these guys are." He says they both have everything to win and everything to lose as we reach the end of the season. "I think there will be things you say, that next day you regret." Hill agrees that the pressure gets to them, he reiterates that this has been a good weekend for them. He describes Lewis as "very relaxed", "very comfortable" and "very sort of magnanimous towards Nico". But he also insists it's gonna come to a crunch, "there's gonna be– we just feel it, can't you? It's coming. You've got three more races. Are you ready?" Toto smiles. "Yeah you know it's interesting because we're not having any games anymore in there. There is no psychological warfare like we've seen in the past years. (👀) It's very calm. They are both in a good mood. But I am always skeptical, you know, I kind of wait whether this is a volcano to erupt or not. So let's wait and see." (Is this the eye of the storm?) 

In his interview, Lewis says it has been a long time coming (his 50th, and his 5th US win). He says he couldn't take his mind off the engine issue they had in quali so he was down on power compared to Nico during the race (Toto denied it).

He says he's relaxed, he's happy to be there and it's nice to have a solid weekend. He was 100% sure of his start, he knew it was gonna go well and it's nice to be in that position after so many ups and downs. "Let the battle continue and hopefully it continues like this." She asks how did he know the start was going to be good, was something different? He says he was just confident that he was gonna get it right this time, he chuckles. They worked hard in the factory during the previous week and found a couple of small changes that he was more comfortable with. She asks if that means he goes to Mexico feeling overall more confident. Not really, he says. Reliability is– he turns around and shrugs in Nico's direction, he doesn't think ‘he’ has the same worries about that, but he himself does. That's the only thing that can get in his way, he thinks. 

Lewis spends a long time in the garage taking photos with more or less famous people, in particular Venus Williams is there. He says he doesn't know why he does so well in the US, he's not more focused, he doesn't have more determination there than elsewhere. The track feels great, his friends are here, there's a lot of British flags out there. Johnny says he's dealing with the pressure well, as he knows he has to win these races and he puts in on pole and wins… Lewis interrupts : "Well I have this weekend," he corrects and chuckles. Johnny brushes it off, saying it's what this is all about : just Lewis doing the job on the track when he has the opportunity. Lewis says it was the longest afternoon because he didn't know if the car was gonna make it. Simon asks why, is it the fuel system change? It was and he insists again he was down on power compared to Nico, it's that and the reliability issues only they seem to have had. Simon calls him out on the power thing, saying Toto told them it wasn't the case. Lewis maintains he was. He says he could potentially lose 1 to 1.8 second in the race. That's nothing dude. Hill says in 2015 Lewis won his title there, is Austin, and then was more relaxed and Nico got the advantage in the last few races. He asks if he's gonna approach these last few races differently now. "I mean, clearly, you know, if you're not focused you can't deliver," he says finally after hesitating a bit. "It's the same for everyone right?" Lewis is not enjoying the insinuation. "Honestly I've been focused all year. I'm just gonna continue to try and do the job I'm doing." He says if he can finish the season driving like this and feeling positive like this he can go into his winter break pretty happy either way. They agree the start was great. "And you've worked on it as well haven't you?" Johnny says. "I mean I've been working on it all year," Lewis says, shaking his head. "True," Johnny says. But this was the first race he knew it was gonna be good, Lewis finishes. "And I know the next one's gonna be good. So…" He also says he doesn't have any new gloves when Johnny implies he does for some reason. Simon sums up by saying he knows what he has to do and that's getting poles, winning races, and hoping Nico gets bad luck. Lewis again says Nico is not having reliability issues. He says normally "the rule" says at some stage of the year you would. But if he has perfect reliability throughout the year then all he can do is do the best job he can. 

Lewis is taking photos with fans. Like he's in the middle of a small crowd of 20-30 people. Being pushed around. Getting touched. Trying to keep them from touching him actually. 

After Ted's notebook, Simon asks the others what they think of the fact that Lewis and Toto are saying different things about the engine issue. Brundle thinks it's Lewis putting pressure on the team, and some powerplay, and so he's exaggerating it a bit because it's yet another issue he's had with his car. Hill agrees, he thinks that's him reminding everyone that the team hasn't 100% delivered on the car. Johnny thinks it's a bit different than that. For him, Lewis basically said he doesn't think Nico is gonna have issues in the last three races and that's Lewis saying I'm gonna lose the championship and this is the reason why I'm gonna lose. At the same time he agrees that's a dig to the team so they make sure it doesn't happen again. Simon thinks you need to have that mentality if you're gonna be a champion. "You know, he's not gonna blame himself, is he?" Hill says Lewis seems to him "someone who's very clear in his own mind that he's better than everyone else" and so he expects to be given the best equipment and that was the deal when he joined Mercedes. He also thinks the mechanics switcharound they did earlier in the year has backfired. They tried to be fair and unluckily Lewis had all these mechanical issues, and it creates conspiracy theories. Brundle says your mechanics aren't the ones putting your engine together though. He also says when you join a new team you don't go "I'm not gonna do too much this first year because I don't know the mechanics", you just have to deal with it basically. Hill says Lewis is also "playing to the gallery" and he's "sending out a story about Lewis's career and himself, and his fans buy it, they love it, they love that kind of, you know, little bit of pressure– he pulls his weight, and he is a big weight in this sport." Johnny thinks that's not something he needs to do. He says we know, if he keeps winning races and loses the championship, that it's not his fault. It was the team's issues. He doesn't understand why Lewis needs to feed into it. Brundle says when you think of the other champions, Prost, Senna, Alonso, then he says Schumi didn't moan he was a team builder, he hardly ever poked the team, but "Nigel would have a moan wouldn't he? Senna– everything was unfair, he thought the whole system was against him." Brundle agrees with Simon that's just how the champions are. Simon tells Hill "you love a good moan, don't you?". Hill doesn't pick up on the joke. "I love a moan!" Simon chuckles. Hill says he did it as well but it can blow up in your face if you're not careful. 

Sensitive topic but I would say my opinion on it is that 1. He's truly had issues Nico hasn't and it's annoying and unfair and he’s frustrated with that. 2. I've said it before but Lewis tends to get a bit paranoid when things aren't under control for him so I do think he might have truly felt someone was messing with him and his engines, although he certainly didn’t mean to say it publicly. 3. He knows there's little chance of him winning and he's indeed preparing the discourse for when he loses. He has to blame it on something else than Nico being better than him. 4. Aside of all this I agree Lewis has kind of written his own legend at times, like Hill says, but first of all they all do it. As in WE all do it. We all have our own narrative for our lives and that’s probably even more the case when so many people are involved in your life and discussing it whether you want it or not. You have to make and tell your story. That’s fair game. Second of all, Lewis has had to do it himself maybe more than others because a lot of the people who were writing the story for him did it poorly and were racist and overall assholes about it. (I mean he did fight journalists about it that season didn’t he?)

Three races to go! 

[standbyric]

[PART I]

00: Mask Off 2016

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x Female!Driver OC x Pierre Gasly Premise: Formula One, Female Racing Driver Rating: 18+; Mature themes (explicit language, death, trauma innuendos, motorsport accident, mentions of sex) Timeline: Back and forth Word Count: 1.7k

“AWESOME, fantastic drive there, Z. Congratulations, that’s P1. Now you’ve put a sock up their mouths. You did a solid drive; if they complain, it’s easy to tell who are the stupid ones. Well done! I am very proud of you!”

Zea couldn’t help but chuckle. After her disastrous qualifying, the team had been distraught, stating to the press that she couldn’t get a grip on the track; it might be all the nerve on the new components following the new season regulations. But she managed to make a solid comeback from P17 to finish P1.

“Thanks, Alby. Thank you for trusting me.”

“That was insane, Z. I can’t believe you just did that!” Marqués Abrego, her race engineer, shouted over the radio.

“Nah, it was all us, Marq. Thank you for being my ‘guy in the chair’; I couldn’t have done it without the entire team watching my back.”

“You were the one who delivered justice to the car, girl; appreciate yourself a little! Oh, right. P1. Once you enter the pit lane, you will park Ace in the middle for P1. Congratulations again. Couldn’t ask for a more splendid season opening. Excellent job.”

“Zea! You rock! Congratulations on your maiden win!” Jacqui Shabat, Will Stevens’ race engineer, chimed in. He sounded ecstatic. But who could blame him? Even Zea had difficulty containing her joy. With Will, her teammate, settling at P9, that was a great point harvest for Audi.

Her cool-down lap was complete, and Zea parked her car nicely at the P1 placard upon entering the pit lane.

Immediately after doing her usual swift leap to oust herself from the cockpit, sliding open her helmet and balaclava—giving her head a little shake left and right—and letting her hair fall through nicely behind her, she roared her euphoria along with Irza, who was standing across the barrier. The two siblings exchanged their intricate handshake before Irza brought their temples together and gave her a light peck on the head. He was brimming with thrill.

“That’s my baby! I’m so proud of you!”

The TV crew ate this up, putting it on the big screen for everyone’s consumption.

“Oh, there they go! We’ve been assuming they’re a couple for a while now, and from the looks of this victory celebration, I have to say we might be on the right track after all!”

Zea snickered behind her mask, hearing the ever-so-wrong assumption about her and Irza. But, whatever. She’d give them points for at least being consistent. It had been amusing, and besides, she couldn’t wait for the truth to slap that commentary right in the balls. She had promised Alby at the beginning of the season that she’d finally cast away her mask and do a face reveal if she won a Prix.

She stifled her chuckle as she touched the black mask covering her face. She’d been hiding her face since her GP2 days, saying she didn’t fancy the attention as an excuse. Hey, no rules were broken anyway. Her mother then procured her inner fireproofs to feature a fitted face mask. Well, thank you, dear mother, but today was the day she’d finally say goodbye to the mask.

Zea broke off Irza’s hug as she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Felipe Massa. The fellow Brazilian had darted his way from the middle of the pack to congratulate her first win. “Thanks, mate. See you in a bit,” she said as she returned his fist bump and left for the podium.

Behind was Daniel Ricciardo, who had secured 4th place, just one position outside the podium, glancing over the big screen. He did not expect the intimate display on the screen to hurl something inside him, but it did. He thought it could have been Martin Brundle’s comment on the nature of the two young guns’ relationship that irked him. Then again, he decided it was most definitely just jealousy over her winning his home race and celebrating with her lover. Yep, he wasn’t going to be the jackass who won’t admit his competitive side got the better of him. In his defence, she was a damn good driver. Damn good. 

It was the festivity, the loud cheer, and the Aussies being a good sport about the podium members. Zeahire Sinaga had triumphed over the usual podium sitters duo from Mercedes—Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg—both favourite contenders for the season’s World Driver Champion title. Something about the warm sun and the air around the Albert Park circuit had managed to tone down Daniel’s impeding adrenaline—

“—Let me say, Wow! Yes! Listen to that cheer!”

Mark Webber sounded exceptionally astonished, followed by the roaring ‘whoa’ from the crowd. That was enough for Daniel to bring his attention back to the big screen after finishing his mandatory post-race weigh-in and parc fermé.

“Who would’ve guessed such a beauty has been hiding behind that mask this whole time?!”

Zea gave a playful shrug, plastering a cheeky smile that Daniel swore had an almost vividly readable sign that said I-know-right?

But yeah, Daniel had to nod in agreement with Mark; he had to admit that smile was mesmerising. However, it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to him.

Just last season, he’d suppose the Audi garage was at the back of the paddock, far from the Red Bulls. Not many chances for encounter, and yet, every time he’d run into her, he’d almost always found himself getting caught in her blue eyes, even from afar. 

“So…so what’s the story here? Why today?”

“The face reveal, you mean?” Daniel watched attentively as Zea took the mic that Mark handed to her.

“Well, Alby has been urging me to do it this season. Like, this whole bad publicity overtone has been making him concerned? But I told him I’d only do it if I finished P1… how the hell was I supposed to know it’s gonna be Australia?! The Season-Opening?!”

Daniel chuckled. Her bold choices of words for live broadcasts hadn’t changed; it made him recall Sochi 2014 when her Marussia teammate had retired from suspension problems, leaving the team to rely on her for points. She had taken over the remaining four races of the season after the late Jules Bianchi’s horrible accident in Suzuka. 

“He was more than capable of doing this,” Zea had said while pointing to the JB17 sticker on her helmet, paying her respect to the late Frenchman. 

“Could you have squeezed a podium there?” Will Buxton questioned her.

She sighed. “Look, I really wanna lie and say yes, but I’d have to be a war hero or something in my past life to have the luck to beat Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas. We’ve outscored ourselves with P4. Really.”

“Oh, look at that. Humility.”

“No, I’m just stating facts. Zero probability of me winning in that car anyway; I haven’t got the pace. So I’m more than delighted to finish and score points at all—hell, this might be pure luck for all we know,” she exhaled her fatigue harshly.

“The car was—“ she had paused, reluctant to say anything, before the Marussia F1 mechanics and engineers gave her encouraging nods and hand gestures for her to carry on, “the car was shit; it was fuckin’ impossible to drive,” and Daniel recalled how much he was caught off guard upon hearing that from across the media pen. Whoa, nice choice of vocab.

“But no blame there; the team only had so much time to settle me in. I don’t know how much of the radio was broadcasted, but by the time we did the cool-down lap, the car was like, literally making noises I’m a hundred per cent sure no Formula One car is supposed to make? I thought the car would start disintegrating at some point; I was scared shitless. Okay. Maybe I watched too much Transformer.”

Will Buxton broke into laughter, amused at how she had practically spit bars for her reply, but what Daniel remembered the most was Kimi Räikkönen, who had chuckled along and said, “She has a good head on her.”

Well, Daniel reckoned Kimi had always been a good judge of character.

“It’s just—there’s been a lot of interesting conspiracy theories going around; but it’s gotten much worse at the start of the season, like, they’ve been saying I’m actually five different people! You should totally check Youtube—No, it’s real,” she playfully tapped Mark Webber’s shoulder when the former nine-time Grand Prix winner started laughing. “They even compiled videos of me walking and doing other stuff and compared them.”

See? Look at her. Outspoken, engaging, amiable…a beauty. Kimi judged right.

“But I am so sorry, guys,” Zea gave an amusingly disappointed look to the crowd, “Sorry to disappoint everyone, but I’m just…me.”

Maybe it was the way she talked? Or was it the way her expression turned animated every time she spoke? Daniel couldn’t really tell.

“I don’t… ‘mitose’ into five different people.”

Oh, and a sense of humour.

“Okay, to be fair, I definitely did… ‘mitose’ once before birth. ‘Cause, like, I do have a twin brother.”

Wait, what?!

“Yes! The charming gentleman who’s always around me! He gave me a big hug just now.”

“Oh my God!” Mark exclaimed as the big screen panned towards Irza, and the crowd of male pheromones cheered in excitement, quite possibly on the prospect of her being single. Or was it for Irza?

“Not my boyfriend, definitely not my boyfriend—eww. He’s very available, so ladies, or gentlemen, by all means, go ahead,” Zea switched her head back to Mark, “but that’s it—my only mitosis. I hope it clears everything so Alby can finally have peace of mind. Come on; I pity the old man.”

Daniel couldn’t even fathom the thrill suddenly rising from his gut, nor how the bitter aftertaste he had felt upon finishing P4 had abruptly vanished. 

All he knew was that her first sentence would live rent-free in his mind.

Why?

He’d thought maybe right now wasn’t the best time to figure that out. After all, they’ve got the entire season to do that. Right?

Masterlist [I] Chapter 01 ➡️

COMING SOON. Muhahaha.

__________ Aye. This is my debut formula one fic...so please be nice 🥹 Reblog is always appreciated! ✨manifesting my eagerness to update this series regularly✨

____________

Tag list:

@scotlynaurora

[aneunelpeunim07]

The song "Our Town" from the movie Cars just made me emotional.

I was listening to the song while checking my emails, when suddenly I got curious about its lyrics. It then made me think of Scuderia Ferrari, especially their progressive development in the mid-late 1990s, the dominant 2000s era, and beyond.

Long ago, but not so very long ago The world was different, oh yes it was You settled down and you built a town and made it live And you watched it grow, it was your town

Those lines made me think of how the dream team of Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, and Ross Brawn (plus of course Rory Byrne, and other drivers like Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, Luca Badoer, etc) built the team for years before they managed to reap the fruits of their labor in the 2000s.

Time goes by, time brings changes, you change too Nothing comes that you can't handle, so on you go You never see it coming when the world caves in on you On your town, there's nothing you can do Main street isn't main street anymore Lights don't shine as brightly as they shone before Tell the truth, lights don't shine at all In our town

Then of course after the mid-2000s, it slowly crumbled down for the Scuderia. They had very talented drivers at multiple points, like Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel, and the 2010s also marked the return of their last WDC, Kimi Raikkonen. None of that immense talent in their roster managed to bring back the so-called Golden Age of the Scuderia.

Sun comes up each morning, just like it's always done Get up, go to work, start the day You open up for business that's never gonna come As the world rolls by a million miles away Main street isn't main street anymore No one seems to need us like they did before It's hard to find a reason left to stay But it's our town, love it anyway Come what may, it's our town

And now we're here in the modern era. We're left wondering if we will get to experience the euphoria of the Golden Age. Some are starting to question if the yearly "This year is going to be our year!" delusion is worth keeping. Nevertheless, the sentiment remains the same: It's our town, and we love it anyway. Come what may.

[bossymarmalade]

- S. Ross Browne, “The Surrender of Lee (Reverse Mandala)” (2021)

Black-owned construction company Team Henry Enterprises dismantled and removed the last public Confederate statue on display in Richmond, Virginia, the city that served as the capital of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War.

The memorial to Ambrose Powell Hill, a Confederate general killed in battle days before the war ended in April 1865, was taken down as a small crowd of onlookers cheered.

The statue will eventually go to the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia.  Hill’s remains, which had been reinterred at the base of the monument, were released to distant descendants.

[ x ]

[lillylvjy]

been thinking of ghostbur a lot then your fic sent me into a rabbit hole

the sheer idea of living with two ghosts in a home is so warming, in a way of that they’re comfortable with you and you’re comfortable with them. imagine how long it has been since someone welcomed them just as they did, but everyone left the next day; so it was almost alien when reader moved in.

thrilling, really. with the small bookshelf in one of your rooms, tommy idly knocks on your door and shuffled in holding a book. just a small, “can you read this for me?” because it has been so long since he had read a book.

or wilbur watching you from the top floor through a window, a frown gracing his lips because he wants to help you garden. he wants to touch the dirt, feel the sun against his face again. so when your hands cup his jaw, he becomes stunned for a moment just because you remind him of the sun.

he envies your friends and anyone who gets to interact with you outside; becoming rather sour whenever you tell him someone is picking you up. idk if you ever watched steven universe but i feel like both boys would have something similar to blue diamond.

if one starts crying, you feel your eyes become glossy and tears start falling. you could feel yourself become heavy, as if the whole world came crashing down.

imagine making them new foods that they never had back in their time. the curious glint in their eyes when watching you move around the kitchen, and soon, one plate turned into three.

wilbur cleaning the house when you’re not home because the first time you came back exhausted and he watched you tiredly clean; his heart shattered. since then, he made it a mission to clean while you’re own. the smile on your face is always worth it. he’s sad that he cannot go with you on your adventures but knowing you’re not moving anytime soon is enough.

Brb- sobbing-

They’re so thrilled when you don’t run out of the house, screaming bloody murder. Like- your actually talking to them and giving them a chance. Hell- that’s more than enough.

Every night before tommy sleeps (yes ghost can sleep in this au bc I feel bad-), he’s always asking you to read him a story before he goes to bed. It’s comforting. He was super young when he passed too, so its kinda like he gets to finish his childhood.

ALSO YOU DID NOT AHVE TO DO THIS TO ME- you remind him of the sun?! Holy-

Like- he’ll watch you and just kinda bang his head on the window bc of how pissed he is and you hear this and just look up at him to see him just looking so sad and ugh! It’s so upsetting to you! And when your try your best to bring the sun to him (literally lights-), he’s like “I didn’t need all of this when I have you darling.” WEAK IN THE KNEES-

And Wilbur knew how to drive too so he’s like “oh I can drive y- nevermind.” And he’s just- again. Mad. Upset. At everything. At how he’s dead. At how he can’t go out with you. It’s not fair. It never will be. And you sense this and it’s just- heartbreaking. So you cancel your plans for the day and stay home with him and Tom. Doing anything and everything. Want cookies? Done! Want to try take out for the first time in 20 years? On it! Literally anything. (Also ye: he does-)

Bro- imagine Tom starts crying about like- anything .realizing he won’t get to see his friends anymore- let alone meet anyone knew. He won’t get to go to the movie theaters anymore. Won’t get to go to fairs and run around. It hurts. And then Wilbur joins in and it’s- ugh! It hurts so much. Like you just want to help them be free. But you can’t .

I bet your ass they’d act like it’s good but the spit it out once your not looking. You know they did- but you don’t care. They barely had anything good at that time anyways- (Tom likes to disagree)

Wilbur is a meat freak I feel like. And he knows what it’s like to have a messy house and hate it- so he helps you. He cleans during the day so at night when you come home, you can rest your feet on his lap and just watch a movie with him. He may massage them- maybe not. Depends on what you want and what his mood is

[escapiste123]

17yo Mob asks Reigen for massage lessons. His training regimen is a lot more intense these days and he’s looking for a good way to relieve soreness that he can do himself and help his club members with.

Reigen is very professional about it. He sweats a normal amount.

Putting his hands on Mob’s bare skin under Dimple’s judgmental stare is uncomfortable at first. But muscle memory and Reigen’s unflappable composure quickly take over. He works out the knots in Mob’s back, helps him stretch while explaining the names of the muscles and their function.

It’s a… different experience for Mob. All the dearest things about shishou – his confident teaching voice, his patience with Mob, the way he knows Mob better than Mob knows himself – suddenly connect with physical touch and body heat and all the other things Mob has been putting off thinking about.

The first time he gets a hard-on during a massage is mortifying. Mob lays face down on the table, red from the tips of his ears all the way down to his chest, frantically willing his floating hair (and his dick) to calm the fuck down.

Thinking this way about shishou, wanting desperately for his hands to linger longer, to stray lower, feels like a breach of trust, a violation of the deep friendship that they share. Mob’s eyes sting with tears.

Reigen is quite tactful. He ends the session with a pat on Mob’s shoulder, leaves the room for Mob to get his bearings and get dressed. The thought that Reigen just might know him well enough to figure out what happened is humiliating and Mob cries for real after the door closes.

He doesn’t come back to the office for a while after that.

But now the floodgates have been opened and keeping himself away from Reigen does no good. Every night Mob dreams about big capable hands exploring his skin, about familiar voice murmuring reassuring words in his ear.

He wakes up every morning with an erection that feels almost painful and the only way to relieve himself is by allowing the guilty fantasies of Reigen with his sleeves rolled up exposing strong forearms, his tie thrown over his shoulder and a look of concentration on his face.

The universe spared Mob from the worst of teenage hormones during his turbulent middle school years, but now they wreak havoc on his body, leaving no memory of Reigen untainted. Mob’s brain seems intent on ruining his life by conjuring inappropriate images at inconvenient moments.

When Mob feels himself growing hard while showing a stretching routine to the BIC members, he has to come to terms with the fact that there’s no avoiding his burgeoning feelings and he would have to face them head on.

He takes several more days to consider it, lets himself explore the fantasies instead of suppressing them with guilt. What would it be like if Reigen touched him without any pretense or excuse? Would he be cocky? Teasing? Or achingly gentle? What would it be like to touch Reigen?

The more Mob thinks about it, the less it feels like this infatuation has come from nowhere. It was always there, for years, waiting for the final piece to slide into place for Mob to realize it. He feels stupid for ever thinking it would ruin their friendship.

Their bond is stronger than that, it has endured so much worse. Perhaps it was always leading to this, a natural evolution of people who care for each other in every possible way. Giddily, Mob thinks about the way his and Reigen’s thoughts are often aligned without need for words.

Maybe Reigen already feels the same way.

Mob shows up at the office on Friday night, right as Reigen is ready to lock up. Reigen greets him as usual, doesn’t mention his prolonged absence, but Mob can see the uncertainty behind his eyes. He feels a different kind of guilt.

The whole time that he was struggling with his own hormones, he has left Reigen in the dark, thinking that he has done something wrong.

Mob has a lot to make up for.

“Shishou, your lessons have been really helpful. But I’m still struggling when I try to give massages to others”

Reigen tilts his head. There’s a suspicious crease between his eyebrows but it doesn’t look hostile. More like – he already knows where this is going and is waiting for the confirmation.

“So I thought,” Mob continues, “that it would help if I gave you a massage. As practice.”

[turkeyinnovember]

so im pretty sure this is lorem ipsum (latin gibberish) again (either deja vu or recreyo have done this lorem ispum shit before), but i found something to translate them anyway:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris congue scelerisque orci et fermentum. Mauris convallis eleifend augue non ultrices. Aenean faucibus nec tortor ut semper. Phasellus porta ultrices faucibus. Morbi congue aliquet tempor. Nullam pulvinar sed nibh et lorbortis.

Thank you for your interest in our company, and welcome to our company. Homework for chocolate and fermentation. Teenagers don't have ulcers. Jasmine's throat is not as tight as ever. Gateway to the ultralight gate. It feels a bit tempting. No pillow, no pillow, no pillow.

Proin finibus ligula viverra sem consectetur volutpat. In ultricies matties celit, eu efficitur lectus varius nec. Praesent aliquam, quam ac finibus porta, urna diam fringilla massa. Ultrices efficitur est lacus id ligula. Aenean ultrices quam a laculis dapibus, lorem elit lacinia velit. 

Microwave ends will be removed without consequence. At the end of the day, i made a variety of nyc books. As soon as the door is finished, the urn will shut down too much. Basketball is a lake that is unconventional. More than just a lake bikes, i want to check out elite oklahoma.

nec lobortis massa nunc at tortor praesent eleifend sit amet orci sed scelerisque. Nunc sagittis justo sit amet mi hendrerit fringilla. Proin sed suscipit massa. Vivamus malesuada _______. Duis elit lectus tincidunt nec lacus in, iaculis aliquet augue. 

i don't have too much of a carpet at the moment, but it is very cold and cold. I am currently hanging out with my coworker. Cold but sweaty. We have a bad life. _______ I don't want to put the elite in a tiny pot, i want to go somewhere else.

Phasellus porttitor felis eleifent facilisis commodo. Curabitur vel dictum diam. Nulla dignissim porttitor risus sit amet imperdiet. Donec vitae dolor fermentum, lobortis magna consonant efficitun.

Innovative products, easy and convenient for teenagers. Nurse is silent. There is no deserving laugh at the ride. innovative laughter hairstyle. Unfortunately, during the warm-up life, the carton produces a large harmonious effect.

thank you. my eyes are ruined. probably have mistakes. i dont really care and i dont really know why i did this. actually i lied. i do. it's because the 4 screenshot has letters cropped out. i think that's a little weird.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Meta Accused by States of Using Features to Lure Children to Instagram and Facebook (NYT) Meta was sued by more than three dozen states on Tuesday for knowingly using features on Instagram and Facebook to hook children to its platforms, even as the company said its social media sites were safe for young people. In their complaint, the states said Meta had “designed psychologically manipulative product features to induce young users’ compulsive and extended use” of platforms like Instagram. The company’s algorithms were designed to push children and teenagers into rabbit holes of toxic and harmful content, the states said, with features like “infinite scroll” and persistent alerts used to hook young users. The attorneys general also charged Meta with violating a federal children’s online privacy law, accusing it of unlawfully collecting “the personal data of its youngest users” without their parents’ permission. “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens,” the states said in their 233-page lawsuit. “Its motive is profit.” It’s unusual for so many states to come together to sue a tech giant for consumer harms. The coordination shows states are prioritizing the issue of children and online safety and combining legal resources to fight Meta, just as states had previously done for cases against Big Tobacco and Big Pharma companies.

Republican search for new US House leader returns to square one (Reuters) Republicans, whose party infighting has paralyzed the U.S. House of Representatives for three weeks, tried on Monday to find consensus on a new speaker to lead the chamber and address funding needs for Israel, Ukraine and the federal government. Eight candidates to be speaker made their pitches to fellow Republicans at a 2-1/2 hour closed-door forum and answered questions about how they would handle the job. With a narrow majority of 221-212 in the House, it is not clear whether any Republican can get the votes needed to claim the speakership. The speaker position has this year been a flashpoint for factional strife between right-wing hardliners and more mainstream Republicans.

Day of bloodshed in southwest Mexico kills at least 19 people (AP) A local security secretary and 12 police officers were shot dead in Guerrero state Monday, authorities said, the worst episode in a day of violence across southwestern Mexico that killed at least 19 people. Officials are finding themselves increasingly endangered in the region, where several powerful drug cartels continue to fight for control. According to figures from Common Cause, 341 police officers have been killed in Mexico so far this year. In 2022, at least 403 were slain.

Rio gangsters torch at least 35 buses after Brazil crime boss killed (Reuters) Criminal groups set at least 35 buses on fire in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Monday, according to the industry group that represents bus companies, after police killed a crime boss in an operation. The attacks on buses came after a police operation that killed the nephew of the leader of the state’s largest militia, according to the police. Rio’s so-called militias, often composed of current and former police officers, have become one of the region’s largest security threats. Originally set up as self-defense forces for poor neighborhoods blighted by drug gangs, they have now metastasized into criminal outfits operating in multiple different rackets.

Argentine economy minister and right-wing populist look to runoff (AP) Argentina’s economy minister and the anti-establishment upstart he faces in a presidential runoff next month began competing Monday to shore up the moderate voters they need. Economy Minister Sergio Massa earned almost seven points more than chainsaw-wielding economist and freshman lawmaker Javier Milei in Sunday’s vote. Most polls had shown Massa slightly trailing, as voters had been expected to punish him for triple-digit inflation that has eaten away at purchasing power and boosted poverty. Massa focused his messaging on how Milei’s budget-slashing chainsaw would negatively affect citizens already struggling to make ends meet, showing his Peronist party’s power to mobilize Argentine voters.

A Glimpse Into Spain’s Future, Where Water Comes by Truck, Not Tap (NYT) It was 10 a.m. when the villagers, clutching empty plastic containers, lined up behind the tanker truck of drinking water. A cake shop owner arrived with four big jugs for his pastries. Workers from a retirement home carried two dozen bottles back on wheelchairs for their wards. And a mother of four loaded her trunk with fresh water to wash vegetables and cook pasta. Spain has been blighted by a long-running drought, caused by record-high temperatures in 2022, a string of heat waves in 2023, and almost three years of reduced rainfall. Throughout the country, reservoirs have been depleted; in the worst-affected areas, they are at less than 20 percent of their capacity. But few places on the continent have been as badly hit as tiny Pozoblanco, a village of about 18,000 in southern Spain, where the daily struggle for drinkable water has become a glimpse of what may lie ahead for parts of Europe where drought and extreme heat have become increasingly common.

Commando Raids Unnerving Russia in Crimea (NYT) Late one evening this month, two Ukrainian commandos eased into a side street in Kyiv in a battered SUV. Back from a dangerous nighttime assault on Russian positions in the Crimean Peninsula, they slipped into a sparsely furnished apartment where they sat at desks, weary and a little disheveled, and described their latest operation in matter-of-fact fashion. The two men had joined more than 30 others racing more than 100 miles across the western Black Sea on jet skis to attack critical Russian defense installations before making their getaway, the second Ukrainian amphibious raid in six weeks. The raids were part of a series of punishing attacks on Crimea by Ukrainian forces since midsummer that have succeeded in disabling some Russian air-defense systems and damaging naval repair yards at Sevastopol. Russia later moved 10 warships from Sevastopol on the west coast of Crimea to the port of Novorossiysk on the Russian mainland, though U.S. officials say it remains unclear whether the withdrawals were tied to security concerns or just a regular rotation. But there is no denying that attacks within Crimea are increasing, and may rise even further with the new ATACMS long-range missiles just delivered from the United States. “A dynamic, deep strike battle is underway,” British military intelligence said in a statement.

US renews warning it will defend Philippines after incidents with Chinese vessels in South China Sea (AP) The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said. The Philippines and other neighbors of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila, have sought U.S. military support as incidents multiply.

Continued Escalation (NYT) Israel launched more than 400 strikes against alleged Hamas targets in Gaza overnight, killing dozens of militants, including three deputy commanders, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday. The assault followed another wave of Israeli strikes that the IDF claimed hit 320 militant targets in Gaza the day before. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 700 Palestinians were killed during the overnight strikes—the highest 24-hour death toll since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. If confirmed, that would bring the total number of Palestinians killed to almost 5,800 people, including around 2,360 children. Around 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and Hamas is holding more than 200 people hostage, having only released four people thus far. As strikes escalate and Israel prepares for a ground invasion, the United Nations is asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more aid into Gaza. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that nearly two-thirds of all health facilities in the Gaza Strip, including 12 out of 35 hospitals, are no longer functioning.

Developing World Sees Double Standard in West’s Actions in Gaza and Ukraine (NYT) For 20 months, the Biden administration has attempted to stake out the moral high ground against Russia, condemning its brutal war on Ukraine for indiscriminately killing civilians. The argument resonated in much of the West, but less so in other parts of the world, which viewed the war as more of a great-power conflict and declined to participate in sanctions or otherwise isolate Russia. Now, as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip, killing more than 4,300 people since Oct. 7, the Biden administration’s unwavering support risks creating new headwinds in its efforts to win over global public opinion. Israel’s attack on Gaza, its threats to mount a ground invasion and America’s tight embrace of its most important Mideast ally have prompted cries of hypocrisy. “Anywhere else, attacking civilian infrastructure and deliberately starving an entire population of food, water, basic necessities would be condemned, accountability would be enforced,” said King Abdullah. “International law loses all value if it is implemented selectively.” Palestinians have criticized Western capitals for not expressing outrage over the bombing of Gaza similar to their labeling of Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure as “barbaric” and “crimes against humanity.”

Israel prepares for months-long war (BBC) Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “may take a month, two or three”, its defence minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday, adding the next stage of the war, a widely-expected ground invasion, would “come soon”. But Western leaders who’ve publicly embraced Israel’s right to defend itself are also sending messages, in public and private, about the need to “avoid rushing forward in rage”, explains our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet. A pause could give more time to free more than 200 hostages held in Gaza, help foreign nationals to get out of the enclave, and let in more desperately needed aid. Humanitarian convoys are barely trickling into Gaza from Egypt while the situation on the ground is “catastrophic”, according to a Red Cross spokeswoman.

‘My daughters don’t understand that we cannot return.’ (BBC) Rushdi Abualouf of BBC News is in Gaza reporting on a conflict he cannot escape from. He has shared with us his personal experience, after he had to relocate his family four times in the past two weeks: Two days ago, my wife and children nearly died. They were about to leave for the day to meet me when an Israeli drone attack punched through the top floor of a four-storey building in Khan Younis, Gaza. My nine-year-old twin daughters ran out into the street screaming, separated from their mother, who was struck in the head by a piece of rubble.  My daughters have had to leave behind everything they love in Gaza City and head south—their school, their friends, their horse riding club, their favourite pizza shop. Both of them are constantly asking to go back there, to relative normality. They are begging to go back. They don’t understand that we cannot return.

Want to be sharper? Try golf or walking (Yahoo News) A new study of 25 healthy golfers age 65 and over found that playing 18 holes of golf or walking 3.7 miles significantly improved their immediate cognitive function. The research, which was published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, underscores “the value of age-appropriate aerobic exercise,” said Julia Kettinen, the first author of the article and a doctoral researcher in sports and exercise medicine at the University of Eastern Finland. It seems that the walking element is key here: Research consistently shows that walking has enormous health benefits, from reducing risk of heart disease and dementia to improving the quality and duration of your sleep.

[tariah23]

Hi! 1) I never said I was black, did I? Reread everything I said. Never once said I'm black, just asked how come I can't be. 2) I didn't lie a single time about my past. 3) You looked through my blog but didn't find all my posts about my dad, who is racist and beat me for 25 years. If you search Tumblr for "skultar the unstable" you will find various posts I made about my mother divorcing the man who called himself "Nigger Bob" because he didn't want to do chores and screamed "I GUESS I'M JUST A NIGGER. NIGGER BOB IS GONNA IT DONE, MASSA." He's white. And his name's Robert Joseph Robinson Jr., you can look him up, he writes racist and homophobic books about cowboys. 4) Have a great day. Enjoy continuing to be racist. ;)