#one bias to my current one

[assiraphales]

lowkey when was expecting to see a lot more evidence in canon besides constant arguing but no matter how much I squint / throw on my rose colored shipping goggles there’s much more flirtatious dynamics between the cook and a certain sniper than between those two

[hypn0sssss]

Inspired by @kairithemang0 :)

[batsplat]

https://es.motorsport.com/motogp/news/acosta-visita-ktm-quien-manda-entender-lugar-correcto/10633133/

i couldn’t find an english version of this but I think you can translate it.

maybe i interpreted it wrong but to me it seems like a way to put pressure on ktm. he’s basically saying that if ktm don’t take the necessary step forward to allow him to fight for the title he’s not going to stay here forever and just trust the project. furthermore, it seems to me to be yet another proof that a kind of hierarchy has arisen among ktm riders, despite how much ktm denies it. because i have never seen binder go all the way to austria and say publicly that he wants to check if the project is going well. the news of starlacchini's departure seems to me to be a sign that there are big changes underway at ktm, but we don't know if they are positive or negative. i think that ktm must be very careful not to let the hare escape, because the boy seems very smart and with very clear ideas. what do you think?🤔

anon cheers for sending me this, my eyebrows gradually disappeared above my hairline as I read this. love this, it's fantastic. and yours is definitely not a wrong interpretation whatsoever like he basically... is just saying that? when he isn't saying it, the article sure is! plus, it sounds like pedro's not entirely sure himself whether those internal changes are positive or negative! sounds like he's looking for some more information on that front!

low-key 'what tf is going on at ktm' has been one of THE best storylines this season. top two/three depending on whether you consider 'what tf is going on with the title fight' and 'what tf is going on at ducati' to be the same or separate stories. we've even had a real swing DURING the season from 'has this bike always been good and the riders are just worse than we thought' to 'does this bike just suck now'. like, ignore the acosta of it all for a second, binder was getting a second place in qatar, there were three ktm's in the top ten in portimao (though binder should've been like... seventh not fourth on merit but never mind that). they're nowhere right now! even if acosta has made the other three ktm's panic, binder hasn't suddenly forgotten how to ride a bike. this bike does seem to have some serious gremlins, to my understanding there's some serious chattering problems not dissimilar to what the gp24's were dealing with earlier this season? and pedro's just been better at riding around those issues. but these last few weekends have just generally been bad! pedro's had a bunch of kinda scrappy weekends that feel like what you get when a rider is trying to over-ride an uncompetitive package plus rookie exuberance. a bit more error prone, though generally you look back at the end of each weekend and would say he was fairly comfortably the fastest ktm. and the way it's worked out is at the same time as the on-track situation has gotten *bleh*, it's also signed up what on paper should be a very strong rider line-up for next year, with two high profile signings from other factories. like, there's a very real possibility that pedro doing slightly silly things for a few races has suckered in Certain Riders into thinking that bike is actually better than anyone thought and it turns out that, no, this is all going in a deeply unpromising direction. who knows! very excited to find out

anyway, obviously one guy who is also extremely invested in the 'is ktm actually shit' question is one pedro acosta, who really should be fighting for the title next year. I do get why he signed that two year deal! but also... before we get into the article, it's worth remembering that. y'know. pedro's not an idiot. he did sign with ktm knowing what kind of pull he has, but also I reckon there's probably a certain degree of wariness towards that entire organisation and how they operate? pepperidge farm remembers pedro's long-standing friendship with remy gardner, who was fired by ktm during his rookie season in 2022 and had been deeply, deeply unhappy within that organisation. at phillip island that year, remy's last home race, pedro celebrated the podium by donning the racing number of his good friend:

like!! here's what pedro said about his friend's situation in the middle of the season:

obviously pedro's stuck with ktm, but you'd have to imagine he would've at least been paying attention to that whole saga, no? ktm's treatment of its riders is one of those things that hasn't bitten it in the arse yet (though they have lost riders before through a combination of misfortune and incompetence, cf one jorge martin), but there's always a risk that eventually it will start doing so. last year, when ktm had its whole 'whoops why do we have five riders under contract' saga, there were definitely silly season rumours of pedro taking his services elsewhere. in the end, ktm forcibly made room for him, and obviously they've had a ridiculously successful start to their time together... but. pedro didn't go into that team with any naivety about how exactly they operate. and so we may have arrived to a slightly unprecedented place with a rookie where the factory might genuinely need the rider more than the rider needs them. ktm needs to keep pedro to win a title!! pedro didn't have fantastic options elsewhere, especially given the dominant factory looks like a closed shop for the next few years, and at least with ktm you know they're gonna be throwing a shit ton of money at any problem that arises (unlike with, say, aprilia). but at the end of the day, ktm cannot afford to lose pedro! whereas pedro can entirely plausibly win a title elsewhere. that gives him a LOT of pull

anyway, onto the article:

'the impression is that pedro will visit ktm' 'to understand if his bet on this manufacturer is correct' I would say that impression is correct! the parallel that immediately came to my mind was marc showing up at one of the races while he was still recovering from surgery in 2022 to 'inspect' what was going on at honda. and like, the ktm's had a poor few races, but this is... it does certainly feel quite pointed? cf "rome wasn't built in a day" - he knows progress might not be immediate, but he sure expects it to happen

"yes I have a one-way ticket but not a return ticket" lol

here's the rest of the article:

anyway, yeah, look - cynicism aside, it's kinda neat and cool that he's interested enough to actually go to the factory! it's fun that he's curious about it, that he wants to know what the actual process is of developing that bike, that he wants to meet the people involved! good on him! but of course it's also... yeah, a fact finding mission of sorts... I wouldn't go as far as to call it a power play, but it's pretty notable that you've got a rookie rider who wants to make sure he is very much a part of the conversations of where this project is going. he's integrating himself even more into that team! he wants them to explain how everything works to him! he feels that he's entitled to those explanations, and he's right! he's well aware of his own importance to the team - and is already willing to assert his status as the guy. this whole project needs to be organised around making him a title contender, sooner rather than later

which... isn't that the main thing that jumps out? he's impatient! he's hungry! he's confident enough in his own abilities and what he's doing that he knows he will be ready to fight for a title soon, if he isn't already! but as far as he's concerned, it's the team that's got to show him that they're actually making progress. also... I mean, it's worth pointing out that he isn't just going to the factory in austria, he's openly talking about going to the factory. just putting it out there! just making a bunch of pointed remarks about how he totally gets that ktm can't bridge that gap to ducati in a day, but he sure is interested in seeing how they are intending to make that progress! in itself, that's very much a choice, and it is a choice that's intended to exert public pressure on ktm. I can't remember which one specifically talked about this, but this week's podcasts described the vibes within the ktm camp as not good, a lot of frustration and annoyance at the current performance level. pedro's deciding to publicly make clear he's not willing to just wait around - and he's doing so only halfway through his rookie season. it's his first summer break as a motogp rider and his first priority isn't to rest, it's to make sure everything within the team is up to scratch. he's not even a factory team rider yet! but he's the factory's future and he knows it

also, when ktm says there's not an internal hierarchy and they totally love all their riders. look. all teams lie. ktm never does anything but lie. binder's been the golden boy for years, they gave him that extra long deal, and he still does have some credit in the bank for them to excuse some of the current rough edges. at the end of the day... this is brutal, but it stopped being his team around the time of cota. and as much as ktm value him - by ktm's standards of valuing anyone - he never had quite this pull. pedro's as close as ktm is ever going to get to having a world champion elect and he's not even willing to be patient for a year before taking control of that team. hope he has a fun trip to austria!

[jazzzzzzhands]

Men don't get told enough that they are cute and I am on this earth to fill that void

[fakescorpion]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

Thank you crow, thank you so much for giving me the chance to self-promote my more indulging stories, though I have decided to keep focus on One Piece to avoid different fandoms cross-contaminate. That being said, I have to admit being currently high on hawkcroc brain drugs, so I am very tempted to just be biased and offer all my hawkcroc fics in this. Here are my current favs ❤

IOU By Proxy

Mihawk and Crocodile as childhood friends, but with twists, Mihawk is prince and Crocodile is his servant. Yoru backstory and what Mihawk has to sacrifice to keep her, Sand-Sand Fruit origin and why Crocodile wears four rings on four very specific fingers. rating: M warnings: graphic violence, horror status: completed (3 chap)(~ 10,800 words) characters: Mihawk, Crocodile, Cross Guild

IOU Be Close / IOU Being Closer

Companion stories that explore the darker tragic side of trans identity using chronic pain as literal metaphor, and touch on heavy topics including child grooming and child sexual abuse. please heed all warning tags. rating: T / E warnings: underage kissing and sex, incest, dubious and non-consent status: completed (oneshot companion pieces)(~ 5,000 words) characters: Mihawk/Crocodile

whatever happened to the fairytale dream

Mihawk and Crocodile have sex in the cross guild treasury, while learning the secrets about each other’s most broken places. unsafe, insane, questionably consensual bdsm. inappropriate use of ability and jewelry. porn with heavy plot, please heed all warning tags. rating: E warnings: graphic violence, dubious and non-consent, necrophilia and bestiality, reference uxoricide and filicide status: completed (oneshot)(~ 9,000 words) characters: Mihawk/Crocodile

on this broken pedestal

The most important two years of Crocodile’s life, as the first pirate ever inducted into the government Warlord System. featuring Crocodile's first meeting with Doflamingo and Katakuri, Crocodile playing Davy Back Fight, and Crocodile being a cruel genius because he absolutely is. rating: M warnings: graphic violence status: completed (6 chap)(~ 28,000 words) characters: Crocodile, Doflamingo, Katakuri

As a Charlotte Child, Sweets

How and why the position of Sweet Commanders were established, this is the conclusion of my Charlotte family childhood story and the most important milestone that marked Big Mom Pirates’ true beginning as a future yonko crew. rating: T warnings: graphic violence status: completed (6th chap)(~ 4,300 words) characters: Cracker, Katakuri, Charlotte Linlin

[vcrnons]

thank uuuu @justsomekpopstuff @qiankunnies && @jeonwon-wonwoo for tagging me in this🥹

(blank template under the cut!!)

idk who’s done this alr and who hasn’t so i’m sorry if i missed the boat with u but😭 tagging anyway: @ikigaisvt @hwanghyunjinenthusiast @rubyreduji @chwedout @vernonnosebiter @blonde-riwoo @irlvernon 🫶 and as ALWAYS if u saw this and u want to do it too, @/you.<3

[mixtapedoh]

bts bias order go

omg marry me ♡♡♡♡♡. LINDSAY DON'T LOOK AND DON'T @ ME

namjoon -> hobi -> yoongi -> jin -> tae -> jungkook -> jimin

✩⡱ send me a group and i'll tell you my bias order

[aceofthyme]

strange conundrums: trying to decide which version of a song should go on a character’s playlist

[skrunksthatwunk]

kind of funny whenever (and this happens quite often) someone older than me is like "yeah the world aka US politics went to shit in 2016 it wasn't this ridiculous and bizarre before aaaa it feels different" because whether i Would agree or not is hampered by the fact that i was roughly 11 at the time. like i'll take your word for it boss o7 bc i was a zygote in terms of political awareness. my ass was not paying attention enough before so i have no previous era to compare it to. i was thinking about hex bugs or something that whole time idk

[blizzardfluffykpop]

recently reminded myself how much i loved day6 and i've just been having sm fun rediscovering old favorites and listening to new songs and just falling in love with them all over again-

[studying-nando]

.

[the-physicality]

also: i didn't like the jerseys

[friendofthecrows]

Finished my 31 page long forensic anthropology final exam the page count of which does not include the three full-length and ridiculously in depth essay questions. It took twice the estimated time and I've been looking at a screen so long I feel like one of those bog bodies with extensive adipocere formation that look weirdly preserved and yet exactly like you'd expect someone who was submerged in a bog for an extensive period to look. Maybe a 20 year PMI.

[chaoticgouda]

you honestly have to admire people who hear a zodiac sign and can instantly say “well you’re a headstrong person with commitment issues who takes their coffee with two sugars” meanwhile i’ve been studying myself for the past 24 years and the best way I can summarise my personality is with a vague ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and “idk I guess I don’t really mind the cold”

[epiphanytear]

Not a day goes by where I don’t think about the rap line performing UGH! and Cypher Pt 3 in Busan

[solojihyo]

sending love🫂🫂

thank you 🥺 sending love right back to you too 🫶