#(but not a good example of one because I'm a very bad driver)

[hiddenreamers]

F1 Drivers x foreign!reader

SUMMARY: When they know social norms and the local language, sometimes it might be hard to spot a foreigner. Even then, there are details to their daily life that might give away their heritage. Whether they're strange, funny or heartwarming, it doesn't really matter. Your boyfriend wouldn't have it any other way.

Featuring: Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo (it's my delulu I set the rules), Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri

Note: I'm a Polish gal, so the examples I've used are quite specific and probably not universal

Lando Norris

You're unsure if his terrible pronunciation is genuine or just a ploy to make you laugh. As time goes on, you're leaning towards the latter. The comedic timing of throwing out mispronounced random phrases and words is almost too perfect to be accidental. Considering the cultural differences, you have your quirks and superstitions that are largely funny and meaningless to him. Despite his lack of understanding, he adheres to them like the letter of the law (except speed limits, of course). While it might seem pointless to him that you have to knock on "something unpainted" after talking about misfortune, Lando will never make fun of you for it. He might laugh, yes, but he just finds those little rituals endearing. Secretly learns to say "I love you" in your first language but this time, he wants his pronunciation to be impeccable. He really means it, after all.

Lewis Hamilton

He's been showing genuine curiosity from the very beginning. While he wants to get to know you better as a person, he also wants to know more about your home. Consequently, Lewis jumps at any opportunity to travel with you to your native country. When you're pointing out different buildings as well as memories associated with them, he feels like he's getting a better understanding of who you are and why. Like Lando, he's mindful of the cultural quirks and sticks to them but doesn't find them as funny. While he's well aware you don't expect him to follow them, Lewis still refuses to kiss you over the threshold once you tell him it's said to bring bad luck. He's not going to risk it, is he?

Daniel Ricciardo

The ever-charming man is interested only in learning swear words and pick-up lines in your native language. Not very surprising. Even less surprising is the fact that you might have (on at least one occasion) taught him nonsense or a silly phrase while claiming it's something sexy or romantic. He is yet to be corrected that a certain phrase is not a heartfelt confession but a simple question of "Where is my sauerkraut?". There's something impossibly attractive about you speaking your mother tongue, according to Daniel. You could read aloud a random Wikipedia entry and he's down bad by the second verse.

Max Verstappen

Practical as always, Max has learnt to read your first language just to occasionally help. You're busy and someone is texting you? Maybe you forgot the next ingredient or step for the recipe but your hands are dirty? Max is there to help. Despite not much practice, his pronunciation is really good. He does, however, have a secret. All the random things he's been reading for you? They got him familiar with the language, at least the basics. Still, Max pretends that he doesn't understand 99% of what he's reading for you because he doesn't want to miss out on all the ego-stroking "Max is wonderful!!" messages you receive from friends and family. The king of keeping a straight face. He's so used to hearing you refer to him by pet names in another language that when he hears it in a movie you're watching, he instinctively looks towards you.

Carlos Sainz Jr

Similarly to Max, Carlos has picked up some of your mother tongue. Pretends he doesn't because he's living for the gossip you exchange with your friends. Most of all, he HAS to know what you're talking about after hearing you say his name. Are you happy with him? Does he fulfil your needs? Although each time you're gushing over him, he can't help his curiosity. Carlos might or might not have overheard you talking to your friends about a sexual fantasy and later on used that knowledge to his advantage. But if anyone asks, he doesn't know more than a "hello" in your first language.

Charles Leclerc

Like many multilingual people, you have a habit of directly translating sayings and idioms or just getting confused about which ones work in what language. Funnily enough, Charles unknowingly picked up some of the phrases you use. He realises only when someone gives him a strange look for saying "happy as a whistle". On another occasion he says somebody "stuck to him like thistle to a dog's tail", which sparked a landslide of memes. Charles insists on you calling him pet names in your first language exclusively. He claims they sound more loving when you say them in your mother tongue but maybe he's suffering from the same ailment as Daniel Ricciardo...

George Russell

As adorable as they are, George's random questions can get slightly annoying. He might be working you up on purpose, not that he'd ever admit. This man has a curious tendency to suddenly point to a random object and ask you what's it called in your native language. When you tell him, he exposes you to possibly the worst attempt at repeating the word. George is trying his best, okay? He might not be able to pronounce or write it but when you say it, he quickly learns to recognize the word. This has lead to seemingly strange situations when you can't remember the English expression and say it in your mother tongue, while George without a problem gives you the answer or passes you the item. Some of the other drivers are now convinced he knows your first language and George somehow can't find the right occasion to correct them. After secretly practising, he says "I love you" in your mother tongue and despite the rather awful pronunciation, it's the best thing you've ever heard. It's not flawless but it's perfect.

Oscar Piastri

Similarly to Lewis, he's genuinly curious about your homecountry. The difference is, Oscar is more leaning towards the literature and pop-culture side of things. He has a list of books, poems, movies and plays that are considered important to your homeland. If there are English translations, he'll at least try to read them (on a few occasions he's settled for the cheat sheets and summaries). Multiple times Oscar has talked you into reading the original to him and afterwards claimed that despite understanding nothing, that's his favourite version. Movies, however, he wants to watch with you. It's a cozy date, yes. But! It is also an opportunity to learn more as you have a tendency to pause the film and explain jokes, give broader context or share a fun fact about something on the screen. Through all of that, he learns certain unspoken social rules and superstitions. You tell him he really doesn't have to follow them for your sake when you notice he refuses to put your bag on the floor or switches seats with you if you sit at the corner of the table.

[cuthechicane]

Full paywalled version of Lando's interview with The Race

Lando Norris recently sat down with The Race's Scott Mitchell-Malm for an exclusive in-depth interview about his 2024 Formula 1 title bid, taking on Max Verstappen and how fans perceive him.

You can read Scott's take on how Lando presented himself on The Race website today, but here's their conversation in full:

The Race: How do you look back on the year so far? Purely from a numbers point of view, you'd surely have taken that at the start of the year. But in terms of how it's played out, is there any kind of sense that there was a bit more on the table, missed opportunities?

Lando Norris: Err…for sure. I think that's quite obvious. Not as many as people think. And I think people in general think it's been a lot worse than what it's been. I think a lot of people think we've been a lot quicker than we have been. So I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with it. But I think those times, it’s a compliment that people think that, because it shows how far we've come. And I'm proud that in those days, whether Singapore or Zandvoort, I've still been the one that's there and making the most of those opportunities when we have a car that's quick enough. 

But there's clearly ones that we've definitely let things go away, which is Silverstone, Canada-ish – I wouldn't say completely. Maybe one or two others. But I think the other ones are the ones that people want to believe were bad for different reasons. Whether it was my starts, and those days when the starts have been ‘bad’ that everyone says, I've generally still been in the top three, four, five of starts. Even on those days. If you look at Barcelona, when I had a 'bad' start everyone says, the best starter in that race was Max. And I think I was like the third or fourth third best starter on the grid. It's just I happened to be next to the guy who got the best start.

The Race: Who wasn't the guy who ended up leading into Turn 1 anyway...

LN: He was the guy who had the seventh or eighth best start! The other one I’d say was a bit more unlucky was Budapest, where my initial start was very good, a tiny, tiny bit too much wheelspin and a downgraded upshift, and that kind of cost me that. So I think it's been better than people have thought. There's definitely been some missed opportunities, that's a fact. But I'm very happy with my whole season. I still feel like I've got a lot out of it. Things have not just gone to plan. Even if you go back to Austria and things like that, a race that I could have been first or second, whichever way around you want to look at it, I ended up with zero points. There's been certain races which have gone away from us. 

The fact that we're still there fighting, I'm pretty happy with the whole season that I had, because it's clear when things do go right, how amazing that they can be.  It's been still a big learning year, even though it's my sixth year and all of this nonsense, I still have to learn how to drive the car in a better way, because I still don't understand it at times. How we have to drive our car has changed a good amount, and I still have to adapt to that. Some days it doesn't suit me, some days it does. So I think it's still been a very good year, and from the outside, I understand why people think it hasn't been. And I completely almost agree with it! But once you know reasons why, of different things, I'm still pretty proud of the season it's been so far.

The Race: There's a difference between how you imagine it being when you get a car that's quick enough to fight every weekend, and then obviously what it's really like. You've learned some things the hard way, so what's that actually been like?

LN: It's been good for me. Whether I'm racing the likes of Lewis a bit more, or Max is probably the best example of all of them...Charles, Carlos, George, to be honest, all the drivers who are up the front because they deserve to be. Thing is suddenly, when I'm racing them, I'm fighting them for a win. So not coming out and doing a perfect job against these drivers, mainly Max in this case, means I win a race or I don't win a race, and therefore it hurts a bit more and it feels like there's a bigger effect to it all. 

There's more criticism or praise, whichever way around. You win, suddenly you have a lot more praise. You do one mistake, you suddenly have a lot more criticism. But I think both are good things, because people either want you to do well or they want to stand out because they want to be someone that criticises you even more. Both are compliments in ways, and I've enjoyed both of them. 

But I've paid the price, more so in terms of a championship point of view, when I’ve not done things to the correct level. And I think there's so many things that have been great, and have been completely up to the standard that it needs to be. A couple of things have not been. And I paid the price for those situations, because I'm going up against, whether it's Red Bull or Mercedes or Ferrari, on top of being strong teams, great drivers. You get punished more at the top when things don't go right than you do when you're more midfield.

The Race: There's a quote from a few years ago about Lewis Hamilton only having to beat his team-mate, in the context of a dominant team. That's exactly not the situation that you've had this year. But in terms of execution, finding out how hard it is to make sure that every single qualifying session, every start, every judgment in the race with the team – what's that been like? Because I can imagine that idea that 'once I get a car that's quick enough, I'll do it'. 

LN: First of all, I would never think that! For anyone who knows me, that's definitely not how I think. But I would say it's as tough as I've imagined because so many things can still easily go against you, even when you have the best car. Make one mistake in a Q3 lap, you're not on pole when you should have been. You don't have a perfect start when the guy who starts P2 does a perfect start, you’re P2 when you shouldn't have been. 

There's been a couple when we were so dominant – like Zandvoort – it doesn't matter if you made the mistakes at the beginning. You can come back through and you can still dominate and easily win a race. But for the majority, when people think we've had the most dominant car ever, those positions [lost] have just been costly positions. I’ve been on pole by three thousandths or five thousandths or two hundredths, and those positions are positions that just stay for the rest of the race. 

But I've always known that – it’s always just the harsh reality of when you're there, and actually you're living that situation, it’s tough to then always be positive for the next race and things like that, and know when things are going to get better. It's been a learning point, still for me, but even for the whole team, whether it's mechanics, because they feel a bit more pressure when we're leading a race compared to when we compared to when we were 10th, or the engineers because the last pole was split by three thousandths, or one hundredth of a second. Everyone wants to play a part in that, but also feels the pressure of it, including me. I think everyone's dealt with it very well.

The Race: We've seen with various drivers, whenever there's a clash with a popular driver, someone ends up getting pelted on social media. But I don't think I've seen a driver with such a negative narrative against them as I’ve seen with you this year...

LN: Yeah, I don’t know why.

The Race: You’ve noticed it as well. How do you feel about that?

LN: I find it…I find it's a little bit weird, because I read all those things. I wouldn't say I'm affected by them, but I do think of them. Do I think it affects me negatively? No. Because I've actually been used to doing that for a while. I've learned how to read things and choose what I want to affect me and almost help me be better or choose what I just want to let slip away, and I just read it for the fact of reading. 

Certain things I’d say I don't understand how people have gotten that perception. And that's when I always just have to come back to the people who know me, know that this isn't the case. And I'm very happy just knowing that as a fact. There’s certain things when I'm like, people think my ego is too big or something, it couldn't be further from the truth - especially when I'm driving. Maybe sometimes I choose wrong words or something, and people somehow use that against me.

But I think there's more and more people in the world just either don't want to listen to the truth and sometimes I think when I say the truth or facts, people just don't want to agree with them, or they want to disagree and kind of prove me wrong. But I find it odd as I feel like I haven't changed. Maybe I have, in certain things. Definitely some things have changed. I definitely don't go around and joke and laugh as much as I used to, and I think people loved that and maybe don't like it as much now I don't do such a thing. But I’ve definitely noticed it, for whatever reason. 

The Race: It's stuff as a driver, not just you as a person. You mentioned the idea you’ve got a dominant car stuff but it’s also your championship credentials and stuff like that. Maybe some people just want to just stick the knife sometimes, in a way that I personally don’t understand.

LN: Neither do I, but it's why like I always say, it doesn't affect me. I see it still as if I know I said something or I've done something wrong, I accept it. I've always been honest with when I've done a good job and done a bad job. So when I know I've done something wrong, or someone tells me I've done something wrong, I'll always accept it and acknowledge that in the right way. But when I know for a fact I haven't, and people kind of make things of it or turn it into something where I have, there’s some kind of stuff I don't understand. Especially the amount of negative stuff I get nowadays, I almost want to say for no reason. 

It puzzles me a little bit. Doesn't affect me in a good way or a bad way. People can have their own opinions. And I'm all up for people having their own opinions and supporting different drivers and not supporting me – I'm very happy about that. But turning things that are not true into what they think are facts is probably stuff that I don't understand as much. And it's confused me a little bit, but I don't think it affects me in a bad way. I do think of it because I'm an overthinker, and I think of all of those things, so I'll question myself about all of it. But I wouldn't say it affects how I go out and drive the next day all of a sudden, or anything like that, which is the main thing. 

I think it's turned into being a bit of a part of… I don’t have to read any of it, you know? So I can also not have social media, but I enjoy it still. It'll still affect me on days, but it's not like it affects how I go racing or anything else, so I don't mind. I just don't like when people have the wrong opinion about me. Because I don't mind people having different opinions, but stating incorrect things is probably the thing that I don't understand, and probably the thing that gets to me the most. But it doesn't affect my day to day life at all. And I'm very happy with the people I have around me, my group.

They're the people who are being more honest with me about when I'm doing well or when I'm not, or whether I'm being a dick, and when I'm not. I prefer people to tell me that, than not to tell me that. The reason I really don't care about what people say so much is because I know the people who actually most know me best and are most truthful about everything are just the people I have around me, and I’ll listen to them more than I'll ever listen to people on the outside.

The Race: One final thing as we sort of got side-tracked there: 18 months or so ago I interviewed you in Australia which basically turned into an opportunity to justify your new contract, because the team was in a bad place and there was a lot of noise. You always stuck to your guns. How vindicated do you feel by this season, and how excited are you for next year, because both titles have got to be the aim?

LN: That's very clear. We all as a team know that next year is the year, probably the first one since I've been in Formula 1, where I can go next year ‘We are challenging for the title’.  And we can say that now already. We've never been able to do it in the past. I'm very happy that I've stuck with the team that I believed in even when a lot of people didn't. I'm very happy that I just had that belief in the team. But also just for all of that to actually come true even when it was hard to believe at times. When we could take kind of two steps forward and then step back, and then catch up and then drop back. 

There were times when I did question it for sure, on what's the best for my future and what do I want to do and those kinds of things. But for me to always return to the belief that the team around me, whether it was Andreas [Seidl] a few years ago when we took a step forward, for sure – but then Andrea [Stella], for me, has been the key to everything. And the fact we've been able to go from where we were to beating Red Bull, when not even 12 months ago they had the most dominant season...the fact that we're now beating them, we've been beating them almost since Miami-ish, and we've been on par with them since Miami, that’s an incredible achievement. 

I'm very happy that I've been part of it all. I'm happy that I stuck through the harder times when I easily could have picked an easier route out of it, could have gone to different teams and done all this other stuff. I feel like I've rewarded myself nicely for having the belief in the team, and I think the team understands that too - the journey that we've been on together - and I think they appreciate that, which probably makes me the happiest out of all of it.

[meinkatzchen]

Can you tell us some interesting facts about your oc?ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

I'm a little sick���again- so I don't have any new art, I'll answer questions!

I don't know which facts are interesting and which are not, but here are some about Mist! (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) I mixed up all the facts from different stages of her life at once. ♡ If you divide her story into 3 periods (btd, btd2, tpof), which would correspond to tarot cards, then she would have: Death, Chariot, Moon; ♡ She doesn't like/is afraid of mirrors:

Mirrors show objective reality, and not an illusion created by the human mind. And Mist doesn't like to see the results of her mistakes, which she can see in the mirror. She doesn't like to see scars on her body, she considers them ugly.

♡ Her nickname(Mist) was chosen because of her full name and because of her demeanor + appearance. Initially, I chose it because of the light milky haze that is present in the scarlet pupils. She had friends who affectionately nicknamed her like this. On the Internet, she often signs herself as "Mooncat"; ♡ She's almost immortal but can really be killed completely if you really try; ♡ If the sins were carved into her skin like in FC5, they would be Pride and Lust;

♡ She doesn't have the magical ability to hide her ears and tail, so in everyday life she often uses special hairpins/hats for her cat ears/harness for her tail to hide them; ♡ Between btd2 and tpof, she had a red Toyota GT 86. But Mist is such a bad driver that the car once couldn't handle such a shitty ride; ♡ It seems that she has developed good intuition, or insights that helped her foresee something bad, but because of this, she is a little paranoid; ♡ Her favorite color is scarlet/red; ♡ Her voice is high-pitched and soft at the same time, purrs when she feels good and calm (voice example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKy4INHSERQ&ab_channel=Monetochka-Topic); ♡ Has an increased appetite and accelerated metabolism, eats any meat, does not disdain to eat even human flesh. She especially likes the rich metallic taste of liver; ♡ This is more of a headcanon from other people, but I really like it: she has an average mental intelligence, but a high emotional one, which makes her a good manipulator and observer, but a bad strategist; ♡ Studying at the University of Law helped her find holes in the law so that many of her cult's actions were legal; ♡ She is very tactile! She loves to touch others, quickly closes the distance if she wants to gain trust or trusts the interlocutor. She loves to touch different objects and smell them, feeling the texture, temperature, shape, smell, exploring the world through touch and smell; ♡ Very talkative, ready to support absolutely any conversation and talk about all sorts of topics; ♡ Of all possible hobbies, her favorite is: playing games, computer and real (like hide and seek). Sometimes she conducts streams in which she plays in videogames, communicates with the audience, fools around; ♡ Despite her bloodthirstiness and cruelty, she is very sensitive and protective of children, teenagers and women who cannot protect themselves. In such, she sees a reflection of her past self and can become their protector herself; ♡ She doesn't mind becoming a mother :3 but in that case, she will be very protective, overprotective;

♡ Her unique melee weapon: balisong (butterfly knife).

In addition to what I wrote above, I have this small sketch with information

[horoscope1078]

:)

Lando was buzzing with excitement. Not because of an upcoming race. Not because McLaren had finally given him a decent car upgrade. Not even because he’d beaten Max Verstappen in an online sim race last night. No. Lando was excited because you had said yes.

You, his best friend, the girl he had been not-so-secretly in love with for years, had agreed to be his plus-one for McLaren’s fancy end-of-season event. And now? He was standing outside your place, practically vibrating with energy as he waited for you to come out.

"Calm down, mate." Oscar's voice crackled through Lando’s phone. "You're acting like this is a date."

"Shut up." Lando hissed. "It's not a date."

Oscar hummed. "Then why do you sound like a lovesick teenager?"

Lando groaned, running a hand through his already-messy curls. "I just... I want her to have fun, ok?"

"Right, because fun definitely requires you checking your reflection in your car window for the fifth time." Oscar teased.

"I hate you."

"I know." Oscar said cheerfully. "Have fun on your not-date."

Lando ended the call with an eye roll, just as the door finally opened. And there you were. Wearing a simple but elegant outfit, hair perfectly styled, and smiling right at him. Lando’s brain was gone, melted, completely useless.

"Wow..." he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Your smile widened. "Good wow or bad wow?"

Lando opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again.

"You look..." his voice cracked.

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh. "I look?" you prompted.

Lando cleared his throat aggressively, determined to not sound like a prepubescent boy. "You look, uh... great! Amazing! Like... wow."

You chuckled. "Well, you clean up nice too, Mr. Norris."

Lando beamed. "Really?"

You reached out and playfully flicked the collar of his McLaren-branded suit jacket. "Yea. The orange is very… on brand."

Lando gasped dramatically. "Are you mocking McLaren orange?"

You grinned. "I'm lightly teasing McLaren orange."

Lando clutched his chest. "Betrayal."

You laughed, looping your arm through his. "C'mon, Drama Queen. Let’s go."

Lando couldn't stop grinning. He was driving, but he kept sneaking glances at you.

"So..." he said, tapping the steering wheel. "Excited to hang out with a bunch of f1 nerds tonight?"

You smirked. "Oh, absolutely. Can't wait to hear you all argue about tire strategies over tiny sandwiches."

Lando laughed. "Oi! We don’t only talk about tires!"

"I dare you to go the entire night without saying the words ‘tyre degradation.’"

Lando narrowed his eyes. "That’s impossible and you know it."

You giggled. "You f1 guys are predictable."

Lando gasped. "I am full of surprises, actually."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." Lando flashed you a cocky grin. "For example... I bet you didn’t expect me to bring snacks for the drive."

He dramatically reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a pack of gummy bears.

Your eyes lit up. "Ok, I’ll admit, that was unexpected."

Lando wiggled his eyebrows. "See? I am a man of mystery."

You laughed and grabbed a handful of gummy bears. "Fine, fine. You win this round, Norris."

Lando smirked to himself. Best decision ever to bring you tonight. From the moment you arrived, Lando was glued to your side. He introduced you to everyone, Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, his engineers, and even some of the other drivers. But he also got distracted, by you. The way you smiled at people. The way you laughed at his dumb jokes. The way you casually fixed his slightly askew tie without even thinking about it.

Oscar, standing nearby, definitely noticed. Lando ignored his smirk. Everything was going great until it was time for pictures.

"Lando, over here!" the photographers called.

Lando turned to you. "You coming in the photos?"

You laughed. "I’m not part of the team, Lando."

"You are tonight." he said, grabbing your hand and pulling you in before you could protest.

The cameras flashed as you stumbled slightly, landing right against his side. Lando, without thinking, instinctively wrapped an arm around your waist, cue brain explosion. You looked up at him, surprised, and he definitely turned red.

"Uh..." he stammered, suddenly realising what he’d done. But before he could panic, you just smiled and leaned into him slightly. Lando’s brain was gone again.

The photos continued, but all Lando could focus on was the way you felt pressed against him, how perfectly you fit there, and he was so in love with you.

As you left the event, you sighed contently. "That was fun."

Lando smiled. "Told you."

You turned to him, smirking. "Also, I definitely caught you saying ‘tyre degradation’ at least twice."

Lando groaned. "Damn it."

You giggled. "But I’ll let it slide… if you admit something."

Lando raised an eyebrow. "What?"

You grinned. "You had the best night ever because I was there."

Lando scoffed. "Obviously."

You blinked, clearly not expecting him to admit it so fast. "Wait, really?"

Lando nodded. "Yea. I mean… it’s always better when you’re around."

Silence, a beat too long. Then, you smiled. A soft, genuine smile that made Lando’s heart flip.

"Well..." you murmured. "Maybe I should come to more events then."

Lando swallowed. "I wouldn’t mind that."

You giggled and leaned your head against his shoulder. Lando tried very hard not to combust on the spot.

[bardoftheshire]

omg i actually love your work, could you make a patrick x fem! reader with the one bed trope? like maybe the bus broke down during a tour and the other guys got rooms before they did, and there’s only one room left, with only one bed. doesn’t have to be anything suggestive, i just love seeing a flustered patrick 🤭🤭🤭

OMG!! One bed tropes are my absolute favourite!! There'll be a BUNCH of fluffy stuff and flustered Patrick, just like you asked. Thank you so much for this ask!

Just One Bed?

Patrick Stump x Gn! Reader

Summary; It was halfway through the tour, and halfway to the next city, but just to everyone's luck, the bus had some unfortunate issues. Needing everyone out of the bus to be fixed, you found the cheapest motel, and just to yours and Patrick's luck, you two had to share a room, and a bed.

Notes; I love pre-hiatus Patrick so much you have no idea, so let's just say around Infinity? Anyway, it's currently December as I'm starting this so it's been put off for a while😭

Warnings; Just foul language.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Everyone was sitting on the small tour bus couch, or a pulled up dining chair, with a game of Monopoly set up on the small "dinner" table you had in there.

"You owe me 100! You landed on my property, Patrick!" Pete bickered.

"No I don't! It's only set at 50, look at the card, dude!"

You sipped on your soda as you watched the two fight. You'd assume that they'd be more mature, but honestly, Monopoly tended to bring out the absolute worst in everyone. Your family was another good example of this.

"Patrick, just give Pete the 100 so we can get going with the game." Joe groans.

"That's not fair though! It's 50 and I know it's 50, he's just laundering money! I'm not giving him a fucking 100!" Patrick exclaims, making it sound like Pete was commiting actual crimes in the game.

Well.. he was, to be fair.

"Pete, you're getting 50 less, just take the 50 or you're not getting anything, we need to continue the game." You sigh.

"You're only saying that because Patrick's your favourite.." Pete pouts.

You shoot a glare at him and continue sipping your soda.

Patrick picks a 50 out of his stack and hands it to Pete. Pete takes it and puts it into his very messy and unorganised stack of the fake paper bills.

"Finally.. It's your turn now, Joe." You sigh.

These past 30 minutes into the game have been nothing but unhappy groans and sighs. Didn't help everyone was tired, but Pete suggested some "bonding time", that didn't seem to be going too well so far.

Joe picks up the set of dice and throws it onto the board. Only for them to be completely knocked off the table along with other pieces on the board. A large bump going along with it.

"Dammit! We can't do shit!" Joe curses.

A hiss and sputter come from the left side of the bus, making your face scrunch up in confusion.

"What the hell was that? Do you guys hear that?" You ask as you look around at the scattered pieces and spilt can of soda on the floor. That's gonna be annoying to clean with a paper towel.

"Guess that means we can sleep, goodnight." Andy says, throwing his fake paper bills carelessly on the table and walking off.

You sigh and get up from your seat, going up to ask the drivers what had happened, only to find them outside.

"Uh, hey, do you guys know what happened?" You ask.

"Well, we hit a pothole on the way and it ended up popping our front left tire, and it's pretty bad. I don't know how long it's going to take for us to get this fixed." The driver explains.

"Will we still be able to sleep here?"

"Probably not. Everyone will probably have to end up getting a place to stay for the night. We'll be lucky if we're even able to get back on the road on time tomorrow morning."

You nod and go back into the bus, poking your head in to see Pete and Patrick arguing about something.

"Hey, guys. So, the bus's tire popped so we kinda have to find somewhere to stay." You explain.

"What? Can't we just stay in here?" Joe asks.

You pull your lips into a thin line and shake your head, earning a groan from him.

"I talked to Rickey and he said we'll have to get rooms. I didn't argue with him, he's the one driving. If I had a choice to stay here, I would."

You sit back down in your seat and sigh. You were already so tired, and to hear that you would have to wait even longer to sleep frustrated you. You already knew you were going to be grumpy tomorrow morning.

"I don't think anyone has any connections to anyone here, huh?" Joe asks.

Everyone looks at each other, shaking their heads with a sigh.

"So we're gonna have to find a motel or something? Where even is the nearest one?" You look around.

Patrick pulls out his computer and looks for a while, eventually turning it around and showing everyone else the screen.

"I don't know, guys. The nearest one is kinda far away, like, I'm talking 100 some miles far." He explains

"How would we even get there? I think right now the bus will only get us so far, and we obviously can't walk.."

"You guys know taxis exist, right? Just call one over here, y'know." Pete shrugs.

"Wow, Pete. That's actually the smartest thing you've said all day, good job." Joe snickers.

Pete kicks him from under the table, earning a hiss and glare from Joe.

You felt bad that no one ever took Pete seriously sometimes, but with some of the shit that he's pulled over the period of time you've known them, it was for a decent reason.

"I'll call one now. Y/n, do you think you can go get Andy?" Patrick asks, dialing a number into his phone.

You walk into the sleeping quarters and go to Andy's bunk, pulling open the curtain to wake him up.

"Dude.. I'm trying to sleep." Andy groans, covering his face with his arm.

"We have to leave. The bus broke down and needs to be taken to a shop or something, so we have to find a place to stay. Patrick's calling to see if he can get a cab to come out here right now." You explain before going back into the living area, leaving Andy to be.

"..yes, yeah, it's just on the left shoulder of the road. Alright, thank you." Patrick says, before hanging up his phone.

"I take it you guys got a cab?"

"Yup. Joe found a motel close by, too. The cab should be here in about 20 minutes." Patrick says, turning his attention towards you.

You hum and go back into the sleeping quarters, packing a small tote bag with "pajamas" (which in reality was just an old pair of sweatpants from high school and a T-shirt from when the band was just starting out.) and an outfit for tomorrow.

The boys did the same, all but Pete's put in a similar manner. Joe picked his clothes and folded them, Patrick and Andy did the same.

"Hey, can I put my clothes in your bag? I don't wanna carry them," Pete asks with a yawn.

You look at him and roll your eyes with a sigh, "Sure. Toss it in there," You say, pushing the bag closer to him with your foot.

"Awesome! You're the man, Y/n," Pete exclaims.

You liked his enthusiasm, though with your state of tiredness you frankly found it a bit irritating.

You bounced your leg up and down impatiently and yawned. You were really tired. The one night that Pete decided to "make" everyone stay up later to bond, is the one night where you have to stay up even later just to wait for a cab to come out to seemingly the middle of nowhere.

The 20 minutes you waited soon felt like hours, each second feeling more like a minute.

Once the cab finally arrived, all of you tiredly grabbed your bags and exited the bus. Putting your bags into the trunk before cramming into the backseat of the car with Andy sitting in the front.

"Where to?" The cab driver asked, turning to Andy.

"The nearest motel if you can."

The driver nodded and began onto the road.

Pete grumbled and complained the whole time about not being able to get the front. And while you would typically get annoyed at this, you totally got where he was coming from. Four adults crammed into the backseat of a small car wasn't something that would typically be comfortable.

Halfway through the ride you felt yourself nodding off, and after trying your best to keep your eyes open, you finally gave in, leaning onto the shoulder of the person on your left.

----------------------------------

"...Y/n, wake up. Hey,"

You were awoken by your shoulder being gently shaken and a voice.

Your eyes flutter open and you yawn looking up to see Patrick with a sleepy look on his face.

"We're at the motel. We gotta get out so the cab driver can go, you can sleep when you get your room, okay? I'll help you with your stuff." He says, helping you out.

"No, I'm.. I should be fine," you say, stopping halfway to yawn.

Once you come out of your sleepy state, you get your wallet out of your back pocket and grab a 20 dollar bill, handing it to the cab driver as an apology for not only the long drive, but also staying extra because of you.

You quietly walk with Patrick to the check in office, your feet dragging along.

You put an arm over your face and squint, the fluorescent lights that laminated the room hurt your eyes and you were able to hear the buzzing of it. It smelt of cheap car air fresheners, on top of something else you couldn't quite place your finger on that those air fresheners were failing to cover.

Patrick cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the person behind the counter.

"Yes?" The clerk says, looking up from his magazine.

"Um, can we just get two single bed rooms for one night?" Patrick asks awkwardly.

The clerk rolls his eyes and gets up, looking at the keys for the rooms.

"There's only one single bed room left,"

Your eyes widen and you look at Patrick, then back at the man.

"Are you sure there aren't any available rooms left? Not even one?" You ask.

"What do you think. They're all booked, okay? Do you want the room or not?" The man said, an annoyed, tired expression on his face.

"Yeah, we'll take it." Patrick abruptly says.

"Patrick–"

"Here's the key. Room 014. Enjoy your stay, the bed is real firm," The man says, handing Patrick the motel keys. "Check out time tomorrow is 12:10pm or earlier,"

"Okay, have a great night." Patrick bids the man a goodnight and walks out with you.

The two of you walk up the room and open it. It smelt of musk and had cobwebs in the corner of the room, indicating it hasn't been occupied or cleaned in a while.

You and Patrick place your bags on the floor. "I'm, uh.. I'm going to go and change in the bathroom, okay? Let me know when you're finished,"

You turn to him, "Alright. I shouldn't take too long. Thank you, Pat," You reply.

That nickname started about a month into the first tour you went along with the band. Apparently according to Joe, he never let anyone call him that. But with you, it was an entirely different story. He could never help but blush when you called him that, because it was only you that did. That he allowed you to.

He nods and looks away to try and hide the ferocious blush that was startinv to go up to his ears and goes through his bag to find his pajamas. Which, just like you, was just a random shirt and pajama pants. Batman pajama pants.

You smile at the choice of his and do the same and change into your own pajamas, but as you do so halfway, you notice that a plastic bag was in your bag.

Pete left his stuff.

You sigh and finish getting ready and take the bag out before knocking on the restroom door.

"Hey, Patrick. I'm finished so you can come out if you are, too. Pete left his bag in mine so I'm gonna go take it to him,"

Patrick opens the door, his hair messy presumably from changing into a new shirt.

"You know which room they're in?" Patrick asks.

"Nope, I'll just knock on every door until I find him," You joke.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Y/n," Patrick responded seriously.

"I was just joking. I'll text Andy since he's most likely to respond. He was in the check-in room with Joe and Pete so he should know,"

--------------------------------------

You walk over to the room Pete and Joe were staying in, seems like Andy and me and Patrick were the ones that got stuck with the single bed rooms. Andy on the other hand was luckier.

You knocked on the door, the plastic bag in your hand crinkling, waiting for the door to open.

"Y/n! You're a life saver, I thought I was going to have to sleep in my jeans," Pete exclaimed.

You look at him, your brows furrowed and a slight smirk on your face, "Haven't you done that before, though? I mean, I could list a bunch of weird crazy shit you've done more than once,"

Pete rolls his eyes and takes the bag from your hands, "Have fun sleeping with Patrick, he snores!" he says, sticking out his tounge before shutting the door.

You stood there flustered. How the hell did he know?

You flinch at the noise and huff, turning around and walking back to the room you and Patrick would be staying in.

'Shit, the key,' You think to yourself as I feel my pockets and noticed the key was no longer with me. 'I hope I didn't drop it.'

You knock on the door and wait, hoping that Patrick wasn't asleep yet. A more neatly, put together Patrick opens the door and lets you in after realizing it was you.

"I think I forgot the key in here," You laugh as you look on both nightstands, then the desk, and finally the restroom, you were unable to find it.

"God I'm too tired for this right now.." You groan.

'I'll find it later in the morning.'

"It's 3:22 am, I'm pretty sure that's normal," Patrick laughs before laying a pillow down the middle of the small bed and getting under the covers.

You turned off the lights and got under the covers which were unfortunately itchy and left you a little cold, though struggling to not fall off due to the lack of open space. You would just have to deal with it unfortunately.

But you couldn't.

You closed your eyes over and over again trying to make yourself fall asleep. You turned and tossed, you counted sheep, listened to the sound of your breathing and heartbeat for about 10 minutes already, now you've been staring at the ceiling as if that would help.

"Patrick, are you awake?" You asked looking to the right of you to see him doing the same as you.

"Yeah. Can't sleep for some reason," Patrick sighs and turns to his side facing you.

"I don't have any space, I think I'm going to fall off," You giggle.

Patrick hesitates for a second before saying, "I can take the pillow off from the middle,"

You think about it for a second but before you could even think rationally and just deal with it, you automatically blurt out, "That'd be awesome."

Once he removes the pillow and tosses it on the floor, you scoot in a little closer, now facing him.

You could feel the warmth radiating off of him and you were suddenly no longer as cold as before.

"Alright, um, goodnight Pat. See you in the morning," You clear your throat and turn back around.

"Goodnight, Y/n."

You still couldn't sleep. You stared at the red glow coming off of the alarm clock and watched the minutes passing by.

3:57 am.

You couldn't take it. You were so tired yet you found trouble sleeping.

"Y/n, you okay?"

You turn around once more, just as you'd been doing multiple times. "Yeah, still can't sleep is all,"

For the second time you turn towards him.

"What's on your mind?"

You thought you had no clue what was on your mind. But as soon as he asked that question you knew why.

You were sleeping in the same bed as Patrick. The same Patrick you'd had this "little" crush on since 2002. 5 years.

"Just.. stuff I guess." You said, voice slightly above a whisper.

Now that you knew exactly why you couldn't sleep, everything about him started to flood your mind and senses. The way he smelt of the remanants of a cheap cologne, the way his breath tickled your nose, the way his eyes looked in the moonlight that ever so slightly lit up the room, the way you could hear his heartbeat, the same bpm as most of the band's songs.

"Want to talk about it?"

You shook your head and thanked him for the offer, "what's on yours?"

Patrick was glad that the room was near completely dark, as once again his face began to flush, though his heartbeat quickened.

"Uh- I don't know. Nothing really," He lied.

A long, awkward silence occurred as the both of you looked into each other's eyes, averting them at times.

You hesitated for a long while, "Can I just like, I dunno, get a little closer to you or something," Now this one was more bold. "Maybe hold me?"

You immediately flushed and so had Patrick. The heat could be counted as a high fever if you were to check it.

Patrick scooted closer you you and brought you closer to his chest, his arms wrapped around you.

You closed your eyes and let out a breath of relief, one that you didn't know you were even holding.

"Thanks, Pat." You smile.

"No problem, N/n, goodnight." He responds with a yawn.

You felt a sudden calm and began to drift off to sleep. To be met with dreams and a sudden dread that you'll soon wake up.

--------------------------------------

You wake with a sudden pounding on the door, still being trapped in Patrick's embrace.

"Y/n! Patrick! Wake up before I open the goddamn door!"

You tried to pull out and pry Patrick's arms around you, but he could sleep through a nuclear war unfortunately.

You hear the jingling of the lock and Pete barges in along with the rest of the boys.

"Oh, dude no way! You guys actually went for it!" Pete exclaims, pointing a finger at you and Patrick.

"This isn't what it looks like, Pete," You groan, still attempting to pry yourself out. "Someone wake him up please,"

All three of them snicker.

Pete walks over and puts his finger in his mouth and sticking it in Patrick's ear, giving him a wet willy.

Patrick flinches and lets you go, slapping away Pete's hand, "Dude! What the hell!"

You quickly get up and get out of the bed, standing at the end of it awkwardly as Joe and Andy gave you a knowing look.

"Um, I'm just gonna go- change. In the bathroom." You clear your throat and grab your tote, speedwalking to the door and shutting it.

You quickly get ready and we're able to hear bickering from the other side of the door. You sigh before opening the door, only to be met with Pete running towards you and placing his hands on your shoulder, shaking them.

"Did you guys do it?"

You squinched up your face and pushed him away from you, "What? No, dude. I slept in the same bed as him, but not with him, are you gross??"

"You know me, but I think Andy might secretly be worse," Pete says, whispering the last part.

You were grouchy and tired. It was 8am and you had only gotten four hours of sleep at the most, compared to the 7 or 8 you guys usually get.

"Out, now." You said, pointing to Pete, Andy, and Joe.

"Oh, so Patrick gets to stay but we don't? Favouritism!" Joe says before leaving the room.

You pinch the bridge of your nose and exhale.

Patrick was awkwardly standing at the end of the bed, his glasses and hat still not on. You softly smile and grab them from his side of the nightstand and hand them to him.

"Thanks," He smiles as he gingerly takes them from your hands.

"No problem. You should really go and get ready, though."

Patrick does the same as you had before and takes his clothes to the bathroom to change. You clean up the very little mess that the both of you had left as he did so. Making the bed, tossing the plastic disposable cups that had been used for water, etc.

You didn't even bother to shower, not with how late all of you were already.

"Hey, so uh.. last night," You turn around and see Patrick fixing his cap.

"Oh.. I didn't make you like.. uncomfortable or anything right?" You say anxiously.

"No! No, not at all just- I dunno-" Patrick looks down at his feet and shrugs.

"Come on! Dudes, we gotta go, the bus has been here for like, 20 minutes already and we've been waiting on you two!" A voice met with some loud knocking interrupts the conversation.

You sigh and get your bag. You then realized that you still didn't have the key to the room.

"Hey, Patrick? Do you have the key?"

He shakes his head.

"Fuck.."

"Open the damn door or I will! We gotta go!" Joe shouts.

'Oh, they have it..'

You swing open the door, "Give the goddamn key back, Joe," You demand.

Joe mutters something and hands you the key.

"Found it.."

Patrick laughs and exits out the door and you follow, taking the key and locking it before leaving.

All five of you check out and go onto the bus, Rickey clearly annoyed that everyone was late.

"It was their fault." Joe says, pointing to you and Patrick as he enters the bus.

"Oh shut it Joe. Sorry, Rickey. Had some trouble waking up." You apologise.

"Yeah right!" Pete shouts.

You roll your eyes and enter the bus, going to the small couch and placing your bag onto the floor carelessly.

You were exhausted. If everyone was lucky they'd get to the venue early enough to practice a little bit before soundcheck.

Patrick sits next to you, discarding his bag the same as you had just done before.

"God, I'm so tired.." He yawns.

"Take a nap then, Pat."

He puts an arm on the back of the couch and closes his eyes as he puts his cap over them.

"Hey, Y/n?"

"Yeah?" You look at him, his eyes droopy from still being tired.

"Last night didn't make anything weird between us, right?" Patrick says, tipping his cap up.

You let out a breathy laugh, "I asked this literally 10 minutes ago. Didn't you say it was fine? I mean- is it.. fine..?" You second guess yourself.

"I mean, I think it's fine.. more than.. fine?"

You give a sly smirk and nudge him with your arm, "What do you mean by "more than fine"?" You ask.

Though some false confidence showed, you tried your best to not let your voice falter.

The same practically was happening for Patrick. He was so easy to fluster and flush, it was impossible to even attempt hiding it due to the lit up "living room."

The same "I don't know's" repeated, and you still awaited an answer.

You lay your head down on his shoulder and feel his body tense up and quickly relax again.

His arm wraps around your shoulder and pulls you in closer, closer like he had done last night.

Last night.

--------------------------------------

I finished this to the best I could, and totally put it off for ages, so I apologise, man😭😭😭

[the-flaneur]

hello my very helpful assistant 😄 flan's busy cooking up something in her dru- sorry, very ethical laboratory. anyways, here's how you can help her today:

ENTER ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LABS

LAB ONE

☆ write a brief description of what you want the request to feature (can include smut, kinks, dialogue and more) as well as the driver

LAB TWO

☆ from below - pick a flask, choose a label, select up to four chemical compounds, choose up to three catalysts and call out who the other assistant is (driver: im down to do anyone or the grid or "recently" retired)

☆ NOTE: the final item is very important, so please never forget it, otherwise flan won't be able to start the reaction

SOME REQUESTS WILL BE 18+ and ALL REQUESTS will available under the tag (see below) #chemical attraction ♥︎

all of your concoctions/requests can be made to my asks or inbox (here), and i'll get to producing it as soon as possible.

EXAMPLE REQUESTS

hi flan! with lewis hamilton and a boiling flask labeled with a sticker i am looking to mix together, fluorine, calcium, arsenic with nail polish.

thank you <3

flask

conical: fluff

boiling: smut

round-bottom: hurt/comfort

label

sticker: fic

marker: drabble

washi tape: smau

ribbon: texts

hairtie: combination (please specify)

chemical compounds

hydrogen: "oh, shut up." "you shut up." "make me." "okay, but you might moan a little."

helium: "i'm not the jealous type, but what's mine is mine. end of story."

lithium: "don't kink shame me"

beryllium: "we shouldn’t do this" "you’re absolutely right. we should not do this"

boron: "you're so cute when you pout like this"

carbon: "move my arm is falling asleep"

nitrogen: "the problem is, if i kissed you, i don't think i'd be able to stop."

oxygen: "you've ruined that song now, thanks."

fluorine: "don't talk with your mouth full"

neon: "if you can’t take it, why did you talk back"

sodium: "fucking is a reward, but you haven’t been good.”

magnesium: "is it really that hard to love me?"

aluminium: "why aren't you dating him?" "because i'd destroy him" "he seems like he'd be into that"

silicon: "i know they're just stuffed animals, but it feels like they're watching us"

phosphorus: "you know, i could always get you off here right now"

sulfur: "you deserve so much better than me" "stop lying"

chlorine: "give me a little show"

argon: "why are you being like this?"

potassium: "watch you mouth before i decide to spank your ass"

calcium: "it's going to sound controversial, but i think that went well"

scandium: "oh my god are you actually reading the terms of service?"

titanium: "the next time you pull something like this, i'm telling your mother what we did in vegas that one time"

vanadium: "if you don't like being called a whore, then stop acting like one."

chromium: "everything you own, everything you wear i paid for. so i guess that means i own you."

manganese: "i might have slept with your shirt while you were gone"

iron: "i'm not moving, your lap is comfortable"

cobalt: "please..." "you need to learn to be better with your words, don't you think? tell me what you really want,"

nickel: “are you my cum dump?”

copper: "you're not allowed to touch my pussy"

zinc: "you could've just told me"

gallium: "are you trying to flirt with me?" "is it working?"

germanium: "if i buy it, will you stop pouting?"

arsenic: "you're just mad that that my cock fits perfectly in you now. must be a blow to the ego that we're a perfect match."

selenium: "how long have you been covering/covering up this?"

bromine: "you're like my arm rest'

krypton: "i know i'm warm, but we really have to get up now"

rubidium: "you’re starting another cult. you bitch."

strontium: "it’s broad daylight, if someone looks up they'll see you pressed against the window."

yttrium: "you're not alone i promise"

zirconium: "im sorry but i'm done waiting"

niobium: "i promised to give you something, but i didn't promise it would be an orgasm."

molybdenum: "i'm bad at texting, so i always hope that you're the first one"

technetium: "let me take care of it. let me take care of everything"

ruthenium: "is it a bad time to tell you i have [your phobia]"

rhodium: "im so horrible to you" "no you're not"

palladium: "why is there rope next to the bed"

silver: "i don’t want to be able to walk tomorrow.”

cadmium: "you dumbass, don't ever do that again"

indium: "would you like to explain..." "no, but maybe there is something I could do to make you forget about it?"

tin: "i know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.”

antimony: "after all this time and you still can't look me in the eye"

tellurium: "i can't remember the last time i did something so fun with someone"

iodine: "i was expecting a written apology, but this is so much better"

xenon: "i have a headache and it looks just like you.”

cesium: "stop throwing things at me"

barium: "do you really think you can get away from me?"

lanthanum: "do you trust me" "no" "smart"

cerium: "i like the way your hand fits mine"

praseodymium: "because i care about you"

neodymium: "i trusted you...with everything"

promethium: "if you stay, you'll get hurt too"

samarium: "would you have believed me if i did?"

europium: "don't make promises i know you can't keep"

gadolinium: "can you please just hold me?"

terbium: "can i bother you for a sec?" "you always bother me, but go ahead"

dysprosium: "you cancelled plans for me?"

holmium: "my clothes look better on you that they do on me"

erbium: "i dont like it" "you don't like anything" "well i like you and [you specify]"

thulium: "no tickling, or no kisses"

ytterbium: "did i mean anything to you?"

luteium: "does your daddy know you call me daddy too?"

actinium: "n-no, don't cry. i hate it when you cry"

thorium: "but you have me now"

protactinium: "please don't go"

uranium: "i’m literally naked on your bed and you’re talking about work?”

neptunium: "you're hurt, let me take care of you"

plutonium: "you're staring" "i like seeing you happy"

americium: "stay...please"

curium: "i...i just needed to know you were ok"

berkelium: "you'll back off if you know what's good for you"

californium: "didn't you say we were friends"

einsteinium: "this is why we can't have nice things"

fermium: "not out here please"

catalyst

flan: au [request a specific one]

red pill: sub!character

blue pill: sub!reader

glue: dom!reader

lip balm: dom!character

lemon juice: driver!reader

sand: idiots in love/denial

salt water: crack fic

bath water: size kink

soap: exes to...

bubbles: fix it fic/sickfic

nail polish: daddy kink

shampoo: overstimulation

lotion: possessive/jealous sex

slime: accidentally launching relationship

copper coin: cnc/dubcon

flowers: leaving the window open/door unlocked

silver jewellery: age gap

gold jewellery: miscommunication

rock: neighbours

paper: love triangle

plastic bag: enemies to...

tissue: rivals to...

ink: 100% platonic friendship

foam: found family

water babies: secret admirer

ceramic: forced proximity

yarn: roommates

water: childhood friends to...

fruit: married couple/established relationship

beads: fake relationship

heat: brother's best friend

ice: best friend's brother

bark: body swap

grass: reverse tropes [specify]

© the-flanuer || do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platform.

[deathbysports]

Actually, it's okay to admit your favorite player sucks.

(PT: Actually, it's okay to admit your favorite player sucks. End PT) Trigger Warning: References to sexual assault, violence, alcohol use and bigotry. And no. I'm not talking about point production (though it's okay to admit that they're not having a good year either) Last year I made a post talking about problematic players and what to do if it turns out a player we like sucks. Consider this to be a part two to that post because I feel like it's something to talk about again, especially with the amount of hockey players outing themselves as MAGA for the past months, as well as the upcoming Hockey Canada trial and, more recently, Artemi Panarin's sexual assault allegation. This time, I want to talk about the people who continue to defend them for some reason. And why you really need to cut it out with the "oh x player would NEVER do that!" bullshit.

Hockey is an enjoyable sport. It's fun, full of excitement and brings us joy. But I'm going to be honest, the culture around it fucking sucks. And with terrible culture, comes players who do bad shit. In particular, a lot of hockey players (and athletes in general, but the focus here is hockey players) are pretty fucking conservative, and hockey as a whole is a conservative sport. Let's take T.J Oshie as an example. A silly guy. A fun hockey player to watch. Both his personality and on-ice skills made me... rather fond of him. And then he made that pro-Trump post. Needless to say, I was... not thrilled. I was disappointed, disgusted, and unfortunately not surprised. Still, it hurt. Do I hate him? No, not really. I can't entirely bring myself to do that. But the whole thing definitely destroyed any desire I had of buying his jersey. Oshie's not the only one. Way too many players have outed themselves as MAGA as of late, with Ryker Evans being the most recent. Now I'm not going to deny that hockey is a conservative sport. It always has been a conservative white sport, full of rich, mostly white men. Still, it's pretty damn depressing when a player you've admired for so long is supporting a fascist. From Matthew Tkachuk to the Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky. And it's not just American politics either. Alex Ovechkin, a superstar that many people enjoy watching (myself included), and the man chasing Gretzky's goal ironically enough, is a well-known Putin supporter. And it goes beyond political views. Multiple players in the NHL have also been alleged or charged with *literal* crimes. And many of them are still playing in the NHL. Of course, it wouldn't be a 'problematic hockey players' post if we didn't bring up Patrick Kane. Ah Kaner... where do I begin with him? I'll admit, Patrick Kane's a player I do genuinely enjoy watching even as a Blues fan. Even though Chicago wasn't my favorite team. The moment I saw him play during the 2020 All-Stars I grew rather fond of him. That fondness didn't last, as a year later the Kyle Beach stuff came out. Rumors that he likely knew about it all and did nothing. Some believe he was partaking in the bullying that Beach endured. We may never know; I highly doubt we'll ever get full closure on it. But one thing is for sure: his response to the investigation findings was very, very fucking disappointing. Then I learned of his other controversies. Not just the 2015 sexual assault allegations. I'm talking about the cab driver incident. His drunken bender in Madison. His immaturity during his early years. The fucking blackface. I stopped engaging with content involving him after that for a while. I was disgusted. I was angry. I did eventually start looking at Kane content again, but even now there's a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I will give credit where credit is due: Kane's actually made an effort to improve his image. He's stopped drinking, spoke out during the 2020 BLM movement, and showed remorse for his poor response to the Beach situation. But that doesn't absolve him of everything. He's never addressed the blackface as far as I know. He still punched a cab driver and got arrested for that. And he still has that sexual assault allegation from 2015. While I know he was never charged for it, that shit's not something that goes away easily, even with attempts to improve as a person. He's most likely going to have to live with that for the rest of his career, maybe even his life. So yeah, as much as I love watching guys like Kaner and Oshie and Ovi... I'm sorry but I also have to admit it; they kinda fucking suck as humans lmfao. Which brings me to something I've noticed; a lot of peeps aren't so willing to admit that about their own favorites, as well as a bunch of people who can't seem to handle criticism of said favorites. Here's an ask I got a while back when I posted about Kaner's alcoholism and how fans shouldn't be glorifying it (And that post wasn't even an anti-kane post!)

And honestly, this one's probably more tame compared to the other things I've seen people say. This is the thing that frustrates me the most. And listen, I do get it. It's hard to believe that a guy you idolized is a piece of shit. Sometimes it's easier to force yourself to deny it. But here's the catch; it's not an excuse to lash out at others who have very valid criticism and harsh thoughts about these guys. It's not okay to bash others who have negative opinions about your favs. None of that is okay. And it is especially not fucking okay to defend or justify or downplay these guys' actions. It's easy to say "oh this player could never!" or "my player would never do this!". Which... WRONG. You don't know these people. You don't know if they 'would never'. Sadly, because hockey culture fucking sucks, they probably fucking would do that. They probably would say that slur. They probably would commit that crime. But then again, I don't know that either. Again, I'm a stranger on the internet talking. And regardless if they have or haven't been in a scandal, the harsh truth is, these guys aren't some innocent babies that can do no wrong and just don't know better. These aren't your friends or family. These are grown fucking adults that know exactly what they're fucking doing most of the time. These people don't know you. They don't need you whiteknighting them. It's time to stop treating these guys like innocent children because they aren't. And you're allowed to have your own limits (and those limits are different for everyone). You don't have to hate them or put up some disclaimer saying "HEY THIS GUY SUCKS". I can't convince you to do that. All I ask is that you quit fucking dickriding these guys and treating them like good people because you don't fucking know that! Like, it's okay to enjoy these guys' hockey while acknowledging that they did shitty things! That doesn't make you less of a fan! Criticism isn't the same thing as hatred, and that's something some of you need to realize. Criticizing your favorites is a GOOD THING. And likewise, people are allowed to have opinions. People are allowed to be uncomfortable with the players and teams you like. If you can't handle that, consider using the block button instead of going to their ask box and screaming about how you think their opinion is "wrong" or some shit.

The world's not going to end because someone doesn't like your problematic fav. I promise.

[xclowniex]

https://www.tumblr.com/technofeudalism/778921831652589568/how-do-you-respond-to-the-fact-that-there-are-two?source=share

Is this true?

The road graph in the addition is false as most of it is mislabeled.

The yellow roads are accessible to Palestinians who are Israeli citizens or hold a valid visa. Legally speaking, Palestine and Israel are separate countries. It would be like saying I, a kiwi aka someone from New Zealand, cannot drive down roads in the US right this second. Because no shit I can't I don't have A) a valid US visa and B) an international drivers license which would allow me to drive in the US.

Where it does apply and the graph is correct is the west bank only, not the entirety of israel and palestine. Because Israeli settlers are Israeli citizens, they can freely drive into Israel. The Israeli settlers are bad. My knowledge ends here on whether or not the road marked were accurate for 2012 which is when the graph is from and my knowledge also ends here for if it is accurate today.

To go through the other claims made. I won't go through all as some are repeating or very similar.

The nakba law, which is formally called Fundamentals of Finance – Amendment No. 40. This law states that organizations can have their government funding partially revoked if they commemorate the Nakba. Citizens can still commemorate the nakba and can discuss it, unlike what tamamita said. The revoking of funds is related to the amount of money spent on the event, capped at three times the amount of money spent. Eg if an organisation recieved 6k of government funding and spends $100 on commemorating the nakba, maximum $300 can be withheld. Do I agree with the law in its entirety? No. But it's not as bad as being claimed. If someone was actively wanting the state of Israel to no longer exists, I can understand having funding withheld. However if an event is simply commemorating lives lost, then I don't think funding should be withheld.

The second claim is true. Arabs were living under military mandate until 1966. Was it good? No. Should it be talked about? Yes. Should it be painted as if that erases the fact that they are citizens? No. It is good that things have changed. That doesn't erase the past and the past doesn't erase the present.

Yes a Jewish person has the right to claim Israeli citizenship. This used to be pretty common place in a lot of countries, where diaspora populations could claim citizenship in their people's homeland if they were not born there. Palestine is the country Palestinians should be able to gain birth right citizenship to. I do not know if that is the current law in the west bank or Gaza. But claiming palestinians should get Israeli citizenship is like me claiming i should be entitled to Australian citizenship through birthright even though I'm not Australian in any capacity. Kind of a shitty example as I get almost all the same rights as an Australian if I were to live in Australia due to an agreement between the governments of Australia and New Zealand, but I still would not be an Australian citizen. I do think that the agreement Australia and NZ has would be beneficial between Israel and palestine once peace has been established.

The next point, which is on the same note, is that yes, a convert can claim birthright citizenship. That is because of jewish law saying that once you convert you are fully Jewish, both religiously and ethnically, and that your soul was always Jewish but just born into a non Jewish family. Attacking Jewish law on who is Jewish enough, is antisemitic. And again the reason why a convert can get birth right citizenship but not diaspora palestinians, is like I said earlier, Israel and palestine are two separate countries.

Yes a wage gap exists and it is bad. The Israeli government should do more to close that gap. That is one claim i will say is being made accurately.

45.3 percent of families and 57.8 percent of children living below the poverty line (Endeweld et al., 2019). So it's not over half of families as claimed, but it is still really bad and again needs to change.

Palestinians cannot build infrastructure without permits which also applies to Israelis. You need building permits. This is standard practice in most countries. I could not build a house without a permit here in New Zealand. Yes, permits may be harder to get if you are Palestinian, but there is no ban on Palestinian building infrastructure.

The Call to Prayer ban by Ben Gvir. Yes it is Islamophobic. Yes it is bad. But the bill has not passed to my knowledge. Ben Gvir states that the reason for the bill is because they're too loud and residents complain it wakes them up too early. Whilst I do not doubt there are complaints, there is also the element of Islamophobia. That being said, part of the motivation is due to the history of the mosque. It is built on the ruins of a jewish temple. Jews, we cannot pray at the ruins of our temple. This is a sore spot for many jews. Our place of worship was torn down and replaced with a mosque. Do I think that justifies tearing down the mosque to put up a synagogue? No. Two wrong do not make a right. However you cannot ignore how that history affects jews.

Essentially most claims are misrepresented to some degree. Which isn't surprising since tamamita is a known antisemite who has spread the whole "Israel harvests organs" libel

[cosmerelists]

If Cosmere Characters Had Real-World Jobs (But Not The Obvious Ones)

In this list, I wanted to try to give Cosmere characters jobs in our world while avoiding the jobs that would be the most obvious picks--like, for example, the real world equivalent of whatever their canon job is.

1. Kaladin: Professional Football Player

It's a dangerous job that Kaladin's dad would scoff at, but the other kids in town think it's really cool and also the recruiters are coming through town and, I mean, he's really good at football.

2. Lirin: Public Defender

If we avoid the obvious job (doctor), then Lirin still needs a job where he is doing good, but it's pretty thankless and the general public are suspicious and think he might actually be evil somehow. So I figure: public defender. He's highly educated, helping people who need it, and just getting nothing but grief as a result. Worst of all, his smart son wants to be a FOOTBALL player!

3. Marsh: Masseuse

I feel like people who are good at hemalurgy know about the body and its pressure points and things like that. And frankly, "acupuncturist" felt too on the nose.

4. Shallan: Park Ranger

Shallan HATES to be confined, so no way she's going into an office job. Plus, she likes nature and animals, but I'm trying to avoid the more obvious jobs (like botanist or ecologist). It's just too bad that Shallan is SO bad at staring a campfire, though.

5. Navani: Wedding Planner

Navani is VERY good at managing people and events, as seen when she had to manage everything while Gavilar was off plotting. She's also very organized and literally invented wristwatches. So I think she's be very good at this job.

6. Elend: Grad Student

This one may be too obvious, but I figure something like "politician" or "philosopher" are more obvious. But to me, Elend has major grad student energy.

7. Nale: Insurance Adjuster

Nale is a cop, of course, through and through. But if he wasn't a cop, then he'd need some other job where he uses the rules to screw people over. So I see him as, like, an evil insurance guy who's denying people medical coverage because the company wants him to.

8. Blackthorn-Era Dalinar: Debt Collector

If flashback Dalinar couldn't make a living mowing people down in battle and had to find a less obvious job, then I could see him being the guy to hunt down people and demand money they don't have. He doesn't really care about the money. He just likes the hunt.

9. Adolin: eSports Player

It's a job where you can head-to-head battle people and your dad is vaguely puzzled and thinks you should be doing something more important with your life.

10. Lightsong: Customer Service Agent

In canon, Lightsong's job is to face down a huge line of people and tell them "no" in response to them asking for something they want. So, I mean, I feel like that's equivalent to one of those shitty customer service jobs where you're not really allowed to help people (until, of course, Lightsong goes rogue and does start helping people, but that's another story...)

11. Stormfather: Bus Driver

He has his route, and he's not deviating from it. And if you miss the bus, he's not stopping. He's not going back. You can try to run, but you will not catch up to him.

12. Tress: Mechanic

As a Sprouter, Tress had to figure out how each of the spores worked and how to use them. I just feel like she'd be good at diagnosing issues in machinery and then fixing them.

13. Steris: Programmer

She's precise, she's smart, she likes rules. I think coding would suit her.

14. Yumi: Waitress

She could stack the plates SO high.

15. Marasi: Investigative Reporter

Which, honestly, is what I wish she had been rather than being a cop like in canon. I think it would suit her! She'd get to research, investigate, find the truth...

16. Kelsier: Motivational Speaker

He tells you about the power of smiling no matter what, so that you are never defeated. He tells you to carry something small, some memento or photo, to help you find your motivation. You tells you that no goal is out of reach--you just have to find the right people and the right steps to move forward. And he tells you that the most important thing is to survive.

[drivestraight]

Question because I’m a Lando fan and you’re rather level headed and just I wanna see am I being crazy or something.

Does it ever get tired or annoying constantly using Lando’s mentality and everyone talking about it constantly like? I get it, but at the same time they use it as a weapon against him when he’s just being his honest self? It bugs me and just idk if it’s cause he’s my favorite driver or what like, even people that quadrant and Lando have considered friends and worked with use it as clickbait and fuel the hate so I’m just curious on your perspective and thoughts on it.

firstly i do think that the sudden emphasis on mentality/mental strength ever since lando became a title contender is very obviously like. a reaction to the fact that it's LANDO who's a title contender. this might be a really obvious statement but this is important.

long lead up. get ready.

obviously we havent seen a real f1 title fight since 2021, and 2021 was very very different in character from what last year was and what this year will probably shape up to be. back then my understanding is it was mostly about pressure and aggression - everyone knew that max HAD an aggressive, champion mentality, but the question was whether he was burning too hot/would crash under it, and of course lewis was lewis. so not applicable to right now, but good context.

2022-2023, and up to around miami last year, there wasn't really much talk about mentality. there was some comments about charles, but none to the same extent, and obviously the title battle didn't last as long or as intensely as it did with lando. and then 2023 was a runaway season for max, and checo was falling apart for different/incomparable reasons i feel like

so we arrive at 2024, lando, young british star everyone's been hyping up for years. there's a title fight on our hands and everyone is on the edge of their seats - they WANT a fight. someone who can actually challenge max, and lando's the horse to bet on for that.

i think there's this fascination with how mentality can affect the physical of the sport, and for good reason. it's present in all sports of course, how the mental can influence how well an athlete performs, but i think it comes out Very clear in a sport like f1. it's a very physical sport but also a very mental one, your brain's firing at all cylinders to pull out peak performance. and of course, the narrative, and the mind games.

in recent years there's been a lot more attention to mental health in general, but especially in sport. think about simone biles in tokyo, for example. and lando, of course, has never shied away about talking about how he feels and the pressures he faces. one of his whole things, and why people like him so much, is because he's so open.

so, that's the stage for this year, and for lando, as a title contender.

there's a lot of reasons why i think that there's such an emphasis on lando's mentality lately. i'll only focus on 2 here.

the first and easiest is the fact that the contender is max: someone who before mid 2024 hasn't faced much pressure at all since 2021. but someone who generally doesn't react much, at least to the media, and fights back a lot. very tough on the outside. burns hot and has more of a reputation for not really getting emotional and when he does, it's anger. mad max on track and off track. and so forth.

the contrast here is lando. it's easy to talk about lando's mentality in contrast, because they're just so different as people and as athletes, when it comes to mentality. and one thing people love is a contrast.

the other thing is that, well, lando kind of makes himself a target with these sorts of comments BECAUSE he's so open, and i'm not saying it's a bad thing, or that he should change, or that he has to change. it's just what it is - he shows people where it hurts and how it's hurting, and the media circus IS going to capitalize. they're gong to smell the blood in the water and comment on it, and people online are going to comment on it, and it's going to get to lando's head, and it's feedback loop

i'm not saying it's RIGHT to use it as a weapon against him. but when the weapon is right in front of you, and for journalists and pundits, it's your job to guide the narrative along, what are they going to do, if not grab it and run with it? are they just going to ignore it? maybe that would be the kind thing to do, but the last thing that f1 is is kind.

people want to talk about something. without all this talk about mentality, sure, maybe, you could find other narratives and find other things to talk about, but this one is readily available, and it makes for something interesting. something rather cruel, probably, and it really is a shame, looking from the outside, how lando's honesty will be used against him, even by friends or by quadrant etc. as you say (definitely not maxf though...), but it's a mental sport, and it's a sport, and the circus loves a narrative.

this is my longwinded way of saying - i think it's just the name of the game, for better or for worse.

[yesterdayiwrote]

i feel like Lewis isn't getting enough...i dont want to say hate but maybe criticism? for his role in the F1 movie, we talk a lot about how damaging it's going to be to female fans/women in motorsport and also talk a lot about how bad Brad Pitt is, WHICH WE SHOULD, but Lewis has a producer role right? (pls correct me if im wrong lol) He of all people should know about facing bigotry in F1 and he still goes ahead with this? I dont have any particular ill will towards lewis but i dont like that he's hiding (either intentionally or no) behind the other big names in this film, he deserves a heap of the criticism too! Especially as the one person id expect to be the MOST sympathetic towards marginalized groups in motorsport, im honestly just disappointed at him but also he is an incredibly rich man so maybe i should have expected that,

either way id love to hear your thoughts about lewis's part in the movie, i feel like you are a blog that is very good about taking a step back and not being parasocial lol

Haha, I mean I'm not always good at not being parasocial, but I try to be nuanced at least.

I do agree with you though and I think there's probably three main reasons why that is.

1) people don't know or remember that Lewis is an exec producer of this film. Its actually been kept relatively on the d/l when they talk about it. The focus tends to be on Brad Pitt or Jerry Bruckheimer when they're talking about it on F1 linked shows for some reason and so it's easy to miss that he's centrally involved unless you've looked it up or caught the right conversation about it.

2) people don't really understand what Lewis's role in the film is. A lot of exec producer credits are largely for vanity and just about contributing money, and their involvement is in the background. Brad Pitt exec produced the netflix series Adolescence about toxic masculinity for example (I know... rich right?!). Except Lewis has spoken about how he effectively acted as their consultant on the film. He helped develop the idea for an early stage. As per Lewis, he's very involved in the key aspects of this film as much as Brad Pitt is...

3) it's Lewis and so people who know and like him choose to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his previous activism. Lewis is seen as an ambassador and so they don't like to think he would be responsible for the "bad" stuff and so they assign the blame to people they don't like - a tale as old as time.

Whether it's warranted to criticise Lewis is a different story, and one we won't really know until people have seen the film in full. Not to mention a consultant can offer their input, but they can be overruled for the sake of creative licence. That being said, Is it a coincidence that both of the lead characters seem to be Mary Sue's of Lewis at opposite ends of his career...? We'll never know if he tried to advise against the driver/engineer plot (and the driver/journalist plot) or if he was a proponent of it. Noone will take ownership of the parts that people criticise, I'm sure.

I do think his name should be tied to this as much as Brad Pitt's though, at least when there's discourse around what it represents and the potential damage it could cause. If it's a success then he'll be reaping the plaudits, both financially and otherwise, and so he should be held to account for the criticism as well. He's advocating for the film, his name is in the credits, he's not an innocent bystander in this...

[eocon-fr]

In the head of Esteban Ocon, F1 driver : « At 130 km/h, I have the impression to be able of walking next to the car »

ᯓ Translation of the article “Dans la tête d’Esteban Ocon, pilote de F 1 : « A 130 km/h, j’ai l’impression de pouvoir marcher à côté de la voiture »„ by Éric Michel and Christophe Lacaze-Eslous for Le Parisien. The article is protected by a paywall.

Preparation of the car

"I am completely involved in its development. For me, improving the car is an obsession. Sometimes, I wake up at night with an idea, I write it down and send it straight to the engineers, in case it could help. I tell myself that they must have already thought of it, but in 20 to 30% of the ideas, this was not the case. So, it helps"

The week before the race

"I disconnect less and less. You have to stay 100% involved in the thing. I go to England one or two days a week (to Enstone in the Alpine factory) to see the engineers. Sometimes we leave directly from there to go to the Grands Prix. Otherwise, I work on my personal training. I do recovery, mass gain, cardio, and also visual detection. Even outside the race, these are long days that last from 9:30 a.m. to 6-7 p.m. But I'm happy about it, when I left the circuit, in 2018 and 2019 (he was a test driver for Mercedes), I worked in the cave and I no longer had access to F1. I missed it."

On the starting grid

“Before the lights turn green, I don’t necessarily feel a thrill. It’s more in my mind, a question of adrenaline. It’s always there, even after all this time, every time. After all the preparation before the race and the concentration it requires afterwards, the start is a bit of a lull. I look to the right: Ah, Max Verstappen! I look to the left behind my mirror: Hou là, Fernando Alonso! In front: Waouh, Lewis Hamilton! There are some great guys around me.”

His driver friends

“I realize how lucky I am to be one of the 20 F1 drivers in the world. That’s why I always have a smile on my face. We all respect each other. We’ve all known each other since we were very young. I drove with Pierre (Gasly), Charles (Leclerc), Max (Verstappen), Lando (Norris) when I was young… We have a lot in common, pretty much the same lives. I always said to my childhood friends: If one day you see me change and become like certain athletes — I won’t name any names — I’d like to take one, so that it wakes me up and puts my brain back in place.”

The madness of the start

“Getting a good start means getting out well. It’s the crucial moment, that’s when the most things happen. Sometimes I have a bad feeling. I feel like a guy is going to hit me from behind. You can’t be sure that everything is going to go well, never. It’s so grouped, someone can block the wheels. On the other hand, once it has happened and it has gone well, after that it’s smooth sailing.”

Peaks at over 300 km/h

“People talk a lot about the very high speed (300 km/h) and the tunnel vision effect, in other words the loss of peripheral vision. This is not true at all. In Mexico, for example, we reach speeds of 370 km/h. Despite this astonishing speed, we can still see people on the left, on the right, in the stands. Even when I started, I don’t remember this effect. When I was 6 or 7 years old, while driving on the track, at 90 km/h in a kart, I saw a very beautiful flower on each lap. One day, I stopped. Hop! I picked it and then brought it back to my mother!”

Maximum concentration

“During the race, you don’t have time to think about anything else: neither your worries nor your joys outside of F1, your loved ones, your family. Nothing! You have to be 100% focused. If you start to scatter your mind, it’s because you’re starting to see things blurry. That means you no longer have control over your heart rate and as a result, you lose energy. At that point, there’s a big problem and you start to lose concentration, and losing concentration means danger.”

Always measure the danger

"I'm not saying that fear isn't present. Above all, we must never forget that F1 is a risky sport. But if you're too afraid in F1, it's better to stop, it means that you don't know your subject inside out. You're no longer able to control it. I've already had situations where I was at fault and it hurts.

However, distrust always helps me think before taking action. I ask myself: Is it worth trying this or that maneuver? What's to be gained compared to the danger it represents? When a car is in front of me and I can overtake it, I wonder if it's worth it. I constantly ask myself: Isn't there a wall next to it?"

On the road, like the average Joe

"The road you drive on every day and an F1 circuit have nothing in common. On a circuit, we have marshals, guys at every bend who watch out for, for example, an animal crossing. If one of us has left oil on the lap before, there is an immediate yellow flag. On the road, there is no one to warn us of danger.

Even if it goes slower, you have to be very careful. I am of course. I respect the traffic laws by having the chance to drive cars that are very nice with great performance. I just have to get used to it again. At 130 km/h on the freeway, I feel like I can open the door, get out, and walk alongside."

World champion one day

"That's of course my goal. It's not that it's in my head, it's an obsession. Ever since I was little, I've wanted to go to F1. Now that I'm here, I want to win. I've always been a very bad loser. There's no way I'm leaving F1 with regrets. I'm putting all the chances on my side and all the cards are in my hands."

A life as a driver

“Between races, I have time to watch movies and listen to music while traveling. I’m a big Marvel fan. But I don’t really have a normal life, I know that. I dedicate all my time to what I do, about three hundred days a year. It’s hard for people, my girlfriend, my family, we don’t see each other often. I still have a home, but I don’t spend much time there.

I miss things, friends’ birthdays, dinners with my grandparents, but it’s a lifestyle choice. I worked hard to get here. I can’t complain about having a different life. It’s great that I can live my passion, travel and see different countries, meet passionate people.”

[ciahasnolife]

I knoooow, I should post the second part of the loscar fic but... I might've or might not have been working on a lestappen omegaverse fic?

So here's a wip of it

So the problem with being an omega while everyone thinks you're an alpha is that they treat you like an alpha. It's not like Max wanted any special treatment, exactly the opposite of that. That's why he hid his secondary gender from the public who just then assumed he's an alpha. With his board shoulders, his careless reputation towards the media and with his bluntness it was logical. Since the FIA and pretty much everyone in the paddock already knew, he doesn't have to tell the world which he is grateful for.

He would hate being pictured as a fragile, weak person who needs someone to take care of him. He is a lot of things but weak is not one of them. But sometimes - just sometimes - when people boo at him for example on the podium at the Miami GP, he just wants to hide in his nest, curled around his boyfriend, who would then draw circles on his back with his other hand soothingly in his hair.

There are two problems with that. One is that he for obvious reasons can't do that and the other is that he doesn't have a boyfriend. He doesn't want to share with anyone that he's an omega because of the fear of them telling the whole world if something goes wrong between them, his father made sure he developed this fear very soon after he presented as an omega. His father was so angry and ashamed of him because of something he couldn't even change. So now, he doesn't really trust anyone except for the ones who already know, not that he would have the time for dating, he's too busy breaking records.

Besides, he wouldn't want anyone else but a certain man with the most charming style you've ever seen and his hot accent, a dream come true. Of course, with a personality and looks like that, the alpha has omegas after himself 24/7. Max couldn't even stand a chance.

The point is, that when people whistle or boo at him, he just wants to hide away. Under the covers or preferably behind the alpha but of course in those moments he can't do either.

So when he's about to do his interview, which he doesn't want either and if neither the fans are interested, they could all just leave it, but no, the fans have to boo at him and whistle and make him feel bad because neither of the Ferrari drivers could catch him, he couldn't be more grateful for Charles to shush them. And if he's being completely honest, it makes him fall for the monégasque even more.

He shoots a quick smile at the other and does his interview then goes on with his day like he always does on quali days. Team debrief, stay in with GP to find the perfect strategy for tomorrow's race, go back to the hotel, get the scent blockers off and go shower. What he doesn't expect is a message waiting for him as he gets out of the shower from someone who makes his heart flutter.

Hey, just wanted to check on you, if you're okay?

Charles:

I know that the Italian fans can be a bit harsh on everyone who isn't at Ferrari.

I'm sorry they're so mean to you :(

And Max can't believe his eyes. Because one, did Charles really waste even a minute on texting him instead of basking in the love of the Tifosi and two, was that a sad face?

He just shakes his head and replies.

Yeah, everything's alright.

Max:

Thanks for shushing them, means a lot

The last bit gets deleted before he sends it. Not like it doesn't mean a lot, he's just afraid that he's giving away too much and the younger will learn about his embarrassingly huge crush on him.

He doesn't think too much of it though just makes his way over to his suitcase to get a fresh pair of boxers out of it.

But as he goes back to the bed and picks his phone back up with his WhatsApp with the monégasque still open, he sees the three dots pop up and then disappear only to reappear seconds later.

It makes the omega curious because even if they’ve been on good terms, friends even with the other for a while now they don't really talk outside the track on race weekend so the first message was already unexpected just as it was also sweet of the alpha to check on him, Max can't even take a guess on what the other would want from him.

As he was thinking the text finally came in so he checks it with a bit too much enthusiasm. And Max once again can't believe his eyes.

Which hotel you're staying at?

Charles:

Just as he goes to reply, another bubble comes up.

Fuck, no, that sounded weird.

Charles:

I meant if I could come over to keep you company and I could also get away from the fans waiting for my every move under my window.

It is of course okay if you want to be alone I totally understand that too

Just thought we could hang out a for a bit play

With each mesaage his eyes open wider. Surely Charles finally lost his mind. I was only a matter of time anyway with the shitbox he has under him. He, however, doesn't want to be rude so he sends out a message that - hopefully - doesn't give away too much of how excited he is.

Sure, I have my FIFA on me if you're in the mood of losing

Max:

He can only hope that the other gets the joke because Max has been told that he's a dry texter several times. But today, luck decided to be on his side.

Ooh, it's on

Charles:

Send the address, Verstappen

If you dare;)

And with a grin that could blind the Tifosi camping outside the alpha's hotel, Max sends the address.

[fraux140]

Some König Headcanons and Hottakes

So I want to preface this by saying no hate to anyone. These are just some opinions that I think some people might disagree with which is totally fine. This is also a little bit of me pointing out some of his flaws. I love him though.

He is not a shy little uwu boy who would have a panic attack if a cutie looked at him a certain way. If he was so prone to panic attacks and his anxiety was that crippling then he wouldn't have been in the special forces and he wouldn't be in a PMC - which are highly selective.

Personally I don't fully believe that he was a colonel. The only hint we have gotten of that is a one of the 'Bad Brothers' loading screens which just says 'Colonel König' with no more context. Colonels aren't really active on the battle field and it is very unlikely you would see one in action. Officers ranked that highly are seen as too valuable to be 'wasted' in infantry combat.

Continuing from my last point, even a lot of majors and Lt Colonels aren't battle prone. Considering he would have had to have passed through those ranks to become a colonel means that he would have spent a lot of time behind a desk and commanding teams such as platoons and battalions. We don't know enough about him to say that he isn't a good leader, after all he is simply an operator with a few paragraphs of text as a background. However, his voice lines and little text we do get about him tells us he is not one to enjoy standing by and having others fight on his command. He would MUCH rather be in the brawl.

And I know that Alejandro is a colonel and very active duty, however we can assume that this is largely due to his ambition and personal attachment to his home, which he wants to protect from the cartel. I'm not saying a colonel doesn't fight, but it is exceedingly rare.

My last anti-colonel theory point - why would a colonel wear such DIY gear? I just want to say if you hc him as a colonel that is absolutely FINE, those are just reasons as to why I don't :/

Moving on, I believe him to be a sore loser. For example, he was deemed unfit to be a sniper, and so he wears a sniper hood and has that voiceline "And they said I couldn't be a sniper". Dress for the job you want, not the job you have ig?

I believe he wants to prove people wrong. Getting rejected as a sniper wounded his ego so A LOT. I hc him to be between 32-37 and if he joined jagkdo/KSK (old bio said he was German and in the KSK, newer ones said Austrian and JagKdo, now there's no mention of sf so idk??) while he was younger, say around 23-26, he's had a lot of time for that wound to heal and yet it hasn't. This man holds hella grudges.

Because of this, I think that a fear of failure might also contribute to his anxiety. If he was asked about being scared to fail he'd smirk and say there was no way. But deep down in his core it eats away at him.

This might also bleed into his social life. He's fearful of relationships and remains single for a long time. He'd rather not ask you out instead of having you reject him for trying. He'd have to REALLY like somebody and also have some reassurance or signs that they liked him out.

Cannot accept accountability for simple mistakes. He knocked your coffee mug over? You shouldn't have left it there. Hit you a little too hard in training? You should be stronger. You should have dodged it. Not his fault you're not as good as him.

Is a show off. If he is obviously better at something then you'll never hear the end of it. Better driver? Better fighter. Yeah, he's bragging about it. Again, his fear of not being good enough rears its ugly head. He deflects it on to those who are weaker - they could never be him.

Damn this was a list of negatives, but I love him in spite of all of his flaws. What kind of list should I make next? I should probably do one with some positive traits lmao.

Anyway, I don't mind at all if anyone disagrees with these this is just how I see him. Maybe one day I'll write a fic where he acknowledges his demons and starts to heal.

[blairdii]

it’s the funniest thing to me that everyone supports an underdog driver till they actually perform exceptionally well.

take lando for example. he was the fan favourite when he had the midfield car, and was still consistently getting podiums or finishing in points. the second he got his first win, so many people switched and forced an egoistic attitude personality on him without even knowing if he’s got such an attitude or not. and then, everyone ran with it. so it became that when he celebrated his wins, he was egoistic, and when he didn’t celebrate his wins, he was ungrateful.

franco is one of lando fans’ fav, because franco reminds us of lando a lot. while he is loved right now, other fans would switch up on him soon and then force an image on him because it fits their narrative.

people hate on lando because of an image they added themselves, but not because his driving, because his driving is actually good. it’s beautiful.

and till the time, people were happy with their fav winning and their fav loving this little underdog dude. now that this underdog dude is defeating their fav and their fav still loves this little underdog dude, people can’t handle it, as if it’s a crime committed against them.

idk where i went with it, im sleep deprived.

sincerely,

your wyr anon

i have so much to say about this issue.

branching off of this post, which captures the entire saga perfectly, i think max fans see lando an inferior, lesser than. granted, lando doesn't have as many wins, doesn't have a wdc yet, but i'm talking 'he must always stay beneath max because that's where he belongs'. it very much boggled me when people started liking lando all over again when the contention (that wasn't even contention since mclaren weren't aiming for it in the first place; lando just so happened to be that good that he was crawling his way up and suddenly the were fighting not only for the wcc, but half-heartedly for the wdc too) was over in las vegas.

this is why i do not take any max fan seriously. i watched them batter this man to pieces in every post they made, wish death upon a man that didn't even do shit, just for them to do a whole 360 and claim they 'like him again'.

saying that he bottled the championship, which is genuinely the most deranged, degenerate thing i've heard because to bottle something, you actually have to be in the advantageous position (read: p fucking 1). which he never was. so this definitely told me that a) people were very much not smart enough to know the meaning off the word 'bottle', and b) they were all just leeching of what each other had said and posting it because they have no competent bone in their body to be independent.

ruined him so bad just for it all to be over something so stupid, for all of his antis to hop off the hate train only because he's not challenging max; it's like they forget the fundamental of this sport, which is competition. max is not always going to dominate, seeing as how many strong prospects are now coming to the grid (and are also having their time to shine after being in the dark for so long). and they need to find some other way to manage that frustration because it's irritating to watch them take lando's words out of context just villainise him.

now, could you argue that all of is this due to the fact that lando had been in a midfield car for so long, that now he has a competing car for basically the first season, people are outraged that someone with no winning experience placed so high? maybe. very much all ifs and buts, but i'm leaning more towards the idea that they just can't believe someone who doesn't act like your sterotypical 'wdc' can contend, or even win it.

proof is in the pudding (twitter, tumblr, instagram). they will yield lando's mental health, the fact that he's so self-critical, the fact that he practised sportsmanship and gave oscar the sprint win, to call him unready, soft, 'mentally weak' to quote some. but then they'll switch up when lando's finally confident about his performance calling him stuck up and egotistic.

max fans are the biggest cowards when it comes to accepting that their fave is, in fact, not untouchable, not the weird god they make him out to be. so they find the need to result to lying about lando to deal with it, and since everyone just acquiescents to it all, other drivers' fans that aren't even affected but just need to hate someone, end up joining the bandwagon as well.

and i fear the same will happen to franco. i've always had it nipping at the back of my mind, because everyone loves him right now. yes, he's in a shit car, and there's nothing he can do about that, but the second he'll starting showing up and properly competing, the fabrications people will hold against this man are inevitable. so many fans do not realise that because you're in a shit car, does not mean you're a shit driver, and that that your results are very limited depending on how inert the car is. hence, they're clouded by that image they've already got about the driver. when franco gets into a team with a better car, they'll still see him as the underdog and think he's unworthy how high he'll place (like we all know he will).

[thearchercore]

Re: Max not thinking highly of his past teammates, but does rate Charles - This just shows us the difference between a generational talent and someone who is just a 'great driver'.

Firstly, all of Max's past teammates are still currently on the grid, and that says a lot, knowing how cutthroat the sport is. So I don't think Max thinks his past teammates were 'bad'.

But Max, especially being as good as he is, knows what it takes and the skill that is needed to be the best, and has all the data. He can see where he excels over other drivers, or where other drivers are not reaching the same potential he has.

And the ceiling for potential is very different for various drivers. For example Daniel - while Max of course at one point looked up to him and I'm sure Max still respects Daniel and is grateful for what he learned during their time together, he knows that he has far and beyond surpassed Daniel's skill level now, and therefore Daniel isn't one of the best ever.

So the fact that Max does rate Charles and lauds him often as one of the best does mean a lot. He sees Charles' data and onboards and like you said, it's good enough to be a learning tool for him. Even if minor, Max can still learn things from him or at the least, take some inspiration from him.

And we know Max is always chasing more and more. Charles is someone that Max knows is a challenge for him, while he may not see his past teammates as a challenge anymore. And that is why Max constantly rates Charles highly.

yeah, you got it -- even with a slower car, charles is always a challenge to max. he knows max's driving more than anyone else on that grid because of their shared history so he always aims to play mind games to overtake him.

so no matter what, max will always look at charles first to learn (also perhaps because their driving styles are so similar)