#Haven't seen Carlos does this with anyone else

[roxxanne696]

Rock Paper Scissors - but Carlos finding a way to touch Charles

[phoebeegreen3]

Capri Persson (F1) — First Day

🏎 SUMMARY: What if the best driver of recent years isn't actually him? What if the best driver is actually hiding something else? Would he still be the best? Or just a simple fraud? 📓 GENRE: secret identity / rivals to lovers / he felt first, she felt harder / soulmates / slow burn 📬 PARTS: book one (two parts) / CP9, book two (one part) 🏆 CAPRIPERSSON.MASTERLIST

this section is an official excerpt from the book "F1, Stories and Anecdotes" by the renowned Jeremy Clarke, who has kindly offered his perspective and narrative

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain. February, 2020

There were quite a lot of people, as usual during pre-season testing. The garages were once again full, and people were back in action. There was always a warm atmosphere at the track around that time of year. It felt like going back to school when everyone was in primary.

Charles was the first to approach Pierre when he saw him alone in a corner of the garage while everyone else was busy with their tasks and teammates.

"Beautiful day to race, isn't it?" he smiled at the Frenchman, placing a hand on his shoulder. Gasly stood up immediately.

"It's good to see you again, brother."

"Same here. How was the break?" Leclerc asked, and soon they struck up a lively conversation, which Carlos, Daniel, Lando, George, and Alex joined. They all chatted about their winter break until Carlos asked the question that had been on everyone's mind since Alpha Tauri's big announcement. The one nobody had dared to ask Pierre via text.

"So? How did it go with Persson?" Sainz Jr. threw out the question, and Gasly scoffed, rolling his eyes, making everyone laugh. Pierre had likely had such a rough week getting used to Alpha Tauri's new car that he could easily rank it as the worst of his career.

"Have you met him? Have you seen his face?" Daniel insisted, crossing his arms.

"I swear I have a suspicion he's a ghost," Pierre confessed. "We haven't spoken since I met him. Not a word, nothing. It's really weird."

"I saw he communicates using sign language. Is he deaf?" Lando frowned.

"No. How do you think he communicates over the radio, then?" Carlos shot back, and the younger driver just shrugged.

"When we did the tests, he didn't say a single word. I didn't see his face, his hands, his ankles, or his neck. Nothing."

"Well, take it for granted. He's a ghost," Russell commented.

"When he came into the garage, he was already suited up with his helmet on. We fist-bumped as a greeting, and that was it. Honestly, I'm a little terrified about how this might affect things on track," Pierre admitted to his teammates. If anyone would understand, it was them—though even they were puzzled. Capri Persson's arrival in F1 was intriguing, but even more so were his methods of avoiding any kind of interaction with the world around him. "According to Franz, he does it to avoid the circus. The guy shows up, analyzes, races, wins, and leaves. That's it."

"You have a long season ahead," Alex lamented, voicing what the rest of the group didn't want to admit. It would not only be a long season but one of the loneliest and most uncomfortable for the driver.

"I'm willing to keep the secret as long as it doesn't turn into a terrible year."

"You'll see, it'll all work out, and you'll end up talking somehow. It'll be fun, I promise," Charles tried to cheer him up, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Easy for you to say, your teammate is Vettel," Gasly laughed before a photographer called them to the track. It was time for the season photo, and the 19 drivers started gathering—except for one.

All the teams stood with their teammates, looking comfortable with each other, even the rookies just starting out or the veterans with years of experience. Everyone chatted as Gasly walked across the track, helmet in hand, suit on, glancing around. The photographer counted them again with a frown, and the issue resolved itself when Capri Persson finally emerged from the Alpha Tauri garage, helmet on, with a tall woman with short, wavy dark hair following closely behind, seemingly giving him instructions. Definitely not deaf.

"Alright, gentlemen. Your positions are marked on the ground. They're labeled—find yours and stand with your teammate," they were instructed, with numerous cameras aimed at them. Netflix was capturing every move for the third season of Drive to Survive, and Pierre could only hope his discomfort didn't show.

Capri approached the group as cautiously as a spy, but being the only one missing, everyone noticed him instantly, unable to look away. Daniel nudged Pierre, who stood in front of him, as Persson joined them. His teammate looked at him, swearing he saw his eyes through the visor. Capri simply nodded slightly as a greeting and gave a thumbs-up.

No one could take their eyes off Persson. Every movement, every breath, every second mattered. Everyone was searching for the slightest sign that there was truly a person behind that helmet and not just a machine built to dominate every competitor.

For some, Capri Persson's image demanded respect, curiosity, and mystery. For others, he was just another idiot who thought he could win something just because he had a bit of luck in F2. And that group was already set—those with the most experience in the sport.

When the man with the megaphone began explaining the camera movements and how the drivers should pose, they exchanged glances, sharing amused, knowing looks. Gasly wanted to do the same, but when he turned to his teammate, he barely seemed present in that moment.

"Excuse me, the driver with the helmet—could you take it off? It disrupts the shot's consistency," the man with the megaphone announced, and the entire place fell silent.

Jean looked up, and Capri looked only at her. Jean understood.

"He's not serious, is he?" Capri signed. Jean understood him perfectly.

"I don't think that's possible," his advisor stepped forward. "He won't take it off," she stated, and another crew member approached the director to inform him about the issue.

"Alright, whatever. Are you all ready? Action!" the director shouted, and the camera in front of the drivers, arranged in a V-formation, started rolling. After that shot, there were more, and if it wasn't already clear how unusual Capri Persson's addition to Formula 1 was, the upcoming test race would make it undeniable.

Surprisingly, Persson remained in the top five during the first stage and in the top three during the second. And while it didn't mean much yet, Capri Persson's first pre-season in Formula 1 foreshadowed what would be a remarkable year for the unconventional rookie. The world was witnessing a driver with immense talent—but who was the driver facing?

«PREVIOUS: I'm Capri Persson

»NEXT: The Ghost

[ladymarlin]

Desperate housewives au stuff (mostly Duncney) bc it's been on my mind latelyyy

So, Duncan and Courtney were on and off for awhile before splitting. Then a little after they split she meets a decent guy (possibly someone her parents set her up with) and their relationship moves pretty quickly "For the baby" they're having which is actually Duncan's but no one needs to know that.

The whole housewife thing really isn't for her though and it would be a reoccurring argument between her and her husband but she would stand her ground every time. She's too good a lawyer to quit and "become like the rest of the girls in the neighborhood" sooo...

Her and Duncan would reunite years later when he moves onto the street. Courtney would go over to welcome her new neighbor and nearly chokes when she sees it's Duncan.

Duncan has a hard time fitting in on the street. The neighborhood is pretty judgy and he's a total punk, so they're wary of him. And does he have some deep dark secret? Probably. But the neighbors definitely take things too far and assume the worst

Him and Courtney would reconnect and eventually it'd lead to an affair. Courtney would feel Super guilty about it since she was once cheated on, but rlly her and Duncan are falling in love. They'd sneak around a lot, there'd probly be some comical scenes abt it. Courtney would do everything to uphold her reputation. Really, it's the only reason she's married.

Idk how they'd get there but the main angst points would be Duncan finding out the kid is his and Courtney's husband eventually leaving. She'd probly have a s8 Bree Van De Kamp type arc. But some probably traumatic event would bring them back together and they live happy or smth

Aleheather would be the Carlos and Gaby equivalent. Without the cheating ofc. Alejandro wouldn't WANT anyone else and Heather tbh also wouldn't. No one likes her like Alejandro. Plus in desperate housewives Gabrielle's Gardner she has an affair with is UNDER AGE so yeah no.

But they'd definitely have similar fights and similar issues. Maybe they'd divorce for some petty reason, have a few days of trying to mess w each other before just getting back together. Instead of Alejandro going blind like Carlos does he would suffer similar injuries to the ones in the show (volcano robot suit incident) and sustain leg damage that would hinder him.

I don't have as much for them they just rlly remind me of Carlos and Gaby. Like yeah she'd push him out the window on impulse and then call 911

Also if u haven't seen desperate housewives (I highly recommend it's so good) a lot of this probly seems rlly dramatic n stuff but it is very much a drama mystery so it fits. Trust there have been some absolutely insane plots in that show.

Also if u wanna send asks pls do bc I kinda wanna explore this more. Or send ideas too could be cool :3

[monkeycharles]

I think there should bé a fic where anyone from the grid would be third wheeling Landoscar, like, have you seen how these two interact.

So, I lack the ability and the time of f1writingbyme and LestappenForever to make this idea into a proper work like they did for "How (Not) To Third Wheel Lestappen" (check it out on Ao3 if you haven't already, definitely worth it) BUT BUT BUT, I can tell you how I think most of the grid would react in third wheeling Landoscar!

1) I feel like we should spare Checo, cause honestly this man has had enough as third wheel of Maxiel and Lestappen, I don't wanna give him extra traumas, SO –

2) Logan Sargeant: this one I really feel guilty about. Cause I like the narrative of him and Oscah being besties and still I cry over the sad edits of Logan just left behind. I think Landoscar with Logan has the most space for improvement?? I forgive Oscar even tho he definitely ghosted the poor Logan for the whole honeymoon phase with Lando (it's been almost two years, Osc, get a grip). I have a feeling Logan will speak up at some point and this would shake Oscar a little, so maybe he would be the more aware and more involved third wheel, possibly? They'll end up doing triple video-games championships with Lando and Logan mocking Oscar's gaming skills, mark my words.

3) Carlos Sainz: my man how does it feel to know you've wasted your chance (multiple chances, lets be real) for good? I have mixed ideas about this one, cause I think it would probably being more like Lando struggling to keep them both as close as possible resulting in Oscar being rightfully jealous 👀👀 so the third wheeling situation would be like Lando trying to involve a very annoyed and confused Carlos in their things (safe for work, ofc). I don't really see a way out of it.

4) Daniel Ricciardo: I mention him but I can't really explain cause honestly my idea of Daniel third-wheeling Landoscar is either him babysit them around Australia and bonding with Oscar over weird aussie habits OR OR OR something very NOT SAFE WORK so ( ... )

5) Max Verstappen: I love to think he'll remain an unbothered king, you know? Like he's well aware and a bit upset that his crepes companion invited someone else (beside from Daniel) to their dessert dates and that the two of them acts like lovebirds even without an actual physical contact. He'll probably send SOS texts to Charles and Daniel until a topic of (his) interest comes out and honestly at that point the power of maxplaining will win over pretty much everything and everyone. At the end of the day Landoscar turn out to be the real victims.

6) George Russell: poor thing was originally invited for a golf morning from Carlos (Landoscar were already supposed to attend), but Chili called off last minute so Georgie ended up with just the others two. LET ME TELL YOU he jumped off the golf cart cause he saw Lando placing a hand on Oscar's thigh and feared for his life. It took several minutes for them to notice he was aggressively walking behind. He was also hit by a golf ball because Oscar distracted Lando for a second too long, I guess you can figure out the rest.

7) Special mention to the PR and the McLaren team in general who's main job rn is having them to SIMPLY F O C U S outside the pit for like interviews and debriefings. I can picture Lando losing it after hearing a single compliment like "SO YOU THINK I'M PRETTY", cause ✨babygirl✨ energy hitting here and there, even tho he has tried to be somehow a model for Oscar, at least for what concerns work. Indeed I pity trainers and strategists bc ofc Oscar listens at them, but image them trying to explain a concept to him just for Lando to get there and rephrase it in the dumbest way possible and Oscar going like OHHHHH NOW I GOT IT, COULDN'T YOU EXPLAIN IT THAT WAY?

8) This is mostly a guilty pleasure but do we all agree they torture the entire f1 group chat with their subtle flirting?

IDK if this was what you had in mind but I really REALLY had fun writing it.

So let me know what you think in the comments down below, if you agree or if you want me to make it longer and/or more detailed or just to focus on a specific one in particular?

Again, my dms and box section are open to discussions, requests and any sort of (respectful) thing!

PEACE OUT 🤌🏻❤️

[keepthedelta]

I would love to know your opinion on the fact , from what I've seen at least Christian horner wants lando for the red bull seat . He's said that everytime he's offered him it lando just goes and sings another contract with mclaren . I've never seen Christian so persistent on having a driver so much before or well at least I don't remember it if he has. That's great for lando because that means teams are interested I'm him and see his potential but yeah wnated to ask you your thoughts on it

i will preface this by saying that i personally don't think christian horner actually wants him as much as he says he does, and that some of it is mind games both to lando and mclaren (and specifically zak brown) and to his own pool of red bull drivers, but i do think it's interesting.

i think lando is one of the better drivers on the grid, and so if red bull were going for a team of two strong drivers it would make sense to want someone like lando. i personally think he's better than anyone in red bull's current pool of drivers (other than max, obviously) but i'm also not totally sure two strong drivers is the line up they're actually looking for. post danny ric leaving for renault, it seemed like that was what they were going for, which is why pierre gasly and alex albon effectively had their careers ruined for the crime of not being as good as max verstappen, but the past few years with checo haven't really matched up with that. i quite like liam lawson but i don't think they've put him in the red bull because they think he's going to be a strong driver, i think they just couldn't justify keeping checo after the past two years.

the constructors championship actually matters a lot to teams, even if fans don't care about it as much, because it makes a significant difference to the lives of the workers, and to finish third in the constructors when one of their drivers won the wdc by a not insignificant margin is really quite embarrassing for them. the last time a wdc's team finished 3rd or lower in the wcc was in 1982 when keke rosberg won the wdc and williams came 4th, and at that time, williams was using a naturally aspirated engine against teams running turbo engines (turbo engines were SIGNIFICANTLY faster). this year has really not looked good for red bull, and that's just looking at the numbers, not even the massive internal chaos, so it would make sense for them to want someone like lando to bring the standard up.

having said that, there does seem to be a certain amount of dissatisfaction within the wider red bull family about the continued interest in non red bull drivers. they are spending a lot of money funding young drivers with the expectation that at least some of them will make it to formula one, firstly with toro rosso (or whatever the fuck it's called now) and eventually with red bull. but they're in a situation where they've run through a whole load of drivers, destroyed confidence and careers, and many of them have left the red bull family because there's no room for them. of their first proper cohort, only max is still with them. daniel ricciardo and daniil kyvvat are both out of the sport, and carlos sainz left them for renault years ago and has had a whole other journey in f1 outside of them. of the group after them, only pierre and alex are still in f1, both with other teams. yuki tsunoda has actively tried to leave the red bull group but they won't let him, liam lawson is about to get a baptism of fire, the other red bull academy driver of their generation, juri vips, was caught being racist so got dropped. i've heard talk that red bull's next great hope is arvid lindblad, who will be racing in f2 this year, but in general, the red bull pool of talent seems to have run a little dry, and it's kind of their own fault. and there are a lot of people in red bull who want the red bull academy to be identifying and developing young talent again, rather than just getting in someone else, like lando.

so i get why christian horner would want him, and i think it would be a different conversation entirely if max left red bull, but i think christian horner knows that lando to red bull is not a realistic prospect. just because it's not a realistic prospect doesn't mean he can't use it to his advantage though. it works to keep the red bull drivers in line and not protesting about their deeply unfair contracts because it makes them expendable, it irritates zak brown, who we've seen is extremely sensitive about this nonsense, and it keeps lando signing contracts with mclaren, who, until recently, have been quite shit. and that benefits horner and red bull because it limits some of the threat to max. if lando is stuck at a team that can't get it together strategically, it helps max and it helps red bull 🤷🏿‍♀️

[shellylongerbeam95]

So I have to say something because it has been bothering me..

I haven't seen the past 3 episodes of 9-1-1: Lone Star including the newest episode..episode 9 for a reason but I am not going to get into that right now..🙄

I seriously haven't watched the show since episode 5 but anyway..

I keep seeing post on here about episode 9 mostly about Carlos getting shot I knew it was going to happen because of the teaser for the episode.

I even had an idea of how the moment would happen or how I would've liked it to happen..

But anyway I was thinking non stop about it & was extremely worried for Carlos. 🥺

But here is my Idea of how I thought the moment would've happened or how I would've liked it to happen:

I really thought Carlos would try to find a way to get a hold of T.K. or T.K. would be on call & try to get a hold of him but then he would end up finding him & finding out that he got shot.

I really thought T.K. would be there to help him especially since he is a paramedic he would be THE ONE & ONLY PERSON TO HELP HIM & even be there for him.

I even thought he would be by his side & even be worried for him.

Because that is HIS HUSBAND?! I seriously thought he would be freaking out & in the hospital at his bed side with him..like Carlos was for him multiple times but by the sound of it that didn't happen at all..

ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!..🙄

Here is where it bothers me & why I am making this post right now..

Carlos is the love of T.K.'s life his world his everything & most of all HIS HUSBAND?!

He should be worried about his husband more than anyone.

He should be there for him what is going on with him..🙄

He should be there for his husband more than anyone & the fact that he wasn't there for Carlos sets a fire inside of me & bothers me so much..

He should've been there for Carlos & gave him all the love & attention that he truly deserves not off doing something else.

He should be with his husband like he is supposed to be.

This shouldn't bother me as much as it does but it does & I am not happy about it..

Because out of everyone T.K. should've been there for him & he should not have left Carlos alone in that hospital bed..

Ugh...No wonder I haven't watched the last few episodes it has been nothing but disappointment this season ESPECIALLY WITH TARLOS..

I absolutely hate saying this & I hate feeling this way about it..but it is honestly true..🙄🙁

[angelfevr]

akane kurashiki is (not) allocishet: an analysis

[pt: akane kurashiki is (not) allocishet: an analysis. end pt].

okay so we’ve been meaning to write this for a while but havent bc we’ve been focusing on other projects. slight disclaimer if u dont agree w this hc thats fine, just dont be a dick just bc it interferes w ur own interpretation . we all have our own ways of reading the text so. Yeah!! lets get started

so i just wanna say akane is a character i resonate with in a lot of ways, and a lot of what im going to say comes from my and others’ experiences. ur identities and experiences r def gonna affect how u view a piece of work right? 

so when i played through the series in 2023, i initially viewed akane as everyone else did: she’s in love with junpei, and even hced her as bi like most of the fandom. but the more i studied the source material, the more i felt thats not rlly the case?? esp after ztd, like im sorry but i cannot buy the idea that both junpei or akane wanna marry each other. junpei is for another day but in terms of akane i wanna talk abt the idea that she may be aromantic. 

immersing myself in the fandom, a lot of ppl’s first impressions of akane’s june persona is that she was initially gonna be this ditzy girl next door who only serves as a love interest for junpei. ofc that ended up not being the case, but i see ppl say that they only rlly cared for akane after finding out she’s zero. which imo is such a missed opportunity for analysis.

as june, akane interacts with the world through tropes. the first thing she does when we’re introduced to her is fall on junpei. and overall is seen as this nervous girl who wouldn’t harm anyone. she flirts w junpei throughout the game, yadda yadda yadda. when it comes to her identity as zero, she desperately wants a perfect ending where she can be with junpei. its guesswork as to which aspects are true of akane, but i personally see these traits as smth she thinks “kanny” would do. 

[id: screenshot from 999’s script, black text on a white background that reads:

“Junpei: Well, I dunno. Anything. I mean, you're hiding it. How would I know?

June: You mean, like...the number of men I've dated?

Junpei's heart stumbled over itself.

June: Do you want to know?

He had to admit, he was a little curious.

June: Don't worry.

She smiled at him.

June: Only 18...

!?

June: ...Times 0.

June: Yeah... I guess I just haven't met Mr. Right yet…”

“Number of men” is highlighted in green. End id].

of course, bc of her tumultuous childhood and how she didn’t have many friends, she never rlly had experience w dating. but not much suggests she would beyond her own words.

[id: screenshot from 999’s script, black text on a white background that reads:

“Kanny: You...meant a lot to me...when we were kids...

Kanny: I've liked you...for a long time, Junpei... A really...long...time..”

“Liked” is highlighted in green. End id]. 

.

[id: screenshot from 999’s script, black text on a white background that reads:

“"Okay..."

My voice shook as I answered.

It was hot in the room. It felt like my heart was on fire.

6 minutes or not, my heart burned with my feelings for him.

…”

“burned” is highlighted in green. End id]. 

but actions speak louder than words, and she doesn’t go far beyond flirting and declarations of love. in ztd, she doesn’t even make these advances even when she’s trying to lighten the mood or make things right with junpei. the only time being when she speaks with carlos in the pantry. 

[id: a log of dialogue from zero time dilemma which reads: 

akane: if it was because of me somehow… then this time i need to rush to his aid. that’s what i’ve decided anyway.

carlos: you really like junpei, don’t you?

akane: wh-what in the world are you saying, carlos?! 

carlos: i’m out of my depth when it comes to romance.

end id].

[id: a log of dialogue from zero time dilemma which reads: 

carlos: did you bake heart-shaped cookies full of love for your darling junpei?

akane: oh carlos… would you please stop teasing me… 

june is meant to be seen as the ideal japanese woman, and since performance/identity is a huge part of her character, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she’s performing heterosexuality/amatonormativity, by extension femininity (but that’s an analysis for another day). 

akane is also slotted into the role of a mother figure for kyle just as sigma with the role of father. i can’t help but think of the scene in little shop of horrors (1986), audrey sings abt a stable and “ideal” middle class life. i remember watching it thinking it was odd, given that im aro and am not interested in settling down or emulating cishet middle class values. but my friend, who is poor just like audrey and akane, told me that it’s a common occurrence for poor ppl to think this way. to want a sense of stability even if it’s stereotypical. i feel like this applies to akane as well. i also hc her with bpd, and instability is a common symptom for us, so it makes sense for her to see junpei as a beacon of such, of normalcy. he’s rlly the only normal part of her childhood. she wants him to fix her lol . 

[id: screenshot from virtue’s last reward which reads: 

“i pleaded with her to leave, but she quietly shook her head. there was someone very special to her, she told me. he had saved her life once, and she felt her death would help to repay that favor.” end id].

and while we do see oldkane/vlrkane reminisce abt her life w junpei thru kyle, the passcode being jumpydolls, i feel like thats less abt love and more abt the fact that shes lonely, which a lot of ppl mistake that like. love can fix that.. when it rlly cant. not to mention what i said earlier

akane and junpei rarely make physical contact beyond junpei holding her in his arms and hugging. you can of course be a couple and not be that physically affectionate, but junpei is the only one initiating this. also like?? not even an “i love you” when you haven’t seen each other in nine years???????

[id: cg from nine hours nine persons nine doors. junpei holds akane’s shoulder with a worried expression. Akane has her eyes closed. End id].

[id: screenshot of zero time dilemma. junpei hugs akane near the basketball court in the lounge. akane wears a wedding ring on her right hand. end id].

[id: screenshot from zero time dilemma. junpei holds a ring in his right hand. white text on the bottom reads, “well, remember back in elementary school your dream was to wear a ring?” end id].

this is actually a common experience for aros who dont realize aromanticism is even an option. i remember when i was a kid, i’d have daydreams of getting married and dating ppl but when the opportunity actually came, i was uncomfortable and rejected it. 

i feel like junpei’s proposal and akane’s acceptance were reckless of both of them, and probably not even signs of true feelings. junpei’s arc is abt regaining agency, and akane’s is abt control (hashtag cinematic parallels), so it makes sense this would happen. both wish they could return to their childhoods, hence their emotionally immature attitudes + tendency to reminisce abt the past (junpei is counterphobic to this though and eventually gets over it in vlr’s timeline, though akane continues to act this way going forward). poor decision making is a sign of trauma after all. 

i mentioned how akane (and junpei but again. Another story for another day) subverts gendered expectations w her personality. aro ppl (as well as lesbians if u wanna go for a lesbian akane reading) tend to feel disconnected from their agab bc yk we arent straight and like a cishet woman liking a man is a sign of womanhood according to Society............ so like what if ur a girl who likes girls? or doesnt like anyone??? what does that make u??? (again, this could either be a trans reading or a lesbian reading)

anyway my point is. i think its more interesting to read akane’s interest in junpei as her wanting stability and a normal life, esp given that she is traumatized and was once poor. i feel like fluffy junepei fanworks make their dynamic very one-note and lack what makes their dynamic intriguing. but hey!! thats just my opinion as an aro person and how i prefer to interpret it 

[whoami-24601]

International Incident Part 4

This one is focused more on the situation than the relationships. That said, a little Piarles.

Part 1 Part 3

As the group gathered together in the center of the room, Danny decided to take the chance to continue his comfort dare. George and Alex looked particularly stressed, so first, he pulled George in for a tight hug. Alex had managed to get him back on the floor, and he stumbled stiffly into Danny's arms. Danny squeezed him and said, "thanks for all you're doing, Russell George."

George seemed stunned and didn't return the hug right away. Once he realized Danny wasn't pulling away, he sighed and hugged him back just as tightly. "Just doing what a good rep should do, DR."

"Naw," Danny shook his head. "You didn't sign up for this. You're doing good, Georgie. Proud of you." George seemed to choke on the answer and dropped his forehead on Danny's shoulder.

"Thanks, Danny," he responded softly. Danny put his hand on the back of George's head for a moment and pulled away slowly, letting George cling on if he wanted. However, George pulled away quickly, cleared his throat, and looked at the rest of the crowd gathered.

Taking the opportunity before anyone else started talking, Danny grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled him into a similar hug. It was tight as he waited for Alex to respond, which he did much quicker.

"Thanks Danny," Alex said softly, before pulling away a moment later.

"Now," Alex spoke to the crowd, "we have an idea that definitely has it's pros and cons."

"Probably more cons than pros," Fernando inserted harshly.

Alex, George, and Lewis glared at him before Alex took a deep breath and continued. "As of now, the public does not know that we are stuck here. I haven't seen a single post or news article asking where we are. It's probably around timing since we are not supposed to be at any official events right now, but if they knew, then our governments would know, and people could advocate for our release."

"Or," Carlos cut in, "because we are stuck in this room, they could make us pay directly for our efforts."

The room stood still contemplating what each man had said. Daniel was back behind Lando, arms loosely around his waist with Max pressed to his side. None of them seemed confident in the plan but weren't confident enough to argue it either. Pierre and Charles were still stuck together, Pierre looking defiant while Charles appeared worried. On the trio's other side, the rest of the drivers had gathered together, with a bit of space between each duo or trio.

"What do you think they'll do to us if they get mad?" Checo asked the room, the same question on everyone's mind.

Alex, George, Lewis, Carlos, and Fernando all looked at each other a moment. It seemed like they had discussed the options, but no one wanted to say them. Lewis stepped forward and answered hesitantly, "obviously we don't know for sure, but we are stuck in a room with no way out. They could do whatever they want. On the annoying side, turn up the heat or the air con. On the more dramatic, evil side, they could set fire to the building or find another way to kill us." All of the drivers gasped at the suggestion.

Alex jumped it, arms waving, "we dont think they want to do that! There is no benefit to killing us! If that was the end goal, they would have already done it."

"We just know it is a possibility," Lewis adds softly. "Something we all have to consider. Before we vote on the plan, we need to decide if we call our families. We agreed not to earlier because we didn't think we would be stuck here this long but it's obviously still going on and I think the chances of it ending badly have increased."

At Lewis' statement, Lando turned around and buried his face in Danny's chest. He didn't want to be the only one visibly upset, but this was all just too much for him. Max reached over and squeezed Lando's arm to show his support. Danny's arms moved from Lando's waist to his back so he could tighten his hold.

"What the fuck?" was heard from the group along with a "Why would they do this?" Slowly the rest of the group adjusted, shifting so they were all touching in some way. Charles slid under Pierre's arm, Lance and Esteban pressed firmly to each other's side, and Logan and Oscar looked lost but clung to each other's hands.

"What is the plan?" Pierre finally asked. "We should know how risky it is before we decide to call people."

Several drivers nodded in agreement so George took a big breath and said, "social media. We choose 1 or 2 drivers to post onto Instagram or Tik Tok, showing how we are locked in here and pleading for help. We can talk about who later, but the idea is like an Instagram live or something. Or maybe recording it then posting it would be better. I don't know." George shook his head, clearly exhausted.

"The idea is that we overwhelm them with people wanting our release," Alex continued. "The longer we are here, the more people know, the harder it makes it for them to justify whatever game it is their playing."

"The downside," Carlos chimes in again, "is that we don't actually know what they want or how far they are willing to take this vendetta."

"I vote we call our families," Danny says softly. "You're right that we don't know what is happening and I don't want them to worry or wish we had called them if this all goes wrong."

"There's another problem," Fernando starts. "We have limited phone battery. We all went into airplane mode or turned our phones off except Lewis to save battery earlier but if we are all calling our family, it will deplete quickly. What if all our phones die? We have no way of communicating with our teams or the FIA."

"Because they've been so good at communicating with us so far?" Max asks sarcastically.

George huffed. "They're working on it. They don't want anything to happen to us either."

"So we limit our calls? 1 call each, max 5 minutes?" Kevin suggests.

"That's a good idea," George agrees. "Does that work for everyone?"

"No," Charles responds petulantly. "I can't call my mom but not my brothers. It's not fair to them."

"Why don't you call all 3 in one phone call? What is that called?" Pierre asks.

"Conference call," one driver responded while another said, "3-way," causing a few drivers to chuckle, Lando and Danny included.

"No 3-ways in this room," Lewis clarified with his own chuckle. "But, yes, a conference call is fine as long as the total is less than 5 minutes. Does everyone agree to that?" Lewis surveyed the room and saw everyone agree silently.  "Great, what do we want to tell them? We need to agree about our stories because we know our families will want to be out there talking on our behalf and may talk to each other too."

"I think we need to ask them to stay out of social media until we release our own statements," George says. "We don't want them to be the face of this."

"Especially for those that have family in town," Charles suggested. "There is a chance they are hurt in the process." Charles curled more into Pierre at the thought of his family suffering because of him.

Everyone took a moment to think about that, who had family in town, and who else could be hurt by their situation. "Ok," Alex started again. "We say less. Just, tell them we love them and we want to see them soon."

"Like that won't raise alarm bells," Oscar states, contributing for the first time.

"Yes, that's fair," Lewis responds. "Try to be natural and if that doesn't work, be vague. Tell them to watch out for more news. You just were reminded how much you love them and wanted to say it before you didn't. You know your family better than any of us. You figure out what makes sense for you and them. "

"What about the social media thing? Should we figure that out before we separate again?" Daniel asks.

Several drivers nodded their heads. "Who will do it?" Max questions.

"We were thinking Charles and Lewis would be the best," Alex answered. "Lewis obviously has the largest following and would be taken very seriously. There's no chance anyone thinks its a joke. Charles," Alex holds his hand up, pointing towards Charles and then shrugs. "He's just Charles. Everyone loves him." Charles eyes expand. It appears the responsibility is quickly weighing on him. Although Pierre's arm is already around his shoulder, he pulls him closer, offering a side hug.

Lewis continues to explain, "my thought is that I express concern, share the bare facts as we know them: we had our driver's briefing, everyone was allowed to leave except the current grid drivers, the doors were locked and guarded. Our teams have informed us that they are working on getting us out but it appears we are being held hostage with no resolution in site. Do we want to ask for a particular action? Do we want to mention it's by the government? I'm not sure how they will react to that."

"We're not sure how they will react to any of it," Oscar said. "I'm surprised they haven't jammed our phone signal honestly."

"Lucky," Lance responded.

"Or it's on purpose," Valterri commented. "We don't know their plan. Maybe they want us to tell people to bring awareness to whatever it is they're upset about." A few drivers grumbled their agreement.

"Should we ask the FIA or our teams before we decide? Maybe they're making progress," Lando suggests, peaking his head out from Danny's chest.

"They should be telling us if they're making progress," George argues. "They should be telling us something full stop." All of the driver's agreed with that sentiment.

"Soooo?" Yuki asks. "What do we do?"

Pierre looks across the group to Yuki and waves him over. Yuki takes the suggestion and moves around the group, squeezing into Pierre's right side, next to Daniel and Lando. Pierre put his other arm around Yuki's shoulder and looked back to the leaders of this situation. "Do we vote?" Pierre asks. "Are there any other factors we need to consider?"

"I think we vote," Alex answers. "Do we do social media posts?" Alex raised his hand and surveyed the group. Lewis, George, Pierre, Daniel, Lando, Max, Kevin, Nico, Esteban, Oscar, and Logan raise their hands. Fernando, Checo, and Carlos appeared against it while Charles, Yuki, Zhou, Lance, and Valterri appeared unsure. 12 to 8.

Nico said, "we might consider Logan doing a post too. Although he's a rookie and doesn't have as much of a social media following -"

"Thanks," Logan muttered.

"He is American and their government might be more inclined to help if they hear from him directly," Nico continues, ignoring Logan's comment.

"That's true. Should we do Logan instead of Charles?" George asks, noticing how uncomfortable Charles was with the situation. The drivers seem to disagree quietly, only grumbling their discontent but not wanting to voice it to the group.

[liminalmemories21]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @carlos-in-glasses, @lemonlyman-dotcom, and @strandnreyes. Thank you!

I love how this snippet implies that I've figured out the plot, because I promise you I really really haven't. To be fair, I also haven't figured out how to incorporate the emotional beats into the story either. So really what I'm saying is that I have like 14,000 so far and it's all a hot mess. But this section works, so small victories?

TK concedes the point.  "Everyone talks about the Reubens and Rembrandts that got donated, but the MFA also got a whole whole series by Maria Schalcken.”  He nods at the forgery on the easel.  “And, that is one of hers.  They’re rare.”  He tips his head to Massey, in appreciation Carlos thinks.  “It's only recently that anyone even realized that she was an artist in her own right, her work’s been attributed to her brother for centuries." "Death to the Patriarchy," Carlos murmurs, because apparently he can't help himself. TK's mouth twitches in amusement, and Claire lets out an unexpected giggle, and then looks horrified and sinks back into her chair.  Massey's hand tightens on her shoulder in reassurance. “I thought you said that you hadn’t seen the painting before tonight?”  Julian asks.  TK nods.  “You can tell it’s Maria Schack-something, just from looking at it for a second?”  He sounds skeptical, and Carlos wonders where he’s going with that question. TK narrows his eyes.  “Kind of my job.  Or, are you trying to imply something?” Tulson clears his throat loudly.  "And, option two?" TK stares at Julian for another moment, before he refocuses his attention.  "Option two is that it was a commission.  Word's gotten out that these guys can get past the really good security systems, and someone wanted this painting for themselves."  He turns back to Massey.  "Can you think of anyone at the auction you outbid who might have tried this?" Massey shrugs helplessly.  "I can get you the list of who else was at the auction, although some of them were just anonymous bids through buyers, see if any of the names mean anything to you.  But, nobody seemed that put out." "Worth a shot," TK agrees, and Massey crosses to his desk to open his computer. Tulson sighs a little wistfully.  "Are you sure I can't convince you to come work for me?" Massey looks up, and says sharply.  "Get your own expert, don't try and poach mine." TK blinks, startled, and then annoyed.  "A girl does like to be asked to dance, you know."  Tulson looks abashed, but Massey just waves a dismissive hand and goes back to his computer.  TK rolls his eyes at Carlos, and he keeps a straight face with effort. Julian looks between them.  "Just so I'm clear, your working theory is that someone was so pissed off at losing an art auction that they hired thieves to come to Austin and steal it?"  He glances at the painting.  "I mean, it's nice, but it's really worth that kind of effort?" TK, Massey, and Tulson all pause and turn to stare at Julian with identically offended looks, and Carlos stifles a slightly hysterical laugh. 

tagging @irispurpurea, @wandering-night19, and @iboatedhere

[messymindofmine]

Now that I've had some time to really process things, I really do understand why Carlos did what he did. I'm also not surprised that he didn't tell TK bc we all know communication is not one of Carlos’s strengths. What does bother me though is the fans that refuse to acknowledge that Carlos has done something wrong by keeping his marriage a secret from TK. What bothers me is that any time a fan expresses the slightest bit of anger at the situation or on TK's behalf, they're bombarded with anon messages telling them they're wrong and bringing up every single mistake that TK has ever made. What bothers me is the fans that act like TK isnt completely allowed to be upset with Carlos for keeping this a secret from him for so long. Those are the things that bothered me. It's possible to be understanding about why Carlos kept all this a secret and still acknowledge that it was wrong.

I actually do understand why the writers chose to go this direction even if I don't like the way it was done. The fact of the matter is that Carlos has never been perfect. His flaws have always been there for everyone to see, it's just that many fans refused to see them. Whenever there was conflict between Carlos and TK in the past, TK has been the one to bear the blame even though there has been fault on both sides. Case in point, their s3 break up. Yeah the way TK reacted to Carlos buying them a house was disproportionate but people seem to completely overlook the fact that Carlos bought a house without even consulting TK on it. TK reacted the way he did bc he has always struggled with feeling like he's worthy of Carlos and he's always had a fear of losing things and so with this going so well, he panicked. This is literally stated in the show yet people were still so quick to jump on the TK hate train and insist that Carlos should make TK work to earn Carlos’s love back. The biggest irony is that I have yet to see anyone saying that Carlos isn't worthy of TK or that he should have to earn TK's love back since 4x01. And you know what? People shouldn't be saying that. What people are saying though is that they are upset that Carlos has always wanted TK to give him everything of himself ("I want all the parts") yet has held back something so big from him. It seems clear to me that some people just don't know how to handle Carlos being unequivocally in the wrong without the option of shifting all the blame onto TK. Hence why anytime a fan dares to vent on their own blog, they have to deal with people sending them messages listing mistakes TK has made as though any of those things are even relevant in this situation or they're just being blasted for being upset about it. Not only that but apparently we're not even allowed to praise how well TK handled it. It's OK to love Carlos and still acknowledge he has flaws guys. Certainly for me, my feelings on Carlos have not changed even though I'm upset about him not telling TK.

The thing that upsets me the most though is I think we all know that if TK had been the one to have a secret marriage, people would have been clamoring for his head. But this time there is no mutual blame and even TK's reaction can't be used against him bc he reacted so amazingly. The fact of the matter is, people in this fandom have been constantly questioning TK's worthiness in a way that nobody ever has with Carlos. And even now, I haven't seen anyone doing that with Carlos and they shouldn't be. That's why I understand why the writers chose this for Carlos bc I honestly can't think of anything else that would force people to confront Carlos’s flaws properly. Especially since even in the moments when Carlos has displayed his flaws, TK is still the one that ends up bearing the blame. Case in point, 3x13 where people were mad at TK for not "opening up to Carlos" bearing in mind that Tim (who is a recovering addict himself and thus if anyone knows a thing or two about this it's him) even explained that TK was actually doing the right thing by not including Carlos in this particular part of his life. And even despite that beautiful scene where TK explains his reasoning to Carlos, people were still trashing him. Carlos has shown a lot of growth over the seasons but true growth can only come once you actually confront the root of your issues. Of course, confronting the cause isn't going to magically make the issues go away. After all, TK knows why he struggles with his issues but he still struggles at times. But at least once you confront your issues, you can learn how to deal with them better. Carlos has never confronted his parents on how their own lack of communication and the pressure they put on him affected him. And the Reyes parents have never acknowledged how they've hurt Carlos. That's why that line from Andrea about having a talk with TK 3x04 rubs me the wrong way bc not only did Andrea not have any idea why TK broke up with Carlos, she never bothers to think about why Carlos was so afraid of letting them down and instead working on that. And then there were the fans writing fics about Andrea lecturing a bedridden TK and TK apologizing to Andrea. The only person TK owed anything at all to was Carlos and yet fans act like Andrea had any right to be lecturing TK on anything. And now this new revelation and the fact that Andrea apparently knew about it, makes the line even worse. We can call it sloppy writing if we want but the complete lack of self-awareness does line up with Andrea's character as well. Lmao can you imagine if Owen had ever even mentioned having a talk with Carlos even at the beginning of their relationship? Even though Owen at the time had very good reasons to be concerned about TK starting a new relationship but we all know people would have been calling for Owen's head if he had. And I'll bet they'd do the same now. As I've said before, the way this fandom deifies Gabriel and Andrea baffles me. Yes they love Carlos but they've also hurt Carlos in ways that Owen has never hurt TK yet this is completely glossed over.

All in all, as I said, I'm not mad about Carlos marrying Iris bc I can see why he would do that. I don't like him having kept it a secret from TK and I do think it's something that needs to be called out but I also get why he wouldn't bring it up bc it does fit his character. What makes me mad is the hypocrisy I've seen where the same people who have literally used TK bringing home a lizard to prove how he's not worthy of Carlos are now saying that fans have no right to be upset at this revelation or be upset on TK's behalf.

I am planning on making a post soon about the way some people in this fandom behave towards TK and how that reeks of ableism be it conscious or subconscious. As someone who is able to relate to TK on a very personal level, some of the stuff I've seen actually pains me

[paperstorm]

Is anyone else a little frustrated that they have brought in so many new (and sometimes unnecessary) characters when there are people like Enzo, Owen's (second) ex wife, Tia Lucy, etc. that have been mentioned so many times but never showed on screen? Like all of those people could make great storyline and they just refuse to cast them like come onnnnnnnn. I want to know what Enzo looks like and if he's a cool dude and it would be a great way for TK to spend time with his brother if they have an episode where they visit. I literally forget all the time that TK even has a brother. I also want to know if Tia Lucy is Andrea's or Gabriel's sister just because I love that family so much and would take any crumbs of information I can get about them. I think it's about time we get a scene where Carlos is actually spending time at his family's house they seem like the family that would have big gatherings a lot.

I agree, I want all the time to finally see characters that have been mentioned!! I want to meet Enzo. And I understand it's tricky to have a baby appear actually on screen (altho lots of other shows do it so it's not that tricky) but it does feel weird that in 3x08 TK was so concerned about Jonah and worried about who would tell him about Gwyn and take him to dim sum and now months and months have gone by and in canon, TK has never seen or even talked about his little brother again. I would love a little bit more continuity on things like that, even a throwaway line in a scene where TK is just hanging up on a facetime call with them, just so that it feels like they haven't been forgotten about.

[notdogice]

Time for the biggest batch of Pony Town cos': The Deltarune Edition! I started making these ones around late 2021 (possibly November) and I tried to make them as sprite accurate as I could so these ones are a lot more timeless regardless of how I change the way I stylize certain ponies.

Spamton G. Spamton. The very first one of my Deltarune cos', and probably the most iconic. I call him the Big Haired Big Shot. Spamton's head to body ratio is already bonkers in his sprite, so I tried to recreate that effect in PT. For the hair, I actually used one of my other ponies, Carlos, as the inspiration. He can also do the hands together thing he does in Deltarune.

Spamton Neo. Yup, it works for Neo as well. I was kind of worried that this wouldn't work, but it does! Works best when flying, but it's pretty funny seeing him lie down.

Kris. Yeah not much to say for Kris, but they're literally the easiest Deltarune cos you can do. Their eyes are closed, but I do have the pupils colored for expression sake whilst still being accurate.

Kris (DW). I fucking love this cos. It was fun to figure out how I should do the scarf and pauldron. It's on of my favourites of this set. Also has the eye thing like the light world counterpart.

Susie. Yeah LW Susie wasn't fun, especially after doing her DW counter part.

Susie (DW). FUCK YEAH SHE ROCKS. Only real gripe is with her hair.

Ralsei. Cute, but kind of ugly. One thing I've noticed is that people really don't try to do with the hat with horns when they do the hatted Ralsei.

Ralsei (No hat). Getting the goat horns just right because it is possible to do so. Definately experiamental with this one.

Berdly. Very smug indeed. Lovely.

Berdly (DW). You know, as I did more of these cos', I had gotten better at recogizing which options would work best with what I was trying to acheive. DW Berdly is a key example of this as getting his armor right used things I've done for Kris and Queen. Yeah these aren't in order how I made them, but I just want to keep things organized.

Noelle. Fun fact: Noelle is the only lightner that I had did their LW sprite before their DW. Yup. I did the more complicated designs first. Really the onlt thing about Noelle that I had really tried to figure out was her antlers. Yeah PT has antlers, but I wasn't really satisfied with them, they didn't seem Noelley enough.

Noelle (DW). To be honest, Noelle is easy to make in PT. I could've went with the shirt with hood option, but none of color options fit with what I was trying to do. Plus you wouldn't really notice that it's not there unless you move the head.

Lancer. Lancer's head is a hell of a pain to do. I'm not very satisfied with what I got, but it's the only thing that looks half decent with this style. He's extra round when he sits. Kind of took that idea of using the wings from someone else's Lancer, but I haven't seen anyone else but that person and I do it so it isn't a popular thing people do for Lancer, but it should honestly.

Queen. People have pointed out how I managed to give her that Megamind look, and I really appreciate it. I'm kind of surprised to see that she's the fourth Deltarune cos I made when I thought she was one of the later middle cos'. Her eyes do work like Kris' does. Another unique thing about this Queen cos is that I used the customizable mark to fix the curve between her top and bottom half.

Rouxls Kaard. One of my later ones as I holded off from doing him thinking he'd be a tough on to figure out. He was just like his puzzles. Like most of his detail in his sprite is in the one area where you can't see it on a pony.

Jevil. Ah Jevil, the first Deltarune character to appear in one of my dreams... He ran a fish taco stand. Uh other than that, one of my favoutie area on this cos is his ears. like they are so sprite accurate and very pretty. Everything else is standard fair with the others.

C Round. People love it whenever I switch to this cos, and whenever they put a crown on it...

K Round. You get this! Man it was tough figuring how to do the checker just right, but the results speak for itself. One of my favouties of the set. I've seen a few other's tries of making this character in PT, but they seem to get similar results to mine.

Rudin. A rare cos indeed. Actually I don't think I've ever seen another Rudin cos on PT. A shame really, I like Rudin's design.

Rudin Ranger. You thought regualr ol' Rudin was rare? Feast your eyes on this! Both of them are very pretty.

Hathy. It was the mouth I struggled the most with on. I do not have Head Hathy, I was too frustrated with this one.

Tasque. Meow. Another easy one to do, but doesn't get as much love as a certain...

Tasque Manager. Someone called my Tasque Manager cute a few weeks back. She was a fun one to make, but her tail breaks when she sits.

Maus. Not too difficult to make this Maus. This is also my newest Deltarune cos.

Since I have the room for them, here are some bonus Undertale cos' I have!

Frisk. I've been playing PT since 2017 and it took me until 2022 to make a Frisk cos. I still haven't made a Sans yet either which is surprising as I got into Undertale before I got into PT.

Asgore. My first UT cos, and it was Asgore of all people. Like seriously, you don't get to see Asgore cos' all to often if ever. This could probably be blamed by the fact that you don't get to spend that much time with him outside of his battle and most of what you learn about him is through everyone else experience with him.

Mettaton EX. The hardest thing I had to do with this cos was finding his his overworld sprite for his colors. Like everything else just using things I have done for other cos' like using the mask like how I did with K Round and Frieza. I guess I did have to think about hair options, but that is a given when it comes to making anything in PT. Anyway, that's the last of the set.

[theamityelf]

Okay, so now I'm thinking about the Descendants characters in customer service roles, due to @go-sullivan's tags on this post, so here are my customer service headcanons for them, if they were all waiting tables.

Mal is not a people person and does not take negative feedback well. She's not used to working a job; she finds the work itself boring and the amount of it overwhelming. When customers are rude to her, she is yells back; when her manager scolds her, she cries and shouts. "This is really hard, okay?! I don't have to be here!" She drew a perfect diagram of which tables want which meals, but she does not have a good system of getting things to people quickly, and the angrier they get, the more spiteful she gets. Her greatest asset is that she can hold hot plates with her bare hands without a problem. She is strong enough to carry trays but not good at balancing objects on the trays. She drops a tray of drinks and gets angry at everyone else. She has absolutely been rude to people in the service industry before, and taking on their role prompts no introspection about this.

Evie is good at getting customers to like her. Just her demeanor alone deflates anyone who tries to have a problem with her. The few who do manage the audacity to say anything rude end up feeling foolish, just from her primly unimpressed expression. She is not efficient, but she is not terribly inefficient. When customers complain, "I haven't gotten my [whatever food] yet," she just smiles and says, "Oh, I'm sorry; it's not ready yet." It totally is ready; it's been sitting on a tray in the kitchen for several minutes now. but she has other trays to carry to other tables, and she will not rush. She walks like a princess, always. When customers flirt with her, she first breezily warns, "It's unfair to flirt with people who are on the clock." If they keep it up, she will just as breezily offer them a thinly-veiled threat relating to her family's history of poisoning people. They leave. Her manager is exasperated, but Evie doesn't mind.

Jay half-does it. He does the customer-facing part of it, because he's really good with people and he's curious how much he can get away with. If the customers see him enough, they won't think of him as negligent even if they haven't gotten any of their food yet. He wants to see how little work he can do while keeping everybody happy. Like Evie, he'll lie that their meals aren't ready yet. He'll also lie that someone else will be taking over the table for him (usually Carlos, as a joke), so that, when they're realizing that they haven't seen a waiter in half an hour (during which Jay is getting food to the half of his tables he hasn't told that lie to), he gets to walk over to them like, "Oh, have you not been served yet? I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll take over for Carlos, then. Let me get you those appetizers." His customers love him. He is a master at nailing the bare minimum.

Doing chores and being yelled at is a bit too familiar to Carlos. He follows all the rules to a T and nothing more or less. Follows the script exactly, with exactly the right intonation. It's how he avoids showing any of his weak underbelly. Moreover, it's how he avoids letting any pent up defensiveness or anger come out on anybody. He epitomizes the standard waiter. He is remote and accommodating. The customers who are nice manage to bring him out of his shell a little; when they ask what entrees are good, here, he gives a detailed answer about the flavor profile of everything on the menu.

Ben goes into it with full genuineness and kindness. "Good afternoon. My name is Benjamin. Can I take your order?" (His manager had to teach him how to sound casual, since he's used to waitstaff who use much more flowery language.) The first time a customer is rude to him (about not having received their appetizers yet; the place is packed today), he is more perplexed than anything. "I'm sorry, I'll get that to you right away," he says, with a quizzical frown. Are people really like this? As he gets to see more and more of this kind of treatment, he becomes frustrated, not on his own behalf (as, at the end of the day, he's still the king, and anyway he's had to deal with councilmembers who, while nowhere near as rude and dehumanizing, have inconvenienced him more), but on behalf of the people who had to work these jobs all the time for so little pay. The last two hours of his shift is spent thinking through what laws he could push forward that would make things better for those people.

Audrey likes talking to people, and she likes being passive aggressive when they aren't nice to her. It's fun. Her fake smile is on point, she's good at keeping track of orders, but she gets one of her coworkers (probably Chad or Gil) to carry her trays for her, because they're too heavy and wobbly, and she will just straight up ghost customers who have an attitude. Her manager complains, "Audrey, you didn't even give them their check! They didn't pay!" She just takes out her wallet like, "I'll pay for their meal. It's worth not having to talk to them." Also, she will straight up stop doing her job if she gets distracted by a customer's cute baby or cute outfit ("Where did you get it? Oh, I go there all the time! Did you hear about...?"). When customers flirt with her, she giggles nervously.

Chad hates every second of it. He refuses to be deferential to customers, and if he gets the slightest vibe that they view him as a servant of any kind he will be disrespectful. He's snarky with his manager and acts obtuse about his mistakes. "Chad, you gave all of these people the wrong credit card back. They're very upset." "So? Just cancel that card, get a new one." He actually has a great memory and can be charismatic when he wants to be, but he doesn't care enough to use any of his skills. The closest he gets to good(?) customer service is that he always speaks to customers in their own language, since (as a prince) he's learned so many.

Uma is used to the food service industry, but she's not used to the Auradon idea of being unfailingly polite to customers. Nor does she adopt it. She doesn't go full-Isle, but she also doesn't go anywhere close to full-Auradon. She doesn't do the scripted customer greetings or put on a bubbly persona. She walks up to the table and says. "Hi. I'm Uma. What do you want?" Sometimes, she even tells customers she won't get them what they ask for. "Yeah, no, that dish takes forever to make and there are a million people in here. How about something the chef can get to you before we close?" Of course, she's gotten a lot of complaints to her manager, but there are also those who love that she's to-the-point and organized. She may not mince words, and she may be weirdly bossy for a waitress, and she may have an expression as if this whole thing is annoying, but she gets them their orders quickly, and that table over there hasn't even gotten their drinks yet (probably because Audrey is chatting with them about tourney; they don't seem to hate it, but they do seem slightly bewildered). She dominates them, but she takes care of them.

Harry does not care in the slightest. He mostly just socializes with his fellow waiters, sometimes following Uma around to talk with her. (They'll be at one of Uma's tables, and he's holding a full conversation with her, and the customers are asking her for more napkins and drink refills, and she's answering them both. She can talk to multiple people as well as she can fight multiple opponents.) When he does bother to visit his own tables– managing to say "What can I get you today?" with a sort of dismissive tone of voice –he, like Audrey, often finds himself off-topic. He'll start up banter/arguments with them by judging their choice of food or drink. His customers (mostly) don't find it endearing, but they do find themselves ordering more expensive things out of a misguided need to impress him. (The grin he flashes them when they order one of the more elaborate drinks is ridiculously rewarding.) His manager is almost intrigued; Harry earns so many complaints, but he's also a master of upselling, when he actually does his job.

Gil has a great attitude, and he's doing his best, but he's messing up orders left and right. It doesn't help that half the time Harry casually asks him to cover his tables, and of course Gil always agrees to it. His fellow waiters have to quickly learn how to dodge him, because he's always running through with a tray of food that he forgot to deliver, and it's not uncommon to bump into him. He's never dropped food on anyone, thankfully. Drinks are another story. (He apologized profusely to Chad, who straight up walked out the door.) His customers mostly feel sorry for him; not one person has yelled. Which is good, because Uma would cross the room so fast!

[goldenflowers]

okay so in the tags of one of my posts about encanto i had mentioned i was curious about a boy who was described in early info about the movie but didn't seem to be in it anymore--and yeah there wasn't any character that was like how he was described so now i'm just a million times more curious:

this is from an old disinsider article from december 2020, and yes it refers to mirabel as mariana but it also accurately describes her character along with isabela, luisa, and some others, just with different names than the final product.

it became clear to me as we started getting trailers and books and other pre-release info that "carlos" had either been cut from the movie or reduced to such a small role that he wasn't worth mentioning, and having seen the movie i get that they wanted to focus primarily on the madrigal family and it doesn't sound like he was part of it so it makes sense to cut him. but early on i was really interested in seeing what kind of role he would play and i am just soooo curious as to why he was cut and what the story was gonna be like with him in it. maybe there's something i'm missing but i don't see how disinsider would've just made up an entire character while getting pretty much everything else right, and their description says he's a great singer so he was important enough at one point to have a song and then he was cut??

does anyone have the artbook and maybe he's mentioned in it, or some other sort of info that i haven't seen? again, maybe i'm missing something, but all the other character descriptions that were given in this article (which is still available here btw) were pretty spot-on and yet i don't recall seeing any 15 year old boys with great singing voices who were enemies with mirabel, so now i'm way too curious about carlos.