#Helmut Hunger

[musicollage]

Manfredini, Vivaldi, Torelli, Corelli, Albinoni + Hunger — Trumpet Concertos. 1991 : Sony.

[cantheywinthehungergames]

Submitted anonymously

Keep Reading for Mentor Info and Restrictions

If you would like to see your favorite character either as a tribute or as a mentor, please fill out this Google Form. Just keep in mind that for mentor polls, they will be posted every Saturday so chances are it could take a long time before they are posted.

Please also look at my pinned post for submission rules as well as a list of previously submitted characters prior to submitting your character.

Mentor Name: Baron Helmut J. Zemo

Age: Adult

Media: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Restrictions: Can only submit tools and weapons found in Panem as sponsors to assigned tributes and no bribery

[darkeunology]

Kinda keep getting really disappointed that whenever I ask for requests I never recieve one. I think it just shows how many of my followers are ghost followers.

I really wanna write something, I'm gonna try to get back into writing again but I'm just really struggling for ideas.

My rules for requesting are here.

I really hope someone sends something, even if it's the smallest idea, anything you want to see writen, please request something.

Really thinking of quitting writing fanfic everytime I don't receive anything

[lilliad-dreams]

My favorite muses as of late..

Henry Granville [ The one and only, my beloved Henry <33 ] - Bridgerton

Crowley / Fergus McLeod [ The crossroads demon and part-time king of Hell. ] - Supernatural

Fleur Lovelake [ A Hunger Games OC I created purely out of boredom, but then wrote a romance with Haymitch I've fawned over forever <33 ] - Hunger Games ( OC )

Severus Snape [ An almost half a decade lasting obsession, and I'm still not done with him <3 ] - Harry Potter

Baron Zemo [ A man whom I will never be bored of writing.. God bless me. ] - MCU / Marvel

--

If anyone wishes to write with my muses, dm me !! I need to write a surplus of all my beloveds.

[miss---lu]

Links don’t seem to be working on my page 🤷‍♀️

Don’t know why

But here are the hashtags in one place so you can find stuff.

[dizzyduck44]

You can’t ctrl alt delete this

I am beyond angry at this point.

If it’s to be believed Red Bull are looking to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese GP in 2 weeks time, with VCARB allegedly looking to acquire Franco Colapinto from Alpine, leaving Liam without a drive in F1.

I’m sorry. Red Bull kindly get fucked!!!!

This is a problem of Red Bull’s own making and dates back about a decade and MULTIPLE wrong decisions.

Firstly in 2023 there should have been no Nyck De Vries, there should have been no fairytale set up for Daniel Ricciardo. De Vries wasn’t ready, period, and Daniel really needed a bit longer to build the hunger to come back. However Liam was more than ready and willing. The fact he wasn’t automatically given the 2023 Alpha Tauri seat still boggles my brain now. The man had been damn unlucky not to be an F2, a DTM and a Super Formula Champion. With the right guidance he held more potential than any other rookie since the 2019 trio of Alex, Lando and George.

It was chance (and bad luck for Danny Ric) that got him in the car in 2023. But his arrival in 2024 in the team was in a lot of ways justified.

I will freely admit that when he was given the Red Bull’s seat I was Team Yuki, but the more I read about the reasoning why, I understood it and accepted it. Seeing him in the F1 introductions video, he was so excited to get going.

And after two races Red Bull want to pull the plug!!!

To say he hasn’t been given a chance is a wild understatement. I bet he doesn’t even fully remember everyone’s name yet! His press pen interviews are heart breaking. If Red Bull aren’t happy at this point they can only blame themselves!

Yes we have long known the team is built around Max. The car is built to suit Max and the quest to get a second driver who can drive the damn thing has dominated the last 8 years of F1.

Trouble is that quest, chased Daniel, (who saw this coming), out the door. It forced them to bin off Alex in favour of Sergio, who gave it a damn good go, even won races in it.

When Checo started drowning last year, Carlos was right there. He was holding out for them and they didn’t bite.

But in a week where McLaren and Lando have highlighted the dangers of a driver wanting a car that suits his driving style alone, ultimately effecting the performance of the car, the irony is deafening.

Because the one driver who has said multiple times he likes his car set up the same as Max is Lando! His natural driving style is similar to Max’s. We’ve never seen it because the McLaren doesn’t support it!

And Lando was on Red Bull’s radar a decade ago! Helmut Marko met with a shy quiet Lando and because he didn’t know insanely complicated facts about his F3 car, he compared him to Max and decided he wouldn’t be worth their time.

By 2018 when they were running out of drivers, again Helmut (beginning to see he may have made an error) offered Lando a seat in F1 at Toro Rosso. McLaren were wise to it though and offered him a seat with them for 2019, which they had already extended by early 2020.

Since then both Lando and Red Bull have admitted they have talked quite a few times. By 2021 I think Christian had worked out what an epic eff up Helmut had caused the team at the first meeting with Lando. More importantly, Max likes him and they get on well, which would be great for marketing. Trouble is the sticking point for Lando has always been, I will not be a number 2 driver to Max. It’s equal opportunity till it’s mathematically impossible or what’s the point of me being here. Something, probably something buried in Max’s contract has meant Red Bull refuses to offer that term.

Which leads us to here. They have effectively retired Checo and Danny Ric, Alex is settled at Williams with Carlos, who they let walk away. Lando is preparing to fight for both championships with McLaren, McLaren and Ferrari have duos with championship winning potential and Liam is who Red Bull chose.

At this point stop looking for the quick fix. You can’t fix a decade of mistakes in two races by simply shuffling your drivers around. This is a problem Red Bull have created themselves. Liam deserves far far better, but the VERY LEAST he deserves is a fair chance.

And while we are at it, let’s start admitting some of those mistakes, because yes you have let the car and situation get to this state, but you’ve happily let Max take the blame for ALL of this. “Well Max can drive it”, “Max intimidates other drivers”. “Max finds a way to handle it”.

The funniest thing here is, if you know your F1 history there is a huge reason McLaren will not change their car to suit Lando. It’s because 15 years ago they did exactly that for Fernando Alonso. And guess what? No one else could drive the damn thing! It’s taken McLaren 7 years to unpick the DNA in that car that made them so damn uncompetitive. Because in a cost cap you can’t just start from scratch all over again.

So Red Bull, binning Liam for Yuki, after sacking Checo, ignoring Carlos, abandoning Daniel, disregarding Alex, ghosted Liam in ‘23 and underestimating Lando will not fix your problem. It will just make you look like bastards with zero plan of how you get yourself out this mess! And good luck explaining that to Ford!

[gremlin-girly]

Kinktober Day 5

Main Kink(s): Discipline, dominance, face fucking, spanking

Pairing: Dom!Zemo x f!Sub!Reader

Tags/Warnings:  SMUT, Discipline, dominance, face fucking, oral (m receiving), dubcon at the start but it's consensual overall, spanking, vaginal fingering, edging/denied orgasm, gagging/choking, drooling, cum swallowing, pet names (draga, sweets, good girl), use of titles (baron/sir), hair pulling, praise

Not beta read

Summary: After annoying your lover all day, he takes his time to teach you a lesson you won’t forget.

Word Count: 1.9k

Draga = dear/darling/honey (depending on what translation you want to follow!)

As always I do not give permission for my work to be reposted, translated or copied. My warnings are non-exhaustive (even though I do try to capture everything) but please read at your own risk. I am not responsible for your content consumption.

I hope you enjoy; comments, likes and reblogs are always welcome!

A/N: My little Sokovian delight - I will need to come back and proof-read this at some point but I hope you enjoy! - Love, Grem x

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

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“Draga,” he growls through gritted teeth. “Come here. Now.”

Zemo had been pent up in his office all day and you were bored. So bored you had annoyed him on several occasions; asking if he wanted tea, snacks, lunch, you. Each offer he’d refused with increasing frustration (and difficulty) and your usually calm and sweet boyfriend was gripping his silver ballpoint so hard it hurt. When you came in for the final time, clothes draped over your arm as you tentatively asked if he'd seen your walking boots, lightning crackled in his eyes and thunder rumbling in his voice.

"Yes, sweets?" You don't mean to sound so nervous. Shuffling the clothes on your arm, you give him a sheepish smile. He doesn't smile back.

You shuffle into the room in the lingerie you had worn to entice him last time you entered, head hung with guilt, looking pitifully at your feet. Zemo leaned back into his chair to look at you, his eyes didn’t roam over your body with that tender gaze you’d come to know and love but rather a hunger and ire you’d not seen before. Nevertheless, you could feel yourself growing hot and bothered under his gaze.

“Bend over.”

You look at him, wide eyed. The stern, icy look he returned told you he was 100% serious.

"But I was-"

"Drop the clothes and bend over. I won't ask again." His tone is clipped, agitated. There's a delicious tingle that runs down your back that urges you to listen to him, as does the pulse between your legs. Your clothes fall with a soft thump to the floor at your feet and with shaky exhale, you turned and bent over the oak desk shivering when the cold wood met the flimsy material of your lingerie.

“Cross your arms over your back.”

“Do. Not. Move.”

His voice was thick with lust but as much as you wanted to throw your arms around him, something told you it would be hell if you disobeyed his order. Whether the hell implied was a good or bad thing, you couldn't quite tell.

Doing as commanded, you crossed your arms over your back slowly and awaited further instruction – or the praise you were so used to. When the praise didn’t come, you were about to speak, but a harsh smack across the cheek of your ass sucked all of the air out of your lungs to a mere squeak.

You stiffened, subconsciously obeying his words. Helmut had never sounded so... angry. But God, it was doing things to you that you never thought you’d enjoy.

Smack.

You whimper again, body jerking forward with the force. You can barely think before there’s another to the same cheek.

Smack.

The silence in the room save for your spanks makes your cheeks flush with shame and your clit throb.

Smack.

You breathe a sigh of relief, thinking it’s over. Just before you move though, another sharp smack hits your other other ass cheek. It’s such a surprise that this time you do yelp out – not that it deters Zemo. Another three harsh smacks later and your lip is quivering from the sting of your ass-cheeks.

“Look at me,” Zemo says coolly after a short sigh. You turn your head, remaining bent, looking up at him with your cheek against the desk. His face was a little softer now, but his pupils were blown almost black. You press your thighs together to ease the heat that had grown between your legs at your spanking, looking up at him with glassy, pleading eyes. Looking so utterly pitiful and feeling utterly horny.

“You should know better than to interrupt me.” He huffs, his hands moving in delicate circles over the red marks of your cheeks, making you whimper quietly.

“’M sorry.” You mumble into the wood. You are sorry – but not that sorry. You’ve discovered something about yourself that you can’t wait to explore further with Zemo and your lover seems to know that too.

A smirk tugs at his lips, widening into a grin when he pulls the lacy fabric of your panties away from your ass and down to your knees. You gasp loudly at the sensation of cool air and the quick removal of fabric from your pussy. Zemo chuckles.

“Pretty little draga,” He coos, slipping a finger through your folds easily, curling it at just the right angle to make you squirm. Your back arches and you sigh breathily at the intrusion but Zemo’s other hand presses into the square of your back; pushing you back onto his desk. He clicks his tongue and quickens his pace, knowing exactly how to work your pussy to get you to the edge. You don’t have to look to know he’s smirking as he watches how you react to him.

You clench around him when he adds another finger, moaning unashamedly as he drives you closer and closer still to your impending orgasm. His office is filled with your sweet moans and whines and although you are being punished for interrupting him, you can’t help but feel that this is a welcome distraction for you both.

“That’s it, draga,” Zemo purrs to you as your pussy sucks in his fingers and your eyes roll back. “You like this, do you? Being such a pretty slut for your baron.”

 You nod against the desk,  paper crinkling under you. You're so close to the edge you're euphoric, unable to think past cumming over your baron's fingers.

Zemo’s voice is smooth and sultry when he follows up with, “Are you going to cum for me?”

“Yes-sir.” You manage thickly, on the verge of release, stars prickling at the edges of your vision. You're so, so close and your pussy clenches around his fingers but when he pulls back, he removes them completely. You whimper at the emptiness, pussy clenching around nothing, and you blink the stars in your eyes away as your almost-orgasm dissipates. You turn your head painfully to frown up at him with a huff. All you receive in return is a raised eyebrow and a smirk. 

“Ah, bad girls are not rewarded.” He states stepping back from your flushed ass-cheeks and sitting back into his chair. “On your knees, draga.”

Your legs wobble as you move from the desk, kneeling carefully in front of him. You wince slightly when your heels press into your abused cheeks, and shift slightly, hoping you're not sat on your heels for long. You look up from between his legs, eyes blown and half lidded, watching him unbuckle his belt and free his hard length. Your eyes don't quite know where to look, flickering between holding his gaze and watching him gently pump his cock. You lick your lips without thought as you catch a glance of his thumb brush over the head, swiping at the pre-cum that had gathered there with his index finger.

Zemo chuckles low in his throat and offers his finger to you wordlessly, watching you lean up to take it into your mouth, licking it clean with a hum of satisfaction. His pre-cum is mingled with the taste of your pussy and you moan into his hand.

His free hand knots in your hair at the root, tugging gently to guide your face closer to his cock, slipping his index finger from your mouth. You follow the wordless instruction, heart thrumming with excitement as the tip of Zemo's cock taps against your bottom lip. You part your lips in anticipation, but there's a harsher tug on your hair that makes you whimper and look up to meet Zemo's eyes.

"That's my good girl," Zemo's head falls back onto the chair, with a hushed sigh. As you move to raise your head, Zemo's hand in your hair halts you. You hum questioningly around his cock and you can feel him twitch against your tongue. Your squeak of surprise when he thrusts into your mouth is muffled around his cock and you quickly catch on to what he's planning.

"I want you to tap my leg three times if it gets too much," he murmurs. The contrast between his caring tone and the hoarseness of his voice makes your heart beat kick up another notch. Even though you were willing, and horny, enough to do whatever he asked; both the reminder that he cared for you and that he desired you so much it made it hard to talk, stirred a warmth in your core. You go to nod your head but Zemo tsks.

"Use your voice, draga."

You look up through your eyelashes at him. "Yes sir."

Zemo inhales sharply, his eyes not leaving yours as you take his hard length into his mouth. He tastes slightly salty but it's with the familiar spiced scent of his aftershave you loved, and you take a deep inhale through your nose as you reach the base of his cock.

"Oh, draga, you are perfect." He praises softly, guiding you back to his wet cock. You take him easier this time, knowing what to expect. You moan and hum around his cock when he hits the back of your throat earnestly, enjoying the quiet moans you receive in response. You feel how his cock throbs against your tongue as he fucks your throat knowing he's close to his climax. His thrusting falters slightly, his moans become more ragged and you know exactly what will push him over that edge. With half lidded, cock-drunk eyes gazing up at him, you bob your head to meet his thrusts.

Zemo had enjoyed your throat before and this time, although under new and exciting circumstances, would be no different. You relax your throat and swirl patterns against the velvet skin before Zemo groans and thrusts faster. The sounds you make are garbled, the lack of oxygen making your eyes bleary, and just when you think you'll need to tap out - your Zemo pulls your hair back roughly, allowing you to gasp unashamedly for air. There's drool coming from your mouth and you take notice of a string of spit still connected to your lover's cock and your mouth. You can feel your core tighten around nothing and wetness pools when you look up to see Zemo looking down at you with a flushed expression of pride.

Once your panting subsides to short breaths of excitement, you open your mouth wider, offering it to him again.

You know you're doing something right because Zemo's hand tightens in your hair but he doesn't stop you. Instead, he grunts praises and with a long, stuttering groan, cums down your throat. Your immediately ripped from his softening length, and you swallow hard, gulping down whatever cum was left in your mouth so you can breathe again. Your breathing is ragged and laboured, as is Zemo's, and you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand lazily with a smirk.

Zemo manages an appreciative smile, offering you his hand and helping you to your feet, tugging you onto his lap and wrapping his arms around you, as you catch your breaths.

"Are you okay, my love?" He asks tentatively, brushing wisps of hair from you face to peck at your lips.

"Yes, Helmut I'm okay." You reassure him, albeit a little hoarsely, your own arms wrapping around his neck. You smile at him. "Sorry for interupting. Again."

Zemo smiles back at you. "I don't think you're that sorry but you are forgiven. " His eyes narrow teasingly. "For now."

"Shall I get us the tea?" You offer, pecking his lips sweetly. Zemo's arms tighten around you, pulling you back into his chest as he relaxes into the plush leather chair.

"In a moment draga," He sighs softly, his eyes fluttering closed as he buries his face into your neck. "I'm not quite done with you yet."

[prpfz]

🌸 I am a 21+ roleplayer and have recently gone head-first back into my love for certain fandoms that I would love to find some partners to roleplay with! At the moment, I'm mostly looking for canon x canon. I would consider oc x canon or oc x oc depending on the plot and pairing. ✶ Marvel characters I'd like to write are: Wade Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Illyana Rasputin, Vannessa Carlysle, Brunnhilde, Sigyn, Druig, Helmut Zemo, Harley Keener, and more. ✶ Stranger Things characters I'd like to write are: Steve Harrington, Henry Creel, Kali Prasad, Lucas Sinclair, Barb Holland, and more. ✶ The Hunger Games characters I'd like to write are: Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, Haymitch Abernathy, Rue, Johanna Mason, and more. ✶ MISC. Fandoms I'd like to write in: IT, The Umbrella Academy, Community, Breaking Bad, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Walking Dead, and more. I'm open to platonic or romantic dynamics and any gendered pairing (mxf, mxm, fxf, nbxm, poly, etc.)! I unfortunately can not guarantee daily or every other day replies at the moment with my work + school schedule. My writing style ranges from literate to novella depending on the thread and I'm looking for 18+ writing partners!

give a like and anon will get back to you

[relleytrots]

8, 10, and 28 please?

8. Describe your worst Messy Critical and/ or Bestial Failure that you've played/ seen/ suffered.

Oh, gawd. It's a toss-up.

As a Storyteller, it's the one I inflicted on Finlay in the last Wild Roses story, as narrated by @gwenynen-bach in her answer to this 'un - "who said anything about Superficial damage?" I said, to the mounting horror of poor Scotty who collapsed out of webcam view, represented only by a desperate middle finger.

As a player, it's... Riley. Riley has this bad habit of causing Masquerade breaches during what should be low-key investigation-type activities. For example: visiting a parish church in North London that happens to boast a genuine relic, freaking the hell out and fear frenzying right in front of the priest, leading to a kidnap and awful blackmail/intimidation/interrogation attempt by a Ravnos with no high ground to occupy whatsoever.

The last session almost saw a repeat performance when Riley's Beast, enraged by the proximity of greasy German hands that would not stop touching them or their new suit, decided to take it out on a member of the gentleman's club staff. I think I could have gone incredibly hard here, and part of me regrets not taking it out on Helmut... but he's our favourite joke character, and I'm self-conscious about how much spotlight I tend to hog with Riley, and we still haven't dealt with the repercussions of Riley's last cock-up (it's a large group with scheduling trouble, so the game moves quite slowly).

Sometimes you have to no-sell a moment in game because the pace and presence of the group aren't right for it. I'd kinda like to play Riley in a smaller and more intimate setting, another time... they don't quite work in the space they're in.

Honourable mention to Penny's absolute crash and burn diablerie attempt. It's not strictly a Bestial Failure, as you don't roll Hunger when Humanity's in the pool, but it's certainly the most impactful failure I've had as a player. Not only did she flub the diablerie she'd been hyping up to her prospective recruits - she dropped four Humanity in the process and spent the next session and a half near-catatonic while I worked out how the hell to even play her now that had happened.

10. What's been your favourite interaction throughout your VtM experiences? Can be in game, playing video games.. anything.

The one I've been dining out on for decades at this point is the one about the time my friend and teenage crush slapped my glasses clean off my face for tricking her into joining the Camarilla. She's Sabbat for life, see, and cut her teeth in my two-year Victorian Sabbat chronicle.

I should point out that we had the kind of friendship where this sort of behaviour was considered comedy gold rather than a massive red flag and cause for immediate suspension of play. I've become a lot more fragile in my old age. Also, I'd have happily let her slap any portion of my anatomy she wanted to, hur hur hur.

28. What is your sect?

I'm going to answer this one in its "what is your dream game?" context very soon, so let me step outside a little and say that I'm probably an Anarch sympathiser. Despite the Movement's lack of coherency, it's aligned with the kind of truth-to-power anti-authoritarian politics I hold in real life. I despair of them actually achieving anything - but then, these are vampires, for whom the adage that the Left will eat itself can be taken very literally.

[rickybaby]

honestly put him in the red bull and he will crumble, he thinks he is all that when in a matter of fact he is a mid driver. His cocky and arrogant attitude wouldn’t last a second, he would quickly become another replaceable driver

Listen as much as I am a hater to my core, I have to realistically admit that Lawson did have a strong race. Maybe he’s actually the next max verstappen maybe he’s not - I don’t know. But the hunger games helmut and Christian are trying to play with those seats will end up ruining his and Yuki’s chance at a fairly reasonable career.

But as have been pointed out, he’s a little bit too cocky and I am after all a hater at my core, please do stick him in the red bull so that I can see him crash and burn on an even bigger scale

[canonrpfinder]

I am a 21+ roleplayer and have recently gone head-first back into my love for certain fandoms that I would love to find some partners to roleplay with! ✶ Marvel characters I'd like to write are: Wade Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Illyana Rasputin, Vannessa Carlysle, Brunnhilde, Sigyn, Druig, Helmut Zemo, Harley Keener, and more. ✶ Stranger Things characters I'd like to write are: Steve Harrington, Henry Creel, Kali Prasad, Lucas Sinclair, Barb Holland, and more. ✶ The Hunger Games characters I'd like to write are: Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, Haymitch Abernathy, Rue, Johanna Mason, and more. ✶ MISC. Fandoms I'd like to write in: IT, The Umbrella Academy, Community, Breaking Bad, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Walking Dead, and more. I'm open to platonic or romantic dynamics and any gendered pairing (mxf, mxm, fxf, nbxm, poly, etc.)! I unfortunately can not guarantee daily or every other day replies at the moment with my work + school schedule. My writing style ranges from literate to novella depending on the thread and I'm looking for 18+ writing partners!

✒️

[novella-writers]

I am a 21+ roleplayer and have recently gone head-first back into my love for certain fandoms that I would love to find some partners to roleplay with! At the moment, I'm mostly looking for canon x canon. I would consider oc x canon or oc x oc depending on the plot and pairing. ✶ Marvel characters I'd like to write are: Wade Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Illyana Rasputin, Vannessa Carlysle, Brunnhilde, Sigyn, Druig, Helmut Zemo, Harley Keener, and more. ✶ Stranger Things characters I'd like to write are: Steve Harrington, Henry Creel, Kali Prasad, Lucas Sinclair, Barb Holland, and more. ✶ The Hunger Games characters I'd like to write are: Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, Haymitch Abernathy, Rue, Johanna Mason, and more. ✶ MISC. Fandoms I'd like to write in: IT, The Umbrella Academy, Community, Breaking Bad, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Walking Dead, and more. I'm open to platonic or romantic dynamics and any gendered pairing (mxf, mxm, fxf, nbxm, poly, etc.)! I unfortunately can not guarantee daily or every other day replies at the moment with my work + school schedule. I'm looking for 18+ writing partners!

Like if interested!

[dizzyduck44]

How 24 hours can change a lot in F1

Right let’s get into this mess, though talk about an ever developing story.

Red Bull managed to send warning shots off to a quarter of the grid in the space of about 6 hours, yet to understand the full effect you can’t even go chronologically.

Nyck

Following Daniel Ricciardo’s tyre test at Silverstone on Tuesday it is now reported that having seen the timings (we’ll come back to that) Christian rang Helmut Marko halfway through who in turn immediately fired Nyck De Vries (via his manager) and gave his spot to Daniel.

Nyck has had a nightmare time this season. The car is awful, the support has been non-existent and 10 races is nothing. We can’t say it’s unexpected, the Red Bull family have shown multiple people the door mid season, lest us not forget Max Verstappen was a mid season replacement at Red Bull. It became that common that it manifested itself in Lando’s head in his first year at McLaren that if he didn’t perform he could be gone mid season.

Nyck’s lack of results, pace and collection of penalties (Kevin isn’t going to miss you) has been confounded by the fact his two fellow rookies are swimming. Logan has shown genuine improvement and James Vowles was very vocal this weekend about how Logan is doing exactly what is expected of him. Meanwhile over at McLaren, well even if you take out this last weekend’s impressive results, Oscar had points, made Q3 a few times and had a CEO, a team principal and teammate who wouldn’t shut up about how well he was doing. The contrast couldn’t be bigger.

Nyck hasn’t really been given a fair shot in any aspect. Time on the grid, getting to know the team, support from his team. Then again remember we were told he turned up and told the engineers everything wrong with the car? Maybe his card has been marked for a while.

What I will say is that Nyck may be the first driver Red Bull has offed and told everyone that they didn’t really want him in the first place! I mean I’m sure Alex Albon might have felt it in 2019 when they had aggressively gone after Lando, to then hire Alex at the last minute. However I’m sure his promotion to the big team to replace Pierre killed off his fears. Nyck didn’t get that redemption arc.

Nyck has now said that his understanding was that he would be in the Red Bull alongside Max next year. Which leads us onto

Daniel

I have been critical of Daniel for the last 18 months, with good reason as a McLaren fan. The passion in the car was gone, he had worked himself up to a point where even if he could get the best out of the McLaren, he had told himself he couldn’t. He was a man very much in need of a break.

I’d say it took maybe 4 races before he wanted back. The hunger was back, he realised these were his people. He had positioned himself In such a way that there was a clear road back for him, but at the same time if being away from it was right then he could move away slowly.

I’ve no issue with him having a second shot. I think anyone who had seen him through his career felt that McLaren would have been a sad way for him to sign off. That being said, he has just tested the best car on the grid. However he will be racing for Alpha Tauri. Again see comment above about the issues Nyck had with that car.

This car will be significantly worse than the McLaren he has struggled with for the last two years. And he is betting his future career in F1 on this!😬😬😬 (Why Daniel? Why?)

He simply has to beat his teammate. He has to. I know the excuses Daniel fans come up with, I’ve heard them on repeat for the last two years, his teammate is more familiar with the car. The team screwed him over. It was the tyres. Literally none of that will wash with Marko.

This might be the most high risk move of Daniel’s career because it’s either excel or there is the door. Which leads us to

Yuki

As those who have followed me for a while may have noticed, I have a soft spot for Yuki. Heaps of talent with an express rise through the ranks (seriously he makes Lando and Oscar look like they took their time), the downside being he hadn’t fully matured and didn’t have a complete grasp of English when he hit F1, but was suddenly expected to cope.

There has been improvement, no one can deny this, but now he is being measured against Daniel. No offence Pierre, the bar just got raised.

This is do or die for Yuki. He wants to be alongside Max. I’ve no doubt he would do great things in that Red Bull, but now he has to stand out against Danny Ric. So not only has the bar been raised but the goal has been moved as well.

Yuki was a seat push from Honda. He must feel the pressure on his shoulders now, especially as every year he expects to be shown the door. He must see that Daniel has been placed alongside him for one reason and one reason only, the same reason he has been fighting his guts out. The second Red Bull seat.

Sergio

This was meant to be it for Sergio. After years of being no one’s first choice, ousted from McLaren, forced to put Force India into administration to save them, for Racing Point/Aston Martin to show him the door. Sergio has had a tough career. Once considered the greatest balance to Max they had found, it’s clear that the two of them are not the best of buddies and his results are less than inspiring, despite his comeback in races being epic (even if I did chuckle that a few races ago when he couldn’t get past Lando I could imagine Daniel cheering the Brit on).

So how do you get the old Checo back who will bring you the results? Announce Lando is the perfect fit for Red Bull and then put Daniel in the sister car just down the pitlane from him all within the same morning. Yeah, that’ll work a treat, have an early lunch!

Everyone knows that Daniel is in that seat as a warning to Checo. Get your finger out otherwise your replacement is literally a few feet away. I’m not sure if they are looking for compliance or results anymore but the whole pitlane heard this warning. We will swap you out in a heartbeat, because

Lando

As a Lando girl I’m gonna say something controversial here. I have no doubt in my mind that after his “Max spoils everything” dig on Saturday, Max did not give much of a fight off the line on Sunday to let Lando lead his home Grand Prix, safe in the knowledge he would pass him, which he did and then Lando came back into his DRS range and everyone at Red Bull had kittens! The Ferrari they expect a fight, they know Mercedes will hunt them as best as they can, they have the legs on the Astons. Who but 50p in the McLarens?

Lando has been the bone of contention for Red Bull for about 6 years. Dismissed by Marko as a youngster as not as good as Max, yet at least once a year Christian starts the “but I want that one” charm offensive on Lando. I’m not saying that Marko’s current assessment is wrong but to me there is only one reason to bring Lando to Red Bull, to light a fire under Max. Because let’s not assume they aren’t trying to pressure Max.

Tyre testing

Now a bit of confused reporting here causes anxiety for Sergio, Lando and Max. It was first reported that Daniel’s testing time were quick enough to put him on the front row at Silverstone. In other words, he really is that good Sergio and Max and well you’re not that impressive after all Lando. However Chris Medland is now reporting Daniel was .7 off Max’s pole time, which would have put him behind both McLarens, both Ferraris and both Mercedes. Read from that what you want, who’s agenda that serves.

Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Zane Maloney

Three drivers that you would think had designs on that second Red Bull seat or Alpha Tauri seat.

My understanding is that it was felt Lawson wasn’t quite ready for the AT seat at the start of the year and was packed off to Japan to see how he got on in Super Formula. He already has the super licence so this would be about experience. Currently second in the championship he doesn’t want to give up a chance of winning. However if he does win and there is still no F1 seat as they swapped Daniel and Sergio, kept Yuki and are trying to chat up Lando (again), he will begin to feel it doesn’t matter what he does.

Alex has kept his ties with Red Bull, probably due to the drinks company being 50%Thai owned, but with the stellar job he’s doing at Williams, he must have thought that there was a chance Red Bull might want him back at some point.

Finally poor Zane Maloney. Imagine being in F2, named as a Red Bull reserve driver and realising that there will need to be a blood bath if you have any hope of getting into an F1 seat at this rate. Interestingly Zane shares a management team with Lando and they were seen with Helmut this weekend.

So in conclusion, 6 F1 drivers and both of your reserves in the space of 24 hours. Take a bow, that headfuck is impressive by anyone’s standards.

I’m amazed he didn’t take a swipe at Lewis and try and kick Roscoe on the way out.

As you might have guessed by now, this is not a Helmut Marko fan account!

[springw6ter]

Hi (nyfw thoughts)

Ok so first I just want to say that this fashion week was so boring and really sums up the kind of good idea drought we’re living in. BUT there was a fair share of discussion over some things so! instead of trying to fit my thoughts about everything on the app formerly known as twitter, I’m just gonna tell y’all here.

Shows talked about in this post; Proenza Schouler, Eckhaus Latta, AREA, Luar, Helmut Lang, Elena Velez and Tory Burch

Proenza Schouler

There’s no way Proenza was going to ruffle any feathers this season. They have a loyal following (which I’m sure has nothing to do with the celebrity affiliations of the brand) and a consistent history of people pleasing so they’ll always get their praise from Vogue. They dropped a new monogram which is the only “newness” they wanted to introduce. Jack McCollough said they wanted to continue last seasons narrative and they sure did! (Only thing different was no Sevigny). The clothes are obviously well made and evoke wealth in that special kind of iykyk way. Many people said this looked more like Helmut Lang than Helmut lang did (I’ll get to that later) and they’re not entirely wrong. Not gonna act like I wouldn’t wear this collection but definitely nothing groundbreaking.

Eckhaus Latta

Eckhaus latta is a brand that has always had a special place in my heart (maybe because I’m from the city that the two designers met and started the brand together in)(maybe). My style has definitely evolved since I first became aware of the brand but I’m always interested in what they’re doing. This season they got experimental! They worked with a 3D printing company named “Unspun” where they came up with jeans made from all different materials like hardware store twine and ikea plastic bags. The way they combined tech innovation and sustainability is not just commendable, it’s very forward thinking, which is a staple in the brands identity. With that being said some of the collection felt directionless in comparison to all of the innovation. The sheer (which dawned their new EL monogram) was very MNZ store to me but not in a bad way. I like that they’re not trying to be trendy and come up with new things however a-lot of brands were doing that so it makes me wonder if that’s a good thing or not.

AREA

I loved their modern Stone Age ladies. I think it was one of the only luxury focused shows where I was like wow! This is different. The fur printed coats were so gaudy and held its shape in the way good ol’ fur coats used to. I think this collection was really cohesive, adventurous, new. Everyone saw Saweetie wear it at the VMAs and even the unfashionable general public could see the yabba dabba reference. The prehistoric influence was chosen because as Piotrek Panscyzk said “pelts and bones were the first things humans had to build an identity around”. There’s definitely a case for a narrative about how much luxury (the hunger, the status) mirrors pre historic, pre civilized behaviors.

Luar

Raul Lopez is a diamond. This collection kind of came of as a continuation of last season as well but I like this brand so much that it feels good to me. I feel like Raul is constantly playing with this really restrictive, God-fearing way of being and an inhibition-less eternality. Padded shoulders, the top draped from the eyewear, perfect collared shirts, jeans and leather, it had all the perfect Luar moments for me. No notes.

Ok.. now on to the “controversial” shows

Helmut Lang

When Peter Do was announced as the new creative director of Helmut Lang, everyone rejoiced. Why? His strengths as a designer seemed like a natural fit for the brand. Expert tailoring, black and white as a main color palette, maybe a little overlap in philosophy.. but as the outfits came out people’s reactions… were… unfavorable to say the least. People saw the reference to key Lang moments like seat belt bondage, the use of Ocean Vuongs poetry (which I felt was terribly misunderstood), the classic button up and jeans as disappointing instead of nostalgic. For me, personally, I think everyone’s expectations were rooted in something that Peter Do could not have delivered. That expectation being Helmut Lang himself. People saw Do as the second-coming and that’s just the truth but where do we draw the line with our expectations on reliving the past and how do we honor the kind of openness necessary to evolution? I myself had to sit with the collection and came to the conclusion that maybe Peter is just defining a clear end to the Helmut era of yesterday and the start of his own journey now. After closely looking at the collection and it’s details you can see how wonderful the clothes really are. It is everyone’s responsibility to question and examine the things they “care” about and I think this fashion public is not patient enough for that. It wasn’t the greatest debut but it also wasn’t the worst. Anyway we’ll see what comes next.

Elena Velez

Mud gate ss24! Since her NYT article last year, people have been really fed up with Elena (I learned only after the mud fight started to circulate) and she doesn’t really seem to mind, she seems to like it actually. She argues online, she argues IN lines, she doesn’t pay people adequately and the list apparently goes on and on. This collection is called “the longhouse” and in her press release she says a lot of things about the commercialization, sanitization, condemning and control of womanhood, she talks about anti-heroines and contemporary female evil (which she loves to embody I guess) and she says that this show was ritualistic catharsis from oversocialization. I think it’s pretentious when someone has to use so many complex, institutionalized words to convey their message. She’s speaking in code. To be honest I like her clothes but I don’t think her designs are that original. I really want to raise the question who does her message benefit? We should all be allowed our multiplicity in this life, that’s true, but being a bad person in practice is something I’m personally not attracted to. I’m a little confused but it is what it is.

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO TORY BURCH!!!!

Who I think should be receiving a cease and desist from Miuccia Prada any moment now. This collection is such a departure from the Tory Burch we all grew up with. This must be that post divorce clarity. I like it! It’s 60s. It’s Prada. It’s miu miu. It’s Tory Burch now too!

If you made it this far I really appreciate you ♡ this was just for ki’s sake. It’s not my most critical thinking to date but there was discussion and I loved that. I wanted to contribute and this was the best way I could think of. Lmk if I should do this again with lfw!!

[teamloyalty]

reading list and tags (sports & theory themed)

[all sport-themed reflective writing is tagged #sports meta] [all of my original posts are tagged #my post] [all excerpts from the reading list are tagged #currently reading] [more specific reading lists are tagged #reading list]

Queerness and masculinity in sport [tag: #queerness in sport] [tag: #masculinity in sport]

David Fleming, "Nothing to See Here: A history of showers in sports" in ESPN The Magazine (July 8, 2014) [link]

Rory Magrath and Eric Anderson, "Football, homosexuality and the English Premier League: A changing cultural relationship" in The English Premier League: A Socio-Cultural Analysis, edited by Richard Elliot (2017)

Michael Messner, Power at Play: Sport and the Problem of Masculinity (1992) [link]

Michael Messner and Donald F. Sabo (eds.), Sport, Men, and the Gender Order: Critical Feminist Perspectives (1990) [link]

Brian Pronger, The Arena of Masculinity: Sports, Homosexuality, and the Meaning of Sex (1991) [tag: #Brian Pronger] [tag: #The Arena of Masculinity]

Don Sabo and Sue Curry Jansen, “Prometheus Unbound: Constructions of Masculinity in the Sports Media,” (1998)

Ocean Vuong, "Reimagining Masculinity" in The Paris Review (June 10, 2019) [link]

Women and Sport [tags: #misogyny in sport (catch-all tag) ; #female athletes ; #wives and girlfriends]

Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot: A Novel (2024) [link]

Steven Ortiz, The Sports Marriage: Women Who Make It Work (2020) [tag: #Steven Ortiz] [tag: #The Sports Marriage]

John M. Sloop, "Riding in Cars Between Men," Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 2, no. 3 (September 2005) [link] [tag: #John Sloop] [tag: #Riding in Cars Between Men]

Motorsport 🏎️ [tag: #motorsport (catch-all tag) ; #women in motosport ; #men and cars]

Women in Motorsport Reading List

Tim Dant, "The Driver-car," Theory, Culture & Society 21: no. 4/5 (2004) [link]

Honorata Jakubowska, "The Awkward Gender Politics of Formula 1 as a Promotional Space: The Issue of 'Grid Girls,'" in The History and Politics of Motor Racing (2023) [link] [tag: #Honorata Jakubowska] [tag: #The Awkward Gender Politics of Formula 1 as a Promotional Space]

Elizabeth Lick, Rashid Bakirov, and Tauheed Ahmad Ramjaun, "Female motorsport fan engagement on social media-based brand communities," Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing 12, no. 1 (2024) [link]

Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder, "Something Less than a Driver: Toward an Understanding of Gendered Bodies in Motorsport," Journal of Sport and Social Issues 33, no. 4 (2009) [link] [tag: #Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder] [tag: #Something Less than a Driver]

Sarah Redshaw, “Articulations of the Car: The Dominant Articulations of Racing and Rally Driving,” Mobilities 2, no. 1 (2007) [link]

John M. Sloop, "Riding in Cars Between Men," Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 2, no. 3 (September 2005) [link] [tag: #John Sloop] [tag: #Riding in Cars Between Men]

Football ⚽ [tag: #football]

Michael Calvin, No Hunger in Paradise: The Players, the Journey, the Dream (2017)

Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life (1992) [link] [tag: #Nick Hornby] [tag: #Fever Pitch]

Michael Park and Kyungmook Lee, "Liability of High Status: Overpayment to Relieve Status Anxiety in the English Premier League," Seoul Journal of Business 27, no. 1 (June 2021).

General sport-related writing [tag: #sports meta][tag: #sports fandom]

Hanif Abdurraqib, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (2024) ☑️ [tag: #hanif abdurraqib] [tag: #there's always this year: on basketball and ascension]

Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, In Praise of Athletic Beauty (2006) [link] [tag: #hans ulrich gumbrecht] [tag: #in praise of athletic beauty]

Adam Kadlac, The Ethics of Sports Fandom (2021) [tag: #adam kadlac] [tag: #the ethics of sports fandom]

David Foster Wallace, "Roger Federer as Religious Experience," in The New York Times (August 20, 2006) [original NYT link] [link without paywall]