#Merchants hate drivers

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

This is what I mean when I say I love my job but it pays fucking nothing. Make no mistake, active time might be the time on a delivery, but Dash Time is the full amount of time I am busy D**rd*shing. It may include me getting ready for work or pausing for lunch, but that's all still WORK to me because I'm exclusively doing things while I work!! Even if I'm being generous and shave off an hour from my Dash Time to say I worked 4.25 hours, this is still only ~$10.25/hr, well below the minimum wage here.

I don't understand why people think it's unacceptable not to tip in a restaurant, but when i get in my own fucking car and use my own fucking gas to deliver expensive ass food to them that suddenly they don't need to tip.

I only stopped when I did today because I ran out of declines (you can only decline 1 order per hour on D**rD*sh when using earn by time) and you can only unassign so many deliveries now, bc if your completion rating falls under 90% you can be deactivated. Mine was 93% and would've dropped it an entire %, and they wanted me to go 18 fucking miles (1 way!!) to deliver something that I could almost guarantee didn't have a tip. It probably would have COST me money to deliver that order.

[midesastremanifiesto]

Why do I feel everything surrounding Carlos is blown out of proportion?? people change jobs, sponsors leave, drivers say things, give interviews, make mistakes on track, crash, change friends and leave their girlfriends and it's normal, or it seems to be normal with everyone except with Carlos. Maybe it happens with other drivers and idk because I don't follow them closely, but with Carlos it seems all it has to have a secret motive, or he has an evil plan. Sometimes things are easier than we think.

[demonslayerunhinged]

how different do you think demon slayer would've been if they had modern stuff like phones, social media, video games, better transportation, T H E R A P Y?

Would there be constant online arguments between the hashira and the upper moons?

Just curious on what you think would happen if this were the case

Hi anon! Sorry for the late reply! Here are my headcanons with a little SaneGiyuu sprinkled in of course.

The Hashiras and the Upper Moons would definitely have Whatsapp chat groups where the Master would call them for meetings, they would discuss about their missions and they would clown on Giyuu 😂

The therapy would be one of those closed room sections where they can rant about their colleagues and missions kinda like the way contestants do in Big Brother or Total Drama Island.

...

The Infinity Castle would be an office similar to how it is in the Gakuen. Akaza is desperate to make Rengoku a demon because he needed a (boy)friend in his toxic workplace.

Kokushibo is the bossy, know-it-all who thinks he's the second boss, he definitely has the company logo as his social media profile pic and talks about putting the company first yada yada yada

Douma is the snake that pretends to be nice to you but talks about you when you're not around, preys on the new female hires, and has a special seat reserved for him in the HR department.

Nakime is the colleague that keeps to herself, does their work, doesn't really talk to anyone and peaces out once it's 5.

Gyokko is the suck up who tries to see how far they can push their nose up the boss's ass to get a promotion or recognition.

Hantengu is the old head that pretends to be incompetent and pitiful so that you'll end up doing all their work

Gyutaro and Daki are the gen-z types that hate the job but need the money, won't stop questioning authority and who you're secretly jealous of because of their gutsy behavior.

Akaza is the only sane one who has an already drafted resignation letter saved on his computer desktop that he wants to submit every Monday or everytime Douma opens his mouth. He copes by scrolling through office/shitty colleague memes, snorting coffee and dreaming up fantasies about the office exploding.

Douma has been banned from the Upper Moon group chat for posting too many memes and Blue Spider lily troll posts.

...

Giyuu constantly forgets the gate code to the Master's mansion when there's a Hashira meeting and when he asks on the group chat the other Hashiras mostly ignore him.

Sanemi dms him and gives him the code after calling him a dumbass.

Gyomei is always posting cat pictures and videos on the group chats.

Tengen takes a selfie during every mission and posts ot on his status.

Giyuu's driver is always late because he is old and always forgets where Giyuu's house is but Giyuu doesn't have the heart to fire him because the driver cares for him like a grandson.

Sanemi drives himself to his missions.

Rengoku always types in capital letters and Obanai is always asking why he's shouting.

Mitsuri has an Instagram where she posts about fashion, her cats and food. Obanai likes every post, he also likes every Mitsuri group chat post no matter how silly it is.

Whenever Rengoku goes on missions, he always visits the restaurants in the area and gives ratings and reviews on Google Maps.

Muichiro, Genya, Kanao, Inosuke, Zenitsu and Tanjiro spend their free time on their shared Minecraft server making cool builds.

Zenitsu screams whenever there's a creeper around, Inosuke just runs towards it like an idiot. He has the highest respawn rate out of any of them.

Tanjiro always greets each of the villagers he encounters, he's even nice to the traveling merchant. He also has a lot of dogs and cats. His base is in the jungle because of the pandas. He likes to explore and collect lots of resources.

Muichiro, Kanao and Inosuke like to explore the caves. Inosuke likes to sneak into Zenitsu's base and steal his stuff. He also has a lot of dogs which he calls the Hoard.

Kanao makes fancy builds and has a lot of xp, food and resource farms because she values efficiency and she always shows off her builds to Shinobu and the butterfly girls. She's the first one in the group to get netherite armor and sword.

Inosuke is banned from several stores and malls especially Walmart.

Sanemi and Obanai play COD together and bully/kill teammates or other players who are misogynistic and shout slurs.

Giyuu saves the Hashira's names formally on his phone but saves Sanemi's with his first name.

Giyuu and Sanemi text each other constantly and Sanemi always asks if he's eaten and offers to cook food for Giyuu at his place.

Shinobu always trolls Giyuu on the groupchat and she's banned from several pharmacies for her questionable requests about poisons but has settled for ordering them from the dark web.

She's currently on a watchlist for her ties to several eco-terrorist groups. She had a channel where she talked about poisons and bombs but it was taken down by YouTube.

She often takes the butterfly girls for ice cream and they have movie nights. Her favorite movie is Jennifer's Body and Mean Girls, least to say Aoi and Kanao are very concerned for her.

Muichiro always has to explain gen-z slang and memes to Gyomei.

Tengen is always posting thirst traps on Instagram along with pictures of his wives.

...

Kokushibo always handles Muzan's Amazon orders. Muzan orders a lot of hair products, he shops at designer stores and has a Sephora membership card.

Gyutaro and Daki are always bullying kids on Roblox and griefing peoples builds on public Minecraft servers.

Gyokko's Instagram page features his pots and 'art pieces', Hantengu likes all his posts.

Akaza listens to Avril Lavigne and posts about his colleagues and how he hates his job on Reddit and Tumblr.

The Infinity Castle wifi password is Muzan4prez set by Douma of course.

Nakime's favorite channel is HGTV because she's always looking for ideas on how to redecorate the Infinity Castle.

Muzan always watches E! especially when the Awards Season comes around. He's especially fond of the Met Gala. His favorite show is Hell's Kitchen.

Kokushibo likes watching the National Geographic channel and NatGeo wild on occasion.

...

The Master always forces Shinobu, Sanemi, Obanai and Giyuu to have professional therapy sessions. He also checks up on them to make sure they go every week and bribes them with movie nights with him.

He always posts motivational quotes and positive messages for the Hashira but isn't above posting memes and troll posts every once in a while. Sanemi likes all of his posts, chats and comments.

...

That's all I can think of for now. The slaying of the demons will be the same, they would still use katanas because they're more efficient than guns.

[madebyrolo]

See you then ᡣ𐭩

Rafe Cameron x reader

she/her

y/n and Rafes first date.

Pt.2

Pouge princess (pt.1)

hints of dark Rafe, mainly soft Rafe

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

It was 4:30pm, y/n and jjs 7 hour shift was done and soon her parents arrived and took over for the night shift.

“Hey how was your guys shift ?” Y/n dad asked while putting on his apron.

“It was fine, pretty hectic towards noon, the tips were amazballs ! I got $48, y/n though…” jj started side eyeing her.

“I got $50 alone from Rafe Cameron.” Y/n said blushing.

“Wards son?” Y/n dad questioned

“That was so sweet of him did you thank him!?” Her mom chimed in

“Yea I did, it was kinda out it the blue”

“Yea that was pretty nice of him..” y/n dad said suspicious

“Ugh handsome and a gentleman. Y/n you thinking what I’m thinking?” She joked with her while she blushed

“Uh no thank you. Hes just one of our finest customers.” Her dad said

“Yea I agree with your dad” jj scoffed

“I don’t need my daughter going off dating a that kind of kook.” He scowled

“Tell me about it” Jj said under his breath

“Hey don’t be mean Rafe isn’t that bad-”

“Y/n he hates pouges. Him and topper always is getting into trouble with John b and I and his fight with pope-”

“Jj that’s enough let’s go. Bye guys I’m headed to John bs see you later” y/n said interrupting jj trying not to create non existent drama between her dad and Rafe

As they walk to her car jj keeps complaining about the boys.

“I don’t see why you can’t just accept the fact he’s a bad guy y/n. All of them are the scum of the kook.” Jj complained

“Just because you and Rafe have problems doesn’t mean we do jay” she said opening the driver side door. She gets in and sits, taking a deep breath from her shift and jjs bickering.

As jj enters the car he opens the glove department grabbing his juul and cart, taking a deep hit. He isn’t an allowed to do it in or around the truck because they don’t want that bad image.

“You’ve seen the after maths of our fights y/n. the amount off times you had to clean me up in john b bathroom can make you a certified emt!?”

“Okay he’s bad jj whatever you say” she said somewhat agreeing. It’s true, she had cleaned up the boy more than 5 times. So much that you had 2 first aide kits. One in your car and under John bs sink.

“But it’s weird though that he tipped $50 was it out of pity?” he said taking another hit

“Yeah a little but I’m not complaining” y/n said starting her car. Jj grabs the aux playing his playlist, the song “Cinderella” by Mac Miller plays. She begins pulling out the parking lot headed towards John bs house.

“I mean from what I noticed, him and topper are there like practically everyday. Like I know I’m only there like 2 times a week or the weekends but everytime I work they’re always there”

“Jj they’re just loyal customers-”

“Yea but don’t get me wrong your foods good, like I would always eat there compared to what I have at home but wouldn’t they get tired of it? They have money they can get like expensive stuff like sushi or whatever” there silence in the car. Y/n sat thinking that he had a point. she’s practically there everyday in the summer and they’re always there.

“Yea you’re onto something” she agreed

“What if they’re spying on us? What if they know about the royal merchant?” Jj squinted looking suspicious

“Jj when have we ever talked about the money or anything related to that at work”

“Yeah you’re right…”

“But that still doesn’t explain why they’re always there” jj soon gasped

“What if your mom was right? What if they have the hots for you? Your things are always out” he said motioning to her breasts .

He said quickly turning towards the girl.

“Jj come on -”

“Nah it couldn’t be that. They hate us and beside they wouldn’t touch, let alone date a pouge” he said with a laugh. For a minute y/n felt offended that he said that.

“Jj what do you mean? Like I wouldn’t even have a chance with him ?” Y/n scoffed rolling her eyes.

“In a way. Like it’s totally not about you but he wouldn’t even step foot in the cut. We’re too poor for him.” He said calmly

“Well I hope you know i can get any guy I want” she said cockily

“Y/n it’s not about you. Your personality, looks or anything. He probably just wants to date someone with a trust fund or a matching black card.” Jj say defending himself

“Let’s just drop it alright”

“They would be lucky you bag you y/n” he said taking a hit and hitting her shoulder.

After a couple minutes they reached John bs chateau. She parked in his makeshift driveway and they went inside to the back porch finding them all there.

“What up” Jj say before crashing down on the only empty chair.

“Hey guys how was your shift?” Kiara asked

“Busy but money is money so” y/n said sitting in the arm chair of the couch beside John b

“Rafe and topper were there again.” Jj complained

“Again? Don’t you get tired of complaining ever jay?” Y/n throwing her head back.

“Guys y/n thinks Rafe isn’t a bad guy”

“Who would ever think that” Sarah said walking in. Y/n gets off the arm chair letting her sit in John bs lap.

“Me” y/n said with a flat smile

“If Sarah his own sister for crying out loud, would agree why wouldn’t you?” Jj argued

“I don’t know, like I get the sibling hatred and your guys drama but I’ve never met him. I wouldn’t want to stick him to what other people say. What if people did that about us ?”

“They do y/n” Pope said.

“Yeah so you know how it feels. I want to at least have an interaction with him before I put a label on. Let’s just stop alright I’ve had this argument already.” and with that they just put on a movie ignoring the tension between the two.

Halfway through the movie she got a notification on her phone. She pulls it out to check and sees it’s from a random number. She ignores it knowing it’s probably spam but then there’s another ding. She takes it out and opens up the messages.

“Hey”

“I’ve been waiting for you to text me pouge princess.”

Rafe.

“How’d you get my number?”

“I have my ways.”

Weird. The only contact she had were the pouges, parents and Sarah. He must’ve looked through her phone.

“Kinda weird but I like it”

she texted back with a small giggle.

“Who you texting y/n” pope asked

“Oh it’s just my dad. He sent a stupid meme” she said rolling her eyes playfully. She looked back the screen reading his reply

“You love crazy or what?”

“Yes it’s hot”

she replied knowing she would regret it later.

“Well you’re in for a ride. Wanna hang out tn? I’ll pick you up.”

“Yes I’ll love too.”

“Your place 7:00 See you then princess”

With the clock reading 6:22 she got up from the floor and got her bag.

“Uh my dad needs me at the truck so I gotta go. Text me what we’re doing tomorrow. Bye guys” she said pacing to the front door while they yelled their goodbyes.

She gets in her car and heads home. By the time she got there it was 6:45. She quickly headed inside and went straight to her room. She looked though her closet because all she had was on was of John bs shirt she put on after jj spilled cheese on hers. She was nervous on what to wear, this was her first date in a while. Sure she had her little situation ships but she felt nervous. She decided on a black denim mini skirt and blue tube top with her black adidas superstars. She quickly fixed her hair fluffing it and put her favorite scent on. Soon she got a text from Rafe

“I’m outside”

She quickly grabbed her bag and put on her lipgloss and went out the door. She saw his truck in her drive way then she walked to the passenger door. Before she could open it Rafe leaned over the center console and opened it for her from inside.

“Ah thank you Rafe. Such a gentlemen.” Y/n joked

“Chivalry isn’t dead princess” Rafe replied

“So what are we gonna do?” She asked

“Um I don’t sure I didn’t really have a plan. I was just hoping to hang out” he said with a small smile

“What about froyo ?” Y/n offered

“Yea sure I’m down. Here’s the aux, your tonight’s dj” he handed her the aux and started backing out her driveway. She plugged it in and Tyler the creator started playing.

“Is this a boy is a gun?” Rafe asked

“Yea, are you a Tyler fan?”

“Um yes. His Igor album was good I have it on vinyl. I don’t have a player but I keep it for the ‘aesthetic’ ” he joked

“Yeah I love his music though his old stuff is a little more scary in a way”

“I guess but his goblin album is iconic. ‘She’ I have on repeat and ‘Goblin’ has to be my favorite on that album and ‘tron cat’. thought my favorite song has to be New magic wand.” Rafe said

“Oh well yea I agree with ‘She’ it’s good but I don’t know the albums a little dark for me, I like ‘flower boy’ it’s more, happier you know ? and ‘cherry bomb’ ”

She couldn’t lie he was weird he liked that album. “True Tyler fans” wouldn’t mind it but it had to many vulgar topics for her. Soon the songs “feel no ways” by Drake, thankful for the somewhat mood change.

“See Drake is so good like he’s been around for so long and still can’t seem to miss” y/n commented

“Yea Drakes nice, I’ve been listening to him since middle school this has to be my favorite album.”

Couple minutes past with small talk and singing along in the car. They soon arrived to the froyo place. They walk in rafe grabbing him a medium cup and y/n the same.

They fill it up to the limit of their dreams and putting whatever toppings would fit. Rafe went for a more fruity taste with strawberry shortcake frozen yogurt with chocolate toppings, y/n with a the birthday cake and adding fruit and candy. He pulled out his infamous black card and paid for the both of them, they sat outside on the patio watching the sunset.

“So Rafe, what do you like to do?” Y/n asked trying to spark a convo

“Well I like going to the country club and hitting the golf course with topper and Kelce. I’m helping my dad with the Cameron development and learning real estate with him and Rose, it’s somewhat interesting and fun when he doesn’t get too mad” he said with a laugh “what about you?”

“Well when I’m not working I’m hanging out with jj and the others. I also love volunteering at the animal shelter. I love learning to work on my car with my dad and I love going off roading even though my poor Edward can’t handle it” she said with a frown

“Wait did you make your car? And named it Edward ?” he laughed

“Yes it’s me and him against the world. I named him after the vampire from twilight.” she said proudly.

“Honestly twilight would’ve been a better name.”

“Oh shush!” She said playfully hitting him.

They finished their dessert and head to the car. They’re just talking while Rafe drives around anywhere and everywhere. The soon make it on the beach. Rafe parks not too far and they walk hand in hand.

“How did you know where I lived? I never gave you my address” she finally asked

“Rose sold you your house. I work with her and my dad remember?” He told her squeezing her hand for reassurance.

“Oh yeah that adds up I guess” she hummed even though it didn’t. They bought the house before Rafe was born and he was older than the girl.

They continued to walk along the coast just talking and getting to know eachother. Everything the pouges said about him didn’t add up. He was sweet, charming and funny. He wasn’t the money hungry asshole, he was the 19 helping with family business guy who loved hip hop and chocolate. His favorite animal is a shark and favorite color is blue. He doesn’t take anyone’s shit and he’s potent in a way.

“Hey Rafe, you know I’ve heard many stories about you.”

“Oh really ? Like what” he asked concered

“You know, you’re the frat playboy. The bad boy that doesn’t play by the rules, who gets in and trouble and party’s like crazy” y/n explained

“jj always told me you were the bad guy. You wouldn’t even breathe the same air as a pouge. But you’re not the monster they play you out to be” she said looking at him. He turns the same way and they’re looking eachother in the eyes. It’s silence, it’s like they’re reading each other, look deep down into their souls something connecting in them.

“Y/n I know you want to think I’m perfect but I’m not. I really do get in fights, you seen them with jj. I don’t really mean harm or anything bad. I don’t let people disrespect me or my family like that. Jj knows how to push my buttons and he does it freely thinking he can get away with it”

“Yea I can’t argue with that.” She said with a grin

“I don’t understand how you can be friends with them. Mainly jj, he’s deep into this mindset aching like the words against him and that goes well with some pouges. But you, you’re different. You know hard work, your whole family does. You don’t take shit from anyone you see strong indepents-”

“Rafe please dont bring kook vs pouge talk into this.”

“Your right I’m sorry” he said caressing her cheek.

“I just think you deserve more. You deserve all the happiness in the world. You deserve peace. I want to make you feel that way. I want you to live the fullest you can. I wanna help you touch the stars” he said looking into her eyes, his free hand pulling her closer, hand against her lower back.

“I wanna give you everything.” Rafe whispered out to her before pulling her into a kiss.

The kiss was soft yet rough. The way their lips fit perfectly together. They way they melted in each others arms. The taste of chocolate lingering in Rafe mouths mixed with a candy taste of y/n. The kiss was intoxicating, they wouldn’t back out and the only reason they did was for y/n to catch her breath although the hungry look in Rafe eyes made it seem he wouldn’t have.

The only source of living being admitted was the moon, the way it shined against Rafes skin and his perfectly chiseled facial features made him look beautiful like a diamond. His ice blue like blue sky she always look at hoping for a chance of change. The way the 2 pieces of his hair perfectly failing in front of his face after what they just did.

“Let’s head back” y/n said with their foreheads together, their breathing getting back to normal.

They walk to the car, y/n leaning on Rafes shoulder as he had his arm wrapped around her. He opened the car door for her letting he get in and buckling her up. She connects her phone and plays frank ocean as he gets the car started. One hand on the wheel the other tangled up with her hand. The ride was peaceful and euphoric vibes filled the car. They shared small little childhood stories and embarrassing memories to each other. The 20 minute commute from the beach to y/n house felt like 5. Once Rafe Parked in her driveway they shared another deep kiss.

“Goodnight Rafe, I’ll text you tomorrow morning, drive safe”

“Good my princess” he said pulling her into one last kiss not wanting to part.

She gets out and shuts the car door, walking to her home. Rafe doesn’t drive off until she’s shuts the door behind her. It’s around 9:45pm her parents are still working the night shift. She grabs a clean pairs of clothes and heads to the bathroom. Soon shes in bed thinking about her date with Rafe. The pouges were wrong about him, he was literally the boy she dreamed, almost picture perfect. They 100% never saw the side of Rafe she did but she also didn’t see what they saw.

As Rafe drives home, he thinks about y/n. y/n is the girl of his dreams, the girl he wants, craves, needs. Once he get home he sends her a quick text.

“I made it home. I had a really great time today, thank you for letting me take you out y/n. I really hope we can do this again. Good night my princess.”

Y/n got the ding and immediately responded back

“Glad you made it home safe! Thank you for asking me out if not I wouldn’t have met the real Rafe. I’m glad I got to share this night with you. Good night and sweet dreams <3”

Y/n feel into a deep sleep after the most magical night of her life. She wished for more nights like these with Rafe without knowing what he had in stored for her.

Like the imfmouse Tyler the creator lyric said:

“My plan was to stick my toe in to check the temperature but next thing you know, I’m drowning.”

𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆝⋆｡˚ 𓇼

Tags: @soberbabes

Happy Valentine’s Day 💌🎀

I know we all wished we had our man today bu I hope my pt.2 helps 🤭

*no edited/proof read

Lmk what you guys think !!

Feel free to dm to talk about a pt.3 or continuing my story plot 🌟

[loveharlow]

SEVEN - 003

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚ [5.7k] based on 1x03.

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of death/grief, creepy older man behavior, pining/unrequited love, assault/mild violence

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ In regards to all published chapters, this one is my favorite.

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

YOU PICKED UP THE OBJECT, SLIDING IT TO JOHN B THROUGH THE CRACK IN THE STONE.

“That’s not gold.” Pope spoke despondently with a childish frown.

“Holy shit,” John B spoke, ignoring his friend's sadness. You climbed your way back out of the tomb, dropping next to JJ who helped you dust yourself off as JB continued speaking. “This is from my dad.”

It was a bittersweet moment, hope that maybe this wasn’t all for naught. However, the rev of an engine in the distance made your smiles drop, a golf cart pulling up in the distance. You all began shoving each other out of sight and behind the tomb, panic clearly present.

“John B, your light!”

“Turn your light off.” You all hissed at him, the boy being the only one with his source of light still bright and kicking. From your distance and the lack of daylight, none of you could tell whether it was the square groupers or not, but you all decided to throw all caution to the wind when it looked like the person in the driver’s seat had a gun. 

“Screw this.” Kiara said, getting up and bolting, the rest of you following quickly behind her. You almost knocked one another over trying to jump the fence, everyone making it smoothly besides Pope, who managed to get stuck. By his pants.

In your rush, you all practically ripped the boy off the gate, leaving his pants behind before piling in The Twinkie and speeding off, giggles filling the vehicle. 

“ARE YOU INTENTIONALLY IGNORING THE MOLD ON THAT BREAD?” You questioned, disgust written all over your face as JJ spread peanut butter all over the mold-ridden slice. You were back at the “safety” of The Chateau, waiting for John B to build up the courage to open the package — a large white FedEx envelope, ‘For Bird’ written across it, the nickname his dad had given him. 

“I’ll just pull off the bad parts,” JJ reassured with a shrug, putting the slices together. “Plus, mold is good for you.” You made a sound of disgust before leaving the small kitchen space with the blonde trailing behind you, the two of you stopping behind John B who was seated, looking over his shoulder alongside Kiara and Pope.

Taking a deep breath, he ripped open the package quickly, JJ gagging behind your head after taking a bite of his sandwich, a sass-filled ‘told you’ leaving your lips as your eyes focused on the items John B was pulling out of the parcel.

The first thing was a map — black and white with notes on it. Coordinates, The Lighthouse and The Cut labeled on it, some kind of whirly drawing, and X marked over some area. The next thing was a tape recorder, blue, small and dusty.

John B paused for a moment before pressing play. The mechanism came to life, a static cassette-like sound coming through before a voice was heard.

“...Dear Bird,” The nearly forgotten sound of Big John’s voice filled your ears, just as deep and brassy as you remember, the southern twang in his speech causing a small smile to form. “I hate to say ‘I told you so’ but, I told you so. And you doubted your old man…I suspect at this moment, you’re filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight. But don’t kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn’t expect to find The Merchant either.” 

You wondered if you heard that correctly. Big John had actually found The Royal Merchant? Looks were shared amongst the group but nobody said a thing, letting the recording continue.

“You were probably right to call me out. Wasn’t exactly father of the decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn… hopefully we’re listening to this in our brand-new sugar shack down in Costa Rica, livin’ off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well…that’s what the map is for. There she is, The Wreck of The Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn’t always act like it…I’ll see you on the other side.”

And then the tape was ending, leaving you with a million more questions than you all had walked into this with. The house was silent, you all silently anticipating what John B was going to say or do. If he was going to cry or scream.

You sighed when the boy got up, chair scooting harshly across the floor as tears became evident in his waterline as he turned around and practically collapsed against the wall, sobbing. Hugging the structure as he slid down slowly, unable to fully hold himself up.

Kie was the first and only one to walk over to him, laying her head of curls against his shoulder blade in comfort.

“HOW MUCH WAS IT AGAIN?” JJ quizzed, the group of you sitting on the dock outside The Chateau in the middle of the night, nothing visible for miles. Just the stars in the sky and the sound of cicadas.

“Four hundred mil’.” Pope answered, staring out into the distance as he sat on the rail. 

“All right, let’s talk the split.” JJ started. “Now, before you say evenly, may I remind you that I am the only that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us?” He tried, whirling the gun around his finger. “Protection? Not cheap.”

“You’ve done zero training.” Pope reminded him as you taught Kiara chords on her ukelele and John B sipped mindlessly on a beer, paying no mind to the four of you.

“Youtube, bro!” JJ argued back. “That’s at least a five percent bump right there.” 

All you could do was roll your eyes, Kiara’s strumming ceasing as she turned to Pope. “What’re you gonna do with your share, Pope?”

“...Pay for college in advance.” He nodded his head as he spoke with conviction, staring down at his knees. “And also textbooks. Those are expensive.” You couldn’t help but chuckle. You wondered what Pope was gonna do when he realized that school will come to an end one day. “What about you, Kie?”

“Yeah, what does a socialist do when she’s rich?” JJ poked.

“Just…wanna make a double album.” She shrugged cutely, a small smile playing on her lips. “‘Bout OBX, the pogues. Y’know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley Studio, Peter Tosh producing…”

You could help but make a face, turning to the girl next to you. “Peter Tosh is-”

“Peter Tosh is dead, I know. The Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die.” She spoke optimistically. “And what about you, huh?” She nudged your shoulder playfully. “Got any big plans for your cut?”

You stared up at the sky, a look of thoughtfulness on your face as you bit the inside of your cheek. “Travel.” You said simply, looking back at the friends around you. “With Marley, of course. Paris, Italy, Thailand, Japan… Oh! Bora Bora…” You spoke dreamingly. “I’d send you all postcards and, like, candy and shit from each place. I’d come back home every now and then, though.”

“You’d take the dog with you?” JJ questioned.

“Um, yes,” you answered like it was the easiest thing in the world. “...Marley and my guitar are the only things I really have left of my dad, everything else is memories and pictures, and I think taking Marley with me would be like taking him too, in a way. He always wanted to travel, anyway. Just never had enough money and too scared of planes. So, I hope the airlines are okay with me booking a first-class seat for a 65 pound Golden Retriever.” You chuckled. 

“I know what I’m gonna do.” JJ shrugged nonchalantly.

“And what’s that, blondie?” You whipped your head towards him, kicking your feet against the wood.

“I’m gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook. Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I’m gonna get a koi pond.” You and Kie couldn’t help but share a look, bursting out into giggles.

“I’m never visiting.” She said through her fit of giggles, JJ simply shrugging at her statement and throwing a piece of grass he'd been rolling into a ball at you. 

“What’re you gonna do, JB?” Pope asked the boy who hadn’t spoken in almost an hour. You all anticipated his response, not even knowing if he would respond.

He simply smiled smally, not making any moves to look at you all. “...To going full Kook.”

IT WAS THE NEXT MORNING AND YOU HAD ALL ALREADY BOARDED THE HMS POGUE, A DAY OF SUNLIGHT NEVER WASTED. JJ whistled, lowering his shades and eyeing the boat coming towards you all and heading in the opposite direction. “You guys see that? That’s the Malibu 24-MXZ, the world's finest wakesetter. Number one in luxury, quality, and performance.” You liked seeing this “nerd” side of JJ — the one who knew heaps of information about bikes and cars and boats. 

“I hate to break it to you guys but that’s Topper and his girlfriend.” Kie spoke nastily, eyeing the couple coming into clear view next to the five of you. The two blondes eyed the group of you down without shame, even behind their blacked out sunglasses you could tell.

Sarah lifted the aforementioned shades from her face, giving you all a distasteful glance, eyes lingering on you and Kie before averting her gaze back in front of her.

“You don’t have to act like you don’t see us, bitch.” Kie spoke, not yelling but loud enough for the couple to hear if they hadn’t sped past you all. 

“Did you see the way Topper was clinging onto her?” You snarled, the statement directed more at Kie than anyone else. “I’d take more pride in the boat than her, if I were him. She’s probably already onto the next guy and he has no idea.” You concluded, sipping on your ice cold beer.

“SWEET LORD, THE INTERNET!” Pope practically cheered as the group of you ran into the study room of the Kook hotel that you were pretty sure you’d just snuck into. He ran to the computer, pulling out the map from John B’s backpack and wasting no time entering them into some website he was using, Earth Search. Lord knows how he found it but it was Pope you were talking about.

“34°57’30” north. 75°55’42” west…” He muttered, fingers going a mile a minute across the keyboard. 

“The continental shelf?” John B queried over the boy’s shoulder. 

“That’s off the deep end…” You pointed out, leaning over Pope’s other shoulder. The website continued zooming in on the destination, footsteps and voices outside of the closed door had all of your hearts pounding as you waited.

“It’s on the high side. That’s only 900 feet.” John B added after it had expanded enough.

“Only?” You questioned, eyeing him with a look that said ‘are you crazy?’.

“C’mon, that’s do-able.” JJ spoke up from behind all three of you. You turned to him with the same expression, standing up slightly from your bent over position and planting a hand on your hip.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Aquaman. Do you plan on guiding us down there?” You retorted.

“Will we be taking your personal submarine?” Pope backed up.

“Ha ha.” The blonde shot back at you both, grimacing. “No, smartasses. The salvage yard has a drone that can drop one-thousand. Three-sixty camera and everything. It’s exactly what we need.”

“Aaand can your dad get his grimy little hands on that?” John B asked.

“My dad’s grimy little hands are what got his ass fired. But the drone’s in the impound yard in the back.” Sly, hopeful smirks were shared amongst you all before you shot up, gathering everything and rushing towards the door, Pope at the end of the line shaking his head.

“Can’t we do anything legal for money?”

“WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN?” You asked from the back of the van that had just arrived at the impound lot.

“Because, you’re two hot teenage girls that have the power to entice the middle-aged man at the front gate.” John B told you bluntly. You curled your lip at his statement.

“That wasn’t creepy or mildly perverted at all… Let me out.” You demanded, JJ sliding open the van door to let you as Kie hopped out of the passenger seat. 

The two of you walked the short distance to the truck you’d be driving around the corner to the impound lot, Kie swinging the keys around her finger.

“We got this?”

“Hell yeah.” You smiled, giving your best friend a low high-five and hopping into the vehicle, engine starting as she twisted the key.

It was less than two minutes before you pulled up the gate, spotting the man inside of the booth to the left. You both got out of the truck, waving your hands to gather the man’s attention.

“Hello?” Kie called. “Excuse me?” The man’s attention was diverted from whatever he was reading, your presence prompting him to get up and out of his seat, leaving the tiny building to approach the gate from the other side, a stoic expression on his face.

“Can I help you ladies?”

“Hi,” You flashed a bright smile, shoving your hands in the back pockets of your shorts. “We have a flat tire.” You pouted, not missing the way his eyes roamed your frame for the briefest of moments. “We were wondering if you could help us out?”

The security guard looked around for a moment, as if maybe this was something he wasn’t supposed to be doing before nodding. “Yeah.” A mischievous smirk spread across his face.

“Yeah?” You reiterated cutely as he retreated back into his booth to open the gate. You turned to Kiara with a knowing look on your face, a playful side eye.

“How do you do that?” She asked with a small chuckle. You simply shrugged. 

“It’s all in the eyes.” You taunted, watching as the man returned. Leading him to the back of the truck, Kiara gave the guys, who’d been hiding, the signal to go.

“It’s this back one. Must’ve been a leak or something.” You gathered the older man’s attention, attempting to keep it on the truck for as long as possible.

“Probably just been sitting in the yard too long?”

“Yeah…” Kie cutely replied. 

“I got this.” The guard replied, trying to seem all macho and manly. You watched as the three boys slipped their way into the gate. It was silent for a few moments as he worked on the tire and you and Kie tried to keep a non-suspicious look out.

Minutes passed before a dog’s bark was heard, loud and incessant. The security guard paused in his movements.

“You hear that?”

“Hear what?” You and Kiara said simultaneously, trying your best to act unbothered.

“Tebow’s got something…” He pondered aloud. 

“Y’know how dogs are,” You scoffed with an awkward smile, trying to dismiss his concern. “He’s probably... terrorizing a squirrel or somethin’.” You offered.

“...Yeah, yeah.” It seemed to be a good enough answer as the man got back to working on the car. Suddenly, Kie was discreetly leaving your side and going to the other side of the truck, you questioned what she was up to before you heard the low hiss of air leaving a tire.

The guard must’ve heard it, too, his movements ceasing again before looking up. “Hey, where’d your friend go?”

“She, uh, had to pee really quick.” You tried to dismiss his concern carelessly.

“...There’s no bathroom out here.” He spoke, standing up to his full height now, equipment in hand. 

“Y’know, how it is,” You chuckled nervously under your breath , shoulders square as you became visibly tense and tried to side-step and block his path. “When a girl’s gotta go…”

He didn’t say anything back, quickly walking past you in wide strides to the other side of the truck, catching Kiara releasing air from another tire. “What’re you doing?!” She stuttered to find words before the man was dropping the equipment and running into the impound lot.

Your hands gripped your hair. “Shit.” You cursed, scurrying to get back into the truck with Kie. There was nothing you could do to aid the boys now. You could only hope they had enough time to grab the gear and go as you and Kie sped off.

AFTER REUNITING WITH GUYS, who had successfully stolen the drone, Kie offered to feed everyone down at The Wreck. The sun had gone and it was nightfall, the diner lit up dimly by the time you’d all arrived in The Twinkie.

“What I would do with a beer and shrimp 'n grits right now…” JJ longed, hopping out of the door.

“Amen.” You agreed. “The crimes I would commit for a single fry right now are horrendous.” None of you anticipated how hungry stealing drones, flirting with creeps, and running from dogs would make you. 

Upon entering The Wreck, you were met with shadowy lights and a few leaving guests, the restaurant close to its closing time. The boys ventured off into the seating area while you and Kie stuck around to greet her father. 

“Hey, Mr. C.” You smiled, greeting the older man with a hug. 

“Heyy, kid. It’s been a while. It’s good to see you smilin’.” He greeted back enthusiastically, patting a fatherly hand on your shoulder. 

“Hey, dad.” The girl hugged her father. “How’d we do?”

The older man sighed, shaking his head and drawing his lips into a thin line. “Didn’t turn it over once.” You and Kie shared a look of pity for him, small frowns on each of your faces.

“It’s probably just bad luck because of the storm.” The brown-haired girl tried to reassure her father. 

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to tell the banks that.” He grimaced.

“Guess now is not the best time to ask for free food for me and my friends?” She attempted sheepishly, peering back at the three boys eyeing the food like shelter dogs. 

Her father’s demeanor did a complete one-eighty. “Look at them,” He started, eyeing the trio of boys with disgust. “They’re greedy pelicans. I told you to stop hanging out with them.” He told his daughter, eyes drifting to you. “The both of you...” He added.

You hated the way Mr. C spoke of the guys. They were your best friends and he, himself, used to live on The Cut. He talked about them like a purebred Kook, like someone who has never known poverty. Sometimes, you thought he held a grudge against you for bringing Kiara into your friend group with them. But you’ve known her just as long as them. 

“Everybody at the Kook academy hates us, Dad.” She protested, shifting her weight and rolling her eyes.

“‘Cause you never gave them a chance.”

“We did give them a chance.” She argued back for the both of you, knowing you weren’t likely to step in against her own father. “They got all stuck up on us. They care more about shoes and coke than anything else, I mean, what’re we supposed to do with that?”. All the man could do was sigh, Kiara looking back and JJ, John B, and Pope pitifully. “Those are our friends.”

“Look…I gotta throw it out anyway, might as well take it.” He caved. Bright smiles broke out on both of your faces, the two of you encasing the man in a bear hug before releasing him and turning back to the three boys who were patiently waiting.

“Sit down.” Kie said, the guys cheering and pulling out seats. It wasn’t long before Mr. C brought the food out — french fries, crab legs, soda, chips.

The guys ate like they’d never eaten before. Maybe they really were hungry pelicans.

The Wreck had closed by the time you guys started eating though, allowing you to play music on the eatery speakers while you ate.

At some point Kie, who’d been dancing by herself, invited John B to get up and dance with her, the brunette accepting the invite. However, one absentminded glance to your left had you watching Pope, who was watching them. He looked sad.

You never thought about that — Pope having a thing for Kie. You couldn’t really picture that in your head but you still felt bad.

In a group of three guys and two girls, someone is bound to catch feelings for someone. 

Breaking your gaze on Pope, you looked around to find JJ staring at you. You flashed him a smile and tossed a fry at him to which he caught in his mouth, you both bursting out with laughter.

THE FIVE OF YOU WASTED NO DAYLIGHT THE NEXT MORNING, testing out the gear the second the sun reached its peak. Kie and JB were under the water helping to test out the quality of the camera, both of their faces seen on the pixelated screen.

“God bless geeks, Pope. Truly.” JJ spoke over the boy's shoulder. You were sitting on the wooden railing, legs swinging and adorned in nothing but your bikini. “What would we do without you to control the drones?”

“Technically, it’s not a drone, it’s an ROV-”

“Shut up. Shut. Up. It’s too early for that right now.” You chuckled under your breath at JJ's dismissal, you wondered if JJ and Pope ever got tired of bickering. They were like brothers or an old married couple, either or. Just then, the pair in the water came up for air, John B shaking the water from his hair and being the first to speak.

“Hey, once we get footage of the wreck, we’ll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim.” He threw out. “We can go through your mom.” He directed the statement at you.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, even if they were squinted from the sun beaming in them. “I wouldn’t trust my mom to help us. It’s like she’s been in cahoots with Shoupe ever since we moved to Figure Eight and everyone knows he really works for Ward.”

“Why would we have to do all of that anyway?” JJ asked the boy in the water.

“There is a maritime salvage law.” Pope cut in. “You can’t just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up.” You’d been examining the equipment while they talked amongst themselves. Noticing something before speaking up.

“The tether on the ROV is really long. In the wrong kind of weather, it could get pushed around.” You said, turning to face them. “We should go at dead calm. It’s our best option.” 

“And today is not that day.” Pope said, eyeing the sky that was turning a dangerous shade of gray in the distance, a storm brewing. 

“YOU THREE GET THESE GROCERIES TO FIGURE EIGHT. GET STRAIGHT BACK HERE WHEN YOU DONE.” Heyward told you, JJ, and Pope. “I promised delivery by this afternoon.”

He handed JJ the last of the groceries, the blonde piling them onto the platform in the middle of the boat before Pope got the engine going. Heyward’s boat moved faster than the HMS Pogue, you were on Figure Eight territory within minutes, the boys eyeing the properties and estates like puppies.

“It doesn’t even look like the storm hit here…” Pope said, astounded, staring down one of the bigger houses. He had a point, the house looked like the storm purposely moved out of its way.

“It’s ‘cause they got generators, bro.” JJ began, his disdain for Kooks peeking through in his tone. “And then they say the juice will be out all summer at The Cut.”

“It must be nice to be a Kook.”

“Lucky bastards.” JJ shook his head, you simply ignored them. They weren’t wrong and technically, you were now a Kook yourself so you had nothing to add.

Financially, you were a Kook. But you’d always be a pogue at heart. 

“Isn’t that your place?” Pope pointed out, speaking to you. Your house was coming into view up ahead.

JJ whistled at it — the exterior was polished, the yard was kept, the trees were trimmed, no weeds or overgrown plants obstructing the view of the home. Your house wasn’t as old as most on Figure Eight, it has only just been built when your mom bought it a few months back. You could even see Marley running a muck in the yard from the boat.

“Look at that beauty. Must be nice going home to that every night, huh?” JJ poked.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes at the blonde. “You’d be surprised.”

YOU WERE ON YOUR LAST DELIVERY OF THE DAY,  the three of you had split up to get the last of the orders done quicker. You and JJ had completed yours but Pope had to go through the golfing trail behind the Country Club, so you’d figured he hadn’t finished yet and you both decided to go after him.

“You can’t seriously tell me that you don’t like living on this side of the island.” JJ kept nagging about how much life had changed for you. You wished he would drop it.

“It’s not Figure Eight that I hate, JJ. It’s the people. I don’t know them and they’re all assholes.” You started, walking alongside the blonde, watching the Country Club members golf. “I’d feel safer taking a walk on The Cut at night than I would here. Might get jumped by some coked up college kids.”

“Meh.” He started. “I wouldn’t let that happen. And if it did, y’know we’d find those guys and kill ‘em. Rocky Balboa style.” He joked, throwing air punches and making sounds that made you laugh. 

“What the hell?”

You heard someone exclaim in the distance, you and JJ sharing a look as your laughter died and you slowed in your steps. The voice sounded eerily like Pope.

“You owe me for that!”

The pair of you started sprinting, arriving just in time to catch Topper swing Pope to the ground after snatching the beers he was supposed to be delivering out of his hands. Pope was shoeless and his hat had come off, sand and blood littering his face.

“What the fuck?” You yelled, not even taking into account Rafe’s presence at the moment. 

“Hey, hey!” JJ shouted, running over to Topper and snatching him up by his collar. You didn’t know what was happening, all you know was that all of a sudden, Pope was charging at Rafe who was quick to whack him in the stomach with his golf club before hitting him over the back with it.

The sound of metal hitting his spine caused you to flinch. “Stay down, bitch!” Rafe screamed. You stood frozen in place, a fear you’ve never felt before. But you knew why. You were hoping, praying, pleading that he wouldn’t notice you were standing there. That he’d be too caught up in his own rage to see you.

Topper had managed to push JJ off of him in an effort to calm Rafe. You took the opportunity, with Rafe’s eyes on Topper, to try and aid your beaten friend. You kneeled next to him as JJ stood angrily off to the side, probably making sure Rafe wouldn’t try to pull anything else. 

“Pope…” You muttered, voice laced with concern as you examined his face — blood between his teeth and sand in his eyes.

Your hair was shielding your face slightly from Rafe’s view, you were sure. “Hey, no, don’t help him,” He started, raving and ranting. “I said don’t fucking help him!”

Breaking past Topper’s defense, the man stomped toward you before kicking you over, a grunt falling from your lips. With you now laying in the sand on your back, clutching your side in pain, he could see your face clearly with your hair splayed around you, no longer obstructing his view.

“Leave them alone!” JJ tried, but Rafe was quick to swing the club in his direction as Topper stood anxiously behind him, but his eyes were still on you. You hadn’t seen him in months, the same goes for him to you. All he did was chuckle, a laugh with no amusement behind it as he crouched down above you. 

Even while you were in pain, you managed to glare at him, a mean snarl on your lips as you tried to control your breathing but every intake of air hurt. “Where you been hidin’, sunshine?” He spoke softly but so menacingly. When his finger trailed across your bottom lip, you used whatever energy you had left to bite down on the digit. Hard. “Ah- fuck! You stupid bitch! I’ll-” He lifted the club up, preparing to slam it back down until Topper gripped his shoulder.

“They got it, man! Let’s just go.” He urged, Rafe eyeing your figure on the ground, breathing heavily like a bull. His eyes then scanned JJ and Pope before he spoke.

“We don’t want you over here, you got that?” He warned angrily, eyes landing on you once more. “Any of you.” That was all he wrote before Topper was pulling him away from the scene, the two boys disappearing. 

Your mind was racing a mile a minute, probably faster. You rolled over, ignoring the searing pain in your side as you pushed yourself up. You felt a hand on your arm , trying to help you but for some reason...it just made you angry.

“I got it.” You strained out.

“Let me help you-” JJ tried.

“I don't need your help, JJ!” Then his hand was reluctantly leaving your arm and offering it to Pope who brushed him off in a less aggressive manner as you stood to your full height, a slight limp as you began walking away.

The walk back to the boat was silent — suffocatingly so. Nobody said anything when you boarded, or when Pope got the engine running, or when you passed all the houses on Figure Eight. 

You didn’t expect JJ to sit next to you, especially after yelling at him. “Listen, I don’t know what happened out there, alright? And maybe you’ll tell me or maybe you won’t but I mean seriously, are you guys just gonna let them get away with that?” He scoffed angrily.

“What’re we supposed to do?” Pope shot back.

“I don’t know, something, man! Anything!”

“...Turn the boat around.” You spoke up from where you were sitting, an idea sparking in your rage-filled mind.

“AND WHY NOT RAFE’S BOAT?” JJ spoke up from your place across the water, eyeing down Topper’s brand-new boat.

“Because,” You started, stripping down to your bikini. “Rafe doesn’t have boats. They all belong to Ward. This? This is Topper’s personal possession. So, we go for him.”

The answer seemed satisfactory enough for the blonde as Pope also took off his shirt. “They hit us, we hit them.” He said before turning to you specifically. “I know you’re a swimmer-slash-diver and all but I don’t think you should be swimming in your...condition.” He warned, eyeing the large bruise blooming along your side.

“I’ll be fine.” Was the last thing you said before jumping into the water, Pope splashing in close behind you. You both swam your way over to the speed-boat, jumping onto it. It took seconds for Pope to release the seal that kept the boat from sinking, water bubbling into the base of the wakesetter as you threw your fist against the windshield, effectively cracking the glass.

The pair of you dove back into the water, making your way back to a bandana and sunglasses clad JJ who was waiting. Climbing back on to the boat, Pope handed JJ the plug to which he chucked farther into the ocean.

“You can’t tell anyone.” Pope spoke breathlessly, watering dripping down his frame.

“I won’t, dude-” JJ assured

“No, not anyone. Not Kie, not John B, nobody, got it?”

“Got it.”

NIGHT HAD FALLEN ONCE AGAIN. It was like it never ended as of recently. You were all back at The Chateau, the events of earlier still fresh on your mind and the ache in your side still throbbing to remind you.

“You really think it’s out there?” Pope asked JB. The boy simply shrugged in response.

“My father thought it was.” 

“...But do you?” Pope reiterated. The sound of crickets and cicadas filled the silence as you all waited for him to answer, thunder rumbling in the distance.

“After hearing his voice on that tape? I think I do.”

 “We’re gonna find it.” Kie reassured.

JJ yawned, stretching on the hammock you two were sharing with Kie as Pope and JB shared the other. You and JJ were squished on one end with her on the other. “I’m gonna dream about shipwrecks.” He spoke through his exhaustion, his arm somehow landing behind your neck and curling it towards him, effectively shoving your face into his neck. “And I’m taking this one with me.”

“JJ!” You muttered against his skin as they all laughed. "Let go of me, Maybank!" Your muffled voice came through as you struggled to push the blonde away.

“Shh, just let it happen.”

IT WAS THE NEXT MORNING AND YOU WERE STILL HALF-SLEEP BY THE TIME YOU’D BOARDED THE BOAT. John B wanted to get a head start on this whole ‘X marks the spot’ thing and you’d reached the spot where the Royal Merchant was allegedly sunk by noon. 

“Alright, ladies and gentleman,” The brunette spoke, far too chipper for how early it was. “To going full Kook!” He cheered as he and Kiara lowered the ROV into the water slowly. They fed the cord down inch by inch, monitoring everything and JJ steered the boat.

“Alright, JJ we’re right over it!” JB called out. “Ten seconds northwest!”

“Ten seconds northwest, got it.”

You were leaning against the side of the boat, watching the screen with Pope as you struggled to keep your eyes open. The morning breeze hit you every now and then, in nothing but your bathing suit and a large shirt, a lazy attempt to avoid questions about what happened to your side until you could come up with an excuse that your friends would believe.

When Kie was about 400 feet of rope deep, thunder rumbled in the sky, causing your eyes to examine the ocean. “The tide’s turning.” You warned tiredly, perking up slightly at the change of events. John B directed JJ to change the direction of the boat, over and over again until they got it right.

The storm was getting scarily close, so close you could see it building in the distance. It suddenly got strong, pushing the boat back by at least a couple of feet. It became a frantic fight against the storm, with Kiara warning John B that they may lose the ROV and John B instructing JJ on how to navigate the boat while you and Pope kept an eye on the visuals.

Kiara was at 950 feet and you and Pope still couldn’t see anything, even when JJ managed to steady the boat once again.

“Okay, we’re on the floor.” You announced, signaling to Kie that she could stop feeding the rope. 

“You should be seeing something-”

…

“You see anything?!” JJ called from behind the wheel, the four of you staring at the screen in disbelief and relief.

“It’s The Royal Merchant.” John B said as you all watched the ship come into view, clear as day.

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

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©loveharlow.

[themoonofblueside]

i genuinely think the vibes around the paddock is this bad because after a whole decade, we finally have a dominant team who does not have the best drivers in the grid.

In 2010-2013, sebastian performed in such an insane level with his car that even though he was hated, no one could say he wasn't one of the top racers in the field.

In 2014-2020(jesus christ), i don't think anyone with their right mind could argue that lewis was not a generational talent. for all "car merchant" speeches there was genuinely no one in the field that anyone could confidently say "he'd beat lewis"

In 2022-2023, even with how controversial his first wdc and red bull's involvement with stewards are, max is genuinely one of the most consistent guys with a stable car in hand. He's probably the best in the field rn

But now? You cant even say the possible wdc winner is the best in his generation, let alone in the level of world champions..

[blorbocedes]

no but my autistic ass who hardly ever visibly expresses strong emotions always feels so uncomfortable reading those posts about how weird or unlikable max is for not celebrating every win like it's his first.

it's also funny to see that about his most recent win where he was doing like the 9 fingers celebration. even when he does celebrate his wins, people still have a problem with him not being happy or appreciative enough (which like. appreciative of WHAT it isn't like drivers are just handed wins, they can still fuck up regardless how strong the car is)

idk idk sorry for the rant this is one of my big f1 pet peeves

if it helps, the same crowd of people LOVE oscar for his lack of a reaction to anything, so it's not so much the not reacting enough as it is they just don't like max, so anything he does is wrong/annoying. and a particular group is upset seb's big record is being equalled (potentially broken) so they're coping with that.

I saw one post that was like seb fought for every win while max just wins on a rocketship with 30s which made me laff 😭😭😭 oh they don't know seb used to be called a newey merchant...... yeah guy who won 9 races in a row did it cause he scrapped for every win and not the dominant car LOL.

everyone Hated seb at the time for winning so much AND rubbing it on their races with his ☝️, likewise they'd hate max now if max celebrated every win w/ a 30s gap like he just won his first race

this guy was winning with a 30s gap OVER HIS TEAMMATE then going ☝️😙 like ohhhhh actually annoying

[herohimbowhore]

Daniel Ricciardo: Castles Crumbling

Revisionism and recency bias are perhaps two of the most common things that you'll see in Formula 1 and discussions of how we view drivers. It all goes back to the saying "You're only as good as your last race." This, while true in some sense, is only part of the picture when it comes to a driver and the legacy they'll leave in the sport. One race does not define a driver, just as a small portion of a driver's career does not define the driver.

But in commentary and fan discussions, we continue to see that revisionism and recency bias continue to define driver's careers on everchanging standards.

This season, the argument would be that that Carlos Sainz is a better driver than Charles Leclerc due to any of the following reasons:

He's won a race this year

Ahead in the points

Consistently finishing races in the points

But looking at their careers as a whole, the argument falls apart.

Another case of this is Lewis Hamilton in 2022. He finished behind his teammate in the points, didn't win a race, etc. And that year alone had people questioning if Lewis Hamilton was washed or if he should retire. But again, looking at the career as a whole and not zeroing in on one piece of it, makes the argument fall apart.

A driver's legacy isn't based solely on a piece of their career. Alex Albon's career isn't going to be defined just by the Red Bull years, nor is Pierre Gasly's. Sebastian Vettel's career isn't just defined by his time in Ferrari or Red Bull or Aston Martin. Nor is Carlos Sainz's career going to be defined by his time in one team.

However, when it comes to Daniel Ricciardo, the revisionism and hate is strong. Especially in fan spaces like Twitter.

The two years at McLaren are by many considered to be a definer of Daniel's career, completely ignoring or disregarding what he was able to do in Red Bull and Renault.

In one instance he's a PR merchant, in another he can't draw a crowd.

He gets the car to Q3, qualifies 4th, and spends the whole weekend in 10th -> well then people will say it's the car.

Both he and his teammate don't make it out of Q1 with about .006 separating them -> well then obviously the driver and not the car on that specific track

Castles Crumbling is a song that inherently fits the change in the narrative around Daniel. The premise of Castles Crumbling is your legacy falling apart and no longer being loved by people who were once fans. This is a defining feature of Daniel Ricciardo's public perception in recent years as everything he does is defined by the McLaren stint.

Once, I had an empire in a golden age

I was held up so high, I used to be great

They used to cheer when they saw my face

Now, I fear I have fallen from grace

Once, I was the great hope for a dynasty

Crowds would hang on my words, and they trusted me

Their faith was strong, but I pushed it too far

I held that grudge 'til it tore me apart

Despite what people perpetuate now, coming into McLaren, Daniel was highly regarded and considered a great driver. He was THAT guy.

Netflix's Drive to Survive did a lot in helping Daniel transcend from the normal bounds of an F1 driver. He was the first one to be fully on board and give them so much access to him, his thoughts, and his life. A move that wasn't reciprocated by other drivers, so in that first season, it was all about him from start to end basically. He also had the personality to match.

But even before that, Daniel has been the the guy. Just look at any number of grown men that have taken his sweaty race boots and drunk champagne out of them.

Gerard Butler (USA 2016)

Christian Horner (Malaysia 2016)

Max Verstappen (Malaysia 2016)

Nico Rosberg (Malaysia 2016)

Mark Webber (Germany 2016)

Lance Stroll (Baku 2017)

Sir Patrick Stewart (Canada 2017)

Martin Brundle (Austria 2017)

Adrian Newey (Monaco 2018)

Lewis Hamilton (Imola 2020)

Zak Brown (Monza 2021)

Lando Norris (Monza 2021)

Any number of Red Bull staff over the years

People all around the paddock

Some happily, some with pure disgust, others taking the shoes right off Daniel's feet for a shoey.

Daniel at Silverstone in 2017: "DC took my shoes off and then in Austria, Martin was frothing for it."

Daniel wasn't just his personality as so many would like to say. The racing was there.

In 2014, Daniel came into Red Bull and beat his four-time world champion teammate. He was Red Bull's only race winner that year with three wins. During his first year with Red Bull, Daniel finished third in the championship, just behind the two Mercedes.

Once more in 2016, Daniel finished third in the championship, just behind the two Mercedes. His only win of the year was Malaysia 2016 and with it came the iconic podium of Daniel, Max, Nico, and Christian all taking turns to drink out of the same race shoe.

Nico Rosberg in 2023, talked about his time racing against Daniel in 2016 and said:

"He's such an awesome personality, one of the best wheel-to-wheel racers out there. If I saw in my rear-view mirrors, [Ricciardo] was one of the last guys I would like to see there at the time, with Max Verstappen."

2018 for Daniel was filled with reliability issues and engine problems. Out of the 21 races that year, Daniel retired in 8 of them. He had two wins that year - China and Monaco.

Going into Renault, Formula 1 World Champion and Renault Advisor, Alain Prost, called Daniel worth every penny that the Renault would be paying him

"Daniel is more expensive than other drivers. When you need that to help the team we did it. Money is not a problem but it has to be justified. We have two top drivers, maybe one of the best lineups in F1 today."

With Renault, people forget that 2020 was one of his best years. While he didn't win any races, Daniel did have two podiums. He gave Renault their first podium in about nine years. Additionally, Daniel finished 5th in the championship, higher than anyone would have expected out of the unreliable Renault. He was doing wonders with that car.

Going into McLaren, Daniel was a highly valued asset. And while many like to say he went to McLaren for the money, salary estimates show that going to McLaren was actually a significant pay cut.

With an approximately $22 million pay cut in cash earnings, the move to McLaren cannot be defined as a cash grab. Doing something for the money doesn't usually mean lowering your value by millions.

My foes and friends watch my reign end

I don't know how it could've ended this way

Smoke billows from my ships in the harbor

People look at me like I'm a monster

Now they're screaming at the palace front gates, used to chant my name

Now they're screaming that they hate me

Never wanted you to hate me

So how did we get from being a highly valued driver to endless public hate by fans?

Well revisionism and recency bias.

Daniel’s time with McLaren was admittedly very bad.

(sidenote: Dropping Daniel was the best thing that McLaren could have done for all parties involved. No one can deny that, but how McLaren and Zak Brown conducted themselves was wrong. Say what you will about Red Bull's ruthlessness; Red Bull is upfront about it, and they don't drag the driver around making apologies or videos promising to try harder and signing another driver while doing all that.)

The car and driver did not mesh. But what most people tend to ignore is that the car design was inherently difficult to drive. It was unpredictable. One could argue that Lando was performing well in the car., but Lando has only driven a McLaren. Whereas Daniel's driven an HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and a Renault. Instead of helping Daniel with the learning curve or setting the car up in a manner that aligned with his driving style, Daniel had to change how he drove.

With all the McLaren struggles, people have chosen to focus on just that phase. Completely ignoring that Daniel was doing wonders with the Red Bull when the car wasn't great and he was doing wonders with the Renault.

Daniel's time post-Red Bull was not all bad and certainly not deserving of the vitriol and hate he receives when there are other drivers who have much less to show for on the grid.

He got two podiums with Renault in 2020 -- the first podiums that Renault had gotten in years. He was 5th in the standings.

And let's not forget that Daniel got McLaren its only win since 2012. Maybe you can say that the only reason Daniel won is due to the Max and Lewis crash or that Lando was told to stay behind. However, Daniel overtook Max at the start while Lando lost a position to Lewis. Daniel had been the one to take his shot when it mattered. As for the team orders to hold position, well Daniel could have gone faster if he wanted to as we can see with him pulling out the fastest lap on the final lap.

(A random thought that came to me during the research for this: do we think Christian Horner wants a Daniel-related tattoo as well and hates that Cyril and Zak have Daniel-related tattoos? Because if I was in Christian's position, I would want that tattoo. Like you put all this time and investment into a driver and then two other team principals that either took him away from you or couldn't get the most out of him have tattoos chosen by Daniel.)

[neptunescore]

Kinda off topic, but do you think that people forget that F1 is BOTH a drivers championship and constructors? People complain that certain drivers are washed and if they had a different car they wouldn’t be as successful. I saw Zak Brown (I hate him sm, I don’t even have a valid reason I just do LOL) say how Max is great but he wouldn’t win championships without RedBull dominance. But isn’t that the point? Almost every championship was won by a championship level car. That’s how dominance happens BECAUSE it’s whichever team is the best at the regulations. It’s literally why FIA always changes the regulations, people expect we’ll see a drivers true form when they are in a different car. Also he said how Lando would match Max in a straight fight and… I’m sorry to say but their grids when they began were two different worlds. I respect Lando as a driver and person (I did question his comment on the Orange but it is whatever, no one knows if it was for PR or out of his own mouth) but we have literal past champions and experts talking about the driver’s expertise. I’ll admit the car is a huge play (maybe like 70%) but the driver is who makes the difference. A good example is Lewis. I love him but everyone knows Mercedes downfall. He showed how much the car plays a role but also how good the driver has to be. We’ve seen him in China sprint be able to get second place because of good setup from the team and because he was able to make that difference. You can argue for many drivers such as Seb, Kimi, hell maybe add Max when he didn’t have the best car on the grid, they all won races even without the best car. Even if those wins were through safety cars or just plain strategy, which is something some teams really struggle in. McLauren happened to be the best car in Miami and had a good start (dare I say luck too) but you can also see from the other teams that everyone was struggling. No one improved their times Q3, a lot of complaints about the cars not being right. This is turning into a Zak Brown hate speech now but I think it’s important that he realizes for Lando to matchup with top drivers like Max or Lewis he needs consistency. Something that drivers such as Charles is good at. He’s still young and he has time but currently? He doesn’t stand a chance in equal machinery, different from what Zak previously stated.

Sorry for my rant!! I went off topic myself but I just think a lot of people in the media (cough twitter) forget how many teams care about the constructors championship more than the driver’s one. No one is a car merchant because there is no way you can make the car’s equal in all fields. Even if the driver isn’t the most important bit their expertise is what makes the difference!

...heyyy (im so sorry it took me so long to answer this ask anon😭, I swear I would've done sooner but at that point all of my asks were just hate crimes and I was NOT feeling the vibe. I'm back now!!!❤️🤗)

But anyway, YOURE SO RIGHT NONNIE. Ugh and this is smthng that acc makes me so irritated sometimes, bc in the end, f1 is more business than it is sport and teams NEED sponsors. I feel like alot of ppl forget that, like the drivers and teams literally DO have to pay to remain in the sport.

This means that the whole point of a team is to build the absolute best of a car they can, especially for teams at the top (rbr, ferrari, mclaren, mercedes), bc that's what the sponsors want. That's what the drivers WANT. They WANT a dominating car. They WANT a car that's 1 second ahead of the wholeass grid. They WANT that. And if top teams don't deliver that then yes, they ARE gonna lose both drivers and sponsors.

I feel like so many fans forget that f1 is literally the MOST competitive sport. No driver wants to be out there in equal machinery. They just want to WIN. Sponsors don't care how competing cars have been beaten, they just want the team they've picked to be ON TOP.

Now, away from all the money talk, fans who put EVERYTHING a driver achieves on to the 'car' just piss me off. You literally cannot be saying that. You cannot be saying max's dominance is only bc of the car when this man has a 20 SECOND GAP to the next car, while his teammate is literally fighting to make it to q3. Like please. Go look in the mirror and think abt ur comments bfr they leave your mouth😭. Monaco also proves that so well, the redbull car was absolute SHIT there, and max still managed to put it up in p6.

Who is not a Zak brown hater in this economy nonnie😌✊🏽, dw I completely get u. Literally no points to add to that bc everything uve said is so right. I feel like Zak just puts lando on a pedestal that lando has NOT achieved. There's still a long way for lando to go, and while I am happy for him and his first race win – Zak brown immediately saying lando is a championship competitor right after it is just hilarious to me😭. Like slow down bro, chill.

All in all, consistency is KEY. And literally not one driver wants to be in a car that's the same as their competitors.🤗

Edit: also nonnie, can I ask who ur fave team/ driver is?? I just like the way you talk and I wanna know so bad now.

[slutforpringles]

So according to Joe Saward Daniel Ricciardo is not actually a PR-merchant driver (or is at least being out-PR-merchanted by Checo), and might actually have been hired for his driving skills (that's some high praise coming from the man who's hated Ricciardo since he beat Vergne to the second RB seat)?! There's gonna be some devastated peeps on F1 twitter/reddit...

Also, Christian you better be repping your favourite son hard to the RB owners in Thailand!!!

[lewisrises]

@ tumblr user lewisrises i would like to know how lewis and exo are the same pls and thanks

- both are old in their respective fields but are still the best talent their industry has

- both use their natural curated talent (exo singing live and actually having vocals, lewis being one of the cleanest drivers ever) where others simply do not compare (lipsyncing, going silent during encores, pole merchants and drivers who are simply not good under pressure and in the rain)

- both had consecutive dominant years where other fans hated them simply bc they were that good (exo 2013-2018 & lewis pre 2022)

- both were in intense title fights with someone being marketed as a dark horse with a fanbase called army (exo vs bts and army at mama 2016, lewis with max and orange army in 2021)

- both got robbed on live tv at the end of an incredibly stressful year (mama 2017 & abu dhabi 2021)

- both have suffered a decline awards-wise which has made way for verbal disrespect (no more exo daesang sweeps and music show wins & no lewis win or wdc in years…)

- both have proved their popularity still exists through influence of stocks (sm’s stock prices immediately increasing following the news of exo’s comeback in 2023, lewis’ transfer news generating ferrari 4 billion)

- both are considered old hags and yet they’re more talented than literally the entire industry combined (we literally have baekhyun. cmon now)

- both were so dominant and so hated for their dominance that rules and regs were literally changed to try and prevent this (mama, music bank & the fia)

- the cultural impact brazil 2021 had can only be compared to call me baby. everyone loves call me baby. every time a driver (max) has a good drive his fans try to compare it to brazil 2021. “the best lap ever” that never happened in saudi 2021? literally any kpop artist ever trying to recreate growl or call me baby

- both are the lomls (this whole thing, all of it, it’s all about me….)

[rickybaby]

as much as I hate sainz guts I have to admit that he performed at times much better than charles during their partnership so far and if charles cannot wipe the floor with fucking sainz he is not even touching lewis or max. the media has been favouring charles ever since he beat seb so I'm gonna start a conversation about him being the pr merchant that ppl accuse other drivers of being

And when I start the ‘Daniel is as good as Charles’ convo then what?

[f0point5]

I actually think the season has seasoned but that’s because I’m a Lando supporter (pls no one come for me). But I swear this season people have gone to an all time extreme with taking things way too personally and are freakishly emotionally invested in the personal lives of those in and around f1. It’s literally not about f1 itself as a sport anymore, it’s all about someone’s fans having the moral high ground, or someone else’s fans being right blah blah blah. You’ve always touched on how it’s partially because of how accessible this sport has become which can be great because more fans and exposure to the general public is good, but oh my god everyone needs to chill and stop picking fights and giving their two cents when it’s clearly not needed. Just enjoy the sport

Haha no one’s coming for you.

I guess for me…it’s all felt a bit disjointed. Multiple off track scandals, silly season didn’t silly, because it happened in like March. The calendar is so disjointed that there hasn’t really been a momentum build. And there’s been what feels like an unusual amount of clownery.

But I just think the jig is almost up with this sport if I’m honest. The morality police coming out, and people treating the drivers like kpop members…it’s kinda ruining it. This “stan” and “anti” subculture has nothing to do with the sport, but it’s encouraged because it gets clicks and makes money.

You can hold Liberty Media to ransom over what you would like the sport to be, and they can hold teams and drivers to ransom over it. But what will you have left? 24 sprint races, 85 grill the grid episodes with miserable ass drivers, a bunch of stalkers ambushing drivers at airports and sending death threats to their girlfriends, drivers getting shat on on the internet for DRIVING THE CAR or swearing on the radio, afraid to say or do anything because it’s not worth the hate. And maybe that’s how it needs to be for the sport to be profitable, it certainly seems Liberty and the FIA think so. But that’s not something I would be that interested in watching.

People generally have taken the parasocial involvement too far (see: everyone mad at Taylor Swift for breathing the same air as Brittany Mahomes), but I think why it’s such an issue in F1 is that it is not an environment that attracts people that for the mould of what the internet people consider to be “good” behaviour. And if y’all don’t like that, what are you doing here? Go watch something else.

Also, there is SO much focus on the drivers now, because the parasocial relationship is what gets fans, that people have lost sight of the fact that F1 is an engineering competition. So yeah sure stan your drivers, but the “car merchant” conversation is like, not the conversation you think it is.

[akiranzee]

★ • ° ` — MASTERLIST

ONESHOTS:

DEMON SLAYER

★ 001: Hate to Love You — Sanemi Shinazugawa x f!Hashira!Y/n (hurt -> fluff)

★ 002: Marriage in Paper — Tengen Uzui x f!Y/n (hurt -> fluff/comfort)

★ 003: I Can't Save Us, My Atlantis — Giyuu Tomioka x f!Y/n (angst)

★ 004: Your Scent — M!Dom!Y/n x Sub!Giyuu Tomioka (smut)

★ 005: My Butterfly — gn!Hashira!Y/n x Shinobu Kocho (angst)

★ 006: There’ll Come a Time — Muichiro Tokito x f!Y/n (angst -> fluff)

★ 007: That Funny Feeling — Muichiro Tokito x f!Hashira!Y/n (fluff)

★ 008: Through Thick and Thin — Muzan Kibutsuji x f!Y/n (angst)

★ 009: It’s What You Deserve — Bestfriend!Muzan x f!Y/n (smut)

★ 010: Change of Feelings — Akaza x f!Uppermoon 4!Y/n (fluff)

★ 011: Liquor and Sins — Muzan Kibutsuji x Gn!Drunk!Hashira!Y/n (suggestive)

★ 012: Scars — Akaza, Kokushibo, Muzan Kibutsuji x Gn!Racecar driver!Y/n (suggestive, hurt -> comfort)

★ 013: Love? Is This? — Akaza x f!Demon Slayer!Y/n (angst, dark)

★ 014: Dear Old Friend — Giyuu x gn!Merchant!Y/n (angst -> comfort -> fluff)

★ 015: A Better Option — Akaza x f!Uppermoon 2!Y/n (fluff)

★ 016: I’ll Kiss You Mwa! — Enmu, Douma x Milf!Y/n (fluff)

★ 017: Excite Me — Muzan x Demon Wife!Y/n (fluff)

★ 018: Stay By Me — Muzan x Demon!Y/n (fluff)

MY HERO ACADEMIA

★ 001: The Man Inside the Beast — Bakugo Katsuki x f!Y/n (comfort)

GENSHIN IMPACT

★ 001: Wishing for You — Alhaitham x gn!Y/n (fluff)

HEADCANONS:

★ 0001: Muzan w/ a soft s/o!! ★ 0002: Lovesick husband muzan w/ wife s/o!! ★ 0003: Muzan w/ elegant s/o!!

SERIES:

COMING SOON!

EVENTS:

COMING SOON!

MINIS:

★ 0001: smut ★ 0002: smut ★ 0003: smut ★ 0004: smut ★ 0005: angst ★ 0006: smut ★ 0007: smut ★ 0008: angst ★ 0009: smut ★ 0010: smut ★ 0011: fluff ★ 0012: smut ★ 0013: fluff ★ 0014: angst ★ 0015: smut ★ 0016: angst ★ 0017: smut ★ 0018: smut ★ 0019: smut ★ 0020: angst ★ 0021: angst ★ 0022: fluff ★ 0023: fluff ★ 0024: angst ★ 0025: fluff ★ 0026: fluff

[technofinch]

I can't ask from sinquisition shdkfk but responding to that ask you sent was my 2000th post on that blog lmao

I wanna know now if any of *your* ocs have strong opinions on modes of transportation

Always happy to be of assistance :D

The thing about my ocs that I realized recently is that literally all of them have experienced traumatic events on a boat or ship of some kind. But that's probably fine

Dmitri: Prefers to walk, if it's a long distance/he's in a hurry he'll do it in his maned wolf form for extra speed and agility. He's a city boy, and has never really left the city or done any substantial travel. His job involved lots of boats, but they were all safely moored. Now that he's actually going on an involuntary boat journey... can't say he's a fan lmao. I think he hates travelling in general, even if it wasn't forced by circumstance. Would probably go nuts for high speed rail if it existed in his world.

Nico: Has always enjoyed boats as a concept and threw herself into learning to sail as a way to distract herself in the first year or so after being turned, since her sire was the captain of a merchant ship. Over land, she can ride a horse just fine but given a choice she'd rather ride in a carriage/wagon. LOVES trains but there are very few of them in her world :(

Mulligan: Only enjoys spaceship travel and only if he's driving. Otherwise he's the most obnoxious backseat driver imaginable. He tries to do as little travelling planetside as possible, but when he does he prefers public transit (especially trains). Cars stress him out. Walking through open places stresses him out - he's a bit agoraphobic. Being on a planet with no immediate way off stresses him out.

[blorbocedes]

okay i know that i'm super later to the party, but the nico thesis and all of the discussions of the british media bias really reminded me of how differently the british media talks about max verstappen now compared to how they spoke about him when he first arrived. like, quite a few of the drivers were not happy about him being there, but actually, the british media were generally really positive about him. back then, he had a bit of a reputation as being a pretty wild and aggressive driver, and the only thing that the british media were really upset about was how much he swore over the radio.

compared to the way that most of them talk about him now, it's really funny to think back to that time, when they were all praising him for being such a young talent, so good at both overtaking and defending. even when drivers like kimi and alonso (not really sure where this narrative that alonso was a guide for max when he entered f1 has come from because that was not true) complained about how aggressive he was, the commentators basically just found it funny. the one time i remember them actually criticising him was when lewis complained about max on the radio when they were fighting for like fifth.

i kind of stopped watching f1 in 2018 because life got in the way, but got back into it last year, and given what i remembered of the way that they spoke about max, it was a major shock for me to tune in and find that the brits had decided that max was the antichrist

people forget that max was genuinely an insanely young talent, won his first race in a redbull as a baby teenager -- ofc you're gonna root for a prodigy like that, esp when people were blasting his ass for being Too Young.

it's really until 2021 that "max verstappen is the literal antichrist" narrative came into play, egged on by sky and british media bc he, like nico, seb and alonso before, was a non brit winning the WDC. sky would do entire tirades on whether seb vet finger wag for win is the Ultimate Sign Of Disrespect and whether winning 11 races in a row is ruining the sport etc. ppl forget cause it was so long ago and seb is so universally beloved now but when he was winning in that redbull, people's idea of him (shaped by commentary by media) was calling him arrogant and spoiled and adrian newey car merchant (lol)

the harassment campaign (kravitz saying lewis got robbed his 8th, spurring on fans and haters to spam redbull affiliated people's families with hate) got bad enough that redbull collectively decided to boycott sky an entire race weekend

the same Sky btw who currently gargle their british drivers' balls. i had to laff at calling norris and russell being called WDC material...... like come on now....