#School Cleaning Melbourne

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Perfectly Clean is your trusted partner for school cleaning services in Melbourne. As the reliable and efficient school cleaning company Melbourne experts we prioritize the well-being of students and staff.

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[digitalblogs23]

Integrated Facilities Services in Australia

Introduction

Integrated Facilities Services (IFS) provide a holistic approach to managing and maintaining the built environment by combining multiple service streams under one umbrella. In Australia, the demand for IFS has grown significantly, driven by the need for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and streamlined operations across sectors such as commercial, healthcare, education, and government.

What are Integrated Facilities Services?

IFS encompass a wide range of functions necessary for the smooth operation of buildings and infrastructure. These services include maintenance, cleaning, security, energy management, landscaping, waste management, and more. By integrating these services, organizations aim to enhance operational efficiency, improve service quality, and reduce costs.

The Evolution of IFS in Australia

The concept of IFS has evolved significantly in Australia over the past few decades. Initially, facilities management was often handled in-house or outsourced to multiple providers, each responsible for different aspects of the facility. This fragmented approach led to inefficiencies and higher costs. The shift towards integration began as organizations recognized the benefits of having a single point of contact for all their facilities management needs.

Key Drivers of IFS Adoption

Several factors have contributed to the increasing adoption of IFS in Australia:

Cost Efficiency: Consolidating services under one provider allows organizations to negotiate better rates and reduce administrative overheads.

Streamlined Operations: Integrated services ensure smoother coordination and communication, leading to more efficient operations.

Focus on Core Activities: Outsourcing facilities management allows organizations to concentrate on their core business activities, improving overall productivity.

Technological Advancements: Advanced technology in facilities management, such as IoT and AI, has made it easier to integrate and manage multiple services effectively.

Sustainability Goals: Integrated services often include energy management and sustainability initiatives, helping organizations meet their environmental targets.

Case Studies of IFS in Action

Healthcare Sector: A major hospital in Sydney adopted IFS to manage its facilities. The integrated approach led to a 20% reduction in operational costs and improved patient satisfaction through better-maintained facilities and more responsive service.

Educational Institutions: Several universities have implemented IFS to handle their campus facilities, resulting in enhanced learning environments and more efficient use of resources.

Commercial Real Estate: Large office complexes in Melbourne have seen significant benefits from IFS, including lower energy consumption and improved tenant satisfaction.

Challenges and Future Outlook While the benefits of IFS are clear, challenges remain. These include managing the complexity of integrating multiple services, ensuring high standards across all service areas, and dealing with potential resistance to change within organizations.

Looking ahead, the future of IFS in Australia appears promising. As technology advances, the integration of facilities services will become even more seamless and efficient. Additionally, the ongoing focus on sustainability and smart building solutions will drive further innovation in the sector.

Conclusion

Integrated Facilities Services in Australia have transformed the way organizations manage their facilities, offering a comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective solution. As the market evolves, the adoption of IFS is set to grow, driven by technological advancements and the ongoing pursuit of operational excellence. For businesses and institutions across the country, embracing IFS represents a strategic move towards a more sustainable and efficient future.

[elenagold236]

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Infection Commercial Cleaning - Keen To Clean

Most Australians are feeling frightened and unsure about how to protect others and themselves from the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Following the rules established by the Australian Government and the World Health Organization (WHO), including good hygiene, sanitization, and disinfection measures, is advised by experts as the best defense.

We're prepared to assist covid-19 infection cleaning

. We can overcome this together.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): What is it? According to the WHO, COVID-19 (also known as "Coronavirus disease") is an infectious disease brought on by a fresh strain of coronavirus that was only recently detected in humans. The name "coronavirus" often refers to a group of viruses that can cause anything from the common cold to more severe conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Fever, exhaustion, a dry cough, shortness of breath or other breathing issues, body aches, nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat, or diarrhea are typical symptoms. When the condition is severe, it can result in pneumonia, kidney failure, SARS, and even death. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales, droplets from their mouth or nose are released into the air and can be inhaled or come into contact with. These droplets travel through the air and land on nearby surfaces. When people touch or breathe in these areas, they may potentially contract the disease.

Effects of COVID-19 The rapidly spreading COVID-19 epidemic is now regarded as a global pandemic, which denotes that a new illness is thought to have spread "worldwide." Over 700 COVID-19 instances have been confirmed as of the time of publication in Australia, with New South Wales and Victoria accounting for the majority of cases. In Australia, more than 100,000 people have undergone viral testing, and regrettably, six people have already passed away.

Australian authorities currently advise frequently washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer when hand washing is not an option to prevent contracting or spreading the virus. using the crook of your elbow or arm, not your hands, to cough and sneeze Avoid touching your face as much as you can practice social distance by staying 1.5 meters away from other people whenever you can isolate yourself if you feel ill, have recently been abroad, or have come into contact with a confirmed case

How can I clean in a way that keeps both myself and others safe? It is more important than ever that we all adhere to best practices for personal hygiene, surface sanitization, and disinfection, especially in locations with limited space, like commercial office complexes.

How long can a virus remain on a surface? Although the solution is now unknown, experts think the virus functions similarly to other coronaviruses. In light of this, it is likely that the virus can survive on surfaces for anywhere between a few hours and many days, depending on elements like the type of surface and climatic variables like temperature. Disinfectants should be used to clean surfaces that are thought to be contaminated in order to eradicate the virus and lessen the risk of injury to you and others.

Cleaning vs. Disinfecting for COVID-19 The practice of disinfecting involves destroying or deactivating disease-causing bacteria and viruses on surfaces, whereas sanitizing will generally only reduce the number of bacteria on surfaces to acceptable levels and is ineffective against some viruses. Disinfecting is chosen for treating surfaces at a higher risk of contamination, especially if such contamination relates to a highly contagious virus like the new coronavirus, even though cleaning is typically sufficient for low risk circumstances.

Do I require expert cleaners for my property? Publicly accessible locations like malls, food courts, grocery stores, pharmacies, community services buildings, schools, daycare centers, and other establishments that frequently house large crowds of people should receive special attention from trained cleaning specialists during an outbreak and, in fact, during a pandemic. Hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, and medical institutions all need frequent specialized cleaning since they care for the most vulnerable people (the old and those with weakened immune systems). It might mean the difference between life and death.

Why hire experts in this case? Quality and experienced professional cleaners are trained and equipped to apply best practices to disinfection and sanitization of surfaces suspected of – or at risk of – contamination resulting from coronaviruses. Professional cleaners are also fully equipped and prepared to protect themselves from potential infection when cleaning hazardous areas and have the means to ensure proper disposal of contaminated waste. In a time when supermarket shelves are bare and supplies available to the general public are low, you can rest assured that reputable professional cleaners will have access to cleaning agents, equipment and personal protective supplies. An established set of protocols will be used by a respectable professional cleaning service to guarantee adherence to the most recent recommendations made by the Australian Government and the World Health Organization. We at Keen To Clean recognize that this is a difficult time for everyone. Our experienced and dedicated team of professional cleaners are here to help alleviate some of that stress and anxiety by ensuring your premises are appropriately sanitized and disinfected, and helping you to do your part to reduce the spread of the outbreak. Currently, we provide services to clients in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney's suburbs as well as the city center. Get in touch today to discuss your needs and obtain a free quote.

[melbourne-commerical-cleaning]

Commercial Cleaners You Can Trust in Melbourne

Keeping a commercial space clean and tidy is essential for maintaining a professional image and a safe and healthy environment for employees and customers. But with so many commercial cleaners to choose from in Melbourne, how do you know which ones you can trust? In this blog post, we'll explore some key factors to consider when choosing a commercial cleaning service in Melbourne, and how to find cleaners you can rely on.

1. Reputation and experience

One of the most critical factors to consider when choosing a commercial cleaning service is their reputation and experience. Look for a company that has a proven track record of delivering high-quality cleaning services to a variety of commercial clients in Melbourne. You can do this by checking online reviews, asking for references, and looking at the company's portfolio. A reputable cleaning company should be proud to showcase their previous work and provide you with testimonials from satisfied customers.

2. Training and certifications

Commercial cleaning involves much more than just sweeping and mopping floors. A professional cleaning company should have well-trained and certified staff who understand how to use cleaning products and equipment safely and efficiently. Look for cleaners who have undergone formal training and have relevant certifications from recognized industry bodies. This can give you peace of mind that your commercial space is being cleaned by professionals who know what they're doing.

3. Tailored cleaning plans

Every commercial space is different, and your cleaning needs may vary depending on the size and type of your business. Look for commercial cleaners who offer tailored cleaning plans that can be customized to meet your specific requirements. This can help to ensure that your space is cleaned thoroughly and efficiently, without any unnecessary work or costs.

4. Flexible scheduling

Another important factor to consider is the flexibility of your cleaning schedule. Look for a company that can work around your business hours and minimize disruption to your operations. A good cleaning company should be able to offer flexible scheduling options, including after-hours or weekend cleaning, to ensure that your commercial space is always clean and presentable.

5. Eco-friendly cleaning solutions

In today's environmentally conscious world, many businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and minimize their impact on the environment. Look for commercial cleaners who use eco-friendly cleaning solutions and practices, such as non-toxic cleaning products and sustainable cleaning methods. This can help to ensure that your business is doing its part for the environment while still maintaining a clean and healthy workspace.

6. Transparent pricing

Finally, it's essential to choose a commercial cleaning company that offers transparent pricing and no hidden costs. Look for cleaners who provide clear and upfront quotes and who are willing to work with you to develop a cleaning plan that fits your budget. Avoid companies that offer low prices but cut corners on quality, as this can end up costing you more in the long run.

In conclusion

 choosing commercial cleaners you can trust in Melbourne requires careful consideration and research. Look for companies with a solid reputation, well-trained staff, tailored cleaning plans, flexible scheduling options, eco-friendly cleaning solutions, and transparent pricing. By finding a reliable and trustworthy cleaning company, you can enjoy a clean, safe, and professional commercial space that reflects positively on your business.

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pointe shoes and racecars- o.piastri

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summary: you and oscar had grown up together, and grown apart. now you're teaching him ballet for a mclaren video. will you two reconnect?

pairing: oscar piastr x fem! ballerina! dancer

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Oscar Piastri was your best friend’s older brother, what could go wrong? 

You’d moved to Melbourne when you were a kid with the rest of your family, and your brother quickly started karting at a local track. In comes the Piastri’s. You were sitting on the sidelines, bored out of your mind when a little girl a bit older than you came up to you with another girl, about your age, and another little girl, much younger than all three of you. 

“Which one’s yours?” The eldest asked. 

“The one in the red kart, my brother. You?”

“The one in the fluro yellow. He’s our brother,” she explained. “I’m Hattie, that’s Addie, and that’s Mae. Wanna be friends?”

You nodded. “Yeah! I’m Y/n.”

And since that day, you were. Turns out you and Addie ended up in the same class in school and became fast friends, then you ended up in the same ballet class, and it all snowballed from there. Playdates became hangouts and dolls became bitch-sessions, and soon enough you were all grown up. You were a constant in the Piastri family home, sleeping over most nights to carpool to early ballet, then school, then back to ballet, and then back to the Piastri home. You watched every race with the girls, growing up alongside Oscar and your brother from the beginning. You watched both of them in Formula Renault, Formula 3, Formula 2, and finally, Oscar’s second year Formula 1 was coming up, while you brother (Jack) was staying yet another year in F2. It was funny, whenever Oscar was home in recent years, you always seemed to miss him. You didn’t mind. Oscar and you weren’t all that close, you were closest to Addie, Hattie, Mae, and Nicole. Though, he texted you when he was away and you responded, apologising for missing him, he always told you that he’d ‘see you on the stage one day anyway’. He’d always supported you. You’d always supported him.

Sadly, your time living with the Piastri’s had come to an end. You had been given the chance of a lifetime in the form of a full scholarship to the Paris Opera Ballet School, and you weren’t going to turn it down, much to Nicole’s dismay. That was two years ago. Two full years of living in Paris, down. 

Paris was amazing. You missed your family and you missed everyone back in Melbourne, but you loved it in Paris. Your new fellow dancers were so welcoming and nice, and you’d made fast friends with a group of them. You’d been doing French in school since you were a kid, and you loved getting to speak it with native speakers. You’d even been named an Etoile (star) in your first year. You’d helped the Paris Opera Ballet with their online presence and started a YouTube channel with some of your fellow dancers which had garnered over 4 million subscribers. Everything was brilliant. 

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“Alright everyone, gather around!” Carole called. “We have been invited to the McLaren garage this weekend for the Monaco Gran Prix,” she explained. “We will be attempting to teach some of the staff some of  Balcony Pas de deux from ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and also having a photo shoot with Vogue while we are there. Y/n and Hugo, I want those lifts as clean as possible! Chop chop!”

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The week went by and finally you were walking into the McLaren motorhome behind one of the staff members who was showing you around. In the end only 3 people from the company were required to go, Hugo (Romeo), Laura (one of the company's pianists), and you (Juliet). You walked around, keeping an eye out for Oscar, or the rest of the Piastri family who had all told you they’d be visiting. 

You were quickly ushered into a makeshift filming studio and told to warm up while they gathered the people you’d be doing the video with you. You chatted and warmed up, trying a few of the lifts from the show and just generally practising your moves. 

The door swung open and there he was. Oscar with a grim look on his face who hadn’t even recognised you. 

“Do we really have to do this?” he not-so-subtly asked Lando beside him. 

“Mate I don’t want to do it either-”

“Y/N!” Nicole’s voice cut through all the noise of the motorhome and the piano stopped. She ran and pulled you into a bone-crushing hug as you laughed. 

“Hi Nicole,” you beamed, hugging her back. Hattie, Addie, and Mae weren’t far behind her, and joined in on the hug, emotions flowing as you all started to catch up. 

“How are you? How’s work? How’s Paris?” Hattie asked immediately. 

“How’s Paris? Is it amazing? Can I visit sometime?” Mae asked, speaking over her sister. 

“How are you?!” Addie squealed, taking your hands. 

“I’m great, so happy to see the four of you,” you smiled but it dampened as Hugo reminded you of the job at hand. “Sorry guys, we’ll need to catch up later, the fun police has just-”

“Quoi? Je ne suis pas la « police du plaisir » ! Nous avons un travail à faire !” (What? I am not the 'fun police'! We have a job to do!) He defended, but by then the girls had already cleared out, and you’d already turned your attention to Oscar and Lando. 

“Hi,” you smiled at Oscar. 

“Hi,” he smiled back, a hint of blush on his cheek. “I almost didn’t recognise you.”

“I could say the same for you,” you chuckled. “Became a Formula 1 driver and forgot about your friends, huh?” 

He rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Don’t even.”

“Ready for some ballet?” Hugo smiled at the two men, who both just grimaced. 

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You started warming them up, learning quickly that while Lando was not flexible, Oscar was even worse. 

“And go down further if you can,” you instructed, pushing down on Oscar’s shoulders. 

“Bug, I can’t go any further,” he chuckled. 

“Bug?” Hugo questioned. 

“Childhood nickname,” you dismissed. “Don’t start using it.”

Hugo nodded, holding his hands up in surrender. “Noted.”

“Holy shit, you’re ‘Bug’?” Lando gasped. “He talks about you all the time!”

You chuckled as Oscar’s cheeks went a brilliant shade of pink. “Sure Lando, I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Alright!” Hugo announced. “Let’s start on some variations!”

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The boys watched in horror as you and Hugo danced around the room. Balcony Pas de deux, your favourite number of the entire show. You did everything perfectly, Hugo did everything perfectly, but when you two danced, sometimes there was something missing. You usually thought that it was just a lack of romantic chemistry because you were such great friends, or maybe it was something else. Lando and Oscar applauded as you two finished your piece, then you turned to them, smiling. 

“I have to lift him?!” Lando stressed. You laughed with Hugo. 

“No, you’ll be lifting me,” you explained. “Hugo’s going to teach you the moves and you’ll just need to lift me. You don’t even have to go on pointe. It’ll be fun, I promise.” 

The boys stayed unconvinced. You’d picked an easy enough professional routine and you were sure they'd get it eventually. You started with teaching them how to properly lift someone so they wouldn’t get hurt, and they wouldn’t drop you. Unsurprisingly, Oscar was very good at this, you remembered how Addie and you would force him to practice lifts with you in the confines of the Piastri family home, and shockingly, the muscle memory was still there after so many years. So, you moved onto teaching him the moves for the first 20ish seconds of the dance. And unsurprisingly, he was very good at the lifts, not so good at the dancing. He couldn’t get his back leg low enough, or he couldn’t extend his arm enough, but you barely noticed. You were having too much fun to notice. You realised you’d been missing fun when dancing with Hugo. Juliet was this spontaneous, youthful character who was full of love and a craving to be loved. Oscar brought out that fun side of you. He always had. You laughed and smiled as you both danced, laughing when he’d trip or almost drop you, but neither of you cared. You moved on and taught him up to about the one minute mark in the piece. There was a lot of repetition and not a lot of male dancing in the first 60 seconds, so he was practically in the clear, all he had to do was smile and lift you. And he did. There wasn’t a moment where either of you weren’t smiling. He looked a bit uncoordinated and you looked thousands of times better than him, but you two were both smiling like little kids. 

His hand slipped and he almost dropped you to the floor, concern and shock plastering itself on his face as he scrambled to catch you. “Shit, are you alright?” he asked, somehow catching you by pulling you to his chest. 

“I’m fine Osc, no bruised sternums here,” you chuckled. He laughed, reminded of a crash you had in karting as a child. 

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As the session came to a close, you did the first minute of the dance with Oscar and with Lando and determined that while Oscar was better at the lifts, Lando wasn’t half-bad either. 

“Alright everyone, thanks for tuning in and tell us if you want to see us attempt this again!” Lando smiled at the camera. 

“I have no idea how you do that every night,” Oscar sighed, clearly tired and out of breath. 

“Sometimes twice a night,” Hugo corrected. “And yes, it is tiring.”

“I don’t know how you sit in a boiling car going 300 kilometres per hour for ninety minutes every Sunday,” you smiled. 

“It is tiring,” he shrugged, smiling. “Do you want to grab lunch?” 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” you nodded. “Let me just grab my stuff.”

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Catching up with Oscar felt great. You didn’t realise how much you two had in common. From movies, to books, and everything in between. You were even too busy laughing to hear Hugo call you to join him for the Vogue shoot. 

“Y/n!” He repeated, gathering others' attention. “Come on! We are being timed here!” 

“Coming!” you called back. “Sorry, I completely forgot about the time. Good luck in free practice today, please don't get yourself injured,” you said, pulling him into a hug. “Love you Osc!”

“Good luck!” He called after you. “Love you too Bug!” 

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“Childhood crush?” Hugo asked as you two relaxed after the shoot, exhausted after your day. 

“Nah, best friend’s brother,” you explained. 

“Oh, so even more of a rom com then,” he chuckled. 

You scoffed. “No. We’re friends, that’s it.”

“Friends? Friends don’t look at you like you’re the only person in the room, friends don’t somehow laugh their whole way through the first 60 seconds of  Balcony Pas de deux,  friends don’t make puppy dog eyes at you, and still call you by your childhood nickname!” He laughed. You groaned. 

“We’re not like that! He’s just… he’s intense with his eye contact-!”

“He wasn’t intense like that for me!”

“I don’t know what to tell you!” You finally gave up. “Come on! There’s no way he-”

“Bug?” Oscar popped his head in the door, sweaty and smiling. “How’d it go?”

“All good,” you nodded. “How did Free Practice go?” 

“Good,” he nodded, out of breath. “Went fastest in sector 2.”

“Very impressive!” Hugo smiled, pretending to know what that meant. You chuckled.

“I was wondering if you wanted to stay for the rest of the weekend,” Oscar offered. “Both of you, of course,” he gestured to you and Hugo. “I know you're busy but my mum would kill me if I didn't ask.”

You smiled. Someone else could cover Juliet for one weekend, right? “Yeah, that’d be great.”

“I’d better get back to Paris, but thank you for the kind offer,” Hugo smiled. 

“Cool,” Oscar smiled at the both of you. “Addie has offered her room if you want to share with her, but there’s also my apartment, if you want your own bed.”

“My own bed please, Addie kicks in her sleep,” you chuckled. “Thanks Osc.”

“No problem.”

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You said your goodbyes to Hugo and followed the Piastri’s around Monaco for the rest of the day. You saw some of the sights, but eventually ended up in some fancy dinner with good food and good people around you. You were laughing at anyone’s jokes, telling stories, and genuinely just enjoying yourself. Paris had many things, but it didn’t have the Piastri’s. Sometimes you wished you could just shrink them and put them in your pocket to have them with you at all times. 

“So, how’s Paris?” Oscar asked as the night died down. You two were on your way back to his apartment and you were a little bit wine-drunk, but neither of you cared. 

“It’s amazing, but it doesn’t have you guys,” you patted his shoulder. “I miss you guys like crazy.”

He smiled. “I miss you too.”

“How’s Monaco? It’s so funny that we’ve lived an hour plane ride away from each other and we still haven’t visited each other,” you chuckled. 

“Monaco’s nice,” he nodded. “But it doesn’t have you here.”

Suddenly you were a lot more sober than you were 5 seconds ago. “Well, I’m here right now.”

“Exactly,” he smiled. “It’s really good to see you Bug.”

“It’s good to see you too,” you smiled. “Beetle.”

He laughed as you brought up his old nickname. Most people resorted to calling him ‘Osc’ or ‘Ozzy’ now that he’d grown up. He thinks his mum stopped calling him ‘Beetle’ when she visited him at school or races because you weren’t around to be ‘Bug’. Neither of you remembered why it had started, but you and Oscar were Bug and Beetle. It probably would’ve made more sense to have Addie as Beetle, with how much time you two spent together, but in reality it was just both your mums’ collective hopeful thinking that your friendship would turn into something much more. It might’ve, if you’d both stuck around long enough to see it through. Some part of him wondered how his life would’ve turned out if he’d stayed. Not that he didn’t love his life, he did. He was everything he’d ever dreamed of (well, not a Gran Prix winner yet so, not everything), well, everything but one thing. He didn’t realise it at the time, but in every single one of his visualisations of his future that he did as a child (something about a winner’s mentality? He didn’t understand it at the time), he’d imagined you being there with him. He never explicitly said it, but you were either his girlfriend or wife, or something other than a friend. It had always been a certain to him. You were his Bug. He was your Beetle. It just worked. 

“What’re you thinking about?” you asked, leaning into him as the street lights illuminated his face. Since when was he so pretty? 

“Us as kids,” he smiled. “Remember trying to teach you karting?” 

“You mean bruising my sternum? Yes I remember the month of agony thank you very much,” you chuckled. “And I remember how stressed you were running over to me. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen you lose your cool.” 

“Well I was about as stressed then as I was today when I almost dropped you,” he laughed. 

“Well, you saved me this time,” you chuckled. “My knight in a shining papaya?”

He laughed. “Sounds about right.” 

As you two came up to his apartment building, your conversation died down. You two went up to his apartment and he gave you the grand tour, finally showing you your bed for the nights. You said your ‘goodnights’ and then a problem plagued you. It was just meant to be a day trip to Monaco, you were meant to fly back earlier, and now here you were in Monaco with just your dance bag. What was in your dance bag? Your various shoes, a multitude of toe pads and things to stop the pain, three different water bottles, and some random leotards and a skirt. 

“Osc?” you knocked on his door, hoping he wasn’t asleep already. 

“Yeah?” he came to the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Of course, classic Oscar, asleep in seconds. “Everything alright?” He yawned. 

No. Everything was very much not alright. He’d come to the door with no shirt on, and you really couldn’t focus on the problem at hand. “I have no clothes,” you blurted out. 

He immediately opened his eyes and stared at you, then his brain processed fully what you said. “Oh, no pyjamas,” he nodded. “Sorry, I thought you meant- I’m actually just going to stop myself now.”

You chuckled. “Probably best.” 

“Well I’ll give you a hoodie and some of my shorts?” he offered. “Just to sleep in, and then I can bring you to the shopping centre down the way. I think there’s a Zara there or something.” 

“You really don’t need to bring me, I’m sure I can find it on my own. I’m sure you’re busy tomorrow-”

“Nonsense,” he shook his head, handing over the clothes. “I have time for you.” 

“Thanks Osc.”

You went to sleep with significantly more to think about, so did he. 

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You woke up the next morning to the sound of a smoke alarm, a shouting Nicole, and a cursing Oscar. You quickly got up to witness the commotion. 

“Y/n! Thank God you’re here!” She groaned and turned to Oscar. “I cannot believe you live on your own, you’re 23 and you can’t make eggs without almost burning your building down?!” 

“It wasn;t my fault!” he defended. “You’re the one who came to the door!” 

Nicole rolled her eyes as the girls laughed, watching this all unfold. Addie came over and stood beside you, smiling brightly at you. 

“What?” you chuckled. 

“Nothing,” she smirked. “Nice hoodie.”

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. “I had no other clothes,” you explained as the arguing continued. 

“Not a fan of sleeping in a leo?” she smirked. 

“Shockingly no, and also, we have to go shopping for clothes now, since all of mine are in Paris.” 

“Shopping! Yes!” Mae cheered. “Let’s go,” she said, immediately starting to drag you out of the apartment. 

“I’m not even dressed-!” Your complaints were met with nothing but more pulling.”Alright, alright! Let me grab my phone and my wallet, then I’ll be back out to you, yeah?” 

“Yay!” Mae cheered. 

You went back into your room, tried your best to make the hoodie and men’s shorts combo look good (it didn’t) and grab your things, then came back out. Oscar was cleaning up the kitchen as Hattie talked to him about the free practice and quali today, and Mae jumped up the moment she saw you. 

“Time to go!” she announced. “Bye Osc, good luck! See you at the track!” she called, already halfway out the door. 

You chuckled, following behind her, Addie, and Nicole. “Bye Osc!”

He grabbed ahold of your hand and placed a key in your palm. “In case you want to come back and change,” he smiled. 

“Thanks Osc,” you grinned. “Maybe leave the cooking to me tonight?”

“You don’t have to-”

“Osc, you’re letting me stay at your house, and you got me a paddock pass to see you. Let me make you dinner.” 

He nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”

His hand lingered for another few seconds before Mae called back to you, willing you to ‘come on!’. 

“See you later,” you smiled. 

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Shopping was fine, you bought some clothes and essential hygiene and makeup, then went back to Oscar’s apartment and got dressed just as FP3 started. You all rushed over to the track to watch, and it went well for Oscar, quali was probably going to be interesting, as per usual. Monaco was always a very special track and you really did enjoy looking around at the beautiful scenery. You noticed how the cameras followed you around, but you just put that down to being with his family. 

“Y/n! Can I get a photo?!” a young girl asked. You smiled and knelt down to be at her level. 

“Of course you can,” you smiled. “What’s your name?” 

“Carlotá,” she nodded. “I do ballet! I love you, you’re so good. I want to be as good as you one day!”

“Well I can’t wait to see you on stage one day! Maybe we’ll even get to dance together,” you chuckled, heart warmed by her enthusiasm. 

“I hope we do!” she smiled. 

You quickly got a photo with her and then you were back on your way to the McLaren hospitality with Addie talking your ear off about her new college courses as you listened intently. Suddenly, Oscar was in front of you, sweaty but smiley. 

Nicole immediately pulled him into a tight hug and you saw the weight lift off of her shoulders, if only for a short time. “All my kids are safe,” she sighed, and you knew you were a part of that. You’d always admired how much she cared and how deeply she cared about everyone in her life, it was incredible. Hattie hugged him next, then Addie, and lastly Mae. You smiled and gave him a pat on the back as Zak Brown ushered you further into the hospitality for a ‘family lunch’.

“So, I never knew Oscar had a girlfriend,” Zak smiled, turning to you.

Your face dropped. “Oh, um… he’s not my boyfriend. I’m just a family friend,” you explained. The air in the room had been sucked out and everything was a bit more awkward. 

“Oh gosh! Sorry, I just thought because of the video- I really need to remember to not just believe YouTube comments,” he chuckled. He’d somehow charmed his way out the awkward moment, and you found yourself laughing too. 

Oscar wasn’t laughing. He quite liked the idea that his boss thought you were his girlfriend. He was just as fond of the internet thinking you were his girlfriend. He’d made a devastating revelation last night. His mum had been right all those years when she told him that he’d end up with you. Well, not that you’d ended up together yet, he still had to do the ‘asking out’ part. Nicole watched as his frown deepened the more you laughed at the comments of the YouTube video of you teaching Lando and Oscar ballet with Hugo. 

“Wow, I think you might need to post something to tell everyone you’re just friends,” Zak laughed, showing you some more comments. 

You nodded. “I’ll post a baby picture or something,” You chuckled, turning to Oscar. “At least you’ve got the acting part of ballet down.”  

He smiled. “Exactly.”

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As the day progressed, you watched with bated breath as quali went underway, and Oscar qualified P2. You were ecstatic, jumping up and down with Addie and Nicole as Hattie and Mae cried in the back. All five of you had never been good with toning it down during his races. You just loved him so much, NOT like that, obviously. But in the friendly, totally platonic, family friend way. 

Nicole led the rest of you through the motorhome and you finally found him, sweaty and smiley once again. 

“Osc!” Nicole cheered, pulling him in for a hug. Addie, Hattei, and Mae all joined their hug, and you weren’t sure if it was right for you to join too, so you stayed back, taking a few photos of the five of them hugging. A part of you wanted to make it your wallpaper, but suddenly Oscar was in front of you. 

“Congratulations!” you smiled. 

“Y/n, I’m tired and I really don’t want to beg for a hug, please?” He smiled. You chuckled and wrapped your arms around his neck, his went around your waist, burying his face in your shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

“Well done Osc,” you smiled. 

You didn’t catch the way Addie and Hattie smirked at each other, or the way Nicole gushed over the two of you, or the way Mae took a few photos of the two of you, immediately sending them to Oscar’s phone, knowing he’d want them. 

You pulled back, a bright smile on your face, then turned to the girls. “Alright, I’m making dinner tonight, you guys ready to go?”

“Oh, we have a booking at this restaurant tonight,” Nicole sighed. “Another time?” 

You nodded. “Of course, see you all later,” you smiled. 

If you’d looked slightly more to your left, you would’ve seen Oscar silently beg them to not intrude on the date you didn’t know was a date. Of course, being the Y/noscar shippers they were, they obliged with as minimal smirking as possible, which was a lot. You hugged them goodbye then turned to Oscar. 

“Alright, you go shower and then direct me to the nearest supermarket!” You instructed and he smiled. 

“Sir, yessir,” he joked, saluting you. “You can wait in my driver’s room if you want.”

“Sounds good.” 

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Your evening was wonderful, you spent the evening walking around Monaco and grabbing supplies for dinner, then the actual cooking was rather enjoyable (aka you cooked your famous chilli and he sat in the corner, chatting away to you) and finally, cozying up on the couch with your favourite childhood movie, Cars. Well, it was his favourite, yours was Ballerina. Anyways, as the film continued on, you found yourselves getting closer and closer to each other. First it was an arm around the back of the couch, then an arm around you, then you were leaning into his side, until you had your head on his chest and he had a satisfied smile on his face. 

As the film came to a close, you got up and stretched, yawning. 

“Y/n,” he spoke. “I’ve really enjoyed having you around these past few days,” he smiled. 

“I’ve really enjoyed being around you,” you smiled back. 

“I’m in love with you,” he blurted out. It wasn’t exactly the smooth delivery he’d imagined since he was a teenage boy stalking your instagram from thousands of kilometres away, but it would work. Hopefully. 

“Pardon?” You stared at him shocked. 

He let out a nervous breath. “I’m in love with you.”

You nodded. You didn’t exactly know what to make of it all. You loved him too, so why wouldn’t your mouth make the words? This was so stupid, just say it! Say it! Say-“I love you too,” you finally blurted out after a few seconds of buffering. 

His nervous frown turned into a bright smile, and his hands landed on your waist, pulling you into him. He hugged you close for a moment, internally calming down. “Kept me waiting there,” he chuckled.

“Sorry,” you smiled. You pulled away a little bit, then pressed your lips to his. “Brain fart.”

He laughed, then pressed his lips to yours again, in a perfect, Oscar, kiss. You could feel his hands on your waist, every brush of his brush against your forehead, every piece of skin on yours. You couldn’t get enough. 

“You have a race in the morning,” you whispered, pulling back from the kiss just enough to remind him. 

He nodded, connecting your lips again. His kisses were getting more and more heated, more and more consuming, more and more hungry. He was barely listening. He was kissing you. Everything little him had dreamt of. 

“Oscar,” you pulled back, getting serious. “Wait until after the race, alright?” 

He nodded, pressing his lips to your again, this time quicker and softer. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” you smiled. “I would want to too, just… I don’t want to impair you’re-” you awkwardly tried to explain as he tried to hold back laughter. He failed and ended up laughing in your face, only making you laugh too. 

“God I love you,” he smiled bashfully. 

“I love you too.” 

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The next morning, you woke up to Oscar beside you, his arms wrapped around you. You smiled. This felt right. He felt right.

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You walked into the paddock hand in hand and Nicole immediately gasped. “You’re finally together?!” 

You laughed. “Yeah, we are,” you nodded. The four of them were a mix of cheering and crying, all ecstatic for you both. 

“If you hurt her I’ll kill you!” Addie warned, pointing a finger in Oscar’s face. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he smiled, looking at you. 

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You watched in awe as he crossed the finish line in P2, celebrating with his sisters and mum. You all ran to the Parc Fermé, ready to greet him. He ran over to you five, hugging his mum first, then running straight to you. He smiled then pulled you in for a kiss. 

“Congratulations,” you smiled, pulling back. 

“I have to watch you dance now,” he rushed out as Addie pulled him over for a hug. “I love you!” He shouted, being pulled away by Lando, knowing they were on a time crunch.

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2,830,623 likes liked by landonorris, y/nballet, and others oscarpiastri Bagged myself a dancer, and a second place trophy. Great weekend :)

comments

user83: WHAT THE FUCK MY WORLDS COLLIDING

user73: BRO HAS ULTIMATE RIZZ -> Hattiepiastri: INCORRECT BUZZER, they've been in love with each other since they could walk, they just didn't know it yet.

nicolepiastri: My babies  ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

landonorris: NOW HE'LL STOP THIRSTING -> oscarpiastri: polly not...

y/nballet: my love  ❤️

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅

7,830,725 likes liked by oscarpiastri, hugomarchand, nicole piastri and others

y/nballet: Bagged myself an Osc :)

oscarpiastri: I love you  ❤️ -> y/nballet: No papaya heart? -> oscarpiastri: shut up please.

user73: WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS??? -> user26: they've been friends forever and now they're dating :)

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navigation for my blog :) (masterlist)

[mecachrome]

not sure whether excerpts from oscar's book have alr been posted here but i found some of the quotes from the author's exclusive interviews with j.sera & rené quite interesting and thought i'd gather them in one place ❓__❓

i always love hearing insights on his karting days and how his unique rc bg & transition from australian to european karting shaped his racecraft... also notable that Every Single person who ever speaks about oscar is just like "well more than anything... he was SMART" 😭 obsessed with baby oscar already learning to dispense his energy in understated / calculative / strategic ways... more below the cut:

another thing i find quite interesting is how because oscar started karting in a relatively smaller scene that wasn't quite as competitive or talent-heavy as in europe, he was always too young/small for the classes he competed in (as with rc racing). of course he was never quite as egregiously undersized as lando but it's kind of fun that they have very similar karting lore in that aspect. not from the book but self-provided visuals:

also love how much the seras talk about his style, from his smooth inputs and clean driving to how much open-wheel potential he exhibited from the very beginning T__T

as for rené's insights on oscar's time at prema, i also find them interesting because while they corroborate a lot of surface level details about his junior campaigns that we're alr familiar with it's cool to be reminded of his growth from f3 (zero front row starts, winning more off consistency and competitor error than any personal dominant performance) to putting it all together in the second half of f2 (consecutive run of poles/fr wins to end the season).

also interesting to hear that THE most angry rené ever saw him was after his f3 monza penalty, because oscar's demeanor & reactions to adversity get discussed a lot and while he's always been very level-headed and i'd argue his core personality has not changed much if at all over the past 5 years, you can still see how he was just that touch less filtered and more defensive during his junior days. oscar is definitely still someone who refuses to take blame if he knows he wasn't at fault and who will never give credit to others when the work was mostly done by him ("i was the one driving" re: mweb helping him) but there has been a fairly noticeable growth curve from the guy who said he felt Physically Weak at the fr finale because of how nervous he was, who said he was grateful to be in school because it distracted him from his "habit of overthinking" that he was trying to get rid of, who complained extensively at monza about the novalak / beckmann incidents and then said "seems to be quite a common theme with liam if i'm honest 😐" re: continued contact in the press conf, to the guy today who reacts to deleted laps with a dry 👍 and stealthily downplays racing incidents to the point of not even calling them "incidents" at all.

there's also a bit from rené about how close he is to chris piastri and how he traveled to melbourne from italy Solely to attend his 50th birthday party, and basically how the piastris are just Good People and that oscar's demeanor is what sets him apart. which i thought was sweet :')

also bonus interesting media quote from laurent rossi, which i've seen before but don't remember in its entirety — specifically the part saying that the other academy drivers "weren't as curious" and basically calling oscar the only smart one of the bunch.... 😭😭😭 this freaking guy

[wosoamazing]

Brunch w/ Steph & Beth

Part 2 - Fire on Fire Series

From Beth: Good Morning, I know this is late notice and you might be socialised out from last night and probably have things to unpack but we were wondering if you wanted to have brunch with us this morning. I think Steph might join us too if that is okay.

To Beth: Good Morning, that would be nice, could you maybe just come to mine again if that is okay. There are some tradies coming over this morning and so I have to be here from when they get here where I don't know when that will be. I'm up and ready now so any time would work, I could cook something for you all.

From Beth: Oh no, don't be silly, Steph will pick something up from one of the local bakeries on her way over to ours. And then we will come to yours. Any dietary requirements?

To Beth: No, all good and thank you. See you soon.

You looked at the plans your aunts had lying out on the tablet for the workers when they got here, they were turning the theatre room into a home gym/entertainment space, your Moster claiming they decided they needed to be healthier but you knew it way there way of trying to make their home more inviting for you now you were older and keeping you there.

From Beth: Hi again, Steph just arrived, Viv has gone out and so I was just wondering if I could bring Myle our puppy with us, but I understand if it's not okay just thought to ask.

To Beth: Um.. normally I would say yes but I don't exactly know if Myle could come over if the workers will be here. I'm so sorry.

From Beth: No problem at all, we are just about to head to yours now.

You were still going through the look book, viewing all the products your Aunts were putting in both rooms when the doorbell rang, you swiftly moved towards it. You were surprised when you saw Steph and Beth standing in front of the now open door, you thought it would be the builders, they had only just left Beth's house "How are you already here?" "We actually live two streets over so it isn't far at all," you gestured for the two Women to come in.

"Um, we can sit on the couch or the table, I'll just clean all this up," "knock, knock, knock," you heard a man say from the door, turning around to see the builders.

"Oh, um just one second sorry girls, I just need to show them some things," they both nodded saying something along the lines of don't worry, and you quickly showed the builders the theatre and the plans and look book. They had already been given an in depth brief from your Aunt's so it didn't take long.

"I'm so sorry, they are just here to do some work," "Oh no it's totally fine don't worry," The women said as they followed you into the living room.

"I do have a question though," Steph said as you were grabbing some plates, "mmm" "How did you manage to get a place like this?"

"Oh, this isn't mine, it's my Aunt's, they are away for like the next 2 months in Paris, my Aunt is from there." Steph nodded as Beth was looking around at some pictures.

"Is this you or..." She said as she looked at a photo from one of your school events, "yeah it's me, they are all of me," you replied.

"Wow, that's insane, I think there are more photos of you in their house than the amount of photos my parents have of my brother and I in our home. Did you see them a lot?" She asked, meaning no harm, you knew the question would come eventually, you just didn't think it would be so soon.

"Um, yeah, I guess you could put it that way, this is technically my childhood home. When I moved out of my parents home I moved into this home with my Aunts, but we were only here for around 6 months before we moved to Australia. So technically the home we have in Melbourne is my childhood home but as this was well I guess is, the main home all the photos and trophies and everything else got moved into this house,"

"Oh, why did you move out of your parents home? Sorry that sounded a bit insensitive, you don't have to answer," "Oh no, it's okay I don't mind, I-" you were interrupted by another person at the door, they handed you a massive bouquet of flowers and as you brought them into the house and set them on the coffee room table, both girls looked at them.

"Wow, secret admirer, Leah is going all out," Beth cheeked as you looked at the gift tag, letting out a knowing sigh as you read the names.

"Of course, giving me somewhere to stay and building me a gym with some entertainment stuff too isn't enough," you lean back on the couch, before looking over to Beth.

"Wait, what did you say that about Leah? Do you think she likes me?" You asked curiously.

"By the way she looked at you when you walked into the locker room, I would say she has a crush on you" she said quite seriously, you let out a small 'oh' and both of them looked at each other, before continuing on with the conversation, changing topics.

[covid-safer-hotties]

These Are the Drag Artists and Organizers Fighting to Make Queer Spaces More COVID Safe - Published Aug 21, 2024

This article was produced in partnership with The Sick Times.

After becoming disabled by a COVID-19 infection they caught on tour in 2022, Themme Fatale went from being a high-flying trapeze artist to being homebound. Before developing Long COVID, much of the popular circus performer’s career had involved risk — setting themself on fire, flipping through the air, lying on beds of nails — but the danger of these stunts began to shrink in their mind compared to the risk of the airborne virus.

From home in Melbourne, Australia, Fatale began to closely follow Long COVID research, connecting the concerning findings about the disease, which affects every organ system, to their numerous symptoms. What they didn’t understand was why their local queer community — and society at large — continued to put themselves at risk of COVID-19, especially because Long COVID is more prevalent in queer and trans people.

It led Fatale to take action. In February 2024, Fatale launched Clean Air Narm, one of over 30 volunteer-led initiatives around the world modeled after Chicago’s Clean Air Club. These organizations lend out high-quality air purifiers to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by reducing virus in the air at indoor venues.

“I started [Clean Air Narm] because I don't want to see all my friends disabled in the same way that I have been,” they say. “If you lead with a solution, people are sometimes more open to hearing about what the problem is in the first place.”

Guided by a strong commitment to community care, a diverse group of queer performers, drag kings, and other event organizers are filling the gaps of global government failure during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through clean air organizations, mask requirements at shows, and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts, they are making public spaces more accessible and safer for everyone, all while selling out shows.

Here’s how many clean air clubs work: Organizers fundraise in their communities for a fleet of air purifiers and/or far-UVC devices, lamps that emit a type of ultraviolet light that can reduce indoor airborne microbes by 98%. Because these technologies are expensive — lights and purifiers can each cost thousands of dollars —, clean air organizers offer them to event organizers in their community through a “lending library.”

Volunteers of the clean air initiatives then distribute the purifiers to event organizers who install them at venues, often coupled with other COVID-19 mitigation tools like masks and rapid tests. Mutual-aid groups called mask blocs, which distribute respirators and other items to their communities for free, sometimes help with events, too.

While these precautions make events safer, they don’t fully eliminate the risk of spreading or catching COVID-19 at an event. Clean air initiatives are often careful to advertise events as “COVID-safer,” not “COVID-safe.” Some advocates have also criticized these clean air clubs for prioritizing entertainment events, arguing that resources like air purifiers and high-quality masks should be used for the most vulnerable communities that can’t afford masks, including hospitals, prisons, or public schools.

Still, with COVID-19 at very high levels multiple times a year and many people still going out to concerts and shows, these multiple layers of precaution do reduce spread of the disease in important venues. The fight for cleaner air in public places is broad: Public health experts and others have also proposed clean air mandates in public buildings, including Harvard University’s Healthy Buildings Program, Long COVID Kids, and Congressman Don Beyer’s Airborne Act 2024.

After founding Clean Air Club in 2023, Chicago resident Emily Dupree was met with an overwhelming demand for her club’s HEPA air purifiers. The success led her to write a guide to creating a clean-air organization. More than 30 autonomous initiatives around the world have been implemented and improved on the guide — and they’re popping up quickly.

“What we all have in common is a deep commitment to free access to life-saving technology in the midst of an ongoing pandemic,” says Dupree.

While Clean Air Club purifiers are for any organizers who request them, Dupree has noticed the resource has been more popular with members of the queer community.

“It is not surprising to me that so many of us creating these clean air clubs and putting in so much work for our community are queer,” Dupree says. “This idea of care as a radical and very powerful foundational value for mutual aid organizations is closely aligned with queer politics.”

The queer community is no stranger to mutual aid. During the peak of the AIDS crisis in the ’80s and ’90s, lesbians and other queer people started food banks, devoted their time to caretaking, donated as “blood sisters”, treated people with the disease, and provided other life-saving volunteer services while mainstream society stigmatized and abandoned people with AIDS.

Today, clean air organizations, mask blocs, and other COVID-19 mutual aid groups exist as a temporary solution for the widespread institutional failures of local, city, state, and federal governments that have an obligation to safeguard public health from COVID-19 and have instead completely failed to live up to that obligation, as Dupree says. “[These initiatives] give us a glimpse of what life could be like if only these principles were adopted at a larger scale.”

Dupree would like to see institutions that have the power to make large-scale, permanent changes in the interest of public health — including schools, public transportation departments, and prisons — improve their indoor air quality through the use of air purification and far-UVC technology. She’d also like to see mask requirements reimplemented in high-risk environments like hospitals, where many people have died after being exposed to COVID-19 while seeking life-saving care.

It's pretty straightforward, Dupree says. “What we need from the government is what they did at the turn of the century to eradicate cholera from our public water. We need them to clean our indoor air.”

In the absence of these measures and few to no mitigation efforts today, the public is at continued risk of COVID-19 infections and Long COVID, which affects more than 23 million Americans of all age groups. More than 400 million have the disease around the globe, according to a recent review in Nature Medicine. The ever-present threat of the virus also makes it unsafe for disabled and other high-risk people to participate in everyday life, seek safe medical care, and do essential errands.

While many mutual aid groups are run by queer people, numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and advocacy groups are failing to make their spaces and events safe and accessible. Education about the risk of Long COVID in the community is sorely lacking.

But there are exceptions: In Los Angeles, two drag king-led shows, Disabled Cable and Them Fatale (not associated with Themme Fatale) have made their shows more COVID-safe thanks to the help of testing, mask requirements, and their local clean air organization, Airgasmic.

Founded in 2024 by popular drag king Dick Swagger, Airgasmic runs a lending library of crowd-sourced purifiers specifically for drag shows and other queer events. And while the volunteer service has been successful, it has also exposed how difficult it can be to get venues and some patrons on board with COVID-19 mitigation methods, particularly masking.

“A lot of people aren't keeping up with the science,” Swagger says, explaining that he spends most of his free time volunteering for Airgasmic and educating his community online about COVID-19 and Long COVID. “More people tend to listen to me when I’m in drag.”

Swagger stopped performing live in 2022 after seeing the toll Long COVID has taken on the drag and queer community in Los Angeles. He knows 14 people in his local drag and queer communities with Long COVID, he says, adding that “it is like watching a slow-motion car crash” as more continue to get infected with COVID-19.

“I had to stop performing. I became increasingly frustrated,” he says. “I was trying to protect [my local drag community] and protect myself because I can't afford to become disabled.”

Leona Love, a drag king and queen who co-created Disabled Cable, says one of the most difficult aspects in organizing their show was finding a venue that would help enforce a mask requirement, a challenge other performers and organizers who spoke with Them and The Sick Times also faced.

As an ambulatory wheelchair user, Love says that a lack of accessible venues has kept them from performing at venues in Los Angeles in the past. The underlying ableism in the drag and queer community led them to co-found the show, which highlights disabled performers.

“The way I like to tell it honestly is that it is a project that was born out of rage and channeled into love,” they say.

But after finding a venue called Cantiq in Echo Park that fully supported their mitigation efforts, Love’s first show drew such a large crowd that they had to set a capacity limit for their sophomore performance so it would be less cramped and therefore safer. Now, the event regularly sells out.

“Getting to see the response to our show has been so affirming that our community still does care about COVID-19,” Love says. “We want to keep each other safe. Sometimes it’s about providing the right spaces and the right information to inform people how they can do that.”

“I do wish, however, that there were spaces outside of what we are building that were taking us into consideration as much as we are taking everyone in the community into consideration.”

[jargonbyjulia]

“It’s impossible!”

I’ve heard the saying, “Mums get no days off.” It’s true and it isn’t. I know a couple of mums that get plenty of days off, with health retreats throughout the year, child-free holidays, and so on. Sometimes days off seem IMPOSSIBLE. Even getting through some days seems impossible. I get a few hours to myself; I like to get my nails done, and tomorrow I have a first hair appointment in six months - shock horror!

I have a two and a five year old, and I work part time. On Thursdays I work at home, and I like to think of that as my day “off”. I work in peace, I play my own music, I answer only to the ding of Teams’ notifications, emails and my stomach rumbles. Today is Thursday, and I had my two year old home sick from daycare. It’s barely just winter, and we’ve been knocked out at least twice already. I did my best to keep her entertained while I caught up on the work I started Tuesday, where seven meetings had me pretty tied up. We were doing fine, and she was enjoying being home with me, watching Peppa Pig on repeat, and eating through the snack shelf of the pantry.

At 11:00am, my daughter’s school called asking if I could pick up my preppy as she had a headache, fever and sore tummy. So I alerted work, bundled up my toddler and ran to the rescue. She wasn’t well, at all. We made her warm and gave her medicine, and suddenly it was 11:30am, which means nap time for the little one. I quickly answered emails, started writing an article and reviewed some work. I made sure miss five was comfortable and then put miss two down for her nap. After that, I made a quick couple of sandwiches for us, and ate at my desk. While answering 785 questions, including “How do you spell chicken?” and “What is 78 plus 802?” (from my child, not a colleague), I worked through my list for the day, trying my hardest to focus on the tasks at hand. Suddenly it’s 1:45pm and my two year old is awake, and I break my focus. Now it’s time to prepare her food and get her playing happily with her sister. It’s much easier than I had thought, so I can get back to my work. By 3pm, she’s sitting on my lap tapping away at the keys on my computer, asking why I have a spare TV (my second computer monitor) and she just has a lousy plastic phone with dead batteries.

The dog is whining as he hasn’t had a walk all day. My husband left for work at 8:30am, and he won’t be back until we are asleep at 10pm. Miss five goes downhill as suddenly as Melbourne’s morning temperatures, and needs her fever brought down, so there’s no leaving the house. I’m starting to think getting through this day is impossible, but we push through with more snacks, YouTube kids and a cranked heater.

At 4:30pm I’m cooking lamb chops from Monday and drafting my weekly wrap-up for work.

My phone rings. My husband asks, “How was your day?” I sigh and say it was busy. I read some feedback about my work as the kids eat dinner in front of the fire I made by rubbing two sticks together because everyone is “SO COLD!” and I take a breath. Only a quick one though, as I need to run the bath for two girls who identify solely as mermaids and then hit send on one more message before the end of the working day. COB they call it; Close of Business. (Mums don’t really have a COB though, do they?!)

I haven’t had a shower all day, and it’s 6:20pm. My youngest just shut her head in the fridge trying to make imaginary apple pie for the dog, there’s a full basket of clean laundry waiting to be folded on the kitchen table and I think the wombok I was relying on to substitute as salad leaf for my dinner is growing babies. But gosh, somehow I feel accomplished. There’s ice cream on the couch slowly seeping into the earth under our home, the iPads are dead and I am tired, so tired. But I’ve nearly ticked everything off my work to-do list, and, apart from fridge-headgate, the girls are now content, warm, full, laughing, and nearly ready for bed.

Mums do get days off, but not me today. And that’s ok! We got through it. I’m forever grateful for an extremely supportive workplace who understand what people, and mums, go through on a daily basis. No one pressured me to hit unrealistic deadlines, and everyone understood what I was going through, or at least sympathised or empathised with me. And in the end, it just makes me want to work smarter, and harder. In all aspects of my life.

There will be a glass or four poured tonight, and I’d say they are well deserved. I’ve just realised baby mermaid is due for her antibiotics, so I’ll end with one of our favourite Peppa Pig quotes, “It’s impossible!”

But really Peppa, NOTHING is impossible.

[hollywoods-angel]

margot <3

margot robbie is an australian actress who's been in a number of large movies such as the wolf of wall street, suicide squad, birds of prey and once upon a time in hollywood. in addition to acting she's a producer who's produced birds of prey, terminal, dreamland, i tonya, promising young woman and the upcoming barbie movie!

margot is the second youngest of four siblings and was raised by a single mother for most of her childhood. she was enrolled in circus school and as a teen she worked three jobs- cleaning houses, working at subway, and tending a bar. after graduating she moved to melbourne to be a professional actor. she was in numerous films and tv shows, but i think her breakout role was the wolf of wall street.

margot is not only stunning, but in interviews she's down to earth and charming. her drive and determination shines through in the seriousness she brings to her roles, as well as the success of her production company. i can't wait to see barbie, and see all the wonderful projects margot will make in the future! <3

[standbyric]

[PART I]

01: After that Maiden Win

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x Female!Driver OC x Pierre Gasly Premise: Formula One, Female Racing Driver Rating: 18+; Mature themes (explicit language, death, trauma innuendos, motorsport accident, mentions of sex) Timeline: Back and forth Word Count: 3.4k Sum: The last sentence Daniel could make up was Zea saying, 'I made a friend!'. Yeah. He reckoned they were friends now. Friends with the twins, he meant.

⬅️ Chapter 00 | MASTERLIST | Chapter 02 ➡️

“THE blokes from Audi are throwing a party tonight—“

“—Did you know?”

Michael Italiano gave Daniel a puzzled look when his friend’s response was far from the topic. “Know what?”

“She was apparently raised in Melbourne—so yeah, that explains her accent—and she knows Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Hey, I do a bit of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

Daniel hadn’t peeled his eyes off the screen of his laptop. He’d been scrolling through the Wikipedia page—and basically any internet page he could find—of ‘Zeahire Sinaga’ since entering his driver’s suite when his eyes shot sparkles as he seemingly found something in common between him and the lady.

Keeping his puzzled look on, Michael decided to finish cleaning up, rolling the resistance band before putting it back inside the travel bag. His friend-slash-client’s behaviour had amused him, to say the least.

“So, will you be going?” He returned to his first question, hoping it’d be enough trigger for the Red Bull driver to avert his attention from the screen finally.

“What?”

“Maybe instead of googling or Wikipedia-ing the person, make an effort to talk to her?” Michael said with authority. He even crossed his arms. “You know two seasons have passed since she made her debut? And you never talked to her. What’s with the sudden interest?”

Exactly.

Daniel had always been the paddock’s certified carefree guy, but for the past two seasons, he’d been so focused on racing that everything else disconnected for a while. Yeah, he wasn’t the best student at school, but hey—he did know how to focus on his goals, especially after ranking below his teammate, Daniil Kvyat, last season on the Driver’s Standing. 

“I don’t know what you’re on about, mate.”

“I’m going.”

“Going what?”

“Her victory celebration party,” Michael threw his arms up, expressing his subtle frustration.

It was Daniel’s turn to give Michael a puzzled look. “You know people from Audi? I didn’t know you’d been talking to them.” Not to belittle anyone’s affability, but it had been an open secret that Daniel is the most outgoing driver—hell, person even—on the grid. And even he hadn’t been buddy-buddy yet with the people from Audi. Blame it on the heated competition and the fact that the team was only established last season; he simply hadn’t the time. 

“Yeah. Elijah. I know him.”

“Elijah, who?”

Michael chuckled. “Her performance coach.”

Well. Birds of a feather flock together, Daniel thought.

“Wait, why are we even talking about this again?” The Aussie shook his head because it had almost felt like Michael was onto something.

“Because… it’s an open invite…?” Michael bit his lip before continuing, “and your newly-found interest in her?”

Daniel gave Michael a side eye, trying not to lose his cool over…whatever his performance coach’s tone meant just now.

“Yeah, like I’m interested in Lewis, Seb, Rosberg? Look, she gave me one hell of a competition; you saw how she overtook me in turn 11. It’s natural for us drivers to do our research.” Yeah, right, Sherlock. Even Daniel thought that came out sounding absolutely like a stupid little excuse. Whom was he kidding?

“Alright, mate,” Michael put his hands out front, gesturing his backing down, “I’m just informing you that it’s an open invite. You’re free to show up.”

“…Yeah.”

By the time Daniel arrived at the bar, it was already getting dark. But the music was still on full boost, and he could even make his Team Principal, Christian Horner, chat with whom he assumed to be Abelard ‘Alby’ Krüger, Audi’s Team Principal. 

He was greeted by Sebastian Vettel upon entrance, who was sharing a conversation with Lewis, Romain Grosjean, and Sergio Perez, each holding a glass of alcohol. 

“Thought you weren’t gonna make it, man.” Lewis gave him a fist bump. “Saw Michael alone.”

“Yeah, had to make rounds with my parents; you know I’m that filial,” he chuckled. “Congrats on P2, mate.”

Lewis shrugged his gratitude, swivelling his glass.

“Got his ass handed by Zea on that last corner. Saw the re-run, and you were struggling there, mate,” Sebastian chipped in, sounding amused. “How does it feel? Getting your ass handed by a woman?”

“Come on, man. I have nothing against female drivers; you know that. Besides, we all got our asses served. On a nice, silver platter.”

The five drivers laughed. No lie to that statement, after all. The first woman who managed to sit at the top of the podium since 1980. She had displayed some solid driving. Perhaps a little too solid for their comfort. But to Lewis’ defence, he was running on an old set of softs for that last three laps when Zea out-paced him to take the chequered flag.

Daniel had also come to fancy himself a glass of alcohol as he continued engaging the others in conversation. The night soon deepened. 

“So, are you not going to talk to her? Horner looks interested in her.”

“So is Toto, apparently,” Lewis added his own observation to Sebastian’s statement, finding his Team Principal already within the circle.

Daniel finally followed the line sight of the two drivers beside him.

And there she was.

Arms crossed as she stood tall alongside Krüger, her smile full of confidence. She had an air of authority surrounding her toned figure, which, to Daniel’s curiosity, he found…intriguing. 

“It was definitely the mask.” Grosjean interrupted Daniel’s train of thought.

“Not going to blame anyone for keeping their distance from her because she did use to have that, uh, don’t-talk-to-me atmosphere when she had her black mask on last season.”

Make sense.

“She looks much friendlier now,” and the rest of Grosjean’s sentence derailed onto the back of Daniel’s head.

It was as if he was sucked in. 

Her animated expression was back as she answered whatever his Team Principal was saying. She seemed to have the habit of ending every sentence with her signature smile—where the left corner of her lips would lift higher, and her eyes vanish in the shape of a crescent moon—if Daniel were to make a description. He wasn’t very good at expressing how strikingly unique it was. And look at her arm—

“Didn’t know she had a tattoo on her arm,” Daniel muttered. As a self-proclaimed stigmatophile, his love for the ink was up to the extent that he’d keep probing for excuses to engrave new designs on his skin. 

That deep black ink on her stood out in contrast against her slightly brown skin. The stroke followed the line of her arm, with the artwork peeking over her exposed back and continuing to frame along her left forearm. It looked like a depiction of a clock and its gears with Roman numbers.

It looked good.

And whatever that top she decided to put on, that is some pretty figure-hugging top. Clearly, the woman had some fashion sense in her. Also that, is some nice ass—Jesus—jeans, he meant. 

It’s the alcohol.

Happy laughter from the Australian Grand Prix winner across the room snapped Daniel out of his almost-wild thought. Maybe he should, for the sake of sportsmanship, go over and offer her some words of congratulations. He reckoned he hadn’t done that, and he would’ve usually done that as early as the podium.

“Be right back, guys.”

Alby had begun sounding like an overly proud parent, overselling his all-star daughter to rival parents; Christian and Toto.

But Zea couldn’t, and wouldn’t, blame him for that. The poor old man had had to swallow his pride being the rookie despite having more experience in the motorsport industry.

Audi Sport had made quite the name and reputation for themselves in Rally and endurance races, winning worldwide titles. But in Formula One? Yeah, not so much.

Their first season in 2015, after replacing Marussia F1, who had withdrawn that year, quoting Zea; “car was shit, uncompetitive as fuck, and might blow up” anytime she pushed her pace a little bit. Audi Sport Formula Racing (ASFR) was short on funds and people back in 2015, having been unable to rack up significant sponsorship with-what Zea being a newbie… and a woman.

Laughable.

They needed promising talents at low prices and had to make do with fewer personnel. Their budget was tight as fuck, so Alby was looking for bright undergraduates willing to work for low costs. Getting good results on a race day was like combining excellent luck with prodigious driving skills.

Fortunately, Zea was both. 

The result?

She had finished the season with an impossibly possible 100% points rate, squeezing two podiums even, putting Audi alongside McLaren at 5th in the Constructors Standing. 

So, yeah, Zea was more than happy to put on a show for Alby today, seeing her boss had been nothing but her ally throughout those tough times.

The only problem was that—she was getting a bit parched. But her means of salvation from the current situation, namely her not-boyfriend-but-twin Irza, was nowhere to be found.

“Daniel!”

Zea jumped a little before turning her head, following the Red Bull Team Principal waving to someone behind her.

Daniel Ricciardo.

The man had given her a pretty hard time for almost twelve laps before a little slip-up from the Aussie allowed her to pass him at turn 11 today. Well, they say luck is a skill.

“Oh, hey, P4 guy!”

“Ouch!”

Zea chuckled at Daniel’s exaggerated display of her words, stabbing him in the heart.

Jester. As usual. What was new?

“Zea here was telling me how she’s gonna have nightmares of your rear,” Christian said. 

“Oh yeah?”

It was his big grin that had unconsciously tugged the corner of Zea’s lips.

“Wasn’t the same for me, ‘cause she just flew up to P1. Not enough time for me to get nightmares of her rear.”

Ouch. Did he just insult himself??

Zea snorted hard, struggling to stifle her laugh as she saw Daniel keep his grin even after a somewhat degrading remark he had subjected himself to. 

“See, Zea? Fun time. He’d make the perfect teammate.”

Zea coughed out a half smile.

Was Christian really pushing his agenda to recruit the Audi driver right before Alby? Which Zea found ludicrous, to be honest, as the man didn’t even spare her the courtesy of a small chat upon what arguably might have been the best debut season a rookie could have had last year. Come on; she had driven that overgrown lawnmower Audi called a car right up the stairways to Podium. At least Martin Brundle and David Croft had the decency to mention her achievement on the live broadcast, albeit just once. Give the woman credit.

Yet the Red Bull head and a couple of other team principals had jumped on the bandwagon of controversy surrounding her pace. The most popular was weight dispute. From alleging the engine not meeting minimum weight to her weight being too advantageous, seeing she was on the light side.

They had demanded she and Audi be penalised for the car not meeting the regulated weight level…only to be dismissed by the stewards even before they could bring it up to the FIA board. That was because there was absolutely no proof of an engine weight problem, plus her car had been fitted with extra weight to match the male drivers’ average weight. So, yes, no issue there. Quoting Felipe Massa, the only explanation for her pace was, “The kid is fast. Just swallow it. She’s fast.”

Christian might be half joking, for all Zea knew. After all, the man had Max Verstappen—the youngest debutant in the history of Formula One, who had overshadowed her formal debut season last year, in his little pocket. Besides, nah—it had never crossed her mind to race for any other team than Audi.

“I heard they make the fruit punch with pineapple, Zea. You like pineapple, right?”

Nice save, Alby!

“Why don’t you go grab some fruit punch for yourself and don’t mind whatever he said.”

“Oh my, did he say anything?” Her tone was harmless, but it didn’t have to take a genius to understand how bitchy it had meant. “A little mosquito just flew by my ears. Whatever did he say?”

Daniel was the first to break out in loud, crispy laughter, with Christian chewing out a bitter-sounding chuckle after. Superb teamwork from the Audis right there, with Zea immediately erupting in tiny giggles afterwards.

And then, after bidding her smiley goodbye to the other two Team Principals, Zea headed right for the bar. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was parched.

“So… Hello, fellow Aussie.”

Zea took the sight of Daniel as the hunk casually sat himself right next to her. She hadn’t expected him to follow her to the bar. Or was he following her?

“I’m Brazilian—well, half. My mother’s Indonesian,” she said afterwards, deciding that holding a conversation wouldn’t do her any harm.

“You have an Aussie accent. Do Half-Brazilians speak in an Aussie accent?”

Holy mother of icebreakers.

For a moment there, Zea couldn’t speak. Fortunately, she’d been quick enough to prevent her mouth from gaping in disbelief. She was trying to read between the line of his words. The man was a known jester to the entire paddock, so…

But it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since the Brazilian national anthem was played following her podium win. Perhaps he didn’t pay attention?

“…Does it not occur to you that I may have lived in Australia? Hence the accent?”

It was a silent reply from the man as a flush crept up his face. And Zea had started to regret what she had just said. Should she have come up with something witty to counter that instead? But the witty side of her brain seemed to have short-circuited for no reason. She could’ve sworn it had begun as soon as Christian called his name.

“Yeah, sorry, I know… you’re not Australian. Jesus, yeah, that was—that was a really bad choice of topic to break the ice. Damn.” Daniel exhaled loudly, clearly appalled at his own choice of words. “What I mean to say is congratulations on your P1—on your maiden win.”

Zea shook her head as she found her mouth twitch before finally breaking into a wide grin. “Wow—whiewh—that was one horrible attempt at conversation. But don’t worry, mate, I’ve heard worse.”

She giggled harder as Daniel shot her a distressed look laced with his usual humour, “Did you just insult me, woman?”

“I’m sorry, mate. Is it because of the P4? But hey, you still got the fastest lap!”

“Shut up!” he said in mock outrage that successfully sent Zea’s giggle into a full-blown laugh. She didn’t know why she felt the need to rub it on him. She’d found his reaction funny enough for her to keep pushing the belt on the P4 situation. After all, he was well on his way to scoring a podium in his home race.

“Thanks. It’s really nice of you to say that.” Zea genuinely meant that. He’d shown a display of sportsmanship that she needed to see. 

“So, uh, Fruit punch?” Daniel pointed his chin to her glass with a hint of judgment.

“Hey, they really make it with pineapple.”

From the confused look that Daniel was giving her, it was clear that she hadn’t given him the answer he was looking for. 

She made an ‘o’ shape with her lips before returning to the man. “I don’t drink.”

Daniel was surprised like he was deliberately trying not to hide his surprise with both his eyes wide. Zea chuckled.

“It might sound ridiculous, but I’m actually allergic to alcoholic drinks,” Zea had put a hand over her mouth as she said that, half-whispering to Daniel, a little gesture that Daniel found somehow… adorable, with-what all her changes in expression as she said that.

“I almost died once.” 

Jesus, this woman.

Daniel managed to swallow the champagne before her statement could choke him quickly. She had said that a little too light-heartedly that it surprised him.

“Excuse me?”

“From alcohol consumption.”

“Oh?”

“I was hyperventilating, and my obviously dumb brother thought I was breaking some Michael Jackson dance move or something.” Speaking of her brother, Daniel hadn’t seen that not-boyfriend-but-twin-but-regardless-her-guardian all night now. Not that he wished for him to show up now.

“He just got his driver’s license, and obviously, I was the driver in the family. It was so chaotic. He was crying in the car; I was literally fighting against air, but we got to the hospital on time, so I didn’t die. I mean, I could have if he were five minutes late. Then I wouldn’t be here talking with you, drinking fruit punch.”

Again with her light-heartedness. It made Daniel feel like they’d been friends for the longest time.

A little sensation he’d reckoned might be regret began creeping up. Like, what had been holding him up from at least befriending this woman that it had taken him almost two seasons? The mask?

“I… I honestly don’t know what to say to that.”

He’d dragged a giggle out of her. Her eyes immediately disappeared into a pair of crescent moons—adorable. Her head shook, making the number 8 earrings on each side of her ears jiggle in response.

Must be for her racing number. 88.

Daniel had to admit he’d enjoyed this little conversation they’d been sharing a tad more than he thought.  

Well.

Thirty per cent conversation from her side, seventy per cent just him taking the sight of her like she was some anomaly. Not in a negative way, obviously. 

It was just that; she’d always sounded stoic from the bits of radio broadcasted on re-runs. Her messages were short, direct and meant to be on the concise side, so Daniel couldn’t even imagine her capable of being this…laid back. 

“Speaking of your brother… looks like he’s gotten himself company.”

Zea peeled her eyes off the grinning Aussie to follow his pointing chin, albeit reluctantly.

Oh. Her supposedly means of salvation, her beloved twin, engaging in what looked to be some pleasant conversation. With a lady.

“Oho…” She leaned herself onto the bar, her hand supporting her head. A smile was apparent on her face.

She wasn’t going to lie; it had warmed her heart seeing her brother showing interest in another woman besides herself.

It wasn’t long until her starring eventuated in an eye-contact with her brother. 

Irza bid the lady a quick goodbye before walking towards the bar.

“I saw that.”

That was not the first sentence Irza had expected to hear from his twin when he finally spotted her hanging on the bar. The two had been immediately separated as soon as the party started, with him being her agent and all. It was satisfying yet exhausting, dealing with the growing attention in her stead. Zea’s performance had put her on sponsors’ radar; and of course, he was more than proud of her.

His forehead creased as he squinted his eyes, confused at whatever she meant to say.

“Whatever that was, I saw that.”

It was that annoying I-know-what’s-going-on look she had given him, coupled with her annoying hand gesture.

“But, seriously. A handshake? Mate, what are you, five?”

“And you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk!” Zea bit back. “I don’t even drink, you dumbo.”

“From the sugar, dumbo. Duh.”

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at the exchange. “That’s kinda—err—her fifth glass of Fruit Punch.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to inform the brother.

“Oh, see? Now that explains.”

Daniel comically shrugged his shoulders when Zea glared at him as if he had betrayed her. He grinned back at her.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here before you start lecturing him.” Irza had activated his big-brother card, leading Zea out of her seat, to which she obediently followed. “Sorry, mate, she’s kinda weak with sugar. Hope she didn’t bother you too much.”

Daniel greeted his teeth playfully as he shook his head. He didn’t know what could possibly give her brother the idea that she’d bother him. She’d been nothing but a great company the whole night. Besides, even if she did, Daniel wouldn’t mind, honestly.

“Oh.” Irza turned back. “Congrats on P4, mate. Amazing drive.”

Daniel immediately beamed with a huge grin. “Geez, thanks!” he said, returning Irza’s fist bump as the responsible brother dragged Zea out of the bar. The last sentence he could make up was Zea saying, ‘I made a friend!’

Yeah. He reckoned they were friends now.

Friends with the twins, he meant.

⬅️ Chapter 00 | MASTERLIST | Chapter 02 ➡️

__________

Updating this now because Japanese grand prix was a mess and I'm so mad at it. I hope this is a good chapter to start this story. And I know, but let’s pretend Mikey had been with Danny since 2016 haha .

__________

Tag list:

@scotlynaurora @squidwardsluverxx

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

JOCK ZONFRILLO

JOCK ZONFRILLO

4 August 1976 – 30 April 2023

Scottish Chef & TV Host on Masterchef Australia

            Jock Zonfrillo (Barry ‘Jock’ Zonfrillo) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His mother’s family is Scottish, and his father is from Scauri, Italy. He was married numerous times and has four children.

            Zonfrillo started working in kitchens aged 12 as a part-time dishwasher where his sister was working as a waitress. He started learning to cook after the restaurants chef had a motorbike accident. He left school aged 15 and started an apprenticeship and was name Young Scottish Chef of the year, aged 16 in 1993. He went on to become a sous-chef and then a cook. He worked in Scotland, London and Australia, and worked in Gordon Ramsay’s Aubergine restaurant. He immigrated to Sydney in 2000

As a teenager he started using heroin and sold drugs to fund his addiction. In 2000, he quit using heroin and went cold turkey and remained clean since. In 2002, he set fire to the pants of an apprentice chef Krammer because he was working too slow. Krammer, sued him after suffering burns to his hand and was awarded damages in 2007. Zonfrillo was declared bankrupt after Kramer took him to court stating that Zonfrillo ‘didn’t pay me a cent’, Zonfrillo was fired from his position. He went on to selling kitchen equipment, opened his own restaurant in Adelaide, South Australia, ran a food truck selling Italian food as well as opening a bar. His businesses closed in 2020 due to voluntary administration due to unpaid debts; Zonfrillo had to sell his family home in Adelaide. In 2016, he started The Orana Foundation, to preserve Indigenous Australian cooking techniques. In 2021, he started selling, ‘worry beads’ bracelets with skulls on them for $500 each. That same year he released his memoir, Last Shot.

            In 2014, Zonfrillo started working as a host of cooking programs and became one of the judges on MasterChef Australia in 2019 after appearing on the show previously as a guest chef.

            Zonfrillo, 46, died after being discovered deceased at a hotel apartment in Melbourne’s inner north. He had been battling bowel cancer since 2021 and had been enduring treatment for the disease.

            The 15th series of MasterChef Australia 2023 debuted just one week after his death. The series premier was delayed to the chef’s death. Network Ten revealed it would be going ahead with the airing of the program with the blessing of his family.

#jockzonfrillo #masterchef #masterchefaustralia #masterchefau

[midnight-els]

For @tiltedsyllogism 🥰

Inherited Sins is a Lenara POV one shot about her and Sergei's relationship. I put it aside in the run up to S4 but with the Star City news I am so excited to revisit it soon! Sergei is living openly in the US and Lenara is tasked with telling him Margo is alive for Mind Game Reasons. Cue angst about their different relationships to the state, their own relationship, and Lenara's feelings about her role at Roscosmos/as a senior official in the Soviet regime.

Pool Table Case Fic - basic premise is that Phryne investigates a murder with another detective who's Jack's academy best friend. The victim was found on a pool table. Standard post s3/established Phrack shenanigans happen.

I was reflecting recently that I have never published any of my many proper MFMM case fics because I run out of steam on the case bits. This is by far the most developed of those but it's probably only 60-70% done, with the interesting personal bits being finished and the tricky case bits outstanding. It was a really developmental fic for me, taking a lot of the brunt of practice at getting back into fic writing after a few years away, and I do like a lot of the bits in it so I'd love to revisit it when I have time. This time last year I was literally in the middle of doing a big clean up and trimming the case bits back so it could be published when I decided to take a quick break and check out this show called 'For All Mankind' on AppleTV which could surely have no effect on me 🙃

Extracts under the cut

Inherited Sins

“Why, Lenara?” he called from behind her. She stopped, forcing herself back around to face him. “Why what?” “Why this?” “It’s my job.” For the first time in years, Lenara saw Sergei smile. It was barely perceptible, sad and pitying, but she instantly recognised the seeds of that same look he’d always given her when she was being particularly impetuous.  She wanted to smack it from his face. “Do not think I don’t understand,” he said gently. She couldn’t tell whether it was her training or her warring exhaustion and disbelief that stop the instinctive scoff breaking through the surface. Eyes boring into his face, she swallowed harder than she intended to. “On the contrary, you’ve made it quite clear that you don’t.”

Pool Table Case Fic

Snatching her drink back up, Phryne darted in the direction of the back of the house, sensing more than hearing Jack’s sigh as he followed. “No, no Dottie it’s really fine, really. Please don’t -” Hugh was fretting, trying to calm his agitated wife, Mr Butler watching unconvinced, when they entered the room. His left eye was mostly hidden by a rather impressive bruise, with not a little swelling and a cut on his cheekbone to accent it. Poor man, Phryne thought: even as a Senior Constable he still seemed to be suffering the under whims of Melbourne’s crims. “Inspector!” Dot rounded on Jack instantly. Phryne suppressed a smile at his fleeting passing resemblance to a rabbit caught in a headlight. Jack schooled his features into a professional mask and, using an equally official voice, tried to mollify her. “I do apologise for the condition of your husband this evening, Mrs Collins. I’m afraid there was a disturbance at the station, it really couldn’t be helped. I assure you, the situation is in hand now.” “It couldn’t be helped?! Hugh said you had Jenkins arresting a bunch of good-for-nothings. The only thing that boy is capable of arresting is a couple of children who’ve escaped from Catechism!” Phryne again pressed her lips into a thin line, struggling to hold her amusement in. Really, Dot could cow their constabulary counterparts so well they might both as well have been as green as the unfortunate Jenkins.

[rose-henry]

stressed+excited+happy+nervous+restless but mostly excited. it’s been a chaotic few days but I’m ready and at peace with this 7 month journey in front of me. feeling so so privileged to be able to live my life like this and witness whatever I’m about to witness :)

today april made brekkie for us!! challah french toast, maple butter and coffees at 8am 😍 bless her soul for getting up and doing this on the first day on school holidays

then maddy was the best person in the world as usual and helped me organise my life by printing all my important travel documents for me and then helping me pack all my last things and clean my whole room to be the guest room in the house (!) alex came over and we had pesto pasta and finished the packing and cleaning and they made me so calm 🥰

then I had a little mandatory in person exchange pre-departure session at uni until 4:15 (getting ready to leave the house at 6pm to go to the airport) and I had a rapid 30 minutes at home before our last family dinner. I had a breakdown and cried in my room (for one last time) about leaving everything behind for so long but then I realised how lucky I am and I still wouldn’t change my travel plans if I could… I’m content with my plans and there was no need to cry! so silly…

at the airport thien starting calling and texting me and he was stuck in tahiti and there was all this drama so there was a possibility that they wouldn’t let him into the US!!! as if his 24+ hour delay on the trip to LA could get worse. long story short we ended up sitting outside the departure gate, with my parents and april still, all on the phone to thien and researching and helping him. he needed my parents cause they know more than anyone else he knows about USA visas and fuckery. in the end he had to book a return flight (which we hadn’t booked yet) from LA for the end of jan (the date of which we hadn’t decided yet, now it’s decided for us) in tahiti on his layover where he was never supposed to be in the first place. he’s now flying from tahiti to LA and doesn’t know if they’ll actually let him into the country so I’m now just stressed about thien and completely fine for my whole trip. literally fuck america and their government and immigration laws. no one ever move there please.

after all that fuckery I returned to my family and said our proper goodbyes, they felt rushed and not right at all but they had to be done and it’s all okay now. I cried a bit through the security line after leaving them, I kept turning back around as I was walking away to see them and they stayed forever still waving and smiling, until once I turned around and they weren’t there anymore :(

anyway…. after all of that I am finally resting and at peace at gate 7. it’s 8:25pm and boarding is at 8:35! I’m so excited for singapore airport and my ultimate deli sandwich that I made for myself at my last day of work at the market yesterday.

bye melbourne 👋