#THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT....................IS REAL

[amaradangeli]

This was one of the real beauties of 22-25 episode seasons. There wasn't a need to make every single moment count. We got bottle episodes which are some of the most character-enriching episodes of a lot of series. We got clip shows which reminded us of scenes we loved (this is back before you could just rewatch an episode online so we lived for re-runs or, with great dedication, recorded episodes to tape each week). Longer seasons allowed time for characters to develop more naturally. Does high-stakes character development work well? Absolutely. But for a lot of fans, especially shippers, there's so much magic in the moments in between. I think this is one of the real reasons that there was so much amazing fan content even before streaming allowed us to micro analyze media by watching it over and over and over. We got to *talk* about it for a week (or an entire summer) before there was more to consume. Shows got to explore so many facets of things without having to make every moment count because they only have 10 hours to tell the story. I love streaming. And there are some truly amazing shows making every moment count with ultra-compelling 10 hour blocks of television. But there was something magical, especially in science fiction, when you gave the universe—and the characters in it—room to breathe.

I don't know what those '90s sci Fi TV writers were putting in their shows but I wish they'd start doing it again

[bitofanupsidedowner]

we're past the appropriate rejection window honestly. remember how steve is rejected by robin in the same season he develops feelings for her? or how dustin is symbolically rejected by max in the season he develops feelings for her? that's because it would have been a super weird choice to build it up for a really long time and then end it with a rejection.

there's a reason why in season three when joyce rejects hopper, we all immediately know it isn't a real rejection, even though they're fighting, she's grieving and planning to leave, and he's being unreasonable and unfair. there's reason after reason to think it's not going to happen, but because he's had feelings for her since season one we know it's going somewhere.

who waits on the edge of their seat to watch someone get turned down? who stays subscribed to netflix for that? that kind of thing would not be interesting, it would just be a confusing way to spend the increasingly limited time right before your show ends. penultimate season. every scene has to mean something bigger, all the way down to lucas talking about new coke or mike trying a new kind of pizza.

in writing you primarily only want to wait and build up to things if the result is going to be worth waiting for. rejection of the perpetually tortured gay kid is predictable and doesn't function to do much at all story wise. easy to write around, too, but they did the opposite. they built will's character around this.

they also have no need to dip back into the rejection pool narratively, doesn't add to the story. especially this late into the game. (sidenote, weird how people were not nearly as sure robin was going to be rejected despite her love interest being mirrored to mike, significantly less developed, and introduced so late, but i digress)

if they wanted mike to reject will, it should have been during the van scene. he should have given mike the painting and said something along the lines of, "i know you don't feel the same, but i really want you to know how el sees you, how we all see you. you're the heart. we'd fall apart without you." it would have still been sad but it would have been an ending.

because plotlines need to end! they need to end when it makes sense for them to, not before or after. dragging it along means they either realize they have something worth dragging, or have deliberately decided to prolong a plot point past its logical conclusion for the sole purpose of milking every last second of misery they can out of will, which would be needlessly cruel and so, so gratuitous.

it's not like the van scene NEEDED to happen exactly how it happened. any scene that is solely character driven with no impact on the plot can be rewritten over and over and changed into whatever it has to be. it was written as the most romantic mike moment in any season, and it was filmed and lit and directed extremely specifically. zero accidents.

robin and vickie was unnecessary without a plan. mike and will was unnecessary unless they have a plan.

so they must have a plan. if mike was going to reject will, it had to be in season four. but mike didn't reject will. not at all. he was actually very, very moved by what will had to say, he just didn't entirely realize what it was he was saying.

in fact, they made sure that this plotline was not just unsolved, but that it was obligated to come back, by having it go against the character's most consistent moral line of friends don't lie. and gave it to the character who, in his introductory scene, refuses to lie. dishonesty has genuine ramifications in this show, and will's is attached to a physical (treasured) object that has to come back into play. they can't sweep it under the rug and mike can't reject will without it coming off as... just... far too late.

[oh-no-its-bird]

I think it's actually really, really neat how Kakashi and Tenzo met at a time when Tenzo was a stone cold ROOT operative with no concept of how to even pretend to be a normal person, and Kakashi was a depressed suicidal ANBU operative on a years long doom spiral that started when he was only 6 and had only gone downhill from there.

And how their ages and character development would have coincidentally, presumably, intertwined. So as Kakashi helped to teach Tenzo how to be a real boy and he became more and more of a person, Kakashi would have also simultaneously been inching towards his own healthier existence as the silly guy we meet in canon. Not a perfect or healed man, but a happier and healthier one.

And just idk, I think that's neat. I think that's smthn interesting to explore

[candy-heart-brew]

For what it's worth, I don't think Ragatha is going to abstract in Episode 6.

I know that Gooseworx has stated that Episode 5 was the "silly before the storm" and that Episode 6 is gonna be a real gamechanger, plus this last episode had Ragatha at her absolute lowest so it would make sense if they went that direction...

...but I don't think they will. Because it's just too easy.

It'd be so simple to just have her abstract and have everybody dealing with the guilt that comes from that. But abstraction is essentially death and if she abstracts, her story comes to an end. She can't grow or change, can't get better or worse, she'd just be gone, reduced to nothing but kindling for someone else's character development. And while I can't say for certain which way the story is gonna go, I don't think that's what they want to do with her, I think she still has more of a story to tell.

Is this cope? Maybe! But I just don't think the creators would throw her out just so everyone else could be sad for a bit.

[suzukiblu]

istg youve awakened something in me w your jaykon agenda and im so here for it

Jaykon is an interesting pairing to me because if Jason had lived, he absolutely WOULD have been Kon's Robin, which, you know, could've gone either real bad or real WELL or real "oh god I regret ever even BREATHING near Metropolis" for Brucie Wayne, lbr. For one thing, Jason would've been . . . what, seventeen-ish when Kon dropped? Give or take. Which means he would likely NOT have been as "obedient" to his DAD as Tim was to his BOSS at FIFteen-ish, because from Jason's point of view that's his fucking DAD and his dad is just being goddamn paranoid and controlling and a total antisocial ASSHOLE again and ANYWAY he's like six months max from going to college and getting himself his own hero identity a la Dick getting Nightwing so fuck it, what's he care!!

( "I NEVER EVEN GOT TO BE A TITAN, B, YOU DON'T GET TO FUCK UP THIS YOUNG JUSTICE THING FOR ME, FUCK OFF. THEY'RE MINE NOW." )

And also, like, that's a very different Bruce, is the Bruce who didn't ever LOSE Jason. So hell, that version of Bruce literally might not've even TRIED to make Jason keep his name to himself in the same exclusively-just-on-HIS-terms "literally I will fucking NEVER let you tell them your name no matter WHAT" way he was acting with Tim, who he also would not let tell his LITERAL FUCKING GIRLFRIEND his name, but HE was totally fine telling her HIMSELF once it was convenient for him. Not even giving Tim PERMISSION to, just doing it HIMSELF without even telling Tim he was GOING to, Bruce Wayne you are the literal worrrrrst jfc--

ANYWAY OFF-TOPIC. Whatever that Bruce's opinion was, I can't help feeling that if JASON-Robin wasn't telling YJ his name or showing them his face at least after the first suicide pact or two, it'd be because HE didn't want to, and that is what he'd SAY to them. And I kinda think Kon would've taken that better than being told "we've been through all this shit together now and Batman is STILL more important than you" over and over and OVER every single time Tim found another excuse to hide his face or showed up in a new mask/disguise/set of glasses/goggles/whatever. Because like, that would be Jason choosing what he wants for himself, not Tim choosing Batman over literally every single member of Young Justice time and again and AGAIN and actually NEVER willingly telling them, they only found out in the end because of some dumb reality-getting-fucked shit selling his ID out accidentally.

I actually think Jason and Kon would have gotten along STUPID-well if they had met under those circumstances and it is SO rich an AU concept that I have literally never seen a single person even touch before. Though also in more canon-accurate land frankly the only understandable reason that I think Jason has Bizarro for his Super-buddy system is because Young Justice is just too insane about each other for Kon to have ever gotten put on a book like Outlaws, hah. Also, like, Kon is obviously not very murder-happy and Superboy has very different moral standards than Red Hood does, also that. But you absolutely COULD do some real interesting shit with Kon's character on a team like that, that's all imma say.

Like Kon is a dude who HAS and KNOWS that he has been convinced to be murder-happy a couple times/timelines before, is all--knows he's psychologically SUSPECTIBLE to being convinced of that--and THAT I think would be a much more interesting moral/ethical dilemma for his character development than "oh god I have Westfield/Luthor DNA so am I genetically DOOMED to be a bad guy??" No, you're not, and you are a grown-ass clone who KNOWS that!! But you are also a grown-ass clone who knows you have the CAPACITY to be a bad guy, and to actively CHOOSE to be a bad guy, to actively JUSTIFY being a bad guy to yourself, and who does NOT necessarily think Jason is wrong about dudes like the Joker never changing and the balance of that and the concept of fucking HARM reduction, if it comes down to it! Black Zero and future!Superman BOTH started out as good guys; that Superman in fact started out as HIS VERSION OF HIM EXACTLY, even! And then the two of them saw enough shit out in the world doing their superhero thing that they changed their minds ABOUT what being "good" even meant or entailed or if it was even possible at all, so if he's here and doing this, and doing this with someone like JASON who keeps KILLING people every time he takes his eyes off him, whether those people are unforgiveable bastards or not, is he gonna change his mind too? Is he gonna start thinking he's figured out what they "figured out"? Is this how "figuring out" that STARTS??

And Knockout saw SOMETHING in him, he knows, and he knows she wasn't wrong because he almost killed her. Because he WOULD'VE killed her, if she'd kept fighting when he'd held her under.

God I could do so, so much with Kon on the Outlaws and with JAYKON on the Outlaws. So, SO much.

But like, Tim Drake exists and I just cannot divorce Kon from his ride-or-die loyalty for his ride-or-die bestie so basically any time I wanna JayKon it up I gotta somehow make it Weird, hahaha.

. . . anyway, someone had something awakened in them or something??

[emjayewrites]

according to lyric • lyric hamilton [private landing one shot]

SUMMARY: Growing up Hamilton may have its perks, but living life as Lewis Hamilton's son isn't what it's all cracked up to be....or is it?

WARNINGS: cursing, nepo baby ish, celebrity children, f1/racing b.s.

WORD COUNT: 10K+

TAGLIST: @4ftwonder, @iamryanl, @certifiedlesbianbaddie, @totallynotluluu, @omgsuperstarg, @amirawrah, @imjustheretomanifest, @greedyjudge2, @muglermami, @irishmanwhore, @barcelonesa, @lewisangel, @scorpiobleue, @iam-lulu, @lewlewlemon44, @lewismcqueen, @purplelewlew

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a Private Landing one shot. Read the story here to understand the characters. This is also first person POV....

The Colorado mountains stretched endlessly in front of me as I sat on the deck of our family cabin, my legs propped up on the railing, watching Larke attempt to teach Brutus and Maximus some elaborate trick through the holographic pet training app she'd downloaded. The dogs were old now - Roscoe's boys - but they still had that stubborn Hamilton streak that ran through everything in our family, including the four-legged members.

"Lyric, tell your sister that dogs can't learn quantum physics," Mama called from the kitchen, her voice carrying that amused exasperation she'd perfected over twenty-one years of dealing with us Hamilton kids.

"Larke, the dogs said they're more of a classical mechanics family!" I shouted back, earning myself a middle finger from my little sister.

Real mature, sis.

"They're smarter than you think!" she yelled back, but Brutus had already given up and was sprawling in a patch of sunlight, completely unbothered by her academic ambitions for him.

This was our thing - winter break at the Colorado cabin before the chaos of the new racing season kicked into gear. Pops had bought this place years ago when I was still karting, back when Larke was just a baby who cried through most of his races on TV. Now here we were, me at twenty-one and working as her race engineer, her at eighteen and already making history every time she got behind the wheel.

Wild how life works out.

My phone buzzed with a text from Laura - L'waura in my contacts because I'm apparently still five years old at heart and it never fails to get an eye roll out of her when she sees it.

L'waura 💕: Miss you already. Stockholm is gray and depressing without your stupid jokes.

Me: My jokes aren't stupid, they're sophisticated comedy that you're too Swedish to understand

L'waura 💕: I'm literally Danish-British you absolute muppet

Me: Tomato, tomahto. Still love you though

L'waura 💕: Unfortunately I love you too. Say hi to your family for me

"Yo, Abel!" I called out as I spotted him emerging from the guest room, looking like he'd just woken up from the best sleep of his life. "Laura says hi to everyone, including your ugly mug!"

"Your girlfriend has excellent taste," Abel grinned, dapping me up with that elaborate handshake we'd developed over the past few months. Kid had grown on me, I'll admit it. Plus, anyone who could keep up with Larke's intensity deserved respect.

"She really does. That's why she's dating me and not you."

"Mate, I'm spoken for," Abel laughed, nodding toward where Larke was now trying to convince Maximus to participate in her holographic training session. "Besides, your sister would murder me if I even looked at another girl."

"True. She's got that Hamilton protective streak. Very possessive."

Pops emerged from the house carrying three cups of coffee, settling into the chair next to me with that contented sigh he always did when we were all together like this. At fifty-eight, he still moved like the athlete he'd always been, but there was something softer about him now. Less of that razor-sharp intensity that had defined his racing years, more of the man who'd taught me how to ride a bike and fix engines and treat people with respect no matter who they were.

"Morning, boys," he said, handing Abel a cup. "Sleep well?"

"Like the dead, sir. This altitude is no joke."

"Stop calling him sir," I laughed. "You're practically family now. He's just Pops. Or Lewis if you're feeling fancy."

"I'm still getting used to it," Abel admitted. "Six months ago I was watching him on TV, now I'm drinking coffee with him in Colorado."

"Six months ago I was convinced you were going to break my daughter's heart and I'd have to end your football career," Pops said casually, taking a sip of his coffee.

"And now?"

"Now I'm only mostly convinced."

"Lewis!" Mama's voice carried from the kitchen.

"What? I'm being nice!"

Abel looked between us, clearly not sure if Pops was joking or not. I decided to help him out.

"He's messing with you, mate. If he actually thought you were going to hurt Larke, you wouldn't be here. Trust me."

"Plus," Pops added with a grin, "Lyric's the one you should really worry about. He's got that protective big brother energy."

"Please. I'm a lover, not a fighter," I protested. "Though I am six feet tall now and I've been working out, so..."

"You bench pressed the bar yesterday," Abel pointed out. "Just the bar."

"Hey! That bar was heavier than it looked!"

Rude but accurate.

________

That night, after dinner and way too much wine (for the adults) and hot chocolate (for those of us who were apparently still children according to Mama), Pops suggested we take a walk around the property. It was one of those clear Colorado nights where you could see every star, the kind of sky that made you feel small and infinite at the same time.

"So," Pops said as we walked, our breath visible in the cold air. "How are you boys feeling about the new season?"

"Excited," I said immediately. "The car's looking incredible, Larke's driving better than ever, and I think we've got a real shot at the championship."

"Nervous," Abel added. "Not about the racing, but about the attention. Larke's getting more famous by the day, and football's ramping up too. It's a lot to navigate."

"The attention never gets easier," Pops said thoughtfully. "But you learn to manage it. Focus on what matters, ignore the noise, and remember that most people are just trying to live their lives and don't actually care about your personal business."

"Most people," I emphasized. "The rest are complete psychopaths who analyze your grocery receipts."

"Lyric's not wrong," Pops laughed. "But here's the thing - you two are building something real together. That's rare in this world. Don't let other people's opinions mess with that."

"Any specific advice?" Abel asked.

"Communicate. Like, constantly. About everything. Schedule, priorities, fears, dreams, all of it." Pops looked at both of us. "And remember that you're both young and figuring things out. There's no rush to have everything perfect right away."

"What about the long-distance stuff?" I asked, thinking about Laura in Stockholm and how hard it was sometimes.

"Make the time you have together count. And when you're apart, be present in your own life instead of just waiting for the next time you'll see each other."

We walked in comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the night air and the kind of conversation that only happened when it was just the guys.

"Can I ask you something?" Abel said eventually.

"Shoot."

"How do you deal with people constantly comparing you to your father? Both of you?"

Ah. There it was. The question everyone was always too polite to ask directly.

"Honestly?" I said. "Some days it's motivating, some days it's exhausting. But mostly I just try to remember that I'm not trying to be Lewis Hamilton. I'm trying to be the best version of Lyric Hamilton."

"Same," I continued. "Like, Larke's not trying to replicate Pops' career. She's building her own legacy. And you're not trying to be anyone else either - you're just Abel, who happens to be really good at football and really good for my sister."

"Plus," Pops added, "people are going to have opinions no matter what you do. Might as well do what makes you happy and let them talk."

"Wise words from the old man," I grinned.

"Old man? Son, I can still outrun you."

"In your dreams, Pops."

"Want to test that theory?"

"Right now? In the snow? At ten thousand feet altitude?"

"Scared?"

Oh, it was on.

What followed was the most ridiculous sprint race in Hamilton family history - three generations of competitive stubbornness playing out on a snowy mountain path, with Abel recording everything because he said it was "content gold."

Pops won, obviously, because genetics are unfair and he's still in better shape than people half his age. But I came in a respectable second, and Abel... well, Abel learned that footballers aren't necessarily built for high-altitude sprinting.

"I'm dying," he gasped, bent over with his hands on his knees.

"You're fine," Larke said, appearing from nowhere with a cup of hot chocolate. "Though you do look like you're about to pass out."

"Your family is insane," he told her.

"You're just figuring this out now?"

_______________________________________________

The view from our family's São Paulo home on a hill was absolutely insane on New Year's Eve - the entire city sprawling out below us, fireworks already starting to pop off even though it was only nine p.m. Brazil always felt like home in a way that was hard to explain, probably because Pops, Larke, and I all had dual citizenship and had been coming here since we were kids.

"Lyric, vem cá!" called Isabela, our housekeeper who'd been with the family for like fifteen years. "Your hair needs work before the party!"

Yes. Isabela gave the best braids, and I'd been growing my hair out specifically for this trip. There was something about having her do my hair that felt like a tradition - she'd been braiding it since I was little, always adding these intricate patterns that somehow looked both classic and fresh.

I settled into the chair she'd set up on the balcony, the warm Brazilian air a perfect contrast to the Colorado cold we'd left behind.

"You're getting handsome like your pai," she said in her mix of Portuguese and English, starting to section my hair. "But you need to eat more. Too skinny."

"I eat plenty, Isa."

"McDonald's is not eating."

"I don't eat McDonald's!"

"Hmm." She clearly didn't believe me, but her hands were gentle as she worked. "Your namorada, she's coming tonight?"

"Laura's in Stockholm still, but she'll FaceTime in for midnight."

"Good girl, that one. Smart. Pretty. You keep her."

Planning on it.

As she worked, I could hear the chaos inside - Larke and Abel attempting to salsa with Uncle Franco and Aunt Aaliyah, who were trying to teach them the steps they'd learned on their honeymoon. Abel was... not good at it. Like, genuinely terrible. But he was trying, which earned him points.

"Meu Deus, your boyfriend has no rhythm," I heard Aaliyah laugh from inside.

"He's English!" Larke protested. "What did you expect?"

"Hey!" Abel's voice carried through the doors. "I have rhythm! Just... not for this!"

Franco was dying laughing, which wasn't helping the lesson at all. Their kids - my cousins Maria and Gabriel - were recording everything, probably for TikTok.

"Done," Isabela announced, holding up a mirror so I could see the back. The braids were perfect - neat, intricate, with a geometric pattern that somehow made me look older and more put-together.

"Isa, você é incrível," I said, giving her a hug.

"Of course I am. Now go take pictures so your followers can see my work."

She wasn't wrong. I pulled out my phone and took a few shots - one serious, one grinning, one with the São Paulo skyline in the background. Posted them to Instagram with the caption:

liked by f1, mclaren, and 200K others

lyrichamilton: NYE ready thanks to the best braider in Brazil 🇧🇷 Obrigado Isa! ❤️

The comments started rolling in immediately:

BRO YOU LOOK SO GOOD those braids are PERFECT you and your dad could be twins I swear daddy Lewis raised you right 😍 sir you are FINE Lewis Hamilton's genetics are undefeated both Hamilton men can GET IT

Ugh, gross. Some of these comments about Pops were just weird. Like, I get that he's objectively handsome and all, but these people needed to chill.

lyrichamilton replied with: y'all are nasty talking about my dad like that. He's literally married to my mother. Get help.

"What are you frowning at?" Larke asked, appearing on the balcony looking slightly disheveled from her dance lesson.

"People being thirsty on Instagram. As usual."

"About you or about Pops?"

"Both. It's disgusting."

She looked at my phone and made a face. "Ew. Block them."

"I can't block everyone. There'd be no one left."

"Fair point. Come inside, Uncle Franco's trying to teach Abel how to dip me and it's going very badly."

This I had to see.

Inside, the living room had been turned into an impromptu dance floor. Mama and Pops were actually pretty good at salsa - they'd learned years ago for some charity event and apparently still remembered the steps. Uncle Franco and Aunt Aaliyah were pure poetry together, moving like they'd been dancing their whole lives.

And then there was Abel, who was holding Larke like she might break while simultaneously looking like he was about to trip over his own feet.

"Mate, you're thinking too much," Franco called out. "Just feel the music!"

"I am feeling the music! The music is telling me I can't dance!"

"Here," I said, stepping in. "Let me show you. Larke, dance with your actually coordinated brother."

What followed was me giving Abel a crash course in basic salsa while dancing with my sister, who was trying not to laugh at both of us. I wasn't amazing at it either, but I had rhythm and I'd been forced to take dance lessons when I was younger (thanks, Mama).

"See? It's all about the hips," I demonstrated, earning wolf whistles from our cousins.

"Your hips lie though," Maria called out, recording everything.

"My hips tell beautiful stories, thank you very much."

By the time we switched partners back, Abel was at least not actively dangerous to dance with. Progress.

"Better?" I asked him.

"I didn't step on her feet that time, so yeah."

"Small victories."

As midnight approached, we all gathered on the terrace with champagne (sparkling cider for me and the cousins) and phones ready for the countdown. Laura's hologram was projected in the center of our group, and even though she was five hours ahead in Stockholm, she'd stayed up to celebrate with us.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!" we all shouted together, the fireworks from Copacabana visible in the distance.

"Seven! Six! Five!"

"Four! Three! Two!"

"FELIZ ANO NOVO!"

The sky exploded with color, and everyone was hugging and kissing and shouting. Larke and Abel had their New Year's kiss, Mama and Pops had theirs, and I blew a kiss to Laura's projection while she laughed at me from her Stockholm apartment.

"I love you all!" Larke shouted over the noise.

"We love you too!" everyone shouted back.

Looking around at our family - blood and chosen, present and projected - scattered across Brazil and Sweden but somehow all together, I felt that familiar surge of gratitude.

Tomorrow we'd start gearing up for another season of racing, another year of chasing dreams and managing pressure and living in the public eye. But tonight, we were just us. The Hamilton family, plus one South African footballer who still couldn't salsa, one Danish-British artist beaming in from across the world, and enough love to power this entire city.

"Ready for 2043?" Pops asked, raising his glass.

"Bring it on," Larke said confidently.

"Let's make it legendary," I added.

Yeah, definitely worth it.

The 2043 Formula 1 season had been nothing short of spectacular for Larke. Starting with her victory in Bahrain - where she'd controlled the race from pole position and reminded everyone why the Hamilton name meant excellence in motorsport - she'd gone on a tear that had the entire paddock talking.

Australia came next, another commanding performance where she'd managed the challenging street circuit with the kind of precision that made veteran drivers shake their heads in admiration. By the time we reached the third race, the media was already throwing around words like "dominance" and "historic."

Saudi Arabia was a night race, which meant everything felt slightly surreal - the neon lights, the late start time, the way the entire paddock seemed to be running on caffeine and adrenaline. Larke qualified second behind Kenzo Craigie, which was frustrating but not devastating. Sometimes you had to settle for a front-row start and trust that race pace would make the difference.

Laura had flown in from Stockholm, which was a surprise and also the best possible way to start the weekend. She looked tired from the travel but happy to be there, wearing one of my McLaren shirts and a pair of sunglasses that made her look like she belonged in the paddock.

"Shouldn't you be studying for finals?" I asked when I found her in the garage before practice sessions.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your sister's car instead of questioning my academic priorities?"

Fair point.

"Besides," she continued, "I wanted to see you work. And Larke asked me to come."

"Larke asked you to come?"

"She said she needed another woman around who understood what it was like to date someone in this world. Apparently I'm now the relationship expert in your family."

Interesting. Things with Abel must have been more complicated than Larke was letting on.

The race itself was a thriller - Larke and Kenzo battling for the lead, wheel-to-wheel racing that had the entire paddock on their feet. In the end, she finished second, which was a great result but I could tell she was frustrated by the missed opportunity.

"Good drive," I told her over the radio as she crossed the finish line.

"Not good enough," came her reply, clipped and professional but I could hear the disappointment.

Later, in the garage while the media circus was happening outside, I found her sitting in her driver's room looking frustrated.

"Want to talk about it?"

"He made a mistake in sector two and I couldn't capitalize on it. Should have been my win."

Racing was cruel that way - sometimes perfect wasn't good enough.

"You drove brilliantly. Sometimes the other guy is just slightly better on the day."

"I hate losing to Kenzo."

This was new - Larke usually had good relationships with the other drivers, but there was something different in her voice when she talked about Kenzo Craigie. Something more personal than professional rivalry.

"Why?"

"Because he's cocky and he thinks he's entitled to everything because he's daddy's protégé and he acts like I only got my seat because of who our father is."

Ah. So it was like that.

"Have you talked to Pops about this?"

"What's he going to do? Tell Kenzo to be nicer to me? That would just prove Kenzo's point about me needing daddy to fight my battles."

She had a point there. The last thing Larke needed was for people to think she couldn't handle her own racing rivalries.

"You know what the best revenge is, right?"

"Beating him on track."

"Exactly. And you will. You're eighteen and already giving him trouble. He's thirty-three and supposed to be in his prime. Time is on your side."

She nodded, looking more determined than frustrated now. "You're right. Besides, Abel's flying in tomorrow and I want to actually enjoy having him here instead of being grumpy about finishing second."

There it was again - the mention of Abel with that slightly complicated expression.

"How are things with you two?"

"Better. We had a really good conversation after our fight. About priorities and communication and what we both need." She picked at her nail polish. "He's been trying really hard to understand the racing schedule, and I'm trying to be better about making time for us even when everything's crazy."

"That's good. Relationships take work, especially in this world."

"Speaking of relationships, Laura's been giving me advice about dealing with long distance. She's smart about this stuff."

Laura was smart about most things.

"Yeah, she is. Also probably good to have someone to talk to who gets it."

"Definitely. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only girl in the world trying to balance being a professional race car driver with having a normal relationship. But Laura makes it seem possible."

If anyone could make it work, it was Larke. She was stubborn enough to have both.

lyrichamilton posted on his instagram!

liked by larke_hamilton, lauraaaaaa, f1, mclaren, and 1.3M others

lyrichamilton: Still the fucking best driver! P2 in Saudi Arabia but we clinched in the WDC! #WeMove #NeverDoubtTheOrange #McLaren4L tagged; larke_hamilton, mclaren, f1

view all comments...

lauraaaaaa: go larke the shark!!

⤷ lyrichamilton: luv u l'waura 😘

⤷ lauraaaaaa: 🙄🙄🙄 - love you more! 💋

f1: 👏👏👏👏

mclaren: you got this larke_hamilton! next week we got the dub! 💪🧡

random_girl1001: your so fine!

⤷ thirstyhoe11: isn't he? looking like his equally fine af daddy

⤷ lyrichamilton: yall this is a wendy's....and we trying to support lil sis. off with that pls 😒

Larke was changing the sport itself. Every race weekend brought more young girls to the barriers, wearing #44 merchandise and carrying signs with messages like "Future Female Champion" and "Larke is my hero." It was the kind of thing that made Pops emotional.

The marketing team couldn't keep up with demand for her gear. Larke wasn't just racing - she was inspiring a revolution.

By the time we reached Miami, she was leading the championship by sixty points and showing no signs of slowing down. Three wins in the first five races, and each victory more dominant than the last.

Larke was somewhere in the middle of the popup store she had for her latest merch, taking pictures and signing autographs and being gracious to every single person who'd waited hours to meet her. She was in her element - confident and charming and completely natural with fans in a way that reminded me so much of Pops during his prime.

"She's a natural at this," Laura observed. She'd flown in for the Miami race weekend and was documenting everything for her summer art project about sports celebrity and fan culture.

"Takes after the old man," I said. "Though I think she might actually be better at it than he was at her age."

"Different generation. She grew up with social media and constant attention. You both did."

True. Pops had had to learn how to handle fame; Larke and I had been born into it. Sometimes I wondered if that made us better at managing it or if it just made us think we were better at it than we actually were.

My phone buzzed with a notification - someone had tagged me in a video of Larke signing a little girl's race suit. The girl couldn't have been more than eight, and she was wearing a full McLaren outfit that was clearly several sizes too big for her. Larke had gotten down on her level to talk to her, and you could see the exact moment the little girl realized she was meeting her hero.

Jesus, that was going to make me emotional.

"You okay?" Laura asked, noticing my expression.

"Just proud of her. Look at this." I showed her the video, which already had thousands of likes and comments.

making dreams come true this is why we love you future world champion and class act

"She's going to change everything, isn't she?" Laura said quietly.

"Yeah, I think she is."

The popup was scheduled to run until an hour before qualifying, but we had to shut it down early because the crowds were getting too big for the security team to handle safely. Not a bad problem to have, but definitely a learning experience for future events.

"Next time we're renting out a stadium," Pops joked when we finally made it back to the garage.

"Next time you're hiring more security," Mama corrected. "I aged ten years watching those crowds."

Larke looked tired but happy, still signing the occasional autograph for VIP guests and team members who'd missed the popup. She had that glow that came from doing something you loved and being appreciated for it.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"Like I just ran a marathon, but in the best way. Did you see how many kids were out there?"

"I saw. You're inspiring a whole generation of future drivers."

"That's the goal," she said simply. "If I can make it easier for the girls coming after me, then everything else is worth it."

This was why she was going to be special - not just the talent, but the understanding of what her success meant for other people.

Qualifying was later that afternoon, and Larke put the car on pole by three tenths of a second. The popup had been great, but this was what really mattered - showing up when it counted and proving that all the attention was deserved.

"Pole position in Miami," I said into my headset as she crossed the line. "That's how you shut up the doubters."

"Just getting started," came her reply, confident and focused.

God, I loved working with her.

___________________________________________

The basketball court they'd set up near the Miami paddock was supposed to be a fun promotional event - just Pops and me playing some one-on-one to hype up the Grand Prix weekend. What it turned into was me absolutely roasting my father in front of a crowd of fans and media while pretending I wasn't trying to impress the group of girls who'd somehow gotten VIP access to watch.

"You sure you want to do this, old man?" I called out, dribbling the ball between my legs in what I thought was a pretty slick move. "I've grown like six inches since the last time we played."

"Old man?" Pops laughed, stretching his arms above his head. Even at fifty-eight, he was in ridiculous shape - all lean muscle and quick reflexes, his tattoos catching the Miami sun as he moved. "Son, I was playing basketball before you were even a thought."

The speakers were pumping music to keep the crowd hyped, and when a Notorious B.I.G. track came on, I couldn't help myself. Started moving to the beat, adding some improvised bars that definitely weren't appropriate for the all-ages crowd but got the girls in the corner absolutely losing their minds.

"LYRIC!" one of them screamed, and I shot them a grin that I'd definitely inherited from my father.

"Are we playing basketball or are you putting on a concert?" Pops asked, but he was trying not to laugh.

"Why not both?" I shot back, still bouncing to the beat. "Gotta give the people what they want, right?"

What followed was twenty minutes of the most competitive father-son basketball you've ever seen. Pops might have been approaching sixty, but he still had those quick hands and that court vision that had made him dangerous in charity games for years. I had height and youth on my side, but he had experience and the kind of trash talk that reminded me where I'd learned it from.

"That's a foul!" I called when he got a little too physical defending.

"That's just good defense!" he shot back. "You're just soft!"

The crowd was eating it up, cheering every basket and laughing at our banter. By the end, we were both dripping sweat and breathing hard, but grinning like idiots.

"Water break?" Pops suggested, and we headed to the sideline where they'd set up chairs and towels.

"Not bad for an old guy," I conceded, accepting a bottle of water.

"Not bad for a string bean," he replied.

We sat there for a few minutes, catching our breath and sharing the vegan lunch they'd brought over - some kind of quinoa bowl that actually tasted decent. The crowd had dispersed a bit, giving us a moment of relative privacy.

"I've been thinking about getting some tattoos," I said casually, watching his reaction.

Pops raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What kind of tattoos?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe something racing-related? Or family stuff?" I shrugged. "Just feels like it's time, you know?"

He looked thoughtful, tracing one of his own tattoos absently. "It's a big decision. They're permanent, obviously."

"Obviously."

"What does Laura think?"

"She said as long as I don't get her name tattooed anywhere, she doesn't care what I do."

That got a laugh. "Smart girl. Never get someone's name unless you're married to them."

"Even then?"

"Even then. Your mama's the exception to every rule."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "You're such a sap."

"Says the kid who posts love poems on Instagram."

Touché.

"So you'd be okay with it? Me getting tattoos?"

"Son, you're twenty-one years old. You don't need my permission to get tattoos." He paused. "But if you want my advice, think about what they mean to you. Don't just get something because it looks cool. Get something that tells your story."

"Like yours do?"

"Like mine do."

Looking at him - sweat-soaked and relaxed, surrounded by the controlled chaos of race weekend but taking time to just be my dad - I felt that familiar surge of gratitude for how normal he'd managed to keep our family despite everything.

"Thanks, Pops."

"For what?"

"For being you. For this." I gestured around us. "For teaching me how to trash talk properly."

"That last one was all natural talent," he grinned. "But you're welcome."

______________________________________________

The Miami Grand Prix was one of those races that reminded you why you fell in love with motorsport in the first place. Larke controlled it from start to finish, managing her tires perfectly and making strategic decisions that had the commentary team comparing her to drivers twice her age.

I was in the garage, monitoring telemetry and radio communications, but I kept finding myself just watching her drive. There was something almost artistic about the way she took certain corners, the way she could find grip where other drivers couldn't, the way she seemed to understand exactly what the car needed at any given moment.

"She's in a class of her own today," Jamie said, shaking his head as he watched her lap times.

"Yeah, she is."

With ten laps to go, she had a fifteen-second lead over second place. Barring mechanical failure or an act of God, the race was hers.

"How are we looking, Lyric?" came her voice over the radio.

"You're absolutely flying. Fifteen seconds clear, tires are good, just bring it home."

"Copy. This one's for everyone who waited in line today."

Of course it was. Larke had this way of making everything personal, of connecting her racing to the bigger picture of what she represented. It was part of what made her special as a driver and as a person.

When she crossed the finish line, the garage erupted. I was screaming into my headset, probably loud enough to damage someone's hearing, but I didn't care. This was my little sister, winning races and making history and being absolutely brilliant at it.

"LARKE HAMILTON WINS THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX!" I shouted.

"YES! YES! YES! Thank you everyone, thank you to all the fans, this is incredible!" came her reply, pure joy and adrenaline in her voice.

Later, watching her on the podium with champagne in her hair and the biggest smile I'd ever seen, I felt that familiar surge of pride and protectiveness. She was eighteen years old and already changing the world, one race at a time.

After the ceremonies, when the media obligations were done and the garage was finally quiet, our family gathered for our traditional post-win dinner. Nothing fancy, just good food and wine and the kind of conversation that reminded you what was really important.

"Four wins in five races," Pops said, raising his glass. "At this rate, you'll clinch the championship before summer break."

"Don't jinx it," Larke laughed, but she looked confident in a way that suggested she might actually believe it was possible.

"To Larke," Mama said. "For driving like a champion and inspiring a generation."

"To family," Larke corrected. "For always believing in me, even when I don't believe in myself."

Yeah, we were pretty lucky.

______________________________________________

The Met Gala was one of those surreal experiences that reminded you how weird your life had become. One day you're covered in motor oil in a McLaren garage, the next you're walking up the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a custom Tom Ford tuxedo while photographers scream your name.

The theme was "Future Histories," which was perfect for our family - Pops in a vintage Virgil Abloh piece that somehow managed to be both classic and futuristic, Mama in something flowing and beautiful that made her look like a goddess, and Larke in a stunning gown that incorporated racing-inspired elements without being gimmicky.

"I can't believe this is my life," Larke whispered as we posed for photos at the bottom of the steps.

"Better get used to it," I whispered back. "You're only getting more famous."

The actual event was a mix of art, fashion, and networking that felt like the most expensive party in the world. I spent most of the evening talking to other young people who'd grown up in various spotlights - actors' kids, musicians' children, athletes' families - and was reminded that privilege came in many forms but always with its own unique set of complications.

Laura looked incredible in a dress she'd designed herself, something architectural and flowing that perfectly captured her aesthetic. She was in her element talking to artists and designers, and watching her hold her own in conversations with people who'd probably never heard of her was incredibly attractive.

"You clean up nice," I told her during a rare quiet moment.

"You're not so bad yourself. Though I preferred you in the garage clothes."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're sexier when you're doing something you're passionate about."

Note to self: wear more McLaren gear around Laura.

The evening ended with our family at the after-party, Larke holding court with a group of young activists and artists who were fascinated by her perspective on sports and social change. She was in her element, talking about representation and inspiration and the responsibility that came with platform.

"She's going to be President someday," Laura observed, watching my sister charm a table full of influential people twice her age.

"Probably. Though I think she prefers racing cars to politics."

"Give her time. She's only eighteen."

True. Who knew what Larke would accomplish once she was done conquering Formula 1.

The Good Morning America studios in Times Square buzzed with the kind of energy that only came with live television. I'd been doing interviews since I was karting as a kid, but this felt different - more formal, more important somehow.

"Five minutes, Lyric," the producer called out, adjusting my mic one final time.

The host today was Janai Norman, who'd taken over the morning show after Robin Roberts finally retired about ten years or so back. She had that perfect morning TV energy - warm but professional, the kind of person who could make anyone feel comfortable on camera.

"So we're talking about the Netflix documentary, your role as Larke's engineer, and growing up Hamilton?" she confirmed, settling into her chair across from me.

"That's the plan. Though knowing me, I'll probably go off on some random tangent about why pineapple belongs on pizza or something."

She laughed. "Please don't. We only have ten minutes."

Fair point.

"So tell us about Life in the Fast Lane," Janai said. "What can viewers expect?"

"It's really about the next generation in Formula 1," I explained. "Kids who grew up in this world, whether their parents were drivers or team principals or engineers. The pressure, the privilege, the way it shapes your perspective on life and career choices."

"Your sister's having an incredible season. As her engineer, what's it like watching her make history?"

"It's surreal," I said honestly. "Like, I remember when she was this tiny kid following me around the garage, asking a million questions about everything. Now she's out there breaking records and inspiring a whole generation of young girls. As her brother, I'm proud as hell. As her engineer, I'm just trying to give her the best car possible so she can keep doing what she does."

"And what she does is pretty spectacular."

"Yeah, it really is."

After the interview, Laura and I met up outside the studio. She looked gorgeous in that effortless way she had - jeans, a blazer, and boots that somehow made her look like she belonged in New York more than anyone else.

"How'd it go?" she asked, falling into step beside me as we headed toward the street.

"Good, I think. Didn't say anything stupid or controversial."

"That's always the goal."

We'd made it maybe half a block when I noticed the crowd forming behind us. Phones were out, people were calling my name, and that familiar surge of adrenaline that came with unexpected attention kicked in.

"LYRIC! Can we get a picture?"

"Oh my god, you're so much taller in person!"

"Is that your girlfriend? She's gorgeous!"

"Laura, right? We love you!"

Here we go.

I grabbed Laura's hand and picked up the pace, smiling and waving but not stopping. This was the balance I'd learned over the years - be gracious but keep moving, acknowledge the fans but don't get trapped.

"Sorry," I called back to the growing crowd. "Late for dinner!"

Which was actually true. We were meeting friends at Carbone in an hour, and knowing that place, being late meant losing your table.

"Is it always like this now?" Laura asked as we finally escaped into a cab.

"Sometimes worse," I admitted. "But also sometimes I can go weeks without anyone recognizing me. It's weird how random it is."

"I don't know how you handle it."

"Practice. And good running shoes."

Carbone was exactly as chaotic and perfect as always. The kind of place where you had to know someone who knew someone to get a table, but the food was worth the hassle. Our group was already there when we arrived - my best friend Marcus, Sophie who worked in fashion, James from my brief stint at NYU, and Elena who was some kind of tech genius and always had the best stories.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Marcus grinned as we slid into the booth. "How was morning television?"

"Exhausting. They make you get up at like five AM for a ten-minute segment."

"The sacrifices you make for fame," Sophie teased. "So tragic."

"I know, right? My life is so hard."

Laura had met this group a couple times when she'd visited New York, but she still seemed a little quiet. I could tell she was trying to figure out the dynamic, which made sense - they were my friends from before her, from the brief period when I'd tried to be a normal college student.

"Laura, tell us about Stockholm," Elena said, clearly sensing the same thing I had. "Are you surviving Swedish winter?"

"Barely," Laura laughed, and I could see her relax a little. "Though my apartment has incredible heating, so I'm mostly just complaining for dramatic effect."

"Very Scandinavian of you," James said. "I spent a semester in Copenhagen and I'm pretty sure I didn't see the sun for three months."

"That's because you never left the library," Marcus pointed out.

"Fair point."

The conversation flowed easily after that - work, travel, relationships, the kind of normal twenty-something stuff that felt precious because of how rare it was in my usual world. Laura fit in perfectly once she relaxed, charming everyone with stories about her art installation and the weird Swedish cultural quirks she was still getting used to.

"So Lyric," Sophie said as we were finishing our pasta, "are you going to tell us about this documentary or do we have to wait for Netflix like peasants?"

"It's actually really cool," I said, trying not to sound like I was doing PR. "They followed a bunch of us around - kids of drivers, team principals, engineers, all sorts of F1 family members. The whole thing about what it's like growing up in this world."

"And you're the star, obviously," Elena grinned.

"Obviously. Though Larke steals every scene she's in, so really I'm just the comic relief."

"That tracks," Marcus said. "Remember freshman year when you tried to explain tire compounds to that girl at the party?"

"Hey, she asked!"

"She asked what you did for fun, not for a physics lecture."

Rude but accurate.

"In my defense," I said, "tire compounds are fascinating when you really think about it."

"This is why I love you," Laura said, kissing my cheek. "Your complete inability to be normal."

"I can be normal!"

"Name one normal thing about your life."

I considered this seriously. "I... put my pants on one leg at a time?"

"Your pants are custom-made by a designer who charges more per garment than most people make in a month."

Damn, she had me there.

"Fine, I'm abnormal. But I'm abnormally charming, so it works out."

As the night wound down and we were getting ready to leave, Marcus pulled me aside.

"She's good for you, man. Laura. Like, really good."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you though? Because you get this look when you talk about her. Like... settled. In a good way."

Settled. I'd never thought about it like that, but Marcus wasn't wrong. Being with Laura felt like finding something I hadn't realized I was looking for.

"Thanks, man. That means a lot."

"Just don't fuck it up by being an idiot."

"I'll do my best."

lyrichamilton posted on his stories 5 hours ago!

Austin was hands down my favorite race weekend of the year, and not just because the racing was always incredible. There was something about Texas that spoke to my soul - maybe because I'd grown up between California, Colorado, and Monaco, but had always been drawn to that whole cowboy aesthetic.

"Finally," I said, pulling my white Stetson out of my suitcase. "Been waiting all season to break this bad boy out."

"You're such a stereotype," Larke laughed from her bed, where she was scrolling through race data on her tablet. "California boy playing dress-up."

"Hey, I spent half my childhood in Colorado. That counts for something."

"Colorado isn't Texas."

"Cowboys are cowboys, sis."

We were driving to the circuit listening to Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album - a vintage classic from like twenty years ago but still perfect for Austin vibes. When "Texas Hold 'Em" came on, both of us started singing along at full volume.

"This ain't Texas, ain't no hold 'em, so lay your cards down, down, down," we belted out, completely off-key but not caring at all.

"You know that song is literally about how this isn't Texas, right?" Larke pointed out between verses.

"Details," I waved her off. "It's got cowboy energy, that's all that matters."

The paddock was buzzing with pre-race energy, and I could already see the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders setting up for their traditional pre-race performance. That was another Austin tradition I never got tired of - something about the intersection of American sports culture and Formula 1 that just worked.

"You're not seriously going to do the bull riding thing again, are you?" Larke asked as we parked.

"Of course I am! It's tradition!"

"You nearly got thrown off last year."

"Nearly being the operative word. I stayed on."

"For like three seconds."

"Three seconds longer than most people manage on their first try."

True story. The mechanical bull they set up at Austin was no joke, but I'd been practicing. Well, sort of. I'd watched a lot of YouTube videos, which basically made me an expert.

The bull-riding station was set up near the main fan zone, complete with a proper Western-style arena and announcers who took the whole thing way too seriously. I'd signed up earlier in the week, partly because it was fun and partly because the fans loved it when the teams did the local culture stuff.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer's voice boomed over the speakers, "we've got Lyric Hamilton from the McLaren team ready to take on Tornado Tom!"

Tornado Tom. They'd named the mechanical bull. Of course they had.

I adjusted my Stetson, made sure my boots were secure, and climbed onto the bull. The crowd was cheering, phones were out recording everything, and I could see Larke shaking her head in the background while trying not to laugh.

"Eight seconds is the goal!" the operator called out. "You ready?"

"Born ready!"

Famous last words.

The first few seconds were actually manageable - a gentle rocking motion that made me think maybe I'd gotten better at this. Then Tornado Tom decided to remind me who was boss.

What followed was the most undignified thirty seconds of my life. The bull bucked, spun, and generally tried to launch me into orbit while I held on for dear life. The crowd was going absolutely wild, and I could hear my name being chanted from multiple directions.

I lasted exactly six seconds before Tornado Tom finally won and sent me flying onto the padded mats. But I landed on my feet, arms up like I'd just stuck a gymnastics routine, which got an even bigger cheer from the crowd.

"Six seconds!" the announcer proclaimed. "Not bad for a racing engineer!"

"I demand a rematch!" I called out, earning laughs from everyone watching.

"Maybe next year, cowboy!"

As I walked back toward the McLaren hospitality area, tipping my hat to fans along the way, I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline that came from doing something ridiculous in front of a crowd. This was what I loved about Austin - the permission to lean into the showmanship, to be a little extra.

_______________________________________________

The race had been a disaster for Larke - a DNF on lap forty-three when her engine let go in spectacular fashion. Mechanical failures were part of racing, but they always stung, especially when you were leading the championship and every point mattered.

I found her in her driver's room afterward, still in her race suit, staring at her phone with that blank expression she got when she was trying not to show how upset she was.

"Engine failure sucks," I said, settling into the chair across from her. "But that's racing. We'll bounce back next week."

"Yeah," she said quietly, not looking up from her phone.

"Want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps to go through what happened, figure out if there were any warning signs we missed."

"It's not about the race, Ly."

Oh. That explained why she seemed more upset than a DNF usually warranted. Larke was competitive as hell, but she was also practical about the realities of motorsport. This was something else.

"Want to talk about whatever it actually is?"

She was quiet for a long moment, scrolling through what looked like news articles on her phone. Then: "Do you ever feel like you're living someone else's life?"

That was not what I'd been expecting.

"Sometimes," I said carefully. "What do you mean?"

"Like... everyone expects me to be this confident, fearless racing driver who never doubts herself. And most of the time, I am that person. But sometimes I just want to be eighteen and not have the weight of representing all women in motorsport on my shoulders."

Ah. There it was.

The pressure that we all carried but rarely talked about - the expectation to be perfect, to never show weakness, to always be on.

"That sounds exhausting."

"It is." She finally looked up from her phone. "And then I feel guilty for complaining because I have this incredible life and opportunities that most people can only dream of."

"You're allowed to feel overwhelmed, Larke. You're eighteen years old carrying pressure that would break most adults."

"I know that logically. But..." She trailed off, then suddenly laughed. "God, I sound like such a privileged brat."

"You sound like someone who's human. Which, despite what the internet thinks, you still are."

That got a small smile. "Barely, some days. And....Abel and I are... struggling."

"The long distance?" I asked.

"Everything. The distance, his training schedule, my race calendar. We barely talk anymore, and when we do, it's like we're strangers." My voice cracked slightly on the last word.

"That sucks. Have you talked to him about it?"

"How can I? He's dealing with his injury and getting back to match fitness. The last thing he needs is me complaining about our relationship."

"Larke..." I said, gently. "Relationships are supposed to be a safe space to talk about this stuff. If you can't be honest with Abel about how you're feeling, then what's the point?"

She let out an exhale. "What if talking about it makes it worse? What if he realizes that dating someone who travels nine months out of the year isn't worth it?"

"Then at least you'll know. But hiding how you feel isn't going to fix anything."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, the chaos of the paddock muffled by the walls of her driver's room. Outside, I could hear the post-race interviews happening, the usual analysis and speculation that followed every Grand Prix.

"You know what we need?" I said suddenly.

"What?"

"A Disney movie marathon. When's the last time we just sat around and watched Frozen seventeen times in a row?"

She laughed, the first genuine laugh I'd heard from her all day. "We're not children anymore, Ly."

"Speak for yourself. I maintain that Frozen is a cinematic masterpiece with universal appeal."

"You cried during 'Let It Go' last time we watched it."

"It's an emotional song! Elsa's embracing her true self despite societal pressure to conform! It's basically a metaphor for your entire career!"

"Oh my God, you're right," she said, laughing harder now. "I'm Elsa and motorsport is my ice powers."

"Exactly. And I'm obviously Anna because I'm loyal and charming and have excellent hair."

"You're Anna because you're goofy and talk too much."

"Hey!"

"But also loyal and charming," she added. "Fine. Disney marathon tonight?"

"Disney marathon tonight. But we're watching it at the hotel because if the McLaren social media team finds out we're having feelings, they'll want to film it for content."

"Deal. But I get to pick the movies."

"As long as one of them is Frozen."

"Obviously."

Later that night, we were sprawled across the oversized hotel room couch with room service snacks and a carefully curated Disney playlist. Larke had changed into sweatpants and one of my old hoodies, looking more like a regular teenager than a Formula 1 driver for the first time all weekend.

"You know," she said during the opening credits of Moana, "this is exactly what I needed."

"Disney movies?"

"This. Just being normal for a few hours. Not having to think about championship points or media obligations or what my success means for the future of women in motorsport."

"You can take breaks from being a symbol, you know. You're allowed to just be Larke sometimes."

"I'm working on it," she said. "It's just hard when everyone's watching all the time."

"Well, I'm always watching too," I said. "But not as your engineer or as Lewis Hamilton's son. Just as your annoying big brother who thinks you're pretty cool."

"Just pretty cool?"

"Fine, extremely cool. But don't let it go to your head."

"Too late," she grinned, settling back into the couch cushions.

As the familiar opening notes of "How Far I'll Go" filled the room, I thought about what Laura had said earlier about life in the fast lane. Yeah, we lived at a different speed than most people, with more pressure and scrutiny and opportunity than any twenty-somethings probably deserved.

But moments like this - just me and my sister, eating overpriced hotel room service and singing along to Disney songs - reminded me that underneath all the chaos, we were still just family. Still the Hamilton kids who'd grown up watching animated movies and dreaming about the future.

"Thanks, Ly," Larke said softly as Moana set sail for the first time.

"For what?"

"For reminding me that it's okay to not be perfect all the time."

"Always, sis. That's what annoying big brothers are for."

lyrichamilton posted on his instagram!

liked by larke_hamilton, f1, mclaren, and 2.0M others

lyrichamilton: thank u texas for always showing out n showing love. see y'all next time! 🐴

view all comments......

f1: 🤠 🐎

lewishamilton: rizz

⤷ lyrichamilton: pops.....lmfao 😭

thirstyhoe1234: now that's a cowboy i'll like to ride

enews: Cowboy Lyric!!!

roriehamilton: 🥺🥺

⤷ lyrichamilton: ❤️❤️

randowomanfromthestates: you need to break up with that dutch girl and get with me this comment has been deleted

⤷ ababyblu: girl you gonna get blocked! ly ly don't play about his girl.

⤷ lyrichamilton: ababyblu and don't. thanks for looking out 🙏🏽

[solibrie]

suselle is so awesome because it develops by both girls' own choices (in the normal route obvi) and not any meddling from the player. (the only interference you can cause suselle is stopping it from developing in the weird route)

like ch2 makes this most obvious imo. noelle is the one who chooses to approach at the beginning of the chapter and ask susie to study together. even if you don't talk to noelle about susie at the end of ch1, she still decides to reach out to susie on her own terms the next day!

the big suselle scene of the chapter is the ferris wheel, which we have no control of whatsoever. we are voyeurs at best and that is it. noelle thinks it's a dream, but susie knows it isn't- knows what noelle is saying is real and honest because what would the point of lying even be?

ch4 though... it's so excellent. susie just approaches noelle after the sermon without telling kris her plan!! and noelle *thinks* to ask permission, but decides against it entirely and goes for an opportunity to spend time with susie and kris is also there

minor note: i'm obsessed with susie calling noelle "top shelf" when she's talking to rudy after church. it's such a specific descriptor that tells you about susie's (lack of) self esteem and how she perceives noelle. don't let anyone tell you suselle lacks character depth because they're LYING TO YOU!!!

the basement scene, dess's bedroom scene, and guitar scene are all just so good. dess's bedroom & the guitar scene are so illuminating to me. dess is obviously a sore subject in the holiday home, but relatively new-in-town susie probably doesn't know anything about dess besides that she exists and isn't in hometown right now. for all susie knows, dess is at college with asriel or something. noelle doesn't tell susie that she's intruding on the bedroom and prized possession of a missing teenager. she just... sits with her. and we can't do anything about it! all we can do is make the dess's bedroom scene shorter by getting to the guitar before the dialogue runs out, but then we've gotten the guitar and now noelle is going to suggest (OF HER OWN FREE WILL) that susie try to play it.

she asks susie out to the festival! and susie accepts!

i am just so compelled by the character work present in these scenes. noelle has grown despite believing ch2 to have been a dream, and it shows via her scenes with susie. and it rules

[whoipretended2b]

It’s been years and I’m still salty about the ending of Supernatural. The ending we got only makes sense if you ignore ANY AND ALL character development.

If someone only watched season 1 and then the last few episodes of season 15 it would make sense. The whole thing feels like a book report where the student only read the first few chapters and then guessed at the ending or choose something that made sense without knowing anything about what happened during the other 14 seasons.

A real ending—a good ending—would have been taking what the characters wanted at the starts and considering how they and their wants and desires changed during the run of the show.

Dean would have gotten out of hunting. It was clear he was tired and doing it out of an oversized sense of responsibility.

Sam would have taken on some kind of a leadership or mentor role. A la Bobby.

Castiel wouldn’t have been left in the goddamned empty. He would have found that he wasn’t wanted JUST because of what he could do for others but because he was wanted FOR HIMSELF. Not because he was canon fodder or “always willing to bleed for the Winchesters”.

Jack would have gotten the chance to be an actual kid and just… grow up. Not be put in charge of everything. Even if that was end goal. He deserved a childhood.

The ending we got is Chuck’s goddamned ending and I fucking hate it.

And would I have liked to see Dean and Cas get together? Sure! But none of what I said above is Destiel. I didn’t need canon Destiel. But the ending we got was shit and it had nothing to do with my ship.

🫳🎤

if you think about it, the way things ended for each member of team free will is some twilight-zone levels of cosmic punishment.

season one sam wants to build a life away from his family and hey, that’s what he ends up doing. because post-finale every single member of his family is dead. the people he came to realise that he loved, that he needed, the ones who saw every dark thing he had done and been and loved him anyway - they’re gone. enjoy that life sam, it’s what you always wanted right?

and cas - it isn’t just that he learned to love humanity dean only to have that torn from him at its very culmination. what gets to me is that the empty is a return to pure stasis. his arc was defined by how much he changed - his very capacity for change and what he did with his choices. only to have those possibilities stripped from him as completely as they could be. death beyond death.

dean. oh dean. he thought he broke free of his father’s violence only to have his entire too-short life framed by it. going out bloody. caring about no one but sammy. never trying to build any other kind of life. his heaven is as mundane and limited and joyless as his father’s expectations.

and the thing is - this isn’t the way a show rounds out the character arcs they spent 15 seasons on.

this is the way that vindictive fathers punish defiant children and I will never be ok about it.

[rainrot4me]

first time requesting kinda nervous 😳 how the proxies (emphasis on toby and ben ofc) would react to meeting a fangirl

please..

✦ . jeff the killer

At first? He eats it up.

She’s squealing, telling him how “hot” he is, asking about the murders like they’re the newest trend—and Jeff’s smirking like a celebrity caught in public.

“Damn. You read the whole thing? You must be real desperate.”

He’ll let her fawn over him, lean in close, give her that predator grin. He likes that power, but it gets boring fast. The second she asks for a selfie, he’s already pulling a knife.

“You think I’m some fandom character? Cute. Let’s make it real.”

Fangirl or not—if she treats him like a fantasy? He’ll remind her what the real Jeff feels like.

✦ . ticci toby

Toby would be so weirded out. The second she starts gushing about his “axe aesthetic” and how she read “sooo many x readers with him,” he’s just standing there like: 😬

“Wait. You… like me? Like… that?”

He’ll stutter, glance around, then get real uncomfortable when she tries to touch his hoodie or talk about his stutter like it’s “cute.”

He might end up blurting something violent just to shut her up. Snapping like a cornered dog.

“You know I’ve g-gutted people, right? Like for real. This isn’t so-some fantasy, girl.”

But if she’s persistent? He’ll probably flee the scene before he short-circuits.

✦ . eyeless jack

Stone. Cold. Silence.

She’s freaking out—“OMG JACK I LOVE YOU,” waving her phone around showing art of him shirtless, gushing about his “dark aura.”

Jack just… stares. Doesn’t say a word.

“You love me, huh?” Leans in. Sniffs her.

“What part of organ consumption do you find romantic?”

She keeps babbling. He calmly says,

“Take one step closer, and I’ll remove your fingers and make you watch.”

Jack does not want to be romanticized. The only way he’s tolerating a fangirl is if she comes with an organ donor heart on her driver’s license.

✦ . masky (tim wright)

Tim’s immediately suspicious.

Fangirl energy? Red flag. He thinks she’s either a plant from the cops, a proxy from another faction, or batshit unstable.

“What the hell is this?”

When she starts talking about his trauma like it’s character development, it pushes his buttons fast.

He might pin her to the wall just to see how quick she screams.

“You like killers so bad? Then act like prey.”

No patience. No tolerance. She gets too touchy and she’s knocked out cold.

✦ . hoodie (brian thomas)

Brian just… vanishes. The minute she starts gushing about his “mystery” and calling him “babygirl,” he’s halfway across the forest.

If she catches him off guard?

He’ll give her the iciest stare ever. Total silence.

“You’re not supposed to know I exist.”

If she pushes it, though—tries to flirt, pulls the “I can fix you” line—he’ll pull his gun and level it calmly at her head.

“No. You can’t.”

End of conversation.

✦ . kate the chaser

Kate’s first instinct? Mockery.

“Oh my god, are you… serious? You’re crushing?”

If the fangirl is cringe, she’ll go hard. Insults, intimidation, laughter.

“Lemme guess. Daddy issues and a Tumblr archive full of fake blood edits.”

But if the fangirl is confident, maybe even a little unhinged? Kate will be curious.

“You’ve got guts. Let’s see if they’re pretty on the floor.”

Don’t fangirl at Kate unless you’ve got the spine to back it up.

✦ . ben drowned

Ben is loving it.

She’s talking about his glitches, his tragic past, how he’s her “favorite haunted boy.” He lounges back and smirks, soaking in every second.

“Damn, you do got good taste.”

He’ll flirt back, call her Player 2, maybe even offer to show her the inside of his code. But if she starts crossing lines—calling him her “anime husbando” or posting about it online—he’ll crash her phone.

“This ain’t a play date, baby. This is a curse.”

Still, he’s the most likely to entertain a fangirl. For a while. Especially if she’s hot.

✦ . clockwork

Natalie hates it.

The minute a girl starts calling her “mommy” or complimenting her “yandere energy,” she’s already planning how to break her fingers.

“You think murder’s cute? You think me ripping someone’s throat out is adorable?”

She’ll mock the fangirl’s voice, imitate her squealing, then lean in and whisper something truly vile just to shut her down.

“Say one more thing about my clock and I’ll turn you into a organless corpse.”

But if the girl’s genuinely respectful? Nat might spare her. Maybe. Barely.

✦ . laughing jack

LJ is delighted. He thinks fangirls are hilarious.

“You read stories about me? Did they get the part where I pulled a kid’s intestines out like party streamers?”

He’ll lean into it, play the part, even sign her arm in fake blood if it makes her scream.

But deep down, he’s analyzing her. Seeing how far she’s willing to go. How far he can push.

“Ohhh, you’re obsessed with me? That’s adorable. Let’s test it, sugarpop.”

She might think it’s fun and games. Until the lights in his eyes go out and his smile fades.

✦ . slenderman

Utter disdain.

He senses her miles away. Her obsession. Her idealization.

“You perceive me as fiction.”

She comes running with fanart and poems and glittery Tumblr edits—he doesn’t even blink. Just tilts his head.

“Fascinating. You mistake horror for romance. Let me correct your delusion.”

One look from him and her mind could shatter. He’s not here to be idolized.

He is the myth. And myth doesn’t bend for fangirls.

꩜ .ᐟ

[cripplecharacters]

in a story I'm writing I have a character that uses a cane for instability and pain mostly in his legs. There is no specific diagnosis because it's magic based. But he is a superhero that gets his power from a separate magical force, and the part of the power is to enhance all physical ability strength, agility, ect. So would it a) be reasonable for him to no longer require a cane while in the super hero form and b) be officive or harmful in any way for him to no longer use a cane in those instances? I don't want to make it seem as though you can't be a hero or anything like with disabilities.

Thak you for you time and help!

Hello!

If the power is to enhance these attributes (strength, agility, etc.), then would it just be enhancing what's already there? If so, he'd probably still have these issues with his leg.

Personally, I really wish people would stop taking away their disabled character's disability when they're superheros. I've seen a lot of series do this (especially with magical girls-style heroes) and it's really quite unfortunate to see.

Why can't your character be a superhero with a mobility aid? Especially in this kind of situation, where his main problems are pain/instability -- which don't exactly stop him from being a superhero.

I also think that keeping his disability as a factor when he's a superhero opens the door for far more creativity and world building.

For one thing, you can consider how the world/city would react to having an obviously disabled superhero.

How does the media treat him? Do they tend to take a pitying or inspiration porn angle? Do they treat him like any other superhero? Does it change throughout the story? How does he respond to it?

How does the general population treat him? How about the disabled community in particular? I can't speak for everyone but I've always loved seeing disabled superheros. There's something about seeing somebody with your same problems being powerful that's really motivating/inspiring almost. I imagine that feeling would be increased if the superhero in question was real.

How do his teammates treat him (if he has them)? How do his villains treat him?

Keeping your character disabled when they're a superhero opens the door for all these different considerations, which can lead to some great character development/interactions.

Maybe your character's disabled fans put him on a bit of a pedestal and that's something he has to navigate. Maybe the media starts by talking about him in a pitying way or questioning his use/abilities and changes the tune after he wins a tough battle (though I think it'd be nice to have somebody acknowledge that treating him that way was kinda fucked up either eay). Maybe a villain doesn't want to fight him because he's disabled -- would your character take advantage of that in any way? How would they navigate the situation?

I'd really urge you to have him keep his disability/mobility aid as a superhero. It makes the story far more interesting to actually find ways to navigate the situation rather than take the easy way out AND it would be very refreshing to see a disabled superhero that isn't cured by their superpowers.

I'd suggest taking a look through some of our posts on #disability erasure and #disability negating superpowers as well as the helpful posts linked in our pinned post. There's some on disabled superheroes and navigating disability and superpowers that I think you'll find helpful.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[agentnoun]

On top of this, the baseline assumption that the player character in a video game must be a player stand-in gets really annoying, and it leads to a lot of eye-rolling takes like:

The one above, writing off characters if they're mean to the player character, because that means they're mean to me, the player, and anyone who does that is bad

Getting angry when the player character makes choices the player wouldn't have made, regardless of whether those choices still make sense for that character

Being extra-sensitive to any flaws or sharp edges the player character has, because if they're supposed to be you, shouldn't they be as palatable as possible for you, specifically?

And so on.

It also goes hand-in-hand with a sort of refusal to engage with character development. The amount of times I've seen people write off a character for being mean, abrasive, selfish, short-sighted, etc. at the start of their arc is honestly surprising even to a cynic like me. Lots of that with the Baldur's Gate 3 cast, for example--there are a surprising number of people who have proudly killed characters like Lae'zel or Astarion in every single playthrough because they're mean to you when you meet them and so fuck them.

Maybe it's not the most important literacy crisis in the world but the lack of narrative literacy is certainly aggravating for anyone who likes stories, tells stories, or wants to talk about stories.

(It's not lost on me that there's a sort of "purity politics" aspect to all of this as well, a real-world belief that certain types of people or behaviors are irredeemable/not able to be rehabilitated/not deserving of understanding/etc.)

Not to be a bitch but sometimes people engage with fiction in the most boring way possible, and nowhere is this clearer than in videogames. Like what you mean you hate a character just because they were kind of abrasive when speaking to the player character? "They were mean to me" and it didn't occur to you to wonder why? Like, what might their attitude toward you reveal about the world? About the social dynamics within it? About their own perspectives and backgrounds and personalities? Does it even occur you to ask? Would you only have liked them if they bowed to your presence and talked about how great you are? Like I'm sorry but you're so boring. How boring fiction would be if it cathered to you

[hkthatgffan]

I wonder if its just me or that the fandom at large doesnt seem to care about Wendy. Like, yeah sometimes they bemoan about how she got sidelined and raise about the cancelled stories but like, I dont see as much fan content about her. In fact I see more Pacifica art around, despite her not being the main character at all. It only seems wendippers care about her the most.

Oh yeah. Even in the fandom it feels like Wendy barely gets much attention and it upsets me a lot given I think she's a character that has so much more to give and for us to learn about her. Ironically like you said, despite how the fandom is about it, what little wendip community is out there still, gives her more appreciation than most other parts of the fandom do and continue to wanna see more out of her character in official content. And as someone who similarly wants to see more Wendy development, I'm with them on that tbh. It's a win/win really as Wendy developing will benefit all fans. I think part of the problem is that cause many fans associate her with that ship and ever since canonically at least, it was sunk, people just sort of stopped caring about Wendy and moved on to other characters, given the show sorta stopped so too. I mean, whenever I look through season 1 era GF content and blogs, there is a ton of Wendy content (and not just wendip stuff but a mix of things related to her) and barely any Pacifica content, given of course, everyone hated her then, lol. But by season 2 onward, it was vice versa.

I guess because of all that, those in the fandom who ship dipcifica don't as much care about her as a result. Of course, it's not all of them given I'm sure there's dipcifica shippers who wanna see more Wendy development and wendip shippers who in turn wanna see more Pacifica development. But it is also disappointing overall tbh, given both Wendy and Pacifica are so much more than their most popular ship. they have personalities of their own and stories that can be told with both established and to be created lore. And it is possible to do that. Using The Owl House as an example, Amity got a ton of development and lore about her that wasn't revolving around lumity. Fans of that show were able to like and learn about her through a lens that wasn't just wanting her to be Luz's girlfriend. And it benefitted that ship too given as result, it made lumity that better of an end goal, as Amity changed for the better in a way that made her and Luz being together feel more worth it and deserving (which hot take, Pacifica isn't still IMO developed enough for that to work with Dipcifica, hence why alongside his own belief about it, Alex never has fully canonized that ship).

It is possible to give Wendy (and Pacifica) a similar type of development and lore without lumping it up with shipping. Wendy is arguably the least developed main character and so, deserves more. I want Wendy to be more than just the cool character that Dipper had a crush on. I mean, similarly to that in a way, Vanessa in season 1 of Phineas and Ferb was sort of the same and more so a Candace 2.0 but overtime, became a more interesting and developed character with her own personality and story in series that made learning about her fun and gave us more to enjoy about that character. We've seen in the show there is more to Wendy from stuff she's said and lore that books have dropped. There is a lot more to her that we can learn. I think there are GF fans who want to see more out of Wendy, but with a lack of anything to really look into on her beyond all the shipping stuff which many have moved on from, there's not much to do with her. So, she gets sidelined. When Gravity Falls itself stops sidelining Wendy, fans I feel will stop doing so too.

Also side note, Wendy and Mabel content would be honestly really cool to see more of. They have a real big sister and little sister type bond and seeing Wendy perhaps giving Mabel life advice and being a sort of mentor to her would be amazing. We've already seen a bit of that in Society of the Blind Eye, so more of that would be welcome. Point is, there is so much Wendy could be used for with proper development...it's just a matter of actually trying it out and seeing what works.

[charafansmile]

what do you think of Berdly deltarune?

I like him! I think he's an interesting little guy, and I enjoy the role he fulfils in the story. He's a redditor and he sucks alot but by God is it funny to watch him be a redditor and suck alot.

There's specific parts of him as a character that I think deserve to be discussed (primarily how the character is fundamentally one with sexist beliefs) ..but alot of berdly negative I think goes too far in on the him being sexist angle (he is, but let's be real he's 15 and capable of learning. If we were supposed to think he's sexualizing noelle or susie he'd be written more overtly like burgerpants is). My own stance is that he's a play on the 'white knight' sort of 'nice guy' with the subversion that he's not actually interested in noelle romantically. But does still think he 'deserves' her. Not quite an incel but playing with those tropes.

He is weird and pushy ABOUT romance and I think that angle of the character provides an interesting dynamic with suselle (being that noelle has to learn how to stand up for herself) and the player and kris ourself since we can go directly against what kris wants by saying yes to him. He's basically the annoying team member you can't get rid of that is 'harmless' enough to not really be a threat so much as he is a device for other characters development. (Sidenote, I don't like calling his actions harmless and I'd really rather people not defend him being pushy with romance as him being autistic and not understanding social cues, he's inept sure but that sort of behavior does need to get called out and I hope there's some scene in the festival where he apologises or something.)

Of course me seeing him as more of a plot device atm doesn't mean I don't think he's a character in his own right, I enjoy the inferiority complex he's got going on and his friendship with noelle is very sweet to me. The lightnerds.. they talk vidya games togetehr... As weird as he can be he's just one of those people who you just can't spend alot of time around without wanting to strangle them. Like queen said. Nothing REALLY wrong with him, he's just annoying.

I also think there is a potential for something deeper with his character, and him being avoided because of his behavior does have potential for angst.. but I don't care for reading into it that deeply or blaming his isolation on outside factors that don't recognize the fact that berdly: is a jerk. He's an ass, he's rude, he's self-important and condescending...all of those are the reasons for people avoiding him. It's his own fault. He's that kid in high school who insults your handwriting and keeps talking to you when you're trying to ignore him. You may have a few casual conversations with him and be able to have fun on occasion courtesy of being in a small town without more options, but he still acts like he's better than you for no real reason. It's his biggest character flaw outside of the romance thing and probably my favorite thing about him. Love characters that keep fucking things up for themselves. I think the scene in chapter 4 of the library where he starts spluttering when he realizes susie doesn't want to hang out with him if he's being a jerk will be something that comes up again, if his arc continues. Ideally it'll be something like this

He keeps being pushy with noelle + susie + kris -> they ditch him -> He realizes they dont actually like him that way-> he eventually apologizes -> they hang for a bit -> he reverts to being kind of a jerk again -> they threaten to ditch him -> he realizes his error a second time and then apologizes again -> character arc fulfilled.

Not that he'd be completely fixed, he seems the sort to need multiple lessons, but I think being friends with susie would be good for him? She wouldn't put up with him like noelle does or ignore him like kris does, she'd call him out and stand on it in a way that I think would help develop him...the issue is he needs to get over his crush on her and a few(alot) more beats of self reflection before he's able to be #normal about it. Susie needs more friends too but well.. as good of a friend as she'd be for berdly being a better person I'm not so sure he'd be a very good friend to her without a lot more development. His interactions with her post realizing he can be stupid were funny but I need him to stop flirting yesterday. Idk this parts more an aside. They COULD be gamer buddies...but im unsure of it.

[falmerbrook]

Western Solstice/Season of the Worm Cult 1 Thoughts

TLDR: Liked the zone, liked the side quests, liked the basic narrative of the main quest but wasn't happy with its execution/dialogue.

So you know that thing I’ve brought up before about how the writing in this game tries to have its cake and eat it too? Where they want every zone story to be accessible to new players (and players who forgot anything or don’t pay attention to what’s going on) while still having reoccurring characters and plot threads? And how in the end it does a disservice to both; to the story as its own thing and as a continuation of things? Yeah, well I think I reached the end of my patience in this zone with that problem. I like the story itself, but am frustrated with its execution.

Major spoilers under the cut (also sorry this is so long)

Ok, first of all, things I liked:

Skordo my beloved <3. Always a king. His voice is back to normal. I cherish him.

I liked the zone itself! I was kinda expecting it to be small and empty, and while it was empty in the same way a lot of the more recent zones have been, I was pleasantly surprised by how big and like a real island it felt. Sunport and the Writhing Wall are such good set pieces and are gorgeous at sunrise and sunset, and I thought the sight lines everywhere were really good and helped it feel like an expansive place. I also liked the aesthetics of the tropical setting, the Argonians, and the mix of Argonian and Altmer architecture in Sunport. Just a cool place overall.

I also liked the worldbuilding and side quests! The history and culture and religion of the Corelanyans and Tide Born was very cool and imo a good addition to the world. I always love seeing cultures that are shaped by their environment and having the Tide Born be a hist-less Argonian culture whose way of life and beliefs have adapted to island living was super awesome. The history and development of both cultures just felt very natural to me (e.g. the Corelanyans going from necromancers who made deals with daedric princes to worshipping some of the more morally acceptable princes). I'm excited to hopefully learn more about the Stone Nest in Eastern Solstice since it sounds like they are Argonians still following the older ways with Xanmeers and the lot. The Nords felt kinda out of place, but were interesting enough to get a pass from me (and that quest with them was cute).

On the note of quests, I like the side quests! I had a good time with them! I particularly liked the Meridia temple one (always cool to get more Meridia lore and seeing characters have crises of faith imo), the ghost hunting one, and the Tide Born village one.

My feelings about the main quest are more mixed, but on the positive side I thought the narrative itself (ignoring execution) had enough compelling and interesting point to keep me invested in what was happening next or where things were going. I already like the set up of this storyline being split in two this year because it gives us opportunities to have hints and implication dropped now that we can muse over that will be resolved in the next part (e.g. what's going on with Vanus, who his ally is, etc.).

Also I fucking love angst. Thank you Gabrielle Benele for fulfilling my angsty needs. I am almost certainly not going to be satisfied with the pay off of it but for now I can revel in the heartbreak. Love you Gabby <3

EDIT: forgot to mention but I also liked the roleplaying options. I know some were dissatisfied with the them not having huge effect, but dialogue options that continue the story in the same direction but just elicit a different response from the other characters is pretty much exactly what I wanted.

On the note of dissatisfaction though...

On to my concerns and issues.

Just let me get it off my chest one more time. If I have to here "Gah-bri-elle" or "Gaudy-er" one more time I'm skinning myself. Ok, ok, it's out of my system now.

So I really think the main story here is the most egregious example of the issues I brought up at the beginning so far. This expansion was literally marketed as a sequel to the base game's main quest, yet the characters (almost all of whom are characters we got close to in the base game) barely acknowledge any relationship we may have with them, nor the information we'd likely already know. The Vestige is really at their most moronic here and it was getting to the point it frustrated me. The characters kept explaining things to me that happened in the base game and prologue like our character wasn't there, and the dialogue prompts for the Vestige that were need to progress conversations also assumed we had no idea what was going on. Like I've said before, this is a writing problem that permeates the whole game, but it felt really absurd here given the marketing for this story and the characters present. Especially because, I feel like if I was a new player, I would get, like, nothing out of this story. Outside of a few moments (namely Gabrielle's confession at Li-Xal or optional dialogue with Raz) we don't really get any moments to connect with the characters (and the intention with that Gabrielle moment is probably more to foreshadow her actions later than have a moment to get to know a character tbh, as much as I loved it). I feel like all of my investment in them is based on past adventures with them, so if I was a player who didn't remember them or hadn't met them before, all of the emotional beats at the end of this story would've had no weight I think. Acknowledging that, why is the dialogue written for those players first, and the players who are keeping up with these things are just given a few optional dialogue options at the ends of conversations sometimes? I've had random ass side characters from delve quests I didn't remember have more personal dialogue with the Vestige than these reoccurring characters we've literally been to hell with.

I don't know what kind of player this is meant to appeal to. is it new players? Is it players returning for the first time in awhile who forgot? Is it player who don't pay attention to the stories of quests? I don't know, and to be honest, I feel like they shouldn't be the ones being catered to primarily for a story like this one. Rather than starting out dialogue/conversations assuming we don't know what's going on and then throwing us bones later in the conversation, start out dialogue (if we've completed the requisite quests) assuming we know what's going on and then later throw a bone to the folks who don't. Just accept that people who are going into this without having played a single other story in this game or who mash through the dialogue are going to be confused. Maybe I'm being callous, but I feel like that's on them. I feel a little ridiculous feeling this way, but it was genuinely starting to piss me off in this story that it felt like the stuff I'd done in the past had no impact on what was happening there. No game, I know who Darien and Vanus are. Why are you assuming I don't? I know you can tell I've completed the quests with them before! I'd rather you develop the story or characters more than waste more time reiterating what I already know.

I get that having options to recap who's who and what's going on is helpful because obviously not everyone is going to remember anything, but I was rereading some dialogue from Elsweyr and I feel like that storyline handled balancing that so much better (Elsewyr is honestly peak character writing in general).

The main quest was also weirdly short, which didn't help this issue. Each individual quest in it was a lot shorter than I think they've been in pretty much every expansion, and there weren't many of them either (and the side quests felt longer than usual I think too?). Like, I didn't think it was paced badly, it just didn't have a lot of the waffling around trying to figure out some mystery that other stories have had. Which sounds like it would be a good thing when I type it out like this, but in hindsight I think that length is good for helping us get to know and get invested in the characters, and I just felt like we didn't have almost any of those moments here. It was like the bare minimum was a satisfyingly structured story. There weren't many slower times to get to know the characters or get a vibe on what they are thinking or feeling about current situations. For exmaple with Wormblood, it felt like he barely existed as a person and not a vessel for Mannimarco to possess at the end. While the drama of Gabrielle's sacrifice was *chefs kiss* and I liked the foreshadowing up to it, I am pretty sad she's gone since I wish we had more time with her in this story (I'm huffing copium rn that she ends up coming back somehow, extra permanent death be damned!!). Anyway, I'm hoping part 2 is longer (and doesn't get bogged down trying to explain to me who's who), and I'm choosing to remain optimistic about it.

Any finally, I'm a little worried about Darien. Idk it's hard to explain but also everything at the end happens so fast that I'm still trying to mull over it in my head (and UESP hasn't put up the dialogue yet waaaahhhhhhh). But basically, between Gabrielle and Skordo talking about Darien as if he's been dead since the assaults on Coldharbour (and them not mentioning at all how every other time we've seen Gabrielle she's basically been dedicating her life to finding Darien and insisting he's not dead), the way he's brought back implying he was dead, and Darien's dialogue once he's back, I have this nagging feeling in my head that they're overlooking or ignoring what happened in Summerset?? Maybe?? I might be dumb but I was under the impression he wasn't actually dead. I'm sorry idk how to explain it but the vibes are off and Darien's dialogue was confusing to me. Maybe I'm just being stupid.

idk I think a lot of this is just on me. Maybe I had my expectations too high. Which is a little odd for me because they weren't very high after seeing the reactions from PTS folks. I was thinking I'll try to lower them for part 2 but I also like being excited for things so knowing me I probably won't.

Anyway, hopes and predictions for part 2 to end on a higher note:

I'm hoping (coping) that when the story got split up it got split unevenly and this is more like 1/3 of the story rather than 1/2, so there will be more main story in the next part. I'm also hoping that this will truly be a part 2 of the same story, rather than a wishy-washy kinda part 2 like the DLCs used to be like.

I'm hoping my issues with the dialogue will be at least partly alleviated in part 2 because it’ll be a part 2 (like the epilogues in the yearly storylines)

I'm not at all worried about the side quests really. Looking forward to them.

I'm very excited (and very very nervous) to have Darien back. I don't really have any predictions I just really really hope they don't fuck it up and whatever they do with him feels satisfying.

I'm looking forward to seeing what ends up happenings to Mannimarco/Wormblood and Vanus. Is Wormblood still in there too or are we just facing Mannimarco from here on out? If Wormblood is still present in his body somehow, will there be conflict between him and Mannimarco? hmmmmmm

I wonder who Vanus's ally is? He kept mentioning having one and that didn't get resolved to I bet it will be addressed in part 2.

I'm curious if Gabrielle is truly dead-dead or if they're gonna pull something off with her. Everyone is talking about her like she's dead-dead so I guess that's the case, but also we don't truly know how the Gift of Death/Light of Meridia works. I'll be fine with either I think. If she stays dead, I hope they keep some weight to it instead of just moving on and never bringing it up again (not optimistic about that one), and if she comes back I hope there are still some consequences to her sacrifice rather than it being a return to the status quo. Whatever happens, I just hope it’s narratively satisfying.

[bunbunlapin]

🎪🎟️MDNI! 18+ No Minors!🎟️🎪 “Life’s a stage… but death? That’s when the real show begins!”

Part of the Lutualverse (other interactions welcome!)

🎪Mod: Pseudobun (Evie) 23 she/her

🎪 18+ slight nsfw topics

🎪 Queue is mostly first come first serve, unless the bit requires otherwise.

🎪 Anxiety go brrr feel free to Dm if I've crossed a line and I will do my best to fix it (Dms will not be in character)

🎪Lapin’s opinions do not necessarily reflect mod’s opinions… on any topic. I have received hate for some of these opinions in the past so I would like to make that clear

Lutual Statement

After a pretty rough week with a lot going on, the Lutuals have decided that moving forward we will be a bit more selective regarding certain things. We love sharing our characters and developing new and interesting storylines for people to read and interact with and want to continue doing so while protecting ourselves and our mental health. Please see below on the things we expect moving forward.

Asks, anon or not, will be deleted on sight and the sender blocked if they fall into any of the following categories:

NSFW - finding the characters hot is fine! Telling the mods what you want to do to those characters sexually is not!

Violence - show typical violence may be part of storylines or backstory to inform characterization! Graphically describing violence you would like to see done to the characters doesn’t! To vent frustrations with characters, please throw a bible at them; the mods will get the message just fine.

Hate Speech - the Lutualverse is a fun spinoff of the Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss settings and isn’t the place for social or political commentary. We’re just here for the various shades of queer relationships; if you’re not, kindly move along.

Spam - many Lutuals utilize their queues for asks and submissions; if you sent it once, we probably got it and will answer asks and post submissions in due time. Sending more than once will just confuse Tumblr and annoy the mod.

To better form a cohesive, consistent universe with multiple storylines, the current Lutualverse is a set roster you can find here, all of whom have been vetted as 18+. As the blogs, storylines, and shows are 18+, it is recommended that minors do not interact. We are not accepting applications at this time to join the Lutualverse, though individual mods may respond to starters at their discretion; these events will not be canon to the universe.

It has also come to our attention that some blogs are claiming to be part of the Lutualverse despite not being official members.

While we appreciate that people enjoy our work, we DO NOT appreciate being impersonated or having unaffiliated members claiming to be part of our canon.

At the time of writing, the ONLY Lutuals are as follows:

@joy-eris-joy

@able-juice

@silvireal

@texanredrose

@kambiteydragon

@moreaustars

@hazbin-hoe-tell

@canibalistic-brownie

@seecatrun

@pseudobun

@atttwoood

@paperroxas

Any new blogs or members will be announced by ONE OF US and will be LISTED on the Lutuals roster.

Any unaffiliated users claiming to be part of our verse WILL BE BLOCKED.

Again, we would like to stress that we enjoy the interaction and support. This is to protect us and better craft compelling stories. Thank you for your understanding.

-The Lutuals

[yinyuedijun]

okay wait I did figure out how to make this selfship story line me yet not me . walk with me (or don't..... this is a deranged storyline)

so like. kaixiang (or whatever her name is, let's call her that for now) is from this far east land called serica (term for silk road china in ye olde greece). in some timelines, the kremnoan detachment makes it over there and try to make it a homeland because they conquered the locals rip. and that's how kaixiang meets mydei. in some other timelines, kaixiang just makes it over to okhema while fleeing from the black tide and meets mydei there. they get real close in all the timelines and mydei's memory glitches get extremely very wonky around her. in all timelines she gets killed by lygus.

"but mao," you ask, "why on earth in a greek-coded world would there be a chinese person? why is the timeline so wack around her? why is lygus killing her all the time?" and that would be because kaixiang is not actually an amphorean. she is a virus 😎

ENTER THE REAL KAIXIANG (mao? this is Me). they are kind of a girlfailure and they have the appearance of a NEET most of the time when they're doing overtime (and they're always doing overtime somehow). nevertheless the erudition gazed upon them, which I guess? makes them an emanator? I don't understand hsr lore. anyway this loser nerd decides they aren't on board with the whole destruction heat death thing so they've been trying to interfere with the amphoreus simulation via a trojan horse virus, which manifests as an AI modelled after themself. kaixiang is like mao's mary sue insert character SKFHSKSB it's very meta that way.

so mao releases kaixiang into amphoreus but doesn't really pay attention to what's going on in each cycle. they just kinda let the simulation run in the background while doing their NEET hobbies, it's kinda like doing hsr dailies on auto. at the end of each cycle they check to see what the outcome is and they mald because lygus wipes the virus each time.

unbeknownst to mao, kaixiang kinda develops a kind of sentience throughout all these cycles and realises that amphoreus is a doomed project. she has gotten really attached to the world and is super depressed about the thought of losing everyone. so in one of the final cycles (the one with TB and danheng), she acts as a virus does and copies all the amphoreus data for the major characters SGLHDKDJD then sends it back to mao. mao the girlfailure receives this data. they decide to download the amphoreus character data into tangible bodies for......some unethical reason I don't know yet.

anyway the amphoreus characters escape the planet in this way and they have memories of all the cycles including their doomed fates 💀

mydei makes a BEELINE for mao because he thinks they're kaixiang but they're really not. this is very tragic for him because every time he sees this little loser NEET, he sees his lover/friend/fuckbuddy of like ten thousand timelines, but it's really not them. I do think when mao discovers that kaixiang consistently lusted after mydei, they are like "yeaaah I would do that" because kaixiang was originally based on their consciousness and. well. they find mydei really sexyhotbeautiful.

I THINK? it does work out. mao locks in and binge watches all ten thousand cycles where the wankai ship happens and is so inconsolable by the end of it that they go to mydei and bawl pathetically. and they're like IM NEVER GONNA BE HER YOULL NEVER LOVE ME LIKE YOU LOVE HER (<- they are nonsharing with their own AI self and believe their f/o mydei would never go for them.) but he finds it kinda funny because kaixiang did have a pathetic miserable side to her and he's like ah yes. this is my sexyloserbeautiful wife. we are reunited.