#but like by the third race i knew way more and had more opinions

[skitskatdacat63]

hiii! here's a question for you: what's the story of how you got into F1?

Helloooo, so it's honestly pretty silly. So in my prev fandom, this author I really like(hello if you see this, you know who you are djfkkf) wrote an f1 au oneshog. And I read it once and was like huh interesting, cause I never had really heard of f1 before, and had to look up some terms bcs I was so ???? at everything(my Google search history: what does p1 in f1 mean? What is drs? What is a team principal? etc etc)

But I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I read it again, and again. And then I looked on the author's tumblr blog and saw he had answered some asks abt f1, like explaining the dynamic involved in the oneshot he wrote, and recommending how to get into it. So next step: watch a bit of DTS. And I definitely thought it was interesting, but I think I only watched 3 or so episodes. But hey! There was a race that very weekend, and I wanted to watch the actual sport and boom there we go, total landslide into my life being taken over.

F1 is such an interesting fandom to get into bcs the amount of info you have to learn. And it's really difficult at the beginning with all these things, concepts and people you've never heard of. So it was very fun to experience that over the course of a few races, like every weekend I came into it with more passion and knowledge! There's some word I'm thinking of that I can't remember aahhhh, but yeah basically its crazy the amnt of info you need to learn before you feel comfortable and at least somewhat knowledgeable.

Also one other funny thing, I think I may have talked abt this before. My brother is such a car guy, so back when I first got in, I really wanted to ask him if he liked f1. And so we're talking on the phone, and completely unprompted he's like "Ugh it sucks that I was abroad when the US GP happened"(he lives in Austin.) And I'm like OH SO YOU LIKE F1!? And now we're a lot closer than we were before that, bcs of f1 :)

[roe-and-memory]

every time someone says cars 3 is the worst cars movie another angel punches me in the stomach and pulls my hair.

this is probably just my intense special interest in the origins of nascar, but that movie feels like such a nice send-off for the main “trilogy”, and yes people can have their own opinions but i NEED to talk about how much this movie means to me

first of all, a major misconception is that lightning quit racing - he DIDNT! this is proven by both the end of the movie (where he says hes obviously going to keep racing) and cars on the road where, in the final episode, cruz and lightning wish each other “goodbye” and say they’ll see each other on the racetrack. he was only cruz’s crew chief for that one season, presumably healing from the trauma of the crash (because lets be real his ass did not mentally recover from that in FOUR MONTHS) and also waiting for a permanent crew chief to take his place.

second.. the sheer amount of detail put into that movie is INSANE. the racing center being shaped like grandstands at a track? fireball beach being both a direct reference to the daytona beach race course and also “fireball roberts”, a 1950s racer (he was actually the reason that firesuits were mandated in the sport), we meet a bunch of 1950s racers as well and just augh.. so good. also, the detail of thomasville being in north carolina is brilliant - N.C is the “racing state”, and thomasville speedway is based off of north wilkesboro, a track that was opened in 1949, and last used in 1996 (aside from the series of races in 2010), and it fell into disrepair. (fun fact, north wilkesboro is reopening in 2024 for the nascar all star race!! they fixed my bbg)

third. cars three brings so much more lore than the first movie did. yes, we knew doc raced in the 50s when the sport was getting its start, but in cars 3? they brought in characters based off of real 1950s racers (doc is based off of herb thomas, smokey is smokey yunick, lou is louise smith, junior is junior johnson, river is wendell scott, and leroy hemming is tim flock) (another reference in the movie is “jocko flockos party supplies” as macks disguise - jocko flocko was tim flocks pet monkey that was the FIRST and only co-driver in the history of the sport. he won a race with his monkey in the car with him :) )

as i was saying, the lore we learn is insane. we learn that lou and river had to fight for their place in the sport, which is similar to what both louise smith and wendell scott experienced in the 50s, they show us accurately how racing worked back then too - they didnt have fancy pits, they had a fence and a pit member with a sign that would tell them to come in the next lap for service. all of these cars are gen 1 nascar, which means that they were strictly stock - they had much more intense pit sessions than any of the other “built for racing” generations have ever needed. i recall watching a race wherein smokey yunick had to change the radiator of one of his racers vehicles mid-race due to a crash.

this isnt everything, but seriously for an animated movie about talking cars, they discuss grief and hardships and handle them so well its insane. i know cruz isnt everyones cup of tea, but (in reference to the flip scene at the end of the movie) watching cruz get shoved into the sport must’ve been insane for lou to watch. she saw herself in that girl. it wasnt some movie about lightning giving up, it was him sharing the torch with another kid who lost their way just like he had.

also i dont cry at movies but i literally bawl my fucking eyes out at the letters scene every time. its PATHETIC (its not im literally tearing up just thinking about it)

[adventuringblind]

If you’re still taking requests, can you please write a wolff!reader x charles leclerc fic? And they’re secretly engaged and in love and toto finds out and he doesn’t want them together and tries to break them up. Maybe they break up for toto and then he sees how sad they are w/o each other and how happy they were together? Angst to fluff and happy ending please 😭💕💕 Tysmmm i love your work sm

Romeo and Juliet

Charles Leclerc X Wolff!Reader

Genre: ANGST lots of it but a happy fluffy ending

Request: yes, and forbidden love? Yes please! Sorry if this is darker then you were thinking… I got a little carried away 😅. I am open for requests! Mainly for Max, Charles, Oscar, Lando, Daniel, and George.

Summary: Reader and Charles are in love. Unfortunately for them, Toto is determined to keep them apart.

Warnings: Angry Toto, sad reader, Charles trying to problem solve. MENTIONS OF SH but not description of it, MENTIONS OF SUICIDAL IDEATION but again nothing descriptive, bullying and toxic media.

Notes: written in third person. Please like, comment, and reblog. I like to hear from y'all. It makes me feel like a celebrity 🥹.

Also, I've sent up my account to let tips be enabled. I was debating whether or not to say this because i dont want to sound like im begging, but frankly, people opinions do not matter me me. If you like my writing and want to support me, please consider tipping my posts or my blog. I put a lot of effort into my writing, and it would mean the world to me. Obviously, I won't have my feelings hurt if you ignor this, but I wanted to put it out there.

Masterlist

She’d never been quite sure how it happened. How she managed to find her soulmate. The two are meant for each other. The only downside is that she is living a Romeo and Juliet parody.

Being a Wolff meant spending majority of her time around the race track or at the factory. From the time she was little, she was following her dad around.

Toto never had any hard and fast rules regarding being friends with people from other teams. He couldn’t stop her from being friends with those she spent majority of her time around. He did, however, have rules about dating. Mainly not to date a driver and if she was then he would allow a Mercedes driver.

So her options were Lewis and George. She liked both, but not in any romantic way. They are her brothers. She annoys them and them tease her and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Her and Charles had been friends since he first started with AlfaRomeo. The two clicked instantly and talked constantly. She was the first person he looked for after a good race or a bad one. He was her everything and she was his.

Four years later they started dating. Secretly, of course, because she didn’t want her dad smashing anymore headphones. They made it work and were willing to do what it took.

It helped that she already lived in Monaco since that’s where majority of her friends lived. It made sense why they would ‘run into each other’ so often since they live in a small place.

George found out by accident right before a race. He’d found her phone in the ground. It had fallen out of her pocket and she’d not noticed. When she had noted it’s disappearance, she tried to locate it by calling it with Charles phone.

George took one look at the caller ID and knew. The less then friendly contact name, mix of heart emoji’s, and Charles contact photo gave it away. He answered anyways. If Charles knew where she was then at least he could give her phone back.

“Hello, this is George.” He only got silence in return. “Hello…?”

“Please tell me you didn’t see the called name.” Came her voice from the other end. The desperation in your voice making him chuckle. He was never going to let her live this down.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Now can you please come get your phone.”

The two lovebirds were able to make more things work after. Being able to have George cover form them helped immensely. Dates became more frequent. Places they wouldn’t normally go were suddenly a possibility.

Lewis caught on eventually. He saw right past the sheepish smiles of George and Y/N. While she was sneaking back in the garage through George’s driver room.

Between George and Lewis the teasing only escalated, but the two of them were the best possible wingmen she could have asked for. They managed to distract her father away when she was cutting things close.

It didn’t last forever though. The ending of Romeo and Juliet isn’t a happy one.

Someone had managed to take a picture of them kissing. It was a cute picture. Charles kissing her on what was supposed to be a private beach during the sunset. A picture that she woke up to circling the medial faster that the cars on race day.

Charles woke up to her rapid breathing. Her phone lighting up the dark room with constant notifications. Charles wrapped his arms around her. “It’s alright amour. We’ll figure this out on day at a time.

Things were weird after that. She clung to Charles as she was ripped to shred by the media, the fans, and her father.

She was being called a traitor to her fathers team. Her father had labeled her disrespectful. It was an utter nightmare.

The two Mercedes boys stood protectively behind her. Toto’s voice getting louder by the second. She was still sitting in the chair opposite his. Her eyes downcast to the lightly colored desk.

“I don’t understand why you chose him. A rival team! How do I know your not telling him everything about our operations?” Toto’s voice was laced with venom. This arms waving around to exaggerate his point.

“Because I love him. And I would never do that to you.” She wanted to stay strong, but the tears were threatening to spill over.

“I don’t want to see you back here until you two are broken up.” He turned his back to her.

She quickly exited, George following close behind her. Lewis remained in the office.

“I think you’re being too hard on her.” Lewis pointed out. Still leaning in the wall close to the door. His arms crossed over his chest, staring at the team principal he holds immense respect for.

“Aren’t you concerned at all?”

“No, she loves her family to much to do anything like that.” Then he left. Finding the girl he considered his sister clinging to George’s shirt.

Both of them had seen the comments. Both had been asked about it during interviews. Both had told their fans to leave her alone. It hurt both of them to see how people were treating her. The names they felt no remorse for spewing. It made them sick.

Charles’ fans were not any better. He hated seeing them tell her nasty things. Spreading rumors they knew nothing about.

He’d tried reassuring her constantly that she is his everything, but he knew she was losing her family. The last thing he wanted to happen. He wanted to protect her from this. Guilt wracking his body because he felt powerless to do anything.

When he found her that day, sobs wracking her body as she went to find him, he knew how he could help her. The last option either of them wanted.

“I love you so much.” He said, cupping her cheek gently, letting the tears roll down his cheeks and attempting to wipe away hers. “But I don’t want you to lose your family because of me.”

Charles called George that day to tell him want he was going to do. George having understood his actions and promised to be there for her. So when the broken girl showed up at his house that night, eyes red and puffy, he’d already been ready for her. Carmen making sure that she had extra clothes for her in case she ended up staying awhile.

Charles’ next stop was to see Toto. The older man hardly sparing him a glance as he walked into the office. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused you.” He started. Toto still faced the wall, refusing to look at him. Something Charles was grateful for. “Me and your daughter have parted ways. So, I’ll hope you’ll allow her to stay with her family. Neither of us wanted things to happen this way. But I’d rather lose her then watch her lose everything she’s grown up with and worked for.”

Charles waited a moment to see if he’d get a response before turning around and ducking out of the office.

He stayed with Pierre that night. Broken and defeated. His heart heavy with the sadness and longing to be with the woman he loved so dearly.

The media didn’t stop though. The news around them still trending. People still feeling the need to voice their disgusting comments.

Toto had tried to connect with his daughter, but received no response. In fact, nobody had. She hadn’t been to a race in months. Both George and Lewis had tried calling and texting her only to receive nothing in return. She hadn’t even read their messages.

Charles was hurting as well. He didn’t want to cause her anymore pain. So he distanced himself from everything that related to her. Carlos and Pierre had been watching his behavior. His head clearly not in a good place mentally. They were running out of ideas in how to help him.

Lewis was the one who caved first. He’d given her enough space, now it was time to invade it. He dragged George with him to her apartment in Monaco one morning. Determined to see proof that she was at least breathing.

When they got no answer, they searched for the spare key. The one she hid in the light above her front door. Relief flooding them both as George managed to locate it.

When they finally got the door open, they were greeted with the dark apartment. It looked like no one lived there. The fridge was empty and the cupboards almost mirrored it, aside from the open box of your favorite cereal.

There was broken glass along the counters and floor. Pictures had been taken off the walls. A few empty bottles of alcohol lay strewn along flat surfaces.

The woman they’d been looking for was wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Her chest slowly rising and falling.

George went to gently try and pull her from her sleep without scaring her.

Lewis on the other hand, went to investigate the rest of the rooms. Terrified at what he’d discovered.

He lightly jogged back to George, who didn’t want to pull her from her peaceful slumber, and tapped his shoulder. Motioning for the younger Brit to follow him.

Their first stop was the bedroom. Everything that reminded her of Charles had been stripped away. leaving only the mattress in the center of the room. The long mirror hanging next to the closet had been shattered. The glass that had fallen out of it scattered around the base word they’d seen people calling her written in thick black marker now divided by cracks.

Next, Lewis led them to the bathroom. The sight of it making George want to vomit. The bathroom mirror had also been cracked. Towels stained red line the countertop. Pills litter the bathroom floor. And the knife she’d been gifted by her father for her 18th birthday lay on the edge of the sink. 

Who is obviously what had happened here recently.

George who was struggling to look at the scene went back to trying to coax the woman, his sister, out of her slumber. Lewis making an attempt to at lease get the area safe. Their hearts hurt for her. They knew she was hurting but neither knew it had gotten so bad.

Charles was her soulmate. Both her and Charles knew it. They had envisioned their life together. A life that she saw every time she closed her eyes.

She tried to separate herself from his memory. Tried to distract herself. But she couldn’t get her mind away from him. How he made her smile. How he listened even to the pettiest things she complained about. She wanted that back.

If her family didn’t want her for it and Charles couldn’t stand to see her hurting, then she would get back there on her own.

If their story was like Romeo and Juliet’s, why shouldn’t it end in tragedy as well?

But their story keeps going. Because they are meant for each other. So they will find away even if they don’t know it yet.

The gentle touches of Charles ghosted over her bare arms. Her mind trying to hold into the feeling even if he wasn’t here.

She cracked her eyes open to the dark room. Her body revolting as she tries to sit up. Her dehydration finally getting to her. Her head pounding from last night events.

She’s had a few episodes like this and knows she needs to get help. She doesn’t know where to start though.

She hadn’t really eaten much the last sixth months. Even food reminded her of him. How was she ever going to move in at this rate?

Then she noticed the sounds of breathing beside her. The familiar face of George greeting her, though his eyes are sad.

She immediately sits up. The horrible scene that is her apartment now clearly seen by one of the last people she wanted to know she’d sunk this far.

“George?” Her voice merely a quiet rasp.

“It’s okay now, we’re gonna help you. Okay?” His voice cracked. The male is clear distress.

Lewis came around the corner upon hearing voices. Relieved that she’d woken up. “I think we need to talk.”

~

Charles hadn’t been staying at his apartment. He knew he wasn’t in a good place mentally, so he went back home. His mother welcomed him with open arms, sad to hear the news of the two splitting.

He’d talked to Lewis and George about her during race weekends. Their lack of knowledge causing his concern to grow more with each passing week.

He’d tried for sixth months to force himself to move on but he knew it was in vain. She was made for him and he belonged to her. How was he supposed to move on from that?

Pascale had struggled watching her middle child. He struggled to eat, struggled to sleep, to the point it was affecting his performance.

“You should talk to her.” She suggested.

“I’ll only hurt her more.”

“I’ve been looking in social media for her. The things people are saying is terrible.” She sighs, the situation itself only getting worse. “She needs you.”

~

Toto knew he messed up. As soon as he’d made her choose, he knew. Only to have it confirmed when he heard the waver in Charles voice. When he didn’t see his daughter for moths. As he watched Charles performance fall.

He’d tried to contact her. Susie had encouraged him to call her the night everything happened. He’d received no response for sixth months. He’d asked Lewis about her only to be met with his sigh and sad eyes.

It’s like she disappeared from the planet. Everyone worried about her. But they collectively decided that maybe she needed space.

He knew she and Charles were happy together. He’d seen how big her smile was when she was with him. Even when he thought they were just friends. The two of them had been contagiously happy.

~

The next race came around quickly. At least for Charles that’s how it felt as he strode to the Mercedes paddock.

He spotted Lewis and George and weaved his way towards them. Everyone trying to get one roared for the weekend. Exactly what he should be doing.

“Charles! Listen mate-“ George had started. But Charles cut him off with the urgent need to speak with Toto before he could get in his head. “I need Toto. I need to see her again.” He was ready to break.

“He’s in his office.”

Charles didn’t waist any time making his way there. The older man a bit startled at the sudden appearance. “I love your daughter. I am begging you to not make her choose.” He was pleading but he didn’t care.

“I’m sorry.” Toto looked pained. Charles is taken off guard by it. His reaction the last thing the monegasque was expecting. “I should have never made her choose. She was happy with you. So when you go get her back, tell her I’m sorry and that I want her to come home.”

Charles fumbled around with his words. Gesturing wildly with his hands but for some reason his voice was stuck in his throat. Eventually he just nodded his head, attempting to get across his thanks.

Lewis and George were still talking. So he did the only logical thing and tackled then both in a hug. “I need to know where she is. He’s not going to make her choose.” The smile on his face so big it might fall off. “Please tell me where she’s been staying.”

Lewis and George shared a look. One that didn’t go unnoticed. “We need to talk.”

~

They’d told him about her state. About what she’d been going through. How they found her that morning, alone and so far into her head they didn’t know if she was going to come out.

His heart shattered listening to them. The two were connected deeper then anything he could’ve imagined. He’s upset that he didn’t get the courage to fight for her sooner.

She’d been spending her time since they found her with either if the boys. Neither wanted to leave her alone after that. So they made sure she wasn’t alone after that.

Her apartment was still mildly wrecked but they weren’t worried about it. They just wanted to get her out of her head.

Now he had a chance. They had brought her with them. She didn’t want to come to the track so she was back at the hotel. Tucked away from the world.

Now Charles was speeding to her location. Lewis’ key card in hand. Determination filling his veins. He needed to see her, desperately. His heart ached the last six months. He didn’t want to never see her again. Charles loved her with his entire being.

The trip was a blur for him. Not even realizing he was at the door until he had no more steps left to take.

He decided to knock first. He wanted to be respectful. He’d use the key as his last resort.

He got nervous when the handle turned. What was he going to say? He didn’t have time to think about it as the door swung open. Revealing the love of his life. Still as beautiful as when he last saw her. Though his heart dropped at the sight.

Bags under eyes, her body smaller then he remembered. Then there was the white bandages running up her arms. She was wearing a tank top and sweats, obviously not expecting him to show up.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then the tears started. She was in his arms in a second. Clutching him like he would disappear if she let go.

He breathed her in. “I’m here, I got you, and I’m never letting you go again.”

[multific]

Wanted and Needed

Deckard Shaw x Reader

Warnings: mention of smut, pregnancy 

Summary: It was only meant to be one night. But of course, it is never that easy.

The way he looked at you always sent shivers down your spine. He made you feel so good about yourself.

And then, during a race, he stepped over to you and whispered into your ear.

"I will win for you." he said before getting into his car.

You could only blink and watch as he indeed, won.

Being a long member of the team, you had your opinions on Deckard in the beginning but you were quickly smitten by his looks and charm. 

He looked too good in his suit.

He won and he took you home that same evening.

That night changed your entire life.

It was truly meant to be a fling.

A nice fuck and done.

He made you feel incredible, you never felt so good with anyone ever.

But when the morning came, he was gone. Even the bed was cold.

And so, you knew that your hopes for a round two in the morning were ruined.

But as you found out soon, during your monthly doctor's check-up, Deckard Shaw might have left a bit more than just his necktie in your place.

"Congratulations, you are pregnant."

All you could do is let out a long sigh.

Pregnant.

Because of fucking course.

Why not?

Like, you were totally ready to be a mom... IF you wanted to be one to begin with.

And now... you are going to have a baby because Deckard Shaw was too handsome so you lied about being on pills... great you were going to be a mother while being this stupid.

Awesome.

First things first, you decided not to tell Deckard. The others also didn't know, you told them you are moving for a fresh start.

Which was kind of true. Dom was the only one who saw right through you and the only one who knew about the baby.

He, of course, supported you in every way he could.

You moved to a new town into a small house. It was perfect for you and your baby.

Perfect for you to freak out 24/7 about how you are going to be a bad mom, trying to read books while throwing up.

Fun.

Buying stuff for the baby, trying not to cry at every cute little sock you see.

Being pregnant was extremely challenging. 

Who knew?!

According to your new doctor, everything was going very well with your baby, you even learned that you will be having a little girl, so now, you were full-on princess mode.

But your worry never stopped.

And as your belly grew, so did your worries.

Deep down you also knew that you shouldn't worry, it wasn't good for the baby, but you couldn't help it.

You let out a long sigh, and finally, during the last two months you decided that you are going to be the best mom, you for sure will try.

You promised yourself that you will be good. Then you promised your baby that you will be good.

When you went into labour, you let your instincts take over instead of panic.

Giving birth was an entirely new level of pain. But you kept reminding yourself to just push and breathe. 

It will be all worth it.

And it did.

Your daughter was born perfect.

Healthy and beautiful.

You gave her a beautiful name, Olivia.

Olivia looked much like her father, her eyes were a dead telltale sign. She couldn't even deny even if she wanted to that she was indeed Deckard Shaw's little girl.

You often wondered what Deckard was doing... probably a blonde. Dom often gave you calls to check up on you, which you appreciated, you even sent him photos of Liv.

Liv was a rather fussy baby. She liked things her way, not yours. But she loved to sleep.

Even with her crib in your room, she barely woke up.

Her fussy period ended in her third week. From then on, he became an extremely interested little girl. Everything and anything in your house had to be at least licked once. But she caused you so much happiness.

Dom wanted to come over and meet the newest addition to the family, he promised it would be only him.

"Look, Livie! It's Uncle Dom." Olivia was at first a bit taken aback by the stranger but she soon got used to him. "She mainly eats and sleeps, but she is very interested in everything," you told to Dom as he had her in his arms.

"She is beautiful," he said and you could sense in his voice, he wanted to say more but decided against it. "Deckard was looking for you. I heard he asked the others about you, he even called Luke."

"Dom..."

"I know, I know why you did what you did. But don't you think he deserves to know that he has a daughter?"

"When I found out, I tried to call him. But he never called back. To me, that was clear, he didn't want anything to do with me. And I'm okay with that. I have her now." Dom nodded. 

At the end of the day, Dom left waving you goodbye.

It was honestly amazing to see him, he talked a lot about the others and how they miss you.

You knew that one day you will have to face them, not yet, but someday.

Liv was sleeping in her room, it was midafternoon when the doorbell rang.

You headed to open it.

As soon as you locked eyes with him, your heart stopped.

You immediately closed the door in his face.

He knocked again.

"Sweetheart, open the door please." he said.

"Just a moment!"

Just what in the fuck was Deckard doing here? Did Dom tell him? No. He had to find out on his own. You tried your best to hide any evidence about your baby, hiding the toys and the pictures.

When you opened the door again, and let him in, you were panicking.

"I've been looking for you, could have used your skills for a mission."

Ah, of course. You were rather disappointed.

"I don't work, Deckard."

"I know, everyone keeps telling me that you retired."

"I did."

"Why?"

"I was tired of it." what a lie. How could you ever get tired of being a badass?

There was a moment of silence. You watched him think before he spoke up.

"You disappeared... the only way I could find you was through Dom."

"You tracked his car?"

"Of course, I have been looking for you for almost a year and a half now. 14 months."

"I had my reasons. And you left the next day, so I don't see why you would care where I went after."

"I'm not good with this... emotions and whatnot."

"Right. Thank you for the visit." you said pointing at your door and to your surprise, he left without any fuss.

"If you need help, I put my number into your phone."

"I won't." you closed and locked the door behind him, finally letting out a sigh. 

This was bad. Very bad.

You couldn't move again, it would only be a matter of time for him to find you.

You thought long and hard. So he hacked Dom's phone and didn't check his messages? He didn't know about Olivia? What was happening?

You needed some fresh air, so when Liv woke up from her nap, you decided to take a walk with her in the neighbourhood, heading to the park. You could also use the fresh air and the time to think.

Thankfully Liv was in a great mood. She loved being outdoors. You stopped by a bench and sat down, having her in her stroller, she was sitting, looking around with big bright eyes, taking in the pigeons and the trees.

No matter how many times you were in the park, she always looked so excited and interested, even in the things she had seen many many times before.

She then motioned for you, asking to be picked up. She cooed as her hands made grabbing motions. 

You smiled and picked her up.

Bounding her a little you smiled as she grabbed your necklace, pulling on it.

How could she be so strong?!

She then pointed at the pigeons.

"Pigeon." you told her as she cooed once more. You thought this was too cute. It was as if she was trying to say pigeon but couldn't. Then she pointed at a figure. "That's a man." you said as she was focused on the man.

Then you looked up, finally realizing who the man was.

Deckard.

Fuck.

Shit.

Without a word, you stood up and tried to walk away. Liv was rather confused you could tell but she didn't mind the sudden change in pace too much.

Then suddenly he was in front of you, you pulled Liv to your chest, your other hand tightening around the handle of the stroller. 

"Deckard..."

"You have a child." he sounded way too calm.

"I-I do." you watched as his eyes roamed all over your daughter, particularly her face. There was no denying the fact that she was his.

"Who's the father?" you felt so powerless. You have not felt like this in a very long time.

"Deckard..." you tried to collect your thoughts. Thoughts you have been telling yourself for two years now. "You left. The next morning, you were gone."

"Jesus, Lass. And you think what? That I don't want to know about my daughter?" 

"You didn't want me, why would you want her?"

"I woke up to make breakfast but got a call-" you put your hand up.

"I tried to call you, you didn't call me back."

"I have no excuse. I fucked that up. But I deserve to know that I have a child."

"You treated me like shit. I got the message, you didn't want anything from me but a quick time. I don't see why you would care about Liv."

"I do." he said with a calm voice. "I care. I spent all this time, trying to find you. I asked the others, no one knew. But I soon realized that you and Dom were closer, so you must have told him. I tracked his phone and... I came here to find you but I could have never imagined... her."

It was hard for you to believe that he cared. But he looked genuine. 

It wasn't until Olivia broke the silence with a small whine when you looked at her, again, she was pointing at something.

"It's a dog, Love." then you looked back at Deckard. "Look, I really don't need... your money. It's okay, truly. I just... You left."

"I did. And I regret not leaving at least a text message. I regret it every day."

"I-Come by tomorrow. We will talk while she naps." Deckard nodded before he watched you leave.

---

Little did you know that Deckard basically slept in his car to make sure you wouldn't run off.

And you didn't.

In the early afternoon, he once again stood at the door, he could hear the cries coming from inside.

Deckard knocked, he watched the door open to ajar.

"Come in!" you said as he headed in, closing and locking the door behind himself. "She just won't settle. I'll take her to her room, I'll be back."

"Can I help?" he asked as you let out a huff. 

"Oh, I don't think. Sometimes she is just like this." you said as you walked to the back of the house into her room. Deckard followed you, watching as you cried to calm her.

It did work a little, but now Olivia was watching the stranger in her room. 

She motioned for Deckard as if she wanted to be held by him.

"I don't think he wants to hold you baby."

"I do." his reply came in so fast it almost scared you.

"Okay." you headed over to him.

"I want to but how do I?" you showed him just how to hold her as you watched her reaction. As soon as she was in his arms, she stopped fussing, gripping his shirt, she closed her eyes. "When she falls asleep, put her to her bed." you said as you pointed at the small bed. "And the blanket over her." Deckard nodded.

You decided to leave them alone, as you were leaving you stopped in the doorway.

"If you run off with her... Nothing will stop me."

"I'm not going to kidnap her from you." he said, rolling his eyes. You nodded once before leaving and having some lunch finally. 

Deckard could only watch this tiny human in his arms. Was a beauty she was. She looked exactly like her mother, but she did have his eyes. 

He did as you asked him, put her into her bed and put her pink blanket over her.

Deckard watched her for a couple of minutes but soon left her room, letting the little girl sleep. 

"She is almost five months old." you said as he appeared, you just finished your lunch. "A true gift."

"She looks like you."

"I think she looks more like you."

"How was the... pregnancy?"

"Challenging. I was sick very often so they had to give me meds. Then she decided to come early. I was terrified."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be silly, you didn't know."

"But now, I'm here."

"I left because I was scared. So scared. First I wanted to tell you. I truly did. But I got scared that you would tell me to... leave her. I will be honest I wasn't ready to be a mother, I am still trying to figure out how I should go about this but... if you are willing to try, I-I want to give you a chance so you could see her."

Deckard didn't even need to think. The moment he saw the little girl in your arms in the park, he knew.

"I want to be a part of her life. I want you to move to London to live with me. That way we can raise her together."

"You know I always wanted to live there..."

"I do know. I hope my offer will tempt you enough so you say yes."

That sly little bastard. But you let out a long sigh.

"I appreciate it Deckard, I truly do, and I'm happy that you want to be a part of our daughter's life. But... it's not like... it's not like we were in a relationship or something. I don't think us moving in together would be a good idea. You are welcome to visit her anytime."

Deckard was rather taken aback, he thought you might jump into the opportunity. 

"I understand." he said and he truly did. He was only hoping you would. "I will come visit tomorrow," he said as he headed for the door, you waved him goodbye.

That night, you couldn't sleep.

You kept thinking about what Deckard said. While living with him didn't sound terrible and you could use the help with Liv. 

It was now your stubbornness and fear holding you back.

You loved Deckard too much. Which one could argue with, given how you ran away with a baby, but it was the truth.

You didn't want to disappoint him, you didn't want for him to live a life which he might regret later. 

But you were ready to give him a chance, you were ready for him to decide what he wanted.

The next morning, he arrived early. You were in the middle of feeding when there was a knock.

"You are early," you said as you let him in. "I'm feeding her, wait here." he sat down on your couch, but after a minute, he couldn't sit any longer.

He walked to your room, and he found you, back to the door as you breastfed your daughter. 

As if you felt his presence, you turned and saw him. His eyes never left you, and he started to walk into the room.

You felt exposed, but you didn't mind it. He ran his hand over Olivia's head. He sat down next to you on the bed.

"The doctor said babies are supposed to be chubby. She often said that Liv is very healthy. She will get her vaccines once I stop breastfeeding. But you see, I just have so much milk... The doctor said I can donate it. Which is like super weird to me, but she said some mother's can't produce milk so... oh sorry, you probably don't want to hear any of that."

"I want to know everything." you looked into his eyes, but he was watching Liv.

"Okay, ummm, she was born three weeks earlier than she should have. She spent time in the hospital after. But she is all good now. She loves the outdoors and animals. She is very interested. Dom once said he will buy a dog for her once she is old enough." Deckard made a face at that, the thought of another man giving things to his daughter, things he should.

"And how was the... birth?"

"Oh, terrible, thank you for asking. I had to drive to the hospital, it was awful, I was bleeding and in pain. I was... very scared." Deckard looked at you. "I thought I lost her." he could see the tears in your eyes.

"But you didn't." he said to comfort you.

"I didn't."

"I like her name, where did you get it from?" 

"It was in a children's book that I got for her while I was pregnant. I really liked the name so... do you really like it?" he nodded. For that moment you felt at ease. You looked down at your daughter as Deckard pulled you closer to his side, arms moving around you as he pulled you to his chest, his head on your shoulder, he placed a kiss on your skin.

Soon, Olivia stopped eating and you grabbed a cloth. you made a face.

"Why are you in a suit?" you asked Deckard who looked down at his attire.

"I wanted to look good for my girls."

"Well, then get ready to have saliva all over it." you said as you placed the cloth on his shoulder, then you handed him Liv. "Wait until she burps, then place her into her bed, I'll make breakfast, I'm starving." 

You weren't sure what just happened. The way he held you was so delicate.

You tried to tell yourself that he only did it for Liv, but he didn't.

You know he didn't.

You just finished breakfast when Deckard came to join you.

"She's sleeping." he said.

"I have this." you said as you handed him an album. "All of her ultrasound pictures, pictures a day after she was born are in there. It's the only one I have but if you want, you can keep one picture of her."

"I want you both to live with me. It would be the safest. I know what you said. And I cannot help but think about what would have happened if that day I left a note or never left at all. I keep thinking about it."

You stood up and headed to the living room when Deckard spoke up, making you stop in the hallway.

"It would have been different. But we will never know. We have to focus on now. You want us to live close to you, and I want you to have a relationship with her." he joined you in the hallway, standing so close you could barely think.

"The very first thing you told me is that I didn't want you so why would I want her, but Y/N, I wanted you for so long. Long before we even went to that race. Long before that night. I wanted you for so long now. I still want you. Not because of Olivia, but because of you. And how could I not want her? She is my daughter, our daughter." he took a step closer to you, closing the distance as his hand came to rest on your cheek.

"Deckard, I always had a huge crush on you. But... I'm done with this whole dancing around one another. You want us and we need you. Livie needs you, I need you. We will move to London." you saw his eyes shine as he leaned down to give you a kiss.

Finally, you two were together, finally, you had what you always wanted. Finally, your daughter had her father.

---

"A view of the Big Ben." you said as you stood in front of the window, looking out with your daughter on your hip.

"Yes, the view in this apartment is great, it is truly royal if I might say." the woman said as she joined you, but of course she would say these things, she had to sell the place.

The view was nice, but something about the windows made you feel exposed. Could be because they were from the floor up to the ceiling.

"What do you think?" Deckard joined you and the woman left to give you some time. You made a face and Deckard knew. "We looked at eight apartments, you didn't like any..."

"It's not that they are not good. It's just... off."

"Okay, then we will look until we find the one."

"Can we... maybe we could look at houses a bit out of London? Like a cottage?" he looked at you confused.

"Cottage?" then he realized perhaps you want a house similar to the one you had before you moved in with him. "Okay, I think I know what you want." he said as he turned to the lady.

---

Your eyes were shining from the moment you closed the car's door. You even forgot to get Olivia from the backseat, you felt like you were in a dream.

"Decks..."

"This house, while from the outside it is more traditional, on the inside it just had been renovated and renewed. It has solar panels built into the roof, it has a garden in the back as well as in the front. It is a bit more secluded but it does have neighbours. Come on in I will show you around." the lady continued the tour. "Fire bedrooms, two office rooms, a lovely spacious living room and a kitchen. The back garden might need a bit of terraforming but the space is given for any flowers or trees. Perfect place for your little one to run around and have her friends over for a birthday party perhaps."

You loved it, and Deckard knew you loved it.

"This is the one." you said when you finally looked at him, coming back from your dream. "Perfect for us and if we want more kids, we have the room. You can have a gym even and I can have an office to work from. This is just perfect, do you like it?"

Deckard smiled, deciding to not bring it up that you just in fact mentioned more children.

"I love it." he said and you didn't even waste time, you signed the papers.

---

One morning you sat out on the balcony, enjoying the morning sun as Deckard and Livie were asleep.

You truly loved this house. It was different from your previous house and Deckard's apartment, but at the same time, it looked like both.

You heard the door open and as you saw Deckard walk out with his coffee in hand you pointed at a part of the garden.

"I want to put a flowerbed there. And some hydrangeas over there."

"Sounds good to me."

"And we could get an inflatable pool for Livie, for the summer. I'm sure she will love it."

"Perfect." you looked at him as he smiled at you.

"What?" you asked.

"You look happy. It makes me happy."

"It's just... feels nice to be wanted." 

"I think it's more need. Like you said Livie needs me, and I need the two of you." you reached out to him as he held your hand. "I love you."

"I love you too," you said as you caught a glimpse of the beautiful diamond on your finger.

He was all you ever wanted and needed.

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~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

DO NOT STEAL, REPOST OR TRANSLATE ANY OF MY WORKS

[overtake]

every time i remember that gifset of daniel laughing and talking pre-race with max and his dad in spa 2014 and realize that max saw daniel win his third race and red bull's 50th race live and IN PERSON....like daniel must have seemed so cool and larger than life. and then come to find out a few weeks later it's max's test and he had made a welcome video for him. like...it's too much they're TOO MUCH.

This response got ludicrously long.

It’s such “fated to be in each other’s lives forever” shit. It’s always been Max and Daniel. In 2011, before Max was even a red bull junior. In 2014 at spa, ahead of Max being announced for toro rosso. In video form at his super license drive, when Max being his future teammate wouldn’t have even been thought in Daniel’s mind. The things Max got to see Daniel achieve and dream that he might have that and more, and the hot guy doing it is paying attention to him.

He wins that race and backs him, saying he couldn’t have done what he’s about to do and saying Max has the talent to be there… I just know it was good to hear that the man you just watched on the podium believes you deserve this oppprtunity. And if he wasn’t ready at your age and is sitting in front of you a three time winner, what can you achieve by his age?

Obviously, Max has never needed other people’s validation on his skill. He knew he could be successful and had no issue staring his naysayers down. He’s a cactus, not a delicate orchid. You cannot kill him. Your opinions mean nothing to him if you are not in his inner circle (though Daniel certainly worked his way into being someone whose opinion Max holds, hears, and values).

But still, it has to be nice to hear back then that there are people with achievements you want who believe you’re capable of getting there. Even the most brave-faced sixteen year old (with a father who tries to toughen his emotional resolve by saying he will never be anything more than a truck driver) still appreciates having someone believe in him, even if he doesn’t need the validation.

I think people tend to wrongly characterize young Max as some delicate friendless loser and Daniel was the only person to ever show him kindnesses etc etc etc. Max is extremely confident and never relied on Daniel to build self-worth or whatever pathetic way people try to write him. But he always just glowed around him — textbook of that first crush that makes you have the italics “oh. oh” moment. It’s very apparent that Daniel meant a lot to Max as a teammate and that the two of them just liked being around each other, such an anomaly for that era of f1 (ex: like they mentioned in on the sofa 2017, Lewis, — who had been busy with the life altering downfall of his relationship with Nico — was in awe of Max and Daniel and asked for the scholarship of how they got along so well).

It’s so clear that this draw between them started for Max so early from just the way he looks at Daniel on that phone, shy and not knowing quite what to say, and his gaze lingering on it even after it stops playing with that smile. He has to tear his attention away to say his sweet little praise of Daniel. Daniel respected Max as a serious competitor from day one with his quotes about Max’s talents, and that already meant something to Max — but then he also went ahead and liked Max and was kind to Max in a time where he was drenched in doubters.

It’s a great tragedy that we will never know what it would’ve been like to see the two of them in a car that could compete for championships. Obviously tensions would have altered their relationship (I mean, the Renault engine frustration and natural increase in rivalry as it became Max’s team already meant their relationship improved post-leaving), but I’m going to be delusional and think that they never could have hated each other in that bone-deep way because they like each other in a way that is so natural that it feels encoded in their DNA.

Things would have gotten messy as competitive battles do, with many a wall punched and inflammatory quotes in the media pen — especially as Daniel would have to reckon with the inevitability of Max being a generational talent whose already sharp elbows in their early days only doled out more hits on the road to WDC. It’d be claws out, teeth bared tension.

Still, I employ my delusion to say that in that universe, at the end of their careers, they could sit on Daniel’s farm and still enjoy being around each other — like Daniel said in 2019, they had a heated rivalry and pushed each other, but there was always respect. At the end of the day, Max has never stopped looking at Daniel outside the track with anything but effusive love, and Daniel is always there looking back with his mouth open and ready to make Max laugh — and I genuinely believe they would have cared enough about each other to keep their fight contained to the environment and time period and rebuild anything lost when it’s all said and done.

It’s the eternal thesis of them, that everyone has said a million times over: they like each other so much, so genuinely, without a veneer of fakeness and PR to it. They’d like each other in any universe in any conditions, even ones where they were built to hate each other. There could still be fighting and resentment and cold shoulders, but they are not built to hate each other, and that’s why I like them so much.

[crow-stars]

❝CHILDHOOD RULES BROKEN❞

❦summary; childish fun doesn't always mean you have to be a child to enjoy it. ♪the characters in this story; gn!reader, riddle rosehearts ✎word count; 961 ❀what do the ghosts say?; platonic, just good old fluff times, reader and riddle jump on the bed together, riddle getting to act like a kid :) ☛the author's notes; nothing to note... ☪look at the catalogue?

“Why would you jump on a bed? Doesn’t that ruin the mattress?” 

“Well, yeah, but if in moderation, it can be fun!” Riddle shakes his head with a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. The thought of participating in something that only young children do in his adolescence seems ridiculous, yet you’re so insistent on trying to get him to join you. 

The two of you were sitting on Riddle’s bed. You were supposed to be studying, yet it somehow divulged into you telling stories about your childhood with Riddle listening. One of the fondest memories you had was getting to jump around on the bed, giggling and laughing before your parents told you to stop and go to bed. That was how the conversation led to this, debating about jumping on the bed. Though, it was more you trying to convince Riddle that it was fun and Riddle pointing out why it wasn’t fun, both in short term and long term. 

“Why don’t you try it? If you don’t like it, then you can say that jumping on a bed sucks.” 

A scoff came from Riddle as he shook his head in the way he did whenever he was unamused, or at least when he tried to act amused. He lowers the textbook he was holding, already a third of the way done with the book. It was dense enough to make anyone’s head spin. 

“I’m not going to jump on the bed. I already know the risks and factors when it comes to jumping on the bed.” He states it in such a matter of fact way, it’s almost comical. You shifted to sit on your knees, leaning forward as he gave Riddle a more intense stare. 

“But you haven’t actually jumped on a bed yourself! How do you know all the risks?” 

“My mother.” 

The stare you gave Riddle could only be described as a deadpan and even Riddle knew that his first response was the one that would come under scrutiny. After a long, frankly unnecessary silence in Riddle’s opinion, you let out a sigh and stood up on the bed, grabbing Riddle’s hands and attempting to tug him onto his feet. Riddle resisted, obviously, he still had his shoes on compared to you, who had taken your shoes off 

“Wha─ What do you think you’re doing?” The smile you had was wide, the giddy type of smile that told Riddle you had something up your sleeve. You bounced slightly on the bed, causing the papers and books that were resting on the mattress to jump in response. 

“C’mon! Take off your shoes!” 

Riddle gives you an incredulous look and you only nod encouragingly. There’s a nagging feeling in the back of Riddle’s head that tells him he’ll be in trouble for doing something like this. Yet with your hands tugging at him every few seconds and light bounces on the bed that gets him lightly bouncing along with you, Riddle ignores that nagging voice and takes off his shoes, which earns a loud “yay!” from you. He moves your two’s work from the bed, before he takes your hands into his. 

Thankfully, you help Riddle onto his feet on the bed, hand in hand with him. His legs noticeably shook, probably not used to standing on something he didn’t normally stand on but you kept a firm grip on him. There was a nervous, yet oddly excited smile on Riddle’s lips as you slowly began to guide him into bouncing. 

The two of you began with just slow bounces, feet never leaving the mattress as you did so. Riddle could feel his heart racing a bit, feeling anticipation and anxiety flow through his body. He felt awkward with just the little up and down bounces, but was thankful that it wasn’t too much at once. 

“A-Am I do it right?” Riddle lifted his head to look at you, earning a laugh from you. He looked like a puppy who was seeking approval, which was somewhat true. 

“You’re doing fine, Riddle. Don’t worry.” You lightly squeezed his hand before bouncing on the bed just a bit harder. Riddle was still on the slow, light bounces, so such a sudden change in the tempo leads to Riddle stumbling. He stutters and stumbles, gripping onto you tighter so as not to fall. It only makes you laugh as you keep with the new tempo, Riddle eventually catching onto it and beginning to jump up and down on the bed more properly. 

The nervous confusion eventually began to morph into something akin to newfound glee on Riddle’s face. He eventually let go of your hands to jump on his own accord. To see the stern and strict Riddle giggling and smiling like a child was a rare sight for anyone’s eyes and a true treat to see. And he managed to have so much energy too, gaining the courage to let himself fall backwards and let his body bounce up and down on the mattress. 

The feeling of jumping up and down on the bed felt absolutely exhilarating for Riddle, such a simple thing producing so much joy for the housewarden. He kept going well past his legs hurting, jumping up and down on his bed while laughing and smiling. You eventually had to stop, but Riddle kept going for a good few minutes after you before collapsing on the bed with a tired huff. You grin as you look over at the tired Riddle looking back at you. 

It’s silent for a few seconds before laughter bursts out of the two of you, giggles being faintly heard from outside of Riddle’s door, yet neither of you could care, not when both of you were smiling so widely.

[pennyserenade]

i have thought in great detail about coriolanus and sejanus, and whether or not coriolanus ever really liked sejanus. i think that the novel/movie are purposefully constructed to make this ambiguous, but i prefer to veer on the side of "yes, he did."

coriolanus' way of loving people was...lacking, to say the least. even with tigris, he thought awful, mean things about her, but it was evident he cared very much for her. the problem with coriolanus was not that he couldn't love -- it was that he could not love without first being assured that his investment would yield positive results for him. at least, he could not readily admit to himself that he was loving until he knew it was going to work out for him.

his character is very succinctly summed up by sejanus, when he tells him, "I remember that from school, watching you watch other people. Pretending you weren't. And choosing the moments you weighed in so carefully" (397). without fully knowing the totality of it, sejanus got it all too right: coriolanus took people in, measured them out, decided what they meant to him, and weighed in when he thought it'd benefit him. coriolanus was calculated in all things, most of all in love—a thing he knew made you vulnerable.

but that's not to say what coriolanus said to himself was the exact same thing as what he felt. if it was, i do not believe he would've done half the things he had done for sejanus--even given the prospect of reward in the end. this is part of what makes coriolanus descent into evil so heartbreaking: a part of him was good. he did want for connection and comfort, even if he had a real fucked up way of going about getting it. coriolanus was a dog that bit without fully knowing why; it was a protective instinct he used, because so much of his life had been filled with loss already.

in the book, after coriolanus snuck his father's handkerchief with lucy gray's scent into the tank of snakes, he went to sejanus' house. this is an incredible detail that so many people tend to overlook when they talk about coriolanus and sejanus' friendship. the beginning of the chapter reads:

"What had he done? What on earth had he done? His heart raced as he blindly turned down one street and then another, trying to make sense of his actions. He couldn't think clearly but had the dreadful feeling he'd crossed some line that could not be uncrossed" (287).

we start this chapter with a frenzied, rattled coriolanus, one terribly afraid of what he had just done and the consequences this action might have later. he was scared and isolated, and he didn't know what to do. a little further on, collins writes: "His feet had carried him far from home, but he realized the Plinth apartment was just a few minutes away. Why not pop in?" (288).i find this construction of words to be fascinating, especially in relation to coriolanus--a character we have come to known as calculated and precise, even in moments when he has to think on his feet. one could argue that during this part of the book, and in this state, it makes sense that coriolanus might wander that far from his home absent-mindedly. it shows how out of touch with himself he had become, and just how much the act he had just committed disorientated him. but i think it was more than that. i think coriolanus wanted to go to the plinth's house, that he was seeking comfort after he had done something incredibly dangerous (something, arguably, that sejanus might have done), and he could not admit it to himself. and his original intention had been to see sejanus, but sejanus was asleep.

the fact that collins wrote "his feet had carried him" and "he realized" is so brilliant. i’ve got lots of opinions about why she chose to write the book in a third person point of view. one of the reasons i think she did it has to do with the fact that coriolanus was distancing himself from himself--shedding culpability through phrases such as these, especially in moments like this. coriolanus did love sejanus, but he simply could not admit it to himself because sejanus was not a safe or wise investment to make. coriolanus refused to give credence to his need for him, and it ended up killing the boy in the long run.

[impecko]

Leo Valdez Study

I've always been annoyed with how people see Leo. He has a lot of really interesting traits, but he also has a lot of issues.

The seventh wheel thing

From day one, Leo is worried that he is a third, or “seventh” wheel. This starts with Piper and Jason’s relationship and continues till the last book. It’s meant to be a relatable worry that he “overcomes” by the end of his story, but I feel it is a manifestation of a much deeper problem. He lets other people’s opinions dictate his actions and his thoughts.  Everyone does this to an extent, but it is so deeply engrained into who Leo is that it’s an undertone to every decision he makes. Every other thought he has is about how he doesn’t have a girlfriend and how he feels so left out. This manifests in more ways than that though. When interacting with people he thinks are “lesser” than him, he is pretty cruel at times. The most obvious example is Frank. Their rivalry is framed as boys fighting over a girl, but it’s deeper than that. Leo thinks he’s better than Frank, or at least equal to him. He constantly makes mean comments about Frank’s worth and skills. This is put into better contrast when you look at how Leo interacts with the other boys. He’d never say half of the things he says to Frank to Percy or Jason, even if they were the ones dating Hazel.

2. Using the fact that he looks like hazels old lover to get closer to her.

Leo feels Hazel is in his league. Maybe because she is younger, or maybe because she has talked to him a few times. Either way, he has no issues preying on the fact that he looks like her past crush to become closer to Hazel. He instantly sees their relationship in a romantic light and doesn’t think twice about how things must feel for her. “Hazel was also Franks girlfriend, so Leo knew he should keep his distance. Still, her hair smelled good, and riding with her made his heart race almost against his will.”

“We could’ve made a sandcastle” “A lime castle” Their eyes locked for a second to long. Hazel looked away “You are so much like---” “Sammy” Leo guessed.”

It rubbed me the wrong way when he mentioned keeping his distance from Hazel because she was Frank’s girlfriend. Repeatedly I get the vibe that he doesn’t see women as people just because of how his lack of girlfriend clouds his world view. I really don’t think this was Riordan’s intention when he wrote Leo, but in real life, this would be a big red flag for me.

3. Who needs brothers anyway

Regarding Nico, Leo says “He hoped Hazel had forgiven him for not trusting her brother (hey, it had seemed like a reasonable suspicion to Leo)." It’s valid to be mistrusting of someone you don’t know; the problem is that even when Hazel said multiple times they could trust Nico, Leo still didn’t believe her. From his point of view in MoA, he fawns over Hazel and likes how she pays attention to him. But when it really comes down to it, he brushes aside her worries because he thinks rescuing Nico is too dangerous. Regardless of whether rescuing Nico was a good idea or not, it says a lot about how he truly feels about his friends and the girl he liked.

 When the seven had the meeting concerning Nico, they were rightfully worried about the dangers of rescuing him. But it didn’t come from a place of mistrusting Nico. Percy, despite his self admittedly rough past with Nico, looked past it and immediately said he would rescue him. One of his reasons were he “couldn’t stand seeing Hazel in pain.” Meanwhile Leo, the boy who has said he likes Hazel over and over again, couldn’t do the same. He brushed her concerns aside so quickly to share an opinion that really wasn’t needed. Everyone knew the mission would be dangerous, they knew it was a trap. But Leo still said to Hazel’s face that it would be better to not rescue Nico. Is it because Nico is a son of Hades? Because it was a trap? We honestly don’t even get a super clear reason why Leo was so against rescuing Nico. But no matter what his reasons were, sparing Hazel’s emotions didn’t even cross his mind. He sees her as a pretty girl rather than a teammate and someone who can make good decisions.

4. Calypso and Leo’s relationship

Leo didn’t like Calypso; he’s just obsessed with not being alone.

Cruel, but there’s a lot of proof why this could be the case. I believe in the theory that their relationship was Calypso’s curse kicking in one last time. In the beginning she was angry at Leo and said many times that she did not want Leo there. Although they were able to become friends by the end, I believe that if Calypso was not cursed, she would not have fallen in love with Leo. She’s thousands of years old and has directly said that she does not want to fall in love again. Leo is 16, and is a product of a completely different cultural era. People have argued that mentally she is young, but at the end of the day, I believe there must be a least some things in common between two people to be in a relationship.

An interesting point to consider is that Riordan might be already hinting that their relationship wont work out. In Trials in Apollo, Calypso expresses that she is uncomfortable in the real world and understandably feels out of place as a mortal teenager. Leo is also worried and he somewhat micromanages her needs in an attempt to make her feel better. I can’t see this leading to anything good. I will do a 180 if it turns out the author has been playing the long game and plans to address Leo’s issues as a part of his character development. But I think that Calypso was supposed to be Leo’s happy ending. His insecurities won’t go away just because of a girlfriend, and I wish this was addressed as a personal issue for Leo to solve instead of making him rely on outside forces (girl) to solve.

“Keep moving—that was his motto. Don’t dwell on things. Don’t stay in one place for too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.“

At the end of the day, Leo has a traumatic past. He is a very interesting character, and there is a lot of depth to him that people don’t think about. From what I’ve seen, people tend to turn him into a 2d character and ignore his issues and the wrong things he has done. They, like Leo, just want him to be “bad boy supreme” and not look any deeper. My issue with him is the fact that none of his development resulted in anything meaningful. He ended the series getting what he wanted, but not what he needed.

[atths--twice]

Practical College Applications

A college AU, in which Mulder and Scully meet and get to know one another as they apply college courses, to real life scenarios.

I first posted this story nearly five years ago. I searched for it, in order to add the new chapter to it, but I could not find it. So... I am just going to repost the whole thing. Perhaps it will be new to some and perhaps it will be a reread for others. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. 💓

Chapter One

Botany 101- A Nice Trip To The Forest

Fox Mulder, known to everyone as Mulder, as he hated his first name, shifted his backpack for what felt like the twentieth time in the last half hour. It had not been problematic when he had worn it at home and around town, as he had gotten used to the weight of the things he would need for this weekend away, but now it felt as though his items had been replaced with rocks. 

He had been looking forward to this trip since the class began. It was one of the main reasons he had signed up for a botany class in the first place - the eventual excursion into the forest it had promised. 

School had been keeping him busy and unable to escape the noise and the fast pace of the city. Since he had transferred to the University of Maryland, he had been working harder and buckling down. He had saved enough in the past two years of working to not have to worry about anything but his studies. 

Torn between which electives to take for the year, he had settled on botany. He had always enjoyed nature and discovering new things within, so it seemed perfect. The class was not too full from the offset, and it had dwindled down to even less soon thereafter. Mulder however, found the class intriguing and enjoyed the lectures. The professor was funny and kept the class entertained. 

There was also, though Mulder would not freely admit it, a woman in the class he found very beautiful. He had not spoken to her, save the occasional hello as they passed each other, but she captivated him. This was actually the second course they shared, and though he enjoyed the more intimate class size, he knew he would appear a fool if he spoke to her. His words got tripped up by his tongue when he was around her. 

“Hey, Mulder,” said a voice, and he sighed as he saw Kyle Dale walk up beside him. He really did not care for Kyle. He was very rich and made sure to let everyone know it. “You know there’s only the two girls here, and there are us six guys. We need to be the ones to make a move, the other guys are losers.” Kyle nudged him as he raised his eyebrows, and Mulder adjusted his backpack yet again. 

“I’d recommend you don’t let the women hear you say that, Kyle, not girls. In fact, maybe don’t say that at all. This isn’t some bar, it’s a college course. We’re all here to learn and you know, I haven’t seen either of them show any interest in you at school, I can’t imagine the woods will change their opinions,” Mulder said, glancing at the two women and then back to Kyle. “Just, let them be.”

“Jesus, you’re such a fucking downer, man. Do you ever get laid?” Kyle shook his head and walked away, catching up to Brian Harding and glancing back at Mulder as they both laughed loudly. 

Assholes, he thought, shaking his head. He looked back at the women again and watched the one he found attractive, hoping he was not being too obvious. 

She laughed at something her friend Hannah said, tossing her long red braid over her shoulder. God, he was such a sucker for redheaded women. He had been since third grade, when Jenny Lipton had moved into town halfway through the year. She was introduced by his teacher, and when she smiled at the class, his hands got sweaty. He shyly brought her dandelions at recess, and she took his hand, pulling him to the swings. He pushed her for as long as she wanted, not caring that he never even had a turn. 

This woman though, she was on another level. Her smile made his heart race and when he heard her laugh, he always wanted to hear it again. She also smelled amazing. She sat across from him in class, and every time she moved her hair, he caught a whiff of flowers and clean soap. It drove him wild and sometimes caused his attention to wander from the lecture. 

Yes, Jenny Lipton had been his first real crush, but she could not hold a candle to Dana Scully. 

“Class, we’re going to stop here for a bit. I want each of you to take out the journals you were to bring and identify the plants of the area. You should have your guide pages with you as well. We’ll be here for about forty five minutes and then we’ll be moving on to the campground,” Professor Morrow said, taking his pack off and setting it on a rock. He was about forty, a hippie with long blond hair and a full beard. He was a kind teacher and cared deeply for the subject he taught. “Break into teams or on your own, whichever you prefer.” 

Mulder glanced quickly over at Dana and saw her and Hannah, slip off their backpacks and take out their journals and guide pages. She stretched and rolled her neck as she picked up her things and walked with Hannah into the woods. He took off his backpack, took out his own journal, and headed into the woods behind them. 

An hour later, they all met up to collect their packs and move on. Mulder put his things away and put his pack back on, adjusting the straps so it sat better this time. They trudged on for another hour, before arriving at the campsite. A round fire pit sat in the middle of a clearing, thick round tree stumps encircling it. 

Everyone sat their bags down and Kyle loudly announced he would make a fire. He walked away to gather some wood and the others began to set up their tents. Mulder had a one man tent, as he had no intention to share one with anyone. He had it set up quickly, and as he pounded the stakes in to secure it, he heard Dana laughing. He looked up to see her and Hannah struggling to get their tent up, laughing as they did. Dana was bent over, clutching her side, and then her head was thrown back as she laughed. Watching her, he missed the stake, and hit his thumb. 

“Fuck,” he seethed under his breath, sticking his thumb in his mouth, the pain sharp and throbbing. He glanced up quickly to see if Dana noticed, but she and Hannah were still struggling with their tent and laughing. 

Finished with securing his tent, he tossed his backpack inside, intent on setting out his sleeping bag later. He stood up and brushed off his hands, swallowing hard, as he walked closer to the women and cleared his throat. As Dana turned around and looked at him, he was struck again by the blue of her eyes. 

“Uhh … would you … do you need a hand?” he stammered, and she smiled at him, making his heart race. 

“I think we got it, but thanks, Fox,” she said with another smile. 

“Mulder,” he said without thinking, realizing he would not mind his hated name being said by her. She tilted her head and stared at him. 

“Really? You go by your last name with everyone? It’s not just a guy thing?” she asked. “Do you really not go by Fox? No one calls you Fox?” Her eyes twinkled and he felt he would let her call him anything, if she kept smiling and looking at him that way. 

“Uh … my family, but not really anyone else,” he said, even as his brain screamed at him to shut up and walk away. “Whatever you … either is fine.” He turned and walked away, exceedingly embarrassed, wishing he could disappear. 

“Thanks for the offer of help‍ … Mulder,” she called after him, and he turned quickly, her dancing eyes on him, her red hair shining in the sunlight. He nodded and turned around again, walking aimlessly away from them, shaking his head at his idiocy. 

He walked around for a while prior to heading back to the campsite, needing time to recover from his own stupidity. He headed over to the fire pit and watched Kyle trying to build a fire. He was doing it all wrong, laying the wood haphazardly as he added kindling under it. Mulder shook his head, stepping closer to show him how to do it correctly, when he heard a voice behind him. 

“You’re not doing that properly.” He turned and saw Dana standing there, her hair down and wavy from the braid. She was looking at the fire pit, but cut her eyes at Mulder, causing him to smile slightly. “You need to build it like a chimney so the oxygen can feed through the kindling and the wood -”

“Excuse me, sweetheart,” Kyle said, looking up at her with a sneer. “I don’t need help from you on how to build a fire, okay?” He went back to trying to get the fire burning and Dana stepped closer to him. 

“If our warmth and the ability to eat tonight is dependent on you, sweetheart, then I’m going to have to insist that you either build the fire properly, or get out of the way so I can do it,” she said, in a low controlled tone that made Mulder both afraid and highly aroused. Kyle stared up at her and then stood up, towering over her. She did not back down or show any fear, and soon Kyle stormed away, claiming he needed more wood. 

Dana glanced over at Mulder and rolled her eyes as she pushed up her sleeves and restructured the fire. She had it lit within minutes, stood up and brushed off her hands. She looked at Mulder with a grin, and he smiled back, nodding at her appreciatively. 

“Make sure he doesn’t overload it with wood, okay? I’m going to find Hannah. I wasn’t going to stop and help, but he was being an idiot about it,” she said as she walked away. He grinned and watched her before turning his eyes back to the fire. 

Hours later, after everyone had eaten, they were discussing the plant life they had found that day. Kyle sat quietly, still stinging over the fact that a woman, a younger woman at that, had shown him up, The other guys kept razzing him, which he was not taking well. 

Mulder sat to the left of Dana, with Hannah on her right. As the others discussed the plant life, he knew they were mistaken with their findings. Not only did he know, but he heard Dana repeatedly muttering, wrong under her breath. He huffed and she looked at him with a grin. 

“Well, they are wrong,” she whispered, and he smiled. “We had the guide papers, I don’t know how they could be so mistaken.” She shrugged and he coughed to cover up a laugh as she turned around and watched the fire. 

Not long later, everyone headed off to bed, the fire dying, but not out completely. Mulder watched Dana and Hannah walk into their tent as he was going into his own. Laying his sleeping bag out, he changed his clothes, adding an extra zip up hooded sweatshirt to take away the chill. 

Getting inside the sleeping bag, he rested his head on his backpack but quickly pushed it aside, finding it too bulky to be used as a pillow. Putting his arms behind his head, he wished the tent had a mesh top so he could see the stars, but he would make do with the sound of the crickets and owls in the trees. 

After the day’s activities, he should be tired, exhausted even, but he was wide awake. Sighing, he decided to go sit by the fire for a little while. Putting his boots back on, he opened his tent, stepped out, and zipped it up again, to avoid allowing in any unwanted critters. Hands in his sweatshirt pockets, his head down, he did not notice that he was not the only one with the idea to sit by the fire. 

“Oh!” He heard and looked up in surprise. Dana was standing there, poking at the fire with a long stick. “I didn’t wake you, did I? I wasn’t too loud?” 

“No, not at all. I … uh … I wasn’t tired, surprisingly, and thought I’d check on the fire. Guess you beat me to it,” he said and she smiled. He walked closer and stood beside her, the fire still burning low and giving off heat. 

She added another few small pieces of firewood and stirred at the fire as she sat down on a stump. Mulder sat beside her and they quietly stared at the fire as it began to slightly grow. He glanced at her and then back at the fire. 

“So, did the fact that we all went to bed, in the middle of a forest with a fire smoldering, bother you a bit, too?” she asked him quietly, and he laughed softly. “Or were you also a dumb idiot, who forgot to pack an extra sweatshirt, thus needing to seek out the warmth of said fire?” 

He turned his head to look at her and realized she was definitely not dressed for the cold night air. She had a long flannel on, but it was absolutely not enough to keep her small body warm. He watched her wrap her arms around herself, and he stood up, already unzipping his sweatshirt. 

“Oh no,” she said, putting up her hands. “Please don’t think I was implying I expected you to do that, I was just making conversation. I can’t take your sweatshirt from you. It’s my own fault for forgetting an extra shirt. Please … no.” She shook her head and pushed at the item he offered her. “I can’t.” 

“You can,” he said, holding it out to her and staring at her. “It’s an extra. Well, I mean I have two shirts and this long sleeved one as well. I’ll be okay without the sweatshirt. That flannel won’t keep you warm enough. Take it. Please.” He held it out and she finally accepted it, standing up to put it on and zip it up. It was big on her of course, but wearing the flannel under helped it to fit better. 

As she pulled her hair from inside it and tossed it back, he was treated to the most wonderful scent of flowers. She kept her head down for a second before raising her eyes to his. “Thank you,” she said quietly, and he nodded at her, seeing the flames from the fire reflecting in her eyes. He smiled and sat back down, as she sighed and did the same. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes and watched the fire, when she suddenly stood quietly, and walked to her tent. She did not look back, but stepped inside and zipped it shut. He was left wondering if he had done something wrong, but then he smiled slowly, as he realized she was still wearing his sweatshirt. 

He sat by the fire until it burned down low enough to not be a hazard, and then headed to his own tent. Laying down inside the bag once again, he smiled, imagining her sleeping comfortably because of the warmth his sweatshirt provided her. Closing his eyes, he was asleep in minutes. 

_______________________

The next morning, Mulder woke with the dawn, dressed, and rebuilt the fire. He shivered as he waited for it to warm up, his eyes flicking towards Dana’s tent, hoping she had been warm enough last night. Stirring the fire, he stood with his hands extended, feeling the warmth beginning to build. 

Not long after the fire was burning steadily, others began to emerge from their tents, happily seeking the warmth of the fire. Each person thanked him as they stood around it, warming their hands and backs in turn. A few of the guys started to prepare some peanut butter sandwiches for the group. Brian handed one to Mulder, who took it with a nod. 

After nearly everyone had gotten up, Dana and Hannah finally came from their tent, ready for the day. Dana glanced his way and then looked down, walking over to grab a sandwich from Brian. Hannah continued on to speak to Craig, a quiet guy who Mulder actually got along with. Dana stood on the fringe and then came closer to him. 

“Your sweatshirt is in the tent. I didn’t want to bring it out in front of everyone,” she said, glancing up at him, her eyes begging him to understand. 

“You keep it for tonight, just in case,” he shrugged, and she shook her head. “You can.” He repeated his words from last night to her again and she sighed with a nod.  

“Thank you,” she whispered, and then walked away. 

The tents were taken down and packed up as the sun began to rise higher in the sky. They left on a trail and Mulder followed behind Hannah and Dana, listening to their conversation while trying not to appear too creepy. They discussed dating and Dana admitted to Hannah that the last couple of dates she went on was a while ago, with one of the men standing her up. 

Mulder scoffed at the stupidity of whoever that man was, and Dana turned around quickly and looked at him. He stopped walking abruptly and stared at her, embarrassed beyond belief. He saw her lips twitch as she turned around and began to walk again. He fell back a few paces, intent on that not happening again. 

An hour or so later, they came to a shallow but wide stream they needed to cross. A log had fallen, creating a natural bridge, and they took turns walking across it carefully. Mulder had almost neared the end when his foot slipped and he fell into the stream. He luckily had not broken or sprained anything, but everything he was wearing was thoroughly soaked. 

Everyone laughed, including Dana, but she was the only one to come over and help him, as he spluttered and tried to stand up. She reached for his backpack, and he handed it to her, rising to his knees and then his feet. 

“Shit,” he muttered, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. He took it off and the one underneath, leaving him in a very wet tank top, cargo shorts, socks, and boots. He glanced up and found that Dana had turned her head, his backpack held in her hand, as it dripped steadily into the stream. 

“I’ll take that back now,” he said softly, and she nodded, glancing at him as her eyes quickly moved up and down his body, before she turned and walked away, running her fingers through her long ponytail. He smiled as he watched her, not seeming to notice how wet he truly was. 

Up another hill, they came to their camping site. A large fire pit was surrounded by small, single occupancy cabins. Everyone exclaimed at the sight of them, each of them going to check them out. Mulder set his wet pack on the step and walked inside. There was a cot, a small table made from logs, a lantern, and an oval hooked rug on the floor. It would be warmer than the tent, and for that he was relieved. 

Stepping out of the room, he began to unpack his bag, shaking his head at the sheer wetness of everything. His clothes inside were soaked, but they would hopefully dry soon. It was warm out and there was still a few hours of sunlight left. He laid out his clothes and reached for his sleeping bag, thankfully finding it still dry. 

He put it on the cot and checked the rest of his things. His snacks and other first aid items were okay, but his notebook was wet, his inked words running together. Shaking his head, he set it down. It would be easy to redo the work, he had it memorized. Taking out his spare shoes, a pair of old flip flops, he took off his wet boots and socks, again shaking his head. 

Picking up his clothes, he went to find a place to hang them to dry while the sun was still shining. His shoes … well they would hopefully dry, but he doubted it would happen by the time they journeyed back to their cars tomorrow morning. 

Clothes laid out in the sun on a bush, he walked back to the fire pit where everyone had gathered. He glanced down at the empty pit, and then looked up, catching Dana’s eye, as he raised his eyebrows. She smiled and covered her mouth as she laughed softly. He grinned as he looked toward Professor Morrow. 

“All right! Congratulations on making it here unscathed, well, most of us anyway,” he said, with a glance toward Mulder and everyone laughed. He shook his head and smiled. “Tonight, as well as food that we’ve brought, we’ll be gathering edible plants to add to our meal. Berries, plants, whatever you find that you’re sure is edible. So be double, even triple sure that you’re correct. We don’t want to poison our friends.” Everyone laughed again and soon headed off, each one with a container to collect items. 

Mulder found himself near Dana as they walked into the woods. He could hear her humming and he smiled, happy she was enjoying herself. They spread out, foraging the bushes for food. 

“How can you just walk away from me? When all I can do is watch you leave?” He heard, and turned his head to see Dana singing quietly as she cleaned a bush of its berries. “So take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space. And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face …” She looked up and saw him watching her and she grinned. 

“I’m a little obsessed with Phil Collins right now. Sorry to expose you to my horrible singing voice,” she said, with a laugh. He shook his head and continued gathering items. 

“It’s not horrible,” he told her, his eyes downcast. 

“Liar,” she called, and he looked up to see her smiling. He looked back down, smiling as he continued his work. 

Fire warm and food eaten, even the items they had all collected, of which Mulder and Dana had brought in the most, everyone sat around that night laughing and talking about many things. Mulder saw Hannah speaking to Craig once again, a huge smile on his face. 

Mulder glanced at Dana as she put another log onto the fire, debating whether to speak to her. As he was contemplating it, she walked over to him, standing close and crossing her arms. She glanced at him and smiled and he smiled back. 

“So, we’re obviously the smartest ones in class, we definitely need to stick together from now on.” She shrugged and he laughed. They both looked at the fire and were quiet, Mulder constantly feeling tongue tied around her. 

“So you —” he started to say, but was cut off by the professor telling them all to head to bed, warning of rising early in the morning. Mulder glanced at Dana again, but she was busy smothering tonight’s fire, the area they were in more heavily wooded. 

“Can’t take any chances,” she said, and he began to help her. Nodding her thanks, she caught his eye, and headed to her little cabin. 

Making sure the fire was completely out, he took out his flashlight, and gathered all his items from the nearby bushes he had laid them on earlier. Finding them to be relatively dry, he walked into his cabin, took off his shoes, and changed his clothes. He lit the lantern on the small table and laid down on his cot. 

Sighing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A knock sounded at his door and he sat up in surprise, his brow furrowing. Standing up and crossing to the door, he opened it to find Dana standing there, a flashlight in her hand, her long hair down, his borrowed sweatshirt pulled tightly around her, and a worried expression on her face. 

“Hi,” he said simply, his surprise undoubtedly evident. 

“I need you to look at something. Please,” her voice shaky and scared. 

“Uhh … come in,” he told her, stepping aside to let her inside before he closed the door. She hurried past him and stood in the middle of the small room in his large sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, and her boots. 

“I was changing my clothes and … I felt something, on my back. It was itchy earlier, but now it feels worse. I can’t see it and I need to know what it is. Can you look at it, please?” she stared at him and he nodded. She turned around, moved her hair, and dropped his sweatshirt down past her butt. His breath caught and he froze in place. 

She was not wearing anything under the sweatshirt, clearly whatever she found, had scared her badly enough to forego extra clothing as she hurried to his room. 

“Mulder? Fox? What is it?” Her worried voice snapped him into action, and he reached for the lantern, turning it up to see her back better. Stepping closer to her, he held the lantern as he knelt down. “It’s down on my lower back.” 

As soon as he was close enough, he saw it- an angry looking rash covering a good sized area of her lower back. He touched it gently and she hissed and then she groaned. 

“Sorry,” he said, feeling the heat even without touching it again. “Stay like that for a second.” He turned around and grabbed his backpack, rummaging around until he found the container of salve he had brought with him. “Okay, this might hurt a little bit.” 

“What?” she asked, but he did not reply, instead taking two fingerfuls of the salve, and gently rubbing it across her back. “Oh my God, what is that? Mmmm, oh Mulder, that stings … ohhhh … no it feels good. What is it?” He rubbed in the salve and smiled as he listened to her finding relief from the comfort it provided. 

Wiping his hands, he put the lid on the salve and stood up. He brought his sweatshirt back up her body and placed it on her shoulders. She grabbed at it and zipped it up. Letting her hair fall, she put her hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt and turned around, looking up at him. 

“Seriously, what is that? And what’s on my back?” she asked, reaching for the container in his hands. 

“It’s a rash, probably from a plant you touched unknowingly,” he told her, reaching in his bag again, taking out a bottle of aspirin and handing two of them to her. “It’s pretty hot and inflamed; this will help it feel better.” He handed her water from a canteen bottle he had and she took the medicine, just as a huge crack of thunder sounded, causing her to jump. A second later, rain began to fall, hard, on the tiny cabin. 

“Whoa,” they said simultaneously, looking up as the rain pelted the roof from above. He looked back down at her and turned to the door, opening it and looking outside. She stepped closer to him and they watched as the rain obscured their vision beyond anything not directly in front of them. 

“I … “ she started, and then stopped. 

“No, you can’t,” he finished for her, knowing she was going to suggest she make a run for it. “You’d be soaked through, that salve will wash off, and you’d be in pain. Best to stay here, at least until it lets up a bit.” He closed the door and turned to find her right behind him, and his mouth went dry. The one person who seemed to short circuit his brain was now going to be sitting alone with him in a small room during a rainstorm, for the night possibly. 

Her expression was unreadable as her eyes seemed to search his face. He waited until she nodded in agreement and stepped over to the bed, sat down, and took off her boots. She looked at him and he gave her a small smile as he picked up the lantern off the floor, set it on the little table after turning it down a bit, and then sat on the floor facing her, his back against the wall. They were both quiet as they listened to the heavy fall of the rain on the roof, thunder rumbling and then cracking loudly. He saw her jump again and he smiled slightly. She obviously did not like thunder. 

“Tell me a story,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear her above the deluge of rain, as though she was not sure if she should be asking for something like that. 

“A story? About what?” he asked, looking at her in surprise. She shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. 

“I don’t know, anything, I’m not picky,” she said. “I don’t really like thunder and I thought maybe a story might take my mind off it. You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” She shrugged again, looking down and touching at her back lightly over his sweatshirt. She hissed and closed her eyes. 

He watched her for a second, thinking of stories that would not only interest her, but help to loosen his tongue. Leaning his head back, he knew she would not be looking for some silly fairy tale to be retold to her, and so he thought back to the science fiction and weird stories he loved to read and know more about, until he had a perfect one. 

“Have you ever heard the story of the star-crossed lovers, Maurice and Lyda?” he asked, lifting his head and watching her, hoping she would say no, as he knew this story by heart. He could recite it from memory, thus making it easier to speak to her. 

“The only star-crossed lovers I know of are Romeo and Juliet,” she said, shifting on the cot. He smiled and nodded as that was the case with most people. 

Clearing his throat, he began his story. “Christmas, 1917, it was a time of dark, dark despair. American soldiers were dying at an ungodly rate in a war-torn Europe, while at home, a deadly strain of the flu virus attacked young and old alike,” he began, and then he forgot about her as he closed his eyes, lost in his own story. “Tragedy was a visitor on every doorstep while a creeping hopelessness set in with every man, woman. and child. It was a time of dark, dark despair.” 

“You said that already,” she said, with a smirk, and he opened his eyes to find her now lying on her side facing him, leaning on her elbow, one eyebrow raised. He grinned and then chuckled. 

“But,” he continued, “at 1501 Larkspur Lane, for a pair of star-crossed lovers, tragedy came not from war or pestilence, not by the boot heel or the bombardier, but by their own innocent hand.” He stared at her and waited, seeing if he could get that skeptical eyebrow to go down. 

“Go on,” she said, both eyebrows going up, and he knew he had piqued her interest. 

“His name was Maurice. He was a ... a brooding, but heroic young man, beloved of Lyda, a sublime beauty with a light that seemed to follow her wherever she went,” he said, waving his hands around slowly, and she laughed softly. “They were likened to two angels descended from heaven whom the gods could not protect from the horrors being visited upon this cold, grey earth.” Again he paused and stared at her, waiting to see what she would say. 

“And what happened to them?” 

“Well, according to legend, driven by a tragic fear of separation, they forged a lovers' pact so that they might spend eternity together and not spend one precious Christmas apart,” he said with a shrug and a half smile, his tongue loosened now from a story he had always enjoyed. 

“Wait. They killed themselves?” she asked, frowning as she stared at him. 

“Yeah, and supposedly their ghosts return to haunt that house every Christmas Eve,” he said, and then shivered. “I just gave myself the chills.” He stared at her with a grin and she frowned with a smile. “What?” 

“Do you really believe that story?” 

“I don’t know. Yeah. I mean, it’s kind of hard not to believe it when it —”

“Sounds so believable?” she cut across him, with a tone of disbelief. 

“You don’t believe in ghosts?” 

“Does that surprise you?” 

“Well … yeah, a little. I thought everybody believed in ghosts,” he said, with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Like that slimy one in Ghostbusters?” she teased him and he shook his head. 

“No, not like Ghostbusters. What a joke that movie was at portraying ghosts. They are benevolent entities … well, mostly. I have read stories of places where ghosts have done horrible things and people —” He stopped talking as he looked at the barely contained grin on her face. It spread as she tried to stop it and he saw a dimple in her cheek. 

God, he was in so much trouble … 

“You believe it all, don’t you?” she asked, with a huge grin. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked back, shrugging his shoulders. “I haven’t seen it disproved, so …” He shrugged again and she laughed as she shook her head. She laid down on her back, and he looked at her profile. 

So much trouble … 

“Umm … I should check your back again, just to be sure the salve is helping,” he said, getting up and picking up the container again as he knelt down beside the bed. She looked up at him, her eyes so blue, he knew that if she asked him to do anything, no matter how questionable, he would. “You need to turn over.” 

She nodded and did as he asked. He lifted his sweatshirt over her butt and up just enough to expose her back. It was looking better already and felt cooler than earlier. Still, he would apply another layer and have her lay on her stomach for a while, let it soak in better. 

“It looks better, not completely gone of course, but better than earlier. I’d say you had an allergic reaction to something. Obviously not poison oak, you would’ve been smart enough to avoid that, but at least it’s topical and nothing serious,” he said as he slowly put more salve on, both to make sure it was applied well, and because her skin was so soft, he wanted to touch it forever. She had a freckle just above the rash and he had an overwhelming desire to bend forward and kiss it. 

“What is that stuff?” she asked again, her voice muffled in her arms, hissing and then moaning, as he applied it. 

“It’s a homemade salve my mom has made for years. My sister and I were always getting scrapes and rashes as children and so she made this natural stuff because my sister cried with the stuff from the pharmacy,” he told her, rubbing slow circles across her back. 

“What were you two doing to meet such catastrophes?” 

“Well, we grew up in Chilmark, and spent a lot of time outdoors. Climbing trees, baseball games, races, playing widespread games of hide-and-seek. Inevitably, one of us would come down with some ailment and so my mother kept this on hand at all times. She called it the “Super Salve,” as we were both into superheroes then. Plus, it works really well, so …” He smiled as he thought of those days spent outside, no care for anything but being home on time for dinner. He finished applying the salve and closed the container. “Stay like that for a few minutes and let it really set in, it will help a lot.” He wiped his hands on the shirt he had worn earlier and leaned against the bed. 

He heard her turn her head and he looked at her over his shoulder. “You’re a Vineyard boy, huh? And here I thought you were all right,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. 

He laughed and she turned her head back, sighing as she did. “Well, whatever she puts in that, it’s like magic. Please tell your mother that I can't thank her enough. It stings for a second, but then … ohhhh …” she said in a low voice, and he was glad she had turned her head away. Her moan shot straight to his groin and he was horrified at its betrayal in such tight quarters as the rain fell down, preventing any chance of escape. 

“Tell me more about your family,” she said and he smiled, thankful for the distraction. 

“I have a sister, she’s twenty-one. Parents still married, still live in Chilmark. My sister is living in Europe with some friends right now, for “life experience” as she calls it,” he said, looking down at the floor. 

“A single trip to Amsterdam ought to take care of that for her,” she said, and he laughed. 

“You seem awfully ... normal for growing up on the Vineyard, if you don’t mind me saying,” she said, once again turning to look at him. He raised his eyebrows at her and she smiled. 

“What exactly are you implying, Dana?” he asked with a smile. She stared at him, her face serious and then she smiled softly. 

“I think that’s the first time I've ever heard you say my name,” she said quietly. “In this class or the last one we had together.” He stared at her and he knew she was correct. He had been nervous to speak to her, in both classes, and now he was seeing how ridiculous that was to do. Besides being smart and beautiful, she was easy to talk to, and funny. 

“Yeah, I … uh … I’m not really a … I don’t hang out with many people and I don’t really engage in many conversations,” he said, and she nodded. 

“I don’t like it.” She shook her head and he frowned. “You saying that name, I mean. I just think that if you insist on being called Mulder, you should call me … Scully.” She shrugged and he stared at her, trying to decide if she was teasing him. She smiled and he knew she meant it. 

“Okay … Scully,” he said, and she grinned wider. He smiled back and she nodded. 

“Scully. I like it.” She smiled, and he cleared his throat, looking down at the floor. “And to answer your question, Mulder, I wasn’t really implying anything about Vineyard people. I was just teasing.” 

“I know … Scully,” he said, looking up at her and she smiled at him again. “I know what people think about those of us on the Vineyard and I understand. My family does belong to a country club, I went to cotillions when I was younger, and my sister was even a debutante, but only because my mother insisted on it. My sister didn’t want to do it, and in fact, the night of the ball, she left about halfway through, changed out of her ridiculous dress and gloves, and came back in jeans, a Rolling Stones t-shirt, and black Converse high tops. My mother was nearly apoplectic, but my sister just shrugged and kept dancing.” 

“I like her. She sounds like someone I’d like to know,” Dana laughed, and he nodded and smiled. Samantha was definitely someone he could see her befriending. 

“What about your family?” he asked, and she shook her head, moving to lay on her side, facing him, but keeping his sweatshirt up above her rash. 

“I’m not terribly interesting,” she said, waving him away. He stared at her as she licked her lips, biting the bottom one, and he wished he could taste them. “My parents are married, my father is in the Navy. We’ve lived in a lot of places, but have been here for the longest length of time. My older brother is also in the Navy and he’s stationed in Germany. My younger brother is starting college this coming year. I have an older sister, but I don’t really know where she is right now. She’s kind of flighty and the last time I heard from her, she was in Colorado. I think she was anyway. She’s always on the move, ‘following the wind and the sun,’ she says.” She paused and sighed. He looked at her again and she shook her head. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know,” she sighed, looking down. “I’m still not completely sure what I want to do with my life. I have always loved science and pursuing answers that are not readily available. But I know that’s not a field most women enter into, as if it’s odd a woman would find science interesting.”

“Pssh!” Mulder said forcefully. “It’s incredibly hot and sexy when women are interested in science.” Realizing what he said, his face became flushed, and he fell silent as he chanced a glance at her. She smiled, her own cheeks pink, as she looked down. Thunder cracked again and this time he jumped. 

They were quiet for a few minutes and she sighed again. “I just wish that I was more like my sister sometimes. She’s not afraid to do anything. To just up and leave, follow her passion, live in a cabin with some guy she just met and make jewelry to sell at swap meets. She’s flighty, yes, but she’s also passionate and caring, and doesn’t care how she’s perceived. She’s ballsy and tough, despite her hippie outward appearance.” She fell silent and he looked at her, wanting to tell her she was all of that and more, but he worried it would scare her, so he tried a different tactic. 

“Every person is given the personality that’s right for them,” he said, looking at the wall across the room. “We see in others what we imagine we are lacking, and yet it’s there, just perhaps not right at the surface. Every person is exactly who they are meant to be.” 

“Wow, you and my sister would get along really well,” she told him with a quiet laugh. “Dare I say, even make a good couple.” 

“Hmm, what’s her stance on science?” he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye. 

“The whole idea of it?” she laughed. “I wouldn’t say she’s against it, but she’s more prone to believe in the healing power of crystals than modern medicine.” 

“Oh, well, then I'm sorry, I’m gonna have to pass. A firm grasp in the belief of science is high on my list. I’d put it at top five, easily,” he said, turning his head to find her staring at him. She did not blink for a few seconds, holding his stare, until thunder cracked again, and she jumped. 

“It’s late,” he said quietly. “You should try to get some sleep. Is your back feeling better?” She nodded, staring at him again, as she pulled his sweatshirt down and covered her back. She got inside the sleeping bag, glanced at him once more, and then turned toward the wall. 

“Good night, Mulder,” she said softly. 

“Good night … Scully,” he replied with a smile, shifting until he was lying on his back on the floor, his arm behind his head, listening to the rain falling unrelentingly on the roof. A few minutes later, he heard her soft breathing and he smiled again, as he himself fell asleep. 

________________

Mulder woke early, wanting to be sure Dana was out of his cabin and back in her own, before anyone else was up and about. No need for anyone to suspect anything, especially as it pertained to her. 

She walked to her cabin, slipping in the mud a bit, as she arrived at her door. She turned and looked at him as she walked inside, an odd expression on her face. He hoped it was not one of regret or worry over what they had shared last night. Then just as the door was about to close, she poked her head out and smiled at him, and his heart pounded wildly against his rib cage. 

The campsite was a muddy wet mess that morning. No chance for the warmth of a fire, as the fire pit was full of water, and every piece of wood in the forest was wet regardless. 

Once everyone was up, and that discovery was made, the grumbling began. Foul moods abounded, but Mulder was not fazed by any of them. He could not stop grinning, remembering Dana’s laugh and the beautiful blue of her eyes. 

He saw her speaking to Professor Morrow, showing him her back, though not in the same manner she had to him last night. He could not hear them speaking, but the professor glanced his way and nodded, telling him without words that he had done the right thing. 

Bags packed and everything ready, they began the long hike back down. The weather made it harder, but they were meant to be back that day, so everyone kept a steady pace. As the car park came into view, Kyle slipped and fell, much to everyone’s amusement. Covered in mud, he swore and yelled, trying to wipe himself clean, and failing. 

Gathering by all the cars, Professor Morrow reminded them to finish their workbooks and to write a 2,000 word essay about the weekend and what they experienced. Some groaned and others grinned. Mulder saw Dana smile softly and he wondered what she was thinking about. 

People began to leave and soon it was just a few of them. Dana walked over to him, his sweatshirt in her hands, and a smile on her face. He stared at her, feeling Hannah’s eyes on them, making him feel awkward. 

“Thank you for the use of your sweatshirt, Fox … Mulder.” She handed it to him and he took it, laying it over his arm. 

“You’re welcome, Dana … Scully,” he said and she grinned. They stared at each other, and the desire to kiss her was stronger than anything he had ever felt. Her eyes flicked to his lips and his mouth went dry. Looking back into his eyes, they continued to stand there, staring at one another. 

“Dana! Come on, let’s go!” Hannah called from across the car park, causing Mulder to jump, and Dana to sigh. 

“Okay,” she called back, looking at her over her shoulder. She looked back at Mulder and smiled sadly. “See you in class.” 

“Yeah,” he said quietly, feeling deflated and low. “See you in class.” She stared at him, waiting, and he stepped back with his head down. He heard her sigh again and then the crunch of her boots on the gravel of the car park. 

Looking up, he watched them drive away and felt like a complete fool. “You are such an idiot. So stupid.” He threw his backpack in the backseat and then got in the car, heading for his little apartment off campus, berating himself the whole way, knowing he had completely missed his chance. 

Arriving home, he went around back and sat on his porch, dumping out his backpack, making sure no little creatures had hitched a ride home. He looked through everything, made piles of things to put away and to be washed. He looked at his sweatshirt and shook his head. Dana’s naked body had been inside it, but he still needed to wash it. 

Taking off everything but his undershirt and shorts, he walked barefoot to the front door and unlocked it. Coming through his small one bedroom apartment, he opened the back door and began to bring things inside. Once that was done, he stripped, tossing his clothes outside, and took a shower. 

Changed and feeling better physically, but still like an idiot, he scooped up his pile of clothes from outside, grabbed the laundry soap and some quarters, and headed to the laundry room. He opened the lid, added the quarters, and started to put his clothes inside. Taking the time to go through his pockets, he found a rock and some small pieces of dried leaves, which he threw away. 

His sweatshirt was last, and he sighed as he reached inside the pockets, and frowned as he touched something. Taking it out, he saw it was a folded piece of paper. Opening it, he grinned and then laughed as he read the words written on the page. 

How could you just let me walk away? Just let me leave without a trace?

Scully 

(301) 555-0134

P.S. I’m working on those hidden personality traits. 

He threw the sweatshirt in the wash, dumped in the soap, closed the lid, pushed in the quarter tray, and ran upstairs. Slamming the door, he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. His heart pounding, breath ragged, he waited. Two rings and then her voice made him stop moving. 

“Scully.” 

“Hey, Scully, it’s me.” He grinned as he moved again and walked to the couch, flopping down on it. 

“Well, it’s about damn time, Mulder,” she teased. 

“I’m inclined to agree.” He laughed, sitting forward and shaking his head. She joined his laughter and then they fell silent. His heart began pounding, but if she had been braver than usual, then he could be too. “I … I wanted to kiss you.” 

“I know,” she said quietly. “Me, too.” The honesty they expressed, left him tongue tied once again. Just hearing her voice in his ear made his body feel warm. 

“So, Mulder … do you suppose that house on Larkspur Lane is haunted only on Christmas? Surely it could do with a scientific investigation, just to see,” she said, and he could hear her smile. He sat back with a grin, ready to discuss haunted houses, or any other damn thing she wanted. 

For the next ten minutes, an hour, or for the rest of his life. 

[writingsofwesteros]

God Im really lucky today

Im not sure If you get my request with second part but

I am with the third part of sorceress reader because I can't get enough.

The next years pass, during which the war on stepstones breaks out. Reader gives birth to triplets, Visenye, Aegon, and Rhaenys.( I dont know why but I would love to see the Daemon reaction of his woman squeezing out of herself three little people.)

 The royal council does not pass by this information lightly, fearing the potential threat, especially since the woman's dragon not only grew to unimaginable dimensions, but also laid eggs.

Daemon's wife can't get enough of how things are going her way. With the war on the stepstone ,in which she participates (because go feminism), she believes that she is getting closer to the goal of winning the crown for Daemon. During the battle with the crab king, she undermines the opinions of the commanders, inventing better and more effective tactics herself, and the white-haired Targaryen could not be more proud of his beloved, who burns everything on the back of a dragon along with the father of her children, showing her as a powerful and intelligent future queen whom they people whisper about, believing she and Daemon had more potential than Viserys.

When the war ends in victory and the couple returns to King's Landing, the sorceress manipulates the king and the council again, making it as a another member and strengthening Daemon's position.

When the formalities are completed, the reader takes Rhaenyre in private with his children, introducing them. The girls are infatuated with the princess while Aegon does not abandon his mother's embrace. Young Targaryen complains to the woman(I think it would be cute if they talk in high Valyrian , especially that reader is from Valyria and the tongue is just so intimate and spread among only few), and she assures her that she will do everything she can to prevent Alicent's children from seeing the light of the crown.

AN:Hi, I hope you like it x

“I still can’t believe we made three of those.” Daemon whispered into your ear as he wrapped his arms around your middle. The sight of your children who were 5 years of age now running wild had you smiling. “Well, I can’t believe they came from you.” He chuckled into your ear as you remembered how he had reacted to the birth.

“Mama.” Aegon shouted as he raced towards you. You watched your two girls chase with wooden swords. “You can’t always run to your mother, lad.” Daemon hummed and picked him up before he could reach you. He only burrowed into his father’s neck as you reached for your girls.

“You know he is sensitive.” You whispered to them and they softly giggled before wrapping their own arms around you. “Lets go for dinner.” You hummed towards the hall where chatter was coming from. You enjoyed having feasts with the fighters and their own families. It was something that endeared you to them without you knowing.

The smell of food moved over you and you softly moaned; the domestic feel had you melting. You weren’t sure what you enjoyed more; this or the fighting in the stepstones. As you stared at your family settling down; you knew the truth. Daemon’s hand moved onto your thigh as you sat beside him.

The talk of the war was quiet and not so detailed with the children present. “I want it.” Visenye pouted and reached for the last cake. You leaned in and watched the scene in amusement as Daemon’s hold on you tightened. “How about you share?” You whispered and reached for the goblet. 

“Hmm, I blame you for their greediness.” You leaned in and whispered into Daemon’s ear as he ate. “Oh?” Daemon hummed, raising his eyebrow as those eyes of his darkened in desire and looked your body up and down. You blushed sweetly and sipped some more of the wine to calm yourself.

You leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his mouth before you noticed how sleepy Aegon had become. “I’ll take him.” You hummed and pressed a soft kiss to Daemon’s temple before standing up. Daemon’s hand moved up and down your back as you did, whilst leaning into your touch.

He watched you pick up the little lad with his eyes softening completely for you. “Father.” His girls called him. Daemon moved into conversation with his little ones that acted so like you it was unbelievable. “Come on then sleepy boy.” You whispered into his ear as your son burrowed into your neck.

He cuddled you and you completely melted as you made your way through the corridors to his room. A soft lullaby escaped you as you sang to him and it wasn’t long before he was falling asleep.

~

The blood moved over you as your sword moved into the body coming your way and you pushed him from you. Your eyes flashed gold as your magic moved men against the walls; strong enough to kill them. You instantly looked for your husband when another one fell dead at your feet.

The flood of relief hit you when your eyes locked with those familiar violet eyes and you heard the roar of Caraxes. You were winning it seemed. Finally, you thought to yourself. It had taken long enough. You found yourself relaxing as you watched the battle unfold; whispering incantations for success.

It seemed your plan had worked even as the men in the war room had scoffed at you. Not for long as your protective dragon had glared at them. They hadn’t dared question you again; much to your amusement. “It’s over.” You whispered into Daemon’s ear when he finally made his way to you.

His arms wrapped around you and brought you close as the last of the battle began to end around you. You softly stroked Daemon’s back as he relaxed into you. His exhaustion was clear to you. “Lets go home.” You whispered into his ear and gently took his hand in yours and guided him. Like you always would.

~

“Prince Daemon and his wife, Princess Y/N with their children.” The announcement echoed around the room. You knew the stares were coming your way and Aegon clung to your side as your daughters held their heads high. It was adorable. Your hand moved into Daemon’s as you walked down the steps. 

Viserys’s arms widened as he called for his brother. You nearly pitted the king; but he was too weak for his own good. You remove yourself from Daemon as he embraced his brother and you curtsied to the new Queen. You pitted her even more; such a sweet soul who had changed so much since you last saw her.

You fought against those thoughts and locked eyes with the Princess. You softly smiled at her and watched her return it. You would have to speak to her soon, you thought to yourself as the King began to approach you. He wrapped you into an embrace too before whispering. “I got your letters. I believe it has been agreed on.” The King smiled at you.

You smiled and bowed your head. “Thank you.” You smiled brightly at the news; everything was falling into place. A look of confusion moved over Daemon’s face but you only smirked with a wink to him. He would speak with you later. You only smirked as those dark eyes followed you as you moved.

Your three children moved with you as they looked around the large hall they found themselves in. Visenye eagerly reached for the fruits dotted around as she nibbled on the grapes. You giggled and watched the brothers continue to talk until you noticed the heir slipping from the room.

“Come on.” You hummed to your three children and easily moved through the crowds. Nobody noticed you following as your two daughters ran ahead. You could only shake your head at their personalities whilst turning a corner into a quiet room where the Princess had taken refuge it seemed. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Princess.” You whispered to her in high valyrian. You could never be too careful, you thought to yourself as Rhaenyra’s head snapped to you. “You could never.” She whispered back as the door fell shut behind you. “Are these your children?” The Princess giggled out.

“They are.” You hummed and pushed the two girls. They curtsied and moved closer to Rhaenyra who knelt to their height. “They are beautiful.” She whispered and watched them blush before they moved into Rhaenyra’s arms for a hug. “And who is this little knight?” Rhaenyra hummed to Aegon.

“He is shy.” You whispered and placed your arm around him as you moved closer to Rhaenyra. “There is nothing to worry about.” You gently cupped the Princess’s face as you noticed her shifting moods. “Nobody will ever take your place. Not even her children.” You whispered and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

The Princess melted into your embrace and for the first time in so long; Rhaenyra felt safe and loved.

TAGLIST

@janelongxox

@writerslove2403

@severewobblerlightdragon 

@lettherebrelight 

@heartysworld

@opheliax98

@bshelley322 

@casualheartadorable 

@kittycatcait219 @lilyviolets

@multifndom @7minutes-tomidnight

@savage-aespa 

@kid-from-new-zealand @mypatrochilles @ladystardvsts

@thekayarlene 

@sandronebabyy 

@ivanna6026 

@bubblebuttwade

@rosesinmars

@believeinthefireflies95

@vivalarevolution

[slow-button-off]

Saubers love for Charles - a collection

Beat Zehnder

"Charles is very young and very motivated. One of the biggest talents that I have ever worked with. Probably one of the best newcomers in the last two decades."

Dts s1e8

"I've never seen a driver like Charles before", says Zehnder who worked together with Rookie Leclercs at Sauber in 2018. The team did have young drivers in their cars before. "But it was the first time in a long while that he had a newcomer, a very special driver with a very special attitude", says Zehnder.

"It was a very good season and a very interesting Season", he remembers and explains: " I've always said that [Leclerc] speed wise is like Kimi Raikkonen and in terms of attitude to work probably Michael [Schumacher]." The 54 year old is convinced : "give him a good car and he'll definitely become a champion."

source in 2020

"But in the end, bottom line – probably the most complete driver I've worked with. In terms of natural talent and racing intelligence. He is so focused. He is going to be a world champion."

Source 2022

Fred Vasseur

"I think a quality of Charles but actually of all champions is to the confident in the car. They can do the most unbelievable things sometimes because they possess so much confidence" , analyses Vasseur.

"They can blame themselves because they know that they have the potential. Those are the real Champions und they can then say: 'Ok, today I didn't drive well.'" only the Top driver are able to deal with bad performances like this believes the Alfa TP.

"only a champion is able to say something like this. On paper they are better than the others."

"That's great for a team because if this isn't the case then it could send you on the wrong path", adds Vasseur. He is really happy for Leclerc and his early success. He deserves it "200%".

"I am very happy for him, he drove a great season. Without Bahrain or other races it could've gone better but he did great work." Already in the second race of the season, the nightrace in the desert he was on track for his first win when a technical defect made him end up in third.

Especially his qualifying pace impressed Vasseur 2019. With seven pole positions he was pole king, no other driver started P1 more often. "The pace was incredibly, very impressive. He is the only one I keep and eye on."

source 2020

Only with Lewis Hamilton have I seen as much self-criticism as I saw with Charles Leclerc," Vasseur, now Alfa Romeo team boss, told Speed Week.

"They're the only drivers I saw in my career who criticised themselves even after winning. Every other driver pats himself on the shoulder. I mean - they won!

"But they both knew that they could have driven better. They were relentless in that way," Vasseur added.

source 2020

Having read these things and listened to his beyond the grid makes me think that they are quoting his beyond the grid episode somewhat but I'm not sure.

Josef Leberer (Physio of Senna (and long time friend) works for Sauber)

What was so special about Senna? “So many great drivers died before him: Clark, Rindt, Villeneuve. Ayrton was the sum of them all, their virtues were combined in him.” Josef’s eyes are shiny: “ Senna had charisma, was the perfect leader. Driven by his values and ideas.” Senna demands a lot but shows appreciation for performance especially towards his mechanics. The Brazilian knows how to motivate people. “But regardless he was shy. In the car however ruthless!” Interjects Jo. Only when the jokes arrived at McLaren alongside Gerhard Berger and they’re running the streets as a trio, does Senna open up.

Is there or was there a driver with a similar character to Senna? Jo is thinking hard. Not even close?

The answer is surprising: “Not in this special way. But in terms of appearance, humility, determination and maturity despite the young age - maybe Charles Leclerc.

source 2019

The Salzburg native, once long time physio of Ayrton Senna has seen a lot of talents. Of few talents does he hold as high of an opinion as he does of Leclerc. Leclerc reminds him of Senna at the start of his career Leberer told APA (Austrian Press Agency) already in May. The Monegasque has the skills to be a serial champion. "He is quiet, humble, talented and learns really fast." It's clear to him and many others: "Leclerc is 'the' figure of the future in Formula 1.

source 2019

What is he doing with this Charles Leclerc, so that he is mastering the biggest sporting challenge of his life with such a matter-of-factness? Leberers answer: "it's like it was with Senna: you could replace me with a Panda."

source 2018

if the source is German then I did the translation

[fanaticsnail]

MORE THOTS!!! You don't have to write anything with this but you can if you want. I'm kinda just regurgitating stuff like a teenage girl kicking her legs while writing in her diary lol.

The Greek myth of Atalanta. Atalanta is abandoned as a baby and raised by BEARS (symbol of Artemis goddess of the hunt) until she's found by hunters who take her in and raise her as THEIR own. She becomes a famed hunter by killing a boat sent by Artemis. Naturally suitors flock to her begging for her hand and of course don't take no for an answer so she proposes that they run in a race and anyone that beats her gets her hand but if they lose she kills them. This thins out the herd a little bit there are still some left who she races and obviously annihalites beats. Despite the murder of every loser people keep coming to ask for her hand. Until one day some guy rocks up who's different. In some version of the myth he meets her on a hill while she's practicing and compliments her skill and doesn't undermine it by saying "you're pretty good for a girl" or anything stupid. Other versions he just meets her in asking for her hand and is very cute and sweet and even Atalanta feels bad about inevitably killing him.

But he he has a trick up his sleeve. He went to Aphrodite who totally shipped it and agreed to help.

See, Atalanta loves shiny things.

So, come to the race, he is almost immediately taken over before he drops a golden apple. Atalanta stops to pick it up, letting him get some headway. Atalanta immediately catches up again so he drops another apple. And again she catches up and he drops his final apple. This time he manages to cross the finish line just in time (the myth is open to interpretation about whether or not she took a little extra time to smell the roses on her way back from the third apple).

Summary of the myth that I find very engaging story telling: https://youtu.be/zjTDoXGR7-M?si=E2Tc87kkP7HO09L1

(idk how much this makes sense bc I used they/them pronouns for both)

So, imagine one piece characters with a crush on someone who is a master of their field (archery, hand to hand combat, or even intellectually, etc.). They've spent their whole life being underestimated and mocked and had to claw their way to the top, and then when they finally reached the top everyone who doubted them did a 180 and started sucking up to them. And they know that it's not out of any actual appreciation of their personality, or value for their thoughts and opinions, or even admiration of their skills. They know that all they are seen as now is a trophy on someone's arm, or a weapon in someone's army, or a challenge for someone to rule over. People just want to be the one to have them, to own them, to teach them to submit so they can boast their own strength and feel good about their ability to dominate someone so strong.

So they build up walls, they ignore any compliments which are really just attempts of flattery, they grow cold. Until eventually they even lose the joy in their own craft, having been the thing they devoted so much of their life for only for it to leave them alone.

They make a deal. Anyone to beat them at their own game wins their hand in marriage, but all who lose will die.

And it scares off a few and gives them a good excuse to kill the rest, and they knew what they were getting into when they agreed to the fight so no one can really oppose them. Besides, they don't feel much guilt for those who can't take no for an answer.

Until one day they meet their one piece character.

Maybe they pass through and hear about a challenge and want to participate, only for the master to realise halfway through that they don't actually know the stakes at hand and spare them because it wouldn't be fair to kill someone who didn't know they were fighting to the death. Technically leaving the battle forfeited.

Maybe they happen to catch them about to kill one of the losers and try to stop them and it starts off as an annoyance/enemies-to-lovers misunderstanding.

Maybe if their love interest is a strawhat they're convinced to join them in search of an actual challenge so they can find joy and purpose in their fights again.

Whatever the reason, they either start travelling together or keep meeting repeatedly. And they get to know each other.

And the walls come down, brick by brick. And they don't even realise how much of themselves they've willingly given until it's harder to ignore compliments and write them off as superficial flattery when their one piece love interest compliments them on things about themselves. They've been recognised for their skill and their looks and their mind before and they've gotten so used to it that it washes off them like water off a ducks back.

But their face flushes when their love compliments the effort and time they put into honing their skill. Not just the way their skill serves them. Not just as a weapon. But as a craft.

And their hands shake when they're complimented for the way they've done their hair, or chosen their outfit - things that they've chosen about themself. Or their love reassures them that the scars they carry aren't signs of failure or even endurance, but signs of healing and growth. And they confess that every time they see them they are filled with both gratitude that they lived through them and were shaped by them so they could meet each other as they are. And with anger that they ever felt they had to suffer to prove themself.

And something lodges in their throat and stings from behind their eyes when they're complimented on their mind. Because they realise that someone is listening to and respecting their thoughts. And the fact that they know what compliments mean more to them is a testament to the time they've spent together.

They realise that although they haven't thawed their cold completely, they were never made to feel bad about it. Because on the days when they are still cold their love burns warm enough for the both of them.

And then their love challenges them. And it all comes crumbling down.

The love that they've felt building is washed away by betrayal.

Why? Why challenge them? Why now? Why not sooner, why wait so long?

Then the fear. Fear that answers their questions as quick as they come. They only ever wanted to challenge them. They never loved them. They were biding their time to know their weaknesses and practice their strategy. Or perhaps they didn't initially intend to fight them but they grew bored. They weren't enough to be worth keeping around and this was just to entertain themselves. They spent their whole life trying their best to be the best and it wasn't enough, and when they finally let it go and breath and feel they can be themselves that wasn't enough either.

And of course the deepest fear. Because they know that their love interest won't win. And even in the midst of betrayal they don't want to kill them.

But a promise is a promise. Having grown up swallowing weakness and never feeling fear before a fight - because they were never in danger of being beat - they seek to squash it down and the only thing they can grasp at is anger.

Anger that they were taken advantage of. Anger that their time was wasted. Anger that their heart was broken.

And they don't hold back.

Or they don't mean to.

But the fight lasts longer than it should. Long enough that they realise they're pulling their punches despite themself. Long enough that they realise that even their weakest of attacks would have been more effective before, based on their knowledge of their loves abilities. Long enough to know that they've been practicing. Long enough to see their love is breathing fast and sweating hard, hands trembling.

Long enough that they blink and catch themselves no longer fighting like it's a chore. Not because they're a challenge - even years of practice couldn't pose a threat to them - but because for the first time in years their opponent is taking them seriously.

And it breaks them. Cursing, crying, screaming at their love.

Because why have they challenged them if they know they couldn't win?

And then their love admits it. That they loved them and couldn't bear it any longer but they'd never ask them to yield in their fight. They'd rather die by their hand than live without it, because that is the only heaven they'd ever need anyway.

That they practiced and honed their skills, not because they ever entertained the notion of being able to beat them, but because they wanted to be a fight worth remembering. They wanted to give them back their joy in their art.

I will absolutely write this for you. This sounds spectacular. I love it.

Adding it to the list. Do you have a preference in mind for a character, because I can truly see someone like Sanji, Usopp, Buggy, Shanks or Mihawk. Angsty, flirty, piney is what I do and I can absolutely see these themes incorporated into it.

The thought of Shanks challenging in archery has me literally sobbing because he only has one arm but will still try as he might to win her hand.

Masterlist will be updated once completed, please advise on a preferential character and I will adjust accordingly!!

[noglorysavehonor]

Just read the book If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang.

I liked it a lot, especially considering it's not really my genre! It was almost everything I wanted out of a Gen Z, class-conscious, YA straight romance book. As someone who isn't Chinese, but has had many Third Culture friends, I really enjoyed reading its exploration of the Chinese / Third Culture Kid experience.

I do think for the author's first novel it's a very strong work. The characterization and growth of the protagonist was strong, and felt emotionally authentic. The exploration of class and race and culture shock is well-integrated to the plot, and feels neither grimdark nor saccharine... the people just feel like people, not paragons or villains. I think both of these areas were real accomplishments!

My main critiques are about the ending, which IMO is also always the hardest part to pull off. It also means I can't easily talk about my feelings in detail without spoilers, so I'll put em under a readmore.

Overall, for my tastes, I'd give the book a B (85/100). But if a YA romance set in an international highschool in Beijing with class consciousness and mild supernatural elements sounds like your kind of book, I strongly recommend it. I knew going in that it's not my normal thing, and I enjoyed it anyways!

Okay, my (long) thoughts on the ending under the cut:

[Before I start, in case you're a megafan (or the actual author herself??): These critiques come from a place of love and respect; I Am Not A Hater. I just have strong personal opinions about what I want to see in a story ending, and wanted to express them while analyzing how the book didn't fulfill them. My opinions are not facts, art is subjective, etc. ANYWAYS.]

My biggest complaint is pretty common with the way straight romances are often portrayed, and is a major pet peeve of mine:

The payoff of a romance, for me, is hearing the other person say what they like about the protagonist!

Henry's interest in Alice is always implied, of course, but there's never a scene where he outright says every single little thing he adores about Alice (flustering her terribly in the process!) Instead, the payoff of the romance is watching him flex his richboy power to help her (which is great, and I don't begrudge it) and then the kiss.

The kiss is...it's fine. I understand making it the center piece. But I wish it had more to back it up.

I think this sort of approach to writing romance is based on the idea that... you want to leave the romantic lead vague so that the reader can fill in what elements they'd like best. But for me, I want the complete opposite approach. I want to know exactly what these two people are like, and exactly why they like each other!! The whole pull of romance media is seeing two weirdos fit each other perfectly!!

First-person romance especially is so good when we finally get to hear how the protagonist is being interpreted by outside viewers. Which the novel does explore, a bit, with her Study Machine nickname! But I was so sad when it didn't give Henry the chance to explain himself and let us understand him better.

That would have allowed us to reread the whole book while understanding what Henry's moments of bare affection are about! That sense of dramatic romantic irony is so delicious and makes romance stories so re-readable! AND- wouldn't it have been wonderful to watch Alice try her best to deflect and argue Henry out of every positive trait he lists?? To get almost ANGRY that he dares to love her as a flawed person, not just for her successes!!!

AUGH.

Anyways sdkdflkjsd those are my Romance Critiques. (I had the same major complaint with Kimi no Na wa, too...)

My other main critique is: It feels like her characterization as being strongly self-analytical fell off at the end.

I think the best way of pointing it out is the scene in which she lies to her Baba about the true nature of the Beijing Ghost app without feeling a shred of guilt. It felt a little odd given her characterization of strong guilt and filial piety in the rest of the book.

Plus, it's a tough pill to swallow that... she had this entire major thing going on in her life, and she's just not ever going to open up about it with her family, who clearly deeply love her. I recognize that it would be pretty hard to do so given her family dynamic and potential legal consequences. But still, I'd at least like an acknowledgement that it's a sucky position for her to be in, to have to lie (for the rest of her life?) about that.

And while she does recognize that she's been chasing what other people find valuable and not considering what she wants... and she also realizes that if she, as a kid of a poor family, is offered A Million Yuan to do a crime, that's deeply coercive and she shouldn't be held completely at fault while the rich person gets off scotch free (we LOVE the class consciousness!!!)...

I guess I would have loved to see her put two and two together and recognize that Airington is genuinely a bad place for her to be. That she is destroying her health, committing a HUGE amount of crime, and has ZERO social life, all so she can fit to a mold that wasn't meant for her, and kicked her out as soon as her desperation became too evident.

Which, like, she got a chance to call the school out for those things, which is awesome! Very necessary catharsis! And she was close to realizing this stuff, like in the hotel scene where she can't bring herself to enjoy the socialization. She just doesn't make much more progress past that point.

TL;DR: I think overall there's an understandable desire to speed up the narrative once we're past the big climax, but I feel like it went by so fast that important threads of character development lost their chance to reach satisfying conclusions. So a lot of things I personally wanted to see happen in the romance and her own personal growth never got shown.

(Maybe at some point I'll write down my whole visualization of how I would rewrite the ending to address all these things. Listen. The Fanfiction Instinct is upon me. Which means I liked the book! I only ever want to remix stories I really enjoyed! It's a compliment! slkdfjdslkjf)

[loosesodamarble]

Hiya Erika!! let’s see for the ask game may I have 🎶, 💌, and🍸 for Kai’chi and Cynthia pretty please with a cherry on top 🥰?

Those answers are coming right up~! Thank you for asking, Lyra!

..........

Kai'ichi Yami

🎶 - How do they sound? Describe their voice.

Makoto Furukawa is the VA I imagine for Kai'ichi. Particularly, I'd imagine Kai sounding similar to his performance as Taiju Ōki (third voice in the video).

It's deeper and carries a more boisterous energy, befitting someone like Kai'ichi. He's got a strong voice for his strong body and personality! And that's all there is to it!

💌 - How would they react to a love letter?

Well first off Kai'ichi would have to ask his brother or one of his cousins to translate it for him. Kai learned how to speak the language of the Suit continent but the reading/writing aspect of it is.../lh+j

I kid!

A stereotypical romantic gesture like a love letter probably wouldn't get Kai'ichi's heart all a racing. As I'd said before, Kai'ichi loves through experiences. So he'd much rather hear a confession or a romantic speech in person, so he can hear the person's voice and see their expressions while they pour out their heart to him.

And don't expect him to hold onto love letters. Surely, whatever words were written once before can come back to mind if they were truly sincere.

It's just a difference of values for Kai'ichi.

🍸 - Favourite drink?

Kai'ichi's favorite drink is ginger beer. It's not alcoholic (sometimes, I think) but it's got the kick of ginger and a fun fizz to it that would have him excited.

...

Cynthia Enoteca

🎶 - How do they sound? Describe their voice.

My voice claim for Cynthia would be Saori Ōnishi. The performance of Ruki Irokawa is probably most suitable for her.

It's not too deep in pitch but there's a soft, sisterly maturity to it that I think would fit Cynthia. She's a little more energetic and flirty than the voice would imply but that's because she's usually very aware of her words and actions, not a total airhead. So a voice that can be light yet composed works best.

💌 - How would they react to a love letter?

If the love letter is from a boy, she's using it as kindling. Cynthia knew from a pretty young age that she was more into girls than boys so any attention from them leaves her bored or bothered.

If the love letter is from a girl, Cynthia would be rereading it a few times to get a feel for who the lady is through her writing. If she's especially charmed, she'd be twirling her hair for the next few minutes and giggling to herself.

🍸 - Favourite drink?

Introduced to Cynthia by Ann Yami, her favorite drink is mugicha, otherwise known as barely tea. It's a got a toasted flavor with a light bitterness that even youths can enjoy. (Personal opinion, I do think it does taste grainy. Not in a bad way but grainy flavor with a liquid kinda threw me off when I first had it.) Cynthia likes the roasted grain flavor and says it stimulates her mind when she's trying to get creative.

[blazekurumu]

MY THOUGHTS ON TOTAL DRAMA 2023!

Hey everyone! Hope you campers are doing well today because I have a review just for you!

Total Drama is a franchise I didn't get to watch live on television. Mainly because I didn't get to see it growing up. However, that all changed when I reached high school and got majorly hooked. I liked the campers, the challenges, the wacky hijinks, the romance drama, and everything that makes the show unique. My favorite season is ROTI for a long time (Please don't hate. World Tour is a close third to the Ridonculous Race for me). All the characters, even the terrible ones, have all made quite the impression on me. For years, I've waited for new content to be uploaded, watching the stupid Dramarama, was there when Reunion shut down, and enjoy the pseudo series of Disventure Camp.

Now a new season has come out and let me be positive in saying that this was one of the best seasons in a long time.

New Chris voice? Doesn't bother me since I kinda liked the new voice direction.

All new cast instead of the old one? Thank goodness! The old cast is great, but new people are fun too! Stop whining for the old and embrace the new for a change.

Multicultural and LGBTQ rep? Sign me up! I loved Nichelle, Priya, Millie, Damien, and Bowie so much! Was surprised at the pairing of Bowie and Raj, too. Love them boys so much!

Challenges that felt different, but still stuck with the formula? Heck yeah! I loved the selfie one, the hunger one was funny, and the catapult one was so cool!

Were there negatives? Emma and Chase brought the season down sometimes. I liked Emma, but not enough to call her my favorite. She just needs to break up with that egotistical slimeball called Chase! Scary Girl being eliminated early hurt me too. She was funny. Damien got robbed, but he did that to himself.

My favorite characters made this season great for me!

Priya is my baby! She's funny, determined, and a hard worker. An athletic nerd girl to her core who trained to be on this show. I don't get the Priya hate, she's amazing! Sure she carried Millie, but that's what a girl in her shoes would do to a best friend. I liked their dynamic a lot.

Millie surprised me with how much I started to like her. She started off as a closet nerd that had a pension for being judgemental and mended her ways. Making friends with Priya was the best thing that ever happened to her. I bet she would get more love if they made her a villian.

Bowie....need I say more? He's the moment, the true villian in my opinion, and he slayed! His relationship with Raj was sweet, his friendship with Emma was funny, and his rivalry with Julia was top notch! This boy should come back for another season and kill it again!

Scary Girl aka Lauren was a fun character. A sweet little psycho who was Gothic and funny. I lived her wild card mindset of just being kooky and nutty while displaying certain strengths.

Damien was a cool nerd. Like he was chill and scared, but also knew his science. He came on the show expecting the million to be given to him. He's like if you mixed DJ with Cameron and added a dash of awesome. He wanted to get off so bad that he wasted his time. Bummer...

I feel bad for Nichelle though. Girlboss turned Girlfail real fast. I thought she was going to be the cool girl a la Heather and become the major villian. However, I just wanted to hug her instead. Hope she gets another season too.

Raj and Wayne are package deal and the bestest of bros. Wayne cracked me up when he noticed Raj was gay. He was literally the fan base when we all heard. Raj was a sweetie too. His crush on Bowie was the right amount of meet cute, awkward glances, and then Bowie became his hero. Boy loves his man more than hockey itself. How darling!

The other characters were okay in my opinion. Some were decent like MK and Zee. Chase can go die in a ditch with his car's breaks cut. Ripper was annoying. Julia was like a better version of crazy Courtney with Heather skills. Axel was fine too.

Chris and Chef's dynamic was much better than previously bad ones and Chef made me chuckle a few times. He's such an overprotective dad figure to the campers when he wants to.

Overall, I loved how the new season gave us a new perspective. Thirteen episodes are just okay to me, but I hope for more next time. Give this season a chance and maybe two watches before you come down on the hammer. It has gen z kids as the protagonists now, they are going to be different from the old cast. They were early z's, these campers are late z's. Do not be so hard on them.

[danthropologie]

As one of the cuties dragged bodily into F1 by DTS, can you pitch me the MCL hate thesis to help your brother in Christ to get up to speed? Agree agree that #1 bbygrl Daniel Ricciardo needs protecting at all costs but would love those deets

this is a can of worms you've just opened, i hope you know that 😭

full disclosure, i only got into f1 properly at the start of this season, so i don't have the full background or day-to-day context when it comes to what happened last year or how it was received, other than a few bits of knowledge that i've picked up here and there.

that being said, i'm gonna put the rest under a cut cause it ended up being SO long rip

let's go chronologically and start with the thing that really tipped me over the edge from ironic annoyance to genuine dislike: this video from zandvoort 2021. we all know he had a bad start to the season and in that context it Makes Sense that the team would prioritize lando over daniel, but the way that they went about the team orders—actively fucking with daniel's race, the condescension on the radio, not swapping back when lando did literally nothing with the opportunity that was handed to him—all for lando to get ONE FUCKING POINT is just. incomprehensible to me. (fast forward to the next race, monza, where daniel wins PURELY by his own merit and, in my personal opinion, fueled by spite after what happened in zandvoort 😌)

then we come to this year and DTS s4 dropping right before the season started. i know we all know that DTS creates narratives and rivalries, i know we all know that daniel and lando have both since said that there was no major beef between them like it was portrayed in the show, but from my point of view it's just like...the things that were shown WERE said. mclaren employees WERE taking sides and laughing along with jokes behind the back of someone that was already clearly struggling more than any of us on the outside even knew. and the fact that that sort of mean girl behavior was happening in a professional work environment, much less one that purports itself to Cool, Chill, and a Family the way that mclaren does, is fucking baffling to me and—in my personal opinion—speaks to a culture and atmosphere within the team at large that's not as supportive as it claims to be (going back to monza, i don't think it's a coincidence that his win only came AFTER the summer break when he was able to spend time away from the team and decompress).

then we have the bullshit happening during the races themselves:

1. first race in bahrain, car was shit, had tons of issues, daniel was coming off covid, and the whole weekend was basically a wash.

2. second race in jeddah, first he got a three place grid penalty for impeding during qualifying because, despite all the blind corners on that track, his engineer didn't fucking tell him that someone was coming behind on a fast lap. then during the race, he got team orders to let lando through and a few laps later his car shit the bed. two other things of note: a) if the team knew the car was having issues, that wasn't ever communicated to daniel as far as i remember, and b) in the wake of the retirement, the social team spent the entire week subtly shifting the blame towards daniel and making weird ass posts like this, as if it was somehow his fault that the car had a mechanical issue??

3. third race in australia, daniel's home race, and after lando lost positions at the start, daniel basically spent the entire fucking race riding lando's ass, only to be told on the very last lap (again, in a questionably condescending tone??) that lando was having an issue and they ONLY wanted him to pass if lando completely lost power, basically forcing daniel into a situation where he's defending so that lando doesn't lose places with his rapidly declining car. and i understand how that call made sense and that they wanted to ensure double points, but at the same time: a) it was daniel's first home race in THREE YEARS, b) he had the pace way earlier on in the race to have potentially been allowed to pass, c) daniel's issue in jeddah somehow made team orders appropriate but this one didn't??? again, logically it makes sense but it feels like a bit of a double standard.

4. fourth race in imola, he'd been faster than lando through all the practice sessions, only for his his qualifying to get fucked AGAIN when he only got 1 lap in, compared to every other drivers' 2 lap strategy, before a red flag (and then another red flag caused by lando 😭) ended the session early. and once again, a major part of that came down to a clear lack of communication and support coming from his engineer, who should have been the one to tell him that literally every other driver still left at that point was doing a 2 lap strategy INCLUDING LANDO. the race itself was fucked by his own mistake, but instead of retiring the damaged car (damage which was only confirmed by his engineer at the very end of the race), they left him limping along at the back to "collect data" for the team.

5. fifth race in miami, right off the bat in fp1, his engineer didn't tell him about a car coming from behind around a blind corner ONCE AGAIN (thankfully he didn't get a penalty that time tho, since it was everyone's first time on the track and the FIA were a bit more lenient). after that, for the rest of the weekend he was constantly doing his job AND his engineers' job—constantly asking for updates about gaps and strategies and more or less telling them that he's doing things like coming in for pit stops instead of waiting for their suggestions. then, for another week in a row, his qualifying was fucked when there was an issue with the car that kept him in the pits longer than necessary and forced him into pushing on his outlap, thus depleting his energy and tires for the actual qualifying lap. andreas, the team principal, acknowledged the issue was the team's fault and apologized to daniel for it but ONLY on a random international broadcast feed and in the qualifying report on the mclaren website. no mention of it was made on any of the main mclaren social feeds. then after the race, it comes out that they apparently ran with less water in order to save weight??? during the hottest and most physically demanding race on the calendar yet???? (also there was this random fuck up on the website where they were momentarily selling tshirts celebrating lando's win before the weekend had even started??? bare in mind they didn't do anything special to commemorate daniel's win at monza)

6. which then brings us to today and the sixth race in spain, where it seems they literally did not even fucking plan to get into q3 in the first place and decided to go with the fucking dumbest strategy possible by using up all the fresh tyres before he could get the standard second run in, meanwhile they were literally petitioning the FIA to reverse lando's penalty, and the social team made sure to mention that was the reason he missed q3 on all mclaren social feeds.

and while this is all happening, we also had the ongoing social media bias towards lando, which hit a fever pitch when they posted about a wedding lando went to, but didn't post about a mclaren / f1 related tv appearance that daniel did until daaaays later (after basically being bullied into it by relentless comments from fans on twitter and instagram 😭).

there was also the colton herta saga. he's an american indycar driver and apparently The Chosen One to become the flagship american driver in f1. he did an interview at the beginning of april more or less wishing for daniel to fail so that he can have a chance at his seat. in the month and a half or so since then, zak brown (ceo of mclaren) has literally been losing his fucking mind about the idea of colton in f1. constantly talking about him, bringing him out to the miami gp, reminding everyone that he and lando used to be teammates in the junior series, etc. basically making it very, very clear that he wants colton in a mclaren seat specifically. and given lando's newly signed extension and zak's vested interest in lando's company, quadrant, it's pretty fucking obvious who's seat specifically they want colton to be in. and all of this seems particularly ridiculous when you consider the fact that colton a) doesn't even have his super license and legally cannot drive an f1 car right now, and b) is known for a history of unreliability and mistakes, which seems like a bad idea to add on top of a car already dealing with reliability issues.

zak's also been running his mouth recently claiming that lando "could have won three races in a row last year," including monza, because "there was nothing between lando and daniel." as i said in my tags on this post, daniel fucking earned that win all by his own skill and merit, and to see even the ceo of company slagging him off and acting like it was nothing just feels SO disrespectful to the man that brought them their first win in however many fucking years yk?

and i know all of these things are little and could be swept under the rug or explained away, but when you look at the constant stream of disrespect, lack of support, favoritism of lando, etc etc etc, it adds up to a larger picture of, at best, lack of overall support and consideration, or at worst, incompetence and/or just flat out negligence. and the fact that through all of this daniel continues to try so hard, to give the team everything he has, to not place blame, to always find the positives, etc., i genuinely don't know how he does it because i would have resorted to being a major bitch and started shopping for a new team ages ago 😭