#like he is extremely qualified for this position

[tsartistry]

When Lester has amnesia, he falls in with Carter and Sadie, and starts learning Egyptian Magic. Set has opinions to share.

[crazy-only]

oscar finding his reporter cute ! (fluff)

pairing: oscar x fem!reader

premis: oscar helps a shy reporter during an interview and ends up crushing on her! short and sweet, fluff!

preface: posting this in honor of him getting 2nd place in austria !! good job oscar <3

you felt a tap on your shoulder and you spun around, finding a tall guy staring at you. his eyes were bored and a bit annoyed.

“um, can i help you?” you ask politely, checking your watch.

you had already interviewed the drivers that came in third and second place, and you were currently waiting on the first-placing driver to show up.

truth be told, you weren’t really qualified for the job—your sister decided to suddenly honeymoon with her wife and begged for you to replace her. hesitantly, you agreed, dying your hair to match her natural color and hoping your features were similar enough.

the young man scoffed and ran a hand over his face. “woman, you’re joking, yeah?” he asked after rolling his eyes.

honestly, you would’ve assumed this moody guy was the winner as he wore a racing suit, certainly an f1 driver with the after effects of participating in a race apparent, sweat running down his neck leading to the contour of his—

no, y/n! focus! your sister called moments ago saying the winner of the race was extremely ugly, and, according to her words, “you can’t miss him.”

and, as much as you hated to admit it, the fiesty male was far too attractive to fit your sister’s description.

“sorry, i, um, don’t follow?” you say, nervously running your fingers through your hair, microphone in the other hand.

the man looked back to face an older man sporting a mclaren hat, the former muttering something while angrily staring at you.

is this what a red flag feels like before getting torn to shreds by a bull?

“ok, lisa, you’re on air!”

you turn around rapidly at the mention of your sister’s name, searching for the driver you needed to interview.

“um,” you start shyly, looking into the scary camera. “we are still waiting on the pole position winner for the silverstone grand prix—“

there’s laughs amongst the viewers, and you cock your head trying to find their source of amusement.

“—well we are waiting on him to arrive, so sit tight while we try to find him!”

yet, to your horror, the camera stays on, the filming crew motioning for you to continue.

“hey.”

you turn to find the same utterly attractive yet rude driver staring down at you, mouth in a line and arms crossed as if he were the one that should be stressed.

“oh, you again,” you accidentally mutter into the microphone, freezing once you realized what you’ve done. except, the crowd simply laughed.

you cursed under your breath.

they’re laughing at you, y/n. you’re such a dumbass.

“yes,” the young man said sarcastically while tugging the mic towards himself, only helping to raise the volume of the laughs from the stands. “it’s me again.”

you nodded, anxiety burning in your veins, not knowing what to say. this was not as simple as your sister had said it would be.

“while we’re waiting for the grand prix winner,” oscar said, now stealing the mic completely, “why don’t i ask you some questions, reporter?”

crap!

“uh, okay,” you murmur into the mic the driver stretches towards you. for some reason your palms started getting clammy. was it your nerves?

he puts a hand on his hip and pretends to be in a deep state of thinking. “let’s start with an easy question.” he came closer so your bodies were only a pace away.

“who’s your favorite driver?”

uh oh.

“th-that would be, erm, lan?—lando!”

phew. thank god you remembered the name of the last driver you interviewed!

but the driver interviewing you walked away, suddenly a bit angry. then he ran back into frame, looking into the camera. “do you see how i’m treated around here?”

the crowds laughed, and you hid your smile.

was this the same person you met earlier? how was he so. so—so amiable?

“ok ms. reporter, next one: do you have a sister?”

“yes,” you said into the outstretched mic, trying to hide the shakiness in your voice.

then the man brushed his hand against yours just below the vision of the camera, and—was that a smile? did he just smile at you?

your breathing slowed, thankfully feeling a lot more calm.

you continued, saying, “i do. her name is y/n.”

the driver nodded, acting as if he were actually interested. “is she cute?” the man whispered into the mic.

and god, you would’ve thought this was a comedy show thanks to the immense amount of laughing if he weren’t dressed in a sweaty race suit that perfectly hugged his abdominal region and quads—

then you saw him walk slightly out of the frame, waving at you frantically. he mouthed:

ask me about the race!

good idea.

you leaned into the mic the man held, flooded by his addicting scent. “how was your race?”

“ah, thanks for asking,” he said, clearly having a talent for acting. “it was great! i’m really happy with my results. i scored a lot of points for my team, so honestly i couldn’t have asked for more.”

he went on about the technicalities and such of his car, what went wrong and right, what he should improve on; thankfully he talked until the time was out.

“well, there you have it!” you say as the camera crew gave you the cue to stop the interview.

“what’s your name, again?” you whispered to him.

at this point he just leaned into the mic. “it’s oscar piastri.” the crowd went wild, making him smile.

for some reason you got stupidly jealous.

“seems our pole position driver never showed up—“ you started saying, until the camera crew pointed towards a lit screen with words.

“but nonetheless, thank you for tuning in,” you said, and then continued reading the transcript, explaining the time and date for the next race.

once finished, the camera finally shut off, and with a big sigh, you retired your mic and made your way to your car. never again were you doing another favor for your sister.

“good job, y/n,” oscar murmured, having bent down from behind so only you could hear him. “turns out you are cute.”

fuck. how did he find out?

you swept around, hand over mouth in dread.

“oh, come on, it was obvious!” oscar said proudly. “you did not know a single thing about racing—and you look so different from your sister.”

you simply stood in shock. quietly gauging whatever despicable plan he was carrying out.

“do you still not know who i am?” he asked incredulously.

you cocked your head. “you’re a driver. what was it? osc-oscar pastry?”

he handed his heavy helmet over to you.

“there. now you’ll never forget my name again. it’s fucking piastri.” he ran his hands over his face, losing patience.

“ask me who won the race!” oscar finally said, cracking.

“um, we aren’t in the interview anymore?—“

he shook you by the arms, saying, “i won the goddamn race! i got first, y/n!”

“you’re the grand prix winner?! b-but my sister told me you were supposed to be unattractive!”

oscar raised his eyebrows, asking “is that so?” he tilted his head slightly, a cheshire cat’s smile forming.

“does that mean you find me attractive?”

uh oh.

your body was on fire, maybe more anxious than from the interview.

“since you kept staring at my body the whole interview,” oscar said as he smirked down at you, his brown eyes clearly satisfied at your shocked reaction. “take me out and i won’t tell.”

maybe you would do more of your sister’s favors.

[utilitycaster]

I really like Taliesin elaborating on the inspiration from the 90s LA punk scene, in which he said a lot of the people he knew were just people looking for hope in a world that has been incredibly unfair to them. It's a very empathetic view towards people who, as he said, often are dealing with injustice and disadvantages.

He also mentions that many of these punks were dealing with drug and alcohol problems (and while he did not want that to be central to Ashton's character and wanted to focus instead on chronic pain for a number of reasons, including personal, Ashton definitely relies on alcohol for palliative reasons). More generally, we see Ashton look for hope and answers in a lot of places that end up being extremely incorrect. The most obvious one is with the shard of Rau'shan, which, after multiple people advised them against taking it with very clear warnings, they decided to still attempt to absorb, with nearly-fatal results; but there were flashes of this with their earlier cynicism towards Eshteross vs. a much more begrudging acceptance of the transactional worldview of Ratanish or Jiana Hexum.

Ashton often places his own pain in a position of honor, and in doing so can discount that of other people. He's been remarkably unlucky, to be clear; I think that's part of it. We as the audience know that their statement that no one in that room has felt helpless in their lives is demonstrably false about pretty much all of Vox Machina and their allies, as well as the Bright Queen. He says Keyleth maybe does know, not realizing that of Keyleth and Vex, one has been a homeless runaway rather like himself, and it's not the one he's saying knows helplessness. In a way, to hold on to that hope, they find themselves telling themselves a lot of lies because otherwise they have to face the truth that their suffering did not make them more qualified or better; it was just unfair and it might still keep happening. He blames the gods because then at least there's a reason and not just absolutely random chance that he was born to a self-important cultist, happened to survive a long-shot ill-advised ritual and wake up in the desert of another continent, happened to be the one thrown out the window of Hexum Manor, and happened to be saved with a Potion of Possibility. To be clear, they've since made a name for themself on their own merits, but a lot of who they are, both in terms of the traumatic and difficult elements and in terms of what now makes them special was dumb luck, good or bad.

For Ashton, for those LA punks Taliesin knew, for the Vanguard and for Ludinus and for countless people in Exandria and in our actual world, a lot of grasping for hope becomes grasping for a meaning for pain and suffering. I'd argue that this is a pretty major theme Taliesin explores with all his characters. However, just because the pain is real doesn't mean the conclusions one comes to as a result of it are inviolate and above reproach. It is possible to have extremely valid pain and trauma and to be incredibly wrong about its source or what it means, or to deal with it in ways that will either make it worse or that will inflict pain, even inadvertently, on others. And I think the theme of the campaign is very much that; what happens when someone either chooses to or must let the decisions they made to deal with a moment - or a life - of pain be writ large on both themselves and the world?

[itsprashimusic]

Monaco and Monza

Summary - Charles, his favourite person (and their puppy) before, during and after the most important race wins of his life.

Pairings - Charles Leclerc x fem!Reader

Warnings - no use of y/n, google translate French and Italian, r can make decent conversation in French and Italian, possible inaccurate timelines, it is hinted that R is not from France or Monaco, honorable louis tomlinson appearance bc I am a former louie girlie, R has blue light glasses, cuss words. Happy reading🩵

W/C - 3.9k

A/N - i write all my female Rs with a desi in mind. Written in 2nd pov. I wrote R with a mindset and likes similar to mine, you are free to skip this fic if you don't like it.

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Before Monaco

An hour had passed on the three hour flight from Imola to Nice. Charles was asleep and Leo was curled up in your lap. Sitting in an oversized top and sweatpants, you were quite comfortable while doing some work. You work for a company that allows you to work remotely, which is a huge blessing considering your longtime boyfriend travels the world every other week.

The tiny pup yawned big as he woke up from his nap. You scratched him under the chin. Leo moved around in your lap, found another comfortable spot and went right back to sleep just as Charles also moved to find another comfortable position to nap in. You smiled to yourself and continued working.

Soon the plane landed in a private airport in the French city of Nice. Your bags were handled by the hired help, and Charles insisted on carrying your laptop bag for you. This left you walking along his side with Leo in your arms, still sound asleep. The boat ride to Monaco didn't take long and the drive to your shared apartment went by in a blur.

It felt nice being home during race week. You left Leo in his bed and joined Charles in the living room. Coming up from behind you hugged him while softly asking, "Qu'est-ce que tu penses?" (what is on your mind?). Even after all these years you still cringed at your accent.

"The race" he replied.

You sighed as you remembered the dnfs, mechanical failures and team errors that Charles had to endure. Year after year, the pain just kept getting worse as you watched from the grandstands and eventually the garage.

"You should focus on the positives. The team has been performing well and this season has been different than the last 3, there is hope." you weren't sure if what you said was the right thing. You kissed him on the cheek and moved around the couch to come and sit next to him.

"It is not easy when every other time I have had hope, it has been ripped away and torn into tiny pieces," Charles said while looking defeated. You felt sad seeing him like this. You just held your arms out and let him fall into your embrace. With the couch being big enough for two people to sleep on it, soon you and Charles fell asleep, still in the hug.

During Monaco

Photographers snapped photos of you and Rebecca, Leo's leash entwined with your hand. The two of you were spotted outside the Ferrari hospitality an hour before qualifying. Charles was busy with his engineer and strategist and asked you to give him some alone time. So, you thought a small walk around the paddock with your puppy and good friend would be beneficial.

Eventually the crowd of fans surrounding you and Rebecca who wanted to see Leo was getting quite large, so you politely said goodbye to the fans, picked up the pup and made your way back to the Ferrari motorhome. You got a text from your boyfriend.

Can you come to my drivers room?

You entered the room and put Leo down, allowing him to calm down and drink some water from his very own water bottle and attached bowl. "Darling, do you need something?" you asked Charles as he looked tense.

You moved closer to him. Charles caught you by surprise when he pulled you even closer and hugged you extremely tight. "Je ne me sens pas bien," (i don't feel good) he whispered. "C'est bon. Tout ira bien. It's ok, you'll be ok." you quietly kept repeating to him until Leo began demanding attention with his big brown eyes and soft whines.

Charles wiped the few tears that escaped and picked him up with a new smile adorning his face. For a moment, it was just the three of you, your perfect little family. There was a knock at the door, followed by a Ferrari team member informing Charles that he was required in 5 minutes. Charles placed a wet kiss on your forehead.

"Thank you for supporting me the way you do. I love you so much, mon cœur," (my heart) he said, his lips still on your forehead. The pair walked out of the room and split ways. You had the hired help watch Leo for the duration of qualifying in a private room.

You sat with Charles' family just as the Sky Sports camera panned on you. You smiled when you saw yourself on the monitor and gave a small wave while sitting next to Charlotte.

Even though you knew that Charles would easily clear Q1, you could not help the anxiety that made its way throughout your body. He crossed the line and made it to Q2. With the next session, your anxiety worsened. But within 15 minutes your nerves eased.

Q3. This was it. As the minutes slowly turned from 12 to 2, you were feeling sick. Charles' sleek Ferrari flew over the finish line and your hands flew to your mouth. Pole Position. At his home race. At your home race. The cameras focused on you to get your and his family's reaction.

At parc ferme, Charles ran over to his team who hyped him up even more. He signed the wheel and posed for the photos, the smile never leaving his face. Even after finishing up his media duties and making his way back to his family and you in the motorhome, his smile remained ever present. You swore he never hugged you tighter than that.

Race day. The day that actually mattered.

You entered the paddock a few steps behind Charles, Leo once again in your hold. You didn't get a lot of time with Charles, considering he was the man of the hour after securing pole. The two of you shared a moment together before he had to head out for the national anthem.

"Comment te sens-tu, chérie?" (how are you feeling, darling?) you asked him while he changed into his race suit. He looked up and the look on his face gave you your answer. You smiled and he continued wearing his suit. There were butterflies in his stomach. That meant he felt nervous, hopeful, anxious and confident all at once.

Charles was out on the track, and you once again joined his family in the motorhome. At that point though, it would be more appropriate to call them your family. You and Charles have been together for a long time. The pair of you had seen each other at their lowest and highest. When Charles lost his father and when for nearly a year you could not get a job. When news of Anthoine's death reached Charles, he was on holiday with you and your family in another country. Your family gave him the comfort he needed. When you got news that your parents contracted covid, there was nothing you could do sitting in your apartment in Monaco. Pascale was like a second mother to you.

The race began. You found a place to sit and watch the race. Charles was in the lead. A huge crash. A totaled redbull and a red flag. You felt the butterflies creeping up from your stomach to your throat. The race resumed and continued. Piastri was close to Charles, but not enough to threaten his position. It felt like time slowed down during the final lap. You had an earbud plugged in one ear and could hear Crofty's iconic last lap commentary.

The number 16 Ferrari flew past the checkered flag and fireworks flew out from the sides of the track. Charles' family members were already hugging each other and some of the team members who were there. But you didn't move. Tears were flowing down your face and a smile was etched on your face. The first person you moved to hug was Charlotte, the older woman was like an elder sister to you.

The camera's stream kept cutting from Charles out on the track to you and his family in the motorhome. Everyone quickly left the garage and made their way to parc ferme. You saw Charles pull up and stop in front of the 1st place stand. You watched from the back as he ran to his team, Arthur and Lorenzo pushed their way to the front. After getting weighed, the team moved to allow you to come to the front where Charles walked towards you.

Normally, you and Charles would keep the pda on the lesser side when cameras were around, but not this time. The forever smiling face, messy-haired and slightly teary-eyed boyfriend of yours pulled you directly into a powerful kiss. His left arm was around your back while his right hand was half on your face and half on your neck. You could hear and feel all the cameras going off around you.

Charles broke the kiss but kept your foreheads connected. You held both of his hands. "Tu l'as fait," (you did it) you repeated in all the languages you knew while nodding your head. You could see the tears welling up in his eyes again. He quickly blinked them away, "L'ho fatto," (i did it) he said in Italian quickly kissed you once again before hugging you.

You stood below the podium and watched as he received the trophy he had been waiting his entire life for. You were still crying. The tears would not stop, and they only got worse when Charles made eye contact with you after he was presented with the medal. He mouthed the words I love you. So much. Thank you. You could only hold your hand to your heart in response.

After Monaco

Even after a full day, you could still smell the fragrance of champagne wafting off of Charles.

You and Charles had celebrated his win on Sunday night in a club. He was practically glued to your side the entire night. No matter who he was talking to, either he did it while having an arm around you or holding your hand. By the end of the night, you were left with a very clingy and very drunk boyfriend. With Joris's help, you got Charles into the car. He drove the both of you home.

Back at the apartment, Charles seemed to have sobered up a bit after you made him eat some food.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Charles was lying down on the bed and was lovingly staring at you.

"All the time," you answered while changing for the night.

You finished changing and joined Charles in bed. Leo who was previously perched near Charles' feet climbed onto you and snuggled up on your chest.

Charles got your attention by saying your name, "I want you to understand what I mean when I say this. I love you. I appreciate you so much, even I cannot comprehend it. You have supported me throughout my years in Formula 1 and Formula 2. You have stood by me all these years, even when you had to sacrifice your job and sleep schedule for me. Je veux que vous compreniez la profondeur de ce que je dis." (i want you to understand the depth of what i am saying).

His eyes kept moving around but eventually rested on your face. He looked into your eyes when he finally spat out what he truly wanted to say.

"Mon cœur, mon âme, ma vie, je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec toi. Veux-tu m'épouser?" (My heart, my soul, my life, i want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?)

I took you a second to process what Charles said. You looked down and saw him holding a simple gold band with three small diamonds set in it. His free arm was laid across your stomach under Leo, who woke up when he sensed his mom feeling strong emotions.

Tears filled your eyes, your heart began beating faster and you were sweating a bit. Leo moved to the bed and was now licking the tears that fell from your eyes. You felt like you couldn't speak, but you very much knew what your answer was.

Before Monza

The summer break was perfect. You used your paid leave and were fully able to enjoy your time with the entire family. The photos of Leo that Charles posted to his instagram were adored by the fans. Your insta account remained private, but you still posted the dog nonetheless.

Neither of you announced the engagement just yet, wanting to keep it to yourselves for a while. Fans got curious when they saw a new ring around that special finger after Charles' win in Monaco, but since it was quite simple and small, they thought nothing much of it. You were known for wearing many different rings on the same finger, so people thought it was just another ring you fancied.

Unfortunately, after your long break, you were required to come back to the office for a few days for important meetings with the higher-ups of your company. That meant you missed the race in Zandvoort and Charles podium. But you made it up to him by joining him in Monza, his adopted home race.

Walking in the streets of Monza with a loved Ferrari driver was always quite the experience. Leo loved the attention from all the fans, he was a born extrovert. You and Charles had lunch at one of your favourite restaurants. The both of you sat in a relatively private section of the restaurant.

"I missed you at Zandvoort," Charles said before eating a morsel of his favourite pasta. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I tried to leave as early as I could, but by the time the meeting finished it made no sense to come," you said wishing you could have been there for him. Ever since Monaco, the team had been struggling. It brought back painful flashbacks of 2022 and 2023.

Things were not the best between you and Charles during the week you were out for work. The timings never seemed to match, when he had the energy to talk you were too burnt out, and doing all of this while also planning a wedding was not easy. It put a small strain on your relationship which seemed like it was reaching its breaking point during this weekend.

During Monza

You spent the rest of the week working. In between the free practice sessions, you were spotted with a pair of blue-light glasses on and bent over your laptop and a notebook. Leo was either sleeping in his carrier by your feet or was with Arthur or Lorenzo.

You barely saw Charles the entire weekend. He was either busy with his engineer and strategist or was filming content. It only made the strain in your relationship even worse and left Rebecca having to hear your side of it for most of the weekend considering both the boys were quite busy.

It was only before qualifying that you managed to get a moment with Charles at all.

"Charles, I know this is an important race for you, but we need to talk," you sternly said leaving no room for arguments. Charles was about to protest but you simply pulled him by the arm to his drivers room.

"Pourquoi tu ne me parles pas?" (why are you not talking to me?) you folded your arms while facing him. "You have been avoiding me ever since Thursday!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were too tired and 'fagged out' to want to talk," he replied sarcastically and with air quotes. "Je ne comprends pas pourquoi tu dois te comporter comme ça!" (I don't get why you have to behave like that!) Charles started walking around angrily and went off rattling away in French at such a fast pace you could not understand what he was saying.

"Just stop!" you yelled. "Just tell me why you are angry at me," you said, softer this time, almost in defeat.

"I don't like it when you are so busy with your work that you do not have time for us," Charles whispered after a long pause.

"And how do you think I feel when you are so busy with your work? I am required to go to the office at least every six months. You travel around the world every other week. You have less free time than I do, but have you heard me complain? So, instead of getting angry that I had to leave for one week to discuss plans for the company's future with the CEO, you should be happy that it was only one week out of the 52 in a year."

By the time you finished speaking, Charles had his hands over his face and was standing quite far from you. He whispered something inaudibly. With a confused look on your face, you moved closer to your fiancé. Upon feeling your body heat in the cold room, he removed his hands from his face and repeated his words.

I'm sorry.

The both of you wrapped yourselves in an embrace and for 5 minutes were only apologising and promising to do better in the future. You left the room after giving him a kiss. You headed down to the garage wanting to watch quali with Arthur who was watching Leo while you worked.

The timer began the countdown into Q1. Normally you would've been feeling quite nervous, but you were distracted by the charming british singer sitting next to you. Being a young girl during the height of One Direction was something else entirely. Your childhood dreams of meeting your favourite singer from the famous boyband had now come true.

Soon it was time for Q3 and you got a photo with Louis who by the time Q3 began, just like the rest of the world, fell in love with Leo and his photos. Charles put in great laps, but ended up only p4 alongside Russel.

Charles finished with his media duties and met up with you inside the motorhome. You were on a work call when he walked into the room. Leo was in the corner of the room scarfing down his food as if he hadn't eaten in years, his ears flopping all over the place.

You cut the call frustrated, removing your glasses from your face and placing them on your head. "Est-ce que tu vas bien?" (are you good?) he asked while holding you from the side and kissing your temple. You nodded and just packed up your things while Charles gathered his things as well.

The grandstands were filled with a sea of red and occasional yellow. Your outfit consisted of only red, yellow and black. Charles had left for the paddock earlier, so you made plans to have breakfast with Rebecca and leave for the paddock together.

You walked around before the race with Leo on the leash in front of you, Rebecca by your side. "So, how is wedding planning going?" she asked, her beautiful scottish accent making you smile. "We are still looking at venues. All we know is that it's going to be sometime in August of next year."

The drivers would soon be called for the national anthem. So, you went back to the Ferrari garage looking for your soon-to-be husband. You found him sitting next to Arthur, water bottle in hand. Leo instantly ran towards him and began climbing up his dad.

"Just do your best. Give it your all. Je t'aime tellement." (i love you so much) you sent Charles off with a hug. Leo was fast asleep in his carrier, so you joined Arthur down in the garage. You put on the large red headphones and waved at the camera when you saw yourself on the broadcast.

Halfway through the race, it hit you that Charles could possibly win. It was a stretch considering he was attempting a one-stopper. But as lap after lap went by the possibility of that dream coming true seemed more and more likely. His tires were probably gonna look like chewed-up bubblegum by the end of the race, but if he managed them just right...

He did it. He fucking did it. The roar of the Tifosi was stronger than ever. Unlike his last win, this time you were not seated. You were jumping up and down, cheering as loud as you could, matching the energy of the Ferrari team members around you. Some of them hugged you.

While Charles was finishing his cool-down lap, the mechanics and other team members rushed out to greet Charles in parc ferme. You stayed close to Arthur, knowing that you could possibly get pushed in the wrong direction. With a hand around your back, he guided you to the front where you could see the beautiful red car pull up.

Charles came running toward the team, moving quickly to try and hug everyone possible. As he moved from Arthur to hug you, from the corner of your eyes you could see more cameras making their way towards you. FLASH! And that was how one of the iconic photos of Monza 2024 was born. Charles' arms wrapped around you and he had his visor up, his eyes filled with so much emotion. You were smiling widely in the photo and had your hands on either side of his helmet. But the part that made the photo iconic was that your left hand was facing the camera, and in that, you had tucked away all of your fingers except the one with your engagement ring.

Winning the Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver is always special, so you watched the podium celebration from inside the motorhome, wanting him to enjoy the moment with the team and the Tifosi to the fullest.

After Monza

For the next two days, the streets of Monza were filled with Ferrari flags being either hung from somewhere or people waving them around. It seemed like every other Italian was asking for an autograph from Charles or a photo with him. But it wasn't just Charles and Ferrari who were the talk of town. So were you.

That photo of you and Charles just after the race had gone viral. At first, people were freaking out, wondering if the two of you were really engaged or if it was a joke. Only when Charles reposted the photo to his story did fans really start freaking out.

Congratulations were pouring out of everyone's mouth who had seen the photo or heard of the news. You didn't mean for the news to overshadow Charles' incredible win on 38-lap old tires. But it didn't. As a matter of fact, the win and engagement news gelled well together, neither taking away from the other.

The night before the team would be heading to Maranello you and Charles laid in the hotel bed, Leo fast asleep on his own bed. "I'm sorry for not asking if you'd be fine with me announcing our engagement," you said in a soft voice while drawing shapes on his torso. Charles, who had you wrapped around his side, kissed your forehead and said, "Je suis content que tu l'aies fait," (I am glad you did it).

The next morning Charles posted a photo of a formal dinner the two of you had with not just his but also your family where the engagement was announced. Of course, Leo was in the center of the photo.

A/n - honestly idk what i even wrote. i am tired af and just needed to get this out of my system. Hope you enjoyed reading🩵

[keerysfreckles]

how do i tell you? — OP81

pairing: oscar piastri x gn!reader (one mention of reader wearing heels but you can just skip it)

summary: oscar's favorite ways to show you he loves you.

warnings: i had a vision, i started yapping, i couldn't stop (sorry not sorry!)

a/n: pls let mclaren get their strategies right in hungary 🙏🙏

masterlist !

⋆ ˚ ｡ ⋆ ୨୧ ˚

three years ago when you started dating oscar, you noticed he had quiet but meaningful ways of showing you he cares and loves you.

lately you've noticed he has his favorites.

¹

you had dragged oscar with you to the mall, since your best friend came down with the flu over the weekend. he agreed, happy he was able to spend more time with you over the summer break.

after you exited the first store, he insisted on carrying your two bags, full of new clothes and accessories.

"are you sure?"

"positive," he sends you a warm smile, after taking the bags out of your hands.

"i could carry at least one you know," you try to reason.

he responds by sliding his hand into your own, "doesn't mean you have to."

now every time he joins you for a shopping trip, big or small, he always carries your bags. doesn't matter if it's one, or up to seven. he always tells you his hands or arms don't hurt from the weight, considering the training he does. you simply react by kissing his cheek whenever he takes a bag. a win-win, if you ask oscar.

²

every race weekend your able to attend, oscar and you are attached at the hip.

if he's walking into the paddock for media day? you're walking with him, hand in hand. (once he carried you on his back because of rain. he was worried your heels would get ruined!)

he just wants company while walking to go tell zak or andrea something? he wants you to be there with him.

he's eating lunch with lando and their managers? he's positive you'll be there in less than five minutes, once you notice he's not in his driver's room.

you wait at the egde of the stage during fan zones. the biggest smile adorning your face as you watch oscar and lando answer ridiculous questions from fans. your heart warms whenever someone asks about you two. with a picture displayed on the screen behind the boys, usually from your recent instagram posts, featuring oscar.

nine out of ten times during races you're found in the mclaren garage. the other one time you're most likely in oscar's driver's room. the team even got you your own pair of papaya headphones.

² ½

whenever oscar is in the garage, he's always near you.

secretly, the admin of the mclaren account loves it. he always seems to snap pictures and take videos of you two together. recently, he's gotten three moments on film that the fans absolutely adore.

once was during one of the practices. oscar and lando were both told to wait for the rain to stop, so they could get clean laps in. meaning everyone was just waiting in the warmth of the garage.

oscar was sitting down in a chair, with a few mechanics beside him, as they listened to lando yap about whatever his brain could think of in the moment.

you walk over to oscar, giving him his water bottle as you stand beside him. he silently thanks you by leaning his head against your stomach. you can't help but smile and run your fingers through his hair, as you're now stuck listening to lando's nonsense.

another instance the admin was happy to be in the right place at the right time, was right after a race.

oscar had started in fifteenth position after having a bad qualifying due to extreme winds. he managed to turn the double digit place start into a podium, as he parked in front of the third place sign.

as soon as oscar got out of his car, you were pretty sure you were screaming the loudest for the australian. after getting weighed, he ran right towards you. the team around you two couldn't help but swoon as you wrapped your arms tightly around oscar's neck. you saw oscar's squished cheeks and crinkled eyes through his open visor, and took the opportunity to kiss his nose through the small space. (that picture is pinned on the opeightyone account, due to oscar's request.)

³

oscar loves waking up next to you. his arms are always wrapped around you, whether your facing him or not. he wants nothing more than the feel your warmth, and the comfort of his bed, as he starts his day.

as soon as he wakes up he pulls your body into him, instantly making you the little spoon. it doesn't always wake you up, and even if it does you never mind.

"osc," you groggily giggle as his hands roam over your stomach under his borrowed shirt.

in response the boy shoves his face into your neck. he makes sure to remind you how warm that body part is, and if he could get buried there he would. you always laugh, never believing him. even if this is your routine almost every morning.

"can we just lay in bed all day?" oscar asks, his voice slightly mumbled from his mouth pressing against your skin.

"i thought you and lando has plans today," you remind him, only to hear him groan.

"i can just cancel. tell him i'm sick or something."

you turn around in oscar's arms, sleep still very evident in his eyes. but he still looks at you as if you're his whole world.

"he's one of your best mates. you can't just cancel last minute."

he starts to make up another excuse, but you're quick to beat him to it by bringing your lips to his.

he simply places his head back in the crook of your shoulder and neck. you shiver as his nose brushes lightly over your skin.

"ten more minutes," he states.

you silently agree by running your fingers through his hair. a habit you've picked up over the past few weeks. a habit oscar can definitely get used to.

⁴

the most meaningful way oscar has shown you he loves you happened last week. the gesture hasn't left your mind, and you can't help but get all giddy inside just thinking about it.

every time your parents come into town, they always take you and oscar out for a nice dinner. they both absolutely adore oscar. they always have, since you introduced him to them on your second day of ninth grade grade. they only loved the boy more once you two started dating. they saw how much you two loved each other, and it reminded them of how they acted when they were younger.

tonight was no different as oscar opened your door for you, walking in behind your parents to enter the restaurant your father picked on the way here.

you and oscar sat on one side of the table, with your parents sitting on the other. your mother noticed the loving eyes oscar would send your way when you told a story, or when you were just listening to something silly your father was explaining.

the night went on nicely, and you were about to finish and pay for your meals. you suddenly dropped your fork when something loud crashed from behind you. servers began picking up the trays and smashed plates and bowls, while you leaned over to pick up your fork from the floor.

oscar was quick to reach his hand towards the corner of the table, covering the sharp edge. he continued on with the conversation with your parents as you began to sit back up right.

your heart warmed immensely at the action oscar seemed to do so naturally. you placed your hand over his, rubbing your thumb across his knuckles, silently thanking him before he moved his hand into his lap. yours of course staying intertwined with his.

[vivwritesfics]

lando with girlfriend who races for mercedes but got into a crash and was in coma, but she finally wakes up

This picture does stuff to me

(set 2024)

Second part HERE

"Holy shit," Lando said as he watched his girlfriend walk onto the grid. He watched as she walked over, racing overalls low on her hips, black fireproofs adorning her body.

Lando licked his lips as she stood beside him and Oscar, leaning against the barrier with her arms folded over her chest. "Wow, baby," he said, staring at her.

"Like what you see?" She grinned.

Lando said nothing. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Tell Toto I like the black fire proofs."

It was Y/N's first season in Formula One, her first race too. She was the F2 champion two years running before Mercedes finally gave her a chance. She'd been with Lando since her F2 days, after they'd met in Monaco after the Grand Prix.

"Excited?" Oscar asked as he watched them.

Yes, Y/N was excited. But she'd never been on the track with her boyfriend, had never had to fight him before. Neither of them knew what they were going to do. They both hoped they would treat each other like any other driver, but the rest of the grid was doubtful.

"Very," she said to Oscar as she leaned her head on Lando's shoulders. "I'll blow you both a kiss when I come speeding past, lapping you ."

She had done extremely well for her first qualifying in F1, qualifying on the second row. Lando was 6th through a mistake in Q3 and Oscar was pack in 9th after he got his times deleted.

It was amazing, driving behind a three time world champion and a second time world champion. Y/N did her absolute best, holding her position.

And then Checo Perez tried his luck. He went around the outside of Y/N on turn one. But he didn't leave enough space, hitting her wheel pretty bad and sending her spinning into the barriers at such a high speed. But the car didn't just hit the barrier and bounce off. It hit the barrier and kept going, ripping off chunks of the car and sending them flying.

It wasn't too terrifying at first. It was still scary, though, Y/N's first race and her first big crash in F1. To make things worse it wasn't even her fault. She was having such a good race, doing everything she should have, and then Checo Perez fucked it all up for her.

As chunks of the car got ripped away by the barrier, the Mercedes team was still pretty sure she'd make it out. But then a piece of debris bit the wheel and shot up into the ear, coming back down and hitting the top of Y/N's helmet.

Suddenly, things were scary. The car came to a stop, pieces of it all over the track. "Y/N, are you okay?" Asked her engineer.

She didn't respond.

"Y/N? If you can hear me, please say something?"

Again, nothing. The Mercedes team were beginning to get worried.

***

"Red flag, Lando. That's a red flag," said Lando's engineer.

"What happened?" He asked as everybody pulled into the pitlane.

His engineer took a minute to answer. The team didn't know what was best, to tell Lando and have him freaking out, or to let him find out on his own.

"Uh, there's a Mercedes with some damage," the engineer said.

Lando's face went pale inside of his helmet. He knew the car in front of him was Hamilton, meaning the only other Mercedes on the track was...

Lando parked the car in the pitlane, the same as everybody else. He immediately climbed out of the car and started running. His engineer and the McLaren team tried to stop him, but Lando was still running. It was hot inside of his helmet, but nothing was going to stop him.

When Lando got down there, she still hadn't been pulled from the car, the debris was being removed, but Y/N wasn't. "Baby!" He shouted and ran over.

The stewards tried to hold him back, but Lando pushed them away. He began trying to pull her out of his car. As soon as they saw what he was doing they began helping him, pulling Y/N's limp body out of the car.

Limp, but not lifeless. At least, that was what the paramedics said as they lifted her into the ambulance.

Lando didn't want to attend the rest of the race. He couldn't concentrate as he waited for the race to restart. "Let Pato drive," he mumbled as he waited for news from the hospital. Nothing, and that was making him so fucking worried.

[anneapocalypse]

On the role of outsiders.

One thing I think makes the Scions' relationship with Wuk Lamat unique isn't that they're mentoring her--I don't really see it as a mentor relationship and for various reasons I think it's better for it not to be that--but that, as outsiders, she finds that she can show vulnerability with them that she's only rarely been able to show with anyone else.

When we meet Wuk Lamat in 6.55, it's pretty heavily telegraphed that she's posturing a lot to cover up some personal weaknesses or insecurities. This made me really curious about her, who she was and what that overconfident demeanor was covering for. And when I got into Dawntrail and started getting to know her, I wasn't disappointed.

(No Wuk Lamat hate on this post, please. Any responses clearly trying to pick a fight will be removed and blocked without reply.)

Wuk Lamat has a couple of foils in this story, but a big one is Sphene, and I love @unmovingtroika's description of Sphene as "unpersoned to an extreme degree." And as a distorted mirror of our main character, Sphene reminds us that any person in a position of authority or heroism is depersonalized to some degree, no matter how down-to-earth or benevolent.

Gulool Ja Ja is really presented to us as very much a people's ruler, the charismatic blessed siblings who united the peoples of Tural through curiosity and open-mindedness and understanding. And that may be largely true, but it's also made of him a myth, a legend inscribed in stone and memory. Meanwhile in the course of Dawntrail's story we also meet the real person Gulool Ja Ja... at least, the one who's left. The man who has spent three years grieving his brother, his ever-present companion, the Reason to his Resolve, a man who for the sake of political stability has had to hide his grief and loneliness from even his own children, as he does his best to carry out the work they had begun together, and complete the Rite of Succession in his brother's absence. And if there are places where Gulool Ja Ja failed to foresee the potential negative outcomes to the Rite, like Bakool Ja Ja's actions endangering his people, we might see there in hindsight the Head of Reason's absence in the final stages of the Rite's preparation. And we see, in some of Zoraal Ja's anger and resentment and insecurity, a glimpse of the ways in which the people's Dawnservant might have failed his own son.

One of Wuk Lamat's early growth moments is when the Scions convince her that she doesn't need to try and hide her obvious seasickness--an affliction she can't help, and which represents no failure of character on her part but which is, well, embarrassing. I love that she seems to particularly connect with Alisaie, who's had her own experiences of feeling inadequate next to her sibling, and feeling the need to prove herself on her own terms.

Could Wuk Lamat have been convinced to drop the act by her allies if they weren't outsiders? The problem is that everyone else in Tural, even her own siblings, are the people she'll have authority over if she wins. Erenville frequently rolls his eyes at his old friend's posturing, and fairly so, but Wuk Lamat doesn't behave that way just because she's insecure. In the same way that her father has had to conceal the death of his brother even from his own children, Wuk Lamat recognizes the danger of showing weakness before the people she will have to rule--especially when she's already aware of her reputation as being less qualified than her brothers. But these outsiders from Eorzea are different. They're allies who will never be her subjects. In private moments, she can be a person with them. She can be vulnerable. She can be Lamaty'í.

(Incidentally, I think this is also why I found Sphene calling her Lamaty'i so unsettling. Initially it seems like a simple misunderstanding, an outsider mistaking a very personal nickname for someone's "public" name. But in the hindsight of what we learn about Sphene, I think it feels a lot worse. Sphene is, consciously or unconsciously, pushing past the walls of formality and reticence that necessarily exist around a ruler when interacting with most people--nevermind a foreign head of state whose intentions are unknown. She's positioning herself as a friend when she is not.)

As the story progresses, we learn the Wuk Lamat and Koana have always been close. Now, in the Rite of Succession, they must treat one another as rivals and can no longer share confidences--at least, at first. Koana's love and protectiveness of his sister emerges with a vengeance when Wuk Lamat is in danger--and I'd venture a guess that he, too, feels safer showing this sudden vulnerability before his allies and those of his sister, because again, they will never be his subjects. While we get only briefer glimpses of Koana's journey with Thancred and Urianger, I'd guess that their friendship has affected him in similar ways.

One of the benefits of blessed siblings is that they are never alone. They bring two perspectives to any situation, but they also have one another to confide in, to understand, to commiserate over the burdens of leadership in a way they can't with anyone else, not even family. Wuk Lamat and Koana taking on the role of Dawnservant together brings the benefit of their very different strengths and perspectives to their people. But it also means that neither must take on those burdens alone. When their allies depart, they will still have one another. There will always be someone at their side with whom they can just be a person.

The tragedy of Zoraal Ja is that he's evidently never had that kind of relationship with anyone. The myth of his seemingly miraculous birth has depersonalized him from the very start. All his life, he has carried the burden of living up to the expectations of the Resilient Son, and has never enjoyed the close relationship his brother and sister have with one another. To the very last, he attempts to live up to the legend alone--and he fails.

One of the biggest themes throughout Final Fantasy XIV is standing together. There is strength in companionship and cooperation, but for that strength to flourish, there must also be trust and vulnerability. Wuk Lamat and Koana ultimately find that in one another, as siblings and co-rulers, but the Scions play the important role of offering them an outsider's friendship in their journeys when they are cut off from one another, and would otherwise be alone. As Ketenramm and Galuf Baldesion once were to Gulool Ja Ja, the Scions to Wuk Lamat and Koana are neither mentors nor subjects, but companions and friends.

[applejuicebegood]

Best-friend!Dick Grayson HCs (Hero!Reader)

Fem!Reader

A/N: I haven't written anything for Mr. Grayson yet, I feel ashamed. This is based of the Young Justice Dick Grayson btw Masterlist

You met through the original Young Justice team. Both awkward tweens attempting to mirror the legacy of the Hero's the group was founded upon.

He was the unintentional balance between Kalders unrelenting seriousness and Wally's extreme extrorevtism. He could cancel out the chaos of Conner's fits of anger and Artemis's petty fights with Roy. He became your stability within this extremely unconventional friend group you had found yourself in.

Stripped of his family and a normal childhood, it was rare for Dick to grow confident in the stability of any relationship. Only, stability is what you embodied for him. You were like the serene guiding point in a crowd of uncontrollable teenage angst and anger.

In the early days of the team where Dick assumed the position of 'team-leader' was innately his, he would secretly mimic your intense control of not only your emotions but your abilities and skill to hopefully appear more qualified.

To him, your skill is battle was artful. You moved with a grace that he had never seen replicated in any dancer or gymnast that cycled through Haly's Circus. You were entrancing and almost addicting to watch. His footwork and faints becoming tighter and more effecting the more he watched you train, and eventually training with you.

It was how you initially grew close as teammates. Long sparing sessions where you're combat and skill was so perfectly reflecting off of each other. You both would stay on the training pad for hours, trying until you gave in to knock the other off of their feet. It appeared unless, you both were obviously equally matched in skill and fight IQ. With Wally and Megan taking bets on who would go down first, neither of them ever actually paid up since you both would have to tap out from pure exhaustion.

But it was the rush of understanding that made you train with Dick until you both couldn't feel your arms. It was the exhilarating thrill of knowing someone entirely understood your limits and skill as well as they knew their own.

And when it came time for Dick to have someone covering his blindspots, it was you with your back against his. You had spared and trained and bled so much together that your weaknesses and habits had become a second nature.

You knew Dick had a tendency to keep his kicks wider, putting him at a speed disadvantage to regain stability on his feet. Giving you more opportunity to keep his sides covered as he leapt back to cover your right, where he knew you had trouble keeping track of.

It wasn't just your synchronization that made you such a good pair, it was the tenderness you knew that the other needed afterwards.

After brutal missions where your knuckles would be caked with dried blood and the adrenaline high was making you too dizzy to think, Dick would slink his arm under yours and carry you back into the safety of the hideout. He would guide you to a bed, willing you to shut your eyes and breath deeply. He would lean his forehead against yours, having you match the pace of his breath to level your nerves.

He hated it when other people would treat your injuries and he wasn't there. This scared, paranoid part of him had to be present with you. He needed to have his hand open for your to hold in a vice grip as Megan dug the bullet from your leg. He needed to be sitting by your shoulder as you slept, the oxygen mask fixed over your face, so that when you woke up- it could be Dick smothering you in his arms as he silently sobbed against your shoulder. So happy that you hadn't left him just yet.

And as much as he worried about you and the team, it felt good to worry. It felt good to have so many people he cared for and needed to keep safe.

He helps wrap and clean your hands before and after missions. Smoothing his thumbs over the tightness of your calloused palm. He smiles as you groan in relief as he works out a stubborn knot.

Your his sister in everything but blood. His reminder that he was able to find another family after his was taken.

It's funny in that his last memories with his mother was her asking him if he wanted a sibling. Dick liked to think that she, where-ever her soul rested, pre-determined your presence in his life. That she still managed to give him a sibling.

When you were both still young teenagers, you encouraged him to try for the Gotham High gymnastics team. Thinking that it would be good to separate that part of himself from hero-work. Of course he made the team. And of course you would always be front row to everyone of his competitions. Your voice would hurt from how loud you cheered and screamed as the gold metals were hung around his neck.

He treats birthdays and other holidays very seriously. He's got a list for everyone on the team of things they said they needed or liked. His gifts are so personal and sweet but it's the cards that make you tear up.

Being Hero's from such a young age, both of you struggled with really bad nightmares. It was common when the two of you were 14 for Dick to tap on your bedroom door late at night. His eyes wide and his raven hair tousled across his tight forehead. You didn't have to say anything to each other, at least not until the morning. You would pull back your covers and pat the space beside you, his weight making the mattress dip. You both would lay there, looking up at the ceiling until his weak, hoarse voice would break the silence. 'Can I hold your hand?' You nodded, settling on your side. You poked your open palm out from the covers, waisting for him to lace his fingers over your knuckles. He finally let out a relived sigh, shutting his eyes as he squeezed your hand in a thank you you knew he couldn't say.

He snorts when he laughs, something only you know about since you have been one of the only ones to make him laugh so hard. You find it insanely adorable.

Slightly overprotective. He really hates it when you're out late at night and you haven't texted. A smaller, traumatized part of his assuming the worst. He likes to keep his shoulder close to yours if your walking down a busy street together, or his hand hanging behind your upper back if your making your way through a thick crowd.

You quite literally grew up together. You were there for every embarrassing fumble in conversations and violent breakdown. You were there, side by side, when you got your highschool diplomas and when you immediately had to stop a drug trade right after the ceremony. You were there through everything, and Dick is going to try his absolute hardest to make sure your there for the rest of it.

[drvscarlett]

About You Pt 8

Sebastian Vettel x Webber!Reader

Summary: Everyone knows about the history of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But there's a well kept story within the paddock about Sebastian Vettel and another Webber. This is that story.

About You Series

A/N: if you are a mark webber fan, im sorry its for the plot. Also expect a double update because I'll put up Chapter 9 tomorrow!!!

Taglist: @spideybv28@randomcuboidshape @mehrmonga @casperlikej @cliosunshine @honethatty12 @randomgirlnumber-13 @sugyomama @ririyulife @skywalker1dream @vicurious28 @khaylin27 @0710khj @its-elias-world @vizzzashley @allisonwoods @taytaylala12 @miarabanana @ceciii-b @lindsayjoy444

2011, Hungaroring

Ever since Y/N could remember, Mark was always the one taking care of her. Big brother Mark who would pick her up from school, Big brother Mark who gives her ice cream after a dentist appointment and all that stuffs. It was that reason why Y/N has opted to fly all over different countries to aid and support him in his quest of being the best driver in the world.

There are moments that Y/N wishes that she could have that big brother back but no moment has been much more pressing when she woke up with a pounding headache and a burning feeling.

This was the first time that she got sick without Mark by her side. She reached out her phone and her fingers hovered to press Mark’s number but she hesitated. Y/N was not sure if Mark was okay especially with his crash during free practice and he wasn’t able to get a good spot for qualifying—it is most likely that Mark is already resting. She also knows that Mark is still very upset with her and they haven’t been in speaking terms for almost two months already.

So she calls the other number she knows will pick up.

“Can’t a person get some sleep”Sebastian was half-awake and half-asleep.

“Seb?” Y/N’s voice was weak “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to disturb but I don’t know who else to call”

Sebastian immediately stood up upon hearing the voice of Y/N. There was something different about it and it made him extremely worried.

“What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

“I’m having a fever and I just need some medicines”Y/N explained

“Okay, don’t worry. I got this”Sebastian assures “I’m going to the pharmacy and pick up some medicines. Anything else?”

"Just some medicines and then I have everything covered"

Y/N must be joking if she thinks that Sebastian would simply leave her alone by herself. He was already listing down everything that Y/N might need and already including her in his schedule today.

It didn't matter if Sebastian are a few hotels away from Y/N's. He was willing to sneak to be caught into enemy's territory if its Y/N on the line. It didn’t even matter for Sebastian that he is in a foreign country and has no idea where a pharmacy is. Let alone mind that it was currently 4 in the morning and there was not much stores open at this early hour.

Y/N drifted to sleep while waiting for Sebastian. She had no idea what time it was when she woke up but the sun was shining brightly and she could feel a cool towel on her forehead.

“Mark?” she asked on instinct

“Just Seb here” Seb corrects “No need to worry, I have everything here for you”

True enough, the bedside table has been cleared of unnecessary stuffs. The medicines were neatly arranged and a small bowl with a damp towel was carefully prepared. Sebastian also took the liberty of ordering room service for Y/N to eat because medicines shouldn’t be taken with an empty stomach.

“I’m sorry for waking you up”Y/N mutters

“You don’t have to worry about a thing, I am here for you okay?”

Y/N sits up and Sebastian helped her get into a comfortable position. She genuinely appreciates the effort that Sebastian did for her and at the same time she feels slightly guilty that he must babysit her.

“I think I’ll be fine on my own. I just need the medicines and all that”Y/N reasoned out “You have the race in a few hours and Red Bull might kill me if their driver is fatigued”

But Sebastian shakes his head in disagreement.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. I am here to take care of you as long as I could”Sebastian assures

“But the race?”

“The race is not until 3pm, I can leave the hotel at 12 noon to get ready” Sebastian quips back.

A grateful smile graced on Y/N’s face as she couldn’t fathom how she was so lucky to have Sebastian by her side.

2011, Marina Bay Street Circuit

Christian Horner was in a good mood after they secured the championship for constructor and the driver's. It was not even the end of the season and they can actually pop the champagne and celebrate their impending victory. Truly, Red Bull's dominance was here to stay.

As a treat, he asked to meet with the two Red Bull drivers for dinner. Sebastian immediately accepted while Mark politely declined. Christian could not even fathom how the bloke feels with him missing the championship twice in a row so he lets him be. Upon learning that Mark wasn't joining then Sebastian asked him if he could invite the other Webber.

For Christian, Y/N was like one of his own. Even if she swapped teams, she was still welcome to the garage. It was no issue for Christian.

And so he finds himself seated with Sebastian and Y/N for dinner time.

"So how is McLaren treating you? I hope things aren't too bad there"Christian wondered as he cuts up his steak.

"It's definitely different from what I'm used to but I manage"Y/N smiles.

"Still not in good terms with Mark?"

Christian may act blind but he sees everything. He knows how there is a huge problem between the Webber siblings. He wished he could mediate and stop Mark from firing Y/N but Mark is as stubborn as he can get.

The female Webber just give him a sad smile and it conveyed a lot for the Team Principal.

"I hope he comes around"Christian voiced out "The garage misses you, don't you like to be in a winning garage?"

"C'mon, McLaren is also trying their best"Sebastian teased.

"Well we're still working ion it but Jenson and Lewis are trying their best with the car's maximum capacity"Y/N assures.

"Yeah, I kind of miss Jenson's competitiveness in a Brawn"Sebastian chuckles.

As the Red Bull driver jest, Christian noticed how Sebastian's cutlery was on Y/N's plate. It was expertly removing the bell peppers and Christian scrunched up his face as he couldn't remember that Y/N requested for bellpeppers to be removed.

"You don't like bell peppers?"Christian asked "We could have it removed if you didn't want them"

"Oh don't worry about it"Y/N immediately answered "Sebastian likes bell peppers a little too much and I think its a common habit that he takes bell peppers from my plate"

Huh, Christian says to himself. That was something new that he learns from the German driver and it was a sweet gesture from Y/N.

As the dinner progressed, Christian couldn't help but notice how the two were in synch with how they order their food and share them with each other. Its like watching a married couple but Christian knows that if he brings this up then the two will go around with their bullshit that they are just friends.

For Christian, there is bound to be a good relationship between the two of them. It would be impossible to not have a good one especially when they are willing to swap dishes with one another or share a dessert together. He honestly thinks that he should have brought a partner of his own so he wouldn't feel too much of a third wheel.

At least, this would be a good story for the team principal to recount when the two get married.

2011, Suzuka Circuit

There was a sea of navy erupting into cheers when Sebastian parked at the parc ferme. The cheers were in different languages and he couldn't even decipher every single one of them. He proceeds to run to his team at the barricade who is awaiting for him and he felt like crying for a wonderful season.

At the end of a barricade, there was a woman dressed in orange and white. It clearly stood up from the rows of navy colored gear. Sebastian didn't miss this opportunity to go to her and give her a bone crushing hug.

"You did it, you did it again"Y/N was ecstatic.

It was a joy for Sebastian to finally celebrate with her. He pictured this happening in Abu Dhabi last year but circumstances prevented him from doing so. He lifts up his helmet and then he gave her his helmet.

"I have something to tell you" he whispered close.

He prays that she can hear him from all the loud noises in the paddock.

"Can't you tell me now?"

"This is important, meet me at Red Bull garage after the podium"Sebastian instructs.

Y/N nods and Sebastian called upon Britta to usher Y/N to the safety of the Red Bull garage. He wanted to make sure that Y/N is perfectly safe and he could see her right away after the whole interviews as well as the podium.

This was the perfect timing to tell her exactly how he feels.

Meanwhile, Britta navigates Y/N back to the familiar Red Bull garage. The younger Webber was confused of what Sebastian wanted to say that is so important that he has to say it in private.

Could it be, she thought about the possibility.

"Britta isn't there anything that you can tell me about Sebastian's weird behavior?"Y/N begged.

"I'm sworn to secrecy" Britta giggled.

Of course Britta knows. She also knows that this is all that Sebastian has been looking forward to in the Japan GP. Britta was the only other person besides Sebastian himself that he would ask her out if he wins his second championship in Japan. She is trying her best to contain her emotions because Y/N seems to be so confused about the whole situation.

"Oh just tell me now, I'm getting so anxious with all of this secrecy-"

"Y/N? What are you doing here"another Australian accent filled the air.

The gears in Britta's head were already turning because this has been the first encounter of the siblings in months and here she was in the middle of it.

"Didn't know I need permission to be here" Y/N responded cooly.

"I think you should especially when you are from the enemy's side" Mark spat.

"Now, I'm an enemy?"

"You moved to McLaren, what are we supposed to do?"

"You fucking fired me"Y/N defended herself "I need a job to sustain myself"

The tension between Mark and Y/N is at its peak. Mark looked like he regretted the things he said but his pride has prevented him to admit that he made a mistake. Y/N, on the other hand, is close to crying. Britta couldn't fathom how much pain Mark is putting Y/N in with his words.

"You should have left this world"Mark stated "You don't belong here"

Y/N dropped the helmet that she was holding. The tears immediately flowed out of her eyes because it was one thing to be constantly told that she doesn't belong in this field of motorsports. She encountered that daily with a lot with its male dominated community and she learned to tune it out. But its another thing to hear it from her own brother.

The tears were no longer because of sadness but pure hatred.

"You are a piece of fucking work Mark"words uttered were laced with venom.

Britta couldn't do anything as Y/N turned to leave in a hurry. She wished she could do something other than glare daggers at Mark and plot the worst kind of PR treatment possible.

Sebastian have to try another day because clearly Mark just ruined his chances today.

2011, Interlagos

Webber wins his first and last of the 2011 season in front of his family.

Dianne and Alan Webber flew all the way from Australia to Brazil to support Mark in his final race for the season. Much to their surprise,they witness Mark go into the top podium spot for the Sunday race. Both the parents are thrilled with Alan saying that "Mark is a very promising driver that is ready to challenge Sebastian for the coming years." Mark is also very grateful to his parents and dedicater the win to them during the post-race interview.

Fans noticed the lack of Y/N Webber during the celebrations. Rumor has it that the former Red Bull employee and now McLaren press officer, is not in good terms with her brother after her move to McLaren. She has been out sight through the whole weekend and she wasn't even spotted during the celebratory family dinner.

Webber siblings caught feuding with each other.

Sources say that the presence of Alan and Diane Webber was not merely to watch Mark race but negotiate between the feud of Mark and Y/N. It has been several months since we last saw Y/N anywhere near Mark and when asked during the interviews about her, Mark refused to answer that question. There is no clear reason how and why it started but everything leads back to Germany where Y/N first donned the orange-white colors of McLaren.

The paddock is currently circulating with a voice recording of a conversation between the two siblings in Mark's driver room. It seems as if Y/N tried to reach out with an olive tree by congratulating Mark but the Red Bull driver was not having it. The recording has been taken down and no one had a full transcript of the whole fight.

Sebastian has been nursing his drink for the past few hours. He knew that he had to be sober because clearly Y/N has a plan to drink the whole place down.

In all the years that Sebastian knew Y/N, he never saw her like this. It was weird how utterly shattered she was and she wouldn't even tell him what Mark said. She just wanted to drink her pain away.

"You should better stop or you'll regret it tomorrow"Sebastian reminded.

The girl raised a middle finger as she proceeds to drink another bottle of beer.

"What even is that point"

He was quite thankful that this was a private bar and no one seems to recognize them. He has already seen the articles and if the media got a whiff of this then it will be a field day for her.

"You can reconcile over the winter break,you live in the same house"Sebastian argues.

"Used to"Y/N clarifies "Used to live in the same house"

Sebastian was confused. He didn't know if this was sober Y/N talking or is this just plain drunkeness.

"They kicked me out. They say I'm a bad daughter, a bad sister, a bad person"Y/N spilled.

If he could only assure her that she is never any of those things, Sebastian would already have. However he knows that his words cannot compare to what she heard from her own flesh and blood. He just gives her a comforting hug to calm her.

"I don't know what to fucking say or do right"the sobbing comes now.

"There there"

It was a moment of silence except for Y/N's cries. It was already past 2 in the morning and the bar was almost empty so they were given the privacy that they need. Sebastian felt upset he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Where do you go now?"Sebastian asked.

He could offer a place back in Germany for her to stay or maybe somewhere near Milton Keynes.

"Michael and Corinna wanted me to stay with them"Y/N answers "And then maybe by January, I'll look for a place in London so its closer to work"

It must be a weird feeling for Y/N to be suddenly forced into this new situation and Sebastian knew how scared the girl must be.

"You'll be alright, you are not alone"

He holds her hand and Y/N leaned on his shoulder for balance.

Sebastian already resigned the idea that he will confess his feelings. There is clearly a lot on Y/N's plate right now and its not a good timing to add more to her worries. If having a good friend is what she needs then that's what Sebastian would be for the time being.

[flyingcakeee]

Friendly little post of what to expect from the Chinese GP next week!

Our 1st of 6 sprint races this season:

Drivers will have 1 practice session to get acquainted to the track before the sprint shootout(quali). Next day, we start with the sprint race and then move onto the actual qualifying. Finally, race on Sunday as usual.

What does this mean?

If an accident or issue happens on track during the FP session, drivers will lose out on the only practice time they have. Drivers also must be careful not to damage their cars in practice or the sprint race lest they run the risk of not making either qualifyings. This will be extremely important for the three teams who don't possess a spare chassis.

Surface repavement!

The track surface has been repaved in order to prevent any unwanted bumps in the track from hurting these cars and provide a smoother ride.

What does this mean?

Any possibility of rain can make the track super dangerous, paired with the absolute lack of rubber on the track these cars provide. A repaved track can be your gateway into red flagged sessions over track issues or accidents if a driver pushes a bit too hard on a low rubbered area of track.

Note: the rubber that comes off the tyres are essential for grip, hence why you see faster times being posted later in sessions as more rubber is laid down and grip rises.

An interesting and for a few, new, layout!

China is a very interesting circuit with 2 long straights, two slow speed and tight first turns, and very few true high speed turns. On top, there is only 2 DRS zones placed back to back with the straights really close to each other. On top of this, 4 current drivers have not ever driven this track before (minus sim). Those drivers are Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Yuki Tsunoda, and Zhou Guanyu (not only his home race, but his home city race as he is from Shanghai!). No reserve driver besides Antonio Giovinazzi of Ferrari has driven this circuit either as Mick Schumacher just missed out due to covid.

What does this mean?

The teams that lack straight line speed may struggle significantly within the first few laps before the back essentially falls apart if they are not able to utilize the 16 turns as their aid. On the contrary, teams who may be stronger at straight line speed could see the turns really hurt them and they'd need to utilize these two straights to the best of their abilities.

However, the most important part about this track is the first and last turns. Usually you'll always see action within the first few turns of a track. At the Shanghai circuit, turns 1-3 is a very tight hairpin-esque turn which not only curls in on itself before turning to a tight turn the opposite direction, it will maybe be the first place we see any action or even none at all. However, our last 3 turns may also be of interest as well. Turn 14-15 is a combined turn like the first 3, however not as tight. This means that this is essentially the hairpin on the track and if a driver makes a move further down the long straight, their approach and exit out of this turn will cement their position, at least for the time being. Turn 16 is a somewhat sharp turn that will see any finishing or comeback moves for the hairpin, especially since the DRS detection point is right before the turn. At the end of this tiny straight, as well, is the pit entry where we could see drama arise with any miscommunication if there is any (it is the more extended out version of the Belgian/Spa pit entry).

Weather forecast?

Currently, it's too early to tell with conflicting reports of either up to 70% rain for the whole weekend, 55% for Friday and Saturday, and a dry weekend.

What does this mean?

Well, we have yet to see how any car performs in wet weather with comparisons to each other, especially because if a practice session is wet but a race isn't, you're less likely to see cars leave the garage. Unfortunately for the teams, this won't be possible in China due to the fact the surface is new and for 4 teams, the track is new to the driver as well.

Speaking of new surface, any rain could make the surface extra slippery than anticipated due to the fact standing water and a track not worn in yet would make it's appearance.

Keep an eye out on the weather as we get closer!

Extra info!

There haven't been any ground effect era cars to ever race this circuit meaning no driver knows exactly what to expect from their car's performance on this track.

Alexander Albon, Lando Norris, and George Russell have only driven on this track once meaning that McLaren and Williams are the least prepared driver wise as both Albon and Norris have teammates who've never driven the circuit before.

China has a lot of grandstands which they don't use for people and instead advertisement because they didn't have enough people attending. Look out for some interesting advertisement placement!

Zhou Guanyu will be the first Chinese driver to take on a Chinese circuit in F1! And not only was Zhou Guanyu born in China, he was born in Shanghai which is the very city this track is held in. This means him and Charles Leclerc are the only drivers to be able to race in the city they were born in. (Edit: Completely forgot that, yes, Oscar Piastri and Lance Stroll both have a home city race)

There is a lot of talk buzzing around in the paddocks surrounding seat changes and whatnot. There may be more news after the 2 Chinese races.

[etoilesbienne]

re: boundaries

I've made many posts previously on this subject already, so people are already aware of my stance regarding disliking the way "boundaries" as a concept are used by the mcyt fandom, however I want to have a brief meditation on why this is the case, and a look at common arguments about them.

however i do want to make clear that i don't mind boundaries as a concept, actual boundaries. as in "if you do x, i will respond with y" kinds of boundaries. I think cc are completely fair and understandable in this kind of perspective. if someone makes a kind of content they dislike, they're free to block that fan or express discomfort over it. That's normal.

my critical eye is turned toward the fandom's perception of "boundaries" as a sort of fandom ruleset, either you follow them with the in-group, or you're thrown in the out-group and labelled all sorts of insults, anywhere from a criminal offender to just having people be plain nasty toward you. this in my opinion, really feeds into the fandom habit of having "cliques" as fandoms are social networks that are voluntarily joined. i find it juvenile at best.

at worst, on the other hand, is the concept of mcyt having mixed in kpop stan culture around 2019 with smplive (great server. horrific fandom at the time it was run. all of the smplive fans still left are veterans worthy of respect for surviving that.), which caused a very explosive mixture.

kpop fandom has this outlook and parasociality toward idols because these idols are borderline unreachable. even in smaller groups, companies generally (not always.) discourage idols from talking one-on-one selectively with fans. there deserves to be a more thorough examination of kpop fandom with stan culture, that i believe i am not fully qualified for. my point is that kpop idols are a hell of a lot harder to reach for english fans, whether through language barrier or through professionality done by companies.

the explosive mixture is bringing this same mentality - the mentality that these people you look toward as the main source of the fandom as being untouchable, perfect people. it's dehumanizing in its own right, but aside from that, it creates a dangerous fandom situation. as best shown using smplive with CallMeCarson from before.

CMC is the origin point of boundaries within the MCYT fandom, having held a live in fall of 2019 talking about how a popular danganronpa themed wattpad smplive fanfiction was upsetting for him to read. CMC had an intense fanbase that could and would look up to him no matter what. of course the fanbase would go after and harass this author off of the internet and deleting their work (which remained lost media until this January of 2024. Almost half a decade.) after this situation, only months later it comes out that CMC had in fact been manipulating women aged 17 to early 20s, into sexual dms and sending him explicit photos of themselves for around a year. i am of the opinion CMC would have done this behavior regardless, however, the fact he had access to so many women who put him on a pedestal without considering he could exploit them was exacerbated by the stan culture mentality of mcyt's fandom at the time. this is not a criticism of the women, it is a criticism of the fandom culture of the time for failing to treat carson as a human being who had every capability to treat people like this.

no cc is exempt from that mentality by the fandom. carson knowingly used his position within the fandom to make the choice to do that to those girls. no cc should be exempt from the real possibility of the consideration that they can fuck up, not always in the way that they necessarily need to be cancelled or deplatformed, carson is an extreme example that is absolutely not representative of cc as a whole, but there needs to be a healthy level of doubt and separation between creators and fans.

to reiterate: cc are not your friends. cc do not need you to speak for them. you do not know these people personally. to present your defense of them and their personal opinions like you spoke to them directly and are close friends is dangerous, both for yourself, and for other fans in the community.

everything i have listed is why i always will be critical toward any fan group or clique that presents themselves as being pillars of the community, and why i am critical of any page or resource that tries to list "boundaries" as hard fast rules to be self policed by the fandom. not only is that punitive mentality, it's careless and poor understanding of how communities at large work.

i don't think a "boundaries" list is necessarily a bad idea in the long run either, if these lists were, like, compilations of streamers' twitch chat rules, that'd be cool! but generally these lists lack any nuance of why and where some boundaries may apply. like a ton of streamers hate ships being spammed in chat, but could give less of a fuck about people making ship fanart. or like wouldn't care as long as the ship art isn't put in their main tag.

as well as the general ignoring of regular boundaries, we all remember the horror show of people dono-ing to cc in 2020-22 asking for their boundaries right? like just so we're explicitly clear, walking up to someone and asking what someone's opinion of making adult content of them is very much sexual harassment. that's objectively something fans should not be asking to cc. if they want to say something, they can speak up on their own. they do not need your prompting. if you wouldn't ask it to your boss in an office, don't ask cc it. tangentially related is the ignoring of boundaries based on disliking fans harassing each other or other cc. those boundaries never get to be prioritized for a reason, as those behaviors feed into the stan culture mentality of pitting sources against each other in fan wars.

parasociality and stan culture turn mcyt fandom into a power vacuum where fans who like to self-police to a dangerous extent try to take charge. this makes the fandom worse.

[eccentricallygothic]

Pairing: Gryffindor!Steve Rogers | Slytherin!Reader.

Warning(s): Rough p-in-v, d/s dynamics, unprotected sex, doggy style, name calling, spanking, hate sex vibes, daddy kink, degradation, hair pulling, meanie Steve but we love it, allusion to choking.  

What happens when a dominant Gryffindor and a relatively submissive Slytherin come together?

While the answer could be one of many things and could range from one extreme to the other, brutal sex qualifies as a fact.

And as Y/n was being obliterated into one of the heavy wooden desks of Classroom 3C, she would agree.

Her chin was propped against the table as she was forced to stare ahead, arms locked together on the small of her back and being held in place by the primary subject of all her ire and well guised fancy as he pounded his cock balls deep into her hot cavern with each thrust. 

The Slytherin's teeth chattered against the wand of her Gryffindor owner, having been ordered to keep it there until he was done venting his frustration out on her weeping pussy that clenched every time their skins collided into contact. 

It was Steve's way of getting her to keep her brat mouth shut during a lesson in discipline, as he liked to call it. And it was also a convenient excuse to get her in even more trouble if the wand fell out of her mouth regardless of the reason.

The girl's nostrils were flared, cheeks flushed and eyes teary as she struggled to breathe normal, the welts that her lover had left on her delicate swells with his wand that possessed an unforgiving sturdiness to it pressing against the cold wood she was bent over, the sound of squelches of flesh violating flesh and squeaking of skin sliding over the desktop loud in the large room.

"Such a sly little slut, aren't you, baby?" Steve grunted as he connected his palm to one of her nether cheeks harshly. "Using those pretty little tits to distract her Daddy" now he snatched a handful of her hair in his hand and pulled until her body curved backwards and lifted off the desk. "Just so inherently wicked, aren't we?" His voice was a snarl.

Competition was competition.

Y/n refused to lose a game of Quidditch just because her lover was among the competitors. 

It was not her fault if Steve -much typical to his house, if she did say so- was too weak to resist and look away. 

But apparently, the Gryffindor captain did not share the Slytherin seeker's thoughts on the matter. 

The girl wanted to shoot back an insult, she really did. But the wand between her teeth and memories of what happened when she let it fall during these sessions forced her to keep her words to herself and the wand in place.

"That's right, keep that bratty little cocksucker quiet" letting go of her hair to allow her to collapse back over the desk, Steve felt sweat broke out on his temples when he felt his high nearing, aware that his lover was close as well due to how her slit was expanding to greedily accommodate him for the cumulation of as much pleasure as possible.

"Dirty fuckin' girl, flaunting that ass all over the field for everyone to see" Y/n's eyes fluttered close as he gave two spanks to each of her cheeks in delayed succession, hitting her spongy bundle of sensitive nerves with each thrust. "Is that a common practice in your silly little house, huh baby? Acting like cockstarved little whores?" Her toes curled and eyes clenched shut as her orgasm vibrated through her being, the intensity causing vertigo in her ears and hypothermia within her feet that dangled above the ground due to her position under him. 

The tension in the Slytherin's chest grew now, and then it was too much to bear. Arching her back to withstand the force of her strong orgasm, Y/n let herself get carried away by the powerful orgasm and– alas! 

Steve's wand rolled out from between her teeth and slipped past her lips, landing on the flat desktop with devastatingly heavy clicks as it bounced in its place. 

"Cumming without my permission and letting the wand fall…" Steve tutted as he thrusted into her harder, yanking her up by the hold he had on her arms. "Oh, baby. What am I going to do with you?" He whispered in her ear as he wrapped his free hand around her throat once she was up and trembling against his chest.

MASTERLIST

.

As a Slytherin who has a bittersweet relationship with Steve, smash.

[paddymoonstruck]

Paining: Charles Leclerc X Nepo!OC

Summary: Sofina faces challenges on the first race of the season and sees the face of the person she fears the most.

Warnings: Cursing/Abusive language and actions

Previous Chapter

Notes: A bit of a heavy chapter but nothing too extreme. Please let me your thoughts on this chapter and if you want to be added in the tag list.

The paddock had always been a place of refuge to Sofina. An escape from fast-paced life she had been subjected into. Her love for motorsports started when she witnessed Charles raced in France at merely 7 years old, on her birthday. Sofina would do well to think he was the reason for her ongoing pursuit to aid him and Ferrari with their needs. There was no hesitation on her part when it came down to providing and she would happily do whatever it takes in the goodness of her heart.

Today, as the bristling sounds of engines and cheers filled her hearing, she stood from the stool she had been wilting on. The point in her brow more prominent than ever, matching the deep scowl settled on her lips as she focused her gaze on the screen where the race was being projected.

It was lap 38 of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Unlike the promising result from the Pre-Testing Season, the current state of the team was far from successful.

Charles was a position lower than where he started and a surprise to no one, Max was leading by an obscene number of seconds.

Sofina slammed her hands on the wooden table, and despite having those massive headphones in the ears, the occupants flinched at the sudden explosive reaction from their dearest sponsor.

“What the hell is happening?” Sofina roared, whipping her head to Charles’s race engineer, Xavier “Xavi” Marcos Padros.

Blood pumped rapidly in her veins at the lack of response, seemingly worsening when she heard the grating sigh Xavi had the audacity to release.

Her eye twitched, not able to stopped herself as she shoved Xavi’s shoulder, fingers gripping at his Ferrari shirt. She ignored Fred Vasseur’s useless attempts behind her to calm her down.

It was probably the adrenaline and stress that all came with tonight’s race, when she saw the fear slowly creeping into Xavi’s feature’s she could not explain the overwhelming amount of elation she had experienced.

“Tell me.” She gritted, wrinkling Xavi’s shirt to the point of no return.

The Spanish race engineer swallowed the lump on his throat, as he trembled under the furry of Sofina’s glare, unable to look elsewhere in the fear of having his eyes possibly gouged out by the her devilish hands.

“Th-There seems to be pr-problem with the b-brakes—” He nearly lost all the taces of masculinity in his body when she responded.

“What?”

Her icy tone froze the whole room, and silence bounced on the walls, everyone afraid to move a muscle as if they’d be burned on a stick if they dared to try.

The people in the garage cringed at the ear-piercing scoff Sofina gave Xavi. They were aware of how the female business magnate perceived errors in the team. Sofina believes that a failure isn’t done by one person but rather every single one responsible of overseeing the car. Not only that, there was not a soul in that garage who wasn’t aware of Charles’s importance to Sofina.

Her ferocity towards them was, in fact, reasonable.

“You sent him out there with broken brakes?” She hissed, releasing her death grip on Xavi with a push strong enough to send him leaning back on his seat. “What now, then? We just let him race like that and hope for the best?”

Sofina’s attention was now at Fred, craning her neck towards him for answers but the solemn look on his face was enough before he even got to whatever daft explanation he had.

“It were working well earlier as well as it did in the Qualifying . . .” Fred sighed, confusion and disappointment flooding his face. “I-I don’t know how this happened.”

“Is that right?” Sofina laughed, dripping with anger. “Charles has done nothing but nearly break track limits at every corner!”

They’re all in luck. Sofina thought.

If he was less of the brilliant driver he was, he would’ve crashed ages ago and their heads would be served on a silver platter on her father’s desk.

A chill ran down her spine at the thought of her dad. The reason for her prickly attitude and the bane of her existence. She began to unwilling peddle back to his demand for a better performance from Charles and didn’t help that the team was currently deteriorating in the first race of the year.

Sofina didn’t have to be in her father’s presence to hear the infuriated thoughts and colorful words radiating from him wherever he was right now. He had made it known to her that he would be watching this Grand Prix and if he was here physically, she could see him stating the embarrassing position she had put him in, how irresponsible and idiotic she was to ever consider putting her trust in this time and again.

Defeated, she had no choice but to let her thoughts simmer and see how everything pans out.

Who knows? Perhaps the universe will finally take a look at her pitiful self and decide she deserves a break.

Admittedly, wishing for the universe’s mercy was and will forever be a deluded move. The universe turns a blind eye, or Sofina would dare say, stare while her body bursts into flames and laughs at her misfortunes.

However, as much as her initial instincts grappled against her throat, yelling through the seams of her sanity to spout her dilemma and make this about her. In a different setting, maybe she would have but the choking dismay on Charles’s face once he entered the garage made her resolve crumble in a second.

She watched from afar as he patted and nodded at the team, thanking them for a job well done. His smile didn’t match the obvious disappointment that swam in his eyes, seemingly wavering as it met hers.

Sofina started to stand, meeting him halfway into an embrace. The mixture of heat, sweat and the smell of smoke filled her lungs as she pulled him closer.

The pat she laid on his back differed from the ones the team gave him, Charles notices. While he was grateful for the intent and support of it, it was full of pity that made him feel terrible and guilty. Beyond those, was the soft caress of Sofina’s delicate hands on him. He sagged in her arms, promptly tightening his coiled arms around her waist.

“I’m so proud of you!” She beamed, fingers traveling up the nape of his neck. “You were fantastic!”

Charles pulled away, catching her gazing immediately. “You looked pretty mad, though.”

Sofina snorted, smirking at his frowning face. “Oh? Where’d you see?”

“A reporter showed it to me,” He said, judgmental eyes staring down at her.

While she nodded, Charles slowly leaned down to level of her ear. As if there’s a magnetic force, Sofina automatically gravitates towards his waiting lips. Hot breath trickled on her skin as he whispered, “I was about to feel bad for them but I remembered I almost destroyed the car at every turn.”

Sofina contained the shiver that was to ripple down her spine when Charles chuckled lowly in her ear. Despite having the one that in a speeding car merely a few minutes ago, she felt as if the heat coursing through her veins equaled to that of Charles’s post-race adrenaline.

“You shouldn’t feel bad,” She assured, ignoring abrasive pounding in her chest as she glanced at the Ferrari crew and Fred chatting with each other just a few feet away from them. “They shouldn’t have let drive a car that could’ve killed you in the first place.”

Charles followed the turn of her head, agreeing at the obvious. “They try.”

This of course, was met with a sharp scoff. “They always try. When will they actually—” Sofina stopped, catching her unbecoming annoyance come to the surface. She took in a long breath and shifted her gaze back to Charles. “Let’s just forget about it . . . Are you finish?” She glanced over his body that was blocking the cameras from the outside.

“I am.” Charles tilts his body to shadow the curve of her spine as she looked forward, hoping to snatch her attention back. He frowned as Sofina’s eyes zeroed in on the object of her distraction, staring stright ahead and not regarding his presence, enough for Charles to search for what it might be.

Oh.

It was indeed a distracting sight. He squinted at the sudden outpour of clicks and flashes, along with the rowdy voices of the ocean of journalists, shouting through the atmosphere with their entire chests.

Sofina, on the other hand, started to go deaf. The bleary volume of the noises plummeted in her hearing, similar to water accidentally entering her ears at the figure that approached her. And as the distance got smaller, the more lightheaded she felt.

The celebratory cheer she had practiced for Charles thrown out her brain, leaving her helpless and lost. She began to feel the wetness of her palms from sweat, making her close it into a fist.

“Dad.” At nearly sounded like a question. As if her eyes had deceived her. She wished it did. The notion of her possibly hallucinating was far more comforting than the horrible reality of her father standing in front of her at this moment.

“Sofina.”

Comes the curt greeting and ever-so downward curve of his lips as he stared down at her. The wrinkles on his forehead deeper as his brows pulled with his unpleased scowl.

“I didn’t think you’d be able to make it!” She mustered up her best effort to be enthusiastic, giving him a wide smile despite the grueling knot in her stomach.

“How could I not?” Sofina cringed at the piercing loudness of his voice, booming into the walls of the garage as he glared at her. If she were to listen hard enough, the sound of his teeth chafing could be heard from their distance.

Sofina held a breath as she took into account the several prying eyes burning into her still figure. The urge to avoid her father’s scorching glare was nearly as intense as her will to save the bits of her dignity but she chose the latter.

She managed to look him in the eye, softly muttering. “I think it would be better to talk about this in private.”

It was unclear whether anyone away from their radius would’ve heard her but if they did, one could account for the slight quiver of her voice as she spoke to him. The thought of being seen as a weak vulnerable woman sent her sanity into a crazed blinking red light, alarms in her head going off to retreat away from this exposed scene.

Her pending humiliation was cut short as her father agreed to her request. Her relief came in a flow of fresh water, sighing into ease. She led the way, in the hopes to find an empty room.

She resisted to strong desire to look back at the green orbs she could feel staring at the back of her head and although she wished someone would rescue her from the terrifying flames of her father’s wrath, she wasn’t selfish enough to let Charles touch the fire that was meant for her.

“When will you start using that godforsaken brain of yours?”

The moment the door locked into place and the slightly flickering lights of the empty office steadied, the lump obstructing Sofina’s throat began to expand. Heat seared on her entire body at the cutting hiss of her father’s deafening roar.

She rubbed her hands together, as if to ebb away the quake in them before she spoke unable to lift her head from the ground.

“It hasn’t happened yet, I can still cancel—”

"You should not have given them the chance to think that you’d even consider to ally yourself with them!”

Sofina flinched back, the echo of his voice setting her a few paces behind as he suddenly turned into her direction.

“Do you have any idea how degrading this is for our family?” He stalked forward, and Sofina could barely register their proximity until his black polished oxfords came into her view.

Her breath picked up, swallowing immensely as her throat began to dry. She tried to focus, noticing her hearing becoming scattered and cloudy as blood pouded wildly into her ears.

It was a moment of desperation. When she had heard about Maximilian Rothchild’s interest to support Ferrari, nothing else seemed to matter. Thus, she failed to see the flaws of this plan which would have been more obvious if she was in the right mind.

Sofina was someone who took her work very seriously. The one listed and made notes about every single error or improvement at the moves she was to make. The perfectionist among her siblings and the person who thought everything through. She was supposed to prevent mistakes before they got the chance to happen.

Embarrassment wrung on her neck as her actions became clear in her mind and she couldn’t help but groan in discomfort at her own idiocy.

“I wasn’t thinking—" She was immediately cut off at her admission and she couldn’t do more than accept her fate.

“You were not thinking!” Her father yelled, cementing his heavy hand on each side of her shoulder as he leaned down to her face. When she refused to give him her gaze, he squeezed her shoulders.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Sofina whimpered as the ponderous palms that weight her down dug into her skin, deep enough to be felt in her bones. The pain forced her to look up, teeth gritting as nervousness gripped at her sanity as she came eye to eye with the ferocious beast and if it wasn’t for the same mahogany eyes he had inherited from him, she would have forgotten her relation to him.

“Are you trying to humiliate me? Huh?” He shook her, rattling the resolve she had been building up. “I sent you to the finest schools and you’ve topped your classes but I’m going to tell you right now, it all amounted to nothing. You’re just as brainless as you were before I sent you away.”

He released her from the blood cutting grip, forceful enough to push her to the ground. Sofina grunted as she landed on the floor, the shock somehow erased her instinct to catch herself. A small crack, clicked at the air as she twisted her wrist.

But without a care, her father continued to stare at her, towering over her injured figure. “You will fix this. I will not have those pesky journalists see you work with a Rothchild. Do you understand?”

With her abled hand holding the other, she nodded, taking deep breaths as she answered. “More than anything.”

He began to reach for the door, but turned back. “Tell your Charles to get it together before I replace him.” And he shut the door behind him with a loud bang.

The silence Sofina was left with was soon disturbed when she began to feel the pain of her wrist. She groaned as she got to her feet, clutching the damaged area to her body. She only let go to twist the doorknob and peak her head through the hallway to make sure no one was there to witness her pathetic self.

She skipped out the room, adrenaline soaring to her veins as she tried conceal the pain from showing in her face whenever she would pass people. She was looking the other way when she turned the corner and to her misfortunes, she bumped into someone, her hand instinctively coming out to push the person away, making her jerk back at the sudden pressure she applied on her wrist.

She hissed, retracting her hand back to cradle it on her chest. Her head snapped towards the person, ready to reprimand him. It all but died in her throat as she was met by the same oceanic leafy orbs that was filled with unmistakable worry.

“Hey!” Perhaps to compensate for her wavering nerves, her greeting came unnaturally loud.

It was useless, as it didn’t deflate the worry in his eyes as he glanced down at where she had her hand clutched to her heart. She was about to hide it at her back but was stopped by Charles’s soft grip on them.

Mortification drew on her face as she maintained a firm gaze on her and she felt flustered under his intense eyes as if trying to draw her out of her mind.

“What happened?”

Sofina stared back at him, brows furrowing in a feign confusion. “What are you talking about?”

He scoffed, frown deepening at her attempt to lie. “Are you hurt? Let me see—”

“I’m fine, Charles.” She insisted, ripping her arm from his grip as she paid no mind to the igniting ache crawling through her bones. “Just leave it.”

Charles was no stranger to Sofina’s display of hostility when it came to asking for help. In times like this he would often try to extract the problem from her defensive system before she completely shuts down any source of aid. However, the sight of her purpling wrist was enough to disregard his usual respect for her space as annoyance began to creep through his veins.

“Come with me.” Before Sofina can respond, he pulled her in tow, keeping a solid grasp on around her waist, carefully navigating them until they reached the parking lot.

As the wind outside hit her face, Sofina pulled back. “I’m not going to a random hospital!”

“I’m not taking you to one. Calm down.” He mumbled, glancing back at her apprehensive expression. He sighed, halting his movements as he realized the roughness of how he handled her. “I have a first aid kit in my car. Whatever happened to you, I can try and dress it then we can go home and call your doctor if that’s what you want. Is that okay?”

The heaviness of her chest subdued at the softness and understanding in his voice, prompting her to nod at his proposition.

“Good. Now come on. Let’s see what we can do about your hand.”

Sofina reached for his hand with her uninjured one, gripping it and relishing the comforting hear it radiated on her palm.

The previous fear and nervous state she had been in slowly decreased as the time of them together passed by. She often wondered what were to happen to her had she refused to celebrate her birthday on a racetrack back in 2005.

How different would her life be if that day didn’t happen? Would she have been happier? Perhaps her father would still love her like he did.

Either way, she will never be permitted to turn back time no matter how many birthday wishes she wastes on it. She was here now and the only thing she can do is live through it even with the hallow ache in her heart where her father's affection used to reside.

Tag-list: @seairsunset@mindflay3r@tangointhequango@bwormie@eugene-emt-roe@herondalism@comfortzonequeen@weekendlusting@nomie-11@i-ship-bullshit-2020@cc13723things@charlesgirl16@namgification@charizznorizz@missenclod@outerudeth @lady-laura-speaks @fandomscompilation @bwormie @embersparklz @butterfly-lover @sargeantdumbass @a-moment-captured @starshiips @piceous21 @leclucklerc

[nothorses]

May I ask why you think Biden stepping down and Kamala being the candidate to be 'good news'? I'm still voting for whoever the Democratic candidate is ofc, but I worry this move threw away the average swingvoter who may have been swayed towards voting blue. I don't see how anyone who may have been okay voting for Biden by virtue of him being an old white dude is gonna be as nice towards a brown woman. I mean, people were too sexist for Hillary, the most milquetoast white woman imaginable. I'd really like to hear your perspective.

Biden has been polling like shit for months, and basically fucking everyone has been calling for him to step out of the race for a while now. It's been the opinion of political experts that he doesn't have much of a shot in this election for a variety of reasons. The vast majority of his own base is incredibly dissatisfied with his stance on Palestine (an understatement), and numbers have been reflecting that he was going to be running against some truly miserable odds because of that.

It is genuinely the best option for him to step out of the race. Literally just about anyone else has a much better shot at winning than Biden did. Kamala included! There was a press conference a while back where someone actually asked him if he'd step down if Kamala polled better, and he said he wouldn't. Which is extremely worrying, because it demonstrates that he may have been prioritizing his own personal ego over the importance of keeping Republicans out of office this election.

I don't like Biden, and I really didn't like his odds in this race. Nobody else did, either. The fact that Obama came out and said Biden needs to step down is indication enough that this happened because the situation is really that dire; you have to remember that Democrats are all about Doing Things By The Book, especially in the last 8-ish years when it's been useful for them to be Rule Followers in contrast to the tantrum-throwing chaos machines that Republicans have been. If there was even a sliver of hope for Biden to stay in the race after being chosen in the sad sham that the primaries were this election cycle, they would have kept pushing just to stay within the bounds of convention.

I was ready to push for Biden regardless, because keeping Republicans out of office is priority #1. But I've been saying for a while now that he needs to drop out (just... not on Tumblr, where the dominant conversation is "does voting for a flawed political pawn make you personally responsible for everything they ever do, or should we abstain and let the fascists hijack our government and kickstart several new genocides for the sake of personal moral purity" and I don't think that kind of nuance would be well-received).

I use my grandparents as a litmus test in a lot of this stuff, because they are very much the Typical Liberal Democrats, and their opinions on these things tend to fall in line with the majority of voting Democrats. They absolutely loved Biden in 2020, long before he was chosen as the candidate. They don't anymore. Seeing them lose any and all enthusiasm for voting for this corpse of a man was evidence enough to me that we needed someone else. Ideally someone people can get excited about, because I think folks have mostly lost the perspective we had in 2020 when Trump's nightmarish presidency was fresh in everyone's minds, and served as motivation enough to get to the fucking polls- regardless of who the Dem pick actually was.

From what I understand, Kamala is actually polling better than anyone else right now. I have my fears about voters' racism and misogyny too, but if she's doing well in the polls, I wonder if maybe there's some other factors counteracting that. She's also got name recognition, and the general impression of Being Qualified (because she's been VP already, like Biden was), and Being Likeable (because she comes with the general positive associations of the largely successful Biden presidency, without any baggage of perceived responsibility that Biden himself carries- like Biden did with Obama). She's been flying under the radar while still reaping the benefits of positive associations, and people know who she is. That feels like a good combination, but I don't know enough, and I haven't read enough into it to make any decently educated guesses.

That said, I don't really know as much about who the other potential candidates might be, either. I've heard Pete Buttigieg's name tossed around, but nobody liked his ass back in 2020 and idk if that's actually changed at all. I just know that every politically-knowledgeable/politically-active leftist whose opinion I've heard on the topic has been citing Biden dropping out as the literal only hope for a non-Republican to win this election, and I'm really fucking excited to see that come to fruition. I just hope the Dems pick someone who really does have a good shot.

As a sidenote, I also really hope this marks a shift in how they make decisions, too. It's become increasingly obvious how out-of-touch Democrats are with their voters, and Biden 2024 was just the latest and greatest indicator of exactly how bad that's gotten. The fact that the party has been able to make such an unconventional decision in response to what their voters actually want gives me a little bit of hope that we might be able to influence more change with them going forward than we have been.

[cheriladycl01]

The Rookie Prodigy - Carlos Sainz x Driver! Reader Part 5

Plot: You are a rookie coming into the 2022 season of Formula One into Alfa Romeo with team member Zhou Guanyu, being in a mid tier team can you help them rise up the ranks. What pressures occur for the only rookies within the 2022 line up!

As said in your interviews you did spend the time in the break working on your fitness. You and Zhou stayed in Switzerland the whole time, you both were in the gym pretty much everyday.

You guys watched as your team made core improvements to the car, using lots from the Ferrari currently on the grid. You knew the car would be quicker for Italy and you were excited to race there as it was a track your car would do well in.

You didn't think much about what happened with Carlos either, because why would you. It was a heat of the moment thing where there was an obvious attraction to Carlos, he had the hair, the puppy dog eyes, those soft muscles and the accent. The accent was the thing that really got you.

You'd worked too hard to get to where you are now and you weren't going to risk neither your job, nor your reputation for a guy. Regardless of how insanely attractive you found him.

The break between your last race in Australia until IMOLA felt very short despite it being a two weekend gap. Your mind was extremely clear and you were ready for this weekend.

You and Zhou flew to Italy from Switzerland and went right to the track. You both messed around for the whole of media day to the point where people couldn't actually find you both.

You were causing chaos round the paddock, running up and down the strip seeing who could do it the quickest or seeing who could sneak into a different teams hospitality and take a snack.

When media did find you, both you and Zhou couldn't stop laughing at everything the both of you were saying. Sometime's you'd say a joke to him in Chinese which obviously had the two of you screaming of laughter while the team and presenters awkwardly tried to work out what was so funny.

You eventually answered the racing related questions which everyone especially your PR managers were happy for even though you couldn't tell them about any of the improvements on the car. Just that you felt like this would be an more interesting race putting you into the higher mid field than you were right now.

Race day came so soon, and after being told to attempt to sand bag a little in FP1 coming 11 overall. You ended up qualifying 8th overall, which wasn't what you or you team were looking for but after running into some last minute car issues you just weren't there.

Saturday was awful, because of those car issues you didn't actually manage to get out for FP2 and went straight into the Sprint race. Luckily you were in points position coming in P7.

When it came to the race your car was fully ready and so were you. Zhou however had the opposite of you, where he had to have work done on his car when in Parc-Ferme conditions so he had to start from the pit lane.

You'd managed some immense overtakes throughout the race and you managed to come P4. It was your highest position yet and your race engineer couldn't be happier with you.

"Amazing race Y/N, guessing you had changes to the car after Australia and well, we really got to see your driving abilities up there today. You know considering that was a mid-field car, you really really showed us what you are made off!" the interviewer offers.

"Yeah it was a fantastic drive, just shy of a podium. Lando, was driving extremely well and defended from me until the end and I cant congratulate him more for that podium. Is it okay if i call this short, I want to be there to support my friend!" you smile, looking at the time next to the clock by the interviewing knowing the podium would be soon.

"Yes, yes of course!" she shoos you away, making comments on how you have some of the purest and kindest relationships on the grid.

You ran up to where all the Mclaren and Red Bull workers stood. You waited off to the back waiting for Max, Sergio and Lando to come out.

"Hey, we haven't spoken for a while" a voice says behind you making you jump a little.

"Lewis?" you ask in shock, looking around to see if anyone else was here from Mercedes but he seemed to be alone.

"Yes, Y/N?" he asks looking directly at you.

"What are, what are you doing here?" you ask.

"Just watching the celebrations. Well done on the race today, you did amazing!" he compliments making a light blush come across your cheeks.

"Thank you, I er, would say the same for you but today was a kind of shit show for you!" you smile softly.

"Yeah, the car had no pace at all. I'll come back next week in Miami!" he smiles rubbing your shoulder. After a minute of silence he starts the conversation up again.

"I haven't really spoken to you for a while, what's been going on?" he asks titling his head to the side.

"I've just been focused on getting better, I-" you say about to mention Carlos but decide against it.

"You what?" he pushes looking over at you.

"Ceremony is starting, shhhhh!" you smile putting a finger up to your lip and cheer loudly as Lando comes out onto stage. Your jumping up and down, making him laugh and shake his head. All the McLaren workers turn to look at whoever was celebrating more than them, laughing when they see you.

"Of course it's her!" one of them jokes, before turning back as Sergio walks out shortly followed making the whole of the Red Bull Team go wild.

You stand there respectfully as the Deutsch National Anthem starts to play. Once it ends and everyone starts to leave where they are you turn to Lewis.

"Did you want to go out in Miami, I know this amazing Vegan restaurant and I think your personal trainer will be happy with what they serve there" he offers and you think about it for a few seconds.

I mean, Carlos literally cornered you and kissed you, but Lewis he was just asking you to dinner as friends before the next race.

"Yeah sure, I'd like that. I don't have any friends in Florida. So having one will be nice!" you smile, before your PR manager comes up to you explaining that you need to go to the race debriefing.

You and Lewis had of course been photographed in the paddock together and loads of media accounts had gotten a hold of it.

Carlos had seen these posts, some of them particularly the tweets suggesting that you were both flirting and other posts suggesting that you watched the podium together.

He was shocked at first, he was angry that you would reject him the way you did and then say yes to Lewis.

But after he had some time to cool down and realize what had actually occurred, he came to the conclusion that these posts were the exact reason you couldn't be in a relationship with him. Everyone was always up in your business and it meant that whatever you were doing outside of driving they would use to critique your skills.

You probably had just bumped into Lewis at the podium ceremony and that picture was taken at the perfect time for the media to stir ridiculous stories about Lewis asking you out on a date in Miami to a Vegan restaurant.

He understood why you said what you said, now seeing how easily picked apart your life was. But he wanted to change that, he wanted to be able to be with you without all this animosity.

But how the Miami weekend would change things Carlos or yourself wasn't prepared for.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma @teamnovalak @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @jlb20416 @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @seomako @urdad-hot @formula1mount @tinydeskwriter @butterfly-lover @ironmaiden1313

[placeholder-mcd]

(Obligatory "I sound like I'm speaking objectively from authority but this is just my opinion and it's okay for you to like media I dislike for whatever reasons you may have")

Okay so like. while "the minecraft move trailer is so bad that it makes minecraft story mode look good in comparison" is both true and funny, can we please not start pretending that story mode is a well-crafted piece of media. as someone who has played through it multiple times (first when it originally came out and I was 12 and thought it was awesome, then later as an interactive Netflix experience with friends for so-bad-it's-good reasons) I feel pretty qualified to say it blows

Like, yes. There are so many things that MCSM got right that the movie apparently got wrong. But, like, they're all extremely common-sense things to get right -- like having the whole thing be animated, and maintaining a visual style that feels consistent with minecraft, and spending time with individual aspects of the minecraft experience that have their own communities (like redstone contraptions). that sense seems a little less common now that the movie trailer exists, but still, these are all bare minimum expectations of a piece of narrative-driven media set in Minecraft.

MCSM still completely fails, however, to have any compelling characters (RIP Reuben you were just as annoying as everyone else) or non-grating dialogue. The universe they depict isn't even well thought out! Like, okay, example:

Right off the bat, they make a big decision about how they're going to handle MCSM: they are not telling a story about people playing Minecraft the video game, but are instead depicting a universe where Minecraft is inhabited by a civilization of NPCs that have identical abilities to a player (aside from like, pausing the game or changing settings or what have you). This, in itself, is not a bad decision, but it puts the writers in a position where they need to conceptualize what is effectively a Minecraft AU. You're not playing survival mode or creative mode, you're playing Story mode. In this AU, humans exist in the minecraft world and have for a long time (centuries, at least?), they've built cities, they have language, etc. Imagine you're Jesse. Imagine you've grown up inside of Minecraft. Everyone is playing on hardcore, there is no respawning, and you live in a world filled with strange and dangerous creatures that seem hell-bent on killing you. Why the Fuck does anyone go out at night. Why isn't literally everyone combat-trained. Why is Jesse acting like he's never seen a Creeper before. Why is Petra the only member of the main party who knows how to craft a pickaxe.

At the build competition, the party is surprised that the reigning building team has a beacon. But nobody takes a second to actually investigate what that means. Did their team intentionally spawn and defeat a Wither? Doesn't that make them more badass and legendary than the order of the stone? Is there a black market for nether stars? (I think Petra is probably the one who gave them the beacon since she also trades Ivan a Wither skull. But like. Why isn't literally anyone else just going and doing what Petra does. Why aren't they impressed)

Ivan having access to a Command Block is also insane. Like, it has potential to be an extremely cool choice -- did Ivan find a way to break the fourth wall? Did he find an exploit in Minecrafts code that allowed him to obtain this? The command block has the power to just generate resources out of thin air. Ivan could actually use it to become a god and give himself creative mode. But okay, we can assume that the command block is just... Different, in the AU. Fine. It's a computing center / power core for the Wither Storm. Sure

But, like. I, even as an 11 year old, knew everything there was to know about minecraft when I played story mode (and, unlike the Movie, MCSM was actually attempting to appeal to the existing fanbase), so watching these characters who have lived for DECADES within the Minecraft universe just. Be helpless and completely clueless as to how the universe works? It makes me hate like all of them. I don't care about Jesse or Gabriel and if I actually had the freedom to perform the basic actions I could perform in Minecraft -- mining, building, and crafting -- I could use my game knowledge to pretty swiftly end the entire conflict at like any point in the story. And I'm not very good at video games. But I would expect a character who's been LIVING IN THE MINECRAFT WORLD TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. BECAUSE THEY'D BE BETTER AT MINECRAFT THAN ANY OF US.

The whole thing is a contrived and buggy mess that feels like it was written by a Hollywood CEO who watched someone play the game for 30 minutes, looked up some basic information like how to beat the game and whether there's any in-game lore, and then riffed on that until a script outline was finished. The programmers, visual artists, and composers clearly did a ton of work to make MCSM feel like minecraft. And they did a good job -- clearly, a much better job than the Movie is going to do. But that doesn't change the fact that the Story -- the focal element advertised in the title -- completely misses the fucking mark and centers around a group of characters who are largely incompetent and stupid in an unfunny and uninteresting way. MCSM was a shitty cashgrab by telltale games and I am not apologizing to it.