#the valencia's and their problems

[bikefuckersoftheworldunite]

biaggi talking about how he was haunted by bad luck and needed to perform some rituals at brno 2004……in a season where he finished THIRD in the standings with 1 win and only 2 dnfs………lol

biaggi in 2004 vs sete in 2005

sete’s 2005 season fyi😭💀

[batsplat]

casey is obvs funny with this rivalry stuff because on the one hand he's very 'well I don't care who I beat' (lie) and 'I don't motivate myself using my rivals' (also a lie) and then he's also repeatedly emphasising that valentino was ONE of his biggest rivals and he only competed against him a few years... like a lil side quest in the story of his career. Those Few Years where valentino was his big rival. whereas dani and jorge were his cohort so he did compete with them for a greater span of time... and this is technically true and does MATTER but it is also extremely noticeable in his output which rivalry he has the most thoughts about. and yes casey would say that this is because everyone ELSE cares the most about That One Rivalry the most and also his opponent being an annoying dickhead means it's the one he has the most complaints about... but at a certain point, it doesn't really matter, because there's still one rivalry you're talking about way more than any other. you can tell that he's at least given jorge's interiority a bit of thought, kinda went 'well he was arrogant but also Learnt From The Error Of His Ways and was maybe misunderstood so' -- but also he's not going beyond that, he's not examining jorge's soul, and he's not even doing any of that with dani. it's very much a rhetorical commitment to those other two rivalries. ultimately the point is that he's doing what he can to not talk up his biggest rivalry TOO much, because, you see. he Did Not Care That Much. (lie.) now objectively speaking this kind of framing literally does not matter, who cares which one of these was the most meaningful rivalry, but it's interesting that it matters to him!! casey's problem is that he is extremely sensitive and cares deeply about what other people say about him, but one of the things he's most sensitive about is the idea that he could let himself be mentally affected by ANYTHING, worst of all his rivals. they cannot be granted that much power over him. and all of this has kinda funny consequences in that he has pretty rigid patterns in how he talks about this stuff that are at times quite convoluted because he has to simultaneously emphasise that a) none of his rivals massively mattered to him, b) That Rival didn't matter more than the others, c) what That Rival did to him was completely beyond the pale, and d) none of that affected him mentally whatsoever. at most one of these is true. there are so many things casey wants so badly not to care about but it keeps spilling out of him anyway, this oozing sludge of resentment and repressed hopes and desires and frustration and longing and bitterness. he keeps giving himself away... he cares so much and he can't stand it

[sneckoil]

mr rivera would carry father paul to the clinic all by himself with only his own two hands

[vodika-vibes]

Fira quotes ~

Cody: We all have our demons.

Cody, grabbing Fira: This one’s mine.

[alexmarquezmotogpracewinner]

I really need to start planning my yearly motogp race to go to

[angrycatlovesfandoms]

Please help however you can! Valencia had been destroyed by this tragedy

How to help the people in Spain

As you may have seen online, Spain is going through a flash fall since October 29. It's mainly affected the Community of Valencia but also some parts of the south-west and the cold drop is now moving to the north-east.

95 bodies have been found at the time I'm writing this (edit: 158 now), there's still people missing and entire towns are isolated as they don't have electricity and their roads have been destroyed. A lot of people don't have tap water or any means to cook. If you're wondering why people didn't evacuate beforehand, it's because authorities didn't care enough to warn people so technically everyone had to go to work and school. Though politicians should be held accountable, the most important thing at the moment is to help those in need. So here's some ways you can help both people and animals that have been affected.

Families and towns

Horta Sud is a county in Valencia that has been the most affected by the floodings. People are leaving their houses because they're scared of the infrastructure getting damaged and even walking by foot to Valencia capital to get food. You can help those families via this gofundme.

Hambre Cero is a Spanish non-profit that was founded after the earthquakes in Indonesia. They will be giving food to those who need it. Here's different ways you can donate.

Cáritas is a Spanish organization formed by different Catholic non-profits. They'll be giving food and also helping clean up the towns. You can donate here by clicking the button where it says "donar".

You can help rebuild the town of Letur (Albacete) by donating to this gofundme that's directly coordinated with the town hall.

This gofundme is joining efforts with the town hall of Valencia to help people who have lost their homes.

Please help this family in Valencia rebuild their home.

Una copa por Valencia ("a drink to Valencia") is a campaign organized by Spanish influencer David Aliagas. The idea behind it is to donate the amount of money you would spend on drinks on a night out. He'll be joining effort with local non-profits. You can help here.

Animal shelters

Refugio Minipow was home to 50 rabbits and guinea pigs. Thankfully, the owners were able to move all the animals to their homes and those of their neighbors, though the shelter itself has been destroyed right after recent renovations. There's different ways to donate here.

El Refugio de María a dog shelter in Sueca (Valencia), is completely flooded, leaving the dogs visibly distressed, as shown here. You can donate to PayPal maria.g.may@gmail.com

Modepran is a dog shelter in Campanar (Valencia) where infrastructure damage has left some dogs without a proper sleeping area. You can donate through PayPal here.

Gatos Campo de Gibraltar is a cat shelter in Los Barrios (Cádiz). need of assistance for relocating cats to new homes and rebuilding damaged facilities. You can donate to their PayPal gatoscampodegibraltar@gmail.com

Protectora San Antón is an animal shelter for cats and dogs in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz). The entire place is flooded and the animals don't have a comfortable place to sleep in. Cats can't even walk on the ground. You can donate to their PayPal protectorasananton@hotmail.com

I'll be adding more as I find them. Thank you everyone for your help.

[lilk4]

This is why it makes me so angry when “Madrid” fans say vini is at fault for reacting,everyone in the club can see these behaviors towards him and they have his back,the things they said and did today in this match is because they had vini’s back and because they saw what maffeo was trying to do AGAIN,after he talked shit before the match and then was on the floor like a baby,Ancelotti before the match and after match with Valencia,Davide in the tunnel,Jude,asencio,Aurélien they all did those things for a reason it wasn’t a coincidence.I don’t understand why are people blaming the player who was abused and targeted since being a teenager like he has no right to react,yeah it’s not always the smartest decision,yes it’s in the heat of the moment but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong.He has a right to stand up for himself and he won’t back down and that’s something I admire.If ancelotti and his thick skull can get it others shouldn’t have a problem understanding as well.

[davey-in-a-minivan]

bahaha these are ARE across the board the less traumatic ones but GOOD FOR THEM

hiiiii happy six month pasithea finaleversary, which is your favorite au concept? :)

i like that you used the same opening every time 😭 BUT ALSO HOW COULD YOU ASK THIS BECAUSE I LOVE ALL OF THEM??? ok well i think my *current* fav to roll over in my brain is royalty au because it’s just. the glitz the glamour the DRAMA. it’s all just sooooooo delicious to me!!!!! but i think also maybe my number one is pr au because of how we poured over it like we have established outfits, we’ve essentially got full scenes, and ofc the sophie green coffee table book. it was a lot of fun. and then ive also got a soft spot for college throuple au 🤭🤭🤭 i think i just like the less outwardly traumatic ones…. UM wait am i allowed to mention your Big au yet? because to me that is The au like nothing compares it’s just so. and then of COURSE i can not forget to acknowledge the truth serum variant 😌

[coimbrabertone]

MotoGP and the KTM Situation

So...KTM's parent company, Pierer Mobility Group, is in a bit of a mess.

A $3 billion in the red kind of mess.

How did this happen? Well, the short answer is that Pierer Mobility Group and KTM expanded too fast, too quickly, and now their debt is catching up with them. As for the long story, well...

Stefan Pierer, an Austrian businessman, founded an investment company called Cross Industries (what is now Pierer Mobility Group) in 1987, and in 1992, he took over KTM Motorrad in his native Austria. In 1994, KTM launched the Duke line, which took the traditionally dirt-bike focused KTM brand into the road bike business for the first time.

Dirt bikes remained a key element of KTM's business - and racing dirt bikes in things like Motocross and the Dakar Rally is a huge part of KTM's identity - but the allure of road bikes is what we'll be focusing on for this story.

A series of adventure and supermoto bikes followed, before in 2003, KTM entered Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing for the first time. While Ducati entered into the 4-stroke 990cc top class that same year, KTM instead focused their efforts on the 2-stroke 125cc class, as well as the 250cc class from 2005 onwards.

They took their first win at the 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix when Casey Stoner won the 125cc during his only season on KTM machinery, followed by a championship challenge the very next year. Mika Kallio won at Estoril, the Sachsenring, Motegi, and Valencia, whilst teammate Gabor Talmacsi won at Mugello, Assen, and Qatar. Qatar and Valencia were 1-2 finishes for KTM, and ultimately, Kallio finished second in the 125cc standings while Talmacsi finished third. Julian Simon on a third bike would win in the wet at Donington Park and finish eighth, putting three KTMs in the top ten in 125s in 2005 - a very respectable showing in just their third season competing.

Kallio would again finish second in 125 in 2006, with three wins to his name, whilst in 250cc, Hiroshi Aoyama won at Turkey and Japan, finishing third in those standings.

Aoyama and Kallio would both compete in 250cc in 2007, with Aoyama winning at the Sachsenring and Malaysia, while Kallio won in the wet at Motegi and then again at the season finale in Valencia. Aoyama would finish sixth while Kallio was seventh.

2008 would mark a full barreled 250 effort with Aoyama and Kallio joined by returning third bike man Julian Simon. Kallio would perform well, winning at Jerez, a wet Shanghai, and at a dry Donington Park, but Aoyama and Simon would go winless. The 125cc effort had also atrophied by now, with the most notable result being some rookie called Marc Marquez taking a third place at Donington.

KTM's attention was fading by this point, and their road bike efforts turned from Grand Prix racing and towards their new RC 1190 superbike. Additionally, the X-Bow track car gave KTM an exciting new toy to play with.

Their Grand Prix efforts were winding down.

KTM only competed in the 125cc class in 2009, and with Marc Marquez only managing a single podium at Jerez, they decided not to continue for 2010.

Marc Marquez in 2010 would move to the Red Bull Ajo team riding a Derbi/Aprilia RSA-125 and would win 10 races to dominate the championship.

So yeah...it wasn't a rider problem, their bike just kinda sucked by that point.

Meanwhile, KTM continued to expand their company. In 1995, they acquired Husaberg AB, a manufacturer established to keep dirt bike production in Sweden after Husqvarna's parent company Cagiva moved their production to Varese, Italy. KTM would in 2003 move Husaberg production to Mattighofen, Austria, making the whole thing rather pointless. Next, in 2007, came ventures with Indian giant Bajaj, who began distributing KTMs in India in exchange for a 14.5% stake.

In 2011 a similar collaboration would begin with CFMoto in China, which in 2017, became a downright joint venture between them and KTM.

Then in 2013, Husqvarna - now in BMW's hands - was sold to the Pierer Mobility Group, who promptly merged it and Husaberg, so instead of being produced in Sweden or Italy, it was all now in Austria.

In 2012, KTM would reenter GP racing with the introduction of the 4-stroke 250cc Moto3 class. They'd win the championship with Sandro Cortese, while in 2013...they won everything. Maverick Vinales in first, Alex Rins in second, Luis Salom in third, and Alex Marquez in fourth were all on KTM RC250GPs.

Fifth place was Jonas Folger on a KTM-engined Kalex.

Complete and utter domination.

On the back of this, KTM planned to enter the top class for the first time. With a V4 engine, a steel trellis frame, and Red Bull sponsorship, KTM entered the RC16 in the 2016 Valencian GP ahead of a full debut in 2017.

Who rode the RC16 at Valencia? None other than Mika Kallio, the Finn returning to KTM as their test and development rider after stints with Ducati in MotoGP and Marc VDS in Moto2.

Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith would be their full-time riders for 2017 and 2018, with Pol scoring KTM's first podium at the 2018 Valencian GP - KTM sure does have a weird affinity with Valencia, eh?

2019 would mark two big changes: first is that Johann Zarco replaced Bradley Smith, second is that KTM gained a satellite team for the first time. Yup, after competing as Monster Energy Yamaha for ten years, Tech3 became Red Bull KTM Tech3, with Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira riding for them.

Zarco would force his way out of KTM before the year was even over, forcing Kallio to fill in for him at the final six races, but other than that...KTM's 2019 was more of a building year. They collected some points while, in the background, KTM began to move away from the steel trellis, aluminum swingarm, and old school screamer engine.

The frame became a more typical steel/aluminum hybrid, the swingarm a radical carbon fiber, and the engine conformed to the now ubiquitous big bang firing order.

The results? Rookie Brad Binder wins the 2020 Czech Grand Prix in just his third start, while on the Tech3 bike, Miguel Oliveira wins at Styria and Portimao.

KTM also took the opportunity to buy out the struggling GasGas brand in 2019, giving Pierer Mobility Group its third brand.

KTM was winning in MotoGP, it was expanding its business, but it was also already signing its own death warrant.

With the purchase of GasGas, Pierer Mobility Group now had three different brands that were predominantly in the dirt bike business. They tried to position GasGas as the entry level brand, KTM in the middle, and the Husqvarna as a premium brand, sort of trying to be the General Motors of motorcycles, there's just two problems with that:

One: Bikes are so much more niche compared to cars.

Two: even in cars the multi-brand thing doesn't work so well, with GM killing off storied brands like Oldsmobile and Pontiac in recent memory, along with more recent ventures like Saturn and Hummer failing to carve out a niche.

Nevertheless, with COVID giving a lot of people a lot of time on their hands, KTM initially had very strong sales. Lots of people were trying out their motorcycles for the first time, and with KTM giving variety between dirt bikes, road bikes, and even teasing a return to the superbike market with the RC 990, maybe things would work out.

They did not.

KTM banked on the COVID bubble.

They spent money acquiring the likes of GasGas, Husqvarna, and now a 50.1% stake in MV Agusta as well, they banked on joint ventures with Bajaj and CFMoto giving them access to the eastern markets only to develop a reputation in India for being overpriced and having bad build quality. On top of this, KTM began the scummy business practice of hiding riding software behind a paywall, most notably with their cruise control.

(For no reason at all, I'm also going to point out that Stefan Pierer has a seat on the Mercedes-Benz supervisory board.)

The end result of all this? KTM sits on 265,000 unsold bikes. Unsold bikes which only meet Euro 5 emissions standards, meaning that when the Euro 5+ standards come into effect in March, KTM will not be able to sell those bikes in Europe, where, with 11.8% market share, KTM is the largest motorcycle manufacturer.

Furthermore, KTM was not able to pay its workers their December salaries until last Friday, the 27th. November salaries remain unpaid, and Christmas bonuses have been cut entirely.

300 jobs at KTM are expected to be cut in January.

So...with all this going on, there are some big, big question marks about whether KTM will be able to continue racing in MotoGP.

They have released a statement confirming they will race in 2025 and with KTM having already sending two of their three factory rally raid riders to Dakar - the third is out with a leg injury - that seems reasonably secure.

Beyond that? It's unclear.

It's unclear how much development KTM will be doing to stay competitive as well. Initial reports suggested that KTM has already paused development, but KTM disputes this.

Now, a recent Austrian report says that KTM plans to withdraw in 2026, citing contracts and not wanting the PR disaster of early termination. What does that mean.

Well, KTM is contracted with Dorna through 2026, the end of the current regulation cycle.

Brad Binder has two years left on his contract, while Acosta, Vinales, and Bastianini are all on multiyear deals - traditional wisdom in racing says that multiyear deals typically translate to 2 years + a 1 year optional extension.

Furthermore, an engine freeze is coming into MotoGP in 2026, which will reduce development costs.

So...I believe that this means that KTM will see out their contracts, racing through 2025 and 2026 with their current set of riders. 2025 is already budgeted and we know that's secure, while seeing out the 2026 season and leaving at the end of 2026 seems to match up with these Austrian reports.

This is still a developing story, so I may well be wrong here.

It's also important to remember that this is about more than racing, it's about the people. Many, many, many people work at KTM, both on the production bike side and on the race team. These people are going through a tough time right now with this KTM bankruptcy drama, and you have to hope things turn out well for them.

I'm not much of a KTM fan - I don't oppose them either, I suppose I'm more of a neutral then - but I'd hate to lose them in MotoGP. I'd hate even more to see people lose their jobs because the ownership chased unsustainable growth.

That COVID bubble has been vicious to the business world.

[holdmytesseract]

moodboard by @chennqingg <3

Surprising News

Jotun!King!Loki x fem!Æsir!Queen!Reader

Summary: You are suffering from circulation problems since a few weeks, which gets your husband quite concerned. Unbeknowst to either of you, is a sweet surprise waiting to be discovered.

Warnings: fluff, bit angst, protective Loki, some health issues, pregnancy stuff

Word Count: 3,4k

a/n: I'm back, guys! 😁 This oneshot is based on an idea @eleniblue had. I hope y'all like it! I do, 'cause it's definitely not how it 'normally goes'. 😊

P.S I have no idea why I chose that gif. 🥴🫡

Tagging: @lady-rose-moon @huntress-artemiss @muddyorbsblr @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @chennqingg @smolvenger @theaudacitytowrite @alexakeyloveloki @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @eleniblue @evelyn-kingsley @chantsdemarins @vanilla-daydreaming @valencia-rou @loz-3 @simping-for-marvel @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @fictive-sl0th @bunny24sstuff @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @linaax @mochie85 @lovingchoices14 @goblingirlsarah @glitchquake @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @gruftiela @lulubelle814 @november-rayne @mandywholock1980

(Continuing in the tags :))

Ice Flower Masterlist ❄ Loki Masterlist ❄ Masterlist

It all started a few weeks ago, while taking a stroll through the royal gardens in Asgard, as you visited your family.

Circulation problems.

It wasn't that bad, though. You had felt a bit dizzy, but nothing more; brushing it off and telling yourself that it was caused by the sudden change of temperatures. Sure, it was summer. On Jotunheim as well, but there it was definitely colder than on Asgard. Problem solved - you thought.

But then it came back. Only a few days later, when you were on the way to the city with your husband for the monthly visit of your folk. It came suddenly. It was unpredictable. You swallowed hard; eyes squeezing shut as your hand gripped the fabric of your dress tightly; knuckles turning white.

Loki - who sat opposite you in the open carriage noticed your distress - of course and leaned forward; hand gently touching your hand with a worried look in his eyes. "Is everything alright, flower?" You nodded quickly; not trying to cause your husband to worry further. "Yes, my king. Just a bit dizzy." Loki frowned, but nodded. "Do you wish to return to the palace and do this another day?" Again, you shook your head. "No, no! It's alright. I'm good." "Very well. Your decision, my queen."

The next time it occurred, was on the summer hunt. Sure, you weren't hunting yourself, but you accompanied Loki - like you always did. In your eyes, it was an obligation as the queen to join in on the hunt. So, you did. Unfortunately, the circulation problems got worse... It wasn't just the dizziness which increased. Slight nausea joined the party as well. You shortly had the feeling you were going to faint. Everyone was immediately at your side - with Loki leading the way. Luckily, it subsided after a few minutes, and again you brushed it off.

But Loki really started to worry by now. So, it was no wonder, that he sought talks with you...

A knock on the door ripped you out of the documents you were reading; head snapping up. "Yes?" Ivan - one of your personal guards stepped inside; taking a deep bow. "The king wishes to speak to you, your majesty." You couldn't suppress the smile which instantly darted over your face at the Jotun's words. "Please, let him in." Ivan nodded and stepped aside; letting Loki enter your study. Before your husband went to greet you, he turned to the guard. "Leave. I wish to be alone with my wife." Ivan took another bow, "Of course, my king." and left the room. Almost giddily, you stood up and rounded the big, wooden desk. "Hello, my beautiful, precious flower." You immediately went to hug Loki; arms crossing behind his neck. "Hello, my king." You bit your lip; smiling, before you stood on your tippy toes to kiss him.

"What brings you here, my love?" At your question, Loki's demeanour shifted immediately. A sigh left his lips, and you could swear that you saw worry in his eyes. "We need to talk, darling." Your brows furrowed. "You seem very serious... What is it?" Loki took your hand and led you to the chair. He sat down, pulling you onto his lap and wrapping his strong arms around you. He took a deep breath; deep ruby eyes gazing into yours. "I am worried about you, my love." You blinked, but knew exactly what Loki was talking about. Nevertheless, you tried to cover it up. "Worried? About me? Why?" "Your circulation problems." You just wanted to open your mouth to speak, when Loki cut you off. "No, no, please... Don't deny it. I saw. I noticed. Flower, please... Go to the healers and get this checked. I need to know that the love of my life is alright."

You sighed; "Loki... I am alright. It's nothing. Just a few stress symptoms." brushing it off once again. But Loki wasn't very convinced. "I am not so sure of this, Y/N. You should really go to-" You interrupted your husband; shushing him with a kiss on the lips. "I am fine. Stop worrying."

At that moment in time, you had no idea, that you were going to eat your words only a week later...

"My king, I don't know if we can trust this convention. Something about all this seem off to me." One of Loki's advisors spoke up; scratching his beardy chin. The king of Jotunheim was in the middle of an important converging with his royal advisors. "And what is it you are suggesting?" He asked; crossing his bulging arms over his chest. "I suggest that your majesty-" The advisor didn't come any further; got interrupted by a guard, who just barged inside the room. It was Ivan.

Loki hated it, when somebody did that and was about to chide the man, when he spoke up quickly. "My king! I apologise for the harsh interruption, but..." The Jotun panted; trying to catch his breath. "...but it's urgent! An emergency! The queen, she... She almost had a circulatory collapse!"

The words had merely left Ivan's lips, when Loki immediately jumped up from his seat. Adrenaline shot through his body, causing his heart to fall over the cliff and beat as fast as if it had a race to win. "She what?!" The guard just nodded frantically; unable to form any words at the king's 'outburst'. "When?! Where?!" "I-In the gardens, your majesty. A few minutes ago. I-I was with her and brought her immediately to the healers." Loki gave the guard a last look, before he stormed past him; literally running towards the medical wing of the palace. Anxiety started to flood the king's system; infecting his body like poison. He had told you. He had warned you; had begged you to seek out the healers, but no, you didn't want to listen - and now you seemingly paid the price. A price Loki wasn't willing for you to pay. He couldn't lose you. Not today, not now. Every possible worst-case scenario played out in his head on the way to the healers.

To his surprise, he was already expected...

One of the friendly, Jotun female healers waited patiently in front of the big, wooden doors; hands clasped together in front of her body. "My king." She started and curtsied. "We thought you would come here as fast as possible." Loki didn't beat about the bush, of course.

"I want to see my wife! I demand to know what is wrong!" He was quickly losing his patience; his temper taking over. After all, this was about Y/N... About his lover's health and safety!

The healer gave him a short, soft smile. "She's well and asleep now. Please, your majesty, I can assure you that she is perfectly healthy." Loki blinked; totally confused. "But... Where are those circulatory problems coming from?! There must be something wrong!" "We should sit down and have a chat, my king." The healer answered calmly; gesturing towards one of the smaller treatment rooms. "Please, follow me." She started to walk towards the room - away from you, and Loki had no other choice than to follow. He wanted to know what was going on - and that was seemingly his only option.

Still walking the lines between confusion and scepticism, the king sat down on the chair. The healer closed the door behind herself and joined him; sitting down opposite of him. Nobody could hear what she told Loki then. He was the only witness of her words.

"What?!" Loki choked out; eyes widening. He couldn't believe what his ears had just heard. For the second time within minutes, he felt completely overwhelmed, like one of the biggest stones just had hit him. "Are... Are you certain of this, milady?" The elderly lady nodded. "We are, my king. We checked. Twice." An audible gasp left his lips, as his brain tried to fully process the information. "Does she know? Does my wife know?" She shook her head. "No. We didn't quite have the chance to talk to the queen, as she passed out in exhaustion as soon as we regulated and stabilised her circulatory." The king nodded. "I wish to tell her." "Of course, your highness."

"I... I need a moment now." The healer smiled. "Of course, my king." Loki had a hard time to not show his emotions so openly; needing to suppress some tears. "Am I allowed to see my wife?" "Whenever you wish, your majesty." With those words the woman left the room, leaving Loki alone. The king ran his hands over his face and through his thick, luscious locks, before he took a few deep breaths of relief and happiness; even letting some tears fall down his cheeks. He had definitely needed the small moment for himself - but then he couldn't wait to see you. 

Gently closing the door - not to wake you - Loki stepped inside the big, cosy, but medically looking room. With his eyes not leaving your frame, he walked over to you and sat down on the chair beside the bed. A smile grazed his lips as he watched you sleep so peacefully.

Loki would wait by your side, until you woke up again. He had no intention to wake you. So, that's what he did... Waiting.

The king had no idea how long he waited. Perhaps only half an hour; perhaps three hours. He didn't know; lost the feeling for time.

A soft, sweet groan left your lips, before you furrowed your eyebrows for a moment; eyes fluttering open. Loki reacted immediately; greeting you with his deep, gentle voice. "Hello, my darling flower. Did you sleep well?" You blinked a few times; head turning to face your husband. "Loki?" He nodded. "I'm here, my love, I am here." One of his big, cerulean hands went to cup your face; thumb gently stroking the skin of your right cheek. You leaned in his touch, of course; feeling warmth spreading throughout your body.

"Why am I here? What happened?" You asked; slightly confused why you were in the medical wing. "You almost had a circulatory collapse. In the gardens. Ivan brought you here and alarmed me. I came as fast as possible, but the healers told me you were asleep." You swallowed hard. You could remember that you had been, indeed, in the gardens, but then everything got blurry. "Oh norns..." "I was quite worried - and I told you to seek out the healers, but you just didn't want to listen..." You squeezed your eyes shut; feelings of guilt over rolling you. "I-I know that now. I'm so sorry, my love, I-" "Shhh..." Loki shushed you on an instant. "It's okay now, flower. You are going to be just fine. Everything is alright."

Now you were slightly confused. After all, something had to be wrong... But not just at your husband's words. About the fact that he had tears in his eyes. Happy tears?

And Loki? Loki saw the confusion reflecting on your face, but he just wasn't able to hold back his emotions.

Letting out a shaky breath, he lunged forward and showered you with countless kisses on your lips - which managed to confuse you even more. What by Odin's beard was going on here?

Between some moments, where his lips weren't locked with yours, you were able to take a few breaths and literally pant out: "L-Loki, what... What is going on h-here? I'd like to have an e-explanation."

Your husband smiled brightly from ear to ear and took your hand lovingly in his bigger ones. "My love, you... You are with child."

You blinked; needed a moment to process the information, but then your eyes widened; jaw dropping. "W-What? I... WHAT?!" Loki just nodded; softly squeezing your hand. "I-I am pregnant?!" A small laugh escaped the king's lips. "Yes, flower, you are. The healers told me. They checked. Twice." You blinked again. This was a little overwhelming for you at the moment. "A-And my circulation problems are-" "A side effect." Loki finished the sentence for you. You swallowed. "Wow, um, I... This is..." Your husband's cheerful expression fell; smile vanishing. "Are you not happy about this, my queen? Didn't you - we, wish for this to happen?" When you saw the troubled look in his eyes, you quickly lifted your free hand to cup his cheek. "No, no, my love! I am happy about it! I truly am!" You tried to reassure him. "It's just a bit overwhelming at the moment. You know, normally it's the woman's job to break such news to her man and not the other way round... I absolutely wasn't prepared for this." Loki nodded; smile returning slowly. "I see - and I understand. I am sorry. Perhaps I just should've let you rest first and tell you tomorrow, but I was just too excited. I wasn't able to control my emotions. Apologies, flower." You shook your head. "No, Loki... Do not apologise for that. Ever. It makes my heart beat so much faster, to see that you are so excited to become a father."

Loki's bright smile had returned. "Oh, I am so excited, my darling. So very much..." He leaned forward to press a lingering kiss on your forehead.

Loki hadn't left your bedside that evening; completely abandoning all his royal tasks and telling several guards and advisors, that he'd not be available in the next hours. Loki wanted to stay by your side - after all, you almost collapsed today... And he wanted to enjoy this happy, intimate moment with you. Only you.

Now he was laying in bed with you, after the healers had checked on you once again. His arms wrapped around your middle securely; keeping you pinned against his chest.

"I still can't quite believe this..." You mumbled; softly shaking your head. "A child, Loki..." The king's chest vibrated with a hum, "Me neither, flower." before he pressed a small kiss on the exposed skin of your neck. "You know what that means from now on, yes?" Your husband continued. "Umm..." "No more hard work for you, love. No stressful royal duties, no hunting, no long travels. None of it. Especially now. The healers said your body needs more rest." You wriggled around; turned in his embrace to face him. "But, my king, I-" "No, no, no." Loki cut you off immediately. "You are growing our child. That's already hard work enough." "Okay, okay, I understand that, but... Aren't you a tad bit overprotective now, my love?" You placed one hand on his strong pecs; right where his heart beat for you.

The king just shrugged his shoulders and started to gently stroke the clothed skin on your lower back with his thumbs. "Perhaps. But I can't help myself. It's in my nature; my genes; my instinct. I must protect my woman and growing offspring - at all costs."

Your mouth literally fell shut after these stern, but loving words; knowing that you had no chance in arguing with him anymore. His point stood. Despite that, what were you supposed to do against his DNA? So, instead you opted for a slight change of subject...

"We need to tell my father... And brother." Your husband nodded. "I know, yes. We should - but not now. We're not telling anyone right now. It's so fresh and vulnerable... This is our moment. Nobody else's. We should give it some time." "Yes," you agreed; knowing that Loki was right. "We should."

Three months later, it was time for you and Loki to tell the whole palace and kingdom. Thor and Odin knew it already. They've been told by you and your husband a month back. During those three months, you hid your growing baby bump as best as you could. Sure, it was unavoidable that a few guards and maids figured it out, but those who did had been bound to secrecy.

Like in almost every realm and kingdom was a pregnancy reveal quite a big event. That was the reason, why countless Jotuns gathered in the big courtyard of the palace and waited excitedly, but also anxiously for their king and queen to step out on the big, majestic balcony, in order to tell them why they got invited here. Nobody knew. Nobody had a single clue.

"Are you ready, my queen?" Loki asked you, as he came to stand beside you in front of the green flapping curtains, which led out on the balcony. You took a deep breath and nodded. It wasn't like you already stood quite often on this balcony for various reasons, but this... This was bigger... Different.

"I think I am, yes. I won't be able to hide those two much longer anyways." You placed one hand underneath your steadily growing bump; hosting your twins. Loki smiled softly; "That may be true, yes." cupped your hand and pressed a kiss against your temple. "I am by your side, my flower. Always have been; always will be. This is something good and I am happy to finally share this with our folk." You couldn't help but smile as well; heart fluttering. "Me too, my king, me too." Loki gave you another nod, then took your hand in his; fingers intertwining. "Let's do this." Together you stepped past the curtains, which got held open by two guards, and onto the balcony.

Silence spread over the courtyard on an instant, when the Jotuns saw the both of you appear. They went down on one knee or took a deep bow; showing their king and queen the utmost respect.

"Arise!" Loki started to speak; lifting his arms. Everyone raised to their feet again; all eyes directed on you and your husband. "I thank you all for your appearance." You were glad that Loki did the talking. He was by far better at that. A born king. "Now, you all might wonder why we - the queen and I ordered you all to stand before your rulers today."

Immediate whispers broke out within the crowd and everybody seemed a little... tense and afraid. You could feel it - and so could Loki. "Don't fret, my loyal folk. I can assure you, that the reason why we are all standing here today is purely good." And again the whispers picked up, but this time you could see quite relieved and happy faces. The built-up tension left the Jotuns.

You felt how Loki reached for your hand again; trying to help calm your nerves down a bit.

"My wife, the queen and I..." He spoke up once more, and you knew that the moment had arrived. This was it. Giving his hand a squeeze, you told him that you were ready. Nervous, but ready. Until now, the Jotuns were still unaware, since you wore a wide gown, which hid your quite pregnant belly. Nothing uncommon for you. Sure, it was summer, but for you, it was early spring.

Loki gave you an encouraging nod, alongside a smile and helped you to get rid of the gown - and the 'façade' to drop. Your belly was for everybody visible now, causing a murmur to go through the crowd. Everybody stared at you surprised, shocked; jaw slacking.

"We are expecting offspring!" Your husband announced then cheerfully; placing a hand on your baby bump. "The lineage of our family continues!" His words caused the dam to break and the realisation hitting your people full force. Suddenly, they broke out in loud cheers and claps. There were smiles everywhere; alongside some chants saying things like: 'All hail the king and queen!' or 'Long live king Loki and queen Y/N!' It was a firework of emotions - not just for them.

You and Loki bathed in the positive reactions from all of your people for several moments, until he lifted his hands again, in order to shush them - which worked immediately. The power this man has over the crowd, you thought. Everyone is so devoted to him.

"But with that not enough..." He continued his little speech; dropping the next bombshell. "My wife is going to give birth in a few months... to twins!" This caused even louder claps and cheers to emit from the Jotuns; and a shiver to run down your spine. It was so intense. You felt so much love, sympathy and support radiating from everyone who was standing to your and Loki's feet. You felt accepted. It was overwhelming. Incredible.

You couldn't help but smile and wave, all the while leaning over to kiss your husband; showing some 'public' affection.

[rwshfordgirl]

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘

all the images were taken from pinterest.

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫! 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬!

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬.

𝐚/𝐧: 𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 ;) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐥 𝐢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭

L'estate. The most anticipated trip of the year was finally happening, trip planned in every detail since the end of last summer. The Canary Islands were waiting for you.

It was almost a reward, thanks to the difficult semester at college. The girls deserved to relax now.

Playa de Costa Calma, in Fuerteventura. The car was full of laughter, loud music, conversations. You were distracted, enjoying the moment with the girls, the car recently parked in the waterfront parking lot. 

You didn't see when a car pulled up next to the one you were in, which resulted in you opening the passenger door at the same time as the driver of the car next to you.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry." you said before closing the door so he could leave first.

The man getting out of the car next door was young Barcelona star Ferran Torres. He had also gone to the Canary Islands to enjoy the end of another season with the Catalan team.

Ferran smiled when he saw you after getting out of the car, "It's okay."

His eyes involuntarily wandered over you, the football player's mind had quickly come to a conclusion: you were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The seconds he spent admiring you felt like an eternity, he scratched the back of his neck before speaking, "so, enjoy your day at the beach."

You smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Thank you, you too."

You smiled again before heading towards the sandbar with your friends. However, you and Ferran had the same idea, both of you looking at each other over your shoulders.

But as the day went on, the beach slowly filled up. You saw Ferran nearby, playing ball with his friends. There were exchanges of glances between the two of you, nothing more than that.

But Ferran saw the perfect opportunity when you friends went out to bathe in the sea, a deliberate and weak kick made the ball stop at your side.

You turned your face when you felt the object touch your waist, but your gaze first fell on Ferran who was walking quickly and smiling in your direction, "Lo siento."

You chuckled, you knew Ferran had done that on purpose, "it's okay."

"You'll think I'm trying to hurt you, first the door, now the ball," he said playfully.

"I guess you have a problem with me then." you smiled, "your friends are waiting for you to return the ball.", you pointed to the group of boys standing with their arms crossed, eyes on Ferran.

The Spanish player looked at his friends and kicked the ball towards them, but he remained standing there next to you.

I looked him up and down, "aren't you going to play ball with your friends?"

He shook his head in denial and pointed to the empty space next to you, "can I sit?"

You nodded and watched him sit in the space next to you on the sand, "so you want to talk, I see.", he gave a little smile.

"Don't you want to talk?", his tone was playful.

"I want to. I like to talk.", your smile was leaving Ferran disconcerted.

He nodded, looking out at the sea and then at me, "aren't you going to go in the water?"

I looked at the girls playing in the sea water, "no, it's too cold."

He chuckled lightly, "I see.", he looked at you again, "are you from here?"

You shook your head, "from the capital. but I live in Milan, what about you?"

Ferran looked surprised, "Milan? That's fancy, dear.", he kept smiling, "but I'm from Valencia, however I live in Barcelona."

"Oh, I know who you are! I remember, the Barcelona boys came to visit you in the hospital after they won the title. You were on the news channels all over Spain," you remembered his face on the television weeks ago, "but damn, you're a football player."

He laughed at your words, "It was me. But I didn't understand your reaction, don't you like football players?", he raised an eyebrow.

"You know what they say about you guys, you're not trustworthy." the way you spoke wasn't serious, it was playful.

He pretended to be offended, "people say a lot of things, things that aren't true. And I'm different anyway."

You chuckled softly, "oh yes, I can see you're different."

Ferran laughed at the way you spoke, "give me a chance and I'll show you I'm different."

"You're fast, aren't you? I barely met you and you're already like this," you said.

"You've been occupying my mind since the moment I saw you.", he revealed, "I can't miss this chance."

"Relax, I won't make you miss this chance."

The smile on Ferran's face showed how pleased he was to hear what you had said.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked before looking at his watch, "we could go somewhere to eat, It's almost lunch time."

"Sounds good to me, just let me tell the girls.", you winked at him.

[venusianbarbiedoll]

—AN INTRO TO MY (FAME) SMALLVILLE REALITY

My name is Victoria Venus Valentine Valencia—yes, I know that’s a lot of V’s, I have an obsession. I am originally from Smallville. I was born and raised there until I was nine years old. During that time, I was doing beauty pageants. I won every single one, not just due to my natural beauty and charm, but because of my X factor. Then, there was a meteor shower that hit Smallville when I was eight years old. Due to this, I earned the abilities to alter my appearance and to persuade people with my voice—not that I’d find out until I moved back. The incident also caused my mother to pass away, breaking both mine and my father’s hearts.

That’s why I moved to Gotham City with my father in the middle of fourth grade. My father was close to the Wayne family; I was especially close to Bruce after a few months of being there. Growing up in the dangerous city of Gotham, even as part of the more elite and wealthy community, was terrifying and had its own problems. One night, one year after moving to Gotham, as young kids with our parents—his mom and dad, and my dad—, Bruce and I went to go see an opera show. Little did we know that our lives would be changed forever.

Both of his parents as well as my father were murdered by a mugger who was looking for money and jewelry. Bruce and I were taken in by Alfred. For a while, I stayed with them until my uncle, my dad’s younger brother, came for me almost seven years later when I was seventeen.

He wasn’t someone that was close to my family. A black sheep was one way to describe him. Apparently, in my father’s will, it was written that I would live with him when I turned seventeen. I wasn’t sure why though, it seemed odd to me. The judge agreed that it was fine for him to take me in all those years later, so I had to leave even though I didn’t exactly want to.

Our relationship wasn’t exactly easy. It was a bit awkward at times since we barely knew each other. We respected each other and just lived our lives in Smallville while talking every now and then (despite living in the same house). My tío had lived in Smallville for over two decades. When my father and I left, he stayed. He had his own farm, barn, and house.

He had stayed to help the town clean up after the meteor shower from twelve years ago. He also just preferred living in a quieter place. The day the meteor shower happened, it was also the homecoming parade in town. As Miss Junior Pageant winner, I was also a part of the parade.

One minute I was waving my hand in a royal manner, the next I was tackled by one of the women who tried to protect me. There was a meteor shower that crashed into Smallville. There were casualties and injuries, one being that I got a wound from a piece of debris which caused a small scar to form behind my left ear. My best friend, Lana Lang, unfortunately lost her parents, and I lost my mom.

[batsplat]

hi bat, do you have any thoughts on how this motogp season is unfolding? (i also want to say that after marc's crash i religiously read any of your old posts mentioning qatar isn't as bad of a track for him to calm myself down and thank you for being right<3)

did i say that?? i mean fwiw for my own purposes i'm a big fan of track-specific performance metrics because i just like how pronounced a rider/bike profile there is in motogp, it's such a stats-friendly thing where it's really fun to dig into (if you're a fucking loser). so i do have stuff on how i think each track would lean in a 'all other things being equal, they finish valencia exactly tied in the points' season, and i had qatar soft-leaning pecco. ig we'll never really know what might have been without the quali crash but... incidentally i had jerez as a medium-lean pecco so if that's also a no-go then i think at a certain point you can quite safely call it. marc was never dreadful in qatar because he's not dreadful anywhere, but even controlling for honda qatar performances it's defo not one of his strongest tracks

anyway. i only got this ask after i'd answered the other one after which it sat in my drafts forever, which you can consult for general motogp takes. so i was like. idk what to say. but i realise i DO have a topic i feel ready to get on my soapbox about. i wish to give my pedro acosta rant

i have been doing my best to avoid motogp discourse but sometimes one Hears things. and i have Heard certain quarters wanting a reevaluation of acosta in light of his shaky start of the season. the argument, so it goes, is that he has continued crashing a lot in his sophomore season, that if he were really as good as everyone said he was by now he'd be finishing highly up despite the problems with his equipment, that vinales has shown you can be fast with that bike, that [insert other rider of your choice] wasn't doing this at this stage of their career. that people have overhyped acosta, that he might be good but won't end up as good as [insert rider]. and i wish to say. this is all rubbish. will he be as good as [insert rider]? will he win twenty titles? idk. am i reevaluating him based on ANYTHING i have seen this year? no. we still do not know how good this guy will ultimately prove to be. we have all the signs there to suggest he has the potential to be one of those truly s-tier riders, the doohan/valentino/casey/marc tier, or 'at least' an alien-level talent. we do not know what trajectory he will follow, maybe he will end up being significantly worse than that. maybe he will be That Guy. we don't know

the thing about the aliens is that by year two At The Latest in their premier class careers, they were all on title-winning machinery. four out of five were on machinery capable of winning the championship in year one, with the only exception being casey (and 3/5 were in the team what won the title). i kinda feel like 500cc is holistically different enough from motogp bikes we should maybe exclude valentino from some of this conversation, like you kinda get the vibe a lot of his developmental process was 'learning to trust the bike won't kill him'. with that proviso, acosta's rookie season did just have the vibe of what would happen if you put any of the aliens on non-title winning machinery. he got some remarkable results like for instance a podium in his second race. from the limited evidence of his pre motogp career, i think it's fair to say he's not a single lap specialist, but he's shown plenty of evidence of genuine qualifying pace including that mildly fugazi motegi pole (fwiw mr rossi did not get a pole in his first premier class season At All despite finishing second in the championship). he crashed a lot. which, yes, that'll happen when you're a rookie. to his credit, marc mostly managed to keep that stuff out of races - but he was also on a truly excellent, well-developed, easily rideable bike that he neither had to nor was motivated to override to get good results. when the second half of your season is a defensive title charge, you're less likely to crash that shit than when straining for an unlikely result that feels more important than your overall championship position

i basically think all pedro vs marc comparisons are stupid because you straight up do not know how they would've handled each other's respective situations. i do however think there is a rookie season acosta's does resemble

now acosta's rookie season was better than this, he was considerably more loved by his factory than this particular rider was, but the vibe is similar. casey got pole for his second race, almost secured a win in his third, then did a whole lot of crashing - probably at least in significant part because michelin (shakes fist) was running experiments on him and because he did not have a competent crew chief to guide him. his season kinda semi unravelled post le mans ... he was fighting in the lead group when crashing in mugello, he led from the start (twice, cf the red flag) in catalunya and crashed after losing the lead to valentino, he fought dani in assen and valentino in donington, he fucked up his body at the sachsenring, and after that it was kinda a grind. at estoril, he not only crashed himself out but also injured sete badly enough to rule him out of the last race at valencia. then, casey gets an offer from ducati, a seat he was the second choice for and could've easily gone to someone else. the ducati was very fast but also very capricious - and was paired with the bridgestone tyres that have a considerably better front end feel than the michelins, which had been the primary reason for all those rookie season crashes

(a reminder of how quickly things can change lol - obviously casey did not have a single race crash in 2007 and had his first race crash on a ducati at .... .................... well. you know. anyway the point is i think in retrospect we can all agree casey was a pretty decent rider)

now, let us imagine for a moment a world in which casey does not get that deal and instead stays with lcr honda, where he gets a factory-supported-but-not-quite bike on shitty michelins. what do you think his results look like on that ?? you think he would have stopped crashing?? i'm not saying these situations are completely comparable - acosta's stocks are considerably higher than alt!casey's would've been, acosta knows manufacturers will still want to have him, he's got more job security, he's also a somewhat more sanguine character than casey (who in this timeline probably would've stabbed a michelin engineer) (also i suppose in this timeline maybe you wouldn't get the single tyre rule, or indeed the current ducati situation - single most influential rider market move this century?) and is more of a bratty jorge type than a neurotic headcase casey type. but the general point is, him having very febrile results currently does not in and of itself tell us shit about his ultimate potential. it tells us that the ktm project is a mess

'aha!' you say. 'but what about vinales at qatar! the fact that acosta's being so summarily outperformed by someone in his stable shows he's not that guy!' no i'm sorry. no. vinales does this sometimes. idc if it's a new bike, this can happen, he's extremely talented in his own right and will just randomly receive unholy powers on a random weekend. (i think in retrospect given his super fast adaptation to yamaha and his qatar weekend with ktm, maybe aprilia really wasn't suited to him and that slowed down the adaptation process.) it also tells me less than nothing that acosta hasn't asserted himself against his fellow factory riders early in the season. this can happen to anyone, even the very best. was valentino washed when this happened against a bald rookie (who also got pole in all three of those races mind u)

was casey washed when this happened against hayden, who i think everyone would agree was not that impressive a force anymore post 2006

was marc washed when this happened, at a time where again i think it's fair to say dani was past his best and wasn't really an alien calibre rider anymore

no!! obviously not!! and none of rookie jorge, post 2006 hayden or washed dani are a more frightening prospect than vinales who will occasionally be possessed by a creature from the great beyond! hell, fabio's 2021 title season started with a race vinales won and fabio was fifth in. it happens! everyone gets vinales'd now and again! keeps you humble! that guy could've been a motogp champion if he weren't. y'know. like he's good!

acosta is dealing with three very highly rated riders - nobody on the s tier, sure, but riders who have occasionally flirted with the a tier! acosta is young and annoyed and is having to deal with the kind of significant frustration that, again, it's worth pointing out none of the aliens did in their sophomore season - aka 'the manufacturer you wanted to win a title with being bankrupt' - and his start of the season has been spotty. if we reach valencia and he's trailing vinales in the championship, then please write in and we can collectively clown what i've written in this post. but we are four rounds in

this current situation we've got in motogp where probably elite level riders are locked out of title contending machinery for seasons on end is... kinda unprecedented in the modern era and extremely frustrating ?? but this is partly why you get such reactionary takes about this guy that just do not stack up! idk if he's going to be the next valentino rossi or the next marc marquez, but ik that with the correct machinery he MIGHT be. i hope he gets that machinery so we can see! crucially he showed enough in his rookie season that i have no doubt the potential is there, and this is not a take i will reevaluate after a few crashes. just be happy the aliens were spared so unserious an organisation as 'kay tee em' and move on, my god

[motleyistheonlywear]

Can I just say to the pundits (like the twats at ESPN FC) who harp on about the problem of Vini's "aggression" for clicks, that Vini has only received TWO red cards in his entire career. And that both have been at Valencia...you know, the place where the fans were chanting racist shit at him and the players were provoking him, diving, and putting him in a chokehold. But I guess the context of that doesn't matter at all to explain why he gets a little heated at Metsalla.

[album-tourney]

Round 1 match ups

Deny Defend Depose by Joe Devito - Todos Juntos by Los Jaivas

Union Maid by the Almanac Singers - Color in your Cheeks by the Mountain Goats

II: The road Giveth by RENT STRIKE - Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel

For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield - I'm not a good person by Pat the Bunny

I ain't Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs - Ballad of a Wobbly by David Rovics

Do you believe in magic by the lovin spoonful - Let the Mystery Be by Iris Demont

California Dreamin by the Mama's and the Papa's - I'm a Believer by The Monkees

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen - A Song for a Computer Programmer by Cricket!

Blackbird by the Beatles - The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

Feed the Machine by Poor Man's Poison - Curses by the Crane Wives

Big Rock Candy Mountain by Harry McClintock - Pure Obsession by Mirabai Kukathas

Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls - I want wind to blow, the microphones

War isn't Murder by Jesse Welles - Delta Dawn by Tanya Tucker

Place to Be by Nick Drake - The Wrote and Writ by Johnny Flynn

Time in a Bottle By Jim Croce - Ohio by Neil Young

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons - Space Girl by Shirley Collins

A Horse with No Name by America - Fuck it by Days N Daze

The Galway Girl by Sharon Shannon and Steve Earle - The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

Heave Away by the Fables - Stick Season by Noah Kahan

Rule #4 Fish in a Birdcage by Fish in a Birdcage - Your Heart is a Muscle the Size Of Your fist by Ramshackle Glory

War on the Workers by Anne Feeney - The Funeral by Band of Horses

Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes - Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation by Tom Paxton

Season of the Witch by Donovan - I’m against the government by Defiance, Ohio

Everybody's Talkin' by Harry Nilsson - Kill the Boy Band by She/Her/Hers

Me and my Bobby Mcgee by Janis Joplin - O Valencia by the Decemberists

Wayward Prodigal by Cora Reef - The War Racket by Buffy Sainte-Marie

The Times they are a changing by Bob Dylan - Miracle of Life by Bright eyes

At Seventeen by Janis Ian - Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds

I am a Union Woman by Bobbie McGee - Electricity by Sister Wife Sex Strike

Annie's Song by John Denver - Roll On, Columbia, Roll On by the Highway Men

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Paul and Mary - Solidarity Forever by Utah Phillipps

I'm Gonna Be an Engineer by Peggy Seegar - Follow Me up to Carlow by the Young Dubliners

Take Me to Church By Hozier - 32 Flavors by Ani Difranco

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman - Murder in the City by the Avett Brother

Mrs. Robinson By Simon and Garfunkel - The Chemical Worker's Song by Great Big Sea

The Fox by Nickel Creek - Oak & Ash & Thorn by The Longest Johns

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald By Gordon Lightfoot - Strangers by Apes of the State

American Pie by Don McLean - Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash, And Young

Everything I own by Bread - Fire and Rain by James Taylor

The Trolley Problem by Windborne - Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison

Where have all the flowers gone by Pete Seeger - Dream a Little Dream of Me by Cass Elliot

Glad to be Gay by Tom Robinson Band - The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

Vienna by Billy Joel - Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapman

One Kind of People by Amigo the Devil - Brave as a Noun by AJJ

Every Town will Celebrate by Mischief Brew - Wild World by Cat Stevens

Plastic Jesus by Tia Blake - Ho Hey by the Lumineers

Ballad of Ho Chi Min by Ewan MacColl - City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie

Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson - Excursion Around the Bay by Great Big Sea

Who would Jesus Bomb by Jordan Snart - Rhododendron Honey by Leslie Fish

Hungry Dog on the street by the Taxpayers - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by The Band

Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds - Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen

You're So Vain by Carly Simon - Ooh La La by the Faces

Budapest by George Ezra - Paradise by John Prine

Tear the Facists Down by Woody Guthrie - House of the Rising Sun by the Animals

One Great City by the Weakerathans - Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez

Bread and Roses by Judy Collins - Angel From Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt

March of the Jobless Corps by Daniel Kahn - There is Power in a Union by Billy Bragg

What a time to be alive by Matt Press - Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell

Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford - All The Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands by Sufjan Stevens?

Not Yet/Love Run by the Amazing Devil - Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers

Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega - It's too Late by Carole King

Hurt by Johnny Cash - Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell

Jolene by Dolly Parton - Have you ever seen the rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival

I'd work for Free by Blake Rouse - You're Dead by Norma Tanega

[folkloresthings]

BECCA!! Congrats on 1k, I love your writing and I’m glad so many other people do too <3

NORTHANGER ABBEY — send a muse + your favourite trope and i’ll write a drabble/blurb.

Could you do Sebastian Vettel + pining/unrequited love but with a happy end? (Kind of à la Amy & Laurie in little women??)

AMY AND LAURIE CODED!!! spot the little women refs

SOMEDAY. ❨ sebastian vettel x reader ❩

✩⡱ warnings: mention of v*mit

the light of sebastian’s presence had lit your life for as long as you could — or wanted to remember. young when you’d first met, you at nineteen and him twenty—four, donning his red bull gear and a world championship. the bar in which you had met wasn’t anything special, tucked away in the heart of valencia. you were travelling with friends, he was working his way towards his second championship.

it was easy to spot him across the bar, all blonde curls and dazzling eyes. a woman hung on his arm, whispering in his ear while a friend—of—a—friend introduced you both. he’d barely looked at you, probably to preoccupied with how the woman’s hands were wandering further south by the minute.

your best friend was more of a racing fan than you, and had coincidentally planned the route of your travels across europe to coincide with the grand prix schedule. the next time you saw him was in budapest, nursing the same drink he’d had in spain but arms bare of playthings for the night.

“vodka soda, please.”

“i remember you,” he had slurred, pointing aimlessly towards you as you spoke across to the barman. “valencia!”

you assumed his exclamation of the city was his connecting of the dots, so you sent him a nod and a small smile. “yeah, we both know joseph.”

“joseph, right,” sebastian mused, vague familiarity dancing across his features. “good guy.”

he looked just as handsome that night as he had in valencia, though slightly drunker. you had heard the tales of the good—looking german driver, your friend spent most of your train journeys across countries gushing about him and half a dozen other names you didn’t recognise.

“here, my treat,” sebastian quickly cut across you before you could pay, shoving a few euros into the barman’s hand. you didn’t bother arguing — he was a world famous formula one driver and you were a full time university student. he could afford a vodka soda better than you could.

“thank you, sebastian.”

“you’re welcome…” he trailed off, searching desperately in his memory for your name.

“y/n,” you offered, a grin tugging at your lips. you couldn’t find it in yourself to be annoyed at his lack of attention, not when his eyes were shining up at you the way they were. he repeated it, your birthright sounding far nicer on his tongue than your own. he’d shaken your hand then, ordering an apology round of shots for his “shameful behaviour”.

a few hours later, you held his belongings as he vomited into an empty alleyway. the streets of budapest were practically deserted, town clock chiming three in the morning. sebastian’s challenge of shot after shot soon became a competition with only himself, ending up much drunker than yourself and with no one around to supervise his stupidity.

thankfully, tucked somewhere in his pocket, was the address of his hotel. you got him there, eventually, after a few stops to sit down or sebastian’s several attempts to climb a wall. you took him all the way to him room, getting him into bed and leaving a note and some painkillers by his side.

from then on, you were friends. even when you went back to university, he did all he could to fly you out to races and let you see a little more of the world. australia, japan, abu dhabi… you’d been there to see him win every world championship, to hug him and celebrate with one too many drinks afterwards. you were still always the one to tuck him in after.

the only problem was, amongst this wonderful friendship, you were completely and utterly in love with him.

he didn’t feel the same. you figured that out one night in monaco when he took you for dinner and snuck you down to the beach afterwards. you kissed him on the sand, naive and innocent, only twenty and unsure of what this would mean. he’d been kind about it, sweet as ever, letting you indulge yourself before letting you down slowly.

“maybe someday, when you’re older.”

his words played in your mind like a broken record every birthday from them on. would this be the year? you tried going out with other boys, but none of them compared to him. your sebastian. every year you got older, so did he, and soon you were twenty—six and him thirty—one.

in those years, you were glad for his wise, older words. they’d kept your friendship intact, giving you your person — the one you could talk to in good times and bad. no matter how painful your love for him was, never fading over time, you kept it all down for the sake of keeping him in your life.

“penny for your thoughts?” sebastian’s usual teasing tone pulls you from your thoughts, the montage of your relationship playing in your head. you glance up at him, forcing on a smile.

“sorry, zoned out for a minute,” you breathed out a laugh, smoothing down the skirt of your dress in the mirror. “how do i look? do i look alright?”

sebastian took a moment to let his eyes rake over your body. the dress was a pale blue colour, adorned with pale white flowers that floated about your ankles. he could only describe it as soft, a light summer dress that moved with the wind but hugged your lines perfectly. god, you were heavenly.

“you look beautiful. you are beautiful.” sebastian’s face had softened considerably, looking at you in a way that could almost be mistaken for love. you stare at him, yearning to decipher the thoughts in his head, but you come up empty.

inhaling some feeling back into your body, you move from his gaze. “i better go. robb will be waiting.”

robb. sebastian had been with you when you met. a grand event, drivers and socialites alike. sebastian had gone to get you both a drink when he returned to find the man flirting with you. you were smiling and laughing, your hand finding it’s place on the man’s arm. sebastian turned on his heel and left you to it, finishing both of your drinks in his stride.

since then, you had been to dinner with robb twice. he was charming, funny and sweet, knew just how to woo you. admittedly, you struggled to find the spark that people often spoke of, but you were willing to pass it up for a chance at some kind of romance. sebastian, however, found himself battling with this strange feeling in his stomach every time you spoke to him about robb.

he could feel it again now, watching you skip off to meet your date. twisting and tugging, nausea rising in his chest. it was a new feeling, and one that he hated having. it was selfish of him but he couldn’t help it — you had been his for so long, only his, and now you were slipping away.

“ — but it’s far too cold there to live all year…” chuckling at robb’s latest tale, you felt the words on your tongue fade as he appeared nearby. you had told sebastian where you and robb were going, a small jazz bar with expensive cocktails and live music. so why had he come?

“seb?”

he smiled, brows furrowing in faux confusion. “oh, hey you two. fancy seeing you here.”

if looks could kill, sebastian would be six feet under by now. your glare was cold, but missed completely by robb as he engaged in conversation with your friend. for the next thirty minutes, you didn’t say a word. you didn’t get a chance, with robb asking sebastian a million questions on racing and the latter gladly entertaining him.

“excuse me,” you muttered, grabbing your bag and pushing yourself from the chair. your date barely noticed, staring at a picture on sebastian’s phone. the blonde watched you go, snatching his device back and following you without a second thought.

“hey, y/n! wait!” he hurried after you down the street, struggling to keep up with your hurried pace. “y/n!”

his arm reached out to grab you, spinning you on your heel to face him. he knew with one look that you were mad, and he suddenly regretted every choice he’d made that evening. “what?”

“where are you going?” he asked, rather sheepish.

“i’m going home, sebastian,” your voice was sharp, cheeks red with anger and embarrassment. “my date seems pretty occupied with you in there, so i’m leaving.”

“no, wait…” he grappled desperately, grabbing at your wrist again to keep you there. his lips part, searching for an excuse, but nothing comes out.

“you knew i was coming here tonight! why would you show up when you knew?” seething, tears pricked at your eyes. you cursed yourself for the german making you such a mess. “i told you how excited i was and you purposely came to ruin it! why?”

sebastian sighed, silent. all of that jealously turned to hatred, for himself and his stupid, stupid heart. “i’m sorry.”

you looked at him, waiting for more. needing more than just that.

“i’m sorry, i just — i hated seeing you so happy,” as soon as it was out, as soon as he saw your face twist, he knew it didn’t sound right. “no, shit. not like that. i wasn’t the one making you happy and it felt awful. i didn’t want to see you with anyone else. y/n… i’ve been such an idiot.”

the words sunk in as he tried to tangle his fingers in you, squeezing himself closer to you in the street. your head shook, backing away with every inch he moved closer.

“no, no. seb, don’t do this,” you muttered, ignoring his pleas for your forgiveness. you felt dizzy, all of this coming to soon. “seb, you’re being mean. stop it.”

with your voice sterner, he took a step back.

“i’ve waited for you for seven years. i waited and you never came, but the second i find somebody else you figure it out?” tongue laced with disbelief, you felt your feet stumble on the cobbles below. sebastian reached out to you, worry crossing his face. he felt terrible. he’d put you through so much and expected even more.

“i know,” sebastian whispered, daring to step closer again. you let him now, proving yourself weak to his affection once again. his hand finds your cheek, warming it from the night air, your head resting against his hold. “i’m a fool. i didn’t realise it before but i’ve been in love with you for so long. i don’t know when it happened, but it did. and there’s nothing i can do about it but beg you to forgive me.”

your eyes turn soft, melting into his confessional. everything you’d waited for and dreamed of, the words that haunted you for years of sleepless nights. it was happening and none of it felt real. seven years of wanting it, and now you were hesitant.

“will you forgive me?” sebastian pleads, thumbs rubbing gently at the flesh of your cheeks. his lips, ready for yours, but not until you are. “i’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. i promise.”

you smile, because how can you not? when he’s looking at you like you’re the one who hung the moon and the stars — but he’s the sun. your sun, your light, your love.

“yes.” it’s a whisper when it finally comes, but he hears it. his own smile creeps up, squeezing you in delight.

“yes?” he repeats, waiting for you to confirm it again. you do, and he wastes no time in kissing you. not like that night on the beach, young and unsure, but full of love and certainty. because he loves you, with everything he is, and he needs to show you. all soft lips and daring tongues, arms winding around your waist to pull you flush to him.

he loves you and you love him. at the end of the day, or seven years, there’s nothing else that really matters.