#though he spent his last years in switzerland

[theoniprince]

"Ich weiß, dass es nicht gesehen wird. Wir haben gesehen, dass es einen neuen Krieg gegeben hat. Aber das ist ein Grund eben weiter daran zu glauben. Denn was bleibt, wenn wir nicht daran glauben, dass ein Fortschritt möglich ist? Was bleibt?"

Erich Maria Remarque, 1962

My attempt to explain the quote ID ->

Basically he said, he would never stop writing though his messages had been ignored all the years. You have to continue your work no matter what and don't stop believing. What's left, if you lost all hope?

[rosyblooom]

right person, wrong times | cl16

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader summary: a random day each year across 11 years, as they go from practically strangers, to more, to less, and again. (~4.3k) a/n: inspo from 'one day' !! been struggling with writer's block, so sorry in advance if it's rough lool

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

One day in 2018

Y/N glanced across the crowded room, picking out one familiar face amidst the sea of strangers: Pascale. Their families went way back, but with Y/N's parents splitting when she was just a toddler, she'd spent most of her life in Spain with her dad, Switzerland for boarding school, and rare trips to Monaco to visit her mum—hardly ever crossing paths with the Leclerc's.

But today was different. She found herself in Monaco attending a family gathering to finally meet Pascale's sons properly. She couldn't recall the last time she'd spoken to them, but Pascale had insisted today would be the day, especially since her recent move here.

Across the room, Charles stood, his posture slightly hunched as his mother whispered in his ear, urging him to check on Y/N. "Please go see how Y/N is doing. I'm not sure if she'll remember you, but just introduce yourself and keep her company for a while," Pascale pleaded, fixing him with a hopeful gaze. "Please."

"I don’t even know where she is or what she looks like."

"She's at the bar," Pascale replied with a smile. "She's the pretty one—you won't miss her."

"Very helpful," Charles chuckled, shaking his head before stepping back. "I'll make my way over now."

It didn't take long until he found himself at the bar. Surprisingly, his mother's brief description proved accurate, as Y/N stood out for her beauty—quite a departure from the faint memory he held of her.

Drawing closer, he flashed a warm smile and extended his hand in greeting. "Charles."

Y/N shot him a quick, assessing glance, her eyes flitting over his unruly hair and black attire, before meeting his gaze. "Not interested," she dismissed, her attention already wandering back to the room.

Chuckling at her abruptness, Charles shook his head. "No, no, I wasn't trying to... I'm not here to make a move, I wouldn't."

Y/N turned towards him, her curiosity piqued by his response. "Ouch," she teased, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "So you think I'm ugly, then?" Her lips curved slightly as she awaited his answer.

Heat crept up Charles’ neck, and though he couldn’t see himself, he could sense the warmth spreading across his face. With a nervous stammer, he began, “Wait, no! That’s not what I meant—What I’m trying to say is—”

“Relax,” Y/N interjected with a sympathetic smile. “I’m just kidding. Nice to see you again, Leclerc. It’s been a while, huh?”

Charles let out a long breath, his tension easing slightly. For a moment, he studied Y/N with a discerning gaze, as if attempting to unravel her mystery; she was undeniably peculiar, yet undeniably intriguing. “It has been a while,” he finally acknowledged, nodding slowly.

One day in 2019

This marked Y/N’s first ever Christmas market in Monaco. She had wanted to attend last year’s, but the winter season had always been her least favourite. This time last year, it was simply too cold for her—no matter what the news claimed, she was freezing. But today wasn’t half as bad. Sure, she was bundled up in about three sweaters under her hoodie, which she wore beneath her jacket, but well, you could say she was sensitive to weather.

“Y/N?” a voice suddenly erupted from behind her, pulling her attention away from the gigantic, decorated Christmas tree and towards Charles, who now stood before her, holding two steaming mugs.

Y/N narrowed her gaze, appearing lost in thought. “Sorry, do I know you?”

Charles shook his head and sighed, his breath forming a white cloud in the chilly air. “Right, of course. It’s been a year, so it makes sense for you not to remember me…”

“I'm just joking,” Y/N grinned, nudging him cautiously to avoid any spills. “You’re too easy.”

Charles’ mouth dropped open slightly, his eyes widening for a moment before he chuckled, “Okay, I’m not going to believe anything you say from now on.”

"Good idea," she nodded with a smile. Y/N's gaze then drifted down to the two mugs in his hands, and she inquired, "Am I right to assume that one of these is for me?"

A puzzled expression briefly crossed Charles' face, his brows furrowing slightly, prompting Y/N to gesture towards the cups.

As if suddenly remembering, he exclaimed, "Oh, right! I thought you might want something warm, and who doesn't like hot chocolate, right?" With that, he offered one of the drinks to her.

"I sure do." Y/N took the cup, cupping her cold hands around the hot glass, immediately feeling the stiffness melt away from her fingers. The hot chocolate wasn't nearly as scalding as she had anticipated—it was just right, and she savoured each sip, briefly closing her eyes in contentment. When she reopened them, she couldn't help but remark, "Sweet, just like you."

As if someone had turned on a gas stove, heat rushed to Charles' face, though this time he was fortunate; the weather was already giving him a rosy complexion due to the cold.

But Y/N still noticed, and she smiled. "Don't go getting soft on me now," she teased, bumping her elbow into his arm.

Without really thinking, Charles muttered, "You're not making it easy…" His words slipped out, and with their proximity, Y/N heard him loud and clear. Even though it wasn't the first time she'd heard a comment like that, the fact that it came from Charles sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"What was that?" Arching a brow, Y/N glanced up at him sideways, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Nothing… Do you want to get inside though? It’s a little too cold for me."

“It’s my first time here,” Y/N said, hooking her arm around his, ignoring the sudden tension in his muscles. “Don’t want to get lost,” she explained, glancing up at Charles, who didn’t object and instead simply nodded. “Right, yeah.”

“So? Lead the way then.”

“Alright, alright,” Charles obliged, skilfully manoeuvring through the crowd, with Y/N beside him.

One day in 2020

“Is this seat taken?” The question caused Y/N to freeze, her forkful of ratatouille dropping onto her plate. She swallowed the remaining food in her mouth and swiftly swept the napkin off her lap, dabbing the corners of her mouth until she was sure there were no traces left.

“Not at all,” she finally responded, turning towards the voice. “I should warn you though—” But the moment her eyes met the familiar pair of Charles’ blue ones, she stopped mid-sentence.

For a brief moment, it seemed as if the rest of the table didn’t exist, as neither of them spoke, both too captivated by the other's presence. With a crooked smile, Charles broke the silence. “You were going to warn me about something?”

Y/N couldn't quite explain why, but the sight of his smile immediately lifted the corners of her mouth, while her stomach somersaulted with a flurry of emotions. She pushed aside the sensation and simply laughed, resting her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands. “Just forget it,” she mumbled against her palms, loud enough for Charles to hear.

A gentle breeze wafted over her, carrying a familiar, clean scent of laundry detergent that Y/N had come to associate with Charles. Somehow, it immediately calmed the strange fluttering in her stomach, prompting her to lift her gaze again.

“Hi,” she finally greeted with a smile, reaching for the glass of wine on the table.

“Hey,” Charles nodded, settling back in his seat.

They lingered like this for a while, Y/N's gaze fixed on the side of his face while Charles casually surveyed the room, exchanging greetings with a few acquaintances. Squinting slightly, Y/N blurted out, “Are you stalking me?”

Charles burst into laughter, quickly composing himself and leaning towards her. “In my family's house?” he countered.

Y/N nodded in satisfaction as she took a sip from her drink. “Excellent point,” she conceded.

Gently settling the glass down, she redirected her attention to the untouched forkful of food and remarked, “Can I just say, you have to try this, it's so good.” She gestured towards her barely touched plate. “I don’t know what Pascale put in this, but this is the best ratatouille I’ve ever tasted.” Y/N grabbed her fork and extended it towards him, but noticing Charles freeze, she quickly swallowed her words, saying, “Oh, sorry, I know some people are a little iffy with sharing—”

Before she could retract the fork, Charles' warm hands suddenly enclosed around hers, halting her movement as he guided the fork towards his mouth, taking a bite, and nodding at her with a smile. “It’s been my favourite since I was a little kid.”

Y/N whispered softly, her voice barely above a murmur, yet close enough for them to hear each other perfectly. "A man of taste huh?" Her gaze drifted from his eyes down to where his hand still lingered around hers, now tracing soft circles across her skin.

Charles followed Y/N’s line of sight, quickly clearing his throat when he realised what he was doing. He withdrew his hand, causing both to avert their eyes, suddenly finding interest in everything but each other.

The last thing Charles wanted was to make Y/N uncomfortable, and as for her, she simply didn’t want to blow things out of proportion—see something where there was nothing. For all she knew, Charles was like that with all his friends.

A few moments passed, filled with surrounding chatter, before they both spoke up at the same time.

“Do you want to go—"

“So, do you have any other—"

Laughter erupted between them before Y/N smirked, “Because I’m a lady, you first.”

“How kind of you,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Are you free next week? We could maybe grab lunch or something.” Before she could respond, he added, scratching his neck, “I would offer to cook, but unfortunately, cooking skills don’t get genetically passed down.”

Ignoring the beat Y/N was sure her heart had just skipped, she simply smiled and leaned forward, chin propped on her hand. “You mean a date?”

“Only if that’s what you want.”

Her rapid nods confirmed everything before her words even formed. However, just as Charles’ lips broke into a broad grin, Y/N’s expression suddenly fell as she remembered, “Wait, no, I can’t. I’m travelling to Spain tomorrow to visit my dad. And then after that, I’ll start my internship in New York City.”

Charles sank back into his chair, though his face didn’t betray the disappointment he felt. “I see,” he sighed.

“Rain check?” Y/N asked. She wanted a date with him, to see if they’d hit it off on that level. The only problem was the timing, but she knew her feelings didn’t fade quickly. If they had to wait, then so be it. She was ready to do so. Laughing, Y/N added, “Seriously, I still want that date.”

“Rain check it is,” Charles nodded. “Congrats on the internship though, that’s amazing. Maybe I can come visit, and we’ll—”

The sudden clanking of glass interrupted him, causing both to turn their attention to the woman standing at the end of the long table.

Without breaking eye contact with the woman, Y/N leaned in closer to Charles, her lips accidentally grazing his as his gaze fleetingly dropped to her lips before he refocused on the woman, who had now dropped her glass onto the table.

Y/N whispered into his ear, to which Charles simply nodded, suppressing the sudden surge of desire coursing through his veins.

One day in 2021

Y/N walked through the Paddock with a sense of detachment, like a deer caught in headlights. The US Grand Prix had come to an end, and Max Verstappen had emerged as the victor. It wasn’t exactly what she had hoped for, but she didn’t feel any strong emotions about it. What occupied her thoughts, however, was the meeting spot she had arranged with Carlos.

Pausing in her step, she pulled out her phone, deciding to cut straight to the chase and call him directly. The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity until the sound was abruptly cut off by a long beep, indicating his automated voicemail.

“Not even personalised,” she scoffed, hanging up, tossing her phone into her bag, and continuing, resigned to the idea of either wandering aimlessly forever or eventually finding Carlos.

However, she didn’t get far before colliding with someone. She stumbled backward a bit before regaining her balance, and as she looked up, her eyes widened in recognition.

Charles stood opposite her, his expression shifting from shock to a warm smile, though his eyebrows remained slightly furrowed. “Hi,” he breathed, the warmth of his breath reaching and spreading across Y/N’s face. “You’re… here.”

Y/N’s gaze swept over his tousled hair, a few strands sticking to his forehead adorned with tiny beads of sweat, some trailing down the sides of his slightly flushed face. “You’re sweaty. Very sweaty,” she blurted out, immediately regretting her awkward observation. But it had been a year since their last exchange, so it was understandable that things felt a bit awkward between them.

A few chuckles escaped Charles, immediately bringing a smile to Y/N’s face. “Thanks, I didn’t notice."

She exhaled a laugh, and then Charles added, “Thank you for coming, I really appreciate it.” Shielding his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun with his hand, he squinted at her. “Can I ask though, was this meant to be a surprise or something?”

“Ah, Charles, you’ve met my friend, Y/N,” Carlos interrupted from behind as he came to a stop beside her.

Y/N smiled awkwardly. “Uhm... Carlos actually invited me, so that's why I'm here."

“You two know each other?” Charles inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“My dad lives in Spain, remember?” Y/N reminded him, shrugging. “Our families are pretty close.”

“Right…” Charles nodded, though he couldn’t shake off the slight hint of disbelief in his voice. After all, he knew Carlos was dating someone already, so he wasn’t sure why he felt that way. And as for Y/N, she was free to do as she pleased. After all, that date they had talked about last year never even happened. They had no history, no reason for him to feel jealous.

But he did anyway.

Wanting to diffuse the sudden tension settling between the three of them, Y/N exclaimed, “But it’s good to see you again. And you did really well. Congrats on P4, seriously.”

Charles smiled, and for the first time today, it was genuine. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with P4; he had wanted a podium finish and had come close to it. But for some reason, if she was happy, so was he.

“Thanks—” His smile faltered when an arm snaked around his torso, his girlfriend Amélie taking her place beside him and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Without wasting a second, his gaze shifted to Y/N, just in time to catch the way her eyes widened before she swallowed, her expression now impassive.

Shock and confusion swirled through Y/N’s body. She hadn’t expected Charles to have a girlfriend, so when she felt her heart crack slightly, it made sense. But she wasn’t going to show it—at least, not purposely she wasn’t.

Charles furrowed his brows as he regarded the girl standing in front of him. A pang of guilt nagged at him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why: they were never anything more than friends. And judging by the way neither of them had kept up with one another, you could barely even call it that.

Maybe they were more like strangers with a couple of good memories and unfulfilled promises?

“You alright, mate?” asked Carlos, pulling Charles out of his reverie.

Clearing his throat, Charles replied, “Yeah, yeah... Uhm Amélie, this is Y/N, my… friend.” The word came out almost as a question, but he pressed on. “Y/N, meet Amélie, my girlfriend.”

Charles wasn’t sure what he expected, but Y/N’s cheerfulness was definitely not it. “Hey,” she smiled and waved.

Slowly, tensions began to dissipate as all four of them became engrossed in conversation—though in reality, it was more like three. Y/N found herself too preoccupied with the realisation that Charles had a girlfriend now. It was a simple fact, yet it carried a weight: it meant he hadn't spent the year turning down people left and right, like she had, in hopes of a maybe.

One day in 2022

"Y/N, thank God you’re here!" Amélie's voice echoed the moment Y/N stepped into the living room, causing her to freeze in her tracks. "Uh, hey?" she replied, her eyes scanning the partly decorated room before settling on Charles, who sent her a small wave.

She raised her brows and forced a smile, though it faltered quickly—she and Charles had grown apart. Truthfully, Y/N had contemplated not showing up today; faking an illness or something and making sure to stay at home for a few days—Monaco was too small to risk being accidentally spotted.

But she came.

She came because Charles called.

Two days ago, he had called her in the middle of the night, asking if she was planning to fake being sick to avoid seeing him. And he was right—exactly what Y/N had been contemplating. So, when her first phone call with Charles in two years challenged the very idea in her mind that they had grown apart, it confused her. After all, she was sure she was a blank page now, yet he still seemed to be able to read her.

Snapping out of her daze, Y/N watched as Amélie paced erratically, her brows furrowing with every step. "What's going on with her?" Y/N asked, turning to Charles for an explanation.

He chuckled, approaching her. "It's the cake," he explained. "Amélie ordered it, but now it needs to be picked up sooner than planned because they're closing earlier than usual for some reason. So, now we have a problem, obviously."

"Why don't you just go pick it up?" Y/N leaned into him, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes still fixed on Amélie, who was now engaged in a fervent phone call.

"Apparently, I'm too clumsy."

"You are."

Charles chuckled, but his laughter was cut short when Amélie suddenly gasped, her eyes darting between Y/N and him as she rushed towards them. “Okay, guys, everyone will be here soon. If I stay and finish all this off, you two can quickly go collect the cake. So, if one person drives and the other holds it really tightly, that should work, right?”

“Sounds good,” Y/N chimed in.

“I agree,” Charles added.

“Alright,” Amélie beckoned them out of the living room and towards the front door. “Go on.”

“I love you,” Amélie said, leaning in for a kiss. But as she moved closer, Charles instinctively turned his head, causing her lips to land on his cheek instead of his mouth. His gaze had shifted to Y/N, who stood in the front yard, seemingly fixated on the grass.

“Yeah... love you,” he muttered absentmindedly, his attention still captivated by the girl just a few feet away from him.

Normally, Charles had no issue displaying affection for his girlfriend in front of others, but Y/N made it difficult. Whenever she was around—whether at family gatherings, parties, or Grand Prix events—his eyes always seemed to gravitate towards her.

“Please, don’t take too long!” Amélie shouted as the door slammed shut.

Amidst the occasional chirping of birds, a palpable silence settled between them. Y/N stared into the distance, while Charles observed her from the corner of his eye, noticing subtle changes since their last encounter. Her hair, for instance, was slightly shorter—a minor detail, yet one he couldn't help but notice.

With a loud clap, Charles gestured towards his car, parked discreetly to the side. “That way.”

Following his lead, Y/N entered through the passenger seat. However, as the car sprang to life and its dashboard lights flickered on, Charles let out a frustrated groan.

“What's wrong?” Y/N inquired.

Charles shook his head for a moment, muttering, “I told him to fill up the gas…”

“Oh,” Y/N exhaled, resting her head against the soft leather headrest. “So, what now?”

Charles' eyes lit up with excitement as he sat up eagerly, turning to face her. "We've got some old bikes in the shed, so if you want to—"

"You want us to ride rusty old bikes, while carrying a cake?" Y/N interjected, her serious expression quickly giving way to laughter.

"...Yeah?"

Y/N narrowed her gaze, appraising Charles for a moment before rolling her eyes and pushing the door open. "This is so going to backfire. I can't believe I'm doing this."

Charles couldn't help but smile as he watched Y/N exit the car. He had a feeling she wouldn't turn this idea down, and he was glad he was right. It meant that despite the years, things hadn't changed too much between them. She was still the same Y/N he knew, and he hoped he was still the Charles she was willing to have a date with.

"Don't tell me I'm going to have to do this by myself now. You coming or what?" Her yell pierced through the car, prompting him to jump out and hurry towards the shed.

By the time he finally reached the shed, Y/N had already claimed a bike—and surprisingly, it was his. Charles used to guard that bike fiercely when he was younger, not allowing anyone, not even for a few minutes. But now, as he watched her mount it, he felt no trace of that possessiveness, not even a hint.

Perhaps it was because he had outgrown that childish behaviour, or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, he couldn't deny the genuine happiness that bubbled up within him at the sight.

Now, if it were Amélie riding his bike at that moment, he wasn't quite sure he would feel the same way.

“Race you to the bakery?” Y/N grinned mischievously.

A wide smile immediately spread across Charles' face. “Sure, once I get my hands on a bike.”

“No,” she retorted, already starting to pedal. “You snooze, you lose.”

Racing to grab Lorenzo’s bike, Charles jumped on it, yelling, “Cheater!”

When he finally caught up to her, Y/N was no longer riding her bike but pulling it alongside her, causing him to slow down beside her. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you riding?” One corner of his mouth curled upward as he fixed her with a knowing look, coming to a full stop. “Oh, did you finally realise that cheating isn’t the way to go?”

“Says you,” Y/N retorted, though her chuckles rang loud and clear as Charles fell into step with her.

“Anyway,” she pointed down at her bike, “the chain’s come loose. So yeah, I was right, this was a bad idea, and Amélie is going to kill us, and poor Pascale won’t have a birthday cake.”

“Wow, don’t be too optimistic now,” Charles teased, earning an elbow to his side. “We’re not too far from the bakery now, so I say let’s not worry until we get to the ‘how do we get back home in time’ part. What do you say?”

Y/N turned to Charles, her eyes lingering on his features longer than necessary. “Okay,” she finally nodded, “sounds like a plan.”

But her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. In the time she spent gazing at Charles, he had been doing the same, unwilling to move on from that moment quite as quickly as she had.

Stopping in his steps, Y/N continued a few more feet before finally noticing his hesitation and halting her movements, turning back. “Do you want Amélie to murder us?” she joked, but her humour faded when she saw Charles’ serious expression remain unchanged.

“Okay, what’s the matter—”

Charles cut her off with a sigh. “Why don’t we talk anymore, Y/N?”

“What do you mean? We’re talking right now.”

“Come on, seriously,” Charles walked up beside her.

Y/N just shrugged, her mouth suddenly as dry as the Sahara desert. “I don’t know…”

“Well, I don't either, so can we please just start over then?” Charles proposed, his tone tired of the tension and the walking on eggshells. It was too much when all he wanted was to be close to her, to laugh like they used to before everything went haywire.

Y/N looked off to the side, musing over his words for a moment, before meeting his gaze again with a small smile. “Okay, fine, I guess.”

“Wow, you seem really excited,” Charles remarked, flashing a wide grin.

“I really do, don't I? Now, if you don’t mind,” Y/N started walking again, “I really do not feel like being killed today, so let’s fucking go.”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

2:31 ──────ㅇ────── 4:45

[aruccchin]

seb/kimi appreciation post

the fact that kimi drank most, if not all of rookie seb's drinks that were supposed to be his (because he's the new driver on the grid) to protect him,

or

when seb said kimi was the only guy on the grid who shook his hand and introduced himself at the beginning of his career, makes me think why sebastian is so fond of kimi

like even back in his toro rosso days, he was already friends (or acquaintances) with kimi

and when kimi returned to the grid to lotus in 2012, their friendship stayed the same despite the years they spent apart

like i just love the fact that the both of them remained good friends even when they drove for the same team for four years; it's one thing to be professional and civil, and another to get along and remain friends during the times you're both in the trenches (cries in brocedes)

and after kimi left for alfa romeo, their friendship never wavered

like if someone asks me if i believe in platonic soulmates, or in long-lasting friendships, I'd probably tell them about seb and kimi-- because to have a friendship that last for years despite being under a ton fuck of pressure, is something not everyone is fortunate to have-- yet they made it work.

(misc.) notes:

- like a special mention, but when seb retired, kimi also posted in his instagram congratulating seb on a good career + retirement with a picture of them when they were in ferrari

- also, they were neighbors in Switzerland! it's something i firmly believe in because in one of the videos of F1's secret santa (2019), when gifted with a Swiss chocolate, checo goes, "vettel? kimi?" like it didn't take him a second to guess who; maybe because it's a known fact on the grid that they live near each other. i don't know about the badminton part though, but it's nice to know that they live near each other that they were comfortable being within the same neighborhood

[scrollonso]

First Kiss (Break 1)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1.2k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys] {filler chapter? I just felt like Lance and Nando getting closer would make more sense if they spent break together + Mark}

last part - masterlist - next part

They had two weeks off and Lance had absolutely no plans, Nico was on vacation with his family to god knows where, Fernando had probably already arrived in Australia, and Lance didn't have any other friends on the paddock to worry about.

He had thought about going back to Canada but he just ended up back at his house in Switzerland. Spring had started by the time he got home so it wasn't like he could distract himself with snowboarding so he just ended up at home on his couch for the past five days.

Being alone was nice, but a part of him missed Fernando, oddly enough. They'd only ever hung out on the paddock but Lance had grown to look forward to the time they spent together, whether it was actually sitting and talking or just exchanging glances while in the middle of interviews.

As if it was fate, his phone began to rang. It was an unknown number but he figured it might be important, his dad had a history of calling him from random places just to check up on him, as if the 18 year old hadn't been left alone before.

"Hello?" He said, holding his (very small) phone to his ear

"Lancito, I am so glad you answered!" a voice on the other end spoke, a very familiar voice

"Nando?" Lance questioned "How did you get my number?"

"Is not important!" The Spaniard said, brushing off the question "Lancito, are you busy? If you are, cancel, come to Australia."

"No, I'm not busy." Lance responded, wondering if Fernando was really inviting him to Australia, wasn't he with Mark? Wouldn't that be awkward? "Is something important happening in Australia?"

"Si, You are coming, is important."

"Nando, I-" The younger boy laughed, not being able to wipe the smile off his face just from hearing the other mans voice "Sure, I'll come."

"Perfect, I'll send you the information, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay Nando"

"Bye, Lancito! Have a safe flight"

And with that the call ended and Lance wasted no time in buying the tickets to Australia (idk how people bought plane tickets in 2006...)

Lance got off the plane, trying to pat down the hair he could feel sticking up, he always slept on long flights and this one was no acception. It was weird being in Australia a week before he had to but he wasn't going to turn down Fernando is he wanted Lance there so bad, for whatever reason.

It was a Sunday morning and the airport was surprisingly busy, he eventually found his way out and got a taxi headed towards the address Fernando had texted him

"Just landed, headed your way now!!"

Lance stared at the screen before sending the message, just now wondering why exactly he was there, he wasn't blind to the media, especially when he was constantly being interviewed and asked questions fans were dying to know, he had heard the rumours, people saying Fernando was only talking to him to scare him, he was going to embarrass him, he had some ulterior motive, Lance hoped it wasn't true but now that he was blindly following Fernandos orders in another country while he was visiting his friend (who's seat he took) a part of him started to wonder if Fernando was planning something. He hit send.

They'd hadn't texted much, just Fernando sending him the information he needed and Lance thanking him before he got on the plane and turned off his phone, he wasn't too fond of it anyways.

"I am glad you made it"

"Is exciting"

"Tell the driver to go faster"

Lance smiled at his phone, excited to see the Spaniard again, even though he saw him not even a week ago.

"I shouldn't break the law yet"

"I just got here and my dad isn't here to bail me out!"

"I will do it, no worries Lancito"

He shook his head at the text, turning off his phone and waiting to arrive, not too far away from the location

He stepped out of the car, paying the taxi fare then walking up to the house, hesitating to knock. Maybe texting would be better? Or calling? Or anything besides knocking? Before he even had the chance to decide the door opened, revealing a slightly-taller-than-him Mark Webber and Fernando standing by his side, the two closer than he thought they would be

"Lance, welcome, so sorry about making you come so randomly." Mark spoke first, stepping back to invite Lance in

"It's no problem, I wasn't doing anything anyway" Lance smiled as he walked into the house, scanning what he could see

"I told you Lancito didn't mind" Fernando said to Mark, hitting his arm slightly "Is good to make sure you two get along before people start to speculate, ay?" Fernando smiled at Mark then at Lance, reaching up to flatten the hair still sticking up on his head

Lance wasn't sure why he was surprised Fernando was still calling him his nickname, he didn't know why he expected anything to change with Mark around, Fernando seemed the same, if anything he seemed happier around Mark. It made him feel bad, he was the reason Mark lost his seat, the reason Fernando's friend was no longer on the paddock, the reason Fernando had to settle for him instead.

"Well, Lance, I don't mind that you took my seat" Mark laughed, closing the door before putting an arm around Lance's shoulder "I was done with travelling all the time anyway, so don't beat yourself up over what people say"

Lance nodded, Mark was right, and he was pretty old so it made sense for him to be smarter.

"Now, how about we have fun now that we've dragged you to the land down under?" That made Lance smile, he was looking forward to spending the rest of his break actually doing stuff besides binging TV shows.

The next week went by so quick Lance was surprised when he actually had to go to the paddock, almost as surprised as fans when he showed up with both Fernando and Mark.

He hesitated when Fernando suggested all of them going together, worried about what people would say, but the older men made it obvious they couldn't care less so thats how they ended up going together, Mark having plans of doing interviews around the paddock and spending his free time in sither the pink or blue and yellow garage.

Being in Australia a week early was great, they were busy the whole time but Lance enioyed it, loving the time away from his phone and especially away from the media. It made him notice how close Mark and Fernando really were, he felt jealous at times but it was probably just because he was used to having Fernandos attention on him after quali and races, he felt selfish for feeling that way so of course he never addressed it.

"Where are you going first?" Lance asked, looking at Mark, both of them on either side of Fernando

"I was thinking of interviewing people first, it's gonna be weird being the one asking the questions"

"As long as you stay far away from me, we're good"

Fernando shook his head, pulling the taller man closer "We really need to get you used to the media, eh? All you do is complain" He sucked his teeth after he finished teasing Lance, earning nothing but an eyeroll from the teen

"Yeah, yeah." Lance smiled, not able to stop himself when it came to Fernando "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

And with that the race week started.

[lovelyleclercs]

Home for the Holidays- SV5

Sebastian Vettel x Fem!Reader

-> coming straight off of retirement, Seb is able to spend his holidays at home for the first time since your children were born.

word count: 1052

warnings: none, soft, fluffy seb content!

A/N: I loved writing this so much

For the past couple of years, the holidays have been both your favorite and least favorite time of the year. 

For the past couple of years, the holidays have been both your favorite and least favorite time of the year. 

You loved decorating your home with all of the cozy christmas decor, allowing your three children to add their own special touches here and there. 

You loved sitting on the couch, all three kids piled in your lap as you watched the grinch, which was by far your children’s favorite holiday movie. 

You loved watching the way your children’s faces light up as they watched the snow fall, each of them growing eager to get outside to build snowmen and make snow angels in the soft snow. 

You loved buying all of the gifts for your children, knowing how much they would love each and every gift as they unwrapped it.

However, every year without fail, there was always one thing missing- Seb. 

With a busy career in Formula 1, Seb was hardly ever home. It was probably partially your fault, you had wanted to remain living in Switzerland, even though the Aston Martin factory was in the UK. This made it incredibly difficult for Seb to come home in between races, as he oftentimes had to go straight to the factory and then right to the next race shortly after that. 

This season in particular had been extra tough. With Aston Martin building a horrible car- one that barely made it past p15 on a good weekend- it meant more debriefs, more nights in the garage trying to find areas to improve, and more time away from home. 

Your children had noticed Sebastian’s absence, your oldest specifically. In previous years, seb had usually come home for at least a night or two a week, but this year he would go weeks without coming home for a visit. 

By the seventh race of the season, Seb had very quickly lost the desire to be in the race car. He hated being away from you and the kids, missing out on all of the little things in their lives. He hated how much of a struggle it was to even get the car to the finish line most weekends. He hated the embarrassment that came with bad result after bad result, feeling as though maybe he had lost his talent, even though everyone knew it was in fact his car that was the problem. 

When Sebastian had called you randomly one night and mentioned the desire to retire, you were a bit shocked. Sebastian had only turned 35 the week prior, which was still considerably young in the formula 1 world. 

Sebastian had assured you that it was what he wanted, but even after hanging up the phone, you were sure it was just a spur of the moment idea after a bad result. 

When Sebastian had finally announced his retirement from Formula 1, you still hadn’t believed him. How could he so easily just walk away from something that he had spent his entire life doing- with seemingly no emotion about leaving the sport.

But after seeing him come through the front door after being away from home for two months, you had very quickly realized the toll it had taken on your husband. 

His last race was incredible- he had an excellent qualifying run, somehow finding pace in his tractor of a car. He had a pretty simple race, battling it out with a few of the other cars on track, but not really having to put up a fight for the most part. 

When he crossed the line tenth, you couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was able to score his last point in his last race in the sport. It was a great weekend all in all. 

Flash forward almost a month later and for the first time since meeting Seb, he was home for the entire holiday season. 

Sebastian had helped you and the kids decorate the house for Christmas for the first time, watching as the kids put their ornaments on their tree.

Sebastian had cuddled up on the couch with the four of you, watching the grinch way past the children’s bed time.

For the first time, Sebastian had seen the glow of the children’s faces as they saw snow fall from the grey clouded sky, your two daughters practically begging seb to build snowmen with them- which he in fact did.

Sebastian helped you pick out the presents, he even helped you wrap all of them too- something that you had previously done completely alone. 

Christmas morning had rolled around, the kids had finished opening all of their gifts, your son needing help to do so as he was only two years old and didn’t fully understand the concept of unwrapping presents. 

As you sat back on the couch, your legs resting in Sebastian’s lap while you sipped on your cup of coffee, you watched the three children play with their new toys, getting along quite well while doing so. 

“I think retiring was the best decision I could have possibly made. Part of me wishes I would have done it sooner” Seb whispered, his hand rubbing your shoulder gently. 

“Why is that?” you asked, turning your attention from the children on the floor over to seb.

“I missed out on this so many years in a row. I mean, I was here for christmas day, but never for the entire process that goes into christmas, you know? I can’t believe I never got to watch the kids do the simplest thing like decorate christmas cookies or build snowmen.. I just feel like I've missed out on so much..”

You placed your hand on seb’s cheek and nodded. “I know. But you’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

Seb smiled a little and looked up at you, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Why are you looking at me like that”

“Well… we could have another… then I can be here for every single first…”

You laughed and rolled your eyes, taking another sip of your coffee. “Yeah but what if you decide to pull a Michael Schumacher and go back?”

“Oh that won’t be happening”

“Michael said the same thing, you know”

“Yes but I’m not Michael. Will you at least consider it?”

You laughed and kissed his cheek. “Sure, i’ll consider it”

tag list- @hammick @majkaftorek @Lizziebitch33 @viktorie16 @Jamieeboulos @Southernprincess1997 @Myescapefromthislife @F1andbookslover

[nataliawrites]

Sway With Me // Sebastian Vettel

To say you were surprised is an understatement. Any Formula 1 fan worth their salt knows that Sebastian Vettel is notoriously private. No one expected that to change after his retirement much less for it to change this drastically.

But here you were, receiving the shock of a lifetime after learning who your celebrity partner will be in your second season as a pro on Strictly Come Dancing.

Sebastian Vettel was a far cry from the has-beens and c-list celebrities who most often frequented the show. You weren’t complaining, though. Maybe the reflexes and a coordination of an F1 driver would save your poor toes from being stepped on as many times as they were last year.

You couldn’t help but be starstruck during your first meeting. He was Sebastian Vettel and no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t figure out why he was on the show. It certainly wasn’t for money (he had plenty) or exposure (which he never wanted even during his career).

If this was a midlife crisis, it sure was an interesting one. Most people would buy an expensive car and jet set around the world but he gave that up and decided to join a reality television show out of the blue instead.

The starstruck feeling quickly faded as the two of you got to know each other better. He had a way of making you feel at ease. No routine was too complicated or challenging. You guessed that when you spent most of your life driving at over 300 km/h, learning a samba routine was child’s play in comparison.

As the weeks went by, you spent more and more time together outside of the studio and off camera. You would join him in his rented apartment for movie nights or he would pop over to your house for a home-cooked meal (you even tried your hand at German recipes to remind him of home). The chemistry that the audience saw on their screens began to translate to your personal lives.

You quickly became fan favorites, Strictly Come Dancing and F1 fans alike raving about your pairing and routines. Each little glimpse of you two backstage made the Internet go feral. They were certain that you were more than just dance partners.

And they were right.

12 weeks after Sebastian and you started dancing together, you raised the Glitterball Trophy. When reality began to set back in afterwards, you both realized that you weren’t ready for this to end. Sweaty from nerves and an intense dance routine, Sebastian finally asked you to be his girlfriend.

“You can come to Switzerland and Germany with me when you’re free. I’ll come to England when you’re filming. We’ll make this work. I just know that I need to be with you.”

You didn’t even have to think before saying yes.

That night, blissfully cuddled under the sheets, Sebastian bared his soul to you.

“I loved racing,” he traced little swirls on your shoulder. “God, I loved racing. But something was always missing. The contentedness and exhilaration I felt on the track would fade the second I got out of my car. At a point, I just did everything I wanted to do. I won four world championships. I raced for Ferrari. And then I just got burnt out.”

You stayed silent, playing with his hair but allowing him to get it all out.

“I thought something would click after I retired. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. But then I just felt bored. Something was still missing. When Britta called me about an offer to come on the show I was about to tell her to turn it down. Me? Dancing? On TV? It was laughable. But I decided to do something out of my comfort zone this once and hoped it would lead me to find that thing I was missing.”

You were getting emotional on his behalf, “Sebastian …”

“And it did. It led me to you.”

Your relationship was incredibly young but you knew then and there that you loved this man.

When you got married outside of his Swiss cottage on a warm summer day two years later, you made sure to pay homage to the many dance routines that first brought you together.

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Montreal

Je t'aime series

F1 driver reader x hockey player bf

When the Montreal GP & Eastern Conference finals fall on the same weekend, certain worlds collide….

The insta edit

Notes: Takes place in 2024 so everyone is a year older - reader is an 01 baby so 23 & all the hockey guys are playing for their respective NHL teams. (For plot purposes, Montreal is the second last race before the summer break - still takes place in mid-June though) Danny, Mick & Seb are still on the grid because I say so & I’m trying not to have a breakdown over Seb being gone gone. 

For Formula 1 driver y/n l/n, this weekend marks her return home as we head to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. We sat down with the championship leader to talk about what that means for her.

Thanks so much for talking to us today Y/n. How excited are you to be back home in Montreal? 

I’m pretty pumped. It’s always nice to be back and have so much of my family be able to come. The track is always a special one to race on & I’ve had a few good races here before, so hopefully this weekend will add to that. The little break after means I can spend a few days here before heading into Silverstone so that’s nice. 

Any exciting plans for those few days?

Definitely catch a hockey game! It’s hard to watch games live with the travelling & living in Monaco, so while I’m here I’m definitely going to get to the Bell Centre. It worked out really well that the Habs are playing on Sunday night & it’s such an exciting game, with it being Game 7 in the conference finals. Montreal fans are absolutely incredible so hopefully the boys can bring this one home! The city’s going to be pretty wild on Sunday, and hopefully I can add to the excitement with a win here too!

I never would have known there was a game this weekend. It’s not like there’s stuff all over the city. Hopefully they can win it at home! Actually, speaking of hockey, your dad played, correct?

Yeah, so he played pro in the US and then Switzerland and Germany. So, I spent about 8 years over there before moving back here permanently, and then when I was about 14, moved back over for racing. but Montreal is definitely home. 

Did you ever consider hockey or were you always set on the formula, single seater series? And how did you settle on motorsport?

So, I played hockey growing up but once I hit 12ish I had to choose since both were getting more competitive and there wasn’t enough time. I would’ve loved to go pro in either, but F1 is where my heart is. I still play whenever I can though. Lance & I like to try finding rinks when we travel and have a little battle. I’m currently 4 wins up, just fyi. Or whenever I visit my best friend, we go out & have some fun, even though that’s not often. I’m not beating him unfortunately but it’s pretty hard to beat a pro when he’s working on his skills constantly and I’m playing maybe 20 times a year. As kids though I could whoop him. The decision for karting/single seater over hockey was hard, but I’d been hooked since I sat in my first kart. I think part of it was being able to travel all over racing & just experience so many cool things. And with Formula 1, there’s 20 spots, right? So, if you make it as a driver, you’re one of the top in the world. With hockey there are so many incredible female players already, and as we know not many in motorsport. I wanted to be able to inspire young girls in sports as well. I think I made the right decision for me. 

 My dad was a big F1 fan, so I’d been watching races basically since birth. We were living in Germany during the Schumacher era, so everyone was really into it and that definitely helped ha-ha. It’s kind of crazy that I ended up going through all the feeder series with Mick in the end & we obviously became good friends when his dad was one of the main reasons I started racing. And having him show up to watch races was insane! But yeah, once I sat in my first kart I was hooked! If three year old me who had that Schumacher Ferrari merch could see me now ha-ha. 

Ah the Schumacher era, that’s how so many people got interested. And your best friend is a hockey player? I don’t know if that’s ever come up, so can I ask about that? 

Ah so actually, our dads played together in Switzerland & bonded over being from Montreal, so once my parents moved to Germany, about two years after I was born, they still visited each other. The two of us spent a lot of time together as kids during those visits, especially playing hockey. We moved back a few years before his family, but they were always around in the summer & we stayed pretty close. We’re apart a lot but were both living our dreams so its pretty special when we can get together. he’s one of my favourite people so shoutout to Thomas. You’ll probably see him in the paddock this weekend since he’s around here somewhere. 

That’s such a great story! What team does he play for, and for anyone who’s maybe looking at which team to support, who would you recommend?

So he plays for San Jose, the Sharks, but I’m a Canadiens girl all the way. You can’t grow up in Montreal and not get support them. We’re having a great season, so fingers crossed for Sunday! But I do support the Sharks, definitely my favourite Western team, no bias here ha-ha. I’ve met a lot of great guys through Thom too who play, so I do try and keep up with their teams, but Habs all the way baby!

Alright, there you have it folks. Y/N thanks for sitting down with us, good luck this weekend! I’m sure we’ll see you soon!

You shake Natalie’s hand & thank her for having you. Exiting the media pen, you start making your way back towards the Ferrari garage, waving at Lewis when an arm’s thrown around you shoulder.

“Ready for Sunday’s game?” Lance says, “Time to kick some Devil ass and then get the cup.” 

“Yeah, I just have a race to win first” you stick your tongue out at him as he punches you in the arm. 

“Your boy toy coming today?” You roll your eyes “yes he has a pass, so he’ll be around somewhere. There’s a bunch of them coming. Not sure when though…”

“YO MCQUEEN!” you hear from down the lane. “There it is” you shrug off Lance & speed up as Thomas comes running at you. Damn he’s quick. You meet in the middle and grab him in a hug. “tu m’as manque” (I’ve missed you) he whispers in your ear, squeezing the life out of you. It’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, mid-January at least. When you were still on break and made it to a game of his where you hung out for a week before heading back across to Italy for training. You talk almost every day though

“Missed you too Bords. It’s been too long. Congrats on your run though. You guys played really well.” It sucked that the Sharks got knocked out in round 2, but they had a good team. Next year they’ll have it. His phone starts ringing and he pulls it out.

“Ah shit, the idiots are lost.’ He rolls his eyes as you laugh.

“They’re at the Ferrari garage. We should probably go before they end up breaking stuff” We start off towards Ferrari, when Lance catches up to us. “Hey man, how’s it going?” The two have met before, when you were all kids in Montreal. They catch up as you walk over, when you notice a bit of a crowd. You nudge Thomas

“Those yours?” and point towards the commotion. You get there & see a few familiar faces. You run over to give Thomas’s sister a hug before turning to the hockey players gathered. You count five, but there may be more floating around. Thomas had 10 passes altogether. 

“Sup boys” you give Brendan, Matty & Owen a hug, then do your handshake with Truss. You visited Michigan a few times when Bordy was there, so you got close with his roommates & friends. You managed to stay pretty off the radar since F1 isn’t as popular in the US, so you got some of that college experience that you missed out on. Plus, he’s brought you to the Hughes Lake house a couple of times so you got to know a bunch of the other idiots there. 

“Y/n you traitor!” Lance calls from somewhere behind me. “What did I do?” You yell in indignation as someone spins you around to see Jack Hughes making his way towards you. “Ah Fuck off Lance, we all know he has no chance!” Cheers from people around tells you that there’s quite a few Canadiens fans in the paddock right now.

“Hell yeah they don’t” You see Cole behind him along with Luke Hughes & Phil. 

“Is this everyone?” They nod “okay, come with me. Lance, I’ll see you later.” You lead the crew of hockey players into the Ferrari garage, taking them up to the hospitality area. “As nice as it is to see you all, why are all of you here?”

“Osheaga (Music festival – it usually happens in August but for the plot it’s happening in June) was last weekend, so we all just stayed, especially once Bordy told us he could get tickets. And we’re going to the game on Sunday” Briss pipes up. 

“Yeah, I know nothing about F1 But it looks pretty cool so I’m excited” Luke says. You gasp, the blasphemy.

“How much time have we spent together Hughesy, and you still know nothing? I’m wounded” Dramatically you hold your hand to your chest. Your phone starts going off, your timer that your trainer set going off as Charles approaches you. He beckons you since he has the same reminder.

“Alright boys, I’ll see you later, but I’ve got practice. Ask any of the lovely workers here if you need a hand with anything. Peace out” You walk off with Charles, making your way further into the motorhome. Once you get to your driver room you start your usual routine. About 20 minutes in, as soft knock on the door interrupts you “babe? You free?” 

You open the door & pull your boyfriend in. ‘“God, I missed you.” You press your lips to his, savouring the kiss. “ the minute I can I’m taking you out properly. I don’t care where, but we’re going out. Hopefully with something to celebrate” You wrap your arms around him and nod “sounds good. When are you leaving?” “Monday early afternoon” he pouts and he’s so cute you just have to kiss him again.

“Two more weeks then I’m all yours for the summer.”

“Deal. Now get back to it.” He slaps your ass and you continue your usual routine with the occasional commentary from him. He slips out a few minutes before you leave, heading down to the garage for practice. 

Two successful practice sessions later, you’re done for the day. You’re chatting with Charles when Thom finds you. You introduce him around since he hasn’t met many of the boys, just Lance & Mick. The other hockey boys have left but you make your way back to the hotel. As much as you’d love to stay at home, it’s a little further out so you stay at the hotel with the rest of the crew. Once you enter, you spot a crowd exiting the restaurant. Ah, apparently the Devils are staying here.

You whistle, “damn, who let some losers in?” As others laugh. Jack flips you off, but someone else comes running over

“y/n/n!!” Nico hugs you. You knew each other as kids, his dad being involved for the team yours had played for. Whenever your family would visit the Bordeleau’s, you’d see him. You & T would bug him lots since there weren’t many kids to hang around with. “Can you introduce me to Sebastian Vettel?” He whispers in your ear. “Get out of here” you push him away. 

The rest of the team us standing there, mouths open. “Sup McQueen” Luke waves. You’re going to kill Thomas for that nickname, but you wave back before dragging Thomas towards the elevator. You’ve got catching up to do & he knows that tomorrow you’ll be in race mode & not want any distractions.

“Where are the rest of the boys staying?” You ask him. Obviously, Jack & Luke with the team here, but he tells you that the rest of them managed to get 2 rooms in this hotel, so they’re close by. “My parents offered to let us stay with them, but we’ve been pretty rowdy so I thought this would be better.” 

A few hours later you need to get ready & go to bed so you’re in top form for quali tomorrow, so Thomas heads to the room he’s sharing, wishing you luck beforehand. He knows that tomorrow you won’t want to see anyone until after qualifiers. You’re almost done your routine when Ring. A soft smile takes over you face. He always calls before he goes to bed, just to say good night. You do same & most of the time you miss each other so you have lots of cute voicemails saved on your phone. 

“Hey superstar. This whole being in the same time zone thing makes it a little bit easier hey?” He chuckles “yeah babe, it definitely does. Hang on” you hear some shuffling on his end and then a door open. “Roommates kick you out?” you laugh as he huffs, “I don’t want to disturb them so I’m going to the conference room so I can facetime. How are you feeling for tomorrow?” The request pops up & you see him sitting in one of the rooms. 

“Pretty confident. It’s a good car & it’s nice that everyone was able to come so I’d love to get a win for them. Think you’ll be able to sneak out tomorrow night?”

“Are you sure? I know how much you need your routine. I don’t want to mess anything up for you.”

“No, I want cuddles” you pout “and you know I sleep better when I’m next to you” you can hear the smile in his voice as he says “I’ll see what I can do. Now you’ve gotta go to bed so you can kick butt tomorrow. I love you & I’ll be watching.” He blows a kiss. “Love you too. Tomorrow night, okay?”

“Yep, I’m all yours. Ill text you before you go out tomorrow since I know I’m not going to see you. But you’re gonna kill it.” You lay down on the bed and just look at him.

“God you’re cute. I still can’t believe you’re mine.” He blushes, like he always does when you complement him.

“You better believe it. nearly four years in and I’m never letting you go.” Damn it now you’re blushing. “Okay Casanova, I really should go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you” you blow a kiss & hang up because you know from experience that you’ll just go back and forth for the next hour otherwise. 

Saturday

You wake up fired up & ready to go. Moving quickly, you and Charles meet up & drive to the circuit. There’s a lot more people here today which you love. You go through practice & then it’s time for qualifiers. Q1 & 2 go smoothly, with you landing in the top five, but you want that pole position. It’s so much sweeter especially with this being your home race. As Q3 gets underway, that’s what you’re aiming for. Unfortunately, it’s only P2, but at least its only Charles in front. You know you can get ahead of him with the right strategy.

Meeting up with Thom & the crew at the hotel, you grab a quick dinner in the restaurant. You stop by the front desk & grab an extra key, slipping it onto your boyfriend’s pocket when you’re giving all the guys hugs. After about an hour you have to excuse yourself for a team meeting, and 2 hours later you finally make it back to your room.

You’ve just closed the door & are turning around when “BOO!” & you jump a foot in the air. 

“Putain! Jesus Christ you fucker.” Your heart is racing a million miles as you take in the sight before you. Jack has half his body still in the bathroom but has fully on the floor, just about crying from laughter. “That’s not why I gave you the key, connard.” You say as you help him up. “I ha-ha couldn’t ha help myself.” He dissolves into another fit of giggles. You move towards the bed as he comes up behind you. Arms around your waist as he buries his head in your neck. 

“This is harder than I thought” “I know, let’s just get through this weekend. A couple weeks then well be back at the lake with everyone who knows & we can do this every night.” He places a kiss at the junction of your neck.

“Promise?” you turn your head and give him a kiss. “Promise. Well talk about next season too. I’m sick of not seeing you for months.” He nods.

“you’re coming to the game tomorrow, right?” “Do you even have to ask?”

“Okay smartass, but will you root for me?” He sounds a bit sad as I turn in his arms. “I want you to win, I really do.”

“Oh yeah, not your precious Habs?”

“Wow. The sarcasm is strong with this one. I want both of you to win, but since that’s not possible, I’d say I have a slight interest in Jersey winning the cup.” “Only slight, eh?” he tickles my sides.

“I know how hard you’ve worked so yeah. As much as it pains me to say, and if you tell anyone else, I’ll kill you, but I do hope you win. If only so we both get one this weekend.” 

You kiss him again before pulling him into the bathroom & running the bath. It’s your regular night before race routine, made much sweeter by him being there. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but Thomas was my favourite person that summer.” He mumbles into your hair as you sit in the tub. 

“The one we met?” “Yeah, when he brought you to the lake house for a few weeks.”

Now your confused. You tilt your head back & raise an eyebrow “when you barely said four sentences to me?” he grins sheepishly.

“I was intimidated. You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen & you drove fast cars for a living. It took me a whole year to gain the confidence to ask you out the next summer. And then you didn’t even show up with him! I was this close to asking for your number when you turned up a week later.”

“Aw, well I’m glad you manned up.” He sticks his tongue out. “I can’t believe that was five years ago. We were babies”

“Yep and now you’re stuck with me.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way”. 

(They meet when they’re 18, but he doesn’t ask her out till 19 & now they’re 23) 

You both get out & go about your night routine with some additional commentary from Jack. When you finally settle into bed, he wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you to his chest.

“je t’aime” He whispers and a smile creeps onto your face like it does every time he uses his limited French. “je t’aime aussi.” You whisper back as you snuggle back into him.  

Sunday Morning. 

You wake to a kiss pressed on your cheek. “I’ve got to get back to my room before the team meeting. I won’t see you before the game but go kick some ass. I love you & we’ll be celebrating tonight” Jack whispers in your ear before pressing a kiss to your lips and leaving. About a half hour later your alarm goes off & you start your pre-race routine.  Thomas stops by to wish you luck before you head to the track with Charles & your trainer. Ten minutes before you need to head to the garage your phone pings. It’s a picture of Jack & Luke with the caption ‘good luck!!!’ 

You smile before heading out to get into your gear. Soon it’s time to line up on the grid & you hop in. 

You settle in, ready to go as the countdown starts & the lights go. 

“It’s lights out & away we go here in beautiful Montreal!”

59 laps in you sneak past Charles, an early stop strategy paying off in your favour as ten laps later you take the win. After pulling your car in behind the first-place stand, you jump out & soak in the noise. Cheers from fans and your team ring out, as you spot one person in particular.

Hopping off the car, you run over to the barriers and grab Thomas in a hug. It’s the first F1 race you’ve won with him there, so you know he’s excited. After letting him go you hug your engineers & team before being pulled into a quick interview with Natalie. 

“Y/n, that was a beauty of a win, how are you feeling? What’s it like to win it at home?”

“Oh my god, amazing! Winning any day is an incredible feeling but to do it here, in front of my city, friends & family is so much sweeter!” 

“Anything to say to the fans here today? Or for anyone watching?”

“Mom, I did it!! You told me I’d win here one day & here we are. To my team at Ferrari, Merci! Superstar, merci d’etre ici ce weekend. Votre soutien signifie la monde et je t’aime. Montreal, ca c’est pour vous, et ALLEZ LES CANADIENS!” 

Cheers go up from all around as you just take it in. 

After the podium ceremony, you make your way back to the hotel to change since you’re soaked in champagne. Opening the door to you room, you spot a box at the end of the bed & a bouquet of lilies on the bedside table. You smile as you make your way over & see a note on the box 

Knew you could do it babe! Here’s a little something that I hope you wear tonight. See you on the ice ;)  xxx J

“I swear, if he put a Devils jersey in here..” you trail off as you see just that, but also a gorgeous lingerie set in the same bright red underneath. “that cheeky shit”, there’s a pair of new red converse in there too.

Putting the set on, you take a picture before finishing getting dressed & send it off to Jack, making a face. ‘Good Luck babe'. Then you finish getting ready & head down. 

You meet the boys in the lobby & make your way to the Bell Centre. Outside, you meet your mum, who’s brought you one of your old Canadiens jerseys since you didn’t have one on you. You pull it on over the hoodie & make you way in. Someone on the marketing team meets you inside. After your interview aired yesterday when you mentioned going to the game, they contacted your team to ask if you’d like to do the ceremonial puck drop, which duh you would. You split up with the rest of them and follow the guy. You’ll meet up with Bordy & his sister at your seats, but you won’t see the rest of the guys until later. You wait, chatting to various workers as warmups happen and finally its time for you to go out.

Making your way to the tunnel, you hear PK, who’s on the ice

“We have a special guest for you all tonight! She’s back in town, she goes fast and she won today, it’s your favourite race car driver Y/N L/N!!! 

You walk out on the carpet, waving at the crowd. “Well y/n, were glad to have you here to get us going here at the Bell Centre. But first, we have a little present for you. Your very own Canadiens jersey!” He holds up a jersey with my last name & racing number on the back.

“Oh my god that’s so cool. Suck it Lance, you’re not so special anymore!” you know he’s laughing from wherever he is in the arena. You take it & the puck he’s holding out. 

“Let’s get the captains please.” Pk says as Nico & Nick skate towards you and get in position for the photo.

“Nick, kick their ass.” You say to the Canadiens captain before posing and then walking off the ice. Someone shows you to your seat, where you find Thomas & Jade. The energy in the arena is absolutely electric as the anthem singing comes to an end and the crowd cheers. Thomas passes you a beer, as someone taps you on the shoulder. 

“Sorry, but would I be able to get a picture?” a young girl sitting behind you. You oblige & tell her you’ll get a better one during the intermission before sitting back down as the game starts. 

The Canadiens take an early lead with a beauty of a goal scored halfway through the period. The games intense with lots of back and forth between the goals. The Devils manage to knock one in with just a minute to go and then its intermission. You send Thomas off for snacks while you take a few photos & sign some stuff and before you know it it’s time for period two. No one scores for a while, but there’s quite a few penalties being called as the game gets a little rougher.

The second period ends still tied 1 all. You & Thomas chat about summer while you wait for the third. You’re planning on going to the lake house and you know he’ll be there at some point, but he’s staying here in Montreal for a bit first. You grab a couple more beers before the buzzer sounds and were off for the final period. Canadiens score a minute in, then Jersey gets one.

Back and forth again, shot after shot on each net with no more success. The whole crowds on their feet, cheering & screaming for Montreal as the minutes count down.

“Mon dieux its going to be OT” you whisper as the final minute hits. The crowds are practically silent as the seconds tick. Ten seconds left and all of a sudden Jack gets the puck, making a breakaway to the Canadiens net.

Go, Go, Go!!! you’re screaming internally as the defense rush after him, but not fast enough. He shoots and it flies past the goalie’s shoulder. The crowd explodes with boos & angry yells, but you’re smiling.

Thomas nudges you “he’ll be happy about that"

“Yeah, he will” you say back, a soft smile on your face as the final buzzer sounds and the Devils all celebrate on the ice. The fans are none too happy but there’s nothing you can do. You take out your phone & text jack.

That was amazing superstar!! I’m so so proud of you. I’m going out with the boys, but I’ll see you later<3 text me whenever you guys are done if I’m not back. 

“let’s get out of here” you turn to Thomas, knowing that Jack’ll be caught up for a few hours with team celebrations & media stuff. “Mick texted a while ago, a couple of them are downtown so let’s go celebrate your win” he says.

A pit stop back at the hotel to drop off jerseys & make sure you have all the boys then you’re making your way downtown to one of your favourite clubs. The drinks are flowing, drivers & hockey players are all around and lots of dancing means that a few hours pass in the blink of an eye.

About 3 hours in, you check your phone and see a message from Jack.

Got about 20 minutes left then I’m heading back. I’ll be in your room. See you in a bit xx

Looking around, you spot Thomas & Charles and make your way towards them. They’re chattering in French, but you butt in.

“Hey boys, I’m heading out in 10” Turns out most people are pretty done for the night, & you end up having a big group heading back. You all grab a couple of cabs back, and as you make your way through the lobby, you spot a piano in the corner.

“Ooh!!” say, making your way over to it & sitting down. “Is it okay if I play?” you ask one of the workers who nods. The boys follow you and stand next to the piano, staring at you. Except for Thomas. He knows that you can’t play for shit, all those lessons you took as a child being absolutely useless, so he’s laughing.

You crack your fingers and start playing la vie en rose absolutely terribly. The boys laugh as you stand up & bow. “Merci, merci! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sexy man waiting for me” you wink before heading to the elevator & making your way to the room. He’s not there you, so you get undressed so he can see the gift he left for you. 

The door opens a few minutes later. “Hey champ” you drawl as he comes into view.

“oh, fuck me” “I plan to” you respond jokingly. He pulls off his shoes & shirt before jumping into the bed next to you. 

“You did it,” the smile on his face is absolutely massive “I did it. We’re going to the finals. Holy fuck” 

The two of you lay there, lazily making out & cuddling until you fall asleep, too worn out for more. The next morning brings sad goodbyes with promises of more in a few weeks time. 

F1 GOSSIP

Alright folks, we all know that Y/n L/n has been romantically linked to former F2 teammate Mick, who she sort of grew up with, and Charles Leclerc, her current teammate, for a while now. The Mick theory is more likely, as we’ve seen. I’ll show the evidence that has been collected here. But this weekend, a new player entered. Thomas Bordeleau, another childhood friend of Y/n & a pro hockey player, was in and around the paddock. Now we didn’t really know about this connection until an interview that y/n herself did on Friday, where she called him ‘one of her favourite people’. Apparently, we weren’t looking hard enough. Obviously, we had to do some digging, and the team here are starting to think that he may be the real deal when it comes to y/n’s heart. Let’s break it down.

Childhood friends – we found some photos from y/n’s early karting days, both in Europe and Canada. Know who makes an appearance in a few of them? Thomas. Now there aren’t too many pictures of them as teenagers, as it appears he lived in the US & obviously y/n had moved back to Europe for racing. However, we were able to find this picture, of Y/n at a hockey game with one of his jerseys on. 

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Thomas attended the University of Michigan and based on a video out of the paddock Friday, y/n knows a few of his college teammates. So, we did some more digging and found that y/n visited Michigan no less than six times over the 2 years he was there. And if that’s not convincing, take a look at these photos we dug up. Tell me that the way the two of them are looking at each other doesn’t scream in love (Photos of the two at various different parties looking cozy). Flirty comments left on posts, photos from friends that show the two cuddling or laying on top of each other, years of appearances in the back of each other’s photos, and a few references to a boyfriend in y/ns comments by close friends. All of these point towards the two of them being together, but the most damming evidence came out of Montreal. Lance Stroll was overheard asking y/n about her ‘boy toy coming’ mere seconds before Bordeleau made his appearance.

On Sunday, Y/n fought her way to a first place, and once she exited the car ran over to him at the barriers, practically flinging herself at him for a hug. Not two minutes later, when talking to a reporter she was saying thank you to the fans, and let this slip in French “superstar, thanks for being here this weekend. It means the world to me & I love you so much.” Now who speaks French & was there this weekend? Her best friend.

But that’s not all!! They made their way to the Montreal Canadiens game on Sunday night, where they lost in the final seconds. Several other players who appear to be friends of Bordeleaus & some of the guys who were playing in the game attended, however they watched from one of the boxes. y/n and Thomas, on the other hand, were smack dab in the centre of the action, accompanied only by his sister. Photos from the official sports accounts & fans were all over social media showing the two very close, joking around & cheering passionately for their home team. They were then seen out partying in the city with some of the other drivers and hockey players. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m pretty convinced. This isn’t what we were expecting, but it actually seems the most plausible. What are your thoughts?

 

Xx

[tomorrowxtogether]

All TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Taehyun Needs Are His Bandmates and MOA

"Nothing can compare to the happiness I feel on stage,” he says

If you’d asked Taehyun last year how he’d describe his relationship with his TOMORROW X TOGETHER bandmates, he probably would have referred to them as family. These days, though, he’s found a new way to categorize Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai.

“The phrase ‘team members’ is more precious to me right now,” he tells Consequence, seated for a one-on-one interview in Osaka, Japan. “It’s special itself.”

Considering the sheer amount of time the five members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER spend together, being as close as family would make sense — but to be a successful team requires a different kind of commitment.

Although Taehyun is the second-youngest member of TXT, there’s a singular air of maturity about him. When in the room with his bandmates for a group interview, he’s able to track who is ready to answer a question with just one glance out of the corner of his eye — and, if he gets the sense that no one else has the desire to do so, he’s able to jump in. Throughout the days spent with TXT’s camp, there’s not a moment where Taehyun isn’t engaged with the people around him, whether it’s rehearsing introductory and closing comments, navigating lighting cues at the arena, or making the most of the interviews.

TXT’s team dynamic is strong, but there’s still plenty of room for the members to explore and express their individuality. Quick-witted and thoughtful, Taehyun is also a superb performer, standing out with his athletic dancing and particular vocal gifts (look no further than the bridge of “Opening Sequence” for proof). When asked how he’d like to be described, Taehyun uses the phrase “never before seen character.” He wants to be unique; he wants to walk his own path — one he hopes will one day bring him to Switzerland to spend some downtime in the mountains.

He talks fondly about his close circle of friends, most of whom don’t work in entertainment, but who have been in his life long enough that he doesn’t need to explain the nuances of his unique job to them. He recalls showing them the poster for Lollapalooza (where TXT are headlining this upcoming July) and seeing his band’s name in the same size font as the artists they listen to while taking long drives.

“I don’t think there was a year that we performed as much as we did last year,” he says of 2022, which included TXT’s first appearance at the annual Chicago festival. “I learned that I really love performing, and that I’m really serious about performing — and the next thing I learned is that I’m loved by so many people.” MOA, TXT’s dedicated, global fanbase, have certainly underscored that latter point over the years.

“I think something joyful happens once a day,” Taehyun observes. Like his bandmates, Taehyun explains that he tries to soak up all the love they receive from their fans and reflect it back in the moments they’re together during concerts. “Since I’m in a very special line of work, nothing can compare to the happiness I feel on stage,” he says.

The group’s ongoing “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE” tour (tickets available here) is a longer show than many others out there; like most K-pop concerts, there is no opener on the bill, and the guys are onstage for nearly three hours, doing all the heavy lifting themselves. The work required to pull it off extends far beyond the time spent with the audience. “We have to do photo shoots, a lot of meetings, and things before and after the performances,” Taehyun shares. “But on stage, no one can tell me to do other things. It’s just me, the members, and MOA.”

The group got their sea legs last year during the “ACT: LOVE SICK” tour, their first trek outside of South Korea post-pandemic, and Taehyun thinks that this year sees the members having more fun onstage than ever. Yes, the stamina required to pull off a show like theirs is demanding, but as the guys have continued to hone their performance skills, they’ve also continued to grow that much more comfortable in front of crowds. Taehyun shouts out the group’s 2023 track “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” as one of his favorite parts of this latest outing, crediting the vibey new choreography as a highlight.

The nature of a creative is to always have one eye on the next project, and while MOAs wait to see what’s coming down the line from TXT, Taehyun offers some words of assurance: “We have nothing to fear as long as we have each other. As long as I have my four other members, I’m confident.”

[mariana-oconnor]

The Final Problem pt 2

Last time, Holmes turned up at Watson's home having survived three attempts on his life and a mysterious meeting with ex-Professor Moriarty, and invited Watson on an impromptu trip abroad. Watson, of course, said yes. I am absolutely sure that nothing bad is going to happen to either them. Definitely not in Switzerland. Maybe they'll see a nice waterfall, though. I've heard Switzerland is beautiful this time of year.

Watson does very well at remembering Holmes' instructions. I would not be able to do that.

I spent a few minutes in assisting a venerable Italian priest, who was endeavouring to make a porter understand, in his broken English, that his luggage was to be booked through to Paris.

Is Holmes pretending to be an Italian priest? I feel like Watson should be more aware of the possibility of a disguise.

Also, the fact it turns out that Watson's Italian is terrible. Holmes totally chose that disguise to troll the fuck out of him. A+ friendship move, even when running for his life.

"My dear Watson," said a voice, "you have not even condescended to say good-morning."

Yeah, so rude. How dare you not say hello to your friend who is clearly sitting right there and not at all an Italian priest.

"They set fire to our rooms last night. No great harm was done."

First: how dare! Baker Street, my beloved! Second: despite the fact that it has been clearly established in part 1 that Watson is very married and very living with his wife rn, Holmes still refers to them as 'our rooms'.

"It was my brother Mycroft. It is an advantage to get about in such a case without taking a mercenary into your confidence."

OK, so he did appear in this story... actually doing something for once. This is a clear sign that things must be dire if Mycroft has pried his seal-like form from his well worn chair in the Diogenes Club to drive a carriage through the streets of London. Honestly, I feel like there should be a system of measurement for direness that is purely how much Mycroft is willing to move to deal with it.

"As this is an express, and as the boat runs in connection with it, I should think we have shaken him off very effectively."

Because this goes directly to one place and then that goes directly to another place, both of which are official and easily discovered by looking at a timetable, clearly we have escaped the people pursuing us. They will never catch us now!

Watson? I get what you're saying. But please think through the logic a little bit more.

"In the meantime we shall treat ourselves to a couple of carpet-bags, encourage the manufactures of the countries through which we travel, and make our way at our leisure into Switzerland, via Luxembourg and Basle."

Nothing bad ever happens in Switzerland.

"There are limits, you see, to our friend's intelligence. It would have been a coup-de-matre had he deduced what I would deduce and acted accordingly."

We're only playing 3 dimensional chess today, not 4 dimensional. I did wonder.

"I might have known it!" he groaned. "He has escaped!"

He did know you were coming for him. And when... Like. If I knew I was going to be arrested for a certain thing at a certain time, I'd make sure to be somewhere else, too, and I don't claim to be a criminal mastermind. Honestly, this seems inevitable.

"I should certainly recommend you to return to your practice."

Does Watson still have a practice? At what point does it become his neighbour's practice? Will his patients even recognise him?

For a charming week we wandered up the Valley of the Rhone, and then, branching off at Leuk, we made our way over the Gemmi Pass, still deep in snow, and so, by way of Interlaken, to Meiringen.

This is the literary equivalent of elevator music.

Doo do doo do dooo dodoododoo doo do doo do dooo dodoododoo

In an instant Holmes had raced up on to the ridge, and, standing upon a lofty pinnacle, craned his neck in every direction.

We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about half-way up the hill, without making a small detour to see them.

They sound lovely. Excellent place for a picnic lunch. Clearly nothing bad could happen there.

Although little sus whoever told them that they absolutely had to go see them. Hm?

It is indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip.

Delightful. 10/10 would visit again. Love how it's described as being 'half-way up the hill', then 'TREMENDOUS ABYSS'. I know this is Watson's PTSD speaking, but the tonal whiplash is getting me, ngl.

We had turned to do so, when we saw a Swiss lad come running along it with a letter in his hand. It bore the mark of the hotel which we had just left, and was addressed to me by the landlord.

...the die is cast, the scene is set...

The appeal was one which could not be ignored. It was impossible to refuse the request of a fellow-countrywoman dying in a strange land.

Almost like it was... designed...

Along this a man was, I remember, walking very rapidly.

There was Holmes's Alpine-stock still leaning against the rock by which I had left him. But there was no sign of him, and it was in vain that I shouted. My only answer was my own voice reverberating in a rolling echo from the cliffs around me.

Well, I certainly didn't see that one coming.

Seriously, though. This is pretty heart-rending to actually think about. Watson just alone on the cliff side, screaming his friend's name into the tremendous abyss.

Then trying to apply Holmes' methods (because that's always gone so well before). Then finding the letter.

Strangely nice of Moriarty to let Holmes write the letter, but I suppose he thought that when he'd tossed Sherlock over the cliff he could just destroy it anyway.

An examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest between the two men ended, as it could hardly fail to end in such a situation, in their reeling over, locked in each other's arms.

The inherent eroticism of plunging to your death with your nemesis, locked in each other's arms.

...him whom I shall ever regard as the best and the wisest man whom I have ever known.

Fs in the notes.

So... I guess that's the last one, then. No more Sherlock Holmes stories after that. Nope. Well, that was fun. Thanks Watson, sorry about your friend.

[jbaileyfansite]

GQ Hype Interview (2022)

Jonathan Bailey felt lost and didn’t know what to do with himself. It was March 2020, and for nearly a year, the British actor had been immersed on the set of Bridgerton, Netflix’s horny and ornate period drama set in a fictional and fantastical 19th-century London. The show’s debut was months away, but working on it was consuming just about every conscious moment of Bailey’s life; his usually modern, slicked-back hair had been permed into the style of his character, Lord Anthony Bridgerton, a lothario of landed gentry, with two sharp muttonchops stroked against his cheek. “It was like being a part of some social experiment,” he thought. A wonderful abduction in which he’d be lifted from his normal life and sent tumbling like a stray astronaut into space, crashing into a new planet. 

Here, on planet Bridgerton, gracious ringlet-haired women danced in ballgowns to string quartet covers of Billie Eilish, charming potential suitors who were fucking and flirting their way through the city, while an anonymous columnist would chronicle everybody’s secrets and stir up drama for London’s aristocracy. Until Bridgerton, Bailey’s own modest fame had stemmed from nearly three decades in theatre and television: popular prime-time detective drama Broadchurch, programmes from prestige talents, including Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing, as well as prolific spells on West End stages, most notably in a  gender-swapped reimagining of Stephen Sondheim’s classic Company, for which he won a best supporting actor Olivier Award.

“When you do a play, you share it with the audience every night,” says Bailey of his fondness for the stage. But then you’re done. Working on a period set such as Bridgerton was all-enveloping. After season one wrapped, Bailey should have been able to rest and recharge. But weeks later, the pandemic shut down the UK and, like everyone else, he found himself stuck in that gloomy malaise.

And then Bridgerton landed like a confetti bomb posted through his front door when it hit Netflix on Christmas morning. Suddenly, Bailey was on video calls with breakfast television and E! News from his bedroom. The first season of the Shonda Rhimes production went massive: some 82 million households watched the show over the festive season and into January 2021, a chart-topping figure only recently surpassed by Squid Game. The show’s second season, out in March, will be loaded with the expectation of a large and attentive audience, and for Bailey, there’s an added layer of pressure: Anthony will take the centre as the season’s main character. “The idea that [Bridgerton] is coming out again is a bit of a rug pull,” he says. “It’s quite scary.”

Bailey and I meet in Hyde Park during that strange limbo week between Christmas and New Year. He blends in well with his surroundings, wearing a black Gore-Tex jacket and green corduroy trousers. The signature muttonchops, which he grew himself for the show’s first season, are dialled down this time around – “a glow-up” for the character, he says with a laugh. Bailey had just returned to London after a holiday in Switzerland, though he’s spent much of his free time recently at a quiet spot in Sussex. It shielded him somewhat from the hysteria of the show’s success, which propelled its last two leads into new spheres of fame: Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Bailey’s onscreen sister, Daphne Bridgerton, will executive produce and star in the buzzy Amazon series Exciting Times. And the man who played her onscreen lover Simon Basset, Regé-Jean Page, will appear in 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons reboot.

We sit with our coffees on a bench by the Italian Gardens. At 33, Bailey doesn’t seem eager to get noticed on the street. Dispositionally, he’s one of those actors who’d rather work than be famous, who is more comfortable reciting Dickens for a small audience than he is wearing designer clothes on the red carpet. That he’s in this position at all feels both like a fluke and completely serendipitous.

Bailey grew up in Benson, a South Oxfordshire village of fewer than 5,000 people. When he was a child, his parents sent him to dance classes after he was inspired by a stage version of Oliver! he’d seen age four. He won his first part three years later, playing Tiny Tim in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Christmas Carol. (When reached for comment, the show’s director, Ian Judge, admired his success but couldn’t really remember him. “Humbling! Put that in there,” Bailey says.) Around the same time, his older sisters, who’d left home for university, would return for odd weekends, armed with stories of city nightlife. They would play Bailey pop and disco classics from a compilation CD called Dance to the Max – “queer anthems” – by artists such as Freddie Mercury and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. “I’d have to go up to my room and perfect the performance,” he says, before coming downstairs to sing and dance for his family.

Historically, he’s played valuable supporting roles that bolster a show’s narrative but has rarely occupied the main spotlight. Until this season of Bridgerton, one of his only other lead television roles was in a BBC children’s show based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci. “I’ve never gone into a screen test and had the ‘That’s him!’ reaction,” says Bailey. “I’ve always crept round through the back door.”

It was during his teen years that Bailey learned how to perform as someone he wasn’t, as many queer people do growing up outside big cities. He attended Magdalen College School in Oxford, a nearly 550-year-old institution that counts saints, sirs, and the composer Ivor Novello as past alumni. Bailey came out to family and friends in his early 20s and is, today, one of the few gay British actors working onscreen whose roles don’t seem defined wholly by their sexuality. Bridgerton has made him a sex symbol to many men and women, but he doesn’t like to talk about it. “Any actor who thinks they’re a sex symbol? Cringe,” he says. 

I wonder whether his career decisions and his sexuality have stood in direct opposition to each other; if he ever felt the need to suppress that side of himself to get ahead. He recalls a story concerning a callous word of advice that someone once gave an actor friend during pilot season. “At the time he was told, ‘There’s two things we don’t want to know: if you’re an alcoholic or if you’re gay.’” The words stuck with Bailey. “All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through,” he says. “So, yeah, of course I thought that. Of course I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight.” The thing that’s always led Bailey’s decision-making in his career has been his own happiness, which is why it took so long for him to talk publicly about his own sexuality: “I reached a point where I thought, ‘Fuck this’, I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that, than get a part.” 

That instinct to stay true to himself is part of what makes him good at his job. “Jonny operates at a different voltage,” says Phoebe Waller-Bridge, his Crashing co-star. “He’s a meteorite of fun with an incredible amount of energy and playfulness. Smouldering at one turn and then utterly innocent at the next, but all the time playing with this sense of untapped danger. That is the quality I love most about Jonny as a person and as a performer: his danger.”

Bridgerton is based on a series of New York Times best-selling romance novels by American author Julia Quinn, and Bailey treats the source material with the same level of tact and seriousness as he would King Lear. What might seem like a straightforward, frothy show about scandal and romance in Regency-era England harbours a deeper meaning to Bailey, specifically in playing a philanderer such as Anthony. As a teenager, period dramas were a Bailey household staple, but “you never really got behind the men,” Bailey observed, “or know why they’re avoidant and toxic.” This season, Bailey gets to dig into the show’s narrative, exploring exactly why the show’s men are avoidant and toxic. Anthony yearns to settle down, but struggles to find a woman deserving of the title of Lady Bridgerton. The shots of Anthony’s post-coital buttocks and his flippant remarks about women’s inadequacies could be seen as signs of a crass and shallow character. But Bailey sees them as symptoms of a man grieving the loss of his father, and who is struggling to assume the patriarchal position. “Going into the first season, I wanted to fully break Anthony,” the show’s creator Chris Van Dusen says, “so that we could put him back together in the second.”

Bailey, meanwhile, says that he “started to think about [Anthony’s] charm,” and specifically “what it means to be a rake, and how his anxiety and self-hatred plays into that.” Anthony also forced Bailey to, in his words, “think about love a lot.” It’s one of the few allusions to his personal life that Bailey seems to drop, almost by accident: “You put your life experiences into [the work]. What’s most interesting is not necessarily having to talk about what that is, and keeping a sense of privacy.” He’s navigated that carefully, the balance between being affable and guarded when the circumstances call for it. His Company costar, Broadway legend Patti LuPone, remembers the former most fondly. “He’s quite open as a human being,” she tells me. “I love him.”

After Bridgerton’s release, an old friend, Marianne Elliott, Company’s Tony Award-winning director, reached out and gave Bailey what he considers one of the greatest holy-shit moments of his career: an opportunity for them to work together again. “We’d read many scripts with the specific task of finding something for Jonny Bailey,” she tells me. Eventually, they settled on Cock, premiering this spring, a scintillating, dialogue-heavy and stage-directionless Mike Bartlett play about a man named John, his ex-boyfriend (played by Taron Egerton), and the woman that he’s fallen for.

That side of things, the award-winning work, has helped catalyse Bailey’s other holy-shit moments, which seem to be happening with more frequency. These days, producers approach him to offer roles: the days of creeping through the back door are over. Often, these projects clash with Bailey’s Bridgerton schedule, and some producers will say, “No, don’t worry. We’ll wait”. I joke that it must be strange to have people waiting for him now, and Bailey retreats inside himself. Hands in his pockets, a little embarrassed. But smiling. “Yeah…I mean…that sounds…I can say that now but, you always think they’re going to move on – and it’s only for a moment,” he says sheepishly. Bridgerton is wonderful, he adds, “but in 20 years, you don’t want to be famous. You want a sustained career.”

SOURCE

[bluboothalassophile]

I don’t know if you meant fic requests I’ve had this idea don’t know exactly where you would he with it but

Post apocalypse war in the new timeline instead of staying with the titans or leaving Batman idk he joins the us marine corps and comes back home and runs into raven idk how that would happen do with this prompt what you will 🤷🏽‍♀️

Can’t wait to see what you come up with 🙃💜

Hello,

So based off your user name, I'm hoping you mean Jason Todd, and not Damian Wayne because Damian is the last person in the Batfamily I could ever see going into the military; closely tied with Tim and Dick. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! =)

Reverse Uno Card Of Death...

Jason rarely operated outside of the European theatre, but on this rare occasion he had decided to come home. His fiancée had actually encouraged him to return home, but he sort of regretted it.

When he’d been seventeen, he’d left Robin, Batman, and the Justice League to join the US Air Force, were he had spent the better part of the next ten years becoming a Pararescue Jumper, a.k.a. a PJ, and he’d eventually joined JSOC, furthering his career, and his life outside the League and ridiculous world of heroes. He’d done this in part because of his honorary grandfather, Alfred Pennyworth, who was killed in what was known as the Apokolips Wars, which was the invasion of the world from an outside force off the planet Apokolips, which was sort of the only justification for the Justice League or the super hero class of operators.

Jason had respect for the superheroes, but he also didn’t; given how frequently they seemed to look down on military or police personnel, and actual first responders. Now, granted, they didn’t appear to do that to the public, but Jason had encountered more than one hero who would tell him to go home because the threat was contained (the threat rarely being contained in actuality). Also, superheroes were frequently dragged down in NATO nonsense and unable to actually handle real threats; like the Russian or Chinese threat.

Anyways, Jason was on leave and he was heading back to Gotham, New Jersey, he needed to get his head checked. His fiancée, Raven Roth, retired hero, and current author was quietly pressed against him.

Raven was a surprise to Jason, in every sense of the word, he vaguely remembered her running around with Damian and his group, and he had a vague memory of her being this ever present, gloomy figure; but he hadn’t known her. Their meeting again had been a shock to the system, Jason had been injured on mission and couldn’t seem to hide, and in swooped this woman, dragging him out of the open and hiding him, also healing him. Initially he had thought her to merely be a minor power, not Raven the most powerful sorceress alive, she didn’t look like the gloomy teen he had remembered. It took them time, but eventually she helped smuggle him out of Germany, where she was residing, they had made it to Switzerland and figured out how to get back to Brussels from there. She helped smuggle him though, through the countries, playing the part of his wife. Jason had later learnt Raven had fled the Titans after Damian had disappeared and Brother Blood abducted her, and no one came to save her. Since then, she had just been living a quiet life working as a journalist or ghost writer.

They had never seemed to part after everything, and Jason had recently proposed.

He thought he might as well bite the bullet in this regard, he loved the demoness, and Alfred would approve of her, and it made sense. Raven knew him, what he did, and she gave him a stable life outside of operating; so Jason didn’t see his life falling apart anytime soon with her as a wife.

“Relax,” Raven murmured softly.

“I am…” he grimaced on the lie.

“Jason…”

“B and I had a blow out about me leaving for the Air Force,” he said it suddenly. Jason was the reverse uno card of death in the USAF though as a PJ, not that B would understand. Jason liked being a true tip of the spear guy, he loved operating, it was what he was born to do, and he was the best at it. He loved his brothers, he loved his work, he loved making a difference, and even when he hated it, he loved it in a way that no one but an operator could understand. It wasn’t about a thrill, or a rush, it wasn’t even about him, but he loved operating. “He told me I was throwing away my life.”

“So?”

“So, I screamed I didn’t want to be Dick and be the most self serving prick under the guise of serving the greater good, I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, and serve the US, and B said if I left… don’t come back, he wouldn’t watch me die for a lost cause.”

“It’s not a lost cause.”

“Alfred knew that, he helped me, before… before the Apokolips War,” he muttered.

“I know.”

“B just… I want him proud,” Jason admitted as he looked at his fiancée.

“Alfred is proud, and Bruce is a fool if he isn’t proud of you,” she said softly.

They finally pulled up to Wayne Manor in the cab, and Jason got out, putting on his cover as he turned and held his hand out for Raven. Slowly she slid out of the car, standing beside him. He paid the cabbie as he grabbed up their bags and they walked towards the main door of the Manor.

Slowly the door opened, Jason’s heart was pounding harder than he could ever remember as he heard the roar of blood in his ears. Raven suddenly grabbed a bag, before grabbing his hand, giving it a squeeze as they approached the imposing figure of Bruce.

“Jason.”

“Hey B… I… I wanted to introduce you to my fiancée,” he said as he looked at Raven. “B, this is…”

“Raven…” Damian appeared, wide eyed and startled.

“Raven Roth,” Jason finished.

Bruce looked at Raven and smiled a little. “Hello Raven.”

“Mister Wayne.”

Before anyone could continue, Jason was startle as he was pulled into a tight hug, which had him frozen as he stared past B’s shoulder at Dick, Kori, Damian, and a few faces he didn’t know. B knocked Jason’s cover off as his hand cupped the back of Jason’s head, and he heard and felt the quiet sob rack B’s body.

“Thank you for bringing my son home,” Bruce said as he pulled away from the hug. “Pararescue Jumper? Could you pick a more challenging vocation?”

“I always liked doing things the hard way,” Jason offered.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning!  I hope you slept well and feel rested?  Currently sitting in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.  Merry Christmas though, for those of you working in the NHS or the emergency services, welcome to just another day.

If you want an alternative to Christmas cracker jokes … welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday … on a Monday!  Warning: one of these facts is not true!  Can you guess which one?

Agreeable people are more likely to use emojis.

In Switzerland, you can be denied citizenship for being too annoying.

Farting helps reduce high blood pressure and is good for your health.

Dog owners have a lower risk of dementia.  Cat ownership has no effect.

For a million years, the human population of the Earth was less than 26,000.

4.8 billion people own mobile phones whereas only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush.

Giraffes are about 30 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than humans.

Toothpaste removes ink from your clothes.  Apply it to the stain, let it dry and then wash.

Synesthesia is a neurological condition that can cause a person to see, smell and taste music.

Goats produce more milk if they're listening to Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'.

Anger triggers the region of the brain associated with honesty, which is when the truth comes out.

In 2013, a British inventor sold ice cream that glowed when you licked it.  It cost £140 a scoop.

Until the founding of the Vegetarian Society in 1847, vegetarians were usually known as Pythagoreans.

In 2009, a 13-year old Chinese girl tried to commit suicide so that she could donate her liver to her dying father.

Diana Ross, who sang ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough’, lost her ex-husband to a mountain climbing accident.

Astronauts lost track of a tomato inside the International Space Station for eight months but found it this month.

Researchers have found that the average person will form about 400 friendships during a lifetime, but only 33 will last.

Will Smith is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office.

Intelligent people tend to care less about the opinions of others, they also enjoy being alone because of great sense of self.

In 1984, New Zealand's Prime Minister Robert Muldoon got drunk and spontaneously called for a general election.  He lost.

The earliest carol singers can be found on The Bayeux Tapestry and were soldiers from western France known as the Brittany Spears.

As time goes by, humans are becoming less and less empathetic. Today, we care about others 40% less than people in the 1980s did.

In Japan, you can hire a handsome man to show up at your office and watch sad videos with you until you cry, then wipe your tears for you.

People tend to sneeze three times because one loosens up an irritant, the second gets it to the front of the nose and the third gets it out.

Brazilian footballer Argélico Fuchs spent much of his life spelling his name ‘Argélico Fucks’, resulting in headlines such as "Fucks off to Benfica."

Drinking white or green tea every day will minimize the environmental damage done to your skin and minimize fine lines and wrinkles.

There are roughly seven people in the world who look exactly like you and there is a nine per cent chance you will run into one of them in your lifetime.

‘Baby Shark Dance’, the most viewed YouTube video of all time, has over 5 billion more views than Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’, the second-most viewed YouTube video of all time.

In 2001, India began building plastic roads using recycled plastic waste.  The roads haven't developed any cracks or potholes despite years of usage and are much cheaper to build than traditional road surfaces.

Triboulet was a notorious court jester who was allowed to choose his own death after having insulted the queen of France.  He chose to die of old age, which made the king laugh so much, he was spared and banished instead.

During The Great Depression, Al Capone started one of the first soup kitchens called Free Soup Coffee & Doughnuts For The Unemployed.  Capone’s soup kitchen served breakfast, lunch and dinner to an average of 2200 Chicago residents every day.

‘Loving Day’ is an annual national celebration held on June 12th, the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, the day that Richard and Mildred Loving finally won their case, legalizing interracial marriage in the U.S.

On the day of South Korea's university entrance exams, the entire country goes quiet.  Shops close, construction stops, and planes are grounded so that students can focus on their exams.  Students that are late can even get a police escort to make sure they make it in time.

Bill Haast began extracting snake venom aged 15.  He founded the Miami Serpentarium and injected himself with venom more than 60 times.  His blood was used to save 21 snakebite victims.  He created a venom serum to cure polio.  He was bitten over 170 times and lived to be 100.

Ozzy Osbourne gave up taking acid during the recording of Black Sabbath's ‘Volume 4’.  He said, “I took 10 tabs of acid, then went for a walk in a field. I ended up standing there talking to this horse for about an hour.  In the end, the horse turned round and told me to fuck off.  That was it for me.”

Okay, that’s enough information for one day.  Merry Christmas and have a mouthwatering Monday!  I love you all.

[clawbehavior]

Hello (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*。

I am sending u warm wishes ✨

For the ask game :

7,15 & 17

6 (everything, everywhere all at once)

18 (my heart is going back to you, i just don't know) and/or (skin deep)

19 (final coda)

21 (skin deep) and/or (till kingdom come) and/or (elevator troubles)

I apologize for having so many questions, i simply love your writing 😅

not only do i appreciate that you asked a bunch of questions, i love that you asked about these specific stories! they've been on my mind lately, which you somehow picked up on?? i thoroughly enjoyed answering your asks and appreciate you sharing that you love my writing. sending many warm wishes for the weekend anon ❤️❤️

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

everything everywhere all at once (once i finish it). i spent all my free time July last year plotting out where corruption happens in government and how it trickles down into gaon and yohan's lives. i was doodling in the back of my notebooks and working through several Google docs at once. that experience was rewarding because i got to move between multiple layers of the story, thinking not just of how gaon and yohan relate to each other when gaon's in debt, but also how their ties with the rest of the world actively shapes their romance. that agility makes me proud of myself.

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

'til kingdom come' because i LOVE fantasy, when fics of this genre are a rarity in this fandom. plus, i liked the new context to their initial meeting in the office, where instead of staring because gaon looks like isaac, yohan's staring at his long-lost and oblivious lover. but i honestly love all my au's and my favorites change because it's the one i'm writing at the time pfft.

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

an au inspired by 'his dark materials'! yohan's demon is a male black panther named baheera. gaon's is a white doe. the story would deal with touch, in that gaon and yohan's demon touch all the time but through layers like clothes and latex gloves. yohan doesn't know because he and baheera can be in separate rooms, but when he finds out he's PISSED because touching another person's demon is reserved strictly for family and lovers, when gaon is neither. and then we find out that it was yohan and gaon's demon who touched first, because when the office got destroyed, she tackled yohan to the floor ro shield him. gaon didn't see and she never told him. 

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

fic: everything everywhere all at once 

this is serendipitous because i was thinking of this exact story when i read the question and so were you it turns out! remember how ms. ji experiments with food to disastrous results? the culprit in this story is elijah. she mixes together strange assortments of flavors and foods to the point that if she orders something normal (like plain vanilla ice cream), yohan knows she's upset.

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

fics:

- my heart is going back to you: sunah kidnapping gaon

-  skin deep: a fluff one shot of gaon supporting yohan's particular brand of parenting. yes, we can read him The ABC's of Firearms for Kids. no, he cannot accompany you on a hunting expedition when it means staying up past his bedtime, etc.

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

fic: final coda 

gaon healing his relationship with elijah. this story draws on the New Testament interpretation that Jesus ordered Judas to betray him. similarly, yohan knew it was coming but let it happen anyways. elijah never knew, and she was ripped apart by the experience. that's hard to bounce back from, so gaon would make a concerted effort to do so. the story ends with elijah visiting him in Switzerland and preparing an elaborate meal for him. 

21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in [insert fic], what would it be?

fics: 

- skin deep: gaon meeting min jungho for lunch after he gets the implant removed, and having to play it cool even though he's afraid of the professor

- til kingdom come: a flashback to their original lives where the prince saves the commander's battalion from an ambush, disobeying his father's command in the process. this is when the commander realizes how in love the prince is with him. they sleep together for the first time. (i actually wrote this scene fully. the only reason it's not published is because it felt like a random chapter instead of a plot driven update, but i think about it a lot.)

- elevator troubles: smut in yohan's office.

- eeaao:  yohan returning home to find gaon deeply asleep in his bed & realizing he's in love with gaon. he compares the feeling to being stabbed

[purplekoop]

Okay Map/Hero Matching time

Explained the criteria in my last post, but to recap the idea is to see what heroes go along with what maps, either by shared nationality or story relevance.

These are two different criteria for a reason: Like I also mentioned in my last post, Moira is from Ireland, but there's no Irish map in-game as of now. However, she has significant story ties to Oasis, a map that takes place in Iraq. I would think it fair to say then that Oasis could be considered "Moira's map" even though there's a mismatch of nationality.

I did the list both ways, both attaching heroes to a list of maps, and assigning maps to a list of heroes. Let's start with the latter first:

Starting with the Tanks:

This is gonna be the same story with Zenyatta later, but Ramattra is weird because he technically doesn't have an official nationality. He's an Omnic built in the Omniums, with his exact location of origin unknown. He spent a good portion of his life in Nepal, but it's not his home country. However, it very clearly is the location most significant to him personally.

Orisa on the other hand is very clearly considered to be from Numbani. She was created in Numbani, her creator is from Numbani, they both currently still live in Numbani, I think it's pretty safe to say she's Numbanian. For what it's worth, Orisa is the only non-human character given a nationality on the fandom wiki.

Notice I also listed some maps that have an "indirect" connection to the hero. These are connections that don't necessarily correspond to place of origin or home or base of operations, but have some significance to the character. This is kind of an iffy criteria, so I got stricter with it as I went on.

Now for Damage heroes:

All of the Americans are in this category, go figure. America is also, go figure, the country with the most maps as of now (Route 66, Hollywood, Blizzard World, and Midtown. Actually only 4, I miscounted in my head but the point on the chart stands). The most interesting one to talk about is Reaper, who was a cop in Las Angeles before his time in Overwatch and Talon, which would technically make Hollywood "his map" more than anyone else's, but the hero and map have literally no significance to each other otherwise.

Bastion is also... weird. They're the one hero who doesn't have a specified point of origin, and also doesn't have a clear "home country". The Bastion robot units were originally created by SST Laboratories, which based on Torbjorn being a critical member of, may suggest that it's a Swedish company, and therefore by proxy you could consider Bastion to be Swedish? That's a bit of a stretch though, so to be safe I left their nationality blank, and only considered their resting place (Black Forest, Germany) as a directly relevant map.

Echo is the last weird "what country is the robot from" to discuss. Her creator, Mina Liao, is Singaporean. If we apply the Orisa logic of a robot created directly by one individual inheriting that creator's nationality (especially considering Echo literally copied some of Liao's behaviors and even her voice, with some sources implying a sort of mother/daughter bond between them), then Echo is also Singaporean. However, it's unlikely she was built in Singapore. Liao made Echo late into her time at Overwatch, whose major bases of operations were in Switzerland and Gibraltar. Either way... yeah I'm not researching Singapore's citizenship laws to determine if she counts for that.

(also if you look at the chart and say "what the hell are Gothenburg and Suravasa", then it's something I've explained before, but will get into more later here)

Now for the Supports:

Nothing we haven't seen already at this point, I've explained most of these with other heroes earlier.

Only thing to note is Ayutthaya, the Thailand-based CTF map added all the way back in Lunar New Year 2018. While we do finally have a Thai hero in Lifeweaver, as far as we know now he doesn't have anything in particular to do with the map. Ayutthaya as an arcade mode map doesn't have any lore in general (shoot, even less than most of the others), let alone anything tying it to Lifeweaver. Would've been a hell of a cool trick to have Lifeweaver planned to tie into the map since it was added, but... yeah no I don't think that's likely at all.

Now for the other way around, looking at this from the perspective of what maps have relevant heroes.

I didn't consider the non-canon maps (The 4 Workshop maps and the upcoming Talantis) or any map variants for... hopefully obvious reasons.

Starting with Escort and Hybrid.

I did these charts first, so I was a lot more lenient on what "indirect connections" would include. There's a number of maps that are relevant to Overwatch as a whole or Talon as a whole, but not any one member. For those, I just put the group name in that section.

As you might notice, a lot more maps don't have heroes than heroes not having maps. The only American map having any actual ties to any heroes is Route 66, the rest are completely unrelated.

Next up though, the Control, Push, and Assault maps:

Nothing else to note here, other than clarifying that yes, I am aware that Antarctica technically isn't a country, and The Moon is definitely not a country. But like. you know what I mean, right?

Anyways, moving ahead to the last few maps, these being the Arcade-exclusive maps and the future maps:

So lemme quickly recap Gothenburg and Suravasa.

Early on for Overwatch 2's initial announcements, we learned about a few new maps, including Gothenburg (an Assault map featuring Torbjorn's workshop) and a map said to take place in India (which I deduced in an earlier post was specifically Suravasa, a location from Symmetra's Stone by Stone story). We haven't seen these maps come to the game yet though, mostly because Assault was scrapped as a core game mode for Overwatch 2, and the replacement mode to adapt these maps into has yet to be revealed. They felt important to include here though, since we're aware of their existence and they're maps very clearly made to be home maps for some of the Overwatch heroes who've lacked one for the longest time.

Now for some data, which heroes and maps don't have a match?

The heroes (that have a specified nationality) without a map from the same country are Doomfist (Nigeria), Sigma (Netherlands), Baptiste (Haiti), Mercy (Switzerland), and Moira (Ireland).

Removing the heroes who have clear corresponding map for reasons besides nationality (and including dubious nationalities), the list of heroes without a map of any kind are just Sigma (unless you count Horizon Lunar Colony), Echo, Mercy, and Baptiste.

The maps without any heroes from the same country are Watchpoint: Gibraltar (Gibraltar), Rialto (Italy), Havana (Cuba), Circuit Royal (Monaco), Ilios (Greece), Oasis (Iraq), Antarctic Peninsula/Ecopoint Antarctica, Colosseo (Italy), Esperanca (Portugal), Petra (Southern Jordan), and Malevento (Italy).

Removing the maps that have a clear hero match that just isn't necessarily from the same country, the list goes down to Rialto, Havana, Circuit Royal, Ilios, Colosseo, Esperanca, Petra, and Malevento.

Soooooo yeah! If I missed something or you need clarification on something in the chats, then shoot me a reply to let me know!

...Why did I do this.

[themotherofthree]

New York City is a big place but [ CARLA RAY ], a [ 37 ] year-old [ CIS-FEMALE ] has made it their home in [ QUEENS, NY ]. In this city you can be anything you want to be and [ SHE ] is a [ INFLUENCER ]. Described by loved ones as [ CHARMING, FUNNY AND SMART] but those wanting to bring them down might say they are [IMPULSSIVE, IRRESPONSIBLE AND STUBBORN] but I guess that is up to everyone else to decide! You never know who you’re going to meet around here, but weirdly they look like [ JESSICA ALBA ] - what are the odds?

TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH, CHEATING, ALCOHOL, CHILD NEGLET

BASIC INFORMATION

full name: Carla Ray;

pronounce: she/her;

gender: cisfemale;

age: thirty-seven;

town of birth: Queens, NY;

current residency: Queens, NY;

time in NY: almost all her life;

occupation: influencer;

sexual orientation: straight;

status: engaged;

fiancee: Philipp Scott (wanted connection);

children: Sofia Linn James (7), Sienna Jo James (5) and Matias William Scott (2);

FULL BIO

TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH, CHEATING, ALCOHOL, CHILD NEGLET

  Carla Ray and her brother’s parents had a trouble marriage, though part of this was due to their father spending too much time working and normal everyday problems. Coming from a middle-class background, he’d put himself through law school and now ran one of the biggest law firms in US. But his devotion to his career, and the egotism that had sprung from his success, had put a distance between him and his kids, especially after the death of their mother who passed away from breast cancer when Carla was nine years old and her brother fourteen. Despite a five-year age gap, she and her brother had always been close. Having been raised by a mostly absentee father and a revolving door of nannies and stepmothers, they’d been the only constant in each other’s lives.

  Trying to make up for the life without their mother as well as his own missing, Carla’s father showered her and her brother with gifts, buying their love, and it was no surprise to anyone that Carla grew up spoiled and arrogant. Entering her teen years, she also entered a rebellious period, which also coincided with her father’s attempts to enter politics - an aspiration from which he could hardly be separated. Focusing entirely on his political growth, he once again neglected his children, which causes Carla to rebel even more. Press attention turned to her and she becomes a hot topic of discussion, threatening Ray’s political future, so he sent her to a boarding school in Switzerland, where she spent her last two years of high school.

  Returning to New York as a law student at Columbia University, everyone thought Carla had tommy-rot behind her. At first glance that was the case, but beneath the surface a maelstrom lurked - little Rey had simply learned to hide herself better. Her university years were filled with partying, drinking and lots of drugs, but amazingly she managed to pass all her exams just because she had to maintain the illusion that everything was fine. Until she met Philipp Rossi - an Italian exchanged student. They fell deeply in love and because of him Carla left the university to start a new life in Rome, Italy, where she spent four years. Their love didn’t last long but the love she felt for Italy was so strong she decided to stay.

  Carla continued her party life in Rome and she often posted pictures of this life on Instagram. She unexpectedly grew her followers and imperceptibly began her job as influencer. Everyone was interested to see the life of an American in the beautiful Rome and she didn’t mind to show it. On a huge party, she met the second Philipp in her life - Philipp James. It was love from the first sign mostly because they shared their passion to alcohol and drugs. They spent first month of their dating partying almost every night and they hardly remembered what exactly was happening but.. SURPRISE..Carla got pregnant and they didn’t knew what to do. After a lot of debating they decided they should keep the baby, stop with the opiates and return to America, where they got married and seven months later Sofia Linn was born. Everything seemed to be perfect - they were like a dream family, but it seemed like Philipp didn’t keep himself from drugs and alcohol. Carla had the chance to leave him but she loved him too much and decided to help him sending him in rehab for few months.

  Philipp returned from the rehab as a new person and Carla was pretty happy about it. Soon they found they expected again and they were really excited when Sienna Jo joined the family. But the happiness was only imaginary - Carla found out Philipp started drugs again and this time this was the end.- he left the family and she became a single mother of two. Not knowing how to say to her audience about their divorce because of the fact she had always showed her family as a perfect, Carla hid it for almost a year before she posted a video where she said the truth.

  During the time she was separated with Philipp but she was hiding it, Carla met the third Philipp in her life - Philipp Scott. They started dating secretly but few months after her official break with her first husband, Carla found she was pregnant again and she was forced to admitted she had a new man in her life - the new family goal appeared in her Instagram and she didn't hesitated to take advantage of the situation. Her followers wasn’t charmed by the new Philipp but soon his care for the little girls and charm of the little Mattias William made them love the new family. But it seemed like Carla didn’t love it and started to look for a new adventure.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 21)

An important figure in the Catholic counter-reformation that responded to the 16th century spread of Protestantism, the priest and Doctor of the Church, Saint Peter Canisius, is remembered liturgically on December 21.

His efforts as a preacher, author and religious educator strengthened the Catholic faith in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Central Europe during a period of doctrinal confusion.

Writing about St. Peter Canisius in 1897, Pope Leo XIII noted similarities between the late 19th century and the saint's own lifetime, “a period when the spirit of revolution and looseness of doctrine resulted in a great loss of faith and decline in morals.”

More recently, in a 2011 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI taught that the Jesuit saint found success in ministry by living as “a personal witness of Jesus and an instrument at his disposal, bound to him closely by faith in his Gospel and in his Church.”

Peter Kanis – his name later Latinized to “Canisius” – was born in the Netherlands on 8 May 1521.

His father Jacob was a wealthy public official, but his mother Aegidia died soon after his birth.

Peter began his university studies in Cologne around age 15 and obtained his master's degree before he turned 20.

His friends during this period included several men who held to the Catholic faith in opposition to the Protestant doctrines then gaining ground in Germany.

Despite his father's preference that he should marry, Peter made a decision in 1540 to remain celibate.

Three years later, he entered the Society of Jesus under the influence of Blessed Peter Faber, one of the first companions of Saint Ignatius Loyola.

He founded the first Jesuit house in Germany and became a priest in 1546.

Only one year after his ordination, Peter accompanied the Bishop of Augsburg to the Council of Trent as a theological adviser.

He spent a portion of his time in Italy working directly with Saint Ignatius Loyola before leaving for Bavaria, where he would serve as a university professor, as well as a catechist and preacher.

This combination of academic and pastoral work continued at Vienna from 1552, allowing him to visit and assist many Austrian parishes, which found themselves without a priest.

During the mid-1550s, Peter's evangelistic journeys took him to Prague, where he eventually founded a Jesuit school along with another in Bavaria, and later a third in Munich.

The year 1555, in particular, was a landmark for Canisius:

St. Ignatius promoted him to a leadership position within the order, which he held until 1569. He published the first and longest version of his Catholic catechism.

This work, and its two shorter adaptations, went through hundreds of printings and remained in use for centuries.

Involved in discussions with Protestants during 1557, Peter made a strong case for the Church by showing how the adherents of Protestantism could not agree with one another in matters of doctrine.

Meanwhile, he maintained his commitment to religious instruction on the popular level – teaching children, giving retreats, and preaching carefully-crafted, doctrinally-rich sermons to large crowds.

Canisius' service to the Council of Trent continued during the early 1560s, though mostly from a distance.

He kept up a demanding schedule of preaching and establishing universities, while also working to ensure that the council's decrees were received and followed in Germany after it concluded.

His tireless efforts over the next two decades contributed to a major revival of German Catholicism.

A mystical experience in 1584 convinced Canisius that he should cease his travels and remain in Switzerland for the rest of his life.

He spent his last years building up the Church in Fribourg through his preaching, teaching, and writing.

He suffered a near-fatal stroke in 1591, but recovered and continued as an author for six years.

The Dutch Jesuit saw writing as an essential form of apostolic work, a view supported by the continued use of his catechism long after his death on 21 December 1597.

Peter Canisius was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1864.

He was simultaneously canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI on 21 May 1925.

In a famous saying, the Jesuit priest revealed the secret behind the accomplishments of his energetic and fruitful life:

“If you have too much to do, with God's help, you will find time to do it all.”