#why did they also do that shit to lance. what was the reason? what was the point?? arrgghh.grrrrr

[d0d0-b0i]

despite it being years since i watched the last episode of each show, i don’t think i’ll ever be ready to talk about how disappointing both Voltron and gen:LOCK were as shows that crash landed right before the finish line

[saintescuderia]

pancakes (pt. 7)

AKA - the story of how the naive australian rookie befriended the gym junkie F1 hospitality worker with the shoe collection - and inadvertently broke the grid's most treasured and unspoken rule: you don't go for y/n.

series masterlist here :) // the pancakes recipe here :)

A/N: here we are! and CHARLES WON MONACO! (also sorry for the lance slander RPM influences me far too much)

P7 - 2.5L water bottle

"Oh for fuck's sake."

The lyrics rapping over the Metro Boomin beat were cut off as you turned off your engine. You huffed spotting the asshole in green getting out of the Aston Martin in front of you.

Mother fucking Lance Stroll.

Stroll got on your every nerve from the fact that he, as a paid driver, was the epitome of what you hated about F1 and the cash is king nature of the sport. It didn't help your opinion of him that his treatment of the Hospitality workers was very telling of his personality (i.e a spoiled little bitch) - but he also treated the rest of Aston Martin like that.

His engineers he bossed around. His PR team he bossed around. His fucking team principle he bossed around. You had never ever seen a driver be able to literally pick and choose what Media they wanted to do until Lance Stroll. Not even Räikkönen had gotten away with things that way Stroll did.

The worst part of it all, though, was that Lance's attitude of I can do whatever I want meant that he really thought he could get any girl he wanted.

Namely - you.

Your Supra wasn't exactly inconspicuous and Lance had (unfortunately) been in F1 long enough to make the connection that the flash JDM car parked in the lot tended to belong to you. And even though your windows were tinted a few shades darker than legal limit, Lance was getting out of the car right next to you. There was no chance he didn't know that it was you.

If anything, he likely made his driver park next to your Supra on purpose.

"Lord give me strength." You muttered seeing him come up to your window.

But then Lance Stroll had the fucking audacity to tap on your window.

You immediately reached for the handle and opened the door which caused him to stumble for the lack of space as you did so. "Oh, woah! Hey!" The Canadian accent pissed you off for no other reason than it reminded you of Drake. Someone else you fucking despised.

"Don't touch my car." You said, voice flat.

"Oh, er. My bad. Nice looking ride."

"Thanks." You said curtly, internally cringing at how he said 'ride' like that. You went around and grabbed the vast array of things you always hauled with you. Said items for today consisted of your gym bag, your workbag, your lunch bag and your comically large 2.5L water bottle. You always were carrying a lot.

"Need help?"

"No."

"I insist."

"Don't."

"Why you always gotta play hard to get?"

You said nothing, forcefully biting your tongue. You were out of practice with Lance Stroll's shit since Domenicali had finally relented and cut the amount of shifts you would be rostered on Aston Martin. Which had been a shame since the crew were quite nice and you really taking the piss with Nando.

Still, Lance Stroll was insufferable - and you were evidently out of practice dealing with his spoiled delusions. You were just glad his father wasn't around. God help you when it came to the European races.

"I have to get to work." You said and locked your car. There was a call from behind where some Aston Martin people were waiting Lance but he ignored them. Instead, falling into step with you.

"I don't see you around Aston Martin anymore." He said, trying to make conversation.

You kept ignoring him, hoping he'd get the hint. Pulling out your phone, you started to compose a to text to Oscar. He would coming here with Lily and had said something about finally introducing the two of you. Your eyes checked the time at the top of your phone screen. Based on what time it was, Oscar should've been here by now - and could save you from Lance Stroll.

to: piazzas 👼

where the fuck are u ?? lance stroll is trying to talk to me send help

"I don't know." Was all you said, typing away with one hand as the other held a bag, hoodie, bottle and lanyard. You lifted the arm to tap in through the gate and then continued to ignore Lance - who continued to walk beside you and speak.

"That wouldn't be because you're working for McLaren." Lance said. This made you fingers pause as the blatant comment caught you off-guard. You sucked your teeth and took a deep breath. You adjusted your grip on your bags and continued to type another message.

to: piazzas 👼

srsly im gonna fucking rage at this point

"I don't know what you're on about." You said and felt relief seeing the Read time-stamp arrive below your sent message and three dots finally pop up as Oscar typed a response.

Lance made that irritating sound - his laugh. "You know my dad will pay you double what they're paying."

from: piazzas 👼

I'm at the McLaren motorhome. In a meeting with some PR. Can you come?

You huffed and pocketed your phone. Your shift was at Ferrari today and so there was no logical reason for you to walk into McLaren. Then again, it was early and you were yet to get dressed. It should be okay. People rarely noticed you since you looked like some random trainer with the amount of stuff you always carried.

Except, right now, Lance Stroll was not getting the hint and pissing off. Meaning you couldn't exactly freely walk into McLaren no questions asked.

Especially after that comment about you working for McLaren.

"What do you say?" The annoying idiot stood there, still waiting on you apparently.

"What?" You asked, shifting the items in your hand and pausing in your steps. You were in front of Ferrari right now and considered going in to dump your stuff before sneaking off to McLaren. That would at least get rid of Lance.

"Just say the number. How much. Dad wants you onboard and so do I. And all that legal stuff we can sort out." Lance said with a nonchalant shrug that pissed you off more than it should've. "My trainer isn't really working for me anyway."

You stared at him. Was he being serious right now? Your mouth fell open at the audacity and you glanced at his manager behind him who was looking up at the sky, clearly uncomfortable.

But, of course, unable to say anything.

"Ah, Stroll! Mademoiselle is with us today!" You turned your head to the French accent of your other favourite Team Principle. Fred Vasseur arrived with one half of the Scuderia drivers beside him. Your eyes widened on the sight of Carlos there, sunglasses pushed up in the head of hair that had its own fan-accounts and was the star of many, many Tiktok thirst edits.

Fuck.

Last night, your uncle had thrown you for a loop. Carlos Sainz had somehow infiltrated your uncle's sphere with a video of him refusing to sign a Barcelona jersey.

This, your uncle took as a good omen and a worth his approval.

"Approval for what?"

"None of these drivers are worth your time. But this one seems good." Your uncle's voice had sounded through the speaker function of your phone as you balanced a ball on your head. Last night you had present for his usual call to his sister and Dia was adamant you cop it.

And cop it you did. His newest idea was not Jude or Vinicius - but apparently Carlos Sainz.

"What? Because Carlos didn't sign a Messi jersey?"

"His name is Carlos?" Your uncle had asked and you had, in turn, just groaned. You half expected him to make some ridiculous comment about the similar names being a good omen or something.

"Yeah. Carlos Sainz."

"Sainz? Hm." There was a short pause from your uncle. "Is his father a rally driver?"

"Yes." You had frowned, not expecting that.

"Ah! I know him. Good family."

"What?" You said, still stuck on how your uncle knew the Sainz family. "How do you know him?"

"Why didn't you tell me about him before?"

"Because... I never noticed Carlos." The football you had been kicking slowed as you found yourself frowning at the phone on the kitchen table. "It's... I don't know. It's just Carlos."

"I want you to talk to him. To 'Just Carlos' as you say." Your uncle was not relenting. "Go have dinner together. He has a good face."

Your uncle's attempts to get you married to what he deemed was a 'respectable man' and not, in his opinion, 'some limpy Frenchman' (you would often remind him Charles was from Monaco nor was it was like that between you two) or 'some tatted up Australian wanna be Italian' (you would also remind that Daniel barely identified as Italian). However, all of your uncle Carlo's options had always been footballers which, you and Dia knew, was just a ploy to move you from car circuits to football pitches.

But last night, you found, Carlos Sainz apparently had the Ancelotti tick of approval and he was adamant you and Carlos apparently go out for dinner.

You took your uncle's comments to be why you suddenly found yourself feeling a little awkward seeing the driver in the flesh. The on you admittedly never paid much attention to before.

"Maybe next race you can have her." The Spanish driver - who apparently had your uncle's approval - said. Carlos took a sip from the small coffee cup in hand. He was on his piccolo, you noted.

Carlos came up to you and you felt yourself caught out and taken aback by him openly reaching for the strap of your gym bag and your bottle, prying them for your hands. The surprise had you letting go and once Carlos had a grip on them, he nodded at everyone in green. "See you guys on track." And put a hand on your back to guide you into the home. His clear dismissal towards Lance made you smile and it made your face warm up even more.

Your smile dropped.

What the fuck?

"Um. Thank you." You said, once you were out of earshot.

"He's an idiot." Carlos said, with a tired sigh. This made you laugh.

"You're telling me."

It was then that you realised your laugh was nervous. You cleared your throat. You were going to rip into your uncle. And then yourself for being so stupid. Because this was stupid. You barely ever noticed Carlos. What? You find out he really hates Barcelona and has really, really great hair and suddenly you're tongue-tied around him?

"Ha. Yeah. I get that. And I can hold that." You went to reach for the strap of your bag on his shoulder. Carlos moved away.

"Don't insult me." He said, tsking you with a grin on his face. "Let's go. Fred spoke all morning about your pizzas."

"Yes! I did." Fred said, reappearing with his assistant who was handing him a paper he was half reading as he spoke. "Guenther didn't let me have any last time."

You couldn't but smile, remembering Guenther's loud curses echoing throughout all of Haas when he found you plating some aside for Fred. You gave Fred a salute. "I'll get right to it. Let me just dump my things in the backroom."

"I'll take them there." Carlos said, evidently not relenting. You sighed and let him carry them for you as you both made your way to the backroom.

Unfortunately, this meant walking through the entire motorhome in which case many Ferrari staff did a double take seeing you walk with Carlos. Whilst it wasn't uncommon to see you around, nor for you to have any interactions with drivers - you literally made their food and coffee - but Carlos was holding all your many, many belongings and walking to the small backroom that were reserved for Hospitality.

"Thank you." You said, appreciating the chivalry. What you didn't appreciate, however, was how your body was reacting to Carlos.

You didn't get why you were suddenly so... hyperaware around Carlos. Seeing driver content wasn't something new to you. Why did it affect you like this? Maybe addressing it would just help.

And so your mouth just came out with it.

"My uncle likes you."

"What?"

You quickly elaborated. "He saw a video of you refusing to sign a Barca jersey."

Your uncle had even sent you said video of Carlos, the driver windswept in his Ferrari, driving off when a fan passed him a pen and the jersey. You had to admit he did look good in the video and the way he drove off like that had made your eyebrows shoot up, impressed.

"Your uncle... Don Ancelotti?"

"Yeah." You said with a laugh at the name. The Don. You were proud of your uncle and what he achieved, earning him such a nickname. Dia always said her brother's intimidating Don cigar smoking aura had been passed down to you - and not his own children/your cousins.

You weren't surprised Carlos knew about who your uncle was. It wasn't exactly a secret. And considering the world of Formula 1, that wasn't even the craziest connection for someone working in the Paddock. An Alpine techie was distant cousins with Mbappé, a Haas mechanic was close cousins with LeBron, and Valentino Rossi's babysister's best friend's brother was a PR manager for George Russell.

So, no. No one really paid much attention to you and your uncle. The most it had ever come up was the odd few comments of the Paddock's EPL fans coming to you lamenting Carlo Ancelotti moving from Everton to Real Madrid.

"Woah, that's pretty cool." Carlos said, his eyes widening. "I definitely need to let my dad know."

"Apparently they know each other?" You asked, hoping he might shed more light on the connection your uncle somehow had to Sainz Sr. Your uncle hadn't managed to explain that curious bit.

"Do they? He never said." He said and you blew a raspberry. You really were going to give your uncle a piece of your mind. You shook your head and Carlos laughed, saying something that went to deaf ears as he took his sunglasses off his head - causing some strands to fall across his forehead as he was looking down at you.

Fuck.

He used the other hand to run through said black locks.

Double fuck.

The man seriously could've made it as a hair model.

You looked down from his hair to meet his eyes and felt yourself flush even more knowing he'd caught you staring at his hair. You cleared your throat again - when had it gotten so dry? - and spoke. "You um, you could really make bank doing hair endorsements, you know?"

"Bank?" Carlos asked, not picking up the slang.

"Money." You explained the slang and then thought of the Spanish translation. "El dinero."

"Ah, so was it the Don who taught you Spanish?" Carlos asked, lips turning up to grin.

"Nah I don't really speak Spanish." You shook your head and explained. "I just know that word from some from lyrics and stuff."

"Stuff? From living in Los Angeles?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. You blinked, surprised he knew that tidbit about you. "I remember you telling Max about it back in Torro Rosso."

Carlos' observational skills evidently had you in surprise. First it was him remembering your Egyptian heritage and now this?

"I, uh. Yeah for a year and a bit. I worked in a garage." You explained, feeling more awkward and, well, something else that you refused to acknowledge as nervousness.

You didn't get nervous. You had literally served countless celebrities and prided yourself on not getting starstruck or fucking nervous.

And yet, here was Carlos running a hand through his hair catching you off guard with how hyperaware you were of him.

"Ah." Carlos laughed and you stared at the way a thin gold chain glittered around his wrist. "Well, if you know any hair sponsors you'd recommend, let me know."

"Oh, yeah. Done." You said, going back to the previous conversation. "But I'm expecting a cut, then." You said, opening up a locker and beginning to stuff the bags into it. "Hoy por ti - "

" - mañana por mi." Carlos finished the phrase, amused. "It's different in Spanish, though, you know?"

"What is?"

"English you say scratch my back or something. In Spanish it's more about generosity. You take care of me so I will take care of you next."

"Oh." You said, taking in the mini Spanish lesson. Admittedly all your Spanish came from working with Tyler in the garage on Fairfax Ave and, of course, song lyrics. There had been a few funny conversations with Fernando - but nothing intimate such as I will take care of you.

You didn't really know what to say next. Your face was already flushed and you'd probably be able to cook something on your cheek from how hot it was.

You were going to kill your uncle. Real Madrid could win Champions League without him. And even if they didn't - well, Guenther would be happy to see another team finally have a chance.

"Also," Carlos casually continued, unfazed - or not noticing - your lull, "there's going to be a game tomorrow night. I'm not sure if you were planning to watch it."

Thankfully, his words momentarily did distract you from the inner monologue. Real Madrid wasn't playing this weekend. Atletico Madrid was.

Maybe it was Carlos being from Madrid or following the Spanish league religiously but, either way, it wasn't a game you had intended to watch.

"Oh, I mean I like Griezmann." You said, referring to the famed Atletico player, "but I don't watch La Liga games unless Real Madrid is playing." Besides, if you showed any interest in any other team, The Don would have your head. Your uncle still didn't know you owned a jersey of another team. Even if it was only for Mo Salah.

"No, the Liverpool game." Carlos corrected. "They're playing Manchester United, are they not?"

This was surprising. There had been no indication in the past of Carlos ever caring about any other team besides Real Madrid - let alone being that interested a whole other league. If you ever were going to talk EPL with a driver, it was probably a passing conversation with Lewis. Maybe George if the Wolves were involved. And that was when the drivers themselves initiated the conversation.

Max, and his love for your team's biggest rival Barcelona, was who you used to talk to about football, who you used to stay up and watch games or play Fifa with.

And since that was no more, you sort of lost any passion for it.

So this was very much news to you.

Carlos Sainz. Talking to you about EPL.

More than that - asking you if you were going to watch an EPL game.

"Uh, yeah maybe." You finally spoke. During your drive to work, you had vaguely thought about changing your schedule so as to be able to watch the game. You had played around with the idea of doing a workout after your shift tomorrow so you could stay up after qualifying and watch the match.

The only issue was that this would you mean you wouldn't be able to work out before the race on Sunday - and you were definitely going to be stressed working a whole weekend at Ferrari.

But if you watched it you could stream it on one of the TVs in the driver's gym - that way Oscar could workout with you also.

Suffice to say, you hadn't yet made up your mind.

"Lando and I were going to watch it. He's a fan of Manchester United." Carlos said, looking at you expectantly. "Don't worry, I won't tell the Don."

It was that look which made your eyes widen slightly, the thought suddenly dawning on you: was Carlos asking to watch the game together?

Something erupted in your stomach.

However, your reflex to any driver interaction had immediately kicked in.

"Oh, nice. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to watch it with the schedule. You guys enjoy, though."

Carlos opened his mouth but thankfully someone, a man dressed in the red uniform, appeared in the doorway calling for Carlos. The interruption was very much welcomed as the driver nodded and was resolved to leave you before your body gave you any more confusing signals.

You took a second, a steading second, before you slammed your locked shut and went out to look for Oscar.

“And there’s the young rookie, Oscar Piastri. Looking really good after his amazing win in Jeddah. 9th, outperforming everyone’s expectations!"

“Yes! He’s just arrived with his - is that his trainer?”

“She looks tough enough to be one. Wait is that — “

The commentators immediately realise and change the subject to something else to do with Fernando’s winning streak and Aston Martin’s upgrades. You sigh at the clip that had been playing on the TV in front of you where you could be seen handing him the Antinal Dia had been adamant Oscar have.

Zak had informed Oscar who had informed you about the conversations had between all the TPs about, well, you.

It was startling to say the least. 

"I'm afraid people are starting to catch on." Oscar's PR Manager said with a stern look as she stared at both you and Oscar. Her name was Sophie and despite her young age putting her in the same ball-park as you and Oscar... it still felt like you both were students in trouble, being told off by your teacher.

Oscar had asked you about a Sophie Wright a few months ago. You briefly knew of the girl from her interning days, following other PR members around the McLaren motorhome over the years. She was a little on the shorter side, the chubbier side and, unfortunately, these two appearance traits meant she was excluded from the other PR girls who definitely already had a group chat going.

However, you also knew this meant she would be good at her job. Sophie could blend in the background quietly, unnoticed and do her job well. You also doubted she would easily jump around for a better opportunity and do Oscar dirty. Then there was the fact that when you served her a skinny latte one time, she made sure to read your name badge and thank you with a genuine smile.

And so you had given Oscar the thumbs up.

Never, in a million years, did you think you would be here though. Getting a debrief from her as Sophie tapped on her iPad. You risked a glance at Oscar who looked indifferent and nonplussed.

"Sorry Soph," he said, "but I'm not exactly aware what this means exactly."

There was some noise at the door and in walked Zak Brown himself. He was still talking to someone outside in the hall and said a 'yep, bye!' and then finally turned to address the room he was halfway in. "Ah, here we are. Just the people I need to see." His eyes fell on you and you shifted uncomfortably in your seat.

"No trouble at all. I know you're friends with Oscar and just wanting to help him out." Zak said, coming to sit down. "Ah, so you've seen the clips." He looked at the TV where Sophie's iPad was still screensharing the clip from yesterday.

Thursday's media days was always the least loved day for everyone - save for the bloodthirsty journalists. Drivers hated all the mundane questions and the paranoia of microphones and cameras everywhere. And you hated media day because it meant extra long barista shifts.

"Yes, Sophie showed me before but I thought Tezza should see it." Oscar explained, using your nickname. Your heart warmed at how considerate that was. You met his eyes and smiled softly at him. Your love for the kid grew daily.

"Good thinking!" Zak said, nodding agreeably to his driver. You fought to keep your face passive as you regarded the McLaren CEO.

Your opinion of Zak Brown was that he got further than he ever dreamt to get from starring on Wheel of Fortune. And whilst you did admire him for not being brought up in the snobbery and pretentiousness of the generational wealth that F1 tends to circulate through... you did note how he sucked up to the those snobs and their pretentious generational wealth.

Namely, how he did anything and everything for to make Lando Norris happy. In your opinion, it was a lil cringe at times.

"Well, the problem is that it's getting harder and harder for me to just make it out to the rest of the Paddock that you and Oscar are just friends spotting one another at the gym." Zak said. "Christian Horner is running rampant, scared you'll turn Oscar into the next Max Verstappen."

You snorted at this. Unfortunately this drew everyone's attention to you and you knew you would need to explain. "Max and Oscar are polar opposites."

Oscar could very easily become a World Champion without you. He was smart, dedicated and very talented. And whilst Max was all those things, he didn't need someone to train him up so much as tame him down after all that Jos did to him. You guys had just as much sessions on anger management as you had sessions on endurance training.

"Either way, it's coming to be viewed as a breach." Zak said. "And if you breach your contract then - "

"I know." You interrupted him. He didn't need to explain that to you.

"There's also the issue that people think you two are dating." Sophie spoke up from the front. She tapped on her iPad a few times and up came up a few screenshots of Twitter threads hypothesising about the two of you. "Your Twitter had a followed increase of 150% since Oscar followed you. Which didn't help."

"And whose fault was that?" You said, looking at Oscar with an unimpressed look. "You're lucky I deleted that shit so quickly."

"Yeah look, my bad. The timing was off." He said, accepting responsibility. You still remember all the notifications of the Twitter shit-storm Oscar set off. You literally had to delete your account because of it.

"Yes, Christian did bring that up." Zak said. "And it's a good thing Oscar's lovely Lauren is here - "

"Lily, sir." Sophie quickly corrected her boss. You wanted to groan. Oscar just looked down to hide his smile. Under the table, you kicked at his legs.

"Lily! Sorry." He gave a sheepish look to Oscar. "Yes, you and Lily this morning was a good idea."

"Unfortunately, Daniel did like a few of these Tweets." Sophie added, bringing up the screenshots of a Tweet about you and Oscar that was liked by none other than @danielricciardo.

You clenched your fist, your nails digging into your palm as you thought of how fucking petty that was. Daniel wasn't a fucking idiot. Aside from the fact that he knew your type - (admittedly, the tall/dark features combination always got you) Oscar was so young.

If anything, you thought of Oscar, genuinely, as a younger brother. As you had Max. Daniel knew that. So he knew exactly what he was doing by liking those kind of fucking Tweets. Tweets you wouldn't put past Red Bull to send out themselves.

Because, if anything, they would be praying it wouldn't be true about you and Oscar. Otherwise Christian Horner wouldn't have any leg to stand on. That was how you got around being connected to Charles, anyway. Family was the exception.

"I know your contract has you tied to only working for Red Bull and Ferrari's drivers but--"

"Red Bull and Charles Leclerc." You corrected in a tight voice, your eyes falling down to the table in front of you. "I was only granted exemption to work with Charles as he was considered family."

This caused him to frown as he pulled out his phone and began typing at it. "I thought you were allowed to work for Red Bull or Ferrari. No new teams."

"Yeah, no." You said, making Oscar chuckle at the Australianism. "No new teams outside of Red Bull and Torro Rosso." You specified.

"Christian didn't say that." Zak said.

"It was kept really quiet." You explained. "Charles was, um, he granted exemption from my Red Bull contract because he - well, he was considered family." You cleared your throat, not able to even look at Oscar. "I was signed for Torro Rosso and Red Bull. Never Ferrari."

"That's not what Toto said at the meeting." Zak said, shaking his head. "He made it seem that you could work for Ferrari."

You said nothing. Toto Wolff had approached you once or twice but your answer had always been the same, no matter what he offered. Eventually, he dropped it. You just didn't realise he dropped it because Toto had sought out the fine print.

"Wait so why aren't you Charles' trainer?" Zak asked, looking up from his phone. "He'd be insane to not have you!"

You froze. How were you supposed to answer that? For once, you had hoped the F1 rumour mill had properly run its course and Zak would know better than to ask that obvious question.

"Eh, Leclerc's loss." Oscar interjected with a casual shrug. "Let's be glad we don't need to worry about that."

The hidden meaning behind his smooth words were clear and you felt your love for the boy increase tenfold at his save.

"What - if I may," Sophie started, trying to be sensitive with her wording and her eyes darted between you and Oscar, "what were the grounds for family?"

You took a moment to think of how you might answer. You really didn't want to but if this might help the boy beside you, you would. "Charles - and I, like, I dunno. We grew up together? Everyone just knew." You pulled at your hoodie sleeve, feeling every bit uncomfortable with the question.

"You didn't date?" Sophie asked. Your face must've shown something very unpleasant because she was quick to amend. "I'm only saying because the grounds for family are always a grey area."

You pressed your lips together and went back to staring at the table. "There was nothing romantic between Charles and I." You said. The room fell silent for a moment as Zak tapped on his screen a few times and then he spoke up.

"You also trained Daniel. He told me in 2021." Zak said and put the phone down and you wanted to roll you eyes. Of course Daniel would say that. "And I don't want to get into all the drama but you were dating him back when you were training Verstappen."

Zak did have a point.

A key point that you had forgotten.

You paused and watched the screen in front of you and the liked by @danielricciardo Tweet. "Christian's always had a soft spot for Daniel so..." You trailed off. "But yeah, you're right. It was fine even though I was contracted to Max under Torro Rosso then Red Bull."

"Hm." Zak said, bringing a hand to his chin as he leaned back, pensive, in his chair. "I can see how romantic grounds could be argued." He said it with a laugh, looking between you and Oscar.

You raised an eyebrow at the comment. You honestly weren't sure if this was just Zak Brown being Zak Brown - i.e saying dumb things to suck up since he was out of his element - or if he actually meant that. Either way, it pissed you off.

Because there was no fucking way you'd let that happen to Oscar.

"No it can't. Contracts aside, I'm not forcing someone I think of as my younger brother into a PR relationship with me." You said.

"It could work, though." Sophie said, taking a professional tone as you turned your glare to her. "This is what I was trying to say before. The Twitter comments about you and Oscar are not necessarily negative. If anything you've helped increased Oscar's public image and Red Bull wouldn't able to say anything about you two on romantic family grounds."

You were seething.

Thankfully, Oscar was more level-headed than you.

"Yeah, look guys. Tezza's pretty but not my type." He finally chimed in, lighthearted. "Besides, I think we should focus more on the car and that way it's a fair advantage to both me and Lando."

You looked back at him and took a deep breath. Oscar smiled at you, chill as always, and you took another breath. You wanted to give the boy a big hug.

"Look, Zak," you said, looking back at the TP, calming down a little more, "I'm sorry. I'm causing you all this shit."

"You got Oscar into the points." Zak waved off. "Don't worry about it. I just want to find a way that works for everyone." You sucked on your teeth. Whilst it was nice to know that Zak Brown was willing to take risks on you also wanted to know how this conversation would've gone if Oscar hadn't finished 9th in Jeddah last weekend.

Such was the way of F1.

Sophie then tapped on her iPad and the TV showed a picture taken by Ky Millman. It was of Oscar hugging you after the win in Jeddah. Some comments were displayed and you found your lips turning up as you read them. They were, as Sophie said, sort of positive.

kymillman

liked by mclaren, saintescuderia and 15'483 others

kymillman SUPPORT FOR SUCCESS! Oscar surprised many with his amazing performance in Jeddah and goes to celebrate with a F1 Hospitality worker and friend @ynusername!

view all 76 comments

halaaaamadrid girl help his shoe game pls

ln44girlieee @mclaren we need content from this duo plssss u have them right there

logansversion as if mclaren is going to post a couple?

f1fanforever they're friends?

ln44girlieee idc the level of sarcasm between them would be SO GOOD

oscarpastries i love THIS! 😫😫😫

justanotherinchident omg charles finna be RIOTING!

team44roscoes wait why would charles be upset ?? i thought @ynusername was with dannyric?

maxiel4eva_16 yeh 😒 jumping on all them aussies

You rolled your eyes at the last comment. Maybe it was a good thing you were off Twitter and barely used Instagram anymore.

"It'll be hard to argue that Oscar is family since you haven't known him as long as you did with Charles," Sophie spoke up, bringing your attention back to her, "but we can maybe try to build it up from a PR point a view."

"That Oscar and I are family and not dating?" You asked. Sophie nodded. You looked at Oscar, wanting his confirmation.

"Yeah, sure thing Vin Diesel." He laughed.

"Hey, hey. Fuck you." The grin on your face was contagious and he broke out laughing also. You liked this new idea and turned back to look at Sophie a lot more positively. You were glad McLaren gave Oscar the girl.

"Okay, so what do we do to show the world I've adopted Oscar?" You asked.

"I think you'll find my dad's already half adopted you." Oscar corrected. "He wants to see your Supra."

"That's perfect!" Sophie said, excited. "Maybe Oscar can post a story of the interaction sometime this weekend? Make sure Lily is there. Maybe you can play the tired third wheel of them!" Sophie looked at you as ranted off her ideas. You nodded, suddenly less excited.

Whilst it was nice to know there was a plan in place to help you and Oscar continue to work together, you didn't like the way Sophie said for you 'play' a role. The one, sole consolation you had going for you these past few years was the lack of needing to play any PR role. Hearing Sophie speak was giving you flashbacks to times long gone.

"Happy with that gang?" Zak said, placing his palms on the table. "We'll work on building the PR and hopefully that will get Red Bull off our back as we also improve the car!" He stood up and left, not joining Sophie and Oscar as they said goodbye to the boss.

"Wait, does this mean I need to actually start using Instagram?" You asked.

"Yes." Sophie said. Then she looked up from her iPad. "Don't you? You were tagged in it?"

"Like, I have an account but I stopped using it. I'm pretty sure I deleted the app." You said, pulling out your phone to see that yes, there was no pink app downloaded. You pressed the download button, knowing what was in store for you.

"Download it. You're already at 2.4k followers." She said, bringing up your profile on the TV screen.

"The fuck? I had like three hundred last time I checked."

"Five." Sophie corrected. "Your growth has increased since you started training the F2 winner who follower Y/N Tessio after the most controversial Formula 1 Tweet that ever was Tweeted." Sophie said, eyeing Oscar with a raised eyebrow.

"I already said sorry about that."

"Do you know how stressful you made my first day? Helen scared me!" Sophie asked, humour on her face. "Though, nothing like jumping in the deep end."

The Instagram app had finishing downloading and you logged onto it - thank you pre-saved passwords - to be met with a fucking plethora of notifications that suddenly had you overwhelmed. As such, you immediately went out of the app and put your phone in your pocket. You could deal with that all later.

"I'm not using Twitter again." You said, thinking back to the Tweets Daniel had liked. "Fuck that."

"Yes, only Tumblr or Reddit over here." Oscar said, pointing to you.

"Tumblr?" Sophie looked at you, surprised.

"Yeah? What of it?" You asked, defensive.

"Nothing. Just surprised. I would ask to follow you but Tumblr is the safe haven of anonymity. I get it." She nodded. "Alright, perfect. I'll draft up a PR plan. In the mean time, do you mind if I review your profile and send you some tips?" Looking at you for the last bit.

"By all means." You said, half wishing you could give her control of it like Oscar and be done with it. You just wanted to be able to work with Oscar without causing him any trouble and not having to worry about this PR bullshit.

"Perfect!" She said, beaming.

Your phone buzzed. It was a text reminder about you needing to go back to check on some dough you'd prepared. Back at Ferrari. You sighed and stood up.

"Alright, sounds good. I gotta get back to work. Take your supplements and electrolytes. The green one." The last bit was aimed at Oscar as you met his eyes and then turned to leave the room and walk, head down, out of the McLaren motorhome.

You took a deep breath as soon as you made it into the open air. With how things were going, it was likely that you would be having another gym session today. You arrived at Ferrari and saw the back of Carlos' head. You felt yourself gulp and turned to hide behind the coffee machine. Maybe you would watch Liverpool play.

The mention of your connection to soccer was also pointed out in the room you had just rushed out of. Sophie made a small sound and rounded on Oscar, shoving something in his face.

"Did you know that half of Real Madrid are following her? Jude Bellingham just commented on the post!"

She stared at Oscar, hoping he might provide an answer. The young driver just shrugged. "She did say something about her uncle coaching a team." Sophie stared at him, incredulous. "How was I to know? I don't watch soccer."

< prev ch [6] | next ch [8] >

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[sukioyakio]

little brainrot

R. Sukuna - thought that dating you;the quiet ghost that lurks throughout the college campus halls,whatever what they called you,he was just thought that this was going to be boring as heck and even wonder why he was doing this.

But he'll sure in hell not going to leave you.You sure knew how to hide your emotions in public but in private he see you with such confidence that made me wonder how are you the same person.

You could be playing Minecraft or any game and you two would argue with each other.

"How Stupid are you,How will we ever progress when your so weak and in need of me all the time." Sukuna voice drips of mockery in the mic,in which he could already see that cute angry frown you do before 'talking' to him.

"mhmm,I don't FUCKing know babe?Just maybe If you STOP being a Rude ass and stealing my iron" You exclaimed loudly with your voice raising a bit with frustration in the mic.

“So making shears with the iron was Best ‘Fucking’ Plan you had” He said with the mockery tone but lanced with sarcasm in.

Asshole has your stuff in a chest but he doesn’t let you that much because he like to fuel you up.

You whisper a curse word with an eye twitch.

“Oh my fucking god! IT WASNT MY FAULT THAT the fucking iron boots next to THE FUCKING SHEARS!!it different on PlayStation Then on PC dumbass!” Your voice spite up in frustration while replying to Sukuna in the mic.Your eyes brow furrowed down and an angry frown laying on your face.As the glow of your tv was your only light in your room.

You could hear his deep rich laughter through the mic finding your frustration funny.

”Oh Because it ‘SO’ hard to play PlayStation with a controller then on Pc,I’m pretty Sure that I’ve played on that shit and it was easy enough Princess” He said in his cocky voice and emphasizing the princess part.

"Well fuck you and your wanna complete the game ass Your Highness" you said with emphasize the Highness part just how sukuna did.

He just love seeing the different emotions play on your face whenever it just you too,but will the man say that nope he'll keep that a secret for him to know.

To be honest he shock at how you return to your quiet persona when you both are in public,Nonetheless the it still the same thing with him.He doesn't enjoy the fact that you don't like to show your relationship with in campus, no matter how many times you said calmly to him saying that you really are shy about it.He doesn't listen and won't either.

For instance,When walking around the halls in search of you,his little ghost.He spot some Low life loser taking to you with love heart in their eyes,and just to see you nod to every word that sip out of their mouth irritated the fuck out of him.

He clearly walked towards you.While he was at he thought he could surprise you while glaring the guy. His right behind you as the guy talks about some boring ass crap,his snakes his hand around your waist in a possessive manner. Completely caughting your attention with a gasp that sip out your mouth.

"Oh there you are ghost,I was Wondering as how you are.I wanted to say how good and incredible you were last night I had so much fun"He said clearly loud enough for the guy to hear and for him to be cut of his words. As finished with a proud smirk.

Sukuna could die laughing at how the man look so pathetically running away like A rat right now but didn't feel the need to,Not when you pushed him.Your face painted with rosey color on your cheeks and ears,and a frown on top of that.

'his feisty ghost'

The only reason why you aren't completely fuming at him is that non one was outside but him and you but still.

"W-what on earth was that for!!" you exclaim in disbelief,staring up at your boyfriend tall frame.Making a shadow that case upon your figure.But you also know how your body suddenly feels wall textured brushing your back.

"You tell me ghostie,I didn't like the guy Dragging his heart out for you when it belongs to me" he says in a low tone and steady pace;slowly his body is right against you pinning against the wall,he lean's closely to your neck,catching how your voice hitches as well as your lose of words.

——

That it,that all I have from my little brainrot and I probably have a lot of grammar mistakes

[bluemantics]

Keith felt bruises behind his eyes as he stared up at the hologram. No matter how many times he ran the battle simulation, BOOM. He watched for the 100th time as the planet that Voltron was simulated to defend exploded in fiery death-ray style.

The black paladin rubbed at his face and sighed.

“End simulation.”

Keith whipped around at the surprise voice, spotting Lance entering the dimly lit room, blue holographic light shining across his freckled skin.

“What was that for?” Keith huffed. He knew he wasn’t fooling Lance with the whole “respect your leader” act, that his voice was too weary.

“You’re going to kill yourself over this stupid sim,” Lance told him, forcing a warm cup into Keith’s hands. He turned toward the blue light, reaching a hand up and gently over the planet debris, still frozen in time. With a flick of his wrist, Lance dispelled the image.

“I just can’t figure out what’s wrong with our formations,” Keith started as the light changed to a glowing yellow. He took a sip of the cup. It was warm and sweet, not quite tea, but likely one of Hunk’s comforting creations. Still, it couldn’t settle the writhing mess in his ribs.

“Why don’t you let Allura or Pidge help? Or… me?” Lance asked. “I’m your right hand guy for a reason.” Keith dismissively waved a hand through the air, ignoring Lance’s look of offense.

“I have to do this on my own, Lance,” he told him sharply. “I’m the black paladin. Shiro did this a million times. Sure, sometimes with Allura, but he also did it alone.” Keith’s hands hovered over the buttons, but Lance stepped in front of them, forcing Keith to take a step back.

“Hey. You don’t have anything to prove here,” Lance said, tone full of caution. “You’re not Shiro, Keith, you can have a different strategy. Just because he isn’t here doesn’t mean you have to fill any hole he left behind.” Keith felt something burn inside him and he clenched his fists.

“I’m not trying to be Shiro, okay? I know I won’t live up to that.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know—“

“I just have to do this without distractions. I’m the fucking leader, now. You just have to trust my decisions here.” Keith looked Lance in the eye with a challenge. He knew he was too tired for this, but he didn’t back down even as Lance straightened to his full height and jabbed a finger at him.

“Fuck you,” Lance hissed. “I’m your second. I get to challenge you, talk shit through with you, and tell you when I think you’re acting like an ass. Breaking news, Keith! This is peak asshole behavior.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“You aren’t needed here, Lance, and if you can’t let go of your insecurity for the sake of the team and let me figure this out, then this will be on you.” He gestured to the empty air where the battle sim had been, anger clouding his words.

Lance paused. He took a step back, his legs hitting the console table.

“You’re right, you’re not like Shiro,” he responded, voice cold, eyes sparking with something hidden. “Shiro wouldn’t dismiss me like this, especially if he knew I was right.” With that, he shoved past Keith and stormed back out of the room.

“Computer off.”

Bright yellow light faded to a dim, barely lit red, as if to taunt him.

[alohaasaloevera]

guys I’m honestly happy that klance didn’t become canon because I love how as a collective group of people we utilize our right to explore what could have been and create the most smoking hot scenarios ever and yes I obviously wanted more of their friendship growing into this bond stronger than anything else in the universe especially since Voltron has teamwork and family as one of their main lessons but that’s more of a development issue all around…ok besides that there’s something about klance where it provides this PERFECT environment for shippers to inhabit and FEAST upon. With klance, there’s a solid, engaging dynamic between the two set up, which is this weird one-sided rivalry that stems from Lance’s insecurity and his need to prove himself of his worth and Keith literally being one of the best pilots for his age but since they’re flung into space and chosen to become child soldiers in this 10,000 year old intergalactic war so they have to work as a team which surprise surprise forces them to put aside their differences and work as a team which is shown a bunch when Keith needs to become a leader and Lance steps up as his right hand and and they have some kinda tender moments that won’t definitely drive shippers into a shipping craze (or worse) SO YEAH you could see why people loved it with all the classic tropes and mutual growth all that schmooze (ALSO THEY KNEW EACHOTHER BEFORE THE MAIN PLOT??? Well maybe not like friends or even acquaintances probably BUT HELLO?????? EVEN MORE SHIT TO EXPAND ON????), and they share multiple scenes that could be interpreted as romantic but there’s no explicit romance. This environment is fucking dripping drenched flash flooded cornered by 1000ft tsunamis in all directions with potential for shipping, so when people saw this relationship between two bros with this sort of homoerotic (IM JOKING. Kinda.) unresolved tension towards each other and the POTENTIAL for a good slow burn rivals to friends to lovers, it was to no one’s surprise that they went APESHIT. Klancers made countless different ways where they get together whether it be pre-Kerberos, post-gettingthefuckoutofearth, the start of the show, the end of the show, after the end of the show, right smack in the middle, anywhere, anytime, for who the fuck knows why just ANY REASON DAMN IT it doesn’t really matter because people were pumping out fanfiction or fan art or any fan media of klance faster than I spit out a raw baby carrot after chewing it for one second and now we’re all wallowing about how it should have been KICK but the thing is that if VLD did KICK all the way to Altea, the production of these beautiful stories that so many people have and still are coming up with about klance kissing in midst of a battle, helping each other with their crippling nightmares, smiling for the stars or some other sad premise, and whatever is nestled in his pulse…just like uhhh the amount of fics like these that go into great detail about Keith and Lance in these random situations that end up with them getting together being produced would go down to some degree because of the fact that if the people’s beloved sharpshooter and samurai had ended up together like we had wanted, and the majority was satisfied with the ending the creators had given, people would have shifted from writing about “How could Lance and Keith get together?” to writing about “What could Lance and Keith do now that they’re together?” And like. There’s nothing wrong with that honestly I would be HYPED if klance was ever canon but there is profound beauty in the way the community is able to create more from less and turn a show that went to shit in the last few seasons shine even brighter than it did at its prime. Like I wouldn’t trade my favorite fics 4 anything.

—

Ok another little thing I’m going to put here: With Klance, all I wanted was for them to be great friends 😭😭😭. I tend to prefer klance becoming canon in later seasons or at the end or even an open ending with no confirmed romantic relationships because I am a sucker for character development and the idea of Keith and Lance both harboring these feelings that at first are just admiration and respect but then escalate to yearning for one another or becoming close friends at the end of the show and getting to imagine anything I want post canon is EVERYTHING if you give me S7 Garrison klance I’ll keel over and thank you like I was a second away from dying of thirst and your gift was a truck load of water

[thefrogsennaneverfound]

I ask this question from a curiosity standpoint, and don’t mean to seem rude or anything, but why don’t you like Daniel Ricciardo? Am I missing something?

He’s far less offensive than a lot of the other drivers. He has a tendency to awkwardly laugh rather than say “that’s a shitty joke. Not okay”, which is frustrating, but not even in the same universe as something like Lance Stroll physically assaulting his trainer.

Like all F1 drivers, he wants to be WDC and talks a big talk, but he’s still nowhere near as obnoxious as a lot of the other drivers, who all think and say the same.

Maybe my understanding isn’t correct? As far as I know, his only really shit time as a driver was with McLaren in 2022, and words like “scapegoating” and “sabotage” get thrown around a lot. In 2021, he gave McLaren its only win in over a decade, and it wasn’t team orders based, and he hauled Renault back up into the podium as well, for their first time in almost a decade. I don’t think he should have left Red Bull, and I don’t think he’s necessarily an Alonso or Verstappen level talent, but he also made those Red Bulls and Renaults that he drove look a lot better than they were.

It's not just about what a driver's like on the track; it's his attitudes off the track too and Ricciardo has really bad form. As for dragging the Renault into the points, and the Red Bull when it was underperforming - that's his job and the cars weren't that bad. If he'd swapped with one of the back markers at the time, they'd likely have performed just the same. Plus, if he made the Red Bull look better than it was, why wasn't he the one winning championships in it? Why did Vettel get all that action when all Ricciardo got was a handful of race wins?

Anyway, here's (just some of) why I firmly believe that Daniel Ricciardo is every bit as obnoxious as the most obnoxious drivers on the grid. If you don't read right to the end, and I wouldn't blame you, please at least take in the part I've highlighted in red; it pretty much sums up the type of character he is and why I - along with many others - really do feel that he's most definitely obnoxious.

“I don’t watch the news and feel better about my day so I choose not to watch it.” Just one direct quote regarding his complete and shameless ignorance about the extreme humans rights abuses prevelent in some of the countries F1 travels to. What it amounts to is that the “drama and negativity” (his own words) of news reports on out-dated and abusive attitudes to women and LGBTQ people is a buzz kill so he’d rather not know about it, thanks all the same.

His attitude to the sexist objectification of the (now thankfully defunct) Grid Girls: "It's kind of like part of the attraction of the sport, fast cars and fast girls,". In his opinion, because it’s a male dominated sport it’s “a cool thing” so “let’s keep them”. If that's not obnoxious, I don't know what is.

On “Your Mom’s House” (a lowest common denominator podcast aimed at pathetic little boys who think they’re men) he laughed along with deeply sexist, misogynistic ‘jokes’ about women. There are plenty of drivers who would, at the very least, have kept their reactions neutral, making it clear they didn’t think it funny, but not Ricciardo; he was more than content to chuckle away at their vile comments about women.

Tricking Yuki Tsunoda into trusting him to come closer on a boat so he could throw him overboard, because it’s funny to force someone to face a very real phobia of sharks by throwing them into a body of water that’s widely known to contain them. I don’t care what Tsunoda’s reaction was to it (it's common for the victim of bullying to make light of their ordeal) or that Ricciardo threw himself into the water too; it’s still an appalling way to treat someone when they’ve been brave enough to be in such close proximity to one of their greatest fears. It’s the behaviour of a bully and Ricciardo is the worst kind of that particular species – a charming bully. The reason he gets away with so much of his crappy behaviour is because so many people are taken in by a cheeky smile, a twinkle in the eyes, and the friendly disclaimer that it’s just a bit of fun; they’re just trying to lighten the mood and make people laugh. It’s always at someone else’s expense though.

Given he was in a highly competitive Red Bull for all those years, he won precious few races, and left because he wasn’t getting the attention he thought was his right. I know athletes have to have an enormous amount of self-belief but to have looked at a racer like Verstappen and sincerely felt that he was his equal? That’s delusional. But is that really how he felt? Or did he – like so many who can’t face real competition when they know someone else is going to come out on top – jump ship because being a big fish in a small pond is preferable to being outperformed and therefore second best? I don’t know which it is but if he really, genuinely, sincerely thought he was on the same level as, first, Verstappen and then Norris, surely he’s just not very bright?

Monza 2021 absolutely was a team orders win for Ricciardo. Have you listened to Norris’s radio? He was faster; he wanted to pass; he asked if he could pass; he was told to maintain position. Either the team were concerned that the two might take each other out (although I am absolutely certain that Norris could have made that move with ease so was it more a case of Ricciardo taking Norris out if he tried to overtake?) or Ricciardo’s ego was so fragile by that point (Norris had been wiping the floor with him) that they decided he needed the win to boost his confidence and get a few more much needed points for McLaren. Either way, Norris was robbed of his maiden victory because he’s a team player who obeyed team orders rather than saying “screw this; I can win and I’m damn well gonna win”. I respect him for playing the team game but I hate the fact that Ricciardo got an undeserved win at his considerable expense (that’s not hyperbole; a driver’s first F1 win really is huge).

You're probably sorry you asked now.

[harukamitsuki]

Okay... I am currently back on my Voltron bullshit and continuing my rewrite of Voltron. And I'm constantly reminding of HOW MUCH I HATE LANCE.

Don't get me wrong. I am still treating Lance fairly in my fic, making sure he gets screen-time and a proper character acr and stuff.

But by GODS. This man pisses me off so much and that's only made worse by his stans. I was scrolling through Keith's tag here on tumblr. I also have Kl@nce filtered out. I cannot see a single post without at least three pages of scrolling and then it's only ONE POST. AND IT'S STILL KLANCE BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN TAGGED CORRECTLY.

Anyway. Onto the actual things I hate about Lance and not just his fandom.

Lance is a fucking asshole. I mean that on the deepest level. Let's go through it chronologically because I cannot rank it from least to most assholery, because some things are on the same level.

1 - Allura wakes up from the cryopod and Lances catches her. She's confused and dazed and the first thing you should do is ask if she's alright. Oh, but Lance is above that. Instead, he flirts with her. Karma given immediately as she calls his ears hideous and puts him in a submission hold, which is why I kept that scene in my fic, but that was still wrong. I know it was played for comedic effect, but that doesn't make it not canon. It's canonically accurate that if you've awoken from a coma, Lance's first instinct is to flirt with you if you're pretty.

2 - Literally throws Hunk into the middle of a battle. I get that Hunk was supposed to leave the Lion anyway, but just shoving him out when there are lasers everywhere and Hunk has no protection? Yeah. So much for 'best friend'. Add on the fact that Lance never really treats Hunk like a friend. At all.

3 - Okay. Season 1 Lance isn't bad outside of those two examples, even if he has his dumb moments, so let's jump to Season 2. Starting shit with Keith for no reason. People can go 'oh, Keith obviously did something to him at the Garrison' but he DIDN'T. The writers themselves confirmed that Keith did nothing to Lance, he just started shit with Keith all the fucking time. Like accussing Keith of wanting Blue and cutting him off when he tried to explain what was actually happening, even though Lance is the one who was outraged initially that Keith had Red. Or how about Lance getting up in Shiro's face and screaming his head off about how Keith would rather kill people than listen to them, as if he knew Keith at all after bullying him the entire time.

4 - Okay. This one pissed me off the most and is the biggest reason I'm making this post. The fact that Lance used Shiro's death/disappearance against Keith. Keith outwardly expresses his lack of desire to become the leader and accidentally let it slip that Shiro wanted him to do it. To which Lance is all 'convenient that you say that when Shiro's gone'. What. What the fuck. Stans really say that Lance is precious but how the hell are you justifying that? A blind man could see how much Keith loves Shiro, and Lance has the fucking gall the say that Keith is USING his death/disappearance for a position he doesn't want? He didn't even apologise for it. He just told Keith to suck it up later on. This is one of the reasons I hated Lance as the Red Paladin, the others being explained in an earlier post of mine.

5 - Oh, yeah. We're not done. Because after Keith, it's Allura. Allur@nce is probably the worst ship that could have happened, apart from Kl@nce. If you wanted a straight ship, how about what was canon for the past Voltron series? Kallura? Anyway. Yeah, Lance treats Allura like a prize instead of a person. He's posessive in a way that he has no right to be because they were not together. He glares at Matt for flirting with Allura, something he only does once. He gets mad at Lotor and tries to stop them from spending time together, EVEN THOUGH LOTOR IS HELPING ALLURA AND BONDING THROUGH ALTEAN THINGS. HELPING HER KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ALTEAN CULTURE. In Season 8, he literally yells that it should be Lance and Allura?? What a fucking weirdo?? You can't claim that you're destined to be with someone without being together. That's not how healthy relationships work. That's how a stalker's mind works. Lance is constantly flirting with Allura throughout all of Voltron and she never once reciprocated until Season 8 where it's so obvious that Lance is just a rebound but the writers wanna make it so that it's 'true love' and they want Lance to be happier than anyone so they just gift her to him like some sort of trophy. Lance didn't care about loving Allura, he cared about winning her. At least Lotor actually cared for and respected her. I still don't like canon Lotor, but that's mostly because the writers didn't want to deal with gray morality. Cowards.

1 - Honestly the worst example of a leader. It's shown from episode one. Now, there is the argument of learning to become one, but Lance just never learns? He's never facing the consequences of his actions and, if he is lectured, he ignores it. Keith actually takes lessons to heart and tries to improve and he does. If Lance became the Black Paladin, the universe would have been doomed because he can't get over himself for a single moment to even bother listening to anyone else's advice.

So. Yeah. Those are the main reasons why Lance is an asshole. Now to make the Lance stans really pissed.

Reasons why Lance would have been a terrible leader and could never have been the Black Paladin.

Remember episode one? Remember how the hydraulic stabiliser was out in the simulator and Lance still tried to push on, even though Pidge and Hunk advised him not to? Totally great leadership qualities there. There's nothing better than a leader that refuses to listen to you. 'Oh, but Keith is stubborn and didn't listen--' yes he did. He's stubborn and unrelenting at first, but he eventually realises that they're right.

Remember episode three? Remember when Lance bragged about kicking, which made Voltron fall, then proceeded to try it again and failed again even when Keith advised him not to? Yeah. Lance does not make good decisions and does not listen to any advise. Even from the leader's right hand man.

Remember Season 1 Episode 12? Remember how they were waiting for Shiro and Allura to get back and then Keith saw someone taking quintessence so he decided to follow them? Remember how Lance said no and was ignored but did nothing more to stop Keith? He has no authority and no charisma to keep anyone at bay. Pidge herself mocks Lance for being the pinnacle for leadership. Sarcastically. Because he's far from it.

Pidge doesn't respect Lance as a leader, Keith never would considering Lance treats him like shit, Allura can't take Lance seriously with him hitting on her every ten seconds, and Hunk is always questioning Lance's decisions. If nobody respects you, you cannot be a good leader.

2 - Easily distracted. Yes, it's a very popular headcanon that Lance has ADHD, and I agree with that, but that doesn't make it okay. And he's distracted in the easiest ways. Just shove a pretty girl and he'll instantly get distracted and lead the entire team to doom. Remember Nyma and how easy it was for her to steal the Blue Lion? How he didn't even warn anyone that he was taking her out for a ride because he didn't want anyone contesting his conquest? Yeah.

Don't get me wrong. It's fine to have ADHD or get distracted easily. Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece is a great example of a leader who gets easily distracted, but the second he sets his mind on something, he blocks everything out. Lance just doesn't have the capability to do that, nor do I think he'd be able to learn how to.

3 - Gets jealous really easily. As in. Really fucking easily. He's jealous of Keith from the get-go, starting a one-sided rivalry that he's constantly on the losing side of because Keith doesn't care. He gets jealous of Matt when he flirts a bit with Allura. He gets extremely jealous of Lotor for having actual chemistry with Allura. He's constantly jealous and a good leader is only ever in competition with himself. A good leader will only strive to become better for the sake of the team, not to say that they're better than someone else, much less if they're someone that you are in charge of. It's a horrible trait to have.

Jealousy in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's when that jealousy overrides your logic and controls you, instead of you controlling your jealousy: which Lance struggles with a lot. And getting jealous over anyone who even looks at your crush is a very bad thing to do because you do not own your crush. It's okay to be jealous, but not posessively like Lance is. Not to the extent of trying to scare off any potential suitors.

4 - Nowhere near as skilled as Keith or Shiro. Sure, the writers may claim that he is better, but the proof is in the pudding. Keith and Shiro are fucking unmatched. I've defended Lance's skills in a previous post, but I also said in that post that, while he is skilled, he is nowhere near Shiro or Keith's level. I mean, Shiro was the golden child of the Garrison and set so many records. He was known as the best pilot. Keith beat those records and his flying capabilities are always, always noted. I haven't heard a single character comment on Lance's skills, other than to point out how bad they are. Keith was the only one who could have flew through the astroid field, he was the only one who could fly into the Marmora base which was in a blue star surrounded by two black holes, he was able to fly a Galra jet just by pushing the right buttons and knowing what the do, and he's the one who unlocks the warping abilities of the Black Lion. Shiro was able to connect with the Black Lion far before anyone else, able to see through Black and connect with Black to the point of his soul being saved by her.

Lance hasn't done anything spectacular. And, no. He was not 'done dirty'. He was given almost everything he wanted except the Black Lion. The writers claim he's the best pilot, but have not shown it at all. In my eyes, Keith and Shiro will always be the best.

5 - Selfish. Again. Nothing against being selfish. It's perfectly fine to be selfish, so long as it doesn't actively harm others. But for a leader? You should be as selfless as you can be. The team comes before you. And that's exactly what Lance isn't.

Lance is selfish and that's okay, but it's not leadership material. The whole reason Black rejected him is because he wanted the position out of selfish reasons. When he enters Black, he says 'Come on, Lance. You can do this'. In other words, he wants to pilot her because he wants to prove himself. He wants the acknowledgement. He wants the title of the Black Paladin and leader. Black accepted Keith, both at the start of Season 2 and Season 3, because he piloted her for purely selfless reasons. For Shiro.

Lance wants things for himself. Keith wanted things for Shiro. It was only after Shiro came back, (or so they thought), that Keith started focusing more on himself. Even then, he put everyone else before him. He distanced himself from the team so that Shiro could pilot Black again, and he was constantly risking his life for the Blades.

Lance just... isn't the type. He has put others before himself, but he expect things out of it. He expects a parade and acknowledgement. Nobody knew what Shiro went through to rid Zarkon of his connection to the Black Lion. Nobody knew what Shiro went through in his imprisonment because he doesn't want to burden anyone with that. Nobody knew what Keith went through to save Black and Shiro from Zarkon. Nobody knew what Keith went through when they were all mad at him for missing an attack. Lance doesn't withold that sort of stuff. The only thing he doesn't talk about is his insecurities, which he ends up spilling to the mice and Laika (the Yupper) anyway.

6 - Last one. Promise.

Nothing fucking happened. While Keith was gone, nothing of importance happened surrounding Voltron specifically. There was the Lion mind meld and Lotor joining, but all that served to prove was, with the mind meld, if Keith was there, he would have heard Shiro. And with Lotor joining, all it proved was how immature Lance was.

The second Keith gets back, things start happening again. Lotor gets outed as cruel and manipulative (still an ass-pull, by the way), Shiro gets outed as a clone, and so on. If Lance was leading, they all probably would have died ages ago. I'm talking Season 3 Episode 2, ages ago. Because Lance just isn't cut out for it.

So. Yeah. Those are the main reasons I hate Lance and why Black Paladin Lance is an awful idea. Screw the people who believe in it. It is awful.

Like I said, this won't affect my treatment of Lance in my rewrite, because I can fix those issues that come up. I don't have an issue with Season 1 Lance, it's later on that gets problematic. I just hate people building Lance up by bashing all the other characters, then claiming that Lance is the most traumatised, sad character when SHIRO AND KEITH ARE RIGHT THERE. NOT TO MENTION ALLURA, WHO LOST HER ENTIRE SPECIES, AND CORAN WHO LOST EVERYONE INCLUDING ALLURA AND NEVER GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER.

Fuck. I hate Voltron so much but I can't help but love it.

[kiisaes]

tell us about vld 👁️

(only if u want to)

i'll spare you a truly unhinged ranting for perhaps another time (even though this is gonna be long anyway) but tldr: vld is a show that could have been really good if it just stuck to its direction from the first two seasons!!! and also if its crew didn't accidentally breed the worst possible fandom ever!!!

it had a really good identity at the start— its characters were entertaining, its art and animation were charming if anything, the VAs were genuinely excellent picks and in terms of story it was simple (considering it's a kids show) but effective. the first two seasons focused on one-off, character-driven episodes that gave room for a lot of character writing, team bonding, and tone establishment. i believe that the reason why vld shipping was already so aggressive since s1 — without crew interference — was because the character writing was like, actually good. good enough where people could take their starting characterizations + team dynamic and run wild with it

vld was never going to be an enlightening, mature, groundbreaking show about anything super deep; it's a Y7 show about robot lions in space. but i'm sure most ppl going into vld didn't expect a piece of art, they just wanted to have fun with an atla-adjacent show, or they watched previous voltron iterations. and for what it was, it was very successful at the start! and one of the more popular netflix originals at its time!

but then vld tried taking itself more seriously in s3, and changed its primary storytelling method. now the episodes weren't usually problem-of-the-week, but each episode's plot had to feed into the next episode in line. which would've been fine, if the crew planned ahead and kept track of its characters and plot

but since the lion switch was also conveniently during this season (which inevitably implied switches in character arcs), keeping track of everything suddenly got way harder. also, the lion switch was ass. breaking my silence: that shit made no sense. why didn't they make allura the black paladin??? why do all those mental gymnastics with moving keith from red to black and lance from blue to red just to give allura blue, which was a lion that didn't even really fit her??? (i know the reason was cuz dotf did this lion placement, but is vld dotf? are the characters archetypes the same? no? i didn't think so!!!)

anyway because of the new serialized storytelling format, vld had to follow this really serious, high-stakes, even occasionally dark narrative to keep viewers engaged, and it just .. wasn't the same? like not only are characters' arcs dropping like flies, we're introducing new characters with barely any development or even personality, and it's not even that fun to watch anymore. what happened to my silly guys. what happened to goofin off in the castle. what happened to episode-long missions. this is not avatar. if i wanted to watch avatar i would just watch avatar.

and! in later seasons i think the crew caught on to how fans loveddd the episodic narratives in s1 and 2, so they tried bringing back one-off lighthearted episodes (dnd episode, game show episode, clear day episode, etc.) in an attempt to relive the old glory— and they were fun to watch on their own, sure, but were completely detached from the rest of the story atp. literally the only reason why i even remember these episodes is because they weren't a part of the narrative's incomprehensible sludge

don't even get me started on how the crew hated its audience. don't get me started on the ship bait, the weird canon queerbait situation(s), the irresponsible encouragement of parasocial fan relationships with VAs, artists, creators, you name it. it's how we got one of The worst fandoms in recent history. it's how vld was one of the newer fandoms that started an whole new era of fandom etiquette — namely, disregarding all previous fandom norms in favor of the most childish, pearl-clutching, moral-panicky discourse you'd find daily, and consequently you wouldn't EVER dare bring up to a normal person who exists in the real world.

the crew hated its audience so much, it essentially punished its fans by shutting down all fan theories, purposefully writing AROUND plot twists THEY SET UP, leaving a really messy and plot-hole-filled final script. they especially hated the shippers so much that they shut down BOTH main camps — klance and sheith — for canon allurance, a truly horrible way to end both their character arcs since neither character gets all that satisfying of a conclusion (lance becomes a farmer, allura fucking dies)

this is already long enough but i hope this gives you a general idea :') i have so many emotions about vld. someday i'll make the retrospective video essay of my dreams. this was my nonstop fixation for two straight years. i wasted two years on this shit.

also this show's 8 seasons were released all in a span of 2 and a half years.

[stolaz-the-artist]

Switched Career AU

I’m aware the name sounds like a sims expansion pack I’ll fix it later

AU info below!

So i got this idea when i was thinking about how younger me misunderstood Alice in the first episode.

I thought that when she said “country boy” she meant he was a cowboy. And i thought this for like a whole year.

And then i thought “What if he was a cowboy?” But thats too easy and boring + They already kinda did that in s4. Not really but close enough (i have enough memes of Cowboy Clay locked an loaded anyway so i think I’ll survive) So i continued thinking and remembered from the Knights code how Clay said a certain sword was easy enough a child could make it. And i just started assuming he must have some knowledge in weapon making. Cuz why not? and also! I didnt neglect the other knights for this project! THATS A FIRST!

I gave them minor redesigns, nothing too mayor but still something. (also all of this is pre-knights academy. So they’re like 15 or sum)

Yet again, just playing with the idea that he works as a blacksmith, providing for him an his brother.

I somehow thought out more for Aaron than Clay??? Big things are happening in Detroit ngl

I have a skit planned with Ruina involved, but more on that later

And for Merlok: guess he just never found him. Or he died. Idk I’ll figure something out later.

Oh and since Merlok couldn’t find him he just kinda grew into his powers, and so did Fletch. They dont know much tho about it and just use it as some sort of minor day to day tool. But they haven’t trained it so its just still kinda uncontrollable at times, remaining heavily linked to emotions. (All of this still in very early development dont come for me)

I have no clue what Aaron’s dad works as but i just made him a fisherman.

Aaron still craves danger, but the danger of fishing (cuz that shit can be real fucking dangerous let me tell ya that-)

He’s still too younge tho, but he can’t stop talking about it, and how much he wish he could join his dad on his boat (He has snuck on on several occasions but turns out hiding under deck during a storm isn’t a good idea. The only reason he stopped was cuz he’d miss out on the fun part regardless) Him and Clay are friends, meeting every now and again when Clay and Fletch come and buy fish from his family.

He’s been very excited about taking over the restaurant, already having a plethora of dishes he wants to make (and eat ofc).

He’s friends with Aaron, given they also buy fish from his family. He’s not very familiar with Clay tho. They’ve been at the fish market at the same time once or twice but barely talked. But they still see each other as friends, just not very close

Macy is still, Macy ig? I’m not sure what to do with her. So i just made King Halbert more chill. She takes several combat classes and planning on becoming a fighting queen if anything.

Her and her family are going on a trip through out the kingdom with the Richmonds. On her end its more of a meet and greet thing, but it’s different for Lance.

OG Lance must be quite jealous. He was sent into the acting industry at a very young age. He thrives in it, taking role after role back to back.

However this next one requieres some sort of reference with the commoners. He joins Macy’s family (Bringing his agent and Dennis with him obv.) as they travel through the country sides of the kingdom. He honestly can’t wait to go home and take a dip in the gold pool.

Idk why this thing kinda makes me sad but oh well, it’s the truth after all.

I am planning on writing this. Like fanfic wise.

But whenever that’ll be out is a mystery.

I haven’t written a fanfic since my wattpad days and AO3 still lowkey scares me.

Also other than Fletch so am i not sure what to do with Ava, Robin or Izzy. So if ya have any ideas, please share, i have no clue.

[nicolesainz]

True soulmates (BC 21)

Ben Chilwell x reader

Warnings: mostly fluff, mentions of sex, angst, (Lance Stroll is mentioned as the ex boyfriend, sorry to all my Lance girlies)

Summary: what can a footballer give you more that your ex boyfriend couldn’t? what can one find in the arms of an childhood friend?

“Either you tell me the truth or you’ll never see me again!” Lance’s hand was on the door knob, waiting to be unlocked.

“What can’t you understand? Me and Ben are simply friends. I’ve known him my whole life!” I shout to his face, clearly being pointed as the liar once again.

“And that’s the problem! He’s too comfortable around you that thinks he can flirt with you even when I’m in the same room!” He is pulling his hair from frustration, trying not to scream.

“He isn’t flirting! Lance, come on. We’ve been together for two years. Ben is old enough to know what’s right or wrong”

“I tolerated him for two years and that’s enough. If I can’t reason neither of you, then there’s no point in us being together anymore” Lance’s words are bitter. They instantly hurt.

I don’t move. I only let my hot tears run down my cheeks, pooling my eyes and causing them to take a light shade of red.

“Even when we are away at races, he still somehow manages to capture your attention more than I do.”

His words may stab me like a knife but are true. Me and Ben were attached to the hip ever since I can remember. If I am not spending time with my family or Lance, it's definitely around Ben or along with his teammates. When I am with Lance on a race weekend, Ben and I tend to FaceTime a lot, because I skip a lot of his games with Chelsea.

That's when Christian's words echo once again in my brain

"You two are the definition of true soulmates. Completing each other."

"Do I lack in something? Is there something I can't give you that he can? Please tell me, Y/N!" the pleading Canadian's eyes were full in pain and lost all possible faith in me.

Lance has been nothing but an absolute sweetheart to me all those years. Introduced me from the very first moment to his friends, family, fellow f1 drivers. He has made me feel so many wonderful emotions, such as happiness, joy, pride, excitement.

And many more emotions but not one...that is love.

“I’m sorry Lance. I truly am.” I lower my head and let the tears drop on the floor. Why did this had to happen?

I can see his shadow approaching me and his fingers under my chin, raising my head so I can look him in the eyes. He isn’t mad. He looks disappointed and also sad. I feel awful for causing him pain.

“I didn’t want to make you feel like this! I swear if I could turn back time, I-“

“It’s okay. I am the one who’s sorry. I feel like you were wasting your time with me, when you should have been with someone else.”

“That’s not the case Lance! I love you. So very much.”

“Just not the way you love him”

It was the bitter truth. The comfort and security Ben made me feel was like no other. I always knew that my love for him was something special. I just had to bury it deep down and lock it up for the sake of our friendship.

“I know you love me Y/N. And I do too. I’ve spent two amazing years with you. You’ve been immense support to me. When everyone talked shit about me, you were the one to talk them down and defend me. That’s something I’ll forever cherish”

“And I will continue doing so. Whoever ends up in your arms, I hope she’s the one. No matter what, I will be a call away”

Lance wraps me into a final hug. I inhale deeply and close my eyes as I exhale. The pain was out of my body. If I could repay him in any way, I would do it in a heartbeat.

“If you ever feel like coming to a race again, hit me up. I’ll be more than happy to see you around. The guys too.”

“Of course. Keep an eye for me on the paddock. Good luck on everything. Goodbye Lance”

“Go tell him the truth. I’m sure there’s a happy ending awaiting”

————————————————————————

I look the time at my phone, 15:30. Since I was still in Silverstone, I had to travel all the way back to Cobham. He was still in training. I couldn’t show up at his house unannounced.

On the way back, silence is almost deafening so I decide to call the player I know is in practice but will surely pick up

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m coming over Chris. Don’t tell it to anyone and especially Ben”

“Uhhh, aren’t you supposed to be in Silverstone with Lance? What happened”

“I made a huge mistake. To which you helped me realize and Lance”

“Wait, did you guys brake up? And what did I do?”

“Nothing bad Puli. Don’t worry. Just helped me realize the truth”

“Oi, who’s on the phone? New girl captain?” I can hear Ben from the other side of the line, approaching Christian

“I’m hanging up. Don’t tell anyone!” And I immediately close the line. If Ben knew I was coming back he’d start calling me, asking questions I can’t possibly answer from the phone.

There are a million questions going back and forth in my mind right now.

What will Ben say?

Will he laugh at me?

Will he ever talk to me again?

Will we even be friends after this?

Will he hate me?

The list goes on as I finally reach the training center. Now it’s 17:00 and about time they finish practice.

I see Mason with Christian and Ben in the middle of their group. Christian is the first one to eye me, nudging Mason, who has a questioned look on his face.

Finally, Ben realizes his friends have gone quiet and raises his head and my heartbeat too.

“Y/N? Are you okay? What happened?” Ben rushes towards me, abandoning Mason and Christian.

“Aren’t you supposed to be two hours away in Silverstone?” Mason asks but before I could answer Christian drags him away

“We will talk later Ben. Text us when you get home” the American says as he walks away with his fellow British footballer, whispering something in his ear

I can’t feel my legs. My throat and mouth are all dried up. My stomach is tangled and my heart is racing faster than any car.

“You’re literally shaking. Did something happen between you and Lance? Did he hurt you?”

“No” is the only word I manage to utter. Great!

“No he didn’t hurt you or no nothing happened?”

“He didn’t hurt me” I can’t even look him in the eyes

“So something else happened?”

It’s now or never!

“We broke up. We had a fight. We ended things in good term and he told me to come here.”

“Why did you guys break up? And is he stupid? He kicked you out?”

“He didn’t kick me out. He suggested I came here and give you some explanations”

“Me? What did I do? Why do I need explanations?”

Oh god. This is horrifying.

“Ben, the reason we broke up is because i don’t love him”

“Oh”

“I love you”

And terror rushes all over my body.

He isn’t saying anything.

I am starting to get even more scared.

“Y/N..”

“I’m sorry Ben. You had to know. It’s totally okay if you don’t feel the same way. First and foremost I want us to remain friends. We’ve known each other so many years that I’d be a pity to ruin everything over a silly thing I said”

“I don’t find it silly at all” he finally says

Ben raises my head by placing two fingers under my chin. Once he takes a look at my teary red eyes and quivering lips, he brings his lips onto mine, placing a soft kiss on them. He deepens the kiss, wrapping his arms around my waist. Instead of feeling suffocated, I feel even more alive than before.

It’s a kiss I’ve been dreaming of having with him. No one else but Ben. Years of anticipation and now this happens. Like a dream came true.

“This will sound extremely selfish but I couldn’t wait for the day you’d finally land in my arms” he whispers in my ear as I have my face cupped by his hands

“I couldn’t let myself fall in love with anyone else. Not when you are here. It felt so wrong and unfair.”

“You can’t even imagine how many nights I’ve spent sleepless, wanting to say those three words to you, Y/N”

“You can now”

“I love you. I will love you for as long as it takes. And will continue to do so. I’m sorry for not saying how I feel sooner. I could have had you in my arms way sooner”

“Well, as Christian said, we are true soulmates, so one way or another, we always were together.”

[fingerless-glovez]

College au part 2

Guy

• Majoring in political science and government

• Genuinely interested in politics, just isn't as intense about it as Roc

• Wants to be friends with people but Roc said "no"

• Not like most people want to be real friends to him anyway, especially not in his course

• Is currently being pressured to accept a political marriage, but would rather marry for love (sap)

• Jasper is the only one who understands

Dia

• Majoring in botany

• Attends all of his classes virtually

• Has a mushroom farm in his room

• He sings to them to help them grow. Aquia is sworn to secrecy about it

• Has Lou wrapped around his finger

• Found a snake in the bushes, named it Linos, and it is now his pet. Lou was unsuccessful in convincing him to put Linos back outside

• Is this grounds for expulsion? Yes. Does Lou expel him? Nope. Why? Because Dia is why

Sherry

• Majoring in human resources services

• Wants to create more positive workplaces, especially for women

• The only mentally stable person in this goddamn school

• Student council president (thanks, chirp!)

• Ya gurl beat out both Guy and Toa, who were competing for the position and tied for runners-up

• Probably helps that she had the power of baked goods (and Grayson's supervision) on her side

Aquia

• Majoring in botany

• Works at a flower shop

• Poor boy just wants to make friends and study plants but everyone just wants to use him to get in with Guy

• Lack of familial affection go brrr

• Roc doesn't give a shit about his younger sons

• Guy is always busy and has no interest in Aquia's life

• Rahm is too busy trying to make Aquia Roc's successor to notice that he clearly doesn't want to be in politics and loves his brother too much to take his dreams

• Zev is the only one who keeps in regular contact with him, but he's more interested in telling him all about his problems with class, homework, girls, y'know, typical high school stuff. He also asks a lot about how Guy is doing before taking any interest in Aquia

• Fluent in Floriography (language of the flowers)

• Tends to the garden on the school roof at night

• Rio runs into him up there and notices how well cared for the flowers look, and also that Aquia is really sad. They are now gardening buddies

Jasper

• "Majoring" in hospitality

• Isn't actually here to further a career. Roc sent him with Guy as a spy to make sure no one is plotting to sabotage either Guy or the family as a whole

• Works at the same bar as Lance

• NOT a r**ist, and he does NOT do that shit he did in his consort route

• He just listens in on conversations while making drinks (that have NOT been drugged or spiked in any way) and serving people

• He's that one asshole that corrects people's grammar when they text him

• If you don't text like you're writing a government document he will copy your message and correct it

Violet: is anyone free on saturday. i accidentally bought an extra movie ticket and mc fenn and sherry said there all gonna be busy

Jasper: *Is anyone free on Saturday? I've accidentally bought an extra movie ticket, and MC, Fenn and Sherry said they're all going to be busy.

Jasper: I'll be available on Saturday. What movie are we seeing?

Violet: Die.

• May or may not be fucking Guy and Fenn on the side, who knows

Violet

• Majoring in fashion design

• Doesn't care for the designs you would see at a Met Gala and knows how to create things that are good looking and practical but also unique

• Also makes her own accessories

• MC is her usual model

• Met Fenn in high school

• Apparently the guy she'd been dating was two-timing her with Fenn. She was super mad at him at first, but Fenn offered to help dish out some revenge

• He's her wingman and shoulder to cry on when she gets rejected

• Regular at Lance and Jasper's bar

• She dated Jasper for a while until realized he was using a fake identity to spy on her and her friends, and she's hated his guts ever since

• The only reason she still talks to him is because they're in the same friend group as the other valets

• If Jasper corrects her grammar in the group chat one more time, she's stealing his glasses and replacing his normal pens with invisible ink pens. Then we’ll see how good his grammar is

Tino

• Majoring in hospitality

• Works part-time at his family's hotel

• He and Lynt have been best friends since childhood because their fathers are also friends and business partners

• He used to "help" Lynt with all his school work (did most of it for him). He can't really do that anymore since they’re in different majors

• Gets Lynt out of bed every morning. And makes dinner every night. And cleans the dorm. And does the dishes...

• Okay, Lynt does eventually start picking up the slack when he realizes the ungodly amount of work Tino does

• This boy has not had a full night's sleep since the 3RD GRADE

• Like bro do you need to cram every single night?

• Half the time he passes out at his desk studying. Sometimes he'll fall asleep in a common room or something, and someone has to take him back to his room

• It is because of this that Lynt has taken special interest in researching insomnia

• Has to be dragged out by the valets to take a break from doing literally everything all the time

Tino: "B-But I have to study for my skills test-"

Knight: "You mean your skills test that's 3 months away and you've been cramming for since you started the course? Dude, you need a life and you're coming to the arcade with us."

• Definitely got shoved into his locker in high school

• That's what he gets for trying to mind his own business and not bother anyone in a fucking high school

Lou

• Headmaster of the academy

• Has a Ph.D in education

• Is fully aware that he has several politicians' children in his school and that he's being spied on

• Guess what? He's spying on them, too

• He's part of a political party called Iritium and is gathering information on his competition through their children

• Guy, Toa, and Lance's rooms are bugged with microphones. He knows Christoph is living with Lance, but to avoid raising suspicion, he doesn't do anything about it yet

• He's still debating whether or not to bug Aquia's room because Dia is his roommate and he'd rather not invade his privacy

• Prank wars are common at the academy, but he has reigned as prank king since his own school years and he refuses to be dethroned

• Has two doves in his office, Phinney and Nix

• There have been many occasions where someone would pass by his office and see him having a full conversation with them

• He once argued with Phinney while MC sat right across from him. He lost

[randomgentlefolk]

CPC CHAPTER 158

With each chapter updated, the more I sob to my cat (while wearing my plaid clothes of course)

Also this post is going to be long because I love psychology so much.

Tw: mentions of un-aliving oneself

Lorzanna fighting alongside each other....... that is the most badass way to say "we're girlfriends"

Lorena using the chains as whips and Suzanna doing fencing style!! THEM. I NEED MORE OF THEM.

Medic Syrah! It's like one of those I things I never know I want until I get it.

Aww Orson and Monika holding the portcullis together <3 they're so strong???

Frederick telling Syrah step by step on how to do first aid <3

Also, Frederick using his strategy skill!! He can finally show his talent for Leland to see >:D or, uh, not really since Leland is not currently in the room but ANYWAY

Beckett..Beckett, Beckett, Beckett.... Man got snitched and I'm having second hand embarrassment 💀💀 well he won't be Pastel Top 1 guard but at least he can be with Maria. Oh yeah finally!! He knows who the real Maria is!! I hope he won't forget when he's back conscious tho.

Fellas, let's give appreciation to our guard homies Horace and Old guard (he still needs a name)

Also may I just say Maria looks GORGEOUS in this panel?? HER HER HER??? Also her starting to wonder why Frederick is against the Plaid kingdom?? IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER Y'ALL.

I went from "Lance!! :D" to "Lance :'(" because damn...DAMN??? Bro tbh I'm relieved the gala foreshadowing is him getting hit on the head and not gettint CHOPPED but on the other hand DAMN. The commander did NOT have to do that DAMN. The blunt head trauma??? What if he hit head when he fell?? "So he won't hurt himself" my foot BRUH. I just checked again and HE HIT HIS HEAD. Bro is gonna get a concussion.

Also his face is still bleeding out. In case someone, uh, forgot.

Go Lorena and Suzie go help him! I know what he did was horrible but he's trying!!

Confrontation Time Yayyy...

Blaine. Blaine bro. Stop. Just. Okay there is a lot of childhood issues to be unpacked here. But you know what before talking to him before telling him what he should do maybe we should all just. Let him relax, for awhile. I mean ngl he looks awful, and I'm not trying to be mean here but he and Frederick clearly needs professional help. But let's unpack them one by one. Let's start with the pianist.

(Disclamier: I am not a professional. I am simply telling you my opinion in this post)

Holy shit. Someone give him a break. Give him lots of sleep. Anything to make this boy relax. Let me just say this right away, golden child syndrome. I'm blaming all of these shit on Leland. Y'all our lesson today is: don't put too much pressure on a child, don't compare your children to each other, and accept your child however they are. Please y'all this has happen too much. A child is smart and they achieves lots of things, then makes that their only reason of living, the only reason they are loved. That's horrible. In Blaine's case, I think he feels as if those achievements, those trophies, are a way to validate his life. It's like he cannot fail because if he fails automatically he disappoints everyone including himself.

We know that he has been 'thriving' since he was child. Let's say approximately since he was uhh 9 years old? That would be 12 years of intense hardwork hell sugarcoated by the paradise of 'winning'. Once again, not exactly the best childhood ever. Not to mention, does he even have any friends? We have never seen him mention any. So we can say that he doesn't have any support outside of him being 'perfect' (well, until Maria at least, but that was pretty short-lived :')

At this point I won't even be surprised if the reason he has been doing self care is only so that he looks good as a model and so that people love him.

Man, he needs intense reality check. Also I'm like 99% sure he definitely doesn't want to kill Frederick. The event of him and Lance beating the shit out of the bullies still live in my head rent free. Bro is VERY confused with his life right now and needs help.

Let's move on to the youngest now

Right of the bat I'm going to say:

Scapegoat child, self esteem issues, possibility of depression, and uh we're gonna have to add this now... possibility of being suicidal. Alright.

What is a scapegoat child? A scapegoat child is the child who is pretty much blamed for everything and takes attention of the center of the problem, if that makes sense. As far as I know, this is the child who recognize the actual problems in the family, and is the one to break the cycle of abuse. These children are the opposite of the golden child. And you know what it makes sense that both of them are in the same household. If there is a golden child to praise and give attention to, then there is the scapegoat who is blamed and left out. That is what Frederick is in his family.

Self esteem issues. This boy has been told he is pathetic, weak, useless, and all of those words for his entire life, to the point he actually believe that those words are his entire personality.

Now, I'm not gonna straight up say he is suicidal, though we have an evidence in the panel here. But if we look at the past chapters, he doesn't exactly actively try to die. Those moments where he fell of the Pastel hills are accidents. But we can also say that the suicidal thoughts just came recently. Especially considering what is happening lately. Being trapped in a deep hole with little to no socialization can really do some things to you...even if you're an introvert. We are social creatures. As much as we say we hate chatting with people, we also don't want to be alone with no social communication our entire life now, do we?

Anyway, I'm going to suggest this, there is a chance that Frederick probably has what is called passive suicidal ideation. He doesn't actively try to die, but he wouldn't care if he die. But I'm a little conflicted on this one. Maybe someone else who is better at this field of study can help me?

We can also assume that Frederick told Blaine to kill him out of desperation. There are lots of possibilities that I hope Lambcat will explore more in the future.

Also his coping mechanism of escaping reality is something to watch out for since he has shown signs of not being able to differentiate between reality and fantasy

Now, I just want to say that there is a chance that I'm heavily wrong here. But I'm just stating my opinion and I'm not trying to offend anyone. If there is something wrong in what I wrote please do tell me.

Okay, let's move on to the next scene now—

NAH BLAINE SWINGING THAT SWORD 💀💀 Bro is clearly so stressed istg. C'mon Blaine the curse tattoo doesn't look THAT bad. It looks aight if you ask me. I would even say it's unique.

Yeahhh! What Whitney said! Lmao I'm so sorry but this scene reminds me of Steven Universe and Spinel. Whitney just wanna talk it out :') he has changed so much from his old self.

YOOOO ALL THE ELDEST SIBLINGS ARE GIVING BLAINE A REALITY CHECK. Maria, Whitney, Calpernia. Snap outta it Blaine please.

"I'd like to cut in" Goals. I do also want to start my battle by saying a pun. I can't wait for Prez vs Blaine!! It's going to be sick.

THE MAIDS. HOLY MOLY (haha get it?). Of course they also have weapons. It makes sense considering how protective Jack is! Also

Was. Was the cleaver not enough? Lol 💀

I am even more hyped for Leland vs The maids!

Well, that's it for now. That was a long ass post lmao. I'm gonna go back to class.

Mono out! (But still in to hear your thoughts)

[khaleesiofalicante]

Time Travel and Why It's So Confusing

Alright, you confused hoes. Thanks for the flooding the ask box with your confused screaming and man questions. I'll do a consolidated post here so it's here. Be warned, this might help or make this even worse lmao.

BASICS

The first thing you need to know is that Other Max is the first time traveller in the time loop. If there is such a thing as time loop, someone has to start it. It was Other Max who did first.

Regular Max (?) has an Other Max, and one day Regular Max could possibly become an Other Max - but it really depends on the circumstances.

A lot of things are changing in the Current Timeline and that means that whatever triggered Other Max to time travel may or may not occur/trigger Regular Max. But that is not a concern for us right now. 

So, yes. Other Max is the first time traveler. So, he didn’t have an Other Max - which means the Other Timeline is different than the Current Timeline. Both in slight and significant ways - but I can’t tell you all the changes right now. 

Let’s look at the changes we already know - because they’ve mentioned in the story in one way or another.

The White Warlock

There is obviously no White Warlock in the Other Timeline. It also means Other Max didn't do illegal shit (like selling blood) and he wasn't pursued by Iris etc. It also means Other Mavid family didn't have as much money (We'll learn more about this later).

Lance and the Prophecy 

As Lucifer mentioned, the prophecy has already been fulfilled. Meaning, in the Other Timeline, Lance actually destroyed Idris. We don’t know what triggered him or what the consequences of it was, but we know it happened. This could happen in the Current Timeline, but we don’t know that yet. We are yet to find out. 

The Crimson King 

Kincaid doesn’t exist in the Other Timeline - which is one of the reasons why the prophecy was fulfilled since there was no one to stop Lance. Also, Kincaid doesn’t exist because Other Max was the reason he was born (by selling angel blood to Kyle). Now why did Other Max do it? We don’t know yet.

The Leylines and Blackouts 

In the Other Timeline, these issues were fixed with Mallory’s help (in exchange for Max promising to keep seeing her).  In the Current Timeline, the leyline issue and blackouts were fixed by Other Max (remember he worked with the Eldest Curses to do it and then he erased their memories). He was able to do this in the Current Timeline because he knew the warlock math to do it - and he’d rather use math than use Mallory’s help again (mood). 

David’s Memories 

In the Other Timeline, David doesn’t get his memories back since it’s Other Max who gave it back to him. It significantly affects his mental health (as we saw) and makes him feel quite guilty/sad all the time. He lives that way for the rest of his life. Regular David, while still struggles with his mental health, doesn’t have this issue. You can say it’s one less trauma for him to deal with. 

Mallory and Max 

Mallory was alive in the Other Timeline (as we just saw). Other Max had to visit her every day (until he stopped giving a fuck). 

Other Max didn’t kill her in his timeline, but killed her in the Current Timeline - which means Regular Max didn’t have to visit her every day and be traumatised by it. 

One of you had asked if Mallory is dead (because Other Max killed her), how come we still saw her? Wouldn’t that mean she’s dead in the past too?

Nope. Not at all. Remember we read the prologue from his POV, his POV will NEVER change no matter what - because he is the time traveller.

You can't change the past, only the future.

What Other Max does in the Current Timeline doesn’t change his past, (as he wrote on his notebook), it only changes the future. So, whatever changes he does, only Regular Max will benefit from it, not him. 

Let’s Dissect Further. 

Let’s say Other Max stops the prophecy from being fulfilled, via Kincaid or through some other way, that does not mean that when he goes back to his own timeline, he’ll get to live through an alternative timeline again. Remember, he doesn’t go back to the past, he goes back to the future (hehehe). So, when he returns to his own timeline, it’s still 720 years later, so he won’t get to see/live through Lance not destroying Idris. His memory of his Lance, will still be the same. Simply pit, he doesn't get to reap the benefits of his efforts, only Regular Max does (which one of the reasons why Other Max keeps calling him ungrateful).

If you’re still confused, think of it this way.

Let’s say Other Lance killed Other Magnus and Other Alec when he destroyed Idris (just an example!!!). When Other Max changes everything and goes back to his timeline (720 years from the Current Timeline), Magnus will be alive (because the past is different now) but Alec will still be dead (because it’s still centuries later).

Other Max can't return to his past - only to the future.

Remember - his past is the Current Timeline. It's not a separate thing he can live/return to.

SO - Other Max won’t have the memories or experiences of Regular Max.

He’ll still remember his parents dying and Lance destroying Idris etc. I repeat, nothing will change for him - not in a personal sense. Maybe when he goes back, Idris will be intact. But that doesn’t mean his memories would be altered the same as the Current Timeline/Regular Max.

Even if Idris is saved in the Current Timeline, HE would still remember what actually happened and he would still know the truth. Other Magnus (if saved as I mentioned) might not remember, because his reality has been altered now. But Other Max will still know the reality is different only because he changed. Because he is the time traveler.

That’s pretty fucked up, tbh. Poor thing. 

But yeah. That’s kind of the essence of it. Like I already hinted, Other Max plays a huge role in LBAF VI. So, we’ll keep exploring this more. 

But I hope this helped (or made things worse hehe). Just remember it took Other Max 720 years to figure out all of this out, so it’s okay if you’re confused. Time Travel is supposed to be a clusterfuck. That’s how you know someone is time travelling. 

Note: The events of Lance’s birth/Joseph’s death/The Trial/Madeleine-David fall out were pretty much the same in both timelines. 

The only difference is that in the Current Timeline David asks Other Max to travel through time and make sure Lance isn’t born (instead of simply asking ‘have you figured out time travel yet?). But Other Max refuses to do it. 

Okay. I’ll stop now. Happy to answer more questions :)

[alexanderlightweight]

Hi, Married Malec + first serious fight

hey, hope you like this anon! thanks for the prompt.

the reason for the fight is ambiguous because a lot of times especially for first serious fights, it's not the fight that matters, it's how the fight is resolved

also there is no one to blame in this fic. i hope that gets across. it's a fight because when two people with vastly different life experiences, cultures, age, personalities and traumas are thrown together. there are often emotional upheavals and you have to work through your own trauma and someone else's because thats how much you love them.

--

“Alexander, you should know better by now.”

It’s the fact that it’s said with such quiet disappointment that's the breaking point.

“How am I supposed to know better?” Alec asks quietly, his voice breaking with his heart. “Magnus, you're my first everything. So where am I supposed to know better from?”

And Magnus frowns like this hasn’t occurred to him but Alec can’t handle it right now and he avoids him when he steps closer.

“Magnus, who am I being compared to? That I should know better about these things? What is it that I’m doing so wrong? I thought it was the first time I made a mistake like this?” Alec asks because he doesn’t understand what he did that has Magnus acting like this.

“And, and Magnus. You’re acting like this new mistake isn’t a new one. It’s just another mistake layered onto a mistake until I’m not sure you can even see me anymore. Because what do I do when I can’t reach whatever standard you’ve set that I can’t see? Because I'm trying.” Alec begs, “Magnus, I'm trying so hard. So why is it never good enough? Even for you?” 

And Magnus comes closer and his arms come around him and Alec flinches for a moment before he’s being held tightly, lovingly.

Because Magnus’ arms have never hurt him even when his words have.

There’s silence, this isn’t the time for apologies or discussions. This is to stop the fight before it goes too far, to remember there’s a reason for patience and the back and forth between their wounds but Alec is struggling not to fall apart. And he presses his face to Magnus’ shoulder and silently sheds all his tears of frustration, pain and from the lancing wound that is confusion and exhaustion 

“I think.” Magnus says finally, “I think we both need a solid meal. And if we have the energy, we talk after. Or we sleep and talk in the morning. I don’t think it was fair timing, for either of us.” And he looks pained, but he’s cupping Alec’s face tenderly and he’s smiling.  It’s a weary smile, one that even though Alec can’t see the age of he can feel the years of.

“You’re not entirely wrong, sayang. Sometimes I forget, because I’ve held myself closed away for so long. That the wounds of my heart were made long before you and that it was a choice you willingly made, to love me in spite of the damage.

“There is no in spite.” Alec grumbles because even in a fight Magnus doesn't get to pull that shit. Alec loves magnus because he’s Magnus and he would rather Magnus not have past hurts because Magnus has never once deserved to be hurt.  

Not because Alec would rather not deal with those hurts.

“Of course there isn’t.” Magnus murmurs and he won't kiss Alec, not when Alec’s this close to a meltdown, but he presses his cheek to Alec’s forehead and Alec feels a little less like he’s about to fall off a skyscraper. “You are enough.” Magnus promises, “we’ll figure out where our rough edges are and sand them until we’re not scraping each other raw, alright?” 

And Alec nods because it sounds much better and Alec’s head is still drowning and his body wants to curl into itself and hibernate until the world is a less unfriendly place.

But Alec would never see anyone if that were true, so he gets to his own feet and he eats the food Magnus summons them and when they sit down to talk. They stay close enough to touch but far enough for space and they take things.

One rough edge at a time.

[lestappenforever]

Am I still shaking? Yes. Is this my dream podium? Also yes. But here’s my post race analysis since it’s Half time in the Premier League and I’m still nervous (this time for Arsenal)

Aston Martin is in a mixed state. At one hand, Alonso’s crash cost him, and the team the race, but on the other, Lance did do everything he could to finish in the points. And it was such a solid performance from both, but due to Nando’s pit start, he wasn’t able to get them points

Mercedes are starting to look better. Is it a major jump? No, but they were both able to overtake, and slowly getting there

Haas are a midfield team we have to consider no matter what. Nico with an EPIC drive, just shirt if points and Kevin making up places, to end right behind Nico. They needed that change and it’s impacting them positively.

VCARB, also a team that needs to be on the radars. They are good, pit stops are so good consistently, with the stops not exceeding 3 seconds like their competitors. Multiple solid performance and almost consistent points scored. They are on the climb, and it’s honestly something that makes me personally very happy. Also Yuki Goat

Williams, the team and the car is so shit, pits today were so bad. THEY NEED TO ASSESS THEMSELVES BEFORE CRITICISING THE DRIVERS. Alex having to retire and Logan doing his damn best in an overweight, not upgraded car. Yeah they need a wake up call.

Ferrari, the upgrades are quick, and that’s something that we can all agree on. Carlos was okay, but Charles drove his heart out today. Keeping Oscar behind him and putting pressure on Lando, it’s something that we all have to acknowledge and respect. And give Ferrari the credit with the car they built.

McLaren are showing teeth, Oscar with the full upgrades, Lando on that high. This team will be in contention for the top 3, and as we saw today, strategy, track layout and having the car that can put pressure on RedBull. (Those laps will haunt me)

Finally Red Bull. Checo, as a start, did rewlly well considering the set up that idk what was up, but it is what it is, and his starting position, especially since the track doesn’t have much overtaking zones. From P11 to P8. That’s good, but not enough for Red Bull standards. And he needs to wake up not to lose his seat. As for our Number One. Firstly, he’s number one for a reason and A DAMN GOOD ONE. The car wasn’t the fastest all weekend, with Friday the car being a full blown shit show. Saturday the set up being good, but nit testing the hards and getting pole when not even expected, and finally today, driving his actual heart out, and with his experience, keeping Lando behind him for 5 laps with less than 1.5 seconds gap, and then not having any type of tiny mistake when he knew it would cost him, he’s the best for that reason, and that’s why he and GP are considered the best engineer-driver duo on the grid rn, because they know how to communicate and how to win, even if the car wasn’t the fastest. Also, giving credit where credit is due to Sebastian Buemi and Jake Dennis, who have both stayed 11+ hours both in the sim back at base to work on and perfect the set up. This victory couldn’t have been possible if not for them.

So yeah, Imola done and dusted, probably one of the best races I’ve ever seen, but also one of the most nerve racking ones. I’m still shaking from Lando Max battle, though I enjoyed it. We got our Lestappen Podium. And tbh it was my personal dream podium. And hope you enjoy Jurgen’s last game, I know it’s an emotional one to say the least❤️

Wonderful analysis as always, my darling! And as always, I don't have much to add so I'll just leave most of this in all its glory.

The only thing I will say is that I wasn't really worried about Max and Lando. Had the race been longer, yes, I definitely would have been. But as it was? I didn't worry about Lando overtaking Max at all. But it was such a fun race even so, and I'm always happy with a Lestappen podium in addition to a Max win!

To be perfectly honest, I have been a mess since before kickoff and I'm still struggling to properly wrap my head around the Klopp era having come to an end. But what a beautiful, emotional send-off he got. (Virg and Trent crying at full-time shattered my fucking heart.) I can't wait to see what Arne Slot will bring, and I'm undeniably excited about the future. But right now I'm just sad and empty that Jürgen won't be there next season.

I'm really sorry Arsenal didn't manage to get the Premier League title in the end. I would have much preferred seeing them win it instead of City. ❤️

[demcnsinmymind]

More Az talk

One thing I am asking myself sometimes is the whole "what's the point" /villain monologue problem. I keep talking all about how OP Azzy technically is and it has shown plenty of that, has been talked to death. For obv reasons I can't simply write it killing everyone and overpowering everyone because then no thread would ever be fun for my partners and the likes. But if we ignore that for a moment there's also one other thing I want to use as an 'explanation'.

In canon, it also could've oneshotted everyone from the get go. It was shown to be more than capable of that and did so eventually with everyone. But the entire point with it is that it loves toying with its victims first. It loves watching people fall apart. It sips fear slowly like some good fucking soup. It loves spending its time fucking with people's minds, picking them apart piece by piece and that mentally. Over time.

Which is why it has a tendency to villain monologue and fuck around with potential victims and enemies. It will obliterate NPC enemies fullstop if they get too close and fuck around and find out with the boy. If a char physically attacks and threatens Lance's actual life, it will obliterate a fucking bitch full stop. But on its own? It's gonna take its sweet fucking time with people. It's gonna keep yapping about and fucking around. Especially if it's people Lance cares about.

It also wants them gone, full stop. But it's not stupid. It wants to keep worming its way into his brain. It wants to keep manipulating him into thinking that it is his only friend he ever needs and that it is his best friend and the only thing that's good for him. And it knows it is not going to achieve that by just full stop killing everyone it doesn't like in his life. It's gonna do this shit slowly. With a lot of manipulation and a lot of threats, and a lot of it behind his back, which will make it all slow and seemingly shallow by default. But don't think it's just villain monologuing and that it's spouting empty threats because it can't deliver. It could. But a lot of times it chooses not to. At least not overtly. It's about manipulation, not about weakness and empty words. These words have a lot of purpose and they will deliver their mark eventually.