#you don't understand i love her for her atrocities

[seaalgae]

i’m rereading worm and i’ve gotta say. big fan of the simurgh singlehandedly turning things into psychological horror for an entire arc by virtue of being just evil causality

[mewtwo24]

You know idk if it's just me being oblivious af but mxtx sure does enjoy putting her protags through the trolley problem when it comes to her works huh /j

[fatuismooches]

More Dottore and Fragile Reader voice lines, except it's your turn this time. A part two to this. Previous voice lines are here.

About Prime Dottore:

"Zandik. My one and only… words cannot express my tenderness and love toward him. I refuse to forget any moment I've spent with him. Not once has he given up on me, despite the times I’ve given up on myself. And he has always taken care of me, not once faltering in over four hundred years. I- I don’t know what to do sometimes when faced with that information. I wish I could be… less of a burden on him…”

About Omega:

"Omega, huh... he is the only segment where I always spend time with completely alone. See, he's not prone to sharing, just like Prime. I don't mind much, honestly, it's nice to get away from all of the noise and be with him. He always coaxes me to be more selfish too... is it a good or bad thing he's influencing me?"

About Alpha:

"Yes, the grumpy cutie I met all those years ago, the start of it all. He says that my presence is a hindrance and it only disrupts his work, but we both know that's false. Often, I like to sit by him as he writes his notes, pointing out all the errors caused by the atrocity of his handwriting... Sometimes, I feel bad using him as a reminder of the past."

About Beta:

"It always baffles me that Beta was once how Dottore acted. I mean, have you seen the difference between 'Mega and Beta? Anyway... he's always such a fun segment to hang around! Even when his assistants cower behind me in fear! Oh, and whenever he goes 'he-he-ho-ho', it always makes me giggle. Please don't tell him I did that impression of him though."

About Delta:

"Oh, Delta's... pretty mean. A really big meanie, if I do say so myself. He never laughs, never smiles, never entertains my shenanigans, always sees right through me... so rude. Huh? Don't worry about me, I'm allowed to talk about him like this. I still love him, after all."

About Zeta:

"Zeta's always so elusive! It was such a pain to track him down at first, he was always avoiding me. I thought he hated me... but once I got a hold of him, he is always so attentive to me! However, it greatly saddens me that he thinks he "failed" me... and yet he doesn't know how much it hurts me more that I've caused him to be like this."

About Zandy:

"Have you met my son? He's the sweetest little thing, isn't he? I remember how shy he was in the beginning, but he quickly grew to be such a dear. Always so excited and eager for attention. I can't help but wonder if Dottore's life could have been different if more people were kinder to him as a child."

About Pierro:

"I will always be indebted to him and Her Highness for taking me in. He is pretty scary to be around, but I feel sort of bad for him. I can't imagine how much responsibility he has... I once promised him I'd work for the Fatui once I'm better, but he didn't react much. Hmph, I'll show him how much I can boost Dottore's efficiency!"

About Capitano:

"The only thing I really know about him is that he's incredibly strong and well respected, at least from other people. The single time I met him, I also learned he was quite well liked by animals too, but it's hard to get any more information when he's so quiet..."

About Columbina:

"Bina is the best friend I've always wanted. I'm glad she's always there for me whenever things go bad. Although I can never predict what she's going to do or say, which is pretty strange, considering who I'm with, that makes her company all the more fun. Still, the amount of embarrassing situations she's tricked me into with Dottore... makes my head hurt."

About Arlecchino:

"I wish we could be closer, but I don't think it'll ever happen. I can't really blame her though, the relationship between her and Dottore is... not the greatest, for reasons I understand. I wonder what she thinks of me, the person who still stands by his side despite his sins?"

About Pulcinella:

"Oh... the little grandpa? I've always wondered how he's the fifth rank, but there's probably more to it than I know. Regardless, I didn't expect him to be so kind to me. I only see him once in a while, but every time he seems to know how I'm doing. And then, he proceeds to give me the best advice, exactly what I needed to hear at that moment, even when it has to do with Dottore. It's kind of scary..."

About Scaramouche:

"Ah yes... the Balladeer. He always wants to start up something with me whenever we cross paths, which is why my patience runs very thin around him. I hope the next time he goes into the Abyss, he gets stuck there."

About Wanderer:

"Who?"

About Sandrone:

"Her research sounds so cool! I've seen some of the things she can create, and it's completely fascinating. I too once had a love for machines back when I was a student. It's just a shame she never comes out of her lab... there are never any chances for me to talk with her. Well, I can always talk with Alpha and Beta about their research at least."

About La Signora:

"I've barely ever seen or spoken to her, but she has my respect. I heard what happened to her husband. If I ever lost Dottore, I'm not sure if I'd be able to go on... or at least be as half as strong as she is."

About Pantalone:

"Oh, Lone's one of my good friends! He always has such unique ideas for me to get back at Dottore, and listening to him talk about his theories quite reminds me of listening to Dottore. He's helped me a lot, dealing with this man. Still... as he does with everyone, I'm kept at arm's length. It doesn't bother me, but I wish I could help him in some way. But I know that'll never be possible."

About Childe:

"Despite being a Harbinger, he's a lot nicer than you'd think. Well, especially compared to the others in the Fatui. He's great at conversation, his family is the sweetest... and he always promises to spar with me once I'm no longer sick. Truly great company. Too bad Dottore's attitude toward him is... less than favorable."

About Furina:

"At first I hated her just like all the other Gods, but after learning the truth, I can't help but greatly respect her. To take on such a burden without having a single shoulder to lean on and succeed in the end... I think I've been through a lot of pain, but at least I've had Dottore and the others to ease it even just a bit. But she had no one, and I admire her will."

About Nahida:

"I try not to waste my time on things that upset me. It's not good for my health."

Sprint Start:

"No, no, I am not running at all. Look, if I get hurt and Dottore finds out it was your fault, you'll be the ones strapped to the table, not me. Hey... I wouldn't mind being in that position, actually."

Chat - Worry:

"I hope that one day he can make peace with himself."

Chat - Old Times:

"Sometimes I wish I was just a simple student again, having no worries other than my grades and pulling all-nighters with Dottore. Actually, that doesn't really sound relaxing, does it?"

Chat - Idling:

"If you're just going to stand here doing nothing, then I'm going to take a seat over there."

When it Snows:

"Would you be willing to distract Dottie so I can chuck a snowball at him? No? How boring."

When the Sun is Out:

"It's a perfect day to have a picnic and listen to him rant again."

In the Desert:

"... Omega, Beta, Delta, I don't care which one of you does it, get over here and make your hands completely ice cold before I faint."

Something to Share - Talent:

"If you ever need help writing something, you can ask me. I wrote some pretty good essays back in the day, you know. Dottore once said I should even write a book! I thought he was bullying me, but he was actually serious, for some reason. Maybe I should get Zandy to draw some pictures?"

Something to Share - Secret:

"Dottore actually has quite a sweet tooth. Well, this probably isn't much of a secret anymore because I accidentally spilled it to the agents, but it would do you good to keep this in mind."

Interesting Things - Foxttore:

"This little guy here? He'll do you no harm unless I say so, so don't worry. He was one of Dottie's failed experiments roaming the lab until he gifted the creature to me! These pufflings too, surprisingly they help me a lot more than you'd think. They're pretty strong, carrying all my things."

Favorite Pastimes - Meals:

"It's time to eat already? No need to worry about me, I'll just wait for a segment. See, it's best for both of us if I have company while I eat. My hands... aren't the most reliable."

Troubles:

"I am very happy that they have a good place to conduct all the research they want, but I wish they paid some more attention to me sometimes. Voicing this complaint over and over again, however, is too exhausting."

Amusement:

"Dottore's fan club never ceases to amuse me. I know every Harbinger has one but... it's completely hilarious. To go so far as creating a handbook about the two of us... well, I appreciate the dedication and the laughs, especially when I update Dottore on their activities. He may not care, but I support them!"

[valehour]

I swear to god if I read one more "Messmer/Marika did nothing wrong" post I'm gonna fucking lose it.

Guys, Gals, Nonbinary Pals etc.

Be fucking serious.

it's somewhat obvious that Marika's people's oppression, and the subsequent domination of the social order was inspired by christianity's oppression and then rise to power within the roman empire- going on to be the dominant religious order which, in turn, persecutes religious minorities. Like. that's only just subtext by tooth and nail. It does not at all justify either religious regime's atrocities. It is Exceedingly obvious the game expects you to understand that, to quote Leda "They [the hornsent] were never saints, they were just on the losing side of a war". this line, alongside the black knight helmet, and the crusade insignia Expects us to understand that maybe the whole "Marika ordering a crusade to genocide a people in the name of revenge" is wrong, actually.

As for Messmer, he is indeed a victim of Marika, like most of the demigods. it's just that he's also (arguably Firstly) a willing collaborator in these atrocities, he's not an innocent uwu snake sadboy.

If we are forced to compel a singular unnuanced 1 dimensional archetype onto Messmer, the game expects us to understand that it's "Demon King". he's doing Authurian Romance Villain shit as filtered through the lens of dark fantasy. it's not a coincidence that most of the information about him comes from other people about how much he's personally destroyed their lives. He lives in a castle called the "Shadow Keep" for god's sake, his soldiers torment the people and we, adventuring wanderers and followers of grace/Miquella fight and defeat him, which, were this a traditional story ultimately lets us access Enir-ilim and fix things. That were this a tradiitonal story, then defeating the "Demon King" sets the land back to right by enshrining the True, Good King (or god, such as Miquella is, in this case).

The fact it doesn't is the complication to this otherwise simple story- the fact that Messmer is also a victim of Marika's pursuit of revenge is important nuance, and adds to the tragedy of this story- simply killing The Bad Guy In Charge doesn't fundamentally fix things. It's that complication that makes them so deeply fixating as people. But there is a mountain of difference between "I find Messmer's tragedy Sympathetic and Compelling (and thus want to fuck him)" and "Messmer did nothing wrong". You do not get the title "The Impaler" by being innocent.

you are, in fact, allowed to be horny for the snakeboi or for Marika without actively ignoring the realities of their casual brutality. Actively making a pair of complicated, messy, tragic characters into something simple and easily digestible for maximising fuckability is not a sign of like, actually liking them. Love your genocidal warmongers as they brutally murder civilians or like, admit you don't actually like them, you like the flanderised imaginary version of them- an attraction no more substantive than the kind of R34 art that gives Ranni tits and hips broad enough to change her aspect ratio, instead of her cool weird fucked up doll body. You Cowards.

[bakugoushotwife]

kinktober day twenty-seven: car sex

>>> no one will read these anyway based off of the reception for nobara, but i wanted to give the ladies some love this time around <3

>>> starring: maki zen'in x curvy!f!reader >>> cw: jealousy, homophobia w the zen'ins, making my own cannon, oral and fingering, car sex, semi-exhibitionism? i don't think so but just in case >>> wc: 1.8k >>> event masterlist:

formal events were the bane of her existence. she hated all the ritualistic steps of looking presentable for a clan celebration, of all things. maki has never been celebrated amongst her clan and she knows they won’t start anytime soon—so why did she have to show up and celebrate them? even worse, why did she have to drag her girlfriend to such an event? she knows half the elders will spend their time whispering about either her supposed powerlessness or her lesbianism, and the other half would be thinking about it all night long. she hated having to subject you to such nonsense, but her mother insisted–and she knew she’d never hear the end of it from her if she didn’t just suck it up and go. 

so here the two of you are, shoved into the zen’in family banquet hall in a tight fit. maki was absolutely uncomfortable, forced to mingle with people she can’t stand while trying to keep a possessive hold on you. despite the controversial relationship, she wouldn’t let it be lost on anyone. you weren’t here as a plus one or just a friend, you were here as maki’s partner and she wasn’t shy about it. they hate her already, she couldn’t give less of a fuck. her anger will make her the perfect protector too, she won’t allow them to say anything offbeat to you or their reckoning may come early. 

she also hated formal wear. it was impractical and stuffy, and she didn’t like being painted up to the nines, either. at least you looked amazing. you might be enough to make her rethink all her earlier opinions. seeing you tucked into a gorgeous kimono was definitely a lifeline to get her through the night—naobito’s birthday celebrations could perhaps pass harmlessly by with nothing more than the memories of how good you look. the silk highlights your body for days, tight around your chest and flowing down your legs. whereas maki feels completely out of place with rouge and lipstick on he skin, somehow it makes you look even more elegant and graceful. you’re flawless, evidence that maki is indeed good enough to deserve happiness. she keeps your hand in hers for the better part of the evening, fake smiling to some clan members while she keeps her scowl for others, you couldn’t quite find a rhyme or reason to her reactions. it isn’t until she’s pulled away by her sister that you’re able to understand. 

of course you were familiar with the atrocities of the zen’in, and it made you more than just a little uncomfortable to be surrounded by them, but with maki by your side, you knew that no harm would possibly come to you. but with her gone, well. now you’re left wide open. 

they don’t waste any time, a wall of zen’in has formed around you with various men bidding for your attention by offering you drinks and compliments, swearing that a zen’in man could give you a much better time than any woman—but especially one as weak and powerless as maki. their sentiment makes you snarl, but you don’t know how far maki is—meaning you don’t know how crude you can be with all these disgustingly vile creatures. 

“weak? naobito’s birthday or no—we can test that theory.” her sharp voice cuts through the cacophony of others. the men are quieted instantly, and you feel yourself smirk. they start rattling off excuses as to why there should be no fighting here tonight—but you hear the real reason: they’re afraid. 

maki has always been far more powerful than they deign to acknowledge. she’s a talented fighter, and you knew most of these old fuckers would be dead to rights if she really wanted to cause a scene. her presence is scary enough, brows set with a menacing look in her eye. she stares above their heads, making eye contact with you. 

“come. i think it’s time we left, dear.” she extends her hand for you to take, holding the stare of the disgusting old men that came to hit on her girlfriend the moment she stepped away. you skip forward to take her hand, almost giddy at her demeanor as she squeezes your palm in hers. you knew that she was pissed. she was mad when she woke up this morning and remembered this stupid fucking party was today, but now she’s irate. everything she thought would happen, did, and she didn’t feel like subjecting you to any more ogling eyes. she starts to drag you both towards the door, hoping that the hour and a half she had managed to occupy the same space as her family would please her mother enough. not that she quite cared anyway, hearing your little giggles of excitement told her that you knew exactly how she would remedy her bad mood. 

maki has a track record of jealousy, and you knew this time was no exception. this time may be the worst of them all, your girlfriend’s grip on your hand tightening as the driver brings the car around. her mind was racing with the harassments from the crowd, different cousins and uncles offering to show her girlfriend a good time after the party. tch, she didn’t have to wait. she would have you now, the windows of the car are tinted anyway. she opens the backseat of the spacious suv, jutting her chin out to the backseat. 

your feel your face heat up as you obey her, crawling into the back on your hands and knees. maki turns to give the chauffeur a tip, patting his knowing shoulder. she doesn’t much care if people know what she’s about to do to you in this car. in fact, she hopes rumors spread about it. the windows being tinted was all she cared about—no one would get to see her pretty little girlfriend’s faces of pleasure but her. she steps into the car after you and pulls the door closed behind her. she’s thankful for the air conditioning and radio humming lowly in the background, your noses pressed together for a brief moment as she adjusts your seat, pushing you back and ensuring she has enough space in the floorboard. 

you giggle a little, parting your thighs to give her room to sit between. she slinks between them easily, resting her hands on your knees as she peers over her lenses. you lick your lips in anticipation, seeing that anger in her eyes. 

“worked up, babe?” you tease just a little, resting your hand on her head. she raises a brow at you, quietly warning you to watch your attitude. you grin a little, knowing you could push her to her limits after the night that you’ve had—but you’d be the one to reap the consequences. so you lean back against the seat a bit, easing your cunt closer. she looks down at your middle at the movement, but she nods. 

“yeah. i’m a bit worked up.” she groans, bunching your silken skirt up by your thighs. her mouth salivates the closer she leans to the apex of your thighs. she catches your scent, grinning at the arousal already leaking down your legs. “they’re all just dying for a chance at you, hm?” 

you roll your eyes with a satisfied little grin, shaking your head at her. you pull your skirt up some more for her, but you know not to worry about anything further or you’ll further irritate your already ticked off and overzealous girlfriend. “just too scared of you to come around.” you decide to stroke her ego instead. 

she scoffs a little, amusement sparkling in the vast darkness of her emerald eyes. her fingers stroke over the center of your panties, and she hums approvingly at the dampness she can feel beneath. her lips tilt into a smirk, “and you like that?” 

“i love that.” you purr, scratching her scalp a little bit. she smiles softly and pushes the flimsy fabric keeping your cunt from her to the side. she gives you a breathy chuckle, watching the strings of your arousal stick to your panties as she peels them away, she’s enamored. 

“and i love that sloppy pussy, pretty girl.” she whispers, letting her fingers spread your lips apart. you take your lip in between your teeth in anticipation. she lets her slender thumb drag figure eights along your clit, face focused on your hardening tits and shifting face. you’ve always been so sensitive, it’s one of maki’s favorite things about you—how you jerk into her hand as she’s barely touched you, little moans coming from your pursed lips as the sounds of tires squealing outside overtake the music in the car. maki grins—you’re holding up the line, leaving the other zen’in’s no choice but to pull around maki’s signature suv. she chuckles a bit as she leans in, attaching her pink lips to yours, letting her fingers work their magic over your bundle. 

your body drowns in warmth, looking down at your sexy and strong girlfriend giving you head never got old. she always knew how to get you going, possessively shoving you in the back of her car was on the list. you grip at her hair as the pressure from her fingers intensifies, tongue slipping past your lips and straight into the hole—and she moans at the taste of you. your head rolls against the rest behind you, hands weaved into green locks in an effort to grind yourself down on her tongue inside you without moving her fingers. one of her hands pushes your thigh away, keeping you from breaking yet another pair of her glasses. 

she works in perfect time, knowing exactly how to send you over the edge without much work at all. she knows no man could tend to you so easily—making you cum like it was chewing gum or breathing. that’s why only she gets to wear the remnants on her face. you buck into her mouth, whines going high pitched. she taps your thigh, giving you express permission to cum on her face. 

you whimper, the affection in her eyes was enough to send you toppling over the edge. your hips shake, the dam breaking in your gut—your release covers your girlfriend’s tongue as she curls it inside, gathering all the taste of you that she could with a few animalistic moans as she sucks you clean. 

she pants a little as she pulls away from your cunt, tucking your panties back over the mess with a little smile of arrogance. “did that make you feel better, sweetheart?” she asks, pulling your skirt back down as she leans up toward your face. you bend down to meet her, she was still on her knees after all. 

you chuckle, giving her a soft kiss. “i meant to ask you that.” 

[disinherited-dornishman]

Personal thoughts on Team Black, Rhaenyra, and Misogyny.

This is going to be a messy one as regard structure but also topic. Stay with me, people.

I've been seeing a lot of accusations of misogyny against anti-team black, anti-rhaenyras, and anti-hotd posters for criticisms uttered, and I can't help but be a little dumbfounded. Like are we really doing this? Pointing out that Rhaenyra was reckless for having 3 bastards is not misogyny. I'm sorry, as much as you guys might love your make-believe character, I'm just not humoring it. Not if you're going to make the conversation about feminism and sexual liberation.

Okay, let me just say. Rhaenyra having Jace I can understand. An experiment that was stupid but also respectable in a way, because Laenor was definitely traumatized and not fit for keeping up their agreement, so I can support that mistake wholeheartedly for the empathy behind it. But Luke and Joffrey? After finding out that her genes get overriden by Harwin's?

Plain stupid. I'm sorry, that's just playing with fire, especially since she should know how precarious her position would be after the precedent of the Great Council that robbed Rhaenys of her birthright on the basis of her gender.

And like, I'd be fine with it if the show didn't portray it as this girlboss, don't-give-a-fuck win, because all it does is highlight how ignorant the showrunners are about the world in which their show is set! I liked selfish and decadent Rhaenyra in the books, she didn't need to be treated as a hero for it.

And the fact that the rest of the world and everyone in it is portrayed as being at fault for not going along with what's basically that society's equivalent of a political clown show is absurd. Pointing this out doesn't mean I'm condoning it either, I'm criticizing the show's lack of self-awareness. It's so obvious the showrunners are disconnected from the their world.

GRRM writes all his characters as believable people grown up in a medieval society, but critiques it through his own modern moral lense in a way that's seemless, yet in this show they use characters as mouthpieces to spout modern feminist and egalitarian ideals from characters who are ruling class. Who the fuck are they kidding? If you want to make a feminist show, don't use bourgeoisie feminism!!! Idgaf about some Princess' sexual liberation while she's allowed to hold feasts that rips the food from the tables of peasants! There's nothing inspiring about that!

Rhaenyra, one of the single most bourgeois figure in the show, is supposed to be praised for her "sexual liberation" when it literally threatens the stability of the entire realm, and directly caused a war in which countless sexual atrocities were committed and will still be committed? Forgive me if I can't find it in me to be inspired.

If you want the show to be feminist, display the themes through the people at the bottom, the normal workers, the whores, the thieves, the daytalers and smiths and carpenters and undertakers and farmers, etc etc. Don't ask people to cheer for a reckless white woman from a colonizer background with a biological WMD at her disposal for breaking the social contract of a ruling class SHE'S A PART OF and risking destabilizing her entire country, it's fucking insulting! And don't get me started on the gender essentialism of the whole "women good, men bad" horseradish horseshit.

I'd love to discuss and analyze these concepts if we're talking about Rhaenyra's character arc, her as a person, and the themes of patriarchy that one can glean through her. But if we're talking actual, meaningful, proletariat feminism that means something to the medieval society they live in?

You wanna praise this brave monarch for sexually liberating herself, go ahead and praise the female Romans in Spartacus while you're at it. Praise their sexual liberation when they avail themselves of sex slaves taken from Thrace and Gaul and wherever else the Roman Empire had reach and rape them for fun. Understand I'm not comparing Rhaenyra's actions with having her kids with Harwin to rape, I'm pointing out power dynamics. And at least that show had the decency to show that the patrician romans were cruel and vile alongside their humanity, unlike HotD which seems to insist its ruling family of dragonriding depraved incestuous monarchs are actually virtuous while literally having Meleys burst through the floorboards and massacre a crowd.

P.S.: for any Anti-Rhaenyras, please don't start shit about her unless you wanna discuss how the writers fucked up her beloved character. I actually liked her in the books and she should've gotten a bigger part than Daemon, so don't slander her all willy nilly. It's unconstructive and I feel no desire to engage.

[norwegiankafka]

Hiii can I request Owen ( windbreaker) childhood friends to lovers fic please??? 🥹

Little Things [Owen Knight, Fluff]

Synopsis: What if he actually fell for the person that has been there, all along?

a/n 𖦹 finally! I never write for the childhood best friend to lovers prompt, but I'm trying my best. I hope you liked it. Not beta-ed (too long lmfao). Hope anon like it! :3

tw & cw ✰ cursing.

It's so Owen, calling late at night. Like he didn't give a fuck whether you are sleeping or not. A habit of his, exists since you and him were a teenager.

"What the fuck do you want in the fucking middle of the night, Mr. Knight?" You snapped right when you hit the accept button.

"Whoa, chill. I just arrived today and the first thing you did is to curse me? Poor me,"

"Ugh, fine. Tell me what happened," You sigh exasperatedly. Just, please.

"Shelly and Jay kissed in front of me. Like- I don't even know what to say. I'm shocked. Did Shelly really love that guy? I don't know what she sees in him, for real."

"And I don't know what's worth in you for Shelly to see. Oi, get over her. Why bother winning her heart back when you already know who has her heart? You just love hurting your own feelings, just say it at this point, you know that?"

"Your words burns like hell. I always tell you I have a promise with Shelly when I was a kid-"

"This promise, that promise," You cut his words. "That thing happened when you were a kid. It's nothing serious. Get over it. I'm tired of you venting about a girl who doesn't even think about you. I had class in 6. You're free to vent after that."

Just like that, you hang up your call.

—

He, started to wait for your reply. Normally, he checks his phone ever so slightly when he's bored or Shelly isn't around to bug. He often forgots where he puts the phone. Without him realizing things, he checks his phone more often. Waits for that messaging app icon to appear on his phone. Waiting for your name to pop up on his screen. He pulls his phone under his desk when he's in class, turned them on to check whether you replied or not. Will 100% turn them off again when there is no reply or chat from you, or will 100% reply at the same second you sent the text. An Exhibit.

A lot of things reminds him of you. In a lot of occasion, but he always tries to brush it off. He saw an ice cream that you said you wanna try, but never had the time. He tried the ice cream, just to taste whether it tastes good or not. So he can tell you later. (Or maybe ask you for an ice cream date, but best friends didn't do that.) Hey. At least if back in England they didn't have this exact flavor so you (and him) can try it out too, he had a reason to text you later. Two exhibits.

A lot of things reminds him of you. When both of you were kids, you eat ice creams a lot. Cold and flu were no stranger to you and Owen. But among all ice creams that you ever tried, Chocomint. It's a weird flavor, however. Tastes cool and minty but also sweet at the same time. He genuinely thought you're weird and your tastebuds is broken. Who the hell thought this was a delicious flavor? An atrocity made of different shit put together. All that thought end once he walked around stores in Seoul.

There's varieties of chocomint flavored food. Hey, it's not gonna hurt to try few, right? (Cue: He tried all of them. He didn't like it. He had the reason to annoy you by saying chocomint tastes like shit.)

He hates reading. It bore him a whole lot when teachers tell students to read. He hates reading in english, so do Korean. (He barely understands everything). One day, he walked past a bookstore, with a book on sale that day. He feels oddly familiar with the cover, even if he hates reading. He remembers that it's the book that you literally worshipped and said that it's so good he should consider read it too. Without any second thoughts, the book is on the counter and ready to be taken home. He finished the book in a week (pretty fast for a person who hates reading, lol), and silently weeping for the main character. He admits, it's a good book. Three exhibits.

He bikes a lot by himself. It's usually in the afternoon, around the time sun is starting to set. He likes that time a lot, the wind is warm but not too hot, and still feels breezy. After going around for an hour, he sat by the nearest river. Doing nothing, just watching until the sun fully set and it's time for him to go home.

When Owen and you were a kid, you liked to play outside. Doing lots of things. Biking, hide and seek, things. When the sun starts to set, you will sit wherever, as long as you can watch the sunset. A familiar feeling and habit, with him. Four exhibits.

Without him realizing, he's falling in love. All of the things you did together. All the time you were together as kids. All the time you grew up together, going to the same school. He fell in love with the you that has been there all along while he chase for Shelly.

—

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door. What kinds of people come so fuckin late at night? You opened the door.

Owen is standing. His eyes bore to the hallways, as if he avoids your gaze. He clears his throat awkwardly.

"Promise you're not gonna be awkward with me?" is the first sentence out of his mouth. He avoids your gaze, looking somewhere else. He took a deep breath before starting the next sentence. "It's you. It has always been you," He stares deeply into your eyes. He felt nervous, but he, for sure, is sure about his feelings. Right now. Is he scared? Maybe yes. He is. But he never felt so certain in life.

"Huh?" You hum confusedly. Who the hell isn't when your best friend come to your doorway and saying weird shit at late nights.

"I.. like you. Like, a lot,"

Your gaze softens after you're realizing he's trying to confess. Fuck. So all these years were not in vain? All of these years you watched him falling for Shelly, but it turned out he fell for you? Really? God must be joking.

"Me too," You break the silence between the two of you. "I like you, too. Since a long time ago," your breath hitched.

Owen loves you. He always do.

You're the reason he kept a random rock in his bedroom because it looks like a heart (and you're the one who gave it). The reason he wears a particular color because you told him it emphasizes his eye color. The reason he listens to a particular indie band, because you told him their lyrics is poetic as hell. (He hates bands, but who cares).

You're the reason for so many little things in his life, that he didn't think about much, but makes his life worth living. You.

"C-can we.. kiss?" For the first time in your life, you see Owen stuttered. His cheeks and ears heat up, painting the pale skin with faint tint of pink.

You chuckled softly, "Sure."

His long, pale hands cradled your head softly. As if it was the most frail thing. Without any rush, without any urge, he pulls himself closer to you. He tilts his head to the side slightly, adjusting his position before putting his lips on yours.

He settles his lips on yours, slowly and softly sucking on your lower lips. Owen tastes like the americano he drank before biking. Bitter and slightly sweet from the candy he finished before knocking on your door. You, on the other hand, tastes like mint. Tastes like the toothpaste you used before opening the door. The cool and minty scent lingers in your mouth.

The kiss is not good. It isn't like how people potrayed them in movies or novels—but it's perfect and special. Because you shared them with Owen.

Both of you pulled back after few seconds, looking at each other in love and adoration while the moon shines through. You smiled softly, patting his shoulder. "It's late. Go home, okay?"

Owen nods. "Sure do," He gives a light peck in your right cheek. "I'll text you when I got home. Good night." Owen ruffles your hair softly, as he puts on his helmet.

Owen smiles to himself all the way home. He is sure and certain about his own feelings this time, and he's right.

[mossy-rock-in-a-field]

My Elderly Mother Plays Baldur's Gate: Part 4

If you're not up to date on the saga, my mom is having me play Baldur's Gate 3 on her behalf because she has trouble using controllers/keyboards but still wants to "smooch the wizard boy." She is playing a neutral good wood elf druid; this is a detailed account of her crimes. Part 1 & 2 Part 3

Hey, everybody! Thanks to everyone who followed my blog to keep up with my mom's adventures. Also, shout-out to whoever called my mom "Crime Mom" last time I posted about this; she really got a kick out of that. We played for a full day yesterday so we could really get into Act III and make some progress.

Here are the atrocities she committed during yesterday's play session:

My mom is very pissed that she cannot keep Myshka the white cat. When she found Myshka, she told him that she was his mother because of course she did. Naturally, Myshka started following her around the city after that, and she was SO thrilled about it. However, when we went back to camp to trade out a companion and immediately came back to the city, the cat wasn't following her anymore, and my mom was so fucking upset. ("That boy thinks I'm his mother and I LEFT HIM! Why can't I take my son back to my camp with us?") My mom told me to tell my "tumblr friends" that Myshka should be able to join our camp like Scratch and the owlbear cub. So, if any of you guys are from Larian—take notes, I guess. My mother demands a cat son.

Upon seeing Mystra for the first time in the Stormshore Tabernacle cutscene, my mom immediately said in the bitterest voice imaginable, "I'm prettier than her." She is, of course, right. Fuck Mystra, all my homies hate Mystra.

When we found the Hag Survivors Group, my mom asked me if she could try combat for the first time, and she actually started to get the hang of it. ("Left bumper, mom. No, that's the trigger. BUMPER. Other left. There you go.") However, she didn't fully understand what "area of effect" meant and decided to cast Fireball ("Ooh, I've always wanted to use that one!") in an enclosed space before I could stop her. She instantly incinerated Mayrina, the floorboards, and the paladin, Adrielle. I was so fucking proud of her but also laughing so hard I was nearly in tears. She had me reload the save for her.

My mom returned the stolen money to the Counting House's head banker, then asked me to rob the rest of the building on our way out. When I asked her about the logic of this particular decision, she said, "We're saving the city from mind flayers, so these funds are really going back into the local economy when you think about it. We're a great cause!" I have no idea why she didn't just keep the stolen pouch of money in the first place. We wasted so many scrolls and Arrows of Transposition to get everything out of those vaults.

She was FURIOUS when she found out Auntie Ethel wasn't actually dead. My dad called in the middle of the day to check in on dinner plans and mom kept him on the phone for at least ten minutes while she ranted about hags who "should stay dead when they're told to."

My mom adores Jaheira. The two of them are very similar to each other, so I think she gets a kick out of seeing Camp Mom do Camp Mom things that she would do if she were actually in the game. My mom also loves Minsc and Boo. TASTE.

Don't know how soon my mother will come back for another play session, but I'll keep you guys updated whenever I can! She has already asked me if I would DM a D&D session for her retired friends, so I'm trying to find time to do that. Maybe I'll do some updates on that if we get it going.

Thank for everyone's support! Crime Mom and I appreciate it.

[s-awturn]

Underworld Sun || LH44

summary: It only took an unpretentious visit to a local florist for all of Lewis's convictions to come crashing down, and finally the lord of the Underworld found what was missing in his lonely existence.

cw: dark content, slightly stalkerish behavior, nostalgia, pure smut, Lewis!dom x reader!sub, revelation, mention of magic, violence, outbursts of rage, (fake) naivety, devotion, deep love, soulmates, family interference, mention of kidnapping.

a/n: I confess that the final part of the first chapter shouldn't have happened, but when I saw it, the two were already getting to know each other. But nothing I can't get around, just a shortcut in the story's timeline. By the way, I need to thank you for the 100 followers, this story wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be, so thank you, thank you very much 🫶🏼

p.s.: do you want a taglist?

prologue |

The static made the hairs on both of their arms stand on end, he had never felt that before and for a moment Zeus's words came back to his mind. But it didn't make sense because the woman in front of him didn't have any trace of sacred energy, she was just an ordinary human, no divine traces. The itch in his chest increased when he saw her cheeks flush, so he hadn't been the only one to feel that way.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lewis... How can I help you? You don't seem like a flower person."

"I really don't like flowers, but I think my house needs a little... life." He wanted to laugh at the irony, but kept his face impassive.

"Luckily for you, I have the perfect flowers right here," she said, her voice high with excitement. Y/N walked through the maze of pots, packages of soil and other objects. "I have a beautiful pot of strelitzia, it's a big plant but it adds incredible charm to any environment..."

Lewis nodded, following her at a safe distance, watching her point to some flowers and plants, for such a small space, there was a giant variety of species. Perhaps the flower shop was bigger on the inside than on the outside, he observed dryly.

"I have black desert roses, I think violet tulips..." She was faster than Lewis could follow, Y/N picked up a beige ceramic vase, and was placing flowers in it randomly. "I need orchids, hold them here for me, please" she handed the vase to him and disappeared inside the flower shop, returning with two flowers hanging in her hands.

He didn't understand how that mess of flowers and some dried plants could be. Y/N gave him a grateful smile as she took the vase from his hands and added the flowers she had picked. Within a few minutes, The florist organized the arrangement, and what was a mess turned into something beautiful. Even if he tried, he couldn't do something like that.

Something beautiful, vivid and graceful.

No, he only knew death, fear and dread.

"For someone who doesn't like flowers, I imagine vibrant colors are a problem... You are very lucky indeed, these black flowers arrived today and people love them, because of how rare they are."

Lewis gave a curt nod, watching her fetch a bag to put the vase in so that it wouldn't ruin the flowers when they were carried.

Y/N taught him about some preservation methods for the flowers in the vase, but he didn't listen to anything, caught up in the way she spoke, how she gestured, It was obvious how much she loved what she did, how she loved finding the right flowers for each customer. It had been a long time, longer than he could count, since he had seen someone work with so much love, so much dedication.

He had always known that humans were petty, arrogant, and cruel, humans would do atrocities for the things they wanted. History had more examples than he could count. Clytemnestra killing her husband after the Trojan War, Lycaon serving human flesh to the gods... And the passing of time confirmed what he already knew, humanity was rotten beyond salvation.

But the woman in front of him challenged his convictions. No matter how deeply Lewis searched her soul, he could find nothing that made her equal to the others.

Y/N was different.

Still lost in his thoughts, Lewis paid for the arrangement, saying she should keep the change.

"I didn't expect to find anything here in this little town, and here I am, going home with a bouquet," he said, making her put away the remaining money.

She smiled widely, the itch on Lewis's chest growing more irritated. "Oh, it was no big deal, Lewis. I'm happy to make sure you take something from us on your trip."

He looked away from her, grabbing the bag from the counter. She followed him out, still chattering excitedly. "Thank you for your attention, Y/N, and for the bouquet, of course. Goodbye."

"Adieu, Lewis." She waved at him as he walked down the small village's only avenue, and he could catch the waves of surprise coming from her as she realized what kind of car he drove. What could he do? Powerful cars were his deadly addiction.

He placed the bag of flowers on the passenger seat and started the car, feeling the sweet scent of the bouquet mix with the smell of expensive leather, creating a unique aroma that Lewis didn't notice he liked it until the air conditioning dispersed the smell.

He arrived in London that same day, he liked how the climate of the English capital lived up to his own temperament, London was cold, gloomy and rainy, thick clouds covered the city for most of the year. Therefore, he thought it only fair that the center of his domains should be located there.

He had barely crossed the building's reception when he was greeted by Megara, the erinyes wore an elegant black suit and no one would ever suspect that this woman was chasing and inflicting madness on men.

"Welcome back, sir," she greeted, turning on her tablet screen as she walked beside him to the private elevator. Many creatures had found other purposes in life in the contemporary era, nymphs had become models and actresses, satyrs had spread throughout the world in various sectors, But the Erinyes met in the corporate world, for the three sisters it was much more fun to see men going crazy over bankruptcy than over madness itself. "Nemesis has returned from the US, the purchase of the Wall Street investment bank has been successfully completed, and Fernando has also returned from Asia."

"I need you to do me a personal favor, Megara," he said as the elevator doors closed. "It's urgent."

"Of course sir, how can I help you?" She quickly turned off the tablet and turned fully to Hades, he handed her the bag of flowers, which she looked at with a raised eyebrow.

"Find out everything about the owner of this flower shop, from her name to how many vaccines she's had, absolutely everything," he was emphatic, seeing the furiæ nod in confusion.

"I'll make sure you have the information today, sir."

"Excellent," he replied and stepped out of the elevator, meeting Hypnos and Thanatos in the waiting room of his office. "I hope you have good news."

"You're not going to tell us how the visit to your family went?" Hypnos commented mockingly, receiving only an eye roll in response.

"Come in... And Megara, change the water in the flowers and place them in my room," he instructed before entering his room, followed by the twin gods. "I still don't understand why they took on different bodies."

"After years of having the same face as my brother, it's fun to be different from him," Tanatos said, his Spanish accent showing.

"Whatever..." He waved his hand in the air, going straight to the small bar to pour himself some whiskey. "I hope things in Suzuka went well, it's not a good time for a war with Susanoo."

"He's reluctant about the terms, we're talking about millions of souls that could favor their own pantheon..." Thanatos said, unbuttoning his jacket as he sat down. "I was lucky to talk to him, Tsukiyomi doesn't seem so happy to see us in their backyard."

"They can either deal with us in a peace offering or go to war with the Hindu clans, I wouldn't sleep easy knowing I might wake up with Shiva stabbing my neck" Hypnos said.

"Exactly, if they want us to keep their territory safe, the soul deal is a very small payment," Lewis said. "They'll accept it, it's a small pantheon and they did not know how to maintain their powers in the transition of the ages. Where have you been all this time?"

"The Fates called me to the hut"

The mention of the spinners of fate puzzled Lewis. What could they possibly want? If there was a new prophecy coming, he would know about it.

"What did they want?"

"The walls of Tartarus are crumbling," Sebastian said simply and Lewis snorted, it wasn't enough that Persephone was alive again, he still had to deal with the possibility of a new Titanomachy.

From zero to ten, how fucked was he?

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO S-AWTURN™ 🪐. I do not allow copying or republication. Any unauthorized publication will be reported.

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[aphroditelovesu]

Hey! Can I request a letter for Yandere!Ceaser where he sends to Yandere!Cleopatra after she captured took his darling and is now planning on marrying her?

Queen Cleopatra,

It was betrayal, an act that goes beyond the limits of our understanding. How dare you capture what is mine? (Y/N) is mine, not yours to usurp! Your vile plan to marry them is a direct challenge to my authority and love.

And I will not have anyone taking them from me.

Know, my dear Cleopatra, that the bonds between (Y/N) and me are stronger than any stratagem your cunning mind can devise. If you don't release them immediately, the consequences will be severe and unforgiving. Don't force me to take drastic measures.

(Y/N) is not part of your world, they are just a piece in your attempt to control Rome. Your bravery is admirable, but your attitude toward (Y/N) worries is disgusting.

(Y/N) is a piece of my being, a part of my soul. Your plan to unite them to you in marriage is an affront I cannot tolerate. Do not underestimate the intensity of what I feel for them, as this will trigger consequences that will shake the pillars of Egypt and reach the ends of the earth.

Take care, Cleopatra, because the fury of a man in love is capable of great atrocities. Let you free (Y/N) if you still wishes to maintain your safety and the integrity of all you holds dear.

Yours sincerely,

Julius Caesar.

[ride-thedragon]

My blood and cheese thoughts.

I want to get it out of the way and say I didn't hate the adaptation. I think it was a bit underwhelming in terms of the atrocities committed and positioned in the books, but for the changes the show made, I think it's a really good adaptation of one of the worst aspects of the dance.

To go in further though a pros and cons list because I didn't entirely love it.

Pros:

1. PHIA SABAN. She was just excellent. I saw a lot of people early on hating on the delivery, but to me, it worked extremely well. That's Helaena experiencing this disaster without anyone at her side. That's show Helaena, it's amazing that she understands the character so well. Her immediate reaction is her discomfort at someone being so close yet still being terrified. The necklace handed over because she didn't know better, she's never had to know better. The way she reacted to Alicent and Criston, running through the castle muttering things to herself. It was all so excellent and she really sold it. "The boy is dead" sounded like a part of the prophecy she couldn't face when she was afraid of the rats and the way she's trembling as they believe her, that she sacrificed her son. It was incredible acting so early on, and it was excellent.

2. The trade-off. It was set up so well to me. Aegon confuses Jaehaera from behind in their first scene. Helaena is the one who can tell which child is which. The mother knows, is haunting, and the fact that she was checking on her kids that late in the night was so saddening. Then she, the only one so far who we see keeping track of who is who willingly is just beyond heartbreaking. The fact that they had the killer look her in the eye and admit to the other that she wasn't lying when she pointed to her son was just insane.

3. It was Aemond. In the books, they say Daemon, Mysaria, and Rhaenyra purposefully tried to kill Jaehaerys and traumatise everyone involved as payment for Luke. The fact that it was Aemond in the show made a lot more sense .

Cons.

1. World Building.

Helaena is the Queen of Westeros. Her children are the heirs to the throne. WHERE ARE THE GUARDS?!. Where are the at least 2 guards that should be obligated to be at their side. The handmaid's that would go with her to the kids' room in case they wake up, her maids who'd prepare her for bed after?. It makes absolutely no sense for them to be alone in that moment. It's not Criston’s responsibility. He's Alicent's guard. Helaena and her children should have guards.

2. Cruelty.

The cruelty of the killers was lost in the adaptation for the worse. Obviously, they don't have a personal stake, and the way it's set up, Cheese finds Helaena, and blood is trying to work it out, but I do think they should've been worse. There was just a menacing quality missing from the killers, especially when we followed them around. I think having it from Helaena’s perspective isn't the best, but it would've been better to have it interchange. To build up to the suspense.

3. Brutality.

No, I did not need to see a child murdered on screen, but I think the brutality of the situation was lost as well. Helaena is terrified because she's a princess left alone with criminals doing something unknown. Why not make it clearer. Have some bashed in heads of fallen guards, have a murdered handmaid, and the kids left sleeping. Decorate the place with the cruelty of what hey intend to do, have it resonate what her choice means, and when we see her run and hear the noise, it's past what they've already done. This also means blood is more a part of it and it isn't a split decision. This leads to more last issue.

4. LET DAEMON BE ACCOUNTABLE.

Why is he not? Why is it left ambiguous? It's so strange. When Aemond killed Luke, you could tell it was him overestimating the situation, its a mistake only to the extent that Aemond was playing a cat and mouse game with a war shipment because he didn't think of the consequence. It makes jo sense to do that with Daemon. This man wants to burn and kill and go to war the entire episode only to not have him say any prince would do. He schemes and plots, risks himself in King's Landing only to not have the final call? Let him be extreme. Now I'm going to have to sit through Daemon and rhaenyra again, misunderstanding each other and Daemon being sad because no one trusts him because he's a horrible person to be loved by and I'm sure by the end it'll be rectified. But I wanted that call from him, on screen for his anger towards what happened, towards the delay in action, when Rhaenyra gave him an inch by saying she wanted Aemond, I needed him to take a mile because that's who he is.

Overall,

I think it was a good adaptation for the show. I don't want to watch the episode back because the sounds of Jaehaerys' death made me sick. I don't think they could've done it better off-screen or more responsibly for the current events of the world. It was simply effective. I just had my expectations as a book viewer and as someone who was excited to see where the writers are taking the world they created because either like a lot of their choices.

[inke-ri]

So I couldn't help but browse the THG tag bc those books own my whole heart. I actually check it now and again, and it's been interesting see how opinions have changed over the years, especially in regards to Gale and Peeta. Going through the evolution of them as just potential love interests to being far more complex than I could have expected has been a wild ride. Crazy how this reads different than from when I was a preteen.

That said, I wanted to give my unsolicited two cents on my boys, because though I have been enjoying the discussion on Peeta and Gale and what they mean to the story, I also feel like reducing them to Peeta = peace and Gale = war is far too simplistic... and oftentimes unfair to one or both of them.

See, I don't think Peeta and Gale are peace and war/destruction. They're compassion and indignation.

Peeta worries about the other tributes, or their families, or how to repay people like Rue and Thresh for what they did.

Gale is indignation at how the Capitol treats its citizens, it's anger at the injustice of inequality and brutality.

Both are needed in a story like THG. You can't have people like even Peeta not say something like "maybe we're wrong about keeping things quiet in the districts", you can't have him not drop the baby bomb, you can't start a revolution without Gale's indignation at the status quo. At deserving a better life but being denied it, at having your kids be mercilessly killed for literal sport.

However, if you start a rebellion and loose sight of your compassion, you end up no better than the people you're fighting against. Gale wasn't a bad person, imo. His heart was in the right place. He was flawed, yes, but so is everyone in this series. Gale, most importantly, lost sight of the line between fighting for the people he cared about and fighting against the people who hurt him.

Reducing Gale's indignation to just revenge and hatred ignores so much of what he stands for. Who hasn't seen laws passed that dehumanize people, who hasn't been angry and furious when someone is elected who fundamentally hates everything you are, who doesn't think some people need to pay for the atrocities they committed? There's a little bit of Gale in every single one of us - and it's important that it's there, because that's what gives us strength to challenge the status quo and make life better for the future generations.

But. You can't let it take over. You can't loose sight of your compassion or your empathy.

That's where Peeta comes in. Peeta is the voice in your head that worries about how many good lives will be lost when they give themselves up for this cause. Peeta is the worry about the people caught in the crossfire. Peeta is rebuilding when it's over and believing that the next generation will have a better life than your own. Peeta is being kind, even to people who may not deserve it.

And Gale... Gale looses sight of his compassion, and he doesn't realize it until it smacks him in the face when the bombs go off and Prim is gone and he's too far gone. Meanwhile, Peeta advocates for the end of the war even though it means the status quo remains - and regardless of what he believes himself, I don't think Suzanne chose him to say those lines by chance. It means both mindsets have their flaws: too kind and things that shouldn't remain will never be challenged and changed, too angry and you may loose sight of what you're fighting for.

And that's just how Suzanne uses her characters, both of them, all of them. Just look at who is with Katniss depending on the situation:

- Katniss chooses to "rebel" after Gale is brutally whipped. She kisses him.

- Katniss realizes that in order for D12 to rebel, everyone would need to be in on it, and she realizes most of them are not like her, that they're scared and she understands, emphasises with them. Peeta walks by her side.

- Katniss finally does it though, shoots the arrow at the force field, and Peeta is taken from her, it's now Gale by her side.

(You can't start a rebellion without indignation, and sometimes you HAVE to do it or things will never change, regardless of the inevitable pain that will come along.)

- Katniss is righteously angry at the Capitol bombing a hospital full of innocents to make a point. Gale remains there.

- Coin twists people's compassion into an army to fight for her own personal gain. Peeta is hijacked and looses his sense of self.

- Katniss and Gale go to District 2 and even though she tries to be like Peeta, she's still shot- reinforcing Gale's views, the person who was with her during that sequence.

- Katniss is angry at Snow, Katniss goes to the Capitol to kill him. Gale is there.

- Katniss gets in way over her head and realizes she is responsible for the death of most of her squad. She shares the lamb stew with Peeta, and later cleans his wounds.

- Finnick dies and she's at her lowest up until that point and all she wants to do is give up and give in to the anger. She kisses Peeta and begs him to stay with her.

... Claiming that Gale is destruction ignores the fact that he's with Katniss through her own moments of strength. Her desire to change things, to fight back, is as important as her compassion. Mockingjay just brutally shows you what war does to your indignation, to your compassion. How easy it is to cross a line between righteous anger and revenge, or how your sense of empathy and compassion can be manipulated into something monstrous by others, or by all the terrible, brutal, painful things you see.

How easy it is to loose yourself- and that goes for both of them.

Peeta and Gale aren't static characters, they go from representations of sentiments regarding an injust government to what happens to those feelings when an extreme situation such as war breaks out. All of that, by the way, while dealing with this duality themselves, because they are still characters who think and feel and struggle and have flaws of their own- and while I love what they stand for, I've seen too many comments that pin everything into what they mean, that they forget that Peeta and Gale are still people, they aren't perfect metaphors. They're human.

Ultimately, Katniss doesn't really choose peace. She wants peace, yes. But what she chooses is compassion. empathy. hope. There's a time and place for anger at injustice. There's a time when fighting back is the right thing to do. There are even times when you wanna give in to your despair and lash out. But if you want peace, then you have to choose Peeta, because Peeta represents what you need to focus on to achieve that peace. You have to let go of the anger or you won't ever rest. So Gale leaves, and does not come back... And yet, Katniss still has her moments of indignation, of making a stand, even as he goes - she still casts her vote at that meeting, she still shoots Coin. Katniss does not abandon that part of who she is. It's just not her main drive anymore.

So then she goes on to make the choice, every single day, to be compassionate to others. To have hope. To rebuild. Of course she chooses Peeta.

... Idk, man. These boys are so much more than what I see them so often reduced to. They're in all of us. There will be times to stand and fight, and times to show mercy and be kind. We just need to find that balance, as Katniss eventually did.

[fareehaandspaniards]

Miquella is nice

After finishing the DLC, Miquella made me think a lot. Before the DLC, he had a rather… one-sided image, I don't know what else to call it. He was incredibly kind, and we saw references for his connection to St. Trina initially (because we still remember Gwyndolin, who lived as girl. And we know Fromsoftware loves the archetype of the sad feminine young man). Miquella was a victim, was a martyr, and was an incredibly kind soul who prayed for Godwyn and invented a true miracle - the Golden Needle, which can help to hold the rot.

But the DLC absolutely turned his image upside down! And it makes me very sad to see a character's incredible transition and acquisition of a new layer of morality (gray) labeled as "bad writing" and "fuck GRRM he spoiled my baby boyy :(((((".

Today after talking with my spouse (He always helps me realize any fragments of lore. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the simplest things that everyone has long understood and accepted. Also! Happy birthday to my beloved!), I could only finally understand why everyone is getting so worked up about Michella, even though we've had a scenario similar to his "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" a long time ago. That was Laurence, everyone's favorite in Bloodborne, and Gwyn (he really wanted good things and it didn't turn out well :/), etc. I'll also remind you that the fandom (in the general sense) of Fromsoftware games is very fond of villains, and that's fine. But for some reason, when Miquella turned out to be not the good guy everyone wanted him to be, no one appreciated it. And I tried to defend him to the last in a discussion with my husband - Miquella sacrificed everything for the "greater good" in his understanding of the word, Miquella went the way of renunciation, Miquella knew how to love and loved his sister, Miquella wanted to correct all the sins of the past.

However, unlike most Fromsoftware villains, Miquella HIDES his atrocities (even from himself). Nashandra, Shabriri, Micolash, anyone - their motives are clear. They have principles, egos, backstories, justifications for wanting to be a destructive factor, some have these reasons built in at birth, some are insane, etc. Miquella, on the other hand, finds followers by Dishonest means, condemns Radahn to suffering for which to end the festival is organized, leaves his sister to die, condemns Mohg to be a puppet in his scheming, and still thinks of himself as a VIRTUE. He believes that the era he is about to found - will be good and bright. And with words of goodness he kills us in battle with Radahn!

Miquella is a golden apple with a very rotten core. We don't know, really, at what point he started to "rot". What's funny is that of the two twins, Malenia was rotten on the outside and he was rotten on the inside.

Miquella's center is in love. He carries self-love everywhere, charming and falling in love with almost everyone. That is why Malenia says, "My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the allure, of a god - he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all." I think he is the type of child who got used to being loved. The problem with this type is that he can become a wonderful person, or he can turn into a monster who will take love and attention at any cost. (My spouse reminded me here of stories of crazed maniacs who kidnapped those they loved and dreamed of a nonexistent future, not realizing the damage they were doing.)

But there are many questions that, perhaps, everyone should answer for themselves?

What vow did Miquella make to Malenia?

In my opinion, Malenia was not charmed by him. I've always wondered WHY she waits for Miquella at the cocoon in the Tree, even though it clearly shows Miquella being stolen???? She knew, she probably knew his plan originally. She had been waiting for his return like a god. But what had he promised? That when he returned, he would cure her of the rot permanently?

When did Miquella begin his "fall"?

There is no denying that Miquella was a good guy. He tried, he tried to help his loved ones. He looked up to Radahn as a child with respect, as the description of Remembrance of a God and Lord says. Miquella was in harmony with his other self, Trina. But what changed him? Failures? The desire to save everyone at once? The desire to be the most loved? To be perfect - a god? I'm inclined to think it was all of those things that corrupted him at once. After all, as a favorite child, he may have been flawed deep inside from the beginning.

Miquella had resurrected Radahn as a young, beautiful warrior, just as he had been before. But Radahn does not utter a single phrase during the battle, and his movements are more automatic. Radahn feels nothing, and it makes me think more and more that he's more like Miquella's wish come true, his hope of having a worthy consort he loved by his side.

Is Radahn a puppet or a future lord?

Nothing has been confirmed. I've also read that Miquella's spell was broken when his rune was split, that's how many NPCs come to their senses and realize everything. But I think his power would be enough to, like a necromancer, control a resurrected one? And honestly, it's unlikely Radahn would have wanted such a fate. He was holding back fate itself, the stars, so that what did happen to him in the DLC wouldn't happen. Thanks to Miquella, Malenia had turned Caelid into a solid rotten mess and blossomed her divine flower, and left Radahn in an insane state waiting for a noble death at the hands of other warriors. Miquella mutilated him. I don't think Radahn would have appreciated his methods, considering how dedicated he is to warriorship and uprightness, and also honors Godfrey.

What would have happened if the Age of Compassion had happened?

I think it would have been VERY bad. And after a major flourish of life and honoring Miquella, there would have been a decline and another Shattering. Miquella shows himself to be a man who does not tolerate dissent. I think there would have been a flowering of the Inquisition, persecution, murder, and brutal tyranny. And Radahn, most likely, would have simply been "squeezed out" by Miquella and destroyed by his boundless love. Yes, Miquella rejects his love, as @jarognieva correctly pointed out. But he rejected, in my understanding (we need a clear translation from Japanese here), his destined love, i.e., his intended spouse, Trina? Just as Radagon was Marika's spouse. Our Marika is a deity, but she is capable of love - her love for her son, Godwyn, caused her heart to break.

Fandom cancelled Mohg, now he is cancelling Miquella. People don't accept and don't want to comprehend the things that make them change points of view. That's how the witch hunt begins! So stop being shitty and decide for yourself what you think of Miquella before claiming him a "bad written character"

Miquella, as a character, has become an incredible bastard, manipulative and truly evil with a mask of piety. He doesn't go into battle as an honest warrior, he uses others. He "sacrifices" himself by actually sacrificing everyone else. But doesn't that make him MORE interesting?

He's broken a lot of headcanons, but I sincerely hope that the wave of love for him as a VERY gray character will still come! After all, he's a worthy villain archetype! A true evil hidden in a pure soul. How many fanfics, how many musings can be spawned from that. No need to deny him, rather try to accept Miquella for who he is. And don't make it into "good" or "evil". There's a particular aesthetic to how awful Miquella is.

[hajihiko]

You gotta explain one thing to me because I need to understand.

How do you see Kazuichi and Sonia's relationship? Like, how do you think they would interact with eachother after Kazuichi being creepy towards her (in the game and the anime)?

You hardly ever draw them interacting but they're both a part of one found family, right?

It's not an attack or hate or anything I just want to understand how you see it.

well firstly because I love to be difficult I don't Gotta do anything <3 but I get you

Basically

Kazuichi wakes up much less of a hormonal teenager for one. He also gets some Processing Time re: gender, sexuality and What He Wants (having a beautiful blonde princess gf was only about validation and not Actual Feelings). Also, he, like everyone else, gets A Talk from Hajime probably (the talk is like 'hey we all have to live together and we cannot fuck this up so everyone own their Issues right now immediately' this also goes for Fuyuhiko's anger issues and such). If they're gonna make this work everyone HAS to respect the others and be willing to change, Kazuichi somewhat especially (again, Fuyuhiko too, tho he already showed a willingness to change in spades).

Sonia doesn't think the behaviour was Fine but it feels very hard to hold onto anger for a) one of the 4 people left in your life b) after you both committed actual atrocities. Like the perspective is like "he was very annoying and inappropriate and belittling however I destroyed an entire country so. Priorities." Hopefully she'd also be amenable to a talk, wherein they both get to share their feelings and come to an understanding. Never gonna be besties, but they're family. It helps that Sonia is just. Super duper sweet.

I always wanted to do a confrontation comic where Sonia gets to tell and make her feelings known (I think her polite and kind manner needs to step down for a sec for her to really get it all out) but it's so much dialogue.... But it would basically be "you make me feel like shit, the way you treat me, even if YOU perceive it to be nice".

Basically, they're family and they love each other and also have a lot of problems in their past that might pop up sometimes (not unusual for family tbh)

[blood-starved-beast]

how would you interpret Maria hugging hunter in her visceral? i always thought of it as some sort of mockery from her

Sort of, but in the way that her whole fight is sort of a "mockery" of the concept of a dashing Heroic romance (In the Shakespearean sense of the term). Let me explain.

First, we have to understand Maria's character design in that she is of the bifauxnen archetype. The bifauxnen is a handsome, gentleman-ly type woman portraying all the traits we associate with a dashing hero: courageous, refined and sometimes aristocratic, and androgynous. She is the counterpart to the bishonen, the contrast to the more coarse Lad-ette. The most famous of this archetype of course is Lady Oscar from Rose of Versailles. She is essentially a Female Prince.

The Lady Maria reflects this design. Out of all the Hunters and Byrgenwerth crew, she is the one dressed to the Nines, wearing dashing Cainhurst fashion to something that is essentially nasty and wet and all the other things (the Hunt). She's wearing jewelry (the Lumenflower brooch) the cravat, the fact she curls her hair, the aristocratic looks and backstory (the fact that she's the Lady Maria, a Knight of Cainhurst Vileblood royalty), the fact that she was the one taking care of the Research patients and they worship her, etc. Her outfit fits along the lines of the Lady Oscars, Alucards, and so forth. The fact that she is the only one to realize the atrocity of her actions, to regret her actions and reject her calling as a Hunter, is so fucking introspective at the cost of noticing Gehrman's mania for example reads very much in line of a Romantic hero. She is presenting a Look and this Look says she is meant to come off as rich, handsome, and heroic as she's slaying monsters. At least, those are the visual cues the player is meant to read in that sense. And that is carried over into her actions.

Lady Maria fights the Hunter to "liberate [them] from [their] wild curiosity" - she is taking the role again, of the hero. The villain here, being that need for Insight and she is saving the Hunter from the call of blood. She then engages you a fight, a dance really, set to waltz - again, playing with those romantic hero tropes (assuming you don't parry her to death). The visceral attack therefore, plays into that fantasy. She treats you so gently cause of course you are the Victim enslaved by your thirst for knowledge, she is the romantic hero, mercy killing you with the sweet kiss of death. She steadies you as your now heartless body bleeds out onto the floorboards of the clocktower.

But like everything in Bloodborne, there is a catch you see. Cause the Lady Maria is not a hero in fact; she is a bloody coward.

Yes, Maria is the only member of the Byrgenwerth crew (and amongst the few Hunter in general) to make a dry stop + u-turn from the Hunt and the atrocities associated with that. But unlike someone like Djura, who at least is trying to be productive in his redemption, Maria runs from her mistakes. She casts Rakuyo into the Well and leaves. She joins the Research Hall and contributes to more atrocities there, but hey at least all the patients there love her right?? (😬) And when her brooding (or maybe insanity? who says she was immune to the Beast plague? Or Kos infecting her brain??) was too much for her, she takes her own life instead of you know, working to dismantle the systems - both the Research Hall and the Hunt itself. Her issues and her guilt - that is more important to her than actually helping or saving people. She the Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, Lord over nothing else but the reminder of her greatest failure. Both in life and in death.

Cause you see, her stopping the Hunter isn't really about saving them from their wild curiosity. The Fishing Hamlet is dead and gone. The effects are echoing throughout all of Yharnam in this day and age. Heck, the Hunter just came in from the Research Hall itself. It is well and truly Known, to prevent future atrocities of that scale, one has to know the events that led to those atrocities in the First Place. Lady Maria isn't helping you, isn't saving you from anything you already knew to begin with. She is, once again, trying to alleviate her own guilt and shame and trying to prevent others of knowing of that shame. So she tries to kill you. But you know, in a Heroic way. Hence why the whole fight is a sham and mockery.

She also hates your guts. I consider this to be tertiary canon at best, but the deleted lines has it so that she calls you insufferable, and baits you to kill her. She Does Not Actually Give a Shit About You. It cannot be more blatant than that. And how couldn't she? You make her recall her greatest shame, force her to break the last of her principles (no Vilebloodbending) so that your ass does not learn of what she's done. You also keep coming back, so you're a constant reminder that no matter what she does, her actions really do mean nothing, not before, and definitely not now.

Also she stares at you like this the whole fight if looks could kill well, you would be dead and not coming back (The way you ought to. Bastard. Stay dead already!! - Lady Maria, probably):

So yeah, she is mocking you with a oh so sweet kiss from the Handsome Hero type as she rips your heart out (breaking it) and kills you very dead. Cause fuck the Hunter specifically.

[jessicaloons]

Chapter 52: THE FINAL CHAPTER

Long live the walls we crashed through - I have the time of my life, with you ♥️

Masterlist - Previous - Epilogue

"I don't want to leave her..." Charles whispered and I smiled, snuggling closer "I don't want to leave you both..." he turned his head a little, looking at me "I call Fred, Ollie can race for me in Baku." he half-heartedly joked.

"Yeah, sure." I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

Charles sighed, pulling me closer to his side, while he cradled Emmie closer to his chest. Our little baby girl happily babbling, enjoying the warmth of her dad's chest. We spent the last days almost only in bed, cuddling and relaxing, watching over our beautiful daughter. Quiet days. Happy days. Exhausting days. But now, with Charles leaving for Baku, leaving me alone with Emmie, I was scared. From the moment she was born, Charles was a natural with her. It was like he was always destined to be a father. He made it look easy. Waking up in the middle of the night, taking care of her, letting me sleep. He was a natural, calming her down, cooing at her, making her fall asleep. A natural at changing diapers, not once looking grossed out by the atrocities that lingered in the dirty diapers. And then there was me. I was unsure of everything I did. Emmie didn't fall asleep in my arms as fast as in Charles, sometimes not falling asleep at all. She didn't calm down, just from hearing my voice alone and changing diapers was one of the worst things I ever had to do. I leaned my head on Charles shoulder, watching Emmie in his arms, the calm and content look on her face, the tiny smirk on her lips. She felt nowhere else as safe as in her dad's arms.

"You're going to wake her up from all that loud thinking." Charles said quietly, looking at me "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am. Having both of you here with me..." I said quietly and he smiled.

"Same. But that's not all... come on. Tell me." he insisted, and I sighed a little "Oh, that bad?"

"I'm just a little... worried?... yeah, worried, when you're gone..." I whispered and Charles turned, looking at me.

"Worried?" he asked and I sighed.

"You're so much better with her than me..."

"Okay, that's bullshit now..." he interrupted me and I glared at him "She's asleep and doesn't understand me anyway... why do you think that I'm so much better with her?"

"She's grumpy, you hold her, she calms down and falls asleep. She's crying, you hold her, she calms down and-..."

"I'm going to stop you right there... she calms down in your arms as well? Even faster! This is no competition-…" he interrupted me and I groaned.

"I know that it’s not a competition! It’s just-… you make it look easy… while I feel like I’m struggling… she’s so into you and I-…" I began quietly, but then stopped, sighing.

"Lizzie this little girl adores you, whenever she hears your voice, her eyes lit up and she tries to look your way... she's not even 2 weeks old but tries to turn her adorable little head!" Charles said and I shook my head slightly "It's the truth... she adores you! And whatever you think I do that looks easy? It’s not. And whatever you feel you’re struggling with? You’re not. You’re doing amazing and Emmie loves you… you're her mum and there is no place she loves to be more than in your arms."

"You mean your arms..." I mumbled and he shook his head, carefully getting up, putting Emmie down in her bassinet.

"Okay.." he sat back down next to me, pulling me into his lap "What's going on? Where's this coming from?"

"Observation?" I mumbled, looking down and he gently grabbed my chin, tilting my head up.

"I tell you what I observe, okay? I see my beautiful wife looking at our beautiful daughter with pure love and adoration. I see my beautiful wife checking in on our beautiful daughter every couple of minutes. I see my beautiful wife waking up every night at the tiniest little sound from our beautiful daughter and even when I get up, feeding her, changing her diapers, I know you're not sleeping, how I tell you too, no, you're awake and only fall back asleep when Emmie is back in her bassinet, sleeping herself." Charles looked at me.

"Yeah... you're feeding her.." I whispered and Charles groaned.

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"What?" I looked away, seeing Emmie stir a little in her bassinet.

"Look at me..." he cupped my cheeks "There's nothing wrong with bottle feeding, you know? It's..."

"I'm her mother and can't even breastfeed her!" I let out, louder than intended. Harsher than intended as well. I closed my eyes, feeling them stinging with tears "I'm her mother, and the one thing I should be able to do, is feeding her. But I can't. And that's-..."

"Nothing to be ashamed of. You tried it. Day and night. It didn't work. Again, there is nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn't make you less a mother. It doesn't make you a bad mother either. You heard the nurse, sometimes it just doesn't work, and there is nothing wrong with that." his eyes boring into mine "Please tell me you understand that. Please tell me you don't think like that."

"I- I don't know... I see you with Emmie and it looks so natural. Like you've never done anything else in your life. And then there's me. I feel like I'm failing her. You. When I can't even do the one thing that I'm supposed to do..."

"And you are doing what you're supposed to do! You take care of her, love her, feed her. Maybe in a different way, but that doesn't matter. You are an amazing mum. Can you please believe me?" Charles wiped some stray tears from my cheeks before he leaned his forehead against mine "You are doing amazing and Emmie couldn't have a better mum. Just like I couldn't have a better wife. So please stop thinking otherwise."

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. Up until this moment I didn't even realise how much it affected me, not being able to breastfeed Emmie, and that my insecurities were coming from that aspect.

"I'm trying to..." I began, but my voice broke.

"I know, cara mia, I know. But please believe me, you're doing your best. You're an amazing mother…" he whispered against my lips and I nodded slowly "And now you need to do me a favour…"

"Sure…" I looked at him and he pecked my lips then smiled.

"I need to see this gorgeous smile of yours… please!" he smiled and I rolled my eyes playfully, but then smiled at him "Belissima… and now come on. Emmie’s sleeping now, let’s have some dinner." he got up and pulled me with him, checking on Emmie before he took my hand in his, walking out of the room "Arlo, stay. Watch your little sister." he scratched his head and Arlo laid down in between the door and the bassinet, his eyes on the door.

"He’s guarding her…" I smiled and leaned down, stroking his side "You’re a good boy, watching over Emmie. Such a good boy."

During my pregnancy, Arlo never left my side, always watching over me. His head on my belly, listening to his little human sister and the moment we walked through the door with Emmie, he did the same with her, always watching her, looking around, making sure that everything was alright.

"He’ll protect her with his life. Both of you." Charles smiled as he pushed me down on a stool at the kitchen island, kissing the top of my head.

"That he will… so what do you want to eat?" I replied but he shook his head.

"I’ll cook… don’t look at me like that! It’s technically still breakfast time… or at least a breakfast would be fine… or breakfast food. Just let me-…" he began, pulling out some bowls, a cutting board, knives and whisks, before he walked over to the fridge rummaging around, returning with an armful of food "I saw a video from Jamie Oliver the other day… and I think I can do that, didn’t look too difficult…"

"And what is that exactly?" I asked and he smiled, chopping some mushrooms.

"Omelette with ricotta, spinach and mushrooms."

"That sounds delicious…" I admitted and he nodded.

"Let’s hope it tastes like it too…"

"I’m sure it will…"

Charles POV:

I packed my bags, ready to leave, although I didn’t want to. I just knew I would miss Lizzie and Emmie horribly and wished to be back at home all the time. But I had to leave and after I checked my bag thoroughly, made sure I didn’t forget anything, I sighed and got up, grabbing my phone while I walked out the room, shooting Joris a text that I was ready to go. Then I walked towards Emmie’s nursery and looked inside, my heart almost bursting with love. Lizzie sitting in the rocket chair, our baby girl cradled to her chest, singing a lullaby, calming her down. Lizzie’s voice was soft, almost angelic and I didn’t even think twice, taking out my phone, starting to film the beautiful scene in front of me. One day I would get her to record a song with me. Something I could take with me, listen to, whenever I would’ve been away and would miss her. Lizzie looked up and smiled at me, making a million butterflies go crazy in my stomach.

"What are you doing?" she raised an eyebrow and I smiled.

"Capturing some memories." I pocketed my phone and walked inside, stopping next to my two girls.

"Are you leaving now?" Lizzie took my hand, squeezing it and I nodded slightly.

"Joris is on the way… I don’t want to leave you…"

"It’s only for a couple of days… it’ll be fine…" Lizzie reassured me.

"I know that you’ll be fine… you’ll do amazing… but I’m going to miss you two so much…" I mumbled and she smiled, getting up carefully.

"Here… cuddle her one last time…" she laid Emmie in my arms and I looked down, our baby girl happily chortling and grinning her toothless grin "Isn’t she adorable…" she whispered and leaned in, putting her head on my shoulder.

"She’s beautiful." I said, gently stroking her cheek, Emmie gripping his finger "You’re so beautiful, baby girl, and so strong!" I cooed and Lizzie giggled.

"How did we make something so special?" she asked and I had to chuckle.

"As soon as I’m back from Baku, I’ll show you how." I whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Charles!" she gently nudged my shoulder, her cheeks blushing.

"You’ll see, hot mama, you’ll see." I wiggle my eyebrows and she groaned a little.

"Don’t call me that."

"Sexy mamacita?"

"That’s even worse." she laughed when my phone vibrated "I guess that’s Joris…"

"Ignore it… it’ll go away." I kissed Emmie’s nose, cradling her closer to my chest "I’m not leaving. Never. Nope."

"You have to, my lovely husband, you have to…" Lizzie said gently, combing her fingers through my hair.

"You have to send me a daily picture of her. Both of you. All together." I looked at her and she nodded.

"I promise."

"Okay…" I kissed Emmie’s cheek one last time "Bye my beautiful little princess. I’ll be back soon. Please don’t grow too much. I love you so much. You and your mum…" then I gently laid her down in Lizzie’s arms "I love you, cara mia." I smiled at her.

"I love you too." she replied and I kissed her slowly, pulling her carefully closer "You’ll have an amazing time… everything will be alright."

"Yeah…" her voice a little off.

"You’re amazing. It’s going to be fine." one last time reassuring her and she nodded "I love you." I kissed her forehead and she smiled.

"I love you too. And now go. Don’t let Joris wait that long…"

"I’ll text you as soon as I arrive."

"And by that time you’ll have your first picture of us."

"I can’t wait." I hugged both one last time and then grabbed my back, walking towards the door, Arlo already waiting "You take good care of our girls, alright?" I scratched his ears and he trotted away, straight to Lizzie and Emmie.

They would be fine. All 3 of them.

"Ready to talk about Emmie and Lizzie non-stop?" Mia chuckled when we stepped into the media pen and I smiled.

"Finally a topic I love to talk about." I replied when we stopped in front of the Sky UK crew, Natalie Pinkham already smiling at me.

"Charles, congratulations on the arrival of the new family member. How are Lizzie and the baby?" she asked.

"They're both doing amazing, thank you." I smiled.

"From revealing that a little Doetterer-Leclerc was underway, to the actual arrival of the little one, not a lot of time went by?"

"Yeah, we were able to keep this a secret for a long time and then the baby decided to come earlier than planned as well."

"I have to ask, because you haven't revealed anything yet, are we talking about a mini Lizzie or a mini Charles. Or do you want to keep it private." Natalie's eyes sparkled and I laughed.

"Hoenstly, I haven't even answered all text's from 2 weeks ago. Didn't check any of my social media accounts. I just got lost in this beautiful little baby girl..." I beamed and she smiled even more.

"A baby girl? Beautiful."

"That she is, I swear. She looks just like her mum, so no real surprise there. But yeah, the moment I left them both, I already started to miss Lizzie and Emmie."

"A beautiful baby girl named Emmie then? Gorgeous. Congrats again from the whole Sky UK team." Natalie smiled.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Is the new dad going to win this weekend for his daughter and wife?"

"He’s definitely trying his best, that’s for sure." I chuckled "Baku is one of my favourite tracks, that also suits our car very well, so I’d say if we can manage to put everything together, everything is possible."

"Thank you Charles, have an amazing weekend."

"Thank you." I waved her goodbye and followed Mia to my next interview, where most of the questions were about Lizzie and Emmie again.

It didn’t even bother me, answering these kind of questions because I loved nothing more than to talk about them. They were always on my mind and talking about them, helped me coping with the fact that they were thousand of kilometres away from me. As we walked back to the hospitality, I checked my phone, smiled at the daily picture of Emmie, Lizzie promised me to send.

"Charles?" I looked up from my phone, Max and Oscar standing in front of me.

"Hey! What’s up." I smiled at them.

"Congratulations man." Max awkwardly hugged me and I chuckled.

"Yeah, congrats. I guess I’m not your son anymore then." Oscar joked and hugged me as well.

"Thanks guys… and yeah, sorry Oscar… but you got replaced by the most beautiful little baby girl." I shrugged and he laughed.

"How’s Lizzie?" Max asked and I smiled.

"Amazing. She’s the best mum, I swear."

"And the little one?"

"She’s the most beautiful little baby girl. Seriously. She’s gorgeous. I could just look at her for hours, not gonna lie, I did that back home… You wanna see some pictures?" I asked.

"Is that even a question?" Oscar rolled his eyes and I showed them the newest pictures of Emmie "Oh wow, she’s adorable."

"What a cute little princess." Max added and I nodded.

"She’s so gorgeous. And her smile? Just like Lizzie’s." I beamed and swiped through the pictures.

"Man, look at you. All grown up." Max said, a big smile on his face "Married to the pretty girl from karting. Father of a beautiful baby girl…"

"World champion." Oscar added and I laughed.

"Yeah. You have it all now, you could stop crushing us on track and, you know…" Max wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh you better be quiet Mr. 3-time-world-champion Max Verstappen! I only won once!" I nudged his shoulder and he shrugged.

"What about both of you just stop and leave the rest of us alone?" Oscar threw in and Max laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah no. Not gonna happen, at least not soon, right?" he looked at me and I nodded.

"Yup. I have a family now that I have to make proud…"

"As if they weren’t proud already."

"Maybe, but one title isn’t enough. So, nope, Aussie boy." I laughed when Mia pointed at her watch "And now you’ll have to excuse me, I gotta go."

"Alright. See you later, say hi to Lizzie." Max patted my back and I nodded.

"Yeah, tell her that we miss her." Oscar added.

"Will do." I smiled and followed Mia.

"Sorry but it’s Silvia. You know her." she chuckled a little and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah… unfortunately I do…"

I sat down on the sofa, Emmie sleeping away in her bassinet, Arlo curled up right next to her, and switched on the TV, ready to watch the race.

"Lizzie?" Mum's voice coming from downstairs.

"I'm up here." I said, zapping through the channels.

"You should sleep, not watch the race.." Pascale said when they rounded the corner and I shrugged my shoulders "He can race without you watching, you know?"

"Golden rule, always sleep when the baby sleeps." Mum looked into the bassinet before she sat down next to me "And you look tired..."

"She didn't sleep much last night."

"That's why you should sleep now." Mum squeezed my hand, but I shook my head.

"When I sleep now, l have trouble sleeping tonight, if this little gremlin lets me sleep, of course..." I yawned while Mum and Pascale exchanged glances.

"You could put the bassinet in the guest bedroom tonight? I’ll take care of her and you have a night’s full of sleep?" Mum suggested carefully.

"She’s like me… every 2 hours like a clockwork… sometimes even every hour…" I mumbled.

"See? If she’s like you I can handle it easily. I’ll take her tonight and you sleep…"

"Yeah Lizzie… you look like you haven’t slept for days… a good night’s rest will do wonders…" Pascale agreed and I sighed, watching the camera pan onto Charles, sitting in his car, visor up.

The camera man seemed to love Charles eyes, zooming in on them, showing the beautiful shades of blue and green, the sparkle in them.

"Honestly? If that’s okay for you, mum?" I said quietly and she squeezed my arm.

"Of course! You sleep I watch my beautiful granddaughter…"

"And I come tomorrow morning and bring some fresh pastries, then we can have a nice breakfast." Pascale smiled and I had to look up for a moment, not wanting to cry.

"Thank you so much… it’s- it’s really not that easy as it always looks…" I whispered and they both chuckled gently.

"No it’s not, but it’s okay to accept help. You’re all alone, Charles gone, a newborn at home… it’s okay to get a little help here and there… especially when it means that we get to spend some time with our beautiful granddaughter, giving you a little breaks." Pascale reassured me and I smiled.

"You’re doing just fine, but a little rest will do wonders, you’ll see. And Pascale is right, everything to spend time with our gorgeous little girl." Mum added and I leaned my head against her shoulder "Let’s watch the race, have some dinner and then you’ll go and have a long bath and then go to bed and sleep as much as you can."

"Sounds like a plan. A really good plan…"

"Can you believe it? She’s already one month old!" I whispered and Charles gently kissed Emmie’s forehead.

"Time is flying… I don’t like that." he mumbled.

"Yeah, same…" I chuckled a little and watched him looking at our daughter with heart eyes "That was a tough race in Singapore…" I began, watching his shoulders tense.

"Lizzie…" he sighed and I squeezed his thigh a little.

"I know you don’t want to talk about it… but, please, don’t beat yourself up…" I said quietly.

"I’m a world champion and still make stupid mistakes like that… I should’ve won… but instead I locked up and had a flat spot…"

"Your brakes were imbalanced…"

"Still… but it’s okay, Lewis won. At least a Ferrari win." he whispered and I nodded.

"You’re still ahead of Max, it’s fine. You’ll win the next races then…" I kissed his cheek and he sighed a little.

"Yeah the next races that separate me from you for such a long time… I think I’m flying home after Mexico… it’s just too long." Charles looked at me "I don’t want to be separated for weeks from you… and with Vegas coming up after? With another 2 weeks break? It’s too much…"

"I was thinking… and I know it’s kinda too early, Emmie is too young, I think… and I don’t know maybe it’s crazy? But what if we fly to Mexico? After the race weekend? We could stay in Mexico for a couple of days, head to Brazil, then stay in Brazil for a couple of days before you’re leaving to Vegas and we can head back home?" I suggested carefully and Charles eyes lit up, a smile adorning his face, dimples on full display.

"Oh god cara mia, I wanted to ask you to come with me, but wasn’t sure what you would say… I would love that! Really!" he kissed my cheek, pulling me close "You think it’s okay? Flying with her already? I don’t want it to be too exhausting for the both of you?"

"It’s going to be fine…" I smiled and he got up, pulling me with him.

"Okay, I’ll plan everything. This is going to be our first trip as family…"

"Tone your excitement down a little or you’re going to wake up Emmie!" I shushed him and he looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry." he said sheepishly and I laughed.

"We need a passport for her. And I have to check my passport. Because I don’t know if mine is still valid now that my name’s changed…"

"I’ll sort it all out, don’t worry, for now I just want to cuddle with my two girls… I missed you." he pulled me with him towards our bedroom.

"But only a little bit! Sissy is coming over later on…" I said and he nodded.

"Only a little cuddle session." he climbed onto the bed, Emmie splayed out on his chest, holding out his hand for me "Come on now!" I took his hand and let him pull me to his side "This is perfection…"

"Almost… Arlo…" I said loudly and our floofball strode into the room "Up." I patted the space next to me and he quickly followed my hand, rolling himself up next to me, his head on my side "Now it’s perfect."

Charles POV:

"Come on, little princess. Let’s give your mummy a little time for herself!" I whispered as I gently laid her on the changing table, she gifted me her gorgeous smile and I kissed her forehead "You’re my beautiful baby girl, right?" I smiled and changed her diapers and dressed her up.

Then I walked back into our bedroom, laid her next to Lizzie and put on some sport shorts and a t-shirt. As I laced my sneakers Lizzie turned her head and nuzzled her nose against Emmie’s, who began to babble and smiled at her mum.

"Good morning my beautiful girl. Who dressed you up, making you look this cute?" Lizzie whispered and I stepped next to her.

"Her stylish dad of course, cara mia. And we’re leaving now, so you go ahead and sleep as long as you want, breakfast is waiting in the kitchen for you. I’ll go for a run and my little Emmie is coming with me, right?" I said and as I tickled her stomach she began to chortle adorably.

I picked her up, gave Lizzie a kiss on the cheek and together we left the bedroom.

"Let’s get you in the stroller and then we’re good to go!" I said and put her in, securing her.

Then I threw my phone and keys into the bag at the stroller, put Arlo’s leash on his harness and we left the apartment. It was a quiet but sunny Friday morning, not many people out on the streets and I enjoyed the solitude. We walked past the harbour when I spotted someone familiar, walking our way.

"Max." I said and he took his AirPods out.

"Hey Charles, Arlo…" he bent down, scratching his ears "And that must be baby Emmie then." he smiled, standing next to me, looking into the stroller.

"That’s baby Emmie." I said proudly.

"She’s adorable." Max looked at me "I guess we can be glad that she looks more like her mum…" he joked.

"Not gonna argue with that." I laughed, shrugging my shoulders.

"How’s everything going at home?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, it’s okay. Takes some time to accustom to everything I guess, but we’re getting there." I said, right when Emmie began to stir, making herself heard "What’s going on, my little princess?" I bent down, carefully picking her up, gently bouncing her up and down "Emmie, can you show Max your beautiful smile? Come one baby girl… yes that’s it." she began to smile a little and Max looked at her.

"She’s so cute. Look at you, with your little daughter on a run… mate we’re grown up…" he said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah… it really seems so…" I sighed a little "But honestly? This is better than I ever imagined, so I take it." I said, Emmie nuzzling her little face into my chest.

"You look happy, truly happy, mate." Max nudged my shoulder and I smiled.

"I am. Really. For the first time it seems like everything is going my way… my private life, my career…"

"I’m happy for you. Really…"

"Thanks mate, I really appreciate it… and who knows… you and Kelly… maybe there’s a little Max coming soon." I winked at him and he held up his hands laughing.

"Oh no. I have time. I watch you doing it for a while first… I think I’m not ready yet."

I laughed, making Emmie looking up at me, her big eyes shining.

"Believe me… the moment you hold your baby for the first time… it just hits you… ready or not, doesn’t matter." I smiled, kissing Emmie’s forehead.

"Yeah, maybe…" he shrugged.

"You just look in their little face and it’s game over… your falling heads over heels…"

"I can tell."

"Yeah… again, not gonna argue with that… but then again, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all."

"Welcome aboard Miss Leclerc and Miss Emmie, we prepared everything for you…" the flight attendant welcomed us on board and I smiled at her.

"Thank you." I followed her inside and sat my bag down "Your brother is crazy. We could’ve just fly commercial. This is ridiculous." I turned and looked at Arthur, who sat down Emmie’s seat and diaper bag.

"You know him. Nothing's good enough for his two girls… his words not mine…" he laughed and I sighed, handing him Emmie while I pulled the baby carrier out of the diaper bag, securing it around my chest.

"Yeah… but it’s too much…" I said as he handed me Emmie back and I strapped her into the carrier "At least I could talk him out of hiring a bodyguard…"

"That’s why I’m here." Arthur said with a wide chest.

"Sure… you…" Lorenzo stepped inside the jet, followed by Charlotte, and I laughed.

"I would say we are safe because of our two strong bodyguards…" I said and Arthur rolled his eyes a little.

"Whatever." he mumbled.

"Don’t be sour, little one." Lorenzo chuckled and sat down in front of me "Ready for your first flight with Emmie?"

"Second flight…" I corrected him and he looked confused but then it hit him.

"They flew from Italy back home… did you forget about that?" Charlotte said and he laughed.

"Yeah… our little girlie was flying already when she was only 3 days old." I kissed her head, listening to her tiny snores.

"Excited to see Charles?" Lorenzo asked when the flight attendant asked us to put on our seatbelts because we would start in the next minutes.

"Of course! I miss him… we miss him… it’s so quiet at home without him. I only hear my voice the whole day and I swear it’s driving me nuts." I sighed.

"You’ll see him soon enough." he squeezed my hand.

"And I told you to call me, if you don’t want to be alone…" Charlotte looked at me pointedly.

"I know, I know, sorry." I held up my hands when the jet started to take off.

"For now you have Charles to not be alone. And after that, we’ll see…" she smiled and I nodded, looking down at Emmie, who still slept soundly.

I looked out of the window, excited to see Charles after two weeks again. Although it was only two weeks it felt like a little eternity and I knew that for Charles it was even harder to leave not just me, but also Emmie behind. The jet didn’t even properly stopped, the doors weren’t opened yet, the first text of Charles already came through, asking if we already landed. The whole way to the little beach resort he texted, asking how long we would take.

"Go, before he totally freaks out. We handle the luggage." Charlotte smiled and I got out, taking Emmie out of her arms.

I turned around, walking towards the private villa when the door already flew open, Charles sprinting towards us.

"Cara mia, I’ve missed you so much…" his lips on mine, taking my breath away "And you, little princess. I missed you so much…" he cradled Emmie to his chest, pulling me into him "Finally I have you with me again…" he whispered, kissing the side of my head.

"Congrats on your win yesterday…" I whispered kissing his cheek "You were amazing."

"It was nice, yeah, but having you two here is even better…" he mumbled into my hair, inhaling deeply "Come on, I show you around…"

"You don’t want to say hi to the rest?" I scolded him a little "Or help with the luggage of your wife and daughter?"

"Okay, okay…" he sighed pecking my lips once more, before he gently put Emmie back into my arms.

I chuckled and watched him welcome his brothers and Charlotte, helping with our luggage. He then showed us around, Joris already sitting outside on the terrace waving at us, when we stopped in our bedroom upstairs.

"I get Emmie ready to take a nap, and then I’m coming downstairs." I smiled but Charles shook his head.

"I get her ready and you go down and relax…" he kissed my forehead and I smiled.

"Okay… I’ll leave you to it." I kissed his cheek and left, joining the others on the terrace, but when Charles didn’t come down to us after almost an hour I decided to check in on the two.

"Charles?" I looked inside our bedroom, Charles standing over the bassinet "You can leave her alone… she’s safe in there…" I whispered, hugging him from behind.

"I know… it’s just that I missed her… so much! I need just a little longer with her… I feel like I’ve missed so much of her life already, even though I’ve been only gone for 2 weeks." he whispered back, gently stroking Emmies back "I’ll be coming down in a couple of minutes."

I smiled at him, before I placed a kiss on his shoulder.

"Take all the time you need, my love."

"Mhhh I like that…"

"When I call you my love?" I asked and he nodded.

"It’s silly I know, but I like the sound of it."

"It’s not silly." I chuckled and pulled away a little, stepping next to him "I love you. And we’re so happy to be here with you. Having some nice days with you. Watching you race next weekend."

"My two girls watching me means I have to fight even harder, I want you to see me win…" he looked at me and I smiled "And win the title…"

"Of course." I laughed and he pulled me into him.

"I’m so happy that you’re here." he buried his face in the crook of my neck "You have no idea."

"Believe me, I have. I missed you just as much…"

"I love you. Both of you."

"We love you too."

My heart was almost beating out of my chest. Charles and Max both racing like there was no tomorrow, both adamant to set the fastest lap. It looked more than once like one would lose the car and crash out.

"Why are they risking so much?" I mumbled and Arthur squeezed my hand.

"You know them… you weren’t much better as well…" he said and I glared at him.

"I wasn’t that reckless!" I said and looked back on the screen, Charles setting the current fast lap, just for Max to beat the time by the tinniest margin.

I was anxious, almost nauseous with how they were chasing each other, something I felt the first time watching Charles race in Baku, where he was close to grazing the walls more than once. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, watching a race, watching Charles chasing victory, taking risks, was giving me almost a heart attack, more than once. I didn’t understand why, thinking back that just a year ago I was racing the very same tracks.

"Lizzie?" Charlotte said gently and I looked at her, Emmie in her arms crying "I tried to calm her down, but I think she wants her mum…"

"Hey pretty girl…" I cooed at her, cradling her to my chest, gently swaying around.

I rubbed soothing circles on her back, shushing her a little. I didn’t focus on the quali session, only on Emmie, when the garage around us erupted in cheers, and I looked back on the screen, seeing Charles last lap. Always on the limit, always right on the kerb, but he set the fastest lap, and would start tomorrow’s race from pole position.

"He did amazing!" Arthur cheered, gently cooing at Emmie "Your dad did amazing, baby girl. He kicked Max’ ass!"

"Arthur!" Lorenzo and Charlotte said in unison.

"As if she would understand me." he rolled his eyes.

"You’re like Charles…" I chuckled a little, still feeling a little anxious about the way Charles drove.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte looked at me "You look a little tense?"

"I’m good, don’t worry." I forced out a smile and nodded "He did really good."

"He did indeed." Lorenzo smiled at us "You want to come to the fence?"

"Oh no, I need to feed Emmie… I think I’ll head back to the hospitality." I said hastily and he nodded.

I left the garage and walked back to the hospitality. My mind reeling why all of a sudden I couldn’t watch Charles racing anymore, without almost having a heart attack. In the hospitality I sat down, preparing Emmie’s bottle and then feed her, when slowly but steady more and more people joined me inside. All comment about how cute Emmie was and how happy they were for Charles and I. I smiled and thanked everyone, the thoughts of Charles and his reckless driving getting pushed deeper and deeper into the back of my head until Charles himself showed up, telling me to go back to the hotel with Lorenzo, Charlotte and Arthur, that he had to stay a little longer.

"I’ll see you later… or in the morning…" he kissed first Emmie’s cheek and then me "I love you."

"I love you too… oh and congrats on the pole…" I smiled at him and he kissed the side of my head.

"Thanks, cara mia… I want to make you proud tomorrow…"

"Come back to us, be safe, and I’m happy. More than happy." I said and he nodded slightly.

"I will. Always."

Charles POV:

"Where is Lizzie?" I looked around as everyone was congratulating me and Andrea and Joris only looked away "What’s wrong? Did something happen? Is she okay? Is Emmie okay?"

"They’re both fine… it’s just. Well, umm Lizzie’s a bit… a bit emotional…" Lorenzo said and I smiled "Oh, no not in a positive way for you!"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I was ushered away for my interview but I turned away and looked at Lorenzo "What do you mean?" but he just shook his head and I was confused.

The interview went by in a blur as well as the podium celebrations, I looked down but couldn’t see Lizzie anywhere. When I returned to the garage I looked around.

"She’s in your room." Andrea said and I nodded. I carefully opened the door in case that Emmie was sleeping and my heart almost bursted when I saw Lizzie, sitting on the couch, our baby girl in her arms, peacefully sleeping as her beautiful mum sang gently to her. I closed the door and walked closer, then I saw Lizzie’s red eyes, stray tears running down her face.

"Cara mia? What happened?" I asked her and she flinched a little, but she didn’t look up or answered me "Baby? What’s wrong?"

She inhaled loudly, closed her eyes, paused a moment and exhaled.

"I think I can’t do this any longer…" she whispered, still not looking at me and my guts twisted.

"What do you mean?" I asked, voice laced with worry "What can’t you do any longer?" I was scared.

"This! Watching you race like that! Only one mistake from you or Max and you would end up in a wall! I can’t watch you being so… so careless!" she began, her whole body now trembling, fresh tears staining her cheeks "It’s not just you and me anymore! We have a baby now! I don’t want to raise our daughter without you, only showing her pictures from you! There are already too many people Emmie will only know from pictures! I don’t want you to be one of them!"

"Hey, hey! Cara mia look at me! Lizzie!" I kneeled in front of her, one hand under her chin, gently making her looking at me "You know that I’m fighting for the title? That the races will be now a little bit more heated? But cara mia, I would never risk anything that would prevent me from coming back to my two girls! Okay? I know todays race was a bit tougher then usually, but I had it under control, I would brake if I knew that I had to! I would never take the risk of not coming back to you!"

"But you did today!" she said loudly and Emmie woke up, looking around "Oh no, hey my little Emmie, it’s all good. All good baby girl." Lizzie cradled her in her arms but Emmie started crying "Please baby girl, I’m sorry… please don’t cry…" but Emmie felt her mums troubled feelings and wouldn’t calm down "I’m sorry, I’m making everything wrong today! I spoiled your good mood, ruined your win! And now I can’t even take care of our daughter, can’t calm her down! What kind of a mum am I?" Lizzie started now trembling even more and I gently took Emmie from her shaking arms, cradling her to my chest, then I sat down next to Lizzie and pulled her close to my side.

"Hey, stop that, okay? You’re an amazing mum, she just feels that you’re upset and she doesn’t like it when you’re upset! And I don’t like it as well, especially when I’m the reason! It’s okay, cara mia! You didn’t ruin anything! I won a race and I came back to my beautiful girls, nothing could ruin that!" I whispered to Lizzie and gently cooed at Emmie, who calmed down slowly. "We’re good. We’re all good! And look at you, my little princess Emmie, with your gorgeous eyes, the same gorgeous eyes like your beautiful mums! Yes, that’s right my little girl! You and your mum are the prettiest girls! Oh! Especially when you’re giving me that smile my little baby girl! Now I just need that same smile from your amazing mum, right? Yes you want that too, I knew it! So mum? Will you give us that smile? Please?" I looked at Lizzie, her cheeks turned red and she slowly started to smile "Look at that Emmie! There it is! That’s the smile that makes your daddy week in the knees and his insides melt into liquid! Oh and the butterflies, Emmie! The butterflies are the best but also the worst!" Lizzie giggled a little and I kissed her temple. She took a deep breath and gently stroke over Emmie’s head.

"I’m sorry, Charles. I didn’t want to… I didn’t thought that I…umm I don’t know. I just saw you both lock up, you turning into Max, he didn’t give you much space but you going for the corner anyway… and I was scared. I don’t know. Ridiculous. I was driving just a year ago as well on this track, probably just as reckless… it’s just, we’re having Emmie now and I was just so scared…" Lizzie whispered but I shook my head.

"Maybe it was too early, to come to a race? I mean I love having you here! But she’s only 2 months old and I think your emotions are all over the place because of your hormones, cara mia… I know I wanted to have you by my side, because honestly every moment I miss with her is literally killing me… but yeah... we have another week to relax a little and then you’ll fly home and then the season isn’t that long anyway anymore… 3 more races will be fine…" I said and Lizzie nodded hesitantly.

"I’m sorry, I thought I would be strong enough…" she whispered but I only chuckled.

"Oh cara mia, you’re the strongest person out there!" I said and she only shook her head.

"I don’t know, I can’t even watch a race because I’m so scared of losing you… that something happens and Emmie and I would be alone…" she sighed and I looked down at Emmie, who smiled at me, listening to our conversation as if she understood that what we were saying was something important and she had to stay quiet for it. I kissed her forehead and she reached for my face with her little hands, I had everything I ever wanted right here with me, Lizzie was my wife, we had a adorable baby girl, I won the title last year and had good chances on winning it again this year. What else was there to get?

"Do you want me to retire? Stop racing?" I asked and Lizzies eyes widened.

"I would never ask that from you!" she was shocked.

"You didn’t ask me, I’m offering. I would do it, for you, for Emmie! You’re worth more than any title that I could win! I have everything I’ve ever dreamed of, you, Emmie, I won the title… I would retire if that would make you feel better…" I said and Lizzie shook her head.

"No, because I know that you have it in you to win more titles and I know that you would always regret it, no, don’t look at me like that, I know it because I feel the same. I don’t regret my decision to retire. I regret that I had to make this decision, that I had no choice. I miss racing. Every single day. The only thing that keeps me sane is Emmie and watching you race. I love you, Charles, but you’re not doing that! You’re not retiring because you think you have to for me. Today was because I’m still really emotional, give me some time and I will be back to normal!" she kissed my cheek and then Emmies "You’re going now to your press conference and I’ll feed her and then make her sleep again!"

I kissed her, held her close for a moment before I gently laid Emmie back into her arms, and gave both one last kiss on their foreheads and left.

I watched Lizzie sit at the pool, her legs dangling in the water, Emmie in her arm, gently letting some water dropping from her hand onto our little girls back. Both looked at ease. Both beautiful. I took a picture, setting it immediately as my new lock screen when Lizzie looked my way, waving with Emmie’s little hand at me.

"Here you go. Cold drink for the lady. Escort service for the little lady."

"Eww. Don’t ever say that again…" Lizzie scrunched her nose when I took Emmie in my arms, handing her mum her drink.

"But it’s true…" I shrugged, walking back inside with her, taking off her diaper, sliding on a cute little bathing suit and then walked out again.

I adjusted the beach umbrella and sat down next to Lizzie, who sat now in the Baja shelf, the water pooling around my waist, Emmie’s toes dipping into the water, making her giggle. I leaned back against the edge of the pool, Lizzie next to me making sure that Emmie wasn’t overheating, gently rubbing her back and arms with her cool hands.

"I could get used to this. Only relaxing with my two pretty girls, a tropical paradise…" I whispered, turning Emmie around, sitting her down in my lap "Is that too deep?" I looked down at Emmie, now in the water until her little stomach.

"No, I think it’s fine… for a little while…" Lizzie smiled, bending down to kiss Emmie’s chubby cheek "And it looks like she enjoys it as well, so…"

"I enjoy it too, being here with you…" I smiled at her and she squeezed my thigh a little "Seriously, can’t the seasons not be over now."

"It’s over as soon as you won your second title…"

"Hmm… maybe…" I looked down, kissing Emmie’s head.

"Come on, only 3 races left. That’s manageable." she cupped my cheek, her thumb gently stroking up and down.

"Yeah but the next 3 races are all back to back… no break in between…" I sighed, leaning into her touch "That’s more than 3 weeks without you two…"

"I know, pretty boy, I know. But as soon as the season is over, you’ll have plenty of time with us."

"And I will need that time." I kissed Emmie’s head, lifting her out of the water "Time with my beautiful girls."

"You’ll get all the time that you want." Lizzie reassured me, leaning against my shoulder, cooing at Emmie "I fly back home, you win your title and then you’ll come back to us as a two time world champion."

"That easy?" I chuckled and she smiled.

"Yup… that easy… only-…"

"… 3 more races…" I sighed.

"Exactly… 3 more races…"

"Tell me we have it?"

"You have it..."

"We did it?"

"You did it..."

"Ferrari won?"

"Both titles... good job, Charles. What a last lap."

I couldn't believe it. We did it. The team. Lewis and I. We did it. After 17 years, Ferrari finally won the constructors' championship again. Both titles would go to Maranello. I began to cheer. Scream. Sing. It went all by in a haze of emotions, colours and chants from the moment I parked my car next to Lewis', who stood on the hood of his car, celebrating his win. When he saw me approaching, he jumped off his car, straight into me and we began to cheer, the fireworks above us illuminating the sky above Abu Dhabi.

"You did it mate! Fastest lap! We won the constructors!" Lewis clapped my back, and I shook my head.

"We did it! That's the whole team's achievement!" I smiled and we walked over to our team, welcoming us with loud cheers, waving flags and bis smiles on all their faces.

Fred stood at the left, wiping his eyes, old softie, behind him John Elkann, and for the first time since I knew him, he looked truly overwhelmed with emotions, eyes glistening.

We jumped into the awaiting arms of our team, all engulfing us like a wave washing over the shore. A sea of red only. Alessandro, Massimo, Mario, all wiping away their tears. Fabrizio switching between Lewis' and me, littering our helmets with kisses.

After another moment we pulled away, waving at our team while walking back, taking our helmets off and putting them down.

"Congrats, champions." Max said behind us, and we turned around.

I knew Max long enough to know that it was a tough pill to swallow for him, missing out on the title himself for 2 years in a row now, but now also losing the constructors and after tonight's race even P2 in the drivers' standings. But he held his head up high. A genuine smile on his face.

"Thanks Max." I smiled and hugged him.

"It was fun, finally fighting both Ferrari's again..." he chuckled and clapped Lewis back, walking back to his table and I had to supress the laughter when wiping my face, taking a large swig of my water. I watched Lewis walking up to his interview, a big grin, matching my own, on his face. I waved at the fans behind the fence, who cheered and clapped loudly for Lewis, who thanked the team, the fans, his family for the support throughout the season. He then turned to me, waving me over and I raised and eyebrow but followed his invitation.

"And a big thanks and congrats to this guy. I said it years ago, he's going to be a world champion one of the big names. And I was right, he drove another brilliant season and I don't know how he extracted that much pace for the last lap to win us the fastest tap, which was the point that was needed to win the constructors championship." Lewis smiled, handing me the microphone, and Jenson Button, who held the post race interviews looked at me.

"Charles, congratulations on your second world championship. It was already a done deal in Qatar, but still. How does it feel, winning the title for a second time in a row?"

"Incredible? Amazing? Unbelievable? Honestly winning one title already felt like a dream. But you know how they say? The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice." I chuckled and Lewis nudged my shoulder a little "No for real. This year it's even better, with winning the constructor's as well. After 17 years, both titles go back to Maranello."

"Tell us, how big is the party going to be tonight?" Jenson wiggled his eyebrows and Lewis grinned.

"I would say pretty big but yeah, not sure everyone will be in attendance..." he looked at me and I was confused for a moment.

"I don't know where you'll be, but I'm definitely going to cele-..." I began but then followed his look.

My eyes landed on Lizzie and Emmie. My girls. Both clad in Ferrari clothing. Lizzie wearing a shirt, Emmie a cute onesie, paired with Ferrari earmuffs. I only shoved the microphone back into Lewis hand and sprinted off. Running to my girls. Both looking at me, Lizzie's smile only fuelling me on, to run faster. The moment I reached them I pulled them carefully into me, crushing my lips onto Lizzie's taking her and my breath away. As I slowly pulled away, I looked down. Emmie's big blue orbs already on my face, an adorable smile on her little, plush lips, tiny dimples forming.

"Hi..." Lizzie whispered, and I looked up at her, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Hi, my pretty girls." I whispered back, leaning my forehead against hers and closing my eyes "19 days without you is way too much..."

"Someone counted the days?" Lizzie chuckled and I nodded slightly, pulling away.

"Hours, minutes, seconds..."

"Don't be dramatic." she laughed and carefully held Emmie up.

"I'm not dramatic, just honest." I pouted, cradling Emmie to my chest "I missed you so much, my little Emmie."

"I guess I can go then..." Lizzie said and took one step away, but I grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close.

"Oh, definitely not. I missed you too. I missed both of you so much."

"We missed you too, like a lot." she said, leaning her head against my shoulder, watching Emmie smiling at us "I thought we could come and say hi, watch you celebrate your second title."

"Watching races is okay again then?" | whispered and she sighed.

"It never wasn't. It's just... I don't know. I was too emotional that day. And had a bad feeling... but we just arrived at the hotel when the race started, so we didn't watch today..." she replied, and I nodded.

"I don't care if you watched it or not. You're here now. Both of you, that's all that matters to me." kissed the side of her head and then cooed at Emmie, who babbled excitedly.

"Charles?" Andrea's voice interrupted my bliss and I turned a little.

"Go, there's a trophy waiting for you." Lizzie took Emmie out of my arms, and I sighed.

"I'll be right back." I kissed first Emmie's and then Lizzie's cheek and then walked off, straight into the cool down room where Lewis and Max were already waiting.

"Look at him, he won his second championship last weekend but didn't smile that hard like he’s now smiling..." Max chuckled.

"Yeah, you can leave the trophies to us, looks like you already won the best ones anyway." Lewis agreed and I laughed.

"You're not even wrong there..." I nodded when Max was called first out on the podium, followed by me and lastly Lewis.

One last time the Italian anthem. One last time les toreadors. One last champagne shower and the 2025 season came to an end. And as the champagne soaked my race suit, the confetti blurred my vision, I looked down. Searched the crowd. There they were. My two favourite girls. Lizzie and Emmie. My whole world smiling up at me. I won 2 titles now. One for each one of the loves of my life.

The End ♥️

Chapter 52 - The final chapter… a well deserved happy ending for Lizzie and Charles ♥️ together with baby Emmie and Arlo they start their new life as a little happy family ♥️

But before it’s the final goodbye, you’ll get an Epilogue with a little more of our little family… stay tuned!

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