#Lucas Show Champion

[hoshi-kwon-soonyoung]

Lucas renegade performance ending fairy

Thank you Lucas for such captivating performances and for being an amazing and great artist and an even greater person🧡

⚠ PS: you can use my gifs anywhere, don't even credit me if you don't want to, just don't post them elsewhere pretending they are yours.

[stankfaceworld]

STANK FACE 4/3/24

some stuff on here that takes me back to stank face roots - pusha t young thug 03 greedo especially.

listening to 'whatever dude' and 'dizzy' back to back is a trip - so crazy as well as heartbreaking to hear how confident and charismatic ritchie and groggs were on their debut, and so much fun to hear the age, wisdom, confidence, and joy from riTchie now .

it's been 6 years and 'BERLIN' still makes me feel like getting hit in the head by a battering ram i love it so much. bearface chorus still an all timer for me. 'slug' is so great love how pretty it is while still sounding like its slipping and sliding everywhere. can't wait for whatever this project is.

played 'the climb' off of the cd and felt like an epic physical media wizard. that song is also still an absolute heater and so many quotable bars i can't even count.

anyway stank face bangers only etc.

[ferrstappen]

could you be more obvious? l MV1

a/n: thissss is based on a request I got and ofc I added the Verstappen twins <3 this is messy I’m sorry but I’m on a writing mood

summary: you show up pregnant for the first race of 2024, just six months after Max won his 3rd WDC.

Max being crowned world champion for the third time was something that made your skin buzz with excitement, a knot form in your throat seeing everything he’s achieved and the pride and satisfaction of knowing that every single person on the team had his back, was definitely one of the best sights.

But for Luca and Mila Verstappen, their papa being champion again time wasn’t exactly a big deal… they knew it was important because there were lots of fireworks and special tshirts, but they were born watching Max a champion, they only knew him as such.

what, like it’s a big deal?

They didn’t say it, but you knew that’s what was on their mind.

That was the reason why both Max and you decided to not bring the twins to Qatar, especially with the high temperatures and Luca’s history of getting sick during Grand Prix weekends, they were more than happy to stay with auntie Vic while you got ready to celebrate your husband.

And God, did you celebrate him.

Without the twins, the gin and tonics kept coming, the sloppy make out session on the VIP area of the club as if you were teenagers again, his front pressed against your back as he tried to impress you with his best moves, only to earn a couple of drunken giggles and peck on the lips.

Things were starting to quiet down, lots of people had already left to their hotel room, but you and Max were on a world of your own, with you sitting on top of him, but the moment you started feeling his lips ghosting against your neck, his hands moving from your waist to squeeze your hip.

and you knew it was time to go.

Bahrain, 2024

Max didn’t remember being so excited for race day. Yes, he was anxious for the new season, but the highlight of his day was seeing you getting ready, a loose blouse and white jeans accentuating the noticeable belly of six months of pregnancy, which was a complete surprise to everyone.

You entered the paddock through the main entrance, with photographers everywhere and Kym Ilman greeting your family, because the scene was worth more than a couple thousand likes on Instagram: you were holding Mila’s hand who in return was holding Luca’s, while Max walked with his arm protectively around your belly.

The twins weren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of having a baby brother or sister, a fact they made clear by asking every day if there was any chance to stop the baby from coming home eventually, telling you and Max that they were more than okay having the cats. Sadly, they were the only ones

“No! No! No! Is that why you went MIA on social media? Oh my God look at this bump! Congratulations you two,” Lily let go of Alex’s hand to give you a tight hug as Alex congratulated Max with a couple of pats on the back.

The scene repeated itself with most drivers on the grid, who didn’t ask how far along you were, but were able to deduce the situation. Until…

“How far along are you?” Charles asked you as he held Luca on his arms, letting him mess with his hair.

You blushed and Max’s chest puffed as if he has been waiting for the question. “I’m a couple of days away from the six months mark,”

Charles looked as if he was doing a very specific and difficult math problem as his girlfriend, Alexandra, stares at him with a faint blush on her cheeks, probably since she has always been more reserved around you because she was younger, but she was impatiently waiting for her boyfriend to catch on the situation.

“This is a 2023 season baby?” Charles asked.

“Looks like it,” Max answered with a smug smile on his face, but in reality it was an excited grin which reached his blue eyes.

“No…” Charles jaw dropped and had to put Luca on the floor.

“No what?” Max counter asked, even if he knew the answer. This time he started drawing mindless shapes on the clothes over your swollen stomach.

“Max… is this your championship child?” Charles whispered, shocked.

“What can I say? Winning on and off the track!”

And Charles almost passed out as both you and Max laughed, beaming while interlacing your fingers over your belly, knowing cameras wouldn’t catch you there.

user1: Max knocked y/n up the night of the third championship change my mind

user2: Max Verstappen pulled a k-mag and I respect that

user3: do we know the birthday of the verstappen twins? Asking for a friend

user4: y/n and max will have a full kindergarten if they have a kid every time he wins the championship💀

user5: are we really surprised after those videos leaked of max squeezing her ass while they were celebrating the 3rd wdc

user6: if the maths are mathing this baby will be born around the Monaco gp. GODS PLAN

[uniquexusposts]

Below Deck | C. Leclerc (1)

Summary: Y/n and Charles had broken up a few weeks ago. Y/n thought it was a good idea to enter the yachting world to get over the break up, but suddenly he shows up at the last charter of the season. How will they cope with it? Words: 3018 Read the story that was based off the one shot here Part 2

"All crew, all crew, the guests are arriving in ten minutes. Please, change into your polos," the captain said on the radio.

"Copied."

The final charter of Y/n's yachting season was about to start. She and her roommate Bobbie were standing in their cabins, changing into their polos. It was silence; they both were tired and glad this was their last charter.

Y/n was the third stew on this yacht, and Bobbie was the second stew. And you know what they say? They either love or hate each other. This time, they liked each other. However, they had a mixed relationship with their boss, the first stew: Helena.

"Last charter, girl," Bobbie said and put on perfume.

"Last charter," Y/n breathed. "Two more nights, three more days."

The entire crew made their way to the deck. They were standing in a line; Bobbie was holding the plate with the glasses of champagne, and Y/n had the plate with refreshing towels. The captain and chief stew were standing on the dock.

"It's the last one," Otis sang and did a silly dance. "The last, last, last." He was a deckhand.

Everyone laughed and danced along with him.

"I really hope the guests are chill, down to earth, not too demanding," Felix said hopefully, the engineer.

"And otherwise, we make the best of it," Bobbie said.

Six people were walking toward the yacht. The crew quickly peeked at their new guests but couldn't stare. Y/n looked at the group that had now arrived at the captain and chief stew. Her face straightened when she saw who the group was.

"Oh, my god, that is Max Verstappen," Felix whispered; the fanboy was getting exposed now.

"Who?" Otis asked.

"Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 2021 world champion," Felix said.

"I don't watch Formula 1," Otis huffed.

Eyes widened. "Is that Carlos Sainz? And Pierre Gasly?" Bobbie noticed them now.

"And Charles Leclerc," Luca said impressively, he was the bosun.

Charles Leclerc.

Y/n could feel her heartbeat rise, and her lips parted. There is no way that this is happening. Everything around her faded away for a moment. Her mind was blank. She barely knew how to stand up straight anymore, or how to breathe. The sun on her skin made her sweat even more. It is the last one, you can do it. Y/n returned to reality, cleared her throat and put her best fake smile on her face.

"Hello, welcome on board," Luca warmly smiled. "My name is Luca, I'm your bosun."

Max was the first one in the group, making clear he was the primary guest. He introduced himself to everyone and shook their hands. Kelly, his girlfriend and co-primary guest, was walking behind him. Followed by Carlos and his girlfriend, Pierre and...and Charles.

When Charles was standing in front of Y/n, their eyes met. She had not looked in those eyes for six weeks. Those blue-coloured eyes with touches of other more beautiful colours... However, the smile on his lips didn't reach his eyes. To her own experience, this moment took forever, but in reality, it was just a few seconds.

"I'm Y/n; nice to meet you," Y/n smiled. Well, she forced a smile. And it did not feel natural or convincing. She had to stay in her role. "Welcome on board. Would you like to have a refreshing towel?" She was the second to last person in the line.

Pain. She is acting like nothing happened. Charles swallowed hard. "Yes, thank you," he managed to say. He grabbed a towel and moved to the next person. He tried to listen to her words; he filtered her name: Bobbie. She offered him a glass of champagne. "Thank you, I'm Charles."

The captain was explaining a few things about the yacht. The guests were looking at Y/n, they knew her. And Y/n knew them personally. Y/n looked away from everyone, she could feel the judgy looks. Nobody knew she was here, doing this job. She went off the radar six weeks ago. They all looked back at the captain and first stew when they announced the yacht tour would begin.

Everyone but the captain and first stew walked off the boat to get the guest's luggage.

"I really cannot believe we have F1 drivers as guests," Felix cried. "I cannot believe that they shook my hand."

"Dude, chill," Otis smirked.

"I think they will be chill," Bobbie said. "They look chill and give off a relaxing vibe."

Felix grabbed a suitcase and a backpack. "Do you watch F1, Y/n?" He gave the two pieces to her.

The crew developed a thing during the season: adding Y/n's name at the end of every sentence meant for her.

"No, I don't, and I won't," she coldly replied and walked back on the boat with the luggage.

Oh, my, I can't wait for the moment they walk off this boat. She dragged the luggage down to the guest bedrooms. Everyone was so hyped to serve the drivers, but Y/n only wanted to cry.

"What is the room division?" Y/n asked Luca.

"Master is Max and Kelly, left is Carlos and Rebecca, and right is Pierre and Charles." Luca stepped toward her to check the labels. "You have Charles his luggage. You have to go to the right, Y/n."

You've got to be kidding me. "Perfect," she replied and opened the right cabin door. On the preference sheets, they requested to unpack their luggage, but Y/n knew Charles hated it when people touched his stuff. She bit her lip and placed his backpack on the chair. For a moment, she looked at it. It was just a black backpack, it was simple, and somehow she adored it a lot. "Fuck," Y/n whispered and took a deep breath. She stepped away from his suitcase and lifted it to be placed on the luggage chair. The only thing she did was open his suitcase.

"Oh, o, I'm sorry."

Y/n turned around, and she gasped for air. "My goodness, Pierre. You scared me," she whispered.

"Sorry," he whispered back. "I had no idea that you worked on a yacht now." The Frenchman entered the room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she softly said. Pierre stepped towards her and gave her a hug; he was not only a good friend of Charles, but also a good friend of Y/n. "How are you?"

"Good, I'm good, now I know where my friend hangs out."

She weakly smiled.

"Is everything good in here?" Helena entered the cabin with Pierre's luggage. The fake smile appeared on her face, but she looked judgemental at her stew.

Pierre smiled. "Yes, absolutely. I was asking Bobbie to help me with unpacking my suitcase." He pointed at Y/n.

Helena slowly nodded. "Perfect. Y/n, can you help me at the bar if you're done unpacking the suitcase?" She put the accent on 'Y/n'.

It made Pierre chuckle.

"Yes, absolutely." Then Y/n realised she answered the exact same as Pierre. Helena walked away. "Bobbie? Seriously, Pierre?" She wanted to grab his suitcase, but he was first.

"Neh, neh, neh, you're not doing this. I can do it myself," he said and closed the door behind him. "You sit, I talk, you listen," he said and opened his suitcase. "And I had to say a your name wrong, I don't know you."

"Oh, god." Y/n sat down on the free chair. She looked at Pierre. An empty feeling entered her body. "I don't know if I can do it, Pierre," she hopelessly said.

"Then don't pay attention to him."

"How?" She shot back. "Did you know how hard it was to not burst into tears when I saw it were you all who came? Pierre, I'm not ready to face him yet."

"And what do you want to do now? You can't walk away, we're already sailing away."

Y/n groaned, annoyed.

"But Y/n, why did you go off the radar? I was worried."

"Yachting," Y/n simply replied. "Working my arse off." She got up; it didn't feel right to be in a room and doing nothing. "I barely have time to keep up with everything. On my breaks, I do a power nap. On days off, I'm just enjoying my free time-" She got cut off by a radio message for her. She replied straight away. "I gotta go, we will speak later."

"Yes, of course. I'm happy to see that you're doing fine, Y/n," Pierre mentioned. "This is something I do not have to worry about anymore."

Her fingers were wrapped around the doorknob, she only smiled weakly. She opened the door. "And, Pierre?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't be like shit, we can't handle more shit guests anymore," Y/n whispered and squinted her eyes.

Pierre grinned. "It really depends on how we get treated."

"Get out of here." She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. It did her good to see Pierre again, but it was not how she would have liked. Someone wanted to walk down the stairs when she wanted to walk up the stairs. "You go first," she politely smiled.

Charles walked down the stairs, slowly. His eyes were glued on Y/n. The salmon orange-coloured shirt highlighted her tanned skin tone. However, it seemed like she had lost some weight. His lips parted. "Sorry, I didn't know you worked here, Y/n," he whispered.

Her eyes closed for a second or two; the way how he says it will never tire me. "I...is...is everything to your liking?" If Y/n left her role to him, things would escalate.

"Yes." Charles had to switch between being informal to formal. It hurt him, but if this was what she wanted... "It's perfect."

"Perfect. If there is anything that we can do for you, please don't hesitate to say it."

"I will, thank you."

And away she went. Y/n ran up the stairs and faced Helena at the bar. "I will be back in a sec; I have to change into my work clothes," she smiled and walked to the crew mess.

The smile dropped from her face, and she stormed to her own cabin. She closed the door behind her and balled her hands into fists. "Fucking hell," she breathed and felt the tears flowing in her eyes.

--

Y/n yawned when she walked up the stairs. It was seven o'clock in the morning, and her day shift had just started. It was the second day of the last charter. She was about to check the bar, but she noticed two people outside in the lounge. I hate morning people. This is not a pleasant way to start the day.

She walked to the lounge. "Hello," Y/n smiled.

"Hello, darling," Rebecca warmly smiled.

"Good morning," Carlos smiled.

"God, you're early," Y/n softly said, breaking the character for a second, regretting it already.

Carlos smirked. "You know us."

"Yeah, that is true. Is there anything I can get you?"

"I'm fine; I'm just enjoying the sunrise," Rebecca said.

Carlos nodded. "I'm fine too."

"Perfect. If there is anything that you want, just give me a shout. Will the breakfast still be at ten?" Y/n felt uncomfortable; she was serving her friends. And it usually would not matter, but this is the top-of-the-top service she had to give.

He nodded again. When Y/n stepped away, he inhaled. "Y/n, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright, busy with work. How about you?"

"Happy to have a weekend off," Carlos answered her question.

"I had no idea you worked on a yacht now," Rebecca admitted. "Do you like it?"

Y/n looked around. Yes, her job was to entertain the guests and be polite. But to a certain point. Being personal was crossing the line. But it were her friends. However, how much would it affect her tip at the end? That was why she entered the yachting world. "Yeah, I had no idea that I would end up here," Y/n also admitted. "But you know, it's something else, and I think it's fine for now." And it is quick and much money.

"How many more days do you have left?"

"This is the last charter."

It was silence.

"Gosh, I miss you, girl. It's so hard to not act like friends," Rebecca breathed and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Because I can see how you distance yourself from us."

There goes the tip for the crew.

"I'm sorry. It's just... I don't want them to know that I know you. So I'm sorry if I act like a cold bitch, but I... They can't know," Y/n stammered and swallowed hard. "Because I want to laugh with you, talk to you like we used to, but if I do, I will get in trouble for being too personal and crossing so many lines."

Rebecca got up from the lounge. "I know, I know," she said and hugged Y/n.

"I miss you so much," Y/n whispered, hurt. "Seeing you again, makes me so happy."

"When you're finished here, we need to go out, okay?" She looked at her friend when letting go of her.

"Yes."

Felix was walking around the boat, checking if everything was looking decent. "Good morning," he said. One of the guests was sitting on the lounge, and the other was standing next to Y/n. "Is everything okay here?"

"Yes, thank you," Carlos smiled.

Y/n forced a smile on her face. "I'm talking Rebecca and Carlos through the planned schedule for today," she said to her colleague. "Everything is still going as planned." Felix nodded, satisfied and walked away. "At the picnic... I heard that more people were joining you?"

"Lando, George, Alex and Daniel are joining with their girlfriends," Rebecca mentioned. "Are you coming too, or will that not be on your service? Or do we have to ask if you will join us? You're one of us, you have to be there. This was your idea." Y/n joked about booking a yacht with a beach picnic a couple of months ago, only because she watched Below Deck.

And they actually booked it. The realisation hit Y/n. This was her idea, and she couldn't even join them. Well, on the other side. "I was one of you," Y/n replied. "And I can't join you. I am working. I won't be able to lunch with you."

"You will, we will make something up. And yes, Charles will be there. But you don't have to hug or kiss him. We will make sure you will be sitting on the complete opposite of him, yes?"

--

"I am so glad that this is the last picnic," Bobbie breathed and placed some plates on the table. "I fucking hate picnics, especially on the beach. It looks so nice when you can just sit on your butt and eat. But it is a pain in the arse when you have to make it look so nice. I mean, the sun is breaking me apart, there's sand everywhere, nothing is stable," she complained.

Y/n smiled, but bit her lip to hide it. She placed the cutlery next to the plates and only listened.

"I'm sorry for my complaining hour, but now we can talk without other people hearing it," Bobbie mumbled.

"No, no, please, share everything you want. I'll just listen," Y/n replied and softly chuckled. "Because I can only agree with you."

"And you know what I heard? Helena was talking to Otis in the crew mess - she didn't know that I was in the laundry room - and she literally said: 'Since the moment the guests have arrived, I have not heard Y/n's name once. Not once. Do they even know that we have a third stew? I am working my arse off, and she gets to do nothing.'," Bobbie dramatically said, and she looked sorry at Y/n.

Y/n stopped placing the cutlery on the table. "What? Is she serious?"

"That is what I heard..."

This could either be the truth or a lie to create drama. "I work my arse off, she is the one who does nothing. She only makes out with Otis and lets us do the work. She can kiss my arse. Whatever. Just one more day and it is over," Y/n defended herself. "I'm starting to move to the dislike side. I liked Helena at first, but she's doing weird things and blaming us for it."

"I stopped liking her after the first charter when she screwed me over by saying that the master was not cleaned yet. That was her job, it was even on the board. And suddenly, it was my job without saying shit to me," Bobbie ranted. "She can suck my dick."

The radio went off. "Bobbie and Y/n, the guests are on their way."

Bobbie grabbed her transceiver. "Perfect, thank you," she friendly said.

Y/n burst into laughter and continued putting the cutlery on the table. "You're such a snake."

"Learnt from the best," Bobbie proudly said.

"Sassy."

Fifteen minutes later, the table was all set, and the guests arrived. Bobbie quickly took a photo of the table while Y/n walked over to the tender to help the guests out of the tender.

"Thank you, Y/n," Max smiled.

She gave him a nod and helped Kelly, who was also getting help from Kelly. She was followed by Rebecca, Carlos and Pierre. Y/n looked at Charles and stuck out her hand. She could see the doubt in his eyes, but he grabbed her hand anyway. She gasped for air and saw every memory she had of him, playing in front of her eyes. And it looked like Charles had it too.

Charles looked away and jumped out of the tender into the water. "Thank you, Y/n/n," he softly said and let go of her hand.

"Anytime," she lipped and swallowed hard.

It had been just over 24 hours, and she barely had seen Charles. He was avoiding every contact moment between himself and his ex-girlfriend. Y/n noticed it, it hurt, but it was for the best. She looked down and closed her eyes; she just wanted to walk further into the sea and drown.

"The other tender is arriving, Y/n," Luca said.

Y/n opened her eyes and looked up at the bosun. "Thank you, Luca. I will let you know when they want to go back," she said and padded the tender a couple of times.

"Copied."

She waved at him when he sailed away. Her eyes fell on the other tender, and she put on another smile. Y/n stepped to it. "Welcome, everyone."

"Y/n!" Carmen excitedly said, but straightened her face right away. "Oh, my god, sorry. I don't know you," she apologised. Rebecca had asked the others to pretend not to know Y/n, only to protect her from her colleagues.

"It's okay, darling," Y/n said and smiled comfortably. Once again, she helped everyone get off the tender, and she made an agreement with their bosun. "I will call you," she mentioned. He nodded and sailed away as well.

The beach picnic started.

It was fake. Her smile was fake. Her laugh was fake. It seemed like her happiness was fake as well. Charles couldn't keep his eyes off Y/n. It was so incredibly hard to be around her. How she was pretending nothing had happened. But she probably had to do that because of her work, but still. It hurt him to see her smile at him. It hurt him how she would serve him drinks without any problem while he was freaking out on the inside.

"Is everything to your liking?" Bobbie asked and looked around.

Multiple nods and yeses were shared.

"Amazing..."

Y/n walked away from the table and let Bobbie do her thing with talking. She grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip. Her eyes were resting on the table. I should have been there as well...

...because I am still in love with my ex-boyfriend. I tried to forget him during my six weeks of yachting, but I can't stop thinking about him. I can't get over him because I am still connected to him. We were together for four years, and he was my first real love.

And we broke up because we thought it didn't work anymore.

We thought...

Stupid thought.

Seeing them all together feels like a reminder that everyone has moved on. That he had moved on. I feel ashamed of myself for feeling this way. I need to move on too. But I can't move on because Charles still occupies so much space in my head. It is really starting to annoy me and affect my life. I can't see a way to move on because every time I try to move on, he is still in my head, telling me that I'll not be happy with someone else. This terrifies me because I know it is true.

He was my first love, and he is my only love.

What am I meant to do now? I'm 24 years old, and my life feels so unfinished already. It's so difficult when everyone is moving on, and I am just stuck in the same place.

"Hello, Y/n?" Bobbie was waving in front of Y/n's eyes. "Are you here with me?"

A shock went through Y/n's body, and she looked at Bobbie. "What? Yes, why?"

"You're crying?" Bobbie squeezed her eyebrows together and looked worried. "Are you okay?"

Y/n felt her cheeks; they were wet. Her heart dropped. She dried her cheeks quickly and forced a smile on her face. "Sand in my eyes, no worries," she smiled.

"If you say so..."

"I say so." Y/n cleared her throat and looked at the table again. Her eyes got stuck on one person. Their eyes were locked. All the air got sucked out of her lungs.

Charles saw it. All of it.

Part 2

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos@crashingwavesofeuphoria@maryvibess

[vintagegeekculture]

Hi, do you happen to know the name of the cartoon from the 80s where they rode inside giant tires with guns on either side?

That's Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, a French-Japanese-American co-production. It had the avant-garde elements of French animation, the slick, imaginative sophistication of Japanese scifi animation, and the merchandisability of an American 80s cartoon. The premise has been compared to Star Wars, with its young impulsive hero, cocky pilot best friend, funny robot sidekick, and wizard mentor, but the number one thing it seems to take from George Lucas is that the interstellar future will be a lot like California in the 1950s, with greaser kids working on hot rods in their garage, and drag racing in their spare time.

A lot of 80s cartoon shows have aged disastrously (Thundercats is particularly hard to watch at times) but Jayce has aged incredibly well, mainly because of the solid characters and the fact the writing team included Joseph Michael Straczynski, who had them lean heavily on continuing storytelling that stretched throughout the series. It's right up there with Galaxy High School, Real Ghostbusters, Pole Position, and Vytor: Starfire Champion as 80s animated shows that actually are pretty good and are worth it to rediscover.

In fact, the continuous storytelling may be the single greatest weakness of the series: like Conan the Barbarian, it never got a legitimate finale. A series like this deserves nothing less than a Götterdämmerung.

JMS was famous for being one of the first creators active on the internet, at the time, answering questions on the Compuserve forums in 1992. A lot of his early comments on Babylon 5 have been preserved for posterity (B5 fans used to pore over them like sacred scrolls), but if you look at the actual transcripts, most of the questions he got were about Murder She Wrote, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors and Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. In fact, there was an early appearance of people wearing Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors' Lightning League symbol to very, very early B5 get togethers.

[muxas-world]

Pecco wanting to have his sports persona represented by how fair and sportsmanlike he is, is so funny and intriguing at the same time. Because, for one, it shows he is very much aware of what people expect from him, coming/raised by Vale and the VR46 camp. He knows how unsportsmanlike some of Vale’s actions are perceived (which, on its own, is a whole topic because what he really thinks and judges about Vale’s actions could be a mix of feeling like the academy boy Vale favored the least, with Aspar, etc., having more to do with his development, and how he and Luca see things outside of the idol). Pecco wants his legacy to be far away from that. He wants to be remembered as fair, as someone who doesn’t need iconic rivalries to be remembered. And it’s funny because it kinda works??? Especially if you look at this year—outside of his run-of-the-mouth moments, with his apologies and his effort to stick to fair racing and comments toward Jorge—he is now being seen as a sir,a good sportsman who deserves all the respect for being fair and showing you don’t need to be aggressive or mean to your rival to have a great fight. This has been said by journos, podcasters, and fans, so it did work. But somehow, I don’t think that makes him happier?? Why? Because that conversation is fun if you actually win something—but he doesn’t. (Which, to be fair, with him, I think he’s known for a while now that he wasn’t winning this championship.) So, he has to stand on the podium, watching Martín celebrate, and you can see he doesn’t want to be there. He’s actively disconnected. Take that video of Rivola saying congrats for how clean he was, and Pecco just didn’t answer, avoiding eye contact same behavior that when he was with Izaskun, saying congrats to Martín.

We know Pecco, by nature, is petty (all great champions are, to some level) and has his own ego, so it’s really fun to see him fight against his own nature to play the bigger man, just for the sake of the narrative.

[distantlaughter]

THE SECRET NICO ROSBERG (IN HIS KARTING DAYS) TOLD BY DINO CHIESA

originally written by Luca Barnaba for TKART magazine 5 March 2022 (x)

The 2016 F1 world champion as you've never seen him before. Through the anecdotes (which are about destroyed hotel rooms, prostitutes and much more!) of those who knew him well, before he became a star.

After winning the Formula 1 world championship in 2016 and retiring from racing at the end of that same season, Nico Rosberg has shed his driver's shoes to take on those of an entrepreneur-influencer. In recent years, the former Mercedes driver has been involved in a variety of areas, such as promoting projects aimed at environmental sustainability, creating teams that participate in international electric racing series (such as the Rosberg X Racing team in Extreme E), and posting vlogs, track analyses, and stories on social media and about his life and memories. In short… About what Nico Rosberg is today, one really knows or can know everything.

But to know who Nico Rosberg was before F1, world triumph and fame, one has to rely on the stories of the people who saw him grow up and take his first steps in karting, people who know him well, like few others. Dino Chiesa is one of them. A prominent figure in the world of karting, founder of Kart Republic, over the years he has been manager and mentor to some of the promising, later to become undisputed stars, in karting and beyond, including: Alex Zanardi, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Lewis Hamilton and… Nico Rosberg himself.

Of Nico's karting period there are several "stories," especially about the emergence of the friendship-rivalry with Lewis Hamilton (another phenomenon of that generation), but very little is said about who (and how) young Nico was.

It is Dino Chiesa himself who reveals: "I remember him as a child, perhaps smaller than others his age. In the sense that he was more innocent than other peers: 'mannered,' polite." Kids, you know, at 10 to 12 years old begin to develop their character, on and off the track. And, basically, they divide into two groups: those who are less…mischievous and those who…are a little more so. If of Nico we can safely say that he fell into the former, his friend and teammate at the time, Lewis Hamilton, just as quietly we can say that he was part of the latter: "I have an episode that explains how Nico was, even compared to Lewis. I picked them up at the airport. When we arrived in Padua, before dropping them off at the hotel, we passed through a street where there are several prostitutes. Nico, naively, asked me 'What are those women doing there'. And I, considering that he was only 13 years old, replied 'They are waiting for the bus.' Nico did not reply. After a few seconds, however, Lewis said 'Can I take the bus tonight?'"

The genuineness of Nico's era, goes hand in hand with his goodness, which, according to the manager, could also be a flaw, especially when it related to races and competitions, although "Like all good people," Dino Chiesa recounts, "he later bursts."

"And he goes further, erring twice. The first time because out of his goodness he suffered. The second time because by blurting out he then overreacts."

If the portrait of little Rosberg you are getting from these stories looks a lot like a blond angel, know that it is not so. Even Nico - as a teenager - had a chance to show himself reckless: "One morning," Chiesa says, "he comes to the track before the race, makes me promise not to say anything to anyone, and shows me a wound on his foot. I ask him, 'How did you do that?' He said, 'Lewis started hitting me with pillows last night. I responded and we ended up throwing mattresses at each other outside the window of our hotel room. To avoid getting caught by my father and you we went to get them back only to climb over a net…I cut my foot!' I couldn't bring myself to scold him!"

A "naughty" little boy, like many others, then. Unlike many, however, Nico had to handle an unusual challenge early on, that of carrying a "heavy" last name on his shoulders: "Certainly having a father like Keke must not always have been easy. Every time, especially as a child, the comparison was automatically triggered, even though Nico was someone who never abused his surname and did not seek advantages just because he was famous.

"Indeed, as I know him, he is someone who would even go and sleep in a 2-star hotel without necessarily needing to have the suite. Also because, to be honest… He is someone who is very careful about spending."

His distinguishing features over the years have not changed: "For me he is still Nico, the kart guy. He hasn't changed. As he was then he is now, so much so that we talk very often by text or phone. And I for him, in my opinion, am still the one in the kart, his boss. So much so that he still calls me 'boss' today." Also because in his interpersonal relationships he has always maintained that good dose of genuineness: "He's not one of those people who has to have his friends who are soccer players or who are stars. If there is a need to go for a bike ride to train, he even goes with his neighbour."

Impossible, however, to talk about Nico Rosberg without putting his innate talent under the magnifying glass: "I put him among the best in the dry lap! In behaviour, however, he is a gentleman. One of those who does no improprieties, never over the top. Fast, but correct. Not a common thing." But his strong point was undoubtedly working on the kart and finding the best set-up: "He was The Best. In the sense that he was the first to do the dirty work, to prepare the material, to do whatever was necessary to develop chassis and engines."

[warden-melli]

Pokémon Legends Arceus theory:

While the identity of the protagonist(s) in legends Arceus bare a striking resemblance to Dawn and Lucas from the Diamond and Pearl games, it is never confirmed in game that these characters are actually one in the same. Most players assume that you play as an older version of Dawn or Lucas. One who has been selected by Arceus, and brought to the past to carry out its bidding, but there’s some clues that indicate that this may not be the case. While there are alternative theories to who the protagonist may truly be (including them actually being Dawn or Lucas’s child, and not them themselves), I propose one of my own

At the start of the game, this is some of the first dialogue we encounter

The way that it is worded implies that the character being spoken to wouldn’t already be familiar with what a pokemon is, or the Pokémon world. We know that the player character in PLA is around 15 years old. Older than Dawn and Lucas in their DPP appearances, so it’s out of the question that they wouldn’t already know what a pokemon was. They lived and grew up in that world, and we know that they have had many adventures with pokemon by their sides, so it truly doesn’t make sense for Arceus to explain the concept of a Pokémon to seasoned Pokémon veterans such as Dawn or Lucas

The text also explicitly states that the character will “soon find themselves” in a strange world that is inhabited by creatures called pokemon. This seems to indicate that whatever world this character existed in prior to the Pokémon world, didn’t have any creatures called Pokémon at all

There’s also the matter of the players mobile phone. We get to see it briefly in the opening scene, before Arceus transforms it into the iconic Arc Phone.

And it looks suspiciously like a real world, modern smart phone. Now this could be Dawn or Lucas’s phone from the future, but the problem with this is that phones in the Pokémon world do not look like this, with the Rotom Phone being the standard

These phones have a distinctly different shape and properties to the one the player first arrives with. It’s only after Arceus transforms the phone that it more resembles the look of the other phones seen in the series

This points to the character, whoever they may be, not coming from the Pokémon world or it’s future, but from somewhere else entirely. But where?

In HG/SS there was an (extremely creepy) event, in which you witness Arceus creating a new Dialga, Palkia or Giratina (based on the players choice). Interestingly, this event takes places at the Sinjoh ruins, and includes Sinnoh’s champion Cynthia, which is a neat little connection from this event to PLA in and of itself, but it’s the actual cutscene that’s relevant to this theory, more specifically the visuals. They show the real world. This is just a tiny selection of the multiple real world images presented as part of the cutscene

This is the real world in a Pokémon game. This shows that is very possible for Arceus to reach across time, space, dimension and even beyond. Into distant realities. That the Pokémon world has worlds beyond it, and that Arceus can see and reflect them all

This theory argues that this is where Arceus abducted the player character from, and instead of being that worlds Dawn/Lucas from the future, they’re instead a different Dawn/Lucas from an alternate dimension. Ours.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This can’t be true. They have to come from the Pokémon world, because the characters are wearing clothes that reference other pokemon locations, and the phone case has an image of a pokeball. The wording is a clear 4th wall break to set up the plot of the game, and Arceus is obviously talking to the player, not the literal character themselves… and you could be right, but I believe I have an explanation

It’s merch. Pokemon does exist in our world, just not as real creatures that physically exist. It’s very possible that the clothing the player is wearing (and their phone case) are simply pokemon merchandise, and they’re huge pokemon fans. While their battle prowess could be explained by future Dawn/Lucas having mastered their skills over the events of DPP, it could also be that the alternate reality Dawn/Lucas gained those same skills simply by playing the video game version(s) of DPP. It’s important to note that the shirts shown in game have no obvious connection to the Sinnoh based Dawn/Lucas, but the designs would be familiar to anyone who has played the other games in the Pokémon series (having appeared in XY and Sword and Shield)

Okay, assuming this was the case, wouldn’t this mean that the character would already be familiar with pokemon, even just as a franchise? Didn’t the dialogue imply that they wouldn’t know what a Pokémon is at all?

True. While it’s a certainty that a future Dawn/Lucas would already know what a Pokémon/the Pokémon world is, it’s also true that In this exact scenario, it’s very likely that of course the character would know what a Pokémon is. But in the context of them being real life creatures, in a strange new world?

Not exactly…

(This is just a silly little theory, please don’t take it too seriously lol. There’s plenty more arguments that could be made for and against it, but it’s interesting to think about anyways and just for fun. I kinda like the air of mystery and unanswered questions that the Pokémon world has, and it’s tons of fun to overthink/over analyse the games)

[marvelstars]

Fate and Choice in Star Wars

I believe Star Wars tackles the whole issue of fate and choice in an interesting way because it allowed for destiny to exist while also allowing for free will.

Fandom often considers this to be a reason to condemn Anakin´s choices but imo, If we take this pov at face value, Anakin definitely wasnt the only one who made bad choices in the story, he is simply condemned because he became Vader but while Lucas certainly wrote Vader as a character suffering for the consequences of his actions, he also wrote him as a victim of circunstance but also a hero who in the end had to come back from the darkside not for his own sake or for his Son but because this was the neccesary element for the Galaxy to be freed from the Sith.

Anakin wasn´t the only one who made bad choices and if we don´t understand Palpatine´s role on all this then we don´t understand Anakin´s story because just like the Jedi would not have taken a slave army to go from peace keepers to soldiers and fight in the clone wars if given the chance, Anakin would not have turned to the darkside without Palpatine´s involvement.

The reason why George Lucas insisted on showing Anakin as a kid on Tatooine, was to show he wasn´t just a nice kid, he was an awesome kid who already had many Jedi virtues and given the chance he would have become Tatooine´s champion even if he stayed a slave, simply because he was powerful but this power he used instinctively to help those less fortunate than him, to protect and love his mother and to help his friends or even strangers in need like Qui-Gon and Padme were, even if that meant him risking his life for them. Anakin was all those things already and while he probably could have need at some point a guide to learn how to use his force powers, just like Luke did, Anakin was well on his way to become on his own one of the greastest force users ever simply because he cared, he was kind and wanted to help make the universe better.

Qui-Gon didn´t need to force the issue about Anakin being trained on the Jedi Order or even become a Jedi, he could have asked for Anakin simply being given a force guide and to free his mother but he didn´t, because he was more interested at the time in fulfulling a prophecy than on Anakin´s personal best interests, he did a good thing freeing Anakin but made a mistake leaving Anakin´s mother a slave. The fact Anakin was indeed the chosen one didn´t mean he had to be trained at the temple, the prophecy talks about a strong "force user" who would balance the force and defeat the sith not a strong "Jedi" and it´s told like this because at no point this force user could not fall to the darkside in his free will, he could but he still would be the chosen one,Vader was still the chosen one even if he was fallen.

Yoda should have keep his first decision of not allowing Anakin to be trained as a Jedi because he already knew a family and would hardly adapt to the Temple, he should have keep Obi-Wan from training Anakin because Obi-Wan wasn´t insisting on training Anakin for Anakin´s sake or even for the Order, he was doing it because he was mourning Qui-Gon and wanted to fulfill his last petition, Yoda sympathized with Obi-Wan but at no point Anakin´s best interests were taken in consideration when it was decided he had to be trained as a traditional Jedi. This Obi-Wan addmited and understood in the OT when he said he made a mistake believing he could train Anakin as well as Yoda did but the issue was even deeper than that.

The reason why Palpatine, who was hellbent on turning Anakin to the darkside, allowed him to be trained as a Jedi were clearly stated on the Darth Plagueis novel: Being taken from his mother and her left to suffer on slavery with her Son knowing this, while training in an Order of people who could not understand "missing his mother" as a natural emotional response, were the first tools Palpatine used agaisn´t Anakin to turn him to the darkside, this was way better than any kidnapping or torturing scenario Palpatine could come up to turn the kid and he used this very fact to become his father figure. All this because Palpatine understood way better than the Jedi of his time, how absolutely damaging this was going to be for Anakin´s psyche and so a benefice for his plans.

All of this happens beyond Anakin´s control or decision making, in the rest of the movies he is mostly reacting to those events without actively making a stance on it and that´s such a tragedy, because as a kid he had such a strong force of will to do the right thing and love those around him and in the second movie he is so used to be given orders he almost doesn´t complain or argue even in the face of losing his mother or Obi-Wan, his other father figure.

So yes Anakin did made bad choices he regretted, he planned on just rescuing his mother from the tusken raiders even after being told they had actively tortured her for no reason for months, he had enough strenght of mind to keep himself from hurting them even knowing that, what he could not forgive was them killing her and while he was horrified by his actions after the fact, this original hurt, to know for a fact that had he stayed on Tatooine, a decision that was taken from him as a child, could have as well save his mother´s life and actually made a difference for the slaves on Tatooine given all of them were ignored at the center of the republic, this was the beggining of Anakin´s fall, there´s a reason why Qui-Gon ghost reacts the most at Anakin´s fall on ATOC than at his actions on EP III, the fact of the matter is that he already had partially fallen in AOTC but we would be kidding ourselves if we believe this decision was something Anakin made just on his own free will and wasn´t the result of other people caring more for what he could do for them or what he represented to them than about Anakin the person.

Despite this fact Anakin still went on to become one of the greastest and more caring soldiers and generals in the clone wars, who cared not just for victories but also of giving people under his protection a chance, be it by helping them learn how to take care of themselves in the face of violence, something that later would help sustain the rebel alliance, or because he wanted to show the clone soldiers it was perfectly ok to have their own individual thoughts and express themselves with freedom. So even a half fallen Anakin that Count Dooku could detect, had still so much of himself to genuinely care for the fate of those unders his authority but with time this also eat at his own psyche.

Everything else was a consequence of this, Anakin understood the nature of death as a child, he understood and tried to do his best to keep people from dying but after losing his mother the way he did, he developed a fixation of keeping those close to him alive, something that only made him fall further because then he was send to the middle of a war in which he could feel every soldier die, his master was thought dead twice and even his padawan was in constant danger, so being given the idea of losing his one constant after his mother in his life, Padme and their future family, was enough to permanently break him.

This doesn´t mean he wasn´t given a choice but it was a choice affected by the circunstances around him and especially by the emotional and force traps put on by Palpatine and of his will taking a beating every time he tried to make individual decisions bassically since he was an infant.

This is also why ROTJ feels so liberating as the climax of the story, because in this movie, while Luke certainly cared about Vader and wanted to give him an out from the dark out of compassion for his father, knowing his story, Luke also realized that to save his father also meant to save himself, because for him killing his father meant falling to the darkside, what he didn´t realize until the end was that his father´s fate was to save the galaxy, even from himself and his master, so Luke saved his father, his father saved him and then Anakin decided to save the galaxy out of compassion for his Son and what he believed in.

I believe Star Wars as a story is richer when we consider all those circunstances as well as the characters choices.

[ray935sworld]

Lost podium - marcmarc

He was used to it by now. Not that he didn't hate it as much. But it had some weird familiarity to not pull in Parc ferme and return to his garage instead.

He was used to saying an apology to his mechanics for fucking up the race. He has been so close to a podium. P2. He had been on P2 for so long and losing the 2nd place to an 8 time world champion surely wasn't the worst thing. Especially when said was on a better bike than he was.

And P3 was completely acceptable. He would be incredibly happy with a P3. But then he had pulled the stupidest move in existence. Going wide and letting Bastanini through.

He could basically hear his father sign loudly. He didn't want to talk to him right now. He knew what they'd say. He wondered when his guilt would be too much and he finally did call his parents. He had been stupid and now he had to endure the consequences all while trying his best in less than 24 hours. He felt like a child, failing one exams just to have another test in the next lesson and therefore being unable to concentrate on anything.

The unforced errors would forever break his neck. If every unforced error were an overtake, he'd have more wins than Vale and Agostini together.

He went through the interview and the evening like he always did. He told the same things like he always did. He spoke about progress he didn't truly believe in. He faked some happiness and optimism. He did believed in his team but he wasn't able to actually execute it.

He congratulated Pecco as the academy met for dinner. He forced himself to laugh about the bad jokes that were made on his behalf and shot the same ones back. He listened to Luca ranting about the Honda. He was obviously torn between happiness that there was some progress and frustration that he was still stuck in the 2nd half of the grid and barely able to fight for the remaining points.

He was used to the weird feeling of knowing he could have done better by now. He hated it none the less.

He knew how to get ride of those thoughts. But today, it was different. Today he had been so close to Marc. He had been close to him the whole weekend. Somehow they had always ended up near each other.

He had no idea how but he definitely wasn't complaining. Even though his stupid brain had decided to give himself false hope and think that Marc had looked at him during the media day and the fan parade. He even thought he had caught him sliming at him, but he had probably grinned over a joke from Alex.

Still all those moment and his mistake that cost him a podium were stuck in his mind.

He was tossing and turning in his bed but he couldn't fall asleep. He wanted to blame the jack let. But he knew it'd be a lie.

He contemplated staying awake until he was too tired to even keep his eyes open. But that would probably be still a few hours to go and then he would manage only 3 hours to sleep. 4 max. And then he'd be tired-grumpy and unable to focus on his job.

He sighed as he stood up again. He quickly threw on some running gear and went outside. Maybe getting some energy burned would help.

At the end he ran 1 lap. He was about to start the next one when someone said his name.

"Bezzecchi?" He flinched. He hadn't excatly expected company. He turned around, to see a smaller man, somehow dressed in a hoodie despite the still thick heat.

"Marquez?" he asked confused cause he couldn't quite believe that the soft lightning of the circuit was actually showing him the older gresini rider.

"Did you expect someone else at... 2 am?" he asked with a laugh. "I didn't expect anyone at 2am. What are you doing here?" he asked confused.

He was panicked. Slitly. Somehow it felt like he was crossing boundaries. Vale's boundaries, but still boundaries he should respect. After all, he had done a lot for him and talking with Marc Marquez of all people in the middle of the night surely would pass as questionable. At least. Especially cause Marc had been his crush for quite a while now.

"I could ask you the same" he countered. "But I asked first" "Right. Okay, I couldn't sleep. It was a long day and the traveling is still in my bones" "Yeah... Same" he muttered.

"Naaaah, I don't believe you" "What?" "I don't believe you. I'm old. I can't adjust to the time that well but you... What's really the reason why you're standing here?"

Marc looked at him for a second. His eyes wandered. He was clearly checking him out and a part of him regretted while the other was super happy he had gone for the extra tight running shirt.

Marc didn't had the decency to at least and hide that he was, in fact, looking at Bez body. His chest, to be clear. The tight and sweaty shirt left no room for imagination. It also gave him the answer wheter he was still wearing the nipple piercing Marc had once spotted on a picture.

He was.

He wondered what they would feel like against his skin. His lips. Before he realize what he was doing, he licked his lips.

Bez was starting to panic. His crush was clearly checking him out and now - Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He had to do something. He had to get away or close or -

"I am very sorry about you losing the podium." Marc said, eyes now locked with his. His voice was soft, but there was a daring tone to it. "I was looking forwards to share another one with you. You deserved it"

Without any of them noticing, they got slightly closer. The distance between them shrunked. "Thank you... It was... Well, you know how it is. And congrats to your podium"

"Thanks... Would have been more fun with you there"

Suddenly Marco felt a hand on his wrist. He didn't dare look. Instead he watched how Marc's eyes were focused on the bracelets there. He had got then from his sister, his mom and his best friend in Italy.

They were really meaningful to him, so he normally didn't like people touching them. This however seemed different. He didn't flinch or pulled back. Instead he tested how far Marc would go and Marc tested how far he could go. Searching for the limit. As always.

"I like having you on the podium... It makes you smile in a very beautiful way. And you look fucking breathtaking up there" he whispered, his hand now lingering around the younger ones fingers and the simply grabbing them.

Bez didn't hesitate and let their fingers intervene. It felt warm and he smiled as he looked down at Marc. They were standing closer than ever.

"Marc?" he whispered. "Yeah?" "Why are you doing this?" he heard himself ask and with that, he once again destroyed his own luck.

With that simple question doubted returned to his mind. He wondered why Marc Marquez would be interested in him - the rider that didn't live up to the expectations the most.

Unless... All the warnings that Vale had shared with the academy about other riders manipulations techniques returned. He felt panic rise on him. Was that part of it? But why him? Why not Pecco? Pecco would make more sense. Okay, Pecco was married but he wouldn't put it past Marc not to be bothered by that.

"Because I like you, Marco. You've woken my interested since you stepped up and you are smoking hot. Especially when sweaty and on top" he grinned and Bez felt his stomach heating up. He hadn't quite expected a statement that bold. "On top of the podium of course..."

"Then why do you... Why now?" After all, this was his 3rd year in MotoGP. "Well, I doubt I would still have a head if I tried this last year... And in 2022, I was out half the time. Not really a good bonding opportunity." He laughed. The darkness around them swallowed it.

Marco wasn't sure what to say or think. But there was no need. Marc crossed the last distance between them, standing on his tiptoes as he kissed his cheek. Bez immediately felt them heating up.

He knew he was turning red but Marc just smiled at him.

"Good luck tomorrow, Marco" he said as he tilted his head to the side he let go of Bez hand. "Try to get some sleep. Okay?"

He was about to turn around when Bez grabbed his wrist. He couldn't help himself. Confused he looked at him. "Is that some sick twisted way to destroy my concentration for tomorrow? Is... Did you tell that to Pecco too? Is that your way of fucking other ones races up"

He knew it wasn't nice what he accused him of, but he had to.

Marc froze. He didn't like to admit that the accusation hurt more than he had expected. He knew where it was coming from. Of course. So he didn't blame the younger rider. And in his defense, he had used some questionable methods already. Flirting didn't seem like out of pocket for him. But fake flirting? With Bez? No.

"I am not playing with you. I am very serious about this." he reassusered him. "I want you to have a good race and see you smiling on the podium again. It's where you belong and you look very pretty there."

He could see that Bez wasn't believing him. He wondered if putting his hands on his cheeks and pulling him down to him and kissing him after very sentence until he was convinced might be too much. He decided it was.

"And no. I never talked to Pecco like that and I never would. Or anyone else for the record. At least not since I know you." "I don't believe you." He smiled. It was a calm, sad smile.

"I know. That's okay. I really hope you can somehow find it in yourself to let me try and give you trust in me. I am really not lying to you, Marco." "And how would I know that?"

"Do you not trust me because you think I'm actually a bad person or because the people around you told you not to trust me?" he finally said. It was all he wanted to know. And not getting an answer, instead being answered with silence, was enough he had to know.

He smiled again, kissed his other cheek as well. "Well, then... Maybe you should start forming your own opinions. I'd be happy to help" he offered as he walked away.

"Tomorrow night. My motorhome" A thumbs up was all the answers that was given.

That was the last thing spoken between them, before Bez went to sleep. And had the best night of rest in a long time.

[elkdiaries]

stranger things summer headcanons because tis the season

mike is that stubborn idiot who halfway gets heatstroke from wearing twelve layers of clothing in the 90 degree heat.

lucas and max are carnival CHAMPIONS. they go on all the rides, eat all the cotton candy. once they’re in there, they won’t leave until it closes for the night.

will really likes swimming. however, he prefers the lake over the pool, because it’s less crowded. he ends up teaching swimming lessons to all the toddlers over break, and mothers love him to death for how gentle he is.

dustin and erica have a weekly tradition of loitering around family video on saturdays. it’s one of their busiest days, so their annoyance has put (the very prone to distraction) robin and steve’s job’s in jeopardy too many times. keith watches them with a very keen eye, once proclaiming to dustin that he’ll have his head if there’s any further funny business.

at the beginning of the warmer months, max likes to get an extremely short haircut to avoid the heat.

mike’s incessant boredom always has him picking up new hobbies, or enhancing the ones he has over the summer. he’ll learn to make friendship bracelets, or to skateboard with max’s spare (on the off chance she lets him), or write half a novel.

el became a daily patron of their local ice cream store the very second that max explained to her what a waffle cone was.

lucas once caught dustin watching my little pony with his sister, and while his confusion and nonstop laughter was prominent at first, he was very quickly thrown into the viewing. the three now meet up as often as they can to watch together.

mike works at the movie theatre, partly for the money, but mostly because he likes knowing first which new horror and fantasy movies are coming to hawkins. his vast knowledge delights will, and improves their movie visits together.

erica built a treehouse a little ways away from her house, which is the frequent location of midnight ghost stories galore with her friends.

the byers’ yard is vast and empty, the perfect location for bonfires. whenever possible, the whole party bands together to throw a bonfire bash, complete with jonathan’s killer smore’s.

while dustin goes to camp know where in june, lucas attends a basketball camp. there, his investment in the game grows, and he’s able to make a ton of friends who show him awesome tricks and techniques.

[ferrstappen]

world champion/twins dad l Max Verstappen x reader

love note: HELLO LOVIESSSS! How are you all? it's been such a long time and for that I am so deeply sorry. To be honest it's not that I don't want to write because I've been dying to but for some reason inspiration just doesn't seem to come, but this request made me weak and awakened my mind a bit so I hope you enjoy it <3

i do feel up for little blurbs or scenarios if you want to come to my ask box and we can daydream endlessly <3

summary: the tragic chains of events before Luca Verstappen started feeling terrible. (dad!Max)

Mila & Luca Verstappen, age 6. Zandvoort.

Max warned Luca about the incoming rain the moment he noticed him shrugging off the official Red Bull rain jacket, favoring the tailored track jacket from the Dutch GP collection with his last name and dad’s number on the back, but of course his carbon copy complained, retaliating with things he learned in school, usually when it rains there’s clouds and it’s cold, and right now Luca Verstappen was seeing with his own two blue eyes the sun shining outside.

He repeated the same explanation when you told him he needed to wear his jacket.

“Your dad lived here, he knows the weather. Listen to him and out on the jacket,” you dictated before fixing Mila’s hair under her special Dutch GP cap.

Max shrugged before facing Luca, “You listened to mama, jacket it is! And I can’t be late so hurry up,” Luca huffed while grabbing and putting on the Red Bull jacket.

It seemed as if everyone was waiting for Max’s arrival to the track because the flashes were blinding, the tens listening to their papa when he told them to cover their faces. Knowing you wouldn’t be seeing much of Max today and taking advantage on the twins covered eyes you decided to leave a kiss on his lips, whispering congratulations on his full lips.

You grabbed the twins hands as Max made sure the cap covered most of Mila’s face and only showed part of her curls, but of course Luca still wasn’t convinced with the jacket.

“Papa, it itches,” Luca complained and you could still listen to the flashes and screams of your family surname.

“It’s a rain jacket, Luca. It’s not it itchy, and I am not requesting you to put it on, I am telling you to do it or I am going to do it,” Max never needed to change his voice or posture when reprimanding the kids, but usually his choice of words were enough to command the twins to comply.

That’s how you ended up in the Red Bull hospitality, with Luca running his hands through his hair after taking off the infamous jacket and letting the smell of caramel fill his nostrils.

Soon enough, stroopwafels were being served to the attendees, and especially everyone offering one to the Verstappen twins walking hand in hand, always supervised by you, or their grandmother, or their great grandmother.

"Mila, you can't say no to a stroopwafel," Luca told his sister showing off his dutch, especially since their Oma and super Oma were limiting English while in Holland.

"I am full so I am not accepting more food, Luca," Mila informed his brother as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If you don't want them, give them to me,"

That was the first thing that went wrong.

The second one was when everybody was focused on the final laps before the red flag, your eyes glued to the screen and ears fully focused on Max’s radio. The perfect moment for Luca to take off the obnoxious jacket.

Thats when everything went wrong.

Max and you were woken up at the same time; head pounding from the celebrations and clothes thrown somewhere on the floor, but it didn't stop you from hearing your son crying while throwing up, waking his sister up in the process.

"Sweetheart, get dressed oh my God," Max said throwing you one of his shirts as he put on his discarded boxers before making your way to the twins bathroom.

You stayed with Mila, calming her down and assuring her nothing was wrong and his brother probably ate something and his body was reacting, while closely listening to Max comforting Luca trying to assure him he was going to feel better eventually.

You thought that was it, but of course it wasn't, because now neither you nor Max were sure of the headache was because of the adrenaline, the drinks or the lack of sleep from Luca's constant vomiting.

Gross.

But that was how you learned that it wasn't just the stroopwafels. The small version of Max Verstappen had a severe case of sweet tooth and didn't deny himself the flavors from his country with fresh poffertjes, a couple of pannenkoeken with sweet toppings, were on the top of Mila's head as you tried to understand how a six year old managed to fit so much food on his stomach.

Then came the fever and the dull pain in his ears.

The first thing you managed was to go back to Monte Carlo, at least that way he’d be sick on his own room and own place, where the older and more tired Jim and Sass would fall asleep on the feet of his bed.

For some miracle, the twins had managed to fall asleep during the short flight, allowing you to snuggle into Max’s side, who pulled a thick blanket on top to cover both your bodies, resting his head on top of yours while he enjoyed the relaxed motion of your fingertips drawing shapes on his shoulder.

“Max?” You softly pronounced his name, he softly groaned in acknowledgement. “When did we decide to have children?” You asked and Max laughed with his eyes closed.

He opened his blue eyes and left a kiss on you lips before he started falling asleep again, mumbling that maybe you two weren’t the best with decision making.

“Do you think we should leave M with the sitter and bring Luca to the ER?” Max questioned, this time it wasn’t your playful husband, it was the worried dad, the one who decided to leave his home celebrations, enjoying being the home hero with his entire family, the well deserved late nights partying after equaling Sebastian’s record.

“I’ll call the doctor but don’t worry, you have a couple of days to rest before Monza, and we weren’t even supposed to come back home so just enjoy the quiet days,” you kissed his temple. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to Holland? You know I’ll manage with the kids,”

“Don’t even say that again, i’m sorry I didn’t keep an eye on him, he didn’t listen to me and didn’t use the fucking jacket and then ate his entire weight on sugar,” Max sounded truly disappointed in himself.

“Are you going to make me tell you that you were working and barely had a moment to take a breath? Don’t be stupid, honey,” you said and Max smiled.

“I love it when you tell me off but call me honey,” He dedicated you his best sleepy smile.

A car was waiting for you in Nice to take you home, Max getting ahead of you and calling the twins doctor, and of course as soon as he saw the pale looks of the usually flushed Luca, his droopy eyes and constant shivering, he gave him some medication and gave the very stern order: no flying for Luca Verstappen until his ear infection was gone, meaning the plans for your family to go to Monza were postponed until further notice.

Little did you know that Mila was already plotting the tears to attend Monza, regardless of his brother’s illness.

[anitalianfrie]

San Lorenzo ||| pecco/luca, 680 words

Pecco remembers well that night. They are fifteen or sixteen - no, they're fifteen, because when they were sixteen they went out clubbing. They're fifteen, and it's Luca's birthday. Everybody has already left- Luca's garden full of abandoned chairs and scraps of wrap papers that they used as ammunition to throw at each other.

It's late, but not that late. It must be around ten, half past ten at maximum, and they are sitting on the side of a hill, on the grass, a few meters from the road, where they left Luca's scooter.

When Pecco arrived in the morning, a heavy backpack on his shoulders and his dad's hand pressing against his upper spine, the scooter was the first thing Luca showed him. It has a hole in the silencer and it gets up to 130 kilometers per hour. Him and Vale worked on it together for a couple of days, while he was home from the races.

Pecco isn't sure where they are. Luca took turn after turn, the engine roaring under them, avoiding the holes in the asphalt and opening the throttle every time the road got straight for more than twenty meters. Pecco still remebers how he didn't know where to place his hands to hold on, and on how he settled to grab the metal side bars that kept slipping under his sweaty hands.

It's hot. Not as hot as it get back at home, in Turin, where the air gets unbreathable and sticky in his lungs, where sometimes he has to lie on the bed only in his underwear to catch a breath. But it's still hot, and sweat runs down his arms. Pecco wonders if his deodorant will hold.

They're sitting there, and the grass is green and soft, even if it shouldn't be in the torrid hotness of August, no rain to be seen. Maybe he doesn't remember it right, with all the times he went back to this memory, wore it down and stretched it thin. Maybe he does.

There's barely any light, and Pecco sinks his hand in the dirt, hot and burnt by the sun. Luca's hand is near his, the skin dark and tanned, the fingers long.

They're supposed to be there to see shooting stars.

Pecco looks to his right, out of the corner of his eye, without turning his head, and Luca's nose is tilted up to the sky. He looks lost in it. Pecco can feel his heart beating in his throat. He doesn't know why.

The only thing he can hear is the sound of crickets. It feels like they are alone in the world, the scarce and few lights of the houses lighting up the horizon, far away.

"Do you think there's something up there?" asks Luca, breaking the silence.

Pecco shughs. "I don't know", he says, Luca making a small noise in agreement, or pondering maybe, as a reply.

The silence returns, and with it the sound of crickets. Pecco's skin feels sticky with sweat and the autan that Luca's mother forced them to spray on themselves before letting them go out.

Pecco scratches the dirt under his hand with the bitten nail of his index.

"Look!" exclaims Luca, breaking the silence once again, one hand up in the air pointing to the sky, to the stars.

Two small twinkles of light are running in the sky, one following the other.

"Come on, make a wish! What do you want?"

What does he want?

He wants to be a champion.

He wants to win and feel the champagne running down his face on the podium, like Valentino did.

Pecco looks dow again, to his hand in between the blades of grass, near Luca's, at the contrast between their skin. Their fingers are so close they are almost touching. It would take only one, single, small move, and they would be.

He wants-

When they get back, Pecco drives, even if he doesn't have a license. Luca circles Pecco's waist with his arms to hold on.

Pecco still remembers the pressure of Luca's knees against the back of his own's.

(in Italy the night of tenth of August, or "la notte di San Lorenzo" is traditionally the night where it's easier to see shooting stars. The stars were believed to be the tears of the saint, or the embers of the pire on which he was burned alive)

[evita-shelby]

The Dornish Princess

got peaky pals: @justrainandcoffee @mischievouslittlecreature @cillmequick @call-sign-shark @peakyswritings @shelbydelrey @novashelby @hoodeddreams13 @wonderlanddreamer @thegreatdragonfruta

Aeva Martell, Princess of Dorne who lives in the same time period as the book/new series: A Knight for the Seven Kingdoms aka the Adventures of Dunk and Egg (meaning the dragons have been extinct for almost a century, Dorne is now part of Westeros and the ruling Targs are all half or a quarter Dornish )

Had she wanted to, Aeva Nymeria Martell could have maneuvered herself onto the Iron Throne with ease.

She had the looks, the charm and the blood to shove all her competition out of the way and take the grand prize: a Targaryen son in her belly and widowhood within the year.

But much like her kinsman, Prince Daeron the Drunken, the younger daughter of Princess Isabael Martell and her consort shoved all that aside and lived a life of complete and utter leisure.

Why bother with all that when it will all go down in green flames anyways?

In many other lives, Aeva is no stranger to the feeling of power in her hands, in this one, the cost of said power is not one she cares to pay.

She’s seen the end, the green flames turning King’s Landing to ash, the wall crashing down, House Targaryen reduced to street rats having to rely on the whims of others. So the Dreamer took a page out of Daeron’s book and forced herself to live every moment as she pleases before the Stranger comes for her.

Most girls would view the dirty versions of Septa Coryanne’s A Caution for Young Girls as a secret pleasure, Aeva viewed it as inspiration.

Saera Targaryen had lived long and decadently in her pleasure palace in Lys, Coryanne Wylde only returned to Westeros only after exhausting all the world had to offer her and now Aeva wishes to take that as a life goal.

The first of her lovers had been Chan An of Yi-Ti, a merchant’s son she met in the Water Gardens after being told she’d marry her second cousin, Matarys, to produce the grandson Baelor Breakspear had desperately needed.

Brilliant--- as Chan An was called often--- was a handsome young man who took the maidenhead of a Princess and no one cared to make a fuss about it, after all it was Dorne and they were different from the rest of Westeros.

Less hypocritical, the princess was fond of saying.

Still, damaged goods or not, a Princess of Dorne and the Blood of the Dragon would always be drowning in suitors.

The princess had much to choose from, royal and low born, free and paid alike. Many a knight had come into her castle and left far too satisfied to care of what punishment would befall on them. Many a lady too.

One of her favorites, Luca of Tyrosh had introduced her to his Summer Islander Paramour, Aveline, and there was no other ship captain she sought for voyages across the Narrow Sea. Sometimes they invite Luca, and sometimes they invite others to partake in sin with them.

But nothing beats fucking the knight who crowns her his Queen of Love and Beauty. The flower crown in her hair, the virility of a man who fought for the privilege of bedding her, and the glorious fact she probably won’t see them again.

Unless it’s Aerion Brightflame who’s gone as far as to maim his competitors in hopes of forcing his father and her mother to marry them. They fucked once or twice, then she stopped fooling around with him when she saw he wanted to get caught, to impregnate her and make her his wife.

But the Princess knew all the tricks to avoid that fate and her cousin remained without the unlucky woman he’ll sire Maegor on.

This tourney brings many to Kingslanding, from the Last Hearth to Lemonwood, many young men to see if they can defeat Ser Duncan the Tall, the Sworn Shield of Prince Aegon. Not all show promise, but the ones that do are sure to give the Princess the champion she may take to her bed tonight.

[kkqueergurl]

I don’t dance (or does he?) an essay by me

It’s no secret that the High School Musical Movies are favorites amongst Gen Z and Millennials alike. Written by Peter Barsocchini and directed by Kenny Ortaga, the movies made roughly around 1 billion dollars. With fans across the world, this Disney Channel Original franchise has quickly turned into a classic. 

The second movie became one of high debate, with energetic numbers like Fabulous, and heartfelt songs like Everyday. And one number in particular, a fan favorite at the climax of the movie, titled I Don't Dance. 

When Ryan has a fight with his sister, he joins his fellow Wildcats at the staff baseball game. There, he sees Chad and the other jocks in baseball uniforms. He greets them and apologizes about the talent show. They say that without Troy, there was no way they’d get up on the stage and dance, but Ryan disagrees. He makes a remark about how if he can play baseball, then the boys could dance. Chad asks as Ryan turns around if he “has game” and Ryan smiles saying he has a little. The camera then cuts to a dance number in the field, where the two boys are on opposing teams, and are often playing directly opposite each other. At the end of the number the boys end their song with Ryan hitting the ball, and sliding into the base, but at the same Chad appears, and tags him out. Ryan stands up, admitting defeat. He starts to leave the field but not before Chad can stop him, asking “If I were to do the talent show, what would you have me do?” And Ryan can be seen smirking in the corner. 

But the specific scene that got people talking was the next scene, where we see the two sitting at a picnic table, practically on top of each other, sharing a tray of fries. Chad seemed to be in Ryan’s white t-shirt, and blue newsboy cap. And Ryan was in Chad’s red baseball uniform and hat. Chad asks what Ryan ment about “a little game” and Ryan laughs saying he had been a little league champion when he was younger. Chad uses the distracted moment to steal a fry and stare at his friend.

This caused an uproar with fans bombarding the cast and team about it. Most complained about how the two didn’t get a love story, or any closure for that matter. Those complaints started rumors on how they thought Ryan could possibly be queer. Going off looks, the character is almost always in tight pants and small tops, accessorized with a hat of some kind. Or off mannerisms, Ryan is a gifted dancer and choreographer, and talks in a higher register than the other guys. It didn’t help that he never was shown dancing with any other girls. He was almost always paired with his sister, Sharpay. 

 The directing team decided that Disney wasn’t ready for an openly gay character like that, so in the third movie they had him take another character that had caused some controversy, Kelsi, to senior prom. The two had been shown hanging out in many scenes before that, but none romantic. Even his promposal was quick and more like two friends joking around. 

Fans turned to Chad for more evidence on this possible love affair. And they looked at the lyrics of I Don't Dance. It almost came across as a metaphor for sexuality. He didn’t want to dance (a typically queer hobby) even though he enjoyed it, because of his reputation as a jock (a typically straight hobby). A lyric that specifically comes to mind is when he says “I’ll show you how I swing.” While looking right at Ryan, smirking. The line seemed to have some sort of sexual meaning behind it. But that one is just a theory. 

In 2020, the director, Kenny Ortaga said he could see Ryan coming out in college. And how he hadn’t even thought fans would take it that way. Because even working with Disney, it wouldn't have been possible at that time. But in the sequel show, fans were given closure when Lucas Grabeel, who played Ryan in the movies, said Ryan was happily partnered “with twins on the way”. 

While this wasn’t what fans were hoping for, it was better than Disney just pretending they hadn’t unknowingly written one of the best queer love stories without the characters even kissing.

[ladylooch]

Has ever happened a situation where Luca went to Kevin for sex/live/hockey/relationship/marriage advice ? And what the situation might have cause the ask ?

- 🇧🇷

Dad Kev? What a gift!!!

Luca Fiala has a decision to make that feels impossible. 

24 hours before this, his college hockey team lost in the National Championship game to Denver. His chest still feels like it’s burning from the acid of that final, OT winner going into the net. He doesn’t think he will forget this pain for the rest of his life. People may say it’s just a game, but this game has been his entire life since he first put skates on at the Xcel Energy Center with his father. It’s cruel punishment that his collegiate career could have ended on that same ice.

If that is what he decides today.

Luca drove across town to his childhood home after the team bus returned to the arena. He didn’t want to stay in the hockey house with all his teammates. Not when he had to decide if he was going to return for his fourth year, or appease the team in the other major city here and sign his first professional contract.

It feels unbearable to choose right now when he is still so damn disappointed.

Luca finds himself thinking of the footsteps of his father that he may be following into the next week.

His dad never went to college. He had a much different path to the National Hockey League compared to him. Luca could have signed right after his freshman year of college as a national champion, but his mom had not liked the idea of that. What was the rush? He was barely 19. So he stayed in school. After his Sophomore year, an early playoff exit made it feel like there was unfinished business still. This year, he teeters on the edge more than ever, ready to make the jump but worried about what opportunities he may be leaving behind. Then there is the risk of a career ending injury before he even had his shot in the show. 

He isn’t sure he could live with that anymore than the disappointment over what happened yesterday evening.

Luca takes off his U of MN hat, tossing it onto the kitchen table. His little sister, Lena, sits across the table, smiling at him with a mouth full of braces. 

“Either way you’ll stay home with us.” Lena points out with a quick shrug. He smiles at her.

“That’s true. I need you for luck, bean.” 

The door to the garage opens and in walks his dad loaded down with groceries.

“You better be staying for dinner.” His dad warns before his mom walks in. “Your mom bought the whole store.”

“She does that if Luca is here or not.” Lena points out. Kevin laughs loudly. 

“Baby, tell her that when she gets in here.”

“No!” Lena giggles. “I bet she got me ice cream!”

Luca stands, helping his parents bring in the rest of the bags which does look like it is equivalent to the entire grocery section of Target.

“Okay! I have food to make whatever you could possible want.” His mom claps her hands excitedly. 

“Um, the tortellini bake? With Texas toast?”

“Perfectly you.” She smiles, then comes around to his chair to hug him across his wide shoulders. “How are you doing?”

“Good.” Luca nods. His eyes raise to where his dad is at the kitchen island, eating an apple. Kevin can see the turmoil all over his only son’s face.

“Let’s take a walk.” Kevin jerks his head towards the door. 

Kevin has mostly stayed out of his son’s decision, but in his trip to Target with his wife, Sam encouraged him to make himself available to Luca. Although their experiences are different, Kevin knows what it feels like to question if he can make it at the next level. Luca will be giving up a lot at the U- another chance at the natty, potentially a Hobey Baker nomination, and for sure the C on his left chest.

After stuffing his feet into his sneakers, Luca follows his dad down the long driveway. 

“Where you at?” Kevin asks once they pass Luca’s Jeep in the driveway.

“Huh?”

“Pick right now, what’s your choice?”

“Wha-“

“Now. Pick.”

“NHL!” Luca sputters. 

“Was that hard?”

“Yes.” Luca snaps. Kevin chuckles, tossing an arm across his son’s shoulders.

“What’s keeping you from taking the next step?”

“What if it’s not the right choice?”

“Is it what you want?” Luca sighs, stopping at the end of the driveway.

“Yes. But mama… She wants me to finish school.”

“I do too.” Kevin clarifies. “But you said you can finish in the summer, no?”

“Yes, but what about my teammates?” Luca continues.

“They will understand. You have been a team player the last three years. It’s okay to make the decision you want for yourself and this next year of your life.” 

“Would you be disappointed in me if I didn’t turn pro?”

“No.” Kevin sighs heavily, then pulls Luca into his chest to hug him. “This also isn’t about me. Or mama. Or your teammates. It’s about what you feel is your next step. No one can decide this but you, bud.”

Luca stares back at his dad. He does the visualization exercise he has been attempting to do all day. He can see himself in a green sweater, warming up on the ice at the Xcel Energy Center. His parents are there and his sisters. The number 22 is on his back and he knows this is where he is supposed to be. He gives his dad a slight smile. 

“You’re gonna go?” Kevin asks. Luca nods.

“Will you tell mama?” Kevin chuckles, rocking back on his heels.

“No. Your first big boy task is breaking the news to your mama.” Kevin squeezes the back of Luca’s neck, then turns with him back towards the house. “I’m really proud of you. I want you to know that today. Not just as a hockey player but as my son and a man. You’re a great person. Thats what makes mama and I the most proud of you every day. Don’t lose that in this next step. There will be trials… questions… about who you are and what you’re about. Stay true to yourself. You’ll be okay.” 

“I don’t think I could go now if it meant leaving you guys.” Luca answers honestly. 

“Staying here isn’t guaranteed. Just be grateful for every day, okay?” 

Luca nods, then walks into the house to tell his mom about his decision.