#Miss Austria 2018

[sebscore]

THE GRID'S DELIGHT | SERIES MASTERLIST

summary: the shenanigans of female gen z driver and the formula one grid.

author’s note: I started this series, because I'd like to imagine what it would be like to be part of the group of drivers and how it would be like to interact with them on a regular basis. It's all fun and games, and I don't know these people in real life. everything is fiction! the stories aren't written in chronological order, but I try to put them in the right order below! 

Requests are always welcome in my inbox! Opinions, thoughts and feedback are also greatly appreciated.

— ABOUT THE OC

HEADCANONS || MORE HEADCANONS

:: Things about being the only female driver on the ‘22 grid.

DRIVER X TGD HEADCANONS

:: The dynamics between driver!reader and the formula 1 drivers. in the link you can find the masterlist.

EXTRAS

:: this includes thoughts, opinions, etc about the series. it doesn’t include requests.

— 2018

WELCOME TO THE STRANGE WORLD 

:: Y/N makes her F1 debut at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. 

THE PRIZE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

:: Y/N accepts the 'Rookie of the Year' award and receives a suprise from a special someone on stage.

— 2020 

TWITCH WAR

:: lando insults Y/N’s gaming skills and the events that followed.

PLEASE RISE FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

:: An error in the sound system causes for the wrong song to play instead of Y/N’s national anthem.

— 2021 

THE MORE YOU KNOW

:: Y/N teaches Sebastian and Fernando what ‘bop’ means.

NO ONE LIKES A MAD WOMAN

:: Y/N receives a complaint from the FIA during the driver's briefing and no one is happy about it.

BREAK UP WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND, I'M BORED 

:: Y/N flirts with a stranger not knowing she's the girlfriend of another F1 driver on the grid. 

THIS IS ALL I NEVER WANTED

:: Y/N goes through a rough patch and the drivers notice.

LET IT SPIRAL

:: Y/N gets into a crash and Seb & George come to the rescue.

SLOW DOWN, RED FLAG

:: The commentators are shocked by Y/N’s red flag habit.

BE YOUR WINGMAN

:: Y/N tries to get through an interview with Jenson, Daniel and Sebastian. 

GIDDY GOODBYES

:: Y/N and Kimi bid each other goodbye at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

— 2022

A MAN’S WORLD

:: Y/N is asked about Christian Horner’s sexist comments.

THE ORIGIN OF RUSSY BUSSY

:: the title is pretty self-explanatory.

WHAT HAPPENS IN MONACO, STAYS IN MONACO

:: Y/N goes on a blind date and returns with a hickey the next day.

THE HELMET BET

:: Y/N and Zhou decide who the second best dressed driver on the grid is through a bet that involves holding the other drivers hostage at the driver's briefing.

GOSSIP GRID

:: Charles and Pierre don't trust Y/N when it comes to rumors around Oscar Piastri's move to McLaren.

RUMOUR HAS IT

:: Y/N and her fellow younger drivers react to certain rumours that have been going around about her love life, and it might include two colleagues of hers.

MONZA MANICURE

:: Daniel makes it up to Y/N for breaking her nail during a race.

LITTLE MISS BLACK DRESS

:: f1 drivers and their reactions to Y/N looking gorgeous in a dress.

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRID

:: What happens when Y/N takes over Martin's grid walk? 

THE LAST SUPPER

:: The drivers celebrate the life and career of Sebastian Vettel at Abu Dhabi and Y/N has a great story to tell.

— 2023 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 

:: Daniel, Lewis and Sebastian show their appreciation for Y/N on International Women's Day. 

GLASS HALF FULL KINDA GAL

:: Y/N goes on Instagram live to try out Daniel’s new wine, and the drivers react to it in the comments.

MONTE-CARLO MADNESS

:: Y/N meets her old mentor after months and experiences a chaotic qualifying in Monaco.

PUT IT INTO SPEED DRIVE

:: Y/N and the Twitch Quartet go on a small adventure in the streets of Monaco.

SNITCHES GET STITCHES

:: A collection of moments at the 2023 Austria Grand Prix.

LATE NIGHT TALKING

:: Pierre asks the question: “Out of all the drivers, who would you date?”

— 2024

EXCUSE ME

:: Y/N finds out about Lewis’ Ferrari move before the official announcement.

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS

:: Lando ends Y/N’s race, and they have different perspectives on how it transpired.

[meazalykov]

Could I make a request for Obi please?

They already have a established relationship.

With her recently getting injured, could it be something along the lines of Reader got injured a few months before the World Cup and had to miss it, but Obi mostly was there for Reader. Now with it being the other way around this time, Reader feels conflicted about going to the Olympics as see knows those first few weeks are the hard but she won’t be there to support Obi.

my home is with you

lena oberdorf x uswnt!reader (requested)

authors note: i'm sad about her injury :( I wanted to see her at the olympics and start with bayern soon.. I know she will come back stronger ❤️ here's your request! normally i wouldn’t decide to write about this because it’s so soon, but i do requests (unless it’s too dark & much) so i hope you like :)

warnings: many injury mentions, very long chapter.

being back in your hometown gave you a sense of peace and warmth.

you haven't stepped foot in washington dc since 2018. you left your childhood club to go play at gotham for a year-- before moving to lyon (2020-2022) and then bayern afterwards.

waking up in the morning, you wished obi the best of luck against her game against austria. yes, she will be your competitor in the group stages against germany, but she is still your girlfriend of 2 years.

afterwards, you put your phone on dnd and put it in your adidas bag that you will take to the audi stadium. on game days, the captain (lindsey) highly discourages the players being on social media before games.

as the second captain after her, you agreed to follow that rule. social media can be toxic.

if someone really wanted to reach out to you for an emergency, they can do it through lindsey, emma, or your sisters who came to the game to support your send off to paris.

that's exactly what happened. while you were getting ready in your hotel room-- lindsey got an emergency call from sara dabritz, her lyon teammate who played for the german national team.

sara isn't on the german roster for the olympics, but alex popp asked her to call lindsey-- since she needed you to know of the news as soon as possible.

"sara?" lindsey's eyebrows knitted together. sara calling her during international break and the off-season has never happened before.

"where's y/n?" sara asked, ignoring lindsey's confused tone.

"I haven't seen her since this morning, she might be getting ready now. what's going on?"

"the entire german team is trying to get ahold of y/n. lena went down pretty badly during todays game-- it was her knee." sara swallowed.

lindsey was sad to her about the news. nobody likes when another player goes down with a *possible* acl injury.

however, she was scared on how she was going to tell you the news.

hours later at audi stadium, you walked into the stadium alongside trinity and hal. both of them play on this field for washington spirit, and the three of you bonded over the last few days-- knowing washington dc so well.

trinity and hal stopped at a water fountain to fill up their empty stanley bottles with water. your owala bottle was filled with cold ice water already, so you continued on with walking into the dressing room.

as you turned the corner into the room, you hear your coach Emma, say something along the lines of "well we can't tell her until-" before lindsey stopped her with her finger pointing at your entrance.

you were the first to arrive before the rest of the team, surprising to the captain and coach talking in the room.

"hey!" you smiled, unaware of what they know.

"hey y/n, ready for the game!?" lindsey casually says with a smirk on her face.

the poker face of the lyon player is perfection. something could be wrong but as the main captain, she can't let her emotions take over her logic.

as the second captain of the team, you had every right to question what emma and lindsey were just talking about.

however, you didn't. you were too excited to play in your hometown again. many uswnt fans came just to see you play on your turf again.

"I'm so pumped! my family came just for the send off to paris. some of them talk about "oh we can't never see you play since you're in germany." but now they're here so-" you rambled as you giggled.

for a moment, emma frowned at your happy sight. lindsey turned around to look at the coach with a guilty look, hating that they both agreed to not tell you *that news* until the end of the send-off.

"that's exciting. I'm positive we have a great game ahead." emma says.

your happy mood became a miserable one at halftime. being nil-nil against costa rica was not motivating since you wanted to impress your hometown community.

in the 70th minute, you scored off of a set piece shot by mallory swanson. the crowd screamed as they've realized that it was you, their fellow dc native, that scored the goal.

the game ended with a 1-0. you knew that the team needed tons of things to work on if you wanted a chance at winning gold in the olympics, but that will come with time.

after the send off ceremony, lindsey asked if she could personally talk to you in one of the empty conference rooms.

you agreed. at first, you thought that she was going to discuss olympic matters and what will drive the team to win gold once you reach france. since she is the first captain and you're captain whenever she isn't-- along with alyssa naeher.

however, lindsey was very tense as you sat down beside her in one of the wheel chairs. she made sure to close and lock the door as well-- this is when your heart started racing.

she is your friend and hates to give you the bad news.

"I need to tell you this before you go on your phone and see it in the locker room in front of the other girls." lindsey speaks.

your eyes widened, confused.

"what's wrong?" you start to panic.

"alex-- alex popp-- said that lena went down during the game against austria. it's her knee, y/n."

your heart shattered into a million pieces. you looked away from lindsey as you took a few deep breaths.

the blonde understood why you couldn't say anything after that moment. you thought about lena having a possible acl injury.

you panicked knowing that you weren't there to help her.

"I need my phone!'" you jump up from the wheel chair.

"here." lindsey said, pulling your phone out of her jacket pocket. she made sure that she had your phone on hand-- in private-- so none of the other girls were alarmed about seeing you so upset.

after you switched your iphone off from dnd, you had nearly 200 notifications.

the first is lena's parents-- asking you to call them whenever you had time before or after your game.

others came from lea-- updating you on what's going on with obi. she understands you were playing a game and couldn't answer right away.

some messages were from other footballers in the community that you're friends with, asking you to send well wishes to lena on their behalf.

is this how lena felt back in 2023?

back in april 2023, you were a starter in the second game against Ireland.

you weren't feeling the greatest, your friend mallory suffered a bad injury in the first game and you knew she wouldn't see the pitch for a very long time.

in the second half as the ball was coming from the air, you jumped up to head the ball. at the same time, an Irish player's foot went up in the air to get the ball.

the sharp part of the boots kicked at your ribs extremely hard. your breath was caught in your throat and you landed on the ground-- injuring your ankle by landing awkwardly.

the irish player received a red card, but you were struggling to breath as you needed medic immediately. alex and kelley stayed with you as you couldn't even sit up without squealing in pain.

your ankle was on fire and your lung felt like it was beaten in. torture would've been an understatement.

lena finished playing the game against brazil when jule pulled her-- harshly-- to look at the tv in the dressing room.

the german girl watched in horror as she seen her lover on the grass, you were crying your eyes out as you balled yourself together.

she noticed your hands going back and forth between your torso by your right lung, and your left ankle, as the medics tried their best to figure out what's wrong.

"what the fuck happened?" lena said angrily, in english-- confused as she rushed to grab the remote and turn the tv up.

"this isn't good for the united states before the world cup-- mallory went down on the first game against ireland and now *reader's last name* can barely move without a reaction." a german commentator speaks.

the entire german dressing room looks in horror.

your bayern teammates looked horrified as jule tried her best to comfort a stressed lena.

a replay of the injury happened on the tv a second later. everyone could see quinn's cleat harshly kick your ribs-- the landing on your ankle afterwards made some of the dressing room cringe as if they could've felt it themselves.

"yeah, I don't think we will see her in the world cup after this one." the woman commentator on the tv speaks when a stretcher takes you off the pitch moments later.

lena was quick to immediately call your mom and sisters, since they were there and she wasn't.

she knew how excited you were to play in your second world cup after winning the first one at age 17.

when you got back home to germany, lena was there for you. you suffered with a broken rib and grade 2 ankle sprain.

obi helped you stand up most days and picked up heavy things, since you couldn't even breathe without feeling pain for the first three weeks. lena did your chores at home, helped you with showering (your ankle made that hard to do), she did your hair. she did everything to make sure that you were okay.

you couldn't go to the world cup and watch her play, but you were still so proud of her-- even if she got eliminated in the group stage.

the injury that happened to you made lena fully committed to wanting to marry you. even through your bad injury-- you were there to comfort her once she was back from australia after a failed world cup campaign.

back in the conference room in dc, you rushed to call lea.

she answered in a heartbeat, you were surprised since it had to have been 5:30am in germany while 11:30pm back in washington dc for you.

"lea?" your voice cracked. you hated this for lena, more than your own injury from a year prior.

"how was your game?" lea tried to calm you down.

"it was fine, now what happened?" you ask.

lea didn't take offense to you wanting to know what happened. this reminded her on how lena was with you.

being her closest friend at bayern, and the one that put lena onto you, she understands the bond you have with your girlfriend better than anyone else.

"lena tried to tackle and get the ball away from a player but her knee popped. I think you need to watch this for a better understanding." lea speaks.

on the FaceTime you can see lea typing on a few things on the phone.

you looked up at a confused, yet guilty lindsey. she felt bad for you since you were far from your home in germany.

the notification on your phone showed that lea sent a link to a twitter video. you clicked on it and watch the whole thing play out.

its hard to tell at first, but slowly you could see obi's knee pop out.

this made you sick to your stomach.

after talking to lea for a few more minutes, then waking up lena's parents to talk to them (they didn't mind, they really wanted to hear from you), then laura, then klara-- you were exhausted.

you were allowed to go on the bus early and choose if you wanted to sit alone on the way back to the hotel.

lindsey told all of the girls that something happened- she explained the situation which caused the girls to feel bad for lena and your situation.

you called lena, in private, once you were back in your hotel. she sounded so hurt which caused your eyes to let out tears (quietly) as she talked about her medical scanning tommorow.

many people would do anything to participate in the olympics. you were grateful to be a bronze-medal olympian already heading to seek gold-- but you wanted to go home to lena in munich.

the best player on the uswnt was you, no debate. after scoring in the 2019 world cup final at 17, winning two champions leagues with lyon, being the second best-player now in the bundesliga with bayern, and carrying the national team to bronze in the last olympics-- the team looked up to you.

the girls let you have your space for a while. even on the plane on the way to france.

tierna, your closest friend on the national team, sat beside you. she was quiet as she watched movies while you anxiously looked at your phone to receive some kind of news.

after the plane landed, the girls were quiet as they headed out. you realized that you couldn't sit in pain waiting for the day that you will get home to munich-- that will affect the team chemistry.

as you were in your hotel room, lena called you.

"hallo liebe." you spoke softly.

you heard lena cough before a few seconds of silence started.

the fact that lena called you instead of facetiming you, you knew it was bad. the three letter injury is something u feared for lena as your eyes widened.

"its both." lena mumbles.

"its both?" you question softly as you request to switch the call to FaceTime.

lena accepts and you see her in the hospital room, tears dried down her cheeks as her red face is covered by her hands.

"acl and mcl." she breathed out as she looked at you through the camera.

you frowned as reality hit.

lena couldn't start a bayern next month.

lena won't go to the olympics.

she will have to sit out for at least eight months.

you know she will be okay, since she has the team and medical doctors to help her heal.

however, you were sad that you couldn't drop everything to go back to munich.

"obi." is all you could say.

"I already know what you're thinking-- and don't." lena randomly says.

your eyebrows knit together in confusion as she looks at you with a unreadable look.

"don't leave your team just to come here. they need you-"

"but you need me a lot more." you cut lena off.

she knows you're right, but she can't be selfish-- even with her injury.

"you will be home soon liebe, I know you love me and will care for me as soon as you can." lena says.

"once I'm back in munich, I will be there for you. you aren't going through this alone-- we will fight through this together and you will be stronger." you gave a sad smile as lena smiles for the first time since she went down on that grass.

"Ich liebe dich" she whispers.

"Ich liebe dich auch" you say back.

"when is your surgery scheduled?" you ask.

"we don't have an exact date yet, but they said it might be the week of the 29th." lena says as she lays back in the hospital bed in her black shirt and black shorts.

you didn't respond as lena flipped the camera, showing you a closer look at her knee.

"I am so sorry." you say.

"its not your fault." lena says.

"I know- but again-- I just want to be there for you."

"and you will soon, don't abandon your team." lena made it clear.

"okay, I won't" you sigh.

of course you felt bad that you didn't want to be in france, but in germany instead helping lena. however, you were sad about the group stage match against germany.

lena and you talked about that match as being one of the last moments where you will be "rivals" before she joins you in the season for bayern. now, neither will happen.

days later, the united states plays germany in the group stage after beating zambia 3-2.

you were in the starting lineup. emma needed you for this match, making sure that you talked to a sports psychologist before this match-- just so you were mentally prepared.

you knew how the germans played, so you would be a key to winning the group stage match.

as the teams were going to take their starting eleven picture, you see the germans hold up a shirt in honor of sydney and lena-- who were injured and couldn't be in the olympics.

you sadly smiled at this, happy that they're remembering them.

however, you got your act together fast. lindsey wasn't in the lineup so you were the captain of the match.

at halftime, it was 1-1. trinity rodman scored a goal in the 10th minute but klara equalized in the 34th after an error from #3 on the USWNT.

in the second half, you scored a golazo in the 55th minute after dribbling around sara doorsoun and alex popp.

unfortunately, lea equalized in the 88th minute.

the game ended 2-2 and you weren't happy or sad about it.

all of the german girls greeted you immediately with hugs and kisses on the head. you accepted them. you missed them dearly and they were the closest thing you had to lena right now.

"lea love!" you sigh in relief when you hug her tightly for thirty seconds. the cameras capture the beautiful sight as most know the significance.

"I wish obi was here right now." you lean your head on lea's shoulder as she kissed the side of your head, above your left ear.

"I do too. I hate how fate works." lea speaks through her german accent.

"same." you roll your eyes. not in anger, but in disappointment for the situation and how things can play out for the worst.

"how are you?" lea asks.

"can I be honest?" you ask. lea nods her head.

"I want to be with her. I am so grateful to be here for a second time but I can't imagine her being alone without us." you whisper into her ear.

you didn't want any of your teammates to hear you. lea is your closest friend so you know she won't tell on you.

"she's not alone, she has her parents-- but I totally understand. she will be okay." lea smiles lightly as she pulls a piece of hair of yours behind your ear, a piece of hair that fell out of your ponytail during the match.

lea is right, lena's parents are staying with her at the new house you both own until you can go back to munich-- which could happen in a few days or weeks depending on the outcome of the olympics.

"I know. she's a fighter.' you smirk.

"and a lover." lea winked at you.

lea loves the way that you and lena respect and are in-love with each other. being the third wheel is annoying sometimes (when she has to hang out with y'all instead of her own girlfriend) but she is happy for the both of you.

after multiple matches of the olympics, the united states is awarded silver after losing against france 2-1 in the final.

you were the one that scored against france.

if you said that you weren't in a rush to get home to munich, you'd be lying.

lena's surgery was pushed back to this morning. so you took the uber straight to the hospital from the airport.

the taller german was asleep as you quietly walked into the hospital room. obi's parents hugged you and congratulated you on silver.

knowing that they've been with their daughter for many days, you offer them a break.

"you guys should go down to the cafe and grab lunch for yourselves, please don't take offense to this but ihr seht beide sehr müde aus." (you both look very tired) you whisper since you didn't want to wake lena.

they loved you like their own daughter, so it didn't take them much convincing for them to get a break-- knowing their daughter was in safe hands with you.

when they shut the hospital doors behind them, lena woke up from the noise.

you took out a blanket from your carry on luggage, your back faced towards lena so you didn't see or hear her wake up.

"liebe?" you turned around quickly when you saw lena awake.

she had the same tired look that you're used to seeing when you wake up beside her, but she was smiling at your sight.

you pout in happiness as you walked up to hug her upper body.

"my sunshine, I'm so happy to see you awake." you kissed the top of her forehead as her head pressed against your chest.

lena closed her eyes in comfort, she missed you the most.

"to see me awake? omg I didn't die." lena laughed.

"oh lena shut it, you know what I meant." you giggled back, happy to see lena cracking a joke through her pain.

you look down her body to see the scar on her knee peak out from her hospital gown.

on the inside, you felt terrible. you hated seeing lena in pain. you'd rather it be yourself than her.

on the outside, you looked at lena as she gave you a peak on the lips.

after that, you saw the ponytail of her hair tangled.

"hold on lena." you pull yourself away from her arms and reach into your tote bag.

"no don't leaveeee!" lena says

"I'm not I'm just going to help you with your hair-- it will help you relax."

you pulled out a soft brush from your bag, refusing to use a comb and risk pulling on her hair after she had surgery.

"you're so sweet" lena looks at the brush in your hand and turns her head to the side, so you have better access.

"anything for my baby." you tell her as you kiss the right side of her temple.

"i'm just glad to be back home." you mumble as you start brushing through obi's hair, getting the tangles out slowly and softly.

"isn't washington dc your home?" lena giggled, joking and teasing about the game you played in dc almost a month ago.

"nope, my home is with you."

I hope you're happy with what I wrote from this request! #comebackstrongerlenaoberdorf ❤️🙌

[ef-1]

Twitter is mad at Daniel again because they caught on to that CH interview about Daniel being offered the same contract as Max, icl I'm also bitter about it. I wish he wasn't so rash in 2018

It's easy to be bitter in hindsight but the reality is more nuanced, had it not been recorded and internationally broadcast, what happened to Daniel in 2018 would be flat out unbelievable by ANY standard lol. Daniel had mechanical issues in every. single. weekend in 2018 <- this is not a hyperbole or a joke (more on this later). He ran multiple races with a b spec engine -> 20 bhp down on Max. At no point in 2018 did Max run a lower engine power than Daniel. Daniel incurred 8 dnfs, 4 back of the grid starts for mechanical issues and 6 grid drops in total where as Max had *1*[one]. This isn't even accounting for failures in quali or free practice that would have compromised his set up or race prep. Daniel's car accounted for 92% of Red Bull failures in comparison to Max's 8%.

Christian's cunty "he ran from a fight" comment stung particularly hard because it was Christian who made MULTIPLE public apologies to Daniel in 2018 on the ground that he wasn't given a chance to compete. Christian would apologise to Daniel again when Max won in Mexico, even though Daniel had an uncharacteristic outburst in the media pen during that famous "The car is cursed. I can't wait to give it to Pierre" This isn't even diving into the dubious & predatory RB contract practices. At 28 years old, to quote Christian "It's the first time he's effectively a free agent."

You look back at it now and lament it as a bad call but even by Christian's admission Red Bull were on the verge of selling the team for 4 years. Honda was coming in, I know it's easy to praise Honda now but Honda single handedly sent Alonso into early retirement. He found working with them untenable + said it cost him his love for the sport. Those were the lingering images of Honda as they re-entered the sport, the team who electrocuted Alonso then bled his love for racing dry.

If you weren't around in 2018 let me give you a run down so horrific it looks like a joke:

Australia - Race: 3 Place grid penalty

Bahrain - Race: DNF - Battery Failure

China - Free Practice 3: Gear box issue with complete engine turbo failure. Misses FP3 entirely, no quali set up prepared. He would go on to win that race from p6

Baku - Race: DNF - Collision with Max. Racing incident.

Monaco - Race: partial MGU-K failure. He would go on to win that race with drastic loss of power.

Canada - Free Practice 2 - Power unit issue, misses majority of the session.

France - Race: front wing failure. (it disintegrated)

Austria - Race: DNF - Retires from p3 with MGU-k Failure

Britain - Quali: DRS failure. No DRS activation, still qualifies p6 behind Max in p5

Germany - Race: Back of grid start + DNF - Takes new engine for the weekend, starts p19 + has lower power spec A ICE approximately 20 BHP down on B spec that Max was running. Daniel climbed upto p5 from p19 but incurs a MGU-k failure and retires.

Hungary - Race: Daniel is forced to run lower power spec A ICE again, 20 BHP down on B spec that Max was running

Spa - Free Practice 1 + DNF: Daniel misses entire session with engine injector issue + Daniel would go on to retire after being driven into on lap 1.

Monza - Race: Back of grid start + DNF. Daniel takes another new engine for weekend (spec C) and incurs another full grid penalty, starts p19. Daniel would go on to climb to p6 before having clutch failure and retiring.

Singapore - Race + Quali + Free practice: During every session in Singapore Daniel has an unresolved spec C engine clipping issue that Red Bull can't fix.

Russia - Race + Free Practice 1 - Daniel misses FP1 due to mechanical issues. Daniel takes another engine penalty, starts p18

Japan - Race + Quali: Daniel incurs throttle actuator failure, misses quali, another back of grid start.

USA - Race: DNF - Battery Failure

Mexico - Race: DNF - clutch Bearing failure + start software clutch issue. Daniel retires the race from P2

Brazil - Race: Daniel takes a 5 Place grid penalty due to new turbo charger replacement. Starts in p11.

Abu Dhabi - Free Practice 3: Misses majority of FP3 with water leak.

Daniel's insanely vulnerable "if racing was the only thing making me happy this year, I would have been miserable" during the last on the sofa with Max was a v apt summary of 2018. To suggest that Daniel fucked up based on the information he had in 2018, namely Daniel undergoing all those problems + knowing RB was flirting with selling the team + Helmut's fuckery + having an out from the RB umbrella for the first time in his career? Your problem isn't with his decision making process, you just wish he was clairvoyant which is an unfair thing to be bitter about

[youjustwaitsunshine]

Seb helmets: the long awaited sequel

Mugello 2020:

Not on Seb's website, but still on ferraris instagram, Seb had this helmet to celebrate Ferraris 1000th gp. (in the same week, he announced his move to aston martin)

Turkish GP 2021

a beautiful sea creature design to remind us to save our oceans. i personally really love the turtles

Singapore GP 2022

gorgeous neon rainbow on super light absorbent black design. now it can be said with finality (as of yet): jens munser and sebastian vettel never missed when it was about helmets in singapore. i have a keychain of this helmet so I'm especially fond of it.

British GP 2022

ngl i cried a bit just from pulling those pictures up again. he is so loved. i love how even though we know barely anything about sebs family, this helmet shows so much personality from his kids and hanna. this is the most gorgeous helmet of them all. however, shoutout to the subtle nigel mansell design hed have driven with if his family hadn't made a secret birthday helmet for him.

Abu Dhabi 2022

I'm so so proud to be a fan of a driver who loves his fans. The few times I've met Seb, he's always taken his time - often more than allotted - to greet as many people as he could, pose for pictures sign things etc. He feels very genuine in showing his appreciation for his fans and so I think this helmet is a beautiful monument to the love people have for him. He is deeply beloved and in turn, he loves his fans and has shown this from his retirement message that was so much more personal than a press release, over the time between the announcement to his last race and beyond. This helmet is a testament to the way we love Seb and the way he loves us back.

USGP 2022

Peace and Love baby! this gorgeous woodstock inspired piece is incredibly gaudy and glittery and very unapologetically so. i love it deeply but opinions were very split on it

Japan 2022

a very cleverly done thank you to helmet provider arai. who doesn't love opening packages? especially one as beautiful as this one! it's a bit sad to not have the little ninja mascot on the helmet for sebs last f1 race in japan, however, with his 2022 helmet designs being so beautiful and elevated, he outgrew it a bit. important side note about japan 2022 here is sebs battle to the line with fernando alonso.

Hungary 2021

Let us remember this GP for the joy it brought and not the desperation that followed. Seb came, saw and served cunt in his rainbow sneakers, rainbow shirt, rainbow mask and rainbow helmet. He drove to the podium and nothing bad or terrible happened after.

Brazil 2022

the intertwined bars of the german and then, further up, the climate change flag (and the brazilian one on top) are reminiscent of the 2018 german gp helmet!

Austria 2022

The iconic bee helmet! I actually have a few pics of this one from the Austrian GP that i took myself. Even though that GP specifically sucked so hard it made Seb sway towards retiring, the helmet is beautiful and iconic.

Honourable Mentions:

- Miami 2022: the snorkel helmet! first GP underwater, also premiering sebs GIGANTICALLY OVERSIZED climate change t shirt also found in his shoo

- Canada 2022: Canadas Climate Crimes/ stop mining tar sands. this one made a politician on twitter sooooo angry. it lost her rant a bit of credibility that she directly profited from the tar sand mining.

- LGBTQ+ CLEAN OUR OCEANS (Abu Dhabi 2021): the world's to do list. i mostly have to laugh at the unlucky placement of the lgbtq+ and the clean our oceans phrase. why are the cishets exempt from cleaning our oceans? questionable.

- Race4Women: Saudi Arabia 2021. a return of the beautiful day-glow paint.

almost all of sebs helmets are either on the sebsite or deep in jens munsers archives (difficult but not impossible to find)

Seb helmet masterpost

[rickybaby]

There is something that’s not adding up here for me. Daniel has the chassis change in China and gets rear-ended by Stroll when points looked like a possibility. He puts in the performance that he does in Miami for the sprint and admittedly has a bad qualifying, even though it can be argued it’s because of the faulty set of tyres. He makes it to Q3 in Imola but misses out on point because of strategy and admittedly he has a bad performance in Monaco. But then he rallies and has the commendable performance in Canada and RB brings the shit car in Spain but he still out drives it and puts in the work to help them decipher the mess of upgrades they brought and he gets a 3-race ultimatum in Austria?? When a lot of the misfortune he faced has been due to factors outside of his control?? Why was he the only one facing the pressure? And if the ultimatum is true, it makes the strategy blunder this past weekend even more infuriating… and concerning the line about senior figures being worried about Daniel possibly not having the same edge in performance as in 2014-2018, did he show he could do it in 2020? And has he had the machinery since then to show what he could do?? No, but he still outqualified Perez driving the most successful F1 car in his scrappy Alpha Tauri didn’t he?? DIDNT HE??

[fallinforerling]

when we were 18 - eh

ೃ⁀➷ erling’s masterlist

ೃ⁀➷ erling’s taglist

ೃ⁀➷ masterlist

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

December 10, 2018

“You know what scares me a bit?” You said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that lingered in the air between Erling and you. 

“What?” He whispered back, a bit sleepy after an hour of cuddling on the couch. You felt his arm squeezing you while he stumbled back to consciousness. 

“The future.” You tilted your head to look at him. “Sometimes it scares me how uncertain it feels.” This confession was a very scary one to make. Even though you were still young and had all your lives ahead, doubts about what would happen to your relationship always filled your mind. 

“What do you mean, elsking?” He fixed his position, propping himself on one elbow to look at your face. His eyebrows were furrowed, making his distaste obvious. “What’s uncertain about it? We’re going to make it. Together.” He said the last word with such conviction that you felt the need to cry. 

It had to be obvious, because one of his hands caressed your cheek, his eyes never leaving yours as you put your hand on top of his, stroking his fingers with a light touch. You hated to bring that expression to his face, but you also needed to say what you were thinking. 

“It’s just that…” You took a deep breath, wanting to keep away the knot that was forming in your throat. “Sometimes I see you, so hungry for more, so focused on your goals and your career… I don’t want to hold you back. I’m not as determined as you; what would happen if...?” You sobbed, closing your eyes to not let the tears leave your eyes. “You’re going to Austria so soon, and I… I can’t come with you.” Deep down, you were also ashamed to confess the next part. “I’m scared that you’ll want to break up because of the distance.” 

You felt like such a bad girlfriend. He made it. Finally, a team bigger than Molde had signed him. He was closer and closer to every important league, and there you were, having still one more year of high school while your boyfriend was moving to another country to play football for a big team. And the worst part was that your biggest preoccupation was your relationship status and not his happiness. Why were you being so selfish?

“No! No, I would never do that. You’re my everything.” He said, brushing your tears as they fell. You felt his kisses on your forehead and temples, which made you slightly smile through the tears. “I wouldn’t let us down, not now, not ever. We’re going to be together no matter what, okay? Distance is just one sacrifice we have to make for a year. Okay?” You nodded, daring to open your eyes to look at him. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

July 21, 2019

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Erling, happy birthday to you!” The loud round of applause made Erling flinch as his embarrassed expression looked back at you. You knew he hated this type of thing, but you also knew his family enjoyed it, especially since he had finally come back for a tiny bit thanks to the vacations. 

Your heart raced as you all gathered to watch him blow the candles, make a silent wish, and thank everyone for attending this improvised get-together. It’s been a couple of days since he made it to Norway, but you still couldn’t believe he was really here with you. All those months of quick visits, video calls, texting non-stop, nights full of crying for how much you missed him. It was all coming to an end. 

“I can’t believe you made me do that.” He whispered against your neck as you leaned to hug him by the shoulders. 

“I know, but your mom wanted to sing happy birthday.” You giggled, brushing a hand through his short hair. “Happy 19th birthday, baby.” 

“You’re the best gift of the evening. I love you.” His eyes sparkled when you touched his cheek, and you knew that all these months were worth it. 

Because he was here, with you, after all. And you loved this man so much that sometimes you felt like your heart could explode. 

“And you have no idea how much I love you, Erling.” 

He smiled before kissing you, leaving you breathless after his hand let go of the back of your neck. His family and friends were all scattered around the patio, so you felt free to sit on his lap and be as clingy as you wanted. You’d always loved to sit like this, with his arms around you and his hands massaging your back, just looking at each other. You felt so protected and loved. 

“I need to tell you something.” He said out of nowhere, making your heart skip a bit. You knew that tone. It was the same one he used almost a year ago when he decided to move to Salzburg. 

“What?” You had been together for two years, and if you’d learned anything about your boyfriend, it was that he only said a decision out loud when he was sure of it. And from the look on his face, it was something big. He had made a decision that could change his life, and he felt ready to tell you. 

“I’m not staying in Salzburg for another season.” That phrase alone got your hopes up for a few seconds, only to drop them instantly into the underground. If he wasn’t staying in Austria, he was moving elsewhere. 

“England?” You whispered, knowing he would understand what you were asking. 

“Not yet.” His grip tightened around you. “But if it’s the country I’m thinking of… I want you to come with me.” You both stayed silent, then he took a deep breath. “Please…” 

Your mind raced. You knew it would be difficult, and that perhaps it was a highly stupid decision to just drop your whole life and move countries for your boyfriend, but your heart— and mind—only thought about him. There wasn’t any way that you could spend another year (or years) apart. What would happen if you decided to study in Norway, and then there wouldn’t be time available for you to visit him? What would happen if this sudden change was the one that could finally break you both? You didn’t want to wake up one day and regret saying no. 

“I will.” 

Even though you still feared the future and what could come next, you knew it was worth it if it meant being with him. 

August, 2019 

After Erling’s proposal to move in with him for his next season, you started to plan out many things. Meanwhile, your parents, despite your own assumptions, were thrilled to know that the relationship was moving forward. They’ve loved Erling since your days as friends, so these news were excellent. You were beyond relieved, because you wouldn’t have known how to deal with your parents’ disapproval at times like this. 

Since you’d finished high school and were using the well deserved free time to sort out what you wanted to do with your future, traveling around with Erling was a pleasure that you could finally allow yourself to enjoy. After his birthday party and quick visit at home, you both flew back to Austria, where he finished the season with more trophies than he had planned to win. You both stared at his cabinet, mesmerized by his Player of the Season and the Austrian championship ones shining like gold. You were so proud of him. 

Sitting by the fireplace, you couldn’t help but hold him closer, knowing at heart that this was just the beginning. 

“You’re going to be a star.” You turned to look at his profile. “A big one. Everyone’s going to know your name. Very soon.” 

“You have too much faith in me.” He said it with hesitation, but you knew he wanted the same thing. 

And you knew it wasn’t impossible. Back in May, he had scored nine goals on his own against Honduras; by this point, a lot of people knew who he was. Even if it wasn’t the biggest peak of popularity, his achievements were outstanding. It was a matter of time, but you knew it. He was going to be the best striker to ever exist. 

November, 2019

“Elsking?” Erling’s voice startled you awake from your nap, noticing how it had turned dark outside. Fuck. You slept more than you’d planned. Now your boyfriend had finally arrived from his gym session, and you weren’t even fully awake to greet him. 

“Oh my, I overslept.” You sat up, rubbing your eyes as Erling kissed your head. “Welcome, babe. How was everything?” 

“Dortmund, Germany.” Was his response, leaving you confused and disoriented. You looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, not knowing what he meant by that. 

“Germany?” You asked, still feeling too sleepy to understand. Then he kept looking at you the only way he did when he had just said something meaningful, and you knew. “Dortmund, Germany?!” This question was almost a scream. Hearing that city brought back all those times you catched him watching the Dortmund games a bit too attentively, or when he asked you to practice German “for fun”.  “Borussia Dortmund?” You made the connection right away. You knew the club very well by this point. It was famous for hosting excellent players who later turned out to be worldwide stars. Dortmund was the best place for youngsters with great potential to start. 

Just what Erling needed. 

“That’s amazing! Erling, I’m so proud of you. That club has so much history, you’re going to be great!” You hugged him, realizing what a change— for the better—this was for his career. “It’s such a good thing for you.” 

“But is this what you want?” He said instead, shocking you with the question. “Do you feel comfortable with this change?” His hands went to your face, his thumbs caressing your cheek bones. “I don’t want you to be miserable just because I decided to move to yet another country that’s not home.” 

You didn’t know why Erling’s concern about your opinion surprised you. All these months, you had planned together what was next. His career and yours were intertwined. But of course, he thought you were accommodating to him.

“Baby, I’m not planning my life around yours.” You said, giving him a peck. “I know this is a very sudden change, and that maybe we’ll have to do this many times throughout the years, but I don’t mind. I love you, and my career won’t be affected if we move fifteen times in one year. I want what's best for your career. And home will always be where you are.” 

“I just don’t want you to hate me if I make a decision that affects us in a negative way.” 

You both were so young. And yet again, you knew this was just the beginning of your future with him. 

“Being with a footballer is not an easy thing, I know that. But there won't be a day when I regret loving you and being by your side. No matter what, I’ll always support you, Erling Braut Haaland.” You noticed how he teared up a bit, and you couldn’t do anything but kiss his tears away. 

Just one step more. He deserved this. 

July 20, 2020

It’s been exactly one year since Erling asked you to move with him. It’s been seven months since you started your life in Dortmund. And you couldn’t be happier. 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Erling followed you around the house, fighting against his training bag as you both came downstairs. “Because if you’re not, I can always call and tell them I had an emergency.” 

You stopped in your tracks, turning around to give him a serious look that made him smirk. 

“You’re not serious about missing training for me, right?” You raised an eyebrow at your boyfriend, knowing damn well that he wasn’t the type to lie to his coach and just miss important training. “I’m just going out alone to do some shopping, it’s not that serious!” 

“But you don’t know how to drive!” He argued back, returning to follow you once you kept walking. “What if you get confused? What if you get lost on the train? What if you ran out of battery? What if—” 

“Erling Braut Haaland!” You shouted, laughing when he almost collided with your body. “Go training and let me handle this!” You pointed to the front door, raising both of your eyebrows when he just stood there. “Now! Go!” 

“Okay, okay!” He laughed, giving you a tiny peck before running to the door. “I love you!” 

“Love you too!” 

Now it was time to get ready. 

July 21, 2020. Early in the morning. 

Erling wasn’t the type of person to sleep in. Never, since he was around ten years old, did he sleep past eight a.m. Only when he started dating you, his days off become something he looked forward to, learning to enjoy sleeping in just because he got to be next to you. That’s why it amused him that, when he finally woke up early that morning, partly because his own body was used to it, he noticed your body missing from your side of the bed. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes still closed, as his hand roamed through the bed. Yep, you weren’t there. 

“Elsking?!” He called, his voice sounding raspier and lower than usual. You didn’t reply, so he opted to look for you. “Babe?” Just as he began to sit in bed, you appeared in the door frame, your smile bigger than ever as your hands carried a tray. “What’s this?” His smile matched yours, not daring to move as you came closer to the bed. 

“Happy 20th birthday to the love of my life!” This time, you didn’t sang happy birthday. Instead, you left the tray full of fruit and pancakes on his lap. This was one of those rare days where he could eat whatever he wanted, and your pancakes were his favorites. “I hope you like them.” 

Erling’s eyes locked on the food displayed on the tray; his head low as he picked up the fork, starting to pinch bits of everything for the first bite. You bit your lip, sitting close to him. Only when the fork didn’t reach his face, did you notice his shoulders shaking slightly. 

“Honey?” You said, caressing his bare skin as he continued to look down. “Is everything okay?” 

“It’s just that…” He sniffed, finally picking up the fork and eating the first bite. “I love your food so much.” His mouth was full, but you still found his words endearing. “And I love you so much. Thank you.” 

You didn’t want to laugh, but you did anyway because he was so adorable. You kissed his cheeks, wiping his tears as he kept eating his birthday breakfast. 

“What do you want to do today?” You said once the tray was empty, sipping the cup of juice since Erling insisted on sharing something. “I know you are tired, so I didn’t plan anything fancy.” 

Actually, you did. Just not the usual fancy stuff your families were used to. Back at home, there was always a party, a reunion, a big important thing where almost every single Haaland relative would visit to celebrate him. It was like that for every single sibling; you knew that even if he loved his family, he also loved his space. So when you finally were alone and, sadly, apart from the traditions, you thought about giving him an experience that was to his liking. 

“I want to be with you.” He simply said, making you smile for the hundredth time in the day. 

“Don’t you want to go out with your friends? Have a little get together?” 

He shook his head. He was a shy person, and you knew it was hard to make friends on the new team, but despite that, they all wanted to wish him a happy birthday and even asked you if you were planning a surprise party. Maybe next year, when your boyfriend feels more comfortable, you will take upon the idea and throw him a big party. 

But for now, it’s only the two of you. 

“Then get ready; I have a little plan.” 

The day was beautiful. Germany was full of life, the sun shining as you both left the apartment, ready to go on an adventure. You had planned this for a couple of weeks, so when you asked him to wear a nice shirt to match your sundress, his eyes flickered with suspicion. You stayed silent even when he tried to bribe you for some information. When you finally arrived at the place and shyly gave him directions from the passenger seat did his mouth fell open. 

“Elksing… How…?” 

“Secret.” You smiled, your eyes going from the little table by the lake to his face.

As you asked from the company, they had built and arranged a private place by their property where you both could accommodate yourselves without the need for their personnel to assist. You wanted it as private as possible, and as you walked down the path, the tent covering you both from the sun, you knew it was perfect. He held your hand even when you took a seat, facing each other. The table had tiny plates with fresh appetizers and a cold bottle of champagne. 

“Do you like it?” You whispered from across the table, attentive to his expressions as he took in the whole decoration. 

They were a bit silly, but you still wanted to tease him. There were tiny golden boots, Bundesliga trophies, and much more hanging from the ceiling, making him giggle. 

“It couldn’t be more perfect.” He said as he took out his phone, starting to snap photos of everything, including you. “You’re perfect.”  

May 13th, 2021

Winners of the DFB Pokal. You watched it all unfold from your seat on the sofa, covering your mouth to stop the tears full of pride that wanted to come out. You knew it. You knew he could make it. 

So far, not even one expectation you had for your boyfriend has come with disappointment. 

He was a star. And the world was there to see.

Two goals on your boyfriend’s behalf, which looked so easily made even though he was just recovering from an injury, were the final touch for their victory; you felt a sudden sadness for not being able to be there, for not being able to hug him and tell him how proud you were right there and then. No one was allowed to. The pandemic was an obscure phase in your lives, where you couldn’t go out at all, and if it weren’t for Erling, the experience of studying remotely by yourself would be a lot more depressing. 

You couldn’t wait for him to get home. 

But, being realistic, you wouldn’t see him for at least a day more. Between the hours of traveling from Berlin to Dortmund, and the fact that he was going to celebrate with his teammates, chances were indicating that your boyfriend would be arriving tomorrow night. 

With a sigh, you stared at the screen again, where you could see all the Borussia guys fooling around, their screams of happiness perfectly clear as the stadium was empty. You could even make out Erling’s, Jude’s, and Gio’s voices between the loud noises. With a smile, you stayed until the transmission was over and the screen became black. 

Looking around, you felt lonelier than ever inside the apartment. You’d been without your boyfriend’s company for two days, and even if you were used to it by this point, knowing that you couldn’t do anything to change it made it worse. 

“That’s okay.” You whispered to yourself, wanting to fill the apartment’s silence. “I’ll just call him.”

You waited a good ten minutes before even trying to call. You didn’t expect him to answer, but at the third ring, you were greeted with muffled voices, harsh noises, and your boyfriend’s laugh.

“Elksing?!” He screamed at the phone, sounding happier than ever. Adorable. “Did you see us? Did you see me?”

“I did! I’m so proud of you, baby! I can’t believe it’s finally yours. Please, take photos for me! I want to see it all!”

“Of course I will!” Then the muffled voices became clearer; they were screaming Erling’s name. “Gotta go, honey. I promise I’ll be home as soon as I can! I love you!”

“Love you too!” You said before the line went silent. With a sigh, you looked around. “Well, time to read.”

May 14th, late at night 

You first thought it was part of your dreams, but as the noises became louder, startling you into consciousness, you figured someone had just broken in. Sitting in bed, you listened carefully as you reached for your phone, thinking about a whole lot of horrible things that could happen if you didn’t react fast enough.

The bedroom door slammed open, making you scream. Then the person at the door screamed as well, and you noticed that the tall figure seemed very familiar. 

“Erling?!” You shouted, placing one hand above your heart as your boyfriend stumbled a bit while making his way to your side of the bed. 

“Baby! Sorry if I scared you. I thought you knew I was coming home!”

His words came out slurry, and then it clicked.

“Oh my god.” You laughed, making space for him to sit beside you. “You’re wasted, honey.”

“Me?!” He scoffed, offended by your very good assumption. “I’m fineeee.”

“Right.” You giggled, glancing at his clothes, which were all Dortmund related. “Wanna sleep, or do you want water?”

“Nope. I wanna cuddle with my girl.” He pushed himself further into the bed, practically making you slide back into your back. “I missed you so much.” Burying his head in the crook of your neck, he made himself comfortable on top of you, snuggling until he was practically using you as a pillow. 

“I missed you too.” Taking your hands to his now longer hair, you started massaging his scalp. “You did so well. I knew you would win.”

“I always thought about you while being up there.” His voice reverberated in your chest as he quietly spoke, his lips skimming your skin. “About how I had to make it for you. I hope you know those two goals were dedicated to you. And only you.”

Your heart skipped a bit; still caressing his head and neck, you kissed him multiple times on the forehead. No words were needed between the two while you fell asleep together, hugging each other closely until the next morning.  

July 21, 2021

“Hello, hello, Mrs. Haaland.” Jude’s voice whispered behind you as you made the final touches to Erling’s dinner table. 

A smirk crept to your lips as you eyed the person who turned out to be your boyfriend’s best friend in Dortmund. Jude, although a teenager, was tall and full of the confidence of someone who was used to being liked by everyone. You weren’t the exception. The midfielder was an adorable guy, and you liked him for all the times he supported Erling, especially when you weren’t able to do so. 

“Hey, Jude.” You smiled back, noticing how he was the first one to arrive. “You’re early!” 

“I couldn’t miss that prick getting surprised by a bunch of people for anything in the world.” He replied, eyeing the table full of gifts and balloons. “You’re always outdoing yourself, huh.” His playful smirk made you giggle as you finally left the table alone, giving him a glance. 

“I try my best. Now, seeing that you’re in such a good mood, put this on.” You grabbed one birthday cap from the decoration, handing it to him.

“Sorry, miss, but I’m not trying to ruin my hair with that.” 

Then Alfie, Astor and Gabrielle entered the room, carrying even more gifts, each wearing that silly hat Jude refused to wear. You eyed Jude again, knowing there wasn’t a chance for him to escape his fate. 

“God, okay. Give me that.” 

 “Hello, sister-in-law.” Gabrielle greeted, hugging you as close as her pregnant belly allowed. “Hello, Judey.” 

“Hey, Gab.” You both said, Jude leaving shortly after, apparently being too shy to actually stick around and chat. “Look at you, my precious baby is growing so fast.” You rubbed her belly, feeling a burst of excitement every time you remembered that a little nephew was on his way. “I can’t wait to meet him.” 

“He can’t wait to meet you.” She hugged you, making her smile contagious.  

As the minutes passed, more guests started to come, which was exciting. You knew Erling wasn’t too eager to be surprised or have big birthday parties, but you knew he would appreciate the gesture if he saw all of his teammates and family. Even you, who he thought was back at home for work. Like you could ever allow yourself to miss his birthday. 

After ten minutes, you had everyone wearing a hat, some willingly, others just hesitantly, giving you stares from time to time that made Gabrielle laugh. 

“Alright! We better be very careful not to make any noise. He’s about to arrive!” You shouted, asking the restaurant’s staff to please turn off the lights. 

You all squatted behind the furniture, waiting until the curtains started to open, Erling’s figure briefly illuminated by outside’s light before the room came back to life, and shouts of “surprise” startled him. You all clapped as he smiled, shocked by the amount of people. You stepped forward, catching his eye while he stood there, surprised before he shouted “baby!”, hugging you so tight you had trouble breathing. Your feet left the floor, his strong hands held you as he whispered against your neck. 

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Once he left you back on the floor, you held his face, not caring for the people watching. “I thought you were at home, working.” 

“And you believed me? Bold of you to assume I’ll ever miss your birthday.” You pecked him, enjoying how he still seemed beyond startled to see you right in front of him. 

“You’re so annoying.” He giggled, hugging you again before actually greeting everyone else. 

The evening was exactly what you expected: everyone laughing, Erling getting excited by the gifts, and shy every time someone filmed him. You all got drunk (making sure Jude stayed in line and only drank one glass of champagne), and at the end of the night, the Polaroid cameras you bought were the greatest idea ever. 

Everyone got to keep some, but after the party, when you were returning alone to the apartment, you started to go through the bag full of photos you got. There were blurry ones, or others where Erling didn’t appear at all. But then you found them. 

The photo was clear, with the flash making the decoration all shine around you. You were sitting on Erling’s lap, hugging his neck as he kissed your cheek. You had the biggest smile on your face, both of your party hats inclined to the left. You grabbed it, separating it from the rest and putting it in your purse. 

“Thank you for today.” Erling’s voice took you out of the trance, making you stare at him. His face was slightly red, his eyes half-shut. “You’re the light of my life.”

“Thank you for being with me for another year. I love you.” 

And if you kissed a bit too long for the driver’s liking, you could always blame the alcohol.

September 23, 2021 

“He ruptured his thigh muscle, honey. I don’t think he’ll be able to perform for a while.”

“How long?” You asked, having flashbacks of Erling’s first serious injury, where he had to hold back and just rest if he wanted to be in top form for future games. It drove him crazy. 

“At least a month; maybe less if he behaves himself.” The physio replied, glancing back to the room where Erling was huffing, looking at the ceiling as another physio continued his examination. “I gotta ask you a favor. Please, don’t let his ego take over and make him do something stupid, okay?” You nodded, your eyes still glued on your boyfriend’s figure. “We need him. And he’s a fantastic player, we can’t let him destroy his career.”

“I’ll make sure of it. Thank you, doc.” He nodded, going back into the recovery room. 

You signed, pacing back and forth while Erling’s examination was done. You couldn’t believe it, not even after you saw the injury happening. It was like a nightmare all over again. 

“Baby?” His voice startled you. You didn’t see him getting out of the room. You smiled, not wanting to make him feel any worse than he was already feeling. 

“My love.” You hugged him, sighing when he held you closer, taking a deep breath. “Everything’s gonna be alright, okay? You just need to rest and then you’re going to be back on the pitch before you know it.”

“I hate this.” He said, still hugging you. 

“I know.” Was your only reply, knowing how bad it was for him. 

There was nothing he hated more than being away from the pitch at times where he was needed. 

October 21, 2021

“Again?” You asked in shock, receiving the physio’s news like a bucket of freezing water that had been suddenly poured on you. “It’s been less than a month!” You wanted to cry. Of course this would happen. 

“Actually, it’s been ten days since his recovery.” The doctor’s tone indicated everything but good news. You knew it was bad, you knew it. “He came back too soon.”

“I know. I know. I tried to tell him that—”

“This isn’t your fault, dear. I know I told you to look out for him, but it’s not your responsibility if he chooses to be a bad patient.” The man rubbed his forehead. “Look, I know this isn’t the best thing ever, but I’ll have to give him a longer recovery time or we’ll damage his body to a point of no return. You get me?”

“I’ll do whatever I can to make him follow the instructions.” You didn’t know what else to say. 

You were worried sick, but nothing else was in your power to make this change or go away. You always expected the next injury to be the last, but nothing worked. Sometimes, you wanted him to see the real danger in going back to the pitch way before it was prudent. 

“You’re going to destroy your body if you don’t pay attention to it, Erling.” You didn’t want to sound harsh, but you didn’t want this to become a regular thing. 

“I know what I’m doing, elskling.” His harsh tone surprised you, but you let it pass. 

The last thing you wanted was to stress him out or argue over something that wasn’t going to change. 

“I missed three games last time. God knows how many fucking more I’m going to miss this time.” 

Oh, he was mad. 

“Let’s just hope for the best, okay?” You grabbed his hand, walking side by side as you moved to the parking lot. 

His thumb brushed your hand, a little smile lingering on his lips as you kissed his arm. 

“I’ll think of this as an opportunity to have a little vacation with you, elsking.” Those words alone seemed to cheer him up. 

Let this be his last injury, please. 

December 2021

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Gabrielle shouted, walking around with such energy that you couldn’t believe she had a baby four months ago. Everyone kept an eye on her in case she wanted to lift something heavy or do an outrageous thing just because she was feeling fine. Especially on Christmas while she was around her younger siblings.

“Merry Christmas!” You all replied, lifting the non-alcoholic beers she made you all drink out of respect. 

Erling giggled when his sister sat next to her husband, chatting about God knows what while eyeing his drink, knowing she was making sure he wasn’t drinking anything out of line. You snuggled a bit more into your boyfriend’s arms, watching his little sisters run around Astor and his girlfriend, who seemed to have a gift with kids. 

“She’s so patient with them. I need that type of self-control.” You said, knowing you weren’t mentally ready to babysit the twins for more than a day. 

“Well, you’re pretty patient with this little guy right here.” His finger caressed his nephew’s cheek, who was asleep in your arms. “You’re pretty good with kids, y’know.” He gave you the look he had been giving you every time you held the baby. “And you look so gorgeous holding one.” 

“Whatever you’re thinking, no.” You giggled, not wanting to wake up the little angel you were holding. “Not yet, at least.” You whispered, biting your lip. 

“I’ll take that as a promise for later, elsking.” He said, giving his drink a sip. 

This damn man. 

January, 2022

“He can’t go on like this, he rather rests or he’ll ruin his body. He had serious injuries in a short period of time, we can’t risk it.” You listened to the physio’s words with a deep frown, knowing very well he was right. 

This was Erling’s call to stop. And you’ll make him before something terrible happens. 

“You know what I’m about to say, right?” You asked once you were inside the car, away from any spying eyes. 

You really wanted this to go away without a discussion, but you had been there, with your opinions buried deep down as Erling recovered and came straight back to games at full time. You wouldn’t let that happen again. 

He signed, still looking out the window. He was avoiding your gaze. 

“I know.” 

“You need to take this seriously. Three injuries in less than a year? Do you think it’s normal?” When he didn’t answer, you kept going. “I won’t let you ruin your body or your chances to make your career as big as you want just because you won’t let the team down.” You parked in front of the apartment, the both of you sitting in silence for a few minutes. 

“They need me, elsking.” 

“Yeah? And what about your health?” You turned to face him, wanting him to understand. “What would happen if you injure yourself beyond recovery? What would happen if you can’t perform like you used to because of your ego?” 

“That’s not—” 

“Or you recover, exercise, and rest like you need to, or I’ll go back home. Because I won’t sit around to watch my boyfriend destroy himself.” His eyes became wide open, a hint of hurt in them. It sucked to be causing it, but it was necessary. “And yes, it’s an ultimatum.” You got out of the car before he had anything else to say, not wanting to let your guard down. 

Later that night… 

“You aren’t serious, right?” His voice whispered against your shoulder as he came into bed, lifting the covers just enough to fit. You stayed silent as he held you, hugging you from behind until you were engulfed by his body. “Please, don’t leave me.” 

“I’m  not leaving you.” You said, resting your head on his bicep. “I just… I can’t stand to see you rush onto the pitch before the injury heals again. I know you love your team, but I can’t pretend I’m okay with it. You’re hurting yourself, Erling..” 

The room was obscure and silent, the perfect time to really let out your thoughts. It reminded you of that time years ago when you confessed how scared you were of the future. 

“And if you insist on doing it, then I won’t be next to you. At least not until you come to your senses and start taking the injuries seriously.” You continued. “Tell me you understand why I said what I said back in the car.” 

“I do… Look,I know I fucked up the last two times. I just… can’t stand the thought of letting my team down. But, again, I wasn’t doing the right thing if I was just thinking about them and not me… Or us.” He breathed out, kissing your skin. “I’m sorry for being so stubborn.” 

“I’m sorry for implying that I’ll leave you.” You laughed, feeling guilty again. “I just wanted to get a reaction out of you. To shake you a bit.” 

“That’s okay, I needed it.” He paused. “You still love me, right?” 

“Of course I love you, don’t be silly.” You giggled, turning around to kiss him. 

May 14th, 2022

It was time to say goodbye to Germany. It was time to say goodbye to Dortmund. 

You couldn’t stop tearing up from time to time during the day as you two got ready for his last matchday in Dortmund. The sight of the black and yellow shirt filled your heart with sadness as you put it on, peeking at the number nine embroidered on the back. 

“I’m gonna miss this apartment.” You whispered, looking at the empty spaces your things had left behind. Everything was on its way to England. 

Manchester, England, to be more specific. 

“Me too.” Your boyfriend said next to you. “And I’m going to miss you in yellow and black. It suits you so well.” 

“Me? What about you?” You smiled, hugging his waist. “We had good times here.” His eyebrows wiggled a bit at that, making you scoff a bit. “You’re so disgusting,” 

“You don’t seem to mind when I—” 

“Guys, are you ready?” Gabrielle entered the room, her little son wiggling in her arms as he tried to talk, but only a few infant sounds came out. “He’s so excited; look at his little clothes.” 

“You look adorable, bubba!” You said, taking him from her arms. “Who’s my handsome boy? Look at Dortmund’s best player.” 

“Hey, I think you’re meaning to say that to me.” Erling said behind you, resting his chin on your shoulder to take a better look at his nephew’s face. “You better stay away from your aunt, little bud. She’s mine.” 

“Oh, stop it.” You said, noticing how the baby just giggled at Erling’s words. “Very mature, uncle Erling.” 

“I know; that’s what you love the most about me.” You smirked, not wanting to admit it. “That’s fine, I don’t need you to say a word to know I’m right.” 

“Very well, lovebirds. We better get going or Erling will be late.” Alfie appeared at the door, smiling at the sight of his grandson. “Isn’t he adorable?”

You all nodded, enamored by the little baby. The twins came running, asking how long it would take to be at the game. They loved football. 

“Alright, alright! Let’s go, everybody to the cars!”

Erling and you went to the car by yourselves, enjoying the silence as he drove around the city one last time, making you remember all the little dates and sweet times you lived there next to him. You will really miss this city. You learned to love, live, and care for Dortmund beyond the fact that Erling played for the club. Now, you had to get used to not being in front of the yellow wall every time your team won. 

Once you made it to the stadium, you went separate ways. He had to change into his training gear, and you needed to catch up with the Haalands at the VIP box. The yellow wall was roaring from the energy of fans and family, all reunited to say goodbye to Erling. It took you a long moment to process it as you sat down, feeling the tears from earlier fill your eyes again, knowing this was the last time for a very long time where you would experience the feeling of belonging to the BVB family. 

“There’s nothing like this, my dear.” Alfie said next to you, his own eyes a bit glistening as he kept looking straight ahead, admiring the yellow wall like you were seconds ago. 

“I love this team, Alfie. I’m going to miss them so much.” 

And you knew Erling would too. That team had been his family for three years, and his good friends were staying here while he went ahead and made a change for the better. As horrible as it was, if he wanted to progress, he needed to leave Dortmund. Nonetheless, it didn’t make his last goodbye any less painful. 

The game was spectacular, and Erling gave a performance that proved why he was one of BVB’s most beloved players during his time there. The cheering, the flags, the signs with his name and face— you truly didn’t know how Erling held back the tears until he entered the dressing room. You were waiting him there, hugging him despite the sweat and grass stuck to his face, kissing him and whispering how proud you were and how much you knew it was hurting for him to say goodbye 

All of his teammates gave him hugs, kisses, jokes, and said goodbye to you with the same sadness you were feeling. Even Jude was emotional, but you pretended not to notice when he started to tear up. 

“Take good care of him, I know he’s going to need it.” Was the last joke you heard from him before he disappeared through the door. 

“I’m gonna miss you too.” Erling yelled at his direction, smiling through the tears he was not ashamed to show. 

June 10th, 2022

Manchester. The breezy city welcomed you once you left the private plane, making you push your nose deeper into your hoodie as security guided you to the car. Erling’s physical exams were today, and as always, he asked you to accompany him. You weren’t ready for the City’s team to be there, not only to welcome you, but also to film the whole process as introductory footage for the fans. 

“Don’t worry, we can edit you out of the video if you’re not feeling comfortable.” One of the cameramen said, smiling at you. 

“Yes, thank you. That would be awesome.” It wasn’t that you weren’t comfortable about your relationship with Erling, which was impossible by this point, but your presence was something that not many people knew unless they dug it up. 

It was an ongoing joke how many fans didn’t know about Erling having a girlfriend—a years-long girlfriend, in fact— who was with him most of the time, and even then, you were a rumor, which was the funniest part of it all. The little privacy you could get while dating a famous person was very appreciated. You knew it couldn’t stay like that forever, but as long as you two could, you'd maintain it. 

“Baby, you first.” Erling’s hand covered the small of your back, guiding you inside the car before he and Alfie followed. “It’s so windy.” 

“Right? I wasn’t ready for this weather. But, again…” 

“England.” You said together, laughing.

“Hey, don’t start making fun of your new home, kids. That’s rude.” Alfie scolded you, but at the same time, he was wearing the most mischievous smile ever. He was such a prick. “Well, we’re almost there, let’s get ready.” 

“Hey, after this, we’re going to see the new apartment, okay?” Erling whispered in your ear before you all followed Alfie to Manchester City’s medical ground. 

That mention of your new home brings excitement and a smile to your lips. 

“I can’t wait.” 

July 10th, 2022

Presentation day. You spent the whole morning murmuring it as you got ready next to Erling, making him smile at your antics. You were way more excited than him, which made him laugh at you. 

“Baby, you look gorgeous in everything. Let’s go.” He kept watching you from above his phone, his body resting on the bed without a worry in the world. 

“Coming! I just need to see which shoes look the best.” You turned to show him the two pairs of blue Jordans, one royal blue and the other baby blue. When you detailed him, your eyebrows furrowed. “Besides, you haven’t done your hair, and your shirt is there instead of your body.” 

Even though the vision of his half-naked body was still mesmerizing to you after four years, you really needed him to get going. It didn’t have anything to do with you being barely done. He was the star of the show. 

“I’ll get it on a bun now, don’t worry.” You smiled at his blonde hair being all over the place, something you barely see nowadays. 

“I love when you have your hair down.” You signed, turning again to face the closet. “Okay, I’ll just wear jeans like you. Can you pick a cute purse, I’m going to look for my perfume.” 

You heard him laugh from the room. 

July 11— 2 a.m. 

“Oh, my—” You both laughed hysterically as you reached the elevator, your bodies colliding with the walls, and you barely held Erling’s body straight enough to walk. “We’re… so wasted.” You murmured, pushing your boyfriend into the tiny space. “We have to drink water.” 

“Mmmh, you can drink something else.” His smirk gave away what he was suggesting, making you giggle as his hands roamed through your body. “You look amazing.” 

“No, you look amazing.” You pecked his lips until the doors opened, revealing your apartment’s private hallway. “Can you walk or do you need me to carry you?” 

You both laughed again at the suggestion, taking tiny steps until you were finally inside the apartment, turning all the lights on. The kitchen was as you left it, with a few empty glasses on the counter and fruit on display. Your boyfriend went for an apple while you grabbed a whole bottle of water. 

“Here, drink this, or you’ll have the worst hangover ever tomorrow.” 

“Always looking out for me.” He kissed you briefly, taking the bottle from your hand. It was half-empty from your own thirst. “Let’s go to bed, I’m so tired.”

You didn’t put up a fight. As much as you loved partying with your boyfriend, you were always destroyed after a night out. Not only did you reunite with old friends— like Martin and Akanji— but the constant dancing, mixing drinks, and people recognizing Erling emptied your social battery. 

You promised yourself to shower in the morning as you took off your makeup and Erling undid his hair. You both exchanged looks through the mirror, silently smiling as you brushed your teeth. Only when you were snuggled in bed, did your boyfriend say something. 

“I can’t wait to marry you.” He kissed your head and fell fast asleep. 

“I can’t wait to marry you either.” You murmured against his neck, knowing he wasn’t hearing you. 

July 21, 2022

On Erling’s 22nd birthday, you struggled to hide the plans you had for the day. You loved to celebrate his birthdays, even more since you two began to compete over who gave the other the best surprise. This time, it was a bit more difficult to do something new or different, but you supposed that getting his childhood friends next to his best mates at Dortmund to fly over for a surprise party in Malagá wasn’t a bad start. 

You were going to blow his mind. 

As you sneaked around the closet, collecting all of his favorite pieces, next to a new pair of Jordans that you hunted down for more than a month, you begged for him to sleep in a bit more as you closed the two suitcases that were accompanying you to Spain. 

“Elksing?!” You heard him shout, letting you know that he had already noticed your absence from the bed. “Come hug me!” 

“Hello, birthday boy!” You said as you peeked your head into the main room, scrunching your nose at the sight of your sleepy boyfriend doing grabby hands in your direction. “Good morning.” You whispered before kissing him, giggling when his arms hugged you tightly, making you go back to bed. 

“You smell amazing.” He kissed your cheek, biting slightly. 

“That’s the food, baby.” His eyes opened, an interested look greeting you. “Now I have your attention?”

“You always have my attention, sweet. But, you know, I won’t mind some food.”

“Well, better hurry up, then. We have to catch a flight at 6 p.m.” You left the bed while he stayed there, looking at you dumbfounded. 

“What do you mean ‘a flight’?” He shouted once you were out of sight. 

“You know exactly what that word means, Haaland!”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“I thought you were kidding, babe!” Erling’s voice was still a bit raspy from sleeping, but his eyes were awake as he saw you taking the two suitcases out of the house. His hair was wet against his neck, a few drops staining the collar of his shirt while he stood there, not knowing what to do. “You can’t be serious. Are we really going out of the country?” 

“Of course we are.” You were really enjoying having the upper-hand over your boyfriend. His confused expression was worth all the secrecy of the past week. “C’mon, get in the car. And no more questions.” 

“Fine, fine. You’re the boss.” He laughed, getting in the passenger’s seat, which was a rare thing. “This is weird; I always drive.” 

“Well, now you don’t. Relax! Eat some snacks… But don’t you dare to check your phone.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I said so.”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“Spain?!” The shock on his voice was palpable, making you smirk as you sat on the plane. “Baby, there’s no way you’re serious. Spain?!” 

“Oh, I’m totally serious.” The satisfaction that your plan being successful gave you was beyond imagination. “Now let’s see how you outdo this.”

A smile appeared on Erling’s face, his eyes recognizing your hunger for competition. 

“You’re such a tricker. This isn’t fair, elsking.” He made a gesture to point at the VIP seats and your next destiny. “This is playing dirty.”

“We play to win, don’t we?” 

He laughed out loud, startling an old man sitting across the hall. You two exchanged a look, not wanting to disrupt the peace as the plane took off, leaving you three hours ahead, where Erling would most definitely try to bribe you for some information. 

Only when he saw the huge group of people waiting for him at the airport, did he realize the reach of your plan. You only smiled through it all, taking a liking to his mesmerized expression and the happiness he wore for the extent of the weekend, not stopping for one second the kisses, hugs, and “thank yous” every time you were close. 

August 7, 2022

Your eyes were glued to the pitch, your heartbeat racing every time you saw a player coming out of the tunnel. Alfie kept making fun of you, saying how you were more nervous than Erling himself.

But you couldn’t help it. This was his debut for Manchester City. This was it, the big step you two were waiting for. 

“I’m sure you can dig a hole in the floor with how much you are pacing around. Come here, enjoy some of the catering.” Alfie pointed to the table in front of him, filled with everything your stomach could wish for. Sadly, yours was closed for the day, the nerves making it impossible to get anything but juice or water. 

“I feel like I’m going to vomit, Alf.” You sat on your designated bench, biting your lip as you kept your eyes wandering on the pitch, finally seeing Erling. He was doing his exercises, but you couldn’t make out his face. “Look at him!”

Alfie wasn’t as vocal about his excitement as you were, but he came next to you to see his son, smiling before nodding. 

“He’s a champ, he can do it.” His hand brushed your shoulder, trying to calm you. “You know he’s going to make it.”

You nodded, knowing very well how talented your boyfriend was. Nonetheless, you were really nervous. After a few minutes, Erling’s manager and some friends of Alfie's started to arrive, making small talk before the game. You tried to ease up, finally encouraged enough to take a small plate with fruit to have for breakfast as you saw all the players depart from the pitch and into the tunnels. 

After a few minutes, you saw them coming out again, their faces serious and obviously concentrated,  as the first steps of the match began. Your heart started to race, and your breathing was irregular throughout the match. Only when Erling scored did you come back to life, screaming and cheering next to Alfie, who hugged you like his life depended on it.

The whole VIP section came to life, and the cheering of the fans made you nearly cry. You saw Erling make his trademark celebration, knowing that this moment was the one he had been looking for ever since he joined Manchester. 

What a way to start the season.

December, 2022

“Tante!” (Aunt!) Erling’s nephew stumbled, taking a few steps before falling on his bottom, still smiling like the happy baby he was. “Onkel!” (Uncle!)

“Hi, my angel!” You greeted, lifting him from the ground to kiss his cheek, making him giggle. “Oh, how I missed you!”

“We missed you too, darling.” Gabrielle kissed you on the cheek before pushing his brother’s arm. “Hello.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t sense any tension in that greeting.” His sarcasm made you giggle, your eyes still glued to the baby’s features. 

“You’re growing up so fast! I can’t believe it.” You kissed his head, walking from here to there just to keep him entertained. 

“You still look amazing with a baby, just saying.” Erling said before greeting his nephew, kissing his head the same way you did. His golden hair was the exact shade of Erling’s, making your head go a bit dizzy. 

It was easy to imagine a baby that looked like both of you. 

“Stop that or I’ll get the wrong ideas stuck in my brain.” Your eyes went to your boyfriend’s face, seeing his smile just enough to let you know that was his plan. “You’re an evil man.”

“Evil or not, it’s just a matter of time.” One side of his mouth lifted, making you gasp. 

“I’m going away.” 

“Don’t run away from me!”

June 11, 2023

erling.haaland

like by judebellingham, alfiehaaland, gabriellehaaland and 2,567,345 more

erling.haaland turning a quadruple winner in a few months, wish me luck 💙

youinstagram can’t wait ❤️‍🩹

haalandcity omg??????????

erlingsgf i should change my username

judebellingham i can’t believe i’m going to be an uncle

→ jackgrealish i’m going to be the cooler uncle

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ * ERLING’S TAGLIST

@questionable-behaviour | @koufaxx | @xjval | @nikki01234 | @evarasworld | @kynykyny | @alleyahah | @444pantheress | @football4life9 | @f1lover55 | @frankcastleonlyfans | @ironmaiden1313 | @pizzapie349 | @may-machin

[dlstmxkakwldrlarchive]

(article) SHINee's ONEW hopes to make people happy with his songs

Singer Onew of popular K-pop group SHINee has been deeply thinking about happiness, a theme that heavily influenced his latest release."I think it's wonderful to be someone who can have a positive impact on others and make them happy," he said during an interview Thursday with a group of reporters.

"It's a great merit that I can lift someone's mood. When people tell me they've been comforted by my songs, it feels like I'm truly living," he said.

This introspection led to the creation of his third individual EP, "Flow," a departure from his previous albums -- his first solo album, "Voice" (2018), second EP titled "Dice" (2022) and first full-length solo album, "Circle," (2023) -- which centered primarily on his distinctive voice and emotional expression.

Instead, "Flow," due out Tuesday at 6 p.m., is designed to resonate more broadly with the public, featuring songs that are easy to follow and enjoy together.The album is led by "Beat Drum," an upbeat pop track characterized by "kitsch" vocals in the chorus and a synth melody, according to promotional material from his label, Griffin Entertainment. The lyrics compare the feeling of a racing heart to the rhythm of a drum beat.

Also included are five B-side tracks, all of which maintain a bright and cheerful tone.

"I wanted to become closer to the public, so I put a lot of effort into making songs that are easy to follow," the 34-year-old explained. He also tailored the choreography to be accessible, allowing more people to catch on after just one viewing. "I hope even those who don't know me can feel a bit of positive energy," he added.

Onew stressed that while his unique voice and emotional depth will continue to be central to his music, his current focus is on expanding his positive influence.

The vocalist also has a goal of creating his own performance brand.

"I think a concert becomes richer and more enjoyable when many people can immerse themselves in it and have fun together. I want to create an atmosphere where it's not just a performance by me, but an experience where everyone can play together," he shared.

After taking a hiatus of over 10 months due to health issues, Onew returned to the stage in May.

During the break, the vocalist had the opportunity to attend a Coldplay concert in the United States.

"I loved the excitement and anticipation that I felt while waiting for the show," he said, expressing hope that audiences would experience the same thrill at his concerts.

Performing in front of fans and reuniting with his bandmates were what he missed the most as he recovered from neck surgery. He lost so much weight after the surgery, making his fans feel concerned and worried about his health.

"Now, I'm in great shape. In fact, I'm so well that it's almost a problem," he said with a laugh.

He spent a lot of time traveling to places like the U.S., Japan, and Austria during the break, giving himself the space to think deeply on his own.

"While traveling, I learned how to fail. There was a time when I tried to catch a train during a typhoon and ended up sitting on the platform for six hours. Sometimes, things just don't work out. But I realized that you can always try again later. That was the biggest lesson I learned."

After this realization, Onew changed his attitude about performing. He used to believe he couldn't go on stage unless he was 100 percent perfect, but now he's more open to taking risks.

This new attitude led him to boldly take on producing for the first time while working on this album.

"I challenged myself by getting involved in producing, selecting demo tracks, trying out different ideas, and communicating with writers to incorporate my thoughts into the songs. It was a big challenge, but it was a fun experience," he recalled.

Onew also tried his hand at rapping for the first time.

"I was debating whether to use more melody or try rapping," he said.

He thought rapping might work, so he gave it a shot, and fortunately, it turned out well.

"This new challenge has become a great motivation for me," he said.

He has also started taking guitar lessons recently because he wants to play during his concerts.

"I read somewhere that singer Lee Hyori said she started learning something new and that in 10 years, she could become an expert. So I thought, 'It's not too late. If I start now, I could be playing in 10 years too.'"

[wardrobeoftime]

Master Post - A to M

If you notice any show, movie or character missing that I’ve made gifs of, please let me know. Characters are sorted alphabetically by first their last name and then their first name.

A

Aladdin [2019] (Princess Jasmine)

Allerleirauh (Princess Friederike | Princess Lotte)

American Song Contest (2022)

Aschenputtel [2010] (Marie/Aschenputtel)

Aschenputtel [2011] (Annabella | Aschenputtel/Cinderella)

Australia [2008] (Sarah Ashley)

B

Barbie (Stereotypical Barbie)

Beauty and the Beast [2017] (Madame de Garderobe | Mrs Potts)

Becoming Elizabeth (Amy Robsart | Mary Tudor)

Blood, Sex & Royalty (Anne Boleyn | Mary Boleyn)

Bridgerton (Tilley Arnold | Lady Berbrooke | Benedict Bridgerton | Daphne Bridgerton | Eloise Bridgerton | Francesca Bridgerton | Hyacinth Bridgerton | Violet Bridgerton | Queen Charlotte | Cressida Cowper | Agatha Danbury | Penelope Featherington | Philippa Featherington | Prudence Featherington | King George III | Siena Rosso | Edwina Sharma | Kathani "Kate" Sharma | Mary Sharma | Tessa | Marina Thompson | Extras)

Britain’s Bloody Crown (Margaret of Anjou | Margaret Beaufort | Elizabeth Woodville)

C

Cinderella [2015] (Ella)

D

Das Adlon (Sonja Schadt)

Die Galoschen des Glücks (Princess Aurora)

Die Kaiserin (Maria Alexandrovna / Marie of Hesse | Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria | Archduchess Sophie of Austria)

Die Salzprinzessin (Princess Amélie | Princess Eugenia | Princess Isabella)

Die Schöne und das Biest (Elsa)

Disney Live Action (see the individual movies | Extras)

Doctor Who (Ashildr | Cyril Arwell | Lily Arwell | Madge Arwell | Reg Arwell | Rosanna Calvierri | Miss Chandrakala | Agatha Christie | Hugh Curbishley | The Doctor | Twelth Doctor | Clemency Eddison | Jack Harkness | King James I | Katherine | Donna Noble | Madame de Pompadour | Amy Pond | Bill Potts | Robina Redmond | Becka Savage | Willa Twiston | Extras)

Domina (Agrippa | Antonia Major | Antonia “Antonina” Minor | Emperor Augustus | Julia the Elder | Livia Drusilla | Marcella | Octavia Minor)

Downton Abbey (Lucy Branson (née Smith) | Cora Crawley | Edith Crawley | Mary Crawley)

Dynasty [2017] (Kirby Anders | Fallon Carrington)

E

Effie Gray [2014] (Euphemia “Effie” Gray)

Elizabeth [1998] (Elizabeth I)

Emerald City (Langwidere of Ev)

Emma [2020] (Isabella Knightley | Emma Woodhouse)

Eurovision Song Contest (1970 | 1974 | 1979 | 1980 | 1982 | 1988 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024)

F

Frauen, die Geschichte machten (Catherine the Great)

G

Galavant (Madalena)

Game of Thrones (Myrcella Baratheon | Cersei Lannister | Ellaria Sand | Sansa Stark | Daenerys Targaryen | Margaery Tyrell)

Good Omens (Aziraphale | Crowley)

Grey’s Anatomy (Lexie Grey)

H

Hamilton (Angelica Schuyler | Eliza Schuyler Hamilton)

House of the Dragon (Jeyne Arryn | Alicent Hightower | Mysaria of Lys | Aegon II Targaryen | Baela Targaryen | Helaena Targaryen | Rhaena Targaryen | Rhaenyra Targaryen | Rhaenys Targaryen | Laena Velaryon)

I

J

K

Ku’damm (Helga von Boost)

L

Legacies (Jo Laughlin | Hope Mikaelson | Elizabeth “Lizzie” Saltzman | Josette “Josie” Saltzman)

Les Misérables [2018] (Cosette | Fantine Thibault)

Little Women [2019] (Amy March | Margaret “Meg” March)

Ludwig II [2012] (Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria | Ludovika, The Duchess in Bavaria | Sophie in Bavaria)

M

Maleficent Duology (Princess Aurora | Queen Ingrith of Ulstead)

Märchenperlen (see the individual movies)

Maria Theresia [2017] (Maria Anna of Austria | Empress Maria Theresia |  Mademoiselle de Chartres | Elisa Fritz)

Marie Antoinette [2006] (Marie Antoinette | Empress Maria Theresia | Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe | Extras)

Marie Antoinette [2002] (Marie Antoinette)

Mary Queen of Scots [2013] (Mary Stuart)

Maximilian - Das Spiel von Macht und Liebe / Maximilian and Marie de Burgogne (Mary of Burgundy)

My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle)

My Lady Jane (Jane Grey)

Go to N-Z

[supermaks]

Top 10 essential Verstappen races list please!

I habe been watching since I was a literal infant but I kinda took a break from 2014 until 2018 so I missed a lot of teenage Max lore. Now I treated myself to some f1tv for Christmas and want to rewatch a couple old races!!!

Malaysia 2015 Baby boys first points on his 2nd ever f1 start. Drags that lil toro rosso to q3 and then beats both red bulls. Also very funny to listen to the sky commentary because they dont take him seriously at all but he keeps doing things with that car he shouldnt be able to do so they have to keep talking about him and they're so annoyed about itnklfdjgkfdj

Singapore, 2015 classic max race. car d1es at the start. somehow makes it back on track 1 lap down, waits for his main character moment. gets it on lap 13. breezes past the field. gets told to swap positions. literally yells 'NO' and does not do it. U thought brazil 2022 was shocking, well. Educate yourself

USA, 2015 first of all there was a whole hurricane happening bro like a literal hurricane everything about thsi race is like .. what is going on. Hello. Is that Elton John???? Mind you, its Max's rookie season. Austin with wet conditions is the race track equivalent of a fucking minefield I think like half the grid retired. And still, u will witness that lil boy bring the fight to Merc and Ferrari. He actually fought Lewis and Seb Vettel for a podium. In a toro rosso. yeah

Spain, 2016 anime protagonist race. lil babby makes the jump to the big sister team amid much mockery and controversy, and wins on his debut. I can't say this enough. Max has made a career out of owning up to bitches. Every single time. Mercs take each other out, Danny ric gets inexplicably put on a 3 stopper ((lmfao)), and Max holds off fucking RAIKKONEN on DRS!!!! for like a billion years. Not a wheel out of place. And not even his defining moment of the year. For that, u gotta go with--

Brazil, 2016 He became MOTHER age 19 in Interlagos. Nothing else to say. if ur a verstappie u gotta watch Brazil 2016 like twice a year for ur troubles

China, 2017 just a super underrated race imo. Imma go on a tangent for a bit sorry but one of most insane aspects of Max's move to f1 is that he did so with 1 year of experience in f3. Like f3 had been the strongest engine he'd driven up to that point. f3 cars are fast but they're not f1 fast. So Max was supposed to be like a lil squid in a bowl of sharks. To anybody else it wouldve been extremely intimidating and scary to make that jump and its likely they would've sacrificed speed just because they didn't have that confidence in the car yet. And there'd be nothing wrong with that, thats just normal. Well Max never did normal. Seb put it perfectly and Im pretty sure he's not the first driver to comment on this, but Max goes for moves that nobody in their right mind would even dream of attempting. Shit that takes a special type of instinct, but more than that, a complete lack of fear. And with that comes the other side of the sword, which is the recklessness. Max was a reckless driver. A lot of drivers can be reckless, especially if the car doesn't allow them to just cruise to podiums, but Max was a child. This race is so important in his curriculum because it solidifies that his recklessness is not foolishness, but necessity. Bro passed 9 cars in one lap and held off danny ric with older tires. This after a disaster quali where he finished second to last because of an engine problem. To come back from that and get a podium the way he did, its a character drive. It showed who he was and Max was the future

Mexico, 2017 here. Yeah

Austria, 2018 quali is a must watch for this one. Listening to Max educate his engineers on 'discipline' for even DARING to ask him to pass danny ric prolly makes that move to Renault less confusing. Like u cant fight that. That is not a mf who will ever let u win a world title. But he didnt show it just during quali. This race is important because u can compare it some of his most dominant 2022 victories, in a car that would literally spit out its own tires and explode if Max idk farted or something.

USA, 2018 ok I'm biased but max has never come to the US and not served. Idk why its kind of funny but every time he steps foot in here he stunts and gets super wet and looks amazing. He's also absurdly good in US circuits for no reason. Like Max says, u gotta know how to defend not just attack. Prolly one of the most impressive defensive performances from him here, against none other than sir hammer herself. Lew had fresher tires and a championship winning merc and still couldnt crack lil bro with his renault engine, cap and a dream. Also they literally installed a whole new curb on the track specifically to make drivers stick to track limits and called it the verstopper and that. literal tears in my eyes yk look at this shit

Look at her . anyway

Enjoy thjs humble selection of our fav boy genius/fbi most wanted best hits. Next up

✨😤 Part 2 😤✨ Part 3 🧨🧨🧨🧨🧨

[dontask-idkeither]

Hold me by the heart

Shuri x Black!Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Summary: When Shuri is at her absolute worst, you were always right there to hold her and comfort her.

Translation: Ungubani -> Who are you?

Note: T’Challa is very heavily involved here and the overall all fic is pretty sad. This also heavy with grief and has a major Wakanda Forever spoiler, just in case you haven���t watched the movie yet.

Y/F/N means your father’s name, I couldn’t really think of a name to put for that so

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2016

Being an war-dog stationed in Austria was not how you expected to be spending your 18th and 19th years of life. After a year in the Austria, you missed everything about home. The air, the water, the people, the food, your culture, your family, your girlfriend. You were sat on the couch in the apartment that had been given to you, clicking through tv stations.

You got to the news to see that the Vienna International Center had been bombed. You sat up as you listened to the headline. When the broadcaster said that King T’Chaka of Wakanda had been assassinated, your heart stopped.

Images of the building on fire, smoke clouds darkening the sky, flashed on your screen. But they didn’t register. The only thing flooding your mind was that your King was dead. Your countries ruler was gone.

And then your mind drifted to your girlfriend, the princess of Wakanda, Shuri. You hadn’t noticed your tears until heavy knocks came to your door. You wiped the tears and looked through the peephole.

There you saw two members of the Dora Milaje at his side. You immediately opened the door and they glided in.

“Ungubani” “Y/N, daughter of Y/F/N” You pulled your bottom lip down to show your war-dog tattoo to the Dora.

T’Challa walked into the apartment. You didn’t look at him for very long, as you lightly bowed your head, but the devastation was clear as day.

“My Prince.” You said as you bowed lightly. You knew very well you weren’t required to do this, it was more so to please the Dora than because of a distant relationship.

T’Challa just pulled you into a hug which you returned instantly. You stayed there for some time, trying to comfort the man you had known as an older brother for years.

He pulled away but left a hand on your shoulder “It’s time for you to come home.” You nodded and you knew the implications behind it.

You knew T’Challa wouldn’t be returning home for long, he was telling you so you could be there for Shuri.

You packed away your things as fast as possible and hurried to the Royal Talon Fighter. The flight was spent mostly in silence, you leaning on T’Challa’s shoulder as a form of comfort. He greatly appreciated it.

When you landed, you were overcome with nerves. You hadn’t been home in a year and the first time you return, is because the man you viewed as a second father was now with the ancestors.

You stood at the top of the stairs and almost went into a panic. T’Challa’s hand squeezed your shoulder in encouragement, you took a deep breath and descended down the stairs.

You saw your girlfriend and her mother standing side by side in front of the palace. Her red, teary eyes lit up when she saw you. She waited until you were some feet away from the plane before she ran into your arms.

You welcomed her and held the back of her head. The world didn’t matter as you held her, all you wanted was to ease her pain. “Thank you for coming.” She said through her tears.

“Shh, no need to thank me.” You pulled away to hold her face, her hands held your wrists. “I will always be here for you.”

2018

N’Jadaka had killed T’Challa. Right in front of your eyes. Your body and mind had gone numb. You sat in one of Wakanda’s lush forests, and for the first time the scenery of Wakanda didn’t have any effect on your sour mood.

Your heartbroken girlfriend sat between your legs, holding your knee as she cried. You had one hand massaging her scalp. Her mother sat in front of you, holding her hand and yours.

“First Baba, and now my brother. Mama we didn't even get to bury him.” You shushed her. Ramonda wiped her tears.

You wished you could be of more comfort for her, but your own pain was rendering you silent.

In a way though, the severity of your own emotion helped Shuri understand that she was not alone in this. She wouldn’t be missing her brother alone. She had her mother, and she had you.

2024

Shuri had been working around her lab trying to find a cure for her brother. You had gone some time before to say your goodbyes to T’Challa in the event he didn’t make it.

You told him how much he meant to you, as a brother, a friend, and as an overall inspiration. You told him that if he didn’t have any fight left in him, that it was ok. That you would take care of his beloved mother and baby sister, that you would protect them with your life. You told him that you would dedicate your life to protecting his honor and his memory, and to making him proud.

With a final squeeze of his hand, you left the room he was in and ran back to the lab. Over the years, Shuri had taught you a lot about technology and you were ready to offer your help in any way you could.

When you got to the lab, people were rushing out. You walked in confused. You saw Shuri standing alone at one of her tables. You walked over to her and before you could say anything, you saw Ramonda walk in.

You felt nauseous because you knew what this meant. You tried to hold it back, but a sob ripped through your chest and you turned away.

“Griot, whats my brothers heart rate?” Shuri asked, voice thick with fear.

“Your brother, is with the ancestors.”

Shuri slowly walked backwards, all the emotion hitting at once. She only heard a faint ringing in her ears and her head felt as if it would explode. Before she fell to the floor in complete agony, your arms wrapped around her weak body.

You eased her way to the floor and she held your biceps tight as she loudly cried. Seeing her in this much pain only worsened your own, you threw your head back as to not see the hurt. You bit your lip so hard you tasted hints of blood. Ramonda slowly walked over to her grieving girls.

The funeral

You still did not feel worthy to walk alongside the Royal Family through this. Despite all the assurances by Ramonda that you belonged there, and Shuri saying how badly you were needed, you still felt unworthy.

You swallowed those insecurities and walked with your head high, but face riddled with exhaustion and all the overall grief you were facing.

T’Challa’s coffin was placed on the ground and before it was lifted, Shuri placed her body over it. Ramonda went to pull her back, but you lightly put your arm in front of her. She looked at you with confusion but you knew Shuri needed this moment.

She didn’t get to properly say goodbye to her own brother, this was her own way of doing that now. After some time, you moved your arm and nodded. Ramonda lightly pulled a broken Shuri from her brother’s coffin and back to her feet.

Shuri placed her face in your neck and you placed your hand on the back of her head.

2025

After the passing of King T’Chaka, you never thought you would leave Wakanda again. Now after losing T’Challa and Ramonda, and all the death you saw in your country, you couldn’t bear to be there. You needed to be far, in order to heal.

That is how you ended up with Shuri in Haiti. You had burned your funeral garments together on the beach and began to heal together.

Right now you sat in your room, writing in your journal. Writing out every thought and feeling you had throughout the day. Shuri had gone for a walk, she felt she needed to be alone with her thoughts.

You had no clue how long you had been writing when the door to your room creaked open. You looked up with a smile to see your lover, but your smile fell when you saw the state she was in.

Her thoughts had clearly taken her down a dark path. She stood in the doorway pulling at her sleeve as she cried. You almost jumped from your chair to hold her.

She kept her arms where they were but she just cried even harder when you held her. “I’m here love. I’m here.”

To that she pulled you in even closer. “Make it stop…” she begged to no one in particular. Your heart broke even further.

You wished you could. You wished you could take all her pain away. Wished you could take all for yourself. But you couldn’t.

What you could and would do, is hold her. Hold her through it all just as you had always done.

[hamyilton]

So, in the aftermath of yesterday, I thought it might be useful to make a little list of moments where Max behaved (in my opinion) in an unsportsmanlike way. Upon giving this a read, it should be quite obvious that Max behaves aggressively to almost everyone on the grid and that he was beyond lucky in 2021 to not get penalized like he had before then for similar incidents. Furthermore, if you're the type of person to write a post wishing for more incidents with max and other drivers as "karma" for 2021, kindly fuck off, as this list should show that max doesn't give a shit who he hits and for what position.

Mexico 2016 (Passes Vettel off-track and refuses to give the position back, earns a five-second penalty)

Hungary 2017 (Hits his teammate Ricciardo and causes him to DNF)

Mexico 2017 (Makes contact with Vettel and Hamilton, causing both to have to pit on the first lap. Max wins the race).

Bahrain 2018 (Hits Lewis, giving himself a puncture)

China 2018 (Hits Vettel and earns a 10-second penalty)

Baku 2018 (Collision with Ricciardo in an attempt to defend his position causing both to DNF)

Spain 2018 (Contact with Stroll at the end of a VSC period)

Monza 2018 (Defends aggressively from Bottas and forces him off the track, earning a 5 second penalty. Continues to refuse to let Bottas by and ends losing an additional position to Vettel because of his stubbornness).

Brazil 2018 (Has an accident with Esteban Ocon and then physically pushes him after the race)

Monaco 2019 (Makes contact with Bottas in the pits, forcing him to pit again and lose position. Makes contact with Lewis late during the race but both remain unscathed)

Austria 2019 (Forces Charles Leclerc off the track in the final laps of the race in a move that is identical to ones penalized in 2021 and onward; is never given a penalty and wins the race)

Mexico 2019 (Makes contact with Lewis at the start of the race, then hits Bottas a few laps later and gets a puncture)

Imola 2021 (Forces Lewis off the track to avoid contact at the start and goes on to win the race)

Monza 2021 (After an long pitstop, comes out right behind Lewis and attempts a move into Turn 1 that would never have succeeded. He bounces over the curbs and lands on top of Lewis' car, causing both to DNF. He immediately goes on the radio to say "that's what you get when you don't leave the space" and is handed a grid penalty. He never serves the penalty, however, as he takes a new engine for the following grand prix in Russia anyway)

Brazil 2021 (He is leading the race when Lewis attempts to pass, pushes him off the track so much they both go off in Lewis' attempt to avoid contact. This is not penalized due to claims that the "onboard footage" was missing and despite the missing footage being reviewed later that week, no penalty is ever given)

Abu Dhabi 2021 (Need I say more).

Brazil 2022 (Collides with Lewis, which damages his own car. Later in the race, he refuses to swap places with Perez for important championship points for his teammate, despite already being world champion at that point)

Singapore 2023 (He impedes Yuki during qualifying and is also stationary in the pit lane, both actions that normally incur penalties. He does not receive any penalty, a decision even the stewards later admit is a "mistake")

Austria 2024 (Defends aggressively from Lando, including moving under-breaking which should incur a penalty as an illegal move. When Lando attempts a move around the outside, he hits him twice and forces both cars off track and for both to have a puncture, with the damage on Lando's car being so great he DNF's).

I'm sure there's moments I'm missing but this is to serve as an illuminating example to those whose knowledge of F1 is more limited and haven't seen races pre-2022.

[callmewrinkles3]

Separate

June 2018

Em wasn’t quite sure what she’d expected when Blake knocked at her door. She knew he had a triple header coming up, and he’d be giving her his keys, but the pass in his hand was unexpected.

“What’s this?”

“Your pass for Silverstone? I know it’s been two weeks since Monaco but you haven’t forgotten what they look like, have you?” She forced a smile as she handed it back to him.

“I’m not going to Silverstone.”

“Dan said you were?”

“I haven’t talked to Dan in like a week. I know it’s a busy race, I figured I’d watch it at home.”

“Look, I’ve got to go to the airport. I’m heading to France and I won’t be home for three weeks. Take the pass and talk to Dan, if you come you come.” She took the VIP branded pass from him, Emma Smyth and “Guest of Daniel Ricciardo” on the back. The selfie she’d sent Dan the Christmas before was her photo.

“Yeah, sure. Anything you need me to look out for?”

“Should be fine. I’ll see you!”

Em closed the door after waving Blake down the stairs, pulling up her texts with Dan. Once she’d left Monaco they’d sent a couple a day, but after his race in Montreal there was nothing. It was a couple of selfies, a photo of the stupid hipster coffee shop she’d done a meeting in. He’d sent one word answers to most of it.

It was stupid. She shouldn’t be upset. They’d been friends and they’d fucked and she was more than happy to do it. And the consequences were they weren’t friends.

The pass felt like a slap in the face. Would she turn up and he just thought she was going to get into bed with him? She’d fuck him for the paddock pass? No. No way.

She didn’t want to think about Dan like that. The man she’d called a friend wouldn’t treat her that way. But how else was she supposed to feel?

Blake gave me the pass. Thanks for the offer but I wasn’t going to go to Silverstone.

The words stared up from her screen before she hit send. It was the first message between them in three days and it felt like the end of an era.

Barely thirty seconds later the text bubbles appeared as she watched Dan start typing, stop, and start again.

Why not? I miss you.

Because we don’t talk anymore. I think we made a mistake.

She didn’t even count to five before her phone started ringing, Dan’s face appearing as the contact photo. She slid to answer it.

“Hey, Dan.” She kept her voice calm.

“What mistake, Em? What are you talking about?”

“You’re actually going to make me say it?”

“Considering I’ve no idea what you’re on about, yeah.”

“Monaco. Us sleeping together. It was a stupid mistake that we shouldn’t have done because we ruined our friendship. So yeah, I’m not going to Silverstone.”

“Fuck.” She heard someone calling his name in the background. “Yeah, yeah. Two minutes I need to finish this call! The plane’s waiting for me. I…fuck. Look we need to talk in person. I’m not back in the UK until the Tuesday after Austria. Can we meet up?”

She weighed it up. Em missed him. She missed the silly texts and the ridiculous YouTube videos. It was so stupid.

“Yeah. I’ll send you a coffee shop we can head to.”

“Thanks.” She could hear the relief in his voice.

“Oh Danny? Good luck this weekend.”

“Thanks, Emmy. Yeah, Max, I’m coming. Give me a minute. I’m sorry I’ve got to-“

“Go on. Fly safe. Don’t throw Max out of the plane.”

“I’ll do my best. Thanks, Emmy. I’ll see you soon.”

She lay back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. No more sex. That had to be the first thing they talked about. It had to be.

A few hours later her phone buzzed as she worked, the “One new text from Dimples” appearing. She opened it to a selfie of Dan grinning from the plane, his free hand pointing at a sleeping teammate on his shoulder.

Apparently my shoulder is comfortable?

Max looks comfy.

She put her phone down before Dan could text her back, curling up with her iPad to finish her last task of the day. No more sex with Dan. No more. Friendship would be enough. It was more than she thought she’d get with anyone so it was worth it.

[colemckenzies]

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ultimate Edition

this easter It Is Time. using my years of fixation and research i present to you The Best Version of every song from jesus christ superstar, plus commentary. obviously subjective opinion so do feel free to discourse in the tags bc as you may have picked up i enjoy talking about the relative merits of jcs productions. also i might not even stand by this in a week bc i find it hard to keep multiple versions in my head at the same time for comparison and there are so so many versions.

please note that acting, vocal quality, music direction, and where available staging have all been taken into account. act 2 in rb bc of link restrictions.

heaven on their minds - 2012 broadway revival

obviously in terms of pure vocals carl anderson is unbeatable forever, but the staging of the 2012 broadway revival pips it for me. josh young's voice is still gorgeous and the judas/jesus/mary throuple is everything. i love versions where hotm is sung directly To jesus, and i love that in this version jesus actually listen and takes judas' concerns on board. the love and respect between all three of them is palpable and even though it is a serious disagreement, part of that disagreement comes from the fact that they care about each other so much. that's tragedy baby!

special mention to henrike tönnes on the 2022 rob carroll version, i specifically like the Ending of the song for that one. also the sarcastic clap along w the disciples that judas does in the 2013 hungary version.

what's the buzz/ strange thing mystifying - 2018 tv event

annoyingly this isn't on youtube but tbh the staging is nothing mindblowing. i think what's the buzz is a great song for showcasing the usp of each version and in this one i think being able to hear the real crowd actually cheering for jesus (john legend) really adds to the narrative. i also absolutely love brandon victor dixon and as i have said before he would be one of my favourite judases if judas were straight. sara bareilles does a great 'offended' face when he bitches about her lmao.

honourable mention to the 2012 uk arena tour for again showing off the conceit of 'modern day activists' really well in this song, not forgetting of course WOTS THE BUZZ #buzz tweet

then we are decided - 2013 hungary

(starts at about 9:49) obviously not a huge amount of competition for this one, i wish more versions included it bc it's a great song :( anyway i loveee the staging choice to have everyone else freeze-framed on stage with the priests walking among them, and i freaking love this caiaphas. literally inserting it into what's the buzz also works nicely

i do miss kurt yaghjian from the 1973 film tho, forever obsessed with his voice and facial expressions. extra shout out to the striving artists version for simply existing.

everything's alright - 2006 austria

something about the musical direction in 90% of versions of this song goes right through me, like there is always some weird instrument that makes me Cringe. but this version is Nice :) really enjoy how Pissed this judas is. and i love the way the long notes last into the next section of the song. i will say i prefer the alt melody for 'people who are hungry' but you can't have everything

this is a really nice one on the all-female cast recording as well, obviously it's already the most female-heavy song of the show but shoshana bean's judas is particularly good here i think. also of course carl anderson with tears in his eyes grasping ted neely's hands while the music swells is ingrained on my brain for all time.

this jesus must die - 1994 studio cast

this album as a whole is probably my Least Favourite JCS Ever, but i will admit that this song fucks. the haunting eeriness at the beginning. the way it kicks into a funky little syncopated rhythm. the disembodied hosannas. unexpected delight.

2012 uk arena tour is unfortunately disqualified for having possibly the Most antisemitic portrayal of the priests, which is a shame because it's probably my favourite casting. one of my favourite annas portrayals, but in general all of them are distinct and fully embodied which does make that version very fun to watch. i also really enjoy the 2019 castaway productions version for this song, the way they play instruments while they sing like a lil band, and caiaphas' eye make-up is sick. 1973 film is obviously also iconic with the little scaffolding tippy taps, and the way kurt yaghjian sings 'a trick-or-two with lepers'. i love this song sorry.

hosanna - 2017 striving artists

i kind of don't have justification for this one LOL i just like it. i know there are versions that are sung better and really the staging is quite important for this song but idk i just find this version really calming. i don't know if it's the music direction? i don't know enough about music tbh

admittedly this is another one that works really well for the 2018 tv event, but doesn't quite win for me as the crowd don't cheer in all the right places and john legend doesn't react at all to the 'would you DIE for me?' line which is crucial. for good reaction to that line the 2000 film where it elevates the bitchy gay tension in the love triangle really nails it.

simon zealotes - 2011 austria

EASYYY WIN FOR ME this is actually the song that made me want to pick a best version for each one because this version IS so much better than any other one for me. the guitar!!!!!! rob's energy!! the music design for this one really fucks so severely and then there's just rob jumping around hyping up the crowd (there is a film version from 2008 on youtube, but i wanted to capture the music for this one). iconic.

big love also to hungary 2013 for having a simon who's in a wheelchair, particularly notable when it's really the highest energy role in the show. i do enjoy.

poor jerusalem - 2022 rob carroll

i cannot find any information about this album other than what's on spotify but i do enjoy the slight alt melodies in this version and i like his voice.

not a lot to go into for this song really. i like the ben forster version a lot as well, and the 1996 london cast version. 'close your eyes' is a better lyric than 'live a lie'. moving on.

pilate's dream - 2022 all-female cast

may be biased bc I LOVE ORFEH but i just think this version is so gorgeous. i love the little vocal drifts without going too overboard and distracting from the song. the music composition is especially pleasing as well.

there's a lot of honourable mentions i could give here bc i think pilate has so much potential for power and gravitas, but 1973 film, 2012 uk arena tour, 2013 hungary, and east end theatrical ensemble. are also big favs. in terms of staging i love the fact that 2019 castaway productions has jesus himself on stage playing the backing piano like he actually is haunting pilate.

the temple - 1992 australia

australia 1992 habitually has some of the most interesting and creative music direction and this is one of the songs where it particularly pays off. love the whistles. i also like that the second 'get out' is spoken, not screamed. the second half is appropriately creepy with the sustained 'chriiiist'. pretty boring staging but at least the costumes are fun.

i don't know how to love him - east end theatrical ensemble

possibly controversial choice but ugh i love this version i even love how low the sound quality is. like listening to a vinyl. i think her voice is so gorgeous and i love her accent. deeply soothing to listen to. i feel like im in the 70s rn.

i'm also a huge fan of the 1996 london cast recording, joanna ampil has such a sweet voice and the way she emotes so that you can really Hear it works well for this song. special shout out to 2012 uk arena tour which i don't think is a particularly amazing version but we get the absolute gunshow from mel c at the end so we love it.

damned for all time/blood money - 1973 film

CARL!! I feel like 1973 film and 1996 london album are at a disadvantage in this bc they're what i grew up with so i kind of take them for granted but this is undeniably iconic. no one can commit to the tortured soul but belief he's doing the right thing like him. the way he can scream but it still sounds Good. i prefer versions that have annas suggest 'a fee' rather than caiaphas just repeating himself so that's here too. the weird keening way he sings 'on thursday night'. annas dropping the coins just as he reaches for them. UGH so good. a lot less brassy than other versions as well.

this is another song that kinda fucks in every version, but the original 1970 album and the 2018 tv event are particularly good i think. also that one bit in 2012 uk arena tour where annas is like '...... get up off the floor.'

[renlyslittlerose]

So my estranged grandfather passed away in the wee morning hours today. Seventeen years and one day since my Canadian grandfather died - which is very odd.

He wasn't what I would say was a good grandfather, nor a good father. He wasn't even a very good man. I started distancing myself from him around 2016, and was fully out of his life by 2018. He was verbally and emotionally abusive, enjoyed toying with people and their emotions, used people for his own personal gain, gaslit like it was his fucking job, and was generally neglectful to his duties as a father and a grandfather - especially to my sister and I. I can count on one hand the times he actually remembered my birthday when I was a kid, but even those moments were probably prompted by my mum or his girlfriend or his ex-wife.

But he had his moments, and I think I should say a few words about him and who he was.

He was born in a town in Hungary in 1935, near Lake Balaton. He was the youngest of the children, his brothers old enough to serve during WWII. During the war he talked about how he and his friends would go out to the abandoned battlefields and collect ammunition from the German and Soviet tanks, pile them in cow pastures, and set them off to scare the cows and other livestock. He said once school resumed after the war, a lot of kids came into class with missing fingers or even missing hands. He was lucky in that the only injury he received during his dumbass-ery was slicing his ass open on a destroyed German tank.

After the war he remained in the area, growing up with minimal education and helping run the household (his eldest brother had committed suicide shortly after the war was over). But in 1956, Hungary had their failed revolution in a desperate attempt to kick out the Soviet occupation. My grandfather wasn't part of the fighting, but he had enough sense to listen to one of the elders in the village who said that if they wanted to get the fuck out of Hungary and past the Iron Curtain, now was their time to run.

So he fled to Austria with some of his friends. They stayed in a refugee camp where he tried to learn basic English, before Canada accepted Hungarian refugees in 1958. So, along with some friends he'd made in the camp, he got on a boat and had a miserable trip across the Atlantic to the harbour of Halifax (he said that he could barely eat the entire trip because he was so sea sick). From there, he was put on a train that went across Canada, and he could get off on at any stop and just... start a new life.

It was, of course, the dead of winter when he and his friends arrived. Canada during the winter isn't pleasant - doubly so when you've come from the relatively mild Hungarian countryside. But one of his friends had family in Vancouver, and so he suggested they stay on the train all the way to the West Coast. Satisfied with this idea, my Papa agreed.

Only he made it as far as my home city in Alberta. You see, my city has this funky weather phenomena called a 'chinook.' Chinooks are when warm winds from the Pacific flow into the area and rush down the mountains and across the prairies, causing an inversion of air that rapidly warms up the city for a few days. We can go from -20C degree temperatures one day, to +15C the next. So when my Papa arrived in my city it was warm. Deceptively so. Ignoring his friend's suggestion they just continue on to Vancouver, my Papa decided to get off and start his new life.

The next day the train rolled out, and with it the freezing cold temperatures returned.

Despite it all he remained where he was. Life as a Hungarian refugee was tough. He knew very little English, and wasn't sure how to navigate life in a city that had developed past his home town in Hungary. He told me a story about trying to figure out how an automatic door worked, as well as trying to ask a store clerk where the bars of soap were, only to be taken to the canned soup aisle.

But as he learned English and adapted to Canada, he decided to sign up for architectural classes. He eventually got good enough at the gig that he became an expert in concrete as a building material, and helped to build one of the more iconic buildings in my city that is shaped like a saddle (which, if you know, you know).

In 1961, he and some fellow Hungarians decided to go to a dance at the local German-Canadian club where he met my German grandmother. She'd just moved to Canada, and had made the unfortunate decision to dance with the handsome Hungarian lad in the corner. Few months later she realized she was pregnant with my mum, and they got married before she gave birth.

Their marriage wasn't a happy one. But regardless, my Grandma had two more children with him before filing for divorce.

Growing up my Papa was always this strange, nebulous figure in my life. My sister and I were the eldest of the grandchildren, so we had to deal with his fumbled attempts at trying to be a grandfather when it was clear he didn't care. My mum would take us over to his house where they would argue the whole time, while my sister and I sat in the basement watching Jesus Christ Superstar on repeat. Gifts for birthdays usually came in the form of money, but I can remember the few times he actually bought me something. One time, he took me to the circus which ended up terrifing me because of the loud noises and bright lights. But instead of yelling at me or mocking me, he took me out of the show and bought me a teddy bear to sooth me. It was light brown with a white belly, with a yellow ribbon as a tie. I cherished that thing for a long time.

When I was old enough to carry a conversation, and he realized that I had an interest in ancient history like he did, we started chatting more. For a time it was fine. But then I realized that he liked to poke and prod and jab - liked to make people uncomfortable because it made him laugh. I would say something about my studies, and he would retort with something completely bigoted just to see me get flustered. I'll admit that I put up with it longer than I should have. The final straw was when I told him what my Masters studies would be on - how ancient Greek ideals on masculinity and male same-sex relations influenced the early German Gay Rights movement. His response was 'Good - show the world how your grandmother's people are a bunch of homos.'

He didn't believe what he was saying. He wasn't homophobic - unless he knew he could make it hurt. Which is almost worse, in a way.

After that I distanced myself. I didn't go to any family events he would be present at, and if I was forced to go I wouldn't speak with him. The last time I saw him was a few years ago when he was giving out cheques from his estate, under the assumption that he only had a few years left. I was surprised that I was even included, but then I realized that once again it was someone else in his life that had made sure I was looked after. This time it was my aunt.

I think the last thing I said to him was 'take care' or something along those lines. An impersonal greeting, one made out of social obligation more than anything.

I'm not sad about his passing, but I do worry about those who are left behind. My mother claims she doesn't care, but I know she still has lingering feelings - how could she not, he was her father, after all. My aunts are grieving terribly for a person that I never got to meet. Not really. My cousins who had a better relationship with him for the most part, are probably feeling the loss. And my sister, bless her, is worried for everyone else. His death will leave a crater in the family - one last 'fuck you' to his children, whom he loved to see fight over his affections and attention.

He had a lot of bad qualities, but some good as well. He was determined, he was curious, and he loved to learn. He was brave in the sense of leaving everything he knew behind just for a shot at something better. He had a good sense of humour (when he wasn't being a jerk), and I think deep down he did love his family. Just maybe not as much as he loved himself.

Nyugodjék békében Sandor 💕

[because-its-eurovision]

Finland is number one in Poland's Viral 50 💚. Slovenia is second by the way. And also Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Armenia, Moldova, France and Czechia are all trending above Sweden and fit in top15. Which I think kind of shows how middle of the road their song is (I'm not going to say it's bad, because Loreen is a good singer, but it really kind of goes is one ear and out the other without leaving a trace), and that people want something more memorable and crazy from Eurovision.

It is kind of interesting that after watching both semis and the grand finale, I was able to kind of accurately predict who would be a qualifier, but the finale voting was one big mystery to me 😅. Why didn't Slovenia, Austria and Czechia get more points? Why was Germany lower than Poland? What is even happening in the heads of the juries?

But Finland is definitely going to be remembered. And I think Swedish commentators know that, and it really bothers them it's your country that captivated people hearts, and they turn offensive out of some wounded pride.

This new made me really happy ❤ Not only that Cha Cha Cha is number one, but in general that Eurovision is so relevant nowadays that it is able to make the competing songs (other than the winner and the country’s own entry) go viral. Tattoo was ofc viral in many, many countries even before the contest which is really not surprising seeing how it embraces the pop hit pattern and is ridiculously catchy, but seeing non-English songs even higher really warms my heart.

There are always going to be surprising results, but the running order and competition in the same genre do have an effect. Obviously I do not have the answers, and this is speculation only.

Slovenia qualified and 78 points is not a bad result at all, considering they also got points from 14 different countries. The withdrawing of North Macedonia and Montenegro likely had an impact on their total score. Before the grand final Slovenia was 23rd in the odds which is in line with their result of 21st place. In my view Slovenia was since the beginning always more of a fan favourite than a real contender. I once read a take saying that only diaspora and fans vote in Eurovision, which is supported by the fact that Joker Out got their highest points in the final from Croatia, Serbia and Finland (got to support Käärijä’s boyfriend 🥰)

Austria was hurt by the running order in the grand final perhaps more than anyone. It has been shown that the running order doesn’t affect the juries as much as the televoters, perhaps because the juries are required to watch the whole show from the beginning to the end while the regular viewers might miss the first few songs. Juries did raise Austria to the 8th place which is once again a great result in my opinion, for a country that usually doesn’t enjoy that much of neighbour support. In general despite the country it is really hard to place higher than around 15th place when opening the grand final – Belgium came 10th in 2016 but was only 16th in the televote. Other reasons for Austria's low televote score might have been the quality difference between first and second semi final, and the voters all gathering to support Finland when it became clear they were the only ones who could challenge Sweden.

Czechia got their second ever top 10 result, second best result ever and best result since Mikolas Josef’s 6th place in 2018, so I wouldn’t be disappointed at all. Perhaps they suffered having to perform between Finland and Australia, which is something I expected could happen.

Germany is one of the Central European countries that cannot trust their neighbours to support them, as we have unfortunately seen many times. In general, succeeding with a rock/metal entry in Eurovision is very difficult and rare, although there are a couple of exception which I probably don’t even have to mention. In March I got this ask and made a prediction based on how well rock/heavy entries similar to Blood and Glitter usually have succeeded in Eurovision (21st-24th place), so I’m not that shocked by their result. Sad of course, but not surprised. (I expected UK be last, but I guess they got some support points for being the host). My guess is Germany also once again suffered from being a direct qualifier (not having the same bond with viewers as semi-finalists do) and competing against Australia and especially Finland, who have similar-ish target audience.

As for Poland I need to remind that they have a huge diaspora – their highest points came from Ukraine, Ireland, Lithuania and United Kingdom. Most people who knew and cared about the infamous NF result were Polish viewers themselves and Eurovision fans, and neither of those groups can give negative votes. To Blanka’s credit we must admit that the performance improved massively since the NF and Solo as a light and campy female pop didn’t really have any genre competition, and it isn’t as divisive as metal or heavy rock is.

Juries are asked to focus their vote on 4 main sets of criteria: Vocal capacity of the artist(s) Performance on stage Composition and originality of the song Overall impression of the act

Regardless of how angry I am of the ridiculously high jury points to Sweden this year – and almost every year, really – I think they were pretty consistent with their ranking this year. We can argue about Cha Cha Cha being more original than Tattoo, but we can’t argue about Käärijä being weaker singer than Loreen or Marco. Juries always put more emphasis on the vocal capacity and singing skills than televote does. That is also why what the fans call “boring ballads” tend to be higher than campy uptempos and ethnic bops, because the latter rarely require expectional vocal techniques. My hot take is that juries are necessary to evaluate objectively the actual technical skills of the performers and prevent us from having to sit through another year like 2008 with Leto Svet, Baila El Chiki Chiki, Dustin the Turkey and Wolves of the Sea kind of atrocities.

I love the last chapter 🥺 Käärijä is the people’s princess 💗 I think @suspiciouslandlady put it best in this post. Sweden cannot take that all the attention and love is not directed at them. They cannot take that we are celebrated instead of them. They cannot take that their "former Eastern part of the kingdom" is acknowledged at its own right and not just as the lesser neighbour country. We are so used to being forgotten between Sweden and Russia, the weird Nordic that has their own strange language none of the others understand, always the oppressed, the underdog in contests and sports. We might have lost once again, but this time the world is on our side and the spotlight is on Finland. And that is hard for our neighbours to swallow.

[sexynetra]

Galaxy, perfume, parchment, and oasis for the pretty asks :)

galaxy; what fascinates you?

Maybe a cop out because I am a history major but history 😂 I love falling down a rabbit hole of a random historical event/figure and finding out absolutely everything I can find

perfume; favorite scent?

P sure that when I worked at Ulta and sniffed perfumes all the time my favorite ones all had notes of gardenia :) but my true favorite scent is fir trees and/or fresh cut grass

parchment; favorite book?

You already knowwwwwww baby it’s Gatsby forever and always <3333 Great Gatsby you will always be famous

oasis; dream destination? 

I don’t know!!! I travel quite a bit which is amazing and wonderful and such a privilege but I’ve gone to a lot of the places that were on my wishlist :) I’d really love to go to Japan someday, and I want to go to Poland and Germany and Austria to see some of the WWII sights before their governments remove all the memorials and museums 😭 also I really want to go back to Santiago I’ve been missing it since I left in 2018 🤭