#a well deserved result for charles... he needs to be better

[il-predestinato]

Tire change: *Done*

Gap: *Exists*

Release Charles? *Nah, better release him into traffic instead*

[costkappen]

Best boy《CLxReader》

Tags....☆smut,blow job, sub!Charles, Dom!reader, no use of y/n,fluff,charles is insecure,reassuring

Warnings....☆smut!mdni, a bit of sad!Charles but nothing too sad or angsty

Word count....☆1795

A bit of a warning, this is my first time writing so it not the best,also please correct me if you find any spelling mistakes as I didn't proof read this,anyways enjoy I hope I did good!

He looked so pretty high up on the podium, his smiling face half covered by the shining Australian sun making his pretty blue eyes shine like I've never seen before.

After the podium celebrations I went after him and pulled him in the tightest hug ever

"Congratulations Charles! P2 and double ferrari podium, I'm so proud of you" his face lit up at my praise, something I've picked up since I first met him, he gloats over the littlest praise aimed towards him, even if it wasn't said to him directly, he has a habit of kicking himself down way more that necessary when the smallest thing goes wrong, even if it wasn't his fault he always finds a way to beat himself up over it, so over the years I've made a mental note to sower him with praises as much as I can. "Thank you chéri, I'm also really happy with the team today, let's go to my drivers room I'll take a quick shower and then we'll go back to the hotel"

The drive to the hotel was fairly silent, I didn't say anything to him but I saw how his lips twitched and how his grip on the steering wheel was so tight the tips of his fingers turned white. Yes he was happy about his podium, but there was something he was not telling me so I made it my personal mission to find out what was bothering him so much on a day that was supposed to make him feel like he was on cloud 9.

Once we arrived to the hotel the first thing I did was change into something more comfortable and then I went looking for him, "Hey baby" I said as I sat down on his lap on the couch "How are you feeling? You must be so happy, we have to celebrate with Carlos and Rebecca tonight you boys did such a good job"

The praise made him smile, still he didn't look like his usual self "Yeah I'm really happy Chéri, I think the team needed this win, I can't wait to celebrate with you all" then he gives me a quick kiss on the lips and looks at me without saying anything else

" Alright then if you're so happy then why are you acting like that?" "Acting like what?" He says with a nervous giggle as to make me think I'm just over thinking it. "Like you're about to cry Charlie, don't lie to me I know you too well." He then brings his hand to gently stroke my cheek, as if I was the one that needed comforting right now, "I really can't hide anything from you Chéri?" He let's out a sigh,his whole body deflating "I'm happy for Carlos, I really am, it's just that I can't stop thinking how it should've been me on the first step, not because I don't think that Carlos deserves it but because I've got the whole ferrari team and the tifosi rooting for me, and everytime I get second place instead of winning I feel like I'm letting down everyone, especially you" well I surely wasn't expecting that, yes I knew he had some troubles in believing himself, but I didn't know just how little he thought of himself, "Charlie I can promise you're not letting anyone down,and especially not me! Do you not know how proud I am of you? The redbull is been a monster of a car and so far you've been the only one to get as close to it as second place, everyone at the motorhome can tell you that, everyone is so proud of you even when you don't win we know that you could do so much more if we had a better car and if redbull didn't have a rocketship instead of a car,no one is upset with you Charlie" his lips were quivering and his pretty blue eyes were shiny and looked like they were ready to burst with tears, but I couldn't let my pretty boy cry on a day like this, not when he was supposed to be celebrating and happy with his amazing results, "Alright Charlie how about I show you just how much i am proud of you?"

I take his hand making him stand up from the couch "Where are we going Chéri?" He asks confused as ever "to the bed baby, I'll show you what good boys like you get when they've been so good" and as I make him get on the bed I get a good look at his flushed face, cheeks red and a little shy smile,

"I'll start slow okay?" He nods eagerly his head and I chuckle at his shyness, I start by prepping kisses all over his handsome face and I stop at his lips to give him a more passionate kiss occasionally sliding my tongue on his bottom lip, stroking his arms with my hand I could feel goosebumps forming, as I made my way to his neck I made sure that my kissed lingered a bit longer as to leave pink patches all over his neck, light enough to show but not too harsh so they would be gone the next day, as much as I wanted to leave purple marks all over him I knew pr would kill him if he showed up in public covered in hickeys, so just this once I'll refrain myself.

I could feel him shiver under me as I got to unbuttoning his shirt and I kissed all over his chest "Chéri please..don't tease me like this" he pleaded looking at me with his puppy eyes "What do you want me to do Charlie? I'll do anything you want as long as you ask me nicely " I was being a bit mean to him but I knew that he loved it when I took charge and teased him, "Please just touch me..anywhere I just want to feel your touch" his words make me melt, and how could I say no to him when he was begging so prettily "What a good boy you are Charles, asking me so nicely, don't worry I'll make you feel so good" He shivers as my hand gets lower, working on his pants to get them off, I slide them down along with his underwear as he raises his hips to help me get his pant off of him, I look back up staring at his pretty leaking dick, he wasn't the biggest but he still had the prettiest dick I've ever seen, clean and neatly groomed, I started tracing the veins that run across his shaft, that pulled a whimper out of him so I started using my tongue savoring his flavor on my tastbuds as I moved to his tip, clear beads of precum already leaking out "your dick is so pretty cha, so sensitive for me.." I look up at him smiling and circling my tongue around his tip "p-pleas chérie..take me in your mouth no more teasing" his pleas and the way he looked at me while he was making me go crazy, he just looked so good, still maintaining eye contact I took him as deep down my throat as I could go, seeing his face contorted from the pleasure gave me more confidence so I relaxed my throat and stopped when my nose hit his lower stomach, he tasted heavenly and I could hear his whimpers and soft moans, I bobbed my head up and down using my hand to stoke him at his base where I could not reach with my mouth, and he looked completely gone, eyes rolling back, hands gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white and he let out the prettiest moans, but his breath was staring to hiccup and he started squirming against the sheet so I knew he was getting close "what is it cha? Getting close my sweet boy?" I cooed at him getting my mouth back on him as soon as I stopped talking "mhh- Chéri please don't stop i-" He gasped and as I looked at him I saw his eyes roll back, he was completely blissed out "what is it pretty boy, Can't talk anymore? Am I making you feel so good your brain can't form words?" His breath hitched and he let out a shaky moan, this time I decided to not make him beg me to let him cut, he had been so good and he deserved it, so I started focusing on his tip, circling it with my tongue and sucking it harshly while my hand stroked him up and down as the other held him at his base,I was so focused on getting him to his sweet and deserved release I almost didn't hear him warning me that he was about to cum, "look at me Charlie,I want to see your pretty face as you cum down my throat like a good boy,just like that cha let it go for me" my words pushed him off the edge and he gripped my hair slightly pushing my head down on him, I got the hint so I took him as deep as a could and he heal me there, his loud moans filled the room, at this point I knew that whoever was staying in the room next to us hear him but I couldn't care less, I just wanted him to feel good, as i looked at his fucked out expression I felt his sweet cum filling my mouth, his mouth hanged low as he let out one final loud moan and fell back on the pillows, I slowly pulled him out of my mouth, took his face in my hands and made him look at me as I swallowed his cum, and he smashed his mouth on mine, sliding his tongue inside my mouth passionately kissing me, a quiet thank you.

"Are you feeling better now Charlie?" I looked down at him as he was laying on my chest trying to gain his breath back "yes- yes thank you chéri I'm feeling much better chéri thank you" He smiled and kissed my neck and nuzzled his face as I covered us up with the covers "well then I'm confident that you learned your lesson and will start to believe in yourself more yes?" I say as I start stroking his hair

"Well I don't know chéri, if that's what happens when I doubt myself I might just start doing it more" He laughs and hides his face in the crook of my neck, I gently smack the back of his head but I also laugh at his comment "I love you charles, you know that right?" "I know chéri, but I love you more."

[dizzyduck44]

I thought Danny Ric fans were bad but holy hell, Oscar fans I’m sorry you are next level.

This is not aimed at those who support both McLaren drivers as I actually think they are the most rational and know what is telling the truth.

The reality is there is not a single metric or statistic that backs up the notion that Oscar should not have to back Lando or that Oscar is having the better season.

Oscar has run every single racing lap of the season, has qualified in Q3 for every single race and yet he has been out qualified 13-3, is behind his teammate in the championship and is 100+ points off the lead of the championship.

Oscar has had the best opportunity of anyone on that grid this season to build a title challenge. He hasn’t. Not realistically.

The cold hard fact is Lando has double his podiums and has spent more laps running in the top 10 positions than him, having DNF’d a race.

But then you get all the excuses about strategy and upgrades. Well the flip side is Oscar has had more luck than even Charles this year. Monaco was a non race, with the positions reset and damage (self inflicted) repaired after the first start. Austria he inherited a podium when he was running 4th and 20 seconds behind and Hungary, which I’ve explained in detail.

Anyone with any F1 sense can see that this season Oscar and George have had a lot of luck, Max, Lando and Charles have fought for every last point they have (even if you hate one of them you have to admit they have pulled results this year that didn’t look physically possible) and Lewis and Carlos are maximising the experience they have to pull off great results.

The reality is the “stat” in the last X number of races can be used to prove any point. You move the benchmark to get the result you want. At the end of the day after 16 races the top three are Max, Lando and Charles. Hate it or not, they are the three that deserve to be the top three.

McLaren find themselves in the position of use team orders or have them used against you. No one wants them, drivers or fans, but in reality there is no point being all honourable when one driver is holding you up and his teammate is driving away from you and your chances at a title.

If Oscar doesn’t play this game now he can kiss goodbye to the team helping him fully if the roles are reversed next season. (Because trust me, the McLaren mechanics hold grudges. Ask Lewis and Fernando).

If Oscar wants that opportunity, the 2025 season starts on the 14 March. You need to show up from day 1. Because this year he didn’t and now this is where he finds himself.

My biggest concern for Oscar is the number of areas he needs to tidy up. His pit stops. Being told to calm down in Miami as they feared he would cause a safety car. His starts (honestly go back and look. If Lando isn’t having to avoid him he’s made contact with another driver). His qualifying. The fact he has never managed to chase another driver down for the win yet (or even get close; see Austria, Spain, Hungary, Monza).

Sometimes you just have to accept someone else has done a better job and let it motivate you for next year. I feel some fans are getting a warped perception of F1 having Oscar be immediately in a competitive team.

[deconstructthesoup]

Looked at my Dead Boy Detectives swap AU, decided that it could be better, and ran with it. So... here ya go.

(For those of you who need a refresher---it's an AU where Crystal and Niko are the ghosts and Charles and Edwin are the alive ones. "Dead Girl Detectives," basically.)

Crystal is pretty much unchanged from the original concept---she died in the 1920's, she was a psychic socialite with absent parents, and she acted like the quintessential spoiled wild-child while secretly being fascinated by detective stories. She died when she got possessed by David the demon, who puppeted her body around for weeks... until she finally managed to wrench back some form of control, threw both of them off of a building, and wound up getting sent to Hell. Now that she's out and living free as a ghost, she's doing her level best to leave her old self behind and be a better person---partly for herself, but also so she can prove that she doesn't deserve eternal punishment if Hell ever comes for her again.

Niko's still an anime geek from the 1990's who was an outcast in life, but her death circumstances are different. Instead of dying from the dandelion sprites, she accepted an invitation to a party in an effort to try and socialize more after her father's death... and she got killed in a prank gone wrong, trapped in an abandoned mansion that used to belong to Crystal's family. She probably would've even moved on if it weren't for Crystal showing up and helping her out, giving Niko a reason to stick around. Niko's doing better now, but she still hasn't really processed her feelings surrounding her death. (Also, her hair's still white---she just dyed it that way, and it's never changed even after she died.)

Charles is also pretty much unchanged from the OG concept---he's still an irresponsible witch who got possessed by David and lost his memories as a result---with the added detail that he's one of many incredibly powerful magical people who David's possessed, wrecked havoc with their powers, and killed, though Charles thankfully survived the ordeal thanks to the Dead Girl Detectives. Also, I'm fairly certain that Charles is not only well aware that he's bisexual and out, but he and David were almost certainly dating. Or at least hooking up.

Edwin's still a socially awkward comics nerd and shut-in, but I decided to just have him get the paranormal parasite as a way for him to get involved with Charles and the Dead Girl Detectives---though, instead of a dandelion sprite that's all about soaking up attention, it's a hornet-themed sprite that feeds on people's insecurities and self-loathing. I think that he still butts heads with Crystal a little bit, but his bookish, studious nature winds up becoming incredibly helpful to the team, and he gets along great with Niko and Charles. Especially Charles.

Now, after thinking about it, I realized that if I was going to do a four-way swap with our main crew, it would probably make sense to do the same with our supporting cast. So:

The Night Nurse---or Minerva Knight, as I've tended to name her in my AUs---is in the place as Port Townsend's resident witch, though her motives are pretty different from Esther's. She has no need for any spells of eternal youth, having stopped aging a while ago, and she considers herself the protector of Port Townsend, keeping the forces of the supernatural at bay from the mundane residents... even if that means occasionally sacrificing a child or two to keep some of the more unsavory beings satisfied. Needless to say, Minerva has a very skewed view of morality, and unlike her canon counterpart, she can't really be swayed to change her mind. She's scary.

Esther, meanwhile, is in the lovely position as the Crow Queen, a charming and campy trickster being who exists to wear fabulous, over-the-top outfits, rule over her little feathered darlings, and to be a menace to everyone she meets. Her whole deal with Crystal isn't exactly flirtatious, but it's enough to give Crystal a gigantic bisexual awakening. And whether or not Esther's really all that interested and is just fucking with her, she's a lot of fun, and she's definitely instrumental in helping Crystal realize more about herself.

Thomas (the Cat King, but we're calling him by his first name) is Charles and Edwin's landlord---the owner of a queer bakery who's having a bit of a quarter-life crisis and is therefore a bit of an asshole to almost everyone he meets. Despite how prickly he is, though, he has an energy about him that makes him automatically endearing to every single misfit teen in a fifty-mile radius, and he's less than enthusiastic about it. Deep down, Thomas doesn't really mind, because he is a pretty lonely individual (not that he'd ever admit it).

And lastly, Jenny is the Night Guard On Duty in the Afterlife Lost & Found Department---overworked, burnt out, and thoroughly cynical when it comes to the affairs of the living. She's convinced that all she really needs is the big case that'll get her a promotion to a much less stressful position, and tracking down the Dead Girl Detectives seems to be just the thing. Of course, she's not as dedicated to her job as she appears to be, and even years of working in the most depressing place in the universe hasn't fully worn her down.

And, uh, other than the fact that I'm gonna have to figure out a stand-in for Monty... that's what I got!

[1moreff-creator]

Theres this Youtuber called "Girl With The Dogs". She basically makes videos about grooming cats and dogs in a very comedic way. I just finished watching one of the cat videos and I thought to myself.. "If Nico (or really anyone capable of taking caring of animals) were to groom the cast as cats, how would it end up?" Like for example if Nico were to be cleaning Ace as a cat, he'd probably be a nightmare. He'd refuse to eat any tubes, hiss and swat when you try to brush him and would be howling up a storm in the bath. Someone like Rose for example on the other hand, she'd be the opposite. I can imagine her occasionally meowing and having airplane ears but other than that she's quiet and compliant. What's your take on this? Do you have any head canons of your own? I just REALLY love DRDT x Cats

Ooh cool youtuber! And this is a really cute idea, here's my thoughts!

As a disclaimer, though, I know nothing about grooming cats so everything I'm about to say is based on just skimming a few of Girl With the Dogs videos. In other words, I'm going to get things wrong :v

Teruko: Absolutely anything that can go wrong when grooming a cat, goes wrong. Brushes snap, dryers and the machines to cut hair break down, the water catches fire somehow... As a result, she's a mess, and the ridiculous amount of injuries she has doesn't make it easier. She's also very guarded and it takes a while for Nico to get her to trust them, but the Ultimate Pet Therapist comes through in the end! Eventually, Teruko is able to receive the groom she deserves :D

Xander: One eyed kitty who's the essence of energy! He's pretty uncooperative due to his hatred of authority, but eventually Nico is able to groom him. He's not particularly hard to make pretty... as long as he doesn't immediately mess himself up again on purpose.

Charles: Grumpy cat, but pretty chill. Stays pretty still most of the time, but gets feisty if Nico ever offends his pride somehow. The Ultimate Pet Therapist knows how to avoid that, though, so Nico can pull it off without issue. Deathly afraid of the blow dryer though.

Ace: As you said, nightmare cat. Scared of everything he can be scared of, ready to bite and attack anytime Nico comes near, and refuses any guidance. Nico would be more patient with cat Ace than human Ace, but it sure would take a while for them to complete the groom.

Arei: Pretty feisty in the beginning, but after a bit of Pet Therapist magic, she's actually pretty chill. Occasionally goes up to Nico and tries to get them to make her prettier, just 'cause. Nico always complies to the best of their ability.

Rose: As you said, easy... mostly because she'd be asleep the entire time. The hardest part is feeding her tubes and the like because Nico needs her awake for that. Really chill when awake, though, it's almost hard to notice when she is.

Hu: Nice cat that's known to hold grudges occasionally, but has a really deep affection for Nico. Easy to groom because Nico's her favorite person ever. Regularly brings them dead animals and the like.

Eden: Also very energetic, and more social than the other cats. A bit fussy on occasion, and pretty loud when she meows, but always pretty compliant and easy to groom. Her affection towards Nico is part of what eventually convinces cat Teruko to trust them more.

Levi: Extremely chill cat. Grooming him is almost mechanical; no problems, and barely any emotion shown from Levi beyond a bit of discomfort on some things. Also brings Nico dead animals. One time he brought in a dead alligator and no one has any idea how the hell that happened.

Arturo: This cat ran away from its home and specifically sought out Nico to look more beautiful. Nico gives him a better home, and complies. Arturo's actually pretty chill whenever Nico is doing anything to his appearance, since beauty is so important to the cat, but he gets more fussy around other stuff like the tubes.

Min: Well behaved most of the time, if a bit whiny. However, she is insistent on pushing hair in front of her eyes, and Nico has no idea how to stop it. Mostly because they just... don't understand how that works??? How is her hair doing that and how can she see? Impossible to know, but it works for Min. Nico has the pet theory (heh) that she's somehow been genetically modified by the shady ass corporation (XF-Ture Tech) that brought her to them, given how many contests she seems to win, and that's part of the reason her eye situation is strange.

David: Basically the opposite of most other cats. Well behaved at first, and his first grooms didn't require much, since he was always pretty put together. However, he got pretty feisty at one point, and his hair started becoming the cat equivalent of bed hair. Nico managed to get him out of that unruly behavior streak, though; poor thing had cat depression (I think that's a thing?), but the Ultimate Pet Therapist is clutch.

Veronika: Weirdest fucking cat you're ever gonna see in your life. Will do anything when she gets bored, including pretty dangerous stuff. As a result, she spends a lot of time around Nico, and they let her do that even when they're grooming other cats. Grooming her is hard if she's bored, so Nico always gives her a toy when possible.

J: Has a very particular style that she gets mad if Nico strays from, and is generally pretty feisty, but Nico can always get her to chill well enough. Used to be extremely unhappy as a result of being used for beauty pageants by her owner, Mariabella Rosales. Until she mysteriously disappeared one day. Nico denies knowing how that happened, but everyone knows they're responsible. After all, they still groom J in a secret bunker under their usual work station.

Whit: Absolute jokester ball of energy; anything that can fall off a high place, will be knocked off by this guy. Pretty affectionate, though, and always decently happy to be groomed. Even if sometimes he gets a look in his eyes like he's not thinking about the situation at all when he's uncomfortable.

MonoTV:

Nico: You're not a cat.

MonoTV: Yeah! I'm a dog!

Nico: No, I-I mean you're a machine. I don't know how to groom you.

MonoTV: Say what?!

Bonus, Nico: Pretty scaredy cat, very shy, and that makes them hard to groom by most people. Trust doesn't come easy to them, and they've been known to get into fights. Grooming them is difficult, but if they trust you, it's not that bad.

This was really fun! Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for the ask!

[12-seconds-to-live]

(Un)Lost: Head in the game

Pairing: F12022/3!Grid! x Fem!Driver!oc

Warnings: DNF’s, angst, a little bit of love, episodes of anxiety, Seb’s retirement, harsh words.

Pierre Gasly was curious.

No.

Pierre Gasly is the first source of gossip.

To put you into context, after the chaos coming from every garage after finished the FP2, the frechman put himself, Yuki and Charles to take a decent look into Charlottle Robyn-Jones. Neither Yuki or Charles knew where he found binoculars. In front of the Williams hospitality is the Alpha Tauri, so it’s easy to them to get the perfect spot to know everything. Almost

“I don’t like doing this Pierre. Anybody can see us. I mean... I don’t want Carlos to lecture me” started Charles

“Nobody is going to see you my friend, however, nobody can figure it out that I’m even looking into Williams” 

“You’re stupid. Your face is almost at the front of the building” said Yuki rolling his eyes. “I’m going for a snack at the hotel. Bye”

“Bye Yukino. Well Charles... You and me now” As Pierre directed the binoculars something blue blocked his spy activities.

“Having fun, don’t you?”

“Oh hey Charlotte, just looking for Red Bull secrets, you know, they are so dominant”

“Dominant?” I crossed my arms

“Yeah, Max’s the current champion and everybody’s need to learn something about being good at every race” He stand up in front of me and looking for someone. Funny thing: Red Bull’s hospitality is on the other side of the paddock.

“Well, you better start looking into other teams secrets, Gasly. Not mine, you might get scared” I winked at Pierre and with my bag in my left shoulder, I walked to my motorhome.

“At least tell me one of them!”

After Bahrain madness, as many newspapers and almost every F1 fan acknowledge, Williams started with the right foot this season. Alex and I were as happy as ever, we cannot celebrate after the race due alcohol restrictions but back in London, Lily had to deal with the drunk buddies. At least she wasn’t mad with us for being in that state, a few days later she texted me how happy she is, ‘cause Alex is.

Anyway

Back to the important stuff. 

Right now, where a bit far of the season, 9 pm and I’m waiting for Carlos, Carlos Sainz, Grand Prix winner in Silverstone. I had the chance to share the podium with him and Max. A dream come to true for both of us. His media duties and celebrations with the team last most that expected and who can’t blame them. He boy deserves it. 

But, to the other main point here, the last few races has been incredible for Williams, right now we are in the top of the standings with Red Bull two points behind, in both drivers and constructors. For being my first season is great but at the same thing, it has a lot of pressure to acomplish a lot of things in my rookie season, don’t get me wrong, I’m the type who spend almost half and hour for different points of views of the fans. I’m a good driver, but I’m a woman, I’m too good for this team or I’m so bad for the sport that has been fully dominated for men who could find any excuse to take me out of my dream.

“Hey Char” I heard Lando calling me, he’s with one of his Quadrant hoodies and a bright smile on his face. “Carlos invited me to dinner, I know you’re waiting for him”

“Yeah, he’s a bit busy celebrating” I smiled to him

“You should be doing the same. P2 is a good result too”

“I know, but I prefer to focus on the races and have a better celebration at the end of the year” I started walking with him by my side “Also, my dad’s in Spain so It’s kinda weird to do it without him”

“Yeah. You have Carlos’s parents too, they were so happy watching you on the podium. Ana was crying by the way”

I blushed and laugh “Ana is my big sister, so I get it. My dad called me and he was crying” I stopped when we arrive in the main entrance “Did you saw Toto’s interview, he might be screaming right now”

“Not only him. Any team principal would find funny that a car that has to be below P15 could overtake two Mercedes at the same time” I laugh remembering the scene. I also waved to George, my bad.

“We are full of surprises, so, I guess that you’re going to be my chauffeur to the hotel?” Lando just look at me while he starting blushing and a small giggle come out his mouth.

“That’s ok with me” I opened the door to his McLaren at put my bag on my feet. As he start the engine and the car get to the exit a few fans we’re still waiting for our goodbyes. We waved at them and started our way to the hotel.

“So tell me more about you” Lando asked

“Wikipedia isn’t enough for you?” I giggled at him

“How do you...? I mean that’s not appropiate, better face to face”

“To my or Carlos face? I know you asked him” 

“He’s not loyal anymore” 

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know if you do something for me” I turned to look at him better with a gigantic smile

“No, no, you’re not going to drive my car”

“I don’t want that. I want to see Carlos’s face when his favourite song goes on repeat in the restaurant, like God’s will”

“Oh, I can do that”

All the way to the hotel went as calm as possible with music in the background and a nice view in our way to London. I said my goodbyes to get ready for the dinner with the Sainz. I decided for a nice baby blue dress and white heels, I put on some makeup and my hair in a really nice ponytail. 40 minutes later a message from Carlos was my alert to go to the lobby. The Spaniard hug me as soon as he saw me and with a smile on his face we go to his car, his parents, sisters and Caco where waiting for us in the restaurant and Lando will be arriving a few minutes late.

As we get to our table, Reyes, Carlos’s mom received me and told me how proud she is from us. I sat next to Carlos, leaving a spot for Lando.

“So, are you coming to Austria for the race?” I asked to Carlos parents

“We’re not sure, I have to sort out a few things for a rally exhibition in Madrid and your mother is coming with me” said Carlos sr. “What about your dad? Still busy with work?”

“He is but he arrives on friday to be with me and go try to organize our schedules for our vacations” 

“Are you going to Japan or are you going to Mallorca with us?

I take a sip of my water “Yuki helped me with information for the trip, so I guess that our vacations in Mallorca might be for christmas or we could...ouch” Carlos kicked me when he first verse of his “favourite” song smooth operator started on the speakers

“It wasn’t me! Don’t be an animal” I kicked him back

“Then who?... You muppet” He said looking at Lando who was laughing at his face

“Cool song, uh”

“Not funny”

Lando sit next to me, still smiling “Wikipedia isn’t enough”

As the night went on, Carlos family, Lando and I called the night an hour later. The two drivers and I went together to the hotel. Carlos was in the 4th floor so he leave Lando and I in the elevator.

“Are you tired?” 

“Not much, why?”

“I’m thinking that we can play 20 questions to get to know each other, no?” he said with a small pout on his lips

“Even if you’re not making a puppy face I would said yes, Norris”

In the 9th floor we leave the elevator to walk to my room, as we enter, we leave our shoes by the door. I put on my PJ’s while Lando sit on the bed

“Charlotte, favourite thing to do?” 

“Mmmm Lando. Spend time with my dad and my dog, we usually walk around El Retiro, it’s a famous park in Madrid” I answered sitting next to him

“Do you have a dog? Doesn’t seem like it”

“That’s another question and I do, it’s name is Coco and it’s a Golden Retriever” I smiled “My turn... mmm...best thing since you get into F1″

Meeting you was what Lando wanted to say “Be Carlos teammate”

“Funny, we could be a better duo. Charlos is superior”

“Don’t you dare” he started tickling my ribs, we laugh for a while and when when we recover our normal breathing I continued with the questions

“Biggest fear?”

“Being late” I saw confusion on his face “We are one of the 20 fastest people on the planet but late so say I love or say goodbyes. I’m pretty bad at goodbyes”

“I’m not good either, maybe we can remind each other, so no goodbyes, just see you later, like see you at the end”

“Agree, nothing like a free assistant. So, how do you see yourself after F1?” I show a tilted smile

“Married, with kids hopefully, big backyard, a calm life, I don’t know. I guess that’s what almost everybody wanted. You?”

“I would like to have kids and tell them that their mom is a world champion, Just to make their friends jealous” I let out a sigh “And be with someone that anywhere we go, we’ll feel that we are each others home, like a jigsaw piece”

“Feel what it means to be complete...”

“I guess... be loved as much as my dad still loves my mom. He still sings her favourite songs every valentine’s day or birthday”

“Remember any of those songs?” He asked

“Yeah, I’m not a good singer but he’s always like: I close my eyes and I see your face when I'm alone I long for your embrace and I've tried to find you many times but you have faded my eyes cos' you are you are you are one of a kind Find that missing part the part that completes my heart”

“He’s in love” I nod “Someone special will come, you’re an incredible driver and woman, so, be pacient. Every love is different, one’s just prepare you for something more real, all I know is that you’ll find your missing jigsaw piece too” He said as he grabed my hand and squeezed a bit. Why am I feeling butterflies?

“Thanks Lando, now I know  why you’re Carlos favourite”

“It’s all about my looks, don’t be fooled” We laugh and keep making questions until he had to go to his room to rest.

28/07/2022

HUNGARY GP @10:40

“Netflix, guys, you’re so lovely” It’s not too early in the morning, I came early to my motorhome to continue sleeping and just be ready for interviewes at 11. Well, here I am.

“Where is your phone Charlotte?”

“In my pocket, why?” I said raising an eyebrow

“Did you know that Sebastian Vettel has instagram?” I laugh. 

I almost forget it. After the Saudi Arabia GP y spend my flight back to UK with Sebastian, while I was asking for advice for future races, he just asked me to help him create an instagram account for an special video. I guess that retirement is really special. I was shocked and almost cried but he is so confident about his decision and nobody has the right to judge him, it’s not easy to be chasing you dream without the ones you love. 

“I know, he’ll announcing his retirement at the end of the season”

“You don’t seem surprised”

“I already knew, I am sad, he’s been so important for the sport, he’ll be missed but at the same time I’m happy to spend his last season with him. When I see he around, I ask for advice, he’s a world champion after all”

“I like how you think” he write something on a paper “So far, your rookie season has been incredible, do you see yourself winning the championship?”

“I don’t want to say yes but we have to wait, everything is so umpredictable. But I hope so, that will be a great present for my mom”

“Oh...she’s proud, yes” I saw a tear falling for his eyes “Sorry”

“Don’t worry, I love to talk about her, she’s with me all the time”

31/07/2022

HUNGARY GP @14:00 

“Radio check”

“Hello? It’s me”

“I know Charlotte, I’m your engineer”

“You used to be funny, be ready, If I get on P1 I’m gonna spray the whole bottle on champagne on your face” 

He laughs “Get ready for the formation lap. 15 seconds”

“Welcome to the Hungarian GP, a very interesting front row with our rookie Charlotte Robyn-Jones and the seventh time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Then both Red Bulls, Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Sebastian Vettel, Valteri Bottas, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, Mick Schumacher, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Zhou Guanyu”

“Last race before summer vacation and then going back to the other half of the season to define the 2022 world champion. With heighest expectations for the rookie of Williams racing or the raining champion Max Verstappen, with just a few seconds for this race and it’s lights out and away we go”

With 57 of the 70 laps for this race and two safety cars later due colisions that make my teammate out of the race with Ocon, Checo and Stroll. I keep my position in P1 with Max not to far from me, but as the time passed I was getting a bit tired so I was pushing as much as ever to finish as quickly as ever.

“Verstappen 1.3 seconds behind”

“Copy. I think something happen to my water bag, at lap 41 it was empty”

“We have to check at the end of the race. Sorry Charlotte”

“Ok, at least I don't feel like going to the bathroom”

At lap 66 I saw how Max was a bit closer to me, considering that we pitted at the same time, he chasing for the cheese, aka me, was on.

“Charlotte, time to push, give them hell”

“Oh wow, new version of hammer time?”

“Don’t get me started kid”

“And the rookie do it again, what a reace. Charlotte Robyn-Jones in a very dominant Williams is a Gran Prix winner. What a season for her and her team. We see the gap she created with Verstappen, wow, only 0.09 seconds behind her and then Lewis Hamilton. We have to wait to the Belgium GP to see how the teams improve their cars ‘cause as far as I see, this is Williams year”

“Get ready Adam! You’re going to sleep with the essense of champions tonight!”

“Congrats Charlotte, what a race!” Multiple people cheering can be heard over the radio, all the members of the team happy as she get through the chekered flag.

“Love you team! This is for Alex too, this is our year!” 

I parked my car in front of the number 1 sign, I unbuckle the belts and get of the car, Max and Lewis give fist bumps, then I run to hug the members of the team. A very happy Carlos pat my back and said well done girasol. Lando, who just get off his car, run to me and hug me and we helped each other with our helmets, as I took off my balaclava, I dedicated him a winked

“Do you like the view of my rear wing?”

“I preffer the view I saw everytime you smile in the podium” For a moment I feel out of breath, he is the one. 

We smile at each other

“Hope to share it with you, to enjoy the same view” I cannot hear his answer ‘cause Ava pull my arm to do the interview before the podium celebrations so I waved to him. What’s this feeling? 

LATER WITH NETFLIX

“Do you have any conversations for next year? Your team principal said that Williams isn’t going to offer you another contract even if you win the championship. You have multiple options, Ricciardo, Gasly and Vettel’s seat”

“That’s a secret for Abu Dabi, too much gossip is not healthy guys”

“So...anything to say?”

“Want a hint?”

“Yes, please” I smiled looking to the camera

“Enchanté”

Hi! Thanks for the support on this story/series. English it’s not my first language but I try my best, anyway, enjoy, I got inspired and If you have requests for any driver, I’m open to them. I’m still organizing this story considering that I’m going full mode with Lando and trying to put together the main topic of this <<<something so sad>>>, as I said, enjoy and have a nice day/night :)

Taglist: @evans-dejong @omgsuperstarg @bibissparkles @hoely-maria @mochimommy2002 @noope306 @eugene-emt-roe​ @80sloverry​ @rens-daylight​

intro

part one

[moeitsu]

The Tie Which Linked My Soul To Thee

Summary: The battle begins, and the past is revealed.

Ao3 Wattpad Masterlist - All Chapters Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.7 Ch.8 Ch.9 Ch.10

Warning: Graphic depictions of violence, blood and gore. Tags: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character, Widowed, Original Character, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Friends to Lovers, Child Loss, Trauma, Canon-Typical Violence, Arthur Morgan Does Not Have Tuberculosis, Arthur Morgan Deserves Happiness, Chubby Arthur Morgan, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Ch 6 - As When The Summer Days Were Nigh

“I’d known death since I was a child. It’s everywhere. In every form you can imagine. And a few your worst nightmare couldn’t muster. As if death was not the result of accidents and disease, death was its own disease. But it had never touched me. It had never placed its rotten finger on my heart. Yes, freedom has fangs. And it sunk them in me. ” ~ Elsa Dutton 1883 

Lorena's hooves pounded against the slope, carrying Kate down into the valley where a few wagons had come to a halt, isolated from the main caravan. Raiders swarmed around them, gunfire echoing in the night as chaos unfolded. With the sun sinking below the horizon, Kate strained to discern the attackers' numbers in the darkness. 

Six horsemen emerged from the west, joined by several more riding over the slope from the north. Kate's mind raced as she tried to make sense of the situation. What are raiders doing this far south in the plains? She asked herself, trying to plan a course of action.

They used the cover of night to their advantage, weaving between trees and shrubs, it was difficult to get a clear shot of them. But she witnessed Charles and Arthur spring into action. Their guns blazed as they lit up the night with each round sending orange sparks into the darkness. As Lorena closed the distance, Kate spotted two wagons left behind: one belonging to John and Abigail, and the other a supply wagon driven by Lenny and Sean. She knew the raiders would target the supplies and likely attempt to steal their horses too.

This left the fighting to Arthur, Charles, and Javier. Who turned back at the sound of the commotion. Lenny and Sean leapt into the wagon for cover as they began shooting blind into the night, the horses crying out in fear. Kate couldn't see Abigail, and she prayed she was well hidden in the wagon with Jack. She made headway to his wagon first. 

She pulled her rifle from her saddle and called out to John, who was firing round after round from his revolver, doing no good against the fast riding raiders. 

“John!” she shouted, catching his attention, he looked down from his seat in the wagon. 

“Kate?” He said, taken back by the sight of her, “you need to find cover!” Concern laced his voice. 

She ignored his statement, holding the rifle up for him, “take this, it's a better shot. Aim for the shrubs, they're using them as cover.” She urged. 

John nodded and took the weapon without hesitation, quickly counting the rounds in the ammunition, “thanks, what will you use?” He asked, already getting in position to take aim. 

“Don’t worry about me,” she answered, determination in her voice, “protect your family.” 

Lorena brought her around to the back of the wagon and she peered inside, sure enough Abigail was clutching Jack to her breast, white knuckled and face scrunched in silent fear. As if she was hoping this was just a bad dream they would wake from. Jack, trying to be brave, trembled in his mother's arms. Without hesitation, Kate leaped into the wagon, placing a comforting hand on Abigail's shoulder. She startled at her touch, “easy Abigail, it's just me, you need to take this.” She held out her own revolver. Abigail opened her eyes and shook her head with a sob. Kate's heart throbbed at the sight of her. 

"I’m not letting go of him!" she cried, her voice quivering with emotion. "When is this going to end?" Her plea carried the weight of past traumas, threatening to overwhelm her.

Knowing they had no time to waste, Kate pressed the revolver into Abigail's trembling hand. She needed a means to defend herself if the worst was going to happen. Jack whimpered at the sounds of gunfire coming from John at the seat of the wagon. She gave him a reassuring look, “be brave for your momma okay? If anybody comes, you shout for me and I’ll come runnin’,” she added with a smile, placing a hand on his little head. He nodded in understanding. 

Lorena waited at the back of the wagon as Kate mounted her and took off towards the fray. She needed to come up with a plan, and fast. She gave her firearms to the Marston family. Which left her with only close range weapons. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a tomahawk. It had been a long time since she’s used an old weapon of war. 

With determination she nudged her mare in the belly and took off. The familiar leather grip of her tomahawk left her with a sense of bitter nostalgia. Memories of an old friend came flooding back, and old instincts she had long buried bubbled to the surface. 

In the distance, she spotted Arthur, locked in combat with a raider. His skill and ferocity were undeniable as he dispatched two foes with swift precision. Kate watched, her heart heavy with unspoken truths.

Arthur is wrestling with a giant, Charles' words sounded in her mind. She had faced her own giants, and kept them at bay like a hunter taming a wild beast. She never got the chance to tell him. She would release her giant tonight, and if they survived, she vowed to share her secrets with Arthur, laying bare the depths of her soul.

━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━

Under the cloak of night, time seemed to stretch endlessly, though mere minutes had passed. The raiders fell one by one, a testament to their careful strategy. It dawned on the others that shooting wildly was futile; they needed to close the gap.

For Kate, the chaos played to her strengths. While she lacked skill with a gun, in close combat, she was unparalleled. The sickening crunch of bone echoed as her tomahawk met the skull of a raider, sending him crashing to the ground. The scene before her, once familiar yet now unsettling, reminded her of the darkness she had left behind. Yet, there was no joy in the violence; only relief that she no longer found pleasure in such brutality.

With only a few foes left standing, Arthur's gaze found hers, his worry palpable. She reassured him with a nod, urging him to focus on the task at hand.

Scanning the chaotic scene, Kate spotted a lone raider sneaking up on John's wagon, his focus fixed on protecting his brother. With a swift movement, she sprang into action.

She hollered to get the man's attention, as well as Johns. It didn't matter who took him down, as long as he was stopped. Closing the distance, she gripped her weapon high, readying for the strike. The raider turned just as Kate swung, narrowly missing his head as a shot rang out. She was unsure if it was John’s or the bandits until pain shot through her side. The man barely squeezed by her horse and the wagon, and took off in the opposite direction. Ignoring the pain, Kate followed. 

Arthur joined the chase, and together they pursued the raider. Lorena surged forward, fueled by the thrill of the chase. Leaning down to her horse's ear, Kate whispered, "Feels like old times, huh, girl?" Lorena snorted in agreement. Despite her clingy and skittish nature. She was bred to be a war horse, and in her blood she fought just as savagely as her rider. 

She closed in and brought her mare tauntingly close to the last man. With a swift motion she collided the blade with the man's ankle, nearly cutting his own foot off, causing him to fall out of the saddle. He did not reach for his weapon, as he used his last round in an attempt to kill her, instead he lay on his back and put his hands out in mercy. 

Kate dismounted and trudged over to him. 

“I-I’m unarmed!” He pleaded, “please miss you wouldn’t kill an unarmed man!” 

She tossed the tomahawk to the ground and the man eased for a moment, until she pulled her hunting knife out of her belt. His eyes widened and he tried to stand, but his ankle was only holding on by a bit of flesh. 

Arthur finally caught up to them and dismounted, “don’t kill him yet Kate, we need to find out who they are. They could be O’Driscolls.” Kate ignored him, the pain in her side igniting into a blazing fire. The metallic tang of her own blood filled her senses, but she pushed past it with a fierce glare.

“Don’t look like an O'Driscoll to me,” she rasped. Fighting the urge to drive her knife into his belly. Echoes of an old mantra rang in her ears, “our job is to ensure our enemies fear is greater than their greed.”  

“I-I aint an O’Driscoll, we’re just a couple of horse thieves. That’s all,” the man pleaded, using his forearms to distance himself from her. 

The world felt dizzy, her memories of her past began mixing with the present. “That’s all?” She mocked, “you would take these people’s lives,” her voice hoarse, “just for a few horses?” Before he could answer she forcefully kicked him in the belly, hard enough to break a few ribs. The man rolled onto his stomach and spit up blood. 

In a flash, Kate mounted the man from behind, gripping a fistfull of his hair and forcefully pulling back towards her chest. She placed the knife at the edge of his throat, Arthur saw the fire in her eyes as she ended the man's life, sickeningly slow. 

As she drew the blade over his neck she muttered the words low in his ear, “what you take from the land will be taken from you. Know that I am the land, and the land is killing you.” 

As the raider choked on his own blood, Kate dropped his head in the dirt. The wound was not deep enough to kill him quickly. He would asphyxiate for the next several hours, a combination of bleeding out and choking to death. He would teeter on the brink of consciousness, not knowing if he is alive or dead. It was a slow sentence, a merciless one. It was pure torture.  

Arthur stood in stunned silence, his gaze fixed on Kate. He had witnessed his fair share of violence, and dealt with his own. But the intensity in her eyes was unfamiliar, unsettling. She seemed transformed, a wildness emanating from her like a primal force. 

“I didn’t know you could fight like that,” he said awkwardly, unsure if it was the right thing to say at the moment. He had seen a different side of her. And he had a feeling it was one that she was clearly trying to keep buried. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between them, and he was left grappling with the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

Kate retrieved her tomahawk and mounted her horse, her movements strained with pain. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Morgan," she replied tersely, her usual sharpness replaced by a somber tone. "We need to keep moving," she added, urging her horse forward. She felt sick to her stomach, the pain mixed with rage and shame and fear. A whirlwind of emotions, it had been years since she killed somebody. She vowed to give that life up. And now, she was riding off with a bunch of outlaws. Leaving behind a bloody battlefield. Arthur watched her ride off, a knot of worry forming in his stomach.

━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━

They rode past Dewberry Creek and down to Clemens Point. A hidden spot on the peninsula of the lake, only a few miles from Rhodes. It was a decent hiding spot. As the last of the caravan pulled in, the members who made it ahead of the chaos came rushing out to greet them. 

As Kate was the last to reach Clemens Point, the weight of the recent events hung heavy on her shoulders. She gazed out at the lake, its surface reflecting the dim light of the moonlit sky. A secluded spot on the beach offered a brief respite from the chaos that had engulfed them, and Kate welcomed the solitude.

Dismounting her horse, she felt the exhaustion settle into her bones like a heavy blanket. Her hands, streaked with dirt and blood, trembled slightly as she reached for the saddle buckles. With a heavy sigh, she removed the burden from Lorena's back, the weight of it suddenly feeling unbearable. As Lorena trotted off to the water's edge, letting out a contented sigh as the coolness soothed her weary joints, Kate couldn’t help but chuckle. Perhaps she had pushed her loyal mare a bit too hard today.

Grabbing a brush from her saddlebag, Kate set to work cleaning Lorena's coat, the rhythmic motion a comforting distraction from the chaos that had unfolded. In the distance, she could hear the other members of the gang recounting the night's events, their voices a mix of concern, exhaustion, and celebration.

As a pair of hooves approached, Kate knew without looking that it was Arthur. Dismounting, he joined her by the water's edge, letting Belle cool herself alongside Lorena. "Mind if I join ya?" he asked quietly, uncertainty lacing his voice. Kate nodded in response, and Arthur settled onto the sand beside her, kicking off his boots to let the water lap at his feet.

The air was thick with humidity, and the sounds of frogs and cicadas filling the night. It felt strange to be going back east, but somehow it didn’t bother her that her journey had been interrupted.

After a moment of silence, Kate broached the subject that had been weighing on her mind. "You wanna tell me what happened in Valentine?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and concern.

Arthur sighed heavily, his gaze distant as he recounted the events of the day. "It started with the train job. The law showed up fast, too fast, and we barely made it out of there," he explained. "Cornwall's men nearly killed John the next morning. We made it out, but not without killing half the town.”

Kate shook her head in disbelief, her heart heavy with the weight of Arthur's words. Before she could respond, Arthur spoke again, his voice filled with remorse. "I'm so sorry, Kate. I never wanted to drag you into all this mess. Especially after what Micah did," he added with a bitter scoff. "I don’t know why you turned back." 

"I didn't do it just for you," Kate replied after a moment, her gaze meeting Arthur's with unwavering determination. "I did it for Abigail and her boy. From one mother to another." Arthur looked at her, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He caught the new information, but his heart fluttered at the idea that she turned back for him as well. 

“I’ve never seen a woman fight like that, it was,” he trailed and Kate was the one to interrupt this time. 

“I know, you don't have to say it. I’m not exactly proud of it,” she looked down in shame. 

Arthur offered a warm smile, “I was gonna say it was real brave.” 

She smiled sadly and shook her head, “still don’t make it right.”

“It was either us or them Kate, don’t beat yourself up about it,” Arthur reassured her. “You know, I’d understand if you still want to leave. But we could surely use some of that bravery around here.” 

Kate nodded and took a deep breath, steeling herself to share something important. “I’ll stay Arthur,” she began, “but, there’s some things I think you should know about me.” 

“We all come from different places, your past is your past,” he said sincerely, “If you don’t wanna share that I don’t want you to think ya have to.” Her heart warmed at the gesture, he was being considerate. After everything he saw he would still grant her the privacy of her past, but that wasn't her plan. 

“No, I want to tell you,” Kate paused, collecting her thoughts, “I think you’ll understand me better. And after what happened at the Downes ranch, I owe it to you.”

Arthur’s curiosity peaked, the conversation from a fortnight weighed heavy on his mind. And he wanted to know how her story tied into that. His mind already raced with assumptions, after seeing the way she fought he couldn't help but wonder if she was on the run from the law too. Or something worse. 

“Alright,” he settled back against the sand, giving her his full attention.  “I’m here to listen, Kate.” 

With a heavy sigh, she decided to start from the beginning. “I’ve known death since I was a child. It began with a railway accident in Boston that took my mother and little sister from me, leaving behind my father and older brother. At the time, my father owned a ranch where we raised dairy cattle. He didn’t take their deaths well, and fell into a depression. My brother and I couldn't keep up with the work alone, so we were forced to sell and move. Thankfully, a family friend took us in on their farm. It was there I met my husband, and for a while, we were sweet on one another.”

Kate recalled the memories, her heart flooding with grief, “we lived there a few years. And when my brother was old enough he joined a mining company, and it was another accident that took his life too. It sent my father over the deep end, and so he hung himself in the barn. Like he suddenly forgot he still had a living child.”

Arthur's face softened, understanding the weight of her losses. To him, it sounded like Kate had a proper family—one that truly loved and cared for each other. 

“I got married the next year, and finally things felt like they were turning for the better. My husband and I built a little ranch together. In a few years, we welcomed a baby girl into our home.” Her voice choked with emotion. “My life felt as perfect as it could get. I miss my family dearly, but I felt like I was carrying on their memory by starting my own.”

Arthur didn't want to think about where her story was going; it was painfully familiar to him. Kate shifted in the sand, wincing as a sharp pain shot up her side. She had forgotten about the bullet in her flesh. The area had gone numb, and the mixed feelings of grief and searing pain caused tears to stream down her cheeks.

“Lorena didn’t even make it through her first summer before disease took her from me, and as if death couldn't have enough, it took my husband from me too.” Her voice shook with pain. 

Arthur sighed, his heart full of sympathy as he observed Kate's emotional turmoil. "Oh, Kate," he said softly, reaching out to comfort her. However, his concern heightened as he noticed the sand around her stained red. "Kate, you're bleeding!" His voice rose with worry.

She nodded, wincing as she reached around her side. "I got shot," she answered, her voice trembling.

"Why didn’t you say anything?" Arthur was already getting up to inspect the wound. "Let me see."

Kate untucked her shirt and lifted it up for Arthur to examine. The bullet had entered just above her hip bone, lodged in the fatty area of her waist. "How bad is it?" she asked, her voice still shaky.

With gentle fingers, Arthur prodded at the wound. It was angry and swollen, and she winced at his touch. He concluded that the bullet was still inside, "the bullet’s still in there, but I think I can get it out. I don't think it hit anything important," he noted, assessing the severity of her injury.

Kate nodded and lifted her shirt further, revealing deep faded scars scattered across her back in the moonlight. “Jesus, Kate,” Arthur muttered softly in surprise. He paused before touching her again, afraid that she might break beneath him like an old clay pot. "What happened?" His voice was as soft as a whisper, fearful of what her answer might reveal.

Closing her eyes, Kate winced once again as Arthur’s hands returned to her wound. “I’ll tell ya once you get this thing out of me,” she replied.

Arthur nodded and, with a gentle hand, held the front of her waist while using his other hand to extract the bullet like it was a cyst, squeezing it out agonizingly slow. Instinctively, she grabbed onto his hand around her waist for support, finding solace in his warmth.

“There, got it,” Arthur said, a hint of pride in his voice as he handed Kate the small pebble that had caused her so much discomfort. “Think of it like a souvenir,” he joked.

“I’ve got plenty of souvenirs,” she mused, tossing the bullet into the lake. Arthur understood she was referring to the scars.

“Come back to my tent,” Arthur suggested, “I’ll stitch you up while you continue to catch me up on the last 10 years of your life.” His tone was playful, an attempt to lighten her mood. Arthur could already tell that her life had been incredibly hard, and seeing the marks on her back only confirmed his fears. Kate nodded, and Arthur helped her walk back to his tent.

To her surprise, the camp was put together rather quickly. Most of the members had settled down around the fire or had gone to bed. Arthur’s things were off to the side of the small clearing, offering him some privacy. His wagon had not been completely unloaded, but there was a cot, as well as a milk crate and an oil lamp. It was no hospital but it would have to do. He gently helped her sit down on his cot while he rummaged through his belongings for the right supplies to stitch her wound. Kate took the opportunity to continue her story. 

“Funny thing about this land,” she started, “our constitution says all men are created equal. But I’m a woman, a widow. They tell us our land is free, but what freedom do I have? I cannot own land, can’t take out a loan, can’t purchase anything in my own name. Choices come with freedom, but I had no choices at all.”

Arthur gave her a sympathetic look, he wasn't always proud of his sex. Most of the men in his life were not good role models, and he himself couldn't understand why some men treated women the way that they did. 

“I had an aunt in Southern California, I never met her but my father had talked about her growing up. So I wrote to her, in a handful of pages I explained everything. And begged her to let me live with her,” she inhaled sharply as Arthur cleaned her wound with alcohol. 

“I was a sorry sight,” she remarked, “I was so terrified to be on my own, and travel across the entire country just to avoid being sent to a nunnery or sold to another man as his bride. I had enough money to get me to Virginia, and after that I had to find my own way.”

In the dim light Arthur sat crouched on the ground beneath her while Kate sat in his cot. She looked down at him, working diligently and so tenderly to clean her wound as painless as possible. His gaze was fixed and intent while he worked, but Kate knew he was taking in every word she said. 

“So I joined a caravan that was heading west to Arizona. I figured they could at least get me close enough. Only problem was they were all German, and had very little knowledge of how to travel across the American west," Kate said with a bitter chuckle, “there were a few ranchers that came with us, and we tried to teach them what we could. Most of them couldn't even ride a horse!” She exclaimed. 

Arthur blew out a breath, “oh they were doomed from the start.” 

“It started with 72 of us, and we began to lose people as soon as we hit the Appalachian trail. Their carelessness became contagious; sickness and snakes, bad horses and poison berries. But of all the perils awaiting us, there was one word so feared it was barely spoken and barely whispered… the river.” 

Arthurs blood went cold. He couldn’t imagine the fear and terror as innocent families were ripped apart by dark waters. Punished simply for seeking a better life. The land was more merciless than any outlaw he knew. He noticed Kate relax under his touch, he worked gently as he ran the pad of his thumb over the flesh of her scars. Small bumps and lines, like tiny mountains in a cartography map. Like these scars mapped her history. Where she stood tall and brave in the face of danger. He admired her, being young and alone in this world was terrifying. He knew that feeling well. 

“The Kanawha river nearly took all of us that day. We came out the other side with barely 15 people,” Kate shook her head at the memory, “I thought we had seen the worst. But it was only the beginning, Arthur.” 

He looked up at the sound of his name, her voice trembling with fear. Their eyes locked and he saw a broken girl looking back at him. They shared a silent moment of understanding. He had heard stories from Appalachia, it was something a child could not muster even in their worst nightmares. Reaching for her arm, he squeezed her gently, “Kate,” he said softly, like he was crooning a baby, “you don’t have to tell me if the memories hurt.” 

Warmth spread over her cheeks as silent tears fell, her heart was in her throat. It had been so long since she talked to someone about it. For the first time in years she felt like Arthur was the only person truly seeing her. 

“We had crossed into Lakota hunting territory,” she continued, “there was a feud over the land between the tribe and the Virginia government. But it didn’t matter for us, the Indians came anyway. They killed all the men, leaving only myself and two other girls. I couldn’t do anything but watch it happen. I was no use with a gun and I had no idea where to go. So they took me.” 

“And I knew I was going to die.” 

[azures-bazar]

To His Eyes

Here's a one shot following the lovely request of @bubblegumbitchs-world ! The plot was that buff female!reader was insecure about her body, and Arthur is here to comfort her !

I added a few things to the plot, like Micah being mean (as always). Please excuse all these mistakes or non-sense English terms, some of them make sense in French lol

Arthur Morgan x Female!Reader 

Word count : 2.8k

Short summary : You always had a stronger build, as far as you could remember. And Arthur is probably your number one supporter whenever you feel down about it ! 

Tags : Buff woman, Chapter 2, insecurity, cute, you’re beautiful, your muscles are astonishing, Arthur admires and loves you, post Sean’s return party, Micah being mean

"Y/N !" Lenny shouted from the other side of the camp while getting to his horse. "Could you chop some wood ? I have to head to town and can’t do it now ! I’ll pay you back !"

"I’m on it !" 

You put down your morning coffee and headed over to the pile of wood Lenny had left for you. You did not mind trading tasks since you knew how busy Lenny could be at times. Charles was away hunting with Arthur, John was still not feeling well, and Sean… well let’s say your favourite Irish Terrier was too busy sleeping it off after last night’s party before his guard duty. You were the only fella suitable for a task you somewhat enjoyed at times. Wearing one of Arthur’s shirts and a plain grey skirt, you obliged. 

As far as you could recall, you always had a strong build. You had been stronger than the vast majority of children since a very young age, always carrying the weakest ones around the streets of your town. Dutch found you by chance somewhere in 1894 while you were having some hard time finishing a brawl after a drunk man, displaying a cruel lack of decency, had tried courting you by dragging you close to him. You had pushed him away, resulting in a fist fight, which then escalated to a brawl in the entire saloon. Dutch had dragged you out of the pit and took you to his hideout without questioning anything about your bruise-covered face. 

"We need another pair of strong arms, this lady right here will do the trick !" you heard him laugh as you were left with Arthur 

Morgan had spent a few hours trying to stitch your wounds, which was something you obviously hated. He had tried catching your attention by getting to know your name, calmly reminding you that you were safe with him, joking about his current torture in order to make you smile. It took you two weeks to get back on your feet and work with the rest of the gang members, performing chores that were mostly assigned to men due to your strength. Arthur unexpectedly fell for you while you were carrying sacks to Mr. Pearson’s wagon, dropping them nearby before adjusting your hair. 

Arthur had often found himself staring at you, sketching your movements in his journal while contemplating your beauty. He admired your strength, your shape, your beautiful traits, the way you could easily cut Bill’s speeches about women being inferior to men. Even Davey and Mac respected you for that ! Arthur was quick to find himself dreaming about you, waking up shaken and almost sad since nothing he had seen earlier was real. He had made a very first awkward move to tell you how beautiful you were by slipping a drawing on your cot with a note inviting you to meet him in the middle of the night outside camp. His confession was the sweetest thing you had ever heard as you could tell this brawny man, looking so threatening at times with his heavy Southern accent and rowdy behaviour, was as adorable as a puppy whenever he was around you ! 

Your affair had started just a few weeks prior to Blackwater’s ferry heist. Arthur often took you to town, enjoying spending time with you at the saloon or taking you to the tailor for you to get better clothes. Your shape was different than the rest of the girls, and you deserved more than a full ocean of gold according to Arthur. Your stay at Colter, holding onto each-other on his bed had brought the two of you close enough to lead you to share his tent at Horseshoe Overlook. At least, neither you nor him would have to walk through the entirety of the camp to see one another ! Surprisingly enough, it was Dutch’s idea to to bring the two of you together, for the better… and the worse, since you were not this quiet most of the nights.

As you finished your chopping wood, you walked around the hideout to carry a few sacks to Pearson’s wagon before stumbling upon Micah, who had left his chair to head to you, smoking his cigarette with a large smile. You crossed your arms on your chest as you wanted him to move aside, but whenever you tried stepping near him, Micah would move and block your way. Meeting his gaze made you regret not begging Arthur to leave him in Strawberry. 

"And here’s our strong lady." Micah smirked. "How does it feel to have your clothes directly borrowed from Arthur’s stash ?" 

"Get lost." you said as you noticed Karen nearby, who was quick to stop her guard duty as soon as she noticed you

"Must be hard being a lady and having to buy men’s clothes since women’s are too tight."

Ever since the day Dutch brought him in, Micah’s favourite hobby had been to tease everyone around camp, often provoking women. You were his favourite target since you could easily fight back, he had adored the first punch you gave him after witnessing him acting inappropriate towards Mary-Beth. 

"'Em big arms are good for a man, but for a lady…-" Micah laughed

"Shut up." Karen said, interrupting him as she noticed you trying to hold yourself from punching him 

"In my opinion, ladies built like men shouldn’t be called…-"

"No one cares ‘bout your opinion. Leave her alone." 

Micah smirked and walked away as Karen carefully placed her riffle on the ground, taking your hands between hers. Being Micah’s second favourite target due to her overall behaviour, she could not help but feel empathy towards you.  

"Are you okay ?" she asked. "Micah’s always a dick with us ladies." 

"I’m alright." you smiled. "I… I should get back to my chores."

You quickly walked away from Karen, grabbing a few more bags while making your way to Pearson’s wagon, doing your best to avoid Micah who kept looking at you from his seat. His sole remark about your arms made you vanish under a wave of insecurity towards your own body. You looked at the girls, analysing their beauty while they were apparently stitching a skirt. 

It had always been easy to notice that your body type was a little different from theirs. Your muscles were more defined and larger, you were in a perfect shape since you were active most of the time, only sitting down three times a day as you were doing so many things around camp. When you were not doing chores or hunting, you could be sent outside to rob some shops. You were never truly resting, always being active, which caused your muscles to remain as defined as they were. 

"Damn." you grumbled

You found yourself envying the girl’s various body shapes. From Karen’s beautiful curves to Tilly’s thin corseted waist, the way Molly held herself, how sweet Mary-Beth appeared… Micah had made you highly doubt yourself, despite your overall shape never caused you any trouble earlier. In fact, you were proud of it, despite having to borrow some of Arthur’s tightest shirts at times since the ones the girls were wearing were not fitting or could be uncomfortable for your daily tasks. Your body was different and, despite you felt insecure about it, everyone loved the way you looked. 

The girls admired you, you were strong and beautiful ! You were kind and so sweet, with a precious porcelain heart anyone could notice. Men around camp adored your implication into chores, you often demanded more to keep up, frequently asking anyone if they needed help. Even Bill was always amazed by the way you could do things the rest of the girl couldn’t. But your number one admirer and probably best support was Arthur, and nobody could deny it. 

You were his everything, his sweetest girl, his darling lady he would love until his last breath. He loved having you rest into his arms, drawing circles on your back, massaging your scalp while whistling a few old melodies his father had taught him decades ago. He adored the sight of you wearing his shirts since most of them were too large for you, drawing your portraits by night when you were asleep. He loved seeing you wear pants and skirts, dresses or even rags. Every single thing you were wearing suited you, and he was quick to remind it.

"M’lady, you could wear a tent as a dress and a flower pot as a hat, everything suits you !" he often said 

You kept doing a few chores around camp, barely noticing Arthur and Charles were back from hunting. After giving some meat to Pearson, Arthur’s very first gesture was to gently kiss your forehead. Instead of spending time with him, knowing that your chores were done, you decided to withdraw inside your tent to get some rest and untie your corset, wanting to take it of for the rest of the day. 

Since he came back to camp, Arthur could not take his eyes away from you. He could easily notice something was wrong, he could feel it. Just by the way you held yourself, or how quickly you headed to your tent, closing its flaps behind you. Whenever he would come back, even after a few hours, you would spend the rest of the day with him, sitting on his knees by the fire, singing old ballads with him, kissing him under the ocean of stars above your head… but not that day. 

Arthur had left his current conversation with Javier and Sean to head to your shared tent, calmly clearing out his voice before entering, not wanting to walk in while you were getting dressed. Indeed, he had seen you naked more than once, but he did not want to have anyone look inside the tent while passing behind him, just out of curiosity. Sean was quick to do it at times, but no one had the right to see your body bare but Arthur. 

"Can I come in ?" he asked 

"Yes." 

You sighed as you took your shirt off, moving your arms back to reach the laces of your corset. Ms. Grimshaw had given it to you a few days after you arrived, she had worn it years ago when her shape was a little similar to yours. It fitted you perfectly, but you wanted to take it off, feeling the need to wander around camp without it for a few minutes. A dress and one of Arthur’s shirts would certainly do the trick ! 

"Hey sweetheart." Arthur said, walking inside as you were untying your corset. "What’s wrong ?"

"Are my arms really this big ?" you asked, dropping your corset on the ground

"What ?" 

"Am I built like a man ?"

"What the hell are you talkin’ about ?" 

You turned back to Arthur while dragging a skirt out of your chest, putting it on over your chemise as he approached you, looking concerned. You stepped back, wishing for an answer first. You could easily spot Arthur’s confusion as his eyes were quick to speak for him. You proceeded putting on one of your shirts you usually would wear for the evening. It was a tailor-made blue blouse Arthur had bought you back in Blackwater. Your favourite. 

"Just… just tell me if I’m built like a man." you asked, being suddenly brought to tears 

"Of course you ain’t !" Arthur laughed, believing you were joking. "What the hell, Y/N ? Haven’t seen a man lookin' as feminine as you yet !"

Arthur’s reaction made you chuckle, but tears were quick to make their way out of your eyes. You hid your face behind your shaking hands as you started crying, doing your best to mute yourself. Micah’s comments were repeating themselves in your poor mind, causing you to break down into pieces despite knowing how beautiful you were, and how amazingly you were built. 

"Oh, princess… c’mere." Arthur said, opening his arms to greet you

"I’m sorry, I’m…-" 

"C’mere."

You walked forward and threw yourself into Arthur’s embrace, burying your head in his shirt, allowing yourself to cry against him. One of his large hands made its way to your hair while the other one kept caressing your back. He kissed the top of your head and closed his eyes. 

"Lemme guess… Micah’s been sayin’ shit." 

"Mmmm-mmmm…" you hiccuped

"I’m so sorry he’s such a bastard…" 

"It ain’t y-your f-fault…"

Arthur kissed the top of your head, feeling deeply saddened about your the way you felt. He was sorry for leaving you alone with Micah, he was sorry for bringing him back to camp after what they did in Strawberry. On a few occasions, Arthur would deeply wish to go back in time and stop Dutch from leaving camp on the day he would encounter Micah. Life might have been easier without him around, the Blackwater’s botched heist would never had taken place, and you would not be crying into his embrace by now. However, there was one thing which made him outrageously devastated, one single thing which was quick to bring him to tears : witnessing you being insecure about your body. 

"It’s alright, sweetheart." Arthur whispered to your ear as you clung onto his shirt. "I got you."

Needless to say, Arthur adored your body. He would run his fingers on your toned arms, on your back, on your calves, and often admire how beautiful you were. You were his main subject when it came to sketching people. You were so inspiring, inside and outside ! Whatever you were doing, Arthur loved it. To his eyes, you were the most beautiful woman in the world. A large shining sun which was blinding him with love. You were the beautifulest gem of his crown, his pride and most certainly one of the main reasons why he was still alive. There were no other women like you, so sweet, kind and caring, so gentle and so strong, eager to help anyone, whatever the situation was. He loved you for who you were, and the rest of the world did not matter as long as he had you by his side. 

It took him about five minutes to calm you down. You left his embrace after some time, he firmly held you by the shoulders, looking into you eyes with a large smile. You could easily feel lost when your eyes would meet his, they were the main reason why you fell in love. His puppy glance won you over so often that you could not even count the number of times you had forgiven Arthur’s attitude and manners. His beautiful green eyes were quick to show you all the support you needed, you knew Arthur was quick when he had to cheer you up, just like you were with him. 

"You don’t have large arms, and you ain’t built like a man." Arthur smiled. "You’re literally a greek goddess or somethin’. You’re perfect."

"You’re saying it because you like me." 

"First of, I ain’t likin’ you, I love. And secondly, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, period. I love your body, I love bittin’ your well-shaped muscles when we’re in bed, run my fingers on your body… I love you, as a whole." 

"Arthur, I…-" 

"If you don’t believe me, lemme try something. SEAN !" 

You gasped, hiding behind Arthur while buttoning your shirt above your chemise as Morgan called for Sean a second time, you heard him scream from the other side of the camp. He was probably eating some stew or was drinking a whiskey before going on guard duty, and would not hesitate to look between your tent flaps if needed ! 

"Oi ! What’s it, English ?!" Sean shouted 

"Ain’t Y/N beautiful ?!" Arthur asked 

"Oh, ya ! One of the most beautiful women of that damn country with Miss Jones !"

"Shut up, Sean !" Karen laughed behind your tent 

"See ?"

This overall interaction made you laugh. Arthur turned his head back to you and gently lifted your chin up for you to meet his gaze one more time. This time, he was blushing. Just the sight of you smiling at him was quick to make him believe some butterflies were flying in his stomach. You were such a gorgeous woman, even Sean, being in love with Karen, was quick to confirm it !

"Darlin’, you know you’re so beautiful when you smile." he mumbled 

"Thank you, Arthur." 

Don’t ever let Micah make you feel like that. You’re a beautiful woman, the most beautiful I know. Nobody should convince you otherwise. 

You nodded, allowing Arthur to drop a soft kiss on your lips before embracing you one more time. Your confidence was still hurt, but Morgan’s words were so encouraging and genuinely filled with love that Micah’s comments were quick to be forgotten. You nuzzled your head into Arthur’s neck, allowing him to kiss your forehead. You felt protected, you felt loved. You did not need anything but Arthur at this moment.

To his eyes, you were beautiful. And nothing would change his mind, nothing. 

Nothing. 

Nothing.

[bunnytalksf1]

Charles Leclerc is the lone star of Austin

What a race.

Ferrari had the fastest car. The sprint disguised it because Sainz decided to fight with his teammate harder than literally anyone else on the track, but the win was in reach there, too, and the squabbling somewhat disguised it. Regardless, especially on the mediums, the pace was great, and even if Verstappen and Norris hadn't squabbled at turn one, Ferrari would have been in touching distance of that win. A brilliant and bold and calculated move by Leclerc from the even side of the grid in turn one gave him the lead, and he never looked back, managing a safety car restart and his tyres to build a gap of eight seconds at the flag to his teammate. After the successful undercut on Verstappen, the Ferraris simply became untouchable, and the scuderia got its second 1-2 of the season. Genuinely brilliant result for them, putting them back in touch with the constructors', and a much better result than last year's DSQ for Leclerc.

So, with the Ferraris both so far adrift that the TV direction ignored them the whole time, what else happened?

The most glaring: Verstappen extended his championship lead on Norris, finishing ahead of him in both the sprint and the GP, after penalties. I might do a seperate post talking about stewarding because there's been a lot of complaining going on about decisions this weekend, but-- I digress.

Norris came into Austin needing to outscore Verstappen by an average of ten points a weekend in order to beat him to the WDC. That number is now twelve. Regardless of the outcome of the penalty (which, according to the rulebook was justified), Norris would not have gotten the points he needed this weekend unless he won, or caught Sainz, which didn't look to be happening. Verstappen drove an incredible defense for ten laps which not only had me biting my fist, but genuinely deserved to give him a punt at dotd, which he sadly did not win, but my God, incredible.

Lewis Hamilton spun out on like, lap two, and the ensuing safety car gave me an actual heart attack, but George Russell, without the upgrades, drove from the pitlane to P6, in an incredible stint on the hards to start before hunting on the mediums. Mercedes may well rescind some upgrades into Mexico, since they seemed to not effect the balance very well when looking at GR's crash in quali and Hamilton's in the race. Regardless, a missed opportunity for Mercedes here, they had pace.

The long first stint followed by the hunt on the medium also worked well for Lawson, who drove from P19 to P9 to secure two points for RB. Strategy really helped him out, but it was a phenomenal drive from him.

I don't have much to say about this race other than it was chaotic. A lot was going on in the midfield all the time, enough that I couldn't really keep track. Colapinto again hung Albon out to dry, Perez was miles off Verstappen, and the Haases had a really solid weekend. On to Mexico!

[emometalhead]

I finally finished Better Call Saul, and I need a place to house my overall thoughts.

• I hate Chuck. If Charles McGill has no haters, then I am dead.

• There are some characters in the BCS/BB universe who were in situations they didn't deserve. Chuck isn't one of them. He was horrible to Saul. He lived to spite him and keep him down. His last words to his BROTHER were "you never mattered all that much to me". Like WTF man!?!? Chuck deserved everything he got and worse. I don't feel bad in the slightest.

• Francesca quite literally got Saul in the divorce, and I kind of feel bad. She was so enthusiastic and sweet when she first started working at Wexler-McGill, and by the time she's solely Saul's employee her attitude has completely flipped. All of that being said, she's an icon.

• It was so nice seeing Mike on-screen again. He was one of my favorite characters in Breaking Bad, and his death feels the worst to me out of the main characters. It was interesting to learn a bit more about his background and to see him interact more with his family. I also enjoyed seeing his dynamic with Gus develop.

• Speaking of Gus, pretty much all of his actions in BCS seem on par with his character in BB. He took down Lalo in a pretty bad*** way, and that was awesome. I'm sad they only let him be gay for a fleeting moment though beyond other characters making fun of him for it.

• Nacho 😭. From the second Nacho first walked onto the screen, I knew there was only one way his story could end. His death still made me sad! Even though I anticipated it, the manner in which he died was really unexpected and more abrupt than I would've thought. He's a character whose consequences were the clear result of his own actions, but I still feel a bit bad.

• Like Nacho kind of had the Walt thing going on (he was good at his job, and he liked it), but I can't help but think if he wasn't being used+threatened by both sides that he genuinely would've gotten himself out. It's clear how much he cared about his dad, and I do truly feel that he wanted to make his dad proud (even after losing his trust/respect after joining the cartel).

• Manuel Varga, man 😭. Bruh. He hurt me. I feel so awful for him. He knew his son was never going to make it out of the cartel. He knew. No one should ever have to brace themselves like that. My brain did not enjoy thinking about Mike, who was still very emotional about the loss of his own son, having to go tell another dad about his son's death. That was some well written and emotionally painful television.

• Lalo was an interesting character! He was intense and insane, but not entirely unhinged like Tuco. It was interesting to see how his rivalry with Gus fueled Gus' passion for his craft. His death scene was a good one. Damn about him being buried under the lab though! I was NOT expecting that at all. It's very crazy to know that Gus had Walt and Jesse cooking above his former rival's body.

• I know I've said a few things were unexpected already, but I really was not prepared to lowkey feel bad for Howard Hamlin by the end of the show. He was a jerk. He was not a good person. I still don't think he deserved to be buried with his murderer under a meth lab.

• It was awful that Howard would send Kim out of her office into doc review when he was mad at her. That is immature and unprofessional to a high degree. Kim was justified in feeling angry towards him. Saul was also justified in feeling angry about Howard blindly following Chuck's rule. I do believe that if it wasn't for Chuck, Howard would've hired Saul (sorry, Jimmy) as a lawyer for HHM once he passed the bar. I thought Saul's Howard copy billboard thing was funny, and to be completely honest I don't even mind that he threw the bowling balls on his car. The character assassination with the fabricated drug addiction went too far though, especially considering it lead to his death. Howard was a jerk, but he didn't deserve the ending he received.

• Kim Wexler kept surprising me. At the beginning of the show, I tried to predict where all of the non-Breaking Bad characters would end up. I could not have possibly predicted any of the decisions Kim would make. I love a girl boss, but she sabotaged her own career several times in order to execute revenge plots. I was honestly excited to just she her be a successful lawyer at the beginning, but alas that is not the type of show this is.

• Kim's "I was having too much fun" speech broke my heart. It was pretty easy to see how Kim and Saul's relationship was a "we can make each other worse" situation. I really had expected their relationship to end sooner though, and getting married was absolutely the wrong decision. It was crazy seeing how Saul just fully shifted into Saul Goodman mode after Kim left him.

• Last but not least, the man himself. I enjoyed Saul's character in BB. He's annoying and extravagant, but he's fun. He added a little whimsy to the show. I enjoyed that we got to see the "Kevin Costner" moment that he mentioned in BB. I appreciated getting more of his background and seeing how he interacted with non-criminal people for a time. Bob Odenkirk is a good actor, and I'm a little sad that I'm done seeing Saul on my screen. (Even if I made fun of all of his ridiculous suits and ties.)

• Overall, I really liked the show! I had heard good things, and I was looking forward to watching it after my recent rewatch of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul did not disappoint! It was entertaining. It had a good blend of drama, action, and comedy. I'm sure I'll end up rewatching it down the line.

[freakattack]

See the thing is you're right though, similar to how wario believes hes above everyone and everything and almost always IS when hes not standing next to mario, waluigi's thing is he believes hes below everyone and everything around him and of course almost always is as well but he wants and NEEDS so bad that everyone around him doesnt know that and thinks hes better than them and the only thing more terrifying to him then everyone finding out or already knowing is the the fact it might be true which he spends every waking moment trying to convince himself its not. The kicker is he whether its true or not he truly believes he deserves to be or at least is deserved SOMETHING dear god ANYTHING (off topic but speaking as a trans person, while i cant speak for everyone, that is disgustingly relatable so between that and again him being like the definition of gnc bisexual i can see why so many people are claiming trans) He would hear the fact that someone has MORE of something ignoring the fact its how many pronouns they have and immediately get him by 50 tons of imposter syndrome and assume they're better than him before then convincing himself that thats not true! He was supposed to have the most pronouns of anyone he was just cheated out of them! No... Someone STOLE them from him! Yeah, thats it! This isnt fair! Now he has to make do with one measly set of pronouns while everyone else has two because hes so much stronger than everyone else! I'm very normal about the purple pipe cleaner bionicle.

EXACTLY you understand waluigi better than 99.999% of the internet. Charles martinet himself has said that waluigi's defining character trait is self-pity and that shines through in pretty much everything he says and does. On a more meta note, wario and waluigi's respective self esteem levels are caricatures of mario and luigi's. Where Mario is healthily confident and always in the limelight due to his heroics, Wario is obscenely arrogant, hogs the spotlight, and does whatever he wants; conversely, while Luigi suffers from low self-esteem but is gracious to others around him despite being overlooked, Waluigi wallows in self-pity and is hostile to everyone he feels overshadowed by as a result. Wario and waluigi are not just "mario and luigi but bad"; they are, in every way, exaggerated perversions of their most defining traits.

[stutee]

Thoughts while and after watching The Crown Season 6 part 1 -

1. As the crown was and is about the Queen(now Late Queen), this season made me dislike her character more. Claire Foy's character was, if not sympathetic, at least helped us in humanising her as a young woman who did not like the spotlight but had to become one of the important people in the world. With Olivia Coleman's queen, her coldness grew. And Imelda Staunton strengthened her position as the cold mechanical Queen. Still won't deny that she had some sort of charm that made people like her or at least be intrigued about her but other than that, there is nothing

2. Season 3's Charles deserved sympathy. He had so much potential to do something but was constantly shut down and beaten until he lost that battle and ended up being ruthless. But if at one side you wish to show the utter heartlessness with which he and others treated Diana, then how can you show Charles as someone who needs to be sympathised and felt sorry for. Sure as any other human he deserved happiness but on the cost of what? This whole thing with Diana was a huge chain of events that resulted in this. There are articles which wrote that in a better way on how if at one side the crown shows him as the selfish husband, on another side it shows his political/royal campaigns as an attempt to show that he is not entirely a bad person?

3. Which brings us to here, the Ghost of Diana. That was terrible. If that all, we were supposed to have Diana's spirit visiting someone it should be only and only her sons. Some article or someone here wrote how it would be better if Diana haunted the Queen and Charles provoking feelings of regret and guilt rather than a learning and a redemption arc. But out of all the people she went to comfort and impart wisdom to the two people who were the most responsible for her pain.

4. Showing Diana as reckless and seeking attention was a terrible move again. Okay maybe they showed how the royals perceived her but the writing was also aimed at showing how she was also not without her faults and even going to the extent of showing Charles as the bigger person.

5. What's interesting is seeing the growth of Prince Philip. From someone who valued his freedom and independent thinking to becoming one with the royals. Sure if we see from Season 1 and 2's perspective of the husband he was, this is better in how Elizabeth and Philip have now become partners. He advises her and supports her and even fights for her(season 5) but now he is just another royal. Telling her how she should not go to London to offer her regards to Diana's funeral. In real life he is known for weird racist remarks which obviously weren't shown here and yes he wasn't any better either way. But still, he eventually became the Prince of windsor from just Philip.

6. There is obviously a grey area where one finds themselves standing, when we see a personal tragedy depicted in a fictional series. Sure Diana was the people's princess and a public figure but somewhere it felt slightly strange witnessing the whole thing. I can't name or describe the strangeness but well it was there.

7. Last and not the least, there is this one thing that I conclude every season i complete, that is, the royals are utterly useless. Now I get that you are all from a large history and it is nice to keep your traditions and cultures alive but not growing or staying stuck to it even after the world outside was changing rapidly? Saying the same old scripted speeches when the common people were desperate for food and better living conditions is terrible. I am not saying to abolish the monarchy, I mean yeah that would be great but sure if you wish to keep that culture but why the pomp and show and treating them as invincible and even funding them. Why can't they have normal jobs? Sure some royals lead pretty normal lives, so why can't they just be normal? Why on earth do they still feel so superior and God like even in the 21st century? The recent events of King Charles lll speaking of poor living conditions sitting on a throne of jewels. That's such a poor taste and being so ignorant of basic things.

I have always loved the cinematography and acting of this series. No wonder it won awards. And while some of it remains in the final seasons, it lacks the same charm of the initial seasons.

Waiting for part 2 to see how this series concludes.

[safetycar-restart]

JUST SAW A VIDEO OF CHARLES SAYING HE GOT LOST ON THE WAY TO THE CIRCUIT LOOORDDD 😭 PEAK CHARLES ENERGY

that just made me think of how charles can't do shit without his mommy with him, he always needs to have you with him! he needs your help and guidance, he even feels nervous or anxious when you're not with him. you're basically a gps at this point, cause this thing happens often 🥹

Okay now listen, I've been meaning to discuss an idea that was raised a little while ago and that is: poly!piarles but you're his personal assistant. And since it's AU night, I think this is the perfect time and the perfect ask. And I know 📓 anon won't mind at all.

We said before that it's pierre's idea for you to be Charles's personal assistant and honestly its one of his best ideas ever. Charles's current personal assistant was awful, not because they didnt try but because they really didnt understand Charles.

They kept on expecting Charles to tell him what to do, that Charles must be the one in charge. Now obviously that would usually make sense, since he's their boss.

But not with Charles. Charles can't stand having to control another person and tell them what to do!! Absolutely not!! He's a little subby baby he can't do that.

As a result, his assistant basically just does nothing but follow him around and that's it. He's always late to things and so disorganised and always forgetting things behind and finding himself without water or snacks after working out or being in the car.

Pierre hates seeing Charles like that. He deserves so much better!!

And well... well you've hated your job for a while now and you know exactly how to look your bunny so its perfect.

It would also mean that Charles could actually be with you during the race weekends? The worst part about races is that he can't walk around the paddock with you, can't look to you for guidance and cuddle with you in his driver room. But now you're his assistant! So he can!

And no more getting lost!! You check and double check the routes to and from the circuit every race weekend, always making sure you know exactly how to get there.

Maybe you drive him? If Pierre is at the same hotel then he drives and then its just you and Charles cuddling in the back seat while Pierre drives and its so nice. Otherwise, you drive.

He never ever has to worry about getting lost again, never has to feel overwhelmed and confused in the paddock, never has to get anxious because he can't find you. It's now literally your job to look after him and its so so good he loves it.

[mgjiyu]

I just read some things on french Twitter I need to rant about it

People are so quick to throw Charles away saying he’s been dominated by Carlos for a few races and Ferrari need to make Carlos their first driver and Charles second, but guys??? How is that domination when their times in quali are so close?? And do you remember the last few laps in Monza?? I’m not seeing one pilot dominating the other, I think their performances have been pretty close on the last two GPs especially in quali.

Honestly I’m not an expert and I’m learning about f1 but the Ferrari strategy in Singapore seems logical for me with the position, and without the first safety car they would probably have been 1-2, but they did sacrifice Leclerc to protect Sainz’s positon, that’s both obvious and logical and I hope it would have been the same if the positions had been different. I personally think pitting under the VSC like the Mercs did would have been a good idea but that’s not even the question here. Leclerc played the team game, he never had any hope of victory because he knew with the quali result that the strategy would be to protect Sainz to have a Ferrari on the first step of the podium.

And Sainz did drive incredibly well with an amazing personal strategy to keep Lando and the Mercs behind, nothing we can say about Leclerc’s case will change or minimise that, it’s not the point. It just makes me crazy to see supposed-tifosi throwing Leclerc away so easily when they chanted his name not so long ago. I saw some comments saying that Charles doesn’t have the mentality of a world champion because he played the team game and protected the position of his teammate (at the beginning at least, he wasn’t in a position to do so after the safety car) but people forget that it’s a team sport and that neither of them are fighting for the title this year.

One thing I don’t understand is that two weeks ago people were quasi insulting Charles for putting a fight against Carlos in the last laps because they said it was dangerous for the team and he shouldn’t have taken this risk, and now that he doesn’t put a fight with his teammate but tries to protect his position and suddenly he’s too weak to have any hopes to be world champion and should have been selfish and chased the victory.

Nothing makes sense. Some things could have been better in Singapore but it was an amazing and well-deserved victory for Carlos, however it shouldn’t minimise the work Charles put into it too.

[arkhammaid]

Pookie 2 please. (Ollie has my heart rn and I need fluff)

I need Spanish media Nepo babies influence against the stark influence in literally the rest of the world. I need the unresolved angst and I need the mortal enemies these two would be because Carlos WISHES he was as good as little stark.

But also OLLIE BABY he deserves the world and while yes he would get shit from Tony, Peter and Harley, he would win them over so fast.

Tony immediately is just like “k your chill and actually have the capability and SeNsIbIlItY to send a stark to bed when they’ve been sciencing and inventing long enough” so as long as he doesn’t have to bear witness to PDA he’s adopted another kid (part time of course, he’s an in law with no trauma (compared to his three))

Peter and Harley would be giving him shit for the longest, but eventually he’s like another brother and they just make fun of any PDA. They’re also teaching him ✨science (engineering) things™️✨ so he has a lot more input into the car and drives a lot better.

But yes Ollie is a simp and will fangirl the most about tony and Peter, while also being overly respectful with pepper because holy shit that’s the lady who has control over a company with not much previous experience, can pilot the iron man suits, and has media influence…. He was raised to be respectful of strong independent women.

Anyways enough of that have a great rest of your (insert appropriate timeframe here)!

i just woke up to this, a big smooch to you anon <33

referring to this post

yes to all of this!! so, the thing is, up until now, no one really went against the spanish papers because they were either not powerful or bothered enough by them 😭 but i just KNOW all starks are petty enough to go all out. i also feel like sainz sr would be sensible enough to actually stop the slander but carlos would just continue (and get in trouble lmao) because he can not cope with his feelings. especially when he sees his replacement getting all cozy with little stark...

ollie just wants the best for the love of his life (that's what little stark is) and tony has eyes. he sees how happy he makes her, so he gets accepted very fast into the family. much faster than he thought

ALSO YES! ollie fears any starks too much to actually do any kind of PDA, he doesn't want to get run over just because he kissed their daughter/sister in front of them 😭 it ends with little stark literally grabbing his face and kissing him in public, leaving him all dazed and blushing

and once peter and harley get over it, they actually become really close with ollie, start to drag him with them every where. it ends up with them stealing ollie from little stark for "bearman time" (stark siblings fighting over who gets to spend time with ollie while he's just standing there like this 🧍‍♀️)

ollie returns from his winter break and starts to talk with his engineers in engineer talk and everyone in the factory is just o.O (resulting in people trying to play detectives,, because wtf did ollie do over winter break (since he and little stark are definitely keeping their relationship secret for a while)) charles is definitely quaking in his boots when ollie delivers his sim racing times. why can't he just have one easy season...

ollie bearman was definitely raised to respect women and isn't afraid to show his inner fangirl (why do you think little stark fell for him...) he will forever remember the day when pepper gave her approval of his relationship to her daughter. it literally means the world to him

to add to all that!! the bearman's absolutely ADORE little stark. his younger siblings think ollie is the coolest brother in the whole world because 1. he met iron man 2. he talked to iron man 3. he's literally dating the only daughter iron man has. no one can top that

while his parents are first... well a bit reserved, (since she's the daughter of a public hero AND a driver) when ollie tells them that he and little stark started dating, they're very excited for him. they see how happy they make each other, so little stark is definitely a honorary bearman (and they don't mind PDA, which results in ollie being much more bold with little stark when he's around his family instead of hers LMAO (it results with little stark wanting to visit them very often, she likes this ollie much more))

[mermaidsirennikita]

Thoughts on the oscar noms? (…and the current drama surrounding it)

Honestly, I need people to realize that Barbie was a cute movie that was ultimately meant to sell Barbie dolls. It had a great set design, really cool visuals and costumes, some fun jokes, and a very good performance from Ryan Gosling. I think Greta being snubbed is weird because the movie was very CLEARLY. DIRECTED. But then again, Wes Anderson does that a lot to mixed results with the Academy, so. A very clear and strong eye does not always please them. If we're gonna talk about women (because apparently the Oscars allow only one lady director) who directed films very smartly, I would say that Celine Song is a better choice. Past Lives was such a good movie, and I think her direction really helped communicate a story in which a lot was left unsaid, pairing well with the actors.

And I'll be real... I need people to get that the movie was always more about Ken. Ken had the best script. Ken had the best arc. Is that right, for a Barbie movie? I don't know, dude. But I frankly don't blame the Academy for nominating Ryan and not Margot, because Margot had nothing great to do and she didn't elevate the material. She was good, she was charming. Ryan was performing a lot more. I like America btw, but I don't get that nom lol.

Also, stop complaining about I'm Just Ken, it was great, let us have fun song nominees.

Best Picture: I don't know why Barbie is there, the Oppenheimer sweep has been boring and though I liked the movie, as a film it was absolutely nothing without Cillian and to me that does not a Best Picture make, Killers of the Flower Moon or American Fiction should win but won't, Maestro is a joke, Past Lives deserves but also deserves more noms, haven't seen Poor Things, Anatomy of a Fall, or Zone of Interest (though at least filmtwt can stop complaining about it not being well-marketed for the Academy) yet. I liked The Holdovers, but that was before I found out the director is uhhhhh a very very bad man.

Best Actor: Leo was snubbed and I do think him campaigning for Lily so hard had something to do with it but that was legit one of his most interesting, un-Leo performances; Bradley is a joke; happy for Colman but haven't seen Rustin yet; Cillian should win and I think he will but Paul G could dark horse it--I don't think his performance was Oscar-worthy but he was good and he's been picking up his fair share of awards; Jeffrey Wright was amazing in American Fiction and if anyone should dark horse it it's him. I'd still give it to Cillian. If this was up to me, I'd toss out Bradley and throw in Teo Yoo, who was so so good in Past Lives. But the Academy is sending a HARD backlash message to Asian creatives after the EEAAO sweep, imo.

Best Actress: As I said, I don't care that Margot wasn't nominated and I don't think she should've been, and imo her best performance was easily I, Tonya; I haven't seen Nyad so no comment on Annette, same with Sandra for Anatomy, and I think Carey had moments in Maestro but she overall was not one of those "standouts in a horrible movie" actors; Lily should win and absolutely killed her performance and dominated her movie, but I am worried that Emma could take it. I'd toss out Carey for Greta Lee.

Best Supporting Actor: Everyone needs to stop saying Sterling snuck in because he was deeply moving in American Fiction and is lowkey highkey one of the best actors working right now; RDJ basically just did Leslie Odom Jr. in Hamilton and F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus but with his RDJ cadence of speaking he can't drop to save his life, but he's taking this for a career Oscar; I hate that Charles isn't there, but if it wasn't him I'd give it to Sterling or De Niro, who gave one of my favorite performances in his career and was SO disgusting and menacing in Killers. Haven't seen Ruffalo, so if it was up to me depending on his performance I'd toss out RDJ for Charles Melton and possibly shuffle some other people around.

Best Supporting Actress: Lol Emily was horrible in Oppenheimer and I'll die on that hill, generally liking her as an actress; Da'Vine will win this and she was amazing in The Holdovers but the director really sours it for me; happy for Danielle, haven't seen TCP; America shouldn't be there but whatever; I literally though Nyad was about a mythological creature until I Googled last night and found out it was about a swimmer.

Best Director: This is going to go to Christopher Nolan for one of his better movies but not his best because that is FAR. AND AWAY. THE PRESTIGE. Should go to Scorsese, his direction for Killers is why (to me) that movie still felt like it was moving at a clip despite the length.