#and him jumping out of his car after securing a podium finish and running up to his team waiting for him by parc ferme and

[httpiastri]

okay hear me out on this one. i saw this on tiktok yesterday:

and since i’ve been in such a lando mood recently, all i could think about was him and his baby…

so here’s the scenario: lando is a single dad, idk why he split up with the mother of the child but lando is sure he’s never going to find a love like that again, especially now that he has a little daughter to take care of. but seemingly out of nowhere, he meets a woman that he falls completely head over heels for, but yk how when he gets excited about things, he can forget about certain things? yeah, well, he forgets to tell you that he has a child. and then he freaks out because no way are you going to want to raise another woman’s child – but in reality, he’s worrying over nothing because of course you love kids and you’re amazing with them.

and everything moves on so quickly, lando watches his like 8-month old get attached to you instantly and he watches you take such good care of her. and then all of a sudden, his daughter is over a year old and he’s filming you teaching her the alphabet, practically melting because he’s so much in love with you both and he will cherish moments like these forever

[sxcretricciardo]

my everything

The roar of engines filled the air as the Formula 1 cars zoomed around the track at breathtaking speeds. Y/N, one of the few female drivers in the sport, was in a fierce battle for the lead with none other than her boyfriend, Carlos Sainz. On the track, they were fierce rivals, pushing each other to the limit, but off the track, they were the most admired couple in the paddock, their chemistry undeniable.

As the race progressed, the intensity grew. Y/N was closing in on Carlos, her focus razor-sharp. Suddenly, in a heart-stopping moment, her car lost control at high speed, veering off the track and slamming into the barriers. Flames erupted from the wreckage, and the race was immediately red-flagged. The sight of the burning car sent a chill down Carlos' spine.

"Carlos, are you okay?" his race engineer's voice crackled over the radio.

"Is she out? Is she okay?" Carlos's voice was strained with panic, his heart racing faster than ever. He didn't care about the race; he just needed to know she was safe.

The marshals and medical team were quick to respond, extinguishing the flames and reaching the car. The entire paddock watched with bated breath. Then, miraculously, Y/N emerged from the wreckage, staggering but on her own two feet. She clutched her side, pain evident on her face, but she was alive.

Carlos watched the scenes unfold on the big screen, a mixture of relief and worry flooding over him. He wanted nothing more than to jump out of his car and run to her, but the race officials were insistent that the drivers remain in their cars. She was taken to the hospital for further evaluation, and Carlos was forced to stay and finish the race.

With his mind partially elsewhere, Carlos managed to secure a third-place finish, though the podium felt hollow without her there. As soon as the race ended, he rushed through the post-race formalities and made a beeline for the hospital.

Entering the hospital, Carlos was directed to the intensive care unit. He found her lying unconscious in bed, various machines beeping softly around her. His heart ached at the sight. He sat down beside her, taking her hand in his, and whispered, "You really know how to give a guy a heart attack."

Time seemed to crawl as he waited for her to wake up. Nurses came and went, reassuring him that she was stable and would wake up soon. Despite their assurances, Carlos couldn't shake the fear that gripped him. He held her hand tightly, willing her to open her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Y/N's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. She looked disoriented at first, but then her gaze focused on Carlos. A weak smile spread across her face. "Hey, you," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Carlos felt a rush of relief and love. "Hey, yourself. You really scared me out there."

She tried to laugh, but winced in pain, her hand instinctively moving to her side. "Just a broken rib, nothing too serious."

"Broken ribs are serious enough," Carlos replied, his tone stern but his eyes soft. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Y/N squeezed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "You won't lose me. We've got too many races to win... and too many moments to share."

Carlos smiled, leaning in to kiss her forehead gently. "You're right. I just... I couldn't think about anything else but getting to you."

"How did the race end?" she asked, her curiosity piqued despite her condition.

"I got third place," Carlos said, shrugging as if it didn't matter. "But it felt meaningless without knowing you were okay."

She smiled again, a mixture of pride and affection in her eyes. "I knew you'd finish strong. You're always strong."

They sat in silence for a few moments, the beeping of the machines a steady backdrop to their thoughts. Carlos brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch tender. "You know," he said softly, "off the track, you really are my everything."

"And on the track?" she teased, her eyes sparkling despite the pain.

"On the track, you're still my everything," he admitted with a grin. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you next time."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she replied, her smile matching his.

Carlos stayed with her through the night, holding her hand and talking about anything and everything to keep her spirits up. They reminisced about their best races, their travels, and their dreams for the future. Despite the beeping machines and the sterile hospital environment, their bond felt stronger than ever.

As dawn approached, Carlos knew he would have to leave soon to let her rest and recover. He kissed her forehead one last time. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised.

"I'll be here, waiting," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stood up, reluctant to let go of her hand, but knowing she needed to heal. "I love you, Y/N," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

"I love you too, Carlos," she replied, her eyes closing as she drifted off to sleep.

Leaving the hospital was one of the hardest things Carlos had ever done, but he knew she was in good hands. As he walked out into the early morning light, he felt a renewed determination. They would get through this, just like they got through everything else—together.

[enchantestuff]

promises - red bull Sebastian vettel

as I promised just complete fluff and no smut. our poor seb isn't appreciated enough so here is the four times Sebastian jokingly proposed to you and the one time he actually did 

NOT MY GIF

warnings; none really, fluff (btw this made me realise how TERRIBLE I am at writing fluff sorry <3 )

2.1k words, she's long

Sebastian was nervous about getting a new engineer, he so badly wanted to win a championship with Redbull and Christian had confided in him, telling him that this engineer and their new competitive car, would help him live out his dream of being a Formula One champion.

It was nearing the start of the new season and Sebastian had still yet to meet the person that he would be talking to under his most stressful moments and who he had to have full faith in while driving his car. He had begun to think that maybe he never would meet his new engineer when he received a call from Christian, telling him that they both would take place in a race for the Redbull youtube channel, where Sebastain and his new engineer would race against Mark and his, the twist being that the engineers would be the ones driving, not the drivers themselves. Sebastian agreed knowing that it would be a great way to remove any awkwardness between the two of you.

Only a few days later Sebastian was standing on a random racetrack, talking to Mark when he noticed Mark's engineer walking towards them with a beautiful young lady by his side, who Sebastian assumed was his very own engineer. ���Hi! It's so nice to meet you Sebastian! My name's Y/N,” you cheerfully greeted him as you shook his hand.

A smile immediately appeared on Sebastian's face at your warm nature and he knew you two would get along just fine. “Please, call me Seb, '' he grinned as he brought a kiss to your knuckles, “now, are you ready to beat these idiots” he joked as he cocked his head towards your opponents.

“Oh, we are going to make a great pair, Seb” you joked as you accepted a helmet off Christian and climbed into the car, getting comfortable inside of the driver's seat.

“Are you a good driver?” Sebastian asked as he secured himself in the passenger's side of the car.

“I don't think I can call myself a good driver with a future Formula One champion sitting right next to me” you smiled as you drove the car to the start line. Sebastian smiled before he braced himself as the flag spun, indicating the start of the race. His head knocked against the headrest as you sped through the track, blocking Mark's engineer as he tried to overtake you and weaving through deadly corners with minimal braking.

It was when the car drifted across the finish line that Seb turned towards you with a wide grin plastered on his face, his heart was thumping hard in his chest with adrenaline. “Please marry me” he joked and you laughed as you high fived him, pleased with your small victory.

* * *

The atmosphere around the paddock was tense, the drivers championship standings were close. Sebastian could almost taste the victory, but he still had a lot of work to do. He had what he would consider a terrible qualifying and had spent the whole night before the race brainstorming ideas on how to improve his time, however nothing seemed to be working.

Everyone was stressed in the Redbull motorhome the following day, which was never something you liked to see, but you understood it as you too had a sleepless night. You pulled Seb to the side the minute you saw him and told him of the new strategy you dreamt up late last night. He was hesitant since it hadn’t been approved by anyone, but he was willing to take the risk if it meant he would win.

“Are you sure?” he had asked you, looking intently into your eyes.

You shook your head. “No not really, but I know you and I know you're the only driver that could make it work” you confided. You both stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Seb pulled you in for a hug, he gently stroked your back as he squeezed you into him. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and hugged him back with just as much force.

“I trust you” he whispered into your ear and you felt a shiver run down your spine.

“Good luck” you spoke as you gave him a final squeeze and pulled away. You bit your nails out of anticipation and shot Seb an encouraging grin as he climbed into his car.

The race went much better than expected and although Christian was furious that you didn't run the plan through him first, he was satisfied that Seb was currently P1 with a final lap to go. Your nerves were at an all time high throughout the race and you could feel the grin creeping onto your face as the end got closer and closer.

It was when Sebastian crossed the checkered flag that you let out a relieved laugh. “P1 Seb! P1! '' you grinned as you spoke to him through his earpiece.

“Ahhhh thank you, Y/N! Will you and your strategy marry me please?” he laughed

“Congratulations,” you smiled “I’ll see you up on the podium”

You practically ran to the podium with the rest of the team, grinning up at Sebastian as he lifted the trophy into the air and you could almost swear he was grinning right back at you. You clapped and hollered at him and a blush crept up your cheeks when you saw him mouth a “Thank you” in your direction.

* * *

It was inevitable that you and Seb would become close, but you two had a very different relationship compared to the other drivers and their engineers. While the other pairs spent their time going over the car's performance and new strategies, you spent yours pressed up against the wall of your office while Sebastian kissed you with as much force as he could muster. Your most heated and intimate moments were just after a race when he was full of energy and you were full of pride.

Behind closed doors you and Sebastian could almost be compared to lovers, but out in the public eye you two kept things strictly professional, which is why you were full of shock the night that Sebastain had won his title.

The whole Redbull garage and the majority of the drivers went out to celebrate Sebastian as well as an amazing season. You had congratulated him at the start of the night, you shared a quick kiss when you were sure nobody was looking and he had bought you a drink. You hadn't seen him since, however and spent the last few hours talking to random drivers and team principals.

You almost jumped out of your skin when you felt two hands land firmly on your waist. You turned your head to see a tipsy Sebastian Vettel smiling at you with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. “And there's the main man himself,” you giggled as you turned around to face him.

“I missed you,” he blurted out as his hands travelled dangerously low for a public event.

“Did you?” you asked “you're the one that disappeared for an hour” you continued as you tapped his chest.

“Kimi wanted to take shots,” he grinned as one hand moved to cup your bum.

“Sebastian!” you scolded as you swatted his hand away.

“What? It's not like i've never done that before”

“Well yeah, but-but not in public’ you whispered as you looked around, wondering if anyone had noticed the exchange between the two of you.

“I want you,” Sebastian declared, suddenly looking much more sober as he stared into your eyes.

“Let's take this conversation outside” replied as you took a step away from him. Sebastian sighed as he took your hand and led you out the doors, he didn’t care who saw as you both walked by, he didn’t care about anything anymore, he was sick of hiding his feelings for you from everyone. He wanted people to know you were his, he wanted to hold your hand in the paddocks and kiss you for good luck before a race.

Sebastain could feel his heart hammering in his chest as you paced back and forth in front of him, your hands rubbing your arms for warmth. He took a step towards you and grabbed your face with his hands. “Look at me. I want to make us official” you opened your mouth to speak but he cut you off “No listen to me. I need to say this. i don't want to sneakily glance at you during meetings anymore. I want to marry you one day. God! I want to marry you, Y/N! Is that not obvious?”

“Ok” you spoke, a blush rose to your cheeks and you cheekily grinned at him.

‘What?” Sebastian stuttered

“Let's make it official”.

* * *

You and Sebastian had been publicly dating for a little over a year and you were beyond happy. It was currently his birthday and you woke up early to make him breakfast. You both had celebrated the night before and you had to admit you were still sore but you wanted his day to be as special as him.

Sebastian tossed and turned in his sleep, frowning as he felt the cold sheets next to him instead of your warm body. His eyes fluttered open as his eyebrows furrowed. A smile soon made its way onto his face as he smelt the heavenly scent of breakfast. He turned to stand up but immediately sat back down at the sound of your voice. “No! Dont get up!” you pleaded and he laughed at the sight of you struggling to hold the breakfast tray in your hands.

“You shouldn't have, liebe” he muttered as he helped you place the breakfast tray on the bed.

“Maybe” you shrugged as you sat down next to him, “but I wanted to, now go on! Try it!” you encouraged as you practically shoved the plate into his face.

“Okay, okay” he laughed as he defensively put his hands up. You watched him as he put a fork full of food into his mouth, his eyes involuntarily shut as a quiet moan left his mouth. “Mmm marry me” he said once he swallowed the food.

“Is it okay?” you asked nervously as you played with your hands, it was your first time cooking for him and although it was just breakfast, you still wanted to make a good impression.

Sebastians head flipped in your direction, a shocked look plastered on his face. “It's better than okay, darling. Thank you. I love it. I love you”

Your heart fluttered once you heard those three words come out of his mouth. You grinned so hard that your cheeks began to hurt. “Oh god, please say something” he pleaded and he began to think that he spoke those words too soon.

“I love you, Sebastian” you spoke as you wrapped your arms around him and straddled his hips, placing kisses all over his face before finally collecting your lips.

* * *

It was yours and Sebastains anniversary but you both had decided that you wouldn't do anything special, you were just going to get takeout and watch a movie.

You pulled into the house with the food in your hands. You unlocked the door and called out to your boyfriend, “Honey, I’m home!” you joked, locking the doors behind you kicking your shoes off. You placed the food on the table next to the door and turned around, the sight in front of you shocking you as you let out a loud gasp.

Sebastian was kneeling on the floor with a ring in his hand, rose petals littered around him. You couldn't focus on the gorgeous dinner he had laid out on the table or the sweet music playing on the radio, you could only look at his glossy eyes and nervous face.

“Y/N, darling, I love you. I think i've loved you since I first laid eyes on you on that racetrack.” he laughed and looked down at the floor before connecting his eyes with yours again,”You have been with me through my lowest lows and my highest highs and somehow still manage to look at me with a glimmer in your eyes. There's nothing I can’t do with you by my side. So i’m asking-no-i'm practically begging you to finally marry me, for real this time. Will you do me the honours and become my wife?”

You nodded at him with tears in your eyes as you took small steps towards him. “I want to hear you say it, liebe”

“Yes, Sebastian! Of course I’ll marry you”

[samwritesforyou]

Hi!! Just wanted to pop in and say that I love your writing💙 and if you are taking requests? If so, would you please write something about reader being a famous singer and diego is the bodyguard. Reader is kinda infatuated with diego but diego is oblivious, saying that he has to be professional about this new job. I know the prompt is kinda long, sorry about that. But I would love to read something like that🤗

Hii!!! Thank you so much, this means a whole lot to me because I'm kinda going through a tough time and the only thing that keeps me consistently going and feeling creative is just... doing this, writing. so i actually did get heavily inspired by this and thought of a little something! sorry if its not entirely what you had in mind, but that's just what popped into my mind!

On my guard (pt. 1)

part two

Warnings: gender-neutral reader

Wordcount: 2k

You’ve been with your company for a year now. Ever since you signed with them, you weren’t sure what to expect. And honestly, you would never even guess that your passion for singing could lead you this far and you’ve been damn proud of yourself. 

Everything was going well, even the fame was rising - what actually scared the crap out of you, but you were trying to hold it together - so now your manager decided to give you a bodyguard. 

That happened around two months ago, just when you started going around for all kinds of interviews, events and shootings for the magazines.

The company you started working with wasn’t the most popular one, thus their budget wasn’t infinite either. For now, your manager and some bosses above them decided that they’ll try out giving you only one security man. As mentioned already, their budget wasn’t infinite.

And you’d never believe anyone if they would tell you that you would fall for your previously mentioned “guardian”.

You were just on a soundcheck for your ten minutes feature on the upcoming musical event, so you were concentrated on the choreography and keeping your voice steady as you moved around. Suddenly some lights on the podium flickered and turned off. You heard curses from the technical team over on the other side of the spacious room and sighed, realising that this malfunction is giving you a sudden mandatory break from the practice.

Your eyes immediately found their way to his face. Soundchecks were one of the rarest occasions when he didn’t have anything to do - meaning, guarding you - and he always spent it looking at you.

Your music, you guessed. Probably not at you specifically.

Diego... your mind mused and you were already smiling brightly at him. He was so... pretty and caring. Something that goes even beyond his job description, you felt like.

All he did was a faint smirk back with a curt nod of his head.

You sighed and easily jumped off the stage, walking to him until you could stand next to him, back leaning on the barricade behind the two of you.

“How’s it going today, Diego?” you weren’t looking at him now, your gaze focusing on the scene in front of you as some guys started running back and forth, fixing cables and shouting something at each other from the distance.

He shuffled a little next to you, making the space between you bigger now. Diego wasn’t looking your direction either.

“As much as I like these kinds of days, I feel like I’m wasting my time and your money,” you felt his eyes finally stopping for a split second on you, then turning back to its original spot again, “I mean, for the majority of the day there are no people to guard you from,” he spread his hand across the podium before your eyes, demonstrating that there was only staff present.

“Is it that bad?” In your head, the question sounded more jokingly, but the second it left your lips it fell quite heavily between the two of you.

“I mean... no,” he said more quietly, “I just don’t feel professional like this.”

Your face eased with a hint of a smile, swallowing a laugh so you don’t look like you’re making fun of him.

“Diego, how many times am I supposed to tell you that you’re doing your job amazingly? Above average, 11 out of 10 experience,” you said, trying to squish at least some emotion out of him.

This made him chuckle, which you counted as a huge success.

He was obsessed with being professional and good at his job. On one of the long nights in the queue to the interview, he told you that he used to do some work before applying and getting assigned to this, but he’s still new to looking and acting presentable. And he just didn't want to screw this up.

Your relationship, on the other hand, went from professional to friendly quite fast. You realised that you weren’t this friendly even with the staff members that you knew way longer than him. Your chemistry was on point, you guessed.

And you already buzzed to all your close friends that you have a thing for your new bodyguard. But sadly enough, you never had tremendous success in love life and all the people you’ve fallen in love with over the years never liked you back. Or some pretended that they did. And it hurt, but you learned a whole lot from these experiences.

Yet you still found yourself slowly falling for this rare smile of his, his dark eyes focused on you from time to time and this feeling of calmness that he brought to you whenever you were near each other.

“y/n?” You suddenly felt a light tap on the shoulder, hand lingering on your bare skin.

You looked up, meeting Diego’s eyes. You didn’t want to lie to yourself but you were almost certain that there was some kind of tension between the two of you.

He didn’t let go of your shoulder yet - making your heart beat faster suddenly - and nudged with his head towards the stage, raising eyebrows.

“Thinkin’ about something, y/n? They fixed the lighting, you can go back on,” he said, finally letting go of you and you just opened and closed your mouth, no sound coming out.

Then you just nodded, smiling a little before running off to the podium, finishing the rehearsal. 

.

.

“Right now you’re going to go through that exit, alright?” said one of your managers. Voices were buzzing all around you and you felt fucking overwhelmed. “I know, we messed up, y/n, we’re really sorry. But you have to go through the main exit because there’s been some stuff going on in the emergency exit where you were supposed to leave at,” they said hurriedly, shuffling with you through the crowd of people. Your own staff mixed with strangers.

“Okay, okay!” you had to yell in their direction to be heard, “explain to me again, why is this such a huge deal?!”

“Because,” the woman stopped you by the shoulders, looking you dead in the eyes, “you’re famous now. You might not realise it, but if you go out there now, there’s going to be tons of fans waiting for a possible celebrity, alright? I admit, it is a mistake from the management, and you will be compensated, but. It is what it is now, okay? Brace yourself, y/n!” and with that you were left on your own, only with Diego in front of you, pushing through to give you some space to get to the exit.

The concert wasn’t done yet, but your part was finished and you needed to get to a different shooting right away after this.

You were starting to lose the sight of your bodyguard as more and more people were packed in the crowd, making it hard to go through. “Shit,” you cursed and spat on all the policies by grabbing his hand and holding it tightly.

He looked back at you for a split second, making sure it’s you, whom he’s leading right now.

“It’s gonna get messy!” you heard him say, only taking your hand more comfortable into his, grasping tighter.

You felt the heat radiating from your palms clapped together, and even felt his thumb rub over your hand?...

Must’ve been the imagination. And the wild one, at that. You’re for the first time holding your crush’s hand and it had to happen in this rushed and overwhelming scenario. Of course.

But once you made it out of the venue it only got worse. Here, people start recognising you almost instantly. There were no restrictions on personal space and your only shield was Diego.

“Y/n!” “Y/n, you’re so amazing, let’s take a picture!!” “I love you, y/n!” “What, y/n??? I was expecting the other artist to come out of here now! Go away!” 

All types of comments flooded your ears and your heart was pounding in your chest. You felt like you were gonna rip away Diego’s hand from his arm, that’s how much you were clutching it.

You almost made it to the familiar car parked on the side when someone took you by the shoulder from behind, making you slow down and in a surprise your hand slipped from your bodyguard’s, leaving you open to the crowd around you.

There were eyes, mouths, faces, spit, breaths, all kinds of perfumes and smells erupting around you and it was driving you crazy, all you wanted was to get out of there.

“Diego!” you yelled out and the next thing you know he’s already there again, next to you, basically hugging you from behind, his body fully pressed to yours, hands on your hips and he easily turned you two around, making your way once again to the car.

His one hand was up in the air in front of you as some literal shield that people were trying to get through until you made it to the destination.

He almost threw you into the front seat, closing the door behind you and you instantly locked it from the inside, letting out a shaky breath.

Then you heard Diego land on the seat next to you and start the engine.

Once you were on the road through the woods, you looked up out of the window and started crying.

That was too much.

You couldn’t concentrate on anything during your breakdown, only hearing a faint bodyguard’s voice when he called someone as he was driving you straight home.

.

.

“Wasn’t I supposed to have some other photoshoot today? For that.. magazine?” you said quietly, still sitting in the car, not daring to move.

You were parked outside of your place, soft tunes playing on low volume through the radio.

“Yeah, but I called your manager and they said it’s okay to skip it. I explained the situation and they told me that you should rest. Really, y/n,” he already hovered his hand above your thigh - probably wanting to pat it in reassurance - but decided against it, curling his palm into a fist and just putting it back onto his own knee and looking away.

“I don’t wanna be alone tonight,” you just said, watching his whole internal crisis about showing affection and pulling your legs up to your chin, hugging them.

“Do you want me to call someone?” Diego asked, still not looking into your direction.

“Maybe you can stay?..” you said carefully, looking at him.

And not only because of the crush thing. You just... didn’t want to talk to anyone about this and since he was there when it happened, you could possibly find comfort in his presence at the moment.

He finally shifted his eyes, his dark orbs meeting yours. Your look lingered for way longer than it probably should, until he finally spoke up.

“Stay?... Like..” you saw him getting actually flustered about the rest of the sentence, ears reddening and all.

“What are you thinking about?!” you said, laughing and smacking him on the shoulder with your hand, “I just meant.. to stay as a sleepover, you know. Just hanging out. I don’t think I wanna see anyone who might not know what I’m going through,” you added more quietly, slipping into the sad thoughts again, but Diego quickly pulled you out of it once more.

“Oh!” he almost gasped, eagerly nodding and clearing his throat, “sure, I.. yeah. Yeah. I don’t know if it’s professional or not, to just... hang with you like this, but. I think you do need some company,” Diego said, smiling a little bit and getting out of your car.

You got out too, at that, feeling the chill breeze travel around your ankles and making you shiver for a second before you rushed to the entrance.

“Come on!” you said, opening the door and waiting for Diego to catch up. 

“Should we order a pizza or something?” he asked as he walked in, making you laugh again.

This man is definitely gonna cheer you up. And you are also excited to finally get to know your unfortunate crush a little closer.

A/N: also i would love to make it a shorter series, maybe? i already have some plot points that would be cool to write, so let me know if you guys would want that!

[littlemarvelfics]

The Graduate

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (tattoo artist!bucky)

Word Count: about 2k

Warnings: just some fluff

Square Filled: Accomplishing a Goal for @marvelfluffbingo, Artist AU for @star-spangled-bingo and Artist!Bucky (Y5) for @buckybarnesbingo

A/N: Hi all! I hope you enjoy this! Side note, it has nothing to do with the movie The Graduate. I’m just terrible at titles. Also... I started a Kofi. If you want to donate, the link is in my bio. Leave me a little note and lemme know if I can write something for you! Enjoy! 

You wiped your hands on the black gown currently covering your clothes. You stood with the rest of your row and slowly shuffled towards the side of the stage. In just a few moments, your college experience would be over. All the late nights and cram sessions would be done and for that you were grateful. But you would miss the group of friends you had made, the ones who made those late nights bearable. 

You took a deep breath as you ascended the stairs towards the podium where the Dean of Students was reading out names. Yours was called and you walked across the stage, hearing a whistle that could only belong to one man. Bucky Barnes. 

You had met Bucky two years ago when you were a sophomore and he was finishing up his apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop. He was friends with Steve, a senior you had befriended through an art elective. You and Bucky had met at a party and the rest was history. Once Bucky had finished his apprenticeship, he worked at opening his own shop and he finally took his first appointment six months ago. Bucky was the one responsible for the black ink over your ribs, a simple bushel of wildflowers. 

As you walked down the stairs, you scanned over the audience quickly looking for your parents. You sent them an invitation to the ceremony along with two tickets but you were sure they wouldn’t show up. Majoring in journalism with the dream of becoming a reporter hadn’t sat well with them, they never missed an opportunity to tell you that you were wasting your life. 

You walked back to your seat and listened as the rest of the names were called, cheering loudly for your friends as they crossed the stage. By the time the Dean announced the class of 2020, you were beyond ready to find Bucky, get out of the sun and get on with whatever he had planned for the night. 

Thirty minutes later, you pushed your way through the crowd, attempting to find Bucky. You hugged a few people on your way and you were just about to call him when you found him leaning against a tree, away from the madness. His sunglasses were covering his eyes and he had his hair pulled back off his neck. He wore a dark blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up, showing off the dark ink decorating his left arm. The look was finished off with a pair of black jeans and suede boots that were scuffed to hell. When he spotted you, he straightened up off the tree and grinned at you as you took off running, jumping into his arms when you made it to him. He held you around your waist and held you close to him. 

“Congratulations sugar,” he mumbled in your ear. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“You know what? I’m proud of me too,” you responded with a giggle. 

“Is there anything else you need to finish up here? Or can I take my best girl to lunch?” Bucky asked. 

You were just about to answer when you heard your name called from behind you. You whipped around and came face to face with your parents. 

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” 

“You invited us,” your mom said tensely. 

“Right of course,” you responded, at a loss for words. 

Your mom coughed and looked behind you where Bucky was still standing. 

“Oh right,” you said with a smile. “Mom, dad this is Bucky, my boyfriend. Bucky these are my parents Ken and Sue.” 

Bucky stepped around you and offered his hand to your father who looked at Bucky’s tattoos with disgust, ignoring his outstretched hand. You spoke up in an effort to diffuse the awkward situation. 

“I didn’t realize the two of you were coming out. I never heard back from you.” 

“We decided to surprise you. We wouldn’t believe you graduated if we wouldn’t have seen it for ourselves,” your dad said with a smirk. 

You gave a tight smile, not sure what to say to the backhanded comment. Luckily Bucky stepped in. 

“She’s pretty amazing,” he commented, wrapping his arm around you. “Graduated first in the program.” 

“The journalism program,” your mom said under her breath. 

You sighed and barely stopped yourself from rolling your eyes. 

“Why don’t we all go out to lunch?” Bucky suggested, ignoring your mother’s comment. “Celebrate the grad a bit?” 

You looked at your parents, almost positive they would turn down the invitation. 

“Why not,” your dad said. “Have a place in mind?” 

“Sure, there’s a place a few miles from here called Tony’s.” 

You smiled up at Bucky- that was the restaurant the two of you had your first official date at. 

+++++

The four of you were seated quickly at Tony’s, you and Bucky being somewhat of regulars. You all ordered your drinks and you saw your parents internally scrutinizing the place. It wasn’t anything fancy, a hole in the wall with loud music on Friday nights and an expansive drink menu making it a popular place for the local college kids. 

“So what’s the plan Y/N?” your mom asked. 

“The plan?” you questioned. 

“You got your… journalism degree. What’s next?” 

The way your mother said ‘journalism’ made it seem like it was a dirty word, never to be uttered in public. 

“I have an internship starting in a few weeks-” 

Before you could finish your sentence, your mom cut you off again. 

“Four years of work for an unpaid internship?” she scoffed. 

“Did she say unpaid?” Bucky said under his breath. 

You nudged him with your elbow as you suppress a smile. 

“It’s not unpaid and it will probably lead to a job after a few months,” you said, the pride clear in your voice. “It’s with This American Life.” 

You had worked your ass off to secure the highly coveted internship with This American Life, a radio show and podcast that was on public radio once a week. The show had made you fall in love with telling stories and working for them had been a dream of yours since you moved to New York for college. You recorded your own story to go with your application, Bucky had been the subject of it. A simple story that revolved around two weeks of shadowing him as he worked to open White Wolf Ink, his tattoo shop. 

“That’s… impressive,” your dad said, clearly surprised you had an actual plan. “Congratulations.” 

“Thanks dad,” you responded as your food arrived at the table. 

“What about you Bucky? When did you graduate?” your mom asked. 

“I didn’t,” Bucky said simply. “College wasn’t the right choice for me.” 

Your mom laughed, not bothering to hide her disdain. 

“So what is it that you do with no college degree?” 

“I’m a tattoo artist,” Bucky responded. 

Both of your parents looked at Bucky, failing to hide the judgment on their faces.

“He just opened his own shop,” you said, never one to shy away from bragging about your boyfriend. “It’s been busy.” 

“So how long have the two of you been dating?” your dad asked, ignoring your comments about Bucky. 

“Two years,” Bucky answered, looking over at you with a smile and placing a kiss on your head. 

“Really Y/N?” your mom moaned. 

“Really what?” 

“A struggling journalist dating a tattoo artist? Is that how you pictured your life?” 

“Nope,” you said, taking a sip of your wine. “I plan to be a successful journalist. And I never dreamed I’d be dating a man like Bucky. He’s so far out of my league.” 

You mother glared at you, clearly not satisfied with your answer. 

“Do you know how embarrassing this is for us? First, you leave town and then you major in something so… trivial. You were smart! You could have done something with your life! And if that wasn’t what you wanted, you could have married  a nice respectable man!” 

“Enough!” you yelled. “You can sit there and tell me how much you dislike every choice I’ve ever made. But leave Bucky out of it.” 

Bucky squeezed your knee under the table and immediately you felt more calm and collected. 

“Listen,” Bucky said quietly. “I have a night planned to celebrate your amazing daughter and all the hard work she’s put in for the last four years. I’d love to have you stay for lunch but not if you’re going to act like this. 

Your mom looked between you and Bucky, waiting for you to defend her. You simply shrugged a shoulder and glanced over a Bucky, his face serious. You put your hand on top of his and squeezed three times, a silent way of saying “I love you”.   

“Well I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you act like any of this is okay,” your mom said, getting up from the table. 

Your father got up and followed behind your mom, glancing back at you with a sad smile. 

Once your parents were out of sight, Bucky turned to face you. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he said quickly. 

“Why are you sorry? That was on them, not either one of us.” 

“Still-” 

“Let’s eat and then I promise we can talk this to death later tonight but right now, I just wanna have my happy day with my boyfriend,” you said, cutting him off. 

“Then a happy day is what you’ll have,” Bucky replied with a smile. 

+++++

An hour later, you were back in the car with Bucky, your late lunch and a glass of wine leaving you relaxed and content. You looked over at Bucky driving and smiled, putting your hand at the back of his neck and rubbing your thumb against him. 

“I love you lots, you know that?” you asked simply. 

“Not as much as I love you.” 

“Don’t you fight me,” you said with a giggle. “Where are we heading anyway?” 

“I finally finished sketching out your tattoo. Thought you might wanna get it done tonight?” 

“Really?! That sounds perfect,” you said with a sigh, leaning your head against the car window. 

It didn’t take long to get to the shop. Bucky unlocked the front door and you walked over you his chair, making yourself comfortable while he grabbed the design and went over to the machine, preparing the stencil to place on your skin. You lifted your dress slightly, revealing your right thigh for Bucky to decorate. You scrolled on your phone, looking through all the Instagram posts from your classmates, all celebrating your recent accomplishments. 

Bucky came back in, paper in hand. He instructed you to look away, wanting the final design to be a surprise. You laughed but did as you were told, smiling when you felt him press the page to your leg. 

“Okay,” Bucky said quietly. “You can look.” 

You looked down at your thigh and gasped. Instead of one of Bucky’s designs, purple words were pressed into your skin. “Will you marry me?” 

You looked up at Bucky, a black velvet box in his hand revealing a beautiful engagement ring. 

“You’re the one I want with me when all my dreams come true, when I accomplish any of my goals or when I fall short. You’re the one I want with me. Will you marry me?” Bucky asked. 

You could barely see him through the tears filling your eyes, frantically nodding your head up and down. He kissed you before sliding the ring on your finger and pulling you into his arms. 

You pulled away from him, kissing him once again. 

“Best day ever,” you mumbled against his lips. 

“One of many sweetheart. One of many.” 

[black-ice-and-flame]

The Love of the Forgotten

Request: Imagine a hero with a memory-erasing quirk. They can make you forget anything. The drawback is photo's and video can restore whatever they made you forget. What if shinso, shigaraki and dabi found out that their s/o wiped everything about their relationship and even s/o themselves from their memory during their final moments before being killed in a battle. (The death can remain vague as possible I don't mind and if you don't feel comfortable writing this then that's fine)

This such an interesting idea for a request, thank you for the suggestion and I hope I can do it justice!! Also, my first time writing for my villain bois. Oh also I changed it a little bit, they still die but it’s like after they’re injured in battle. Hope that’s okay!

WARNINGS: Character death, depressive behaviors.

Under the cut! (Also this gonna be in three parts because I’ve realized they all work better as really long. This is Shinso’s part

WORD COUNT: 3,776

 Shinso: 

“F/N-chan you’re completely sure about this?” Izuku Midoriya questioned frowning softly. “It doesn’t seem very fair to Shinso-chan. Just Erasing yourself from his life like that, it’s almost cruel.”

If F/N admitted it to themselves, they weren’t completely sure about this. But knew they had to go through with it. 

F/N leaned forward, “We both know that this mission could end up with me being killed Izuku. I don’t want him to be brought down by grief, he’s worked so hard for this.” F/N thought back to when Shinso came to tell them he got into the hero course. 

Hearing the soft knock on the door, F/N immediately knew who it was and leaped up from their bed with a smile. Happily opening the door to their lavender haired friend. 

“Hey, Hitoshi! So what’s the verdict? Come on tell me, tell me!” Shinso had come to F/N first to tell them that he was trying for the open spot in the hero course. As a fellow hero in training themselves, F/N did everything they could to help out. 

Shinso stood there with the same neutral look on his face but just as F/N’s face started to fall he gave a little smirk. 

F/N squealed and threw their arms around Shinso’s neck, and he felt a faint blush tint his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around their waist. 

“I’m so happy for you!” F/N pulled back and got a sly grin on their face, “but, you realize this means you’re stuck with me all day right?”

“I suddenly realize the grave mistake I’ve made,” Shinso sighed dramatically as he walked in, flopping down on F/N’s bed. 

F/N shut the door and imitated in a very familiar monotoned voice, “thanks for helping me L/N. I never would’ve been able to do this without your help.” They laid next to Shinso and flicked his nose, “that too much to ask sleepy boy.”

Shinso hummed like he was giving his answer a lot of thought. “Too much effort.” 

F/N gasped and smacked his shoulder but grinned as they heard their friend's rare laughter. 

F/N remembered watching from the stands as Shinso had placed third in the festival. 

Feeling nothing but pride course through their veins at the sight of him standing tall on the podium.

F/N squealed and threw their arms around Shinso’s neck, “I knew you could make it to the top three!”

Shinso only took a split second before wrapping his arms around F/N’s waist, “I think the world could hear your cheering.” 

“And they always will.” F/N pulled back with a wide smile patting Shinso’s chest, “why don’t we celebrate, we can go to your favorite cat cafe?” They said, nudging their hip against his. 

Shinso knew if he didn’t ask this now, he probably never would. Maybe it was the euphoric feeling of winning third in the festival that made him brave enough to ask it. 

“Why don’t we make it a date?” When Shinso saw F/N stiffen out of the corner of his eye he immediately wanted to take it all back. He cleared his throat, “sorry, I didn’t mean to-” 

Before he could finish his sentence F/N had slotted their fingers between his squeezing his hand. 

“Does that mean your paying?” They smirked and Shinso chuckled softly. 

He tightened his grip on their hand and shook his head, “sure, you’ll pay next time though.”

“F/N?” 

F/N blinked out of the memories, quickly wiping away the tear that threatened to fall.

 “Please Izuku, I really want this. This will only work if you help me.” 

Izuku pressed his lips together, he really didn’t approve of the idea, but couldn’t leave his friend on their own. Still, he knew how much this would hurt Shinso as well. 

Well... it would if he found out. 

Seeing his hesitation F/N said, “you won’t need to make a decision unless something happens to me. I’m sorry to put so much pressure on you, but you're the only other person I trust to do this.” 

Izuku let out a long sigh while rubbing his hands together, his eyes glued to the table for a few minutes, lost in thought.

 F/N could slowly feel their stomach twist into knots and their heart filled with dread. Just as they were about to give up hope, Izuku looked back up to them. 

He nodded his head, his features firm and his lips pressed thin. “Okay.” 

F/N felt their fear ease and gave Izuku a shaky smile which causes their friend to frown softly and reach over, resting a gentle hand over theirs. 

“You’ll be okay F/N. I’m sure nothing will go wrong.”

As much as they wanted to believe it, F/N still couldn’t help the stomach-churning feeling they had. 

Turns out they had every reason to worry. 

F/N and a small team of other pro heroes had been recruited to take out a small band of new villains. Everyone thought the mission would be quick and easy. 

Going in and taking out the villains should’ve been no problem. 

So when Shinso got the call he’d always been dreading, he wasted no time in dropping everything to get to the hospital. 

Frantically moving around the shared apartment, Shinso looked for his car keys. 

“Keys, keys,” Shinso mumbled, stopping to yank at his hair, eyes wide. “Where are my fucking keys?!” After practically tearing the living room apart, couch cushions were carelessly thrown to the floor and papers were strewn everywhere,  his keys were finally found buried in the side of the couch. 

Sitting in the car Shinso felt his heart jump out his chest as he shoved the key into the ignition. He tried his best to focus on the road but his hands shook as the words from the phone call played over and over in his brain. 

“This number was listed as the first emergency contact for F/N L/N, they’ve been admitted in critical condition.” 

Shinso pulled into the parking lot, his hands squeezed the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. He turned his head and looked at the entrance to the hospital. 

He didn’t know if he could go through it. Going through there made the truth of F/N being hurt a reality, and Shinso wasn’t sure he could face it. 

After sitting there for a few minutes Shinso finally opened the door and got out. He sprinted toward the front desk, all his earlier fears hitting him like a freight train. 

“F/N L/N,” Shinso rested his hands on the counter and tried his best to keep the emotion out of his voice. 

“Shinso-chan.” 

Shinso jerked his head toward the sound of his name and found Izuku. The green-haired boy’s face creased with worry, his hands fidgeting with each other. 

“Midoriya, what happened? Are they okay?” Shinso fired off multiple questions all in one breath, the tightness in his chest constricting with every question. 

Izuku knew it wasn’t good and the plan that he and F/N had talked about just a few days ago stirred around in his head. So even though his stomach twisted and flipped, he lied. 

“They’re okay,” Izuku held up his hands trying to make his face form a look of reassurance. 

He was normally a big crier, and Izuku wanted nothing more than to ball his eyes out right now. The stinging eyes and tightness of his throat was proof of that. 

As soon as the words left Izuku’s mouth Shinso felt like a giant weight had been taken off his heart. The air returned to his lungs and his shoulders slumped in relief. 

“T-They’re okay?” Shinso winced at the break in his voice, but it couldn’t be held back. He felt like he had aged ten years in the last couple of minutes. 

Izuku swallowed the acidic taste in his mouth, “Yeah, they’re resting in their room, but the doctor said we can see them.”

Shinso nodded his head, running his fingers through his hair while letting out a long breath. 

“Okay, which room?” 

Izuku gestured for him to follow and he had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything. 

Behind him, Shinso’s mind ran rampant with a million things to say to F/N. The main one just telling them how relieved he was they were okay. When they stopped outside a room Shinso expected Izuku to follow him in and raised an eyebrow when he didn’t. 

“I thought you two could have some privacy before I bombard F/N too. I’m too emotional for my own good you know?” Izuku said with a small smile. 

If it were any other time Shinso would’ve questioned how weird Izuku was acting, but right now all he could think about was making sure F/N was okay. He needed to see them with his own eyes. 

When Shinso finally laid his purple-hued eyes on F/N it made his heart leap into his throat. Midoriya said they would be okay.. this doesn’t look okay. 

F/N had a bandage wrapped securely around their forehead. Their right arm and left leg had both been placed in heavy casts. An iv had been attached to their non-casted arm and it laid limply next to their side. 

Shinso swallowed thickly at the sight of their pale complexion. He moved and sat down in the chair next to F/N’s bed. He immediately reached out and grabbed their small hand in both of his and squeezed it gently. 

Feeling a squeeze to their hand, F/N slowly peeled back their eyelids their boyfriend’s worried face the first thing they saw. 

Shinso brought their hand up to his lips and left a kiss to the back of their hand. 

“How are you feeling?” He whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. 

F/N turned their head a little more and winced. Causing Shinso to scoot closer to them. 

“Hey, hey, don’t move so much, you may be okay but you probably still need lots of rest.” 

F/N snapped their eyes back open as the words left Shinso’s mouth. Izuku told him... This really has to happen, doesn’t it?

“I’m sorry I made you worry,” was the first thing F/N rasped out. “I,” they took in a struggling breath, it was like their lungs were being pierced with a thousand knives. It burned and ached with every small breath. “I should’ve been more careful.” 

Shinso shook his head kissing their hand once again, “I’m just glad you’re okay. When I got the call  I thought, I mean-”

With as much strength as they could muster F/N squeezed his hand. “D-Don’t blame yourself.” 

Shinso frowned softly, This was okay? They didn’t even have the strength to speak. 

“Midoriya said you were fine...” He trailed off looking F/N over again, eyes lingering on the bandage and casts. 

“I am, it just looks worse than it is.” F/N winced and took in another painful breath. It was hard to mask just how much it hurt to even be speaking.

“Please don’t lie to me.” Shinso’s voice was soft but his grip was tight. 

“Okay, it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck, and then backed over by the same truck and ran over again.” 

Shinso flinched as he rubbed his thumb over their knuckles, “didn’t they give you pain meds?” He raised an eyebrow, lips turning down softly. “I can get a nurse.” 

When he moved to get up F/N grabbed his hand and shook their head. “No, I’m fine. I think I’m just tired is all.”

Shinso let go of their hand and reached over to brush away some stray hairs that fell in F/N’s face. 

“I can come back later if you want?” He didn’t really want to leave but didn’t want to keep F/N up if they needed the rest. 

F/N analyzed their boyfriend’s face, trying to commit it to their memory, for wherever they went after this. Taking in his beautiful purple eyes, ones that F/N could always find love and adoration in when they looked at him. His hair, F/N’s fingers twitched, the ghost of the feeling of running their fingers through Shinso’s hair burned into their thoughts. 

Glancing at Shinso’s lips F/N couldn’t help but think about all the kisses they shared, the smiles he would only share with them. Those lips had shaped countless words of encouragement and love to F/N over the years. 

F/N made their voice as even as possible, not letting any emotion break through when they spoke. 

“Can you kiss me before you go?” F/N watched as those oh so familiar lips pulled into their favorite smile, 

“You sure that won’t hurt?” He teased, even though F/N knew he was going to give them one anyway. 

F/N laughed softly, holding back a wince, “I’m sure I can handle it.” 

As Shinso leaned over F/N closed their eyes slowly and activated their quirk just as his lips touched theirs. When Shinso pulled back F/N opened their eyes as a few tears fell down their face. 

Shinso rested his forehead against F/N’s, wiping the few tears away. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow, then you're stuck with me till you get out of here.” 

F/N smiled small trying to keep their lips from trembling. “okay.” 

Shinso pressed one more kiss to their forehead, “I love you.”

F/N breathed out shakily, “I love you.” 

They watched as Shinso walked out the door, knowing once he went to sleep tonight, the next morning he would wake up and believe everything was normal. He wouldn’t feel any grief or any pain. 

When Izuku walked through the door F/N just turned their head away. Even though they knew Izuku more than anyone wouldn’t care if F/N cried in front of him, they couldn’t bear to speak to anyone else now. 

Izuku’s voice shook with his own pain as tears flowed down his face. He scrubbed them away quickly. 

“I’ll take care of everything, you don’t have to worry.” 

F/N just closed their eyes and tried to hold onto the feeling of the love their lives lips against their own. 

It was almost funny. Dying was going to be way less painful than F/N having to erase themselves from Shinso’s life for good...

SIX MONTHS LATER

Shinso walked through the door of his apartment struggling to make sure he didn’t drop the groceries in his arms. Kicking the door behind him once he managed to get his keys out of it. 

He placed all the bags on the counter and sighed. He looked around the rather bare apartment. 

The walls were pretty empty, only a few photos of him with friends from UA, other than that there wasn’t much to look at. 

Shinso had never really been a big decorator anyways, but still, it just felt...

Off

He’d been feeling that a lot lately. Off. Like there was something he was supposed to be doing. At first, Shinso just brushed it off with the fact this was the first vacation he had in a while. 

With no hero work to keep himself occupied Shinso had never felt more alone. 

Maybe Midoriya has time off? Midoriya and his group were probably the only people Shinso could stand being around for more than a few hours. 

As Shinso pulled out his new phone, he lost his last one and had searched everywhere for it, he felt that confusing feeling again. He looked around his apartment, almost as if expecting to see someone else. 

Shinso blinked and then shook his head and typed out his text to Miodriya. “Maybe I should finally get a cat,” he mumbled to himself as he walked toward his bedroom. 

He fell back on his bed, just scrolling through his social media. His agency wanted him to be more active with communicating with fans, but Shinso has always been pretty reluctant to do so. Not that he didn’t appreciate the support of his admirers, but he just didn’t like the spotlight. 

Much like his mentor. 

Scrolling through he came across a comment that sent a splitting sharp pain through his head. 

Fan: does anyone remember H/N? Didn’t he date her? Whatever happened with that?

Dating? He’s never dated someone long term before. Shinso put a hand to his forehead as the pain came again and groaned. It was like an icepick had been stabbed into his brain. 

He read more comments replying to that post even as the pain in his head started to turn into a blinding white-hot burning sensation. 

Shinso read over the words about how they missed seeing him and this other person together, even though he’s never heard of them before. Then he saw that someone had linked a photo and Shinso couldn’t help his curiosity of what the person who everyone thought he was dating looked like. 

When the photo of them came up it was like there was a physical pop inside Shinso’s head. 

Then the memories came back.

Memories of the feeling of arms wrapping around his waist in a tight hug. The sound of forgotten laughter. E/C gazing at him and a warm smile. 

“F/N...” The name fell from his lips and then the image of someone in a hospital bed blew up his mind just as his phone vibrated on his chest. 

When Shinso saw Miodriya’s name pop up he got another memory with a pound of his head. The sight of Midoriya’s face creased with worry and his words. 

“They’re okay.” 

Shinso didn’t waste another second and unlocked his phone, calling his friend. 

“Hey, we can get together tonight if you want,” Midoriya’s happy voice chirped through the phone. “We’re all getting off early-” 

“F/N.” When the name left his mouth Shinso heard a sharp inhale on the other end and then a sniff. “What happened to them Izuku?” Shinso already had an idea of what did. 

“Hitoshi I-” 

“You lied to me that day. F/N was dying, weren’t they? They were dying and you thought it was best to lie to me?” His teeth ground together as angry tears started to spill from his eyes. 

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while. 

“F/N wanted this Hitoshi,” Midoriya’s voice said, choked with tears. “T-They asked me to keep it a secret from you. I didn’t want to but,” Shinso heard the other boy hiccup and knew he was trying his best to keep from sobbing. “It was what they had last said to me before their mission.” 

Shinso’s heart splintered at the news. F/N wanted him to forget them? They wanted to just be wiped out from his existence after everything. 

“Why,” was all Shinso could manage to get out. 

Miodriya sniffled again, “T-They didn’t want to ruin your hero career. F/N said you worked so hard for this and they couldn’t just let you throw it all away because of them.” 

“S-So stupid,” Shinso’s voice finally cracked. The tears of anger were now tears of pain, of sadness. They wouldn’t stop coming. 

Shinso let out a cry of frustration and hung up his phone, then broke down into sobs. His whole body raking with grief like he’s never felt before, grief he should’ve already felt. Shinso covered his mouth to try to keep down his cries but all it did was muffle the sound.

After a few minutes, his phone buzzed again with a message from Midoriya. 

With shaky fingers, Shinso opened it and read the text before looking at the message that was sent right after it. 

Midoriya: I’m the one who took your old phone, it was to keep you from finding out...

Shinso saw the next message was a video and wiped away the tears from his eyes so he could see it before pressing play. 

The sight of F/N’s beaming face popping up made the tears just come right back. 

“I have acquired my boyfriend’s phone because he refuses to take a picture so how about a video instead?” The phone was wobbly as F/N moved it around.

Shinso whimpered softly at the sound of their voice, seeing F/N with a graduation cap on their head. 

“I think you mean stolen.” 

Shinso heard his own voice say before the camera seemed to be switched views and there he was, with a matching cap and gown and a soft smile on his face. 

He felt a pinprick to his heart. He was so happy that day, their graduation. 

“Semantics,” F/N said as they walked closer panning up and down Shinso’s body. “Now, doesn’t he look so handsome and professional in his outfit.” 

Shinso in the video rolled his eyes, his smile is replaced with a playful smirk. “It’s a miracle you got me to walk across stage today.” 

Shinso heard a giggle that made his heart crack in two. He felt more tears flow down his face as the camera switched back to F/N’s face. 

“I’m very persuasive,” F/N wiggled their eyebrows. “Now come here.” 

“It’s a video and I’ve already been shown on camera against my will.” 

F/N snorted at his words then got a pout on their face. “I want a kiss,” F/N whined. 

Shinso heard himself chuckle and then he was in the frame, a warm smile on his face. 

“I have such a dork of a S/O,” video Shinso said wrapping an arm around F/N’s frame. 

“Hey!” F/N pouted more, jutting out their lower lip. “I think I’m pretty fun thank you.” 

Video Shinso kissed the crown of their head, “Fun is one word for it.” 

“I’m starting to feel unappreciated here.” 

Video Shinso laughed softly and titled F/N’s chin up towards him and leaned down pressing a kiss to their lips. 

Shinso watched as F/N smiled into the kiss and as they pulled away their next words made him break down in another round of gut-wrenching sobs. Wanting nothing more than to reach through the screen and trade places with himself. 

“I love you Hitoshi Shinso.” 

[stickswrites]

I Literally Hate The Media So Much (Her Shadows Ch. 7)

Pairings: Kirishima x OC

Warnings: Panic attack, implications of abuse, Bakugo being nice lol

I did not mean to take as large of a break as I did but that happened XD Hope whoever reads this enjoys!

I woke up with sore everything. I hadn't had to fight full out like that for a while and it didn't help that Bakugo was extremely strong. I pulled myself out of bed, trying to not disturb the cat that rested in my arms. I stood up and stretched, hearing a satisfying crack from my back. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up. I glanced over at my clock that told me it was 5:45 am. I groaned as I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a tank top and sweatpants. I got changed and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, pinning my bangs back as well. I grabbed my phone and headphones as I walked out to the kitchen to scrounge for food. Dad sat at the table, drinking his coffee, and looking over his lesson plans.

"Morning, Kiki," he said as he made a note in his planner.

"Morning, Dad," I responded, stifling a yawn.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Really well," I said as I pulled a granola bar out of the cupboard. "No nightmares, so that's a plus."

Dad hummed in agreement as I tore open the granola bar wrapper and began to eat it. I leaned against the counter as I ate the granola bar and Yuzuki jumped onto the counter and sniffed at my food, hoping to get a bite of it. I pushed his head away and finished my granola bar. I put food in both of the cats’ bowls and put water in the water dishes. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. I would have to get going pretty quickly to make sure I was on time. I put my phone back in my pocket and went to my room to put my running shoes on. I tied the laces and stood back up, stretching a bit more. I walked back out to the front of the house.

“Dad, I’m heading out!” I called.

“Alright, be safe! I’ll go grocery shopping while you two are on your run!”

I walked out of the house and waited by the tree between mine and Makoto’s houses. He eventually walked out of his house and came over to me. He had his orange shirt on, which I assumed contributed to his good mood.

“Good morning, Koko!” he said, far too cheerfully for this early.

“Hey, Mako,” I said, swiping through my music to find a good song.

“How are you on this fine morning?” he asked as he put an earbud in.

“Tired and sore,” I responded with a laugh. “Bakugo did a number on me yesterday.”

Makoto hummed in agreement as he looked for a song on his phone. We both found music to listen to and put both earbuds in.

“Short or long route today?” Makoto asked.

“Let’s do the long route,” I said. “It’s earlier than usual so we have time. Besides, I don’t think we’ll be doing anything too strenuous after yesterday’s training.”

“You’re probably right,” Makoto responded. “Long route it is!”

The two of us jogged down the street and went on the long route we had set. It went through the park and ended at the beach. We didn’t live very far from the beach, so a run to it was relatively short but still long enough to exert us. When we reached the beach, we stopped to rest for a few minutes. The sun rose over the ocean and the light reflected off the waves. I sat down in the sand as Makoto handed me his water bottle for me to take a sip out of. I gratefully accepted it and took a few drinks before handing it back to him. He sat down next to me and we took in the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. It was so peaceful, but when the sun rose all the way, we knew we had to head back home. We jogged back home and separated to our own houses to get ready. Dad’s car wasn’t in the driveway, so I assumed that he was still out getting groceries. I opened the front door and the cats innocently looked up at me from where they were standing on the kitchen table. I narrowed my eyes at the knocked over cup on the table with water spilling onto the floor.

“I can’t leave you two alone, can I?” I sighed as I cleaned up the mess.

Once their mess had been cleaned up, I went and took my shower and got ready for school. Being impatient for my hair to dry all the way, I used my hairdryer so that I could finish getting ready. I heard Dad get home at some point and after I put my hair up into a half ponytail and made sure my bangs looked alright I went out to the kitchen to help him put groceries away.

“How was your run?” Dad asked as we put the groceries away.

“It was good,” I responded, putting the cereal away. “We went to the beach and sat for a few minutes to watch the sunrise.”

“That sounds nice,” he said.

We continued with a few sentences here and there, but the majority of the morning was silent. It wasn’t long until we were walking out the door to go to school. Makoto met us in the driveway and we got in the car and drove to school. Dad apparently had to drop us off a block away because he had heard from Hizashi that there were still a bunch of reporters in front of the school. They had been there for the past two days and they were only getting nosier the longer they were denied any interviews. The longer they were there, the more cautious we had to be with mine and Mako’s relations to Dad. None of us wanted the reporters to figure that out, so we agreed to be dropped off a block away with only minimal complaining. Makoto and I grabbed our bags and got out of the car. We started walking down the sidewalk to get to school.

“Why can’t the reporters just leave us alone?” I groaned as we turned the corner and saw all of the reporters.

“I apologize for my fame,” Makoto said sarcastically.

I laughed but he had a point. Since his grandmother had a fortune and was the head of Uneri Co., Makoto was also on the media’s radar. It wasn’t a secret that he stood to inherit the fortune of his grandmother and he had eyes on him. Reporters staring at him like birds of prey waiting for a moment of weakness. Being his best friend meant speculations about the two of us in public. On multiple occasions, the media has mistaken us for a couple. We’ve tried telling them that we’re not, but they still publish that story and we gave up on trying to tell them otherwise.

“Yeah,” I responded with just as much sarcasm. “It’s a real pain in the ass to be your best friend.”

Makoto snorted as we kept walking. The reporters saw us and they immediately started to swarm us.

“You know,” Makoto said. “We’re on school grounds right now.”

I looked up at him and saw the sly smile on his face. I let out a laugh as I nodded and gripped the strap on my bag a little tighter as reporters got closer.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he responded. “You can’t shadow travel with me, but I can carry you right over them.”

“I like the way you think, Mako,” I said with a smile.

Immediately, Makoto picked me up bridal style and used his quirk to step on the gravitational plates and have us be just above the reporters. We avoided all of their questions and, as soon as we were beyond the gates, Makoto stepped down from his plates and onto solid ground. He set me down on the ground and I adjusted my skirt to make sure nothing was showing. Once I made sure everything was fine, I looked up at Makoto with a smile and we walked into school together. We walked straight to the teacher’s lounge and, when we got inside, Hizashi and Dad were there to greet us.

“You survived the wolves,” Dad said with a smirk.

“Mako used his quirk to just carry us right over their heads,” I responded with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Because we were technically already on UA’s grounds even though it was the sidewalk. So it was perfectly legal for me to use it.”

“Look at you all grown up and smart, little man!!” Hizashi yelled as he slung an arm over Makoto’s shoulders.

“Thanks, Hizashi,” Makoto said with a soft smile.

The four of us continued talking before class started and eventually Nemuri, or Midnight, came and joined us. At some point, Dad had to go take care of the reporters and the reporters tried to enter the campus, setting off the security system. Dad came back to the teacher’s lounge with a satisfied smile on his face. He always enjoyed it when reporters got denied when they’re being annoyingly persistent. Makoto and I left the teacher’s lounge first to go to the classroom. Most everyone was in there already, talking to their new friends.

“Hey, it’s Keiko and Saeki!” Kirishima said, waving us over to them.

I glanced at Makoto and shrugged before walking over to him, Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari. I set my stuff down at my desk before standing up properly to talk to them.

“Hey, guys!” Makoto said with a wide grin.

I gave a little wave and a tiny smile. Kirishima and Ashido seemed very happy that I even acknowledged them, which took me by surprise. The six of us talked, well I listened while they all talked until it came time for us to all sit down. Dad stood at the front of the class and started talking when we had all got situated in our seats.

“Decent work on yesterday’s combat training, guys,” he said from the podium. “I saw the video feeds and went over each of your teams’ results.” He paused for a second. “Bakugo.” The blond in question looked up at Dad and Midoriya seemed surprised. “You’re talented, so don’t sulk like a child about your losses, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Bakugo grumbled.

“And, Midoriya,” Dad said, singling him out. “I see that the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again.” There was a pause as Midoriya sunk a little lower in his seat. “Work harder,” Dad told him firmly. “And don’t give me the excuse that you don’t have control over your quirk. That line’s already getting old. You can’t keep breaking your body while training here, but your quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it.” From where I was sitting, I saw Midoriya’s head lift up. “So show a little urgency, huh?”

“Right!” Midoriya said confidently.

“Let’s get down to business,” Dad said, addressing everyone. “Our first task will decide your future.” I could almost feel everyone’s nerves as they probably thought it was another quirk test. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about that too. “You all need to pick a class representative.” The relief everyone felt when we heard it was just a normal school thing was palpable.

Immediately everyone started yelling about how much they wanted to be the class rep. Of course, if you’re the rep that means more agencies are more likely to notice you and want you to join them so it was only natural that everyone was excited. I wasn’t though. There was far too much yelling for my taste. Everyone finally shut up when Iida started talking.

“Silence, everyone! Please!” He yelled. Everyone was quiet as they all looked back at Iida. “The class representative’s duty is to lead others.” Duh. “That’s not something just anyone can do.” He had a point. “You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom.” There goes my shot of being class rep, not that I really cared. “Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader.” Not a bad idea.

“It’s pretty obvious you want us to vote for you,” everyone said in unison.

That did seem like what he was trying to do, but I think that he honestly wanted the best for our class, so I didn’t dwell on that too much.

“Is this really the best idea,” Kaminari asked.

“We’ve only known each other a few days,” Asui started. “How do we know who we can trust?”

She had a point as well.

“Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves,” Kirishima stated.

That did seem like the likely scenario.

“You’re right,” I said from my seat. Everyone’s heads snapped toward me, shocked that I spoke up. Honestly, I was a little surprised too. “Most people will vote for themselves. That just means that whoever gets the most votes is truly fit to be class rep if people put their pride aside to vote for them.”

Iida nodded at my statement and started talking again, taking everyone’s attention off of me.

“It’s the best way, right?” Iida asked Dad, who zipped up his sleeping bag so that he could take a nap.

“Do what you want,” Dad told us. “Just decide before my nap’s over.”

He fell onto his side to fall asleep and I knew he’d be out for the rest of the class.

“Thank you for your trust!” Iida said.

About 20 minutes later everyone had cast their votes for class rep and the results were on the board. Unsurprisingly, I got zero votes. I had voted for Midoriya. He was smart and I thought he would be the best for the job. Makoto had one vote, but I doubted that it was from him. At the top of the board, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu had the highest number of votes. Midoriya had four and Yaoyorozu had two.

“How did I get four votes?!” Midoriya asked out loud.

“Okay, you idiots!” Bakugo exclaimed, standing up from his seat. “Who voted for him?!”

“What?” Sero asked. “Did you honestly think anyone was gonna vote for you?”

Bakugo did not like that response and started yelling at him. I groaned and put my head in my arms, looking to follow my dad’s lead and take a nap. Once Bakugo was calmed down, Dad woke up, which was my cue to sit up. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu stood at the front of the class. Midoriya was shaking in his boots while Yaoyorozu looked as calm as ever.

“Alright,” Dad started. “The class rep is Midoriya. Deputy is Yaoyorozu.”

“R-really?” Midoriya asked, still shaking. “It’s not a mistake?”

“How did this happen?” Yaoyorozu asked herself.

I put my head back in my arms as people started chattering about the results. I guess I dozed off because Makoto started shaking my shoulder lightly. I sat up and yawned, glaring at Makoto for disturbing me.

“It’s time for lunch,” he said, pointing his thumb toward the door.

Immediately, I stood up and was out the door after grabbing my wallet. Lunch Rush’s food was definitely something I didn’t mind waking up for. The cafeteria was crowded, which was irritating, but soon enough Makoto and I were able to get our food. Lunch Rush insisted that our food was free again, saying that he liked us more than the other students. This caused a few glares tossed in our direction from other students in line, but Makoto and I laughed it off. We got our food and sat down at a table, away from everyone.

“So,” Makoto started, digging into his food. “Spill. Who did you vote for?”

I swallowed the food that was in my mouth before responding.

“I voted for Midoriya,” I said. “I thought he’d do a good job, but after seeing how nervous he was, I’m not so sure.” Makoto hummed in agreement as he took another bite of his food. “Who did you vote for?”

“I voted for Yaoyorozu,” he said. “She’s smart and I think she’ll do a good job.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you,” I responded. “She really knows what she’s doing.”

The two of us stopped talking to enjoy our food more. It was only a few minutes before the intruder alarm went off.

“Warning: Level Three Security Breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion.”

Everyone started to jump out of their seats and run to the halls. Makoto and I both got up and exited with everyone. When we got into the hall, everyone was jostling and it made it impossible to go anywhere.

“Mako!” I shouted as I tried to grip onto his hand.

“Koko!” he shouted back.

Our fingers barely brushed each other before he was ripped away by everyone trying to get out of the building. I was shoved to the ground by the jostling crowd of students and I started to feel a panic attack coming. Flashes of my parents appeared in front of me as people continued to jostle around. My chest tightened and I couldn’t breathe, much less move. I covered my head as I tried to protect myself from everyone in the hallway. Tears started to prick my eyes and the sounds around me became muffled, the only sound I could hear clearly was my pounding heart. I didn’t hear actual words when someone started yelling at everybody and they all calmed down. I was stuck on the ground. My eyes blank and looking forward as tears slowly fell down my face. I was somewhat pulled out of my attack when someone pulled me to my feet and walked me over to the side of the hallway. They tried talking to me, but their voice sounded like it was underwater and I couldn’t focus on it. I still couldn’t breathe even though everyone had left the hallway beside the person in front of me and one other.

“Keiko!”

I finally snapped out of it and saw the person who had helped me. Bakugo was gripping my arms tightly to keep me upright. I stared back at him, my eyes wide and my face looking terrified. I looked over his shoulder and saw Makoto standing behind him, looking worried. I shook my head and stood up all the way, wiping the tears away.

“What was that all about?” Bakugo asked, not harshly just in his usual ‘Bakugo’ way.

“It was a panic attack,” I told him, still shaking a bit and starting to walk back to the cafeteria so that I could finish my food. I was really shaken up, but I also didn’t want to make a big deal out of what happened in case Bakugo decided to make fun of me. “I’m not the greatest with crowds and jostling.”

“You picked a lousy profession for that then,” Bakugo snorted.

I heard Makoto smack Bakugo’s arm in warning, but I started chuckling too. He had a point. What started out as a chuckle turned into an actual laugh.

“Are you okay?” Makoto asked, confused as to why I was laughing. “Did you hit your head or something?”

“I’m fine,” I told him. “Bakugo’s right.” I saw Bakugo smirk on my left as Makoto caught up to us and started walking on my right. “If I wanted to be like most heroes I did pick a pretty lousy profession.”

“What do you mean ‘like most heroes’?” Bakugo asked, genuinely confused.

“I don’t want to be in the public’s eye,” I told him. “It’s not something that appeals to me.”

Bakugo hummed in acknowledgment and we kept walking. I was glad he didn’t ask any further questions about my panic attack, but the fact that he was still walking with us was a surprise. We got our stuff from the cafeteria and finished our food. Bakugo stayed with us the whole time and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy his company. Surprisingly, he was rather quiet with us, the three of us just enjoying some peace and quiet after the big panic. Bakugo and Mako told me that it was Iida that calmed everyone down by telling them that the “dangerous intruder” was just the press.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Bakugo asked me.

I looked up at him, surprised he cared about my wellbeing. Seeing the suppressed worry on his face made me want to reassure him. I gave him a genuine smile.

“I’m really alright, or I will be anyway,” I told him. “Thanks for helping me and for caring.”

“Tch,” he scoffed. “I just don’t want my rival to have anything hindering her to do her best.”

“Rival?” I asked. He scoffed again as if to say ‘duh’ and I smiled again. “Sounds good to me.”

Lunch ended soon after that conversation and we all headed back to the classroom. Everyone was sitting down except for Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, who were standing at the front of the class. I had my chin resting on my folded arms as I tried to stay awake enough to understand what was being said. I hooked my foot around Mako’s as a form of comfort. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still shaken from my panic attack earlier and Mako knew so he kept my foot hooked around his under his chair.

“It’s time, class rep,” Yaoyorozu told Midoriya, who was still shaking in his boots. “Let’s begin!”

“Um, okay,” Midoriya started shakily. “So we need to figure out who the other class officers will be.” There was a pause as he looked down a bit and calmed himself. “But first, there’s something that I wanna say. I’ve thought a lot about this, and I think that Tenya Iida should be our class rep!” I lifted my head at this in surprise. Someone as set on becoming a hero as him throwing away this awesome opportunity? Weird. “He was able to capture everyone’s attention and get us in line. So I believe he should be the one leading our class from now on.”

There was silence in the classroom before Kirishima spoke up.

“Yeah, you know what?” he started. “If Midoriya vouches for him, I’m good. Plus he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?”

“Yup!” Kaminari agreed. “Oh, and did you notice he looked like the dude on the emergency exit signs when he was on the wall earlier?”

Dad interrupted everyone in his typical fashion.

“This is a waste of time,” he said, sitting up in his sleeping bag. “I don’t care who the rep is, just hurry up.”

He laid back down on his side to go to sleep as Iida stood up to talk. This might actually be a good change.

“If Midoriya is nominating me for this job,” he started. “Then I humbly accept! I pledge to carry out the duties of class rep to the best of my abilities!”

“Sounds good, emergency exit,” Kirishima said, giving him a thumbs up.

“Emergency exit IIda,” Kaminari mused. “Don’t let us down man!”

Poor Yaoyorozu sulked, probably muttering about how she got more votes than him. In all honesty, I thought that she would have made an awesome class rep too, but it seemed everyone was voting for Iida now. The end of the day came quickly and Mako and I didn’t hang around for too long before heading to the teacher’s lounge to meet up with Dad and go home.

“Keiko,” Dad called as soon as we walked into the lounge. He rushed up to me and looked me over to make sure I was alright. He inspected my face, holding it firmly so I couldn’t squirm away. “I heard about what happened, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Dad,” I said, trying to pull my face out of his hands. “Did Mako tell you?”

Dad let go and stood back, satisfied that I wasn’t injured. He shook his head before answering my question.

“No, actually,” he said. “Bakugo came up to me and said he thought he should tell me because I’m the teacher and it’s my job to deal with stuff like that.”

Mako and I looked at each other before turning back to Dad. Bakugo was really that concerned? I could not figure him out for the life of me. I had originally thought that he was just an overconfident asshole who didn’t care about others, but I guess that, deep down, he really does care.

“Oh,” was all I said in response. “I’m fine though. I was just shaken up a bit.”

Dad dropped the conversation and took Mako and I home, the three of us exhausted to varying degrees.

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

A/N: Hello again! Sticks here! Again, I did not mean to take as long of a break as I did, but alas: school. I'm hoping to write some more this week and next to get this story moving along and caught up to what I have planned so far. I'm hoping we'll be done with season one by the middle of February but we'll see what happens with school and such. It's my final semester at community college before transferring to uni so that will come first but I swear I'll update a bit more regularly. I hope that everyone reading this has a wonderful rest of your day, week, and year! See you all next chapter!

-Sticks

Word Count: 4286

[birdiethebibliophile]

{fic} That Old Sweet Feeling (part 28)

Fandom:  The Adventure Zone:  Commitment Rating:  M Chapter Warnings:  Mild panic attack Relationship:  Nadiya Jones/Mary Word Count:  1,438

Here on AO3. Read the rest: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27

Tagging @someone-called-f1nch, @voidfishkid, @mellowstarscape, and @jumpboy-rembrandt!

Part one of my three-part finale. Here we go.

And before we get into it, I’d like to say: Fuck Martine.

Chapter Summary:   Irene acts fidgety. Nadiya panics. Martine broadcasts again.

__________________

Jonesy slammed the trunk closed. “That’s the last of it. You good, Gracie?”

Grace nodded. “If everything goes well, we can stay in a hotel until we find another option,” she said, “or we can come back here and set everything up again. If not, well, we won’t need to worry about it. Everyone in.”

On that cheery note, Nadiya glanced at Mary, and they and Irene got into the backseat, with Pridmore and Abbey in the middle and Grace and Jonesy in the front. Mary Sage grabbed Nadiya’s hand and held it in her lap, staring out the window.

They always ended up in some sort of vehicle, it seemed.

Irene was strangely silent. Nadiya nudged her with a knee. “How’re you feeling?”

Irene jumped slightly, looking over, and Nadiya blinked. Looking at Irene was causing that same painful feeling from before, her hair slightly staticky, mild brown eyes too sharp. Looking at her felt like the second before an explosion that never came.

“I am fine,” Irene said. “All fine. Just… anxious.”

“Aren’t we all,” Nadiya said uncertainly.

The car ride was quiet, the seven of them too on edge for anything else. It wasn’t far; Jonesy, in a fit of unprecedented parallel parking technique, managed to wedge the minivan-sized car into a tiny space. “Everyone out,” Grace said. “Don’t forget the plan. We get one shot at this. We’re outside of the blocker area now, so if they’re looking for us, they’ll find us. Fast.”

The gala – the press conference – was at a fancy hotel a few blocks from where they parked. The walkways were lit up with fairy lights, and around them, people in thousand-dollar suits and designer dresses and reporters with nametags were heading in the main entrance.

“Can you feel the signals yet, Mary?” Grace asked in a low voice.

Mary Sage’s eyes unfocused for a moment. “Just about. Gotta get inside.”

Grace nodded, and Jonesy took her arm as they led the way inside, flashing their badges at the entry, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone who might immediately recognize them.

“You think they saw the broadcast?” Nadiya murmured as they did the same.

“Who, these bozos?” Mary Sage said. “Probably. But don’t worry. People’re unlikely to recognize shit if they aren’t looking for it – out of context, y’know. There’s no reason anyone would think to wonder if we’re the same people.”

Nadiya nodded nervously and followed Grace and Jonesy inside with Mary Sage.

The event was taking place in the main ballroom, according to all the signs. Nadiya was uncomfortably reminded of numerous department holiday parties in which she enjoyed the free food and avoided talking to anyone who wanted to talk about something other than their research. They walked past concierges and wedding groups and the occasional security officer (Nadiya made sure to take note of each of them). And then they were in the room.

Nadiya hadn’t been sure whether she’d recognize Martine, given her fairly limited interactions with her, but she shouldn’t have worried. Her eyes snapped to Martine immediately.

Martine wasn’t wearing the uniform of the Fellowship, of course – she was wearing a tidy, professional-looking black suit with a skirt and jacket, and her long brown hair was down and wavy. She was speaking with an older man Nadiya didn’t recognize – but then, she didn’t recognize most of the people here. She could feel her pulse already start to race, and her hand tightened slightly in Mary Sage’s, until Mary Sage hissed, and she let go with a muttered apology.

“Oh, God,” Mary Sage said.

“I know,” Nadiya said, eyes fixed on the woman who ruined her career. “I see her. I –”

“No, Nad,” Mary Sage whispered, cutting her off. “Remy.” And she pointed.

Nadiya looked, and thought for a second that she was still asleep, because there was no way this was real.

Remy was standing a little ways behind Martine, alongside a man with silver-slick hair Nadiya recognized as Sylvane, partly because he had dual knives strapped to his hips. He was wearing a uniform similar to the one the person they fought in Nevada had worn, and even from a distance, Nadiya could tell there was something wrong. Remy never stood that still – he was always moving in some way, fidgeting or tapping his fingers or shifting from foot to foot. He always had a smile on his face, and his eyes were warm. He had a face she could read, and she hadn’t appreciated until just now how much of a relief that was.

This Remy, as his head swiveled to survey the room and then locked back on Martine, had a blank, glazed expression on his face, and was standing stick-straight. Somehow, the rigid posture made him look shorter than usual.

His gaze raked over them, and Nadiya’s eyes locked directly with his. She froze, partly in discomfort and partly in fear, but his expression didn’t change in any way. He didn’t seem to recognize her at all.

She didn’t know if that was better or worse.

“Oh, God,” Mary Sage said again. “What did she do to him?”

“I don’t know,” Nadiya said numbly. “Has Grace seen? Irene? Any of the others? We can’t go through with the plan, not with him there –”

“They probably have,” Mary Sage said. “Or if they haven’t, they will soon. We gotta stick to the plan. Get him out, or – or whatever on the way. Nad? You okay?”

Nadiya’s thoughts were spinning in a vertigo-inducing whirl. Part of her was overjoyed that here was proof that Remy wasn’t dead, but whatever he was, it almost didn’t look alive. That wasn’t Remy. It wasn’t her friend.

(When had she started thinking of Remy as her friend?)

“Nad, I gotta go, I gotta start hackin’ into the cameras. You gonna be good?” Mary Sage asked urgently. “As soon as we get it up, I’ll be back an’ help with everything else. Promise.”

Nadiya gave her head a shake, trying to dispel the panicked spiral building. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Go.”

Mary Sage nodded, still looking worried, and headed off to where Nadiya could see Jonesy lingering in a doorway. Nadiya glanced around the room. It looked like everyone was where they were supposed to be. Pridmore and Abbey were stationed near the security at the door. Irene and Grace were detached, mingling with the crowd, staying inconspicuous. All they had to do was wait, now.

It didn’t take very long.

“Welcome, press and partiers. We’ll get back to the festivities in a few moments, but before that, the reason you all have been invited here. Dr. Simmons?” A smiling man motioned for Martine to come up to the podium as the room quieted down. A TV crew moved in, focusing on the front.

Nadiya had the slightly startling realization that she hadn’t known Martine’s last name up until this point, or that she had a doctorate, although that made sense, considering her background.

Everyone clapped as Martine stepped forwards, and she smiled with that smug edge that Nadiya recognized from the Fellowship. The look that made her cream Martine with a cinderblock fist her first minute with the stimplants.

God, she was going to fucking kill her.

“Thank you all so much for gathering here tonight,” Martine said, gazing around the room. Behind her, double screens projected the recording (LIVE from SAN FRANCISCO, the ticker tape declared). “I’m sure many of you recognize me from an unfortunate national incident not long ago.” She laughed, and the room laughed with her. Nadiya scowled at them.

“Now, as I’m sure you’ve heard, though the broadcast was a dramatized stunt, my goals are very real,” Martine continued. “With the help of an elite team of scientists, and assisted by the government, I have succeeded in developing new technology that will change the world as we know it. I call it stimplants, and it enhances natural abilities beyond human limitations. We have already begun implementing this technology at the highest levels of the government – though of course I can’t give you any details, top secret – and after that, it will be released to the public.”

Nadiya felt as though someone had run cold water over her head. This was beyond an army. This was a total takeover.

“Excuse me – Dr. Simmons?” a reporter called out from the crowd, voice incredulous. “Are you going to give us superpowers?”

Martine smiled, and Nadiya heard in that smile, I… don’t think so, sweetheart. We need to finish this.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “we are about to make you gods.”

[crystalracing]

20. Josef Newgarden

After finishing runner-up in British Formula Ford in 2009, Newgarden had his fingers burnt in the inaugural GP3 series in 2010 when average results and a lack of funding left his F1 dream in tatters. A return Stateside in 2011 saw him crowned Indy Lights champion and, over the next decade, become a two-time IndyCar champion.

He’s never denied the strong allure of a switch to Formula 1: “I’d [still] like to do it,” he told the New York Times just 10 days ago. But with a plum seat his at Team Penske, we can’t see him taking the leap anytime soon.

19. Jamie Whincup

He's Australian Supercars' Michael Schumacher with seven championship titles and the most race wins in that championship's history, so the thought of Whincup in Formula 1 gets the blood pumping.

Fast, consistent and dependable, Whincup has only finished outside the top-three in the championship once since 2007. Even at 37, retirement supposedly looming, he's winning races and has a contract through 2021. The mind boggles at what Whincup, who started in single-seaters, might have achieved in open-wheel racing.

18. Davide Valsecchi

Known today as the most effervescent of racing pundits, if you could imagine taking that enthusiasm and manifesting it behind the wheel, that’s how he drove: Valsecchi was a joy to behold. His junior racing career yielded just one win, but when he arrived in GP2 he flourished and was crowned both GP2 and GP2 Asia champion.

Promoted to Lotus F1 reserve, his big break should have come when Kimi Raikkonen missed the final two races of 2013. Yet the team opted to call up the perceived safe hands of Heikki Kovalainen, who finished a disappointing and distant 14th in both races – most frustratingly at Abu Dhabi where Valsecchi held the record as the most successful driver at the circuit in GP2, scoring three wins and two P2s. His dream crushed, he hung up his helmet in 2016.

17. Antonio Felix Da Costa

As a member of the Red Bull junior programme, Portugal’s da Costa should, by rights, have slotted into the mix to partner Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso in 2014. He had wowed his bosses and the establishment with a sensational 2012 season, juggling multiple disciplines, winning Macau, and narrowly missing out on the GP3 crown.

After a slightly more frustrating 2013 for da Costa, Red Bull brass decided to promote Daniil Kvyat to Toro Rosso to replace the promoted Daniel Ricciardo. DTM came calling for da Costa and then Formula E, where he currently leads the championship.

READ MORE: What now for Hamilton, Vettel and co? How delaying 2021 rules will impact the driver market

16. Gonzalo Rodriguez

“Gonchi” was a racer whose star shone bright and burned out far too quickly. One of an old-school guard, he rocked up to Formula 3000 in the late '90s and left an immediate impression on anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him and watching him race. Physically and mentally strong, friendly and charming, he became a sparring partner and great friend of Juan Pablo Montoya.

The Uruguayan followed his friend back across the Atlantic to race in ChampCar, but he was tragically killed in practice for the 1999 Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca. Having already secured a seat for the 2000 season with Patrick Racing, there’s no telling what he might have achieved either Stateside or, should fate have allowed, in Formula 1.

15. Simona de Silvestro

Simona could and possibly should have been on the grid as Formula 1’s first female racer in a generation. A regular winner in Formula Atlantic, she was regarded by many in the Indycar paddock as a genuine talent.

In 2014 she took a gamble and walked away from Indycar to pursue a year in the Sauber F1 stable as an affiliate driver in training for a 2015 seat. The team was impressed from her very first laps in their car, with internal talk that she was at least on a par with their then driver Adrian Sutil. But as her backing faltered and with Sauber already on precarious financial ground, her seat and shot at Formula 1 never materialised.

14. Paul Tracy

Although Tracy’s big F1 chance came in the mid-'90s, thus outside our 20-year remit, he could also have made a switch in the 2000s. Testing for Benetton at Estoril in 1994, he lapped faster than both Jos Verstappen and JJ Lehto's qualifying times for that year's Grand Prix.

He was offered a seat, but after seeing how Formula 1 had chewed up the undeniable Indycar driver of the day, Michael Andretti, Tracy decided to keep his focus Stateside. His peak was yet to come and, given his ChampCar title came in 2003, an early 2000s Formula 1 career could have been on the cards. While some might argue that ChampCars suited Tracy’s style better than the F1 machinery of the day, Montoya's transition suggested that PT could have made the jump and shaken up the establishment in much the same way.

13. Colin McRae

Could it have happened? There was certainly talk, and there were definitely some chances. But were they all just sponsor bluster? McRae’s first Formula 1 laps came when he and Martin Brundle did a car swap at Silverstone in 1996. Although purely for promotional reasons, Colin didn’t exactly hang around in the Jordan 195 and lapped within a few seconds of the regular racer, setting a pace which would have been good enough to see him line up on the grid for that year’s Grand Prix.

While McRae returned to rallying and winning world championships, the prospect reared its head once again at the start of the 2000s. With the Scot now a Ford driver, there was talk he might switch to Jaguar's new F1 team. Though McRae called it PR chat, you can’t help but wonder how a switch to F1 would have played out.

READ MORE: Flavio Briatore on crashgate, Schumacher vs Alonso, and winning the title for ‘a t-shirt maker’

12. Robert Wickens

Robert Wickens always seemed to be just that half-step away from getting a full grip on his dream, and he had the talent to ascend to and compete in Formula 1. As part of the Red Bull programme he’d monstered Formula BMW USA and Formula ChampCar Atlantic before running A1GP, F3 and eventually F2 and GP3.

He came second in both the F2 and GP3 championships before taking a reserve driver role at the Virgin F1 Team and moving to World Series where he won the title, beating Jean-Eric Vergne in the process. Dropped by Red Bull, he moved to DTM where he bided his time with Mercedes.

With no F1 opportunities, he found immediate success and became a fan favourite in IndyCar with a pole on his debut and the podiums flowing. Then, he survived a sickening accident at Pocono, which left him paraplegic and one of the greatly missed aces of F1.

11. Gary Paffett

Few drivers have had as many near-misses with an F1 seat as Gary Paffett, but the stand-out DTM driver for over a decade never got the deserved opportunity. An F3 champion in the early 2000s, Paffett made DTM his home and was crowned champion in 2005 before being called up as McLaren's test driver.

In 2006, Juan Pablo Montoya left the team to race in NASCAR and Paffett believed the seat was his, but McLaren went instead for Pedro de la Rosa who had deputised for Montoya at the '05 Bahrain Grand Prix.

For 2007, McLaren had already lined up Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, and Paffett’s chance had gone. He stuck with DTM, becoming one of Mercedes’ most valued assets with another title in 2018.

READ PART 1: Will Buxton's top 20 drivers never to race in F1, #20 to #11

10. Jason Watt

Danish racer Jason Watt had the world at his feet: Danish karting champion, Formula Opel Lotus champion, Formula Ford champion, he was running in DTM against the likes of Dario Franchitti, Giancarlo Fisichella and Alex Wurz when a call came to race Formula 3000.

He leapt at it, finishing third in his debut 1997 season. In 1999, he took the title fight to the finale but Nick Heidfeld ultimately prevailed.

And then F1 came knocking, via the prospect of a shoot-out for Williams against the likes of Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, whom Watt had dispatched with ease in 3000, and an F3 rookie called Jenson Button.

Watt never joined them as a motorcycle accident in 1999 left him paralysed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair. And that was Formula 1 done. He continued to race but Watt's F1 dream had been taken in a cruel twist of fate.

LISTEN: Jenson Button on his 2009 title, his toughest team mate and more, in Beyond The Grid

9. Adam Carroll

Impressive in everything he ever drove and gifted with the most natural flair and touch, Adam Carroll could get into anything and win.

A junior champion, he became one of the stand-outs of the early years of GP2, renowned for a racing hunger and heart that never wavered. He was the ultimate giant killer, yet he always struggled for budget and top-line drives.

Formula 1 was watching, however, and he was signed up by BAR-Honda as a test driver. He led a championship-winning assault on A1GP for team Ireland, which put him back in the spotlight for an F1 seat.

Campos (HRT) and Virgin came knocking, but Carroll was still lacking budget. Lola rated him so highly they would have given him a seat for nothing, but their 2010 entry was rejected. The frustrating thing is that he knew he had to make the most of every shot he was granted and that would have made Carroll one of the most tenacious F1 drivers of his generation.

8. Greg Moore

So revered in the racing world is the electrifying Greg Moore that even 20 years after his death, racers still put on red gloves to pay homage to the Canadian.

Moore seemed to toy with the monstrous beasts of Champ Car in a way that almost nobody else could. But as his star ascended in the States, could he have switched to F1?

It seemed very likely in the early 2000s when greats such as Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya and Sebastien Bourdais all crossed over, and Moore could easily have followed.

Sir Jackie Stewart was interested, and it is rumoured that those red gloves would have found no happier a home than Maranello, where Greg was held in incredibly high regard. Sadly, we'll never know, as he was killed in a crash at the California Speedway in 1999.

7. Valentino Rossi

If ever there was a case of what might have been, it was the hugely publicised relationship between Ferrari and nine-time motorcycle racing champion Valentino Rossi.

His first running with the Scuderia came at a three-day test at Valencia in 2006 and by the end of it he was lapping within half a second of Michael Schumacher, a feat that left the German "incredulous", according to Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola.

READ MORE: What now for Hamilton, Vettel and co? How delaying 2021 rules will impact the driver market

We now know that Ferrari had made an offer to the Italian, which insisted he start as a test driver, move to a satellite team and only race for Ferrari should all those steps go well – but Rossi rejected it.

The shocked but impressed Schumacher was thus left somewhat saddened when Rossi decided to stay on two wheels.

As Rossi continued to test for the team through to 2010 and Ferrari looked at running a third car for him, the prospect lingered tantalisingly out of reach.

The desire clearly burned strong on both sides and, as Rossi’s recent swap with Lewis Hamilton reinforced, it’s a dream The Doctor never quite let go.

6. Jamie Green

It’s late 2004 and the GP2 Series is set to replace Formula 3000 as the feeder championship for Formula 1.

Based on the last few years of racing at this level, the plum seats are going to be at Arden – filled by Heikki Kovalainen and Nicholas Lapierre – and BCN Competicion.

Nico Rosberg is about to sign with BCN when a call comes through from Nicolas Todt and Fred Vasseur at the all new ART Grand Prix squad. The driver they’d hoped would sign with them, their reigning F3 EuroSeries champion, has decided to go to DTM. Would Nico be interested in the seat? The rest, as they say, is history.

ART was set to become the dominant force of GP2, launching not only Rosberg but Lewis Hamilton, Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg to F1 as champions in its first five years.

QUIZ: Who's missing from these classic F1 scenes?

But their first champion? That should by all accounts have been Jamie Green. A force in junior racing, phenomenal in Formula 3 and a racer who, at the time, was considered a better prospect than both Hamilton and Robert Kubica, Green has and continues to have a solid career in DTM.

But he could, and arguably should, have been battling Hamilton for Formula 1 glory for the past 15 years.

5. Scott Dixon

One of the most versatile and consistently competitive drivers of his generation, Scott Dixon is a great lost talent of modern F1.

As a five-time Indycar champion, it isn’t just his raw pace that has marked him out as the target man of the championship, it’s the fact he’s a threat no matter what he’s up against.

He’ll drive just about anything, too: A multiple champion at Daytona, he’ll just as happily tackle Le Mans as the Indy 500. And he’s respected by everyone who ever sat in a race car.

Dixon did have a trial in F1, however. After his early 2000s successes Stateside, he tested for Williams in 2004 on two separate occasions. But he failed to impress sufficiently without the time to fully embed himself in the team and on the narrow window of the grooved tyres of the day.

4. Sebastien Loeb

The greatest rally driver of all time very nearly made the jump to F1.

It all started with a promotional seat swap in 2007 where he got to try Kovalainen's Renault R27 at Circuit Paul Ricard. The very next year, Red Bull became the sponsor of his Citroen factory team in WRC and as a reward for winning the championship he tested Red Bull’s 2008 RB4 at both Silverstone and the post-season test at Barcelona where he was eighth-quickest.

READ MORE: Rivals on track, friends off it – 7 of F1’s greatest ever ‘bromances’

In 2009, he tested GP2 machinery to keep himself sharp. As Toro Rosso’s relationship with Bourdais was faltering, a plan was hatched to run Loeb at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, before a full F1 debut in 2010.

The reluctance to issue one of the most supremely gifted drivers on the planet a Superlicence scuppered all the plans for what would have been one of the most incredible crossovers of the modern era.

3. Jeff Gordon

The man responsible for making an entire generation of Americans fall in love with NASCAR, the 'Rainbow Warrior' never actually wanted to race stock cars.

He began his career in karts and quarter midgets, moving to sprint cars and winning the USAC Silver Crown at the age of 20. He dreamed of racing Indycar but couldn’t find the backing. Then came a call from someone who had seen him race. They wanted him to come to Europe and test F3. That someone was Sir Jackie Stewart.

With Gordon on the path towards stock car racing in the Busch Series – where he was crowned 1991's Rookie of the Year – the test never happened.

He very nearly made the switch at the end of the 1990s when BAR Honda tabled an offer to Gordon which would have seen him leave NASCAR and come to F1, but only after he’d run two seasons in ChampCar for Team Green. But Gordon wasn't swayed and, by 2003 he was a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

That year, mutual sponsors gave him the chance to swap a seat with Montoya for 15 laps of the Indianapolis road course and Gordon wound up half a second off the Colombian.

Those 15 laps were all that he got. A touted 2005 move to Williams never took place and F1 missed out on the most gifted American racer of his generation.

2. Dario Franchitti

Dario could have been an F1 driver, not just because he was a great talent of his or any generation, but because there were three chances.

Call it luck, judgement or simply fate, the cards never fell quite right. The Scot had his first taste of F1 courtesy of the McLaren Autosport Young Driver award.

He impressed McLaren so much that they offered him a test role alongside his Champ Car commitments Stateside, but with David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen at the team he sensed a chance was never there and turned Ron Dennis down.

His next opportunity came at the end of the '90s when he was approached to quit Champ Car's Team Green and move with BAR-Honda to F1. He didn't take the gamble.

Incredibly, Franchitti’s move to F1 would have freed up his Champ Car seat for Jeff Gordon as BAR and Team Green were linked back then by BAT sponsorship – so BAR-Honda may have had Franchitti and Gordon in F1 by 2002!

A final chance came in 2000 with a surprise test for Jaguar at Silverstone, but following the death of his best friend Greg Moore and serious injuries for Franchitti from a huge crash in testing at Homestead, he wasn't prepared.

Over the next 15 years, he would win three Indy 500s and four IndyCar titles to go down as one of the greatest racers to cross the Atlantic. We can’t help but wonder what he might have achieved in Formula 1.

1. Tom Kristensen

Mr Le Mans is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers ever with a combination of humility, grace, uncompromising work ethic and a calm, assured style behind a wheel.

He's racked up plaudits, awards and success in the sport that is rivalled by few others.

He was German and Japanese F3 champion, won races in Formula 3000, Formula Nippon, the DTM and BTCC, and when the chance came with a last-minute call-up to race at Le Mans in 1997, he put in one of the most astonishing debut performances ever witnessed to help Joest take victory.

While his junior racing contemporaries Alex Zanardi and Mika Hakkinen went on to success in open-wheel racing, Kristensen made Le Mans his domain.

His real run of successes at La Sarthe began in the 2000s where he won six in a row, amassing nine total Le Mans victories, six Sebring 12 Hours and a World Endurance Championship.

There was always interest in Formula 1, both from him and from the sport. He tested for Minardi, Tyrrell and most notably Williams, where his work for Michelin was considered vital to the manufacturer’s understanding of the category.

He very nearly signed for Prost but the budget wasn't there and, arguably, F1's loss was the rest of motorsport's gain as Kristensen could have become a footnote racing for teams beneath his ability.

It's simply too sad a notion to think that we never witnessed him race in this category, such is Kristensen's skillset. Would he trade one Le Mans win for a year at the sharp end in Formula 1? Unlikely. But that would have been something to see.

[llantrisantscc]

Classic GT Round 4 - 21st June 2017

Round 4 of Classic GT was one of those rare occasions that you could guarantee there wasn’t going to be two Jones’ on the podium. Steve was off at Glastonbury doing his stage dancer thing.

In free practice, we all struggled to find a car that worked tonight. The upshot was, quite surprisingly, not so many showings for Lolas, and even a P68 popping up on the start grid. Quali wasn’t massively close, thought there was plenty of good natured banter as we tried to work out what pattern people were driving – a fast out lap, a fast middle lap, or a progressively faster lap. They all ended up getting named after the first driver to perform that sequence.

Racing was the three slower qualifiers, followed by the quicker four qualifiers, using Leon’s traditional grouping of a three, three, one formation. He wasn’t even there and we are still picking on him, poor lad!

H1 got underway with Mike slipping away in Red and Seb (Green) and Martyn (Blue) having a great battle for the first half of the race. Corner by corner lead changes were the norm  – a crash dropped Seb back a touch though a gallant chase ensued, with the heat finishing in that order. In the hot and humid conditions in the hall, it was reminiscent of the old Sid Wadell misquote, “We’re all a bath of sweat up here on the rostrum”. Great fun – that’s why we turn up week in week out to race at clubs. H3 saw Seb suffer a few car issues in Red – these were resolved with some serious fettling in the break, but it broke Seb’s rhythm after such a good first heat. Mike in Yellow and Martyn in Green played cat and mouse throughout this heat. Mike getting the drop off the line, only for Martyn to pass on Lap 5. Mike pulled himself back, lap by lap, easing ahead on lap 16 and very slowly edging away until Martyn binned it on lap 21 allowing Mike a little clean air to take the heat win.

KETTLE ON – LET’S HAVE A CUPPA.

We then discussed the pros and cons of warm drinks versus cold drinks when you are roasting! I have no idea what was in the tea, but H5 saw a reinvigorated Martyn clear off in Red for a flag to flag win. Seb followed him away in Yellow, with Mike chasing down in Blue. An off from Seb allowed Mike to get through. Going to the flag with a very consistent drive in Blue allowed Mike to have the advantage over Seb. Last time out for these guys saw no overtakes! Martyn led from the start to take the win in Yellow, Mike had a decent run in Green, though deciding to call it a day at lap 29 was almost a major upset – shouting by Craig and the other marshalls got him turned on to the idea of doing a final lap, whilst Seb’s woes continued with a few problems in Blue – I think he has decided togo for a lightweight interior before the next Round of classic GTs.

The other guys started out in H2 with Russ taking the lead in Yellow with Michael just inches behind in Green – the lead swapped on many corners for the opening laps, with Russ just having the edge. On Lap 13, Michael had an off which allowed Craig to pounce in Blue and move into second – these guys then swapped places for the next 5 laps until Michael was able to open up a gap to cement his second place. Meanwhile Russ had cleared off for a well driven win, all the while Alan acquitting himself very well with some fast laps in Red, though just a smidgen off the pace of the other three.

Emboldened by this run, Alan’s confidence grew and he had a great H4. Starting second in Yellow, he was outpaced by Craig off the line, only for Craig to have a major incident on Lap 5 which saw him tumble from hero to zero – Michael jumped at this opportunity and went from 3rd to leader on this lap, going very well in Red. Meanwhile, Russ was giving it his all in Blue and keeping within contention. A 9 lap battle ensued for the lead, with  Alan and Michael having an exciting dice. Eventually, Michael slipped off and dropped to third, Craig jumped to second with his usual consistent lapping, then only a few laps later Michael found himself at the rear, with Russ slipping up to third. Russ’ very good times in Blue finally paying dividends. Michael got his focus back and chased Russ relentlessly to regain third which he held comfortably to the end. Meanwhile, Alan showed a wise old race head by keeping totally calm whilst Craig harried him from about a car length behind. A great race was had by both and they held close formation all the way to the end – a well deserved heat win, as we all know Craig is no slouch and was driving so consistently that it just went to show how well Alan drove to secure the win.

Calm down lads, let’s have a cuppa. After the break, Craig was peerless in Red and just flew from start to finish to take the win. Russ and Michael had a good tussle in the early laps in Green and Yellow, but Russ managed to open up a gap which he also held to the end. Alan all the while running fairly consistently at the back in blue. The last heat of the night was another humdinger, as Richie would call it. Craig set off in the lead in Yellow, with Russ close behind in Red. Alan was third in Green with Michael bringing up the rear in Blue. An off saw Craig drop to third, with Russ and Alan going up a spot. A few laps later, Alan slipped down to fourth, promoting Craig to second and Michael to third. A few laps later, Russ succumbed to Craig’s outright speed – Craig gently edging away to take the win with Russ close behind.  Michael was a good way ahead of Alan with his third looking good. Then an uncharacteristic off on lap 28 allowed Alan past – setting up a very tight dash for the line. The lead changed at just about every corner, with Michael coming home a tenth ahead – what a finish from this group – great stuff.

Next week will be a lot more boisterous – Steve will be back and it’s a Leon week. Bring your ear plugs for a great night of LMP racing.

[spicynbachili1]

Hitman 2 walkthrough: Miami – how to assassinate Robert Knox and Sierra Knox, where to find disguises, VIP tickets and points of interest

Miami is home to a race course where revellers flock to see high-octane racing. It also is the setting for the second mission in Hitman 2 and your first step into the more complex sandboxes in IO Interactive’s assassination sim. Miami is a vast level that is essentially split into two sections: The loud and crowded racetrack and the quiet and empty marina. You’re on the clock as well this time around, as this level introduces some time limits on certain assassination methods, so you’ll get to see how a level develops over time and how it’s possible to miss certain opportunities. It’s not a big deal if you do – it just gives you fresh ideas for the next run! This guide will go over the assassination targets in Miami, as well as some other points of interest you may want a heads up on.

Hitman 2 Miami walkthrough

If you are just starting out, you might want to familiarise yourself with some tips on starting load-outs how to be an effective assassin in our Hitman 2 guide hub. If you want to go in a little more prepared for specifically the Miami mission though, read on.

In this mission, your objective is to eliminate father and daughter pair, Sierra and Robert Knox. The former is participating in the ongoing endurance race event, while the other mostly spends his time toiling away over in his company’s nearby offices, the Kronstadt building. When you start the level for the first time, you can freely watch the race as a spectator by passing a quick frisk or head away from the track to explore the peaceful marina.

For the most part, the targets will be separated into these two areas, with Sierra sticking to the race track and backstage sections, while Robert lurks in the Kronstadt building with the odd venture towards the marina. It is possible to orchestrate a situation where the two are together if you want to try for the elusive double kill, either during the race or when the prizes are being awarded.

However, the most straightforward method is to consider them as two separate missions and focus on eliminating one first before moving onto the other. Use the mission stories to give you hints for unique assassination or read on for some advice from us.

Miami targets: Robert Knox, Sierra Knox

Robert Knox is usually holed up in the Kronstadt building, though there are a few things you can do to draw him from his hideout. One of the most sadistic is to pose as General Ted Mendez and sabotage the demo of his latest technical breakthrough: android soldiers. You can exploit the confidence he has in the tech’s targeting system to have him killed by his own creation, but maybe bring a picture of the man himself when you go to test it.

On a similar theme, an experimental race car is on display in the expo hall of the Kronstadt building. No one else is allowed to repair it if something goes wrong, so why not pull a few wires here or there and rig it to explode when he tries to fix it again?

Sierra Knox has a fairly strict routine that provides a variety of opportunities for you to step in a finish the job. You can kill her during the race, mainly by tinkering with her car during a pit stop, or if you’re feeling ambitious a sniper rifle bullet from the rafters. Good luck with the latter.

Once the race is done you can crash a clandestine meeting she’s having with a blackmailer by posing as him and kicking her down an elevator shaft. There are also chances to end her life by posing as a medic, her biggest rival Moses Lee or by sending her up in flames as she lifts the winning trophy.

Miami points of interest

Parking Garage – This area is heavily signposted and has a couple of interesting things to look out for when you make your way to it, such as the starting point for the Pretty in Pink mission story. Beware, the area is covered in cameras, but, fortunately, the CCTV hub is right in the centre of the garage and the guard has fallen asleep in front of it. You’ll need the Kronstadt building keycard to gain access.

VIP area – After you enter the main ticketed area for the race, you’ll see signs for the VIP area all along the right-hand side. You’ll need a ticket or a suitable disguise to get in, which you can find all about if you scroll down a little further.

Driver’s lounge – Through the VIP area you can also gain access to the Driver’s lounge, which is where, unsurprisingly, Sierra Knox and other drivers will hang out after the race. If you want you can simply get involved in the party atmosphere. You can also partake in or sabotage the ridiculous chilli shot challenge.

Pit room – Far off to the right side of the map is the pit room. There’s not a lot incredibly exciting to find here, but it does play a big part in a number of Sierra Knox’s potential assassination methods if you want to make this race her last.

Winner’s podium – On the other hand, you can let Sierra Knox win the race and end her life in her moment of glory. The winner’s podium is directly behind the Kronstadt building, where you’ll find the pressure system for the pyrotechnics as well as the winning trophy if you want to mess with either of those.

Kronstadt building – Away from the chaos of the race is the imposing Kronstadt building. Some sections are open to the public, including the expo hall, where you can mess with the company’s experimental new racing car. There’s also an aquarium, though you’re not supposed to enter it. On the executive floor is where all the interesting tech hides, some of which you can have a play with for some murderous results.

Miami disguises

Mascot – If you haven’t unlocked the starting position that grants you the mascot disguise, the best place to find one is in the back of the parking garage where you can also trigger the Pretty in Pink mission story. Do the first few steps on this to get the distressed man wearing it on the move and you can take him out quietly in the corner of the car park.

Pit crew – The easiest place to get a pit crew disguise is by wandering into the north stands of the race track. There you’ll come across a frustrated pit crew member who is threatening to quit the Kronstadt team. While he’s shouting down the phone, he’ll carelessly wander towards all the toilet cubicles where you’ll be able to subdue him, hide him in the nearby bin and sport your slick new duds.

Security guard – By those very same toilets at the back of the racetrack, a lone security guard is listlessly watching an unimportant gate. Lure him in the corner by throwing an ever-enticing coin and you can plonk him in the same bin as the pit crew member after stealing his uniform.

Waiter – It’s best if you have legitimate access to the VIP area before attempting to get this one. Around the back of the big red Kronstadt paddock is a waiter having a cigarette break. An obvious target to add to 47’s wardrobe.

Technician – In the expo hall of the Kronstadt building, you can carefully slip back behind the walls to the right of the experimental sports car to find a couple of technicians loitering about. There’s a convenient box to hide one of their bodies in too.

Ted Mendez – In the heat of Miami, a bloke in full military gear is pretty easy to spot. Ted Mendez can be found by the massive dolphin statues directly outside the main entrance to the Kronstadt building. He’ll wander off towards the sea every so often if you’re looking for a good place to take him out quietly.

Miami items

Rat poison – We’ve found some hiding away in the shack opposite the docks in the marina. You’ll need a lockpick or crowbar to get through the door to access it, though.

VIP tickets – An awful scalper is attempting to sell VIP tickets in the last corridor to the stands by the portaloos and the medical tent. You can punish him for his scummy practices by tossing a coin to lure him around the corner, knock him out and steal the VIP tickets for yourself.

Sugar – An odd item, but necessary for one of the ways you can explosively end Sierra Knox’s life. You’ll find some hidden behind the bar in the driver’s lounge.

Octane Booster – This experimental fuel supplement can bring a fiery end to Robert Knox. You’ll need to sneak into the garage behind the race car in the Kronstadt building expo hall, where there’ll be some sitting on the shelf in the top corner.

Krondstadt building key card – Again, behind the walls of the expo hall by the racing car in the Kronstadt building, a key card is sitting on the table directly on the right as you enter the back area. A technician is usually standing by it so use caution.

Hitman 2 Miami tips

Miami is a big place so don’t expect to see everything on your first run. Take your time to explore and discover things for yourself – you’re bound to find something interesting.

To enter the racetrack you’ll need to be frisked, so you can’t have any obvious weapons in your inventory when you try to enter. Agency drop-offs can put a sniper rifle or other weaponry in the level for you, but you need to unlock them first.

If you want to access the off-limit areas of the racetrack, get yourself a security guard or pit crew disguise. Some people inside will recognise you, but it’s a quick way in. Or you can steal the VIP tickets from the scalper.

You can influence the outcome of the race from the Race Marshall’s hut next to the winner’s podium. From here you can wave flags to disqualify Sierra Knox or her main rival Moses Lee.

You can find the ‘Florida Man’ on the jetty in the marina for one of the level’s more…interesting…assassination methods.

Once you’ve taken both of them out and escaped, it’s onto the next mission. You can always jump back to our Hawke’s Bay location guide if you want to take the tutorial mission once more, otherwise it’s onto our Santa Fortuna location guide. Or you can jump back to our Hitman 2 guide hub and choose your next destination from there.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/hitman-2-walkthrough-miami-how-to-assassinate-robert-knox-and-sierra-knox-where-to-find-disguises-vip-tickets-and-points-of-interest/

[elevenhoursinfront-blog]

26th March 2017

The alarm went off at 0700. I was straight up to get ready. I woke Steve up but he could stay in bed for an extra hour if he wanted to do so. I hate that men take so little time to get ready, I wish I could be up and ready like them. I showered, washed my hair and shaved my legs. I meant business today! I had to get ready in the communal bathroom as everyone was still asleep in our room. The bathroom is stupid hot so I wasn’t looking forward to getting ready. I was hot from my shower already. I dried my hair and straightened it. By this time, I was bright red like a tomato and sweating from head to toe. I had to sit down in my room to cool down. I cant put makeup on with a SULA! (Sweaty Upper Lip Alert, in case you didn't know). 

Hair did, makeup done and dressed by 0845... I said to be down for breakfast by 0900 - I'm early. We went down and made some toast. I took advantage of the 'free breakfast' to make our lunch, too. I made ham sandwiches for the afternoon prior to the race as Steve was bound to be half dying from starvation and we had chicken, rice and peppers for after the race. Must. Remember. Forks. Thanks to the backpacker that left their fresh ham in the free food basket! Every hostel has a basket of food that people can leave if they don’t want it and/or moving on. You have to check this often and quickly as the good stuff goes fast. Mel found the ham and took it for us. It was a fresh expensive pack and she's vegetarian. She's a good’n. 

We finished our breakfast and sorted out our bag. Water, towel, food, jumper, lunch and dinner, GoPro, phones and tickets! We left and headed to the tram stop outside Flinders Street Train Station (lovely building, I will get a picture soon). There were loads of people going in the same direction. I love it when there's a massive event going on, the likelihood of me getting lost is minimal because I just have to follow everyone else. We squeezed onto the tram and headed towards St Kilda Road - Gate 8. The majority of the people on the tram got off at the Grand Prix gate 8 so they must've had the same idea as us. We stood in the queue for about 20 minutes. We were early so that would be why. The queue was ridiculously massive already - two streets long. We had to go over a bridge before getting into the gate. As soon as it hit 1030, the line was moving. It wasn't a slow moving line either so we were at the ticket barrier before 1045. Our tickets were scanned, our bags were searched and we were in! 

The skies were grey but Steve said it's meant to clear by midday. I was counting on that. We walked around for a while, looking at the stalls. We went over to a Merchandise stall and looked around. We bought a cap and programme. I was getting excited. It looked just like your average UK festival with Heineken tents, burger stalls, Police and Ambulance everywhere.

After our walk, we went to find our seat. I say seat like I could afford the $5,000 seat by the start/finish line... I meant the cheap one on the grass. We picked turns 9/10/11 area and it was on a hill so we could have a good view of the track sitting down. It was right by the front, too. We put our towel down and chilled out for a bit. They had pre-race entertainment. Other races were on-going, not that I knew what was going on. We had a good view of the TV, too so it was a perfect spot.

By midday, as Steve said, the sun was burning. I forgot sun cream. Honestly, I'd forget my head if it weren't screwed on... I forgot forks, too. Even though I remembered in the morning. GREAT. None of the stalls had plastic cutlery either, it was all finger food. God sake. 

Steve wanted to go for a wonder so I said I'd stay and sunbathe. It was annoying that there was only two of us, we couldn't go off together. I laid down on the towel and before I knew it, my phone was ringing. Steve said that he had just met Mark Webber and wished he had our programme there with him so he could sign it. Plank! 

Steve was on the opposite side of the track to me and we were waving to each other. I took everything out of my handbag that was important (Mac Lipstick, GoPro and Phone), put it in the backpack and went for a walk. 

If our towel and bag goes, then so be it. But I couldn't sit there for another 6 hours! We would find another spot if it gets taken.

I walked over the bridge to Steve and we went for a wonder. They had a lake in the middle of the race track in Albert Park. There was a bridge for people to walk over, thankfully. It was the weirdest bridge I had ever been on though. It was inflatables stuck together on top of the water. It felt like walking on a plastic water bed. I can't explain it. If you jumped, the water would ripple. The water was rippling anyway as there were so many people walking across at any one time. It gave a great view though, of the CBD. 

We wondered about the main part - the big screen TV, the Melbourne Walk (where the celebs walk past), the show cars etc. We stood at the Melbourne Walk for a while to see whether anyone came past, like Mark Webber again. Steve was the only person who knew who he was. The rest of the crowd was like "That's whats his name?". Steve had to tell them all.

Nobody past us for a good half an hour of waiting so we walked about again. We looked at the Jaguars as Steve wants one (a lad can dream). We took a few photos and headed back to the towel to see whether it had been taken. A few hours had past so I was sure it would've been. It wasn't... My bag and towel both in the exact same spot as I left it. I doubted Australian's. If that were England - gone within seconds! We sat down and had our sandwiches with a beer that Steve treated me too. It was roughly 1 hour until the race started. The planes were all out doing fancy patterns in the sky. It was great to watch, their formation was so good. After that, the fighter jet came out! It was so loud, it made my belly rumble. The ground was shaking and it was miles away from us in the sky. I got good videos of it but no video will ever show how amazing it was in real life. I was shaking from it!

We were out of water so I sent Steve to fill our bottles up. Australia has hydration stations almost everywhere which is brilliant considering one bottle is like $5. He returned, with no water and two Magnums... He is completely hopeless. They were thoroughly enjoyable in the heat though. We just sat on the grass watching the planes and listening to the commentary on the tannoy.

I then left to find water as Steve would probably return with two more beers if I had sent him. I found the hydration station after about 15 minutes of looking as lost as anything. I also found the Ambulance station where they were giving away free sun cream! Hallelujah. I mean, it was probably 4 hours too late at this point but anything is better than nothing. It was also 50+ so it should help for the next 4 hours of sun. I smothered myself in it and poured a heaped amount in my palm. I tried to carry two bottles of water and a dollop of cream in the heat over a hill. Then I had the difficulty of finding Steve amongst 1,000 other people. I found him eventually, and he smothered himself in cream. I put a load on the back of his neck and made him wear at hat backwards as it was bright red. I'm so thoughtful! 

The Australian National Anthem played and everyone stood up. We felt obliged to stand up too so we did. It was then announced that Dan Riccardo couldn't begin the race due to a faulty car from the practise lap... Aussie's were not happy. Before we knew it, the race had started. Two laps in and Daniel managed to start. He wouldn't get anywhere two laps behind but he couldn't not go in his own country. The little boy I was sitting next to was extremely happy he got to see him race. 

Hamilton was second to Vettel, who I placed a bet on to win. I wanted Hamilton to win obviously but his odds were like $1 as I mentioned. Steve's bet was out before the race had even started... 

At lap 47/57, we left our spot. We headed over to the main screen where the Melbourne Walk was. If we were going to get an autograph, it would be there. We watched the end of the race from behind the track - we could see the seats of the rich watching track side. We were behind the podiums which was better than nothing. Vettel won the race and I won the bet. We watched everyone running onto the track celebrating. Red everywhere! After about 40 minutes of the race finishing, they pulled the celebration poppers releasing all the confetti. I managed to catch one yellow strip and Steve caught a green one from the air. I put them both in the back of my phone case so I can always say that I caught them at the Grand Prix celebration.

We were one of the first at the Melbourne Walk but it started to fill up quickly. I'm pleased we got there when we did. We were right at the front. We were alongside some die-hard F1 fans which was half annoying, half good. They knew most of the staff and security by their first names and managed to get people over. They're obviously there every year without fail.

We waited about 2 hours and my feet were killing. I wanted to get my programme signed for my Dad. Standing in the sun at a gate was not enjoyable at all. It wasn't until Marcus Ericsson came out. He signed my programme and I was very happy (not a clue who he was but Steve said hold it out so I did). When I was about 3, my dad had stood in a queue for a teletubby teddy that I wanted for hours. This was returning the favour.

After Marcus, Felipe Massa came out. Again, not a clue on this guy but Steve said to hold it out so I did. Happily, he signed away. That was two autographs on my programme! I was almost ready to leave, I had been standing there few hours and it was 1900 already. The after party was starting and people in massively expensive cars started to turn up. The cars were that expensive, they were probably worth more than my house and life if I'm honest.

The die-hard fans told us that the two cars parked in front were for Daniel Riccardo and Lewis Hamilton. I was waiting for this! We were only allowed to wait until 2000 when the gates would start to close. Before I knew it, Daniel was standing in front of us! I was absolutely gutted when he missed out my programme. He must've signed about 20 but not mine. I was upset because he was the first person I knew of and it would've been nice to get his autograph. Never mind. 

We saw David Coulthard and Alonso too, but they didn't have time to stop for us... They both appeared to be massively miserable. We saw Nicky Lauda who got into a car but waved to us. Grosjean cycled past us, too. To confirm, I still haven't a clue who these people are. Steve is listing them for me. He told me when to hold to book out or not. 

It was dark and cold. I put the hoody on and I was seriously knackered. It had been a long day and we still had dinner to eat. The die-hard fans were talking to security. They were talking about how horrible Hamilton is now - that he used to be lovely before he got too famous and became an arse. He does what he can to avoid people but apparently, he's trying to change. Hamilton didn't come out for us which was a massive shame. His car remained parked in front of us but it got to 2000 and we had to leave. 

I rang my dad straight away to tell him how our day was. He's an F1 fan so he text when he woke up to see whether I enjoyed it. We jumped onto the tram (after asking someone for help like your typical tourists). 

We got back to the hostel by 2100 and microwaved our dinner. It was Mother's Day back home so I managed to quickly call my Mum and Stepmum. I love speaking to family, it's so difficult with the time difference. 

All in all, an absolutely brilliant day. I couldn't believe how much I had enjoyed it. I'm so pleased with my programme even if I have spilt my strawberries on it and ruined the top right corner (I was devastated, sorry Dad). We were both exhausted, in bed and out like a light before 2300.

[aly-ashy]

    Bella wakes me up bright and early. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!!!" She yells while jumping on my bed. "Okay! Okay! I'm up!" I laugh. "Today is the day you become a princess!!!" "Technically I won't be a princess unless I marry the prince." "Whatever." "What time is it anyways?" I ask still a little sleepy. "6:30" "Well then we better get going." I wink at her and get out of bed.     I walk over to my closet to get my clothes that we picked for the goodbye ceremony. Bella and I decide that we should curl my hair and make a flower crown out of blue cornflowers since that's our providence flower. After my hair is done we go down to enjoy our last meal as a family, for awhile. I have spent the whole morning trying to take everything in. My whole life is about to change... I know it's for the better but still I'm a little bit worried about it. After we eat and I finish getting ready I have time before we have to leave for the goodbye ceremony so I decide to go visit the Moores.     I walk down the street and rang the doorbell. Within a few seconds the door flies open and I am instantly engulfed in a hug. "Hi Aly!" Cassie says with a smile. "Hey Cass." I see Benji sitting on the couch so I sign a quick hello to him and make my way into the kitchen where the parents and youngest daughter Charlotte are eating breakfast. "Today is a pretty big day for you isn't it?" Randy, the dad asks. "Yeah it is." "Are you nervous?" Cassie asks. "Oh definitely! But I'm also really excited so it's gunna be okay." "You'll do great." The mom, Sara says while putting a hand on my back. I sit down and talk to them for about a half hour before it's time for me to go. "Thanks for coming over Aly. We will be at the goodbye ceremony but it was good to have a nice talk with you before everything gets crazy." Sara says as she gives me a hug. "Yeah I'm glad I came over too. I'm going to miss you guys for sure." I say as I give all the kids hugs. I walk home and finish getting ready really quick before I have to go.     When I am all ready we load into the car and drive towards the park that we are having the ceremony at. "Make sure you don't screw up while you’re talking Al, the whole country is watching you now." Dalen says teasing me and adding a slight shove. Dalen and I have always loved teasing each other because we are only a year and a half apart. "Yeah and maybe if you pretended to be nice to me the whole country will see that and then you can get a date for once in your life!" I say smirking.     My whole family laughs and continues to joke around. We finally get to the park and I see hundreds of people waiting to send me off. The selection is starting to feel more real with every step I take towards that stage.     While the mayor is speaking I kind of zone out and look over the crowd. I don't know everyone here but I know a lot of them. Some are my friends or friends with someone in my family, some are frequently in the bakery, and some I know of but don't know personally. In some ways it makes me sad because I am about to go somewhere that I won't know anyone but it is also kind of comforting knowing that I have so many people cheering me on back home. Suddenly I hear "Lady Ashworth do you have anything you'd like to say?" I nod and walk over to the podium. "Thank you Mayor. What a crazy experience this is and I'm sure this is going to be one of the least crazy things I experience in the next few days." This earned a few laughs so I smile and continue. "I can't tell you what is going to happen during this selection but I can tell you how much it means to me for you to all be supporting me. As I look over this crowd I see so many people that I consider to be friends and family. So, thank you for supporting me. I hope I can represent Labrador accurately in showing how wonderful you all are. Thank you."     I walk back to where I was previously standing as I hear the mayor announce that I will be leaving for the airport in just a few minutes so they will let my family say goodbye first and then anyone who would like to do so quickly may. I run off stage to be by my family. I start with hugging Bella and make my way around. When I get to Nicholas I see that he is tearing up. "No you can't cry! Now I'm going to cry!" I while we embrace each other. "I'm sorry it's just going to be so different around here without you!" "Oh so they're tears of joy then.." I say with a wink. "Of course." I hug my dad last and he tells me to do him proud. And somehow that encourages me more than anything else that has been said to me. Because, I know that as long as I do my best he will be proud and I know that I can do my best.     After my family the Moores come over. I hug each of the kids that are basically my family. Sara doesn't let them stay long because she wants to give other people time to say goodbye. But before she goes I tell her that I will write them letters and keep them up to date. Many more people come over and wish me well and tell me goodbye. It is kind of an emotional roller coaster so I'm mostly glad that it is done. I give my family one more quick hug and get in the car to go to the airport.     When I get to the airport they have me get right onto the plane. I get on and see a couple other girls and I sit down in the general area that they did but not next to either of them. I spend the first half of the flight going through scenarios in my head about what could happen from here on out. With about an hour left in the flight I finally hear one of the girls speak. I'm pretty sure it was Cecilia but it might have been Viola. I tune into their conversation but I don't join until Cecilia asks me a question. "What about you? Are you nervous?" "Of course!"  I smile a little at being included into the conversation. "I'm nervous too, but also sorta excited, you know?" Cecilia adds and Viola nods in agreement. I get out of my seat so that it will be easier to carry the conversation. They introduce themselves and I am happy to receive confirmation that I did know their names. I introduce myself as well and it is quiet for a few seconds before the conversation starts again. "So, what are you guys going to miss most while we're at the palace? I know for me it's going to be my dad and brother." I turn to Viola to answer her question and say "I'm will miss my families most for sure." At that thought I look out the window as if I could look and see them one last time before I go. Cecilia looks at me confused and says "Families? As in multiple?" Duh. Of course that would be confusing. "Yeah, I'm obviously going to miss my parents and my siblings. But also the family I nanny for. I have become really close with them over the last year and a half and it's going to be really weird not to see them all the time." I say hoping that it makes more sense now. Cecilia sighs and says "For me I don't know, I mean I guess I'll miss my siblings. I love them to death but it will be nice to be away from my family." She pauses for a beat and finishes by saying "I needed a little escape." I nod before Cecilia asks me a question. "How old are they?" "The oldest girl is named Cassie and she is 9. Benji is 7. And Charlotte is 4." I say with a small smile in just thinking of them.     We continue to talk for the remainder of the flight or at least until the pilot says we need to buckle up for landing. When we land we walk through the airport which is full of people. Hundreds of people are here just to catch a glimpse of us. If that isn't a surreal moment I don't know what is. I hear people calling my name from all directions and I try (with little success) to wave to each of them. Security is making us move through really fast because one of the selected got killed by a rebel and they don't want it to happen again. I have been trying not to think or talk about it because I know that I’m in safe hands and I don’t want to let it ruin the experience. Eventually we make it through the airport and to the limo that will lead us to the palace.     When we get to the palace we are ushered into a big room with mirrors and clothes everywhere and I know what the next step on this journey is. Makeover. I like how I look just the way I am but I also like to change things up every once in awhile. A lady directs me to a station on the other side of the room. I sit down and my stylist introduces herself as Jaca. "Most of the stylists here will just do what they think looks best without really consenting the girls. But I believe that people look their most beautiful when they are comfortable with how they look, so what do YOU want to do today?" "Well my eyebrows haven't been done in a while so that needs to be done, I really only wear full makeup on special occasions but I guess this is as special as it gets isn't it? So you can do that and for my hair... I've kind of been thinking of going lighter, but I don't know. What do you think?" "I think that sounds like a perfect plan. Especially the hair." Jaca starts by dying my hair and then does my eyebrows while my hair is in the tinfoil. After that is done she finishes my hair (including a trim and styling) and then does my makeup. After we finish there she takes me to pick out a dress. Together we decide on a one shoulder, two-tone red dress. When the whole makeover is done someone takes me to a room where we are supposed to stay until everyone is done with their makeover. As I think over everything that has happened today I decide that the whole experience has been kind of overwhelming but I could definitely get used to the life of a princess.

[loveminimag]

MINI CHALLENGE: Brands Hatch JCW Reports

WORDS: MINI CHALLENGE     PHOTOS: David Young

RACE 1 Rob Smith withheld intense pressure to secure his first MINI CHALLENGE JCW Championship victory since 2015 in the first race at Brands Hatch. The MINI UK VIP driver produced a superb defensive display to score a lights-to-flag win and keep championship leader Brett Smith at bay. Rob, who scored his second pole position of the year in the morning, made a rapid getaway but was pursued by Brett throughout, taking the flag just 0.193s ahead. “After the start, I built quite a big gap but then Brett just caught me,” Rob said. “I think we underestimated how much the temperature had gone up and it became a case of trying to manage the gap. It was a hot and stressful 20 minutes. My last win was in 2015 and that monkey on my back has been getting bigger and bigger but has finally gone.” Rob’s last triumph came two years ago when he took pole position and two wins at Donington Park. Brett Smith, who was warned for breaching track limits in pursuit of his rival, stretched his championship lead with his second place finish. “For the sake of the championship, I am not going to take out my rival to gain a few extra points,” he said. “I have got to think about the championship now. I obviously want to win, but I am happy to finish second.” Former champion Charlie Butler-Henderson was delighted to take third place after passing fast-starting Formula Ford ace Stuart Gough on the first lap at Druids. “I am really chuffed,” the 2015 victor said. “I started to hear a few gremlins in the car towards the end but my luck has changed and I am now looking forward to two more podiums tomorrow. Henry Neal kept me honest and I was thinking about the tyres.” Neal qualified fifth but produced a solid drive to finish fourth ahead of Mark Wakefield and Lawrence Davey, who enjoyed a good tussle. Reigning champion David Grady cut a forlorn figure in the paddock after a disappointing qualifying, but made good progress on the 1.2-mile Indy circuit to take seventh from 12th on the grid. Reece Barr, Neil Newstead and a disappointed Gough, driving Newstead’s former car, rounded out the top-10. Reigning Cooper class champion Max Bladon – Brett Smith’s closest challenger in the championship ahead of Brands – qualified in a lowly 15th but progressed to 12th. Further back, ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell spun on the first lap and only completed 13 laps before retiring his MINI UK-backed guest car. Brad Hutchinson’s team worked wonders to get him in the race after a dramatic roll in qualifying, but he only completed 15 laps. Twenty-four cars took the chequered flag, with Ray MacDowall the other non-finisher. James Turkington had set the 11th fastest time in qualifying, but was unable to take part in the race following a heavy crash on Hailwood Hill after dropping a wheel in the Paddock gravel trap.

RACE 2 Round: 11 Laps: 16 Weather: Sunny, warm Charlie Butler-Henderson landed his second JCW victory of the season in a tempestuous second race at Brands, but only after a post-race penalty for championship leader Brett Smith. Race one winner Rob Smith got away well from pole when the lights went out, but Brett’s start from second was compromised by wheelspin, allowing Butler-Henderson the chance to dive past on the inside into Paddock Hill Bend. Henry Neal then slipped by at Druids before trying a move on the inside of CB-H at Clearways, but a rub between Neal and CB-H elbowed CB-H wide and down to sixth by the end of lap one. Up ahead the two Smiths gradually toured clear as things got tight behind them. Neal was running third on the road before the stewards decided that his flying start was a bit too good and handed him a 10-second penalty for a jumped start. That left Neal third on the road, but way down the order on the corrected times. Mark Wakefield got past Neal on lap four, but when Neal tried to fight back a few laps later he locked up on the brakes, got sideways and clattered into the side of Wakefield. Wakefield’s car survived the contact, but Neal’s race sadly ended in the gravel. That summoned the first safety car, which was soon followed by a second when Ray MacDowall rolled at Paddock on the restart. When the race did go green Brett Smith got away brilliantly to close on Rob to set up the flashpoint of the race. Brett made a lunge on the brakes at Paddock on lap 17 but Rob closed the door. There was then contact mid-corner and Rob’s car was spat into the barriers. “I was attacking and holding the inside and Rob came across on me, I was still steering right,” said Brett of the clash. “I never intended for any contact, but he moved into me.” Rob felt differently, saying: “He drove into me, plain and simple. I was ahead and had the line. He could have backed off, but he didn’t and next thing I know I’m in the barriers and have a lot of damage to repair.” Regardless, Rob’s stranded car summoned the red flags, with Brett declared the winner initially. The chaos up front helped Butler-Henderson climb the order. He made one place when Wakefield’s gearbox gave up, and then another with a fine pass on David Grady at Druids. Rob’s retirement helped him into second behind Brett, and that then became the win when Brett was penalised back to second for the contact with Rob. CB-H said: “It was a mad race. I got a great start but then got smashed wide at the end of the first lap and I was having to work so hard after that. I had a great fight with David and then just saw cars dropping out ahead of me. I’ll take this though!” Grady took third place in the amended result, behind Brett Smith. He added: “My start was brilliant, far better than recently. Then it was a good fight with Charlie and basically everything kicked off in front of me so I just stayed out of it. This is a good result.” Reece Barr came home fourth ahead of George Sutton, Neil Newstead and Stuart Gough. Scott Jeffs was eighth ahead of Keenan Dole, Dean Brace and Will Neal. It was a disappointing race for Max Bladon, who retired after a driveshaft failure. It had looked promising after a turbo boost issue was found overnight and his car finally enjoyed some power before the failure.

RACE 3 Round: 12 Laps: 16 Weather: Sunny, warm After his race two upturn, David Grady went two better in the finale, with a scorching start helping him to a stunning victory to cap off MSVR’s annual MINI Festival. Grady started fourth on the reversed grid, but pulled off arguably the best start of the year to snatch the lead after just three corners. Grady controlled his wheelspin perfectly, then ran around the outside of the pack at both Paddock Hill Bend and Druids to snare the inside line for Graham Hill Bend and slip past poleman Neil Newstead and grab a surprise lead. “I figured everybody would be slowed in traffic on the inside line so I decided to try a different approach and the outside worked nicely,” said Grady, who tore away from Newstead to build a comfortable margin that he’d never lose. “Once I got ahead I got my head down and kept pushing. I knew [guest entry] Neil wasn’t quite up to speed with his car yet so the chance to build a gap was there. I had a scare when I got to the backmarkers, but I managed it pretty well,” said Grady after taking the flag over five seconds clear. That left a frantic fight for second, which only came to a head in the final few laps. Newstead held the place for much of the race, but picked up a heartbreaking puncture on the final tour and was forced to retire. That meant the fight for third became the battle for P2. Reece Barr held the spot, but came under pressure from Brett Smith, who had started back in eighth after a grid penalty from the race two contact. Brett set fastest lap after fastest lap to climb up the order before latching on to the back of Barr. Barr defended superbly for three laps, before Brett picked his moment up the inside at Clearways to annex third, which would become second after Newstead dropped out. “I was only expecting third, but it’s been a decent weekend for the championship, but also disappointing in general,” said Brett. “I’ve not agreed with a lot of the decisions and didn’t even know I had a grid penalty until I got to the collecting area. I guess that fired me up. But the team have given me an unreal car!” Barr took third and said: “I’m happy with that. I was catching Neil but then Brett appeared in my mirrors and it was a real fight with him. Always clean, but really, really tough. I’ll take a podium to cap the weekend.” Newstead’s departure handed fourth to Charlie Butler-Henderson to cap his strongest weekend since the season-opener at Oulton Park. Stuart Gough was fifth after a battling drive. George Sutton took sixth ahead of Mark Wakefield, Lawrence Davey and Rob Smith. Rob’s progress up the order initially was startling, having made up 11 places on the opening lap-and-a-half to run 10th from 21st on the grid. But then trouble reared its head. “I think the tyres just died,” he said. “I was racing a car that’s been rebuilt from the bulkhead forward in just half-an-hour, so it was never going to be perfect.” Freddie Lee rounded out the top 10 ahead of the recovering Max Bladon, Scott Jeffs, Will Neal, Keenan Dole, Henry Neal and James Loukes. DRIVER STANDINGS

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[othersportsnews-blog]

Daniel Ricciardo claims Kimi Raikkonen transfer crucial for podium in Austria

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/daniel-ricciardo-claims-kimi-raikkonen-transfer-crucial-for-podium-in-austria/

Daniel Ricciardo claims Kimi Raikkonen transfer crucial for podium in Austria

Daniel Ricciardo admits his opening lap move on Kimi Raikkonen was vital in Red Bull securing a property podium at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo, who started off fourth, was quick off the line and built a bold transfer on Raikkonen’s Ferrari into Turn 4 to snatch 3rd, a posture he would maintain for the remainder of the grand prix. An elated Ricciardo said getting by early was crucial on a keep track of Red Bull has struggled at in the earlier.

“I realized the start out would be vital right now attempting to obvious Kimi and at the time we received into that 3rd place then it was just attempting to be relentless and retaining the pace on,” Ricciardo said. “For us as a team, as a brand, this weekend is normally a big a single.

“On paper it truly is not our strongest circuit and if it truly is a dry race we failed to expect a podium if all the major men finish. Max received the property podium past yr and I was a little bit envious so it truly is nice to be up listed here this yr.”

On the penultimate lap, Hamilton appeared he was set to get the better of Ricciardo right after the Brit experienced reeled him in and lined up a transfer into Turn 4. Even so, Ricciardo managed to brake late, continue to keep his Red Bull forward and maintain on for the podium.

(Image by Mark Thompson/Getty Photographs)

“It was a hard past several laps, I experienced some sweat coming down and my eyes ended up burning a very little little bit so that built it additional interesting,” he said. “On the second past lap I failed to get the best exit out of Turn 1 and he received a fantastic run so I defended into three and 4. I was just performing all I could to continue to keep the podium. I was not heading to brake if I failed to want to.”

Ricciardo has been enjoying a rich vein of kind in new months. The Australian has completed on the podium in the earlier five races — including profitable past time out in Azerbaijan — and has now jumped to fourth in the championship. Ricciardo claims his results has a large amount to do with obtaining his “sweet place”.

“I am getting additional comfy with the car this yr. Items are relocating forward and I am in a very little sweet place at the moment and it truly is nice.

“I come to feel like I have fantastic momentum and when the team’s getting additional optimistic, I am getting additional optimistic all that sorts into a single. Then you get a flavor of a several podiums and then you want additional.”

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#F1 Russia preview

Russia preview

One year on from his infamous collision with Sebastian Vettel, can Russia’s Daniil Kvyat turn his home fortunes around this weekend? It’s just one of several talking points in Sochi, where Mercedes arrive optimistic that Bahrain testing has helped them unlock the secrets needed to jump back ahead of Ferrari…

Has Bahrain test handed Mercedes the advantage?

Lewis Hamilton was adamant that the post-race test in Bahrain would be crucial in helping Mercedes to get the best out of Pirelli’s 2017 tyres – and with compounds and temperatures in Russia expected to favour Ferrari, those two days of testing couldn’t have come at a better time for the Silver Arrows.

The good news for the team and their fans is that they seemed to make progress. “We came with a specific goal, so it was positive to get on top of that,” was Hamilton’s assessment. “Our focus was on advancing our understanding of the tyres and also the rear of the car so that we can improve our long runs – particularly during the race and on the supersoft compound.”

Team mate Valtteri Bottas was equally enthused, as he and Hamilton ensured Mercedes topped both days in Sakhir. “[Testing] was very good,” the Finn reflected. “We did some interesting tests to try and improve both the tyre life and the race pace – we were focusing all-day on the long-run pace, which was a bit of a problem for us on Sunday [in Bahrain] compared to Ferrari…”

Both men are now hopeful that Mercedes’ apparent advantage over single-lap runs can be translated across a race distance too – which could prove decisive in the round four of what is shaping up to a very tight 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship… WATCH: RE-LIVE LAST YEAR’S RACE IN SOCHI

Redemption for Kvyat?

Russia’s home hero came unstuck last year in Sochi, unceremoniously punting Vettel out of the race after double contact at the start. That proved the precursor to Red Bull promoting Max Verstappen and placing Kvyat back at Toro Rosso, with Kvyat admitting he was struggling to find his mojo. One year on though, the Russian cuts a very different figure.

“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Russia is Sebastian… As in Sebastian Vettel,” he joked. “I like to torpedo Sebastian, it’s my hobby…Okay, c’mon, you all know I’m joking! Let’s get serious now… Maybe the first word that comes to mind should be ‘braking’ into Turn 1!”

Kvyat’s upbeat mood is reflected in his form – he has made Q3 on two occasions this year (in Bahrain he started 11th), and has scored two points.

The attention now turns to Russia, where he cracked the top five in 2015, but has otherwise struggled to make an impression. “Hopefully in my home Grand Prix we can fight for more points, because that’s what we need and we have a car that can do it.”

Raikkonen desperate for signs of improvement

Kimi Raikkonen is getting impatient for a decent result – even a podium would do, after he’s had to watch team mate Sebastian Vettel take two wins and a second for Ferrari from the opening three races.

Thus far the Finn’s complaints have centred around understeer and engine response, as he’s struggled to get the SF70H working as well as his team mate. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Raikkonen turned the tide against Vettel in the latter half of 2016 of course – but thus far the four-time champion has decisively had the upper hand.

Inevitably Raikkonen is under increasing pressure – indeed Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne has openly talked about the need for him to up his game.

“We’re supposed to get it right straight away, and obviously, we haven’t,” Raikkonen admitted in Shanghai. “There are a lot of reasons for that, but it didn’t help in the last race, not driving the first day. When you’re going through some issues, you want to get track time.

“It’s just the small things now. In the big picture we are pretty much where we want to be – it’s just that we need to fine-tune a few things.”

The good news for Raikkonen is that he has previous at Sochi – he was on the podium here last year, and could have been again in 2015 but for a last-lap collision with Bottas.

Force India in the midst of best ever run

Finishing with both cars in the points in all three races thus far this season is one reason for force India to be happy. Another is that they are fourth in the world championship for constructors. A third, that they’ve achieved all of that with a less than fully optimised VJM10.

What’s more, the team have now scored points in 15 consecutive races, while Sergio Perez has scored in 13 straight – the best runs the team and driver have ever put together.

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley is determined to continue that form and is confident that this will be their last outing struggling aerodynamically before a big upgrade is due in Barcelona. That will include a new floor, which he is confident will address the problem of inconsistent airflow behaviour that has dogged the car since its introduction.

“I said after Bahrain that I was very proud of my team,” Sergio Perez says. “We never gave up and dug deep to recover a great result. It was even more special because we continued our run of races in the points – it’s now 13 consecutive races. When we qualified in P18, I thought it would be hard to do it, but we delivered a perfect race and really deserved that result.

“I have good memories from Sochi and our podium in 2015 shows that anything is possible. I think every driver enjoys Turn Four because it’s an unusual corner that puts high energies through the car. The rest of the lap is similar to a street circuit. Overtaking has never been easy so there’s extra pressure on getting high up the grid in qualifying.”

Fernley says the team have identified the cause of their aero problem. “Andy Green and the team have determined that there’s a correlation issue, between wind tunnel and track. We knew that in Barcelona testing. The effects were identified, and solutions put in place and it’s just a production process and it will hopefully bolt on in Barcelona and we can go toe-to-toe again, as opposed to having to defend.

“But I’m hopeful that we can alleviate the problem this weekend in Sochi, after things we learned in the Bahrain test.”

Light at the end of the tunnel for McLaren?

There is an air of quiet hope within McLaren, following events in the Bahrain test which went some way to assuaging harsh memories of engine and MGU-H failures during the race itself.

However, Honda are bringing what they describe as a reliability update to Russia. This will be an interim version of the counter-measures which were introduced successfully enough in the test to enable Stoffel Vandoorne to complete 81 laps and set the day’s fourth fastest time.

“The past few races for us have been more unpredictable than we had hoped or imagined,” says racing director Eric Boullier. “We haven’t yet managed to put together a trouble-free weekend on either side of the garage, which is the first step in order to be able to work on performance. Honda are working hard to find solutions to the MGU-H issue we have been suffering with, and on the McLaren side it’s important we make sure all of our operational processes and procedures are bulletproof all the way down the line, so that we can at least see the chequered flag with both cars.

“Following the test, we’re working hard on bringing more new parts to Sochi, and chassis-wise we are confident in the development path we are taking and constantly working to find extra performance wherever we can. Both drivers report positively on the feeling inside the car, so it’s important we continue to build on this as the season progresses.”

Alonso says a positive result for the team would be to finish both cars, after all the recent reliability problems.

“I followed the test in Bahrain and I’m pleased that we were able to secure a lot of valuable data from both the car and the power unit, and I know everyone at McLaren-Honda is working hard to put that to good use to aid our progress as quickly as possible. The season is long, but there isn’t much time between races – especially flyaways – for development, so the laps we managed on the final day of the test were a big positive for us and hopefully will be beneficial to us.”

Pirelli go soft

Pirelli are bringing their three softest tyre compounds to Sochi, the P Zero yellow soft, the red supersoft and the purple ultrasoft.

Sochi Autodrom is so smooth that degradation levels are among the lowest seen all season, as it imposes limited demands on tyres. It’s the right front that does the most work here. As the weather is usually mild, thermal degradation is usually pretty contained.

Turns 2 and 13 require the heaviest braking, while the final sector places a high premium on traction and braking, not unlike Abu Dhabi. The most demanding corner meanwhile is Turn 3, the multi-apex left-hander.

With very high full-throttle time, the race sees the highest fuel consumption of the year.

The weekend’s outlook

Conditions are forecast to be sunny all weekend, with temperatures peaking at 21 degrees Celsius on Friday, 22 for Saturday and 23 for raceday on Sunday.

Source: Russia preview – can Kvyat find home race redemption?

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