#and ofc i read solitaire

[lesboytistic]

i want to be in the heartstopper and overall osemanverse fandoms soooo badly

pls reblog this is post and tell me:

1. your favorite osemanverse character

2. the character in the osemanverse you relate to the most

3. your favorite osemanverse relationship (romantic or otherwise)

i’ll go first!!

my favorite character is tori spring, i relate the most to charlie, and my favorite relationship is a tie btwn nick and charlie or tori and charlie 🥰

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Duty Calls

Summary: Sunwoo, the seemingly jobless space android, plays cards with you every day. But on this particular day, as you play cards together, everything changes. And suddenly, you see him in action, watching as he nonchalantly takes charge in critically damaging an enemy spaceship. His fingers dance along the panels as his programming finally has a chance to shine. 

Oneshot 

Smut, PWP, Android au, Futuristic au, Shipmates to lovers au

If you are a minor, please do not read/engage with this post. This is an 18+ work. 

Warnings: Androids are fully sentient in this au, but their intended programming remains, Masturbation (finger & vibrator use) to the thought of Sunwoo & his hands (Hand kink). Dirty talk, Praise, Verbal teasing, Fingering (f!receiving), Clit stimulation and sucking, Nipple play (f!receiving), Slight cum eating, Overstimulation, Some marking, Hints at multiple rounds, Slight possession, Use of pet names: Sweetheart, Space explorer (and variations of that), and Good girl. *And if I missed anything pls lmk!*

Possible TW: For those who have Ommetaphobia (the fear of eyes). There will be a fuzzy-furred creature with multiple eyes who is an enemy for a brief moment. But the creature is not important/not mentioned during the smut portion!

Word Count: 3,685

Sunwoo X Fem! Reader

[Mentions: Androids: Sangyeon, Jacob, Chanhee (New), and Eric]

[A/n: After seeing the initial Trigger concept video drop and reading @jinkoh ’s android! Hyunjae fic “Feeling Things”. My brain was formulating an android concept. And thus, this was thought up with some help from the aforementioned fic writer ofc~.]

Again, if you are a minor, please do not read/engage with this post. This is an 18+ work. 

------

“So, what does Sunwoo do?” Chanhee shrugs as you both stretch, “I’m not too sure. I never cared much to find out.” You both laugh as you do your morning stretches. You thank him before heading out to the ship’s bridge. You find Sangyeon at the module, and ask, “So, are there any new missions?” He shakes his head, “No. We’re just exploring this asteroid belt for the next fifty days to see if there are any valuable components. And since you asked first, if we find one, I’ll have you go and get it.” You grin as you thank him before you leave to find someone else to talk to. You give your greetings until you see Sunwoo who’s lazing around, playing a game of solitaire by himself. 

He’s got his boots kicked up on the white table, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think he was human like you were with the way his brows furrowed, and his nose twitched in concentration. He completely destroys that thought when he realizes the layout is sham. His hands move quicker than lighting, gathering them all up and shuffling them on the table. You smirk, “Lose again?” He looks at you as he rolls his eyes, “Of course, out of everyone, you’d catch that.” You laugh at him before sitting in the chair across from him. He brides the cards up in his hands as he asks, “What? Got no missions, little explorer?” 

You huff, “How did you guess?” 

“You’re bothering me.” 

“I always bother you.” 

“Yeah, but not this early in the day.” 

You scoff at him, “Whatever. At least I usually have something to do.” 

He shrugs, “You have a point there. Do you want to play 52 pickup?” 

“No, but Go Fish will do.” 

He hums, “Human or android rules?” 

You’re in the middle of a game when Jacob comes over with a mug in hand, “Whatcha you guys playing?” “Go fish.” He hums before summoning a chair to sit and watch the two of you play. When Sunwoo asks, “Shouldn’t you be driving the ship, Captain?” Jacob shrugs, “You know it practically drives itself.” The two of you shrug and continue playing the game, as Jacob talks to you about the last planet you landed on, Xezornia. Sunwoo scrunches his nose at the name, “That was such a weird planet.” You nod, “It was like walking on clouds.” Jacob smiles, “Smoothest planet to land on for sure.” Sunwoo shakes his head, “It was oddly defenseless for a planet as smooth as it is.” You look away from the game to look at Sunwoo, “What do you mean?” He shrugs, “I assume life lives there, with how comfortable it feels. But it felt sinister to me.” You exchange a look with Jacob, who shrugs. “I assume life lives there too, but I didn’t get those vibes.” He hums, “I figured you wouldn’t.” You continue playing the game and discussing your discoveries there. Even though what Sunwoo said kind of worries you.

When something starts sounding on the radar, which is odd, because nothing ever sounds on the radar. Especially on a ship built to navigate through and push asteroids out of its way. You gulp, “Is this bad?” Jacob hums, “Maybe?” You can see his eyes shifting as he tries to calculate what’s going on. Then, all of a sudden, the ship rocks as if it was hit. You look at the two androids in front of you worriedly, “Uh… if that is what I think it is. What do we do?” Jacob has already gotten up, “We activate our defense mechanisms.” Your eyebrows raise, “We have defense mechanisms?!” Jacob leaves without another word and sits in his captain’s chair. And that’s when you feel another blow rock the ship. Sunwoo sighs as he places his cards down, “I gotta go, sweetheart. Duty calls.” He gets up and trudges over to a chair you’re sure no one has ever sat in. You watch in bewilderment as he flips open some compartments you’ve never seen. He clicks a few buttons as Jacob alerts, “We’re under attack, but we will have it under control. Everyone buckle down. I repeat, we are under attack. Buckle down.” 

You don’t have to listen to the command twice before you’re buckled into your seat. But you can’t help but turn your seat to watch Sunwoo. He moves as if it’s second nature to him. As if the projected paneling under his touch were encoded into him. His movements are effortless as he sends blast after blast at the thing firing at the ship. He pauses when the front glass panel lights up in a video chat. A fuzzy creature with neon pink fur and one too many eyes appears, and you shiver at the sight. It pauses its firing, looking at your crew full of fury, as its gentle voice yells in universal speech, “Don’t you ever land on our planet again!” Before it starts blasting like crazy at the ship. And Jacob scoffs, “Don’t plan on it.” Your ship twists and turns through the sky, trying to evade the hits, jostling you around in your seat. You catch Sunwoo’s beautiful brown eyes glowing purple in the reflection of the glass. They have a bored look in them as he nonchalantly calculates and delivers critical blow after critical blow to the spaceship firing at you. He catches your eyes in the reflection and gives you a smirk before he mouths, “Like what you see?” You blush, looking down at your seatbelt, unable to deny it. He was too smooth in combat for an android everyone perceived as lazy. 

You hear the creature’s ship let out a shrill noise over the intercom, and that’s when Sunwoo presses a button, calling to the enemy’s ship, “Last chance to go back to Xezornia alive.” You gulp as you watch the fuzzy-eyed creature on the big glass panel. It pauses before speaking, “You know you can’t kill us.” You see Sunwoo’s glare reflect through the glass, “But I can maim you to the point of you wishing I could.” You watch the creature’s eyes look at its shipmates, as they communicating in their home language exasperatedly. Sunwoo scoffs, getting bored of this waiting game as he fires again, “Five…” He fires again, “Four…” He shoots another, “Three…” When the creature captain finally speaks, “We surrender! But if we see your ship land on Xezornia again, we’ll poison you through your suits.” Sunwoo rolls his eyes, and Jacob says, “We promise not to visit your planet again.” That’s when the telecommunication ends, and the nearly decommissioned ship returns to its marshmallow-soft planet. “Told you guys there was something sinister about that freaky little planet.” Sangyeon asks, “Have you explored it before?” Sunwoo shakes his head, “No, my analytics analyzed it would be dangerous with how quaint and defenseless it seemed.” “Why didn’t you say that?” He shrugs, “Didn’t feel worth mentioning. Plus, it looked like it was devoid of life when we landed. They must live underground.” Sangyeon sighs, shaking his head before letting him leave. 

You had just experienced your first spaceship attack with a creature you’d probably see in your nightmares. But you couldn’t focus on that fact at all. You were focused solely on the cocky android making his way over to you, dripping confidence. He presses the button to unbuckle your seat as you stare up at him, eyes full of wonder. He smiles at you as if he’s hiding an underlying smirk. You’re sure of it as you turn towards the table as he rounds it, “Sorry for the hold-up, sweetheart. But do you mind if I retire early? I’ve had a long day.” You shrug, watching as his agile fingers pick up the fifty-two cards before putting them away. Your brain is running full speed with thoughts about what his hands could do to you that you weren’t about to voice out loud. 

You can’t look him in the eyes as you tell him, “No, go ahead.” He lifts your chin up, making you look at him as he smirks, “I’ll see you later, my little space explorer.” You can’t help but follow his finger after he removes it from under your jaw, watching him go. And that’s when you hear someone tease, “You hate to see him leave, but you love to watch him go, huh?” Snapping you immediately out of your trance, “Eric!” He laughs, “What? I’m right.” You roll your eyes, “Whatever, 1222.” Eric gasps as he playfully pushes you, “Don't model number me!” You shrug, and Jacob places his hand on your shoulder, “Since that was your first time having a ship you work for under attack, why don’t you retire to bed early, too?” You hum before you agree, and Jacob gives you a gentle smile as you head to your room. 

You couldn’t care less that the ship was hit when you had defense mechanisms like that on your side. You can’t help but think about what else his analytics could figure out and how agile his fingers were. Your brain was practically running overdrive with those thoughts as you rushed to your room. You quickly scan in and find the box you hid under your bed. You grin as you pull out your prized possessions. This was sure to do the trick. Maybe Sunwoo was just your source of recent infatuation because you haven’t touched yourself in a while. Yeah, that had to be it, you think as you slip out of your uniform.

You slide your hands down your sides as you run your hand over yourself before running a finger up your slit. You hum as you find yourself already wet. Your latest source of desire drives your mind wild. With your free hand, you grab your vibrator and turn it on. Running it over your slit before placing it against your clit as your fingers plunge into your core. You let out little sighs and soft moans as you think about Sunwoo effortlessly working the control panel. You move your fingers faster at the thought of him fucking you with his agile fingers. Your mind racing with how hot he looked when he was threatening annihilation. You hold the vibrator tighter against your clit, grinding up into it as you let out soft moans. And you can’t help but moan, “F-fuck, Sunwoo…” as you grow closer to your orgasm. You can’t help but wish your fingers were his instead as your legs start shaking as you grow closer and closer. Your walls tighten and convulse around your digits. And you can’t stop the cries of Sunwoo’s name that leave your lips as your orgasm finally hits you in waves. Your legs shake as you finish, and you let out soft sighs, thankful for the temporary relief it provided. 

But as you come down from your high, pulling your fingers out with your vibrator resting on your leg, you don’t find yourself satisfied; you still want more. You cry out in frustration. Why wasn’t that enough? That’s usually enough! Was it because it approached too quickly? No… When it all comes to the forefront of your mind. It was because it wasn’t Sunwoo giving you it. You can’t help but hate the realization. You turn off your vibrator and silently curse at yourself. Post-nut clarity was supposed to make you realize he was just something to get off to. Not an actual source of desire. So, why did you find yourself cleaning up and thinking about all the ways he could satisfy you so much better? And why did you like every thought? Fuck, you were down bad for him. 

But even with those thoughts, you decide that post-nap, you would find this all to be silly. And you’d wake up normally, without any down bad thoughts for him. You close your eyes and do your best to snuggle in for a nap. But the longer you lay there, the more you toss and turn as you try to sleep. You groan as you get up. It was way too early for bed anyway. You select a presentable silk pajama set and zap it on before leaving your room. You look both ways, not wanting anyone to catch where you’re going. You walk the rounded corridor to Sunwoo’s room. You debate between ringing his doorbell or heading to the cafeteria and having an early dinner. Before you decide, “Fuck it.” And ring his doorbell, knowing food wouldn’t satisfy what you were craving. His intercom beeps for you to speak, and you ask, “Sunwoo, you still up?” “Space explorer?” “Yeah.” A groggy Sunwoo answers the door, his sleeveless tank doing nothing to help your thoughts. “Hi, sweetheart, whatcha you need?” You smile at his soft, messy hair, “I just wanted to talk.” He shrugs, “Okay, come in.” He moves out of the way and gestures for you to sit on his chair. He sits on his bed, “So, what did you want to talk about?” 

You scratch the back of your neck, trying to avoid the topic that brought you here, “You’ve been in charge of defense this whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?” He shrugs, “It’s never been necessary to… it’s been an auxiliary role for the past fifteen-some years. The fewer that remember that. The less work I have to do.” You shake your head as you laugh, and he cracks a grin. When you catch your breath, you ask, “So what does that mean for you?” He quirks his eyebrow at you, “You want my programming info, or do you want to know how I use the information?” Your eyes go wide as you ask, “I uh… Wh-What? What do you mean?” He smirks, “I think you know what I mean… Something tells me you’ve already thought about what I could do.” He gets up from his bed and stoops towards you, towering over you. He rests his hands on the armrests as he looks you in the eyes. “My analytics pick up weaknesses. Accurately pinpointing everything that makes something or someone tick.” His eyes search yours as his lips curl into a smirk, “And considering your disheveled appearance, parted lips, and rapid heart rate... I think it’s safe to assume exactly why you came here.” He pauses as you give him a small nod, confirming what he already knew to be true. He moves a hand from the armrest and lifts your chin up, “Now, do I have your consent to absolutely ruin you beyond comprehension?” You nod, staring up into his brown eyes, “Please.” He smirks, “Good girl.”

He captures your lips in a kiss, and when he pulls away, removing his hand from your jaw, you can’t help but chase after them, letting out a small whine. You watch his eyes glint purple as he whispers, “Oh, little explorer… Already whining for me?” He sighs, “I guess I’ll just have to give you everything you want.” He kisses you deeply, and when he starts to pull away, he pecks your lips a few times before dropping to his knees. His hands leave the chair completely before pulling you towards the edge of the chair and stripping you out of your shorts. He kisses up your thighs, making his way closer and closer to your clothed core. You let out a little humph as he pauses in his motions, just staring. His lips curl into a grin as he looks at the wet spot, “So cute…” before placing a kiss on it and mouthing over it. When he grows tired of teasing you like that, he quickly takes them off of you. 

He gives you a few kitten licks before prodding at your entrance with his fingers and lets out a little laugh against your core as you jerk from the movement and let out a little, “Ah-ah…” He looks up into your eyes, and you see the beautiful purple hues in them. He moves his mouth back to ask, “You’ve already cum once, haven’t you, sweetheart?” You give him an ashamed nod. He asks, “Was it because of me?” You nod again, and he smirks as he realizes, “You weren’t satisfied by the thought of me, were you? You want the real deal, sweetheart?” You whimper, “Y-yes..” His fingers tease over your entrance as he grins, “You could have just come here first. I would have done you right in the first place.” 

He slips two of his fingers in immediately as he tells you, “But don’t you worry, I’ll make you forget why you came here in the first place. I’ll fuck you so good.” You let out a soft, “Okay…” He gives you a devilish smile as he presses his thumb to your already sensitive clit, quickly rubbing circles into it. You quickly grip the armrests and look up as you let out a moan, staring at the ceiling as he whispers, “I knew it…” His fingers match the pace of his thumb. You feel his left hand slide up under your silk top, squeezing your left breast before pinching and pulling at your nipple as you moan louder for him. He cockily asks, “You like that?” You breathe heavily as you ask, “How… How did you know?” He switches between the two as he shrugs his left-hand tweaks at your nipples. His fingers are still curling inside of you as he lets out a soft hum, “I told you already…” You whine as he tugs at your left nipple before switching to the right, “I use my knowledge for fun.” He kisses your right thigh and watches as you become a mess for him. His thumb rubbing faster and faster circles into your clit his left-hand plays with nipples, flicking over them. 

Your hips rut into his hand as you grow closer to your orgasm, “Sun-Sunwoo- I’m going to.” He kisses your left thigh, “That’s it… Come on, be a good girl, and cum for me.” He sucks a mark on your upper thigh before removing his thumb from your clit. You let out a gasp at the loss of sensation. When his lips wrap around it, sucking hard on it, you gasp at the new sensation as you finally feel your orgasm bubbling up. You let out a wanton whine as you finally cum. He hums against your clit as his fingers help you ride out your high. He pulls away, looking up at you, “Good girl… I knew you could do it, my little explorer…” He kisses up your thigh as he slowly removes his hands from your body as you tremble. He sucks on his fingers, letting out appreciative hums until his eyes glow purple at you. And it’s like you can see the ideas spark in his vision. 

His face dives in and licks around as you grasp onto his hair at his, “Sun-sunwoo!” He hums, making you shiver as you push at his head, “I’m so- I’m so sensitive, please stop!” He pouts as he pulls away, “But you tasted so good…” The purple fades into a deep brown as he gets a grip on himself. “Sorry, it’s in my programming to target weaknesses…” His fingers trail along your thighs, “And sweetheart, you're so sensitive and taste so good right now. All I want to do is destroy you.” You blink at him, not knowing what to say. When he continues, “But I guess I can wait to taste you until you’re ready to go again.” You shake your head before you ask, “Would you destroy me if you had the chance?” He shakes his head, “No. I wouldn’t destroy something I wish to cherish. But I’d love to be the one to ruin you endlessly.” You smirk as you pull him in by the collar of his sleeveless tank, “Then do so.” 

---

After two rounds on his mattress, as you lay side by side, he asks, “So, how was that?” You sigh, nuzzling into his arm, “It was everything. Fuck… Sunwoo. I didn’t think you’d be able to do that.” He smirks, as he turns his head to look you in the eyes, “Is it because you thought I was lazy?” You look down in shame, “Well- I- uh- yes.” He tilts your head up, “It’s okay. I like to make others believe that, so I don’t have to do more work.” You laugh, and he smiles before his lips curl into another smirk, “But when it comes to things that matter… I give my all.” You kiss him before whispering against his lips, “I can tell.” He pulls away to tell you, “And sweetheart, I’d work tirelessly for you.” You blush as you search his eyes, “You mean that?” He kisses you deeply, “You wanna find out?”

And before he can make it heated again, the dinner bell rings, and both of your heads snap up. He sighs, “Mood killer.” You laugh at that before your stomach growls. You blush, and he pokes your tummy, “That was cute…” He hums, “Since you need sustenance, what do you say I go get us dinner, and then we can continue from here? Of course, if you wish to.” You smile, “I’d like that.” He smiles as he scoots down the mattress and kisses your core one last time. He tells you, “Damn, I could just eat you out for dinner instead.” You scoff, “Sunwoo!” He laughs, “Don’t worry, I’ll be polite this time.” He pats your head, “But I warn you, after we finish dinner, you’ll never want another human or android partner, sweetheart.” You pull him down for one more kiss, “I’m going to hold you to that.” He presses a button to zap on new clothes before tapping another to provide you with a set of his clothes. You slip them on as he rushes out of the room, eager to return. You grin to yourself. Landing on Xezornia two days ago was the best decision your captain has ever made.

[melc10]

Season 3 of Heartstopper will be so bittersweet, we will get Micheal and more of a Tori storyline and ofc more Nick and Charlie content but at the same time everyone who has read the books knows what’s coming and it’s most likely going to be a really dark season and some solitaire storylines will crossover into the show but I don’t think any of us can be mentally prepared for it

[rosees3ray]

doing a better intro post since some stuff has changed

I'm Ray, I'm a minor, I'm a boy, I'm from poland

I use he/him pronouns

I'm bilingual (polish&english) and I'm learning german and japanese

I'm neurodivergent

I'm either an INTP or ENTP and I am very interested in MBTI and Jungian cognitive functions

sideblogs: @artsss3ray @shark-spotted

platforms: my spotify, @/rosees3ray on everskies and pinterest

my favourite band ever is Wolf Alice (<333)

my favourite book ever is Solitaire by Alice Oseman

my favourite movie ever is Alice in Wonderland (dir. Tim Burton)

my favourite shark is the pyjama shark

I'm a child of Urania and a Ravenclaw (not much of a HP person tho)

I like sharks, music, reading, tea, drawing, skateboarding, old technology, cars, movies, flowers, astronomy, plants and posters

I'm interested in linguistics and languages overall, if you have any fun facts feel free to tell me!

I play the drums

I skateboard

I'm a dad of 7 children (plants) and one dried rose bouquet

I collect CDs and buttons

I have a dog, her name is Sara

my Best Friend is @ray-of-midnight-storm <333

my other good friends/favourite mutuals include: @mothmonsterr @sleepy-vix @a-wondering-thought @trolliworms @us-costco-official @myconidwitch @mydlowaniliowe @lesrinne and many others not mentioned here

fandoms include: dead poets society, good omens, osemanverse, riordanverse, spiderverse and many many more (feel free to ask me anything)

my favourite musicians include: Wolf Alice (ofc), Radiohead, Queen, Lamp, Alex G, Hozier, Blur, Gorillaz, Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, bôa, The Cranberries, Conan Gray, David Bowie and many many many maaaaaany more

[anomura]

tagged by @survivedthenight 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Last song: taking what's not yours by tv girl

Currently watching: abbott elementary s04 and what we do in the shadows s06! technically still watching glue and true detective but it's been a while i don't have time 😭😭

Last movie: miller's crossing (1990)

Relationship status: single. not even a crush to entertain any delusions.. dire times

Current obsessions: still mainly mota but i think the brain rot has shifted more to bucky lmao. and callum ofc. also peanut butter toast with banana slices on top, coke zero, painting my nails dark red, the bald and the beautiful podcast/trixie and katya in general, weed (😭), disease by lady gaga and love me more by mitski

Last thing you googled: "define ascot" i'd never seen the word before lol

Silver or gold jewelry: silver!! always

Do you have any tattoos: no i'm scared of permanent change

Piercings: just my earlobes #boring

Currently reading: just started beware of pity by stefan zweig today!

Hobby you would like to try: sewingggg i think i'd really like it i love repairing my clothes when they rip and making scrunchies. i'm just too lazy to actually start doing it fr

Coffee or tea: i'm not very big on either but i drink Way more coffee so.

Favourite video games: 2064: read only memories, turmoil, spider-man ps4, the red strings club, the last of us part II, solitaire spider if that counts lmao

Star sign: leo! can you tell

i think the ppl i was gonna tag have already been tagged so not @ ing anyone but feel free to do it if you want!!!

[julie-schwieters-supremacy]

25,26 and 27 for asks please <33 if you want

hi jacharyyy ofc i want to ty for sending the ask<3

25. what's your favourite decade? -> oohhhh this is so hard like based on what? probably 2010s tbh like everything was so cosy and people just posted stuff like 2020s is cool but theres too much everything like covid and technology n stuff but i feel like the 2000s would be such a vibe in terms of partying and all that fun stuff

26. what are some seemingly childish things you like? -> okay mlp not the tv show but just the characters cos theyre pretty cool i guess? stuffed animalsssss i have a bunch like rn on my bed i think i have about 14-15 in varying sizes i love them all uhhh theres others but my brain is fried

27. what's your favourite book? or just one you've read a few times? -> solitaire. number 1. ORRRR the extremely inconvenient adventures of bronte mettlestone 100/10 definitely recommend i borrowed it every single time i could from my primary school library one of the best things in this world

[milkywaysvoyager]

I'm just gonna do this really for my own benefit (I'm very forgetful)

For my pjo peeps

Godly parent: Mercury (or Hermes, for those of the greek persuasion)

Weapons: Eklektos, a xiphos disguised as a skateboard, and stréptos, a bow disguised as a watch.

Spqr always and forever

Games I like:

Minecraft

Tlou

Rdr2

Cod

Bg3 (dnd in general)

Lol

Mario kart

Resident evil

Shows I like:

Daria

B99

Family guy

Big bang theory (I'm cool I promise)

Derry girls

Gilmore Girls

Ultimate spiderman

Superstore

Movies I like:

Jurassic park franchise (shocking)

The percy jackson movies (they weren't that bad tbh)

Diary of a wimpy kid

Ghostbusters franchise

Mysterious skin

But im a cheerleader

My letterboxd is milkywayvoyager just go there ig

Books I like:

Pjo (and all the other ones ofc)

Star trek

Jurassic park

Solitaire (more than the others)

Harry potter

Other things I like:

Dinosaurs obviously

Space

Drawing

Reading

Doing homework (it's so fun 🤩 cough cough sarcasm)

[sleepy-vix]

I found this interesting books ask :

https://www.tumblr.com/dnana-2809-blog/749706502296813568/bookish-asks?source=share

Do you mind if I ask, no. 13, 14, 15, 18, 34, and 50? Thanks...😁

oooh

13: "Name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaption"

ummm i dont actually have an answer to this. i don't really watch movies/tv very much and the adaptions i watch for my fav books arent that bad.

14: "Name a book where the movie/tv adaption actually was better than the original"

oooh i really liked little women (2019). ik i cant really say confidently that it is better than the books because i havent read all of them, i've only read little women, so 1/4 of the books, but i just think the movie is so great. i loved the book and it was cozy and precious but i ADORE the movie. yk?

15: "What book changed your life?"

hmmm this is a little sad but i wouldn't say any book changed my life... that's not because i havent read any good books though, it's more due to the fact that my life feels like a river with strong currents and i'm only floating along- with barely any freewill or the ability to change my fate (if u believe in fate. i dont believe in fate but i just thought it was appropriate to say)

thoughhh i guess if i had to pick one then it'd probably one from my childhood... harry potter? i hate jk rowling ofc etc etc but harry potter was what got me into the world of books i think... well ive always been a reader but harry potter made me really obsessed with being a reader, and the months after reading it was magical and full of joy

18: "Which character from a book is the most like you?"

oh, definitely tori spring. it will always be tori spring. she is me at my best and she is me at my worst and she is me in my dreams and in real life and in every life that i have lived and will live. no, i will not explain.

34: "List five OTPs"

ooh hmmm. okay this isnt in order tho:

1. Alice and Henry from 'if you could see the sun' (it is my favourite romance book T-T)

2. James and Oliver from 'if we were villains' (it's been years and i am still not over them. i will never be, i'm afraid)

3. Wylan and Jesper from 'six of crows' (they are so precious to me. i would kill for them)

4 tori and michael from 'solitaire'

5. pip and ravi from agggtm

honourable mention: rin and nezha from 'the poppy war'. i didnt know if they counted since they were always more enemies than they were lovers... sigh. i miss my doomed-by-the-narrative blorbos

50: "Why do you love to read?"

i've always been a little afriad of living life, tentative with my friendships, scared of adventure, afraid of change, etc etc. so i like to live vicariously through characters. actually, my love for reading has many layers and branches of reasoning to it, but i find that this is the happiest and plainest answer i can offer, so it is all i will offer (for now? maybe i'll make a longer post some other time

thank you SO MUCH for this ask :DDD IT WAS SO FUN

[lost-in-reveriie]

Lacy for your event pls <3

ofc <33

some books i think you would like are if we were villains, solitaire, and the secret history

i hope you havent read these already haha

[toris-letterboxd]

Opinion on the ending of Solataire by Alice Oseman (If read ofc :) )

i really like it!! like the whole book i concider it near perfect lol. i love the way that tori and micheals relationship isn't the core plot tie up, (or whatever you'd call it,) of the book, I like that the book stays focused on the plot being solitaire whereas most ya novels end the book after the protagonists love life arcs reach a good ending and the plot.

[8xlewis]

Hi, how are you feeling? Random asks 😊 What’s your favourite drink (non-alcoholic and alcoholic)? What’s a book that you recommend?

hii!!! thank you so much for asking, I'm not doing too bad! 🤭 UGHH what a difficult question, for alcoholic probably a not too strong beer (sue me, watermelon flavoured beer is amazing) or a cosmo, for non-alcoholic I DEF can't choose one, I love the lewis monster, an english breakfast tea (w/ milk ofc) slaps, I also LOVE good iced lattes and cherry-flavoured cola (not dr. pepper tho... 🇵🇸) ; pride and prejudice is a classic if you haven't read it, though fair warning it is a SLOW burn, solitaire by alice oseman is a good romance!! though hella depressing

[thiefbird]

tell us about ainsworth??? we the people are not immune to gay ass fencibles captain

SO

Poor Ainsworth was invented about 2 or 3 hours ago because I needed some guy to flirt with Stephen in Halifax in order to upset Diana. He got way too enthusiastic about birds because he saw Stephen at a previous dinner party and got a Vibe off him, asked around how best to get the weirdo short doctor with the terrible wig to talk to him, and someone mentioned the Rodrigues Solitaire and gave him a copy of Stephen's paper on it. He read it like three times, memorised all of one Bird Fact, and started blindly making things up about Strange Birds He Has Known In Nova Scotia.

Despite being just Some Guy who exists entirely to make plot happen, I am now inordinately attached to this gayass little man who knows nothing about birds except for the fact that the only new person he's seen in a year who might possibly not be straight likes them, and therefore he has to pretend he likes birds So Much. Honestly so relatable of him, I have gotten into many things because a cute person mentioned it and I wanted them to think I was cool.

I had not made up a single bit of backstory for him before I started writing this, but he's Scottish and unfortunately has terrible luck with men - hence trying so hard to win Stephen's attention. His terrible luck strikes again: Stephen IS very much bisexual, but he is also very much at this point a) in love with Jack Aubrey and b) deluding himself into thinking he is not in love with Diana Villiers (he is, very much). The only other queer men he knows in Halifax are either his ex, his ex's new guy, a lesbian teacher couple who are blatantly living together and everyone in Halifax thinks its sweet that they're such Good Friends, and now Stephen Maturin (and Diana, ofc, but he has absolutely no idea about Diana. Or about her knowing Stephen/being engaged to Stephen), and he was not at all prepared for this eventuality.

I will probably either make him the Captain of the Marines in my original novel HMS Solace, or an NPC in my Temeraire homebrew setting for the TTRPG Empire, or both! Probably both. Poor little gay guy deserves to have a dragon and more queer friends.

[joifee]

OOOH! "I'm glad my mom died" is actually on my list to read.

I've actually finished re-reading one of my favorite novels, which is called "Villains are Destined to Die," the novel ofc not the comic that been made based on it. One of the better Korean novels out there, in my opinion.

Rn I'm eyeing reading "Once upon a broken heart," but I still have to finish "Solitaire" by Alice Oseman, so idk which one I will actually read first, haha

its a really well written book; a bit triggering at times but very very good OHH nice i will have a look at this one :D I havent heard of both of them yet so i cant say which ones good hahahahahahaha but i bet if they peaked your interest then both probably have interesting plotpoints

[racingliners]

Life In The Fast Lane Chapter 19 - The Dream Team

Rating: Teen & Up

Warnings: None apply

Pairings: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s); OFCs & OMCs

Work Tags: Re-write of a previous work; not beta read; dual/multiple pov; mentions of IRL current and past F1 figures; Eventual romance; friends to lovers; found family/work family; actual family; occasional swearing; racing drivers and their various shenanigans; how to handle pressure (and how not to); with a sprinkling of the power of friendship; tags will be updated as work progresses

Chapter: 19/57 Word count: 4.9k Summary: When friends become family

long story short, this chapter is a big reason why I wanted to re-write LITFL in the first place and have ended up doing so.

long story long, when I was writing the first version of Change In Colour, I very quickly realised that I had never done enough to showcase Sophie's, Richard's and Vanessa's friendship in the original version of LITFL, so when I was planning the chapters for this re-write I really wanted to dedicate a chapter that showcased their relationship being cemented. I'd also always had Richard being British-Asian in my mind, but I got too in my own head about how to showcase it properly in the previous works.

A massive amount of inspiration for this chapter came from a very similar scene in the book and film adaption of Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. I've never been able to visit Singapore, so while I did do a lot of research for this chapter, if there's still some gaping inaccuracies please let me know and I will do my upmost to fix them asap.

Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

Sunday 10th September – Heathrow Airport

As they arrived at the airport Vanessa had joked that if her career as a performance coach didn’t work out, she’d be able to apply for a job at Heathrow considering how well she knew all the terminals by now. Sophie just laughed and said that her Mum would happily provide a reference.

They met Richard inside the terminal building and went through the check-in process which they all knew like the backs of their hands. Only this time, as Mary had very happily informed Sophie over the phone that morning, she’d had the three of them upgraded to first class. Richard didn’t quite believe that he had been included until he walked into the British Airways lounge. Vanessa said that it was Mary’s way of saying Richard had hers and Mark’s seal of approval.

The lounge was paved with a dark wooden style floor, and scattered with plush furniture across the different spaces. The dining area, all spacious high-walled navy booths and wooden tables, was where Sophie, Vanessa and Richard were sat as they had decided to treat themselves even further to an afternoon tea since their flight wasn’t due to depart until half past seven.

“Your turn Ness.” Richard said as he passed Vanessa his mini-tablet. He frequently played mahjong solitaire to pass the time during airport visits, and as his own set of mahjong tiles was too precious to ever leave his flat (they had been a graduation present from his late grandfather) he hadn’t gotten round to teaching Sophie and Vanessa how to play, so Richard would let them take turns in picking tile formations for him to tackle instead.

While Richard had been born and raised in Woking – his mother’s side of the family, the Liao’s, were from Singapore. His parents had met at university in London, and since his mother’s plan was always to get a job in the UK she ended up having another reason to stay.

Ever since Richard had been old enough to fly, his family always set aside money so they could visit his grandparents every Summer holiday. As such he knew the island well enough that he’d promised to take Sophie and Vanessa on a guided tour of the sights on the two acclimatisation days they had. Given the way he’d been talking about it, Richard had been planning everything since the summer break. Which was why Sophie was surprised that her press officer was now so quiet.

“You okay Rich?” Sophie asked once the waiter had left after bringing over the stacks of scones, sandwiches and pastries.

“Yeah.” Richard said quickly, as he went to fill his plate and pour everyone tea. Sophie and Vanessa shared a small look, and silently decided to leave him be as they switched their attention to try and figure out the different sandwich fillings.

Their flight boarded and departed on time, starting the thirteen and a half hour journey over to Singapore. Sophie and Richard’s seats were together in the middle of the cabin while Vanessa had a window seat, so Richard was able to go over the week’s event and press schedule with relative ease. The race was one of the more unique on the calendar, with it being held at night and the eight hour time difference everyone operated on UK time for the duration of the race week. And while it had the advantage of minimal jet lag – it meant sleeping and eating at odd times of the day.

“So we land in Singapore at just after 4pm local time which is…” Sophie paused to quickly do the maths in her head. “8am back home.”

“Correct.” Richard nodded, picking up his cutlery. Another perk of flying in first class meant being able to have their meals whenever they wanted. Sophie had opted for asparagus soup while Richard had ordered sea bass. “So if we wake up one or two hours before we land, it’s basically like having an early start,” He paused to let out a long, content hum after his first forkful of food. “Your Mum better not upgrade us all the time, I’ll get used to it very quickly.”

Sophie let out a small laugh at the thought of her humble press officer going all snobby as she spread a pat of butter on her dinner roll.

“Speaking of the finer things, can I not get one hint about where you’re taking us tomorrow?” Sophie pleaded, adding an elongated please for good measure.

“Again, I want it all to be a surprise,” Richard pointed at her with the tip of his knife. “You are unbelievably stubborn.”

“I’m a racing driver what do you expect?” Sophie retorted with a small shrug. At that Richard let out a small chuckle and shook his head as he returned his attention to his dinner. Sophie knew that Richard wasn’t going to let on about the trip, she had just wanted him to crack a proper smile for the first time all day.

Vanessa returned to her seat five minutes later having used the complimentary shower. She walked down the aisle in her pyjamas, and joked in an imitation posh accent that she was going to order the cheeseboard for supper.

“On second thought,” Richard said quietly, leaning over towards Sophie. “Maybe we need to worry about Vanessa going regal.”

Sophie full on sorted with laughter, and had to take care not to knock her soup on the floor. Thankfully for the three of them first class was fairly empty, which meant that they could just be themselves without any pretences.

“So,” Richard had said quietly once one of the cabin crew had taken away their empty plates and poured them fresh cups of tea. “Anything you might want to tell me about your seat for next year?” He looked at Sophie over the rim of the porcelain white cup with the smallest hint of a smirk on his face.

“Well…” Sophie started, and quickly stopped herself because she didn’t know what she was allowed to say. There had been somewhat of a breakthrough during the week, McLaren hadn’t just decided that Sophie was their first choice for 2024 alongside James – but they had offered a multi-year deal that Becks was still combing through the finer details of. “It’s starting to look like I’m staying, all things being well.”

She couldn’t even begin to describe just how big a weight it was off her shoulders.

“Just wanted to double check that the whispers going around the factory were accurate.” Richard said with a bright grin, and he held out his teacup in a small toast. “To next year, hopefully.”

Sophie ever so delicately clinked her cup with Richard’s. “Hopefully.”

Monday 11th September – Singapore

The flight landed on time, and thankfully everyone was reunited with their suitcases at the baggage carousel. Walking through the arrivals hall of the terminal felt more like visiting a modern art gallery than an airport, and while Sophie had visited Singapore once during her second F1 Academy season, it was Vanessa’s first time. Once the coach had reached the city centre, she couldn’t stop looking out the windows and pointing at landmarks.

“It is way more beautiful than the TV cameras make it look.” Vanessa said with a sigh. Richard said nothing from his seat across the aisle as he was rapidly typing into his phone. The journey over to the hotel was made a little longer thanks to some of the nearby roads making up parts of the circuit, but everyone was checked into their rooms by 6pm.

Richard collected Sophie and Vanessa from their rooms just before 8, and said that while the bulk of their sightseeing was happening tomorrow, he was taking them somewhere special for what was technically lunch. They walked to the nearest MRT station and changed lines twice before Richard finally stopped talking in rapid fire directions.

“We’re getting off at the Botanic Gardens,” He said as the train departed the station. With all the walking they’d done already, Sophie regretted wearing sandals instead of trainers like Vanessa. “Then it’s literally just round the corner.” Richard looked down at his feet and gripped his hand around the pole above him a little tighter. The train car was busy, but not jam packed which allowed Sophie and Vanessa to sit together while Richard stood above them keeping an eye out for their stop.

It was only once they were off the train and back in the hot, humid evening air that Richard finally started to look more like himself. Even walking with a small skip in his step. He said that they were going to a hawker centre, of which there were hundreds dotted all over the island. Vanessa and Sophie were excited at the prospect of street food, while Richard seemed relieved that it wasn’t too busy. There were more food stalls than Sophie could count all with different signs above them encircling a large seating area that was filled with bright yellow benches.

“You two grab a table, I’ll get the first course.” It clearly wasn’t Richard’s first visit as me made a bee line for one the stalls on the left and joined the back of a short queue, while Sophie and Vanessa walked their way through the mass of benches and found a free one near the middle. The clientele seemed to be mainly locals, which Vanessa took as a good sign. And if any of them had recognised Sophie no one seemed phased by her presence, which suited her just fine.

About ten minutes later Richard returned with three steaming bowls, each one filled with noodles in a dark broth and cooked prawns layered on top. “Prawn noodles! They’re my Mum’s favourite, she insisted this was the first thing you tried.” Richard sat down next to Sophie and even rubbed his hands together excitedly before he passed out bottles of water from his backpack.

“Oh this is amazing!” Vanessa exclaimed after her first spoonful, and while Sophie didn’t speak with her mouth full she eagerly nodded in agreement. Richard beamed when he said that in his mother’s opinion they were the best prawns on the whole island, and it had taken her years to perfect a recipe to make them at home so it would be as close as possible to having the real thing.

The second they’d finished their noodles Richard had darted off to another stall, and this time came back with a singular plate. “Now this is nasi lemak. It’s coconut rice, with a couple of chicken wings, a fried egg and some sliced cucumber.” He pointed to each item on the plate with his chopsticks, and explained the history of the dish in between mouthfuls of food, which again was absolutely delicious.

“We might have to roll each other out of here.” Vanessa huffed when Richard had ran off to another stall claiming that it was going to be the last one. “Still,” She mused as she looked around, taking in the atmosphere of chatting diners and all the different smells coming from the food stalls. “I don’t think I’ve eaten this well all season.”

Sophie hummed in agreement, and spotted Richard approaching their bench with two plates. Compared to the previous dishes it looked rather simple – strips of cooked chicken on one and a generous portion of rice on the other, with two small dishes of dipping sauce on the side.

“Hainanese chicken and rice, this one was my Ah-Ma’s – my Gran’s – favourite.” Richard said with a small smile as he sat down. He wasted no time in taking a piece of chicken with his of chopsticks and dipped it in one of the sauces, smiling as he ate.

When the plates were empty, they let their food go down while sipping on their bottles of water and taking pictures for memories sake. Out of nowhere Richard, who had been gazing off into the distance in silence for a couple of minutes, started talking again in a heavy voice. His eyes that were always so warm now looked distant and glassy.

“Every time we’d come over to visit, my Grandad would take us all to the botanic gardens – he loved the orchid garden the best. No matter which one I’d point at, he knew what species or hybrid it was. Mum always said he was the reason she became a geologist.” Richard huffed a small, if strained laugh. “Then once we’d walked our feet off, my Gran would bring us here for food. And… when I got my job at McLaren three years ago I’d always make the time to take them to dinner every Singapore race week.” He then looked down at his hands, and drew in a long, shaky breath. “This is my first time back since their funeral I…” Richard gave a cough that sounded like it was disguising a sob. “I didn’t think it would hurt this much.”

Sophie immediately hugged Richard around the middle as tightly as she could, while Vanessa jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms round Richard’s shoulders. They let him cry for as long as he felt he needed, and after a couple of minutes he patted Sophie and Vanessa’s arms and they let him go, but still stayed planted by his side.

“We’re really grateful you chose to share this place with us Rich.” Vanessa said softly, still keeping a hand on his shoulder. She silently pulled a packet of tissues out of her pocket and handed it over. Richard nodded in thanks and wiped his eyes, and said that if Sophie and Vanessa were up for it, he had planned on taking them to the botanic gardens tomorrow. They both said yes instantly.

Richard told more stories about his grandparents the whole way back to the hotel and they arrived back shortly after eleven, heading straight for the hotel bar to share a couple of pots of tea.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay this weekend Rich? If you need some time off-” Sophie started only for Richard to cut her off by giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

“I promise I’ll be fine, tonight helped more than you could know.”

They spent another ten minutes lamenting how to spend their time since the bulk of the hotel’s amenities were now closed, but eventually Vanessa decided that with the flight and all the food they’d eaten at the hawker centre that she was going to order a light supper from room service and watch a film before bed. And since the hotel bar was closing Sophie and Richard chummed her back to her room.

Vanessa gave Richard the biggest hug goodnight, and said with a beaming smile how much she was looking forward to their tour around the city tomorrow. Richard just grinned and said he was happy to show them round his second home.

Sophie and Richard walked aimlessly down the corridor, not really knowing where to go as their rooms were on a different floor.

“I was thinking of watching an old race, since it’s been years I last drove here.” Sophie said when the lift at the end of the hallway came into view. Richard nodded, saying it sounded like a good idea. “You wouldn’t have any recommendations would you? I couldn’t decide which one to watch.” They stopped walking when they reached the lift, and Richard hummed as he contemplated the offer.

“Vettel’s last race win is always a classic.”

“I can order us both room service if you want anything for dinner?” Sophie offered.

Richard grinned, and reached out to press the button for the lift. “Deal.”

Sunday 17th September – Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

An ultra-exclusive nightclub was the last place Sophie had expected to find herself after the race. But, a double points finish for McLaren combined with Richard’s reassurances that the party was for paddock personnel only, she had happily pulled a white linen dress from her suitcase. And as an added bonus, they’d just so happened to run into Sophie’s mechanics sat in a corner booth enjoying a few quiet drinks moments after they arrived. Or as quiet as it could be given the dance music coming from the DJ booth.

Sophie insisted on buying a round of drinks, and carefully made her way over to the bar. She ordered a Singapore sling for Vanessa, a negroni for Richard, a pear cider for herself, and a beer for each of her mechanics. With assurances from the bartender that a waiter would bring the drinks over to their booth, Sophie turned round to head back before Steve sent out a search and rescue party. Only to walk right into Benedikt’s path. The two drivers apologised with a shy laugh, since the music wasn’t as loud at the bar neither of them had to shout to be heard.

“I guess I should say congratulations,” Sophie added as Ben stepped forward to catch the bartender’s attention. “You first win here for three years… even if you did wipe the floor with the lot of us.”

Benedikt shook his head as his cheeks flushed pink before ordering a round of beers. If the news that Red Bull’s technical director Alison Hawthorn was leaving the team to join Audi had affected Ben in any way, he didn’t show it. As well as winning from pole and getting the fastest lap, his winning margin had been just shy of twenty seconds.

“Is this the part where you tell me you’ll get me back next year?” Ben asked with a wide grin. His voice wasn’t taunting, but it still had the hint of friendly competition that so many drivers bantered with.

“Oh, something like that.” Sophie said with a lazy smile before turning to head back to the booth. “Have a good night, tell your mechanics well done from me.”

“The same to you!”

Sophie wasn’t sure if Ben meant that about having a good time, congratulating her mechanics on 8th place, or even both. But she let it slide when she saw her teammates come back into view, where as promised a bartender was depositing their drinks.

Richard briefly stepped out of the booth to give Sophie the spot he’d saved her between himself and Steve, and led a small toast once he’d sat back down. Given the sheer workload of the weekend, no one was interested in much more than chatting – until Tommy’s favourite song came on about half an hour later.

“Oh I’ll dance with you!” Sophie, who had just finished a second cider, stood up when no one else could be bothered. Jamie and Aditya, suddenly feeling left out, rushed to join them and the four of them loudly sang along to the lyrics as they danced around a small spot on the floor. Sophie wasn’t completely sure of the words, but she didn’t care as she was spun round the floor by her mechanics. Her and Jamie had to stop because they’d made each other dizzy, and they couldn’t stop laughing as they slowly made their way back to their seats.

Once Aditya had sat back down, he glanced down at his watch and cursed that it was nearing 3am, at which everyone had decided they’d had enough revelry and would be better off back at the hotel. Sophie piled her mechanics into a taxi first so they would be in bed sooner and Steve, who was the last to get in, promised he would get everyone back to their rooms safe and sound.

Benedikt and his mechanics all piled out of the entrance not long after, and he too shepherded people into taxis insisting that he would get one back to the hotel as soon as possible. Richard, being the most sober one present, correctly remembered that everyone from Red Bull and McLaren were staying at the same hotel and he offered Benedikt a lift in their taxi.

It was only as Ben waved off his mechanics that Sophie felt just how humid it was standing on the pavement, and she rued having that second cider. Thankfully Matt, who had emerged from the club carrying bottles of water, had thought of that as he passed them around the small group.

“I don’t know what they put in that Singapore Sling but it’s making the world spin.” Vanessa groaned with her head in her hands once their taxi had finally driven away from the nightclub. All Sophie could do was encourage her to sip her water as the taxi drove its way through the maze of skyscrapers and bright lights.

Once back in the air-conditioned hotel lobby, Sophie, Richard and Matt aided a slightly better looking Vanessa back to her room. She complained the whole way that she didn’t need three chaperones, Matt quickly retorted that it was the price paid for having people who cared about you.

“I promise I’ll call one of you if I start to feel worse.” Vanessa groaned after Richard was the third person to ask if she really was alright. She said she would see them all at breakfast as she chased everyone out of her room.

A wave of exhaustion crashed over Sophie as she stepped back into the hallway. Having alcohol, even light stuff, so soon after a near-two hour race in humidity that felt worse than Malaysia suddenly didn’t seem like one of her better life choices. She went to politely excuse herself and wish Richard and Matt goodnight, when she remembered that Richard’s room was on the same floor as hers – though almost at opposite ends. So as they had done on earlier on in the week, they shared a lift and got off on the twenty-somethingth floor, and slowly meandered down the thick carpet before stopping at Richard’s room.

“I’m proud of you mate, you did really well today.” Richard said with a soft smile, and even tightly hugged Sophie round the shoulders. Normally 8th place wouldn’t have felt like much to Sophie, but after her form in the previous two races plus coping with all the added heat and humidity, it was four points she was very pleased to have. “Go on,” Richard gestured down the long hallway. “Bedtime. I’ll come get you for breakfast.”

“Night Rich.” Sophie gave her press officer a small wave goodnight, and slowly made the long walk over to her suite.

She spent the time deliberating whether or not to have a shower or to just jump straight into bed. It had felt like a long weekend, despite the lack of jetlag. As well as the usual race weekend media obligations Sophie and James had been at a black tie sponsor event on Wednesday. And while Sophie realised that she did enjoy dressing up to the nines occasionally, she just didn’t enjoy doing so for other people. Let alone schmoozing for the sake of keeping the big wigs happy. She’d also been surprised that James hadn’t exactly enjoyed himself either, even if he was such a charming natural at it all.

The walk through the hallway felt endless. While luxury hotels were designed with comfort and the best amenities in mind, Sophie felt that they needed to do something with their hallway décor so it didn’t feel like she was going round in circles (not that she had much room to talk since her flat was still a work in progress despite having lived there for nine months now, but at least she had ‘constantly traveling to race tracks’ as an excuse).

She finally turned a corner that felt partially familiar, and Sophie knew she was near the door to her suite not because she recognised a vase or a corner of some wall art – but because Benedikt was waiting outside her door with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

“How’s Vanessa?” He asked immediately, but softly, when he saw Sophie come into view. They had ran into each other on Wednesday night, Benedikt heading to the restaurant and Sophie being collected by Richard to go to the back tie event. They’d said a brief hello in passing, with Ben joking over his shoulder that Sophie would find a way to survive all the handshaking.

“She’s fine,” Sophie nodded. “Ness just hates being fussed over. So long as she’s protesting about being helped, she’ll make a quick recovery.”

“I just, well…” Ben paused to bounce up and down on his toes. “She’s Matt’s friend and your friend and we’re friends so,” He paused again, not fully knowing where he was going with his point. “I’m glad she’s alright.”

Sophie hummed, and noted that like herself Benedikt was in some strange middle ground between sober and tipsy. She went to reach out for the door handle to her room when Ben said there was something else he wanted to ask Sophie about, but he couldn’t remember what, and he clicked his fingers together a few times until it suddenly came to him.

“The drivers dinner we’re having in Korea, did Nico or James mention it to you?”

“Yes, I’m on the dinner list.”

“Good,” Benedikt nodded. “Have you ever raced at Yeongam before?” He asked, seemingly pulling the question out of thin air, for some reason not wanting to go to bed just yet.

“Nope, never,” Sophie replied with a small shake of the head. “I was going to watch some old on-board laps on the flight over to go with all the sim prep.”

“Oh, you’ll love it!” Ben exclaimed, his eyes almost sparkling as he started to talk in great detail about the circuit. “I can’t remember the year, I think it was one of the races Vettel won. Anyway…” He began to talk about an old race battle, demonstrating it as best he could using his hands in place of each car. Sophie followed along with every word, until her eyes found themselves switching between Benedikt’s hands and his face. His eyes were still sparkling like the night sky, and she couldn’t help but notice the way his lips curved into a small smile once he’d reached the end with an almost exhilarated sigh. For the briefest of moments, she felt like she was standing with her toes on the very edge of a cliff.

“I will have to add it to my list!” Sophie replied with a small smile, trying even harder not to notice how well the soft grey t-shirt Ben was wearing fitted his athletic frame, and that the colour almost perfectly complimented his eyes.

“When’s your flight?” He asked brightly.

“No idea.” Sophie huffed. Between the cider and Benedikt her mind was all sorts of scrambled. Since when did he have this kind of effect on her?

“Ah, I’m sure Richard will keep you right!” Ben grinned as he clapped Sophie’s shoulder, and intentionally or otherwise kept his hand there for a few seconds. Sophie felt every single brush of Ben’s fingers against her skin when he finally dropped his hand back at his side. “Well, see you at the airport then, maybe.” He smile had slightly dulled as he walked the few steps backwards towards his room. “It was nice to see you tonight anyway.”

“Uh yeah, you too.” Sophie shook her head ever so slightly after taking in a long breath of air that didn’t seem to have any trace of Ben’s aftershave, it seemed to reset her brain somewhat. “Goodnight.”

“Night Soph.”

They both stepped into their rooms and Sophie tried as hard as she could to not slam the door behind her in a panic. Once she slid the gold safety chain into place she spun round and leaned against the wall, looking out the large windows across the city with the palm of her hand pressed firmly against her forehead as her heart thumped in her chest. All while she tried desperately hard not to think about just how softly Ben had said her name.

“Oh no,” Sophie sighed breathlessly and quietly. She couldn’t afford this. Not now, when her new contract was within touching distance. “Shit I’m in trouble.”

Hazel wasn’t anything close to the right word for Sophie’s eyes. The burst of peridot green marbled through golden brown encased in a deep ebony circle. Like a woodland on a summers day.

Benedikt ran both hands down his face as he walked through to the bedroom and flopped backwards onto the bed, looking up at the plain white ceiling.

“Oh schisse,” He muttered, trying to pinpoint the exact moment he had realised just how gorgeous Sophie was, even with her cheeks flushed pink and hair frizzy from the humidity.

He shouldn’t be falling for her, not when he was so, so close to his fourth world title.

And yet, Sophie loved the history of the sport as much as he did, and she wanted F1 to become so much better. Just about everyone in the paddock could see the love and admiration she shared with her mechanics and everyone else at McLaren. And after all the press excitement that had surrounded her, she was still so completely down to earth and good to be around – all she ever tried to be was just Sophie from Northampton.

Ben felt like he was standing at the edge of a forest with the sun on his back, wondering just how bad it would be if he stepped inside.

***

Singapore Grand Prix 2023 Classification

1st - Benedikt Schmitz (Red Bull) - 25pts 2nd - Giovanni Carotti (Ferrari) - 18pts 3rd - Cristóbal Vasquez (Alpine) - 15pts 4th - Marc Pavard (Mercedes) - 12pts 5th - Nathan Watkins (Mercedes) - 10pts 6th - Teo Martinez (Ferrari) - 8pts 7th - James Hewitt (McLaren) - 6pts 8th - Sophie Knightsbridge (McLaren) - 4pts 9th - Jan Martens (Audi) - 2pts 10th - Leon Bauer (Haas) - 1pt 11th - Owen Nichols (Aston Martin) 12th - Nico Dumont (Alpha Tauri) 13th - Evan McKinley (Williams) 14th - Tadashi Sato (Haas) 15th - Aaron Jones (Aston Martin) 16th - Antonio Lima (Alpha Tauri) 17th - Alistair Mitchell (Red Bull)* RET - Aidan Glover (Williams) RET - Daniel Jakobsson (Alpine) RET - Erik Braun (Audi) Fastest Lap - Benedikt Schmitz (Red Bull) - 1pt * - Driver did not finish but was classified for completing 90% race distance

2023 Championship Standings After Round 14

Drivers Standings

1st - Benedikt Schmitz (SUI) - 252pts 2nd - Giovanni Carotti (ITA) - 207pts 3rd - Nathan Watkins (CAN) - 176pts 4th - Alistair Mitchell (GBR) - 144pts 5th - Cristóbal Vasquez (ESP) - 143pts (8th - Sophie Knightsbridge (GBR) - 65pts 10th - James Hewitt (GBR) - 51pts)

Constructors Standings

1st - Red Bull Racing-Honda (AUT) - 396pts 2nd - Ferrari (ITA) - 311pts 3rd - Mercedes-AMG (GER) - 298pts 4th - Alpine-Renault (FRA) - 202pts 5th - McLaren-Mercedes (GBR) - 116pts

[its-tea-time-darling]

for the book ask: 3 and 23

no pressure ofc <3

3. What were your top five books of the year?

ohhhhh fun question!! im not very good at remembering what i've read when, so this will be a list of both books i did like a lot and also just ones i can remember reading aldskfja.

Blutbuch by Kim de l'Horizon (v good!!)

Short essay my best friend got published as a booklet (v good!!)

Solitaire by Alice Oseman (good!)

Meat Market by Juno Dawson (mostly just one i remember bc i read it recently adlskfj)

Die Haushälterin by Joy Fielding (mostly just one i remember bc i read it recently alsdkfj)

23. What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book?

that would be number 4 and 5 from the list above, i read both in about 24 hours or less i think? grabbed both off a shelf in the library and was not disappointed!

thanks for sending these! 🥰

-

send me end of the year book asks 🤍

[lilfriedpatata]

Not ready but here we go.

The last time I read a book was when I got The Psiquiatric, this beautiful and complex novel of a psychiatrist who goes MAD- not mad, MAD! - It was so good but I never finished it. I guess life just was harder or weirder or just hard to accept, so I moved on and left my stupid little books on the bookshelf - and honestly, for the longest time, I couldn't quite remember the last time I picked up a book that wasn't mandatory in college. Until I was walking around the national bookfair with my mum and my dear dear lovely little cousin (who ofc wanted some FNAF book and I gladly paid for) that I found the I'm Glad My Mom is Dead book by Jannete McCudry and thought "I think I need to read this".

Now my reason for this was crazy - I thought gossiping about someone's life would be a good way to get into reading one more time. An easy reading book just when I read Eleanor & Park back in highschool... turns out I WAS RIGHT! The book was fantastic, and even made me question my relationship with my mom on many many pages, but when I finished it I said "HELL YEEEAAH I FINALLY FINISHED A BOOK!" as if I had just discovered fire.

Then I got the book that was all over TikTok: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Very well recommended by some friends and don't get me wrong - I love it so far! I just feel that if it was about something more real, more personal, and more "me" like the McCurdy book - I'd like it a bit more. I wish that one day I could relate to a 70-year-old actress who Is so rich and powerful and sexy as Evelyn Hugo, but I'm just a designer sitting in her working hours writing a blog on Tumblr so- not much to say on that.

But now after watching #heartstopper for the first time - after binging the 2 seasons in a row, I feel:

❏ ‣ Depressed.

❏ ‣Anxious.

❏ ‣ Alone and fucking sad.

So it's kind of hard to think I just bought Solitaire! Will arrive in around 3 weeks and I'm excited - idk if I will relate to her, or if I'll like it but this show was so personal in ways I wish it wasn't that I don't think I'm ready for the books. I mean it when I say that I wanna read personal books, but I honestly don't want to end up in a psychiatric hospital like the guy from the first book I mentioned... I hope that one day I'll be ready for the heartstopper books, but for now -

For now, I'm scared and not ready but here we go.

°ೃ ༄