#at least it's usually a trio

[tpc-tangled-au]

This here. This is the AU. Because I accidentally packed a lot of emotional devastation in this thing, but also. The whole concept is some of the most ridiculous nonsense I've ever come up with, when you look at the whole thing.

As far as what's written? Chapter 7 is kind of the sharpest example of it, I think. Because that's how you get both the Box and Dork-a-Dust within pages of each other.

Also, as shown in the previous post, Book One is much more of the former, whereas Book Two is very much the latter. It's all in the narrators.

I have realized that the perfect form of media must have a delicate balance between absolutely heart wrenching pure emotional devastation and the most ridiculous nonsense you have ever seen in your whole life

[what-am-i-doing-in-this-fandom]

Young, young Fiddleford⁉️🤯

Young Stans' reactions 🙏🙏

[sysig]

Maybe something with Mousey being jealous of Hunter and Smoker for one reason or another? hehe

Day 7 - There might be a reason for that

Bonus:

[rosiespokemontwitterau]

Paldeans are vicious… (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!

[incorrectcooldojidanshi]

hayate: can i be frank with you guys? souma: sure, but i don't see how changing your name is going to help shun: can i still be shun? souma: shhhh, let frank speak

[shaykai]

Love it when I randomly get hit with an incredibly strong urge to play PMD games

[robotsafari]

i just want more destiny islands lore tbh.

[hamofjustice]

it's nice that we're getting anything i guess, but, i'm gonna be what may come off as a little petty and whiny here; it'd be cool if either iteration of the gen 9 anime so far was actually about gen 9's characters instead of using them as cameos to promote original stories we have no investment in yet

it's like, i dunno, like the bait and switch with sonic appearing in wreck it ralph ads, except if wreck it ralph existing meant there would never be a sonic movie, and if you were invested in those characters and recognized they weren't generic platformer mascots, sucks for you, nobody cares

maybe they're just giving the DLC space to do its thing with them first (if they do anything at all...) but idk, i was cautiously optimistic about nemona in horizons, only for her to be a character of the day that the episode wasn't about, and pretty excited by "gen 9 prequel anime" only to find out it's going to be like, four short stories about OCs who have quick brushes with them. these are like the lacroix hint of what an anime about the game could've been like and you're left to imagine the rest yourself

i shouldn't be that surprised if the gen 8 anime reduced hero of galar hop to a character of the day with a level 5 wooloo in order to let the galaxy revolve around ash battling his brother because epic charizards, but man. what if it wasn't like that that now that ash is gone.

we haven't seen penny and team star at all because they're the hardest to talk about without bringing up the trauma of school bullying and the fear of being yourself at school when you're way too young to be dealing with all that drama responsibly. she's still learning to love and forgive herself and feel wanted.

arven's story is about, like, being a latchkey kid to a self-absorbed parent, being unsure how to feel about repairing the relationship or how seriously to take them saying they love him, and struggling to make friends due to misdirected resentment toward people he's jealous of for having apparently normal families and the stubborn self-reliance he was forced into. he's still trying to process things, find himself, and let people in.

nemona is supposed to have been a directionless lonely and depressed kid who hated being called gifted when everything was hard for her, until she met the player character and gained a peer who understood and appreciated she was a little different and she didn't have to mask her true self to have friends anymore. she's happy for now, but may still be under a little too much pressure to be perfect at the expense of her own personality, and probably won't deal well with being abandoned.

as much as they resonate with adults and are a little darker than usual pokemon fare, they're also smaller scale and realer. they are all stories that are explicitly about and meant to be relatable to kids going to school! y'know, your audience! you don't need to paint over them with 3-4 new characters and new stories every time like there was nothing there, or something shameful you need to sanitize and cover up! you can just use the game the way it is!

this got a little more heated than i intended, i just feel a little ridiculous waiting anxiously for loose scraps of a sign that this story isn't over and in the trash already and nemona's life-changing attachment to the player character isn't going to go totally ignored, as we are bombarded with what is supposed to be followup material that almost all seems eager to talk about literally anything else like they think the main story was a mistake they need to run away from

now, i'm not one to complain about original stories being told, but this was already a story that had room to grow. imagine a world where the gen 9 anime was actually about nemona, arven, penny, and the friend who brought them together. or what their lives were like before that friend came along. every episode. that would get me to watch the anime again and whatever movie came out for it. ask yourself why we don't have that, or even the traditional, like, 1-2 characters tagging along with the MCs per region thing that would leave us knowing them better than we know some irl friends

how was starting over with 100% original characters and new lore that might conflict hard with the upcoming DLC the safer bet? why is a 44 minute miniseries specifically for fans of the game making up OCs for them to get invested in and scrambling to tell their stories as quickly as possible before throwing them in the trash instead of being about the damn game?

sigh. i shouldn't get invested in a series that's about selling monster plushies just because it had one story that stuck with me

[victorluvsalice]

-->And then -- time for a snowball fight! Because, well, it was cold, there was snow on the ground, so why not? XD They all ran around throwing snowballs at each other and having a lovely time for a few rounds (Smiler even getting a happy sentiment with both Victor and Alice about how much fun they were having) – but, unfortunately, Alice’s werewolf instincts interrupted and made her very testy and in need of a nap. *sigh* Darn finicky temperaments... So I ended the fight and let her get in a snooze in the snow by the bar while Victor headed over to the observatory to observe the sky (no new print, unfortunately) and Smiler went looking for frogs in all the frog logs (getting a Striped Leaf, Striped Eggplant, and Striped Dirt -- none of which they actually needed, but at least they can be used for breeding?). Alice woke up once her energy was better and her instincts quieted, then grabbed another plate of meat and cheese before running over to meet Victor and Smiler by the observatory, where they were making more snow angels. Everyone happily came together to spin some noisemakers and throw/blast confetti in honor of the holiday –

Just in time for the date to end on gold level! :D You love to see it. (Though I think all they got out of it was another VIP bucket – I wish that the date rewards were a little more varied!)

-->However, before they went home, I REALLY wanted them to get a cute trio shot together somewhere in the park. You know me and my love of taking in-game pictures of them, after all. :p After looking around (and unsuccessfully trying to direct them all to the same spot in front of one of the fish fountains just off-lot), I decided one of the corner fountains would do and had them head over there via their various teleports. I had Alice get out her tripod, then tried positioning it right outside the gap in the hedges leading to the fountain, hoping that would lead to a good shot. There was the usual trouble in trying to set UP the group shot – a bit of lag, Smiler insisting on presenting some flowers to Victor just before they were to wait for the photographer – but, having learned my lesson from previous attempts, I just shut off autonomy for a while before giving it another go –

Aaaand discovered that the camera was facing at the most awkward angle to the group EVER. XD Now, fortunately, when your camera is on a tripod, you can actually spin it around 360 degrees to get a better angle. UNFORTUNATELY, when I did that, Victor and Smiler were half-behind the hedges, meaning there really was no better angle. *facepalm* I took a few snaps just because I wanted SOMETHING from the date, but I don’t know if any of these will be going up on the wall! At least, not where visitors can see. :p

[reinabeestudio]

SIKE, cover jumpscare (with Nene this time ☝)

[puppys-rhythm-heaven]

tbh the thing that bothers me most about the prequels isn't so much that they exist (though it does baffle me, some of them are pretty good tho) but that the music doesn't match the actual game's at all. like. sequels consistently remix the original game's music. prequels don't do that at all. even for, like, fillbots, shoot-'em-up and micro-row, where the sequels' music is basically identical to the original's. none of the prequels have music that matches the actual game's. ,,, which actually makes sense given that prequel rhythm rally's music has test in it file name i'm pretty sure klsdfjfldksdfjdfsfs-

[arolesbianism]

Oh and to be clear with my beastieball team building I have gone into the game basically completely blind so I am just working off of what I've seen within the game for hypothetical team building

[tobiasdrake]

*deep breath* Okay. Here we go.

I don't think the Netflix Avatar show likes women very much. It's a great show for fans of Aang, Sokka, Zuko, and Iroh specifically. All four of those characters get a ton of great material. In fact, it's super great for Sokka stans, because the show takes him ultra-seriously and can't go five minutes without one character or another (usually a woman) praising him.

But the way it handles its female cast is troublesome.

Katara

So, all three of the main trio got some changes made to their stories. They changed Aang's story so that he wasn't running away from his responsibilities; He was just clearing his head and somehow accidentallied himself into a tsunami. Whoopsy-dooodle. Aang did nothing wrong.

They changed Sokka's story so that him being a leader of his people and a great guardian warrior is treated with complete seriousness. Multiple times, characters stop to talk about how brave and noble Sokka is for taking on such an intense responsibility, and tell him to his face what a great warrior and a wonderful leader he is. Also his misogyny is erased.

And they changed Katara's story so that she directly got her mom killed because she sucks at waterbending.

Katara tries to waterbend to attack the Fire Nation soldier but couldn't manage it, provoking the soldier to start actively searching for her and forcing her mom to fake a waterbending attack and draw his fire. They changed Katara's story so that her bad decision making fucking got her mom killed.

This is treated with the same level of severity as "Sokka was bullied by mean kids and also his dad doesn't think he's good enough to be a leader."

"I hoped Sokka would do better but not everyone is meant to have people's lives in their hands," Sokka's dad says of him.

Yeah, you're right, that's totally comparable to watching your mom get barbecued because you tried to waterbend in a situation you shouldn't have and then failed.

In fact, they give Sokka's greatest trauma more weight because it gets examined again with Yue next episode, while Katara actively getting her mom killed isn't brought up again at all. We get traumatized glimpses of it throughout the season leading up to the reveal, but after this scene in episode 5, it never comes up again.

But to be fair, Katara was a child. An event this significant would surely have motivated her, driving her to become the great waterbender she is now, right?

No! Katara sucks at waterbending and needs men who aren't even waterbenders to teach her how to waterbend. She requires instruction from Aang in episode 1 to learn how to waterbend, then from Jet in episode 3 to learn how to waterbend better.

And unlike the show, her relationship with Aang isn't a give-and-take; Katara doesn't teach Aang a single goddamn thing. He never learns to waterbend. She is a strictly a pupil throughout the whole season. Though she at least gets officially labeled a master in episode 8, so there's that.

In any case, the whole traumatic memory thing isn't even the only time she's directly compared with Sokka. Episodes 3 and 4 see Katara and Sokka bicker over whose morally dubious side character is better. Sokka likes the Mechanist and Katara likes Jet.

Ultimately, Katara is forced to eat crow when Jet turns out to be the worst, while Sokka is vindicated when the Mechanist sees the error of his ways and reforms. But not before two separate arguments where Sokka calls Katara childish and accuses her of acting like a little girl.

Arguments ultimately resolved when Katara apologizes to Sokka for not adequately respecting his very serious and ultra important role as village protector and leader. Gives him a whole speech about how great and glorious he is. And Sokka... appreciates Katara learning to respect him properly, I guess, because he never offers any similar sentiments back to her.

The show just... They need you to know how important Sokka is, okay? It's very important that you respect Sokka.

Suki

Suki suffers tremendously from that whole "Sokka's misogyny was removed" thing. Y'know, because they need something else to do with that episode. The show is deeply aware that Suki is Sokka's love interest, so they just do that right off the bat. Suki falls madly in love with him from the moment they meet, and spends the entire episode making goo-goo eyes and trying to get him to Notice Me Senpai.

They still do the "Suki Trains Sokka" stuff. But Sokka is a serious, dignified manly man worthy of the deepest respect now, so of course they don't make him wear the Kyoshi uniform. Instead, the main purpose of his training is to allow them to flirt some more. It's less martial arts training and more an excuse to grope each other and near-kiss.

Suki's just a waifu now. She still fights real good, but all of the stuff that made her relationship with Sokka interesting has been erased.

Yue

Yue, similarly, leaps straight to shipping from the word go. They write out her fiance, Hahn, by having Yue briefly meet Sokka earlier in the season. She spends one minute talking to him in the Spirit World about Spirit World lore; In that time, she falls so desperately, madly, unfathomably in love with him that she breaks off her marriage to Hahn and devotes herself to waiting for him to one day come to her.

"Never have I known such joys as that time you let me explain the spirit bear Hei Bei to you. Truly, we are destined to be together for life."

Like with Suki, they go out of their way to have Yue and Sokka already be a ship from the word 'go' so they don't have to spend time developing any kind of meaningful attraction.

They just. They really want you to know that Sokka is the manliest and most desirable man ever to walk this earth. It is very important that you understand how great he is. Women hurl themselves into his arms with zero effort whatsoever, because he's just so goddamn irresistible.

Fortunately, Hahn is super okay with this turn of events. He's the most chill guy ever, he gets along perfectly well with Sokka, and he completely supports Yue's right to dump him! In the famously misogynistic Northern Water Tribe, no less! What a swell guy. Aren't men swell?

June

June gets hit with that "rewritten as hollow waifu" stick too, but her eyes are set on Iroh. They rewrote June to be super attracted and flirty towards the man who was her unwanted sexual harasser in the source material. So that's fun.

Also, she barely does anything. Zuko hires her to find Aang, she succeeds, and then she fucks right off out of the show - But she manages to find time to express how unbelievably sexy Iroh is twice during that time.

She seriously just dropped into the show to flirt with Iroh and leave. She is unbelievably inconsequential.

Kyoshi

And then there's Kyoshi. They really want you to hate Kyoshi. She's constantly shot from below, as if looking down on Aang and the audience. Her voice takes on a demonic echoing reverb at one point as she's screaming at Aang that "THE AVATAR MUST BE A MERCILESS WARRIOR!!!"

She despises Aang, calling him a coward for running away from his responsibilities - Which, I remind you, is no longer a plot point because they unwrote that flaw from his character. So she's just a complete and utter asshole, shot from the asshole angle, yelling violently at him with asshole sound effects. They want you to despise this woman.

Azula

Awkwardly, they do not seem to want you to despise Azula.

There's a lot to be said for how Ozai treats Azula in the original show. The way the favoritism he shows her is every bit as cruel and manipulative as the unfavoritism that he shows Zuko. Ozai does not love Azula. He loves the reflection of himself he sees in her eyes, and his encouragement urges her to polish herself to ensure his reflection always shines through.

This is not that. The show instead erases the favoritism entirely. Ozai doesn't really care one way or another about either of his kids. He plays them against each other, bragging openly to Azula about how great Zuko is and unpleasably writing Azula off as weak and useless.

They've rewritten the dynamic between abusive father and his two abused kids in order to take Azula's pride away. Reimagining her from a gifted prodigy who excels at imitating the toxic behaviors of a father who doesn't truly care for her, to a put-upon overachiever tearing herself in knots to live up to the standards of her unpleasable father.

This results in a truly wild portrayal of Azula as insecure and jealous of Ozai's seemingly love for Zuko. Here, she is simply a browbeaten child constantly complaining to her friends about how mean her father is and conspiring to get one up over Daddy's Golden Child Zuko.

Which she fails at, because she backs Zhao. Zuko deftly defeats her without even realizing they're in competition.

Conclusion

The season ends well for some of these women. It ends promising that maybe we'll see Katara teaching Aang some day. It ends with Zhao bragging that Ozai just used Zuko to train Azula so maybe we'll see the more confident and misguidedly proud Azula some day. Yue becomes the moon like she's supposed to. June's still out there so maybe she'll get to do something again some day.

Katara gets to fight Pakku and lose, but she looks pretty cool. She gets to fight Zuko and lose, but she looks pretty cool. Azula learns to lightningbend because she's just so mad about Ozai's contempt for her and favoritism for Zuko, which isn't how you lightningbend.

But promises of future content fall flat when the content that exists is so underwhelming. This season made its feelings on these characters pretty evident, and it's unwise to expect better material from creators who've disappointed you with the material they already made.

The women of Netflix Avatar simply do not get to shine, outside of superficial moments like the "Women of Northern Water Tribe demand the right to fight and then fuck off and don't do anything for the entire rest of the episode" bit.

"In the midst of battle, we demand that you stop being sexist and give us permission to fight! This is a way better idea than convincing you to teach us to fight before the battle begins."

The characters of this show feel as if they've been reimagined to glorify the boys at the expense of the girls. The boys are treated with a great amount of care. They're dignified and made important movers of the plot, with their rough edges sanded off. While the girls are molded around them.

[gh0st-t0wn3]

Part 3 of my JTTW designs!

Drawing Ao Lie in both his human (?) And horse form was a nightmare, animals are usually my least favorite thing to draw (and I still had a very difficult time figuring out what I was doing), but I'm proud of how it turned out! Also it's not important but I do hc Ao Lie as knowing how to play an Èrhú and I wanted an excuse to draw him playing one.

(Sandy and Pigsy were both vaguely inspired by @/Digitalagepulao's JTTW art)

I wasn't entirely sure what to do with Tripitaka's outfit while I was drawing him so there isn't much detail, but I added some extra patterns while drawing his headshot (I used @/Chiptrillino's ATLA Air Nomad art as a mini reference for the pattern and beads), I would've gone back and added it to his full body piece if I hadn't already saved it as a jpeg. Sorry :)

Drawing the Camel Ridge Trio next for my JTTW redesigns, but it might not be my next post, just a heads up!

[acesofspadess]

Track Walk {2}

landoscar x content creator!reader

part 1 // part 2 // part 3

series summary: You were invited to the Miami GP for your Track Walk series on social media, what follows after you run into a certain Papaya boy, no one could prepare you for...

series warnings: cursing, angst, smut, making out, mentions of people you may not like, mmf, threesome/throuple, if there is more let me know... ;)

a/n: this a long 4 part series, but the chapters will be released daily!! also... there is no hate to anyone mention in this story, it is a work of fiction and any hate towards the characters/people will be deleted.

Singapore 2024

So here you were, the Singapore GP. The past 5 days were eventful to say the least. Your body was covered in love bites from each boy, there was no telling who gave which. Apparently the entire grid and the wags knew, which helped them cover up to the media. You walked in with Lando and Oscar, laughing at a stupid joke Lando said. To anyone besides the drivers, it was a very fun friend group, but you were sure it would stir something up. “Hello, hello, hello.” You waved with a large smile at the camera. “We don’t usually do evening walks do we? But Singapore is the beginning of the night races so get used to it…” The track walk and the weekend went just as planned. During that weekend you met Max Fewtrell for the first time. It was very scary for you. This was someone Lando had grown up with, someone he had chosen to be one of the important people in his life, and you knew how this could look to an outsider- an F1 creator dating not one, but two, of the most prized drivers in the sport. But you two immediately hit it off. “I just know Oscar is enjoying not being the only one having to handle his mess.” He laughed as you guys watched Free Practise. “It’s not even the mess though, Max, it’s the food!...”

The entire weekend was looking favorable for McLaren, and then when Lando kept his position into the first lap, you knew it was game over, another McLaren win was pending. And right you were. “Lando Norris can stop hearing about his starts, and start hearing about his finishes! For the third time Lando Norris takes the chequered flag…”

You bounced up and down with Max as Lando screamed into the radio. “That's a double podium finish for McLaren!” You screamed and he laughed with you before giving you a hug. “They’ll want to see you.” He told her and she shook her head. “Too much attention, they’ll see us after.” She said not wanting to leave Max behind.

The music thumps through the club you all decided to go to after you finished at the track, vibrating the floors as colorful lights flash across the crowded room. Lando, Oscar, and you move through the throng of people, your body already buzzing with the high of celebration. Lando’s win had electrified the night, and the three of you are ready to let loose—carefully.

Lando’s arm stays draped over your shoulder as you make your way to a private booth near the dance floor, Oscar trailing closely behind. 

Around the booth, the other drivers and their girlfriends are scattered—Carlos and Rebecca, Max who was running solo, Charles and Alexandra, Pierre and Kika—all laughing and cheering. The energy is high, but there’s an unspoken understanding between them. They know. “I would say cheers to Lando’s amazing race-” Carlos started, “but you only won because of her.” Lando and Oscar shook their heads as everyone around you laughed.

You laughed too, cheeks heating as Lando pulls you closer. "You’re not wrong," he teases, brushing a quick, casual kiss against your temple. It’s brief enough to pass as friendly, but the way your heart skips betrays its meaning. Oscar slides in on your other side, his hand finding your knee under the table and giving it a gentle squeeze, hidden by the dim lighting and shadows.

They’re subtle but deliberate, their touches igniting sparks that make your heart race. The conversation swirls around you, but the trio only has eyes for each other. When the music shifts to something slower and sultry, Lando tugs your hand. "Dance with me," he says, voice low and irresistible.

You follow him onto the dance floor, Oscar not far behind. Lando’s hands find your waist, pulling you against him as your bodies move in sync. Oscar presses in from behind, his chest warm against your back as his fingers brush your arm, sending a thrill down your spine. It’s intoxicating—the heat, the music, the feel of both their bodies surrounding you.

But you have to be careful. Lando shifts slightly, turning you just enough to keep you shielded from prying eyes, and Oscar’s touch drifts away whenever someone looks too closely. The tension grows with every near-miss, every stolen glance, and every lingering brush of fingertips.

Lando leans in, his breath hot against your ear. "You’re ours tonight," he murmurs, voice rough with desire. Your pulse quickens as Oscar’s lips skim your shoulder—quick, subtle, and hidden in the dim lights—adding to the heat coiling low in your stomach.

The three of you move as one, but always just discreet enough to keep your secret. The world blurs around you—flashing lights, the beat of the bass, laughter from your friends at the booth. None of it matters. All you can feel is the heat of their touches, the fire in their eyes, and the promise of what the rest of the night will hold.

f1gossipofficial

liked by user45 and others

f1gossipofficcial The papaya boys went out to celebrate last night with other drivers as well as their girlfriends, but pictures show the papaya boys very close with each other. This comes after a recent video McLaren uploaded where Oscar and Lando were seen holding hands at one point and being very touchy… 

user45 oh this is crazy

user67 how do papaya rules work now’

user18 they had a good time last night

user4 how about we stay out of there lives and not dissect and try to out people who clearly don’t want to be outed

user68 landoscar was too good to be fake

user49 i for sure thought one of themm was going to get with Y/N

user23 i thought it was Lando user90 i thought it was Oscar user62 am i crazy for saying both user23 user62 yes user49 user62yes user90 user62 yes

“This sucks.” Oscar said into her neck. They were at the airport saying goodbye because they wouldn’t see each other for another month. “I know, I’m sorry love.” You giggled softly at his dramatics. Your arms were wrapped around his neck, finger scratching the strands of hair at the top of his neck. You looked at Lando who watched the scene unfold. Oscar wasn’t much of a showy person, so seeing him show anything they never took for granted. 

“Osc, you okay?” Lando asked seeing his shoulders raise and then drop deeply. “I just feel so complete with her here, I don’t like when she isn’t.” He told his boyfriend who rubbed his back. He finally pulled off letting Lando hug you around your waist lifting you up. “Gonna miss you baby.” he said kissing your cheek knowing people were around. “I’ll miss you both so much. But we’ve done it before right? Osc you’ll see your family. Lan you’re going to Portugal with Max. We’ll al be so busy, it won’t feel like a month will it?”

Lando and Oscar nodded holding onto each other. You checked your RM watch, one the duo had gotten for you this previous weekend. “Time to go, babies.” you sighed. They scooped you into one big hug. “See you soon.” You kissed both of their cheeks before they walked off to their own gate, leaving you at yours. 

The month at home was supposed to be a time to recharge, but it only left you restless. Your days blurred together in a haze of casual errands, late-night shows, and constant texts from Lando and Oscar. The messages were frequent and full of love—updates about their time apart, teasing remarks, random photos, and sweet "miss you" notes despite the time zones. Even with their busy schedules, they made an effort to check in, and it always left you smiling.

Then came the post.

Your best friend stormed into your shared flat, phone clutched in hand. “Y/N, you need to see this,” she said, eyes wide with urgency. She handed you her phone, and your stomach dropped.

There, on a gossip page, was a photo of Lando and Magui faces and bodies very close to each other with big smiles on their face in company of Max and Pietra. The caption read: “Lando Norris spotted looking cozy with Magui and friends. This is after rumours of them earlier in the year were clouded over by new friend Y/n L/n and his teammate Oscar Piastri that Lando has been seen getting very flirty with...”

You froze, the phone trembling in your hands, the three of you already saw the airport photos of your group hug. It was what it was to you three though. “What the hell?” you whispered, voice barely audible.

Your mind flashed back to when Lando and Oscar had confessed something about Magui. They’d told you they’d once considered inviting her into their relationship, but something had always held them back. Then they’d met you, and everything changed. They knew immediately they wanted you.

You pushed the memory away, your chest tightening as you stared at the picture.

Without a second thought, you dialed them both. They picked up almost immediately, Lando’s voice warm and his face smiley. “Hey, baby,” he greeted.

Your throat constricted. “I’m not coming to the next GP,” you blurted.

There was a pause. “What? Y/N, what are you talking about? We planned this together.” Oscar cut in confusion on his face.

“I just can’t,” you said, your voice breaking and eyes filling with tears. You didn’t want to bring up the post, unsure if Oscar even knew.

“Wait, what's wrong?” Lando asked, concerned about lacing his tone as he saw your eyes fill.

You shook your head, not trusting yourself. “I’ll talk to you later.” You hung up before they could say more.

That night, your best friend held you as you cried, her arms wrapped tightly around you. “They don’t deserve you if they’re going to pull this shit,” she murmured. But her words only made you cry harder.

The next day, your phone erupted with notifications.

From Lando: "Baby, I swear it’s not what it looks like. Please call me." "I would never do this to you. You have to trust me. Nothing happened." "I’ll explain everything if you just call me. Please, Y/N."

From Oscar: "Y/N, I didn’t think this would get so out of hand. I’m sorry." "You mean everything to us. Don’t let this ruin us." "Please, let’s talk. I’ll tell you everything."

From Max Fewtrell: "Y/N, you know Lando wouldn’t do this to you. He’s losing his mind right now. Please talk to him."

From Alexandra: "Hey, I saw the post. Are you okay? Call me if you need to vent."

From Rebecca: "Y/N, this is so unfair to you. If you need to talk, I’m here."

You ignored them all, until finally, you caved and called Lando and Oscar. They answered on FaceTime, both looking worried.

“Nothing is happening with Magui,” Lando said quickly.

Oscar nodded. “We wouldn’t do that to you. You have to know that.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell us?” You sighed aggravatedly. “If you knew she was going to be there why wouldn’t you say anything? Why would you get close with her again knowing someone's eyes are always on  you.

But then, Lando and Oscar got very silent, you could have thought the screen froze, and something passed between them. It was subtle, but enough to make your stomach churn. “What?” you pressed.

Oscar sighed. “I knew she’d be there. I thought it would be fine.”

Your chest tightened as Oscar's words hit you like a punch. "You knew?" you whispered, barely able to contain the hurt. "You knew she'd be there and didn’t say anything?"

Oscar hesitated, looking like he wasn’t sure how to answer. "I didn’t think it would be a big deal," he said quietly. "I thought it’d just be... fine."

"But it is a big deal!" you snapped, your voice rising, frustration bubbling over. "If you had just told me, I wouldn’t be upset. I could have handled it, but now it feels like you’re hiding something. Like you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too."

Lando’s voice cut through the tension, softer but still desperate. "Y/N, that’s not it. We didn’t want you to feel like this. We didn’t mean for it to look like we were hiding anything from you."

"You did hide it, Lando," you shot back, shaking your head. "You knew she was going to be there, and you didn’t tell me. It makes it seem like you wanted to keep me in the dark while keeping her close, like I’m some backup plan."

Oscar looked pained, and Lando seemed to be searching for the right words. "It’s not like that," Oscar said quickly, but there was an edge of panic in his voice. "I didn’t think this would happen. I thought it’d be fine."

"But it’s not fine," you responded, your voice cracking slightly as the weight of it all hit you. "You’ve betrayed my trust, Oscar. And Lando, you should’ve known better. If you had told me, we could have figured it out. But now? Now I feel like everything we shared was an act, something to keep you occupied while you figured your feelings out."

Lando opened his mouth, clearly struggling, so Oscar spoke up in a low voice. "Please, Y/N, we didn’t mean to hurt you. We just... didn’t think—"

"Exactly," you interrupted, your voice soft. "You didn’t think. If you had, we wouldn’t be here right now. I know it's only been a few months, but I thought our relationship was stronger than this. I thought I meant more to you than this, but you’ve shown me I don’t."

“No Y/N-”

With that, you ended the call, the sound of the FaceTime disconnecting echoing in your ears. You sat back on the couch, your heart aching, but you knew this was the only way to handle it. They had crossed a line, and now you had to protect yourself from the mess they had made.

Max Fewtrell texted shortly after: "Y/N, I know what it looks like, but I promise Lando wouldn’t do this to you. He’s doing his head in and acting erratically, please talk to him. He’s about to go into a race weekend." 

Hattie messaged, too.. “Oscar fucked up, but I’ve also never seen him this upset with himself. He is so sorry, I’ll never tell you what to do, but just know he really cares.

You ignored everyone.

Of course you watched the triple header, you were still their girlfriend, and before that you were their number 1 supporter. Track Walks were not as fun to you during that time, everything reminded you of what happened. They still texted you everyday, telling you about their day, about their thoughts on the race, saying they missed you and they were so sorry.

But Brazil was a disaster. The rain poured relentlessly, creating dangerous conditions on the track. Both Lando and Oscar struggled, and a red flag giving those who hadn’t had a pitstop a free one essentially knocked Lando out of the Drivers' Championship contention, but besides that, out of a win. Your heart ached watching it all unfold, tears falling down your face slowly, but you stayed silent, refusing to reach out.

A few days later, Max went live on stream with Lando. Lando sounded tired, wanting to stay muted when he didn't have to be heard, his voice hoarse. He admitted he’d been eating old food from months ago and wasn’t feeling well. Max F texted both you and Oscar after the stream: "Lando needs you. He’s not doing well at all."

Oscar replied immediately: "I’m on my way."

You stared at the message, conflicted. It wasn't until the next day when you were eating lunch that Oscar's text messages were blowing up your phone,

Osco: Baby, I know you don't want to talk to us, but Lando really isn't doing well.

Osco: I've spent all morning with him crying into my arms, degrading himself, it hurts so much to hear. He thinks everything is over, he needs you baby. I need you. 

Finally, you texted Alexandra and Rebecca, asking what you should do. 

Mes Amours 💗

You: Help…Oscar’s been texting me about Lando this morning. He said he spent the morning crying, degrading himself, and thinks everything’s over. I want to be there, but I’m so hurt. I don’t know what to do.

Alexandra: Wow… I knew things were rough for them, but that’s heavy. You’ve got to take care of yourself first though. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready.

Rebecca: I get that, but… it won’t get better if you don’t talk to them. And, Y/N, I’m going to be honest here: Carlos is worried about Lando too. He told me Lando’s been completely off lately—barely eating, barely talking. He’s spiraling.

Alexandra: Wait, really? I mean, I knew they weren’t doing great in Brazil, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

Rebecca: It is. Carlos says he hasn’t been himself for weeks. And honestly, if Carlos is worried, you know it’s serious. Lando needs you, Y/N. Even if it’s just to talk. You don’t have to forgive them yet, but they need you right now.

You: I’ve missed them so much, it hurts. But I’m scared. What if I go back and things still don’t feel right? What if they don’t really understand how much they hurt me?

Rebecca: Then you tell them. You lay it all out there. But Y/N, we know how deeply you care for them, and it’s obvious they care about you too. I think they understand, they just need to see you in person.

Alexandra: Whatever you do, we are holding your hand.  Taking a deep breath, you texted Max Verstappen: Can I use your jet?

[the-odd-shu]

You're supposed to be sick, don't sass me

A continuation of lab shenanigans, and Hey Hextech

Masterlist

Next part:

Characters: Viktor, Jayce, Reader

(Pre - Jayce/Viktor/Reader) (POLYCULEEEE!)

A thread following the chaotic trio that is, laboratory illustrator!Reader, Viktor and Jayce being unsupervised in the lab.

Note; this takes place during season 1, and the reader is gender neutral with they/them pronouns.

Reader who started the day with an annoying cough, and a tickle in their throat, and slowly declined in energy throughout the day.

They come into the lab ten minutes after the boys, cradling a warm drink between chilled hands with their backpack slung over their shoulder. Viktor is already at the chalkboard drawing up a set of equations he thought up whilst at home last night, whilst Reader can hear Jayce in the kitchenette loudly stirring mugs.

"And what time do you call this?" Viktor drawled from the chalkboard, eyes practically sparkling with mischief as he glances at them over his shoulder.

Reader makes a show of looking at the clock hung above the chalkboard. The minute hand was exactly two past the hour, which was honestly pretty early for them, since they tended to roll up around five past on a good day. "I'd call it, right on time."

Viktor sighs in exasperation, and Jayce chooses then to come out of the kitchenette, a mug in each hand. "Oh, good morning. Are you ready to finish everything up for the deadline tonight?" He asks, like an unaware asshole (affectionate).

Reader's face goes through the five stages of grief. "Uh, deadline...?"

Jayce, like the unaware, workaholic he is, simply strides up to the chalkboard to hand Viktor his mug of sweetmilk, all whilst sprouting information about an enormous research paper they had been aware of, but knew still needed half a dozen sketches and polishing before it could be submitted.

"Ah." Reader says eloquently, which draws Jayce's concern. "I thought that was due in next week."

"I'm afraid not." Viktor interjects, voice uncharacteristically soft, as if he expects them to begin freaking out. Which prompts them to make a point not to, simply because he had been expecting it, and that man was right about too many things already.

They take in a deep, calming breath instead, and take a sharp drag from their warm drink. "Right then, time to clock in. No one look at me, breathe near me, or acknowledge me until it's done, got it?"

"Can I interrupt you to bring you drinks at least?" Jayce asked, expression totally serious.

They pause to think about it for a moment. "Only once I've done half of it, or I'm actively crying from eye strain. Whichever comes first really."

The day progresses. Reader gets on with their work, Jayce and Viktor get on with theirs'. At a glance, it seems like nothing is wrong.

But then when Jayce comes round with the drinks and begins insisting on a break, Reader becomes snappish with him. He notices that they keep alternating between taking off their uniform jacket, and dragging it back on and as well as their coat with increasing frustration. It isn't cold in the lab today, not to Jayce anyway, and yet he's fairly certain they're shivering. And what's even more concerning, is that Viktor doesn't even have goosebumps, which he is notorious for having, sometimes even with the heating on.

Reader who asks for a herbal tea during the break with a hoarse voice, instead of their usual caffeine monstrosity, which has Jayce's eyes widening in shock, and Viktor's head snapping up from his textbook, the pair exchange concerned looks from across the room.

Reader who has begun rubbing at their eyes, with a small frown, but continues to finish drawing after drawing of their assignments for that day.

Jayce being reluctant to step in, since he'd been conditioned with the spray bottle to offer help only when it was asked where his lab partners and their work were concerned. He reasoned that they were an adult anyway, and would no doubt step away from their desk when they truly reached the end of their tether.

Viktor who realises he is the one who is going to have to step in.

Reader who has just finished up yet another sketch, has moved it to the side with the others, and has taken up their pencil to begin another.

"That's enough for now. You need to take a break." Viktor tells them firmly, approaching their desk.

They sigh, pencil momentarily forgotten, as they rub at the bridge of their nose. Viktor couldn't help but notice just how exhausted they looked. Their complexion has severely deteriorated since they came in this morning. Eyelids heavy, movements sluggish.

"You know I can't, V. We have Councilor Medarda coming in the morning, and the sketches for this proposal need to be completed in time to be scanned onto the paper."

"Maybe, but you've already done most of them. We can get by with a sketch or two less than usual."

"I have no doubt you could, but that doesn't mean you should."

"Y/n-"

"Just leave it! Please? The sooner I get these done, the sooner I can go home."

Viktor sighed. "You know we won't hold it against you if you're a day behind-"

"Oh, don't be a hypocrite, Viktor." They interrupted him, tone sharper than he is used to hearing from them. "Just last week, Jayce had to bribe you out of the lab when you went on a sixteen hour deep dive into some theory you had."

With a tight snort, they turned away to pick up their pencil.

Viktor's brows furrowed as his grip tightened on his cane. "Don't be cranky with me."

"Then leave me alone to work." They tiredly replied, "you're in my light."

A heavy sigh from Viktor as he pointedly does not step out of their light. "Jayce, hit the lights."

The sheer absurdity of the command, gives Reader pause.

"Wha-what? I am literally doing this for your paper?" They try to complain, time within which Jayce had diligently crossed the lab and has flicked off the lights, then he's heading in the opposite direction to the windows, where he begins to draw the blinds.

Reader lets out a hysterical little laugh. "You two are so weird sometimes."

Jayce comes back to their desk, a big shadow amongst the silhouettes of the desks and lab equipment. Perhaps this wasn't their smartest idea to go blind in a science lab of all places, but Viktor reasoned it was the only way to get Reader to physically stop doing their job.

"Right, pick something to work on for the next few hours," Viktor says to Jayce, "I'll email Councilor Medarda that we need more time, then we're heading over to Y/n's place."

"Excuse me? When did I invite you over?!"

"When you started being a brat." Viktor returns easily, before spinning on his heel and carefully navigating his way back to his desk. His eyes are already pretty much adjusted so it's not too much trouble.

Reader groans. "You're not listening to me." They complain. "I can push through and get it done for the deadline tonight. I'm just a little tired."

"I am sure you could." Viktor replies. "But as a hypocrite, I must remind you that your health comes before any work you need to do or complete."

Jayce approaches Reader's desk, steps loud and audible so they won't get jumpscared by him. With care, he takes the pencil from their hand and sets it down on the stack of papers waiting to be completed. "V is right."

"Not you too Jayce."

"No, listen. The deadline is nowhere near as important as your health. You'd done a lot of work already, more than enough, so let's just leave it at that today."

Reader glares at him. "The next time one of you gets a cold, I don't want to hear any shit about me being overbearing."

Jayce smiled, and Reader immediately crumbles.

With a heavy sigh, they sit back in their chair. "Fine. But you cannot say I didn't try to get this done."

Basically, they bully Reader into leaving the lab early. They're reluctant to go, so the boys decide 'fuck it, lets take some work and go back to Reader's place to make sure they get some rest'.

Cue the boys going to work in the living room after herding Reader to their room and ordering them to take a nap.

A nap which morphs into fitful sleep, as Reader's body steadily declines. They begin coughing full force. Tossing and turning. Getting too hot. Then abruptly shivering from how cold it suddenly gets. Getting up to pee. Checking the time, before going back to bed. Briefly resurface for pain meds. Realise that time has BAREKY moved since they last checked and now they're just BORED! They try to go back to sleep again.

Reader can feel themselves getting sicker as their voice begins to strain and hurt, but their mind is still active.

They have weird fever dreams. They keep waking up, and not really knowing where they are.

Jayce and Viktor are passed out in the living room when Reader cracks open their bedroom door, suddenly ravenous for food, and wrapped in a heavy blanket with bare feet. They pad down the hall of the flat to the kitchen, where they pull bread out of the cupboard and begin wolfing it down slice by slice. Somehow it is EXACTLY what they wanted to eat. Just solid enough to feel nice on their sore throat, without aggravating it further. Their throat is shot from coughing, tight and uncomfortable with every swallow, but their hunger wins out over the pain.

Then they shift their attention to the medicine cupboard, pulling down a new brand of painkillers and filling a glass of water to wash it all down.

They dread dragging themselves back into that sweaty bed, envisioning more hours of boring tossing and turning. Of throwing the covers off when the heat threatened to boil them, all before scrambling to drag them back and hunker down when the coolness became frigid.

Instead of going back to their bedroom, they drag their ass into the living room, where their co-workers are passed out on the couches. The couches THEY want to curl up on and catch some sleep. Jayce - as always - was taking up the entirety of his, whilst Viktor was sat upright, feet on the floor with his head thrown back and resting on the backrest, which couldn't have been comfortable for his neck.

Deciding that Jayce was in too deep of a sleep to even attempt at waking, Reader shuffles over to Viktor and lightly nudges his good foot with their toes. His head rolls towards them, eyes fluttering open to frown up at them.

"What is it?"

"Got bored."

He scoffs. "Only you could get bored of being sick."

They shrug. "I need a change of scenery." They explained, before sliding a hand out from beneath their blanket cloak to motion to the couch beside him. "Can I sit there?"

Viktor glanced down at the empty expanse of couch. "Wouldn't you prefer to lay down?"

"Are you offering up your lap as a pillow?"

His brows jumped up to his hairline at the bold question. And if they had been in their right mind, they might have rapidly backpedalled and tried to pass it off as a joke. But as they were, tired and waiting for the painmeds to dull the ache in their skull, they didn't have the energy to spare to save face. Besides, they knew that Viktor was the kind to jab someone with his cane rather than allow them to make him uncomfortable.

"I suppose." Viktor said after a long moment of drawn out thought.

"Great. Thanks." They replied before crawling onto the couch cushion, curling up on their side whilst pulling the blanket more fully over them and plopping their head into his lap. Luckily, most of their face landed on his good leg rather than the one encircled in the brace, but either way, Viktor didn't protest. Almost immediaely, they could feel themselves relaxing into the comfort of the couch, as a hesitant, nimble hand gently lowered itself to their temple. With an absent hum, Viktor checked their temperature before letting his hand card through their sweat damp locks.

Again, they can't find it in themselves to care, their cheeks burn with fever, and yet goosebumps erupt up their forearms. They can feel themselves shivering, even under the blanket.

"-get them anything?" Jayce's voice filters in as their mind begins to resurface from weird dreams consisting of drawings that walked off of pages and a disturbing version of Jayce with no eyebrows.

"A cool flannel perhaps." Viktor's voice rumbles from somewhere closer to their ears. The gentle slid of fingers against their aching temple feels strangely soothing. "And some more painkillers with a glass of water."

"On it."

Footsteps pad away from the couch.

Groggily, Reader peels an eyelid open to find the curtains to the living room drawn against the strong sunlight, leaving the room comfortably dim.

"Finally awake, I see." Viktor muses, his hand carefully pushing their hair away from their forehead.

Jayce comes back into the living room. His jacket and boots off.

Viktor encourages Reader to roll onto their back, their head still comfortably pillowed in his lap. Jayce sets the glass of water and the pills on the coffee table, before kneeling down beside the couch. With careful, broadcasted movements, he lays the cool flannel over Reader's sweaty brow, who shivers at the feeling. The coldness is refreshing, even as it has their forearms to erupt into goosebumps.

"I'm surprised V let you lay here for so long. His bedside manner is usually atrocious."

"It's because I was given no choice." Viktor carefully corrected.

Reader huffs out a weak laugh. "I didn't say it out loud, but he could probably tell it was either let me lay down or he'd find himself on the floor."

"You would not have been able to wrestle me to the carpet in your current state." Viktor corrected sharply. "You looked like death warmed over."

"And I felt like it." Reader agrees. "Just admit it V, you've got a soft spot for me."

Jayce is watching them bicker with fondness in his eyes. Knelt beside the couch, he carefully peels up the flannel, flips it over and reapplied it to Reader’s forehead, who sighs in relief at the freshness.

Viktor's brows loosen ever so slightly as they melt back down into his lap. "I certainly do not hate you." He said, sounding like he was compromising, rather than simply agreeing with them.

"And THAT is as good as a declaration of friendship coming from you."

He tutted, and then shifts. "Up. My leg is stiff and I need to walk around."

"But I'm comfortable."

"Too bad. I've tolerated your thick head for several hours too long."

Jayce helps sit them up, Viktor grabs his cane and hauls himself up with a deep, pained groan, his brace's gear grinding and clicking as his joint turned. He stays looming over the couch for a few moments, testing his leg, whilst Jayce gets Reader a cushion to lean against instead.

I like to think that they take it in turns to bully each other into self care. So if someone gets ill, or burnt out, the other two become makeshift nursemaids and threaten and blackmail them into going home to rest for a bit. Following them home if it is required of them.

I also know in my bones that Jayce is the kind of dumbass to be too cuddly with someone who was sick with 9/10 lands him the same illness a matter of days later, and the cycle continues.

Next part