#but I put a lot of effort on Felipe's

[merakinest]

CLONE HIGH: Is it really called OCs if they are LITERALLY clone of real-life people?

Oh Look!

They are doing the hand thing

Characters in that order:

•Si (clonefather: "White Death")

• Diane (clonemother: Princess Diana of Wales)

•Felipe(clonefather: Rey Felipe el 2° de España/King Philip the 2nd of Spain)

•Mila (clonemother: "Lady Death").

[bodorogi]

Prize Giving Ceremony | Felipe Drugovich

warnings: none really, fluff, maybe mentions of alcohol

word count: 1.8 k

note: special thanks to my friend and editor @clemswinecorn4r, who helped me so so much and without her I wouldn’t have finished this in at least 2 years.

I looked up at the gorgeous building that the annual prize giving of Formula 2 and Formula 3 was held in. Our team; MP Motorsport, won both the team’s and the driver’s championship this year and I had no choice but to attend. Not like I mind showing up in a nice dress in Monaco to have a taste of the rich life. As I stepped inside, I could already see Ollie Bearman chatting with the Leclerc brothers all three sipping the champagne that is given out at the entrance.

“Did you know that the drinking age here is 18?” I asked Ollie after the brothers left us.

“I’m really close to 18, okay?” he replied.

“Like 6 months?” I asked with a huge smile, remembering how drunk he got at a club after Monza.

“Closer than you are!”

“Young man, you are being rude.” I nudged his shoulder.

“You started it, old lady.” he chuckled. “But doesn’t matter how old you are you still look good.”

“Thank you, Ollie, you look handsome.”

“I’m guessing you have to go.” he after spotting the golden boy of my team in the background.

I made my way over to Felipe Drugovich, winner of the Formula 2 championship this year, and the one that I had to stick with the whole evening. He looked lost standing in the hall, all by himself. His expression changed as soon as he recognized me. He looked like he found who he was looking for.

“What are we supposed to do now?” he asked me after greeting me with a hug.

“I don’t know, just chat around, you know.”

“Chat with who?” he stared at me, terrified with big eyes.

“I don’t have a list of people you have to talk to. We could introduce you to some new people maybe?” Felipe gave me the same horrified look. “Or… we could try to find some familiar faces from MP or even some Aston dudes?”

“Who is coming from MP?”

“Umm… Not sure, they only told me about is Sander Dorsman.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea.”

“You must be right. How about we talk to Victor Martins? I see him just now.” I nod in the direction of the Formula 3 champion.

“Do we really have to?” he asked me with a tortured look.

“I will help if it gets dull. That’s what I am paid for.” I grabbed his elbow and dragged him towards a group of people.

“Ah, here is our other star! Hello Felipe how are you?” asked Bruno Michel as soon as we arrived.

“Excellent, thank you.” said Felipe with a flawless smile, and then giving me a side-glance, that could kill. I always find it difficult not to giggle when Felipe is forced to socialize. He always needs somebody by his side, but he manages to do the job just fine himself. I’ve known him for three years now, and I had stood next to him countless times on occasions like this one, supporting him.

I took a sip of the champagne I’ve been holding since my arrival and finally took my time to check him out. He took things casually, but I could still see that he put a lot of effort into his appearance. I even thought he made a great decision with choosing a black shirt instead of a traditional white one.

There was something unusual about him that I just couldn’t figure out. He was glowing in a way. He looked like he was enjoying the conversation I dragged him into. Something I never thought would happen. Or maybe, after countless occasions he was able to fool even me into thinking he enjoyed himself. That thought disappointed and scared me at the same time. After complaining for almost a whole year about how much he missed my assistance while he was with another team, he was fine. He applied the techniques I taught him to deal with anxiety, subtly fidgeting, while keeping that perfect smile on his face the whole time.

It reminded me of something I wanted to keep out of my mind; this is my last time working with him. He won the championship, and he is leaving. I have known that for a while but it never hit me as hard as that moment. Highly unprofessional of me to be upset about it. But somehow, in the last three years we have grown a bond, making us more than just work mates. I really liked him as a person, as a friend.

His laugh snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly looked around and everyone was looking at him, with bright smiles and some even politely laughing. But his eyes were glued to me. I had absolutely no idea what joke was made, but it looked like Felipe was the one to make it. And I was supposed to laugh too. I didn’t even realize that I lost my smile somewhere in my thought process. I took a sip again to hide my embarrassment as everyone carried on talking. From the corner of my eye, I could see Felipe still looking at me confused, but I chose to act like nothing happened.

With more and more people to arriving, and the small circle we were standing in, started to grow bigger and bigger, as everyone wanted to join the two champions. Finally, Laura Winter stepped on the stage and asked everyone to find their assigned seats and get ready to start.

The MP family’s table was right in the middle, visible to everyone in the room, alongside ART and Prema. The three teams that clenched a title this year. I sat down right next to Felipe and Jen. Everyone was politely chatting to their neighbors, or in some cases to somebody that was sitting on the other side of the table.

The lights got dimmed, a signal that the ceremony will begin shortly, and everyone finished the sentence they have started.

Felipe looked at me, smiling, enjoying the spotlight for once, but with fear in his eyes. Without words, I reached for his hand under the table and pulled it into my lap to hold with both of my hands. His eyes widened with surprise but he held my hand and squeezed it twice. I started playing with his ring, which seemed like a reasonable way to pass the boring moments, but I just ended up not paying attention, and not clapping when I was supposed to. And Felipe didn’t clap either. Seeing me terrified, he untangled our fingers and just placed his hand on my thigh. I hesitated, but put my palm on the back of his and, not wanting to let go of his touch.

“It is definitely easier to clap this way, right?” he mumbled so only I could hear.

I would lie if I gave any opinion about the ceremony, since I don’t remember anything other than Felipe’s thumb circling on my skin. I also remember feeling cold when he sometimes took it to clap, and once when he went to collect his trophy.

Once everyone got their awards and trophies, they asked the stars of the evening to gather for pictures. Felipe stood up and when he realized I wasn’t planning on joining him he bent down to whisper in my ear: “Are you seriously not coming with me?”

“Well… Uh, you have company, and I only have to accompany you when you would be alone otherwise.” I suddenly forgot how to speak English when he pressed a kiss on my cheek and said “You are an idiot. I want you to come.”

I closed my eyes for a second to gather my thoughts. I slowly stood up and face Felipe, him holding his arm out signaling for me to cling ono him. And I did.

“Looks like someone is very quiet this evening.” he murmured with a mischievous grin.

“Looks like someone decided to be unhinged this evening.” I responded, suddenly finding my voice.

“I have to shoot my shot, you know. I live on a rock that spins really fast.”

He guides me toward the few people that are already at the couch that they decided to use as a photo-corner.

“Felipe! Congratulations, I didn’t have the chance to talk to you yet.” said Fernando Alonso, greeting Felipe like an old friend. “And sorry, who are you?” he asks looking at me.

“Felipe come, please!” the photographer shouts, and as Felipe excuses himself, I am left with Fernando and George Russell, both staring at me, waiting for me to introduce me.

“Oh, sorry, how rude of me. My name is y/n, I work for MP Motorsport, as a social media manager basically.” I shook both of their hands.

“I knew you looked familiar.” George exclaimed. “You have been in this position for some time now, right?”

“For three years now, so yes, you could say.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I believe we have to go.” Felipe placed a palm on my lower back and guided me towards the exit.

“We can’t just leave Felipe! Half of these people are here to celebrate you!” I yelled at him as soon as he opens the door for me.

“But I want to be with you.” he said in a low voice.

“How many drinks have you had?”

“One?”

“Are you asking me this? Or are you asking yourself?”

“Why are you trying to change the subject? y/n, we really need to talk.”

“It can wait. Don’t get me wrong, I know we have to, but this is not an appropriate time.”

“Why? I have waited months and honestly, I feel like I wasted these months.”

“Months?” I felt my heart dropping to my stomach.

“Yes. But now we won’t be working together anymore. y/n, I think I am in love with you. And I hate the thought of you being away from me. Which may sound a little selfish, but I was hoping you would feel the same. So would you go on a date with me?” he asked anxiously while stepping closer to me.

“Felipe…” I breathe out.

“y/n, you know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. No pressure or anything, I just really wanted to tell you, okay?”

“No, it is not like this. I just don’t even know what to say and I really want to kiss your right now.”

And I did kiss him. Or perhaps he kissed me? Or perhaps it happened at the same time. It didn’t matter, because as soon as our lips met there was no way back. Suddenly all the puzzle pieces fell into place. I felt that this was right. He was right. I arrived to the destination I didn’t even know existed. It was home.

“You’re shivering. Let’s go back and from now on if anyone asks, you are my date.” he pulled me in for another kiss.

“That’s so stupid.” I said with the widest grin ever.

[tboycamilo]

in the spirit of the season (mutuals posting about their encanto aus) i wanted to post about mine bc i love them and am not active enough on here and wanna change that bc sharing my stuff is fun! so without further ado here they are lol

next gen au

pretty self explanatory. the story outlines what all the madrigals (mostly the grandkids) are up to in the years following the movie. mirabel gradually takes on more of a leadership role as time passes and eventually becomes the matriarch after alma's death and with enough time to prepare for the role. under her leadership, the madrigals are less shoehorned into roles and are encouraged to express themselves more freely, but being the leader still isn't easy and things still aren't perfect - while alma is still alive, mirabel often finds herself going to her for advice and repairing their bond further in the process. she also gets a gf (lorena), i've been playing around with the idea of her being an outsider that finds her way into the encanto but i would have to flesh that plot out a little more before i make it official. dolores eventually marries mariano, but only on her terms - she realizes quickly after the movie that though she loves mariano, she wants to take things slow, and mariano is more than happy to respect that. he puts in a lot of effort to understand how her gift works and help her out with it whenever he can, and for once, she feels like the one being heard. isabela, now free of her old role as the golden child, begins to let her more adventurous side out, exploring the outskirts and forests of the encanto to observe the plant life. she hones her gift and is able to bring even more exotic plant species to the encanto and starts up a very successful garden. she also ends up marrying two village women - lilli and rosa - and the three of them adopt a daughter, jacinda, together and spoil her rotten. lilli runs a flower shop and isa helps her out immensely with this. luisa finally learns to take it easy, prioritizing rest and relaxation after so many years of working hard to serve the community - though she definitely still loves to lift and hang out with the donkeys in her spare time bc old habits die hard. she probably takes over the care and raising of the donkeys as a whole bc they love her. she marries a village woman, inés, and they adopt two daughters, valentina and ciela. camilo is actually the first grandkid to settle down - he marries his childhood best friend and love of his life marco, and the two of them have six children together - amelia, imelda, brunito, ignacio, felipe, and sofia. they have their hands quite full with fatherhood but on top of that marco works as a teacher at the encanto's school while camilo continues to volunteer in the community, eventually becoming the drama director and soccer coach for the school. antonio grows up and starts his own animal sanctuary in the encanto that becomes wildly successful. he enlists dolores' help to scope out any injured or sick animals in the forests and nurses them back to health at the sanctuary, and he often accompanies isa on her trips to the forest to keep taxonomy records of the encanto's diverse wildlife. he never had much of an interest in romance - though plenty of people swoon over his kindness to the animals - but he is very fulfilled nonetheless and couldn't be happier helping take care of his animal friends. i have a more detailed timeline and bios for the kids that i'll be posting eventually but this is the main rundown of where the grandkids are at years down the line!

swap

essentially follows the plot of the movie but the sides of the family swap roles. instead of alma, pedro is the head of the family. pepa has the gift of healing food and felix is her clumsy husband, camilo is the golden child with the wonderful floral gift, dolores is the middle child with the gift of super strength, and antonio is the baby of his side of the family, cursed to a giftless existence (and being the main character of the storyline). on the other side of the family, julieta's emotions control the weather while agustin keeps her calm, luisa is the eldest with the ability to hear a pin drop from miles away, isabela is the mischievous shapeshifting middle child, and mirabel is the youngest member of the family and gains the ability to speak with animals. bruno is still bruno.  did i make this au entirely to put camilo in pretty pink outfits and make him a mean annoying gay? maybe.

pirates

the warm color family is a fearsome and renowned pirate crew descended from the notorious husband-wife pirate duo alma and pedro madrigal (the latter is dead and the former has long since retired), with pepa as the captain and felix as the first mate. pepa was estranged from her mother and siblings in her youth as she attempted to learn more about her parents' past, and she soon set out on her own to live the pirate life that alma tried so hard to keep her children out of. in the meantime, julieta and her family form their own rival crew and set sail in search of pepa to take their vengeance. bruno tries his best to be a good mama's boy and stay home, but he is soon taken hostage by the fearless captain hernando, a legendary pirate who has feuded with both madrigal sisters and their crews for a while now. he grows rather fond of his bargaining chip over time and bruno eventually becomes the captain's lover and first mate. when the sisters finally put aside their squabbles and unite to save their brother from their enemy's clutches, it's a very awkward family reunion. also everyone has their gifts and uses them to help their crew in one way or another. eventually when the two sides of the family unite, the grandkids take up a ship of their own with mirabel as the new captain. 

roommates

marco and camilo are college roommates with luca and alberto. that's literally it no linear plot just vibes. luca is a first year astronomy student, alberto is a second year student and undeclared, marco and camilo are third years and marco is majoring in education while being on the soccer team and camilo is majoring in theatre (🤢). alberto and camilo despise each other but also camilo is lowkey crushing. camilo and marco are already dating and alberto and luca are also definitely together but heavily in denial about it. they fight over dishes being left in the sink and decorate their dorm all cute

the fall 

wrote a ten chapter fic about this one so read that if you wanna know what it entails but tl;dr au where the family never recovers after the fall of casita and they go their separate ways, with dolores camilo and isa fully moving out, their whereabouts unknown - until, ten years later, mirabel takes it upon herself to track them down, reunite the family once and for all, and save the miracle for real this time. will she succeed? what have the runaways all been up to over these past ten years? read it and find out i'm not telling you! also this fic/au is quite old compared to the others so no marco 😔 fly high king 

mamma mia 

the silliest dumbest most self indulgent au ever. camilo centric of course. the storyline is literally just mamma mia but with camilo. he has twin daughters and one of them (ima) is getting married and wants to invite her other biological father to the wedding - the only problem is she doesn't know who that is, and if camilo's old diary describing all his old hookups in detail is to be believed,  there's three possibilities - marco osma, dante velazquez, and nicolas sorelli (the latter two are ocs, i'll probably post their bios at some point lol also nicolas is trans so he's definitely not the other dad but he's stealth so he's just going along for the ride). she invites all three of them to her wedding and they reunite with camilo for the first time in twenty years. drama ensues. camilo marries marco at the end regardless of if he's the dad or not (but he probably is - they never find out for sure). isa is tanya (so lilli is pepper ofc) and mirabel is rosie (except she doesn't end up with one of the dads at the end bc she actually respects herself). ima's fiancées identity is yet to be determined bc i don't have a partner oc for her but i do know she's a lesbian so. gay greek weddings! camilo in overalls! love wins!

runaway camilo 

this one is a rewrite of the canon plot to a degree but not really enough to be considered a full on au. plays with the scrapped concept of camilo looking completely different after the fall of casita that didn't make it into the final movie, which is like one of my favorite concepts ever especially because of how easily it plays into trans camilo. in this rewrite, camilo has basically used his gift to masculinize himself perpetually since his ceremony, which all but cures his dysphoria - that is, until casita falls, he loses the gift he had become dependent on, and it all blows up in his face. he's unrecognizable when the dust clears, and rather than be seen in such a state, he flees the scene and goes missing just around the same time as mirabel. the family is split as pepa and felix go looking for their son while the cool color family goes looking for mirabel, and both are found within a few days - camilo in the depths of the forest, skin scraped and clothes ragged from running into the forest with reckless abandon, practically digging his own grave and ready to give up for good. when he's found, it takes a LONG time for him to allow anyone to see him, much less recover from the trauma. the rewrite basically involves these events and the aftermath. luckily camilo does get his gift back when casita is rebuilt but the scars are forever and he probably still has nightmares about losing his gift well into adulthood and has to learn to become comfortable going without his gift for short bouts of time in order to get more comfortable lest the worst case scenario happens again! more or less a transmilo angst fest add-on to the main plot of the movie. mimi needs a hug 💔

[maranello]

Why is Santander the root of all evil 😗 very curious to know

Sigh. Okay. Just know that I am not un-biased and I am just. tired and fed up fed up with Ferrari F1 shenanigans. Buckle up, kids, this is going to be a long one:

1. In the two periods of Santander's relationship with Ferrari (2010-2017; 2021-current), we have seen a Spanish driver in a Ferrari seat, questionable-at-best management decisions and from the pit wall, the phrase "internal politics" underlie every conversation surrounding why Ferrari has not won another title since 2007/2008, while Red Bull somehow are snagging consecutive titles. Did I mention our cars are not performing well either?

So if I had a nickel. For every time this has happened. I would have two nickels. And two times is not much in the grand scheme of things, but it is in the span of 15 years. Like. 10 out of the 15 years. You know, the very same 15 years since Ferrari last won an F1 title.

I personally think if you have not won a title in 15 years maybe you should stop doing the same things that have not won you a title in those 15 years. 2. Putting the viscerally unsavory flashbacks of longsuffering tifosi and outright conspiracy theories aside, to put it bluntly: Santander Group, a Spanish bank, had been the title sponsor (first period) and is one of the the biggest sponsors (current period) of Scuderia Ferrari F1. When you are such a big sponsor, you have a say in things, and Santander have a vested interest in seeing the Spanish driver they are backing to succeed at Ferrari. Now, whether that is in Scuderia Ferrari's best interests or gives it the best shot at winning anything is a different matter— The board and the management of Ferrari are obligated to contend with what Santander wants. It would be wrong to assume that Santander can single-handedly call the shots in Ferrari as a big sponsor, but it would also be wrong to deny that they can, possibly do, and likely have played a part in the famed internal politics of Scuderia Ferrari in the time(s) that they have been sponsors. 3. It is one thing to say that Silverstone 2022 was "gifted" to Carlos Sainz Jr. But another to highlight what Santander's official account posted under Ferrari's post praising Charles' efforts in the race (after the pit wall royally screwed his race up with a win on the line and more importantly, a championship, mind you, at that point, still to play for):

While we always have to keep in mind that official social media accounts are often just corporate personas and are very deliberate about what they do to get your sympathy and your engagement— What can you possibly gather from a comment like that?

I want to see Scuderia Ferrari consistently challenging for and winning championships again. I want to see decisions being made that support this goal. At that point in 2022, Charles was still our best and realistically only shot. To see a comment being made like that so blatantly on an official account that could (and from a PR standpoint, should've!!!) easily be using corporate teamwork language?

It was hard to give Santander the benefit of the doubt that this partnership, this time, does enough to serve Ferrari in its goals rather than obstruct it. And a large part of that is also on management for not being firm with how much input to take balancing what a sponsor wants and what is good for the team.

4. The bulk of the issues that Ferrari fans have with this whole Santander situation has a lot more to do with Ferrari's internal politics getting in the way of doing what needs to be done on a management level to win - and the way that affects the relationship of Ferrari with other talented drivers, such as Kimi Räikkönen (which this article someone dug up on Twitter from 2012 goes into) and Felipe Massa, whom I need you to remember was not just some almost-world champion of 2008, but was considered one of the very best talents of his generation and groomed to be the heir of Michael at Ferrari in 2006.

This is not a knock at "Santander-backed" drivers or to say they unfairly got their positions and brought nothing to the table. I, for one, have a soft spot for the Fernando Alonso years because he was the first Ferrari driver I actually got to see race in person. He came so close to the title in 2010. And to this day I still have no idea how he was a title contender to the end with that car in 2012. And clearly in the year of our lord 2023, you see he still has that killer drive to get to whatever team it takes that can give him the best shot at winning and still has all the talent in the world + experience as a 2X F1 world champion/Le Mans winner today to back it up. (I would have loved to be watching him race if I could bear to look at Formula 1 this year with how Ferrari is doing.)

Charles Leclerc is, to the tifosi, and I believe to good part of Ferrari itself and many who had been a part of Ferrari, special, though. He is a generational talent. He has grown up through the ranks of Ferrari's own driver academy and is the very first to make it to the works team, in a very short time too. To many of us longsuffering Ferrari fans, it seems that surely, provided he has the right car and a good team in the pits and on the wall, he will bring the championship back to us. If Ferrari cannot win with him, who has been steadfast and loyal even through a rough year like 2020 and has performed nothing short of miracles with a shitbox of a car, then Ferrari's the problem. And the biggest problem being things—whether it is internal politics (largely) or ego (also huge) or plain bad decision making (I don't know how to fix this) or technological development (least of our problems really, Ferrari is capable of producing good cars)—keep getting in the way of Ferrari fixing its problems and winning a goddamn championship.

So, we are at Santander Ferrari 2: Electric Boogaloo. Charles' current 5-year contract is ending in 2024. If, let's just say, poor decision-making from the pit wall at crucial moments costing not just wins but potential championship contention, internal politicking that seem to leave a legendary racing marque completely unable to get out of a 15-years-and-counting deep hole it keeps digging further, technological developments that despite sacrificing seasons for keep missing the regulations and even when it gets marginally right will ultimately be sniped by poor pit wall calls or the FIA & co. anyways, etc., Charles, who has taken the brunt of a lot of blame off the shoulders of the team and repeatedly reiterated his dedication to winning the title with Ferrari, decides to look elsewhere—

Do you see why alarm bells are ringing for Ferrari fans?

I feel that it's just such a misrepresentation to say that all the reaction we have been seeing against Santander are just Charles Leclerc fangirls looking to discredit Carlos Sainz Jr., making up conspiracy theories about "Sainztander," and bullying his fans etc. Santander meddling in Ferrari is not a newly invented narrative nor is it a completely unfounded suspicion by salty fans.

To me, Ferrari will always come first. Ferrari always should come first. So it is great when the interests of big sponsors, drivers, the management, and the team itself all align. It is also incredibly rare. This entanglement with Santander, from 2021 onwards, just increasingly feels like a mistake because it seems that—and I hope to God I am wrong—Ferrari has not learned anything from our first stint with Santander, and it will cost us.

5. So we arrive here: the morning of April 15, 2023.

Lapo Elkann, with his wild eyes and tattoos, colorful personality (and personal history) to match the blazers and pants he wears, has been in a lot of contact with his brother John Elkann, the chosen heir of the Agnelli family of Fiat fortune, recently. After a period of rather unusual quietness on his usually busy Twitter— perhaps coinciding with the various woes that have been falling upon family-owned sports franchises named Juventus FC and Scuderia Ferrari, of which he is an avid and active fan of— Lapo has returned to the public light, tweeting his thoughts on anything that he sees fit, punctuated with pithy uses of CAPITALIZATION and a variegated arsenal of emojis 🔥♥🙏👀.

AND SO, on this fine morning of April 15, 2023— nearly two weeks after a disastrous Australian Grand Prix to forget for Scuderia Ferrari— Lapo Elkann tweeted thus:

Ferrari 🏎️ needs ❤️ Seriousness and [a] Winning Team in the Pits and Outside it's time to WAKE UP enough with politics and games like this WE WILL NEVER WIN ‼️ ‼ ‼ ‼ ‼

Is—

Is that—

Mamma mia.

Here we go agai—

[alianoralacanta]

Coulthard, Sato and Pit Stop Misadventures: Spanish GP (14-05-2007)

Context: The blog plugin for the forum received an upgrade, including shiny new mood and activity indicators! I mostly used it to state what I was reading at the time, because I was and still am a bookworm. (In case you are wondering, my current reading is:

Travel reading: The Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain by Ian Mortimer

Home reading: "No Offence But…" by Gina Martin

e-Reading: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

"Light reading": GP Racing, August 2024)

I'd spent most of the weekend trying to persuade my undergraduate dissertation to print off the computer (I'm not sure if my alma mater has an online copy - it probably does - but since I didn't write it under my psuedonym, I hope you will forgive me for not linking to it). Thus, I'd been on an adrenaline high when I finally succeeded. "Most" of the weekend, because I'd also watched the Spanish Grand Prix, where the accidental comedy had leavened things nicely…

Coulthard, Sato and Pit Stop Misadventures: Spanish GP

Sleep

Reading The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil

No Category

Firstly, I apologise if I doze off in the middle of this entry - I've spent a lot of today convincing an unreliable computer system to print off a 2800-word essay (I managed it and handed it in with one minute to spare - don't ask!)

The "Oh no it's all falling to pieces" feeling must have struck David Coulthard at some point during the race, as his Red Bull once again attempted to thwart his efforts to finish a race for once. I was very impressed by his ability to almost maintain the same speed minus third gear as he had with it - and fifth is a great way to finish the first race his midfield car has finished with him in it.

I particularly loved James Allen's comment just before the gearbox issue manifested himself; "This is the best performance we've seen from David since… [pause] …er, the last time we saw a good performance from him a few weeks ago." This proves three things:

1) Walkerisms still sound funny, even when Murray Walker isn't the one saying them 2) four weeks is too long to wait between races 3) David Coulthard is going through one of the best phases of his career - not that the points scoreboard shows that right now

Speaking of good performances from rarely-rewarded people, Takuma Sato put in a lovely race from 13th to 8th. With all the attention ITV lavished upon Anthony Davidson and Jenson Button, you could have been fooled into thinking the guy who'd outqualified both of them didn't exist.

At least, until Sato took Giancarlo Fisichella's 8th place off him and scored Super Aguri's first point ever. Even I, a Fisi supporter who thought that it was unfair that a malfunctioning pitlane device should have put him in that position, could not begrudge Takuma his just reward for a great drive. It seems that Takuma is currently having more success with his self-orientated team than Jacques Villnueve did at BAR. That is a credit to the staff at Leafield as well as to Takuma.

Returning to the pitlane, I was rather miffed at the stuff that was happening in the pitlane - and not just because the Renault rigs forced both Giancarlo and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen to switch to the slower three-stop strategy mid-race. No, the incident that really got my blood boiling was Massa's portable barbecue.

It is rare for a fuel hose to do that sort of thing, and it was dangerous for both the Ferrari and the McLaren mechanics (the fire had nearly burnt itself out by the time Felipe went alongside the McLaren staffers, but it could have so easily been a considerable amount worse. Intertechnik are not in my good books right now, and I'm sure they're not in Ferrari or Reanult's good books either.

BMW could not blame Intertechnik for their Carry On moment - they caused that one by themselves. How Nick managed to miss the front-right jack man not raising his hand is a minor mystery (not that it was really his fault, but…). How he got away with getting it around the track minus the front right wheel nut without being a hazard to anyone or damaging his car is a major one. (On the upside, the shot of the Toyota mechanic holding the nut aloft, in his best "Has anyone lost something?" posture, was priceless).

It has to be said though that the Spanish GP has been the most interesting race for me all season. I'm not sure what that says about the three flyaways, except that I am now looking forward to Monaco with renewed vigour.

On the blog front, you may have noticed that I have recently added a menu on the right-hand side of the blog screen. With access to a blogroll and the site policy, it should help make things that little bit more enjoyable. Please tell me if there's any other changes you would like to see.

Oh, and I broke the 2000-visit boundary today. I think my involvement in the wider blogosphere may have a lot to do with it, but I am pleased to see so many enjoy my site. Please come as many times as you like, and I hope you'll be here when I celebrate the next milestone (and for the more serious entries in between).

Wow! I managed to stay awake for all that. I'll just go and have a lie-down now…

La Canta Magnifica Blog - After the very interesting Spanish GP, Alianora La Canta looks at two of the stand out drives of the race (David Coulthard and Takuma Sato), as well as the unintentional action down the pitlane.

[theradicalscrivener]

How has life at 4'8" been for Caleb?

It's required a lot of adjustment. He went from being one of the tallest guys around to being one of the shortest. With the exception of the occasional little old lady, pretty much every adult he encounters is a good deal taller than him. He's currently about the same height as a ten year old. Like, he's shorter than most middle schoolers.

In fact, it's not uncommon for people to mistake him for a child despite the way he dresses. He has a nice office job, and likes to dress the part with the standard button up and slacks. Add onto this the fact that he's built and typically has a decent bit of scruff, it can be a bit jarring to see him. People who approach him thinking he's a child taking the bus by himself quickly realize their mistake when they get a look at his face, and once they realize that he's an adult, they typically take a closer look and realize that the guy they thought was a chubby kid, is actually a dude who is built like a brick shithouse but only comes up to their chest.

Interpersonal stuff gets a little weird for this reason. As I said, people tend to assume he's a child at first until they get a better look at him, but things are also a bit akward around the office. People he has worked with for ages, were suddenly greeted to the sight of him significantly smaller than he was before! The first shrinkage was easy enough to explain away as like, oh, maybe I just imagined it. Or oh, he's wearing shoes with less support. The dip from 6'3 to 6'0 is easy to justify especially when he was still significantly larger than most of his coworkers. However, the drop from 6'0 to 5'7 caused people to do a double take. He had lost nearly half a foot overnight! Then he comes back a few weeks later having dropped ANOTHER foot in height! People knew something weird was going on, but no one was really sure how to broach the subject. So conversation at the office and in the breakroom are awkward because there's this constant nervousness about if someone should mention it. There's some bets going around in the office as people all have theories about it. The current winning theory is that he has some kind of degenerative cellular disease similar to something like osteoperosis which is causing him to dwindle, and since it's impolite to bring up serious health issues around the office, people don't dare ask him directly.

Ignoring the interpersonal issues altogether, though, Caleb is fascinated by the world at his size. Things like getting up onto the bus suddenly require actual effort. For the first few days after his shrinkage, he would constantly catch his foot on the step onto the bus since his muscle memory was planning on the stair being a few inches lower than it actually was.

Similarly, he has had to get into the habit of using both hands to hold his mug for his morning coffee. It's just so huge and heavy in his hand that he no longer feels comfortable holding the mug by the handle. Instead, he slides his whole hand into the gap between the mug and the handle so that the top of the handle rests on that crook in his hand between the thumb and pointer finger and uses his other hand to hold the bottom and keep it steady.

And of course, there are plenty of things that he is now just too small to handle by himself. He can't put the dishes away without a step stool, nor can he get the blankets off the top shelf of the closet without a ladder. It's so inconvenient to drag a ladder or step stool around, so he usually has to ask Felipe for help.

Whenever he has to stare up at the upper shelves and ask his boyfriend for help, he is reminded by how much size he has lost, which excites him, and given how he is surrounded by things that remind him that he has shrunk, the idea of shrinking further is pretty much constantly on his mind. It's like an intrusive thought that he can't quite shake no matter how much he tries. As he sits at the table every morning and sips from his coffee mug as if it was a soup bowl, his mind wanders to the bottle that sits on the highest shelf in the house.

Some day he will have another dose. It's no longer a question of if anymore. He wants it, and he can't shake his desire for more... or less in this case, but he also knows that that will be a massive step. Potions aren't an exact science. In fact, they aren't a science at all! Magic can be unpredictable as he had seen from his second and third doses. Each shrinkage was more powerful than the last. Given his prior track record, the next dose would knock off roughly two full feet of height! He'd be less than three feet tall! He'd be nearly eye level with Felipe's cock... which as you can imagine is a very hard image to get out of his head.

[artistnotthemuse]

Dear Jack,

You're younger than what I was when I had my first break-up. I was 17, ready to head to university, and you were 15, ready to pick your high school subjects. It doesn't sound like a lot, but think about who you were 2 years ago - it's a considerable amount of time and change. You've always been mature, but maturity, I'm afraid counts for nothing when it comes to heartbreak. Heartbreak (and I'm not saying that every break-up equals heartbreak. As you so eloquently put it, 'shopping when you're hungry' doesn't mean things are serious or even a good idea) is an emotion, not a thought. Emotions we feel in our body and in that tight, empty space in our chest. We don't feel them in our brain, even if our brain generates them (in the amygdala. In case you were wondering).

I'm sure there are more qualified people out there than me to give relationship advice. I'm also definitively sure that if we take out all citizens of the world, and leave it to your immediate family, I'm a strong candidate for advice in this sphere. For one, I am happily engaged, and planning my wedding to the love of my life. For another, I don't harbour disappointment, grudges or the deep sense that the love I give will never be equally returned to me. One last advantage I have is the fact that this relationship feels like the least amount of active work I've ever had to put in. Please don't mistake this for 'no work' - all relationships take effort and sincere action - but I'm saying that some group projects are easier than others. And a long-term partner is really just one of the longest group projects of your life.

Deciding if a partner is the right for your most important group project - your life - is hard and something that you'll face, likely more than once. I read this recently in a book about marriage and commitment (One day, I'll lend you my copy of it. Right now, you've got bigger things to worry about, like real group projects):

"When I first started in the jewelry business," Felipe went on, "I used to get in trouble because I'd get too excited about the one or two perfect aquamarines in the (bulk) parcel, and I wouldn't pay as much attention to the junk they threw in there. After I got burned enough times, I finally got wise and learned this: You have to ignore the perfect gemstones. Don't even look at them twice because they're blinding. Just put them away and have a careful look at the really bad stones. Look at them for a long time, and then ask yourself honestly, 'Can I work with these? Can I make something out of this?'" - Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert (p.129)

Elizabeth Gilbert, the writer of the book this quote came from, is an icon in her own right, and one of my many, many writing celebrity-crushes. Everything she writes touches you deeply - in that tight chest cavity - as you read it. And while I've only had 3 relationships longer than six months (present one included), Liz has had strings of bad relationships (and has even been divorced. Side note: Divorce is no more a moral failing than deciding to change your job). Which, when you even out our experience and combined advice, gives you some decent odds of this being good advice.

When it comes to a partner, thinking about what you love and like about them is great - and it should be easy. If it's not easy to think about what you love, you're either dating the person out of boredom, settling or being abused (and life is far too short for either of the three). For the right person, spend time thinking about some of their worst qualities. The things that you want to wish away, the things that make your relationship challenging, the things that are just down right annoying or shameful. The conflicting beliefs. And ask yourself - Can I work with these? Can I make something out of this?

In my own relationship, these bad stones are occasional angry outbursts, minor rigidity and a sometimes too practical approach to everything. These stones I can work with. I can make an amazing life out of these stones.

[jcmarchi]

Going Dutch on climate

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/going-dutch-on-climate/

Going Dutch on climate

When MIT senior Rudiba Laiba saw that stores in the Netherlands eschewed plastic bags to save the planet, her first thought was, “that doesn’t happen in Bangladesh.”

Laiba is one of eight MIT students who traveled to the Netherlands in June as part of an MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI)-sponsored trip to experience first-hand the country’s approach to the energy transition. The Netherlands aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, making it one of the top 10 countries leading the charge on climate change, according to U.S. News and World Report.

MITEI sponsored the week-long trip to allow undergraduate and graduate students to collaboratively explore clean energy efforts with researchers, corporate leaders, and nongovernmental organizations. The students heard about projects ranging from creating hydrogen pipelines in the North Sea to climate-proofing a fuel-guzzling, asphalt-dense neighborhood.

Felipe Abreu from Kissimmee, Florida, a rising second-year student studying materials science and engineering, is working this summer on ways to melt and reuse metal scraps discarded in manufacturing processes. “When MITEI put out this notice about visiting the Netherlands, I wanted to see if there were more advanced approaches to renewable energy that I’d never been exposed to,” Abreu says.

Laiba notes that her native Bangladesh has not yet achieved the Netherlands’ nearly universal buy-in to tackling climate change, even though this South Asian country, like the Netherlands, is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels due to topography and high population density.

Laiba, who spent part of her childhood in New York City and lived in Bangladesh from ages 8 to 18, calls Bangladesh “on the front lines of climate change.

“Even if I didn’t want to care about climate change, I had to, because I would see the effects of it,” she says.

Key players

The MIT students conducted hands-on exercises on how to switch from traditional energy sources to zero-carbon technologies. “We talked a lot about infrastructure, particularly how to repurpose natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen,” says Antje Danielson, director of education at MITEI, who led the trip with Em Schule, MITEI research and programming assistant. “The students were challenged to grapple with real-world decision-making.”

The northern section of the Netherlands is known as the “hydrogen valley” of Europe. At the University of Groningen and Hanze University School of Applied Sciences, also in Groningen, the students heard about how the region profiles itself as a world capital for the energy transition through its push toward a hydrogen-based economy and its state-of-the-art global climate models.

Erick Liang, a rising junior from Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood pursuing a dual major in nuclear science and engineering and physics, was intrigued by a massive wind farm in the port city of Eemshaven, one of the group’s first stops in the north of the country. “It was impressive as an engineering challenge, because they must have figured out ways to cheaply and effectively manufacture all these wind turbines,” he says.

They visited German energy company RWE, which is generating 15 percent of Eemshaven’s electricity from biomass, replacing coal.

Laiba, who is majoring in molecular biology and electrical engineering and computer science with a minor in business management, was intrigued by a presentation on biofuels. “It piqued my interest to see if they would use biomass on a large scale” because of the challenges and unpredictability associated with it as a fuel source.

In Paddepoel, the students toured the first of several neighborhoods that once lacked greenery and used fossil fuel-based heating systems and now aim to generate more energy than they consume.

“The students got to see what the size of the district heating pipes would be, and how they go through people’s gardens into the houses. We talked about the physical impact on the neighborhood of installing these pipes, as well as the potential social and political implications connected to a really difficult transition like this,” Danielson says.

Going green

Green hydrogen promises to be a key player in the energy transition, and Netherlands officials say they have committed to the new infrastructure and business models needed to move ahead with hydrogen as a fuel source.

The students explored how green hydrogen differs from fossil fuel-generated hydrogen. They saw how Dutch companies grappled with siting hydrogen production facilities and handling hydrogen as a gas, which, unlike natural gas, does not yet have a detectable artificial odor. 

The students heard from energy network operator Gasunie about the science and engineering behind repurposing existing natural gas pipelines for a hydrogen network in the North Sea, and were challenged to solve the puzzle of combining hydrogen production with offshore wind energy. 

In the port of Rotterdam, they saw how the startup Battolyser Systems — which is working with Delft University of Technology on an electrolysis device that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and doubles as a battery — is transitioning from lab bench to market.

Laiba was impressed by how much capital was going into high-risk ventures and startups, “not only because they’re trying to make something revolutionary, but also because society needs to accept and use” their products.

Abreu says that at Battolyser Systems, “I saw people my age on the forefront of green hydrogen, trying to make a difference.”

The students visited the Global Center on Adaptation’s carbon-neutral floating offices and learned how this international organization supports climate adaptation actions around the world and the practice of mitigation.

Also in Rotterdam, international marine contractor Van Oord took students to view a ship that installs wind turbines and explained how their new technology reduces the sound shockwave impact of the installations on marine life.

At the Port of Rotterdam, the students heard about the challenges faced by Europe’s largest port in terms of global shipping and choosing the fuels of the future. The speaker tasked the MIT students with coming up with a plan to transition the privately owned, owner-inhabited barges that ply the region’s inland waterways to a zero-carbon system.

“The Port Authority uses this exercise to illustrate the enormous complexity faced by companies in the energy transition,” Danielson says. “The fact that our students performed really well on the spot shows that we are doing something right at MIT.”

Defining a path forward

Liang, Abreu, and Laiba were struck by how the Netherlands has come together as a country over climate change. “In the U.S., a lot of people disagree with the concept of climate change as a whole,” Liang says. “But in the Netherlands, everyone is on the same page that this is an issue that we should be working toward. They’re capable of seeing a path forward and trying to take action whenever possible.”

Liang, a member of the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team, is doing undergraduate research sponsored by MITEI this summer, working to accelerate fusion manufacturing and development at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He’s improving 3D printing processes to manufacture components that can accommodate the high temperatures and small space within a tokamak reactor, which uses magnetic fields to confine plasma and produce controlled thermonuclear fusion.

“I personally would like to try finding a new solution” to achieving carbon neutrality, he says. That solution, to Liang, is fusion energy, with some entities hoping to demonstrate net energy gain through fusion in the next five years.

Laiba is a researcher with the MIT Office of Sustainability, looking at ways to quantify and reduce the level of MIT’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 3 emissions are tied to the purchase of goods that use fossil fuels in their manufacture. She says, ​“Whatever I decide to do in the future will involve making a more sustainable future. And to me, renewable energy is the driving force behind that.”

In the Netherlands, she says, “what we learned through the entire trip was that renewable energy powers the country to a large amount. Things I could see tangibly was Starbucks having paper cups even for our iced drinks, which I think would flop very hard in the U.S. I don’t think society’s ready for that yet.”

Abreu says, “In America, sustainability has always been in the back seat while other things take the forefront. So going to a country where everybody you talk to has a stake (in sustainability) and actually cares, and they’re all pushing together for this common goal, it was inspiring. It gave me hope.”

[f1]

Haas F1 Team awarded FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation

Haas F1 Team have been awarded the FIA’s highest level of environmental recognition with a Three-Star Environmental Accreditation, joining the likes of Sauber Motorsport, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin. The FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme began in 2011 and helps motorsport teams and companies measure and improve their sustainability. There are three levels of Accreditation, with Haas having been awarded their second star in December 2021 and earning their third star after an audit in December 2022. READ MORE: Susie Wolff announced as new Managing Director of all-female F1 Academy series Measures taken to progress from Two-Star to Three-Star Environmental Accreditation include being powered by 100% renewable energy in the UK, with 80% of lights replaced by LEDs, saving energy and reporting carbon emissions, minimising unnecessary travel outside of the race calendar and optimising logistics to reduce carbon emissions. “I’m very proud of the team for achieving FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation, putting in a lot of extra work during the busiest season of Formula 1 to-date, to ensure we meet this important target,” said Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team. "I’m very proud of the team for achieving FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation," said Haas boss Guenther Steiner “It’s the highest level of sustainability accreditation awarded by the FIA to its stakeholders, and this has only spurred us on further to review policies and procedures to ensure we remain a benchmark for others. It yet again demonstrates that Haas F1 Team is a small but mighty team and that’s thanks to the passionate taskforce leading our sustainability efforts.” Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said: “I would like to congratulate Haas on this fantastic achievement, becoming the latest team to gain the highest level of sustainability accreditation from the FIA and demonstrating their dedication to creating a more sustainable sport. “Formula 1 has its own commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030 and while we have made huge strides towards this goal there is much more to come as we continue the on the journey, including the introduction of advanced sustainable fuels in 2026 which we believe will have a huge impact on the wider automotive industry, and it's great to see the teams aligned in our aims and making great progress in sustainability.” READ MORE: Formula 1 launches new F1 Unlocked platform for fans ahead of 2023 season "Formula 1 has its own commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030 and while we have made huge strides towards this goal there is much more to come as we continue the on the journey," said F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali Felipe Calderon, President of the FIA Environment and Sustainability Commission, added: “It is encouraging to see the commitment shown by Haas to achieve greater standards in their sustainability programmes, and show that they have put in place best practice to continue to develop these standards further moving forward. “That more and more Formula 1 teams and motor sport stakeholders are working towards the very highest three-star standard is testament to the importance of the programme as we all work towards a more responsible and sustainable society – we have the platform to be leaders and pioneers in this vital mission to create a better world for us all." READ MORE: Formula 1 and Tottenham Hotspur FC join forces to find the next generation of F1 drivers via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[creativewriting-group4-setb]

BLOG POST #7 Titled "Group's Reflection for Creative Writing"

•ROSI ONA

-"Looking back and thinking about all of the lessons that were discussed and all of the activities that we did as a group in creative writing, we've really acquired a lot of valuable knowledge that is applicable not just in the context of academics, but also in real life.

Some of the lessons that were taught to us this second quarter in creative writing are just recap of what was taught to us during our junior high school days. Repetitive as it may seem, it is actually very helpful to us. It did a very good job in filling the gaps of our knowledge about certain topics.

The only problem that we had was when we were doing group activities. It was a little bit hard to communicate with each other. Honestly speaking, we didn't really have a very strong bond or what we called "chemistry" as a group. Of course, the imbalance of work distribution and contribution exists, which shouldn't be happening but as we know it, it always happens most of the time in any group activities. But despite this, we were able to do and finish all of the activities as a group, and that's what matters the most."

•JOSH DOE

-"Taking a creative writing class was a good way for me to express my thoughts and feelings onto paper, as well as read my other classmates stories. Reading stories created by other people lead me into their mind brain to experience what type of writer they were, it was an overall exquisite class. I believe that every person has a way of expressing who they are through writing stories of their own, fiction is the best way to express your creative imagination. Because i sometimes imagine something and because of our activities, we've accomplished more, and especially if i understand and value creative writing because it's helpful to how well I make poems and short stories and this subject we can improve, creative writing enhances my logical skills and develops my creative thoughts."

•CRESTING

-"I believe that writing stories gives you more of an appreciation and understanding for a good book. All of the ideas that make a book come alive is from one author with an amazing imagination, who can captivate someone’s mind and tuck them into their world for a few hours. Every day in class I was allowed one hour to dedicate my time into a story, it is almost like entering your main character’s mind and acting as if it was you."

•FELIP JR.

-"One of the few things that I've learned is how you make a poem like a simple poem it's difficult because sometimes i don't know how to make them and also learned a few thing about sensory image short story is kinda difficult for me because i don't know how to start and when to start I'm not a creative person but i I'll do my best."

•MENMA UZUMAKI

-"Creative writing allows us to explore new worlds, characters, and emotions. It's an outlet for imagination and allows us to connect with readers on a deeper level. Whether it's a poem, short story, or novel, creative writing gives us the opportunity to express ourselves and bring our unique perspectives to life. However, it's important to remember that creative writing requires effort and dedication. It's not just about putting words on paper, but about crafting a story that engages and captivates the reader.

•INARA

-"Doing the tasks in this subject, Creative Writing, augment my knowledge and hone my skills a lot. Every work that we did was really helpful for me to learn more and be careful on writing creatively. It was fun to do these activities with people who are so passionate and professional in making group works. I hope we all make it and still keep on learning in the foreseeable future."

[unluckyhoneybee]

omg congrats for 1k!! you deserve it so much, it’s so clear how much effort and love you put into your writing. defo partly why a lot of people love it (as they should).

as you are one of my fav marcus writers i thought it was write to make a request for him. maybe prompt F. “Shyly touching their hand under the sheets/ blanket”? But actually this happening under the tablecloth during lunch or dinner w other drivers after a race. acting kind of shy bc you met marcus bc you’re friends w one of the other drivers and you just started going out w marcus. ofc if you don’t like it you can change it :)

The 1000 Celebration this is so cute

F. Shyly touching their hand under the sheets/blanket tablecloth.

You were sitting with in front of Logan, your best friend. You were always with him. He had given you a job so you could travel with him. That meant that you were around the other guys so often. So so often. That's how you met Marcus.

It had barely been three weeks since you had started seeing each other. But you liked him a lot. He was charming and cute, always smiley.

It was so nice to spend time with him. He always made you laugh and feel comfortable, so it wasn't weird when you found yourself sitting with him on the table and almost forgetting about the others.

"Hey, what's going on with you two?" Felipe asked from his seat.

Marcus laughed.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you are there all cosy and giggling. Something is clearly going on"

You slowly grabbed Marcus hand under the tablecloth.

"Well... We are getting to know each other" Marcus said.

You smiled and bit your lip.

"Like... Dating?"

"Yeah, kind of" You answered.

Marcus looked down and your and threaded his fingers with yours. Both of you were there all shy, thinking the others hadn't notice, but instead, your friends were looking at you with smiles and sharing looks because you looked like two kids in loves.

[drabbles-mc]

Family Time

EZ Reyes x Reader

Request by the wonderful @ly--canthrope: Shopping for the coming baby and the reader and him are giggly, soft, soon-to-be parents and they end up decorating the nursery together that afternoon and their dog is with them and gets curious about the baby bump and then curls up on the reader’s chest, protecting her because she is the valuable one

Warnings: EZ being a super sweet and cute human, a protective doggo, and baby fever

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: We love a little baby fever for our boy!! EZ would be such a phenomenal dad and you cannot convince me otherwise. Also did I do a little projection with the nursery decorations?? Possibly.

EZ Taglist: @noz4a2​ @queenbeered​ @sincerelyasomebody​ @sadeyesgf​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @appropriate-writers-name​ @tomhardydallasstarsgirl​ @multiyfandomgirl40​ @sillygoose6969​ @louisianalady​ @gemini0410​ @paintballkid711​ @chibsytelford​ @yourwonkywriter​ (If you want to be added to the tags for any of my writing please let me know!)

“Oh but wouldn’t this look cute on the wall above the crib?” you pointed at the framed picture on the top shelf.

EZ smiled, shaking his head, “I just wanna know, Querida,” he walked over to you, resting his hand on your ever-growing baby bump, “how much Winnie the Pooh stuff are you planning on putting in our baby’s room?”

You laughed, placing your hands on top of his, “As much as I can!” you rubbed your stomach lightly, “How long have you been thinking about decorating the nursery?”

He shrugged, “Ever since you told me that you’re pregnant.”

You nodded, “Right. So you’ve been thinking about this for about seven months. I’ll even say a year, since we started talking about kids. But, I, on the other hand,” you laid your hand against your chest, “have been day-dreaming about decorating my baby’s nursery ever since I knew I wanted to be a mom. I got lots of ideas in here,” you tapped the side of your head.

There was a soft smile on EZ’s face and you could feel the love radiating off of him, “I love you,” he leaned in and kissed you.

You smiled, “I love you too.”

He stood up on his toes, reaching the top shelf that you couldn’t and placed the frame in the cart, “But you realize the nursery isn’t that big, right? I mean, we’ll still need somewhere to put the actual baby when they get here.”

You laughed, shaking your head, “There will be room. Besides, babies are small. They could fit anywhere.”

EZ laughed, “I’m not sure that that’s the mentality we should be having,” he leaned against the cart, “How about we take this stuff and cash out. We can head home and start decorating the nursery, and if when we’re done we still have room, we can come out shopping again next week and I won’t give you a hard time about not having room to put the baby somewhere. Deal?”

You smiled, resting your hands on your stomach, “Deal.”

The two of you pulled into the driveway of your house. The second that EZ cut the engine on the car you could hear the dog barking inside. You chuckled to yourself, shaking your head. He knew the sound of EZ’s car and yet, despite the countless days he’s heard EZ pull into the driveway, he still loses it every time it happens.

EZ comes over and helps you out of the car. For a while you would try to wave him off, saying that you were pregnant, not incapable. But he would continue to insist, so eventually you stopped fighting him on it. You asked if there were any bags that he’d let you carry in, knowing that he wouldn’t let you do the One-Trip Olympics like you had before you were pregnant. He smiled, handing you the smallest bag as he collected up the rest of them. You rolled your eyes with a smile as you left him to his devices.

You made it to the front door, turning the key in the lock. You tried the best you could to stand off to the side as you opened the door, knowing that your dog was going to fly out into the yard and head right over to EZ. He’d always liked EZ more and you had never really questioned it—EZ was the one who brought him home from the shelter, after all. He was nice to you, but very rarely did he ever get cozy with you.

He came tearing out across the lawn and was attempting to jump on EZ despite the fact that he had multiple bags in each hand. EZ laughed, trying to carefully step around the shepherd that was jumping at him, “Down, boy. Easy.”

He was refusing to let up so you whistled, calling him over to you, “Apollo! Come!”

The dog whipped his head back around to you and slowly trotted over. You stood just inside the door to the house, coaxing him in so that EZ could walk in peace. He trailed happily behind the two of you, sniffing excitedly at the bags that EZ was carrying.

“Looks like we have an extra helper for decorating,” you laughed as Apollo sat in the doorway of the nursery.

“If only he had thumbs,” EZ chuckled.

Both of you looked around the nursery. Painting was already done—EZ had enlisted Angel’s help with that. They’d let you help with that solely because they hated doing the taping. Over the course of a weekend the three of you had turned the previously blank walls of the nursery into a forest scene. While it was for the baby it would be the 100 Acre Wood to keep with your Winnie the Pooh theme, but it was a neutral enough paint job that it could grow up with your child. At least, that was the way that you had pitched the idea to EZ.

The big things had already been put together thanks to Felipe. He wasn’t going to have either of you fretting over putting together the crib and dresser when those were things that he could easily take care of in an afternoon. He’d even attached a mobile to the crib, and also went out and found a nice little bookshelf when you had mentioned it was something you had been thinking of for the baby. He wasn’t always the most verbally expressive man, but you’d never doubted for a second that he loved you and the baby that you had on the way.

“Alright, so what do we need to get into place?” EZ looked over to you for some direction.

You pressed your lips together in thought, “Okay, we need to get the changing table in here, along with the little standalone closet. Plus we got a couple shelves to throw up on the walls. And the string lights. And the framed photos,” you paused, “Oh and the reading corner with the chair.”

“So…the whole room,” EZ laughed as he rested his hand on the back of his neck.

You smiled walking up and kissing him on the cheek, “We don’t need to get it all done today. We got time.”

He rested his hands on your bump, smiling, “Not as much as we think, Querida,” he didn’t take his hands off of you as he continued to talk, “I’ll take care of the changing table and the closet to start. If you want to find a place for the string lights and stuff, I can bring in the chair afterwards and we can work together on the reading corner, okay?”

You nodded, resting your hands on top of his for a moment, “Sounds good. Thank you for doing all the heavy lifting, EZ.”

He laughed, shaking his head, “You’re carrying the most important thing. The least I can do is move some furniture around.”

You were able to hang up the lights and even a couple of the framed photos as EZ got the bulkier furniture all situated in the room. He was right—the nursery wasn’t a huge room, but somehow it still didn’t feel cramped despite all of the things that you were moving into it. It felt cozy, and you couldn’t want for the three of you to spend time there.

“Okay,” EZ took a deep breath, “where’s the chair going?”

You gestured to where the string lights were, “I figured over there? That way there will be some nice soft light while we’re in here reading.”

He smiled, nodding, “Sounds perfect.”

You hated that you pretty much just had to sit back and watch him do everything, but you knew that even if you tried to assist he’d shoo you away. After he situated the chair, he sat down in it and looked around the room. He nodded in approval and waved you over. You crossed the room to meet him, interlocking your fingers with his. He attempted to pull you onto his lap but you shook your head.

“I’m two people now, EZ,” you laughed, “I’ll crush you.”

He rolled his eyes, “Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. I’m way too strong to be crushed. C’mere,” he tugged at your arm.

You sighed, wanting to pretend that you were annoyed with his persistence but you really loved it. You took his hand in yours and tugged him towards you, “I’d be so much more comfortable just cuddling with you on the couch. You deserve a break from all the hard work anyway,” you lifted his hand to your lips and placed a kiss on his knuckles, “The little stuff can wait until tomorrow.”

The two of you got situated on the couch. You were leaning against EZ’s side, his arm wrapped around you so that he could keep you close but also feel any motion that the baby made. For a few weeks already you had been feeling intermittent kicks, and the sensation never got old. You loved how excited EZ got every time that it happened.

“You’re still okay with not knowing ahead of time?” you asked him as you rubbed your hand over your stomach.

He smiled, nodding, “I like the surprise. No matter what they’re going to be so loved,” he kissed your temple, “Just like their mother.”

You smiled, settling back into him, “I love you.”

He pressed his lips to the side of your head again, “I love you too.”

You both returned your attention to the show you were watching. Every now and then you’d feel a small kick in your stomach, and you’d look over to see EZ with an ecstatic smile plastered across his face as he soaked in the moment. He’d lightly trace his thumb along your stomach for a few moments before his eyes returned to the TV screen.

You heard the jingling of a collar and suddenly Apollo was trying to climb into your lap. You laughed, trying to resituate yourself so that the couch could comfortably hold all three of you. Despite your efforts to make space for him to have his own section of cushion, he was determined to lay with his head in your lap. You and EZ both looked at each other and shared a confused laugh, unsure where the sudden bout of cuddliness came from.

His head was nestled against your stomach and thigh. You gently pet his head and neck, reveling in how calm your usually excited pup was. A few minutes passed with all of you enjoying the calm that had taken over your household. Then you felt another kick. You looked at Apollo, and you could tell that he felt it too. You chuckled quietly to yourself as he pressed his nose against your stomach, trying to figure out what had just happened. While his nose was pressed against the fabric of your shirt, there was another kick. His ears perked up and he looked at you as if to ask if you could explain what had just happened.

You scratched behind his ears, “It’s okay. It’s just the baby. You’ll meet them soon.”

He stared intently at your stomach for a few more moments, waiting for something else to happen. When all was still quiet, he laid his head back into your lap. You watched him for a few moments, chuckling to yourself at the way his eyes would dart over to your stomach every so often before he would close them.

“You think he knows?” EZ asked as he watched the whole scene unfold.

You nod, “I think so. He’s getting ready to love someone else in this house more than he loves either of us,” you chuckled, “You’re about to be de-throned, knocked out of the number one spot on his list.”

He laughed, kissing the top of your head, “I’m alright with that.”

[crimsonheart01]

I Promise (Angel Reyes x Female!Reader)

A/N: Shout out to one of my day ones @chaosinourbones​ for this request! Love you boo!! It’s been a hot minute since I wrote for my other tall boy. Let’s hope I do him a world of justice. Enjoy some angsty fluff with our boy! 

Prompt: 22. “How can you possibly look good with snow in your hair?”

Word Count: 2.3K words

Playlist: I’ll Be Home - Meghan Trainor [Spotify] [YouTube]

Warnings: None (surprisingly) 

"I'll find my way back home And light up every tree We will hang our stockings for you and one for me 'Cause Santa called to make sure I'm prepared He said, 'Pack your bags and tell them you'll be late'" I'll Be Home – Meghan Trainor

He checked the time on his phone once last time before reaching out for the double doors in front of him. He shook his head in disappointment at himself. He hadn't meant to lose track of time, but he had a hard time coming up with an excuse to slip away from the boys. Irritated with himself, he closed his eyes for a moment before gripping the handle tightly and propping the door open. He ducked into the gymnasium as quietly as possible. He thanked whatever gods there were that the whole room was covered in darkness, allowing him to post up against the wall unnoticed.

He gazed around, taking note of the varying ages of those in the audience. He smiled. The turnout was amazing. He knew how important this project was and how much effort she'd given to it. Seeing how many people came out brought out a feeling of pride for his community. This was what holidays were supposed to be like.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, he felt the sensation of someone watching. Turning his head, he found his Pops watching him with a keen eye. He smirked at the old man and nodded in greeting. They both turned back to the front of the gym as the lights on the stage flickered between reds and whites. He grinned at the spectacle of the moment.

The stage had been decked out in a perfect replica of a winter wonderland. No doubt to set the scene. He watched as dozens of kids lined the stage and began to sing out loud and proud. He couldn't stop the chills that covered his arms and the broad smile that grew. It wasn't every day that they got to see a production of this stature. It didn't matter that it was just the local community center's holiday concert. Seeing everyone come together to put it on was where the real magic was.

He leaned back into the wall, getting comfortable and enjoying himself. He knew he'd missed the first half of the performances, but he was happy to say that he'd been here for the second bit. It was better than not making it all, a promise he made sure he kept. His gaze roamed over the crowd, and he spotted her almost immediately.

He held back a chuckle at her outfit. She had chosen to go the authentic route with a long-sleeved Henley shirt and puffer vest. He noted the thick wool mittens she wore and the matching wool headband. There was no doubt in his mind that she was sweating, even with the air conditioning pumping through the vents. She took no shortcuts, always going that extra mile to make sure everything fit the scene.

He watched as she mimed the dance moves to the kids, keeping them in step. He let out a quiet sigh as he appreciated her. They were still relatively new in their status, but he knew she was the one. At least, he hoped so. Maybe it was the time of year that had him feeling this way, but he couldn't help but want to parade her around town. Show her off to everyone and anyone.

He'd yet to properly introduce her to the club, unsure of how it'd go. She was nearly a polar opposite of everything that they were. She was his angel. He rolled his eyes as he made the comparison. She should have his name, not him. In his opinion, she was much too good for him. He still couldn't fathom why she gave him the time of day in the first place, but he wasn't going to question it too much. He had her now, and that's what mattered the most.

The concert continued, and he watched with a strong emotion of pride the entire time for her and their community. They did it! They pulled it off. When the finale finally hit, he stood up to his full height and clapped along with everyone else, even letting out a few good-natured hollers in her honour. Once everyone was back up on stage, taking a bow, confetti and fake snow began floating all around them. The crowd roared with awe and wonder.

He found himself staring at her, melting at the smile she was sporting while she stood there. She'd outdone herself. Everyone would be talking about this night for weeks to come.

He kept himself sparse as the auditorium emptied. Finding an available seat off to the side and stretching his legs out in front of him, all while he admired her from afar. He wasn't interested in interrupting her, not while she was being congratulated by everyone, young and old. He carried around a specific reputation, and he wasn't ready to sully hers.

He ran a hand through his hair, knowing full well she'd tell him he was ridiculous. She never saw a problem with who he was. She knew he lived a very different life, that there was a lot of danger in his way, but she didn't believe that reputations determined who they were. He wanted to believe her, but there was always that voice in the back of his mind telling him otherwise, telling him that it was too good to be true and to take advantage of what he had with her before it was gone.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a hand resting on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Pops watching him and where his eyes had been glued a moment before.

"This who you've been hiding?" Felipe surmised.

Angel furrowed his brow, "No one's hiding anything."

Felipe stared at his son, his eyes telling him that he understood the situation exactly. Angel scoffed and shrugged the old man's hand off him. He shook his head and swallowed, attempting to ignore the sympathy in his father's gaze. Felipe took the hint and took a step back. Both men looked back up to the first row of seats, where she was standing and speaking animatedly with a few parents.

With a deep inhale, Felipe nodded and turned, "Give yourself the benefit of the doubt."

Angel clenched his teeth at the words of advice, annoyed at his father’s perceptiveness, but nodded his head as his father walked away. He wasn't hiding her, far from it. He was keeping her safe, at least that's what he was trying to convince himself of.

~(MMC)~

She'd spotted him as she took the stage in the encore and was overjoyed that he made it. She knew there was always a chance that he'd get caught up with the club, but she was happy to see that he found a way to make the event.

As the night wound down, she found herself expecting him to seek her out but instead, she found herself tugged from person to person while he kept his distance. She sighed internally, knowing that he was still in a questioning stage of their relationship. She'd hoped that by now, he'd understand that she wasn't afraid of him or who he was. She knew people had their own opinions, but she knew him better than them. That's what mattered to her. Him. Not everyone else and their beliefs.

She breezed through the stragglers wanting to get their thanks in, and in no time, it was just her and the lone Mayan in the gym. She stood facing the double doors, flattening her palms against each one, ensuring that they were closed. She heard the creak of the chair as he stood up and listened to his footfalls as he went. It took her a minute to realize he was walking away from her by the echo of his footsteps.

Creasing her eyebrows together, she spun around only to endeared by him further. He'd taken that moment to approach the stage and take in the full effect of the décor. She let out a small chuckle as she watched him run his hand through the mess of confetti and snow on the platform. He pulled his hand back and brushed his hands together to rid himself of the flakes.

She took stock of him as she stepped down the middle aisle, noting that he'd chosen to leave the kutte out of his outfit for the evening. It touched her in a way she wasn't expecting. She knew how much the club meant to him that it was his life. The fact that he chose to appear as something different for her production had her chest swell with emotion.

As she neared him, she reached out and toyed with the sleeve of his flannel. Her touch was light but enough to alert him to her presence.

"You made it." She smiled up at him.

He turned towards her and immediately slung his around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"I promised, didn't I?" He quipped, but she could hear a subtle tone of frustration. 

Not wanting to dwell on anything negative, see pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before linking her around his and pulled him in the direction of the steps leading onto the stage, "Come on, take a closer look at everything."

They ascended the stairs together, and she talked him through all the details of the decorations and set up. He kept up with her, asking a few questions here and there but for the most part just admiring the whole thing. She lead him to the middle of the stage, where the spotlight was still shining. Slipping her arm out from around his, she pointed up to where the blankets that held the snow were housed.

They both looked up as she explained how they managed to get it to float instead of just dumping it down on top of everyone. She even chuckled as she noted there were still a few swirls coming down. When she turned back around to face him, she laughed. He arched an eyebrow at her, and she stepped in closer to him. She grinned at him, and he couldn't help but respond in kind.

Reaching up, she thread two fingers through his hair, "How can you possibly look good with snow in your hair?"

His eyes shot upwards even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see what she saw. Her fingers daintily plucked out a few of the fake snow pieces, and she let them crowd the palm of her hand. She held it out for him to see, and he chuckled. He lifted his hand to cover hers, twining their fingers together. She smiled down at the sight.

Using his other hand, he lightly tapped underneath her chin, signalling her to look up. She accepted the gesture and glanced up at him. His dark eyes reflected the bright lights above them and took her breath away. His thumb brushed across her chin, and she bit down on her lip as he licked his. He bowed forward slightly as if he was waiting for her to deny him before clearing the distance between them and pressing his lips to hers.

His kiss was tentative giving her a chance to react to him. She smiled against his mouth and fell into him. She caressed one hand up the center of his chest before fisting the fabric of his shirt in her hand. At her reaction, he let go of all his hesitance and dipped her back, pushing everything he was feeling into their embrace. She clutched at his upper arm with her other hand and let him hold her in his arms.

There was a strong need in his kiss. His passion seeing itself through and making itself known. She poured herself into the moment, wanting him to feel everything she was experiencing by being here with him. He made a small noise at the back of his throat, and it sent a wild thrum through, causing her to hold him tighter. She wanted him to know how much she cared for him. All of him. Everything that he came with.  

Losing himself in the moment, he pulled her back up, their heated connection lost for a moment and spun her around. The remnants of the snow swirled around their feet, and she laughed at the momentum. This was her Angel. This was the man she'd fallen in love with. As the dust settled back around them, she looped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head against his chest.

The sounds of the janitorial staff broke them out of their spell. With a sigh, she loosened her arms around his shoulders and looked towards the doors. Her arms fell away from him, but she made sure to catch one of his hands in hers. She led him off the stage and towards the front of the room.

"I only need to pass over the keys and discuss the finalities with the clean-up crew, and then we can get outta here, alright?" She glanced over her shoulder back at him.

He grinned back at her and nodded, "Sounds good querida."

He tugged her back to him before she was able to break away and kissed her soundly. She felt his smile through the kiss. She pulled back and gave him one last chaste kiss before spinning around to talk to the staff that had shown up. However, she made sure to never let go of his hand as she did so. He was hers, and she was his. Everyone was going to know. She'd make sure of that.

[ilovejevsjeans]

Why there’s far more to Russell than qualifying specialism

The old adage in Formula 1 that the first person you must beat is your teammate may be cliched, yet it rings true. Drivers constantly compare themselves with the man across the garage, knowing the importance of becoming the in-house alpha.

It makes qualifying head-to-head records a valued statistic for many drivers. As pally-pally as Lando Norris was with Carlos Sainz at McLaren, he took some pleasure in pipping the Spaniard on Saturdays across their two seasons together (11-10 in 2019, 8-8 in 2020). Fernando Alonso’s 21-0 whitewash of Stoffel Vandoorne in 2018 meant so much to the two-time F1 world champion that he was still trotting out the statistic 18 months later.

But even Alonso’s qualifying prowess looks workmanlike compared with that of George Russell. In his 46 appearances with Williams , not once has he been outqualified by a teammate. He equalled Alonso’s 21-0 sweep in 2019, when paired with Robert Kubica – a grand prix winner – and leads Nicholas Latifi 25-0 in their season-and-a-bit together. The only F1 teammate to ever outqualify Russell is Valtteri Bottas, who pipped him to pole in their single race together at Mercedes – and we all know who really walked away as the moral winner that weekend…

It has led to the moniker of ‘Mr Saturday’ being attached to Russell by TV types, who then rattle out those statistics like tickets from a slot machine every time he makes it through to Q2. As impressive as his qualifying record is, to reduce his significance to that of a quali-day footnote belies the true power of Britain’s burgeoning F1 star. Last year in Sakhir he offered a glimpse of what he could one day do for Mercedes, jumping in at the last minute and making full use of the tools at his disposal. But to be true world champion material requires a greater contribution: it’s being a leader, rallying those around you, and being a figurehead in the team’s progression in every area.

They are valuable skills which those around Russell at Williams have seen him hone since making his debut in 2019. “He’s just got better and better, and developed almost with every race,” says Dave Robson, Williams’ head of vehicle performance. “Not so much in terms of the driving, that’s always been very strong. But in terms of his understanding of the whole game that we play and everything that we need to get right and we need his help with, it’s just improved endlessly.

“His role within the team is particular, he takes it in his stride in leading that. He’s an excellent asset in all regards.”

The evolution into a leadership role was something Russell was required to embrace quickly. As the depth of the team’s plight became clear in early 2019, there was a contrast in the response of the two drivers: while Kubica – the more experienced, seemingly senior head – subsided into negativity, the junior Russell accepted the state of affairs and got stuck in trying to make a difference.

“2019 was an incredibly difficult baptism of fire,” recalls Robson. “Once he’d got his head around the situation we were in, he was extremely good at being clear about the order of the problems that needed tackling.”

Dealing with a car as devilish as the FW42 helped Russell hone his development skills and feedback, helping the team make big strides in each of the past two seasons and move off the foot of the pecking order in 2021. He even gleaned some helpful slivers of information during his one-race sojourn with Mercedes, feeding back to Williams that it should change its clutch paddle designs after sampling a different steering wheel.

The technical understanding he has forged is “right up there” with the best drivers Robson – once a race engineer to Jenson Button and Felipe Massa – has worked with: “His technical understanding of what the car has to do, how the tyres have to work, and some of the compromises you have to make, is now as good as anyone, I think, in the pitlane.”

It has made Russell not only an important asset to his team, but also to his teammate. Nicholas Latifi joined Williams as a rookie in 2020, and while paired with a younger driver who had just 21 grands prix to his name, he was quickly able to lean on Russell to help his own performances as he got up to speed in F1.

“It’s been hugely beneficial to have a teammate like George,” Latifi says. “Definitely in those opening races at the beginning of the year and throughout the year, [I was] learning from him what I can in the data, seeing what he is asking for from the car, what he thinks the car needs to go quicker, when I was just trying to find my feet and get up to the limit – for sure relying a bit on that information was very helpful.”

Latifi’s confidence may have grown into his second season, but he still finds it a “great help” to have such a strong reference in Russell – even when on the wrong side of the qualifying scoreline. “Part of it just stems from having George as your teammate,” Robson says of their head-to-head record. “He does have an incredible ability to pull something out when it really matters.”

But it is not just Russell’s on-track capabilities that have made him such a powerful and important figure within Williams. The soft skills he has developed off-track, knowing how to best work with the team around him and keep heads up – even through the trickiest of times – has been hugely important to Williams.

“It’s not just his technical input, but also the way he interacts with everyone and his positivity,” says Robson. “Although he can, quite understandably, get frustrated in the heat of the moment, his positivity and general way he is so constructive is very good and exactly what we needed over the last couple of years. He’s played a big role.”

At just 23 years old, Russell has a growing voice and authority that few of his peers boast. It has earned him the respect of the entire F1 grid, evidenced by his appointment as the GPDA’s newest director at the start of this year following Romain Grosjean’s exit from the series, wishing to represent “the younger half of the grid”. Internally at Williams, he has also used his eagerness to speak up to good effect, wishing to make himself heard from day one.

There’s something about him: when he talks, people listen,” says Robson. “It’s important, provided he’s talking about the right thing. Perhaps right at the beginning, he didn’t always get [that] right, but it didn’t take him long to suss that out and understand.”

Robson’s comment is another sign of Russell’s willingness and ability to learn from his mistakes, a trait that fits perfectly with the culture built by Mercedes in its evolution to a title-winning F1 juggernaut.

It was something that he has already had to put into action this year, having brazenly pointed the finger at Bottas for their crash at Imola and then proposed a theory that had tinfoil hats quivering across the F1 Twittersphere. On the flight home after the race with Mercedes head honchos Toto Wolff and James Allison, Russell said he was given some “tough love”, but he acted quickly: he apologised, retracted his comments, and vowed to learn from the saga.

It’s exactly the kind of growth Mercedes wants to see, and will undoubtedly be part of its considerations when it decides on Russell’s future for 2022. He is a free agent, as is Valtteri Bottas, the man he would surely replace should Wolff decide the time is right to cash in on his investment.

But where would that leave Williams? Robson does not mince his words, admitting it would be a “huge loss” for the team both on- and off-track.

“It’s been fantastic working with him, right from when we first put him through the evaluation,” Robson says. “It was obvious George had something about him, some genuinely outstanding talent to drive the car. And it’s been probably frustrating at times, but a great journey to be on with him.

“Of course he’d be a massive loss. I think we’ve all put in a lot of time and effort to help him where he needed a bit of help, to guide him, and it would be a real shame to lose that without really seeing the benefits of it in our car.”

CEO Jost Capito says he would “of course” hand Russell the multi-year deal he craves from 2022, should it be viable. “I think he would fit very well to Williams for our future as well,” Capito says. “If he believes in our future, there might be a chance to keep him.”

It is a future that Russell has helped forge for Williams. Steps such as the sale of the team and investment from Dorilton Capital has secured the team’s immediate future, but Russell’s role must be recognised.

Robson agrees, saying he “can take a good amount of credit” for the team’s progress since hitting rock bottom at the start of 2019.

Williams may have a strong history for backing and cultivating young talent, giving the likes of Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, and Valtteri Bottas their starts. But to be the force that helps lift the team out of its hardest moments, acting as the catalyst in its revival, arguably makes Russell the most important of the bunch – even if he doesn’t stick around to enjoy the fruits of his labour. (X)

[felipeandletizia]

December 24, 2020: King Felipe’s Christmas Message.

Good night. I come to you this Christmas Eve when we are experiencing truly exceptional circumstances due to the pandemic.

Many families have not been able to meet tonight as you had thought due to health measures; and in thousands of homes there is a void that is impossible to fill due to the death of your loved ones, whom I now want to remember with emotion and with all respect. A memory that fills our hearts with very deep feelings. And also, at this time, many citizens fight against the disease or its consequences at home, in hospitals or in nursing homes. Today I send you all my greatest encouragement and affection.

2020 has been a very tough and difficult year. The virus has entered our lives bringing suffering, sadness or fear; it has altered the way we live and work, and has seriously affected our economy, even paralyzing or destroying many businesses.

Many citizens and families live the anguish of unemployment or precariousness; the anguish of barely meeting basic needs; Or do you feel the sadness of having to abandon a business to which you have dedicated your life. For all this it is logical and understandable that discouragement or distrust are very present in so many homes.

And yet, the response to a crisis as serious as the one we are experiencing cannot come from the hand of more discouragement or more distrust. The situation is dire. But even so, we have to face the future with determination and confidence in ourselves, in what we are capable of doing together, with courage and hope; with confidence in our country and in our model of democratic coexistence.

We have reasons for this; because over the last decades, faced with serious difficulties, we have always been able to overcome them. And this situation that we are experiencing is not going to be different from the others; because neither the virus nor the economic crisis are going to break us.

Regarding the health situation, it is clear that overcoming this disease will come thanks to science and research. The new treatments against the virus and the development of vaccines that are underway already offer us great hope. But in the meantime, we have a lot to do.

Individual responsibility remains essential and is an effective instrument in the fight against the virus. That is why it is so important to stay alert and not lower our guard.

We once again thank the health workers for their enormous effort, their extraordinary professionalism and their great humanity with the ill. They faced the first attacks of the virus in extreme situations and also overflow in some of our hospitals. Today they continue to face this fight with a great emotional and physical burden on their shoulders. We ask you to maintain all your courage and strength and continue to take care of our health.

The other big problem and challenge is the economic crisis and avoid, above all, that it leads to a social crisis. Each person matters a lot. Therefore, individuals and families must be our primary concern. Especially our young people; their unemployment level is extremely high, and they cannot be the losers in this situation. Our youth deserve to have the most appropriate training, to grow personally and professionally, and to be able to carry out their projects. Spain cannot afford a lost generation.

Protecting the most vulnerable and fighting the inequalities that the pandemic has created or exacerbated is a matter of dignity among those of us who form the same political community. But it will also be essential to recover our economy.

And for this, it is decisive to strengthen the business and productive, industrial and service fabric. The recognition and support of our companies, the protection of our freelancers and merchants, so hit these months, will be essential to create jobs, that job that our country so badly needs. We therefore need to consolidate the foundations that give us a clear horizon of economic momentum, stability and confidence, which encourages investment and the creation of jobs.

The health, economic and social challenges we face are therefore great… enormous, but not insurmountable. Overcoming them constitutes a great national objective that must unite us all; that, as citizens, commits and obligates us all; with ourselves, with others and with our country.

And this requires a great collective effort, a great effort in which each one continues to give the best of themselves according to their responsibilities and to the extent of their abilities.

For this great national effort, we have in the first place what is most important: people; with the example of thousands of citizens who have put their work at the service of others, who have lived these last months with selflessness, commitment and great generosity. People who stimulate our spirit of improvement and of whom we should be justly proud.

All of this has been personally verified by the Queen and I during this time. In the field and in the sea; in towns and cities; in the markets, in the factories we have seen the courage and the nerve of this country. We have felt the pulse of our society which, despite everything, has kept Spain on its feet.

We both have in our memory the living image of those thousands of citizens who represent a society that has felt more united than ever in its struggle and resistance against such an adverse situation; a society that has effective and supportive organizations so that no one feels alone or helpless; a society that has endured these hard months with integrity, responsibility and serenity.

We therefore have a strong society and also a solid state. During all this time, both public and basic services, as well as companies in essential sectors have worked well, trying to put all the means at their disposal. The pandemic has revealed to us aspects that need to be improved and reinforced, but it also shows us our strengths as an advanced State. We have verified this, for example, with the efficiency and dedication of our Armed Forces, our Security Forces, Civil Protection and Emergency services, and many other public servants, who have demonstrated their dedication to service and their full harmony with our society.

And Europe is also very important to face this crisis. We have the European Union, which has made a firm commitment to sustainability and economic recovery in the face of this pandemic. The Union offers us a historic opportunity to progress and advance; opens a new era for Spain to join in a common project to modernize our economy; adapt our production structures to the new industrial, technological and environmental revolution that we are experiencing. And establish with ambition and cohesion our collective role as members of the EU before the world.

And above all we count on our system of democratic coexistence. At a time when the pandemic and its economic and social consequences cause so much uncertainty, our Constitution guarantees us our way of understanding life, our vision of society and of the human being; of their dignity, of their rights and freedoms. A Constitution that we all have a duty to respect; and that in our days, it is the foundation of our social and political coexistence; and that represents, in our history, a success of and for democracy and freedom.

Let us not forget that the advances and progress achieved in democracy are the result of the reunion and the pact between the Spaniards after a long period of confrontations and divisions. They are the result of wanting to look to the future together, united in democratic values; united in an always inclusive spirit, in respect for plurality and differences, and in the ability to dialogue and reach agreements. They are principles that never lose their validity over the years.

And together with our democratic principles and compliance with the laws, we also need to preserve the ethical values ​​that are at the roots of our society.

Already in 2014, in my Proclamation before the General Courts, I referred to the moral and ethical principles that citizens claim from our conduct. Some principles that oblige us all without exceptions; and that they are above any consideration, of whatever nature, even personal or family ones.

This is how I have always understood it, in coherence with my convictions, with the way I understand my responsibilities as Head of State and with the renewing spirit that inspires my Reign from day one.

I have always thought that Spain is an extraordinary country, of enormous wealth and cultural diversity, built over the centuries thanks to the efforts of many generations of Spaniards, and with a great history that has been, for a time, history itself of our world.

We are not a people who give up or resign themselves in bad times. It will not be easy to overcome this situation, and in each house you know it well. But I am sure that we will succeed. With effort, union and solidarity, Spain will move forward. With everyone and for everyone. And, as King, I will be with everyone and for everyone, not only because it is my duty and my conviction, but also because it is my commitment to all of you, to Spain.

It will not be difficult for the year 2021 to improve to this 2020. We are going to regain normality as much as possible in the workplace, in the classrooms, in the squares and in the neighborhoods; in shops, in markets, in bars; in cinemas, in theaters ...; in everyday life that shapes the character of a society like ours.

It's what we all want. And in the assurance that this will be the case, the Queen, the Princess of Asturias, the Infanta Sofía and I sincerely thank you for all the expressions of affection and support that you have transmitted to us this year, and we wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for an especially hopeful 2021.

Eguberri on. Bon Nadal and Boas festas.

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

“YES, I CAN HEAR YOU”

Johnny “Coco” Cruz x Reader

Anon asked: could you write something angsty with angel or coco?

Warning: a little angst.

Word Count: 2.1k

Author comments: I hope you all enjoy. English isn’t my first language, I’m sorry if I have some mistakes with grammar. Gif isn't mine. Also, I didn't study anything about Medicine, but I like drama.

Tag list: @starrynite7114 @chibsytelford @dazzledamazon @mara-mpou 💥 (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)

You didn't see the car, but you felt how you flew off the motorbike, falling into the wet ground. Last thing you saw were two girls screaming and running to you, covered by pain. The agonic kind you feel before die.

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“What happened?!” Coco shouts crying when he finds the doctor. He's being followed by the crew, and Letti being supported by Chucky. She can't even walk without falling down.

“Johnny Cruz?”

“Yes, what happened?!”

“A car crashed her motorbike. She has several bruses, three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and... we had to induce her into comma. The helmet saved her life”.

The world falls down to his feet. His legs trembled. Tranq forces him to have a seat, while the crying of Letti floods thr hallway. The faces of the guys talk for them. Coco is sobbing with his head between his arms, shaking it. No air in his lungs for a few seconds.

“Is gonna get better...?” Creeper asks with trembling voice, something they want and they don't want to know.

“We don't know”.

“What do ya' mean, uh?!” Coco jumps off his sit about to take him by the coat. Taza and Riz hold him apart, trying to calm the youngest.

“Next... hours... are crucial”. The doctor replies scared, walking back two steps.

“Can we... see her?” Letti talks, leaving away Chucky, with her eyes and cheeks covered in tears. The man nods pointing the room. She runs, her father too.

Their lives fall apart when they find you. You're laying in the bed with a tube in your mouth and a lot of cables around your body: connected to some fingers, another in your wrist, two in your nose. The girl has to cover her mouth before start crying loudly. Coco wrapped in his arms tightly, giving her a kiss on top of his head. Angel can't go to the room, he's not ready to see you and it hurts his chest too much.

You've been there for them the last five years, always helping the MC with whatever they asked you for. And Coco's daughter is your bestfriend since you met each other. It's painful can't do anything to help you when you most need them.

“Sometimes, they can listen”. The doctor says, holding your medical record between both hands. “I recommend you talk to her as normal as possible. I mean, talk about how were your day, what movie you saw on tv...”

“Stay with her, brother. I'm gonna do all the paperwork”. Bishop puts a hand on his shoulder, stretching it for a second. “The club will pay everything”.

“You don't ha...”

“She's one of us, Coco. Club decision”.

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Yes, you could hear them.

Members of Stockton, Yuma and Samcro went to visit you. They talked you about how was going everything and telling you that, when you came home, a big party would be waiting you. The longest one with the four charters together. And you would like to smile, to say that will be amazing, but you can't.

Bishop, Tranq and Taza visited you every night. They laugh about something funny happened that day. Maybe Chucky left the crane on and destroyed a car. Maybe Angel got slapped by one of Vicky's girl. Or the recurrent story in wich they tell you that a cat went inside the clubhouse and broke a whole box full of beers, before lick it from the floor.

Riz, Creeper and Gilly went often. Every three or four hour you heard them saying “hi, pequeña, we're here again to bother you”. Sometimes they argued about what tv show is better, or talk about they wanted a new tattoo and you should choose it when you're awake.

The Reyes family always went together. Felipe was the optimist one. He used to tell you about his childhood and adolescence. Funny stories of an old man. EZ and Angel are like your brothers, so seeing you in that kind of conditions was painful. But they were there too, telling you everything was gonna be ok and how much they were missing you.

Letti and Coco made the hospital their home. Bishop ‘gave a present’ to have a bigger room with comfy sofas where they could sleep better. The younger was forced to continue with the high-school, being picked up by Chuky to go back to the hospital. Coco never left you, holding your hand, kissing you all the time. He also cleaned your face every morning and every night. Brushed your hair and put some of his cologne in your pillow to make you felt like you were at home. When he wasn't reading you ‘Hamlet’, 'cause EZ told him was your favourite book, making a lot of additionals comments like ‘shit, baby, everybody dies here’ or ‘what the hell is happening’; he mostly was in silence, blaming himself for what happened that night.

It was raining. A rare storm installed on Santo Padre and the surroundings. You were mad because you came home and he wasn't there, even when he promised you to make dinner and have some free time of the chaos. You had the accident on your way to the clubhouse. Two young girls were driving a car without license. They skipped a red light, tripling the allowed speed. You were there. And, like the doctor said, the helmet Coco gave you for your last birthday saved your life. One of those with full structure wich covered your head, face and neck. But your cross motorbike broke into pieces. But this was the less important.

Because of the shock and the pain, you had a kind of respiratory failure. Your lungs couldn't work. You also broke the left wrist and dislocated the right shoulder. Three splintered ribs, bruises around your body and a lash on the neck. The good news were that you only would need three months of rehabilitation and one for rest, after it. The comma was something preventive.

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“Dammit, mami! You look good in this white pajama!” Coco gives you a kiss on the forehead, laying on the hospital bed, when the nurses have showered you. He puts an arm under your neck, carefully, holding you next to his body.

As the days goes by, you have less cables connected. You also don't need a mask to breathe better anymore and the analyzes show positive results. The crew, your family, are happy and feels better.

“You know, we talked about marriage and this... bullshit, and no following traditions, but white is definitely your color, baby”. He has a smile on his tired face, stroking your hair. “We've to marry, you hear me?”.

Tears running again down by his cheeks, pressing his lips against your temple with all the love he feels for you.

“You...” Your throat is dry and it hurts a little, but you're feeling like life is giving you a second chance. So you take it.

“(Y/N)?” Letti jumps off of the couch, Creeper and Gilly walks to the bed. Coco is looking at you with his eyes opened like never before. Everyone is having a heartattack.

“Fuc... Fucking crybaby”. With a lot of effort you smile being sleepy yet.

“Baby! Mami! Can 'hear me?”

You nod one time, drawing a painful gesture on your face. Everyone goes crazy. Creeper shouts calling the doctor, Letti hugs you and Gilly starts to call the crew by phone. You can feel Coco's hand narrowing yours, kissing your lips once and again desperately.

“Shit, mami, you scared me”. He laughs in tears, while you try to put an arm on Letti's back. “How 'feel? Need something?”

“Wa-Water, please...” You mutter clicking the tongue.

Letti, literally, runs to the table three meters away to take a small bottle. Carefully she offers you directly to your lips with soft sips. Oh, god, it feels like heaven when the liquid falls down by your throat till your stomach. The headache is gone, as the pain that involved your body the last two weeks. The plaster in your wrist is a little uncomfortable, taking a look of it raising the heavy hand in air. You look around confused and kinda anxious. It wasn't a dream. You're really there.

“What happened? Where's my bike?” You inquire, turning your face to Coco with your mouth almost open. By his gesture you know he hasn't any good to say. Licking your inner lip, you nod.

“Two crazy chicks ran you ove’, (Y/N)” He stucks both ankles on the mattress, taking your hand between his to gives you some kisses. He closes his eyes stroking one of his cheek with it. You can see the black shadows under his eyelids and the beard in the jaw.

Moving yourself all you can, you take his other cheek with the tiny fingers, inside the cast around your arm, and a wince, bowing to him. You press your lips against his, softly, in a warm way. You need to say ‘thank you for being my anchor’ without words, and Coco can feel it. You love him. You love him the most and nothing else matters. Hugging him, you start to cry. He couldn't felt the pain in every inch of your body, but you felt every day his. And it was horrible couldn't say you were ok, and you were hearing everything he said to you, hold his hand or move your head.

“This wasn't your fault”. You say, brushing his lips with yours. “Don't say that again. It was those girls, not you Coco. Even the storm has more fault on it”.

“Must have been home, baby... Making dinner, waitin' you”. He shakes his chin, closed eyes, noses lifting perfectly as a puzzle.

“Coco, stop”. You demand kissing him again, before be interrupted by the doctor.

“(Y/N), is good to see you awake. How you feel?”

“Like I learned to fly in the worst way”. Trying to laugh, coughs some times. Letti smiles laying next to you. She missed you too a lot and, by difference, she was who talked you the most. Even Gaby went to see you.

“Sense of humor is a good omen. Do you wan...”

“Oh, god, please don't. I heard it a thousand times”. You beg for a moment. “Wrist, ribs, shoulder, neck, blablabla... How many time do I have to stay here?”

“If everything goes as good as now, maybe in one or two weeks you'll be at home”.

“You hear' that, mami? You should have your meds and do whatever doc' says, to come home next week”. Coco sounds excited, smiling for the first time since one month ago. He kisses you again all over your face, holding you in his arms.

“Enjoying your holidays?” Angel's voice sounds agitated, stopping at the door till your eyes meet.

In two big steps he reaches the bed, while Coco gives you some space to be hugged for the man with a biggest smile in his face. The crew start to arrive too. Jokes, laughs and kisses flood the room. You can see some colorful flowers around, even two huge balloons are floating in a corner. That probably was Riz's idea. You're pretty sure.

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“You good, mami?”

Lights off and one of your legs on his waist. Coco has you between his arms, tightly and warmly. You're finally home, in your bed, smelling again like your favourite human being. Happiness isn't enough to explain how you feel, hidding your face under his chin.

“I always am when I'm with you, papi”. You say in a whisper, tangling your fingers in his shirt to put him closer. “Will you read me tomorrow a little more of ‘Hamlet’? It was my favourite part of the day”.

“'Course I'll do, baby. I'll do anythin' ya' ask me for”.