#including deep instagram dives

[butchmarner]

Who is the gayest PWHL Team?🌈

(Based on my extensive and unprofessional research of players' instagrams lol)

Minnesota: 3 confirmed

Michela Cava- dating teammate Emma Greco

Emma Greco- dating teammate Michela Cava

Liz Schepers- dating Ohio State teammate Michaela Boyle

Toronto: 7 confirmed

Brittany Howard

Carly Jackson

Allie Monroe

Jess Jones

Hannah Miller

Kristen Cambell- dating Team Canada softball player Emma Entzminger

Erica Howe

Ottawa: 7 confirmed

Brianne Jenner- (C) Married w/ 2 kids to Hayleigh Cudmore, her former teammate in Calgary

Emily Clark

Emerance Maschmeyer- married to Team Canada goalie Genevieve Lacasse

Ashton Bell

Malia Schneider

Zoe Boyd- either gay or really really really good at lesbian thirst traps and a queerbait of an instagram

Amanda Boulier

Boston: 7 confirmed

Hilary Knight- (C) dating speed skater Brittany Bowe (sorry Freddy Anderson)

Shiann Darkangelo- dating Montreal's Elaine Chuli

Jamie Lee Rattray

Samantha Isbell- exes with New York's Jill Saulnier

Taylor Wenczkowski

Amanda Pelkey- married to Finnish Olympian Venla Hovi

Erin Brown- dating New York's Savannah Norcross

New York: 9 confirmed

Micah Zandee-Hart (C)

Madison Packer- married to former teammate Anya Packer

Jade Downey-Landry

Jill Saulnier- exes with Boston's Sam Isbell

Chloe Aurard- dating basketball player Ella Bushee

Savannah Norcross- dating Boston's Erin Brown

Olivia Zafuto- dating former Boston Pride teammate McKenna Brand

Elizabeth Giguere- married

Johanna Fallman

Montreal: 9 confirmed

Marie-Philip Poulin- (C) engaged to teammate Laura Stacey

Laura Stacey- engaged to teammate Marie-Philip Poulin

Elaine Chuli- dating Boston's Shiann Darkangelo

Sarah Bujold

Erin Ambrose

Leah Lum

Mélodie Daoust- has a son with ex-wife, currently dating retired Team Canada player Hannah Bunton

Cath Dubois

Brigitte Laganiere

Notable mentions to 4/6 captains in this league being gay 🌈

(thank you @lesbianracecars for helping me in my extensive research)

[patito-oward]

one of my favorite pieces of indycar lore is beadgate, also referred to as tubgate, and it is TRULY not talked about enough. in case any of you don’t know, here’s a deep dive into the lore.

to really get the full effect you have to rewind to may of 2021. for anyone who doesn’t know all of the drivers basically live in a lot together in motorhomes for the month of may. rossi returns to his bus one day to see that his golf cart had been put up on blocks, had the wheels taken off, and the wheels were now on top of his motorhome; see below:

so alex, because he’s the most predictable human alive, is furious. he’s determined to find out who did this and get revenge on them. eventually he breaks down sweet baby colton, who originally helped conor with the golf cart on blocks, and colton tells him it was conor.

alex had already narrowed it down to conor, but colton confirmed it. alex even overhears a call between conor and colton where conor is panicking thinking alex is onto them. then alex starts a deliberate plan to get him back and make his life hell. despite being very adamant that he had nothing to do with the golf cart conor is very careful because he knows revenge is coming.

throughout the next week and a half-ish alex tries everything to get conor back. conor is being very careful to lock his bus and car whenever he’s away, and he’s also stopped using his golf cart completely and hidden it somewhere at the speedway. alex is so dedicated to doing this that he finds out who conor was going on a date with that night (because conor was a bit of a whore before his girlfriend), dms the girl on instagram, and gets her in on this prank.

he basically asked her to keep an eye out for his motorhome keys in the car or on him, she says she doesn’t see him, but tells him where they went for dinner. rossi goes to this restaurant, convinces the valet to give him the keys to conor’s car and looks for the keys to his bus, they aren’t there. then, not willing to give up, he goes to conor’s house and breaks in, still can’t find the keys.

finally, he heads back to the speedway and decides he’ll fuck with his golf cart instead, but like i said, conor’s golf cart is MIA. rossi starts a search party for this golf cart, he has everyone he knows, including doug boles (president of ims and conor’s step dad), looking for this golf cart and they can not find it. he calls it off for 2021, but promises that he’s not done yet, and now has a whole year to plan his next prank.

a whole year goes by, it’s may 2022, and because conor is who he is he decides an inflatable hot tub is an absolute need for his motorhome.

he is so proud of himself for this thing and is showing it off to everyone, and the absolutely diabolical alex rossi sits back and laughs maniacally as everything falls into place.

alex does extensive research (as he does on most things) and finds out exactly how many orbeez it would take to fill the hot tub, and on tuesday morning of practice week he sneaks over to conor’s hot tub, and 4 hours later conor goes to show off his hot tub to someone and finds this:

conor is furious and on the hunt for who would’ve done this, he, wrongly, assumed that it was done monday night and therefore couldn’t be alex because alex was with him. the whole week goes by, and he still doesn’t know who it is, until the night of the victory banquet when alex drops this:

anyways this is my favorite thing ever hope you all enjoy as much as i do

[chirpsythismorning]

This is everything the Stranger Things writers have posted publicly about the WGA strike:

TIMELINE

May 3rd:

Stranger Things writer Caitlin Schneiderhan tweets picture from personal Twitter account of sign from the strike that reads 'Pay us or Steve Harrington is toast'

May 6th:

Official Stranger Writers Twitter account makes post on behalf of the Duffers Brothers. They have since pinned this tweet to their profile. "Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we're excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then -- over and out. #wgastrong

Bonus:

May 12th:

Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry posts picture from personal Tumblr account of sign that reads, 'Byler won’t write itself'

As far as I know, the two writers that posted on their personal socials are the only writers from ST that even have personal accounts that are public, whereas the rest of the writers do not.

What does make me take a pause though, is that, while yes they did post these pictures from their personal accounts, which is about as official as it gets, they also cryptically did not include themselves in said pictures...

This just got me thinking about how Stranger Things is quite literally Netflix and vise versa. They are practically one in the same, where one without the other just doesn't make sense.

While this conflict of interest might run deep for many writers out there fearing to speak out against their employer, for us, the consumers, the fans, we as a collective have so much more power than we realize.

In contrast to the writers, streamers can't just fire their consumer base sometime down the line, out of spite for speaking out. Without consumers, neither Stranger Things nor Netflix would be what it is today.

We have the affordance of being able to speak up the loudest of anyone. And so why wouldn't we take advantage of that?

There are so many people out there protesting: writers, actors, others in the industry and even outside of it who are also taking a stand, many who need support so that they can continue to fight in the upcoming days, weeks, months, without being deterred by corporations that are making them feel greedy for demanding a contract that at most, asks that they be paid fairly.

And so I want to encourage anyone that is reading this, but fellow fans of Stranger Things especially, who have so much power in this strike when it comes to getting Netflix's attention, to consider taking the time to do whatever you can individually + with the masses as a community in order to best support the strike.

Follow the Strike! If you're active on various social media already, please be sure to follow the official accounts advocating for the strike via Instagram (@writersguildwest/@wgaeast), via Twitter (@WGAWest/@WGAEast). Engage with posts from folks that are out there daily, many with whom you can find by following tags like #WGAStrong, #WGAStrike and #WritersStrike. Although most fans are not able to join in picketing themselves, we can at least recognize all of those out there's individual efforts and do our best to show that we're paying attention and listening!

Spread the word! Show support any way you can by sharing posts and articles about the strike, or even fun memes to inform others in a more engaging way. This is the official site for the WGA strike if you want to learn more about what’s going on before diving in! And make sure to stay up-to-date here as things continue to unfold!

Donate! The Entertainment Community Fund is endorsed by the WGA for anyone that wants to support those affected by the strike financially. And this thread on Twitter is an incredible resourse, as it provides an ‘easy, one-click, stress-free, accessible-to-all-budgets’ ways you can support folks on the front lines.

Also! Consider donating through this link for the Entertainment Community Fund, where the money donated still goes directly to that fund, this is just an organizing page for Stranger Things fans specifically! By allowing fans to see how much of an impact we make as a collective, in real time, this could encourage even more ST fans to want to contribute. In a best case scenario, if this GoFundMe were to reach impressive proportions of donations from fans, that could lead to news outlets reporting on it, which could allow an opportunity for even more eyes on the strike, while also even more importantly being able to provide financial support to those that need it.

Trend! On social media, use #StrangerFansforWGA to trend or even just to reach other fans also looking to come together to support the strike!

While I know this post probably wont reach anywhere outside of Tumblr, I want to make a point to encourage those of you that are on other platforms to inform fans in those spaces about the strike and what they can do to help!

We might not all agree on everything, but I think we can agree on at least one thing... @Netflix & all major streamers and networks out there, who are still refusing to make a fair deal: PAY YOUR WRITERS!

In the mean time, if you're interested in working on different ideas for initiates we can carry out as a fandom, please reach out to me! I might only one person and I might not have all the answers and solutions, but I do know that with more of us working together, our odds of making an impact are much greater!

Over and out!

[darcytaylor]

Are people mad that Luke Newton has a girlfriend? Or is it something more? A deep dive. Part 2 of 3.

In my previous blog I talked about the mistakes that Luke has made with his relationship and why fans cannot, will not, do not want to like his girlfriend. (Do you guys see what I did there?) - Most people wouldn’t care if he had a girlfriend (or they wouldn’t even know) if he didn’t make a few mistakes along the way.

Mistakes previously stated in last blog:  

Making dating life public. Befriending Antonia on Instagram. Always saying he was most like his character. His friends. Social media presence.

Now onto Part 2:

Luke should have been more active when it came to booking new jobs. He seemed to take the summer off before the Bridgerton press tour. While it does make sense that he wanted some time off before he was going on a months long press tour. He floundered in opportunities. 

I can’t say for sure if he was sending in tapes and auditioning for anything. Maybe he was and he just never booked anything. But it seemed like all he was concerned about was hanging out with friends and spending time on boats. 

I do get that he had just gotten out of a long term relationship and everybody takes that different ways. Breakups are hard and take time to get over. His way was to completely change everything about himself (and yes some of that had to do with getting into character) - from body to personality. 

(Personally I prefer when he had a bit more weight to him, he lost all of his ass!) - He was too focused on working his biceps than his glutes. 

So now because he doesn’t have jobs booked and the only time he does go do something (LA and Paris), he brings Antonia. This is another mistake! It seems like he just wants to take trips with her and not actually put in the work. Fans don’t want to see his dates, they want to see his talent. 

I think everybody and their mothers have had enough of Soho Farmhouse. 

All of the outrage could have been avoided if he had just kept everything secret from the beginning or avoided some of the key mistakes that were stated in Blog one. He should have reigned in Antonia and gotten her to stop posting about said trips/dates. People already hated them together and he was apparently content on digging himself even deeper. 

Which brings on the InStyle stunt that happened in LA (this was a cluster fuck mistake). People knew that they were together in LA. That would have been fine if Antonia didn’t then post the pictures on social media. It’s one thing to speculate, it’s another to have concrete evidence. 

It’s okay to not let people know everything. It’s okay to keep those memories to yourself. It’s okay to post these pictures (that they knew people would be mad about) on a private account. 

It’s like Luke thought that since people were already mad, it couldn’t possibly get any worse. He was wrong!

They were posted out of spite, that’s the only logical reasoning why the InStyle pictures happened. Antonia doesn’t have the comments turned on, if she was a kind person, she would delete them, like what is the point of them now? But both of them wanted to make their relationship known, they have wanted to announce their relationship for a long time and they weren't allowed.

The next thing that is completely insane is telling people in interviews how he was young and naive in his early 20s in interviews. This one is a huge mistake and a mistake that I’m not even sure Luke has picked up on. During those interviews people already knew about Antonia, and one of the issues people have, is her age. 

It seems like Luke may in fact still be naive. Because the lack of judgement to even say those words out loud is astonishing!

I think Luke has forgotten how to cater to his fans, which in turn has made them question everything about his decisions - which includes who he is dating. 

Because of the MULTIPLE mistakes and actions at every turn,  people will never accept Antonia/they weren’t ready to accept her yet. He has made her look like a ‘mean girl’, with no job, flaunting her not-so-secret relationship. 

(It sounds mean but it is what it is)

Ultimately the fans were not ready, they weren’t ready for him to go date a much younger girl. They weren’t ready for him to completely go 180 from his character of Colin. 

He should have taken a step back after New Years. He saw the backlash and should have stopped and thought about what he wanted to put out into the world/how he wanted to be perceived. Instead he went head strong into it and now I can’t see him ever being able to make Antonia a fan favourite. 

It’s like the Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde situation. People hated that relationship because of how it started out. They were never able to get the fans on board, all hope was lost when it came to that. 

But his next relationship with Taylor Russell, people loved. Because it had a good foundation. It didn't have the drama. It was brought out with care.

Luke and Antonia’s foundation to the public is non-existent. The foundation literally exploded and they kept on laying bombs. 

I don’t think people are ultimately mad that Luke has a girlfriend. I don’t even think they are mad because it’s not Nicola. They are mad because of the ongoing cluster fuck of actions that were made. 

If you have again made it this far, thank you so much for reading!

I could probably make a part 3! Hahah 

I do want to say that this isn't a hate blog on Luke. I think that he can be redeemable in the eyes of the fans he has lost today (because he has lost some fans). But all of his actions up until this point in regards to his relationship have been wild! It's just mistake after mistake after mistake.

[notafragilething]

Late Night Buck & Tommy Rambles: 4 Days Till Tommy Returns

Happy Sunday! We are now only 4 days away from seeing Tommy on our screens again (along with rest of the 118). I'm definitely looking forward to this week for a variety of reasons and I can't wait to see how this kicks off the finale next week.

It was an interesting but pretty calm day in the Buck & Tommy world.

The BuckTommy Hospital kiss reel on Instagram has continued it's burst of views after slowing down for a bit. As of a few minutes ago it was 1094k, meaning it'll likely hit 1.1 million sometime over the next few hours and it's only 25k away from being the 8th most viewed video on their official Instagram. It also has now hit 95k in likes, meaning this burst in views is also coming with new viewers because those likes were pretty much unchanged for a good week or so when it say around 84k in likes. I'm really interested to see if these new views keep up over the course of this week.

The big news of the day was Tim, either late last night or early this morning, posted the fan created BuckTommy Deep Dive youtube video on his private facebook. I've heard through the grapevine the video was sent to him by a fan who is friends with him on facebook but I haven't been able to confirm that yet. If you haven't you watched the video yet, it's a 20 minute breakdown about Buck's past relationships, his bisexuality, the red string theory and why Tommy is potentially going to be a long term love interest. I took two bigs things away from this.

It confirmed to me that the Vertigo poster was likely a fan creation sent to him in a similar way last week so I don't think we need to overanalyze or include that in our theories. So my views haven't changed on that, just been confirmed.

This is a good sign for us Buck & Tommy shippers. That video was really positive towards us and I can't imagine he would post it without watching at least the majority of it. Just like the Vertigo poster, I'm not going to assign a ton of meaning to it beyond him posting something very positively pro-BuckTommy going into this week which is a good sign for us.

I'm not anticipating a lot of promo for this upcoming episode until Thursday itself. I think a lot of promo is going to be saved for after this episode as they create hype for the finale.

My week is much calmer so I do plan to do nightly updates, even if things are mostly chill because I do think we might get some small rumbles since we are so close to the finale week.

[my-deer-friend]

I have a stupid question. How do you find out about current history scholarship and research? I am sick of reading books I've read a hundred times and were published decades ago. Is there like a forum or something where historians share research or lectures or things?

Not stupid at all!

The key is 1) knowing which sources provide the most up-to-date information, and then 2) using the appropriate strategy to access them.

Conference and lectures

Conferences are where you find the most cutting-edge research – usually work that has not been published yet, or is still in progress. Accessing conferences can be both expensive and difficult (if they're limited to people with certain affiliations, for example), but there are also conferences that are free for the public, and ones run by groups like the Organization of American Historians that are reasonably priced for the digital attendance option. You can browse conference programmes (here is the OAH's 2024 version) to at least find the names of academics relevant to your field of interest, which will help with the kinds of searches you will want to conduct below.

Finding these is a mix of luck and effort. You can set a search alerts on various platforms, literally just do a search for "[topic] academic conference", find relevant organisations and subscribe to their newsletters for updates, or do some browsing on social media. I found History Symposium (free, current, deep-dive history lectures and a virtual conference) because of something shared here on Tumblr. Following the Instagram account of the Powder House in Charleston keeps me updated on their history lecture programming (which host virtual talks including showcasing new research on the US colonial era). Then there are institutions like the Royal Museums Greenwich who publish a range of high-quality historical content on their YouTube account (they have a good series on black history and the Transatlantic slave trade, as well as a fascinating recent lecture by a historian on the queer history of the British navy, which I also found here on Tumblr).

Academic journals

Journals are where you get the most recent published academic scholarship. A journal article generally is a fairly narrow/focused exploration of a topic that adds something new to the ongoing academic conversation (e.g., a new discovery, a new analysis of existing material, a new theoretical perspective, a challenge to a previous author's work).

Other useful kinds of journal content are book reviews, as well as "review" articles, which summarise and synthesise recent research in a field – as well as newly arising questions and research directions.

Getting your hands on articles requires two steps: 1) finding the research, and 2) accessing the research.

Finding articles

For better or worse, the best generalist search tool for journal articles is Google Scholar – it allows you to search across hundreds of databases and independent publishers for relevant content.

If you're a member of a university library (not necessarily staff or student – check if your library allows external membership), it will have its own search tool which allows you to find material in the databases and journals that the university is subscribed to. Individual databases, archives or publishers (think JSTOR) will also have their own internal search.

My advice is to start your search as narrowly as possible, and then expand out slowly if you don't find anything relevant. So, for example, I might start my search with "same-sex relationships london 1780s", and if nothing comes up, I might broaden it out to "england" or "late eighteenth century", and so on.

The other thing to do is follow citations (i.e., who referenced what?). You can travel "backwards" through the literature by looking at the reference lists of books or articles you already have (in other words, which works the author used to base their research on).

But you can also travel forwards – the "cited by x" link below a reference on Google Scholar is your friend, because it shows you who used that particular source in their (by default, more recent) work.

Accessing articles

Unfortunately, a lot of academic research is gatekept by the academic publishing industrial complex – not by academics themselves, to be clear. This results in those ludicrous charges for single papers:

(And $30 is hardly the upper limit...)

But hope is not lost! You still have some options if you're willing to do a bit of work.

1) Sometimes, if you're lucky, the article will be freely available online. In Google Scholar, for example, check for the "PDF" or "HTML" link to the right of the title:

Some entire journals are freely available (usually called "open access") – one example is the Journal of the American Revolution. You can also search on DOAJ for open-access-only articles and journals.

2) I've also occasionally found the article just by googling "[article name] pdf". Some scholars will make these available for free on their personal websites, for example.

3) You can also try contacting the scholar directly through a platform like Academia.edu. Find the article there, and check if there is a "request full-text" option on its page (or, even, if the full text version has already been posted).

4) For slightly older articles, try searching on JSTOR, which gives anyone with an account free access to 100 articles a month. (I say "older", but there's even scholarship from 2024 on there these days.)

5) If all else fails, definitely do not type "sci hub" into your search engine and check there. That would be bad and naughty and very, very sexy of you. I repeat, do not do this. 🤫

Academic books

Books are not usually a great source of super-current research, both because the format doesn't lend itself to it and the publishing cycle can be very long, but they can be an excellent source for a decently recent and detailed overview of the topic. Note that you specifically want academic books here (not the ones in the "history" section of your local chain bookstore).

If you've done some digging in journal databases, you should have a good sense of which authors are writing about the topics you're interested in. Find their websites or social media feeds and subscribe to get updates on their latest work. For example, historian and Tumblr darling Joanne Freeman has a website with links to her books, lectures and podcast, as well as other media. The Museum of the American Revolution has a "Read the Revolution" speaker series featuring newly published books on relevant topics (and they're certainly not the only museum or public institution to do this). Their newsletter will keep you updated on the upcoming sessions, and the website often has a free recording of the talk available.

The prices can be quite extortionate, so again, see if you can find a free version online using the methods above. You might also have some luck finding the book on Archive.org (which might allow you to loan it out for free for an hour at a time) or Google Books (which sometimes shows you a decently large preview). Definitely do not type "libgen" into your search engine and try to download the book form there.

In summary...

There's a lot out there. A bit of persistence and a lot of searching (on databases, social media and the internet in general) will open up a huge spectrum of intereting and relevant resources!

[alost-traveler]

I was kinda thinking about the future of Tommy. We can be sure that the character will come back for S8. Tommy was supposed to be there for only 4 episodes and that he already has been there for more.

As for now, Tommy has been seen in 7x03, 7x04, 7x05, 7x6 and 7x9 and he also was in the Finale.

For one, Lou and Oliver did an interview together and we can assume it's not the only one. You don't ask your actor to do a 5 minute interview in which they barely talk about the show (also I think that the host made the interview awkward and both Lou and Oliver were picking a bad vibe.) Also, this interview was done late this season. Tommy came back in 7x03 and kissed Buck in 7x04. Yes, both Lou and Oliver did interviews but none of them were together and it wasn't on set. As for now, the Access Hollywood interview was the second interview that Oliver did on set, the first one being the Zach show. The rest were by zoom or other facecams ways. As for Lou, it's the only interview that was recorded. Everytime he did an interview, it was for an article and we never had the audio.

Also, Lou does cameo, and if you have a problem with the price I don't think it's his fault I think he put them at the lowest he can but the site up the prices because of the demands. Simple economy lesson, the more there will be demands the less the offer will meet the demands and so in order to change that the price changes. More on the cameo part, Lou has changed the way he does cameo. When he used to talk about Tommy, he would talk freely about him, his cameo would be pretty straightforward and he even made a backstory for Tommy, which I love because as someone who likes to do some deep dives on a character's psyche, the backstory explains a ton. But recently, his demeanor changed. He did a cameo in which he was more vague and kept looking to the sides as if there was something or someone reminding him to "behave".

Another thing, Lou was added in a video the cast did for Instagram. A video that had everyone, minus Peter and Angela, might be exempt from social media because Angela is less active than the rest and Peter is non-existent (Thank you Kenny for giving us proof that Peter is still alive with your Tiktok or Instagram posts). Also, Tim had posted a BTS that was just a frame of Tommy and that could mean something.

But I also want to talk about something, the contract. When Tommy came back, Lou said that he was only there for 4 episodes. And that might be right, at the time. Upon seeing the reaction about Tommy and maybe seeing how well the producers seem to like Lou, his contract for S7 has been extended for two more episodes, including the finale. It doesn't make sense for someone like Lou who keeps talking about how good he feels on the 9-1-1 set to not ask to extend his contract.

But then what would happen in S8? I don't think Lou would or should get promoted to the main cast, regular at least. It doesn't come from some kind of hate for Tommy or Lou, I really like them both, but more in a storytelling point.

The show is a workplace drama meaning that the job is not only important but also kind of its own character. 9-1-1 also focuses on three jobs instead of one as other shows, like The Rookie, Station 19, Grey's Anatomy for instance, tend to do. On 9-1-1 we mostly focus on the 118, LAFD but also on the 911 operator and the LAPD. The show is mostly focused on the 118. Having Tommy as main would shake things up, it would add another station to focus on or have drastically more calls that will need air support but we would also need to introduce other characters from Harbor and I think the show would be too stacked. The only way to properly focus on Harbor would be to maybe have a spin-off focus on them with either Tommy as main character or as regular. Having Tommy a main on his show would cut down on his timescreen on 9-1-1 and thus impact the Buck/Tommy relationship; we saw that happen with Carina/Maya on Station 19/Grey's for instance.

Also if you're one of these people that think that the cast hates Lou. Oliver has only said nice things about him in interviews, Tracie has told that Lou was lovely when she went on live on the 9-1-1 Instagram page and Kenneth has been good friends with Lou since he was in S2. And if you think that Oliver hates Lou because he doesn't follow him on Instagram that would mean that Oliver also hates Tracie and Anirudh because he doesn't follow either of them. On Instagram, Oliver follows only the main cast of 9-1-1 and he seems to use his Instagram as more of a professional account. His posts are mostly show related, contrary to his stories in which he shares mostly his dogs.

Now as the main cast the easier way for them to add a character in the main cast would have them to either work at the 118, the LAPD, or the Dispatch center. It would be less likely to have someone work for the LAPD, the focus is more on Athena and she said multiple times that she hates working with someone. The Dispatch center could work better and we could up certain characters, like Linda or Josh, as main. That would work better. They are already existing characters that the public loves. We need more of them. The last case would have someone from the 118. They could either introduce someone new or push Ravi to main. Which would seem less likely. Anirudh seems to be the busiest actor in the show. I think he also got cast in another show and is also doing other shows outside of 9-1-1. He also seems to keep time to travel outside of work. You go King. Ravi as main would be possible, but it would also shake a lot from Anirudh's busy schedule.

Now, another character that fans have been begging for as main character is Karen. That would be trickier. If we follow my logic, you are free to disagree but be nice! Karen is neither from LAPD, Dispatch or the 118. She's Hen's wife and a rocket scientist. But that doesn't mean we wouldn't see more of her. 9-1-1 always showed us the characters' life outside of work. But since Hen is the only one from the main cast who has no one from her family as main, we saw less from her which is criminal. Maddie is with Chimney and both are main. Same for Bobby and Athena. Eddie and Chris are also part of the main cast, and Gavin seemed to have been pushed a little bit more upfront since he was part of the group promo for the season. As for Buck, for a while he had Taylor who had kinda her own thing and Tommy who also has his own thing.

Buck and Hen are in the same case, they both have their love interests that are not part of the main cast. Buck only Abby back in S1 but it mostly feels like Buck was the love interest since he was nowhere as important as he is now, same for Chimney.

But one thing that we saw in S7 is that Karen can be more important. She was there for when Hen came home after being demoted. Also the Mara storyline felt like it was more of a Karen and Hen than a Hen and Karen storyline and I would love to see more of Karen in S8. Honestly, I feel like she was in more episodes this season than she was in any others.

So now that I shared my thoughts you can share yours. Be nice or you will be blocked. There is too much unnecessary hate in the fandom for any characters and actors. I'm not going to tolerate people's shits.

[outrunningthedark]

regarding ryan clearly stating multiple times that eddie is heterosexual, do you know if that has ever happened before? was he ever this unambiguous? and what about oliver? has he ever talked about buck's sexuality in definite terms? i know he agreed with the view that buck is bisexual but i wonder if he ever said in an interview or somewhere that buck is heterosexual.

This question got me going on a deep dive (and having fun). SO. With the caveat that I ofc have not uncovered every EARLY interview in print, the short answer is: No. But I brought context! Oliver, interestingly, (from what I can find) did not have to deal with much Buddie speculation from journalists in season two and even early season three during the tsunami arc. Here's a TVInsider article about Buck, Actually that calls Buddie a bromance. Oliver says something we heard when he was doing promo in March - supporting Buddie means people care about the characters and the show, so was happy know the fans are so invested in the story. Here are three articles about the tsunami arc that focus on the Buck and Christopher dynamic instead of Buddie. Here's an article previewing the the second half of season 3 in which Buck and Christoper are once again mentioned, and Oliver gave this response that I have NEVER seen mentioned (👀): "I'm just waiting for Buck to be called [Christopher's] godfather." I did find ONE TVInsider interview for the 3B premiere where Oliver said Buddie was a "friendship, bromance, whatever you want to call it" BUT also allowed for the possibility of it being romantic in the future after discussing the Buddie edits he and Ryan find on social media. (He was definitely not looking at his character as fully hetero just from edits/clips because that RS article we've all decided to ignore said season four was when Tim first brought it to Oliver as a possibility.) As for Ryan. Like I said, I can't find anything atm where he *explicitly* refers to his character as straight or heterosexual, but his answers have never offered room for SERIOUS speculation. Interview with Anthem Magazine from spring 2019 in which Ryan first (? I think) brought up two men having emotional ties to each other being a "taboo quality". (And we can see his mind hasn't changed, understandably.) Here's another with TheWrap on Eddie Begins where he says Buck's reaction to thinking he lost Eddie would be the same for anyone who thought they lost a brother. Bonus: This is also the interview where he mentions having assumed Lena was going to be set up as LI and was surprised it didn't happen. Ryan was asked about the Buck/Abby reunion to close season 3, calls Buck Eddie's "wingman". Just for comparison. I'm also gonna include a link to a Hello Mag interview (with the well-known Buddie shipper) where she REALLY took advantage of the Buckley-Diaz story line after the shooting. (And where I *personally* think Buddie started getting out of hand with the media because of the online reaction. If people on instagram and twitter and tumblr didn't know what Buddie was before, they definitely did after 4x14.) I'm still keeping my eyes peeled, so if I spot anything else to add that I think would be of interest, I will be sure to do that. :)

[sophietv]

The Love Blackout "It's all part of the f*cking story"

Ok, this is gonna be a long post. But hopefully, this will help you understand this very important piece of Kaylor evidence and explain LSK a bit better too.

PS: I'm new to Tumblr, while doing my research I'll tag those post/blogs but I don't know if there's anything else I should do, let me know!

Love Blackout Meaning

So all this Love Blackout discourse comes from those Glitch lyrics:

"But it's been 2190 days of out love blackout, the system's breaking down"

First, let's start by looking at what Love Blackout is supposed to mean:

"A suppression of information, especially one imposed on the media by the government"

Interesting... a suppression of information imposed on the medias 🤔

Like not being seen/papped together by the medias??? Maybe.

2190 days

Knowing Taylor, she wouldn't use 2190, a very specific number, for it to mean nothing would she??

So what does 2190 days means in years? It's 6 years:

Didn't she recently talked about a relationship, 6 years AND the medias recently?:

Yes! In her Lavender Haze Instagram Reel! The same where she talked about that scene in Mad Men 🤔

"If the world finds out that you are in love with somebody, they are gonna weight in on it"

"Like my relationship FOR 6 years"

Funny how she didn't say her relationship OF 6 years.

She wanted to protect the real stuff from media, in the last 6 years.

So if you count the days backward since Midnights release on October 21st 2022 it gives you Octobre 22nd 2016.

The last time Karlie and Taylor were papped together was at Drake's birthday on Octobre 23rd.

But The Love Blackout was not over on Midnights release day.

Taylor and Karlie were still not papped together at an event (they weren't papped at reputation stadium tour, they just posted a picture together). So Midnights release day should count in our calculation. And if you include that day. It ends exactly on Octobre 23rd 2016.

Before taking a deep dive into this Love Blackout, let's take a moment to talk about Octobre 2016.

Because A LOT of important stuff happened that month.

Octobre 2016

Octobre 11th 2016:

Taylor goes to diner at the Waverly Inn restaurant with Suki Waterhouse, Cara Delevigne and Dakota Johnson.

Later that evening, Suki posts a table cloth with : "It's all part of the f*cking story" written on it and a "K". She deletes it not long after. But us Gaylors have all jumped on it already.

Plus, one of Taylor body guard is papped leaving the restaurant with that Table cloth:

But what story?? What does it all mean??

Let's look at what happened in the days after this event.

I'm sure Taylor had a plan 😉

Octobre 12 2016:

Taylor goes to the Kings of Leon concert with the same friends and some more.

It's funny because, it's at this very concert, that Taylor is rumored to have started her relationship with Joe.

Are you starting to see the "f*cking story" they were talking about??

Soure iwanthermidnightz : https://iwanthermidnightz.tumblr.com/post/615953412601823232/in-conclusion

Octobre 13th 2016:

The next day. On a 13th.

Taylor, Karlie and Serena Williams go out at the Bowery Ballroom.

Yes. Yes, this combination of names is suspicious 🤔

Back to the 2190 days:

So we have established that counting backward from Midnights release and including Midnigths release day. We have Octobre 23 2016.

This was Drake's birthday party and Taylor attended with Karlie:

The article was published the next morning

In fact, it's the last time ever that they both were papped at an event together: (Love Blackout)

Two important Kaylor Lore came from that Party:

Golden tattoos "made your mark on me, a golden tattoo"

The Third Polaroid

If we follow the Love Blackout definition : "A supression of information imposed on the media"

We can stop there, everything makes sense, the song ties back to Karlie, that moment and everyone is happy.

But what if there's more to this?

The Blood Moonlit Implication

corneliastvendor did an incredible find: https://kwyw.tumblr.com/post/711447685996167168?is_related_post=1

(I also use picture of their post here)

Stay with me on that one and I swear this will all make sense!

Plus there's a lot to unpack after this.

In Glitch, there's the lyrics: "Nights are so stary, blood moonlit"

Blood moon is a lunar eclipse.

There is even a bloodmoon the Glitch Official Lyrics Video:

And when was the last lunar eclipse following Midnights release?

source: corneliastvendor

On Novembre 8th 2022.

If we count the days backward where does it lead us?

source: corneliastvendor

It leads to Novembre 9th 2016.

Karlie and Taylor last event that they attended together (except reputation) is Lorde's birthday on Novembre 7th 2016.

On Novembre 7th Taylor posted this picture:

And Karlie posted the same picture the day after on Novembre 8th:

It's the last post about them attending an event together (beside reputation).

The presidentatial election also happenened on Novembre 8th 2016, and Trump was elected... (I believe this is important).

So the last post of them at an event together is on Novembre 8th 2016. Wich means that the Love Blackout would have started the day after right?

Exactly 2190 days since the blood moonlit night followingg Midnights release.

And something tells me that this specific date is really important in their story, because here's a screenshot of The Man MV:

The. Exact. Same. Ring. and pose...

Lorde's birthday, is also the first time ever that Taylor wore the Victora Secret Angel Ring.

source: tilynation

I think she wore this ring there, knowing that they won't be seen together after as a way of being able to flag Karlie in the future.

The VS angel ring is really important and Taylor wore it at many significant events:

All the making of videos of reputation

The Call It What You Want scene of Miss Americana

On Decembre 4th 2019 (Kissgate anniversary)

So last post together before they disappear on Novembre 8th 2016, same day as the US elections.

This ties back to those lyrics: "I recall late Novembre, slowly I said, holding my breath. You don't need to save me, but would you run away with me? Yes"

Remember that in Miss Americana, it's Karlie who says "Yes".

The Love Blackout:

During that time, after Novembre 8th 2016, Taylor is mostly in London...and so is karlie.

Decembre 2016:

Taylor spends the holiday at her in-laws in St-Louis.

January 2017:

Taylor is in London.

There's a very interesting entry in her Lover Journal that talks EXACTLY about the Love Blackout:

"I'm essentially based in London, hiding out trying to protect us from the nasty world that just wants to ruin things. We have been together and no one has found out for 3 monts now"

And it is almost words for words her Lavender Haze Instagram Reel....

(Las time they were papped together, in Octobre 2016, Drake's birthday party, 3 months before)

And who was in England during the exact time frame? Karlie!

I believe the picture was posted a couple of days after.

But regardless, this is important because look at the Swans.

And now look at the Lover Merch:

Plus, Karlie did a very cute post that month with Swarovski Swans jewelery:

Refering the Eye Theory while she was at it!!!

Also, Taylor said in the Long Pond Studio Session that she went to The Lake District a couple of years ago.

And in Invisible String we have: "Bold was the waitress on our three year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes. She said I looked like an American singer"

Kaylor anniversary is March 6th 2014. So Jan 2017 is close enough to that anniversary.

Plus, 3 years for Toe would have been in 2019, wich doesn't match the "couple of years" of LPSS...

Jannuary 11th 2017:

Taylor is paped going out of a gym in LA.

It's the first time that she is paped in a couple of months.

And she wears the VS Angel Ring

source: tilynation

In the reputation secret session she explained how she was overwhelmed by this.

"her thought process was less about herself and more about how she could possibly have a normal relationship when this was her life"

Source: https://www.tumblr.com/screamedsooloud/174932790840/i-have-heard-mixed-interpretations-of-dancing-with

She then went directly to the studio and recorded Dancing With Our Hands Tied

She cried for an hour before recording the song.

Thankfully, like the song says after the Love Blackout part is that the system is breaking down.

And we had some glimpse of this with the Twitter "glitch" that made Karlie repost some of her old Kaylor post. Or her facebook being hacked...

I truly hope they are able to be free soon, they deserve it.

[lightofraye]

No way! GLEN POWELL?!?!?!? You're a fan too????!!!!

Oh boy.

All caps. Tons of exclamation marks and question marks.

I'm in trouble, aren't I?

Because... yes! I'm a huge fan of Glen's! And it's not because he has a hot bod either!

(Thank you, Top Gun: Maverick, for that volleyball scene. Ahem.)

But no, in all seriousness, the first role I distinctly remember him in was playing that stock market guy in The Dark Knight Rises--the one who promptly got his head beat in by Bane.

Why did it make an impression on me? Because I believed it when he stood up to Bane. It was a stand out scene.

Later, Hidden Figures, I remembered liking John Glenn--and hilariously didn't make the connection of the actor! Not until much later. He made other small roles that I remembered... and then forgot the actor. (Hey, life is busy.)

Then Top Gun: Maverick came out and I remembered sitting back in my seat and going, "Who the fuck was that?!"

Because wow. Arrogant, snarky, could back up his claims. It was another Tom Cruise in so many ways. Hangman, Glen's character, was just like Maverick, Tom Cruise's character. He popped on the screen and I just had to know more about him.

Cue a deep dive in his history, his Instagram, and his roles. And discovering he was in other roles that I liked!

Then learning about his history as an actor. He said it was Denzel Washington who inspired him to make a try for it in Hollywood--a real try.

By 2007, Glen had made a few roles, small ones, but he credits Denzel for putting faith in himself. Trying out for The Great Debaters, Denzel asked Glen to come back and try for a bigger role... and to drop his noticeable Texas accent. Glen was determined to impress the movie's producers--and succeeded.

He was just 17 years old.

Glen recounted Denzel's advice to him:

"This race, Hollywood, it's a marathon, not a sprint," Powell relayed from the Oscar-winner's advice. "You're running your own race. Don't look in the other lanes. It doesn't matter how fast somebody else is going, where they're going, or if they look better doing it. It doesn't matter."

When he tried out for The Expendables 3, he wrote to Sly Stallone and explained why he was the best choice for the role. Later, Stallone told him it was the reason he got the job.

He then got into Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens on Fox. (And making friends with John Stamos!) It helped him show off his comedic skills and helped make his name in Hollywood.

He actually admitted when he got into Hidden Figures, he was worried he ruined it. It was such a powerful movie and he feared he wrecked it. (Needless to say, no, he didn't. That movie shone!)

He made a rom-com with Zoey Deutch on Netflix that also cinched his skills as an actor who could do romance, comedy, and Top Gun (along with The Expendables) showed he could also do action. He's very well-rounded as an actor.

But what really catapulted him was Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney. For the last few years, Hollywood had struggled to make really big rom-coms (in my humble opinion). Most just don't really break the box office.

Then Sydney Sweeney came along with her clever mind and manipulated the hell out of the chemistry between her and Glen. It worked too well--he had been in a three year relationship with Gigi Paris.

During the filming of Anyone But You, there were so many candids, behind the scenes photographs, that left quite a few convinced Sydney and Glen were having an affair. (Sydney is very much engaged with her longtime boyfriend of, what, 6 years now?) But some speculated it was too much for Gigi and she broke it off.

It's never been confirmed as to why they broke up, but it was interesting....

Then Glen went and adopted a freakin' adorable dog, a mutt, and named it Brisket. That dog has been with him everywhere now! Even during promos!

What I like about Glen? He includes his parents in a lot of his movies as extras! He's frequently seen with his niece and nephew, photographs with them all the time... and a couple of years ago, reenacted, I kid you not, some scenes from ELF in New York with his family. (Seriously. Watch it. I couldn't stop laughing.)

He's made a hit for Netflix with Hit Man. Twisters is doing pretty well in theaters. He's so busy I'm staring at his schedule and thinking to myself, "When does he have time to breathe?!"

What I'm also impressed with is how, upon talking to Matthew McConaughey and realizing how soul-sucking Los Angeles could be, Glen sold his home in Los Angeles and relocated back to Texas!

My last tidbit of amusement? He has green eyes. He's Texan.

Seriously, what is it with me and green-eyed men from Texas? Yeesh.

(I turned into a gossip columnist. Haha!)

[coochiequeens]

In news that will shock no one…

William Thomas, known to the world as Lia Thomas, made headline news when he was permitted to swim on University of Pennsylvania's women's team, break records, and win competitions. After some investigation of his social media accounts, it's highly suspected that he suffers from an abnormal sexual desire called autogynephilia.

William Thomas was ranked 462nd on the men's swim team before he decided to identify as a woman and call himself Lia Thomas. Soon enough, he was the fastest swimmer on the women's swim team at University of Pennsylvania and was even allowed to compete at women's meets, where he broke records and stole medals from hard-working female athletes. At the Ivy League championships, Thomas won the 500 free final by over 7 seconds. At University of Akron's Zippy International, he beat his teammate by more than 12 seconds in the 500 race. Later, in the 1650 freestyle, he beat a female opponent by 38 seconds.

The more medals he won, the more attention he gained from the media and the more he was praised by trans activists everywhere. Thomas was even nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award (he was denied the award in the end). But the more that people dive deep into Thomas' social media use, the more it becomes clear to them that he suffers from an abnormal sexual desire called autogynephilia. 

What Is Autogynephilia? 

The simplest way to explain autogynephilia is when a man gets sexually aroused when he himself embodies a woman's characteristics, appearance, outfits, etc. YouTuber Red Moon RADio: Redfem Radio interviewed Masha Jagasdottir, an expert in childhood development and social services. Masha helped explain what an autogynephilic male is. 

"First of all, it's a paraphilia. So that category of mental illness, mental distress—it's basically like a mapping error of internally experienced desire," she says. "To cut all the nuance away, it's basically a male-bodied individual who's mapped his entire sexual desire onto himself as a female. And the draw in that comes from the fact that it's the only woman that he'll ever be able to control completely, is his own body. So he wants the embodied feeling of suppressing and humiliating a woman."

"It's really important for them to go out in public, in female spaces, because part of the thrill is watching other women have to swallow their disgust. It's a paraphilia that is absolutely in the same category as zoophilia and pedophilia," Masha continues. "These are actually deeply distressing antisocial paraphilias. It's dangerous for the self and dangerous for society."

This fetish has resulted in many men coming forward as trans, presenting themselves as women to the world, and insisting that they be accepted as normal members of society. It's impossible to know just how many men who call themselves trans women are actually struggling with autogynephilia. It's safe to say that many of these men are not actually trans but rather autogynephilic, and they find sick sexual pleasure in pretending to be women. Walt Heyer, a man who detransitioned after living as a woman for several years, suspects that the umbrella term "transgender" has inadvertently included many individuals who wrestle with autogynephilia, which he describes as "a condition where a man will dress up, look at himself in the mirror as a female, and the female he sees in the mirror becomes the object of his sexual affection." 

Lia Thomas Is Suspected to Have Autogynephilia

Nicole Wawro, also known as @feministrecovery_ on Instagram, shared a wide range of information from Thomas' private Instagram account @liathimas, revealing that he has some very disturbing interests that all point to his autogynephilia (also referred to as AGP). She posted a 4-minute reel on Instagram sharing that Thomas announced on his private Instagram that he opted in for a surgery to castrate himself. Naturally, he waited until after the swim season at UPenn and after the FINA ruling said he wasn't able to compete on the women's team to get this procedure done. Thomas made the announcement using 2 cherry emojis next to a pair of scissors, clearly joking about (and even celebrating) the fact that he chopped his testicles off. However, while Nicole was working on the veracity of this story, she also found a lot of other information about Thomas that was greatly disturbing.

"Lia is smart. All the photos he posts of himself are squeaky clean," Nicole says. "However, the photos he likes, the photos he is tagged in by friends, and the accounts he associates with tell a very different story about a very different Lia."

His online activity strongly suggests that he gets sexually aroused by dressing up as a woman, which is a very common characteristic of autogynephilia. Nicole points out that he often likes photos about sexual fetishes of cross dressing, people getting together for trans orgies, and women getting beat up by men who identify as trans females. For example, Fallon Fox, the male MMA fighter who called himself a trans woman and broke open a female fighter's skull in the ring, bragged about it on Instagram, "Me on crushing women skulls." Thomas liked the post, along with another Fallon Fox post where he is doubling down on the fact that he beat another women to a pulp.

Thomas also is seen liking posts about AGP, including a cartoon of an "AGP trans" person who is dressed up as a girl in a pink dress, and has an erection as he looks at himself in the mirror. This furthers the suspicion that he gets some kind of sexual arousal from cross-dressing. Thomas has also liked many other photos of men cross-dressing as women, as well as posts about "sexploration."

Nicole even found that Thomas liked posts of his friends practicing paganism and Satanism, as well as pictures of crass pornographic cartoons. Apparently, Thomas has even shared photos of his own sex dungeon that he built with his boyfriend, complete with a wall of BDSM toys and kinks. 

"If this was just about his personal life and his preference as a gay man and his fetishes, we would have just left it there," Nicole says. "But it's not. Lia represents what it means to be all-American. He has lobbied to be in the women's locker room on the basis that he feels like a woman, not because he has any sexual arousal. He presents himself as a squeaky clean athlete with no ulterior motive. But parents deserve to know there is a darkness about allowing any man into the locker room that claims that they just feel like they should be there." 

Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that less than 4 years ago, Thomas seemed to be living a normal life as a young man. He proclaimed he was in love with his girlfriend and he dressed and acted like a male.

And now just a few years later, he shows a completely different story on Instagram, even if it's kept fairly private. But it's important to understand that autogynephilia is an abnormal sexual desire that manifests into a darkness that has infiltrated women's spaces, all under the guise of trans acceptance and compassion.

[bandzboy]

a summary of what has been happening with jungkook showing support to new jeans and basically going against hybe:

yesterday (september 14), jungkook posted on his dog's instagram (bowwow_bam) a photo of his dog with the caption "artists are not guilty" with heart emojis that were supposed to represent new jeans since on new jeans official sns they had used those emojis previously

some immediately speculated his account was hacked because the post was in english (not even gonna deep dive on that and how wrong that is) and because some armys claimed it was "out of character" for him to do something like this only for like two hours or less later, bighit publicly confirmed that it was him who did the post

a lot of people were surprised at how quick they made this clear. especially because him supporting new jeans is essentially going against hybe since the girls did a livestream and spoke up about the treatment they have been receiving lately from hybe staff members and how in one instance, hanni said members of a different group were told by staff to ignore her and to not speak to her.

a lot of armys (in various social media), harassed jungkook for supporting the girls and claimed that they "didn't agree with him" and that he was supporting min heejin as well when he only showed support to the girls only.

today (september 15), some hybe staff members on blind (a platform used by employees where they can anonymously share information), were ridiculing jungkook for supporting new jeans and kept saying how him doing this is gonna ruin the company

people claimed that after a few hours, these posts were posted on blind, the posts started to get deleted since they gained so much attention and they started to get caught

this is another reminder that this company doesn't care about their artists and will throw them under the bus whenever they see fit and will feel no remorse. i'm glad jungkook showed support to his juniors since, more than anyone, he knows what is like to be in the industry at such a young age and how adults around you will take advantage of you.

new jeans were obviously groomed and manipulated by that woman and that is why they feel the need to defend her time and time again. they don't deserve any of the things that have been happening to them and if you say they do, you are an awful person. they are victims and every single adult in their lives failed them big time. that includes everyone in that stupid company and their parents.

artists will stand for artists ALWAYS and if you have a problem with your "fave" one doing so, it means you never respected artists to begin with

[formulaphoe]

the rising star of formula 1

image source: sonoma index-tribune

when you think of formula 1, the name lando norris is likely to pop up in your head. the mclaren driver has quickly become a fan favourite, not just for his impressive on-track performances, but also his charismatic personality off the circuit. let's take a deep dive into the life and career of this young racing sensation.

early life and background

image source: youtube

born on november 13, 1999, in bristol, england, lando norris grew up in a family that fostered his love for motorsport. his father, adam, was a former racer himself, and his mother, cisca, encouraged lando's passion from a young age. it wasn't long before he began karting at just seven years old, competing in local events and showing a natural talent that would see him rise through the ranks in no time.

lando's early career included impressive performances in various karting championships, where he earned a reputation for his speed and skill. by the age of 14, he was already racing in single-seaters, having moved up to the ginetta junior championship and then to the eurocup formula renault 2.0, where he won the title in 2016.

road to formula 1

image source: formula 2

lando's breakthrough came when he joined the mclaren young driver programme in 2017. he made his first significant steps into the world of formula 1 as a test and reserve driver for mclaren in 2018. his talent was undeniable, and he made his race debut in 2019, taking over for the (briefly) retired fernando alonso.

in his rookie season, lando showcased his potential, finishing in the points multiple times and often outpacing his more experienced teammate, carlos sainz. his spirited driving style and resilience caught the attention of fans and pundits alike. it wasn't just his speed on the track that impressed people; his engaging social media presence and cheeky sense of humour have endeared him to the new generation of f1 fans.

continued success with mclaren

image source: financial times

lando remains with mclaren through 2025. his journey has been marked by significant growth, both as a driver and as a personality within the sport. after a challenging few years for mclaren, a team with a storied history in formula 1, lando has played a pivotal role in the team's resurgence. the 2024 season has been especially noteworthy so far, with lando consistently finishing on the podium and even claiming three p1 finishes.

lando's relationship with his team is characterised by mutual respect and a shared goal of returning mclaren to its former glory. the team's commitment to developing such a competitive car has boded well for lando, and he and the team have worked hard to achieve impressive results on track.

a unique personality

image source: planetf1

what sets lando norris apart from many drivers in the paddock is his down-to-earth nature. he's not afraid to be himself, often sharing light-hearted content on social media platforms like instagram and twitter, and even streaming on twitch. whether he's engaging with fans during livestreams or sharing behind-the-scenes glimpes of life as an f1 driver on his story, his authenticity always shines through.

his approachability and sense of humour make him a relateable figure in a sport that can often feel overly serious. from a marketing standpoint, this connection with fans is crucial, especially in the age of social media, where engaging content can make all the difference.

challenges and triumphs

image source: medium

like any athlete (or person), lando has faced his fair share of challenges. the pressures of formula 1 can be immense, and he has had to navigate the ups and downs that come with being in such a competitive environment. from tough races to battling anxiety in the spotlight, lando has shown resilience and determination, traits that will serve him well as he continues to fight for championships.

one of the most memorable moments of his career came at 2024 austrian grand prix. although they eventually collided, leading to a dnf, lando fought valiantly against max verstappen, showcasing his ability to hold his ground and not back down against of one of the sport's top talents. such performances not only demonstrate his skill, but also underline his potential to become a future world champion.

the future

image source: sports illustrated

looking ahead, the future seems bright for lando norris. with mclaren at the top of the field and the team's continued investment in technology and engineering resources, there's every chance he could be challenging for this year's driver's championship. his ambition is palpable, and he's made it clear that he strongly desires to be at the forefront of the sport.

as lando continues to hone his craft, fans can expect to see more thrilling performances and an exciting championship battle for the remainder of the season. but whether it's due to his one-in-a-million skill on the grid or his infectious enthusiasm off of it, lando norris is undoubtedly the man to watch in formula 1.

sources

"lando norris - mclaren formula 1 driver." mclaren, www.mclaren.com/racing/team/lando-norris/

"lando norris." wikipedia, 2 oct. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lando_Norris

"2024 mclaren formula 1 driver lando norris." lando norris, landonorris.com/about

"lando norris - f1 driver for mclaren." formula 1, www.formula1.com/en/drivers/lando-norris

"lando norris." racefans, www.racefans.net/lando-norris/

"lando norris profile." motorsport, www.motorsport.com/driver/lando-norris/289316/

if any errors or typos are noticed, PLS PLS point them out via comment, ask, or dm. if there is a specific topic you would like me to cover, send in an ask and i'll look into it!

[dearweirdme]

Hi Rain, I've seen some discussions about RM being bisexual because of this recent album. Specifically, in his song "Nuts," he says, "She's a pro rider" and then goes on to say, "He's a pro rider," which, you know, is basically talking about sex. So, I can honestly see where people are coming from. Especially since last year we saw him with that one guy a lot, and then mysteriously one day he decides to delete everything related to him on Instagram. But I digress.

So, my question to you is, why do you think Tae and JK aren't more vocal about their sexuality? The main consensus I've seen online for a while is that tkk (or any ship, really) can't come out or be more vocal because it could cause issues with the group or that Korea is still very homophobic. But then you have RM and Yoongi, who have been pretty vocal about liking both men and women... So, I just don't really understand it.

Hi anon!

I haven’t had the chance to do a deep dive into Namjoon’s lyrics yet.. so I can’t say much about my thoughts on those yet (doing some renovations on my house.. which are going very much Namjoon style 😂… and is quite time consuming..). From what I’ve gathered from the Minimoni interview is that Namjoon went through a lot. I think going through a breakup might have been part of that, but I also think it was probably much more than that. He mostly talks about struggling with being himself because of having been RM from BTS for so long. I think Namjoon’s struggle to get to himself and everything that entailed coming to that point is what the album is about. Maybe his sexuality is a part of that? But I don’t think that is the part that he felt the need to share the most.

So why aren’t Jk and Tae more vocal? I actually think Tae is sharing a lot. Maybe not through his lyrics, but to me the clear portrayal of queer couples in Fri(end)s was pretty huge, as was him wearing that pride Disney hoody. And there’s way more things that Tae has done that would/could indicate his feelings towards queerness all throughout the years. I think we should probably separate the idea that Tae and Jk coming out as a couple and them showing their individual sexualities are the same thing. I find the possibility of them (mostly Tae though) coming out as queer after enlistment much more likely than them announcing their relationship (and even then I don’t think it would be a hard coming out, but rather more freedom to incorporate queerness in their work (mv’s, songs). To me it’s more like a loosening of the restraints than total freedom I suppose.

In general though, I think what matters most is whether someone actually wants to share those parts of their lives. I don’t think either Namjoon or Yoongi have been clear about their sexuality in a way that makes it clear to a broader audience that they are queer. For instance, no media outlet has picked up on it (for as far as I know). I don’t think they have that freedom, but I also think they might be hesitant to make statements that huge at this moment in time themselves. The way Namjoon spoke in the Minimoni episode to me made clear that there’s so much he had to keep inside (not specifically about their sexualities, but possibly including that) it felt like a burden. Namjoon seems to have the strong urge to share some parts of himself that he could not share before as RM from BTS. He was representing the group as a whole and their songs and interviews also had to represent the group as a whole. I think there was little room for individuality. Now for some this was a struggle (Namjoon, Tae (I think), Yoongi (perhaps)) but I think others felt differently. I think Jk doesn’t feel the need to share his personal struggles and battles the way some of the other members did (at least not at this point in time.. can’t say how he would feel in the future). The way Jk spoke about Golden to me felt like he was keen to try out new things, to see what he could do and what he could accomplish, but I did not feel like Golden was his way of expressing his feelings and emotions and his own life story… neither did I feel that was something he was interested in doing but didn’t have the chance to. I think Jk very much wants to keep his personal life personal.

In general.. I don’t think we can assume that every queer artist also wants to share that part of themselves with the whole world. Sk being homophobic is a part of that ofcourse, but speaking about sexuality can also just be something a person themselves just doesn’t want to make public for all sorts of reasons.

[amailboxlemur]

Three years ago today I watched Young Royals for the first time.

Story time/long post incoming. I wasn’t in a great headspace at the time, but let me try to set the scene.

Spring of 2021 was still pretty deep in the pandemic. My province had been on lockdown (number 3) since the beginning of April and I hated working from home. Partly because teaching online piano lessons sucks. But also I live alone, and lockdown is too much alone time no matter how introverted you are. I think that spring I went about 6 weeks without speaking to someone in person who wasn’t like a grocery store cashier.

I decided to go stay with my parents for a few weeks so I could get some human interaction. At the time, I was mooching off my former roommate’s Netflix that was still signed in to our living room TV, so I didn’t have Netflix access.

I also love Red White and Royal Blue, and all of a sudden in early July the fandom got flooded. There were gifs of two unfamiliar teenage boys all over my dash. Fanart of two boys who looked like Alex and Henry captioned “Wilhelm and Simon”. There were a bunch of crossover fics popping up on AO3. I was curious, but mostly I just wanted to get a feel for the characters so I could read said crossover fics.

July 12th was my first day back teaching in person. (Side note: the health precautions we had in place for those lessons were WILD). I came back from my parents place in the morning, taught in the late afternoon/evening and returned home around 8 pm. I made supper and figured I’d try watching an episode of this “Young Royals” thing. I started it and remember groaning when I realized it was in Swedish so I’d have to focus and read subtitles instead of watching mindlessly (I’m too pretentious to watch the dubbed version, but it had been a long day)

“Oh that’s a beautiful boy with a beautiful voice singing… I can keep going…”

“Ohhh they’re about to kiss… wait what? How does episode 1 just end there??? I have to watch another episode!”

“Yay they finally kissed!! But how will Wilhelm react?? It’s not even 11 yet, I think I can watch one more”

“Erik is dead. I knew this was coming because I saw the “beta read but Erik’s still dead” tag on AO3 but totally forgot! How will this affect my boys?? One more episode, just to see if wilhelm pushes Simon away again”

“Ok good, they’re together. August sucks though, I can see where this is going and why there seem to be so many comparisons to rwrb. But it’s past midnight so I’ll have to keep watching tomorrow… wait there’s only two more episodes?? Might as well finish”

Before I knew it, it was 2 am and I was crying on my living room couch. I NEVER get into new shows, I have tons of things I watched 1-3 episodes of and then quit, so I couldn’t believe I binged the entire thing. It was late so I went to sleep.

In the morning I woke up and the rabbit hole began. I read all the fics on AO3, I started following young royals stuff on tumblr. I googled the actor who played Simon and found out he’s an actual Swedish pop star? I think he was among the first artists I followed using my then brand new Spotify account. I followed both Omar and Edvin on instagram, along with Lisa (other actors followed later). I watched all the young royals promo videos on YouTube, including the Hillerska choir performance. That entire summer was spent diving down Omar’s back catalog of Foo vlogs. Some of them are in Swedish, but I remember watching them intensely, as if I would magically understand if I tried hard enough. I started learning Swedish on duolingo.

When season 2 was released, I fully quit all social media for WEEKS to avoid spoilers. I spent 3 days carefully messing up my sleep schedule so I could wake up and watch it at 3 am. When season 3 was released I was such an excited puppy dog that I didn’t sleep at all. I watched it at 3 am and spent the whole rest of the day amped up and on tumblr.

I remember all kinds of fun and significant days in the fandom: Rockbjörnen 2021, musikhjälpan 2021. The lead up and release of Mi Casa Su Casa. The release of OMR. Omar gave me a birthday present in 2022 when he performed “breathe” on Nyhetsmorgon on my birthday. Gay gala 2022 but especially 2023. Both boys have done incredible sommarpratar. So many other galas and performances and photoshoots I’d be here all day listing them all out.

Becoming an Omar fangirl was also surprising. I don’t listen to or follow pop music (my definition of which is incredibly broad so yes, Omar’s music qualifies). Like, I’ve never had a favourite artist before? One who’s work I actively follow and whose releases I know about in advance and look forward to?

Omar announced his concert at Cirkus in November of 2023 and it fell at the end of a semester break from work. I could go without needing to refund or makeup any missed lessons. It felt like a sign. That week was genuinely one of the best in my life, words can’t even describe it. A transatlantic flight, a week in Europe. I got to see Kaggeholm. I met Omar at Lyko. I stood in general admission 3 rows back from the stage and heard Omar sing live and sang along with other fans. It was surreal. Shout out to @yrblogbaby @the-words-we-sung @crownedwille and @omarsimp, wow you’re all amazing. There was a queer joy to hanging out with y’all that weekend that I don’t get too often irl.

Since then, I’ve tried to internalize a little bit more the idea of community in fandom. I’m still not super out there, but I try to interact more. I lurked in this fandom (and so many others) for years. I made this account in something like 2011 and until recently I probably had less than 50 posts.

So yeah… saying this show changed my life feels dramatic but also accurate. Hopefully here’s to more years to come, and more good memories when I head to New York this fall!

[cieloclercs]

sliding doors, chapter five

pairing: joao félix x fem!oc                                                                                      part: 5/?                                                                                                                  warnings: mentions of sex, gets a little bit spicy (but no smut), slight angst, fluff!!! joao is a simp    word count: 11.6k (hope it makes up for the wait lol)

author’s note: sorry for the long wait again! i’ve finally finished school, so hopefully i’ll be able to get the next few chapters written more quickly! as always, let me know what you guys think about this chapter! a like or a reblog is always appreciated ❤️

SLIDING DOORS, “Seemingly inconsequential moments that nonetheless alter the trajectory of future events.”

05. in which esperanza meets his teammates

previously: chapter four

read it on wattpad!

BY THE TIME SATURDAY came around, Esperanza couldn't deny that she was more than a little excited. If the opportunity to go clubbing with half of the Chelsea squad had arisen before she met João, she probably wouldn't have batted an eyelid — but after watching the last couple of games and following every single player and person involved in the club on Instagram (which also included another one of her deep-dive research sessions into their Wikipedia pages), Esperanza felt oddly privileged to think that in a few hours she would be drinking and dancing with them like old friends.

Between the end of her classes and João's arrival back from Liverpool (where he'd gone to watch the team play from the stands), she busied herself with painting or schoolwork, in the hopes it might somehow speed up the clock ticking sluggishly on the wall. Esperanza was only slightly ashamed to admit that she'd cut her lecture short by ten minutes in order to make it back to her apartment in time for the game. She wanted to make a habit out of watching them, especially when João began playing again. Somehow (though she'd never had much of an affiliation to any football club before) Esperanza felt herself rooting for Chelsea surprisingly intensely. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. She could understand why so many people did it now. Football was kind of addictive.

In contrast to her excitement (and slight apprehension) for the upcoming night out, Doutzen, who had — after some persuading — accepted Esperanza's offer to tag along, was not quite so enthusiastic. She kept going on about betrayal and shame, which Esperanza found a little bit dramatic, but she supposed if she'd been the die-hard Spurs fan going clubbing with half of the Chelsea squad, she might have felt like a traitor to her club too. Still, Doutzen had promised, and there was no way she could back on it now. Esperanza wouldn't let her. She needed her moral support.

João hadn't bothered going back to his apartment when he arrived back from Liverpool. He went straight to Esperanza's. She was waiting for him inside, halfway through her newest painting (a commission from Mrs Davies of one of her many cats — this had become a regular occurrence since the woman found out Esperanza was a painter, and she would pay her a pretty decent sum for her efforts too). João was used to the chaos of Esperanza's apartment by now. Most of the time when he went round to see her, she would be mid-project, with her brushes and paints scattered everywhere, an old, baggy shirt framing her figure and nothing but a pencil, twisted into the curls, holding her hair into a bun on the back of her head. Her apartment almost always smelled like coffee and acrylic paint. It wasn't exactly something João had ever thought he would love as much as he did — but it just felt like Esperanza.

The story was much the same when he finally got back to the apartment complex. He knocked on her door but didn't wait for an answer before opening it (neither of them bothered anymore). Esperanza was inside, hunched over a canvas with a concentrated frown on her face and some classical piece playing softly through the speakers she always kept on the kitchen cabinet. She didn't hear him as he stepped into the room. João smiled. He'd been expecting it. She was lost to the world when she painted.

"Is that for Mrs Davies?" João's voice cut through the gentle lull or piano keys and strings. Esperanza looked up. Her frown cleared, revealing a smile like the sun when she caught sight of him.

"Yep." she nodded, struggling to her feet and dusting off her knees. They too were splattered with paint, "She's paying me sixty to do a big one of — what was his name again? — Oh, Mr Whiskers. That woman has so many cats I can't keep track."

João walked forward to stand beside her, kissing her sweetly, and looked down at the painting laid out on the floor. Just like everything Esperanza did, it was immaculate. He couldn't quite fathom just how talented she was: and just how fortunate he was to be the man in her life. In all honesty, João wasn't entirely sure what she saw in him, but at this point, he'd just take the win.

"Mrs Davies has a black cat?" he asked, scrunching up his nose in faint horror. In Esperanza's painting the cat was certainly a black one; with wide, stare-into-your-soul type of green eyes that somehow, from within the canvas, seemed to follow him when he shifted his gaze. João shuddered. He'd never been much of a cat person to begin with, but black cats were a step too far.

"Yeah, it freaks me out too." Esperanza giggled softly at the look on his face, "And I'm not usually a superstitious person, but this cat is scary. Don't tell Mrs Davies I said that."

João nodded distractedly. He'd lost his train of thought as soon as her heard her light, bubbling laugh. It was becoming one of his favourite sounds, he had recently discovered. He forfeited any capability of continuing the conversation, left with nothing but a stupid smile on his face and a blank mind. Only Esperanza ever seemed to be able to render him absolutely speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. A lot of the time, she didn't even have to do anything. João was just enamoured with her. That was all it took.

Esperanza's fingers clicked in front of his face, breaking him out of his trance. He'd been staring, it seemed, because now she was gazing up at him with a questioning smile. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

Most of the time when João visited Esperanza's, he was more than happy to just watch her paint. In fact, that had been a specific request of his the last few times he'd been round. On the cold, rainy days when it was simply too miserable to go anywhere, they'd sit on Esperanza's living room floor, listening to the patter or raindrops on the window as her paintbrush glided masterfully across the canvas. There was something so peaceful about it; so intimate. Neither of them felt the need to fill the silence in those moments. Just being in each others' presence — close enough to hold — was more than enough.

"Are you still up for tonight?" João asked as he watched Esperanza begin to pack away her paints, resisting the urge to chuckle when he spotted splatters of black and green on her shirt.

"Of course." Esperanza grinned, "I'm looking forward to it."

And she truly was. Her dress had been picked out hours ago (with Millie's help over face time obviously) and she'd already packed her handbag with all the clubbing essentials — lipstick, powder, tissues. She'd ignored Millie's suggestion of taking a condom with her just in case, arguing firmly that she had absolutely no intention of having sex with João tonight. It was far too early in their relationship for that, she had spluttered indignantly. Millie simply pulled a face.

"You're basically living with the guy." she had said with a snort, "Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about it."

Esperanza didn't even grace her with an answer. It was a stupid question anyway. Of course she'd thought about it. João was insanely attractive, and he had a habit of starting his home workouts while she was around. It was impossible not to think about that when he teased her so shamelessly, wandering around sans shirt for hours after he'd finished his reps. João knew exactly what he was doing. He had to. She figured she was probably fun to tease, taking into consideration her blushing problem.

"Did you ask Doutzen if she wanted to share a taxi with us to the club?" João went on after a few moments. Esperanza blinked away her thoughts with the faintest blush. She shook her head.

"Yes, she said thank you but she's fine just getting one by herself."

Well, that had been the gist of the conversation. In reality, Doutzen probably would have preferred not to be alone but, to quote her directly: "I don't fancy watching you two stick your tongues down each other's throats, thank you very much." Esperanza silently wondered why she thought they would be the kind of people to make out in the back of a taxi, while the driver sat barely even a few feet away, but she knew better than to argue. Besides, she was a little grateful for the privacy. As much as she loved Doutzen, there was no way the Dutch woman would have been able to keep quiet for the duration of the taxi journey — which would have led to a lot of embarrassment for Esperanza, considering how much she talked to her about João. She'd rather not have to deal with that if it came to it.

"I don't think she likes me very much." João spoke up again when they were sat on Esperanza's sofa, buried beneath a pile of blankets. She lifted her head up from his chest to regard him with a frown.

"Who? Doutzen?" she clarified. He nodded, "She doesn't not like you."

"Wow." João huffed out a laugh, "Thanks for the reassurance." His head fell back against the sofa, and he turned it to the side to pout half-jokingly at her, as if the insinuation that Doutzen wasn't his biggest fan had genuinely hurt his feelings. Esperanza rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but giggle softly at his expression.

"Don't take it personally." she jabbed her finger at his shoulder, "Doutzen doesn't really like anyone."

"That makes me feel so much better." João quipped again. This time, in retaliation, Esperanza poked him a little harder, hard enough that he gasped and wriggled away to shoot her a playful glare.

"Why are you so worried about her liking you anyway?" she asked. João sat up at the hint of seriousness in her tone, "Are you trying to gain approval or something?"

Esperanza worded it like a kind of joke, laughing — albeit unconvincingly — at the end. His slight frown deepened. He wondered if she thought the idea of him wanting her friends to like him was stupid; as if he wasn't already at the stage in his feelings that he feared the possibility of their disapproval might ruin things. João didn't want to be the guy that her friends hated. He didn't want to act as a wedge or come between their friendship. To him, it just showed that he cared — truly cared. But he wasn't sure Esperanza could see that yet.

"You know I'm serious about this, right?" João spoke up again after a moment, "About you. Us."

Esperanza blinked. She could feel her heart begin to pound in the pulse at her throat. His eyes, which somehow she managed to hold, bore into hers.

"You are?" she practically whispered. João nodded immediately.

"Yeah." he murmured, "Are you?"

"Of course." Esperanza let out an incredulous chuckle, as if the thought of her being anything but absolutely enamoured with him was absurd.

"Well," João smiled to himself, feeling his chest grow warm and his mind a little hazy, "I'm glad we're on the same page. And for the record, yes, I'd prefer it if your friends didn't hate me. That's normally kind of a dealbreaker isn't it?"

Esperanza couldn't help but laugh. Her cheeks burned crimson, courtesy of his confession, but for once she simply ignored it.

"Doutzen doesn't hate you." she insisted, "She just takes a while to warm up to new people. Besides, Millie likes you! And trust me, she's not easy to please."

It was true: Millie seemed to be rooting for Esperanza and João to work out even more than Esperanza herself was. Considering how protective Millie had grown of her in recent years, especially after the break up with her high school boyfriend and that disaster one night stand, Esperanza had to admit she was a little surprised at how quickly she had taken to João. Not that she was complaining.

"But Millie lives in Argentina." João sighed, "Doutzen lives, like, two miles away. It's not like I have anywhere to hide if she decides she hates me. And the way you talk about her sometimes, she sounds kind of scary."

Esperanza shook her head, "You're so dramatic." she giggled. João's stricken expression relaxed as she reached up to thread her fingers through his hair. He let out a faint groan, "Just give her time to warm up to you." she smiled, before leaning down to whisper in his ear, "But don't worry, if she doesn't, I'll protect you."

João's eyes fluttered open and flitted over to look at her. He hadn't even noticed them shut, nor had he realised how close Esperanza had drawn to his face. His gaze automatically flickered down to her lips.

"My saviour." he mumbled under his breath, chuckling softly, "What would I do without you, amor?"

Esperanza didn't answer. At least not verbally. She chose to thread her fingers tighter through the curls at the nape of his neck, and pull him down into a kiss instead.

Like most afternoons, they spent the next few hours curled up on the sofa bingeing the last episodes of Outer Banks (spoiler alert: João definitely cried, even though he would have denied it vehemently); sharing the odd spontaneous kiss, which sometimes progressed into something more, and sometimes remained as just a sweet peck. Esperanza would later remember thinking that she could have stayed there for the rest of her life and been perfectly content. If only the clock hand didn't creep around, and the light fade from the sky. Eventually, they both knew they had to move, unless they wanted to risk being late.

João reluctantly went back to his own apartment to change, as per Esperanza's insistence. He may not have cared whether he turned up to the club in sweatpants or a perfectly tailored suit, but she wasn't about to let him purposely underdress because he was too lazy to get up off the couch.

"Just go get ready." Esperanza sighed in exasperation as she pushed him by the chest out of her apartment and into the hallway.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" he yelped.

"I might still be in the shower when you get back, so just let yourself in." she told him, reaching for the door to close it once he had gone. The corner of João's lips turned up into a smirk.

"Yeah?"

Esperanza's eyes widened, "I meant into my apartment! Maldito idiota."she giggled faintly, shaking her head as her cheeks flamed with that oh-so-familiar crimson blush. João grinned widely at her, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you in a bit." he winked. Esperanza rolled her eyes, pressing her hands flat against his chest and pushing him out into the hallway. His voice, shouting one final goodbye floated through her apartment door as it swung shut. She had to lean her forehead against the cool wood once he was out of sight, just to try and banish the heat from her cheeks.

With João gone, she began the process of getting ready. Her dress wasn't new (she hadn't had the time to go out and get one in between her classes and unfinished essays) but since buying it around six months ago she hadn't yet worn it. Now seemed as good a time as any. Esperanza laid the dress out on her bed, along with a pair of heels and her handbag, before heading to the en suite bathroom. She'd checked the clock beforehand, and she had more than enough time to enjoy a nice, long shower before time began to press. With her Taylor Swift playlist on shuffle, Esperanza made it through about a dozen songs before switching the water off. She wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel, and, making sure to listen out for any sign of João returning, made her way back to her bedroom. She couldn't hear the gentle hum of the TV, nor his voice calling her, so she assumed he was still in his own apartment.

Esperanza had to admit — she'd picked out her dress not only with João in mind, but his friends too. The reason being, it was blue. She wanted to make the best impression possible, and though the colour of her dress probably mattered very little, she figured showing her support for Chelsea, even in a small way such as that, would give her a bit of a head start. Besides, João had been trying to get her to wear his team shirt for days. Wearing his team colours was close enough, right?

As Esperanza was drying her hair she heard the front door of her apartment open and close, signalling João's return. His voice floated through to her bedroom, asking a question she couldn't quite discern. "I'm getting changed!" she called back, hoping he would get the message.

João did, in fact, get the message. He hadn't been gone for that long, so he assumed the wait for Esperanza to get ready would be a while. He took a seat on the edge of her sofa, fidgeting nervously with the cuffs of his white shirt. Though it felt like he'd known Esperanza for years, their relationship (if he could call it that) was still relatively new, meaning that, to his frustration, he still got a little nervous before going out. Especially if their plans for the night involved her dressing up. There was no doubt about it now, in João's mind, Esperanza was the single most beautiful woman he had ever met. He sometimes felt a bit inferior stood next to her. Tonight was no exception.

She didn't emerge from her bedroom in the next five minutes, nor the next ten, so João let his mind drift away aimlessly as he sunk deeper into the couch. Before long his aimless thoughts returned to Esperanza, as they tended to do more often than not. Memories of previous dates or evenings spent curled up on that very same sofa watching Outer Banks flooded his mind. He thought back to their first date, smiling fondly. It felt so long ago now. João could still taste the faint flavour of her cherry lip gloss on his tongue.

"What are you smiling about?" a gentle voice cut through his daydream, and his head snapped to the side just in time to see Esperanza walk through the door. João opened his mouth to reply; though, it snapped shut again just as quickly.

"Uh... nothing." He stammered. The young woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously, partly because she didn't believe him, and partly because he was gawking at her like he'd never seen a member of the female species up until that very moment. She ran her hands self-consciously over the front of her dress.

"What's wrong?" she frowned, "Do I need to change?"

Esperanza thought maybe wearing blue was a step too far. What if it came off as looking desperate? Her cheeks burned under João's increasingly intense stare, as for a few moments, he appeared too dumbstruck to formulate an answer. She never could quite interpret whether that was a good thing or not.

"Nono! Don't change!" he spluttered out finally. Esperanza's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, so he quickly stood up from the couch and moved over to her in three strides, stopping with barely a few inches between their bodies. Her eyes widened at the sudden lack of distance, "You look beautiful, amor."

Esperanza felt every ounce of doubt in her body dissipate into the open air. A shy smile replaced the frown that had spread across her face. She may have been able to hold João's gaze without feeling too awkward by this point, but she was thus far yet to find a way to suppress her blush whenever he said something like that. It was such a simple compliment; understated, though it was something she had never heard from a significant other until meeting João. Somehow, he seemed to know exactly the words to make her melt.

"You think so?" Esperanza giggled, playing with the hem of her dress.

"Of course." He grinned, "You're breath taking. You know that, right?"

Again, it was as if she had given him a list of ways to make her flush crimson and squirm in a flattered, shy sort of embarrassment, and he was using it against her.

"Shut up." Esperanza rolled her eyes. They were stood almost chest to chest now, so she reached her hands out to press against his torso and push him away gently.

"You are." João persisted, "Even if you don't think it, I'm telling you that now."

And he sounded so sincere, so genuine, she found herself beginning to believe him. It wasn't as if she especially struggled with her body image — no more than any other person did — but Esperanza knew she didn't exactly have the 'model' type figure which she was certain João was used to. She couldn't squeeze into size 4 jeans and she didn't have a completely flat stomach, yet she'd never really had much of a problem with that. Maybe it was because she felt so strongly about João, she wanted him to accept her for who she was, no matter her body type. She wanted him to find the things that other people may have criticised her for attractive. Maybe that was too much to ask. Esperanza didn't really know.

But so far, he seemed to be ticking all the boxes.

"Do you like the colour?" she decided to change the subject quickly before her cheeks became too red to cool down. João looked down at the minidress (trying not to focus too much on the way it seemed to fit her body like a second skin) and smirked.

"I'm turning you into a Chelsea fan." He teased.

"I would say I'm a fan of whoever you play for." Esperanza laughed, "But I do have a bit of a soft spot for Chelsea now. Got to represent my team, right?" she shrugged. Perhaps her main intention was to give herself the best chance of winning João's teammates over, but there was a lot of truth to her words as well. She felt a certain connection to the club now. And she didn't just think it was down to João.

"I knew I'd get you into football somehow." He said with a triumphant smirk. Esperanza scoffed, ready to protest, but he was speaking again before she had the chance to open her mouth, "You should come to a game sometime. I could get you a ticket."

His eyes widened hopefully. It made her smile to see, and even if she'd wanted to, she didn't think she could have turned him down.

"I might have to take you up on that offer."

João didn't stop grinning for at least the next half an hour.

They were piling into the backseat of their Uber before long, João giving the club's address to the driver. Esperanza texted Doutzen to let her know they were on their way, and received a reply in seconds, confirmed the Dutch woman had also just set off. With any luck, they'd probably arrive at about the same time. That would have eased Esperanza's nerves, at least.

João, as he always did, seemed to sense her growing doubt. He knew her well enough by now to recognise that talking it out would probably just make her even more nervous. The thing that he'd noticed calmed Esperanza down was touch: an arm around her waist, his hand squeezing hers gently, anything that involved his skin on her own seemed to muffle the doubts and fears flying around her head. João could almost feel her overthinking now. So he took her hand into his and laced their fingers together, like the intricate stitches of a tapestry. Esperanza's head turned up to find him smiling softly at her. She smiled back.

"Thank you." João nodded to the Uber driver as they climbed out at the doors of the club, handing him a twenty pound note through the window. Esperanza shot him a disapproving look.

"I said I'd pay."

João scoffed, "Absolutely not." He wasn't about to let his girl fork out for an Uber they were sharing when he had more than enough money in the bank to pay for the both of them.

Esperanza knew not to argue. João was generally quite passive most of the time (otherwise known as, he was a little afraid of her stubborn streak and he'd go out of his way to make sure that whatever he did, she agreed to first), but this was something she knew he wouldn't budge on. Young men with too much money liked splashing out on behalf of others, that was what Esperanza thought. She couldn't exactly complain, though — it wasn't as if her ever-decreasing monthly allowance, barely minimum wage part-time job and student debt could afford the kind of prices business owners in central London got away with. Plus, João did insist.

"Hey, is that Doutzen?" the voice of the aforementioned cut through Esperanza's thoughts, and she whirled around in the direction of where his finger, now outstretched, was pointing. João had never actually met Doutzen before: he'd only heard stories about her, and been shown some blurry photographs. But even if the pictures he had seen could barely be made out, it wasn't difficult to match the stand-out characteristic of Esperanza's best friend, to that of the woman running towards them now. Curly red hair.

As it turned out, João's logic was sound. The Argentinian woman waved excitedly at her friend as she shuffled awkwardly towards them in her six inch heels. Doutzen wasn't a fan of bright colours, so she had opted for a forest green minidress with a cowl neck and a small slit climbing up her thigh. Her hair was left in all its wild glory, curled down to her shoulders. Esperanza had always been a little envious of Doutzen's hair. It always seemed to fall perfectly, even when she hadn't even done anything to it, whereas she needed to spend an age styling hers just so it didn't look like a mop on top of her head. All in all, it was clear the Dutch woman had dressed to impress. Ironic considering how much she'd complained when Esperanza first convinced her to tag along.

"Anzi! You look hot!" was the first thing Doutzen said as she approached them. Giggling, Esperanza let the Dutch woman pull her into a tight hug. When she pulled away, Doutzen turned to look at João with a smirk.

"Loverboy thinks so too."

His eyes widened. He didn't need a hint to realise that Doutzen was talking about him, though he hadn't expected her to be quite that bold, even if Esperanza had warned him about her lack of a filter (and even if she was right). João turned to look at the Argentinian woman, his eyes still wide, and found her expression mirroring his.

"Doutzen!" Esperanza hissed, "Sorry. I told you, she can't keep her mouth shut." She apologised, her gaze flickering between her friend, where it hardened into a glare, and João.

"Alright, maybe that was a bit too soon." Doutzen laughed. As Esperanza's scowl softened just a little, he figured that must be the Dutch woman's way of an apology – or the closest she ever got to one.

"I'm Doutzen." She spoke, offering her hand for him to shake. João took it hesitantly. "I've heard a lot about you from this one. She never shuts up about you."

Faintly, João heard Esperanza let out a groan from behind him. He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face, though he resisted the urge to turn around.

"I could say the same about you." He returned after a moment.

"All good things, I'm sure." Doutzen shot back with mock self-assurance, causing him to laugh loudly.

"Of course."

João took a step back and, without turning to look at her, looped his arm around Esperanza's shoulder. He knew for a fact she was blushing, even if he couldn't see her face. 

"You talk about me a lot, huh?" he said in Spanish, glancing down with a smirk to find her ducking away from his gaze, sure enough, with pink cheeks.

"Cállate." Esperanza muttered back; but as much as she tried to prevent the small smile from creeping onto her face, it simply wasn't possible with João pulling her closer into his side.

"Aw, cute, you guys have your own secret language." Doutzen spoke up suddenly with a sickly sweet smile, sarcasm practically dripping from her voice. João frowned and Esperanza pulled a face.

"It's Spanish —"

"Are we gonna go meet the rest of your teammates then? Or do you want me to leave you two alone for a while?" the Dutch woman rattled on, completely unfazed. She was marching towards the front door of the club before João or Esperanza even had time to think of a reply, seemingly revelling in the fact that she could bypass the queue and the bouncers thanks to the Chelsea squad's VIP status. Esperanza rolled her eyes, exasperated, before pulling João along by his hand after her runaway friend.

"I told you she was a handful." the young woman spoke. She tilted her head upwards with an apologetic smile, hoping it might compensate for Doutzen's earlier antics.

"I like her." João replied. She raised an eyebrow, "She's a, uh. — She's a character."

"She sure is." Esperanza snorted. Even if Doutzen could be brazen at times, and never really stopped to think about what she said before it was too late, she loved her for it. Besides — it was that part of Doutzen's nature that kept her going through Jordan's lectures. She's sure she would have fallen asleep without her little quips and comments.

Once inside the club, the Dutch woman finally slowed down to wait for them; only because she hadn't a clue where João's teammates were, but the motive didn't matter so much at the time. With his arm now wrapped securely around Esperanza's waist, as if he feared he might lose her in the crowd, João led the two women towards where Reece had told him everyone was meeting.

They were in a booth towards the back of the club, away from prying eyes. He waved when he caught sight of his friends, and began to walk faster. Esperanza's stomach fluttered with nerves. The light was too dim to make out everyone's faces yet, but she didn't really need to. She knew exactly who she was about to meet — she'd seen them on TV enough times by now to know almost every single one of them without introductions:

"Hey mate, how are you?" a young man with tight curly hair and eyes that creased when he smiled was the first to greet João, pulling him into a side hug and patting him on the back. He'd let go of Esperanza's waist by now, leaving her feeling a little vulnerable. But as soon as the man released him, João's arm wound around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side.

The friendly man was Reece James. Esperanza had always thought he looked a little intimidating on the TV, but when he turned to her with a kind smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, any kind of apprehension she may have felt evaporated.

"Hi." he beamed, "You must be Esperanza."

The young woman nodded, returning his enthusiasm as best she could.

"Reece, right?" she smiled hesitantly, hoping her newly acquired football knowledge wouldn't fail her.

Luckily, Reece's grin stayed ever-present. Esperanza mentally punched the air. That was one of João's teammates down without accidentally insulting them — only five more to go.

"We've heard a lot about you from this one." Reece spoke again, as she watched two new arrivals approach them from over his shoulder. She switched her gaze from their advancing figures to the young man's smirking face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see João shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, really?" Esperanza giggled, turning to nudge him playfully with a newfound burst of confidence, "What's he been saying about me?"

"She's so smart and pretty and perfect." one of the new arrivals interjected, in a high, pitched, dreamy tone. João groaned loudly, "I don't know how I got her to like me — she's wayyyy out of my league."

Esperanza watched in amusement as João punched his teammate's arm half-heartedly. Ben Chilwell merely cackled, as did the second of the two new faces, Mason Mount. They nudged each other like little children passing notes, snickering at the look on João's face. When Esperanza looked up at him, she couldn't help but laugh with them, seeing his crimson cheeks and ever-so-slight pout.

"Don't you start." he groaned, but there was evidence of a smile in his eyes. Esperanza could see it as clearly as she saw her own hand in front of her face.

Soon, Mason and Ben had finished with their childish giggles and were introducing themselves, matching smirks painted across their faces.

"What's your secret, Esperanza?" Mason asked suddenly. Esperanza blinked, caught off guard, but she didn't even have time to ask what he meant before Ben was cutting in.

"How'd you manage to get him so whipped?"

Another groan came from João. She couldn't help her cheeks turning a little pink this time, suddenly overwhelmed as they began cackling again. Turning her head up to look at João, he merely rolled his eyes, mouthing what looked like an apology. She waved him away. He'd experienced much the same with Doutzen, after all.

"Are these two bothering you?" An unfamiliar, gentle voice entered the conversation, tearing Esperanza's attention away from João. The voice belonged to a young woman with dark hair cut just below her chin, and wide, forest green eyes. She smiled softly, and Esperanza felt herself relax in an instant.

"Oh, no, it's ok —" she tried to dismiss, but the young woman had already rounded on Ben, shooting him a half-playful glare.

"I thought I told you not to scare the poor girl off." Her green eyes narrowed, and Ben shrunk away slightly. Behind him, Mason began to snicker, but he was quickly silenced when her glare switched to him.

"Sorry about them." the woman turned to look at Esperanza, the sweet smile suddenly taking over her features once more. "They act like children sometimes."

Esperanza giggled, waving away her apology.

"I'm Cartia. Ben's girlfriend." She stepped forward, arms held out wide, before she was engulfing her into a tight hug. It made it hard not to smile. Esperanza hadn't come across many people in England who were as keen huggers as she was — she supposed it must have been a culture difference. But then again, Cartia didn't sound very English; Australian perhaps, Esperanza figured with her limited knowledge of foreign accents. Cold handshakes must have just been a thing the Brits engaged in.

"Come on, I'll take you to meet the rest of the WAGs!" Cartia exclaimed excitedly, reaching out to grasp Esperanza's hand and pulling her out of João's hold before he even had the chance to complain. She looked back at him for a second, holding off the urge to laugh at his forlorn expression. 'WAGs?', she mouthed, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. João merely shrugged. He was too far away now for her to see the faint flush in his cheeks.

Cartia stayed true to her promise of introductions. Esperanza was almost hidden behind her frame until she pushed her to the forefront of the group sat huddled together in a booth. Doutzen was already there, seemingly having made the rounds when she hadn't been paying attention; she spoke animatedly to a young woman with thick blonde hair, like they'd been friends for years. Esperanza rolled her eyes fondly. She wouldn't have expected anything else.

Within a few minutes, she too was huddled in the booth, with João on one side of her and Cartia on the other. It didn't take long for her apprehension to melt away. As soon as she was introduced to everyone, it became like a gathering between old friends. João had certainly been right about her liking his teammates; they were all lovely, treating her with as much warmth as they treated anyone else sat around the booth. She liked the girlfriends too, or the 'WAGs' as Cartia had explained to her they were often referred to as. Esperanza found she wasn't so opposed to that label at all, even if her and João weren't official. For once, she wasn't afraid of the thought of it.

Cartia, being the first WAG she'd been introduced to, was her point of reference when getting acquainted with the others. She was a lovely girl: bubbly and charismatic, but a dreamer as well — like she lived in another world. A perfect balance to Ben's brashness and realism, she thought. The second of the WAGs Esperanza met was Mia McClenaghan, Reece's girlfriend. She was just as outgoing, if not more so than Cartia. Reece explained she'd been dying to meet her since the boys first caught on to João's little crush (in his words). The third, Sophia, was quieter than the other two, but in a way that gave her a much needed sense of calmness and security. Esperanza didn't think she'd ever met a couple so well matched as Sophia Weber and Kai Havertz. With Kai's dry, sarcastic sense of humour and Sophia's sweet disposition, they were like chalk and cheese in the best way. Her eyes were drawn to their little interactions, showing how much they trusted each other. She wondered if her and João would look like that one day.

Their company also included some late arrivals. Firstly, Kepa Arrizabalaga and his fiancé Andrea Martínez. From the moment they entered the room, Esperanza could immediately tell they were in their own little bubble. They were still friendly and welcoming, but there was something different about being recently engaged, she thought, that likely made them feel like they were the only two people in the room sometimes. She thought it was cute, how obviously infatuated with each other they were. Secondly arrived Chelsea's newest signing, Mykhailo Mudryk. João had been right once again — his English was patchy — but despite that, the moment they were introduced she could sense his kindness and genuine happiness just to be there with them. Esperanza took a liking to him straight away.

Within an hour the group had split — João and his teammates to the bar to order drinks for all of them, and the WAGs to the dance floor. Esperanza wasn't really a party person, but Cartia, Mia and Doutzen seemed to compensate for her lack of energy with their own: and maybe they rubbed off on her just a little bit. Sophia wasn't massively into clubbing and dancing either, it seemed. She and Esperanza were content just watching the others laugh and jump about, swaying from side to side to whatever bass-heavy remix the DJ put on next. They somehow managed to hold a conversation over the noise, although sometimes it was difficult, and they had to move so close to each other their noses almost bumped. It turned out Sophia was just as lovely as Esperanza had predicted from their first encounter, if not more so. She quickly grew to become her favourite of the WAGs.

"How did you and João meet?" the German woman shouted over the pounding bass.

"It's kind of a funny story, actually." Esperanza giggled, "I almost knocked him over running for the elevator when I was late for class."

Sophia's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth to hold in her laughter.

"I know, it was so embarrassing! And I didn't even know who he was either. He told me he played for a lower league team. Then when I found out he played for Chelsea I avoided him for three days." Esperanza shook her head at the memory of how frankly stupid she had been. Sophia laughed.

"Well, it seems like you made quite the impression on him." she said with a grin, as Esperanza's cheeks heated up, "Kai tells me he pretty much never stops talking about you."

"I'm sure he's just joking..." she mumbled, but the small, shy smile, creeping its way onto her lips was unmistakable. Sophia wasn't ignorant to it. Nor was anyone, for that matter.

João couldn't help but watch her from across the room. It seemed as if she was enjoying herself, dancing and chatting with the other girls like old friends. His gaze softened. Whenever Esperanza was happy, he found it impossible not to mirror that in himself. Her joy was infectious. Even if he was stuck waiting at the bar while people jostled him drunkenly in an attempt to get their orders heard, far away from where she was, João still could feel his heart warm.

"You really like her, don't you?" a voice said rather suddenly — and loudly — in his ear. He spun around to face Reece, who was watching him with a strange, calculating expression, like he knew some kind of secret he couldn't let him in on just yet. João smiled.

"Yeah, I do." He spoke softly, "She's — she's just perfect. Everything about her is perfect." he trailed off with a far-away looking smile, "I can't believe how lucky I got, meeting her."

Reece chuckled, "Bro, you're down bad." he clapped a hand on João's shoulder, inadvertently breaking him out of his half-trance, induced by flashes of the memories he and Esperanza had slowly been building over the weeks they had known each other.

"I'm happy for you." Reece went on, "She's a keeper, I can tell. Don't let her go if you can help it, yeah?"

João's mouth opened and closed, suddenly feeling slightly more solemn. It hurt his heart just to think about anything going wrong with Esperanza. If he had to watch her walk out of his life, just as she had done... well, he wasn't sure he could handle it. He would never tell Esperanza, for fear of scaring her off, but she was already one of the most important people in his life. Only a few weeks in, and he could already scarcely imagine his life without her.

"I wasn't planning on it." João answered back firmly. The bartender handed over their drinks next, so nothing more was said on the matter. They shared the load, carrying  them over to the group, who all cheered loudly at the prospect of more alcohol. João handed over Esperanza's drink in exchange for a kiss. He delighted in the blush that spread across her cheeks as a consequence, and even more so in the sweet but brief press of her lips on his. It gave him a feeling he never wanted to give up. Not for the rest of his life.

The night grew more and more blurred together the longer they danced, drinks, freshly refilled, seeming to materialise out of thin air in their hands (they didn't really — Mason supplied them with plenty of refills, but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice). It was lucky everyone else around them seemed to be just as tipsy, otherwise, Esperanza was sure, someone would have recognised João and taken some pretty incriminating pictures. At some point, Mason and Ben dragged him away to the bar, and she was left with Sophia again. The German woman detached herself from her boyfriend (who, if the way he wrapped his arms around her and hid his face in her neck was anything to go by, seemed to be quite the clingy drunk) as soon as she noticed João's absence. Esperanza giggled at Kai's complaints, before she was being dragged out into the middle of the dance floor by Sophia, leaving him, still whining, behind.

"Anzi, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Doutzen yelled over the thumping bass, as she intercepted them in the middle of a throng of dancing bodies. Esperanza's eyebrow arched, taking in her appearance — her previously tamed curls now wild and rumpled, cheeks flushed, and lipstick smudged around the corners of her mouth, as well as a little on her chin. The Argentine looked to Sophia, both of their smiles morphing into smirks.

"Have you?" Esperanza drawled sarcastically. If it had been her facing accusations, she was sure she would have crawled into a hole and died of embarrassment. But of course, Doutzen van Aalsburg was not phased. She merely grinned.

"Maybe not." The Dutch woman snickered.

Typical, Esperanza thought.

They danced for a little while longer, when a song she vaguely recognised, which Doutzen claimed was her favourite, came on over the loudspeakers in a rush of bass so deep she could feel it pulsate beneath her feet. Gladly, they didn't remain stuck in the large group of clubbers for long, which, with the alcohol's influence, was beginning to resemble a mosh pit more than anything. Esperanza certainly didn't want to get beer chucked on her if she could help it. Doutzen had had more to drink than her, she figured, though that wasn't much of a surprise. The Dutch woman's movements were becoming more and more wild with each passing moment. Sophia had to catch her arms more than once before she hit someone in the face. But it was good to see her so relaxed for once. Esperanza had been beginning to fear that the stress of finals had sucked out her fun-loving, party-animal side completely.

"Are you going to tell me who he is or not?" when Doutzen and her flailing arms finally got close enough, she shouted over the music, waiting for her spaced-out expression to grow into another, very characteristic smirk.

She wasn't disappointed.

"Oh, I don't need to." Doutzen laughed, "You've met him already."

Esperanza groaned.

"Don't tell me —"

"You know, you were right, his English needs some work." The Dutch woman went on, "But it's ok. He can do much better things with that mouth."

"Doutzen!"

Esperanza's cheeks burned. Whether it was from embarrassment at her less than chaste words, or from annoyance — or even just simply from the alcohol — she didn't know. Her best friend seemed to delight in it, however. Sophia, who had drawn close enough to overhear their conversation, giggled loudly, holding her hand to her mouth to try and contain her laughter. Esperanza shot her a look which read, don't encourage her, but it wasn't long before she too was laughing. Of course Doutzen would manage to have a Chelsea player wrapped around her little finger by the end of the night. Bless poor Mykhailo's soul, Esperanza thought pityingly. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Speaking of, I think lover boy's looking for you, Anzi." The Dutch woman remarked with a faint smirk. She spun around. Sure enough there was João, stumbling his way through the crowd, craning his neck as though searching for something —or someone. As soon as his glassy eyes zeroed in on her, his whole face seemed to light up. Esperanza's cheeks ached with the size of her smile, and burned crimson when Doutzen and Sophia both snickered. In an instant, João was pushing his way through the crowd in a bid to reach her, hardly even noticing the angry curses he received in response to elbowing someone out of his way. He only had one thought on his mind.

"Amor!" he cheered brightly when he finally reached her, swooping down to press a sloppy kiss to her cheek. Esperanza chose to ignore the looks Doutzen shot her way at the nickname — something which was also unfamiliar to her, but surprisingly welcome. "Where'd you go? Been looking for you everywhere." He grinned dazedly down at her, his words slurring ever so slightly. She fought back the urge to smile.

"I've been right here this whole time." she told him softly. João pouted, as though he wished he could have kept her glued to his side the whole night, rather than let him out of his sight, even for a second. She shook her head in bemusement.

"Mhm, good. You're not going anywhere else now." he shot back. His arms snaked around her, encircling her waist and pulling her into his chest, causing her eyes to widen at the sudden movement. Esperanza braced her hands on either of his shoulders. Her eyes narrowed. Up close, she could see through the hazy club lights and make out his features clearly: his blown pupils, pink cheeks, drooping eyelids...

"How much have you had to drink?" she giggled. João didn't answer her at first, leaning down to press a kiss to the column of her throat. Esperanza craned her neck around to see if Doutzen and Sophia were still there watching them. Luckily for her, they had both turned their attention elsewhere, presumably to give them a little privacy (or as a much was possible in a crowded club). At least there would be no embarrassing questions to answer after this was all over — or at least, not too many.

"Don't know... maybe two?" João murmured his response into her neck this time, where he left a trail of soft, gentle pecks onto her flushed skin. Esperanza felt her whole body heat up at his actions, but she couldn't bring herself to stop him.

"I think you've had a bit more than that, J." she breathed out. It got caught in her throat half way.

"Maybe." João pulled back to shoot her a lopsided grin. In the absence of his lips on her skin, she suddenly felt cold. It took a fair amount of questioning (and interrogating the perpetrators involved — Mason and Ben) to figure out how much João had had to drink. Apparently the players had been doing shots at the bar for half an hour; so his sudden clinginess made a lot of sense. Esperanza had to laugh when he tried to pull her closer, but only ended up tripping over his own feet and knocking some poor, unsuspecting person's drink out of their hands. So João was a clumsy drunk. She decided to make a mental note of that for future reference.

"Wanna dance?" he shouted over the music. At first Esperanza didn't hear him, so he moved closer so his mouth was next to her ear, and asked the same question again. She shivered at the feeling of his breath on her skin.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she arched an eyebrow. João had already managed to almost knock over about ten people in the last few minutes, and they weren't even on the busiest part of the dance floor. Who knows what damage he could do while dancing. But João wouldn't take no for an answer. Esperanza yelped out in surprise as he took hold of her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor, turning over his shoulder to shoot her a grin. She huffed, though her annoyance lasted for all of a split second. João looked too happy for her to ruin it.

Neither of them knew how long they danced for — it could have been only a few minutes, but it also could have been hours. Time didn't seem to affect them anymore. Esperanza, against her better judgement, let him wrap her up in his arms, swaying them from side to side as she threw her hands up in the air. She didn't know the words to any of the songs, but she didn't mind. João's laughter in her ear was the only music she cared about. He dipped his head down to kiss her neck again, smiling into her skin. She could feel the upturn of his lips against her. Esperanza closed her eyes. For a moment, there was no one else in the room except them. They were completely wrapped up in each other. Everything else around them simply faded into the background.

The music slowed, and João captured her lips in a searing kiss. Suddenly, it didn't seem to matter that anyone could have been watching them; even taking pictures to share with the whole world afterwards, and burst their peaceful, perfect bubble. Esperanza gave in as he deepened the kiss, swallowing her whimper when his tongue slipped into her mouth. Her hands travelled slowly upwards, trailing over his chest where he'd undone a few more buttons, leaving his skin exposed. They darted to the gold chain hung around his neck, tugging on it to bring him even closer — impossibly close. João groaned against her mouth, his grip on her hips tightening. Esperanza looped her arms around his neck in response, her fingers beginning to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel him smiling now. His teeth caught against her bottom lip as he pulled away, biting down softly. Esperanza felt her stomach erupt with warmth. Something occurred to her then, prompted by the glint in his eye when he looked down at her, grinning. She'd never felt this way before — about anyone; and she knew it wasn't simply because this was her first taste of a proper relationship. There was just something special about João, something unexplainable, that drew her to him. Was this what falling in love was supposed to feel like?

"So beautiful." she heard João murmur faintly, "Meu anjo. Não posso acreditar que você é meu." I can't believe you're mine. Esperanza opened her mouth to ask what he'd said, but the words soon died in her throat. His lips found the flushed skin of her neck again. She sighed softly. He took that as an invite to kiss her again, rougher than before; hard enough to knock the breath out of her lungs. Esperanza felt like she was floating, but she had to fight to keep her head above the water. Everything around her was muffled — except him.

"J, there are people around." she came to her senses when João's hand began to wander dangerously low down the bare skin of her back. As much as his attention on her was nearly enough to make her cave completely, she'd rather not get caught in such a compromising positions by one of his fans. The consequences of simply being photographed with someone as high-profile as João Félix would most likely be dire for her, much less being spotted making out with him.

"I don't care." he groaned in response, pulling away only to press a sloppy kiss to her jaw. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them, boring into her own with a kind of intensity that made her skin prickle, "Let them watch."

Esperanza sighed, shaking her head. "João, you're drunk." she chuckled. Just like that, the darkness faded, replaced by a pout and what she thought was his best attempt at puppy-dog eyes. His head dropped to her shoulder as he whined, mumbling some sort of barely coherent denial. Esperanza threaded her fingers through his hair, and kissed his cheek tenderly.

"Come on. Let's get you home."

Though, that was easier said than done. They said their goodbyes without mishap — though Mason and Ben both made a point of wiggling their eyebrows suggestively and whistling as soon as they turned their backs to walk out of the club. Esperanza ordered them an Uber, as by now, João was much too out of it to even reach for his wallet. They stood by the side of the road, his arms wrapped around her protectively, caging her into his body. She allowed herself to sink back into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne. It made her feel warm and safe in a way that she never had before, knowing that he was right there beside her.

When the Uber arrived, Esperanza climbed in first, João following closely behind her. His hand immediately found its home, rested on her thigh. She chose to ignore how dangerously high up his fingers wandered. A stern look and a gentle swat of his hand was all she needed to deter his antics for the moment — though, from the mischievous look in his eye, she had a feeling she'd be dealing with his wandering hands a few more times tonight.

Soon they were back at their apartment complex, clambering out of the car in a disorderly fashion. Esperanza practically had to drag João away to stop him from tipping the confused driver almost the entire contents of his wallet. Apologising sheepishly, she handed the driver a ten pound note in exchange, before taking hold of João's hand and guiding him into the complex. It was a wonder she even managed to get them both up to their floor safely, but somehow, within a few minutes, they were stood outside João's door.

"Keys?" she asked him in a whisper. Mrs Davies' apartment was only down the corridor, and she didn't particular want to face her wrath at the present moment — especially not while he was in such a state. The old woman would have a few choice words to say about it, she was sure.

"Pocket." João mumbled into her hair. But he made no move to retrieve them. Esperanza sighed. She was going to have to do it herself if she wanted any hope of getting back to her apartment tonight. Avoiding eye contact, she reached into the pocket of his pants, cursing internally as she realised his keys had, conveniently, buried themselves right at the very bottom. Esperanza could sense him watching her, but she refused to look up. This situation was embarrassing enough without him seeing how red her cheeks were.

She breathed a sigh of relief once the cool metal was safely in her hand, and turned away to unlock the door. Her hands, to her dismay, shook ever-so-slightly. It didn't help that the light in the corridor was so dim — she could hardly see what she was doing. After an agonizing few seconds, the sound of the door clicking open echoed through the hallway. Esperanza pushed it open triumphantly. Finally, she turned to look at João. He simply smiled.

It was strange not to hear Floki skitter across the floor to greet them as normal — but she figured he was probably already asleep. The apartment was plunged into almost complete darkness. She'd grown so familiar with it in the past couple of weeks, that she probably could have painted the interior from memory. However, in the dark, everything looked different. Shadows created shapes across the ground and in Esperanza's eyes, and every time she turned her head to find a new one, she just couldn't be sure if it was a trick of the light or if she was about to walk into something. João, in his drunken state, obviously wasn't any better at navigating than her. He hissed as he stubbed his toe on the frame of his bedroom door, almost falling flat on his face. He probably would have done, if Esperanza's arm hadn't been there to steady him.

"You ok?" she murmured into the darkness. João's lips parted soundlessly. He could just about make out her face, but none of the details. He wanted to see all of her; the deep brown of her eyes, the faint freckles dusted across her nose, the single dimple in her cheek when she smiled, and the soft curve of her cupid's bow. He had a vague idea of where the light switch was, so he leaned back and fell towards the wall, in the faint hope he would fall upon it. Esperanza gasped, darting forward to catch him. But then the lights came on. João straightened himself up, grinning widely.

"Hi." he beamed, stepping forwards slowly, crowding her into his arms. Esperanza let him walk her back until she felt her bare skin pressed against the wall. That familiar warmth pooled in her stomach. He was so close now, she could see every little detail of his beautiful face — perfections and imperfections alike. She loved all of it.

"Hi." she giggled in reply. João's face softened immediately. Then before she even knew what was happening, he swooped down and pressed his lips to hers; hot and heavy and bubbling with pent up frustration. Esperanza breathed an involuntary sigh of relief. Her fingers darted into his hair, tugging until she felt him moan into her mouth. His tongue darted across her bottom lip, probing for entrance. She gladly let him, parting her lips, kissing him back with everything she had in her.

João moved her away from the wall by her hips. His hands were everywhere all at once, leaving a trail that felt like fire on her skin. In any other situation, with anyone else but him, Esperanza would have slapped him away when they moved down to her ass — but as he squeezed gently, she merely smiled. This, whatever it would turn out to be, felt far too natural to stop. He'd never touched her like this before, but it felt like he knew every inch of her body; like he'd been exploring it his entire life. Esperanza pulled him closer, if such a thing was even possible. Slowly, he walked her backwards, until her legs met the end of his bed. She let him push her down onto the sheets and crawl over her body. His hands planted on either side of her head, and that stupid gold chain he always wore dangling in front of her face. She tugged on it, pulling him down to meet her in another kiss.

Once again, time seemed to slow, as if it didn't apply to them when they were connected like this. Esperanza ran her fingers through João's hair, listening to his soft whimpers as he nuzzled his face into her neck. His grip on her hips loosened, and his kisses became more languid; sleepy, even. He didn't have the energy to complain when she gently pushed him away, her hand on his chest forcing them both to sit up.

"You need to sleep, J." she said under her breath. João opened his mouth as if to protest, but his own body betrayed him, as he struggled to fight back a yawn. Esperanza giggled. She'd never seen him look so adorable; with his flushed cheeks, droopy eyes and half-pout. She just wanted to wrap him up in her arms and never let go.

Slowly, she helped him change out of his clubwear, into something more comfortable. She considered it a blessing that he was half asleep by now, otherwise he would have been smirking so widely she would have had to stop to cover her face in embarrassment. Esperanza tried her best not to look when she slipped his shirt off his shoulders, or when he sluggishly helped her push his pants down over his thighs, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. To her relief (or perhaps disappointment) she managed to get him into an oversized shirt before her eyes had the chance to wander too far. As soon as she'd finished folding his clothes, João fell back on the bed with a dull thud, burying his face into the pillows. Esperanza smiled. She didn't plan to stay once he'd fallen asleep — she still had to work in the morning, and besides, she didn't have a spare change of clothes in his apartment. For a moment, in the quiet, it seemed as though he'd fallen asleep already. Esperanza smiled a final time, before standing up and backing towards the door as quietly as possible. But a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You promised you'd stay."

It was João. He mumbled the words into the pillow, but she heard them clearly. A sigh slipped past her lips. She thought vaguely of reminding him that she hadn't technically promised — 'I'll think about it', were her exact words, unless she was very much mistaken. But something about the way he was gazing hopefully up at her made her hesitate. Somehow, it felt wrong to leave him now, especially after the incredible night they'd shared. It felt, to her at least, that they'd opened up a new element of their relationship; a more intimate one. Esperanza suddenly realised, that fear of appearing so vulnerable to João was no longer there. That nagging thought in the back of her mind, the one that always prevented her from letting him in fully, had subsided. So instead of smiling apologetically and promising she'd make it up to him in, Esperanza walked to João's wardrobe, changing into the first of his t-shirts that she saw, and climbed into bed with him. Almost instantaneously, his arms wrapped around her waist, as he pulled her so close that she was all but lying on his chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart. It felt like home. All of it. All of him.

"I think you're what I've been trying to find for the past two years." João said to her later, when the room was plunged into darkness, and the only sound to be heard was the combined rise and fall of their breathing. Esperanza looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed, searching for any sign in his shadowy eyes that he was still drunk or confused in any way. None. He looked deadly serious.

"I just never realised it until now." João went on, "I tried to focus on football and training, but I always felt like something was missing." he turned his head to look her in the eye, "You were missing."

Esperanza felt like crying, but she swallowed down the lump in her throat quickly, "João..." she stammered.

"You don't have to say anything." he interrupted with a soft chuckle, "This isn't — I'm not going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Not right now. I'm not ready for that yet."

Esperanza watched curiously as he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. Her heart lurched. She could sense, when he opened his mouth, that whatever he was about to tell her was important. She had always prided herself on being able to read people well, and in this moment, she was reminded of all the times she had sensed João was holding something back from her. Esperanza never had the courage to ask him about it. She figured he would tell her himself when the time was right — when he trusted her enough. Something in her gut told her, now was the right time to open up, just as she had done with him.

"I — I've never even considered the possibility of dating again for over two years." João spoke almost in a whisper. Esperanza hung on to his every word, "I'm always too scared. Scared that, if I let myself open up, I'll get my heart broken again. So I figured it was better to be closed off than risk getting hurt."

He breathed out shakily. Esperanza reached out to run her hand through his hair soothingly, watching as his eyes closed and his heart rate beneath her ear, which was still laid on his chest, slowed.

"My ex-girlfriend cheated on me." João spoke, "Three times, as far as I'm aware. Or it could be more, I really don't know." he sighed. Esperanza could do nothing but watch as his jaw clenched in anger, and he glanced down through misty eyes brimming with tears to shoot her a weak smile. Her heart broke for him then. She could only imagine the pain he must have experienced. Her lips peppered his jaw with soft kisses, as she prayed that whatever small actions of reassurance she could provide would at least help to make him feel a little better — to show that she was here for him.

"I loved her so much, I couldn't even bring myself to leave after the first time." he went on, "I kept telling myself it had to be me that was the problem — I had to be doing something wrong. So I stayed, and I tried to fix it. But she —she was the problem." he sighed, "Not me. It's taken me two years to realise that, you know?" he turned now to look at her fully in the eye, "For two fucking years, I've been too terrified of getting hurt again to let myself open up."

Esperanza's hand trailed down from his hair to his warm cheek, brushing away a stray tear.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, João." she whispered into his ear, holding him as he buried his face in her hair, "Not now, and not ever, ok?"

João looked up at her through misty eyes, "You promise?" he sniffled.

"I promise."

She kissed the crown of his head, pulling him into her chest, where he sighed contentedly. It was warm, laying side by side, but not just in the physical sense. Esperanza's heart felt warm too. She held on to that feeling as they both drifted into a dreamless slumber, clinging on to each other through bedsheets and clothes, as if they both knew, deep down, this moment, despite all promises, couldn't last.

BONUS!