#it just feels very random to write f1 rpf and all f1 drivers are side characters? though i guess by writing from dan's/max's perspective -

[maxemilianverstappen]

Why is a/b/o so popular in f1 fandom and fanfic? I’m proper amazed that of all the tropes that could be popular in F1 RPF, it’s alpha/beta/omega.

I mean, it is a great trope. But why is it so popular in the millionaires driving super fast cars around circuits fandom?

I have a few theories about it, some of which are not that palatable (and actually quite dark) to the random reader who is just there to enjoy the sexy times:

Firstly, I must say I am just a random literature grad who also enjoys scrutinizing the darkest parts of the human mind that's explored in literature. I must I also live for angst, hurt/comfort, controversy, and conflict created thru ambiguous moral stances and choices. I like depravity.

- There is a clear cut almost cast like system based on power (im)balance set around sex and reproduction in the a/b/o universe.

Young people can yap about equality and sexual rights and all that stuff day in an out, but they also highly enjoy sexual fantasies literally based on inequality even tho this trope doesn't pay much attention to the gender. It literally uses and reflects all the problems of heteronormative systems upon the characters, to the point of writing the omega characters with all the bad stereotypes attached to the "female experince". They call this universe their "guilty pleasure" because of this. And the haters of the trope are mainly giving this as their reason to hate the trope.

True, there are abo works that do not dabble in the power play and power politics of the system at all, just choosing to focus on the kinky aspects of it like biting/marking, knotting, possessive and/or rough sex (sometimes dubious consent and even nonconsent) and breeding and nesting. But even then, when you read the fic, you can clearly see some character stereotypes (that ppl look down upon) of the trope are used, if not many of them. And I am talking about the stereotyping that helps the author write a more feminine male character or a more manly female character. In a way that's acceptable and actually sought for in a society that values/calls for it. (Come to think of it, even breeding and marking as kinks have all the iks that would tick a feminist's hate list)

It is weird in a way that while a Trans leaning or gay person might feel themselves very at home in this universe at the first glance (because gender is not as important as the fact that you either have a self lubricating asshole/fertile womb or a knotting monster penis), this universe is also heavily oppressive, divided by power gained thru the biological lottery and expects you to obey its structure based solely on the way if you are an Omega and Alpha or a Beta and heavily punishes you if you are an outlier or a rebel.

There are works that solely explore the sexual opportunities of the trope, and I am not reading them at all because, as I said, I live for conflict and angst and deprivation. And you can only find it in the fics that also try to deal with the power structure of this universe.

Putting these relatively rich, famous and very handsome and fit men into this universe might have its allure in the fact that:

-some lgbtqa+ fans identify themselves with a driver and want to express/explore their identity by putting their little guy thru situations in which gender is meaningless and yet

a) he can't control, or

b) he can control fully

and have a sense of completion and experience the wild emotions and the second hand sexual gratification in a safer and sane way without all the guilt/embarrassment and power play attached.

Let me talk bluntly. Writing about r*pe, writing about sex pollen or aliens made them do it kinda tropes lets you experience a highly controversial and/or traumatic situation in a sterile way and also with a person (driver) whom you have an emotional connection with (albeit one sided) and possible attraction to. Writing/reading about a Charles being in painful heat and an alpha Max stumbling upon him like that and them having a dubious consent/forceful but wild hot sex might not be everyone up of tea, but it certainly is fucking popular. Because people have fantasies of being stripped of their consciense/choice/agency/mind/guilt and just have monkey sex with no strings attached or without any severe consequences, with a highly attractive person who desires them to the point of delirium. Easy.

Or they can work out their trauma of being stripped of their free will/decision/power (not necessarily just sexually) by making their little meow meow go thru a sexual situation which is not acceptable in any way or form by our own society/morality, but almost natural/acceptable or easier to come to terms with/reconcile with situation in the abo universe, so that they can find some form of resolution and reconciliation with their own feelings.

Or there is this thing about stripping a male athlete of his power and agency (generally the one you don't like) who reeks of power and testosterone irl, and casting him into a nonsavioury female experince without having to turn him female (and having to deal with female anatomy -which also implies an underlying self hate/disgust?) and punish him or humble him with the monster dick of your favorite driver. In a way that's sexier and more readable than outright making his girlfriend peg him until he bleeds. Hmmmm....

Or, people just like reading/writing about the melodrama and conflict that this power imbalance and cast system creates with the bonus of sexy times with all the kinks that they can shove into it.

Nevertheless, I don't like boys with "cunts" (ewww the term) in my fics and I can't suspend my disbelief while reading mpreg, so I am unable to fully enjoy the "having a child" experience of the couple in the fic, but truly.... A well written abo fic is an experience and an eye opener.

[komkommertijd]

Maxiel Italy, please? 👀

Ahhh thank you so much! I don’t think I’ve ever really talked about this fic before outside of the one mood board (x) I made for it, I’m a bit nervous haha

I have to be real honest, I haven’t worked on this fic in 10 months, so I had to read into the first chapter again to remember the details! I also have to say that the title of that folder is kind of confusing, since the fic isn’t even set in Italy for the most part. It’s somewhat inspired by an Italian series (not plot-wise, it just somehow made me come up with this), and the actual main character of this story has a connection to Italy, so maybe that’s why I chose it.

While Maxiel is the main pairing of this fic, they’re not exactly the main characters. I’ve been a bit anxious about this project because this story builds around an OC, and that feels kind of weird and like something people might not be into? That’s why I mostly kept quiet about this fic, that and because I have so much editing to do, it’s painful - it’s a pretty complex story, why do I keep torturing myself like that?

The original plan for this fic was to split it into three parts, with each part written from the perspective of one character (so Max, Daniel, and the OC) through the various stages of life of that OC but I have to admit that I haven’t gotten that far yet with that fic; I’m really trying to take my time and work through it slowly, to get all the details and my ideas well thought out.

Anyway, have Max interacting with a child because the conversations in this fic are very dear to me for some reason, and because I’ll keep rambling for another hour if I don’t put the snippet here now :”)

“She left Papà. She's not coming back but that's okay. I still have Papà and Papà has me, so it's okay, right?”

Max nods gently, not sure whether there is actually a right reply to the girl's question. He doesn't want to discourage her or scare her with his thoughts, so he keeps quiet for a while and thinks about how a child can be so chill about it all. He doubts that Ludovica is showing him all her feelings, she surely must be at least slightly upset about her parents- breaking up? divorcing? Max doesn't even know that. He's not her guidance counselor, he's her English teacher, he shouldn't want to know that anyway. Still, it concerns him, and he shuffles his feet on the step underneath them, tiny stones cracking under the soles of his black shoes while Ludovica looks at her hands and smiles.

“I love Papà, he tries his best. He wanted to help me with my uniform today, it was a disaster. He paid my hairdresser to show him how to do my hair,” she tells Max and giggles at the last sentence. Max chuckles softly and compliments her hair, he's glad that she is opening up to him about it, hoping that it might somehow help her to talk about this with someone who isn't a family member, someone who should have an emotional distance, someone who has a different view on her situation.

“Papà keeps saying that I remind him of my mom. I feel bad sometimes, I don't want to make him sad when I remind him of her. I think he misses mom more than I do,” Ludovica continues, and Max continues thinking about it all, and he almost loses his balance on the stairs when the roaring of an engine breaks the comfortable silence of the almost empty parking lot.

(Send me an ask with the title from this list that most intrigues you, and I’ll post a little snippet of it and tell you something about it!)