#last ask from 2022..! so sorry Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons]

I noticed that some characters in Zero's Journey, including Jack, Sally and Lock, Shock and Barrel aren't affected by the snow or cold weather etc. Does this have anything with them being monsters or undead humans? If so, were any of the trickster trio an undead human who froze to death, if so, who?

I think them being dead contributes to this! After all, we don't necessarily see Jack shivering/reacting to the snow in Christmas Town during 'What's This?'. (We do see the Werewolf shaking it off of himself at the end of the movie, but all the Residents embrace the snow otherwise). Sally likely doesn't have any nerves to feel temperatures, I think.

I don't necessarily headcanon any of Lock, Shock, and Barrel to have been frozen to death, but it could make sense for any of them..!

[starkwlkr]

i wait for you | sebastian vettel

part 1 part 2

this is the last part in this mini series!! thanks for reading <3 some lines are taken from the movie babylon :) (babylon, you will always be famous)

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

update: i decided to make this into a series, thanks for reading! you can read it here!

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liked by sebastianvettel, aussiegrit and 766,388 others

yourusername hi, i would like to start by saying thank you for all the kind messages i’ve been receiving over the past couple days. this is my only account on any social media. i know it’s been years since you’ve heard from me so here’s an update:

as of last week, i am now divorced and living happier than ever. i do a lot of reading and baking. i still think about my time on the track and all the wonderful people i met.

until next time, take care.

comments on this post have been limited

TIME SKIP TO ABU DHABI 2022

you weren’t sure if you made the right decision, yet here you were in the aston martin garage about to watch sebastian’s last race. the aston martin team made sure photographers weren’t in your face with their cameras, which you thanked them for. yeah, your former job had paparazzi following you almost everywhere but you had gotten used to the quietness.

you hadn’t seen sebastian all day, it was killing you inside. you felt like this was a bad decision, but before you could leave the aston martin garage, you saw sebastian enter with britta by his side. you heard him speaking to her, but he stopped once he spotted you.

britta noticed the look sebastian gave you. it was like seeing two teenagers in love. “i’ll leave you two alone.” she said then left.

sebastian watched as you played with the ring on your finger. it was a habit he noticed in 2010 and somehow you never changed. “we can go in my driver’s room if you’d like. it’s more private.”

“yeah, i’d like that.” you reply. together, you and sebastian walked to his driver’s room.

several people from the aston martin team were secretly rooting for you two, it was clear that they knew about your history. even if they were big fans of you, they didn’t walk up to you to ask for a photo, not when you were with sebastian on the most important night of his life.

you finally made it to his driver’s room. it was small, but it was just perfect for you and sebastian to have a conversation in. you and sebastian sat on the tiny bed. “are you nervous?” you asked.

“more excited actually. it really is nice that you’re here. thank you for coming.” he said.

“i didn’t think you would want me here.”

“why?”

you looked at him. there he was staring at you with his beautiful blue eyes. “i thought you hated me all these years.”

“i could never hate you, y/n. i never stopped loving you even when you told me you were engaged, when i found out you said i do to someone else.” he confessed. “i’ve carried this love for you in my heart for many years. but you were happy.”

“i was happy . . then he broke my heart and i gave him the ring back.” you replied. “i realized I didn’t want that life with him . . . because i want that life with you and i know it all seems so sudden but it’s always been you.”

in that moment, seemed to stand still as he processed the weight of her words. he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of hope blossom within him—a hope that, against all odds, maybe, just maybe, they could finally be together.

you could feel a tear run down your cheek. “god, i’m sorry. i dumped all this on you before your last race—”

then she felt sebastian’s lips on hers. as their lips met, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of them.

for you, it was a revelation—a confirmation of the love you had always felt but never dared to acknowledge it. for sebastian, it was a homecoming—a return to the one person who had always held his heart captive, even when you belonged to another.

their moment had been interrupted by a knock on the door then by sebastian’s father, norbert vettel, asking if he was ready yet.

“i’ll be out in a second.” sebastian replied. he turned to look at you. “i am considering that a good luck kiss.”

“you don’t need luck, you’re sebastian vettel.” you playfully rolled your eyes.

“well whenever i’m with you, i always feel lucky.”

and with that, you and sebastian exited his driver’s room.

SEB’S LAST RACE

you were feeling lots of emotions. you watched as sebastian finished his post race interview with jenson. you watched from a monitor inside the aston martin garage, you could see the sadness in sebastian’s eyes. you knew the feeling all too well.

“go meet him.” norbert said. “he needs you right now.”

“but—”

“go.” he assured you.

so you walked to the pit lane since sebastian was already making his way back to the garage. once he spotted you, he smiled. you made it clear that now you didn’t care if you were photographed, all you wanted was to be with sebastian.

“i really want to kiss you right now.” sebastian said when he walked up to you. many photographers and journalists were crowded around you, making sure to capture the moment between you two.

“then do it.”

and then, without another word, he pulled her in for a kiss. as his lips met yours, you felt a rush of warmth flood your entire being. as they finally pulled away, your eyes met in a silent understanding. sebastian took your hand and led you to back to the garage where his team was waiting for him.

“i’m so proud of you.” you whispered to him.

“you won’t be saying that when i’m bothering you constantly now that i’ll be around you more.” he joked.

“and i’ll be fine with that.” you reply with a smile.

sebastian turned to face you. he knew it was still early, but he always kept his promises. “one day, i’m going to marry you. i’m going to make you so happy everyday, okay? it’s my only job.”

hearing sebastian’s words filled you with a sense of comfort, joy and reassurance. you suddenly felt more alive and complete than ever before.

“i love you, more deeply than i ever thought possible.” you reply.

and suddenly, everything felt right in the world.

@woozarts @hc-dutch @lightdragonrayne @multiplefandomwritings @jggykhug09090 @neivivenaj @kissesandmartinis @barnestatic @avythef1addict @sam-is-lost @dampcelery0294 @shineforever19 @c-losur3 @lifeless-firefly @horsiegek @ares10156 @purplephantomwolf

[hrtbeomi]

୨୧ — HAVING A HEATED ARGUMENT WITH THEM .ᐟ

pairing. OT5 x fem!reader (separately)

warnings. bad grammar, overreacting, reader overthinks a lot, insecurities, abandonment issues, reader being insecure in soobin's one, yeonjun being a little dumb, hyuka's based on a real story .ᐟ

a/n. you may remember this one maybe if you were around 2022,, i had an old user (ihrtrep) but that acc got deleted and took some time off from writing actually but here we are ! i hope you like this <3

CHOI YEONJUN ୨୧

it's no surprise that yeonjun is the type to stay late at night practicing his dancing, not worrying about sleeping or eating, that was something you were always concerned about, sure, you tried to tell him to take care of himself but he would just scoff you off telling you that you were just overreacting.

but the thing is, this went on for a weeks now, he didn't answer your calls or your texts, and that was the last straw for you. reason why you were now in hybe, directly going to see your boyfriend, who was practicing for god knows how long before you got there, it was 2:30am and he looked so tired, he had big bags under his eyes and he looked much thinner since the last time you saw him. you stopped the music, making him finally notice you were there “what are you doing here?” he asked, approaching you quickly “you didn't return any of my calls and didn't answer my texts or anything, i was worried” you said as you watched him frown, and that's how you found yourself stuck in a big argument about what was or was not good for your boyfriend's health.

it all ended with you letting out violent sobs that you were trying to hold back as you walked out of the building after probably ending your two-year relationship with yeonjun.

he was quick to follow you, immediately regretting yelling at you and fighting over something you were clearly right about. when he saw you, he immediately wrapped you in his arms, filling you with sweet words and thousands of “sorrys”, saying that he was carried away by stress and lack of rest, which was completely true. you turned to him, hugging him properly, admitting that you also let yourself be carried away by the insecurity that he was avoiding you because he didn't wanted you around.

you were glad that you finished the stupid argument, yeonjun kissed you gently and lovingly, grabbing your hand and heading to the building to get his things and finally go home with you.

CHOI SOOBIN ୨୧

soobin as your boyfriend was a total sweetheart, he was everything you dreamed of and more but being insecure about yourself was something that would affect your relationship with him sooner or later and it seemed that that moment was today.

currently, you were backstage, waiting your turn to perform on stage, you and soobin were sitting together, giving each other mutual support until some members of lesserafim approached you two, asking soobin if they could talk to him, to which he agreed, of course. you were never the jealous type but that slight insecurity you had slowly started to grow and grow as you watched kim chaewon and huh yunjin talk to your boyfriend, you didn't hate them or anything like that but due to your overthinking, you began to believe that maybe soobin would be better with one of them than to be with you because come on, they were beautiful, kind and talented, everything you were insecure about which caused that when he finally returned to your side, you began to throw passive-aggressive comments at him about it, causing him to yell at you about how you were starting to sound a little paranoid.

“if i'm as paranoid as you say, you better go and be with one of your girlfriends ! they sure are better than me! ” you snapped, and just when soobin was going to say something, you were called on stage to perform, so you wiped away the little tears that had begun to sprout from your eyes and you left.

after finishing your performance and going backstage, your boyfriend was sitting on the couch, waiting for you, he seemed to be thinking of the incident that had happened earlier because as soon as he saw you, soobin got up from his place and went to you, hugging you and filling you with kisses. finally apologizing, you explained everything you felt and that you feared that you could lose him to someone better than you but he hugged you again “you shouldn't worry, love, i love you more than anyone in the world and no one's better for me than you are.”

CHOI BEOMGYU ୨୧

for you, quality time was probably the most important thing in a relationship so you were glad beomgyu was on the same page as you but this can become a problem when you start feeling overwhelmed by each other's presence, that time had come when everything you did was a reason for you to get upset.

you were in the kitchen, making chocolate chip cookies together and it was impressive how none of you were killing each other yet.

until your boyfriend threw flour all over your face.

“what the hell!? why'd you do that!?” you said angrily as you saw him laugh at you.

you couldn't take it anymore, you started yelling in his face to stop being stupid, he looked at you surprised and contradicted you, saying that you should “stop taking everything so seriously!” and that you should enjoy the moment once and for all instead of being so pessimistic all day. you guys went on like that for a while until you finally realized what you were doing, you looked at each other surprised before letting out a “sorry, i shouldn't have said that" and an “it's my fault for bothering you,” anyway, it all ended with you kissing apologetically at him and then finishing the cookies, promising each other to communicate better next time before going to see a movie on the couch of your apartment and cuddling for the rest of the night.

KANG TAEHYUN ୨୧

you and taehyun had good fame as a couple, everyone envied you for the incredible communication you both had, every day you talked about everything that happened to you, whether it was good or bad.

your boyfriend wasn't necessarily known for being a cotton candy due to his sarcastic personality or "his rudeness" as it would appear, you had never understood this bad reputation he got about being "cold" and "serious" but you were able to understand this when he suddenly started answering your messages differently than he used to. of course, this could be due to the fact of not seeing him for a few days because of his busy schedule but whether or not it was for that, you overthought the situation and you couldn't help but feel that he had become much more distant, which was really out of character for him.

when you finally got to see each other, you confronted him about it but the only thing you got was a negative reaction from him, it was no surprise that he was going to react like this because even you knew that you would be mad too but you couldn't help those intrusive thoughts that kept appearing in your head, it was something you couldn't control. you could see how the people in the cafeteria were watching you argue about some text messages and when your small disagreement turned into a big fight, one of the waitresses had to kindly kick you out of the cafeteria.

taehyun looked at you, and you noticed right away because you were looking at him already, both confused by how was it that you got carried away by such a ridiculous situation as the one you were in, this was not normal for you, this was not how you two solved your problems, so you walked along the sidewalk for a while, both completely in silence until at the same time you began to apologize, him admitting that he was feeling so overwhelmed and stressed lately that maybe he didn't even want to talk to you at the time, which you understood but still confessed your concerns to him in case you made him mad or something.

“everything is fine now, okay? we don't need to let this happen again, dear,” he said, taking your hand and kissing it “i love you”

HUENINGKAI ୨୧

usually, when we think of hyuka, the first thing that comes to our mind is "he's a sweetheart", right? this case was no different, he was the best boyfriend you could ask for, you didn't even know what you had done in your past life to deserve someone as incredible as him, he seemed like he came straight out of a taylor swift song, something that made you feel in the clouds.

you were in the honeymoon phase, so you didn't expect to fight three months after dating.

it all started on a tuesday morning, you woke up as if all your energy had been drained, you felt completely miserable and you let your boyfriend know about this, who did not hesitate to hug you and promise to stay by your side all day until you felt better.

soon the afternoon came, 16:30pm and the whole panorama of you and kai was to be in each other's arms, your discomfort still present and just wanting to be with him. he asked you what was wrong, if something had happened the day before or in the morning before you saw him but you weren't even able to answer him, feeling weak, small and unable to answer without your voice cutting off in the middle of you talking, you felt like you'd collapse right there but your boyfriend did not seem to understand it, because even with being the best boyfriend in the whole world, he had a difficult time dealing with this kind of situation.

yeonjun had approached you, asking to speak with him for a moment, you certainly didn't want to let him go since his friend clarified that it wasn't really important but not to your boyfriend, being the kindest person in the universe, he insisted on talking with, giving it way to your meltdown.

not taking it anymore after telling him that if he wanted to go, he could and him responding with a “then i'll go if you want,” his voice strong and the harsh tone in it made it all worse.

yeonjun didn't know what to do when he saw how you fought, throwing cruel words at each other that you would soon regret. when you finished arguing, both of you going their own separate way and not speaking all day until the morning after had arrived.

“i'm sorry,” you said when you saw him for the first time that day “i shouldn't have taken it out on you, it's just that- i've noticed you've been acting different lately and i'm afraid you'll leave me or that you've gotten bored of me,” you confessed with a voice barely above a whisper but your boyfriend was capable of hearing it.

he wrapped his arms around you, kissing the top of your head softly and rubbing your back “i'm sorry too, love, but hey, all couples fight, right? besides, now we can tell how was our very first fight to our grandchildren” he joked, making you chuckle “and you know i will never get bored of you, you're my soulmate, my other half.”

© HRTBEOMI 2024

[grac3333]

generations pt2

georgia stanway x reader

“aye wyls if you hug me any tighter i’ll pop” you laughed as the georgia’s younger brother wound his arms around you tightly.

“well sorry for missing you” he said sarcastically but still holding onto you.

it had been 2 months since you had seen him. the last time being while they were all at the airport seeing you off.

wyll unwound his arms from you as you reached out for the woman standing next to him.

“how’s germany treating you then hunny” g’s mum joanne had asked, hugging you just as tightly as wyll.

“it’s everything i hoped it would be” you replied with a smile thinking about the place that had quickly become home to you.

over the january transfer window of 2022 you had decided to make a big move over to germany. to bayern munich specifically. while at chelsea you had won everything there was to be won in england. you were ready for a change. a challenge. even though it meant leaving behind friends and family.

the city was lovely, the people were lovely and the girls at bayern were lovely.

you had slotted straight in with the team making such close friends over a short period of time.

but when for the first time in your life you had to live by yourself, you started to struggle. you were a social person who enjoyed the company of your friends so the second you felt like that, you were on a plane and back in the arms of your favourite people.

you had england camp soon so you used that as an excuse to come over earlier and drive down with g.

“oh i’m glad and you look gorgeous darling” joanne said beaming while holding you at an arms length. your cheeks flushed at the complement.

-

“wooooooo go g!” you screamed from your seat, standing up and clapping. you could have sworn that over the past months she had gotten fitter. a hand shot up and pulled you back down.

“oh god y/n all she did was pass the ball” he sighed and rolled his eyes at you.

“oi I’m being supportive cheer up” you grinned poking at his sides. you would never admit it out loud but wyll was your favourite out of g’s family and it was obvious he loved you as well.

“does she even know your here” he questioned and you shook your head in response, smiling. g thought you were coming over a day later but you were offered the earlier flight and took it. you had always loved watching g play. anyone could tell how she was in her element doing what she did best and it never failed to make you smile seeing her so content.

“is olly here?” you wondered a bitter taste in your mouth at his name, and you frowned on your own accord. the mother and son next to you shared a look at your facial expressions. your opinion on georgias boyfriend was clear from a mile off and even after spending too long with him in lockdown, the two of you just couldn’t get along.

“no he’s got training today don’t worry” wyll replied grinned and it was your turn to roll your eyes.

“what you grinning for” you swung your arm over his shoulders, your accent thickening on the words.

“nothing just don’t quit your day job for acting any time soon” he chuckled laughing at his own joke.

you frowned “what”

“it’s so obvious you don’t like him!” he exclaimed at you clearly not getting the hint.

you gasped pretending to take offence “i do like him!”

“the fact that your smiling right now tells me your lying” he teased pinching your cheeks while you swatted his hands away.

-

the game had finished 3-0 to city which of course you were buzzing about. the girls were doing their lap around as you made your way to the barrier. you were ready to launch yourself at g after far to long apart in your opinion (2 months).

georgia was chatting to keira, then two slowly toddling around.

“do they wanna walk any slower man” you huffed leaning on wyll.

“it’s not easy is it” he teased and you pinched his arm.

-

you giggled as fimilar arms entrapped you and the sent of a coconut shampoo, that you were very used to, flooded over you. you were quick to wrap your arms around her, pushing your face into her shoulder.

“what you are doing here!” she smiled brightly at you, breaking apart but still holing you.

“come to see my fav girl of course. kie come over here!” you pretended to call over kiera.

g gasped dramatically making you giggle at her and pull her in to another bone crushing hug.

“missed you” she mumbled against the skin of your neck.

you giggled in response (g always seemed to make you giggle) and hugged her tighter.

-

you decided to spend the afternoon at g’s house, the latter driving you back, not wanting to leave your side. the two of you spent the drive catching up after missing her much more that you were ready to admit.

“so germanys going well then” g asked eyes flicking from the road to you.

“oh georgie it’s gorgeous, everyone is dead nice and the girls have been so lovely to me” you gushed about the city that had grow on you.

“good love i’m glad you are happy. even if i wish it was closer” she said smiling at you, making you smile.

“i missed you g. so much” you said softly.

“it was only 2 months” she teased but you could tell she missed you just as much.

“i know but all of a sudden i live by myself and” you paused, never being good at talking about how you feel.

g took one had off the arm rest and laced your fingers together.

“i dunno it’s just lonely georgie and i’m not used to it” you sighed and she squeezed your hand.

“oh love i’m only ever a call away” she reminded, her thumb stroking the back of your hand.

your cheeks flushed at the small action. unfortunately for you, you were still hopelessly in love with your best friend, who currently had a boyfriend.

“thanks g i will definitely take you up on that” you smiled squeezing her hand.

“love you” she said making your heart skip a beat.

“love you more”

-

“no olly tonight” you asked subconsciously frowning while putting your plate in the dishwasher.

“nah we fought so he’s staying at a mates house tonight” she said sighing.

“oh babe do you wanna talk about it” you offered kissing the top of her head.

“well yeah cause there is somthing i wanna talk to you about as well” she said taking your hand and leading you into the living room, a frown forming between your brows.

the both of you settled on the sofa, g pulling your legs onto her lap and milo curling up on top of you.

“okay right what’s up g” you asked.

she reached her hand up to smooth out the frown with her thumb.

“my contract with city is ending and i don’t think i’m going to renew it” she admitted.

“oh my god”

“uh! i knew it! you think its a shit idea, nowhere else is going to want me-“ she stood up suddenly pacing around.

you stood up as well taking her hands and making her look at you.

“georgie no! i’m excited for you. and don’t say that i could name you about 50 clubs that would love to sign you” you sighed as the girl in front of you rested her forehead on your shoulder.

“so you think it’s a good idea?”

“no i think it’s a shit idea- of course i do you dickhead” you laughed and she flicked your ear at the comment.

“thank you” she mumbled and pressed a light kiss to your shoulder, making you so glad she couldn’t see you bright red cheeks right now.

“always”

-

part one here

thank so much for all the love and support on part one. I have so many ideas for this little series and can’t waittt. sorry this took so long to get out. thank youuuuu xx

[riofann]

10. tempestuous

Tempestuous: characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion.

Previous Chapter

Monday July 4, 2022

“Y/N! Y/N!”

“Yea what's up?” you turn to face your sisters 

Gia asks “You okay?” 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?!” You ask frustrated 

“Well because I just had to call you like 10 times to get you to respond” 

“I’m sorry Gia just thinking about work” 

“GOD! are they still texting you” 

“Yeaaaa” you say in a ‘duh’ tone

“Then your managers suck that's why you have managers to manage not text you all the time give me that!” she says snatching the phone from you

You reach for the phone “Hey! I need that!” 

“No! Alicia back me up!” she commands before  throwing the phone to her

“ALICIA!” you plead

Alicia moves away from you “I’m sorry sissy but sis is right”

You throw your hands up “Oh my god! You guys are killing me” 

“Look at you!” Gia points at you “you’re killing yourself.” 

You shake your head and sit down on the couch

“When's the last time you treated yourself or went on a date?” 

“Not this again” you say, this has been a recurring topic of conversation 

“No seriously when's the last time you were told you were beautiful” 

You roll your eyes “A lot of my customers tell me that daily” 

“Not your customers, your boyfriend! your man!” Alicia asks 

Gia approaches you “Listen when is the last time you got some really good dick?” 

You feel your palms sweating, “Gia really is that important?” 

“YES IT IS! we have needs too just like guys” Alicia interjects 

“Alicia! I can’t hear this!” you say covering your ears 

“No you’re gonna listen”  Gia says laying on you. “We are worried about you, and you're overworking. It was bad with one bar but now two?!”

Alicia jumps on top making you both groan “and you’ve canceled on us like 50 times!” 

“That's an exaggeration”

“Okay not 50 but every time its like I can’t ‘I'm working I cant gotta run to the bar’ ”

“I'm a busy woman!” 

“We know we also know you won’t make time for things unless someone forces you to ! You’re working too hard!”

You sigh “I promise to do better”

“We want a boyfriend for Christmas if you dont we are gonna snitch on you”  

“Nooo dont tell mom and dad” 

“Well I guess you better get to doing other shit besides working”

You groan and finally get the strength to push them off you 

“Its because we love you” Alicia hugs you 

“Yea I know” you say begrudgingly but hugging her back 

As you drive home that evening you think of the dream  you had recently. You and Rio were in his office arguing over something stupid you can’t even remember the details. Next thing you knew he was kissing you, shoving you back against the wall, and you were kissing him back! It was sloppy, not quite coordinated like it would be in real life, he was groping the same areas, some scenes kept replaying over and over, others were so vivid you could smell his cologne, taste the spearmint gum he chewed occasionally, the fabric of his shirt against your fingers. It ended when he reached up your skirt to yank down your panties, and just as you felt his calloused fingers graze up your thighs your alarm went off. Saved by the alarm! You would have liked for it to continue, because that would be the only way you were getting any. When you go to take a shower you feel the wetness between your thighs. Anyway the conclusion that you came to was you thought there was too much proximity to him and you were horny so your mind conjured him up nothing more, nothing else. 

Saturday August 13, 2022

“It's hot!” you complain as you approached Rio, once again at the country club 

“Its summer” he states the obvious 

“Yup anyway here you go” you stated dropping the bag on the floor. You changed tactics you were either dropping it on the floor/table or in his hand now by holding it with both hands on the straps instead

He shoves the bag to the side next to his duffle “It’s getting cooler though it was burning at 3” he adds 

“You’ve been here since 3? (it was 6:30 in the evening)” 

He nods “had a couple of meetings”

You nod feeling the awkward tension “want anything else or can I go?” 

He smiles, looks at the tennis court then back at you “Not gonna take me up on my offer?” 

“Offer? What offer?” You think to yourself “Oh tennis? I can't” pointing to your attire dress and heels 

He nods “I know you don’t have to work at either place so what's holding you back?” 

“Actually, stalker, I have to be at Oasis tonight so I need to get going” 

He chuckles at your stalker comment before arguing “James said he had it covered” 

“Well James is your hire and he doesn’t ‘have it covered’ because” you show the text message James sent you begging you to go in because the Andersons were gonna stop by with some friends  and only you knew how to make them happy. “I have to go in” 

He sighs with slight irritation “he should be able to manage” feeling like you were just making up an excuse 

You smile at him “He is your hire” you reiterate bringing back the memory of you telling Rio he may not be the best manager but Rio insisting 

“Let him take care of it” he argues 

“Can’t Andersons are big customers spend close to 2 grand or more every time they stop by I gotta go” you turn to walk away

“How is he gonna learn?” he continues 

You shrug and open your hands “You should have asked yourself this before you asserted his position at Oasis!”

He scoffs looking around 

“Oh look at you two! How cute! Again!” 

You both turn to face the older woman and both give her an awkward smile there's a brief moment of silence before Rio asks “Hey I’m sorry do we know you?” 

“Well I saw you two at the launch of Oasis” 

Your mind immediately remembers her “Oh how nice to see you again! Have you been back? I’m sorry if I haven’t recognized you” 

“Oh I have but you're always at the other bar Cure?” You nod “I haven't been but my husband and I plan to stop by with friends”

You give a small pout “I’m sorry I keep missing you”

She waves you away jokingly “Oh it's alright the place is still great, drinks are just the way I like them strong” You giggle “and you know staff is perfect life is still merry!” 

“That's good!” you smile 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt I just thought I would come say ‘Hi’ my name is Edith by the way” she extends her hand 

“Edith nice to meet you I’m Y/N and that's..” 

She answers “Christopher he’s in the Tennis tournament this year saw your profile” she winks 

Rio smiles

You look at your watch. “I have to go, or the manager is gonna be calling me nonstop. It was nice meeting you again Edith and next time you're there have them reach out to me I’ll stop by” 

“Okay see you later young lady” 

You don’t even think to say bye to Rio just wanting to get out of there as soon as possible 

“Boy you must have made her mad!” Edith jokes 

He laughs “something like that”

“That's alright, nothing a bouquet of flowers, chocolate, and a big kiss can’t fix! Always does the job!” She advices

He nods and looks at the older woman Edith looks at the tennis court then back to Rio “You up for another round?”  she asks

He shrugs “sure why not?”

“Good because I'm gonna smoke ya!” 

He takes a sip of his water “I owe you a round of drinks at Oasis if you do”

“Oooh more motivation!!” 

Thursday September 8, 2022

As things slowed down and the staff began closing down at Oasis you went into the office to grab your purse and go home for the night, a vow you recently made to not work past midnight. You hear footsteps walking in after you. You look back to see James standing there 

“Oh James!”, you smile at him even though he annoyed the shit out of you tonight i was just grabbing my bag

“Hey Y/N I wanted to talk to you?” 

“Yea what's up? Today was a hit right? Made a lot.”

“Yea I didn’t want to talk about that” he walks closer “I wanted to talk about you and me”

“Excuse me? I don’t follow” 

“Sorry came on too strong but I have to say it”

“Please don't” 

“You’re really beautiful and you’re an amazing woman”

“James Seriously”

“I know you’re not dating anyone why won’t you give me a chance” he says reaching to touch your cheek 

You jerked back “OH!”  You are shocked that he touched you “Don’t do that!” 

“I like you”

You roll your eyes “I know you do and I told you I’m just not interested right now it's not you its me”

“Why won't you let yourself be loved?” he asks reaching for your 

“James” you warn

He retracts “Seriously I can take care of you, make you feel good, make you feel loved

“I’m just not interested end of discussion”

“I can take care of you, you don’t have to work anymore”

“Well no that's...” 

He cuts you off “Come on” he says stepping closer to you and blocking you in as you push up against the desk “I think you’ve had a lot to drink, we’ll discuss that later but right now I need you to back the fuck up”

“Don’t be scared just let it happen” he whispers 

“James, if you don’t back up, I will shoot you.”  You declare in a flat tone 

He sucks his teeth “you wouldn’t do such a thing to me baby” he says inching closer  as you lean back placing your finger on the trigger 

“You better listen to her” You both hear from the doorway James head snaps to see Rio leaning against the door way “She will shoot you” 

James harshly mugs Rio, “cock blocker” he mumbles 

You’ve never been so grateful to see Rio “I’m going home good night!” you say moving away and walking past James 

“Text me when you get home” James says trying to stake his claim to you

“Good night James!” You say forcefully you’ve never texted him he was either really drunk today or really bold or both

“What the fuck was that about?” James asks stomping up to Rio. “I called first dibs, you knew this, You know I like her!” Rio squares up as James reaches him “you fucking up my spot now?” 

“Take your drunk ass home James before you do something that gets your ass in some shit you'll regret” Rio speaks unwavering 

“Oh you big man now?! You gonna make me regret it?!” Rio doesn't say anything he holds eye contact with him refusing to back down “Fuck you man no ones fucking scared of you!”  They both have a stare down contest before Rio snickers to himself and walks away. He had other things to do he didn't drop by for James 

“Y/N!”  you hear Rio’s voice calling to you as you speed walk to your car

“WHAT?!”  You snapped, spinning around as he was walking towards you. 2 strides and this man caught up to you. Lanky bastard “I am not working with him!” You announce “Did you see that bullshit I had my hand on my gun! I was getting ready to shoot him!”

He waves away your concerns “Don't worry about it Ima take care of it”

“By doing what “talking” to him?” 

He looks you in the eye “What’d I just say?” he responds 

You look up and rub the back of your neck. The migraine was returning  “Why are you here? What do you want?” your feet were hurting your and adrenaline was high 

“Need to talk to you” 

“About?”

“Need a favor”

You roll your eyes again “Favor before apology wow” you mutter 

“What was that?” He asks not fully catching what you said but knowing you made a smart comment 

You smile at him “What is it boss? How can I be at your disposal?” you ask sarcastically 

He drags his tongue on his lips taming the irritation from your sarcastic tone and comment “Got a gala night coming up at the country club need a date”

You scoff and roll your eyes  “Do you really need one? Just take one of the many women around you”

He smirks “Jealous?” he teases

“No! But why the hell do you want me? Don’t you have cousins, aunties or I don’t know?! Lady friends you can take?” He nods “I do but you fit the bill plus how do you want me to tell Edith we broke up?” Your eyes bulge “Did you tell her we were dating?” He smiles seeing your reaction “No but you didn’t tell her either that day or when she saw what happened on launch night” “That was your fault I was trying to move out of the way. I remember correctly you wouldn’t let me!” “So that what?  Your ex could corner you and you stand there looking like you don’t know how to tell him to fuck off I did you a favor”

You throw your hands up frustrated “I don’t get you” 

“Feelings are mutual”

“Why do you want to take me? You don’t even trust me!” you state

“Who told you that?”

You point at him “You!” you look at him unbelieving of his naivety “Every chance someone gets to lie to you telling you I screwed you over you believe them” He scoffs looking away, waving you off “why the hell would you trust me around those country club people? People I am assuming you want to impress” 

He sighs “It was a yes or no question” he asks now annoyed 

“I told you no”

“No you asked about irrelevant shit”

“Okay well the answer is no! There!” 

“Reconsider, I’ll be in touch” he says before walking away

Saturday October 1, 2022

The butterflies in your stomach might as well be wrecking balls your nerves are bad. Why? QTNA. You spent the last 3 weeks finding gala appropriate attire. Some were too much, others too little in any case you had back ups in case your highness didn’t like what you had on. 

You hear the doorbell ring and you hang your head low shaking it as you walk towards the door you had told him to text you so all you had to do was get out of the house. 

You open the door to see him standing there with a tuxedo “Nice tux” an all black tuxedo you couldn’t have predicted anything else 

He nods “clean up nicely yourself”

“Thanks, ready to go?”

He slowly takes you in before responding “mhmm” he hums 

“Okay lead the way” 

The ride to the country club was silent with old school RnB playing in the background. You were temporarily okay until you got to the club and were forced back to reality. You ran over the details you had memorized. 

You and Rio have been together for a little over a year, he owns several businesses around town. He is working on a non-profit to help families pay off medical bills. You’re just there to be his arm candy nothing else as he put it. Even though you argued over him literally getting said arm candy from the slew of women he had at his disposal 

“Ah Mr. Serraño your table number is table 5” 

“Thanks” he says, taking your hand and pulling you along into the room. When the space got too small making it hard for both of you to walk by he would go first, occasionally during that time your hand would bump against his glock that was secured around his waist. 

He stops to mingle a bit catching up with old friends/partners? You don’t know you're just here to be here. 

Eventually you made it to your table. You hated feeling like the newcomer but at least you weren't the only one. 

The night events commence shortly after  with a speech (how the club did this year, plans for next year expansion blah blah blah), announcement of silent auctions, awards, dinner and drinks. 

“Congratulations on the awards Mr. Serraño” He does something that resembles blushing but you write it off as a smile. Rio had gotten 3rd place in the single tournament and 2nd in the double tennis tournament. 

You turn back your attention to the host of the night. The drinks were good, food was good, a good change of scenery from your usual. At some point after dinner during the drinking hour and silent auction Rio excused himself. You don’t question why you just assume it was his usual running to the loo or getting another round of drinks. 

You notice he had been gone awhile when you glance down at your phone and realize almost 30 minutes had passed by. 

He returns shortly after in a huff, irritated. 

“You good?” you ask, glancing at him before you return to listen to the host not wanting to bring attention to his changed mood to your table mates. All he does is grunt frustratedly in response. 

When the host stops talking and the attention is brought back to the table for desserts/drinks/conversation. You notice Rio’s right hand and left, bruised and bloody. With the right being worse, it was bleeding and just as he finishes putting his glass down you grab it in a sly manner bringing it to your lap. 

Rio goes to pull it away but you hold it there pretending to be engaged in conversation while removing the tissue that was in your purse. You hold it firm and in a quick moment you look down at the tissue which was showing stains of red and up at Rio who locked eyes with you. 

That got him to relax enough to let you deal with it. 

When you're confident the bleeding has stopped you let his hand go and Rio takes the hint to go to the bathroom and clean up the rest. You two linger for a little before you both make your exit. You don’t know what he discussed half the night, plans for opening up another business it was all corporate jargon you just weren’t interested in. 

The car ride now is completely silent, no radio, nothing just breathing and the occasional glance at the phone here and there. 

You pull up to a strange building and Rio drives underground and parks the car. He turns to look at you and you stare back not knowing what he’s gonna say

“Gonna wait in here or upstairs?” 

“Upstairs?” you answer unsure of what the right option was

He nods and gets out of the car and being the gentleman of the night he opens the door for you again. You slowly make your way out of the car and walk beside him as he walks into the concrete building, you see number letter combos on the doors. It must be an apartment building you think to yourself. When you arrive on the fourth floor via the elevator only one door is present to you, you assume it was a penthouse unit. 

He opens the door and lets you in, “I’ll be quick just need to change” you nod “make yourself comfortable” he offers before disappearing into the hallway. 

Only  a few lights were turned on. From what you could see it was very much Rio, in some ways it resembled his office at the warehouse. Not a lot of clutter, everything seemed to have its place and served a purpose, no need for the extra fluff. As you continue to take in the space you see a few pictures of Marcus and him along with a larger picture of the greater family. Even the art framed matched him somehow. You turn to the kitchen and think to yourself either he didn’t cook or he cooked everything from scratch except for the very expensive espresso machine sitting on the counter. 

You take a few steps in and your hand grazes the back of his leather couch. It has minimal signs of being utilized. He was busy so a couch with signs of use didn’t seem right. You turn to face the hallway hearing noise coming from that end, a door closed. There were two hallways one by the kitchen the other by the wall where Rio disappeared. You want to walk around exploring his house like he has done to yours several times, you want to strip away any ounce of privacy he had left, you wanted him to feel exposed and vulnerable like he made you feel, not maliciously, maybe some ill intent involved to get back at him if you were being truthful with yourself. To even out the playing field in some sort of way. After he broke into your house the first time and you discovered he looked around you got rid of every sex toy that existed practically became celibate involuntarily. 

“I’m ready” you hear as Rio walks out with a bandaged arm wearing his usual garb. You smile at him and wait for him to approach you. “You could have made yourself a drink or sat down” he chuckles

“It’s okay, I know you have somewhere to be, don’t want to hold you up.” you say before turning to walk away towards the door. 

This time there was music on your way to your house. 

“Sooo what happened to... your...... hand?” you dare to ask after 15 minutes of driving. There's a long silence before he responds. He takes in a deep breath “Fucker moved and I punched the floor” 

“Ouch” you comment 

“Mhm!” 

“Take pain meds?”

“Mhm!”

You nod and look out the window watching as the city lights fade away as you approach the suburbs. Satisfied with his answers. 

He pulls into the driveway turning off the car before slowly turning to face you 

You feel nervous; it's not how he typically looks at you with a blank face or annoyance; there's familiarity in his gaze; he is comfortable with you, well at this moment anyway. 

You giggle nervously “You have somewhere to be”  you say before looking into your bag to find your key “got my keys and cellphone” 

There's a lazy smile on his face “ ‘preciate you joining me tonight” 

You nod, smiling “You made a good impression, they really like you.” That was the whole purpose of the night, right? 

He smiles again looking away  

“Yup well goodnight Rio” you say before opening the door

“Oh come on you wouldn’t let me open the door this time?” he asks jokingly as you step out “Oh! Slipped my mind, sorry” 

He nods stepping out of the car “well the least I can do is walk you to your door” 

You nod in response and close the door making your way towards the house, you were used to him being angry with you, you knew how to navigate around him when he was, this was different it felt like you were being studied in ways you didn’t even understand. 

You fumble slightly to open the door but you do and step in “do you want to come in?” you offer just to offer not that you really wanted it 

He shakes his head “can’t” 

“Right you have things to do, well I guess thanks for the evening I had fun hope your hand heals” 

“Yea here’s your cut” he says handing you the envelope full of money before walking away. 

Friday October 14, 2022

“Have you talked to him?” Alicia asks

“Talked to who?” “Who else?!” 

You sigh “no!” you were starting to regret telling your sisters about the faux date between you and Rio

“Why not?” 

“Well it’s more of like a ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ thing”

“Did you text him the next day?”

You look at the camera on your phone “To tell him what?” 

“Y/N!” Gia scolds 

“Whaaaaat?” You whine

“You were supposed to tell him that you enjoyed your time” she continues

“I already told him that when the night was over! He doesn’t need me to say it again!” 

“You’re supposed to remind him, to keep his mind on you!” 

You roll your eyes “Ugh there's too many rules to dating now”

“Christmas is approaching” she threatens 

“I know!” 

“Either you show up with a boyfriend or we tell mom and dad!” 

You let out a sigh of frustration “Fine! Just tell them. Tell mom and dad!” They remain quiet “What? I don’t think I will have anyone by then guys. I'm busy, I just don’t have the time and I can't ask any man to accommodate this schedule of mine. I know mom and dad won’t be happy  but hey its okay we can’t have it all” 

“That's not true” Alicia speaks up sounding sad

“Don’t Alicia” you warn “I’m not dying here, you guys are acting a bit crazy over this”

“What's wrong with wanting someone to take care of you like you do everyone else?” 

“Nothing I just want you guys to be a bit more realistic on how soon or the possibilities of that happening. But I don’t like talking about myself. I wanna hear about you guys. How are your beaus?”

Authors Note: Please leave your feedback, again please don't steal. Only repost, like, or give credit.

XOXO Rose

Taglist:

@katymae12344, @yinmaggiorebass , @flirtyjen, @wnbweasley, @meadows5, @ffenthusiastt, @rio-reid-whoreee, @belezaya, @meera10, @aunicornmademedoit, @stilestotherescue, @thatoneasiagurl, @baddiereads,

[torturedtypewritersdept]

blue eyes + bruises - part four

✯ pairing:

doctor!rafe cameron x fem!reader

✯ summary:

a tragic car accident looks like it'll be the end for you, but dr. cameron is here to make sure that doesn't happen.

✯ warnings:

mature themes, mentions of anxiety, nostalgia, and fear, car accident, death of a spouse (not rafe or y/n), major surgery, injuries, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, etc.

✯ a/n:

nothing!! please don't engage if you have a hard time with any of these topics <3 this was origianlly posted on my old blog @/illicitfixations, @/lovelornanonymity back in 2021/2022 and i have rewritten + reshared it here :)

m.list

—

You laid on your back at an incline, fluffy pillows behind your head, as bits of light peeked underneath the door of your hospital room. You wanted to roll over, but every time you moved it felt like every nerve ending in your body was being ripped out of its designated home only to be replaced, rolled up, and smashed with the weight of a thousand bricks. You were in more pain than you had felt in your entire life and these days it seemed you felt like this more than you didn’t. You were brought out of your thoughts by the shadow of footsteps breaking up the light that peered in underneath your door and you smiled – Dr. Rafe Cameron reporting for duty. 

“How’s my favorite patient this morning?” 

Rafe asked, taking in your sleepy form as you attempted to turn over, hearing the sound of his voice and his knock on the mahogany door. You turned your head and smiled slightly at the tall drink of water of a man that stood at the end of your bed as he picked up your chart and Jenni moved to monitor your vitals. You’d only been earthside again for a week but he hadn’t left your side since except to sleep and eat and for the life of you, you couldn’t understand why. 

“What time is it?” 

You grumbled, eyes squinting but letting out a giggle as Jenni moved behind Rafe to open the blinds letting the sunlight beam in and assault your corneas. 

“It’s bright and early, sleepy head. We’re sitting at a whopping six am.” 

He responded with a chuckle as you shielded your eyes with your hands from the sun that now infiltrated the room. He was kind enough to take a seat in front of the window, his muscles casting a shadow over your eyes. You were thankful. Rafe had been up since 4 – making rounds and going over the logistics of your upcoming surgery, again. Even though it was an operation he had performed a hundred times over, he needed to know that this would go smoothly – images of you coding on the table during the last operation you had filled his brain. What if it happens again, what if he can’t save you this time? He continued to ask himself as the anxiety wrapped its ropes around his rapidly beating heart like a lasso. 

“What are you doing waking me up so early?” 

You rolled your eyes, faking annoyance at the gorgeous man in front of you – you couldn’t kid yourself, you counted down the seconds and hours until you’d see him again. You knew how pathetic that was and you were sure that he probably had a beautiful wife and a million other patients that were fawning over him every second of the day, but you couldn’t help it – Rafe felt warm and peaceful and he felt like home even though you had only known him for a few days. 

“I know, I know – I’m sorry. But, I wanted to come talk to you about your injuries and just what your treatment plan is going to look like from here on out. Before we do that though, how’s your pain?” 

Rafe sat parallel to you with his hand on your head, concern written over his features though keeping a bright smile plastered on his face. You were convinced no one else could smile like that, you called it the Rafe Cameron smile – because it only belonged to him and you hoped incessantly that you would one day too. You answered him, pushing those thoughts away as quickly as they had come. 

“About an 8.” 

You stated in a near whisper, grimacing as you tried to shift in the bed. Looking up at his brutishly charming face, you melted as you felt his hands stroke the hair above your forehead. The truth was that you had been awake since the moment Rafe had stepped foot in the hospital, maybe even before, it was like your body knew when he wasn’t near though you barely knew each other at all. It could’ve been that or the immense amounts of pain the left side of your skeleton was in. Every few hours, just like clockwork, the pulsating throb of your broken bones made itself known again. Rafe holds out his hand to you as he helps you adjust where you sit in your bed, moving to press the correct button and moving the top of the bed further to allow you to sit up just a bit more. 

“I know it hurts, sweet girl. I’m sorry. Jenni, let’s give her a dose of morphine.”

He spoke nonchalantly but with a tenderness that you had never heard and you were thankful, he made you feel like you weren't just another patient – like he actually gave a shit. You were sure he really did. You reached for his other hand, giving it a thankful squeeze and he smiled - the Rafe Cameron smile. 

Jenni moves around Rafe effortlessly; fast-paced enough to get the job done but at such a level of ease you’re sure she’s barely moved. She makes it look easy the way she cares for you. Rafe lets go of your hand and it seems like he’s unwilling, the softness in his eyes gives him away. But, he can’t hold your hand all day, he has to care for you too. Though, he wishes more than anything he could do it all simultaneously. He fiddles with your blood pressure cuff, igniting the machine and ordering it to take a new read. 

“So, you're gonna tell me why I've got this thing sticking out of my leg?” 

Rafe chuckled at your remark, glancing down at the metal frame protruding from the sides of your thigh and lower leg. 

“Sassy in the mornings, huh?”

He joked back at you and you cast your eyes down to your lap. 

“Sorry, not much of a morning person.” 

You replied half-heartedly, eyes locked on your hands as they lay in your lap against the white blanket that covered your non-injured leg. The truth was sleep had evaded you ever since you came off the ventilator and the neck brace had been removed; the extra mobility and breathing on your own had left every fiber of your being hurting; even to the tips of your hair. You weren’t mad to be awake – well, you were – but more than anything you were frustrated beyond belief at the pain and the entirety of the situation you’d found yourself in. Though, Rafe and Jenni definitely seemed to be a silver lining. The other part that has made you so angry was that there is a lot of your life from before that you can’t remember. It’s left a hole much larger than you can really fathom deep within your chest. 

“You’re okay, sweet girl.” 

He stated, smiling ear to ear as he continued rubbing your hair away from your forehead. 

“We can start with the easy stuff – as I'm sure you already know, and I can tell you do by how much pain you’re in, your left side was mostly affected in the accident. Your femur and tibia were the main sources of injury, they were both broken in multiple places so we took you into emergency surgery and put pins in it and connected it to these two frames. It was all pretty fast action so we could get your internal bleeding under control and other emergent injuries under control.” 

He stated in a way that you could understand and not get lost in the sterilization of it all. 

“How long will I be in this frame? Is it forever? Surely it can’t be.” 

You questioned, feigning humor and Rafe grabbed your hand, gently stroking it as some kind of form of comfort. 

“No, it’s not forever, I promise. You’ll be having another surgery in a couple of days that’ll remove the hardware and insert screws and a plate into both your femur and tibia. We will also be focusing on fixing your pelvis and kneecap, which were both badly broken, as well.” 

He replied. 

“All of this will be done at the same time?” 

You asked, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as your eyes moved upward and met Rafe’s blue ones. He nodded his head yes. 

“It’ll take close to nine hours.” 

He replied. 

“Gosh, Rafe, I’m sorry to make you work for that long. That must be difficult to do.” 

You squeezed his hand and gave him those sweet, sad, kiss me eyes. His heart almost exploded at the thought that you were in for such a long recovery, yet cared about how long he was working. This girl is an angel from heaven, he thought. 

“It is difficult, sweet girl, I won’t lie. But, luckily for you, I’m the best there is.” 

He said, throwing a wink your way. He watched as blush rose to your cheeks and you smiled shyly. 

“Will this be the last one? Surgery – I mean.” 

You questioned him after a beat of silence with a hopeful look in your eyes. It crushed him to disappoint you, but the damage to your hips and leg was extensive and it would take more than one surgery to fix it. 

“No, unfortunately not, sweet girl. I’m sorry. You have some torn ligaments in your leg, as well so you’ll need at least one more, depending how bad the breaks are when I get in there today. I’ll do my best to make sure it’s only one more, okay? You have my word.” 

You frowned at the thought that you just had more and more surgery you needed to undergo. Truthfully you were still fuzzy on all the logistics of your injuries, but you knew they were bad. Rafe had briefly explained to you a couple of days after you woke up that your injuries were extensive, you just didn’t know this is what he had meant when he said it. So, here you were, three days later, getting prepped to be miserable for the next six to eight weeks. Rafe took in the frown that sat on your features and it made his chest hurt – you, here with only a doctor and a nurse you barely knew to provide you comfort – he couldn’t imagine how you felt, how scared you must be, how lonely and sad it must be. How could your family leave you here like this? Didn’t they care at all? He noticed the way you fiddled with your fingers and the way your eyes were locked on your hands – you were nervous. He would be too if he was in your shoes, surgery number two ahead of him, more bones broken than not, unable to leave the bed on his own, and no one you cared about in sight. He only hoped to provide you with half of the comfort that you gave him.

“Hey, look at me. It’s okay, I promise. I know it’s daunting and scary, but I’m going to get you through this, okay?” 

His voice soothed you and so did his words – this stranger whom you knew virtually nothing about outside of his profession, made you feel safe and cared for and loved more than any of your family ever had. You were almost thankful they didn’t show or they didn’t care, even though it did make you feel unloved and pathetic. 

“We got this, okay?” 

He spoke again, voice lingering on the question – needing you to tell him that you were in this with him – that you trusted him to help guide you through it all. 

“Okay. Are there other injuries that need surgery or is it just the leg?” 

You asked and he put his hand in yours, giving it a squeeze. 

“No – you had some internal bleeding and damage to your abdomen, but we operated and fixed those issues. You also had some head trauma, broken ribs, and whiplash which were all treated when you came in. You’ll start physical therapy in the next few days to get some of your mobility back. The sooner we can get you moving, the better.”

You simply nodded in his direction, giving him a sweet smile as he brought your hand into both of his, giving it another reassuring squeeze before exiting your room. Your heart longed for him the second he disappeared from your line of sight.

-

“You ready, sweet girl?”  

Jenni asked you before pulling up the guard rails and giving you a hair net to place on your hair. You simply nodded your head in response, nerves racking your body as she began rolling you out of the room and down the corridors of the hallway. 

It all seemed like a blur – the doors that lined the hallway, the rolling of the wheels underneath the bed you laid on, squeaking incessantly. You could tell the bed was heavy as the nurses struggled turning it around the corner as you sat outside the operating room. They pushed you inside, transferring you to the operating table and beginning to move quickly around you stretching your arms out by your sides and you could feel the pit in your stomach building, the knot, the fire, the ache of the anxiety that began to swirl within you caused your breath to quicken. The nurses continued to probe you, trying to get you as comfortable as possible and the feeling of their gloved hands on your skin was too much. Jenni watched as your lip trembled.

“N-no, n-no – stop!” 

Suddenly, Rafe’s blue eyes came into your view as he stood over you, a scrub cap with teal blue and white cartoon sharks on his head and seafoam green scrubs covering his body. Tears rolled out of the corners of your eyes and he placed his gloved hand over your cheek. 

“y/n – sweetheart?” 

He questioned, softly as he stood over you.

“I-I’m scared, Rafe.” 

Your voice trembled and it broke his heart into a million pieces. 

“I know, sweetheart. But, I’m right here. I’m gonna be with you the whole time, okay?”

He reassured you.

“What if it doesn’t work?” 

You questioned. 

“It’ll work, I promise. I do this kind of surgery all the time. I’ll put the bones back together and then we just have to wait for them to heal, okay?” 

He squeezed your hand again, wishing he could unhook you from every machine you were connected to and pull you in for the world’s longest hug. One where he’d rub the back of your head and pool your hair into his hands. But, he couldn’t. He was on OR time and everyone was gathered here so he could fix the broken parts of you and that’s what he intended to do – fix you. You simply nodded and let the medical team around you work diligently as they prepared to put you to sleep. 

-

It was late afternoon when you woke up, the sun still bright as it peered through your window. You slowly opened your eyes to see none other than the sweet dreamy doctor you were so fond of sitting next to you in the plastic chair by your bedside. 

“Rafe?” 

You questioned, wondering if it was really him sitting there or if it was a dream. Your eyes felt heavy, so much so that you could barely hold them open.

“Welcome back, sleepy head.” 

He stated with a soft smile as he stood from the chair and made his way over to you, sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor and his torso turned towards you. He brought his hands up towards your face, brushing the baby hairs that had escaped your braids away from your forehead. You stared at him for a moment taking in the baby blue’s that sat in front of you before letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Hey.” 

You whispered. 

“How did it go?” 

You questioned, voice raspy. Rafe leaned over to the table beside you, grabbing a styrofoam cup filled with ice chips and a plastic spoon. 

“Here you go sweetheart, this will help your throat.” 

He said, motioning the spoon into the cup and pooling a piece of ice onto the plastic cutlery before moving the spoon to your lips and letting you suck on it for a moment continuing on to answer your question. He smiled a bit as you let out another sigh of relief, the ice soothing the dryness of your lips and mouth. 

“Everything went great, sweet girl. Your surgeon says your leg is gonna heal up perfectly.” 

He whispered reassuringly, giving you a wink and putting his free hand in yours and giving it a squeeze, rubbing soothing circles into the skin on the back of your palm where your IV sat. 

“You think he’s right? I heard he’s a little cocky.” 

You uttered and The Rafe Cameron smile broke out of its prison again and you could’ve sworn you melted right there. 

“He is a cocky little shit, isn’t he?” 

He agreed, laughing along with you for a moment before he convinced you to rest again. Your eyes drifted closed to the hum of his laugh and for a moment things didn’t seem so bad. 

—

taglist:

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[contemplatingoutlander]

Patel is a very dangerous conspiracy theorist. Putting him in charge of the FBI will destroy the independence of that institution. Patel will likely turn FBI agents into 'enforcers' for the Trump agenda that will be used to investigate and intimidate his critics.

“We will go out and find the conspirators — not just in government, but in the media — yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. “We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice, and Steve, this is why they hate us. This is why we’re tyrannical. This is why we’re dictators.... Because we’re actually going to use the Constitution to prosecute them for crimes they said we have always been guilty of but never have.” Kash Patel (Dec. 2023) on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast

Indoctrinating Children Into MAGA Beliefs

I don't know if Patel is just corrupt or he actually believes the conspiracy theories about the 2020 election having been rigged, or that "federal bureaucrats in the 'deep state' tried to overthrow the former president."

Regardless, Patel actually wrote a series of children's books whose purpose was to indoctrinate children into the belief that the Democrats had created terrible "plots" to prevent Trump from becoming and remaining president

Here are the book series titles: The Plot Against the King (April 1, 2022),The Plot Against the King 2000 Mules (Aug. 29, 2022), The Plot Against the King 3: The Return of the King (Sept. 9, 2024).

Furthermore, the article above claims the book series features Patel "as a 'wizard' defending “King Donald.'”

Below is the cover from the third book. You can see Patel as the "wizard" on the left:

I'm sorry, but anyone who stoops to indoctrinating children regarding MAGA conspiracies should NOT be in charge of the FBI.

For a humorous take on the second book in the series, by a left- leaning TikToker SnoozeAlarmMom, see this POST.

[Below the cut are some excerpts from the article. It's one of the more thorough articles out there about Kash Patel, so I highly recommend reading it.]

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kashyap "Kash" Patel, a 44-year-old loyalist with little significant experience in federal law enforcement, to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [...] A former senior law enforcement official who interacted with Patel in the past said he was not qualified for the position.

"It’s ridiculous. He’s arguably the least qualified person ever nominated for a senior position in federal law enforcement," said the former official, who asked not to be named citing fears of retaliation from Trump. "I don’t know anything significant that he achieved at the DOJ. He was not well regarded as a prosecutor." [...] Patel has promoted the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump as well as the baseless conspiracy theory that federal bureaucrats in the “deep state” tried to overthrow the former president.

Patel has called for replacing “anti-democratic” civil servants in law enforcement and intelligence with “patriots” who he says will work for the American people. In his memoir, "Government Gangsters," he described the current political moment as “a battle between the people and a corrupt ruling class." [...] Patel has also echoed Trump’s rhetoric labeling journalists as traitors and calling for “cleaning out” of allegedly disloyal federal civil servants. In an interview last year with longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, Patel vowed to go after “conspirators” who he claimed had abused their positions in government.  “The one thing we learned in the Trump administration the first go-around is that we have to put in all-American patriots top to bottom,” Patel told Bannon. 

“And the one thing that we will do that they never will do is that we will follow the facts and the law and go to courts of law," he said. "And correct these justices and lawyers who have been prosecuting these cases based on politics."  “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media — yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections," Patel said. "Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’re going to figure that out — but yeah, we’re putting you all on notice."

A “wizard” defending “King Donald”

Patel joined Trump on the 2024 campaign trail and has promoted his memoir, a film adaptation of the memoir and a line of children’s books featuring him as a “wizard” defending “King Donald.” [...]  A former senior federal law enforcement official who served under Trump during his first term said that the Patel and Gaetz nominations were signs of Trump's disdain for the DOJ and FBI and both agencies' efforts to not be used to settle political scores.

"He's just going to run roughshod over them," predicted the former official, who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation by Trump. "He’s thumbing his nose at the DOJ and FBI with these nominations. He’s going to effect his will regardless of our norms."

[dr-spectre]

So.... This game is 2 years old now huh?

Honestly... I don't think i have a TON to say about this game. It's just a great ass fucking video game that has given me a lot of fun and great memories!

This game came out during my final year of school, which is kinda funny considering that Splatoon 3 acts like a "finale" to a trilogy. It's interesting how those kinds of things work out eh? Splatoon 2 came out at the start of my secondary education, and Splatoon 3 came out at the tail end of my final year.

I remember thinking before the game came out, "why do we need a Splatoon 3? This is pointless, it's just more Splatoon 2." And then my mind was quickly changed once i got to play the Splatfest test fire and the actual game itself.....

I completed ROTM in such a short amount of time and i documented my reactions to my friends. Although i was spoiled in that Deep Cut had boss fights and Mr. Grizz was the final boss, ROTM still gave me a giant smile to my face all the way through. It was so fun, so charming and just a really good single player experience.

One of the things that i LOVE about Splatoon 3 is the vibe. I just love the location of Splatsville, i love the aesthetics, the lighting, the model improvements from Splatoon 2, the music, it's my favourite art style/aesthetic out of any of the Splatoon games by far. It just feels so polished, i don't know how to exactly describe it.

Also the fact that this game won best multiplayer game of 2022 over CALL OF DUTY! OVERWATCH 2 AND MULTIVERSUS MAKES ME SO GIDDY AND HAPPY!

PEOPLE GOT MAD ABOUT THIS AND THAT MAKES ME WANNA EVIL LAUGH! All of those fucking depressed and sad Call of Duty players who whine and complain about how "wahh modern gaming sucks!! There's no good games anymore wahhh!! It's all microtransactions wahhh!!" BITCH! SPLATOON 3 IS LITERALLY THE GAME YOU'VE BEEN ASKING FOR!! Yet you won't play it because it's on Nintendo huh? Yeah... You're a fucking PUSSY!! YOU'RE WEAK!! You're SCARED to be seen as less of a manly man!! You only wanna play games with oily dirty buff men.... Yet you call others who play games like Splatoon gay? Hmm..... Sounds like you're a wittle insecureeeeee!!!!

Have fun rotting in microtransaction hell you LOSERS!! GAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways.... uh.... sorry....

I also fucking love Deep Cut too. I thought i wasn't gonna like these guys and i remember thinking when i first saw them "oh... okayyyy..."

But now? I love these bastards.

I love their dynamic and how they are bandits but they actually wanna help the people back in Splatsville. That is such a cool and unique take to have for Idol characters. The Squid Sisters are very cutesy and so are Off the Hook, but Deep Cut aren't. They are loud, messy, chaotic, in your face, rude, etc. They are about contrast and the character designers did a phenomenal job at conveying that theme via their backgrounds and looks.

Another thing that i love about Splatoon 3 is that it also acts as a celebration of things that have come before, Inkopolis Plaza and Square return as hubs, old colour combos from previous games act as loading screens, most of the music returns in the jukebox, it rewards long time fans for sticking around and for a long running franchise IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT to have that stuff!!!

Seeing the improvements in the model quality from Splatoon 1 to 3 genuinely makes me kinda emotional, it shows how far we've come in just a little under 10 years...

It really homes in on the point that... These characters, have grown up with us.... The Squid Sisters are about to reach their mid 20s, Pearl is nearly 30 fucking years old!!!

And the last thing i wanna bring up before i talk about the Grand Fest...

...Is Side Order.

This fucking DLC... My god... Being able to experience it by myself and just enjoy the stuff i was seeing, being able to SCREAM AND CRY AS MUCH I WANT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME DUDE!

When i got to the 10th floor in the tutorial and i saw Marina Agitando staring me down.... I did the loudest gasp a human could possibly do and my jaw was hung to the floor for a solid MINUTE!

Marina's first fucking dev diary made me cry and scream, THAT IS NOT A JOKE!!!! THESE CHARACTERS ARE THAT IMPORTANT TO ME!

And the final boss.... Made me cry, it broke me down, i was singing along to Ebb and Flow as best as i could, it felt like i was brought back to 2018, being in my room, listening to that song on repeat... I feel like a kid again....

I love this song... i love it so much... Like it's not the most hype finale song ever, but, the emotion behind it, the build up from Splatoon 2... The power this song has in it's meaning... It's some good shit man...

So yeah! I love Splatoon 3!!! It's my favourite game out of the series and anyone who is gonna jump into this game now is gonna have a LOT to chew on.

And... It's both sweet and sad that we're at the end. This is it... The moment we've been waiting for. The final Splatfest to end them all. The event 9 years in the making.

The Grand Festival...

I am extremely excited and so FUCKING NERVOUS for this Splatfest!!!! I know i am going to cry and be so overwhelmed with joy. Seeing the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook perform their old songs again after all of these years is gonna make me sob so loudly it's not even funny.

These characters genuinely mean the world to me and it's gonna be so fucking hard for me to watch their final major appearance and say goodbye. Cause after this, we don't know what's gonna happen. I know they will come back, they have to but... In what capacity? That's what I'm scared about...

So yeah, let's savior this moment when it eventually arrives, take all the time you need to be engulfed in the Grand Fest.

Thank you Splatoon 3, you have given me so much.... It's not time to say goodbye just yet but, i wanna watch you as you walk into the sunset with your head held high....

[ickie]

♡ … THE SECRET OF US \ CHAPTER 2  …

pairing ... lando norris x leclerc!reader summary ... summer of '22 and it seems that you & lando get along a little ... too well. warnings ... alcohol consumption, maybe slight allusions to cheating ... i do think that's it friends :) notes ... so sorry for the delay ! just because of that, next chapter is going to be posted on sunday & it'll continue with this summer '22 storyline so we get a little more background and your relationship with lando... feedback is always appreciated & fill out this form to be added to my taglist ! much love <3 ... masterlist ... last chapter ... next chapter ...

SUMMER BREAK, 2022.

your head knocked against the car window, the bumps on the road making any hope of a nap impossible before the car finally stopped at the dock. as you muttered a few curse words under your breath, your attention was drawn to elliotte, one of your childhood friends, who was in a heated conversation in french with another member of your group.

"is everything okay?" you asked, raising an eyebrow as the conversation abruptly ceased.

"yes! i was just trying to explain the importance of sunscreen, but apparently, i know nothing, so everyone ignore me!" elliotte declared dramatically, prompting a quiet giggle from you.

"you're probably the smartest one here, so please, continue…" you encouraged her with a smile.

….

soon enough, your small group arrived at the dock, everyone unloading their bags as the spanish sun began making sweat bead along your hairline. with your tote bag slung over your shoulder, elliotte stopped you before you could move any further.

"we’re going to have a few more people on the yacht with us," she said. "you remember luisa? well, she's bringing her boyfriend, who i think you know—" a groan escaped your lips, and your face scrunched in distaste at the thought of seeing one of your brother’s coworkers.

"so you do know him! and he’s bringing one of his friends too, i believe. just play nice!" elliotte squeezed your hand before dragging you along, her expression mirroring your displeasure.

introductions are always awkward, especially when everyone knows of each other. you were itching to get into the water and just relax.

"hi, little leclerc," lando said with a grin, leaning in for a side hug. "long time no see, eh? too good for the paddock this year?" his teasing tone made you roll your eyes and cross your arms over your chest.

"just got sick of watching men cry over their cars not going fast enough. plus, i don't think i can handle watching mclaren mess up daniel any more than you guys already have." you replied bluntly, hoping he wouldn’t push the conversation further.

lando opened his mouth, but elliotte cut him off. "no f1 talk, please!" she groaned, rolling her eyes before leaning on you. "this one," she pointed at you, "is on a strict pleasure holiday, and no one can take that away from her!"

some of your friends cheered, clearly happy to see you letting loose. you had to admit, it was refreshing to be on a holiday without any responsibilities—no family concerns, no brand posts to manage. it was truly a chance to unwind.

as the boat began to move away from the coastline, you walked to the edge, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. the salty air filled your nostrils, and a content smile spread across your lips. you must have been there longer than you realized because a hand on your shoulder startled you out of your trance.

"i’m sorry!" the curly-haired brit said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "you had just been standing here for a while, so i wanted to make sure you were okay…" he smiled, one hand scratching the back of his neck.

"i’m fine," you replied, turning to face him and relaxing against the rails. "i just… i’ve always liked the ocean." it was a simple response, your gaze drifting back to the blue water.

"so much so that it, what, hypnotizes you?" his teasing remark made you shake your head and roll your eyes.

"it reminds me of maman. she would always take me to the beach during the summer when papa had the boys for karting." you smiled, reminiscing about those fond memories.

"we would get ice cream, i’d always get sunburned no matter how much sunscreen i used, and maman would fuss about how she’d have to fix my hair the next day because it would get tangled from the salt." you glanced at lando, who was listening with an amused grin.

"sounds like you two always had a great time together, yeah?" he asked.

you nodded, hands stuffed into the pockets of your shorts. a comfortable silence fell between you until max, one of lando’s friends, came over to steal him away for something about a bet. you took this chance to change into your swimsuit. the boat hadn’t reached its intended stopping point yet, but a nap in the sun sounded perfect.

with sunscreen applied and your airpods securely in place (with an audiobook playing— it’s not summer without you by jenny han, translated into french), you tried to let sleep pull you under. when it didn’t happen, you simply rested with your eyes closed, enjoying the gentle sway of the boat.

…

lunch/dinner passed uneventfully, everyone quietly enjoying the sandwiches that elliotte and luisa had prepared while you attempted to nap. finishing your drink, a vodka paloma—since tequila apparently made elliotte and luisa crazy—you stood up and disposed of your trash. “i’m going to go swim,” you announced. a few people said they’d join you shortly, and you felt a rush of excitement at the thought of diving into the water.

you shed your oversized t-shirt and eagerly jumped into the warm water, staying submerged for a few moments before surfacing at the sound of another splash. lando surfaced beside you, his curls flattened by the water. you laughed as he coughed.

“i don’t know how you made that look so easy,” he grumbled, gripping the ladder as you tread water.

“it is easy!” you laughed, playfully splashing him. a mischievous grin spread across his face.

“oh, it’s on.” lando's competitive side emerged as he splashed you back, just as you dipped underwater.

as you tried to swim away, he grabbed your ankle, pulling you closer. you gasped for air, splashing him again in hopes he’d let go, but he just pulled you closer, his hands moving to your waist. with a wide grin, he pushed you back underwater.

you resurfaced sputtering, eyes wide as you looked at him. “you better sleep with one eye open tonight,” you teased, swimming away slowly. “i’m going to get you back when you least expect it.”

he nodded, pretending not to believe you, his eyes tracking you as you dipped back underwater. when you resurfaced, elliotte was halfway down the ladder. “i know you just got in, but we were going to play a game up top. you two want to join?”

you eagerly swam back to the ladder, and lando agreed to join as well. the game was charades, and you were teamed up with elliotte and luisa, while lando, max f., and another friend formed the opposing team.

the game proved challenging. elliotte struggled to portray water, while lando’s team cheated by making sounds to convey their words and phrases. the game ended when elliotte and max started bickering, neither willing to concede.

“at least i’m not a cheater!” elliotte pointed at max while you pulled her inside, laughing so hard your cheeks hurt.

“i’m so glad you’re having fun, mon doudou,” she said, leaning her head on your shoulder as you pulled her into a side hug.

“thank you for this. for pulling me away from monaco and life in general. you’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for,” you hummed before elliotte stood up, her face scrunching.

“i hate when we get sentimental.”

“yeah, let’s never do that again. that was weird.”

you started making a simple rum and coke when lando entered the kitchenette, eyeing your drink. “if you even dare, i will actually kill you,” elliotte warned, taking a sip to safeguard her drink.

you stifled a laugh, watching her sway out of the kitchenette towards the deck. lando’s demeanor had shifted from his earlier rambunctiousness.

“i think it’s my turn to ask, are you okay?” you ventured. lando looked like a sad puppy, tugging at your slightly intoxicated self.

“oh, i’m good. luisa and i got into an argument, is all,” he said, giving a tight-lipped smile, clearly more affected than he let on.

you hummed in response, putting away the alcohol and opting for water. “i’m no expert in relationships, but if you need a shoulder to cry on, i’m here,” you offered, taking a long drink from your glass to stop yourself from saying more.

“thanks, it means a lot,” he said, smiling fully this time as he moved you aside to get some water. you both drank in comfortable silence.

“and, uh, if you need a break from the boat, i know a little cove not too far away. charlie showed it to me last summer,” you suggested.

“i would love that, actually. i know luisa is planning to go to bed soon, so let me check on her and then we can go?”

“sure! just come find me when you’re ready.” you agreed.

[cheriladycl01]

Ghost - Oscar Piastri x UnknownDriver! Reader Part 3

Plot: Reader is the first female F1 driver of the century, however no-one knows that as you are a ghost on the grid. You started in 2022, coming in P12 in the championship. You get moved to Red Bull Racing in 2023 with the off year for Sergio Perez.

Standing up on the podium, not being able to do anything as you watched Oscar run off was torture. You had to stay there while your national anthem played that should have been amazing considering it was you, Lewis and Lando all up there together.

And of course, there were no breaks for you afterwards. Everyone wanted you, from SkySports, to F1, to Netflix. Everyone was throwing questions at you and asking how different your achievements feel now knowing that your the first woman to have completed many of them.

You were fine answering them, because like they said. All of your previous achievements were now bigger than they were as Ghost. People could tell that you weren't fully with them, you were a little spacey and sometimes struggled with hearing and answering the questions.

Most of them put it down to the post race fuzz of the win and revealing who you were, but upon getting to the Sky Sports Team who consisted of Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Natalie Pinkham and Danica Patrick questions turned sour.

"So Y/N aside from racing we caught light of Oscar Piastri's quick depart after the reveal, any insight on this?" Danica asks, making you look down.

"I don't think these questions are necessary" Jenson says just as the Red Bull PR manager was about to ask for racing related questions only.

"Yes please stick to racing questions only" the Red Bull PR backs up, nodding before taking a step back. You look back up, straight to Nico who had a soft look on his face.

"I'm just interested, you raced for Alpine last year when he was a reserve driver... for Alpine and you've been promoted to Red Bull this year while Piastri's made the move to Mclaren. Can't help but wonder if its underlying sexism that's made him this mad, you all cant deny he was blunt and rude in his interview with us earlier" Danica pushes and you head snaps up. You feel a hand on your shoulder as if to stop you from what your about to say but you go ahead anyway.

"I've hurt a dear friend. So how dare you stand there and try to victimize me, when he is the one that I've hurt. He knew me as Ghost's assistant and media manager... we were close and I've not been truthful to him for obvious reasons. So don't stand there and try to make him out to be a misogynistic twat when he isn't. I don't know what you experienced in NASCAR Danica but in F1 all I've experienced today is love and support. Just because your sport sucks doesn't mean mine does" you snap, and recoil shocked that you'd just said all of that. She looks at you also in shock, Jenson and Nico were trying to stop their laughter.

"Well, some strong opinions there from Y/N Y/L/N" Jenson says as he watches you turn away and walk off. You were done with interviews for the day. You just wanted to find Oscar and talk to him now.

"Lando! Lando" you shout as you see the curly haired boy ahead of you walking into the Mclaren motorhome.

"Hey, Y/N or should i say Ghost" he smiles before pulling you into a hug.

"I was not expecting that bombshell today, and I will admit I'm sorry for assuming you were some ugly guy... your very obviously not" he laughs.

"Where's Oscar" you ask, you didn't want to seem rude but of course he was your priority right now.

"Y/N, I don't think its a good idea to see him right now. I think maybe just wait for him to come to you. He's upset and" he starts but you look him dead in the eye.

"He upset me too, he just ran off... at my first race win" you say as selfish as it was... but he also ruined that experience for you.

"I know, but you did like lie to him for just under 2 years" Lando says softly not wanting to rattle your already unstable cage of self hatred.

"And what was i supposed to do Lando, tell him a secret that Red Bull had me sign an NDA over and break my contract and risk loosing my seat?" you ask, hoping he would start to understand.

"Look Y/N you really should go..." Lando pushes looking around the area you were currently in. He put a hand on your lower back as to guide you back out, but you planted yourself still.

"No, I'm not leaving till i talk to him" you grunt.

"Y/N I'm telling you this as your friend and your co-worker. You need to go" he says, you'd actually never seen his eyes this serious before and it had your head cocking to the side in confusion.

As your about to ask him why the hell he's being so twitchy, two people stumble out of the next room a little disheveled and both laughing. You eyes lock on them.

"O-Oscar?" you ask in shock, the girl looks up at him confused and his face turns red but also a sour expression comes onto his face.

Before any of them can say anything your turning away from them, everything feels slow motion, all the voices around you blur and your heartbeat comes erratic.

You couldn't understand why it hurt so much, the thought of him not even for a moment being happy for you up on a podium that he come here to be with some other girl ... or was it because in the time you'd spent with him you'd fallen for the racer.

You round the corner, stumbling behind the Mclaren motorhome so that you could just breath. You crouch down, your head leaning back against the side.

"Fucks sake" you say to yourself, once you'd calmed yourself from the initial shock you fully sat down on the metal edging outside the Mclaren motorhome.

"Y/N?" you hear a voice ask, your head peaks up and you spot Alex and Logan.

"Oh, hey guys. Great Race today!" you smile.

"Why are you just sat outside the Mclaren motorhome?" Logan asks raising an eyebrow at you.

"Oh, erm no reason. I just got lost on my way back to Red Bull" you smile standing up and walking to the long strip and turning left.

"Your still clearly lost, Red Bull's that way" Alex says pointing to the right hand side, that you weren't facing.

"Right, yeah i knew that" you smile, turning round and scuttering off the other way.

To say that the UK was the start of something spectacular was an understatement. You didn't go out and celebrate that night, you stayed in with your family.

The next race was Hungary where you proceeded to take the win away from Max in the last 3 laps, being on the fresher tires. They asked you to let Max take the win but you begged for them to let you fight it out. You shared the podium with Max and Lando, in Spa you came second, sharing the podium with Max and Charles and in The Netherlands you came 4th.

Throughout all of this Oscar hadn't reached out to you. You'd kept in contact with Lando, asking how he was and what had been going on. However Monza changed things.

An article came out about an interview Oscar had done about you and how you hadn't spoken to him since. He hadn't spoken very nicely about you when all you'd done was stick up for him. You guys got into a massive argument outside the garages that of course people caught on camera.

You had a really bad qualifying, the car just didn't have pace and your mind wasn't in the right place. So you were starting P14 on the grid, after a cry to Christian that you were so overwhelmed and him assuring you that it was today that really mattered.

You had turned off everything when you got in the car on the Sunday. No thoughts in your head just the racing. On the start you managed to get yourself to P12 overtaking Liam and Nico right of the bat.

"Excellent start Y/N lets keep pushing"

Martin Bundle - I have to say that Y/N is incredible with these races where she starts down in the back of the grid, and she gets those amazing starts where she slips in the middle of the two drivers ahead and is able to confidently get herself up too places

"Okay, and Alonso are ahead, you have DRS" your engineer tells you, and you are able to overtake Yuki who doesn't go as aggressively into the chicane as you do. You have a little spin but recover enough to pull up aside Alonso on the straight, going for the overtake.

"Amazing Y/N, that's P10 right now. Keep pushing"

Eventually you were left fighting Carlos, Max clipped a tire and was now down in 4th fighting with Charles.

"Y/N this has been a fantastic race, from P14 up to P2, Carlos is 1.8 second ahead. Lets get him and bring home a double podium. Max is fighting for P3 right now. 5 laps to go" he advises.

"Tell him to speed up, I'll give him DRS we can overtake Sainz together so its a 1.2" you advise looking seeing the Ferrari behind you. You slow down on the hairpin, breaking early, which Charles didn't expect where he was concentrating on defending from Max. You speed up, watching as he spins out a little leaving room for Max on the inside.

"Okay, Sainz has sped up there's now a 2.6 second gap"

"Copy that" you say, Max was using your slip stream, but didn't go for the overtake, you easily defended from Charles together while gaining on the other Ferrari.

"Okay last two laps, Sainz, 0.3 second gap"

"Yeah i can fucking tell I'm riding his rear end" you say, the minute you get onto the straight you and Max both go either side of Sainz, sandwiching him in as your about to go into turn 11. He breaks early falling back leaving you to take the optimal racing line and get ahead of Max.

"Is Max fighting this last lap?" you ask.

"He's been told is free to fight. Mode push and bring us another win" your race engineer advises, you breeze through the final lap, it was a close call but you came first.

"Y/N Y/L/N winner of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix" your race engineer says a big grin coming onto your face as you flip up the visor holding your fist up as you see all the Red Bull crew cheering for you on the fencing.

"Where did Oscar place?" you ask, you hadnt thought about him up until now. Even as you passed the orange 81 car, it was just another car then.

"Not a good race for Piastri, P12 behind Lawson"

"Okay. Thank you for the great drive today. Thank you Christian" you say before preparing yourself for the podium.

Would Oscar be there?

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle

[scoatneyhall]

Ted Lasso season 4... thoughts...

LOL so it sounds like they're definitely going to have Ted come back to coach the women's team himself as opposed to just being around a bit for whatever reason... while I know plenty of women's teams do have male managers IRL, do they like... have to? Like do they have to make that narrative choice instead of having a female coach?

And they've said the first episode is apparently going to be set and filmed in Kansas, so I assume it will be Rebecca going over there to ask him to come back?

If this is where we are going with it, I now really hope there's a significant time jump, skipping the amount of time we've missed IRL, like 3 football seasons - and that it will be set in the 25/26 football season. He left summer of 2022 and is coming back summer of 2025. I mean, for starters, they can't explain the kids aging any other way if Henry or Phoebe is a part of it. And in terms of the aim of the initial 3 season arc, it would be insane for Ted to just come back a few months after he left. Like. Okay it's fine to leave his son again? I assume in this situation Henry (and possibly Michelle) will move WITH him, because otherwise what was the point??? So we really have to be on top of the kid's age, and it has been 4 years since filming s3!

I used to really dread the idea of a time jump as I didn't want to miss Roy's journey as manager (AND THERAPY), but now it feels like it's the only way it'll work, in particular if the focus is Ted returning to handle the women. A Tedless continuation that focused on Roy should have had no time jump, but this version definitely should.

I have written before about how it is completely and utterly unreal that they don't already have a women's team, even if they were only semi pro, so I feel like if they wanted to explain the whole "starting" the women's team with some level of football realism, you could do it like, okay, they did already have the women's team and they've been playing in lower leagues, way way down, with no funding, Rupert didn't care, Rebecca didn't initially care, and Keeley's plan was about building them up now they had the resources, not starting them from scratch. And after a few seasons of serious investments and promotions they are ready for the WSL, and they need a more high profile manager? I guess???? Like the last few years have been a Welcome to Wrexham situation with 3 seasons of promotion in a row under another coach, and now that coach is leaving and Ted comes in to take them to the highest level? I GUESS.

But also like. Sorry but Ted Lasso in its former form was such a man centric show. Which I wasn't mad at! But what i mean is like Ted as a coach really seems like his most powerful quality is helping boys become non toxic men. Men's support, men accessing their emotions, men's mental health. Ted help guys to Man Good. I just don't think those same vibes will come across well when it's about him mentoring women? I don't want to see him trying to mentor women?? They deserve better?Ted works as a coach when he's helping men be good men. The women don't need his methods.Like yeah he helped Rebecca but I think that was very different. I don't need to see him being Coach Dad to a bunch of lesbians. I just don't.

But honestly I don't really care what Ted does with himself, I need that time jump to happen regarding other characters, to keep their stories something I feel good about. At this point, I really don't think Phil Dunster is doing it - Jamie may show up as a guest in one or two eps... and if it was a direct continuation, I cannot stand the idea that he left Richmond the same reason Roy became manager and Richmond entered the Champions League. I really, really don't think it would be in character for him to do that even though there would have been interest to buy him. But I could believe it if it has been a few seasons and he had a really great offer - especially if it was back to City. I could accept him being transferred after a decent time jump, but I hate the idea of making OOC choices about him to fit their availability or plot ideas. He Would Not Do That.

But if the focus is mainly Ted and the women's team, it's possible that Jamie is still there and we just don't really follow the men's team action? Brett Goldstein IS doing the show but also has many other commitments, so I am kind of assuming we won't be in the men's team dressing room or filming men's matches or doing heavy Roy plot, and Roy will only pop up for Rebecca admin scenes/Keeley personal scenes.

Because possibly the football action won't follow the men at all, as in, they won't even rebuild that old set and stuff, and mainly be in Ted's new office in the girls changing room (sigh, how many jokes about him not looking will there be) so it is possible Jamie is still very much at Richmond, and we see him a couple of times in a social capacity with Roy or Keeley, but if there is no more scenes in the men's team dressing room etc, and the plot won't in any way focus on the results of the men's season, he won't be in the background of basically every office or training scene like he was before.

The more I think about it, the more I actually think this "no men's team scenes" is probably likely regardless of who is still on the men's team - because they want to do all the work they need to do for filming matches and training and stuff, which is big and expensive, I think they'll do just the women's games - they would actually probably get roasted if they focused too much on the men after all this talk about promoting the women's game. Like we had 3 seasons of just men - even splitting season 4 into 50% men's team focus and 50% women feels kind of bad in terms of their aims about platforming women's football. So I am now betting men's team will be almost invisible, with some players popping up in incidental/social scenes.

So. It is possible that Roy pops up in a club admin way/Keeley relationship way - though I do NOT want them to get back together - and that Jamie still is there and around those characters socially but we don't do everyday team scenes. It is also possible Jamie will no longer play for Richmond.

Either way I really need that time jump. I cannot stand the idea of Ted regretting his choice and moving back immediately after all that. I cannot stand the idea of Jamie moving clubs in the same transfer window Roy is hired. I cannot stand the idea of pretending the Henry actor hasn't aged 4 years or the idea of recasting Phoebe. I am furious that they feel JSuds was integral to the show as an actor and that it still needs to focus on him cominh back and coaching. He could have just written it and popped up as a Diamond Dogs Zoom friend a couple of times.

But if this is the way it is, they NEED a time jump. Furious to miss Roy's managerial/therapy journey, it will be insane for all the growth to happen off screen and will probably sit very weird with viewers if he comes back on screen acting significantly different, but you'd HOPE he has changed in that time and at least it would leave us a really good fanfic gap to play with, between the summer of 2022 and whenever this will be set - particularly if Jamie is gone.

All in all I feel like I'd rather they just ended with season 3 and did not do this extension of the show, especially as they seem to have lost a lot of goodwill with the audience since season 3. I personally am very wary of what kind of football realism they're going to destroy in order to "start" the women's team and am going to be on edge until it comes out in terms of "how bad they've fucked it up." That wariness also extends to off screen character choices they will make in order to explain who's no longer around. Cool sentiment to be anticipating about a show I'm meant to like!

[starkwlkr]

it’s nothing new | sebastian vettel

part 1 part 3

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

update: i decided to make this into a series, thanks for reading! you can read it here!

“hello?”

“mark, hi.”

“y/n? it’s been a while. how are you?” the aussie asked. it had been years since you spoke to mark, but he always kept you updated. he sent messages about how everyone in the paddock was doing, which you appreciated him for.

“i . . i’m okay. is this a bad time to talk to you?” you asked. you suddenly remembered about time zones.

“it’s alright, i always have time for you. what’s going on?” he questioned.

“so i am at my sister’s house and i didn’t want to sleep the whole flight so i decided to read your book.” you replied. “it’s a beautiful book, mark.”

“thanks.” he knew there was more you wanted to say. “are you mad?”

“mad about what?” you asked. “what you wrote about sebastian and i? is that what you’re talking about?”

“well yeah. i tried to contact you several times. you wouldn’t answer my messages so i assumed you changed numbers. seb told me he didn’t care if i wrote it in—”

“mark, i’m not mad. i’m far from it. i just want to know if it’s true. did he tell you everything? the night he won the title, i mean.” you asked. you remembered that night clearly. you didn’t finish the race, but that didn’t stop you from celebrating with sebastian.

“he would never lie about you, love. i told him to tell you, just to get it off his chest but he wouldn’t. you were with someone else, it was wrong.” mark explained. “you know the day you announced your engagement, he hated himself for not telling you sooner. maybe things would’ve ended differently if he had.”

maybe . .

“does he hate me?”

there was always that possibility. but when it came to sebastian, he would rather die than say he hates you.

“he could never hate you even if you did throw a shoe at him and call him a cunt.” mark chuckled. “he still loves you, you know, he asks about you all the time and i have no idea what to tell him.”

“well maybe i could tell him myself . . do you have his phone number?”

after you were given seb’s number, you noticed he never changed it. you weren’t sure why, but you decided to text him instead of calling.

y/n

hi seb, it’s y/n. i know it’s been so long and i’m sorry for how things ended. i hope you’re doing great. i’m not doing too good right now. my marriage is ending so i have that going for me. i’m staying with my sister and her family. anyways, i hope you don’t mind me messaging you. mark gave me your number but turns out i still have it saved. speaking of mark, i read his book on the flight, it’s very interesting. i’ll leave you alone now, thanks for caring about me all these years.

after you sent the message, you didn’t expect a reply. it was as if he was waiting for a message this whole time.

seb

hi y/n. i hope you know i never forgot about you after all this time. i’m sorry about your marriage, i really am. i don’t mind at all that you message me, i never changed my number in hopes that one day you would. as for mark’s book, i hope you’re not mad, but if you need to know, it’s all true and i wouldn’t change anything. being with you made me happy and everytime i hear your name, i’m reminded of the joyful memories we shared. i have something to tell you, only a few people know. i plan to retire at the end of the 2022 season. it would be nice if you would come to abu dhabi for my last race. i understand if you can’t make it. take care and i love you always. (it’s nothing new at this point)

@hc-dutch @lightdragonrayne @multiplefandomwritings @woozarts @jggykhug09090 @neivivenaj @kissesandmartinis @barnestatic @avythef1addict

[laguezze]

PAC: A letter you're meant to receive

I'm baaaaack~ (kinda) (pretty casually, life's been tough)

As always here are the rules:

Minors DNI

Don't take everything to heart, this is a general reading! Take what resonates!

It's honest, I don't sugarcoat. If you're not liking what you read, keep scrolling! It may not be for you or you may not be ready for that message yet!

Let's take a look at the piles!!!

Pile 1

Pile 2

Pile 3

Let's go!

Pile 1

Signs this may be for you: unicorn, South Korea , the letter S, Squirrels, Love, Skydiving, birthday, anniversary, 12, 6, 16, 2006, 2001, 2026, 1970s, Billie Eilish, John Lennon, glasses.

Dear ____,

How could you think I'm not proud of you? How could you think that minor thing you did would erase all the love I feel for you? It doesn't. I don't think anything can at this point. You're human, you're allowed to make mistakes. And while I do still think you need help, you're still doing your best, even though you don't feel like it. You're trying and I see that. You're wonderful and magical and although your light is dimmed at the moment, I know there's a bright sun under that blanket of darkness you're currently holding over your head. Everything will be ok. Have you ever not gotten a resolution to your conflict? Trust me. You're going to be fine. Let yourself be, enjoy the people around you, breathe. Treat your life like you treat your dreams. Be as excited as you can. You're alive! And while you are not responsible for this darkness that has been placed upon you, you are the only one that can take it off. I understand it's difficult, but you can do it. You're tired of fighting, but you're not just anyone. You're a legend. Legends don't have it easy. Go get them.

Pile 2

Signs this may be for you: Harry Styles, Fashion school, blood drives, nurse, 😜, smoke, laughter, blonde, blue eyes, "that boy is mine", 0%, Rihanna, water, rain, Hawaii, Jumping, Rave, Cindy, the letter C, N, and A. Numbers 5, 8, and 30, AMANDA.

Hello, it's been a while.

How are you?

This is awkward, you probably didn't expect to hear from me. I have been okay, I honestly can't stop thinking about us and how it ended. It pains me to think that you left with the impression that I didn't care. I do. I did. I just want to let you know that in another life, maybe we should try again. I don't have much to say, I'm not sure why I feel so compelled to tell you this. It's so basic. I'm being channeled right now (ok aware) and it's weird because it shouldn't be this deep but I really wanted to come through and say sorry. And say that I know you miss me and I do too. And one day we will reunite and we might be able to show our love then. Sorry it ended that way. Sorry that was the last you knew of me. I think of you each day, I dream of you each night.

Pile 3

Signs this may be for you: YES GIRL, happy, cheerful, spaghetti, squash, "I'm allergic", ibuprofen, love is in the air, matchmaker, fruits, VSCO, musically, Harmony, dating apps, Jenna, Lisa, "I stan", Twitter account, laughs, pigs, 25, 23, 2022, 2001, 2000, Beyonce.

Wow, am I impressed with you,

Not only are you grown and beautiful, you're also such a good person. I'm immensely proud of you. You're doing exactly what you need to, you're living life to the fullest and I am here for it. Remember our trips to the beach? I miss you. You should call more often. I love that you're meeting new people and having fun but sometimes I need to see you and hear from you. Please call me from time to time. I know I may seem clingy, but I just miss your presence. I also don't know when I'll actually see you next, you've become so unexpected and exciting. I love you, that's why I need to hear from you. Tell me everything, I'll listen. I'm here for you and I want what's best. Come back from time to time. Please. That's the only thing I ask of you at this time. I can't say this to you normally, you'd get uncomfortable. But please listen and take this opportunity. Let's talk more often! I wanna be part of your life again! 🥰

Hope it resonates! 💕

[purplephantomwolf]

Love in Motion

Chapter Four

Synopsis: You are a normal college student until you get a wrong number text.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately.

Previous chapter: Chapter Three

Masterlist

I AM REWRITING THIS FROM AN OC STORY. IF I MISS ANYTHING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN FIX IT! THIS IS CHAPTER 4 OF 5 OF ALREADY WRITTEN CHAPTERS.

April 22, 2022 7 pm Italy Time

Lando’s POV

     I walk back to my drivers room from the media pen. I grab my phone, hoping to see messages from Y/n. I frown when I see no messages from her. “Why are you frowning? You’re starting P3 in the sprint tomorrow!” Jon asks, walking into the room. 

     “I was expecting a message from someone by the time qualifying ended, but I’ve got no messages,” I sigh. 

     “He’s expecting a message from a girl,” Daniel says, entering the room. I sigh and roll my eyes at him extending the word girl. 

     “Yeah,” I sigh, “We’ve been talking every day, so I’m not sure why I haven’t got any messages besides her good morning message. She’s a big F1 fan, so I assumed I’d get messages about qualifying like I did last time.” 

     Jon puts a hand on my shoulder, “I’m sure she’s just busy.” 

     “Yeah, she probably is in class or something,” I nod. Daniel and Jon nod along with me. 

April 22, 2022 3 pm United States Time

Y/n’s POV

     You grab your laptop, sitting down on the couch. You turn on the tv, pulling up qualifying for the Imola grand prix. Your plan is to look for photography jobs while qualifying is happening. You are having to watch a replay of qualifying because you had class all day. You grab your phone so you can text Luke throughout watching it. 

You: I finally am free, so now I can watch qualifying. Stupid school getting in the way of my hobby. 

     You set my phone down, not expecting a message back because it’s 10 in Italy. Your phone vibrates immediately.

Luke: Oh good! I was getting worried after not hearing from you for hours. 

You: Sorry, I had exams in two of my three classes today, so I wasn’t on my phone. 

Luke: All good! Let me know what you think of qualifying! 

You: Don’t worry, you’re going to be getting all my reactions as I watch it. 

Luke: Oh good. I loved reading your comments after Australia.

You: Good, cause I’m not going to stop. You’re the only person I know who likes F1. 

Luke: That sucks. Well, at least you have someone now. 

You: Yeah! 

     You look up at the screen as Alex’s car catches on fire and a red flag is shown. 

You: Holy shit! Alex’s brake is on fire! 

Luke: Yeah, that sucks when it happens. 

You: I can’t believe you say that so casually. I would be scared as hell.

Luke: Yeah, but these guys can’t be scared of these sorts of things, otherwise they’d never get in the car. 

You: True. 

     As you wait for the red flag to finish, you head to the McLaren job website. You’ve been checking different Formula 1 team’s job sites to see if any of them post anything about needing a photographer. You sigh when y6ou don’t see any new postings. You switch over to the Red Bull site next. You see a new job posting and start to get hopeful. You click on it and the words “Red Bull Photographer” stare back at me. You immediately hit apply and start the application. 

     You look up at the screen when you hear the commentators say something about a yellow flag and Latifi. 

You: Aww, Latifi spun. Williams just isn’t having a good day. 

Luke: No, they didn’t. 

     You turn back to the application, filling everything out. You submit the application with your photo portfolio just as the commentators go “And Sainz in the wall!” Your head flings up to see Carlos’ car against the wall. 

You: No!! Carlos hit the wall! Thank goodness he’s okay. I always get so worried about the drivers when they crash. 

Luke: That’s so sweet of you. It’s always worrying when drivers crash. 

You: Yeah. I hope you’re staying dry this weekend. Looks miserable out there. 

Luke: I’m luckily in the hospitality all weekend. 

You: That’s good. It’s bright and sunny here. 

You: Hopefully it doesn’t rain too much during the races. 

Luke: Hopefully, that would be good. 

     You watch as the cars come out on track for Q3. You groan as Kevin Magnussen crashes and causes another red flag. 

You: How many red flags are there going to be?

Luke: You just see Magnussen crash?

You: Yeah, luckily it won’t be too long it looks like. 

You: I still have 6 minutes left of Q3 but there’s 25 minutes left in the video. What happens?

You: Ohhh! Valtteri is off! And it’s another red flag. 

Luke: Three red flags. It was an interesting qualifying. 

     You patiently wait for the red flag to lift. 15 minutes later the flag is lifted. You know you can skip until the flag is done, but you like watching everything you can on the sport. You groan when you see another red flag. You gasp and yell, “No!” It’s Lando who’s caused the red flag. 

You: No! Lando crashed! Hopefully he’s okay! But hey! He’s starting P3 tomorrow!

Luke: He’s okay, happy to start P3 tomorrow.

You: Oh good! He did great today. 

Luke: I should head to bed. It’s midnight here now. 

You: Okay! Have a good night!

Luke: Good night, Y/n. 

     You turn off the tv and head into the kitchen to make some dinner. 

April 23, 2022 9 am

     You sit down on the couch as the five lights go out for the sprint race. “Oh no, what happened to you, Zhou?” you ask, seeing his car in the wall. “Ooohhh, contact with Pierre,” you hum, seeing Pierre limp around the track. 

You: Poor Zhou and Pierre. 

You: Zhou should’ve given Pierre more room, but it’s going to go down as a racing incident probably. 

You: The fact that Carlos is fighting against Fernando, who is the driver he idolized as a child, is crazy. 

You: Noooo, Perez passed Lando. 

You: NO! Carlos! How could you do this to your bestie? How could you pass him?

You: Let’s go! Lando finished P5!

     You set your phone down, standing up. You start cleaning your apartment, waiting to see if Luke responds any time soon. 

     You’ve just finished cleaning the bathroom when you hear your phone vibrate. You grab it, expecting to see Luke’s name. You frown when you see that it’s an email from a name you don’t recognise. Curious, you click it. You almost drop your phone in shock when you see the contents. “RED BULL WANTS AN INTERVIEW WITH ME!” You shriek. You’re shocked that they want an interview and the incredibly fast response time. You immediately respond to the email, wanting to set up a time as soon as possible for an interview. As soon as you get that figured out, you start pacing your apartment. “Oh my god, this is it. This could be you fulfilling your dream, Y/n. Don’t freak out,” you mumble to myself. Your phone vibrates, and you dive for it. You grin when you see a message from Luke. 

Luke: I’m sure Lando would be grateful for your support if he knew you.

You: Hi, Luke!

Luke: Hi, Y/n. How has your day been?

You: It’s going amazing. I have an interview on Monday for a possible photography job.

Luke: That’s amazing! Congrats!

You: Thanks!

Luke: I’m sure you’ll do great.

You: Thanks! How’s the weather look in Imola tomorrow? More rain?

Luke: Lots of rain.

You: Damn, good luck to the drivers then. 

Luke: They’ve driven in all kinds of weather, I’m sure they’ll be okay. 

You: I hope so too. 

Luke: What’s your plan for the rest of your day?

You: I’m finishing cleaning my apartment, then doing some homework. Can’t slack off for even a day or I’ll fall behind. 

Luke: Damn, I really hope you get some free time soon. 

You: I should, it’s almost the end of school. Just two more weeks. 

Luke: Oh, that’s good!

You: Yep! What’s the plan for your night?

Luke: Well, just resting and preparing for the race and events tomorrow. 

You: Okay! Have fun with that! 

Luke: I will!

Lando’s POV

     I pick up my phone, grinning when I see messages from Y/n. My disappointment from losing positions in the sprint disappears when I see she’s excited that I finished P5. I dive into a conversation with her, lounging on the bed to relax. We talk for a good hour before I feel myself start to fall asleep. I groan, wanting to spend more time talking to Y/n. I fight sleep for a couple minutes before it starts to take over. 

Me: As much as I’d love to continue talking, it’s 9:30 here now and I’m fighting sleep. 

Y/n: Okay! Good night Luke!

Me: Good night, Y/n!

April 24, 2022 8 am

Y/n’s POV

     “And in Imola, we’re racing,” Will Buxton says. You grin, as Lando takes two places right off the bat. “And Sainz has been hit!” You gasp, seeing Carlos and Daniel in the gravel. 

You: LET’S GO LANDO! TAKING TWO PLACES OFF THE BAT!

You: Oh no! Not Carlos and Daniel! It must be so hard to see with all that rain. 

You: The drivers need little windshield wipers on their helmets. 

You: It sucks that Carlos is beached. 

You: Oh! Mick had a little trip through the grass too. 

You: I could never be a race strategist. So many variables. 

     You bite your nails as Charles makes an attempt to pass Lando. “Charles, I swear if you take Lando out,” you say. You pout when Charles passes Lando, “Come on, Lando. You can do this.” 

You: Aww, Mick spun again. 

You: Stroll is worrying me going onto the wet part of the track on slicks. 

You: I don’t want anyone to crash!

You: No! Charles! He crashed! 

You: BUT THAT MEANS LANDO IS P3! LET’S GOOOO!

You: YESSS LANDO GOT P3!!!

You: Awww, his reaction on the radio is so cute. 

     You laugh as Lando appears on the screen, his hair sticking straight up. After the podium ceremony, you shut off the tv. You grab your laptop, setting up camp on the couch to work on homework and get ready for your interview tomorrow. 

Lando’s POV

     I step out of the conference room, still stinking of champaign. “All I want right now is a shower and sleep,” Max says, coming up next to me. I nod, making a noise of agreement. We walk back to our drivers rooms together. “See you later, Lando. Congrats again on your race,” Max says, waving bye. 

     “Thanks, Max. Congrats on your win,” I say, before heading into the room. I race for my phone, grinning when I see a string of messages from Y/n. I quickly read through them before replying. 

Me: Lando is super happy with his final position. 

Y/n: As he should be! He did amazing! 

     I almost send a thank you to her, before catching myself. “She doesn’t know she’s talking to you, idiot. Don’t mess it up now,” I mumble.

Me: He did.

Y/n: Any plans to go out and celebrate?

Me: Not tonight, I’ve got an early flight to catch. Celebrations will be later this week. 

Y/n: Sounds like fun!

Me: Yeah! Now it’s time to head back to the hotel and get some sleep. 

Y/n: Sounds like a fantastic idea. Sounds like a lot more fun than what I’m doing. 

Me: What are you doing?

Y/n: I’m studying for my final in my java class. 

Me: That sounds awful.

Y/n: It truly is miserable. But I’m getting through it. 

Me: I’ll leave you to it then, I’m headed back to the hotel now and will probably fall asleep as soon as I sit down. 

Y/n: Alright! Have a good night and sleep, Luke! 

Me: Have a good day and study, Y/n. Good night. 

     I grab my stuff, heading for the hotel. As soon as I get back, I shower and fall into bed, quickly falling asleep.

Next chapter: Chapter Five

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Permanent tag list:

@sol3chu

@faithshouseofchaos

Story tag list:

@anotherapollokid

@freyathehuntress

@hadids-world

@doofenshmirtzevil-inc

@delululeclerc

[phantomrose96]

Hey not to go all "tumblr is a professional networking site" on you, but how did you get to work for Microsoft??? I'm a recent grad and I'm being eviscerated out here trying to apply for industry jobs & your liveblogging about your job sounds so much less evil than Data Entry IT Job #43461

This place is basically LinkedIn to me.

I'm gonna start by saying I am so so very sorry you're a recent grad in the year 2024... Tech job market is complete ass right now and it is not just you. I started fulltime in 2018, and for 2018-2022 it was completely normal to see a yearly outflow of people hopping to new jobs and a yearly inflow of new hires. Then sometime around late-spring/early-summer of 2022 Wallstreet sneezed the word "recession" and every tech company simultaneously shit themselves.

Tons of layoffs happened, meaning you're competing not just with new grads but with thousands of experienced workers who got shafted by their company. My org squeaked by with a small amount of layoffs (3 people among ~100), but it also means we have not hired anyone new since mid-2022. And where I used to see maybe 4-8 people yearly leave in order to hop to a new job, I think I've seen 1 person do that in the whole last year and a half.

All this to say it's rough and I can't just say "send applications and believe in yourself :)".

I have done interviews though. (I'm not involved in resume screening though, just the interviews of candidates who made it past the screening phase.) So I have at least some relevant advice, as well as second-hand knowledge from other people I know who've had to hop jobs or get hired recently.

If you have friends already in industry who you feel comfortable asking, reach out to them. Most companies have a recommendation process where a current employee fills out a little form that says "yeah I'd recommend such-and-such for this job." These do seem to carry weight, since it's coming from a trusted internal person and isn't just one of the hundreds of cold-call applications they've received.

A lot of tech companies--whether for truly well-intentioned reasons or to just check a checkbox--are on the lookout for increasing employee diversity. If you happen to have anything like, for example, "member of my college Latino society", it's worth including on your resume among your technical skills and technical projects.

I would add "you're probably gonna have to send a lot of applications" as a bullet point but I'm sure you're already doing that. But here it is as a bullet point anyway.

(This is kind of a guess, since it's part of the resume screening) but if you can dedicate some time to getting at least passingly familiar with popular tech/stacks for the positions you're looking into, try doing that in your free time so you can list it on your resume. Even better if you make a project you can point to. Like if you're aiming for webdev, get familiar with React and probably NodeJS. On top of being comfortable in one of the all-purpose languages like C(++) or Java or Python.

If you get to the interview phase - a company that is good to work for WILL care that you're someone who's good to work with. A tech-genius who's a coworker-hating egotistical snob is a nuisance at best and a liability at worst for companies with even a half-decent culture. When I do interviews, "Is this someone who's a good culture fit?" is as important as the technical skills. You'll want to show you'll be a perfectly pleasant, helpful, collaborative coworker. If the company DOESN'T care about that... bullet dodged.

For the technical questions, I care more about the thought process than I do the right answer, especially for entry-level. If you show a capacity for asking good, insightful clarifying questions, an ability to break down the problem, explain your thought process, and backtrack&alter your approach upon realizing something won't work, that's all more important than just being able to spit out a memorized leetcode answer. (I kinda hate leetcode for this reason, and therefore I only ask homebrewed questions, because I don't want the technical portion to hinge at all on whether someone managed to memorize the first 47 pages of leetcode problems). For a new hire, the most important impression you can give me is that you have a technical grasp and that you're capable of learning. Because a new hire isn't going to be an expert in anything, but they're someone who's capable of learning the ropes.

That's everything I have off the top of my head. Good luck anon. I'm very sorry you were born during a specific range of years that made you a new grad in 2024 and I hope it gets better.

[spacebabesuki]

Ok, I know it’s silly, so bear with me, but I’m genuinely over the moon about hitting 500 views and 36 kudos in just one week on my first-ever work on AO3.

I’ve been writing Hellcheer on Brazilian platforms for nearly three years now, and while I somehow ended up with the most-read fic in the category—not because it’s the best (it’s far from that), but simply because I had the luck of being the first to write about Hellcheer there—I’ve always been absolutely terrified of writing in English since it’s not my native language. Honestly, I’ve been toying with the idea of posting on AO3 since 2022, but every time I’d get too scared, convinced it would turn out bad or full of mistakes, so I’d just abandon the thought.

Knowing that people are actually reading it, even now in 2025, with the ship nearly forgotten 😭—and seeing them leave so many thoughtful, kind comments while asking for more of this chaotic, unhinged story—makes me feel so, so grateful and genuinely happy. <3

And I’m so sorry for the emotional mess—I’m just a girl doing something silly that she’s wanted to do for over 3 years but only just now found the courage to try, at not exactly the best time, but yayyyy!

And if you haven’t read it yet, here’s the chaotic mess I’m talking about:

Ah, the summer of 1988... warm winds in the air, the sun burning high, and laughter spilling out of the fun fair. Ice cream dripping down sticky fingers, lollipops melting under the unforgiving heat. Girls in short skirts and cowboy boots, popcorn salt mingling with the sugary pull of candy. Bon Jovi on the radio, beer cans cracking open, milkshakes shared between glossy lips.

It was the kind of summer that felt too perfect to last.

And, well... it didn’t.

A string of brutal murders begins to haunt the town, each victim tied by one thing: they were high school royalty, the so-called "kings" who ruled the halls with arrogance and cruelty. And then there’s Chrissy Cunningham—queen of short skirts, killer smiles, and, apparently, next on the masked murderer’s list.

...

Or basically, it’s a story where he’s the killer, she’s his little victim... or maybe not? Hmm, hard to say. There’s a lot of blood, cowboy boots, and questionable choices.