#last time it was double dutch competitions

[imperial-evolution]

man i love my dad

[russellsppttemplates]

Just say the word (Max Verstappen)

A secret relationship is hard enough to deal with when you don't have people constantly shipping your boyfriend with someone else

Note: english is not my first language. This is the first time I'm writing athlete!reader, so I thought about the sports I know better and swimming seemed fitting for what I wanted!

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Tw: secret relationship

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog

"You're alone today, Y/N?", one of the other girls, Ella, asked as you retrieved your waterproof workout plan sheet from the folder.

"I'm going away tomorrow and I won't be back until Monday morning, so I squeezed in my Saturday session now; Carol is coaching with the younger group today later", you explained the fact that you were at the pool without your coach.

At first, swimming was an after school activity since your parents worked long hours and they needed you to be occupied and somewhere with someone looking after you, but as you grew older, your passion for the activity became more serious. Combined with your natural skill and hard work - and, truth be told, a dust of luck from deep pocket sponsors - you were able to become a full time swimmer. Tokyo 2020 Olympics was the proudest moment of your career as you stepped on the podium next to two of the people you looked up to the most, wondering if you were ever going to stand in the top step and hear your national anthem play. Baby steps - Carol told you immediately - this is already a huge achievement, Y/N!

"Do you want to stretch together?", Ella wondered, throwing a foam roller for you to catch once you nodded and getting one for herself.

"Where are you off to this weekend?", she asked curiously. You were playing a risky game, you knew that much, going away only on weekends and travelling to countries where, coincidentally, the Formula One Grand Prix was being held.

Luckily for you, no one seemed to make the connection as the last two years you managed to keep your relationship a secret. You first met Max in a sponsor party at the beggining of your professional career when you needed to up your earnings as the costs of travelling to competitions was getting higher and heavier on your savings. It fell through, but other sponsors came your way and you and Max started hanging out after it. The Dutch driver was funny and charming and after winning your first Olympic medal, you felt unstoppable and confessed your feelings for him. When he admitted he felt the same for you, you went from there on. At first, the decision to keep it secret was both strategic, as Max didn't want you to miss out on any sponsorships or teams backing you because you were in a relationship with him, and personal as he didn't want the world's prying eyes on your relationship.

Two years later, you felt like there had never been a right time to do it so things stayed the way they were, and most of the time, you didn't mind it.

"Austria", you kept the city to yourself as you worked on your hips as they were still tight from yesterday.

"Didn't you go there last year?", she quirked an eyebrow.

"Last year, I had more of a city break weekend, this time around I'm going for a nature approach, you know? No phones, no Internet, digital detox and all of that", you offered, doubling up the excuse so she wouldn't expect to see and Instagram stories or posts from your weekend away.

"Sounds nice! It can really get in your head when you're too long on them - I have a timer on my phone because otherwise I won't even notice the amount of time I spend on social media", she smiled before silently asking if she could take the foam rollers back to their box.

Getting yourself on the water and used to the temperature, you started with your usual warm up routine before following the plan you stuck to the platform.

On some days, the session felt quick, before you knew, the other athletes were already stretching and getting prepped for their own session. Today, it seemed like it would never end, as you looked at the clock and only fifteen minutes had gone by since the last time you checked it. At least your times were improving, you thought, drinking some water before going back to practice your butterfly stroke as dictated by the workout sheet.

It was already evening time when you sat down on your bedroom floor, packing everything you had laid out to take on your trip with you when your phone rang.

"Hey, liefje", Max said as his face showed up on your screen, "how was your day?".

"Good. Had training in the morning, then a physio session because my hips kept hurting, and I found some time to buy a replacement for my moisturiser before I came home to have dinner and pack", you showed him the suitcase, "and you? The car seems good, a nice gap to the others as well", you mused.

"The same old Friday, really. Woke up, came to the track, a little debrief with Alice and then we headed to the track. Only tomorrow will tell, but I'm confident on the pole", he smiled, "can't wait to have you here with me and see your gorgeous face up close".

"You can see it now", you ridiculed as you rested your chin on your phone and looked into the camera so Max could have an interesting angle of your features, "beautiful, am I right?", you joked.

"The most beautiful", he complimented, "are you nearly done packing?", he wondered.

"Yes, just my charger and a few other last minute things left - I'll put them in my backpack tomorrow morning", you reasoned.

"You better get to sleep, your flight is early", your boyfriend encouraged, "I really need it - a proper shower first and then I'll go to bed", you assured, "I love you, Max, see you tomorrow", you blew him a kiss.

"I love you too, gorgeous! Text me updates from your flight, okay?", he smiled, smooching his lips for you to see before you ended the videocall.

The shower helped you unwind for the night, a little list on your kitchen counter to remember you of the last minute things as you turned off the lights and got back to your bedroom, your bed waiting for you so you could sleep a decent amount of hours.

Sitting on the waiting area of the airport, you placed your backpack on your legs and rested your elbows there, grabbing your phone to scroll through social media.

Ella was right, people did spend too much time on these. Everyone around you seemed to be on their phone or tablet devices.

A photo of your boyfriend showed up in your explore page, a fan page showing his walking back to the garage after FP1 and Alice was trailing right beside him.

Scrolling through the carrousel of pictures, you found a small video of them laughing together about something. The comments under it were the same as usual.

No one can convince me they're not together!😌 (to be read as I know I'm delulu)

If they're not, I'll volunteer to show them how good they would be for eachother! 🫣

Such a power couple 😮‍💨🥵

When they finally knock some sense into eachother's head and realise they're meant to be together, I'm claiming them as my parents! 🥹

No matter how many times you saw it, it never got easier. For all everyone knew, Max was single, so they weren't acting as a disregard of you. They didn't knew a regard of you to begin with. So they took interest in his love life and hoped he was in a relationship with some of the women he interacted with. Max usually didn't let many of them start to begin with, but Alice worked for the team, he could only get so far away and be distanced from her.

Max wouldn't cheat on you, you knew that. But the comments made you wonder. Would he be better off with someone else? Someone who could follow him anywhere?

The thoughts often plagued your mind, and they hadn't yet turned to the your other insecurities, so you had to be thankful for that.

Boarding on the plane, you played some music on your earbuds as you fished out your kindle to continue reading the book you started at the beggining of the week.

The buzz was installed on track as you found your spot in the stands just in time to see the marshalls tidying up whatever was left on the concrete so qualifying could start without a hitch.

This was usually how you did it. On Saturday, you would watch qualifying from the stands, waiting a little in the fan zone before Max whisked you into the hospitality with Gianpiero's help. On Sunday, you either stayed on the stands and repeated the same procedure or you arrived early to the track and stayed in his driver's room so to not lift any suspicions. You had been invited to watch a few races with the Paddock Club pass with some of the other Olympic athletes, but it hadn't happened in a while.

To anyone, you were a regular fan. You had your RedBull cap on and sunglasses, and you had never been recognised in one of the races, so you felt calm. The tricky bit of keeping your relationship hidden from the public eye was going to be later, for now, you could just wait and appreciate the fast laps.

"I'm sorry, you're Y/N Y/L/N, right?", a girl in a Ferrari cap called your name. Crap.

"Hi, I am", you smiled, "I'm sorry to ambush you like this - I am a big fan and you're a big inspiration to me. I also swim", she reasoned as she fumbled with her phone, "do you mind if my father takes a picture of us?", she politely asked.

"That's okay, yes", you smiled, taking off your sunglasses briefly as the older man snapped a picture before he shook your hand, "she won't shut up about your achievements! Did you tell Ms. Y/L/N that you're going to be in the qualifiers for Paris?".

"It's Y/N, please", you requested, "That's fantastic, congratulations! I hope it all works out for you and I'll see you around there!", you hugged her quickly before she thanked you and found their seats.

She seemed nice enough and it wasn't like you were a public figure, at least to the general public anyway really, so between all of the people who could've spotted you, she was fine.

"C'mon Max!", you yelled as he and Charles seemed to be separated by a few tenths of a second, cheering loudly when the times were set and your boyfriend got the pole position.

The timing was perfect as Max took a little longer than expected on his interviews, fans scattering to the fanzone and track experiences while you spotted Max's engineer, walking with him when no one seemed to be paying attention to it.

"I'll tell Max you're already here", he smiled before he closed the door of the driver's room.

It always felt a little odd. Like you were doing something forbidden and illegal by being there.

"Yes, we'll meet in a bit", Max told whoever was in the corridor after he opened the door, closing it back when you jumped on him, legs wrapping around his waist, "hey, pole sitter", you smirked, nuzzling your face on his neck and kissing the soft skin.

"Hello, liefje", he mumbled against your skin before you pulled away, "kiss?", you asked for his lips to settle on yours for a bit, filling up on eachother's presence.

"No one saw you come here?", he asked. You shook your head, "everybody was paying attention to other things, the only people I encountered already know so we're safe", you stated.

Max noticed the change of tone, but you wouldn't have time to properly discuss it so he let it slide for now, telling you instead about the session and how the car felt, as well as the dinner plans her had for you since the room service menu was "so varied we could make our own little buffet".

You stayed in the room while he had the debrief, leaving together when you made sure no one would see you two.

"Room service called back, they said they'll bring the food in ten minutes", Max said as you got out of the bathroom, dressed in pyjamas and fresh out of the shower, "That's good, I'm starving", you smiled as you sat down.

Max always received the food at the door to ensure no prying eyes would see something he didn't want, along with other precautions like packing up all your things in case someone from housekeeping enjoyed the gossip and took the rumours somewhere else.

"I know something is bothering you", Max began you had taken a piece of chicken to your much, "I noticed it when we were in my room, and even now there's something", he nudged your arm.

Chewing and swallowing afterwards, you moved the broccoli around your plate, gathering your thoughts before speaking up, "do you know people ship you and Alice?", you spoke up.

"Don't change the subject, darl - is that it?", Max tried to understand.

"People seem to think you'd make a great couple, like, they have your whole relationship panned out. Everyone thinks she's very pretty - and I agree with them -, and that you two have chemistry and that it would be nice for you to be with her - looks exchanged and all sorts of ideas", you mumbled.

"Liefje, I'd never do that to you, I don't interact with her that way", Max replied instantly.

"I know you don't, but it hurts to see", you admitted, "comments people make about my boyfriend and how he really should start dating someone - and they know who that person is, so really it's just a matter of putting two and two together!", you let a tear fall down your cheek.

"Y/N, I didn't know it was bothering you so much and bringing you such sadness", Max cupped your cheek, thumb wiping the tears that followed suit and looking into your eyes.

"I can ask the team to issue or statement - or we can go public. I don't care what we do as long as you feel better about it", he comforted.

"Do you want to go public?", you asked, afraid of the answer.

"Y/N, my love, being secret was just to protect you, for your good. If going public is the solution for this, I'm the first one to walk into the paddock tomorrow with you, holding hands and everything", he moved his hands to cradle your own.

"You mean that? It's just, I don't want people to assume you're single and throw themselves at you - or throw someone at you! I know Alice won't do it, but other people might and I'm tired of having to lie to people about where I'm going and saying no to dates they try to set up and why I gave a RedBull rain jacket on my car", you chuckled at the last one, remembering your coach's reaction when she saw it, "Since when do you follow F1?", Carol questioned.

"We'll do it tomorrow if you want, or whenever you feel ready, Y/N. I'll be by your side, always", he smiled kissing your lips lovingly.

"I don't have any paddock wag outfits with me", you giggled, "have to make a good impression".

"Please, you could go in these pyjamas and you'd still be the prettiest woman there", he pulled you to sit on his lap as you finished your dinner.

The next morning, people couldn't believe their eyes as Max walked hand in hand with a young woman, the pair of them talking about something between them as they giggled.

A few were unsure of it was really you while others asked their colleagues to please repeat your name, googling you quickly and finding out your achievements.

Soon enough, pictures flowed social media with the paddock's new power couple, gossip Instagram pages having a field day and it wasn't even lunch time.

"This is news", Daniel said as he spotted Max. He had been one of the few people outside of the team who knew about you two, you having made him swear that he would never tell anyone, and if by chance he did let something slip, you trusted him to make a joke out of it and for people to assume he was just teasing Max indeed.

"You won't have to keep it to yourself anymore, Danny", you said as you hugged his side quickly.

"That's good, actually, I think that's what has been keeping me from being focused in racing, it's a real relief, Y/N", he stated and for two seconds, you felt bad for putting such pressure on him, "I'm just kidding! C'mon, you know what I'm like", he gave you a big smile, "now, I have to go, will pop by to see you though!", Daniel said as he waved while he carried on to his team's garage.

Your interactions with Daniel and the team spurred curiosity as the media started thinking and hypothesizing that maybe your relationship was as new as they thought it was. As it turns out, once again, Max Verstappen knew how to keep private aspects away from the media.

For now, they would try to dig more and find out how the Olympic medalist swimmer stole the heart of the Formula One driver.

[evagaetinosgirl]

red looks good on you [e.de almeida x reader]

prompt: you find it hot when elisa gets angry on the pitch

author notes: been missing writing for my babygirl elisa 🥳 she's injured right now, so this is me trying to get over the fact she isn't playing with psg right now. enjoy it!

word of the fic: "anger" chosen by the loml @moonystoes

there are mainly two types of players. some are more clean and try their best not to foul anyone. while others are more aggressive. finding joy in not only fouling, but tackling and even obviously yellow card offenses on the pitch. elisa was definitely the second. the french woman had no problem pushing, colliding hard into, or taking the legs right under from her opponent. it was a part of the fun of the game and a way for her to be over competitive.

you didn't mind seeing elisa act like this on the pitch. it's entertaining, that's why she has so many fans. you often tag along with the paris saint germain feminines team when you weren't in classes. living the wag life was fun and you have gotten close to almost all of the girls on the team expect for a certain blonde.

however, sometimes elisa went too far. she would get so angry, her play would get aggressive enough that it showed she obviously didn't care if a red card was put up by the ref directed at her. you knew in the back of your mind when you see elisa starting to push a player a little too much you should disapprove; knowing damn well that if some other player was doing that to elisa, you would not like it. at the same time, can you really be blamed for finding it attractive when her aggressiveness is ramped up.

it's not your fault you have double standards. blame the attractive woman you call your girlfriend.

it's around the 71st minute in the match against lyon. the game has been intense since the first minute with the two clubs being huge rivals in the french women league. players on either side were getting desperate to break the 2-2 deadlock that was going on. sakina has been working particularly hard, but she just keep losing the ball. you remind yourself to buy her some cookies after the match for her efforts.

all the psg players on the pitch are trying to absolute hardest to beat the other french soccer giant. your eyes are glued to elisa as she passes the ball to chawinga who almost gets the ball into the back of the net, but one of lyon's players come in at the last minute. kicking the ball and causing it to fly away from the net. you can tell that elisa is getting more frustrated as the minutes passed. lyon was letting up and she didn't plan to either. putting on the hardest defense she could manage. the expression on her face along with how tense she looked already told you everything you need to know; elisa was about to snap if something happened.

and something did. as elisa was running to stop a ball coming near the psg's goal, she collides with danielle. sending both her and the smaller woman to the ground. danielle is able to stand up quicker than elisa, already ready to shout.

"watch where you're going!" the dutch player shouts out after elisa stands and comes close. elisa looks down at danielle, just narrowing her eyes. the ref quickly comes over to defuse the situation, but the moment danielle pushes elisa, it all goes to hell.

elisa is quick to push her back, sending danielle to the ground. her lyon teammates rush over to defend their teammate. ellie helping danielle up and pulling away from the small crowd of players. it only takes two minutes for sakina to reach elisa from where she was on the pitch. holding onto her as the french player glares over at danielle.

the ref doesn't even lecture elisa before holding up a yellow card. pointing at danielle before pointing at elisa; neither of them were about to walk off scoot free. then the game is allowed to continue on.

it seemed like the situation was put behind everyone as the players put more attention towards trying to score in the last ten minutes of the game. however, you can tell from a far that elisa wasn't over it. this is confirmed when elisa takes selma's feet right from up under her after selma tried to foul eva. was elisa's action out of self defense of her teammate or just her trying to get out some annoyance? we'll never know.

when the ref comes over to hold up a yellow card then a red, elisa acts clueless. throwing her hands up as if she's confused on why the ref is going after her. the rest of the psg players run over to elisa's defense, but it's no use. she walks off of the pitch and into the tunnel so she could go straight to the locker room; ignoring the psg coach who was trying to offer her water.

you just sit back and sip on your drink, watching the rest of the match unfold.

lyon wins with a late goal in the 87th minute, making the score 3-2. the fans in the crowd were not happy and you couldn't agree anymore, but nonetheless lyon came out on top.

you wait for the fans in the stadium to clear out before making your way into the tunnel. not even having to go into the psg locker room as elisa is standing right next to the door. she's leaning against the wall, her usual taper fade is slightly wet. after being sent off, elisa must have showered to cool off her anger.

"i know what you're going to say," she says, leaning off of the wall to pull you close. nuzzling her face into your neck.

"what?"

"that i should control my anger and that i costed my team the game?" she mumbles into your neck. you chuckle before kissing the side of her head.

"i'm your girlfriend not a soccer critic, babes," you say. your words make elisa giggle. she pulls away slightly to look at you. a smug smile on her lips.

"so..?" she says. you roll your eyes at how quickly her emotions can flip; finding that smile on her lips annoying but very attractive.

"so?" you say back to her

"so.. what do you think about it?"

"i thought it was pretty hot," you pull her closer by the collar of her shirt. giggling once you two's noses bump against each other. "yeah?" she says. you don't reply, just pulling her into a kiss.

the kiss only lasts for so long when sakina pops her head out of the locker room. scrunching her nose once she sees what you two are doing.

"have some public decency," she says before rolling her eyes, "elisa come get your cleats off my bag."

elisa pouts at having to stop kissing you, but still what sakina says goes so she pulls away. dragging you along with her into the locker room after sakina.

© thinkingaboutjaedyn

[s-awturn]

Karma Is A Bitch | MV1

summary: S/N and Max invented hate at first sight, they hate each other from the first moment they met and never tried to make things better. The hatred between the two is real and almost palpable to the point of becoming karma... In the dirtiest sense of the word.

cw: Conflict, verbal fighting, insults and name calling, suggestive, mild smut (very little), mention of accidents, and what else? Somewhat based on the discussion between Max and Esteban (no explanation needed). No real events will be taken into consideration here, so everything was taken from my head (duh)

a/n: I wrote this based on Max's headcanon in "Pilots and their romantic tropes", because it stuck in my head and I needed to develop it. It's my first time with Max (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°) heheheh so he's gonna be a little OC, don't take it too seriously pls. I just saw that I reached 101 followers, I'm going to shout it out (I'll think of something to celebrate, suggestions?)

Melbourne, 2023

"You're doing great, kiddo," Hugh said into the headphones. "We're down to the last ten laps, keep doing that and we could have a double podium today."

"Cool," she said through gritted teeth, focused on keeping Lando where he was: on her tail. "How's the car? Can we fight Verstappen for first place?"

Y/N heard Hugh's heavy sigh, and if she knew Hugh, she knew the engineer was rubbing his beard, as he always did when he was nervous.

The season was still in its early stages, it was only the third race of the year and the rivalry between Max and Y/N had already reached a dangerous peak, they competed more with each other than with other drivers. Luckily for the team, both Max and Y/N managed to keep the competition alive both among themselves and with the other teams — even if the two always took their internal rivalry more seriously.

"The wear on the tires has not yet reached a precarious level, so you can compete, but you need to be careful, there may be rubber debris on the track," he advised, hearing her click her tongue in agreement, Hugh knew he was stirring the hunger of a beast, and for all intents and purposes, Max had the prey she wanted. "God help us," he muttered, closing the communication channel.

Y/N smiled at the free pass Hugh had given her, she shifted gears, hearing the engine roar loudly and she smiled, there was a DRS zone. She was a few seconds behind Max, three maybe four seconds and with the possibility of overtaking in front of her, Y/N did what her instincts told her: she opened the rear wing and put her foot down on the accelerator, breaking the distance between her and Max and consequently stealing first place from the Dutch driver. She not only passed Max, but managed to establish the four-second gap between them again, with herself in the lead. Her smile under her helmet was wide enough for her to feel pain in the cheeks.

The rest of the race was fast and intense, she and Max fought aggressively for first place, Y/N didn't let Max take advantage of any opening, she broke all chances of Max regaining first place. Not even with DRS active was Verstappen able to retake the lead.

As the two entered the last lap, Christian, Hugh and the entire Red Bull team began to think they would have an accident, because the two were, literally, playing cat and mouse.

"Keep it up, girl" Hugh suddenly appeared on the comms, making Y/N laugh "you're going to win your first F1 race, keep it up"

She laughed with victory, feeling as light as a balloon as her car passed the checkered flag in first place. Everyone in the garage heard her happy screams, when Y/N parked the car in the spot reserved for the winner, she could barely see because of her tears. The girl didn't even have time to take off her helmet before she was engulfed in the team's hug.

"You did it, girl!" Hugh lifted her into the air, celebrating the victory. It all went through her mind like a torpedo, but she remembers well when her country's anthem played, Y/N cried. She couldn't even explain how light she felt without the weight on her shoulders.Being the only woman among drivers in the top category of motorsport was heavier than she thought and winning was not a dream, it was an obligation.

She greeted the champagne shower as if it were a blessing, laughing as she doused the other riders. If it were possible, she would be exploding like fireworks.

Victory tasted sweet, and she got addicted.

After Melbourne, what was already tense got even worse. Y/N discovered what victory tasted like and Max wasn't about to let her taste it again. But what he didn't know was that his teammate was just as stubborn as he was and was willing to commit atrocities if it guaranteed her a podium finish — just like Max himself.

The races became increasingly fierce, the other teams instructed their drivers to stay away from the fight between Max and Y/N. The possibility of the two RBR drivers putting a third person in an accident was immense, and no one wanted to risk it.

"You" Christian pointed at S/N, watching the girl play with the zipper of her jumpsuit, as if she wasn't being reprimanded "don't tease, I know how much of a brat you can be when you want and you" he turned to Max "calm your nerves, you'll end up causing an accident, and no one here needs any more punishment"

The team leader scratched the back of his neck, all his efforts to convert the hatred between the two into anything but... Harmful, but nothing worked. Frustrated because neither of them seemed willing to give in, so if neither of them would make the first move, Christian would.

"You two are going to stay here until you sort it out, I don't care how, if you want to be treated like children, I will treat you like children" he scolded, putting his hands on his hips "You have plenty of time to sort things out and when you leave here, I expect you to respect each other, at the very least!"

Christian left the room, locking them in there, Y/N snorted, aware that Horner wasn't joking and the sound of the doorknob locking made that obvious. From her corner of the couch, she glanced sideways at Max, making a disgusted face, which he scoffed at.

"If we're here it's your fault" he said, pointing his finger in her direction, S/N frowned in confusion and stood up.

"My fault?! You're the idiot who thinks everyone has to give you back the position! Do you know how to lose a race without crying in the team's lap?!" She yelled back, stopping just a few steps away from him. Both of them radiated pure rage.

"I wouldn't need to ask for the positions back if you weren't a treacherous snake!"

"And you're a crybaby!" She said angrily and soon a wicked smile appeared on her face "You hate knowing that there's someone really competing with you, threatening your title"

Max scoffed, stepping away from her as he adjusted his hat. "As if you were enough competition to threaten me with, cutie."

“You wouldn’t be so mad if I wasn’t,” she retorted, balancing on his ankles, being petulant enough to prick Max’s short temper. “It’s okay to admit you’re afraid of me, Verstappen.”

“As if I would fear someone who still smells of milk”

Y/N laughed, leaning closer to him. “Should I be worried about your nose being so close to my neck?” He clicked his tongue again, increasing the level of mockery, making Max even more irritated.

“I would never get close to you, under any circumstances,” he replied, with nothing less than raw disgust in his voice and Y/N would never be able to explain why that was such a hard blow to her ego.

“As if you had any chance,” she said, composing herself with dignity.

“Anyway, fuck you, stay out of my way, girl,” he warned, pointing his index finger at her, “or I’ll throw you in the gravel.”

“Do that and I’ll be your worst nightmare, kid.”

The two went to opposite corners of the room, leaving the entire place filled with animosity. They remained in the office for almost two hours until the public relations manager took them out, scolding them because they were late for their interviews.

When Christian saw them leave the office, he couldn't tell if his attempts had yielded any results, but from the way they existed near each other, he was afraid. Whatever would come after this conversation, he had the entire team ready, whether it was for a fight or, maybe, the apocalypse.

Spielberg, 2023.

The Austrian GP was an important circuit for RBR and S/N was excited, she really wanted to win at the team's home ground, it would be an important victory and she wanted first place as much as she wanted oxygen, perhaps victory was more important.

Since Christian's intervention, instead of her and Max strengthening their rivalry, it seemed to increase, which was great for the fans, the races became more exciting and fun to watch, but for the team, the atmosphere was unbearable. The fear of an accident between the two happening was real and increasingly possible; and the race at Red Bull Ring gave an extra weight to the competitiveness of the RBR drivers,

"Keep your head cool, girl." Hugh ruffled her hair as Y/N sat in the cockpit, reading the information on the monitor. "Do your race, stay calm and everything will be fine, you have a good score in the drivers' championship, don't let your problems with Max get in the way of the race, It's important for the team"

"Relax Hugh, we'll win the race and increase the points gap with the second team"

"You're in second, so try to preserve your tires until the pitstop, our strategy will come into play after the first stop, understand?"

"Yep Hugh, I understand."

"In other words, no pointless fights with Max." He said, giving her a stern look, Y/N giggled and held up her crossed fingers. "Y/N..."

"I'll try, I promise"

The minutes until the start of the race were spent fine-tuning the details of the strategy, meditating and listening to encouragement from the family. And as always, the moments until she positioned herself on the grid passed as if she were on autopilot, without realizing where she was or what she was doing until her engines roared. It wasn't until the lights came on that Y/N blinked back to the real world and she smiled, gripping the sides of the steering wheel. She glanced quickly in the rearview mirror, seeing her purple helmet gleam in the faint light of the weak sun. The forecast was for rain for the second half of the circuit, which made her anxious, she loved racing in the rain just like one of her greatest examples in motorsport, Ayrton Senna.

When the lights went out, she let her instincts take over and her focus was on one thing, the highest place on the podium.

In the second half of the race, the rain fell like a torrent, nothing that S/N wasn't used to and with this new obstacle, she held on, trying to have a safe race, even though he was still competing for victory with his teammate. She stepped on the brakes several times, trying to avoid any collision and as they were entering the forty-fifth lap, exactly at the Schlossgold Curve, in a fierce dispute with Max, where she tried to overtake him when a collision with the two front wings made S/N spin on the track until she was pushed against the barrier. The shock was strong enough to make her hit her head against the steering wheel; S/N was disoriented for a few seconds and shook her head, but the act made her grunt in pain and hearing Hugh's desperate calls in the dot in her ear only made her more nervous. She didn't even know when she was pulled out of the cockpit or when she was taken to the circuit hospital, but she knew exactly the moment the rage exploded in her chest.

Max threw her off the track, in a dirty move, Max took her out of the race.

"I'm going to kill him," she said as the nurse bandaged her forehead. The poor nurse gave S/N's companion a frightened look, who signaled for her to ignore it. "He threw me off the track, mom, I hit the barrier!"

"Honey, don't worry about it, you're fine, luckily the accident wasn't more serious" she tried to calm her daughter down and asked the nurse to leave, which she did in a hurry.

The driver's time in the hospital was spent hurling abuse and homicidal thoughts at Max Verstappen. So it was no surprise when she arrived at the Red Bull garage screaming and swearing. She shook off Hugh's grip on her, marched straight to Max, and pressed her finger against his chest.

"You scream that I'm a treacherous snake, but you're the most dishonest son of a bitch that ever walked this fucking earth!" She yelled, seeing Max's eyes widen until he understood what was happening.

"What? Did you really think I was going to give you my position? Wake up girl."

"Are you an idiot? That was a clean maneuver, I didn't attack you to get thrown off the fucking track"

"You wouldn't have gone off the track if you were a good driver, or an honest one" Jos Verstappen interjected into the conversation, pulling Max away from it.

"Maybe it's time for you to rethink your career, this profession isn't for everyone, including cute and delicate little things like you" Max said, and that made something burn deep inside her before it completely faded away.

She licked her lips and pulled away, playing with the zipper of her jumpsuit, a habit she did whenever she was nervous, she took a deep breath and said "You know what? Fuck it, from today you died to me"

And with that, Y/N retreated to her room, feeling her whole body tremble, since she was four years old, she never questioned herself, She always knew that she would race in F1. This was always a certainty in her life and she had the unconditional support of her parents; thinking about anything else for her life never crossed her mind, Y/N knew she would be the first girl in the highest category of motorsport.

However, being discredited in that way, especially after an accident, shook her convictions.

And for the first time in many years, she cried in fear that she would not be able to do it anymore.

São Paulo, 2023

After Spielberg, things in the RBR pit changed drastically, Y/N didn't just avoid Max, she literally pretended he didn't exist, of course the Dutchman didn't take it seriously in the first few weeks, he thought Y/N was just making a fuss to get attention, but he realized things were serious when Hugh started relaying her decisions to him. Of course, the PR team did best to keep things away from the general public, It was necessary for the pilots to maintain good relations, even if just a little, for the good of the team.

She did what she promised and it was as if Max didn't even exist.

And shit, that really bothered Max, because Y/N looked past him, she never spoke to him again, she never stayed in the same place as him again, even the races had changed, Y/N hadn't lost the will to win, but something had really lost its essence.

It was Saturday, almost eleven o'clock at night when Max's discomfort about Y/N became unbearable.

He didn't know why, but it was boring, really bad not having someone to fight with, to make things more exciting. There was a piece missing and he knew where it was.

Y/N was the karma in his life, to torment him, to make his life hell, but fuck it, Y/N was still his karma and he would deal with her.

He put on his slippers and got the room key, he didn't need to ask, he knew which room she was staying in, Max crossed the hotel like a caged lion that had found freedom and it was with all that frantic energy that he almost broke down the door to her room.

Max hoped that this would get some reaction from his teammate, but Y/N opened the door and remained silent, looking at him standing in the hallway.

"You can't fucking ignore me forever!" He yelled, expecting her to retaliate, but Y/N just prepared to close the door, but Max stopped her. "Talk to me, damn it."

"Well, what do you want me to say?" She said, too calm, too soft, and Max didn't like it.

"Fight, scream, do anything, but don't ignore me"

She reached out, checking her cuticles, a clear sign of disinterest that increased Max's disgust, she couldn't act like that.

"I can't ignore what's dead to me," she said dryly, "was that all?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat, her indifference made him uncomfortable in his own skin, it was impossible to deal with it calmly. He took a deep breath, letting the act clear his mind, he let all his arrogance and pride fall away and allowed himself to be vulnerable; Max admitted to himself that he missed her, Y/N was a constant in his life, chaotic, disturbing and restless, but a constant, he knew she would be there to stick his ass in the races, to take everything he had and without it, things would get monotonous.

But still, he wanted a reaction, he wanted the white-hot, overwhelming anger that was always in her.

"Yes! I want you to stop ignoring me, acting like I'm nothing in front of you."

"I don't care what you want, Verstappen," she said, crossing her arms. "I couldn't care less about your desires."

"You think that makes you better than me? You're always saying how arrogant I am and what do you think that swagger is? Niceness?"

Y/N gave an exhausted sigh and pulled Max into her room, because in a little while longer, he would be causing a ruckus in the hallway.

"Why is this important to you, Verstappen? Unfortunately for you and your father I didn't change careers, but to your delight, as your father once said...?" she paused, resting her index finger on her lips as she pretended to think, "Oh yes, a hindrance to your brilliant career."

"And you gave in? Did you accept it so easily?!" He exclaimed and she pressed her temples, already exhausted from that conversation, feeling her patience drain away very quickly.

"Do you have some personality problem? You have to! Why the hell are you so bothered by this, damn it?!" She finally screamed, stressed out by the whole thing.

"I don't like it! I hate that you're distant, damn it!" He took over, making her posture break, Y/N looked at him in surprise, what was Max talking about?"

"What? What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"I hate you, I hate the fact that you are hard-working and intelligent, that you work on your strategies, the way you drive, the way you laugh" he spoke quickly, not giving her a chance to respond "I hate how you fill every space with your presence, I hate how nice you are to Charles, how you idolize Hamilton, I hate you for flirting with Lando because..."

Y/N's eyes were wide as she watched Max's monologue in his suite.

In return, Max found his breath — and the courage to finish what he had started, because hell, Y/N was more challenging than any race he had faced.

"Because I get jealous, I hate that they have your attention, I hate that they have any part of you while I have nothing"

Y/N rested her hands on her hips, absorbing Max's confession, God knows she never expected to hear that, not even in that circumstance.

"Fuck, that's something," she said, wanting to break the silence, seeing Max twist his fingers in pure nervousness. But nothing more was said for long minutes until she looked him in the eyes, peering into whatever he was trying to keep hidden. "Have you ever thought about talking about this in therapy?"

Max gasped, this was fucking not what he was expecting.

"Well, damn, that caught me off guard, you know?" She said, sitting on the bed. "That doesn't justify your shitty behavior towards me this whole year."

"I know, but you were a bitch to me too."

"And I ignored you"

"And I hated that shit, keep being a bitch to me, it's better than being treated like nothing"

"You deserved every second, you still do"

Max sat next to her, both of them staring at the huge black and white photograph of the capital of São Paulo.

"I'm sorry, you're a great driver, I never meant to make you doubt your potential and the sport would be a lot more boring without you in my rear view mirror" he said sincerely "You make a difference in racing and I wouldn't forgive myself if I ruined that... None of what I said was true, it was a bit of spite"

"You need to work on being forgiven... And if your father talks to me like that again, I'll throw my helmet at him."

"Okay, fair enough."

"And you need to learn to declare yourself, that was completely unromantic"

"Was that all you paid attention to?"

"And you're judging me for that?"

"Obviously, because I opened my heart here, "go fuck yourself, damn it"

"Why don't you come do it, you coward"

Before the two could process what was happening, Max and S/N were kissing, rolling around on the mattress. Grunts and curses were uttered in a confused manner and before long, the clothes were scattered around the suite and before long, the girl was riding the Dutchman, moaning insults as he bit her breasts and neck, leaving fingerprints on her hips, her thighs and ass. He swore in Dutch — and it made Y/N clench around him.

Maybe it was the euphoria, or the repressed feelings that led them both to orgasm in a violent way.

"Fuck," they said together.

The sky above her was so blue and bright it hurt to look at and behind her, Max was on her tail, nudging for any chance to retake the lead of the pack, but Y/N increased the gap, from four seconds to six. She knew he was cursing and that it would be harder to close the gap between them.

The fans screamed, fired up by the competition for first place, suddenly that fight, the anger had arisen again, making things interesting again.

"One more quarter of a lap and you'll win the race, firecracker." Hugh said into the headset, making Y/N laugh in excitement. "Things are in place again, that is great"

"I know you missed me, I missed you too," she admitted, changing gears at once, making the engine roar. "I love my job."

The podium featured Red Bull Racing twice and the last time anyone saw such a bright smile on S/N's face was in Melbourne, months before.

"You should make it easier sometimes" he said as they both waited for her anthem to start, Y/N giggled.

"As if you liked that," he retorted ironically and Max shrugged, yeah, he didn't.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO S-AWTURN™ 🪐. I do not allow copying or republication. Any unauthorized publication will be reported.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[i-will-go-with-you-five]

My Five Lore

Heyyyyy I thought it was finally time to make this post! I've been doing ZR for about nine months now and have been posting from the sidelines so I figured it was about time to introduce myself and Five. Just a little rundown on what my Five is like and her story and stuff. She's basically me, but with a couple things changed.

Apperance:

She’s on the shorter side- Sam is always putting his elbow on her shoulder to annoy her but she secretly loves it :) And pretty stocky but really strong. Simon challenged her to a lifting competition once and while he eventually won, she had him sweating and it was a close thing. She wears her hair in really long double Dutch braids, and has a round face with bright hazel green eyes and a big smile. She also wears really brightly colored gear, especially shoes, its a long-lasting joke with her and the other runners. She's unreasonably attached to axes and baseball caps, and is pretty much constantly wearing something Jody made her.

She has a couple of pretty faint nicks and slices on her hands, from before the apocalypse. She got those was first learning to butcher as a teenager. But since the outbreak, she's gotten a stab wound on her left shoulder, and permanent bruising on her shins. She's very susceptible to shin splints, but its the apocalypse, so it's not like she can properly rest and treat them.

UPDATE: she has new scars now from the ending of Season Two. They are Pretty Important.

[One day I will make the most beautiful drawing of her ever. One day.]

Background:

Five is basically me, with a couple things (appearance, where she lived, some family details, etc) changed. She lived in Northern Montana, a stone's throw away from Canada, and was doing college remotely while working on a farm that raised big animals, and took care of her nieces and nephews while her siblings were at work. That's why she's such a jack-of-all-trades, with book and street smarts, she had a very diverse range of skills due to how she grew up. I consider Five as an AU of myself if I had been thrust into the apocalypse, so personality and history-wise Five and I are similar, except for the trauma of the apocalypse, where she was on her own for almost four months after Z-Day, and hardened her a bit. Five's real name is Lydia, but not a single person besides her knows that.

Early Outbreak:

She went on a rare vacation with her best friend, Nina, and her best friend's family to London two days before the outbreak, in early November of 2023. The worst timing. One day she's on a plane, the next she's seeing Big Ben for the first time, and the day after that hundreds of people have turned, including Nina's family, and they're fleeing for their lives in the chaos.

The plan was for the two of them to try and contact Lydia's family and try to find a way to get home, but the phone lines were all down within a day. So they decided to just get out of the city. Nina got bitten when they were on the outskirts of London, after a week of them surviving together. Lydia stayed with her as she died. Nina begged Lydia to kill her zombie-self, but Lydia just couldn't do it- she fled instead. She decided to kill her name, Lydia, along with her friend's death. It was the only way she felt that she could mourn.

She was then on her own for about four months, and her circumstances really changed her. She'd always been a a happy and trusting person, but each person she tried to group up with ended up betraying her, in a multitude of ways. She threw up mental barriers and became pretty grim and trusted no one. She can talk, but only to people that she likes, and only to one or two people at a time. The bigger the crowd, the quieter she is. But when she gets in a place of being comfortable, she has a lot to say. But in those four months, she said less and less, to the point where some people assumed she was mute. She had to stifle who she was in order to survive, and it took a huge toll on her. The pain of her bottled-up emotions was buried deep.

She's a Christian, and the only thing that kept her going in the apocalypse was clinging onto Christ with all of her might, even if her faith had been shaken by what seemed like the end of the world. She just kept running and fighting for something greater than herself. Save the next person stuck in a building, even if they stole her supplies. Run supplies to different groups of people, even if they then beat her bloody and left her for the zombies. Lead a pack of zombies away from a guy trapped in a tree, even if he then throttled her neck and made it even harder to speak. Give a message to a radio outpost, even if they then dishonored their side of the agreement and held her at gunpoint, rather than just attempt to send airwaves to the States in search of her family. Because if she couldn't do the right thing, and try to stay faithful to her values and Jesus, what good was left in the world?

She ended up at Mullins because, once again, she got betrayed. A group of highway robbers caught her unawares, and she literally ran into some soldiers, who promised to just help her get out of the tight spot, but instead brought her to Mullins and enlisted her. Sour and panicked, she was so uncooperative to the point where they shipped her out to Abel for Project Greenshoot so they wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

Getting to Abel:

While the apocalypse has been The Worst Thing Ever, getting her helicopter shot down was probably the best thing that ever happened to her in the apocalypse. It was the last thing that she expected, a rocket launcher barreling towards her, after everything she's already been through, and it shook her. For the first time since when she had a depressive episode as a preteen, she just simply wanted to die. Death seemed like the best option as she fell through the air to the sound of hungry zombies beneath her. Everything hurt too much. God wasn't answering her sobbing cries of help every night. She'd given it her all and it still wasn't enough. Gave far more than she took and got hurt every time. If she gave up, everything would just be easier. She was about to accept her death and simply let go of life. It wasn't like she had any friends or family left to love her anymore.

But when that voice crackled into her headset, urging her on and giving her a name, Five, which felt right in a way she couldn't explain, encouraging her- she knew she had to keep going. Life wasn't over yet. There was still hope. So she ran. And the longer that voice, Sam, spoke, the lighter she felt and the less emotionally exhausted she became. A voice in the back of her mind told her that this was the answer to her prayers for a friend, and for help. But she was still incredibly cautious. This seemed like the nicest person in the world, but what if he hurt her? What if she got betrayed again? After all, she knew nothing of who this Sam Yao was, beyond being awkward and sweet and kind of adorable. Wait, adorable? Where had that thought come from?

She wanted to be mistrustful of everyone at Abel when she got there, that was her intent. Especially after the doctor threatened to not let her in. But having those people show her kindness that she hadn't seen in months crumpled her barriers like wet paper. By the time her 8-week training was over she'd sunk right into Abel perfectly. Jody was her good friend who was always up for a hug and a story, Janine was smart and practical and reminded her of her older sister to the point where she started to treat Janine like an older sister, Eugene was a goofball who made bad jokes with her while sympathizing with what she'd been through, and Maxine was a God-send for figuring out how to turn off her survival mode again.

And during that time, she wanted to become friends with Sam, the voice who saved her, so badly. But he was wrapped up in grief from Alice's death. Which she understood. Nina's death still ate at her. Not to mention having no idea if her family was dead or alive. So even though it killed her, because this was the first time she'd wanted to have a friend in forever, she kept her distance to protect him from her brokenness. Because even though she'd lightened up, she still was a woman of few words who held all of her pain back from everyone. Even if that voice in her head saying Sam was God's answer to her problems got stronger and more insistent every day. And even if Maxine told her multiple times that Sam relied on her more than he could express or she could realize. She had to hold back.

Being a Runner: falling for each other

Until the night run in the dark. [fanfic one shot here that will eventually become a twoshot once I finish the post-run debrief.] Where all that slammed through Sam's head was I need a miracle for Five, and all that slammed through Five's was I'm running for Sam. And the moment she crashed into Sam's arms, him sobbing with relief and her sobbing with exhaustion and delirium, was the moment that she realized that she did, in fact, love Sam Yao. And for Sam, that was the moment he realized that he had to become her best friend. And the rest of that night was the first time Five told anyone about her past and her pain and what the apocalypse had been like for her. And Sam was there. As they talked and listened to one another was the moment they firmly became best friends.

Five’s love for Sam only grows in the next few months. But… she doesn’t know what to say, or even think honestly. She’s never been in love before. Ever. She’s, well, she’s scared. Which she knows is stupid. But what do you even say about something like that? ‘Hey Sam, you've chipped away at the hardened exterior that I was forced to adopt bit by bit, and I've become myself again, and you push me to be even better than I was every day. Also I am totally in love with you.'? So she says it in every way besides words. With each moment with Sam. Each gesture is her way of saying I love you. And she runs. For the same reasons as before- her faith. Her trust in God. Her putting goodness back into the terrible world. But now for another reason too. For Sam. For his voice. And even if he doesn't understand it, how he pushes her to trust in her faith even more. Her faith and trust in God are stronger than ever now and she's very strong in it and tries to shine that light to others.

Sam realizes that he loves Five when someone sends Five to die out of spite, as revenge. She's coming back into the gates, angry but not as angry as he is. He's ready to throw down with the person who did that to his runner. Then the way she just grasps his shoulders, locking eyes with him, and reminding him to breathe, he just- falls. So hard and so fast. He knew that this was coming. He's felt it growing since she came back brandishing supplies with the biggest smile in the world for the DnD campaign he was starting. But he ignored it. And now he can't anymore. Because it's Five. His Five. But what do you even say about something like that? ‘Hey Five, you mean everything to me, actually. You've given me something to fight for each day, given me hope when I've had none, and have helped me grow so much and overcome my doubts. I really, really, really love you, more than anyone or anything.’ So he tells her with his words, with every single thing he says. Every voice crack of fear or excitement over comms. Except those three, which are coincidentally, the most important ones. He talks, for the same reason as before. To protect the people he loves. But now for another reason too. For Five. For her running. For who she's pushed him to become. How she's taught him to fight for something even bigger than before.

There is an ending for their story (its REALLY good) but you're just gonna have to wait to read it until I'm done writing it tehehehe! It's more climactic that way. I'll link it here when it's done.

And there we go! A little bit about my Five and her story <3 Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!!

@stellar-collective drew my Five!! You can see her here<3 It's from this fanfic dabble

@tazzy-zooming the incredible made another drawing of her that I adore

and my dear friend @book-girl4evaaa did another here!!! Go flood her reblogs please

Ao3

[ditttiii]

omg I’m in love with your writing 🥰 can you maybe write a singer!reader with Charles or Max where he goes to her concert for the first time and is mesmerized by her??

MAX VERSTAPPEN X FEMALE READER

summary: she is beautiful in a quiet sort of way. Hair unbound and flowing with the night’s breeze, her skin shimmers under the light, glitters like a thousand stars have scrambled down to adorn her.

a/n: this fic and all future f1 updates will be posted onto my side account @rosegasly only.

The season was over another championship in the metaphorical bag for Max and a champions trophy for Redbull. After the worst possible start, things had really picked up for the team. Post sleepless nights and long hours put in by everyone on track as well as back in Milton Keynes, it had been a double landslide win. 

When finally, after what may very well have been the best season of his motor racing career, his friend and fellow Dutch musician had proposed joining him for a three-day music festival, well agreeing was a no-brainer for Max. 

He is weaving through the sparse but busy crowd backstage, a VIP pass hanging from his neck, letting him through uninterrupted. Contrary to the image the media had painted of him, Max was pretty outgoing. He didn’t spend time with the drivers off track as much as maybe Pierre or Charles did, but it was all because of the complicated and competitive nature of the sport and not at all because he didn’t enjoy being around people or as the media was fond of portraying–a surly grump. 

Max is straightforward, sometimes abrupt, and while he leaves most of those heated feelings back on track, he isn’t quite comfortable enough to play jolly best pals with the other drivers, either. 

“Max!” 

He swivels, eyes roving over the people until he finally spots the Dutch DJ and nods, making his way over. 

“Hey man, glad to see you are up. Didn’t think you would be after last night.” 

Max decides not to mention the persistent pounding hurting the left side of his face and jaw. He’s felt worse over the years training for races. 

“Yeah, just a little tired. When’s your set?” 

“It’s the last one bruv. Not for a while.”

He absently nods and with a promise to catch said man later disperses back into the crowd. 

It’s a few hours later when it’s dark out and he’s walking back with a drink from the food stalls built further away from the stage that he sees her. Max doesn’t recognise her, can’t even see her clearly from how far back he is, but he hears her voice, that raspy, low undertone, the slow, gentle sway of her hips as she sings and it captivates him. Something about her, the way she sings, her tone, the words, so vulnerable with her voice stripped bare. She is talking to him, spilling all her secrets in confidence under the hush of the night and not in front of thousands of people amidst the loud yells and cheers. 

Max walks closer and looks for a screen because he knows there isn’t a way he can push past the screaming crowd. He wouldn’t budge if he was in the front too, and it’s easy to get lost again now that he can see her clearly. 

She is beautiful in a quiet sort of way. Hair unbound and flowing with the night’s breeze, her skin shimmers under the light, glitters like a thousand stars have scrambled down to adorn her. It’s a sad song. She is talking of heartbreak and wanting to let go, being unable to and her voice dips, grows raspier, like she wants to cry, is on the verge of before it lifts, becomes crisp and clear and so so sweet. 

He doesn’t know her name, still can’t recognise her, but when she opens her eyes, his breath seizes. Twin pools of midnight skies gaze back at him through the screen and he feels naked. Like a word from her would crumble all his walls, the stranger in the gray bar whom he’d tell all of his world to, the fears that keep him from sleeping, the things that make him happy, the parts of him he is ashamed of, the ones he has worked years to build. 

The song ends, the cheers grow louder and so does her set because she goes back in and doesn’t come out, though he stays rooted where he is. Breathless, his pulse races under his skin with an itch to be closer to her. He wants to know her, touch her, bury her under thoughts of him as she has and be her muse. 

If his friend notices the slightly crazed look in his eyes when he asks him to introduce her, he is kind enough not to say anything. 

Max waits, impatient in a way he has never been. He isn’t used to falling apart like this. He is usually steel and calm, forged under the relentless rain of his hometown, aged on the racing track where a possible death lurks at every corner, every wrong inch of a move, yet here he is, tripping over his own feet, anxious over a girl. He doesn’t need his father to be a witness to feel his disapproval. 

 She comes out of her room backstage, ironically enough, tripping on her own feet and if anyone asks, he would chop it up to the years of developed reflexes but he feels the truth in his gut. Even if he weren’t an f1 driver, he would still have felt her losing her footing before anyone else. 

She lands in his arms and the way his hands clench around her waist tighter is entirely unconscious. She breathes an embarrassed laugh near his ear and he suppresses the shiver that wants to wrack his whole frame when it washes over him. She smells of mint and sugar, like the sweetest of things and he aches to have this woman he barely knows. 

Jokingly she wraps her arms around him too, making a pun about this being how she meets new people and introduces herself and Max feels her touch more acutely than he feels his car midrace, senses attuned to every bit that is she. Soaking all the words and breaths and glances like a man parched. 

He doesn’t remember introducing himself, unsure if he even said anything but soon she is ushering them into her room and he tails behind her, still spellbound like a child, amazed by her zest for her craft as she discusses her performance with his friend. It’s a foreign feeling, rare, the way he feels right now. Almost undeserving of her attention since he didn’t know who she was before, hasn’t heard her music, doesn’t know what’s the right thing to say. 

Max is all sharp edges and brusque words and is afraid to say the wrong thing. Come across as harsh and inadvertently drive her away. He feels no parts a two-time world champion and all parts an awkward teenager tongue-tied in front of his first real crush. But then she turns around, looks at him and smiles, cracks a joke, leans over at some point to lightly grab his arm, like she is letting him on a secret, including him in her own little bubble, and there’s nothing he can do to stop the joy from bubbling over in his heart.

a/n: all my f1 fanfics have been moved onto here 💕

here's to hoping ferrari can catch up this weekend and I ll have more people than just max to write for 🤌😩

thankyou to the anon for sending in the prompt and aww I m so happy to hear u like my writing 🥰🥰 happy reading 💕

[rosegasly]

you came out of the blue.

MAX VERSTAPPEN X FEMALE READER

⇢ summary: she is beautiful in a quiet sort of way. hair unbound and flowing with the night’s breeze, her skin shimmers under the light, glitters like a thousand stars have scrambled down to adorn her. ⇢ genre: fluff ⇢ pairing: max verstappen x female reader/oc

The season was over another championship in the metaphorical bag for Max and a champions trophy for Redbull. After the worst possible start, things had really picked up for the team. Post sleepless nights and long hours put in by everyone on track as well as back in Milton Keynes, it had been a double landslide win. 

When finally, after what may very well have been the best season of his motor racing career, his friend and fellow Dutch musician had proposed joining him for a three-day music festival, well agreeing was a no-brainer for Max. 

He is weaving through the sparse but busy crowd backstage, a VIP pass hanging from his neck, letting him through uninterrupted. Contrary to the image the media had painted of him, Max was pretty outgoing. He didn’t spend time with the drivers off track as much as maybe Pierre or Charles did, but it was all because of the complicated and competitive nature of the sport and not at all because he didn’t enjoy being around people or as the media was fond of portraying–a surly grump. 

Max is straightforward, sometimes abrupt, and while he leaves most of those heated feelings back on track, he isn’t quite comfortable enough to play jolly best pals with the other drivers, either. 

“Max!” 

He swivels, eyes roving over the people until he finally spots the Dutch DJ and nods, making his way over. 

“Hey man, glad to see you are up. Didn’t think you would be after last night.” 

Max decides not to mention the persistent pounding hurting the left side of his face and jaw. He’s felt worse over the years training for races. 

“Yeah, just a little tired. When’s your set?” 

“It’s the last one bruv. Not for a while.”

He absently nods and with a promise to catch said man later disperses back into the crowd. 

It’s a few hours later when it’s dark out and he’s walking back with a drink from the food stalls built further away from the stage that he sees her. Max doesn’t recognise her, can’t even see her clearly from how far back he is, but he hears her voice, that raspy, low undertone, the slow, gentle sway of her hips as she sings and it captivates him. Something about her, the way she sings, her tone, the words, so vulnerable with her voice stripped bare. She is talking to him, spilling all her secrets in confidence under the hush of the night and not in front of thousands of people amidst the loud yells and cheers. 

Max walks closer and looks for a screen because he knows there isn’t a way he can push past the screaming crowd. He wouldn’t budge if he was in the front too, and it’s easy to get lost again now that he can see her clearly. 

She is beautiful in a quiet sort of way. Hair unbound and flowing with the night’s breeze, her skin shimmers under the light, glitters like a thousand stars have scrambled down to adorn her. It’s a sad song. She is talking of heartbreak and wanting to let go, being unable to and her voice dips, grows raspier, like she wants to cry, is on the verge of before it lifts, becomes crisp and clear and so so sweet. 

He doesn’t know her name, still can’t recognise her, but when she opens her eyes, his breath seizes. Twin pools of midnight skies gaze back at him through the screen and he feels naked. Like a word from her would crumble all his walls, the stranger in the gray bar whom he’d tell all of his world to, the fears that keep him from sleeping, the things that make him happy, the parts of him he is ashamed of, the ones he has worked years to build. 

The cheers grow louder, the song ends and so does her set because she goes back in and doesn’t come out, though he stays rooted where he is. Breathless, his pulse races under his skin with an itch to be closer to her. He wants to know her, touch her, bury her under thoughts of him as she has and be her muse. 

If his friend notices the slightly crazed look in his eyes when he asks him to introduce her, he is kind enough not to say anything. 

Max waits, impatient in a way he has never been. He isn’t used to falling apart like this. He is usually steel and calm, forged under the relentless rain of his hometown, aged on the racing track where a possible death lurks at every corner, every wrong inch of a move, yet here he is, tripping over his own feet, anxious over a girl. He doesn’t need his father to be a witness to feel his disapproval. 

 She comes out of her room backstage, ironically enough, tripping on her own feet and if anyone asks, he would chop it up to the years of developed reflexes but he feels the truth in his gut. Even if he weren’t an f1 driver, he would still have felt her losing her footing before anyone else. 

She lands in his arms and the way his hands clench around her waist tighter is entirely unconscious. She breathes an embarrassed laugh near his ear and he suppresses the shiver that wants to wrack his whole frame when it washes over him. She smells of mint and sugar, like the sweetest of things and he aches to have this woman he barely knows. 

Jokingly she wraps her arms around him too, making a pun about this being how she meets new people and introduces herself and Max feels her touch more acutely than he feels his car midrace, senses attuned to every bit that is she. Soaking all the words and breaths and glances like a man parched. 

He doesn’t remember introducing himself, unsure if he even said anything but soon she is ushering them into her room and he tails behind her, still spellbound like a child, amazed by her zest for her craft as she discusses her performance with his friend. It’s a foreign feeling, rare, the way he feels right now. Almost undeserving of her attention since he didn’t know who she was before, hasn’t heard her music, doesn’t know what’s the right thing to say. 

Max is all sharp edges and brusque words and is afraid to say the wrong thing. Come across as harsh and inadvertently drive her away. He feels no parts a two-time world champion and all parts an awkward teenager tongue-tied in front of his first real crush. But then she turns around, looks at him and smiles, cracks a joke, leans over at some point to lightly grab his arm, like she is letting him on a secret, including him in her own little bubble, and there’s nothing he can do to stop the joy from bubbling over in his heart.

thankyou to the anon for sending in the prompt and aww I m so happy to hear u like my writing 🥰🥰 happy reading luv 💕

[chibrary]

today in chontent: may 7th

source: peter allen, formulascout.com format: article (profile) season: 2015, european f3 summary: formulascout profiles a 17-year-old charles.

Excerpt:

"Leclerc marked himself out as a real prospect in karting – so much so he topped our 2012 ‘karters to watch‘ feature, ahead of Verstappen. But it’s never a foregone conclusion that a successful karter will make a successful car racer. His debut season in FR2.0 was in some ways fairly low key with ‘only’ two wins, but the jump up from karting to continental FR2.0 is very rarely made to look easy by anybody. Leclerc ultimately finished as high up in the Alps standings as he could have been realistically expected to do so, given the presence of an on-form de Vries. It was actually up against tougher competition in the Eurocup that he really shone, with three consecutive P2s taking quite some doing in a series where nobody was particularly consistent.

Those performances suggested he would be capable of stepping up to F3, particularly as his old rival Verstappen had made it look easy and didn’t have the benefit of a year of car racing experience. And so he has proven to be. It’s still early days, but Leclerc has so far been the class of a large crop of rookies and taken the fight to proven F3 winners with multiple years of experience already under their belt.

His early performances are on a par with what last year’s star rookies Esteban Ocon and Verstappen were doing – in fact, his record of two wins and five podiums from the first six races replicates the 2014 champion’s start. If he keeps it up, he will deserve to be held in the same high esteem as them a few months down the line. [...] While he’s got plenty in common with his old karting rival and Van Amersfoort F3 predecessor Verstappen, a lesser reputation and sensible management mean he’s unlikely to be making the jump straight up to F1 next year. He will therefore need to sustain this impressive form into an intermediate category like GP2 in order to make the grade."

Monaco plays host to probably the most famous of any Formula 1 race each year but, perhaps unsurprisingly for a microstate of less than 40,000 people, it doesn’t have a history of producing its own successful Formula 1 drivers. Louis Chiron won his home race in 1931 but since his last participation in 1958 (the oldest ever F1 driver at 58), only Olivier Beretta in 1994 has represented Monaco in an F1 race. Clivio Piccione and Stefano Coletti have won in GP2 since then, but didn’t make it to the top level.

Charles Leclerc is only 17 but he is probably Monaco’s best chance yet of repeating Chiron’s home streets victory. A long-time protege of F1 driver manager Nicolas Todt, Leclerc was a star in karting and has had no trouble adapting to single-seaters, impressing in Formula Renault 2.0 last year and now taking up the mantle of being the star rookie in European F3. A winner on his debut at Silverstone, he added a second victory at Hockenheim last weekend and is just five points off the standings lead.

A quick history (so far)

Leclerc’s father Herve was a Formula 3 driver in the 1980s, and Charles began karting at the circuit owned by Philippe Bianchi, the father of Jules. Working his way up the ranks, Leclerc was French was French cadet champion in 2009 and the runner-up in KF3 and the Monaco Junior Kart Cup winner in 2010.

The following year, he claimed a CIK-FIA double, winning the Academy Trophy and the KF3 World Cup. Moving up to KF2 for 2012, Leclerc triumphed in the WSK Euro Series and took second in the European and U18 championships.

Together with Max Verstappen, Leclerc took part in the KZ gearbox classes for his final year in karting in 2013, winning the Winter Cup and finishing second to his Dutch rival in the world championship.

Leclerc entered Formula Renault 2.0 for his rookie single-season season, embarking on the Alps series for Fortec Motorsports. He quickly became a frontrunner, making the podium at round two at Pau and then twice again at Spa. At Monza he won both races, and followed that with more podiums to secure second place in the championship behind third-year FR2.0 racer Nyck de Vries.

Some of Leclerc’s most impressive performances last year came in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 as a guest entry. He took part in six races and finished second in the last three of those, up against lots of drivers with multiple years of experience in the series.

He could have made the full-time move to the Eurocup for 2015 but instead stepped up to Formula 3, and after testing for several different teams, signed with Van Amersfoort Racing. He would essentially replace Verstappen as team leader, working with the same engineer Rik Vernooij.

Leclerc was rapid in testing and demonstrated his pace on his debut weekend at Silverstone, scoring a double position and winning the final race of the weekend. At round two at Hockenheim he extended his podium streak to five consecutive races, and defeated F3 veteran Felix Rosenqvist in a battle for victory in the wet in race three.

Up next

Leclerc is just five points behind championship leader Antonio Giovinazzi, and so far he’s only raced on circuits he hadn’t competed at before. Next up on the calendar are Pau, Monza and Spa, and he tasted success at all of those last season. Therefore, it stands to reason that there’s yet more to come from Leclerc.

It’s a long season (there are 33 races) and plenty could happen between now and the F3 paddock returning to Hockenheim on the weekend of Leclerc’s 18 birthday in October. But based upon the first two rounds, there’s no reason to think of Leclerc as anything other than a serious title threat. Beating the more experienced Rosenqvist and Giovinazzi – driving for bigger teams in Prema and Carlin respectively – will take some doing, but he’s already given them a hard time. Anyway, his season’s hardly going to be a failure if he loses out and finishes up third as a rookie.

Talent and potential

Leclerc marked himself out as a real prospect in karting – so much so he topped our 2012 ‘karters to watch‘ feature, ahead of Verstappen. But it’s never a foregone conclusion that a successful karter will make a successful car racer. His debut season in FR2.0 was in some ways fairly low key with ‘only’ two wins, but the jump up from karting to continental FR2.0 is very rarely made to look easy by anybody. Leclerc ultimately finished as high up in the Alps standings as he could have been realistically expected to do so, given the presence of an on-form de Vries. It was actually up against tougher competition in the Eurocup that he really shone, with three consecutive P2s taking quite some doing in a series where nobody was particularly consistent.

Those performances suggested he would be capable of stepping up to F3, particularly as his old rival Verstappen had made it look easy and didn’t have the benefit of a year of car racing experience. And so he has proven to be. It’s still early days, but Leclerc has so far been the class of a large crop of rookies and taken the fight to proven F3 winners with multiple years of experience already under their belt.

His early performances are on a par with what last year’s star rookies Esteban Ocon and Verstappen were doing – in fact, his record of two wins and five podiums from the first six races replicates the 2014 champion’s start. If he keeps it up, he will deserve to be held in the same high esteem as them a few months down the line.

Off-track

No doubt assisted by the Bianchis’ tutelage, Leclerc signed with Todt Jr’s All Road Management firm in 2011. At present, Leclerc has no ties to F1 teams, but through his work with Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado and Bianchi, Todt has dealt with most of them and will be very well-placed to get his protege a role when the time comes.

A potential stumbling point is that most F1 teams are already overflowing with some serious sub-F1 prospects, but if he continues to impress as he’s doing at the moment, they could begin falling over each other to find a space for him.

Funding-wise, Leclerc benefits from partners usually tied to Todt’s projects, and watch maker Richard Mille (currently a sponsor of the Lotus F1 team) is his loyal main backer. And you’d imagine that being billed as a future F1 star from Monaco could well tempt some further future investment.

Verdict

In just his second season in single-seaters, Leclerc is quickly marking himself out as a star of the future with fine performances and two wins in his first couple of weekends in European F3, making him seriously stand out from a large and competitive grid.

While he’s got plenty in common with his old karting rival and Van Amersfoort F3 predecessor Verstappen, a lesser reputation and sensible management mean he’s unlikely to be making the jump straight up to F1 next year. He will therefore need to sustain this impressive form into an intermediate category like GP2 in order to make the grade.

But the signs are definitely there that Leclerc is one of the very top talents in the junior ranks right now, and that he’s capable of tasting success in F1 in the future.

His lifelong friend Bianchi was so sadly stopped in his tracks last year just when his F1 future was looking promising. In a few years’ time, Leclerc could just pick up where his mentor left off.

Allen, Peter. “Driver Profile: Charles Leclerc.” Formula Scout, May 7, 2015. https://www.paddockscout.com/driver-profile-charles-leclerc/27403.

[cha-melodius]

2022 Fic Year In Review

I created this last year based off a variety of year-in-review posts I've seen and done in the past. Added a few more questions this year, in part based on review memes I was tagged in by @cricketnationrise and @rmd-writes. Feel free you grab it if you want to do your own review! And I'd like to add a hearty thank you to each and every person who's read my fics over the years, y'all continue to make this a joy!

2020 Review | 2021 Review

AO3 Username: chamel  My Page: Link Most Active Fandoms: The Man from UNCLE (2015): 17 works Loki: 8 works Red, White & Royal Blue: 6 works New Fandoms: RWRB, Glass Onion Total Number Of Completed Works/Word Count This Year: 31 works, 282k words All Time: 82 works, 1 million words

Most Popular One Shot (by kudos): This Year: Class(room) Warfare (RWRB, Alex/Henry, T, 7.8k words) All Time: What Makes A Good Man (Loki, Loki/Mobius, T, 8.5k words)

Most Popular Completed Multi-Chapter (by kudos): This Year: A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Loki, Loki/Mobius, M, 81k words) All Time: Do You Promise Not to Tell? (The Mandalorian, Cara/Din, E, 87.7k words)

Events/Challenges: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Gift Exchange 2022, Whumptober, The Brownstone Weekly Drabble Challenge

More reflections and such below the cut!

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected? About what I expected I think; I wrote only a bit more than last year. I realized in the last third? I think? of the year I was close to 1 million words, which is definitely more than I ever thought I'd write in total.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? This is tougher to answer this year! Mostly because I wrote a whole bunch of one-shots that I love. I might have to go with A Good Man Is Hard To Find, because I'm always partial to my long AUs.

Do you have any writing goals for the New Year? Last year's—> "Maybe try to produce more one-shots and fics under 15k words." Hey! I did that! Thanks in large part to a couple of times I solicited prompts on tumblr, so thanks to all of you! This year, I don't think I really have any specific goals. I want to complete a few large multichapter fics, which will probably mean my one-shot production goes down, but we'll see.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Same as last year, jumping into an active new fandom, always nerve wracking, etc. I also began drawing and produced an illustration for one of my stories for the first time (Double Dutch with a Hand Grenade).

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Sticking to those published this year, Sun in the Sky (You Know How I Feel) (I really thought that one would gain more traction).

Most fun story to write: Consider the Price to an Elf (Illya as an elf was too much fun), Class(room) Warfare, Loving You is Cherry Pie

Biggest disappointment: I've had some ups and downs with writing this year, but I'm trying to get better about managing my expectations and not getting disappointed when things don't get as many kudos or comments as I was expecting.

Biggest surprise: Very recent, but so far the spike in kudos that The Life You Had in Mind got after Glass Onion got released on Netflix. Crossovers usually are doomed to low kudos overall, so the response is so great! I even had someone read the fic not knowing anything about TMFU, which was a lovely comment to get.

Coming soon/planned (definite):

Finishing up remaining tumblr prompts (holiday and otherwise)

RWRB spy AU

Slightly bleak Napollya fic inspired by All Comes Crashing

Lokius probation AU for MTH winners

Lokius/Napollya spy AU crossover for MTH winner

Less solid plans:

Waverly/Blanc meeting/get together fic

Napollya multichap AU—chefs? bakery owners? writer/critic? art thief/gallery owner? astronauts? hockey?

Napollya multichap non-AU inspired by The Americans

RWRB baking competition AU and/or You've Got Mail AU

Napollya 5+1 saying goodnight

... about a thousand other possibilities, my fic ideas document is endless

[whitehartlane]

hello!! i think my previous ask got gobbled up by tumblr 💀 i'm currently reading a few books - i'm around a third through wodehouse's the imitable jeeves, and i love its sense of humour and writing style. i've been reading it after i started the bbc's adaptation (featuring stephen fry and hugh laurie!) and i love seeing how the show adapted elements of the books.

i've also been reading some spurs-related books, namely one step from glory which covers spurs' run to the 2019 ucl final (though i can never bring myself to start the chapter where we play liverpool) and the boys of white hart lane! the latter focuses on the stories of the players under burkinshaw and is especially engrossing for me, since i've learned so many interesting facts about the players from that era!

i'm so glad that the euros in germany was fun while the competition lasted (on a side note, i didn't expect germany to get knocked out so early! thought they were at least semi-finalists given the quality of their squad and home support, but i thought they put up a good fight against spain). from your description i can almost imagine i'm there with all the fans watching and cheering! the scottish fans are so fun lmao, there really isn't a party without them. have read some articles about their passionate support and they seemed to be standouts amongst the other fanbases! and hopefully your friend got some rest throughout the rest of the competition.

also off topic but i'm so excited for the rest of the pre-season for spurs! seeing our win against hearts - especially the second half, what a magnificent game our youth + new players had! i'm so pleased and proud for all of them, they really seem to be buying so readily into angeball and i hope they'll all go far with us (and, equally importantly, have fun playing ange's offensively-minded and fluid football style!). hopefully tomorrow's friendly is going to be a fun one!

- 💙

hi friend!! yeah tumblr must have gobbled the ask up and then i missed it 🤡 but hi!!!

ah the imitable jeeves is on my to read list, i’m glad you’re enjoying it! did you know hugh laurie is an arse fan … i’m watching house at the moment and went down a rabbit hole and looked at the personal life bit of his wikipedia page and found out. the burden of knowledge.

i need to read one step from glory!! i’ve always put it off because that cl run is rly personal to me and hits me right where it hurts. after we lost the final i couldn’t watch football for months. but five years on i think i’m mostly over it (coupled with this promising new era) so i’ll get around to it soon!! the boys of white hart lane <3 the burkinshaw era was probably our second most successful era after the bill nic + double era and i love reading about it 🥺

yeah the general consensus here (tbf ppl are biased but still) is that germany v spain should’ve been the final. it’s just a bit unfortunate that the two nations got caught in the same bracket. and yesss the scottish fans were great! so were the dutch fans, german ppl were quite fond of them when they were here :)

i hope you had fun watching the qpr friendly!!! i’ve had lots of fun watching the kids and i rly think we’ve got the best crop of talent coming through the academy in a long while. the last time we had so much talent quantitatively come through were the years of kane, mason, carroll, townsend, etc. it’s exciting! and what’s even more exciting is that there is a proper focus to develop the academy which is long overdue. hopefully the one against vissel kobe today is a good one 😌

[stateofsport211]

RG QWS SF: Guy Sasson def. Niels Vink [1] 6-2, 6-3 Match Stats

📸 Eurosport GB

Niels steadily tried to raise his game in the second set, but Guy was outstanding in some critical moments on return. The latter's anticipative, aggressive showing allowed him to outplay the former, outhitting his baseline game while giving lesser rooms to execute his shots, especially when they traded powers from the baseline. This way, Guy generated 10 break points compared to Niels' 6, converting 60% of his break points throughout both sets.

Besides, it was statistically confirmed that Niels had second serve problems, which became evident as he was unable to sort them out under pressure. He double-faulted five more times than Guy (10 to 2), fading his second serve percentage to 32%. On the other hand, even though Guy's first serve percentage was lower than his second by the end of the first set, he still managed to keep it stable as he won 65% of his first serve points, 9% higher than his second, which helped him getting out of more troubles as this match progressed.

An Australian Open final rematch, in a scale like the Grand Slams (marking their Slam-level third meeting since the US Open 2023), awaits for Guy as second seed Sam Schroder double-breadsticked Donald Ramphadi 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals at the almost same time. With such a confident display, especially since both players did not drop a set, this match could be a competitive encounter compared to their last meeting, as Sam appeared more aggressive while Guy dealt with his second serve problems, which match ended with the latter's double fault. Should be one of the most exciting rivalries to look forward to outside of the classic quad Dutch derby!

[equestrianempire]

Ingrid Gjelsten &amp, VDL Edgar M Triumphant Again in the$ 182, 000 La Quinta Resort &amp, Club Grand Prix CSI 4*

Thermal, California, USA – March 16, 2024– Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) came to Desert International Horse Park with a dream, and she’s leaving a CSI 4* Grand Prix winner. On the last Saturday evening of the 2024 Desert Circuit, the 20- yr- old took the win in the$ 182, 000&nbsp, La Quinta Resort &amp, Club Grand Prix CSI 4* with VDL Edgar M.

Over Peter Grant‘s ( CAN ) track, rails came down and time faults accrued as the 33 entries tried their hand at an elusive clear round. In the order, Gjelsten placed 28th and produced the earliest clear. Ali Ramsay ( CAN ) and Bonita VH Keizershof Z were the only others to follow suit.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

Gjelsten anḑ Ramsay made their ideas and each had the best chance of winning the suit race jump-off by going hȩad-to-head in a fit competition. The dooɾ was open for Ramsay to score a double-clear for the win, but Gjelsten kept a rapid pace and then pulled one ɾail in her direction. As fate intervened, Ramsay pulled the last bridǥe on program, coming in simply slower than Gjelsten, putting ƫhe French in second.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

Gjelsten described her approach to jumping off initially in the first of the two as “very nerve” and as trყing nσt to go crazy. ” My plan was to keep quiet. I was merely trying to follow my program because Ali is extremely quick. I was very certain that she would be well. My horse is capable of doing it, I am sure. He is simply awesome. I just need to consider in him and feel in myself.

The idea in her horses and herself was what ultimately accomplished the task now. During her time at DIHP, Gjelsten has achieved some very notable step victories, and her most notable accomplishment was in her last night.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

Many people looked down the list of starters and predicted that by the time Gjelsten arrived, there would be a few clear rounds she’d face, but she ended up being the first, even though she did n’t realize it at the time.

” It was a very good feeling”, she said of securing the second clear. ” It felt incredible. I was just focusinǥ on myself, and I was very happy when I realized that I was clear because I did n’t know if anyone else was clȩar. I was considering the time. The day was very small. I went to the first versions and hopped in my car to relax by myself. To calm my senses, I typically take a break and relax by mysȩlf for a while.

Mathijs Van Asten ( NED ) ran into a small bit of trouble on the clock, producing a clear but just one time fault, taking third place behind the two women on the podium.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

VDL Edgar M, a 15- yr- old Dutch Warmblood horse ( Arezzo VDL by Marlon ) has jumped to the highest rates in the game, and Gjelsten wants to get to that level, too. With him as her partner, and Jessica Curtain as her trainer, she feels there’s nothing she ca n’t do.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

” He’s really amazing”, she said of VDL Edgar M. ” He only wants to do the job. I really like him, he’s my best horses. He gives me thus much home- idea. I think I have a lot of freedom with him. He’s only the best. My goal is to compete in the best sports, win some World Cups, and theȵ just keep going.

Expect to see Gjelsten back in the Grand Prix Arena chasing more goals in the future because DIHP may have just become one of her favourite places based on the victories she’s had under her belt.

Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, Edgar VDL M

” It’s thus nice”, she said of the place. ” The ambience is so awesome. I feel it in my horse moreover, he loves it. It’s ɾeally enjoyable to walk under the lights. The plain is my favorite aspect, in particular. The dįsplay is really awesome. There are ȿo many lovely rings below, and riding under the lights is very unique and enjoyable. I did come back for certain”.

Next up for Gjelsten is a trip back home to Europe bȩfore a tropical vacation to St. Tropez to pursue her aspirations, but presently a CSI 4* Grand Prix champion.

Podium: 2 ) Ali Ramsay ( CAN ) 1 ) Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) 3 ) Mathijs van Asten ( NED )

Last Benefits –$ 182, 000 La Quinta Resort &amp, Club Grand Prix CSI 4*

1 ) Ingrid Gjelsten ( NOR ) &amp, VDL Edgar M – 0/ 4 – 47. 14

2 ) Ali Ramsay ( CAN ) &amp, Bonita van het Keizershof – 0/ 4 – 49. 64

3 ) Mathijs Van Asten ( NED ) &amp, Sirocco –1 – 87. 58

Origin: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park

Photos: © DIHP / TB Photography / High Desert Photo / MG Photography

Related

Categories: CSI 4*, English, Jumper News Nederland

Identified as: CSI 4*, Desert International Horse Park, Desert International Horse Park– Desert Circuit, DIHP, Dutch Warmblood, Equestrian, Horses, Ingrid Gjelsten, Jumper News, Jumper News Scandinavia, KWPN, Effects, Royal Dutch Sport Horse, Showjumping, VDL Edgar M

[f1]

Alonso thrilled with podium return at Zandvoort as he says Aston Martin car was flying in tricky conditions

Fernando Alonso was full of positive words about the handling of his Aston Martin as the Spaniard and the team returned to the podium positions with a run to second in a chaotic, rain-hit Dutch Grand Prix. Alonso qualified fifth at the tight, twisty Zandvoort circuit but almost immediately rose to third with a bold double pass on Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell at Turn 3 on the opening lap, which saw spits of rain turn into a full shower. READ MORE: Verstappen overcomes wet-weather chaos to make it a hat-trick of Dutch GP wins and equal Vettel’s victory record Having also jumped McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alonso remained in the front-running mix and made the most of further changeable conditions, the appearance of the Virtual Safety Car, full Safety Car and a red flag to come home second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – marking his first podium since Canada two months ago. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Race Highlights: 2023 Dutch Grand Prix “It was a very intense race,” said Alonso, who gained a spot when Sergio Perez spun off before the late red flag. “Obviously at the beginning, with the wet conditions, we were very, very fast, and we stopped maybe one lap too late, but the same as the leaders. “The car was flying today, very competitive, very easy to drive. In these conditions you need a car that you can trust, and I did trust the car a lot today, I did enjoy. READ MORE: ‘I’m incredibly proud’ – Verstappen overjoyed as he makes more F1 history with hard-fought Zandvoort win “Thanks to all the fans, the energy that we have here in Zandvoort is very unique. Two years ago, when this race came [back to the calendar], I thought I will never experience the Zandvoort podium, because I was not in a position to think about that.” The result marked Alonso and Aston Martin’s seventh podium finish of the season Asked how hard it was to focus amid all the drama, Alonso added: “It is one of those races that it is difficult to concentrate, to stay focused for such a long period of time. But as I said, this is a very special racetrack, with all the fans and the energy going on, so you feel always very focused. “I’m happy for Max, congratulations for everyone [here]. I did think about trying a move at the last restart, but then I thought maybe I cannot exit the circuit! So, I stayed calm in second.” DRIVER OF THE DAY: Alonso gets your nod after scintillating Zandvoort drive With Lance Stroll taking 11th in the other Aston Martin, the Silverstone operation remain third in the constructors’ standings behind Red Bull and Mercedes, while Alonso holds the same spot in the drivers’ standings, behind Verstappen and Perez. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[europeas20]

Hostel CityHub in Amsterdam for €35 night

Going on holiday and staying in a hostel can be an exciting and budget-friendly way to explore a new destination. One of the great things about staying in a hostel is the opportunity to meet other travelers from around the world. Take advantage of common areas and organized activities to socialize and make new friends. Be open-minded and respectful of different cultures and backgrounds. Stay flexible and open to new experiences: Hostels are dynamic environments, and you may encounter different situations and people during your stay. Embrace the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, learn from others, and have memorable experiences. Remember, each hostel is unique, so it's essential to adapt these tips based on the specific hostel you choose. Have a fantastic holiday and enjoy your hostel experience!

More about CityHub CityHub is a brand new type of hotel. At CityHub, it is more than enough ways to mingle and your very own, private cabin. These are called cabins Hubs. Each Hub has a giant, double bed, wifi, app-controlled lighting and a personal audio streaming system. Comfy, indeed.

The Hostel is located right next to Amsterdam’s De Hallen, one of the most hot and happening places in Amsterdam. Our CityHost are here 24/7 to help you discover the beauty of the city as much as you can. Not just the touristy spots, but genuine Amsterdam as it is happening right here, right now. Where to book CityHub Visit Amsterdam Amsterdam offers a wide range of attractions and sights to explore. Here are some of the must-see places in Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum: Discover the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, including his famous paintings like "Sunflowers" and "The Bedroom."  Rijksmuseum: Explore the Dutch national museum, showcasing a vast collection of art and historical artifacts, including Rembrandt's "The Night Watch."

Jordaan: Wander through the picturesque streets of this charming neighborhood, filled with art galleries, boutiques, cozy cafes, and local markets.  Vondelpark: Relax in Amsterdam's largest and most popular park. Enjoy the greenery, walk or bike along the paths, and maybe catch a performance at the open-air theater. 6. Canal Belt: Take a walk or a canal boat tour to admire Amsterdam's famous canals, lined with beautiful canal houses and picturesque bridges. The canal belt is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dam Square: Visit the historic center of Amsterdam. Explore the Royal Palace, go shopping in the surrounding streets, or watch street performers in the square. Heineken Experience: Dive into the world of Dutch beer at this interactive museum. Learn about the brewing process, enjoy tastings, and immerse yourself in the Heineken brand.

Remember that Amsterdam has much more to offer, including numerous museums, galleries, markets, and cultural events. Take the time to explore the city's neighborhoods, try local cuisine, and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere that makes Amsterdam so special. Find more Hostels in Amsterdam: View Here Tours and excursions WeGoTrip is an online service for booking audio excursions and tours on 35+ countries on different languages (mostly english). Travelers can take audio excursions created by professional tour guides and local experts.    Tiqets’ innovative technology ensures that travelers can book tickets on their phone at the last minute, receive their tickets directly in a digital form, and show their mobile phones in place of physical tickets to museums, places of interest, and attractions. Offers available passes in Europe and the US.

Car Rental You can find the best car rental prices at QEEQ.COM. QEEQ.COM serves road trip travellers from different countries by working with car rental companies all over the world. The company offers its customers the widest set of car rental options and always strives to offer the most competitive price. Read the full article

[adamwatchesmovies]

War Room (2015)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Despite the negative reviews I've given to many faith-based movies, I don't have anything against them. The problem is, most of them, including War Room, seem completely unaware of what they’re actually saying and are more interested in preaching at the choir than telling a good story.

Despite their beautiful daughter, castle-like home, and comfortable financial position, realtor Elizabeth (Priscilla Shirer) and pharmaceutical salesman Tony (T.C. Stallings) constantly bicker. As Tony becomes increasingly verbally abusive, his wife worries he is having an affair. She’s at a loss until she befriends elderly Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), who tells her prayer is the answer to her woes.

This is one of the weepiest movies I’ve ever seen. Take a sip from the communal wine every time someone sheds tears. Take two whenever the screen cuts away and then comes back to reveal someone’s been crying. In no time, you’ll be rushed to the emergency room to have your stomach pumped. It’d be hilarious if not for the woeful missteps made by director Alex Kendrick every few minutes. When Miss Clara is doing everything but turning towards the screen and telling the audience exactly which passages of the Bible they should be reading, which prayers they should be saying and how screaming at the Devil to “GET OUT!” is the only way to save yourself, it’s basically telling you that no matter what your problem is, a little prayer will solve it.

Diabolically, War Room seems to actually believe what it’s saying. You don’t have to sit down and discuss with your spouse about why your marriage is falling apart. There’s no need to go to counseling. Divine intervention will take care of everything. It’s never explicitly said but by following that train of logic, if your husband beats you, if you’re mugged, or some other disaster falls upon you it’s probably because you just didn’t surrender yourself to heaven enough.

Do you remember H&M's “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” ad? How it obviously happened because no one at the company showed their design to anyone who was Black? War Room is essentially born from the same sort of situation. This film could have worked under the care of a good writer who understood that the Bible holds important lessons about forgiveness and compassion. There’s a difference between slow, organic, believable character growth and the magic spells conjured in War Room.

It isn’t enough for the film to be fundamentally flawed to the point of being harmful to those who buy it at face value. It also features terrible performances and lasts for an unholy 120 minutes. At multiple points, you think the story is over but a new subplot arrives, and then another. It’s as if instead of cutting material that didn’t enhance the story (which plateaux early and never gets any better) writers Alex and Stephen Kendrick just poured more stuff on top, hoping a big double-dutch jump rope competition would get us all riled up and excited. You thought the old “save the rec center” plot was bad? At least then, there were stakes!

War Room can’t even be a good version of the movie it wants to be. It always stops short of the tough questions and scenarios that should come up - anything to make itself more sanitized and safe. This makes it more annoying and cringe-worthy. War Room is a squirmy experience you can’t wait to end. (On DVD, March 17, 2019)

[miedema-evans]

Vivianne Miedema - Helden Magazine

Vivianne Miedema (25) is the all-time top scorer of the Dutch national team and the English league. The Arsenal attacker has not only grown into a global star in recent years, but has also undergone major development on a personal level. We visited her in London and presented her with eight quotes ahead of the European Championship (6-31 July) in England.

"Football isn't always fun. There are definitely moments when I think: what am I doing all this for?'

Vivianne Miedema in Heroes in 2021

Laughing: “I would say: football is fun when the sun is shining, but then I'm lying, because I like rain on the pitch. Football takes up all my time. Sometimes I miss the opportunity and freedom to do other things. This year, for the first time, we have had a different Champions League format with a group stage. We've had many double weeks of play, had matches on Wednesday and Sunday, been on the road non-stop. After the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we hardly had a holiday. I felt that in my body, but also mentally. We are hardly at home, always on the go. Although I am lived, I do not see it as work. We can be happy that we get paid and can only focus on football. This is what I chose, what I've always wanted. Yet I often have the feeling that I mainly play football for others. I am not only there to make myself happy, I am also an example for the new generation. I want to inspire young girls. I feel that responsibility when I'm on the field. I also play football for my teammates and for my family and friends.

I love being on the field with other girls and being part of a team. That's what I enjoy most, not so much winning prizes. Can I enjoy it too? I find that more difficult. I don't dwell on victories. I'm pretty level-headed, find it hard to enjoy anything or be proud of myself anyway. I don't wait for compliments either, it makes me uncomfortable. The realization what we have achieved with the Orange Women is starting to come more and more, but I don't regularly think about that either. That will come after my career when my life calms down a bit.

When there is time for relaxation, I meet with teammates or go for a walk. That gives me peace. And I like to read. I'm actually really an old woman." Laughing: “Everyone always says I'm so boring. Yes, I know that too. I like walking and reading, not very fancy.”

"I am now one of the most famous strikers in the world in women's football, so I also think I should stand up for what is happening in women's football. We are still so behind in men's football. We must fight for equality.”

Vivianne in Heroes in 2020

“If as a player I can make a difference for the next generation, then I have to do it. That's why I speak up, I give my opinion. During the European Championship 2017, we put women's football on the map in the Netherlands. I have become one of the role models, I am proud of that. And I'm only 25, we can go on for a while.

The biggest problem with women's football is that senior men are mostly in senior positions within FIFA and UEFA, but also in the past within the KNVB. They say they want change, but they don't know how to get started. However, that change is coming slowly. The prize pool of women's tournaments at UEFA and FIFA increases every year, as does the prize pool of our FA Cup. I will never say that we should be paid the same as the men, that is not realistic.

I do think that women's football should be supported in such a way that more people can come to the stadium so that more money flows in. With Arsenal we played the last home game of the competition at the Emirates Stadium. There were 13,000 spectators, that should be 30,000. That is also possible. A good example is the classic in Spain, Barcelona-Real Madrid, at Camp Nou in March. The spectator record in women's football was broken, with 90,000 people in the stadium. And the following week, during the semi-finals of the Champions League between Barcelona and Wolfsburg, again.

Great strides have also been made in the professionalisation of women's football in England. More is being invested. Sky Sports has bought the rights to our league, they now stream our matches. Not only is there a lot of money coming in, it is now also providing us with a lot more visibility.

Great strides can still be made in our own country. The Eredivisie is a training competition. No one goes to the Netherlands in his prime to play football. When I hear how things are going at certain Eredivisie clubs, there is still a step to be taken. The fact that there are still girls in the Netherlands who have to add money to be able to play football professionally means that we are a long way from being there. But that also applies to England, you know. The union only introduced a pregnancy law last year. Previously, clubs no longer had to pay pregnant players after three months. Outrageous, isn't it?

Much has also changed between men and women. When I joined Arsenal five years ago, we weren't allowed to be in the gym at the same time as the men's team. We received reactions from the men such as: who are these, what are these women doing? Now they are much more open to us. The younger generation accepts us completely. The men follow us, we have normal contact with each other. Although they can learn just as much from us as we can from them, in the gym we mostly have casual conversations that aren't about football. I can imagine that our coaches will spar with each other.”

"The friends I have outside of football are never going to fully understand what I'm going through. The same goes for my parents.”

Vivianne in Heroes in 2020

“The role that my football career plays in my parents' lives is huge. They watch every game and come to London when they can. My parents are much more aware of what is said and written about me. They have more trouble with negative attention than I do, but they also enjoy the positive attention more. I will probably only understand that when I have little ones myself and sit in the stands. They also regularly say that they are proud of me.

My parents live in a completely different world. The flexibility you have to have as a top football player is something special in itself, it's hard to explain, my parents don't always understand that. I prefer to stay at home for big tournaments, but my parents still expect me to go out to dinner, because they see me so little.

My parents also think very differently about football. I see the game, get it; that insight is one of my strengths. My parents are less so. When I talk to them about a game situation, I sometimes think: stop it. It also sometimes happens that I get sixty minutes of playing time instead of ninety, because we have already had two games that week. When I say I'm tired, they wonder how that's possible, like: the rest isn't tired either, are they?

I myself have changed. I used to say 'yes' to everything, now I don't anymore. I often make choices that others don't like at the time. I don't know if that's selfish or if it's a winning mentality. But the line between performing and not performing is very thin.

I used to find it difficult that I couldn't share with my parents what I was going through, now I don't have that anymore. Fortunately, I also have a very good relationship with my brother Lars. When I went from Heerenveen to Bayern Munich when I was seventeen, I missed him terribly. Now that we are both older, that feeling of missing is less, we often speak via Facetime. Lars and I understand each other, because he also played football at a fairly high level. First at FC Den Bosch, then in Spain. One look between us is enough. When I have to make a big decision, I always bring it up to him.

I used to be the better footballer of the two of us. Lars sometimes found that difficult. It would have made more sense if I was 'the sister of', but Lars is 'the brother of'. Wherever he goes, the first thing he hears is, "Your sister is Vivianne Miedema, isn't it?" It has also given Lars a certain pressure that he would rather not have had. In recent years he has had a lot of bad luck with injuries. He now plays for Genemuiden, is back in the Netherlands. Next season he will play for Ermelo in the second division. Lars wants to play football at a level where he can also enjoy it.

Of course I am also very grateful to my parents for what they have done for me. They made my career possible. My grandfather and grandmother also played a major role. They babysat Lars or take me to training. Football runs in our family. My grandfather was a good football player, but when he was 21 he got a spinal cord injury. His brothers were with Go Ahead Eagles. My father also played football, but got injured at a young age. And on my mother's side there is also talent, her cousin Martijn Gootjes played for Cambuur, among others.

Apart from my friends in football - that are a number of teammates at Arsenal, but also a number of girls with whom I played at Heerenveen and Bayern Munich - I don't have many friends. How do I explain that I'm never home and miss all the parties? I have two very good friends from high school. They have no knowledge of football and are nice and down to earth, which is wonderful.”

"I wish I could change the world, but I don't have that illusion." Vivianne in Helden in 2021

“At night I regularly dream of a better, and above all friendlier world. I think there is a lot of selfishness. When I see how people in London interact with each other, how work driven it all is, I think it could all be a little more relaxed and enjoyed a bit more.

I hardly get anything from the news in the Netherlands and I love that. I don't give a shit if there's a riot on a show like Today Inside. I try to keep up with important news. I read updates on the war in Ukraine every night on BBC News. I think it is so wrong what is happening there, I also fully supported that we did not play the World Cup qualifier against Belarus because of the war. But to say: I wouldn't play a World Cup in Qatar in advance because of the lack of gay rights, I don't know... After all, I'm also an athlete, I want to play at a World Cup, but I would definitely make a statement .

All I can do is stay true to myself and put energy into what I can change. I am an ambassador for War Child, I want boys and girls to grow up with the same opportunities, that's important to me.

Who do I think is a good leader? Not Donald Trump anyway, and certainly not Vladimir Putin. In England we have Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. I also think that once you are in such a position of power, it is very difficult to run a country and do the right things. I would like to think that in the 21st century we have leaders with a generous mind. Within Europe, I think Angela Merkel, the former Chancellor of Germany, is a good example. She was a decisive leader.”

"I have the idea that girls are open about mental problems among themselves. But bringing it out also goes a step further. Not that there is a taboo on it, but it does immediately leave a mark on you when you tell your story.'

Vivianne in Heroes in 2021

“There is progress, but it is not yet how it should be. If you indicate that you need help, a coach will always look at you in a certain way. Mental problems should not be associated with weakness. Nowadays it is a lot more normal to have a psychologist at a club and the Dutch national team, but I also don't think we dare to be completely honest yet. For years it has gone through ups and downs. Almost nine years ago I first entered the Dutch national team, I was just seventeen. At that moment I thought I could take on the whole world. Because women's football has taken off so much after the World Cup in Canada in 2015, but especially after the win of the European Championship in 2017, I didn't know who to trust anymore. At that moment I thought: I don't need anyone. But in my first year at Arsenal, after the European Championship, in 2018, I ran into a very high wall. I felt very bad, had to process what had happened all those years before. It's no secret that I wasn't happy at the 2015 World Cup in Canada. We were on the other side of the world, I felt lonely and found it hard to deal with that pressure. What do you want? I was compared to Lionel Messi. I had to get used to the spotlight in which I was placed. And also during the European Championship in 2017 in the Netherlands, a lot came at me. I didn't score in the group stage. This was widely covered in the media. But in the quarter- and semi-final I scored and I scored two goals in the final. I went from nobody to someone who was great. In addition, in those years prior to those tournaments, I had hardly had any holidays or time to think about anything. Physically I was tired, mentally I was empty. In my first year at Arsenal I wondered: why do I still play football, why do I want this? The 2019 World Cup in France was the first tournament in my career where I went relaxed, I felt good, I was looking forward to it. We made it to the final. There was something about that for me...

I was always the first to walk away from sessions with a psychologist at the Dutch national team. Always said: I don't believe in this. In fact, when I heard the word 'psychologist', I thought: I'll stay away from you. When I arrived at Arsenal, a new psychologist had just started with whom I also didn't click. After six months a new woman came, I had a good feeling about that. That was a first step. Still, it took me a year to admit: I think I might need you after all...

Thanks to that psychologist I was able to process things from my life, both football and private related. I used to shut myself off from feelings, I didn't have time for them, wanted to keep going. That came out in different ways. At the 2015 World Cup in Canada, I was under a lot of stress and suffered from migraines. In those few weeks I lost six kilos. After the European Championship in 2017, I suffered from panic attacks. On the football field, when I was at home, wherever. If it was a severe attack, I had trouble breathing. After a panic attack, I couldn't do anything for three days, then I lay flat on the couch, and I had to regularly skip football practice. But most of the time it happened just when we had some time off. Even if I had the feeling that my body was no longer cooperating or was very tired, I could panic.

It's good that I bumped into that wall and started talking about my feelings. It's not that I'll never have panic attacks or feel anxious again. I still feel bad when I have to get on the tube to central London. Underground, really hot, way too many people... I really think: what am I doing here? But what do you want, I come from Hoogeveen. I had never been on a bus before, now I have to go underground...

When I also have a hard time, it is when suddenly the whole planning is thrown upside down. We get our schedule on Monday. If that suddenly changes on Thursday, then I think it's terrible and I have to calm myself down. In the meantime I have learned to deal better with these types of panic attacks. It will never go away completely, but if I have an attack now, I can function for the rest of the day.

Last month I had my last session with the psychologist. If there is one thing I should be proud of in my life, it is the journey that I have embarked on with her. For the first time in my career I was able to be more myself at Arsenal this year. My teammates didn’t know what had hit them. They get to know me better, because I'm open. I am understood. They see: Viv is not as gruff and closed as she seems. And that's up to me, you know, that they're only seeing that now. I have never opened up to others. When I'm on the football field, I'm tough, I can be a bitch. Off the pitch I'm one of the biggest softies out there, I cry regularly, I'm an emotional person and I'm not ashamed of that.

I am now open about it and try to be the same with the younger girls in the Dutch national team. I know better than anyone what it's like to break through and deal with pressure. I can help them with that. I regularly check with them to see how things are going and they know that I am there for them. This journey with my psychologist has been more important to me than any price.”

You know how it goes in the Netherlands: everyone expects you to win for a while. That will be no different during the European Championships.”

Vivianne in the AD in 2022

Laughing: “That's right. Before the European Championship in 2017, I did not expect that we would take the title. I don't expect that now. There are countries that are better than us. We have a number of girls who have just recovered from injuries, important players such as Lieke Martens and Daniëlle van de Donk have barely been able to play this season. If everyone is top notch, we can surprise.

After the Olympic Games and the departure of national coach Sarina Wiegman to the English federation, we started a new trajectory with Mark Parsons. The biggest change is that we said goodbye to players. The dynamics are different. I'm currently in 'Team Oud', that says it all. Mark also has a slightly different view of football than we are used to. You notice that he comes from a different football culture. That is in tactical things like wanting to put more pressure. For some girls that takes getting used to. In person, he is the opposite of Sarina. With Mark, people are central, the group process. That's good, because we have a lot of young girls on the squad that we need to bond with. With Sarina you knew better what was expected, she was clear. Mark still needs time to make certain choices and that uncertainty is difficult for some girls. My role within the Dutch national team has not changed. I have always been one of the leaders, both on and off the field. The group of leaders has shrunk slightly. Sari van Veenendaal, Sherida Spitse, Daniëlle van de Donk and I, but also Merel van Dongen and Stefanie van der Gragt play a major role in the team. I still have contact with Sarina and also with her assistant Arjan Veurink, I see them at the matches. "As long as you don't win the European Championship in England with England," I sometimes joke. We shouldn't want that, that happy stuff here in England."

“The years to come should officially be my peak years. I have to spend that at a club that best suits my ambitions.”

Vivianne in the AD in 2022

“They say your top is around 27. I'm only 25, but I've been around for a while. I've had five great years at Arsenal and I recently extended my contract. I feel that winning titles with Arsenal will mean a lot more to me than winning them with any other club right now.

I hope you haven't seen the best Vivianne yet. There's more in the barrel, you know. At the Dutch national team I really play in the striker, but at Arsenal I play just a little behind, at '10'. I like to play as an attacking midfielder, I can touch the ball more and have more influence on the game. Well, I can play anywhere, in that respect it doesn't really matter where I stand.

What I think is more important is that for the first time I also feel a lot better off the field. For me football is not just about scoring goals. It would be great if I could be top both on and off the field in the coming years.”

“There are not many top coaches in women's football. Yes, maybe I want to be one later.”

Vivianne in Heroes in 2021

“I am now working on the last project of my master's degree in Business. And I have almost completed my UEFA B diploma. I would like to stay involved in football and become a coach after my career, but if I want to bring about big changes in women's football, I will have to look higher up, in a managerial position. After my career I first want to step out of football for a while to find peace. After that, I want to find my way on the manager/board side, in a role at the KNVB, UEFA or FIFA.” Laughing: “I don't participate in political games, they already know that about me. What you see is what you get. Once I'm in such a role, I have to stand up for what I believe in and I'm not going to play games with it. Then it quickly becomes black or white for me.”