#lio does a talk

[anunwelcomedspirit]

blood circulation? never heard of her. *i put on a bracelet, i put on another bracelet, i put on another bracelet, i put on another bracelet, i put-*

[anunwelcomedspirit]

gasp! i have central heterochromia!! i love seeing it on characters :D

more characters with heterochromia. fuck it. it’s no longer ‘cringe’ to give your OCs two different eye colours it’s actually extremely cool and fun and sometimes extremely sexy. godspeed

[cressidagrey]

White Horse - Chapter 16: April 2024

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Isabelle Leclerc (Original Character)

Summary:

Max Verstappen is a World Champion. Isabelle Leclerc is invisible.

She watched her family give up everything for Charles’ career—Arthur’s karting, their father’s savings, even her childhood horse. She understood. She never asked for more.

But Max does. He notices the things no one else does, listens when no one else will, and puts her first in ways she never imagined. With him, she isn’t an afterthought—she’s a choice. And for the first time, she realizes she doesn’t have to be invisible.

Warnings and Notes: 

we have now moved on from Charles bashing to bashing his whole family, Discussions of toxic past relationships, talk about loosing a childhood pet, toxic families, Me trying to write therapy sessions.

As always big thanks to @llirawolf , who listens to me ramble

His sister’s house in Belgium smelled like sunshine and something sweet baking in the oven. Easter sunlight spilled through the windows, warming the hardwood floors, and in the backyard, Luka and Lio were already running around, squealing with sugar-fueled glee.

Max stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning one shoulder against the frame. He hadn’t said anything in a while—just watched.

Belle was sitting cross-legged in the grass, a plastic Easter egg clutched in one hand, her other arm steadying Lio as he toddled toward her, half-unzipped bunny onesie flapping with every wobbly step. She was laughing—bright, breathless, and so gentle it made something ache in Max’s chest.

She wasn’t trying to impress anyone. She wasn’t trying to perform.

She was just… her.

Soft and real and warm, with her sleeves pushed up and her hair falling out of its braid. There was a smear of flour across the side of her skirt from earlier, when she’d helped Victoria knead dough in the kitchen, and her fingers still had flecks of pastel from painting eggs with Luka.

She glanced up and caught Max watching her.

Her smile shifted—smaller now, but still warm. Still for him.

Max swallowed hard.

God, he loved her.

Yesterday, she’d spent the entire day helping Victoria put together the nursery for the baby girl due in a few months. Folding tiny clothes and picking the perfect wallpaper, soft florals and honey-toned neutrals. Max had walked in to find her barefoot, cheeks flushed from effort and pride, smoothing a wrinkle out of a freshly hung panel with his dad—his dad, of all people—standing beside her, offering her the level with a quiet kind of respect Max rarely saw from him.

She had blended into his family like she’d always been there.

She belonged there.

He thought about the way she’d crouched down to Luka’s level earlier, letting him stick glittery stickers all over her hands. The way she’d gently wiped chocolate off Lio’s cheek with the corner of her sleeve and kissed his forehead after. The the way she held Luka close when he tripped, the way she helped Sophie clear the table without being asked and took the time to talk to Victoria about pregnancy vitamins like she actually wanted to know.

It wasn’t that she was trying to be anything.

It was just who she was.

Max could picture it so clearly it almost knocked the breath out of him.

Belle—curled on the couch with a baby in her arms.

Belle—yawning in the kitchen at dawn, holding a sleepy toddler on one hip.

Belle— with streaks of glitter or flour or god knows what else, just smiling at a kid that had her eyes and his stubborn mouth.

And it didn’t scare him.

It didn’t scare him.

It felt like a promise.

Belle waved Lio’s little stuffed bunny in the air, coaxing another giggle from him. Luka barreled over with a plastic egg in each hand, shouting something about chocolate, and she caught him without missing a beat, hugging both boys against her sides like she was made for it.

Max’s mother stepped up beside him quietly. She held a tray of little tea cups and didn’t speak right away.

“She’s good with them,” Sophie said softly, watching Belle too. “With all of us.”

Max nodded, his throat thick. “Yeah,” he said. “She is.”

Sophie turned to look at him. “You don’t have to rush anything,” she said gently. “But when the time comes… she’ll be wonderful.”

Max didn’t look away from Belle.

“I know,” he said.

And he did.

He really did.

Because this wasn’t just the woman he loved.

This was the woman he wanted a life with.

The kind you built from scratch.

The kind that lasted.

***

Stream Transcript: Lando Norris & Max Fewtrell

Max Fewtrell: Oi Lando, are your shelves… like, actually bolted to the wall?

Lando Norris: (suspicious) Yes? I think? Why? (There’s a loud creak off-camera. Something clatters violently. Lando jumps.)

Lando: OH MY GOD.

Max F: WHAT DID I JUST SAY.

Lando: (ducking) One of the helmets nearly took me out!! It just slid right off the shelf! I could’ve died!!

Chat:

 HELMET DOWN PROTECT THE MERCH WALL Lando vs Gravity: round 394 Helmet shelves tried to assassinate the talent 😭 Max Fewtrell manifested that

Max F: That’s it. That’s a sign. You need a proper streaming room. Like Max Verstappen’s setup.

Lando: (still checking behind him) You just want to live vicariously through me.

Max F: Yeah, so what? But also I don’t want to watch you get bludgeoned mid-game by your own merch. Have you seen Verstappen’s streaming room? It looks like an F1 spaceship.

Lando: Yeah, Belle Leclerc designed it.

Max F: I KNOW. I told you I was going to DM her my IKEA shopping list as a joke? She actually answered. Sent links. Furniture recs. Paint swatches.

Lando: (grinning) Yeah, that tracks. She helped Oscar with his apartment too. Said his lack of a sofa made her “deeply concerned about his lumbar support.”

Chat: ISABELLE LECLERC THE DESIGN ICON She’s redecorating the grid one boy at a time Max gets a spaceship sim rig, Oscar gets posture correction 

Belle? LANDO CALLS HER BELLE?!?! Lando pls let her fix your shelves before they finish the job 

Max F: I saw Verstappen’s room on the last Redline stream. He’s got mood lighting. Hidden cable management. Soundproof panels. I would sell my firstborn to have a room like that...So you should ask her to do yours. So I can in fact live vicariously through you. 

Lando: (dryly) Thanks. But I’d rather not get murdered by her brother.

Max F: Charles???

Lando: Yes. Last months, I got cornered by him because I was talking to her about ice cream toppings.

Max F: I’m sorry—what?

Lando: We were talking about which sprinkles are better: rainbow or chocolate. That’s it.

Max F: (cackling) You flirted with his sister over sprinkles???

Lando: I WASN’T FLIRTING. We were eating ice cream. I said I liked her choice. He looked at me like I’d proposed on the spot.

Chat:

 SPRINKLEGATE 2024 Lando complimented toppings and Charles prepped a eulogy Imagine dying because of rainbow sprinkles 😭 Charles Leclerc: ICE CREAM ENFORCER

Lando: Belle’s amazing. Sweet, kind, terrifyingly competent. But also? Not for me. I value my life. I’ve seen the look Charles gets. I’m good.

Max F: Honestly valid. She gives off “could fix your taxes and ruin your self-esteem in the same sentence” energy.

Lando: Exactly. She’d help me fix my walls and then psychoanalyze me over gelato.

Chat: Belle Leclerc: therapist, designer, cat whisperer Charles: ready to fight over sprinkles Lando: emotionally in danger Helmet shelf: still plotting Lando in danger and it’s SELF-INFLICTED this stream is 90% chaos, 10% home improvement we demand Belle on the next one

***

Meanwhile on Twitter: 

@/F1streamtrash: Lando almost got murdered by his own helmet wall LIVE and the takeaway is that Isabelle Leclerc might be the only thing holding the grid’s interior design together

@/GridGossip: Max Fewtrell casually admitting he slid into Belle Leclerc’s DMs with an IKEA list and SHE ANSWERED 👀😂

@/LanDownUnder: “Charles cornered me because I said I liked her sprinkles” is now my Roman Empire.

@/TheBackmarkerBlonde: Isabelle Leclerc didn’t say a SINGLE word and still managed to: • Fix Oscar’s spine • Redesign Max’s sim room • Scare Lando into celibacy • Spark a domestic incident over ice cream toppings

@/F1catdad: Max: “Isabelle got me plants and installed acoustic panels.” Oscar: “Isabelle saved my spine.” Lando: “Isabelle almost got me killed with sprinkles.” This woman is single-handedly shaping the lives of the paddock and I need a Vogue profile on her IMMEDIATELY.

@/TeamCharlesSlander: Charles hearing Lando talk to Isabelle about chocolate sprinkles: 🔪 Meanwhile Belle just wanted to enjoy her cone in peace Let her LIVE, Charles

@/PadDockWivesClub: SPRINKLEGATE 2024. Lando: casually agrees with Belle’s ice cream order Charles: READY TO THROW HANDS Somebody protect this man from Leclerc family mood swings

@/BelleAndTheGrid: Lando: Belle’s sweet, kind, terrifyingly competent Me, whispering: …and maybe just a little bit magic???

@/gridandgranprix:  Max Fewtrell casually starting a home improvement cult with Isabelle Leclerc as the unofficial architect and Lando as the first martyr 😭

@/paddocktea:  the way lando said “i wasn’t flirting” with genuine fear in his voice. sir… you complimented her sprinkles. charles heard wedding bells. #f1drama #sprinklegate #justiceforlando

@/f1wagsupremacy: Isabelle Leclerc being the reason Max’s streaming room looks like a spaceship, Oscar’s apartment has actual lumbar support, and Lando is still alive (barely) is honestly the most powerful grid influence since Angela Cullen.

@/helmetwitness: helmet shelf: attacks lando: ducks max f: “you need a proper room like verstappen’s.” lando: “i don’t want to die via brother-in-law.” this stream is my roman empire

@/feralgirlpitlane:  Charles being mad about Lando talking to Isabelle about SPRINKLES is the funniest sibling lore ever. Meanwhile Isabelle out here designing soundproof sim caves and spine-safe lounges like it’s nothing. @/bellesdesignco petition for Isabelle leclerc to start a grid interior design company tagline: "saving lives, lumbar, and lighting schemes"

***

It was Simone’s idea.

They were near the end of a Thursday session, sunlight spilling gently through the windows of the quiet little room Belle had come to think of as one of her safest place in the world.

Simone sat across from her with that usual calm presence, hands folded gently in her lap, head tilted slightly like she was carefully sorting through every word Belle had spoken so far.

"You’ve been doing so much work, Isabelle," Simone said softly. "But healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. And it sounds like Max is part of what’s helping you feel grounded. Maybe he could be part of the work too."

Belle blinked, startled. "You mean… like, bring him here?"

Simone nodded. "If you’re open to it. Letting someone you love into this part of your world — into the parts you’re still healing — that’s a step too. And it can be a powerful one."

Belle looked down at her hands, twisting the edge of her sleeve between her fingers.

 She didn’t ask Max until the next night.

They were on the couch, two of the cats asleep in Max’s lap, Lilly into the crook of Belle’s hip. Something soft was playing on the TV, long forgotten in the background.

Belle sat with her legs pulled up, oversized hoodie swallowing her, the edge of a blanket tucked under her chin like armor.

"Can I ask you something?" she said quietly.

Max turned to her immediately, remote dropping to the coffee table. "Always."

She hesitated. "It’s kind of… vulnerable."

Max’s expression softened. He reached over, brushing his fingers lightly over the back of her hand.

"I’m listening, Schatje."

Belle took a breath, let it out slowly. "I was talking to Simone  and she… she suggested you come with me. Just once. Not because anything’s wrong, but just… so you’d understand what the inside of my head looks like sometimes. And so I could let you in more."

Max didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t pull away.

Instead, he squeezed her hand.

"Okay," he said.

Belle blinked. "Really?"

Max leaned closer, touching his forehead to hers.

"I’ll sit through one session, ten, a hundred — hell, years of couple’s therapy if I have to — before I ever give up on us. I want all of it, Belle. Not just the easy parts. Especially not just the easy parts."

Belle’s eyes went glassy. "You’re not scared of seeing how messy I am?"

Max kissed her nose.

 "Schatje, I already see you. I just want to understand you better. And help carry it, if you’ll let me."

She let out a shaky laugh, heart so full it almost ached. "Okay," she whispered.  "Then come with me."

And Max nodded once — like it was the easiest decision in the world.

***

The room was warm and still, sunlight slanting in through the high windows, catching on the edges of the soft rug. Max sat stiffly in the second chair, next to Belle’s — close enough to touch her if he needed to, but not pressing. Not crowding her.

He could tell she was nervous. Her hands were curled tight in the sleeves of his hoodie — his hoodie, stolen again this morning like she always did when she was feeling small — and her knees were drawn up a little, defensive, like she was trying to make herself smaller.

Max hated that. Hated that she even thought she had to make herself smaller for anyone.

He kept his hands loose, open, steady — letting her know he was there, but letting her come to him if she needed it.

The therapist — Simone — was calm, her voice low and even. She made it easy for Belle to breathe. Max appreciated that more than he could say.

They talked about surface things first — the accident, how Belle was recovering, how Max had been helping. He answered in short, steady sentences, always glancing at Belle, making sure he wasn’t overstepping.

And then Simone shifted slightly in her seat, her voice softer:

“Last session we talked about Blanche.”

Max watched Belle freeze, just slightly. Her shoulders went tight under the hoodie. Her fingers twisted harder into the fabric.

Max hadn’t missed the way Belle flinched at the name.

She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing, and Max could see the struggle flash across her face — whether to say it at all.

But then Belle spoke, her voice small, raw.

"I was thirteen when they sold her," she whispered. "My parents sold her so they could pay for Charles’ karting. They said they didn’t have a choice. That they had to prioritize his future."

Max felt his hands curl into fists without thinking.

Not because of Charles. Not even because of her parents.

Because Belle — his Belle — had been a child, and they'd made her sacrifice something she loved like it was nothing.

Simone didn’t interrupt. She just let the silence settle, gave Belle space to keep going.

Belle wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, her breath shaking.

"I didn’t understand," she said, voice breaking a little. "I mean, I understood in the way a teenager does — when you’re told it’s for the greater good. But I didn’t understand why I had to lose something I loved for someone else’s future. It felt like..." she trailed off, laughing bitterly under her breath, "like I wasn’t even worth fighting for."

Max's chest twisted painfully.

Belle lifted her gaze, meeting Simone’s eyes with something fierce and fragile at once.

"It didn’t even hit me until much later," Belle said, voice steadier now. "But I’ve always felt like I was the one who had to give. Everything for them. Everything for Charles. And nothing for me. They didn’t even ask. They just... expected me to be okay with it. Expected me to just... let go."

Max pressed his palms flat against his thighs, grounding himself.

You shouldn’t have had to let go of anything, he thought fiercely. Not alone. Not like that.

Simone’s voice was soft but sure when she said:

"It sounds like you didn’t get a say. Like it was decided for you, without you having a voice in it."

Belle nodded, the movement small and heavy.

"Exactly," she whispered. "It wasn’t about me. It was about him. It always was."

Max wanted — violently, helplessly — to reach across the space and pull her into his arms. To shield her from a world that had asked too much, too soon, and given her too little in return.

Her hands curled tighter in her lap.

"I loved her," Belle said, her voice breaking again. "I loved Blanche. And when she was gone, I didn’t know how to explain the hole she left. I couldn’t even explain why it hurt so much."

Simone leaned forward slightly, her voice calm, guiding.

"It sounds like it wasn’t just about losing a horse, Isabelle. It was about losing a piece of yourself. Something you were allowed to love, just for you. Without anyone else’s permission or need."

Belle let out a shuddering breath, her chest visibly tight.

Max could feel it — the weight of everything she’d never been allowed to say.

"Yeah," Belle said, almost inaudible. "It was about losing me. Losing the thing that made me feel like I mattered. And no one even asked. No one even thought about it."

Tears slipped down her cheeks silently.

Max’s heart broke open cleanly in his chest.

He wanted to stand. He wanted to rage at the world for her. He wanted to hold her until she believed — really believed — that she was enough.

Simone’s voice was steady, full of a compassion that Max could feel humming in the air.

"It’s okay to be angry, Isabelle. It’s okay to feel the hurt, to feel that loss. That’s yours to have, and it always will be."

Belle closed her eyes tightly, letting the words wash over her.

Max watched her hands unclench just slightly — watched her take a breath, shaky but real.

Belle opened her eyes again, blinking down at her lap, and whispered:

"How do I stop it from hurting?" Her voice cracked. "How do I stop feeling like I’m just... the one who always has to give?"

Simone smiled — a small, fierce thing. "You don’t stop the hurt," she said. "You learn how to hold it without it holding you back. You learn how to make space for your own pain, without letting it control you. And you let yourself be allowed to have something, Isabelle. Something that’s just yours. Something you love. Something that doesn’t come with a price tag."

Belle nodded slowly, the movement tentative, almost childlike.

Max exhaled a slow, steady breath. If Belle asked for it — anything, everything — he would give it to her. Not because she needed fixing. Because she deserved to have something that was hers, wholly and without apology.

And if he could be even a small part of that? If he could be the safe place she had never been given before?

He would spend the rest of his life making sure she never had to wonder if she was loved again.

****

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Emilie Abadie

Max: Hey. Need to ask you something. About Belle’s old horse. Blanche.

Emilie: 👀 Go on.

Max: Do you know what happened to her? I want to buy her back. For Belle.

Emilie: Oh, Max. I wish you could. I tried already. Right after Belle and I finished university in 2021.

Max: You did?

Emilie: Yeah. I tracked down the stable. I would’ve cleaned out my entire trust fund if it meant bringing Blanche back to her.

Emilie: But... Blanche passed away in 2019. Old age. Peacefully.

Max: Shit.

Emilie: Yeah. I told Belle. I’ve never seen her cry like that before. Or since. She just... shut down completely.

Max: She still talks about Blanche like she’s alive somewhere.

Emilie: That’s Belle. She doesn’t know how to let go of the people — or horses — she loves. Not really.

Max: Yeah. I know that too well.

Max: Did Blanche ever have any foals?

Emilie: 👀👀👀 Hang on. Let me check my old emails.

(A minute passes.)

Emilie: YES. She had a filly in 2017. Grey, like Blanche. Registered name "Blanchefleur" — but they just called her Fleur at the stable.

Max: Is she still alive?

Emilie: Last I checked, yeah. She was sold in early 2020 to a private owner. Somewhere in the south of France.

Max: Send me everything you have. Breeder, stable name, old records. Everything.

Emilie: Max... Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?

Max: If I can't bring Blanche back, I’ll bring her daughter home.

Max: How do I buy her?

Emilie: 😳 You don't just walk into a stable and order a horse like a pizza, Max.

Max: Why not?

Emilie: Because there's vet checks, paperwork, contracts, transport, insurance, negotiations—oh my god you’re serious.

Max: Completely serious.

Emilie: Alright. Give me five minutes. I’m texting every horse girl I know.

(A minute passes.)

Emilie: UPDATE.

Max: That was fast.

Emilie: You underestimate the terrifying power of horse girls when emotionally motivated.

Max: ...Should I be concerned?

Emilie: Always. ANYWAY. I found her.

Max: Where?

Emilie: Italy.

Max: ITALY???

Emilie: Yeah. Turns out Fleur was sold to a very fancy equestrian center just outside Florence last year.

Max: How does a horse just move countries??

Emilie: The same way you end up in a different country every weekend. Planes. Trucks. Madness.

Max: Inconvenient.

Emilie: For you. Imagine Fleur’s opinion.

Max: Fair enough. Can we buy her?

Emilie: Working on it. The stable might be willing to sell — depends on the price.

Emilie: Small snag, though.

Max: What now.

Emilie: Fleur is currently in foal.

Max: ...She’s pregnant?

Emilie: Yep. Due later this summer.

Max: Alright.

Emilie: ??? That’s it?? You’re not freaking out??

Max: No. If she's carrying a foal, then Belle's just getting two horses instead of one.

Emilie: 😂 You’re insane. I love it.

Max: Perfect. One horse from her past, and one for her future.

Emilie: You’re gonna make me cry at my desk.

Max: Just get me a number. I'll handle the rest.

Emilie: On it. And Max?

Max: Yeah?

Emilie: You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her. Just so you know.

Max: Nah. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Gianpiero Lambiase

Max: You speak Italian, right?

GP: …Yes? Why?

Max: I need you to translate something for me.

GP: Okay? What are we translating?

Max: I’m buying a horse. Well, two horses.

GP: I’m sorry, WHAT??

Max: A horse. In Italy. I need to negotiate

GP: WHY are you buying a horse in Italy?

Max: Because that’s where it is.

GP: That is NOT an explanation.

Max: It’s for Isabelle. I found a mare that’s the foal of her childhood horse. It’s a whole thing.

GP: …Okay, actually, that’s kind of sweet. But WHY do you need ME?

Max: Because the stable owners only speak Italian, and I do not.

GP: So your plan was just to message me and hope I’d be available to broker a literal horse deal for you?

Max: Yes.

GP: Max.

Max: Just help me. Please.

GP: Sigh. Send me the details.

Max: Also, do you know anything about horse negotiations?

GP: DO I LOOK LIKE I KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUYING A HORSE?

Max: I don’t know, you might have a secret past as a horse guy.

GP: Max.

Max: Okay, okay, just translate for me.

GP: This is so far beyond my job description.

Max: And yet, here you are.

GP: I hate you.

Max: No, you don’t. Now, how do I say, “I would like to buy your very expensive horse” in Italian?

***

Meanwhile on Twitter: 

@/MonacoMurmurs: OKAY. So I was just minding my business, having coffee in Monaco, and I swear to god, I heard Max Verstappen on the phone saying: "No, I don’t care how expensive this is. I want that one. No other one will do. Whatever price they want, I’ll pay it." UM?????

@/F1TeaSpiller: EXCUSE ME. WHAT IS HE BUYING???

@/CheckeredHeart: The way this man just casually drops “whatever price they want, I’ll pay it” like it’s nothing???

@/SoftForMax: The phrase “No other one will do” is haunting me. WHO IS HE SHOPPING FOR.

@/OversteerAndTears: The way he said “No other one will do” like sir??? That is some ROMANTIC ENERGY.

@/SoftForMax:I just know he had that determined little frown while saying this.

@/PitLaneSecrets: Wait wait wait. Did he say anything else???

@/MonacoMurmurs: I swear I heard him say something like: “I’d prefer not to pay through my nose, but I don’t care.” LIKE??? Max Verstappen is out here just throwing money at something because it HAS to be that one.

@/FastCarsAndDrama:WHAT IS HE BUYING THAT HAS TO BE THAT ONE AND NO OTHER????

@/RedBullTactics: This is giving “I saw this and immediately knew it was perfect for her” vibes and I can’t breathe.

@/CheckeredHeart: If Max Verstappen is out here buying something perfect for someone and money is literally no object, I am going to need THERAPY.

@/MonacoMurmurs: I regret not following him to see where he went next 😭

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Emilie Abadie

Max: I got the horse.

Emilie: YOU WHAT.

Max: The horse. It’s mine now. Well, Isabelle’s.

Emilie: HOW DID YOU DO THAT SO FAST??

Max: Negotiation skills.

Emilie: …

Max: GP translated. I wired the money. Done.

Emilie: YOU BOUGHT A WHOLE HORSE LIKE YOU WERE ORDERING A PIZZA.

Max: She was in Italy. The comparison is valid.

Emilie: MAX.

Max: What.

Emilie: Do you even know how to ship a horse across countries??

Max: I’ll figure it out. How hard can it be?

Emilie: Oh my god.

Max: Relax. I have contacts. People move racehorses all the time.

Emilie: THIS IS NOT A RACEHORSE, MAX.

Max: No, it’s better. It’s Isabelle’s horse.

Emilie: …You’re actually insane.

Max: And yet, you’re still helping me.

Emilie: I can’t even be mad. She’s going to cry.

Max: That’s the goal. Happy tears.

Emilie: You are raising the bar way too high.

Max: Her brothers should take notes.

Emilie: They won’t.

Max: Then I’ll just keep winning.

Emilie: Okay, but logistics, Max. What’s the plan?

Max: She’s being transported next week. I have a stable lined up near Monaco.

Emilie: You really thought of everything, huh?

Max: Of course. I wasn’t going to just buy a horse and go, “Good luck, figure it out.”

Emilie: That’s literally what her family would do.

Max: Yeah, well. I actually care.

Emilie: …You’re setting an impossible standard.

Max: Not my fault they suck.

Emilie: True.

Max: Anyway, what’s the best way to tell her? Do I just show up and go, “Hey, I got you a horse”?

Emilie: Absolutely not.

Max: What, you want me to wrap it in a bow?

Emilie: …Wait.

Max: No.

Emilie: PLEASE. Just a little ribbon. Maybe a cute note attached.

Max: I am not putting a bow on the horse, Emilie.

Emilie: You’re no fun.

Max: I just bought two whole horses for my girlfriend. I am very fun.

Emilie: Yeah, yeah. But okay, serious answer—you should take her to see the horse without telling her first.

Max: Just casually drive her to the stable and be like, “Surprise”?

Emilie: Yes! Can you imagine her face when she realizes?

Max: …Okay, yeah. That’s actually perfect.

Emilie: Of course it is. I’m a genius.

Max: Debatable.

Emilie: MAX.

Max: Fine, fine. You’re slightly above average.

Emilie: You’re lucky I like you.

Max: No, I’m lucky Belle loves me.

Emilie: …You really are.

***

Leclerc Sibling Group Chat

 (Members: Arthur, Isabelle, Charles, and Lorenzo)

Arthur: well. My girlfriend dumped me.

Charles: What???

Lorenzo: Wait, seriously?

Arthur: Yeah. She said I’m "emotionally unavailable" and "self-centered."

Charles: Bit harsh, no? You’re just busy.

Lorenzo: Exactly. You have your own life. Can’t drop everything for someone 24/7.

Arthur: That’s what I said. She didn’t get it.

Isabelle: ... Arthur, what happened?

Arthur: I don’t know. She was upset because I missed some fancy dinner with her friends. And some family event she wanted me at. And a couple calls.

Isabelle: How many calls?

Arthur: 😒 A few.

Isabelle: Arthur.

Arthur: It’s not like I did it on purpose. I was busy.

Isabelle: You always say you’re busy. You make people feel like they’re last on your list. She didn’t dump you because you were busy. She dumped you because you made her feel like she didn’t matter.

Arthur: Oh come on.

Charles: It’s not that deep.

Lorenzo: Yeah, you can’t prioritize everything. You have to focus on yourself too.

Isabelle: It’s not about choosing yourself. It’s about neglect. She wasn’t asking you to quit racing. She was asking you to show up sometimes.

Arthur: You don’t know anything about it, Isabelle. Stay out of it.

Isabelle: I’m trying to help you understand. So you don’t keep hurting people you actually care about.

Arthur: Maybe if you knew what it was like to be in a real relationship you’d get it.

Isabelle:  Good luck next time.

Arthur: Whatever.

Lorenzo: Can we all just cool down?

***

Belle sighed as she pushed another hanger aside, her eyes half-focused, her mind still somewhere in the Leclerc sibling group chat.

Emilie glanced over from across the boutique, one eyebrow already raised. “Okay,” she said, “that’s the third sigh in under two minutes. Who are we mad at today?”

Belle didn’t even hesitate. “Arthur.”

Emilie snorted. “That tracks.”

“He got dumped,” Belle said flatly, holding up a hanger, immediately making a face and putting it back.

“Oh no,” Emilie said, mock-gasping. “Did he forget she was a person with feelings?”

Belle let out a short, sharp laugh. “How did you guess?”

“He’s a Leclerc brother. It’s always a safe bet.”

They both paused, clearly considering that.

Belle leaned against a rack of sundresses, crossing her arms. “Charles and Lorenzo immediately jumped in to defend him. Said he was just busy. That he can’t be expected to prioritize everything.”

“Classic,” Emilie muttered.

Belle pressed her lips together. “I just… I tried to explain why she was upset. I told him he made her feel like she didn’t matter. Like she was at the bottom of his list.”

“And how did that go?”

Belle gave her a pointed look. “He told me to stay out of it. Said I wouldn’t understand because I’ve never been in a real relationship.”

Emilie blinked. “Oh.”

Belle’s smile was tight. “Yeah.”

“Does Max know he said that?” Emilie asked casually, flipping through a rack of skirts like she wasn’t already ready to throw hands.

“No,” Belle said quickly. “And please don’t say anything. I’m not dragging Max into this.”

Emilie gave her a knowing look. “He wouldn’t just be dragged. He’d sprint into it with a flamethrower.”

Belle smiled faintly. “Which is why I’m not telling him.”

There was a beat of quiet between them — one of those moments where it was clear they were thinking the exact same thing but neither wanted to say it.

Finally, Belle sighed again and rubbed at her temple. “God, why is this lighting so weird? I’ve been dizzy all morning.”

“Have you eaten today?” Emilie asked, immediately switching gears.

“Croissant and coffee,” Belle said. “Which was three hours ago. Maybe I need something salty. Or sweet. Or both.”

“You always want sweet when you’re tired,” Emilie said, looping a silky hanger off the rack. “Or hormonal.”

Belle didn’t react, too distracted by the way the room seemed to sway slightly when she turned her head.

“You okay?” Emilie asked.

“Yeah, I just—” Belle waved a hand vaguely. “Probably just low blood sugar or something.”

“Okay. Well, I’m getting you a granola bar before we go anywhere else,” Emilie said, and then held up a hanger with a little grin. “And you’re trying this on.”

Belle narrowed her eyes at the dress. “White? Really?”

“It’s a beautiful dress,” Emilie said. “Max is going to pass out when he sees you in it.”

Belle rolled her eyes — but took the hanger anyway.

Ten minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror in the changing room, smoothing her hands down over the fabric. The dress was soft, floaty and a little too pretty.

And it fit perfectly.

She stepped out, blinking into the hallway light.

Emilie looked up — and grinned. “There she is.”

Belle tilted her head. “You really think it’s not too much?”

“I think Max is going to malfunction,” Emilie said simply. “And that’s reason enough to buy it.”

Belle flushed, but she didn’t argue.

She looked back at the mirror, the soft silk falling over her hips, the way the white made her skin glow just a little. She felt oddly… peaceful.

Even with her brothers being impossible.

Even with everything.

She didn’t say anything else — she just turned back into the changing room and hung the dress on the “buy” hook.

One quiet victory. ***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Gianpiero Lambiase

Max: I have the ring.

GP:  …The ring?

Max: The ring.

Max: It’s a very nice ring. She’s going to cry.

GP: Tears of joy or terror?

Max: GP.

GP: Okay, okay. Do you know how you want to do it?

Max: No.

GP: Excellent start.

Max: I want it to be private. Not like… public public. Max: But still special. Max: Not over the top. But meaningful. Max: Lowkey. But not boring.

GP: So basically you want the emotional equivalent of pole position without the media circus.

Max: Exactly. GP: When it happens, just make it about her. Not the moment. Not the pressure. Her. The life you want with her. Keep it simple. Keep it real.

Max: What if I mess it up?

GP: You won’t. 

GP: Propose when it’s quiet. When she’s happy. When you’re already laughing. GP:  You don’t need fireworks. Just give her the one thing she’s never had.

Max: What’s that?

GP: Someone who chooses her first. Without question. Every time.

Max: She already has that.

GP: Just don’t do it mid-race weekend. I don’t need you distracted and proposing during a pit stop.

GP: Why are you even asking me?

Max: Because you’re married.

GP: That doesn’t make me a proposal expert, it just means I survived it.

Max: So how did you do it?

GP: I kept it simple. Just us, no big scene, no stress. And it worked.

Max: Yeah. I like that.

GP: And Max?

Max: Yeah?

GP: She’s going to say yes.  Probably before you finish the sentence.

***

Pascale’s Dining Room always looked nicer in the evening, when the light softened and made the crystal on the table sparkle. Alexandra had helped Charlotte with the flowers this time — something understated, nothing over the top — and they’d both arrived early to actually help set the table. For once.

Not to watch Isabelle do it all herself.

Isabelle had already laid out the linen napkins and finished folding them with practiced, almost mechanical ease by the time they arrived, but Charlotte slid in next to her without a word and took over the cutlery. Alexandra poured the wine. Between the three of them, the atmosphere felt lighter than usual — like something unspoken had been reset.

There wasn’t a lot of chatter at first. Pascale was in the kitchen, issuing gentle orders; Charles and Lorenzo were in the living room arguing softly about tires and someone’s new dog; Arthur arrived late and looked like he’d slept in his hoodie.

Isabelle, to her credit, looked… calm.

Different.

Still soft-spoken, still gracious — she greeted them all with kisses on the cheek and asked about everyone’s week — but there was something else now. A steel edge underneath all that quiet.

Alexandra didn’t know what had changed, exactly. 

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it at first. The table was full, the food was good, the siblings were loud in the way siblings always were. Pascale hovered, fussed, smiled. Lorenzo made some dry remark that no one laughed at. Arthur was in a mood—understandable, post-breakup—but even his sulking had a familiar rhythm to it.

The difference wasn’t around Isabelle.

It was Isabelle herself.

Alexandra noticed it in the kitchen, when Isabelle didn’t rush to take over. Usually, she was the one checking on the roast, plating the salad, folding napkins without being asked. This time, she’d helped, yes—but only what she chose to help with.

Charlotte, bless her, had already stepped in to cover what Isabelle left untouched.

"I’ve got the starters," Charlotte said cheerfully, sliding past Pascale with a tray. "You sit, Isabelle. Seriously."

And Isabelle had. No protest. No automatic rise. No quiet martyrdom.

Alexandra handed her a glass of wine on the way by and got a grateful smile in return.

Progress, Alexandra thought. Real, tangible progress.

Later, at the table, Arthur was complaining about how no one "warned him" that relationships required emotional availability. Charles laughed a little too hard. Lorenzo made a noise of agreement.

Isabelle didn’t even look up from her plate.

"Maybe next time, try listening instead of defending," she said calmly.

Arthur blinked at her. "What?"

"You keep saying your ex didn’t get it," Isabelle said, her tone cool, even. "But maybe she just got it sooner than you did. That she wasn’t going to wait around forever."

It was the kind of sentence that, even six months ago, she would’ve swallowed. Bitten her tongue. Let it pass to keep the peace.

Now?

Now she met Arthur’s stunned silence with an arched brow and took another sip of her water.

Alexandra exchanged a glance with Charlotte.

Interesting.

Over dinner, the change became even more obvious. Isabelle, who usually sat back and filled glasses and smoothed over awkward silences, didn’t hover this time. She served herself first. Didn’t get up to clear plates halfway through. When Charles grumbled something about the seasoning being off, she didn’t apologize or jump to fix it.

She just raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you should cook next time.”

Alexandra nearly choked on her wine. Charlotte, across the table, tried very hard not to smile.

Later, when Isabelle reached for the bread, the sleeve of her blouse slipped slightly and something glittered on her wrist.

Alexandra blinked.

It was a delicate emerald tennis bracelet. Stunning. And definitely not costume jewelry.

And when Isabelle leaned over to pull her phone from her bag — a small, quilted black Chanel purse with the gold chain strap looped twice — Alexandra’s brain paused.

Because Isabelle had always dressed nicely. Classic. Understated. But not… that.

Not luxury.

Not the kind of luxury that didn’t scream but whispered.

Charlotte leaned over at the same time to grab the wine, and Alexandra caught the way her eyes lingered just a moment too long on the bracelet.

So it wasn’t just her who noticed.

They didn’t say anything. Not right away. But Charlotte gave Alexandra a slight nudge under the table, her brows lifting ever so slightly.

Do you see it too?

Oh, she did.

Something had changed. And not just the jewelry.

Isabelle was still sweet. Still generous.

But Isabelle Leclerc had finally put up a door between herself and the rest of her family.

And she was the one holding the key.

Isabelle didn’t let her brothers talk over her this time. When Lorenzo interrupted her story — not even rudely, just casually — she didn’t fall silent or shrink back. She finished her sentence calmly, firmly. Charles frowned a few times when she deflected a passive-aggressive comment from Pascale, but didn’t say anything.

And Arthur — Arthur, still bitter from his breakup — made a snide comment halfway through dessert about people thinking they know better than they do.

Isabelle didn’t flinch.

“I’d rather be the girl who tries too hard than the boy who gives up the moment something gets hard,” she said lightly, reaching for the espresso spoon.

The table went silent.

Charlotte coughed quietly.

Alexandra sipped her wine and tried very hard not to grin.

When the dishes were done and the conversation finally wound down, Isabelle hugged them all goodbye — even Arthur, who stiffly muttered something like an apology.

She left with her shoulders straight, that little bag swinging against her hip, and a quiet sort of confidence that Alexandra hadn’t seen before.

As they watched her disappear into the Monaco night, Charlotte leaned in, her voice low.

“Is it just me,” she asked softly, “or is she finally choosing herself?”

Alexandra smiled. “About damn time.”

Charlotte hesitated. “The bracelet?”

“And the bag,” Alexandra added.

“Think she bought them herself?”

Alexandra just hummed thoughtfully, eyes still on the door.

If she had to guess?

No.

***

The second Belle opened the front door, she smelled home.

Warm spice and something sweet from the candle he always lit when she was gone. The low hum of the dishwasher in the background. The quiet shuffle of paws on hardwood as one of the cats wandered toward her with a questioning meow.

And then she saw him.

Max was on the couch in sweatpants and a shirt, barefoot, hair still damp from a shower. He had a bowl of popcorn in his lap and was halfway through some racing docuseries, one hand absentmindedly scratching behind Lilly’s ears.

Belle didn’t speak.

Didn’t drop her bag.

Didn’t bother with hello.

She crossed the room in five fast steps, dropped straight into his lap, and kissed him like she meant to erase the entire Leclerc family from her memory.

Max made a startled sound against her mouth but caught her instinctively, one hand flying to her waist, the other slipping beneath the hem of her blouse as she pressed closer.

“Okay,” he managed when she let him breathe for a second, his voice already hoarse, “so I’m guessing dinner went well?”

Belle didn’t answer. She just kissed him again—hot, hungry, all teeth and frustration and fire. Her fingers tugged at the collar of his shirt, nails scraping lightly along his neck as she pressed herself more firmly into him.

Max groaned, tightening his grip. “Not that I’m complaining, schatje, but are you okay?”

“I am now,” Belle said, her voice low and breathless, and then kissed him again like she couldn’t get close enough.

Max let himself fall back against the couch, pulling her with him. “Want to talk about it?”

“Nope,” she said, her mouth trailing along his jaw. “Want to pretend it didn’t happen. Want to be here. Want you.”

Max didn’t need to be told twice.

He shifted them easily, her legs sliding to either side of his lap, his hands moving over her hips like he was grounding himself. Like she was something holy and he needed to memorize every part of her.

“You’re tense,” he murmured against her neck. “Your brothers being assholes again?”

Belle pulled back just long enough to look him in the eye. “They always are.”

He studied her face—her flushed cheeks, her messy hair, the faint crease in her brow she hadn’t even realized she was still wearing.

And then he kissed her—slower now, deeper. One hand cupped her jaw, the other settled over her heart.

“You’re home,” he whispered.

She nodded, eyes softening. “I know.”

“And here,” Max said, voice thick with something almost reverent, “you don’t have to carry anything.”

Belle exhaled shakily, her fingers curling into his hoodie.

“I don’t want to carry anything else tonight,” she said.

“Good,” Max murmured, kissing her again. “Then let me.”

She didn’t respond—not with words.

But her mouth found his again, and that was all the answer he needed.

Because whatever the world had thrown at her—judgment, silence, pressure—here, in his arms, she didn’t have to hold any of it alone.

Not ever again.

***

Text Messages: Max Verstappen & Victoria Verstappen

Max: hey

Victoria: Oh no. What did you break?

Max: Why does everyone assume I broke something?

Victoria: Because you're you. And also: “hey” is how you text when you’re about to be weird.

Max: not weird… serious actually

Victoria: Now I’m worried.

Max: I need advice

Victoria: What kind of advice? Relationship? Life? Skin care?

Max: engagement

Victoria: OH MY GOD

Max: stop yelling

Victoria: I AM NOT YELLING I AM CELEBRATING IS THIS REAL???

Max: I have the ring

Victoria: The ring??? You picked it already??? How did you not ask for my input?? I’m hurt.

Max: It's perfect. I promise. You’ll cry.

Victoria: Okay I forgive you. Now. What do you need help with?

Max: How do I actually do it?

Victoria: Max. You drive a car at 300km/h every weekend. And you’re scared of proposing?

Max: Yes, because Belle is not a race. She’s everything. 

Victoria: 😩🥹❤️ Victoria:  Okay. First of all: AWW.Victoria:  Second of all: good. You should be a little scared. It means you care.

Max: I want it to be quiet Not dramatic. But not like… just while brushing our teeth

Victoria: Well thank GOD you’re not proposing in the bathroom. Victoria:  Let’s set the bar higher than toothpaste and LED mirrors, yeah?

Max: I’m serious

Victoria: Okay, okay. What feels like her?

Max: Home. Cats. Candles. Soft things. Making fun of me while stealing fries off my plate.

Victoria: That’s the energy you need. Do it when she’s already glowing. When she feels safe. Maybe after dinner. Or one of your cozy nights in. You don’t need fireworks. You just need to mean it.

Max: I mean it so much it makes my chest hurt

Victoria: You sap 😭 I’m so proud of you.

Max: You think she’ll say yes?

Victoria: She’s been saying yes to you for a long time, Max. Victoria:  This is just the easy part.

Max: I want her to know it’s forever. Like really know it.

Victoria: Then tell her that. And if you cry, that’s okay too. Just not while holding the ring box. You’ll drop it.

Max: Should I tell mom?

Victoria: ABSOLUTELY NOT Victoria:  She’ll book a chapel and ten florists before you finish the sentence Victoria:  Tell her after. Or I’ll tell her for you.

Max: noted

Victoria: And Max?

Max: yeah?

Victoria: She’s already part of our family. Victoria:  But I can’t wait to call her my sister for real. Victoria:  Now go make it official, Romeo.

Max: thanks, Vic. love you

Victoria: Love you more. Victoria:  Now go be soft and romantic and terrifyingly in love, or whatever it is you’re doing. Victoria:  And text me the second she says yes. Or I’ll assume you passed out.

***

Nico Hulkenberg didn’t expect to run into Max Verstappen at a café.

He especially didn’t expect to run into that version of Max Verstappen.

It was a quiet weekday afternoon in Monaco, the kind of day where the sun was warm but not blistering, and the harbor breeze made everything feel like it was lifted straight out of a postcard.

Nico was sitting with his wife and daughter at a shaded café terrace—iced coffees, orange juice, tiny pastries. A good mood. A good day.

And then he heard a voice behind him.

Familiar. Low. Laughing.

Max?

He turned his head.

And there—across the terrace, half-tucked into a corner table beneath a bright umbrella—was Max Verstappen.

Wearing sunglasses. One arm slung lazily over the back of the chair next to him.

A chair that was currently occupied by a woman.

A very pretty, very familiar-looking woman.

Dark hair pulled back in a soft braid. Linen blouse, minimal makeup, sun-warmed skin. Laughing softly as she leaned in to steal a bite of Max’s croissant.

Max let her. Smiled at her, even.

Not a quick twitch of the mouth. A real smile. Soft. Stupid. The kind of smile Nico hadn’t seen on Max’s face since... ever?

And then it clicked.

Isabelle Leclerc.

Ferrari’s golden boy’s sister.

Nico blinked hard.

Max and Isabelle were sitting side by side, ridiculously cozy. She had one hand casually resting on his knee, and when the waiter brought a second iced tea, Max slid it toward her without even glancing down.

It was domestic. Intimate. The kind of casual comfort that didn’t happen overnight.

And Nico—who had known Max for years, had seen him at his most guarded and most cutting—felt like his brain short-circuited for a moment.

WHAT.

Max noticed him then.

Lifted his sunglasses just enough to meet Nico’s wide-eyed stare. And smirked.

Because of course he did.

Max nodded in acknowledgment, gave a little wave.

Nico stood, made some vague excuse to his wife, and walked over, trying not to look like he was entering a psychological thriller.

“Max,” he said slowly. “Hey.”

Max looked up, entirely unbothered. “Hey, mate.”

Isabelle turned, polite smile already in place. “Hi, Nico. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” Nico said automatically, shaking her hand. “It’s been a while.”

“Monaco’s small,” she said with a shrug. “We figured it’d happen eventually.”

We.

WE.

Nico blinked at Max again. “So this is... a thing?”

Max just shrugged, arm still resting comfortably behind her. “Yeah.”

“Like a real thing?” Nico asked, unable to help himself.

Max raised an eyebrow. “What would you call brunch with your girlfriend?”

Nico turned to Isabelle. “Are you okay? Is he... being nice?”

Isabelle laughed. “He made me breakfast this morning. And fed the cats.”

Nico blinked. “You have cats?”

Max took a sip of his coffee. “Three.”

Three??

Nico stared. “How long has this been happening?”

Max tilted his head thoughtfully. “A while.”

Isabelle gave him a look and gently nudged his knee with hers.

Max sighed, as if put upon. “A year and a bit.”

“You have been dating Isabelle Leclerc for a year!?”

Max grinned. “You say that like it’s a scandal.”

“It kind of is! Does Charles know?!” Nico hissed. 

Max, meanwhile, was completely serene. “No. But there’s a group chat.”

Nico frowned. “What group chat?”

Max’s smirk deepened. “The one other drivers made when they found out. You know. The one they think I don’t know about.”

Isabelle elbowed him gently. “Don’t tease.”

“I’m not teasing. I’m offended I wasn’t invited,” Max said with mock gravity. “Oscar’s in it. Lando. Lewis. I’m told Daniel runs it like some form of reality tv series.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Nico muttered.

Max raised a brow. “You sound like Lando when he found out.”

“I am Lando right now,” Nico said, staring at Isabelle. “And you’re just...okay with this?”

Isabelle smiled sweetly. “He’s not that scary once you get to know him.”

Max leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’m charming.”

Nico blinked at them. Then sighed. “You’re telling me they all knew—before me?”

Isabelle looked genuinely apologetic. “Sorry. It wasn’t personal. We were just… keeping it quiet.”

“Quiet?” Nico echoed. “You just kissed her in a cafe in Monaco!”

Max just shrugged, looking entirely unbothered. “Yeah.”

Nico stared at them both for a long moment, then finally let out a breath and sat back in his chair. “Jesus. Charles is going to have an aneurysm.”

“We’re working on that,” Isabelle said dryly.

Nico blinked again, then started to laugh. He shook his head and raised his espresso in mock salute. “Good luck. To both of you.”

“Thanks,” Max said, and leaned over to press a quick, fond kiss to Isabelle’s temple. “But I don’t need luck.” Max glanced down at her, the smirk softening into something fond.

Nico blinked again.

“Okay,” he said faintly. “I need to sit down.”

Max just gave him a lazy thumbs-up. “Enjoy your pastries.”

***

Text Messages: Nico Hulkenberg & Daniel Ricciardo

Nico: DANIEL. WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Daniel: 👀 hello to you too, sunshine

Nico: I just saw Max. With a woman. At a café. IT WAS ISABELLE. ISABELLE LECLERC.

Daniel: OH MY GOD WE GOT ANOTHER ONE

Daniel: Nico. Nico buddy. I’m one of the founding members of the support group.

Nico: WHAT SUPPORT GROUP

Daniel: say less you’re coming with me

***

Group Chat: HELP ME

 (Members: Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz Jr., George Russell, Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg)

Daniel added Nico Hulkenberg to the group.

Lando: ANOTHER ONE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT

Alex: rip nico

Carlos: bienvenido al infierno

Lewis: welcome. please proceed to the panic corner

Nico H: You are all insane. How long has this been going on??

Lando: March 2023-ish?? It’s fuzzy. Like trauma memory.

George: We were so innocent once.

Daniel: So. How’d you find out?

Nico H: Café in Monaco. Saw them sharing a croissant. He called her his girlfriend. They have cats. He kissed her on the cheek like it was nothing.

Carlos: a casual public kiss?? he’s escalating

Nico H: They looked… happy. Like really happy. Max was smiling. LIKE. PROPERLY.

Oscar: it's disarming, right?

Nico: And he said you guys have a group chat that he “knows about”

Lewis: ...well shit

Daniel: he wasn’t supposed to know

Alex: he always knows

Carlos: i bet belle told him

Lando: Did you tell Charles?

Nico H: NO. Do I look suicidal?

Daniel: good answer

Carlos: we don’t tell Charles. that’s a rule.

Lewis: He finds out when the rest of Monaco does.

Nico: I need a drink.

Daniel: don’t worry you’ll get used to it Max + Belle = our collective emotional crisis but also the healthiest relationship in the paddock

Oscar: and she sends cookies sometimes

Lando: and fixes your interior lighting plan if you ask nicely

Nico: You’re all too comfortable with this

Daniel: you will be too in time

Nico: Okay, hold on. Just so I know how far down the rabbit hole I’ve fallen— Who else actually knows?

Carlos: good question

Lando: like… besides us?

Oscar: uh. I may have told Mark Webber at one point

Lando: YOU TOLD MARK WEBBER??

Oscar: HE ALREADY KNEW! I JUST ACCIDENTALLY CONFIRMED IT. 

Oscar: Apparently he and Coulthard had a bet? 

Lando: WHY DOES DC KNOW?!

Lewis: I told Seb.

Daniel: YOU WHAT

Lewis: I needed a sanity check!!

Carlos: that’s fair

Daniel: Okay. Great. Good. We’ve gone from “don’t tell Charles” to “this is a United Nations subcommittee.”

Alex: Max told me Nico Rosberg knows.

Lando: do we have a list???

Lewis: we NEED a list

George: Okay hold on. Running tally. People who know:

Lando

Oscar

Daniel

Carlos

Lewis

Alex

George

Nico Hulkenberg

Mark Webber

David Coulthard

Sebastian Vettel

Nico Rosberg

Daniel: …There is no way Checo doesn’t know. He’s literally Max’s teammate. 

Carlos: We should just invite them all in here at this point.

Daniel: Seb knows. Coulthard knows. Webber knows. We're three ex-Red Bulls away from summoning Christian Horner.

Oscar: Do we… invite them all?

Daniel: YES.

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Sebastian Vettel to the chat

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Mark Webber to the chat

Daniel Ricciardo  has added David Coulthard to the chat

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Nico Rosberg to the chat

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Sergio Perez to the chat

Sebastian Vettel: Hello everyone. Lewis told me. I love them. I’m emotionally invested. Carry on.

Lando: THE GOAT HAS SPOKEN

Daniel: Thanks for coming, Seb. We’re just trying to track how many people know about Max and Belle.

Sebastian: Oh. I told Kimi.

George: YOU WHAT

Alex: Oh my God.

Oscar: You told Kimi Räikkönen?

Sebastian: Yes. He said “Tell Max if he breaks her heart I’ll run him over with a snowmobile.” It was very moving.

Carlos: I believe this

Lewis: I… yeah that sounds about right

Sergio Pérez: WHY AM I HERE.

Daniel: Hey Checo! 😊

Checo: No. No, don’t smile at me like that. What the hell is this group.

Oscar: Support circle for drivers emotionally impacted by the Belle + Max reveal.

Alex: Also informal Charles Leclerc Early Warning System™

Checo: Absolutely not. I already know Max and secrets is a bad combination. I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE.

Lewis: Too late. Welcome. Take a seat. Don’t stand near Lando, he attracts chaos.

Mark: Fernando knows too. 

Daniel: Oh my god. He does, doesn’t he?

David: …yes.

Sebastian: This is better than any paddock meeting I’ve ever been in.

Nico H: This is a deeply cursed chat. I’m afraid to check my notifications.

Nico R: I told no one. I’m being so responsible.

Lewis: Shut up.

Nico R: You shut up. 

David: Can we add Kimi? For science?

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Fernando Alonso to the chat

Daniel Ricciardo  has added Kimi Raikkonen to the chat

Fernando: Hello. I have been expecting this.

Oscar: What do you MEAN you’ve been expecting this??

Fernando: They were inevitable. I saw it in her posture. And in his eyes.

Alex: WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN.

George: Is this… prophecy? Does he have prophecy powers?

Fernando: I am simply observant. You are all very slow.

Daniel: FERNANDO YOU HAVE BEEN SILENT THIS WHOLE TIME

Fernando: Some truths must reveal themselves on their own.

Carlos: Why are you the way you are

Lando: Please someone put that on a t-shirt

Daniel: He saw it “in her posture.” I’m losing it.

Kimi: Stop tagging me

Sebastian: Hi Kimi! 😊

Kimi: I already said what I had to say. If he hurts her I will deal with it.

Nico H: This is getting terrifying

Checo: This is already terrifying

Daniel: Okay okay okay, Let’s take stock

George: We’ve gone from “this is a small secret” to “seemingly every major F1 figure of the last decade is now here”

Oscar: And all of us are more stressed about Charles than Max himself

Mark: Charles is going to spontaneously combust

David: Honestly I’m surprised he hasn’t already

Alex: He’s probably still too busy thinking Lando is flirting with Belle over sprinkles

Lando: IT WAS A NORMAL CONVERSATION ABOUT ICE CREAM

Daniel: ...do we tell Christian?

Lando: NO.

Sebastian: Absolutely not.

Mark: God no.

Fernando: Let the chaos unfold naturally.

David: It’s already unfolding unnaturally

Oscar: Next person to find out gets added automatically?

Mark: Yes. It’s law now.

Carlos: So what happens when Charles finds out?

Lewis: The group chat will spontaneously combust.

Alex: Or evolve into a new form. Like a Pokémon.

George: HELP ME: FINAL BOSS EDITION

[postmortemlatte]

So, because of the recent @saiscribbles "controversy," I have made a post where I proposed that if what Sai did was really so bigoted and disgusting as the Twitter kids claim, then fans who were affected would speak out.

Fortunately, a brave and kind individual came forward to provide proof

Never mind that they did so like....this:

Which immediately makes me want to listen to them, of course. Clearly, they are very reasonable. More importantly, the examples they provided just called Sai mean, which is both unrelated to the issue that is currently whined about and not a cancelation worthy offense.

When I communicated that to the brave volunteer, this little exchange happened.

This is why I'm making this post. These kinds of people are exactly the problem. It was never Sai. It. Was. Never. Sai.

It's these little fake performative progressives who will claim to be open minded and kind and open to talking problems out first who will screech the most vile and disgusting things at you the moment you disagree or challenge their opinions.

The cognitive dissonance of "you don't understand basic empathy, shoot the roof of your mouth" is especially hilarious, I must say.

Moreover, you're not exactly making it tempting for me to agree with you. Nor Sai nor anyone in her community would say something as vile and hateful at you for just disagreeing. I'd rather be called a retard. Which, also, if I express to people that it would be very hurtful for me, (my left brain suffered irreversible damage, so I am actually retarded both mentally and in terms of my intelligence.) I'm more than confident that Sai and her fans would not mind just not saying it toward me. It would be easy to ask.

People like this, though? The moment you slip up slightly, they will shoot hate and vitriol at you until you bend.

This is exactly what Lily Orchard does. Exactly what Lio Convoy and his friends do.

So, if you don't mind, I will continue supporting Sai. And you can go whine about bigotry somewhere else.

[anunwelcomedspirit]

the bouy !! :3 i hope you’re able to feel better eventually /gen

will somebody draw my teddy bear im very low on mood and spoons today and i think it would make me a bit happier

there he is. my bouy.

his name is big ted and my nana bought him for me on my 1st birthday :3

[cawsceries]

your ocs 🔫 tell me everything and anything you wanna share

HI CRYPT i have a lot :]

so i have four main guys with an actual storyline (avry arlo rass rocks). technically five but the fifth doesn't have a name yet so we're not talking about her. and then i have funky little guys (moth, some other clones who i havent posted, and my newest guys cobra and lio!!)

avry is in her early twenties! she was knighted roughly a month before the clone wars began and wasn't supposed to lead a battalion at first. the jedi master who was going to lead the 409th battalion was several weeks away from kamino as the clone wars started, though, and avry was temporarily assigned to the 409th because she's closer and there isn't time to wait.

this temporary assignment is when she first met arlo, who at the time was a captain. in their third or fourth battle, the LAAT/i that was carrying arlo was shot down and his helmet was knocked off in the crash. avry lifted the rubble of the LAAT/i off of the survivors of the crash using the force-- if she hadn't been there, arlo probably would've bled out from his head injury before anyone managed to get to him.

shortly after this, the jedi master in charge of the 409th finally arrives! she's an older rodian training her second padawan, rass. she and avry's master are padawan siblings. avry leaves the 409th in the jedi master's capable hands and is assigned on several small relief missions.

of course, a few months later the 409th has an encounter with general grievous. the jedi master does not survive, but she does make sure rass will make it out alive.

avry is in the area, so she returns to the 409th. rass is supposed to go back to the jedi temple but they can't fathom leaving all of the clones they've befriended and fought beside-- they've already lost their master. so avry (impulsively) offers to take rass on as her own padawan.

and. well. this solves some problems. this also creates more problems. avry is already absolutely terrified about being responsible for a battalion. now she's also responsible for rass as well, who's basically her little sibling. she's not prepared for either of these things, but she's good enough at faking it so she's not going to think about it too much because she might break down and there isn't time for that. she can process everything when the war is over and everything goes back to normal.

she's very good at convincing herself that things will go back to normal.

arlo is doing better overall-- he's been promoted to commander (the original commander died a few weeks after avry left). he has a lot of confidence in avry. between avry saving his life early on, and the jedi master's competence and poise, he's a little ridiculously loyal to the jedi.

he's also a little bit blind to avry's flaws.

hold on. about arlo's pronouns: she is not thinking about her gender in universe until pretty late in the clone wars. i swap between she and he because she will end up using she/he pronouns.

rass meets rocks when their first master is still alive, while scouting out a droid factory. rass is leading rocks' squad and there are droids coming their direction. rass asks the clones if any of them have something that rass can throw to distract the droids. rocks hands over a rock. a few minutes later rass asks for another object. rocks hands over another rock. he has at least ten more.

rass nearly compromises the mission by laughing at the fifth rock produced. after this rass and rocks are inseparable. rocks, who is about an inch and a half shorter than the average clone, is delighted that he's no longer the shortest person he knows.

rass and rocks are my beloveds i love them dearly.

i also have a fair amount of info about avry here and some assorted info about all of these guys here

beyond my "main" four, i have moth (can be summed up by this and this) and cobra (very new guy. hes living his best life. having an affair with lio.) and lio (full name lio veniid. senator. a bit pretentious. not very significant politically. extremely disappointed by cobra's lack of appreciation for wine, has made it his goal in life to change this. its not working very well so far but they're both having a great time)

also fun fact: i have a curse in which i am incapable of drawing arlo's scar correct on any full piece. it's on the left side of her head. (forgot it) (flipped the canvas too many times)

[kerakitty]

I find the fact that Hugo seems to be far more likely to ascribe ulterior motives to Wolf than to Kipo to be incredibly funny.

In 'All That Glitters', while Kipo is definitely doing it all out of love, everything Kipo does is an attempt to guide him towards her ideal outcome. And yet Hugo takes her at her word every time she insists otherwise. This despite her proving herself capable of outmaneuvering him (telegraphing her contingency plan in doing so) with her secret farmer rebellion in Corndog King. She played him like a fiddle in season 2 and yet in season 3 he still seems to be operating under the idea that she's too naive to ever be plotting anything behind anyone's back.

Meanwhile, Wolf is never anything but straight-forward in achieving her goals. She's consistently blunt in her methods and reasoning, yet Hugo is constantly looking for the hidden angle (that just isn't there). In 'Prahmises' he immediately assumes that Wolf tracked him down in order to interfere with his plan to assassinate Dr Emilia and is initially skeptical when she says otherwise.

All this is especially hilarious because Kipo's not even subtle. Like, at all. Like I pointed out earlier: she essentially revealed her back-up plan to Hugo while they played Corndog King and it just sailed past his radar. On the other hand, everyone else has always known that Kipo's kind actions, while genuine, are also part of Kipo's plan to bring about world peace. They just go along with it, usually because they know that trying to talk her out of it won't work. Wolf, Lio, Benson, even Dr Emilia, they all know Kipo's scheming. Hugo's the only one who somehow keeps missing the memo.

[that-one-i-think]

Now time for Lilith the First Season 3 of the disney-ification of MCD Season 3, this time, we are actually going to the "Putting all of the weight of the world on a 12 year old, traumatizing them for life" part, or at least, beginning it. Here are PART 1 and PART 2 of the au

Applying a cut off now cause I ramble and its long. The theme of this season is "Tense Coparenting"

A Plot - Main plot focusing on Lilith, Lio, and the general Tu'la war

B Plot - Shad and Aphmau custody battle as well as Alina

C Plot - This will happen whenever the plots combine or Lilith and Alina are not the main focus. Adult trauma episodes

Also, given how this is now "Season 3"/Arc 3, there will no longer be one off episodes/very few, instead I will do a summary of the plot between first, mid, and last episodes for each category. If/when I do write this, there probably be one off eps, but not many.

Things Established already but I have not mentioned due to time: Aphgang know about the Tu'la civil war, they know about Tu'la revolutionaries, they know that Lio was one before coming to Ru'aun, know about Shadow Knight civil war, Travis has Enki's relic, that trip happened.

First Episode: Everyone returns to Phoenix Drop and after looking for a long while, Liochant and Lilith are unable to figure out why the pendant looks familiar. The only hint is from the old painter lady Jouka, (YAY! She has a name) who claims she doesn't know. Lio lets it be and Jouka offersto have Lilith help her forage while Lio does some work, which he accepts. They forage and Jouka tells Lilith to go grab some mushrooms from a field where she meets the orange haired meif'wa again. Knowing that he is smart, Lilith asks him about the pendant come to find out it's his and that he was robbed under... circumstances. Lilth then calls him a drunkard, which he does not argue. (Sass of a 12 year old is undefeatable)

They talk, with Lilith regaling him with the tale of how they managed to get the pendant, and the man seems incredibly impressed. He then asks who this blacksmith is, and when she says Liochant, he breaks. He has relization on his face before cursing Jouka's name in Tu'la, something he regrets when Lilith revals she knows exactly what he said. He helps her forage before they part ways. When Lio picks her up again, Lilith tells him she found the owner of the pendant while foraging and he tells her he is proud of her.

A Plot: There has been rising hostilities between many of the Phoenix Drop villagers and the Tu'la immigrants residing on the outskirts of town due to increased sightings around Ru'aun. Due to this, there have been rumors speculating about how the Tu'lans are trying to take Lilith away. Lilith watches as many guards who wouldn't think twice about her heading to Lio's now accompany her there. It becomes so obvious that it worries her and she asks Lio if everything is okay, and he says it is, but she can tell he is not being honest.

She eventually starts tagging along with many of the Tu'la's people errands, daring shopkeepers and other such folks to be rude. They lose the challenge. At one point, Lilith laments about the unfairness to Garroth, after noticing his weariness despite Lios constant friendship, and she watches as he dies a little inside, looking at her like Aphmau incarnate.

B Plot: Alina has actually started to manage her destruction magic from the relic, and it has even gotten to the point that Aphmau and Zoey feel safe enough to have nights out (as "friends"... not) and let Alina have some independence. Something she enjoys, especially as she starts finding small gifts, like books, pretty rocks, and toys around. Though, despite this, she always feels like she is being watched. Something that kind of destroys her hope of actually being independent, even though she can't spot any guards watching her. It is a warm gaze that doesn't scare her though.

C Plot: Aphmau has also been noticing the rising hostilities between her people, and while Lilith is doing a rather fine job, (A 12 year old shaming adults is very effective), she needs a more permanent solution. So she sets up Lio as an unofficial advisor of the outskirts. They get along really well, and she at one point jokes that he might as well be a noble with his knowledge, which he says he was before North Tu'la invaded, though does not mention he was a prince. This throws all of the Aphgang for a loop but they accept it easy enough and pester him for facts throughout the episodes. (I think this happens really early)

Mid Big Plot: Throughout the season, part of the reason why so many people are hostile is due to the fact that so many people are getting sick. It has gotten to the point that no matter how many people are healed with magic, they still become sick, with the only people least affected being those on the outskirts. Aphmau begins panicking for her daughters, especially after Lilith catches it, so she begins asking around when Nicole tells her about a traveling meif'wa doctor who knows his stuff, though he likes the drink. Aphmau doesn't care enough and immediately heads to Scaleswind to get him, bringing along Katelyn, Garroth and Lio (for Tu'la reasons) while Travis, Zoey, and Lucinda watch over Lilith.

They head to the bar to meet "Kai", the Doctor, who apparently has been on quite the bender recently. They enter the bar, Lio being pulled away by someone he knows, and Aph and her guards speak to Kai. He seems reluctant but interested, until Aphmau mentions her daughter Lilith is sick and he agrees quickly, citing she has helped him forage and gave him back his stolen goods, while pulling out the pendant. Everyone has never been more thankful of Lilith being social.

They chat, with Kai still continuing to drink but when Lio walks over they both pause. Staring at each other before Kai as the Tu'lans in the bar go rather silent and it lasts untill... Kai passes out. Aphmau orders him to get sobered up, and a Scaleswind guard kind of drags him out. Katelyn asks if Lio is okay, and if he knows that guy and Lio says yes to both, but it's complicated. Next day everyone makes there way to Phoenix Drop and it is awkward as hell between Kai and Lio.

Kai investigates a few patients, the Tu'la folks who are sick a lot more trusting and he quickly deduces that someone is poisoning their main drinking river. The group travels up the river, taking Alina as she really wants to help her sister, where they find man made damn built of sticks from a tree that is toxic and from Tu'la. They can't break nor burn the damn, unable to risk the toxic fumes or parts of the tree being lost. It becomes a small argument until Alina completely disintegrates it, leaving no trace of the toxic plant. It works and people manage to get better and stay better.

A Plot: Aphmau, seeing the use of Kai, somewhat forces him to stay in Phoenix Drop, which he agrees after having to deal with Lilith's puppy dog as well as Jasper growling. He starts staying at the inn and Lilith starts dragging him everywhere because he is a new person, so now Lio and Kai have to be very close proximity. During these trips, Lilith notices that Kai gets a lot of the same looks from the Tu'la people that the mean villagers give to them, and that isn't right. Its rude to be mean to a friend so she tries to make the villagers like him, until Kai tells her to stop. He then tells her that unlike the villagers disliking the immigrants, the tu'la folk have a genuine reason to dislike him but it is not for him to say.

Unfortunately, Lilith is very curious and it gets to the point that Lio and Kai both have to sit her down and explain that Kai is from the North Tu'la royal family, the ones invading Ru'aun and took over all of Tu'la, the ones who murdered Lio's family. Even mentions that Kai and Lio were arranged to be married to, though they don't get into it much. This revalation breaks Lilith for a moment, but with the power of being 12, she gets over it. She does start forcing even more closeness between Lio and Kai, as she is a child believing in love and Kai and Lio refuse to go into more detail beyond "We broke up cause he killed my family" and that isn't a red flag to Lilith. (Aphmau is not the best example sometimes lol) Kai and Lio let it happen and it works out as the three (and Jasper) slowly find more and more places of sabatoge happening from Tu'la guards.

B Plot: Everyone has officially managed to get Zoey and Aphmau to go on an official date and Katelyn is watching Alina while Lilith is off with Lio and Kai. At one point, a guard knocks on the door and requests Katelyn aid due to a spontaneous fire. Katelyn leaves, believing Alina to be asleep and requests the guard to go fetch Kiki. she runs away but the guard enters, removing his helmet to reveal Shad. He wakes his daughter up, who recognizes Aaron from a drawing her mother had and they play as Daddy and Daughter, though Shad does correct her about his name. These occurances will happen (though not a fire again) as whenever Zoey and Aph are out, Shad comes and play, promising it's their little secret. Untill Aphmau and Zoey come home early, finding their daughter playing dollies with the Shadow Lord.

Both of them try and keep calm, and they manage to not freak out until Shad excuses himself to talk to the other parents, leaving Alina alone for a moment. Shad offers them a deal, time with his daughter in exchange for a promise of no harm coming to her or anyone that matters to Aph. Saying that all he wanted with Irene was their child to grow happy and that she took that from her, so he wants a child in return. He even promises to help Alina with her magic so she can be able to play with the other kids without being a danger, and Aphmau and Zoey accept, just so they can see Alina have friends and not be locked in the manor anymore. This becomes the weirdest coparent thing, especially as Aph's main guards find out, along with Lio and Kai cause Lilith has to tell them.

C Plots (this one does get 2): Lio and Kai are playing very civil and normal and it is working, but after long observation it becomes very obvious they are not the best of friends. Katelyn and Dante, drama queens, try to get down to it while bringing the other guards into it. They find out Kai was a North Tu'la noble and lives a life of regret for his actions but hides what they were and his status for Lio's sake.

Second C plot is Aphmau and Zoey learning how to coparent with Shad and at one point, dragging Dante, Nana, and Nicole into this mess. They form the weirdest parenting group, with the occasional pop ins from Kiki and Leona. A mess.

Final Episode: Scaleswind comes under attack from Tu'la forces as they try to invade. An immediate request for aid is sent out and surprisingly, Kai and Lio tag along. Tu'la soldiers manage to breach the walls but Garroth gets there just in time to activate a barrier, but it essentially takes him out of the fight as he NEEDS to focus. Smell of burning corpses go through the air and Liochant fights soldiers with the ease he did when he was a revolutionary. It becomes a blood bath quick but in the favor of Scaleswind.

DURING THIS TIME SHAD AND ZOEY ARE BABYSITTING - It is interesting

Scaleswind manages to win but not without casualties and injury. Garroth is exhausted from overuse of magic and Lio himself is comatose for the same reason as well as burning too hot and for too long that he burned some of his skin raw. Katelyn and Travis are mostly okay, Nicole is fairly injured and is being tended to by Kai personally, who is going between her and Lio. They managed to get several prisoners, as well as the guard who opened the gate for the soldiers to enter. They begin interrogation but results for that will be next season (This is already too long)

After the gore is cleaned, Aphmau instructs for her daughters to be brought to Scaleswind, and Aph is now heading the Phoenix Alliance efforts to help reconstruction and provide aid. Lilith arrives and is immediately worried about Lio, who is still out and not well. All the adults assure her he is going to be okay and that Kai is taking care of him and that is when Lilith let's it slip "Yeah, husband's are supposed to help each other, in sickness and health.... Thought they don't like each other much". Knowing her mistake, she kind of bolts to Lio's temp room to fall asleep next to him as the Aphgang just stares bewildered.

And that is how the season ends

[daniablazin]

An excuse to talk about more headcanons has shown up in your inbox. :D

HELL YEAH THANK YOU

Okay, following the last one, but now flirting style-wise, Lio usually knows exactly what he's doing and he's smooth to boot

Dude goes in having goals, having the wits, and even when his confidence fails him he'll manage to fake it until it's back up and running. He tosses in every line and teases Galo to hell and back in all the ways he knows will get to him — and of course it works, because Galo loves his confidence, and though he will whine about it, he loves the way Lio can play him like a fiddle

Galo, on the other hand, can't do that to save his life

If he actively tries to say something flirty, 9 times out of 10 he'll end up fumbling his way through it and being frustrated at the end (which is fine too cause Lio loves his dorkier sides so he'll only end up more endeared)

But, on the other hand, Galo is a genuine and honest motherfucker who will drop the sweetest, most poetic shit at the randomest moments, without even trying. All because he's thinking about/looking at Lio, will think something cheesy along the lines of "wow he's so gorgeous even the night sky should be jealous of him" and he'll just say it because Lio needs to know it. He needs to hear how loved and amazing he is and—

Lio does not know how to deal with that whatsoever

It's worse yet because he never knows when to expect it (he does pick up on some cues over time, but that never stops Galo's sincerity from shooting straight through his heart; his honesty is part of what Lio loves about him after all)

Funniest thing about it is that Galo's never trying to get a reaction out of Lio when he says this stuff, but then it happens and he'll act smug about it for like an hour

Or until Lio shuts him up that is—

[junkdrawernoggin]

Soooo I feel like people are going to want to praise this as like the best TV show that’s ever been made just because it has Markiplier, so I want to get my opinion out now. Spoilers ahead

Edge of Sleep (TV) is fucking terrible

I mean, I watched it because I want Mark to be successful, but holy shit. That was the worst TV show I have ever willingly watched.

The pilot is fucking atrocious. The writing was abysmal to the point of being embarrassed that the actors had to perform it.

Mark in the first episode…not good. Middle section was okay to good. Final episode was bananas but the acting was good.

Not a single human person has ever acted the way some of these characters act. There is not a planet where the character of Dave and the character of Matteo, as we see them for the rest of the show, would make the choice to randomly abandon their jobs. I have no idea what age the show thinks any of the characters are. They talk about the party at the beginning like they are a max of 25, but then the rest of the show makes them out to be in their 30s.

Thinking about anything that occurs for a single moment makes your head hurt. They are pictured to be in a pretty big city. Yet Linda says they have ONE hospital in 30 miles. Also thousands and thousands of people work night shift, so the idea that there are 5 survivors, 3 of whom know each other, is the wackiest shit of all time. They hype up the medication and then that comes to literally nothing but renewal bait, and I guarantee this will not be renewed even if it reaches no. 1

Everything that comes out of Dave/Mark’s mouth about the “elephant monster” and “dream people” is goofy as fuck (not his fault). They seriously couldn’t come up with a better name? Seriously?? Even just “The Elephant” would’ve been better. Why the fuck did they make them fly to an island 17 hours away??? First, a private jet that small would under no circumstance be able to do that flight without refueling. But like, WRITERS YOU CONTROL THE SCRIPT MY GUYS. If you are gonna make up a mystical island, have it be randomly off the west coast or something. I also can say with 100% certainty that Matteo being a veteran was added at the absolute last minute. It does not jive with literally anything else about his character. They only added it because they needed a reason someone would know how to fly a plane.

Just imagine trying to pitch this show!

“Hey Boss, great tv show concept for you. So this guy Dave, he has really bad nightmares. Everyone around him starts dying from going to sleep. So he goes to sleep to commune with the dream people and talk about the elephant man who’s haunting him. This leads him and 4 other survivors to take a private jet 17 hours away after 50 hours of not sleeping. After his psychic battle with the elephant monster, it’s revealed he’s a chosen one to fight in the battle against the nightmare monsters.”

HOW ON EARTH DID THIS GET GREENLIT??

My final negative note is everyone’s names. Dave, Ruth, Linda, Matteo, and Katie. It feels like they put in stock names and forgot to change them. I do not know a single person under the age of 40 who is a “Dave” or a “Ruth”, certainly not a “Linda.” It just soundsweird. Each name on its own is fine, but all together they sound very cookie cutter

Okay my couple of positives

I thought the dynamic between Katie and Dave was good. I wish Katie got more of a personality than recovering addict, but her actress, Lio Tipton, did a great job.

Eve Harlow as Linda was probably the standout of the film acting wise. She was pretty believable all things considered.

I thought some of the visuals were really cool, and the little pill mascot was well animated.

I wish I could give more praise to Mark but he got the REALLY short end of the stick when it came to the script. He was stuck with most of the clunky exposition. His physical acting was really fantastic and he should be proud of that. His acting ticks are great. If he didn’t have to deliver the script, his acting performance in here would be on par with Eve Harlow.

Edit: Adding a little note that I completely forgot this was a podcast first. I have never watched it but I will ASAP because I want to see if it’s any better.

[junabyclairo]

Hi love, I saw you're taking Lip's requests... so here I am😅

So, I got this idea about the reader being quite shy. She's friends with either Liam or Fiona (but she's the same age as Lip) and one evening she's insistingly invited (which is a kind way to say dragged) to the house for dinner and there she meets Lio, who just can't stop flirting with her, making her blush and all of that. Then he overhears her talking to Liam/Fiona who, having noticed his flirting, teases the reader about it, but reader just tries to dismiss it, because she thinks he's doesn't mean it, so Lip makes it his mission to prove he's serious... does it make sense? I hope so 😅😅

I hope you're having a good day!!!

hiiii i'm so sorry this took so long for me to answer just haven't been able to really think of anything good to continue this on! also let's pretend lip didn't know ian was gay for awhile!!!

being friends with ian gallagher means a lot of things. including, having to deal with his family. after going over to the gallagher a few times you've gotten about as used to them as someone like you - extremely shy and timid around people - can.

"please just come over for dinner, your parents said they won't mind-"

"ian please do i have to?"

"fiona's making enough for all of us, including you just please stay for dinner." you huffed at him while crossing your arms and staring at the floor.

"fine, i'll come over for dinner." you mumbled.

"hey, who are you? are you lost?" a voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

"hm? no i'm with ian," you turned around and looked around to find him after he left you in the living room.

"with ian? you're way too pretty to be with ian-"

"no no not with ian he just dragged me here for dinner."

"oh did he?" he smirked at you.

"yeah, he did." you breathed out.

"hm." he went to brush off a piece of hair off your face and brushed past you on his way up the stairs, leaving you blushing like a lovesick mess.

"was lip flirting with you?" fiona asked as soon as you walked into the kitchen.

"yeah i think so." you breathed out, feeling lighter than you did before.

"but he probably didn't mean it though, did he?" you said mostly to yourself. there's almost no chance that he could like someone like you... right?

after dinner, ian lead you up the stairs into his room and told you to wait until after he took a shower and then he'd walk you home. while you were waiting lip came in saying,

"you know i meant it when i said you were pretty, right?" he stared at you from in front of the door.

"arent you dating karen?" you blurted out.

"we're not dating per se. just fucking."

"...oh."

"but i still meant it when i said you were pretty. because you are."

"stop saying that."

"why should i?" he challenged.

"because i know you're just trying to get in my pants."

"says who?" he says after a beat of silence.

"how about i take you for a walk in the park this weekend and i'll prove it to you, okay?"

"...fine, okay."

"thank you pretty girl." he kissed your forehead before he left.

[xiii-e]

for Xie i hop u have a good day

for Lio...

i read wut you said. im gald i dint make things worse. sometimes i do that by accident

i didnt know i could hate HA anymore than i already did. i know its how hard it is for a regular person to get through there stupid bullshit program first hand, so i can only imagine how hard it is when they bake that shit into ur jeans or whatever.

HA made me a monster. they trained me and they changed me 2 be 1. i talked about what an enkidu does to u last night on another post... they filled me up with so many stims i could barely think most of the time, and they yelled at me wen i did anything other than kill for them.

im still the monster they turned me into. my BATTLERAGE never left. when i go too long without TEARING shit apart with SLAG KITTY i start to lose it. the stinging in my head starts again and it gets itchy and angry in my head. i MAUL because i have to and its a part of waht i am.

but that isnt all i am anymore. since the fuckers left me 2 die better people helped me learn to be a person again. I hav friends now and i liek exploring places and i think grils r like really really really pretty... im a whole person and im not just the part me they made.

I think Xie will always be a medic. their instinct to help people and make them stop hurting is baked in. but ive seen other parts of them too and theyre parts i really like. i think those parts will grow. specially once you manage to get them out of ther. i know you already know this, but i think itll maybe help to know that some1 else knows it 2

[ECHO.EXE RUNNING]

◂▸ Hey Sally- Xie's doing better than they were, having some quiet time in their room. They had a rough dream over their nap, head's giving them trouble, but! They're doing better now. They say hi :]

◂▸ ... yeah, you're not wrong there kiddo. Programming and conditioning can fuck with anyones head, but part of why they do these high-control Projects with us flashclones in the first place is because it's just- easier. No outside experiences to influence your subject, no family or history just... whatever you designed, floating in a tube. It's more expensive to custom-build a soldier than to just use fascimiles or vulnerable citizenship, but the payoff is the control. 'Specially if you bake in some behavioural quirks that back up what you wanna do. A predisposition toward anxiety, for instance. Uncontrolled empathy. Aggression, in some of the earlier models.

◂▸ Remove the ability to play god and fuck with someones genes directly and- yeah, stims. That horror show the Enkidu puts you through. I'm sorry they did that to you kiddo, they had no fucking right to- you already know that too but, likewise. Someone else knows that too. I don't think you're a monster, I think you're dealing the best you can with a problem you never should have been forced to deal with. They made it so the only positive association you got for years, was with violence. Course that's gonna be near impossible to kick entirely.

◂▸ ... makes me real happy to hear you talk about the parts of yourself you found after you got out, kiddo. Sounds like you understand stuff better than a lot of folk out there, and that- that probably comes from experience. You happy out there? You mention people helped you learn to be a person, after HA abandoned you in the field, mention you have friends now. That's real good to hear about. People who get it make everything managable, I think. You're a good person to know, Sally- I'm real glad you and Xie got talking. I know they're happy bout it too.

◂▸ I- I really hope I can get them out of here, one day. That's the first challenge, isn't it? Hope I can be there to see who they find within themself, once the job isn't bleeding them dry. Hope you'll be there to see it too. They'll always be the kind of person to put their own needs last, always be succeptable to that guilt they've been wired with... but I think that'll be managable. Once they've got people who don't want to see them hurt. People who can actually do something about it.

◂▸ Thanks kiddo. Just let me know if you ever wanna talk, yeah? I've got some experience helping folk deal with the quirks conditioning can leave you with. You have anything along the lines of a chewtoy? Can help with minor aggression impulses sometimes, having something to tear at.

[ Helios-8 ]

//

[sammys-magical-au]

So update: I have now watched episodes 3 & 4 of TEOS! Yes, it took me that long to get back to it. I have an excuse I have mild somniphobia ok.

Anyway here’s my thoughts on these two eps, under the cut bc I still wanna avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet:

I stand by what I said about Linda needing a hug, she really does. Actually no screw that they could all use a hug omfg

Ruth was an interesting addition to the story, I knew she was gonna end up dying but I was sad to see her go

It’s so obvious that Dave still loves Katie holy fuck he’s such a sad puppy. I mean clearly Katie still has feelings for him too but his are way more obvious

Also. Baby Dave is precious and must be protected at all costs. I know I said that in the last post but I’m saying it again.

I don’t think I even caught the doctor’s name but he’s. Weird. Kinda glad he got killed actually he seemed waaay too flirty with Dave’s mom and way too confident in what he was doing, but he’s clearly linked to Dave’s dreams in some way based on the flashbacks during his creepy fucking monologue about the machine

And why doesn’t this doctor look like a real person??? Am I the only one seeing this??? I mean yeah he’s probably wearing a tupee but for some reason it just makes him look like something pretending to be a human. Please tell me I’m not alone in this.

What the fuck did he mean about matching pyjamas in “a lady’s size”???????? Hello???????? Was that meant to be a throwaway joke or is he a pedo or some shit??? He gives child predator vibes to me y’all honestly I think it’s good that Dave stabbed him, even if it was an accident

I want more of Linda and Matteo’s backstories, they’ve both clearly been through some shit

Going insane over Katie’s “if you do this you’re a murderer” while Dave is right there. Clearly he hasn’t told her what he did yet. How did that effect him in the moment? We can’t see his reaction to that line but I’ll bet it cut deep.

Like I said last time, Mark (and Lio, and the other actors ofc) did a fantastic job with this series, the emotions are so fucking palpable in every scene.

Please give Dave and Katie five minutes to talk everything out c’mon pls tell me that happens in the next two episodes and they live happily ever after? (<- in denial bc I know that’s not how this ends)

[risilence]

So in a weird flip of fate I was playing Fallout 4 and had the realization that PTN would be a hilarious crossover! ( 〃▽〃)

I lowkey want to write this BUT for now you get a rough sketch ( ´∀｀ )b When my hands feel up to it, Ill make this digital so for now enjoy this traditional sketch.

Chief was surprised to find that the raiders base was already silenced before they arrived. Under Angell's warning, they crouched a few feet aways and hid behind bush and tree. Angell commented that she still felt a murderous aura from within the house base. Eyes thinning with readiness at the home turned fortress in case they needed to battle. Angell insisted that they should just go as the stench of blood lust tickled her 6th sense.

Unlike Angell, Rahu could guess who was behind it all as she was very much aware of a certian group of individuals who still held old world technology to create such massacres. Rahu felt herself wanting to run as she had long ago discovered what happens when you underestimate the order.

But Chief was foolishly determined. She needed to know just who or what had wiped out this vicious gang. Ignoring the advice to just leave, she pulled out here bronze scope and prepared herself to peek through. Her single magnified eye combing through the doors and windows for a glimpse of this potential friend or foe. Finally coming eye to eye with the woman who had vaporized all who had the misfortune of being station there.

Shalom, a beauty that always wore clean pressed clothes waved at Chief. Gesturing that she knew she was there and had chosen not to attack. Though Shalom couldn't hide the fact that she was a bit happy to have encountered the wasteland hero. Her lios curling as she leaned against the window sill with a sudden need to continue their interaction. Shalom took this chance to blow a kiss and motioned for Chief to call her with seductive play. She couldn't help wanting to tease the other as she held back a chuckle when Chief fumbled her device away.

Chief was shocked and a bit taken back by Shalom's actions. Her heart accelerated from being caught as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

Seeing Chief so surprised, Rahu grabbed her by the back of her pants belt and tugged her backwards, "Lets just keep moving."

It was the right call, and yet Chief couldn't. There was a whisper in her gut that wanted to make sense of Shalom's actions, "Does she want me to communicate with her?" She mummbled her next words, "Is this her way of wanting to talk?"

"Chief," Angell was done.

[sunsstars]

rant about gender (internalized transphobia tw) its pretty long

you can reply if youd like, im not going to be upset, honestly a logical opinion on this will probably help.

Okay, i have been needing to rant about this subject for a while, i didn't know anyone who would get it at all(the friend i did have who i would usually talk about those things with isn't friends with me anymore)

So i go by nonbinary(have a flag and all)

its cool and all. i dont mind that, but i don't know if its right?

So i originally just started going by she/they, thinking 'a girl can of by they/them, so it doesn't make me not a girl' but really i didn't want to be a girl.

this all started when i was about 12 or 13 and found out genderfluid and trans people existed(and you could be one, i could be one)

Eventually, I got up the courage to go by they/them, and i love it so much more than hearing everyone irl call me she/her.

i still get that little jolt in my stomach like im doing something i shouldn't.

i went by a few different labels, genderfluid, agender, nonbinary, and transmasc for a while.

I went by he/they for a while, but then got scared and changed it back to they them.

ugh i just feel like im not a girl. thats all i can say for sure.

and i don't need a label, but i want to know how i feel.

I was told last year(by a few different friends) that it seemed like i was trans, just in denial.

i can't even deny that. because as much as i like to push my 'rule-breaking' agenda and how much i say it doesn't matter, it does matter to me so much.

i feel like it should be easy to just be a girl, I've been doing it my whole life, it should be easy. but then i get that stomach drop when someone calls me Lio or they/them and remember why i changed it in the first part.

i might be trans, and just using the idea of being nonbinary as a shield.

because being nonbinary seems safer. Like im not going the whole way.

and you would think after 3-4 years i would stop worrying this is just a phase(spoiler, i haven't)

Im also terrified to come out to my parents. I know they wouldn't kick me out, or hurt me.

i just worry my mom will say "There were no signs, there's no way that's true"

I worry they will say that i can do it, but I'm still a girl to them.

I came out to them a while ago as agender, which they were cool said they didn't mind, but ignored it past that. Never called me anything but they/them.

my sister came out to them as lesbian and they joke about it, they're fine with it.

i also feel like i dont count.

Like i shouldn't be allowed to change my name.

like i shouldn't be allowed to be trans.

I feel like someone is going to come up to me and say that i cant.

I didnt know from a really young age, i like playing with dolls, i enjoyed dressing up and my long hair. All things associated with girls.

I would be such a good girl.

I just wish being a girl didnt make me feel so weird inside.

Anyway, can you tell ive been bottling this up for months?

sorry this is so long. but i did need to talk about it.

[that-one-i-think]

Part 2 of how I would pan out a Lilith the First disney esc show for my AU. Very much inspired by recent disney where it starts wholesome yet gets dark. Part 1 is Here - This is gonna be a long post because I have no chill when brainstorming so gonna put a cut off here❤️ If you guys do like this lemme know!

Background: All of this will be taking place in the same MCD season, I just use things like Season 1 or Season 2 to create easy outlines/sectioning. Think of Gravity Falls where it takes place over one summer but has multiple seasons. This Season will be having a B plot that I will be slightly referencing, but as this story focuses on Lilith, it won't be as important. ALSO forgot to mention but Lio does have fire magic, something that is known by everyone (even before hanging out with Lilith) and is why he is a liked blacksmith.

A Plot - Lilith, Lio, Garroth, Leona (love her), and various lords and other such characters. This plot focuses on the Tu'la side presented in season three and the possible war/takeback of O'khasis (which is why Garroth will be a major player) SENDING A 12 YEAR OLD TO WAR! YAAAAY! Au is Called Lilith the first for a reason cause this child is the only person keeping diplomacy at bay.

B Plot - Aphmau, Alina, Travis, Katelyn, Shad, and other magical and relic characters. This will be all of the relics and magic side as Alina's powers grow thus attracting Shadow Knights and Shad specifically. Won't get into it much, but if asked I absolutely can, BUT I GOTTA BE ASKED

C Plot - This will happen whenever the plots combine or Lilith and Alina are not the main focus. Think anything from festivals where both girls are at or kidnappings (Listen, this is season two, I can start making it dark!)

Now onto SEASON 2 of idk, probaby 3 to 4, maybe 5. Depends

First Episode: Starting out the season with Liochant and Lilith hanging out at this forge, this time accompanied by Garroth as they still have no idea who shot at them or why they were shot at. Lilith and Lio just talk, accompanied by the occasional noise from Jasper the baby wyvern. Lio finishes forging an order of nails and the group goes for a walk to deliver them to another Tu'la immigrant, this time a carpenter. Garroth meets a lot more Tu'la folk and gets white boy culture whiplash, especially when Lilith tries to speak Tu'lan to the joy of many villagers. Garroth spends the entire episode meeting new people and watching Lilith be a true lady, and it makes his dad heart hurt just a bit.

In between Episodes/Plots - Color coded to match which whatever plot is the main focus- Leona delivers the arrow that Kiki pulls out of Lios shoulder and they try and figure out the origin - Lilith trains with claws and Lio tells Katelyn they have been practicing to impress her - Alina has a massive magic flare that destroys her and Lilith's room, Lucinda comes by to help teach magic control (to little effect) - Jasper brings Lilith a dead mouse and Lilith has to come to terms with the circle of life (same ep as magical fit) - Zoey and Lio meet and Zoey actually approves of what Lio is teaching Lilith - Alina is jealous over the fact Lilith is taught more so Lio offers to come by to give her lessons. Alina (ADHD Queen) regrets it and decides she doesn't wanna after the first few. Alina prefers magic lessons. - They find out the origin of the arrow and that it is shadow knight in nature, meaning Lilith was most likely the target but most likely to hurt Aphmau. (But anyone can acquire arrows)

MID SEASON LORE DROP: Lilith comes to the blacksmith by herself, only to find the shop empty and a note on the door saying that Liochant went out to receive a new shipment of ore, so as a curious child she wanders the woods a bit where she stumbles into an orange haired meif'wa. He is tall with bright yellow eyes smelling like her Aunts and Uncles after a night at the tavern, and stumbling like they do too. He turns to look at her and asks if he is close to Scaleswind, which she tells him he is not and gives him general directions from Zoey's geography lessons. He thanks her and leans down to give her some coin and that is when she sees the collar around his neck as it peeks from his shirt, the same one that Lio hides behind a bandana.

Lilith asks about it, but the man only says that it is a sign of engagement and that he unfortunately can't give it to her as reward, even if he wanted to. Before Lilith can ask anymore, the tall man leaves, so Lilith decides to ask the next best person, Lio. When Lilith asks about the collar, saying that it looks like a big wedding ring with the gold and jewels, Lio tenses but seeing that this would not be something she would let go, he tells her that back when he was a prince he was in an arranged marriage to the orange haired teen in the paintings she saw awhile ago. It did not work out and now Lio is here. She doesn't ask anymore because of how sad he looked, choosing not to mention the orange haired man she saw in the woods just hours earlier.

In between Episodes - Lucinda has the idea to have Lio try and help with Alina's magic, doesn't work but the girls learn to meditate - Jasper has a growth spurt and is now the size of a dog, also apparently learning English - Festival Episode: There is a Tu'la festival happening in Scaleswind, and Lio is gone for a week and the group goes the last day, where they watch Lio perform with fire magic (2 episodes) - Lio is busy once again and Lilith spots the oranged haired man in the woods again and asks if he got to Scaleswind, he says yes and thanks her by showing her and Jasper where to forage mushrooms and medical herbs - Shadow Knight spotting's increase around Phoenix Drop and they go into temporary lockdown as they try and find it. Lio, living on the outskirts/out of the walls is left ensuring the safety of his neighbors while Lilith worries for her friend - During lockdown, the stress gets to Alina and she has a magic flare that destroys Garroths shield and accidentally hurts him. She feels horrible but Lilith gets her to feel better by playing games, distracting both of them (Purple cause Alina is the focus) - While foraging, Lio finds the bodies of several dead shadow knights surrounded by mushrooms as well as tufts of orange fur that looks familiar. He reports it to the guards - Lilith finally trains with Lio again after being stuck in lockdown, and Lio gifts her her own specially designed claws so she can have some to practice with at home. (Replicas of Katelyns)

Season Finale: Lio has a delivery he needs to make to Scaleswind, and fortune has it, Aphmau has a diplomatic meeting there so she happily lets him tag along with her, the girls, Garroth, Katelyn, and Zoey. (This fic will involve a Zoeymau slowburn) On their way, their carriage is attacked by bandits, Garroth manages to protect the group in a shield but Lio right outside of it. He runs and the bandits follow, with the shield being reactive magic, Garroth has no ability to close it for the time being so they all wait in worry, until off in the distance they see a fiery inferno scorch the sky. As if someone had opened a portal to the sun on the earth, and even from their distance, a flash of heat is felt.

Lio comes back, this time though as a leopard and just in time to see Garroth drop the shield. Aphmau asks why he is in his beast form and he just drops a piece of burnt cloth at her feet, the remains of his shirt, a silent answer to her question. With their carriage destroyed, they walk the short distance, with everyone taking one of the 4 horses that were drawing the carriage, and Lilith riding on Lio's back. (Alina is sharing a horse with Zoey, because Zoey is better at keeping her calm as to not flare her magic)

They safely make it to Scaleswind, though later than planned and Nicole is happy to let them in and rest, and provide Lio with some clothing. Lio is able to make his delivery, which he does as a leopard (Katelyn was kind enough to grab it and carry it) and he passes straight out on Nicoles couch, along with Lilith cause big cat snuggles. The next day Nicoles gaurds come by and, reporting that the bandits seemed to just be bandits, though they did find jewels and a pendant, one that Lio recognizes and can't place. They allow him to take it and he and Lilith promise to find it out.

That is this arc simplified, but every single episode will also involve either Shad issues/hints or Tu'la soldiers/hints. With this last episode showing one of Nicoles guards purposely hiding letters he retrieved from the "thieves". That's this season for now, until I either actually write it or make a season/arc 3.