#marc saying it was the turning point of his and vale relationship…

[honeyvettel]

i constantly think about what happened at the ranch in 2014 ….

[hotmessmaxpress]

Thinking about the first time Marc goes to the ranch, post-reconciliation.

Vale invites him to ride, and while Marc is thrilled at what this means for their budding friendship and his hopes for a relationship, he's terrified.

He brings no one-- no mechanics, no friends, nothing. He turns up in a rental car, toting his gear with him that he had to pay to fly in from Spain. It's regular black and red Alpinestars, and Marc agonized over the fact that it even bears his name and number. It's not Honda or Gresini branded, so Marc hopes that the name and number aren't too distasteful to Vale.

His hands are a little shaky as he greets Vale and they get the bikes set up.

This time there are no others; Vale clearly didn't want to deal with an entourage of opinions if he invited his regular crew, and there are no observers present who might photograph the occasion. That thought brings Marc some comfort, at least.

When he's on the bike, helmet on and following Vale down the short gravel drive onto the track, he second-guesses himself. He knows the expectation is that they race and have fun, but Marc knows that's impossible. Racing Vale isn't fun. The thought of overtaking him makes nausea curdle in his stomach; racing Vale has only ever brought him pain.

He slides out of the third turn, landing unceremoniously and uninjured in the dirt. The bike is fine, and he climbs back on. Vale has turned around and come back for him. Marc throws him a thumbs-up, and Vale nods before taking back off.

Marc follows Vale around the track for another few laps before crashing again, the bike sliding under him as he takes a turn with little confidence and jerks the steering too hard.

Vale once again comes for him, this time removing his helmet to regard him with a frown.

"You weren't even on the racing line."

Marc shakes his head. "Just getting used to the bike."

Vale is still frowning at him, and the sight makes Marc uncomfortable. Vale launches into another explanation of the track, patiently making sure that Marc knows where to look for his most comfortable braking point. The detailed explanation and total focus on him is suffocating. He's thankful when Vale puts his helmet back on and kicks his bike into gear.

He follows Vale around the track, keeping up with him but never passing, even if his brain screams at him to be aggressive, to take the openings when he sees them. They race laps and laps around the track, Marc always right behind. Eventually Marc begins to notice that Vale is slowing down; he's quite literally not riding as fast as he can. Marc still doesn't overtake, but the thought sits uneasily in his chest.

When Vale abruptly turns off the track to head back to the garage, Marc follows with a lump in his throat.

Vale stops his bike and turns it off, so Marc follows suit. The silence echoes in his ears. Vale takes his helmet off, and he's frowning. Marc doesn't want to remove his helmet; he wants the polycarbonate visor to keep the distance between them. He knows he's disappointed Vale somehow, but he's not sure how or how to fix it.

"Why won't you race me?" Vale asks bluntly.

White noise rushes in Marc's ears for a moment, and he pulls his helmet off.

"I-- I can't," he says, nervously.

The furrow between Vale's brows deepens.

"I can't race you," Marc says, swallowing thickly. "I can't race without being aggressive and I can't do that with you. Not after..."

He doesn't have to finish for them both to know what he's talking about.

Vale stares at him, and then climbs off his bike, wheels it over to where it was held before they took them out, and then walks into the dressing room without a response. Marc feels like crying. His hands are shaking so badly that he doesn't think he can get his gloves off.

He had a chance to fully cement his relationship with Vale, and in his efforts to not destroy it... he destroyed it.

He wheels his own bike over to Vale's numbly, but doesn't follow him into the dressing room. He sits heavily in one of the chairs scattered about the garage, and focuses on taking deep breaths. He doesn't know if he should shower and change and try and talk to Vale, or if he should just leave. Part of him wants to leave his clothes behind, climb into the rental car in his dusty gear, and disappear.

Marc gets up and finally heads into the dressing room. Vale is already showering, so Marc takes his time undressing. He and Vale don't speak as they both get back into regular clothes. When Marc is finally showered and dressed he finds Vale back outside, puttering around.

"I'm sorry," Marc says, after a deep breath. "I am going to go. I don't think this was a good idea."

He keeps his chin up and moves to grab his helmet so he can begin packing his car, but Vale turns with such abruptness that it stops Marc in his tracks.

"Don't leave," Vale says.

Vale looks like a tasted a lemon. He's clearly just as uncomfortable talking about feelings now as he was all those years ago.

"I want... why can't you race me?"

Marc chews on his lip.

"I don't want to be aggressive. I can't... Vale I can't mess this up again. I'd rather lose every race for the rest of my life than lose you again."

Vale runs a hand across his hair and lets out a slow, deep breath.

"I want to race you," he says carefully. "I want you here because I want to race."

Marc shakes his head. Vale says that, but he doesn't mean it. He remembers the way the kindness on his face changed when Marc beat him. He remembers how winning, even at the ranch, soured their relationship to the point of no return.

"I made a mistake," Vale continues, with the same difficulty of a man with a mouth filled with nails. "I let racing get in between us last time. I'm retired now, and I don't care anymore. I want you. I want to have fun with you."

Marc chews on his lip again.

"I'm sorry," Marc says uncomfortably.

Vale shakes his head, and finally approaches Marc.

"You don't have to apologize."

Vale takes Marc's face in his hands, ever so gently. He stares in Marc's eyes for an intense moment, before leaning down and pressing their lips together.

and then marc's foot pops up like the princess diaries

[moonshynecybin]

Hi Callie, hope you're feeling better today, was trying to think of a soft FCO thought yesterday but I fell asleep so back to it today it is.

It doesn't fit with the main timeline I drew forever ago but it goes with something you talked about once so.

Valencia, Marc and Valentino, things finally reaching a good tentative point between them, being told on Thursday that they've done a good job throughout the year and they don't have to see each other during the break and they'll be fine to post about them breaking things off sometimes soon.

Now, scene sometimes during the weekend, can be on Monday for testing as well (very much a detail, anyway).

Can't decide where it happens exactly (paddock, pit lane, etc) but Valentino intercepting Marc while he was walking somewhere (garage, motorhome, etc), grabbing Marc's hand and pulling him close.

Marc's first reflex is to look around to find the cameras, his eyes anywhere but on Valentino until Valentino squeezes his hand, calling for his attention, using his name as well.

"Hm?" Marc turns his head back to Valentino, almost bumping their heads together.

That's where he realizes they're close, Valentino's nose now pressing against his temple, his other hand on Marc's waist.

"Easy," Valentino says, his breath brushing against Marc's cheek, left thumb applying pressure to his stomach, rubbing over the material of Marc's jacket twice.

"I'm not sure it's smart to be all close and cozy right now if we're supposed to break up in a couple of weeks."

Getting the words out is a more painful process than Marc would ever want to admit, his attempt at regaining control of the situation thrusted on him a couple of days ago pretty bad for now.

Valentino tenses up next to him, his recovery quick but not enough for Marc not to notice.

There is a kiss pressed to his temple, soft. And then, Valentino pulling away, squeezing his hand one last time.

"Careful today, I'll see you tonight."

[Debated for way too long whether or not Valentino would also say something along the lines of "Don't be stupid" or "Don't think too much, you're going to hurt yourself" but maybe went the vulnerable wayTM in that one.]

HELPPPP i DO love the idea of this being post vale essentially saying he’ll nuke the relationship by being seen at a club with someone else but it hasn’t happened yet… they both know that they have an expiration date after the race weekend and they’re dreading it but they have this soft little language built between them where they still reach for each other… marc can’t believe he let this happen to him AGAIN so he’s shut down—lashing out but it’s just stating fact— and vale would think the same thing he did in sepang, that marc is looking at him absent minded, like he doesn’t care— but he’s spent enough time with him now to see through it, a bit. not enough to call off the breakup (he wants to be sure marc wants him for HIM and he can not, will not, allow himself to be vulnerable enough to have that convo. yet. we need to torture him some more. maybe they DO break up the fake relationship and marc goes on a date with another guy…..) but enough to still put a hand on his shoulder, his waist… enough to press a soft kiss on his forehead and feel the way marc flinches like he’s been punched…

[batsplat]

Do you have any thought on the podcast that vale just did with Mig. I had never come across someone that had the Marc fell on purpose in Sepang narrative but I’m just wondering how much of what he’s saying now aligns with what he’s said over the years and is anything new information that’s he’s never bought up before? I also saw that he mentioned Casey and Dani apparently but I haven’t seen that bit yet.

I'd say it more or less aligns with the stuff he's said previously, but he's expanded on some points. him kinda implying there was something fishy about marc's fall itself was a pretty popular theory at the time, enough to be referred to by journalists, though as far as I can recall valentino has stayed clear of it (always getting handlebars caught up in inconvenient places in controversial racing incidents, eh). as for the other stuff:

argentina: valentino hasn't spoken much about pre-sepang incidents in general, at most referring to them with half a line (including races that usually aren't integrated into the timeline of the 2015 collapse, like silverstone and misano). I've talked about it here, but valentino's line about marc's riding there should be read in context of another past comment - that valentino was told marc believed vale had cost him the title, which you would assume to be a reference to argentina (more on that in a moment). while it was obviously deemed a racing incident, it should come as no surprise that narratives accusing one or the other of ill intent were discourse points at the time (see here). both valentino and jorge seem to think that marc felt valentino deliberately crashed him out (here). if they are to be believed, it leaves you with a version of argentina where both parties thought the other was deliberately attempting to make them crash. this version positions argentina 2015 less as a precursor of things to come and more as a breaking point neither party ever moved on from

assen: valentino has spoken about this as a turning point before, saying back in 2016: "at assen I realised he was only my friend when he beats me"; plus in october 2015 saying more broadly that marc was "angry about assen". he hasn't spoken about a direct conversation between the two of them before, though the words he attributes to marc do broadly align with what we have footage of marc saying in the actual press conference (for instance, marc feeling he had won the race, see here). so yes, the stances they both take according to valentino basically match up with the stances we know they publicly took at the time, but again: this is the first time he's talked about this conversation, and we have no evidence for it occurring (certainly not in parc fermé - my best guess is that this would have happened when they were at race direction). all of this is in line with reading assen as essentially the point of no return as far as that relationship was concerned - from then on, the collapse is locked in

alzamora: his involvement is something I've been wondering about for ages now (here, here and here). as is discussed in those posts, valentino said way back in october 2015 that alzamora had told him after sepang that marc "behaved as he did because I caused him to lose the world title". this had always felt bizarre to me, because the description made it difficult to judge the tone of the encounter - surely, you would have to have good reason to harm your charge by running your mouth like that. valentino's version presented in the podcast, which now explicitly attributes active malice to alzamora, does make more sense than alzamora just... randomly approaching valentino to worsen the conflict. the notion that alzamora spoke openly in the paddock about damning valentino's championship bid, as well as this getting back to valentino via spanish friends, is also new. alzamora did have a troubled reputation of his own, as a lot of these managers tend to, not least as a result of the honda in-fighting he was involved in (see here). he has at times been seen as... overeager in getting mixed up in his charges' business - see also how he dealt with reporters and photographers. reporting of valentino's alzamora claim in the immediate aftermath of sepang 2015 mention "yet another disagreement between crew chief santi hernandez and alzamora", the "questionable" role played by alzamora, and alzamora's "very different priorities than honda" (see here and here). alzamora's alleged insistence on being at the meeting, even when valentino thought it was not his place to interfere, does seem to gel with his general conduct. to my eye, there are no obvious inconsistencies between how alzamora's influence was discussed at the time and what valentino is saying now, though the detail of this confrontation including a verbal fight at race direction is also new

at race direction: the details of the look exchanged between marc and alzamora are new too. valentino has spoken about a conversation between himself and marc where marc stared blankly at him, and just based on my own conjecture I did think race direction was the logical place for this conversation to take place. this is in large part on the basis of two media scrum answers marc gave in late 2015 that make explicit reference to this conversation, which I should probably get around to uploading (and valentino likewise spoke about it at the time) (so we can be reasonably confident that it happened and that marc was not best pleased by what valentino said). but the smile is new, yes

that was all I saw in terms of additions! other stuff like uccio's involvement and how valentino describes marc as a rider are basically what he's been saying for years. the most interesting bits to me personally were the alzamora comments because, again, that element of the story was odd enough that I was kinda hoping someone would eventually expand on it. much obliged

[anitalianfrie]

im asking! tell us about omegaverse rosquez

first of all, thank you lovely anons for indulging me. thoughts under the cut because i already know i'm going to get ranty

so of course vale is an alpha, marc is an omega, yadda yadda yadda. Marc enters the paddock of 125cc before presenting because he's a bit of a late bloomer (and that goes in his favour because otherwise he would have way less chances of getting signed) does he hide it? he's not the first omega rider in history, but also there have never been motogp omega champions, so he kinda keeps it under wraps until jorge (who's also an omega, amazing thoughts about him here by @whatwepostintheshadows) wins his chapionships. And then he gets to motogp and everybody knows it and he's so young and naive and of course he has the biggest crush on vale because not only he's an handsome alpha he's also THE valentino rossi the greatest of his generation the goat and knowing him personally? knowing what he smell like after a race when he's on the podium and adrenaline runs through his veins? Marc transforms into a horny puddle of goo. So he kind of starts slutting himself out because he knows he can get vale interested, he's there stretching right in front of vale folding himself in half and vale of course know that it's happening and pretends to not notice it but it reaches a point where he can't pretend anymore because he's going into pre-rut and marc is there, so sweet and inviting and purposefully showing the tendons of his neck, so he goes and whispers in his hear "if you don't stop people might get the wrong idea" and marc full of the cockiness that only a horny 20 years old can possess replies "what if it was the right idea?". After the race they fuck into Vale's room and Marc gets pounded into the mattress folded in half while Vale whispers how much of a dirty boy he is in his ears and keeps repeating "mine mine mine" and Marc gets insanely wet earing it. This was also Marc's first time with an alpha but he doesn't say anything about it because. He's with Valentino Rossi. What if he won't fuck him because of his inexperience.

They keep fucking after this and they almost get caught more than once because they keep doing it in public places, and Marc is full head over heels for Vale but of course it's not like that, because they're only having sex (and if Vale sometimes dreams of spending the rest of his life with Marc and biting his neck to mate him when he's not in rut and has no biological reason to blame for it, it's his business and his business only), and nobody can know about it because relationships between drivers are a big no no in the paddock.

And then marc gets invited to the ranch and everything starts to turn sour and Marc doesn't understand why, and of course he still spends his heats with vale but something is not right.

And then we get to sepang 2015 when vale gets convinced by other that of course marc is trying to help jorge win the championship because not only they are both spanish they are also both omegas, and everything that marc has done it's just part of their evil cunning scheme of destruction. (yes vale completely ignores the fact that 1. their relationship has started way before all of this shit and 2. that nobody knows about them so why would other people suggest it (omegaphobia), he's just as delusional as he is in our reality)

Anyway the press conference happens and. somehow it's worse. he insinuates that marc is helping jorge for the aforementioned reasons and takes as support of his thesis not only the track action, but their own relationship. Ok, it's not like he airs their dirty laundry in public, (because he would look like a fool, man that's your boyfriend) but he implies that marc has been trying to seduce him to purposefully distract him from the championship. Which is extremely insulting, mortyfing, and also has the consequence of setting back the opinion on omegas in motorsports of about 50 years. Marc is the evil incarnate. I will let you imagine how argentina goes because i do not have the strenght to get into that mess right now.

[sbknews]

New Post has been published on Superbike News

New Post has been published on http://superbike-news.co.uk/wordpress/you-have-to-be-ready-the-press-conference-gets-valencia-in-gear/

You have to be ready": the Press Conference gets Valencia in gear

After a pre-event that saw some riders face down a new challenge with some local flavour – a visit to the Pelayo trinquet – later on Thursday it was time for the pre-event Press Conference. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) headlined and was joined by Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) and Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) as he returns from injury. With rain coming down throughout the day and that seemingly set to appear more throughout the weekend, that was a key talking point – as was debriefing Sepang and the Malaysian GP.

Reigning Champion Marquez was the first to speak. “We are coming here with good feelings because everything is done but we also won the last race which was very tough, but we achieved our goal to try and finish in the front in Malaysia. It’s a track where in the past we’ve struggled a bit now we’re here in Valencia and it looks like the forecast isn’t the best which is a shame because we prefer dry conditions. But we’ll try and approach the weekend in the best way. You never know, you have to be ready for all conditions.”

Next, he was asked about his teammate Dani Pedrosa, who was earlier named a MotoGP™ Legend and retires after this race weekend.

“With Dani we’ve shared many, many good moments, from the start he was my teammate and we’ve fought on the track but off track we’ve had a lot of respect. I’ve learnt a lot from him and it will be a special moment for all his team, and for Honda and Repsol because he’s a special legend for them. Then from Monday it’s a new teammate with a new character and new riding style. But I’ll concentrate on myself and my riding style, and then look at preparing 2019 in the best way.”

The man Marquez beat in Sepang was next on the mic. Rossi, whose laptimes showed incredible consistency before a crash out the lead, was positive about Malaysia despite his result – and wants to reconfirm positives ahead of winter.

“Malaysia was very emotional, a long day,” begins the ‘Doctor’. “At the end I was very tired! From Moto3 we had Bezzecchi fighting for the Championship and then the great race in Moto2 which was a great emotion for me and the team because it’s the first time we’ve won the Championship, and for Pecco, and for Luca who won his first race. And my race was very good, for me the best race of the season, where I was strongest from the beginning. Unfortunately it wasn’t a good end for me but it remains a good race and it’s important to understand if here in Valencia we’re competitive and we’ve found something, because it’s one of the toughest tracks of the year and the conditions could be difficult. The forecast is very bad but we’ll try and be ready in all conditions.

“From Thailand we’ve improved our speed a bit and we’re a bit more competitive, Maverick won in Phillip Island, I was competitive in Sepang so it’s good to understand if we’re also strong here in Valencia but we have a lot of work to do in winter. We always try to push at the maximum to have something new to try and the next few months will be important to be able to understand if next season we can be more competitive.”

More competitive is something that perfectly describes Rins’ second half of the season. The Spaniard has been incredibly consistent of late, and took another podium at Sepang.

“Sincerely, before starting the season I was thinking that maybe we could be very strong with the Suzuki with some podiums and good races but the important thing is that since Misano we’ve been very consistent and always in the top six and this is very good for us, for me and the Suzuki, we’re on a good level and fighting with the top guys,” says the number 42. “We need to keep working like that for next year. The first part of the season was a bit irregular for us with a lot of crashes but I learned how to finish the race. I think now we’re in a good way.

“There are a lot of races during the season, but for example in my case when I’m on the podium or finishing near the top, I don’t want that to end so for me we can do three or four more races now! We need holidays and to rest but it wouldn’t be a problem for me!”

The man he pipped to second on the podium spoke next: Johann Zarco. The Frenchman was back on the rostrum for the first time since Jerez and confirmed some more difficult races were starting to look up again. Now ahead in the Independent Team rider standings too, that’s a title the double Moto2™ World Champion is gunning for.

“I had some rest, the week after Malaysia and it has been so good to have this podium, to feel some good confidence,” smiles Zarco. “As a rider when you always give your best and try to give your maximum and it’s not working well…but since Thailand for us with Tech 3 it was a track where we did a test in the winter with exactly the same bike, so if it wasn’t working it was the rider. But I had a good result in Thailand so I’ll try and keep that in Valencia. It was a huge crash in Australia but in Malaysia I think I learned good things behind Vale at the start of the race and that helped me to have good pace and take the podium at the end. So I’m happy but even if I was struggling in the middle of the season, to be here fighting for the top five in the Championship and for top independent Team rider could mean it’s a great season.

“I’m so happy to have been with a French team for the first time, I didn’t have to go and see them to talk to them, I was in my own world! Being in a 100% French team in the paddock helped me, I’m not so sad to leave them though because they’re also changing to KTM and I think we’ll still have a close relationship.”

Then it was Lorenzo’s turn. The five-time World Champion tried to come back from injury at Sepang but was ultimately unable to race, but now – at a track where he’s had some incredible results – he’s back and ready to fight it out for the last time in red.

“I will be riding on Sunday, I think I’m quite well to be able to ride, in Sepang I wasn’t or I wasn’t able to fight for anything important; the top ten or even top 15. I was too slow,” explains Lorenzo. “But the injury has improved a lot in the last ten days so now I feel good enough to try and achieve the best result possible for the team. It will be an emotional race because it will close an important chapter in my career. Maybe the rain will help me a bit to not stress the injury too much in the recovery too. I’m looking forward to getting on the bike.

“The first person I had to demonstrate something to was myself, but not even that because I always believed I can go fast on any bike it’s just a question of time. We’ve seen changing bikes in MotoGP is very difficult, the level is so high and every small bit of time is so important. In tenths you go from winning to losing ten positions. It was just a matter of time and with that time I showed I was competitive enough to win races. Not fighting for the target I wanted to achieve at Ducati, but here the good moments were very good and I want to give them the last present of a good race on Sunday.”

Another facing a final chapter this weekend is Bautista, who will move to WorldSBK in 2019. Ahead of the event, the Spaniard is aiming to go out with a bang.

“My feeling is that it could be another ten or twenty races now because it’s a good moment,” begins the 2006 125 World Champion. “In the last races we were quite competitive with the independent bikes and the factory bikes so I will miss this feeling but I will try and end the season and my motogp career with the best result possible and try to enjoy it with the fans, the team and these guys on track. The only bad thing is the weather but we can’t do anything about that so I’ll try and enjoy this weekend as much as possible to finish my time in MotoGP.

“It’s difficult to choose one moment,” he continues when asked for his favourite moment in this paddock. “I have good memories like the World Championship in 125s, the podiums in MotoGP, I have good memories. But I also think it’s important to have bad moments because you learn a lot in how to come back stronger. For me both the good and bad are important. To be a rider and live on my bike is the biggest prize so it’s hard to choose one moment. All the moments are important, I try to enjoy the good and recover from the bad, there’s no one thing. Altogether it makes me happy to be here and to be a MotoGP rider.”

The lights end an era for some and begin a new one for others on Sunday in the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, tune in from 14:00 (GMT +1) to watch the season finale

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[moonshynecybin]

context here and here... short fic (~1k words) about reporter au marc, turning over what their sepang could be... unspeakably divorced vibes to this one...

Marc lays the recorder down in front of Valentino. He starts, carefully neutral:

“So. You were a little bit shaky on the braking this weekend, was there any specific reason? It looked like you were having trouble with grip?”

Vale crosses his arms, narrow posture folding.

“Marc.” He counters. Face serious.

Marc ignores him. Ignores the tornado shredding his stomach. He scribbles something in his notebook, mindlessly underlining a question he doesn’t even want to ask. He’s been trying to keep it more professional, after the last few weeks. After—

“Do you need me to repeat the question?” He says.

Vale doesn’t give an inch. “Why did you write that article?”

So he did see it. Marc flicks his eyes up from his notebook, quick. Vale’s eyes bore into him. unerring. Feline.

He shrugs a little. Sucks on his teeth.

“Did you have a problem with it?” He shouldn’t, really. Wouldn’t if it were anyone else. Marc’s just doing his job, he won’t compromise that for anyone. Journalism isn't about making people happy.

“No.” Vale says, and Marc’s asked him enough questions at this point to know what he looks like when he lies.

He fingers the end of Marc’s recorder. Long hands against shitty plastic. He switches it off.

“You didn’t tell me this was going to be off the record.” Marc says mildly, like he’s joking. He doesn’t know what Vale wants from this— apparently not an interview—and judging by the expression dragging at the corners of his face, the chances of Vale indulging the small part of Marc scaffolded on hope are slim. In fact, a picture is starting to form, uneasy and edgy, lighting the barely-dormant spark of hurt in his gut.

He can’t be serious.

Vale laughs, brittle and hard.

“So you don’t regret it?”

He is serious.

Marc puts his pen down as something in him clenches, sick and determined. Vale can’t— he shouldn’t get to do this, after the last few weeks. shouldn’t get to be mad at him for the sort of article that he wouldn’t care about if anyone else had written it. Not after how he's ignored Marc, skipping over him in press scrums. After how he implied Marc was overstepping, too familiar. Not professional. After how Marc— after they—

After.

Marc feels like an idiot. Whatever. His piece is still good, his writing stands on its own. It asks valid questions, makes the correct comparisons, and gives Jorge Lorenzo a few hard-earned compliments. It's an incisive article. Interesting. Impersonal. Entirely professional.

Just like Vale wanted.

“Why would I?”

Vale keeps studying him, and Marc thinks a muscle jumps in his jaw. He meets him head on, intense. That same chemistry that they’ve been building for the last few seasons turned sour now, crackling like a live wire. Vale’s eyes drop to Marc’s mouth, then back to his eyes. His expression sets.

Marc sees him arrive at some sort of conclusion.

It can’t be just about the article— others have said worse, gone farther. Marc was careful to stay in bounds, tame and even normal compared to some of the other journos in the paddock. No remarks about his personality or his age. Just a few observations about how Jorge is steadily gaining in the standings, and how Vale is slowly losing the lead he’s had all season. The facts, as Marc sees them. Objective.

But Marc has also never written anything like that before. Has built a name for himself on complex opinions and strategic analysis. On the experience he has as a former racer, and as someone who was supposed to be on the other side of the recorder— supposed to be answering questions instead of asking them. On interviews strengthened by the easy, genuine relationship he has with Valentino Rossi.

But it’s not like he can exactly rely on that last one anymore.

Vale tilts his head forward, eyebrows up. A wry little expression plays across his face, there for a flash, before he shakes his head and pushes back his chair.

“Eh, I guess you are right.” Vale stands, nods. He leans over the table and waves a hand in the air, face animated. Cheerful, if you don’t know him. Studied nonchalance. “Why would you? It’s your job.”

He says the last bit like it means something, extra emphasis on each syllable.

“It is my job.” Marc agrees.

“Right.” Vale says, after a moment, tension threading through them both, taught as a bow string.

He says it like it’s final. Like it’s the end of something. It's exactly the same tone of voice he used a few weeks ago in Phillip Island, when Marc had stumbled out of the cold bed in his crappy hotel room and saw Vale fully dressed, looking for his wallet. About to leave. His head had whipped up when he saw Marc awake, and the look on his face was crystal clear. Had made Marc abruptly feel like he was about to vomit, cold rising from his toes as Vale started to speak.

Too young. Too close. Too unprofessional.

Right.

“Right.” Vale says again now, confirming whatever he sees in Marc’s face, blue eyes clear and remote. The hinge of his jaw is wound tight, day-old stubble blurring his sideburns.

Marc’s chest throbs.

He doesn’t say anything, lets the silence fill the room until it’s about to burst.

Vale stares at him a minute longer before he turns and leaves, door swinging behind him.

Marc sits there, staring at his notebook for a long time.

He doesn’t end up writing anything.

[hotmessmaxpress]

Oh my god the onlyfans au is INSANELY hot and Im also really invested in what happens next since oh no he was too horny to remember that stupid tattoo (peak vale). Excellent stuff.

The comments that I have gotten about Vale being stupid and horny are hilarious. You’re so right that being stupidhorny is peak Vale.

This one doesn’t have any porn. I promise we’ll get back to the porn. They just both have to be stupid for a bit first.

And as a treat we finally get to hear a bit about Marc’s perspective!

TW: Uccio

Rosquez OnlyFans au, part 5/?

You have the same tattoo as Valentino Rossi!

Vale stares at the message.

The same… what the fuck? Vale can’t tell if Marc is being deliberately obtuse or if he’s fucking with him. There’s no way Marc is aware of his name being Valentino and the very corny, very identifiable tattoo, and he thinks it’s a coincidence.

There’s no way, right?

He has to be lying. Maybe he’s known the entire time. But if he knew the entire time, why wouldn’t he have asked him for more money? Or tickets to races, or new bikes? He’s clearly a fan, if he knows about the tattoo.

The unstoppable horny part of him wonders if Marc has ever jerked off to a picture of him, as a fan, before ever talking to him.

He’s staring at his phone, mentally turning this all over, when Uccio walks in. He stands no chance against his oldest friend, who immediately clocks that something is wrong.

He confesses everything immediately, from the porn addiction to the sexting with a stranger. He can’t even look at Uccio’s face when he admits that he sent the other man a picture that very obviously identified him.

“And he knows your real name?”

“He knows it’s Valentino,” he confirms, massaging his temples.

“You have to cut him off,” Uccio says. “Block him.”

Vale is already shaking his head.

“I can’t—“

“You have to,” Uccio interrupts. “What will you do if he releases that to the press?”

Vale squawks in indignation. “He wouldn’t!”

Uccio frowns.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know anything about him, aside from what his dick looks like!”

Vale scrambles to remember anything they’ve talked about.

“He has a brother!” he argues.

Uccio gives him a flat look.

“What’s his last name?”

The silence that follows is conspicuous.

“Block him,” Uccio repeats. “Here, I’ll do it for you.”

Vale hands the phone over, a pit developing in his stomach.

Xx

You have the same tattoo as Valentino Rossi!

In hindsight, it was a stupid thing to say. It hadn’t even occurred to Marc in the moment (he was incredibly horny, give him a break) that the motorcycles, first name Valentino, and turtle tattoo might have meant that the man was actually Valentino Rossi.

The Valentino Rossi.

The Valentino Rossi that Marc spent hours watching as a kid, dreaming of meeting. The Valentino Rossi that Marc was desperate to emulate until his career-ending injury.

…The Valentino Rossi that may or may not have been his sexual awakening. Marc has jerked his cock raw to photos of Valentino Rossi more than once.

He has no idea what to do with this information. How does he go about approaching the subject?

“Holy shit, I didn’t realize you were my idol, can I please suck your dick? I’ll do it for free. You don’t even have to send me money anymore.”

Marc is mulling this over when he refreshes the page and, out of nowhere, Vale is gone.

Blocked.

Marc understands why, objectively, Vale’s response would have been to block him. If Marc told anyone about this it could be very bad for Valentino’s career.

Still, it stings. It feels like a punch to the chest.

He had hoped that he and Valentino had been talking long enough at this point that the man would at least trust him enough to come clean or answer his questions. Maybe they could have even continued their little relationship, if it could even be called that.

Against his will, tears well up in his eyes. He’d been talking to his idol this whole entire time, and all he’d done was send stupid videos and jerk off.

It feels like a wasted opportunity. He’s let himself down by accidentally sabotaging what he had with Valentino. If he just hadn’t mentioned the tattoo, or if he’d just thought for thirty seconds before sending the message, he could still be messaging with Vale.

Instead, here he is. Crying on his couch in Madrid, staring at his OnlyFans page.

He’s tempted to take one of the bikes out for a spin, but he doesn’t think he could bear to look at one now. All he can think about is Valentino, Valentino, Valentino.

[batsplat]

You cannot imagine how giddy I get when I see you've posted a nice long thesis on the riders. And the timezones work as such that I see it during breakfast and it MAKES MY ENTIRE DAY. The content just keeps tumbling around in my brain the whole day. Thank you!!!💛💛💛

this is so incredibly kind that I really don't know what to say... so I'm going to fire off a random undercooked take that is very very far away from thesis territory. featuring the 2015 season

in 2022, jorge gave one of his own regularly scheduled takes on the 2015 season. he offered up a bit of an unusual opinion by focusing on the argentina clash that year - which he that "crucial" in the collapse of the marc/valentino relationship:

(god, can you imagine having a workplace falling out so bad that seven years later it's still an active topic of speculation what exactly the precipitating event was, and several of your coworkers enjoy regularly weighing in with their thoughts? like man they'll never be allowed to rest)

I find this really interesting coming from jorge. one of the fun things about that season is the degree of genuine ambiguity that exists about all of the major on-track flashpoints. was one of valentino or marc responsible for the argentina crash? was the cutting of the chicane at assen premeditated by valentino? and, of course, did valentino really kick marc at sepang? that being said... the argentina one has always been the one where it just seemed... unfortunate timing, shit happens. it's more on marc, he made a misjudgement and also just took a bit too much risk in the context of the title fight, but complete racing incident. that's the reason why this is a slightly odd take from jorge. it's the one incident nobody really has pinned on valentino, certainly not the commentators or the commentariat or otherwise or anyone

to be clear - this post isn't about figuring out what 'really happened' at argentina 2015, it's more about... well, how it was perceived at the time, and what that tells us. but, just to quickly get this out of the way: from the outside (and with the obvious caveat of 'what do I know'), it's a little tricky to see how you'd solely blame valentino for the collision. valentino is by this point clearly ahead of marc, he's literally just been bumped into by marc so may also not have been 100% in control of the bike, and he's taking a regular line into the next turn... when marc essentially rides so closely to him that valentino turning the bike takes out marc's front wheel. even if vale's deliberately trying to ride defensively against marc, he's perfectly entitled to do so. I know jorge doesn't actually specify valentino crashed marc out deliberately, but given the specific situation, I feel like that's what you're implying when you're saying he's "responsible". you're suggesting valentino knew where marc was and essentially purposefully moved the bike across to wipe out marc's front wheel and... look. I suppose it's possible, though valentino's also allowed to some extent to deliberately make the life of the guy behind him harder. more likely, this is just what happens when two hard racers race each other and insist on practically sitting on each other's bikes when they're on track together - sometimes it'll go wrong. except, of course, that won't stop controversy from breaking out... especially not when it's these two. here, from one of the write ups of the race, is a description of the two of them I've always been fond of:

which is very them, yes. same type of guy, slightly different flavour, both with carefully cultivated reputations. but look, the main takeaway is this: we don't know their actual intentions. I don't know if valentino deliberately made contact with marc. let's be honest, marc doesn't know if valentino deliberately made contact. only valentino knows that. jorge lorenzo certainly doesn't know that. so why is this the incident he brought up?

in part, I'm curious how jorge even got that impression that marc was mad, and also why he thinks valentino was to blame. the latter, okay, jorge isn't naturally inclined to be generous towards valentino's particular style of racing, not least because he's fallen foul of it a fair few times over the years (though I'd say valentino on occasion was rather less subtle than that against jorge lol). but why is this the thing jorge brings up? I mean, you'd think he'd point to assen as the turning point, given he was literally sitting in that extremely awkward post-race presser and clearly very much enjoyed the whole thing. does he know marc was mad at valentino for argentina? that marc "didn't like it"? was this some kind of paddock rumour at the time? would there have been any basis for that rumour?

so, marc himself was quick to publicly deny that he was angry at valentino, something he reiterated at the next race in jerez. immediately post-race, he said the following:

and the official statement:

it's still far from the snarky digs of the post-assen presser, but to me this is a little open to interpretation. I always find 'learn' a very interesting verb. casey over the years was particularly keen on using that word, typically in relation to valentino, to the point where when you see that his tweet commemorating valentino's retirement includes the phrase "I learnt a lot from you".... well, that can be read in lots of ways, not all of them positive. it kind of depends on what you're learning, right? when casey uses it, the implication is basically that valentino was an asshole and casey had to learn to play his games and be more selfish fighting vale. marc uses the word four times in the interview, plus again in the statement. valentino has a certain reputation, a reputation marc is of course more than aware of. he is known for... not being a cheat, necessarily, but being a little underhanded in his tactics, a little devious. yes, valentino did a good job in managing the race, but also in the "melee". "you learn different things and different strategies". what kind of different strategies, marc? are we sure he's talking about tyre preservation here?

(speaking of tyre preservation, one of the reasons why marc was probably feeling particularly disinclined to let valentino go without a fight was the fuckery with the tyre choices. long story short, tyre choice was a big talking point due to the extreme wear they'd had the year before and the extra compound bridgestone had developed. marc made a bit of a show of faffing about with a late switch that he kept concealed until basically the last moment, presumably to fuck with his competitors who were tensely waiting to see what he'd pick. valentino, who had opted for the hardest option, said after the race that he'd ignored what marc was doing because he knew there was only one choice for the yamaha anyway. so in the end it didn't really work to unsettled his key rival and also... well, I mean, marc was two laps away from the tyre choice working in the race, but not quite! just couldn't build up the lead he needed to prevent valentino from reeling him in)

also, "in the end you can see perfectly what happens" is not technically the same thing as saying valentino was not to blame for the incident. it's a phrasing that shies carefully away from actually giving marc's own take on the incident. basically telling the viewer to draw their own conclusions from what they've seen on tv - even though of course marc does make clear he sees it as a racing incident. it's the kind of vague statement that marc has occasionally popped out over the years, at times perhaps implying more than outright stating he has a problem with a certain incident, which does make you maybe raise an eyebrow or two at how he words it here. it's just... listen, it could be 100% innocent and the whole thing isn't flirting with disaster as much as assen is, far from it, but it's the kind of thing where with 20/20 hindsight you do kinda go. hm.

there is a little more evidence that marc was indeed mad at valentino for what happened at argentina... if valentino is to believed and marc's manager told him so directly after sepang:

(why, if you are marc marquez's manager, do you go to valentino rossi after sepang 2015 to tell valentino you think marc was angry at him for losing him the title. why would you do this. what are you trying to accomplish here)

do I believe this conversation happened? yeah, kinda, because it feels like an odd and very specific thing to make up. that's just a gut feeling thing - I have zero evidence either way obviously. I think at most it's plausible valentino misinterpreted what alzamora was saying. of course, the words "as much" do set off an alarm bell or two, maybe suggesting alzamora didn't directly tell him the bits about argentina and assen. but, y'know, it's also entirely possible marc did think valentino had deliberately taken him out in argentina, especially in the heat of the moment - and his team would very much have been aware of his feelings on the matter. not fun to crash out of the penultimate lap. not when clashing with the championship leader, who is also your hero and who you've generally gotten the better of... not easy not easy

anyway, again, this is definitely a bit of an undercooked take, but it's always nice to get a little bit of insight into what the paddock vibes were at the time. if there are many people - and if there were many people back then - who think that valentino had deliberately taken out marc, that he should have apologised to marc, that marc was mad at valentino.... if it got back to valentino through alzamora, did he hear it from other people too? to what extent was this kind of thing common wisdom within the paddock, or are these takes literally nobody but jorge believes in? we don't know, but it's interesting! argentina is kinda the unloved child of 2015 divorce incidents. partly because it does look so innocuous, partly because it's harder to ascribe ill intent, partly because the two parties are far more pleasant to each other in the aftermath. that's why jorge coming back to this specific incident has stuck with me... in all honesty, I don't really trust jorge to be a particularly good judge of marc and valentino's interpersonal chemistry at any given moment in time, but did he see the cracks beginning to emerge so early in the season? to what extent did argentina already make things visibly less comfortable between the pair of them? why does jorge think marc wanted an apology?

if marc really was particularly angry, then it does go to show how quickly he flipped the switch himself when it came to valentino, swiftly reappraising him as a serious rival who should be treated as such. also, let's put aside a minute what valentino's actual intentions were... it's revealing if marc did think valentino was deliberately fucking him over here. (which, given he's repeatedly using the word "learn" - if he does think valentino's responsible as jorge suggests, then he also doesn't think it was just an innocent lil mistake. you don't 'learn' from your hero making an error, you learn from them riding in a way that wins them the race by crashing you out.) like, y'know how in this post I was saying marc obviously was perfectly aware of valentino's past history, including the feuding and controversy of it all? I mean, if you want proof of how aware he was, look at assen 2015! he's clearly immediately suspicious of valentino and his motives... because he knows what valentino's like, because he knows that 'planning to exploit a grey area in the rules by deliberately allowing marc to make contact before cutting the chicane' is absolutely the kind of sneaky shit valentino is renowned for. what if marc does share jorge's belief that valentino is responsible for the argentina crash? if marc thinks valentino did so deliberately, then that tells you something about how marc sees valentino, no?

obviously they both massively over-correct when they arrive at jerez, which is how we get 'in bed remains the same' and lingering hugs feat. hip-stroking in parc fermé, all that stuff. if it did plant a little seed of suspicion, a little seed of doubt, then that maybe helps explain why they were focused on each other more than they were on the guy who won the next four races - even when it became increasingly clear jorge was the championship favourite. which is what it comes back to for me - the fact that such a seemingly innocuous incident was allowed to blossom into so much more shows there was already something there between the pair of them. the championship might be one thing... but somehow, if given half a chance, they were always going to see each other as their number one rival

[moonshynecybin]

top three Streisand led musical aus for motogp...

thank you for this insane ask i can give you two!

rosquez- sooo obviously a star is born. ambitious young musical talent marc marquez falls ass over tits into bed with slightly washed up rock star legend valentino rossi. lots of stupid 70s costumes. marc in bell bottoms that are too small for him. vale keeps the earring and the sideburns crucially. as marc’s star rockets up his relationship with vale grows more contentious…. i will say vale doesn’t die in this they just break up NASTILY like the beatles and are asked about each other (MUCH to marc’s pr face annoyance) every time one of them puts out an album that is VERY clearly about the other. lots of communication via insane song lyrics and when pressed on it saying stuff like. my songs are not based on my life you’re reading into it too much :)

i can’t do yentl justice bc these men are nawt jewish to my knowledge and that is an essential element. that being said i can see an awkward young woman named celestino vietti fleeing her convent to go to school bc she loves machines and being enamored with hot cool older classmate marco bezzecchi who oh no thinks i’m a boy :( and then internally being like. maybe i am a boy. and then they gay sex about it. many such scenes of bezz leaning over cele’s shoulder to point something out in a thick engineering book and cele turning bright fucking red. mirrors as a metaphor. they both play with gender a lot.

yentl is also crucially about threesomes but i can’t be bothered i’m sorry yentl i love you and your threesomes…