#seven something 2012

[maggiecheungs]

how to heal from a messy breakup ❤️

[ilargeicontradictmiself]

ITS NOT EVEN TWO TO THREE DECADES AGO SHOWS THAT STARTED IN 2012 HAD LIKE EIGHT SEASONS , THERE ARE SHOWS THAT ENDED LAST YEAR IN THEIR NINTH FUCKING SEASON OR SOMETHING ITS A STREAMING PROBLEM IT USED TO BE NETWORKS WOULD CANCEL TWO TO THREE SHOWS THAT WENT UNDER THE RADAR TO KEEP THE OTHER FIVE TO TEN GOING, HBO CANCELLING ONE OF THEIR TOP TEN SHOWS AND NETFLIX MAKING A MILLION THINGS TO ONLY REALLY FOCUS ON THREE OF THEM IS A STREAMING PHENOMENON

crazy how 2-3 decades ago shows could just keep going for like 10 seasons easily

[forwhatiam]

It's kind of strange being a larrie as a hand-me-down from my older sister, because every time I follow a blog that looks like it might have been around awhile, I have to wonder if my sister knew the person running it when she was still active in the fandom

[f1gridgirlie]

Back Home – DR3

word count: 2.5 k summary: Daniel comes back to Australia after leaving F1. Your years long crush and yearning for him finally gets a release. no use of y/n. warnings: smut, 18+, mdni, age gap (7 years), oral (m and f receiving), p in v, unprotected sex with previous consent (At least talk about it before hitting it raw guys…), cockwarming? Let me know if I forgot something a/n: I don't even know how this happened? I was sad and ovulating i guess. Lemme know what you think ! ____________________________________________________________

„And? Have you seen him yet?”, your mom asks innocently, while handing you a cup of coffee. You sigh. “No, mom. He’s not even back a week.” She looks at you. “Your brother and Daniel go to a Bar tonight, maybe you can come with them?” They WHAT? You shake your head. “No. I don’t wanna be the little sister again.” How could you explain to her, that since you’ve heard the news that Daniel is out of F1 (again), you could barely form a coherent sentence. Yes, you have loved this man for years. You have YEARNED for him almost as long. You don’t even remember the last time you didn’t fantasize about him whenever you pushed your own fingers into your pussy. Yes, he IS significantly older than you, but he’s always been in your life. Your family and his family are close and so your older brother used to hang out with him a lot. You always wanted him, he never knew. Well, up until 2012 that was, when he was off to Europe all curly hair, bright eyes and soon enough some braces. During the break, when it was summer in Australia, he came back. During a particularly bad night out, you, your brother, Daniel and his sister came back to his parents’ place. You were super tipsy and hormonal, so you took his arm and pulled him with you outside. “Are you going to be sick?” he asked mockingly. You sighed and turned around. “No. I’m horny.” you answered with more confidence than you felt. His eyes grew big. “So? What does that have to do with me? You’re a child and I’m an adult, I can’t help you with that.” Ouch. Adult? He’s only seven years older. “Not like it’s illegal.” You mumbled. He laughed. “It’s not like it’s right either. Look, you’re cute and all but you’ll have to find someone else.” You looked up at him. “Even if we wouldn’t go all the way?”  He stepped closer, leaning down “Oh baby, we would go all the way, after a few rounds.” and with that he walked back inside, leaving you at the verge of tears and orgasm.

The rest of the afternoon your thoughts are running wild. You have to see Daniel. He’s finally back home, and with his unknown future you need to seize every opportunity you can get. You told your brother that you would happily drive them both home when the time came. “You’ve always done it for me, now it’s my turn”, you smile at him. Their drinking and going out leaves you plenty of time to get showered, shaved, moisturized and ready for a one-night stand. You needed to show him that you’re a woman now. A hot, experienced woman at that. For the Drive you decide on a Mini-Skirt, a tight T-shirt and some boots. When you meet your brother and Daniel outside the bar, Daniel gives you a hug, before getting in the car. “Thanks for the ride. I’ve not seen you for ages.” You smirk. That was the plan. Your brother was fast asleep after ten Minutes in the car.  “Some things never change”, you say and chuckle. Daniel grins at you. “He still can’t handle alcohol very well. I like knowing what to expect back home.” What DOES he expect? That you’re still in love with him? He’s right about that. “I can imagine. Your working life was tumultuous to say the least.” He shrugs. “Yeah, but so fun. Anyway, how’s life treating you?” You concentrate on the road. “Not too bad. Nothing exciting has been happening.” Daniel raised a brow. “Really? Nothing? Not even a boyfriend or a situationship?” Wait, did he really just ask that? Everything in your body feels liquidy now. He gets it, the plan works. You try to play it cool. “Nope. Nobody seems interesting enough.” You pull into your Driveway and Daniel starts working on waking out brother up. “Do you want to stay over?” you ask him when he has managed to get your brother out of the car. He grins. “Actually, I would prefer my own apartment, if you don’t mind.” Oh. Great. This works out just like last time. “Yeah sure, I’ll get you there.”, you say a little disappointed.

“You wanna see it? It’s pretty neat.”, Daniel says as soon as you passed the many doors to even get to his apartment complex. A small hope starts forming in your stomach. “Sure. I want to see what your huge paycheck can buy.” Daniel laughs at your shitty attempt to play it cool. After he has shown you his impressive apartment, you’re sitting on a bar stool with a glass of Daniels wine in your hand. “So what do you think?” he asks, while also taking a sip of wine himself. He stands behind the bar, looking intensely at you. You smile “The view is great.”, you answer him. He grins. “Of me?” It feels like the whole world starts to fade away at the corners, only leaving him in full focus. God, yes. He looks so good. The tousled hair, his smile, his beard, a tight shirt that hugs every one of his muscles. “Yes, Ricciardo you also look great, is that what you wanted to hear?” you tease him a bit, while your heart starts working overtime and beating out of your chest. He slowly walks around the bar stopping before your crossed legs. “Actually, I kind of wished to hear something along the lines of ‘I’m horny’” He put his glass onto the table and laid a Hand on your thigh. Your mouth almost fell. He still remembered that dreadful night, where you acted like a fool? “Maybe I am. Why? Do you wanna tell me again, how you can’t help me?” You also put your glass down, uncrossing your legs. He smirks. “No. This time I will make your fantasies come true.” And with that he cups your face, leaning down and lays his lips onto yours. Immediately a moan escapes your throat when kissing him back. You hold onto his strong arms when Daniel wraps one arm around your waist and pulls you flush against him as his tongue starts toying with yours. Your brain is now empty of thoughts and witty remarks, all while your body feels electrified by Daniels presence. You put your hands under his shirt, feeling the slender waist and strong back muscles. This is everything you have hoped for in the last ten years. Daniel slowly moves over to his designer couch before he lays you down, with his hands slowly roaming over your stomach and hips. “You’re so beautiful. Your ass and thighs are what dreams are made of.”, he whispers against your lips. The want for him almost makes you go insane. “Danny, please, I need you so much.” You grip his hair to look into his eyes. They are dark with desire. “Babygirl, I have waited so long for this, I will savor every second of it.” And with that he pulls off his shirt and then yours.

With experienced hands he unhooks your bra, making your boobs spill into his open palms. He starts to suck and kiss your nipples while pushing his hairy chest against your stomach. You mewl at the feel of it.  You have never slept with a man that sports this much body hair. Ever hair seems to intensify your need. When his hand is under your skirt, slowly stroking your wet folds through your thin lace panties you almost orgasm on the spot. “Did you put this on in hopes of me seeing it?” Daniel looks at you. You only nod. “Every time I have seen you, I wore these. Got them with you in mind.” You confess. A dark need also takes over him as he pushes the Skirt up to your waist to look at the panties. Blue lace, on the corner a small golden number 3 is dangling against your hip. He leans down and kisses it before pulling the panties down with his teeth. “Fuck, I have seen a ton of horny shit in my life, but this tops everything. Did you wear that back then?” he asks while slowly stroking your clit. You nod: “I wanted you to finger fuck me on that porch so bad.” Thinking about it you feel your pussy clench. How many times have you masturbated to that thought? Daniel puts your leg on his shoulder, holding onto it, while looking at you. “I should have done it, princess. God knew I wanted to.” And with that he pushed his digit into your entrance. You grabbed onto his hair and moaned loudly. Fuck. Daniel chuckled. “I’m not even all the way in there.” But it was just like your fantasy. Better actually. With lazy movements he starts to finger fuck you on his couch. Within a few seconds you hear squelching sounds and can feel yourself basically pouring on Danny’s fingers. “God, you’re so hot when you’re desperate for me.” He mumbles. Then he leans down and sucks your clit into his mouth. The orgasm rips through you violently and you cannot stop yourself from screaming his name. The feeling of his clothed bulge against your tight makes you slowly come back to reality. Danny is busy toying with your boobs and kissing your neck. “Did you just go all fucked out and dumb for me?” he asks grinning widely.

You give him a little nod and start to palm him through his pants. He grunts but doesn’t protest when you start to undo his button and push his jeans and boxers off him. Eagerly he lays on his back to give you full access to his throbbing dick. The tip is already leaking. You try to fully savor the moment and the sight of a turned-on Daniel Ricciardo with your hand wrapped around his length. “Come on, I know you want a taste.” He encourages you to lay your lips onto his tip. You lean down, slowly licking his slit before putting him in your mouth. With one hand you try to pump his impressive length while bobbing your head. You’re so turned on, that moans escape you while your mouth is stuffed with his dick. He grabs onto your hair, giving you some rhythm. “Oh my god, you take my dick so well.” He groans. Even though his dick presses against the back of your throat, you can’t seem to care. His body, his moans and your hormones make you forget about anything other than pleasing this man.  His moans become deeper and his movements sloppier, telling you he’s close. “Fuck, if you don’t want me to cum in your mouth-“You tighten your lips more around his shaft and feel his load on your tongue. You swallow every drop happily, before looking at him again. “Are you ready for more?”, you ask as he pulls you towards him to kiss you again. He smirks. “Babygirl, give me five minutes, alright? I’m not 22 anymore.” Daniel sits up against the Couch and pulls you onto his tattooed thigh. A little shiver runs through you. Why are these Tattoos so fucking hot? You lean onto his big frame and soon he starts making out with you like you both were still teenagers. His hands back on your tits while he presents his neck for you to suck on. Under your lips you can feel every muscle and soon you leave little hickeys. With every one Daniel lets out little moans, which turn you on more. You start grinding on his thigh but within a few seconds Daniels hands on your hips stop you. “I’ve got something better for you to grind on.” He whispers before easily lifting you over onto his lap and hovering over his growing cock. “Do you want to use a condom princess? I have one in my pocket.”, he tells you being serious for once.

You shake your head, your brain still not operating normally. “I’m on birth control. If I get one chance with you, I want it raw.” Daniel grins again and pushes you onto his cock while also slipping his tongue into your mouth again. You can feel your tight pussy fluttering around his length and your clit hitting some of his pubes. You cannot hold back a moan.  “Good god, you’re taking me so well.”, Daniel lets you know also panting slightly. When you want to start bouncing, he holds your hips down. “Not right away, pretty. Try grinding now.” You hold onto his sculpted shoulders and do what he asks. Within seconds you know why he wanted you to do that. It feels incredible. Being stretched out by his cock and getting friction on your clit, he has you orgasming and moaning his name again within seconds. “Eyes on me Babygirl.”, Daniel demands while your brain barely functions. He cannot hold back the cockiest grin you’ve ever seen on that man. You slump against him, completely drained of energy. “Do you want to keep going?” he asks while also running his lips and tongue over your neck. You nod. He grabs your ass and then lays you onto your back without his cock ever leaving you. It all feels like a dream to you, still. With expert movements he starts to slowly fuck in and out of you, letting out little moans with every movement. His moans turn you on just as much as his cock does and soon you start moving your hips in synch with him causing even more wet, slapping sounds. “All this for me, princess?” you nod, not being able to form a sentence. “I want us to cum together, can you do that for me?” You don’t know if you had another orgasm in you, but Daniel would not let you hesitate.  While he still fucks into you, you can feel deliberate circle movements on your clitoris. Your hands fly onto his shoulders as you try to keep eye contact. “Close?” you nod again. Then orgasm hits again and you cry out Danny’s name again while you can also see and feel him cum. Your walls practically leaking with both of your releases. He collapses on top of you leaving you to play with his hair for a bit. “That was incredible. I have not gotten a fuck this great in years… if ever.” You smile. Your brain slowly starts thinking again. “This will give me material for my solo performances for years to come.” You can feel his dick twitch inside of you. Daniel looks at you. “No. No solo performances while I’m here. Call me or come over whenever your pussy needs me.” You smirk. “I’ll stay then.”

[books]

Writers! Assemble!

Calling all #writers on tumblr! We have something very special lined up for you here on @books this month: Your very own Betts (@bettsfic) is running a writing workshop!

Who is @bettsfic?

Betts has been on Tumblr since 2012, where she mostly answers writing advice asks but occasionally goes on reblogging sprees of fleeting hyperfixations. She’s the Editor-in-Chief of OFIC Magazine (@oficmag), a literary journal for original fiction by fanauthors. She also leads the Fanauthor Workshop (@fanauthorworkshop).

Beth's fiction has most recently appeared in The Write Launch, Barren Magazine, and Rivet Journal. She received the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant and was a Hudson Prize and Launch Pad Prose Competition finalist. Her work has been supported by the Millay, Jentel, and Kimmel-Harding Nelson Center artist residencies, among others, and she’s been teaching creative writing for seven years as a college instructor and a freelance writing coach. You can find out more at bethweeks.com.

What's this about a workshop?

A writing workshop is generally a gathering of writers sharing work and giving feedback. In this case, we’re hosting what’s called a generative workshop, which means we’ll be introducing core writing concepts and providing prompts for you to work on and share. 

How does this work?

Each Monday over the next four weeks, starting August 14, we’ll post a workshop post for the week at 10 AM EST. 

On Wednesdays, Betts will answer any questions you might have. Please send us your questions here on @books on Monday/Tuesday, so she can review them and prepare answers for posting on the Wednesday of that week.

Every Friday is Feature Friday! Betts will select work from the #tumblr writing workshop with betts tag page, and we'll reblog it to Books. 

How to join:

You can get as involved as you like. Message us here at Books to be included in the tag list on each Monday workshop post so that you get a notification. 

You can also simply follow along quietly on the #tumblr writing workshop with betts tag page.

Questions? 

Ask any questions you might have before we start here, and Betts will answer them here on Books through this next week.

So, sharpen your pencils, polish your keyboards, and follow the #tumblr writing workshop with betts tag, and we'll see you in the writers' room <3

[asoftepiloguemylove]

i never grew up with you and you're not my waiting room

Marjane Satrapi Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood / unknown / Clementine von Radics / Clementine von Radics / image (unknown) quote (Richard Siken Crush) / Louise Glück from Unpainted Door, "Poems 1962-2012" / unknown / image (unknown) quote (Phoebe Bridgers Moon Song)

i. Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

[ "What is childhood like? It's a little like dying, a little like being born. Which is to say, it's nothing you can remember, but you know there was blood." ]

ii. unknown

[ Floating cutout of a wolf on a black background. Text surrounds the image. "NOTHING WILL BE LEFT OF ME / BUT A MEMORY / BUT EVEN THAT WILL DIE OFF TOO" ]

iii. Clementine von Radics

[ "Every time a man yells / you are seven years old again / and he is packing that suitcase / once more. Picking you up by the neck, / teaching you obedience. To be soft, / like the belly of a fish / exposed to a knife." ]

iv. Clementine von Radics

[ "When I imagine myself I am barely there." ]

v. Richard Siken, Crush

[ The background image is of two black men standing face to face. The man of the left holds the back of the man on the right's head. They are posed intimately with their foreheads touching. The words are cut out like a collage and placed in the middle of the image. "he / touches / you, / like a / prayer / for which / no / words / exist, / and you / feel / your heart / taking / root / in your / body, / like / you've / discovered / something / you didn't / even / have / a name / for." ]

vi. Louise Glück, Unpainted Door

[ Screenshot of a tumblr post from @/weltenwellen "I remember my childhood as a long wish to be elsewhere." Louise Glück from "Unpainted Door", Poems 1962-2012 ]

vii. unknown

[ "You can never leave home. / You take it with you no matter where you go. Home is between your teeth, under your fingernails, in the hair follicles, in your smile, in the ride of your hips, in the passage of your breasts." ]

viii. Phoebe Bridgers, Moon Song

[ Edited collage. The background image is of a teenage boy laying on a pile of books while his dog lays with it's chin on his neck. The words are cut on paper at the top and bottom of the image. There are silver stars sporadically placed on the image. "so i will wait for the next time you want me / like a dog with a bird at your door" ]

[luvs4jhutch]

National Anthem

Fanfic type: Smut One Shot Word count: 2.7k+ Pairing: Josh Hutcherson x Fem!reader

Warnings: 18+ MDNI; praising, edging, calling names (baby, sweetheart, etc), unprotected sex, dry humping, oral (m receiving), creampie, female pronouns, aftercare.. (I don't know how to write endings so i'll put it as a warning too LMAO)

Summary: In a night filled with opulence, you dressed to impress for your lover's mysterious surprise. From a chic restaurant to a lavish penthouse, you basked in the extravagance he showered upon you. The evening unfolded with decadent courses, expensive wines, and whispered promises of more indulgent encounters. As the night progressed, the dimly lit room enveloped you, its intimacy heightening the anticipation with each passing moment. The air was thick with desire as the lavish surroundings became a backdrop for an unforgettable rendezvous.

Author note: This is the first time I write something here, I hope you like it. English is not my first language btw, feel free to correct grammar and stuff. Merry christmas LMAOO<3

˝Money is the anthem of success so put on mascara and your party dress.˝

You looked in the mirror one last time and were radiant. Your hair in a half ponytail; the black short dress that was both elegant and casual; your lips... they looked so desirable... You were ready, and you knew it.

You looked at the time on your cell phone 06:54 PM. You knew Josh wasn't an unpunctual person, especially when it came to you. A message appeared on the screen of the device you were holding «hope you're ready for our surprise, sweetheart» You didn't even bother to open it.

You grabbed your expensive Louis Vuitton bag and a gorgeous fur coat, both gifts from your lover.

You checked the time one last time: 7:00pm sharp. The horn of Josh's Bugatti Veyron that you already recognized sounded twice, indicating that he was already waiting for you. You took your keys and opened the door to your luxurious residence. You couldn't see him, his windows were tinted, but you knew he could. As soon as you got close enough to the vehicle, Josh got out of it and approached you, kissed your hand and opened the door for you to get into the car. “You look stunning,” he says as he sits in the driver's side. “Thank you,” you responded, giving him a smile that maybe was fake, wondering whether to add an «I already knew that» or maybe an «I always am».

"Are you ready?" he asked looking into your eyes. You nodded at his question and smiled genuinely. "Yes I am".

Josh started the engine and the car purred at the action. He lightly placed his right hand on your thigh. This would be a long night.

You drove quickly down the highway. "Can I turn on the radio?" you asked, already knowing the obvious answer. "Yes, honey," your lover responded without taking his eyes off the road. "West Coast" by Lana del Rey began to be heard on all the car speakers.

You sang along to the lyrics, feeling the breeze in your hair. Josh smiled at you, admiring your beauty and your voice. He squeezed your thigh gently, making you shiver. You leaned closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder. He kissed your forehead, whispering "I love you". You said it back, even though you weren't sure if you meant it.

You wondered where he was taking you. He had been secretive about the surprise, only telling you to dress nicely and be ready by seven. You trusted him, but you also felt a bit nervous.

You looked out the window and saw the city lights. You recognized some of the landmarks. You were heading downtown, to the most exclusive area of the city. You wondered what kind of place Josh had booked for you. A fancy restaurant? A luxury hotel? A private club? You felt a mix of curiosity and anticipation.

As you approached the downtown area, you couldn't help but think about the extravagant possibilities awaiting you. The city lights reflected in your eyes, mirroring the sparkle of your designer jewelry.

Josh, focused on the road, continued to caress your thigh with a possessive grip. The anticipation grew as the car glided through the upscale streets. You subtly adjusted your dress, making sure it showcased your curves flawlessly.

The car pulled up in front of a lavish restaurant with a discreet entrance. A valet opened the door for you, and Josh guided you inside. The dimly lit ambiance and the soft music set the perfect scene for a romantic evening. As you entered, heads turned to admire the stunning couple.

Seated at a private table, the evening unfolded with decadent courses and expensive wines. Josh, absorbed in conversation, lavished you with compliments, occasionally interrupting to share an anecdote about his successful ventures. You listened attentively, feigning interest, your mind occasionally drifting to the price tags of the exquisite dishes.

Throughout the night, you played the role of the perfect trophy girlfriend, smiling for the cameras that discreetly captured your moments. The more Josh flaunted his wealth, the more you relished in the attention and the material pleasures that came with it.

As the night progressed, Josh surprised you with a small velvet box. Your heart raced with excitement as you opened it to reveal a dazzling piece of jewelry: a diamond necklace that matched the earrings he had gifted you on a previous occasion. You marveled at it, thanking him with a kiss on the cheek.

As the clock neared midnight, Josh suggested heading to his apartment to extend the celebration. Intrigued, you agreed, wondering what else he had in store for the night.

The car smoothly glided through the city streets once more, and soon, you found yourselves in front of a sleek, modern apartment building. Josh escorted you inside, the anticipation growing with each step. The private elevator ascended to the top floor, opening into a lavish penthouse adorned with city views and opulent furnishings.

The atmosphere changed, becoming more intimate as you entered the spacious living room. Soft music played in the background, and the city lights shimmered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Josh poured glasses of champagne, toasting to the night and the surprises yet to unfold. "To us," you added, taking a sip of the bubbly liquid.

As the night wore on, Josh led you through the luxurious penthouse. He guided you to a dimly lit room where a large, four-poster bed dominated the space. You stepped into the room, your heart racing with anticipation. The soft lighting cast an alluring glow on Josh's features, making him even more irresistible. As he closed the door behind him, you could feel the tension between them escalate.

Josh slowly approached you, his eyes roving over your body in a way that made you feel both excited and vulnerable. He reached out and ran his hands to your hips, pulling you closer, sending a shiver down your spine. "Tonight is all about us." He whispered to your ear. His lips brushed against your neck, sending a wave of desire coursing through you.

He led you over to the bed, his hands never leaving your body. He sat down, indicating with a nod that you should sit on his lap, which you did. You leaned closer to his lips and closed the small distance that existed with a passionate kiss, full of desire. His hands ran possessively from your waist until they reached the top of your back, where the zipper of your dress was, which was slowly lowered, revealing the skin that shivered down with every touch and caress that Josh gave you.

He stopped kissing your mouth, starting to focus on marking, kissing and licking your neck. Your head threw back in pleasure and your hips began to move slightly on your lover's lap, feeling his erection beneath you.

"It looks like someone prepared for tonight," Josh smirked after observing a set of beautiful lingerie that you were wearing under your elegant clothing, a gift he had given you on one of your previous sexual dates. You chuckled as you began to loosen his tie and slowly unbutton his shirt. You helped him take off his shirt while he removed the luxurious diamond necklace he gave you a few hours before.

"I have to pay you somehow, right?" He approached your neck again as you said those words. "Mhm…" He responded with a sigh against your skin "I guess you do, baby." You humped faster at his cock and he bucked his hips slightly, looking for more friction.

As the room filled with their passionate moans and soft gasps, Josh started to unclasp your bra, leaving your breasts visible which Josh quickly began to massage, licking one of your nipples while playing with the other to give them equal attention. "Josh…" you moaned softly to his ear at the sensation.

The tips of his fingers began to play with the edge of your underwear, lowering it completely as he buckled his hips looking for release. He pushed you away gently to look at you in your eyes "Kneel down, baby…" he ordered and you obeyed him like his good girl. Cautiously, you began to remove his belt and unzip his pants, him looking at you with desire and lust. You helped him take off his pants and lightly caressed his crotch. He sighed at the mix of need, desire and your hand going up and down really slowly, almost tortuously. You felt him tremble at your touch and after playing for a while you pulled down his boxers, his hard cock already dripping pre-cum. You swear your mouth watered at the sight, and you quickly started licking his length, from base to tip, on which you left a small kiss before finally taking his cock into your mouth, never breaking eye contact. Her hand slid to your hair and stroked it slowly. You swirled your tongue around his tip and he leaned his head back, holding your head tighter and closer to him. You gagged feeling the tip of his cock touching the back of your throat and he immediately loosened his grip, letting you go at your own pace.

"Fuck…" He groaned and you hummed to his pulsating cock in response. His hand dropped to the bed sheets, squeezing them as he felt a knot form in his abdomen warning him of his orgasm. You noticed this and separated your mouth from his cock, a thread of saliva joining them both, as you began to jerk him off with a slow pace, edging him off. He rolled his eyes back into his head once more feeling his orgasm cutting off. He cupped your face gently in his hands, lifting it up. He looked into your eyes. His previously brown eyes were quickly consumed by the black of his dilated pupils, thanks to desire. You clumsily climbed back into his lap, his hands immediately settling on your hips with a firm, possessive grip. You grabbed his dick desperately and lined it up to your cunt, feeling the tip of it rub against you before sitting slowly on it.

"Oh fuck!" you exclaimed as he slid into you, hitting your cervix "God… you're so good…" He moaned as he felt your hot, tight pussy enveloping his cock. His hands left your hips and moved to your thighs, holding onto them as he started moving his hips slowly, pushing deeper inside you. You whimpered, meeting his pace as you grinded your hips against him. You could feel your orgasm building up, your pussy clenching around his cock with every thrust. He moaned, seeing your breasts swaying in time with his thrusts. "You're so fucking sexy riding me like that." He said, feeling your tight pussy milking his cock. His hips slapped against yours as he pushed deeper and harder inside you. Your body shaking with pleasure. Your eyes were rolled back in your head, your mouth open panting. You couldn't believe the pleasure you were feeling, his hard cock stretching you open.

"F…fuck… im so close…" You whispered between a moan, your eyes rolling back as you felt an intense wave of pleasure wash over you. "Be a good girl and cum for me, sweetheart…" you tried to respond, but only moans and sighs came out of your mouth. The orgasm hit you like an electroshock drawing an almost screamed moan. Your thighs trembling on top of Josh; your eyes completely rolled into your head. You fell onto Josh's chest, your head on his shoulder and he held you gently. He slowed his pace so you would come down from his orgasm. Josh held you close, feeling your body shuddering from the aftershocks of your intense orgasm. His heart raced, feeling the heat emanating from your body. He kissed your forehead softly, his own breathing heavy. "You're incredible…" he whispered to your ear before leaving another kiss in your forehead.

After a few moments, his heart rate slowly returned to normal and he couldn't hold back any longer. "Ready for round two, honey?" He asked, his voice hoarse from the pleasure. You nodded, feeling completely spent but eager for more. Josh pulled out of you slowly, making sure to prolong the pleasure before lying you down on the bed, his hard cock still twitching. Your legs spread slightly. He climbed on top of you, pinning your wrists over your head. His eyes hungrily eating you up and your body trembled with anticipation.

Josh thrust into you again, his movements both fast and hard, despite his efforts to maintain control. The sensation was intense, filling you up completely. His breathing became ragged as he felt himself close. "Fuck, you feel so good… so perfect for me…". You moaned loudly, feeling Josh's rough love deep within you. Your body arched off the bed, meeting his powerful thrusts eagerly.You could feel the intensity of his movements increasing further.

"I can't hold on much longer" Josh groaned, his hips slamming against yours in an unyielding rhythm. The head of his cock brushed against your cervix, sending waves of pleasure through your body. He bit his lower lip, trying to hold off his orgasm. His eyes were filled with lust. "Fuck, you're tight" he grunted, pushing deeper inside you. You wrapped your legs around him, encouraging him to go deeper. He felt your tight muscles gripping his shaft, pulling him closer to the edge.

His movements became erratic, thrusting into you with renewed force. "I'm gonna cum…" You moaned, feeling the pressure and tightness growing inside you. You arched your back, meeting his thrusts hungrily as he slammed into you again and again, feeling his cock twitching inside you. "I need you to cum inside me… please…" you whispered, your voice sultry and seductive. Your hips bucked up against him in perfect sync with his thrusts, your breasts swaying enticingly. Your nails dug into the sheets beneath you as Josh's pace quickened even more. "Cum for me…" you moaned seductively, pushing your hips up to meet his powerful thrusts.

Josh groaned loudly, his breaths becoming ragged as he felt himself getting closer to his climax. You writhed under him, meeting his thrusts eagerly. "Fuck, you're so tight… so hot…"

His hips slammed against yours one last time, his cock throbbing inside you. eyes closed tightly as he released himself into you, his body shuddering with the force of his orgasm. His seed filled you up, feeling both hot and thick. He groaned loudly, his face contorted in pleasure.

He panted heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He collapsed onto you, your panting filling the room. His cock twitched inside you as he tried to regain control. Slowly, he pulled out of you, a trail of his essence leaking out.

After a few moments, his breathing returned to normal. Slowly, he rolled off you, panting heavily. He looked down at you, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "That was… intense." He said, still trying to catch his breath. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on your forehead, his heart still racing from the intense pleasure he'd just experienced. Josh smiled at you softly, his eyes closed. He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from your face.

Josh sat up carefully, his muscles still quivering slightly from the exertion. He leaned over to grab a couple of tissues from the bedside table, returning to wipe the remaining moisture from your inner thighs and between your legs. Josh gently ran the tissues over his own lap, wiping away the mix of his own semen and your fluids. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down after the intense passion he had just experienced. After he was done cleaning up, he scooped up the discarded tissues and placed them in the trash can, then crawled back and cuddled up next to you. His arms wrapped around your waist and he pressed his face into your hair, inhaling your unique scent.

"That was amazing and… you were incredible," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your shoulder. "I'm gonna have to spoil you rotten after this." he chuckled and you smiled back to him. "Aww… you don't have to…" you said while caressing his cheek. "Of course I do" He responded to your attempt of kindness, brushing a strand of hair from your sweaty forehead.

You curled into his warm embrace, feeling satisfied and fulfilled. A small smile played on your lips as you knew that this would not be the end of their secret encounters. There were many things you could ask for from him and he would gladly give, just to keep you by his side.

The room was a quiet sanctuary and your mind wandered to the tangible rewards that awaited you after this secret rendezvous. The diamond necklace he gave you whispered promises of future luxuries and you heard them attentively before falling asleep in your rich loverman's arms.

[ataliagold]

But My Heart Is Just A Little Boy

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Rating: Teen (swearing)

W/C: 2012

Tags: Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, hurt/comfort, Steve Harrington has dyscalculia, Steve Harrington has self esteem issues, Steve Harrington needs a hug, fluff, light angst, DnD, Mike and Dustin are a little mean here

Notes: Just slowly posting some of my AO3 stuff here as well :) Title from Rattlesnake by Jack Van Cleaf.

___

Steve joining in on Eddie’s campaign was supposed to be a nice surprise for his boyfriend.

And it was; Eddie’s face had lit up with joy when Steve had walked in and sat down with the kids around the table. Steve had taken the dice Dustin had loaned him and lined them up in front of him, from the D4 (the funny triangle one) up to the D20 (the one with heaps of sides, Steve reminded himself.)

If he kept them in that order it would help him pick the right dice quickly, he’d decided.

Because he wanted this to go to perfectly.

Eddie had been asking him to join in on a game for months, but Steve had so far refused, only coming along sometimes to watch quietly. There were parts of it that piqued his interest – namely the combat and the creatures Eddie planted into the game, because some of them were so damn cool even if Steve wouldn’t readily admit it out loud. A small part of him, a much younger part that had loved fairy tales and stories about knights and dragons and sword fights before his father had confiscated those books, deeming them too childish, watched with a quiet giddiness as the kids battled all manner of beasts.

But much of the game was so complicated - there were so many numbers, and Steve had no idea how Eddie and the kids managed to keep track of everything, how they added dice values together so damn quickly and kept track of a seemingly endless list of stats and bonuses and modifiers, whatever the hell they were.

Eddie knew about his difficulty with numbers. He’d seen the way Steve had to count with his fingers, how it took him far too fucking long to do a simple equation, how he stood in Melvald’s staring at the price of something just trying to make the numbers make sense so they wouldn’t blow their grocery budget.

And Eddie was patient, always. But D&D was Eddie’s realm, his place to shine, and Steve was so worried about holding him back and ruining the game every time he had to pause to add two fucking dice together.

Finally, he’d caved. Secretly, with Dustin’s help, he’d put a character sheet together. He’d made a paladin because Dustin had told him it suited him. Steve made him strong and lawful good, just like the knights he used to read about as a little boy. Dustin had rolled his eyes a little at that but Steve had been quite proud of what he’d put together.

Plus, Dustin had promised to help him with the math.

But here Steve was, well over an hour into the campaign, and he was struggling.

Cheeks burning, he turned to Dustin yet again.

“Wait, which one am I rolling?” he whispered.

Dustin rolled his eyes. The kid had been patient at first, but it was beginning to wear thin.

Steve was beginning to wear thin.

“The D10, Steve,” Dustin hissed.

“Right,” Steve nodded, grabbing for one of the dice.

“That’s the D8, Steve,” Mike said wearily.

Steve’s cheeks flushed even hotter, and he grabbed the other dice, rolling it quickly.

“Ahhh...seven,” Steve announced.

“You slash at the goblin, your blade cutting deep into its chest, the creature gurgling and reeling backwards…” Eddie leant over the table, giving a dramatic recount of events.

Steve smiled, unable to help it. His boyfriend was having such a good time, and even if Steve wasn’t enjoying himself so much, well, that was ok. He could do this, for Eddie.

“…but it scrabbles back to its feet, weak but alive,” Eddie finishes.

Mike groaned and slapped the table.

“It has to be almost dead,” Lucas announced.

“Yeah, but there’s still four others,” Mike pointed out.

“This one must be on two hit points or less,” Will surmised.

How did he know that? Steve frowned, let the kids talk amongst themselves. His gaze wandered over to Eddie, watching him lean back in his chair, eyes shining. He shot a wink at Steve when he caught him looking, then frowned a little, obviously noticing Steve wasn’t looking all that comfortable.

You ok? He mouthed at him.

Steve nodded quickly.

But he felt small.

Grow the fuck up, you’re fine.

“…Steve!” Mike groaned.

Steve’s attention snapped back to the kids. “What?”

“Stop staring at Eddie and tell us how many hit points you’ve got left.”

“Um…” Steve glanced down at the piece of paper in front of him. He’d scribbled some numbers down like Dustin had told him to every time his character had taken damage, but there were a lot of numbers there and he wasn’t sure they all actually related to his hit points…

“Give it here,” Dustin snatched the paper from him impatiently, peering down at it.

Steve waited while Dustin assessed his work, the feeling vaguely reminiscent of being back in school, his teachers reading over his work with a disappointed shake of their heads.

“This can’t be right, Steve,” Dustin sighed. “It says you’re on twelve hit points…is that a twelve? Your writing’s messy.”

Steve nodded. “Yours isn’t much better, pea-brain,” he mumbled, just to shoot something back at the kid.

Dustin narrowed his eyes at him. “You must have less than that because of the damage you took in the last round. You’re probably down to…eight at the most, by now.”

“Just make it eight, then,” Steve grumbled.

“Eight it is, big boy,” Eddie agreed.

“It doesn’t work like that, though,” Mike huffed. “You actually have to keep track of this stuff Steve, there’s no point playing if you just make the numbers up.”

“It doesn’t matter, really,” Will tried to intervene quietly. “It can just be eight.”

Dustin picked up his pencil, drawing some columns on Steve’s paper. “Ok, so just use this one column to keep track of damage, don’t write all over the page. There’s your total hit points at the top, and every time you take damage, write it down under there, ok? And then just take it off the total. Simple.”

Like it was that fucking easy. Maybe for them, it was. They didn’t get every number mixed up in their brain, they didn’t stare at a single digit trying to put some numeric value behind it and coming up with zilch.

Dustin was trying to help, Steve knew. But his tone of voice was so fucking condescending that it had Steve squirming in his seat, wishing he was anywhere else.

He felt Eddie’s eyes on him.

“Come sit by me, Stevie, I’ll help you keep track.” Eddie said gently.

“You’ll just go easy on him, and that’s not fair!” Mike whined.

“Can it, Wheeler,” Eddie snapped at him.

“Just because he can’t do basic math.”

“Right, you get to roll with disadvantage now, just for that,” Eddie told him smugly.

Mike was retorting with something, but Steve didn’t hear it.

His pulse was thumping in his ears, his cheeks on fire. The years were stripped from him, the sensitive child he’d tucked away inside a long time ago forced to the surface.

“Look, just carry on without me,” Steve muttered, and stood up quick enough that his chair scraped on the floor.

“Steve -” Dustin started, but Steve was finished, striding towards the stairs and blinking back tears.

He wasn’t going to cry in front of the kids, not over a fucking game, not over something his boyfriend loved so much.

But they were coming faster than he could blink them back as he headed out of Mike’s stuffy basement and out to the driveway, the cold night air caressing his flushed face.

This was supposed to have been a treat for Eddie. It was supposed to be fun, and Steve had ruined the night by being fucking stupid.

A tear tracked down his cheek , Steve losing the battle against them. He’d just drive home, he decided. Steve had come straight from work that day, so Eddie had come separately in his van, he wouldn’t be inconvenienced.

And then they could finish their game in peace, without having to treat Steve like a five-year-old.

He was getting in the driver’s seat when Eddie ran to him, both hands reaching for him.

“Stevie…” Eddie murmured softly.

“I’m sorry,” Steve mumbled, dragging his sleeve across his face, smudging the tears there.

“Why? The kids were being assholes, I’ve already yelled at them.”

Steve shook his head. “I was just slowing everyone down, they were getting frustrated, I get it.”

“No, sweetheart, they were being rude,” Eddie corrected him. “Especially Wheeler.” Eddie brushed his thumbs across Steve’s cheeks, crouching down beside the open driver’s door. “I’ve told them to pull their heads in. Do you…do you want to come back inside?”

“Eds…” Steve leant into his hands a little. “I’m no good at it. I really wanted to try, for you, and I’m so sorry I ruined it, but there’s too many numbers and I can’t keep track of everything and it takes me so fucking long and it’s embarrassing because I can’t even keep up with a bunch of kids, and I just feel like I’m back at school again.”

Eddie cupped his cheeks again, tilting Steve’s head to look at him. “Hey. You haven’t ruined anything, they did. I’m so happy you came along tonight, because I know you did it for me. But look, D&D doesn’t have to be your thing -”

“But -”

“It doesn’t,” Eddie cut in. “Just like…your balls in laundry basket games aren’t mine. But I like hanging around while you and Wayne watch them, and I love how excited you get about it, and how you sit there with that fucking pretty smile…”

Steve huffed out a small laugh, and Eddie grabbed his wrist to press a kiss to the inside of it.

“But I don’t know what’s going on most of the time,” Eddie continued. “It makes you happy, and that’s enough for me. So, I don’t want you to feel like you have to play D&D just for me if it’s not something you enjoy. It’s more than enough that you listen to my ideas, that you help me write -”

“I don’t really,” Steve said quietly.

“You do! Or have you forgotten who came up with that fucking amazing twist with the elven prince?”

“I got it from a movie,” Steve argued.

“So? I didn’t think of it, and it had the little shrimps completely stumped.”

Steve managed a small smile. “I do like some of the stories,” he admitted quietly. “But I think…I just wanna go home, ok? You can carry on.”

Eddie shook his head. “I’m gonna get them to pack up in there. I’ll drop them home, then follow you back, ok?”

“Steve?” came Dustin’s voice from behind Eddie, small and hesitant.

Steve quickly straightened up in his seat, wiping a hand across his face.

“Yeah, buddy?” he replied, his voice a little hoarse.

“I’m…I’m sorry. That we weren’t more patient. It’s ok if you struggle with numbers, and we should’ve helped more.”

“It’s ok, Dusty,” Steve told him.

Eddie frowned, reached down to squeeze Steve’s hand, then turned to Dustin. “It isn’t ok,” he argued. “But it was nice of you to apologize.”

Dustin nodded. “If you want to try again sometime, I promise I’ll help more. I…I really liked having you play.”

“Thanks,” Steve managed.

“Tell Wheeler to start crafting his apology too,” Eddie said firmly, still cradling Steve’s hand in his own. “Otherwise he’s rolling with disadvantage for the whole next session.”

Dustin’s eyes widened a little before he nodded.

After packing up, the kids waited sheepishly by Eddie’s van. Eddie stayed crouched next to Steve a moment longer.

“Go home, get comfy on the couch, and pick out any movie you want to watch, ok?” Eddie murmured to him. “When I get home I’m gonna order us some pizza, and I’m gonna cuddle the shit out of you, understand?”

Steve laughed softly. “Sounds perfect.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

___

[dunmeshistash]

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & ''Delicious in Dungeon'' Exhibition pamphlet

Transcript under the cut

Disclaimer is that I used an image to text website and then proof-read it myself and made corrections where it got the text wrong. There was a few typos in the original text (like writing fied instead of fried) but I kept those in just in case I interpreted something as a typo but it wasn't.

[page 1]

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition Introducing Ryoko Kui (1) Manga artist. After working through her website "Nishi ni wa ryū ga ita" (A dragon in the west) and her own dojinshi (self-published works), Kui made a debut with "Ryu no gakko wa yama no ue: Kui Ryoko sakuhin-shu" (The dragon's school is on top of the mountain: Ryoko kui works) published with EAST PRESS in 2011. Then published "Kui Ryoko sakuhin-shu: Ryū no kawaii nanatsu no ko" (Ryoko Kui collection: Seven Little Sons of the Dragon) in 2012 with KADOKAWA, and "Hikidashi ni terrarium" (Terrarium in Drawer) in 2013 with EAST PRESS. In 2014 she started her first long-running series "Dungeon Meshi" (Delicious in Dungeon) in KADOKAWA's magazine Harta. In January 2024, she released her book, "Kui Ryoko rakugaki bon Daydream Hour" (Ryoko Kui's sketchbook: Daydream Hour) of illustrations she made while working on "Delicious in Dungeon" as well as illustrations from before her debut. She has a diverse range, from science fiction and fantasy to historical dramas. The world building in her fantasy works is particularly unique, as they merge the extraordinary into the everyday to create an overwhelming realism and persuasiveness through meticulously refined settings. Kui won the Excellence Award in the Manga Division for "Terrarium in Drawer" at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and "Delicious in Dungeon" has been awarded numerous accolades, including the 2015 Comic Natalie Grand Prize, TAKARAJIMASHA's award for This Manga is Amazing! 2016 Men's category 1st place, the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' most Recommended Manga of 2016, and the 55th Seiun Award in the Manga category, which is awarded to outstanding science fiction works. Introduction (2) Delicious in Dungeon" is a hugely popular manga; over 14 million copies have been sold.* To celebrate its anime adaptation, the large-scale exhibition "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition was held in Tokyo and Nagoya from April 2024. This exhibition is a continuation of the touring "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition, with the addition of the Ryoko Kui Exhibition; the first exhibition of artwork by the original artist Ryoko Kui. In the Ryoko Kui Exhibition, you can see her outstanding character designs, realistic settings and the unique narrative developments which have captivated readers, through reproductions of manga manuscripts and interview exhibits. We hope that you enjoy exploring the fascinating world of Ryoko Kui. In the "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition, you can enjoy photo spots, and impressive three-dimensional monster displays from the labyrinth adventures undertaken by Laios and his companions in the first season of the anime. We hope you will enjoy the fun of the original manga, the anime, and the exhibition to your heart's content. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ryoko Kui and the original editorial team, including everyone involved in the anime production and everyone who helped with the planning of this exhibition.

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition Executive Committee

As of April 2024, including digital editions.

The dragon's school is on top of the mountain (3) This is Ryoko Kui's debut work, and her first collected volume of works. Published in 2011, it collects seven of her stories previously published on her website and in doujinshi (self-published works), as well as two new stories. It includes a trilogy of tales which may have taken place behind the scenes of the heroes' adventures in a Role-Playing Game; and which follow the conventions of an RPG. These are "Kikyō" (Return home), which portrays the sorrow of a hero having returned to his hometown after defeating the Demon King; "Mao" (The demon king), which tells the tale of the Demon King from his birth to his downfall; and "Maō jō mondai" (The problem of the demon king castle), which depicts the course of events surrounding the demon castle having lost its master. The story "Gendai shinwa" (Modern myths) depicts the daily lives of coexisting horsepeople (centaurs) and ape-people (homo sapiens), told from the perspectives of a centaur and homo sapien married couple, and a female homo sapien company employee and her junior male centaur. It comically depicts real-life issues such as anti-labor regulation demonstrations, and the disparity between retirement benefits and life expectancy, and as such can be considered satire of the diverse issues faced by modern society. The title story "The dragon's school is on top of the mountain" is set in a university that has the only "Faculty od Dragons" in Japan. It depicts the members of the dragon research society who seek out ways to use dragons, which apparently have no demand in modern society. They explore uses for dragons, such as for food, as pets, and as advertising media. Other highlights include Kui's sad love stories, told from unique perspectives, such as the fairytale-esque "Daikon yama no yome sagashi" (A bride for Daikon mountain) which tells the tale of a man's efforts to marry a female god in order to bring fortune to his poor village, and "Shingaku tenshi" (School-going angel) which depicts the woes of a high school girl with angel wings.

[page 2]

Seven Little Sons of the Dragon (4) This collection of short stories includes self-published works and short stories published in KADOKAWA publishing's magazine Fellows! throughout 2011 and 2012. The collected volume was published in 2012. The stories are set in different countries and time periods, featuring supernatural beings such as dragons, mermaids, gods, and werewolves. "Ryū no Shōtō” (The dragon turret) is set in two neighboring mountains and sea kingdoms. A dragon builds a nest and lays eggs on the border at the only crossroad connecting two warring nations. The nations declare a ceasefire in fear of the dragon, but as peddlers are also unable to come and go, supplies become scarce. A Sea Kingdom soldier who was taken as a prisoner of war by the Mountain Kingdom is tasked with transporting supplies between the kingdoms, and in time he becomes close with a girl of the mountain Kingdom. But the time for the dragons to leave their nest is approaching, meaning that the war will begin again. “Ōkami wa uso wo tsukanai" (Wolves don't lie) starts out with the premise of being a parenting manga by a manga artist whose son has "werewolf syndrome", then suddenly turns into a story told from the perspective of the son, who is a werewolf. The feudal drama "Kane nashi Byakuroku" (Byakuroku the penniless) tells the story of an elderly gifted artist who always leaves out one eye because otherwise his creatures come to life and pop out of the paper. He is deceived by his apprentice and left penniless, so paints both eyes into the only work remaining, counterfeit picture of a samurai. He enlists the somewhat incompetent fake samurai who has come to life, to help him raise money, and misadventures ensue. Each of these precious seven stories depict the bond between parents and children, family members, and loved ones. While humorous, they are also emotionally stirring.

Terrarium in Drawer (5) This is a collection of short stories that were published in the literary web magazine MATOGROSSO (EAST PRESS), as well as the cat anthology “Nyansolo” (EAST PRESS), Aoharu (Shueisha) and doujinshi. The story “Ryū no gekirin" (Wrath of the dragon) portrays the process of cooking dragon cuisine from preparation to seasoning with trivia about the ingredients. "Kigō wo taberu" (Eating symbols) depicts unique ways of cooking symbols such as circles being fied whole, while squares are sliced thinly and served with sashimi soy sauce. A motif that is also common in "Delicious in Dungeon" can be found in these stories. Other chapters include “Kawaiku naritai" (I want to be cute) which depicts the makeup techniques of a cat who wants to be beautiful; "Shōtoshōto no shujinkō" (A short, short story's protagonist) which is a meta perspective comedy while having many twists and turns; and "Yume no aru hanashi" (A dreamy story) set in a Santa Claus temping agency during the busy season. You can enjoy 33 diverse stories with creative perspectives and approaches, ranging from science fiction to fantasy and fairy tales. Another charming aspect of this book is the wide variety of styles it showcases, from shojo manga, to horror, gekiga, and even a simple touch of experience-based manga. The homages to famous authors and their works are also quietly amusing. In 2013, this collected volume won the 17th Manga Division Excellence Award of the Japan Media Arts Festival, organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which is awarded to outstanding works of art and entertainment.

Delicious in Dungeon (6) This is Ryoko Kui's first long-running series. It began serialization in Harta published by KADOKAWA from February 2014 to 2023, spanning a total of 14 book volumes. The story is set in an expansive labyrinth that suddenly appeared on an island one day. The main character Laios is an adventurer whose sister Falin is devoured by a Red Dragon while exploring the labyrinth. Falin casts a final magic spell which lets Laios and the rest of his companions escape the labyrinth, but they return to rescue and resurrect Falin. However, having lost their equipment and supplies, the group decides to become "self-sufficient” by cooking and eating the monsters they defeat along their way, as they adventure deeper into the labyrinth. Grounded in the familiarity of classic fantasy RPG elements, the series adds its own unique settings and meticulous world building. Its monster cooking scenes are illustrated alongside detailed cooking instructions, making it a never-before-seen labyrinth gourmet manga, which has become an overnight sensation. According to Kui, the motif of "cooking monsters" was born from an idea she had of wanting to depict what falls between the lines of adventures, such as meals and camping, which are typically not depicted in roleplaying games*. The manga has been adapted as a television anime series to run for two seasons from January to June 2024. A second series has also been announced. The series was produced by TRIGGER inc., who also produced and animated a commercial for the manga in 2019.

First published in an interview in Newtype, February 2024 issue.

[Map showing the numbers from each ection from 1 to 8]

[page 3]

"Delicious in Dungeon" Artwork (separate post with pics) Cover illustration draft, vol. 1 Since this was the first volume, I tried out a few different drawings and had the editor and designer choose which ones they wanted, then made small adjustments. I personally liked the top-down draft, and the one of the cooking processes (back cover) the best. But looking back, I sincerely think it's good that we didn't go with those. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 2 The format was decided for volume 1. So, volume 2 came together quickly. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 3 I thought it might be cool to make the character Chilchuck darker in the foreground, and the background brighter! But it didn't quite work out the way I had imagined. I think it could have been a bit better. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 4 I remember that the overall shape of volume 4 came together very quickly. The character Senshi's hands didn't fit nicely, so I moved them backwards and to the side. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 5 I thought people might start to think "how many have I bought?" so I wanted to create a slightly different impression with this volume. I decided to put the character right in the center and try putting it together all in blue and green hues. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 6 With the Red Dragon defeated, have we reached the halfway point in the story? With this in mind, I thought of how many volumes were left to go, and the number of characters, and decided to pair up the characters Namari and Shuroiro. In hindsight, it would have been fine to have them on one cover each. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 7 The image is of focus lines converging on the character Izutsumi. This is the kind of cover, with upside down characters, which I've always wanted to try once(?) I submitted it as a trial, thinking that at this point the cover wouldn't dramatically influence sales. However, in the end, we decided it would be better not to have it upside down. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 8 I tried blurring the mushrooms in the foreground, then I accidentally saved over it, and couldn't go back to the original. I remember apologizing that it was probably tacky, when I submitted it. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 9 I don't think snake meat is marbled at all, but if it has an unfamiliar look, people might not recognize it as meat… so I made it look like beef to make it easier to understand. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 10 I thought it might be interesting to have more than one of the main characters on the cover again, so I added the character Falin. I remember it wasn't badly received, but it still ended up just being Thistle on his own. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 11 I wanted this cover to be covered in shiny gold. After I finished it, it didn't have enough color, so I painted the tablecloth green, and it ended up looking like Christmas colors. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 12 Up to this point, the covers have featured one of the main characters holding cooking utensils in the foreground and a monster in the background, but I thought it might be interesting to reverse the format just before the final volume, so I drew this cover with that in mind. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 13 volume 13 was meant to be the final one, but it was too thick to be published as a single volume, so we decided to split it into two. The question of “so, what should I draw next!?" may be at the forefront of volume 13. (Kui)

Cover illustration draft, vol. 14 I had decided that the final cover definitely needed to have everyone eating together on it, but because I was publishing two books at the same time I was pressed for time, and it was difficult to have a cover with so many characters on it. I also submitted a rough for an illustration that didn't need me to draw any crowds, but such obviously easy ideas are never adopted. (Kui)

TV anime "Delicious in Dungeon" About the ending illustration. I drew these based on the director's instruction "This kinds of pictures." I hardly ever have the chance to draw color illustrations, so it was a valuable experience for me. (Kui)

©Ryoko Kui ©Ryoko Kui,KADOKAWA/Delicious in Dungeon PARTNERS ©Ryoko Kui/ EAST PRESS CO.,LTD. Translation by Kyoto International Manga Museum

[page 4]

Interview to celebrate the opening of the Ryoko Kui Exhibition (7) (separate post) About Delicious in Dungeon: Story making

Q1. Your first long-running series has lasted for about 9 and a half years. Has it been different from your previous experience drawing short stories? A1. Compared to short stories, the series has been easier because the same characters appear each time. But I was surprised to find that I got tired of drawing the same characters too many times.

Q2. You have said before that the overall structure of the story was decided before serialization began, but how much of that had you communicated to your editor? Also, what kind of communication did you have during the series production? A2. The goal was something we discussed and had decided on from the beginning. The goal itself was simple, but the path to get there was more difficult and took longer than imagined.

Q3. Regarding the overall story concept and development, did you write out or put anything down in writing (such as the plot)? A3. I did, but it was simple.

Q4. Did you come up with the dishes based on the monsters you wanted in the story? Or did you come up with the monsters based on the dishes? A4. It depended on the story, but usually the story came first followed by the monsters or food. I feel like that was most often the order.

Q5. As you progressed in drawing the series, what elements of the characters, story, or world expanded or grew in the most unexpected way? A5. Nothing particularly unexpected perhaps. When I used to draw web manga, I tended to think up inconsequential settings. So, from the beginning I tried to restrain myself as much as possible and not expand too much. I was surprised when my editor said "Let's expand it more," in the second half of the series.

Q6. "Delicious in Dungeon" starts with a relatively simple setting, but as the series and the labyrinth exploration continues, the map slowly expands little by little in the readers' minds. It becomes more three-dimensional, revealing the secrets of the world, and taking on a multilayered structure. Are there any sources that you used as a reference, or which influenced you in creating this multilayered structure? A6. A long time ago, when I was working on my personal web manga (fantasy), I drew it however I wanted, thinking that "Only people who can read this will read it," but I regularly received feedback that it was "unreadable", so I tried to make it as easily. accessible as possible.

Q7. The series combines many elements, including "fantasy", "gourmet", "battles", and "puzzle solving", but I think it's also important that it is a "comedy" which makes people laugh. Could you let us know if you have a creative commitment towards depicting humor? A7. My hopes are that I can make it fun for people to read.

[page 5]

About Delicious in Dungeon: Drawing manga

Q1. Please tell us about the drawing tools you currently use, both digital and analogue. A1. In terms of analogue tools, I use a light box, a G pen, a round pen, and a brush pen. And for digital, I use CLIP STUDIO PAINT and a Wacom LCD tablet. Screentone pasting is always done on the computer, so ultimately it all ends up as a digital manuscript. Q2. Do you have any rules or reasons for using digital and analog separately? A2. I'm always looking for ways to draw better and save time, so the exact approach is probably different for almost every chapter. Personally, I feel that analogue methods create more appealing lines, but I feel like digital saves time, so maybe I'll do a digital rough sketch and do the inking by hand… I might have been using a G pen, and maybe I'll try out a turnip pen, or this time I'm short on time so I'll draw it entirely digitally, but with digital I can redo it over and over, so maybe analogue is still faster, and so on and so forth. I'm indecisive in this way and so haven't developed a consistent process.

Q3. I understand that you prepare 3D data for your assistants to draw the backgrounds. What kind of data did you make for "Delicious in Dungeon" ? A3. You could call it 3D, but it's not a proper model, just something to help with the rough sketching. I line up cubes to share the perspective and sense of scale, and they use it as a reference.

Q4. At the beginning of the series, the characters and backgrounds were somewhat simply drawn, and it seems like they became richly detailed over the progression of the story. What was your intention behind using these different styles? A4. It's simply that my technique isn't stable. I thought I'd put a lot of effort in at the start. I remember being confused when my editor asked me to add more in to the drawing, and I wondered "Where…?"

Q5. Thinking about the food, were there any menu illustrations that you were particularly satisfied with, or which you struggled with? A5. I've never liked my own food illustrations. But the times when I read other people's manga and thought "That looks delicious," I think it's been more an influence of the movement, the staging, and the situation than the drawings.

Q6. For the world maps and the terrain of each continent, did you refer to any maps of the real world? I feel like the shape of the 'island' is similar to the shape of Fukuoka Prefecture or Kyushu. A6. I didn't reference any specific geography, but I did try to put thought into things like whether a developed city would be near a river or the sea, and what the coastline would look like. I'm pleased if it feels similar to a real place, because it means my interpretation was pretty accurate.

About Delicious in Dungeon: Other

Q1. Which is your favorite monster? A1. Nightmare.

[page 6]

Q2. I'm sure you have received a lot of feedback from readers in countries and regions outside of Japan. Please tell us if there was anything from them that made you happy, was unexpected, or which made a lasting impression on you. A2. When you play foreign games, there are times when you think "Why did they translate it into Japanese like that?" But having been on the side of having something translated, I've realized some things are unavoidable, or endless, and there are many things that don't matter either way from the author's perspective, so it was interesting.

About Ryoko Kui's short story collections and herself Q1. Dragons are a consistent and important motif in your work. Was there any particular work or experience which inspired this? Also, are there points about drawing dragons which you find interesting or have had to work hard on? A1. It's less about liking dragons, and more that I'm interested in the worlds in which dragons exist. When I draw dragons, the depiction in itself has a sweet feeling to it. I have never had a pet reptile, so I don't have a very good understanding of them.

Q2. Unomiya University in your story "The dragon's school is on top of the mountain" has a Faculty of Dragons, Department of Environmental Studies, and Department of Technology Studies, and a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. If you were to enroll in the university, which department or faculty would you like to enter? A2. I probably wouldn't be accepted….

Q3. The collection includes a short story staged as an essay manga. Are you a fan of essay manga? Please tell us about any genres of essay manga that you like. A3. I love all kinds of essay manga. I read them often.

Q4. If you were to make your own game, what kind of game would you like to make? A4. I prefer being a player when it comes to games.

Q5. When did you first start drawing illustrations (doodles)? A5. I don't exactly remember when I first drew a picture, but I think I started drawing manga around the fourth or fifth grade of elementary school. in my notebooks and had my friends read them.

Q6. What is the most fun part about drawing manga? A6. Every part is fun and hard in its own way.

Q7. Please tell us if there is anything you "just can't stop no matter what". A7. My procrastination habit.

Q8. Could you please tell us if there's something you want to draw now? A8. I've been working continuously since the serialization, so I'd like to take about 2 to 3 months to just draw whatever I want.

[end]

[preseriesdean]

for @spnficrecfest day seven: tropes 🧡 also check my case fic list which has some more curse-y case fics!

Speechless by candle_beck 11.2k words, rated T, published 2008 Dean loses his voice and their rapport is only moderately impaired.

Crying Talking Sleeping Walking by FrancesHouseman 3.3k words, rated E, published 2016 The witch dies laughing at Dean. It's never a good sign.

Talk around it by @goshen-applecrumbledore 12.8k words, rated E, published 2021, underage “It’s just a truth spell,” Sam tried. “It could be worse.” Dean looked at him like he was stupid. “Yeah, thank God we don’t have a giant, life-ruining secret that we really, really don’t want our dad knowing. Good thing he’s not on his way here right this second.” He scoffed. “Could be worse. Jesus. Good to know you can still lie.”

Heart Shaped Balloon by winsive 18.6k words, rated E, published 2022, underage Sam and Dad are fighting. No surprise, but it's the weekend before Valentine's Day and Dean isn't missing out on the chance to bang a cheerleader just to console his bratty little brother. He does bring back a heart shaped balloon for him, though. It's not supposed to be cursed.

Flood of Water by sevenfists 9.9k words, rated E, published 2006 "Please tell me you know how this happened," Sam said. "Yeah," Dean said. He sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and let his arms fall away from his chest, his clasped hands settling in his lap. His t-shirt clung to him, worn thin from too many washings, and Sam could see the heavy weight of his breasts, his nipples hard in the cold air.

All That Sam by Catchclaw 10.4k words, rated M, published 2012 Dean thinks of himself as an innovator. A sex god. A professional problem solver. And then Sammy gets hit with some hoodoo and all of that shit gets shot straight to hell.

The Talking Cure by Mollyamory 2.4k words, rated T, published 2013 Dean tries to keep his mouth shut, but as much as he wants to keep quiet, he also wants to say--

Desiderata by @dyed-red 45.2k words, rated E, published 2023, incomplete Dean is hit with a curse. It shouldn’t take that much to resolve, could be a gift under other circumstances, but life’s not that simple for the Winchesters.

Out of Context by doctor_idiot 7.2k words, rated E, published 2017 When Sam and Dean keep waking up naked, all over each other, and without recollection of the previous night, the first thing Sam does is dig into the lore to find out what's going on. Dean is more concerned with the question why he always seems to be the one who bottoms.

And Baby You Can Sleep While I Drive by merle_p 8.6k words, rated T, published 2021 “So,” Dean says, hesitantly. “This is a dream then?” Sam blinks, confused. “Well, obviously.” “Huh,” Dream-Dean says and scratches his neck. He shifts awkwardly from his right to his left foot but otherwise stays where he is.

Cupid's Got A Gun by geckoholic 13.5k words, rated E, published 2012, non-con Fuck-or-die, set in early S4. But they've been fucking for years, so that shouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. Ever since hell, Dean's in no hurry to get that show on the road again. They've tried, and it doesn't work, too many bad memories from what's been done to him downstairs. A case that involves a cursed cross and a vengeful witch takes that choice away from them, though…

(for you and me) i got no alibi by remy 23.4k words, rated E, published 2019 There are people hitting on Sam wherever he goes, and Dean is doing weird things like holding doors open for him and touching him way more than is necessary, and it's all driving Sam up the wall. It doesn't help that he's been in love with Dean for just about forever, and all of it feels like a mockery of something he'll never get to have. Meanwhile, Dean is at his wits' end trying to figure out how he can make Sam realize that he is, in fact, trying to get into his pants.

[justrainandcoffee]

“Good Morning” (Tom Hardy x fem!oc)

Part 1 of the series: “Only for tonight”

Summary: It's 2012 when Hannah received a call from an important executive to work with them. She's a great musician only until that moment she didn't have the chance to really show her natural talent. The BBC offered her the opportunity to finally do it and at the same time the opportunity to meet him. || Three years later, everything is very different. Two different realities linked by the same phrase: “good morning.”

Warnings: None. Although there's some angst towards the end. || This is pure fiction. All names are made up except his. Even in future chapters all filmography named here was invented. || The story is divided in past (2012) and present (2015)

Words: 2.7 k. || Remember that English isn't my first language. Please, consider leave a comment or reblog considering this is the first time i post this and still don't know what I'm doing 👉👈🥺.

Three years ago.

Hannah Murphy was born in London a morning in middle of May. His father was architect, her mother owner of a several beauty centres and her eldest brother was a neurosurgeon now working in Boston, United States.

Big things were expected from Hannah. Maybe being a doctor like Eric, her brother, or having a PhD in Economics like one if her cousins because first and foremost, the Murphys were successful people. Her grandfather, Mr. Andrew Murphy, was the one who designed the building for one of the most important corporations that existed nowadays in England. So, considering that everyone had their eyes on her, even as kid. But Hannah W. Murphy wasn't born with numbers and theories in her veins, she was born with music.

"You're wasting your life," her mother said when she was 10 and her father accepted to take her to a conservatory of music to learn to play piano. "Look at Eric, he's reading books that are for advanced students! And you're nothing compared to him, Hannah. Music! What kind of shit is that?"

But Hannah knew, even when she was 10, that music it was going to be her life. And she was right.

"Your daughter has a gift," one of her teachers said not longer after she started to study there.

But Greta Murphy, her mother, insisted on study something that could give her a name in the future and her brother thought the same as her. The only one who supported her was her father, Andrew Murphy jr, who was also the only one who went to her first solo in a theatre when she was 15.

Hannah was 16 when one of her plays, composed by herself, was part of a local play. Small, but it gave her some money and the hopes that her dreams could be possible.

Yet, when she finishes school, to stop hearing her mother for once, she decided to study engineering.  During those years, she didn't stop writing music but she just kept it to herself.

At the age of 23, she finished her career and threw the diploma in front of her Great. Hannah never worked as engineer.

Teaching kids and offering her music to different people who was interested in her talent, she was able to earn enough money to rent her own apartment and lm have her the freedom she was craving for.

Seven years later Hannah Murphy, 30 years old, was about to face the biggest change of her whole life.

She was walking Solomon, her black staffy and the most brainless dog in the whole world, when her phone on her pocket started to vibrate. It was an unknown number but she answered anyway.

"Hannah speaking."

"Ms. Murphy?" A female voice on the other side of the line made her stop walking.

"Yes?"

"Good morning, Miss Murphy I'm calling you in name of Mr. Henry Atwood, he wants to have an appointment with you, miss Murphy."

The first Henry Atwood that crossed her mind was the director and executive producer the BBC had and the brain of one of her favourite tv shows the last years. But the idea of someone calling her and saying that  that Henry Atwood wanted to see her was ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Who's Henry Atwood? and how did you get my number?"

"Mr. Atwood, the tv producer," by her voice tone, Hannah believed that the girl considered her stupid. "I'm his secretary and I got your number because he asked for it to one of the directors you worked with."

"Scott?"

"Mr. Scott, yes"

If it wasn't because she was in middle of a park, Hannah could've screamed.

Travis Scott was a director working on a play and he asked her to help his team with the music. Finally after several failed meetings she ended up working alone and the final result in Travis's words was "the best fucking thing he ever heard."

That was four months ago but she didn't know that he knew Atwood and even less than he was going to receive a call from him. Or his secretary to be more specific.

"Ms. Murphy?"

"I'm sorry I'm trying to understand what's happening… I- the answer is yes! If he wants, yes of course I can. I just need to know when."

"Great. I'll make an appointment, then."

.

Two days later a very nervous Hannah was waiting for Atwood in the waiting room. It was perfectly tidy, with magazines on the glass table, some flyers prompting the movies and TV shows to come and some from previous months. The tiles shone reflecting the lamps on the ceiling.

Hannah felt stupidly nervous. Most people there arranged things thanks to secretaries or managers but she didn't have any of those. She had a dog without brain cells and she was sure Solomon didn't know how to talk. Although she did know that the staffy was the best to calm her and right now she needed his comfort.

Hannah would remember that day for the rest of her life. It was 20th of June, 11:30 am and it was a  guy talking about the European football league on the radio sounding in the background when he saw him for the first time. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans. He'd have been any other man but he wasn't.

"Good morning," Tom said to her who was sitting in the chair next to the office's door, so still that she wasn't sure that was even blinking.

"Good morning," she managed to say.

Don't be awkward.

Tom smiled before walking towards the elevator "call me, okay?" he said to the other man.

"I will."

Both him and Hannah look at Tom go. "Quite a character," he said. "You are Hannah, right? I'm Henry Atwood."

Hannah was still seeing the corridor where he disappeared from their sight and Atwood couldn't help but chuckle.

"Tom Hardy," she said "It was him?"

"Yeah, it was him. We hired him for future our project. And I have an offer for you, too, But please first, come in."

Hannah called Betty, her best friend, as soon as she left the building like if everything was a dream. All was so surreal that she needed something to drink and to eat to process what just happened. Both women went to a pub, ordered beer and fish and chips.

"The main theme?" Betty asked. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Oh, my god! Your mother is going to freak out and probably pass out. Imagine her telling her friends about this."

"She's going to say that the BBC isn't Hollywood and no one outside England is going to see it. And probably she's going to say that the music is horrible."

"She doesn't know a shit about music."

"But she does know how to destroy people. Believe me, I know."

"Then fuck her. Don't tell her a word, better that way."

"I won't."

"But you already signed the papers?"

"No. I mean I said yes, but I need to make it official. I'm going to read it tonight and then sign them. Fuck me, I can't believe it."

Betty smiled at her Hannah couldn't help but imitate her. That was a good day.

Good morning.

Hannah was very tempted to say to her about her seeing Tom inside the building, but suddenly she felt really silly.  What she was going to say? Do you know I saw Tom Hardy today and he said good morning to me? Besides, it was something so random and something that Hannah believed that wasn't going to happen again that she felt unnecessary to say it.

Next week, Hannah returned to the BBC building with the papers signed and her hopes higher than ever before. Hannah was happy and it was good. Not long ago she ended a relationship that left her with debts, without her motorbike but with Solomon. The only good thing the bastard did was abandoning the dog in her house. Solomon was just an eight-month puppy, playful and sweet, but according to his ex, he was just a waste of money. As if he himself wasn't a waste of money and oxygen.

So these unexpected good news was exactly what she needed. And her first salary was more than welcome.

"There's a meeting this Friday. The whole team," Henry Atwood said. "Including you."

"Including me? But I have nothing to do with the cast."

"That's the point. It's not just the cast. There are always new ideas to add or to erase from the plot, suggestions, new plans. Etc… maybe you can create something even more great if you know what it's this about. Can you come?"

"Yes, I'm free, so… yes!"

"Good then!" Henry offered her a big smile and his hand to shake it "Welcome aboard, Hannah."

Hannah preferred to be one of the firsts to arrive there instead of being there late. It was her first meeting and officially it was also her first day at work. It'd be considered rude to be there late. Not to mention that the idea of people looking at her was something she wasn't used to. Not without her piano as shell, at least.

The meeting office was big and chairs and tables were in a circle so everyone could look at the rest.

Hannah couldn't help but felt nervous. The idea of working for them suddenly hit her in her face with fury.  On her first day at work, she had to leave the office and find an empty place to calm herself. She felt sick and she was hyperventilating. Her mother's voice in her head didn't help at all "You're going to fail, because you're a failure."

"Look at your brother, head of the surgeon committee of Boston."

"Your music is quite mediocre."

"Shut up! Shut up!" she said to herself resting her forehead on the cold window that was in that corridor. The last thing she needed that special day was her mother and her awful vibes with her. "Please, go away."

Hannah closed her eyes and tried to think about good things. Her dog, her best friend, her piano… she imagined herself sitting in front of it and tried to breathe normally again.

"Are you okay?" A male voice brought her again to reality.

Hannah gasped and back off surprised by the unexpected company.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry," he said.

It took Hannah few seconds to recognise that Tom was in front of her, but when she did it, she rushed to reply. "Yes, yes. I- uhm, I was nervous and I felt anxious. I needed to clean my mind. It happens, from time to time."

"Are you sure?"

Hannah nodded as Tom walked to the water dispenser and offered seconds later a glass of water.

"Thanks," she said smiling briefly.

People tend to see celebrities as deities, not humans. Because of course they're people but also, they're beyond of what could be considered approachable. Not everyone could be near one. And suddenly Hannah was few inches away from a famous actor that seemed to be concerned about her. Like, indeed, any good person in the world could be worried about another. Famous or not.

"I started today," Hannah said "I think my brain felt I couldn't do it."

"It's normal, a new job make everyone feel nervous. You'll be fine. You'll see. What's your name?"

"Hannah Murphy."

"The composer," Tom said. His voice denoted surprised and he smiled at her "Henry talked a lot about you. You're a little celebrity here."

"Oh, please, no! I'm just- I'm not. I Just play the piano."

"It seems to me that more than that. Were you in the meeting?"

"I tried to be there before feeling sick."

"Come on, Hannah. They'll love you, don't worry about it."

Tom smiled at her again and something in his reassuring made her feel better. Together they entered in the meeting room.

___

Now. Three years later.

The apartment was still dark, the windows were closed despite the morning was a reality. She could hear the cars, people… even birds. Everything was the proof that outside those walls nothing changed.

Hannah didn't sleep in the whole night in that bed  that now semeed to be awfully big for her. The empty spot.

She didn't want to cry again, but new tears appeared in her eyes.

Where was her morning kiss on her shoulder? The beard tickling her skin? The "let's stay five more minutes"? His morning coffee, too strong for her taste, but whose smell was synonymous with the beginning of a new day?

It's not like Hannah didn't break up with another person before… but never before everything hurt that way.

Tap tap tap.

Solomon was wagging his tail against the wooden floor because he saw her moving in bed. Against all odds, she smiled briefly. She pat the mattress and the dog didn't waste time to jump and snuggle with her in a single motion. His big head was now on her chest and she caressed it with her hand.

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

The animal looked at her. He didn't know anything about broken hearts, empty beds and tears. But he could feel her sadness. He'd wait for his breakfast until she felt better. Solomon settled closer to her.

It was 10am when she finally decided to go out of bed. The sun was shining, the city was indeed awake long time ago. Looking through the window she'd say that everything was the same. Only it wasn't.

Her phone was full of messages from her family and friends. Especially Betty. But Hananh didn't have the energy to deal with them, especially not her mother that for sure was ready to say that she was nothing but a disgrace, not even smart enough to keep a relationship with the best man she ever found. And for the first time in her life, Hannah hated the feeling that her mother was right.

She sat on her couch with a cappuccino mug in her hands and some toasts on a plate. On a chair on the opposite side of the living room still was one of his T-shirts, one that she stole from his wardrobe and ended its days as her pyjamas. She didn't use it for a while and she didn't want to touch it now, afraid that it'd smell like him.

The memories of the previous night overwhelmed her. It was her fault, she knew. For being too weak. Her mother was right, she wasn't like the rest of them, never was.

The sound of a new message caught her attention. She didn't need to see who it was. That was his ringtone, she personalized it long time ago.

Hannah took her phone and read the message.

[Can we talk? Ily]

Hannah pictured Tom in his house with his own dog next to him. His phone next to his nose because probably his glasses were somewhere where he couldn't find them.

She ruined it.

She received a new message from him.

[Pooh, let's talk]

Hannah broke into new tears when she read her nickname. No one before him ever called her Pooh. And everything started the moment he knew her second name was Winifred. Winnie. Hannah hated the name and she always used just the W, as reference for it. But with Tom, Hannah learnt to love her second name, even before dating. Or maybe it was because it was him.

Hannah called Tom.

He answered before the second ring, for a moment no one talked until he did "Good morning, Pooh."

[twohearts-hs]

Always & Forever Seven - Marshall Mathers x Reader Series

Words: 3.7k

Pairings: Marshall Mathers x Fem!Reader Series

Synopsis;: They loved each other with every fibre and being. They knew that they were meant to be together, but it seemed like every obstacle came in the way. She was twenty-one, he was forty and they knew that it would be hard. Therefore, they promised forever and always as they were meant to be together despite every turmoil that came their way.

Warnings: Swearing, Alcohol, Drugs, Abuse, Smut & Angst. More warnings will come throughout the series.

|| Masterlist for Series ||

Hope you enjoy :)

Marshall heard those words over the phone before the line ended. He could not get a single word out. He could not fight her on this, but she made it clear.

They could not be friends anymore.

A piece of him wanted to go to her house at that very moment, but it was two in the morning and secondly, his daughters were home. Someone needed to be home.

She came into his life just as fast as she left.

However, he needed to fight for her. He needed to talk to her. However, she never answered the door or her phone.

Then there was Paul who suggested that he did not get involved. For his reputation sake…as Jake had a bad one and he did not need that on his radar.

However, he mourned losing his friend. His doll.

-

September 2012

It was officially her final year. Y/N was graduating in the spring, and she could not wait. Elated did not even cover her feelings nor did thrill, excited or even happy. She felt successful. She felt accomplished.

She was the first one to go to university in her family. A family of trades and business owners, but none went to university.

Y/N made a name for herself.

However, a piece of her did mourn the relationship she lost with Marshall. She missed him…terribly but Jake…he was the love of her life.

She loved him so much.

That night happened once, and Jake promised never to do it again. What she later learnt was he was high. He did a line of cocaine…a few lines. Jake told her it was to get creativity for the album. However, all it did was break her heart.

-

October 2012

Jake’s album was released and it was a rave. It was the release party and just like how the album was dropped, so was their relationship to the public.

Everyone knew of Velvet Concord, they knew of Jake and of course, they knew of his girlfriend. Jake bought her this beautiful dress for the release party. It was long and tight, but silk and beautiful with straps and pushed up her breasts. Y/N felt beautiful in her heels and her hair half up.

However, as she made her rounds at the release party, she could not help but frown as she spotted Jake talking to a blonde with big breasts and an ass. She watched from the corner as she touched him, kissing his cheek before handing something to him. It was small baggie and Y/N instantly knew what it was.

She turned around and walked out to the balcony. Drugs. He was doing drugs again. The last time he did drugs he hit her…

How would she get out of this now?

It was a house of celebrities, champagne and coke…

Jake was doing coke.

She watched him from afar, lighting a cigarette and blowing the smoke away. He sat there with his buddies and that blonde, chatting and talking as they did a line and chugged the flute of champagne back.

This was new to her. She had never in her life seen this or believed she would be in this situation.

However, the way he did that line it was so natural to him. A second sense as if it was not his first rodeo. Jake did drugs…

Rock and roll life, she guessed.

However, as she stood in the corner with her dress and a jean jacket, she held her drink tighter bringing it to her lips. Watching and observing the show in front of him.

His brothers sat there too, and they joined.

Y/N graduated from champagne to whiskey the minute she knew he was going to do drugs. Her brows furrowed as she watched her boyfriend enjoy his high as he chatted with his friends and laughed. Y/N was in disbelief.

“You know they say,” a voice said from beside her, “when a woman drinks, she is either trying to get rid of her problems or trying to create them. But, when she drinks whiskey, she has stories.” Y/N listened, hearing the thick accent laced in the sultry voice.  

Slowly, Y/N turned to see who this stranger was beside her.

Blonde was the first thing she noticed. Tall, thin, dark eyeliner and a pearl-like smile. She was beautiful. With blue ocean eyes that were filled with wonder and adventure. They welcomed her with just a glance. Her voice was calm like a hello sent from heaven to soothe one’s anger in that moment.

Y/N never had seen this stranger before but she was breathless…and Y/N was speechless. She wore a black suit, but no top so her breasts hung free and was simply covered by the blazer. She had a flute of champagne in her hand.

“Florence,” she said, “but call me Flo.”

“Y/N,” she said. Flo was tall nearing five foot ten.

“Are you a rockstar, Y/N?”

She shook her head.

“Shame, you could be one. You are here so what are you?” Flo asked, grinning.

However, her identity changed in that moment. “I am an artist,” is all she said in response.

“Then you are a rockstar in your own creative terms.”

Flo was a fresh breath of air and when Y/N looked at her, the world stopped for a moment, and she felt peace.

Florence…Florence who? She had an accent…Dutch…German? It was a Germanic language of some sort.

“Are you?” Y/N replied.

“Am I a rockstar?” she smirked. “I am a bassist and you are an artist. So tell me, Y/N, who is your muse?”

Y/N looked at Jake in the living room, still smiling and laughing. Who was her muse? Never had she drawn Jake. She never did. She only drew the same face and body since she met him…

“His name is Marshall,” she whispered.

She smiled and then chuckled, lighting her own smoke. “Marshall is your muse, but you’re with the guitarist,” she slyly said.

“How did you know?”

“The look of betrayal on your face when he was doing the line. You know it is not the first time Jake has done it,” she hummed.

She knew him…She knew his name.

Y/N’s brows furrowed trying to figure out how she may know Jake.

“His band opened for my band on our last tour,” Flo said. “We partied a lot. Jake partied a lot. Fucked a lot of girls too,” she told her. Flo’s tone was harsh, with no sugar coating. “Y/N, he won’t stop. It’s the life of the road. The lifestyle. Rock and roll, baby.”

“He is with me though,” Y/N whispered.

“He may be your boyfriend, but he’s still a rockstar with a coke addiction.”

“He is not addicted-“

“He is good at hiding.”

Betrayal was all she felt as she looked at the beauty next to her. A lot has happened in this relationship; however, she learnt the truth. He was an addict. Y/N took a deep breath and then looked at the woman beside her.

“It isn’t just coke, is it?” Y/N whispered.

“We live a life we are not proud about,” she mused.

Y/N glanced at them again, through the glass to see her boyfriend with his bandmates and the women around them, leaning down and touching them. He had a broad smile across his face, chuckling and throwing his drink back.

Maybe Florence was right…rock and roll does change people and somewhere between the then and now, her man was changing into someone she did not recognise.

The emotions hit her faster than she thought, analysing the man she loved in the distance. Y/N felt Flo’s fingers graze her shoulder as she brushed her hair away.

Suddenly, the pity turned into anger.

Anger…consumed her like a wave taking the shore, stripping the beach to become wet and mucky… The problem with anger is that it gets a hold on you. It did not matter that she had a few drinks, but she was not herself now. Jake was different. Jake hurt her. Was it purposeful? She did not know, but Jake was not the Jake she fell for.

He was Jake Keough, the lead guitarist of this generation’s up-and-coming rock band. Worldwide known, rich with connections across the globe. Riffs so unique, he was creating modern age music…a new sound.

Anger becomes her boss, she got the unintended consequences. Y/N turned to the blonde woman and smiled.

“Thank you.”

Y/N pulled her phone out and opened the contact of the person she needed the most right now. His name was on the screen, and she pressed the button.

Unblock…call…

She placed the phone next to her ear as she turned to look out the balcony.

“Y/N?” his voice came through. It was rushed and haste, trying to see if she was there.

“I fucked up, Marshall,” she stated, “like really badly.”

“Where are you?”

Y/N told him the address.

“Be there soon.”

Then the line went. She turned to the blonde who smiled.

“Who do you love more? Marshall or Jake? Because of the way you said his name, sweetie it was dripping with honey.”

Who did she love? Y/N was a damn basket case at this moment, but she needed to get out of Jake’s life. She was just stuck. It clicked…

She was in a toxic relationship.

-

Marshall had not heard from Y/N for a few weeks. It was nearly eleven at night when his phone lit up with her name.

She was calling him…His sweet doll was calling him which meant she was in trouble.

He pulled up the address and instantly saw the paparazzi and the cameras. His heart sunk slightly but he needed to go to her. He needed to save her. He needed his girl. Marshall threw his hood over his head as he got out of the car, hand in front of his face he pushed through the cameras to the party.

Y/N spotted him as soon as he entered. His eyes scanned the crowd till he found her and she instantly rushed to him.

“We need to go now,” she said to him once he was within arm’s reached, “before he notices I am gone.”

Marshall quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her through the crowd and back into the streets. Y/N ducked her head as cameras began to flash. Marshall’s arm wrapped tighter around her, pulling her closer and trying to block her face as they got into the car.

Once the door slammed, he looked at her and she looked at him too and instantly they hugged.

“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear before pulling away.

“Don’t take me home, please,” she whispered, “he will come find me.”

Y/N needed him, and nothing will stop him because…

He loved her and she loved him without even realising it.

Marshall pulled out into the traffic as he drove back to his place. His hand found her thigh, but Y/N quickly pulled away. She stayed quiet as they drove.

“Are you going to explain the phone call?”

“We could not be friends because of Jake,” she whispered ashamed.

“He is controlling you now. Distancing you from your friends. I am not fucking psychologist but that is a symptom of an abusive relationship.”

Y/N took a deep breath. “I know.”

He glanced over to see her head against the window.

“I am sorry,” she whispered, “for the phone call. I miss you too.”

He smiled. “What is he doing to you?” he whispered. “Is he…hurting you? Because if he, I will fucking kill him,” he barked. “If he laid a hand on you…”

What does she tell him? The truth perhaps but she could not. She had to figure this out for herself.

“No,” she said, “he is just controlling.”

He nodded but sighed. “Please do not do that again. Please do not call or…” he sighed, “You’re my best friend,” he whispered, “do not let any dick get between us, please.”

She nodded looking over to him and seeing him clench the steering wheel.

“You’re my world, Y/N.”

“Likewise, my muse,” she whispered.

-

Marshall pulled up to his house, parked the car and opening the door for her. Y/N looked at her phone seeing several missed messages from Jake.

11:03 p.m.

From Jake: Where are you? Did you leave?

11:04 p.m.

From Jake: According to Flo, she said you left with your ‘muse’? Who the fuck is she talking about?

11:07 p.m.

From Jake: Thought that fucking Marshall and you were done and you left to go fuck him, huh. You just crawl into his arms when things get bad? I fucking knew you were fucking him. You fucking whore.

11:10 p.m.

From Jake: Don’t bother coming home. Ever again.

Y/N pocketed the phone, reaching out to grab Marshall’s hand. He pulled her close, as he opened the door. Then he dropped her hand.

Marshall toed his shoes off before walking to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water. Y/N stood in the corridor.

“Can I borrow your shower?” she asked.

“Yeah, you know where it is.”

Y/N walked up the stairs and made her way to Marshall’s bedroom. She walked into his room and smiled, breathing in his cologne before walking to the bathroom. She slowly undressed and got into the shower.

Y/N was in there for a while and Marshall began to get worried. He walked up the stairs and went to his closet to grab a pair of boxers and a tee for her to change in. However, the door was open, and Y/N was there…naked.

He watched her as she showered. Her back faced him, and he swallowed. Her ass…round and perfect but when she turned, his heart dropped.

Bruises. Her body was covered in bruises.

Marshall did not control his movements next. In his hands were the spare clothing, but he pushed off his foot and went directly to the shower. He was hot on his trail and stood in front of her.

Y/N jumped seeing a clothed Marshall in front of her.

However, even with her naked in front of her, he shook his head slowly.

“You lied to me,” he whispered as if his heart was breaking.

“Marshall, I am naked,” she whispered.

“You lied to me and that hurts,” he said louder.

“Marshall. I am in the shower.”

“He hurts you, doesn’t he?” he stated. “Y/N…does he fucking hit you?” he said with sharpness.

Y/N turned so her back was facing him. Biting her lip, she took a deep breath and then whispered, “Only when he is high.”

Marshall turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around her. Instantly, she fell into his arms as he held her close. His arms wrapped around her as he brought her out of the shower. Y/N turned around to face him.

“Why did you not tell me?”

“Because I thought every time was the last time.”

His arms held her close, as his eyes looked down. His hand came to cup her cheek and she smiled. It was a moment as she looked into those beautiful baby blue eyes and Marshall broke.

Her face and body, and voice and touch…the way her smile moves so slowly across her face like moonrise, how clearly he missed her and how clearly overjoyed he is to have her back. Y/N buried her face into his neck as he held her. All that she could think was that she needed him. She needed his arms around her, needed him to hold her.

But as they held another, Marshall kissed her with all the power he could muster, making up for all the weeks, moons, days, minutes and seconds their chapped lips had not been touching. And finally, finally, it felt like the world was no longer burning around him.

Y/N kissed him back holding his cheeks as their lips moved such passion. Y/N’s back hit the sink as his hands held her waist and cheek letting their kiss explore more. They kissed as no words explained how they felt. This is what they know.

Y/N pulled away and their foreheads rested against each other. For the first time, she felt complete. With him, she was at ease; her skin felt as though it was the right size. It seemed so natural, to talk to him about odd things. She had never done that before. The trust so sudden yet so complete and the intimacy frightened her…

Y/N pulled away and dropped the towel.

“Stop,” she said, and his brows furrowed. “Stop thinking about your worries. Just this once. Do not care about anything else but how you feel for me.”

“How I feel for you?” he whispered looking down to see her naked body. He swallowed and took a step forward.

“When we met,” she whispered, “three times. The chances. We are meant to be in each other’s lives…”

“What are you saying, Y/N?” he asked but her hands came to cup his cheek.

“You know what I am exactly saying.”

“Then say it.”

“Don’t make me,” she whispered.

He pressed a kiss to her lips and Y/N closed her eyes. “Marshall Mathers, I want you. Always you.”

And that was her way of saying it. She did not need to say the words as they were scary however, his kiss was powerful. However, she melted in his touch. Their kiss grew hungry as she walked forward, pushing him to the bedroom. Marshall removed his shirt throwing it behind them as his thighs hit the mattress.

Y/N’s hands trembled as she undid the belt, pushing his pants down and boxers. Marshall kicked them off as their skin hit one another…touching like fireworks going off.

She moaned from the heat that radiated off him, brushing her cool skin as their lips continued to move in sync. Marshall turned, pushing her against the bed. However, as he pulled away and leaned over her, he glanced down.

“You,” he said, “and me. Always.”

“We are an always type of thing,” she agreed, “always. You and me.”

It was their way of saying; I love you without the commitment. They feared love but they needed love and as they kissed, they knew the truth.

His hands moved from her waist to her breast, kneading it as her lips went to his jaw.

“Y/N,” he moaned, “Doll face.”

Y/N kissed his jugular as her hands ran down his chest, feeling his thick muscles and abs. She pulled away and looked back in his eyes.

Her fingers grazed the side of his jaw before touching his lips.

“You are never going back,” he whispered. “You’re mine. Forever.”

All she did was whisper, “Please.”

It was all he needed to press kisses down her chest, over her nipple before sucking it and letting it go away. His arms pushed her legs apart. Marshall settled between them, but his finger danced with such scandal down her abdomen. His lips pressed a kiss to her naval.

“You’re beautiful. You’re delicious,” he purred before pressing a kiss where she wanted it the most…right in the sweet spot. Instantly, her back curled as a loud demanding moan came from her.

Marshall smirked as he did it again with a little more force before pulling away. His fingers replaced its spot on the clitoris, pressing before moving in circles.

“Pretty girl. All mine. Forever,” he cooed. “My girl.”

“Yours.”

He went down, curling his fingers and pushing them inside of her as his lips pressed against her heat. Y/N’s hand went to his hair, running through it before moaning. He was magic as his tongue danced in places, she only dreamed of him touching. It was pleasure, it was lust, it was heaven and boy, she was ready to get on her knees to pray.

His tongue worked wonders and as he went on, she felt the knot. She felt the wave of pleasure and suddenly she was screaming his name.

Marshall placed a hand over her mouth, shushing her before kissing them closed.

“Wake up the whole neighbourhood, huh?” he mocked.

He was hard. She felt it. He felt it. However, as she rode her orgasm…he was not prepared.

“I want you,” he said.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered.

“I don’t have a condom.”

“I am clean and on birth control.”

He nodded and looked down to her body and seeing the bruises. It was like seeing them all over again.

“Did he hurt you? By touching you?”

She shook her head. “They are old.”

“How old?”

“Two weeks maybe.”

He shook his head. “I will fucking kill him. I will fucking end his life the next time I see him. I want his corpse on a fucking stick in my yard.”

“Shh,” she whispered, “love on me. Murder later.”

His lips were back on yours as she moved her legs to wrap around him. Marshall entered her slowly, feeling him stretch her walls and fill her in ways she only dreamed. It was so different than anything she felt before. It was simply magical. Her eyes rolled back as he began to pump in and out of her.

His lips attached to the side of her head as his lips whispered sweet nothings. Bliss, pure bliss and she had no words just sounds of rapture. Her fingers grasped his back, nails digging as she scratched and ran her hands through his hair.

“So good,” he whispered, “perfect.”

Y/N rolled their bodies, moving to straddle him as she sunk on him. Marshall pushed up so their chest was flushed. His hands ran through her hair as their lips barely touched. Moans came from them as they shared the same breath of air.

It was not fucking. Far from it. It was love. It was magical. It was perfection.

They needed one another like oxygen. Like drugs…intoxicated and need a fix. As she rolled her hips and he hit the right places, they moaned. His hands ran up and down her back before cupping her waist.

Then he pushed her to the side and began thrusting from behind. She was on her side as his hand cupped her cheek, finger on her chin and tilting her head to him. Lips against one another as they came together.

They moaned one another’s name as their highs came. Pulsing, shockwaves, vibrating feelings of pure pleasure.

Eyes closed and feelings absorbing. They fell on the bed.

They were lying on their backs as he looked at one another.

Then he said something dangerous, “I think I love you.”

And her heart melted. “I love you too, Marshall Mathers.”

-

Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts and opinions.

Much love,

Ava <3

[st4rg1rl-16]

━━ ✶✶˖° 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗡𝗘 | 𝗡𝟰𝗦.

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴(𝘀) ━ 2019 to 2023!f1 grid x driver!female oc

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 ━ arabella talks about her past on her first appearance on drive to survive and attends her first formula one gala on melbourne

𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 ━ 2019, 24 march

𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ━ melbourne, australia

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ━ only cursing i believe

𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 ━ I wrote the fic a little over a year ago when I started to like f1 so the first chapters sucks, this one specially it’s short and doesn’t happens much on it but it’s a start. It will get better and more dramatic, you will see 😮‍💨

𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ━ @namgification @burberryfilms @d3kstar @omgsuperstarg

• — need for speed’s masterlist

"ARE you nervous?" At the cameraman's question, the girl dressed in red looked up but didn’t raise her head.

“Why?” English slid across her tongue mixed with a soft spanish accent. Her accent was not as pronounced as the other two hispanic drivers, but if you listened carefully, you could hear it clearly “Do I look nervous?”.

“No, no, no, you look very good” The man was quick to shake his head at her, making her smile slyly.

“Damn right I do” The staff laughed at the girl's self-centeredness when she moved in her seat in a more comfortable position and looked directly at the camera raising both eyebrows.

The coordinator approached the cameraman and looked at her with a slight smile "Okay, Arabella. Are you ready?”.

Releasing an affirmative 'Mmmh' she straightened her back again. She placed her right leg over her left thigh and gripped her ankle, leaning forward slightly in the chair.

"Introduce yourself and we'll proceed to the questions, then you can leave" The girl, still a little surprised to find herself there, nodded and began to play with the silver chain that hung around her neck.

It had been five months since she had signed with Ferrari to enter Formula One and she still couldn't believe it, despite being in a room sitting in front of a dark background with thousands of eyes looking at her and cameras recording her as she told her story so that came out in a Netflix documentary like she was a rock star or something.

It was fucking crazy.

“I'm Arabella Torres and I’m a driver for Scuderia Ferrari” She smiled without showing her teeth and looked at the woman who would ask the questions, who made a gesture encouraging her to continue “I was born in Madrid, Spain and I've always wanted to be a Formula One driver. It's been five months since I've done it and, uhm, I still can’t believe this isn't a dream”.

“At what age did you start driving?”.

“Officially?” She asked and the director laughed while the interviewer nodded “At nine years old. When I was seven I was given my first kart, well actually it was for my little brother, Oliver, who is now a motorcycle driver, but he was very young and was more interested in Pokémon than cars. Anyway, I took over the go-kart and started racing 'illegally'” She made quotation marks with the index and middle fingers of both hands and laughed “I raced against other kids at the go-kart track that they put on at fairs every spring and summer in my neighborhood. Parents bet money against their children”.

There were several laughs and she smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“When I was nine years old, my father signed me up for the Spanish Karting Championship. I won” She made a face of obviousness raising both eyebrows. "After that I began to climb categories. I won all the races. I remember thinking that it was very boring because everyone was very slow and it bored me, it was very easy to win.

“Is that why they call you 'Speedy'?” The blonde, brown-eyed woman shuffled some papers she held in her hands as she crossed her leg over the other.

She pursed her lips. "A narrator from the European Championship called me that. It was in... 2012, I think? I don't know. I finished the race almost two minutes ahead of the second driver, I was the fastest by a lot. I broke the international speed record for the category. I remember I didn't know what it meant because I didn't know much English at the time and I got offended when people started calling me that, I thought they were making fun of me”.

"Poor thing," she let out an empathetic laugh, "Of course, you were only twelve years old at the time and you had never left Spain, right?”.

“Never”.

"Do you like to go fast? As you said, they were very slow and you got bored”.

"I love going fast," She took a deep breath with a big smile on her face, "I feel the need, the need for speed."

“I feel the need, the need for speed!” They all repeated the phrase in unison making her laugh.

"Okay, let's see..." She bit her lip looking for the next question, as soon as she read it she frowned but read it anyway "What is it like to be a woman in this sport? To be the only female driver in Formula One?" One?.

A snort escaped from between her full lips, “That question….”

"How many times have they asked you this?"

“I haven't counted them but I've only been in Formula One for five months and I'm sick of that question already.” She rubbed her forehead and licked her lips before letting out a sigh. “But okay, I'll answer. Whatever” she shrugged unwillingly and the others laughed making her smile “As a child I had no friends. At school they didn't want to hang out with me because I was the weird car girl who sometimes skipped classes to go to competitions, even many of my teachers didn't treat me well for it.

The interviewer looked at her with her mouth open in amazement and Arabella nodded as if to say "It's true, believe it”

“They were angry with me because I didn't go to their classes because maybe I had a championship in a city 500km away and I couldn't go to school in three days. Sometimes they would ask me "Arabella, why are you wasting your time with that?" or "Arabella, you're a girl, that's for boys" and I would get angry because, who were they to tell me what I should do with my life? I thought "my parents have given me permission" and that's all that mattered to me, that my parents agreed and supported me” She adjusted the belt of the red jumpsuit and continued “As for Formula One, I'm not going to lie, it’s hard. Not because of the job itself but because of the people, all those people who criticize me for just being a woman and overestimate me as if I didn't know how to use a car, it's the most difficult thing”.

“Do they send you a lot of hateful messages on social media?”

She clucked her tongue with a wry smile hanging on her lips. "And death threats. I don't give a shit though– oh wait!” She ran her hand up to her mouth and wide-eyed looked around her “Can I swear?”.

The director along with her manager, sitting behind some televisions a few meters away, agreed with a laugh.

She sighed in relief and smirked, "Ah, so.....shit, I don't give a shit. People can say what they want, after all they're sitting at home and I'm the one being paid to drive a fucking Ferrari”.

She looked away from the woman and winked at the camera, the technician blushed and inadvertently turned the angle ever so slightly.

“Tell me about your family. How is your life now that you have got an eight million dollar contract? Because as far as I know, you didn't have a lot of money growing up, right?”.

She turned her gaze to her "Yes, that's true. My parents worked as cashier in supermarkets and we didn't have a lot of money. We had to sell the house because the bills and debts were piling up. After that we moved in with my paternal grandparents and lived with them for a couple of years until we moved to the coast to live with my maternal grandparents. It was difficult because we were eight people living in a five-bedroom house in which the only source of income was my parents. I almost never saw them, they went to work in the morning and came back at night. My grandmother raised me and my brother, that was when I was six years old.” She clenched her jaw and blinked several times, trying not to cry. Her family didn’t have a very good time as far as money was concerned.

She swallowed back tears and continued “When I started winning races, I started making money and with that I helped out at home. We could eat better, my grandmother was in poor health so we could pay for her medicines too, school materials and bills but still most of the money went on trips to the competitions so it was still a bit difficult to pay for things. When I started in Formula 3 I began to earn more money and paid most of my parents' debts, then in Formula 2 I paid my grandparents' debts and house and some other things to my aunts. Now that I earn so much money I have been able to buy a house for myself and I have bought another one for my parents. Now I want to buy one for my grandparents. I want no one in my family to lack anything, ever”.

The lady smiled sadly and nodded. "That's very noble of you. Is that your goal in Formula One, to take care of your family?”.

“It is one of them but not the main one”.

“What is your goal in Formula One?”.

She fixed her gaze on the camera, her face completely changed to a serious and determined one. "Win. I want to be the best, I want to be better than Lewis Hamilton, I want to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"Do you think you'll make it?".

"Oh, I know I will." Her right corner rose pulling her full lips into a self-centered half smile. "Even if I have to die for it, I will."

“GOD, my tits are sweating” She complained while her fingers pulled on the corset, trying to unstick it from her skin so some air could pass through.

The boy let out a laugh that he tried to hide with his hand but she heard him. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Is this funny to you? I'm suffering”.

“It's not every day that I hear that someone's chest is sweating, sorry for laughing” He apologized but she ignored him by pulling at her clothes again. He looked her up and down, delicately observing how the long ferrari red skirt fit around her body, stopping right at her waist letting the corset of the same color expose the skin of her hip.

He wondered where the team's logo was, he had it on his jacket on the side of his chest but the prancing horse wasn’t on her dress.

Without taking his eyes of her, he licked his lips "If it's any consolation, I think you look very pretty."

“Wow, Leclerc” Immediately a flirtatious smile crept across her lips and he rolled his eyes “And here I thought you were going to be rude and not give a compliment to this beautiful lady”.

“Why give you compliments if you already give them to yourself?” He turned his gaze to the window and observed the streets of Melbourne without interest, without a doubt they were not as interesting as the beauty sitting next to her.

A silence filled the car, it wasn't uncomfortable but it was silence and it was killing Charles because he wanted –no, he needed– for her to say something. He needed them to keep talking because he knew that when they got to her gala they were going to snatch her from his arms and he probably wouldn't talk to her again until the next day.

"I think you're very handsome too." With a murmur she broke the silence. Playing with the rings that decorated her fingers and also looked out her window “The suit looks good on you.”

“Thank you, Belle” A feeling of warmth enveloped him and suddenly he felt that the suit was suffocating him. He cleared his throat and shifted in the seat “I heard you recorded with Netflix today, how did it go?”.

She turned her body, with difficulty because of her corset, in the direction of his so that she could better converse with him. She smiled slightly "It was strange?" Her laugh make him smile "I had never done something like this but I liked being able to tell my story and I'm eager for people to see it. I want them to know me for me and not for what the press says or the haters on the internet.

Giving her a somewhat sad smile he took her hand in his and squeezed it affectionately "I'm sure they'll love you."

"Thank you, Charles." Her eyes traveled all over his face as she responded with a grateful smile.

For Arabella, her relationship with her teammate was strange. She knew him from Formula Three but they never spoke because he was older and was always with the boys his age while she only had Mick and Lando as friends since most of the other kids didn't like that there was a girl in Formula Three, much less one that was who was kicking their asses. It was when she started in the Ferrari academy in 2016 that they were introduced to each other but they didn’t hang out too much since he was still affected by the death of his godfather, Jules Bianchi, and she was very focused on finishing her studies to be able to focus on her career better.

Eight months ago, Ferrari was beginning to tease that both would be the next drivers for Formula One, so their managers suggested that they start talking to improve their camaraderie and she couldn't complain, they had a good relationship but it was strange since sometimes there was tension and he had a hard time talking to her, sometimes he seemed shy or cold and that drove her crazy because she only wanted a friend, she didn't have any so being friends with her teammate sounded good.

While for Charles his relationship with Arabella was pleasant or at least it was until a couple of months ago, when he began to look at her with different eyes and he didn’t like that because it was dangerous for both him and her, they would be kicked out of Ferrari because the contract they had signed and Arabella would be massacred on social media, it would be a disaster. Of course, this is speaking in case she also reciprocated his feelings and they started a relationship, but it didn't look like that was going to happen at any time because his teammate didn't even deign to look at him for more than a minute, let alone look at him that way.

He didn't want their friendship to be affected by his little crush, he wanted to be her teammate and her friend, but unfortunately sometimes his feelings got the better of him and he didn't know how to act in front of her so things sometimes became awkward.

“Do you think the sponsors will like me?” Her question caught his attention, taking him away from her thoughts. He looked at her and for a moment he swore he saw a small, insecure girl.

He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb and smiled at her "They're going to love you, like everyone else and if not better for me then”.

She let go of his hand, much to his dismay, and gave him a little push on his arm, making him laugh in amusement.

Suddenly screams began to be heard outside the car, drawing the attention of both drivers. Each one looked out their respective window, amazed to see fans crowded at the door of the hotel where the small gala for the beginning of the season would be held.

"We have arrived" The driver informed them, drawing their attention; they didn’t even remembered that there was a third person in the car.

They looked at each other. Charles took a deep breath, placing his hand on the door handle "Wait here, I'll help you down."

“There‘s no need...”

“Yes, there is” And with that he got out of the car, the screams increased.

The girl took a breath and began to play with the pearl necklace that decorated her neck.

“Hostia puta” Muttered to herself in her native language before sighing and putting a smile on her face. Holy shit.

Just in time the door opened revealing her teammate. He extended his hand towards her offering support, she looked into his eyes and nodded ever so slightly to herself before sliding her hand over his. As soon as she got out of the car, the flashes blinded her and the screams left her deaf for a few seconds until Charles began to pull her towards the hotel door.

She smiled at the cameras and let herself be carried away by the monegasque, who took her arm and wrapped it in his own before leaning towards her ear. His lips lightly brushing against his ear “You're doing so good”

Her body froze, why she suddenly had goosebumps?.

The brown haired boy walked away from her although he was still at a quite questionable distance and locked eyes with her. Arabella frowned slightly, getting lost in his green eyes so light that they seemed transparent unlike her own, which were assimilated to fresh grass.

What was happening?.

“Bella!” Daniel Ricciardo exclaimed as soon as he saw them, interrupting whatever was happening between them. The younger two turned in the direction of the voice, finding themselves with a small group made up of some of their fellow drivers.

“Danny” The girl smiled, letting go of her teammate to head towards the others. Immediately the middle child of the Leclercs felt a sting in his chest when he saw her leaving, but then was distracted when he saw something shining on the girl's lower back.

'FERRARI'

The team's name in capital letters danced with every step the girl took, written in sparkling gems on the skirt of her dress not far from her butt.

“Mon dieu” He breathed out through his nose, shaking his head. It was going to be a very long night. My god.

“I don't know if it's legal for you to drink alcohol in this country” The spaniard male looked with concern at the glass of champagne that was dancing between his compatriot's delicate hands.

"Don't worry, I asked Ricciardo and he said the minimum age here is eighteen” She pursed her plump lips in a smile and brought the glass to her mouth, finishing off the golden liquid in one gulp. She wrinkled his nose “Esto es un coñazo.” This is so fucking boring.

Sainz let out a small laugh behind his glass. “Yes, it is.”

“Ah, I know!” A gasp came out of her mouth and her gaze lit up, which scared the McLaren driver who looked at her with terror “We should escape”.

“No no no no. Don't even think about it, Bella” He left the glass on the bar where they were leaning while he shook his head repeatedly.

A pout appeared on her lips, painted red as her dress “Oh, come on! Please, Carlos” She began to fix the boy's suit as if it wasn’t perfectly ironed, she squinted at him “Tell me you wouldn't eat a hamburger from McDonalds instead of this fucking appetizers that feels like you're eating cardboard”.

He looked at her interested and she smiled, he was going to accept. He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the arrival of the monegasque.

He looked at the girl's hands on the older man's chest and frowned. "What are you doing?"

“She's seducing me” The black-haired man murmured in english, earning a pinch from the girl “Oh! Hija de–“ Son of (a bitch).

“We were talking about going to eat something real and not this” She picked up a appetizer that was next to her with a disgusted expression before turning to Charles to look at him curiously “Do you want to come? It seems that Carlitos doesn't want to come with me”.

To be alone with her? In that dress of hers? Without thinking he answered yes and she stuck her tongue out at Carlos, who rolled his eyes.

“If you leave, you should go to your hotel, to sleep and nothing else” Carlos opened his eyes widely and set his tone in the last sentence, insinuating something.

"How boring," She twisted her mouth before taking 16's hand, taking him by surprise "See you, Carlitos. Have a good time, eh”.

In response, the older man gave her the middle finger to which she laughed before beginning to pull her teammate, who looked at the older man over his shoulder.

—Careful— Who with his index and ring fingers pointed to his eyes and then to them as if to say "I'm keeping an eye on you."

An hour and a half later they were both sitting on the hood of a Ferrari devouring some hamburgers while looking at Melbourne from a viewpoint that Daniel had advised Arabella to visit.

“Will we get in trouble for this?” Guilt had begun to form in the female driver’s stomach. What if they got into serious trouble for having escaped? Or worse, what if she got Charles into trouble?.

Even without swallowing his burger and with sauce on the corner of his mouth, he gave him a toothless smile “If we do it, it's worth it. Dieu, those appetizers were horrible”. God.

She laughed thinking he looked adorable, she looked down at the burger in her hands and took another bite.

“Don't worry, we already talked to all the sponsors” Seeing her still worried, he dropped the hamburger on his lap and took her chin in his huge hand, making her turn her face to look at him “We did our job. They will tell us nothing. Calm down, okay?”.

Since she didn't answer, he got closer to her and leaned his hand up to her, forcing her to look up at him "Okay?"

She let out an affirmative "Mmmh" finally looking into his eyes. And suddenly everything stopped: the lights, the noise of the cars, the air moving the trees, the voice of Harry Styles singing the chorus of "Lights Up" from the car radio. Everything, everything stopped and began to move in slow motion when Charles, cautious, began to approach her while her gaze began to run a marathon between her lips and her eyes.

And then everything exploded, everything came to life again at a speed faster than the cars they drives for a living as soon as their lips collided. As cliche as it sounded, Arabella felt fireworks explode around her as the hand holding her chin slid to her throat, Charles's other hand wrapped around her waist pulling her closer. The hamburger she was holding in her hands fell to the ground when she let go of it to bring her hands to the boy's hair, she let out a moan into his mouth when the hand on her neck squeezed in response.

They broke apart as her lungs began to scream for air, Charles resting his forehead on hers before tucking an unruly lock of hair that was covering her face behind her ear. She watched him silently while trying to catch her breath.

He smiled, kissing her forehead to which she let out a sigh, closing her eyes. "This, for this we can get into trouble."

She felt him pull her lips away from her skin and almost moaned in protest but she decided to shut up when he brought their foreheads together again and looked at her so intensely that she felt like she could see into his soul.

“If I get into trouble for you, it's worth it. You are worth it”.

[batsplat]

hiiii <3 i just saw your casey race recs post and i was wondering if you had one with dovi or marc races too! i'm relative new to motogp and i don't know where to start watching!

thankk youuuu, i love your blog, i'm learning so much thanks to you 😭😭 also you're really funny 🫶

right, this one admittedly was trickier than the casey list. marc in particular has accumulated one hell of a body of work... not easy to do justice to. marc's won a lot, but his most enjoyable races aren't the ones where he gaps the field by about two minutes at cota. it's the ones where he's scrapping and brawling his way through and the whole thing is a bit of a mess. and there's a lot of races to choose from in that regard, against a whole host of different rivals

which is very nice for him, but that makes it impossible to do anything comparably comprehensive for marc without getting to a slightly ridiculous length. luckily, that's never stopped me before, and long is what you're getting. you asked about dovi so I'm gonna go with him first, because that's a somewhat easier to tackle body of work - and limit myself to a mere ten twenty five seven eight recs. then I'll get to marc, where I've limited myself to an extremely reasonable thirty three five races, not including any I already covered in the dovi section. if you're looking for something a little more specific, like idk wet weather or feuding or whatnot, lemme know

same warning as before: plenty of race results will be spoiled in the description. in honour of how worryingly long this list is, I've escalated to a three asterisk system: * means 'go check it out', ** means 'personal favourite', *** means 'classic race'

dovi

spoiler free top ten list: welkom 2004, turkey 2007, sepang 2008, silverstone 2010, mugello 2012, mugello 2017, austria 2017, sepang 2017, brno 2018, qatar 2019

*welkom 2004: dovi's first grand prix win. most of this race consists of a three-way battle between locatelli, dovi and casey (who eventually drops away a bit) at the circuit that kicks off dovi's 125cc title-winning season. the second half of this race is more exciting than the first, and you'll never guess how dovi wins a grand prix for the very first time. let's just say he wasn't leading going into the last corner and leave it at that

**turkey 2007: andrea dovizioso once again getting himself involved in a last lap battle? SURELY not. this race is so so much fun, though after the start it settles down for a bit - stick with it, because when it gets going, it really gets going. these kids are vicious with each other! half the joy of watching these old 250cc/125cc (or equivalent) races is hearing the stuff the commentators chat about, basically getting all the good gossip of the time... like say jorge telling the spanish press they shouldn't believe half the things he says about his rivals... or how he'd already been visibly pissed off after qualifying because he was starting from p2 rather than pole... also the kind of podium both me and the commies always massively enjoy, aka one where two people on it basically refuse to acknowledge each other. the vibes between jorge and dovi are NOT good here and it's a lot of fun to watch these children being so pissy with each other

^one of his favourite career victories against his main rival in 250cc, the defending champion jorge lorenzo, who was sporting the number one plate on a superior bike to dovi's honda machinery. more often than not over the course of their time in the sport, these two have not gotten on well at all. it remains one of the sport's defining tragedies that chupa chups did not sponsor jorge throughout his career

qatar 2008: his debut in motogp and a strong race. pleasingly he gets involved in a last lap fight, and does pick off one of the aliens

*sepang 2008: dovi's first premier class podium and an extremely deserving one that really showcased his abilities as a defensive rider, the latest of late brakers etc etc. fought with valentino, then led a train of four/five riders at one point, then was involved in a great late scuffle for third place that lasted until the very end

donington park 2009: first motogp win! has to be said the aliens... uh. none of them delivered their most dignified performances. but ignore those clowns - dovi's of course cemented his reputation as a highly skilled wet weather racer over the years, but this was his first time in the spotlight in the premier class. it would take him seven more years to acquire his next victory

*qatar 2010: a somewhat stronger season than his disappointing 2009 campaign, and the first race was certainly promising. dovi scraps with vale, scraps with nicky hayden, scraps with lorenzo... the racing is pretty decent too. includes the strange sight of seeing the ducati out-powered in a straight line down the lusail straight and I'm sorry but at that point ducati might as well have called it a season, like that was their ONE thing. anyway, dovi still rode well to take advantage of it

*silverstone 2010: once jorge hits the front following some initial resistance from dani, the fight for the win is basically over - but what's going on behind him is good enough to make up for it. bunch of different duels going on in the top seven, whether it's dovi and de puniet, hayden and pedrosa, spies and sic, and eventually casey shows up to join in on the fun too. another one where a bunch of riders are pleasingly close together and there's some real suspense about the final order late on (though the most dramatic action in the last lap is happening right behind dovi - not that you see most of it given the classic tv direction sin of instead giving us a nice prolonged shot of jorge doing a wheelie over the line and his crew celebrating. cheers guys). nice comeback ride for casey-enjoyers too (he wasn't enjoying it)

**sepang 2010: lot going on in this race. three-way fight for the win. valentino is eleventh after a few corners. he does not end the race in eleventh place. this is a good race both for dovi enjoyers and for enjoyers of the... uh. complicated vale/jorge dynamic (this race immediately followed motegi, a notable low point of their relationship). lovely little spite ride, for people who like that kind of thing. love the way it gradually builds up as valentino closes and closes and dovi is just sitting on jorge's rear wheel, and then it just nicely lights up around half distance. me and the commentators are once again having a great time. it is here that jorge seals the title, so it's all post-race smiles with just a hint of posturing

silverstone 2011: casey won this by several light years, but dovi demonstrated his pedigree as a wet racer once again. his race involved intense skirmishes first with jorge and then with sic, and it's fair to say he got the better of both of them

^two excellent wet weather racers and teammates for a single year in a three person repsol honda squad. when dovi was informed he would be let go by the factory team, he decided against accepting a demotion within honda and instead made the jump to yamaha's tech 3 satellite outfit for one year. this was the first time he raced outside of honda in his grand prix racing career. then, in 2013, valentino's return to yamaha made space within ducati. he was always going to have to be vale's replacement rather than his teammate - in 2011 while searching for a ride he said "I would never accept to be teamed up with valentino rossi. it would be pure masochism. there is no room for anybody at his side, he takes it from you and he takes it all. when rossi is ready to share the limelight it will be the end of his racing days". fittingly, dovi was valentino's last ever teammate in motogp

mugello 2011: this feels like one of those classic alien era races where the winner of the race is determined after about a lap. but... it's not! makes for an unexpectedly exciting race and also *ding* last lap overtake

*valencia 2011: this one should have gone on the casey list too, knew I'd missed some. anyhow, on dovi - a lot of dovi's best races during those years came in the wet. but this time he was already engaged in a nice little scrap with dani and ben spies before the rain came. the clash also had real stakes for dovi and dani's final championship positions, a point of personal pride given that dovi had been let go by honda and pedrosa had been retained. a race that accidentally gets exciting again at the end, quite the dramatic finish. this was an emotional podium at the first race after sic's death. dovi and sic had grown up racing each other - and while he stressed that they had never been friends, dovi went to sic's house two days after the crash to see his family and share his grief with them

assen 2012: another one that probably could have gone on my casey list too, actually, with the fight for the win between dani and casey lasting pretty far into the race. behind them, it's dovi putting pressure on spies, lying in wait to make the attack... and, thrilled to say, we do in fact have some last lap overtaking. we don't really get to see how this contest is resolved because the audience needs to see the race winner coast for half a lap, but nevertheless! this one also has extra significance because spies was a factory yamaha rider and dovi was with the satellite team. always a good idea to get your market value up during contract negotiation season

*mugello 2012: would put this on my casey list if I'd included some disaster rides, which this is for him. that bit of the season where he made some high profile errors and controversial passing attempts of his own (and there was an overtake he did apologise for post-race) (this is the last casey mention I promise). anyway, never mind him. this is another one of those alien era races where the winner pretty quickly checks out by a margin of around ninety nine years, and indeed is already waving to the crowd on the last lap. the racing behind him is not too bad though, dovi is involved in a long duel with bradl that hayden eventually joins, and casey isn't the only guy executing controversial passes

assen 2014: ducati was in a pretty sorry state in 2013 and it's still in a pretty sorry state in 2014. another wet race podium, very strong race from dovi where he does manage to stick with marc for a while there. lower down the order, valentino is executing a rather nifty comeback ride after making an erroneous tyre choice

**qatar 2015: a great race and one that nicely sets the tone for what some consider a fairly interesting season. marc goes wide in the first turn and jorge has some kind of visor issues, so we end up with the two ducatis and valentino having it out for the win

^valentino after qatar 2015 about the current era of racing. at the start of the season, it looked like the ducatis would be right in the mix - surely one of the two factory riders would be able to snag a victory sooner or later. it was not to be that year and the results for the rest of the season were largely disappointing, but ducati had clearly made a step forward

sepang 2016: dovi's 2015-16 must have been maddening. three consecutive p2's to start 2015 but drops off from there. rumours at the start of 2016 that jorge's sick of yamaha and speculation is ripe about who in ducati might be sent packing for him. it looks like dovi might well be headed for the door, except iannone did something extremely damaging to his case early that season - dovi was the safe pair of hands, not the guy ducati put their hopes in. they're handing out wins to anyone who rocks up that year and indeed dovi's soon-to-be-former teammate gets ducati's first victory in about a million miserable post-casey years. plenty of talk about who'll win next and marc and vale both point to dovi, but it's just not happening. sepang is the penultimate round of the season and by this point, at least a little order has been restored again - which is when dovi finally gets his win in the wet. still bonkers to think he had two premier class wins pre-2017 both in the wet and then he's runner-up three consecutive years, very gibernau of him. he earned it too, a long scrap in the race with valentino until vale's tyres went kaput

*mugello 2017: dovi begins his transformation into a genuine title threat here. it looked like lorenzo would lead the ducati charge as he had been hired to do at ducati's home circuit in mugello, a circuit he had always been strong at. in the early stages of the race, jorge fought valentino (fresh from his first motocross accident of the season and expected to struggle late in the race) for the lead. dovi had missed warm-up as he was suffering from food poisoning, but, as would happen repeatedly that season, jorge quickly slipped back down the order - and in the end it was dovi who took the fight to the yamahas. a home victory, his first dry win, and all while not at his best physically... no wonder it was one of dovi's favourite career wins

^the moment dovi replaced maverick vinales as marc's biggest threat that season

catalunya 2017: it took dovi seven years to win two races and a week to win his next two. this was the moment when yamaha really started falling apart and confirmed the looming realignment of the competitive landscape. it all came back to the tyres - as it often did in those years, but it was particularly extreme in the sweltering heat. winning a race with your tyre preservation skills on a bike that allows you to preserve those tyres doesn't make for the most thrilling of races, but hey, job well done. his teammate finished fourth, almost ten seconds back after leading on the first lap

***austria 2017: one of the classic marc/dovi duels. the best races between the two of them (unsurprisingly) tended to be at tracks that quite heavily favoured ducati - and austria was already establishing itself as a prime ducati hunting ground. which meant that marc was pretty happy to even find himself that high up in the order and doing damage limitation in terms of the points swing in the championship fight. does that mean he plays it safe while trying to snatch the win from dovi? not even going to bother to answer that question

*motegi 2017: another in the marc/dovi collection and one that reaffirmed dovi's status as a worthy challenger to marc. a dramatic last lap in treacherous conditions that goes down right to the very last corner

**sepang 2017: such an impressive win. the title was on the line... or rather, dovi knew that he basically had to win to even still give himself a chance. he was not helped out one bit by his teammate in this regard, but rode a fantastic race in the wet to eventually force the title decider (left field choice but this dovi win is the one that most impressed me, fully thought the title would be wrapped up here especially after a poor race in phillip island)

valencia 2017: has to go on here as it's the one title decider dovi has gotten himself involved in. marc had a comfortable 21 point margin, which meant that for dovi to win the title marc would've had to finish... uh p12 or lower I believe, and dovi would've had to win the race. straightforward for marc, right? well, title deciders have a tendency to get a bit weird and nervy, just because of the stakes involved... and you can tell from how marc's riding. this race is also really dull until about ten laps to go... thing about valencia is that even when it's looking like an overtake is coming it's basically guaranteed that it won't be. the funniest part of the race is jorge ignoring team orders to a ridiculously blatant extent and ducati attempting to psychically murder him

^dovi always knew the odds were against him going into valencia. this is the moment his title bid ends, ironically just after he'd finally been freed of lorenzo

*qatar 2018: dovi would never come as close to the title again as he did in 2017, but at the start of 2018 at least it looked like he could be a serious challenger once again. this is a great race, another last lap battle... trying not to get repetitive so here, have some of my race notes to change things up:

**brno 2018: for a while, this looks like we're building up for a nice little four-way fray between dovi, vale, marc and jorge (feat. crutchlow). dovi does what he always does when he's leading and goes at the slowest possible pace, and everybody else does what they always did in those years and lies in wait, while occasionally reshuffling the order at the front in the name of whimsy. and then the yamaha does what it always does and somehow burns out its tyres anyway even though they're crawling around the circuit. anyhow, once valentino has done his scheduled backwards slide and jorge has rejoined the fray, it shapes up as a nice little three-way fray between dovi, marc and jorge. appreciating dovi races is all about getting really into the idea of tyre preservation and knowing the last laps will probably be fun. extra little spice because by this point the jorge/dovi dynamic is... not great :)) and we get an appropriately feisty duel between those two in particular

^after his win at the season opener in qatar, dovi had struggled to continue the momentum from the previous season. he went into the race fourth in the standings behind marc, vale and maverick, already 77 points down on marc - and his teammate had recently won back-to-back races. an important win and the rest of his season was a lot stronger. and of course, he had the joy of beating jorge, a relationship that managed to deteriorate even further over the course of that year

*thailand 2018: minus the yamahas providing an early and a late cameo, this one's all about another marc and dovi duel. a lot of stalking and lurking and then marc makes his move with four laps to go. excellent last few laps with overtakes galore, including of course at the very last corner

**qatar 2019: perhaps the archetypal dovi race. runs a very slow pace at the front to just carefully manage the pace, which leads to a nicely bunched up field that keeps sniping at each other. the top three for much of the race of marc, dovi and rinsy switch around plenty of times. there's one moment where dovi just like. ups the pace simply to test if he can drop everyone and then fully drops it by a second the next lap when he can't. pretty funny in how blatant it was. also, don't want to shock you here but we do indeed have another last lap battle. top five at the end covered by .6 seconds

*austria 2019: the first lap is WILD and actually manages to delay the inevitable marc/dovi duel. fabio leads for a bit, and then you are reminded of exactly why he hasn't been able to shut up about top speed for the past few years, like man after a while I'd be traumatised too. another fun duel between marc and dovi, which ends with... that's right. a last lap battle. that was kind of what their rivalry was about by 2019, given there wasn't really a title fight any more (certainly not after jorge played bowling in catalunya) - but the races themselves were thrillers, a welcome remedy when marc's dominance was at its most stifling

austria 2020: just as a heads-up - this race includes a terrifying crash when the bikes of zarco and franky morbidelli almost fly straight into valentino and maverick. nobody was seriously injured but they were inches away from a life-threatening accident; it's by the grace of god stuff. the race was stopped and then restarted, which... bit tough to say whether that helped or hurt dovi. probably helped (though I reckon he was always winning this) - in part two mr tyre whisperer is chasing jack miller on soft tyres. what happens next will shock you. deeply odd race... a lot of 2020 races had a surreal vibe - you just have to kinda experience it for yourself. at one point there's a graphic on screen telling you dovi, zarco and stefan bradl are competing for the win. this is not the case

^once more with feeling: dovi's third win at the redbull ring and only win in 2020, just after he'd announced his decision to leave ducati. between injuries, being unable to make the new rear tyre work for him and the growing alienation from ducati, 2020 was not an easy season for dovi. in the end, he was not the one to take advantage of marc's absence, and his time as a top-level rider ended when him and ducati parted ways

marc

spoiler free top ten list: cota 2013, assen 2015, phillip island 2015, mugello 2016, misano 2017, phillip island 2017, argentina 2018, assen 2018, silverstone 2019, sachsenring 2021

mugello 2010: first grand prix win! once marc has worked his way through the field this develops into a tight four-way scuffle that continues until the very end, with marc winning by .039s

estoril 2010: absolute chaos race and also the penultimate race of the season with a tight and tense championship situation. marc does well to move up the order until the rain comes and the race is paused... and then my man bins it on the sighting lap. anyway who needs more than half a bike to win a race. one hell of a comeback ride with a nicely dramatic ending

phillip island 2011: marc had to start this race from the back of the grid as a result of a one minute time penalty. early in one of the practise sessions that weekend, he had crashed and had been forced to wait in the pits while the bike was repaired, but was then sent out with only a minute to go. he tried to get in a hot lap after the chequered flag was out, and barrelled into the back of another rider who was slowing down after a practise start. the other rider went to the hospital, though was not seriously injured, and marc ended up with only a cut - but both parties were very lucky to escape relatively unscathed and he was heavily criticised for it. he himself did not agree with the penalty, and his team lodged an unsuccessful appeal. this was also a big race in that year's championship fight (that marc eventually could not see out after his crash in sepang), presenting a huge opportunity for title rival bradl to gain a decisive points advantage. a very impressive comeback ride, as well as a good contest for the win

**qatar 2012: love a race that's a mess. the season opener, and also marc's first race back after the horror crash in sepang the previous year that had given him career-threatening diplopia. marc spends a fair portion of the race battling with iannone, one of his main rivals that year, and if I personally had to fight both baby marc and baby iannone I would simply leave. another bloke is so furious at marc he slaps his arm on the cooldown lap, which was in response to a very controversial pass down the straight where marc kinda ran him off track. both were reprimanded by race direction. the finish is ridiculously close. go watch it

^the cooldown lap slap - marc was involved in several controversies that year. at the end of the year, the fim updated its rulebook, widely seen as a response to marquez-related incidents and the controversial handling of them, and introduced the penalty point system. ironically, it was that system that resulted in valentino's back-of-the-grid penalty in valencia 2015. in early 2017, the penalty points were once again scrapped

motegi 2012: another comeback ride - this time, marc stalls at the start. does his thing and eventually has a late scrap with his main title rival pol espargaro for the win. good fun

valencia 2012: 'oh you can't overtake at valencia' 'oh all the races are boring' 'oh could they please kick it off the calendar come on we deserve a better race to end the season' is what only an idiot would say. marc's last moto2 race starts from p33 after being penalised for a practise collision. spectacular comeback rides are a funny calling card to have for the statistically strongest qualifier in motorcycling grand prix history, but reflects how much of a trouble magnet he was - especially in those days. he might not have a great reputation in the premier class, but he did calm down in 2013, relatively speaking. or, well, he certainly did things it was harder to penalise him for

*qatar 2013: marc's first premier class race. jorge basically fucks off at the front from the word go, but it's an exciting battle behind him - that of course eventually involves valentino, who as ever had worked his way through the pack from further down the grid. first race first podium simple as

*cota 2013: this was always going to go on the list given that it's marc's first premier class win. the race itself is fine, not the most exciting entry on this list, but still! obviously worth a watch

**jerez 2013: icl I feel like this race really benefits from watching jerez 2005 first. not only because 2005 is the better race, but because I think you need to picture twelve year old marc marquez watching this race and thinking it was just like. the coolest shit ever. the patriotism left his body that day. I will not talk about the 2005 race here, but to be clear I am with twelve year old marc marquez on this one. anyway, back to 2013: the race is decent, the infamous copycat overtake is great but arguably the parc fermé and podium vibes are even better. not only was he shameless, but he was shameless in a way he knew echoed his hero beat for beat. baby's first premier class controversy

^the infamous finger wag. marc tries to approach him again during the podium celebrations, but seems unbothered when he is rebuffed. jorge made clear throughout that season he thought marc should be penalised, repeatedly bringing up when jorge himself was given a one race ban and how it had taught him a lesson about responsible riding (some of his rivals in 250cc and premier class rookie season might have some thoughts on that). his criticisms continued well into the season, with tensions rising again after marc's overtake on dani in aragon led to dani crashing

**laguna seca 2013: can't leave this out. important to stress moto2/125cc never went there, so it was his first time at just this notoriously tricky track that was known to be incredibly hard to conquer (here is a clip of vale and marc talking about this in the sachsenring presser). I wouldn't say the race itself is all that great once marc does his thing at the corkscrew, but laguna's quite high up there on tracks you can mostly just enjoy watching bikes go around. big moment in the championship fight because it's when marc is racking up the points at the expense of the injured lorenzo/pedrosa

^2008: valentino stops during his victory lap to kiss the corkscrew where he overtook casey // 2013: marc gets his photo taken at the corkscrew a few days before he will overtake valentino there

*silverstone 2013: a jorge/marc contest for the victory with a dramatic ending, one of the best races that year. marc had dislocated his left collarbone in that morning's warm up, so there was added tension in whether he could hold up physically across a race stint - at a time when jorge (and dani) desperately needed to make up points. interesting continuation of the lorenzo/marquez arc that season in that jorge was a little more willing to match marc's aggression, whatever the problems he had with it

valencia 2013: not bad as valencia races go, actually. which is literally only because it's a title decider and the points situation is exciting, but well credit where it's due. proper tussle between the top three - jorge was so aggressive as he attempted to back marc up into the pack that journalists in the presser afterwards were essentially inviting marc to call jorge a hypocrite. obviously has sentimental value as it's where marc's first premier class title was sealed (even if it should have been sealed earlier but hey ho)

*qatar 2014: I found it quite tricky to make a few picks for 2014, because I feel like a lot of the races this year are in the category of 'fun but not all time epics', and it's hard to really choose between a bunch of them in terms of either significance or entertainment value. the first race of a ten race win streak feels as good a place to start as any, and represents the moment when marc really began stamping his authority on the series. in many ways, this race echoed the race of the previous year: jorge leading from the start, valentino charging through the field, marc somewhere in between. except this time jorge crashes and the fight between marc and valentino is for the victory. it lasts until the penultimate lap, and this time it's marc who comes out on top

le mans 2014: marc did try occasionally to keep things interesting. yes he consistently qualified very well, but sometimes he threw in a bad start or an awful first lap for the vibes. in this one, he ran very wide during the first lap (partly helped along by jorge) and ended up back down in tenth. the pace differential is too extreme for good battles but still, some nice overtaking

**catalunya 2014: see above - there's not all that much to separate this from say mugello or silverstone, so the tiebreaker is personal preference. a good, fun scrap that involves all four of marc, vale, jorge and dani at different stages - even if the end result by this point feels almost inevitable. it is here that valentino rather understandably attempts to strangle marc in parc fermé

^still a close contest with seven laps to go. plenty of overtakes, plenty of confusion relating to a yellow flag, and last lap contact

indianapolis 2014: last of the win streak, at a track that was never particularly popular with riders and typically short on good racing. for a while there at the start it looks like this race would deserve to go on the dovi list until valentino just. um. bumps him aside. and lets marc and jorge past both of them. and then lorenzo also bumps dovi aside. sorry dovi, yamaha decided you were not to be involved in this. the next few laps are good fun too, like by this point you can TELL how much both yamaha riders want this. no manners in sight. icl it's mainly the fact that it's closing out the win streak that has made me include it and the first few laps, because once it settles down it... sure does settle down. ignore this list and just pick a win from the 2014 win streak at random - if you enjoy that one, you'd probably enjoy them all

***assen 2015: probably my favourite marquez/rossi battle. really all you can ask from with a race with two protagonists: lasts the whole race, tense, high stakes, two guys who are particularly motivated to beat each other, several overtakes plus a hell of a lot of stalking and studying each other, and last lap controversy. involves cunning, a little bit of ambiguity in the intentions of both parties, some unresolved questions. an appointment with race direction. an awfully tense post-race press conference that the relationship of the protagonists could never quite recover from. the ideal race

***phillip island 2015: one of the best races of all time etc etc, though it may make you feel like somebody is repeatedly stabbing you with the sword of damocles. still, that's entirely to do with what follows, and the race itself is a fantastic four-rider battle with a murdered seagull and a late twist

**sepang 2015: well, obviously! the actual confrontation between marc and valentino is deeply counterproductive in terms of 'guys you're letting lorenzo/pedrosa escape, stop divebombing each other' and well the whole thing is all kinds of tragic. but the racing itself nicely showcased the complete lack of respect between the pair of them and there is something kind of mesmerising about seeing two all time great wheel-to-wheel fighters go at it, no holds barred. plus it's a major part of marc's story. it is what it is

argentina 2016: this probably isn't making a lot of top thirty something lists, but hey, sometimes you just need to watch a kind of stupid race. this race was kind of stupid. it has the dubious honour of being the first in the marc/vale walk of shame 'hey remember when you guys fought here last year' tour, and they do actually get to scrap it out a bit on track again - though that confrontation is defanged from the moment they have to switch bikes. the last corner incident is dumb but also funny. the podium has truly rancid vibes. I had a good time

^nobody else on that podium as much as twitches when marc goes down. blank faces when he jokes about it in the presser. kind of impressive really. same weekend

***mugello 2016: there is a moment when you think this race will end up being an extremely tight contest until the end between the three protagonists of the 2015 fiasco. then something extremely infuriating happens, and it ends up not being that. on the one hand you leave that race feeling a little robbed, on the other hand it did still feature a veryyy dramatic finish between two of the protagonists. excellent race

**catalunya 2016: the first proper post-2015 marc/vale battle, and at valentino's favourite location for enjoyable race-long duels. it's not like... I don't think of that particular category, I'd call it my absolute favourite - but that's a very high bar. no surprise that they both really really wanted to beat each other, and hey interpersonal animosity always adds a fun nice note to the racing

sachsenring 2016: the problem with the sachsenring is that it used to produce banger after banger race until some diminutive bloke called 'marc marquez' fucking ruined it. 2003 2006 2009 2010 2011 are certified classics, as good as it gets really, tight dramatic fights for the victory and podium positions and integral to the narrative arc of their respective seasons. you used to be able to rely on this track to give you a SHOW. but then that twat showed up and... tbh I can't even remember many of his wins there having particularly memorable racing behind him (I did quite like 2018), so maybe it's not only his fault (to be clear it is in large part his fault). anyway the 2016 edition is in that stretch of 2016 where everything just kind of. goes to shit. like they start just letting anyone win. jack miller won in assen that year. anarchy in motogp. it's the michelin tyres, it's the rain, and it's this bit of the season where marc starts running away with the title. this is another very messy race, more rain, and it's one that has convinced me once and for all that marc has actual plot armour at this circuit. there is a moment where you will go 'how does he win this race' and it's the moment where he goes so far off the track he's halfway to austria. watch to find out how he somehow scams another win at the ring. damn him please do it again this year

^come on this is bullshit. if I'm the other guys I'm calling for a ban of the sachsenring until we figure out what the hell is going on. no wonder he was hopeful of winning on the murder honda

**assen 2017: brilliant race. initial four-way tussle between marquez, rossi, zarco and petrucci that includes some early aggression between the usual suspects and then some light rain to further spice things up. right on the very last lap, there are two great scraps going on - one for the win (with a controversial involvement of a backmarker), and the other for the last podium spot against cal crutchlow

**misano 2017: this is a race that very much had the shadow of valentino rossi looming over it, even though he was not in attendance. valentino had gotten himself involved in his second serious motocross crash of the season, both right before italian races, and had this time decided to take himself out of the title hunt rather definitively by breaking his leg. some time after this, marc posts a photo of himself doing motocross - which he has done a lot of over the years, but was interpreted as taunting valentino and got plenty of backlash online. whether this was a contributing factor or not, he received a frosty reception in misano. he crashed during the wet warm up session and was booed by fans as he rode past them on the scooter, prompting him to blow kisses at them. the race occurred at a tense moment during that title fight: marc had suffered a mechanical dnf in the previous race and in doing so had surrendered the championship lead to dovi. he could not afford another dnf at this late stage of the season. which perhaps made it a little surprising just how hard he fought for that win against petrucci in the treacherous wet conditions, the risk he took with his overtake on the very last lap. was it just to get an extra five points and the win, or was it (as the speculation went at the time) about getting revenge on the italian fans? who's to say - but in any case it was one of the defining performances of that year's championship and another example of marc's skill and confidence in the wet

***phillip island 2017: you know the drill - this circuit produces bangers, and this is another all-time great race. marc by this point had a weird and somewhat cursed record at phillip island in the premier class, where he'd a) been disqualified in 2013, b) crashed out of a comfortable lead in 2014, c) won in a dramatic last lap in 2015, and d) crashed out of a comfortable lead in 2016. so in his first four years, the only year he'd even finished the race, it set off a deeply unfortunate series of events involving marc and allegations of sabotage made by his childhood hero - which maybe goes to show the universe just wanted that particular relationship to be doomed. anyway, 2017!! apparently marc decided he could only finish at that circuit when it involved a dramatic battle between multiple riders. good on him! the racing is brutal, with plenty of contact between the riders, as perhaps you might expect looking at the list of protagonists: marquez, rossi, zarco, vinales, iannone, crutchlow. high stakes too - a decisive points swing in that year's title fight that could have easily gone disastrously wrong for marc. in 2018, marc once again did not finish the race

^a hard-fought race where all participants are more than happy to get physical. one of several races that season that prompts questions about aggressive riding, though this time all the riders are in agreement. after the handshake, marc gestures to the rubber that now stains valentino's leathers. in a year where team orders were a big topic of debate, valentino finished right in front of his teammate - who had still been in mathematical contention for the championship

**argentina 2018: for lovers of hubris and head loss. the full marc marquez experience. off his rocker the entire weekend. got whacked with a massive penalty at the end of the race that made the whole thing quite literally pointless and deserved every second of said penalty. jorge's long-standing mantra of 'just give him a race ban' became part of the discourse again. ended up p18 to valentino's p19, hand in unlovable hand. but apart from that, it was a really great performance!

^complaints at the time obviously centred around how marc was a repeat offender in the recklessness of his riding, and lacking in respect (see too the ever-lurking parallels drawn with the jerez 2011 apology - which was, it has to be said, issued for a considerably less egregious offence). publicly marc was mostly remorseless, accepting more blame in the aleix incident than the valentino one, and saying in an interview a few days later that he wasn't going to change his approach. it's the worst and the best of him - he had no need to barge aside other riders with the sheer raw pace he was able to access. on the phillip island 2003 comparison, see valentino's words about riding angry here. in 2012, marc was asked about whether there were races where he was determined to win at all cost, and he mentioned some examples from that year before adding, "there have been many times when I had to channel my inner rage to win a race"

***assen 2018: excellent race, as memorable as phillip island 2015 or 2017 if your favourite type of race is multi-rider dogfights. involves seven or eight riders in the lead group for large chunks of the race, with the order of those riders chopping and changing with incredible regularity. some pretty ridiculous saves (at least three riders right at the sharp end of the action where you feel that they really should have hit the deck) and a lot of contact, putting on full display just how aggressive riding had gotten during that time. most riders enjoyed the contest, though this time it was dovi's turn to be a dissenting voice. in any case, there were reportedly 99 passes within the lead group and it is rightly remembered as one of that era's finest gems

*austria 2018: marc vs the ducatis, as was tradition at the red bull ring. marc wanted to get payback for the last time they had been in austria, and determinedly got a good start to try and avoid history repeating itself - but he never quite managed to escape his pursuers. this is one of those races where there's a long stretch of it just... building, where it feels like either marc will make the break for it or there'll be a dramatic finale. which can make it ever so slightly annoying when there isn't a dramatic finale, but I am happy to assure you that this race delivers on that count. gets very good with ten laps to go

^plenty of close battles, but in those years nobody could match marc for week-to-week consistency. the closest by that metric in 2018 was valentino - but typically a few positions further down the order, hindered both by competitive decline and an increasingly horrendous yamaha. as for jorge, he found his form on the desmodici just as the ducati higher-ups lost their patience and kicked him out. he reached some impressive peaks and at last adapted well to the demands of the bike, but his season was eventually marred by injury

***silverstone 2019: quick warning - quite a scary crash on the first lap even by motogp standards. anyway, dramatic last lap battle with alex rins, who I think it's fair to say marc hasn't always had the best of relationships with. while things haven't exactly gone to plan for either rider since then, excluding fabio that was probably the rivalry that I was most excited to see develop post-2019. ah well. the race itself is fantastic though, one of those that just gradually ramps up the tension before the finale. the last two laps are crazyyyyy. top five closest finish in premier class history

^marc and rinsy (not at silverstone but earlier in the season at jerez). some long-standing bad blood here and I'm sure rinsy really would have liked to strangle marc from time to time

**misano 2019: another visit to valentino's home turf in the year time finally caught up with vale. before this race, marc and valentino tussled in qualifying. an odd and deeply unserious incident that had zero actual impact on their already doomed laps, it's notable in part due to how much marc visibly lost his cool over the whole thing. from p5 on the grid he ended up in an enjoyable duel with fabio quartararo for the victory that went down to the very last lap. as the commentators noted, he celebrated more than he has after sealing some of his championships. coming out best in a last lap battle, making sure to keep the edge over fabio, as well as 'winning in enemy territory'? the perfect weekend. as he says in the immediate post-race interview, "honestly speaking, yesterday was the extra motivation, the extra push for the race" and "really nice to win here in italy". you could tell

**thailand 2019: marc attempting to burnish his last lap battle record by breaking children's hearts? sad stuff. cruel and unusual. a lot of fun to watch. it's an understatement to say that fabio's rookie campaign exceeded expectations, and marc quickly identified him as his biggest threat going forwards. this was a match point race for marc and he needed to outscore dovi by two points to seal the title, but he had such an overwhelming lead that he could afford to take more risks than he might have other years - even if the race did follow a massive crash in friday practise that required a hospital check-up. another race that involves a lot of stalking and shadowing and plotting before the action really kicks off (with four laps to go). this race was part of marc's considerable efforts that year to put fabio in his place while he still could. poor fabio

jerez 2020: hurts to include but this list wouldn't really be complete without it. another race that very much encapsulates the full marc marquez experience. truly bonkers pace until it all went horribly wrong

^funniest moment of the race is when valentino does what is surely the closest you can get to a double take on a motorcycle when he sees marc go past. like he sees marc, then clocks who he's seeing and then visibly looks again in a sort of 'HOW is he here'

*sachsenring 2021: thing about marc at the sachsenring is that it undoubtedly got boring in terms of the victory fight for a few years there, but it's also just a fun, tricky track and he's a joy to watch on it. obviously this win is anything but boring, and the margin he pulls on the field never feels as comfortable as it should be. I don't really think I have much to say about this race that hasn't already been said. I cried

^make that eleven in a row at the ring. honorary mentions go to cota and emilia romagna '21, at time of writing his most recent wins. neither are classic races exactly - and indeed, if you're looking for races relevant to the current climate then aragon '21 is a good shout. at emilia romagna (the second race held at the misano circuit that year), pecco crashes out while being pursued by marc, which clinches the title for fabio. it is also the last race on home soil for valentino

**phillip island 2022: one more for good measure. somehow this is his first premier class ride at the circuit where he finished the race but did not win. late on in that year's tense title battle and gives you exactly what you want from a race at phillip island. it's not even a multi-rider dogfight as it is an every-rider dogfight that eventually becomes a multi-rider dogfight at the front of the pack... but if you looked at the run order after about three laps you would NOT be able to guess who the riders involved are, never mind who wins it. absolute chaos. one hell of a contest right until the very end involving one of that year's two primary title contenders - and some other foes old and new. marc's sole podium that year, and his 100th in motogp. second closest top ten in premier class history, not too bad

[doturtlesdream]

the boys!!! in clothes!!1!!!1!

little rant lol:

first, i went through all seven (7) stages of grief during this

second, oh boy.

so i’d say that this isn’t really an au but it’s definitely something. think the 2012 boys if they were raised very traditionally japanese (like that their first language is japanese and they observe it’s customs or smth). in this they’re very vain and try very very hard to maintain their clothes and makeup. like they take multiple hours to get ready lol. just like splinter gave them their masks and weapons, he also gave them their hair accessories. idk don’t think about it too hard this was an excuse to draw obis.

[xtruss]

In Kenya, Martial Eagles Hunt Lion Cubs For Lunch

Martial eagles, with wingspans that can exceed six feet, can take out young impalas or gazelles. Recently, researchers have seen them targeting another species’ young.

— By Joshua Rapp Learn | October 3, 2024

Martial Eagles (One Shown in Serengeti National Park) Occasionally Hunt Lion Cubs, New Rsearch Shows. Photograph By Klaus Nigge, National Geographic Image Collection

In December 2012, tour guides in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve witnessed a series of killings targeting one of the savannah’s top predators. An adult martial eagle followed a pride of lions for weeks, waiting for the right time to swoop in and kill three cubs in total.

“This is an eagle really looking at these lions and thinking, ‘I’m going to systematically hunt these lions,’” says R. Stratton Hatfield, a Ph.D. candidate at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.

A Juvenile Martial Eagle snatched this three-week-old lion cub on March 15, 2019, in the Mara North Conservancy, Kenya. No one saw the bird kill the cub. Based on the fledgling eagle's behavior, researchers suspect that an adult female gave the cub to the fledgling. Photograph By Jes Lefcourt

While the supposed kings of the jungle may dominate the land around them, this incident and others like it show that African lions (Panthera leo) may not always sit on top of the food chain when it comes to the skies. In fact, martial eagles (Polemaetus bellicosus) likely prey on lion cubs when the opportunity arises, Hatfield and his colleagues recently reported in Ecology and Evolution.

“It’s really a testament to the predatory nature of martial eagles,” Hatfield says.

Queen of the Skies

Martial eagles’ wingspans can exceed six feet. Adult females weigh more than 10 pounds, while adult males typically weigh around seven pounds. Though comparable in size and ecology to golden eagles, the species often kills larger prey. The birds swoop in and dig their razor-like talons into their prey’s spine at the back of their skull, sometimes taking out young impalas or gazelles far above their weight class. “[Their talons] are just massive killing utensils,” Hatfield says. “From a predator perspective, they are impressive in what they’re able to do.”

Hatfield’s team only recently realized the birds also preyed on other predators. The team collected seven records, including the 2012 incident, that describe martial eagles preying on lion cubs, resulting in the deaths of nine cubs and one near miss. Most of these episodes probably involve larger females, Hatfield suspects, though two records included juveniles preying on cubs.

The earliest case comes from 2008, when a photographer captured an image of an eagle feeding on a freshly killed cub, while the most recent was in 2023, when a safari guide saw a juvenile eagle hunt and kill a cub large enough that the raptor couldn’t fly off with it.

Risk Versus Reward

Despite their aerial antics, martial eagles are typically risk averse. “When they go to take a lion cub, it’s with a lot of recognition of the risks,” Hatfield says. But not all records seem to show this careful calculation.

In the one failed killing, a martial eagle swoops in to snatch a six-week-old cub right next to its mother. The lioness spots the approaching danger, and “literally leaps in the air to try to take the martial out of the sky,” Hatfield describes. “You can just see the lioness’s eyes lock onto something, then she crouches and launches.”

The eagle dodged the counterattack, and didn’t get the cub, but the whole maneuver “was just stupid.” Hatfield speculates that the raptor didn’t see the lioness. Episodes like this are so dangerous for the eagle, “you wonder if they are doing something ever just for fun,” he says.

Amy Dickman, a conservation biologist at Oxford University in the U.K., isn’t surprised that eagles will go after cubs again and again if the strategy proves successful. She also leads Lion Landscapes, a nonprofit focused on coexistence of humans and wildlife in Kenya and Tanzania, and says the conclusions of Hatfield’s team “seem sound.”

As far as the lions are concerned, “it’s just another kind of risk that lions have to deal with,” Dickman says, like predation from hyenas or male lions from competing prides. While she doesn’t think the eagles pose a conservation threat to the big cats, an individual pride in a given area might feel pressure if a martial eagle has honed in on their cubs as a food source. “It shows you how interesting and diverse the natural world is,” Dickman says.

Predators or Prey?

Martial eagles aren’t picky when it comes to big cats. Some have taken cheetah and leopard kittens, as well. Hatfield also notes the risk probably goes both ways—lions could and probably have hunted adult eagles or nests. At least one YouTube video shows a leopard killing a martial eagle.

“The relationships between top predators at the top of the [food] pyramid are complicated,” Hatfield says.

Martial eagles are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Hatfield hopes that studies like this bring more attention to their plight. Like other large raptors in Africa, the species faces habitat loss, poaching for parts, electrocution on power lines and persecution.

“We are all so focused on the elephant and lion and rhino,” Hatfield says. “A lot of these big eagles and vultures are going to go extinct right in front of our eyes.”