#subversion part one

[shoot-i-messed-up]

…ngl the Ilana & Rick dynamic was more interesting before they fucked

[rocketinthesky]

We’re not meant to be, but my heart refuses to listen

Max already found his soulmate, and is in a committed relationship with her. But why is his heart defying fate and pulling him back into George’s orbit?

- A Soulmate AU (GAX)

-fluff, slight angst, happy ending, canon divergent, rated Teen and up

Part I

(Read Part II next) (OR read on ao3)

Max’s eyes drift over to George’s wrist, an intricately inked tree without any leaves peeking out through the long sleeves of his suit. They’re in another post-race press meeting, joined by Oscar, Carlos and Pierre. He’s mostly zoning out, which is easy to do when the reporters finally decide to take pity on him and ask the other racers questions for a change. He fiddles with his own left sleeve, skin cold under his fingertips as he runs them over it. It feels numb, the dark outline of a rose on his skin. It didn’t used to feel that way, once.

It’s not as mortifying as the first few times were, when George catches him staring. It’s both disarming and electrifying when that camera ready smile of George’s softens into something more genuine—reserved—as if Max and him are currently sharing a secret only they’re privy too.

Max can feel the automatic, almost desperate, way his own mouth pulls into a matching grin. And the resulting fit of giggles between them attracts the attention of the other racers and reporters.

It’s easy enough to dodge the question of what’s making the two laugh like a pair of schoolchildren when Pierre butts in with a joke, and it gives George the opportunity to lean in closer to Max, mics distant enough to not pick up the almost airy whisper of George’s voice as he asks, “What were you staring at my hands for, mate?”

Max stiffens at first before quickly relaxing when he registers the teasing undertones to George’s question. He deliberates it, thinks the logical thing to do would be to make an excuse or a quip, make them both laugh at the ordeal. But the curiosity has been gnawing at Max’s psyche long enough that he can’t help the way the question rolls off his tongue, relieved in their freedom.

“Did you find your soulmate yet?”

George seems to freeze at his question, the playful grin on his face tightening. Max immediately feels guilty for asking such a prying question. They’re friends, but they’re not quite close enough to delve into these topics. Questions about each other’s personal lives always stayed on the surface level, never breaching family.

Max might have just crossed a line in their already fragile, somewhat undefined relationship. They’re friends in a broader sense. They never hang out alone together, they barely text each other outside of the usual fire emoji react on each others’ instagram stories and obligatory congratulatory messages. But then there’s also this…tension, Max thinks, that’s always surrounding the air between them. A spark crackling down Max’s spine when they meet eyes across the room or accidentally brush shoulders. The heat of George’s body branding his skin whenever they pat each other’s shoulders in friendly conversations.

There’s that numbness where his own soulmate mark lies, a permanent reminder of Max’s failure to be normal, to be less selfish.

George evokes in him a thrill he’s only gotten before on the podium, above everyone else. The champion of the fucking world.

“I did,” George says, stretching the word out. The emphasis there feels past-tense—as if there’s a but there.

Max wants to press the matter, but knows not to. Only shrugs. “Cool.”

George’s face relaxes, the corners of his eyes softening before he leans in close enough that his breath scorches the shell of Max’s ear. “Didn’t quite work out, though.”

Max holds down the shiver from wracking his body outwardly, but he can feel the goosebumps rising on his flesh.

This knowledge shouldn’t excite him. He’s with his own soulmate, for fuck’s sake.

When George pulls back, corners of his eyes crinkling, Max knows for certain by the battering of his heart that he’s fucked.

Fate already gave him everything he could possibly want. But Max hungers for more.

Trying my hand at a trope i’ve been wanting to write for a long time, and what better ship than Gax! My first foray into writing for f1 rpf so i am very very nervous lol i’m still pretty new to the fandom. Feedback is very very appreciated, i’d love to know your opinions on this if you managed to stumble upon this drabble! I do plan on this having a part two, and potentially more depending on how many it takes to finish the story. Hopefully not too long lol. Hope you enjoyed <33

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

man. the most persistently irritating thing about daniel emond's "kill the whale" is how fucking GOOD it is at times.

every day I think about The Quarterdeck and how phenomenally it portrays that scene and the magnetism of agreeing to Ahab's quest even despite fear, and Dusk and the subplot of Starbuck falling in love with Ahab and being terrified of what that means, but ESPECIALLY Fedallah's introduction song where Fedallah is presented as a woman with agency, who looks the audience in the face and dares us to judge her for the life she has chosen.

Fedallah is presented as the captain's lover, the captain's party trick and pleasure, and owns the shitshow she lives in, and only chooses to reject that life once she tires of Ahab's fetishization and exotification of her, and then uses the very thing Ahab fetishizes so much (her prophecies) as a way to spell her own doom and drag Ahab down with her, freeing herself. The shivers I still feel when I hear Fedallah's triumphant crow of "come back here" as she sinks below the waves and Ahab watches in horror, knowing she is next.

that fucking ruled to a degree that shook me!!!!!!!!! and hearing Grace McLean and Amber Gray (and Danielle McKnight) duke it the fuck out through song was just genuinely magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and then the narrative kicks you right in the throat by calling queequeg "q" for two hours straight and making his marriage to ishmael lowkey racist hate sex

[arolesbianism]

Sometimes I just look at Isabeau and just know that if isat came out and I got into it when I was like 16 he would be my favorite character and I would've gone absolutely buck wild over this man and feel like he was laser targeting me. But alas Odile has a grip of steel on me rn due to her virtue of being a middle aged woman

[osteochondraldefect]

10+ocean pleaaase :]

splinter in the eye by tardigrade inferno

this was perfect for OCEAN<33

ask game

[khuantru]

If you are confused watching 'The Tyrant' on 'Disney Plus' - it's a mini show based on the same universe / time line as 'The Witch' part 1 & 2.

Hope season 2 gets picked up and they make it at least 8 episodes. Or maybe make a movie.

If you like 'The Witch', you'll enjoy this

[most-screwed-by-writers-tourney]

Propaganda:

Ja Yoon and The Nobleman: Both were scientific experiments, but she managed to escape while he did not. Now he enjoys tormenting a seemingly amnesiac girl and threatening to kill those she loves, all for fun.

Yoonbum and Sangwoo: None submitted.

[theimpossiblescheme]

I came to a realization listening to the NPC dialogues from Bloodborne. Since we don't have Patches playing his usual role in this game, the Skeptical Man in Oedon Chapel takes over his role of warning us about some of the NPCs. But the key difference is that Patches, despite his smarmy cynicism, is a genuinely good judge of character--every time he tells us not to trust someone, he's right. And most of the characters he accuses are people in positions of power, notably Lautrec the knight who murders the poor imprisoned Fire Keeper, and Petrus the lying cleric who leaves three of his cohort to die. You can argue that in Petrus's case, it's just his bias against clerics talking, but given what almost all of the clerics in Dark Souls preach and who to, it's hard to hold that disdain against him.

But in Bloodborne, the Skeptical Man can never look past his own deep mistrust for everyone around him (again, hard to blame him in a place like Yharnam), and he ends up with the exact wrong read on everyone who accompanies us to Oedon Chapel. Not only that, but everyone he accuses is just as powerless as him: a traumatized old woman, a sex worker minding her own business, and a disabled man who truly wants to help people. The only one he doesn't accuse is Adella, a nun of the Healing Church, which certainly indicates who he's willing to give the benefit of the doubt and who he isn't. And there's also the way he frames himself--while Patches knows that he's a scoundrel, but there are far worse scoundrels than him out in the world, the Skeptical Man clearly thinks of himself as a good and honest man who can see past everyone else's deceit. He's not just wrong, he has to be self-righteous about it.

[twicetolivetwicetodie]

Cirilla of Cintra, Bee Farseer, and Rand al'Thor all being Chosen One characters who are told they will destroy the world

[supremeshardan]

The lethal gaze be like:

[radlymona]

How did people not notice this I’m losing my mind

[yngai]

what i like about ada's report, & i'll get into it more eventually, is that despite it being ada explaining the plot (& her motivations) to you directly, it presents an interesting relationship between ada, a known liar & manipulator, & the audience. while she withholds information from other characters & skirts about on mystery throughout RE4 & separate ways, there is one person to whom she doesn't lie, to whom she does tell the truth, at least a part of it, & that is you, the player. it is a very neat narrative device that wouldn't work as well in a different medium

[brofightiscancelled]

what is it that drives people to create the most gorgeous and elaborate art of anime muppets. i want to dissect an osomatsu-san fan's brain but that would involve me actually having to smoke cigarrettes (watch the damn anime) and probably develop lung cancer (enjoy it)

same sauce as my little pony:friendship is magic getting popular

[shimuzuu05]

okay so idk but i have this sudden fanfic idea because of how hyped i am abt jjk while i watched both movies of The witch part 1 and 2. i suddenly imagined how fuckin sick it will be to have an oc or yn that is from The witch but got the attention of jujutsu sorcerers because of how powerful and questionable how she got her power from. they thought she was like Satoru but she she isn’t and thought she would be more like Sukuna then she becomes the greatest enemy of jjk world but Satoru found her weakness or something and even sukuna helped them HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA idk it’s so cool in my head.

[most-screwed-by-writers-tourney]

Propaganda:

Ja Yoon and The Nobleman: Both were scientific experiments, but she managed to escape while he did not. Now he enjoys tormenting a seemingly amnesiac girl and threatening to kill those she loves, all for fun.

Victor and Elizabeth, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (art by Nanfe1789): As a child, he didn’t want to be separated from Elizabeth even for school, and he didn’t react well to Henry kissing her. As an adult, he’s much worse, orchestrating Justine’s death not only for his experiments but because he was jealous of Elizabeth's love for her.

[mariocki]

Susannah: Yes. Yes, he did risk himself. We all did. A lot of it... OK, a bit half-assed but at least... some of it will stick! You have to try. It's not going to work any more, running for the same old burrows... we're rafting off into space - God! Frank sees it. He said to me one day, 'Suse... you know what's going to do for us all? Not the failure of intellect, moral, muscle - but the failure of imagination! They're all too busy with their snouts in the trough to smell the fire.'

Crystal: Yeah, he says some really daft things.

-

Pam Gems, Loving Women (1984)