#tax prep anon

[prince-liest]

Tax prep anon here. Tax fraud white collar crime Vox made me laugh so hard I dropped my phone on my face. This is perfect. Thank you for my life

HAHAHA, so happy to serve! It just made sense to me.

[warsofasoiaf]

Even though the Night’s Watch is supposed to be independent of the seven kingdoms, is the institution dependent on the goodwill of the other kingdoms for their own survival? Do you think that was why Ned wanted to pursue a policy of settling the gift, so that the Watch could become more self-sufficient?

The Night's Watch is absolutely dependent on the other kingdoms for donations of men and materiel - they simply do not have the capability of self-replenishment and lack the numbers to provide a self-sufficient system to meet their needs. Now, some might argue that for manpower specifically, that's not a bug but a feature, to have no separate loyalties from their duty. But that inability to replenish its own manpower also means that they don't have the support staff needed to do things like collect taxes from the Gift (or protect them from pillaging wildlings), establish multiple redundant workshops to repair and replace equipment, and establish a successful training program to sufficiently prep their recruits.

I absolutely think that's why Eddard pursued that policy. All that good land was going to waste because the Watch lacked the capability to utilize it.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[evermoredeluxe]

Do you think she will do anything prior to the album release? Like with midnights it was really just the whole tiktok track by track reveal which was cool. I feel with this one she's just gonna do it like the TV versions. Only some promo after the release or the day of.

i think she didn’t do public-facing promo because she was on… tour internationally doing a minimum of 3 shows a week… and she deserves a break before releasing an emotionally taxing album and going back on the european leg of her tour. but i think 2 weeks prior to album release, we will start getting lil tidbits and she will roll it out. and we will get a lead simultaneously with the album, and another mv based on how the album is doing (like they released the mv for bejeweled). and also, traditional promo during release week imo.

also, not to come at you anon, this is a general statement, but the surprise songs and the announcements on tour have been promo. everyone is always like “we love how taylor is fan-faced and lets us know things first!” and she is literally doing that. it’s not traditional tv stuff, but if you want, then she is giving you some stuff to chew on. she’s been prepping us with the mashups and doing promo via the champagne problems speeches etc.

[theliterarywolf]

So with you an anon discussing the terrible conditions of your schools and how all the money go to bullshit like P.E, basketball courts, uniforms etc

Lemme tell you some funny stories, you think California sucks? The deep south is WORSE

My mother went to a middle school sometime in the 70s, while playing volleyball in the gym she spiked the ball so hard it broke an upper window.

It was never fixed and by the time I entered that school in the mid 2000s it was still broken

.Same school was notorious for the heater to always be busted, same with the AC. my 7th grade English class was the worst with temperature since the windows faced the sun, and so we'd cook like weenies over an open fire

The female locker room bathrooms were never took care of and middle school girls are barbarians and would doodle dicks, and offensive language all over the walls and mirrors

The mirrors were confiscated afterwords

By the time I enrolled in high school it was worse, the textbooks hadn't been updated since the Civil rights era (holy fucking shit southern 60's something textbooks were TRASH) and one textbook I got was my mom's and i yelped when i saw her name scrawled in it

The high school had busted old soda machines that were just left to rot int he cafeteria and were a constant reminder that we can't have nothing nice

Oh but we can definitely afford NEW GODAMN MAC BOOKS JESUS GOD

And last but not least, back in the mid 2000s there was a devastating tornadoe that hit the neighboring town to ours and decimated the local high school there. Just wiped it off the fucking map.

SO OUR TOWN got super butt hurt when the president came down and gave funds to help rebuild the school and wanted a new high school as well

Once they secured the funds to build it sometime in the 2010s they went nuts trying to have it built before the next school year, so instead of replacing outdated textbooks, repairing the ventilation and other issues they decided NOPE WANT NEW SCHOOL NOW

Hilarious though nobody realized until too late that the new school was built on several sink holes, we lost a school bus to one I shit you not and now the school is sinking making the building lopsided as all hell

In summary all the money are schools received went to a brand new school that's half sunk in the ground, and shit for the football team

Not to take the Lord's name in vain but Jesus fucking Christ.

And it's so fucking blatant that education in the U.S. is just being sidelined in the priority scale. Like, yes: we don't need to push the narrative that kids HAVE to go to college to have successful lives. But holy fucking shite, K-12 has to be able to properly teach kids 'Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic' and Critical Thinking so that students can leave schools with at least basic comprehension and calculating skills.

There are far too many districts and school administrations that either focus too much on the fluff (sports, aesthetics, and 'Customer Service') or who have given up on their students completely so they just dump tax dollars into shite that really doesn't help student success in the long run but, hey! It's educational, so it must be good, right?

THE PRE-AP 'CURRICULUM' IS FUCKING BULLSHIT, and if you are a parent whose teen comes home with an English class syllabus that says 'Our class utilizes a PreAP system', you need to either hit the dash or call the district and lodge a complaint. Because that shite is useless and it's just school districts paying CollegeBoard for access to a nonsense website and workbooks and the ability to say 'we prep students for college'.

[lindszeppelin]

People are starting to notice something is wrong. I've noticed a few comments made on posts from people who normally salivate over Austin and Kaia content. Even they sense Austin seems distracted and checked out. He's making it more obvious than ever that he's done.

As you said in your previous anon, he does take his film prep very seriously. Which relays into the original point from the L&S article. He takes his work seriously. She doesn't take anything seriously. He's fed up now. Hopefully he has the strength and confidence to just end it.

I don't normally bring faith in the literal sense into this situation (having faith that it will go right is different than having actual religious or spiritual faith in God), but I feel like I need to say this. Austin seems like a spiritual and faith based man. I think he knows when he thinks he doesn't have strength, he can turn to God and spirit to help carry him on. While this is certainly a taxing thing he's dealing with, he does have the inner strength to go the distance.

He should listen to that Go The Distance song from Hercules if he needed encouragement lol. It's too perfect actually

[destinyc1020]

the article with denis and austin was very cute :(( but it's sad that them joking around couldn't even be taken in the right sense. people have a lot of qualms with method acting, and we know that austin infamously took to that only for elvis. but the fact that on twitter "variety" included method acting into the headline for a conversation where neither denis nor austin ever brought it up is just so low considering austin already gets a lot of criticism about it for elvis. now people genuinely think he's crazy and that he had to "refrain" himself from killing everyone on set. which is just so??? considering the conversation around austin's character was the contrast between him and feyd. i mean the whole cast has gushed about how kind he was and how generous he was. we have the whole cast saying how absolutely lovely he was when denis called cut, that despite how scary and imposing he looked he always went and made sure everyone was ok. i love when léa said that he almost looked like a baby because of how sweet he was off set. or when stephen mckinley henderson had a medical emergency, despite there taxing scenes together austin would go out of his way to make sure ask if he needed help or ANYTHING when the cameras weren't rolling. there have been so many just lovely stories about austin behind the scenes that will never ever be considered because of that headline pushing a narrative that doesn't exist. that for one makes me so deeply upset for austin because he genuinely has the sweetest soul, and the fact that he's perceived in such a negative light with people calling him pretentious and a douchebag, when he's so far from that is just heartbreaking.

kindness usually wins in the end, but never the less the negativity surrounding such a gentle soul still makes me irate.

Hey Anon! Thanks for this. 🥰

I'll be honest, I haven't even had time to read Austin and Denis' interview together in the LA Times yet. I've been so busy! 😭

people have a lot of qualms with method acting, and we know that austin infamously took to that only for elvis. but the fact that on twitter "variety" included method acting into the headline for a conversation where neither denis nor austin ever brought it up is just so low considering austin already gets a lot of criticism about it for elvis. now people genuinely think he's crazy and that he had to "refrain" himself from killing everyone on set. which is just so???

Oh lawwwd.... I didn't see the Tweet Variety did on "method acting" either.... So I'll just have to take your word for it. 🤦🏾‍♀️

But anyway... I know Austin got a lot of flack for how he approached the whole "Elvis" prep thing, and maybe he himself admits that he went a little "method" for it and got too immersed into it...But I think that as an actor, you live and you learn from your mistakes? 🤷🏾‍♀️

I just think he was under an enormous amount of pressure (not just from Hollywood) but also the pressure of wanting to do the Presley family justice, not to mention also the pressure of feeling like this was his "one shot" to really prove himself in the industry, and if it went badly, he might never work again lol. Add on top of that, Baz was making him jump through enormous amounts of hoops for the role... before Austin even knew he got it lol. 😅🤣 Supposedly, Baz originally wanted someone else for the role of Elvis?

I don't think Austin should be eternally crucified for that...especially when he already has said that perhaps that method of immersing himself completely into a role may not have been the healthiest for him. 😔

We as Z fans even saw how INTO Euphoria Z got when she was filming the first season lol.😅 I think she was just really eager to prove herself and shed the 'Disney Kid' persona and maybe the role of Rue kind of engulfed her a bit as well?? I think it happens! More so than many actors might care to admit. It's okay. It happens.

We have to allow people grace sometimes.

Austin actually comes across as being quite smart, and a deep thinker, and maybe he overthinks sometimes? Just by observation, he also seems like he might suffer from anxiety at times? Again, these are just my outsider's observations....nothing concrete, cuz Idk him personally. I just think sometimes people don't understand certain people, or they WANT to see someone fail, so they rag on them.

I also highly suspect that a LOT of the nasty rumors surrounding him after "Elvis" came out stemmed from bitter V stans who were mad at him for the Aunessa breakup. JMHO 🤷🏾‍♀️

considering the conversation around austin's character was the contrast between him and feyd. i mean the whole cast has gushed about how kind he was and how generous he was.

EXACTLY Anon. I've known of Austin for years, and I've only EVER heard nothing but GOOD things about him, and he's always seemed like a sweet person to me. 😊

that for one makes me so deeply upset for austin because he genuinely has the sweetest soul, and the fact that he's perceived in such a negative light with people calling him pretentious and a douchebag, when he's so far from that is just heartbreaking.

I understand Anon. But I think at the end of the day, we as fans just have to learn how to observe our Fave, and IGNORE all of the other nonsense (ESPECIALLY on Twitter) which are just for "clicks", "viral attempts", or "attention". 🙄 We can't control what people say or tweet. We can only continue to observe with our OWN EYES that what they're tweeting is complete nonsense lol.

I too was baffled by the "pretentious" and "douchebag" claims about him that were coming out after the "Elvis" movie dropped. I'm like, "SERIOUSLY?? Are we talking about the same person??" 🥴

Austin is actually one of the most HUMBLE actors I've seen in the industry lol. Dude is just happy to be in the room most of the time lol. 😅 And he's CONSTANTLY saying how "honored" and "appreciative" he is to even be where he is right now. From what I've personally seen, Austin has always been a very sweet guy.

This is what I was saying the other day about the Zendaya and Timothee video on the red carpet. People can see the SAME exact video/interview of someone, and draw two totally wildly DIFFERENT conclusions from it.

I personally choose to believe things from his co-stars, people who have worked closely with him, and fans who have had personal interactions with him.

I think people make up stuff for kicks Anon. You just have to ignore it. It's par for the course when you're a celebrity unfortunately.

Like you said, kindness usually wins out in the end. And I always say that an actor's work will speak for itself. 😊

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Hi it's @clone-anon and I this is for you

You were incredibly tired after traveling. While it was part of your job, it was still taxing. You smiled as you arrived home, sighing to yourself as you opened the door.

"You're here!" Fives rushed to you and picked you up in a huge hug. His strong arms felt so warm and it nearly brought tears to your eyes thinking of those nights away when you had to imagine he was with you instead of experiencing the real thing.

He held your face in his hands, smiling with a playful light in his eyes before peppering your face with kisses and ending with a kiss on the lips. He held you close again, rubbing your back and resting his cheek against you. You could feel his mouth move into a warm smile.

"I missed you, Fives," you said, looking up at him before hugging him closer.

"Welcome home, cyar'ika." He pressed a kiss to your cheek and held you until you were ready to let go. You did so while leaving a few kisses of your own.

Fives helped you put your bags away and you walked to the kitchen.

"What's all this," you asked, noticing the familar ingredients laid out.

Fives shrugged and smiled. "For your favorite meal. I wrote down the ingredients you used last time you made it so I could have them ready for tonight."

You smiled and kissed his cheek. You both got to work prepping the ingredients and making dinner. Cooking together had become one of your favorite ways to spend time. In between stirring, you picked up his hand and kissed each knuckle. You actually made him blush. Fives then took your hand, kissing the inside of your wrist and briefly holding your hand to his face while you both tended food in different pans. Dinner somehow tasted better this time than it ever had. It was good to be home.

My inbox had been graced by clone-anon 😭

[sunlightandsuffering]

I totally understand the living on junk thing 😭😭😭

I'm very very slowly trying to transition out of a job that makes me miserable and working two jobs can be so suffocating.

I go to one job in the morning and my day ends at the other job 🙃 I'm usually gone for 12ish hours.

Neither of them are in the food industry so I found myself eating fast food nearly everyday due bad prep time or too tired to cook.

I can't wait until it's over and I only need one job but who knows how long that'll be since my job is clientele based lol

omg anon! I'm so sorry, that sucks so much! I worked 2 jobs over Christmas and i fucking hated it, got out of there the first second I could, it's just so stressful to manage ur schedule even if you're only amounting to full time hours between both jobs. It's just taxing! but you sound like you're working more than 40 which is crazy! All my love to u, I sincerely hope you're able to get out of that situation soon and onto something you like better 💗💗 You deserve it!

[sugoi-writes]

Hello👋 Do you still do Osomatsu-San?

Hi dear sweet Anon. I'm sorry I've been scared to answer this question for so long. ❤️

The short answer? Not at the moment... but that isn't an immediate "no". More like... not right now.

(Longer explanation below, I get all sappy dhishsis)

Like many other writers and artists on here, I go through MANY hyperfixations. Many that may never appear on this blog (I was once a Steven Universe Enby, back in my hayday). And while I still love those medias, I don't feel the impulses to create for them, or i just feel as though I couldnt do them justice. So I promise, it isn't because I don't want to, or i hate the Fandom or anything, just... I felt like my goose got silly for a while, and now it's calm again?

Similar things have happened with my other interests, and I'm sure once the new season of KNY comes out, I will absolutely EXPLODE. But until then, my sights have narrowed on Hazbin. I hope you understand, Anon-y. And if not, and that's grounds for leaving, much more power to ya!

Sorry I've been a sappy sack and felt the overwhelming need to bury this. It seems silly now! But everything is silly when you figure out you ACCIDENTALLY committed tax evasion (WHOOPS). That, though, is a curious conversation for another day, and after a cigarette 🚬 (if anyone is truly interested, I will dip my toes into Danny/Sugoi lore, which includes why i bought my first pack of smokes today).

Anyhow, I love ya, and all my precious folks and mutuals ❤️ yall rock, whether you're here for the ride or here for the Hyperfixation of the Day.

(Sidest of notes: due to the scare of ALMOST having to pay off debt ONE DAY with no prep or lube, my planned works that I wanted to publish today are off the fire until I can get regrounded. Feel free to send cute, sweet memes or cursed Alastor cats. He always makes me giggle).

ANYHOW, this post is FAR too long. Love ya~ Cigarette time!

-Danny/Sugoi

[stardustandvanilla]

do you have a favourite candy flavour? and do you have any 'weird' food combos that you like? i hope you're having a good day/night also :D

omg sour/citrus candy my beloved<3333333 it just seems like the correct kind of candy although sweet stuff like watermelon cherry strawberry all bang kinda hard too. red candy and sour/citrus candy!

uh. yes. desiblr will kill me if i mention them tho! giggles love u i hope ur having a wonderful week i hope things go well.

[sebsxphia]

I can't help myself and have to ask: How do you think Fanboy, Hangman and Phoenix (those two separately or together, if you think that would defer) would ease the reader into little one for the first time? The conversation about it is behind them, but the reader is stressed from work or some other adult-y thing and (one of) the aviators helps them relax.

Luv ya! 💜💙💜💙💜

-🌸

very good question dear anon!!!

phoenix is already the mum friend of the group, and if she’s helping you into little space for the first time, it doesn’t need much from her. she can tell you’re stressed out from a long day and sits you on her lap and asks what you need. her tone is soft and the moment she says, “do you want mommy to make you your favourite dinner?” you melt and you look up at her with glassy eyes and nod.

for fanboy, he can tell you just need to take your mind off the boring and stressful taxes you’re working through right now and will brush the hair from out of your face and tuck it behind your ear. “how about little one gets into their star trek pyjamas and we can watch your favourite episode?” your mind immediately slows down at his words and you get up from the kitchen table with grabby hands, pawing at his collar. “yes please, daddy.” he knows he’s got you and carries you upstairs to change.

with jake he can tell you’ve been holding off for a while since having the conversation and haven’t actually slipped since. you’re food prepping for the week and a bowl of sauce slips to the kitchen floor and smashes. you break down into tears and he rushes over to you, scooping you up into his big arms and carrying you to the kitchen table. “it’s alright, daddy’s got you.” he didn’t mean to call himself daddy, it just slipped, but the moment you hear ‘daddy’, you fall into little space and he realises straight away. “there they are, there’s my little one. let daddy take care of this, lets get you your blanket and stuffie.”

thank you so so much for this wonderful idea dear anon!!! it made me all 🥹🥹 and was so sweet to think about!! 💌💖

love ya too!! mwah!! <33

[prince-liest]

Tax prep anon here. Is it weird to say you're proud of someone you've never met? Seriously, massive congratulations on your match! Looks like today really was a fucking happy day in Hell

CONGRATULATIONS 🎉 ❤️ super duper happy for uuuu

Thank you both so much! And to everyone else who left me a lovely message on my original post! I don't know if it's weird, but I really appreciate the sentiment, hahaha. Today has been a Lot and I'm happy to finally get some downtime to sit down alone at home in comfortable clothes and read some of the congratulations messages.

Match Day is such a strange experience, because you know that you're going somewhere but you have all these different expectations and hopes for wildly different places, and you don't know if you'll be moving an hour away or nine hours away or across the country! (Well, I only applied to California - but I have classmates going to New York). And you find it out all at once and get bombarded by everyone celebrating and your classmates finding out where they're going or even if they got into the specialty they wanted if they were dual-applying, etc, etc.

I'm very pleased that I'm going to be going somewhere that's not too far and with friends present, and it's also like... medical school really drags out that "becoming an adult" stage of your life, so I feel like now is the time I will finally be becoming self-sufficient and independent on top of actually getting to work as a doctor.

But also, eustress is still stress, so I'm going to go make myself a cup of tea and relax for a bit, hahaha. My social battery is, uh, in low power mode!

[f1tasies]

valtteri! he looks so cozy i just want him to whisk me away to a cabin in the mountains and we can fuck in front of the fireplace and in the sauna and in the snow outside and then drink hot chocolate god i’m obsessed with him

hey anon, so this is probably much longer than you expected but there's going to be a part two XD

Anyways, I agree. Valtteri is so soft. So so soft. He radiates this calm, collected, yet confident aura that always makes me crazy. 

With him, everything is slow, passionate, measured. He’s always one for trying out new things, taking new risks, but the way he does it makes you feel like he’s known how to do it his whole life. 

He isn’t perfect, neither of you pretend he is, but that’s what makes him so special. He’s all about the ‘alpha male’ mindset, but it’s in an inexplicably comforting way, you know? 

He’s spoken about his mental health issues, so I thought maybe reader in a therapist/PT role would be interesting. 

—

It’s the last race of the 2021 season, and Valtteri’s run at Mercedes is coming to a close. 

For the last few years, the championship had been decided a couple of races before the last one; the last race was mostly no pressure. But this time, the stakes are high. 

Angela waves to you as she follows Lewis to his prep room. The two of you had become quite close over the past 4 years, and she helped you out in ways you did not have expected. 

You watch Valtteri settle into his car - the first driver to come out on track. You follow his mechanics to the car. 

“Everything okay Valtteri?” You ask him.

He shows you a quick thumbs up; his focus completely on his steering wheel. You knew him well enough to know that this was an evasive tactic.

“Come on,” you cross your arms. “What happened?”

He flips his helmet up, his blue eyes peering into yours. “Nothing. Just a little nervous,” he admits.

You chuckle. “I’d be worried if you weren’t nervous. But relax! Go out there and do what you do best.”

“And that would be?”

“Winning races. Supporting the team. You’re one half of the greatest duo F1 has ever seen. Now go prove it to them.”

“Anything else?”

You lean in the cockpit and whisper, “Have fun!”

He smiles. You knock on his helmet thrice, for good luck. It started out as a way to get his attention, but since then evolved into a little pre-race ritual. 

The rest of the cars align on the grid. You quickly run back to the side with the mechanics. Max Verstappen was on pole, not very good for your team, but you had faith in your driver, and you knew he was going to get out there and give his best. 

As you settle into the garage, taking your place next to Angela, you think about your journey with Mercedes so far. 

—

The first time you see Valtteri is after Russia 2018 - Team orders that almost made him want to quit. Valtteri had been struggling mentally - and well, who wouldn’t when you’re paired with who is possibly the greatest driver F1 will ever see? Motorsport is just as taxing mentally as it is physically (if not more, in your opinion), and you were the best in the mental health field there was. So they called you in for your expertise.

“They think I can’t handle pressure, so they want me to get checked by a brain doctor?” his eyes widen. You can see the distrust t in his eyes.

You inhale. “Well can you handle pressure? You threatened to quit. Over one bad result”

He rubs a towel through his blonde hair. He was very attractive, you had to admit. But his striking features were marred by disgust. 

“I,” he stands up. “ – can handle pressure perfectly. Maybe you should just leave, tell Toto this was a misunderstanding.”

You cock an eyebrow. “Sure. I’ll also tell him his driver suffers from an eating disorder.”

He freezes. “How did you – that’s not true,” he tries to defend himself.

“Sit down, Mr. Bottas. There’s much we have to discuss.”

He obeys, collapsing back into the cushioned chair, hiding his face with one hand.

“You’re good,” he murmurs

“It’s my job to be good,” you tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “ – if that’s all, should we get started?”

“Sure,” he shrugs. 

—

“You’re going to follow me into training too?” your charge hollers at you from the other room. 

The two of you were in his motorhome, planning his diet and managing his schedule for the day. 

“I’m not just a psychologist.” You smile. “I’m also taking over as your personal trainer. Come on! We have work to do.”

He groans, but follows you to the gym. 

“An indoor bicycle?”

“Gets in good cardio,” you mumble. “And, let’s me do two things at a time.”

“What?”

“Talk.”

He doesn’t answer. 

“Come on, Valtteri. I can’t work with you if I don’t know anything about you.”

“The first day we met –” he pauses, catching his breath. “You already knew a lot about me.”

“Bite me for being observant,” you sigh. “If I don’t know you, how do we get to work on making you better?”

There’s a pregnant pause. You almost quit and decided to assign him the next exercise when you hear him sigh. “I don’t think I can get better.”

Okay, you think. That’s a start. “That’s not true,” you snap. “I know for a fact that’s not true.”

“Even when I do everything right I don’t get what I want.”

“Are you jealous?” you ask, cautiously.

“Of Lewis? Maybe a little. But I don’t think that’s fair. I guess I’m just disappointed in myself.”

“Hey,” you stop cycling. He looks at you curiously, slowing down just a bit. “Just remember you two are different people. At two different points in your life.”

“I know,” he sighs. “Doesn’t make team orders any better.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” you decide to change the topic. “You’ve been born and raised in Finland, right?”

He nods, tilting his head slightly. 

“What’s it like? I’ve only ever seen pictures,” you say wistfully. That’s enough to bring him out of his shell. His eyes bright up instantly, and by the end of the conversation, you feel like you’ve known him for years. 

“Maybe,” he began, panting. “When the season is over, and I get a multi-year contract – I’ll show you Finland.”

“Truly?”

“It’s a promise,” he smiles. “Thank you.”

—

He’s come a long way since then. And you’ve always been by his side– through the good times, and the bad. You were there every single time when he and Lewis lifted the constructors’ trophy. Toto let you go up on the podium to spray champagne on him after a particularly taxing win. You were there during every crash. Every spin. Every mechanical failure. You remember Monaco from this season – what should’ve been a decent race snatched away from him by a faulty lug nut. You were there during his messy divorce. Remembering that night makes you shiver.

—

After a particularly tiring P2 in Portimao, Valtteri jumps out of his car, grabs his data pad and disappears off into his room. No one says anything– you get a few awkward stares, but apart from that there’s nothing. No concern. That took you by surprise. 

You speak to his engineer. “He gets like that sometimes. We let him cool off for a while. He comes back though,” he shrugged. 

You were infuriated. How could a team treat their driver like this? It wasn’t fair. You knew him like no one else did. How could the universe treat someone so kind, so caring, so selfless like he didn’t matter? He deserves the world, you thought, desperately. Before you know it, you find yourself facing the door of his room, with a bottle of vodka in your hand. 

You knock gently. Once. Twice. Thrice. You almost turn away and go back, but he opens the door, surprised to see you. 

“Did you need anything?” he asks. You take in his appearance. His eyes are puffy. He is still in his race gear, his suit half-way done. His hair’s a mess, and he’s– red. Exhausted. Flushed. Tired. 

“Yes actually,” you lie. “Came to return this?” You hold up the vodka with one hand. “It had your name on it,” you point at the label, cheekily. He sighs, but lets you in. 

“I’ll look for glasses,” he mutters and leaves.

The room didn’t look lived in. His bag was still packed, and the bed was just as pristine as it was in your room. There was something definitely going on. You take off your shoes and settle on his bed, crossing your legs. 

He gets two large wine glasses. You look at him questioningly, but he shrugs it off. “It’s the only thing they had.”

Well, as long as it gets into your body. You fill both glasses and hand one to him. For the first few minutes, it’s just drinking in silence, as you often had. Your relationship was just as non-verbal as it was verbal, and besides, silence spoke volumes, didn’t it? Right now for instance, where he’d downed half the glass and you were barely a quarter of your way through. Now you know for sure that something was up. 

“Easy there tiger,” you reprimand him jokingly. “You still have a qualifying session tomorrow.”

He stares at the glass in his hand. There’s a pregnant pause. “She’s leaving me.”

You feel numb. Your heart plummets– like someone ripped it out and threw it from the rooftop of the hotel you were in. This is the last thing he needed. You quickly finish the rest of your drink.

“I thought things were fine?” you voice your thoughts. It was supposed to be rhetorical, but he answers anyway. 

“I thought so too,” he slumps. “She thinks I’m distant. I don’t care for her.”

You set your glass to the side, and embrace him. He hesitates for a second, caught by surprise by your sudden outburst of emotion, but wraps his arms around you, completely sunk into you. You’d realize much later that the wetness you felt on your shirt were tears, not stray drops of vodka. It’d be hard to say who they belonged to though.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, looking into his eyes. You kiss his cheek. “You deserve better. You’ll find better.”

“Like you?” he muses. 

Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s something that’s been brewing over the course of the time you worked together. You’ve never felt this way for someone else before. And in your drunken haze, you press your lips to his just for a second. 

You break away just as quick. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize, ashamed of yourself for breaking whatever professional relationship you had with him. Friendship was another story all together. You feel your cheeks heat in embarrassment

“Don’t be,” Valtteri tells you, with a wispy smile on his face, and captures your lips with his again. “You’ve always been able to read me well.”

He kisses you again, hands wandering all over you. You kiss him back with equal fervor, slipping one hand under his tight fireproofs before alarm bells ring in your brain again. 

You break apart, shaking your head. "We can't," you say, ashamed of yourself.

"Why not?" he looks at you, eyebrows knitted together in sadness. "You help me forget. I want to forget."

You stand up and finish whatever's left from both your glasses. "Because you're still in a commitment. I can't do that to you. I'm supposed to help you make good choices, make you better."

"So instead you're going to hurt me?" 

Valtteri's words trap you in an abandoned cave, piercing your heart like sharp icicles falling from the ceiling. You feel cold, numb, unable to feel your fingers. Both glasses fall. 

"I'm doing this to protect you, can't you see?" You get out and run away, slamming the door behind you.

“Wait,” he shouts after you. He calls out your name, exactly how you wanted him to. It takes every ounce of willpower not to run into his arms and push him onto the bed and fuck him slow and raw and hot and passionate– but you run away as fast as your legs can take you.

The race comes and goes. Valtteri is a little shaky, but he makes it. He finishes second, behind Lewis, as the team expected. You wonder if he could’ve made it a P1, had you not fucked around his head. 

Regardless, Valtteri hugs you, like nothing happened the night before, and then celebrates with the team. You jump excitedly, passive excitement is a thing, and you think maybe he doesn’t remember. 

— 

You never speak about what happened. His divorce was finalized, and Mercedes offered him another one year contract for 2021. Like a dog on a leash. The lights go out, and Valtteri takes off, getting a decent start. The last race. Also a sign for new beginnings.

— 

“One year again,” Valtteri throws a file of papers onto his desk. “Or they hire Russell.”

You cock an eyebrow. “Really?” you question him, not knowing what to say. 

“What would you do?” he asks, sincerity in his eyes. You decide to take a chance.

“I remember you promising me something when you get a multiyear contract?”

He smiles. “A trip to Finland. Of course I remember.”

“So,” you lean forward, slightly invading his personal space. “I want to go on that trip.”

“It’s the Alfa Romeo contract then,” he nods. “I’ll call them,” he says jokingly, or at least you think he does. Why would anyone leave Mercedes? Especially when they’re at the top of the grid?

He doesn’t tell you until much later that he was serious. 

[hologramcowboy]

I feel like the new publicist is a waste of money. They can’t seem to stop Jensen from constantly inserting his foot in his mouth. See the latest video of that tv line interview. Jensen says they were talking about Sam but not to Jared. The print version made it sound like he was including Jared in the talks. Doesn’t he have a handler to prep him for this stuff?

All talking points are prepped in advance, Anon. So these boring, inefficient talking points are points he actually rehearsed and planned to release to the public. Yes, I know, he needs an upgrade. This is, PR company can't help him if he doesn't take pointers. A strategy needs to be in place and talking points need to support certain objectives. So far he seems all over the place and too busy trying to shift the blame to actually effectively promote himself, his prequel or the people behind it. Because let's face it, he put in very little if any work at all. His name is there to cover up the fact that the production company is just an extension of WB, for tax purposes.

[assortedvillainvault]

Hello! Chance anon here with a gift of headcanons for you! On nights when you’re having trouble sleeping, Chancellor will either start reading you the most monotonous records of the Kingdom of the Dead (because boring words + soothing voice = sleep) or, on VERY rare occasions, sing a lullaby back from when he was alive. Draven, on the other hand, will offer to either spar with you or tell you tales of his battles. He might also sing lullabies, but he’s less confident in his singing voice.

CHANCE ANON I AM YEEEAAARRRNNIINNGGGGGG

Chancellor pls read to me from ye olde tax records I am begging you I crave the sweet release of sleep and yet I have a job and a degree to study for and conventions for which I should be prepping and bllahhh

I would also appreciate sparring lessons from Draven any day of the week, catch me goofing off in the Undying Lands and making out with the skeletons

[howlinchickhowl]

How I certainly don't find you intimidating. You remind me of one NY closest friends. Her favourite thing to do is to gather all of us for coffee/tea and just ask a shit ton of random questions and watch is all unravel. And the rule is no one can ask her anything. My questions to you are 1) how much do you prep for question Friday/Monday? What's the process? 2) is there a cause you care for greatly? 3) do you have a Pinterest, and if so, how unhinged is it? If not, how do you live your life??

Lol well I am very pleased anon that you do not find me intimidating, though, and I'm not sure if you meant for it to come off this way, your friend sounds kind of mean?? Watching people unravel is absolutely not my aim, and also anyone is welcome to question me at any time they like. But if she's one of your closest friends maybe it's more of a fun thing than it sounds...

But to your questions! (cut for waffling)

1. I do very little prep. I have a big ole document where I keep track of everything I have asked everyone and Monday morning I open that up and when someone replies to the post I go through previous questions I've asked them to try and make sure I don't repeat anything. Sometimes during the week I will see something someone says and think, that would be good to ask them about and try to keep that in mind. VERY occasionally if I come up with a particular question for a particular person I will make a note of it, but most of the work happens on the day in the moment. I open up an ask, I look around whatever room I'm in or I think about things I've done that week, and I try to come up with an interesting new question. Occasionally, when I am lacking inspiration, I will google interesting questions to ask. But really it's a lot of like, I'm in my kitchen, I see a frying pan, I ask, 'do you have a favourite frying pan?' and that's it! 😬👍🏻

2. I don't know if there is a cause I care for greatly. I think there are so many great causes and I can see how so many of them are important and could make the world better. I donate to a charity that provides housing and social programs for homeless teenagers. I feel strongly that the NHS (britain's tax-funded healthcare system) should not be privatised and needs to be preserved and protected from conservative party business interests. I am interested in and active in the arts and feel passionately about creating equitably representative media. Idk. I can't pick one thing.

3. I'm sure I have a pinterest. But I'll be damned if I know the login and I have never understood how one is supposed to use it. Back when I was trying to use it, I used to get really frustrated because I would click on a pin and it would take me to something that was not the thing I was clicking on?? it seems to me like it's just a different, less effective way to bookmark stuff? But if someone wants to explain pinterest and how to use it for me, that would be cool. As for how I live my life, well, I just keep tabs open until I use the thing I opened the website for 🤷🏻‍♀️