#this was so fun and it genuinely had me thinking a lot!

[public-benches]

Hi I was one of the campers during that year (go valks) and I want to add a little reporting from the kids’ perspective because this event haunted the camp for years after it happened. Like everyone knew the Zac Efron Died story even if you weren’t there that year and if you WERE there that year it was retold like an oral history passed down between generations because again, no technology to share it with and nothing more than a few ambitious girls’ diaries as evidence cataloguing this great historical landmark.

Anyways I was there that year, and as some cultural context for readers, the way that young girls create community when cut off from the outside world and the internet and without any men around is… kind of incredible. We all wore uniforms, like just white collared shirts and blue fabric shorts every day, and I didn’t think much of it at the time but I think that really contributed to breaking down social barriers that might have otherwise remained from The Real World. There was nothing else to do or worry about for an entire month, so we lived pretty harmoniously in this bubble and made our own fun.

The Zac Efron Incident was like a fire catching in a field of dead grass. The downside of cutting a large community of girls off from the outside world is that every scrap of information becomes 100 times more precious and impactful, and there’s nothing to distract us from supposed tragedy.

Some people remember where they were during 9/11. I remember where I was when Zac Efron “died”. I was in line for the showers because that was usually the time mail was distributed. One moment everything was normal. The next, everyone around me was breaking out into the same conversation: “oh my god, did you hear? Is it true? So and so told me that so and so’s bunkie got a letter saying… yeah she saw it! It’s true!” And then the town criers came wailing down the streets: “ZAC EFRON IS DEAD!” And the whispering turned into chaos, and girls were crying and clinging to each other and running to tell their friends in their cabins, and it was a whole mess.

For my part, I had never seen high school musical. I knew the name Zac Efron but I couldn’t place a face to save my life. I didn’t care if this guy had died. Half the girls in my cabin didn’t care either. What we REALLY cared about was joining the fun, because this was the craziest thing to happen at camp the whole month we’d been there, and we were barely in middle school, and obviously girls our age were supposed to care about hot TV boys, so we played along. Everyone else was upset, so I had to be upset to appropriately share in the others’ pain, but mostly I was just having fun. I didn’t take to the streets or anything myself but I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline every time I heard another cabin go up in screams because someone knew found out, and people came running in and out of our cabin like at least twenty times to make sure we knew too and that they hadn’t missed anybody. It was less that they wanted everyone to know and more that everyone wanted to witness the moment when the news broke to someone who hadn’t heard it yet. Girls who wouldn’t have given me the time of day on the Outside were desperate to keep me in the loop at camp, and for a little oddball like me this was quite the addictive thrill.

But because of this, it was also really difficult to calm the girls down and convince us Zac Efron was alive. We didn’t want to believe it: this was the biggest thing that had happened all month, and it was a lie? So a lot of girls held out in their mourning, either out of genuine conviction or just because it was fun to be so upset about something that big, and the knowledge that it was probably not true almost made it safer to engage with the idea that it could be. Schrödinger’s Zac Efron: he’s both alive and dead until camp ends and the girls can see for themselves whether or not it’s true. I’m pretty sure on the final day of camp when some girls got their phones back it was the very first thing they looked up.

But yeah, I don’t know if anything quite that nuclear ever hit camp again. It was a perfect storm. The day Zac Efron died.

The most dramatic moment during my Camp Counseling career at an all girls camp was when a girl got a letter from a friend saying that Zac Efron had died and one of her bunkmates ran out of the cabin and shouted “ZAC EFRON IS DEAD!!!!!” and the camp immediately fell into chaos girls were crying in the middle of camp and running around spreading the news everyone was yelling and the counselors had to look up wether or not Zac Efron was dead (this is a wireless camp so the girls couldn’t access the internet and check for themselves) and then get out a megaphone and be like “ZAC EFRON IS NOT DEAD PLEASE REMAIN CALM” outside of all the cabins it was insanity. 

[81astriss]

just let me be close to you | alex albon (2)

singer!reader x alex albon

fc: lyn lapid, lily muni he, others on pinterest

when the internet notices some similarities between you and alex, they decide to take matters into their own hands and pull a nassie ;)

a/n: part 2 !!! i really enjoyed making part 1 so i made this almost immediately after posting the first one hehehehehehe HOPE U ENJOYY 🫶

playlist | part 1

⎯

now playing: Buttons - Lyn Lapid

alex_albon song so good i had to buy you dinner _ynln 🔥🔥

liked by lando, charles_leclerc, _ynln, and others

↳ _ynln i was peer pressured into this

alex_albon but you had fun, right? _ynln yeah...!!! 😬😬 _ynln KIDDING it was nice we actually have a lot more in common than i thought

↳ lando is this what i think it is

↳ charles_leclerc wow mate i was not familiar with your game

↳ user1 MISSION SUCCESS????????

↳ user2 THIS COUNTS AS A DATE RIGHT

↳ georgerussell63 Damn, someone stole my bitch 💔

_ynln im returning him georgerussell63 No you can keep him 😄

⎯

↳ alex_albon why are all your pics of me eating

tagged: alex_albon

now playing: BMF - SZA

_ynln thank you all so much for the love on "Buttons" !!! ❤️ i appreciate each and every single one of you (special thanks to alex for paying for dinner heh)

liked by laufey, tatemcrae, alex_albon, and others

_ynln cause you ATE 🔥🔥🙏😈 alex_albon are you calling me a big back _ynln you ask so many questions

↳ user1 young and fine and dark and handsome

↳ lewishamilton Cute dog. What's his name?

_ynln ...nico user2 nico rosberg still haunting lewis' narrative i see 😭

_ynln i have w rizz

↳ laufey i take it you've figured out how to talk to him?

liked by radvxz, tatemcrae, and others

↳ user3 bmf by sza? y/n you aint slick

↳ tatemcrae we're almost there lando

liked by lando and others

⎯

↳ alex_albon i see you had fun with carlos

tagged: carlossainz55, alex_albon, williamsracing

_ynln IMOLA !!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you sososososo much for inviting me alex_albon congrats on P5

liked by carlossainz55, charles_leclerc, alex_albon, and others

_ynln YUPPP it was so nice to see my fav driver again !! and you ig. alex_albon "i feel like you're just here for the zipline" 😐 carlossainz55 Don't be jealous, alex

↳ user1 i fear this is the closest we'll ever get to a tour 🥀

user2 "y/n is gonna tour soon!" i say as they drag me into a white padded room

↳ scuderiaferrari bro

user3 first carlos and now y/n HASJDKAJHKJWHS

↳ user4 ferrari should hire y/n as their strategist if they want her support back LMAO

user5 what would she do 😭 charles_leclerc anything is better than what we have rn. _ynln we have a job offer for you liked by lewishamilton

↳ lando always great seeing you in the paddock

_ynln im still genuinely scared of you but nice seeing you too oscarpiastri it's okay you get used to him

⎯

tagged: alex_albon, tatemcrae, laufey, radvxz

_ynln MAYhem

liked by alex_albon, laufey, tatemcrae, and others

↳ user1 look who made it in the may dump!

↳ laufey i live for your inconsistent monthly dumps

liked by _ynln

↳ user2 just say y'all are tgt atp no need to hide it

user23 bro i wish

↳ tatemcrae THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TOURRRR

_ynln you were AMAZING babe

↳ alex_albon where the FUCK did you get that last pic

_ynln secret ( georgerussell63 )

↳ user3 who are you and what have you done to y/n where is the red

user4 the only red we got is a SHOE.

↳ user5 nico is adorable!!!

_ynln he has an ig now 😈 _nicoln alex influenced me to make one

↳ albon_pets alex_albon will nico be joining our family?

alex_albon george i swear _nicoln alex_albon do you not accept me 👹👹

↳ lando alex where's your may dump

alex_albon mate i don't do dumps

⎯

↳ lando I DONT DO DUMPS MY ASS

now playing: Risk - Gracie Abrams

alex_albon MAY i be yours

liked by lando, georgerussell63, _ynln, and others

↳ _ynln thanks for the support on buttons! the 19 kids in my basement are eating well

alex_albon how'd it go from 17 kids to 19 _ynln don't worry about it 😊

↳ user1 RISK BY GRACIE?

user2 "i think that it's sweet, yeah, i think that you're sweet" user3 hes DOWN BAD

↳ user4 y/n is a huge gracie fan mate you ain't slick

↳ user5 the day they actually reveal they're together is the day i can pass away peacefully

↳ user6 answering on behalf of y/n, yes i will be yours ❤️

⎯

The time was 2:53am. Alex was exhausted from training and yet, here he is just laying in bed staring into the void, with nothing on his mind. Actually no scratch that, he had one thing on his mind. You.

Until few months ago you were just some random girl who happened to be a singer until you both posted something with similar captions. Sure, the internet tried to force your interactions but something about you two just felt... natural.

He couldn't stop thinking about all the times you hung out. About how whenever it was time to say goodbye, he would try to drag it out as long as he could, just so you'd stay a little longer. There were also the times you hugged just a little longer than normal, the times you touched when there was no need to and the way the sparks lingered on his skin whenever you'd let go. It consumed him and it was getting harder and harder to hide it.

He reached for his phone, hesitated for a bit, then opened your contact.

⎯

⎯

📌 ↳ _ynln 🙌🙌

tagged: _ynln

now playing: From The Start - Laufey

alex_albon what's cookin good lookin

liked by _ynln, lando, georgerussell63, and others

↳ tatemcrae our job here is done

↳ lando ABOUT DAMN TIME

liked by georgerussell63, charles_leclerc, carlossainz55, and others

lando pleasure working with you

↳ user1 MISSION SUCCESS

↳ user2 yall can have nassie i'll have alexyn

↳ georgerussell63 FUCKING FINALLY

↳ user3 MAMA Y PAPAAAAAA

↳ albon_pets welcome to the fam _nicoln

_nicoln thanks 👍

↳ user4 the cheer i just cheered

↳ carlossainz55 have i been demoted as favorite driver

_ynln ofc not. never let your boyfriend stop you from finding your husband alex_albon ??????

↳ laufey thats my bff!!!! and you're there too ig

alex_albon omg laufey noticed laufey how can i not? she yaps about you nonstop alex_albon is that so _ynln SHUSH

⎯

↳ n1ckwilkins nice job man

liked by cassiesbookss, sei4strii, and others

📌 ↳ alex_albon lebron lebron lebron james

tagged: alex_albon

now playing: Ever Seen - beabadoobee

_ynln i used to have hoop dreams until i found out there were other ways to score 😈🙏🔥🏀⛹️🔥🔥

liked by alex_albon, tatemcrae, lando, and others

↳ tatemcrae so sweet i got diabetes

↳ user1 caption is so unserious

↳ lando looking forward to seeing you in the paddock more often

_ynln looking forward to terrorizing ferrari's strategists so i can go back to supporting that team user2 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE charles_leclerc job position is still open btw liked by lewishamilton

↳ user3 OUR POSTER BOY

_ynln omg goddamnit i should've used that song instead

↳ radvxz hard launching to my song i see

laufey its the least she can do to pay us back for all the times she yapped abt him nonstop liked by alex_albon and others _ynln STOP EXPOSING ME

↳ user4 he has the prettiest eyes she's ever seen 🥹🥹🥹

↳ user5 THE CUTEST :(

↳ _nicoln i'm no longer fatherless lets gooooo

↳ user6 we will miss your red era 💔

_ynln me too 😞 this is what i get for letting a man infect my color scheme

⎯

↳ cassiesbookss still not on this side of the internet but i'm so glad this worked out for you !! 🫶

liked by n1ckwilkins, sei4strii, _ynln, and others

↳ tatemcrae we thank you for your service

tagged: _ynln, alex_albon

now playing: poster boy - Lyn Lapid

sei4strii so glad y'all saw my vision 😋😋

liked by tatemcrae, lando, and others

↳ lando couldn't have done it without you

↳ user1 the internet has done it again 🙌

↳ user2 can't wait for our next project

↳ user3 thank you tate, lando, and sei4strii we all say in unison

⎯ end

sorry if the ending was a bit underwhelming :( i didn't know how to end it actually xd regardless, i hope you liked reading as much as i had fun writing it !! please lmk how i can improve my future smaus, fanfics, and others thank youuu <3

♡ xine

[f1cflcfic]

Won't Say I'm In Love (SMAU ft. Lando Norris) - part xviii

pairing: lando norris x fem!reader; past carlos alcaraz x fem!reader

summary: As a general rule, y/n does not date athletes. You've been there, done that - would not recommend. Besides, you definitely don't do love. There's no time in the world for complicated feelings when there's a career Grand Slam to be won. But what if your heart just refuses to listen?

genre: social meda/mixed au, friends to lovers, tbd

note: this is RPF and is obviously in no way, shape, or form reflective of real persons

series: part i, part ii, part iii, part iv, part v, part vi, part vii. part viii, part ix, part x, part xi, part xii, part xiii, part xiv, part xv, part xvi, part xvii, tbd.

bonus: one, two, three, four, five

a/n: so happy for Lando that he won Austria, and what a great and fun, clean battle between him and Oscar today! It got me a little distracted, but here we are :)

July 21 - 23, 2025

[Excerpt: Transcript Podcast Episode with Y/N]

Obviously the next big tour is coming up with Wimbledon. Now, there's been a lot of talk - as every year - considering the fashion of it all. It's one of the few tournaments where you're required to wear all white or risk disqualification. What are your thoughts?

"You know, there's something nice about the tradition of it all. It elevates it to this special tournament where everyone looks a certain part. But rules and traditions should also make room to evolve and adapt over time. To be honest, Wimbledon is the worst and the best. It's my home Grand Slam, but I've never won it before. It's got a lot of prestige attached to it, which also means a lot of pressure. And I've genuinely had many bad dreams about getting my period in the middle of a tight match on court. But hopefully, third time's the charm to win the final."

You bring up an important point. Periods. Menstruation and sports, is that something you have to plan around?

"I mean, a lot of us will probably all be taking some type of contraceptive that helps with that. But it won't look the same for everyone, and you all have to have a period at one point. So, yeah, you can try and plan around it, but anyone who menstruates will have had a period hit at the most inopportune time. I've been on my period during the US Open, for example. It was not fun. And even if it's not that, also like being at a friend's house and realising they don't have any period products is the worst. Thankfully, most of my male friends grew up with sisters, so they'll know better - but gents, if you're listening, get your period products in order!"

[...]

But after Wimbledon, there's a little bit of breathing space in an otherwise super tight calendar. What have you got lined up to relax over the summer? Your sister is getting married, right?

"Yes, she is! I'm so looking forward to it. They've been together for a long time now and have a kid together. But yeah, Derek proposed to my sister and then a day later they found out that Vic was pregnant with Jessie, so it's been in the works for a while this wedding. Obviously that also means that she's had to make changes all the time when it comes to the table setting, guest list, stuff like that. But I think it's going to come together really beautifully."

Have you been able to be as involved as you'd like?

"Well, I'm super glad my sister wanted to make sure she picked a date that I could actually attend. Still, there's stuff that I wasn't able to do with her, like a bachelorette party and all. But I'll get to be her maid of honour on the day itself, so that's nice. And I get to bring my best friend as a plus one, so I'm looking forward to that, too. Some of my friends have gotten close to Vic and her partner as well throughout the past years, so it's nice to be able to celebrate altogether."

July 23 - 25, 2025

[Excerpt: Transcript interview George Russell]

Now George, you're getting ready for qualifying, but we heard you joke about Lando Norris' poor eyesight after he collided with a door earlier today. You'd expect better from the championship leader, wouldn't you?

"I mean, sure. But aside from driving he's a bit of a mess. Just, chaotic, frenetic energy. Always very competitive, but also a genuine hazard for himself at times. As was apparent today."

You also play padel with him and the others, you posted a photo just the other day with you and fellow drivers. Who'd you say is the worst?

George smirks, then pretends to think it over. "We played padel the other day yeah, but who's the worst? I'd have to say Lando. You'd think he'd be better considering all the private lessons he's gotten from Y/N - but I guess they haven't really been very productive. Or he's just a lost cause."

Thankfully he's better on the racetrack.

George laughs. "I mean, that's great for him, but bad for me. If only it'd be as easy to beat him on track as it is on the padel court."

July 25 - 28, 2025

a/n: And look at that, y/n is making an effort and she is choosing to stay (for now hehe)

♥ likes, comments, reblogs and asks are always very much appreciated - i love chatting and hearing your thoughts! ♥

taglist (open): @linnygirl09 @julesbog @midnight-and-books @sarx164 @obxstiles @freyathehuntress @vhkdncu2ei8997 @berrnuu @lightdragonrayne @glow-ish @batsratswrites @blushmimi @colmathgames2 @esw1012 @sadiemack9 @tremendousstarlighttragedy @awritingtree @its-elias-world @sarah-thatstings-ann @jessicanotta @fairyjinn @destinyg237 @verogonewild @annimausi @taetae-armyyyyy @jkoooooooookie @coral7161 @chezmardybum

[peasack]

hii i LOVE LOVE LOVE ur work would it be possible to request where shy teen reader actually gets a genuine friend group of extroverts in school but she seems happier and she goes out more and is always texting on her phone it’d be so cute how the thunderbolts would react to that

YESSS. I loved this cause I actually had a bunch of extroverts adopting me and I js turned exroverted cause of them LOL.

Hope you enjoy!!

Thunderbolts x Gn!Teen!Reader

✦ Thunderbolts Getting Extroverted Friends Headcanons ✦

∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

✦ Alexei Shostakov

So Freaking Proud. The moment he notices you texting more, smiling at your phone, or making plans to go out, he’s beaming. “MY kid has friends now! Real friends! Look at them socializing!”

Immediately Wants to Meet Them. He’s fully invested. “When do I meet them? Should I drive you? I can wear my suit if you want to impress them.” (Please don’t let him do that.)

Lowkey Brags. Alexei starts telling everyone that his kid has a social life now, like he somehow made this happen.

Sends Snacks. Anytime you’re out, he tries to send you with way too many snacks. He just wants your friends to like you and think you’re cool.

Worries You’ll Outgrow Him. Even though he’s proud, there’s a tiny part of him that worries you won’t need him anymore, but he’ll never tell you that.

✦ Yelena Belova

Protective Big Sister Vibes. She’s immediately suspicious. “Who are these people? Do they deserve you?” She absolutely cyberstalks them first.

Pretends Not to Care. She teases you about being on your phone so much, “Wow, look at you, social butterfly,” but she’s secretly so happy you’ve found your people.

Silent Security Detail. The first time you go out, she follows you from a distance. You don’t see her, but she’s there, ready to burn the world if anyone hurts you.

Soft Encouragement. She gives you subtle advice on friendships, like how to spot fake friends or stand your ground, but she does it in the most casual Yelena way.

Happy When You’re Happy. Seeing you light up after hanging out with your friends genuinely melts her heart.

✦ Bucky Barnes

Suspicious but Supportive. His first reaction is to side-eye your new friends. “You sure they’re good people?” He’s not great at trusting strangers.

Watches Closely. He won’t stop you from going out, but he asks a lot of questions: where you’re going, who’s going, when you’ll be back, if you’ve eaten.

Secretly Checks In. He sometimes texts you while you’re out like “U good?” or “Have fun, but don’t do anything stupid.” He’s trying not to hover but he still lowkey is.

Proud Dad Vibes. When he notices you becoming more confident, it hits him hard. He’s proud but keeps it simple: “I like seeing you happy.”

Ready to Fight. The second anyone from your friend group disrespects you? Oh, Bucky is done. He’s driving over there. He does not play.

✦ John Walker

Super Protective. His immediate instinct is: Who are these people? Are they a bad influence? Are they pressuring you into things?

Becomes the Dad Friend. He offers to drive you everywhere. He insists on meeting them first, probably embarrasses you in front of them by being overly dad-ish.

Happy But Nervous. He’s happy you’re making friends, but he worries you’ll get hurt. He sometimes over-lectures you about peer pressure and safety.

Gets Defensive When You’re on Your Phone. He’ll try to hide it, but when you’re texting at dinner, he feels a little replaced. He’ll just grumble, “Oh, so I’m boring now?”

Eventually Relaxes. Once he sees your friends are good to you, he genuinely warms up to them. He’s proud that you’re growing and happy.

✦ Ava Starr

Wary At First. Ava’s been through a lot, so trust doesn’t come easy. She’s a little distant when you start hanging out with your new friends.

Quiet Observations. She’s not the type to ask you a million questions, but she notices everything. She’s the one who catches when your mood shifts, whether you’re stressed or glowing after a hangout.

Protective but Subtle. Ava will sometimes quietly shadow you when you’re out (you never notice). She just needs to be sure you’re safe.

Loves Seeing You Flourish. Once she realizes your friends genuinely care about you, she’s so soft about it. “You deserve people who make you feel seen.”

Might Struggle with Feeling Left Out. She’s not super social herself, so sometimes she feels like you’re drifting away, but she never tells you that.

✦ Bob Reynolds

OVERJOYED. Bob is ridiculously happy when you start making friends. “I knew you’d find your people!” He’s like your biggest cheerleader.

Asks Way Too Many Questions. “What’s their name? What do they like? Can I meet them? Do they have pets? Are they nice?” He’s just excited for you.

Texts You Nonstop. You might have to tell him to chill when he sends “You having fun? :D” every 20 minutes while you’re out. He just really wants you to be okay.

Cries a Little (Probably). The first time he sees you leave the house with a smile, maybe a little more confident than usual, it genuinely makes him tear up. He’s just so proud of you.

Still Insists on Bonding Time. Even with your new friends, Bob always makes sure you still spend one-on-one time with him. You’re still his kid.

∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

This idea was so cute I love writing about reader having a live outside of the thunderbolts cause like it's just so refreshing to me idk why

HOPE YALL ENJOYEDDDD<333

[bluewxrld07]

Soap (3)

Lando Norris X F!Reader X Max Verstappen

Summary: Y/N has always loved hard and shows that through affection. Especially lately. She's a touch-starved kind of lovergirl, and Lando has always been okay with it. At least she thought so.

Warning(s): angst, tension, flangst, fluff

A/N: TAGLIST IS FULL!!!! I won't be able to tag anymore of you on it, I'm sorry, loves!! I wrote this entire fic listening to Olivia Rodrigo guys so have so much fun lol. I love how much you guys are loving this fic and my writing, it truly means the world!! Enjoy this for now, friends :)

Things had been different.

As normal as they could be now, in the moment, but still different.

People had begun to notice that Lando and Y/N had not been seen with one another.

The pair had never really called it quits, but they both truly knew it was done the second she walked out that door at the Canadian GP. That's what hurt the most.

Lando knew better than most that she would come around when she was ready. That she would say her piece when she felt it was a better time. He knew better than to push her. He knew that now at least. It didn't stop the constant messaging he did the night of their fight, he couldn't help it.

His emotions got the best of him that night, and they continued to get the best of him. When it came to the after-party post the F1 movie premiere, he couldn't stop thinking about Lewis' words.

It didn't stop him from messaging Max that night of the premiere, asking if it were true.

You have a lot of fuckin nerve to be sending me a message right now

That's all he received from the Redbull driver, nothing more, nothing less. Lando didn't know if he should be worried or have no right to be upset knowing what he knows now.

He didn't even think Max would send a response back. If anything, he expected a middle finger emoji if Max did respond.

He definitely couldn't be mad in this very moment he woke up in.

A sigh left his lips as he got dressed in his hotel room, pulling on his clothes for the flight back to Monaco. Too tired and distraught to even worry about the state of his hair, throwing a hat on over it with his hood.

He grabbed his things, setting down a note on the nightstand. His eyes stayed on the familiar blonde head, Magui, who was his ex-girlfriend, who lay bare on his bed, fast asleep.

Without a second look, he had made his way out the door, and out towards the car waiting for his arrival.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

There was a knock on Y/N's bathroom door, the girl mumbling a 'come in' not too long, Max peering his head in. He looked at her in amusement, opening the door wider as he stood there leaning against the doorframe.

Y/N sat on her counter, legs criss-crossed in front of the sink, hair sitting in curlers as she was doing up her makeup, one of her playlists playing softly in the back. She looks back at him through the mirror, a soft and genuine smile forming on her lips. "What?"

He shook his head, snapping out of the daze he caught himself in as he looked at her with his arms crossed.

"Nothing. Do you want anything while I'm out?" Max asks her, and she nods, looking back at him.

"Can you get more bubbly water?" her voice softly responds, Max nodding at her. "The orange cream?"

She nods with a hum. "Anything else, or just that?"

"No, just that. I don't need anything else for now, especially since we have to leave for Austria in a few days," she explains, turning her head back to finish doing her makeup.

"Got it," he hums before walking up behind her. His arms wrap around her waist, causing her to flinch lightly, the action not going ignored by Max. He frowns.

Ever since they'd gotten home, she had been acting differently. Acting off, less touchy, more faded.

That was almost two weeks ago.

Max hated it. He hated this new her; it wasn't like her at all. He could tell she craved to be touched, to be shown affection in some sort of way. To hug everyone she came into contact with, because it was a normal reflex of hers.

He had watched how she would go up to hug some of the crew, only to hesitate and make it look like she was just stretching instead of pulling them into hugs.

Or when Max would come by to watch a movie with her, to keep her distracted from falling into the social media craze going on.

He could see how her body would twitch to reach out for him across the couch. Max is only sitting far from her to give her space, to not overwhelm her.

Then, when he would finally give up, pull her into his embrace, he would feel the instant relaxation her body would. Like she was melting into his own body.

This wasn't her. This wasn't Y/N.

Instead of arguing, as now wasn't the best time for it, he placed a kiss on her head and hugged her tightly. Careful to not mess her concentration up as she did her eyeshadow.

"I'll be back in a bit, yeah? Then off to La Rascasse?" he says, his eyes connecting with hers in the mirror.

"Sounds good to me," she agrees, Max pressing one more kiss to her head before leaving the bathroom. He heads towards her hallway to slip on his shoes and grab his keys.

The house becomes silent after he leaves, Y/N feeling weird now that she is on her own. Her music was playing softly in the background of the bathroom, echoing along the walls. Something in her body felt off when Max wasn't there.

Y/N hums to herself as she leans back to look at her eye makeup from a distance, nodding once to herself in satisfaction before moving over to put on her lashes.

As she begins to reach over the counter to grab her lash supplies, her phone began to buzz next to her.

She looks down at the name, only frowning as she reads the name across the screen. She debates with herself on answering. Deciding to slide it over to answer.

Y/N brings up the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Y/N, hey."

"Hey Charles, what's going on? You okay?"

"I'm alright, I just needed to make you aware of something," he says slowly, his tone sounding unnerving. "I think it's right to let you know, so you can sort out the options."

She frowns at his words.

"Um, yeah, okay. What does that mean?"

"Have you spoken to Lando?"

Hearing his name was easier than it was a couple of weeks prior. Y/N not freezing as soon as she hears his name off Charles' lips.

"He's been trying to message me. I just don't respond. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

She hears him sigh on the other end. She can imagine he is probably running a hand over his face as the breath sounds muffled. "Well, this might be a deal breaker. I think you deserve to know, in case things change between you two."

"Charles, I love you, but please spit it out. I'm not going to break more than I already have."

"Y/N," he starts, as if he is trying to find the words. "He's been seeing Magui again. They left together after the premiere, and then she's been around our group a lot more."

Y/N doesn't really know how to react in that moment. She thought it would break her to hear the news, but she didn't feel her insides churn. She didn't feel like screaming, just felt like her throat went dry.

The girl hadn't even noticed how long it had been until Charles said her name, making her clear her throat and shake her head slightly.

"You okay?" he asks.

She didn't know at that moment. She wasn't exactly peachy, but she wasn't crying on the floor, unable to breathe. Not like she would've been if it were two weeks ago when she heard the news.

"Fine. Yeah, I'm fine. Just don't really know what to say."

"I'm sorry. I just figured you needed to know. Alex and I really thought it would be wrong if you found out by her being seen around the paddock one day," he admits, making her nod with a hum. She began to pinch at her skin not too long after. "I know this is probably a dumb question to ask, but does this mean you guys are over? Like really over?"

Hearing the question in real words made it feel surreal. It made it sound official. Not that they ever really did vocalize it, but deep down, they both had known. She had known she wouldn't have been able to act like it never happened. Like he never said what he did.

"No. I don't think so," she finally says, pinching her thighs as she bites her lip.

Most would've said she was being dramatic or inconsiderate. What they didn't know was that it was way deeper than people knew.

She was never allowed to show her feelings, express them, or talk about them growing up with her grandparents. They absolutely hated it; they always said it would make her look weak.

It wasn't until she had met Max that she realized showing and sharing emotions was not a bad thing to do. It was a good thing. He was the reason she showed more love, more affection, more emotion with others.

Max showed her it was okay to be herself. He was never ashamed of her.

Lando had been skeptical of it at the start, shrugging it off. Always asking her why she was so touchy. Y/N never thought anything of it, never looked more into the way he gave her weird looks when she explained why.

When Max never questioned it. Not once. He embraced it, which to this day still shocks her, as he is not the type of guy who likes showing affection like that. He liked keeping the mysterious and dark persona.

That's why people said she was like the sunshine to him. She never had to hesitate around Max. When he was mad, he never pushed her away.

Always made her feel like she was enough.

Oh fuck.

Charles and she didn't talk for much longer after that, only asking when and where they would be once they got to the club later that evening. Y/N's mind racing as time passed.

It wasn't long before Max was back, the girl hearing him announce his presence when walking through the door.

"Schat, where'd you go?" he asks, Y/N realizing he had walked by the bathroom.

"Bedroom! Trying to put on my dress," she says more to herself as she huffs while trying to zip the side of it up her torso. "Neuken, come on," she mutters to herself, her tongue sticking out as she tries to zip up the side.

Max walks in, chuckling as he watches her struggle. He couldn't help but take in how pretty she looked in that moment.

The dress fit her form perfectly, despite her curses and arguments with the zipper; he thought she was glowing. "Wil je hulp lieverd?" (You want help, dear?) he chuckles at her, earning a knowing look from her.

"What do you think, wijsneus?"

Max puts his hands up in surrender before making his way over to her, bending over slightly to be at the height of her issue.

"Arms up, mooi meisje," he says softly, his head now closer to her own as she finds herself looking at him. She does as she's told, lifting her arms up as his hands smoothly help the zipper glide up her skin.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as he finished, Max keeping his eyes on the zipper in concentration.

"You sure love to stare, don't you?" he jokes, earning an eyeball from her. Max chuckles, hearing her swear at him in Dutch. Max looks down at the ground next to them, seeing her shoes sitting there.

Max goes to bend down, grabbing the heels before turning back towards her, fully kneeling in front of her. She frowns.

"What're you doing?" she asks. "You don't have to help me, I can do it."

Max tuts at her as she tries to grab her heels from him.

"Lemme help," he offers, giving her a look. She shoots one back.

"I don't wanna be-"

"I swear if you say that you don't want to be suffocating one more time, we're going to have bigger issues," his voice more stern and serious in that moment. She doesn't miss the way his eyes had something fiery behind them.

"But Max-"

"Enough."

"Max-"

"Y/N I said enough, liefje."

Y/N nods slowly, knowing better then to test Max's patience, as it was something that wore thing very quickly with him.

He pats his shoulders. "Put your hands here for support," he tells her while leaning down to grab her left foot and place her heel on. Y/N softly places her hands on him, keeping her grip somewhat firm. He began to wrap the straps around her calves, Y/N not missing the way his fingertips softly would come into contact with her skin.

It made it feel different. Weird. It was a feeling she wasn't complaining about, that was for sure.

He sets her leg down, then grabs her other foot to do the same process. Y/N feels herself gulping every so often as she finds herself craving his touch more and more.

She told herself it was because she was touch-starved. She wasn't as touchy anymore as she once was. It was the itch coming back as she tried to hold back from being who she normally was.

Max finishes tying the straps together, his eyes looking up at hers to see her looking down at him with an expression he could read better than she could.

Y/N was aroused. She didn't even know it. He could tell.

So instead of saying some snide comment, he decides to play into it. His eyes never left her own as he brought his lips down to the inside of her thigh by her knee, letting them run featherlight against her skin. He then decided to place a slow and light kiss onto the skin just above the inside of her knee.

He doesn't miss the way her chest moved up and down a bit quicker than normal, Max letting a small smirk form on his lip as he pulled away. He stood up shortly after, placing a hand on her waist as he placed a kiss on her head.

"Let's get going before we hear it from Daniel for being late."

She stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what had just happened. Her body tingling in a way she was not used to feeling. Like she wanted more of not just someone's touch, but Max's touch.

What was happening?

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Once they had arrived, Max didn't hesitate to grab her hand tightly to weave through the buzzing crowds inside the darkened atmosphere.

Y/N kept her distance when they approached the table, only doing small hugs with everyone she greeted. Not wanting to overstep in their space.

It wasn't until Daniel had come up to hug her, frowning when she gave him a shy side-hug. He shook his head. "No, you bring it all in. Come here," he chuckles to her, pulling Y/N in for the biggest bear hug. She felt herself relax as her arms wrapped around his torso, squeezing him back just as much as he did her.

Max kept his gaze on her as he watched her face contort from anxious to content in a matter of seconds.

Once Daniel had broken away from her, she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Charles in a tight hug. A Y/N kind of hug. Charles didn't hesitate to wrap her up in his embrace, humming with a laugh.

"There's the Y/N I know," he jokes as he pulls away. "Always sharing love with everyone. How it should be."

He nods at her slowly in understanding, Y/N giving him a sheepish smile.

"Wait, did Charles get a Y/N hug? Move over, it's my turn!" Lewis jokes before cutting in to let Y/N wrap her arms around him tightly.

"I've missed these. It hasn't been the same," he groans. Y/N rolls her eyes.

"Such a drama queen."

Lewis pulls away and looks at her. "I'm serious. Your physical affection is like the entire grid's depression cure. Never change."

Y/N lets his words sink in, nodding at him before going to sit down on one of the couches next to Max. He leaned over to her.

"See? Everyone loves it. Loves you," he mumbles into her ear. "Get that nonsense out of your head. Own who you are," he assures her, pulling back to give her a knowing look. She just stares back at him, his closeness making her heart beat faster.

"I'll try."

"And trying is enough."

She smiles at him before he kisses her temple, turning to start a conversation with Daniel and George. Y/N had ended up talking with Alexandra and Kika for a bit, her mind staying distracted as they conversed.

The night had dragged on, filled with dancing, drinks, trips to the DJ booth and appetizers being ordered to their section.

Y/N had felt relaxed for the first time in days.

She had loosened up enough to go dance with the girls, feeling her throat drying up from the lack of water in her system.

Her hand finds Kika's, squeezing it to get her attention. "I'm going to go get some water, and then step outside," she tells her, watching her friend nod with a smile.

Y/N went and grabbed a water from one of the bartenders, then made her way towards the balcony where a staircase led to the rooftop. She stuck with standing out on the balcony, not wanting everyone to send out a search party if she was gone for too long.

She let herself lean over the balcony, somewhat resting her aching feet in the heels she wore. A sigh left her lips as the wind blew into her face.

"You look gorgeous," a low voice booms behind her, causing her to whip her head around. Her breathing stilled.

Lando stood there with his hands in his pockets, his button-up halfway undone, and a pair of black jeans donning his legs. He had a somewhat nervous and sheepish expression on his face, like he was preparing himself for her to not give him the time of day.

When she said nothing and turned back to the view in front of her, Lando took that as his chance to take the spot next to her.

He leaned over the railing, lacing both of his hands together as his elbows propped him over it slightly. He let out a huff, his eyes searching the view in front of them.

"How have you been?" he asked her, keeping his gaze ahead.

She nods slowly, pursing her lips together. "Good."

Lando hums with a nod. "That's good."

"What do you want, Lando?" she asks softly, her tone sounding defeated as she begins to pinch at her skin. He lets his head fall to look at his hands.

"I want to say I'm sorry," he starts, hearing her scoff. "I know it's late, first off, and that you don't want to give me the time of day, second off. I just couldn't keep it contained any longer."

"Is that it?"

"No," he sighs. "I regret what I said. Every single day since then. You're not anything I said. You're the complete opposite."

She looks at him, seeing his jaw clench and unclench before he turns his head to look at her. "You're loving. You're caring. You give love to everyone around you because that's just who you are. You're a giver."

Her gaze was blank, but he could tell she was preventing herself from lighting him up. Because she was better than that. Even though they both knew he deserved it. "I was angry and mad and upset about how the race ended for me. I took it out on you, and that's not okay. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry," he says, his tone uneven and cracking every so often as he turns his whole body towards hers.

Y/N crosses her arms, feeling her guard slip lightly. Then the reminder of the phone call with Charles earlier echoes in her brain. She looks down at the ground for a moment. She then looks back up at him.

"Thank you. For apologizing," she starts, her voice like silk. Lando feeling his body physically relaxing. "But you chose to wrap yourself around Magui for the time being."

Lando felt his face falter, his stomach drop to his ass. He frowns. "How-how did you-"

"Charles thought I should be aware. In case things would have changed between us," she admits. "I get that you were feeling a lot of guilt and regret. But seeing her after what she's done to you showed me something else in you. I can't trust that."

Lando nods at her words, letting his head fall to look at his feet.

"I do care about you Lando. I always will, that'll never change," she assures him. "But I need someone who won't make me question my worth when things get tough. Or say things in the heat of the moment that cause breaks like these."

He nods. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I hope you know that."

She nods, giving him a shy and sad smile. "I know that now. But you can't turn back time."

"I know," he agrees. "Can I at least hug you? It's been killing me."

Y/N stops herself from chuckling at his words, nodding slowly. Lando doesn't waste another second slithering his arms around her waist to pull her into his embrace. She wraps her arms around his neck, the affection feeling different between them now. More platonic than romantic. "I hope she treats you better this time," Y/N admits as they pulled away.

He shrugs. "Seems like she's changed. I don't want to take any risks yet."

The pair soon makes their way back inside, Y/N looking around for a familiar Dutch driver. She somewhat feels her body react before her emotions, stopping in her tracks.

He was across the bar, talking and chatting closely with his ex girlfriend, whom was getting closer than Y/N liked to admit.

She didn't understand why it was making her insides churn. Why she was glaring at the two long enough to make Lando chuckle at her expression.

"I wouldn't stress about that," Lando says, making her snap out of her daze and frown at him.

"What do you mean? Worry about what?"

Lando laughs harder at her dumbfounded state. He motions towards Max and Kelly. "That. The pair you're basically digging graves for with your eyes."

Y/N shook her head in confusion. "I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

Lando can see the genuine confusion in her eyes, the Brit realizing she hasn't come to her senses yet. He knew Max would probably kill him when he found out the next thing he let slip before he could control it.

"Max is so in love with you," he admits, making them both widen their eyes. Lando for being shocked that he just said that, Y/N for hearing the words that left his mouth.

"I- He- What?" she sputters, Lando groaning as he runs a hand through his hair.

"Well fuck," Lando chuckles to himself nervously. He then sighs in defeat. "No going back now. But yeah, Max loves you. Always has."

Y/N shook her head. "No. No way. Good joke," she chuckles before walking back towards their section of the room. Lando followed after her as she marched her way towards Daniel and Lewis.

The pair smiled warmly at her, then they frowned, seeing the determination and shock on her face.

"You alright?" Daniel asks once she gets to them.

"Is it true?" she asks, the boys looking at her confused.

It wasn't long until Lando came up behind her, a somewhat anxious look on his face. Lewis scowls at him. "What did you say to her?" he whips, making her put her hands up in defense.

"He didn't mean to, don't yell at him," she defends, not missing the way shock is all over their faces. "Although he might need help escaping after Max finds out."

"Okay, seriously, what did you tell her? Max already has a target on your head," Daniel groans while rubbing a hand over his face.

"Max is in love with me?"

Lewis choked on his drink, Daniel choked on air, and Lando rubbed the back of his neck. The two older boys look at Lando. "I'd get a head start on running if I were you," Lewis says, Lando letting out a groan.

"So it's true?" Y/N asks, her tone softer as she crossed her arms.

They look back down at her before Lewis sighs with a nod. "Yeah, it's true."

Y/N didn't know what to think, or much less what to do in that moment.

A part of her was confused, while a bigger part of her felt something different. Almost as if it were relief. Like hearing those words brought her entire body into a calmer realm.

"I think you made her short-circuit," Daniel says as he leans over to Lewis. Y/N gives them a look. She then turns to Lando, putting a hand on his arm.

"They're right," she says with a nod. "You're gonna want to get a headstart on running right now."

"Y/N!" Lando groans while running both hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry! It's true!"

"She's right, mate. Espcially after he almost bashed your head into the wall at the dinner last week-"

"He did what?!" She snaps, the boys all flinching at her tone, the dutch accent coming out more evidently in that moment.

"To be fair he deserved it after everything that happened on race day," Lewis says while pointing at Lando, whom agrees shockingly enough.

"Besides the point," Daniel cuts in. "What're you thinking? What's happening in that brain of yours?"

She shook her head. "Everything. Nothing. I don't even know," she sputters out, rubbing her forehead. Her head snaps over to Max, whom was still happily talking and laughing with Kelly.

Before she realized it, her insides began to churn again, eyes squinting harshly their way.

"Wow, jealous much?" Lewis jokes, making her smack his arm.

"I don't get jealous."

"You do," Lando admits. "You are right now."

She glares at him. "Shouldn't you be halfway across Europe by now?"

His face fell at her words, and Daniel and Lewis both snickered at her words. He rolled his eyes a second later, putting a hand on her torso and squeezing it lightly.

She sees Kelly's hand reach up to caress his shoulder, which made the boys all mumble out 'uh-oh's. Y/N decides to fully turn her body towards their direction, crossing her arms while keeping her stare directly on them.

"Are you gonna glare them to death?" Daniel jokes, Lewis and Lando immediately catching onto what she was doing.

"Just wait for it," Lando trails off.

A few moments later, Max chuckled at something Kelly said. He turned his head towards their section while his eyes searched, then immediately froze when he caught Y/N staring.

It was a look he knew all too well.

"You Dutch women are scary," Daniel chuckles while shaking his head. "How does he sense that?"

Lewis chuckles. "It's the face everyone fears on the grid. You just sense it before you know she's there. It's scary being on the receiving side of her stare."

Max's entire face fell, shame contorting into an ashamed expression. His expression soon hardened, then darkened fully when he caught Lando standing next to her. He was standing way too close for his liking.

What made Max drop everything he was doing, Kelly not even existing in his mind anymore, or in front of him for that matter, was seeing Lando's hand on her waist.

Max didn't even acknowledge Kelly after that moment, just leaving her mid-sentence as he made his way to the group.

Y/N stood her ground, not flinching as he got closer.

"Why're you near her?" Max's voice boomed as he got closer to Lando, but he almost tripped over his own feet when she stepped in front of Lando. His entire demeanor softens, but then goes to complete embarrassment as he meets her glare.

"He and I are fine. We sorted it out. Don't start," she explains. Max was about to argue with her. Until she raised her brows, as if saying, 'try me'. He huffs, not hesitating to nod at her words.

He then glares back at Lando. "You're still in deep shit with me," he points out, Lando pursing his lip with a nod.

"He's about to be in deeper shit," Daniel mumbles with a snort, Lewis smacking his arm hard. Max frowns as Y/N gives Daniel the same scary look.

"Not funny. Sorry."

"What's he mean?" Max asks.

"Doesn't matter," she rejects, shaking her head. "What were you and-"

"Don't change the subject, what're they talking about? What did Lando do?" he argues back.

Y/N shook her head. "We're not doing this here."

Max turns his gaze back to Lando, hardening as he looks. Lando leaned to Y/N before squeezing her side. "That's my cue," he says. "Good luck."

With that, Lando's pace quickens as he leaves the space while Y/N lets out an internal groan at Max. "Do you always have to go Mad Max on people?"

"When it comes to you, yes," he says with no hesitation in his tone. "Now what are those two talking about?"

She looks over at Daniel and Lewis for help, the two boys putting their hands up in defense. "I'm gonna go find Charles," Lewis says before leaving.

"I'm gonna get another drink," Daniel says, leaving shortly after Lewis.

She lets her mouth drop in awe, muttering a 'klootzakken' as she watches them leave.

Her gaze turned back up to Max, who stood towering over her. His look hard and only focused on her. She now very aware of how close he was.

"Let's go then, shall we?" he says, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Fine."

It wasn't long until they were outside of the venue, Max helping her into his car before shutting the door behind her and making his way over to his side.

The first few minutes in the car were silent, Max's jaw clenching as Y/N kept pinching at her wrists.

It didn't take an ounce of hesitation for Max to reach over with his free hand and lace it with hers. "Pinch it," he tells her, Y/N looking at him for a second before sighing.

"Why were you with her?" she asks softly, Max taking note of how defeated she sounded.

He didn't hesitate to answer. "She was telling me about P. How she was doing," he explains. "Then she told me how much her and P missed having me around."

That made her scoff. "Yeah, she misses using you for her advantage," she says more to herself, but loud enough for him to hear.

He smacks her thigh. "No need to be jealous, schat. Enough of that."

"I'm not jealous. Why does everyone think I'm jealous?" She groans, Max trying to hide the amused and smug smile on his face.

"Because you are. Your telltale signs aren't very discreet, honing."

"Because I'm not jealous," she scoffs, keeping her gaze out the window.

"So if I went home with her, you wouldn't have been upset with me?" he tests, making her movements on his hand stop. Max chuckles lightly to himself as he squeezes her hand.

"Exactly."

"Whatever."

Max frowns at her tone, turning to look at her for a second. "Hey, no. Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Shut down," he says before looking back at the road. "I would never go home with her. She's not the one I want. She never was."

Y/N stays quiet, knowing she couldn't trust her emotions. Everything heightening as every moment passed.

It was quiet for another moment, before Max spoke up once more.

"So are you going to tell me what they were all talking about earlier?" he trails off.

"I don't think you're gonna want to hear that. Trust me," she chuckles while shaking her head.

"Try me, honing."

She huffs. "If I tell you, then you can't kill any of them. Not even Lando."

Y/N didn't miss the way his jaw clenched and eyes hardened at Lando's name, only nodding after. "You have my word."

She looks at him, her fingers playing with his hand once more.

"Are you in love with me?"

Her body is jolted forward in a harsh move, due to Max slamming on the brakes for a split second at her words. The tires are heard screeching as the car comes to a halt.

Y/N looks behind them, checking to make sure he didn't just accidentally brake-check someone. Taking the clear sign of no car honking behind him as the first hint, then seeing nobody was behind them for blocks.

She then whips her head over to Max, whose eyes are now wide with shock, one hand gripping the steering wheel while the other is now clutching onto her waist for safety.

"So I'm guessing by the reaction you just had that it's true," she says slowly, watching his face contort into all sorts of emotions.

He stayed silent, Y/N seeing his Adam's apple bob a few times before he began to accelerate the car once again. "Max," she says. He stays silent still. "Max Emilian."

"You weren't supposed to find out. Not like this at least."

She frowns at his words. "Elaborate, please? When was I gonna find out?"

She watched as he pursed his lips before biting them every so often.

"Max if you don't start talking-"

"I didn't want you to find out. Not with everything fresh with Lando," he admits, shaking his head as he pulls the car into the apartment garage. "I didn't want you thinking I was taking advantage of you when I just wanted to be there, just as much as you are with me."

Her face softened, seeing that it really was making him feel guilty. Seeing that she had to find out amid everything she had been dealing with for the last few weeks.

Before she can ask him anything further, he puts the car in park and whips his door open before closing it with a slam.

She doesn't miss the way he still makes his way around the car to her side, opening her door softly as he helps her out. She could tell he was ready to murder the boys, but he kept his composure around her.

They walked up to her apartment quietly, the tension rising as they got closer to her door. Y/N practically being able to feel Max's frustration radiate off his skin. She unlocked her door, walking inside as he followed shortly after.

He shuts the door behind him before huffing, his eyes looking to see Y/N standing there with her arms crossed. Her expression basically begging for answers.

Max rubs his forehead. "I'm not getting out of this am I?"

"Begin niet, Max." (Don't start, Max.)

He could tell by her tone that this wasn't the time to joke.

The man lets out a sigh, letting his eyes gaze into her own across the room. "Yes," he chokes out. "I'm in love with you. So in love that it hurts my chest."

Y/N lets her stance somewhat falter, her arms uncrossing. "Oh Max," she softly answers, seeing the pain in his eyes. Like he felt guilty for telling her.

"I have since the day you stood up for me at the Go-kart championship with my dad," he chuckles dryly to himself. "It was that day I told myself this girl has some spark in her. Playing with fire with no remorse. She's it for me," he half-heartedly jokes, but meaning every word. "I'm in love with you to the point where all I care about seeing is you happy. Even if that's not with me."

Her brows furrow. "What?"

He shrugs in defeat. "When Lando came to me after your first date with him, I could tell he was good for you. Same with you for him. Yeah it hurt like a fucking scooter to the ankle, but you were happy. That's what I cared about," he explains. "So if you two decide to fix things, and it makes you happy, then I'll be okay with that. I'll still probably give him a run for his money every so often, but if that's what you want."

Y/N was about to speak up, but then he says one more thing to her.

"I didn't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you. Of stealing you away after what you went through. I'm better than that, but I didn't like seeing you not be yourself. I hated it and hated him for that. I wanted to be there giving you the support and tough love you needed to heal and make the right decision," he admits once more. "So if he's still it for you, then I'll live with that. He just better not ruin his chances again."

Y/N stays silent for a moment, just in case he had anything further to say, soon seeing he was finished. She kept her arms crossed.

"You know, I have been fighting with myself all week. About going back to Lando. Working things out," she starts. Max feels his heart beat faster every second that passes. "But then there were small things I noticed. From not just these past few weeks, but the last decade. Little things you've done, no questions asked."

He just keeps his gaze on her. "When I was on the phone with Charles today, I came to the realization of why I've always been picky with my relationships," she says, laughing dryly to herself. "Because they weren't you."

Max feels his mouth open just slightly, as if giving him the lightest breath of fresh air from her words.

"Liefje." (Darling)

She nods, more to herself as if confirming it to her mind. She had feelings for Max. She wanted Max.

"I can't promise to jump into things right now," she adds. "But it doesn't mean I'm not willing to try seeing where this goes with you. I really want to. More than I think I can admit."

Max smiles are her softly. "I can work with slow."

She smiles at him as he advances towards her. He cautiously wraps his arms around her waist, watching her soften into his touch instead of freezing or jolting at it.

It was a work in progress.

"Can I at least kiss you? Or is that too fast?"

"Kus me maar, jij zachtaardige reus." (Kiss me, you gentle giant) she chuckles, watching his smile grow slowly as he leans in.

He didn't waste a second longer

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A/N: Ahhh, that's part three! How're we feeling? What's the vibe for everyone? Satisfied? Lemme know, I'm intrigued hehe!!

She's a long one, but she is here! I hope you all enjoyed!

I may or may not have an alternate ending for Lando in the works?? What do we think??

Vote below ;)

See you soon, friends!

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

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[vxnillabxn]

𐙚˙⋆.˚ zayne x gn!reader ꒰੭

𐙚˙⋆.˚ fluffy fluff! ꒰੭

𐙚˙⋆.˚ sfw! ꒰੭

𐙚˙⋆.˚ do not translate/copy/repost! ꒰੭

﹙♡﹚i'd simply never leave, but that's me though !!

zayne was always out and about; attending conferences abroad, giving lectures, going on long trips for research purposes, you name it.

you were used to it, though you missed him a lot.

you two made sure to call each other during breakfast, at lunch, and by dinnertime. no matter the time difference, no matter the jet lag on his part; he'd always stop to share a meal with you through the phone.

now, in terms of clinginess, you usually kiss him and hug him, making sure he knows you'll miss him, and that you'll pepper his whole body with loving pecks once he's back.

no tears when you say goodbye at the airport, nor the train station. you smile sweetly and wave, hoping he returns safely back to you.

zayne usually kisses you back and gently pats your head, assuring you he'll be back sooner than you expect. so, it's safe to say none of you are into dramatic displays.

until now.

it was finally your turn to go abroad for the first time, and this man was frantic.

“i prepared a medicine bag for you. have you packed it yet?”

he says. his tone is flat, but his eyebrows are furrowed. this man means business.

“yes, zaynie. already packed!”

he nods softly.

“five extra pairs of underwear?”

no way.

“zayne, i think that's… that's a bit over the top, isn't it?”

he fixes his glasses, looking down at the list he wrote.

yes, the list of things he has to remind you of.

“you never know.”

you want to laugh, but it'd be rude to make fun of how serious he is about a one-week trip.

you triple-check with him, and once you go to the airport, the poor man is stressed.

“don't hesitate to contact me. if you need anything at all, text me. should you need money, i'll transfer it to your account. do not talk to strangers…”

he goes on and on. his tone is serious, calm, gentle, but his grip on your shoulders is tightening as he keeps talking.

“…mind you, those are the pink pills, not the red ones. if your sugar goes low, look for the granola bar i left in the bottom left pocket—”

“zaynie…”

“if you need me there, i'll see what i can do—”

“zaynie…?”

“remember you have to hydrate yourself. i checked the weather forecast and it says the temperature will rise as high as—”

“zayne!”

you finally stop him. you've never heard him talking so much before. he was almost lecturing you; making sure you understood every single word.

he stops, looking down at you with a bit of surprise in his eyes.

he blinks twice, ears turning a bit red.

“love… i'll be alright. i'll be back in a week, okay? i promise i will take care of myself; i'm strong.”

he sighs, taking your hands in his.

“that doesn't make you less precious to me.”

he says earnestly. his gaze is softer, his hazel eyes are genuinely worried, and you can't resist how vulnerable he looks right now.

you smile, pulling him down by his tie to kiss him. it is a long yet sweet kiss, making it hard for him to pull back.

but when he does, he presses his forehead against yours.

“come back to me, my love. promise me.”

it comes out as a breathless plea, and it makes you melt. you cup his cheeks and nod quietly.

soon enough, you smile up at him.

“i'll always do, i promise.”

with that said, you were thankful he left you at the airport three hours before your flight, because you had the best hour and a half to spend with him, going all over your luggage again so he could be at peace.

you'd make sure to be as doting next time he goes abroad, too.

[loreic]

You know, I envy those who really loved KARMA. To be honest, KARMA disappointed me a lot. In fact, the ALNST fandom disappointed me a little. How is it possible that a good part of the fandom hates Luka more than the damn aliens? The whole Luka situation right now is too much, in my opinion. And not in the "narratively good" kind, but in the "suffering porn" kind, where he's the ONLY one alone and enslaved (he doesn't even appear in that rocket scene where everyone is falling free). He was also a victim of the Alien Stage system, so losing Hyuna, getting beaten up and then being put back in the competitions is very unfair. Seriously, I understand that it's kind of a meme, but it's getting sinister the amount of people encouraging and making fun of it. I'd say that Luka is worse than any of the three right now, people forget that he's a victim and he's STILL a victim. And I won't even talk about how now Hyuna's death is even more senseless and how all of her and the Rebellion's efforts were thrown away because of Mizi. I genuinely hated how Vivmeng treated Hyuna, Hyunwoo, Hyuluka and, especially, Luka (who seems to now only exist to be miserable and seeing fans celebrating when Mizi beat him up for no reason in KARMA made me physically disgusted).

Hmmmm

Right, long ass take under the cut

First off, valid opinion anon.

Think it's perfectly okay be to be a little disappointed in Karma. I'd rate it visually 10/10, musically 9/10, narratively 7/10.

Don't get me wrong alnst had a good run and damn we are probably not gonna get anything else as good anytime soon (I say while staring at kpdh), but the ending might have been a little rushed (assuming this is really the end anyway) and yeah, they probably could have handled the whole Hyuna, Luka, Hyun-woo plot a little better.

Hyuna's death does seem pretty senseless, and that's probably the biggest gripe I have with the ending (since she and Luka are my favourites lol). Out of the three that are confirmed dead, her death definitely hits the hardest (Ivan died for Till, Till is free, Sua died for Mizi, Mizi is free-ish?/took her revenge, while Hyuna died and Luka is still in captivity + rebels' plan failing epically)

But I really don't think that was Hyuna's goal to begin with.

I think Mizi was pretty spot on with her using the rebels as an escape from reality. Girl never stopped running. She refused to face her past, refused to come to terms with the fact that it was Luka who was responsible for Hyun-woo's death, and refused accept the fact that she still loved him despite everything (stubborn queen fr), and only FINALLY decided let all of that go in her final moments.

Her death was meant to be a lesson to Luka (really bitter pill to swallow, and yeah it's pretty stupid when you look at it from a well adjusted perspective, but we've also established she's a trainwreck of a diva so), and I think in the end she did make her peace with it all. Luka being free wasn't the point, and yeah it sucks, but it does make sense. She died to teach him what it means to love, and I think she did succeed in that even if he is still captive.

It's a little convoluted but in the end I wouldn't say her death was entirely senseless (it just definitely seemed so to Mizi and us as the audience), she was doing it for Luka, same as Ivan and Sua for Till and Mizi (was their love perfect? Hell no, it's messy and all kinds of screwed up but that's the point)

As for Luka sighhhhhhhhhhh

Yeah Luka is 100% the victim here. They all are, but dude definitely got the short end of the stick of the three(?) that technically survived.

Him not being with the falling children I'd say is because A. (Mizi knew for a fact he was still alive at that moment) and B. (He is on the receiving end of Mizi's self-righteous karma). Luka's a victim but he's not entirely guiltless either and I think that's what makes him so so interest. If he really did survive the rocket crash he probably spent the next seven years pondering over everything. It was Hyuna's last puzzle for him, it's his penance for the pain he causes (unintentional or no) and yeah that's pretty fking miserable when you think about it.

Am I happy with that? Eh, not really.

I'd say there is a lot of wasted character growth potential here, but it's more or less in line with his overall arc of 'unapologetic sociopath who cannot understand human emotions learns love, lost and regret' so eh I'll take it.

And yeah there are some pretty unsavoury takes in the fandom when it comes to Luka, just because he is that complex and half the fandom doesn't understand him at all, but eh that's more or less expected given alnst target demography so don't worry about it. 괜찮아~ Just enjoy this cinematic masterpiece we somehow get to experience for free and possibly avoid the hell out of Twitter/X like I do lol (like seriously there are takes on there that gives me an aneurysm)

[avatarofthearchives]

I'm super curious about how people's opinions on TMA character's changed on a second listen because I had a lot of shifting opinions on my second watch.

A big one is in regards to Jon. The second time I listened to TMA I genuinely had to force myself to be more critical of him because I loved his character too much on the first watch. I was in full "I could fix him." Yeah? Well I could accept him as he is," mode. Which...is not great for character analysis.

That's why was interesting to rewatch the series with Jon being The Archivist in mind. It was a lot easier to see the million times Jon was given the choice not to push the plot further and decided against it. Which was fascinating from a fan perspective because it made me realize how often I didn't clock Jon's mistakes because I wanted the plot to develop just as bad as he did.

I think when you're watching the series for the first time it's almost a natural instinct to think "No, Georgie, you don't get it. Stop telling him to leave it alone because I want to know what's going on with the weird circus." And then that's why a second listen is so fun because when you know how everything end's up it's easier to go "Oh. Yeah. Georgie's right. Jon really should have backed off his investigating as much as he could after Leitner and his lack of willingness do so does contribute to the events of Season 5."

And that's not to say I don't like Jon after a second listen. If anything I like him more now because I think he's a fantastically written stand in for the audience and their feelings towards the plot, but I can also say that about other character's BECAUSE I was more critical of Jon on a second watch.

I liked Tim, Melanie, and Georgie so much more on a second listen. Tim and Georgie SO valid 90% of the time, and Melanie lashes out in the wrong place a lot, but I still think rewatching her interactions with Jon knowing how everything was going to turn out gave me a lot more context towards her feelings. Because like...Yeah, Jon was pretty hostile to her from the moment they met, and the one time they have a positive interaction, it ends with Melanie thinking that Jon was gaslighting her over Sasha. It makes way more sense why she's so on guard with him throughout the entire series when you're reading their interactions with the hindsight that they never really fully get along.

Anyways. This was a lot of talking to say "TMA is a really good series."

[potatoof69]

my squid game season 3 theory

spoilers, obviously

Ok, I’ve been mulling it over and my personal theory on why the ending was like THAT is because of Direct Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s personal experience w capitalism.

Let me explain. This man never wanted to write season 2, let alone a third season. Season 1 was obviously a project made with a lot of passion and a shot in the dark for him, for which Netflix literally paid him pennies for. And unexpectedly, it exploded.

With that popularity comes with him having to watch this passion project on a critique of capitalism and greed be recycled and sanitized for those very purposes. He’s had to sit through the fucking squid game merch, the marketing, the costumes, even the goddamn reality TV show. And even worse, Netflix made him write two more seasons of it when he only wanted there to be one.

I think the VIP scene of them hunting down players in “the uniform”, really getting “the experience”, wasn’t a coincidence when there are literal Squid Game: The Experiences set up around where you can put on the uniform and join the death games in an extremely sanitized version of what was meant to be a critique.

I don’t know, I think watching your project get gutted like that would do smth to a guy. And then you’re forced to shit out 2 more seasons so Netflix can make more money when you already lost like 9 teeth from the first.

I was really surprised when Season 2 turned out pretty good— in particular, I liked that HDH focused on bringing politics into the mix because of today’s atmosphere and how intertwined it all has become. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the final game was primarily composed of crusty old men, led by a guy who was implied to be a rich maybe-politician who lost 10 billion won, and that they all “democratically voted” to do things like push other people off the platform and kill a literal baby. Things like that I think HDH genuinely wanted to explore.

But like, I genuinely think he didn’t have any passion left when writing season 3. It feels like he was going through the actions of writing deaths and redemptive moments and whatnot but nothing really stuck. You’re telling me Gihun choosing not to kill everyone with a knife that night was supposed to be an uplifting moment, when one episode later he has to kill them anyway? And they all die anyway? What’s that supposed to mean, HDH?

Season 1’s ending is hopeful, saying that you should go back and help people in the position you once were and maybe the world can change for the better. Season 3’s ending said fuck all that, if you do that nothing will change anyway, and the best you can do now is sacrifice yourself for future generations and hope they make it better.

And the real kicker is, the final fucking scene with In-ho staring at the start of an American spin-off with a cameo from a famous Western actor, just like how HDH is looking right at it coming on the horizon. The final nail in the coffin of what was once a small Korean project turned corporate American.

I think the cynicism and exhaustion from his own experiences bleeds into the ending and it shows. Because no matter what he tried to do, to tell this story to the world through a little project called Squid Game, all people got out of it was another fun costumey way to make corporations money. His story about critiquing capitalism didn’t help shed light on it, but instead furthered it.

So of course Season 3’s ending would reflect that.

Supposedly he said in an interview that he’s not sure if that was a good ending anymore, so I hope the guy’s opinion has changed now. Not to put on my 457 glasses for a moment, but I really hope that he found some new passion for his characters after the reaction to Season 2 might’ve made him see things differently. Idk. Anyways he’s expressed interest in a Front Man prequel (which i don’t know if that’s Netflix holding him hostage again or his actual opinion) so I’d like to think that he’s found some love for this universe again.

[tortoisebore]

I would love to see sirius telling james about how he told remus that he loves him please!! I loveee their friendship and i would love to see them being super gossipy and cute!! 😊😊😊

i feel like they were definitely dishing pretty immediately bc they talk so often 👯‍♂️ like they were most certainly texting that same night & it was probably like:

james at exactly 12:00am: Happy new year !!!!!!!!!!

sirius: happy new year!!

james: How’s Boston?? Is she still standing without me Tell her I’ll be back soon 🫶

sirius: she’s still here still cold as fuck she said she missed me more 🫶 

james: You laugh but that will genuinely make me cry 

sirius: dw she misses u lots did u guys go out

james: We did !!!  Found a rooftop bar without a cover to watch the park fireworks

sirius: gorgeous!!

james: Reg’s friends bailed last second so he tagged along They had a $10 champagne special!! So fun We should go next year!!

sirius: fucking excuse me don’t hang out with reg what the fuck betrayal </3

james: How’s Remus !!

sirius: extremely unsubtle  i hate u he’s great very stunning very sweet he loves me like actually this time it was a whole thing fucked me very beautifully  and now we are enjoying ice cream on his couch watching movies also he's coming to nyc for school next summer so i don't have to fuck off to colorado forever very successful day overall!!

james: Huh!!!!!! Pause!!!!!

sirius: pausing which part

james: You really said it??? Sirius 🥹

sirius: i did 🥹 so did he but i did it first!!

James: You did it first!!!!! I’m gonna cry

sirius: stop it  don’t 

james: It’s happening It’s so happening I’m so happy for you

sirius: be cool jamie come on it’s nbd just the most wonderful person on earth loves me just me being capable of loving him back without combusting every 30 seconds no big

james: There are tears streaming down my face How did you say it??

sirius: oh i blurted big time blurted while we were on a walk

james: Of course you did This is the happiest day of my life Lily’s concerned about the emotion of it all so this has to stop now I can’t think about it anymore or we’ll have to go home But I’ll call tomorrow for the whole story don’t worry!!!

sirius: of course ❤️ i love u ❤️ happy new year ❤️ don’t call before noon

james: Well I’m not an idiot Love you ❤️ Tell Remus too Happy new year ❤️

and then:

lily: Happy New Year!! Please tell me why my boyfriend is crying

sirius: he’s fine don’t worry happy new year ❤️

[blackcatxmagic]

When he saw Felix's reaction, Leo smirked at the other - it was what he had been going for, and Felix knew it. "I know the power I have," Leo admitted, "and I like using it to make you flustered. But is turning you on so easily and so often really nefarious when I absolutely plan to follow through? I'm not just teasing you, Fi. There will be a payoff, one you know will be worth it." Their sexual chemistry was truly off the charts, and honestly sex with Felix was some of the best Leo had had in a long, long time. Maybe you should tell them that, he thought, but that felt like voicing that things between them were so much more than casual, a notion that scared the shit out of Leo. The pair were standing close now, Leo humming happily at the feeling of their chests touching, and he grinned and replied, "You mean like this?" before leaning in and kissing Felix's neck. It wasn't obscene, like a desperate kiss that would leave a mark, but Leo knew the exact spot that caused Felix to unravel, and he pressed his lips there, kissing it firmly, mouth open just slightly so that Felix could feel his tongue swiping against the spot. When he pulled back, Leo smirked again, saying, "I like to hear the sounds you try not to make when we're in public."

Even though he was making light of it, Leo was nervous to meet Felix's friends, partially because that was not generally a thing that two people who were just casual tended to do. But also Leo was worried that there would be some interrogating despite what Felix said. "Which one of them is most likely to sit me down and demand to know what my intentions are?" he asked Felix. "I'll make sure not to ever be alone with them." Truthfully Leo's intentions were becoming more and more muddled. Long past were the days when Felix was just a hookup - Leo genuinely cared about him now - but this again, this felt more than casual. That was something Leo had thought over and over again tonight, and the more he did, the less scared by the idea he was. In fact, now Leo smiled at the thought, and he leaned in an pressed a sweet kiss to Felix's lips, just because. "Thanks," he said, taking the ear plugs and wondering what he had gotten himself into.

The concert was not what Leo expected at all, and he loved watching Felix totally lose themselves in the music. This wasn't the kind of music he thought Felix would like, but then again, nothing about Felix had been expected. Here was this sweet, innocent looking person who loved cats and was lanky and clumsy and who played Dungeons & Dragons, and he also happened to love incredibly loud rock music and moshing and doing fucking incredible things while naked. They were a dichotomy, one that Leo was happy to continue exploring. There was a moment where he watched Felix in the pit where everything became crystal clear to Leo, especially once Felix went down in a tangle of bodies. Leo rushed in to help, pushing people out of the way, and when he pulled Felix to their feet and saw the huge smile on their face, he knew what he wanted.

After the concert, the pair walked out of the venue together, Leo reaching for Felix's hand and taking his ear plugs out. "That was...a lot," he replied, laughing and smiling at the other. "I don't think I could do it all the time, and honestly I was watching you more than the band, but I love how much fun it was for you, and that made it fun for me. I...I like seeing you happy, Fi. So yes, I had a lot of fun." He beamed at Felix's words, and Leo replied, "I like you too." They were outside the car now, standing face to face, and Leo just looked into Felix's eyes for a moment, psyching himself up. This was what he wanted though, he knew that now. "Felix," Leo started, "do you...uh, would you ever maybe want to make this thing between us like...um, official? I...I sort of need to move slowly, and I don't know where it'll lead. But I really like you, and not just because of the things we do when we're alone. This proved that to me. I mean...we've been acting like boyfriends for awhile now anyway, and I thought maybe we should stop denying that's what we are. So...yeah. That's my pitch. I know, I know, full of romance, right? Try to stop swooning long enough to think it through." Leo laughed, running his fingers through his hair, which actually wasn't a conscious decision this time but which he realized after he'd done it that it might help his case.

 ‎ ‎ ‎ Felix’s breath caught for just a second at Leo’s words, his grin, and the confident way he ran his fingers through his air like he knew exactly what it did to him. And, well–he definitely did. Their gaze followed the motion, then slowly back to Leo’s face, warm and full of something wicked. “This is what I mean,” they laughed, nose wrinkling. “You absolutely have nefarious purposes. And yes, you are making it very difficult, by the way.” They stepped in close, letting their chest brush lightly against his, their smile all honeyed sweetness laced with heat. “Your mouth on my neck,” Felix said, voice dropping to a whisper meant for Leo and only Leo. “Me trying not to make a sound in public like I’m not completely coming apart from the way you touch me. That kind of imagining.”  Felix continued smiling at the other, doing their best not to change their plans for the evening.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ After a beat, they shrugged. “You’ll just have to wait and see when you meet them, but I promise all good things.” When Leo started laughing, they joined in, covering their face as their shoulders shook with laughter. “Oh, I’m glad to hear that. I would be very jealous if you treated us the same.” Despite the other’s agreement to head deeper into the pit, Felix did stay slightly toward the back. As others continued filling in the space around them, Felix suddenly remembered something. “Oh,” they mumbled, reaching into their pocket and pulling out two pairs of earplugs. “You should wear these. I don’t want to be the reason you get tinnitus.” 

 ‎ ‎ ‎ The next hour and a half was a blur of pulsing lights and music loud enough to shake bones. They were committed to staying near Leo, but there were a few moments where Felix threw themselves into the smaller mosh pits that formed around them, dancing and laughing and losing themselves in the rush. They bumped shoulders with strangers, ducked flying limbs, and kept grabbing Leo’s wrist to pull him in closer. Sweat slicked their temples and the grin on their face was borderline feral. It wasn’t until someone much larger than them slammed into the circle that things went sideways. Felix stumbled back hard, knocked off-balance by the impact and catching someone else’s foot under their own. They hit the ground with a short, winded oof, catching themselves on their forearms, but they still wined, dazed from the hit. Someone else tripped over them, someone else spilled beer, but when they looked backward, they still saw Leo, and smiled.

 ‎ ‎ ‎ Outside, they stood near the edge of the venue, breath heaving. Felix’s hair was a mess, their knees scraped, and one of their rings had flown off mid-pit, lost forever to the sticky floor. But their eyes were shining. “Wow,” they wheezed, laughing as they wiped a streak of… something off their cheek–maybe glitter, or beer. “That was insane. I told you they were good live! I mean, I also almost got murdered in the pit, but still worth it. Are you okay?” They couldn’t help but grab the other’s hands in excitement, practically vibrating with energy. “I like you,” they said suddenly, another one of those moments that their mouth spoke before their brain. “I really like you.” They said it in a way that wasn’t a joke or tease, just honest. “And I had a lot of fun. I hope you did, too.”

[scoups]

okay i saw eric nam ask mark lee (nct) this so i'm sending it to a bunch of people bc i'm curious: you have to make a kpop super group consisting of at least 5 idols from any existing group, who are the members?

hehe thank you for asking this!! tbh i have thought about this so in depth since you sent this, it’s kind of embarrassing! i … literally came up with two separate groups just because i had too many thoughts about this 😭

exo - baekhyun : i mean… vocal powerhouse!! very versatile voice, so he can fit any concept perfectly. with that being said i think that makes it easier for others to kind of… match him? i hope that makes sense. or rather, it makes it easier for bbh to match others… idk! musically bbh is one of my all time favorite artists so 🫡

exo - chanyeol : is this bc hes my bias and anywhere bbh goes pcy goes? yes. BUT i also love how he can do whatever is needed. he can sing beautifully and is a rapper, there’s no stopping him. and also he’s just a cutie patootie 🤭🩷✨

svt - hoshi : such a wonderful compliment to bbh’s voice. imo they’re honestly quite similar; if you haven’t listened to bbh and hoshi singing love again side by side, please do!!! i was honestly so, so, close to choosing minghao for this bc i think he would’ve been so vocally opposite of bbh it would’ve been nice, but hoshi has this ability to sound so different in songs, but so identifiable at the same time, that i just loved it for this group

solo - lee hi: i think she’d be such a stunning compliment to baekhyun’s and hoshi’s more harsh and powerful vocals and give the smooth, velvety vocal they’d need to make it blend together beautifully

exid - LE : listen… i just love her but i think her rap style would suit chanyeol’s and she definitely has a powerful voice. i think the juxtaposition of her voice and lee hi’s would be so fun to hear in a group setting

literally adding the other “group” i came up with bc i love them too

exo - kyungsoo : smooth, smooth vocals. another performer that can really bend his voice at will! the range is insane and he does it so effortlessly, it’s insane. multi lingual king! pronunciation master!

akmu - suhyun : have u heard her and kyungsoo’s recent duet like… their voices just MELT together. such a fun pop like sound but still having the ability to be soft and angelic?

btob - hyunsik : definitely a hidden gem. beautiful vocal range, i think people tend to forget him since everyone in btob are powerhouses, but he tends to be more on the soft side vocally, but can REALLY belt out some beautiful sound that will really surprise everyone

solo - bibi : hi! hello! miss bibi! versatile queen! she has this ability to add a siren like quality to her voice and along with her rapping i think she’d sound really cool with the rest and also she’s a cutie and we love that

svt - minghao : hehehe i ended up putting him in this one bc it suits him here better.. like bibi, hao has this ability to make his voice sound almost siren like and it’s sooo interesting. if u haven’t listend to falling down pls do that and see what! i! mean!!! that along with just the regular relaxing tone when he sings i think he would really just round the group out and complete them ahhh

[javierduffy]

silly drawover because i missed them :]

[iron-sides]

yayy yippee friends 🎉

i did know zam wanted to talk to subz really bad but id forgotten it was the return stream where she said it ty for the reminder... ive Also seen that post ur talking about its so good..... oh my eclipse federation ☹️

godddd. "maybe subz didnt want to give her that chance. maybe he knew she could convince him" yeah :( i do wonder if that partly determined his timing of it.... i presume there was a degree also of like-- people didnt know when zam would be back (i assume idk i got into ls while she was gone) and it doesnt make sense to delay a project just to include her when u dk how long itll be but like...... yeah. yeah. i dont even have anything to say lmao i hadnt thought of that and now youve said it and i :(( and yeah vitalasy like un-added her 😭 not for very long i think but she like Kept mentioning it onstream she mentioned it like three or four times in the first or second stream after she betrayed eclipse 😭 it was SERIOUS man lol

i mean idk i only saw a couple months of season six i admit but to me its like. devotions learning how to be friends even when theyre not teammates, learning (or not) to deal with each other having friends, poafa and zams whole thing was about a friendship that didnt work out, hannahs season was defined by friends & teammates lost and found (sorry i have to lmao), and then the whole finale was, to me at least, a) spoke wanting to give his friend zam the ending she wanted, and b) zam and mapicc becoming friends again. zam and vitalasy also finally talked about eclipse this season i dont have the clip but its definitely real lmao. idk. i think hope is also a good word for it but i think a lot of the conflicts (at least the ones i feel knowledgeable about) were about friends and missing them and misunderstanding them. but idk! thats just me lol (plus-- bfb, focus & team PE are all teams built on friendships predating the season that Lasted all season (ignore bfb banning themselves i mean they didnt break up), plus the tunnel rats is just very friendly in vibe yk?)

although it was definitely a season about hope, just as much. hoping for a better end, hoping that kindness could prevail. hope and friendship go together i think :)

okay so i went and found the post and i was right it was oneformercy! id feel bad just screenshotting the tags since theyre not mine but yeah no..... bacon wardens arc (explodes and dies)

definitely please do make a post bc i had barely even thought about how differently they were treated regarding threat level.... subz Was a potential server ender whereas bacon, well. he was also a potential server ender but no one was exactly worried about it. and its especially interesting because he used arguably a better mechanism to deploy the wardens! if the end is gone then subz Cant use it anymore thats it, but they cant get rid of the nether. yeah he died testing a few times when subz didnt, but subz had over twice the hearts and they were using different systems-- and they were never actually able to stop bacon! there Was no destroying his mechanism, not like they did with subz. i do think this is part of why his arc was a bit more successful tbh but also their different goals play into that a lot too. god dont even get me STARTED on the hannah exclusion 😔 team atlas we are ENEMIES (silly) (but also i do get genuinely heated if i think about it for too long 😭 ur guy man.... did he have a reason for hating her or is he just a hater bc id heard it was related to her like making fun of zaun but like. the way he treated her during & around the warden arc seems a bit. much. as a reaction to that. but idk maybe hes an overreactor hed hardly be the first 😭) but yeah no it all stings but ESPECIALLY because hannah and mapicc had planned to ban him off the server and bring him back like..... and then team atlas got there first.... 😔 oh welllll whatever its a good story beat for poafa ig like it sucks but they werent there ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they knew it was bacontask day like it just is what it is ig. oh well!

god yeah. you said it. looking at the past and deciding to move on. and subz... didnt. subz looked at the past and said, no. im not over it and im not going to pretend to be. :(

do you ever think about subz's warden project that he did allegedly in order to be console banned from lifesteal as if he couldn't just leave the server as if there werent a million easier ways since he apparently needed to be console banned in order to keep himself away.... subz who banned himself at the end of season four whos missed huge portions of every season since and keeps coming back anyway..... subz who allegedly hates lifesteal & thinks all the story there was to tell has already been told but did the warden project anyway, begging in everything but words for the server to prove him wrong and it didnt..... who hung out in zams chat during streams when she was killing wardens in order to encourage her to cause chaos (and send her gold farm coords)..... the warden project was only abandoned bc he was sure he was being streamsniped and that was what made him finally leave.... because he couldnt tell the story he wanted to tell anymore. haha. cos i dont!!!!!!! i have never thought about subz even once in my life ^_^

sorry i saw u were thinking about my dead wife i miss him can he come back like ik he says hes not gonna but if i say it enough maybe he will haha what if!!!!!! <- in denial

I bet he will come back, I mean he did in season five.... (hashtag manifesting 4 you)

Subz....what a curious guy. Its so intresting because yeah what lifesteal needed at that time period was conflict. And he delivered it perfectly ! He was the perfect enemy for Derap and the chungpire to rally against, he put on a villainous outfit and started calling the wardens his friends. And he did it in the name of ending the server. What a guy.

The fact he left anyways fucks me up alot also cause...the server failed him, didnt prove him wrong. But like... nothing could have convinced him to stay. Im sure of it. Because what he wanted wasnt possible this season. He just wanted season three/four back. But the servers moved on, everyone has. But him.

And for awhile there it did feel like Subz was going to get what he wanted. The wardens were just really easy to afk and Subz had ALOT before Derap stopped him. Subzs world ending felt like it would have been eventuality, the server ending in anger and inactivity. Cause Subz fel everything had run its course and if that was true no one would have cared enough to get online and stop him...Very fun to imagine Subz as wanting to end the world in hate versus how it actually ended (In love and hope).

[yo-yo-yoshiko]

The Bedside Manner Duo.

Bonus Poppys cause I had to really practice to figure out how to draw her waahah! Conventionally cute designs are hard for me....

[akumahoshojo]

💗 protect her smile 💗