#we need to do something (2021)

[strange-calathea]

I'm rewatching We need to do something because it's one of my favorite horror movies, I love movies where people are trapped and slowly lose their minds <33 but I watched a video about this one recently so I wanted to watch and understand it for the first time and it's just WOW

The metaphors in this are so wonderful

But I do wish they explained more what was ACTUALLY happening out there. Was the monster real? Was the man real? Who was shooting who? Was Amy real? Is everyone else in the area okay? Was there a tornado? Where the hell did the snake come from?

But I also understand why they didn't get into that. It's just not the point.

Anyway it's just a very beautiful movie and I love it very much :)

[sophfandoms53]

It cannot be understated just how unwell Striker has made me since December 2021, this goofy sadistic snake cowboy has completely altered my brain chemistry in a way that I have never been able to recover from

[rainsofcamelot]

this is how i feel every day when i wake up and i remember we don't have a hadestown proshot

[evocatiio]

the amount of wlw in audiofiction has declined dramatically and I know deep down that it's because of capitalism. fuck capitalism all my homies hate that bitch

[strawberryfaced]

I NEED. TO DO. OR MAKE SOMETHING. PLEASE

[bluebellthesponge]

i completely forgot that my own copy of the communist manifesto includes historical artwork to illustrate the ideas and talking points with artwork

obviously reading material it’s not necessary at all but i just think it’s neat that the copy 16 year old me found at a half price books happened to be this one

[s-wordsmith]

Why did I just now notice the prominent flute in the first half of the first chorus of "All You Wanna Do" in the studio cast recording?

[doodlemancy]

Hey, so, Patreon is lying to you about Apple forcing their hand.

Patreon is getting rid of 1st-of-the-month/per-creation billing, claiming a new decision by Apple has forced their hand. This will hurt a lot of creatives, and their excuse is bullshit. Allow me to explain.

In 2018, Patreon tried to impose a new ill-considered fee structure on everyone that would have cost creators a lot of smaller pledges. They ended up apologizing for this profusely; they have now deleted this apology from their website and unfortunately I was unable to find it on the Internet Archive. This was shameful, but to their credit they backed off quickly when things got ugly.

Back in 2021, Patreon discussed plans to force all creators into a rolling bill structure and get rid of first-of-the-month/pay-up-front billing. The community once again very decisively shouted them down, and they had to walk it back again. This whole fiasco damaged the already shaky trust between Patreon creators and staff.

This week, Patreon announced that, along with extra fees, Apple's policies were supposedly forcing them to move everyone over to the rolling fee structure that they first tried to get us to agree to in 2021. Patreon will tell you they are not happy about this. As a person who spent a long time watching Patreon make terrible decisions, I can tell you-- they are probably very happy about this, because it's exactly the smokescreen they needed to do what they've been trying to do for years, which is pull ALL Patreon creators away from 1st-of-the-month and per-creation billing.

The spin in the news I've seen so far is "Apple bullies Patreon, boo hoo hoo poor Patreon". This is very obviously not what's happening. Mind you: Apple does suck, and they are doing something bad here. Fuck apple. But Patreon and Apple are BOTH the asshole in this situation; Everyone Sucks Here. Patreon has options: they can make the iOS app a reader app and do billing through the browser to avoid the restrictions and the extra fees (Netflix and Amazon, notably, both do this), or they can allow creators to opt-out of iOS billing if they want to use billing models that don't work with it.

It seems most likely to me that the Apple situation is a real fire that Patreon has chosen to use as a convenient smokescreen to do what they've been wanting to do since at least 2021, and maybe since 2018.

What do we do?:

They have a feedback form specifically about this.

They also have a creator discord.

And they have lots of social media pages where they probably really, really hope that this doesn't blow up again, because they never learn. The incidents I've described here aren't the only two other times Patreon has pissed off their creators. They know if they don't contain the noise it'll be harder to get away with it, so make some noise. They've done a lot of work to spin this cleverly so you'll have sympathy for them and they won't get the kind of backlash they know they deserve.

Please don't misuse these links and make threats or spam or something. All you have to do is give well-reasoned feedback. Patreon hates feedback. Make sure they get a nice heaping helping of their least favorite vegetable.

[arsen1cs4ng0]

i feel like a really shitty person a lot of the time and i hate it

[the2amrevolution]

If you have gotten stuck in a bubble that only consists of your home and work or school or even just your home because of your anxiety, you can forget that there are positive things outside of that bubble. Every aspect of being in public takes practice - driving, taking public transit, generally knowing your away around town, going places on your own, appointments, everything. It doesn't matter how old you are, if you haven't done something much or at all before it can be intimating, and it can feel embarrassing or shameful to admit that you are new to something. The more you avoid those things, the easier it is for your brain to come up with more reasons to avoid it, and the anxiety and avoidance will get worse and worse. You may have a hard time convincing your brain that going out can provide more serotonin or dopamine than it uses up, and you may not have enough small positive experiences of doing things on your own to convince yourself that it's worth it.

If that's the case, then you need to find a way to supplement those endorphins while you gain practice at living until it's no longer quite so intimidating.

You could try geocaching. You could get an iNaturalist account and try to find things to log and ID. You could paint rocks and leave them places for others to find and trade out ones you find in public spaces with your own. There's often local facebook groups or instagram hashtags for those sorts of things. You can redownload Pokemon Go and look for new places to suggest for stops or gyms, discover local art you didn't know about by exploring stops, or just spend some time sitting in you car at a local park and enjoying the scenery and watching some birds in a pond. Just going out or going on a walk (especially if you are disabled) may not provide enough dopamine to reinforce the behavior, but maybe catching a new shiny or adding to your pokedex will. Stop for boba or an italian ice or an iced coffee or whatever little treat interests your taste buds first (go somewhere that has an app and use mobile order pick up if ordering at a menu board is an anxiety trigger) and then have it at the park or in your car while you listen to some music and enjoy the breeze and the sunset.

You basically provide yourself with positive reinforcement and train yourself to be more confident through practice. When the app goes down for your tasty treat stop, you now know the menu or at least what you like well enough that you can go in or through the drive through and place your order. You know that doctor's office is near that park that had the community garden you logged pollinators in iNaturalist at, so you aren't adding the mental load of navigating to a brand new place on top of the load of going to a new doctor. You have more practice driving or taking public transit so you don't feel intimidated just by the process of going out, so now you can go shop for some new clothes to make sure they fit you rather than ordering and hoping and having to return things. You can go to the grocery store where you may discover a new product or flavor of something that you would have never known about if you just stuck to your recurring delivery of staple items. You actually see the kids with a lemonade stand or peruse the local craft fair that you never would have gotten to experience if you weren't in the rec center parking lot for a pokemon raid. Maybe you spot a flyer for a class that interests you and now you have the confidence to at least write your name on the information request sheet or ask at the desk how you sign up for classes there.

If you have ADHD (like me and my brother, who is stuck in his bubble) it can be very easy to unconsciously engage in unhealthy anxious-avoidant behaviors, which just build on themselves until you realize that you haven't left your house in a year or that you almost or do have a panic attack because you feel like everyone is judging you for everything you do from how you park to how long you take to look at cereals (just fyi, if you are in the lines and not in the road, no one cares about if you are crooked, and there's like 100 different cereals, it's okay to look, just don't block the aisle and apologize if you accidentally do, it's all fine).

ADHD brains are so desperate for dopamine that they will basically try to erase any task or activity or experience that causes a dopamine deficit from your active memory. You can recall them when prompted, but without outside stimulus they do not enter our stream of consciousness. If there isn't an immediate reward either in the form of an addition of a positive stimulus (endless scrolling of tumblr hahas) or removal of a negative stimulus (ugh I stink it's time to shower) then thinking about a thing we need to or even want to do and then actually doing it often just doesn't happen or it happens last minute under fear of consequences or late.

The tumblr chuckles and pretty kpop men and video games and whatever various media tickles your fancy can be enough to keep you alive when you feel like there's not much point. None of those things are guaranteed to stay things that you enjoy or that you have access to or that you can ethically continue to support though. Websites get bought by egotistical man-children, musicians retire or disband, game series end or go through studio turmoil and nearly a decade passes while waiting on real news of the next installment, authors turn out to be horrible bigots, or, maybe, your interest just wanes. Having diverse interests definitely helps stave off an identity crisis when one thing ends or disappoints, but if you mentally limit yourself to only the things you can do or experience from home because of fear, you are cutting yourself off from so much of the truly wonderful things in the world. It's hard and it take conscious effort, but things being hard or taking effort don't make them not worth doing even if the ADHD hamsters think thats exactly what it means.

Gamers this has been on my mind for a while, and I've been Going Through It so I can't thoughtfully articulate it yet but: the little things can, and absolutely will, save you.

[steviescrystals]

the last post i reblogged just reignited my rage over something that happened my freshman year of college so mini rant in the notes lol

[illdothehotvoice]

Oh also if you're curious I am so sorry MTMB fans but so far where MTMB was tolerable I really do not like ARC so far

[reasonsforhope]

"In 2021, scientists in Guelph, Ontario set out to accomplish something that had never been done before: open a lab specifically designed for raising bumble bees in captivity. 

Now, three years later, the scientists at the Bumble Bee Conservation Lab are celebrating a huge milestone. Over the course of 2024, they successfully pulled off what was once deemed impossible and raised a generation of yellow-banded bumble bees. 

The Bumble Bee Conservation Lab, which operates under the nonprofit Wildlife Preservation Canada, is the culmination of a decade-long mission to save the bee species, which is listed as endangered under the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation...

Although the efforts have been in motion for over a decade, the lab itself is a recent development that has rapidly accelerated conservation efforts. 

For bee scientists, the urgency was necessary. 

“We could see the major declines happening rapidly in Canada’s native bumble bees and knew we had to act, not just talk about the problem, but do something practical and immediate,” Woolaver said. 

Yellow-banded bumble bees, which live in southern Canada and across a huge swatch of the United States, were once a common species.

However, like many other bee species, their populations declined sharply in the mid-1990s from a litany of threats, including pathogens, pesticides, and dramatic habitat loss. 

Since the turn of the century, scientists have plunged in to give bees a helping hand. But it was only in the last decade that Woolaver and his team “identified a major gap” in bumble bee conservation and set out to solve it. 

“No one knew how to breed threatened species in captivity,” he explained. “This is critically important if assurance populations are needed to keep a species from going extinct and to assist with future reintroductions.”

To start their experiment, scientists hand-selected wild queen bees throughout Ontario and brought them to the temperature-controlled lab, where they were “treated like queens” and fed tiny balls of nectar and pollen. 

Then, with the help of Ontario’s African Lion Safari theme park, the queens were brought out to small, outdoor enclosures and paired with other bees with the hope that mating would occur. 

For some pairs, they had to play around with different environments to “set the mood,” swapping out spacious flight cages for cozier colony boxes. 

And it worked. 

“The two biggest success stories of 2024 were that we successfully bred our focal species, yellow-banded bumble bees, through their entire lifecycle for the first time,” Woolaver said. 

“[And] the first successful overwintering of yellow-banded bumble bees last winter allowed us to establish our first lab generation, doubling our mating successes and significantly increasing the number of young queens for overwintering to wake early spring and start their own colonies for future generations and future reintroductions.”

Although the first-of-its-kind experiment required careful planning, consideration, resources, and a decade of research, Woolaver hopes that their efforts inspire others to help bees in backyards across North America. 

“Be aware that our native bumble bees really are in serious decline,” Woolaver noted, “so when cottagers see bumble bees pollinating plants in their gardens, they really are seeing something special.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, December 9, 2024

[catastrophic-crisis]

I mostly remember your Chants of Senaar and Lake Ophelia playthrough - the former because that was the first time I'd heard of the game and the latter because I remember checking it out based on a recommendation you made on your blog about it. I think its things like that why you're so cool - you find things I've never seen before and enthuse about them. It helped me pay attention to games I would've never tapped into otherwise!

Weh 🥺

Part of the channel/online presence's thing is "maybe I, or maybe you, will come out of this with finding something you like" and I'm glad when people do take away from it "yo, wait, I wanna try that myself."

I'm looking towards seeing what Bryce Bucher (Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia) puts out in the future and the direction of Bucher's 5000 CALIBER CONTRACTZ (Mario 64 2000s edge billionaire sniping simulator (Translation: 3D Platformer)).

We'll see if I'll be able to up my streaming coverage of lesser known games for folks to discover, but I have set down as a goal for 2024 to increase the amount that I post about indie titles. A good amount of my coverage of non-streamed games is me talking about them and showing them off... on stream. (I make a point of pulling up visuals from so-and-so recent game I've sampled when I transition between games on stream, for example.)

[loki-survey]

(Source)

Research can be frustrating at times, but it can be incredibly rewarding, too, mostly when formerly shown results are validated by new info. This is one of those moments. Taika Waititi‘d interview (date: 27.11.23) confirms what fans had long time argued based on Waitit‘s comments on Thor Ragnarok in 2017.

This interview shows that there was not a correlation between Thor Ragnarok‘s different style and the widening gap between the fandom fractions, but causation. In this case, the lack of respect the director had for the original product (both comics and former movies) have shown their effects. In the short term, the effects have been present but little acknowledged in the mainstream media. Most debates took place in fandom spaces. Yet, the Loki survey showed the gap starting with Thor Ragnarok.

In 2021, the effects have been multiplied by the Loki series which stepped into Ragnarok‘s footprints in terms of creative direction. Moreover, the split in the opinions of the fandom shows a broadening gap that has reached its maximum by the end of season 1.

I conclude, that this interview hardens the evidence for Thor Ragnarok being the divisive point for the split of the Loki fandom and that we now can safely assume that a new director’s lack of interest in the previous franchise material can result in a decrease in quality of the respective product. However, the effects of that decrease in quality might show up delayed.

The poor reception of Thor Love and Thunder shows that the decreased quality does come with a decrease of audience interest. Eventually.

This is true for Loki season 2, as well, which I intend to show in a different post. I‘ll link it as soon I have made it.

The Loki survey is evaluated!

In August 2021, I conducted a survey to examine what might have led to the highly divided opinions regarding the Disney + show Loki (2021). The survey gathered over 500 responses. In my survey, the majority of the respondents identify as women, but the survey also got above average feedback from non-binary and genderfluid fans. In this survey, about 75% of the respondents liked the show, 15% disliked it, and 5% felt neutral about it. Several tested variables turned out to be significantly connected to the enjoyment of the show, which converged towards three major factors affecting the enjoyment while watching the show.

Firstly, the enjoyment of non-binary, including genderfluid fans, and respondents who felt strongly about representation was moderately reduced by the execution of the representation in the show.

Secondly, respondents who had deeply desired Loki to have a love interest and those who enjoyed his interaction with Mobius reported a moderately increased enjoyment. However, a third of all respondents who liked the show reported a high preference for one of the two relationships over the other, indicating a strong rivalry among the two groups, which most likely contributed to the increased confrontations among Loki fans on social media.

The people who disliked the show did not favor one possible relationship (Mobius vs Sylvie) over the other. Thus, the shipwar is mostly limited to the fans who enjoyed the show.

Lastly, respondents who considered Loki a morally good character, liked Thor (2011), or disliked Thor: Ragnarok (2017) reported a reduced enjoyment.

The highest correlation with a dislike of the show was associated with perceiving Loki acting out of character. This may be attributed to fans who saw Loki as a morally good character and were unable to recognize him in the portrayal in the show since the show heavily depended on Loki being motivated narcissism, as a starting point for his redemption arc.

Calculated over all responses to the survey, Loki’s likeability decreased within the show, with episode 6 marking the first time the likeability of the installment surpasses Loki’s likeability as a character. Between the opinions of the respondents who liked the show and those who did not, an increasing divide is visible in the categories of Loki’s relatability, likeability, and in-character acting.

Interestingly, the starting point of the division coincides with the disbanding of the Marvel Creative Committee in 2015. Possible causalities, as well as who was the favorite Loki variant, and which characters the respondents would like to see in the second season are being discussed in the complete paper you can find here or here as a pdf.

I will try to answer possible questions as soon as possible, but it might take me several days to do so.

My thoughts go out to everyone suffering in Ukraine right now. If you can, please consider helping those in need!

[starkwlkr]

she’s always a woman | max verstappen

an: this fic is a special birthday fic for my lovely friend anto!! happy birthday love!! hope you enjoy your special day <3 also let’s just pretend that lewis wasn’t battling max for the championship in 2021 instead it’s max and the reader

tw: jos mention and narcissistic mother

Max couldn’t really remember why your friendship ended. He was always there when you needed a shoulder to cry on, when you had a bad race and needed some support, etc. He was always there so when you stopped talking to him, he was confused and hurt.

KARTING DAYS

At the time, the boys you raced against hated being beat by a girl. It was humiliating! A girl was faster than them? No way! But when Max Verstappen saw how fast you were, he was amazed. You made it look so easy.

��How many trophies do you have now?” Seven year old Max asked you as you two shared a bag of gummy bears, your favorite snack.

“I haven’t counted. What about you?” You questioned.

“I haven’t counted either.” He replied.

It was a long day of practice and all Max wanted to do was spend time with you and eat gummy bears. He noticed how you only ate certain colors like red, blue, orange and yellow. He asked why only those colors and your response was that those colors were your favorites, all the other colors looked unappetizing.

Spending time with you was something Max loved about karting. Most of the boys you competed with would rather lose than hang out with a girl, but not Max. He liked being around you. And it seemed like you liked having Max around too so it made no sense to Max why you stopped talking to him.

As time went on, Jos Verstappen kept a close eye on you. He certainly didn’t want some girl distracting his son. He kept telling Max how much of a bad influence you were, but of course Max didn’t listen. Why would he? He liked you and you liked him.

Unlike Max, your mother’s words went to your head.

“He’s just like the other boys, sweetheart. When you least expect it, he’s going to leave you heartbroken.” Your mother told you one day after another successful win. She watched the way Max stood next to you on the podium and clapped for you.

“But he’s my friend.” You said lowly.

“What did I say about this sport? You are not here to make friends, they are not your friends and neither is he. He’s competition and if you want to keep winning then you need to keep away from that boy!”

The next time Max saw you, he was the heartbroken one. Every time he kept trying to get your attention, you ignored him and turned the other way.

Did I do something wrong? Maybe I forgot her birthday? No, it was a month ago and we ate chocolate cake together.

All day Max was wondering what he did to make you upset. He had even brought a tiny bag with only red, blue, orange and yellow gummy bears for you. He had spent an hour picking out your favorite gummy bears and now you weren’t talking to him. . .

Little Max Verstappen had his first heartbreak at the hands of his first love.

The next day he figured you would start talking to him, but it was like he didn’t even exist in your world. He was starting to lose hope.

“Good, now you won’t have any distractions.” Jos told him after Max mentioned how you had stopped talking to him.

“But she wasn’t!”

“She was.” Jos confirmed.

Max stayed quiet. He knew it was no use trying to argue with his father.

As you both grew up, Max was beside you at every podium even if you weren’t on speaking terms. He hoped that maybe one day you would speak to him. He also kept a plastic bag in his bag with your favorite gummy bears to share with you in case that day ever came.

2021 SEASON

Max was both nervous and excited for the last few races of the season. Both you and him were battling for the championship. It was like a dream come true for him, both of you in Formula 1 and now you’re both in the championship picture. He wouldn’t have it any other way. To Max, it would’ve been better if you could at least acknowledge him.

It was after the Brazilian Grand Prix when Max wanted to congratulate you on your win, but had to wait until you finished with your interviews. He was eager to talk to you.

The post-race interviews were a whirlwind, but the moment that caught your attention was when a reporter, eager for a headline, asked you about Max Verstappen.

“We've heard that you and Max were childhood friends. What’s the story there? You two seem to be fierce competitors now. Was there any friendship left between you, or is it all business these days?"

Your smile tightened. It was the last thing you wanted to discuss, but you were a professional, and you knew better than to let your personal life spill over into the press room. Your gaze flicked to the corner where Max was conducting his own interviews, but you quickly refocused on the question.

“Max and I... we were friends, sure," you said coolly, your voice steady but your tone sharp, almost as if you were trying to distance yourself from the memory. "But that was a long time ago. I don’t really have time for friendships anymore. Racing’s my focus. It always has been."

“But you were so close back then," the reporter pressed. "Is it hard to battle him for the title, given your history?"

You shrugged, trying to maintain your composure. "Racing's not about who you used to be friends with. It’s about who’s the best right now. And I’m focused on being the best."

“So, no hard feelings?" he asked, genuinely curious.

You didn’t miss a beat. "No time for feelings," you replied, your lips curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Just results."

After finishing all your interviews, you walked back to your driver’s room. All you wanted was to lay down and take a much needed nap, but the sweet voice of a Dutchman stopped you. It had been years since you heard Max say your name.

Before you could say anything, Max stood up abruptly and walked toward you, his stride purposeful. He reached out, grabbing your arm with a firm grip, pulling you into your room without a word.

“Let go of me, Max," you whispered, but your voice cracked.

“No," he said simply, his tone rough, but his eyes were soft—something in them that you hadn’t seen in years. "I’m not letting you walk away again."

Your heart skipped a beat. His eyes searched yours, that fierce intensity you remembered from your childhood still present, though now mixed with something else—pain, perhaps. The unspoken hurt you both carried for so long hung between you two.

“Max," you began, but he cut you off.

“Why did you stop talking to me?" His voice was quieter now, but the question hung in the air, sharp and urgent. “Everyday i asked myself ‘did I do something wrong? Did I say something that hurt her?’ What is is? Why?”

Your throat tightened. You took a shaky breath, your eyes lowering to the floor. "You were my competition," you muttered. "And my mother… she made it clear. She said you would take everything from me. That I needed to stop talking to you or I’d lose everything." Your chest constricted, and you felt a sudden wave of bitterness rise within you. "She said you were nothing more than a threat to my future, and I had to focus—focus on winning.” It pained you to even remember all the talks your mother had with you about Max.

Max stared at you for a moment, taking in your words. The silence that followed was thick, the air between them charged with everything unspoken. Then, slowly, he stepped closer.

“I never wanted to take anything from you." His eyes were filled with a quiet sincerity that made your stomach twist. "I never asked for this. I never asked for us to be enemies."

Your breath hitched as a knot formed in your chest. You stepped back, your hands trembling. "But that’s what she wanted. She wanted me to beat you, to prove I was better. To make sure you didn’t have what I could have." Your voice cracked, the words tumbling out in a flood of emotion you had long kept hidden. "I—"

Your words faltered as you felt the familiar sting of tears threatening to fall. You tried to hold them back, but the weight of it all—the pressure, the competition, the years of silence—was too much. You turned away, pressing your palms to your face, feeling the dam break inside you.

Max didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, his arms enveloping you in an instant. You stiffened at first, surprised by the warmth and steadiness of his embrace. For a moment, you couldn’t breathe, couldn't think. But then, something inside you snapped, and you collapsed into him, your body shaking as the tears finally came.

Max didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. He just held you, his hand gently rubbing your back, grounding you in the moment.

"I’m sorry," you whispered between sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” You kept repeating.

His grip tightened ever so slightly, as if offering you the comfort and understanding you had been denied for so long. "You didn’t deserve any of that." You clung to him, unable to stop the flood of emotions that had been building for years.

Eventually, the tears slowed, and the sobs turned into shallow breaths. Max didn’t let go. He stayed, a quiet anchor, as if he would hold you for as long as you needed.

When you finally pulled back, your eyes were swollen, your makeup smudged, but you felt something lighter—something like relief, like a door you hadn’t realized was closed had finally opened.

“Does your dad know you’re here?” You wiped away the tears.

“I don’t really care about him right now,” Max responded. He took your hand and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. “You need me right now.”

“Max, I don’t want you to get in trouble. You need to leave.”

“I’m a grown man. He can’t tell me who I can and any talk to.” He said.

“Then . . . I don’t care what my mother says either,” You declared. “You know, she said we couldn’t talk anymore because you were my competition. That I shouldn’t get too close to you. She thought it would make me weak."

“Your mom never understood that... you’re not my competition. You never were. You were my best friend. And I . . . I miss that.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Max.”

QATAR

The camera lights flickered on, and the usual hum of the media circus surrounded Max Verstappen as he sat in front of the press. Another victory under his belt, but the atmosphere in the room felt different today—slightly more tense than usual. The 2021 season was in full swing, and the rivalry between Max and his childhood best friend and fellow F1 driver, had become one of the most talked-about stories of the year.

“Max, earlier this week, someone that you knew quite well was quoted saying, ‘No time for feelings, just results,’ when talking about your past friendship. Given the intensity of your current rivalry, how do you feel about that statement?”

He took a breath and leaned forward, his voice steady but laced with an undeniable undercurrent of emotion.

“she’s one of the most focused and driven people I know. I don’t think anyone truly understands what it’s like to be in her head—how much racing means to her. She’s an artist, in every sense of the word, when it comes to driving. She doesn’t do anything halfway.”

A brief silence fell over the room. Max seemed to weigh his next words carefully.

“We’ve both been through a lot over the years, and yeah . . . I get why she said what she did. This sport can make you say things you don’t always mean. It can make you choose things—like cutting ties with people who used to be your family, just so you can win. But trust me, it’s not easy for her. Or for me.”

His voice softened slightly, the edge of competition giving way to something more genuine—something rooted in your shared history.

“She’s not the kind of person to just forget about things or people. I know her better than anyone,” He continued. It was as if he could talk about you all day and never get bored. “As for the championship, yeah, It’s just the way it is. But that doesn’t change the fact that I respect her more than anyone. She’s a hell of a driver, and I know what she’s capable of.”

Max leaned back slightly, the cool exterior of the driver once again overtaking his emotions. He was a fighter. And this season, he wasn’t just fighting for the title.

ABU DHABI

It had been weeks since your last conversation with Max, but occasionally you would sneak glances at each other. Maybe even smile at him, which caused the media to wonder if your friendship had finally been restored.

The paddock was bustling with the usual pre-race energy—team members darting around, engineers checking telemetry, and drivers preparing for what would be a pivotal race. But Max Verstappen was not focused on the usual chaos. He was standing in front of your motorhome, his jaw clenched as he faced a woman who had been an obstacle in his life for far too long: you mother.

All he wanted to do before the race was to wish you good luck but he had one problem that came in the form of your mother.

“This is a pivotal moment for her career, Max. The championship is on the line. She needs to focus.” Your mother spoke.

Max’s eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t need you to tell her how to focus. She’s not a child anymore. She’s not your puppet.”

She smirked, her gaze calculating. “Oh, I know exactly how to handle her. You, on the other hand, have always been a distraction. Just like you were when you were kids. I told her back then that you were competition. And look where we are now—competing for the championship.”

Max took a step forward, his voice low but sharp. “You don’t get to control her anymore. She doesn’t deserve the way you treated her. She never did. She’s not some tool for you to use to further your own agenda. She’s a person. A damn good one, too.”

Your mother raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smug grin. “And now you think you have feelings for her? After all these years? You’re wasting your time, Max.

Max’s chest tightened, a sudden rush of frustration coursing through him. He had always felt something for you—something deep and complicated—but he hadn’t realized how much until he saw you again. How could he not? The way you made him laugh, the way you understood him in a way no one else did. The way your presence grounded him when the world felt chaotic.

“I’m not wasting my time,” Max snapped, his voice rising. He was no longer just angry; there was something more vulnerable beneath his words. “I... I care about her. More than you’ll ever understand. And I’m not going to just stand by and watch you tear her down again.”

Her eyes widened, the smugness on her face faltering for just a moment. She hadn’t expected that. But she quickly recovered, her icy demeanor back in place. “You think you can just waltz in and change everything, Max? You think she’s going to forget the way I’ve always looked out for her?”

Max’s pulse was racing now. “You’ve never looked out for her. You’ve held her back. You’ve made her feel like she couldn’t trust herself. Do you know how many times she’s questioned her worth because of you?”

Before your mother could reply, Max spoke again. “If you think for a second that I’m going to back off now, you’re wrong.”

Your mother glared at the Dutchman. “I’ve spent years in Formula 1, fighting for every ounce of respect, and now I’m fighting for her, too. And I’m not letting anyone—least of all you—tell me what I can or can’t feel about her.”

His words hung in the air between them, the weight of them settling in. He turned to leave, but paused at the door of your motorhome, looking back one last time.

“Tell her,” Max said, softer now, “Tell her I’ll be waiting at the finish line. I’ll always be waiting.”

Maybe your mother would pass on the message, maybe not. Either way, Max would still be waiting for you.

The roar of the crowd still echoes in the distance, but it’s muffled, almost surreal, as you stand behind the barriers, your helmet under your arm, heart still racing from the intensity of the race. The buzz of the paddock feels far away, and your body is heavy with exhaustion and disappointment. You finished second—close, but not close enough. Max had done it. He’d won the championship, after all the drama and all the battles that had led them to this final, decisive moment.

You lift your eyes and see him, standing by his car. Max, in his usual composed way, looking like he belongs there, like he's always belonged there, standing among the team and the media, all his focus, all his attention fixed on you. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips when he spots you, but it’s the way he’s standing, waiting, that hits you. Like he said he would.

You hesitate for a moment, thinking about your mother’s words, about everything that has always been said about Max—his arrogance, his rivalry, the fact that he’s always been competition. But this, here, this feels like something different. He’s not the enemy anymore. At least, not in the way they used to think of each other.

You take a breath, and then, almost instinctively, you walk toward him. As you step closer, you hear the whisper of her mother’s voice in the back of your mind, a warning you’ve heard so many times before. Stay focused. Don’t let him distract you. He’s your competition, not your friend.

But your steps don’t falter. You reach him, and when you do, you look up at him, your gaze soft, not the hardened competitive stare it once was. Max’s grin deepens, though it’s filled with something almost bittersweet.

“I heard you were waiting for me,” You said, the words slipping out before you can stop them. Your voice is steady, but there’s a touch of vulnerability in it, something you can’t quite mask.

Max’s eyes soften, and for a moment, it feels like time pauses. He looks at you as if he’s not seeing the driver, the fierce competitor, but the girl he used to know—the one he used to race against in karting, the one who once shared the same dream, the one who still, in some ways, understands him better than anyone else.

“I told you I would,” he replies quietly, his voice low and calm. “I wasn’t going anywhere.”

Your mind flashes back to the words he said to your mother, the promise he made—I’ll always be waiting.

“You won. Congratulations.”

Max’s expression doesn’t change, but there’s a certain warmth in the way he looks at you, a quiet understanding that goes beyond just racing. He takes a step closer, his voice a little softer now. “You’re better than you think. I have a feeling you’ll take it away from me next year.”

You shake your head, but there’s no bitterness in your gesture. “Next year,” you repeat. Your fingers press the edge of your helmet tighter, almost like you’re grounding herself in this moment. But there’s something else too—a sense of peace you haven’t felt in a long time. “Maybe. But I’m just glad you’re here.”

Max’s smile is genuine now. “I’ll always be here. Waiting for you to finally beat me.”

You laugh—a real laugh this time, one that’s not forced. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that one day,” you say, your voice a little lighter. “You should go with your team, I’m sure they’re waiting to drown you in champagne.”

Max chuckles, then steps forward. For a moment, it’s just the two of you, standing in the midst of the chaos, everything else fading into the background. You breathe in, realizing just how much this—this moment—matters more than the championship itself.

“So, Max, you’ve just won the title, but there’s a lot of talk about your competitor. She’s been called ‘too emotional’ in the past by some. What’s your take on how she handled this title fight?”

Max turns towards the reporter, a protective energy surging in him. He absolutely hated doing interviews, all he wanted to do was get back to you. “Well, for one, I think anyone who says she’s ‘too emotional’ is clearly not paying attention. She’s one of the most focused drivers out there. Honestly, anyone who thinks you can compete in this sport at the level we’ve been at, especially in the last few races, without being deeply passionate—well, they don’t understand what it takes.” He glances over at you, who’s trying to hide a smile while also looking frustrated with the question.

While you were a few feet away from him doing your own interview, you could hear Max. You tried hard to listen to the interview questions, but all you wanted to do was listen to what Max had to say.

“isn’t it a bit too much? The way she gets in her own head. She’s been—well, let’s just say, a bit of a perfectionist this season.”

Max shook his head, chuckling at the reporters words. “But, you know, that’s exactly why she’ll be winning a championship someday soon. I have no doubt about it, but I’m excited for the day she takes my championship away.”

Max could hear you burst into laughter at his words. His smile grew ten times bigger. “Seriously, though, she’s one of the most talented drivers I’ve ever known. she’ll steal the show when you least expect it. And maybe she’s a little bit hard to understand at times, but that’s exactly what makes her great.”

The reporter nodded. “Are you saying she’s like, uh, the Billy Joel song?” He asked confused.

Max grinned, clearly amused by the confusion. “She’s always a woman to me. Maybe I’m not the best person to explain it, but you get the idea.”

You chuckled once again as you heard Max. He really had a way with words.

“And one day, I’ll be watching her take the title with the same respect I have for her right now.”

That’s when you decide to step in after finishing your interview. “Maybe, Max. But for now, I think I'll let you have your moment. You’ve earned it.”

“We both did. I owe it all to you.”