#we were already fighting for our lives after every races

[23fallencomets]

staring at that one logan sargeant twitter account that set my driver up and now he’s being dragged on twitter all over again by ln4 fans after having nearly six months of peace

[petriwriting]

Promise. - Theodore Nott X Reader

Summary: Theodore gives Y/N a special gift, reminding them that they are his safety in an unsafe world.

A/N: I would imagine this takes place in 6th year, 'cause you know.. Voldemort. But beware I've been really into writing fluff for my comfort characters lately. This is very angsty. Extra heartbreak points if one of them dies at the battle of Hogwarts, use your imagination.

Late-night walks were common for the pair. Especially when they needed to get away for the night, with everyone going on in their world it was no wonder they both needed a break.

Theodore Nott was under the threat of his father, expected to side with Lord Voldemort, it was his reputation as a pure-blooded Slytherin. Perhaps in some sickening way, he felt the need to clear the family name of his father's wrongdoing. But deep down, he knew it wasn't right. They both did.

Y/n was by his side, as loyal as a Hufflepuff. through everything. On the nights his father became aggressive and violent, Theo came to them seeking refuge. Y/n always welcomed the boy with open arms.

They had been a pair since childhood, they attended dinner parties together, and y/n attended every one of Theo's quidditch games. In turn, Theo was there for y/n when classes were stressful, and life felt overwhelming.

It wasn't until that particular evening that things would change, possibly forever.

The two walked along the empty, quiet streets braving the cold air together. they had both been quiet, observing their surroundings and enjoying each other's company in silence.

"Y/n," Theo finally said, shattering the long silence that had been following them.

"hmm?" y/n's voice was soft, quiet. they were now entering a park square. someplace slightly more private than the streets.

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"About us."

y/n's heart began to race. surely this wasn't a breakup, how could Theo possibly be abandoning all they had, after all, they had been through? this couldn't be. y/n was so accustomed to hearing bad news these days that it was the only solution their brain could come up with.

"Y/n," Theo turned to them, holding their face in cold pale hands. "I love you, but I don't want to be with you in this war," he said.

"Teddy, I don't understand-"

"Please just listen." Theo insisted quietly. "This is not me parting ways with you, I- could never," he explained gently. "I propose that we run away. change our names, we can flee and start a new life together. without all the dangers of being here."

Y/n was unconvinced and looked down for a moment before locking eyes with him.

"I love you more than anything. But if we stay here our lives will be in danger, possibly forever."

Y/n couldn't deny that fact. The war had already taken people they both loved. It wasn't right to be talking about wanting to get married one day, have kids, and grow old together if it meant they would be living in danger, living in fear.

"It isn't right. We can't just flee. we need to fight this," y.n shook their head gently, partially in disbelief. "no matter what happens." the pair locked eyes and the snow began to gently fall around them, coating the park in a grey glow.

"Then promise me."

Theodore shuffled through his pockets, pulling out a tiny deep red velvet box. It was battered, aged, and torn. but it was still soft. "Promise me, that you'll stick around, no matter what." as soon as Theo mimicked y/n's words, soft tears began falling from their eyes, watching him toy with the box.

Out from the box emerged a shiny, silver ring with an elaborate stone placed in it. something very expensive no doubt. something that was purchased with his father's money. Theodore offered the ring to y/n.

"This was my mother's ring," he said quietly, his voice slightly shaking. "I took it from her things when she,-" Theo gasped quietly, the shaky breath taking the air out of his lungs when he tried to continue his sentence.

Y/n grabbed the sides of his face, the boy wasn't crying, Theodore rarely ever cried. but there was hurt in his eyes that pained y/n to see.

"I promise." barely a whisper. "no matter what Theo, I'll always be right here."

Y/n's soft touch brushed against Theo's cheeks before he pulled forward pressing their lips together in desperation. It was a sweet and heartfelt kiss, like two lovers that couldn't live without each other.

After the kiss, they embraced one another very tightly as the snow collected around them.

"I just want everything to be okay," Y/n whispered. "we'll be okay."

they pulled away from one another, each shivering in the cold. Y/n took the ring and gently twirled it around their thumb and forefinger. "Theo I can not take your mother's ring." it was dazzling. quite beautiful for that sort of thing. "I know how much this means to you." y/n said. Theo was insistent. "I've been wrong about a lot of things in my life, y/n. But I was never wrong about you. I want you to have it, keep it, my end of our promise." he insisted.

"Theo-"

y/n was promptly cut off. "Please take this. you know how much it means to me, you mean more than that." his heartfelt confession made y/n's stomach flutter, it was that same feeling they had when they were younger and Theo would hold their hand or say just the right thing. Theo grabbed the ring and slipped it onto y/n's middle finger.

"I'll guard it with my life." y/n said with another shiver, the later the night grew the colder the chill in the air became.

"Here, love," Theo said, taking off his coat and offering it to Y/n by draping it around their shoulders. "but Theo, you'll be cold." y/n retorted, but Theo was incredibly insistent that evening. "I can manage until we are safe at home," he chuckled softly. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

As the two continued on their path, Theo wrapped their arm around y/n, in an effort to keep them warm and as an act of deep affection. Y/n leaned their head over onto Theo's arm.

[paddockletters]

revenge | carlos sainz

paring: carlos sainz x reader| daniel ricciadro platonic!x reader request: yes / thank u so muchhhhhh! summary: When Ferrari drops Carlos, everything changes. What begins as heartbreak quickly turns into an epic comeback.

The second Carlos walked through the front door, his shoulders slumped and his jaw clenched, I knew something was horribly wrong. The energy was off. His usually bright eyes were clouded with disappointment, and the air felt heavy with something unspoken.

I closed the book I was reading and stood up quickly, concern etching across my face. “Carlos? What happened?” I asked, my voice already trembling.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he dropped his bag on the floor with a thud, ran a hand through his hair, and sank into the couch. His silence was deafening, making my heart race even more.

“They dropped me,” he finally muttered, barely above a whisper.

“What?!” My heart stopped, confusion and anger fighting for dominance. “Who dropped you?”

“Ferrari. They’re letting me go after this season.” He looked up, and his eyes met mine, filled with a mixture of disbelief and sadness. “It’s over.”

A heavy silence hung between us for a moment. How could they do this? How could Ferrari let go of Carlos, someone who had poured everything into the team? Rage bubbled up inside me, and before I knew it, I was pacing the room, fists clenched.

“This is bullshit,” I snapped, unable to contain my fury. “How can they just drop you after all you’ve done for them? You’ve been giving it your all!”

“They said they wanted to ‘go in a new direction,’” Carlos explained, his voice dripping with bitterness. “New direction, my ass.”

I stopped in front of him, crouching down to meet his eyes, my mind already racing with ideas. “Carlos, you don’t deserve this. We’re not going to let them get away with this. You’ve got too much talent to sit on the sidelines.”

He shook his head softly. “What can we do? It’s Formula 1. Teams make decisions like this all the time.”

But I wasn’t going to accept that. Not after seeing how much Carlos loved this sport, how much he lived for every race, every lap. I couldn’t let Ferrari destroy his dream.

“I’m not going to let them get away with this,” I declared, standing up with determination. Carlos looked up at me, confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see.” I pulled out my phone, already forming a plan in my mind. “Trust me.”

I started making calls. I was an heiress, after all—money wasn’t the problem, but power? That was where the fun began.

A few months after Ferrari’s betrayal, Carlos and I stood in the sleek new garage of what would soon become the most talked-about team in Formula 1. I had used every resource at my disposal—contacts, investments, sheer will—to get a majority stake in a team that had been on the verge of collapse. I didn’t care about the costs. I cared about giving Carlos the chance he deserved.

“You really did it,” Carlos whispered, walking slowly around the car, his fingers brushing lightly against the sleek new design. “I can’t believe this.”

“You better believe it,” I said with a grin, watching his awe-struck expression. “This is your comeback. And Daniel’s too.”

Carlos turned to me, his face softening into a look of deep appreciation. “I don’t even know what to say. You’re incredible.”

I shrugged playfully. “Just say you’ll win.”

Carlos smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “No pressure then, huh?”

Before I could respond, Daniel burst into the garage with his usual energy.

“Look at this beauty! They might have dropped us, mate, but they didn’t see this coming,” Daniel said with a grin, walking over to give Carlos a playful slap on the back.

“Who’s ready to kick some ass?” he said, nodding towards Carlos. “We’ve got our own team, mate. Can you believe it?”

Carlos chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

“If you’d told me a year ago this would be happening, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“Well, believe it,” I chimed in, walking over to give Daniel a quick hug. “Because you two are going to show everyone what they’re missing.”

Daniel winked. “You know, you’ve always had a way of making things happen.”

“Gotta admit, you pulled off a miracle. And I didn’t even have to charm anyone for it.” Daniel turned to me, eyes full of mischief.

I laughed, shaking my head.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit, Ricciardo.”

Carlos wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

“That’s why she’s the best.”

Daniel made a mock gagging sound.

“Alright, you two, save the romance for after we win some races.”

As we stood there, planning for what was sure to be an exciting season ahead, I could already feel the buzz. The buzz that comes from knowing we were going to take on Formula 1 headfirst. Carlos was back, and he wasn’t coming alone.

Just then, my phone buzzed. A message from Lando popped up:

"You guys really pulled it off, huh? Should I be scared?"

I showed the message to Carlos, who laughed.

“He should be.”

Max quickly followed: "Finally, a real challenge. Let’s see what you two can do."

Carlos raised an eyebrow. “Oh, he’ll see.”

The group chat continued to explode with messages from drivers across the grid. Even Charles chimed in: "Mate, honestly, I’m just relieved I won’t have to race against you in the same car anymore."

Carlos leaned against the wall, smiling. “This is going to be fun.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, it’s going to be so much more than that.”

Later that night, the three of us found ourselves at a cozy restaurant in Monaco. We had rented out a private room to avoid the prying eyes of the press. It was one of those rare moments when we could just relax and laugh together.

Carlos leaned back in his chair, watching as Daniel devoured his meal with his usual lack of grace.

“Mate, do you ever slow down?”

Daniel grinned, food still in his mouth. “Nah, man. I race and I eat fast.”

I rolled my eyes, trying not to laugh.

“Please don’t choke. I don’t want to be responsible for rescuing your sorry ass from a steak.”

Carlos leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“You’d save him though, right?”

I laughed softly, resting my head on his shoulder. “Maybe after I finished my meal.”

Daniel pointed his fork at us, smirking. “You two, always ganging up on me. This is what happens when you’re the third wheel.”

Carlos shot him a grin. “We wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

Daniel mock pouted. “Aw, you do care.”

The night went on, filled with jokes, teasing, and camaraderie. Daniel was more than a teammate—he was a part of this journey, and Carlos and I cherished having him along for the ride

It was mid-season, and our team was starting to find its rhythm. Carlos had been pushing hard all season, but it wasn’t until Spa that everything clicked into place. It had been a grueling weekend—rain, tricky conditions, everything that could go wrong, had—but Carlos was in his element.

I stood in the garage, holding my breath as the final laps unfolded. Carlos was in third, closing in fast on P2. My heart pounded as I watched him glide through the final corners, the roar of the crowd deafening as he crossed the line—third place, his first podium with the new team.

The garage erupted in cheers, and I found myself running towards him as he climbed out of the car, arms outstretched. He pulled off his helmet, his face flushed with triumph and adrenaline.

“You did it!” I screamed, throwing my arms around his neck, unable to hold back the tears of joy.

“We did it,” Carlos corrected, pulling me close. “This is all because of you.”

I kissed him right there, in front of the cameras, in front of the whole paddock, not caring who was watching. He had earned this moment, and nothing could ruin it.

Daniel, not one to miss out on a celebration, ran up and threw his arms around us both.

“Alright, alright, enough with the sappy stuff,” he joked, pulling us both into a massive hug. “Let’s get some champagne!”

As the three of us stood on the podium, drenched in champagne and laughter, I caught a glimpse of the Ferrari garage across the way. The looks on their faces were priceless. Regret. Confusion. They had made a mistake, and they knew it.

Carlos followed my gaze and grinned. “Think they’re sorry yet?”

“Oh, they’re definitely sorry.”

As Carlos and Daniel rose through the ranks, whispers from the Ferrari camp began to emerge. It didn’t take long for the media to catch wind of the story—Ferrari regretted their decision to drop Carlos. Badly.

It wasn’t just the whispers. The looks on their faces whenever Carlos and Daniel took podiums said it all. During one particular race weekend, we were walking through the paddock when Frédéric Vasseur passed us, his face tight with frustration.

I caught his eye and couldn’t resist a small, satisfied smile. The regret was clear—Ferrari had made a mistake, and now they were paying for it.

Later that evening, we were all lounging in the team motorhome when Daniel, ever the instigator, pulled up an article on his phone.

“Look at this—'Ferrari Facing Major Backlash After Dropping Sainz.' I mean, they basically admit they screwed up.”

Carlos glanced at the article but shrugged it off, ever humble.

“It’s in the past. I’m happy where I am.”

But I couldn’t let it go that easily.

“They’ll never live this down,” I said, sitting next to Carlos and resting my head on his shoulder. “They had you and threw it all away. Now look at them.”

Daniel chimed in, “Yeah, they’re stuck in midfield while you’re up there taking trophies.”

Carlos leaned down and kissed the top of my head softly.

“Honestly? I wouldn’t change a thing. Because this—” he gestured around the room, to me, to Daniel, and to the trophies lining the shelves, “—this is where I was meant to be.”

The 2026 season had been one for the ages. Carlos was unstoppable. With every race, he pushed harder, fought more fiercely, and after a series of podiums, he was leading the championship going into Abu Dhabi.

The final race was a nail-biter. Charles was right behind Carlos in the standings, and the pressure was immense. The entire paddock watched, breath held, as the laps ticked down. Carlos was leading, but Charles was closing in fast.

As I stood in the garage, my hands gripping the edge of the pit wall, I could hardly breathe. This was it. Everything was riding on this.

“Come on, Carlos,” I whispered under my breath, my heart pounding.

And then, as if time slowed down, Carlos crossed the finish line. First place. World Champion.

The garage exploded in cheers, and I was running before I even realized it. Carlos jumped out of the car, and I threw myself into his arms, tears streaming down my face.

“You did it!” I sobbed, my voice trembling with emotion.

Carlos grinned, pulling me into a deep kiss, the cheers of the team echoing around us.

“We did it,” he whispered against my lips. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Daniel arrived, grinning from ear to ear, and tackled us both into a hug.

“World Champion! My boy, you did it!”

Carlos laughed, pulling Daniel into the hug, our trio complete. “Couldn’t have done it without you either, cabrón.”

As the champagne sprayed and the celebrations erupted around us, I glanced over at the Ferrari garage. The regret on their faces was palpable. They had let go of a champion, and now they were watching him stand at the top of the world.

Carlos pulled me close again, kissing my forehead softly. “We showed them, didn’t we?”

I smiled, my heart full. “Yeah, we did.”

We celebrated long into the night. And as Carlos held the trophy high, I caught sight of the Ferrari garage once more. The regret on their faces was clear—they had let go of a champion, and now they were watching him stand at the top of the world.

As Carlos lifted his trophy into the air, he turned to me, a look of pure happiness on his face. “This is just the beginning,” he whispered.

I smiled up at him, my heart full. “Yeah, it is.”

[sunny44]

Co-parenting (Part 1)

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x ex wife!reader

Warnings: Carlos being a bitch, fighting and maybe other things.

Summary: Co-parenting is never easy but y/n never though it would be so hard.

Next Chapter

Carlos and I got divorced 2 years ago, and currently, we share custody of our daughter, which means I have her since Carlos travels a lot due to racing, so every weekend he’s free, he comes and picks up Maeve.

But this time I had a very unpleasant surprise.

Being famous, I was always aware of what was happening with Carlos, even if I didn’t want to, and a few months ago, rumors came out that he was with some model, and when we separated, we made an agreement that any person who entered romantically into our lives, we would introduce to each other before involving that person in our daughter’s life.

But it seems Carlos had a problem when it comes to him.

I crossed my arms watching Carlos and the model girlfriend get out of the car and come towards my door, besides not notifying me about it, he simply brought her along without any prior discussion or approval.

The doorbell rang, and I walked to the front door, and there were Carlos and Rebecca, both trying to look welcoming and unconcerned.

“Hi, Y/n,” Carlos said, smiling. “How are you?”

“What is this?” I asked, pointing to the two of them.

“What do you mean?”

“You demand an agreement, and when it comes to you, you simply ignore it.” He took a deep breath.

“I know, but we’ve been dating for a while, and I thought it was time for you to meet her.”

“Meet her?” Y/n’s voice trembled with frustration. “You can’t make this decision alone, Carlos. We are her parents, and this should be a decision we make together, not something you just think is a good idea and ignore the fact that I am her mother.”

Rebecca stepped forward, with a gentle voice.

“Y/n, I really just want to get to know her. I’m not trying to replace you.”

And my frustration only intensified.

“It’s not about replacing me. It’s about us making decisions together for our daughter, and that doesn’t involve you being here.” Carlos sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“Look, it wasn’t our intention to make you uncomfortable. Let’s talk about this, okay?”

“Oh, so now you want to talk?”

“Can you stop being so difficult? She’s my daughter too.”

“Then start acting like a father instead of going around kissing models in clubs and then bringing them to my doorstep.”

“I am a father when I can be because my life is very busy, and you knew that when we had her.” He says arms crossed. “Maybe you should stop being a terrible mother making me lose the little time I have with my daughter, and then we talk about it.”

“Carlos.” Rebecca speaks as he finishes.

“You know what, if anyone here is a terrible parent, it’s you who prefers to spend your weekends in a car racing in circles and risking leaving your daughter without a father. I’m here every day doing the best I can to take care of her, but apparently, that makes me a terrible mother, so I’ll call her and you do whatever you want since it’s always been like this.”

I enter the house holding back my tears and go call her, she was so excited to see her dad that she didn’t even notice the tension between us, and I thanked god for that.

He tried to talk to me before leaving, but I just said goodbye to Maeve and closed the door, but I couldn’t help but notice that Rebecca wasn’t there anymore.

…

Hours passed and when the end of the day came, I heard the noise of his car, so I went to the door, and when I opened it, she came running.

“Mom, look.” She said showing me a bag full of things. “I’ll show you everything after I take a shower and have dinner.”

“Okay, my love, go ahead.” She smiles, says goodbye to him, and goes to her room.

“Can we talk?”

“No, I don’t want to talk to you.” I tried to close the door, but he held it. “You’ve already said what you think of me, and I’ve already said what I think of you; I don’t think we have anything else to say.”

“What I said is not what I really think.”

“In fact, it is, at least part of you thinks that way, and I’m not going to take back what I said about you because I think that way. I know it’s your career, but I won’t admit that you break our rule, tell me I’m a terrible mother, and then come back wanting to apologize.” He doesn’t say anything. “You don’t know how hard it is to see the guy you loved more than anything with someone else, but especially to see the father of your daughter say that you’re a terrible mother even though I work really hard to give her the best life I can.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That won’t fix things this time, Carlos.” I say looking into his eyes. “You don’t do anything to make my life easier; you show up, do your fatherly duty for a weekend while I stay here dealing with everything else. I don’t have the option of having only the easy parts of having a child. I have to deal with the pressure of being a single mother, having to hide from her every time I need to cry because I can’t take it anymore doing this alone, or having to leave her with my parents because I can’t even get out of bed to take care of her while you’re out there sticking your tongue down supermodels’ throats.”

“I didn’t know you felt this way.”

“And how would you know? You’re never here.” He doesn’t say anything. “I don’t need anything from you, not anymore. The time when I needed you here has passed, and I hope it never comes back.”

“Is everything okay, mommy?” Maeve asks appearing on the stairs, having taken a shower and wearing pajamas.

“Yes, my love, what do you want to eat?” I say wiping my tears.

“I want nuggets with veggies.”

“Okay, so let’s make them.”

“Are you going to have dinner here, daddy?”

“No, my love, I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“But don’t you have to go travel?”

“I do, but not now.”

“Okay.” She goes to him and then comes back to the table. “I’ll really come to pick her up tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.” He leaves, and I lock everything.

“Mommy, where are you?” She screams from the kitchen.

“I’m coming baby.”

I’m not sure if I’ll write a part 2 but if you guys want another part, let me know.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

To piggyback off of @shunnedmorlock's post here about the relative justification for both the black and green causes, and how the show presents Rhaenyra's cause as sympathetic.

The in-world choice of who to support in an internecine conflict is, for a lot of lords, ultimately going to be based in self-interest rather than legal, ideological or moral justifications. This fandom fixates a lot on who is in the "right," but the houses that throw their support behind Rhaenyra or Aegon mainly do it for self interest or self preservation. Every lord is going to have multiple literal dragons breathing down their necks, many lords are going to be offered enticements from one side or the other, and some will be considering their own personal circumstances and the precedent their choice sets. A great number of the houses seem pretty determined to stay out of the conflict altogether, even several of the houses that pledge their support in theory, wait until the risk of being caught up in a dragon battle has passed to take any action.

For viewers, our reasons for supporting one side or another are different. Strictly speaking, looking at things from a modern framework, no one has a "right" to the throne. Usurpation is not a human rights violation or even a crime by our standards. Imagine fixating on women being unable to own slaves and thinking that a woman fighting for her right to do so is an expression of feminism. Ridiculous! Certainly it is bullshit within an already bullshit system that a woman comes after her brothers in a hereditary monarchy, but in a just system this conflict wouldn't exist in the first place, not because Rhaenyra would automatically be queen, but because Westeros wouldn't have a king or a queen at all. Liberation doesn't start at the top and trickle down, but rather the opposite.

That said, to modern viewers, Rhaenyra's cause is sympathetic because it feels like an injustice. Most of us don't live within a feudal system and do not have the framework to understand why it's not a form of oppression to be denied the throne. We see it more like a presidential race, in which Rhaenyra is the Hillary Clinton who might have defeated Trump in 2016 if not for misogyny, in which even if we didn't particularly like her, we were disgusted by the fact that that man beat a woman who was at worst no different from many of the men who had occupied the seat before her. To the average vaguely liberal American watching the show, it's insane for fans to support Aegon and the greens and clearly you'd only do it for horny or antifeminist reasons. And you see that a bit in even the showrunners' comments on Alicent being a "woman for Trump," how both they and much of the audience fail to fully understand the historical framework, but in a way that's kind of understandable, because while what happens to Rhaenyra might not be injustice, it is unfair.

If you're looking at things from a historical in-world framework, this is a world in which stability takes a higher priority than equality. Inequality is everywhere, completely baked into the system. If you want to bring about gender equality in a feudal monarchy with a large agrarian population, you have to have first the stability necessary for the rise of an urban middle class which allows for more women to move into the trades, you need the printing press for widespread literacy, which means that more women are getting educated, you need movements such as the reformation to challenge the divine right of kings, and you need to reform the political structure so that leadership is not based on birthright in the first place, because that concept inherently reinforces patriarchal norms even in modern countries that allow women to become queens regnant. So making one woman queen is not going to make things better for women across Westeros, but that woman going to war to reclaim her "stolen" birthright could make things a whole lot worse for a pretty much everyone. This is why you see a lot of history nerds on this site going well, yes but Rhaenyra does have the weaker claim because common law was a big deal in the medieval world and her becoming queen is going to lead to long term succession crises due to the circumstances of her children's birth, so the thing to do would be to take the peace deal. Because while on an emotional level you can understand why she doesn't, it's not the choice that prioritizes the good of the realm.

I think on some level Condal understands (and I think GRRM probably hammered this point home) that you can't really grant anyone the moral high ground in a war of succession if you want to approach the issue with any level of nuance; Rhaenys' speech in the previews for S2 seems to indicate as much. The problem with HotD is that it wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to say war for the throne bad, but HBO also wants to make up for the way GoT fumbled the ball with Dany and give the people their likeable dragonriding princess triumphant.

Except Rhaenyra isn't triumphant, she is felled by her own Targaryen hubris and belief that nothing could possibly overcome the might of dragons. It's not Aegon that defeats her, truly, it's the people emboldened in various ways to act against Targaryen interests. It's the dragonseeds she hands dragons to who wonder why they have to take orders from a queen or king when they have control of the kingmaking weapons of mass destruction, it's the smallfolk who face down dragons with pitchforks because they've had enough. They've backed themselves into a bit of a corner with what @shunnedmorlock called the "engoodening" of the black faction, but they can turn it around by showing that it's not enough to be nice to your family, you have to actually care about the people and at the very least (the bar is on the floor, it's fuedalism!) not throw them into chaos, famine, and war for no reason. Give us payoff for Rhaenys' dragonpit scene, have Mysaria and Alys Rivers play a role in their sides' downfalls, show how resentment on Dragonstone allows Aegon to infiltrate. And yes, show Rhaenyra losing herself and becoming a worse person, but in ways that the audience can't excuse as justified. This is how you sow the seeds for that actual progressive change that people seem so desperate to find in the dragonshow, you show how the Dance emboldens the regular people who for the first time realize they can slay dragons, dovetailing into the new show, which stars Dunk, a commonborn man from Fleabottom, and Aegon V, the only Targaryen who ever cared about the smallfolk.

Can HBO pull it off? Ehh. But I remain eternally hopeful, against my better judgement.

[xdacted]

The art of sibling hood

Paring: sister!Reader & Charles Leclerc

Warnings: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 3,815

Status: Complete

***Request made by reader***

Summer break offers us a sliver of peace. 

No teams are calling, no coaches screaming, no clients to take care of - there is nothing but family. For a few weeks out of the year, all we have is each other. I can’t ask for anything better. 

We all gather at our mother’s house, hiding away there with her. It’s nice, to all be under the same roof again, we haven’t been since Lorenzo first moved out. It only worsened when I decided to take my training to France. 16 years of living under one roof was gone in an instant. We had lived together our entire lives until that point. 

It was like losing a piece of myself. 

But then, after the sadness rolled away, I was filled with so much joy. To know that both Charles and Arthur were chasing their dream, to see them every weekend battling it out on the track. Though my mother refused to watch, I always did. 

But there is always more I want to know, more I want to see. I can’t help myself from asking questions. The countries they see, the people they meet - it’s a world I’ll never know. I almost got involved, my father put me in karting as a child, but it was never my passion. Not the way it was with Arthur and Charles. I found my calling in school. 

At six, I was sitting among my classmates in the gymnasium, watching as our instructor introduced the sport of fencing. He was trying to start a club, with a school as small as ours, it wasn’t very likely to happen. 

He brandished the swords, explaining the rules. My friend, Anies, had fallen asleep on my shoulder, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I was transfixed, hooked. That day, I ran home, with the club papers in my hand and begged my parents.

At first, Papa was hesitant, telling me that this sport was a fighting spot - I wasn’t a ‘fighting girl’. But I pleaded, hooking my arms around his neck and staring up at him. This was my dream. Fencing was racing to me. Fencing was everything. 

What I didn’t understand was that fencing was also incredibly expensive. With two children karting and one in fencing, I remember the night I caught Mum and Papa talking it over, they couldn’t afford it. 

I was lucky enough to be given a scholarship by a fencing club, I would have the funding to chase my dream. Arthur, however, was not so lucky. I remember how he cried, screaming and howling into his pillow. He mourned the loss of his sport, but he was never angry. Just sad. 

I shake off the memories when Charles calls my name. 

“What?”

He looks at me, staring at me from his seat on the floor, arms holding his knees close to him. He and Arthur are playing some card game they explained more than once - but I have never cared to learn. Arthur glares at the cards below him, flipping them over in his hand.

He laughs, “I asked how training was going?”

“Good,” I burrow further into the couch, pulling a blanket across my shoulders, “When I go back, I have a tournament in Italy.”

“Well,” Arthur huffs, still fixed on the game, “You’re already a World Champion - Ugh! Charles, you’re cheating! This is why I hate playing with you!”

Charles throws his hands up, turning to Arthur with an indignant expression, “I am not a cheater. I am a man of honor, you just suck.”

With a curse, Arthur throws his cards down. 

He stands, “You’re a cheat and you know it.”

“You just don’t know how to lose.”

Arthur throws himself beside me, moving the pillows so he can lean against them, crossing his arms in front of him. I don’t have to hide my laughter, I let it slip from me. The laughter is easy, the tension from yesterday gone. Charles had still been insistent on apologizing, even when I told him to just drop it. 

My brother is one of the kindest people in the world. 

“What about you?” I dare to ask, offering Arthur some of my blanket, “How’s Ferrari treating you?”

I don’t need to ask because I already know. Even from across the world, every Sunday, I watch him. Every Sunday, I watch my brother get into that car and put his life on the line. And every Sunday I watch Ferrari screw him over. My teammates were getting far too tired of my outbursts. 

Charles clears his throat, looking down at the cards scattered across the floor. He sweeps them together, shuffling them, “Fine.”

“Fine?”

I’m stepping on thin ice. My brothers like to assume that when it came to racing they knew everything, but I had grown up around this. My father was a racer and now my brothers were racers - it was in my blood. I had just chosen not to pursue it. 

“Yes, fine.” He pushes himself up, standing and walking to the edge of the couch. 

“If you say so, brother,” Charles opens his mouth to speak, but the sound of the doorbell cuts him off. 

He practically leaps over the couches, nearly tripping over the carpet, to throw the door open. My mother hardly has time to scold him as she steps inside her room because cheery voices are ringing out through the house. 

“Hello!”

Lorenzo comes bounding from upstairs and Arthur rolls off the couch, kicking the blanket away from him. The three women who step inside the house bring the light of the shining sun with them. 

“Girls!” I cry, it has been so long since I’ve last seen them. 

Carla sees me first, throwing her hands in the air. She pushes past Arthur to sweep me into a hug. The position is awkward, as her body curves over the couch and I attempt to reach up to her, but I can feel her laughter vibrate within her chest. 

“Did you get in today?” Her eyes are shining and the glasses perched atop her head threaten to fall, “Why didn’t you text me?”

“I wanted to surprise you, of course!” When we pull away, Charlotte and Alexandria are right beside us. 

“We need to get breakfast while you’re here,” Charlotte says, pressing her hands together. It isn’t so much a request as it is a plan in motion. 

I just nod along. I look around, my brother’s waiting behind them with crossed arms and a less-than-pleased expression. 

“What?”

“They’re supposed to be here to see us.”

“No,” Charlotte says, wrapping her arms around me, “We’re here for her and of course - Pascale.”

“Hello, dear,” Mum says, Carla placing welcoming kisses on her cheeks. 

I turn to my left, Alex having taken a seat in the open space that Arthur left. 

“Hey,” I whisper, pulling her close. 

“Hi,” She whispers back. 

There’s something different. I can tell when she hugs me, pressing a kiss on my cheek. When we pull away, there’s a glow to her skin and a twinkle in her eyes. 

“Is there -?” 

Charles is draped across her in a second, gentle hands on her shoulders, “She is my girlfriend. Please, do not be selfish.”

Alex only rolls her eyes and I can’t help but follow. 

What a drama queen. 

__________

I watch Charles and Alex as Mum bustles around the kitchen. It’s little, but something is different. I can feel it. Something about the way Charles has an arm curled around her waist or the way she clings to his arm. They keep eyeing the rest of us, Alex turning around to whisper in his ear. 

Hm. How strange. 

Alex was quite shy, this much became evident when I first met her, but she was by no means afraid of the family. Just a few weeks earlier she had come to visit me in France, we spent the day together and had been texting each other constantly. 

What could it be?

I met her eyes and she sharply turned away from me. 

A secret then. 

Papa liked to say that I inherited Mum’s gift for reading people, especially my brothers. Even when we’re separated by seas, I know when something’s bothering them. I know when something is wrong. 

But this - this was different. 

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. 

But, my mind can help but wonder, what if - no. Could it be?

“Arthur.”

He hardly looks up from his phone, “Hm?”

“Wanna make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?” He asks, still scrolling. 

I lean in closer, “I think Alex is pregnant.”

Arthur nearly drops his phone. He whips his head over to look at me, mouth agape, “What?!”

“Sh!” I smack his arm, he is going to give us away, “You’re so loud…”

“Why do you think she’s pregnant?” He whisper-shouts, “That’s crazy. Charles would’ve told us.”

“Maybe he’s going to tell us tonight,” I shrug, pulling away from him. 

“Are you in or out?” I crossed my legs, my gut feelings were always strong. I’d guessed many things over the years and felt a change within the people around me before they told me. I’d known Charles got signed to Ferrari before he told us, or that Arthur was going to be moved to F2, or that Lorenzo had met someone new - all of these things, I’d felt. All of these things I guessed. 

Maybe I was a bit psychic. 

“You’re on,” He stuck his hand out, “€10?”

I scoffed, “That’s nothing - €100.”

“You could be wrong.”

“I could be right,” I looked down at his waiting hand. 

“€50?”

I slapped my hand in his, “€50 it is!”

“You’re going down,” He whispered, squeezing my hand. I kick at his shin.

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get, dumbass.”

“LANGUAGE!”

__________

Dinner is an easy affair. The time ticks by slowly, but none of us mind. Warm and laughter fill the house, everyone staying at the table after the food has long been eaten. Stories are tossed around and jokes float about, it's peaceful. 

A peace that’s so very addicting. 

Here, I can forget that I have to leave in only a few days. I can tell that the boys forget too, throwing themselves over Mum and the table. Arthur laughs so hard that he snorts and Lorenzo’s jokes have Charles reduced to tears - it’s all so nostalgic. 

As we eat, I can see Charles and Alex glance at each other, watching as he scoops her hand in his. She whispers something in his ear and he nods. 

Before I know it, they are both standing. 

“I,” He clears his throat, “I have something to say - well, we do, actually...”

“Well,” Alex begins, a bright smile pulling over her face, “Charles and I are expecting a - a child.”

The table erupts into cheers and exclamations. Mum drops her head into her hands, and before we can rush over, she looks up with tears in her eyes and a dazzling smile on her lips. We stand to offer them hugs and kisses, pats, and words of encouragement. 

“I told you!” I cry. 

Arthur lets out a loud groan, pushing his face into his hands, “Why?”

Confusion is written across their face and I can only laugh

I hold out a waiting hand.

With another groan and a roll of his eyes, he shoves his hand into his pockets, pulling out the €50 I’m owed. The bill is crunched and he drops it into my palm with little fanfare. 

“This is so unfair,” Arthur throws his arms around my shoulders, “How could you have possibly known?”

“I just do,” I shrug, looking up at him with a smile, “I’m just that good.”

“I knew it,” Carla giggles, “You are a psychic.”

I lock eyes with Mum over the table, she flashes me a smile.

“Of course,” I say, “I learned from the very best.”

__________

The ocean calls our name, the lull of the tides and the crashing of the waves. Such a beautiful song and we can do nothing but dance to it. With the sun shining down on our backs, we pile into Charles’s boat, clinging to the railing as we push away from the dock. The salt of the air tangles in my hair, and gentle winds give us a beautiful day. The weather was perfect, the sea was calm. What more could we ever ask for?

We spend the day lounging about the boat, pushing and shoving each other in the water. I manage to convince Charles to let me take the smaller boat out for a spin, with Carla clinging to the seats, and Charolette cheering us on from the deck above. I can’t help but dissolve into laughter at his face, twisted with worry. 

The water is cool against our heated skin, it invites us in for more. The longer we stay, the more we forget about the world that surrounds us. It is nearly enough to make me forget about my flight in only a few days. I will have to leave and this will all become a memory. 

But what a beautiful memory it will be. 

I can’t dwell on my thoughts, because Charlotte demands that we all jump. There is little fanfare for Charles and Lorenzo as they practically wrestle to the sea below. Arthur grips my hand as we jump, throwing ourselves into the Moncao air, caught by the arms of the sea. 

It is perfect. It is home. 

When the sun begins to dip in the sky, my mother draws herself up from the couch and claims that dinner will not ready itself. The others agree and begin to shuffle off but Carla and I are the last to get back from the boat. Though Charles has always held the title of ‘captain’, I have always maintained that the sea is but a little requirement for boating. We stayed behind to just lounge about in the sun, only coming back to the house when she got a frantic call from Arthur, telling her to come back. 

“What’s…” The words die in our throats when we see Alex huddled in the corner, sobbing into her hands. Charlotte stands over her, rubbing a reassuring hand over her back, whispering something into her ear. 

Before we can say another word, Arthur and Lorenzo interrupt us. He pulls us into a corner of the house, wiping his hands on his shorts. His eyes dart around the room, lip caught between his teeth. 

“What happened?” Carla demands. 

“It - it was the press,” Arthur manages, “They got pictures from earlier, on the boat.”

I need to hear little else. I dig my phone from my bag.

Finding the photo doesn’t take much work. It’s there as soon as I open Twitter, Alexandria and Charles standing on the balcony of the boat. Her hands on her stomach, nothing there to show - not yet - but the implication is enough for the media to run with. 

I can hardly breathe. 

Anger coils tight within me. 

Fucking vultures. 

Carla gasps from beside me, pressing a hand to her mouth. The headlines make my stomach turn. Far too atrocious to look at, I shove my phone back into my bag. Carla is quick to slip from beside me, rushing over to the couch, and dropping to her knees beside Alex. 

Haven’t they gone through enough? Have people not thrown Alex into the fire already? Had they not already ripped her apart? I remember the articles and the tweets when their relationship went public, the look of sadness on her face. People hated her simply because she loved Charles. How they got together and why they got together was no one’s business but their own. 

“Where -” I cut myself off, dropping my voice lower, “Where’s Charles?”

For a moment, Lorenzo doesn’t answer me, phone in hand. I can’t tell who’s calling, but the grave look on his face is all I need to know. He shakes his head, dragging a hand through his hair. 

“He’s outside,” He whispers, sparing a look over at Alex, “He stormed out and won’t come back in.”

“Of course! He’s upset!” I hiss, this was private. This was personal. The media has taken that away from him. 

Lorenzo holds his hands up, “I’m not saying he shouldn’t be - I’m not saying that I’m not,” He sighs, “But this is more - this is more than just…”

He looks away, rubbing a hand over his face, “He can’t run from this now.” 

I turn away from Lorenzo and the tears begin to gather in my eyes before I can gather the courage to force them back. I wrap my arms around myself, afraid that I might throw something across the room. 

This wasn’t right. 

Summer is our time. 

There is never any anger, never any sadness. That’s the world that waits beyond the walls of our home, that is the world we leave behind. We shut it all out because summer break is just us. I don’t realize that I’ve begun to dig my fingers into the flesh of my arm until Arthur yanks my hands away. 

He doesn’t say anything, just squeezing my hands in his. I can’t look at him, but I feel his gaze on me. When he releases me, my hands drop back down to my sides. I suck in a large gulp of air, trying to calm the pounding of my heartbeat. 

Before I can make my way to Alex, Charlotte stops me. She holds her hand up, a sad smile on her face. 

‘We’ve got it,’ She mouths, ‘Go.’

Her eyes flicker to the terrace, doors closed tightly. I can see, in the shadows of the darkness, Charles. 

“I’ll be back,” I whisper, reaching out to squeeze Arthur’s shoulder before I walk towards the doors. 

I gently push them open, waiting for Charles to scream out that he wasn’t privacy, that he needs space, but he never does

I step through. 

Charles stands out on the balcony, hands clutching onto the terrace railing. He stares into the swaying trees of our backyard, the melting sun casting a glow around the shadow of the house. Though the wind blows, there is no twinkle of windchimes. There is no echo of laughter or memory of youth, there is nothing. The light from the entry room spills across his back, but he doesn’t turn. 

The silence is thick, sitting heavily atop the both of us. With his back turned to me, I can’t see his face. There’s a selfish part of me that never wants to. I never want to see the pain and anger on my brother’s face. I never want to watch his heart fall apart before me. He is my family, an extension of myself. 

“Why can’t they just leave us alone?” 

His voice is hardly above a whisper, nearly consumed by the distant sounds of the city, but I hear. It cuts through the silence, piercing it with ease. There is sadness in his voice and I can feel the tears burn once more. His shoulders slump forward, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. For a movement, I fear that he might collapse. 

I take a tentative step forward. 

My brother is many things. Charles is competitive and rash, he is hard-working and self-deprecating. But he is also kind and forgiving, with a smile like the sun and a laugh like the sea. He is good. Our Papa used to say that Lorenzo and I got all the anger and bite, as it never seemed that Charles could hate, to be spiteful. 

Always the first to take the blame, always the first to vouch, always the first to arrive, always the last to go. 

My brother is good. 

And the world is cruel. 

“Charles,” I whisper, he doesn’t turn.

I reach for him, my fingertips barely grazing the fabric of his shirt, “Charles.”

He finally turns, biting his lip, tears in his eyes. The words die in my throat. There is nothing I can say to fix his pain, nothing I can do to take his unhappiness away. It kills me. They may be my older brothers, but I have always been fiercely protective of them. To hurt them was to hurt me - and to hurt them was unforgivable. 

And Charles. 

Charles, who flew through the night to catch my competitions. Charles, who cheered me on, even if he knew nothing about fencing. Charles, who always had an extra Paddock Pass for me. Charles, who always let me have his last cookie or pastry. Charles, who held me when I wailed for weeks after Papa’s passing. Charles put the money he earned in Formula 1 into getting Arthur back into carting. Charles, who always called to scream ‘Happy Birthday’ in my ear. 

That Charles. 

My brother Charles, would forgive. He will see it as a mistake, he will blame himself. In only a few hours, he will make a statement and tell the truth - because that’s just who he is. 

I throw my arms open and catch him as he falls into them. 

He doesn’t cry, not at first, just clinging onto me. But then, the moment that Alex’s cries drift onto the open terrace, he begins to weep. He sobbed into my shoulder, pressing his wet face into the fabric of my shirt. He clutches my hand, and I can do nothing but hold him. 

I hold him and let him fall apart. 

From over Charle’s shoulder, I see Arthur peeking out at us. He wrings his hands, twisting his fingers around. He can’t sit still, pacing around the room, brushing Carla away when she tries to calm him. 

I gesture for him to come and he does. 

Before I can say a word, he’s wrapping his arms around Charles, burying his face into his back. 

“We’ll fix this,” He mumbles, “I - I don’t know how, but we will.”

Charles doesn’t speak, he just searches for Arthur’s hand blindly in the pile of libs and holds on. It’s all we can do. I feel like I am 15 years old, losing our father again. It feels just as it did then, unbearable. But we do just what we did then, we hold each other. Clinging onto the only people that we have known since before we knew them, the only people that will love us even when no one else does. 

The only person -

Lorenzo is there, strong arms trying to tuck us all into him. I can feel his warmth against my back and push my face into his chest. 

“We’ve got you, Charlie,” He says, “We’ve got you.”

We do. 

We always will. 

_________________________

A/N:This work has been cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. All are under the name XDACTED. Thank you for reading and feel free to request fics about any of the drivers <3

[the-offside-rule]

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG) - Snowman

Requested: no

Prompt: Snowman by Sia

Lewis hated fights and what was worse was fights with his friend and roommate Y/n. She was an angel, he could admit that. Whenever he was at races or at the factory, she would take good care of the place and when Lewis needed space to relax after a race weekend, she would understand and give him all the time in the world. The only downside to them being roommates was the arguments and they'd become more and more frequent. Both Lewis and Y/n figured that if the arguing continued, they wouldn't be able to stay as roommates because they'd end up saying something or doing something they would later regret.

This argument in particular started all because of the Christmas tree. The week before the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the pair decided to decorate their house, since they probably wouldn't have the time or chance to do it after the double header; they were planning on visiting their families up until boxing day. They'd had everything done, bar the tree and all that needed to be done on the tree was the angel. Y/n grabbed the angel from the box and turned back around, only to see Lewis with a can of fake snow, opened and ready to be sprayed.

"No! Don't spray the fake snow on the tree!" Y/n shrieked. "Why?" Lewis asked, the can still in his hand. "It makes the tree look tacky." She explained. "Just add some ribbon on some of the branches and we're good to go." Lewis stared at her, not even blinking. Y/n knew what he was thinking of doing. "Don't." Lewis lifted his hand and pressed down on the canister. "Whoops." Y/n clenched her jaw and slapped the can from his hand. "It's our tree Lewis."

"Yeah, our tree Y/n. We both decide what goes on it." Y/n rolled her eyes. "But you've already chosen the baubles. The least I can do is choose whether or not the tree will have fake snow on it!" Lewis scoffed and continued to spray the tacky snow onto it. "You can honestly just go and fuck yourself Lewis." Y/n stormed out and slammed the door. Lewis kept looking forward to the tree until he heard an ornament smashing. He turned and saw some glass sprawled out on the floor in shards, then to a piece of paper, colouring a memory of a past Christmas. He walked towards it cautiously and picked what remained up. He looked at the photo inside the ornament. Him and Y/n back in 2014, their first Christmas as roommates. He turned it Iver, remembering they had a note written.

No matter how often we fight, we'll never leave

Because we'll be roommates and friends until we die freezing.

Lewis felt a tear trickle down his cheek. He wasn't one for crying but here he was, crying on the ground beside a shattered Christmas bauble.

Y/n had been in her room. With every second, she grew more and more guilty with storming out on Lewis and after she had heard something smash, it was getting worse. She tried justifying what she did but she couldn't. She felt like an asshole. She gave into her thoughts and decided to go to the living room and apologise. She knocked on the door. "Lewis? I'm so sorry.

"Don't cry. It's Christmas." Y/n said, wiping away the few tears that fell from his cheeks. "I can't give you a hug if you're soaking with tears." She joked, earning a joke from Lewis. "I hate fighting with you." He croaked. "Especially over stupid things like this." Y/n smiled softly and put her arm around him. "Still, it isn't an excuse to go crying now, is it?" Lewis chuckled and wiped his eyes with his jumper. "No, it's not."

"Exactly, so come on Sir Lewis Hamilton, we've got to clean this up." She stood up and held her hand out to help him up. She grunts as she tries to lift him. "Jesus Christ, a week without racing and you're already gone back to being heavy." Lewis laughed and continued to get himself up. "I don't know what to do with this photo now." Lewis showed the laminated picture to his roommate. "Here, just put a hole in it and then feed the string through the hole." She suggested, carefully taking it from him and doing exactly what she said. "See?" she smiled, showing him the new masterpiece. "Much better." Lewis chuckled. "Exactly, now come on Mr Snowman Hamilton. We have to finish this bloody tree."

[russellsppttemplates]

Could you do a Lance blurb where reader and Lance invite Fernando, Mick and Esteban to dinner to ask them if they want to be Genevieve's godparents, as the three of them already are Margot and Addalynn's godparents

"Where should I put the coats?", Mick asked as he gathered his, Fernando's and Esteban's coats once they stepped inside.

"In that coat closet there", Lance said as he walked up to open it, shuffling the girls' coats to make room.

"I love how Y/N's coats and your coats - which are all dark colours - are next to the girls' pastel coloured ones! This one even has glitter!", Mick pointed to the glittery raincoat Fernando had gotten Addalynn for her last birthday.

"Where are my little monkeys?", Esteban rubbed his hands, ready to give hugs out as he stepped inside the living room, seeing Addalynn and Margot playing with some dolls on the floor.

"You're here!", Margot and Addalynn yelled, running up to the French driver and hugging his legs, "Oh, sorry, mummy", Margot offered as she remembered that you were trying to get Genevieve to fall asleep. So far, she had only taken one nap and she seemed to be fighting sleep with every ounce of strength she had.

"It's okay, I think I've got it - hi guys", you smiled, going up to them to greet them with a kiss on each cheek.

"She keeps getting cuter everyday, don't you, little one?", Fernando cooed at the pouty baby sleeping on your chest.

"She didn't look this cute when Lance was up all night trying to get her to sleep - they had a race of their own until three am, didn't you, Viv?", you tsked, smiling at the love your babygirl was getting and your friends weren't even holding her yet.

"Any special reason why you decided that feeding a family of five wasn't enough and decided to get three more people on the table?", Mick asked as he sat down with the girls on the floor, letting Addalynn brush his blonde locks while Margot busied herself in twisting the locks and clipping them with butterfly clips mumbling something about how nice it was of the german driver to grow his hair out.

"Actually, there is a reason", you began, "life is unpredictable, and we want to do everything to make sure our daughters are safe and sound no matter what - we've done it for them and we want to do it for Genevieve too", you stated as Fernando looked at you knowingly.

"We wanted to ask you three if you'd like to be Genevieve's godparents", Lance finally asked, smiling when he saw them nod and smile back at him.

"Of course! We wouldn't want it any other way, right?", Esteban smiled at Genevieve as you placed her in Fernando's arms after you checked she was in deep sleep, her mouth slightly open now.

"Does this mean we get you for even more time?", Margot wondered.

"Yes, we'll be here for the three of you, so probably, yes", Mick offered, wincing as the little girl pulled on his hair slightly.

"Sorry, just excited!", Margot squealed.

"How about we go and see what daddy made for dinner before all of us lose some hair? Mine is already fighting the postpartum fall and breakage", you giggled.

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

[chimachapterbooks]

Small Packages

There are many things in this world that can be measured the length of a day, the number of lions in a pride, the distance from one end of a valley to the other. And then there are those things that cannot be measured, no matter how hard one tries... the courage in an animal's heart, the cleverness of his brain, or the daring of his spirit. Only through experience can one learn the true amount of each of these in any living creature.

- King LaGravis

"Muskrats?" exclaimed Laval, the Lion Prince, in disbelief. "Moles? Hedgehogs?"

"Yes," said LaGravis, king of the Lions, to his son. "And beavers and rabbits and mice, as well."

Laval shook his head. "You want me to go talk to all the small creatures in Chima and ask for their help in fighting the Crocodiles? You have to be joking, Dad!"

"I'm the king," LaGravis reminded him. "Kings do not joke. Very rarely, we may laugh at something, but only very rarely."

"The Crocodiles and their allies attacked us!" Laval said angrily. "They want control of the CHI that it is our duty to guard and distribute. We need powerful friends among the tribes to help us in this fight, and you're suggesting moles and mice?"

"All of the tribes have their role to play," LaGravis replied. "They may not all be as strong as the Gorillas or soar as high as the Eagles, but that does not mean they have no worth. Laval, as the future leader of the Lion Tribe, am trusting you to talk with them. Ask if they will be our allies in this fight. Explain that we need their help to defend Chima."

Laval sighed. "Fine, Dad. I'll go talk to them. For Chima."

But later, as Laval went to get his Speedor, he was still frustrated.

"What matters now is strength and speed and power," he muttered to himself. "That's all the Crocs understand, and that's what we need in allies."

Laval respected his father more than anyone. But. sometimes his dad's thinking was a little ... old-fashioned It was great to say that everyone had the same value, big or small. But in a fight, Laval would vote for "big" friends every time.

He climbed aboard his Speedor and raced off into the jungle. There were a lot of mice and moles to find.

Speaking to all of them would take all day. Laval grumbled.

He had made plans to practice fighting with Eris and Rogon that afternoon. Now he wouldn't be back in time.

As Laval sped deeper into the jungle, he began to calm down. Driving fast always made it easier for him to think. Soon he was zipping through trees and bushes far from the Lion Compound. It's very quiet out here, Laval thought to himself.

Too quiet...

Suddenly, four Crocodiles on Speedorz roared out at him from both sides!

"Well, well, what do we have here?" one of the Crocs snarled. "A Lion Prince deep in the jungle with no allies." Another Croc laughed. "How much CHI do you think a Lion Prince is worth?" he asked.

The first one revved his engine. "Let's take him to King Cragger and find out!"

Laval looked back and forth between the Crocodiles.

Escaping was going to be tricky, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It looked like he would get some practice-fighting in today after all!

"Sorry, mud-lovers," he said as he shot forward. "I've already got plans!"

The Crocs snarled and gunned their engines. "You can't get away from us, Lion!"

Soon they were hot on Laval's trail.

Laval raced his Speedor under a low branch, kicking up a cloud of dust as he flew.

"Take that, Swamp Boys!" he cried, shooting around a corner and out of sight.

But the Crocs weren't giving up that easily. The lead Croc motioned to his partners, and they split up to the left and right. When Laval looked back, all he could see was the cloud of dust he had made.

"Now, where did those mud-lovers go?" he said. Just then, one of the Crocs tore out of the bushes and charged at him from the right. Laval whipped his Speedor around.

But another Croc was already blocking that path, too. The two other Crocs closed in from the front and back. Laval was boxed in!

"Looks like we've made a Lion-sized trap," the lead Croc laughed.

Laval quickly looked all around him. The Crocs had him cornered . .. but not captured just yet.

"Here's a lesson for you," Laval said with a grin. "When you make a trap, always check it for escape routes first." Gunning his engine, Laval sped toward a flat, angled rock just in front of the lead Croc... and zoomed up it like a ramp, right over the Croc's head!

"Woo-hoo!" he cried, zooming off.

The Crocs growled. Now they were really angry. "Get him!" their leader shouted.

They chased Laval farther and farther into the jungle.

Soon, the trees and plants began to thin out, and the ground grew dusty. Laval realized he had never taken his Speedor out this far before. And a moment later, he remembered why. Up ahead, stretching as far as they eye could see, was the border of the desert. It was nothing but sand and dust and rocks.

Uh-oh, thought Laval, screeching his Speedor to a halt.

This is very bad.

If he turned back, he would have to fight the four Crocs. But if he went forward into the desert, his vehicle would stop working. Like all Speedorz, the wheel was made from an ancient stone powered by nature. In the barren desert, where no green plants grew, the machine wouldn't last long.

Laval would be stranded.

Laval looked behind him. The Crocs were gaining. He knew he was a good fighter, but four-to-one odds were enough to make him think twice. So he revved his engine and headed into the desert.

The vehicle managed to make it only a short distance before it sputtered and died. "I'm a sitting duck out here,' Laval said to himself. "I have to hide."

The Lion Prince quickly pushed his Speedor over a large sand dune and out of sight. Luckily, the wind behind him blew fresh sand over his tracks, covering them. Laval peeked over the mound to the edge of the desert.

The Crocodiles had just stopped at the border. They couldn't see Laval hidden behind the sand dune, and their leader was angry.

"Ga! Where did that Lion go?" he asked.

The others shook their heads. "Must have headed into the desert, boss."

All four Crocs gulped. They didn't want their Speedorz to die out as well. But they also didn't want the Lion Prince to slip from their claws.

"Maybe we should wait him out," one suggested. "In this heat, he won't last long."

"Or maybe he went back into the jungle?" another said. "I don't see any tracks."

Laval didn't wait to hear any more. He quietly slipped away, still out of view of the Crocs. His best bet was to try and sneak past his enemies in a little while, when they started to get bored. If they got hungry, they might even head back to the swamp. "I need to find shade," Laval said to himself. "If I'm going to save my strength, I can't let the hot sun get to me."

Laval started walking south. After a while, he became tired and thirsty. He was about to sit down and take a rest when heard a very small voice from below say, "Hey, watch where you're sitting!"

Laval stopped and looked down. There was a little desert mouse waving a tiny fist at him.

"You big guys think you can do whatever you want!" said the mouse. "Well, this is my property, right here, not yours."

"This is your property?" Laval asked, surprised.

"Where?" Laval looked left and right, but all he could see was sand.

"From that pebble over there," the mouse said pointing to the north. Then he pointed south. "Then all the way to that sand dune down there."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Laval apologized.

"It's okay," said the mouse. "Hey, you're a long way from home, aren't you? There aren't any Lions in the desert."

Laval explained why he was there. "I won't be staying any longer than I have to, but I had better find water pretty soon."

"Stick with me," the mouse said with a smile. "I know all the best places. My name is Alonz, by the way."

Alonz scampered off, with Laval following. After a few minutes, they came to an outcropping of rocks that provided cool shade from the desert sun.

"Thanks," said Laval. "I'll need to stay here a while: and wait out the Crocs."

"That might be hard," said Alonz, pointing past Laval.

The Lion turned to see that the four Crocs had advanced into the desert and were heading in his direction, though they hadn't spotted him yet.

"Show yourself, Lion!" one of them called. "You can't hide out here forever!"

Laval looked back down at the little mouse. "You'd better find a place to hide," he said to Alonz. "There's going to be a fight, and I don't want you to get hurt. You're too small to stand up to Crocs."

"Ha!" said Alonz. "You don't have to be big to win a fight... and sometimes you don't even need to fight to win. Those Crocodiles are in my territory now. I'll show you how to handle them!"

Before Laval could stop him, the mouse darted off toward the Crocodiles. "Wait!" cried Laval. "I'm coming with you!"

"You'll just get in the way," the mouse yelled backe cheerfully.

"Stop!" Laval said, using a hand to block the mouse's; path. "You can't take on four Crocs by yourself! You're just a mouse!"

"This is my home." Alonz puffed out his chest. "I'm going to defend it. Besides, did you ever stop to think that maybe around here, you're 'just' a Lion?"

While Laval was thinking about that, the mouse raced away. When Alonz was about ten feet from the Crocodiles, he started jumping up and down and waving his arms.

"Hey, Crocs!" he yelled. "What's big and dumb and smells of swamp? You guys!"

One of the Crocodiles glanced at another. "It's a mouse," he said.

"No kidding," said the other Croc.

"Should I step on him?"

"Nah, just let him squeak. It's good for a laugh."

But the Crocs weren't laughing for long. Alonz ran around them, insulting their looks, their intelligence, and their body odor. After a while, the Crocs started to get annoyed. They chased after him, and Alonz took off as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Alonz was fast, but the Crocs' big legs covered more ground. They were about to catch him! Laval sprang out to help his new friend when, suddenly, the four Crocs sank into the sand up to their waists!

Alonz stopped running. He turned around and laughed.

"See, Laval? I told you. They might be bigger and stronger but they don't know the desert. I do, especially where the patches of soft sand are."

Laval walked up to the four Crocs, chuckling. "Looks like you've been beaten ... by a mouse."

The Crocs squirmed and glared at Laval. "We'll get you!" they snarled. "As soon as we get out of here."

Laval laughed. "I'd say the only thing you'll get is waist-deep in trouble when Cragger finds out about this."

All four Crocs gulped. They had wanted to please Cragger by capturing Laval. But the king wouldn't be happy to hear they'd been defeated by a mouse!

"So, this is what's going to happen," Laval continued,

"I'll help you out of that sand before you sink up to your snouts, and you'll go back to the swamp. In return, I won't tell your king about what happened here today. Deal?"

The Crocs grumbled a lot, but agreed.

With Alonz's help, Laval returned to the edge of the jungle and grabbed a long vine. He brought it back to where the Crocs were still stuck in the sand.

Then he tied the vine to one of the rocks and left it within reach of the Crocs. They would be able to use it to pull themselves out of the sand and make their way back to the swamp. But not before Laval and Alonz were long gone from the desert.

As the Crocs slowly pulled themselves free from the sand, Laval dragged his Speedor back to the edge of the jungle. Alonz went with him, perched on the seat. As soon as they were near the trees and plants, the engine roared to life. Startled, Alonz jumped onto Laval's shoulder.

"Why don't you come home with me?" Laval asked

“We could sure use your help defending the CHI against the Crocs. And I have to say I'm sorry to my dad—he was right about something, and I didn't see it until just now. I think he'd like to meet you."

"Will there be cheese?" asked Alonz.

"Probably," said Laval.

After a minute, Alonz said, "So, what do you have to apologize for?"

"Oh, I had this idea that only small things come in small packages," answered Laval. He smiled.

"Turns out I was wrong."

-

I tried putting a few of the photos together to make room for them. I tried not to do it for all of them to make it look a little nicer.

[eldritch-spouse]

Let me start this off by saying PINNIE, YOU ARE SUCH AN AMAZING WRITER, AND I LOVE HOW WELL WRITTEN YOUR CHARACTERS ARE!

The way you write villains is so compelling because, while they are evil, they are multifaceted, three-dimensional beings. They are monsters who have families and friends, hobbies, likes and dislikes, cute quirks, soft and tender moments, and some even have tragic backstories that caused them to be the way they are. But at their core, they are evil.

First off saiders. If were real, I would HATE their entire race and truly only wish the worst for them. They copulated with humans, and when those humans bore their children, they were disgusted. Instead of, just designing the human body to not be able to get impregnated by saiders—like a breeder with a human—no matter how hard they try, it'll never happen. They decide to hunt down the offspring and then pack up and leave, letting humanity expire but not before they killed Krulu’s creations, then tossed him into the null, forgetting about him and permanently damaging his form, and giving him an everlasting hatred for humanity for something THAT WASN'T EVEN OUR FAULT. But Krulu can't fight with the other saiders, so, of course, he'll take it out on beings astronomical weaker than him.

The most insurmountable case of villains getting everything they want with no consequences in this series has been Krulu and by extension his lackeys. For presumably years, he and took the lives of countless people, but he got to find love with two lessers, had two children, and supremely rules over perdition and heaven through them.

Maria, as devious and suspicious as she is, hates people who perform abortions, and I assume by extension, people who get them. But she finds it acceptable and fully permits Krulu to grab random humans—innocent or not—and let them be raped, killed, tortured, and maimed within the clergy. Humans who could be someone's mom, dad, sister, brother, CHILD! She claims to care about children so much, but I assume after they stop being small, helpless and cute she couldn't care less. I mean why should she care? She already has her charm and numerous kids with them.

She would probably watch humanity go extinct at Krulu’s hands if he did it in the most entertaining way possible.

And the worst part about it is that they both will never be punished for their actions.

The other saiders are never coming back; they thought we were all dead anyway. That one extra saider you said might come probably will take part in the torture, rape, and genocide of the human race.

Humans could NEVER fight back. The possibility of killing a saider is simply non-existent and even their WEAKER IN COMPARISON kids cannot be touched

Dorem sure as hell isn't going to do it despite the fact he CAN. He'll just groan that he has over a billion souls to deal with, and since no new humans will probably be born, souls will be eaten by the millions or reincarnated into monsters, demons, and possibly angels.

The supreme beings who are above it all—above the saiders and possibly every cosmic force—would not intervene in the name of complete cosmic neutrality.

Even if other monsters, demons, the clergymen, Adrul, Adelo, and even Miara's kids take human spouses their kids will not be human. I wanna say after 4 generations it'll mark the permanent end of the human race but even then not really.

What happened to breeders I assume will be what happens to humanity a very small group taken to an extremely remote area where they're experimented on, forced copulation, treated like a human zoo, and sold to the highest bidder who'd like to get their hands on the last rare piece of the once honored human race.

UGHHHH, I KNOW IT WAS A LOT. I LOVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL MIND! 💕💕

Well, I should clarify that this isn't really a happy universe or a very "black and white" one. All the characters in my blog, save for very few, are morally evil. In a bit of a bleak turn of events, even gods are great evil-doers here.

The siadar are a failing society of incredibly powerful entities, and as their sims, we all suffer because of that. They may have faded into obscurity under the much more hopeful fabrications that replaced them, but some never forget, such as the celestials- Who are "doomed" to forever revere the ones who left them to die.

Krulu is, to most, blatantly evil. And even if he ends up calming down in the future, he will never truly heal. The chance to heal was stolen from him, his state of mind is always reflected in how he executes things, how he governs the space he claimed as his own. He wants to be feared, he sees most humans and monsters not as actual people worth a shred of his time, but as reminders of what his worthless kin did- The flawed, grotesque things they preferred over his own immaculate brilliance, his care. And so, even if no one is there to see it, to be offended, he hopelessly tortures them.

Miara is not good. She doesn't claim to be. She doesn't care to prove herself to anyone. Miara has come to enjoy time on Earth after having thought hard about the state of her existence. She wants the surface to herself, if Krulu's plan comes to fruition, having no desire to intrude on his way of life beyond that. What he does is hardly her concern, she wants her own slice of peace, and that's that.

Dorem is a bum in a complete rut who just can't be bothered to do anything to help himself and sees no way to go back to his earlier life. The souls in this planet have become too chaotic, and he hates it all, he hates everything he just wants it to fucking stop- But it won't. It never will. This is his life. His eternity. And he rots away, eating the souls that bother him, hoping the two gods on Earth stay relatively placid.

And the Betrayer. Well. Certainly won't be better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thenk you for your thoughts though! I'm happy you like stuff here. :7

[neppednep]

Syuen with a Nikke S/O

Content warning: UNPROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS?!?!

Very light spoilers ahead.

》 Oh boy.

Syuen:

(Would a Nikke even be considered a race?)

》 Jokes aside, unless you were already very close with or already in a relationship with Syuen beforehand as a human, maybe when she was a scientist or even before then, you're going to be spending the rest of your long life kicking rocks on the surface. You already lost.

》 She's most likely playing a large part of the reason you're even in the position you are now. They stopped really trying to make males into Nikkes ages ago, too many complications, and at the end of the day, it wasn't really worth the cost when females were much easier to work with. But if something were to happen to you, whether it be a life-threatening injury or something of the sort, you bet she's pulling every string she has and using every asset to make sure you live. Even if it is as a... worthless pile of junk Nikke.

》 She's been lying if she said she wasn't at least a little happy when you fired your weapon and turned out to be an SSR.

》 She does see becoming a Nikke as a fate worse than death, but that's for her. Maybe it is hypocritical, but she would rather have you as a Nikke than dead. If she manages to care for some Nikkes like Matis or even Rupee to an extent, she can deal with it if it's for her S/O.

》 Well, one upside is you get to spend more time with her! You're kind of under her direct command now. Forget your old job. You're now the secretary working under the CEO of Missilis! No way in hell you're going to the surface. Already almost lost you once, and she's not trying to do it again. You can be one of the most powerful Nikkes out there for all she cares, but you're not leaving her side.

》 She can try to tone Nikkephobia if it makes you uncomfortable. She understands Nikkes a bit better now. She did before, too, but now that it's something closer to her... Nikkes are more similar to people than she'd like to admit. She may be too prideful to really say it, and she knows how they can be treated better than anyone, but she gets it. She won't be throwing any Nikke pride parades any time soon, but she'll be more empathetic. Even Nikkes have loved ones and lives, after all. Most of them are still disposable pieces of scrap metal though. Sorry not sorry.

》 She will throw hands for you, though will usually just be Syuen before resorting to that. Luckily, not many people even know you're a Nikke, being a male and all, but some people are perceptive. If they're a Nikkephobe, there may be hell to pay. She wasn't just spouting hot air when she wanted to fight Ingrid. Wouldn't expect it from someone her size, but she knows how to fight. If someone decides it's a good day for some good ol' discrimination, Syuen disagrees. Those hands are rated E for everyone.

- "Excuse you and your trash heap of a restaurant?" The petite CEO sneers, glaring a hole through the head of the manager.

"I'm sorry ma'am. We can't serve that thing. If you start treating them like humans-" They flinch as Syuen cuts them off in her usual bratty tone.

"Do you know who I am?" She snaps, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm aware of who you are but with all due respect-"

"I see. You've lost your damn mind. Keep babbling, and I'll help you set it straight. We came here to eat, not to hear your barking, dog. Get us our damn food or pay the price."

"Syuen, you really don't have to cause a scene..." You mutter, sinking back into your seat. It wasn't exactly uncommon, but it was still embarrassing when it happened.

Syuen just glanced at you and sighed. "I'll give you one more chance. Serve us like a good little dog before I put you down."

"I'm sorry, but we don't serve their kind. If you want to feed it, you'll have to take it to another establishment."

Syuen stands up, swiftly kicking their foot out from under them and sending them tumbling to the ground. Everyone who wasn't already looking definitely was now. Syuen steps on their fallen form, digging her heel into their back as she stares down at them. "You ignorant piece of trash. You dare ruin our date? I'll sue you into the ground!"

"Yep, that's enough here."

"Hey! Put me down!" Using your enhanced strength, you toss Syuen over your shoulder and start silently making your way to the exit. "Let me teach that idiot a lesson!"

》 Best to keep her on a leash before she ends up doing something that'll make her look too bad.

》 She will at least get to make you into a celebrity of sorts. You're her S/O so it'll make her look better and put you above the other Nikkes in the eyes of the public. It's a win-win.

》 Speaking of other Nikkes, she wants you to avoid interacting with them if possible. You have her. No reason to go and make friends with scrap metal.

》 Unless it's Matis. It's no secret that she plays favorites, and they just so happen to be up there. If you go on the surface for any reason, they're sure to be with you to keep you safe. She'll allow you to bond with her favorite squad.

》 There aren't many dates to speak of with Syuen. She's a CEO and doesn't have time to waste with that sort of thing. You spend almost all your time with her at work anyway. If it two do go out, it's relatively rare, but she'll spoil you at an expensive restaurant or walk through Royal Road. She'll bring you as a +1 any events she goes to if you want to count that.

》 While she can fight and enjoys clocking people who get a bit mouthy from time to time, she still expects you to defend her. She didn't dump all those resources into you so you can stand there and look pretty. Random people upset at her, rogue Nikkes, or even assassination attempts. You'll have to have her back. Put all of that state of the art equipment to use and crush anyone who tries to hurt her. Especially those pesky rookie commanders.

》 I can't really think of anything else, so 😭😭 Syuen Supremacy 😭😭

[8fwd]

When Lewis Wins, It’s Like We All Do

I don’t like to dwell on the passage of time, like wondering if anytime I do something if it’ll be ‘The Last’ time. However, as a fatalist, and a profound worrier, it’s a natural point to dwell on, agonize over, and generally fret about nothing but the times gone by, and the times yet to come. Sport, for the most part is one of those things that always feels like it’s separate from that worry, always there to look forward too, that endless opportunity and possibility that it will be different, better, and that your hero; and by extension you will triumph again. 

A lot has happened between Sir Lewis Hamilton’s 103rd and most recent, 104th win. Two long years since the nightmarish results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, two long years of floundering through the new rules, Mercedes finally falling after eight years as a juggernaut barely facing a challenge for their team’s title. It’s been an odd sight to those of us who have never known a season without at least one win from the man from Stevenage since his stunning debut in 2007, and one that lead me to wonder if I had already seen the last win in that incredible career. 

Not to say I had always been a fan of the man, hell, there were a few years there as a bruised McLaren fan that I hated that he had betrayed us for the greener pastures of the works team, abandoning the Woking team that had rescued his career as child. But, through the early hybrid years, I realized that the McLaren of my Youth, and his, was gone, and needed to be remade anew before any glory could return. And through his years of fighting his childhood friend Nico Rosberg, I felt like we saw a tense, lost Lewis, desperately trying to stake the claim on what he felt like was his. 

But, it was those years post the turmoil of Rosberg that I feel like we got to know the real Lewis, and through his friendship with Sebastian Vettel, I truly felt like the grid had the first real role-models we’ve ever had. And, after their battles faded, and Lewis was left unopposed, he started winning not just for himself, and individual glory, but he started winning for causes, people, and for Us. 

It was that record breaking 2020 season that I will always think about when the day does finally come that Hamilton hangs up the helmet for good. A year of turmoil, uncertainty, and a lot of pain, from a lot of places. 

But, throughout all of it, the bright star of F1 decided to rise above, and use his place as the greatest of our time to demand space in the sport for those that it had been so hostile to for decades. Getting Project 44 off the ground through sheer force of will and star power, and speaking honestly about the racism he faced, all in the midst of the George Floyd uprisings of the summer of 2020 is still awe inspiring. 

And personally, as a trans woman who was living in deep red Texas, seeing Lewis take the progress pride flag to the top step of the podium in almost every country that F1 raced in that would criminalize my existence was important. He didn’t have to do that, and the fact that he did it over and over again, and still continues to wear a rainbow lid just means the world. 

This is a lot of words to say that it just felt natural, correct, good! watching him extend his records even further, and while I have my own deeply held problems with the United Kingdom, seeing him get that record 9th win at his home race, in front of his crowd, his adoring audience, it felt like we were home, it felt like we were back, and F1 will never forget what He Did. Still We Rise. 

[sunny44]

I can’t do this anymore

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x wife!reader

Warnings: fights and mentions of divorce.

Summary: Y/n is tired of living in a marriage where she is the only one who puts him as a priority.

Next chapter

I knew that marriages were not easy, and I also knew that it would be hard to be married to a guy who spends most of the year away from home.

Carlos and I met when we were 20, dated for 5 and have been married for 3, we have never had any problems that would make me think about not being with him anymore.

But lately this thought has been haunting me and silently torturing me.

We are already at a stage in our relationship where we should be thinking about having a family, or are already trying to.

Actually I was thinking about it but it seems that Carlos wants to avoid this thought at all costs.

I try to bring him into a conversation and he cuts me off, changes the subject or even says that he can't be a father right now.

This weekend was the race in Spain and me and his family were here cheering for him.

"Are you okay honey?" His mother asks.

"Yeah, just a little nauseous." At the same time she smiles.

"Honey that's great, I knew you and Carlos were at that part of the relationship but I didn't think it was this close."

"No, no I'm not pregnant." Her smile fades. "I wanted to but I'm not and I don't think I will be for a long time."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." I try to deflect the subject.

"Come on, let's get some coffee." I sigh and go with her.

After we buy the coffees and find a quieter place and she returns to the subject.

"Is something going on with you and Carlos? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, or at least I think so."

"Do you want to tell me?"

"It's just that we've been together for many years now and I thought by this point in our relationship we'd be planning to have a family and everything but Carlos doesn't seem very interested in that." I took a sip of my coffee. "I guess we are at different points in our lives."

"And that worries you doesn't it?"

"It's just that Carlos has putting his career first more than anything right now and I know how important it is to him and that's not a problem for me, it never has been. It's just that at the end of it all what we have in life is our family and I don't want to have to wait any longer for him to decide he wants to before we get started."

"I'm sorry about that." I smiled and wiped my tears away.

"It's okay." She smiles and we remain silent.

…

We were already back at home, Carlos had come in second place and obviously wasn't one of the happiest but he wasn't unhappy either.

"Can we talk?" I asked sitting down next to him on the couch.

"I'm tired now."

"But you're not to watch soccer aren't you." I said ironically starting to get up but he held my hand and turned off the TV.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Let's talk."

"We're fine aren't we?"

"Of course we're fine, why are you asking that?”

"Because I feel like every time I go to talk to you about our family or the lack of it you cut me off and change the subject and that makes me feel like you don't want or you don’t want with me."

"Love is not that." He comes closer and wipes a tear that has run down my cheek. "It's not that I don’t want to have a family with you but we can't right now."

"What do you mean we can't now?"

"It's just that I really feel like I have a chance to win this year and I can't have any distractions." At this I laughed wryly.

"Distractions? Is that what I am to you? A fucking distraction." I get up from the couch. "I’m sorry Carlos that I'm a distraction to you and that me thinking about our future is something that bothers you so much, but I'm not going to stand here and let my life pass me by just because you don't want to have a family."

"What does that mean?"

"That I can't do this anymore." He got up from the couch. "I don't want to wait around anymore waiting for you to decide whether or not to have children because I want to, I want to be a mother, I want to leave something in this world after I die and I'm not going to wait around for you anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I want a divorce."

"What? Babe don’t say that."

"I've already made up my mind Carlos. I've been thinking about it for a while and I didn't want this because I love you so much but you're leaving me no other option." He tries to get close to me but I pull away. "I'm going to get my things and go to my parents house and I'm going to start divorce proceedings as soon as possible."

I didn't even let him speak, I just went upstairs to our room and grabbed a suitcase and started putting some things inside.

When I came downstairs he was sitting on the couch in shock.

"I'll get the rest of my stuff another time." He doesn't even look at me and I even think he heard well so I just walked out leaving my whole life behind.

And that's when I realized that the worst feeling is when you don't want to give up on someone but you know you have to.

Let me know if you guys are interested in a part 2

[symphonyofsilence]

The level of sheer incompetence the Valar show every time a dire situation occurs is infuriating!

Like...do I even need to say anything about how they handled the Míriel/Finwë/Indis situation?! By putting pressure on the DEAD PERSON who had lost both her will to live and her physical strength, to just get up and go back to producing more children for her whiny, entitled husband already?! And interrupting her recovery process every next second? And then! Instead of inventing divorce or "death doing the couple apart" or anything made Míriel stay dead forever (& never get to see her son again as far as they knew) so Finwë could remarry. And their hot offer for Míriel was "last chance. come back or your husband will marry this lady he already has in mind."

And then! They let Melkor free unsupervised and let the shit he spread among the Noldor reach the point that Fëanor drew a sword on Fingolfin, and then! When Melkor had filled Fëanor's head with how the Valar wanted his silmarils, not only did they without considering any other option at the first sign of crisis very untactfully asked for all three of his silmarils (to break them), but Tulkas straight up told him that he can't deny them cause the silmarils are actually Yavanna's and not Fëanor's.

And then! They not only did absolutely nothing to de-escalate the situation when the Noldor rebelled, and after that when they got into a fight with the Teleri, but they made the situation worse by making threats and banishing the house of Fëanor & cursing them all & whoever who followed them. So of course when there was no way back for the Fëanorians they'd try even harder to gather everyone behind them so they wouldn't have to fight Satan alone & of course, they'd oppose the Valar even worse now, and of course, they'd say "welp... we're doomed anyway. No matter what we do from this point on. Might as well do our worst."

The Valar are like 10-year-old children in charge of 5-year-old children. The moment the 5-year-olds throw a tantrum, the 10-year-olds throw an even worse tantrum.

Fëanor had already told the Noldor that the Valar were jealous tyrants, and they just confirmed it with every step they took after the rebellion.

And then they just left the Noldor and the poor race of men & dwarves who had done nothing wrong alone with Melkor in Middle-earth. The poor sailors who tried to get to Valinor to beg for help all drowned! Except for Earendil who had a Silmaril with him...but no, the Valar didn't want the Silmarils HOW DARE FEANOR PRESUME!

And they wouldn't even let the children of the Noldor who were not even born at the time of the rebellion set foot in Valinor. Even Earendil had to pay a price for stepping into Valinor. So Valar believed in collective accountability. So going by that logic, Melkor was a Vala. MELKOR WAS MANWE'S BROTHER! And everything that happened in Middle-earth, and even before that, Everything that happened to Fëanor & the house of Finwë that kickstarted the rebellion was Melkor's fault. Then why were the Valar not taking responsibility for the family member THEY antagonized & THEY couldn't control & THEY left unsupervised?

(and then they offered pardon to Sauron and Melkor, but Feanor got sentenced to staying in the halls of Mandos forever.)

Maedhros didn't burn the ships but still, he was the one who took responsibility for his family's actions and apologized and paid the ransom, and abdicated for it. Fingolfin had lost a son & a daughter-in-law & lots of followers for Fëanor's stunt with the ships but he still forgave the Fëanorians. Here we have a bunch of hot-headed, traumatized, grieving +3000-year-olds acting more mature & responsible & competent & gracious than gods who have been around forever.

And then! The fucking Numenor thing! They caged those poor people on an island, put boundaries on how far they could travel so they wouldn't get tempted when they saw the immortal lands and when the Numenorians rioted they had the guts to send representatives to convince them that actually, being mortal is very good. It's a gift. All the while still not letting them in the immortal lands. And when their mismanagement resulted in the Numenorians finally rioting, Manwe asked Eru for help & Eru... you know... did a genocide & changed the whole world's structure. (He was so quick to answer Manwe's prayer and demolish anyone who criticized him that makes one wonder where was he when Melkor was eating everyone?)

They just HAND situations to Melkor & Sauron. Honestly, Sauron & Melkor would have been idiots not to use these perfect situations handed to them on a silver platter.

I don't think the Valar's hearts are in a wrong place but they're so fucking incompetent! They look like some dysfunctional rich brats with no experience who have to manage their negligent father's company after he's fucked off.

[musewritingsforyou]

The Fight

Part 2

Summary: The day of the battle is here and y/n is struggling to focus

Warnings: injury, vampires, blood, medicine, swearing, violence

Word Count: 1k

A/N: Part two!! this one is a cliffhanger (not rlly if you’ve seen it) so I’ll have part three up tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By morning all of the wolves that could fight were up and gone. Emily and I along with a few others from the tribe went back to Billy’s house to wait for the all clear. Now that the day had finally arrived there were no more doubts or thoughts of Jacob in my head. Only pure determination. He would live. They would all live.

We spent the hours waiting in Billy’s living room, continuing to set up supplies and beds. Emily stayed in the kitchen, nervously baking an obscene amount of blueberry muffins. At some points she came in to check on the rest of us, handed us some food and then disappeared back into the warm and sweet smelling room she came from. I knew exactly how she was feeling. The deep dread in her stomach that wouldn't cease, at least not until we could see them again. Not until we could all lay our eyes on them and see that they are okay. 

“How are you so calm?” she asked me when I went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. 

“Who says I am?” I responded by giving her a weary smile and closing the fridge. 

“I have work to do. As long as I know there is something to do I won't panic. Thinking about Jake and worrying about him won't help him right now, besides, I can feel it. I know he’s okay” 

Emily wiped her hands on her apron and slowly approached me with a smile. 

“When did you learn to be so wise, huh?” I gave her a long hug before going back out to the living room. Waiting. That's all I could do for now. Wait.

Two hours later the door slammed shut as a familiar young boy jogged in. 

“Seth? What's going on, shouldn't you be on the mountain?” We all raced to meet him in the hallway, scanning every inch of him for scrapes or bruises as he slowed. 

“A lot happened, there was this red headed blood sucker and I tried to jump her and then Jake ran down to fight and now Sam's yelling and-” Emily went to his side with water and a muffin before leading him to a chair. 

“Breathe Seth. Slow down. You can tell us when you're ready.” he devoured the whole muffin in silence before he could speak again.

“Victoria came up to the mountain. Somehow she figured out Edwards' plan but by then Jacob had already ran to fight. After he heard-'' he paused clearly cursing himself like he said something he shouldn't have.

“Heard what?”  he wouldn't look me in the eye. 

“Heard what Seth? What did Jake hear?” 

“Edward and Bella are engaged. As soon as he heard he ran off for the fight, I tried to stop him I swear but-”

Suddenly my hearing died out until all that was left was a buzz deep in my head. Jake ran off. He ran into the fight. He was already upset, already prone to being reckless and stupid. Now he's gone into battle. Slowly I focused myself and listened back into the conversation.

“What's Sam telling you, Seth? Is he okay?” Emily was still crouched by the young boy's side, now anxiously asking him about her mate. 

“He's fine, tired but fine. He told me to come get sophie. He said the fighting has slowed enough, he needs your help. The pack needs you out there.” 

I clenched my jaw and nodded. 

“What are we waiting for then?” I ran to the door with Emily and Billy in my wake, handing me bags full of medical supplies, a jacket, a flashlight, anything they saw that they thought might be useful. Finally Seth and I stood outside, he ran towards the woods as I looked back to Billy.

“I'll bring him back, Billy, I promise” 

~~~

I clung onto Seth's thick fur as he ran for the clearing in the woods. I could see fires burning all over in an attempt to kill the newborns. He dropped me right in front of a gray wolf lying on its side on the ground. There was a small marking behind the wolf's ear. Quill. It had to be Quill. The gash through his side was bleeding heavily, he must have gotten stuck in his wolf form because of how badly he was hurt. I placed a soothing hand on his ribs and looked into his eyes.

“It's alright Quill, you're going to be fine” I worked faster than ever before, stitching up his side and when I was finally finished and the bleeding had stopped I turned on my knees to find Sam staring back at me.

“Where is Jacob?” I had wanted to look for him the second that I got here, but after seeing the level of carnage all over it felt too selfish.

“I don't know” I stopped breathing.

“What do you mean you don’t know Sam?”

“He was on the field a minute ago, he was fighting, but I can't find him.”

“Is he alive?” I still held my breath with tears starting to come to my eyes.

“Yes. yes he's alive.” I took my first shaky breath as I turned back to Quill, stroking his fur and placing bandages over his wound. I could hear Sam slowly walking away, phasing just beyond my sight to speak with the other wolves. Then came a sound I didn't recognize. It wasn't the sound of a wolf, or a human or of anything I had heard before. Just as I turned my head I heard Edward shout,

“Leah no!” Time slowed as I saw the gray wolf try to grapple with the bloodsucker and then another sound. This one I knew in my very soul. A howl that I could recognize anywhere as a russet wolf leapt from the woods beyond Leah. I spun in place and started to stand as I screamed for him.

“Jacob, don't!” But I was already too late. Leah was thankfully knocked out of its grip as Jacob landed a blow, but the vampire was too quick even for him. I could almost hear Jasper's words from earlier in my mind. 

Never let them get their arms around you

[casanovawrites]

random sentence prompts  ━ from various tv shows, part 4

surviving is a choice. make yours.

you can’t be afraid to kill. you understand?

i’m not afraid to kill. i’m just… afraid.

i was trying to save lives. i had to try. somebody had to.

if they slaughtered everyone once, what the hell makes this any different?

this sounds like a suicide mission.

we did terrible things in its name.

my honest advice would be that if you’re that miserable, you should break up with them and be with me instead.

you are remarkably resistant. it must be exhausting. 

how is it possible that this is the most scared i’ve been all day?

you don’t have to like what i did. i don’t. but just accept it.

we’ve all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive. but we can still come back, we’re not too far gone.

this is why i like you. you just want to hold my hand.

when are you two going to make out already?

have you ever had to work for anything? 

bad things happened because i was scared. they didn’t need to. i didn’t need to be afraid.

i don’t have to be tough. i can run. i’m good at that.

my mom used to say, “everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”

have you been in love with me this whole time?

you start breathing, i’ll start you a shower, and we’ll go from there.

maybe we could catch our breath here for a while.

life isn’t a race. you taught me that. 

the whole world’s haunted now. there’s no getting out of that - not until we’re dead.

we’re supposed to be working together. 

this year would have been painful without you.

you were so self-obsessed, you never noticed your best friend needed you.

i don’t feel challenged. 

if this is where you want to be, then stay.

i need to know if you mean what i think you mean. do you still love me?

i’m with you. ’til the world explodes. 

if we’re going to do this, you need to be all in.

it’s funny how you don’t even notice the time go by. horrible shit just stacks up day after day.

you are not safe, no matter how many people are around.

we’re strong enough that we can still help people.

this is the nightmare, but nightmares end.

we ain’t dead. whatever happened, happened. let’s start over.

there’s nothing left in the world that isn’t hidden.

we’re friends. we have each other’s backs, that’s it. that’s how it works.

growing up is getting used to the world.

we do what we need to do, and then we get to live.

we don’t have to be friends. it just doesn’t have to be quiet.

people always die. you know that.

you don’t know yourself. that’s the big ah-ha for me here. i get you more than you get you.

i know that i love you, and i need you, and maybe you could love me too. and that’s okay.

all you do is hurt me.

oh, please, like you haven’t been waiting for me to screw up.

you’re no sheep. you’re a wolf. 

i actually thought you wanted to be my friend.

asshole, i don’t go to the gym every day. 

so, you’re leaving to fight ghosts? that’s the plan?

i don’t think any one place can be someone’s everything.

all i have is pain.

there are very few people in this world that make me feel the way you do.

can we just forget this ever happened, please?

you’re doing great. i promise.

it’s you and me against the world, okay?

friendship doesn’t matter. love doesn’t matter.

i’m superhuman, right? made of steel.

people will say almost anything to save their own life.

what if i hadn’t come home in time?

they think we’re guilty, so we are.

i’m grieving the loss of what we could have made this place.

tonight, even though we are in hell, i feel like i have another chance with you.

you and me are the way out.

i won’t let anything pull us apart again. you hear me?

i should've just skipped class, partied, had sex, have fun.

you smell like shit.

we need to get the fuck out of here now.

you are not defined by what happened to you. you are what you do.

fuck it. i’m dying tonight one way or another.

maybe you’re right. maybe shit is doomed. 

the reality is, i’m dying. i am dying. you have to face that. 

what happened to “me and you against the world, you’re all i need”?

stop crying where everyone can see you. it’s embarrassing.

all my days are bad.

tonight’s been the first time i’ve felt like myself in months. it’s been so long. i forgot what that felt like. 

you make me feel like… me.

you drive me crazy sometimes but we're in this together. you're not alone.