#we're starting 2025 off RIGHT | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

genderqueerdykes · 14 days ago

Text

honestly, as a trans woman who's running a fairly 'popular' or whatever queer blog, i've noticed so much shit in the past 2 years and i'm just gonna lay it out for y'all. it's a new year. it's 2025. i do NOT wanna carry any more of this bullshit forward. i'm calling everything for what it is. if this pisses you off, unfollow or block and move on.

as someone else put it in the tags on one of my other posts:

i am sick and tired of not talking about extremely important queer conversation topics for the sake of "keeping the peace".

this is not giving trans women and transfemmes a better quality of life to attack literally every every and all trans men for being trans men. it's making people fucking scared shitless of us. i hope people realize this isn't helping improve the opinion other people have on trans women and transfemmes. it's making people absolutely fucking terrified to even exist around us, because we've gotten to the point where we're attacking literally everyone and anyone who says something we don't like. people are fucking terrified of talking around transfemmes and trans women and it's time we broke the silence on that.

other transfemmes and trans women: do you seriously, really want other trans people to be scared to death of you? do you really want other trans people to be absolutely fucking terrified to speak around you because they're scared of getting fucking yelled at? do you really want other trans people to be utterly terrified to speak up about their own trans issues for fear of being told they hate you? do you really want other people around you to feel utterly terrified to talk about anything queer related at all for fear of being corrected, looked down upon, or verbally harassed?

i am just completely done with this environment we've fostered where basically everyone is on pins and goddamn needles holding themselves back from having real, genuine, impactful, substantial conversations about gender because they're absolutely scared shitless of being called transmisogynistic and publicly cancelled and harassed at all times for saying something as simple as "trans men don't have it easy" or talking about how AFAB people can also be trans. it really does not take much at all to set people off on this website and start accusing people of being transmisogynists left right and center.

i'm not participating in this weird mind game anymore. i do not like how this is being used to control the narrative on transness and trans experiences.

i am done with having to walk on eggshells in every. single. conversation. we have about gender.

i am done with acting like talking about transmasculinity and transmanhood is somehow magically attacking and silencing trans women and transfemmes.

i am done with people having to tack on massive disclaimers saying that they're not attacking trans women and transfemmes just for talking about their experiences on just about every post people write about gender.

i feel like every conversation about gender on here has to be so fucking sterile and calculated and meticulously planned out and stripped of most of its contents in order to not immediately get slammed with a "oh so you hate trans women" or a "oh so you're transmisogynstic." it's fine to point out genuine transmisogyny, i'm not gonna say you have to put up with it when it's real, but can we acknowledge that people are leveraging the fear other people have of being called transmisogynistic to shut people up?

at this point it's being used as a scare tactic and i'm so over it. i loathe how accusing people of being transmisogynistic is a default insult. trans men can't make a post about transmasculinity without someone getting pissed off and calling them transmisogynistic. trans men can't talk about a goddamn thing without being told to shut up, for some reason? why is this happening? like literally why are you doing this? trans men can't talk about ANYTHING at this point. like they needed to be able to coin words for the specific types of oppression they face so they could talk about it, and instead they just get fucking yelled at and told they're being copycats and that the violence they faced wasn't real? what the actual hell is this accomplishing?

why are we acting like we own oppression and no one else can even come close to understanding what its like? come on now, we don't own the goddamn concept of oppression. we also don't own transness. i am sick to death of this idea that transfemininity and trans womanhood are the only "real" ways to be trans. we do not own the concept of transness. it's not just about us. "trans rights" applies to more than just us. it can't be about us all the time. WE are the ones being self centered right now. WE are the ones who are forcing the conversation to be about us in situations where it's completely and totally inappropriate.

we need to say it for what it is: we're fostering an environment where, at this point, only trans women and transfemmes are allowed to talk about anything queer related at this point. like can we call it for what it is? for some reason, trans men and transmascs aren't allowed to talk about trans manhood or transmasculinity at all. ever. they're not allowed to say a fucking peep. they have to shut up and listen to a trans woman explain it to them, because for some reason, the trans woman knows trans manhood better than the trans man. this is out of fucking control, we should not have trans women explaining trans manhood to other people unless they are also a trans man. this is just unacceptable. transfems attack transmascs who speak for transfems, and yet this is seen as good and the norm?

you are not cool if you hate trans men and misgender them on purpose. this isn't feminist. this isn't progressive. you're not getting back at the patriarchy- most trans men do not benefit from patriarchy and never will- you would understand this if you listened to them. instead of talking over and for trans men, and listening to people who talk over and for trans men, if you listened to trans men, the source, you'd understand that no, transmasculine lives are NOT easy and no, trans men do not instantly benefit from patriarchal society if at all, ever. if you listened you'd understand that T doesn't make people aggressive and hostile and evil. if you listened you'd understand that there are a lot of wonderful, loving trans men out there are who are not transmisogynistic just by virtue of existing.

nobody is saying that we want to you prioritize men over trans women when we talk about trans men's rights. we're not saying that we need to talk about men all the time and never talk about women, and that men are the only ones allowed to talk, now. we really have to let multiple people participate in conversations. we can't keep doing this thing where One Gender Has To Be Superior Over another. that's gender essentialism. why must you keep yourself trapped inside the binary like that? why are you so desperate to stay stuck inside of the machine that's trying to destroy you?

challenging someone else's transphobia is not being transphobic. challenging someone else's behavior is not hating them or their gender. criticism is not an attack on trans womanhood and transfemininity. transfemmes are trans women are not immune to criticism and we need to stop acting like we are. we're not. we've created an echo chamber where only trans women and transfemmes are allowed to talk right now and it's not transmisogynistic to point that out, because it's literally happening before our eyes.

if we're demanding that other people treat us better, why are we treating other people like shit in the process to get it?

stop silencing other people talking about other trans experiences. transfemininity and trans womanhood are not the only ways to be trans. stop forcing yourself into conversations you don't belong in. if you don't want trans men do that, don't do it as a trans woman. don't barge into conversations you have literally 0 stock in just to be rude and mean and make the conversation about trans women instead. let other people talk. this has gone on for way too long.

let. other. trans. people. talk. we shouldn't have let it get this bad. but i'm not letting it stay this bad. if you want to accuse people having genuine conversations about transness of being transmisogynistic just because they're not a trans woman, then feel free, i'm not gonna stop you, but i'm not listening to you. i don't care anymore. i'm sick to death of not being able to have REAL conversations on here because some people don't like being reminded that they are not the only people who suffer under cisheteronormative patriarchy. if you can't accept that you are not the only one who suffers under patriarchy and that men need to be liberated from patriarchy as well, then i'm not interested in having a conversation with you to begin with.

seriously, if any of this bothers you, please just block me. i'm not participating in these dumb ass little mind games anymore. i do not give a singular shit about offending people who think this behavior is okay. i spent way too long being afraid to speak up about real world issues because of shitty internet trolls. i don't give a fuck if someone you don't like speaking about their experiences hurts your feelings- you are the problem here.

this is affecting real people in real time and i care about that. i care about people, not stupid ideologies and fighting over who is or isn't "really trans". i care about people, not fighting over labels. open your mind and understand that is is about real ass people, and not just ideologies. trans men and mascs are real ass people. they're not antagonists made specifically to attack and piss off transfemmes and trans women. enough of this.

1K notes · View notes

scarletwinterxx · 8 days ago

Text

drowning in the deepest of truths, I think I'm falling for you - choi seungcheol scenario

hellooo ~ so it's been a while... few things to address😅 i saw svt recently and i can confirm i cried hahah and second thing, a certain mr. seungcheol choi bias wrecked me so we're here. say thank u to him🤣

THIS ISTG TOOK ME SO LONG TO WRITE. if you've been here for a long time, i think it's obvious i love a good friends-to-lovers storyline. i wanna give myself a pat on the back for writing this😅hope you like it too!!

for my other svt fics, check them here

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2025 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(pics not mine, credits to rightful owner)

You’ve been friends with Seungcheol for as long as you can remember. He’s the dependable guy, the one who shows up at your door with takeout when you’re upset, drives you to late-night emergencies, and threatens to "have a word" with anyone who so much as looks at you the wrong way. He’s also the same guy who will call you at 2 AM to complain about Jeonghan stealing his food or Seungkwan roasting his playlist choices.

It’s all very platonic.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself.

But here’s the thing—platonic friends don’t always behave the way Seungcheol does with you.

Like how he always walks closest to the road when you’re together. You thought he did that for everyone until Jeonghan once teased him about being your personal bodyguard. “What, I’m just making sure she’s safe,” he’d grumbled, cheeks faintly red. You’d laughed it off, but now every time he switches sides to keep you away from traffic, your brain unhelpfully replays Jeonghan’s teasing.

Then there’s his car. His precious car. The one you’ve seen him ban people from for spilling a drink or even breathing too close to the upholstery. Yet, somehow, you’re the only one allowed to eat fries in it without getting scolded. “Because you’re neat,” he’d explained once, though you distinctly remember dropping ketchup on the seat that one time. He cleaned it up himself and still handed you another fry.

And don’t even get started on the hand thing. He always has a hand on your back—guiding you through crowds, steadying you when you wobble on uneven ground, or just casually resting it there when you’re walking side by side.

It’s warm, reassuring, and totally not something friends think about when they’re lying in bed at night.

You tried asking him about it once. “You’re very handsy, you know.”

“Would you rather I let you trip and fall?” he’d retorted with a smirk.

“Not what I meant, but okay.”

The problem is, Seungcheol seems completely unaffected by all this. He treats you like you’re just another one of his friends, albeit one he’s particularly protective of. You’ve heard him swear up and down to Jeonghan and Seungkwan that you’re just his friend. Jeonghan, of course, doesn’t believe him.

“Right, because you hold all your ‘friends’ like they’re a national treasure,” Jeonghan had said, earning himself a withering glare.

“Shut up, Jeonghan,” Seungcheol had snapped, but his ears were noticeably pink.

Then there was Seungkwan, who once asked, “Why don’t you just marry her already? Save us all the suspense.”

“We’re friends,” Seungcheol had groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

It’s honestly infuriating. Not because you want him to admit something else (okay, maybe you do, but only a little), but because it leaves you constantly second-guessing everything.

Like when he shows up to your apartment with soup because you mentioned a scratchy throat, or when he lingers outside your building after dropping you off just to make sure you’re inside safely.

Or—your personal favorite—when he softens. That big, tough guy act he puts on with everyone else melts the second he looks at you.

His voice gets gentler, his eyes crinkle when he smiles, and he’s suddenly the kind of guy who brushes hair out of your face without a second thought.

It’s maddening.

And apparently, you’re not the only one who thinks so.

“I don’t get it,” Jeonghan says one day, while you’re all sitting at a café. “Why are you two still dancing around each other? Just confess already.”

You nearly choke on your drink. “What?! There’s nothing to confess!”

“Exactly,” Seungcheol agrees, but his jaw tightens ever so slightly

Jeonghan raises an eyebrow. “Sure. And I’m the president.”

“Jeonghan, drop it,” Seungcheol warns.

“Fine, fine.” Jeonghan smirks but doesn’t look convinced.

By the time you’re walking home together later, the conversation keeps replaying in your head. Seungcheol is quiet beside you, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“You’re awfully quiet,” you say, bumping your shoulder against his.

He glances at you, his expression unreadable. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“...Nothing important.”

You don’t push, but as his hand finds its familiar place on your back when you cross the street, you can’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Jeonghan was onto something.

You knew it was going to be a long day when your boss handed you that stack of papers at 4 PM. By the time you finally wrapped up, the office was practically empty, the night sky spilling across the windows.

A quick glance at your phone confirmed what you already dreaded—you’d missed the last bus. Groaning, you stuffed your things into your bag, resigning yourself to the long walk home.

It wasn’t that bad. Just… cold, dark, and slightly creepy. You’d be fine.

Totally fine.

But when you pushed through the lobby doors and stepped outside, you stopped dead in your tracks.

There he was.

Choi Seungcheol, leaning casually against his car, arms crossed over his chest like he’d been waiting all night. His head tilted up as soon as he heard the door open, and when he saw you, that familiar, infuriatingly soft smile spread across his face.

“Finally,” he said, pushing off the car. “I thought you were going to sleep in there.”

Your mouth opened and closed a few times before you managed, “What… what are you doing here?”

“Picking you up,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world

“I didn’t ask you to.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t need to.”

You frowned, confused. “How did you even know I was still here?”

“Your light was on when I drove by earlier.”

“You drove by?”

He had the audacity to look sheepish. “I figured you’d miss the bus. And I didn’t want you walking home alone.”

Your heart did an annoying little flip. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

“Sure you can,” he said, completely unfazed. “But humor me, okay? Get in the car.”

You hesitated for a moment, debating whether to argue, but the cold wind nipping at your cheeks made the decision for you. “Fine,” you muttered, walking past him to the passenger door.

“Good choice,” he said, smirking as he opened the door for you.

The car was warm, smelling faintly of his cologne, and as you settled into the seat, you couldn’t help but notice the little things—how he’d adjusted the seat warmer on your side or how there was a blanket folded neatly in the backseat.

He climbed in and started the engine, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. “Hungry?”

You blinked. “What?”

“You barely eat when you’re working late,” he said. “We can grab something on the way home.”

You stared at him, baffled. “Do you do this for all your friends?”

He smirked, pulling out of the parking lot. “Do what?”

“Show up unannounced, wait in the cold, and then offer to feed them.”

“Only the ones who miss the last bus.”

Your lips twitched despite yourself. “So just me, then?”

“Just you,” he admitted, glancing at you again with a small smile.

The ride home was quiet, the hum of the engine and the city lights passing by making everything feel oddly intimate. When he finally pulled up in front of your building, you turned to him, suddenly unsure of what to say.

“Thanks for… this,” you said awkwardly, gesturing vaguely.

“Anytime,” he said easily.

As you reached for the door handle, he stopped you. “Hey.”

You turned back, and his expression had softened, the playful smirk replaced with something quieter, more sincere.

“Text me next time, okay? So I don’t have to guess.”

Your chest tightened, and you nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat. “Okay.”

You stepped out of the car, his eyes on you the entire time, and as you walked to your building, you couldn’t help but smile.

He wasn’t just a friend. Not to you, anyway. And maybe, just maybe, you weren’t just a friend to him either.

It was supposed to be a quiet night for Seungcheol. He’d gone out with some friends, had a couple of drinks, and was planning to head home early. But somehow, he ended up back at Jeonghan’s place with Seungkwan sitting cross-legged on the couch, both of them looking far too smug for his liking.

They were up to something. They were always up to something.

“So,” Jeonghan started, drawing out the word like he had all the time in the world, “guess who’s out on a date right now?”

Seungcheol barely glanced up from his phone. “I don’t know. Who?”

“You,” Seungkwan deadpanned, then snorted. “Kidding. It’s her.”

Seungcheol’s fingers froze mid-scroll. “What?”

“You know who,” Jeonghan said, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s on a date,” Seungkwan added, like he was explaining something to a toddler.

Seungcheol’s brain short-circuited for a second. “Wait. What?”

“Why are you so shocked?” Jeonghan leaned back, looking like the cat that got the cream. “She’s a grown woman. She deserves to have a little fun.”

“She’s—she’s on a date?” Seungcheol repeated, his voice louder this time

“Yes, and he’s so handsome,” Seungkwan said dramatically, clasping his hands together like he was narrating a fairytale. “Tall, charming, great hair—”

“Wait a minute. You set her up?” Seungcheol cut in, his voice sharp

“Of course,” Jeonghan said breezily. “You weren’t making a move, so we figured someone else should.”

“I’m not—” Seungcheol started, then stopped, his jaw clenching. “She doesn’t need you meddling in her life.”

“She seemed fine with it,” Jeonghan said, grinning. “Actually, she looked pretty excited.”

That sentence hit Seungcheol like a punch to the gut. You? Excited to go on a date with some random guy? The thought made his chest tighten in a way he didn’t want to think about.

“I don’t get why you care so much,” Seungkwan said, narrowing his eyes. “I mean, she’s just your friend, right?”

Seungcheol’s head snapped toward him, but he didn’t say anything, his jaw working furiously as he tried to come up with a response.

“Right?” Seungkwan pressed, leaning forward.

Jeonghan smirked. “You do seem awfully worked up for someone who’s ‘just a friend.’”

Seungcheol shot him a glare that could’ve melted steel. “She is my friend.”

“Hmm,” Jeonghan hummed, unconvinced. “Then why do you look like you’re about to track down this guy and challenge him to a duel?”

“I’m not—” Seungcheol groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m just… concerned.”

“About what?” Seungkwan asked innocently.

“About her,” Seungcheol snapped. “What if he’s some creep? What if he says something to upset her? What if—”

“Oh my God,” Jeonghan interrupted, laughing. “You’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” Seungcheol said through gritted teeth.

“Then why are you gripping the couch like it insulted your ancestors?” Seungkwan asked, gesturing to Seungcheol’s white-knuckled hands.

“I’m just protective,” he argued weakly.

“Right. Protective,” Jeonghan said, rolling his eyes. “Because that totally explains the vein popping out of your forehead right now.”

Seungcheol groaned again, sinking back into the couch. He hated how transparent he was, especially to these two.

“Look,” Jeonghan said, leaning forward, his tone suddenly serious. “If you don’t want her going on dates with other guys, then maybe you should finally admit how you feel.”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t even try it,” Seungkwan cut in, holding up a hand. “We all know. She’s the only person you drop everything for. The only one you talk to with that stupid soft voice. You treat her like she’s your entire world, but you’re too stubborn to say it.”

Seungcheol opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. Because they were right. They were absolutely, infuriatingly right.

“Okay, fine,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe I feel something. But what if she doesn’t feel the same?”

Jeonghan snorted. “Are you kidding me? She’s just as bad as you. She talks about you all the time, and don’t even get me started on the way she looks at you. You’re both idiots.”

Seungkwan nodded solemnly. “Big, dumb idiots.”

Seungcheol stared at them, his mind racing. Maybe it was time to stop being an idiot.

“Where’s this date happening?” he asked suddenly.

Jeonghan and Seungkwan exchanged a glance, their smirks returning.

“Why?” Jeonghan asked, feigning innocence.

Seungcheol stood, grabbing his jacket. “Because I’m about to fix this.”

“Finally,” Seungkwan muttered, shaking his head.

Jeonghan grinned. “Go get her, tiger.”

And with that, Seungcheol stormed out, determined to set things right—even if it meant crashing your date.

Meanwhile you were having a perfectly peaceful evening. The kind where the air was crisp, the stars were starting to peek out, and the banana milk you’d picked up from the convenience store was hitting just right. Strolling through your neighborhood, you took another long sip, savoring the sweetness.

And then, like something out of a drama, Seungcheol’s sleek black car zipped past you.

You blinked, nearly choking on your drink.

Was that…? No, it couldn’t be. But then the brake lights lit up, and the car slowed before making a sharp U-turn.

You stopped walking, half-expecting someone else to step out of the car. But, of course, it was Seungcheol.

He parked haphazardly by the curb and got out, looking a little disheveled, which was unusual for him. His jacket was slightly askew, and his hair looked like he’d run his hands through it one too many times.

“Hey,” he said, jogging up to you, his voice slightly breathless.

“Uh, hi?” you said, thoroughly confused. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he countered, crossing his arms but not quite meeting your eyes.

“I’m just walking,” you replied, holding up your banana milk as if to prove your innocence. “What about you?”

He hesitated for a second too long. “I was… driving.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Driving? Around here?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was… in the area.”

“In the area?” you repeated, unconvinced.

“Yes,” he said firmly, but his eyes flickered to the drink in your hand, betraying his nerves.

You decided not to press him. Seungcheol acting weird wasn’t exactly new, but something about him tonight seemed different. Like he was on edge. His jaw was tight, his shoulders tense, and he kept shifting from foot to foot like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“You okay?” you asked softly, tilting your head.

He froze, then sighed, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I’m just… stressed,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Work?” you guessed.

“Something like that,” he muttered, avoiding your gaze.

You frowned, feeling a pang of concern. Without thinking, you held out your banana milk to him, your fingers curling around the straw as you offered it up. “Here. This always makes me feel better.”

He blinked at you, caught completely off guard. “What?”

“Drink it,” you said, blinking up at him innocently. “It’ll help.”

He stared at you for a moment, his expression softening in that way that always made your heart skip a beat. “You’re sharing your banana milk with me?”

“Don’t make it weird,” you mumbled, cheeks warming.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he took the drink from you, his fingers brushing yours. He took a hesitant sip, his eyes never leaving yours, and for a moment, the world felt strangely quiet.

“Not bad,” he said, handing it back to you.

“See? Instant stress relief,” you said lightly, though your chest felt tight for reasons you didn’t want to examine too closely.

He didn’t respond right away, his gaze lingering on you in a way that made you feel uncharacteristically shy. Finally, he reached out, ruffling your hair like he used to do when you were younger. “You’re too good to me, you know that?”

You laughed softly, brushing his hand away. “Someone’s gotta take care of you.”

His smile faltered just slightly, something unspoken passing between you before he cleared his throat and stepped back. “I’ll drive you home.”

“It’s just a short walk—”

“Let me drive you,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

You didn’t fight him on it. You weren’t sure why, but Seungcheol’s strange mood tugged at something deep inside you.

As you climbed into his car and he pulled onto the road, you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his stress than he was letting on. And from the way his grip on the steering wheel tightened every time he glanced at you, you had a feeling he was thinking the exact same thing.

A few days later since that night. You're still wondering why Seungcheol was acting weird but you brush it off, thinking maybe he's just stressed because of work.

Now you're somewhere unfamiliar.

You sighed in frustration, staring at the unfamiliar street signs around you.

You were definitely lost.

The errand you thought would take twenty minutes had somehow turned into an hour-long disaster. To make matters worse, your phone signal had cut out just when you’d tried to pull up directions.

After wandering aimlessly for what felt like forever, your phone finally regained some service, and you immediately dialed Jeonghan’s number. He was your go-to for emergencies like this—always on his phone and annoyingly calm in situations where you were about ready to cry.

“Hello?” Jeonghan’s familiar voice answered on the first ring

“Jeonghan!” you practically wailed. “I’m lost.”

“Lost?” he echoed, sounding more amused than concerned. “Where are you?”

“I don’t know,” you groaned, scanning the street for anything remotely familiar. “I think I took a wrong turn somewhere, and then my phone lost signal, and now I have no idea where I am.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, clearly suppressing a laugh. “Relax. Describe your surroundings.”

You rattled off a description of the nearby buildings and street signs, and Jeonghan hummed thoughtfully. “Alright, I think I know where you are. Just stay put, and I’ll send someone to get you.”

“Wait—someone? Who?”

But before he could answer, the line disconnected.

Fifteen minutes later, as you sat on a bench scrolling through your now-working phone, your screen lit up with an incoming call from Seungcheol.

You hesitated for a second before answering. “Hello?”

“What the hell?” was the first thing out of his mouth, his voice a mix of irritation and concern.

“What?” you asked, confused

“Why didn’t you call me?” he demanded

You blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re lost, right? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I—” You paused, feeling slightly guilty. “I figured you’d be busy with work. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Bother me?” he repeated incredulously. “You think calling me when you’re lost is a bother?”

“I mean… kind of?” you said hesitantly. “You’re always so busy, and I didn’t want to distract you.”

There was a brief pause, and when he spoke again, his tone was softer, almost hurt. “You’re never a bother, you know that, right?”

You swallowed, suddenly feeling small. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything important.”

“You’re important,” he shot back without missing a beat.

Your heart did a funny little flip at his words, but you tried to shake it off. “Jeonghan said he’d send someone to get me,” you mumbled.

“Yeah, and that someone is me,” Seungcheol said, his voice firm. “I’m on my way.”

“Oh,” was all you managed to say.

“Stay where you are. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said, and then the line went dead.

True to his word, Seungcheol’s car pulled up exactly ten minutes later. He got out and strode toward you, his expression a mixture of exasperation and relief.

“You okay?” he asked, his eyes scanning you for any signs of distress.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you said sheepishly. “Sorry for making you come all the way out here.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said firmly. “Just… next time, call me first, okay? No matter what. I don’t care how busy I am.”

You nodded, feeling warmth spread through your chest at his words. “Okay. I will.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before reaching out to flick your forehead gently. “Idiot,” he muttered, but there was no heat in his voice. “You scared me.”

You smiled up at him, clutching your phone tightly. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Always.”

And with that, he opened the car door for you, muttering something about making sure you had a proper map app installed while you slid into the passenger seat, feeling safer than you’d felt all day.

The car was quiet save for the low hum of the engine as Seungcheol drove. You sat in the passenger seat, sneaking glances at him every now and then. His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. You could tell he was still annoyed—though more at himself than at you—but the silence was starting to get to you.

“Are you really mad?” you asked softly, your voice barely above a whisper

He didn’t answer right away, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. You shifted in your seat, feeling a small pang of guilt.

“Cheol?” you tried again, a little louder this time

Finally, he glanced at you, just for a second, and that’s when he saw it—the faint pout on your lips, your eyes wide and filled with worry.

Whatever lingering annoyance he felt melted away instantly.

How could he ever stay mad at you?

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat.

In that fleeting moment, something clicked. He’d always known he cared about you, but this was different.

This was deeper.

The way his chest ached at the thought of you being lost, the way he couldn’t focus on anything else until he knew you were safe—it all made sense now.

He was in deep. Really, truly in deep.

But he kept that realization buried, locking it away for now. Because what if you didn’t feel the same? What if he ruined what you already had?

So instead of saying what was really on his mind, he shook his head and let out a small sigh. “No, I’m not mad,” he said softly, his voice losing all the sharpness from earlier.

“Really?” you asked, your pout disappearing as a hopeful smile crept onto your face.

He glanced at you again, his lips twitching into a faint smile. “Really. Just… call me next time, okay? No matter what.”

“Okay,” you said quickly, nodding.

“Good,” he said, turning his attention back to the road. But the corner of his mouth quirked up, betraying his amusement at how eager you were to ease his worries.

And as you settled back into your seat, sipping the banana milk you’d insisted on bringing with you, Seungcheol kept driving, silently grappling with the fact that you had him wrapped around your finger—and you didn’t even know it.

It’s not something you consciously think about, but Seungcheol is the first person you instinctively search for in every situation.

Whether it’s at a gathering, in a crowded room, or even during simple moments like deciding where to sit, your eyes always find him first. And it’s always easy to spot him—because, without fail, he leaves a space open beside him, like he’s silently saving it just for you.

He never says anything about it, but you’ve come to notice how it’s always you in the passenger seat of his car, you who gets the last fry from his plate, and you who he lets get away with things no one else can.

One day, after an especially long week at work, you found yourself riding home with him again. The car was quiet, save for the soft hum of the radio, and you couldn’t help but let your mind wander.

“Cheol,” you said, breaking the silence.

“Hmm?” he responded, glancing at you briefly before returning his attention to the road.

“Do you think…” You hesitated, biting your lip. “Do you think I’m taking advantage of you being such a good friend?”

He frowned slightly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “What?”

“I mean…” You trailed off, unsure how to explain yourself. “You do so much for me. I feel like I’m always leaning on you, and maybe—”

“Stop,” he interrupted, pulling the car to a gentle stop at a red light. He turned to look at you, his expression soft but serious. “You’re not taking advantage of me.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but he reached over, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear in that way that always made your breath catch.

“I wouldn’t do any of it if I didn’t want to,” he said firmly, his voice low and steady. Then, with a small smile, he added, “Take advantage of me all you want.”

You blinked at him, startled by the sincerity in his tone. For a moment, it felt like the world outside the car had faded away, leaving only the two of you in your little bubble.

There was something in the way he said it, something in his gaze that made your chest tighten. Like he wasn’t just saying you could rely on him, but something deeper—something more.

But you didn’t push it, didn’t ask him to elaborate.

Instead, you smiled softly, feeling your cheeks warm. “Thanks, Cheol.”

He nodded, turning back to the road as the light turned green, but his fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel, as if he was trying to shake off whatever had just passed between you.

And though neither of you said it out loud, his words lingered in the air between you, unspoken but clear.

Take advantage of me all you want.

It sounded an awful lot like he was saying, I’m yours.

The music was loud, the kind that vibrated through your chest and made regular conversation impossible.

You were at yet another one of Seungkwan’s chaotic gatherings, where everyone was laughing, shouting, and dancing all at once. You were trying to tell Seungcheol something, but no matter how loud you spoke, your voice barely reached him over the noise.

Finally, with a little huff of frustration, you stepped closer to him. So close that you had to tilt your head up to meet his gaze. He raised an eyebrow at you, amused but curious, as if to ask, What’s up?

Without thinking, you stood on your tiptoes, your hand lightly gripping his arm for balance. Leaning in, you brought your lips close to his ear and whispered the words you’d been trying to say.

His reaction was immediate. You felt his hands gently rest on your waist, steadying you like it was second nature. His touch was warm, firm, and grounding in the chaos of the room.

“What?” he asked, turning his head slightly so his lips were near your ear now, his voice low enough that it sent a shiver down your spine.

You repeated yourself, barely able to focus with how close the two of you were. You could feel the heat radiating from him, smell the faint, familiar scent of his cologne.

When you pulled back just enough to look at him, you caught the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Without breaking eye contact, he slid one of his hands down from your waist and took your hand in his.

Your breath hitched when his fingers laced with yours, his grip firm but gentle, like he wasn’t planning to let go anytime soon. His thumb brushed lightly over your knuckles, and he gave your hand a little squeeze, as if to silently say, I hear you now.

The moment stretched between you, the noise of the room fading into the background as you stared up at him. His eyes were warm, his smile soft, and for a second, you felt like the two of you were the only ones in the room.

“Better?” he asked, his voice just loud enough for you to hear.

You nodded, your cheeks warm as you managed a small smile. “Better.”

He didn’t let go of your hand for the rest of the night.

As the night wore on, you and Seungcheol gravitated toward each other like magnets. Even in the chaos of the party, you never strayed far, and he made no effort to hide how closely he kept you by his side.

At one point, you found yourself standing in front of him, tucked neatly into the protective circle of his arms. His broad frame loomed behind you, shielding your much smaller figure from the crowd. It was a natural thing, the way his arms rested lightly around your waist, his hands occasionally brushing against your sides.

You weren’t sure when you had become so glued to each other, but you didn’t mind. You felt safe there, cocooned in his warmth, the noise of the party fading into the background as you leaned into his steady presence.

Seungcheol leaned down slightly, his chin nearly brushing the top of your head as he murmured, “You okay?”

You turned your head slightly to glance back at him, your eyes meeting his. “Yeah, I’m good.”

His lips quirked into a soft smile, and he gave your waist a gentle squeeze, as if to reassure himself. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I think I’m fine as long as I stay right here,” you replied without thinking, and you felt his chest rumble with quiet laughter behind you.

“Yeah?” he teased, his voice low and warm. “You planning to stick to me all night?”

You shrugged, your cheeks warming. “Maybe.”

His laugh softened, and you felt his arms tighten around you ever so slightly. “Good,” he said, his voice quieter this time, almost like he hadn’t meant for you to hear it.

From the other side of the room, Seungkwan and Jeonghan stood together, sipping their drinks and watching the scene unfold like it was a live drama.

Jeonghan leaned casually against the wall, a smirk dancing on his lips as his eyes flicked between you and Seungcheol. “You seeing this?” he murmured, just loud enough for Seungkwan to hear over the noise.

“Oh, I’m seeing it,” Seungkwan replied, trying his best to keep a straight face but failing miserably. His grin threatened to split his face in two as he watched Seungcheol pull you closer, his arms tightening protectively around you.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “Should we—”

“Don’t even think about it,” Seungkwan interrupted, though he looked like he was barely holding himself back. “You saw the look he gave us earlier. He’ll kill us if we say anything.”

Just then, Seungcheol’s eyes flicked toward them, sharp and warning. It was a look that screamed, Don’t. You. Dare.

Jeonghan, of course, couldn’t resist a bit of mischief. He raised his glass in a mock toast, tilting his head slightly as if to say, Oh, we’ll see about that.

Seungcheol’s glare darkened, and he subtly mouthed, Don’t.

Seungkwan elbowed Jeonghan, barely stifling his laughter. “You’re gonna get us both killed.”

“Oh, come on,” Jeonghan whispered back, smirking. “It’s too good not to say something. Look at them. She’s practically in his arms, and he’s acting like she’s the only person in the room.”

“I know, but...” Seungkwan hesitated, glancing back at Seungcheol, who had now fully turned his body to shield you from the crowd. “He’s terrifying when it comes to her.”

“Exactly,” Jeonghan said, his smirk widening. “Which makes this even more fun.”

Before either of them could act on their instincts, Seungcheol shot them another glare—this one so intense that even Jeonghan momentarily reconsidered his life choices.

Seungkwan cleared his throat, straightening up. “Yeah, nope. Not worth it. I like being alive.”

Jeonghan chuckled, but even he backed off, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. We’ll let him have his moment. For now.”

But as they watched you and Seungcheol disappear into the night, Jeonghan leaned over to Seungkwan with a glint in his eye. “We’re never letting him live this down, though.”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Seungkwan agreed, grinning. “We’re just waiting for the right moment to strike.”

And with that, the two of them shared a conspiratorial laugh, already plotting how they’d tease Seungcheol later—if they lived to tell the tale.

The quiet of the car was a stark contrast to the laughter and energy of the night. It was just the two of you now, the hum of the engine and the soft rush of air outside the windows filling the space between your thoughts.

Seungcheol’s eyes were on the road, his focus steady, but there was something different in the air tonight. It felt like the perfect moment to finally ask the question that had been lingering on your mind.

"Cheol?" you said softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Mhm?" he replied, glancing at you briefly before returning his gaze to the road.

You hesitated for a moment, the weight of your thoughts making your chest tighten just a little. "We're not just friends, are we?" you asked, the words slipping out before you could stop them.

You had been wondering for a while now, but it felt like the right time to ask.

Seungcheol didn’t immediately respond. The car continued on its path, the sound of the engine filling the space. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but there was a quiet, almost amused undertone to it.

"Whatever you want me to be, I'll be that," he said simply, his eyes still on the road, but there was something in his tone that made your heart skip a beat.

You blinked, processing his words. "What does that mean?" you asked, voice quieter now, trying to decipher his meaning.

"It means," he began, "if you want me to be more than a friend, then that’s what I’ll be. If you want me to be something else, I’ll be that too."

You felt your chest tighten, the air between you both thick with unspoken things.

The rest of the ride passed in comfortable silence, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that things had shifted, that the line between just friends and something more was now more blurred than ever before.

"Thanks for the ride," you said softly, unable to hold back a small smile.

Seungcheol smiled back, his gaze lingering on you for just a moment longer. "Anytime,".

The boys had decided it was time for a beach day—a full day of sun, sand, and chaos. Naturally, Seungcheol insisted you join, claiming it wouldn’t be the same without you. So here you were, walking down the sandy shore with a tote bag slung over your shoulder while the boys argued over the best spot to set up.

Jeonghan, of course, found the shadiest area and claimed it before anyone could argue, while Seungkwan bickered about who had to blow up the inflatable. Meanwhile, Seungcheol carried your beach chair and umbrella, glancing over his shoulder to make sure you were keeping up.

When everything was set up, you kicked off your sandals and ran toward the water, the cool waves splashing against your feet. The boys stayed back for a while, caught up in their own antics, until Jeonghan called out to Seungcheol.

“Hey, big guy! You’re really just going to let her wander off alone?”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes but still got up, his protective instincts kicking in almost immediately. He strolled down the beach after you, arms crossed casually over his chest, his broad shoulders drawing attention from passersby.

You were completely oblivious, laughing as you dipped your toes into the waves. That is, until a couple of guys sidled up to you, grinning and trying to make small talk.

“Hey, you here alone?” one of them asked, his tone far too confident for his own good.

“No,” you replied politely but firmly, already taking a step back.

“Come on, just a little chat—”

“Is there a problem here?”

That voice. Low, firm, and unmistakably Seungcheol’s.

The guys froze, their smiles faltering as they turned to see him standing there. His towering frame, sharp jawline, and intense gaze were enough to make them instantly reconsider their life choices.

“N-no, man, we were just—”

“Leaving,” Seungcheol finished for them, his tone leaving no room for argument.

They didn’t need to be told twice, muttering apologies as they shuffled away.

You turned to Seungcheol, your eyebrows raised. “That wasn’t necessary. I could’ve handled it.”

“I know you could’ve,” he said, his tone softening as he looked at you. “But why should you have to?”

You rolled your eyes, though you couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at your lips. “My knight in shining board shorts.”

Seungcheol chuckled, nudging your shoulder gently. “Someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble.”

The two of you made your way back to the group, where Jeonghan and Seungkwan were snickering.

“Cheol scared off some beach bros, didn’t he?” Jeonghan guessed, smirking.

“Didn’t even have to try,” Seungkwan added. “He just exists, and they run for their lives.”

Seungcheol ignored them, guiding you to your chair and handing you a bottle of water. “Drink up,” he said, his hand brushing against yours briefly.

You didn’t miss the way his touch lingered or the way his gaze softened when he looked at you. And while the boys continued to tease him relentlessly, he just sat back with a satisfied smirk, his protective streak in full swing.

By the end of the day, no one even thought about approaching you again—not when Seungcheol made it very clear, without saying a word, that you weren’t alone.

The sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The beach was quieter now, the once-loud waves now lapping gently at the shore. Seungcheol crouched down in front of you, his back turned as he gestured for you to hop on.

“Come on, before the sun sets,” he said, glancing over his shoulder with a small grin.

“Why do I have to be the one on your back?” you teased, but you didn’t hesitate to climb on, your arms wrapping around his shoulders as his hands secured your legs.

“Because I’d crush you if it were the other way around,” he shot back, standing effortlessly with you in tow.

He started walking along the shoreline, the sand soft beneath his feet. You leaned your cheek against his, your fingers lightly tapping against his chest as you spoke.

“Did you know that sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don’t drift apart?”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. It’s called a raft. Isn’t that cute?”

“Almost as cute as you randomly spitting out facts,” he said with a chuckle, glancing sideways at you.

You ignored him, continuing your stream of trivia. “Oh! And dolphins have names for each other. Like, they have a specific whistle for every dolphin in their pod.”

“Do they have a whistle for their favorite dolphin?” he asked, his voice teasing.

“Obviously,” you said, squishing your cheek harder against his. “If I were a dolphin, you’d have a whistle just for me.”

“I already do,” he murmured, his words so soft that you almost didn’t catch them over the sound of the waves.

You paused for a moment, the warm breeze brushing past the two of you. Then, out of nowhere, you whispered, “I love you.”

Seungcheol froze mid-step, his breath hitching just enough for you to notice. Slowly, he turned his head to look at you, his cheek brushing against yours.

“I was hoping I’d say it first,” he said with a soft laugh, his dimples deepening as he smiled at you.

Your heart swelled at the sight, and you couldn’t help but grin back. “Guess you’re too slow, Cheol.”

“Guess so,” he replied, his voice warm and steady. Then, without putting you down, he turned to face the sunset.

“Say it again,” he said after a moment, his tone teasing but with a hint of something deeper beneath it.

“I love you,” you said, softer this time, your lips brushing against his ear as you spoke.

He let out a content sigh, his hands tightening slightly on your legs as if grounding himself in the moment.

“I love you too,” he finally said, his voice carrying all the tenderness he’d been holding back for so long.

And as the sun dipped below the horizon, you stayed there, clinging to each other, both knowing you had everything you could ever need right in that moment.

469 notes · View notes

racew1nn3rs · 8 months ago

Text

─ 𝘚𝘌𝘊𝘙𝘌𝘛𝘚, 𝘚𝘌𝘊𝘙𝘌𝘛𝘚 🫀

max verstappen x singer!fem reader // smau

⤷ summary: when max verstappen starts commenting on the posts of the beloved singer y/n l/n, fans are confused and less than enthusiastic at the new friendship. what they could never expect is just how long they've been 'friends'...

based on this request <3

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

liked by sabrinacarpenter, maxverstappen1, and 46,908 others

tagged sabrinacarpenter

ynusername my new album is now officially out on all platforms! thank you so so much for all of the love and support, and special thanks to sab for her feature on the song <33 love u bb girl 🫦🫦 now that the album's out, tour next!!! see you all soon!

23,560 comments

user1 THE ALBUM OUT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

user2 i cannot be normal about this i fear

user3 ik her back hurts from CARRYING the music industry on her back 😩

user4 hey so WHO TF IS SO AMERICAN ABOUT?? A LOVE SONG

user5 y/n writing a love song in god's year of 2024... wow

user6 y/n in the top 10 charts, fork found in kitchen

user7 sabrina and y/n are never beating the gf allegations

ynusername damn right we're not 😏

user7 HOLY SHIR HOKY SHIT HOKST SHUT

user8 y/n's in love and it's not with me, hanging myself as we speak

user9 the comment is gonna get reported but so real op

user8 can't a woman hang herself in peace 😣

user10 album's such a banger i had this shit bumpin at my grandmas funeral 🙏🏼 rest in piece nancy 🕊️💪🏻

user11 OH MY GOD???

user12 rest in piece nancy you would've loved make you mine 😔

ynusername oh my god please tell me your joking

user10 sorry queen the grind never stops

ynusername NO SHOT

maxverstappen1 great album! 👍🏼

user13 why does he text like my father 🧍🏻‍♀️

user14 brother eughh

user15 what da hell is a polar bear doin in arlington texas

ynusername thank you max!!!

user16 y/n l/n to redbull in 2025

user17 hellurrrrr who is this man in ur likes y/n

user18 f1 driver!!

user17 Y/N NO ATHELETES PLEAEJEWK 🫵

user18 tour content soon??? i'm sat

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

user19 bro looks like he snuck onto earth, get his ass outta here

user20 grammy-award winner, vogue cover model, new york university graduate and Some Fucking Guy

user21 not y'all coming to her defense like the mighty morphin power rangers 💀💀 he's literally a world class athete and she writes pop music

user20 17.172.224.47

user21 IS THAT MY IP ADDRESS??

user20 melinda charleton

user22 IS THAT HIS MOTHER'S NAME!!?1?1!

user20 you want me to do you too???

user22 no we good 😃

user23 ruth bader ginsberg did not die for this

user24 now wtf does this have to do with babe ruth 🤨

user25 WHOOOOO 😧

user24 ... that wasn't right was it

user26 now let's be fr he does NAWT have a chance

user27 have u seen the marble-carved goddesses these men pull, i fear he does 😔

user28 please no i feel ill

user29 TWO???? OH HELL NAW

user30 two might be pushing it, only one was confirmed

user31 jesus christ

user32 first taylor, now this

user33 yall, all he commented was great album 💀💀 yall are LEAPING to conclusions

user34 what can i say it's an art

user35 i do not see 👁️👄👁️

user36 no like 💀💀 im in your walls

user37 haha max verstappen!! right!!! (theres a sniper at ur location)

user38 omg ur so right 🤩 it is about him (i have a bomb strapped to my chest)

user39 i dont mean to sound stupid, idk who that man is, if i saw him on the streets i wouldnt know a thing 🥱

user40 this is so random too like what 😭

user41 the power of kindness won't work here, i have to throw him off a building

user42 i used to be a max verslsjjwwo lover 🤩 now im just a max verslsjjwwo hater 😔

user43 NURSE 🫵 SHE'S OUT AGAIN

user44 why would u put that into the universe 😧

user45 alright, lets get you to bed grandma

user46 mari stop being delusion and go touch grass 🧍🏻‍♀️

user47 ENOUGHHHH

user48 ain't no way in hell 😭

user49 ik ur feet hurt from all this jumping to conclusions babe

user50 lets leave the parkour to the athletes 😃

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris, and 54,789 others

ynusername italy thanks for letting me be inside you (; it was such a lovely show, expect me back asap!!!!

15,267 comments

user51 IT WAS SO GOOD I THNK I BLACKED OUT THE WHOLE TIME THO

user52 oh!

user51 oh so now this isn't a safe space

user53 LANDO AND MAX IN TGE LIKES??? NO NO NO NO

user54 ABORT ABORT ABORT

user55 y'all are doing too much 🙄 she's one of the top artists in the world, i think it's safe to say they might like her music

user56 the second picture 🧎🏻‍♀️do you need a stool cause i can kneel and be really quiet

user57 y/n fans be normal challenge (impossible!!!) (never done before)

user56 WOMP WOMP

maxverstappen1 wonderful show! 🙏🏼 you are so talented

ynusername ty max (: im glad you could come see me

user57 ain't NO WAYYYYYY

user59 THIS IS SIXKENJNG IM GONNA PUKE

sabrinacarpenter my gf looking sexy 🫦🫦🫦

ynusername only for u bbg 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

user60 BOOOO 🗣️ GET A ROOM

user61 do y'all need a third!!!!

user62 mamma mia pizza pasta mozzerella moment

user63 i just put u on a watchlist

user62 🧍🏻‍♀️

landonorris RAHHHHHH 🦅🫵🗣️‼️

ynusername RAHHH RAHHH RAHHH RISE POWER POWER 💪🏻‼️

user63 what the fuck

user64 OH GOD WHAT IF SHES DATING HIM????

ynusername brother eughhhh

landonorris WHAT THE FUCK????

user65 SINCE WHEN IS SHE FRIENDS WITH F1 DRIVERS HOW MANY CHAPTWRS DID I MISS

user66 apparently we all went into a universal coma while she was out galavanting cause idk how else this could've happened

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

maxverstappen1 posted to his story!

(caption: beautiful show)

22,456 replies

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

user67 someone save my girl bro, she don't know any better 😭

user68 it's like a little kid trying to touch the hot stove, LIKE STOP THAT!! DON'T DO THAT

user69 am i the only one who thinks they'd be cute together....

user70 YES!?!?

user71 there is literally no fucking way he bagged her

user72 losing y/n to european f1 driver would be the biggest american tragedy since 2001

user73 i had to read this shit twice, op what r u waffling abt 🫵😧

user74 can't even be nonchalant about this one bro, i'm chalanting hard asf

user75 we do not care

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

liked by redbullracing, f1, and 78,567 others

tagged maxverstappen1

ynusername first time in monaco, safe to say i enjoyed myself! so happy to see you shine this time my love<3

25,788 comments

user76 oh. my. fucking. god

user77 THEYRE FUCKING DATING OH MYFODNSJ

user78 THAT SHOULD BE MEEEE HOLDING YOUR HAND THAT SHOULD BE MEEE MAKING YOU LAUGHHH 🎤

user79 i'm in mourning

sabrinacarpenter CHEATER 🫵

ynusername BABY IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, IT WAS JUST ONE TIME 😣😣😣 IT WAS A MISTAKE

maxverstappen1 we've been dating for 2 years??

sabrinacarpenter SHUT UP FAST & FURIOUS NO ONE ASKED YOU

user80 i'm sorry 😃 two Y EARS

user81 i feel like i just got dumped. y/n don't do this, the kids need you 😔

maxverstappen1 i got p1 for you, i love you 🫶🏼

━━━━━━ ༻✩₊⋆☾⋆⁺✧༺ ━━━━━━

hope you all enjoyed! please let me know your thoughts and feel free to leave a request for me to write something for your fav <3

#f1 x female reader #f1 x reader #f1 x y/n #formula 1 #f1 #f1 smut #f1 x you #formula one #f1 imagine #f1 smau #max verstappen smau #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen #max verstappen x you #max verstappen x y/n

2K notes · View notes

batboyblog · 13 days ago

Text

I wish I could say it was worse than I thought, but you know it was everything I thought it'd be

withdrawing from the Paris Climate agreement and the World Health Organization, orders attacking birth right citizenship and making transphobia the policy of the whole federal government, and pardoning all of, ALL of the January 6th rioters

yes we're off to a great start here in Trump's America folks....

any ways stay focused gang, don't waste your effort, your energy or your time. If you're at a protest and no one is registering people to vote or signing them up to volunteer working in elections, it's waste. If you have money to give, please give wisely to organizations with track records of doing work, not just random insta accounts that look cool? 2017-2021 was over run by left-ish grifters who stole people's money and spent in on themselves, Shaun King, don't let 2025-2029 be the same thing all over where we waste millions of dollars we need spent helping support the MANY court cases against Trump and is train wreck of fascist fuckers.

I'm not a Christian but the Bible has a line which is REALLY popular with black church goers and I'll quote it

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

don't get weary now, don't let them wear you out, wear you down, get you to be apathetic, tired. Every day you get up and you say "I'm better than them" because you are, and set about the work, every week do something, and make sure all your somethings are worth something.

#politics #US politics #American politics

466 notes · View notes

reasonsforhope · 21 days ago

Text

Climate change in 2025: So, what now?

Some real talk for the new year, about where we now stand, and what the next years are going to look like.

(Still ends on a “be hopeful!! or else” kind of note, but definitely gets into some heavy truths about the meaning of recent events.)

Obviously, between Trump's reelection at the Los Angeles fires, things are feeling a lot more precarious than they did just a few months ago. I know a lot of people are incredibly stressed. I know I'm certainly stressed.

But this isn't the end. This isn't the beginning of the end, either. We're not doomed.

Don't despair.

Yes, things are about to get harder. Yes, the effects of climate change are now becoming truly apparent.

But here's what you need to hold on to:

We have already cut expected warming in half.

More about that including sources here: (x) I'm not going to go into it again in detail, read the source for that. But it's true. In 2000, when I was a kid, they were predicting 4, 5, 6 degrees of warming, plus a runaway greenhouse effect that would boil the planet.

Now, scientists expect that global temperatures will likely land between 2 and 3 degrees.

Which is incredibly shitty, yes. But it's survivable.

And I have for a lot of reasons (check these masterposts on this) to believe with the confidence of knowing that we're going to get expected warming down even further.

And that's something to celebrate.

I’m not saying that the effects of warming aren’t already bad, or won’t get worse. I’m from California, I currently live in LA. My state’s been on fire for half my life. Natural disasters starting amping up early here (and we’re certainly in the middle of another historic number now). And yeah, it's fucking stressful right now.

But like I said, my state’s been breaking horrible disaster records constantly for the past ten years. I've done this before. And you know what? Natural disasters have been getting more and more survivable for years, largely thanks to faster warnings and better mass communication (x).

Does it suck how many natural disasters there are now? Yeah.

Does it suck how many more still there will be? Yeah.

Do we need to keep working our asses off to beat climate change? Yeah.

Are we going to need to organize and mobilize (both politically and especially community-wise) like never before to see as many people through these times as best as possible? Yeah.

But that doesn't mean we should despair. It absolutely does not mean that we've already lost.

An unknown number of the most optimistic futures were foreclosed when Trump won the US election. That’s painful but a reality.

But for twenty-ish of the past twenty-five years, the science said we weren’t going to survive climate change at all.

For most of my life, we were worried that we had set Earth on a course to become like fucking Venus (which is, on average, well over 800 degrees Farenheit). Even if it didn’t get that bad, we were so worried that global warming might wipe out all life on earth - except maybe the cockroaches.

(Literally, when I was a younger the kids at my church put on a play about that. It was like an adaptation of A Christmas Carol where the future only had talking cockroaches. I grew up so worried about this. (Not the cockroaches thing specifically. Mostly the general concept. Only a little about the cockroaches. Also yes my church was very granola why do you ask.))

But starting a few years ago, studies have shown that there wasn’t going to be a runaway greenhouse effect that could turn us into Venus; that earth is warming, yes, but we don’t seem to be in danger of that.

Between that and the fact that the adoption of renewables globally is too fast to be stopped, and we do have the technology and environmental science knowledge to eventually re-lower global temperatures by getting to net negative carbon emissions (x), and most countries and at least 73% of people in all countries for which there is data (x) actually care very much about the climate, yeah, we have closed the door on the lava planet future.

And yeah, I do think that’s worth celebrating.

That’s a massive fucking victory.

There's still more work to do, and I have every confidence that we're going to do it. I also think that, given the loss of the US election, there’s a really, really strong chance the developing world will be what saves us, and we’ll just be lucky to be along for the ride.

Most people have no idea of the kinds of amazing stories and statistics coming out of the developing world and Indigenous communities. The world is changing for the better on the environment, even as disasters (and the US) are getting worse. Solar power is going to revolutionize the fucking world, because it’s going to grant humanity universal access to electricity, and that’s going to revolutionize the world, especially the developing world (aka the global majority). And most people have no idea at all, much less how much it’s going to change.

So, yeah, natural disasters are going to keep getting worse.

But there’s a long, long long fucking way between “natural disasters are going to keep getting worse” and “the extinction of all of humanity and/or the vast majority of life on earth”

So, in the face of Trump, in the face of everything, I still choose to hope. I still choose to celebrate this as a true and profound accomplishment.

Because for over twenty years, I was afraid I’d never get to.

That difference is absolutely worth celebrating.

#pulled this from the comments of my previous post and made it its own thing #because I think that a lot of people are wondering what now #and I know the stress of not knowing that answer because I've certainly been asking it myself #so I thought I'd share some thoughts and facts and perspective #and all of the reasons that I keep choosing hope #me #us politics #trump #fuck trump #2025 #climate change #climate futures #global warming #climate crisis #climate action #the future #hope is a choice #hopepunk

501 notes · View notes

thatdisasterauthor · 28 days ago

Text

I am not sure where my fascination with disasters came from, but I have had it for a long, long time. So much so that I very specifically remember being in Middle School and writing a short story about a tornado hitting our school and trapping all the students in the gym (but none of the teachers, of course, because what fun would it be if the teachers were around?). My poor teacher didn't quite know what to do with me when she tried to pair everyone up by genre to critique one another's stories, as no one else had written something remotely similar. It didn't matter though, I was hooked. That afternoon I was standing in my garage and thinking about how I wanted to grow up to be an author who wrote disaster stories, and I wanted to write one story about each kind of disaster.

After several years (and two agents) trying to get these books picked up traditionally with no luck, I've decided to just do it myself. And so, the Little Disaster Books collection has been born! When you pick up a Little Disaster Book, here's what you're going to get:

A short read. Each book is around 50,000-70,000 words. That's a bit longer than a novella, and shorter than most novels, because sometimes you just need a quick book, not a door-stopper.

Each book is a standalone. Because, again, sometimes you just need something quick that you don't have to invest in for a decade while you wait for each book to come out.

Lots of queer characters of all sorts. The disaster genre is, unfortunately, pretty notorious for either not having queer characters at all, or killing them off. Little Disaster Books will instead center them and their narratives. But, the stories won't be ABOUT queerness, they'll just have characters that are queer.

No quickie romance. There will be characters in relationships (I'm a sucker for books with couples that are already together at the start), and maybe the first blooms of a potential romance, but nobody is falling head over heels when they should be focused on survival.

No gore for gore's sake. Characters might get hurt, or even die, but these aren't horror books or slasher books or anything in that vein.

A realistic look at disaster. I'm not just obsessed with fictional disasters, I'm obsessed with the real ones too. I have spent a lot of time studying disasters, myths around disasters/disaster response, and the sociology of disasters. With Little Disaster Books I have worked very, very hard to make the books as realistic as possible when it comes to things like civilian responders, everyday heroes, and how disaster response tends to work. At the end of the day they are still fiction, but they're fiction heavily grounded in reality. No "everyone for themselves/we're all animals when the lights go out" nonsense here.

Full endings. There's a bit of a trend in survival thrillers for them to end right at the climax/moment of rescue, or within a few pages of it, even if things haven't been fully wrapped up. Little Disaster Books will all have more rounded endings that delve, at least a little bit, into the aftereffects of what the characters go through, because sometimes the after is the hardest part of all.

The first book in this collection, Lie Down in the Ashes, is launching on Kickstarter on Janaury 15th, 2025! Sign up to be notified on launch here. It is about a group of teens who get caught in the middle of a fast moving wildfire that one of them accidentally starts.

#Thriller #Survival Thriller #Self Published Author #Natural Disaster #Wildfire #Original Writing #Signal Boost #Little Disaster Books #Lie Down in the Ashes #Kickstarter #My Writing

252 notes · View notes

xoxo-sarah · 1 month ago

Text

Bone Gnawing Guilt

↝a/n: first post of 2025 and we're starting this year off with angst I guess.

↝pairing: season 7!Daryl Dixon x reader

↝warning: ANGST, Negan, the line up, season 7 episode 1 (I think), possible spoilers if you have watched season 7 yet, death (Abraham and Glenn), guilt, gore, crying, the usual twd stuff, not proofread, self hatred?, mention of Daryl's childhood

↝⎙ 1.2.25

|| Disclaimer: I do not own Daryl Dixon, or any character from The Walking Dead. I only own y/n and any characters I create with my own brain. ||

Daryl could only watch.

There wasn't anything else he could do. He couldn't get himself to stand, to walk over to you. He watched as you crumbled, all of your emotions laid out for everyone to see. Face scrunched up, lip quivering, face getting more red by the second, as sobs rattled your body. Blood coated your right cheek; blood that wasn't yours. But, that of a friend you held so close to your heart.

Your own sobs layered with Maggie's, making everyone's heart clench with a devastating feeling.

Daryl had felt guilt before. It was beat into him at a very young age. Everything was always his fault. With his father being an alcoholic, there was always something that was wrong, that the abusive man could take out on Daryl, who was only a kid. After Daryl's mother died, that was a reoccurring instance that was brought up, followed by getting yelled at and kicked around.

Maybe the guilt started there. Either way, it sprouted in his developing brain and grew until it took over his body, the roots trapping him in his body that he hated so much.

Daryl fought against the men trying to drag him to a truck. No amount of fighting -to get to you- helped. He was shoved into the truck, still being able to hear the sobs. He threw his head back, time after time. Maybe if he hit hard enough, he wouldn't be able to hear your heartbreak anymore.

The roar of the Savior's trucks echoed as they got further away.

No one moved. They couldn't. Their bones felt like jelly, their hearts thumping in their ears. Maggie stood on wobbly legs.

The rest was a blur in your peripheral vision. Your eyes were planted on the dirt below, crimson weaving in between the mix of dirt and rocks.

Rocks dug into your legs, leaving an imprint

It didn't matter.

Everything was numb, you felt numb. Even after the bodies were picked up or dragged, you stayed, kneeled beside the puddle.

Rick stood beside the truck, watching as your body involuntarily swayed.

A walker stumbled out of the woods, snarling.

You didn't seem to notice.

Rick started toward you, grabbing you by the forearm. He didn't have the energy to kill the walker, or have to carry another dead body to bury.

Your body was dead weight under his hip You didn't notice the walker stumbling toward you. Tears lefts tracks down your face, mixing with the blood and dirt seeping into your pores.

You only looked up when Rick tugged one final time, dragging you to your feet. The look in your eyes was almost as awful as the sight had been with Negan just a little while ago.

Words lefts your mouth in a hopeless whisper, stating what Rick already knew. His eyes softened as your voice broke in the middle of your sentence.

“They took him.”

The sound of the wooden bat against skull was heard all round the group. The lineup watched in horror, even Negan's men were in shock. This whole thing was gross. Blood splattered with every harsh movement. Abraham laid lifeless. Muscles and nerves twitched.

It was too much.

Daryl stood before he knew what he was doing.

The moment played

over and over in Daryl's head as he sat on the cold floor, pushing himself into the corner of the small, dark room. The gruesome pictures were a reminder of what he had done. What finally broke you. You lost yourself when Glenn, a friend you had made in the beginning, died right beside you. It could have easily been you. God knows the 'what if's swam around your head after the tears had stopped. It wasn't fair.

You weren't with the group when they had hijacked the satellite outpost. You didn't have any part of it, yet you had the blood on your cheek, the trauma of seeing what happened with your own eyes.

If he hadn't stood up and punched Negan, Glenn would still be alive. He would be there for his and Maggie's baby. He would be there to tease you, like he had done since the quarry. The two of you acted like siblings. Now, he was dead. The reason Daryl had first noticed you, as you laughed and pushed Glenn away as he picked at you, was gone. Your laugh caught Daryl's attention, the laugh that Glenn caused. You wouldn't ever laugh like that again, not in this world.

The evidence was strewn across the concrete in front of him. The Polaroids of Glenn's remains were a cruel reminder.

You probably hated him. You probably blamed him. Daryl wouldn't be mad if you did.

You most likely hated him. It would be easier if you did.

If Daryl were to see you after all of this, if he were to escape, he was unable to bring himself to look you in the eye. It would be easier to live with the hate than with the guilt.

He would feel the guilt until the snake that was death struck its fangs into his heart, the venom seeping throughout his veins, throughout his body until it paralyzes him, causing his body to give up in the long run. The guilt would run through his veins as long as his blood stayed warm.

•2021-2025 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

•My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [I do NOT give permission!]

214 notes · View notes

kumkaniudaku · 1 month ago

Text

Me and Your Mama

Summary: Terry and Patrice learn more about their love through life changing news on New Year’s Eve.

Pairing: Terry Richmond x Black!OC

Word Count: 4,436

Warnings: Mentions of Pregnancy

Recommended Reading: Spoiled, Caught

Author's Note: We're at the end of Ficmas! Thanks for all the requests sprinkled in the middle. This has been a fun little ride and hope you feel fulfilled at the end of this one. Stay safe this New Year's Eve. See you in 2025.

Several mornings passed between Christmas, New Year's Eve, and their five-hour drive up north with no attempt to confirm Patrice's suspicion. She'd purposely avoided all conversation about it, preferring to push the thought to the back of her mind until she and Terry could no longer tiptoe around the growing elephant in the room.

Moments after luggage was rolled into their downtown D.C. hotel room, the pair braced themselves for punishing winds and bitter cold in search of the nearest convenience store to pick up comfort snacks and three different pregnancy tests. Terry did the honors of selecting what he thought were the best options based on his research, while Patrice forced herself to take an interest in potato chips and snack cakes a few aisles over.

She couldn't bring herself to engage. Talking about it, whatever it was, would make the dreams more real. And if what she dreamed wasn't true, she didn't know how she could pretend that all was well while her heart chipped and shattered inside her chest. So, she stayed away and let Terry put on his brave face for the both of them.

In the bright convenience store nearly empty as people prepared for a night out to celebrate the incoming new year, they felt like children caught doing something wrong instead of an adult couple on the precipice of discovering what the rest of their lives could look like.

Terry mumbled through passive small talk with the smiling cashier, staying just vague enough in his answers to avoid the glaring topic of the day before ushering Patrice out of the automated sliding doors and back toward their home for the next few nights.

Once they returned, neither of them spoke. Patrice slowly unpacked plastic bags filled with items, leaving the slender white boxes for last.

She drug a fingernail across the box on top, then looked at Terry, who couldn't take his eyes off her. "I think I'm gonna pee by myself if that's okay."

"That's cool," he answered, offering support with a weak smile. "I'll be out here if you need me."

Most of Patrice's time in the bathroom was spent staring at her reflection in the mirror. She slowly lifted the hem of her thick, cashmere sweater to examine her stomach, twisting side to side for the best angle. Nothing of note. The small bump that did exist was no different than any other day. At least, that's what she told herself as she ran her fingers along the slight curve.

Unfolded instructions littered the bathroom counter, each saying a variation of the same thing: Pee, wait, have a minor panic attack, then check the results. Or something like that. Patrice's eyes were starting to cross from information overload.

On the other side of the door, Terry stared out of the large bedroom window at nothing in particular as thoughts quickly ran in and out of his brain. He'd never considered being anybody's dad unless Patrice was on the other side of the fantasy. Maybe once or twice when other partners brought it up, but nothing concrete. Nothing this real, nothing that felt this right.

Sure, it was quick. And sure, it was probably not a great idea to introduce a child into a relationship that was only recently recognized by the state as a legal union. Any boy, girl, or otherwise would be dropped into a marriage not much older than them and cared for by two humans still trying to understand life. But they'd be loved. They'd be showered in affection from sun up to sun down. He had no doubt about it. What greater joy than to hold a child that was half him and half the woman he loved with every fiber of his being?

But he was only one part of the equation. Ultimately, Patrice was the deciding factor. Patrice and a collection of three pregnancy tests two minutes away from unveiling their fate.

The toilet flushing made Terry blink back into reality from daydreams of diaper changes and kindergarten graduations. He caught a glimpse of himself in the window's faultless glass before turning in enough time to see Patrice poke her head out of the bathroom for his attention.

She fiddled with her fingers and rocked on her heels. "You can come in if you want."

He nodded, careful not to appear too eager or unconcerned, and moved to join her for the wait.

The soft click of the door closing sealed them into the room together. Terry silently shuffled into the room past Patrice to sit on the closed toilet lid and nervously ran his palm down the back of his head. He took a deep breath before looking over at Patrice, who'd gone back to obsessing over how her stomach looked beneath her clothes.

"Hey," he spoke in a sweet, low tenor to avoid startling her. She looked over, eyes shining from suppressed tears, and found him looking at her with round doe eyes. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Come here, sweetheart."

Sweetheart. To Patrice's soul, the word felt like warm chicken soup on a winter evening. She could never question how Terry felt about her. He'd been there to offer comfort through a tumultuous, frightening week. Feeling his large hands grip her waist to pull her between his legs grounded her in the right there and then. Regardless of the results, he'd still be around to kiss away the bad times and laugh with her through the good.

Patrice lightly placed her cold hands on his face while he looked up at her, waiting for anything she decided to say.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "What if it's negative?"

"Well. We'll go out and drink champagne all night like we planned. I hate the taste on its own but know I'll love it on your lips when we kiss at midnight. Then we move on. Maybe have a conversation that we should've had a long time ago on the drive home."

"And if it's positive?"

Terry took a deep breath, allowing the words to come out in a mind-clearing huff. "We skip the champagne and keep the kiss. But we have to celebrate either way, baby. Time's gonna pass no matter what."

For all his mixed bag of positive and negative traits, Terry's sneaky optimism was Patrice's favorite. A short, airy laugh came through Patrice's nostrils as she tossed her head back and groaned.

"You're always so sure of things and I'm sitting here about to throw up my lunch."

Terry rubbed his hands up and down the back of her legs with a smile. "I'm not sure of shit, really," he laughed. "I just know that we'll be alright in the end. This Gunny I was close with told me everything goes back to baseline. Don't sweat the bullshit in between. So, that's what I'm doing. Waiting it out."

"That doesn't scare you? The waiting?"

"Sometimes." A quick glance down convinced him to slowly lift Patrice's sweater with one hand and hold it in place while he pressed feather-soft kisses across her abdomen. Kisses for her? Kisses for who he hoped lived inside? He didn't know. But he spoke against the area to communicate with whoever would listen. "But waiting always brought me something better than what I had. How could I not trust the process when I have the result standing right in front of me?"

A rush of emotions broke the levees holding Patrice's tears back, sending a wet stream sliding down her hot cheeks. Terry wiped her face with the back of his hand in silence, the gentleness in his care working double time to soothe whatever thoughts and feelings were coming forward for her.

When the short bout of crying had ceased, and she was left with nothing but her husband, a timer ticking down to mere seconds and a looming result hanging over their heads, Patrice ran her thumb along Terry's cheek and smiled down at him.

"I love you more than I ever thought I could, but we gotta slow down, Terrence. I'm worn out."

Terry answered her joke with a low chuckle that bounced his shoulders and spread his smile wide. "I'm with you, baby. That should be our New Year's resolution."

"Either that or finally getting around to that budget we've been talking about. Might have to add a baby fund line item."

"We got it. Don't worry." Terry assured before kissing the inside of her wrist. "Whatever happens, we're okay. Gimme a kiss."

Sweet affection in the face of potentially life-altering change offered some sense of normalcy as they allowed the world to turn into abstract concepts with shared, tender smooches.

They'd almost forgotten what brought them into the bathroom until the harsh trill of Patrice's phone timer ripped through space and time, again placing them smack dab in the middle of the present.

When Terry reached to grab one of the tests after silencing the noise, Patrice jolted forward to grab his wrist. "Okay, wait!" she panted. "I-I'll grab one, and you'll grab one. Then we'll do the third one together. Does that make sense?"

"Alright. Which one do you want?"

"I don't fuckin' know! Choose for me! I can't do this, TJ!"

Terry wore a crooked smile as he calmly plucked two tests from their containers and placed the digital option into Patrice's palm face down. He took the analog test and covered the result with his thumb before swallowing the lump in his throat.

A deep breath rushed through parted lips. "Turn it over on three. One, two…"

Three never came for Patrice. Even after Terry had uttered the number and turned his test over slowly, Patrice kept her eyes closed, waiting for him to spill the beans. She couldn't bring herself to verify on her own accord. He'd have to be her eyes and ears.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, making the wait agonizing until Terry broke the seal.

"Treecey," he called out. "Please look with me. I need you to see."

A deep breath helped her blink her way back into clear eyesight. She didn't look at Terry or try to peek at the pink test in his hand. Instead, she flipped her test over with trembling fingers and stared at the small digital screen displaying a single word.

"Oh –" was all she managed to choke out before looking up at Terry's beaming smile and tear-soaked face. "Does yours say –?"

"Two lines, baby. Two!"

Disbelief gave way to unadulterated shock. "Oh. My. God. Look at the other one!"

"You have to do it with me!"

Another countdown as they held on to the final test together preceded an excited flip and harmonizing reactions that could only be described as happy sobs.

Patrice rocked Terry in a tight embrace while he clung to her, crying into her sweater's soft fabric more than he'd cried in years. An avalanche of emotions wrapped in disbelief that he'd been immeasurably blessed after his year started with so much strife. His losses came with gains ten times above what he could ask or think.

His wife brushed tears from her already stained face before kissing the crown of his head and repeating, "You're gonna be a daddy, Pooh. You're gonna be a daddy!"

Emotions distorted his deep voice. "Swear?"

"Swear, baby. You're gonna be a daddy."

He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, not caring who he disturbed. Then, he'd run down the hallways, through the lobby's doors, out into the cold D.C. air, and holler to anyone who would listen that his wife, the girl he fell in love with before he could legally drink, was carrying a child that might look just like him someday.

But he couldn't get past sharing the excitement seemingly gushing out of his pores with the only other person who could understand his joy. He chose to lift Patrice up in the air as he stood tall, spinning her in a slow circle before gingerly placing her back on her feet and pressing his forehead against hers.

"What the fuck," he laughed as he tickled her sides, causing her to giggle back. "I'm having a baby. With my baby!"

"I guess I couldn't beat teen pregnancy. My parents are going to be so disappointed in me."

"Stop it." The thought of his parents sitting in their living room without a clue that their firstborn was miles away receiving such big news flipped on a light bulb in Terry's head. "Our parents! Should we call? We should call them now. Do you wanna do a group FaceTime or like a conference call or what?"

Patrice watched Terry fumble around his pockets for his phone until he came up empty-handed and reached for hers. She pushed the device further away and shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Can we just…enjoy the news by ourselves tonight. I want it to be our secret a little longer. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Piggy. Whatever you want. I'm sorry, I just - shit. This is insane. You have a baby in there. Should we tell them we're a party of three tonight at dinner?"

"No," Patrice laughed, finding his unbridled excitement adorable. "If they cancel this reservation because you playin', me and you might have a problem, Daddy."

Terry bit his lip and lowered his head to kiss at her neck. "Damn, I love hearing you say that. Say it again."

By the time they were approaching a swanky steakhouse on Patrice's long list of places to visit, she'd called him Daddy so much in jest that she almost told the hostess that that was the name on their reservation.

Pockets of quiet conversation held over candlelight and crisp white tablecloths greeted them as they were led through the dimly lit restaurant to the table for the evening. Terry moved to pull out a chair for Patrice, but she stopped him with a kind smile.

"I'm gonna run to the restroom. Mommy bladder is starting early. Order something cute for me?"

Her joke made Terry smile like a little boy until she was out of his sight and safely inside the ladies' room.

Romantic jazz music oozing out of speakers concealed inside the walls like smooth red wine gave Patrice time to replay the day in her head, unable to contain the elation on her face as she washed her hands at the sink.

Another woman, tall like a model and beautifully sepia-toned, applied lipstick in the mirror and noticed how she tried but failed to stop grinning. She smiled at Patrice before speaking. "You're glowing," she complimented. "I need whatever you've got going on tonight."

Patrice chewed the inside of her cheek after a bashful thank you. She wanted to keep the words in and pleaded with herself to walk out of the restroom and return to Terry without uttering another word.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, unable to fight the urge. "My husband and I – he's the tall one out there waiting on me – we just found out that I'm pregnant. We were best friends over a decade ago, and I still can't believe we're married. Now, there's a baby inside me with half his DNA. I'm having a baby with Terry Richmond. Oh my God." The realization of her social blunder hit her like an 18-wheeler. "And I just told a stranger all my business. I am so sorry!"

"No, no! That's incredible, girl! Can I hug you?"

Patrice didn't know why she obliged, but she did, allowing herself to sink into this woman's arms like she was an old friend and not someone whose name she didn't know. The woman rubbed her back and squeezed tight before pulling away.

"Congratulations, sis. Happy Holidays."

While Patrice received well wishes on the other side of the establishment, Terry gave his full attention to the cocktail menu as a server attempted to provide recommendations.

"That one is a crowd favorite," the young man pointed out. "Is she a rum lover? It comes with top shelf Appleton Estate if so."

Terry chuckled to himself. "She is, but she can't have any right now. We just found out she's pregnant before we got here." Further explanation caught in his throat. He didn't mean to offer up their secret. Excited Terry had done the talking, not calm and reserved Terry.

He watched with wide eyes and an internal scolding rattling around the container of his mind as the server smiled and jotted a note on his pad. "First, congratulations! I'll note that to the staff and see if we can't do something special for you and your beautiful date. Second, no worries at all. We can turn that one into a mocktail and not lose too many of the flavor notes."

"Thanks," Terry breathed out. "Hey, can you make sure you don't tell her I said that? It was supposed to be a secret."

"Our lips are sealed, Mr. Richmond. Consider it a little something extra to celebrate the new year."

Terry made a mental note to leave a handsome tip behind as Patrice reappeared from her time away. Her smile hypnotized him until she was close enough to remind him about her chair. He scrambled to his feet to take care of his duty, nervously pushing her to the table as if this were their first date.

When he was back in his seat, he watched her survey the room and menu, taking in each of her features.

High cheekbones passed down from a long line of majestic women. Soft, mahogany skin that mesmerized him in golden hour light every evening. Dark, expressive eyes that told the story of her inner thoughts, even when she tried to hide. Full lips he couldn't resist. The total package. Everything he hoped for was wrapped in one person.

Terry sat across from her, smitten. His grin showcased all of his teeth and then some while she scanned the appetizers for something to satiate her peckishness.

Prolonged silence made Patrice glance up and then double-take when she noticed Terry's one-sided staring contest. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just trying to remember how you looked on the second most important night of our lives."

Sudden bashfulness sent heat rushing to her face. "The third," Patrice corrected with a smile. "Don't leave out New Orleans."

Terry chuckled at the memory. "Baby, the sun was barely in the sky when you decided to disturb the whole third floor."

"It was time to wake up anyway. That's what's wrong with the world now."

Jokes and discussions about the possibility of dessert before dinner dominated the conversation until their server returned with two drinks meant to loosen their lips and hips for the evening. A subtle wink between Terry and the server communicated all he needed to know without tipping off Patrice as she excitedly watched beautifully decorated glasses hit the table.

"To our first night out as Mom and Dad," Terry toasted, prompting Patrice to raise her glass.

Mom and Dad—parents to be—two bodies forming one in a few months—a culmination of thousands of experiences leading them to a fate written before they were born. The concept sounded so foreign yet so familiar.

Patrice dabbed at misty eyes, sniffling out a breathy, "To Mommy and Daddy."

Glasses softly clinked before she joined Terry in a long sip and starry-eyed gazes across the table to officially kick off a night of celebration.

Or so they'd hoped. Full bellies caught up with exhausted minds and bodies once silver forks hit clean porcelain plates well before their planned 10 p.m. exit. They tried to negotiate the next move with each other: a little walk for digestion, maybe a minute to listen to street performers play go-go renditions of oldies their parents would enjoy, perhaps another dessert to keep the mood high.

All of their suggestions paled in comparison to hearing the mechanical whir of the hotel's lock precede the door swinging open to a warm room. There were no crowds trying to cram their bodies onto a rooftop brimming with eager folks anticipating good fortune as the clock flipped forward on a new year. There was only each other and the comfort of familiarity.

Bottles of Sprite from the downstairs market acted like expensive bottles of bubbly poured into scavenged plastic cups next to a collection of fatty snacks, and cell phones switched to silent mode to avoid distractions.

Terry and Patrice two-stepped hand in hand to jams playing from the television broadcast, dressed down in comfortable clothes and sporting ever-growing smiles.

Under warm lamplight, Terry held Patrice's hand over her head to help her spin like a wind-up ballerina before pulling her close. "What were you doing last year around this time?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," she groaned, a sour look making her frown momentarily. "I was in a bathroom stall breaking up with my ex. Then Phee got us so drunk that we ended up blacked out before the countdown. I still don't know how we got back to her house or why we were cuddled up in her bed like that."

"Sounds like the kind of chaos you three get into when you're unsupervised."

"Whatever." Patrice laughed before making her fingers dance across Terry's broad shoulders. "What about you? What were you doing?"

Terry let a wry smile creep across his face. "Alone and sleeping. I didn't think there was much to look forward to, and I had to work in the morning anyway. Don't even think I turned the TV on."

The thought of Terry sleeping in on the night handpicked for blind optimism drew a sympathetic look from Patrice. "We both had a rough go at it, huh?"

"I don't know, mine was pretty chill. You were the one missing chunks of time." Patrice took faux offense at his joke, slapping across his chest before they let off laughs that slowly dissipated into a comfortable silence.

Terry rested his head atop Patrice's, his mind taking a winding road back to the beginning while she hummed a made-up tune to herself.

"Fifth-period Forensics with Mr. Turner. Junior year. You were wearing little strawberries crocheted on a pink sweater and your hair in a high ponytail. Kind of like tonight."

Patrice looked up and tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"That's the moment I fell in love with you. I'd always liked you, but that's the moment I realized that I loved you," he clarified. "I spent so much time denying it, tiptoeing around how I felt and trying to find you in other women long after we were done, but I kept coming back to you acing that pop quiz in a pink strawberry sweater."

Patrice chuckled and smiled, recalling the time when her feelings blossomed beyond butterflies in her tummy at the mention of his name into a full-bodied, ever-present yearning for his heart.

Terry waited expectantly, longing to know if there was a moment for Patrice – if her love had a spark that rocked her world the way she did so long ago for him.

Flashes of bright light and distant cheering cut in just as Patrice seemed ready to confess, stealing her attention for a second too long.

She gasped like a child on Christmas morning. "Look, baby! We can see the fireworks from here." Patrice tugged Terry along, all two hundred plus pounds of him yielding to her will slowly but surely.

He had to admit, the sight was beautiful. Bright flashes of light turning into whimsical bursts kept him captivated as the clock ticked down the final minutes of the year. He slowly embraced her from behind, needing to feel her warmth combined with his for comfort. Patrice watched in content silence, smiling to herself while Terry watched the show unfold from the reflection in her glasses.

Two minutes left. Two minutes to cap off a whirlwind 365 days and march triumphantly into a new slate. Two minutes to release long-forgotten truths buried in the recesses of Patrice's mind. She leaned back against Terry and craned her neck to admire him from her vantage point.

A jawline fit for a man meant to be showcased to the world. Piercing eyes that shifted and changed with his emotions. Skin marked with blemishes telling countless stories – some he'd share and others that would follow him to the other side. Full pink lips that talked her through good, bad, and intimate times. All the features that might grace a child not yet named and growing in her womb.

"Senior prom night. You told me you loved me, and I said it back because I always said it back. But, that time, it felt different. It wasn't like sayin' it to my parents or my friends or the stray cat Mama let us feed. A different part of my heart meant it. That was the first moment."

Terry looked down at her, smirking and silently encouraging her to continue. She turned in his arms and then took hold of his ears to rub gentle circles against them.

One minute left. Seconds dwindling. She continued. "The second time was today. And I hope there's a third, a fourth, and one hundred more to come. I never want to stop falling in love with you, TJ."

Terry squeezed her a little tighter as if she might vaporize and blow away if he didn't hold on for dear life. "Yeah, me too," He whispered, drawing closer to her lips. "Never."

Faint voices shouting a countdown in unison floated through empty streets and up to the 10th floor to surround a couple preparing to embark on a new journey.

“Ten…nine…eight…seven…”

An excited buzzing, nearly perceptible by touch, sparked across the city. Heartfelt 'I love you's' shared as one breath passed between Terry and Patrice just before they connected lips and tongues.

“Six…five…four…”

Colors painted their bodies from the window, bathing them in light one last time from January to December. A final salute from the Most High.

"Three…two…one! Happy New Year!"

Endless possibilities coated in an extra dose of magic felt real for the first time in forever. A lover's embrace carried hope and a promise. They'd start anew in lockstep the way the stars intended, with an extra set of fingers and toes to usher through life at some point in the future.

But, for a moment, Terry and Patrice stood suspended in time, drunk off the taste of each other, ushering in the new year the only way they knew how.

Together.

———————————

Reply if you'd like to be tagged in future work!

TAGS: @planetblaque @wvsspoppin @thatone-girly @avoidthings @slutsareteacherstoo @eilujion @amyhennessyhouse @yaachtynoboat711 @jenlovey @pinkpantheris @blowmymbackout @onherereading @becauseimswagman1 @thiccc-c @hrlzy @urfavblackbimbo @blackburnbook @ashanti-notthesinger @xo-goldengirl @ariiijestertheklown @blyffe @tvchi @wabi-sabi1090 @blackmoonchilee @flydotty @aldrigmer444 @ash-ketchumzzz @nayaesworld @ms-mosley-ifunastyyy @writingsbytee

#aaron pierre #terry richmond #terry richmond x oc #rebel ridge #ficmas

309 notes · View notes

cybertron-smash-or-pass · 16 days ago

Note

You do know that fornication with cybertronians, regardless of faction is impossible as they would crush us due to their sheer sieze and weight, right? It would also be considered immoral and beastiality if we are talking about the predacons for example.

Y'know, I was originally just going to dunk on you for unironically using the word Fornicate in the year of our Lord Primus 2025, but this seems to a genuine, good-faith argument you've constructed here and to leave it at a joke would be flippant on my part, and I hold myself to a higher standard than that. So! Allow me to counter these points one by one.

While in reality, yes, the likelihood of death or injury from letting a 20-foot robot that weighs as much as a truck rail you full force would probably be pretty high, the nice thing about fiction and fantasy is that it doesn't really need to be grounded in reality. And even if you can't entirely suspend your disbelief on that level, there are still workarounds.

For example, not every transformer has all the mass of a semi truck. Their sizes have quite a bit more variation than you might be anticipating. Animated Prowl is only like 10 feet tall, 12 tops, and a smaller motorcycle only weighs around 350-400 pounds, which really isn't all that crazy. You look at G1 Rumble and Frenzy, and they're hardly taller than the humans. And then you look at the Beast Wars cast and some of the Maximal are straight up shorter than I am. Rattrap is like 4 foot nothin'.

Now, I know what you're thinking. We certainly do not limit ourselves to lusting over the smaller bots here on cybertron-smash-or-pass dot tumblr dot edu, so what gives? Well, my dear, we've found a reasonable canon excuse to bring the very big very heavy robots down to a more manageable and less hazardous size through the magic of ✨mass displacement✨. Basically, if Soundwave can scale down into an itty bitty cassette player that can easily be picked up like it weighs nothing, there's really no reason a 30-foot robot as heavy as a jet couldn't scale down into a smaller, human-ish-sized robot. They have the technology.

Now say someone doesn't really want to make their fictional robot boyfriend smaller. Maybe the insane overall size is part of the appeal, but they still can't get over the thought of whatever they're packing being way too big to avoid injury. While Cybertronians are typically humanoid, their junk doesn't really have to be in perfect proportion with a human's. No rule that says you can't scale it down enough to fit! But then, maybe they can work with the equipment being comically big, but they can't get over the idea of being crushed. Easy solution, human can't get crushed if they're on top!

Maybe they can't picture the spike fitting at all, and scaling it down just looks a little too silly, but they're still attracted to a big ol' robot. At that point, the best workaround I can give is just sticking with picturing non-penetrative sex. Not like there's only one way to do it, and nobody can stop you from imagining Optimus prime having at it between your thighs, or scissoring with Megatron <3

Now as for whether some of it is immoral, I don't really think banging a Predacon would be wrong? Whether we're talking about the beast wars preds or the tfp preds, they're all treated as adults with human-level intelligence, so they'd be able to give consent, unlike earth animals. Sex with Optimus Primal is really a lot closer to bangin' a guy in a gorilla suit at a costume party than hopping into an actual gorilla enclosure and bending over. While an argument could be made about the tfp predacons being technically very young, and it'd be perfectly valid to be uncomfortable sexualizing them with that in mind, not everyone is going to interpret them as being immature since it seems they start off in that continuity generally having their shit together and knowing enough as to not be easily taken advantage of.

So with all that said, I hope you at least have a clearer picture of how the mind of a robotfucker operates!!

#not polls #valveplug #professor robot sex here to explain the intricacies of being a freak 💖

166 notes · View notes

hauntingofhouses · 1 month ago

Text

Mizu smiling compilation

It's already 2025 but I'm still stuck thinking about Mizu. Specifically thinking about how Mizu does not smile very much throughout the series.

Most (like I'd say 90%) of adult Mizu's smiles are actually not from present day but from her Episode 5 flashback, which is of course unsurprising. This is during a time when she was comfortable being herself and letting her hair down. She was vulnerable, in love, and happy.

In present day though, most of her smiles are smirks she makes while showboating. She is arrogant, sarcastic, biting, intimidating.

"Do I duel the mystic Tengu themselves?"

"Maybe I've been following you. The famous Hachi with the famous gun."

"Your [Akemi] father probably lined up a nice, young replacement lord to marry."

"I see why he [Taigen] likes you [Akemi]. You're just like Taigen when we were children. A fucking brat."

But underneath her bitterness and bravado, Mizu has a soft heart. We see this side of Mizu most often when she's alone.

Like when she smiles proudly at her own achievements the same way she used to as a child.

She smiles while fondly sending a prayer for Master Eiji, whom she has given the affectionate nickname/title of Swordfather.

"Please protect Swordfather from time and harm."

She smiles at the sound of the drums during the Hadaka Matsuri. She secretly yearns for fun, and genuinely wanted to go to the festival.

"Huh. The drums. Maybe I'll just go look at the fun."

It's not only while alone that she smiles however.

She also smiles when Akemi compliments her eyes, taken aback for a moment and seemingly impressed by Akemi's ability to flatter her.

"Huh. I see."

Then right after, we get this dialogue:

MIZU: Your madam explained how it is some essential part of the soul that draws men to brothels, when it's only naked flattery. Do men usually fall for this? AKEMI: The ones I've known, yes.

And then Mizu smiles again:

There are a few ways you can interpret this. Maybe she's just smirking like "lmao those dudes are suckers," or maybe she herself feels flattered because Akemi could be alluding to how Mizu is not like other men, or maybe she's remembering that Taigen is one of the men Akemi has known, who, consequently, is one of those suckers to always fall for Akemi's flattery.

Oh, and speaking of Taigen. Funnily enough, Taigen is the leading cause of present-day Mizu's smiles.

First is when they first meet again in episode 1.

"You're from Kohama Village. […] You've climbed some heights... to be the prize of a miserable lot."

This is, of course, not a genuine smile, but one of those cocky smirks mentioned earlier that she often makes. But while we're here, I just find it notable to point out because, despite the fact that he was her childhood bully, she is not afraid of seeing him again. Instead her first reaction upon realising who she's facing is to insult him to his face while smirking at him! I just find this interesting because it really sheds light on how she views Taigen in the present day. She doesn't see herself as his helpless victim. She's proud to show off that she, too, has made it out of Kohama, and that, in fact, she's better than him.

She smiles at him again later, just before they start their proper duel in the snow. She unsheathes her sword (which is the first time for both Taigen and the audience), and Taigen is shocked as he says this:

"You have a sword made by Master Eiji."

And then we have this:

Another smirk, playful and confident. Because joke's on him; little does he know that Master Eiji is her adoptive father, and not only that, the sword was in fact made by her own hand, and not Eiji's. Taigen is ever the fool and she finds it amusing.

The next time she smiles at him it's actually a genuine smile. It's in Episode 3, right after they work together to fend off the archers. Both of them are giddy and sheepish and awkward as they compliment each other's skills. Mizu smiles and looks at him with the same sort of hesitant admiration he gives her:

"Your timing… You're deeply skilled. The broken blade fits well in your hand."

The next time she smiles because of him doesn't involve him directly. Instead it's during the conversation with Akemi we talked about earlier. Right before she drinks from the cup Akemi gives her, she decides to bring up Taigen. We know this is because Mizu already recognised Akemi as Taigen's fiance and wants to mess with her. So she purposely alludes to him, boasting about how she'd defeated him in battle and smiling as she remembers fighting him. This is again one of those showboaty smiles, directed at Akemi, whom she is trying to deceive, but it ends up tying back to Taigen. She's smiling because he's an idiot, practically laughing at him.

But we do see her smile genuinely because of Taigen again. Later in Episode 6, Mizu finds Taigen in the dungeon of Fowler's fortress and her first reaction upon realising it's him is to gasp, before getting a hallucination of Mikio and Mama which unnerves her. It's when Taigen says her name that she snaps back to reality. This is when she smiles, glad to see an ally and a familiar face during such a painful time.

TAIGEN: [weakly] Mizu? MIZU: [relieved] Taigen.

The next episode is the penultimate episode of the season, and it finds Mizu at her lowest point. In a typical three-act dramatic structure, Episode 7 is essentially the "All is Lost" and "Dark Night of the Soul" portion. Mizu lost her sword, she failed to defeat Fowler at his fortress, and all attempts at reforging her sword has failed. Yet, it's during this time that Taigen begins to treat her as more than a reluctant ally, but also as a friend. It's here when he makes her smile the most.

First is when he reluctantly compliments her fighting skills.

"You're good. Maybe... even better than me. And no one is better than me."

She chuckles and seems genuinely amused.

This isn't just a cocky smirk but also a heartfelt smile. She recognises he's trying to cheer her up in his own way, backhanded as it might be.

And then he challenges her to spar, only to pretend right after that that he doesn't have the energy for it. She drops her hammer while smiling. The thought of a friendly spar already made her happy.

Then, of course, right after that, he charges at her and they have their playful little wrestling bout. And Mizu is laughing the entire time! Despite being at such a low point, this is still the happiest we see present-day Mizu.

We then see her smile because of Taigen again in Episode 8, but it's not while talking to Taigen, but about him. She is talking to Akemi, and her last words aren't even about Akemi or Mizu herself, but about Taigen. She smiles while thinking of him, talking of him almost fondly:

"Stubborn enough, [Taigen] will find you. He believes he loves you very much. He's not a good man. He could be a great one."

And that's it! I couldn't compile every single screenshot of her smiling because of the Tumblr photo limit, but this is roughly most of them. My wishlist for future seasons is for more Mizu smiles because my poor babygirl deserves to be happy.

#blue eye samurai #mizu bes #taigen bes #akemi bes #meta dissertations.pdf #fandom.rtf #idk if i should tag for ships or not because you can interpret the character relationships as platonic #lmk tho if you want me to tag it for blacklist #shut up haydar

160 notes · View notes

angelltheninth · 1 month ago

Text

Every Time He Leaves

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, suggestive, reunions, teasing, family planning

Word count: 0.8k

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters

A/N: I heard that the sequel isn't coming in 2025 but that won't stop me from writing fics for this amazing man.

"Mi vida, I'm home." Miguel heavy footsteps echoed through the halls, a good sort of comfort now in your current state. "Baby? Are you asleep?" You could pretend to be. Like you pretended all those night before, then wake up in the morning and wonder if he would be there or not. No. Not this time.

You waited for him to open the door, his charming, soft smile thrown your way, almost shaking your resolve.

"You didn't have to wait up for me you know, I don't mind cuddling up next to my-" He stopped talking once his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom and he saw your eyes red from crying, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" You nodded. You were about to explain when he was in front of you in a flash, his hands pressing and prodding, looking you over. The bed dipped to one side under Miguel's weight, his worried expression turning a little angry, " Where does it hurt? Who hurt you? I'll make them regret it!"

You let out a long heavy sigh. Taking one of his hands you placed it above your heart and then pointed your finger at him, finally meeting his eyes with your being full of tears, "You hurt me."

"What?" He looked like you just slapped him, which would have been preferable, he would hardly feel that. But your words, they cut deep. "What do you mean? Was I rough with you last night? You told me it was-"

"Oh for gods sake Miguel, I'm not talking about that. I'm not physically hurt." You backed up a bit, putting some space between you two. It was a little empty space, easy to close, yet it felt like you were worlds, universes apart, "I don't ever see you anymore. You go on missions, you come back, you... fuck me and then you leave. Do you really not get how that makes me feel? How... used and alone I feel?"

The sex was good. The sex was damn good. Perfect even. He was so close to you, he was smiling at you, you were one with him, holding him, feeling him everywhere, kissing him. But those moments, they passed way too quickly for your liking and then you were empty and alone again.

"Is that really how you feel?" He sounded like he couldn't wrap his head around what you were saying. At the same time you could see it on his face that he was putting the puzzle pieces together. "I love you, more then anything, you're the most important person in this or any universe to me. I... would stop. If you wanted me to. We could settle down, buy a bigger house, start a family, like we talked about."

"How? How can you say that when you leave without... without even telling me? Your job is important, I understand that, but for the love of god Miguel, I'm your girlfriend! I at least deserve to know when you're leaving don't I? What if... what if one day you... what if you don't come back to me?" You started hiccuping while you cried, your body shaking from the wave of emotions that you were finally able to unleash. There was a part of you that felt like it was selfish, that Miguel wasn't yours to keep and that doing so would mean a lot of people would get hurt. Did you deserve him in the first place?

Miguel's arms wrapped around your smaller frame, you could hear his heart beating quickly, you could feel him shaking along with you while he balanced himself on his knees, his suit flickering on and off. "I would never abandon you. Even if I have to crawl back from Hell itself I'd find a way to come back to you. I made up my mind long ago, when I die it will when we're both old and I lost all my hair."

"And we have grandkids running around?" You whisper against his chest, voice still raw from crying and nose stuffed from sniffles.

"So many grandkids. We're gonna have a big family, just like we planned. I know its hard right now but its almost over okay? Then we can settle down anywhere you want." Miguel cupped the back of your head as his lips pressed to your forehead, lingering there for the longest time, "Nothing is more important then you. Nothing."

"I want at least three kids." He nodded, "A big house in the country side." A nod, "A big, cuddly dog." Another nod, "And you in my bed every night." He kissed you, not caring the least that you tasted like tears. But he didn't stop there. His hands lifted you up by the hips, your legs wrapping around his body as you felt yourself being lowered on the bed.

You felt his suit vanish and warm muscles take its place, "Three kids. That's a lot of work. We should practice as much as we can." Miguel smirked like an idiot while he undressed you, ready to prove his love to you.

121 notes · View notes

kinley-cafe · 1 month ago

Text

We're entering a new year! Are you ready for something? Maybe that something could be with your mutuals!

Let your mutuals know your New Year's Resolution is to make more memories with them in 2025 by ordering the "Bucktommy 2k25" Combo to share with your friends and loved ones, and start the new year off right.

Simply send an ask and let me know which mutual(s) you'd like to share the combo with! You can even order a combo for yourself if you'd like.

ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM NOW UNTIL NEW YEARS DAY @ MIDNIGHT EST

#kc fire chief speaks #bucktommy #kinley cafe

128 notes · View notes

arkhammaid · 11 months ago

Text

— ˚₊‧⁺˖THE LIGHTNING ON TRACK | THE PRE-SEASON TESTING

fandom. formula one & mcu

about. it's pre-season testing time!

content warnings. smau & written parts, written in 3rd person & lowercase, not edited & proofread

word count. 1.1k

notes. we're dipping into the season, slowly but surely... this took me some time to finish, i literally didn't know what to write for testing ://

"we are here in bahrain, pre-season testing for all teams in 2025, welcome everyone!" croft greets the whole world, as live footage is shown across the devices. the camera spans over the whole track, to each individual paddock until stopping at the final one, in blinding white.

"the season is starting with a bang, for the first time in formula one, we will see a stark owned team on the track! in white and chrome they are, an iconic design and everyone is eager to see what the stark manufactured cars can do!"

"how right you are, david! welcome, i'm will buxton and i have someone of interest with me here. right here, in front of the stark racing garage- y/n stark, number 95, one of the drivers for stark racing. so, y/n, tell me, how are you feeling? are you ready for the first time in the car?"

"hello will, thank you for having me. well, it's not quite the first time in the car, we had a testing back in miami at the end of january, but it's something different to be officially here now. but i'm feeling confident- we have our data, the predicted numbers and we think we'll be able to achieve them."

"so, no major upgrades or changes planned?" y/n shakes her head with a grin.

"do you really think i'm going to answer that question? ask me again, when we're done." will laughs at that, nodding his head in understanding.

"understandable, but i will hold you onto that! gonna knock on the garage doors three days later." y/n laughs again, head thrown back. "but, y/n, how does it feel to be on the paddock? have you met the rest of the drivers yet? made any new friendships?"

"well..."

"can you turn that off?", carlos gruffly asks his teammate, who just waves his hand at him as answer. with a groan, he stares at the tv, showing the first driver interview of the day, y/n stark. her voice washes over him, empty answers of being excited to properly meet everyone and maybe even bond with a few drivers.

"i don't know why you're so obsessed, perceval." charles immediatly splutters, waving his hands to deny the accusation.

"i'm not! but it's so interesting! tony stark is literally here, aren't you at least a bit excited? arthur said that y/n is like him!"

"what, arrogant? self-centered?"

"carlos! stop being so negative! i meant like- a genius! someone who raced with her back in f3 is friends with arthur, i forgot his name, but apparently y/n constantly does calculations while she drives. that's why she's so good overtaking." carlos just sighs and leaves charles to whatever he's doing right now. he has no interest in this circus.

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ 🏎️ ˖⁺‧₊˚—

kevin watches the interviews from the sideline, completely satisfied with how everyone is hounding y/n and leaving him in peace. of course he had his fair amount of questions and interviews, but much less than his teammate.

it has been a whirlwind, ever since he joined the team. strange, for a while, everything seeming so futuristic, but now his glasses feel like a another part of his race suit he's putting on every day.

the team has been welcoming, open to his input, but it's very clear to him that y/n is their star driver and he's the support. and he's alright with it. of course, winning a championship would mean everything, but he knows he's not going to continue this forever. especially not when he has a kid, he's missing so much... something he dislikes, because family means everything to him.

this is why his contract is only for two years. if he wishes to continue and his results at the end of the season are steady, tony promised him a seat as long he wishes for. he is incredibly thankful for this offer, fully knowing that this kind of support doesn't exist in formula one.

"ready to go?", he asks, after y/n's press officer ushers her out of the mob called journalists.

"so ready to go", she grins. but they're not alone, the netflix camera's immediately surround them and capture their walk to the garage. people part from them, staring openly at the drivers. one of the most iconic footage later shown in the drive to survive documentary.

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ 🏎️ ˖⁺‧₊˚—

"so, here he goes, kevin magnussen for stark racing, leaving his side of the garage. the car is looking incredible, i really like the color!", comments crofty and the other men immediately begin to chatter as well. throwing in rumors and hearsay about the team, they expertly fill the silence of kevin doing his first lap on the track.

"last to leave the garage and on the track, all eyes are on stark racing- oh and there he goes, picking up the speed!"

"his tyres seem to have warmed up- woah! look at the smoothness! kevin seems to be home in his car, his struggles from the last season are nowhere to be seen", adds jenson, while the cameras continue to follow the white car with the number 20.

"and there he goes! on medium tyres, setting the third fastest lap already, this looks definitely promising." will shares his own thoughts, reminding the viewers that there is definitely a possibility of stark racing going at least one or two seconds faster.

"by the looks of it, the stark racing team seems to be satisfied- honestly can't tell much, the glasses are hiding too much", jokes another man and all of them laugh. "bloody starks, am i right?"

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ 🏎️ ˖⁺‧₊˚—

the testing days are filled with endless laps and data, followed by long hours of debrief. they've already proven that they're fast, slotting themselves on the upper half of the grid, sticking close to the more experienced teams.

speculations are thrown around, is stark racing sandbagging? of course they must be, while others think that this is the best they can do. neither of the drivers or the team principal lose a word on it, instead they repeat always the same statements.

"we delivered what we predicted."

"we tested our theories, confirmed or debunked them, so the past three days have been very productive."

"we're exactly there where we want to be and we know our next steps."

empty words and yet the journalists pounce on them as if they're the next headlines. the whole world watches with eagerness as stark racing finishes up their debut in formula one and they impatiently await the first race of the season.

taglist. @lilypadlover , @adorablezhui , @peqch-pie , @keyz-writes , @obsidianjewel , @aimixx , @themercyverse , @lem-hhn , @akiraquote , @kiiyoooo , @nichmeddar , @nothingfuninthislife , @minkyungseokie , @fionaschicken , @lyrasconstellation , @spideybv28 , @keii134 , @starssfall , @tpwkstiles, @fangirl-dot-com , @nichmeddar , @lady-laura-speaks , @nikfigueiredo , @hinamesgigantica , @brakingboundaries , @almostjollypizza , @yoremins , @raizelchrysanderoctavius , @celesteblack08 , @watermelon-sugars-things , @lighttsoutlewis , @radiantdanvers , @vellicora, @sterredem , @hiireadstuff , @jolixtreesunn , @mypage-myfandoms , @nelly187 @greeneyesandsunshine , @fulla02 , @welovediaaxx , @whyamireadingthis , @67-angelofthelordme-67 , @blueberry64857959 , @winchesterwife27 , @six-call , @skywalker1dream , @mellowarcadefun , @cherry-piee , @peterholland04 , @motorsportloverf1 , @renarots , @msbyjackal , @woozarts , @leclucklerc , @yl90

crossed off tags mean i can't tag you!

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE SERIES TAGLIST? please leave a comment on this post or send a non anonymous ask!

ARKHAM MAID 2024

#f1 x reader #f1 fic #f1 smau #f1 social media au #f1 female driver #female driver #fem!driver #f1 fanfic #kevin magnussen x reader #— ˚₊‧⁺˖ lightning on track #— ˚₊‧⁺˖ creations

343 notes · View notes

mirai-e-jump · 20 days ago

Text

Uchusen Vol.187 (Winter 2025) Kamen Rider Gavv | Detail of Heroes ft. Main Cast & Director Interviews (other pages and translations below)

Publication: December 27, 2024

Shoji Kohei (Granute Lage 9)

"How were you selected for the role of Lage 9?"

Shoji: It seems that me and a few other people were called in by Toei Producers as candidates for the tertiary Rider. I went and participated without knowing it was for Kamen Rider, and Producer Takishima Minami-san who helped me during my time on Kiramager was there, which made me think, "Huh?" (laughs). I think that for both Super Sentai and Kamen Rider auditions, the performance you give is to be done in a way that's typical of a tokusatsu production, but this time, the impression I got was that it was more like an audition for an ordinary drama. Still, I personally didn't get any positive feedback, and immediately after judging, I called my manager and said, "I probably won't get this." Then, a week later, I received a call saying that I had been chosen, and was invited to a prerelease screening of the show, which turned out to be Kamen Rider Gavv.

"With this, you've transformed in both Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, but Shoji-san personally prefers "Precure" to hero shows, isn't that right?"

Shoji: In terms of the era, I belong to the "Kamen Rider Hibiki" generation, but being a young child, I was afraid of their masks. What's more, the series during Heisei's first phase had many terrifying scenes. I liked "Futari wa Pretty Cure" alot better (laughs).

"But the term "Heisei first phase" is used by people who are Rider fans, no?"

Shoji: Just like with my time during Kiramager, the more I became involved with the production, the more I became familiar with it. This time too, I've gained knowledge on various Kamen Riders through my involvement in Gavv.

"This time, just like Crystaria Takamichi, Lage 9 also joined the show from the half way point, huh?"

Shoji: Filming of Gavv started quite early, but I was in Kyoto this year for the filming of "Kimi to Yukite Saku," so I only joined filming after "KimiYuki" had wrapped up. He first appears in that monster form, so I had to start from recording, and the Director and onset staff gave me vague descriptions like, "We're unsure, but we heard that he wears a hat when he's in his human form." It started off smoothly, with me adding my voice to Suit Actor Eitoku-san's movements. I get the impression that things only began when I realized I didn't have a distinct "starting line."

"We were surprised at the development of what we thought was a temporary monster, turned out to be not just a regular, but a Kamen Rider."

Shoji: I guess that was the exciting point the Producers were aiming for. I also love surprises that cause excitement, so I hope the fans enjoyed it too. In "Kimi to Yukite Saku," I played the role of Saito Hajime, a senior among the young Shinsengumi members played by Maeda Kentaro, Oku Tomoya, Mokudai Kazuto and Kan Hideyoshi, but now that I'm a Kamen Rider, I've become their junior (laughs).

"What are your impressions of Gavv's production?"

Shoji: I was given no prior info when I saw the prescreenings of episodes 1 and 2, so as a viewer, I think I was in the same position as everyone else. My initial impression was, "This is a production that'll make you hungry" (laughs). After that, up until episode 12 came out, I watched the broadcasts as they aired, and there were alot more dark scenes than I was expecting. Like the bloody gloves during Hanto's remodification scene, or the depiction of Human Presses, where the person will die if it's cracked. I think it's interesting as a human drama, as it confronts us with such a serious reality. Also, it uses filming techniques that didn't exist at the time of Kiramager. This is my first time experiencing real time compositing. I also think that my own skills have improved over the past four years, so including that, I feel that there's been alot of advances.

"How did you establish Lage 9's character?"

Shoji: At the time of me joining, they hadn't even finalized his name, his details, or his role for the future. Nevertheless, we had to move forward with filming, so I read up on his character from the latest scripts I had received. However, during episodes 12-14, I still couldn't grasp the full extent of his character, so I tried to play a neutral role when recording. He may actually be a funny person, or he may continue to be serious all the time. I did a performance where I could adapt no matter how things turned out, that way, I could make revisions if the time came.

"How is it switching between him acting innocent with Stomach Inc and him being his real self?"

Shoji: It's the feeling of switching from a character who always backs away and is easily influenced by those who have the upper hand. I was conscious of conveying his sense of freedom when he's sent to the human world, as well as his mysterious creepiness.

"He's a character that's lacking in enthusiasm, but how do you express that "tired" look?"

Shoji: During my time on Kiramager, I was a happy, cheerful and lively old guy, which was different from my real self, so I had to leave the dressing room with my costume and props put on, have a high level of excitement switched on, and go into my performance at 120% power. This time, I perform in low gear without starting up my engine, but then rev it up when it's necessary. I think my performance would be unnatural if I was too enthusiastic, so I'll leave the cheerful parts to the younger Shouma and his friends.

"Now then, do you say the phrase "daru" without really thinking about it?" (*short for "being tired")

Shoji: I'm conscious of being "not too particularly conscious about it." It's like a "I'm just gonna say it" line in my performance, but it's not the same as the "Wonder" or "Shining" lines that Takamichi said. In the script, it's written naturally, with the same kind of excitement as "I feel tired today," so I try not to put any emphasis on it. To begin with, putting emphasis on it will make it sound like I'm full of energy (laughs).

"What were your thoughts after seeing Kamen Rider Vram?"

Shoji: He looks more like pudding than I was expecting (laughs). I like the villainous look of his face and the headphone shaped ears. It's cute that the antennas have been replaced with spoons (laughs). I also like Jelly Custom. I like that it's the complete opposite of Lage 9's character and is surprisingly pink and poppin. It's interesting that the costume he wears in his human form doesn't have much color, but when he transforms, he becomes as vividly colored as Gavv and Valen.

"Shoji-san, do you personally like pudding?"

Shoji: I love it! I especially like firm pudding. More specifically, I like the pudding a la mode that you might find in a coffee shop where smoking is allowed, such as in the underground shopping centers of Shinbashi (laughs). I sometimes make it myself. I also like wagashi, so I'd be happy to see "yomogi mochi" as an additional form, but since Vram specializes in cups, there probably wouldn't be enough room to fit it in one, huh? (laughs). Also, I'm not really a fan of marshmallows, so I'm relieved that Gavv gets the marshmallow form (laughs).

"KiramaiSilver had a transformation item called the Shiny Kiramai Changer, but this time, Vram uses a transformation belt known as the Vrastumgear."

Shoji: Vram's an enemy, so I don't think he leaves a good impression. And, he's transporting a large number of people through Human Presses. However, I'd like to put that aside and have people of all genders focus on how cool his appearance is. I want children to wear the belt and play with it. I've loved children even before I was in Super Sentai, as I often play with children of my relatives and acquaintances. I see many children wearing Kamen Rider clothing, so I consider tokusatsu productions to be programs that help raise children.

"Have you spoken to Eitoku-san, Vram and Lage 9's Suit Actor?"

Shoji: We've talked many times before Lage 9 became a Kamen Rider. When I perform in my human form, Eitoku-san isn't on set, and when Eitoku-san is playing Vram, I'm not around, so when we meet, we try to talk about what kind of stances and tones the other is thinking of doing. Whether he's in his monster form or Rider form, we both agreed that we wouldn't make him "too showy," however, I've left the important parts of Lage 9's monster form and Vram to Eitoku-san. Basically, there's no action before starting a move, or taking a stance before delivering a punch. It expresses the idea that rather than fighting with energy, he's tired but has no choice but to fight.

"Since you've already done post recording in Kiramager, did you run into any problems here?"

Shoji: I'm insanely confident now (laughs). Of course, I didn't do well during my initial appearance in Kiramager, but I've grown alot in the past four years. Also, when doing the recording for Takamichi, there were restrictions on how I could express his "Shining!" line. During those days, I'd usually just go "Fhun!" and "Hah!," and Director Watanabe-san and Kato-san would give me a hard time over it. But now, I can say whatever I want, so it's much easier (laughs).

"We think that Takamichi, who looks young but is actually in his 50s, was synced up with Shoji-san's love of Showa era songs. Were you concerned about the jellyfish motif this time?"

Shoji: I wasn't particularly concerned about it, but I did give it some thought. Now that I'm finally back on a tokusatsu set, it's really cool to do things that aren't done in other dramas. I thought of a gesture where I make my hands slowly sway like the legs of a jellyfish, but Director Shibasaki-san and the Producers said, "Don't do that" (laughs).

"How does it feel to work on a Toei tokusatsu production for the first time in four years?"

Shoji: I feel like I've "come home" when I'm on a tokusatsu set. Both Sentai and Kamen Rider start early in the morning, but when I see the staff members who were with me during Kiramager, I make sure to greet them. In a good way, it helps relieve the feeling of tension before filming.

"As a senior hero, do you have any advice for the cast?"

Shoji: I explained the difficulties of playing the main character to the younger Chinen, and I gave advice to Yusuke and Nozomi, but rather than directly helping them, I try to give them hints like, "Here's another way of doing it." Director Sugihara told me, "Don't be too concerned about it." It's only natural for a Director to tell his actors to concentrate on their roles, as it's the Director who instructs the actors, not their costars. That's why, rather than the performance, I'm focusing on more technical methods. I help them by saying things like, "If you're there, your face won't be in frame." It's better for the person to be given a chance, that way filming will go smoothly.

"What did you gain as an actor from Kiramager?"

Shoji: You can learn all the basics by working on a tokusatsu production for a year. Over the course of a year, I was taught the basics of acting, how to behave, terminology, as well as green screen filming, which is difficult to come by on other sets. It was as if I had read a quality textbook. After that, I was given the opportunity to work on a number of sets, some of which I was so overwhelmed by the talent the other actors had, that I couldn't even get ahold of myself. Including those setbacks, I feel that my experiences over the past four years have helped me become who I am today.

"Sets that last for a year are still uncommon."

Shoji: They're unique. But for some reason, I have a long history of working on lengthy sets. After Kiramager, I appeared in "NHK High School Course: Math A," this year I appeared in "NHK Haiku," and for "Kimi to Yukite Saku," I went to Kyoto for three months to film. I tend to get involved in long term franchises (laughs).

"For Shoji-san, what's the difference between Super Sentai and Rider?"

Shoji: First off, there's the difference of "team" and "individual." Kiramager was a classic Super Sentai show, where all the members achieved their goals together. In Gavv's case this time, each of us has our own objectives, and if our objectives match, we fight together, but if they don't, we basically do things alone. I believe that Kamen Riders are those kind of lone heroes. From an actor's point of view, I get the impression that Kamen Rider has many performative scenes because there are no Robo scenes. There are also alot of night time scenes. Just the other day, there was a wide shot scene that was done without the camera moving at all. It took up five pages in the script, and the scene is just two people talking. The fact that the camera isn't moving means that if the actors performances are poor, the footage will be boring. The Director tried to motivate me by saying, "If your acting isn't good, I'll make the cameraman move the camera."

"Toei productions basically rotate Directors every two episodes, so it must be difficult trying to respond to the orders of each Director."

Shoji: Having flexibility is an absolute must. The demands on set are different for other productions too. Some Directors make drastic line changes to the scripts, while others film scenes exactly as they're written. I think it's my job to respond in a flexible manner. Instead of just listening to what the Director says, I try to bring out my own originality.

"Do you have any other aspirations of being involved in hero productions again?"

Shoji: As an actor, I'd like to pursue new fields, but as I've discussed with my manager, if a person with tokusatsu experience returns to tokusatsu, they won't go back to "1" in that field, so I think of this as a new path. While feeling the pressure of not wanting to be seen as going "back to 1," I wanted to do something new with the members of Gavv, as I'm in a different position than I was back in my Kiramager days. The Directors helped me learn alot, and the Producers give me advice on what to expect. In a good way, I'd like to defy your expectations. Four years ago, I enjoyed filming every day, but at the time, I was just a college student that suddenly entered in the entertainment industry, so I didn't think about my next steps. However, I'm now taking on the challenge with a sense of urgency, knowing that it'll lead me to new opportunities.

"Finally, please give a message to the readers."

Shoji: While both Shouma and Hanto have yet to achieve their own goals, I'll be joining this production as the new Kamen Rider. How will my role as Lage 9 influence Shouma and Hanto, and Stomach Inc? Please keep an eye on the broadcasts starting at the beginning of 2025!

Kawasaki Honoka (Siita) & Koga Ruito (Jiip)

"First, please tell us about your auditions for this production."

Koga: During the nomination audition, we performed monologues and took turns saying lines.

Kawasaki: From the beginning, our assignments were made with both Siita and Jiip in mind.

Koga: I acted out two different patterns, that being a boy's performance and a girl's performance.

Kawasaki: It was the same for me. I did it while thinking, "What kind of role is this?" (laughs).

"Have you ever watched the Kamen Rider series?"

Koga: I love Kamen Rider. I've been a fan since "Kamen Rider Decade," and since it was the first one I watched, it got me interested in previous Kamen Riders, so I started watching them. My favorite as a child was "Hibiki," and I used to play around with a taiko drum by setting it on my father and beating it (laughs). As an adult, I like "Build" and "Geats."

Kawasaki: Since I watched Precure, I also watched Kamen Rider, as its broadcast was in the time slot just before it. I remember Fukushi Sota-san playing the role of the main character in "Fourze." His hair before he transformed left an impression on me.

"What were your impressions of Gavv's production?"

Koga: When I first read the proposal and learned that sweets were the motif, I thought, "There's never been a sweets Rider before, but this is a theme that really suits Kamen Rider." I thought the transformation belts were cool, and that the Gochizou were cute, and that I'd definitely want to collect them. I couldn't help but be excited.

Kawasaki: It's incredible that the series has such a long history, and yet they continue to do new things each time. I thought the costume designs of the monsters and Stomach Family were very original and stylish.

Koga: I thought that it was a production that had an underlying theme of "killing one's own kind," in which the main character is at odds with his own siblings, and in the words of Director Sugihara Teruaki, it contains alot of "terrifying imagery." It's interesting that Shouma's side has poppin imagery, while the Stomach Family has darker imagery.

Kawasaki: The atmosphere in the Stomach Family is heavy. Because of that, we all get along really well on set.

Koga: The Stomach Family is usually very polite (laughs). When it comes to filming though, the atmosphere changes. We both play interim management roles, and we would constantly apologize to our siblings during the early stages of filming, so we used to talk about it together with, "We were the ones who were scolded again today." I used to think, "I wonder when they'll show us their gratitude?" (laughs)

Kawasaki: We've never been praised once (laughs).

Koga: It's a role that teaches the children watching about the hardships of working for a company. I hope that this teaches the lesson of, "You have to report, communicate, and consult properly" (laughs).

"Did you receive any instructions from the Director regarding your roles?"

Koga: During our first shoot, I was told to "give a cute smile."

Kawasaki: I wasn't given any specific instructions, but I played the role while being conscious of the information I read from the script, which was that my character has "the personality of the opposite gender."

Koga: By reading through the script, I understood the personalities of Siita and Jiip. Gradually, I built up his character. I was especially conscious of his "gestures."

Kawasaki: Still, Koga-chan seems to be used to doing those kinds of performances, right?

Koga: That's right. I've had many opportunities to play more feminine roles in the past, so I was conscious of how I acted during those times. I also had an ideal image of what a "Kamen Rider enemy" should be like, so I incorporated enemy like gestures. Things like the attitude he has when looking down on Shouma. In a good way, I try to have the spirit of "being delusional while keeping an open mind."

Kawasaki: When Koga-chan gets his makeup done, he becomes cute and looks like the female out of the twin. This is why I've been trying to keep my voice as low as possible and make boyish gestures, but when you watch the broadcasts, you can't tell which one is the girl (laughs).

Koga: At the beginning, I was told that was the set up they were aiming for.

"How was post recording in your monster forms?"

Kawasaki: That's…I struggled with that quite abit……

Koga: I yelled so much that it made me forget about my role. It was like I was pouring out all my jealousy and hatred toward Shouma. We had to rerecorded many times, didn't we?

Kawasaki: I thought I was going to damage my throat (laughs). It was repeatedly pointed out that when I was the one attacking, it sounded more like I was being hit. It was difficult because I'm not accustomed to doing voices during battle.

"Because both of your monster forms are similar in appearance, did you ever make any mistakes during the recording?"

Koga: Not with Siita, but I did once voice Shouma by mistake (laughs). Our voices ended up overlapping.

"When were you made aware that Siita would make her exit in episode 14?"

Koga: I had heard rumors that either Siita or Jiip would be defeated. Yeah, it was on the location bus! Honoka-chan convinced me by saying, "We might get taken down."

Kawasaki: I asked Director Sugihara if it'd be one or both of them, and he said, "Yeah, just Siita."

Koga: He said it pretty bluntly!

Kawasaki: Leaving at episode 14 seemed too early! However, when I heard that she was going to be killed while protecting Jiip, I thought, "Well, I guess that's pretty cool" (laughs).

Koga: Kamen Rider fans will tell you that it's tradition for a powered up form to appear around Christmas in December and for someone to leave. I was prepared that it would probably be Siita or Jiip. After all, along with the company being targeted, Gavv kept beating them up, so things weren't looking good for Siita and Jiip.

Kawasaki: It raised quite a few flags. Still, I thought the twins were among the more popular characters, so I wondered if they'd get a last minute chance to change course and survive.

"You also took on the challenge of action in episode 14."

Koga: Sparks flew. For now, that was our first and last time doing action.

Kawasaki: The action was performed with a gun, but it was difficult to align the muzzle of the gun with the camera. I had to make adjustments down to the millimeter.

Koga: Doing a scene which used gunpowder made her nervous because she was told, "You only get one shot at this, so don't blink."

Kawasaki: I was way more nervous than I should've been, as after the shoot I thought, "Huh? Was that all?" (laughs).

"How was it filming the scene where Siita dies?"

Kawasaki: She's in her monster form when she's defeated, so I only did her voice. I wasn't on set, so I had to confirm Siita's final moments on the footage used during post recording.

Koga: In her last moments, Siita says, "Thank goodness……" This line was adlibbed by Honoka-chan, as it wasn't in the script. That line made me genuinely sad, and I almost broke down crying during recording.

Kawasaki: When I found out Jiip was safe, the words "Thank goodness…" just came out naturally.

Koga: I could feel her love. I guess it came out from the build up of all the times she's played Siita.

Kawasaki: And yet, the way Shouma acted after that was heartless!

Koga: He's all like, "I'm home!" (laughs).

Kawasaki: He shouts "uwah~!" and starts eating a feast like a normal person! Right after he annihilated his own sister! (laughs).

"As a Kamen Rider fan, how did Koga-san feel when Siita was defeated by CaKing Form's special move?"

Koga: If I were a viewer, I'd be like, "A new form has appeared, it's a new way to beat them! So cool!" However, my beloved partner's been blown up. I can't even describe how sad I was. The script also stated, "Siita monster form, blown up."

Kawasaki: It's a powerful attack. I was also like, "Eh?! Blown up?!" (laughs).

Koga: I was speechless when I saw these words. After that was the rain scene, where we filmed for quite abit, and lots of people told me things like, "Jiip looks good when he's dripping wet from the rain"……

Kawasaki: It was good, rainy scenes looks like fun.

Koga: Well they're not! (laughs), it was sad. I even cut my hair……I was most nervous about that hair cutting shoot. There was a real box cutter knife inside the prop sword I used to cut it with. It was pretty stressful cutting my hair while being drenched by the rain, as I was also being careful not to cut my hands.

"Was there anything that impressed you on set?"

Koga: Episodes 13 and 14 were sad episodes, but I was happy to see our own monster forms on set.

Kawasaki: I enjoyed my first time doing wire action.

Koga: That moment confirmed Honoka-chan as a weirdo in my mind.

Kawasaki: Hey now (laughs).

Koga: It's the scene where we transform after she says we're going to take down Gavv. While we were suspended by wires, she was like, "Uwah! This is so much fun!," almost as if we were at some amusement park. That confirms that she's a weirdo (laughs).

Kawasaki: It's because it was fun! (laughs).

"Since this is perfect timing, please tell us your impressions of each other."

Koga: As I've said before, Honoka-chan's an airhead.

Kawasaki: I'm not an airhead! I'm just not good at saying what I'm thinking. That's why it's hard for me to do interviews alone, but when I'm with Koga-chan, he helps me out by acting as my interpreter.

Koga: I can't say anything funny like Honoka-chan, but when we're together, I can interpret and play off her comments. Our personalities are the total opposite, but I think we're the best partners.

Kawasaki: Koga-chan feels like my guardian. In the beginning, I asked him alot of questions in order to get to know him better. But then I found out that we had completely different interests, so I was worried and wasn't sure what to do (laughs).

Koga: Eh?! Is that so?

Kawasaki: I can talk to him normally on set, but if we were classmates……

Koga: I get you. We're the type of people who don't speak to each other until graduation (laughs). The distance between men and women is also difficult.

Kawasaki: Still, since Koga-chan doesn't give off any gendered vibes, I can interact with him without worrying too much. I'm not sure if that was an unpleasant way of putting it though.

Koga: I'm often told that, so it's okay. I think that's the reason why I have as many female friends as male friends. However, I'm grateful for that.

"What are both of your favorite sweets?"

Kawasaki: Gummies and chocolate! Regardless of their relation to Gavv, I've always liked them.

Koga: I love all kinds of sweets! Since I was little, I carried around a box of sweets and was known as "the kid who's always eating sweets." (laughs). I like gummies that are coated with tons of sugar and crunchy. However, what I'm particularly fond of is wagashi.

Kawasaki: I tend to eat manju. I also go to cafe's pretty often.

Koga: When I have time I go to them. My usual order is coffee and cheesecake. I also like pudding.

Kawasaki: I also like the "Kamen Rider Poppin Gummy Mix" that are currently on sale.

Koga: On our birthdays, Chinen-kun gave us cakes with Poppin Gummies sprinkled on them. They were on days when we weren't filming, but he personally came to give them to us. We're such good friends, but when it comes to filming, the way he looks at us changes.

Kawasaki: He looks at us like he really hates us!

Koga: I can almost feel the murderous intent of "I'm going to beat you!" within his eyes, which is scary. I think that's what makes him a pro.

"Would you both like to transform into Kamen Riders?"

Koga: I have a really strong desire to become one! I've always liked dark Riders. Like Evol from Build, or Skull, who is an ally, but has some dark vibes. I also own an Evol Driver and a Lostdriver (laughs). Since I've gone through great lengths to perform in this show, I want to transform more than anything.

Kawasaki: I also admire them. Actually, I was talking with Koga-chan about how it could be possible for both of us to join Shouma's side. However, in episode 4, there's a line where they bring up his mother and stir up Shouma, which was awful. That's when I thought, "This isn't the path you take to become an ally" (laughs). Still, as filming continued, we began to wonder if we were also pitiful.

Koga: There are many depictions that make us look like we're in a pitiful position too. But, I guess now we can't be on the same team anymore.

Kawasaki: Still, I admire female riders.

Koga: Gavv doesn't have a female Rider yet, so maybe she could be revived as a Kamen Rider? It'd be nice if the two of us could be a single Kamen Rider. Siita and Jiip are half white half black, so maybe they could become a Rider like FangJoker from "Kamen Rider W" (laughs).

Kawasaki: When Koga-chan says it, I feel like I can do it (laughs).

"Finally, please give a message to the readers."

Kawasaki: I want to make a comeback! I think it depends on your support, so I'm counting on you!

Koga: I'm asking for your support too. This is me speaking personally, but it's really lonely filming without my partner. Also I need to fix Siita's Mimic Key. Jiip keeps it as a memento, but it's broken and looks scary.

Kawasaki: If everyone demands for Siita, the story may change.

Koga: There's also the possibility of a spinoff, right? I'd definitely love to see a spinoff of the Stomach Family be made!

Director Sugihara Teruaki

"First, please tell us how you became involved in this production."

Sugihara: While I was working on "Keishicho Sosa Ikkacho," I was contacted by Producer Takebe Naomi-san, who treated me to high grade yakiniku, which is where I heard about the summary of the next Kamen Rider series. I thought I was being offered the second or third Director position, but I was surprised when at the end of our conversation, she said, "Now then, I want you to take on the role of pilot (episode 1 and 2) Director." (laughs).

"This was your first time as the main Director of a Kamen Rider since "Zero-One." How did this make you feel?"

Sugihara: Episode 1 and 2 of Zero-One were well received by fans, so I was eager to surpass them with Gavv. I didn't want to be outdone by the production I filmed five years ago. In the first episode of Zero-One, the action scene where he fights through a bus became a hot topic, so in the first episode of Gavv, I decided to make the action scene him fighting through a shipping container. I was conscious of making sure that Action Director Fujita's sword fight would look good in the footage (laughs).

"You also worked on the script for "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger" together with Komura Junko-san."

Sugihara: I think Komura-san's script's are extremely well written with great dialogue. Also, the characters emotions and reason for taking action are well thought out, as instead of it just being a case of "they fight because it's a hero show," you understand "why this person acts the way they do." Because of this, it's easier to film, as I can get emotionally invested with the characters.

"What key points were you conscious of when creating the visuals for Gavv?"

Sugihara: Shouma comes from the Granute world to the human world, where he's exposed to many things that expand his own worldview. With how Shouma views things, he thinks the human world looks extremely colorful. Especially in the first episode, I was conscious of the colors in even the smallest details, and in the container warehouse scene, I asked the designer to think about how to arrange the colors, and they placed the containers accordingly. We didn't use CG, a crane was actually used to rearrange them. On the opposite end, Shouma seems to perceive the Granute world as colorless, so I reduced the number of colors to give it a darker impression. Still, since the townscape couldn't be completely devoid of color, it was given etching to make it look like an illustration, along with red fog flowing through it.

"We heard that the Director came up with various ideas during the planning stage meeting."

Sugihara: In the very early stages, I had a complete image of the characters in my mind, so I drew up an "image board" of the characters and proposed it. One of the ideas I had was that "the main character would open the zipper on the stomach of his colorful clothes and there would be a mouth inside."

"The setup of the transformation belt being the "mouth on his stomach" right from the start is very original."

Sugihara: Every other year, the process of a Kamen Rider transformation involves the following steps: "hold the buckle next to your face, attach it to your stomach, take out the key item, set it on the buckle." That would mean the same kind of shots would be taken countless times, so I thought that if he always wore the belt, I could do shots of just the transformation items. So I suggested, "I'd like to have the belt stay on all the time," and as a result, the mouth on his stomach was set up as the belt (laughs).

"The scene in the first episode where Gavv is called a "monster" by the mother of the boy he rescued is memorable, and this situation has become standard in following episodes."

Sugihara: This was another scene I suggested that was included. I wanted to depict a situation where Shouma, who comes from another world, is also identified as a Granute. When the Granute taunts him for this, Shouma sadly replies, "Yeah, but it's the same for both me and you." I think that with that one line, he was able to express "what kind of person Shouma is" and "what kind of situation he'll be fighting in going forward" On set, I asked Suit Actor Nawata-kun to, "Act sad, like you're hiding your tears behind your mask," and that's how we ended up with his performance. Thanks to that, Chinen also did a good job with his post recording performance.

"The setting of Human Presses is also unique."

Sugihara: The idea was born from the question, "How can the Granutes efficiently kidnap humans?" As a side effect, I think it's also innovative that the acrylic stands can be folded to express the "death of the victim," which is usually difficult to express in a normal way. Still, just by expressing it in a way that's not too scary, it may actually make it scarier.

"We felt that the item that determines the kidnapped victim's fate was similar to the "disguise" setup used in Lupinranger VS Patranger."

Sugihara: That's true, the challenge in Lupinranger VS Patranger was to save the frozen citizens before they're turned into disguises. I still think that the significance of a hero can't be conveyed unless scary things are presented in a scary way. For that reason, I've portrayed the Granutes as "irredeemably bad." And yet, Shouma is kind, and no matter how bad they are, he'll always ask, "Will you never get involved with dark sweets again? Or would you rather I take you down here?"

"Many fans were surprised to see a hard setting flowing within the poppin and comedic imagery."

Sugihara: I think maybe Komura-san likes hard hitting stories too (laughs). Still, I think it strikes a good balance between the cute appearance and terrifying subject matter of the content. The smiles of the three main actors are also very cute. When I filmed the first two episodes, I tried to make them "look cheerful and excited in some way or another."

"Since the motif is based on sweets, were you particular about going in a certain direction?"

Sugihara: Normally, when a Rider's attacked, sparks fly when a hit makes contact with them, but we're not doing that this time. Also, attacks are usually added through compositing to represent the hits, but this time, we used colored deodorant beads and are actually throwing them around on the set. We're using CG in some parts, but if we used CG for everything, it would end up looking unnatural. So, we're inserting takes of the actual objects being thrown to avoid things feeling out of place.

"This is the kind of damage that only a sweets Rider can present."

Sugihara: If he's a sweets Rider, then it should be sweets that fly out when he takes damage. At the same time, we're careful not to waste sweets or other food items. In the battle scene in episode 1, the Gochizou catch Gavv's armor that flew off him, and in episode 7, the Gochizou lick off the chocolate that splattered onto the walls from Chocodan's gunfire. By including those scenes, I hope that people will think, "The Gochizou are eating the sweets that have scattered from the battle," even when it's not shown on the screen. Since this production is intended for children to watch, I paid particular attention to providing education on having a "proper diet."

"Are you referencing what’s known as, "The staff ate it later"?" (*not wasting food)

Sugihara: That's it (laughs). The scenes where the Gochizou ascend after his transformation is cancelled is also a representation of how they, as "food," are eaten by Gavv's mouth and digested before going to heaven.

"Thanks in part to this kind of direction, the Gochizou have become very popular."

Sugihara: Thanks to your support, I've heard that the Gashapon and other toys are also very popular. With Gashapon, it's possible to get duplicates of the same one. For such a situation, I've adopted the setting that "there are many of the same guys" in order to make it possible to enjoy them even if you get duplicates. There are tons of them, but they don't have any particularly amazing abilities, and yet they're characters who try their best to help Gavv, which I think makes them adorable.

"Speaking of the Gochizou, it's interesting to note that the Gochispeeder that was fired off the Gavvgablade in the first episode is completely useless in battle."

Sugihara: The normal way of showing it would've been a special move using a sword and Gochizou, but I felt that if Shouma defeated the enemy with only a Gochizou, the meaning behind his transformation would be meaningless, so a discussion for the direction was carried out with, "I'll make the footage leading up to the launch really cool, but is it okay to have it completely fail?"

"How did you decide on the cast?"

Sugihara: This time, in addition to the regular auditions, the participants were asked to perform outdoors while the cameras were rolling. We deliberately had them face in the direction of the rising sun. This was to see if they could act while being aware of the camera and to refrain from blinking in a situation where sunlight was hitting their eyes, just as they would on a real film site. Out of all of them, Chinen was the one who looked the best on camera.

"In an interview in the previous issue, Komura-san said, "I want Shouma to be a character who's both cute and strong."

Sugihara: Shouma isn't a main character who "wants revenge against the Stomach Family for his mother." He himself genuinely wants to "protect people." That's what makes him a very strong hero. On the other hand, he makes very cute faces when he's handling sweets, or when he's together with Sachika and the others. I put alot of effort into teaching acting skills, such as making facial expressions, so I also pay attention to their scene assignments.

"How did you decide on Hino Yusuke-san for Hanto?"

Sugihara: I had my eye on him from the moment he left his first impression on me at the audition (laughs). He's experienced alot of hardships over his entertainment career, but I could feel his hungry spirit that came from that, and I ended up really liking him. By participating in Gavv, I hope that he'll be able to let out the parts of himself that he's been suppressing up until now. He has a good personality, and he brightens up the set.

"What kind of character do you consider Hanto to be?"

Sugihara: Hanto's a Rider whose goal is complete revenge. While Shouma's a "cute and strong" character, Hanto's a character who's "strong in spirit and mind." Not only that, he's extremely cute when he smiles. Just as Chinen was a sure match for Shouma's character, I thought Hino would be a perfect fit for Hanto's character.

"Please tell us about Sachika's Miyabe Nozomi-san."

Sugihara: I didn't tell the participants that the role would be for a gyaru, but I found Miyabe's performance interesting, so I asked her to "try acting with a more wild and energetic feeling." Then, her performance changed completely and she looked very cheerful. I thought her vibes at that time would suit Sachika well.

"Who came up with the idea of having a gyaru?"

Sugihara: I think it was a suggestion from Komura-san. My impression of gyaru's are that they're "people who don't sweat the small stuff and move on." Sachika's the character who gives Shouma a place to live when he first comes to the human world, so the gyaru setting was a great fit. Episodes 7 and 8 were stories that dug into Sachika's character, so I tried to make them stories that would push her over the edge. On set, I had discussions with Miyabe and asked her to repeat the same scene over and over until we got the right expression. She even got covered in paint, and did a really good job.

"We understand that the Director's intentions were reflected quite abit in the Stomach Family's setting."

Sugihara: It was decided from the beginning that Shouma would be the youngest child of the Stomach Family, and that he would have five older siblings who were all above him. In the discussion to determine the personalities of the five, I proposed, "the eldest son, who has absolute authority," "the eldest daughter, who's a fighter," "the second son, whose thoughts we can't comprehend," and beneath them, "twins, one boy presented as a female and one girl presented as a male."

"How did you decide on the character of the eldest son, Lango?"

Sugihara: As the leader of the Stomach Family, which is full of unique personalities, I thought that "absolute strength" was necessary. The image I had of his character was that he had a strong presence by just being there. Takabe-san recommended Tsukamoto-san, but when he actually put on the costume, he had a tremendous presence. The other four are dressed in unconventional outfits to give them character, but he fit the part of Lango no matter what he wore.

"We heard that Glotta is a combination of Komura-san's idea of a strong woman and Director Sugihara's idea of a sexy woman."

Sugihara: Komura-san and I both love strong women. Glotta is the "violent member" of the Stomach Family, but since she's played by Chitose Machi-san, who's tall and has great style, I felt like it'd be a waste to have her be just that. That's why I decided to make her character strong enough to dress sexy, but was cool enough to be more than that.

"Glotta vs Valen in episode 8 was such a one sided fight, that we feel bad for Valen."

Sugihara: I told Fujita that "Glotta is a powerful character who can punch people without needing to use her scythe," and asked him to come up with an action plan. It's not often that a Kamen Rider strikes an unarmed woman, but Glotta took no damage at all when Valen hit her, and in fact, she stomped on him and knocked him out (laughs). I'm sure Komura-san must've been pleased (laughs).

"Such as with Yaiba Yua in Zero-One and Myojin Tsukasa in Lupinranger VS Patranger, Director Sugihara's productions tend to feature strong women who have an androgynous manner of speaking, but he took a different approach with Glotta."

Sugihara: It's true that I also like female characters like that (laughs). Glotta was different, but this time, Siita is doing that part for me.

"Please tell us about Siita and Jiip."

Sugihara: They both probably grew up without knowing a mother's love. That's why they hate Shouma, who despite being confined, still grew up being loved by his mother. Also, since they were never given attention by their father, they began to play father and mother to each other, which is where I also came up with a backstory for why they both started wearing clothing of the opposite gender.

"When was Siita's exit decided on?"

Sugihara: Actually, it was decided early on. Siita's last line, "Thank goodness…" wasn't in the script, but was adlibbed by Kawasaki-san during the post recording stage. The two of them were dependent on each other, but in her final moments, Siita grows up alittle and saves Jiip. I think the words were perfect for the situation and made for a great scene.

"As for Shouma, this was the first time he took down a family member. Will this still be a story of battles between siblings going forward?"

Sugihara: For Shouma, he doesn't want to take the lives of his blood related brothers and sisters. I discussed with Komura-san on how to make him finally decide to defeat Siita, and she came up with the line, "We'll wipe you and all humans off the face of the earth" for Siita and Jiip. Still, since Shouma's main goal is to protect humans from Granutes, I'm sure that he won't have to take down his brothers and sisters once the door connecting the Granute and human world is gone. But of course, the Stomach Family will do everything in their power to prevent that from happening, so it won't be that simple. And then, when Shouma achieves this goal, will he remain in the human world? Or will he return to the Granute world? I don't know yet, so please look forward to the future developments.

"Finally, please tell us the Director's favorite sweet."

Sugihara: I don't like sweet things, but I like wasabi flavored kaki peanuts (laughs). I'd really love to see a kaki peanut Gochizou appear!

88 notes · View notes