max + “i’m sorry i let it get this bad. you’re right, i should’ve come to you.” <3

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Leclerc!female!reader

Words: 1434

A/n: antsy Max inspired me a lot apparently fsjng thank you for your request love, it was a pleasure to finally write for him  

You never listened to people’s opinion about your relationship. Sure, you could understand that they were intrigued by Leclerc’s little sister dating Verstappen. The sister dating the rival. It was some kind of romance trope that some fans loved, others hated because they were sure you would betray one of them.

But you never listened to these voices. Because your brother and your boyfriend both knew that you weren’t a menace nor some kind of spy social media wanted to make you. You were just a woman in love. And you promised to never talk to each other about cars and strategy or anything related to F1.

Which was what made the situation even worse for you. 

Formula One was heading to Monaco which was at the same time the best and worst weekend for you. Of course you were happy to be home, to see your brothers driving here. Nothing compared with the craziness of the Monaco Grand Prix. But it was the only weekend where you felt conflicted between supporting Charles or Max. 

Thankfully, Max was understanding. “If you don’t support your own brother at his home race, when will you?” he laughed one night when you were in bed together. “But it’s really the only race I can accept to see you support Ferrari.” It was one of your favorite private jokes. How he couldn’t look at the Ferrari merch in your wardrobe and how he was complaining when the scuderia put stories of you on Instagram with your brothers. He would never prevent you from supporting them. But for him, Red Bull looked better on you.

“And I thought red looked good on me.” you replied, pouting. He took away that pout by kissing you softly.

“I prefer when you don’t wear anything.”

You knew the weekend would be harder than you thought when Max started to complain about the car after the first free practice. You met him in the garage, right after he left the car. He looked disappointed and threw off the cap he had been wearing for…two minutes, maybe. “What’s wrong?” you asked him, immediately taking his head between your hands to make him look at you. It took him a few good seconds before his blue eyes softened a little.

“The car is shit, this weekend. That’s what’s wrong.” He sighed before sitting on the chair just right next to you, taking you with him on his knees. It felt more intimate, like it was just the one of you. “It feels like I can’t control it entirely, I almost lost it multiple times! That’s the worst scenario, especially here.”

You felt his fingers tapping on your knees, something he did every time he was anxious and he was trying to find his peace again. So you let him do it and offered him a soft kiss on the lips. You couldn’t reassure him completely, you couldn’t be sure the car would be fine on sunday. You could just support him and love him. That was what you did. But it wasn’t enough.

Max still managed to be P2 on the grid, right next to Charles. Some kind of nightmare scenario, if you were asked. You didn’t even watch the start, so scared they would hit each other. They didn’t. 

Not yet.

After their first stop, Max was ahead. And Charles attacked him, like he would always do. It lasted for two laps. Until Max’s car stopped behaving correctly. When Charles tried to overtake him, the Red Bull went completely off the track. And you knew for sure that it was the same issue Max had from Friday, that he couldn’t do what he wanted with it. Max was out. Charles was on his way to win his home race.

You were in the Ferrari garage, so you couldn’t even go and see your boyfriend. It killed you to know he was by himself there. You sent him some messages but he didn’t answer them. At some point, when it got clear that nobody would overtake Charles less than five laps before the end, you went on social media. And you saw the comments. Apparently, there were rumors that the Red Bull had issues this weekend. You had no idea where it came from. Apparently walls have ears everywhere. 

But the worst part was that some people thought you said something. That the way Charles attacked wasn’t normal, that he probably knew something was wrong with the car. That you told him about your boyfriend’s issue.

You thought it was stupid. Until it became clear that among all the people believing this, there was your boyfriend.

You didn’t see Max after the race. Not during the podium ceremony, where you cried from seeing your big brother. Not during the media panel, like he had disappeared. Not until the party that was planned after the race.

He was there, chatting with some Red Bull mechanic and having a drink. Like he hadn’t been avoiding him for hours now. You went straight to him, leaving Arthur by himself. “Max!” he turned around, more from the habit of looking at you when you entered the room than from wanting him. “I’ve been looking for you all afternoon.” you put a hand on his arm. And he immediately moved to let it slide away.

“Maybe it was a sign I didn't want to talk to you.” You hated that sound. You had arguments before. But never, ever, did Max use that tone with you. The one he used with people he didn’t like. With journalists that portrayed him like a monster. With drivers that were playing with his nerves. 

You noticed the mechanics taking a step back. “What’s wrong with you?”

Max finally turned to look at you. “You. You telling Charles about the car so he can win.” You never thought he would think so badly of you. Imagining you could betray him so easily. You didn’t even have the strength to answer him. You rolled your eyes, trying to keep the tears in your eyes and nowhere near your cheeks. 

If this is what he thought of you, then you had nothing to do here. You didn’t have the heart to party. So you gave Max one last look, apologized to Charles when you saw him, before leaving and going home. 

You didn’t even cry. You just sat on your bed, looking at the wall and trying to understand the hell that happened today. You ignored your brothers’ text, even turned your phone so you didn’t have to watch the screen light up every minute. 

Then it rang. And you ignored it again. 

Then the bell rang. And you thought it was weird.

When you looked at your phone again, you saw the text. “Open. It’s me”. It was Max. And before you even realized it, you were now at your door to open it. And he was really there. Looking miserable. His hair was messy, his eyes were red and his hands were shaking. He was miserable. But not because he was drunk. Because he knew he might lose you tonight.

“What? You discovered new things about my non-existent plan to ruin your race?” you asked with a sarcastic smile before turning your back at him. You knew he would come in, whether you wanted it or not.

You heard him sighed. “I’m sorry…I was wrong.”

“Yes!” you screamed. “Yes you were wrong Max. How could you even imagine I would say anything to Charles? I never did! I never said anything to him or to you about him. You should have answered my text and my call. You should have come to you. So I could have calmed you down. Rather than see me as some traitor.”

You didn’t realise you had closed your eyes until you felt Max’s arms around you. You didn’t push away. You didn’t return the embrace, though. “I'm sorry I let it get this bad. You’re right, I should’ve come to you.” you nodded silently until your head fell on his shoulder.

You stayed like that for a few minutes, you both needed this peace and to calm all your stress and anxiety. You both needed to know you had each other.

“I’m sorry, you didn’t even stayed to celebrate Charles’ win.” he whispered in your ear, holding you even tighter as if you would leave him suddenly to go back there and leave him alone.

“It’s fine.” you replied, looking at him in the eyes. “Charles has plenty of people to celebrate. You need me. And I need you.”

One bed troupe w/ Levi

It was safe to day Levi almost never got out of the house. Between online school and all the the time he spent on the internet, he had no need to leave his room. Key word: almost. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, he went out into the real world for events related to the things he enjoys, such as concerts, fan meetups, and most importantly, conventions.

Levi had been going to conventions longer than you even knew they existed, so it was safe to say he was an expert. But, now that you were around, and also interested in most of the same things as he was, he just had to take you along. That meaning, he nervously asked you on his knees the first time and after you agreed, he never asked again and just assumed you were going. Every convention with him is interesting, but always followed a formula.

You hear about the convention somehow, usually from Levi, where he's asking what cosplay you should go as this time. Sometimes you coordinate, sometimes you don't, but Levi loves to match. When he asks this, he's probably already book you your room. At first, he got you each your own room, but once after he accidently booked one room with two beds, you just started doing that instead. You leave a day before the convention begins with travel time factored in, spend however long there, then return home a day after the convention ends.

This formula is tried, true, and dear to Levi. It's something he can rely on to have the maximum amount of fun with his favorite person. This convention was supposed to be just like any other. The both of you were reusing an older cosplay, just because you had been busy that week. As you toted your bags into the hotel lobby, Levi almost directly in front of you, you asked him to pause. When he froze, and asked why, you carefully picked the Devildom equivalent of a ladybug. He was a little freaked out at first, but after studying the small bug you pulled out of his hair, he got a laugh out of it.

"They're good luck you know, especially if they land on you." You teased him, watching it fly off. Levi didn't respond, feeling a wave of anxiety crash over him. He wasn't sure why. He attributed it to having to deal with checking in, which he hated. But, he would never make you do that, since it was always him who insisted on bringing you along.

While he got you two checked in, you wandered off to the seating area to admire a sculpture. In your absence, something that only happens in his worst nightmares happened. Despite having made a reservation, the system wasn’t showing anything and they had no record at all. He briefly freaked out as he flickered through his camera roll, trying to find the receipt among his many photos of memes and characters fanart. Once he found it, he showed the worker. After seeing this, she did something on her computer and offered him a room upgrade. Before hearing the details, he accepted it. This was all too much for him.

Having acquired the room key, he collected you. The setting sun lit up the room, backlighting you and the sculpture. You simply stared up at it. He almost didn’t want to interrupt you. You noticed him somehow, and spun around to space him, making eye contact with a smile. His heart almost skipped a beat with the way you looked at him.

“Our room ready?” You pulled your suitcase behind you, noticing the keycard in his hand.

“Mmhm.” He didn’t trust himself to speak, and silently led you towards the elevators. He was told they had been given a room on floor 19, which was the second highest. Mc would probably die for that view. The thought of making them happy made him happy.

They two of got on the elevator. Mc made funny face at Levi through the mirrored elevator. After you walked the floor enough, following signage, you found your room. He unlocked it, and swung the door open to a beautiful suite. It came complete with a living room, and kitchenette, and a bathroom that rivaled Asmo’s. Mc dropped their bag by the door, and immediately begins to explore.

“Levi! You didn’t tell me you got a nicer room this time!” You threw your body down onto the sofa, admiring the tv. “This is great.” You peaked over the back of the sofa at him.

“Oh, I actually meant to tell you… There was a mixup of some kind so they upgraded us.” He scratched the back of his neck and closed the door behind him. His soul nearly left his body when he looked further into the room.

There was only one bed.

“Oh no, oh no no no.” He began to freak out for the second time that day.

“What’s the matter?” You got up immediately. You watched where his gaze was fixed. “Oh, Levi. I can sleep on the couch.” You looked at him empathetically, understanding his predicament.

“No! I mean, I can’t let my player two sleep on that sofa when that bed is right there. It’s much nicer than my bathtub. You deserve it. I’m just a loser otaku, but you’re the human who brought my family back together.” He took a small step back.

“Don’t he ridiculous. There’s room for both of us. If it helps, we can just sleep facing opposite ways. Besides, you know Mammon would kill to be in this room with me right now, sharing a bed with me. You could totally use this chance to brag, Levichan.” You giggled, skipping your way into the bathroom. “I’m getting ready for bed. Be out shortly.” You took your toiletries bag into giant bathroom. Levi pondered for an amount of time he wasn’t sure of, but was jolted out of thought by a knocking on the bathroom wall. Turns out, the shower had a window in it that faced the bed. You were doing a little dance in front of it with just a towel on, poking fun at him. After he covered his eyes and screamed at you to stop, you shut the window curtain so you could actually shower.

Once you were done, he had already unpacked all his things and took his own turn. The bathroom was very luxurious, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Mc and how he was going to be brave and share that bed with them. It was just to rub it in Mammon’s face, he told himself.

When he got out, you were spread out in the bed with a few snacks from your bag and his Devilswitch. “Up for a few rounds before bed, big guy?” He couldn’t say no to you. In his scramble to win every game you two played, and haze of the long day of traveling, he totally forgot about behind nervous. It only crept back in once you’d fallen asleep on his arm, remote still in hand. He froze, unsure what to do.

But, he knew he had to act because with the long day you two had tomorrow, he had to get to bed as well. As he moved to get up to clear the bed of everything on it, you grumbled and grabbed his arm. He began to internally scream, and almost externally too. He was sure he was very red. So, instead, he just moved everything onto his bedside table, and pulled the covers over both of you.

He was stiff under the covers at first, but the more you snuggled into him, the more relaxed he found himself getting. Maybe it was because he was getting more sleepy by the passing seconds, but he almost found himself enjoying the affection. He bid sleeping you goodnight.

Maybe this is what his good luck ladybug meant.

Heyyyy!!!! Can you please write an imagine about Lewis Hamilton? The trope is she falls first but he falls harder. Idk, maybe she works at Mercedes kind of thing. Thanks :)))

Expect The Unexpected

Prompt: You fell first but Lewis fell harder.

Word Count: 1.8k

Pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Female!Reader

Warnings: unedited, drug metaphors

Category: fluff

Gif: not mind, credits to the original owners.

Working at Mercedes had been the dream for as long as you could remember. Always being a fan of motorsport, you would watch the cars compete around the tracks across the world and the very second that you had any concept of what working and having a job were, you decided that Formula 1 was the place for you.

But chasing down a dream was never as easy as the movies made it out to be. Several years being cooped up in a boxy flat, pouring your heart and soul into your university work and working a part time job just to make ends meet were some of the sacrifices that you had to make to get to where you are now.

Working at Mercedes had always been the dream and it was a dream that you had managed to achieve through hard work.

So there you were, standing in the middle of the garage as pit crew, photographers and engineers danced around you. They were in a mad rush to get everything sorted and ready for the upcoming race.

You were totally focused on the day ahead. The Monza GP had always been one of your favourites. There was just something so magical about it. With Monza, always expect the unexpected.

You scanned the garage one final time, looking for the man that you would be assisting throughout the race and the moment that he walked in, your breathing hitched in your throat. There he was, dressed in his black race suit which only made him look more appealing and more dangerous than usual. His braided hair was tied back in a ponytail and as he smiled at his team, you admired the small gap in his teeth, the one that made you think he was cute instead of hot whenever you saw it.

"Y/N, you ready for today?" Lewis asked, catching you by surprise. Too entranced in his beauty, you hadn't realised that he was now standing in front of you. Snapping you out of your daydream, you forced a bright smile on your face and nodded your head with enthusiasm.

"As ready as ever, Sir." You gave him a salute and he chuckled at your stupidity. He found it endearing how you still insisted on calling him by his official title every so often. Lewis would rather you didn't but it became more of a joke between the two of you and so you never stopped.

Lewis' hand gripped yours and placed it back down by your side gently. Electricity flew up your arms as he initiated contact and when your head snapped up to look at him, his eyes were wide. Lewis was never one to show any shock or fear but as you looked into his eyes, you found both were present.

The races came and went as they usually did with one exception: you and Lewis had started to spend more time together. At first, it started out as official meetings that were genuinely work related. Lewis had questions regarding the tyre performance and a few car performance issues. Things were ironed out very quickly and before you knew it, Lewis had invited you out for lunch. You knew that you shouldn't have agreed. It was a dangerous game that you were playing but he was so enticing.

Lewis Hamilton was like a drug to you. Everything about him was addicting, from the scent of his aftershave to the way that he looked at you with that twinkle in his eyes.

The thing about working at Mercedes was that it was just one big family and so when Toto and Susie announced that they would be hosting an end of season party to celebrate everyone's hard work, you were already being pestered about attending.

"You are going, right?" Lewis questioned as the pair of you fell into stride with each other, walking around the paddock.

"I'm not sure. I told my parents that I would help them with Christmas decorations and I haven't seen them in months." You sighed, confessing your dilemma to the man that you had worked with for years.

"Oh come on, Y/N. The party won't be fun without you." He pouted at you, giving you his best puppy dog eyes and you could feel your cheeks burning at the sight.

You weren't stupid. Your attendance would not impact Lewis having fun but you let yourself believe it anyway and so, you agreed.

"I'll make sure you have the best time. I promise!" Lewis exclaimed as though he was an excited, young kid and without even thinking about it, he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to your cheek.

As always, Toto and Susie outdid themselves with the party and as promised, Lewis made sure that you had the best possible time.

Not once did Lewis leave your side all evening. He spent his time dancing with you, giving you enough alcohol to make you tipsy but not enough to get you drunk and his arm was always wrapped around your waist. Not a single man dared to approach you whilst you were in the presence of Lewis although rest be assured, plenty of men wanted to.

"I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back." You informed him, your lips brushing against his ear to be heard over the loud music. He got shivers from the contact, the blood rushing down below and making his trousers that bit more uncomfortable.

What you didn't notice as you walked away with your back to him, was how his eyes raked up and down your body, taking in how gorgeous you looked in that slinky black dress. It accentuated every inch of your body perfectly and my god did Lewis want to devour you there and then but he had better control than that. You deserved better than a quickie in the family bathroom of your employer. He would make sure to give you better than that.

"You like her." Susie Wolff observed from beside the golden boy of Mercedes. Being snapped out of his thoughts that were consumed by you, he turned to look at Susie, not quite believing how easily she could read him.

"Nah, she's my engineer and a friend-" Lewis started but he wasn't fooling Susie. She shut him up before he had a chance to finish the lie he was telling himself.

"Yeah, okay, Lewis. No one is buying that. You treat her differently to Angela and in a way that screams that you're in love with her. You just don't realise it yet." Susie finished and walked back into the arms of her loving husband.

Lewis contemplated her words whilst he awaited your return. You were all he seemed to think about these days and even now, he missed your presence. It was temporary but he missed the warmth of your body pressed up against his. He missed the sweetness of your perfume filling his nostrils every time he breathed in. Most of all, he missed the way that your eyes would light up whenever you engaged in a conversation concerning something that you loved.

"You alright?" You asked him upon your return from the bathroom. Instinctively, his arm snaked around your waist and you didn't stop him. It felt so natural that you almost didn't give it a second thought.

"Everything's perfect." Lewis smiled down at you before pressing a kiss to your temple, savouring the moment.

Maybe Susie was right.

A knock at the door echoed throughout the hallway of your parents house. Confused as to who could be at the door so late on Christmas Eve, you decided to go and investigate. You pushed back the fuzzy blanket that was keeping you warm and made your way to the front door. It opened with a loud creak and you were shocked to see none other than Lewis Hamilton standing there. His hair was littered with white snowflakes and his parka jacket wasn't doing a great job of keeping him dry.

"Lewis, what are you doing here? It's Christmas Eve." You pointed out, stepping out of the house and into the snow with just your pyjamas, a cardigan and a pair of slippers to protect you from the elements.

"Y/N, I've known you for years and I've been lucky enough to have you by my side through it all. I've won world championships with you and this year, when I wasn't at my best, you stuck by me." Lewis started and you honestly had no idea where this was going. You were about to point out that you were only doing your job when he stopped you.

"Please don't say that it's your job because it's so much more than that," he took a step towards you and suddenly, you couldn't remember how to breathe with him so close to you.

"You kept me grounded, you lifted me up when I needed it but you've always checked on me as a person, not as a driver." He took yet another step closer and you found yourself chest to chest with him. His eyes gazed into yours and you searched them, looking for anything that might indicate what was going on.

"Y/N, you are so much more than my race engineer. It's taken me several years to realise it but I love you." He whispered the last three words and some part of you thought that you had been making it up.

Never in a million years did you think that Lewis Hamilton would feel that way about you. It had always just been friendly banter on his side and so, although you had fallen for him years ago, you didn't press the issue further. Not when he was the person keeping you in a job.

When you didn't say anything, Lewis let out a heavy sigh and took a step back. He went to turn away, immediately regretting his long car journey to confess his feelings to you but you stopped him. You grabbed his hand and with your other arm, placed it around his neck and pulled him closer to you. His face was millimetres away from yours, his hot breath fanning against your face. Deciding that you both needed to make up for lost time, you reached up and pressed a soft kiss on his lips.

What started out as a soft kiss where you both expressed your love and desire for each other, quickly turned into something more. The lust overpowered the desire and the heat was enough to melt the snow that surrounded you.

"I love you, too." You whispered against his lips to which he couldn't hold back the wide grin from stretching across his features.

Lewis dug around in his coat pockets until he pulled out a piece of mistletoe and held it above your heads.

"Merry Christmas, my love." He winked at you and your head tipped back as you laughed, your hands on his chest.

"Merry Christmas, Lewis." You smiled before leaning up once again to leave a peck on his lips.

You might have fallen first but Lewis definitely fell harder.

a/n: hope you enjoyed my first imagine! I loved the prompt so thank you very much, anon and I adore Lewis so all in all, a good first imagine topic :) if you want to be in my tag list, just comment down below. Likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3

First Kiss (Race 4)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys @biancathecool] {this took way longer than i wanted to finish but i literally had no idea what to put,, next chapter will be longer}

last part - masterlist - next part

They had another two weeks off but this time Lance had to spend it on race related things instead of having fun with Fernando, to the Spaniards disappointment.

He didn't mind it for the most part, until he had to start doing media training. He got he wasn't the best with interviews and tired to make them as short as possible but Nico was great so that made up for it, right? (no)

Lance made it to the paddock, this time with Nico who was making sure he was ready for interviews this time

"How many interviews are you gonna do?"

"As many as possible" Lance groaned, having been asked that for the past two weeks by everyone around him

"Good" Nico laughed, patting the Canadian on the back as they made their way to the cameras (that just happened to be not far from the front of the Renault grage)

"Lance, Lance Stroll!" He heard people calling, he locked eyes with one of them and flashed a smile before walking closer

"Hello, Lance"

"Hello" He nodded slightly, trying his hardest to put what he learned to work

"This is your fourth formula one race, how are you feeling? hoping to do better than last week?"

He held eye contact, taking in what he was being asked "Yeah, yeah this is my fourth race. I'm feeling great so far, hoping to get into the points this weekend but i'd be fine with just finishing the race"

Both him and the interviewer laughed a bit before she asked the next question

"Not race related but the fans can't help but wonder about your friendship with Fernando Alonso, anything to say regarding that?"

"Uhm.." He thought about the question, unable to hide the smile on his face as the world champion was mentioned "Yeah, I mean i hope he considers us friends." Lance laughed a bit, glancing over to the Renault garage just to lock eyes with the Spaniard who'd been watching closely "Him, Mark, and I have gotten really close over the last few weeks."

The interview continued for a little longer and then Lance did a few more, glad when Nico came over to steal him back

"You did good, a lot better than before" Nico teased, patting his back once more

Lance laughed, nodding as he walked back to the Racing Point garage with Nico "Guess suffering for two weeks was worth it"

Once Lance got back to his side he felt his phone vibrate, pulling out just to be greeted by a certain Spaniards name on the screen

"A lot of interviews today, you don't usually like them, no?"

"I don't, but I spent the past two weeks training"

"I'm a media world champ now"

"Good job, champ"

Lance smiled, being called to get ready for quali as the older man did the same a few garages over

Quali went good, Fernando secured p2 and he secured p6. He was glad to qualify so high, hoping it was a sign he'd actually finish the Grand Prix this week.

"Lancito" He heard someone say and he automatically turned his head, it was like a second name to him.

"Nando, Good job today" He smiled, finally beating Fernando to it, the shorter man smiled back

"Thank you, mi sol," Fernando replied with a smile, and Lance felt a flutter of excitement at the affectionate nickname.

As they wandered around the paddock together, Lance couldn't help but feel safe. Despite the pressures of the sport and what he'd hear about himself, moments like these, spent with the world champion, made it all worth it.

The next day was fairly uneventful and so was the race (even though 6 people dnf, none of them were hurt or Fernando so it didnt matter in his mind,) the most eventful part was when Brad spoke to him after he sped past the chequered flag

"P6, Lance, that's P6"

"SIX?" he shouted, making sure he heard his engineer correctly

"Yes, Lancelot, P6! Well done out there today"

"Fuck yeah!" He said excitedly, hurrying his way back to the garage where the team was waiting to congratulate him, he had been the only one on the team to score points so it was a big deal, even though it was only three.

After the podium finished Fernando came over, having gotten p2. He reached the racing point garage and all the engineers knew who he was looking for, telling him Lance was in his drivers room.

Brad headed back there to retrieve the Canadian, watching as his face lit up when he was told who was looking for him

Fernando waited patiently outside of the garage, eyes wandering as he heard footsteps coming his way

"Nando!" An excited voice shouted, the Spaniard looked his way and smiled, seeing how much better Lance was doing after todays race compared to the last one.

"Lancito, good job mi sol" Fernando praised, wrapping an arm around Lance's shoulder, it had become their norm, just as it seemed the nickname 'mi sol' was becoming.

"Y'know, I didn't even realize I was P6 until i crossed the line?" He laughed, not being able to wipe the smile of his face (mostly because of the points he scored but also because of the older mans presence)

"That's how you know you did good, eh?" Fernando flashed a quick smile back to him, patting his shoulder as he directed the taller man to start walking "Did so good you did not notice, are a natural"

"You better watch your back then, I'm coming for your title next" Lance teased, eyes refusing to leave the Spaniard even as they walked

"We'll see about that" Fernando looked away, leaving the Canadian staring longingly at the side of his face. It was nice, talking about the race, as long as they did it together nothing was ever too serious.

Daniel Ricciardo was the fall guy despite McLaren’s all around struggles

Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles behind the wheel of the McLaren made him the perfect fall guy for the struggling Formula 1 team.

The 33-year-old Aussie endured a tumultuous two-year stint with the Woking-based outfit as he struggled to emulate his Red Bull days.

As we all know those lofty heights of seven race victories didn’t come to fruition, the Perth native did however claim McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory in some time as he edged out teammate Lando Norris.

As the two seasons dragged out, the team’s struggles only went from bad to worse but it was Ricciardo who was constantly in the spotlight and being thrown under the bus.

McLaren finished third in the constructors standings in 2020, behind only Mercedes and Red Bull. The signs from that season were evident and it’s why hopes were high when Ricciardo made the switch from Renault.

But in Ricciardo’s first season the team fell down to fourth in the standings as Ferrari leapt above them.

Last season they fell another spot as they were overtaken by Alpine.

And yet it was the Aussie who had the finger pointed at him for struggling to deliver, despite the car simply not being up to scratch to deliver the results the team were dreaming of.

McLaren boss Zak Brown, who became public enemy number one among Aussie F1 fans, said Ricciardo often stole the headlines despite other struggles plaguing the team.

“We started [2022] with some challenges in testing with the brake ducts. The car was okay,” said Brown as per RacingNews365.com.

“Then we had our driver-related issues that we were working through which took the attention, the headline.

“Meanwhile, underneath the surface, I wasn’t happy with the pace of the development of the racing car. That was the second half of last year – if you look at the pace of development with some of the other teams where they started and where they ended, versus where we started and where we ended.”

Those remarks however from Brown, whether he meant to or not, continue to place the blame on Ricciardo.

Yes the normally smiling assassin struggled to make an impact, with only seven finishes inside the top 10 during the 2022 season.

But his teammate Norris remained in the clear despite going backwards on what he’d achieved the season before.

Norris has long been touted as a potential Formula 1 world champion, but even he couldn’t come close to the level many believe he’s capable of.

The 23-year-old only managed to secure on podium finish after spraying the champagne four times in 2021.

In 2023 with Norris and Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri, the McLaren struggles have been laid bare with the team fifth in the constructors standings.

All 12 of their total points came during a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. Both drivers finished well outside the points during the opening two races of the season.

With Daniel Ricciardo no longer in the garage, Brown is going to have to find a new fall guy to blame the team’s struggles on.

(x) 

You were there during the aftermath of 2021. From what I get from the veterans it was hell.

Me I'm kinda new to the fandom. See,I knew about Lewis in about 2017-2018 because I was following Jourdan Dunn and Olivier Rousteing (Balmain) on Insta , and there was this Balmain campaign. So I saw him and let me be real, he looked like that typical lightskin man who is a fuckboy, party like Neymar, is toxic and will live you wahala back, front, left, right, up down and center. So it was a pass.

Then comes I think the time around may 2022 i got interested in knowing who is Lewis Hamilton. Prior to that some aesthetic blog non F1 related blog that were my mutuals and could not name one F1 driver beside him, so in my head this was already a fine fine boy.

I am going to be honest with you I'm not a Lewis fan because of F1 but because of his influence outside of F1 (things like his Tommy gig, Balmain, his appearances in celebrity events like the Met Gala). The main reason I became a fan is because he is handsome and dress well and is an A-list celebrity, so even if you think Formula 1 is a brand of baby food, you know who that man is. Plus as a Black woman I gotta support the only Black man in the sport, so.

But again I joined F1blr in 2022. And let me tell you: it was a mess. Drama everywhere, fandoms war everywhere, racism everywhere and on top of that I do not even understand how a car works! It made me feel like I was Beyoncé and Jay Z had just cheated on me: the fandom was giving me chest pain because I had to defend a 37 years old man's legacy to strangers who had babies with their fave driver in delululand.

Fortunately for me, I remembered that blocking people and filtering tags is something. So now my experience is enjoyable. Also, when and why did you become a Lewis fan (si tu en es une, parce que je viens de me rappeler que tu parles français et que j'aurais juste pu écrire en français dès le début 😩)

Sorry pour le long pavé là

Yeah but comme ça tout le monde comprend c'est plus convivial mdr

Okay so here's how it came to be for me. I was watching My next guest needs no introduction with David Letterman on Netflix in 2019. Loving it. Season 2 episode 3 was Tiffany Haddish. I was getting close to the end of the episode, so I took a peek at who's next. "Lewis Hamilton". 🤔 sounds vaguely familiar, I'm like who's that. Read the summary : "World champion Formula One driver..." I go : "aww no fuck that who cares about Formula One". But I'm nothing if not curious. I didn't know who Tiffany Haddish was either. I still watched. I still learnt. I still enjoyed. I think "whatever, if it's boring I'll skip it". It wasn't boring.

First of all same as you he got my attention because he's hot. No way around it. Second of all he got my attention because he explains F1 isn't just sitting in a car, that it's super hard, that it's an actual sport. Third of all he got my attention because he was endearing af. He talks excitedly and knows his shit. He takes David Letterman for a ride and they break a car. He makes his dad stand up from his seat in the audience so everyone can applaud him for everything he did for his son. (Gifs : 1 - 2 - 3) I'm like seriously : WHO'S THAT.

And, I repeat, I'm nothing if not curious so I think "eh, I guess I don't know shit about F1 and it's not what I thought. Maybe I should watch a race." Pour mourir moins con, comme on dit. So I look it up. When's the next race. Oh this sunday. I'm not very busy on sundays. Where can I watch it. Oh they broadcast it on national tv for free. How convenient.

I watch the race. Here I am almost 4 years later. I came for Lewis, I stayed, extremely weirdly, for the sport.

oh gosh is this MORE the wilds season 2 thoughts? yep!

I finished my rewatch, so here are some slightly less unbaked thoughts:

- First of all: I did watch the boys scenes fully this time, and I will say: the boys island timeline is much more enjoyable on a second watch. Part of it is just me being less frustrated by s2′s lack of cohesiveness (i’ve made my peace with it) and thus able to watch the boys scenes without trying to figure out what the show is trying to do in relation to the girls (there is often no parallel or commentary made, so it’s better to enjoy them separately honestly). Part of it is also that on a second watch, already knowing what happens with Seth, it was both more interesting to see his manipulation from the get go, and also less stressful? to watch the aftermath of his sexual assault? I think the problem with giving the boys such a despicable, horrible act of violence to contend with (while the girls did not have to deal with anything like that) is that it made my first watch... kinda stressful? I just remember being so tense after that happened, but not in a good way, if that makes sense, not in a “oh this is good drama”. Not sure why, but knowing how it gets resolved, with its ups and downs, made the storyline easier to digest for me. Also: the frisbee scene was actually really fucking delightful, and my favorite boys group scene for sure.

- However: I still think the boys backstory scenes were a mistake. I get it: that was their formula for s1, and it worked so well for the girls! But they KNEW they were going to have much less time, not only because they still have to give the girls screentime, but also because they only had eight episodes this season! EIGHT! They should have done either very brief snippets, of leave the flashbacks to season 3, I don’t know but they needed to change the structure. It was very messy, and constantly felt like we were wasting time that could have been better used otherwise AND at the risk of repeating myself: there was no thread, to any of the boys backstories. The girls were about teenage girlhood in a sexist society. The boys were about... random individuals. It simply did not work.

- I really wish we’d gotten a girls bunker timeline, apart from the very first episode and the last episode. We got a LEAH bunker storyline - and it was amazing, a highlight of the season for me ; pairing leah with raf and having her interact with faber and young and finally gretchen made for stellar scenes - but a) i really wanted to get some insight in how the other girls are dealing with the bunker, their isolation, the aftermath of the island, and b) I also really wanted a story where all the girls plot their escape together, not just Leah. It would have been so fun.

- Thinking about each of the girls’ arcs this season... It’s interesting, because if you think of them as a GROUP, as “the unsinkable eight”, a collective entity, their development is really well done, and everyone got at least some space to shine within the group dynamics. (Well, apart from the Nora of it all. But her absence did have WEIGHT, which I enjoyed). But as individual characters... I don’t know. I was never afraid for Leah, because she is the protagonist, she’s literally the only girl driving the plot until Fatin and Shelby join her in conspiracy theory land, so the show was always going to give Leah some juicy material. Fatin and Shelby are fan favorites, so they also get a lot of story - especially since Fatin’s arc is so linked to Leah, therefore to the bigger plot. Rachel got some very good scenes, they finally expanded her interactions to almost all the other girls which was fantastic, and I get why s2 focused on the loss of Nora rather than the loss of her hand, given that in s3 presumably she’ll learn that Nora isn’t dead. But I really hope they explore her, you know, AMPUTATION in s3, and what it means to her, for her sense of self. But Martha, Toni and Dot... not too sure what to think of them just yet. There’s some interesting stuff for each of them, certainly, but... I don’t know.

- Last but not least: they really have to start figuring out what they’re doing with Gretchen and the experiment plot, and the show’s overall take on gender and sexism, because I was fine “suspension-of-disbelief-ing” my way through s1, but now the utter lack of clarity has gotten actually frustrating. Not that I’m expecting anything radical from an amazon prime show, but it’d be nice for things to, you know, at least superficially make sense.

Basically, it's Fairly Odd Parents in the Milo Coco style!

While we all wish that 'Fairly Odd Parents' didn't overstay its welcome, there was a time when we thought the show was more than "fairly" good. As a child, this Nickelodeon cartoon about average boy Timmy Turner and the magical adventures he has with his fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda granted me a lot of enjoyment in its peak.

What worked about FOP was how it managed to put fantasy creatures into a contemporary setting, it was able to apply cartoon based humour to the cyclical structure of a fairy tale. The show followed its own formula, which Timmy would use wishing to improve his life. But these wishes would lead to certain consequences, that way, it would work morals into its stories. It really showed what type of wishes a child would make if they could happen in our world. It played around with tropes, as the depictions of mythological beings and wishes turned out differently than you'd expect.

Its use of gag-related humour was both sharp and funny. The show could get tongue-in-cheek with how characters referred to plot points, like how the opposite circumstances happen. The designs are formed from geometric shapes and bold outlines, they still have a distinctive flare. The animators were able to magically bring life to these ideas with snappy timing. 

The characters were able to pull off these goofy lines with sincerity. Timmy was one the younger viewers could sympathise with and learn from. Both Cosmo and Wanda worked well off each other, as the dim-witted comic relief and nagging voice of reason. The other characters managed to leave an impact with their exaggerated traits, like the conspiracy nut Crocker. Who pursuits to prove the existence of fairies. Yet he reacts and fails in an over the top manner. Sure the writing could be hokey and the characters would become victims of 'flanderization', it still made up for it with a good balance of humour and morals. 

But after a brief hiatus, FOP introduced the fourth wheel to the main cast. When Cosmo himself gave birth to the fairy baby, Poof (yes....really). For many fans, this was seen as the point where the show jumped the shark through a giant pair of scissors (so to speak). Something definitely felt 'odd', but we all thought what could possibly go wrong? Well, the writing was starting to become less witty and charming, often relying more on pop culture and sophomoric humour. The character's flanderization became more apparent, as they were reduced to their exaggerated traits. The supporting characters were put to the side; while more main characters were added as it went on. Now I for one don't blame Poof (as I like his character design), and I do think the second half of seasons do contain certain gems if you know where to look for them. But when Sparky was added, that's when I felt the show started to run on fumes. Did the last 2 seasons need to exist? I ask you.

If there's any point where FOP lost any dignity it still had, it would be the live-action movies. What could have been a funny/whimsical coming of age story that passes the wand to a new generation failed to utilise it's characters. The acting is ham and cheese, the production values are camp; what may have been funny in the original series does not translate to live-action. And for what, to completely contradict the ending that 'Channel Chasers' had set up. They're not the worst trilogy of films, but still, they’re not the conclusion viewers would’ve hoped for. When you put them together they leave you so disenchanted, you wonder if the show was ever good in the first place. For many fans, this made them realise that the show (for lack of a better term) lost its magic.

If 'A Fairly Odd Movie' was good (or at least decent) and the series ended right there and then; people would probably hold FOP in similar regard to 'Phineas and Ferb' and 'Futurama'. Not necessarily as one of the deepest shows or comedy gold, but the series had a charm that was all its own. But alas, it just became another children's franchise. But it no longer became what we remember it to be. Sadly, Cosmo and Wanda kept their incumbency, until it was eventually put out of its misery. Even though I still look back fondly on Timmy's earlier wishes, the reputation of them and their creator have been forever tarnished.

With the news of a live-action retelling, maybe Cosmo and Wanda's story could be told in a different timeline instead. It doesn't have to stay in Dimmsdale. But that's just wishful thinking. 

Fairly Odd Parents belongs to its respected owners and creators.

Vettel sad to have driven my last race at Suzuka after dream weekend | RaceFans Round-up

In the round-up: Sebastian Vettel is sad to say farewell to Suzuka for the last time. In brief Vettel “sad to have driven my last race” at Suzuka Vettel enjoyed a strong final visit to Suzuka. He reached Q3 and despite spinning off at the start an aggressive strategy helped him equal Aston Martin’s best finish of the season with sixth place, beating Fernando Alonso by a tenth of a second. “I got a very good start but then I collided with another car at the first corner,” he said of his tangle with Fernando Alonso at turn one. “I really could not see anything – I am not sure, maybe I aquaplaned or I made a mistake – but I lost all the positions I had gained and ended up last.” An early switch to intermediate tyres was a “good decision”, said Vettel. “It was a great stop, then I pushed like crazy and managed to undercut most of the field.” He described his final appearance at Suzuka as an F1 driver as “a dream weekend – for us to score eight points is a mega result. “I feel sad to have driven my last race here, but it has been a wonderful weekend, and to all the fantastic Suzuka fans I can only say, ‘Thank you’.” Haas got strategy wrong, Steiner admits Haas delayed its pit stops for both drivers and paid the price as both failed to score. Team principal Guenther Steiner admitted “we were caught on our back foot today with the strategy.” “We were too reactive and not proactive, and we ended up down the classification,” he explained. “It’s very difficult to make these decisions as we all know, and afterwards we’re always smarter with hindsight. We’ll review what we did and see that we do better next time.” F4 USA and Formula Regional Americas announce 2023 calendars The US Formula 2 and Formula Regional Americas will share six race weekends in 2023. They will race at NOLA Motorsports Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Virginia International Raceway and Circuit of the Americas. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Links Motor racing links of interest: Verstappen's class the only certainty on 'confusing and weird' day for F1 (BBC) 'Guess who wrote the new rule that has now been exposed so publicly? Masi, before he was relieved of his post over the winter.' Verstappen has been a key advisor to de Vries (Daily Mail) '‘Obviously, we are from a similar era, he is a little bit younger than me but we grew up in karting, we are both Dutch and the way he was approaching racing with his father, driving around in a van though Europe, I think was very much like ours.' Kanaan looking for team for 22nd Indy 500 start next May (IndyCar) 'You can’t beat experience. Look at the way I approached the race this year. You know, more or less, how the race is going to go. You know when you need to go. That doesn’t mean you can make it happen.' Five key moments on de Vries’ road to F1 (F2) 'Even when he struggled for pace in Silverstone, he still managed to bring home a podium finish. Despite having been disqualified from Qualifying in Monza, de Vries refused to let that hold him back – fighting through to achieved back-to-back third place finishes for the second time that season.' Queen refused to let Stewart drive her and instead took F1 legend for a spin (The Mirror) 'She would have been a very good racing driver.' We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it in via the contact form. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Happy birthday! Happy birthday to Mark Scott! On this day in motorsport Bottas beat the Honda-livered Red Bulls to win in Turkey on this day last year via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net

Numeric/Pixelator

I know the rest of the internet is all off busy theorizing about season 5 and what’s to come from it, but in my little corner of the internet, I’m going to take a bit of time to talk about season 1, because that’s what I’m at in my re-write. 

I got a couple thoughts on the episode, and no real structure yet on any kind of posting, so I guess just start off with the broadest stroke and then go on from there? 

It’s no secret that in Miraculous there’s the formula of the day of “Marinette learns a lesson”. There are people out there that have documented what each “lesson” is supposed to be, but in this episode especially it feels like the lesson of the story is all mixed up, like the writers themselves weren’t sure what message they were trying to convey. 

Like, so Marinette’s sent out to get Jagged his glasses, and Tikki scolds her for doing a half-assed job of it and picking up something that doesn’t match what Jagged requested at all. She doesn’t care, she just wants to spend her day with Adrien. 

But then when they go to hand in the glasses and she gets chewed out by Jagged and sent away to do the job right this time, Marinette whines about how this means even less time with Adrien. And Tikki then pipes up that that’s what ze was saying earlier, to get the job done right the first time so that she’d have time to play rather than going back and re-doing it to fix it up to a presentable point. But... ze literally said none of that? All ze said was how the glasses didn’t match what Jagged asked for, ze didn’t mention a single thing about Adrien or free time, that was all Marinette after Tikki had finished talking. 

And, I mean, isn’t Jagged Stone supposed to be one of Marinette’s all-time favourite musicians? Like, she’s a huge enough fan of his that she “gets his style” despite their age gap. She has a life-sized cutout of him in her room during season 2 when he comes over. And isn’t she supposed to be an aspiring designer? Shouldn’t she be, like... actually *excited* about the prospect of being commissioned by someone like Jagged Stone? Not have to be talked in to doing the job the right way by Tikki after trying to skirt the duties of helping him, a famous rock star that she’s a huge fan of, because she’d rather spend her day hanging out with a boy that she sees every day in school anyway and can’t even talk to when she is around? How is this the same character that goes out of her way to make banners and presents for her classmates with little to no prompting from anyone, just because it’s the nice thing to do?

But then there’s the akuma that has absolutely nothing to do with the message of the episode and is just another stalker!akuma (seriously, there’s been a bunch of those throughout the series.) And so we fast forward to the end of the episode where four lucky individuals are awarded free back-stage passes to Jagged’s concert THAT NIGHT, and of course Marinette is one of the four, as is Alya, Nino, and Adrien despite the fact that we literally only saw one frame of Nino at work and Alya just vanished from the episode as a whole until now, and Adrien spent at least a good portion of the day stuck in white limbo with Chloe, and then immediately ran off the moment he was transported back. But the message of the episode had changed AGAIN to “work hard and do your best and your efforts will be recognized and rewarded.”

So that’s three so far semi-related morals in this one episode all vying for the right to be the true meaning. But it doesn’t even end there. If you take into account the next episode Jagged Stone appears in, Guitar Villain, you get yet another possible read on the moral of the episode in “you never know when opportunity will present itself, so don’t turn your nose up at anything and always put in a good day’s work.” Because if she had just left the glasses as “good enough” instead of going that extra mile the second time around, she never would have had her talents recognized and never would have been commissioned to make the album cover that basically launches her career. With something like that to put on her resume or into her portfolio, she’s sure to be turning heads.

And still, none of them have anything to do with the akuma of the day.

And on a semi-related note, what did Alya *do* to Chloe to get her stuck sorting trash all day? I mean, Marinette, Chloe’s favourite target that she never fails to take a jab at, just got stuck running errands for people. Sure it might not be fun or what Marinette wanted to do, but in a 5-star hotel like Le Grand Paris there’s bound to be loads of important people staying there, not just Jagged Stone. If they’re putting a 13-year-old in charge of running errands for their most important guest, they must not have any other staff available to run goffer for the other patrons. So then why did Alya have to sort trash instead of helping out with the cleaning or in the kitchens with her mother, or as a bellhop, or as another chasseur... 

And then there’s Jagged himself. Is it just me, or is he a lot more of a jerk in this episode than he normally is? I mean, most episodes he’s shown to be friendly and lovable, if a bit eccentric and idiotic. But here he was spoiled and entitled and unreasonably demanding of a little girl on a school-run career day. I mean it would be one thing if she was actual hotel staff getting paid for the work they’re doing, but she’s rather clearly not. And then when Ladybug gets him out of the akuma’s grasp he whines about where she took him to hide. He sort of redeems himself by coming and playing distraction so it’s not too big of a complaint, but still.

And on a further note, where are all of his band mates? Are they all still just back at the other hotel? And why did Alec have a room at the hotel? Doesn’t he live in Paris?

And talking about where characters live, what about Vincent Asa, the guy that gets akumatized this episode? Ladybug looks him up on her yo-yo and goes to his place where all the photos are being stored... only he’s been following Jagged around to all his concerts and sightings for months now (the last 30, Jagged says) and digs through his trash and even follows his mother to her weekly poker games and Jagged is from the States (or Britain if you’re watching the English dub) and clearly hasn’t been around Paris in at least a while or else he’d already have a hotel he knows could accommodate Fang’s needs and would just have booked there. 

So the options are: Asa has been paying for a house in Paris, one of the most expensive places to live in the world, for over a year without actually living there as he stalks Jagged and his family; Ladybug traveled to the States and back over the course of this episode just to look for clues without the use of the Horse or her Cosmobug powerup; Asa rented a place in Paris and updated all his official documentation in preparation for stalking Jagged during his stay in Paris; or the Miraculous can track people so exactly that they can find what room a random person has booked in a hotel at a moment’s notice. 

And if it is a random hotel room, he sure put up a bunch of photos of Jagged in there awfully fast. And I hope the hotel staff don’t mind all the holes he had to put in the walls for it. 

I watched ‘Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness’ a second time – and this time around, on an IMAX screen. No, didn’t see it in 3D. I guess that fad is back. This film would be fitting for 3D, but my eye-balls (and migraines) can’t handle it. Guess I am getting old!  ;p

Anyways – on a technical level, and I don’t know if this has anything to do with Sam Raimi, but, this could be the first Marvel film in the long line of Marvel films in which the color-grading is different from all the rest of the films. I like that. I like that, a lot. That’s one of my biggest complaints about the Marvel films in general – that no matter how different apart they may be in genre, scope, galaxy – the color-grading is always the same. The director/ director of cinematography should have the control of the look of the film.  Luckily with this film, while there is the typical Marvel formula; the mise-en-scene (starting with the look – followed by the tone) – it feels like a Sam Raimi film. And I was in a movie house (old school lingo, there) with some audiences that wasn’t exactly prepared for a Sam Raimi film. They thought they were seeing a Marvel film. They were. What they were actually seeing – was a double feature. A Marvel/Sam Raimi double feature! Having Danny Elfman do the score; adds a little bit to the ‘madness.’ He also scored Raimi’s Spiderman films – and ‘Darkman.’ I noticed the generic comic book action movie bits, but I also noticed the familiar Elfman gothic bits thrown in from time to time. That builds up the tone. Some Marvel films don’t even bother with a proper score [insert ‘Iron Man’ here].

I think my biggest pet-peeve would be – adjusting the story line. I like Doctor Strange. As a character, and liked the first film. But – Wanda/Scarlett Witch has more of an interesting character arc/story line. One of the reasons why I loved ‘WandaVision’ was because it was about grief. I can relate to that on so many levels. I think, many people can. This woman lost her family in one phase of her life. Then her brother in another phase. And then, the man she loved in another phase. I read people complaining about how the first part of the show was slow, but, I liked that. Take that back, I loved that. I love slow-build up’s. And though, I really enjoyed this film, I wished this film took its time (if you want really great horror – choose the horror with slow build-up’s). The ending of ‘WandaVision’ included the typical Marvel third act boom, blast, visual overload climax it’s known for – and, I didn’t care for the two Visions – but, Wanda finally becoming Scarlett is great. Her leaving that town, heartbreakingly great.

Wanda in this film, I really like – but – it’s like – seeing two band’s co-headlining a tour, and you would prefer the one opening the other to end the night off. You know what I mean? Wanda deserved better. And with the [obvious] X-Men reference somewhere in the film and this is just me, as a writer (not so much, a fan, because, there is only so much of the comics I know) – one adjustment that could’ve made this film standout better – play out different ideology’s (which is the core of X-Men) rather than good/evil. Wanda has done evil shit, yes – but, she is not evil. She had her reasoning’s. She’s not your monster of the week – which is also refreshing for a Marvel film to see (the buildup).

Disney/Marvel may get some backlash from people with this film. The unexpected horror elements. ‘It’s too violent.’

A few adjustments would have made it a perfect Marvel film. A R rating would have made it a perfect Sam Raimi film. For what it was, it was just right for my dark soul.

So like 8 years after my first playthrough, I just beat Final Fantasy 13 for the second time.

I've ranted and raved until I was blue in the face about the game as I've gone through it, so I'll focus on some immediate feelings upon finishing the game.

Back in chapter 11, the game gives you a choice between staying in this big area and training an entire new tier of the Crystarium - again, like the Sphere Grid from FFX - or progressing immediately into the endgame. I chose to stay in chapter 11 and grind. I doubled my playtime just running around and levelling up, and eventually I maxed out my Crystarium.

The Crystarium doesn't upgrade again for the entire rest of the game.

You might think I'm gonna rant and rave about artificial restrictions or whatever. I've sure done that before. But like, this is the endgame. The game is balanced appropriately for this amount of levelling. There's no more after this.

Except the post-game.

It's not a great deal to write home about, but FF13 has a post-game where you can challenge superbosses and clear up some gameplay loose ends. And there is, in fact, one last supercharged layer of the Crystarium for you to level up. A hard-won reward for sure, if you feel like going back to the game for all its pros and cons.

Now, the ending. I've said in the past that one of the things FF13 absolutely nails is its ending.

Revisiting the game, that's... half-true.

The final boss fight has a lot of cryptic dialogue, and I've been told that it's next to impossible to understand the ending without looking up the lore or reading the datalog. And yeah, it's really cryptic and flashy and kind of just a hodgepodge of shit happening. There are a lot of cutscenes relating to that boss fight that are just "thou art thou, but art thou really thou, perchance?"

But the ending cutscene? Pure class. Still kind of the product of a flawed story, but it focuses on the right things and it achieves a really solid tone that I appreciated back in 2015 and which I still appreciate now. It's a giant mess you have to wade through to get there - and I'm only talking about the last leg of the game, not the entire thing - but it's a very solid ending.

So what now?

Honestly, I'm still gonna dick around in FF13 for a while. Gonna grind, get some trophies and think about maxing out the Crystarium. But I'm gonna move onto Kingdom Hearts 2 pretty soon, might finish that game before playing ff13-2. Great RPGs, back to back, followed by my first solo playthrough of KH Birth By Sleep. I might also try and squeeze in a second Persona 4 run around February.

I've had a lot to say about this game, good and bad. I want to say I'm a fan - not in the sense that it's my favourite thing ever, but in the sense that despite my ins and outs, I'm very passionate about the game, what it does right and what I don't like, and especially the characters. This is a character-driven game, and I feel like the characters are the most maligned aspect of the game - at least through the lens of caustic fanboy nerd-rage that welled up from 2005 onwards. I think the characters are worth a critical re-appraisal, the same way I think the Persona 3 characters are worth a critical re-appraisal.

Final Fantasy 13, imo, is kind of a creative nadir for the series. This is where Square Enix representatives were saying "turn-based combat is dead, we're laying the groundwork for the future of video game combat" - and in hindsight, it kind of was. Final Fantasy 16 has the combat director from Devil May Cry 5, and it's an action-RPG. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is an action-RPG with a menu option. What I remember from 15 was its realtime combat.

But games like Persona 5 have proven that the classic turn-based RPG formula is still engaging and fun. I go back to replay old Pokemon games all the time. I'm replaying Final Fantasy 5 in the background of all this. One of my favourite indie games of all time is a turn-based RPG game that emulates a simple tabletop game, it's called For the King and it's incredibly tense and fun.

Final Fantasy 13 was a victim of a changing gaming landscape, and it was one of the more awkward middle steps between "hee hoo hee hoo let me see whats in my menus :)" and "this game's combat was literally designed by a Devil May Cry dev". Final Fantasy 13 is the Wii U of the FF series, trapped in the middle between changing priorities and a nuclear fuckton of money.

It was full of compromise from its inception; they went with Lightning as the face of the game because they had already released teaser footage starring her as the focal character. When they wanted to make the game more about another character - the common rumour being Vanille - they were hamstrung by that initial Lightning-heavy reveal. They burned money developing a whole new game engine that looked stunning, but which had lag problems if too much was happening at once - and that's before they went all in for the Luminous Engine for FF15! They made the same mistake, burning millions of dollars on a brand-new engine for a single Final Fantasy game, twice!!

I feel like the way it ended up, a lot of people tried to make the best game they could, but you can't polish a turd - that is to say, if the gameplay and the level design for like 80% of the game is fundamentally broken at the foundational level, no amount of beautifully polished character models and outstanding HD CGI cutscenes is going to make that experience better. Chapter 11 of this game was basically this game's combat system run amok for players to just revel in and enjoy - there was a strong underlying experience in the gameplay. But so much of the game just Isn't That.

But I have an affinity for underdogs. The game has plenty to write home about if you're patient and willing to look for it. And for all of its significant downsides, I hate this sense of like performative nerd outrage and hate that elements of the game got over the years, like shit that either isn't as big of a problem as people insist it is or which the later game actively goes out of its way to address and move on from. And if there's one thing I hate in the gaming landscape, it's games that you can't speak honestly about because some fucknuts is making it impossible to have a genuine, constructive conversation about it.

For FF13, those days are over. The fans like it, the haters have mostly moved on - as it should be. But for all of my criticism, this game will always be kind of an underdog to me, at least as much of an underdog as a multi-million dollar instalment in a multi-billion dollar franchise can possibly be.

FF13 is a mixed bag. I hate that it goes out of its way to hold you back, and the main villain is just narratively and metatextually the most fucking annoying and frustrating aspect of the entire game. You could even say it has style over substance, to a point. But the style fucking rules, and as clunky as they can be, the characters are what shine here. Not the whole grimdark nihilistic plotline, not the artificially restrained levelling system - the characters. And the gameplay, if they didn't go out of their way to hobble it.

Play it if you want, but if you're gonna try and finish it, I would recommend making a promise to yourself to really commit to it, front to back. This isn't a game you get lost in and accidentally lose eight hours of your life in; how can you get lost when all the gameplay areas are narrow walkways pointed in a single direction?

August 20: Scream V

Limping my way along to the end of the Screams. Thank fuck there's only one more left because... meh.

I had high hopes for 5 and B told me he liked it--but he also hasn't seen 1-4, which is obviously a huge caveat.

...I didn't like it. I didn't. I wish I did. I tried.

There were aspects of it I liked and sequences I liked. I thought having the first victim survive was a good twist. I thought the new-teen cast, though they had sort of a rocky start (being introduced and then sidelined for a huge portion of the movie...) stepped it up in the party scene. Here we started seeing some real twists on the meta-slasher genre that, apparently, doesn't have that many twists: that knowing the rules means knowing that anyone can be the killer, and thus that they should all distrust each other. That was smart, interesting, and new.

I also liked at least some of the Dewey scenes, mostly when there were glimmers of the Real Dewey ("I shouldn't have sent that smiley face"). I also liked the boyfriend. For most of it. Again, carrying the entirety of the "comedy" part of comedy-horror on his back. And at first I did like the sisters, though I... soured on them as time went on.

Also, I appreciate that this movie is like Justice for Stu lol. There! were! two! killers! in! Scream!

Here's the stuff I didn't like:

First off, I don't think there's any difference, functionally, between sequel and requel and this word is stupid. This is a sequel. It follows from the events of the previous films. There's a big gap, enough time to introduce a next generation, but it's all in the same timeline and universe. That's a sequel.

This shouldn't have been a sequel. Everything that made it a sequel and not a reboot dragged it down. Sam being a serial killer's daughter? Who cares. Tired. We don't even know who her mom was, and it just seemed... really shoe-horned in every way. Dewey being a sad, lonely, divorced ex-sheriff? Only acceptable if he comes back strong as the new sheriff and saves the day--and gets back together with Gayle. Gayle, being in the movie at all? That was Courtney Cox, fam, that wasn't anyone with a recognizable Gayle personality. Sydney being in it? A cameo.

None of these people or elements brought anything to the story. All they did was drag it down, drag it out, and take away focus from the new generation, who really were quite promising but never got a chance to shine.

The original characters are also part of the second problem, which is also part of the just-do-a-reboot argument: they've done this too many times. Sydney was hip to the routine in Scream II. It's now her 5th go around. She and Gayle know everything. To bring guns. To catch a fake out from the killer. To shoot in the head. Boring. Snooze fest. They're going through the motions and so is this movie.

These movies are extremely formulaic. I'm not... always against that because I think there's a comfort to watching slasher franchises, a comfort that comes from the formula, and if I'm getting bored, that's sort of my fault for watch 5 in a row over the course of 5 weeks. But it doesn't help when they are formulaic for the characters. They're bored; I'm bored.

My next issue: I've been feeling during this whole marathon that the series really is more horror than comedy, but at least the others had some comedic elements, even if they were deeply rooted in the constant meta analysis. This movie had almost no comedy at all. There were glimmers, again mostly in the form of meta jokes, but they were few and far between. (I had mixed feelings about Mindy. I thought her first monologue was a little too manic, but she grew on me.)

And a related issue: some parts of it were really damn depressing!! The biggest offender here is obviously Dewey's death. Look, not to be That Fan (apparently the knife wielding type but we'll get to that) but this genre is in the service of fan service. So why be so cruel to the characters who have largely held this franchise up for 4 films now? I was ready to shut the damn thing off when Dewey died. That was unnecessary. And to have him die after one scene with Gayle during which they basically admitted they would never work as a couple? Just throw ME off that cliff, this despairing, depressed, empty feeling is the exact opposite of what I'm looking for from these films. Meeting fan expectations IS okay you know??

(Aka did you learn nothing from killing Randy you FREAKS?)

I thought the Wes and Sheriff Hicks deaths were pretty depressing too, to be honest. First, that sequence is too long for characters who ultimately mean too little (a point related to the all the new kids get barely any screen time among them complaint above--I mean I don't really get who Wes was supposed to be, archetype wise?). And second, taunting a mom about her kid's death just to kill them both is, to me, a step of cruelty too far. I recognize this is really subjective and parents and kids lose each other in slashers all the time but it just... it bummed me out.

This is sort of a different point but I'll just stuff it in here: the Carpenter sisters... didn't hold up for me. I didn't understand what was happening there. They had an awful lot of screen time for a story that was pretty one-note and yet also I feel like there could have been more depth there, to justify their screen time. And maybe this is just the Adult in me but I really wanted someone to tell them that no kid is at fault for a parent leaving. Like that sort of pissed me off, that no one was around to correct Sam on that. Anyway, ultimately, I didn't connect to either of them sufficiently as Final Girls.

And finally, the killers.

How to put this?

Scream has a big problem, one that Amber acknowledged actually in this one, which is Ghostface is not the unkillable Michael Myers. Ghostface is very killable, he/she/they always dies, and then if there's another movie, there has to be another Ghostface. And yet on the other hand each of them is functionally the same. They're all utterly deranged. They're Movie Psychopaths (aka stereotypes of violent mental illness). Their brains are all warped, mostly by the meta, and they're all looking for the same thing: fame, and sometimes there's some personal beef wrapped in, like with Billy and Sydney's mom, or Billy's mom in Scream 2, or the brother in Scream 3. But all of them have the same laughing-psycho deranged demeanor. And with each movie I just feel increasingly like... how many more of them can there BE? If it weren't for half the movies not taking place in Woodsboro I'd wonder if it was something in the water.

And these two were lame. First of all, you can't blame "psycho fans radicalized on reddit" in the same movie as you kill off Dewey, that just seems like a personal affront. Second, "how can fandom be toxic"??? That's such a... it's like a line that's meant to be infuriating and I can't tell if I'm actually infuriated or meta-infuriated lol. I think it's... I think it's Stans-with-Reddit-brain-rot combined with Dewey's death and how shitty he and Gayle were treated. It's like, in the middle of this movie, we'll include something we know will make long term fans Big Mad. Then at the end, we'll place all the blame for everything on fans who got Big Mad about a beloved movie franchise and then lost their minds over it. Like, daring you to be mad and align yourself with the villains. It felt... mean, to me. Like spitting at fans for being fans.

And most importantly, ultimately my biggest issues with the Ghostfaces: Richie and Amber just don't have the Verve of the OGs. No one has, and the closest were the Ghostfaces of Scream 4 imo. Just like get Matthew Lillard to come in and teach these young people how to be Seriously Deranged, because they're not anywhere close.

I'd be more impressed by them if I hadn't seen Scream 1996. It's just that they're SO pale in comparison and I am SO bored of seeing laughing maniacs over and over.

That Amber lives in Stu's house could have brought like a little glimmer of Halloween-like supernatural horror, like the place itself is evil... but I don't know if Scream could pull that off.

As Sydney herself says, you can't get more derivative than this. I don't think Scream has 5 movies' worth of variations on the formula. I liked Scream 4 a lot and I think it was worth undoing the conclusion of Scream 3 for it but after that they probably should have stopped. Or at the very least gone the full reboot route, something more like Scream the Series, rather than bringing back Sydney and Gale to yawn through their relentless torture at the hands of the same violent dumbass with movie/internet/pop culture brain rot archetype that's always there to bother them, yet again.

I'll watch the sixth one. I'll watch VII when it comes out. I might take a break before VI. I don't know. This franchise is no Halloween.

BSD Formula 1 AU

I know it sounds ridiculous but hear me out. THE POTENTIAL IS HUGE.

The characters are just the right amount of silly to be put in those funny cars, and the exact amount of dramatic to reflect whatever the fuck is going on in the circus (F1) in general.

First of all, this was brought to you by me watching one of the most chaotic races ever last weekend and I couldn't sleep last night which meant my brain had free time and BSD brainrot is 24/7.

Basic idea is that various organisations are different teams and all characters have different positions in the team obviously, not everyone is a driver. This will be long so the details about each team and headcanons about each driver and team member are under the cut.

ADA

ADA is a long standing team that has produced several successfull drivers. It is well known and beloved by the fans. “Everyone is a Ferrari fan!” in Seb Vettel’s words except it’s “Evereyone is an ADA fan!” in our case.

Last season was a wild ride for them, with their no.1 driver and another driver basically fighting to win the Driver’s Championship in the final race of the season and they were leading, they were winning, ready to celebrate but then an incident happened and the stewards made a completely illegal decision based on their own rules which resulted in their driver losing his title. What followed was a lot of controversy, possible lawsuit etc. Ultimately the team decided to just decimate them in the new season.

Team Principal Fukuzawa was a famous driver for the ADA team himself and is now doing his best to lead the team filled with absolute chaos to the victories through fair play and respect to integrity of the sport.

Ranpo is the team’s chief strategist whose biggest secret weapon are his deduction skills that help him figure out other teams’ strategies. Every time he’s shown on TV he’s snacking obviously. He is also lowkey Fukuzawa’s adopted son from all the way back since Fukuzawa was still racing and he met this amazing kid that started ranting why exactly was his strategy shit at first glance.

That one rich kid that was supposed to become university professor or something but at 16-17 fell in love with f1, too late to become the driver but just in time to go into mechanical engineering and become team’s first engineer - Kunikida. His goal for this season is to build a fucking rocket for the team’s first driver which, rip his nerves, requires him to spend a lot of time with the menace. Watching Dazai go another lap on dying tyres when he told him to box already: “I don’t know how long can I live like this.”

Team’s second engineer was the chief mechanic until last season - Tanizaki. This season he is going to be working mostly with the team’s new driver to develop their car. He once hacked into PM’s database to get all info on their cars. His “sister”, one of the biggest mysteries of f1 really, Naomi is the intern in charge of team’s social media and public relations. 

Yosano is the team doctor, fresh out of university but wanted something other than the hospital. She may or may not be having a thing going on with PM’s chief strategist...

I really have no idea what to do with Kyouka and Kenji since they are just 14... unless we age them up and say Kenji chief mechanic and Kyouka one of the analysts. 

Now onto the hot topics. The drivers: ADA’s 2nd driver is a rookie in f1 getting ready to start his first season. Atsushi doesn’t have a wealthy background like most drivers, and nearly gave up on it several times but in the end was scouted by ADA and admitted as their reserve driver. He comes into the team hopeful to have a good first season, and during the development everything is smooth sailing. The mechanics and engineers are very wellcoming, the first driver becomes somewhat of a mentor to him. And then the first race comes up and he and PM’s new driver fucking crash into each other on the first corner (you know who PM’s driver is lmao). Fans are having flashbacks from seven seasons ago when a driver parked his car on top of another driver’s car in the first lap on his first race (guess fucking who!!??), and are like damn not again we can’t do this drama again. Went through the most traumatic crash where everyone thought he was dead for a terrible second; “it is what it is.” Tanizaki on the radio: Don’t slow down Atshushi-kun, keep pushing, keep pushing. Atsushi: I AM!!!!

ADA’s 1st driver, the GOAT basically, the walking red flag in the paddock, the most controversial motherfucker on the grid, brilliant driver who won not only his first ever race but also won the entire championship in his first season, but above all a suicide maniac - Dazai. He got screwed over by the race control last season and is now walking around the paddock like a Bond villain. He started out as a rich kid driver whose family invested in this back-of-the-grid-team and he became a superstar overnight.  Four years ago after a fiasco that resulted in PM’s reserve driver dying in a car crash because of team orders he disappeared from the sport. Two years later he showed up as ADA’s driver and has been serving cunt ever since. Despite the sudden team switch, he is usually paired with his ex-teammate during pre-race press conferences because the tension is through the rooftop and that’s what the fans want. Like are they going to fuck? Are they going to strange each other in front of the journalists? Both? Who knows. He’s mostly a clean driver but when he does cause an incident, the red flag lasts at least half an hour. Annoying af on the team radio. 

PM

PM is a relatively new team when it comes to being in the top positions on the grid. They used to be stuck at the back of the grid until the old team principal’s doctor didn’t take over all of a sudden, bringing with himself a driving prodigy. Nowadays they are one of the top 3 teams always fighting for the Constructor’s and Driver’s Titles. Last season they finished 2nd in the Constructor’s and their driver was 3rd in the Driver’s championship. 

Mori is the team principal. He wanted to race when he was younger but just wasn’t really good enough to make it, but he found a way to remain in the sport. He was quite envious of Fukuzawa’s fame when he was younger. As a team principal, he brought fresh ideas to the team even if they sometimes seemed crazy - in the end they worked. Not well liked among the fans but brutally effective in giving team orders. Calls the race director over radio at any minor inconvenience. Sighs “If only Dazai-kun was still here” at least once during every team briefing. 

Kouyou is the first strategist. Takes no one’s shit. Also brutal in the team orders (something PM team is famous for, and not in a really good light (beloved driver Oda kind of died because of them after all...)). Ambigous relationship with ADA’S team doctor hmm. Will do anything to have her drivers on top of the podium. 

Hirotsu is the chief mechanic. He is getting old but he loves his job so he’ll be damned before he goes to retirement. Is probably secretly no.1 Dazai fan even if he switched teams. 

His assistant and brilliant young mind, Gin. Apart from being a sister to the team’s 2nd driver, she is also dating Hunting Dogs’ 2nd driver, Tachihara who just this season made a transfer from being PM’s reserve driver to Teruko’s team. They are the sport’s sweethearts. 

Another strategist, kinda terrified to work under Kouyou, especially as she seems to be making all the wrong decisions regarding 2nd driver’s strategy, but hey it’s her first year too! Higuchi! Poor girl kinda thinks she’s living in a kdrama. She is doing her best!

Kajii is one of the engineers obviously. He is driving the other engineer through the roof because he is mostly focused on the next season developments as soon as a season starts, and has these crazy science ideas. Also who the fuck eats raw lemons to help them think? I’m rlly nerfing Akutagawa by putting this dude in charge of his car.

First driver’s engineer and absolute fucking legend - Albatross (I’d rather die than kill off the Flags thank you very much). Maybe once punched Dazai in the face for damaging his baby (Chuuya’s car) when they crashed (again.). Became the most popular PM team member when he once stole the mic from Mori to yell “FUCK ‘EM UP CHUUYA” at the top of his lungs when his boy was making his way to the front all the way from the back of the grid. 

Apart from him, Doc is the team physician. Other Flags are leaders of Chuuya fanclub the official race commentators. Piano Man just retired from the position of the 2nd driver (he replaced Dazai when he vanished) because of an injury or something and decided to just waltz into commentating together with Iceman and Lippmann. More about the media team later on. 

Akutagwa was scouted to the PM academy by Dazai and his goal for his first season in f1 is to beat him obviously. It goes as amazing as you can imagine. He and Atsushi crash into each other on the first corner of the first season. Stellar start. He is extremely stubborn and rarely listens to team orders which drives Higuchi insane as that gives her trouble with Kouyou and Mori. His first season is set to be one hell of a ride. “Grill the Grid” oh he’s going to grill them.

Now onto the hottest driver on the grid. Much like Dazai, he has hordes of fans following him round the world. He is always so chill and appreciative of them, very laid back person. You are as likely to meet him in an art gallery as in a night-club and fans love that about him. On the track though, he is a storm. You just know the dick is big based on his overtakes. Sometimes it feels he’s bending the laws of physics to his whims when he’s racing. Chuuya is PM’s first driver. His first race in f1 ended with his car parked on top of Dazai’s almost killing him, and this weird image of Chuuya dragging the other out of the car, checking if he was fine (he was), and then starting to yell at him at the top of his lungs. Born in Japan, he was adopted by this fancy French family whose biological son was dead set on becoming an f1 driver and Chuuya followed in his footsteps. Has three Drivers Championship titles, but finished 3rd last year.

DoA

RB Racing of this AU lmao. fia is dancing to their every whim, inventing and reinventing and bending their own rules every race because they are choking on DoA’s dick beeing paid insane amounts of money. The most controversial team on the grid, espeically after a stunt that was pulled to secure their driver’s victory last season. Fans are basically manifesting their engines dying every race. Remember the whole “Red Bull went over the cost cap because of catering” bullshit, yeah that’s this team right here. Their cars are fucking illegal and it drives Dazai so pissed because HIS car is a rocketship but this shit straight up goes at the speed of light

Team principal is Fukuchi duh. Has been fighting with Fukuzawa over the radio the entire last season. This season he banned the media team from coming any close to his team after the Flags kept spilling the tea and asking the right questions without stuttering. Accidentally claimed Dazai won last season; somewhere deep in his sub-conciousness he’s aware of the bullshit he pulled off. 

Because I’m not insane enough to put him in a car, Nikolai is team’s cheerleader and one of the engineers. Once their crew messed up Fyodor’s pit stop so bad he had to retire early and he made them all wear clown wigs until the end of the race. You have to give it to them tho, you cannot fuck up the strategy if you forget to put wheels on a car. Unlike Bram, he plays Fyodor very specific music to piss him off during the race (Rasputin or Party Like A Russian). 

Bram is also an engineer. The most delighful part of every race weekend is his little daughter, Aya, in the DoA garage. She does sometimes escapte to bother Kunikida - the only DoA team member that ADA will tolerate. Plays absolute bangers for his drivers over the radio. The only normal person on the team. “Box Box Box Box” gets ignored. Nteflix Drive to Survive team entering the DoA garage hoping for tea; Bram: coffee is disgusting! rant

Sigma is the team’s 2nd driver (rip). He gets thrown under the buss every race and everyone is waiting, praying for him to just one day cut his mic and do his thing, not letting Fyodor through. He is an amazing driver if not a bit inexperienced, and easy to stan despite his team. Has anxiety induced by whatever the fuck is DoA doing to his strategy. There are talks he might join ADA as the reserve driver next year, let’s have our fingers crossed for him. Nikolai once taped his rear wing in the middle of a race so it wouldn’t fall off. Yeah the car is several million dollars worthy. Yeah Nikolai used actual tape so it doesn’t fall apart on track. 

Fyodor is the current champion although it is obvious he shouldn’t be. Won championship once, changed his car number to 1 immediately. Nature heals a bit more every time he flops in a race. Is he actually homophobic or is he just live slug reacting to whatever the fuck Dazai and Chuuya have going on during press (he is sitting between them). “F1 is about driving, not penalties” my brother in christ you’ve been trying to kill a man in every single race last season. Kisses an icon of a saint or something before every race.  Throws other drivers under the buss every drivers’ briefing with a smile on his face. Plays cello during red flags. New season objective: win no matter the cost. 

HUNTING DOGS

Fukuchi’s old team. They are usually a mid-field team but with talented drivers that are able to bring out the most out of their engines, they do podium!

Their team principal is Teruko, the only woman to be a team boss. She used to be a strategist and got promoted when Fukuchi moved to DoA. “IF YOU IMBECILES AREN’T ABLE TO GET PAST THAT OLD MAN I’LL GET IN THE CAR NEXT TIME” a bit childish at times, sweet little Teruko until it’s the time to race. Secretly loves her team. 

Jouno is maybe blind but he can still see through everyone’s bullshit. Chief strategist of the team and is considering running Tecchou over with his own car every time he has to talk to him over the radio. “STOP SINGING BABY SHARK WHILE I’M GIVING YOU INFO ON ROAD CONDITION”. Fukuzawa, Mori and Fukuchi arguing on the radio; Jouno cutting in out of nowhere like “Sorry to interrupt gentlemen, but there is an actual tractor on the track. My idiot almost crashed into it. Yellow flag maybe, no?” 

Jouno and Teruko’s no.1 idiot - Tecchou. Most clean-racing driver ever. Sings to annoy Jouno on the radio. That one Carlos Sainz radio that was like “De Vries behind, on an outlap” “What? DEBRIS?” yeah that’s him and Jouno. Questionable fashion choices in the paddock. “It was just dangerous driving dude” in the most chill voice when Fyodor nearly crashed into him on a turn (it was probably deliberate). He’s like gym buddies with Chuuya or something. 

Tachihara is the no.2 idiot of the team. Used to be a PM reserve driver and just signed for Teruko’s team. 5s penality for incorrect starting position; 10s penalty for serving the og penalty wrong; 15s penalty for speeding in the pit lane; DNF all in one race. Teruko on the radio: Okay what damage do you have. Tachi: TALENT. Is like besties with Chuuya. Is also dating Gin, people were afraid his team change would affect the relationship but nah. Still the cutest in the paddock. Retweets memes from fan accounts after the race. Lippman interviewing him: So how do you feel about the race? First pole position ever... Tachihara: I’m not comfortable at all, not feeling confident either. I got nothing but problems. His wheel just randomly fell off during pre-season testing. Tweeted the it ain’t much but it’s honest work meme once when he spun on the wet track and caused a Guild driver to crash into the barriers. He’s just vibing tbh.

THE GUILD

That one team whose team principal knows shit about racing. Can they even be called a racing team? Yeah they can, because their boss has the money. Treat the sport as a reality show. Honestly I have thought about them the least but here’s what I have:

Fitzgerald is the rich team principal obviously. Had absolutely no connections to f1 prior to buying the team. Supports the idea of more race weekends and sprint races even if that exhausts both the drivers and their teams because it’s more fun! It’s not. If we take out the free practice sessions the races will get more unpredictable mindset. Is most likely using f1 as a way to launder money...

Lucy, poor girl, is stuck as his assistant or something because obviously a rich guy like him needs an assistant. She’s secretly rather good with the mechanics and will be recruited to an actual team (ADA) at one point by Atsushi. 

Louisa is the principal strategist obviously.

Poe is the chief engineer. Has to pay fines like every weeekend because of Karl. Goes with Ranpo to all his fave restaurants each weekend. Ranpo is also trying to get him to come work for a team with better prospects. 

Herman is the chief mechanic. He really should be retired tho. 

Mark Twain and Steinbeck are their drivers and are usually the wild cards of the track. Like a podium here and there, even a win sometimes but those races have to be the most chaotic events ever. 

I have no idea what to do with them actually. 

Media Team and Race Control (basically everyone else)

Starting with the media team. It’s kind of a reversed situation from that with the founding of the Flags in terms that Piano Man was the last one to join. Also I’m bringing Adam into this. Adam used to be the head of the media team which was a lot of work that he’s glad he’s not doing anymore. Now he’s just in charge of Grill the Grid which are basically the games they have drivers do for fun and fanservice. The games range from Driver Heights (you know who got bullied with that one) to Name Every F1 World Champion to Drivers Explain F1 and more. Iceman is the most brutally honest commentator. Calls FIA out on their bullshit at every opportunity. Used to be a mechanic for PM and he misses the thrill sometimes but he’s happy with where he is right now. The famous “THROUGH GOES HAMILTON” commentary - that’s him with Chuuya’s overtakes. On the other hand, Lippmann wasn’t even supposed to be there lmao. He is a movie star, a very popular one at that. Went to one race because that’s what rich people do you know. Got charmed by one the back-of-the-grid-team’s driver and got passionately invested (Piano Man before he signed for the PM). He’s not there every weekend because he is a famous actor after all, but when he is... Sat down to interview Dazai once this season and next thing you know Fukuchi is announcing his team will be boycotting the entire media team. Another media team member is the newly retired former PM driver, Piano Man whose career was a wild ride but he’s just had enough. The picture of him and Chuuya from the last season went viral because he just told him he’s about to announce his retirement moment before it was taken so he is smiling like a lil shit at the camera and Chuuya is visibly shook. Perfectionist really, he has not exceeded the track limits once in his career. Joined the team as the new full time commentator and is having the time of his life. 

Continuing with the Stormbringer squad, Shirase is actually a successfull Moto GP racer, but likes to hang around the F1 paddock when he can to support Chuuya (now that Dazai isn’t sharing the garage with him because fucking hell he did actually try to run him over once or twice). 

An ex-driver with several titles to his name, Verlaine. He was born to this rich French couple that let him do whatever he wanted to do, which is why he turned out the way he is. At one point when he was already in F2 his parents decided to do some “charity” and adopt a kid, Chuuya. And then they also proceeded to ignore the kid the same way they did with Verlaine and well, basically, Verlaine was like I am not just a big brother now, I am a dad. His career was also smooth sailing mostly. He got retired the season before Chuuya became the PM driver saying how he didn’t want the fans to see him get beat by that kid. A few years later and he is just casually hanging round the PM garage, offering Chuuya advice or is watching the Monaco GP from his yacht with his husband Rimbaud who has no connections to racing, idk I just can’t see him into F1. 

Now onto the most hated people - the Race Control Clowns! Chief Taneda is the race director so basically the man who makes all the final calls regarding anything really, from the rules to the penalties and disqualifications. What bullshit DoA and The Guild teams get up to enables him to make a lot of money. And finally the man who suffers the most (conducts the drivers briefing after the race) is Ango. It is the worst job ever. You put a bunch of grown men in one room and it’s an episode of gossip girl. Example of shit he has to deal with. Ango: any more complaints (praying they all stay silent). Dazai: just after my pitstop, Chuyua deliberately, DELIBERATELY, ran wide out of Turn 9... camera moves to chuuya on the other side of the room gesturing how he’ll kill the bitch the moment they’re out of the room. Another example: Fyodor looking to cause trouble: You say if we were missing Turn 2 we have to go behind the bollard, correct? Ango: Correct. Fyodor with a smile: What do you make of the situation with Tecchou and Dazai then? Ango: Well, the interesting point there was, it was very close because what the notes that I wrote said... camera zooms in to dazai’s murder face and atsushi looking scared for his life next to him. So, Ango’s lfie is the most difficult here.

Am I missing characters here? Yes, just like I have a bunch of random scenes playing in my mind, but this is already getting way too long. 

I'm not a big person in this fandom but I wanted to make a post about the F1 related part of my 2022 too.

I joined the Formula 1 fandom around the second half of July (thanks to TikTok) and since then I've read a lot of amazing stories, saw a lot of beautiful fanarts, videos, edits etc., and I want to mention two things that are really important to me.

When I joined the fandom I translated three amazing stories, which were

Boiling Point by tilesonthefloor

I can't breathe by mad_maz and

One Story Left To Tell by WebCookie9

(I put the original links into the titles because I think not many people would be interested in the Hungarian translations, but if you are, you can find them on my Ao3 profile.)

Special thanks to all the authors for letting me translate their stories. It means a lot to me. ❤

These were the first stories I really liked when I started to read in this fandom and I loved translating them. Sadly, there's no fandom in Hungary (or in Hungarian language) for mxm F1 stuff, so after my third translation I decided not to do more because it wasn't worth it. I was so sad because I felt like I've found something that makes me really happy but nobody's interested in it. After this I decided to stop writing in Hungarian (I had already struggled with my original story and didn't really want to write it) and decided to give writing a go in English. (I wanted to try it for a long time but I didn't have the courage to it.)

Well, it wasn't an easy thing, because I think I chose to write a story that was a bit too much, too difficult and to depressing for a first story, so that one is unfinished yet but I'm working on it because I still like the idea. After failing with the first one, I started thinking about other ideas and since then I have like five or six to write.

After a moment I saw in school, I wrote Happy to see you, which is an unplanned, short and sweet double drabble. I really like it because this is my first ever English story and it felt so good to post it and see what happens. (Also, I was so scared, like I always am when it comes to posting my stories.) And seeing that I can write in English gave me enough confidence to try and continue writing my other ideas.

One month later I finally could finish Racing Heart and Collapsing Lungs and it was a big moment for me because this is the first 'longer' story of mine. (Well, longer than the first one.) Writing this wasn't easy and my relationship with it changes every other day, but yeah, still an important moment/thing in my life.

I don't have any other stories yet but I hope I will be able to write more in 2023. Thank you for all the kudos and comments, they mean a lot to me. ❤

I don't want to make this a long ass post so I'm trying to mention only the most important things.

I wasn't in a good shape mentally when I joined the fandom but Daniel (and the other boys too) helped me a lot and I haven't self-harmed since I've got know him and it's a really big thing for me. I'm glad I've found something that makes me so happy because life's not easy and there are a lot of not so happy things in mine, so it means a lot to have a fandom where I can find happiness, where I can watch videos of these men with their fast cars going around on the tracks, joking, laughing, and loving each other and their fans. These things help me to escape from reality when I really need it.

I might not know everything about Formula 1 but I'm happy to be part of the fandom and I hope I'll be there for a long time. ❤

Happy New Year! 🎆❤

Project cars 3 updates

Project cars 3 updates update#

Project cars 3 updates simulator#

For instance, despite the fact that four Forza titles have fully released on PC, only two are currently available to purchase - Horizon 4 & 5, the former of which will likely be delisted in another year.Īs it relates to the Project CARS franchise, only the third release will remain on storefronts for now. We’ve seen this happen time and again with other titles and franchises where the digital edition of the games are removed after about three or so years. And before that, Project CARS 2 will be removed on September 21. As a result, the original Project CARS will be removed from all storefronts on October 3. It’s all due to expiring licenses, specifically licenses for vehicles and tracks. The reason for the delisting is not out of the ordinary. The official announcement comes from EA, Codemasters, and Slightly Mad, who posted the announcement on the official Project CARS Twitter.

Project cars 3 updates update#

The next racing game from EA and Codemasters we expect to hear about is the inevitable – but as yet unconfirmed – F1 2022, but after that, a Project CARS 4 update wouldn’t go amiss.In just a matter of weeks, both the first and second entries in Slightly Mad Studio’s Project CARS lineup will be delisted permanently. This then led to the departure of Bell from the company in October 2021, and according to the erstwhile studio head, he’s under a non-compete at present, preventing him from creating video games.Īt the time of his departure, he claimed that the studio’s future was ‘now assured’, despite the shuttering of mobile spin-off Project CARS GO, suggesting that the next Slightly Mad Studios title was to be completed under EA’s stewardship, as opposed to being canned. “Our combined racing games portfolio is the envy of the industry and this new partnership will enable us to learn from each other, share resources and take advantage of emerging platforms and technology,” said Bell at the time.Īs luck would have it, Electronic Arts then purchased Codemasters in February 2021 for an astounding $1.2 billion, including Slightly Mad Studios. Slightly Mad Studios was then sold to British racing game developers Codemasters in November 2019, while Fast & Furious Crossroads and Project CARS 3 were in development. Fast & Furious Crossroads was created by Slightly Mad Studiosįrom there, the company split, with Bell forming Slightly Mad Studios, who then made Need for Speed: Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed, the arguably underrated Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends and two Project CARS games. Yes, it’s great that the game exists, but at the same time, this distances Bell from the title changing tack after his departure.įor context, Bell was the former CEO of Blimey! Games, a London-based development studio responsible for the creation of the PC-racer GTR-FIA GT Racing Game and development work on the acclaimed GTR 2 and GT Legends. Today’s posts don’t exactly inspire much confidence.

Project cars 3 updates simulator#

Now under the Electronic Arts umbrella, the American publisher has the accessible racer genre box ticked earlier this year with the release of GRID Legends, the mid-tier with Formula 1 and the upcoming WRC, leaving space for an out-and-out simulator to take on the likes of Assetto Corsa. While 2020’s Project CARS 3 certainly had its fans, switching to a Driveclub-aping arcade racer following the simulator theme of the first two games frustrated community members.įingers crossed, then, that Project CARS 4 (PCARS4) does materialise soon and it returns to the series’ roots. He then immediately posted about how ‘PCars4 is awesome’ and ‘it was all me’, followed by ‘if isn’t. x’ in a Tweet seemingly aimed at Will Smith, who appeared to hit Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. In today’s (29th March 2022) now-deleted post, he first proclaimed ‘Come at me Will. Oh, Ian Bell – the former CEO of racing game developer Slightly Mad Studios has taken to Twitter, expelling the virtues of the mythical Project CARS 4.