#Greater Miami

[disneyprincemuke]

do you want me (dead)? * op81

oscar finds himself with no memory of the race weekend, but he does find your company very comforting amidst all the confusion

pairings: oscar piastri x female!reader

word count: 1.4k

(f1 masterlist) | (series masterlist)

oscar doesn’t exactly remember leaving the house. perhaps he’d been running himself on autopilot the entire morning until he regained consciousness, finding himself roaming by the streets alone.

nobody seems to spare him a second glance as he walks, which in itself is kind of weird.

not that he’s let the fame get to his head — it’s just not out of the ordinary for him to be stopped for a photo or two on the daily. he doesn’t mind. in fact, it’s arguably one of the more fun parts of his day: interacting with people.

it gets easier the longer he works under mclaren and alongside lando. slowly but surely, he’s coming out of his shell again.

the next question in his head is if the race weekend has come and gone. the miami weekend is typically so grand and exciting that it seems to just get past him before he has the time to fully process it and enjoy every moment.

but why isn’t anybody rushing him to get into a plane to head to the next destination?

how weird. it’s even weirder that he can’t find his phone; there’s no way that he just left his hotel without it.

oscar stumbles back when a body collides against shoulder, a whine following the thud of something falling to the ground. he looks down and sees you, just crouching down to pick your things up.

“i’m so sorry,” oscar mutters, shaking his head. “i didn’t see you.”

“no, i’m sorry,” you laugh softly, shaking your head as you lift your eyes from your phone on the ground. “i should have known better than to be checking my emails while walking a busy street.”

he’d been so caught up with the sheer bizarreness of his circumstance that he hadn’t noticed your smaller frame zipping through the crowd. considering how significantly smaller you are compared to him, he just feels worse that now your phone is the one on the ground.

and you were so caught up awaiting the release of your final grades for the semester that you hadn’t seen the guy walking in your direction.

the guilt eats you up; you’re not typically the person to be so engrossed by your phone while walking in crowds.

“i’m sorry either way.” he stands up with you and grins. “is your phone okay? because if it isn’t…”

you take a quick glance at your phone and wave his concerns off. “i’m sure it’s fine.”

you remain in your spot for a few more seconds. people are manoeuvring around both of you, some throwing dirty looks and some stares of confusion as they pass you.

but oscar can’t help but feel drawn to you. the longer he looks into your eyes, the calmer he feels about every single unanswered question in his head.

he tries to look for an explanation in your eyes as to why he is feeling this way. maybe he knows you from somewhere? maybe you’ve met before and he just doesn’t know when or where from?

“are you okay?” you pipe with a small smile. “if it’s my phone, seriously don’t even worry about it. it’s dropped from greater heights and survived before.”

“no, i,” oscar trails off. “i… nothing, i just…” he shakes his head with a small grin. “it’s just been such a long day.”

“long day?” you chuckle. “it’s only noon.”

he scrunches his nose with a shrug. “there’s just a lot going on for me right now,” he laughs sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. “well, again, i’m so sorry about your phone.”

“oh,” you frown slightly, “i’m sorry about what you’re going through. is there anything i can do to help?”

your own words shock you — you’re always extending a hand to help people, but this time it might just bite you back in the ass. because this man that stands in front of you is a stranger.

you don’t even know his name.

oscar blinks down at you, taken aback by your unwavering offer.

“i must have freaked you out!” you shriek, waving your arms in the air. “i mean, only if you want to. it’s just an offer; maybe you’ll feel better if you talk about it and get it off your chest.”

oscar furrows his eyebrows, a small smile playing on his lips. he points a finger at you, “are you asking me out?”

a blush creeps up your cheeks as you realise what you’ve said. “no!” you say immediately with wide eyes. “it’s not that you’re not cute, but that wasn’t my intention. i wasn’t asking you out! i was just offering a helping hand if you need one and i–“

you cut yourself off, staring at him wide-eyed and stiff as you realise that you’ve probably rambled his ear off. you clear your throat and stand a little straighter.

oscar looks down at you with amusement and a small smile. “is that offer still on?” he leans down slightly. “i don’t think you’re not cute either.”

“hm, alright,” you say softly. “do you have anywhere in mind?”

he shrugs, taking his spot next to you. “i’m not from here. i’m only here for the weekend.”

“the weekend?” you furrow your eyebrows as you start walking ahead, a place already in mind. “tourist?”

“for work,” oscar presses his lips into a thin line. “i travel a lot for work — miami is supposed to be a short stop.”

“you must be earning the big bucks,” you tease with a small grin.

oscar snorts. “you can say.” he follows you blindly, weaving through the crowd a couple of steps behind you. “so what do you do? studying?”

“yeah, my final year in university,” you confirm with a small nod, “i’m a business major.”

“smart kid,” oscar teases.

he stops abruptly behind you after you stop by a pair of doors.

you beam as the service staff approaches you with a grin. “table for 2, please.”

“2?” the staff repeats to you with eyebrows raised. “we have a time limit for dining in at 60 minutes — plus waiting time. sorry, it’s nearing lunch hour and there’s always an influx of diners…”

“yeah, that’s no problem,” you answer with hesitation in your voice. “do you have a table available? otherwise, that’s alright.”

“we do.” the staff takes a step back and gestures for you to follow her in.

she leads both of you to a table in the middle of the resto-bar, setting 2 menus on the table with a small grin. “can i get you a glass of water?”

“yes, please,” you grin as she walks away. you turn back to oscar. “wait, i don’t think i’ve gotten your name yet.”

“oh, could you turn that up?” someone asks loudly before oscar can open his mouth to give you an answer.

you huff and turn your attention to the tv screen hung behind the bar counter, the volume indeed being turned up by the waitress.

“the miami grand prix has been cancelled by the fia, announced in an emergency press conference following a gnarly crash involving a race car driver.”

the newscaster’s voice begins to bounce on the walls of the resto-bar and it gradually pervades every corner of the bustling room. the previously lively chatter among the patrons slowly dwindles, giving way to an enveloping silence as the news report takes centre stage.

“putting the season on hold,” oscar repeats under his breath, a scowl forming on his face as he processes the words. “why hasn’t anyone told me this?”

“mclaren driver, oscar piastri, remains in critical condition in a local hospital after sending his car into the barrier two nights ago in the track,” there’s a pause, “investigations are underway after foul play was suspected after an inspection of the car that evening.”

a picture pops up on the screen, making you throw your head back with a soft laugh. “hey, that guy kind of looks like you, doesn’t it?”

oscar takes a deep breath. “that is me.”

“what?”

@33-81 @darleneslane @nikfigueiredo @happy-nico @namgification @localwhoore

MAD THANKS TO @foreveralbon anD @vroomvroomcircuit AND SOAP FOR HELPING ME BRAINSTORM THIS FIC ILY GUYSSZZZZZ KISS KISS KISS KISS

#oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri x you #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 fanfiction #f1 fanfic #disneyprincemuke #disneyprincemuke imagine #disneyprincemuke imagines #disneyprincemuke f1 #disneyprincemuke 6futs

[nobrashfestivity]

Christo (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) Surrounded Islands (Project for Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida) signed, titled and dated 'Surrounded Islands (Project for Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida) Christo 1983' (lower center) box construction—graphite, fabric, pastel, charcoal, enamel paint, photograph by Wolfgang Volz, fabric sample and wax crayon on paperboard

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83. Photo: Wolfgang Volz © 1983 Christo

#Christo and Jeanne-Claude #Surrounded Islands #land art

[mapsontheweb]

McDonald's Restaurants by Magnitude of Mountain Backdrop / Rut

by u/Gigitoe

Eating a Big Mac® while gazing at Big Mountains is an experience that millions of Americans can relate to. But little do we ask ourselves, which McDonald's restaurants have the biggest, baddest mountain backdrop?

So I set out to answer this question, using rut, a topographic metric that does particularly well at identifying cities with badass mountain backdrops. (For more info, check out this Mercury News article by John Metcalfe, or my research paper)

Roughly speaking, this is how rut works:

The higher the mountains rise above a restaurant, the more impressive they appear, and the greater the rut.

The more steeply the mountains rise above a restaurant, the more impressive they appear, and the greater the rut.

Here's a tier list that shows the rut of the ruttiest McDonald's restaurant in various cities. The cutoffs are rather arbitrary, so please don't poison me with a Grimace Shake if your city doesn't get the tier you like :)

S tier - rut > 400 m (i'm lovin' it. would visit just for mountain views)

Palm Springs, CA (647 m) | Weed, CA (624 m) | Springville, UT (609 m) | Lone Pine, CA (521 m) | Rancho Cucamonga, CA (503 m) | Kailua Kona, HI (432 m) | Salt Lake City, UT (404 m)

A tier - rut between 200 to 400 m (impressive, but probably wouldn't visit just for mountain views)

Colorado Springs, CO (383 m) | Gatlinburg, TN (273 m) | Tacoma, WA (267 m) | Tucson, AZ (246 m) | Juneau, AK (223 m) | Tucson, AZ (209 m) | Albuquerque, NM (215 m) | Las Vegas, NV (209 m)

B tier - rut between 100 and 200 m (mountains nearby, or distant big mountains, or very distant huge mountains)

Anchorage, AK (192 m) | Seattle, WA (185 m) | Manchester, VT (166 m) | El Paso, TX (160 m) | Los Angeles, CA (153 m) | Portland, OR (144 m) | Denver, CO (126 m) | Boise, ID (106 m)

C tier - rut between 50 and 100 m (big hills nearby, or distant mountains, or very distant big mountains)

Rutland, VT (99 m) | San Diego, CA (84 m) | Asheville, NC (75 m) | Middlesboro, KY (70 m) | Phoenix, AZ (67 m) | Roanoke, VA (46 m)

D tier - rut between 25 and 50 m (hills nearby, or distant big hills, or very distant mountains)

Billings, MT (40 m) | Rapid City, SD (37 m) | Dalton, GA (38 m) | Hot Springs, AR (37 m) | Pittsburgh, PA (33 m) | San Francisco, CA (30 m) | Portsmouth, OH (26 m) | Greenville, SC (26 m) | Huntsville, AL (25 m)

E tier - rut between 10 and 25 m (small hills nearby, or hills in the distance, or very distant big hills)

Syracuse, NY (21 m) | Concord, NH (20 m) | Duluth, MN (20 m) | New Haven, CT (14 m) | Cincinnati, OH (13 m) | Wausau, WI (13 m) | Portland, ME (10 m)

F tier - rut between 0 and 10 m (flatter than a patty)

Nashville, TN (8.5 m) | New York City (4.3 m) | Kansas City (2.8 m) | Miami, FL (1.7 m) | Houston (1.6 m), TX | Chicago, IL (0.6 m)

For more locations, here's a spreadsheet with the rut of every McDonald's on this map.

----------------

Note: a rut of X doesn't mean the surrounding mountains rise a height of X above the restaurant. Instead, a rut of X means that a restaurant's mountain backdrop is as impressive as a restaurant at the base of a vertical cliff of height X. The less steeply the surrounding mountains rise above the restaurant, the lower the rut.

Also note: rut only considers rise above surroundings (relative height differences and angle of elevation). it does not consider absolute elevation, nor the "aesthetics" of a mountain, nor visibility (or lack thereof) due to weather or smog.

Attributions: Gavin Rehkemper (locations), FABDEM (elevation model), Google Earth Engine (calculations), ESRI (basemap), Kai Xu (rut metric and map)

If you like rut, you'll probably like its older brother jut even more. Jut measures how impressive, spectacular, or badass a mountain is—considering both its height above surroundings and steepness. If you want to find the most impressive mountains near you or worldwide, you may find the link above to be useful.

Let us know if you have any questions or comments—I'm happy to address them!

#maps #Gigitoe #mcdonalds #mountains #us

[thislovintime]

During the filming of “Monkee See, Monkee Die,” June 1966.

“Midway through the season, we shot one of my favorites episodes of all time, ‘Getting Davy Jones.’ As the head of Fernwood Junior High’s Davy Jones Fan Club, Marcia is responsible for getting the impossibly cute lead singer from the Monkees to appear at their prom, and after various miscommunications and lots of worry, she comes through. […] Davy’s arrival on the set created a buzz greater than any other guest star we had on the show. Of course I was thrilled to be the one who got to interact with him. I can see why Eve could get jealous. Davy was a lovely guy, and it was a big deal to have a pop star of his caliber on the set. I noticed Barry watch him the way one might if looking for pointers. Though excited to be the object of his affection, or rather attention, I didn’t show it. I’d learned to play it cool around stars. My heart fluttered when he kissed me at the end, I’ll admit it, but Peter Tork was always my favorite Monkee. That was the difference between Marcia and me. She was predictable, a straight arrow. My taste was quirky, offbeat, and different.” - Maureen McCormick, Here’s The Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice (2009)

Q: “What do you want to do when The Monkees break up? Peter: “I try not to think too much about what happens after the Monkees break up. It’s rather depressing since I don’t know what I want to do. So far, I’ve found my greatest joy in being a performer and musician. When I’m on stage performing, I get a feeling of fulfillment that I don’t get at any other time. I’m inclined to think that I wouldn’t spend much time on television unless there was a live audience. That’s what really makes it fun — having the people right there. I like to work with a crowd, to sort of mold the act to suit the type of people in your audience. You don’t get that kind of challenge on a television set, except an occasional laugh from the crew. They get so used to your antics and they’ve seen you when you’re not quite so clever, so it’s very difficult to get a reaction from them. With a normal audience, however, even when they don’t react, it’s some kind of non-reaction. Maybe they can’t hear you or they can’t understand you or they just don’t like you. So, in conclusion, more or less, I think I’d want to do something for a live audience, but what sort of thing, I don’t know yet. Maybe I never will.” - Flip, August 1967

“[Peter] has reactivated some old contacts and recently tried out at Paramount for comedy spots on ‘Happy Days,’ ‘Laverne and Shirley’ and ‘Mork and Mindy.’ ‘
I’m trying comedy because I know I’m glib, and I know I’m good at it,’ he said. ‘And I’m taking acting lessons. I’ll be glib one day in drama too. ‘Maybe first I can get a walk-on, then some solid comedic roles, then maybe in time a feature role in another series, then films, then maybe I can make enough to finance my music, which is really what I want to do,’ he said, the bounds of his quite sincere fantasy mushrooming in a minute.” - article by Steve Sonsky, The Miami Herald, February 18, 1979 (x)

#Peter Tork #Tork quotes #Monkees fans #The Monkees #Monkees #what if... of Tork history #Maureen McCormick #Davy Jones #The Brady Bunch #60s Tork #Tork fan recollections #(so... we might have had Peter on The Brady Bunch if they'd asked Maureen who her favorite is...) #long read #can you queue it

[clove-pinks]

Is there anything about your new location (the terrain, the local culture, the physical sites, etc) that has given you a new perspective on regional events of the War of 1812?

This a wonderful ask, thank you! I have been mulling over how to answer it all day! This ended up getting so long I put it behind a cut (I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THIS).

The Maumee River, as seen from Fort Meigs Historic Site.

One thing new in my life is a heightened awareness of important rivers facilitating the movement of trade, supplies, and settlement. Particularly in the Old Northwest/current Midwest of the USA: regions that I grew up perceiving as a land-locked "flyover country."

Like, to give one example, I had a vague idea that there was a city called Fort Wayne, Indiana, but I thought it was just in the middle of a cornfield for no reason(?). But actually it's at the confluence of the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee Rivers, leading to the Great Lakes! The strategically important location is why General Anthony Wayne—that guy again—built the original fortification in 1794. I am downriver of all of this, connected to many inland waterways.

I also have a keen sense of living in the Great Black Swamp, despite how dramatically the land has been transformed by deforestation and drainage. There are the terrifying drainage ditches everywhere (the locals seem less perturbed by them), and many other signs of the natural state of the terrain—the swamp is just barely at bay. My coworkers have said "Black Swamp" unprompted in our conversations; I've seen it mentioned in local Facebook groups talking about the need for back-up sump pumps. The idea that people of northwest Ohio have no sense of history and are unaware of the Great Black Swamp isn't true at all.

I look at the pools of water that form in every hollow and think of the words of Alfred Lorrain, marching to Fort Meigs:

We had frequently to pass through what was called, in the provincialism of the frontiers, "swales"—standing ponds—through which the troops and packhorses which had preceded us had made a trail of shattered ice. Those swales were often a quarter of a mile long. They were, moreover, very unequal in their soundings. In common they were not more than half-leg deep; but sometimes, at a moment when we were not expecting it, we suddenly sank down to our cartridge-boxes.

Swale is a new word in my vocabulary, and now I see them everywhere!

Culturally, I think there is a great appreciation of history here: a very positive difference from the Chicagoland area. Even if the average local is probably not deeply into it, they have a consciousness of major historical events that have shaped their region and take pride in it. It's a lot more like New England that way.

Because of my focus on the War of 1812, I notice the absence of Indigenous people and voices—absent from historical accounts and from the demographics of Perrysburg and its environs today. I can't single out Ohio as being a uniquely violent settler-colonial state when this is ALL of the United States; but it hits different when I have this much greater familiarity with who was forcibly removed from this land, and how. The same US military leaders who fought in the War of 1812 were behind the (very much related) campaign for the removal of Native Americans from newly acquired territories, including the infamous Trail of Tears.

Once again, it's probably hypocritical for me to notice this so much, when I literally grew up on Wampanoag land where King Philip's War was fought, but here I am. Suddenly aware of General Wayne's name on everything, etc.

General Wayne's spurs in the Fort Meigs Museum. Not pictured: the can of Maumee Bay Brewing Co. Fallen Timbers Ale that I am currently drinking.

I haven't had the chance to explore physical sites with historical significance beyond Fort Meigs and Fallen Timbers. I know I will get to the ruins of Fort Miamis soon, and I really want to explore a lot of wetlands in local parks and nature preserves (that will double as birdwatching excursions). I am always thinking about what this place looked like 200 years ago, and what I can see today that might still look familiar to a person from that time.

I had a great trip to the National Museum of the Great Lakes today, which is closer than I thought! Local maritime museums are also on my agenda, even if they're not specifically War of 1812-related.

#asks #shaun talks #ohio posting #i could add three or four more paragraphs to any given paragraph here #you activated my trap card

[marielle-heller]

Sam? Sam Axe? You still work with him? Not when I can avoid it. He’s been drinking, sponging off of every rich divorcée in the greater Miami area. I throw him a job every now and then when he’s between sugar mommies.

Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe in Burn Notice 1x01: Pilot

#bruce campbell #sam axe #burn notice #jeffrey donovan #michael westen #my gifs #my edit #i do wanna discuss the quote

[girlactionfigure]

26 years ago, Keshia Thomas was 18 years old when the KKK held a rally in her home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hundreds of protesters turned out to tell the white supremacist organization that they were not welcome in the progressive college town. At one point during the event, a man with an SS tattoo and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a Confederate flag ended up on the protesters' side of the fence and a small group began to chase him. He was quickly knocked to the ground and kicked and hit with placard sticks.

As people began to shout, "Kill the Nazi," the high school student, fearing that mob mentality had taken over, decided to act. Thomas threw herself on top of one of the men she had come to protest, protecting him from the blows, and told the crowd that you "can't beat goodness into a person." In discussing her motivation for this courageous act after the event, she stated, "Someone had to step out of the pack and say, 'this isn't right'... I knew what it was like to be hurt. The many times that that happened, I wish someone would have stood up for me... violence is violence - nobody deserves to be hurt, especially not for an idea."

Thomas never heard from the man after that day but months later, a young man came up to her to say thanks, telling her that the man she had protected was his father. For Thomas, learning that he had a son brought even greater significance to her heroic act. As she observed, "For the most part, people who hurt... they come from hurt. It is a cycle. Let's say they had killed him or hurt him really bad. How does the son feel? Does he carry on the violence?"

Mark Brunner, the student photographer who took this now famous photograph, added that what was so remarkable was who Thomas saved: "She put herself at physical risk to protect someone who, in my opinion, would not have done the same for her. Who does that in this world?"

In response to those who argued that the man deserved a beating or more, Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator Leonard Pitts Jr. offered this short reflection in The Miami Herald: "That some in Ann Arbor have been heard grumbling that she should have left the man to his fate, only speaks of how far they have drifted from their own humanity. And of the crying need to get it back.

Keshia's choice was to affirm what they have lost.

Keshia's choice was human.

Keshia's choice was hope."

A Mighty Girl

#Keshia Thomas #Ann Arbor #Michigan #Nazi

[internetgremlin-writes]

Flat Spin [Chapter Three]

Summary/Prompt: Flat Spin

1. A spin in which an aircraft descends in tight circles whilst remaining almost horizontal

2. A state of agitation or panic [informal]

As the only female driver on the grid, you’re fighting a constant need to prove yourself, however sometimes the line between accepting help and hand-outs is more blurred than you think

Pairing: Carlos Sainz Jr x Female Reader

Warnings: Miami tbh

Word Count: 6,100

Me: I'm going to finish the prompt challenge before I post anything else

Me, less than a day later: I lied

This is the first of two chapters covering the Miami madness. Bit more world-building and some more cameos but stick with it, there's still plenty of Carlos

Previous Chapters: One || Two

The first thing you noticed about Miami was the heat.  If you’d thought Imola was hot with its dry European spring, then Miami was a boiling swamp.  It was the kind of hot that took your breath away from the second you stepped off the aeroplane, especially after spending the last week of April in England, where the weather had yet to catch up with the extended daylight hours.

The week at home had been just what you needed.  Since joining F1 and the big paycheck lifestyle it would have made sense to buy your own place, but considering you grew up less than an hour’s drive away from the Aston Martin team’s base it seemed silly to move out of your parents’ home just for the sake of it.  You were looking to buy your own apartment out of the country, however, for all the travelling you did you were yet to find anywhere that felt like it could be a good second home.  Plus, you adored your family. 

You spent your week avoiding team meetings as much as possible, but they didn’t seem too interested in getting a hold of you anyway.  The day after you landed, your personal trainer, Jake, cornered you and set out an intensive exercise routine for the week.  The two days you’d had off to recover from the crash were bothering him to no end, and he wanted you in the sports research unit at the local university doing temperature and oxygen tests.  You filled the rest of the time with sports at his request.  Swimming, squash and gym sessions made up the majority of your training.  You’d also grown up around horses, and with your sister being an up and coming showjumper there was always plenty that needed exercising. 

Between all the exercise you’d had packed into your schedule there wasn’t time for much else, but as always you managed to squeeze in a couple of visits with your best friend, lots of cuddles with the labradors and got permission to get your car onto the test track for a joyride.  You had an Aston Martin, obviously, but nothing on the planet could compare to your baby.  She was nothing special, but she was your first car; a 17th birthday present from your parents and you’d always been too sentimental to let her go even when you started driving supercars.  She was a little hatchback, bright red with two white stripes and she screamed at 70 miles per hour but there was no greater joy than ragging her around the test track at Silverstone to set a new record time. 

Usually, aside from work and the odd dinner with Seb, you didn’t think much about the other drivers when you were away from the track.  But now there was Carlos.  He’d kept up a near-constant stream of conversation, started by him insisting that you were to text him the second you were off the plane and safely home.  And that was just the start of things.  He wanted to know how you were, what you were doing and if you were having fun.  He was still worried about your neck after the crash no matter how many times you told him you were fine.  He told you all about his own days.  He sent you pictures.  Of his home cooking, of his vintage Ferrari, of the view from the balcony in his bedroom, and so many of his dog - a gorgeous wire haired pointer called Piñon.  You had to admit that you loved it.  Talking to Carlos was easy, it felt natural.  It felt right.  You could even cope with the comments from your parents, who had both noticed how much you were staring at your phone with a stupid grin, and how you would virtually dive for it when the notifications pinged.

By the time Friday rolled around you were itching to be in Miami.  You already knew that Carlos was once again staying in the same hotel as you, as he’d called you as soon as he’d been given his accommodation information to compare with yours.  He’d video called you, too, on Sunday night, so excited that he couldn’t wait another day to show you around the hotel complex and insisted on taking you on a walking tour via his phone. 

The plane journey itself was almost torture, there was no way you could sleep when you were so excited and also terrified of the weekend ahead.  You’d been studying the track information pack Aston Martin had sent you on the way over, and it was starting to look more and more interesting the further you looked into it, but the off-track theatrics seemed beyond ridiculous.  You were hoping that the simpler corners and long straights were designed for a more dramatic race, with lots of overtaking action as that was where you excelled.  Although the itinerary you’d been sent seemed a lot less exciting and you left that file unopened in favour of watching the virtual lap again.  

As requested, you sent Carlos a text from the back of the taxi letting him know that you’d landed safely.  He didn’t reply instantly and his Instagram story revealed he was out golfing with Lando and some of the other drivers, which was a relief to you because you were already feeling the effects of the jetlag and the fact that you hadn’t slept on the plane kick in.  By the time you had checked into the hotel and gotten your bags up to the room your eyes were so heavy that you decided to go straight to bed despite it being only 7 pm. 

You woke up the next morning after a solid sleep, feeling quite pleased with yourself.  It was 8 am, so early but not extreme, and with the sun shining through your curtains you felt refreshed and ready to go.  You decided put on your swimming costume under a pair of running shorts and a tank top so that you could head to the pool to get in some good laps after a light breakfast.  You were examining the buffet spread, the first instance of the extravaganza that was Miami, when there was a tap on your shoulder and before you could turn around a familiar low voice was in your ear.

“Hola,” 

“Carlos!”  He was behind you, grinning at you like you were the sun.  He immediately stepped forward and pulled you into a hug.  You tensed for a second because you were in a very public place full of drivers and team staff, but then you felt him and you could smell his cologne and his hair was just brushing the side of your face and you could feel yourself caving into him the way you had the last time you’d seen him.  You withdrew a little quickly, much to your body’s protest, but no one was really watching you and you had been informed that media and paparazzi were formally banned from your hotel complex.  Your racing heart betrayed how secretly pleased you were with his affection.

“I wasn't expecting to be seeing you so early,”  you made a false show of offence at his comment, but your smile gave you away. 

“Just because the rest of you think sprinting down a beach is the best way to manage jetlag,”  you thought there was something akin to pride in his eyes when you referenced the picture he'd posted yesterday.  The one in which he had been very shirtless.

“So you saw it then,”  it wasn't a question.  He had that look on his face when he was probing someone, you’d seen it in some of the challenge videos.  Eyebrows just pulled together, looking through those dark lashes, a lazy smile on his face that just flashed his teeth, but full attention on you.  You could feel the heat rising in your face, you'd never felt so easily flustered in someone's presence before.  You wracked your brain for a witty retort trying to break through the fog that seemed to descend over you when he was around, turning back to the breakfast buffet as you did to keep up with the moving queue. 

“So you wanted me to see it?”  He had nothing to say to that, but you didn't miss the knowing look he shot you as he followed you along the line of excessive food.  You opted for a simple bowl of fruit and yoghurt, and a small pastry on the side as a treat, light enough that you would be fine in the pool shortly after.  You started to turn towards the small table you'd spotted by a window which looked out over the seafront, but Carlos caught your attention. 

“Come sit with us,”  you wanted to question who ��us’ was, but you already knew you weren't going to say no based on the way he was looking at you alone.  You just knew he’d grown up using and abusing the puppy-dog eyes effect.  So with a resigned grin and butterflies in your stomach, you followed him towards a table on the other side of the hall were a small group of your fellow drivers were sat.  

Already sat at the table in the middle of the room were Lando, Charles, Pierre, Yuki and Alex.  After a round of the usual ‘hellos’, ‘how are yous’ and ‘what did you do for the week offs’ the talk quickly turned to racing.  You hadn't spent much time with the other drivers recently, various happenings keeping you occupied even in the paddock, and you found yourself realising how much you’d missed their antics. 

“Did you see the itinerary for the week, Y/N?”  Charles was asking you through a mouthful of syrupy pancakes.  You shook your head. 

“Not yet,”  Lando rolled his eyes.  He was usually pretty quiet around you despite you being only a year older than him, but today he seemed more comfortable in your presence. 

“It’s shit,”  Carlos flicked him on the arm with a quick scold.  “What!?”  Lando protested “It is shit.  Most of us start today,”

“Today?”

“Yeah.  There’s like TV shows filming and stuff.  I have James Corden,”  he didn't seem too excited about it.  There was a nervous pressure in your chest, kicking yourself for not checking if you had any plans with the team today.  You were used to not having any responsibilities until the media days, but in hindsight, it should have been obvious that with Maimi being described as the Superbowl of F1 the usual routine would be non-existent. 

“And more conferences tomorrow,”  Pierre added.  Carlos nodded then, catching your gaze and holding eye contact with you as he spoke, enough to make you work hard not to squirm in your seat. 

“We do one altogether.  All the drivers and the principles,”  that caught your attention 

“That's like 30 people in one interview,”  Carlos nodded at you, confirming you hadn’t heard him wrong.

“Yup,”  Lando again, half-heartedly stirring his cereal as he spoke. “They're calling it the opening ceremony.  D'you reckon I can drink this?”  He held up his bowl to show Carlos the leftover milk.  Carlos shook his head like an exasperated parent, but Lando grinned and lifted the bowl to his mouth anyway.  You had to swallow the panic rising within you, really really wishing you had read the itinerary now.  Pierre said something to Charles in French and you found yourself zoning out a little.

Media was something you were used to.  Press appearances, interviews, screaming fans; it was all part of the job.  So was ignoring the hateful comments and booing thrown your way.  You could do it, you'd been trained from a young age to do so, but it didn't mean you enjoyed it, especially when your gender was thrown into the questioning.  You were only just becoming comfortable enough with the other 19 drivers that the random-mix conferences and interviews you did were tolerable, but the idea of everyone and all the team principles on stage in front of a roaring crowd with people throwing questions left, right and centre sounded downright terrifying.  

Carlos must have noticed you'd gone quiet because he gently elbowed you from where you were sitting beside him.  He watched you with silent question, searching your face for an answer.  You sent him a tight smile and shook your head, before quickly turning your attention to Charles who was dramatically describing his latest fail on the video game streams he did.  Charles was one of the nicest people you knew and he was so funny, even if most of the time it was unintentional. 

Yuki had already excused himself by the time you'd finished picking at the cinnamon roll you no longer wanted, so you didn't feel too guilty when you stood up to leave either.  You wished everyone a good day, hoping to god that the way you mentioned you’d be going to check out the pool was casual.  You didn’t dare look at Carlos as you said it.

You didn't settle until you were back at the hotel room in front of your iPad, scrolling through the itinerary Katie had sent you last week.  Luckily you didn't have anything on in the morning, but you had two media sessions in the afternoon and a sponsorship dinner with Seb and Mike, your team principal.  Your heart sank a little at realising you were already busy, but you tried not to let it bring you down too much and headed down to the pool. 

The pool was huge, the same size as the competitive one you trained in at home, plus there were three separate jacuzzis dotted around the outside and a whole side dedicated to a spa unit with multiples of everything, including the biggest steam room you’d ever seen.  You started with a swan dive into a freestyle stroke at a much faster pace than usual and continued without pause for at least half an hour or until your lungs were burning and you could feel yourself physically unable to push anymore. 

You came up for air, trying to ignore the fact you were panting a little harder than you wanted to be and hoisted yourself out of the water and into one of the jacuzzis where you leaned with your head back as the warm, high-pressure water did its job.  You were just closing your eyes, finally managing to dissipate enough of the stress of the morning to relax your muscles when you felt someone slide into the small pool with you. 

There, sat opposite you, in full shirtless glory was Carlos.  Your heart leapt.  You’d seen all of the drivers shirtless before, courtesy of their PR teams and Instagram stories, not to mention some questionable paddock behaviour, and similarly, they had all seen you before in bikini tops and sports bras.  Growing up in sport meant you were used to being surrounded by male athletes; well-toned bodies on display were something you were alarmingly comfortable with, bordering on normal at this point in your life.  But there was something different about Carlos that made you feel like a teenager again.  You had to work really hard not to stare at the way his tan skin pulled smooth over the muscle, his shoulders broad and chest neatly defined.  His hair was wet, pushed off his forehead by a pair of goggles.

“Hey,”  you murmured and he took that as his invitation to come closer, manoeuvring himself so he was sitting beside you.  You were acutely aware of the arm he was resting on the poolside, right behind your back. 

“Is everything alright?”  You laughed humourlessly. 

“Straight to the point, huh?”  Carlos sent you a look that said he was being serious. 

“You were quiet at breakfast,”  you managed a sad smile, realising there was no point in trying to conceal anything from him. 

“I didn’t look at my itinerary before breakfast,”  You admitted, but he only raised an eyebrow at you, clearly waiting for you to get to the real problem.  “I guess I’m not gonna get to take you out today,”  Carlos leant forward as if he was about to touch your face, but he hesitated at the last moment and cast a look across the pool.  Instead, the hand behind your back found your shoulder for a second.  You instantly melted into the contact. 

“That's why you're sad?”  You couldn't identify the emotion in his voice.  You nodded because it felt silly to admit it out loud, though Carlos’ expression was nothing but sincere.

“And this whole thing, it’s so much…everything,”  he nodded, not quite present as his gaze shifted, blanky staring across the pool.

“It is a lot of attention… a lot of fans.  That’s good,”  you couldn’t help but adore his simplicity sometimes.  Because when he said it like that, it sounded nothing less than pure positivity.  Just a lot of fans itching to see their favourite people.  You thanked Carlos and he looked at you like he was aching for a second, but before you could ask him if he was okay he stepped in once more.  “It will be good.  And we will do the second date, even if it’s not today,” 

“So it was a date?”  You only realised you’d said it out loud when Carlos’ eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he was looking at you like you’d just said something completely ridiculous and borderline offensive. 

“Did you think I take everyone out like that?  I don’t share dessert with Lando!”  the image of Carlos and Lando sharing tiramisu was enough to break you from the mood you’d been in all morning and you found yourself dissolved into giggles and unable to recover for a moment.  It didn’t help that Carlos knew what you were thinking and was reenacting the ‘What’s in the Box?’ video he’d done with Lando a few years ago that had involved a throwing a tiramisu around the studio by flicking water at you as if it was the cake.  When you’d started to recover a little Carlos dipped his head a little closer, his voice lowering as he delivered his kill shot. 

“Do you think I kiss anyone like that?”  If he’d said anything else you wouldn’t have known because all you could hear was the blood rushing in your ears and the thudding of your heart.  Carlos moved away quickly, and stretched casually, the intimate moment so quick that anyone else would have missed it. 

“Well, no,”  you admitted, not quite able to meet his eye because you knew your whole face was bright red and if you were being honest you didn’t know if you could stop yourself from throwing yourself at him right there and then.  “Shit,”  you’d caught sight of the clock in the background and realised that you only had an hour before you were supposed to be meeting Katie before your first media session. 

“You have to go?”

“I have to go,”  you started to stand up and hoist yourself out of the pool, but Carlos caught your elbow just before you did so. 

“Hey, don’t worry okay?  The media will be fine.  And I promise you can take me on a date,” he winked, then hesitated for a moment  “I’ve wanted the chance to take you out for a while.  I’m not gonna miss it now,”

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

Your good mood from the moment with Carlos in the swimming pool lasted for all of five minutes of your meeting with Katie, by which point you realised that the appearances you’d been scheduled were so far beyond your usual scope of work.  Like Lando had said at breakfast, your day wasn’t the usual press conferences and interviews, but instead, you were being shuttled between sets like some kind of movie star.  You had appearances with two-late night show hosts who wanted bits and interviews, a pre-recorded breakfast show and your own team PR and Grill the Grid.  

The bits that involved you being at the track were better.  One of the late-night show hosts had planned for you to take him out on a fast lap in an Aston Martin, the man beside you was supposed to be asking you interview questions but you were throwing the car so aggressively around the track that he couldn’t do anything other than grip onto his seat and grit his teeth.  Perhaps you’d been trying to prove a point because he had flippantly said he was going to be fine because you were driving the lap, but even so, you could see the mischievous glint in Seb’s eyes when you pulled back into the pit lane with a very pale and sweaty celebrity who needed to lie down for a few minutes.

The next one wanted you and Seb to do a doughnut challenge, they’d originally wanted it to be in the F1 cars but the engineers refused point-blank so you were back in the very sporty road car.   It was all good fun until the show host had you teach him how to do a doughnut and you had to grab the wheel before he sent the pair of you into a wall and wrecked the car.

Finally, you found yourself doing something more normal with a ‘Mr and Mrs’ challenge which you and Seb aced for the breakfast show and filmed a silly PR video for Aston Martin that involved the pair of you in a complex game of Miami themed charades.  Whilst you were still in your race suit you were also sent off to go and film quiz sections for the F1 channel about American sports teams, in which you did horrifically before you were released for a short lunch break.

Then you were collected by Katie and it was time for the studios.  You were handed a pressed polo shirt and a pair of white jeans to change into and then you were forced into hair and makeup chairs.  The breakfast show was first and they were interviewing you and Seb as a pair.  You were glad it was first because Seb’s offhanded comment about just how much longer you were being kept in hair and makeup than him had you in and out much quicker in your following solo sessions.

The interview with Seb was fairly easy, very much in familiar territory and the pair of you were asked fairly standard questions that you’d answered a hundred times before.  The solo interviews you did for the late-night shows were also fine, but they weren’t fun and they weren’t really about the race.  You answered the repetitive set of questions about what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated sport, and how is it different for you, and who’s the most attractive driver, and have you ever done x, y or z and so on.  You stayed polite, said your scripted jokes and gave political non-answers to most questions.  For a final ‘game’ you found yourself identifying the driver based on their shirtless torsos, in which you deliberately answered even the obvious ones wrong to make a point that you didn’t look for one and that it didn’t matter for another.  You did recognise Carlos instantly, but that didn’t need to be mentioned.

You barely had time to recover before you were being changed into a green dress, your hair curled and even more makeup applied before you were sent out to meet Seb, who looked equally uncomfortable in his white suit for the sponsor dinner. 

The sponsors were several big American investors who wanted to know exactly what their money was getting.  Seb and Mike did a great job of talking technical, and as much as you tried your best to interject with your own analysis of the car’s performance and where you could use the money to improve, by the fourth time you were called sweetheart you resigned yourself to flirting with rich old men, flashing them your best doe eyes and discussing things like marketing and colour schemes and how you really thought you might win the championship this year with the support of all the team.  If you weren’t getting progressively drunk on free wine, and if your career didn’t depend on your behaviour, you would have told them exactly where they could shove their ‘sweethearts’.

It was a stuffy Michelin star restaurant, the kind that you thought only really existed in movies, with tiny plates of food that was far too fancy to actually be enjoyable and a terrible piano ambience.  You found your mind wandering off mid-meal, prodding what you had been told was ‘escargot’ with your fork and thinking that the food Carlos had ordered in that tiny Italian place was so much better.  Seb didn’t seem to enjoy the food much either, and by the end of the night the pair of you were trying to contain yourselves from giving away the fact you were playing a silent game of ‘Boomer Bingo’.  So far Seb was winning, but only because he kept repeating global warming and they kept calling it a myth.

By the time you’d managed two dessert courses, a cheese course and two rounds of coffee you were uncomfortably full and exhausted.  You virtually collapsed into the back of the car taking you back to the hotel with Katie, not listening to a word of the glowing praise she was giving you for how well you performed and how much the sponsors loved you.  She said goodbye to you in the hotel lobby and the second she was out of sight you ripped off the heels you’d been in and padded barefoot to the elevators.  Carlos had texted you an hour ago to see if you were done and wanted a nightcap, but you were so full of obscenely fancy food and heavy wine that you couldn’t face anything else.  It was nearing midnight, and he hadn’t replied to your complaint written from the ladies' bathroom, so you figured he’d gone to sleep waiting for you to get back to him. 

The next morning’s breakfast was equally chaotic.  The hotel restaurant was full to bursting point with seemingly everyone staying there trying to cram in a meal at the same time.  You tried to spot Carlos in the crowd to see if you could catch his eye and non-verbally apologise for missing him last night, but in the sea of team colours you couldn’t single him out.  You ended up grabbing whatever you could reach first from the buffet and quickly retreating to your room, the wine-induced headache and early morning combination not setting you up for socialising with a select few people, let alone half of Miami. 

The saving grace of the day was that it was much more relaxed.  You were on driver press conferences which was much more familiar territory, although you hated how suddenly you were checking any panel for a Ferrari name.  You had Charles in one of them, which was nice but he wasn’t Carlos, who you didn’t see for the entire day.  You spent your down hours hiding out in the back of Aston Martin, downing water and going over statistics with your team.

The closer you got to the opening ceremony the more your stomach was starting to knot about it.  You were once again put into a team polo and had your hair perfectly positioned under your driver cap.  You stood with Sebastian and Mike to complete the green trio in the lineup backstage.  Just in front of you were Lando and the McLaren team, he looked as nervous as you were, staring off into space and not reacting to anything around him. 

You could hear the crowd roaring ahead of you, the presenters warming them up which seemed to be an easy job judging by the raucous noise.  The teams were called up one by one and you could feel your heart thudding in your ears as you reached the bottom of the stairs to the stage.  You couldn't hear your name being announced over the roar of the crowd, instead, relying on the stage hand who was signalling you to make your way up with Seb and Mike behind you.  You took a shaky breath and stepped forward into the bright artificial lights.  You couldn't see the crowd initially, but the wall of noise that hit you was staggering.  It took everything in you to remember to pull your best smile onto your face and lift your arm high in the air with a confident wave as you strode across the stage to take your place beside Lando, who looked positively sick.  Sebastian joined you and you could see in the look he gave you that he too was taken aback by the noise. 

It was so loud you could barely hear the presenters or the other drivers but you got the gist of what was going on.  They were working down the line of teams, introducing you again and then opening up to questions.  From what you could gather the questions were not only coming from Press as you were used to, but it seemed to be open to the VIP ticket holders circle.  This is going to be fun, you thought to yourself - because there was a reason you always avoided fan questions.

"And now, from Astin Martin, it's the green machines, in the fight for her first championship Y/N Y/L/N and four-time world champion legend Sebastian Vettel!"  You waved again, a huge smile on your face that was almost genuine because, despite the near consistent sea of red, black and orange caps, the roar was equally loud for your team as it had been for the top names.  You were struggling to see what was going on, but the loud echo of a poor quality mic and your name was enough to let you know that your question time had started. 

“How do you manage your hair in the helmet?”  You couldn't help the slightly shocked laugh, but if you were being honest it was a pretty tame question and you didn’t mind answering it. 

“It's not really a problem.  I just tie it back low and then my baklava covers it the same as anyone else,”  you didn't have time to breathe before someone else was shouting at you. 

“As the only woman on the grid this year, how do you manage your workout routine to keep up with the other drivers?”  That was a sore spot, you’d had plenty of comments, especially in the early days, blaming your ‘smaller’ muscle mass on the reason you weren’t scoring points as regularly as the world sodding champion. 

“I don't think it's any different to anyone else.  I have a dietician and my personal trainer too, and we work hard to make sure I'm as fit and healthy as I can be.  As you can see in my performance, I’m having no problems handling the car and that’s all that matters,”  you decided to jokingly flex your bicep as if to prove your point, and partly to try and dissipate some of the nervous energy building within you. 

“Hey, Y/N, has your relationship with Carlos Sainz changed following the crash in Imola?  Did you apologise?”  You swallowed hard, feeling a blush threatening to creep its way up your neck.  You hoped it could be blamed on the heat as you took a steadying breath to prepare your answer. 

“Carlos has been a good friend since my rookie year.  I think it was pretty clear the incident last weekend was my fault, and I apologised instantly.  You know, these things happen in racing and I like to think he's not holding it against me,”  you leaned forward to glance down the rows to where the Ferrari team were stood, separated from you by the Red Bulls.  You were looking for Carlos, in truth to see if your answer had been good enough for him.  You weren't exactly about to announce he'd sat in your room for hours that night and taken you on a date the next day. 

“I forgave her,”  he added with his signature grin and a wink, which made the entire audience erupt into screams that took a minute to settle for the next question.  You were asked a little about your friendship with Seb and some slightly more relevant questions, which you didn't mind quite so much, and you were just starting to settle into a rapport with the crowd. 

“Y/N, how do you balance your love life and racing?”  Apparently admitting you were starting to enjoy yourself was a mistake. 

“Is that a question you'd ask any of the other drivers here or just me because I'm a woman?”  You shot back, unable to keep the bite out of your tone.  You weren't going to speak further on the topic but you felt Mike dig subtly into your back and you knew you had no choice.  Pleasing the crowd in Miami had to come first.  “Right now I'm focused on my racing.  I'm in a strong position for this season and I'm pushing for those wins.  I-”  you were cut off by someone without a mic, who shouted very loudly. 

“Ay, Mamí, you single!?”

You didn't even have time to process what happened because Carlos had picked up his microphone again.  He said something pretty short, in what must have been Spanish because you had no idea what he said but his tone was deadly serious.  About half the crowd started to respond with an uncomfortable laugh, but then the presenter was stepping in and the interviews were being moved on to the McLarens beside you. 

You were lost for the rest of the ceremony, unable to understand the quick encounter that had so abruptly ended your time.  And after another hour of smiling and waving through confetti and fireworks and throwing your merch into the crowd you were relieved to be finally shepherded off the stage as a DJ began a set and it was flooded with celebrities.  After getting the all-clear from Mike that there were no further expectations from you, you managed to slip back away from the stage.  You were headed to the Aston Martin hospitality zone, hoping that you could sit quietly in catering and have a minute to gather yourself.  What you hadn't noticed was someone had followed you in. 

Carlos made you jump when he grabbed your arm and span you around to face him, perhaps a little harder than necessary.  His eyes were positively blazing and his jaw was set firm. 

“Are you okay?”  You managed to extract yourself from his grip, more than a little bewildered. 

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,”  you tossed him a bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed yourself one.  Carlos caught it with ease but didn't move to open it. 

“That guy.  Those questions,”  you shrugged, yes it had been bad, but you’d faced worse.  He should hear some of the things the Netflix team asked you for Drive to Survive. 

“It's fine.  I get asked shit like that all the time, I should have known it'd be worse in Miami.  I normally avoid tabloid looking people is all.  And that guy was just heckling-”

“He called you Mamí,”

“And?  I'm called Maneater most of the time,”  Carlos sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.  For the first time in your career, you thought that maybe Maneater wasn’t as funny of a nickname as you’d always believed.

“It means sexy.  It's- you don't say it like that.  You can call it to someone in sex or when you know her very well,”  the penny finally dropped for you.  It wasn't just a gross comment, you'd been properly catcalled on live television in front of how many millions of people.  Your mind was racing, the tremble returning to your hands as you struggled to process the new information.

“What did you say to him?”  Your voice was small.  Any humour you'd managed to find in the opening ceremony was completely gone. 

“Show some respect,”  you nodded, a silent thanks on your lips.  You felt oddly empty over the whole thing.  You were shocked, but you weren’t angry, you didn’t want to cry.  You were just done.  The thought of going back to the ceremony or even sticking around in the paddock for a minute longer made you nauseous.

“I’m getting a headache,”  it wasn't entirely a lie,  “ I think I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and have an early night,"  Carlos nodded in response, he didn’t offer or even push to go back with you.  You weren’t sure if you were grateful or not.  You put a hand on his shoulder for a second to let him know you weren't angry with him.  Then left him in his bright red shirt surrounded by the dark green livery of Aston Martin. 

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

Chapter Four

Check out my Masterlist here!

The moral of this story is don't ask me for when something is being published because I will give you a very honest answer and then do the exact opposite. Always

Anyway since I started part one I realised I wanted to make this into a proper story so I do apologise that this chapter is a lot more dedicated to building Y/N up and setting the scene. But we're starting to build up to the good stuff now!

As per usual full disclaimers are in the masterlist but its FICTION. I don't know Carlos, I'm only expanding on and taking inspiration from what I see in his content. And for all F1 content it is INSPIRATION not ACCURACY. This would be boring af if it was just a blow by blow account of every race weekend

Other than that not much else to say. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this one because it's been my fave chapter to write so far with all the stuff going on!!

Rage and Love

Le Gremlin <3

Forever Tags: @graysonmalfoy @inumorph @lokilvrr @bookgirlunicorn @thinkwriteexpress @somanydifferentthings @faeriedelalune-blog @elthanin-sive-blog-blog @ispendmoretimehere-blog @drakesfiance @allonesharingonebreath @storm-howlett @daneel-the-sister-of-castiel @groovy-lady @skadivalholl @govazz @its-astrotea-love

Carlos/F1 Tags: @imreallylosingit @serialkillertbh @sticksdoesart @lovingroscoee @agentsoybean @piceous21 @whosays75 @xscorpioxmoon @miahelen @j-brielmalfoy @honeybadger03 @teapartydreams @guccicloudz @nochillnel @timetoracewrites @rmaddens @ruledchaos @imreallylosingit @isabellabrodar @ccloaned @ihearttheoriginals

#carlos sainz #carlos sainz jr #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz fanfic #carlos sainz imagine #formula one #f1 #sebastian vettel #lando norris #charles lecrelc

[essaysbyciara]

"The Leading Man" panel @ American Black Film Festival; hosted by Malinda Williams via Miami Beach & Greater Miami Tourism

#trevante rhodes #yahya abdul mateen ii #yahya abdul-mateen ii

[mariacallous]

The US Department of Justice had long been expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. But when the suit arrived Thursday, it came with surprising ferocity.

In a press conference, attorney general Merrick Garland noted that Apple controlled more than 70 percent of the country’s smartphone market, saying the company used that outsize power to control developers and consumers and squeeze more revenue out of them.

The suit and messaging from the DOJ and 15 states and the District of Columbia joining it take aim at Apple’s most prized asset—the iPhone—and position the case as a fight for the future of technology. The suit argues that Apple rose to its current power thanks in part to the 1998 antitrust case against Microsoft, and that another milestone antitrust correction is needed to allow future innovation to continue.

Like the Microsoft case, the suit against Apple is “really dynamic and forward looking,” says John Newman, a law professor at the University of Miami. “It's not necessarily about Apple seeing direct competitors,” he says. “It's more about them trying to grab the territory you would need if you were going to even try to compete against Apple.”

Antitrust action in the tech industry has been a focus of the Biden administration’s agenda, which has seen suits brought against both Amazon and Google by the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission. “This case demonstrates why we must reinvigorate competition policy and establish clear rules of the road for Big Tech platforms,” Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar told WIRED in a statement.

Rebecca Hall Allensworth, a law professor at Vanderbilt University, says that though the government almost always faces an uphill battle in antitrust cases, the Apple case appears relatively solid. “It's a lot stronger than the FTC Amazon monopolization lawsuit from last year,” she says. “And yet, it's very hard to win antitrust cases.”

In a statement, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said that the lawsuit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” including the way its products work “seamlessly” together and “protect people’s privacy and security.”

Apple has long argued that keeping its mobile operating system, app store, and other services closed offers greater security and safety for customers. But Newman says that the DOJ complaint indicates that Apple doesn't enforce these policies consistently as would make sense if the goal was to protect users.

“Instead [Apple] heavily targets the types of app developers that pose the biggest competitive threat to Apple,” Newman says. The DOJ alleges that restrictions Apple places on iMessage, Apple Wallet, and other products and features create barriers that deter or even penalize people who may switch to cheaper options.

History Repeating

The antitrust case against Microsoft in the late 1990s accused the company of illegally forcing PC manufacturers and others to favor its web browser Internet Explorer. It is widely credited with causing the company to be slow to embrace the web, falling behind a wave of startups including Google and Amazon that grew into giants by making web services useful and lucrative.

When asked about the threat the new antitrust lawsuit might pose to Apple’s business, a DOJ official noted that “there are actually examples where companies, after having been charged and had to change business practices because they violated the antitrust laws in the long run, end up being more valuable than they were before.” Microsoft, thanks to its success in cloud services and more recently AI, is now the most valuable company in the world.

The Department of Justice said Thursday that any potential remedy was on the table for Apple—implying that even breaking up the company is a possibility. But Allensworth says it is unlikely the government would pursue that outcome. The proposed remedies could more likely force Apple to change its "technological and contractual restrictions on app development, and on interoperability with other phones,” she says. “That is something that could be very meaningful, if that remedy were fully realized and overseen in a good way. But it still leaves Apple basically in control of the ecosystem,” Allensworth says.

Paul Swanson, antitrust partner at the law firm Holland & Hart, sees potential difficulties ahead for the suit. “They're alleging that Apple is excluding competition in the smartphone market by making their products stickier, by making it very attractive to stay within their ecosystem. And the way that Apple does that, according to the DOJ, is that it doesn't cooperate nicely with other companies,” he says. But Swanson says antitrust laws don’t generally require companies to work with others. “A business doesn't violate antitrust laws by terminating or refusing to work with another business.”

This is not the first antitrust case against Apple. In 2020, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of anticompetitive behavior, after being kicked off the App Store for offering a version of the Fortnite game that circumvented the Apple’s steep 30 percent fees for in-app purchases. Epic lost the case in the lower courts, and in January the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal—and Apple announced it would levy a new app store fee on developers.

Newman notes that the government seems to have kept a close eye on that case in constructing the suit launched Thursday. The case was filed in the Third Circuit Court in New Jersey, rather than the Ninth Circuit Court, which includes California. He predicts it will ultimately end up before the Supreme Court. “I think this one's probably going all the way,” Newman says.

[rabbitcruiser]

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Observed annually on January 27th to remember the victims of the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime during World War II, International Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a reminder to never forget the horrors of the past and to strive for a more just and peaceful world.

History of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Holocaust was a genocide that took place during World War II in which millions of Jews, as well as other minority groups, were systematically tortured and killed by the Nazi regime in Europe. Beginning in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and implemented policies of racial purity and persecution of Jews and other minorities, the Holocaust reached its height in 1941 when the Nazis began the extermination of Jews in concentration camps across Europe, and ended in 1945 when Allied forces liberated the concentration camps and defeated the Nazi regime. The Holocaust is remembered as one of the darkest periods in human history, and it serves as a reminder of the dangers of hatred, discrimination, and violence.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day was established by the United Nations in 2005 to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945. The day is held annually on January 27th to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to recognize the importance of remembering and learning from this tragic event. The day is observed around the world with ceremonies, events, and educational programs to honor the victims and to raise awareness about the dangers of hatred, discrimination, and violence.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day Timeline

January 30, 1933 Hitler becomes chancellor

Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany, setting the stage for the implementation of policies of racial purity and persecution of Jews and other minority groups.

September, 1939 Invasion of Poland

Nazi forces invade Poland, beginning World War II and leading to the occupation and persecution of Jews in Poland.

June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa

Nazi forces launch Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union and leading to the mass murder of Jews in the occupied territories.

January 27, 1945 Liberation of Auschwitz

Soviet forces liberate the Auschwitz concentration camp, revealing the horrific conditions and mass murder of Jews and other prisoners.

November 1, 2005 International Holocaust Remembrance Day is founded

Following the 60th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 establishes January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

How to Observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day

There are many ways to observe this day and to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. Here are three suggestions for how you can observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day:

Attend a Local Ceremony or Event

Many communities hold ceremonies or events to remember the victims of the Holocaust on this day. You can attend one of these events to pay your respects and to learn more about the history of the Holocaust.

Educate Yourself and Others

The Holocaust is a complex and tragic event that is important to understand and remember. You can educate yourself and others by reading books, watching documentaries, and visiting Holocaust museums. This can help you to learn more about what happened and to understand the importance of remembering and preventing such atrocities from happening again.

Take Action to Combat Hatred and Discrimination

The Holocaust was the result of hatred and discrimination that led to the persecution and murder of millions of people. You can take action to combat these issues in your own community by speaking out against hate, and volunteering with organizations that work to promote tolerance and understanding.

Reflect and Remember

Finally, you can observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day by simply taking a moment to reflect on the tragedy of the Holocaust and to remember the victims. You can do this by lighting a candle, saying a prayer, or simply by taking a moment to think about the impact of the Holocaust on the world.

Source

Auschwitz Liberation Day

Auschwitz Liberation Day, observed on January 27, is a day that sums up the history of the Holocaust — to commemorate the Jews that were killed and abused. A genocide of these victims by Nazi Germany occurred between 1941 and 1945. So much history, so many stories, and propaganda came about from these critical years. It’s been more than half a century and we are urged not to forget. This day reminds every one of us that nothing good came about from the Holocaust, a true event in history, that only condemned and killed six million Jews.

History of Auschwitz Liberation Day

Auschwitz, also called Auschwitz-Birkenau, was the Nazis’ biggest and most known concentration and extermination camp. Auschwitz was known to be the “final solution” because of its devastating ways of abuse and murder, especially of Jews. Located in the southern part of Poland, known as Oswiecim, the largest Nazi camp consisted of three parts: a prison camp, a slave-labor camp, and an extermination camp. These camps involved gas chambers and cremation furnaces. Auschwitz’s doctors would perform medical experiments and inhumane procedures on some prisoners, using injections, radiation, and sterilization.

Germans decided to forgo the camp by the start of 1945. On January 17, 1945, 67,000 prisoners were prompted to attend a “death march.” Prisoners who were too weak to walk were killed on the spot. While this happened, the Germans were trying to remove and erase any semblance of the camp and the crimes they’ve committed. On January 27 of the same year, Soviet soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front entered Auschwitz, and thus a mere 7,000 prisoners were finally free of the wretchedness and affliction of the camp.

Upon investigation after this discovery, the Soviet Commission investigated all of the Holocaust’s history, especially Nazi acts, and crimes done in the campground. Today, it is known that 1.1 million people died in Auschwitz, mainly consisting of Jews. Aside from the anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, January 27 is also appointed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Auschwitz Liberation Day timeline

1945 Prisoners Free At Last

On January 27, the gates of Auschwitz open and the prisoners are finally free from the Holocaust and the Auschwitz camp.

1979 Memorial Engraved

The Auschwitz concentration camp is renamed  “Auschwitz-Birkenau” by the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2020 Anniversary Pursues

This year celebrates and commemorates the 75th anniversary of all the victims of Auschwitz.

2021 Plans To Continue

Together, the United Nations and UNESCO organizes a set of events to mark the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration camp, Auschwitz.

Auschwitz Liberation Day FAQs

What happens on Auschwitz Liberation Day?

This day is a day to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust but also rejoice for those who were able to be free from Auschwitz.

Does Auschwitz still stand today?

It is considered a Unesco World Heritage Site, maintained by the Polish government as a museum and memorial.

Who liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945?

The Soviet Army was the one that entered Auschwitz and freed around 7,000 inmates.

How to Observe Auschwitz Liberation Day

Do your research

Share the rich history

Practice the teachings

Before understanding what this day means for so much of mankind, it is important to delve into history. Investigate and learn more about the Holocaust to truly make sense of this day. Many books and films are made to capture the essence of this event.

All Holocaust survivors are at an old age, and half of these witnesses have passed away so don’t let the details die. It’s crucial that history is not forgotten and the stories of all these Jews be told to the world so this will never happen again. Take to your social media accounts and share the rich history with fellow friends and family.

This event speaks of the role of power and its victims when it comes to the Nazi Germans and German Jews. This may have happened more than half a century ago but it does not mean we forget what it teaches us about human morals and values. If you know any survivors get into contact with them, or if they’ve passed on, look them up to get more information on their struggles and how they fought to become strong and remembered individuals.

5 Interesting Facts About Auschwitz

Not only Jews were victims

Each prisoner was given a number

There were many camps inside Auschwitz

The use of Auschwitz began in 1940

Belongings of those killed were left

Aside from Jews, around 150,000 Polish and 22,000 Romani were killed as well.

Each prisoner sent to this camp had a specific individual number for counting purposes.

There was a rough estimate of 44 sub-camps within Auschwitz-Birkenau, being by far the largest concentration and extermination camp.

The first prisoner of the camp arrived on June 14, 1940.

There is a room full of shoes from 80,000 victims.

Why Auschwitz Liberation Day is Important

We learn about history

Human beings were able to reach freedom again

It reminds us of the need to take action

We learn about the history of World War II, specifically in the context of Germany. We discover the hard facts and truth that came about during the 1940s and onwards.

Auschwitz contained innocent people who were killed. It’s so important to commemorate and remember that those liberated were able to live freely after a time of cruelty and condemnation.

Every day, we face instances of injustices, crime, racism, and hate. By learning and hearing about the stories of the people who went through this inhumane time, we can empathize and be certain that nothing like this should ever happen again, may it be to a group, race, or even one person.

Source

#Stolperstein #Rostock #National Holocaust Monument #Ottawa #Canada #USA #Daniel Libeskind #Boston #Ontario #Massachusetts #travel #vacation #original photography #New England Holocaust Memorial by Stanley Saitowitz #Holocaust Memorial of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation #International Holocaust Remembrance Day #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay #Auschwitz Liberation Day #anniversary #27 Janaury 1945 #World War Two #never again

[plethoraworldatlas]

Responding to a formal petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic, Miami Waterkeeper, Save the Manatee Club and Frank S. González García, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that reclassifying the West Indian manatee from threatened to endangered may be warranted.

Today’s decision, known as a 90-day finding, is the first procedural step toward providing much greater protections for the imperiled species. The Fish and Wildlife Service must now conduct a thorough review of the best available science before determining whether to increase protections under the Endangered Species Act. A final protection decision is due by Nov. 21, 2023.

“This is the right call for manatees and everyone who cares about these charming creatures,” said Ragan Whitlock, a Florida-based attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I applaud the Fish and Wildlife Service for taking the next step toward increased safeguards. Manatees need every ounce of protection they can get.”

...

Since the Service prematurely reduced manatee protections in 2017, the species has declined dramatically. Pollution-fueled algae blooms sparked an ongoing mortality event that has contributed to unprecedented Florida manatee mortality approaching 2,000 deaths in 2021 and 2022 combined. This two-year record represents more than 20% of all manatees in Florida. Manatee experts predict more malnourished and starving manatees with fewer births for years to come.

#manatee #ecology #enviromentalism

[thisisnotthenerd]

a little out of the ordinary for me, but i'm helping out some family friends with a fundraiser to end blood cancer.

Do you love Taylor Swift? How about a chance to get 2 tickets to the 10/19 concert at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with a 2-night hotel stay AND help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society find a cure to blood cancers?

Donate to the Soaring Cranes Initiative between 1/25 and 3/12:

$50 for 1 entry

$100 for 2

$200 for 5

$500 for 15

$1000 for 30

Put TAYLOR and your email in the comments of your donation to be entered in the raffle. The drawing will be on 3/13 and the winner will be announced on our website.

#taylor swift #swifties #taylornation #taylor alison swift #taylor swift eras #eras tour #the eras tour #tswift #leukemia & lymphoma society #end blood cancer #raffle #concert ticket raffle #concert tickets

[super-paper]

Any thoughts on the leaks from the new chapter??

I really enjoyed the dialogue between izuku and tomura this chapter, especially that unhinged look on izukus face as he says he'll rip the damn rug/cover with his own hands if he has too. And that last panel between izuku and toshi, the "you can be a hero!" scene but now saying he needs to let go of ofa...wow, cinema.

Overall i liked it, but I feel a bit aprehensive about certain things, especially after seeing opinions on twt. I knew izuku would most likely give up ofa at the end of the series, so im sad about it (dont get me wrong, izuku giving up ofa of all things so he can save tomura is beautiful,,,,, but im just a big fan of izuku with ofa and everything that it means 😭 i want him to keep his haunted quirk and ofamily). But then on twt everyone was so hyped up and talking about izuku getting New Order.. which left me confused not gonna lie, bc other than Star pointing at something, I didn't get any idea of Izuku getting her quirk. But again, my reading analysis could be in the mud lol. Some say Aura Might is gonna give up his place for Star in ofa, or afo is joining the fight with his trump card, others say the quirk will spread to class 1A, so when izuku opens the vault door, the vestiges of 1A will help him. I have no idea, anything is possible i suppose. As for izuku, while I think at some point he will give up ofa, I think he might hesitate at first (??) Like toshinori, he connects his worth to having a quirk, so emotionally speaking it won't be easy for him in my opinion. But let's see!

I'm gonna be a bit mean for a second and say that "Izuku getting New Order" and "Class 1A shares OFA (Monoma Neito found dead in Miami)" are by far my least favorite fandom theories lmfao.

Anyway, you're definitely right on the money about this also being a battle Re: Izuku's own self perception and who he is without OFA. Izuku and Tomura's biggest hang ups boil down to how they both perceive themselves and how that perception was essentially forced onto both of them by other people until they both internalized it as "fundamentally true" (Izuku believing that he's worthless/useless, Tomura believing that he's evil and that he's having a ~peachy-keen~ time rn). Chapter 412/413 have set the stage for this conflict to finally come to the forefront, so I'm excited to see where things go.

As for Star, people who believe her quirk is "the will of heroism that's gonna get passed on to Izuku" are missing the point of her character, I feel. Star's quirk was cool, but it was also another shining example of a quirk "not being what makes someone an actual hero"-- Star used her quirk to do some pretty fucked up things during her fight with TomurAFO, and ultimately, the moments where she chose NOT to use her quirk and chose NOT to prioritize "the greater good" over everything else are actually her defining heroic moments:

(^ the implication of this scene being that her vestige stopped short of obliterating AFO because she found Tenko hidden inside him)

Izuku has already inherited "the will of heroism" as Star defines it. The will of heroism is more or less "noticing that someone needs help and choosing to act on it." There is beauty in simplicity and trying to work "Izuku obtaining new order" into the mix takes the focus away from that, I feel. Star notices Tenko needs help, and instead of using the last embers of her existence to extinguish AFO, she instead uses those embers to reach out to Toshi and point out where Tenko has hidden himself. Toshi alerts Kudou, who then decides to place his faith in Izuku's ability to save Tomura's heart, and so on and so forth.

(A certain someone else also inherited that will, but he's just being a massive fucking tsundere about it. Can't wait for someone to finally call his ass out when the inevitable mind-meld happens.) (/hj)

Anyway, I feel u regarding the OFA vestiges-- but at the same time, I think it's good that they're finally being allowed some autonomy in how they choose to go out considering how they lived/died in the first place. I still maintain that we're gonna end up whittling OFA down to Yoichi, Toshi, and Nana bc they're the three most deeply connected to Tomura (in addition to having the most unresolved feelings and lingering regrets centered around Tomura/AFO). I also think it's pretty neat how "One for All" is now coming apart at the seams because they're starting to work together for "the one" rather than the "all," if you catch my drift ;)

#mha spoilers #thank you for the ask! #sophie.txt

[moodmusicmonday]

We're off to an amazing start this month! We've got some great songs, and even greater fics to look forward to (and one that's already out, make sure to click that link)! Check out the playlist above, and the deets of their fics below.

As always, thank you all for your support. Whether you submit songs, like, signal boost or even just lurk, we are so happy and grateful to have you here! 💜

@ao719

"All We Have is Now" - Ross Copperman; Vancross, Chapter 16 Hold The Ones You Love (Multiple Crossover; Liam Rys x f!OC)

"Wish You The Best" - Lewis Capaldi; ...Sometimes Not, Part 3 Maybe It's Supposed To Be This Way (TRR; Liam Rys x f!OC)

"I Tried" - Camylio; Best Kept Secrets, Chapter 15 And Now It's Too Late (TRR; Liam Rys x f!OC)

@cariantha

"Long Way Home" - Caanan Cox; The Long Way Home (OH; Ethan Ramsey x f!MC)

"If I Killed Your Night" - Nicklas Sahl; Untitled WIP (Miami) (OH/TNA Crossover; Ethan Ramsey x f!MC)

@sfb123

"True" - Ryan Cabrera; Hands Down, Chapter 3 True (TRR; Liam Rys x f!MC)

🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

#Spotify #mood music monday #moodmusicmonday #choices mmm #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #choices mood music monday #choices music inspo #music inspo

[jackiequick]

— A trip to New Mexico, how fun right? Well, sorta! | Marvel Phase 1 FanFic

Timeline: Set during Iron Man 2 and in between Thor

Summary: Coulson was assigned to go see what the hell was happening in New Mexico and decided he might need, more like want, some assistance and who better to keep watch of the town than a blast from the past SHIELD agent?

Pairing: Coulson & Underwood, Darcy Lewis & Jason Underwood and etc.

Established uncle & nephew relationship: Tony Stark & Jason Underwood

Characters/mentioned: Clint Barton, Rei Stark, Jane Foster, Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanoff and etc.

Click here if you like to read the previous fic

—//—

The day was young and the sun was still shining among the city across Miami into the Stark Mansion. Pepper was off at Stark Industries with Natalie Rushman, who’s real name is Natasha Romanoff, meanwhile Jason took care of the business around the household. It’s been rather hectic lately so someone at least needed to make sure no one starved and everything was well taken care of.

He thanked god his grandnephew, Rei Stark, beautiful mother was taking care of the boy this week. Because then, they would have another mystery on their hands with how curious that child can secretly be.

He was answering a few questions about a financial calls in the living room and flipping across channels on the TV that involves news about the latest Stark Expo, stuff involving Dr. Bruce Banner, The Feltons daily news and information about The Strange Family son, Leonard Strange.

As well as a small crisis forming in New Mexico appeared on various news channels. He rolled his eyes knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably getting word of it already and coming to—

Suddenly the floor started rumbling loudly underneath his feet and the other things started shaking. He quickly turned over to catch a lamp that almost tipped over and crashed.

His eyes widen and shouted into the phone, “I’ll have to call you back, Laura!”

He swiftly made his way down the stairs to see the basement turned open floor lab was being destroyed. And in the middle of it stood his only nephew holding back a jackhammer as AC/DC blasted into the headphones he was wearing. So he wasn’t actually listening or notice him standing there.

“HEY! BOB THE BUILDER CUT IT OUT!” Jason shouted stumbling through the rubble, deeply crackled opened walls and dirty floors that surrounded them.

If his eyes couldn’t widen even more, his eyes darted down to the 1970 model of Stark Expo he helped design decades ago laying on the ground. The model that both Stark siblings, were discussing on becoming something evolutionary different for the world. He wasn’t as smart as them to understand everything they studied and created but he understood it was far too important to not model the idea.

He reached forward lace his fingers crossed the model and questioned, “Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?” Repiled the A.I.

“What is this? I mean, what is he building?”

“It’s to be believed Mr. Stark has discovered a New Element and is determined to use it to power his suit for a greater timeframe.”

“A new element? Damn. Alright, turn the music off.”

JARVIS did what was told as he unwired Tony’s music as the brunette genius shouted confused and insulted by the actions. Until his eyes fell on his uncle with a nod, “Hey.”

“Hey.” He replied removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

“You’re creating a new element, i see.”

“Yup! After 20 years, dad is still taking me to school and I’m surprised I’ve haven’t seen it sooner.”

“Because it wasn’t time for you figure it out eariler. Need help?”

“Seriously?”

“You ruined my floor.”

“That’s means your helping!”

“But your cleaning up afterwards.”

“Damn it.”

The two got to work, opening walls, expanding wires, lengthened the tunnels across the room. Tony coined it ‘hardware mood’, using his hands to create the lengthy contraction instead of his machinery. ‘Going old school’ as Jason liked to call it, pulling apart drilling into the tunnels and adding placements to the sections.

It placed looked insanely messy but you knew where everything is.

By the time, Tony was drilling in something the door to the basement opened as Agent Phil Coulson walked in saying, “I heard you broke the perimeter.”

“Uh, yeah that was 3 years ago, where you’ve been?” Tony replied, walking over to the tunnels and vents they built. 

“Doing some stuff.”

“Yeah well, me too and it worked.”

Both men chatted, as Tony wondered around the room grabbing items as Coulson picked up a half built Shield that could’ve belong to Captain America. That was when Jason stepped into the picture returning with another box of tools, cables and basic hardware.

The blonde smirked snatching up the item, showing it to Tony who’s face light up, having Coulson help them put the Shield underneath the tunnels to level it. Perfectly leveled.

“I’m busy, what you want?” Tony said, receiving a light slap on the arm from Jason due to the attitude he gave Coulson, “Ow!”

Coulson held back a small chuckled, “Goodbye. I’ve been reassigned, director Fury wants me in New Mexico.”

“Fantastic. Land of enchantment.”

“Or so I’m told.”

Jason spoke up, “The small crisis in New Mexico, involving the decency sized craters with a hammer smacked in the middle of it?”

“Good, your informed.” Coulson added with a half smile.

“I saw the news.”

“I would like you to come, Stark seems to be handling things here perfectly well.”

“Yeahhh. Nope! I’m retired.”

“Never too late to jump back in the game.”

“And I’m busy.”

Tony gave his uncle a look to go do it and get out of the house, that he can handle everything from here. He weighted his options, not wanting to leave his house unsupervised and tired of going deep into SHIELD missions, he rather likes retirement.

“I don’t know, man. Again, I’ve been retired for more than 15 freaking years.” Jason exclaimed.

Coulson thought for a moment, he really wanted to have company for a couple of days and said, “You only need to scout the town and see what’s happening.”

“Undercover work?”

“Yes. Only for 4 days, i promise than you can come back.”

“2 days. I’m only doing simple work, let me remind you that i rather not mess with the others there.”

“Fine by me. Waiting for you in the car.”

Tony giggled at the speechless face his uncle made. It was priceless! He told him to go ahead with Coulson for a few short days, he promised he won’t reck the house, hopefully. Plus he knew the man had a suitcase still packed from their trip to France upstairs.

He sent a playful glare to his nephew, grabbing his things and met Phil outside.

The man drove them to New Mexico, taking stops to stretch their legs and eat on the way there. Both men chatted to keep the time at ease, having respect for one another and actually enjoying the company. Phil Coulson wasn’t a half bad, but that doesn’t mean he won’t heist to tease him.

“So, how’s the thing with May going?” Jason let out ever so causal, sipping a bottle of water.

Phil blinked hearing him and awkwardly blushed, “I—i-how did you know that?”

“I heard of the story that you were on a undercover mission with her and a few interactions were made.”

“It was completely professional.”

“Oh, so taking 2 minutes to unhook her bra was professional?”

“There were cameras! I was trying to sell that we were together.”

Jason snickered, “Oh yeah according to her, you sold it.”

“That was an act for the camera!” Coulson added trying to defend himself, “So you and May talk, huh?”

“Quite a bit. Her emails about you are hilarious.”

“Remind me to call her later. And i will have you know, I was being a gentleman.”

“Oh yeah, of course Phil. You were committed.”

“I think i did alright. You think i was committed?”

“Your one of a kind, Coulson. Don’t ever change.”

The rest of the ride meant a few jokes here and there, stopping for snack break and bringing up movies along with latest shows on TV. There were a few mishaps and things that needed to be taken care of during their stops.

They arrived soon enough to New Mexico, as an SHIELD base was already being formed around the outsets of the town nearby the crater that held the hammer. The moment they exist the car, Jason slid down darting to examine the hammer in awe. Plenty of people tried surrounding and lifting the metallic gray block from the ground but it didn’t seem to budge at all. 

“Wow..” muttered Jason, giving a once over to Phil who snapped pictures.

The carvings were immaculate, the lining was framed perfectly, the engraved symbols were placed in a fitting manner. The hammer looked one of a kind. Magical. Ungodly amount of time and effort was made into making it. Jason must admit he gave credit to the people who shaped such a glorified item.

Hell, the man stepped over looping the brown handled into his grip trying to lift it himself. He grunted and huffed, taking a couple of breaths trying his mightiest to lift the god damn hammer. But nothing! It didn’t even bother to slightly budge for him. He sighed, releasing the grip of the handle and stomped up to the previous stop he want in.

“Anything?” Coulson asked, humoring his attempt to lift the hammer.

“Nope.” He replied, huffing and massaging his grip, “That thing is stuck!”

“Yikes. Here’s the deal, your gonna get a change on clothes then scout the town.”

“How about you? Gonna try and lift it yourself?”

“Haha! No, I’m handling a few pressing matters and help set up the base of operations.” 

Jason nodded walking back to the car, he seemed out of breath from trying to lift the god damn hammer. It was super glued to the ground, not even trucks and machines with horsepower could even remove it from the ground.

He found himself a nicely fresh change of causal clothes. Being a brown jacket with a olive green t-shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of his favorite classic sneaker. Along with a pair of simple sunglasses that were gifted by Pepper last Christmas. He carried his old school SHIELD ID, walkie-talkie and a handheld gun in his pocket. Just in case.

The man wondered around town, taking notice of the simplicity of it all. The houses, buildings, stores that held the items needed to built a good foundation, a general grocery store, a diner that held the delicious smell of pies, a bar and plenty of other places to visit. It made him smile. He liked it a lot, especially since the afternoon sun shinned just right above the cloud, giving the waves a cozy breath of fresh air.

He enjoyed it.

He walked around, entertaining himself at a coffee shop nearby the gas station. He was waiting in line, reading the signs on the wall and giving small nods to older folk or pregnant women who walked past him, letting them go in front of him. He wasn’t in a hurry to get out or anything, his job was the scout the town and see what type of people they’re dealing with.

And so far? Everyone seemed to be general folk living their day to day lives, working 9-5 meanwhile the teenagers and children were out at school or something.

Everything was going good until he was accidentally bumped into by someone.

He didn’t see the person, only what dropped on the floor next to his feet. A older brunette doll, that was wearing a purple dress, a white lab coat, strapless heels and a ponytail. Alongside a pair of sunglasses on the doll. Looked more like an cool action figure than a doll, designed by wonderfully crafty people.

Little did he know that the young girl who this doll belonged to would be important to him later on. As well as the mother.

He chuckled as his eyes darted up to the person, “Hey sweetheart, I believe this is yours?”

The young girl turned around, her red skirt bouncing in the wind from the movement she was making and fixing her crafty jacket a bit, pushing up her bangs to face the man. Her big brown eyes were covered by square frames. Along with adorable dimples.

“Ohh? Oh! I’m sorry mister..” She repiled shyly with a smile, and gently taking the doll from him.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t want to lose her, she’s smart.” He replied with a smile.

“Yeah my doll is a scientist! She’s love coffee, dresses in purple and uh, stuff.

“Hahaha. That’s amazing, um sweetie?

“Hmm?”

“Sorry to ask, but um where’s your mama?”

“Uh, she’s getting extra coffee from her and a few friends.”

“And she left you alone?”

“I’m not that’s little, you know. I’m 15–16!…ish, very soon.”

“Child. You’re still a child.”

“I’m almost 16, sir.! Sorry for shouting.”

“Don’t be, it’s alright.”

He was just about to ask her name when..

“Mew Mew!”

Came a voice, sounding it belonged a women. She ran up to them, holding a box of donuts and a two cups of coffee. The women seemed to a short brunette with long curls, a beanie that bounced with her every step and glasses. She was pretty! Her features matched the young girl perfectly, it made him smile knowing that her mother returned quickly.

“Mew Mew, i told you to stay put, sweetie.” Said the mother with a smile pushing up her glasses, sounding sweetly protective of the girl.

“I’m sorry, i had to throw out my trash mom.” Apologized the young girl.

“At least tell me where you’re going next time. This place is sorta crowded. You almost gave me a huge fright!”

“I’m sorry. I will tell you next time. But I’m okay! I promise!”

The brunette noticed the man and said, “I’m so sorry about her! She just ran off and i had no idea what happened..i hope she wasn’t too much trouble or anything.”

That was when Jason spoke up with a politic tone replying, “Oh no! It’s completely alright, you know how kid—I mean, teens are. Just be lucky, it was me who found her and not some other guy.”

“You have kids? I mean no offense, your like a young and tall bachelor.”

He chuckled, “That i know of, I have one. He’s at home with family.”

“You’re new around here, huh?” She questioned with a smile.

“It’s obvious isn’t it?”

“YUP! I mean the jacket means your suitable and out of town, no offense.”

“None taken. I’m just here for two days, I needed some rest from a long trip.”

She smiled, “Well you pick a odd place to stop. Oh well, welcome to New Mexico. I’m Darcy and you already met Mew Mew.”

“Melissa!” Cut in the young girl, with a grin.

Jason nodded with a small laugh and decided to use a nickname of his, “Nice to meet both of you. I’m JJ.”

“JJ, huh?” Darcy challenge with a smile, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll find out my real name later, if your lucky.”

“Well i like it! It’s cute. Oh I’m sorry again for taking up your time.”

“It’s okay, doll. No one was breaking any bylaws or anything. You seem like your in a hurry as well?”

“Oh yes! Meeting up a fews friends of mine for breakfast and stuff. Oh shit, we’re running late. Thanks again, JJ!”

“No problem! Be careful and stay safe out there.”

The women walked away with a smile, glancing back at him thinking about something as her daughter waved at the man. He chuckled, waving goodbye to the pair noticing he was finally next in line and made a quiet order. He thanked the sweet barista with a charming smile, who giggled softly at his politeness, as he made his way around town. 

His thought went back to the women he met earlier, Darcy, and her grinning daughter. They seemed like kind folk, but a part of him felt like he seen something in Darcy’s face before. Like he met a version of her in the past. Maybe her mother or an older sister? He didn’t know what it was, but he felt calm and a bit like himself around her aura.

He smiled.

Moments like that made him feel good. He has seen and met plenty of faces beforehand in his life. People on missions, dates he was dragged into going on, parties he danced at, walks in the park and just faces that made him feel a sense of déjà vu. A charming old feeling, per say.

As he scout the town, he scanned the area and the people, when suddenly he heard it. A loud banging tune. A righteous voice that could sent a smile to any man or women who met them. His face whipped around to hiding across the corner of a store, noticing the group.

A short light haired brunette with a beauty mark, an older man dressed in a patterned shirt and a tall blonde wearing a brownish jacket. And next to them stood Darcy, along with her daughter. But his eyes bounced back to the voice.

The mannerisms of the blonde haired man held such strong attitude towards the others around him. Tall and muscular like he was meant to do business with someone. The voice was righteously kind and oddly enough to seem like he lost his footing. His young facial features made him look like he was sculpture by…

A god.

Jason smirked. Pulling out his phone, he called Coulson, simply saying, “I think I found your sources, Phil…”

——

He returned back to the base of operations.

It was jarring scurrying up the step, having not been in a SHIELD makeshift office for more or less 15 years. Practically 20 years! A heat wave hit him. The man would’ve shivered at the thoughts and memories that had the option to wash over him.

He snapped back towards Coulson watching the man work, watching scanners and scouts shouting loudly across the room. He even noticed a blonde man dressed in black in the corner, tightening his arrowheads giving him a small nod, acknowledging him.

“Phil. We have your guy.” Jason spoke with a clear voice, catching the people in the room’s attention.

He explains to Coulson to try getting into contact with a Dr. Jane Foster and her little group of misfits, collecting as much information they can. Coulson was impressed by hearing this, already on the same page before he showed up finding information about Dr. Foster, calling orders to everyone who was in the area.

Jason nodded, about to walk out when somebody tossed a gun at him. He caught it and examined the weapon. A position for a sharp shooter.

“Hey—wait, no! Coulson, we had a deal. I ain’t doing this. I did the light work you asked for.” Yelled out the blonde following the agent across the halls.

“Yeah well, I had other plans. I figured you’ll like to get a front row seat on the action, high up.” Coulson said, with a small smile, “If he shows up.”

“Whatever you plan on doing, you better keep an eye on them and make sure no harm comes to them. Their group had a child with them.”

“Relax Wood—”

“Underwood.”

“Sorry, Underwood. I won’t harm anyone, we just need to speak to that one guy. I promise we’ll try to play it safe, but we don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

“You’re window with me will be closing very soon, Coulson. So make it quick, then I’m out.”

“Crystal clear, Underwood. But I do have a question, why did you come?”

He blinked and just shrugged, he really didn’t know the true answer to that question. He thought about it, trying to word it in his mind the best he can, leaving out a few details for himself.

“Because my nephew wanted me out of the house..and I-I had no other choice but to make sure SHIELD that knows what they’re doing…I’ve seen the records and it’s utter chaos.” He answered softly.

Coulson nodded and pressed, “We’re trying to fix it as we go along, I promise. Why did you retire? You know either way, it won’t last. You will always have a part of you that wants to come back to this..I mean look at your life now.”

Jason didn’t answer him this time, just walked away with a grip on the rifle. He knew the plenty of reasons why he retired and honestly he enjoyed retirement, hoping to get this job done. But it won’t say most of it out loud himself.

———

This time, we was perched on a high level outside with the archer he saw earlier. Clint Barton.

The man wasn’t half bad. Snarky, has a murder stare he can appreciate, very knowledgeable about stuff and honestly a pretty chill guy. Along with a bit grumpy due to the rain.

In the New Mexico, it was raining again. The last two days have on and off again rain with sun and wind. Mother Nature didn’t seem too happy. Some agents didn’t mind it meanwhile the others were annoyed by it.

He doesn’t mind the rain too much.

“So, you’re the guy Nat was telling me about?” Clint said after a few minutes of silence between them.

Jason was hunched over readjusting his gun, and looked over his shoulder heading him, “What?”

“Natasha. She told me about you.”

“Uh, Clint, I don’t know a Natasha, buddy.”

He chuckled, “Ohhhh! You don’t know? Your women from legal, Natalie Rushman, is actually an agent of ours..”

“The fuck?” Jason let out, taking a moment to connect the dots and groaned, “God damn it! Pepper hired her, and didn’t even notice the clues.”

“Ah, well, she’s good at her job! Could fool anyone. She’s a widow for gods sakes!”

‘So was my big sister..’ He thought to himself, before adding, “Yeah, she fooled me. Uh, what did she say about me?”

“That you’re agile, smart, kind.” Clint snorted, “And bit of a grump. No offense! She likes to tell me about her missions and the people she meets, but she doesn’t know much about you..”

“And I like to keep it that way. For your knowledge and hers, I’m uh, just a family friend of Stark’s.”

“A very close one it seems. You didn’t seem like you wanted to leave the house.”

“Yeah well, someone needs to keep an eye on them. Enough about me, Clint, what about you?”

“Simple man like you, i guess. I remember wanting to work with SHIELD for a long time and I’ve been working 9-5 for some time now, trying to perfect my craft.  Oh, I have a beautiful fiancé not a lot of people know that.”

Anyone can see the soft grin on Clint’s face mentioning the last part. He seemed very proud of it, as if he was planning on starting a family with whoever this fiancé was. In result, it had Jason smiling.

“Treat her right, Barton.” Jason told him with a smile.

“I try.” Clint replied, “You got anyone?”

“Uh..um, it’s complicated.”

“How complicated?”

“I take girls out on dates but it never last.”

“Hmm! You need to try finding a girl outside of your usual spots.”

They waited. Wait long hours of the day, Clint on his leveled perched up with his bow and arrow. Jason on the other side, underneath an umbrella, his gun in hand, eyes narrow. It was dark, rainy, quiet, you couldn’t hear much. Only the ruffle of trees, wet sand being slouch around and machines working.

Until they heard it. The grunts, groans, yells and pure shouting that started picking up pace. The running from starts perked Jason and Clint up in positions.

Then the pair saw it, the situation of a tall, blonde man with full on muscles over his body. His wet hair and pissed off look that made him look like Zeus. Clint got a clean shot at him and Jason narrowed, his gun able to get a closer look.

“Damn he’s uh, good looking..” Jason muttered, couldn’t lie and thanked god his old friends weren’t here to make heart eye at him.

“Yeah he is..” Clint muttered back then started asking Coulson to fire, who ordered him to wait.

The tall blonde man raised growled and roared like a large monster of rage, his hands gripping onto the handle of the hammer. He smirked as he pulled and grunted waiting for a result, but nothing came. Just like when Jason pulled it earlier. No result.

However, this man looked upset, screaming and his knees fell to the ground. He looked defeated. Like dialing back on doing a simple task, like he meant to lift it. Jason blinked, trying to think onto what this god was trying to achieve!

‘God of what?’ He asked himself, watching the man to see if he would do anything else. A part of him might’ve been empathetic toward him, if he wasn’t standing the freaking rain roaring in defeat and annoyance.

He snapped out of this thoughts when Coulson called it. Jason ran down with other agents cuffing Thor wrists together. Clint lowers his bow and arrow. They brought him into a room to be interrogated by Phil Coulson, the blonde man stayed quiet the whole time…

—————

Coulson paced back and forth, he just wanted a name. He bite his nails. Proof that this man has something to hide for he can report back to Fury. Phil kept glancing at the monitors, watching this man’s movements. It wasn’t moving, just looking defeated.

Clint was doing research measures for this case, Jason watched the scanners. His eyes stayed on the blonde, wishing he heard his name earlier when he was scouting the town, but he didn’t. Darcy nor Jane Foster said his name. Jason narrowed in on the tall blonde recognizing something, trying to connect the dots.

He seems to be a strong man. Maybe we he brought to Earth due to a punishment? Did he screw up with somebody? Who made him this way? So many questions were running across his head, watching the clock.

Again, he recognized the look, the same one his nephew shared two years ago before announcing himself as Iron Man.

He’s in need of finding himself, grounding himself in humanity.

Coulson locked eyes with Jason, knowing his time was almost up. Less than 12 hours and he’ll be gone back to Miami. 

“You talk to him.” Phil remarked.

“What? No.” Jason rejected the request.

“We just need his name. He said he’s a god compared to the men here.”

“Every man thinks he’s a god. I’ve been near it, he’s just bluffing.”

“Exactly why you should go! Please, i just need it and we can focus our research with the equipment we stole from Foster.”

“You stole from Dr. Foster. Not me.”

Jason grumbled underneath his breath, reminding himself he’ll be gone soon. He walked away, removing his jacket and took a long sigh, sucking his teeth before entering the room.

~~~~

He entered the clear room, holding a glass of water for the man and a snack. A bag of chips he stole from the vending machines.

He sat down in the chair across from him, handing him the items.

“What’s this?” Asked the blonde, holding the glass of water and small bag.

“Water. I can promise you it’s not drugged or anything. You need it after taking out those men.” Jason explained, with a kindness in his tone.

“Why? Are you with them? Theses men. Son of Col and his soldiers.”

“Not exactly, your highness. I was just sent to scout the town and keep an eye on the people, especially after the ruckus at the moment.”

“You mean to cause me and theses humans harm then…?”

“No. I didn’t, that was Coulson’s doing. I didn’t know his intentions until now. He know he’s on a time crunch with me and he just ask one thing of you.”

“And what is that?”

Thor stayed silent, looking down after asking that question. He leaned against his chair, inching forward to drink the water and bag of the chips he was given. He was hungry and very much appreciated the small offering. He watched the man, sitting in front of him. He held such kindness, honesty and plenty of gruff to himself. As if he had a lot of trouble in his mind.

“Who are you?” Thor asked him, sipping his glass.

“Why would you like to know? He asked, rather intrigued by his eyes.

“You offered to show me a far cry of kindness.”

“Because, if you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people…”

Thor was honestly taking back by his words. Those were powerful enough just to be written in stone. He wondered if this man was playing a role or actually meant every word in that sentence. As if he lived plenty of lives, such as himself. A part of him choose to highly respect it.

“What’s your game, mortal?” He asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“No, no game your highness. You have your secrets and so do i. And i can tell you don’t want to be here.” Jason told him honestly, “I’ll just like to know your name. Please?”

“..I’m Thor. Son Of Odin.”

“Your a god..?”

“Yes. What do you mean by the question?”

“A man of your status must’ve been sent here for a reason, my lord.”

“I was casted out of my home for being a ruckus and disobeying my orders…but i can assure you, I didn’t mean to cause you harm..”

“I can tell. Thor, i don’t know how long you’ve been here on Earth but what I’m about to say might ease your thoughts.”

“Hm?”

“You were sent here to learn a lesson. I can only imagine what it might be, however that’s for you figure out.”

“A lesson?”

“There’s always trials and errors to overcome. And I believe you might have to learn something from being among us humans..”

The god of thunder stayed silent simply nodded, listening to him as his mind ran with billions of thoughts. Jason stood up from his chair thanking him for that small information and he’ll request for Thor to be released soon enough.

He was about to leave the room when the god of thunder stop him.

“What’s your name?” He asked, his blue eyes pooling and twirling in curiosity.

He looked over his shoulder with a simple half smile, “Jason Underwood, your majesty.”

With that last comment he left, telling Clint what he found from his conversation with the blonde. It wasn’t much, he wasn’t going to tell Barton about what exactly happened in that room. Keeping that information private until further notice. He only said that his name was ‘Thor’ and that he’s a god.

Clint nodded taking note of what was said to tell Coulson later. Jason nodded, snatching up his keys. His work here was done. He hoped.

He took the first chance he got, returning back to his motel to pack his things and head back home.

The man was driving to Miami turning back the radio, when he received a call from James Rhodes. Rhodey was telling him what recently happened with Tony, the fight with Pepper, the issue with his suits and whatnot. Along with the fact that Tony decided to take off in his suit and sat on a giant freaking donut. It was a rather long list.

“He did what?!”

Was all Jason yelled out the phone, as he reached a red light.

As if he week couldn’t get any weirder…

—//—

Thanks for reading this story! Also is this my soft reboot of a cooler sweeter MCU? Yes. Yes it is.

Did you catch the two pop culture references? ;)

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