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blackgirlsrxck · 11 months

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Guys My Age

Lewis Hamilton x Black!Fem NASCAR Reader

Summary: What happens if the reader decides to go to her first Grand Prix? Who will she meet? What will happen?

Note: Let's face it. Lewis looks AMAZING for almost being 40. He doesn't look a day over 27. Anyways, hope you enjoy let me know what you think in the comments. :)

Word Count: 1.5k

I've always been passionate about racing. It's been my dream since I was a little girl to become one of the best drivers of my generation. I've faced numerous challenges and obstacles along the way, but I never let them deter me from pursuing my goals.

While NASCAR has been my main focus, I've always been a huge fan of Formula 1 as well. The sport’s glamour, speed, and international appeal fascinated me. One race that stood out in my mind was the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. The glitz and glamour associated with the event seemed like a dream, and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to witness it firsthand. So, when I received an invitation to attend the Monaco Grand Prix as a guest, I couldn't believe my luck. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I eagerly packed my bags and headed to the beautiful principality.

As I arrived at the track, the excitement in the air was palpable. The sound of engines revving and the smell of burning rubber filled the atmosphere. I watched in awe as the sleek F1 cars zoomed past me, each one a marvel of engineering and speed.

Little did I know that fate had something extraordinary in store for me. As I made my way through the paddock, I caught the attention of a few drivers. There stood Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Daniel Riccardo. They made their way towards me. “No way am I meeting you, Y/n Y/L/N one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in this generation.” Spoke Daniel. He recognized me as one of the best drivers of my generation. I didn’t know what to say. This was so surreal to have these F1 superstars fangirling over me, a young NASCAR driver.

We quickly struck up a conversation, bonding over our shared love for racing. They invited me to join them for dinner later that evening, an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Eager to meet more of the F1 drivers and learn about their experiences, I accepted their invitation. If someone would have told me that I would be talking to some of the best drivers on the paddock and it would result in me being invited to dinner with them, I would have laughed square in their faces. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I just hope they don’t pick the most expensive restaurant. Hey, I might be a race car driver, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to spend $100 on a burger that I could get for $7 at Burger King.

The race went on as usual. A few of the drivers had to DNF due to car problems. Max Verstappen ended up winning which wasn’t a shocker to anyone. Fernando Alonso P2, and a Esteban Ocon P3. I decided to make my way to my hotel to get ready for the dinner.

The dinner took place at a luxurious restaurant overlooking the stunning Monaco harbor. By the looks of it, I would probably be paying $100 for a burger. As I walked in, I couldn't help but feel a wave of nervousness wash over me. All the top drivers of the 2023 F1 season were present, including the legendary Lewis Hamilton, a man who had broken numerous records and established himself as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. Not knowing what to do with myself, I just stood there awkwardly. Daniel finally noticed me and made his way over.

“Y/n, I’m so glad you could make it, we saved you a seat next to Lewis,” I nodded my head and made my way to sit down. I introduce myself to everyone. A few of the drivers started to ask me questions about my career. That was until Fernando Alonso asked me how I got into NASCAR.

“Becoming a NASCAR driver wasn't an easy journey for me. It required hard work, dedication, and a lot of determination. From a young age, I had a deep love for speed and competition, and I knew that racing was my true calling. Growing up in a small town, my exposure to motorsports was limited. However, my passion burned brightly, and I immersed myself in everything related to racing. I devoured books, watched races on TV, and even tried my hand at go-kart racing whenever I could.

As I got older, my dream of becoming a NASCAR driver became stronger. But I faced a significant hurdle – lack of representation. As a young Black woman in a predominantly white and male-dominated sport, I knew that the road ahead wouldn't be easy. However, I refused to let that deter me. I started by joining local racing clubs and participating in regional competitions. Every weekend, I would head to the local tracks, ready to prove myself on the asphalt. The adrenaline rush I felt as I sat behind the wheel, the wind rushing past me, was exhilarating.

With each race, I pushed myself to the limit, fine-tuning my driving skills and honing my instincts. I learned from my mistakes, analyzing every lap and seeking guidance from seasoned racers who were willing to share their knowledge with me. But it wasn't just about my driving skills. I realized that to make it in NASCAR, I needed to be physically and mentally strong. I hit the gym, working on my endurance and building the strength required to handle the powerful machines I would eventually drive.

As I continued to race, word started to spread about my talent and determination. It wasn't long before I caught the attention of sponsors and racing teams. The opportunity I had been waiting for finally arrived when I received an invitation to join a development program for aspiring NASCAR drivers. The program pushed me to my limits, testing every aspect of my abilities. But I thrived under the pressure, constantly improving and proving myself on the track. The hard work paid off when I secured a spot on a NASCAR team as a rookie driver.

My NASCAR journey had officially begun. I faced challenges along the way, both on and off the track. There were moments of self-doubt when the weight of the industry's expectations felt overwhelming. But I refused to let those moments define me. I pushed through, determined to break down barriers and pave the way for future generations. I knew that my success wouldn't just be a personal victory; it would be a symbol of progress and representation in a sport that desperately needed it.

As I raced in NASCAR, I became a role model for aspiring drivers who shared my background and dreams. I aimed to inspire them, to show them that they too could break down barriers and achieve greatness. Becoming a NASCAR driver wasn't just about winning races and championships. It was about proving that dreams know no bounds, and that passion and talent could overcome any obstacle. It was about changing the face of the sport and leaving a lasting legacy for others to follow.” I see the way Lewis looked at me as I finish my story. He had this sparkle in his eye that I saw only one time before. With my ex boyfriend, before he became a douchebag.

As I mingled with the drivers, I felt a connection with each of them. They were incredibly supportive and shared stories of their own racing journeys. Lewis, in particular, seemed intrigued by my background and accomplishments. His charisma and passion for the sport were captivating, and I found myself drawn to him in ways I hadn't expected.

Over the course of the evening, Lewis and I spent a lot of time talking. We discovered that we shared many interests outside of racing and had a similar outlook on life. Lewis talked about how he became vegan and how he eventually got his dog Roscoe on the diet. There wasn’t one thing uninteresting about him. Despite the 20-year age difference, our connection seemed undeniable. But as the night came to an end, doubts began to creep into my mind. Would our age difference become an obstacle in the pursuit of a romantic relationship? Would people judge us? Would the age gap eventually become a source of tension between us?

As I returned to my hotel room that night, my mind was filled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, I couldn't deny the feelings I had developed for Lewis. On the other hand, the practical side of me worried about the challenges we might face. I open the door to my room and make my way to the king sized mattress where I fell on. Closing my eyes, I slowly start to let myself drift to sleep, until my phone vibrated.

It was a Instagram notification from lewis. I clicked on it to see what said. I know you felt what I felt tonight. In the two hours we’ve known eachother, I feel like we were supposed to meet. It just makes sense. We make sense. Despite the fact that I’m old enough to be your father. If you feel the same way meet me at room 388 in 30 minutes. -lewis <3 Was this really happening? Am I hallucinating? I think I need a drink. Besides I’m in Monaco, its legal.

To be continued…

#f1 x female driver #f1 x reader #f1 x y/n #f1 x you #formula 1 #mercedes #daniel ricciardo #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x y/n #lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x you #lewis hamilton x black reader #x black reader #nascar

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shy-mama · 5 days

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The Dream

There once was a girl who grew up with a family of immigrants, the youngest out of the bunch with memories of blue and confusion. Since young shed looked up at the sky and make wishes, having complete blind fate it would happen. The young girl was beaten by life backstab after backstab, her audacious smile was gone. Turned into a edgy pre teen who was just trying to take it day by day. The dreams were still there but wrong encounters with the wrong people cut the strings of the balloons and made them float into space. Then there was nothing, nothing but love, so she clung onto the little she could conjure up, and there was so very little so she turned desperate. Drugs and visions, visions and drugs. visions inside and out. The love that she had summoned started to consume her until she couldn’t even tell who she was or what, or why. Then after several dark nights of the soul. She sat up. she remembered the wishes she made to the sky. In fact she didn’t just remember, she had always remembered, this time she FELT those wishes once again. She was going to do what she wanted to do because what the hell with it. What she desired was what will make her happy and thats all that mattered to her at that point. She wrote down a list with the cadence of a kindergartner. Become model aka prettiest girl in the world, get cute and popular boyfriend, travel. And for the first time in a long time all of these seemed possible. She just had to get the ball rolling. That day she had completely gained trust in herself. She started with the weight loss she did a juice cleanse which jumpstarted her weight loss. Then got a juicer and would mostly drink juices. Then she applied for about 10 modeling agencies and was accepted to the one she was most hoping for. She knew she would get in since this is what she had been destined to do since she was 3. Thankfully she had the right encounters with the right people and quickly moved up in the modeling world. Her skills and looks were also a testament to that. She was traveling the country and world doing photoshoots and runways and drinking hot chocolate in a cafe with Bella Hadid. First part of her list complete. She had a fashion award ceremony to attend to in Seoul, south Korea. She had been informed from her agent that she would be winning a big award. After she had received her award. Thats when she met the 2nd part of her list. Boy A, he approached her and was visibly in awe of her. The two love birds hit it off immediacy and started dating. Things were moving fast between them, they said its because they feel like they knew each other in several past lives. After a few months they had been caught on one of their outings together. The photos were posted all over and boy A’s fans were outraged, some were sad, and some were happy for him. The blogs were all talking about boy A’s mystery girl lover. She was thriving with this, reading all the jealous and shocked comments had her vibrating she had craved this. It was one of the reasons she wanted a popular and cute boyfriend anyway. Oh and for item 3 on the list that was already accomplished. Because of work she had to travel frequently, she had also gone on friend trips and lover trips as well.

So the sum of the story is just sit up, you don't have to stand up just start somewhere. Make a list of what you want and I mean truly want. If thats hard for you to find out try to pretend a genie came and gave you three wishes. Then break down those wishes and how to practically get there. honestly along as you start on wish 1 the other wishes will come rolling easily to you, why? Because the universe loves when we have desire. Because love and desire is the creators one true will. And also drill into your head that its impossible to fail. Because the universe has a billion safety nets on every side of you. And if you are like me and really hate this universe talk just remember the universe is closer then you think. Ps the universe is you!, yes when all those manifesters on YouTube are talking about trust in the universe they mean trust in yourself. I don't want to get into the whole quantum physics, astronomy, and spirituality logic of it but I had a hard time trusting the uni. Primarily because it was a source outside myself. Then I learned that universe is literally inside everyone and myself and things got some much easily to understand.I know that at the end of the day if no ones got me I got me. Ive only been alive for 22 years but I, myself, has brought me, myself, out of some much chaos and darkness. So I really have no other choice but to believe in myself and make shit happen.

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queatherine · 3 months

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td spoilers episodes 9-13 (long post; more in depth thoughts towards the end)

ep 9:

the dudes being there for priya awwwww that was so sweet !!

hey julia, is that car cool enough :)

sighhhhh mkulia

julia is that tiktok lumberjack lesbian,, i think shes canadian too

ep 10:

listen, i think we could all agree that the moment damien found that immunity idol way back when sealed his fate that he was NOT going to be a finalist,, so i wasnt surprised, just saddened

julia manipulation truly is everything i love evil women

ep 11:

MACARTHUR??!?!??!??!? truly not the cameo i expected, but i did not mind it!!

can we stop this annoying distrust arc between priya and caleb?

cant believe they killed off raj

so like,, did dinosaurs just never go extinct in the total drama universe??? is this one of the insane lore bits like 9/11 never happening (or happening some time after 2009???) 9/11 was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs

CANT BELIEVE THEY VOTED OFF RAJ NOOOOOO IM WAYNE FRRR

ep 12:

me 🤝 priya afraid of lighting + thunder

OLD MAN TENNIS YAOI????!?!?!?! PULLED THEM OUT OF THEIR GRAVES FOR THIS CAMEO WOW

can we stop this annoying distrust arc between priya and caleb? pt2

i dont ship juliayne (juliayne shippers i do not hate you please do your thing i love you), but goddamn i want more interactions between theyre sooooo silly

ep 13: listen, i think wayne winning is fine. do i love himbos? yes. was i rooting for him in the finale? yes. in the grand scheme of things, do i think he is a good finalist? no. we can all agree that hes very much an owen, and i dont mind that!! i actually think having a fan favorite, comic relief, underdog third party winning makes sense in this season, because i dont think caleb or julia winning would be a satisfying end (especially how they were handling them by the end)

caleb's story was messy, and at the end of the day (and i know that the intentions changed), he did start his alliance with priya to use her. him winning, after all of the drama, after priya was gone, wouldve just idk felt shitty. he did get the girl in the end, which concludes his story better than him winning it. (if im comparing this to the tdi 2007 final three,, i guess hes the gwen)

as for julia, she had two seasons to be villain, and it was amazing. she is so good at what she does and she is such a joy to watch. and we all know how total drama handles its villains, they need to get their comeuppance. did bowie double cross her last season? yes. and she came back still was the main villain and was AMAZING at it. but she was still the villain for another 13 episodes, AND HER GETTING PRIYA OUT LAST EPISODE, she cant win. was her just desserts satisfying? meh. nice callback to heather (we all know julia is the heather of this comparison), though i can understand people who dont like this callback and think its tiring or something. they couldve done something else, but im not mad (i kinda fuck with the mullet). i just see no satisfying way for julia to win with how she was presented in these seasons: she was not world tour heather, with three full length seasons and a greater threat to overcome; she was island heather, and therefore could not win.

overall thoughts of the season:

im someone that thinks the hockey bros jokes nearly always land, so i enjoy the shit out of them (i think im in the majority?)

im someone that did not like priyaleb at first, grew to being more neutral about it, but still found it to be a bit tiring. i like priya, i like caleb, i dont like tiring romantic subplots, and it sucks that that was the entire thing for these characters this season

the julia mk duo was AMAZING, one of the highlights of this season and one that i never wouldve expected to be real. mkulia wins in my heart and i hope they start their podcast (JULIA WAS GOIGN TO USE THE MONEY TO START THE PODCAST WITH MK HOLY SHIT GIRL IS IN LOVE)

it sucks that certain characters really got nothing this season (millie, nichelle, emma, and even axel to an extent).. but i get that characters like millie and emma already had a lot of screentime last time and someone has to be an early boot (just realize the ones i listed off were all women,, damn the writers fr just hate women)

at the end of the day, i really enjoyed this season. and i think the most important part of that enjoyment was this was the first time i got to watch a season and have no idea what was going to unfold. i watched the first four season of total drama when they were airing, but i was a little kid with poor comprehension skills. the first three seasons aired before i knew how to read (i learned to read late). and with tdpi, rr, and tdi 2023, i watched them after the fact and knew who the winners were going in. this was the first season i watched were i truly did not know the winner, and that added to my enjoyment. not to mention this being the one and only time i was present in an online space to talk about show as the episodes dropped. this season was a bit messy here and there, but it delivered some great stuff. i found myself laughing out loud and just having a good time, which is all i need out of my silly little cartoon

#total drama #td spoilers #total drama spoilers #total drama 2023 #someone gave me a microphone

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the-yuri-librarian · 4 months

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Bloom into You Analysis: Chapter 2

As many people know, chapter one of Bloom into You ends with Nanami confessing that she is falling in love with Yuu. This is obviously a shock to Yuu, who had the misconception that Nanami was like her -- unable to feel love. Through the use of symbolism and foreshadowing, chapter two pushes this moment from a simple proclamation of love to a situation neither of the main characters, and a few of the side characters, can ignore.

Here's my favorite panel from this chapter (it was an easy pick), followed by the analysis below the cut:

Chapter two starts quietly, with Yuu sitting in the tub wondering what the heck just happened:

This is, for her, a totally natural thing to do given the circumstances of the day. As she reflects on her conversation with Nanami, the audience sees of flashback that shows how the conversation ended: with Nanami realizing that she had done something weird and backtracking it. At first, this seems like an odd choice from a narrative perspective. At the end of the last chapter, the audience sees the inciting incident; Nanami confessing her love to Yuu. Then, at the beginning of this chapter, the narrative seems to be walking that inciting incident back, returning the story to the status quo (somewhat) from before the confession. This is not entirely the case. But, to understand what the narrative is doing, we first have to take a step back and give it a moment to establish what this new pseudo-normal looks like.

So, the next day (or maybe a couple days later, the manga is not really clear on the timeline), Yuu and the rest of the student council meet at the student council room to celebrate a successful year, and the upcoming departure of their president and the current officers of the student council. Then, through dialogue, the soon-to-be former president asks Nanami if she is planning to run for student council president, proclaiming that she will win by a landslide. Nanami confirms that she is running. Then, another member of the student council asks Sayaka if she is running, a question she answers with a resounding no, before saying, "Like always... I'm just happy to stay by [Nanami's] side and support her" (v.1, ch.2, pg 8; emphasis original). Long term yuri fans will immediately flag this comment as suspicious for reasons we will get into a moment. While all this is going down, Nanami has pulled Yuu aside to ask her to be her campaign manager, leading to this moment:

This page is incredibly interesting because it is foreshadowing on several different levels. It is setting up the first major arc of the story, which the next few chapters will on. It is also creating a pretense for Nanami to spend time with Yuu, signaling to the audience that their relationship is likely going to develop. And notice who beside the two leads is on this page: Sayaka. Look at the disappointment on her face. It is incredibly clear that Sayaka expected that she would be Nanami's campaign manager over anyone else. And now, this freshman who Nanami has only known for a few days is getting the job? This is goes beyond foreshadowing, because there is a bit of a twist involved. From the outside, it appears that Sayaka is getting jealous because she is getting ousted as Nanami's best friend. In fact, they even have a brief argument about this later:

But, Sayaka herself, as well as people who have already read the manga, knows the truth. She is in love with Nanami and is afraid Nanami is falling in love with Yuu. It has been long established, in Sayaka's mind, that Nanami cannot fall in love and she therefore has no chance to be with her. So, she has accepted her fate, and has decided to be as close to her as friends as she can, and that will be enough. But now, she is reading between the lines and is starting to worry that Nanami has fallen in love, but with someone else. In the scene prior to this one, Yuu is contemplating why Nanami would pick her over Sayaka, and she comes to a similar conclusion. Regardless, Sayaka acquiesces, telling Nanami that she better not lose and asking Yuu to take care of Nanami. And, with that, Yuu and Nanami walk home together, presumably to strategize, which leads us to the conclusion of this arc.

As the leads girls walk away from the school Yuu gets the courage to ask Nanami about the awkward moment from the other day, leading to my favorite panel, and two incredibly significant pages of the story:

And this moment is why the narrative seems to backtrack away from the confession at the beginning of the chapter, and it is full of symbolism. But, to fully explain the significance of this moment, we have to look at what happens right before the kiss, starting below:

As Yuu and Nanami are walking, they approach some train tracks, which they cross. But, right after they cross, the bars of the train crossing drop. Here:

And here:

Now, this story does not fit the archetype of the hero's journey, but I am going to borrow some terminology from that literary device. In this moment, Yuu and Nanami are crossing a symbolic threshold. Think of the train tracks as a door. Yuu and Nanami are walking through that door, and the train track barriers dropping for an oncoming train signifies that the door is about to close. In the moments that the train arrives, Nanami turns, and as it passes she kisses Yuu, before confessing love to her again.

This moment has a weight to it that Nanami's first confession did not have. Before, they were both standing in one world, where Nanami's confession could disappear and they could both pretend it never happened. Now, they have stepped through a door into another world, one where Nanami's feelings are tangible in a way they weren't before. And, the door to their prior world has shut. There is no going back. From here, the story starts in earnest, and we are left in a very different place than we were in the first chapter. Now, instead of Yuu figuring this out alone, Yuu and Nanami are standing in the aftermath of what happened, together, as they wonder what they should do.

See you on Friday, January 10th, for Chapter 3! ^-^

Here's the bonus image for this chapter, which is about the pre-written speech Sayaka gave Yuu to read:

#spoilers #i guess #bloom into you #yuri #yuri posting #girls love #analysis #manga #I really like the panels where the girls get all in each other's personal space I guess

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russellius · 10 months

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“I feel ready to be world champion,” says George Russell, IWC ambassador, Mercedes driver, and mental health campaigner. “You’ve just got to keep persevering. And sometimes, when you least expect it, that’s when it happens…”

No photoshoot in the history of mankind has ever finished on time. But George Russell’s wrapped up precisely 37 seconds earlier than it needed to. We had two hours with the Mercedes driver in which to do the following: dress him in three rather lovely outfits, get a series of portraits on the streets of Mayfair, shoot a behind-the-scenes video, conduct an in-person interview, travel to Cafe Royal on Piccadilly to host a dinner with IWC Schaffhausen, and conduct a lively panel discussion for 60 devoted Formula One fans. Is there a land speed record for cover shoots? To watch George and his team at work — a multi-part, smoothly-cogged machine of slick synchronicity — is to reach constantly for metaphors: they are like a jaw-droppingly efficient pit crew, perhaps; or the silent, infinitesimally-precise inner-workings of some fine, lovely automatic watch. I’m told that if a falcon watched television, it would assume it was sitting in front of an achingly slow slideshow, such is the processing speed of the bird’s eyes and mind. Before you even get to the on-track heroics — the sheer physical and mental ridiculousness of driving the fastest cars in the world competitively for a living — you sense that George is a falcon on the sofa; eyes profound and heartbeat slow.

It is appropriate that we have been brought together by a watch partner, I say, as we sit across from each other in a quiet room above the IWC flagship on Bond Street. IWC and Mercedes have enjoyed one of the longest heritage partnerships in Formula One, and George says he has been an ardent fan of the ancient, modern marque even before he joined the team in 2022. I comment on how disciplined and millimetric and precise the afternoon has been. Does he think a lot about time? “I’m now recognising how important my own time is, not only on a professional level — racing in an F1 car, where it’s all about the time — but also appreciating how much I value my own time,” he says. “So everything has been planned to the millisecond, which is how I like it.”

It has certainly taken a long time to move this fast. George — 25 years, 4 months, and 22 days old at the time of writing — left school at the age of 14 to pursue his career behind the wheel. All drivers start incredibly young (George was winning karting competitions at seven.) But this must have felt like a bold move in an industry that is precarious at best, brutally competitive throughout, and characterised by sliding-doors moments, quirks of fate, milliseconds that are worth entire careers. Did it feel bold and risky at the time?

“Now I look back at the responsibility it took for [my parents] to make such a bold decision, it couldn’t have been easy,” he says. “I think there are things in school I have missed out on, but there’s also a hell of a lot I’ve learned in life that school couldn’t have taught me. From the ages of 14 to 18, when I was travelling the world racing, I was working with engineers who were thirty or forty years older, and going to dinner with my mechanics who were in their late twenties. That matures you a lot to the world. I feel like I grew up a lot quicker,” he says.

“It also meant I stayed out of trouble. I had people who I grew up at school with who got into a lot of mischief, as a lot of teenagers do, going out partying and drinking. I missed out on that side of social life. Whether that’s a positive or a negative, who knows. But I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.” Either way, at this precise moment, the gamble looks to have paid off. All careers look smoother in hindsight, and George is refreshingly open about the mistakes, stumbling blocks and setbacks that have punctuated the last decade. But the general trend — the Wikipedia trajectory — has been upwards, upwards, upwards: a whistle-stop climb through karting, Renault Formula 2.0, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula, GP3, Formula 2, and then, finally, the big one.

Again, timing is everything. In 2014, having won the Formula 4 title, a 16-year-old George sent an email to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, humbly asking for a meeting and potential future shot at one of those 20 coveted seats. “I didn’t plan it this way, but I sent that email two days after the championship had finished,” says George. “Timing’s exceptionally important. There was a lot of success and happiness [at that moment]; a relaxed environment. Perhaps if I had sent that email three days earlier, it would have just got caught up in that craziness of the race weekend. And perhaps I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

Does he think those soft skills — the ways of communicating, his clear thoughtfulness, being polite and kind — are useful, in some unsung way, to a driver’s success on the track? “First impressions are very important,” he says. “Maybe if [his first message to Toto] had come across in an arrogant way, I wouldn’t have gotten a reply to that email.” He says the main things he has learned from Wolff and from Lewis Hamilton, his race partner at Mercedes, are all around “being a grounded and humble person,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the greatest of all time, or you’ve never had any success — you need to be a grounded person, be humble, treat everyone with respect. They’re things that will take you far in life.”

But still, he tells me, “there’s a clear distinction between being a nice guy, a polite guy — but also being a ruthless athlete. It’s about having that respect, charisma and humbleness in certain scenarios — but also about having that that fire when the helmet is on. That’s a very important distinction.”

That fire fueled a successful debut year in a Mercedes car for George. In April 2022, at the Australian Grand Prix, he achieved his first Mercedes podium. In July, in Hungary, he earned his first pole position. And then, in November, at Sao Paulo, George claimed his first Grand Prix victory, holding off Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen in an impressive performance. This year, he says, the team has had “some bad luck”, though he has been pleased with his own performance in general. We meet on the Wednesday before the British Grand Prix — always a slightly more pressurised and poignant race for homegrown talent — and there is a sense of calm confidence about the task ahead. When things can be improved, George says, it is important to work smarter, not simply harder. “I could be on the simulator five days a week, putting in even more hours on my driving,” he says. “But it wouldn’t make me faster. Having those days when I can step back and think about things with a more open vision is important. We can be so fixated in our job. Sometimes you miss the obvious.”

Are there two Georges, I ask? An on-track George and an off-track George? “When the helmet is on, you turn into this animal with one goal; extremely driven,” he says. “You have tunnel vision. You’re looking through this visor — it’s as tunnel vision as you can get. Nothing else matters.” But it is sometimes tricky, he says, when that on-track intensity is broadcast, often out of context, to an off-track setting. “It’s a bit challenging, because all the radio messages [from the cockpit to the race team] are broadcasted now,” he says. “The things you say under the highest pressures are scrutinised and broadcast to the world. And that’s a challenging place to be when you’re representing a brand like Mercedes, or IWC, or any of the other amazing brands and partners we have on our race car, and the 2000 people who work for the company. You’re representing more than just yourself — you’re representing thousands and thousands of people, and you want to make them proud on track with your performances. But it’s important not to let people down with actions you do in the heat of the moment, but may regret an hour later.”

The job of an F1 driver has always been unthinkably intense. But it feels much harder for drivers now — in the age of 360 observation, 24-hour coverage, and armchair Twitter critics — than perhaps it was even just 20 years ago, say. The helmet is a goldfish bowl as much as a shield. “Well,” George says, with Falcon-like perspective, “I think it’s a much more intense environment for every single individual on earth now. We’re all scrutinised. Everything we say on social media is being judged. Every photograph a teenager is posting on social media is being judged, idolised, criticised. It’s a brutal world, and I think the larger the profile, the harder that is. It sometimes feels like nobody can do right. You open your mouth and you will upset somebody.”

That’s why, he says, the emergence of Netflix’s gargantuan hit Drive to Survive has been so refreshing. While it has brought some added pressure in that it’s awoken a new, much wider audience for the sport, it has also allowed the season some necessary breathing room; the context and zoomed-out perspective that the live, magnifying-glass coverage of each weekend often misses.

“It’s broadcast a year later, so there isn’t that initial reaction to a crash, or a comment, or something that’s been said ten minutes after a race has finished,” George says. “Whereas when you’re dealing with the on-site, live media, people have views, reactions, emotions straight away. And that’s why you’re also reserved to speak from the heart, because someone’s going to take offence from it, and it’s going to spiral, and it’s going to cause you pain from reading.” Does he read the Twitter comments? “No.”

That scrutiny, that pressure — and the clear empathy George has for other people of his generation, the first to mature almost entirely under the blazing, distorted gaze of social media — is one of the reasons he began working with Meta on a mental health campaign last year. As the editor of a magazine largely for young-ish men, I can attest that the ‘conversation around male mental health’, as it is so often loftily dubbed, can be waffly and buzzword-y and earnest beyond usefulness — sincere without being serious; optics over actual advice. So I ask George for one clear thing he would say to young people of his age.

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” he says without pausing. “There’s a huge amount of scrutiny upon people to not make mistakes; to try and be a perfect individual. But it’s definitely okay to make mistakes, and to learn from them, and I can just speak from my own experience: my mistakes were the toughest times of my career, but they’re what has defined me as a person — not just as a professional driver, but as an individual. As much as I regret all those mistakes, and wish they didn’t happen, I sit here now and know they’re the things that have defined me.”

Earlier, I had asked George whether, if he could click his fingers now and be crowned instant world-champion, he’d take the accolade; or whether he would want to earn it, graft for it. “You don’t want an easy journey,” he says. “Those who have an easy journey with no failures will always get slipped up in the future at some point. Yes, I feel ready to be world champion. I feel like I’m performing at the highest level I’ve performed. I’m going head-to-head with the greatest driver of all time, and last year was a great season for me. On a personal level I feel like I’m doing a good job. I have faith that everybody gets their opportunity,” he says.

“And yes, I wanted to be world champion yesterday. But unfortunately life doesn’t happen that way. You’ve got to keep persevering. And sometimes when you least expect it, that’s when it happens.” George Russell is moving fast. But he is not in a hurry.

#george russell #f1 #*m #*p #q #23 #🖤🖤

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teaveetamer · 3 months

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Considering Bernedetta is still up there while Alcryst isn't the top 5 of Engage characters but Diamant is, you can infer Bernie fans and Alcryst fans aren't merging. Ironically Leo and Takumi being in the top 20 could mean you're correct and fans of Takumi and Leo intersect with Alcryst thus he's not getting as many votes because Leo and Takumi are getting them. Look as a Fates fan I really don't get the Bernie love because Fates is a bunch of anime tropes but she's fine just rubs me the wrong way, but she has a hardcore base I suppose

Leo and Takumi have always maintained a top 20 position/top 5-10ish Fates characters so I can't say conclusively if there's any sort of real vote siphon going on. If anything, Alcryst is probably siphoning their votes because people probably figure he has the best shot to win this year.

Also keep in mind, the top 5 is not divided by gender. There are three women taking up three of the spots (Ivy, Yunaka, and F!Alear) so for all we know Alcryst could be the #3 Engage male character behind M!Alear and Diamant. The top five rankings are neat but I wouldn't take them too seriously.

But yeah I'll be completely honest: everyone who was predicting Alcryst would siphon votes from Bernie clearly do not understand the demographics of FEH/the primary target demographic of Bernadetta. And I don't mean this to be demeaning, but Bernie-as-a-character is written in a way that indulges in a fantasy primarily held by straight men. She's the "broken girl who only trusts you and needs you to protect her". That's why her Byleth supports go all in on "omg I'm usually such a mess but I feel safe with basically zero effort around you professor because you're special!" Alcryst, I would guess, was not written with that demographic in mind. He definitely has his appeals to his specific demographics, but I highly doubt there's a lot of overlap between who he was designed to appeal to and who Bernie was designed to appeal to.

Even if they were a 1:1 comparison just with the gender flipped, that doesn't mean they're going to appeal to the same people. The way they're perceived is going to be affected by their genders. For example, a lot of straight men probably find Alcryst whiny or feel like he needs to "man up". If we went back in time about 10-15 years I'm sure they'd even have some choice slurs for gay men to call him. That's no doubt because in our society we view men who are shy, overly apologetic, jumpy, lacking confidence or self-esteem, etc. as weak and shameful. Whereas with women, lacking confidence and self-esteem is not only expected but often desirable. So you can wind up with two characters who are exactly the same but one will be perceived differently based on gender norms and socialization.

Something similar happened with Corrin back in the day. While both Corrins got flack, M!Corrin, particularly M!Corrin in Conquest, got hit particularly hard with criticism complaining about how he was whiny, he was weak, he was stupid, he was overdramatic, etc. while F!Corrin (who Conquest was likely natively written around) slid under the radar more.

Honestly you could do a whole essay on Conquest v. Birthright, the way they were written/localized with a particular Corrin in mind, and what that says about how society treats gender (particularly how F!BR!Corrin doesn't get shit for taking on more """masc""" traits of being headstrong and violent, but M!CQ!Corrin gets shit for taking on the more """femme""" traits of CQ, such as making an "emotional" decision to side with Nohr, being all about pacifism and cooperation, and openly expressing strong emotions of sadness and regret). But idk if I wanna be the one to write it.

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filthforfriends · 1 year

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Pre-San Remo interview so wild that I have to routinely hunt whatever version YouTube hasn't removed for copy right infringement to convince myself if actually happened.

Here are the highlights paraphrased:

Do you sleep with a different person every day? D: No. Every week? D: No. Man, women, or both? D: Women.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a much younger woman? D: No, "much younger than me" is what? Kindergarten?

Have you ever been in a relationship with a much older girl? D: Yes. From 18 to 34...is 16 years (of age difference).

Have you ever experienced or been subjected to sexual harassment in a musical environment? V: Hmm, no.

Have you ever been aware of sexual blackmail in your environment? V: Of people close to me that I know directly, no.

If it happened, what would you do? V: I'd try to comfort the person that had suffered harassment and I'd try to encourage them to report the facts and to talk about it.

Do people catcall you? V: Yes. Does it bother you? V: Yes, it's annoying. Can it be considered on par with harassment? V: Yes. Obviously, its psychological and verbal harassment, not physical. However, that does not make it any less serious.

Have you ever told off a persistent fan? D: Not because of his persistence...Once, when we were playing there weren't barriers. Victoria bent over and a guy had the friendly idea of touching her butt.

What did you do? D: I told him a few things. Not good things.

Who spends more on porn? T: We don't need those sites. D: Ethan! V: Ethan! E: I don't know why I feel like the others said my name. Am I wrong? Anyways, it's not me.

And are you in favor of legalizing prostitution? All: Yes.

Do you have a girlfriend in common? D: Not that I know of. T: Absolutely not. E: God, what a weird question.

And a boyfriend? D: Neither. T: No.

Have you ever thought about the fact that sooner or later you could disband? T: There is so much chemistry that no. E: No, never wanted to think about it.

Have you ever thought of leaving the band to become a soloist? D: Absolutely not.

Is being in the shadow the fate of musicians who are not frontmen? E: No. T: No. I'm also a guitarist so I don't have this problem.

Aren't you envious of John Lennon and Paul McCartney? T: Absolutely not. E: No, it's just self-destructive.

Have you ever taken psychedelic drugs or sedatives? All: No.

Pro legalization of soft drugs? All: Yes.

Voluntary euthanasia? All: Yes.

Who smokes more weed? T: I don't know. D: Me. V: Damiano E: Damiano.

How many cigarettes do you smoke per day? D: 5-10.

Cialis or Viagra? D: None. Misfire (premature ejaculation), it happens to everyone. What do you do when it happens to you? D: Wait a quarter of an hour.

How many hours do you spend making love? D: It depends on the week. And masturbating? D: Not many (times).

Are you in a relationship? D: I won't tell you that. Then tell us if you cohabitate. D: I live alone.

To win your affection, how much does it count (on a scale) from 1-10? Buy you dinner? V: Zero. Have a six pack? V: Zero. Have intelligence? V: Seven. Have a nice ass? V: Seven. Have a beautiful smile? V: Eight.

Have you ever had mutual attraction with a celebrity? V: Yes.

Do you receive interest even from women? V: Yes. Have you ever had a fling with a girl? V: Yes. How did it go? V: Good!

Do you get advances even from boys? D: It's happened.

Does it bother you if people think you're gay? D: Absolutely not.

Who hooks up the most? T: Depends on the moment. E: None. V: Ethan. D: Ethan.

Do you sleep together? V: All four, it's too much. D: Two by Two. T: It's happened. E: Me and Thomas sleep together when we have to split the group in two parts.

Do you support yourself by music or do you still get pocket money? D: I've able to support myself through music.

Has your family ever struggled to make ends meet? D: No, we are an average family.

Have you ever got a panic attack before a concert? E: No. T: Never. D: Not before a concert. V: Yes, it was awful. I tried to calm down and the guys helped me distract myself.

Have you ever been to a psychologist? T: No. E: No. V: Yes. D: Yes. How long? D: I'm still In therapy.

The most short tempered? D: Me. V: Me. E: Damiano. T: Sometimes me.

The most vain? E: Victoria at the beginning (of the band). T: All four. V: Damiano. D: I think myself.

And now do you always wear a mask? V: Yes, of course.

Will you vaccinate? All: Yes.

Source: X X X

#♥️sweet Thomas♥️#maneskin #måneskin #damiano david #thomas raggi #må #damiano #victoria de angelis #damiano maneskin #ethan torchio #thomas maneskin #ethan maneskin #vic de angelis #victoria maneskin

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nicolesainz · 1 month

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Was it fate or just wrong timing? (MM7 X AB1)

Mason Mount x f!reader x Alisson Becker

Author's note: I had to write this fit, otherwise I would have massively regretted it. Very unexpected duo but very necessary in my opinion.

Summary: The derby of the season. Manchester United against Liverpool in Anfield. All eyes will be in the game that will determine either Liverpool's success for the title or Manchester United's. Your boyfriend is the goalkeeper of Liverpool, whilst your best friend is Manchester's newest addition. Mason will try everything to prove his worth both to the team but you as well, even if that means bringing down your boyfriend.

Warnings: angst, sexual tension, heavy cursing, bad portuguese translations

"Going to wear Alisson's kit today?" Ben Chilwell ask me from the other line of the call. It's match day at Anfield and Liverpool is hosting Manchester United. I am in favour of all other derbies besides this one.

Seeing your boyfriend and your best friend clash is no fun. Even if it is in a professional level.

"Yes. It's Anfield. What else would Alisson Becker's girlfriend would wear?" I always wear a shirt with his name on the back and the number 1 whenever Liverpool is playing either home or away. Otherwise, I will cheer for United, only for Mason's sake. Him leaving Chelsea hurt me enough as a Londoner.

"Mason was wondering whether you'd show up with his jersey on. I told him that's impossible to happen, but he still wanted me to ask you." Mason knew very well I would always wear his shirt in other non Liverpool related games. I have always carried his name since we were little kids.

After I moved to the Merseyside with Alisson and me dating, Mason wasn't a big fan of the idea of me wearing some other footballer's name on the back. He didn't mind Ben, Reece's or Declan's, but when it came to Liverpool players and especially Alisson, there was a bitter expression on his face.

"He knows I always wear a necklace with his number on. Alisson is my boyfriend. I will cheer for them after all. I only cheer for United if Mason scored or assists."

"I know that y/n. Don't tell me. I just had to ask you. Give him my best if you see him after the game. Good luck to your man." Ben has been one of the people I grew very close when Mason was still in Chelsea. He has become like brother to me.

"I will, talk to you later Chilly." We exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Alisson had already left with the team and it was time I head down as well before the stadium was surrounded with fans and supporters.

I arrived a bit earlier than expected. I was welcomed by the smiles of the personnel and took my place on the box where all the family and close friends of the home players get to sit. The team was warming up for the last few minutes before the away team arrived and started warming up as well.

When Alisson realised I was the one sitting in the box, he waved frantically at me, with Robertson, Darwin, Luiz and Mo following along. At some point Klopp took notice of me and made his way towards the box from under the tunnel. When he reached me, he sat along to the next seat and greeted me warmly.

"Predictions for today's game?" He asked me as he was looking at the boys who were testing their penalty taking skills.

"I have a feeling it's going to be an easy win for the Scousers. What about you?" I barely asked Klopp about his predictions, given he never wanted to share them, saying that it could jinx the team's performance.

"I will trust your gut. You have been to all our matches so your judge must be on the right."

"What will those boys do without you Jürgen?" My voice was breaking as the thought of him leaving the club in a few months crawled back into my mind.

"They will succeed. And that's what I want them to do. I know they will do so. I also know that you will send me an invite to your wedding." He cheekily responded, catching me off guard with his statement.

"What wedding? Has Alisson told you anything that I should be aware of?"

"No my dear. But I can tell. The first few games after his injury have been some of his best ones. 4 clean sheets and dodged all possible kicks. I know that you must be doing something right to support and help him."

"He didn't take the injury news very well but I always was by his side to remind him of what he is worth. It's okay if we fall down but it is vital to stand back on our feet again."

"And then you're asking me if he's gonna marry you or not? Can't you tell that yourself? I can tell when he is upset and you have probably had a small collision, but in the end, you always show up to the games."

Klopp's words hadn't left my mind ever since our conversation. I have been with Alisson since he transferred from Roma to Liverpool. It has been 7 years. If I wasn't going to marry him, then who else would be?

The home team was gathering all their stuff to allow the travelling team warm up. They all exchanged 'hello's' and 'welcome's', before Mason looked up to the stands and saw I was already sitting there.

He excused himself from Marcus and Rasmus's group for a moment in order to come and greet me.

"Long time no see little trouble." His smile never failed to make my day. If Mason wasn't smiling then I knew something was wrong.

"Ready for gameday Mr. Ronaldo?" After being given the number 7 in the squad instead of his traditional 19, I adopted that nickname, given the reputation this number carries.

"Tad nervous but will get through it. How have you been doing?" His eyes were going back and forth between my eyes and the necklace. I had sworn that I would never take it off. He had bought me one with the number 19 on, but decided to change it for the current number.

"As fine as it gets. Excited to see you back in action. I want to see the Mason Mount we all know and love."

"Even if that means scoring a few goals against your beloved boyfriend?"

"Won't allow more than a hat trick. If he is moody when we get back home, you will hear from me personally."

"I will try and go soft on him. I don't promise anything though."

I know Mason always had the best interest for me. If there's someone I call family, that is Mason. I love this boy more than any words can describe.

Sometimes when I look at Mason I remember the boy who took care of me when other boys were picking me up in the playground. Or when we were together in school and everyone said that I hang out with Mason because of his footballing career, he immediately proved them otherwise in a friendly he played against them. He always had my back and I had his. Like I always will do.

At other times I look at Mason and remember who my first kiss was. Who brought me back to his house after getting fully drunk and taking care of me. Who consulted me after my first breakup. I sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if I had confessed to Mason that I was in love with him. I would now attend this game, rooting for United, hoping he scores many goals and ruins the joy of the Liverpool men. How I would run in his arms after full time and kiss him until I couldn't breathe.

As it seems, fate had other plans.

I do love Alisson, sometimes more than I could imagine. Who would have thought that on my first day in the Merseyside I would be met with the love of my life on a coffee shop? Looking back, I remember being exhausted after the early morning unpacking and all I needed was a coffee to keep me awake for a few more hours. As I walked into the coffee shop and stood in the line, there was an extremely tall man in front of me, wearing a Liverpool hat, looking at the options of different coffees.

He was struggling to explain the waitress what he wanted and as everyone else got annoyed by him, I felt bad for the innocent man, so I walked up to him in order to lend a helping hand.

"Point out to me which one you want, I will tell her."

He pointed his pick out of the many and I told the cashier what the man wanted. After he had paid for his coffee and made way for the rest of us to order, before I was about to pay for my coffee, the barista told me:

"No need. Your friend paid for the coffee."

He had paid a total strangers coffee after having done the bare minimum.

"You didn't have to pay, thank you so much. I will give you the money back."

I attempted to pull out my wallet but he grabbed my hand softly, not wanting to seem hostile, trying to avoid me from giving him the money back.

"I should thank you. I am still trying to learn the language and it is quite difficult." He smiled shyly as he was all blushed up.

"New in the city? Me too. Where are you from?"

"Brazil. But I used to live in Italy. What about you?"

"Brazil? Oh wow! That must be exciting! I used to live in London. I am y/n by the way. Thank you for the coffee once again."

"Nice to meet you. I am Alisson. And I thank you for helping me."

"Alisson the Liverpool fan. Nice. Planning on staying for long?"

"For as long as the team wants me."

"Wait, what team? Are you going to coach in an academy?"

"I will be a player. Goalkeeper."

And that was when it hit me. Didn't Liverpool sign a new goalkeeper from Roma? OH MY

And that's how Alisson and I met for the first time. That day we ended talking to each other until very late. God knows what we were talking about for so many hours. I was so captured by his intelligence and passion about things in life like football that I couldn't remove my eyes off of him.

After a few months of getting to know each other, he invited me to a game against Everton in Anfield. Before I went to watch the game, I visited the gift shop and bought a Liverpool shirt, asking for his name and number to be printed on the back.

A shocking turn of events was that he wanted to gift me his own shirt after the game, which he did and I still have to this day. He was excited when he saw the shirt I bought before the game but he didn't want me to spend 100 pounds on a shirt I would have gotten personally post match.

That night, when he drove me back to my house, I asked him to walk me until the porch. The sky was starry and a win for the reds was all I needed to gain the confidence I was aiming for. I was about to take him into a hug, when he leaned softly close to me and wrapped his arm around my waist as his lips were attached to mine, in a blissful kiss.

That night changed everything.

In just a few hours, the stadium was filled with passionate Liverpool and Manchester United fans, who were ready for some action and top class football scenery. My nerves were as heighten as anyone else's. I was rooting for Liverpool but I didn't want a certain United player to go home disappointed after making his comeback from injury.

The players lined up and the captains of each team shook each other's hands and wished good luck. Obviously in football you don't wish that to your rival and mean it. My eyes darted between Alisson and Mason and hoped for the best possible result.

Kick off in on.

Liverpool had been in possession of the ball for a handful of time, trying everything to get past United's defence, which wasn't very easy but at the same time, the three midfielders were trying to help out by tackling as much as they could. Mason was all over the Liverpool players. He disallowed Mo and Virgil some pretty big chances of getting Liverpool ahead in the score.

United's players had no match against Alisson. All their kicks ended either blocked by him or straight up in his embrace. Rasmus and Bruno were starting to get a bit frustrated, which made Klopp smirk a little bit, given that Ten Hag's nervousness was shown in the big screen.

I had lost track of time when I heard the referee blowing the whistle and my eyes immediately darted onto Mason's lying body on the ground, holding his knee, with Casemiro and Bruno fighting Andy and Trent.

If Mason had picked up another injury this would be vital for his career. Dark thoughts crippled inside my head as I remember the nights I had to leave Alisson home to drive all the way to London when Mason had been sidelined from Chelsea during and after his injury time.

Mason's mentality had taken a deep dive after his final injury during his time with Chelsea. His parents were unable to always visit him, so i would leave in the middle of work, finding excuses and driving to London so I could console him.

The referee gave a penalty to Manchester United. Fuck

The penalty moment was the most crucial one for a goalkeeper's performance. If you deflect, you are a hero. If you lose it, you are to blame. Same goes for the player, if the goal goes in, you will be celebrated. If you miss, you are to blame.

Mason got up from the ground and was asked if he was feeling okay. He seemed to be able to walk again normally and even asked his teammates if he could take the penalty. When I saw him take the ball in his hands, I feared for both him and Alisson.

I didn't Mason to miss. I didn't want Alisson to concede.

Alisson's focus was on the ball and Mason's foot. Mason usually aims for his penalties high so it won't be that easy for goalkeepers to deflect it. Ronaldo style. It is a risky tactic, it has benefited him a lot of times, but even cost him as well.

Mason took a few steps back and then run wide to knock the ball, which almost led to him losing his balance. I closed my eyes once he took the penalty, because I refused to see the result. When I heard loud cheers from the people around me, I realised that Alisson had caught the ball and was surrounded from his teammates, thankful that United wasn't ahead in the score.

I turned to look at Mason and his eyes were already on my expression. I wanted him to score, but not at the cost of my boyfriend. I would have been happy on the one hand if he had earned this one goal, on the other hand, I would have been gutted for Alisson if he lost the clean sheet streak.

'I am sorry' I mouth at Mason, who gave me a disappointed smile in return. I felt my heart tearing up slightly, with him knowing very well I can't commit to only one player tonight.

After a few minutes, it was halftime. The players all went under the tunnel and to their respective lockers. I took my phone out of my purse and I had 3 messages from Ben.

'The close up on Mason's expression was unnecessary from the camera man.'

'If he doesn't score, one of us will have him whining.'

'I can feel your nerves all the way from London.'

I giggled with the first text, realising how much Ben has been through with Mason and me during those years.

'That one will be me. I will tell him not to bother you. You have a game tomorrow, you need rest.'

'There's a reason why he loves you. Alisson is also very lucky to have you.'

Mason loved me? I felt my knees going numb as I was re reading the text.

I knew Mason loved me and I loved him too. He is my best friend. I admit, I had very strong romantic feelings for him once, but for the sake of our friendship and his relationship at the time, I had to shove them into the depths on my heart's abyss.

Being in love with Mason turned me into a version of myself where I was only craving for his love. No one else's. I had turned into a woman where I would get jealous even at his own girlfriend for no reason. Even a small kiss on the cheek would be a sign of hope for me. A hug of his would let me dream and believe that one day we would be together.

I wasn't willing to risk my relationship and friendship with Mason for feelings he couldn't reciprocate. It wasn't his fault. He had no idea. I was the one who stupidly fell for her best friend. And maybe that was meant to be. For us to only be friends. For better or for worse.

Meeting Alisson has been one of the best things in my life. He stood by me when we were both fairly new in the city, trying to discover the world. He would always text me 'good morning' in both English and Brazilian whether he was on his good days or not.

Falling in love with Alisson made me realise that the person you should have next to you, should be one you are not constantly jealous of. I found the version of myself where I didn't have to be guilty or afraid for anything. I became someone who could fall in love with someone unconditionally.

I don't know if I want to go back in time and change anything. Maybe falling in love with Alisson was a sign that what I have with Mason would stay put where it was. Best friends.

The whistle of the referee blew once more and it was time for the second half to begin. Mason remained in the main squad, despite whispers around me believing that he would be subbed off once the second half begun.

Things ran smoothly, with both teams creating big chances and goals being at the brink of being scored. Anfield was in one step from erupting when Mo almost scored a thriller of a goal in between three defenders but sadly hit the goalpost.

I could see Alisson being very frustrated and with time running out, a goal had to be scored soon. When the goal landed back on his feet, he pointed to Darwin who was close to the opposing box and kicked the ball high enough to land a few meters away from Dawrin's feet and in the span of a few seconds scoring an insane goal to give Liverpool the lead!

Every Liverpool fan, myself included, got up and started cheering for the goalkeeper who assisted this fabulous finish. I made a heart shape with my fingers, facing Alisson's way and once he noticed me, he did one himself, with Virgil and Robertson following along.

I was so proud of him.

Before I could sit down, I saw Mason nodding his head disapprovingly and refusing to look in the stands. He was about to start a fight with the other Liverpool players with how frustrated he was.

It was added time, when Luke Shaw had the ball in his possession and Mason was extremely close to Liverpool's box, despite being surrounded by all the defenders, he got the ball which escaped Alisson's embrace and ended behind the net.

Unfortunately, before Mason could celebrate a late equaliser for United, the referee ruled it out as offside. Disappointment in many faces of the players and especially the supposed goalscorer's.

Mason deserved this goal so much. He would have made a lot of united fans happy and his teammates alongside. I would have been happy for his massive chance as well.

And it was officially full time.

Cheers were echoing all around Anfield. All players gathered together to hug each other, before going to each United player and shaking their hands. Some of them were teammates in the national teams so it was only fair they showed sympathy.

To my surprise, I saw Alisson going to Mason who was sat on the pitch, giving him his hand to pick him up and congratulate on the effort at tonights game. Mason looked disappointed with himself. All of the family members were coming off the box to celebrate with the players, so I respectively ran to the pitch towards the two boys that were casually chatting.

Alisson was very sweet to allow Mason to hug me first. I wrapped my arms around my best friend and gave him the biggest hug. I was extremely proud of him in every instance. Ever since we were children I was his biggest fan. Whether he played in The Netherlands or in England, I was constantly his biggest supporter. I could feel Mason holding back tears and wanting to ease him a little bit, I gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"I am proud of you. It was a really good comeback Mase. Next game will be even better."

"Thank you y/n. This means a lot to me. I was so luck to have a portion of your support today. I owe it to this necklace and to the years you've stuck with me."

"You always have my unconditional support. Never taking that necklace off. Like I never had the previous one. I love you." I gave him a final hug and he very much knew that this 'I love you' had the meaning of friendship behind it. I would always love Mason. No one could change that!

After Mason exchanged his goodbyes with Alisson, I jumped into his embrace and took his face into my hands, landing a soft kiss on his lips. His smile was brighter than the stars above us, which almost brought tears to my eyes.

"So you are an on pitch footballer now besides goalkeeper huh?"

"Brazilians do it better. What can I say?"

"Okay Mr. Phenomenon we get it. You're a superstar."

"I am your superstar. That's all I know."

"I am so proud of you. You amazed me and so many people today. You are Liverpool's hero, Alisson Becker."

"Proud enough to call yourself my wife?"

His what?

I widened my eyes as the words escaped his mouth and with Klopp sneakily handing Alisson a small velvet red box, I was letting all the tears I had fall down to my cheeks. I was taken so by surprise. Wait, what that why Jürgen was talking to me about marriage? Alisson had told him.

He got down to one knee and in the presence of his teammates, his coach and a lot of remaining Liverpool fans, he opened his heart and said to me the most tearful and heartwarming vow I had ever heard:

"Seven years ago I didn't just meet a girl who helped me with my order in a coffee shop. I didn't meet a girl who was willing to pay me back after I had paid for her coffee. I didn't meet a girl who after a brief interaction with a stranger had told him all her dreams and ambitions. That day, I had met my wife. I had met a girl who I knew would love all my flaws and imperfections. It is silly to say that to was love at first sight but it really was. Everything this woman does is lovable and admirable. She has cheered for me in every possible game, home or away. From the home field, to foreign countries and from the television. Y/n, I love you so very much that no words in either English or Brazilian could sum it up. There is no one else in this world that I would rather marry besides you. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"You are my soulmate for life, of course I will" I softy said, with the tears of happiness breaking down my voice.

#mason mount #alisson becker #manchester united #liverpool fc #fanfic #mason mount x y/n #alissonbecker x y/n

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scottsummersbingo · 7 months

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For the Sexy Days of Summers Event happening right now we've invited Scott Summers (Cyclops) fans to take part in spreading more love for him out there on the internet by creating fanfiction, fanart, fan works, etc. to celebrate our favorite X-Men leader and the possibility of what if. For the duration of this challenge so far we've received some really incredible submissions with super rare pairings that are new to us. For the month of September we'd like to share some of those and also share some various fandom creations along the way in terms of content. Some might be an old favorite pairing while others might be something in terms of shipping you've never considered before.

Today's spotlight pairing is another pairing that picked up some traction during the last couple of years in the rare pairing world with the possibility of what if between this X-Men and Avengers hook-up.

Below under the cut you can take a look at this pairing and see what fun it could prove to be!

Also if you have a favorite Scott pairing and a fanfic that you've written or that you love, then feel free to drop us a note and let us know so we can showcase it in the future!

Stay tuned for more duo spotlights coming soon!

If this is what we've got, then what we've got is gold by StormXPadme (Rated E) In which Tony and Scott accidentally get married and decide to consummate said marriage while they're at it.

Meet the creator by StormXPadme (Rated E) Running into Tony in his sex shop more or less by accident gives Scott a chance for getting into mood for Pride.

Making the Grade by scottxlogan (Rated M) Scott is overwhelmed with grading papers until Tony decides it's time to deliver him a different kind of distraction.

Lost in Fantasy by scottxlogan (Rated E) Scott Summers has always had a secret fantasy that he wasn't brave enough to share until his new boyfriend encouraged Scott to be honest with what he wanted. In doing so, Scott's boyfriend pulls together a sexy night of fun with a guest sure to turn Scott's world around as the two Avengers are more than ready to show Scott exactly what he needs.

I haven't had a drink this morning (but I'm all lit up like a Christmas tree) by Wolfsheart (Rated T) Tony's hosting a Christmas/Yule party and has invited the X-Men. He enjoys the company of many of the X-Men, but there is one in particular he wants to get closer to.

Winner Takes All by scottxlogan (Rated M) Scott and Tony's game night together takes a surprising turn as the two find that winning the game is the last thing on their minds in being this close together.

Take a chance with me? by KiAnLake (Rated T) Scott wonders about his life while Tony wants to be more than a friends with benefits.

Against The Odds by scottxlogan (Rated E) Some addictions are harder to get over than others, but when Tony Stark discovers the truth about mutant resurrections in Krakoa starting with the reemergence of Scott Summers, he can’t help, but give in to a curiosity by going to the Hellfire Gala even knowing that it will no doubt take him under. Reunited at the party Tony and Scott are forced to face what still remains between them.

Run With Me by GammaGaze The Avengers and X-Men take a vacation only for Tony and Scott to escape on an impromptu mini-mission.

Beautiful Disaster by scottxlogan (Rated M) Set after the events of the comic X-Men Forever. After Logan's death, Scott is rejected by Jean and blamed for her being unable to share her life with the man she 'truly loved'. Knowing that his marriage is over, Scott goes back home to Alaska to be with his family and start over. Struggling to find a new meaning in his life after he's quit the team, Scott runs into a familiar face. When Tony Stark works his way through town after having reached his breaking point, he's looking for an escape. Ready to shut his world out for a little while, fate lands Tony on Scott's doorstep. Together will they find a way to a new beginning as sparks fly?

Would you like to cross-dress for me? by KiAnLake (Rated E) Scott come to see Tony for their date but he get an interesting box from Pepper

Outside is just a larger cage by GammaGaze Arrested for crimes committed while under the influence of the phoenix force, Scott Summers has been locked up in a mutant-hating prison to defend himself. Billionaire Tony Stark only wants to understand Scott's powers, but he discovers something more.

What's your gift again? by KiAnLake (Rated E) Scott wants to get one simple thing for his lover's birthday. Why is it so hard to get it? How did he and Tony end up in the hotel room? Tony: All I want to do is blow a candle.

Birthday Surprise by KiAnLake (Rated T) Scott decides to take day-off but Tony decides to follow him. He finds out something new about his boyfriend

Masquerade by KiAnLake (Rated T) Scott become Emma's plus one for Tony Stark's costume party. But instead of being with Emma, he get hit on by the host himself. Should he ignored Tony or go for it?

I hope that my gift cheers you up. by KiAnLake (Rated G) Tony remembers when he was little kid, he got a toy from a little boy with blue eyes.

Must be the Moonlight by scottxlogan (Rated E) Scott and Tony reunite at the Hellfire Gala only to discover that the passion they once found in secret is still alive between them. After they give in to temptation revealing their true desire for one another, Tony is delivered a proposal to win Scott's heart that is almost too good to be true. Will he accept or are they fated for an unhappy ending?

Season ticket on a one way ride by Wolfsheart (Rated E) Scott Summers outbid Tony Stark on a classic sports car; Tony pays him a visit to check out the car. They go for a drive. Things get interesting.

Spinning on that dizzy edge (I kissed his face and kissed his head) by Wolfsheart (Rated E) Scott stayed the weekend at Avengers Tower while his and Tony's "first date weekend" commences. There is mingling with the Avengers that goes better than expected, Tony proves he's good at romance and sweetness and massages, and many topics are discussed in the three days of getting to know one another.

Freedom by scottxlogan (Rated M) In the aftermath of his divorce, Scott Summers decides to step outside of his comfort zone and fall into temptation with an unlikely potential lover. Will his night on the town be the wild, hot fling he's hoping for or will an unsavory reminder of his past drag him back to misery?

Date Night by scottxlogan (Rated T) After skipping out on team bonding for the night, Tony reaches out to Scott in the hopes of enjoying date night only to discover that things don't go entirely as planned. Will a small mishap prove to be a disaster for them or bring them closer than they'd imagined when the night began?

Better Together by scottxlogan (Rated E) Tony Stark and Scott Summers have been taking their time engaging in a series of flirtations leading up to the beginnings of a romance, but will their time together be cut short by an unexpected twist? Will their relationship grow stronger or will fate tear them apart before they can truly begin a new life together?

Blinded By The Light by laetificat (Rated E) Scott Summers visits Tony Stark; they find they have a few things in common.

Mechanical by BlackEyedGirl (Rated E) Tony gets to know his new team-mate a little better.

Playing Hard to Get by st_aurafina (Rated T) Tony Stark is trying to break into superhero society. Scott Summers can't get away fast enough.

This Close to You by st_aurafina (Rated T) Scott and Tony do some training.

#scott summers #cyclops #scottsummersbingo #scott summers bingo #sexy days of summers #tony stark #iron man

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misshoneyimhome · 7 months

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Chapter 8 –

Prologue I 01 I 02 I 03 I 04 I 05 I 06 I 07 I 08 I 09 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14.I I 14.II

Summary; Pablo and Banksy are once again pulling the strings in the intricate dance between Julia and William – those mischievous little matchmakers. But that's not all; the team's captain decides it's high time for all the players to channel their inner gentlemen and find themselves a date for the upcoming charity event.

Tags; William NylanderxOfc, soft!William; “We never go out of style”

Warnings; there might be a rollercoaster of emotions ahead; and a fleeting mention of death (briefly);

A/N; Brace yourself for pure fluff; And, oh, if you happen to be a tall, fit sales assistant, please don't take offence – you're surely a wonderful person! This story also features a delightful blend of languages, adding a special connection between our two Scandinavians; and while we may not be at the grand finale just yet, consider this a tantalising step towards the torturous delight of an ongoing slow burn; So, sit back, relax, and let the enchantment begin! 😉

Words: 5.8K

“We're drivin' down the road; I wonder if you know”

Monday 21st - NYI 3 (OT) @ TOR 2

On a fateful Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the New York Islanders in a match that had the arena filled with excitement, and fans found themselves on the edge of their seats, as regular time had ended in a solid 2-2 draw, providing both teams the opportunity to go for the win as the overtime commenced. However, no one could stand against Beauvillier’s wrist shot after just two minutes, and the match ultimately ended in disappointment as the Islanders managed to score in overtime, securing a 3-2 victory over the Leafs.

But, despite the loss, following the game, Julia found herself engaging in some light-hearted banter with Charlie, the significant others, and the players, where Auston couldn't resist offering Charlie a cheeky remark or two.

“Now, please don't do anything stupid while we're on the road," he teased with a light chuckle, his gaze focused on the tall lady by his side. The team was about to go on a week-long road trip, and Auston tried his best to conceal his deep fear of missing Charlie too much with a joke.

"Aus, I'm just getting a tattoo - no big deal, your arm is literally covered in them," Charlie retorted, always quick with a witty reply. Her playful smile drew a soft grin from Auston before he then turned his attention to Julia, curiosity getting the better of him.

"How about you, JJ? You're getting one as well, or are you too afraid of needles?"

And as Julia found herself in the spotlight, she was about to fire back with a reply, but then William turned out to think a little faster and chimed in, revealing a slightly surprising fact about her. "JJ's already got a tattoo, a rather big one actually, on her thigh."

A comment that caused the room to fall into a hushed silence, and Julia's eyes widened in bafflement. She wasn't exactly expecting for William to tell this so casually. Not that she was ashamed of it - not at all, she was simply caught off guard, especially since no one really knew that William had seen her without clothes on.

"And how do you know about the tattoo on her thigh, Willy?" Charlie inquired, with a mischievous smirk, deciding to dig a little deeper into the very friendship everyone had their suspicions about.

Julia and William exchanged a quick, silent conversation through their eyes, both contemplating how to handle the situation. And then Julia decided to take the initiative, offering a friendly smile as she spoke, "He saw it the other day when he spent the night at my place."

Which wasn't exactly a lie. William had noticed her tattoo in the morning when she’d just been wearing a t-shirt. They didn’t need to know he’d seen it before and had placed kisses very close by.

"Wait, Willy spent the night at your place?" Auston then asked, unable to contain his curiosity, raising an eyebrow.

And William, with his characteristic calm demeanour, clarified, "We just slept on the bed - next to each other," he chuckled, attempting to defuse any potential awkwardness, which seemed to work.

All while Julia couldn’t avoid the glances from Charlie, who was giving her a flirty look, and Julia simply rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, shut it - I've told you already," she said, her response filled with a mix of amusement and exasperation. The playful banter then continued, for a little while before the group started to part ways.

Just before everyone was preparing to leave, the atmosphere was still buzzing with the afterglow of their banter. William turned to Julia, his tall figure exuding a mix of gratitude and concern, as he handed her a spare key for his condo. "You know where the dog food is, right?” He inquired, his voice was laced with affection.

"Yes, Willy, I know where the dog food is." Julia's response was accompanied by a warm smile that reassured him. She had not only spent countless hours with William's dogs but had also familiarised herself with the layout of his condo, as he had taken the time to meticulously map out where everything she might need was placed, a testament to the trust he had in her.

William's concern still lingered, and he felt compelled to express it further. "And remember…" he began, but Julia, with her reassuring tone, interrupted him.

"Willy, I've got this – I’m not a complete idiot, you know." Her smile remained genuine, and it had the magical effect of easing his worries.

"I know... it's just – they mean so much to me," he confessed, his voice softening as he spoke. Julia responded with a comforting gesture, placing her hand gently on his arm, and her eyes conveyed a deep understanding of the significance of his furry companions in his life.

"I know, Willy," she reassured him, her tone gentle. “I promise, I’ll take good care of them."

And just then, their conversation took on a playful note as William couldn't resist injecting a teasing remark. "Just, please don't make them love you more than me," he joked, a playful glint dancing in his eyes.

Julia met his playful banter with a grin of her own, a mischievous spark in her eyes. "Oh, I can't promise you that – we both know that Pablo loves me the most already."

"Unfortunately, I think you're right," he chuckled, the fondness he felt for his little friends evident in his words. With a final exchange of smiles that carried a mix of trust, affection, and lightheartedness, they parted ways for the evening, both confident that Julia would take excellent care of the dogs in his absence.

While the team was away on their road trip, Julia remained true to her promise and ensured that Pablo and Banksy received excellent care. Amidst her work commitments, she dedicated a substantial portion of her day to their well-being, with daily visits including extended playtime, long walks, and even the occasional run with her fluffy companions. There were also ample moments of relaxation and cuddling on the sofa, especially while watching the hockey matches on William's large telly.

Julia understood the immense love William held for his dogs, and she found it incredibly endearing, so he made it a point to keep him updated on their activities every single day.

Over the past couple of weeks, their mode of communication had evolved, shifting from solely relying on Instagram and Snapchat to texting and calling, which proved more convenient. They still shared Reels and posts on social media, but this expanded connection allowed for more personal exchanges.

On Tuesday, she sent him pictures of their refreshing run and a quick visit to the dog park, capturing moments of their joyful activities.

Wednesday brought a FaceTime session following the match, during which Julia lounged on William's sofa, allowing him to virtually greet and interact with his beloved dogs.

Thursday saw another round of pictures, this time featuring their leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood, with Julia ensuring William was included in their daily adventures.

Julia also seized the opportunity to create an adorable Instagram post, highlighting her delightful moments with the doodles, and her post garnered likes and comments not only from some of the players but also from William's devoted fans, who admired her dedication to his furry family members.

Friday 25th – TOR 4 @ MIN 3

Friday night took an emotional turn, when the Toronto Maple Leafs received devastating news just before their match against the Minnesota Wild - the legendary Börje Salming had passed away. This somber moment cast a shadow over the entire team, filling them with a profound sense of loss and sadness. And for William, it was particularly heartbreaking and his chest ached with overpowering emotions. So in honour of Salming, the team observed a minute of silence, and the Swedish players on the roster gathered together for a few minutes, sharing their love and support through heartfelt pats on the back and comforting hugs.

Meanwhile, Julia watched the game from William's condo, accompanied by the dogs, and she too felt the weight of the loss. The entire arena in Minnesota paid tribute to the Swedish legend with a minute of silence, an emotionally charged moment that once again showcased how hockey has the power to unite fans worldwide.

However, despite the emotional start, the game itself unfolded beautifully, with the Leafs managing to secure a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

Following the match, the players took their time to wrap up, engaging in conversations that transcended the boundaries of the game. They shared stories and impressions of various hockey legends, both national and international, who had left an indelible mark on their lives. Childhood memories of role models and sources of inspiration were exchanged, painting a vivid picture of how these players had been motivated to pursue their dreams of becoming professional hockey players.

But as the conversations evolved, they changed up a bit and the players turned their attention to the upcoming tenth Annual Benefit for Underprivileged Children – Christmas Gala, where the team's captain, John Tavares, led the discussion. "So, we all agree?" he inquired, with a loud, firm voice.

"Yes, Captain!" came the resounding response from the team, their voices filled with enthusiasm and camaraderie.

Then, Nicholas Robertson, known for his curiosity and sense of humour, couldn't resist raising a question that had been on his mind. "Wait, so everyone needs to have dates?"

Tavares, with a wry smile, nodded in agreement. "Yes, everyone, Roberts. Even you," he teased, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. The room erupted in laughter at Nicholas's expense, but he remained undeterred, taking a moment to tighten his shoelaces with determined resolve. "I can get a date," he muttered, emphasising his determination.

Auston, always quick with a cheeky smirk and a playful comment, turned his attention to William, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "So, Willy, who are you bringing?"

William pondered the question for a moment, his mind drifting through potential options. "Hm, I don't know - haven’t really thought about it," he admitted with a casual shrug.

Rasmus, the ever-charming team member, couldn't resist adding his own flair to the conversation, a giant smirk gracing his handsome face. "I can hook you up with someone," he offered, his tone dripping with playful suggestion.

William raised an eyebrow playfully, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement. "Shouldn't you be focusing on getting a date for yourself first?"

Sandin, undeterred by the playful banter, responded with a sly wink. "Oh, I've already got a date," he declared, his smirk never fading.

Auston's curiosity got the best of him, and he leaned in with intrigue. "What, who?"

Sandin maintained an air of mystery, answering cryptically, "A pretty blonde."

Auston couldn't help but laugh heartily at his teammate's response before turning his attention back to William. "What about JJ?"

William furrowed his brows in thought, contemplating the idea of inviting Julia as his date. A mix of nerves and excitement coursed through him. "It wouldn't be weird?" he asked tentatively, seeking reassurance from his teammates.

But Auston, with a reassuring smile, shook his head. "Not at all, Willy. Just ask her – you know you want to," he encouraged, his voice filled with warmth and slight teasing. The room was alive with the laughter and banter of their teammates, creating a sense of unity and friendship that extended beyond the hockey rink.

Later in the evening, as the players settled into their respective hotel rooms, William found himself scrolling through his social media feed, and a warm smile graced his face when he came across Julia's Instagram story, featuring her walking and playing with his beloved dogs. He also noticed her post about taking them out to the dog park despite the cold, almost snowy weather, and it warmed his heart to see how well she was taking care of his furry companions in his absence.

Meanwhile, Julia had just arrived back at her flat when her phone buzzed with a text from William.

Wonka: Hey, you up? 😊 JJ: Yup, just got home 😉 Wonka: Can I call you? JJ: Of course 😊

Unintentionally, a smile played on her lips as she saw "Wonka calling" on her phone's display, and she eagerly accepted the call.

"Hey," she greeted, settling on her bed.

"Hey," William's soft voice came through from his hotel room.

"I'm sorry about Börje," Julia began, her voice filled with genuine concern. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm actually okay, but thanks," William replied, his voice equally soft. Talking to Julia always had a way of making him feel better.

"You want to talk about tonight?" she inquired, her tone warm and inviting.

"Not really," William admitted with a hint of reluctance.

"Well, in that case, let's change the topic; maybe something that can make you smile," Julia said playfully. "I think your dogs miss you."

A giant grin spread across William’s face. "I miss them too."

"Is that a smile I can hear?" she teased.

"Yeah," he chuckled softly, feeling grateful for her comforting words.

There was a brief pause in their conversation before William spoke again.

"JJ, can I ask you something?" His voice sounded a bit nervous, though he maintained his characteristic cool.

"Sure," her curiosity piqued.

"Do you want to be my date for the charity event next week?" William's words almost spilled out in a rush, topped with a cheeky laugh. "I mean, just as friends, of course."

"Oh..."

"It's okay, you don't have to if it's too weird," he quickly reassured her.

Julia, however, was simply smiling on her end. "Willy, I'd love to," she chuckled. "I just didn't expect you to ask me."

"Well, we've sort of agreed that everyone is bringing a date, so I just thought of you," he explained with a soft chuckle.

"Well, I'm flattered, and I'd love to go with you."

Both of them were simply lying on their beds, smiling.

"Good… that's good," William said, his voice filled with relief.

"Shit..." Julia suddenly exclaimed, sitting up on her bed.

"What?"

"What should I do with my hair? And my dress… I don't have a dress!" She sounded a bit panicked, and William couldn't help but chuckle at her sudden exclamation.

"I can take you shopping, JJ."

"Honestly… I think you'd have to," she replied with a nervous laugh. "Otherwise, I don't think you'd want to bring me."

"I'm sure you'd look beautiful in anything," he spoke softly, his words carrying a genuine warmth that made Julia's heart flutter. And once again, there was a brief moment of silence between them. Julia felt flattered by his compliment, and she could feel herself blushing, silently grateful that they weren't having this conversation face to face.

"Anyways," William broke the silence once more, "I should probably go to sleep."

Julia agreed, and they bid each other goodnight before hanging up, both their hearts filled with excitement and happiness, despite the miles that separated them, as they looked forward to the upcoming event.

***

“Har aldrig dansat med en stor man, en stor man som dig”

(I've never danced with a large man, a large man like you)

Over the weekend, the Leafs continued their road trip with two impressive wins under their belt.

On Saturday, some of the ladies, including Julia and Charlie, gathered at Stephanie and Mitch's condo to watch the match, which was a special occasion for Charlie as she proudly showed off her new tattoo. It wasn't a massive piece, just a dainty arrow and a few flowers, but it held sentimental value as her first ink, and Julia cherished sharing this moment with her close friend.

All the significant others were dressed in their jerseys and enthusiastically cheered for the guys as they secured a solid victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and naturally, the conversation also circled around the upcoming charity event. Most of the ladies had already planned their outfits, and Julia casually mentioned that she would be going dress shopping with William one of these days.

"Ah, I should've guessed you'd be going with him. We could've shopped together," Charlie exclaimed.

"Well, he did just ask me yesterday, babe," Julia chuckled. "But don't worry, we'll just have to plan a shopping trip another time, just you and me," she reassured her friend, and Charlie agreed. "Anyway, I should probably get going. I need to swing by William's," she said, before bidding farewell to the girls.

To Julia’s benefit, William had been exceptionally generous, offering her the use of his car. Normally, he wouldn't just let anyone drive it, but with his Cadillac at the airport, his Volvo was available, and he thought it was the least he could do since Julia was looking after his dogs.

Not that she was complaining. She was more than happy to take care of Pablo and Banksy, and having the convenience of borrowing his car for a week instead of relying on public transportation just made everything a lot easier.

On the following Tuesday, the team had returned to Toronto, and William had set aside the entire day to spend with Julia. So she had decided to take a half-day off from work and headed straight downtown to meet up with him. Even though, Julia had become quite acquainted with the city's prime shopping spots, she was more than willing to go along with whatever plans he had in store for them.

And let's just say, William didn't skimp on this outing.

He had definitely chosen high-end boutiques for their shopping adventure, each one more upscale than the last, and while Julia appreciated the glamorous attention she received from her friend and the impeccable service in these luxurious shops, she couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. The shop assistants, elegant and statuesque, were polite but couldn't conceal their interest in William, which was clearly solely focused on him.

In one particularly posh boutique, a shop assistant offered Julia a glass of champagne with an overly sweet tone, which Julia accepted it with a warm smile, downing it in one go to ease her nerves.

"Should we be matching or something?" She suddenly asked, glancing at William, who was meticulously examining the numerous dress options.

But he simply chuckled, his eyes still fixed on the dresses. "Let's concentrate on finding you a dress first, then I'll hunt for a matching suit." Making Julia smile. "What do you think of this one?" William then proposed, offering Julia a warm smile as he presented a long, golden, and glittering dress with delicate spaghetti straps.

But she shook her head, flashing a soft smile. “Not quite my taste.”

But then finally, they came across a dress that caught Julia's eye – a dark blue dress with small sleeves and a slit up the right side, making her face lit up with delight. "Yes, that's more like it."

Heading towards the dressing rooms, Julia prepared to try on the dress, and as she hung it up and was about to remove her shirt when she saw William closing the door from the inside.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, with her tone a mix of surprise and amusement.

But William played innocent. "What?"

"Willy, I'm not changing with you in here,” she said, earning a simple chuckle from Swede, as he settled down on a pouffe in the corner.

"Why not?" he teased. "Come on, JJ, it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”

Julia let out a sigh. "This is different,” she remarked, but realised she might not win this argument.

"JJ, I've had my head between your legs – I think it's okay for me to see you in underwear," he said with a confident smirk, making her slightly blush.

Perhaps he was right. He had seen her most private parts, when he was skilfully working his mouth in her downstairs area.

After a playful exchange, Julia eventually gave in to William's request, her lips curving into a fond, defeated smile, as she began to undress, her movements graceful and unhurried. As she carefully slid the dress over her shoulders and began to step into it, she couldn't resist sneaking a quick glance at William through the dressing room mirror.

"Zip me, please?" she requested softly, her voice carrying a hint of vulnerability. William, ever the gentleman, nodded in response, and as he rose from his seat, his eyes focused on her with a mix of admiration and consideration.

Julia gathered her long hair to one side, exposing the elegant line of her back, and with a gentle touch, William approached her, his fingers deftly finding the zipper. The cool, metallic touch of the zipper against her warm skin sent a shiver down her spine, but it was a pleasant sensation, and as he slowly and carefully pulled the zipper up, inch by inch, the dress hugged her curves, accentuating her figure.

In the dressing room, it felt as if time itself had paused, allowing Julia and William to share an intimate connection that transcended words. Their eyes met in the mirror, and in that moment, they understood that this was more than just zipping up a dress; it was a moment of trust and closeness, a reaffirmation of the bond they shared.

For a brief, suspended moment, the world around them seemed to fade away. The dressing room was their private sanctuary, and the connection between them crackled like electricity. Julia's heart raced as she felt the weight of William's gaze, his hands on her shoulders, and her breaths became heavy, as she couldn't help but be aware of the magnetic pull between them.

The soft background music in the room only intensified the feeling of intimacy that enveloped them.

William, too, was acutely aware of the charged atmosphere. His mind battled with conflicting thoughts as his body responded to the irresistible allure of the woman before him. The cheeky comment he had made just moments ago reminded him of the passionate moments they had shared together, and those memories ignited a small fire within him.

But their silent reverie was abruptly shattered by a voice from outside the dressing room, inquiring if everything was alright, making both Julia and William blink, as if waking from a dream, and the spell they had woven together was momentarily broken.

"Shoes," Julia said, her voice steady as she sought to divert their attention. "I need a pair of heels to go with this dress." It was a practical statement, a way to bring them back to the present moment and away from the intensity of their shared connection.

William nodded and left to fetch a matching pair of heels with the help of one of the store's attendants. Julia, left alone in the dressing room, let out a deep breath. Her heart was still racing, and she couldn't help but wonder about the sensations coursing through her body.

"What’s the matter with me," she mumbled to herself, acknowledging the undeniable pleasure she had felt from being so close to William.

And just a few minutes later, he returned with a pair of gold heels, and Julia chuckled, noticing his colour choice.

"You really like the gold, huh?" she teased.

"Well, blue and yellow or blue and gold – it's sort of the Swedish colours, right" he explained with a soft smirk, making Julia laugh.

"Oh, fuck off," she jokingly responded, feeling a mix of amusement and warmth at the thought of wearing colours that resembled his home country.

And it was indeed perfect; they both took a moment to appreciate how the dress looked on Julia as they stood before the mirror, occasionally sharing glances.

"Guess we found the dress, then," Julia remarked, her smile directed at William, who simply nodded and returned her smile. “Though the heels are a bit too much,” she added with a chuckle. “But I think I’ve got a nice pair at home that’d go well with the dress.”

Following changing back into her own clothes, they headed towards the register to make the purchase, and Julia reached for her wallet, but before she could do anything further, William intervened. "This is on me," he insisted, flashing a cheeky smile.

"Willy, I can pay for it myself –" Julia began, but her protest was cut short by his firm voice.

"It's on me, JJ," he repeated, leaving no room for argument, and Julia reluctantly complied, allowing him to pay for the dress while the ladies behind the counter couldn't help but admire him.

Once the transaction was complete, they thanked the saleswomen and exited the store, and as a true gentleman, William gallantly carried the bag as they made their way to his car. However, Julia couldn't help but notice that his mood seemed to have shifted a little. He was unusually quiet, and his smile had faded.

"Dinner at my place?" he suggested, although it didn't sound much like a question to her. So, she simply nodded and took her place in the passenger seat.

As they drove through the dark streets of Toronto, Julia sensed that something might be bothering William. His gaze remained intensely focused on the road, and he didn't engage in much conversation.

So Julia decided to break the silence. "A little music, perhaps?" she asked, and William simply nodded. He trusted her enough to share his phone's password, allowing her to put on some songs from Spotify, and though Julia was slightly surprised by his casual willingness to share his privacy, she didn't dwell on it. She just turned to put on a song to fill the silence.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," she chuckled as she selected "Stor Man" by Tobias Rahim and Victor Leksell, a song that featured a combination of Danish and Swedish.

And her plan seem to work; William couldn't suppress a smile as the song began, and he softly started singing along to the Swedish verse.

Du häller vodka i min Pellegrino Du är varm, yo soy papi frío, mmh-ah Här i staden är jag Tarantino Way Out West och sen utebio, mmh-ah

Then Julia went on and sang the Danish part.

Victor, du rullar op, hvis jeg rister Imens morgenerne bli'r til nætter Alle er blå, blå silhuetter Jeg vil bar' gå endnu længere med dig

And together they sang the Swedish chorus.

Fri till i skandalen ser jag månen bli blockerad av dig Bådrace-champagne som regnar utöver min kropp Tar dig in, tar dig nu, tar dig sommaren ut Här, jag ger dig mitt hjärta i Götet Har aldrig dansat med en stor man En stor man som dig

For the rest of the song, they cheerfully switched between Danish and Swedish lyrics, enjoying the playful language mix and their voices completely out of tune. But most importantly, neither of them could contain their joyfulness, and their laughter filled the car.

As the song came to an end, William turned to Julia with a playful smile. "Now I know why you don’t speak Swedish," he chuckled. "You suck at it."

Making Julia laugh wholeheartedly. "Yeah... Yeah, I do," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with mirth as they continued their journey through the city.

And before heading to William's place, they made a quick pit stop at Sugo's, likely to grab some delicious food for their evening together.

****

“When a man loves a woman, he can't keep his mind on nothin' else”

As they arrived at William's condo, the enthusiastic greetings from Banksy and Pablo were impossible to miss. The two dogs were overjoyed to see Julia, their tails wagging furiously, but then their attention quickly shifted to William, who they couldn't help but adore.

And Julia couldn't resist a playful remark as she observed the dogs' behaviour. "Told you I wouldn't make them love me more than you," she quipped, making her way to the living room.

William chuckled and followed her into the room, before grabbing some plates from the kitchen, and they settled down by the coffee table to enjoy the food.

"Thank you for today," Julia said sincerely, a warm smile gracing her face. "And thank you for the dress - it was really sweet of you."

William returned her smile, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "No problem. The least I could do to thank you for going as my date. Besides, I had a good time," he replied, giving her a cheeky wink.

And then Julia couldn't help but smile. "Well, I'm sure those sales assistants had a great time as well, enjoying a little eye candy," she teased, raising an eyebrow playfully.

William couldn't contain his laughter. "Are you jealous, JJ?" he teased.

"Am not!" Julia defended herself. "I'm just surprised that they weren't even trying to conceal their pure lust for you," she explained with a grin. “They were practically drooling by the mere sight of you.”

"Well, can you blame them? I mean, look at me," William continued to play along, making Julia rolled her eyes with a playful smirk.

"Oh, fuck off! Get down from your high horse, will ya?" she bantered back at him, before a short moment of calm settled between them.

William then flashed her a charming smile. "Well, then the next step is to make an appointment for your hair," he suggested, trying to shift the topic.

"No, no," Julia insisted. "I'll figure something out."

"JJ, let me—"

"No, Willy. Please, just let me have this one," she requested, her voice soft and earnest.

And William knew Julia well enough by now not to push her further He understood that she wanted to have something to say in aspects of their upcoming event, and he respected her wishes, letting it go.

They enjoyed their meal sharing a few laughs and looks, while the only noise in the room was coming from the telly running an episode of a TV show.

"Shit, it was good," Julia remarked as she finished her food.

And William nodded in agreement, both of them leaning back on the sofa. "It really was."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Julia turned to William, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"So, are you ready for the gala?" she inquired, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"Yes, I think so.” he returned her smile, though slightly puzzled. "Or what do you mean?"

Julia couldn't help but smile before telling him about the various aspects of a gala. "Well, you know, the suit, the media attention, the donations – oh, and the dancing," she chuckled.

"Dancing? What dancing?" William asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Well, you know, when you have to dance with all the wealthy ladies to make them donate more,” she playfully explained, making his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I am not dancing with any rich ladies."

"Why not?" Julia laughed. "Have you never been to a charity event before? It really does the trick when young lads like yourself take the ladies out for a close dance." William hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, but then Julia rose from the sofa. "Well, come on, I'll show you," she said, offering a soft smile, and gesturing for him to get up.

At first, he shook his head, but she was persistent. "William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius, please, come and dance with me?" she asked softly, yet determined, and William couldn't resist her charm, so he got up as Julia went to put on a song for them.

"How do you know my full name?" he jokingly asked, earning a simple chuckle from Julia.

"Guess I've learned it for situations like this. Now get over here, big boy."

And with that, "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge started to play through the speakers. Julia gently took William’s hand in hers, placed the other on his shoulder, and he reciprocated by placing his hand on her waist. And then they began to sway from side to side, moving slowly to the music.

"It's a nice song," William commented softly making Julia offer him a gentle smile.

“It’s actually the song my father played for my mum the night that they met,” she softly explained, before she made a move to stretch their arms and separate, spun around, before William pulled her back in. They then swayed a little more before the chorus played and this time William separated them again, made her swirl under his arm, and then pulled her back in.

“You’re getting quite the hang of it,” she added, and he simply nodded, returning a cheeky smile.

They danced through the moves a few times, getting lost in the music and the pure happiness of being together. And then when the song finally faded out, they stood close in the middle of William's living room, surrounded by a blend of emotions - intimacy and comfort intertwined.

It was almost like that moment in the dressing room all over again, where they both felt a whirlwind of emotions inside, but no words were exchanged. They just stood there, gazing at each other, sharing soft smiles that held their unspoken feelings and thoughts.

But then their peaceful moment was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of William's phone, and as they parted ways, he picked up the call, only to find it was his brother, Alex. So, William politely excused himself and retreated to the bedroom for a brief conversation, leaving Julia by herself in the living room.

With a warm smile, Julia took advantage of the moment to clear the table, tidying up after their meal, and as she washed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, her mind wandered to her own deeper feelings. A part of her couldn't help but feel happy and grateful for her friendship, knowing that she and William had just shared a beautiful moment together.

“I should probably get going,” she softly suggested, as William emerged from the bedroom.

“Sure,” he nodded. “Let me drive you.”

“It’s okay- “

“JJ, it wasn’t a question,” William offered a soft smile, and she caved.

The ride was silent, both lost in their thoughts, only occasionally glancing at each other, as they drove through the city. And after a warm goodbye and a quick hug in the car, Julia made her way up to her flat.

Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it, taking a deep breath. "Shit," she mumbled to herself. She couldn't deny the flutter of emotions she felt around William, and she couldn't help but wonder if she perhaps was starting to develop deeper feelings for him. Feelings that could potentially ruin their friendship.

Meanwhile, William was driving through the streets of Toronto, lost in thoughts of his own. His conversation with his brother, Alex, had touched upon Julia, and it had made him reflect on the unusual sensations he had been experiencing around her - the tinge of jealousy, the racing heartbeats, and the sweaty palms. Could it be that he was slowly evolving feelings for Julia?

#william nylander fic #william nylander imagine #toronto maple leafs fic #nhl hockey imagine #nhl hockey fic #toronto maple leafs #william nylander #we never go out of style

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lord-pigeon · 4 months

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The thing you're not getting about why genshin is worse is because events are not meant to be the primary source of quartz in fgo. It comes from your weekly log in, live streams, 50 day ten pull, ascending servants to their second last ascension, story quests, free quests and the ten quartz you get from doing ten of them, rank up and interludes and the quartz you also get for doing ten of those, and special occasions like anniversary and new year. If you do ten rank ups you get a ten pull and you can do this in maybe an hour or two, now try grinding a ten pull in genshin. It'll be a lot more time investing and taxing considering you're just pressing buttons in fate. Also genshin's odds are just lower and it bleeds whales way harder by making constellations do more than just damage and they make modern 4 stars suck without them. Yes genshin has a better pity but that isn't the be all end all, you need to get 5 copies to max a 5 star in fate where as genshin its 6 AND 5 copies of their weapons. I could keep going on about ways that it's worse all day long, especially when genshin has way more micro transactions and predatory practices like battlepasses and resin but take that fate is worse is utterly baffling tbh

Oh boy let's get into the math here because this is where the fun begins.

Don't get me wrong, I'll never defend Genshin's dogshit practices, but I have a personal grudge against FGO fans sucking on it when it's literally the bastard of the mainstream bunch. This argument is me pitting garbage against garbage to say which one is stinkier.

This gonna be long so I'm putting this under a cut:

Alright FGO dailies list (I'll use NA for FGO, since Genshin is a global server schedule):

Day 2=1 SQ, Day 4=1 SQ, Day 6=2 SQ and Day 7=Ticket (3 SQ equivalent)

Total: 7 SQ

Needed for a tenfold: 30 SQ

Weeks needed for a tenfold via Log-In alone: 4 weeks and 4 days. 32 days total.

It should be noted that if you miss a single day, it resets from the very start. You must log in no matter what. It might take but a few moments, but note, you have to.

Genshin dailies list:

10 Primos per Comm/action, total of 40, and a 20 Primo bonus for turning into Katherine

Total: 60 Primos

Needed for tenfold 1600 Primo

Weeks needed for a Log-In alone: 26 days total.

Genshin's big detriment is that while you never lose your place, you need to spend time on Commissions. It can be anywhere from 5-10 minutes, which is a bit of a serious timesink. It's a bit better with the Fontaine update but it's still a pain in the ass for those on the go.

Alright, but Lord, that's just raw Log-In, what about monthlies?

Monthlies are the same, since both give you 5 tickets/fates to use. Genshin is at the disadvantage here since you need to spend the stardust you get from summoning on it, but Fate also requires you to spend Mana Prisms. Fundamentally similar, it's just that Fate wins out by the small margin Mana Prisms are slightly easier to obtain.

What about pity?

Eat my ass, Fate's pity system just happened cause they were getting this ass beat monetarily and they gave up and did a base-tier QOL update. Six FUCKING years we waited for pity and its over 900 SQ??? ((330 pulls btw))

I saved a whole year and a half back for Musashi's inital release and I just barely had that shit. And that was events, dailies, so on and so forth. (I got her in three tickets so nobody come at me with the fact I'm just a bitter old bird who didn't get my cute girl.)

While there's the 50/50 mechanic with Genshin, that levels the idea of 180, and that's going to hard-hard pity. No matter what, you can, and will, at least get the character you want.

Now what if we include Weapon Banner, since people assume Weapons+Characters *must* go together rather than it just being BIS and disregarding the completely different game mechanics of turn-based FGO and action rpg Genshin (<bitter).

Weapon Hard Pity is 240 pulls. You get a Fate Point for 80 pulls if you don't get your directed weapon, and you get another one if you get screwed again. Two Fate Points guarantees the next 80 is what you want.

Now, that might equal 420 pulls, but there's a catch few people acknowledge: Soft Pity.

Genshin has a system that, the closer you get to that hard pity, the higher the rate goes up. Therefore, it's not often someone actually goes to the hard 80 or 90. I'm just using the hard numbers as a point.

FGO is a hard pity, nothing about the rates changes from Summon 1 to Summon 330. Plus no guarantee you actually even get something from those 330 pulls--at least in Genshin you get a Basic Banner character who has some measure of utility you can use to make progress.

Also FGO pity doesn't carry per banner, but Genshin's does, so if you get fucked over and wanna wait a few months, you have another shot instead of wasting all of it cause you got close but no cigar.

But what about upgrades? Constellations?

NP-bonuses are rather minor and not as key as say, Xiao C1 or Hu Tao C1, so FGO has the edge there. However, that leads me to the side point of:

Weapons.

Reasonably, everyone talks about how the 3-star weapons suck, yadda yadda. You get so many weapons from the game as welfare that are good and can be used by multiple characters. You don't need a 5-star weapon, just because you aren't hitting 300k a hit doesn't mean shit.

Genshin has a lot more versatility in team building than FGO tbh, since a lot of FGO's boils down to "Do you have Merlin/Skadi/Chen Gong/Waver/Tamamo/Castoria/Support Caster.png" that you can then use with any other character.

Not saying Genshin doesn't have that too with Qinqiu and Bennett, but due to the nature of Spiral Abyss, people have gotten smart about using others instead of just them cause it's a split up team system.

Citation: I didn't get a single 5-star Weapon until Year 2.5 of Genshin. Fun fact, I also didn't have a single DPS 5-star either (all I had since launch was Diluc and Venti), until fucking Cyno came out. I managed to play the game just fine.

Now in FGO NA, I was also there since Launch, and I didn't get my first SSR until the Solomon raids, in which I finally got Florence Nightingale. I was playing the game carried by Kiyohime, Salter, and throwing SQ at revives. And guides, christ, so many guides it made Arknights look elementary.

What about general SQ/Primo flow (the Anniversaries and whatnot mentioned)?

FGO, the year of 2023, had, according to a Reddit post which I can link if people want the source, is: 2571 SQ, tickets included.

This Reddit post involved Servant NP Ascension Quests, Events, Chunked Log-In Bonus, Live Streams, Bond Stuff, ect ect (also, stuff you can't do if you didn't roll them, the post was being generous with people getting what they rolled or had)

That is about 85.7 tenfolds. So, if you don't spend a penny and not miss a day of logging in, the average joe might get about 2, 3 hard pities on who they want. Presuming I'm doing the math right on that.

Genshin, in the year of 2022, had, according to another Reddit Post, roughly 100k Primogems.

That equals about 62.5 tenfolds, or over 620 Fates. Now, tossing that into the system with someone with the worst luck imaginable that wants a character, that's about the same amount of 3 to 4 guaranteed pities.

One might note that the numbers are about the same, and yeah, that checks. However, there's a lot of variables, such as Spiral Abyss for Genshin, and actually having the characters to do Interludes on.

Half-baked conclusion

FGO is a money sink, Genshin is a time sink. They both sink your serotonin. Nobody wins.

Look, I play both, I have grief with both, I have fond memories of both. I wouldn't have a stupid expensive Okada figurine sitting next to a custom Cyno plushie if I hated these games.

But they're gacha, they're both out for your money, it's just that one is just a raging cunt about the whole affair.

Reddit Post Citations:

#if theres anything I'm fucking stupid about its gacha #espeically the two i have the most time in #i been in fgo since year 1 day 1 in jp #i had two np 5 merlins before nasu took me out back with a shotgun #i was day 1 (day 4 technically cause rerolling lmao) for genshin too #theyre both my problematic dickhead comfort games #who need to be slapped for gambling crimes

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