There Is No Doubt That Rachel Is Some Sort Of An All-rounder. Academic Wise, Surely, But For Something

i dont want to look “pretty” i want to look otherworldly and vaguely threatening

Upgraded (2024) dir. Carlson Young

DAISY JONES & THE SIX (2023) Track 9: Feels Like the First Time

although jackie is technically on a break right now, she still makes sure to do her daily workout at the local gym. it’s how she meets vanni in the first place; jackie appreciates his assistance whenever she comes in to do her sets and today is no different. focusing on her breath, she pushes the bar back to the starting position, only sitting up once vanni helps her rack the barbell. “alright thank you, coach,” she tells vanni, reaching for her bottle to drink some water. “can i get both? i feel like i deserve a free drink and a bouquet if we’re going for a pr. maybe even a special handwritten note from you while we’re at it,” she chuckles. putting down her water bottle, jackie starts stretching as she ponders over the thought. “how about you decide on the plate this time? i mean, you’ve seen me do this for a while so you probably know what’s my limit. what do you think, coach?”

who: vanni && jackie ! [ @detruines ] where: gimnasio o2 aire

he's spotting jackie while she does bench presses, watching her carefully from above and keeping an eye on every little detail. the last thing he wanted was for her to accidentally injure herself while just trying to get a good workout in. "come on, get it up. you got this. good shit, jackie." he's encouraging her, cheering her on to finish up her set. he helps her rack the barbell as soon as she's done and nods his head in approval. "alright rest for a minute before we do your last set. give yourself a little bit of a stretch and drink some water. you wanna try for a pr today? if you do it, i'll get you a free drink from blooms as a reward. or a bouquet if you want, either works. just tell me what plate you want me to load up." even though she hasn't even answered yet, vanni's already looking on to the rack of plates so that he could load up the bar.

although the night shifts at the hospital are getting easier to manage by now, rachel couldn’t deny that she still loses track of time now and then. having been a morning person for most of her life, she finds it weird to go bed at the time she usually wakes up and start her day when it’s already noon ⸻ it’s a routine that she’s slowly getting used to, and to avoid going out while she’s recovering from a night shift, she would usually opt to cook for lunch. rachel has always been the type to favor homemade food over anything else, but after staring at her almost empty fridge for a hot minute, she realizes that she might have forgotten to do grocery shopping that week. well, it’s not like it never happened before.

after much contemplation she decides to go out, thinks it would be a good idea to have a walk and eat outside for a change. rachel stops by plantas atlas on her way, something that she does out of habit since moving into the area. how could she not? it’s the only place she knows she could find felix, and despite her own stomach growling she couldn’t help but wonder if he has eaten, if he’s doing well at all. rachel doesn’t really expect he would emerge from the back door, just like the other times she’s come here, but there he is. she finally manages to catch felix at the right time and yet she freezes in her spot, unsure what to even say first.

“would you even pick up if i call first?” she asks, although she already knows that he wouldn’t. it’s why she chooses to linger around his plant shop instead; it would be harder to avoid her if they run into each other like this anyways. “i came here to see you,” she admits, tears welling up in her eyes. “i was just on my way to get lunch. have you eaten yet?“ 

( @detruines )

this is quickly becoming a habit; felix falling asleep at plantas atlas, whether it's over inventory or simply a bottle of something a little too strong for even his taste - his clothes rumpled from an unsteady sleep each morning as he tries to leave unnoticed, like some sort of late night call. it's not his fault that on most days - it's already dark by the time he gets out of the shop; it's not his fault that he's scared of - not the dark - but driving in it. it's one of those fears that grip him as hard as he grips the steering wheel, knuckles white with the anxiety. he probably couldn't drive, even if he wanted to; his body reacts too physically to the memories.

so he sleeps there, sometimes - so what? it's never been a problem before; nobody stops him out of concern, nobody checks his whereabouts. nobody disrupts his routine. but it's half - past noon, and he's slept in - and god, there's this crick in his neck that makes him feel like he's one second away from just being stuck at an angle, permanently; and he needs coffee. badly. so he slips out of the backroom, and out of plantas atlas - already open, already in full swing - in his wrinkly, day - before clothes with his head ducked down... and runs into no other than rachel. "oh - christ -" it's too late to turn back around; he's already lingering in the doorway for far too long than he personally likes. he hates people lingering in the doorways - it's either come in, or get out.

"- what are you doing here?" it comes out harsher than he expects it to - a combination of a bad night's sleep, and genuine surprise; caught off guard. "ever thought about fucking... calling first, sometime?"

it would be a lie to say jackie never thought about it. in fact she knows that their paths would cross again someday, although she didn’t really expect to see spencer here in chile. now that she’s standing face to face with them, jackie could feel her heart skips a beat. there is a small part of her that wants to pull spencer into a hug, just like she usually did back then, but she’s quick to remind herself that they’re not in that point of their life anymore. still, the smile on her face comes easily, as it always is when she’s around them. “i’m kinda surprised you still remember me, babes,” jackie teases, an attempt to lighten the mood. “well, last time i checked this is a fuckin’ bar so, you know, whatever you do at a bar. plus i heard it’s like haunted or something,” she spares a glance at them, “who knows, i might run into a ghost.” and she did, but that’s not the point ⸻ even after all this time, spencer westin still holds a special place in her heart. “how about you? what are you doing here, spencer? i mean here as in chile, not this fuckin’ bar, of course.”

for @detruines where? outside los fantasmas

spencer's ghosted list isn't short, but as someone who has never really had to face the consequences of their actions, it usually doesn't matter. they usually don't plan on seeing them again and if they do? pretend nothing happened. it's an easy strategy. it's one that usually works. but seeing jackie grimaldi for the first time since roleplaying danny phantom and going ghost on her? acting like nothing happened feels a lot more difficult. spencer usually ghosts out of boredom or just because they forget to reply to texts for seven weeks and figure it is what it is, but jackie they ghosted with a purpose. and now, here she is. spencer's jaw tightens and they blink, almost not believing their eyes, "jackie?" their past is right in front of their face and if spencer hadn't missed her so much, they may have just run away. "what the hell are you doing here?" their tone isn't harsh, it's shocked, a few steps short of elated given the context, but not unhappy, "holy shit."

the sudden nudge on her ankle makes rachel jump in her seat. if this was some other time she would have been upset that vanni almost gave her a heart attack (well, he still did though) on purpose, but once she manages to process what he just said, rachel shakes her head gently at him. “sorry about that,” she sighs. must be the lack of sleep i’m getting these days; somehow the words get stuck in her throat ⸻ it’s not her turn to tell him about her life updates yet, so she takes a small sip of her tea, hoping it would keep her stay focused this time. “what were you saying just now? i’m sorry i wasn’t listening- i mean, i did, but then i don't know what's gotten into me.” she offers him an apologetic smile. “can you tell me about it again? you said it’s an important life update.”

who: vanni && rachel ! [@detruines] where: little leaves

little leaves meant a lot to vanni for more reasons than them being blooms & coffee's competitor (if you see him sitting in little leaves, no you didn't). it was the place that vanni associated with being productive and work on whatever project he was working on and he had the person he was sitting across to thank that for. amongst all the places they had gone for him to be tutored, little leaves was his favorite. "¡che!" he nudges her ankle with his foot, a habit that he didn't seem to grow out of in all his years of knowing rachel. "the fuck are you looking at? you've been spacing out this whole time i've been trying to tell you about an important life update." he turns around in his seat and looks behind him to see if he can make out who or what rachel was looking at that was more important than him catching her up on his life.

“well, it’s okay to worry,” she reassures, a gentle smile on her lips. “it’s normal to be worried, especially when it comes to something that really matters to you like this. just don’t let it get the best of you.” jackie knows it’s easier said than done, but she trusts that leon would be able to overcome it eventually. “who? me?” she asks, letting out another laugh. “of course i do! there are so many ways things could go wrong in a big race, but you know, it gets better the more you do it,” she grins. “you've done this a lot before, right? think of all the fun you'll be having on that stage, leon. i'm sure you’re gonna fuckin’ nail this.”

"i mean, kinda? i guess?" leon chuckles as he sees the excitement on jackie's face. it's real contagious. he usually freaks the fuck out before a performance if he hasn't rehearsed day in and out for a month. but he's played this kind of crowd before. la fiesta de la vendimia was actually a success, and he was nervous then too. "i worry too much, i know," he offers a defeated smile with a small shrug of his shoulders. "but you're right. we're vibing, chilling, having the best fucking time of our life," the blond nods. "don't you get nervous before a big race? this feels like a big race somehow. not that i've ever raced before," he grins.

is that DUA LIPA? oh, no, that’s JACQUELINE “JACKIE” GRIMALDI, a TWENTY-NINE year old ASPIRING F1 DRIVER who uses SHE/HER pronouns. they currently live in PROVIDENCIA B&B IN CASABLANCA, and the character they identify with most is SHANK FROM RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET. hopefully they find their own little paradise here in el país de los poetas!

statistics

full name: jacqueline rose grimaldi nickname(s): jackie, kiki date of birth: august 22nd, 1994 age: 29 years old hometown: cambridge, england commune: providencia b&b, casablanca sexuality: bisexual occupation: aspiring f1 driver

tldr

the only kid in the family. she's spoiled rotten since day one, although most of her parents' affection come in the form of material things. grew up with nannies and while her parents were usually busy working, they went on family vacations during summer/winter so she has good relationship with them for most part. she's got the freedom to do whatever she wants and was never pressured to do well in school or things like that, but she did go into all kinds of classes growing up. it was her cousin charlie that made her get into racing ⸻ they both shared an interest in cars, so the idea wasn't all that impulsive. her parents thought it would just be a phase at first, as all things were with her, but this is the one thing that she could see herself doing for the rest of her life. they agreed to fund her races if she went to college and get a degree, and so she did. it's been 5 years since she actively races and she recently got her fia super license so that's exciting! she's definitely passionate about her career, but knows when to take some time for herself when she needs it. a self care queen indeed! personality wise she's very chill. a free spirit through and through. a little bit of a troublemaker but wouldn't do something illegal unless you're up for it??? loves to be around people, but also enjoys her own company just as much. doesn't usually flaunt her wealth, but is always "let me buy you something" or "it's okay that's on me". her love language is physical touch and quality time.

biography

born and raised in cambridge. as the only child in the family, jackie was spoiled rotten since day one, although most of her parents' affection came in the form of material things. she grew up with nannies for the most part, but the grimaldis would go on family vacations during summer and winter, which was the only time jackie got to see her parents and bond with them. they were not super affectionate or anything ⸻ she learned early on that it was just the way it was, the grimaldis were always busy with their own things. with little to no interest in academics, jackie was enrolled into all sorts of classes so she could find her own thing.

she was never pressured to do well in school or things like that, which prompted her to be very laid back as a person. for some time jackie struggled with finding her own thing, but she was always eager to try something new. her parents were never strict with her, so she had the total freedom to do what she wanted to, and most often than not they were supportive of her interests.

a jack(ie) of all trades, if you will! her interests were usually short-lived, for that she's quick to jump from one thing to another once she got bored of doing a certain thing. jackie played different sports growing up, but the one that stuck with her for the longest time was tennis. there was a time where she believed she would turn it into a career, but alas, she ended up getting bored of it eventually and decided to try something new. that was how her interest shifted towards car racing when she was in high school.

it was her cousin charlie who helped spark that interest. they bonded over their love for cars, so the idea wasn't something that came to her out of the blue. her parents thought it was just a phase at first, as all things were with her, and yet it was the only thing she could see herself doing for the rest of her life. it's a dangerous sport, sure, but that's what jackie liked about racing. it made her enjoy living on the edge and god, how she loved the thrill!

her parents agreed to fund her races if she went to college and so she did. initially she didn't even want to go to college, but it wasn't because she was bad with studies or anything. in fact, jackie was actually smart. she's just not interested in school, as she would very much rather play sports or engage in social clubs than have to sit through long hours lecture, which she found to be very tedious.

still, jackie went to university of pennsylvania and got a degree in business administration before she started racing professionally, just like her parents suggested. it had been 5 years since then and she just recently got her fia super license, which was something she had been working hard for! her next goal is to race in the grand pix, obviously. jackie didn't get that much luck in securing a seat for this season, but there's always hope that she would make it next year. as much as she's passionate about her career, she's not in a rush to reach her goal. well, sin prisa pero sin pausa, right?