A Pouch Like That Seems Super Comforting, All Nice And Warm And Secure Next To Momma Centaur

Winter beaches, The Outer Hebrides.

Photographed by Freddie Ardley

where it all changed: British crowd chanting for Oscar; Oscar stepping back proudly to let Lando have the limelight; giving each other props; Oscar finally making the first move to Lando's delight <3 (source1 source2)

apparently Lando's bags got lost in the airport and oscar waited w him for the hour to get them back bc they were going to the hotel together im being normal about this

ANON

bc like obv traveling together making sense etc but plenty of the drivers were able to safely get from the airport to the hotel alone and Oscar could’ve been like ilu teammate but I’m out

but instead his patient, loyal little ass was like I’ll be here <3<3

Happy valentines day to everyone who has a crush on an animated car

I'm literally looking at myself like you dumb bitch it’s a gd lego animation why are you writing this

but like The Inherent Gentleness of Landoscar

the gentle little voices they use in so many of their challenges compared to the Big Loud Fun Times With Loving Alphas that Lando's challenges with Carlos and Daniel had and with Oscar and the Prema boys !

the fact that Oscar never even properly raises his voice at all around Lando like he would with previous teammates and some of the Alpine videos. even when they're playing a big fun loud game of cricket outside and it merits shouting and yelling, Oscar never raises his voice at Lando. Lando is an absolute tiny terror, bellowing and shouting and whining at Oscar - and Oscar just giggles and ribs him gently in return. 

like, Oscar would fully allow himself to yell and get exasperated (jokingly) and make fun of all the other guys in his life - he’s Australian, it’s what he does! It would be weird if he didn’t!

but in the same way that even non fandom F1 fans picked up on Oscar’s accent softening and sounding more similar to Lando’s when they’re in videos together, Oscar massively softened the genetically and culturally coded sarcasm and ribbing when he noticed it didn’t always land the right way with Lando. and how even tho they have a perfectly healthy natural sense of competition between each other, Oscar never used to be at all shy about being competitive and a little cocky… until Lando, where Oscar now ducks his head and turns pink with embarrassment over the Sprint win being brought up and how Lando was always the one to bring it up and never Oscar. and it even turned into that gentle repetition of Lando’s expressions thing which he even does in a silly Lego video “team work makes the dream work” ??

and the thing is the more Oscar has specifically wanted to accommodate Lando’s preferences and quirks and habits, the gentler and quieter he’s become with him - which goes against every aspect of bromance logic that we as fans love so much ?? normally the best thing about Lando’s quirks and habits and contrariness is when his friends roast him about them or use them strategically to whip him up into hysterical giggles or screeching and possibly nearly break something or hurt himself in unserious ways.

but then there’s the fact that Lando is also a naturally shy person and he has as many quiet moods as he has hyperactive or excitable ones. and while he can have the more excitable ones with all of his friends and we get such great media content from them, it’s really only guys like Oscar and Max F who can also bring out his quieter and gentler moods on camera. 

and it’s literally fascinating to me that as a result that’s actually become more the default when Lando and Oscar are together - even down to never broadcasting when they spend time together outside of F1 commitments apart from mentioning it in passing. their time together is A Gentle Vibe and would feel weird to document bc it's at once so warm and friendly but also not A Big Deal!

and idk the fact that Oscar also doesn’t show overt bromance gestures of affection to Lando on camera or when specifically prompted by the media - but then he shows a consideration and attention to Lando that not even joking we only rly notice him do when it comes to Lily. and that most of Lando's other friends don't tend to show him apart from Max. and Oscar’s even like that w Lily where he doesn’t do the typical PDA or getting overly sentimental about her but he mentions her all the time to show how much a part of his life she is and isn't that more significant !! they’re his go-to for any question about himself that isn’t about racing - what Lando and Lily like and don’t like, how they tease him or give him a hard time, what he finds exasperating in a fond way about them. something about Oscar not rly caring if he’s a dynamic or at all fan popular person outside of racing and then being a mirror to reflect the much more interesting qualities of these two unique people who are in his life more than anyone else something something !!

but mainly it’s how the youngest and most closely competitive pairing on the grid are also the least overtly Manly Aggressive Men and don’t honestly seem at all concerned with trying to be so ! even the way they treated the usual mind games/fighting talk thing by just finding the whole concept amusing !! same with team orders where they just say ‘oh it was fair!’ and they’re both just so effortlessly What Is Gender that it rly is like they are watching The Men* from a distance most of the time and peacefully sharing silent communication with each other and speaking in voices so soft that The Men cannot even hear and like they just exist in this aura that makes us think they’re twins when actually their looks and their personalities aren’t twinning it’s just that they inhabit this wavelength exclusive to themselves and they do frighteningly well at pictionary and they coo these little thoughts at each other and it’s sometimes creepy but endlessly intriguing !!!

and how as fans there’s never any Top/Bottom Dominant/Submissive laws or even popular tendencies we literally all enjoy writing and thinking of them in fanon in every possible way and it always fits !!

just cool to me !

*with special exceptions at times for Lewis and Charles here - sometimes

Soon to be college freshman, Can you give me advice? Like what I'll need when I move into dorms? Study tactics? Things like that? (Also, I wanna be a teacher!)

That’s so awesome!!! Here are some things off the top of my head:

Dorm supplies

(Technically I wrote these for another post a while back but I still stand by these recommendations tbh)

A good lamp (ideally a sunlight lamp or something that has natural-looking light so you don’t hurt your eyes too much at 2 am)

A storage tower thingy (great for toiletries and other small stuff like that)

A fluffy rug makes a hugeeeee difference in my opinion

Hanging shoe rack (you can put hats, belts, socks, etc. in it, not just shoes!)

A planner or notebook for a bullet journal (if desired)

An essential oil diffuser + your favorite essential oil scents (instead of air fresheners, I think they give a much nicer feeling plus you can customize it way more)

Fairy lights

One of those comfy armrest pillow thingies idk what they’re called ok

A good pair of headphones!

A good water bottle that DOESN’T LEAK

Mildliners or some other nice-looking highlighters (if you like to highlight your notes or textbooks)

Study tips

When you’re trying to focus, seriously put your phone away somewhere you can’t see or use (I like using the app Forest and putting my phone in a drawer, though there are a bunch of other similar apps out there such as Flora, Plantie and Study Bunny!), turn off any notifications that would come up on your laptop, and close any tabs that you’re not currently working on. I know this is so one of those things you see in every list of advice, but it truly can make such a difference in my opinion!

Have a system for keeping track of assignments. I use Notion, but at different times since being in college I’ve also used a planner or a bullet journal, so find a system that works for you and use it religiously

Keep a calendar of classes and other meetings. I use Outlook but you could also use Google Calendar or even just writing it down in whatever planning system you choose. Don’t just rely on yourself to remember when your classes are, because at some point you’ll miss a meeting. It also gives you more peace of mind and mental space for other things, too

Personally, I find that doing a quick and easy task in the morning before I move onto more difficult assignments helps a lot with motivation, so give that a try and see if that also works for you! Some people also like doing their hardest task first, so just figure out which one suits your life the best

Tbh I have a lot more tips but they’re so dependent on like what types of classes you’re taking, if they’ll be online vs in-person, so hmu if you want more specifics!

Other tips

If you are truly not wanting to do a piece of homework, try to figure out why that is instead of just forcing yourself. A lot of times it can be that you are ignoring things like hunger, exhaustion, mental health, etc. and it’s really important that you take care of some of those essential things first. Mental health comes above schoolwork, and you need to make it a priority in your life so you don’t get burnt out

Have a life outside of schoolwork. Join a club, do volunteerwork, make some friends and talk about things other than classes, go into town from time to time, pick up or continue doing a hobby, anything really. So many people get completely stuck in their college schoolwork bubble that they forget to also live their life somewhere in there too

Best of luck!!! I hope things go as smoothly as possible for you!

this is kind of my favorite genre of image ever. like THIS is what the internet is for

how to pick a therapist

A friend recently asked how I found my therapist, who I absolutely adore. I was in a bad place when I first started seeing her, and she has helped me completely turn my life around. The fact is that I saw a lot of bad and mediocre therapists, then finally got lucky. That said, now that I know what a really good therapist is like, I do have some advice for finding one:

Do interview sessions with multiple therapists and take notes on what you like or don’t like. It’s not high maintenance or pushy to ask a lot of questions. You’re a customer looking for someone to provide a service - an expensive service, possibly for a long time. This is someone you will trust with your secrets and your health. Sometimes, your life.

If you’re in a dark place while searching, try to find a level-headed friend or family member to help you interview. The most frustrating thing about mental healthcare is that patients are often too vulnerable and ill to self-advocate and, as a result, often tolerate unacceptable behavior from their mental healthcare providers. Bad providers will blame patient dissatisfaction on patients being unstable. There is little accountability for their performance. If you can’t stand up for yourself, it helps to have a trusted third party that can either come with for interviews or, at the very least, who can talk with you after about your concerns and options. If a therapist asks why you want to bring someone with, simply say, “I’m not mentally able to self-advocate at this time. I am more comfortable having someone with me for support.”

Look for someone who does holistic therapy and/or who talks about using a variety of methods, depending on patient needs. Ask what types of methods they use and if they prefer one over others. A big part of therapy is teaching you a variety tools that will help you cope with stressors. You should expect your therapist to have more than one tool in their arsenal as well.

Ask their opinion on medication. I have met therapists who don’t believe in medication at all and some who won’t even work with patients that aren’t willing to medicate. Personally, I feel the only correct response is, “Medication is an important tool for some people, but it’s not the answer for everyone.”

Ask them what successful therapy looks like to them and what they think the most important things are to be successful in therapy. You want someone who talks about how different patients need different things. For some people, stability is the goal. Others have more specific objectives. The worst sort of therapist is one that uses the same structure for every patient because they’ve decided it’s the “right way.”

During interviews, you do want a therapist to mention that a patient has to be willing to change and give effort. However, you don’t want them to spend an excessive amount of time going on about how YOU have to do the work and “this won’t work if you’re not willing to give it your all” and blah, blah, blah. That is the sign of a therapist that will see therapy not working and immediately say, “Ah, not my fault. They weren’t doing the work,” absolving themselves of any extra work or creative thinking.

The final item is tricky to spot in an initial interview, but it’s crucial. Therapy requires a delicate balance. A good therapist can guide a session and push their patient without being domineering or dismissive. You can spot the domineering therapist fairly easily: they will tell more than they ask, make you feel uncomfortable or self-doubting, and will minimize your wishes or concerns about therapy. The lazy therapist is much more common. They’re not as harmful or obvious as the domineering therapist, but they probably won’t help you. They let you guide therapy, don’t ask many questions, and don’t challenge you. They will let you use therapy as a venting session or allow you to rehash the same handful of traumas without doing any work to process them in a new way. If you find yourself with a domineering or lazy therapist, fire them.

What has made my therapy successful is that my therapist is flexible, adaptable, and willing to try new things and new methods. There were periods where I was actually too ill to do any work, but she never addressed it like, “Ah, She Won’t Do The Work.” She just scheduled us for very frequent sessions and kind of quietly came up with things to keep me busy and stable, monitoring my state for safety until I reached a place where I was able to do the work.

When something didn’t work, it was never my fault, and she never spent any time lamenting that it hadn’t worked. She would just immediately say, "Okay, not this, then. I have something different planned for us to try next week.” Just like that, we were talking about what we were going to do next instead of thinking about the thing that failed.

The mental healthcare world, at least here in the US, is pretty fucked up. For a time, it was definitely doing me more harm than good, and I have trauma from my experiences with bad mental healthcare providers. I think it’s important to talk about patient self-advocacy and provider accountability. I hope the list above will help someone avoid bad providers and get the help they need. If you would signal boost this, I’d really appreciate it.