the lights are so bright

mandy | 26 | ao3: alims

[maaxverstappen]

help me hold onto you | T | 9/13

f1driver!max and streamer!charles

The man—Charles, Max assumes—sounds French. He loves that. He should be used to a French accent, he was forced to converse with Pierre often enough, but it sounds different coming from Charles. More melodic. Almost similar to someone he used to know once. “And that made me think,” Charles says, voice bellowing from Max’s speakers. “That it was stupid that we didn't have carrots before. Like, come on, it's a farming game.” Max has no fucking idea what the hell he is on about.

or: Max is lonely and finds Charles streaming on Twitch.

based on this prompt sent to @f1prompts

[maaxverstappen]

i just reread help me hold onto you for the thousandth time and even though I know it ends with a cliffhanger it still gets me every time 😭 it's sooo good, i love the way you characterized them, and the dynamic of max & charles vs. emilian & charles is such a good, tension-filled contrast!! know that if you're ever able to post the next chapter i will be happily waiting to eat it uppp. thank you for such a good fic!!!

<3 thank u sm. still think of this fic daily!!

its been so long that I feel like i’ve forgotten how to write / how to write this fic and this dynamic lol. I want to finish it tho

[oscarpiastriwdc]

[maaxverstappen]

race cancelled x

[throathole]

I really love when cats use their front legs to hold something in place while they use their back legs to kick the absolute shit out of it

[throathole]

What exactly is formula one even about

[maaxverstappen]

shane and ilya are gax btw.

[gremlinnddraws]

They got me, they got me good

Shane and Ilya

[brasilando]

2025 WORLD CHAMPION

[oscarpoleastri]

VANITY FAIR FRANCE I OWE YOU MY LIFE

🤏🤏🤏🤏🤏

☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

[usedtobetam]

December lestappen fic rec, so you have something to read over the holidays/off season!

If I Have To Be Someone's, I'm Going To Be Yours by Chandelier_s_Notebook - angsty baby lestappen omegaverse, in which Max is obviously part of the pack, apart from the fact that he somehow is not?

Come Fly With Me by Lilas (pegasus_01) - My latest obsession, I'm waiting for the updates like a woman starved, Charles is both a pilot and a Monaco prince (hot), Max is still an F1 driver (also hot)

you crossed the line (I followed close behind) by saltshaken - hilarious loser Max, who fixates on the fact that Charles is the only rokie that does not follow him like a duckling

Bound in the Stars by malikinpink - childhood friends to lovers in space, no Star Wars knowledge required, the insecurities of teenagehood are so masterfully done here

and we'll be here tomorrow by frenches - they break up again (it does not last), hillarious, lestappen torturing their surroundings

Deliver Us from Evil by drivingstuff - priest Charles and incubus Max trying to corrupt him, hot hot hot

j'ai beau te serrer dans mes bras (tu m'échappes déjà) by punchneedlefox  - Charles/anxiety/self-esteem issues, Max is there too

think twice by justagaybean - Max is in a coma and possesses his brother to vine and dine and ravish Charles

cry for me by weiwuxian (BreathOfDream) - everyone wants Chenelope, Max as Odysseus that returns from war and is down bad in a way that should be studied

tear out all your tenderness by hist24jpcs - Vampire Charles and Warewolf Max, they hate each other, so naturally they have sex about it

Heated by AzziNow - hockey for all people wanting more of that (after heated rivalry) with secret omega Charles

Change the Prophecy (On Your Knees) by sharlcookie - omegaverse, there is a prophecy, lestappen fucks about it, I'm so sure it will have no consequences

a kiss to his temple by larryhaylik - Charles takes a ride on Max for the first time and is insecure about it

What I am planning to read soon:

The Call of the Wild by eaurouge_sangnoir  - I know this is a masterpiece

in a room full of people (i look for you) by luserstappen - 60k words oneshot that just looks so delicious

the rogues by mercutionotromeo  - just ticks all the boxes (also was recommended by a great author, thank you)

edge into the bite by orichalc  - pornstar AU, again recommended to me

My November list is here - link.

I might create one more list this month; we will see. (My to-read list is incredibly long, and oneshots are much easier to manage for me, but I hope to get to more long fics soon.)

Happy reading, everyone!

[thesinnergy]

I think I've cracked it tbh... 👀👀

Based off Mercede's post, what Pierre said and the restaurant witness, I'm fairly certainly this is roughly the seating from last night....

(Edit: we also knew George and Lewis were next to Max and Charles somehow)

Had to scribble 😭😭 my brains not the best anymore

[mochisainz]

polite cat caught yawning <3

[countingstars-17]

THE 2025 DRIVERS DINNER

[karlmarxverstappen]

📷 vladimir rys

[maaxverstappen]

realised i barely put anything in my request for secret santa bc I’m an idiot so. sorry about that 😃

[f1-fic-secret-santa]

🎁🎄CHECK YOUR EMAILS!!!🎁🎄

In the words of the great Mariah Carey, IT'S TIIIIIIIIME!

Your matches should be hitting your emails shortly, if they haven't already 🎅🎁

Also, a few housekeeping items:

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT YOUR MATCH DIRECTLY!!! Some people included their tumblrs to help with research, which is great! But please only communicate with your match through anon or us (we can send them a DM!).

As always, there are some extremely specific requests. Please know that there is NO expectation for you to be a fic vending machine this holiday season; the goal is to try and make someone happy. For example, if get a request for a niche dark mafia, forbidden romance plot but can't get there -- maybe write something with angst and tension.

Contact us with any issues or questions!

[f1-fic-secret-santa]

❄️🎁SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN!❄️🎁

So here's all you need to know:

Everyone signs up and tells us their likes and dislikes (both to read and to write); we'll match you with someone compatible to write for; everyone goes away and works their magic; on Christmas Day we all get a gift to read. Sound good? Read on! 🎁

DATES Sign up by: November 9th (Midnight Eastern Time) Receive Matches: November 12th Works Submitted: December 15th (local time)

HOW TO SIGN UP

Sign up for the gift exchange via Ao3

You'll receive a match on November 12th (check your emails!)

Write your Secret Santa fic and submit it to the AO3 collection by December 15th.

Wait for Christmas Day… when all gifts will be revealed!

FAQ

When is this taking place? We'll be open for sign-ups until November 9th - after that, we'll send matches out on November 12th and you'll have until December 15th to submit your gift fic to the collection on AO3. And we'll make the collection live on Christmas Day, so everyone can enjoy their Christmas/festive period joy!

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How do I sign up? Sign up for the gift exchange on here on AO3!

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Is there a word count? We recommend no less than 1000-1500 words, but we're not setting a hard limit: whatever works for your piece :)

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How will we be matched? We'll be looking at everyone's preferences for both writing and reading and matching you as best we can. These will include: driver pairings and tags/tropes - both likes and dislikes - and what AO3 rating you've chosen. If there's something you really don't want to read or write, here's the place to tell us!

When stating your preferences, if you are happy to be a 'rematch' writer (i.e. someone who may be down to write another piece if someone drops out, so nobody is left without a gifted work), please state that in your free text box - that will help us plan for any drop-outs.

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Does it have to be Christmas themed? Nope! Unless you want it to be, of course…

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Can I post my work anonymously to the collection? Yes! Just make sure you gift it to your match so they can read it: if you'd prefer to stay anonymous, that's fine.

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What if I can't get it finished in time? If you've got any issues at all, let us know via ask or message us (@f1-fic-secret-santa on Tumblr) directly and we'll see what we can do to help!

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How do I post a work to a gift exchange collection on AO3? Check out the AO3 guide to gift exchanges here!