#2013 race unknown
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#george russell#f1#formula 1#flashback fic ref#flashback fic ref 2013#race unknown#2013 race unknown#tag not tagged#childhood photos#(note to self: confirmed year by drivers suit on alamy)
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if anyone knows when or where this is from or who to give credit to, please let me know bc i couldn’t find it 💙
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"A glimpse into @.lewishamilton’s first race for the team at the 2013 #AustralianGP. The start of something extraordinary 👊" - march 19, 2024
📷 @.mercedesamgmotorsport / instagram
#lewis hamilton#f1#formula 1#australian gp 2013#flashback fic ref#flashback fic ref 2013#australia#australia 2013#australia 2013 day unknown#fic ref#fic ref 2024#not a race#2024 not a race#between saudi arabia and australia 2024
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Faithful and Virtuous Night, Louise Gluck (insp)
On February 1st 2024, it was announced that 7-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Formula 1 team Mercedes AMG Petronas would be parting ways after the 2024 season. This announcement ends an 11-year long partnership between Hamilton and the Mercedes works team, and a 17-year long relationship with their parent company, Mercedes-Benz.
Hamilton will drive for Scuderia Ferrari in the 2025 season. It will be the first time in his racing career driving a car with no connection to the Silver Arrows.
Image credits, in order:
Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes Garage (Photographer unknown, 2023) / Lewis Hamilton takes his first pole position since 2021 (via Lewis Hamilton's Instagram, 2023) / Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the Mercedes team post-race (Photo by Dan Istitene, 2022) / Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 7th F1 title with the W-11 (Photo by Clive Mason, 2020) / Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 7th F1 title on the podium with Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez as confetti falls (Photo by Pool, 2020) / Lewis Hamilton and his father share a moment in the aftermath of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Fuck the FIA (Photographer unknown, 2021) / Lewis Hamilton doing donuts at the end of the season (Photo by Marco Renzi, date unknown) / Lewis Hamilton at the Silverstone Grand Prix (Unknown source) / Lewis Hamilton during a F1 press conference (Unknown source) / A young Lewis Hamilton accepts a junior racing trophy (via plus44world's Instagram, 2023) / A young Lewis Hamilton poses with his signature yellow helmet, inspired by his childhood racing hero, Ayrton Senna (via Lewis Hamilton's Facebook, 2018) / A young Lewis Hamilton racing remote-controlled cars (Unknown source) / Lewis Hamilton takes the podium for third place at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, his first podium in F1 (Unknown source) / Lewis Hamilton celebrates his win at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix, his first win with the Mercedes works team (Photo by Mark Thompson, 2013) / Ferrari Trento sparkling wine is pictured on the podium at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Photo by Marco Renzi 2023)
#lewis you're an icon and a legend and i wish you nothing but the best. godspeed you funky little race car driver.#lewis hamilton#f1edit#mercedes#f1#web weaving#i'll be honest this took me like two days and i'm still not fully satisfied with it but if i look at it any longer i'll go insane so.#if anyone knows where any of the missing photo credits are from please lmk and i will happily add them!!#HELP THE MASSIVE TYPO IN THE OG POST… lmao
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Hi there, I might be kind of obsessed with the idea of rbr charles or rbr lestappen so I need to hear the thoughts of some people who might not be in the "lestappen gate 2023" bubble as I am :)) Do you think this can actually happen and become reality? (After all Charles is better of with rbr than ferrari, that's for sure.)
And please be honest. Thank you!
in my opinion, it's not happening babes x
redbull have never had 1-2 teammate finish before this year. ever. it doesn't make sense to fire the driver who finished 2nd in the championship which is exactly where you want him. if checo's lawyers were worth any salt im sure he had a stipulation like you can't fire me for this unless you're willing to PAY pay. checo has a contract til 2024 which redbull is willing to play out. if you've heard newey, he said next year's car is supposed to be even better 🤞 somehow
if checo completely forgets how to drive next year and the grid is super competitive, I can see him being midway switched into the season which redbull is known to do -- but they would do it with someone internally, like they did with kyvat and max, or alex and pierre. as in, they'd be looking at daniel or yuki, since liam lawson is already waiting in the wings.
now 2025 is the Great Unknown, many contracts are expiring apart from max's. here's why it doesn't make sense for charl to go to redbull in 2025: regulations change in 2026. presumably redbull is gonna be fucked by it, like they were fucked by 2013 reg change or merc was fucked by 2022. both maxywaxy and horner have raised some concerns about the reg change. they're getting Ford as their new engine partner, with no clue how that's gonna effect the car -- cause the current Honda is what they're winning the championships with. we can expect redbull domination until 2025, but after that it's anyone's game. so if charles is signing with redbull in 2025, he's coming into a very strong car and a team that's been centred around 1 driver for 9 years at that point. and that's his one chance for sure to fight for the championship. he doesn't even get 1 season's grace period of acclimatising as max's teammate because he doesn't know what 2026 regs will do to the car, if he has another shot. that's a lot of pressure, where even p2 is seen as a failure.
one of the reasons charles is so highly rated is because he puts up a fight against max, like the first half of last year when the Ferrari was faster, or this year when the redbull is slow on certain tracks. if charles moves to redbull, p2 is the MINIMUM of what he's expected. look at how fans do not rate any of max's teammates, cause unless you beaten him it doesn't count. everything chal does in redbull will be held with max's yardstick measure, a team where max has been longer, the only car max has had to drive while charles needs to adjust to it.
I don't think anyone is unbeatable, lewis wasn't, max isn't. but max is the best driver in that redbull.
redbull doesn't want or need 2 drivers fighting for the championship. they need a competent second driver. the valtteri or mark webber buffer. charles is very much the face of ferrari and regarded as the better driver, why would he go to redbull to play max's second fiddle? charles has world champion ambitions, redbull already has a world champion they're happy with -- why invest in another very expensive driver? when they can get a more willing team player, or even look for a younger talent they can move to the seat for 2028? redbulls favouritism predicates on performance, so if charles outperforms max you can expect redbull to be in "let them race" mode, like they did when rookie max outperformed daniel. but that means charles only has 2025, his very first year in redbull, to not only adjust as max's teammate but also beat him.
finally, we don't know if charles wants to move to redbull. we know he loves ferrari, for better or for worse. before max's extension to 2028, charles got the longest ever f1 contract extension with ferrari -- and that's before charles had anything to his name beyond being called predestined.
you've seen how the mclaren went from p19 p20 earlier this season to genuine podium contenders. this is the kind of magic turnaround every team is hoping for. if mclaren are championship contenders next year, every team will know you can change shit up in only 1 year. that's sunk cost fallacy if charles makes a high risk little reward move to redbull and suddenly the ferrari is a championship contender.
the tifosi love him, he wants to win a championship with ferrari, he already got a taste of what it feels like by winning Monza and the first half of 2022 season. I truly think as long as ferrari will have him, and as long as charles can endure, they're in this marriage of misplaced devotion. because the love and childhood dream is so strong for him. seb didn't leave the team until they fired him, you think he wouldn't waste another decade in the ferrari if they'd have him? and that was a 4x wdc.
If you enjoy lestappengate, if you want to speculate on it -- go forth and find your peace and joy. that's none of my business. it doesn't make sense to me, but that doesn't mean it can't make sense to you.
#IS Charles better with redbull than Ferrari? do you know what redbull famously does to their non golden boy drivers?#rbr!lestappen#the other side of things#once again: my opinion and take on things. if you enjoy your perspective on things then continue!#blorbocedes ask
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family headnoxoans!!!!
sugar and owen are siblings 😊 (tjwyre fat and blonde) and tammy is theyre cousin 😂
Blaineley and bridgette are susters with an age gap and a rivalry! 🤣
Izzy is scarletts sceret surrogate mother🤫
Cody is mickey and jays cousin, their moms are sisters but they had a fallung out in 2004 and dont talk much😝
Noah and dave were made in the same test tube🤩
Mike is chris' illegitemate half brother😇
Jasmine leshawna lightning cameron bowie are all cousins obvjously duhhh 🤪
Beth and staxi are evil twins😮
Amy and Sammy aren't actually related, they lied for fame on TV and to protect their real identites. Amy is Geoff's kid sister and Sammy is Jacques' cousin and Bridgette's sister. They met at a hotel pool in Cancun in 2010 after Geoff and Bridgette decided to get married as soon as they turned 18, much to their families disapproval. Jacques was at the Olympics, and the stress of missing the wedding is what caused him to drop Josee. Amy and sammy both felt overshadowed by their siblings fame on TV so they decided to create fake names and identities for themselves and audtion as twins. Their real names are Lucia and Margaret, not Amy and Sammy. Lucia would not have been allowed to compete on TD because she was actually 13 years old and Margaret didn't want the world to Google her name because she was arrested on felony charges for driving a tractor through a nordstrom in 2008. They concoted the twin story after watching The Parent Trap in the hotel room together. Later they would burn down the hotel the night before the wedding ceremony and fake their own deaths to assume their new identities. Geoff and Bridgette's wedding was postponed, causing Geoff to go on Ridonculous Race to pay for a new one since they lost their deposit. After Pahkitew, Amy and Sammy fled to Colombia and began working odd jobs until they had a falling out in December 2013, wherein amy escaped to Kenya, assuming the identity of a christian missionary named Alexa Schrought. she spends the rest of her life building schools and hospitals and eventually giving tours under her assumed identity, until she dies at age 80 of natural causes. Sammy continues to live in Colombia, renaming herself Elena. Her whereabouts after 2015 are unknown.
rodney and scott are cousins
.
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i'm sorry i keep coming back here 😭 but i'm trying to find a fic. i don't remember everything about it because i had only read the summary but ik louis and harry are racecar drivers i don't remember if it's NASCAR or something else. if you could give me like a round up of stories like that since i don't remember the summary that would be great! and if not, it's totally okay. thank you
Hi, love. The only one I know is this one:
The Finish Line (Is A Good Place For Us To Start) by LoadedGunn
Louis Tomlinson, one-time Formula 1 World Champion, is looking forward to the 2013 season. He’s got Zayn in his garage and Liam in his ear, he’s got Cowell Racing backing him despite former indiscretions, he’s got experience and the best race car out there. Not to mention he’s the only racer they have, after Oliver dropped out late last year.
It hasn’t occurred to him that Oliver would have to be replaced by February. That is, until he finds himself at a party celebrating Harry Styles leaving Ferrari for Cowell. Harry hotshot Styles, who broke a record last year and is probably looking to make a big splash. Harry Styles, who is talented and somewhat intimidating. Harry Styles, who left Ferrari for reasons unknown and seems kind of lonely and harmless in person. Lonely, harmless, hot as fuck. Whatever.
The first thing Louis does is take him under his wing. From there it’s nine months of slow-burning romance, the past catching up to them, turning into the human puppy pile that is OT5 and a lot of feelings until, of course, reaching the finish line.
There’s also this one that’s being written for the upcoming Big Bang, maybe you saw the teaser and thought it was already written?
If it’s neither of those, you can try doing a filtered search on AO3. I’m pretty sure it would be easy to find that way.
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Marc/Fabio - Primer - Part One (up until 2019)
New day, new primer. Today we're taking a look at mister Marc Marquez & mister Fabio Quartararo. Because tumblr posts have limits and there was a lot I wanted to show, this primer is divided in two parts.
DATE UNKNOWN
I will start this primer very poorly because I don’t have a date to give but I swear it gets better after. Fabio posted this photo of them once in an insta story, which has to be the first time they met. Marc is “only” six years older than Fabio so still very much a teenager in that pic.
2013
First year for Fabio in CEV Moto3, season that he wins (youngest rider to do it). He’s visited by both Marc & Alex.
2015
LE MANS. We have a photo of them together at the press conference post qualifying in Le Mans. Back then, Fabio was driving for Estrella Galicia 0,0 in his first year of Moto3. Fabio got the pole (but crashed in the first lap of the race).
2018
BARCELONA. Fabio’s second year in Moto2. He gets the pole and then his first and only win in the category. They were together with Marc in the press conference after qualifying, which gave us this gem.
2019
JEREZ. First pole for Fabio who had to retire during the race because of a gearbox issue. Have some moments from after quali and famously, Marc fake choking Fabio.
Fabio actually stole the record for youngest MotoGP poleman from Marc. When asked about it, Marc said : “I’m happy for Fabio, but only because it’s Saturday. Starting tomorrow, I’ll try to stop him so that he doesn’t thake any first places from me” and “I’ve been following him since he’s been racing in the CEV, and it was immediately clear that he had talent. But he had a career almost opposite to mine. I’ve always been in a team with a nice atmosphere, and I moved from one class to another when I felt ready. Fabio, on the other hand, has often changed teams, and first went to Moto2, then MotoGP when I didn’t expect it. Now he’s in the premier class. He’s proven to be fast and, with experience, he can only improve.”
BARCELONA. Second Fabio pole (beating Marc by 0.015 in Q2), first Fabio podium when he finishes 2nd behind Marc.
(source)
ASSEN. Third Fabio pole. Second shared podium (Marc 2nd, Fabio 3rd).
SPIELBERG. Third shared podium. Again with Marc second and Fabio third.
SAN MARINO. Fourth shared podium. Marc first and Fabio second. They had great battles and Marc passed Fabio in the last lap, you can see some of it with a quote from Fabio here.
gifs by @flyingfabio (source)
THAILAND. The race where Marc wins his 8th title. The first row of the starting grid is in the following order : Fabio - Maverick - Marc. Marc passes Maverick in the first turn of the first lap and then he stays behind Fabio for the whole race and passes him in the very last lap to take the win.
If you want to watch the full race, their moments in parc fermé afterward and when they debrief the race together in the little golf cart that takes them to the podium, you can do that here.
MOTEGI. A case of take the same guys and repeat. Once again Marc first and Fabio second but what is more worthy to note here is the fact that this is where Fabio secures the Rookie of the Year title.
(source)
VALENCIA. One last Marc P1 and Fabio P2 podium to finish the year. This was also Fabio’s 6th pole. Out of the 19 races of the season, Marc was on the podium for 18 of them (all but COTA) so Fabio got to celebrate all seven of his podiums with him. And in parc fermé there was this adorable moment of Marc’s mom and Fabio exchanging air kisses.
(source)
See you here for the following part.
#fabio quartararo#marc marquez#marcfabioprimer#this took about six hours with the research and everything#if you see something wrong no you don't#(actually please yes i'll amend the post)#don't miss the second one#primer#2093
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It just makes so much sense that you were writing in 2013, you have the unhinged vibe that the golden fics from that era had.
I'm just here to compliment you really lol, mostly because I am giving a try to write a lil something for the first time and god I can only dream of ever being able to write as good as you. I've been writing poems and music for years now but i find writing actual coherent storys with characters and dialogue so so hard.
I was wondering if you have any tips, or like little rules you follow when you write.
all the love, xxx
🌷
I'M GONNA CRYYYY this was the sweetest thing in the world to wake up to wtf wtf <333 thank you SO much, i really appreciate this wahh my heart :'))) but also you are SILLY. don't compare yourself to others!! if we all did that constantly we'd never get anything written!! there are SO many authors i adore on here that will always have me chasing the "i wish i could write like that" feeling and it's a great motivator but alsooo at the end of the day. you gotta fall in love with your own words and characters and stories <33
and i feel that so much!! we are twinsss, i also started out writing poems and music and then realized i had stories i wanted to tell that wouldn't fit in shorter form, then discovered fanfic in middle school in the early '10s and it was all downhill from there LOL. truly such a golden era tho oh my god. growing up reading the hat fic and borderline illegible wattpad stories was certainly... formative!
yapping ahead vv (i don't have much advice bc i'm still just learning as i go but hopefully some stuff i picked up on can be a bit helpful!)
i have zero method to the madness when writing so it's a relief to know it doesn't come off that way LOL but i do have a few little things that i follow and i always look for them when beta–ing as well! they're pretty small technical things and they're generally up to personal preference, but some of them come from authors i admire and i think they can really take anyone's writing up a notch <3
i don't feel qualified to give advice because i'm just raw–dogging everything lmao i've never taken classes or anything, so take all this yapping with a grain of salt bc it's just what's worked for me!
– i try to use descriptors like "the man" or "the blond" or "his friend" etc sparingly. i wish i could remember the source, but i read a great piece about why it's better to just go with the character's name 99% of the time, and then i went through so many of my works to edit them and i felt so much more confident in my writing afterwards– it made a big difference in readability (imo).
ofc there are exceptions, like if the name of a character is unknown, or if there are too many names being thrown around in one sentence and a "the man" or "the soldier" etc just sits nicer. i definitely still use them occasionally! but it does sometimes put some distance between the reader and the story when those descriptors are used too often instead of names, so it's a good thing to keep an eye out for when it comes to flow. sometimes less or more or whateva ??
– sorta on the topic of less is more, i love challenging myself to show vs tell when i can! whether it's by keeping dialogue short and letting actions speak instead (can add to intimacy/realism– we communicate so much through body language yk), through metaphors (literally how my whole '#john egan is dog coded' fic was born LOL), or describing feelings rather than spelling them out (his heart ached vs he was sad, his pulse raced vs he was scared, you get the gist). you said you've been writing poems so i feel like stuff like that would already probably come easily to you tho! <3
– this guide on ao3 is great for smut writers! whether someone's a beginner or just looking for ways to elevate the filth, i found it really helpful, it's a fun read as well lol. it calls out stereotypes/cliches and teaches you how to reword them, gives lists of slang and reactionary words, do's and don't's, etc. i don't follow everything in it but that's the beauty of writing; we all have things that work for us and things that don't and that's so okay. :-)
– in the same way that artists use references to practice and find their style, you can do that with writing too! i know a lot of writers have a doc or note where they jot down stylistic things they find while reading that they'd like to emanate, or words they want to use, specific phrases, descriptors, etc. if i'm reading a fic and find an auditory descriptor i like, i might take note of it, stuff like that. sorta like a text document version of a pinterest board!
– thesaurus.com is my best friend truly. often going with the 'simplest' version of a word makes for smoothest reading so someone isn't taken out of the story being like wtf does that word mean lol but sometimes things can feel repetitive, or like there just needs to be a little bit more spice; i probs go back and forth btwn my doc and thesaurus a dozen times an hour tbh.
that's all i can think of rn and ik those are pretty basic so i'm sorry about that!! i really do just kinda write what evokes emotions in myself, and then i hit post and hope it translates over to whoever is reading too :') drawing from your own experiences if you can/really sitting with what the characters would be feeling in whatever scenario you're writing is probably the most powerful way to present what you see in your mind.
i have a hard time writing about emotions/things i haven't personally experienced, so i usually stray away from it out of fear of not getting across what i want to, but some people are great at winging it and putting themselves in unfamiliar shoes so!! it's again just personal preference really.
and alsooo be kind to yourself! i'm an anxious wreck every time i post any of my writing, i am very much not confident when posting new fics and i agonize over my docs so much and trash a lot of works, but i know at the end of the day i can't grow or learn if i don't get the words down, and i can't get feedback or gain confidence if i don't post. becoming your own hype man and giving yourself the opportunity to improve is essential <33
sooo much love and best of luck!!! lmk if you end up writing smth, i'd love to read it (◠‿◠✿)
#also tentatively offering beta services to mota/sb moots bc i love helping w fics <33 hmu#if i am not super busy i am SAT#this got so long WHOOPS so sorry anon#johnslittlespoon asks#johnslittlespoon yaps
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Round 1B: The 100 vs The Originals
The 100: When nuclear Armageddon destroys civilization on Earth, the only survivors are those on the 12 international space stations in orbit at the time. Three generations later, the 4,000 survivors living on a space ark of linked stations see their resources dwindle and face draconian measures established to ensure humanity's future. Desperately looking for a solution, the ark's leaders send 100 juvenile prisoners back to the planet to test its habitability. Having always lived in space, the exiles find the planet fascinating and terrifying, but with the fate of the human race in their hands, they must forge a path into the unknown.
The Originals: Klaus, the original vampire/werewolf hybrid, returns to New Orleans - which his family helped build - to investigate rumours of a plot against him, in this spin-off of `The Vampire Diaries'. He finds his former protege, Marcel, reigning powerful over its inhabitants, causing growing tension in the supernatural community. Klaus' brother, Elijah, joins him, and they learn that werewolf Hayley has fallen into the hands of a defiant witch who has life-changing information. Klaus and Elijah plan to reclaim the city, and while waiting to see if their last remaining sibling, Rebekah, will leave Mystic Falls to join them, they form an alliance with the witches to help further their cause.
#the 100#the originals#bracket tournament#polls#bracket#tournament#bracket battle#the cw#tv shows#battle#cw shows#showdown
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george russell during his karting career, ortona, italy - july 19, 2013
📷 kartpix motorsport archive / alamy
#george russell#f1#formula 1#flashback fic ref#flashback fic ref 2013#race unknown#2013 race unknown#tag not tagged#childhood photos
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2014 Lover Diaries Transcripts
Jan 6, 2014- Los Angeles, CA
So I’ve decided I want to look at places in New York. I know I went through this phase months ago, but it has to mean something that I’ve circled back to it, right? You know what they say, if you love something let it go and if it comes back … blah blah blah. So I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. Dating is awful. Love is fiction/ a myth. I’m over it all.
Jan 25, 2014- Los Angeles, CA
It’s the middle of the night and I was at the Clive Davis party tonight which means … the Grammys are tomorrow. Never have I felt so good about our chances. Never have I wanted something as badly as I want to hear them say “Red” is the Album of the Year.
Feb 22, 2014- Los Angeles, CA
This week I’ve been in the studio with Max and Johan every day and it has been the most creatively successful and fulfilling time.
The first day, Johan just made a really up tempo drum beat because we decided we needed something UP and light. We worked at it for a few hours before I just started singing “shake it off, shake it off.” And then the best way I know how to describe it is that the chorus just fell out of the sky.
It ended up being this song about doing your own thing even though haters are gonna hate, and you just have to dance to your own beat. We all went home and I wrote the first and second verses and brought them in the next day. We wrote this chanty cheer leader bridge that I absolutely LOVE. We spent all day doing vocals and the next day recording background vocals. I think it’ll end up being the first single and Max said it’s his favorite song he’s ever been a part of.
Mar 24, 2014- New York City, NY
So in the last few weeks, I’ve completely moved into my apartment in Tribeca. That’s right, I’m writing this from my new bed in my new place, watching Law and Order with Meredith. Strangely, I’ve never felt more busy.
May 30, 2014- Shanghai
So we got to China at around 2pm and I knew it would completely ruin me if I slept when I got to the hotel, so I decided to work out.
WHY IS THIS PEN RUNNING OUT?!
Just went to my purse and got my own pen. So a crazy story unfolded in the last 24 hours. Last night, I had this vivid dream where the photo I’d chosen for the album cover wasn’t good enough, intriguing enough, artful enough. It woke me up. I couldn’t shake it and it stayed with me all day. Because that nagging feeling I’d been pushing back for weeks was now confirmed in my gut … It wasn’t good enough. I went to the venue, mind racing, wondering if I’d have to do an entirely new photo shoot … I got to my dressing room with newer versions of the “cover.” I looked at it and felt nothing.
The team pulled up this new scanned file of the Polaroids we had taken during the shoot. I saw within 10 seconds. The shot. The cover. It’s a Polaroid of me sitting against a beige wall with a blue seagull swear shirt on. You can see my red lips, but the photo cuts off my eyes. From some reason unknown to me, it’s the most intriguing photo I’ve seen. I think it’s the mystery of not seeing my eyes.
Maybe it just looks effortlessly cool.
The craziest moment came when something caught my eye.
The cover photo is photo 13.
I kid you not.
I played a sold out show in Shanghai tonight and the crowd was amazing. Tomorrow we go to Tokyo, where they’ll have the whole ticker tape parade at the airport.
Smile and wave …
Taylor
(2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 & 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 & 2017)
#lover diaries*#note: dates and place names are from my notation not taylors#and i didnt transcribe the specific lyrics bc the formatting was giving me a headache#so go to taylorpictures.net if you want those
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"Our very first race together 💛 #OTD in 2013, @.lewishamilton competed in his debut race for our Team at the Australian GP 💪" - march 17, 2024
📷 @.mercedesamgf1 / instagram
#lewis hamilton#f1#formula 1#australian gp 2013#flashback fic ref#flashback fic ref 2013#australia#australia 2013#australia 2013 day unknown#fic ref#fic ref 2024#not a race#2024 not a race#between saudi arabia and australia 2024
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Animation Face-Offs
I find it amusing that the first real major animated movie box office show-off is occurring some 35 years after the one that arguably started it all...
November 18, 1988... Walt Disney Feature Animation's celebrity-loaded modern musical OLIVER & COMPANY from first-time director George Scribner, and Universal's release of the Steven Spielberg/George Lucas-produced ex-Disney director Don Bluth adventure THE LAND BEFORE TIME...
This wasn't the first time two animated pictures opened next to each other.
In fall 1982, Hanna-Barbera's HEIDI'S SONG opened opposite a Looney Tunes clipshow anthology movie called 1001 RABBIT TALES. Combined, they made $5m at the domestic box office... Not great times to open an animated feature that wasn't Disney, and not that their distributors probably even cared at the time anyways.
Sometimes, there are around two animated features a month. It's not uncommon for two studios to share. Off the top of my head, you had - in November 2010 - MEGAMIND at the beginning of the month, and TANGLED before Thanksgiving. In the early summer of 2013, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY only opened about a few weeks before DESPICABLE ME 2. TROLLS and MOANA shared November 2016. Again, just random examples off the top of my head.
But usually, they're spaced out... TROLLS BAND TOGETHER and WISH are five days apart...
TROLLS 3 is projected to take in around $20-25m this weekend, which is significantly less than what TROLLS took in back in 2016, but still alright for this kind of movie. WISH is set to out-open it, with over $50m for the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend stretch. For a $200m-costing movie, it's going to need all the legs in the world to get by. TROLLS 3 will need to pull some good weight too to more than double its much more modest $95m budget. (Wild to think that $95m seems *low*... There was a time when a DreamWorks/PDI movie cost $75m... And for a good while, roughly $135m!)
I'm curious to see how each film affects one another. Families aren't made of money, and there's gotta be a kind of adult pull to really make big bucks, and I'm not sure if either of these films have that. Plus you have stuff like WONKA right around the corner... Thankfully no Marvel, Star Wars, or Avatar movie to counter with. Although, PUSS IN BOOTS Dos last year, woooooow. That cat held his own against the blue cat aliens.
But yeah, if you think about it... This is a rare head-to-head race.
One could argue we saw this in late winter of 2021 when Warner Bros. released their live-action TOM & JERRY, and then Disney Animation had RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON out a week later. But that was before vaccines got out for all age groups (they were distributed to the elderly first, I - who was 28 at the time - couldn't get my first shot until April.), and the films had simultaneous streaming debuts, so I don't really count that. Plus, Cinemark theaters refused to show RAYA over a disagreement on who got most of the earnings. (That would've been my return trip to the movies after a year-long hiatus, my return ended up being A QUIET PLACE: PART II two months later.)
It's funny how TROLLS 3 is Universal and WISH is Disney... Just like how LAND BEFORE TIME was Universal, and OLIVER was Disney.
The Disney-Universal race was successful for both. OLIVER took home $53m domestically (the $71m figure you often see comes from the film's 1996 re-release), LAND BEFORE TIME took home $48m. Worldwide is up the air, because Disney never released OLIVER's numbers, Universal reported that LAND made around $84m. Winner is unknown, but it was always assumed to be LAND. Maybe because dinosaurs are more Universal than a modern-day New York comedy? Who knows!
Perhaps greatly inspired by that double-whammy of animated hits, MGM/United Artists wanted to try that for themselves. Don Bluth split with Spielberg and Lucas due to creative disagreements during production of both LAND BEFORE TIME and his other Spielberg collab AN AMERICAN TAIL, and set up ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN with the lion. MGM/UA released ALL DOGS the same day as THE LITTLE MERMAID...
Bluth's movie got left to sink by the Ron Clements and John Musker-directed musical sleeper hit... It wasn't even close. $27m domestic vs. $84m domestic, and in addition that, MERMAID's worldwide figures put it at roughly $183m. (Again, in 1989-90, without the 1997 re-release counted.) ALL DOG's worldwide total is unknown.
This didn't entirely scare distributors away from trying again.
The fall of 1990 was originally set to see another Bluth vs. Disney face-off. If plans had held, MGM-Pathe would've released Bluth's ROCK-A-DOODLE on the same day as Disney's sequel THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER. MGM-Pathe ran into financial and legal problems, putting Bluth's film in limbo for a bit...
Instead, Warner Bros. went toe to toe with Disney, releasing an animated feature that wasn't a Looney Tunes clipshow: THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE... Suffice to say, it barely scrounged up $1m domestically, and Disney's sequel had troubles of its own, stalling at $29m domestically, $47m worldwide.
Two films fled from the autumn of 1991, as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST looked to not be a repeat of RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, but a repeat of LITTLE MERMAID and OLIVER's successes... 20th Century Fox - who had FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST - and The Samuel Goldwyn Company - who picked up ROCK-A-DOODLE - chickened, literally in the latter's case...
Only Universal had the guts to take on the beast... By releasing AN AMERICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST the same day. The Don Bluth-less sequel made only $22m domestically, while BEAUTY AND THE BEAST made... $145m in North America alone, and blew up with $331m around the world...
After FERNGULLY and ROCK-A-DOODLE wisely fled from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, they duked it out in April 1992. DOODLE opened the first weekend of the month, with FERNGULLY following. FERNGULLY won with $24m domestically, DOODLE struggled with $11m. (It's worth noting that DOODLE first came out in the UK in August of 1991.)
Universal initially thought they'd have WE'RE BACK! A DINOSAUR'S STORY ready to compete with ALADDIN, but they likely realized that that was not a great idea... WE'RE BACK! opened over a full year after ALADDIN and still flopped hard. It opened nearby BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, which also made a paltry amount.
From there on out, things were typically spaced out. Sometimes the smaller efforts opened close to each other.
And now here we are, Thanksgiving week of 2023... We have trolls vs. wishing stars. Universal vs. Disney. It'll be fun to watch, but I hope the two film crews of both get to put food on their tables once more.
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chapter eighteen — how many secrets can you keep
➝ it’s race weekend in austria, which means toto has some very special guests with him at the race. elisabeth’s anxiety has nothing to do with what’s happening on the track.
➝ word count: 6,8k
➝ warnings: sexual harrasment, mentions of an almost traffic accident
JUNE, 2015
Elisabeth drummed her fingers on the steering wheel of her Mercedes C-Class as followed the light curves of the S36, the expressway that cut through northern Styria. The pastoral landscape, made up of extensive green fields dotted with Norway spruces, was framed by the imposing Austrian Alps.
Elisabeth left Schloss Gabelhofen, an upscale hotel on the banks of the Pöls River, early that morning. Not that the way to the Red Bull Ring was far — the medieval castle was just over ten minutes from the circuit.
But, there was a very special reason why she woke up early that Saturday.
Well, two reasons.
— What are you thinking? — Toto asked her the night before, his fingers playing with the strands of her hair. The question made her shift uncomfortably against his chest.
— About tomorrow — Elisabeth replied, looking up into his brown eyes.
— Since when do you care about qualifying, Liesl? — he asked her, raising an eyebrow.
— I’m not talking about qualifying, Toto. I’m talking about them — she said, nodding to the wall behind them.
On the other side of that wall was Benedict and Rosi, who had arrived at the hotel earlier that evening after Toto had gone to Vienna to pick them up to watch the race.
It wasn’t a surprise that they would be in Styria that weekend. Since 2013, when Toto started going to the garage with her and Niki, the kids were always in attendance for the Austrian Grand Prix, sometimes even for the Hungarian Grand Prix, as the circuit wasn’t far from Vienna. However, unlike previous years, where Elisabeth was just Niki Lauda’s daughter, her status wasn’t quite as neatly defined now.
— Liesl, no need to worry. To them, you’re still Elisabeth, Niki’s daughter, and my friend.
— Friends generally don’t live in the same house.
— They can! I shared a house with friends of mine in the 90s.
— I doubt you were having sex with them — she said, trying to hold back a laugh. Toto looked at her and smiled back.
— True, I wasn’t having sex with them, but the fact that we are doesn’t change the fact that you’re my friend, too. You’re my best friend. You’re my partner in crime — he whispered, his thumb brushing her cheek.
Elisabeth was silent as she took in what he said. Their life had its ups and downs with the stress of living on planes and hotels being amplified by the struggle to keep their relationship status private from everyone except them. However, she’d never felt so sure of a choice in her life. Everything felt so right. She was so happy.
— You’re my best friend too, honey — Elisabeth replied softly. She couldn’t avoid sounding a bit hesitant.
The problem is, she knew that Toto wasn’t just any single man. He had baggage that he’d brought to the relationship — the fears, misgivings, and insecurities of an older man who had been married, had gotten divorced, and had a few girlfriends after his divorce. His baggage was the two most precious possessions he had, the two most important people in his life.
His children.
— But? — Toto asked.
— The term we use to define our relationship won’t matter to your children. To them, I will continue to be a new, unknown person who is stepping into their lives and taking a place by your side. It’s not as simple as it seems.
He blinked.
— It sounds like you’ve been doing some research already — Toto said.
Elisabeth felt her face heat.
— Well, I have.
— You researched how to deal with stepchildren? — he looked at her, one eyebrow raised.
— How to introduce myself to my stepchildren, more specifically.
— And what did you find?
— Well, I’ve found that first impressions are very important for a healthy relationship with them — she raised her hand and lifted a finger, listing off what she’d read — Supporting their interests and encouraging them is important. Also, giving the three of you space to do things together is a good way to bring more security to the relationship between me and the kids. And that honesty and trust are essential for this relationship to work.
Toto gazed at her for a few seconds.
— Everything makes sense, now — he said.
— What do you mean?
— I didn’t do any of that when I introduced them to Aurélie.
— You introduced them to Aurélie!? — she exclaimed, indignation clear in her voice.
— Yes — Toto replied, running his fingers through his messy dark hair.
She held herself back from laughing.
— And how did you do that?
— I took the three of them to a restaurant for dinner. Let’s just say… It wasn’t one of the best nights I’ve ever had with them.
— What happened?
— Well, apart from Benedict’s sour looks, Rosi’s complete indifference, and the fact that Aurélie was so tense she almost crushed my hand from squeezing it, practically nothing.
— Nothing?
— Nothing. They hardly spoke to her during the two hours we spent at the restaurant.
Elisabeth couldn’t help but feel a chill inside as nerves gripped her body and made her stomach turn.
— And… What if that happens to me? — she whispered.
— If what happens?
— What if they don’t like me?
Toto placed his lips on the top of her head, giving her a gentle kiss.
— They already like you, Liesl.
— But what if they stop liking me when they find out we’re together?
— It’s impossible to stop liking you, Elisabeth. Stay calm.
She wanted to stay calm. However, as she turned onto Spielbergerstrasse, the road leading to the Red Bull Ring, Elisabeth kept remembering what she and Toto had agreed to that morning, before she left his suite at the end of the hallway, praying that the kids hadn’t spotted her leaving somehow.
— No touching, no staring, no whispering to each other, no alone time — she muttered, as her eyes flicked over the street signs for the circuit that dotted both sides of the road — For all intents and purposes, we’re just good friends and co-workers.
Even in the face of such precautions, all Elisabeth could do was hope that both of their performances would be convincing enough that neither of the children realized the real nature of her relationship with Toto.
Just over an hour later, she was having her third coffee in the Mercedes’ hospitality area, her back to the entrance, until she heard a familiar voice greet someone behind her. Turning her head back, Elisabeth saw the team principal pass through the automatic door with two pre-teens in tow. They were playing excitedly with each other, the girl trying to steal the boy’s Mercedes cap. It may have been more than a year since she’d last seen them, but the resemblance to their father was uncanny.
— Good morning, Wolff pack — she joked, smiling at them.
— Good morning, Elisabeth — Toto replied, approaching her to greet her with a chaste kiss on the cheek. It was almost comical to her to greet him that way, like she hadn’t slept with him the night before — How are you?
— Fine, drinking Barbara’s amazing coffee.
He looked at the cup in front of her and raised an eyebrow.
— Barbie, is it her first today? — he asked the employee, pointing to the cup.
— Third, Toto — the woman replied, drying her hands on the apron she was wearing. He dropped the folder he was holding onto the chair next to her and took the cup from her hands, handing it to Barbara.
— Hey, give that back! — Elisabeth protested, getting up from her chair and going after him.
— No more coffee for this one, Barbie.
— Toto!
— You know you can’t drink that much coffee.
She tried to take the cup, but Barbara had it out of her reach already. Upset, she turned to Toto, who had a mischievous smile on his face. He had definitely done it to provoke her.
— Why? — she crossed her arms, sulking.
— Too much caffeine is bad, Liesl, we’ve talked about this already — he replied, approaching her.
— I never felt bad after drinking coffee, Toto.
— But you get anxious, I’ve noticed — he said, flashing her one of those smiles that made her heart flutter. However, Elisabeth’s eyes shifted to the kids behind him. Benedict and Rosi looked at them with a curious expression, as if they were trying to understand that interaction between them. “Shit”, she thought, looking back at Toto.
— And since when do you care about that? — she replied, tilting her head slightly towards the children, trying to subtly signal him to not say anything he’d regret.
— Since always, since you’re my friend. And you know friends care about each other’s health. You told me that yourself when I broke my arm — Toto said, giving her a wink.
— Yeah, but not in front of the kids — Elisabeth said quietly, keeping her eye on them. They were still looking at them — What will they think I am?
— Probably a caffeine addict — he muttered, causing her to playfully smack his arm.
— You’re ridiculous, Wolff.
— And you need to be stopped before the hospitality coffee runs out — Toto replied, making her laugh. Even when Elisabeth tried to look mad at him, she couldn’t.
He was too adorable.
— Okay, no more coffee for today — she relented, bringing a smile to his face. He turned to Benedict and Rosi and pointed a finger at her.
— And that’s how you tame a Lauda — he said, making the children laugh.
— It’s easy with me, I want to see you try that with my father — Elisabeth said, dodging him to grab her bag on the chair — By the way, has he arrived yet?
— Yes, Niki came with us.
— Oh. Where is he?
— Niki went straight to the garage. That’s where I’m supposed to be, but we left late and these two still haven’t had breakfast — he sighed, nodding at his children. Looking at the two of them, she dropped her bag strap back on the chair.
— If you want, I can stay here with them and you can head to the garage. We’ll catch up to you once they’ve eaten. What do you think?
Toto blinked once, twice before turning to face Benedict and Rosi.
— How does that sound, kids?
— Fine by me — the girl replied, settling into one of the chairs at her table.
Benedict, however, was more hesitant.
— Okay, Dad — he just said.
Toto smiled.
— Excellent! So I’ll meet you all there. Behave yourselves — he said, walking past Elisabeth and picking up his briefcase from his chair — And don’t let her have any more coffee.
— Okay, goodbye — she said, voice heavy with sarcasm as she settled into her chair.
Toto left the hospitality area and headed to the garage, walking quickly.
As for Elisabeth, looking at the two pre-teens in front of her, she couldn’t help but swallow hard.
She was alone with Toto’s children for the first time. Possibly her future stepchildren, and they didn’t even know it.
— What would you like to eat? — she smiled.
— I don’t know, what is there? — Rosi returned.
— Good question, I only have coffee here — she looked towards the caterer and raised her hand — Barbie, can you come over here?
The employee approached the table.
— Yes, Elisabeth.
— Could you tell us what’s on the menu for our guests?
— Well, we have a selection of breads, butter or jam to go with it, muesli, ham, smoked bacon, sausages, eggs, cakes, pastries and, to go with it, coffee, tea or juice.
Elisabeth looked at them.
— Plenty of options, no?
— Pretty much — Rosi said, smiling — I’ll have a kaisersemmel with jam, a bowl of muesli, and some juice.
Barbara wrote down the girl’s order on her notepad.
— And you, Benedict? — she asked, earning a serious look from him.
— Kaisersemmel, bacon, eggs and a cup of tea — the boy muttered to the caterer, who wrote down his order as well.
— And you, Elisabeth? Did you want something else?
— Well, I think I’ll have a…
— No coffee — Rosi exclaimed, the same mischievous smile as Toto’s on her lips.
“Definitely a daddy’s girl”, she thought, unable to hold back a laugh.
— I’m fine, I don’t need anything.
She watched Barbara walk toward the hospitality kitchen. Then she looked at the children again, studying the subtle differences between them. While Benedict seemed more reserved, looking at the card hanging around his neck that gave free access to the paddock, Rosi seemed enchanted by the environment, her eyes taking in all the details.
After a few minutes of silence, she decided to break the ice.
— Are you two looking forward to the qualifying session today?
— I am.
— I’m fine, I’m sure Lewis will do well — Benedict replied, a familiar confidence in his voice.
— Are you sure, Benedict? Nico did very well in Monaco — Elisabeth said, in an attempt to maintain a dialogue with him about something she knew that he knew a lot about. “Support their interests and encourage them”, she mentally repeated.
— Lewis is on a good run, he’s already scored six poles in seven races — the boy said, smiling — The car is reliable, fast, and he’s well adapted to it. He has everything to get another pole position today.
Benedict’s knowledge of motorsport didn’t surprise her. He, in addition to being the son of a man who was completely obsessed with the sport, was passionate about Formula 1. Elisabeth had already spent hours listening to Toto talk about how Ben watched the races in his lap when he was little, his eyes glued to the screen, watching Michael Schumacher’s red car.
His passion for motorsport had taken him to the Formula 1 In Schools at the school where he was studying, working as the team’s communications director, a role that he performed very well from what Toto told her. However, something told her that a potential leader lurked inside him, just like his father.
— Actually, you’re right — Elisabeth said, smiling — Speaking of a car, your father told me that you are participating in the construction of a miniature prototype, is that it?
— Yeah. We’re refining the design according to the aerodynamic tests that we did in Flow Design. We hope to be testing the car next month.
— And are you enjoying the process?
The boy smiled.
— Yes, a lot. It is complex to keep track of everything, school, extracurricular activities and now this project. But it’s exciting to see it come together, you know?
— I understand perfectly — she replied, spotting Barbara coming to the table out of the corner of her eye — And here comes your breakfast.
Barbara brought breakfast to the table carefully, balancing the plates and glasses on a tray. She smiled as she served the children, asking Elisabeth again if she wanted anything. She shook her head and thanked her. Then, Benedict and Rosi began to eat in silence, making occasional comments about the food and whatever was playing on the screen behind her.
After they’d eaten, Elisabeth led them out of hospitality towards the pits. By then, the paddock was busier, with a crowd of reporters, photographers, staff, guests and visitors making her heart sink. She didn’t even want to think about what might happen if she lost one of them in that crowd.
— Rosi, do you mind giving me your hand? — she asked the girl, trying to hide her apprehension — There’s a lot of movement in the paddock and I don’t want to lose sight of you.
— No problem, Elisabeth — she said, her fingers tightening around her hand.
— Could you take your brother’s hand too? Just to be safe.
The girl looked at her brother and took his hand. She expected Benedict to protest, telling his sister to let him go, but he was silent, watching the flurry of activity — people, press, and car parts, all moving back and forth.
She guided them through the scrum and got them to the Mercedes garage with little difficulty, though it took a bit longer than it normally would have. Noticing their arrival in the guest viewing area, Toto took off the silver headphones and got up from the engineering island to greet them.
— Everyone been fed? — he asked, leaning back against the wall.
— Very well — Elisabeth said, grinning.
— Did you drink any more coffee, Elisabeth?
— No, Rosi wouldn’t let me.
Toto gave his daughter a smile.
— She’s really daddy’s little girl — he said, giving her a wink.
— Speaking of daddy, where’s my dad? — she asked, eyes searching the garage for his red cap.
— He went to the Legends Parade, Elisabeth. Did you forget?
“Fuck, the Legends Parade”, she thought, putting a hand to her face.
Elisabeth had become so nervous about making a good impression on Toto’s children that she had completely forgotten about the event her father was participating in, along with other world champions and drivers from the first turbocharger era in the 1980’s.
— Is he still there?
— Yeah, they’re showing the cars now, they’re going to ride them around the track in a while.
— I’ll go down there, then — she said, dropping her bag on one of the chairs in the viewing gallery, next to Benedict, who was watching the screen in front of him.
Looking at him, an idea sprang to mind.
— Benedict, do you want to come with me to see my father’s McLaren MP4/2B?
She was certain that she saw the boy’s eyes light up.
— Yes, I do — he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. However, he turned to Toto, who had a distinct look of pride on his face — Can I, father?
— Yes, Ben. But don’t leave Elisabeth’s side under any circumstances.
The boy nodded, straightening his cap on his head before following her out of the garage, towards the busy pit lane. The walk to the point where everyone was gathered was fast, with Elisabeth sneaking through a gray gate towards the grid where the cars were positioned.
— This way, Benedict — she said, letting the boy pass her and placing a hand on his shoulder to lead him through the crowd of photographers and onlookers that surrounded the MP4/2. Elisabeth excused herself as she made her way through the crowd to where your dad was, talking to Alain Prost, his former McLaren teammate.
— Dad? — she said, waving at Niki, who smiled.
— Finally you showed up — he said, placing a kiss on her cheek — Where have you been? Disappeared from the hotel, you weren’t in the garage…
— I was with Rosi and Benedict at the hospitality — she said, patting the shoulder of the boy who was looking at the car, delighted — By the way, did you know Ben loves older cars?
He looked at Elisabeth and then at Niki, smiling. He didn’t seem to mind the use of his nickname.
— Yes, I do, Mr. Lauda — he said, nodding excitedly.
— Have you ever seen the MP4/2 up close, Ben?
— Never, just pictures — the boy said, straining to see something near the car’s wheels — It uses carbon brakes, doesn’t it?
Niki smiled.
— Yes, it was one of the few cars to have that feature. They excelled on street circuits in dry, hot conditions.
The boy circled the car, stopping near the rear wing.
— It was also one of the best in terms of aerodynamics, wasn’t it, Mr. Lauda?
— Yes, fantastic rear-wheel drive. The long, high-speed turns were amazing to take.
— I imagine — Benedict looked at your father, eyes gleaming.
The sight of the two of them interacting made Elisabeth feel something warm in her chest. She had often found herself imagining what it would be like to welcome everyone to her home in England for dinner. Her family and Toto’s, together, bound together by the love they felt for each other. Seeing Ben and Niki talking and playing, almost like grandfather and grandson, made the desire to see it happen grow.
— Niki! — she heard someone exclaim, in a familiar accent. “Oh no, not him”, Elisabeth thought, forcing a smile. Taking one last look at Ben, she saw the gray-haired man in the white jumpsuit wrap her father in a tight hug, thumping him on the back, companionably.
— How are you, Piquet?
— All well, thank God. And you, all on top?
Her father laughed.
— Everything is on top. You remember my daughter, Elisabeth, right?
Nelson looked at her.
— Of course I remember — he approached, placing a kiss on her cheek. That closeness made her shiver — She was a lovely little girl.
— Thank you, Mr. Piquet.
— But now she’s become a stunning woman — he took a step back, looking her up and down — Too much trouble keeping men away from her, Niki?
Her father gave him a forced smile. He was clearly a little uncomfortable.
— Not at all, Elisabeth is a responsible woman.
— Are you single? — Nelson asked her.
Elisabeth never wanted so much to be able to say she had a partner.
— Yes, I am.
— How can such a beautiful woman be single?
— I’m a very busy woman, I don’t have much time.
— If I were younger, I wouldn’t give up the opportunity to ask you out. Maybe I should set you up with my son, Pedro. Do you remember him? I introduced him to you in Ibiza some years ago.
Elisabeth hadn’t remembered that he had another son besides Nelson Junior, who raced with Mathias in GP2 in 2005. The boy had been the same sort of unpleasant that his father was — as arrogant and completely reckless. The prospect of another Piquet in racing like Junior was a real nightmare to Elisabeth and the racing world as a whole.
— Yes, I do — she lied, feeling her stomach churn.
The sound of clicking camera shutters made him exclaim for the moment to be photographed, saying he needed pictures of her to show his son. Positioning herself beside him, she felt Nelson’s hand land high on her waist, uncomfortably close to her left breast. With the smile not leaving her face, Elisabeth took a deep breath, looking into the lens for a few moments. “It will be over soon”, she repeated to herself like a mantra.
Then she felt the fingers in her ribcage crawling towards her breast and a warm breath against her ear.
— But, if you prefer older guys, you should let me know…
Elisabeth moved her hand from her father’s back and brought it to the point where Nelson was touching her. She noticed that her father was distracted, talking again to Prost. Then, turning to Nelson once more, she leaned in close.
— You should know that, while my father holds you in high regard, I cannot say the same — she whispered — You need to take your hands off of me before I make a point of telling everyone here what you just said and did to me.
He gave her a sneer.
— They’d never believe you — the ex-driver snapped.
— But I bet they’d believe Toto Wolff — Elisabeth said, looking behind him, over his shoulder. Turning his head, Piquet saw Toto, who was standing on the other side of the car, his hands on Benedict’s shoulders. It was obvious from the way his jaw was clenched that he was completely enraged.
Then, Toto made a subtle gesture to Piquet with his head — a tilt that said more than words could.
“Go away”.
— Excuse me, Miss Lauda — Nelson spat, walking away from her.
She took a few seconds to compose herself before saying hello to Alain. Then, Elisabeth stepped towards Toto and Benedict, the boy still distracted by the car. As she stood next to the team principal, she felt like crying, screaming, and throwing up, all at once. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, Toto brought his face close to hers.
— Are you okay?
— Yes, Toto. Thank you for helping me.
She knew he wanted to say more than that, but it wasn’t possible there, with all the fuss and crowd, and with Benedict so close by. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, his thumb stroking the skin exposed by the summer dress she’d chosen for the day. It was the most he could do, and it meant so much.
— What did you come over here for? — she asked, trying to push the memory of what had just happened out of her head.
— I saw you on the broadcast and wanted to see how you were doing. Ben looked very excited to be talking to your father.
Elisabeth smiled, placing her hand on top of his.
— Two lovers of speed together, there was no way it could not work out.
Suddenly, Benedict turned to them, making both Elisabeth and Toto step away suddenly.
— Can we see them race? — the boy asked, smiling.
— Yes, we can — Toto replied, taking the cap off Benedict’s head, revealing his light brown hair, messy from being under his hat — But it will have to be from the garage, okay?
Ben nodded, taking his hat back and putting it back on his head.
They made it back to the garage together in time to see the cars on the track through the screens in the viewing gallery. With the silver headphones on his head, Benedict was talking animatedly to Rosi, making gestures with his hands. As she watched, Elisabeth discreetly touched Toto’s shoulder to draw his attention.
— Everything okay? — he asked her, removing one side of the earphones to hear her.
— Yes, I was just looking at the kids.
Leaning over to look at his children, his brown eyes found her face again, accompanied by the wrinkles that only appeared when he gave his widest smiles, as well as the crinkle of his nose that made her belly fill with butterflies.
— They’re happy — Toto whispered in realization.
— Yes, they are.
— Thank you.
— For what? — you asked, laughing.
— For being here. For being by my side. For being my partner in crime.
Elisabeth smiled.
— We’re in this together. Always.
Suddenly, Toto turned his face to the screen, pressing the headphones to his ear.
— Your dad’s driving now, do you want to listen?
She nodded, handing him the cable to her headphones so he could plug them into the engineering station. Looking up at the screen, Elisabeth saw her dad rev up his McLaren MP4/2 on the main straight of the Red Bull Ring, the red and white livery becoming a blur on the asphalt.
Unlike her brothers, she’d never seen her father drive in actual races. All she knew about her father’s career were just memories he’d shared, videos she’d found on YouTube, and the pictures scattered through the house. Seeing him actually driving the car with which he had won his third World Championship in front of her was different.
It was definitely much better than watching the videos and photos.
It was magical.
When her father returned to the garage before qualifying, Elisabeth approached him, smiling.
— What do you think, Mauslein? — he asked her, adjusting the red cap on his head.
— You drove pretty well for an old man — she said. He burst out laughing.
— An old man out of shape, by the way.
— But very talented, nonetheless — she added, giving him a hug — It was amazing to actually see you on the track. Really amazing.
Her father placed a kiss on her cheek.
— Thank you, Mauslein.
The results of the qualifying session did not come as a surprise. Just as Benedict had said over breakfast, Lewis scored another pole position, 200 hundredths of a second ahead of Nico. Another extraordinary performance from an extraordinary driver in an extraordinary machine.
Rising from her chair, Elisabeth made her way to the guest area where Benedict and Rosi were sitting and talking. As the boy was explaining something to his sister, the girl looked at her own pit, looking distracted. Leaning back against the partition, she smiled.
— You were right, Ben — she said — Lewis rocked it today.
The boy looked up at her, the corners of his lips curving into a smile.
— Yes, he did very well. And it will be even better tomorrow.
— What did you think, Rosi?
— I thought it was cool, but quite noisy.
— Just don’t take off your headphones, Rosi — Benedict retorted.
— But it was uncomfortable — the girl complained — They kept squeezing my head, it was already hurting.
— But you shouldn’t take them off!
— Ben, it’s okay. Tomorrow we will see more comfortable headphones for Rosi, ok?
The girl nodded, smiling.
Suddenly, she felt a hand touch the base of her spine, the fingers gently brushing the fabric of her dress. Elisabeth felt her body suddenly tense, only relaxing the moment she realized that Toto was touching her. He was leaning against the partition beside her, looking relaxed.
— Did you have fun today? — Toto asked, smiling at his kids.
— A lot — Rosi replied.
— Yes, a lot — Ben said, getting a pat on his hair from his father.
Watching them, she couldn’t hold back a sigh. “Maybe this can work”, Elisabeth thought, a faint smile playing on her lips.
— And you, Liesl? — Toto turned to her, a gleeful gleam in his eyes — Did you have fun?
— Yes. Race weekends are always fun, especially up close — she replied, tucking a lock of her light-brown hair behind her ear.
— Glad you — he started to say, correcting himself soon after — Or rather, you all had fun. However, I wanted to ask you something.
— Are you staying late? — Ben asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow in a way that was eerily similar to the way his father did. Toto couldn’t help but look a little startled by the boy’s quick deduction.
— Yes — Toto replied quietly — How do you know?
— We heard an engineer talking to Bono — Rosi replied, a mischievous smile on her face. It was a smile that looked just like Toto’s.
— Well, then, since you know I’m going to have to stay a little longer here on the track, I want to know if you two wanted to stay in the hospitality, while I finish the debrief and do some meetings.
Benedict and Rosi looked at each other, as if seeking the answer in each other’s silence. Faced with that impasse between the two, Elisabeth decided to speak out.
— Well, I’m heading back to the hotel now — she said, making the three pairs of brown eyes turn towards her — If you want, I can take you there, no problem. I imagine you both are tired and tomorrow will be as full as today.
Rosi turned to face her brother, a wide smile on her face, before looking back at you.
— I want to go to the hotel with you, Elisabeth. Can I, dad?
Toto was still looking at her silently, a glint of admiration in his eyes.
— If it’s not a problem for Elisabeth…
— No problem at all — she replied — It will be great to have company to go back to the hotel.
— Are you going with your sister, Ben?
The boy looked at her, studying her expression for a few seconds. Then he turned to Toto and smiled.
— I want to stay with you, dad.
The answer caused a strange unease to rise in her chest. “Did Ben not like me?”, she thought, trying to hide her discomfort by looking at her phone.
— You know you can’t leave hospitality, don’t you? — Toto asked.
— Not even to go to the garage to see the mechanics working on the car?
— If you want to see the mechanics, I can bring you by, but you can’t leave here until I get back. I don’t want you hanging around the paddock at this hour, is that clear? — he replied with a stern expression on his face.
— Fine, dad — Benedict replied excitedly.
— So, are you ready to go? — Elisabeth asked Rosi.
— Yes.
Elisabeth waited for Rosi to say goodbye to Benedict and Toto, watching her give each of them a hug. It felt like deja vu. Rosi’s relationship with her father and brother was very reminiscent of her own relationship with Niki, Mathias and Lukas. “Maybe we’re not all that different”, she thought, watching Toto say something to his daughter before kissing the top of her head. Then he looked up at her.
— Be careful on the road, Liesl — Toto said, approaching her and giving her cheek a cordial, chaste kiss.
— Always — she replied, trying to sound casual.
When he pulled away, their eyes met for a moment. There was, undeniably, a glow of happiness in them, and she was sure it wasn’t just from the results of qualifying.
— Ready, Elisabeth? — she heard Rosi say, taking her hand suddenly. The gesture made something warm in her chest. “She trusts me”, she thought, looking into the girl’s chocolate eyes.
— Let’s go, dear. Goodbye, boys — she said, leaving the hospitality along with Rosi, heading towards the paddock exit.
Seated in the leather seats of her black Mercedes C-Class, Elisabeth maneuvered the car carefully through the staff’s parking lot. Crossing the entrance gate and Red Bull statue, she made a point of waving to the people who were huddled against the railings on the side of the road, waiting for the drivers to leave. With the camera flashes filling her vision with spots, she took the turn slowly, pulling onto Spielbergerstraße with caution.
— I don’t know how you and my dad put up with this — Rosi muttered.
— This what?
— The photographers. The reporters. The cameras on you. Attention all the time.
Elisabeth heaved a sigh, shifting gears.
— I won’t say it’s easy, because it isn’t. But there comes a point where you get used to it, especially inside the paddock. It turns out that journalists and photographers become part of the environment, like potted plants.
Rosi laughed.
— But my father doesn’t agree with me — she continued, looking briefly at Rosi — He finds it all very invasive, very disturbing. He calls the photographers ‘vultures’.
— My father does, too — the girl exclaimed.
— Now you know where he got it from — Elisabeth smiled at her.
Silence settled over the interior of the car, but there was nothing uncomfortable about it. As she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, Elisabeth felt a lightness inside you — a kind of relief that came from everything going well that day. Not just on-track, but off. It was a sense of accomplishment.
— Elisabeth…
— Yeah? — she answered.
— Can I turn on the radio?
She smiled.
— Sure.
With a few taps on the screen, the car was filled with Ed Sheeran’s melodious voice, the soft chords of the guitar making her smile.
And I’m thinking ‘bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Her head began to shake gently.
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
Her lips muttered the lyrics silently.
And I just wanna tell you I am
Her mind was filled with memories of white wine-flavored kisses.
— I really like this song — Rosi said, once the British singer finished the chorus for the first time.
— Your father loves that song too — Elisabeth muttered unconsciously, not realizing what she’d implied until she heard the girl next to her answer her.
— Because it reminds him of you, doesn’t it?
Her words made her heart skip a beat and her entire body feel heavy. The shock had Elisabeth swerve the car, her foot slamming on the brake with such force that her torso was shoved against her seat belt.
She turned off the ignition, feeling her hands shake as she pressed the hazard light button. Her pulse roared in her ears, her breaths heavy. Gathering all the courage she had left, Elisabeth turned to face Rosi, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
— Where did you get this from, Rosi? — she managed to say, her voice shaking with shock.
The girl hesitated for a few seconds before starting to speak.
— Well, I suspected my dad was seeing someone when I saw his phone.
She felt her heart sink. She had been so careful to keep his number with the same name, without any hint that there was anything more. After all, they never knew when someone might look at the screen.
“He couldn’t have changed my contact information after our conversation, could he?”, she thought, her fingers gripping the steering wheel.
— What did you see? — she asked. Elisabeth was imagining the worst.
— His cell phone was ringing and I was going to take it to him at his office, but the call went to voicemail. That’s when I saw the wallpaper and realized it wasn’t the same photo I’d set for him.
It was an undeniable fact that Toto was a walking six-foot-five contradiction. The fact that he had achieved success investing in tech companies but was completely unable to download an app or change his phone’s wallpaper without help always made Elisabeth laugh.
At that moment, she didn’t find the situation funny, especially since it had been that simple detail that had exposed them to his kids.
— The fact that his phone’s lock screen picture was different. I know my father doesn’t know how to change it, so that made me suspicious. However, when I showed it to Ben, he noticed in the photo that there was a lipstick mark on one of the glasses. That’s when we were sure he was seeing someone.
— That’s all?
— No. The furniture in different places and the new decor in the penthouse also made us suspicious. We were sure when my dad played this song on the way here and started humming it.
Elisabeth had no idea what to say.
She and Toto had definitely underestimated Benedict and Rosi.
— My father only ever plays one song when he drives, which is Thunderstruck, by AC/DC. We always heard it on a loop, no matter how long the trip was.
Elisabeth held back a laugh.
— I’m guessing you got sick of it.
— Very — the girl laughed, lowering her gaze.
— Me too — she replied, smiling.
It was silent again for a few seconds, as if they were looking for something to say to each other. Then Rosi looked up at her.
— Are you my father’s girlfriend?
She hesitated for a few seconds. There was no way out now.
— Yes, Rosi, I’m your father’s girlfriend.
The girl looked forward, her expression unreadable.
— Are you upset? — Elisabeth questioned her, trying to hide the apprehension in her voice.
— No, Elisabeth. I would never be upset if my father is happy. But knowing that you’re the one who’s on his side makes me — the girl hesitated for a second, as if she was searching for the right word — Glad. Well, not just me, but Ben too.
Her lips curved into a tight smile, relief flooding her body.
She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Rosi liked her. Benedict liked her.
— Besides, you’re better than the last one he introduced us to. She didn’t like us.
Elisabeth laughed, remembering what Toto had said about Aurélie’s introduction to the kids over dinner. She’d definitely made a poor impression.
— I like you a lot too, Rosi. I like you and Ben — she replied, placing her hand on top of hers.
— And my father, do you like him?
She felt her cheeks heat up. “Like” wasn’t an adequate enough word to describe the way she felt when she was with him, whether in the garage, on the plane, or just them, alone in their house together. Her feelings for him went far beyond a simple physical attraction, which was their guide in the first months of coexistence. It was something much deeper, genuine, intense.
— I love him, Rosi. I love him.
#toto wolff#toto wolff fluff#formula 1 fic#formula 1 fanfic#wlffog#f1 fic#f1 fanfic#natsversion#f1 x oc#formula 1 x oc#toto wolff x oc#scwlff
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i'd love to read more about micah's dante break character! 👀
Before we touch upon Dante Break, going over the details of Micah's arts career, xyr arts career started in 2010 after xe graduated with Arts Bachelor from the four year Performing and Visual Arts program at the USC School of Dramatic Arts.
With xyr second eldest siblings, Valentine Everlove, Micah initially took in theatre and played a large amount of leading and supporting roles in various drama productions until 2013, xe expanded xyr career into film and television. Xe often saw acting was restrictive as it's generally held with high expectations by both the audience and production teams. In 2015, wanting to have a media that Micah could have most creativity liberty while being unbounded to restrictions and expectations, xe produced a series called Beyond the Unknown, playing its unreliable narrating and morally ambiguous protagonist, Dante Break. Beyond the Unknown became popular over time, expanding upon five seasons before it completed the storyline in 2018.
Beyond the Unknown was a story that Micah had since xe was fourteen years old, fascinated with the worlds of science fiction, supernatural, and especially metafiction; Dante Break being Micah's most comfort and all favourite original character. Beyond the Unknown was about the multiverse that was falling apart from Nihils, an ancient race of eldritch beings from the Void that consumed those in their ways after breaking free from the Cosmic Order's weakening grasp. The audience plays an essential role with Dante taking them as a character, calling them the Outlooker and itself the Outsider, and they undergo a series of adventures across different areas of time and space, playing diverse themes and genres. The audience learns in the fourth season that the entire multiverse dies when the story of Beyond the Unknown concludes, making them the ultimate cause of the universal death due to them initiating and ending the existence of this universe and its story. Although Beyond the Unknown then had an interactive sequel film, Beyond the Unknown: Against the Void, where Dante Break managed to give the Audience a chance to save the universe, having one of the three endings depending on the choices that the Audience make:
The Good Ending ( everyone lives while the multiverse returns to cosmic harmony ), the Neutral Ending ( certain or every important characters dies but the multiverse can still exist, entering the state of " rebirth " ), and the Bad Ending ( everyone and everything and everywhere dies, only leaving you alive in the void forever ).
Dante Break is the childling of L'appel du Vide and Mise en Abyme, the personified Time and Space, but Dante's existence corrupted and created disturbance in the Cosmic Order, becoming an eldritch entity of time loops and liminal spaces, chaos and entropy, black holes and dark matters, the unreality itself ( being the unending cycle of creation and destruction, life and death, the Cosmos without beginning or end ). Dante Break is its mortal name as its divine name was Khaoboros, the Devourer of Chaos. Essentially, Dante is known to be God's worst nightmare and mistake.
Dante Break with its source was inspired by several medias that its creator and actor, Micah Xenowake, highly enjoyed, such as: Alan Wake, House of Leaves, and the Truman Show. In regards to existing characters, Micah took inspirations for Dante from Mephistopheles of Faust, Jack from English folklore, Atlas from Greek mythology, and several others. Beyond the Unknown explored the themes of breaking free from fate, gaining control in the narrative, and the inevitable act of loving the self and others despite it all. Micah wanted to have the protagonist who could be carelessly aware of the ultimate fate, but eventually breaking their own cycle of nihilism, they chose to do something about it rather than letting this awareness fester. Dante Break was seen to be coded with Dissociative Identity Disorder from its erratic behaviours and personality while people speculated Micah had DID, as given the interviews and behind the scenes xe's part of, although while xe never made any comments on this speculation about Dante and xemself, xe's more than content about people making headcanons on Dante's DID coded nature.
Dante Break is amoral and curious to the fault, constantly travelling between time, space, and even the universes. Despite its general associations with chaos and nihility, Dante exists as a neutral being that never takes any sides, rather is it only ever carving its own path to anything and everything that most interests and benefits it, as well as it is a cosmic outsider to discern real faults in established systems and be the force of bringing awareness to choices and their impacts. Dante excels in the arts of sorcery and trickery, engaging in them for its own curiosities and delights. Dante initially didn't care about the multiverse's approach to death, its nihilism and skepticism being the highlights of its character, but across the Beyond the Unknown storyline, with the Audience, it learnt to recognize the forms and functions of Love before it could comprehend its existence, hence, Dante was able to continue the timeline by making a grand choice that could lead the Audience to save the multiverse once and for all.
#ANONYMOUS#///#//#/#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ ANSWERS . ›#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ META . ›#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ MICAH . ›#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ DANTE . ›#[ Astereus does have an alter with the same name who was introjected from the fictional Dante Break character ]#[ so we'll just give it a tag but ggrgrgRGGRGRRRRRRRRR ]#[ DANTE BREAK MY BELOVEEEDDDDDDDD ]#[ the way I got SO deeply stupidly attached and detailed with this character already iHJSBKJFNSFJSNL ]#[ THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A THING BUT ALAS ]#[ thank you so much for letting me ramble about Dante ;; ]#[ the way I actually wanna write Dante Break but??? ]#[ I'm not so sure how that'll work if it's a fictional character that A Fictional Character played ljsnfgnflgnlZNSJLNFLF ]#[ I just think it's so neat............... <3 <3 <3 ]
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