#it’s also a Eriksson family car

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 3, Episode 6

Out here in the real world it's been a week since the cliffhanger ending of episode 5 where Simon broke up with Wilhelm, but in-universe it's just the next day, and Wilhelm is being comforted by Felice.

Subtext: This entire episode is incredibly meta, there are so many times characters say things that reference earlier seasons or episodes, or the entire series as a whole. This is the first time, and Felice is saying what we're all thinking. IS IT REALLY OVER?!? 😱

Blink and you miss it: Felice gives Wilhelm her sunglasses and dries his tears so he can hide the fact that he's been crying. Also, look at that gorgeous Swedish summer. It is so pretty.

Culture: The third-years are painting the banners that go on the trucks on graduation day.

Culture: They're also signing each others' student hats, which is a common tradition. You can just sign your name or write something funny or do whatever.

Culture: This car is what we in Sweden call a sossecontainer. It's an old 90's Volvo, it's square, it's ugly, and it was pretty cheap and reliable, so it was very common and popular among working class and the lower middle classes. It was never a high-status car, so it perfectly illustrates the Eriksson family.

Subtext: Oh look, another throwback to season 1 when Sara argued with Simon about their dad, and said that he should stop giving people second chances.

Culture: Oh look, another poem by Karin Boye. This time it's Eternity, a poem about cherishing your time with your loved one, and the text is about how good times feel like an endless summer, which is what it certainly looks like for the kids and their teacher in the lush landscape. But just like in the poem, their endless summer is about to end.

Culture: This is pretty much exactly the reason used when real-world Lundsberg was temporarily closed.

Culture: And Wilhelm isn't wrong, the shitty traditions are in the walls of the place, it's always been like that, and it's always been upheld by everyone involved with the school, parents, teachers, staff, and students.

Subtext: Since this is the last episode, let's prepare the viewers to say good bye to the show, and let's do it with a little montage of students crying and taking their stuff down and emptying their rooms.

Culture: This is a 100% factually true statement, Göteborg is the worst city in the world. Source: I'm a native Stockholmer, and you just have to trust me on this, ok? Look, it's just common sense, alright? Don't listen to people from Göteborg, they're just jealous they're not living in the glorious capital. Also, they talk funny. And they have no sense of humour! And everyone is named Glenn or something.

Culture: I don't think they're referencing an actual school here, and the current Norwegian royal children went to school in Norway, not Switzerland. But the current Danish crown prince went to some boarding school in Switzerland for a while, but then he went to the Danish elite boarding school Herlufsholm. However, it was rocked by a bullying scandal in 2022, so they had to pull him out of that one and deny all knowledge of the events. Feels familiar?

Culture: Solliden is the private summer palace of the real-world Swedish royal family located on Öland, an island off the south-east coast of Sweden. The show has consistently stayed away from every likeness with the real world, but I guess they couldn't be arsed making up a fictional summer palace for the YR royal family so they went with something familiar.

Subtext: Farima is talking about the problems of finding a new school for Wilhelm from an academic perspective, but he's just thinking about how this means he won't be close to Simon any longer.

Culture: Vincent and the boys are pouring one out for Hillerska. It's a way to toast a dead friend, or in this case, a place.

Blink and you miss it: August places a king chess piece on the table before telling his friends that he's Wilhelm's reserve and might be king someday.

Subtext: And he's still so blinded by the glamour of it, despite everything. Thankfully, his friends can bring him down a couple of pegs.

Blink and you miss it: While Wilhelm is returning Kris, the book from last season, the second book in the pile is a book by Kjell Westö, Den Svavelgula Himlen - Yellow Sulphur Sky. It's about a working class kid in Finland becoming friends with his upper-class neighbour family, and his struggle maintaining a relationship with the girl of the family because of their class differences. Slightly on the nose there, show.

Meta: Henry interrupting our boys at the worst possible time is just a running joke at this point. How many times has it happened now? Four times? Five? Read the fucking room, Henry!

Subtext: Last chance to have a party together, but also last chance to see Simon, "maybe ever". Oh no, we have to start preparing for a sad ending!

Culture: Red solo cups are not a thing anywhere outside the US really, but you can buy them as a gag gift in Sweden, because to us they're just a weird movie prop we've seen American movies. Every other party scene in the show has featured regular plastic cups.

Culture: Drinking with the teachers?!? Yeah, sure, why not, everyone is an adult.

Subtext: Emo outfit? ✅ Sitting on the floor? ✅ Full of self-pity? ✅ Exaggerating the catastrophic state of his world in the way only a 17yo disaster boy can do? ✅

Meta: Another throwback to how Wilhelm was referred to as the party prince back in season 1.

Blink and you miss it: Felice hides the wine bottle behind her back before Malin comes in. She knows, Felice. Malin knows everything.

Meta: Another throwback to when Wilhelm was eating the dirt at the very same football field that disaster emo boy Simon is now sitting at together with his friends, who are trying to convince him to go to the final party.

Subtext: This time, August isn't just sorry that he got caught, he is genuinely sorry for everything he did to Wilhelm. He in turn forgives August, and we're all getting closure for this plot point.

Meta: Hey, hey, hey guys, do you remember that scene in season 1 episode 1 when Sara helped hold Felice's hair while she was throwing up? We're doing a throwback here!

Meta: Hey, hey, hey guys, do you remember that scene in season 1 episode 3 when Felice told Sara that maybe you don't have to speak the truth all the time? Well, Sara still doesn't understand why you would lie, but this time she's right, Felice was right to tell the truth.

Blink and you miss it: Stella and Fredrika are making out at the party, Felice saw it, and is making a very funny face. This is also why Stella rudely rejects Rosh, because of course she's gonna choose Fredrika, Rosh was just a distraction to make her jealous.

Subtext: Vincent is talking about Nils, who just came out, but August just saw Sara, and that's the whoever he wants.

Subtext: But despite saying that he doesn't care about anyone else seeing them, he still ducked behind a stack of pallets for this conversation.

Meta: This is a brutal Fleabag reference.

Cinematography: This scene is overwhelmingly lit in that sickly greenish fluorescent hue, but there's golden light coming from somewhere, so Sara and August share one final kiss in that golden light. But there's not enough of it to go around, not enough for their love to last, so August is left standing there alone, and all the golden light is gone.

Cinematography: Wilhelm and Simon left the party sometime after midnight, this is supposed to be a very early morning summer sunrise, and our boys are just gonna be bathed in the golden light throughout the entire scene. Gods, it is pretty.

Meta: Hey, hey, remember that scene in season 1 when Simon was singing that song, and Wilhelm instantly fell for him?

Meta: Hey guys, remember that scene in season 1 when they were discussing welfare politics in class and Simon threw shade on Wilhelm? This is a throwback to that.

Cinematography: Just fucking look at this shit. What a nice view. The nature and the sunrise is pretty, too! Going naked into the water? Yeah, that's a rebirth metaphor as well. Lisa said so!

Subtext: This entire scene is basically Wilhelm trying one last time to get Simon back. They said they weren't gonna, but he's trying anyway. They're talking about that politics class where Wilhelm couldn't speak up because he was "not allowed". So he's still bound by his royal duties, which is why Simon broke up with him last episode.

Subtext: And since Wilhelm is still stuck, he's left on dry land, while Simon swims away from him, free. Guys, I'm thinking we're actually gonna get a sad ending! This does not look good! 😭

Blink and you miss it: Stella and Fredrika are sleeping in the same bed and making out the morning after, and millions of #Stedrika shippers are rejoicing! Yay, fanservice!

Blink and you miss it: Walter is helping Henry up after he passed out in the grass outside after the party, and millions of #Walty shippers are rejoicing! Yay, fanservice!

Subtext: The last photo Wilhelm takes down from his wall is the one with him and Simon, because that's the most important memory of this place.

Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm shuts off his red lightstrip in his room. Those lights have typically been a symbol of his love for Simon, but he's turning it off. Sad ending confirmed.

Meta: Listen, it's a lovely little song that Simon wrote for Wilhelm, but it's 100% fanservice, it's referencing events in the show that Simon actually didn't witness, and it's even referencing the soundtrack to the show itself! I mean, come on! And we're getting yet another sad boy Wilhelm montage of him moping around Hillerska with his earbuds.

Subtext: Remember how the frog snowglobe was a gift from Erik, who in turn got it from their grandpa, the king? It's so obviously a symbol of the monarchy, but Wilhelm is dumping it in the trash. Are we... Are we not getting a sad ending?

Cinematography: The shot of the flag being raised is cut off at half mast, which is a pretty universal symbol for mourning. Oh ok, we're back on track for a sad ending.

Subtext: This is the first time this season that Simon speaks Spanish with his mom, and the first time in the entire series that Sara does, which shows that they're fully themselves again, they've pulled themselves out of the Hillerska world.

Culture: The graduating students are having a champagne breakfast before the graduation ceremony, that's also very common in Sweden.

Subtext: Felice and the rest of the choir decided to have a little rebellion and not sing the boring old Hillerska song, and instead the new improved one that Simon made last season. No-one told him about the switch though, which is why he's so surprised.

Culture: After the ceremony, the graduating students will run out of the school to find their parents and family and friends, who are waiting for them, usually with a big sign with the most embarrassing baby picture they could find of them.

Blink and you miss it: August's mom and stepdad have also made a huge sign with an embarrassing picture of August Malte as a kid. Adorable.

Lost in translation: The queen is saying "lilla gubben", which literally means "little old man", a very common term of endearment in Swedish families. The show has been pretty consistent in that Wilhelm's family are all using normal words, just like any other family would. So it's pretty funny that despite everyone else using titles and styles all the time, to Wilhelm, his parents are simply "mamma" and "pappa", as if he was a regular kid.

Subtext: As a graduating student you get little gifts from your family, flowers, champagne, stuffed animals, all with a blue-and-yellow ribbon so you can hang them around your neck. August is family, so the Queen gives him one as well. Of a frog with a crown. Which is a symbol of the monarchy in the show. Wilhelm threw his frog in the trash, August is getting a frog from the Queen. I think there might be symbolism here! I think we're setting up August to become the next king! Do we dare hope for a happy ending?

Cinematography: Just fucking look at this shit. The composition, the contrast, the height difference, the distance between them. It's so pretty. And they're talking about how good it was while it lasted, just like how a TV show with a sad ending can still be an amazing experience. Hint hint.

Subtext: We're saying our goodbyes, Wilhelm and Simon are saying goodbye to each other, Wilhelm wishes Simon a nice summer, just like how Simon wished Wilhelm a good Christmas back in season 1, and just like back then, they both understand that they love each other, but can't be together.

Cinematography: And then Simon exits the scene, again, leaving Wilhelm standing there alone, again, having seemingly chosen his family and royal duty.

Culture: It's common to either rent a truck as a large group of students, or to be driven in a flashy car alone or with a friend. The two girls in the centre are sitting in a very nice Aston Martin, while a bunch of their classmates are on a truck. I can't make out the full text on the banner, but I think it says something like "Lock up your sons because tonight we become like animals".

Culture: Svensson is a very common Swedish last name, so to "be a Svensson" basically means that you're super average and mediocre, you're like everyone else. Whereas these elite kids are used to having everyone else bow and scrape for them, so that message is on brand.

Cinematography: We're in the car, it looks like the ending of season 1, and we're doing a close-up of Wilhelm's face. We're ready for the fourth-wall-break of him staring sadly into the camera, having been once again broken down by the system and not getting the boy. We've said goodbye to everyone, roll the credits, start your crying...

Cinematography: ...except the show isn't ending here. We're having an honest conversation between Wilhelm and his parents for the first time. Because every other time he's said that he doesn't want to be crown prince of the next king, he's been angry or upset, he's been threatening, and definitely impulsive. But he's never wanted any of it.

Cinematography: His parents let him go, they open the door to their van, Wilhelm exits, and the show turns up the volume of the soundtrack. "Energetic music" my ass, it's the Harmony theme! It's the main theme of the entire show playing as Wilhelm runs away.

Subtext: Oh, yeah, August sees him run away, and understands that he's next in line now. Sorry buddy, sucks to be you, but never mind that now. RUN, WILHELM, RUN!!! GET YOUR MAN!

Cinematography: The shows turns into the most perfect rom-com, with Wilhelm chasing down Simon's car through the incredibly lush and green Swedish summer. He catches up to them, tells Simon that he ditched the crown for his own sake, and asks if it's really over between them.

VAD FAN TROR DU?

As if the soundtrack wasn't triumphant enough, it now starts playing As Long As you Are Here as they throw themselves in each other's arms. Happy ending! They're crying, I'm crying, we're all crying! 😭

Cinematography: A montage? With all the best scenes between our boys from the entire show? With the text of the soundtrack perfectly matching the montage? I should be outraged at how cheesy this is, but it is perfect. Perfect. I love it. I swear, this fucking show.

Subtext: Finally we are at the true ending of the show. Wilhelm has managed to escape Hillerska, him and Simon and Sara and Felice have all escaped the hierarchies, the expectations, the duties, and the toxic environment of the school. He arrived in a Ferrari, and is now running away with his boyfriend and friends in a crappy Volvo station-wagon. The stiff suit jackets are gone, they're all in white, his hair is ruffled in the wind, and for the last time ever Wilhelm looks into the camera. And he smiles.

He is finally free.

[soccer-love]

Trouble maker

Magdalena Eriksson/Pernille Harder/Fc Bayern women x reader

"Hello, sis." Magda greets me as I walk out of the airport, she pulls me into her arms and gives me a tight hug.

"Hey." I say and let myself rest in her arms for a few seconds.

"How was your flight?" she asks as she grabs my suitcase.

"Oh wonderful, never had a better time then when I got send away by my own mom." I answer and Magda sighs.

"You know that it is for your best, now come on, Pernille is waiting over there with our car."

We walk around the parking lot and I spot Pernille leaning against a silver car, she waves at us and also pulls me into a hug as soon as I am near her.

We drive to their apartment and I bring my stuff into the guest room, I stayed her many times, when I visited my big sister Magda, but never for so long.

I unpack my stuff, call our mom to tell her that I am fine and eat dinner with them before going back into my room.

After some time I hear a knock on the door, I expect it to be Magda but it's actually Pernille.

"Hey, can I come in?" she asks and I nod.

"It's your apartment." I say and pull my legs up to my chest so she can sit on the bed too.

"How do you feel?" she sits down next to me.

"Thrown out." I say, referring to my situation with mom.

"I know love and I also know that everyone told you that it is for your best, but it's true. You should give it all a chance." she says softly.

I stare at the wall where, someone - Magda? - hung up a few pictures of our family, me, our parents, her and Magda.

"When did mom tell you about what happened?"

"The same day, she called Magda and told her about what happened. I was out with some friends but she told me about it when I came home, you know we've been together for a really long time now and I can tell when something scares her and she really was. She knew that you would probably also won't have a good summer since most of the guys live in your neighborhood. So we offered your mom that you could stay with us." she explains.

Mom never explained it to me like that, at the last week of school she just told me that I will be staying with my big sister for the summer.

"And I like having you here." Pernille adds and I look at her.

I've known her since she got together with Magda, at first I was a little curious about them, not because I didn't like it that they where gay, hell no that was super okay with me, but because I loved my big sister to pieces and I was scared that a relationship would break our bond.

But Pernille was so sweet with me and never tried to get in between us so quickly it felt like she was also my big sister.

"I'm coming with you two, to your training right?" I ask and she nods.

"Yes, but don't worry we're not gonna drag you everywhere with us and we wanna make some day trips with you, but don't tell your sister I said that." she says and stands up.

"I won't tell anything." I promise and she smiles at me.

"Great, good night."

"Good night"

She leaves my room and I change into my pj's before laying down in bed, I read a couple of pages but then decide to call it a night and sleep.

-----

"You can sit there." Magda points to a couple of benches where she also drops off her stuff. She explained to me that the first part of training they have todays is based of on there positions.

So while Pernille goes to her own training, I follow my big sister around like a lost puppy.

I notice that some of the players are looking at us, but they're to far away from us so that they could ask me who I am.

As Magda walks over to them, I pull my book out of my pocket and start reading.

A couple of times I took a break to watch them play but not for long.

"Uh what a surprise that Magda didn't put you on a leash." I hear Pernilles voice and look up, she and a couple of other players, the midfielders I suppose, are walking towards me.

This morning when we left their apartment, Magda said that incase I tried to run away during their training she would send Georgia to tickle me down.

I know that she was only joking but I also knew that she wouldn't be amused if I just went off without telling her.

"I think she realized that I am not a dog or a toddler." I answer and close my book.

Some of the other players are looking at us and then at each other but Pernille also notices it.

"I am sorry for my girlfriends bad manners, this is Y/N, Magdas little sister, she is staying with us for the summer." Pernille introduces me and some of them wave at me.

Most of the defenders Magda trained with also came over and hear Pernilles last words.

"Uhh, you sure can tell us some good stories about your sister." a women says and sits down next to me, her accent also sounds kind Scandinavian but she is defiantly not form Sweden, I would have known her from the national team.

"No she cant Glodis." Magda says to her, shaking her head.

"There are defiantly some, if you tell me I promise I protect her from you." Glodis whispers to me, but loud enough so everyone else can hear it too.

"Yeah there are some but I wouldn't be a good sister if I share them." I excuse myself and Magda nods proudly.

"That's right."

"Let her be Glodis, you also wouldn't share our stories." another women says with the same accent, she looks quiet younger than most of the players but not less sporty.

"I would never." Glodis answers, smiling at her.

And something between them, the look they share, is the same like between my sister and Pernille.

"Okay girls, let's get back to training." A man, I identify as their trainer Alexander Straus, says and they get up again.

This time I watch them and don't even notice when a women sits down next to me, she has a splint around her leg and is dressed in some normal cloths, not the usual FC Bayern cloths.

"I'm Caro." she says, looking at me.

"Y/N, I'm Magdas sister." I say also making clear who I am.

"Cool, normally I would also be a defender like her."

I look at her splint "What happened?"

"ACL, only a month ago, something every player is scared off." she explains and I nod.

"I am sorry."

She laughs at me "Don't be, I am fine."

I stay silent, not knowing what to reply to that.

"I don't wanna be rude, but why are you here? Spending the day watching some people playing football doesn't really seems like something, you want to do all summer long." she says, I look at Magda on the pitch.

"I got into some trouble in school and they didn't want me to get into any during the summer so I am here now." I explain and she nods.

We sit there watching them until the training is finished and then wait until they get out of the shower and go with the team to grab a late lunch.

After that I drive home with Magda and Pernille and they show me a little around their neighborhood.

---

Most of my days from them look like this, they have training and I come with them, sometimes Caro is also there and we talk a little, but most of the time I read.

Before or after their training, they show me around town, on our first weekend we go to a lake and go for a swim.

"Can I ask you something?" Caro says, sitting down next to me, it's a Monday, the sky is grey and I'm pretty sure that it will rain later.

"Sure." I say, putting my bock down and taking a sip from my water bottle.

"I think in the last two weeks I've got to know you really well, and to be honest, I cant imagine that someone like you would get into any trouble."

I look at the players.

Magda, our mom, my teachers, even Pernille, all of them asked me what happened.

"I punched a boy in the face." I say, that's what I told everyone, but never the reason why.

"He...you know that Magda and Pernille are pretty open about their relationship."

Caro nods but doesn't say anything.

"In our neighborhood, practically everyone knows everyone and some boys in my school, apparently weren't so okay with their relationship and they know that she's my sister so they started annoying me."

I pause, remembering the face of this asshole when he felt my fist hitting him.

"At first it where only some mean comments that weren't even about her, more like nerd or freak, a couple of weeks before summer, he said that I should write an essay for him or else he would tell everyone my sisters little secret. I didn't know what he meant, he never met my sister, so I refused and walked past him when he said that my sister was a whore and would burn in hell for having a relationship with a women, I asked him to repeat that because I could believe what I was hearing and he did. He said it again and some other things I won't repeat. Something inside me got so mad and before I could do anything, I punched him in the face."

Caro looks at me in shook.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I hear a voice and turn around, it's Magda, the other players behind her.

"You would be all freaked out about it, mom too, so I didn't say anything." I say, she walks up and sits down next to me.

"I am sorry that you have such problems because of me." she says but I grab her hand.

"Don't, there is nothing wrong with being gay, I know that, he is just not smart enough to understand something like that." I explain and she nods, wrapping an arm around me.

"That's true and if loving a women, means that we will burn in hell that I can live with that, because I already experienced haven in her love." Lea says, and comes closer.

I smile at her words, behind her I notice Glodis looking at Karo, Magda told me her name a couple of days ago.

"I'm proud of you for defending us, even though violence is not an answer." Magda says and hugs me softly.

"PARTY." Georgia screams and everyone looks at her confused.

"I mean we need to celebrate that, someone standing up for those who cant stand up for themselves, like...." she searches for the right word. "Like Wonder Woman, you are Wonder Woman."

I laugh and Magda shakes her head smiling.

"I agree with Georgia. Y/N only got punished for what she did, we should celebrate her." Klara agrees.

The team decides to meet up for Pizza tonight and have some fun, including me.

Later when we drive home, I lean towards Pernille who is sitting in the passengers seat, quietly humming to the song that's coming from the radio.

"I have a question." She turns towards me,

"Karo and Glodis." I say and she nods.

"Are they a couple?"

"YES I TOLD YOU THEY HAVE A VIBE!" Pernille screams and I need a minute to realize that she meant Magda.

"Unfortunately not, but I thought that too, the way they look at each other is just so gay." she says towards me.

So I wasn't the only one to see it.

"Maybe yes, but they need to figure it out on their own, nobody should make assumptions about someone else." Magda says and I laugh.

"Amen." I answer.

"But don't punch anyone if they look at them for too long." Magda fires back and I act offended.

"I would never." I say and make her laugh.

"Yeah, but I am still very proud that you stood up for us."

" I did it because I love you, you both." I look at Pernille for a second. "I know that violence isn't right, but nobody gets to say anything bad about my sisters."

"And I always thought that as a big sister I had to protect you but I guess it's the other way around me." Magda says, she stops at a red light and looks at me.

"I love you too sis."

"Me too, I love you both." Pernille adds "I love you to the moon and to Saturn."

"And the Taylor Obsession is coming trough." Magda says rolling her eyes, but smiling at her girlfriend.

[chelseafcwmemes]

Something just happened at the Euros 2017. And since then it’s been growing fast.

Article from Børsen Weekend.

At the same time as Pernille Harder has walked from the grass pitches in Ikast to the absolute world top in Chelsea, something has happened with women's football: the money has grown, the spectators have increased, and next Friday the national team will run into the Park for the first time. Meet Danish women's biggest football star.

If you close your eyes while Pernille Harder speaks, it feels, for a brief moment, as if London is disappearing. From the fashionable Kingston upon Thames in the south-western part of the British capital, you pull across the North Sea and all the way to Tulstrup near Ikast. To the grass pitches, to when Harder, as a five-year-old, stood in the middle of the Jutland heath for the first time with a football at his feet; on the boys' team, because at that time there was no team for girls in the local football club Tulstrup / Faurholt IK. Almost 25 years and three stays abroad in Sweden, Germany and England later, Pernille Harder sits in the kitchen-dining room in a Victorian terraced house with yellow bricks and an electric car from Hyundai in the driveway. Out in the backyard, her Swedish girlfriend Magdalena Eriksson, a football player and teammate, is mowing the lawn. The rented house in the neighborhood, where a single-family house costs seven figures in British pounds, has been their home since the summer of 2020, when Chelsea FC bought Harder free of its contract in Wolfsburg, Germany for 2.5 million. Danish kroner - enough to make her the world's most expensive female football player ever. In general, a lot has happened since Pernille Harder first crossed the chalk lines on the outskirts of Ikast, both with women's football and with the 29-year-old football star herself, but the Central Jutland dialect still hangs undiluted. That's just the way it is

Boys' hair and big dreams

That Pernille Harder is Danish women's football's indisputably biggest star can be ascertained by taking a simple look at her CV. She made her sensational debut with a hat trick for the Danish national team as a mere 16-year-old, got a contract abroad when she was 19, led Denmark to the European Championship final in 2017 and was named Europe's best female footballer by the European Football Association Uefa in both 2018 and 2020. Even Pernille Harder says: "I just focus on getting better every day. I want to win titles, but I do not have to win anything before I stop, and the most important thing for me is the joy of playing football." Humility, however, should not be confused with lack of ambition. Ever since she was little, Pernille Harder has wanted to be a professional football player, but when she turned on the TV at home in the living room of the childhood home, she only saw men on screen. And then she had to become a boy, she of course stopped and ordered her mother to cut her short hair. Only later did it dawn on Pernille Harder that there was also a national team for women, and then the lures were allowed to grow out again. Today, she has achieved most of what she set out to do. And what she may not want to say out loud herself, at least not so directly, agent Klaus Granlund can formulate for her: "We still have one big goal, and that is to win the Champions League."

Bitten by sports

Granlund himself lives in Ikast and is an acquaintance of Harder's parents, the town is not bigger either, and he can tell about a family who is bitten by sports. With a father who was a postman and even played football - and handball at a high level - in Ikast. And a mother who was a pharmacist and the first female handball player from the city of Central Jutland to be selected for the Danish Handball Association's Jutland talent team. Despite this, Pernille Harder is not one of those sports children who has been paced, she says, but her parents have driven across Jutland and back again for their daughter, just as many times a week it required to help her practice the sport she was passionate about. "My mother was my coach from the time I was 8 until I was 13, while my father was always on the sidelines and sometimes he was also a referee for the local football club. They have always supported me and I remember there was a summer where I got some running exercises to take home from the youth national team. My father took me out and ran with me during the summer holidays to help me get it done. "From Tulstrup / Faurholt, the car trip first went a few hundred meters south to Ikast, then to Viborg and in 2009 on to Skovbakken in Aarhus, who at the time was playing at the top of the best Danish row, meanwhile Pernille Harder went to Ikast Brande Gymnasium, and on top of the four weekly trainings with her Aarhus teammates she was arranged that she could train in the morning before school with FC Midtjylland's best U17 team for boys at the club's academy in Ikast. The goal was already then to see how much she could push herself to become a better football player. "I was very nervous before the first training sessions, because they were some of Denmark's best U17 boys I had to play with," says Pernille Harder. "But there was no discrimination, I was treated well and the coaches made exactly the same demands on me as they did on all the other players. I was not the best, but it meant a lot to me to show that I could keep up, and I was very inspired by how focused the boys were at such a young age. This meant that I also started to set big goals for myself. "Greater diversity In 2012, Pernille Harder Skovbakken replaced Linköpings FC in the best Swedish series, where the level was higher then than in Denmark, and the top teams often came far in the international competition. On her new team, the one year younger Swedish defender Magdalena Eriksson also played, and after a year in the club, she and Pernille Harder fell in love. Since then, the two have formed a couple and made a choice to be open about their relationship. and their sexuality, in the hope that they can help fight one of football's old ghosts - homophobia. The football pair became really publicly known during the World Cup in France in 2019. The Danish national team had not managed to qualify, but Pernille Harder had turned up anyway to support her boyfriend when Sweden met Canada in the round of 16. In the stands, she was wearing a Swedish national team jersey, and when the couple shared a kiss after the match, it was captured by a photographer. The picture went viral, and in a few days, Pernille Harder gained several thousand new followers on Instagram, a platform that she today actively uses to work for greater diversity in football. "It occurred to both of us that that image ended up going around the world. It was probably there that I realized that Magda and I have a platform together where we can make a difference. There are many who write to us. "that we are role models for them by being so open about our relationship and that it has helped them to be more open about their sexuality."

Is women's football ahead of men's football at that point?

"I definitely think so. In women's football, you can be yourself without having to worry about getting death threats or being hung out. Unfortunately, there are many examples that you can not in men's football, where it is still very taboo to be gay. I think that diversity is something that women's football can offer that men's football does not have - both in terms of players and fans.

Injury treatment on Google

One can draw an almost parallel curve between Pernille Harder's career and the buoyancy of women's football. Danish star may have been born at a lucky time and has ridden on a wave of more money, more spectators, better training facilities, full-time professional players and now also TV income that is palpable, but today Pernille Harder can also rightly say that she is one of those who herself helps to drive the sport forward and lift the bar further. As a junior, if she got an injury, Pernille Harder had to google her way up to what she was failing, and in the gym, she had to make sure to organize her workouts herself. Meanwhile, she could look enviously at the men who had professional physiotherapists, club doctors and, in general, far better conditions for making football a way of life. Today, Pernille Harder trains at Chelsea's millionaire Cobham Training Center outside London with four physiotherapists attached to the women's team, and although there is still a long way to go for men, not least in terms of pay, she has been part of a development that she says , that far more female football players today dare to take the plunge and aim to become full-time professionals. “I’ve seen two different generations in my time as a football player,” she says. "When I was younger, I could feel that many of the older players did not have the great faith that they could become full-time professionals, because at that time there were only very few who succeeded in reaching that far. "that along the way they prioritized other things such as education. But the young players who come up on the national team today have only one priority, and that is to become professionals and get a contract abroad." With Harder on the jersey It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly when women's football really started to accelerate globally, but here at home there is one before and one after the European Championships in 2017. At the final round in Holland, the Danish national team wrote history and won silver medals. the women one TV record after another. The final, which Denmark ended up losing 4-2 to the host nation, was attended by 1.5 million. viewers - the most watched football match on Danish television throughout 2017. And subsequently, Pernille Harder could also feel that something had changed. "Something just happened at the European Championships in 2017. And since then it has gone really fast. Now all the matches are shown on TV, the production of the matches has improved with many more cameras in the stadium, and there have been more sponsors, greater media interest, but also greater respect.

Do you think that women's football has received too little recognition?

"Yes. When I played in Denmark ten years ago, I do not even think that the results in the Women's League were announced on the radio. It was also one of the reasons why I left Denmark to play abroad, because I think it was the meganeder not to get more recognition for something I spent so much time on compared to the men. I had a hard time understanding that. "Now you are the world's most expensive football player and captain of the national team. Do you also feel a responsibility on behalf of women's football?" I do not feel obligated to anything. But I have personally experienced how bad the conditions have been and how little focus there has been. It has given me the motivation to want to change it, both for myself but also for all the new players that are coming up. First and foremost, it has been about performing on the field, so I could achieve a certain status. But today I have a position and a platform that I can use to push women's football even further forward, and that is a driving force for me. When I was a kid, I could only buy jerseys with the names of the male footballers on my back, but today there are girls who run around with my name and stick with Chelsea because I play in the club.

An eye opener

In a week Pernille Harder's name also on the backs of red-and-white football fans, when the Danish women's national team for the first time ever has Parken as home - in a friendly match against Brazil - as part of the warm-up for this summer's European Championship finals in England. Viborg and been denied access to the national stadium, where the men have been able to report sold out for all the team's matches on top of last summer's European Championship euphoria, but perhaps the women's national team should just have the chance, because at the time of writing more than 16,000 tickets have been sold in advance; four times as many as usually come to the matches in Viborg. And Pernille Harder is in no doubt that Danish women's football is once again facing a milestone: "It will be a huge experience for me g personally and for the other players, but I also think it will be an eye opener for a lot of people, in relation to how far we have come with women's football in Denmark. The park has only a very special status. It's the stadium that everyone automatically thinks of when they think of the national team's home ground - now for both men and women.

[myladyofmercy]

young royals rewatch

episode 6

i love this opening montage so much

right until the credits come up over wille screaming

wish we got that scream scene without the credits for edits tho

the little girl looks at simon as if she personally has seen the video

it must be so weird to see your face on a magazine cover. i wonder what the article says

he's wearing purple (in solidarity with simon)

you have nothing to apologize for wille baby

did simon go to the police tho?

love the little detail of clothes we seen on the show already laying folded up on the washing machine

is the floor of the library so clean that they can lie and sit on it? aren't there any chairs?

august just listening to the theories like the little bitch he is

I'm calling the cops if you don't leave

i love stellas clothing style so much

sara putting 1 and 2 together

rosh and ayub are back!!!

i have not seen kim ks sex tape and i don't intend to watch it

I really hope simon doesn't change schools in s2. I'm with rosh on that one

why is the sky so yellow? light pollution?

willes pajama pants from ep 2 are back

august you little shit stop spitting live lessons and spill the truth

fish scene flashback

the looney tunes shirt is back

first kiss fit

yellow tshirt, yellow shirt, yellow backpack. i know you're the center of willes universe but do you really have to look like the sun?

footsies

wille matches the blue background but simon sticks out like a sore thumb

this scene is so poweful even without a kiss

oh no i know what's coming

sara pls don't do this

she's wearing purple (in solidarity with simon)

wilhelm doesn't have everything he has nothing you piece of shit

and he will lose simon because of you too

oh doobidoo i wanna be like you u u

why does sara look kinda sad when august kisses her neck tho?

as someone who rarely sits at the dining table for dinner and watches tv during 99% of meals i relate to simon and his mom

how does felice dress fit sara so well tho?

simon you are not her father

linda you are her mother. pls act like that more often or i will have to rewoke your best mom card

the star behind simons head looks very pretty

simon saying annan and dum in this conversation makes me think of certain songs by a certain artist

sara and wilhelm both called simon fin

why do felice and maddie have their own bathroom and wille the crown prince has to share with the other guys on his floor?

the mirror shot of them on the floor

i don't think simon really believes wille will tell the truth

it's their last kiss and it breaks my heart

the sad scarf is back

why do the subtitles say how do you do??? simon says good day. that is way more formal than how do you do! simon isn't joey from friends

this car conversation is so frustratingly sad

love how many words i understand bc they sound so similar to the german word in this conversation

let wille and simon have sex in his royal bed in s2 petition

willes tie looks very yellow (simon anyone?)

why is rosh never included in eriksson family time?

poor simon

(love his sweater tho)

who put the name joakim for willes second bodyguard out there? is it canon?

i hate this scene so much

simon did the right thing even though it breaks his (and willes AND MY) heart

hemlighet

love how we see simon leaving blurry in the background

felice being the best detective

also she calls the guy she asks where willes room is edvin

why isn't there a bodyguard in front of willes room?

willes little flinch when he sees simon on the screen

yes the confrontation scene!!!

august is working out again. of course.

why didn't wille mention erik in this scene tho? something like erik told me i could trust you

edvins acting is so good in this scene. rising star award winner indeed.

this phone call hurts so much

love how him hanging up stops the background music and we are left with silence until the match strikes and the choir begins singing

wille and simon are wearing so much more hair product than they did during the whole rest of the season

god jul

the sad scarf is back again

is simon talking with sime choir kids?

falling

we are falling now

förlåt

jag älskar dig

hoppas du fan en fin jul

tack simon

running with a crown on your head

he wants to run bad so badly

city's on fire but it's beautiful

chills literal chills

i hope they continue with the 4th wall breaks in s2

i love this show

i hate this show

[aelowan]

Special Delivery – A Books of Binding Short Story

Cian woke in the dark to an urgent rapping on his bedroom door. Winter’s low voice carried through the wood. “Cian, we’re on.”

Cian sat up in bed, trying to parse that. On? On what? English wasn’t his first language and sometimes idioms — he hoped it was an idiom — tripped him up. He pulled his jeans on and made his groggy way across the spacious room to find Winter on the other side of his door, dressed in her usual loose dress and cardigan, her purple bag over her shoulder and her surgical bag heavy in her hand. She hadn’t taken the time to put her hip-length white hair up in a bun, and it rode one shoulder in a careless braid.

She was lovely.

He pushed his own long, sleep-tousled hair out of his face. “What are we on?”

A small, exhausted smile played about her lips, and he wanted to kiss her until the shadows under her ice-blue eyes faded away. “’On’ means it’s showtime,” she explained, not terribly effectively. What was a ‘showtime?’ “We have a delivery to attend. Corinne’s started bleeding heavily, and Doc says she can’t stop it.”

Cian’s brows shot to his hairline. The Lion Queen? Oh shit. “Is it the placenta previa? She’s five weeks early.” Which wasn’t too terribly early for a human or a vampire, but with a therian’s five-and-a-half-month gestation it could make things complicated.

Winter nodded. “Which means that either she got pregnant during an earlier heat than we thought, or the placenta’s started pulling away from her uterus, which I think is the more likely. Either way, I suspect we need to deliver the baby tonight. If she’s having contractions it will tear the placenta apart, leading to hemorrhaging. Now, you get dressed, and I’ll wake up Etienne so he can drive you out to Xanadu on the motorcycle. I need you at the top of your game, and making you ride with me in the Bug with its old steel chassis won’t help with that.” She sighed. “I really do need a new car.”

Cian shuddered at the thought of riding in the Bug. He’d ridden in more than one older model vehicle and gotten sick in the process. He was sidhe, though, and not a lesser fae, so sick was the extent of it. A lesser fae might come away with more serious injury or even death. The little pixies in the gardens here on the Point avoided Winter’s vintage car at all costs. “Yeah, a new one would be good. Maybe we can go shopping for one this weekend?”

Winter gave him a tired smile, but tired as she was it still reached her eyes. Cian couldn’t have said that only a few weeks ago. “Yes, maybe.” She checked the time on her phone. “We need to head out as soon as possible. Doc is perfectly capable of performing a c-section if she needs to, but I’d rather be there in case things get complicated. I’ll meet you in the foyer in five minutes.”

Cian shut the door as Winter moved toward Etienne’s room and turned to get ready. It was just the three of them rattling around in this huge house, where once there had been dozens of wizards, all part of the extensive Mulcahy family. He could tell that Winter liked having the company, and he liked it, too. So did Etienne.

Long hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, worn boots and a new sweatshirt against the mid-November chill, his silk-lined riding chaps to protect him from the Harley’s frame, and he was ready to ride as soon as he got his helmet and riding jacket together. Worry for Corinne dueled with excitement. This would be his first time attending a birth. He’d assisted Winter with several surgeries already, but Corinne was the community member closest to delivering and currently the highest-risk pregnancy. She was also one of Winter’s closest friends, and Winter said she felt better knowing he would be backing her up with his healing gift. Cian was happy to help.

Etienne was still putting his auburn hair up into a ponytail in the high style he preferred as he hit the stairs and nodded to Cian. “Get your things. It’s going to be a cold ride, even for you.” His red plaid overshirt was slung about his neck and the new black gun rig for his old Glock jostled lightly against his chest with each stairstep he took.

Cian stood at the bottom of the double staircase beside Winter and watched the faerie knight descend, his bootheels thudding softly on each wide tread. He waved a hand indicating the Glock under Etienne’s left arm. “Expecting trouble?”

Etienne smirked and pulled on the overshirt as he touched down from the last step. “Always. This is Seahaven, after all.”

Winter shook her head and offered a rueful smile but didn’t disagree. “I’ve got the car loaded and ready to go. Be careful out there. The roads might be a bit slick after that rain.”

Etienne’s smile stretched into a rake-hell grin and Cian felt his belly flop. By Dagda, Etienne had a sexy smile. “A little rain isn’t going to stop us. Now, let’s go help Corinne.”

Cian handed Etienne his helmet and his old worn leather coat before getting into his own, new, silk lined coat. Winter’d had it made for him when she’d noticed he was showing about an inch of wrist below the cuff of his old one.

Winter hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder, determination showing in her eyes. “Okay, let’s do this.”

The rain had subsided to a sprinkle, which did nothing for making the ride out to Xanadu any safer. Etienne sat a little higher in his seat, vigilant, and managed to avoid most of the puddles.

Most.

Cian tried to ignore his cold, wet boots as the three of them pulled into the covered Xanadu employee parking lot, Winter leading the way in her yellow Bug. They were met at the back entrance to the primary hotel that crowned the largest island in the resort complex. Corinne owned all of the islands in Eriksson Bay, and employed both the dolphins and the selkies as well as her entire large pride of lions. Scores of humans worked in the park, too, but they were offered only limited access. No need for some curious teenager to die just because they got a peek behind the Veil of Secrecy.

Santiago, Corinne’s husband, mate, and Chief of Security, waved as they approached the private elevator. Worry etched deep lines into his brow, cutting into his light brown skin. Cian noticed that he’d shaved his head, but it was already showing fine stubble with the force of his therian regeneration. “Winter, thank god you’re here.” His English was flavored with rich Cuban Spanish, as were most of the lions he had brought with him from Miami to merge with Corinne’s lioness-heavy pride.

Winter offered up a confident smile and gave the Lion King a quick hug. “It’ll be all right. I can get little Bella out in under a minute if I need to.”

Cian knew that Winter’d had to perform emergency c-sections in the past and knew what she was doing. Therian couldn’t get sick or infected, but they could develop conditions that put a pregnancy at risk, like Corinne’s placenta previa. Most therian lived on the edge of society, victims of poverty, abuse, and malnutrition. Pregnancy loss and high infant mortality were common.

But that wasn’t a concern with Corinne tonight. The Lion Queen led one of the biggest groups in Seahaven and was one of the most powerful and wealthiest therian on the West Coast.

Santiago ushered the three of them into the elevator and swiped his resort ID through the reader, granting them access to the private floors and the penthouse where the pride lived. “Doc says Corinne and the baby are both holding steady, even with the blood loss. She’s got both of them on monitors.”

Winter looked to Cian. “With heavy bleeding, what is keeping Corinne and Bella stable?”

Cian thought about that for a moment. “It’s Corinne. She’s strong enough that her healing ability is regenerating blood before she can lose too much, so Bella isn’t being stressed.” He paused. “Yet. There’s a limit to how long her body can heal itself and maintain the baby at the same time. She’s burning through an incredible amount of calories, and once she’s depleted, she’ll be vulnerable.”

Winter smiled her approval. “Excellent. You’re picking this up quickly.”

Etienne looked pleased but said nothing.

Santiago listened intently, tension singing across the backs of his hands, stress making his dark-eyed gaze intense. “But you can save her — save them — can’t you, Winter?”

Winter exuded confidence even as Cian could feel her exhaustion through the veil of his healing gift. “I’m here to fight. We’ll get Corinne through this.”

They exited the elevator one floor below the penthouse where Corinne and Santiago lived and travelled at a brisk pace past closed doors and the soft sounds of sleeping lions until Santiago pushed open a set of frosted glass doors at the end of the hall.

Doctor Gloria Park’s domain.

Glass, chrome, and bright lights, the small clinic and surgery suite gleamed like a shrine to modern medicine. Winter’s backroom clinic was smaller and homier — and a lot busier — but Cian could tell by the way she glanced around that Winter admired it and all of the shiny toys Doc had to play with.

Cian had to admit that he did, too.

“Doc, they’re here.” Santiago raised his voice just enough to be heard on the other side of the two frosted glass doors that bracketed the main room of the clinic.

Doc emerged from the door on the right, butting it open with a hip, her gloved hands marked by blood and ruddy betadine. A bloody streak smeared wet across her white coat at the waist, but she ignored it. She flashed a quick smile of greeting at the new arrivals, her slightly hooded eyes crinkling at the corners and tugging at her small epicanthal folds, her short, no-nonsense, black hair tucked beneath a surgery bonnet. “Excellent timing. I’m prepping Corinne now. How do you want to do this?”

Winter took her surgery bag from Etienne and began moving toward the surgery suite. “I think we should first administer my painkiller potion, and then once it kicks in, we can take a closer look.” She gestured to the blood on Doc’s coat and hands. “Is that all hers?” In any place other than Seahaven that might have been an odd question, but Cian was quickly learning that chaos seemed to reign above all, here.

Doc made a short shrugging gesture. “This time, yes. Contractions started about an hour ago.”

Winter nodded, all business. “Then we’ve got no time to waste. Santiago, do you want to come in and keep Corinne company?”

Santiago smiled, visibly relieved. “Si. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Etienne crossed his arms and leaned a hip against a table. “I’ll wait out here. Haven’t attended a birth in a while, but I bet it’s going to be crowded enough in there as it is.”

Winter flashed the faerie knight a warm smile of gratitude and pushed through the door, Cian close behind her, Doc and Santiago bringing up the rear.

The surgery suite was small, but airy and brightly lit. Corinne sat reclined in the center of the room, gravid belly painted a lurid yellow-red with betadine, long red hair tucked into a surgery bonnet to keep it out of the way, full lips looking pale. Even still, she was glamorous. She opened her eyes as they entered the room, and she smiled a tired smile. “Hey there.”

Winter returned the smile with one of her own as she pulled out a surgery bonnet for herself and passed another to Cian. “Ready to have a baby tonight?”

Corinne chuckled softly and reached out for Santiago’s hand as he reached her side. “You have no idea. But someday you will.”

Winter’s smile turned a bit wistful. “Maybe.” Cian wanted to hold her, just for a moment. He knew she expected to die young, like the rest of the Mulcahy line. She was the last.

Cian found a chair and brought it to Santiago so he could sit at Corinne’s head.

Santiago took the seat and stroked Corinne’s forehead. “Mi corazón.”

Winter tucked her long braid into the surgery bonnet and Cian followed suit. “This is going to go very fast. Your contractions tore the placenta and that’s what’s causing the bleeding. It’s still a total occlusion, still entirely blocking the cervix, as we saw on the ultrasound during your checkup last week.”

Corinne gave a single nod, exhaustion and worry etched into the corners of her eyes. “Did I do something wrong? She’s so early.”

Winter shook her head no and dug into her surgical bag. “Sometimes babies just come early. Nobody’s at fault.” She looked at the monitors showing both Corinne and the baby’s vitals and Cian followed her gaze. Both were holding steady so far. “But Bella’s at a good weight. She should be fine. And your strength is keeping her that way. But I still want to get her out with all speed. We need your bleeding to stop.” As she spoke, she pulled a tumbler from the bag, filled it with cool water, and added three drops of light blue potion, drops that never quite mixed in, instead swirling about like whisps of metallic smoke. “Here, drink all of this down as fast as you can.”

Corinne took the tumbler and knocked it back, then locked her jaw as her entire body shuddered. “Good lord, what was that?”

Winter retrieved the tumbler before it ended up on the floor. “Painkiller potion. It will last for a few hours. It also gives us the ability to go in after little Bella without you feeling any pain and without giving you enough human anesthetic to knock out the Fifth Fleet.” Cian knew from Winter’s explanations that therian could burn through human drugs at an alarming rate. Only magical solutions could withstand their incredible metabolisms.

Corinne shuddered one more time, and then leaned back with a sigh and closed her eyes. “Oh. Oh, that’s much better. Thank you.”

Winter gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. “Good. Now let’s meet your daughter and get that bleeding stopped.” She shrugged out of her sweater and pulled a couple of scrub tops out of the surgery bag, handing one over to Cian. “This is going to be pretty straight forward,” she began to explain, mostly to Cian. Doc already knew what she was doing. “Cian, I want you as tech on this so you can get as much experience as possible. You’ll suction the amniotic fluid out of our way, and I’d like you to use your touch healing to tack Corinne back together once we deliver the placenta, so she heals correctly. Corinne is strong enough that she’ll probably heal faster than I can suture her. Doc, if you can keep the incisions open long enough for me to go in and get the baby and the placenta, we can get her delivered in the next few minutes.”

Doc gave a thoughtful look at her queen’s belly and then to the monitors. “I think that’s reasonable. The bassinet’s already warming, so you can just plop the baby in there while you deliver the placenta and we get the bleeding stopped, and then as soon as the umbilical cord stops pulsing, we can cut it.” She cast a grin at Santiago, who was massaging Corinne’s temples. “Feel like cutting the cord?”

A smile spread across Santiago’s handsome face. “Si. I thought that was just a TV thing.”

Doc let out a soft chuckle. “No, it can be a dad thing, too. Bella’s welcome to the world.”

Winter handed Cian a clean absorbent pad, and he replaced the blood-soaked one beneath Corinne, tossing it into the operating room trash with the rest of them. He could only thank Dagda that she was a therian, and a queen. A human would be in dire straits by now.

Doc lifted an electrocautery scalpel from its tray, the steel glinting under the bright lights, a long wire stretching to the base of the machine beside her. “Ready when you are.”

Winter explored Corinne’s belly, feeling out the position of the baby within. “She’s breech, which is normal with placenta previa. First incision down here, across the lower abdomen, and then we very carefully cut into the uterus.”

Doc snorted. “Don’t teach me to suck eggs, kid.”

An amused smile tugged at Winter’s mouth. “Yes, ma’am. Cian, get ready with the suction, please.”

Cian flipped the machine on and held the wand at the ready, tucking himself against Corinne’s side opposite of Santiago so he could both reach and stay out of the way. He’d done this in surgery with Winter before. There had just never been a baby involved. It didn’t make him nervous, though. Winter had faith in him.

Winter shifted just a little to the side to give Doc more room. “All right, let’s do this.”

Doc spread her fingers across Corinne’s lower abdomen, her hands rock-steady, and made the first deft incision, a tiny whiff of smoke rising as she made the long cut, stopping bleeding before it could start, exposing the flesh of Corinne’s uterus. “Get the retractors ready,” Doc murmured to no one in particular.

Winter reached around her and picked up the two steel retractors, looking for all the world like salad tongs to Cian’s mind. He’d used them before, but the first impression was always the lasting one.

Doc carefully centered her scalpel and indicated a small band of muscle just to the side of her hand. “Pay attention to this, Cian.” Her voice was low with concentration. “Corinne is a lioness, and her uterus works a little differently than a human’s. Instead of basically just being nestled in place by the other abdominal structures, it’s held in place at two points, acting as shock absorbers. She’s built to hunt and fight while pregnant.” Doc shifted the position of her scalpel. “We don’t want to cut those, so we’re making a bit of a smaller incision instead.”

Cian nodded, absorbing the lesson. “Will the baby still fit through?”

Doc nodded. “It’ll just be a tighter squeeze, but she’ll be fine.” Doc deftly nicked the edges of the first incision, pushing against Corinne’s healing ability. “Cutting now.” She pierced the uterine wall without hesitation, drawing another long, bloodless, horizontal line across Corinne’s abdomen.

Immediately a tiny foot appeared, pressed against the intact, translucent amniotic sac. Winter smiled as she applied the retractors. “Very nice.”

Doc grinned. “It’s what we do. Ready to catch?”

Winter nodded. “Trade you.”

Doc and Winter traded tools in a dance born out of years of practice. Doc had been Winter’s primary teacher as she learned trauma surgery, after the death of her Aunt Curiosity.

Winter cut into the amniotic sac with a delicate touch, careful of the moving baby beneath. Cian shifted behind her, suctioning fluid as best he could, until Winter slipped her hands inside and began to ease the baby out.

Corinne’s eyes widened. “Oh, that feels weird. How does she look?”

Winter slipped a hand further into Corinne’s uterus, sloshing fluid over her wrists and onto the pad. “Well, all I see right now is her little butt, but her head is coming free… right… now.”

Corinne raised her head, eager for a peek. “Can I see her?”

Winter mopped the tiny baby’s face off with a pad that Cian handed her, suctioned her little nose and mouth, and held her where Corinne and Santiago could see just in time for Bella to raise her first vigorous objections to being pulled from her warm retreat. Winter beamed. “Look what you two did.”

Santiago’s eyes reddened with joy and he kissed Corinne’s cheek. “She has your hair, mi corazón.”

Corinne grinned, unable to take her eyes off the baby. “She’s beautiful. Just beautiful.”

“And messy.” Winter handed Bella off to Cian, who wrapped her in an absorbent pad and carried her to the cozy bassinet. She was so tiny, and so fierce. “Let me finish this with Doc and Cian’s help and then she’s all yours.”

***

If you like this story, check out our other free short fiction and all things Seahaven at https://www.aelowan.com.

[wrrgod]

( SEBASTIAN STAN. THIRTY-SIX. CIS MALE. HE/HIM. ) in texas, VIKTOR ERIKSSON is more commonly known as VIKTOR. they’ve been living in stratford for NINETEEN YEARS and currently A CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER / CRIME BOSS. some say they are CALCULATING & MALICIOUS but i’m more inclined to believe those that say they’re DEBONAIR & AMBITIOUS. if you walk by their house, you can sometimes hear STARBOY by THE WEEKND playing from their window. ( expensive watches hanging on a wrist, a pen tapping against a table, the sound of a car’s engine turning on, stashes of dollar bills, lava interior beneath a cool surface. )

it’s bela again, back with a fourth character, after saying i wouldn’t have one ... anyway, let’s not get into that. instead, let me swoop in your dms ( over here or on discord ) for some plotting with this new chaotic mess !

PINTEREST BOARD !

NAME. viktor eriksson. NICKNAME. viktor. AGE. thirty-six. GENDER. cis male. PRONOUNS. he/him. SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. biromantic. HOMETOWN. new york, ny. OCCUPATION. criminal defense lawyer / crime boss.

ZODIAC. leo. POSITIVE TRAITS. debonair, ambitious, passionate. NEGATIVE TRAITS. calculating, malicious, arrogant. TEMPERAMENT. choleric. LANGUAGES SPOKEN. english, italian, spanish, romanian, french.

HEIGHT. 6′5 EYE COLOR. blue. HAIR COLOR. brown. TATTOOS. none.

QUICK INFO.

trigger warnings: ... crime, murder, violence, manipulative behavior. everything implied.

there were plenty of ways to describe the erikssons — ambitious, determined, successful, ruthless. rich. regardless of how many superlatives could come to mind, affectionate was never on the list. the family had romanian roots, but viktor himself was born in nyc, which was where he mostly lived until he was seventeen, when they relocated to stratford.

for as long as viktor could remember ( and for much longer than that, going back generations ), the family felt more like business partners than relatives. it was like they were all born with a penchant for business, one way or another. working hard, and above all working smart, was the family motto.

law school was a common denominator for most of them — they mostly dedicated their times into being lawyers, some judges, even a few prosecutors here and there. it didn’t stop there. they were also known for owning several businesses across the country, from hotels to casinos, bars and restaurants.

since he was a young boy, his parents saw the potential in him. he was smarter than most, able to learn new things quickly and to remember things in a way that was unusual even to them. of course, they didn’t hesitate to push him forward, encourage him to keep it up.

for the most part, viktor followed the program. it was almost like there was a script written out for each eriksson, one they were supposed to follow through with to thrive just like all the others before them did. thing is ... he didn’t stop there. the older he got, the more he saw his own potential, the more power hungry he grew.

he got a law degree, more than happy to take on the job as a criminal defense lawyer. the path couldn’t have been more right for him. he seemed perfectly suited for it ( pun intended ).

with time, collected experience, contacts and the right amount of ambition, he built himself a crime syndicate. that victory was his and his alone — not because of his family name, not because it was expected of him, but because he could. because he wanted to. the more he got, the more he craved. needless to say, that’s not public knowledge.

he’s been living in stratford for nineteen years, but he’s not in town every day. he’s often taking care of business in houston ( where he also has a penthouse ), commonly out of state as well — wherever his empire takes him ; both the legal and the not so legal one.

very morally grey. questionable morals all around. 

the ambitious aspect stayed with him. as a lawyer, he’s willing to work with both the reapers and the diablos — usually, whoever pays more gets him. he’s loyal only to himself, and takes no side on this war. will also work with the occasional civilian who needs it and can afford him.

he’s also a resourceful guy, very good at covering his own tracks and others’ so ... if you ever need something or someone to disappear, get caught in a situation and don’t know how to handle it or anything of the sort, viktor might just be your guy. everything for a price, of course. he doesn’t do pro bono.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

reaper / diablo connections — as i said, he works for both clubs without problems so give him some clients !

frenemies — not exactly friends but not really enemies either. for whatever reason, they are somewhere in between.

unexpected friends — two people who no one ever thought would get along, let alone be friends, and yet they are.

one night stands — they hooked up once, maybe now it’s awkward, maybe it brought them closer, who knows ?? we can discuss details.

enemies — people are bound to hate each other, right ? give me that angst. we can discuss details.

flirtationship — they enjoy the flirting, the chase and the back and forth that comes with it, but have never acted upon their attraction towards each other.

hook ups / friends with benefits / enemies with benefits / flings etc — self explanatory rlly.

honestly anything n everything we can come up with, i’ll have a tag for wcs too

[runridedive]

Sheldon van der Linde is a 2019 BMW DTM driver

Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) will make his DTM debut with BMW Motorsport in 2019, completing the BMW driver line-up. He will be 19 years and 356 days old when the season gets underway at Hockenheim on 5th May 2019, just 45 days older than BMW works driver Joel Eriksson (SWE) was when he made his debut last year. Van der Linde is set to become the first South African to have raced in the DTM since the series was launched 35 years ago.

“Welcome to the BMW Motorsport family, Sheldon van der Linde,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “It is great to have another talented youngster in our team. Sheldon made a fantastic impression at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM at the Young Driver Test in mid-December. Prior to that, we had been following his career in GT racing very carefully. Sheldon’s speed and versatility make him the perfect addition to our BMW M Motorsport programme. I am confident that he will find his feet very quickly in the DTM.”

Van der Linde said: “The Young Driver Test in the BMW M4 DTM was already a dream come true for me. To now have a place in the team for 2019 is incredible. I’m very proud to be continuing a family tradition from my father with such a famous car manufacturer, and one that is also very popular back home – and to be the first South African ever in the DTM. Ultimately, a big thank you to BMW Motorsport for the trust.”

Like his brother Kelvin, who is three years his elder, Johannesburg-born Sheldon van der Linde started his racing career on the karting scene at the age of six. Both brothers caught the motorsport bug from within their family. Grandfather Hennie was a successful touring car driver, winning many titles in South Africa, while father Shaun tasted success in BMW touring cars at home in South Africa and in Europe. Their Uncle Etienne also raced in various national and international series.

Having achieved success in the world of karting, Sheldon van der Linde moved into automobile racing in 2014 and immediately won the South African Volkswagen Polo Cup at the first attempt. Fifteen at the time, he remains the youngest racing driver in South Africa to have won a national championship – a record held previously by his brother Kelvin and his Uncle Etienne before him. Sheldon successfully defended his title the following year, before leaving his native South Africa and following his brother, who was already enjoying success in the ADAC GT Masters in Germany, to Kempten (GER).

After one season in the Audi TT Cup, with four race wins to his name, and one victory and third place overall in the 2017 ADAC TCR Germany, van der Linde contested his first season in GT3 racing in 2018 – and with great success. Together with his brother he claimed two race wins in the ADAC GT Masters, making a further four appearances on the podium and ending the year in second place overall, just one point behind the champion. He also gained experience in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he took victory in the GTD class at the final round of the season, the “Petit Le Mans”. In the Blancpain GT Series, he and his brother finished third behind the two BMW teams of Walkenhorst Motorsport and ROWE Racing at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL). He was also awarded the “Sean Edwards Trophy” for emerging young GT drivers at the end of the season.

However, the icing on the cake was still to come at the end of 2018: the invitation from BMW Motorsport to attend the DTM Young Driver Test, at which he secured a seat for 2019 with an impressive display. As such, van der Linde had achieved his dream of racing in the DTM within just five years.

Van der Linde will compete for BMW Team RBM in the 2019 season, joining Philipp Eng (AUT) and Joel Eriksson (SWE). Bruno Spengler (CAN) moves over to BMW Team RMG and will drive alongside Marco Wittmann (GER) and Timo Glock (GER).

The post Sheldon van der Linde is a 2019 BMW DTM driver appeared first on Run Ride Dive.

from WordPress https://www.runridedive.com/2019-bmw-dtm-driver/

[skamenglishsubs]

Hey!

I just had a little doubt about Marcus's introduction and his role in the Hillerska grounds(his parents lend the stable land to the school? And he also takes care of the shooting range and the stables). Like, is it a common practice for families to lend land to schools and earn revenue there? Because I thought that the stable land must belong to the school. And Marcus spending so much time in Hillerska while he's also in his last year must be because of the money, I guess. Does this make Marcus a well-off guy? I won't say he's nouveau-rich like the Hillerska guys but still, maybe more well off than the Erikssons?

~heartbreakprincewille

Is it common practice? No, because the number of schools that would want to rent a stable is pretty damn small!

He gives off solid middle-class vibes to me, has his own place, but only because there's some kind of apartment on the property he can live in, and he works extra as a stablehand to get money to pay for his car or something. Having your own car at 18 is extremely uncommon in Sweden, btw, except if you live in the middle of nowhere like he does.

[eddiejpoplar]

2018 DTM: Marco Wittmann finished third

In BMW Team RMG’s home race at the Nürburgring (GER), Marco Wittmann (GER) finished third to reach the podium in the BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM.

After completing 40 laps, he was just 3.439 seconds behind the winner, René Rast (GER, Audi). Wittmann now has 137 points and is the best-placed BMW driver in the overall standings, in fifth place. The BMW drivers once again gave a strong team performance with five BMW M4 DTMs making it into the top ten, scoring a total of 45 points.

  Behind Wittmann, Bruno Spengler (CAN, BMW Bank M4 DTM) secured fourth place. Joel Eriksson (SWE, BMW M4 DTM), Augusto Farfus (BRA, Shell BMW M4 DTM) and Philipp Eng (AUT, SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM) followed in sixth, seventh and eighth positions. Timo Glock (GER) had to be content with 16th place after an early collision and subsequent drive-through penalty. As was the case on Saturday, BMW Team RBM claimed the fastest pit stop with Eriksson’s car.

  BMW Motorsport, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG were competing in their 100thDTM race since BMW’s comeback in 2012. Farfus and Spengler have been involved in every one of those 100 races.

  The race weekend in the Eifel also saw the debut of the BMW M Motorsport Days. More than 300 domestic and international guests experienced a wide-ranging and spectacular programme of events. The highlights included a BMW M Driving Experience and taxi rides on the Nordschleife in the BMW M5. Visitors also had the chance to take a look at a very special exhibition car: the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupé. The new BMW M Town campaign also made its first appearance as part of the BMW M Motorsport Days. It also provided the first opportunity for the public to see the new BMW X3 M and the new BMW X4 M.

  Reactions to Sunday’s race at the Nürburgring:

  Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):

“Marco Wittmann did well to move up through the field today – and he was rewarded with a podium finish. Getting five cars into the top eight is a great result for BMW. Of course, after Bruno Spengler claimed second place on Saturday, we’d have liked to have topped the podium. However, all in all, we can definitely be satisfied with the race weekend here at the Nürburgring. I am very positive about the fact that we reached the podium and scored plenty of points in the 100th race since our DTM comeback in 2012. Congratulations are in order for René Rast, who put on a great performance this weekend with the ‘clean sweep’. It was also an exciting weekend off track: BMW M Motorsport Days allowed us to thrill visitors from all over the world with BMW M. The appearance of our BMW M4 DTM on the Nordschleife on Sunday morning was another highlight. Now we will move on from the ‘Green Hell’ and start our meticulous planning as we look forward with enthusiasm to the race at Spielberg.”

  Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal, BMW Team RMG):

“Firstly, thanks to our Nürburgring. It is lovely to claim a podium finish at our home race and the 100th race for BMW. A big thank you to our entire team and to Marco Wittmann, of course. He drove a great race today. We are battling our way to the front right now and we will already start looking forward to the next race this evening. We will be giving our all there again. Nonetheless, it was a good weekend overall. Our friends and family were very happy.”

Marco Wittmann (#11 BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG – qualifying result: 9th place, race result: 5th place, points: 137):  

“Starting from ninth, our objective was to move up as far as possible. I managed to do that. Of course, you want to top the podium at your team’s home race but René Rast simply did a good job. We were a bit out of touch in the early phases. The first section of the race was extremely turbulent. I got into a few tricky positions and then lost a place to Paul di Resta. I was then able to work my way gradually back up. Of course, everyone benefited from the incident between Timo Glock and Lucas Auer. Overall, I am completely satisfied with third place. I drove a clean race and was close to the lead.”

  Augusto Farfus (#15 Shell BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMG – qualifying result: 13th place, race result: 7th place, points: 48):  

“I am happy with the result. I couldn’t do much more than that from my starting position. We had a good racing pace and the car was running well but we will have to improve in qualifying if we want to place better in the race. Seventh position is OK but we will still have work to do.”

  Timo Glock (#16 DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying result: 4th place, race result: 16th place, points: 119):  

“It is a shame, as I think the car provided us with a good base. The start went well and then there was a fight with Gary Paffett on the first lap. I seem to have been a bit too optimistic after that with regard to the manoeuvre against Lucas Auer. I misjudged it. Sorry to Lucas – and sorry to my guys as well.”

  Bart Mampaey (Team Principal, BMW Team RBM):

“Firstly, congratulations to René Rast on this perfect weekend. He scored 56 points, which is really extraordinary. All things considered, we had a good weekend. In the second race, we got three cars into the points, finishing fourth, sixth and eighth. There was a lot going on at the start. I think we asserted ourselves well. I would like to thank BMW and the team for all the hard work. After Misano, this represents another step forward. We hope this will continue at Spielberg.”

  Philipp Eng (#25 SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RMR – qualifying result: 3rd place, race result: 8th place, points: 92):  

“I am definitely very pleased with our qualifying performance. We were so close to pole position, twice. We really do have to improve in the race. You always want to score more points when you start so far up the grid. Hopefully I will manage that at my home race at Spielberg.”

  Bruno Spengler (#7 BMW Bank M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying result: 8th place, race result: 4th place, points: 75):

“That was a good chase. The start went well and we were on the pace in the race. The car was not quite as good as yesterday. I had a few more problems with the balance during the race so we will have to analyse that, but I think that we made good progress by moving up from eighth to fourth. I am very pleased and will take this positive result with me to the next race.”

  Joel Eriksson (#47 BMW M4 DTM, BMW Team RBM – qualifying result: 10thplace, race result: 6th place, points: 60):  

“I think it was a really good race, our pace was great. The first stint went really well and the guys did a great job at the pit stop: we were the fastest. Everything went smoothly in the second stint too. I tried to overtake Gary Paffett but it just wasn’t possible. But moving up from tenth to sixth is a great result and we scored some important points. Overall, it was a good weekend for BMW.”

The article 2018 DTM: Marco Wittmann finished third appeared first on BMW BLOG

from Performance Junk Blogger 6 https://ift.tt/2O386FV via IFTTT

[tamisutcliffe-id]

Mom,

It has been very busy at my work lately, which is both good and bad. Helps the days go by quickly but also keeps me going for quite a few hours at a time. We have started using live video cameras for meetings now, so I have to make sure my hair is combed and the little cat is not eating bugs on the couch when I sign into calls. (Although everyone loves the little cat, she is kind of a distraction and will sometimes walk right up to the camera and yawn.)

I just loved that picture of you and the story about the lovely cruise makes it even better- a wonderful memory!

Sometimes I open up the family photo files that Dad sent me and just scroll through some of the old ones. I am so grateful to have had a Dad who enjoyed  capturing what he saw. So many of his shots are pure art, and I love seeing all of us at all of those other times in our lives.

Our cruise is September 17th to the 23rd. We'll be sailing on a Carnival ship we havent been on before (the Valour) out of Galveston, going to Cozumel and Progresso. This is kind of like you going to Lost River camping: you have been to this same place many, many times, it is not the most gorgeous of all the places you go but you like it, and you miss not going there, if you havent been in a while. So I am looking forward to being on the blue Caribbean sea again, even if the damn bag will be going with me. Some of my very favorite pictures of David have been taken in Cozumel:  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93728166@N05/sets/72157632909525291

I go have the first test (of the required two) on August 29. I am scared about it, for no reason other than I just feel scared about it. They normally dont put you under to do this test, but the surgeon said given the extensive amount of damage done six months ago, he would be more comfortable doing the first exploration in there with me snoring rather than staring him in the face. I'll only be asleep for a half hour or so (with IV sedation, like they do for a normal colonoscopy) - and the test itself only takes about 20 minutes, and then I go home and should have no particular side effects at all. If this test goes well (and they find I am flexible inside where I should be flexible), I will need one more test (poetically known as a "leak test" -- ?!?! Oh, no!).  If that one comes out well, we schedule the reversal. We will be home from the cruise the last week of September, so we are very tentatively thinking, if everything goes smoothly, I will have the reversal done in early October. If for any reason either of the tests does not show what we hope for, then we just wait some more. Eventually, I WILL be flexible enough, according to everyone I have talked to. But no one ever knows just when that will be. So - 49 more days of the bag and then we shall see what we shall see.

My friend Kathy, who has been through quite a lot herself, sent me this picture recently, and I try to keep this in mind:

This is us a few summers ago: (Kathy runs barrels but Pam and I do not!!)

Keep sending the emails. I love it when I see your name in the "From" box! Do you have a camera? Have Jason email me pictures of you guys, if you think of it. I would love to see the yard and Loki and all the stuff going on in Idaho.

The Barbara Kingsolver quote was perfect.

Here is my poem of the week:

“So I am not a broken heart.

I am not the weight I lost or the miles I walked.

I am not this year and I am not anybodys fault.

I am muscles building cells, a little every day, because they broke that day,

but bones are stronger once they heal and I am smiling to the other drivers in the traffic jamand replacing my groceries once a weekand I am not sitting for hours in the shower anymore.

I am the way a life unfolds and blooms and seasons come and goand I am the way the spring always finds a way to turn even the coldest winter into a field of green and flowers and new life.”

― Charlotte Eriksson

Love,Tami

On Sun, Jul 8, 2018 at 10:28 PM, Rita Tolman <

rita@btolman.com

> wrote:

Tami Hope you enjoyed your fourth of July week.  Having the fourth in the middle of the week made it seem like a long holiday.  Brandi came by and spent a couple of hours today.  Mont and Cyn returning from Tamarack tomorrow.  Brandi will spend her month home working at Monts clinic.  She is having a hard time deciding where she wants to go when she finishes this next year.  At age 28 she is worried she will never find the one and be able to start a family.  No one in the family can relate as everyone seems to have found the one except Jason which makes me feel sad sometimes if I let myself think about it.  Sure hard to (live one day at a time) sometimes isn’t it.   Couple of comments on your last two emails.  Did you know the quote from Bill Wilson is the man who started Alcoholics Anon. clear back in the thirties?  Reading about his life you find that he was convinced he had some kind of a spiritual experience that caused him to get together with another drunk and have the first meeting of AA.  One drunk helping another to stay sober.  Pretty amazing. The picture of me by the palm tree in one of my favorite dresses of all time from Annie Z was taken by Dad in Miami just before we took our first cruise to the Bahamas.  One of the families Anon. members owned a travel agency in Miami and she was able to put together a cruise for a FA convention.  Dad and I had the honor of coming the farthest to attend.  Flying clear across the country from Seattle.  Jason was doing so well then and we had a great time and met some of the nicest people in the world.  We kept in touch with one couple from Michigan for several years and met up with them a couple of more times at FA conventions.  Their son finally got sober in his thirties, had a family and died in a car crash.  Go figure! When did you say your cruise was going to be in Sept?  Will you see the Doctor again before then?  Summer is slipping away so quickly. I’m hoping to drive to Pocatello in the next couple of weeks to try to plan an August camping trip.  Would love to go back to the Tetons but it is not Butch and Danas first choice.  They still love the lost river country but I will be happy to just get to somewhere more primitive than Tamarack.  Will have to do some home cooking if I can remember how as Butch looks forward to some grandma Spahr cooking.  I have been guilty of buying frozen microwave meals from costco all summer.  Have you got a membership yet.  Still hoping David will check out the hearing aid dept.  They also offer a big selection of wines at good prices.  Mont and I love their cocktail tray of Jumbo cocktail shrimp with fresh lemon and cocktail sauce.  Makes my mouth water just writing about them.  Fairly healthy ad not too many calories if you don’t eat the whole thing at once.  Will close with a quote from one of my favorite Authors Barbara Kingsolver on loss.  “You don’t think you’ll live past it and you don’t really.  The person you were is gone,but the half of you that’s still alive wakes up one day and takes over again.”   Have a good week and take care.  Love Mom

[ksyk]

Soundtrack of my life - Finnish edition

https://itunes.apple.com/fi/playlist/soundtrack-of-my-life-finnish-edition/idpl.dfd25ebb598149c5bc347a1fb9259a7f

  Despite of the fact that only as a ten-year-old I started taking piano lessons, music has been a big part of my life. As a kid I absolutely loved Finnish music because that was something I could actually sing along to and understand the lyrics of - at least in some way. As I got older I had a phase when I didn’t listen to any Finnish music, until now when I have realised that there is great Finnish music that deserves to be listened. Many of the songs that I have listed here bring great memories to my mind and therefore the tracks truly deserve their place on the soundtrack.

  Ei - Maija Vilkkumaa

  Ei is a song I remember listening to on every Saturday morning with my older sister after our tennis lesson. Back when cars had a CD player, we would skip the three first songs on the disc so that we could hear our favourite song of 2005. Even though I have been a fan of Maija Vilkkumaa since I was 5 years old, I hadn’t seen her live until she performed at the Helsinki-päivä -concert last summer.

  Romeo Ja Julia - Pikku G

  When saying “I never listen to rap”, I really mean it. Still as a five or six-year-old all we would listen to when in car was Maija Vilkkumaa and Pikku G. Pikku G used to be one of my absolute favourites back then. I also remember being in his open air concert somewhere in Helsinki with my family, but even my parents have no clue when and where that was. We have tried to google his tour dates from the years 2005-2007 but yet we haven’t found any answers.

  Kun Katsoit Minuun - Anna Eriksson

Anna Eriksson is an artist that makes me miss the iPod times. My dad bought one of the earliest iPods and from then on we would continuously sing and dance to Maija Vilkkumaa, Pikku G and Anna Eriksson. I remember especially the times when we would throw birthday parties and our parents would tell us to put some music on. It was always Anna Eriksson me and my sisters would play.

  In the Shadows - The Rasmus

  The Rasmus is a band that my mother introduced me to. Lauri Ylönen - the lead singer of the band - used to live in the same area as I and one year on Easter me and my friends knocked at Lauri’s door by accident, dressed as witches and easter bunnies. He came to the door toothbrush in the other hand, only dressed in a bathrobe. Few seconds later after we had said the “Virvon varvon, tuoreeks terveeks…”, he gave us his half eaten pack of salty liquorice. Since then when talking about meeting celebrities I have told people this story. Later in life I have realised that The Rasmus has actually some listening worthy music and I am so glad they just made a comeback with their new single Paradise.

Hollywood Hills - Sunrise Avenue

  After getting to know The Rasmus it didn’t take long until I started also listening to Sunrise Avenue. The Hollywood Hills is a song that I remember from an 8th grade german-exchange. I had just gotten into the car with the girl and her family whom I would spend the next week with when Hollywood Hills started playing on the radio. It wasn’t only me who got hyped because of the song, but also my exchange student.

  Mikä Kesä? - Valvomo

  This is a song that I still spend the summers listening to. When hearing Mikä Kesä? I remember the summers spent on our backyard by the pool with friends and family. This song always keeps making me smile.

  C’est La Vie - Anna Puu

  C’est La Vie used to be my best friend’s favourite song back in the elementary school and just like Mikä Kesä?, Anna Puu’s album Anna Puu makes me remember the summers spent outside in the sun. We would spent hours with my best friend on her trampoline in her backyard jumping to the rhythm of the album, which she had downloaded to her Nokia 2730 phone.

  Paperilennokki - Robin

  Robin has had a huge impact on my life even though at first, in 2012, I hated him wholeheartedly, but now, oh boy how many memories there are relating to Robin. I have been in his concerts - even travelled to Turku - and met him few times in random occasions. We also took part in a KiVa-koulu competition where the prize was to get Robin and Elastinen to perform at your school and as incredible as it seemed we did win the competition. The other time I met Robin was at Malmi Airport at his concert and I remember him doing a whole new version of Paperilennokki which I liked the second I heard it. In general, Robin is an artist I idolize because of his skill to remain such a normal teenager and also because of his great amount of talent which can be proven to be real in his concerts.

  The Sirens - Softengine

  I’ve been listening to Softengine’s music ever since they performed at Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. I like their music and they are the reason why I have started exploring Finnish music again. I have also seen Softengine live in Stoa and Linnanmäki and compared to any other gigs I’ve been to, they are so far the most awkward band I have ever seen because of their lack of performing talent. However, their music is great no matter if you are hearing them live or streaming their music on Spotify.

Kiitos Ei Ole Kirosana - Haloo Helsinki!

  Haloo Helsinki! is actually a band that my dad made me listen to. Especially Kiitos Ei Ole Kirosana used to be a track he would play in the car on repeat and keep on telling how great the lyrics are. Ever since my dad brainwashed me with this song, Kiitos Ei Ole Kirosana (as an album) has been one of my absolute favourites of all the times.

  Elämä Lupaa Mulle - Elias Kaskinen & Päivän Sankarit

  Few years back I was on a skiing camp in Lapland. Before we hopped on the bus on the night we were heading back home, we all got together in a church chapel just right next to our cabin. There was this guy sitting at the grand piano telling us that he was going to play us his just released single and some other songs from his upcoming album. I remember some of the girls going crazy while I had no clue who he was. Latter after doing some googling I learnt that the guy was Elias Kaskinen from Elias Kaskinen & Päivän Sankarit. I think he’s a cool guy and I really like his music.

  Syyskuun kyy - Lauri Tähkä

  It all started when Lauri Tähkä was a mentor in Voice of Finland ages ago. From then on I used to hate him more than rap music. Last spring me and my older sister started listening to Lauri Tähkä’s music because we thought it was funny and well suddenly it wasn’t funny anymore when we realised that we had both started to like his music. Last November we went to see his concert at Savoy theater and I can tell you that we were the youngest in the audience. Why I have Syyskuun kyy on my playlist is because in his concert Lauri himself didn’t even know the lyrics and he got it messed all the time.

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What the BMW DTM Drivers Work on During Winter

Winter time means that the DTM takes what seems like a terribly long break for most of us. However, the drivers involved in the competition are not resting on their laurels. BMW’s teams are involved in a number of activities during the six months that separate the final race on the Hockenheim in October and the first one of the next season on the same track, in May. These involve physical training, regeneration and participating in other events.

Two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann was back in action on the racetrack, for the first time at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau just a few weeks after the DTM season finale. In the BMW M6 GT3, he hurtled through the narrow urban canyons of the “Guia Circuit”. In December and January, Wittmann used the DTM break to pursue one of his great hobbies: skiing. And at home in Fürth, he also still works regularly in his father’s body shop.

Macau (CHN) 16th- 19th November 2017. BMW Motorsport, FIA GT World Cup, Augusto Farfus (BRA) BMW Art Car #18 by Cao Fei.

This winter, Wittmann’s major challenge is getting a truck driving license. “I started with a first aid course, and now it’s time for the practical driving lessons, which I’m really looking forward to,” he said. A much pacier driving experience awaits Wittmann on the first weekend in February, when, like last year, he will contest his first race of the year at the 12 Hours of Bathurst with the BMW M6 GT3. Then after he returns home, the intensive preparation for the 2018 DTM season gets underway with a fitness week for all BMW DTM drivers.

His BMW Team RMG fellow driver Timo Glock headed straight from the DTM season finale at Hockenheim to the USA. He was at the Formula 1 races in Austin and Mexico City as a TV expert for RTL – a role that he will spend more time pursuing this year in addition to his race starts for BMW Motorsport. “Since I will be on the road a lot in 2018 with my races for BMW and my TV appearances, I’m trying to spend as much time as possible with my family this winter,” said Glock.

Lausitzring (GER) 24th October 2017. DTM Testing, BMW Motorsport, Joel Eriksson (SWE) DEUTSCHE POSDT BMW M4 DTM.

The third BMW Team RMG driver, Augusto Farfus, is experiencing one of the most intensive winters of his career and clocked up plenty of air miles in the process; he is in action in various BMW racing cars in Asia, America and Australia. He was at the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM once again when the DTM and Japanese Super GT Championship met in Motegi in November, before he had the honor of driving the 18th BMW Art Car in Macau.

That was followed by a guest appearance in the Brazilian Stock Car championship and test drives in the BMW M8 GTE in the USA in December. After a short break for Christmas with the family, Farfus returned to the USA at the beginning of January for intensive preparations for the 24 Hours of Daytona. He will be in action for BMW Team RLL in that race next weekend.

Bruno Spengler is now preparing for a new challenge. He took part in the official rookie test for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship on behalf of the MS&AD Andretti Formula E Team. And just a few days later, Spengler is a world away from the Moroccan desert. This weekend, he is holding driver training courses in a BMW M5 at a BMW event in the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad.

Philipp Eng and Joel Eriksson will be the new additions to the line-up. Eng will be one of the drivers to take the wheel of the new BMW M8 GTE in its first race. He and Farfus will then fly straight from Daytona to the other end of the world, to the 12-hour race of Bathurst. After the race, he will continue his preparations for his maiden DTM season.

Eriksson on the other hand headed to Macau, where he secured pole position and second place in the qualifying race at the prestigious Formula 3 race. In January he, like Spengler, took part in the rookie test for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Marrakech. However, Eriksson is spending most of the winter in intensive preparation for his DTM debut. When he’s not racing, the Swede is restoring old cars in his home garage.

The article What the BMW DTM Drivers Work on During Winter appeared first on BMW BLOG

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BMW Motorsport presents race program for 2018 season

BMW Motorsport has set its course for the 2018 season. At the traditional Season Review event in Munich (GER), BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt (GER) presented the extensive program, as well as the drivers and teams involved.

Next year’s activities range from the return to Le Mans (FRA) in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) with the new BMW M8 GTE, to the works program in the DTM and preparations for entering the FIA Formula E Championship with a works team in Season 5.

The updated BMW M6 GT3 will also be in action in GT classics at the Nürburgring (GER) and in Bathurst (AUS), to name but a few. The new BMW M4 GT4 will contest its first season in the hands of private BMW drivers around the world. 2018 will also see BMW Brand Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) commence his preparations for the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) the following year.

“As of 2018, the strategical realignment of motorsport under the roof of the BMW Group will become operational,” said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of BMW AG, Development. “Our goal is to be successful and capable of winning with BMW M and BMW i. Motorsport will take on the function of an innovation and high-performance hub. I am looking forward to the coming year. Alongside DTM we will tackle exciting new challenges such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the new BMW M8 GTE and our first Formula E race at the end of the year.”

DTM: Philipp Eng and Joel Eriksson join the BMW squad. In 2018, BMW Motorsport will go into its seventh season since returning to the DTM in 2012 with six BMW M4 DTM cars and two teams. Like last year, BMW Team RMG and BMW Team RBM will both run three cars. Two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann (GER), Timo Glock (GER) and Augusto Farfus (BRA) will continue to drive for Stefan Reinhold’s (GER) RMG team. BMW Team RBM welcomes two new faces into the fold. 2012 champion Bruno Spengler (CAN) is joined by BMW works driver Philipp Eng (AUT) and former BMW Motorsport Junior Joel Eriksson (SWE), who will both be making their DTM debuts.

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt: “Continuity and experience are very important in the DTM. At the same time, we also wanted to provide some new impetus in 2018. I would like to thank Maxime Martin for the super cooperation and all the success they have achieved in recent years. He has taken on a new challenge outside of BMW Motorsport. Tom Blomqvist makes the switch to Formula E. Philipp Eng and Joel Eriksson have made it into the DTM squad on the back of strong performances last year, and having made a very good impression at the Young Driver Test. I am confident that they will also do well in the BMW M4 DTM. After Marco’s victory at the 2017 season finale, we carry plenty of momentum into our preparations for the new season.”

Joel Eriksson: “When I joined BMW, it was always my goal to make it to the top, to make it to the DTM. It’s fantastic that I have achieved this. I am really looking forward to working with BMW Team RBM. As I’ve come from Formula 3 the handling of the BMW M4 DTM is not that unfamiliar to me. I think I will get used to it quickly.”

Philipp Eng: “I still can’t quite believe that I really will be a BMW DTM driver in 2018. The DTM has always been with me, because I was competing in the supporting series for a long time and have often been on site for BMW over the past two years. My dream has always been to drive a DTM car. This dream came true with my test in the BMW M4 DTM and it’s incredible that now I am being given a regular drive. I first experienced single-seater racing in Formula BMW in 2006. Now I have made it to one of BMW Motorsport’s top programmes. No doubt it will be a big challenge for me, but as they say: you grow with your tasks.”

FIA WEC: Stage set for the new BMW M8 GTE. After intense preparations, BMW Team MTEK and team principal Ernest Knoors (NED) will field two new BMW M8 GTE cars when BMW Motorsport makes its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). The regular drivers for the complete season will be Nick Catsburg (NED), Augusto Farfus, António Félix da Costa (POR) and Martin Tomczyk (GER). Over the course of the season, they will be supported at individual races by BMW works drivers Tom Blomqvist (GBR), Philipp Eng and Alexander Sims (GBR).

Jens Marquardt says: “The drivers in our WEC squad have been intensely involved in the development work on the BMW M8 GTE from the outset. The combination of GT experience and race talent means we are ideally positioned to achieve good results in our first season in uncharted territory. After the intense months spent developing the car, everyone at BMW Motorsport is extremely motivated ahead of the first races in 2018.”

IMSA: American-European teamwork. The new BMW M8 GTE will also be in action in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) in 2018. In the hands of BMW Team RLL and team principal Bobby Rahal (USA), the new car will make its race debut on the final weekend in January, at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Americans Connor De Phillippi and John Edwards will contest the entire season at the wheel of the two cars. De Phillippi is a newcomer to the BMW Motorsport family. The two regular European drivers are Alexander Sims and former BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn (FIN). New BMW NA Brand Ambassador Bill Auberlen (USA), Nick Catsburg, Philipp Eng and Augusto Farfus will also drive for the team in endurance races.

Jens Marquardt says: “The commitment in North America remains a central pillar of the BMW Motorsport racing programme in 2018. Our partnership with BMW Team RLL is entering its tenth year. To mark the anniversary, Bobby Rahal’s team will race with two new BMW M8 GTEs. In Connor De Phillippi, we have brought another absolute GT specialist into the team. I am also pleased to see our former BMW Motorsport Junior Jesse Krohn promoted to the works programme. At this point, I would like to once again express my respect for Bill Auberlen. No other driver has been as closely associated with BMW as he has. 400 races for one manufacturer – that is unique. It is nice to have him on board at the big races again in 2018.”

FIA Formula E Championship: Building for the future. Season 4 of the FIA Formula E Championship is in full swing, having begun two weeks ago in Hong Kong (CHN). For BMW, the collaboration with the MS&AD Andretti Formula E Team, and its owner Michael Andretti (USA), will intensify over the coming season. In Season 5 BMW will enter the series with a works team. António Félix da Costa is the regular driver for Season 4. As of race three in Marrakech (MAR) in January, Andretti has named BMW works driver Tom Blomqvist for the seat in the second car. He switches from the DTM to the Formula E series. Alexander Sims will be the official reserve driver for the team.

Jens Marquardt says: “For us, Formula E is the ideal platform for the mobility of the future, and the perfect test laboratory for the BMW iNEXT. In no other programme is the transfer of technology between motor racing and production as intense as in Formula E. In close collaboration with the MS&AD Andretti team, our engineers and drivers are being integrated to gain stronger awareness and understanding as we near Season 5. We are pleased to have two of our drivers in action as of the race in Marrakech, in the form of Tom Blomqvist and António Félix da Costa. We are confident that Tom will be competitive alongside António.”

Further GT races: The BMW M6 GT3 returns with the Evo package. The endurance classic at the Nürburgring (GER) will once again be the highlight of the European GT series for BMW in 2018. BMW Motorsport will compete with the updated BMW M6 GT3. ROWE Racing and Falken Motorsports are set to run the BMW M6 GT3 with Evo package on the Nordschleife. BMW Team Schnitzer and BMW Team SRM will both field one BMW M6 GT3 at the 12h Bathurst (AUS) in February. Augusto Farfus, Chaz Mostert (AUS) and Marco Wittmann will drive for BMW Team Schnitzer. Team principal Steve Richards (NZL), Philipp Eng and Timo Glock will be at the wheel for BMW Team SRM. Timo Scheider (GER) will also form part of the BMW GT driver line-up again in 2018, contesting races in the ADAC GT Masters.

Jens Marquardt says: “We will once again be prominently represented at selected GT classics with works-assisted customer teams – primarily ROWE Racing – in 2018. After finishing runner-up this year, we obviously have a score to settle with the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. We also want to play a major role in Bathurst. With that in mind, we will strengthen the teams with BMW works drivers and support them with engineers.”

Road to Daytona: New racing project for Alessandro Zanardi. For BMW Brand Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi, the 2018 season will primarily be about preparing for one special race: in 2019, the BMW works driver will make a spectacular return to North American motorsport at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where he will drive the BMW M8 GTE. Details will be announced at a later date. Over the course of the season, Zanardi and the BMW Motorsport engineers will work on a new brake system, which will allow him to race without his artificial limbs.

Jens Marquardt says: “I am delighted that we will be working with Alessandro Zanardi on this new project in 2018. It was his great desire to return to North America for another big race. We are only too happy to make that possible. The fans at Daytona can look forward to a real highlight with Alex and the BMW M8 GTE in 2019.”

Customer Racing: Private teams race with the BMW M4 GT4. The GT4 class is currently experiencing a boom – and BMW Motorsport is recognising this development in 2018 with the new BMW M4 GT4. Following intense test work, the customer racing car will make its debut in the hands of private BMW teams around the world. The BMW M4 GT4 will be in action in a host of different international racing series. The first highlight will be the 24 Hours of Dubai (UAE) on the second weekend in January. The updated BMW M6 GT3 will also do battle for race wins and titles in high-quality GT racing series all over the world. The BMW M235i Racing remains an established element of the BMW Motorsport customer racing programme and will be in action in the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring, within the BMW M235i Racing Cup, in the North American Pirelli World Challenge and in many other series. BMW Motorsport will support customer teams around the world with well-known drivers like Jens Klingmann (GER), Markus Palttala (FIN) and Stef Dusseldorp (NED).

Jens Marquardt says: “Customer racing has been part of the BMW Motorsport’s DNA for almost 60 years. With the new BMW M4 GT4 and the Evo package for the BMW M6 GT3, we are confident that we are able to offer our private teams fantastic cars, with which they can continue to successfully represent the BMW brand as ambassadors around the world. Furthermore, the tried-and-tested BMW M235i Racing is the perfect entry-level model. The commitment shown by our private drivers and teams around the world cannot be overestimated.”

BMW Motorsport Junior programme: Focus on continuity. BMW Motorsport will continue its long tradition of promoting talented youngsters in 2018. Following the promotion of Joel Eriksson to the DTM, Ricky Collard (GBR), Mikkel Jensen (DEN), Dennis Marschall (GER), Nico Menzel (GER) and Beitske Visser (NED) will be part of the programme next year. They will compete in races in the BMW M6 GT3 and the BMW M4 GT4. Tests in the BMW M4 DTM and the BMW M8 GTE are also planned. Fitness and mental training also remain key elements of the Juniors’ training.

Jens Marquardt says: “The promotion of talented youngsters is a tradition stretching back 40 years at BMW. I am particularly pleased that two Juniors have made the step up into our works programme at the end of the anniversary year in 2017, in the form of Joel Eriksson and Jesse Krohn. That proves how successful our programme is. We are looking forward to continuing to support and accompany our talented youngsters on their career paths.”

The article BMW Motorsport presents race program for 2018 season appeared first on BMW BLOG

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