#redbull power struggle

[blorbocedes]

“Toto Wolff has had a meeting with Jos Verstappen in the Bahrain paddock. When asked about the possibility of Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2025, Wolff responded: “Anything is possible.”

This comes after reports that Jos Verstappen said that the Red Bull team could “explode”, and it is “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner stays on as team principal.”

User blorbocedes, is it over?

there is one man in redbull who is completely irreplaceable. and that is max verstappen.

max verstappen is not leaving redbull while it's the fastest car. and he's not leaving for fucking mercedes, which isn't on pace to be second fastest car

sure you can argue "max is leaving to protest alleged sexual harasser team principal" and I would love to live in the world where men cared about women at the detriment of their own careers, but if this was true then max wouldn't hug said alleged team principal after a race win, or go up laugh with him of his own volition during practice. he quite simply does not care, he's just here to race

verstappen's camp ofc cares, and max lets them run it how they see fit in his best interests.

we know Jos doesn't like Horner, and he released articles since last year and even recently that he doesn't fuck with him for reasons he won't say. also not out of any ethical considerations (let's hear what the wifebeater has to say about the mistreatment of women), but because we can guess -- Jos does not like Checo, and Horner backs Checo. regardless, the reason does not matter — he wants Horner out.

After Redbull's former owner Dietrich died, there was a power vacuum in redbull and Horner stood a lot to gain as TP and CEO to become de-facto sole benefactor. RB Austria, the parent company, does not want that. During Dietrich's tenure, he trusted Helmut completely to make decisions on hiring new drivers, and we know Marko and Horner disagreed on promoting NDV, with Marko getting his way in the end and then quickly being embarrassed. Helmut and Jos are quite friendly, the way he isn't with Horner. You see the power struggle.

Jos has always had contact with Toto because he wanted to get 16 year old Max in Mercedes, and Toto couldn't. Every time Max's contract negotiations would come up, there would be Mercedes rumours and talks so that Redbull would clamp down and give team Max whatever they wanted (centre the whole team around him.) They maintained this relationship until 2021 silverstone.

Jos talking to Toto now is essentially drawing a line in the sand that either Max, the boy wonder champion this whole team is built around goes or Horner goes. Max wont go. But to earn that, Redbull has always caved and given Max what he wants.

and ofc Toto took the call because Max is forever his "one that got away" and would welcome in that silver shitbox with open arms, not that Max would accept

Is it over? Well, if Redbull is stupid enough to keep that liability of a team principal and tie their sinking ship to a man who creeped on his employee instead of keeping their multiple world champion and strongest driver on the grid happy then they deserve the pride before the fall, and lose it all.

[formulawolff]

ii. "think about my offer" - t.w.

pairing: female driver! x toto wolff

word count: 2.8k

warnings: cursing, eventual smut, drug & alcohol usage, power imbalances, age gap relationships, flirting, banter, yearning, use of fic tropes, yadayadayada the works

prev. | next.

sypnosis: with the second grand prix of the season well on its way, there is a lot at stake. not only with the race, but other matters as well.

darkness creeps into the motorhome, the lights of the team motorhomes and paddocks illuminating the space. all around you, everything was brushed with a soft white glow. 

his fingers remain under your chin, forcing you to maintain eye contact. in the dim light, you can barely make out the glint swimming in his depths. what was it? desperation? anticipation? you weren’t sure. 

toto was a complex man. you were well aware of that. 

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧˖⁺‧₊˚♡

there were days where you would see him glowering around the mercedes paddock, engaged in heated exchanges with engineers. there were moments where you would watch a glimpse of his radiant grin, dimples and all, as mercedes would successfully place or land a podium. of course you had heard the stories about him and his outbursts. his mood seemed to change in a matter of seconds, especially these days. 

well, could you really blame him? 

mercedes had dominated the world of formula one for so long. with lewis hamilton earning eight world championships, breaking barriers and records along the way, mercedes was the top team. it was a team many drivers dreamed of racing for. when you entered the world of formula one, you could barely get one foot in without hearing the word mercedes or the name lewis hamilton. 

that was until redbull had entered the picture in 2022. 

now, they were struggling to even maintain second place. hell, there were some races where the team would barely make finish without crashing a car. or suffering from a malfunction. 

mercedes was no longer the team. they were on the same level to ferrari and mclaren, fighting tooth and nail for those second and third spots on the podiums. 

additionally, you couldn’t help but face the glaring facts. lewis hamilton was leaving mercedes once the 2024 season was complete. their integral driver, the one who had earned them their reputation, their titles, was making an exit. 

was there something behind that? something more than the speculations and gossip?

however, you squeeze your eyes shut, sucking in a shaky breath. 

“why do you want me on mercedes? these days i feel more like a liability to my team than an asset. i’m sure you just saw the spectacle in the press room.”

“because you’re an inspiration,” the notes in his tone are gentle, “you have inspired so many women to pursue their passions in the world of formula one. not just in terms of racing, but for mechanics, engineers, journalists. you have encouraged so many people to do what they love. you are confident. you know your talents and you utilize them. you have so much fucking potential and it makes me so irrationally angry that james does not see that.”

brows furrowing, your hand grasps toto’s wrist, pulling it away from your face, “does this have something to do with james? it’s common knowledge that you like to hold grudges, toto.”

the principal coughs slightly, “that may have something to do with it.”

“then my answer is no,” venom oozes out of your words, “i’m not some pawn to be used as a ‘fuck you’ to james for leaving mercedes. i’m not taking any part in that. i’m going to need you to leave.”

“that’s fine,” toto nods, responding coolly, “i figured you’d react this way. you are extremely close with james.”

“well no shit,” you mutter, pointing towards the door, “mr. wolff, i am going to ask you kindly once again. please leave.”

“i will,” placing a hand on your shoulder, toto locks eyes with you once more, “think about my deal, little dove. in the meantime, i’ll be waiting.”

“waiting for what?”

“if you’ll accept my deal,” his thumb massages along your collarbone, “you didn’t say yes, but you didn’t say no. i can tell you’re considering it.”

“you’re stubborn,” you retaliate, yet the pressure along your collarbone is relieving, the sore muscles relaxing, “they weren’t wrong about that.”

“i am quite the stubborn man, schatz,” toto can sense your exterior crumbling as his hand glides towards your shoulder blade, massaging gently. 

“i know you’re manipulating me with your extremely good looks and nice hands.”

“and yet,” toto’s voice is low and he leans in, mouth hovering by your ear, “you’re falling for it.”

“are you flirting with me, toto wolff?”

“maybe i am,” his breath fans against your ear as his hand delves lower, fingertips brushing along your ribcage, “it seems to be working. look at you, nearly crumpling to your knees at my touch. how long has it been since a man has touched you like this, schatz?”

it takes everything in you not to let out a groan as his hand rests on the small of your back, “y-you need to leave.”

“i will this time,” he murmurs, “but consider my offer, little dove.”

a vibration on the countertop interrupts the principal. snapping out of your trance, you pluck your phone, the illuminated screen notifying you that you had a couple of missed calls, and numerous text messages. 

one particularly caught your eye. 

it was daniel. 

i’m going to be on my way in five. i hope you’re okay. i know you probably don’t want to talk about the press conference very much, but we can just cuddle or something. 

“oh fuck.”

toto towers over you, eyes scanning over your phone, “i take it that is my cue to leave.”

“your cue to leave was fifteen minutes ago,” your tone is dry, yet he cracks a smile. 

“i hope you know i’m going to keep pestering you until you give me an answer. have a good night, little dove. i’ll see you around, yeah?”

“sure,” you respond. placing two hands on his back, you give him a small push, “you need to go before daniel thinks something weird is going on.” 

“is he your boyfriend or something?” toto obliges to your action, the austrian beginning to stroll towards the door of the motorhome. 

for him, the exit was merely a few strides. but fuck, was he sticking around. daniel was going to be there in a matter of seconds. who knew what would happen if they happened to cross paths. 

similar to toto, daniel was not one to let things go. 

“no!” you snap, “leaaaavveee!”

“fine, fine,” toto huffs, “think about my offer, schatz. i will see you around.”

as the principal slides out of the door, you bring a hand to your temple, massaging it. 

what the actual fuck just happened?

seconds later, a series of knocks breaks the silence. 

“come in!”

daniel peeks his head in, concern painting his features as he notices your state, “why are you still in your suit?”

shrugging you point to your phone, “i was in the middle of an intense phone call when you texted.”

“ah,” he opens the door, a bottle of wine in one hand, a bag in the other, “i brought food, if that’s all right? i figured you would need some after that prick grilled you in the press room.”

“can we talk about something else?” you groan, crossing over to the couch. you flop on it dramatically, earning a laugh from daniel. 

“we could talk about how max adores you. i think kelly has some competition.”

“i wouldn’t say that,” you lift your head up, fighting a smile as daniel pulls a series of parcels from the bag, “what did you get?”

“something i knew the american would like,” he teases, ripping open a few wrappers, “a classic cheeseburger with fries. i hope they’re not soggy. i ordered it plain since i know how you are about condiments.” 

“no shake with that?” you giggle, sitting up. wrapping your arms around daniel, you bury your head into his shoulder, “it’s a been a fucking day, let me tell you.”

“yeah?” he stuffs a fry in his mouth, “tell me about it.”

“well,” you’re tempted to spill every single detail about what just occurred merely minutes ago. however, as daniel’s gaze meets yours, you hesitate, “i’m concerned about my future with williams.”

“why do you say that?” his eyes narrow, brow furrowing, “you’ve never said anything like that till now. did something happen on the way back from the press conference?”

“no, no, no,” you respond a little too quickly, “i just – i don’t know. you of all people know how quickly things change in this environment and–”

“hey,” daniel lays a hand on your thigh, “i think you need some rest. you’ve had a real fucking busy day. we can talk about your future plans in the morning.”

“but what if i want to talk about them now?” 

“you of all people know that i am not one to tell people what to do or how to live their lives,” daniel’s eyes harden, the words stern, “but you need to decompress. take your mind off racing for a minute. your life is not all about racing. you need to take care of yourself too.”

“i know,” you allow him to wrap an arm around your shoulders, bringing you in close, “it’s too much to think about sometimes.”

“tell me about it,” daniel places a peck on your temple as you nestle your head into his collarbone, “how about we eat, and maybe we can talk about it later?”

“sounds like a plan to me,” you nod, “hey, i have a question for you.”

“and that is?” 

reaching for a box of fries, you fiddle with it, “are there speculations that we’re dating?”

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧˖⁺‧₊˚♡

“how do you think that went?”

james is to your right, tablet in hand. absentmindedly, you fiddle with the visor on your helmet, “all right.”

“just all right?” james queries, “you have pole position for tomorrow and you think that went just all right?”

“well,” you shrug, “we all know that max is going to overtake me, so i can’t be too hopeful.”

“such a pessimist,” james chuckles, placing a tender hand on your shoulder, “you don’t seem like you’re quite here today. i don’t want to press, but is something on your mind? you know you can tell me, right?”

there was quite a lot on your mind, actually. 

in the days following the bahrain grand prix, it was almost as if your mind was a torrent of anxiety, fear, and numerous emotions. there were too many to decipher, constantly overwhelming you, distracting you from the matter at hand. 

although you felt like you weren’t quite on this planet, you somehow managed to breeze past max in qualifying. it was only by hundredths of seconds, but it was a victory nonetheless. charles leclerc was behind max in the third position on the grid. alex was twelfth, which was not great but not terrible. 

the encounter with toto was ever-present, consuming your thoughts whole. part of you wanted to confess the entire situation to james, but you knew that you had to keep it to yourself. this was no time to stir up any drama or rivalry between the two principals. 

you couldn’t stop thinking about the way his hand drifted, how his voice shifted when he spoke to you. it was a far contrast from the way he spoke in interviews or to his drivers. it was rich yet husky, brimming with lust. there were gentle notes inflected in it as well, almost if he was admiring you. it was reminiscent of how one would speak of their favorite piece of artwork, or their most prized possession. 

from his point of view, were you really a prize to be won? were you really that important? or were you the latter?

were you simply a pawn in his game?

the way he looked at you told you a different story. 

there was no calculation. no coldness. there was no trace of the hardened, steely gaze he usually presented to his peers, to journalists, and to the general public. 

there was simply a softness. as if you were one of his weak spots. you could remember him looking at you hungrily, as if he was taking in every single detail of the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

since the encounter in your motorhome, you had only bumped into the principal twice. once was on your entrance to the paddocks with james, where you exchanged formal greetings. the other was after the last practice session, where he congratulated you for your time, wishing you luck in qualifying. 

the most odd aspect of it all was that you could count the number of exchanges you had with the principal on your fingers. most of it was formalities, either with the press lurking around, or when you attended events. there were no personal meetings before. it was all business or related to racing. 

so he truly meant it when he had mentioned he had his eye on you for a while. 

the only thing you could remember was an afterparty after the monaco grand prix in 2023. although max had won the race, both lewis and george had placed fourth and fifth. those were significant placements, especially on a track like monaco. you had placed eleventh, which was pretty monumental at the time. 

around four a.m. at the afterparty, toto approached you. his face was flushed, cheeks tinged nearly crimson from the alcohol. the scent lingered on his breath, his hair was tousled, and a sheen of sweat clung to his skin. yet he was still utterly gorgeous, offering you a brilliant smile. 

“i didn’t think the golden girl of formula one would make an appearance!”

“golden girl?” 

“well of course,” he nodded fervently, the words slurred ever so slightly, “you shine like the sun. so that means you’re a golden girl!”

“mr. wolff,” your laughter was like bells, ringing so beautifully in the principals’ ears, “i think you’re pretty drunk.”

“let’s get a drink or two together. then you can really see that i’m not the big bad wolf.” 

you ended up declining his offer, but he didn’t persist, leaving you to join daniel, lando, and oscar on the dancefloor. your heart was racing, and you were sure it had nothing to do with the pounding bass or alcohol consumption. 

it was due to the fact that you had a tiny crush on the principal. 

ever since you had sat behind the wheel of a race car, you were attracted to the principal. in your teenage years, you had dreamed of racing for mercedes, under the wing of toto. you swooned whenever you logged onto tumblr and read fanfics. you were nearly breathless every time you saw him pop up on your youtube feed. 

fuck, even when you watched drive to survive on netflix, you couldn’t help but catch yourself rewinding back to the interviews with toto. 

so when he offered to buy you a drink or two in monaco, you had to bite your tongue to say yes. when he entered your motorhome and had you pinned against the counter, you were a little weak in the knees. when he used little dove or schatz, it did leave your heart skipping a beat. 

since that moment in monaco, things had been strictly professional. now, that line was starting to blur thanks to the motorhome incident. every time you noticed the principal, you could sense the tension in the air. it clouded nearly everything, thick and electric, sending a shiver down your spine every time the two of you locked eyes. 

there was no doubt that the team principal was breathtaking. yet, he was almost thirty years older than you. additionally, you couldn’t help but think about the way the entire formula one world would react the moment they caught wind of mr. wolff and the american girl. the horrible treatment from the media would only skyrocket. 

there was also the other elephant in the room. 

after you asked daniel whether or not there were speculations the two of you were dating, he distanced himself. although he had said no, you couldn’t help but wonder if he wanted the world to think the two of you were together. 

before, the two of you were almost inseparable. after alex, he was the first driver to welcome you to the world of formula one with open arms, often encouraging you, offering advice, and defending your name tirelessly. he was constantly reposting videos of you all over his social media, captioning them along the lines of, “look at my american girl go!” or “go best friend, that’s my best friend!” 

of course, there were little rumors swirling around on social media that the two of you were an item. fans often made edits of the two of you, saying things like, “they’ll never tell us they’re dating but in my head they’re together” or “that aussie boy loves his american girl <3” 

now, you found yourself distracted. too distracted. between the whole toto debacle, questioning your loyalty to williams,  the benefits of joining mercedes, and daniel leaving you out high and dry, you were a mess. 

 a hot mess, at the very least. 

to make matters worse, tomorrow was the biggest race of your season. if not, the biggest race of your life. 

and god only knew what tomorrow was going to bring.

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧˖⁺‧₊˚♡

thank you so much for reading! let me know if you would like to be tagged! <3 this is going to be a multi-chapter series so buckle up y'all. it's about to get juicy!

[percervall]

you make it rain (but I make it shower)

Pairing: Lando Norris x fem!reader Words: 834 Request: Lando Norris + Little Mix - Power + fluff/angst Warnings: Christian Horner, sexism

In which you've had enough

---

“They’re only here for the hot drivers,” the RedBull team principal comments as he walks behind you and Lando. The two of you are watching a group of girls exchange friendship bracelets with some of his fellow drivers, their joy audible as the girls make them remember silly moments that have become inside jokes. Something about Horner’s dismissive tone has you seeing red. You feel Lando’s hand on your shoulder, trying to hold you back from doing something stupid –like getting yourself banned from the paddock.

“No, he needs to hear it. I won’t stand for this,” you brush off your best friend, “You’re such an ass, you know?” you call out to Christian Horner. The man stops and turns around.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, you heard me. You should be thanking these girls, they’re the reason F1 has gotten as popular as it has. There’s a reason Daniel’s merch is pulling the numbers it does, why Lando’s own merch sells better than the McLaren stuff, or why Ferrari post literal thirst traps on Instagram every race weekend, and it’s not the 40-something-year-old men with beer bellies clad head to toe in RedBull, setting off flares –illegal flares– in the grandstands. The only reason for your success is because of Max and his army of loyal fans. Every single driver in that number 2 seat has failed to live up to your standards, but then again you also don’t offer them a particularly nurturing work environment. I’m not done,” you say as you see him open his mouth to respond, “Your team has the highest driver turnover rate on the grid. It also has some of the worst transparency when it comes to diversity. I know you hate him, but you could learn a thing or two about how Toto runs Mercedes, about Lewis’ dedication to making the sport more welcoming, and also about profit margins. Their car may be shit, but they’re actually making money. They were also one of the first teams to promote F1 Academy, something your own social media team was quite late with. Gee, I wonder why that is. So please forgive me, Christian, when I say that your opinion of girls and female fans of motor sports means absolutely nothing to me. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” you finish your rant as calmly as you can with your heart hammering in your chest, and walk away from him. Behind you, you hear Horner splutter something about Lando needing to keep his friends in check. You can only imagine what Lando’s reply might be to that. The adrenaline of calling out a team principal on his behaviour is beginning to wear off and you can feel your entire body tremble. You almost jump out of your skin when someone wraps an arm around you.

“Sorry, it’s just me nena,” Carlos says as he stears you into the Ferrari garage, “Horner is on a warpath, you’ll be safe here.” Both him and Charles walk with you to Carlos’ driver room. As soon as the door closes behind you, the tears begin to fall.

“I’m fine,” you splutter at their concerned looks, “I’m- f-fine.” Carlos pulls you into a hug while Charles mumbles something about finding Lando.

“How did you find me so quickly?” you ask, face still half buried in his shirt. Carlos chuckles.

“We were right there, signing some things for fans when it all went down.” Taking a deep breath, you pull back and wipe away the tears. “Pretty sure I’m about to get my paddock access revoked,” you joke through your tears.

“They have another thing coming if the FIA decides to do so,” you hear Lando say as he walks into the room. 

“I won’t apologise,” you say adamantly, allowing your best friend to pull you into a hug.

“Good. Besides, what should you apologise for? You didn’t call him names and all of it is true,” Lando replies. 

“I didn’t even tell him that even the grid struggled to name drivers during that grill the grid video,” you mumble into his hoodie, much to the amusement of Lando.

“I don’t think the FIA would dare revoke your pass, nena,” Carlos comments from where he’s looking over Charles’ shoulder at his phone. “Looks like someone’s filmed it. The video is going viral on social media already. From what I can see all the women in the comments are backing you 100%. If they ban you, there will be a riot.” You can’t help but smile at that. Wiping your nose on the sleeve of your sweater, you straighten up and, after saying goodbyes to Carlos and Charles, you walk back out of the Ferrari garage and head towards the McLaren one. Knowing that all the girls in the paddock will have your back, fills you with warmth. Whatever shit was about to come your way, you’d face it with your head held high, back straight and your friends on the grid supporting you no matter what. 

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't sure where to go with this song at first until @curiousthyme allowed me to just word vomit to her to get ideas and this is the result of that. Had so much fun writing the rant (even my heart was racing by the end of it 🙈)

Please let me know what you think! Your comments, tags, and likes mean the world to me

[ace-race-ace]

The delusional Danny Ric fan make me so mad. (Not a Danny hate post)

You can tell most of them are purely in for the DTS-like drama (nothing wrong with the show itself as long as you take it with a grain of salt) who don’t understand anything about reality in a professional sport.

Why don’t they fire Checo??

Because he just recently signed a fucking contract! Do you know how hard and expensive it is to break something like that? Even with the “exit clauses” the teams still have to prove without a doubt that that Checo has breached them. That takes time and money. They much rather wait until the end of the season where they might have more “proof” and get the contract broken then, much easier. It’s also a question of reputation, the team doesn’t want to lose face and seem like they drop people harshly like this out of nowhere. That doesn’t bode well for fans, investors, and employees who would rather see a strong team.

B-but they fired Pierre and Alex like that!

Because those two were nobodies back then! At their time at RedBull, they never brought in a win. And of course the car was to blame at the time but as a team perspective, they had one incredible driver that was winning while his teammates were struggling to even stay in the points. Obviously they were going to try and change things up to see if they could get a better result. Those two didn’t have a big dedicated fan base yet, at least not as big as Checo’s. So switching them wouldn’t have as much impact.

Checo has been at RedBull for a while now and has proven he can win and get on the podium more consistently. He supported Max into getting his first WDC. He gave them their first driver championship 1-2. He’s got a hefty resume with them, getting rid of him isn’t as easy. If they do replace him, they won’t do when all the eyes are on them.

Danny also has a lot of wins at RedBull, and he’s a better driver!!!

He may be, maybe not. It’s so nonsensical to try and claim that another driver would immediately be better in that car. All the f1 cars are different, feel different, drive different. You can’t know for certain it won’t take a few races for Danny to get use to the car. Which displaces a driver who knows how to drive the RB20, Checo, which gives him a better chance of getting back up to form.

It also goes back to the point of how complicated it is to switch drivers like this. Both have contracts and are going to fight for their side. Danny can’t just swoop in, sign a contract and replace Checo. Checo can push against that. He’s been a driver at RedBull for a while now, living and breathing the brand while Danny has jumped around. So it’s beneficial to hang on to him at least till the end of the season.

Ugh it’s all about moneyyyy!

Yes. Welcome to how companies work. As long as they aren’t actively losing money by keeping Checo, they will wait until it is easier to get rid of him if they decide to do so. Checo is also incredibly popular in Mexico and other South American countries (and all around the world) which gets him a huge amount of sponsorship money. Danny is also well surrounded but he’s not as adored by a big country like Checo is. His sponsors won’t be as big. The thing he has going for him is a great PR persona, and that gets you pretty far until a certain point. And again, trying to fiddle with things now would cost RedBull a lot of money, so they will wait to make their move.

Do I believe in the whole Liberty Media/FIA meddling thing? Ehh maybe? They don’t actively have the power to tell RedBull to keep Checo but they might have used their data to discourage them from dropping Checo. In the end, it’s the company that makes the decision.

*keeps harassing the team and Checo*

Please stop. The team are never going to read shit immature fans post on social media and be like “oh yeah, they’re totally right! We need to fire Checo now!”. It just makes interacting with the content they post less enjoyable. You can watch a funny video of Checo and Max doing a challenge, and go to the comments to laugh at jokes people are making but instead it’s flooded with Checo haters that insult everything from his driving, his looks, his personality, his RACE in some extreme cases. It’s so annoying, and the poor admins that probably have to comb through all that, waisted time. Meanwhile people spam shit about Danny being better. Bro, these driver are just trying to do their job. Again, Checo isn’t going to read “Danny ric is better” and be like “oh shit they’re right, let me quit the job I’ve worked my entire life for!”. It just causes unnecessary hate and pain for everyone involved. Even Danny probably doesn’t enjoy how his “fans” are handling this shit. It only puts pressure on him to do something when he knows he can’t. And he’s on good terms with Checo and team as far as I can tell but constantly harassing/hating is only going to strain that relationship.

Please have some media literacy. Stop harassing people. And stop treating this sport like fictional story.

Sorry for the rant. Had to get it off my chest. (Btw, I don’t hate Danny or DTS fans so no need to come attack me in my inbox about that 😆)

[vaebun]

“I will be watching

for your enemies

To let them know

that they contend

with me

I want to know

you’re out there"

Screen brightness allll the way up

photo ref: “Intimacy of the Heart” & “The Anatomy of Melancholy” Laura Makabresku

NOTES: - I struggled with Michonne’s hand for maybe 4 hours and eventually gave up on perfecting it. - I would have loved to see more scenes from Rick’s dreams, which is where I place this drawing. - No idea how many hours this rounds up to, I was powered by Redbull and emo music. - I found a Richonne edit on Twitter to Hozier’s “Wasteland, Baby!” and cried which helped with the progress of this drawing.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions (fixes, critiques) or any good fic recs for these two!! I would love feedback.

[wintersoldiersoul]

Push Through

Summary: Your ADHD makes it difficult for you to focus like normal. When you spiral, Bucky helps you calm down.

A/N: Things about this may seem crazy and unrealistic but as someone with ADHD I can confirm that I have had this exact experience. (Minus the sexy supersolider to help me unfortunately) TW: Mental health, lack of sleep and eating, ADHD, burnout

The room was an absolute disaster. Clothes all over the floor, endless cups of coffee, water, and tea taking up space on the desk, and there you were at the center of it. Sitting on your floor with your laptop, typing away furiously. Being in college and an avenger was already extremely difficult and it was even harder while struggling with ADHD.

You had gotten home from a three day mission yesterday, so stressed about the first draft of your thesis paper that was due in two days that you didn’t even shower or change before taking your medication and getting to work. A half-eaten sandwich sat beside you but you didn’t even feel hungry. Your meds suppressed your appetite and had you focused on one thing and one thing only: your homework.

Bucky was away from the tower on his own mission and while you couldn’t wait for him to get home safely, you could hardly even think about it in your current frenzy. You hadn't slept since getting home, taking another pill every time you felt the last one wear off. When your medication started to subside, it made you feel horrible. Jittery, but also depressed and just generally like life had no meaning. It was an awful feeling, especially when you knew it was caused by medication that you needed for your brain to function normally.

The bedroom door creaked open but you didn’t even hear it. You didn’t look up from the words you were typing as your boyfriend’s body filled the frame. You usually greeted him by running into his arms but this time, it was like you didn’t even know he was there. And you practically didn’t. The quiet voice of your subconscious whispered to you to go greet him, but the dominant hyper-focus muted that thought into silence.

“Hellooo,” Bucky called playfully, whistling to you to try to get your attention. You still didn’t look up, grabbing the can of Redbull beside you and taking a sip. “Y/N!” He said, loudly.

You shook your head and finally tore your eyes away from the screen. “Oh my god, hi! You’re home! How was the mission? Are you hurt? Did it go well? Any scratches?” You rapidly fired questions at him, the combination of your medication, caffeine and lack of sleep causing you to be in a manic-like state.

Bucky knew about your struggles with ADHD. He knew how hard it was for you to function everyday like everyone else. He saw as you read a passage of your schoolwork over and over and over again because the words just turned to mush on the page. He had listened to you cry at your frustrations over why school was so hard and how you had to put so much brain power and effort into every little task. He knew how you hated the crash of your medication but you needed them to survive, a constant struggle that you had to pick every morning. Did you wanna be able to focus today and not be able to get out of bed after 4pm, or did you wanna be happy but not be able to do a single productive thing?

“Woah, there, take a breath,” he laughed. His eyes scanned the room, looking at the mess surrounding your frame. And he noticed that you were still in your uniform. “Hey, I thought you got home yesterday. Why are you still in your uniform?” 

You looked down at yourself, realizing that you had in fact not changed. “Oh, shit. I sat down to do my homework as soon as I got home and-” you stopped abruptly. “Wait, did you say yesterday?”

He looked at you, confusion clouding his expression. “Yeah. It’s Sunday, babe.”

“No, no, that’s impossible. I just got home I’ve only been working for…” you clicked your phone, displaying the date and time. “26 hours…”

“What did you just say? You’ve been working for 26 hours? Babe, have you eaten? Slept? Have you even gone to the bathroom? How did you not know it had been that long?” He was extremely concerned for you. He had seen you manically power through assignments before, but nothing like this.

“I…uh,” you ran your fingers through your hair, still trying to wrap your head around the fact that you had been working for so long. “Sandwich,” you pointed to the plate on the ground. 

Bucky walked over to the plate and stared at the barely eaten food. “Babe you had like, one bite of this. Is it your meds?”

You nodded. He knew that you often didn’t do simple things to take care of yourself when you took your meds. You would be so focused on the task at hand that you would usually set reminders every hour on your phone, telling you to take care of your basic human needs like eating or going to the bathroom. But you had been in such a frenzy after the mission that you didn’t do it this time.

“Honey, you look exhausted,” he smiled at you sadly. 

You shook your head. “Don’t feel tired. I need to keep working. I’ll go in the living room if you wanna unwind.” You grabbed your computer off the floor and started to walk out the doorway but were stopped by a large hand on your shoulder.

“No,” he grabbed your laptop and shut it, holding it over his head.

“Give it back, Bucky!” You began to jump, trying to reach the laptop. Bucky was considerably taller than you, meaning that it was a lost cause for you to try to get your computer from his grasp. He couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable you were, despite his extreme concern for your condition.

“Can’t do that, baby.” He placed the computer on the highest shelf in the room.

“Bucky, I need to keep going. My draft is due tomorrow!”

“And you’ve been working your ass off on it for the past 3 months. And the past 24 hours, alone. Your brain must be fried, baby, especially right after a mission.” He looked at you, eyes pleading for you to just take a break. Even if you felt fine from the extreme amount of medication and caffeine in your system, you were gonna crash soon. “How much medication did you take?” 

You thought back to how many times you felt it wear off and opened the bottle. Technically, you could take it every 4-6 hours. You weren’t being that reckless by using it so much, but of course you knew deep down that it wasn’t great to use it so much so frequently. “Uh… 5?” You admitted quietly.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “5 times? You've practically been hopped up on Concerta for an entire day straight?”

You didn’t know if the most recent dose was wearing off or if the pull away from the computer was causing it, but you could feel yourself crashing. Exhaustion tugged at your eyes and it fully hit you what you had been doing to yourself. You hated that this was how you were. People never understood how frustrating and debilitating ADHD truly was. There was no real “normal”. The medication made it easier for you to do work, but then you ended up like this. Your eyes filled with angry tears at yourself. “I hate this, Bucky! I hate this so much. I just wanna be able to function and do homework like normal!”

“Oh baby…” he pulled you into a hug. “I know it’s hard for you. I know I won’t ever truly understand how your brain works and what it feels like for you but I know you struggle. But you don’t just struggle, you fight, okay? You’re so smart, you’re the smartest person I know. The things you say, the way your mind works… god, I’m just so amazed by you, honey.”

“I hate the way my mind works!” You cried into him.

“I know baby, I know,” he stroked your hair as you cried, just wanting to bring you comfort. “But you don’t let it stop you. You don’t let your ADHD prevent you from doing and learning all of the things that you want to. You could have given up so many times but you didn’t. And that’s what counts, okay?”

You took a deep breath, calming yourself. You were so tired. And hungry.

“I tell you what, baby. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll cook us some food. Then you can pick out any sweatshirt of mine that you like and we’ll relax and get some rest.”

His plan sounded so appealing but you still had work to do. “But Bucky, I-” 

“Shh. No more working tonight. You still have all day tomorrow to finish up. And it’s only a draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t you think taking a look with fresh eyes tomorrow will be good for you?”

“I-” you opened your mouth to argue, but he was right. “Okay,” you sighed. “You’re right.” 

He kissed the top of your head. “Oh yeah. Go shower, babe. And wash your hair. Please,” he teased.

“I hate you,” you laughed as you made your way into the bathroom.

You look at a long shower, letting the hot water cleanse both your mind and body. When you walked back out into the living room, in Bucky’s sweatshirt, of course, your favorite meal was sitting on the table. “Oh baby, you didn’t have to do this! You could have just put in a frozen pizza or something.”

Bucky smiled at you. “Hey, I wanted you to have your favorite. Plus I need to make sure you eat enough to nourish yourself after being up for so long.”

After you ate and Bucky also showered, you got into bed. Your eyes were so heavy and you couldn’t even think about the paper anymore, just wanting the soft blanket of sleep to take over.

“Thank you, Bucky,” you whispered as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Always, my love. I’ll help you work more tomorrow, okay? And I’ll make you a deal. Every page you finish, I’ll make you cum,” he whispered seductively.

Within seconds, you were out cold, resting up for the long day of writing and other things that tomorrow had in store.

[im-probably-crying-rn-ngl]

fuck it, book recommendations based on your favourite driver

+ age rating, summary and rambling disguised as explanation as to why

if your favourite driver is Lewis Hamilton...then i would recommend Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

(historical sports fiction, standalone) "Carrie Soto, a fierce and determined retired tennis champion, comes out of retirement at thirty-seven to reclaim her record and face personal challenges, coached by her father partnered with the man she almost opened her heart to, in Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete's epic comeback."

the connection between this book and lewis is what inspired this whole post in the first place. a comeback story even if you have proven all there is to be proven? trying to beat all the odds against you even time? being an all-time champion AND an underdog? there are so many links that can be made between carrie and lewis not just with their careers and relationships but also what adversities they have had to face. idk but is this like manifesting that lewis is going to be "back" for his 8th wdc?

if your favourite driver is George Russell...then i would recommend A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

(young adult mystery thriller, book 1 of 3) "In 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder,' Pippa Fitz-Amobi reexamines a closed case, challenging the conviction of Sal Singh for Andie Bell's murder, unearthing hidden secrets that threaten her safety as she seeks the elusive truth."

ah mr wannabe investigator (we all saw him checking out that redbull) but seriously there's something we grussell sprouts must enjoy about someone who seems so straight-laced and uptight be absolutely blatantly unhinged both on and off track. it's just so george to choose literal murder inquiry as a school project, from the ambition bordering on arrogance of believing a high schooler could do what the authorities couldn't to the genuine heartfelt sincerity in wanting the truth and to bring justice for those already deemed outcasts by society. he's OUR good girl that's not-so-secretly "bad".

(main ship are george and alex coded btw like im just saying)

(+ bonus rec bc i am incredibly biased) if your favourite team is Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team (had to google the name for the nth time)...then i would recommend The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

(adult fantasy, trilogy, best books i have ever read) "The Green Bone Saga is a fantasy trilogy by Fonda Lee, exploring the intricate power struggles and conflicts within and around the Kaul family. Set in the fictional city of Janloon with ability-enhancing jade as it's lifeblood."

my faves with my faves. mercedes aren't a national institution/emotion (ferrari), a team (red bull racing), a villains' lair (ashton martin) or a pop band (mclaren) but a family. a dysfunctional, awkward, barely concealed hot mess of a family, but family nonetheless. chasing victory while trying to survive the horrors of life and each other is the merc way and you will see the same in this trilogy. *toto voice* loyalty!

family is duty. magic is power. honor is everything. <- literally them

if your favourite driver is Oscar Piastri...then i would recommend The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

(young adult fantasy, book 1 of 5) "In 'The Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan, seemingly troubled teenager Percy Jackson discovers his divine lineage as a demigod, embarks on a perilous quest with his friends to prevent a war among the gods."

wow guys i don't know what to tell you except oscar JACK piastri, SON of nicole and chris piastri, might literally be percy JACKSON (i have connected the dots, you haven't connected shit). your guy might have had a former illustrious career in undertaking dangerous quests and asking greek gods to pay child support, you should check.

if your favourite driver is Lando Norris...then i would recommend Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

(adult contemporary romance, check tws, book 1 of an ongoing series) "In 'Magnolia Parks' by Jessa Hastings, a tumultuous love story unfolds between the beautiful and self-involved London socialite Magnolia Parks and Britain's notorious bad-boy BJ Ballentine, as they grapple with a dysfunctional relationship marked by heartbreak, secrets, and the enduring pull they feel towards each other."

picked this based on vibes, just pure vibes but immaculate ones. the drama, the glitz, the glam yes but also the family, friendship, and love found within the pages of this series. this is british gossip girl. i am telling you there is a vision here people.

(+ bonus review because this might be the only book on this list that has less (3.84) than 4+ stars on goodreads and i can't do him and y'all dirty like that: i personally didn't love the first book but the series really comes together and you truly get invested in these characters and their happiness, actually pretty excited to read more.

also if nothing else it's fun, just some brain popcorn)

if your favourite driver is Carlos Sainz...then i would recommend The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

(young adult romance fantasy, check tws, book 1 of 2) "In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, Shahrzad vows vengeance for her friend's death and becomes the next bride of the tormented Caliph Khalid, discovering unexpected love as she navigates the perilous palace of secrets and stories, torn between survival and the promise of retribution."

wow like you think he didn't step out of a magical retelling of 1001 nights? mhm but let's leave aside the fact i am still not convinced otherwise. carlos this year has shown his insane mega ultra galaxy brain, so i believe the plot of the wrath & the dawn would be something that would resonate with you. the quick wit and guile of the mc as she tries to carry out a revenge plot while trying to not get executed is only comparable to carlos coming up with his own race strategy mid race and cementing himself as the only non-rbr race winner in 2023. wow.

if your favourite driver is Charles Leclerc...then i would recommend The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

(historical romance fantasy, standalone) "The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is an Iliad retelling, focusing on the deep and complex relationship between Achilles and Patroclus."

he has that sadness in his eyes that you only see in tragic greek myths etc etc. i will have to say, achilles walked so charles leclerc could race. *soft longing sigh* il predestinato and aristos achaion, the predestined and the best of the greeks. beloveds born and bathed in golden light. it just makes sense to me.

if your favourite driver is Alex Albon...then i would recommend Beach Read by Emily Henry

(adult contemporary romance, standalone) "A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters."

i mean alex is a living-breathing romance novel of a man. BUT it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows (helmut marko if i catch you). so i think any emily henry book but especially beach read captures the ups and downs of alex's journey so well compared to just any ole romcom (...but if i had to give one for the alex enjoyers then it would be Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, coincidentally also george and alex coded lmao).

but was it his remarkable drive back to f1 or the recent holiday beach pics that was the reason behind this rec? i guess we will never know

if your favourite driver is Logan Sargeant...then i would recommend Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

(young adult fantasy, book 1 of 3)"In 'Howl's Moving Castle' by Diana Wynne Jones, eldest daughter Sophie is cursed to age prematurely, the key to break the spell lies in the enigmatic Wizard Howl's castle. Sophie embarks on a quest to confront the Witch who cursed her all the while unraveling hidden truths about herself and Howl."

"let's bring it in and call it a day - let's look after of you." to "that's my girl" pipeline and vice versa. i know what you are.

but logang (the only one i know frfr) you deserve it okay? a cozy lil fantasy full of whimsy and wonder. tuck in and have some tea and cookies, pookies.

(i wanted to do the full grid but keep the teammates together and i haven't yet come up with something for all of em so there will be a part 2...? hopefully...?)

sources for summaries: thestorygraph and goodreads

[tabl3]

elite force incorrect quotes compilation

chase, making coffee: This is going to fix everything.

-

chase: I think you're still suffering the effects of your party last night. bree: All I drank was Redbull! chase: How many? bree: Eighteen.

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oliver: Guys, there’s a monster under my bed and it’s really ugly. kaz, on the bottom bunk: Honestly, fuck you.

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kaz: You have any sunscreen? skylar: You can't get a sunburn from a bonfire— kaz: It's for my marshmallow ya dummy.

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kaz: Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to fear how much they love me.

-

(the saga)

bree: chase? I mixed redbull with coffee and now I can see sounds, should I worry? chase: bree, I swear to god—

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oliver: I typed "bitch" into my GPS and guess what? I'm in your driveway. chase: oliver: Vroom vroom, come out already.

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skylar: You didn’t cry when bambi’s mother died?! chase, sarcastically: Yes, it was very sad when the guy stopped drawing the deer.

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chase, to the squad: And remember, if I get harsh with you it is only because you’re doing it all wrong.

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bree, in a high voice, holding Barbie: Hey, Ken! I was thinking about going back to school and starting a career! skylar, in a deep voice, holding Ken: Nonsense, Barbie. You’re staying home and having my kids. kaz: What the fuck are you guys doing? bree: Playing systemic oppression.

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bree: Hey, oliver. These candies you gave me? They sucked. oliver: But you ate them all. bree: I had to make sure they all sucked.

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skylar: Hey, wanna hear a funny joke? chase: I only like dark humor. skylar, turning the lights off: What do you call a fake noodle? chase: skylar: An IMPASTA!

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bree: I hate you sometimes. kaz: Well according to this picture chase drew of us holding hands that's not true. bree: kaz, you drew that. kaz: It doesn't matter.

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skylar: The greatest trick the devil ever played was getting me banned from an all you can eat pizza buffet. bree: Why’d you get banned? skylar: Touched the rat. bree: … What rat? skylar: Chunky Cheese.

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bree: Why is skylar crying on the floor? chase: She took one of those 'which elite force member are you?' quizzes. bree: And? chase: She got oliver.

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oliver: Why are you drinking? kaz: I drink when I'm depressed. oliver: But you're always drinking? kaz: smug grin

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skylar: Can you PLEASE peer pressure me into doing my project? kaz: Do it or you're straight. skylar: I said peer pressure, NOT THREATEN!

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skylar: heading out to see bree oliver: Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! skylar: I think I crossed that line when I got a date.

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kaz: skylar has discovered "deez nuts" jokes and it's all she says now. Everything is deez nuts. She simply can't stop. kaz: I asked skylar where she learned that joke. She made me promise she wouldn't get in trouble if she told me. I agreed. kaz: So she leans in and whispers, "deez nuts."

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bree: I feel like the world would be better if I'd never been born. chase: Aw… that's not true. chase: It'd be exactly the same. chase: You're not important.

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kaz, to bree: Look at you! All cute and small! I could just eat you up! bree: proceeds to kick him in the shin and run away chase, walking past: Rule number 1, don't call bree cute or small.

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chase, referring to oliver and kaz: Those guys are dorks. skylar: Yes, but they’re my dorks.

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kaz: I think chase is in trouble. oliver: Alright. Struggling to give a fuck, if I’m honest.

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oliver: So anyways have y'all seen chase? bree: I think he went in kaz's room 'studying'. skylar: Doubt that. I heard groans there. Meanwhile in kaz's room chase & kaz, fighting:

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chase: What do we say when life disappoints us? kaz: Called it! chase: No.

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kaz: I may be stupid. bree: … kaz: Oh, did you think I was going to finish that sentence?

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villain: You’re too late, Superdorks! You'll never stop me now! skylar: That’s where you’re wrong, evildoer! We WILL stop you, with the powers of: chase: Friendship! kaz: Harmony! bree: Incredible violence. oliver: And love!

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chase: out cold on the ground oliver: Oh my god, do you think he's okay?! kaz, holding a bucket of ice water: Who cares?! dumps all of the water on chase’s face

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skylar: Your smug self-assuredness is revolting. kaz: I think we need to validate self confidence more, lest you end up angry at others for having even a sliver of it. I've done nothing wrong and I have a heart of gold. oliver: I think this message is extremely valid, but also kaz has implied wanting to set off the Yellowstone supervolcano, so what's the truth? kaz: I want to set it off.

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oliver: We wouldn’t last two minutes without chase. oliver: oliver: Don’t tell him I said that.

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oliver: Go to sleep or you'll hate yourself in the morning! chase: I'll hate my self in the morning regardless.

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kaz: Reverse tooth fairy where you leave money under your pillow and the tooth fairy comes and leaves you a bunch of teeth. oliver: Why? kaz, shaking a bag of teeth: Just because.

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bree: The next time I open up to someone, it'll be my autopsy.

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kaz: Can you be quiet?! I'm trying to think. skylar: Don't worry. Doing anything for the first time is difficult.

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chase: I owe you one. kaz: That’s ok. You can just date me and we’ll call it even.

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skylar: Two years ago, I married my best friend. skylar: kaz is still mad about it, but me and chase were drunk and thought it was funny.

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chase: Oh, so you two are getting along very… cordial now? kaz: Cordial? Nah, we're friends. chase: Friends? kaz: Yeah. After you stopped us fighting, we got to talking. Seems like we have some common interests. bree: We both love butterflies. chase: Aww– bree: And beating people up. chase: Oh, okay.

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chase: Everyone synchronise your watches. skylar: I don't know how to do that. oliver: I don't wear a watch. bree: Time is a construct.

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kaz: Are you reading fan fiction? oliver, reading an article about extremely rare diseases: Wh- No. kaz: Oh, is it on AO3? oliver: This is CNN.

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chase: Pose as a team because SHIT JUST GOT REAL!

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skylar: I wish I could help you, but I shorn’t. chase: skylar, please! skylar: What part of shorn’t don’t you understand?

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chase: How do you do that? kaz: I'm fearless. bree: I saw you run from bees yesterday. You flailed around and tripped over a chair. It was both hysterical and sad. kaz: I'm mostly fearless.

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chase: Come on, skylar. Nobody actually believes that kaz is in love with me. skylar, to The Squad: Raise your hand if you think that kaz is helplessly in love with chase. Everyone raises their hand chase: kaz, put your hand down.

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skylar: We need to distract these guys. kaz: Leave it to me. kaz: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss. chase & bree: immediately begin arguing

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kaz: running towards chase with open arms chase: moves out of the way kaz: Hey, why'd you move?! chase: I thought you were going to attack me. kaz: I was going to hug you! chase: Why would you hug me? kaz: WHY WOULD I ATTACK YOU!?

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chase: skylar, I think we have a problem. skylar: What, the fire? chase: No, the- wait, what fire? skylar: Oh forget about it, this sounds more interesting.

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chase: I called you like ten times! Why didn’t you pick up? oliver: remembers dancing to the ringtone oliver: I didn’t hear it.

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bree: Wait, if baby oil dissolves condoms, what does it do to babies? oliver: Believe it or not, babies and condoms are made of different materials. kaz: It’s like rock paper scissors. Baby oil defeats condom, baby defeats baby oil, condom defeats baby. chase: Rock also defeats baby.

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oliver: If God’s ever been mad at anything I’ve ever said, he hasn’t done shit about it. oliver: So he either doesn’t care or he’s a coward.

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bree, holding an antique bottle: Is this whiskey or perfume? skylar: grabs and chugs the entire bottle skylar: skylar: It's perfume.

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kaz: I want to kiss you. chase, not paying attention: What? kaz: I said if you die, I wont miss you.

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oliver: Why is everyone so obsessed with top or bottom? Honestly, I’d just be excited to have a bunk bed. bree: bree: I'm gonna tell him. skylar: Don't you dare.

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oliver: You either buckle down and do your work or you’ll end up at McDonalds. kaz: We're going to McDonalds if I don't do my work? oliver: NO-

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oliver: Not to brag, but I can go into the Spirit Halloween without crying.

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chase: What do people in relationships even do? skylar: Care about someone with your whole heart and dedicate your life to making them happy. chase: Okay. Didn't ask. kaz: Asks question kaz: "Didn't ask" chase: Thanks for the play by play, Captain Fuck.

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oliver: Small creatures are much more vicious because they have a smaller body to bottle up all their emotions. chase: Ridiculous. Give me some examples. kaz: Wasps? bree: Terriers? oliver: bree.

[thebirdsareafterme]

With all the talks of contract signings at the moment, the narrative of SAINZ TO AUDI are resurfacing once again. While Audi has been looking promising, people need to realize a couple things.

1. It’s still Sauber for another year. We’re talking 2026, not 2025. With the new regulations coming in, it’s going to be a big transition for the team, considering they’re changing ownership and the car by a significant amount. This could mean absolute chaos internally, as the team hires new employees, relocates old employees, etc. The transition from Sauber to Audi is going to be quite interesting to watch, starting with the Hulkenberg swap in 2025.

2. Historically, Sauber has been a place where careers go to start or to die. Look at the last few Sauber drivers. Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Marcus Ericsson all ended their careers with Sauber, and it seems that Valterri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg will have one of their last contracts with the team as well (potentially). Carlos is at his peak right now. He’s in his prime, he’s 29 years old and he’s winning races. It doesn’t make sense for him to sign with a team that can’t guarantee points and certainly not wins. He’s not signing his last contract, he still has another 5 years at least (unless he pulls a Fernando Alonso). That’s 2-3 more contracts. Moving from a backmarker team upwards is a lot harder than the other way around. He would need to perform spectacularly in the Audi to get the attention of the leading teams again, unless he wants to spend the rest of his career in the midfield.

3. How much change do you think the Audi takeover is actually going to bring to the team? In the past, Sauber teams have always been in the back to mid field. Audi taking over won’t guarantee a change in this, considering the leading teams in F1 right now have been at the front forever and ever. The only thing Audi can promise is to move up in the midfield. Becoming a competitive leading team in F1 takes years of good results, as seen with RedBull.

Audi is only coming in with a new power unit, not a whole new car. That means they’re still using the same engine, chassis, etc. We saw the fun activity called “Sauber Pit Stop” this season. The team members and the technical portion of the car both need to work in order to have decent results, and it seems that this year, they are struggling with both. The team is struggling for points, and wins are not even on the table. For Carlos to see their insane (read: bad) pit stop times and incredible (read: also bad) race results and consider joining them is a bit strange. TL;DR, Audi isn’t going to miraculously change everything that’s wrong with Sauber. That could take years to fix.

4. Has anyone actually considered if Carlos wants to go to Audi? Why would Carlos move to Sauber in anticipation for Audi if there are other teams that want him as well? Mercedes have been eyeing him up, Redbull have stated they would love to have him, and he is by far the most desirable driver on the market right now with more wins than the majority of the backfield drivers. Any team would be happy to have him, but Audi just seems to want him more because of his familial connections.

“Oh but his dad drives for Audi!” Yeah, that would be cute, but let’s consider the future of Carlos’ career here.

“But Audi is great in Rally! They won and everything!” Have you considered that Rallying and Formula One are COMPLETELY different sports?

“He should just sign! He’s wasting everyone’s time and he’s going to end up without a seat if he keeps stalling!” My dude, we’re not even at summer break yet. Chill. Just because we’ve had some unusual silly season activity very early on in the season doesn’t mean the season is ending any sooner.

[blorbocedes]

it’s crazy that redbull use to love chopping drivers’ heads off mid season because they got the ick, but now they are just unwilling to sacrifice anyone, on top of promising lawson a seat and having another driver on the come up who’s a championship contender in f2. they don’t have solid plans for yuki, but keep extending his contracts with the sister team, they’re letting dr hoard the seat with his nasty asscheeks. checo seems to have his place secured too, but it will probably bite them in the future, because this gap between him and max will be punishing as others have been catching up

if you want 'my source: I made it up' take on it all it goes like this:

the redbull power struggle from earlier this year hasn't ended. it's merely at an impasse. redbull's thai owners stopped horner from getting fired, and max credibly threatening to leave and tying his contract to helmut's means CH can't get the old man fired either. and remember, helmut used to be in charge of who gets the seat when deitrich was alive and still holds considerable influence

if DR performed like yuki is this year, you would've absolutely seen him in the redbull car by now because he was brought in as Horner's pet project. they would happily mid season chop Checo's neck. then lawson who proved himself in the car could fill his seat in vcarb

you'll see conflicting narratives where redbull/DR sources like medland will say yuki's not in contention for redbull, yuki's shopping for other seats and he doesn't even want the seat

and then yuki himself saying he's happy to be in vcarb until he gets a shot at redbull, and helmut saying he is being looked at.

since yuki would be helmut's pick, horner doesn't want to consider him and thus lose out on the driver selection process. that's why you'll also hear so much "oh yuki goes wherever Honda will take him" yuki also has never been allowed to test in a redbull, ever. so whenever there's narratives of put DR in the car he's the fastest in the sim -- yuki hasn't ever been allowed to test for that car!!! and they've had everyone in their junior programme including f3 drivers test it!!!

so checo. the car is worse this year, and hes showing for it by being 5th in the standings rn. If redbull loses the constructors, esp with Ferrari catching up, it will be because of checo. but checo brings in the most sponsors after max and lewis, so the math horner has to justify to the board is he brings in more $ than losing first in the constructors will give us (around 20 mil). the redbull also being harder to drive means you don't want to risk an entirely new driver getting to grips with it when you have someone for the past few years who has reliably driven it where you want (checo was 2nd in standings last year).

checo getting the 1 year extension means once again he'll have to prove his worth for the team, and will be expendable after 2025. 2026 is when new regulations kick in! that changes the whole game... max allowing the merc flirtation to happen this year and redbull (horner) saying they're looking at fernando and carlos and whoever else is in chess when both sides make forward pawn moves. max is showing he's not married to redbull until 28, esp if the engines aren't good, and redbull going fine! we can look at other drivers too~ (not in their own junior programme tho 💀).

that's why they're keeping the status quo for 2025 and trying to keep EVERY driver available, cause then 2026 with new regs and Ford becomes the game changer.

[modernghostfare]

Your Otter headcanons…I love them sm…May I have some more please I need to study this man under a microscope…

OTTERRRR god i do miss him. i would love to post more hcs for him 🙏

genuinely likes keeping to himself. he's picky about how things are done and he's not the easiest to get along with so to avoid drama/getting annoyed on his off time otter likes to be left alone. this is why he likes smoking alone

he is actually good at tuning out small annoyances. not everything will set him off & most times he can tell when its not meant to be bothering him On Purpose so he will do the right thing and just not listen. but if you (wyatt) bother him on purpose he's not going to be able to ignore it.

he's really bad with eating. he doesn't think about eating until half the day is gone and he's got a headache bc all he's had was a redbull and a cigarette for breakfast

headache prone anyway. on top of not eating enough he really doesn't drink a lot of water. typically he tries to power through these with minimal pill usage, opting instead to "rest his eyes" which is really the only way he gets enough sleep

Really light sleeper. he's trained this into himself mainly, growing up not wanting people to mess with him without his knowledge. it does help him feel more comfortable sleeping but once he's woken up he cant get back to sleep as easily.

typically he doesn't have a ton of nightmares but he does have a lot of unsettling dreams. he can wake himself out of them and typically does, but again after this he will again struggle to go back to sleep.

very sensitive to scary movies.

[theantitheticallogician]

what do you think of the new tech changes in 2026??? :D :D

With the new regs there's like two sides to me.

One is the one that wants to study propulsion and wants more engine dependent cars than electronics.

The other is the one that thought if I wasn't gonna study aerospace engineering, I'd go into environmental engineering. And I believe the fact that they're aiming for Net Zero by 2030 is admirable.

I also like the idea of lighter/smaller cars *altho i don't think removing 30kg is THAT huge a weight difference for all they made a ton of noise about it* and the increased fuel efficiency but I don't understand how reducing downforce by 30% is gonna help anyone on the increasing number of street tracks they're adding to the calendar *my aerodynamics might be a bit bleh, don't take my word for it*. The reason that Redbull was struggling in Monaco this year and Singapore last year is because their package is a low downforce one.

Then the battery dependence is a fun bit. I'm really looking forward to how that's gonna work out. The battery recovery and power harvesting.... that's something that tickles my brain nicely.

But again, we can't say much unless we see all this stuff in action. A lot of people had reservations about Vegas as a track, but at the end everybody liked it.

[madewithspice]

Characters As Dumb Things I’ve Done

Characters from: aot, jjk, hq, bnha, tokyo revengers, csm, kny

Tried to blow a notification away on my iPad.

armin, suna, oikawa, kageyama, uraraka, hakkai, zenitsu

Tried to zoom in on a photo I was holding in my hand.

mikasa, nobara, yamaguchi, kenma, aizawa, draken, rengoku

Slithered down the stairs on my stomach unbeknownst to me that my mother was watching me. i won’t say how old I was.

connie, mahito, maki, kuroo, terushima, denki, sanzu, power, obanai

Got stuck in my baby sister’s coat and had to fight myself out of it.

eren, panda, hinata, iwaizumi, atsumu, mina, mikey, aki, sanemi, akaza

Accidentally snorted hair bleach powder whilst already struggling to breathe because of the smell.

sasha, hange, toge, tendou, kirishima, mitsuya, makima, shinobu

Stayed up on a concoction of redbull and monster on the night of a big family event to bleach my hair and then looked like a crackhead for the entire day.

ymir, megumi, nishinoya, dabi, haitani brothers, beam, tengen

Went flying around a sharp corner in 3rd gear during my driving lesson then said damn that was smooth while my driving instructor was shitting herself.

jean, gojo, toji, tanaka, kenshin, bakugo, hawks, keisuke, denji, inosuke, muzan

Placed a cup of tea on my bed and then plopped onto the bed, spilling the tea.

levi, nanami, sugawara, ushijima, osamu, momo, shoto, chifuyu, himeno, kanao

Woke up late, rushed to school and went to sign in late. It was actually half 7 in the damn morning so I went home again and nobody realised I left the house so early.

erwin, yuji, bokuto, iida, midoriya, takemichi, reze, tanjiro

- Kiki.

[wejustvibing]

Realistically what do we think is going to happen to Red Bull… I feel like nothing is going to come out of this💀 but also, Ben Sulayem tried to interfere and now suddenly he’s under investigation💀💀 it feels like a warning to him💀

i feel there's something bigger than internal power struggle at redbull and i'm sad that almost nobody is giving a fuck about the real victim anymore.

anyway realistically though, nothing. i have no faith. they're in too deep to start pulling at even a single thread. somehow they'll manage to act like nothing happened with zero shame

[aaliyahhves]

They should have done this before the season began , you've got your number one driver asking the FIA president for opening an investigation against the team principal, max has refused to make any comments about this case even before , even helmut refused although daniel did come out in support of horner . But since there is no clarity , people are going to make assumptions, there will be rumors because all the evidence that came out or statements from people involved with redbull AFTER redbull cleared horner has made everyone skeptical , the person backing horner publicly is FIA president who ironically is under investigation himself now for two different reasons .

Apart from the fact that the team seems to be divided into two groups, the Austrian side and the horner side based on the news that came out yesterday and today , there is no clarification whether is employee who filed the complaint is still working or let go of , until there is proper information about this , there will be more and more rumors .

Personally I feel like there is some truth to all of this , horner should have taken back until the investigation process was finished , now they're in a PR mess as well on the verge of facing legal action if the employee files a case in the court , it has all turned into a redbull power struggle within the team instead of being focused on providing justice to the people wronged .

[silentreigns]

Thoughts and opinions on that F1 Nation podcast that just dropped

I listen to f1 official podcasts pretty often and I was intrigued by what Christian Horner had to say about the latest news so here we go. The timestamps are from 14:55 - 28:00 if you're trying to listen on Spotify. I only screenrecorded a small section that stood out to me.

Christian Horner did not say Yuki's name ONCE. And I have a problem with that. And this implies a couple of things: Yuki isn't even considered in RedBull's long term plans. Like Christian explicitly said that this AlphaTauri run is a test to see if Daniel would be ready in 2025.

They talked about how the discussions for the 3rd redbull driver thing came up in Mexico 2022. And I have already discussed how I feel about that GP on other posts. I just found it funny I that I made long posts about it, not thinking it will be brought up by official F1 media today.

If Horner had reservations about Nyck de Vries, why was he allowed allowed in the AlphaTauri seat? Because Helmut Marko is an idiot who can't think about the long term plans. I feel like he just does shit on impulse and if his unreasonably high expectations aren't met, he sacks drivers in the most unprofessional manner.

Helmut Marko you suck at your job and you should retire with all these poor driver showings that have happened under your supervision

Christian Horner also didn't say anything along the lines of "best wishes for Nyck de Vries for his future endeavors" maybe WWE spoiled me too much but I would expect someone in a high position of power from a notable company to make some kind of statement like it.

I don't think RedBull have even considered the possibility of Checo bouncing back. They mention supporting him but I don't feel like those words are genuine. Like he's not even in RedBull's future plans past 2024. What if bro doesn't even want to retire and still wants to be on the grid? I guess that doesn't matter... people have already decided that he's getting the chop with everyone making guesses on the 2nd seat in 2025.

Horner says that Daniel's 7th lap would have put him in the front row for Silverstone's quali. But I read online that he set a laptime of 1:27.415, which would have put him in front of Alex Albon in p8. I do know that he was testing harder compounds during the tests because Pirelli want to ban tire warmers (and I can do another rant about the new tire regulations that might be coming in). But I am still confused, was that variable factored in by Horner's statement?

I rolled my eyes so hard at this part like uhhhhhhh if you say so girl. It's hard to believe this given the team's history. These words are kind of empty because they feed drivers who are struggling to adapt with the car to the wolves (the media).

RedBull will hyperfocus on the results produced from here to Abu Dhabi. Yuki outperforming the McLarens in the earlier races (this is an example) will mean ~nothing~. If I were them, I would give Yuki a run in the RedBull to really gauge where he's at compared to Daniel.

What is the plan if Yuki and Daniel go 6-6 in head to head competition? My guess is that it will be good enough for them to really consider Daniel for that 2025 seat. They are really pushing for him. Just look at how much media coverage this is getting.