#Dennis Hatch

[frenchcurious]

Affiche des 1000 Km de Brands Hatch 1970. - source Gonta Garage.

[scruffyssketchbook]

I wanted to show of designs I made for my au ss*ec! This is all pre-box 31 stuff so most of these won’t end up canon to the au. It’s a role swap au and they are above/below the character they are swapped with. Here’s some random info for them all (and some extra characters) Even (Nego): Gp rep, trying his best, the trainer drew a blank on name ideas so named him because he was an even number of eevees she hatched, has the darkrai “mark of the legends” Blizz: Id leader, treats every brotherhood equally, besties with bolt (tempted to make the ship canon to this au), silly guy Bolt: on the trainers main team so they aren’t there very often, non-binary (the trainer knows because they would lightly zap her until she caught on) Sora: Id deputy, wears the soothe bell as a reminder of Dusk before he lost his memory, thinks she’ll never find love because of Dusks amnesia, in her room writing most of the time, Miku is like Jay if that makes sense? Flame: Lf dep, doesn’t do his job, apathetic and smug, just chilling tbh Rem (eve): full name is compromise, just a baby Dusk: Gp leader, loves learning new things (especially because of his amnesia) Dawn: Lf leader (brotherhood change because Flame can’t possibly be leader lol), popular like og Dawn, eyes glow purple Tide (Vay): name changed for the same reason og Miku’s did (I don’t know it), pretends he’s a superhero stopping evildoers in Kalos, purugly is in the pokeball on his cape Daisy: so stressed please someone help her, stays in her room most of the time, has several potted plants in her room Bow and Oliver are role swapped, Dennys role is replaced with a character named Oddball (even and odd funny silly), Night is a glaceon named hail

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Chaos Creator's Chapter 263

TL;DR - Letao and his daughter are unaware that they're sacrifices too. Cale meets Letao and dominates him with DA. Cale and Letao agree to work together.

The Chapter Not much happened today. Cale was still angry, and even became angrier when he heard the old mage muttering that Letao and his daughter would be sacrifices too.

Letao had no idea about that, so Cale revealed himself and told him about it. Letao was initially wary of Cale, so Cale used his DA to subdue him. After some discussion, the two agreed to work together because "the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

Oh yeah, there's the part about dragons getting 'married' too. Letao's wife suddenly went missing, so he ended up raising his daughter. Which brings the question, is this specific to Aipotu dragons though? We never hear about the dragon dads of Raon and Dodori. And the Korean word used was "wife", so dragons get married to each other too? Or do they just call their mate as wife/husband? At least, with this information, we can now cross out that fan theory about dragons reproducing asexually... 😂

As for how Letao ended up here, his daughter just hatched from her egg when the great upheaval happened. He stayed neutral when the dragons split into factions, and lived in hiding. But he got caught when his daughter was captured by Ryan while she was playing with her beastkin friends.

Ending Remarks There weren't any funny moments today, perhaps to reflect the graveness of the location. With his business with Ryan temporarily on hold (because he still had a week left before the last execution), Cale set off to meet the emperor (with King Dennis). Hehehe, I'm excited to know what the destructive trio had done to the temple. 🤣

[eliotheeangelis]

drivers meet on the grid before the 1967 race of champions, brands hatch

l-r: dan gurney, jack brabham, bruce mclaren, richie ginther, denny hulme, jochen rindt & graham hill

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Wonder Common Wasps

The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris is a species of wasp that is native throughout Europe and Asia, and has been introduced in New Zealand, Australia, and South America. These wasps thrive in a variety of environments, from deciduous forests to meadows to urban parks and gardens; the primary requirements are an abundant source of food and at least several months where the temperature is above 2 °C (36 °F) which allows them to forage. Nests can be found in tree hollows, crevices, wall cavities, or any other enclosed space.

Vespula vulgaris has a highly varied diet. As larvae, they are fed pre-chewed caterpillars, flies, spiders, and bees. Adults consume more sugary foods like nectar, fruits, and honey. They find these foods through their extremely sensitive sense of smell; the common wasp is capable of detecting minute particles of food via their antennae, and once a source of food is found the individual will return to the hive to recruit others by drumming their abdomen against the side of the nest.

Like other hymenoptrids, the common wasp is a eusocial species; each nests consists of workers under the direction of a single queen. When a queen first begins her colony, she does most of the work building the nest from chewed wood fibre and laying eggs that produce sterile female workers. As the colony grows, reaching up to 5,000 individuals, the queen begins to produce both female and male workers, each of which performs a specific task for the hive; foraging, caring for the eggs and larvae, feeding the queen, or repairing the nest. These workers are directed by pheromones released by the queen, which is delivered both by air and when workers lick the queen to clean her.

The queen begins laying eggs at the start of summer, in May. Larvae emerge about 5 days later, and spend the next 20-25 days being fed by the queen until they reach full size, at which time they spin a mucus-based cover over their cell and emerge as a mature worker. This cycle continues throughout the summer and early fall, with larger individuals emerging later in the season. A larva's place in the hive also determines its size; the largest larvae, which becomes the queen, is located at the bottom of the nest closest to the entrance. Multiple queens typically hatch in a season, but most leave the nest to start their own colonies. Towards the end of the summer, the queen mates with multiple males and then enters a state of hibernation until the following spring thaw; meanwhile, the workers either starve or are killed by the cold.

Workers and queens are fairly similar in appearance; both sport yellow and black markings across their thorax and abdomen to warn away potential predators. The primary difference is that queens are larger, at 20 mm (0.8 in) long, while workers are only 12–17 mm (0.5–0.7 in). Only female workers have stingers. The species is commonly confused with the European wasp, Vespula germanica, as the two look remarkably similar; the best identifier is that V. vulgaris has only one black mark on its head, while V. germanica has three.

Conservation status: This species has a large, stable population and is considered Least Concern by the IUCN. However, in areas where it has been introduced, it is considered invasive due to predation and competition with native species.

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

Photos

Andy Sands

Mike Snell

Dennis Maraisis via iNaturalist

[retromania4ever]

Drivers meet on the grid before the 1967 race of champions, brands hatch🏁

l-r: Dan Gurney 🇺🇸, Jack Brabham 🇦🇺, Bruce McLaren 🇳🇿, Richie Ginther 🇺🇸, Denny Hulme 🇳🇿, Jochen Rindt 🇦🇹 & Graham Hill 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[broiderie]

Lost Princessa: Meet the Reaper 27

Well... apparently having the two weeks from hell means that I go on a writing spree. I still have like half a notebook plus some more that's already written. I'll probably type some more up tomorrow. For now, I'm exhausted - and a little drunk - so this is as far as I got today.

Warnings: cursing, fluff, and show level talking about illegal shit.

Don't steal my shit. This is the only place it's posted. If you see it somewhere else, it's stolen.

Angel was the last one inside. He rolled the stained glass door closed behind him. 

Once everyone was seated, Bishop called the meeting to order. “Before we handle club business, we have some charter shit to discuss and bring to a vote.” He looked at Marcus. “Sorry, Padrino. New information.”

Marcus nodded. 

Bishop lit a cigarette and leaned forward. “It was brought to our attention that there is another tunnel to Mexico right in our backyard.” He paused and looked at Angel. “Tell them.” 

Angel took a deep breath and leaned forward as well, folding his hands on the table. Coco and Gilly both nodded at him. “When we raided the redneck ranch, Bishop sent us chasing Dennis. We told you he got away because he was shooting at us, and he did.” He paused and looked at Gilly. “It was also because while we were chasing him, Gilly and the Prospect fell into a hole in the ground. We stopped to pull them out. At first we thought it was some sort of animal den, but when we threw them down a light we found…”

Gilly took up the story. “It was a tunnel. A serious tunnel. We thought it was abandoned, but I went back to cover it up the next day and decided to check it closer.” He shrugged. “That branch was abandoned, but it led to another one that was in use. Working lights, supply stashes - everything. The Southern end ends at a locked hatch about a half mile into Mexico, but the Northern end -”

Bishop finished it, “The Northern end comes out in the cellar of the Ariza house.”

Every eye turned to Riz.

He sighed. “That tunnel is older than I am. My grandfather helped dig it. It belongs to Vickie. She uses it to help her girls. You know most of them don’t have papers. That’s what I was doing this afternoon. One of the girls hadn’t seen her baby in weeks, so I brought her mom and the baby to visit.”

Taza shook his head. “You should have told us.”

Riz sat forward. “It’s not affecting the club at all. I didn’t think it mattered.”

Hank growled. “Didn’t matter? And if you’d been caught using it? You’re an officer of this club. They’d never believe we didn’t know about it.” 

Bishop nodded sternly. “Hank’s right. You put us all in danger. We’re a club. Everything comes to the table, brother. You risked exposing us all without consulting us.”

“It’s not even my tunnel! There’s no action for the club!” Riz asserted.

Megan caught his eye. “There might not be any action, Riz, but there was risk. Every move we made would be suspect if someone found that tunnel that wasn’t us.” She shook her head. “We’d have lost the guns, the deal with the L.O. - everything.”

Taza agreed. “And it wouldn’t have stopped with our charter, brother. Every charter would be subject to suspicion. Probably even a R.I.C.O. investigation.”

Riz slammed himself backwards in his chair angrily.

Bishop raised a hand to forestall any more comments. “We need to vote this. Riz - step out.”

“This is bullshit!” Riz exploded and shoved himself back from the table before stomping out.

Megan shivered at his tone and reached to rub Rex’s ears under the table to hide her shaking hands. Hank slid her chair closer to his and his arm around her shoulders soothingly. It was only family. He could afford the affection in Templo.

Bishop ashed his cigarette and sighed. “We have to decide how serious this offense is.” He looked around and met everyone’s eyes. “Do we strip his patch?”

Megan sucked her breath in sharply but stayed silent. She didn’t have a say in this. She bit down hard on her bottom lip as Hank soothed her a bit by running his hand up and down her spine.

Creeper sighed and ran a hand over his bald head. “Man - it was stupid, but I don't think it was malicious. Riz would never risk the club on purpose.” 

Coco lit a fresh smoke. “That’s true, but he still did it.”

Bishop sat back and sipped whiskey, but stayed out of the discussion.

Hank shook his head. “But stripping his patch? Riz lives for this club. It’s why we voted him Secretario.”

Taza agreed. “But we also can’t trust him with that job if he’s not considering the club when he makes his decisions - especially when he does something like this.”

Gilly nodded. “I agree.”

Bishop finally spoke. “So do we let him keep his patch, but strip his rank then?”

Taza nodded. “I’ll second that idea. Strip his rank. He’s left a full member with his vote, but not an officer.”

“And not eligible to hold office again for at least two years,” Hank agreed.

Nods went around the table. Bishop met everyone’s eyes. “Alright then. Let’s vote.” 

The vote was unanimous. Taza stood to call Riz in, where Bishop informed him of the decision made by the club. 

Riz drew his belt knife and cut the stitching that held his rank flash to his kutte and threw it on the table. 

Bishop called for nominations for the position and it came to a unanimous vote that Angel took the flash - with Riz abstaining from the vote with Bishop’s blessing.

Once everything had settled, Bishop looked to the new Secretario. “Alright. Charter shit handled. Now - what did Adelita say?”

Angel smirked a bit. “La Princessa was right. Adelita and her people are the perfect ones to hide and keep those weapons for us. We saw their current camp. It’s impossible to find without the coordinates. We were right on top of it before we even knew it was there and their guards had us in sight long before that. And every mother fucker there is deadly. Kids included.” Angel lit a cigarette. “We just need to get them shipping details. The barrels can come into the port at Ensenada to a shell company that EZ has the details for. The L.O. will move it, assemble and guard. We just play delivery boys and deal with the buyers. L.O. gets twenty percent. SAMCRO gets five percent. Seventy-five percent of the profit goes to the club.”

Marcus grinned. “Everyone wins.”

Bishop chuckled. “Everyone wins. Any questions?”

Megan raised her hand and looked to Angel. “Did Adelita find out who was following us in the market?”

“Nah. She put a tail on them, but the kid lost them.” Angel shrugged. “She wants to keep meets to a minimum until we either figure it out or the first shipment gets here.”

Bishop nodded. “Any objection to Angel staying the go-between?” he asked before looking around. When there weren’t any, he nodded again. “Alright then. Any other business?” When no one had any, he banged the gael. “Good. We’re done here.”

Angel, Coco, and Gilly rose to leave with Riz right on their tail looking pissed. 

Creeper sighed and pushed himself up. “They’ll be in the cage before sundown.”

Bishop nodded. “Probably, but that’s on them.”

“I’ll go supervise -” Creep agreed. 

Bishop grinned. “You’re on your own, brother. We’ve got paperwork and Hank’s got a date.”

That made Creeper laugh and wink at Megan. “Alright. Fair enough.”

After he left, the elder members of the club all turned their eyes to Megan and Hank. “Hank, brother, don’t you have somewhere to be?” Bishop asked. 

Hank laughed. “It’s all planned out. We can leave whenever mi reina is ready.”

Megan giggled and stood up. “Alright. We’re going. Don’t spend all of your time gossiping about us.” She petted Rex’s ears again. “His harness and leash are behind the bar. I’ll have EZ fill his bowls. Should I leave the Templo door cracked so he can get out or do you want it closed?”

Taza laughed and stood to hug her tightly. “The pooch will be fine. We’ll be home late, so don’t wait up for us. Enjoy yourself, Chica.” He kissed her forehead and she felt his lips move as he muttered something in Apache against the crown of her head.

Megan hugged him back and smiled. “We will. Have fun doing paperwork.” She grinned as she went to hug her tíos too. They both said their goodnights before Megan gave the command for Rex to stay with Taza and joined Hank at the door to Templo.

Hank led the way to the car with a grin. “Are you excited to get to ride the bike again, mi amore?”

Megan nodded enthusiastically and slid into the passenger seat as Hank held the door open for her. “I really am. I love my car - but nothing beats riding the bike.”

“Good. We’ll head home to change before we head out.”

“Where are we going?” Megan asked as he joined her in the front seat.

“I promised you dinner and dancing, mi reina. I haven’t forgotten.”

At the ranch, Hank hung up their kuttes when they came through the door. Then he tugged her close by her waist to plant a kiss on her lips. When he finally came up for air, he couldn’t help but smile at the slightly dazed look on her face. “Alright, mi princessa. I’m going to do something I normally wouldn’t do.”

“What’s that?” she asked a bit breathlessly.

He tilted her chin up so she’d meet his eyes. “I’m going to make a request for your outfit. Will you please wear a dress for tonight? I don’t care which one - but you deserve a nice night and the dress will help with that.”

She smiled up at him. “Alright. But - you have to let me surprise you.”

He chuckled. “Going to short circut my brain?”

“Hopefully.”

“Alright, mi amore. Let me grab my stuff and I’ll get ready in Taza’s room.”

Hank grabbed the hanging suit bag from the closet and smiled. “You need anything before I go, mi princessa?” he asked, pulling her left hand to his mouth to kiss her crown ring. 

Megan smiled at him. “Will you help me change my earrings? I want to wear my pearls.”

“Of course, mi reina.” Hank carefully led her over to her dressing table and switched her earrings from the feathers he’d bought her to her crowned pearls. The backs were just too fiddly for her to do with the soft cast on. “Anything else?”

Megan touched the necklace she was wearing that matched Taza’s. “Can you help me swap this one out for grandmother’s pearls before you go?”

“Are you sure, mi amore? You haven’t taken it off since Taza gave it to you. You could leave it on,” Hank said, rubbing her shoulders gently.

“I’m sure. I’ve got my ring from Papa on. The pearls will look nice with the dress.” She smiled at him in the mirror. 

Hank nodded and carefully worked the slide knots to loosen the turquoise and silver piece. He took the pearls from the wooden carved box on the vanity and carefully fastened the gold clasp. “There. Beautiful.” 

Megan touched them and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He picked up his suit bag and kissed her softly. “Call if you need me.”

Hank quickly rinsed off the road dust in the hall shower before pulling the black suit that he usually wore to mass with Mama out. It was still pressed from the last time Mama had done it. He pulled the white collared shirt on over his wife beater and fussed with how high to button it. He couldn’t decide if the tie was a good idea. He finally decided against it and left his collar unbuttoned as well. 

As he was fixing his hair, there was a knock at the door. He quickly went to answer it, calling out “I got it” so Megan wouldn’t come out.

EZ stood there with the biggest bouquet of mixed wild flowers and roses Hank could order in a vase with a grin on his face. 

“Any trouble with the pick up?” Hank asked.

“Nah.” EZ handed him the flowers and a small white box.

“Good. Get going before she gets curious,” Hank told him with a grin.

EZ laughed quietly and threw his hands up in surrender for leaving Hank to finish getting ready. 

In the bedroom, Megan also had quickly rinsed the tunnel dust off in the shower without getting her hair wet. She couldn’t do much with it with the soft cast still on, so she pinned her twin braids into a knot at the base of her skull. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best that she could do without Taza there to help. Besides, this way her helmet wouldn’t knock it too badly.

She slipped into the shorts Letty had bought her for dresses and figured out how to make the sticky bra work after a quick text chain with the teen herself. Then she stood in front of the dresses in her closet and froze. 

Which dress? Hank had said “nice” but what did that mean, really? Before she could get too deeply in her head about it, Megan called Diana.

“Hola, Sweetheart. Everything alright?” Diana asked through the phone.

“Hey Tía. Sorry. I forgot you might still be driving. Everything’s fine. Just having a bit of a fashion trouble,” Megan assured her.

“You’re fine, Sweetie. I was just about to text you. We just got inside. What’s the matter?” Diana asked.

Megan could hear rustling as her aunt sat things down. “Well, Hank and I are finally going out tonight, but I’m not sure what to wear. He asked for dress because we’re going dancing.”

Tía Diana chuckled. “Ah. I understand. Can’t figure it out?”

“Yeah. Any chance you could help me?”

“Of course, Bebita. What’s Hank wearing?” she asked.

“He took his suit bag to change in Papa’s room.”

“Ah. Perfect. So he’s wearing a suit. What did the doctor say? Do we need to work around your sling?” Megan could hear the change as Diana sat down somewhere.

“No sling,” Megan told her.

“Beautiful. Alright, Sweetheart, swap me to video call so I can see what we’re working with.”

Megan carefully swapped the phone to a video call to show Diana her packed closet. “He said ‘nice’. What does that mean?”

Diana chuckled. “Good question. Which of these have you already worn?”

Diana walked Megan through narrowing down her choices. Both of the final contenders were very different. One was black with tiny spaghetti straps and a back that started right beneath her tattoo. The v-neck allowed her jewelry to be the spotlight as did the plain black fabric. The skirt went to just below her knees and was loose enough to be able to get on the bike.

The second dress was a deep red. The skirt was short, but full and would make a statement if they actually went dancing. It had a sweetheart neckline and straps that went off the shoulder. The back though, was where it really shined. The dress was backless to the small of her back, putting her tattoo on full display as well as a lot of her skin. 

Either dress would pair nicely with the classic black ballet flats that were her only dress shoe option until after her quince.

“How do I figure out which to wear, Tía?” Megan asked, staring down at her two choices spread on her bed.

“How do you want the night to end?” Diana asked. “That should give you an idea of how daring you want to be.”

Megan felt her cheeks warm as she thought about Hank’s promises for after she was out of her sling.

Diana laughed. “That face screams red dress, Sweetheart. I left a lipstick that should be great with it on your dressing table along with an eyeliner pencil and mascara. I know you know how to use those even if you don’t do it often.” She smiled. “You don’t need much makeup anyway, Princessa.”

“Thank you, Tía. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

Diana waved her off. “You’d have been fine, Sweetheart. Send me a picture when you’re dressed.”

They said their goodbyes and Megan hurried to use the makeup products Diana had left her before sliding into the red dress and flats. She smoothed her hair and took a few pictures with her phone to send to her tía and Letty. As a last minute decision, she also sent one to Taza. 

A moment later, her phone dinged with a text from her father. She checked it. “You look beautiful, Chica. Enjoy your night.”

Megan smiled and tucked her phone, wallet, and lipstick into a small black purse. She was ready. 

Hank had just slipped into his dress boots and suit jacket when his phone chimed three times from the table. It was his personal cell, not the club burner, so he didn’t worry too much about the texts being anything that could mess up his night. He laughed as he realized they were texts from Taza, Bishop and Marcus. He opened Bishop’s first. 

“Take your gun, brother. YOu might need it to keep the pendejos under control. She’s fucking beautiful.” Hank chuckled, but checked his ankle holster for his back up anyway. 

The text from Marcus simply said “you better do this right,” and Hank couldn’t help but smile. As the only married Mayan currently in Santo Padre, Marcus was certainly a man with strong opinions on how his god daughter should be treated. 

Taza’s text was a little different. “Be sure to tell her how beautiful she looks. Show her how a princessa should be treated. And lock the damn bedroom door!”

Hank laughed. He only replied to Taza’s message since he knew they were all together. “I’ll take good care of her. I promise. And yes - I’ll lock the door.” He slipped his phone into his jacket pocket before he settled it across his broad shoulders and reached for the flowers and box that EZ had dropped off for him.

He knocked on the bedroom door gently. “Mi reina? I take it from the text message I just got from Taza that you’re ready. Can I come in?”

“Come on in,” Megan called through the wooden door.

Hank opened the door carefully with his full hands and stepped into the bedroom.

Megan was standing in the middle of the room fiddling with her purse. She looked up and smiled as Hank came in.

His breath caught in his throat and his jaw dropped. He barely held onto his gifts. “Dios mío, eres tan hermosa, mi reina. How’d I get so lucky?”

Megan’s smile widened. “Usually when you slip into Spanish, I did good, so I’ll take that as a compliment.

Hank chuckled. “You’re beautiful, Megan. So God damned beautiful that my brain shuts down.” He stepped forward and offered her the flowers.

“Thank you! They’re beautiful. My first real flowers…” Megan bent to smell them with a giggle. 

“There will be plenty more, mi amore. I promise.”

Megan sat the vase on her dresser and fussed with them a moment before turning back to him. “You look great too.”

He smiled and offered her his hand so he could pull her close. He gently kissed her knuckles and smiled. “I got you one more thing.” He offered her the small white cardboard box that was tied with a green ribbon.

Megan took it, stepping closer to him to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”

“Open it.”

She pulled the lid off the box to find a delicate pearl bracelet to match the rest of her jewelry. “Oh Hank… It’s gorgeous.”

He took it from the box and showed her where the clasp had an H and an M entwined engraved on it before fastening it around her left wrist. He pressed a kiss to the skin of her inner wrist with a smile. “Ready for a real date?”

“With you? So ready,” Megan said with a smile. 

Hank helped Megan into her armored leather jacket and helmet before putting his own on. EZ had also detailed Hank’s bike during Templo and dropped it off with the flowers and jewelry. It was parked out front. 

Hank mounted his bike and helped Megan to settle behind him. He savored how close she was to him and felt her arms come around his waist tightly before he started the bike and headed for town. 

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[nailgunstigmata]

dennis probably hatched from an egg

[totowlff]

extra — before everything

➝ a photo. an audio. a voice message. and niki never saw elisabeth the same way again.

➝ word count: 2,7k

➝ warnings: none

➝ author’s note: you've already seen elisabeth and toto's vision of what happened that sunday in august. however, a point of view was missing. precisely the one you are so curious to know. I hope this extra helps situate you in the conflict. or not.

AUGUST, 2016

Niki Lauda sat in one of the chairs on the porch of his home in Ibiza, reading the weekend edition of the Financial Times. He’d bought it on Saturday, when he’d gone into the market district with Marlene. He didn’t really care for going into town, especially with the crowds that the high season brought, but his wife had insisted — there was only one place she would buy fresh shrimp for the paella she’d planned on making the next day.

Who was he to deny Marlene Lauda anything?

The rest of the weekend was quiet. He spent the morning talking to Tilman, his brother-in-law, about horses. He was trying to figure out what the ideal age would be to start Lennon, his grandson, on riding lessons with the pony he’d bought from Tilman when Lenny was born. Inside the mansion, Marlene and Sandra, Tilman's wife, were preparing lunch. Niki’s dogs, Felix and Shivas, were probably underfoot, waiting for stray crumbs to fall to the floor.

After lunch, Niki dispensed with the traditional Spanish siesta and set out for a walk around the grounds, Shivas and Felix close behind him, inspecting every centimeter with curious noses and wagging tails. He only went for a walk when he needed space to think about a problem. The problem he was thinking about now was the conflict between two of his children, Mathias and Elisabeth, and how he could resolve it.

Niki prided himself on being a fair man. Fairness was important to him, and he valued it not only in his professional life, but his personal life as well. When his children were born, he made a point of treating them the same, offering much more than similar toys and education, but dedicating his time equally to each of them. He played with both, including both in his motorcycle and car adventures around Ibiza, and he was willing to learn to ride a horse to accompany both boys on their rides with Tilman.

However, he found his personal capacity tested in 1985, after his last Formula 1 victory, Marlene told him that she was pregnant again. The idea of a third child made Niki re-examine his priorities. After his first free practice session in Austria, two weeks later, he announced his retirement again. This time, it was permanent. Not even Ron Dennis' insistence changed his mind. For him, the future of Formula 1 was in good hands.

Marlene's pregnancy was relatively uneventful, with the exception of a scare that landed her in hospital. Niki, who was in Brands Hatch for a race, rushed to Vienna. It was no use for Marlene to reason with him and tell him that he didn't need to miss the race that weekend, since she was perfectly fine, as was the baby.

— I don't give a fuck about this race. What really matters is you and our baby — he said, running his hand lightly over her belly, a smile on his face.

Their third child was born a little less than three months later, and she was a real surprise for Niki and Marlene. They were sure they would have one more boy, and they were expecting the baby to make their lives even more chaotic than it already was with Lukas and Mathias. Niki even had a name picked out, chosen after a lot of discussion and input from their younger children.

However, it wasn't Christian Tilman Lauda who was in Niki's arms, but a little girl named Elisabeth Renate Lauda, name for Niki’s mother and Marlene’s sister. From the first few hours of her life, Elisabeth was calm and attentive, her big blue eyes staring at her father. Niki was completely enchanted with his daughter immediately.

As the years passed, Niki found himself growing closer to his youngest child. They bonded over more than Niki playing dolls with her, or reading her bedtime stories, but over Elisabeth’s quirky personality. She wasn’t impulsive like Lukas, or rebellious like Mathias. She was quiet, intelligent, and observant, and she had an impressive talent for numbers. Every time she solved a complicated equation that was even confusing for Niki — not that Niki was bad at math by any means — he thought that Elisabeth was “the granddaughter that Old Lauda asked God for”.

The differences between the siblings had never caused major conflicts. Lukas and Elisabeth always got along well, and Mathias had a good relationship with both of them. The three of them helped each other, both in their personal and professional lives, and, above all, they loved each other very much.

However, the apparent harmony between the siblings ended the year before. Their laughter and jokes were replaced with cold looks and deeply personal insults. It even culminated in physical violence when Elisabeth slapped Mathias across the face. Lukas, despite being his brother's manager, sympathized with his younger sister. Niki was completely lost as far as how to deal with the situation as he tried to make the siblings act like adults, and not like the children he had raised under the Balearic sun.

His eyes studied the printed image of Lamberto Frescobaldi, an Italian winemaker with an impressive estate in Florence, and he almost didn't notice his phone vibrating on the chair next to him. He folded up his newspaper and laid it on his lap before picking up his phone and reading the two notifications he’d gotten. Mathias had sent him two messages; a photo and an audio message.

He unlocked his phone and opened the messaging app, clicking on his middle child's name. Then, he opened the image to enlarge it. Niki took a few seconds to absorb it. It was a picture of Elisabeth kissing a man that he immediately recognized as Toto Wolff, his friend and business partner. It was a tender image — her hand was on his face, both of their expressions were soft. They looked every bit the part of two people who were completely in love.

He scrolled down a bit and tapped the audio message to play it, pursing his lips at the first few words.

— Hi dad, I'm sending you this photo because Elisabeth just posted it on Instagram, so I assume she told you all about her affair with Toto — he said, Lenny's laughter in the background — I'm sending you a copy to let you know that I wanted to tell you that I never supported this, from the moment I found out they were together in Spa last year.

Niki took a second to remember what had happened in Belgium. But, the message from his son continued playing. 

— Remember how you told me to look for Elisabeth when she disappeared after the qualifying session? I went to the motorhome, and the caterer said she saw her going up to the second floor, so I assumed she was in Toto's office. I went over there and when I opened the door to ask him if he’d seen her, I found him with his fucking head between her legs.

He raised his eyebrows at the graphic description. He definitely hadn’t expected that from his daughter.

— I talked to her, dad. I tried to put some common sense into that head of hers, but she said she loved him, that they were living together, and they were dating, that they loved each other, and that nothing would change that and… Fuck, I was just thinking about your feelings and how sad you’d be to find out Elisabeth was fucking your only friend behind your back — he continued, the tone of his voice sounding more a little frustrated — I know you've always loved Elschen dearly and... She's your golden girl, your pride and your joy. And she repays your trust by doing this to you? I just didn’t think it was fair, and she had to hear it.

Niki pressed his mouth into a thin line, sensing a specific kind of pain in Mathias' tone of voice. Of course, he loved his three children deeply and admired each of them, with all of their differences and similarities. However, it was inevitable for him to be closest to Elisabeth. She was his youngest child, his little princess, his shadow and right-hand in the business world, the perfect companion for his adventures in civil aviation and motorsport. They spent more time together than fathers and daughters their age usually did.

Mathias' heartache — jealousy, maybe, was perfectly justified.

— Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm on your side and that I never agreed to any of this. She had no right to betray your trust like that and I completely condemn her behavior. If you need anything, you can call me and I'll help you solve it, and we can do it the easy way or the hard way. I love you dad. I hope you’re doing alright.

Niki looked at his screen again. The image of Toto and Elisabeth was still pulled up, and he looked at it for a few seconds in silence. The sound of footsteps approaching made him look away. Leaning against the doorframe, Marlene looked at him, with Shivas sitting at her feet.

— Did Mathias call? I heard his voice — she said.

— No, he sent me an audio message.

She sat down in the chair next to Niki.

— What did he say?

— He sent me a picture of Elisabeth…

Marlene raised an eyebrow.

— Is Mathias with Elisabeth now?

— No. It's a picture of her with Toto.

— Ah — she muttered under her breath — Yes…

Niki looked at his wife, who was watching Felix stretch out in a patch of sunlight in front of them.

— Did you know about the two of them… Being together?

There were a few seconds of uneasy silence.

— Yes, I knew. Elschen told me in June.

— What did she say? — Niki asked, his tone serious.

— That she tried to avoid her feelings. That she tried to get away from Toto. But she decided to follow her heart. And… That she loves him.

Niki looked at the cell phone in his hands, the image of her daughter kissing his friend still on the screen. It felt a little surreal to see them like that. It just didn't feel right. Suddenly, he took the newspaper from his lap and stood up from his chair, causing the dogs to lift their heads to look at him.

— Nikolaus — Marlene said, her voice full of warning.

— What?

— What are you going to do?

— I just need to think.

Niki went back inside of the house and walked to his office. He closed the door and turned on the light. He placed the newspaper he'd been reading earlier on the desk and dropped into the black leather chair. With the phone still in his hands, he typed a quick reply to Mathias and returned to the app's main screen, selecting his daughter's name. Then, he typed four words in. He read his message over and over before he pressed the “send” button.

"We need to talk".

Not even two minutes later, his phone vibrated, his daughter's name flashing across the screen. She had a wide smile in her contact picture. Niki tapped the green button to answer the call, and he didn't have time to say a word before she began to speak, between sniffles and sobs.

— Dad, please, I know it's not right, but please let me explain, let me explain! It's not what you're thinking, please let me explain. Please let me tell you what happened. It wasn't supposed to happen, it was a mistake, he took my phone, you weren't supposed to find out like this, I was going to tell you, father, please...

— Elisabeth…

— Please don't be mad at me, dad. I did not want…

— I’m not going to talk about this with you on the phone, Mauslein — he said, his voice serious — I’ll be back in Vienna in two days. Come over and we can talk about it, then.

She sniffled a bit and muttered "okay", and Niki asked Elisabeth to calm down and said goodbye. He set his phone down on top of the newspaper, running a hand down his face. That would be a difficult conversation.

One of the hardest he would ever have.

The next day, Niki, Marlene, and the dogs returned to Vienna. He was completely silent for the entire flight, reflecting on the moments he had spent with Toto and Elisabeth. The achievements, the challenges, the countless meals, the meetings where they both had argued because they didn't agree on something.

When he got home, he just dropped his suitcase in the bedroom before isolating himself in his office again, but this time the office in his apartment. The room was richly decorated with mementos of his life in racing, some miscellaneous honors and certificates, Lenny's drawings, miniatures of his airlines' planes, and photos — lots of photos.

He’d accumulated so many framed photos over the years, images of him racing around the world, celebrating his achievements on podiums and at various award ceremonies. There were pictures of him with his kids in Ibiza and Vienna, and pictures of each of the children separately. Photos of Mathias running in GP2, Lukas playing with Shivas, and Elisabeth holding her Business Administration degree, dressed in her graduation regalia, her blue eyes shining with joy. There were pictures of Lenny sitting in his red mini-Mercedes. There was even one of Niki himself, with Lewis Hamilton, playing with Lewis’ bulldogs, Roscoe and Coco.

He sat down in his office chair, his eyes affixing to one particular photo. It was the only one Niki had sitting on his desk — it was a special memory for him. In the picture, he was standing next to Elisabeth and Toto. They were both drench in champagne and had wide smiles on their faces. His daughter was in the middle, holding the Formula 1 Constructors Trophy from the Russian Grand Prix. It was the race that had consecrated the Mercedes team as World Champions for the first time since the brand’s return to Formula 1.

Before he saw that photo as the realization of his great dream of triumphing in Formula 1 in a managerial position. Now, it looked different. It was as if the two people in the picture with him had completely changed in his mind somehow.

The sound of his phone vibrating snapped Niki out of his thoughts. He glanced at where it was sitting on the table, he raised an eyebrow as he read on the screen that he had a new voicemail message. It had probably not come in until just now because his phone was off during the flight back from Ibiza. He probably received it when he was flying back to Austria. Tapping the screen a few times, he brought the phone to his ear, waiting for the voicemail to play the message. Then the recording of a familiar voice started playing.

— Hi, Niki. It’s Toto. Listen, I know you… Know what’s happening now, and I just wanted to call you and speak to you before you and Elisabeth talk tomorrow when you get back to Vienna. What you are probably thinking is true, but…

The recording stopped for a few seconds, like Toto was trying to find the proper words. Niki's eyes found his face in the picture frame on the table.

— We didn’t hide it deliberately to hurt you. Quite the opposite, actually, because Elisabeth wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it and didn’t want to — he sighed — Break your trust. I know the circumstances haven’t been ideal, but… I can’t regret it, because it gave us a lot of time, you know, away from the spotlight and the pressure. And I… Can’t regret loving your daughter, Niki. She’s the best person I’ve ever met. She’s the love of my life. I would never do anything to hurt her, and I will always be there for her, whether she wants me to be or not.

Toto sighed again.

— Please don’t treat her too harshly, I guess that’s all I am asking. As a friend. I will always do everything I can to make her happy and…

The recording was suddenly cut off and ended with a beep, as if he hadn't had time to say more. Niki pursed his lips and off the screen, setting his phone back on his desk. Then, he reached for the framed photo of himself with Toto and Elisabeth, taking it off of his desk as he stood up from his chair.

His desk was no longer the rightful place for that particular photo.

[radiofreederry]

This whole era of Wonder Woman is pretty funny. Denny O'Neil, one of my favorite comic writers, took over the book in the late 1960s, and along with artist Mike Sekowsky hatched a plan to bring her up to date with the era of women's lib, having in mind such contemporary female heroes as Emma Peel of British import The Avengers. They accomplished this by having Diana give up her superpowers (!) in order to remain in "Man's World" (!!) and maintain the affections of her love interest Steve Trevor (!!!).

As you can imagine, feminists, most prominently among them Gloria Steinem, were pissed that the most prominent female superhero had been depowered in order to pursue a man's affections. O'Neil, who for his part was a left-winger who had genuinely good and ostensibly feminist, if misinformed, intentions for the character's new direction, considered the era a personal shame.

[sunnykeysmash]

dennis thinks he's cursed... mac breaking the curse...

mac as the real dayman... mac day starting with him reading the bible passage that goes "let there be light"...

"the more you have of it the less you see (darkness)"...

dee wanting to direct since dee day... dee been writing scripts since replaces dee with a monkey...

dee writing a sequel to nightman cometh... a sequel like how s15 starts a new era... and like how dee is always hatching the plans that work...

NIGHTMAN COMETH ENDING WITH A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL...

DENNIS HAVING A COLD CALCULATED SHELL THAT CAN ONLY BE BROKEN BY MARRIAGE...

MAC BEING THE ORIGINAL DAYMAN ANYWAY... DAYMAN RIPS THE NIGHTMAN'S HEART OUT...

"so I'm still your leading man..."

[frenchcurious]

Vic Elford (Salzburg-Porsche 917 K) futur 2éme avec Denny Hulme devant Pedro Rodriguez (Gulf-Porsche 917 K) futur vainqueur avec Leo Kinnunen, à Druids lors des 1000 Km de Brands Hatch 1970. © Pete Austin. - source Carros e Pilotos.

[vbkpoetry]

jimmy & dennis or dennis & jimmy

morrison wanted nothing more than to hear the butterfly scream -

i merely want to return to the locusts

can you hear them sing? can you hear me sing? can you catch me man? hatching my plan

Before I sink Into the big sleep I want to hear I want to hear The scream of the butterfly - (morrison)

and to think, these letters written in ink fall on deaf ears but the eyes can't hide

can you see them in your sleep? can you feel them in your soul? can you understand me man? hatching my plan

[kingcanis]

Fuck it, a second Jurassic Park hot take: (movie) John Hammond is not a villain (Book John Hammond is an ass).

The biggest thing I've seen arguing that he's an asshole and JP was all his fault was underpayment Dennis Nedry. We have no evidence in the media itself that Dennis was being underpaid for his work. The amount that he is being paid is never named. We DO get a line from Hammond to Nedry about paying what he owes, but that always gave me more of a "I am paying you a reasonable wage for this job. The fact that you're terrible with money and can't sort your own shit out is not my fault or problem".

Which is a totally fine stance for an employer to have! Dennis complains about his pay not being enough but no one else in the entire movie seems to have an issue with their wages. In the book, once again Nedry is the only one. It seems to me that the takeway should be that "Nedry is a greedy asshole" and not "John Hammond was abusing his working class employees"

(Side note, Nedry is a greedy asshole, and is made out to be an asshole to animals and willing to let people die to make a quick buck. However his depiction on the movie as a slob, the whole falling down on the mud scene that leads to his death, and the general way he's treated in many of the writing decisions are incredibly fatphobic, and deeply not okay)

So let's go over what John Hammond DID do. He showed up to try and be present and available for the birth of each dinosaur (the fact that he didn't know about the hatching in the beginning of the film makes me think that wasn't the first time Wu "forgot" to tell him, but the man tried).

He brought back paleo-flora to go woth his dinosaurs, tried to give them as close to authentic habitats as possible.

He insisted that they'd want to keep the price if admission to the park low so that everyone could attend and see the dinosaurs. It was a vision he wanted to *share* with everyone.

He funded a first of its kind state of the art security system and isolated the park from the mainland so that in case anything catastrophic happened, the danger posed by the park would be contained.

He prioritized getting his grandchildren back once everything went to shit, and did everything in his power to help them get off the island (he's a fuddling grandpa, there's wasn't much he was ever going to be able to do).

All of this to say, that John Hammond is not a saint, but the man meant well and did his best to bring his dream to life, and then to share it with the world.

It's part of what makes me think that John, shows up for every dino birth he knows of, lovingly calls the dinos animals, clearly has this great sense of wonder about the whole thing, Hammond would have *hated* Simon, they're assets not animals, I've never seen this super traumatized death-dino before, what happened to its sibling? I have no idea what Henry Wu has been doing in the lab I put him in, I literally die playing Action Hero because I let the death-dino kill all my guys, Masrani.

Long story short, Hammond is not a villain. He's not perfect, and certainly makes some mistakes (add in some critical redundancy to your systems my dude), but he is just as much a victim as the rest of the cast.

[raikkonens]

DENNIS HAUGER AND JACK DOOHAN F4 British Championship Brands Hatch Circuit April 7, 2018

[formulaarchive]

Denny Hulme winning at 'Gold Cup' Oulton Park 1972 / Denny Hulme Brands Hatch 1972 /  Denny Hulme Brands Hatch 1972

Denny Hulme at British GP Brands Hatch 1972 / Graham Hill Brands Hatch British Grand Prix 1971 / Howden Ganley 1971 Race of Champions

 Jackie Stewart Brands Hatch Race of Champions 1971 / Jo Siffert in cockpit, Race of Champions 1971