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kelcemenow · 6 months

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Drive Me Crazy - Chapter 1.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 682

Warnings Nothing at all!

Huge thank you to the Anon who sent this in! They had such amazing words to say about my writing which I massively appreciate and then to top it off, had an incredible request for me! I only have experience with mechanics in the UK, so I've tried my best with this one! "I just recently got interested in Travis K. X reader stories and wanted to let you know, I read all of yours as quickly as I could. They are so well done and I couldn’t help but laugh/giggle and feel through each word you typed out. You’re doing amazing and I’m so glad to have stumbled onto your page. If you have any space for a request, I’d be curious about what Trav would think about having a military (like fighter pilot) or engineer or mechanic girlfriend. I see a lot of stories with him paired with models/singers/social media individuals (which are phenomenal!) but just wondering how he would be with a more tomboy like girlfriend!"

CHAPTER 1

You wiped the beads of sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand, grabbing your water bottle with the other and slowly gulping down the cool liquid. Taking a deep breath, you closed the hood of the car and gave Jordan a nod of your head to signal that you were finished.

"Thanks, Y/N." He said as he made his way towards you, "I knew you'd figure it out."

"Don't sweat it. You almost had it, bro." You smiled, wiping your hands on the towel that hung from your waistband.

"You're the best." He grinned as he got into the car and started up the engine with ease.

The purring of the motor combined with the sounds of the drills and hydraulics pierced through your ear and although you were used to them, a slight headache was looming. You headed to the small garage office, massaging your temples on the way.

The office door was battered and covered in grease from years of being pushed open by dirty hands, and as it swung open, you were greeted by a smiling face.

"Hey honey!"

"Hey Dad." You said wearily as you pulled open one of the drawers of the desk.

"Oh dear." He groaned, "What's up? That Chevy pushin' against you?"

You shook your head gently as you picked up the bottle of Aspirin, "No, no...I finished it."

"That's my girl."

"Just...I didn't sleep great last night and I got a migraine coming on." You tipped out a couple of tablets into the palm of your hand before popping them into your mouth.

"I'll steer clear of you today then...I wouldn't want to poke the bear." He joked as he opened the door, disappearing onto the shop floor.

"Ha ha." You said flatly, swallowing the Aspirin with a mouthful of water.

The bell above the front door rang and you turned around, plastering a fake smile on your face.

"Good mornin', sir. How can I-"

"Yeah, can I speak to a car mechanic, please?" His eyes were stuck to the phone screen in his hand.

You quietly cleared your throat, clearing away your immediate frustration, "Well, lucky for you, sir, I am one."

The man in front of you looked up and paused, blinking a couple of times before his mouth dropped open, "Oh, I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"Happens all of the time." Your lips curled slightly into a smile, "What can I help you with?"

His eyes darted across your dishevelled appearance, almost narrowing with curiosity as he looked at you. Your hair was pulled back and a colourful scarf was covering your hair as best you could. You were wearing one of your Dad's old band shirts, grease and oil stains adorning any space they could and your navy blue coveralls were pulled down and tied at your waist to relieve you from the blistering heat. You blew a rouge piece of hair away from your face and waited patiently as he reached for his keys and gently placed them on the desk in front of you.

"My uhh...car. I was driving down the highway and...it just-" He stumbled.

You slid the keys closer to you, "I'll take a look."

He ran his hands through his beard, "Thank you. And can I please apologise for what I said? Today is not my day and I just-"

"Honestly, it's really not necessary. Like I said, it happens all of the time. Mechanic isn't really a 'typical career' for a woman." You bent your fingers in the air as you spoke, reciting words that you had heard many times before.

The man exhaled a laugh, his eyes gentle yet piercing, "I gotta say, it's pretty impressive. I'm useless when it comes to stuff like this."

You smiled, an uncomfortable silence filling the room.

"So, if I could take your number and I'll call you later today?"

"Uhh yeah." He mumbled, jotting the digits down on the pad positioned next to your hand before turning back to the door. "And I'm sorry...again."

"It's fine..." You glanced down at the pad, "...Mr Kelce."

______________________________________________________________

I know I said that I was going to carry on with requests before diving into another series but this one was too good not to make into a little series so I'm doing it and no one can stop me! This first part is just setting the scene really so I hope I've piqued your interest! If you want to be included in my Taglist for any future chapters, just let me know!

Taglist @rd14 @dandelionwrites8 @keiva1000 @fantasywritersstuff @caelipartem @anacarangel @she-lives-in-her-dreams @kkrenae @kristencochefski1125 @countrygirl120983 @charmed2000 @nouis-bum @cixrosie @delicateearthquakellama @wordsaresimple-imnot @amylouwho9 @queenisa17 @talicat713 @luvvtrent @purecinnamonextract @savaneafricaine @caelipartem @beyxgrande @caitdaniels @ezgirl1108 @vir-tual @lightsoutstyles @macey234 @s294749w @kelcemesoftly @calirindo @livinginmyfantasies @bernelflo @secretmywritingfictionlawyer @killatravtramp @there-goes-thefighter @unicornblueberry @calirindo @tjkelce87 @kristinamae093 @kmc1989 @ajbird18 @triski73 @ctn26 @kgcaputo07 @abby-splace @bobthe-turmpetman29 @cedricbitch @jmamas92 @bellstwd @killatravsworld @marchmaiden @chimchimmarie @blackstabbath6 @fanficfanatic15 @jessiemariebarnes @mmb219 @vanwritesfan-fiction

#travis kelce x reader #travis kelce imagine #kelce x reader #nfl imagine #original story #travis kelce fic #travis kelce #travis kelce fluff #nfl fluff #travis kelce smut #travis kelce angst #nfl smut #nfl angst #nfl fic #kelcemenow requests

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regina-bithyniae · 3 months

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Finished The Wages of Destruction.

Solid 9/10.

Core ideas to take away:

work creation was a minor element of Nazi economic policy, a distant secondary concern after rearmament

rearmament had widespread public support in germany

shifting to autarky took extremely hacky and likely long-run unsustainable export controls, and even *export subsidies* because imports were still an inescapably vital input to industrial production in

controlling big business was largely a "soft co-opting" project while the agriculturalists were insane morons who were much more staunchly pro-nazi

once at war, Germany was going for broke from the very beginning and there was near-zero slack they could've squeezed out more war production from

truly pitiful productivity rate from Germany's conquered continental empire - the workers were far far more productive if deported to Germany than working in home countries

German surface navy seems useless, they didn't even have the oil to run the ships, and metal would've been better used elsewhere

Speer was a shit, Tooze hates hates him

bombing campaign actually was successful! specifically taking out the Ruhr

"blitzkrieg" doctrine was developed as they went; original 1940 invasion of France battleplan was to go "right up the center" not through the Ardennes and pre-battle production focused on heavy artillery ammunition

Bigger points: German "Strategy"

Germany escalated from diplomatic crisis to war with Poland/UK/France, and to war with the Soviet Union, and then America, out of a series of perceived closing windows of opportunity. First one was seeing UK/French production overtaking them in rates and catching up on stocks. In 1940 the US fully commits to aiding Britain, creating sense of "the bombers are coming eventually" and need to gain immediate advantage by conquering the Soviet Union.

Bizarrely, German production was focused on the Luftwaffe in preparation for fighting US/UK air war as Germany was getting ready for Barbarossa!

Declaration of war on US pitched as confirming alliance with Japan, but still feels stupid. Germany could just stay quiet and force US to either engineer entry to European conflict another way or stay out. Still seems less stupid, considering this is at a time when Barbarossa is coming apart.

But overall, a sound if massively risky plan assuming you accept the insane basic assumptions. Hitler's strategic vision often gets assumed to be terrible out of disgust for the consequences of his actions and their failure.

I really do wonder what the vibe was among German economic elite from 1942 onwards, it's obvious the war is not winnable, that you're very fucked, and that everyone is coming to kill you.

Anyways, good book and worth reading/listening to. Tooze could've slimmed down on the pre-war stuff. I find him vaguely irritating with how he brings up irrelevant things just to show how smart he is but that's probably just envy.

P.S.

The original Volkswagen was just a massive scam with no actual civilian cars being produced despite taking all the payments for the vehicles. Possibly suggests two dominant strains of conservatism? Former is old aristocratic conservatism of the nobility or classic US elite; latter is the populist oppositional culture right-wingism which is about 64% scam artists.

#econposting #historyposting

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pitconfirmbutton · 1 year

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wildflowers and fruits (I) | lance stroll

lance stroll x reader

wc: 4833 words

warnings: controlling relationship (not an f1 driver, made up character), physical abuse (never written but implied), emotional abuse, eating disorder/not eating, smoking, 2 tiny mentions of su*cide (not depicted but implied) everyone is sad, so very sad

wildflowers and fruits (part i)

petals and peaches (part ii)

summer roses and winter strawberries (part iii)

carnations and clementines (part iv)

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“You don’t even love him, Bug, you know that, don’t you?” Seb had always been right, whether it was his knack for details or the wisdom of age, he was never wrong. That was why you had jumped at his offer to mentor you through your first year as a Formula 1 driver, well one of many reasons why.

You brushed his hand from your shoulder and stood up. “Thanks for the coffee, Seb.” He had figured it out and it scared you but he couldn’t know that. He grabbed your hand, a last-ditch effort to talk some sense into you. “I’ll sponsor you! I will sponsor the team, whatever he pays, I will double it. Just please don’t feel like you have to do this.” He looked up at you, his blonde curls dishevelled from running his hands through them and his eyes wide and pleading, staring straight into your soul. “I love him, Seb” and with that you pulled your hand from his, leaving your driver’s room for the garage.

---

Lance watched as you made your way into the engineering room, apologising for your tardiness, as you quickly took your seat and put your headset on. You didn’t look up, you didn’t turn to him and smile. Lance frowned, the weather in Singapore was unbearably hot, his Aston Martin t-shirt and shorts bringing him, not nearly as much reprieve as he wished. But in comparison to you, he felt cold, your body covered by an Aston Martin hoodie and leggings. He knew why, all the drivers did. Despite his naive and at times spaced-out appearance, he picked up on things, especially when it came to you.

The latest title sponsor for Aston Martin, ‘Securitic’, a large UK-based crypto banking app, was owned by Harry Lyons, a pompous, sharp-dressed British man whose good looks charmed many into thinking he wasn’t a terrible person. But Lance knew. To be fair, even Yuki knew, Oscar too, despite the young drivers being rather wet behind the ears. Lance hated the man keeping his racing team afloat, a phrase never before uttered by a Formula 1 driver. Why? Harry Lyons had trapped his teammate and the love of his life.

Lance had met you back in Italian Formula 4, you were 14, he was 15 and you were teammates in Prema, coming in 2nd behind him in the championship that year. His dad had nudged him as you walked into the trailer, hinting at him to pick his jaw off the floor. Since then you had both become the best of friends, finally meeting back up as teammates to drive in Aston Martin together. He just never mentioned how deeply in love with you he had fallen.

“How did you find the brake bias change, Lance?” He was pulled from his thoughts, looking up to his engineer, Ben. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was better than FP1 for sure.” Ben nodded along, scribbling a note on his paper before continuing. Lance’s gaze drifted back to you, shocking himself when he met your eyes, gazing over your laptop at him. He smiled softly and lifted his hand, giving you a small wave. You smiled back but it never reached your eyes, a smile he didn’t recognise.

After an engineering meeting and a PR meeting, Lance was free, leaving the motorhome to be enveloped in the warm Singaporean air, the smell of rubber and oil mixing with the smell of local food and flowers. “Lance!” He turned around to find the voice, seeing Esteban, Pierre and Charles walking through the paddock towards him. “Hey guys, how are you all?” The company was welcome, pulling him from his thoughts. “Good mate! The car is actually looking good for us” Esteban explained, Pierre nodding along in agreeance. Before Lance could ask Charles about his day too, he watched the Monégasque roll his eyes, tracking something across the paddock. “What a wanker!” Lando had slotted himself in between Charles and Pierre, also distracted by the sight in front of him. Lance turned around, heart sinking as he watched you walk beside Harry towards the paddock exit.

As Lance watched, he noticed your body language, your jaw tightly set, shoulders rigid and eyes wide, staring down at the ground. You appeared to be holding hands but on second glance, your fingers were splayed, your hand being crushed by Harry’s possessive grip. Lance saw red, taking a step forward to instinctively protect you before Esteban’s hand found his shoulder. “Not in the middle of the paddock, mate. Not now.” He was right. As Lance turned around he saw numerous reporters, all live on camera. As much as Lance dreamed of breaking Harry’s nose to the left, it wasn’t the best decision for your career or his for that matter. He looked back at you, making eye contact for the second time today as you walked past, your eyes quickly falling back to the floor. Lance’s eyes then settled on the devil’s. Harry simply looked Lance up and down, smirking at him, before turning you to him and kissing your lips harshly. Lance looked away, feeling sick to his stomach. “Can we please just go?” Lance’s voice was meek and the group was quick to rally around him. As they walked to the exit, they chatted about their plans for the weekend, the FIA sponsor gala and the sick feeling they all had watching you with Harry was seemingly avoided within the conversation.

---

It was 2 am and tomorrow was FP3 and qualifying and that meant you should have been asleep 5 hours ago but here you were, wide awake. This was how most nights went for you now, Harry taking you back to the hotel suite or his Monaco penthouse, either having sex with you or screaming at you through a locked bathroom door and then you inevitably up, unable to sleep as he lay there peacefully. It had gone on for just over 3 months now, ever since he had pulled you into a dark meeting room at the Silverstone HQ and explained everything he wanted. You could still hear his voice in your head.

“I have been watching you for a while darling and I know how much you value Stroll Junior, so, if you want him to have a race seat for next year, I recommend you listen rather closely. I also recommend that you don’t tell anyone about this little arrangement, otherwise, you and little Stroll may both be seatless for next year. I wouldn’t doubt it, sweetheart, Lawrence and I go an awful way back, that is the reason why he gave me such a good contract, which stipulates that I even have control over the future Aston Martin lineup.”

You shivered, the memory making you feel cold as you sat by the hotel pool, cigarette perched between your fingers as you lamented your situation. It was a bad habit, especially for a professional athlete but it seemed to be the only control you had these days, between your strict F1 schedule and Harry’s restriction on anything that brought you joy, you justified the cigarette. You also allowed yourself the luxury of a tank top and shorts in the warm weather, the only light cast over your ever-thinning body and the purple marks that littered it was coming from the entrance hall to the pool area, at least 20 metres away.

You took a long drag and looked out over the city, wishing at that moment that you could be anyone else. An F1 fan barely able to sleep from the excitement of the impending race, a child in a soft slumber, a night shift worker, slaving away to make less money in a year than I made off one race. You would trade roles in a heartbeat, just to be away from Harry.

Footsteps broke you from your thoughts and you froze in place, a default response after these last few months. From the dark garden bed in the corner you were perched on, you squinted to see who had joined you in your melancholy. Lance. Of course, it was Lance. Your heart ached to look at him, his hair was as boofy as the day you met and you had to stop yourself from chuckling at the way he dragged his slipper-clad feet over the pool tiles, a comforting shuffle noise echoing out. The sound brought you back to beach holidays together, the sound of flip-flops on a boardwalk and the feeling of the sun on your neck and of snowed-in days in Canada, slippers on a wood cabin floor as yourself, Lance, Chloe, Scotty and Jack the dog made pancakes and played Monopoly together.

But none of that happiness existed anymore and those memories felt like they belonged to someone else. In a way they did because you were here looking at the pool wondering which poor staff member would find you at the bottom and Lance was over there, crying enough tears to fill it up all over again. He was crying. Why? Your heart sank further and the guilt you felt inside was enough to make you want to throw up the one apple you’d eaten yesterday. As you peeked further around the monstera shielding you from view, your foot slipped, garden pebbles tumbling onto the pool tiles below.

“Who’s there?” Lance called out into the darkness, wiping his eyes quickly and standing up. You were speechless. You hadn’t uttered more than a ‘hello’, ‘good luck’ or ‘see you around’ in 3 and a half months and you didn’t know what you would say if he found you. “I didn’t know the Ritz-Carlton had a pool boy ghost?” Lance chuckled to himself as he made his way over cautiously. It was good to know his awkward humour hadn’t left since you last talked. There was probably no avoiding this, so here goes nothing. As you stood up and emerged from behind the plants, Lance stopped dead in his tracks, mouth hanging open. Except it wasn’t like when you caught him staring at you in that god-awful bright blue Sherri Hill prom dress at the 2014 FIA gala, this time he wasn’t in awe, he was horrified.

“Hey, Lance.” You stood there in a spaghetti strap tank, Italian national team soccer shorts and no shoes, hair pulled back into a ponytail, exposing your ever-fading cheeks, cigarette still smoking in your right hand. His eyes dragged down your body in the same way you imagined it would look to drag your hand over sandpaper, his mouth in a thin line, trying to hold back how terrorised he was seeing you this way. One on your left wrist, three on your upper right arm, more than he could count across your shins and knees, one on the left-hand side of your abdomen and as he brought his eyes to yours, he gasped. One growing darker by the minute right around your left eye. You suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious, remembering why you had only given yourself a reprieve from the heat under the blanket of darkness.

“I-I should probably go, I’ll see you tomorrow.” You quickly snubbed your cigarette, chuckling it into the bin before starting to walk back to the hallway, brushing past Lance along the way. “Hey, no, wait, we um, we haven’t talked in so long, buttercup. I am really worried about you.” His eyes carried so much love that you considered throwing yourself into his arms again, knowing he would do anything to keep you safe, but in turn, ruining his career and that is all you were worried about.

“I’ve just been busy, I’m fi-” How were you supposed to stand here looking the way you were and tell him you’re fine? You didn’t have the strength to tell him everything and you knew that if you stayed here much longer, Harry might wake up and come looking for you and that would be the end of both of your careers. You tried to think of what to say but Lance got there first.

“Does Seb know?” You shook your head. The man wasn’t dumb if anything quite the opposite and you suspected he knew. Hanna had even talked to you a few times about your relationship and you suspect it was because they were both worried. Your parents were out of the picture, meaning that the Vettels had been the closest thing you had to a mum and dad. You suspected Harry had also picked up on your lack of familial ties too.

“Did I do anything wrong, Petal?” His eyes were glassy again and you wondered if when he had been crying earlier, he had been crying about you. You again wanted to fling yourself into his arms and give him the world, the emotions resulting in you letting your guide down for a second. “You could never do anything wrong, Lanny.” The nickname tumbled out of your mouth before you could stop it and it tasted of home-cooked pasta, overpriced beach ice cream and red-wine-tainted kisses. Before you let him answer you continued. “You did nothing wrong, this is all me, please just don’t worry about me. I’ve got you, ok? You are going to be ok. I will see you tomorrow.” And before Lance could process what that meant, you had slipped past him, back to your hotel room to hop under the sheets and lie as still as possible so as not to wake Harry.

---

You were surprised you had even finished the race at all, let alone ended up in P4. It was the kind of race in which you hoped you would DNF, engine overheat, electric issue, or plough head-first into the wall - all were options that crossed your mind during the 61 laps. Lance had gotten P3 and your heart swelled with pride for him. The mechanics tapped you on the back and pulled you along to the podium to watch. You hadn’t seen Lance up there on those steps in 3 months, despite him scoring numerous 2nd and 3rd place victories. ‘Go and stand under his podium and clap all you want, just don’t come crying to me when the world calls you a gold-digging whore, dear’. It was enough for you to not go anymore. That and the look in Harry’s eyes when he said it. There was no compromising on this. But when you watched the podium celebrations back, always in the early hours of the morning with a cigarette in hand, on a balcony, roof-top or terrace somewhere, you never missed the way his eyes scanned the team, hoping to catch you down there, smiling up at him.

This time you would get to do that, although you were suspicious about how you had made it to the podium celebration without a firm grip pulling you away. When you turned back around, looking through the team, you saw him, linen suit pressed and arms folded. He didn’t scowl at you this time, instead raising an eyebrow at you and cocking his head. Your blood ran cold. His unpredictability scared you the most. What was he planning?

You quickly whipped your head back to the podium, clapping softly as the team cheered and screamed for Lance as he made his way to the 3rd place step. His eyes caught yours as he skimmed the team, glancing past you before backtracking to make sure you were real and not a dehydration-induced mirage. He smiled brightly and waved. In that moment, riding the high of the podium he believed that last night had fixed everything, that you had gone back to your room and dumped Harry, gotten a night of good sleep, eaten breakfast, and covered your black eye in makeup while singing along to The Beach Boys as you used to every morning. He let himself believe that you were coming back to him and in that moment you let yourself also go along with that crazy thought. The idea that Harry had maybe let you go to the podium celebration because he was done with you because he wanted to break up and free you.

He had come back to the garage, drenched in champagne, smile wide and toothy. He couldn’t take a step without being congratulated again. ‘Thanks, man’, ‘I appreciate it, bro’, ‘couldn’t have done it without you’. They were sincere, every word but he was on a mission. Mid-conversation and trying to track down your body within the garage.

“Lance! Well done, an amazing drive, truly fantastic defending from Charles there at the end.” Seb was your mentor but that didn’t stop him from showing his ex-teammate some love when he did well. “Thanks, hey have you seen her?” Lance’s eyes were still darting around as Seb held his shoulders, having pulled back from a quick hug. “Already left, gone to go and get pretty for tonight, I suspect.” Lance had just gotten a trophy and yet he couldn’t control the way his face dropped at you having already left, without congratulating him first. “She’s already pretty” was all he could mumble out. Seb patted his shoulder and nodded, his smile tight-lipped, acknowledging the hurt in the young Aston Martin driver's voice. “I agree, Lance, I agree,” he said contemplatively.

---

Boss had provided Lance with a deep green suit for tonight’s FIA Sponsor's gala at Marina Bay Sands, along with a pair of black, shiny loafers. He thanked the universe that the material was light as he placed his jacket on before slipping out of his room to meet Mick and Esteban in the hotel bar for a drink before they left for the event. On the elevator ride down, he let himself imagine what you might be wearing tonight and let his cheeks darken at the thought of the dresses he had seen you in for galas and events over the years, standing out like a daisy growing in a patch of grass. His heart sank once again as he thought about how you were probably trying to cover bruises, doing a 360 spin in front of the mirror. Not to admire yourself but to ensure no one would find out the truth.

Mick and Esteban waved at him from the bar, sliding a gin and tonic over to him as he took a seat with them. “Looking very dashing, mate.” Esteban gave him an eyebrow raise and two thumbs up, Mick laughing along at his antics. A ‘thanks’ was all Lance had replied with before grabbing his drink and downing ¾ of it, not noticing the way the his friends looked at each other in worry.

“You know you can always talk to us right, Lance? I speak for both of us when I say that it is awful seeing you so down the last few months.” Mick grabbed his shoulder firmly but the grip provided Lance with some comfort, enough comfort to tell his two friends just how sad he really was, and more importantly, why.

“Wait, so you had started seeing each other in private… and she left you for Harry?” Mick had a quizzical look on his face, trying to determine whether he had gotten the timeline correct. Lance nodded, taking a small sip of the remaining ¼ of his G&T. “That is really not like her, is it?” Esteban followed up with. Lance nodded again. “Oh! Oh… Oh ok, I put it together.” Esteban said, composing himself as he realised what answer he had stumbled upon. “What?” Mick was slightly confused, still trying to work out why one of the sweetest, most loyal people he knew left Lance for Harry. “Mate, I know you aren’t blind, surely you see the awful way he treats her, I suspect… obviously I don’t know but I think he might be forcing her hand a bit.” Esteban chose his words carefully, glancing at Lance occasionally as he informed Mick of his hypothesis. “I had my suspicions but I guess I just wanted to live in denial for a while.” The boys sat quietly for a few minutes, all deep in thought regarding the unearthed information.

“Wait, how long had you two been seeing each other?” It was like Esteban to have an unnecessary follow-up question. “2 months, no one knew though, I don’t think even Harry does. I mean… I am well aware that he knows I am head over heels for her, he takes every opportunity to remind me that I lost but he doesn’t seem to know we were seeing each other.” The group hummed in contemplation once again.

“I think we should talk to Seb about this. I trust his advice and he always has good ideas.” Lance nodded, standing up from the bar before heading to the venue with the others.

When he entered, he was congratulated some more, by everyone except the person that mattered most, you. He spotted you over to the side, chatting with Securitic higher-ups and just like had happened all those years ago, his jaw hit the floor. You were in a long sleeve, floor-length dress, emerald green but overlaid with intricate floral lace, orange, red, pink and yellow flowers standing out. Your hair fell around your face and your lips had the faintest hint of sparkle and for a second Lance let himself wonder if they tasted like strawberry, just like they had that night under the dim lights of your villa’s balcony in Spain. And just like all those years ago, he felt an elbow nudge his side. He turned his head, looking over at his father.

“I always thought that you two would end up together. A woman as sweet and fierce as her, she always had you wrapped around her finger. I never saw her with a guy like Harry, so brash and inauthentic.” Lance scrunched his eyebrows at his father’s comment, he had never heard him speak ill of Harry, even for a second, so the comment caught him off-guard. “What do you mean, Dad?” Lance knew he was just snooping now, but he had the tiniest speck of hope. His father was a kind and family-oriented man but Lawrence Stroll, the businessman, got rid of people the second they couldn’t continue his vision, and god he hoped Harry was in that category. “Let’s just say a lot is happening behind closed doors right now that I can’t discuss but… he wasn’t the man I thought he was.”

Mick and Seb had tucked themselves inconspicuously away from the bustle of crowds and conversations and were chatting about hiking trips before Mick blurted out his question. “What do you do if you think a friend is in a relationship she can’t escape?” Mick cringed internally at the execution of his question but he knew he had to rip it off like a bandaid, so to speak. “It sure doesn’t help when that someone she is with is a multi-billion dollar sponsor” Seb muttered, more to himself than Mick, but regardless, the young German was shocked to hear what Seb had said. He knew too. “You know?” “I have had my suspicions for a long time. Only so many bruises you can get from training before I don’t believe you anymore.” Mick knew Seb was trying to keep it light-hearted and when he looked into the older man's eyes, he could see the tears forming.

It pained Seb as much as it pained your grid mates. You were incredibly close with Mick, having weaselled your way into his introverted heart when you had mentioned never having a dog before politely asking if you could come on a walk with Angie sometime. You were so simple, yet so complex at the same time, you and Mick had never run out of things to talk about. You were the bright sunshine and he was the glowing moon, complete opposites that just work. Just worked, past tense. Like Lance, he hadn’t gotten more than a hello since Harry came along.

Esteban, Mick, Lance, Charles, Lando and Pierre had made an impromptu circle to discuss the race together, laughing at Lando’s misfortune in losing his front wing six seconds into the race. Lance had finally gotten you out of his mind for the first time today before the clinking of a wine glass was heard and all the boys looked up to see Harry standing next to you. Lance’s heart sank. Charles placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder, a physical and emotional support. Lance had never confessed his crush for you to any of the other drivers, excluding Esteban and Mick an hour ago, but they all knew, especially Charles who had noticed long before you all made it to Formula 1.

“Hey everyone, I just wanted to start off by saying a big thank you to the FIA for hosting us tonight at this amazing gala.” Eye roll, from all six men standing together. “As I am sure you all know, I have been with a very special woman now for a while. She drives a Formula 1 car and she is drop-dead gorgeous, what more could you want right?” While Harry chuckled, eliciting a laugh from the douchebag CEOs at the event, Lance’s fists balled tighter and tighter, hearing the words that dripped from his mouth, so insincere, so misogynistic. He looked across at you, a well-trained PR smile on your face. To anyone who didn’t know you, it looked genuine. But it wasn’t your happy smile. It wasn’t the smile you had when he had won you a Pikachu plushie at the arcade or the smile on your face when you got offered an F1 seat with your best friend and it wasn’t the smile on your face when Chloe and Scotty had told you that their daughter’s name was Daisy, your middle name. You weren’t happy right now, you were feigning happiness to survive. Building all your walls up to stay safe.

“Well, honey, I have only one question for you…” Pierre gasped and looked at the rest of his friends, trying to see if he was reading the situation correctly. Lando hadn’t got there yet but everyone else had. Lance was in a state of shock, feeling only Charles’ hand rub his shoulder and his heart break into a million pieces. Seb had grabbed Hanna, not out of joy or surprise but out of horror and shock, holding tightly to his rock in order to process the terrible event. He was about to propose to you… in front of your friends, bosses, rivals and sponsors because he knew you couldn’t say no in front of people.

“Will you marry me?” And with that, Harry got down on one knee in front of you. You had been focusing so hard on smiling and not crying that you had taken a second to even process that he was in front of you, on one knee with a little velvet box and the flashiest and most kitsch ring you had ever seen. You knew he didn’t know you at all, he didn’t even know your favourite colour, but this ring couldn’t be more unlike you if he tried. If anything, it looked like he was proposing to himself with how outlandish it was. You broke yourself away from the thought to look at the crowd, your PR smile still sitting perfectly on your strawberry-scented lips, a taste Harry said he couldn’t stand.

There he was, the man you thought and had always wished would be down on one knee for you, asking you to be his wife. Except he was standing in between your friends, all with shocked and scared expressions on their faces. While everyone else was politely clapping or cheering for you and Harry, they, along with Seb and Hanna looked distraught. You looked back to your teammate, realising you only had a few more seconds before you would be forced to answer and you wanted to spend every single one of them staring at Lance Stroll, the love of your life, your best friend. You tried to send him an ‘I’m sorry’ message with your eyes but it felt helpless.

Time was up and you looked back down at Harry, his jaw was stiff and his eyes daring you to say no. You were well and truly trapped and you had no way out.

“Yes. I will marry you.” With that, everyone cheered and clapped, except your loved ones. As you placed your chin on Harry’s shoulder, embracing him, you watched Lance wipe away his tears before turning around to walk off, Charles and Mick chasing after him. Lando stood there, his mouth wide while Esteban and Pierre shook their heads sadly before trying to coax Lando out of shock. You couldn’t see Seb and Hanna but you knew they were here and you knew they would be disappointed.

You just hoped that one day you could apologise for all of this.

____________________________________________________

Don't worry y'all, part 2 will be coming very soon. Thanks for letting me vent in the form of lance stroll angst at 2am. Love you all <3

#lance stroll #lance stroll x reader #lance stroll x y/n #lance stroll x you #lance stroll angst #formula 1 fanfic #f1 fic

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justjensenanddean · 1 year

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Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles | Brighton UK (Crossroads 6), March 12, 2023

(sicparvis87)

Jensen just yelled „are you not entertained?“ and then said „you don’t even know what that’s from, do you?“ to Danneel. „I failed as a husband.“ Danneel „remembers *Russel Crowe*“ (but not the line). (x)

Danneel complained because Jensen had them change the chairs to higher and less comfortable. Now Jensen is trying to direct us for a hbd video and complained we‘re as hard to direct as Jared. (x)

Danneel doesn’t yell at Jensen when he does something wrong in the house, just wordlessly shows him. Jensen demonstrated that. (I.E. dishes in sink and not the dishwasher) (x)

“i put my pots in the sink and danneel says why don’t you put them in the dishwasher and i say they find their way and she says HOW DO YOU THINK THEY FIND THEIR WAY JENSEN?!” (x)

Fan congratulates them on The Winchesters! Cheers in the room (x)

Winchesters set. How to set the tone. Jensen started by giving a talk on day 1 to Drake and Meg. Same talk Kripke gave J2 while filming Wendigo. Show begins and ends with their relationship on and off camera. (x)

Jensen sat down and had a talk with meg and drake similar to what kripke gave him and jared during the filming of wendigo about how the show starts and ends with their relationship on and off camera (x)

Jensen is telling the story about how Kripke sat him and Jared down at the beginning of the show and told them that they had a responsibility as the leads. “We had the most fun on this set doing what we love to do”. (x)

Jensen says Drake was really eager for directions as to how to be the best that he could be. Meg is a natural-born leader and just went “oh, I get it”. (x)

JENSEN JUS DID THE HIGHEST PITCH VOICE FOR MEG GIGGLES ‘I GOT IT!’ BABYYYY PLS (x)

“yes we took the kids in baby no i have not driven baby i haven’t even asked” - danneel (x)

They took the kids out in Baby but Danneel has never driven it. Danneel talks a little more and corrects her pronouns to „she“ when talking about the car. (x)

Danneel hasn’t driven Baby yet, but not because Jensen won’t allow it, just because she hasn’t thought about driving it! Also said it smells “like a boat” (x)

danneel said baby doesn’t start the same as she does on the show and jensen GLARES and everyone goes WHAT and she says oh no she sounds the same she’s just slower (x)

jensen ended up complaining that the show used a different cars sound than the impalas bc people used to come over expecting his baby to sound like ‘BRUMMMMMMMMM’ and instead it was more ‘PTH bfbfbfbf’ and he said it was embarrassing (x)

They used to use a fake sound for how Baby would start, and Jensen actually begged them to change it to something more similar to how it actually sounds. (x)

Danneel’s mom was calling Jensen’s phone and he actually considered answering it until Danneel gave him THE “no” (x)

Danneel hasn’t driven baby yet and says it smells like a boat Danneel says it doesn’t start like it does on the show. Jensen has just confirmed that it is in fact a boat engine lol . (x)

baby 1 is jensens, baby 3 is jareds, baby 2? stunt car. insanely damaged little gal with all these stunt items on it (x) jensen refuses to remove any scratch or dint from baby or let anyone grease or oil the hinges of the doors !!!! (x)

They had to remove the radio in Baby while they were on SPN because (quoting Jensen) “Jared and I are CHILDREN” (x)

jensens talking about the truck he drives in big sky and how it’s a complete pile of shit and that he couldn’t get the door open and had to use a screw driver in some of the takes to open it (x)

jensen keeps apologising for long answers bc there’s so many people waiting (x)

Some RadioCo cheers for the third album!! (x)

the fan said jensen is a musician and danneel nodded encouragingly (x)

Jensen still stands by the statements that he is “not a musician” and he “has three album to prove it”, and he’s “not an actor, and has fifteen seasons to prove”. Danneel just thinks he’s both. (x)

Relationship with music. Reference to Jensen‘s former answer of „I am not a musician“. How about now? He stands by his comment. Not a musician. He has three albums to prove it. Much like he‘s not an actor. He has 15 seasons to prove it. (x)

Jensen would rather be pretty good at everything than really good at just one thing. (x)

jensens talking about how as a teen he never was super amazing at one thing but he was good at everything in the sense of he was never a star athlete but he could play all the sports and it’s something he’s grateful to be able to dip into different talents and arts (x)

“give everything a try.” advice they give to their kids (x)

They’re trying to teach their kids that they can try anything they want, as long as they possibly can. (x)

Danneel wants Jensen to do another play! (x)

“she was like, jensen you’re gonna do it you’re gonna get it and i was like how do you know? and she said because i know you” (x)

Danneel talked Jensen off the ledge when he was rehearsing for his play years ago. “I was gonna walk, and she just said ‘Jensen, you’re gonna get it’ and Jensen asked ‘how do you know that?’, Danneel said ‘because I know YOU’.” (x)

(chaotic_dean)

jensens talking about his song writing process and how he builds it up through cords and vowels and then words from that and then tell a story through that. so music, melody then lyrics to that (x)

Danneel is so supportive of Jensen - it is really shining through (x)

Jensen about Adam staying in the cage for 10 years: HEY I DIDNT WRITE IT! (x) Jensen praising Jake Abel as an actor, but also as a very genuinely good person. (x)

“As Dean, I would’ve taken Adam under my wing and done my best to connect with him, despite about our father.” (x)

jensen said that dean would've taken adam under his wing and looked after him and that he would've loved to have had adam brought back sooner so they could've flushed out that dynamic more (x)

They have to be very careful about going through the proper channel to get spin-offs developed. (x)

They’re actually talking about giving contacts to people wanting to pitch things. It’s a lot to go through from a legal standpoint but it’s doable. (x)

jensen said they have to be careful legally on how to take fan submissions for shows and how even getting the winchesters took a lot for them. they said the gersh agency is who they’re rep by and that that’s the best way to start” (x)

Jensen and Danneel have to be super careful when listening to pitches legally. Even when they started pitching The Winchesters, they were told to go through the proper channels. They have a special person to do pitches now.(x) Danneel says Supernatural is one of the best fandoms“ and Jensen corrects her that it‘s “THE best fandom”. (x)

jensen says he would do his audition as if it was the last performance of his life. he said if u sit waiting on the callback it’s the worst thing you can do (x) “it’s like if you’re a painter, the more you do, the better you get. build that confidence, build a thick skin, but not too thick that it blocks the world. just the negativity, bring in positivism always!” (x)

What would they tell their younger selves when they started acting? Jensen got the advice that acting is a game in numbers. The more you do it, the better you get. The more you try, the more chances. Every audition was his final performance. Don’t wait for callbacks (x) Same goes for writers and artists. The more you try, the better you get. Build a thick skin, embrace positivity. (x)

“Get a thick skin from negativity, embrace positivity ” (x)

jensen said there’s always a story he wishes he tells at conventions and forgets till after the con now he’s on the spot he can’t remember (x)

Funny story in their back pocket but nobody asked it yet? Jensen has those, but currently forgot them all. He had one yesterday but Danneel forgot it too. „We have three kids.“ (x)

french mistake when we got pitched that episode i remember saying as long as i don’t have to play anyone other than dean winchester you can put me anywhere or call me anything you want, i’m still playing dean because i know where he is and he’s in me (x)

“jared played a lot of variations of sam but i was just dean for most of the series until michael dean or demon dean because i was like NOPE don’t take dean away from me and i’m still like this” (x)

HBO SPN question! Danneel: “Dean would have been able to swear a lot more!” Jensen thinks it would have been actually pretty similar to the Boys. “Watch the Boys, and then put that into SPN, and you’ll have HBO SPN” (x) At the heart of it, it would’ve been the same show.”(x)

Jensen recalling his scene in Lazarus rising - “it was HOT in that box!” It was like being in a sauna underground. And he had to do it twice. (x)

Lazarus Rising. It was summer and it was about 50°C in that box under the earth and Jensen was in it, could barely hear the crew. But thankfully he could hear Kim‘s significant voice through the dirt and neoprene. (x) The hole was cut in the neoprene but dirt on top of it. Jensen didn’t have to do a lot of acting because he was so happy to get out of that hole. Then Kim said „let‘s go again“ and Jensen yelled „fuck you, Kim“. (x) Danneel says that story just gave her so much anxiety and she could never do that. In the scene before, Jensen was in a coffin and they put crumbled oreos instead of dirt. Jensen turned his head and had Oreos in his ears for a week. (x)

“there’s not a lot of directors i’d do that for but i’d pay every dollar to do that for him again” (x)

When talking about Samuel Winchester, Robbie wanted „someone like Tom Welling“ and at some point Robbie asked if Jensen couldn’t just call him. So he did and Tom agreed before Jensen was even done with his pitch. (x)

They actually started refering to Tom as a ‘placeholder’, same build, same age, etc. and then Robbie asked Jensen if Jensen and Tom were keeping in touch, and Jensen was like “yeah! … *realizing* OH”. He then actually called him to ask if he was interested. (x)

He‘s happy that he and Danneel are now in a place where they can call and ask close friends they trust to come in for jobs. Jensen hopes he‘s also one of those people that others trust and call to be on something. (x)

jensen said it before and stands by wishing we got longer time in purgatory says how benny is one of his favourite characters and there’s a reason in atomic monsters he brought benny back and it wasn’t written in the script he just wanted to give a homage to that storyline (x)

When Danneel was first up as Anael, Jensen flew home to be Mr Mom while she worked in Vancouver. A storyline Jensen wanted more of is Purgatory. Benny is one of his fave characters. He called Ty for Atomic Monsters, wasn’t scripted. (x) Second to that is Michael. Danneel: „Because you liked the outfit.“ He did.(x)

How much input do they have into the Winchesters and who’s idea was it to bring Dean back? They both chose Robbie has the writer because they love his writing. Similar story to getting Tom Welling on the show, “I would love to get Robbie! … Oh, I should call Robbie!” (x)

Whose idea was it to bring Dean back? When pitching The Winchesters, he wanted Robbie because he‘s one of his fave writers on SPN. The others all already have successful shows on TV. (x) And then the Ackles told Robbie to „go nuts“. Robbie is a big Dean fan and „wanted to write Dean again“. He wrote the voice over, send it to Jensen. Jensen read it out loud and unconsciously changed words.Robbie took notes. Called it „going through the Dean machine.“ (x) Jensen fake complains again about having to do the 6 page exposition in The Winchesters finale. But it was cathartic to him and fun for him & Robbie. (x)

Robbie was the one who write the Dean voice over and then Jensen would record and add stuff and then go “oh shit did I fucked that up?” And Robbie went “no, you just made it ‘more Dean’!” (x)

Jensen referring to himself and Robbie as the “Deanarrator” (x)

jensen basically said that by episode one and two they both jus sat back and watched and got to see the show unfold thanks to robbie (though jensen loved to be needed to be like HERES WHAT DEAN WOULD DO when asked) (x)

“oh they’re gonna rewrite canon it’s gonna be a DISASTER! then i come in and i’m like lol it’s an alternate universe… SUCK IT!” (x) “which i have to say that opens up a LOT of opportunities guys… a lot! in senses of multiverses… a lot of shows do it, why not us” (x)

Jensen has been trying to get Danneel to come to cons for a while but she always said „no, that’s your thing“ and he replied „it could be your thing too“. (x)

“thank you for being here see y’all real soon! and THANKYOU for making danneels experience amazing she wasn’t sure she thought it was my thing i said it could be her thing too. y’all are AMAZING!” (x)

‘Thank you for making Danneel’s experience amazing - I keep telling her this could be our thing!’ (x)

Jensen just thanked us all for making Danneel’s first experience on stage at a convention fantastic and memorable one and that they will definitely be coming back to the UK (x)

(sbegum77)

#Jensen Ackles #Danneel Ackles #BrightonCon2023 #CR6 #CrossRoads6 #Jensen: Panel Highlights #*

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mastersoftheair · 2 months

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"Masters of the Air detail- Part 4-The Lemmons magneto scene E4.

"Apple released one scene with Master Sgt. Lemmons, the Crew Chief, and the rest appeared recently in E4.

"He had an engine problem that they were troubleshooting just before the engine start for the mission. Lemmons actually rode in the gear well of number 3 fixing the engine, as the Fortress taxied out on three engines.

"Cary, the director for the first four episodes, was asking about what Lemmons could be fixing and wanted to know if various things were plausible. One was changing a carburetor, uh, no. It’s not only a massive job but doesn’t fit with Lemmons riding in the gear well. I suggested working on a magneto, as just about the only things that you can get to, through the access panel in the firewall on a B-17, are the magnetos and the starter.

"Okay he said, can we change the magneto? Uh, no, not within the confines of this scene and taxiing out to takeoff. How about setting the magneto points as it would fit the timeline, look good and would be plausible. He said to set it up. Okay, off we go.

"Edit- I did not have access to Lemmons book or John Orloff’s notes at the time this scene was being discussed. Soon after Jessica was kind enough to give me a copy of Lemmons book and it said that he indeed did adjust the magneto points from inside of the gear well.

"I talked to Stewart Heath from BGI. A guy who can, and did, make miracles happen. We talked about the magneto, and I showed him what it and the B-17 accessory section looked like through the firewall opening. He was also going to build a B-17 engine nacelle for this scene!

"I said that almost any radial engine magneto would work and that I could source one if he needed. He said go so I contacted Carl Scholl at Aerotrader in California and asked if he had a mag for a Curtis Wright R1820. Of course he did! And he shipped it off to us in the UK. Thanks Carl.

"Stewart made the nacelle and a box housing the real mag, a dummy mag and starter. It was painted black and looked pretty good on camera.

"Raff Law is the actor who portrayed Sgt. Lemmons. He and I sat down with the ‘accessory box’ and I taught him how to look like he was setting up and adjusting the points on a magneto.

"I pictured the original WWII radial engine feeler gauge tool, with the bent ends, in my toolbox back home and hoped that Props Department may have something close. They supplied some nice period tools and Raff learned what he needed to do on the table at our “office”. Next was time for him to practice in the nacelle that Stewart and BGI built.

"During the building of the nacelle the oil tank was a topic of discussion. I gave them some photos, especially of the stenciling which could be visible and they, as usual, did a wonderful job.

"The nacelle was set up for the scene and the video walls were set up underneath the nacelle. Incidentally the wheels and tires used on MOTA were actual un-airworthy B-17 wheels and tires from the Collings Foundation. Some of you Collings pilots might recognize the flat spots on the tires!! It is cool to see some actual B-17 parts that flew a lot and made it into the series. We will not talk about the tread pattern though will we…

"Several camera angles set up in and around the nacelle and really looked good and helped to convey just how difficult it must have been for Sgt. Lemmons to accomplish what he did. Amazing for sure. I only hope that the Lemmons family is happy with the result.

"So much was put into making this and every scene as rich and authentic as possible that it is a shame that so many of these details didn’t make the final cut. But that’s the way this business is, it’s better to have too much and cut things out than to have too little and the need for more. MOTA was way up on the quality and detail and doing it with all of this specialized aircraft equipment is many times more difficult to do than most other subjects. Well done folks! So many people behind the scenes going above and beyond to make this special [...]"

#better too much than too little. i'm Always saying this btw #masters of the air #hbo war #behind the scenes #history #(given the amount of detail about lemmons in this)#long post #raff law #ken lemmons

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justforbooks · 2 months

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Stephen Salter, who has died aged 85, was the inventor of the Salter’s Duck, a wave-power device that was the first of its kind and promised to provide a new source of renewable energy for the world – until it was effectively killed off by the nuclear industry.

In 1982, after eight years of development under Salter’s direction at Edinburgh University, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) was asked by the government to see if the duck might be a cost-effective way of making large quantities of electricity. To the great surprise of Salter, and others, the UKAEA came to the conclusion that it was uneconomic, and that no further government funding should be given to the project.

A decade later it emerged that thanks to a misplaced decimal point, the review had made Salter’s duck look 10 times more expensive than the experiments showed it was likely to be. The UKAEA claimed this was just a mistake, but Salter, who had never been allowed to see the results of the secret evaluation, put it another way: asking the nuclear industry to evaluate an alternative source of energy was like putting King Herod in charge of a children’s home, he suggested.

By then, however, Salter had become interested in other projects, and as a result his duck has never been tested at sea – although wave-power devices using some of his technology are now in development in the Orkneys and off the coast of Portugal.

The prototype ducks, developed in a multidirectional wave tank of Salter’s invention, are now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, where there are a number of other exhibits with links to him, including the only remaining Black Knight rocket, a UK ballistic missile from the 1950s, and Freddy the Robot, from the 60s, the first machine to have artificial intelligence that could “see” and had a sense of touch. He also invented the Dervish, a low-cost method of clearing landmines, by using a revolving three-wheeled mechanism with a constantly changing path.

Perhaps the range of those projects sums up Salter’s mind better than anything else. Colleagues who worked with him said that while other scientists concentrated for years on one subject to the exclusion of all others, Salter was fascinated by new problems.

Although it was the oil shock of 1973 that first stimulated his interest in renewable energy, he later became one of the first scientists to realise the dangers of climate change. Doubting that the slow pace of cutting fossil-fuel use would be enough to save the planet from dangerous overheating, at the turn of the 21st century he set up a scheme to develop marine cloud brightening – an idea to produce more and brighter clouds in the middle of the oceans in order to reflect sunlight back into space, thereby keeping the oceans cooler and reducing sea-level rise.

He designed a project to build a large number of automated ships spraying aerosols from sea water into the atmosphere to create and brighten clouds in the middle of the world’s oceans and – having made a considerable fortune by selling some of his inventions – was able to set up the Lothian School of Technology just outside Edinburgh for £2.4m. The centre provides premises for up to 60 of his students to work on inventions and develop them commercially beyond their time at university.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Stephen was the son of British parents who had emigrated there, Rachel (nee Floyd) and Willoughby de Carle Salter. His father joined the Royal Navy as a meteorologist during the second world war and afterwards the family moved to Britain, where Willoughby became head of a prep school in which Rachel also taught. Stephen attended two boarding schools and then Framlingham college in Suffolk.

By that time he was designing, building and flying model aeroplanes, and his ambition was to take an engineering degree at Cambridge University. But he failed to get good enough grades, instead becoming an apprentice at Saunders-Roe, an Isle of Wight aero- and marine-engineering company, where he was involved in the Black Knight rocket project. After studying at night classes he was finally accepted at Cambridge to study natural sciences including metallurgy.

He moved to Edinburgh University in 1967, aged 29, to become a research fellow working on artificial intelligence in robots. Within six years he was also a lecturer and had begun his work on wave energy. In 1984 he became professor of engineering design.

Perhaps Salter’s left-leaning politics and his willingness to take on the London establishment prevented him from being showered with the honours he deserved, but he was elected to a fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1991, made MBE in 2004, and inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2021. He never stopped working, becoming an emeritus professor at retirement age and continuing to research, advise companies and refine his inventions until the end.

He married Margaret Donaldson, a professor of development psychology at Edinburgh University, in 1973. She died in 2020. He is survived by his younger brother, Edmund.

🔔 Stephen Hugh Salter, inventor, born 7 December 1938; died 23 February 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Stephen Salter #in memoriam

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diabolus1exmachina · 1 year

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Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth (1 of 500).

The Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth was built with one aim only – to defeat the rampant Rover SD1s in Group A touring cars. The rules mandated that 5000 road cars had to be built, plus a 500 extra examples with modifications that could be utilised by the race teams. For the RS500, these included a reinforced cast-iron cylinder block, a bigger Garrett AiResearch T04 turbo, a larger air-to-air intercooler, oil-cooled pistons plus upgraded air hoses and oil, water and fuel pumps. A second set of four Weber IW025 fuel injectors came with the car for competition use (adding up to a total of two per cylinder), but these weren’t connected to the ECU on road-going RS500s. The ECU itself was remapped, while there was also a bigger intake plenum and a secondary fuel rail; the addition of the latter two items necessitated that the battery tray be altered by Tickford, which was charged with making the conversions to RS500s. It’s rumoured that the battery trays were altered by use of a hacksaw… Further changes included a slightly different thermostat housing and alternator bracket, while the front bumper was altered with a slim air intake above the numberplate and the foglights were ditched for extra cooling ducts. The enormous rear spoiler was augmented with a thicker trailing edge and a secondary spoiler added below this.While all these changes made only a modest difference to the road machine, bringing horsepower up from 204bhp to 224bhp, the car sold out in August 1987. It pretty soon became the model to have for outright race wins in Group A touring cars. The engine, a four-cylinder Pinto, made just 90bhp in unturbocharged form. In 1987, the Sierra Cosworth was making 370bhp, but the RS500 took this to 470bhp. Further racing enhancements from the likes of Rudi Eggenberger in Germany, Andy Rouse in the UK and Dick Johnson in Australia boosted this to 500bhp and beyond in just a few years. When the RS500 finally bowed out in 1992, Dick Johnson had the motor up to a rumoured 600bhp.

#Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth #Rover SD1 #Group A

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itcars · 1 year

Photo

First Look: The Praga Bohema

Praga has revealed its road legal hypercar in pre-production prototype form: a high-performance, low-volume car designed around 3 core principles – lightweight, carbon, petrol.

The new Praga Bohema is a sub-1,000kg, mid-engined 2-seater that, in the right hands, is capable of extreme high performance on track targeting GT3 race car lap times on its semi-slick Pirellis. Yet it is also comfortable and practical for head-turning road trips.

With its carbon fibre monocoque and race-oriented fully adjustable suspension, it is extremely light, targeting just 982 kgs (wet without fuel), while its powerful Nissan GT-R-derived six-cylinder twin-turbo engine ensures reliability, ease of servicing and the potential for further performance tuning. Whilst the Bohema’s race-derived semi-automatic transmission will support a unique on-road experience with track-focused performance.

The Praga Bohema’s PL38DETT is based on Nissan’s famed 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine used in all its GT-R models since 2007. Initially drawing on Nissan’s experience at Le Mans, it is constructed around an aluminium alloy cylinder block, and there are double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, with a continuously variable valve timing system on the inlet valves.

Uniquely, Nissan supplies brand new GT-R engines to Praga for the Bohema. Engine development and servicing requirements then sees Praga working with the UK’s renowned Litchfield Engineering; another long-time friend of the Praga brand. Litchfield has more than two decades of tuning experience and is known as the global authority on GT-R engines. Litchfield strips the new engines and converts them to dry sump, which reduces the overall height of the unit by 140 mm. This allows the engine to sit lower in the Bohema and prevents the risks of oil surge under high-speed cornering loads.

Litchfield also makes a number of modifications for increased reliability and power, including swapping to new twin turbos. In this base-Litchfield specification, Praga is targeting the Bohema production car to deliver up to 700 bhp at 6,800 rpm and 725 Nm of torque from 3,000 to 6,000 rpm, but Litchfield is known for building 1000 bhp-plus engines from the GT-R unit.

Praga has a long-standing partnership with Kresta Racing, the Czech Republic’s most highly respected rally team, where its spotless assembly facility will hand-build each Bohema, beginning in the first half of 2023. The company is known for its high standards of car preparation and assembly and was founded by Czech rally legend Roman Kresta. His historic race victories include the Czech national rally championship on five occasions, whilst also spending a decade in the World Rally Championship, driving for the official Ford and Skoda WRC teams.

#Praga Bohema #Praga #cars #hypercars #Bohema #first look #news #PL38DETT #Czech Republic #Czech

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hirocimacruiser · 6 months

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Tommykaira R-z brochure translation.

The wonders of Tommykaira Magic that you can experience while driving. R

Total balance with a high degree of perfection commensurate with 530ps.

The displacement has been increased to 2700cc, achieving a maximum output of 530 horsepower and a maximum torque of 54.52kgm. To achieve this, various types of tuning have been applied. For example, the crankshaft, which is the most important element for bringing out the best performance of the engine, is an original crankshaft manufactured by Fandon in the UK. Highly rigid full counter type provides excellent balance performance. Furthermore, the R-z uses an H-section connecting rod and forged aluminum piston, making it both highly rigid and lightweight. What's more, it achieves well-balanced tuning. In addition, the R-z uses metal head gaskets, high-lift camshafts, valve springs, and racing plugs to bring out the best in the pistons, connecting rods, and crankshafts that are the main moving parts. Composite Radiator Improves cooling effect by using NI water pump.

I got it.

Changes to the intake and exhaust system have resulted in a significant increase in efficiency through the use of a stainless steel exhaust system with suction from the front pipe and a racing type intercooler. By increasing the size of the fuel system parts and strengthening the drive system, you can enjoy ample torque even when driving at low rpm around town. What's more, the sense of power, extension, and revving at high rpm will captivate anyone sitting in the driver's seat.

suspension tuning is

"High ride comfort and handling"

Balance in Dimensions.” During normal driving

Passenger-friendly ride

While realizing the taste, wine day

It is sharp and has excellent turning performance when turning.

Tomita has achieved this goal and has received rave reviews from many quarters.

It's a magic called Kaira Magic.

The front brake has been strengthened to control the 530 horsepower. Uses AP 6-pot calipers, AP brake rotors, and PFC brake pads. This is a highly reliable braking system that responds precisely to the driver's wishes.

[mechanism]

engine body

・Cylinder head/port polishing

・Cylinder block/boring, internal polishing

・Original crankshaft made in UK Fandon

・Special H section connecting rod

・Special forged piston

・Titanium coated piston ring

・Metal head gasket

・High lift camshaft

・Reinforced valve spring, valve guide

・Racing plug

computer unit

・R-z dedicated computer unit

cooling system

・Large capacity water-cooled oil cooler

Water pump for high speed N1

Intake and exhaust system

・All exhaust system

・Large capacity intercooler

・Special turbine

fuel system

Large capacity air flow meter

large capacity injector

・Large capacity fuel pump

drive system

・Twin plate clutch

Reinforcement parts

・Strut tower bar (with master cylinder stopper)

・Reinforced engine mount

・Enhanced mission mount

[Suspension]

Brake system

・AP 6-pot caliper & rotor (F)

・PFC brake pad

suspension

・Bilstein original shock absorber

・Original spring (F)

Original double spring (R)

tires/wheels

・Forged magnesium cut wheel “PRO R” 9.5×19+22

・DUNLOP FORMULA FM901 275/30ZR19

Reinforcement parts

・Stainless mesh brake hose

・Front tension rod (pillow ball)

* [Exterior] and [Interior] are the same specifications as R-s.

Tommykaira R-Z SPECIFICATION

PRICE ¥10,500,000-

PERFORMANCE

Max Output 530ps/7300rpm

Max Torque 54.52kgm/6000rpm

ENGINE

RB26DETT STRAIGHT-6 DOHC Turbo with multi-cup Intercooler

Piston Displacement: 2700cc

Bore x Stroke: 87.0mm x 75.7mm

BODY

Length: 4620mm

Width: 1785mm

Height: 1335mm

Wheelbase: 2665mm

Tread: Front 1496mm

Rear 1496mm

LAYOUT

4 Wheels Drive

Transmission: 6MT

Brakes:(F) 6 Piston Opposed Type Caliper + Ventilated Disc

Brakes:(R) 2 Piston Opposed Type Caliper + Ventilated Disc

Wheels: 9.5JJX 19 (Front&Rear)

Tire: 275/30ZR19 (Front&Rear)

Suspension : Original Shock absorber + Original Coil Spring

Steering: Rack & Pinion < SUPER HICAS >

*Price is vehicle price delivered at Kyoto store, registration fees and consumption tax not included US specifications, data, etc. are subject to change without notice. *Detailed options, equipment, body color, etc. are based on genuine Nissan. Catalog photos may look different from the actual products as they are printed materials. For inquiries and requests..

TOMITA

dream factory

http://www.tommykaira.com

#Tommykaira #Tommykaira R #Tommykaira R34 GTR #Tommykaira R34 #R34 GTR #BNR34 #Skyline GTR #R34 Skyline

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weirdowithaquill · 1 year

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What Fuel would NWR Steam Engines use Today?

This is a question that I think a lot of people in the fandom are asking, especially with ever-more stringent environmental laws, the war in Ukraine cutting off Russian coal and the end of coal mines in the UK and the western world.

So, what exactly are Sodor's options if Sir Topham Hatt wants to run a steam railway in the 21st century.

I will do a separate post based on what I think the Fat Controllers do to ensure their engines run safely and profitably into the 2020's, but this post is all about fuel. Now, let's talk options:

1: Coal:

This is what Sodor is already using, and is the option that I think Sodor would enter the 2000's with. However, the UK has been rapidly closing coal mines since then, with the last deep coal mine in the United Kingdom, Kellingley colliery in North Yorkshire, closing in December 2015, and many of the mines that produced engine-grade coal already being closed. From this point on, the NWR has two options really: American anthracite coal (which is in decline) or Russian anthracite coal. Most British heritage railways used Russian coal due to its cheap and plentiful nature, leading to their current predicament of skyrocketing prices caused by tariffs and a cut-off from the Russian coal supply. Polish coal is an option some railways are switching too, however this is also quite expensive and not as plentiful as the previous coal.

Another option would be Australian bituminous coal, which is a worse coal for engines but is far cheaper and more plentiful. This would be unlikely, but could potentially be used as a desperate measure by the railway while searching for a better and more permanent option. Remember, bad coal causes a lot of havoc on Sodor even when considering different grades of anthracite coal.

2: Electricity:

If you've ever watched Train of Thought's video on electric steam (find here), then you may just know what I'm about to suggest. During the 1940's, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) converted a pair of steam engines with pantographs and used the electricity to boil the water. There was also a patent taken out in Canada as recently as 1992 for a steam engine that uses electricity to boil the water.

The pantograph part of the design would not happen - as much as Sodor has updated and modified their engines, whacking a pantograph on them would be crossing a line. So, what are the other options? Well, they could potentially use a third rail, and hide the converters and other pieces inside the bunker or tender, with what space remains being a perfect spot for extra water storage. Another option is batteries in the place of the bunker or tender, this in essence turning the engines of Sodor into battery engines.

The issue here is that the batteries are not really very efficient above the size of a Tesla, and a third-rail system has the potential to cause issues with any safety equipment on the ground (GWR had problems with their AWS system when travelling near the Southern Railway or the London Underground).

The battery version is something I could see being implemented on branchline and shunting engines however, as they could stay near charging ports and best utilise the extra range and lower emissions such a change would bring, without having as many drawbacks. Another advancement would be using an electric battery to preheat the boiler and to power the electrics in the coaches.

3: Biodiesel:

Before anyone goes insane about the idea of converting the NWR engines to oil-fired, I think I should say that I mean torrefied biodiesel pellets, as tested by the CSR in the USA on steam locomotives since as early as 2016 (article linked here). Torrefied biodiesel pellets have similar qualities to coal, including the fact that they can be shovelled and stored similarly to coal.

They don't really look that different to coal, do they? And in this trial, the engine they were trialling it on (Milwaukee County Zoo Train No. 1924) not only ran on 100% torrefied biodiesel, but also reached just under 200PSI. CSR has also ran tests on standard gauge engines, and the fact is that the Skarloey Railway would probably be an early adopter.

Furthermore, Sodor is a primarily agricultural island, and due to globalisation, the farms would be looking to find new crops with which to make a profit from, as the prices of cheap international products hurts their smaller farms. The NWR looking at biofuels would be a golden opportunity for them, and the NWR would have the crops needed for biodiesel locally, decreasing shipping costs.

The issue with biodiesel as a fuel is that it does not burn as hot as conventional coal, and it burns quicker. It does however start burning sooner, meaning setting a good fire in the mornings would be easier.

Railways using steam power are currently being faced with these major issues, and Sodor would probably be at the forefront of the debate, as its heavy usage of steam and early diesel engines makes for problematic encounters with environmentalists. However, Sodor would also be one of the largest supporters and financers of steam research, and would, in my opinion, use a mix of electric steam and biofuels to preserve their fleet of engines well into the 21st century. And yes, it would be theoretically possible to create an entire scientific essay out of this.

One again, pictures are not mine, and remember to tell me your ideas!

#ttte au #ttte analysis #thomas the tank engine #skarloey railway #coal mining #biodiesel #electric #steam engines are beautiful #steam engines #Milwaukee country zoo engine #railways #railway series #2010s issues #heritage railway #electric steam #switzerland #This is just what I do on Tumblr now it seems

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materialsscienceandengineering · 9 months

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Engineers have developed a new kind of membrane that separates chemicals within wastewater so effectively that they can be reused, presenting a new opportunity for industries to improve sustainability, while extracting valuable by-products and chemicals from wastewater. Created for use in wastewater treatment, the thin-film composite nanoporous membrane known as a TFC NPM, exhibits an 'unprecedented' capability to separate salts and other chemical components from water, and could lead to more sustainable treatment and management of water in a range of industries. A research paper published today in Nature Water details the membrane's performance and explains how its unique properties, aspects of which are inspired by mussels, could pave the way for more sustainable management of water within industries such as pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, textiles and food processing. The paper is authored by academics from the UK's University of Bath alongside colleagues based in China, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and Belgium.