If you were to join a year long writing challenge in 2025, what is your preferred platform/method of coordination & communication?
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Voting ended onDec 26, 2024
Context:
In mid-November, @beaconfeels and I started checking in with each other on a writing 100 words a day challenge. This has been exceedingly fun and effective for us both!! We're not always consistent (well, I'm not), but it's really motivating to know someone is going to check in with you every couple of days.
For the coming new year, Iād love to expand the challenge to anyone interested!
Answering this poll is not you signing up!! Nor is there a specific fandom in mind, just whoever wants to give themselves a challenge. Next week Iāll have some semblance of a plan going for how we get this rolling (assuming people show interest) Please feel free to share with your writing friends! š
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I remember you mentioned that Max once gives Nora a Red Bull cap and Charles loses it so now I was thinking... RB making their own set of those temporary tattoos for kids that just wash out after a while.
Seb is with Nora in the Red Bull hospitality and someone tells her about the magic tattoos that you make with water and she's like ohhhhh š I want one too š„ŗ and Seb eventually caves, "But just a small one!"
Fast forward to a couple of hours later, Nora runs up to Charles and she wastes no time in telling him that she got a tattoo!!! and of course Charles panics because what? a tattoo? she's a kid? and Seb immediately reassures him that it's just one of those temporary ones but then Nora actually shows her arm to Charles and WHAT THE HELL SEB A RED BULL LOGO???
Nora doesn't really get his reaction and just asks, "Don't you like it, papa? It's not pretty?" and Charles's heart can't take his little girl looking even the tiniest bit sad so he tells her that it's very pretty, papa was just being silly (and then he glares at Seb who's finding this whole situation way too amusing)
Oh my god, what a fantastic ask :screms:Ā
Tbf Seb has been spotted hanging around with his ex-employer so itās not that much of a reach. I donāt think Iāve thought much about who the other Red Bull driver is in this AU (Iām open to suggestions) but whatever, letās say Seb stops by. And of course heās got Nora in tow.Ā
Gosh, I miss those tacky temporary tattoo things! Makes me almost want to pick up some bubblegum next time I go out shopping - the kind where the wrapper has a small tattoo on the inside. I used to love those things so 10/10 I understand her, lmao.Ā
God, they š„ŗš Of course she immediately runs up to him and wants to show him and just like sticks out her arm or hand or wherever it is and asks what he thinks of it. And gah, him freaking out hearing she got aĀ ātattooā - like this is the guy who jumped out of a plane without telling his employer. ansdjfg But he hears thatĀ and heās just like :panik: Also I got hit with such a vivid mental image of Charles shooting Seb a lookĀ over the top of Noraās head. Something like this:
Ah, him not wanting her to be sad so he assures her that of course itās very pretty and -Ā āpapa was just being silly.ā SCREAM. šš„°š Gosh I love them so much. š„ŗ I love how he puts up with so much shit just for her - Red Bull merch, getting stuckĀ āadoptingā a formerly feral one-eared Italian farm cat called Enzo (as in, named for Enzo Ferrari), taking in a tiny mixed breed stray dog that Nora insists they call - wait for it - Dog. Itās a lot. But he does it all for her. š„ŗ And of course Sebās endlessly amused but also goes all soft seeing Charles interacting with Nora and like pushing his own dislike for his main title rival aside and putting her first. š„ŗ Maybe if he justifies it as like, this is the team that allowed Seb to win his four titlesĀ then heāll feel better about it.Ā
Also this AU is making me wonder how !papa Charles would inadvertently end up shaping Ferrari going forward. Like he goes off on a rant about how parents shouldnāt have to choose between wanting to drive a Ferrari and dropping their four kids off to their after-school activities and this gets out and like. Lo and behold, Ferrariās suddenly making SUVs? Making advertisements aimed at families? Maybe once Nora starts making semi-regular paddock appearances they decide to focus more of their attention on kid fans and like, kid merch. Hell maybe theyĀ make their own little temporary tattoo collection to rival Red Bullās. Maybe they make a Ferrari version of McLarenās Tooned so kids can learn about Ferrariās history via cartoons. Who the hell knows š
Did I have to screenshot the ask and publish the answer as a separate post because it got so unbelievably long?...Maybe
Oh hello, nonny! Nora asks are always appreciated in this house šš»šš» You know what, thatās...actually close enough to the backstory I had in mind?
Basically they discuss adopting a child potentially at some point in the future and sort of agree that theyād probably take a slightly older child (like a toddler) to skip the not-sleeping-through-the-night stage and make it slightly easier on Charles whoād still obviously be racing full-time at that point. Seb signs them up, they get put on the waiting list and then sort of leave it alone, not really expecting anything to happen for the next year or so at least. (Yes, I will have to research adoption procedures for this, shh).Ā
Anyway, a few months later (in like mid to late December, so during the winter break) he gets a call from the agency saying thereās this baby...and if theyād maybe like to meet her. The guy from the agency apologises, saying he knows that they specified that theyāre looking to take a slightly older child and not a baby, but no pressure to make a decision or anything. So they get in the car and tentatively head out.
The babyās like three weeks old and absolutely tiny, the smallest baby Charles has ever seen in his life. Sheās been left by an anonymous mother in a baby hatch (Iām not sure how common this is in other countries but itās definitely a thing where Iām from. The Italian term for it is Culla per la vita I believe. Not that Iām Italian but maybe the agency theyāre adopting from is Italian? Basically itās a place where people can bring babies, usually newborns, and abandon them anonymously in a safe place to be found and cared for.) So...they donāt really know who her mother is. Maybe thereās a note; a handwritten Iām sorry or similar, but no other details. They assume she was young, maybe even a teenager, and didnāt feel like she could give the baby what she needs, but figured that maybe somebody else would. Maybe the baby doesnāt even have a name.
Charles is definitely more reluctant, more uneasy I guess about the whole thing. First of all because itās happening way sooner than either of them had expected (this was supposed to be like a, āoh maybe one dayā thing, not...in a few months) and also because, well...this is a tiny baby. He doesnāt have much experience with kids, and certainly not newborns. Sure, he vaguely remembers his parents caring for Arthur when he was a baby, but he was a toddler at the time so he obviously wasnāt taking much responsibility. Lorenzo never had kids, Arthur...never had kids and in Charlesās mind heās way too young to even think about that sort of thing. And yeah heās held his uncleās baby, like, once (this is...actually true, he posted an IG story about it and oh god my heart melted because imagine him with Nora---but anyway, tangent) but this is obviously way different and if heās being honest he doesnāt exactly feel prepared or qualified for this.
I think you nailed his initial reaction: fidgety and nervous and at a loss for words. Hell, maybe heās afraid to even hold her at first, too scared that heāll do something wrong and hurt her somehow. So Seb has to step up, take the baby in his arms. Itās a bit awkward (again, mostly Charlesās fault) but they spend some time with her anyway. At some point Charles reaches out to very tentatively touch her and...to their surprise, she wraps her tiny hand around his finger and just holds him like that for a moment. They do that thing where they just wordlessly look at each other and suddenly everything is understood. āShe shouldnāt be alone for Christmas,ā Charles murmurs. The implication is clear.
And yeah, again, the adoption agency people keep reiterating that they shouldnāt feel pressured to adopt the very first child they meet or anything...that they shouldnāt feel pressured to take a newborn baby if they donāt feel ready for this commitment...but they donāt even consider any alternatives at that point. They know. They want her. Thatās their daughter. Everything else theyāll figure out along the way.
Again, I donāt know much about the process but Iām sure it involves some paperwork so maybe they canāt take her home that same day. I imagine she gets another medical checkup and they have to sign things and go through with all that before they can officially say sheās theirs. Plus they...donāt own any baby stuff. She doesnāt even have a name. (Which Charles of course has a meltdown over. They need to name a child. Sheās going to have that name for the rest of her natural life --- or, well, as Seb teasingly points out, if she really hates it she can legally change it when she turns eighteen. Which freaks Charles out even more because yeah, theyāre...really going to have a teenager in the house one day. :panik:)
Anyway. Whether they actually get to take her home for Christmas or if it happens a little bit later (like, in the days between Christmas and New Yearās) I...havenāt decided yet. Christmas would be lovely but maybe a tad bit too sweet and convenient? I donāt know. š Either way, itās a very eventful winter break for Charles who has to balance not only physical training, simulator work, factory visits and the run-up to winter testing but also parenting a newborn. Good luck, Charlie. ajsdfkdjfg But no, he loves her dearly, even when sheās crying in the middle of the night and re-arranging his entire sleep schedule; even when heās burning himself while trying to test the temperature of baby formula on his wrist; even when he has to spend three hours straight rocking her to sleep in his arms...Itās all worth it. And if heās a bit more frazzled and exhausted than usual by the time the circus comes together for winter testing in Barcelona, well... <3
As for why they didnāt opt for a surrogate...One of them would have to contribute (genetically) more than the other, so already thatās a bit...unfair. Also, I think their whole point was, āif we have the means to help a child who doesnāt have a family, shouldnāt we?ā Itās only a small thing, but it makes a difference to somebodyās life. And yes thereās the discussion of whether or not itās fair of them to bring a child into this crazy, very hectic, public life that they chose for themselves but then again...drivers can be fathers. Theyāve had plenty of examples of fellow drivers making it work. And Seb had already announced or was about to announce his retirement plans post-Ferrari, so...At least one of them will always be there, providing stability and keeping them away from the limelight, at least until theyāre older.
SEB AND HIS WIFE SHDDDFFBFBF why am I thinking about Charles reading those comments and jokingly changing his contact name in Seb's phone to "wifey ā¤ļø" and Seb always means to change it but forgets until eventually he just keeps it like that because it is funny and who knows maybe one day it might turn out to be useful?
He's proven right when one day he's showing someone a video of Nora taking her first steps or kicking a ball around the garden and Charles texts him but hey no need to worry because the notification says it's his wife ajajshsgdh
AasjdswfegrkĀ āwifeyā seems almost too Anglophone for them but lmao Seb forgetting to change it...classic. Also now Iām laughing thinking about that one fic where Charles has got Seb in his contacts under Seb and Charles is underĀ āCharles Leclerc (Ferrari)ā in Sebās phone. And apparently this is just a very German thing to do? Having your parents in your contacts under their actual names? š
But now Iām thinking...donāt they have two phones (or some of the drivers seem to anyway.) One for work-related contacts and the other private for friends and family? š Maybe thatās how they get around it. Or maybe Charles doesnāt send anything incriminating (for once) so Seb gets away with it ajsdfkgĀ
Also omg Seb being the type to show his little girl off to his (ex) co-workers š„ŗ I mean Iām sure Charles would be obnoxious as all hell with stuff like this but...well...he canāt be šš³And the speculation...hell, maybe Seb never even says the wordĀ āwife,ā justĀ āpartnerā orĀ āspouseā (which is obviously ambiguous) and people just assumeĀ that heās got a wife because - duh, heās got a baby, how else would he have a baby if he doesnāt have a female significant other? So Seb saying Nora takes moreĀ āafter his partnerā...isnāt technically a lie š 4D Chess from Big Brain Seb š
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I was thinking š„ŗ Charles is trying to come up with a melody on the piano when Nora sneaks up on him and starts enthusiastically pressing random keys š„° and Seb sends him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry she interrupted you" and Charles is like naaah it's okay and then a few days/weeks later Charles plays the song in full and it includes the lil random melody Nora had come up with by accident and of course there's no way she remembers which keys she had pressed but Seb recognizes Nora's bit and š„ŗš„° I'm so soft
This ask... I need a moment. I love it so much šš„ŗššš»
This would absolutely happen? Charles sitting there at the piano bench, all pensive...maybe heās got his elbow on the piano, leaning his head on his hand, the fingers of his free hand dancing across the keys as he tries to come up with a melody. Bonus points if heās wearing a nice shirt with his sleeves pushed up to his elbows like in that Armani campaign video...Maybe heās not feeling particularly inspired, has some vague idea of a melody in his head but it sounds all wrong when he tries to play it and itās bothering him because heās such a perfectionist when it comes to his piano playing (canon.)Ā
Sebās been entertaining Nora but of course she eventually gets curious about what Charles is doing and sneaks up on him. Heās jolted out of his reverie but immediately smiles when he notices her. She starts - like you said - enthusiastically pressing random keys, still too young to grasp the concept of musical notes and things like that but old enough to be curious about all the different sounds it makes. Charles is...quite particular about who gets to touch his piano but of course when itās Nora he doesnāt mind; heās content to let her work away, completely enchanted.Ā
When Seb finally manages to shift her attention away from the piano, Charles quickly jots down the key combination somewhere on the back of his sheet music and returns to composing with a newfound ardour. And then...of course...some weeks later he plays it in full and of course Seb recognises Noraās little contribution š„ŗ Maybe that becomesĀ āherā piece, the first melody inspired by her/dedicated to her. Later, when sheās a bit older and actually becomes interested in making music Iām sure heāll sit with her at the bench and teach her simple little pieces like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or something. Maybe one day theyāll end up composing something together. š„ŗš
Also Iām so soft at Sebās apologeticĀ āIām sorry she interrupted youā because he knows how serious this is for Charles and that - like he said himself - this is his āmoment for himself.ā ItāsĀ āhisā thing, his alone time, the way Sebās got his bike tinkering and tending to his chickens. Theyāve got their shared passions of course, things they do as a couple and as a family, but also their own individual hobbies and interests and they respect that. Look at that. They have a healthy, functional relationship š„ŗ sdfergt
I can totally see seb turning up to monaco in sunnies, flip flops, cap, typical shorts, with nora on one hip, and everyone like what is going on here due to presence of a child and the fact he's willingly appeared in monaco of all places, and just the thought of happy smiley seb with nora and charles trying to be subtle as possible but being equally upbeat š„ŗ
Aahsdjf the description! Sunnies, flip flops...Mans in vacation mode sjdfkrgt Nora on one hip š„ŗš Oh yeah, all the confusion. Because okay --- a child, what? And also...Seb? Notoriously private Seb? In Monaco? When heās not racing? When he keeps reiterating that itās too busy andĀ āstuffyā for him and he couldnāt see himself living there? Sus, Mr. Vettel š And god, him being so openly happy and bubbly and Charles being every bit as...nervously excited? Theyāre being even weirder than usual š (Of course, this was all agreed upon and extensively planned and rehearsed beforehand, but they pretend theyāre just bumping into each other and itās like,Ā āoh wow Seb, fancy seeing you here!ā) Then thereās obviously the way they act around each other and the fact that Charles and Nora seem oddly familiar with each other - especially considering Charlesās history of being painfully awkward around kids - which almost seems to imply that...*gasp* they hang out in their free time? Maybe heās met Sebās kid before? What? :oooo
This is actually similar to a scene that I have written up, or, well, partially written up in my main Nora AU WIP...buried in my drafts...Only in that scenario itās the French GP, not Monaco. But yāknow, things can easily be shifted around. The premise is still the same: notoriously private Seb suddenly shows up in the paddock with his daughter (that no oneās ever seen before, most people didnāt even know about) in tow. Charles acts like he wasnāt expecting to see him there at all, especially not with his kid. They hang out together because Sebās still affiliated with Ferrari in this version, and people sort of think itās nice that they managed to put their differences aside and be something close to friends after their two years as teammates. Which...well š³
so... charles coming home on a sunday night, seeing that all the lights are already out. when goes upstairs, he checks Nora's room and notices that she's not in bed. frowning, he goes to his and seb's bedroom next and finds Seb asleep on top of the covers with Nora on his chest....? š„ŗ
Oh...a Nora ask š„ŗšš»šš» Iām so soft for these
Oh my gosh. Yes. š„ŗ The thing is like... he always checks up on her when he gets back, without fail? Even after a long-haul flight. Even when he gets back at odd hours of the day and night when everyoneās asleep. He always makes the time to go and see her and check up on her because heās missed her š„ŗš Also...his and Sebās bedroom...š Hell yeah it is āš»š
Theyāre tryingĀ not to co-sleep with her because itās a bad habit and she needs to get used to sleeping on her own and all that but...sometimes when Charles is away for long periods of time, or when sheās unwell, or when sheās been having nightmares, or when thunder wakes her up in the middle of the night and sheās scared, she goes to them and they always comfort her and let her stay with them for the night. š„ŗ Maybe it was one of those nights where sheās restless and only has a short fitful sleep...Charles doesnāt have the full story because he wasnāt thereĀ and he always feels guilty in those moments. But finding them like that, sleeping so peacefully - Seb having clearly dozed off - a wave of fondness washes over him. Thatās his family. Thatās what heās lucky enough to come home to after good races and bad races alike. Theyāre what really matters š
