shelbycobra: (Oh no you didn't)

148.2.2 - quote

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms to full to embrace the present."

Shelby forces herself to take a deep breath. And then another, and another, trying to convince herself that the near perfect world she had spent two and a half years building for herself is not about to end.

ExpandTwo days earlier. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
1085 words
shelbycobra: (Default)

148.1.2 - lyrics

"We don't talk enough
We should open up
Before it's all too much
Will we ever learn?
We've been here before
It's just what we know."


The first thing Shelby does is win the Texas race. The fourth thing she does, after the podium finish and the press conference, is almost throw up in the hauler. Pack racing is the only thing that scares her. It's exciting as hell driving wheel to wheel with the best in the business but she's seen how it can go violently wrong. She saw it again tonight; one moment her best friend was racing her for the lead and the next he was flung halfway across the infield grass. She's glad for the win but wishes it wouldn't come with feeling like her heart is going to explode.

ExpandJust as she's getting her faculties under herself, Shane is knocking at the door. )

Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
919 words
shelbycobra: (Smiles in the backyard)

145.2.2 - quote

"Sometimes it's not the strength, but gentleness that cracks the hardest shells."

Shelby had been depressed about her birthday. She could still remember the year before, when it had been a fantastic day on the racetrack. It had been the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which she considered a home race given that she had been born in Los Angeles, and she had won it by the most exciting of margins over her hero. It was a special accomplishment for her, then some of the other drivers had presented her with a cake afterward that Helio had tried to shove her face into.

ExpandThat had all been perfect. But... )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
527 words
shelbycobra: (Not a racing dude)

142.2.2 - quote

"People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be."

It's finally here: the start of another Verizon IndyCar Series season. Friday is the first day of on-track activities and Sunday will be the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. I'm ready to go back to work, even as I feel it in my bones that this season is going to be different from any of them that came before.

ExpandRead more... )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
577 words

Valentine's Day (belated) Bonus: The Love Map

Love Map Subject: Justin Campbell (Sorry, baby, hope I don't suck!)

1. Name two of my closest friends
Kolbie and Cassidy

2. What is my favourite musical group, composer, or instrument?
You won't restrict to one group/composer, but your favourite instrument is piano

3. What was I wearing when we first met?
Purple I Wish My Life Was Like an 80s Movie tank top, leather jacket, weathered Levi skinny jeans and rainbow Converse High-Tops.

4. Name one of my hobbies.
Song writing.

5. Where was I born?
Las Vegas, Nevada.

ExpandAll the rest... )

sasha stanford ( oc )
shelbycobra: (Making a phone call)

141.2.3 - quote

"For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth."

I've never lived my life in controversy. I carry a responsibility on my shoulders to my family, as a teammate, as a representative of the Verizon IndyCar Series and as a public figure. Every time I step outside my front door I'm always aware of the fact that people are watching everything that I do and I need to behave accordingly. That's something I take very seriously, and I also take pride in knowing that I can stand here with my head held high.

ExpandI know there are people who don't feel the same way. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
866 words

Quote of the Day 019.

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
- Groucho Marx
mild triggering references

Some nights, having a sick baby could be really hard. For Lorenzo, it was the hardest part of parenting. When your baby cried because they were sick or in pain, it broke your heart if you had an ounce of decent parenting within you. Unfortunately, it was just a cross he had to bear. His little girl had been born with some health issues because her mother was a heavy drug user when she was pregnant. It seemed like such a battle back then. She had gone off her anti-psychotic medication for the sake of the pregnancy, yet continued trying to self-medication because staying clean with an untreated mental illness was too much of a demon to fight.

ExpandThese days, when Lorenzo looked back on it all, it felt like someone else's memories. He was scarred from the ordeal, he knew that... )

lorenzo chivalier
- original character -

140.5. Ten

Ten ways you are energized

1. Hot fuck
2. Hot threesome
3. Hot orgy
4. Hot outdoor fuck
5. Hot beach fuck
6. Hot shower fuck
7. Hot pool fuck
8. Hot backseat fuck
9. Hot mile high fuck
10. Hot married fuck

clint chevalier
original character
shelbycobra: (Not a racing dude)

quote of the day 012.

"Never miss a good chance to shut up."

Shelby doesn't say anything as the World team takes their victory lap. Just lifts the helmet off her head and runs a hand through her hair, soaked in sweat, and lets it all sink in. Her hopes of taking the Nations Cup demolished in the semifinals but at least she can say she did her part, three wins in the bracket making her the top individual player in Group A plus edging out Tony in the relay. And really she doesn't mind if they don't win. She's just grateful for the chance to have competed.

ExpandThat sounds like the most cliche thought ever but she knows it's true. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
287 words
shelbycobra: (Car porn)

word of the day 009

Serendipity

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Miami. My gear bag is packed at the foot of the bed. Tomorrow I'll get up early and put on my helmet for the first time this year before putting myself to the test against some of the best drivers in the world. As one-half of Team USA IndyCar my goal is to win the Race of Champions for my country.

ExpandI never sought any of this out. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
499 words
shelbycobra: (In the pits)

word of the day 004

Portent

Shelby hadn't been paying that much attention to her playlist. She just liked to listen to pop music when she was working out, so she had put on Backstreet Boys Radio on Pandora and let it fill her ears as she jumped onto the exercise bike. But then she heard a song she hadn't heard in a while and it made her pause. Shelby had enjoyed these last few months not working and being a girlfriend and getting settled in a new city with all of its restaurants and places to visit.

But she had also been worried about having to pack up and leave that in just a handful of days, not sure if everything would be the same when she returned. It would be the first time she was in a relationship while racing professionally and she didn't know how the hectic schedule and the travel would affect it at all. To hear that song as she was preparing to travel to Miami, she had to believe it was a portent. A little sign from the universe telling her that everything was going to be okay. Now if only she'd have a similarly good break when she took to the racetrack at Marlins Park next weekend.

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
208 words
shelbycobra: (Not a racing dude)

word of the day 001

Autolatry

Shelby Manning is one of the hottest names in motorsports. She's a two-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion, an Indianapolis 500 and Rolex 24 at Daytona winner, and statistically the most successful female driver in the league. In seven days she'll be touching down in Miami to compete as part of Team USA IndyCar in the Race of Champions. She has all the reasons in the world to be cocky and self-obsessed, several of them sitting in her living room that she walks by every day.

But Shelby has made it a point not to start thinking too highly of herself. She did that before and it didn't end well. Maybe it was getting knocked on her ass and being technically homeless for a year, but she knows just how well all of those accomplishments are earned and how hard emotionally it was to check off each of those boxes. She knows that there are real legends who deserve the worship: Andretti, Mears, Foyt, Unser, Wheldon, Dixon. It'll be a while before her name is on that list if ever.

So she just walks past the trophy case and gets her morning coffee. And while she's drinking it if she happens to look that way she merely smiles. She's incredibly proud of everything that she has been able to do so far, but her biggest accomplishment might be just that she gets to do what she loves for a living, and there's always another race.

--
Shelby Manning
Need for Speed OC
245 words
shelbycobra: (In the pits)

137.3.2 - diary

Trust me.

Scott sent me pictures this morning from the track. It's raining a little in Daytona but nothing I couldn't handle. Andy Priaulx posted one of the day's fastest laps in the No. 69 Ford GT. He's in Tony's car. Tony just had a birthday too. It's impossible not to think of all the things I'm missing sitting out of the Roar Before The Rolex 24, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona that will take place in just a few weeks.

ExpandNo race is ever just a race for me. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
568 words
shelbycobra: (Not a racing dude)

136.7.3 - misc/random

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

I don't know what to do. I don't even know if I can do it.

I screwed up my schedule last month. When I got an offer to drive in the Race of Champions, for the first time that the event has ever been held in the United States, I said yes without really thinking about it. It was an honor to be invited and I didn't know if I'd ever have the chance again. But then I looked at my calendar this week and realized that the Race of Champions takes place just four days before the kickoff of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which I have participated in for the last two years.

ExpandTwo major races in four days is a lot of work. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
705 words

MR #134.5 | Ten Things

Ten things you would do on perfect day for you.

In Manhattan
1. Wake up without an alarm, whenever I felt like waking up.
2. Go for breakfast at my favorite place, Hů Kitchen.
3. Explore a market, street fair, or event I haven't been to before.
4. Eat lunch at Gramercy Tavern, where I would get their three-course option and order: Sunchoke & lobster with sea urchin vinaigrette, striped bass, and the chocolate & chestnut ganache crisp.
5. If I'm in the area, grab a Magic at Bluestone Lane.
6. Go for a long bike ride and/or hike in Central Park, or drive to a place with good trails.
7. Get dinner at Toloache where I would eat a disgusting amount of food.
8. Drinks with friends at any of the local establishments.
9. Head back to my flat with friends for more drinks and food.
10. Watch the sunrise of the following day from the rooftop before passing out in bed.
shelbycobra: (Default)

134.2.1 - quote

"I prefer physical exhaustion over mental fatigue any day."

Monday was my first full day back at the race shop and one of the conversations was about the idea of team orders. I'm sure you've heard the controversy that arose out of the Formula One final with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. With Team Penske in a similar position here in IndyCar we couldn't help but talk about what might happen if we were ever in the same situation. It's really not that far off, since Will and I were competing for the championship this year just like Hamilton and Rosberg were.

ExpandTeam Penske's policy has always been that there are no team orders. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
822 words

MR #133.1 | Lyrics

"Every new beginning
comes from some other
beginning's end."

- "Closing Time," Semisonic

It was another call in the middle of the night, the same as it had been the first time. Fumbling in the dark for the vibrating, screaming device on his nightstand, Isak tried to pick it up but ended up flinging it a few feet away from the bed. With a disgruntled grumble, he kicked the covers off, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and dragged his feet over to where the phone was. By the time he'd picked it up, it had gone to voicemail.

"Jävlar!" he shouted, squinting his eyes at the brightness of the screen. He saw that it had been his mother, as he had suspected. She was one of the only people disregard what time it was in New York whenever she decided to call. He made his way back over to the bed and plopped down on the edge of it, debating in his mentally fuzzy state whether to wait for the voicemail or simply call her back. He decided to wait.

ExpandAfter three, then four, then five minutes passed, he realized she wasn't leaving a voicemail. )

Word Count | 885
shelbycobra: (Default)

133.5.1 - list

Ten hopes for the future.

Time to revise this list already?

1. To continue to have an amazing relationship because I've finally found someone I love more than my career.

2. To have a strong 2017 season. It probably won't compare to this year but there's no reason it can't still be a success.

3. That things won't be awkward in the race shop with Josef and Peter coming aboard, and Juan not being here. We've built a great organization and I want to keep it that way.

4. That things won't be awkward and painful now that my dad isn't around.

5. To avoid getting hurt or hurting anyone else because I really don't want to break another guy's arm even if he did come after me first.

6. To continue to learn new things outside of racing. Maybe I'll go back to playing the piano.

7. To make more friends outside of racing.

8. To eventually master the pain in my ass that is strawberry cheesecake.

9. That eventually, I'm going to be a wife and a mother and that person telling the kids to get off my lawn.

10. That Hinch wins Dancing with the Stars. Hey, I can hope for someone else, right?

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
203 words
shelbycobra: (Rare glamour day)

132.3.3 - diary

The night before

New York is alive with the buzz of impending history. UFC 205 is less than 24 hours away and I'm sitting in a hotel room drinking my Mountain Dew and realizing tomorrow I'll be in the third row. Watching someone I'm friends with get punched in the face.

This has been an interesting experience. I have never seen somebody pick up a chair and threaten to use it at a press conference. If I even so much as looked the wrong way at somebody in one of my press conferences I'd get told off twice; first by my team owner and then again when my father found out. We have an unspoken professional respect that exists. But there is no such thing in the UFC. Here, apparently, it's a lot of mutual animosity.

ExpandUnless, of course, you are referring to one David Burton. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
725 words
shelbycobra: (Oh no you didn't)

132.1.2 - lyrics

"And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable distance
And up until now I have sworn to myself
That I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk."


It's one of those freak accidents no one could have ever seen coming, and yet something that she always knew was coming. Shelby had been lucky to race for five seasons and not be involved in a major accident; the worst she'd ever done before that day was bruise two ribs and break a finger. But every racing driver lived with the possibility of the big one, and as she had watched two friends lose their lives and a third almost die on the track, she wondered when that threat would come to her.

ExpandCut for potentially disturbing content. )

--
Shelby Manning
Need For Speed OC
881 words
Prompt takes place in a future canon.