#source: day 5

[backmarkerr]

excerpts from this interview with Kimi (2013)

key takeaways: Niki was me wanting an RBR Simi lineup; Kimi called Niki a yapper; Kimi once again ignores the 'Seb's success is due to the car' bait; confirmation that Kimi and Seb do "much nicer things" when they meet up outside of work

[bsptourist]

fy_snow_redux

created by NvC_DmN_CH

[therighthandofvengeance]

not that I have a bias or anything…

[beegs-bugs]

Can’t stop thinking about Kizzy

[savvylittlecoxswain]

The Ogden Standard-Examiner (July 3, 1936)

[skitskatdacat63]

Fernando Alonso & His Relationship With Cards

I'm sure we're all familar with the cards on the back of Fernando's Vegas GP helmet by now, but did you know his relationship with cards goes a lot deeper?

I. Magic Tricks

You've probably seen or heard someone at least mention Fernando's propensity for card tricks. As far as I can tell he was doing them(publically) as far back as 2003 all the way to as recently as 2018. Even once performing a card trick, with a condom and a teddy bear(!??!?!??!!), in front of Valentino Rossi who said "How was that possible?"(x)

But how did this start? According to James Allen, "Fernando admits to having been heavily influenced by his grandfather, a mercurial figure, who taught him magic and card tricks, still one of his passions away from the race track."(x) And I'm not sure the validity of this one, because I couldn't find an actual source, but apparently he once said: "My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most - driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician's kit."

In several interviews he described it as his hobby off track, and that he loved learning new tricks and surprising others in the garage with them! So clearly cards are pretty important to him both as a hobby but also to who he is as a person since they've been with him just as long as racing has.

II. Card Symbolism in His Helmets

This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first. As I said, we probably all remember the cards on the back of his helmet in Vegas, but did you know that wasn't the first time he had cards on the back of his helmet?

From 2008-2013, he used to have a pair of cards on the back of his helmets. The symbolisms of the cards themselves as well as the evolution of their design is really fascinating to me! Even more so with the recent development of the card choice in 2023.

Fernando said he wanted to reference his two titles in some way on the back of his helmet and after his friend sent him several ideas, he decided on having two cards(an ace of clubs and an ace of hearts, sometimes pictured with 05 and 06 on them as well), saying: "I picked the cloverleaf [the ace of clubs - Ed] to give me luck, but the only pity is that it doesn't have four leaves!"(X)

2008.

Here's the very first appearance of the cards! They're displayed flat, with the 05 and 06 clearly visible

2009.

Very similar to 2008, but with a slightly different design, and they're maybe a bit more straight with less shadow?

2010.

This is the first major change! I was sad they didn't have the years on them anymore, but then I realized they're sparkly to match with his signature lightning bolts on the top of the helmet!!

2011.

Honestly I'm still somewhat unsure if this is the actual 2011 helmet? It's pretty difficult to find clear photos of the back of helmets from older seasons. It's easiest to find them on replica sites or auction sites so I'm not 100%? But anyways, I like that this has the championship years on the underside of the cards

2012.

This is when I started getting weirdly emotional about the helmets. Do you see how they've progressed from being a centerpoint to being curled up and sad at the bottom of the helmet? Not listing the year anymore??

2013.

Same thoughts as 2012. And after this season, they cease to exist (just like his ferrari chair in the garage, WOAH CALLBACK), until cards make a reeappearance in his Vegas helmet, albeit in a different form

2013 Monaco(Honorable Mention):

For some reason 2013 helmets were easier to find proper pictures of, so I happened to witness this absolute beauty. The creativity of this helmet genuinely blows me away??? Wanting to keep the card motif, but making sure to incorporate it into the rest of the puzzle piece design?? Mwah! There was another special 2013 helmet but they didn't change the cards at all so I really applaud this one

2023 Las Vegas(The Return of The King):

The magnificent return! But look! The cards are different cards! Instead of being two aces, it's now an ace of hearts, a four of hearts(his driver number of course!) and, the, now iconic, representation of himself as a Joker. I literally could not believe my eyes when this helmet was released and I saw the Joker card, what a fucking silly old man....I really wonder if he felt nostalgic having cards on his helmet again or if he didn't think about it all and was just like, "ah cards because Vegas!!!"

III. Why Does This Matter?

*The rest of the post was factual, this is moreso my personal thoughts on the symbolism of the cards/designs

This post spawned from me recently watching the 2010 Bahrain gp and noticing "hey wait a minute...are those CARDS ON THE BACK OF HIS HELMET!?" It's a really tiny detail that's unfortunately covered up by the HANS device pretty much whenever he's wearing the helmet, so it's really difficult to spot! But I became fascinated with the fact that he had cards on his helmet before that recent helmet, and now here we are!

There's something to me about how the design of the cards evolves over the course of six seasons from the cards being front and center to being smaller, more folded up and closer to the bottom of the helmet. As I said, the 2012-2013 ones genuinely made me depressed because it feels, symbolically, like his hopes for getting another Ace are becoming more and more unlikely and falling away until they eventually fall falt and fade away entirely after 2013 and disappear for basically a decade.

But when they return? They're not the same cards! Instead of representing Fernando's championships, they now represent him as a person, displaying his driver number and his persona of being a Joker!! Though I do think it's interesting he happened to keep the Ace of Hearts, even though he talked more about the Ace of Clubs before. I'm not sure it's actually this deep in reality, but I like to think that it's him not letting his championships(and the lack thereof) define him, but rather letting who he is as a person shine and be the centerpoint instead! But on a sadder note, as @suzuki-ecstar said to me, maybe the Aces aren't there anymore because he's lost all hope for a chance at a third Ace entirely :(

[hana-bobo-finch]

DOOM POSTING CANCELED

DAGGER MOTH I THINK. I’m FREAKING THE FUCK OUT OHHHHHH

[jonasiegenthaler]

nyr@njd | 22.03.22

[summerscold]

so, uh, what do we want to talk about here? how bout pat spencer? he’s pretty weird. pretty fuckin weird lookin lil guy.

[littleoddwriter]

Happy 5th anniversary to the ZsaszMask brainrot aka Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn!

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Pairing Tomura and Dabi for containment reasons because what do you mean Dabi tried to burn his little bro alive when they were kids and Tomura did turn her older sister into dust?

[luminarai]

Went on the clock app to see if there were any cool haircut suggestions for my ultra fine, a1-straight hair I could show my stylist at my appointment on Wednesday and the amount of allegedly professional hair stylists out there telling people with fine straight hair to get layers for volume… I can only assume that that’s the literal devil trying new and more casual ways to ruin people’s lives

[aashidoodles]

Final kissing prompt! This is a combination of #44 and #48 for Ares/Eliza

@love-bokumono-fics this also will be my piece to fulfill june 2024 hurricane prompt

[magnoliasforyourmedic]

Eagles of Mercy

Upon landing in Normandy on D-Day, one of Easy Company’s medics connected with three other medics of the 101st Airborne Division and set up a makeshift aid station in the church of Angoville-au-Plain, a small village a mere 10 miles behind Utah Beach. Medic Edwin Pepping of Easy Company spent hours helping another medic by the name of Willard Moore transport severely wounded soldiers in a jeep to L’église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien, the Church of Saint Côme and Saint Damien.

Back at the church, Medic Robert Wright began to treat the many wounded while Kenneth Moore, a stretcher bearer with not quite as much medical training, helped unload the men brought to them by jeep. They had lost a majority of their medical supplies on the jump and had to treat the men with anything and everything they could find, all while under heavy artillery fire.

They accepted any and all wounded into their care, regardless of nationality, under the stipulation that all rifles be left outside the church door. Men were laid on the pews with their heads facing the aisle, pews that remain in the church to this day. Those most seriously wounded, the ones they weren’t sure would make it, were placed behind the alter and given morphine.

Amidst one particularly intense shelling, a mortar fell through the roof of the church and landed in the center aisle. Miraculously, it didn’t explode, and Wright threw the shell out of a window. Pepping eventually moved on to reunite Easy Company, but Wright and Moore remained. They treated 80 seriously wounded American, French, and German soldiers as they worked 72 hours until the village was liberated on June 8, losing only two men.

The locals believe Wright and Moore landing near their village and choosing their church as an aid station to be no accident. Their church, as fate would have it, was named after two saints:

“L'église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien, takes its name from 4th century martyrs: Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian. Saints Cosmas and Damian were physicians and possibly brothers who hailed from ancient Syria, then a province of the Roman Empire. They are widely regarded to be the patron saints of doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists. In fact, the saints were renowned for healing those who were ill or wounded as well as caring for all people regardless of their background, race, or faith.“

A stain glass window was installed in the church paying tribute to these two men and a memorial was constructed.

A documentary was created telling the story of the Eagles of Mercy featuring interviews with some of the veterans. Watch it for free at the link below:

[bitchfitch]

tbh I'm never going to stop being mad about the Manx syndrome that makes Manx cats manxes. It's an easily, Visually identifiable trait that causes the afflicted animal life long discomfort and mobility issues so severe many need specialized care and equipment to give them a normal life. And that isnt even taking into account how many die as kittens or who need to be put down because they'll never have the minimum quality of life needed to subject them to their difficulties.

there's 2 genes that can cause shortened tails/no tail in cats and while it's debatable how ethical the other one is, due to how important tails are for cat communication, the bobtail Gene is at least not devastating to the animals welfare. Unlike Manx syndrome it just causes the kittens to be born with fewer tail vertebrae. All the other vertebrae are unaffected.

Manx syndrome, in the more severe cases, which to be clear are the breed standard and are considered Desirable, cause the back half of the spine to fail to form correctly. This causes the cats to "hop like bunnies" bc their hind legs are partially paralyzed. they have severe nerve issues bc their spinal cord isn't fully encased in bone like it should be. The paralysis effects their guts too, making many of them incontinent or unable to relieve themselves properly. which leads to chronic UTIs and them needing frequent baths. which, they are cats, they do not like baths.

The main defense of the continued intentional breeding of manxes is that it is a naturally occurring mutation, as in its a landrace breed that initially happened on its own in the feral cat population on the island of mann. "if they were able to survive and reproduce under those conditions then surely it's ok" type of argument. A dominant trait spreading through a feral cat population on a small island that has no predators and plenty of small animal prey to eat, is not a defense. it's the law of large numbers.

[kindahoping4forever]

LIGHTER - Galantis x David Guetta x 5SOS

Via Galantis on IG

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