#racer development post

[tetley1173-igb220-blog]

Racer Development Post

By Shannon Tetley

During development of my racing game Bonkers Bob, I've been trying to add immersion to the game by making it seem like the world is moving around the player. Until now my backgrounds have been static or had no art in it at all. I'm also working on adding better feedback for players.

As you can see I've had some success with this. The feedback is improved, the text that indicates the number of cars passed is bigger than in other games I've made, and its quite obvious what's going on when you crash your car. Screen transitions was fairly simple to facilitate and I've learnt how to add buttons for navigation. This will be important later as I plan to add a shop to the game.

The most challenging part of this process was to implement the movement of objects. I've been thinking ahead with this one, knowing that there will be different player speeds in the game due to different player vehicles and upgrades, I've reduced the use of magic numbers in my events. Instead of making the car move at a flat rate of 300 pixels, I've given the player car a speed variable that the event looks at to determine its speed. I've also used this concept when setting the speed of traffic and scenery. The speed of these objects is determined by some simple math so that their speed is relative to the player vehicle.

Some magic numbers remain but will be changed as I work on the project. Controlling the speed of vehicles this way will make it easy for me to change their speed later when more controls and upgrades are added. Removing the magic numbers used to represent traffic speed will even allow me to change their speed if I want to balance the game or increase the difficulty for later gameplay.

As for the future of the game, I plan to add a store with an upgrade system and boss battles. This has led to me planning how I might program the AI for these types of enemies. I'm unsure for now but I may end up making the boss follow the player then fire its gun randomly. While having these thoughts I happened upon an article an article by PC Gamer interviewing Todd Howard, Director of Starfield, about its ship AI (Randall). In the article he states that the AI of the enemy ships was made to be "dumb" so that the player has the chance to hit the otherwise impossible to hit space ships. This has made me mindful that making the enemies in the game dumb, may be a good idea to keep the game playable and more importantly fun.

References:

Randall, Harvey. Todd Howard says that Starfield's . . . , PC Gamer, 2023.

https://www.pcgamer.com/todd-howard-says-that-starfields-ship-ai-sucks-on-purpose-so-players-can-actually-hit-stuff-you-have-to-make-the-ai-really-stupid/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR1jGq6LuhFwuQpIbv6ANjg5kL5SiD9Kq397PAtAfl-6BTVcRi5odJvbNBY

[legoracers]

you warp all the time What do you Mean

[cookie2351]

Racer's Day Off - Racer Game Postmortem

In further development of "Racer's Day Off" I added more detail to the environment to make the scenery more interesting. I also incorporated the new car designs which can now spawn.

I also added to the control scene so the player can now choose whether to play using the WASD keys or the arrow keys (maybe could make it two player sometime?).

I really liked how the score was working however after some gameplay testing I found out the multiplier was not altering the score. So much for that :(

An issue I ran into was the cars would sometimes spawn basically together, sometimes leaving the player without a path to survive.

Developed Game:

Multiple levels!

I even managed to add a second level so the player can choose between the two. The second level has more lanes and I tried to increase the spawn rate to increase the level difficulty.

Harder level with added lanes and car spawns:

However....

As you can possibly see (in the image below) I had some difficulties with the car spawning.

Game Issue:

With the amount of different cars I had added, often one of the cars would spawn ontop of one another. It didn't affect gameplay but the visual aspect of it was not appealing.

Overall, I found the game quite fun and put more development into the game than I was planning. The F1 driver had a pretty fun day off... until he crashed of course, then not so much.

Bugs and Aspects I didn't get to implement or wish I had:

I didn't implement a start menu or a level failed aspect the game just paused when the player hit a car.

No start menu so you had to manually launch one of the two levels

There was no scoreboard so the players don't get to save their scores

Proper car spawning (cars spawned on top of each other)

Although there was the multiplier it didn't affect the score

similar to my asteroids game the car spawns would leave the player with an unwinnable/survivable sitution

Thanks again to looneybits on Itch.IO for the car assets.

[owlzer]

Week 9 - Racer Post Mortem

Fullerton has made some interesting insights in conceptualisation. Where do our ideas and inspirations come from? They talk about how some people that are very inspirational to me such as Shigeru Miyamoto have used personal interests and their hobbies as an influential part of the game design. I feel I have taken my personal interests to heart in all of my mini-games sourcing my own creativity and game mechanics around them. Fullerton talk about Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who has broken up creativity into 5 stages: preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation and elaboration. The 'creative process' is described as a very fluid thing and we are encouraged to become involved in many aspects of life to fuel our preparation and incubation stages. Although I feel like I have slowed down quite a bit in life with the amount of activities I do, I am still able to draw from a wide range of experiences for inspiration. I have done girl guides, dance, travelled, played and instrument just to name a few. I am going on another trip this year and I will take creative advantage of it. From my experience making my one sheet and one page, I really want to challenge myself going forward to make something completely original and my own and I feel it will really challenge me to go through all 5 stages of creativity and will be very rewarding.

Digital prototyping has really become a main focus of making these mini-games. Game mechanics, aesthetics, kinesthetics and technology are four areas of investigation highlighted by Eric Todd.

Throughout my process, I feel that I have investigated game mechanics and aesthetics the most. However, I have greatly neglected kinesthetics and technology. Kinesthetics are describes as the 'feel' of the game (e.g. responsiveness and how controls feel). Although I unintentionally focused on this in my first game when I was working on my main grapple mechanic, this was overlooked in my other two games. In my racing game I just kept the original controls which I feel like was a mistake. Although it worked and did its job, I feel like more experimentation with the kinesthetics could have made the game feel more immersive. My interfaces in all of my games were also really bland. My racing game had a decent title screen but the score and game over screen were really lacking as they were very simple text. A more effective interface could have really added to the player experience.

My racer game is the one that I felt had the most potential. This is why I used it for my one sheet and one page. This game, more than the others has shown me the incredible values of playtesting. This is due to the great amount of improvement the game has gained from the feedback I have received. I don't think the game would have reached this potential without it and I will carry these thoughts with me as I continue my journey as a designer. This game also really challenged me as an artist as I had to draw in top-down view, a skill I have barley developed yet. It has shown me that I'm still very early in my art journey and to really practice drawing in different perspectives. Making a powerup for the first time was really fun and if I were to make Captain Sora's Sea Scurry I would really enjoy the challenge of making the other powerups I came up with. I think I have really improved as a coder and in using Gdevelop 5 as I am constantly researching how to code new things and use other parts of the program. Although the game is still very simple, it has really taught me a lot about the true value of each and every stage of the process. I hope from these experiences that it will help me grow into a game designer that can truly master digital prototyping and take these skills with me as I develop my own game with my partner.

References:

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating

Innovative Games. ProQuest Ebook. Retrieved

from:  https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/reader.action?docID=5477698

[fics-lovebot]

jungkook fic recs pt. 2

· · ♡ · · tysm to the amazing creative minds of the writers for giving me sevaral moments of joy reading your creations

pls reblog if you like any of my recs and don´t forget to support authors!❤️

decalcomania - ( @floralseokjin ) angst, cheating trope, NOW THIS!!! if you´re an angst loving hoe like me tHIS will do it, its a whole 2019 banger fr, it has it ALLL, and also? no hea, periodddd. i love it SO MUCH

his name - ( @jimlingss ) angst, fluff, multiple personality!au. this absolute 8 piece MASTERPIECE was posted 7 years ago,,2017- can you believe it? i was so happy to read this again. fuck "after" tHIS is the one that should be on netflix, i have never read anything similar on here, the whole plot is INSANE, i love it

squirting - ( @lavishedinjimin ) smut, pwp. anon had a vvvery specfic request and we love her for that

written in the stars - (@jcwriting ) anggst, fflluufff, smut. soulmate au, werewolf!jk, human!reader. one of my faves out there for rreealllll, it´s an all-rounder and, ofc, a 2021 banger

this kingdom - ( @whatifyoulivelikethat ) smut, fluff, crack, au series, one sided E2L, softsub gamer!jk, power bottom gamer noona!reader, reader is thiccc and jungkook is an ass man fosho. ANOTHER ONEEE, this time from 2020, this is fucking AMAZING ok??, the seggs, the banter, the chemestry, EVERYTHING, it´s so good omg

pretty girl - ( @bts-trash-blog ) smut, tattoo artist!jk, chubby reader, THIS IS ITTTTT, he´s tall, dark and handsome, flirty af too, "pretty girl" stFUUUU, they both want to fuck so he shoots his shot at the tattoo appointment

easy - ( @itsamejin ) angsty, fuckboy jk, bet!trope, jk plays you so he can get his rent paid, i read this one a lawwngg time ago and decided i was an angst loving hoe

Inevitable - ( @ahundredtimesover ) angst, fluff, smut, lovers to exes to lovers, baseball player!jk, dad!jk, parents au, you break up with jk years ago after you got pregnant bc you wanted him to follow his dreams and now he´s back home just to find out there´s a boy who looks just like him.. this is a masterpiece, honestly one of THEE best jk series out there, it has it all fr, the angst is angsty and the fluff is FLUFFY, i love it sm i´ve read it 3 times and never get tired of it

finish line - ( @bonny-kookoo ) fluff, nerdy!jk, racer!jki loooooveee itttttt, so cute, so fluffy, this blurb uGHHHHH, just read the whole thing pls

ungodly hour - ( @explicit-tae ) crack, smut, fluff, college au, broke college student!reader, lowkey slutty!reader, jk is thirsstttyyyyy, simping atp, "who´s dick do i have to suck for a hulu account?" this series is honestly so funny ksjakskjs

disney + and bust - ( @1kook ) angst, fluff, smut. yall already know i love to see man crying and begging for forgiveness :p, so kook is ur succesfull "app developer" bf and he says some very hurtfull things to you out of anger

rattled - ( @gukslut ) series, single dad au, angst, smut. honestly? one of the best fics out there. I read this a long time ago and i´m still in awe. The way this is written makes you feel every word. also, the plot is so so unique. i love it.

pu$$y fairy - ( @angelguk) smut, college au, non-idol, fuckboy!jk, virgin!reader, this is a 2020 old but gold, i read this a long time ago and still love it to this day

sweeter than strawberries - ( @cinnaminsvga ) shy baker!jk, college student!reader, noona!reader ??, s2l, mutual pining, cute cute cuteeee, another 2020 banger, i love how lenghty they used to be

you wrote jk a confession letter but he didn’t see it - ( @angelguk ) fluff, small brain big heart!jk, college au, non-idol, LMAOOOO this was funny asl, 2020 did it again, i loved this

[b0tster]

Some very exciting developments for today's Nightmare Kart dev post!

In the process of rigging the bone bike, I naturally set up all the skeleton arms and legs like I would a normal humanoid, and that got me thinking: What if I simply animated this kart to do humanoid things if there's support for it?

I was struggling to come up with a new racer design for this kart and this idea provided me with a solution: Make the kart and the racer the same thing!

As a test, I gave it a sword for each of its arms:

This is filling my brain up with so many ideas!

[5sospenguinqueen]

Team Betrayal | Red Bull! Reader x Platonic! Grid

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N races for Red Bull but when she's caught out drinking another brand, she enacts her revenge until the Grid outs her snitched.

Apologies but this is a female reader.

Warning: Bad writing. I'm not sure what this is but it was prompted between an energy drink dilemma I had the other day.

There is no timeline for this. Make it up.

Main Masterlist.

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

Swiping away the sweat that ran down the back of her neck, Y/N grinned at the camera, drinking in the euphoric energy enveloping her on all sides.

"Thank you for joining us after such a long day." The interviewer beamed, pleased to have been able to catch the Red Bull racer before debrief started. "How're you feeling? You look absolutely drenched."

"Yes. Max thought he was funny tipping the entire can of Red Bull over my head. I'll wash my hair three times and still go home smelling of the stuff." Y/N joked, dabbing the drop of sticky liquid rolling down her forehead.

Pleased that the conversation had naturally developed down that path, the interviewer smirked at the camera before turning their attention back to you. "So, you've been driving for Red Bull for 2 years now? Is it safe to say you're also a big fan of the drink?"

She laughed nervously, unsure why such an odd question was being asked after a Grand Prix. Usually the media used this opportunity to ask how she felt about losing/her teammate winning. Again. "Who isn't?" Y/N joked.

Whipping out her phone, the interviewer (dressed in traitorous McLaren orange) thrust it in front of her face. The grin from Y/N's face instantly dropped as she squinted against the blinding sun. Disbelief painted her face.

"Where did you get that? That's actually me!"

"One of your fellow racers provided it earlier." The interviewer informed, tucking away the damning photo of Y/N drinking a can of Monster Energy, dressed in her Red Bull racing suit and attempting to hide her behaviour behind a laughing Lando Norris.

"Who?!"

"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to say. We promised confidentiality in favour of the photo," teased the interviewer.

"That's my face." Y/N's eyes darkened challengingly. She leaned into the microphone, staring down the camera. "In that case, those boys won't know a moment of peace until I get my answer."

She straightened just as soon after, smile flickering back into place as she heard her name being called. "Oops, I was meant to be in debrief a minute again. Thanks for talking to me. Catch you later!"

"Thank you for your time." The interviewer called after the retreating navy figure. She turned back to the camera. "Ladies and Gentleman, I think it's safe to say that Y/N Y/L/N is as ferocious off the track as she is on it. I don't know about you but I would not want to be a member of the Grid this evening."

━━━━━━ ༻𖥸༺ ━━━━━━

The interview went viral.

YourUserName this you? (She retweeted with a pic of Lando wearing a Monster Energy hat, a can of Red Bull in hand)

→ LandoNorris no.

User 1 not Lando deliberately lying about his own face

User 2 oh, no. Lando. What have you started?

User 3 not me checking my phone every 2 seconds to see if Y/N has posted after she vowed vengence.

→ Your User Name 👀👀

User 4 don't drag poor Maxie into this. He's always seen drinking Red Bull.

User 5 she never was good enough for the team, hope they drop her after this.

User 6 may as well just go to McLaren with how much time she spends with them.

OscarPiastri just a warning. I can hear her laughing evilly next door.

YourUserName so just to clear a few things up. I have never bought a Monster Energy in my life.

YourUse Name i am always supplied with them by people who are attempting to remain innocent in this scandal.

PierreGASLY yeah, well. My shoes are cleaner than yours so...

→ LandoNorris you sure showed her.

User 7 not the Grid coming for my girl only to end up fighting for their lives.

User 8 coming for his teammate

User 9 not the whole Grid teasing her for betraying Red Bull

User 10 always knew Max didn't like them. This just confirms

YourUserName not you too. You said you had my back

→ Max33Verstappen this is why you didn't get on the podium

Max33Verstappen not my babies?!

→ YourUserName i may not have a podium but I do have your cats.

→ Charles_Leclerc you're making this worse for yourself

→ YourUserName watch out or Leo's next

→ Charles_Leclerc *horrified gasp*

User 11 alex fighting for his innocence.

User 12 the Grid are feeding us tonight.

User 13 what's the odds that they're fighting for their lives in the gc?

User 14 bet they're compiling a list of times they gave her Monster

→ User 15 trying to figure out who might be next

User we found the snitch

User 2 anyone else see Red Bull lurking in the likes?

LandoNorris @ danielricciardo this is why she didn't respond

Max33Verstappen daniel's currently crying.

redbullracing christian said you have a meeting with PR tomorrow.

→ YourUserName crap.

User 3 can we take a moment to appreciate all the Grid content we got this evening?

→ User 4 and look at how quick Y/N's responses were. Boo was ready for them.

→ User 5 what are the odds they were all sitting next to their phones, terrified every time it buzzed

→ lilymhe can confirm.

[pupkashi]

f1 driver!satoru 💭🏎️

a/n: hi friends ! i have had this au rattling in my head like a damn maraca for SO LONG im so glad i finally got around to putting it out for yall :3 this might be for a very niche group of people but i hope the five of you who enjoy f1 will appreciate this 🙏 let me know what yall think if you’d like him to make a reappearance in drabbles or one shots !! <3

masterlist

f1 driver!satoru who is mercedes golden boy, replacing lewis hamilton after his move to ferrari, going toe to toe with the likes of red bull and Ferrari racers

f1 driver!satoru who is loved across the grid and in the general public, think Italian men with charles leclerc, he’s the people’s princess, truly

f1 driver!satoru who dominates his rookie year, leaving everyone stunned at how truly talented and amazing he is

f1 driver!satoru who has the most followers on social media from everyone on the grid, everyone fawning over him constantly

f1 driver!satoru who loves the attention, but all of it seems so meaningless the second he meets you, falling hard and fast from the couple conversations you had, giving you free tickets for the race in an attempt to get more time with you

f1 driver!satoru who shows up and shows out the Grand Prix that weekend, eyes searching the crowd as tries his best to focus on his post race interviews

f1 driver!satoru finds you in the crowd as he steps onto the podium, smile widening and dimples popping out, he’s laughing as his podium mates douse him in champagne, all of them taking a swig from the comically large champagne bottle

f1 driver!satoru who says his to you with champagne dripping down his face and off his snowy hair, asking what the odds were of you letting him take you out on a date where he’s not working

f1 driver!satoru who is impossible to not fall for, with his witty replies and pretty blue eyes, he has you weak in the knees and on FaceTime every night

f1 driver!satoru who takes you carting, letting you win and treating you to dinner afterwards, buzzing with nervousness as he asks you to be his

f1 driver!satoru who is elated to have you as his partner, having you fly out with him whenever you could to his races, explaining everything about formula 1 to you beforehand, chest warming when he realizes how focused you look on his every word

f1 driver!satoru who develops a pre-race ritual with you, having you hype him up and giving him a good luck kiss before the two of you walk out of his driver room and into the garage, he’s zipping up his driver suit and asking you to help adjust his balaclava, smiling when you kiss his nose and wish him luck

f1 driver!satoru who seems to become even better after he started dating you, managing to podium every race and putting up a fight against a dominating red bull team; in every interview he says it’s not only the car but his amazing lover who helps him push every lap

f1 driver!satoru who has a picture of you in his helmet as his lockscreen, and you have one of him in his fireproofs as yours

f1 driverr!satoru who gets dubbed ‘the grids angel boy’ after you commented on his post fresh off his Japan Grand Prix win ‘congratulations my angel boy’

the entire grid loves you, announcers and commentators always excited when you show up to a race, cameras showing you in the Mercedes garage ‘and we have y/n in the garage today!’ you smile brightly at the camera, ‘i guess we know who’s gonna get pole position for qualifying tonight’

f1 driver!satoru who drives you around in his fancy Mercedes, sports and classic cars, exploring every city with you, treating you to expensive food and presents, walking hand in hand with you down the streets of Monaco, taking pictures of you at the beach in Miami and sending flowers when you can’t make it to his races

f1 driver!satoru who is absolutely smitten over you, adding your initial to his helmet hidden among the design, showing it to you with sparkling blue eyes as your heart flutters

f1 driver!satoru who runs to you after every race, cupping your face in his hands and kissing you on the lips before celebrating with his team

[chromecore]

⊹˚݁₊⚝ִ˖ִ ݁ introducing vivienne ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚

[ character playlist — major wip ] [ template by @fiangrey ]

hello! :3 i plan to update this post regularly as i figure out more about her. i have a lot of brain worms rn and i definitely want to disect her some more but first i need to form coherent thoughts. for now, i've just re-typed and slightly expanded on everything above in case it's difficult to read for some. under the cut :)

Name: Vivienne [???] Alias: V, Viv, Vivi DOB: April 10, 2049 Sex: Female, she/her Height: 178cm, 5'8" Place of Birth: [Somewhere in] Night City Affiliation: Afterlife Mercs Sexuality: Bisexual Ethnicity/Nationality: Mixed [???] American Vehicle: ARCH Nazaré "Racer" Weapons: Katanas, throwing knives, silenced pistols Cyberware: Kiroshi "Sentry" Optics, Militech "Apogee," Mantis Blades

notes

Vivienne knows nothing about her birth parents- just that her mother was a joytoy that fell victim to some Tyger Claw goon, in more ways than one. She vaguely remembers being a child and being dragged from motel room to motel room by her mom. The memories of her mom are fuzzy, fading with age- but the memory of finding her body in a motel in Watson never really fades.

She stays in the Watson area after her mom is murdered, not that she has much of a choice. Viv stole a lot to get by as a child, pick-pocketing civilians and nabbing goods from food stands when vendors had their backs turned. She learns to defend herself through trial and error. Sometimes she wasn't as sneaky as she thought.

Vivienne has a preference for katanas as they were the first weapons she actually learns to wield. Her first blade was a souvenir from the first Claw she ever flat-lined. It's worth next to nothing but it's a prized possession.

She spends most of her life on the streets until she meets Jackie at 17, shortly after he leaves the Valentinos. [trust me this will be expanded on it hurts to think about now. they were friends for almost ten years before the heist, a bit longer than canon street kid v. they were also more than friends at some point.]

Vivienne and Jackie decide to start working together after they decide they're better off as friends. Jackie is under the impression that the idea to be friends is mutual (spoiler alert: it was not). He's just too important to her for those feelings to get in the way. She gets over it eventually. It just takes two years.

That being said, she's definitely not crazy about the idea of that shit happening again, so she becomes pretty closed off afterwards. She hooks up with mercs here and there, and although one in particular catches her eye, she often reminds herself that there are no good endings in Night City. [ehehehehe]

She loses herself in merc work after Jackie's passing, avoiding any real, meaningful relationships until she meets Panam. Her and the Aldecados help Viv realize (again) that she doesn’t have to do everything alone. [will be getting into this in the future also :3]

She's a huuuuge stoner. Prefers rolling up and keeping them in Evelyn's cigarette case for convenience. After the heist, she rolls up with tobacco leaves to shut Johnny the hell up. He bitches about it not being the same but she knows he loves the high. ("you're also less of a bitch when you're high." "i'm gonna kill us both if you don't shut up.") Post-chip, she does it to remember him.

if you go to the end thank you! <3 i will update this soon with more information on her past and her developing relationships. this is all i had time for this weekend! qwq

[dawndelion-winery]

I Met You Once, I Loved You Twice

Celebrity au! Their persona, and then their true self, it seems like you were meant to love them regardless

Ft. Childe, Furina, Kaveh, Scaramouche (Wanderer), Wriothesley

[Idol! Childe, Actress! Furina, Racer! Kaveh, Artist! Scaramouche, Athlete! Wriothesley]

Childe:

You knew him before the fame, before the glitz and glamour; when he was just Ajax

And as horribly sappy as it sounds, you've loved him since day 1

Falling in love with Ajax was like slipping on ice while you're hiking up a snowy mountain

You get a little too caught up in the scenery, a tad bit too comfortable being around him

And suddenly, you fail to notice the patch of ice and slip, tumbling down the cliffside, your affection for him snowballing into something greater

And so you support him through his dreams of becoming an idol, writing to him while he's a trainee, making care packages for him

Anything for your Ajax

And when he finally debuts...

Oh boy, all the fans calling themselves his partner? They could dream on

You called dibs on him before any of them even set eyes on him

Besides, how could they even fall for someone just from watching them perform?

That was answered for you the first time Ajax excitedly insisted you watch him in the MV

You're not exactly proud of your reactions to seeing him come up on screen, but he seemed happy enough about it

Falling in love with the idol Childe was like drowning

Holding your breath, choking and flailing

It's dizzying until you finally succumb, which doesn't take long at all

And once he's converted you into a fan?

He's such a little shit, whipping out the idol persona for a smidge of free fanservice just to get you flustered at the most random times

And he's back to your sweet old Ajax in seconds too, acting like nothing's amiss

Furina:

The world's greatest actress finds that the world is her stage

Ever perfect, ever entertaining, her splendour is unparalleled

It was impossible not to adore such craft, and you easily fell in love with her acting just as one would fall asleep, gently and blissfully without even realising

Immersing yourself in her works, you develop a sort of fanaticism, delving deeper to find her interviews

She's beautiful whether or not she's filming, you find

So much so that you can't help but wonder how much of it is true

And so when you do, by some trick of fate, meet her, you feel compelled to ask

It's a dark, foggy evening, and you're taking a brisk walk along the forest

Who would've thought you'd bump into her then?

And so you strike up conversation, eager to interact with your favourite actress

And when you broach the topic of her facade, you notice she gets a tad bit defensive

So you apologise and back off, meaning well, hoping to see her again

And you do: these late walks become a regular thing, and slowly, you start to know her for who she really was

It's almost like meeting her for the first time all over again, and it very well may have been if you don't count the act as meeting her

Falling for Furina, your friend, was like taking an ice bath

Frigidity seized you almost instantly, and yet, as you stayed longer, the more pleasant it felt, almost soothing in a sharp sort of way

Kaveh:

Not just anyone could race in what was known to be the pinnacle of motorsports

And Kaveh? He was brilliant, the light of Ksharewar, the face of the team

And frankly, a very charming face

Often regarded as one of the prettiest on the grid (if not the prettiest)

He's really raking in the viewers

Imagine people seeing *1* edit of him getting out his his car post race and suddenly they're invested in races

Ofc being a new fan, the gatekeeping you have to put up with is ridiculous

"I bet your favourite driver is Kaveh because he's handsome."

As if he's not one of the most talented to ever grace us with his presence?

He gets so involved with the car's engineering honestly he should just build the car himself too atp

He is speed on the track

And falling for the light of Ksharewar through the television screen is an adrenaline rush in and of itself

So bumping into him in real life was just breathtaking

You sincerely hoped you didn't come off as some crazed fanatic with the way you rambled on about how much you loved seeing the way he pushed the car to its limits and everything

Overall it was a great once in a lifetime experience and you planned to treasure it

Until it was just a once in a lifetime thing and you seemed to bump into him a fair bit ("Hey aren't you that fan that completely went off about the car that time?")

Once you'd started talking to him more frequently, the rush of meeting him started to fade into less of a frenzy, and more of a bubbling excitement

Falling in love with Kaveh was like taking a breath of fresh air and letting the chilly breeze fill your lungs, a crisp clarity creeping through your senses

But from the faint flush of pink on his cheeks, perhaps the opposite was the case on his end

Scaramouche(Wanderer):

You've heard of artists with depression, now what about artists with borderline personality disorder?

The first time you'd met him, you didn't even know it was him

You'd been at an art gallery admiring the works signed off by Kunikuzushi when a stranger stood beside you

"You've been staring at this sculpture for a pretty long time."

"I like it. I don't think I've ever felt such yearning embedded in stone."

The stranger didn't respond, but nodded in acknowledgement and continued to stand beside you

Falling for Kunikuzushi was like falling in love with shadows

It was no more than a feeling, a yearning, a desperation much like what he portrays in his works

Everything you knew about him seemed to drown in sorrow, loneliness, and self destruction, yet having never met him, you were sure this was only one small aspect of his being

Which left you ever curious

Curiouser still was that same stranger with the odd navy blue hair who always seemed to happen to bump into you at these exhibitions

Without fail, he'd prompt you to speak, as though digging for your thoughts on each piece

Not that it bothered you, the stranger felt familiar, and had become a welcome face

Warm was his presence and gentle was his gaze, yet a detached coldness kept you from him

He was beautiful, you noted, like moonlight, with all it melancholic splendour and grace, like the paintings and sculptures you loved so dearly

And so you found yourself falling for a beguiling stranger whose name you knew not

You loved him like the sea loves the shore, always reaching for him, but pulling back in uncertainty

"You're oddly silent today," he notes.

"I was thinking of how much this piece reminds me of us. It's weird, isn't it? How I'm seeing things, drawing links to some stranger."

"Not really. I made it like that for you. We don't have to be strangers."

Wriothesley:

Baseball player Wriothesley who has his fans swooning at his charming grin and chuckle

A real heart stopper (he could beat me with his bat)

Fans adore him regardless of whether they're simps (they are) because he's good at his job

The only people who hate him are fans of the opposing team

The way his arms flex with every swing, in this essay I will-

He's built like a tank and plays like one too

So obviously you'd expect him to be a pretty confident kind of guy

And he is

He's a charmer, a smooth talker, and painfully level headed

So why was this beefy cannon suddenly bashful over your incessant praise?

Just look at him, which of his fans haven't fallen completely smitten?

Falling for the star player was like stepping into a big city for the first time, and being wowed and blinded by the lights and massive skyscrapers

But Wriothesley was a soft person at heart

And oh so very vulnerable to affection

For every compliment you uttered, he'd readily deflect it, but when they just didn't end?

Boy was he at a loss

He did end up treating you to coffee, so that was nice

But he was very obviously avoiding your gaze which he deemed to raw for him to meet

Yet it is that exact raw adoration that he can't quite dismiss

He knows how superficial fawning can be, yet there's an undeniable gratification when it comes from you

So he keeps you at arm's length, letting you in ever so slightly, but never too close despite not pushing you away

Falling in love with Wriothesley was like planting a seed and nurturing it as it grows

The germination takes place out of sight, the results unnoticeable until it finally sprouts as a fragile sapling

Discouraging as it may be, with continued work, it does get easier

And when he's secure enough to trust you entirely...he promised to return all your efforts tenfold

Taglist: @ryuryuryuyurboat @yinyinggie @mx-kamisato @chaosinanutshell @haliyarobin @irethepotato @boundedbyfate @favonius-captain @aqui-soba @tiredsleep @sadlonelybagel @mastering-procrastinating

[itsprashimusic]

So fucking happy honestly. Limiting my time on social media has been so needed.

Normally after races I would scroll on instagram and naturally go to the comments under posts of meme pages and other f1 related accounts. The amount of hate I would see and read was a lot. Scrolling on tumblr after a grand prix was like a game of russian roulette, wondering if the next post would be negative or positive. I started believing in opinions that I never thought of. I started disliking drivers I had no problem with. For the first time in years my mental health started to deteriorate.

That's when I realised I had to take a step back.

After races I avoided comment sections. I'd stick to Mclaren and Lando's posts. I unfollowed meme accounts who posted hate just because it was trendy, just because they knew it was popular and would get engagement. I blocked the "anti" tag on tumblr (e.g. anti lando norris) and other tags i didn't want to see. I started following accounts who genuinely love the sport and rescept all drivers, even if they dislike some, because that is what I believe in. I don't like Leclerc and I am not a fan of Russell but at the end of the day I can still say they drove well while critiquing their mistakes and appreciating their skills. I believe that is how all sports fans should be, have their favourites without feeling the need to being other drivers down by posting their unwanted "opinion" on the internet.

I found a healthy way to air my frustrations with the sport, the drivers and the teams. A penalty that shouldn't have been given, a strategy that fucked with a driver's race, something that should have been penalised. Talking to my sister instead of flocking off to my online friends or spending 30 minutes explaining to my mom why I was so upset about Lando's stop and go penalty in Qatar instead of typing out an amger-filled comment under a random post. Finding what works for me as a fan, is what keeps my mental health good.

Being so negative online has become normalized to a point people don't even realise they are getting affected. If an athlete's mental health gets so affected by the 5% to 10% they see online, imagine the fans who see way more because they are among the other "fans" who post negative content regarding their favourite player or racer.

Seeing Lando smile makes me smile. My mood gets lifted when I see he is happy. Seeing people constantly say negative things about him and praise his teammate in the same sentence made me develop this weird type of disdain for him. And I don't like it. I really do love Oscar, but seeing posts and comments like that started to unconsciously shift my views on him. Pulling back has helped and I am starting to love this sport like I did this time last year.

This is a reminder, you don't have to be online and share your thoughts just because everyone is. It is ok to not be active. It is completely normal. Enjoy the race, scream at your screen in frustration, vent to your poor friend about how unfair the FIA is, but please remember, you are not a true fan of this sport if you cannot respect the people in it, as drivers or even humans. It is ok to dislike, but you can still respect. Hating is not a flex, it just highlights the immaturity in an insecure person.

P1 IN MONACO BABY, YEAH BABYYYYYYYYY

[legoracers]

took @fyeahlegoracers's gif n threw it in 3d gif maker enjoy

[horseimagebarn]

https://archive.is/LAwFB <- Here is a link to a 2023 National Geographic article about horse slaughter in the Americas. You might be interested to know that thoroughbreds actually make up only 10% of horses exported for slaughter. The vast majority of retired racehorses in the US and the UK that aren't kept for breeding purposes go on to second careers or are simply kept as companion animals. This is *NOT* to say that the racing industry doesn't have horrific problems, but rather that even when they don't succeed on the racetrack, the horses are still worth more alive than they are as food. Quarter horses, on the other hand...YEESH. Let's just say the Jockey Club keeps meticulous track of how many thoroughbreds are foaled every year. The AQHA...doesn't.

for context this ask is referring to this post i made yesterday

i have much to say on this and ended up just rambling about horse which i love to do when given an intriguing ask so here we go

punctuation and capitalization usage for ease of understanding GO!

sorry if this makes no sense i just went crazy and hate proofreading

Thoroughbreds are not the only racehorse, their racing is just the most popular kind in the States. Quarter horses are actually a bit faster than thoroughbreds, but that makes their races quicker and less entertaining to rich betters. Standardbreds and arabians are also popular racers, but standardbreds are used more in harness racing, and arabians for endurance. 

"Pinhooking" is a popular thing in horse racing. According to horseologyinc.com, "Pinhooking is a fancy term that describes the practice of buying a horse at one stage of development and selling them at the next." This makes it difficult to track every single horse's purchase history, because there are just so many transactions being made. The Jockey Club can track births, sure, and it can do its best to track deaths, but the births of potential successful racehorses are much more interesting to the organization than the deaths of former ones. Even if deaths were monitored with the same vigor, horses would slip through the cracks, and oh brother, they already do. It's impossible to expect an organization that facilitates the often-fatal exploitation of horses to be stalwart advocates of its victims' aftercare. Even if they witnessed the slaughter of thoroughbreds in Canadian slaughterhouses, what's the difference between a horse that died for meat and a horse that died for the entertainment of the bourgeoisie? They both end up dead, and the Jockey Club doesn't deal in dead horses, it deals in eventually dead horses.

Many racehorses are later sold out of the industry once they've served their two potential purposes: racing and breeding. Once a horse is sold to a private owner that isn't involved in the racing industry—including the Amish, who often buy ex-racers as work animals—the Jockey Club's influence, if there is any, can falter. Sure, some are treated with a lavish retirement at Old Friends or Akindale or even Puerto Rico, but many, many horses do not have that privilege. Horses do not have the pull (pun intended) they once did in American society. They are a luxury to most, as their cost of upkeep and maintenance often outweighs their function when compared to machinery that performs similar jobs. Kill buyers—those who buy horses in bulk to export for slaughter—buy horses private owners either cannot or do not want to keep investing in their companion. More often than not, they don't register their purchase of horses for slaughter with the Jockey Club, nor really with anyone, as laws surrounding horse slaughter and export are murky at best and nonexistent at worst. I want to provide you more evidence of this, but the Jockey Club's website keeps timing out for me, so I'll try later.

USA Today estimates that 7500 thoroughbreds are slaughtered for meat each year. When compared to the 57000 total horses slaughtered annually, this resembles the 10% number you gave me. Compare this to the 600 thoroughbreds estimated to die each year in race-related accidents. The racing industry is constantly criticized for its mistreatment of its horses and the deadliness of its sport, and yet, slaughter claims over 12 times the amount of thoroughbreds each year—likely more. I personally believe that it is very unlikely that kill buyers accurately judge the breeds of the horses they slaughter. These buyers process thousands of horses each year and transport them in large quantities. They do not care what breed the horses they process are. It's the meat that matters. Similarly, these kill buyers are not checking the lip of every horse they buy to see if it's a former racer. Some might, if they're looking to "ransom" some of their horses off—sell the horses to non-slaughterhouse buyers for much higher than the ~60 cents/pound they get for their meat—but it's unlikely. Mike McBarron, a long-time kill buyer in Texas, told USA Today Sports, "It’s just a job to me. I mean, I don’t attach myself to them." He went on to say that he has "bought and sold retired racehorses for slaughter [and] sent tens of thousands of horses to slaughter plants," generating "millions of dollars in revenue." To kill buyers like McBarron, these horses are products to be processed and shipped, not beings whose personalities and histories are meant to be known, or whose breeds are significant to their new function: becoming meat.

And this is just thoroughbreds. Quarter horses are the most popular breed of horse in the U.S., and, like you said, there's even less regulation of the sales of other breeds. I just think it's unfair to say that the Jockey Club cares enough about its horses that they don't end up in slaughterhouses.

By the way, I don't think it is morally wrong to eat horses. Cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, and other livestock animals can have just as much personality as your average horse and are not afforded the public outcry horses receive when it comes to their slaughter. Horse lives are not worth more than other "farm" animals just because they are viewed as companion animals while the rest are not. I instead have a problem with the fact that horses used for meat are often severely mistreated, just as they are in the racing industry. Regulations have been put in place to improve the lives of many meat animals, and yet, the government largely shuffles its feet when it comes to regulating the production of horse meat. This encourages kill buyers to do shady business and mistreat their animals, exploiting a loophole in the government's weak implication of a ban on horse meat: in their 2006 budget, U.S. Congress decided to simply forbid the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) from using taxpayers' money to inspect horse slaughter plants. This sort of banned horse slaughter by preventing horse slaughter plants from being USDA inspected or approved, making them functionally illegal, as they require regulation, but meant that kill buyers could instead simply collect horses and then sell them to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada for slaughter. This encourages a shitty, shady business of horse exportation, leading to horrible temporary holding conditions as horses wait to be transported across country borders in equally horrible trucks and trailers. If the industry was legal and faced the same regulations as other types of meat production, these horses would have much better lives. Though I am very aware of the many, many flaws of the meat industry, denying horses even those basic protections that are applied to meat animals, especially large ones like cows, only encourages abuse and mistreatment. Big advancements in animal welfare in the meat industry have been made in the past few decades, and it is not the ethical win many think it is to force horses to live in horrible, barely-legal conditions because it is hard to accept the facts that:

Horses are large, hard-to-care-for animals whose main function in American society has mostly become obsolete 

Even in their current major societal role, racing, they face massive amounts of abuse and mistreatment

There are a LOT of horses in the world (so many, in fact, that they sometimes become pests or invasive species)

Every single horse will not have the privilege of a forever home that can provide for them the utmost care

Some horses can live satisfactory lives as PROPERLY CARED FOR meat animals if given the chance

Horse meat is a valid, valued food source for many people

I know it's crazy for The Horse Blog to say they support horse meat production and consumption, but honestly, I've tried my best to express on this blog that no being is greater than another and all things deserve equal love and appreciation. It would be hypocritical of me to condemn horse meat consumption when I myself eat the meat of cows, pigs, and chickens, who are just as valuable as horses in the grand scheme of the universe. All living things have value that is not contingent on their perceived purpose or use. Meat consumption is a necessity for many in the world, both human and inhuman, and the consumption of meat on its own is not unethical. To live is to consume, be it meat, vegetation, oxygen, water, time, space, etc. and I believe that we should strive not to abhor consumption but do it ethically, in alignment with our world's fragile, functional balance of creation and destruction, and with utmost respect for that which we consume. Horses deserve that respect.

anyway yeah feel free to engage with me on this i like discussing stuff like this and spent way too long thinking and researching and stuff

Sources: "Horses go from racetracks to slaughterhouses: 'It's just a job to me'" by Josh Peter with USA Today

"Horse racing deaths mount as states spend billions to keep tracks alive" by Frank Esposito and Stephen Edelson with USA Today Network

"What is Pinhooking? The History and Practice of Pinhooking." from horseologyinc.com

"Horse Racing Fact Sheet" from fundforhorses.org

ps this wasnt made as an attack on you anon or anything i like to write horse essay style posts sometimes like this and this because its honestly super fun for me and i love receiving these types of asks i am always happy to talk about horse stuff at length like this because i end up learning a lot about these subjects too as i go

[lxnely-lullaby]

This maybe weird to ask what does all your version of the WGP racers look like in human form? And what HeadCanon’s you got for them?

This isn't weird at all! When I got your question, it really got me thinking about what the WGP racers - minus Lightning McQueen - look like humanized, and I already had a draft of them in an old sketchbook of mine. But I decided to spice it up a little. ⚠️TW⚠️: MENTIONS AND VISUALS OF SELF HARM!

In my last post, I made an art piece of Shu Todoroki humanized, so I took that and put it in his model sheet. I made the Ka-Riu dragon more present on his right side, and less present on his left, similar to his car counterpart. He's probably the only racer with belts on his boots, and he's also the only one without fingerless gloves, rather gloves that cover his entire hands. He suffers from self-esteem and self-worth issues, which are the breaking points for his mental health. Not only does he suffer from those issues, he also suffers from anxiety, which he developed from the World Grand Prix scandal, resulting him in having panic attacks. He uses makeup and concealer on scars that show, so the media won't have a field day with him.

I imagine he listens to Japanese pop music a lot, and he likes reading in his spare time. He likes to visit Japanese cherry blossom gardens, because it soothes his anxiety and calms his nerves, and he loves boba (It's one of his guilty pleasures). Song: Anxiety by Besmorph and the Tech Thieves.

Francesco Bernoulli's humanized design was a near-instant design for him. I imagine he has this long curly hair that reaches almost up to his chin on one side, and the other side meets his eyes. Unlike the rest of his fellow WGP racers, his racing suit is open - Similar to how his car counterpart has open wheels. (See what I did there?) Like Shu, he does have scars, which he got from his time grieving for his papa before he got some sense knocked into him. As I explained in previous posts, Francesco lost his papa during a race and he didn't receive the news until after. His coping mechanisms were unhealthy, and his way of training for races was exhausting his body. Giuseppe managed to talk to him, and he has healthier coping mechanisms to deal with his grief now. I think he's a good cook, because Mama Bernoulli taught him, and he's 100% pansexual. He did have a little crush on Lightning McQueen, and he does flirt with him every time, because he's a hopeless romantic. He's probably good friends with Luigi and Guido, and they would probably have spirited conversations. Song: Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter

Miguel Camino was the most fun to do, in terms of design. I had fun doing his Spanish flag, and you can see it's present EVERYWHERE on his racing suit. I made the top half resemble a toreador jacket, as it connects to his past career as a toreador before he became a racer. He also wears toreador boots, which he first got in his early days as a toreador, so he wears them almost all the time. Miguel has a few scars from bullfighting, and he also has a few from the Porto Corsa incident.

He does bullfight in his spare time when he's not training for a race, and I imagine he has a real competitive streak that scares even Francesco at times. Song: Living La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin or Sugar by Maroon 5

Carla Velosa....I quit on her three times.

No matter how many times I watched her turntable on Youtube, I still had a hard time distinguishing the details on her car. I couldn't tell if the primary color was a light yellow or somewhere around white, but I'm mostly satisfied with her design for now. I wanted to show that her suit sparkles, because she's figuratively and literally a star when she hits the dance floor. She has silver studs on her boots, because on her tire rims, there are silver studs on there. The blue is lined along her suit, instead of in a gradient. I think she loves to do dancing in her spare time. She probably took dance classes when she was a kid, and the passion to dance just stuck with her throughout her entire life. You can even see her dancing when you play her turntable on youtube; There's music playing on there, and she's dancing along to it! Being the only girl in the WGP group, she's fierce and it only gives her a chance to prove what she can really do under the hood. Song: Just Dance by Lady Gaga and Colby O' Donis

Max Schnell was probably one of the easiest to do in terms of design. I put the German flag on most of his chest with the World Torque Championship League right into the center. Since he's mostly this dark purple, I wanted to make the German flag present on certain parts of his racing suit, and I put a mini one on his shoes, too.

Since he's an engineer, I imagine he has a masters degree in mechanical engineering and he uses those to modify his race car, and make any repairs on it if he can. He knows a lot about the mechanics of a car and how it works, and he loves to study the track before a a race, so he knows exactly how he should approach it.

Song: I Like Me Better by Lauv

I kinda had a hard time with Rip Clutchgoneski, mainly with his secondary colors, but I was able to make it work.

I wanted the red and green to extend from his chest to his right shoulder, and it kind of goes down his sleeve in this sort of wave instead of in a straight line. The green and red on his left sleeve covers most of the orange there, and as for the pants, the flag is less present there. I wanted to give Rip hair that reaches up to his shoulders and I also wanted to make it look a bit scruffy with a small braid on the left side.

Rip has a really optimistic personality that he gets from his parents, mostly from his mom. While his dad told him to work hard to achieve his goal, his mom was the one to assure him that even if he doesn't win his races, he'll always be their champ because they're his number one fans. Along with being able to compete internationally for the first time in his career, it's this kind of reassurance that he always has a smile on his face - That and it gives him the chance to prove that someone from New Rearendia can do anything. He always wanted to be a racer when he grew up, it's his dream.

Being trans masc for Rip, his parents were really supportive, because it gives them the opportunity to love him even more. He got top surgery when he was 19 years old, and transitioned when he was around 14 years old.

Song: This is Home by Cavetown

Raoul Caroule was fun to do, and also the easiest. Since his car counterpart I wanted the suit to have this spray-paint effect all over in this splash of color, and I wanted his hair to be this light blonde color that goes almost to white that is tied back with a dark blue headband.

Raoul is an adrenaline junkie that's worse than Miguel. He thrives from danger, but only when it doesn't put his life in danger. He and Max are close to each other, and loves rally with a fiery passion. He visits his old friends from Cirque du Voiture during his off season when he can, and he loves doing stunts just for the hell of it.

Song: Drag Me Down by One Direction

Nigel Gearsely's design was the simplest I could do, which is why his racing suit doesn't look as busy as the others. It's just dark green, with light green going down his sleeves, pants and chest, with yellow on his gloves and on the center of his chest.

He likes tea, and he uses the terms such as "chap", "bloke", and mate" whenever possible. Out of the WGP gang, he's not that much of an adrenaline junkie, but since he has this catchphrase "Right then, let me at that track!" I imagine he's real excited whenever he gets to race and he's confident that he'll win every time - Or that he'll place in podium finish, at least. He's best friends with Lewis Hamilton and probably Max Schnell.

Song: Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee

Why am I just now realizing how similar his suit is Nigel's-

I think I had more fun with Lewis Hamilton's hair than I was supposed initially. I put those gold charms and accessories in his hair, but those charms are more present at the front than they are on the back, as you can the charms are at the end of his braids. I got the inspiration from Pinterest to put those charms in his hair, and in case it's hard to tell, his updo is half-up, half-down.

I didn't want to make his suit black or a lighter shade of it, so instead, I made his suit purple-black with a gold color instead of a neon yellow to make it agreeable with the primary color.

He prefers coffee over tea, and when he drank it once in Nigel's presence, it made Nigel upset. He's not ashamed of that tooth gap of his, and whenever he's around Jeff, he gets all excited because those two are like peas in a pod. Lewis and Jeff are in a happy, healthy romantic relationship, and I like to think they started dating a year after the events of the WGP.

Jeff Gorvette was kind of hard to do. I tried to make the flag look like it's moving on his racing suit, but I could never get it right, so I just settlled it for going straight down. There's more stars on his chest than there are on his pants, the blue is only present on his chest with the red being present on his pants.

Jeff and Lewis are - as I already said - are in a healthy and happy romantic relationship. I think he was the first one to confess his feelings to Lewis. The only reason he was able to was because Miguel told him to go for it, because it's better to get it off his chest, even if there was a chance Lewis wasn't going to reciprocate those feelings. When Lewis did reciprocate, Jeff probably cried because he had been holding it up for so long and the anxiety and stress finally caught up to him at that moment.

Besides being in a heathy relationship, Jeff is best friends with Lightning, Miguel and Nigel. He'd probably be the most extroverted out of the WGP gang if Rip didn't beat him by that record by befriending every single racer on day one at the WGP welcoming party in Tokyo.

[boxboxblog]

Women in Motorsports

Hello, this post is answering an ask about women in F1 and F1 related series. Great ask, let's go.

History:

So, unfortunately the history of women in motorsports is a combination of good and bad, but mostly bad. It's a story of limited opportunities, constant barriers, and many female racers being seen as the exception rather than the rule. F1 still to this day is a male-dominated sport, and even as recent as the 2010s many men in F1 deemed female racers to be a bad idea, or that women could not handle it. F1 legend Stirling Moss stated in 2013 or 2014 that "Women don't have mental strength for Formula 1 and would find it tiring" so this really is a culture in F1 that only in recent years has started to change.

But all throughout this history, women did fight for the right to race. Who were these women?

Maria Teresa de Filippis

The first woman to race in F1, she entered the sport in 1958. She competed in five Grand Prix's with Maserati and Behra-Porsche, and finished 10th in Spa. She possibly dealt with the worst of what the F1 world had to offer, as she was even banned from racing at some tracks, even being told at one point that "the only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser's". While she only competed for a short time, she was a pioneer for women in motorsports.

Lella Lombardi

Lombardi is probably the most well known women in F1 history. She grew up racing, competing in karting at a young age and then rising up through other series, before being brought into F1 in 1974. She would race in F1 until 1976, and throughout her career would score points multiple times. Even when she left this series, she would still race for many years to come. While she is not the first woman in F1, she is perhaps the greatest trailblazer, as her performance and competitive spirit inspired many future female drivers and even garnered respect from many F1 legends.

Divina Galica

A famous British athlete (part of their olympic ski team) Galica also pursued a career in motorsports after performing well in a celebrity racing event. She competed in karting, then moved into F2 and F1. She raced in three Grand Prix's between 1976 and 1978, but unfortunately never qualified for the race.

Desiré Wilson

Known as one of the most accomplished female racers in the world, Wilson is the only woman to win an F1 race (as of right now), but this was in the non-championship series, Aurora AFX British F1 Series. Her only entry in the F1 championship series was the British GP, of which she did not qualify. Outside of F1, she had a thriving career, competing in Indycar events, winning the Monza 1000km, winning the Silverstone 6 Hours World Championship, winning the South African Formula Ford Championship, racing in Formula Pacific, the 24 Hrs at Le Mans, and more. A truly impressive racer and career.

Giovanna Amati

The most recent female F1 racer, Amati raced for Brabham in 1992. She had three entries, but did not qualify for a race. Outside of F1, she had a great career. She attended a motorsport academy from a young age, competing in her first series, Formula Abarth, in 1981. She then moved up to Formula 3 and Formula 3000 (scoring multiple win sin both series). She was able to secure a place in F1 after serving as the testing driver for Benetton, but her poor results meant she was fired quickly. After that, she went into other series like Monza 1000km, Sebring 12 hrs, the Ferrari Challenge, etc.

Development and Test Drivers:

Sarah Fisher: Indycar driver, tested for McLaren in 2002

Katherine Legge: Tested with Minardi in 2005

Susie Wolff: A Williams test and reserve driver in 2012, and the last woman to take part in a F1 race weekend as she drove in a FP in 2014. Currently the head of F1 Academy

María de Villota: Test driver for Marussia in 2012. Died from injuries in a crash.

Tatiana Calderón: An IndyCar driver who served as the development and test driver in 2017-218 for Sauber.

Jamie Chadwick: 2019 Williams signed her as a development driver until 2022.

Difficulties:

So, what are the difficulties or barriers that have held women back from competing. There are several, of course. In the early days it was general sexism and the belief that women could not handle racing that did it. The g-force of the car was deemed too aggressive, and even with technological advancements that have lowered g-force, this stereotype that women are too physically weak still lingers. The financial barrier is also a big one. Racing is extremely expensive, and securing a strong sponsorship is required to compete at the highest levels. But sponsors also tend to not go for female drivers as they view it more as a risk, because it is such a male-dominated sport. The general treatment female drivers have received over the years has also discouraged many from pursuing an F1 career. They are often treated to a lot more scrutiny and vitriol than there male counterparts, and on top of that are overly sexualized. I don't quite remember who, but one prominent F1 figure once stated that women should not compete because the second they put on a race suit, they are a sex object to be fantasized about. For young women this would be a massive deterrent to continuing their career. In general, the barriers women have dealt with are a mixture of all of these things put together. But what has the F1 world to try and alleviate these problems?

The W Series:

This series came about in 2019, and was a free-to-enter series for women intended to create a clear pathway and offer them more exposure. It was paused in 2022 after funding issues, and today is not in use. This did help launch the initiative to get more women into motorsports and gained the drivers who compete a lot more public attention.

The F1 Academy:

Launched in 2023, the F1 Academy is a series in the F4 category that is designed to provide support for female drivers, as well as higher access to sponsorships opportunities. Many modern drivers say that the biggest difficulty women in modern motorsports face is the lack of sponsorship opportunities, so the academy attempts to alleviate that. The Academy has their own races, but also trains the drivers on technical skills, media training, and physical conditioning. While this program is sometimes seen as controversial, mostly because people feel that it is condescending to put women in a separate category, this is mostly because people do not realize the purpose it. The goal is to help these young female drivers gain attention from sponsors so they can go on to afford to compete in the general categories, like F3, F2, and eventually F1. It is not intended as anything but a jumping off point and training center. Sponsors do not tend to go for young female racers because of the F1 gender bias, so the academy attempts to get rid of this, not replace the lower level series, and help the drivers gain more public attention.

The Future:

So, due to this growing momentum in recent years around women in motorsports, the question comes around; when will be see a woman in F1? I wish I had a good answer to this question. Most people believe that we could see a female F1 driver within the next decade, while others think it may take longer than that. As for how the academy helps, we haven't see the results quite yet. The drivers for the F1 Academy certainly have received much more attention that they would have due to the series, but they are still in the first generation so there are not clear results. The good news is that big name teams like Ferrari are starting to support young female drivers through their junior programs, and so perhaps we will see a female F1 driver sooner than we think. It still is a bit of an uphill battle, but I am optimistic about the future.

Alright, I hope I answered any questions about this topic. As a woman and a motorsport enthusiast, this a topic is very near and dear to my heart. Thank you again for the fantastic ask.

Cheers,

-B

[b0tster]

Worked on the minimap for today's Nightmare Kart dev post!

The minimap was broken for a long time, so I hunted down the bug and fixed it so it now works as intended. On top of that, I also added the NPC racer to the minimap (will need to make the icon smaller as they can easily be mistaken for the player atm!) and gave them the heart icon seen in battle mode!

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