#it's very fun he's very unwell :)

[jorisjurgen]

I feel like these 2 quotes are literally the core of Kim's character. Like yeah he spills the whole thing here.

He's afraid of becoming a joke and he really likes not taking the first step when doing something fun. I'm actually speechless about how open he is about it, in these 2 moments.

[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This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first.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 :(

[soullessjack]

notice how jack maintains his manners even while still psychotic and prone to violent outbursts. very Cutesy🫶 very mindful 🧘 Very demure 🤌

[cloudbends]

OH I AM INCONSOLABLE. DEVASTATED.

[quatregats]

They love each other so much <3

[skishie]

his name is cliff carver

[good-beans]

I am not immune to cheesy anime one liners and stunning gender ambiguous swordsmen.....

[mercuryislove]

I've been playing persona with my bestie almost every single night since p3r came out and we just finished p5r last night and now I'm like. what's going to fill this arcana-based void in my heart. what else could possibly be the means by which all is revealed

[pochapal]

i have a cold and a nasty cough and i am not being brave about it

[windcarvedlyre]

Your complex where you enjoy having total control over patients is showing, Tsumiki.

She really is a genderbent, woobier Komaeda, huh.

[greymouse42]

oh good you saw the character ask meme. let’s start off easy

Mal: 3, 7, 19, 29, 43 5050505050

and bonus Hemlock questions : 5, 35

"let's start off easy" [fear.jpg] (affectionate)

Delta Green (the "everything's horrible and eldritch" TTRPG) OC brainrot beneath the cut (with some bonus BG3 OC questions 💙)

Malachi Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms Steadman

3. Obscure headcanon

Boy Scout. Never got close to eagle scout, but it's related to why he wound up hiking a big chunk of the Appalachian Trail.

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

40yo in 2015

5ft 11in

I genuinely have no idea what's a reasonable weight for his stupid Captain America build. 170?? Idk?

19. Vices/bad habits

Vice: work...

Bad habit: accidentally staring

29. Eating habits

Does not eat at all when stressed; is often stressed. In the same vein: guilty of not considering food at all until he's actively hungry and then even though he's canonically good at cooking he'll just eat a sandwich in the cold light of the fridge at 9pm and call it good.

Does need to eat breakfast and have a coffee in the mornings or he'll be an asshole.

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

Favs:

He's a simple dude if you give him a good-enough steak he might cry

Pasta with vodka sauce

Pretzels

Despises:

Pickles, especially sweet pickles

Horseradish

Cornbread

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

[redacted :)]

Jokes aside there is... so much. And most of it is stuff I don't know that the Handler can just spring on me at any moment, which is fun/terrifying.

For this question though: I don't think he remembers dropping out of college.

Hemlock

5. Best personality trait

They're very brave. Like, when it matters, they are 'will stand up to a god without flinching' levels of brave.

35. Their idea of a perfect day

Squinting into the sun, walking through a big city; nobody here except their boyfriend knows their name.

[bmpmp3]

the really beautiful landscape/skyscape animation in makoto shinkai's works tends to be the big thing i see focused on and that is understandable and deserved like the weather and lighting effects are unREAL but i do think we should also appreciate how absolute insane the plotlines of his original movies get. at least two movies with in universe catastrophes with major ecological implications. the guns and explosions. theres that one movie i havent seen yet with the guy who turns into a chair (?)

[sinsofsinister]

also ffx shiva will forever be my fav shiva but ffvii shiva is also serving cunt with her silly ariana grande ponytail like if i got this game when it first came out i'd have realised i liked women so much sooner

[scalproie]

god you people do not understand sub zero

[dandyshucks]

something that makes me laugh when I actually take a second to think about it is that when we (system) are unsure who is fronting and care about figuring it out then one of the newer questions we'll ask ourselves is "how do i feel about guz.ma from pokemon right now" SBDHDHJSSKL

IF THERE'S FEELINGS OF SWOONING THEN THAT'S ME. if there isnt then it's literally any other part of the brain SBDHDNMSL

[queer-quester]

Bloop