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This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first.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 :(
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My last post about bloodweave was pretty negative (though necessarily so imo) so I wanted to talk about the little things about the bloodweave dynamic that I DO like and want to see more of in fic (under the cut).
- the orb means Astarion can't start their relationship transactionally. Gale can't give Astarion blood, and also can't have sex with him (and presumably would refuse casual sex anyway). How would the relationship develop without Astarion being able to rely on the give-and-take, forced instead to just trust Gale will watch his back? Astarion isn't a plans guy, I imagine having to come up with something on the spot (considering none of the other companions are reeaaaally an option either) would lead to a lot more emotional vulnerability as he tries to take a route he has much less experience with. Not to mention that the flirty and standoffish front isn't exactly going to endear him to Gale, who approves of the capable, loyal, and righteous. How long can Astarion pretend to be invested in Gale's wellbeing before it becomes true?
- they both have bad ascension endings, but different natural outcomes. Gale is considered the more morally upstanding one, but in their solo states (without the player's influence) Gale will go through with ascension and Astarion won't. Would they goad each other on? Gale disapproves of Astarion's ascension, using arguments that could apply to himself about the personal sacrifice and loss of the soul. Would Astarion flip them around, become defensive? Their dynamic could mean the power hungry character ending up discouraging the pursuit of godhood, or the two of them hurtling over the edge together. Or, maybe, Astarion encouraging Gale to ascend and having to trust him to return.
- they're the party members with the most life experience, and they're also both pretty well-educated (even if Astarion's law qualifications may well have expired by the events of the game). He spent his time under Cazador sewing (like Gale in his Baldur's Gate epilogue) and learning languages (of which Gale knows four). They have enduring common interests beyond their circumstances. Gale can help Astarion rediscover the latent nerd potential he lost when he died, and lord knows he would love to pick his brain for a first hand account of the mid-to-late 12th century.
- Astarion recently regained hope for his future when the tadpole freed him, Gale recently lost all of it. While act 1 is a continuous series of positive discoveries for Astarion (tadpole frees him from cazador -> ceremorphosis is held off by the dream visitor -> tadpole can be controlled), Gale's life gets worse with time as his treatment stops working. It's a dynamic that could give Gale hope, force Astarion to practise empathy, or put them completely at odds.
- Astarion's all-encompassing desire to reclaim his life could be inspiring to Gale. Moreover, I imagine seeing just how passive Gale is about his death would infuriate him. To have so little regard for his real, mortal, free life? It's a great source of angst, and also a great starting point for Gale to start wanting to live again. Because after learning about Astarion's past he would agree, he'd recognise how much value a mortal life was supposed to have. He'd think himself ungrateful or impolite for entertaining the idea of throwing it away when Astarion would give anything to have what he had. This would lead to guilt, and potentially self-loathing, unless someone was there to help pick up the pieces.
- If Astarion meets Oblodra before Gale's act 2 romance scene, (or for a fanfic plot, just before Gale is confident enough to confess) they most likely won't have sex until the graveyard scene in late act 3 (or the post-ascension equivalent). It means that rather than the fuckfest we so often see from bloodweave fics, the relationship is almost entirely a slow-burning, emotionally intimate affair. I'd really love to see that play out, the progression from semi-horny yearning on both parts as the orb keeps them apart, to two love confessions that are followed by the both of them experiencing non-sexual intimacy for the first time in years. I doubt Mystra was one to hug her chosen, after all, or hold their hands.
I just love a bg3 ship that forces the characters to take different actions than they do in canon. It makes me feel like I'm developing a broader understanding of the characters, you know?
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SIR! SIR! imma need you to be writing more nsfw chase fics! i have no shame. i need more. im on my hands and knees. credit card out and ready. i will even give you scenarios if you need some. im begging, crying, screaming, wailing, salivating, barking, meowing, purring, wobbling, and all the other i-n-g-s. you're the only one that gets into it. 😩
i literally love u… here’s something thats been floating in my brain for a hot minute (that i never wrote because of lack of motiv+ive been sick ugh)
but PLEASE send me scenarios if you have any! i ALWAYS wanna write stuff for him but its just about if i have actual ideas or not
its literally nothing but porn without plot under the cut you’ve been warned (chase davenport x gn!reader)
Chase had finally come up with a way to recharge without his capsule.
He spared you the nitty gritty of it, only telling you he had changed the way his entire room worked in order for him to sleep in your (now) shared bed. You told him he didn’t have to go through all that just because you wanted to sleep next to him- but he insisted that he was just as desperate to hold you, too.
The thought of that made you feel warm.
You watch as he turns off the light, cuddled up in his own set of pajamas, which you note have a little Davenport Industries logo on the side. He squeezes in next to you, lifting the covers above his body.
“I never knew how you slept without a blanket,” You note, “It’s so cold in your room… and you were just in a glass capsule.”
“Highly flexible industry grade polymer,” Chase corrects, with the ‘I’m a genius’ smile plastered on his cute face, “And these pajamas are designed to be warmer than blankets, with adjustable settings to regulate it to human body temperatures. You can also just turn those features off completely.”
You gape at him, eyebrows furrowed tight, watching as he giggles at your expression. “God, you Davenports are so strange.”
He just hums in response, a big, dumb grin lighting up his face.
You settle in, turning around to your side. When you feel him hesitating, you grasp his hand in yours, pulling his arm to slot over your side. He pulls you in tight, spooning your form against his. You feel his face bury itself into your neck, humming, nustling itself into your skin.
“‘S really nice,” Chase says after a few beats- voice muffled with his face in your neck.
You laugh a little, squeezing his hand. “It is for me too.”
You feel him push his body closer to yours, like he’s trying to get as close as he can. His hands bunch up at your pajama shirt, legs intertwining with yours, trying to pull you closer to him.
“Mm, Chase,” You hum, “You okay?”
“Mmhm,” He says, “I just- I want to be close to you.”
“I don’t think you can get any closer than this.” You giggle.
Chase hums in response. You know how clingy he can be, how touch starved he is, constantly clinging to you like a koala or a sloth to a tree. You bet he’d hold you for the rest of his life if he could- not getting up to a single other thing.
You feel his thumb barely touching the light hint of your skin that peeks out from your scrunched shirt, feather light and shaky. He’s praying you don’t notice him taking in your smell.
You slide your leg between his, intertwining your limbs to bring him ever tighter, pulling him forward with your tangled hands. You hear him grunt as he slots against your back, before stilling behind you, lifting his head off from your neck.
“Sorry.”
You don’t understand what he’s talking about… until you feel it.
Oh.
Oh.
“Chase,” You breathe out a laugh, “It’s okay. Don’t apologize.”
“It just- it just happens.”
You can feel him trying to hover his crotch away from your ass, trying not to press his obvious hard-on against you. You two have had sex before- but since it’s still early in that stage of your relationship, his nerves are still never ending, never wanting to overstep a boundary.
You grab onto his hip, pulling him towards you to press just as tightly as he was before. He grunts at the contact, pulling his lip between his teeth.
“You don’t have to,” Chase says, ever the gentleman, voice laced with tensity.
“Chasey,” You breathe, knowing full well what any pet name does to him, “I like making you feel good.”
He lets out a long trembling breath at that. He stays silent for a minute, clearly contemplating something, the cogs in his brain practically audible.
“Can I, uh,” Chase stutters, fidgeting with your shirt. “Can I just… do this…?”
You feel him grind against your ass experimentally. That makes you moan, shifting it back against him, reveling in the soft, barely noticeable noise he makes.
“Go ahead, baby,” You encourage. “Get yourself off for me.”
That makes him whine, burying his face back into your neck. He can never get used to your vulgarity.
Chase’s hips start moving, softly humping against you. You hold his hips in aid, guiding him with more determined strokes.
“That feel good?” You ask. He moans softly, nodding his head.
His movements get faster as he adds more pressure, his hand gliding up your stomach. Sensing his hestiance, you grab his hand and place it on your chest, feeling him pinch a nipple from over your shirt.
“I’m-“ He starts, cutting himself off with a groan, “I’m close- I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, baby, you’re doing such a good job for me. You deserve it. Let yourself go.”
Chase’s whines amp up in volume, getting more and more frequent while his thrusts lose their rhythm. He’s trying to muffle his sounds into your skin, embarrassed by how much he’s enjoying this.
With a final groan, he stills, legs twitching as you feel his pants dampen.
He’s panting as he comes down, barely moving. You reach back to pet his hair, turning and placing a soft kiss on his forehead. “Was that good?”
He hums in response, still high pitched and breathy. That makes you giggle, squeezing his cheek.
As you begin to push yourself up off the bed, you feel him grab you.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m just gonna get you a washcloth and new pajamas, don’t worry.”
Chase’s eyes are big and dreamy as he speaks. “I want- I want to return the favor.”
You smile, heart warming - knowing full well its not out of obligation but out of his own want.
“Can you do that in the shower?”
You’ve never seen him get up so fast.
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