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#apex 2010
lowpolypeople · 1 year
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Catalyst (Low-Poly) from Apex Legends
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dailygaming · 2 years
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Lifeline & Doc in Apex Legends | Stories from the Outlands: Family Business
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dilf-in-peril · 1 year
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The mask really brings out his eyes.
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mcmansionhell · 1 year
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this house may or may not be real
on grayness in real estate
Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this:
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A McMansion is, in effect, the same house over and over again - it's merely dressed up in different costumes. In the 90s, the costume was Colonial; in the 2000s, it was vague forms of European (Tuscan, Mediterranean), and in the 2010s it was Tudor, dovetailed by "the farmhouse" -- a kind of Yeti Cooler simulacra of rural America peddled to the populace by Toll Brothers and HGTV.
Now, we're fully in the era of whatever this is. Whitewashed, quasi-modern, vaguely farmhouse-esque, definitely McMansion. We have reached, in a way, peak color and formal neutrality to the point where even the concept of style has no teeth. At a certain moment in its life cycle, styles in vernacular architecture reach their apex, after which they seem excessively oversaturated and ubiquitous. Soon, it's time to move on. After all, no one builds houses that look like this anymore:
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(This is almost a shame because at least this house is mildly interesting.)
If we return to the basic form of both houses, they are essentially the same: a central foyer, a disguised oversized garage, and an overly complex assemblage of masses, windows, and rooflines. No one can rightfully claim that we no longer live in the age of the McMansion. The McMansion has instead simply become more charmless and dull.
When HGTV and the Gaineses premiered Fixer Upper in 2013, it seemed almost harmless. Attractive couple flips houses. Classic show form. However, Fixer Upper has since (in)famously ballooned into its own media network, a product line I'm confronted with every time I go to Target, and a general 2010s cultural hallmark not unlike the 1976 American Bicentennial - both events after which every house and its furnishings were somehow created in its image. (The patriotism, aesthetic and cultural conservatism of both are not lost on me.)
But there's one catch: Fixer Upper is over, and after the Gaineses, HGTV hasn't quite figured out where to go stylistically. With all those advertisers, partners, and eyeballs, the pressure to keep one foot stuck in the rural tweeness that sold extremely well was great. At the same time, the network (and the rest of the vernacular design media) couldn't risk wearing out its welcome. The answer came in a mix of rehashed, overly neutral modernism -- with a few pops of color, yet this part often seems omitted from its imitators -- with the prevailing "farmhouse modern" of Magnolia™ stock. The unfortunate result: mega-ultra-greige.
Aside from war-mongering, rarely does the media manufacture consent like it does in terms of interior design. People often ask me: Why is everything so gray? How did we get here? The answer is because it is profitable. Why is it profitable? I'd like to hypothesize several reasons. The first is as I mentioned: today's total neutrality is an organic outgrowth of a previous but slightly different style, "farmhouse modern," that mixed the starkness of the vernacular farmhouse with the soft-pastel Pinterest-era rural signifiers that have for the last ten years become ubiquitous.
Second, neutrals have always been common and popular. It's the default choice if you don't have a vision for what you want to do in a space. In the 2000s, the neutrals du jour were "earth tones" - beige, sage green, brown. Before that, it was white walls with oak trim in the 80s and 90s. In the 70s, neutrals were textural: brick and wood paneling. We have remarkably short memories when it comes to stylistic evolution because in real time it feels incremental. Such is the case with neutrals.
Finally, the all-gray palette is the end logic of HGTV et al's gamified methodology of designing houses with commodification in mind: if you blow out this wall, use this color, this flooring, this cabinetry, the asking price of your house goes up. You never want to personalize too much because it's off-putting to potential buyers. After twenty years of such rhetoric, doesn't it make all the sense in the world that we've ended up with houses that are empty, soulless, and gray?
A common realtor adage is to stage the house so that potential buyers can picture their own lives in it. In other words, create a tabula rasa one can project a fantasy of consumption onto. Implied in that logic is that the buyer will then impose their will on the house. But when the staged-realtor-vision and general-mass-market aesthetic of the time merge into a single dull slurry, we get a form of ultra-neutral that seems unwelcoming if not inescapable.
To impose one's style on the perfect starkness is almost intimidating, as though one is fouling up something untouchable and superior. If neutrality makes a house sell, then personality - at all - can only be seen as a detriment. Where does such an anti-social practice lead us? Back to the house that may or may not exist.
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In my travels as McMansion Hell, I've increasingly been confronted with houses full of furniture that isn't real. This is known as virtual staging and it is to house staging as ChatGPT is to press release writing or DALL-E is to illustration. As this technology improves, fake sofa tables are becoming more and more difficult to discern from the real thing. I'm still not entirely sure which of the things in these photos are genuine or rendered. To walk through this house is to question reality.
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Staging ultimately pretends (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) that someone is living in this house, that you, too could live in it. Once discovered, virtual staging erases all pretensions: the house is inhabited by no one. It is generally acknowledged (though I'm not sure on the actual statistics) that a house with furniture - that is, with the pretense of living -- sells easier than a house with nothing in it, especially if that house (like this one) has almost no internal walls. Hence the goal is to make the virtual staging undiscoverable.
If you want to talk about the realtor's tabula rasa, this is its final form. Houses without people, without human involvement whatsoever.
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But what makes this particular house so uncanny is that all of these things I've mentioned before: real estate listing photography, completely dull interiors and bland colors all make it easy for the virtual furniture to work so well. This is because the softness of overlit white and gray walls enables the fuzzy edges of the renderings to look natural when mixed with an overstylized reality. Even if you notice something's off in the reflections, that's enough to cause one to wonder if anything in the house is real: the floors, the fixtures, the moulding, the windows and doors.
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This is where things are heading: artifice on top of artifice on top of artifice. It's cheap, it's easy. But something about it feels like a violation. When one endeavors to buy a house, one assumes what one is viewing is real. It's one thing if a realtor photoshops a goofy sunset, it's another to wonder if anything in a room can be touched with human hands. I won't know what, if any, part of this estate costing over 2 million dollars actually exists until I visit it myself. Perhaps that's the whole point - to entice potential buyers out to see for themselves. When they enter, they'll find the truth: a vast, empty space with nothing in it.
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The better this rendering technology gets, the more it will rely on these totally neutral spaces because everything matches and nothing is difficult. You are picking from a catalog of greige furniture to decorate greige rooms. If you look at virtual staging in a non-neutral house it looks immediately plastic and out of place, which is why many realtors opt to either still stage using furniture or leave the place empty.
Due to the aforementioned photography reasons, I would even argue that the greigepocalypse or whatever you want to call it and virtual staging have evolved simultaneously and mutualistically. The more virtual staging becomes an industry standard, the more conditions for making it seamless and successful will become standardized as well.
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After all, real staging is expensive and depends on paid labor - selecting furniture, getting workers to deliver and stage it, only to pack it back up again once the property is sold. This is a classic example of technology being used to erase entire industries. Is this a bad thing? For freelance and contract workers, yeah. For realtors? no. For real estate listings, it remains to be seen. For this blog? Absolutely. (Thankfully there is an endless supply of previously existing McMansions.)
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The thing is, real estate listings no longer reflect reality. (Did they ever to begin with?) The reason we're all exasperated with greige is because none of us actually live that way and don't want to. I've never been to anyone's house that looks like the house that may or may not exist. Even my parents who have followed the trends after becoming empty nesters have plenty of color in their house. Humans like color. Most of us have lots of warmth and creativity in our houses. Compare media intended for renters and younger consumers such as Apartment Therapy with HGTV and you will find a stark difference in palate and tone.
But when it comes to actually existing houses - look at Zillow and it's greige greige greige. So who's doing this? The answer is real estate itself aided by their allies in mass media who in turn are aided by the home renovation industry. In other words, it's the people who sell home as a commodity. That desire to sell has for some time overpowered all other elements that make up a home or an apartment's interiority to the point where we've ended up in a colorless slurry of real and unreal.
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Fortunately, after ten years or so, things begin to become dated. We're hitting the ten year mark of farmhouse modernism and its derivatives now. If you're getting sick of it, it's normal. The whole style is hopefully on its last leg. But unlike styles of the past, there's a real, trenchant material reason why this one is sticking around longer than usual.
Hence, maybe if we want the end of greige, we're going to have to take color back by force.
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a-dinosaur-a-day · 9 months
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What's most amazing about people who hate that birds are dinosaurs is that, without the discovery of birds being dinosaurs in the 1960s, none of y'all would have ever actually cared about dinosaurs
the history:
dino craze in 1800s. people thought, birds are very similar to these guys. Dollo fucked it up, made a bad theory, and people stopped thinking that
Early 1900s, dinosaurs deemed sluggish, stupid, pointless evolutionary failures. most people not really into dinosaurs anymore. this continues until
1960s: Deinonychus discovered. suddenly, dinosaurs interesting again: vibrant, lively, warm blooded animals. Also... birds might be dinosaurs?
from the 60s through the 70s, a slow buildup of dinosaur culture - both in crappy stop motion movies, but also in children's books and other media
80s cladistics revolution shows birds are living dinosaurs, though not without flaws. documentary after documentary is made, causing the major dinosaur boom of the late 80s and early 90s
the peak of this boom are the A&E and PBS documentaries, which both outright state birds are dinosaurs
cartoons like land before time and other dinosaur content keep coming out too, especially at the end of the 80s and the earliest 90s
the book jurassic park, referencing the birds are dinosaurs thing, is written in the late 80s. in the early 90s, is adapted into one of the greatest blockbusters of all time. now dinosaur interest is MAINSTREAM.
jurassic park isn't the start of the dinosaur boom, it is the apex
90s becomes the decade of dinosaurs, with tons of new discoveries, television shows, documentaries, and other programming
1996 first feathered "nonavian" dinosaur discovered. birds are dinosaurs is the closest thing we have to proven phylogenetic fact
1999 walking with dinosaurs premieres, revolutionizing the dinosaur-documentary genre.
early 2000s becomes the age of Period-Type Dino-Docu-Dramas
velociraptor is determined to have feathers
suddenly, dinosaur mania starts to die in the later 2000s
even though discoveries keep happening and we learn so much in the 2010s, the 2010s becomes a very regressive time - a sort of reactionary response to the birdification of dinosaurs and the dinosaurification of birds. the height of this is jurassic world
we may be in the middle of a dino-docu-drama revitilization thanks to prehistoric planet. stay tuned on that one
like, everyone was fine with the birdification of dinosaurs up and until they looked "feminine" on the outside, because of feathers.
It's just all such transparent misogyny and homophobia and people who react against feathered dinosaurs or birds being dinosaurs are just... so transparently parroting conservative talking points
Anyways, yeah. without birds are dinosaurs, you wouldn't have jurassic park. Sooooo
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vettelsdarling · 7 months
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Okay so if it's okay I have a seb (rbr seb to be precise) request. We all know rbr seb was a menace, chaos lover and flirty (we all love him for that) so enemies to lovers (at least one sided because I have no doubt this man while loving by all grid also hated by some) with seb would be amazing... Imagine all the tension 🫣🫣 but happy ending of course because nowadays I need my healthy dosage of fluff with a bit of angst sprinkle 💗🙏🏻
𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞
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Lissie note… I am SO happy someone finally requested Seb<3 An enemies to lovers too!!! This prompt is pure gold! Really love the one-sided touch too. Thank you!!!
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Things to note
This is set to start in late 2010 and progress from there on (only until Seb’s last year at rbr)
Accuracy to real driver standings will be off due to the reader insert
Michael did not get in any accident here<3
Reader is 22 and Sebastian is 23
Reader is with Mercedes, driving alongside Michael (put him instead of Rosberg because Michael knows Seb better. You’ll get it when you read)
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Pairing: Sebastian Vettel x Mercedes!Fem!Reader
Warnings: Angst, a little bit of cursing
Word Count: 6.4k+
Playlist Recommendations: 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟💗, 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭💔, 𝐒𝐕𝟓
Taglist: @drugged-kitkat , @darleneslane
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𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞
A master of your art. That’s what you liked to think of yourself as. You weren’t driven by fame or money. Rather the excitement of the rush. The feeling of hitting each apex just right— you relished in it. If there was one thing you really were driven by, however; it was winning a championship. You’d won a few races in your career and had your national anthem played for everyone to hear, but no more of that. Your sole goal was to receive the title above all other titles.
Your dreams of such were cut short by one Red Bull driver. Sebastian Vettel. You sat there at the prize-giving ceremony, waiting for Formula One racers to be called up. Michael sat next to you with Corinna. She gave you a sympathetic smile, knowing you missed out on the championship and landed 2nd overall.
Michael claimed Sebastian meant no ill will. He was just young and spirited. You begged to differ. The smirk he’d give you after winning a race begged to differ. His whole… shtick… begged to differ.
Alonso was called on stage to receive his award for landing 3rd, which meant that you had to be ready to receive yours too. You brushed down the sides of your dress, asking Corrina if you looked okay. She seemed surprised you’d even ask such a question but reassured you with a smile and a nod.
When your name was called, a thump in your heart reached the base of your throat. Podium celebrations were one thing, but the prize-giving was an entirely different thing altogether.
Although it was supposed to be a celebration, all you saw was a sea of pitiful glances. Most people knew of your unfortunate position, though many were too afraid to comment on it.
“Sebastian Vettel” Oh the great Sebastian Vettel! World’s youngest champion yet! That could’ve been you. Easily. You hated the thought of not being there on the highest step. The young German gave you a wink before he received his massive trophy. You were in front of hundreds of people and the ceremony was being taped, so you did nothing but smile and seem grateful.
Sure, you were actually grateful for receiving anything at all, but it all seemed like pity. All that was left was to throw your own pity party with a pint of Pinot and a sad romance movie.
The interviews were a nightmare. Every single one of them kept trying to sell you their act. All the while the questions surrounded your relationship with Sebastian. One of undoubted hate for one another. At least on your side.
You didn’t even bother going back to the hotel. The after-party was the one thing you actually looked forward to. The booze, mainly. Anything to drown out your sorrows, really. Oh, how you despised all the small gestures people did for you as an act of congratulating you. Your mixed feelings nearly slapped the vodka shot out of a waitress’ hand. You were a menace in this state.
“Easy on those shots, you came here alone. Wouldn’t want to go home too wasted.” A voice came up behind you.
“Well, that’s a little too late, Hamilton.” His look was that of genuine concern. He knew what you were doing. He knew exactly what that vodka was for.
“You’ll get him next time. At least you’re on the podium, right?” Great. Even one of your closest friends started to pity you.
“Fuck off, would you?” Luckily, he was very understanding and didn’t take any of your words to heart. He got out of your way and went to socialize. That’s when the coin fell. You were alone. He was right. You had no means of getting home. Taxis were rare in that part of town, and your hotel was far away. You were really in a pile of shit.
“Whatever,” you mumbled to yourself and one-shotted a sipping whiskey. It burned your throat with vigour and surged through your body like a pest.
Completely wasted, you felt extremely hot. It didn’t cross your mind to take a breather outside. No, instead, you slowly pulled the sleeve of your dress down. With your shoulder exposed, you could only chase that relief of cool air.
That attempt? Cut short. By none other than Sebastian Vettel. Perhaps a championship in interference would serve him well. He stopped you and pulled your sleeve back up. It felt like an insult. Another jab that he wanted to throw your way.
“Fuck off and let me do my thing,” you kept aimlessly pulling at your sleeve. The feat was just as great as your races against him.
“Stop it. You’re drunk.”
“Wow, I hadn’t noticed. You want another trophy for that discovery?” The friction against the soft satin of your dress eventually made it tear. Both of you froze before you got up and b-lined towards the exit. Anything to get away from him. You pushed through the masses of people in the club and eventually got outside.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rip your dress.” Much to your misfortune, the constant bother had followed you outside.
“You’ve already ruined more than just my dress. Must you ruin the rest of my night too?” You looked him deep in the eyes. You didn’t even have to act like you’d given up— because you most definitely had. No question.
“I’m about to make your night bearable if you’ll let me.” He took off his blazer and wrapped it around you, so you wouldn’t catch a cold in your skimpy dress. You hated the sentiment. You hated his whole “holier than thou” personality. Why? Because it was for show. He was nothing but a monster. He was behind many of your crashes and never gave you any space. You resented him for his quirky little stunts.
“Whatever, youngest world champion.” You couldn’t help but scoff at the title. He had played foul to win it. That title should’ve been yours, but no. Sebastian Vettel stole your glory.
“Come on, don’t be like that. At least value your own well-being. Let’s just get you a coffee to sober up with. You can curse me out as much as you want in the morning.” He tried to guide you forward, but you hunched over and up came all of your vodka shots. He held your hair back as you emptied out the contents of your stomach. It was revolting. You felt disgusting.
“I sure hope I won’t see you in the morning— let alone tomorrow.” Not exactly the toughest thing to say when you’re coughing for your life.
“You won’t even remember this, you know?”
“Makes it better. Then I don’t have to remember how I actually spent more than 10 minutes alone with you.” You were still hunched over, but the snarkiness in your voice triumphed that.
“You really dislike me, don’t you?” He chuckled.
“Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.”
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The Red Bull champion ended up being right. You had completely forgotten about the exchange. Someone had hailed you a taxi and you’d drunkenly gotten yourself to your hotel room. That’s how you remembered it. You were still bitter about the ceremony and Sebastian’s selfish attitude. Sure, you’d expect nothing less from a racer, especially in Formula One, but he was a different kind of heartless. He mocked you. He didn’t care if he hurt you on track. That was your own fault.
Sebastian Vettel was your sworn enemy.
The media had become desensitized to your drama with him, as something always happened at every race. It was impossible to not argue with the guy. All he cared about was winning and he wasn’t in the sport to make friends. It was almost as if he wanted to be hated. You simply couldn’t understand how he and Lewis managed to get along. They somehow managed to separate their work from their friendship. You had that relationship with most of the grid, but Sebastian was too unsportsmanlike for your taste. Michael always tried to reason with you, often softening the blow of some of Vettel’s words, saying he “didn’t mean it” or was “just worked up”. You looked up to Michael, but you could never back that. It was bull. Sebastian had no redeeming qualities. He was overly flirtatious and aggressive. You hated that.
Every interview he had with a woman was met with his flirty remarks and his devious smile. You always had to sit there and soak in his gloating. He was insufferable.
“I really don’t see what the problem is. He’s just really obsessed with his career, no?” You had invited your friend out for brunch before your plane. The first race of the season was in Australia. Mark Webber’s home race. A challenge for Sebastian. Mark was tired of his teammate. Much like yourself. You could smell a possible truce. Although that’d be foul play. Unsportsmanlike of you. Were you going to be the bigger person? Of course. You were mature.
“He makes me want to crash my car into his. I should definitely do that in Australia.” You were not mature.
“You don’t mean that. Besides, it’s not even that deep. You don’t have to make something big out of the rush he gets from being in the moment. Don’t you also cuss at your engineer from time to time?” She had a valid point, but it went into one ear and straight out the other. You loved her to death, but she was spewing nonsense.
“Sebastian is an asshole. That’s the bottom line. Whose side are you on anyway?!” You scolded. She twirled her fork in the pasta and let out a faint chuckle.
“Of course, I’m on your side… but you can’t lie. Sebastian is cute.” It was official. Your friend was possessed.
“In what world? I told you about his dirty tricks. How is he still cute?” He was the devil in disguise. Some drivers were able to see it, but most were gullible enough to even befriend him. Your hatred didn’t come from a place of jealousy. It came from a place of being cast aside because of him. Time and time again. It was tiring, and you couldn’t do anything about it. The Mercedes car wasn’t nearly as fast as Red Bull. You desperately wanted it to be.
“Whatever. What I’m saying is, maybe he’s not all that bad off-track.” Oh, but he was. His flirtatious behaviour off-track was nearly as bad as his insufferable one on track. You couldn’t stand it.
“He is. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Your friend drove you to the jet and the two of you exchanged a few hugs and whatnot. She wished you good luck before you got on.
Inside, you saw many familiar faces. Michael being one of them. He pointed to the seat across from his own and signalled for you to sit. When you did, he leaned forward and you could already tell he was going to talk about your least favourite driver again. For whatever reason, he was set on trying to change your mind. “Seb is not a bad person”, “He’s just young and hot-headed”, and “He doesn’t know any better”… all of those excuses meant nothing to you. Sebastian was just that; a dirty driver.
“So, let’s find a way to beat him this year, yes?” You were taken aback. He never said something like that. Sure, he’d console you and help you through your sorrows of finishing behind Vettel, but he was always neutral. Never on either “side”. Though he did tend to seem like he was on Sebastian’s.
“We’re in a Mercedes. I don’t see any way for us. It’s just straight down on the charts. I mean, will I even be able to land a podium this year? I heard McLaren have been pulling their weight for this year. Like… a lot.” Michael contemplated what to say for a moment, but tried to console you nonetheless. He was a father, so he’d gotten quite good at that.
“We can still put up a good fight, right?”
“I suppose.” You could only hope for a miracle. Christian Horner was unrelenting with his new golden boy, Sebastian. The Red Bulls were unstoppable. You had no other choice but to follow Michael’s spirit. Just put up a good fight.
Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.
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It was practice day. You were getting ready, suiting up, and seating yourself in the car. Your heart was beating fast. It had been a while since you last sat in a real car. You’d done your fair share of sim racing whilst on break, but it was nothing compared to the real deal.
“Good luck,” your engineer clapped your helmet before you were released. The car felt surprisingly great. It was smooth and you felt like it synced well with your driving style.
Then came Sebastian. Again. He sped past you. Although you couldn’t see him, you just knew he was smirking behind that helmet of his. He relished in your mental torment. It was his source of amusement.
You finished P3. Lewis finished P2 and Sebastian, yet again, finished P1. It was only the first round of practice though. You promised yourself that you’d do everything in your power to finish P1 in the qualifying session.
You didn’t keep your promise. You fell short and landed a finishing spot at P2. Devastating, but your team was happy you got a front-row start anyway. Whenever the interviews finished, you tried to find Michael. Only to see him chatting with him. They were having a laugh— joking around. The sight made you furious. Again, not in jealousy, but the sheer thought that Michael fell for Sebastian’s shtick.
“Hey, Michael. Could we talk? There’s something about the car.” The interjection was abrupt and one might even call it rude, but did you care? Absolutely not. You had no reason to whatsoever. It was Vettel after all.
“Actually, I was just saying goodbye to Sebastian. Corinna is waiting for me outside. How about you tell me tomorrow? Maybe talk to the engineers too. Anyways, see you guys!” Just great. You sighed as you watched your teammate leave.
“That’s some rejection,” said the German standing next to you. Ugh. Wrong German.
“What do you want?”
“Let’s grab coffee sometime soon.” What? You were used to his flirty remarks being directed at the interviewers and whatnot… but this?
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Unbelievable. He was unbelievable. You scoffed and put your hand in front of his face before walking off. Giving him the satisfaction of an answer wasn’t exactly your style, and it wouldn’t ever be.
“You didn’t say no!” He yelled from behind you. Ignoring him, you made a turn so that you’d disappear from his sight. His presence was exhausting and downright draining.
Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.
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“Box box,” said your engineer. You were on hards and chasing Sebastian who was on hards as well. It made no sense to pit after a mere 23 laps.
“Are you sure? I’ve got a good chance here. I don’t think it’s time. We didn’t discuss this.” The original plan was to pit when Sebastian would, and it seemed like he was going to do a one-stop.
“We’re sure. You need to get on mediums. We just switched Michael too. Get in.” You sighed and got ready to slow down in the pit lane. It was painful to see Sebastian take the win like that. P1 felt like a distant dream for you at that point.
“This better work. I swear, this better fucking work.” You were beyond frustrated about your current position in P8. The pit stop had taken longer than expected, making you lag a few places behind. Oh, how you couldn’t stand the idea of Sebastian rubbing his victory in your face. His first victory of the season.
You upped your game, completing smooth overtake after smooth overtake. All the way up until you regained your position right behind the Red Bull. There was a slight problem though. The car was starting to feel unusually hot. Sweat trickled down your face and the visor looked as if it was raining. You weren’t going to report rain though, as you knew your team would if there was any.
“Fuck, guys, it’s too hot!” You yelled over the radio. As expected, all your engineer replied with was a simple “copy”. It was swift communication, you knew that, but it sure as hell was frustrating. It felt like you weren’t getting any attention at all.
Your team performed pit stops rather quickly, which was a plus whereas everything else was a minus. It didn’t cancel out, but at least it helped combat some of the other problems your car had.
As most had predicted though, you were unable to overtake Sebastian or his new nickname “the finger”, and were stuck in P2. You couldn’t even enjoy the podium celebration. Sure, you sprayed some champagne and chugged a bit, but did you enjoy it? Not particularly. Michael had told you to not worry and just give it your all, but it was hard to forget when Vettel was in the way. His smug grin as he held his trophy and stuck his pointer in the air… you wanted to crush his ego. So bad. You were going to relish in the moment when Sebastian would lose out on a championship. It was going to be an unforgettable moment to be sure.
“You can’t be satisfied, can you?” Sebastian came up to you after the celebration. He was the last person you wanted to see at that moment, but his gloating was inevitable. Might as well get it over with.
“Not by you, I can’t.”
“You must know how that sounds.” Yeah, you were going to lose your mind. He successfully pulled off a tasteless and baseless trap. You walked straight into it like an insect stuck in a spiderweb.
“Whatever.” You took off your race suit, leaving on the fireproof suit to cover your body for the time being. It was already hot enough as is.
“Cute.” You’d gotten used to his little flirty remarks and comments. It was basically white noise.
“You’re not.”
“I was referring to you, you know.” He was quite literally impossible.
“Must you really make me suffer with your presence any longer? Isn’t winning and doing your little finger thing enough?!” When you started raising your voice, it grabbed people’s attention, so the young Red Bull driver pulled you with him to his motorhome.
“Did I not just enlighten you about my discomfort in your presence or did I daydream that?” You scoffed at him and pulled your arm from his grip.
“Look, I’m done trying to ignore your contempt for me. Do you seriously think that I will apologize for winning? This isn’t grade school. I was driving, I was faster, I won. Simple as that. If you can’t accept it and take the loss, then you really shouldn’t be racing.” Your heart sank to the bottom of your chest. Each sentence was like a dagger to the chest. You felt every little soul-crushing word in your gut.
“Wow… you really are more of an asshole than I thought. I don’t care that you won. I care that you gloat. I care that you don’t care about me. You don’t care about any of the others. We could die for all you care. Do you want me to die? Is that it?” All rationality had left your mind the moment he insulted you. Red was all you could see.
“You’re twisting my words. I merely said that I won’t apologize for winning. I never said I wanted anyone injured.” He was right, and you knew that. Deep down, you knew that he was just like you. Passionate about the sport. The only difference was that he was in a winning car… and you unfortunately weren’t. Was it his fault? You were too blindsided by rage to even consider any other possibilities.
“By the way you drive, I beg to differ.”
“You’d be lying to me and yourself if you were to tell me you’ve never gotten caught up in the moment. You know exactly how that feels.” He somehow had a counter for everything you threw at him.
“What about your constant flirting? Why do you keep rubbing your victory in my face like that?” The look on his face contorted into that of a confused one.
“What do you mean?” He asked, obviously at a complete loss.
“You asked me out for coffee.” You said whilst confidently crossing your arms over your chest.
“You seriously think that’s a front for something?” He almost found it amusing. The way you overanalyzed his motives.
“You don’t think a guy can be the least bit interested in you?” Before you had the chance to respond, Mark walked in with Christian behind him. That was your cue to leave, so you did without hesitation.
Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.
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It had been a good while since you last had a real talk with Sebastian. A few years to be exact. The jabs and games were still happening. Neither of you had dared address any of it, but one thing remained stuck in your head like a broken record; “You don’t think a guy can be the least bit interested in you?” Every day and night, that thought passed through the thousands of others. It stood out. It was like the moon in a starry sky.
During those years, Michael had retired. It broke your heart, but seeing as Lewis replaced him; it wasn’t all that bad. Mercedes had gotten increasingly better as well— which meant that you had a better chance at beating Sebastian for every year that passed.
Lewis, being one of your closest friends on the grid, agreed to help you win your first championship. The Red Bulls had their run. It was time for Mercedes to shine. You needed to win.
“Lewis, I don’t think I can do it this race. There are too many low-speed corners. Red Bull will take this one home… Sebastian will take this one home.” You sat in your garage and moped as Lewis leaned against a pillar opposite you.
“It’s fine. They’re basically useless in high-speed corners this year. Besides, you already have 3 wins over him. Just one race won’t hurt. Well… it’ll sting, but see if you can land a podium, yeah?” Did you even want to try? You knew that Sebastian would mock you either way. It was almost as if your world didn’t revolve around the championship anymore. It was all about him. All about Sebastian.
“Yeah nah. I don’t think I can.” You stared at your feet. The race shoes were starting to feel clammy around them.
“Do you really believe that’s the mindset of a winner? No. Just think about doing whatever you can do. You don’t have to care about anyone else when you’re out there. Let yourself loose.” Lewis was right. You did care too much. You seldom crashed into anyone, all because you cared for their safety.
You ended up winning. You didn’t know how it happened or what you did to make it happen. Lewis’ words just kept swirling inside your brain; “Let yourself loose.”
You stood patiently and waited for the interviewer to finish up with P3 and P2, watching as Sebastian looked ever so disappointed. It was humorous. You felt amazing. The other wins you lorded over him didn’t feel that liberating. They felt good, but not great.
“—And here’s the deadly Mercedes! You were on fire today! We did not expect this aggressive approach from you. It was breathtaking. What did you do differently?” That was the question. What did you do differently? You stopped caring. You remembered you weren’t in the sport to make friends. You were there to win.
“I mean, I did what I had to do, really. I focused on winning and I listened to great advice. I simply just won.” The interviewer looked at you with a question mark etched onto her forehead but didn’t press further on that question.
“I know your first loss to Sebastian proved quite upsetting, would you say the tables have turned?” She smiled at you. It was clear from the beginning that she was on your side. After all, being the only female racer on the grid— you had a magnetic effect on fans of the sport.
“I can’t say for sure yet, but I can definitely hope!” Your voice was cheery and sweet, but that was just a front. You couldn’t wait for his downfall. Standing on that stage at the ceremony, watching all life drain from Sebastian’s eyes. That was your goal.
People had every right to tell you off, but at what cost if you didn’t care? Lewis had just helped you unlock the very thing that could potentially destroy the smug Red Bull driver.
Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.
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The season was going smoothly. Fans roared in your favour and even threw gifts at you whenever you went on the scene. Yours and Sebastian’s roles had switched. You were the new fan favourite. Everyone could attest to that fact.
There was a slight thing bugging you, however. The many Instagram and Facebook fan pages that were dedicated to shipping you with Sebastian. They made edits, they came up with extreme theories… It was mortifying.
People in the Mercedes garage weren’t quiet either. If anything, they were even worse. Constantly bugging you about your “obvious” chemistry with Sebastian and whatnot. Which, in your opinion, didn’t exist.
You only harboured hate for the man. He was foul. Through and through… right?
Lies. Although you didn’t dare tell anyone, you didn’t quite hate him anymore. After letting go and caring less, you felt like you could finally see things from his perspective. It made you realize that he just wanted to win. Well, on top of mocking you. That was what had your mind in knots. He claimed he only teased you because of your reactions, but he refused to acknowledge your obvious distaste for it.
He had, however, begun to limit his snarky comments and cruel smirks. He actually started distancing himself. He rarely spoke to you and only ever interacted with you when the two of you landed a podium together.
You felt like something was missing.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Lewis asked. The two of you were sitting in your respective chairs in the cooldown room. He had somehow scored a P2 finish, with you upfront and Vettel in P3.
“Oh, nothing. Sorry. Zoned out, I guess?” You stretched your arms and wiped a bead of sweat off your forehead. Sebastian watched you throw the towel onto Lewis’ lap. Your teammate threw it back and the two of you shared a silly moment.
Something brewed inside the young Red Bull racer. He had been slacking off. He knew that all too well. His teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, was going to outscore him. There was nothing he could do about it. Not when Mercedes had gotten the upper hand. Not when you were in the way. The only pain he felt was from watching you with Lewis. He despised seeing you all happy-go-lucky. That was it. No, it wasn’t. He hated seeing you joke around with the other drivers. The sight of you laughing at a mechanic’s joke? His blood boiled.
The courage he once had was slipping. Much like his performance. He couldn’t focus on winning when losing was his only way to reach his ultimate goal.
“We should probably get going. Time to listen to your national anthem… yet again,” Lewis jokingly sighed and ruffled your hair, whilst you rolled your eyes with a chuckle.
You saw a cheerful sea of Mercedes employees. A 1-2 finish. Any team would be ecstatic if their drivers pulled that off.
Sebastian stood next to you. He couldn’t bring himself to muster even the smallest smile. Putting it mildly, his plan was starting to look like it had gone to shit. Not only was he losing the races, he was losing…
“Lew, look at this,” you grinned. Lewis obliged and was met with a burst of champagne. He let out a small yelp before picking up his bottle and spraying you.
Although he probably had a reason, you were beginning to hate how Sebastian never even spoke to you. The only solution; spray him. You poured a cold shot down his neck, to which he jerked his shoulders forward in an uncomfortable motion. It made him smile. Your heart swelled with some form of comfort in knowing you could make him feel some sort of joy.
Was that Lewis’ design all along? Making you see things from Vettel’s perspective? Perhaps. Whatever it was, you knew that your hatred for him had faded. This was replaced with stealing small glances and a spike in your heart rate when he was near.
You often felt your heart pump thickly in your throat. Your insides were littered with butterflies. You felt all jittery around him. Well, until he stopped with his flirting. He completely stopped interacting with you. It had your stomach in a twist. Were you too late? Did you not do enough?
“You don’t think a guy can be the least bit interested in you?”
You knew exactly who you had to see.
It was perfect, given that the next race wasn’t that coming weekend. You decided to give Michael a call, asking if you could see him at his house in Switzerland. Him being something of a father figure— said yes.
It was time to dig into the past. Not through the eyes of who you once were, but who you became. You were able to see things from every angle. Sebastian had clearly flirted out of sheer fun and mischief, but something underlined that cause. You. It was foolish of you to be so blinded with rage and hatred, that you couldn’t see him for what he was. A man who was struggling to keep your undivided attention. You weren’t yet convinced, but surely Michael would be able to set you straight.
You first greeted Corinna and the kids, who were not so much kids anymore. Michael came down to give you a hug and invite you to his cosy home office. He brewed some tea and placed it on the table.
“It’s so nice to see you again. I haven’t quite gotten used to retirement, but I did it once before, so I can definitely do it again!” He chuckled.
“I’m glad you’re still holding up well. I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that Mercedes is leading at the moment.” You smiled at him and took a sip of the tea he’d made for you.
“I have been following up. I watch almost every race, actually. Whenever my kids have time, we throw on the sports channel and watch you and Sebastian. That’s to say they always have time for that. In fact, my son, Mick— his dream is to race for Mercedes.” Mick was growing steadily and did karting regularly. You didn’t see why he wouldn’t be able to earn a seat at Mercedes eventually.
“About that… I came here for advice… regarding Sebastian.” As embarrassing as it was to beat around the bush, saying things like that outright was not exactly your forté.
“What, did he finally confess?” You were dumbstruck by his sudden question.
“Excuse me? What?”
“Well, you see, he was always coming to me and asking me how to get you to talk to him. I always said that he could figure things out for himself. By your reaction, however, I’m guessing that didn’t exactly work?” He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index fingers.
“He was crazy about you, I remember. The more riled up you got, the more he’d come to me for advice. It became routine for us to sit and talk, actually.” You had your suspicions, but never did you know that he was actually into you. Those fan pages and edits could’ve only fueled it. Your heart was beating faster and faster. It felt like it was nearly about to burst. Definitely, because you didn’t like him like that. You were just starting to sympathize. Nothing romantic. At all. No. Nothing.
“You know what I think?” Michael added when he saw your tomato-red face.
“I think he’s losing those races on purpose. Just to satisfy your needs. For a long time, he wanted to earn as many world championships as myself, but recently… something else seems to be stuck in his mind. I think his priorities lie elsewhere now.” You ran your fingers through your hair in frustration. Your heart couldn’t stop going faster than your car on race day.
“I also think you may feel something for him too.”
“Thank you, Michael. Truly… but I have to go.” You booked the earliest flight out. Needing some time alone with your thoughts.
Michael was almost always right. In this situation? There was no way he wasn’t.
Sebastian Vettel, I hate you.
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You were back on the top again. The podium was the exact same as the last race. The celebration was grand. It was all pretty much the same. Your focus was more on getting time alone with Sebastian.
After everything had died down, you decided to visit the Red Bull motorhome and knocked on Vettel’s door.
“What are you doing here?” He asked with a surprised look on his face, upon opening the door.
“We need to talk. Invite me in?” He let you walk past him.
“What is it? Are you here to blackmail me?”
“What? No. Why would I ever do that?” Your face grimaced at his idea.
“I don’t know, I’m just not feeling that great right now.” He was all mopey and looked as if someone had sucked all the life force out of him.
“I actually came to talk to you about… um… well, us.” You were fiddling with your fingers in your lap, too scared to look him in the eyes.
“Us?”
“I spoke to Michael.” You weren’t sure how to lead the conversation from start to finish.
“You did?”
“He told me about everything.” Your eyes met his in a flash of awkwardness.
“Look, that was a long time ago and—”
“I don’t hate you anymore,” you cut off. His eyes lit up at your words.
“What do you mean by that?” Was he really that desperate to hear you say it, or were you too scared to say it?
“I don’t know… I guess it means you can start flirting with me again or whatever…” you mumbled sheepishly. It felt so embarrassing to tell him face to face. Your heart was thumping louder than the pit stops Mercedes did. Your face was redder than the Ferraris.
“Could we see where this takes us? I mean, if you’d like.” He seemed to be just as embarrassed about it as you. It was kind of cute, actually.
“Yes… I’d like that.” Although the conversation was surprisingly short, it left a huge impact on Sebastian. He was more or less depressed on the podium but the interviews that followed? He was a firecracker. He acted as if he’d won the lottery, smiling like an idiot and stealing glances from you here and there. It was an odd but welcome, warm feeling that spread throughout your body.
Who would’ve thought? Both Lewis and Michael were able to set you straight. You used to care too much. You used to think about yourself only, when it came to Sebastian. It was impossible to put yourself in his shoes until Lewis taught you otherwise. Your feelings? You would’ve let yourself crush them over time, had it not been for your talk with your mentor.
Much time passed, and you had won races upon races. You were still getting much-needed advice on everything from races to simple daily routines, by Michael. Sometimes you went to Lewis. He was easier to reach and you were always able to have quick conversations with him before the races. Everything had accumulated to the current momentum. The glory that you were about to relish in. The people you were about to make proud.
You sat in your seat with Sebastian on your side. He had only recently asked you to be his. It took some dates and deep, meaningful talks before you got there, but the wait was worth it. Life had never felt better. You were completely enamoured with Sebastian. The feeling was more than mutual. He was helplessly and irrevocably in love with you.
He was called to the stage as 3rd overall. The crowd cheered, but you cheered the loudest. If you had told your past self that you would be cheering him on at the ceremony, you would’ve never believed yourself.
Lewis was called next and you were called last. Sebastian couldn’t stop smiling at you. People were cheering and you were in a state of euphoria.
Your trophy was the biggest, brightest, and most grand in the room. However, it could never compare to the adoration on your boyfriend’s face, as he saw you hoisting it up into the air.
After all the interviews and the longest ride back to your hotel, you crashed onto your shared bed with your lover. The two of you stared at the blank ceiling, feeling a state of absolute tranquillity. The two of you had come so far.
“I’m so proud of you.” Sebastian turned his head to face you.
“Thank you, Seb.” You followed suit.
“Do you think we wasted too much time?” You asked. In all honesty, a tinge of guilt hit you every now and then. If only you had come to terms with yourself and your feelings earlier…
“All that time was worth hearing you tell me that you love me. I don’t think we wasted even a single moment. Everything that has happened so far… you know, it all built up to this.” You smiled at him and pulled him into a loving kiss.
Sebastian Vettel, I love you.
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𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻...
𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚!
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩! (𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙙𝙢𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨: 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧(𝙨) 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚(𝙨) 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣.)
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Note
Had to mo I've always loved orcas and they remain my favorite animal but I've been finding myself having to avoid the comments on anything with orcas and esp natural behavior. Because for whatever reason there's always comments on how orcas are "bullies" or the a-holes of the sea simply for being apex predators.
It's odd though if it's a captive orca people are all out ready to release it back into the ocean. But if it's wild that's a different story although there's always a comment or two saying how the orca "deserves" to be in captivity anyway because again they're bullies for being predators.
Like is there a reason orcas seem to be getting this unfair label for what they're doing to survive? I actually don't really see these same comments on wolves or lions or even sharks. There's even more sharks aren't monsters for being apex predators so why are they doing the opposite for orcas?
If I had to speculate, I think it’s because of the extreme lengths to which orcas have been anthropomorphized. Pre-2000s SeaWorld Shamu shows characterized the whales as basically big cuddly pets, and even into the 2000s and 2010s they still presented them as almost-mystical apex predators with a magical bond with humans. And for a long time, that was the (western) public’s main introduction to killer whales. It was hard to imagine them ever being anything but friendly.
Nowadays, a lot of folks—even some scientists—have popularized the idea that orcas are basically people, equal to or even superior to humans in intelligence and the capacity to feel emotions. So when they do something that humans find distasteful (punt around harbor porpoises, hunt fellow cetaceans, commit infanticide), it’s a lot more tempting to assume they’re doing it out of cruelty or malice than if it were a “simple animal” like a shark. I see that sort of comment a lot with animals assumed to be more “human-like” (orcas, chimps, elephants) or who live closely with people (hence the “cats are evil jerks” misnomer).
So yeah, in short, serious anthropomorphism. Orcas hunt because they’re predators, not psychotic murderers (*stares down Blackfish*). And while we’re at it—dolphins use sexual coercion because that’s the reproductive strategy they developed, not because they’re evil rapists (I’m really sick of seeing that “fact” shared around).
No animal is evil, because evil is a human concept. We cannot ascribe our sense of morality to them, no matter how intelligent they are, because they are not humans.
Anyway, pitting dolphins against sharks is stupid. Just like when people pit cats against dogs. Why not both?
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kingofthering · 7 months
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list of Marc Marquez documentaries :
Marc Marquez, dos días con él (2013) [youtube] : two days with Marc as he celebrates his Moto2 title in Cervera
#rookie93 (2014) [video pass, motomundo] : covers the 2013 season, Marc’s rookie season in MotoGP
Trophy Collector (2015) [video pass, motomundo] : covering his first 4 titles (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP x2)
Hitting the Apex (2015) [prime video, motomundo, red bull, netflix] : not Marc-focused but he features heavily in it, especially in the second half (telling of the 2013 season)
From Cervera to Tokyo (2017) [video pass, red bull, motomundo] : covers the 2016 season
Unseen (2018) [video pass, red bull, motomundo] : Marc, chief engineer Santi Hernandez and personal assistant Jose Luis Martinez comment together footage from the 2017 season
Level 7 (2019) [video pass, red bull, motomundo] : covers the 2018 season
In Our Blood (2019) [motomundo] : episode two is about Marc (episode 1 is about Àlex Crivillé and episode 3 about Jorge Lorenzo) and discusses his family support and key moments of his carreer
Marc Márquez Unlimited (2020) [video pass, red bull, motomundo] : covers the 2019 season
The Making Of : Marc Márquez (2020) [motomundo] : a focus on three of Marc’s races (Estoril 2010, Valencia 2012, Philipp Island 2017) with his comments on the events
Unconditional, Marc Márquez, a mother’s story (2020) [welikewedo] : testimonies from Marc’s mom
MotoGP Unlimited (2022) [prime video, motomundo] : follows the whole grid through the 2021 season but you have a couple of Marc behind the scenes moments
Fearless (2022) [welikewedo] : Marc talks about fear in MotoGP (and crashing)
Marc Márquez : All In (2023) [video pass, prime video, motomundo] : follows Marc’s 2022 season, including his move to Madrid and his 4th surgery to repair his right arm
Notes : video pass is the service you have to pay for on the motogp.com website, red bull videos are free and of good quality (with no ads) and motomundo has your classic streaming links.
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bonthefuckjourx · 3 months
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Music Headcannons!!
The next chapter has a little something to do with music. 😉 It’ll be out in the next few hours!
Lucifer: Loves to listen to 80’s music, but also is impartial to musicals. He’s the person who got Charlie into musicals too. Tends to stick to the more popular songs/genres.
I was made for Lovin you- Kiss
Take a Chance on Me- ABBA
Hot Stuff- Donna Summer
The Phantom of the Opera- The Phantom of the Opera Musical
Hungry Eyes- Eric Carmen
Hurricane- Deathnote the Musical
Charlie: Takes after her Dad and loves musicals. Sapphic music or LGBT is the other half of what she listens to.
Little Miss Perfect- Write Out Loud
She Keeps Me Warm- Mary Lambert
Crush- Tessa Violet
Girls- Girl in Red
Seventeen- Heathers the Musical
Monster- Frozen the Musical
Apex Predator- Mean Girls the Musical
Popular- Wicked
Vaggie: Didn’t listen to music until Charlie showed her. Mainly listens to LGBT, but typically edger stuff. Loves rock and anything with a guitar in it really.
Bad Idea-Girl in Red
Just Like You- Three Days Grace
Sweater Weather- The neighborhood
Want Me- Baby Queen
Starts with One- Shiny Toy Guns
Angel Dust: Loves pop and mainly sticks to upbeat fast songs. What can he say he lives the fast life. At night however when he’s all alone he’s a total swiftie. Definitely cries himself to sleep sometimes.
Red Cup (I Fly Solo)- Cash Cash
Call Me By Your Name- Lil Nas X
Super Psycho Love- Simon Curtis
All Too Well (10 Minute Version)- Taylor Swift
Cardigan- Taylor Swift
You’re Losing Me (From the Vault)- Taylor Swift
Boys will be Bugs- Cavetown
Husk: Definitely a hopeless romantic. If Angel is ever listening to Taylor he’ll dance with him around the room. Loves to romance Angel as he never really had that before.
Lover- Taylor Swift
Mr. Loverman- Ricky Montgomery
Save Tonight- Eagle Eye Cherry
Set the Fire to the Third Bar- Snow Patrol
Golden Hour- JVKE
Line Without a Hook- Rickey Montgomery
Cherri: Loves Kesha and 2010’s pop music. Would definitely see her at a rave.
Die Young- Kesha
For Your Entertainment- Adam Lambert
You Know You Like It- Aluna George and DJ Snake
Timber- Pitbull (ft. Kesha)
Everywhere I Go- Hollywood Undead
Intoxicated- Martin Solveig
Y/N: You listen to a variety of music. Here’s some of your “current” favs:
Art Deco- Lana Del Rey
Nonsense- Sabrina Carpenter
Kiss the Go-Goat- Ghost
In The Middle- dodie
She’s the prettiest girl at the party and she can prove it with a solid right hook- Frank Iero
Work Song- Hozier
I Wanna Be Your Slave- Maneskin
The Summoning- Sleep Token
Losing My Religion- Frank Iero and the Future Violents
Hideaway- Kiesza
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Indigenous Character Tournament
Round 1
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The bracket was randomly generated with minor tweaking to balance it out since there are so many characters. Ties are allowed only when there is an exact 50/50 and in that case, the characters will move on as a team. Propaganda is allowed and encouraged! The polls of each bracket will last one week! Below are the match-ups in case it is hard to read the bracket! :)
Voting will start Monday, May 8th at 6:00 P.M. EST! The polls will be released in waves.
Bracket A
Eliza Maza (Gargoyles) vs Willie Jack (Reservation Dogs)
Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Kamakiri (One Piece)
Joseph (Blood Quantum) vs Fuzzy Mac (Grace Beside Me)
John Redcorn (King of the Hill) vs Clinton Skye (FBI: Most Wanted)
Travis Manawa (Fear the Walking Dead) vs Jessica Keynes (Miraculous Ladybug)
Artemy Burakh (Pathologic) vs Nakamura Kotan (Yuusha Dan)
Delsin Rowe (Infamous: Second Son) vs Moana (Moana)
Pike Dexter (Big Eden) vs Naru (Predator)
Victor Joseph (Smoke Signals) vs Volo (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)
Prince Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke) vs Kurapika Kurta (Hunter x Hunter)
Naranpa (Black Sun) vs Kirikou (Kirikou and the Sorceress)
Fredzilla (Big Hero 6) vs Margaret Kohere (Apex Legends)
Wyper (One Piece) vs Jenna Begay (Echo Project)
Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove) vs Rock (Nanbaka)
Ka'kwet (Anne with an E) vs Akita (Ninjago)
Tanis (Letterkenny) vs Caitlin (Mohawk Girls)
Bracket B
Asirpa (Golden Kamuy) vs Asterix (Asterix the Gaul)
Little Strongheart (My Little Pony) vs Atticus O'Sullivan (The Iron Druid)
Makoa Gibraltar (Apex Legends) vs Joss (Blood Quantum)
Kenai (Brother Bear) vs Ratonhnhaké:ton (Assassin’s Creed III)
Miyax/Julie (Julie of the Wolves) vs Massai (Fortnite)
Anna (Mohawk Girls) vs Princess Maya (Maya and the Three)
Izel (Onyx Equinox) vs Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson)
Charles Smith (Red Dead Redemption 2) vs Dr. Joshua "Strongbear" Sweet (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
Lady Silence/Silna (The Terror) vs Dedue (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Koen West (Cleverman) vs Hau (Pokémon Sun and Moon)
Elora Danan Postoak (Reservation Dogs) vs Iduna (Frozen)
Zia (Mysterious Cities of Gold) vs Knuckles Thrash/Harley (Sleepless Domain)
Carlos Oliveira (Resident Evil series) vs Nainoa Flores (Sharks in the Time of Saviors)
Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Little Creek (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)
Asta Twelvetrees (Resident Alien) vs Hototo (Appare-Ranman!)
Bracket C
Nate Kinski (Neighbours) vs Usui Horokeu/Horohoro (Shaman King)
Reki Kyan (SK8 the Infinity) vs Waruu West (Cleverman)
Mugen (Samurai Champloo) vs Sitka (Brother Bear)
Samantha Black Crow (American Gods) vs Sasappis (Ghosts CBS)
Nina Aroyo (A Snake Falls to Earth) vs Malakai Mitchell (Heartbreak High)
Echo Reverie (Friends at the Table) vs Nuna (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa)
Margu (Klaus) vs Raúl Cocolotl (Wendell & Wild)
Huā Chéng (Heaven Official's Blessing) vs Leilani (Indivisible)
Elatsoe Bride (Elatsoe) vs Tao (Mysterious Cities of Gold)
Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Jesse Cosay (Infinity Train)
Kalgara (One Piece) vs Molly Mabray (Molly of Denali)
Miko Kalani (Barbie) vs Tom Evans (Captain Canuck)
Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch) vs Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)
Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Smoke Signals) vs Fiza (Daevabad Trilogy)
Tikal the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Greiger (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Maya Lopez/Echo (Marvel comics) vs Bear Smallhill (Reservation Dogs)
Bracket D
Chakotay (Star Trek: Voyager) vs Piper McLean (Heroes of Olympus)
Emperor Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove) vs Denahi (Brother Bear)
Ricky Baker (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) vs Kristoff (Frozen)
Serapio (Black Sun) vs Boy (Boy - 2010 film)
Inkarmat (Golden Kamuy) vs Geronimo Jr. (Cyborg 009)
Tanigaki Genjirō (Golden Kamuy) vs Betty (Infamous: Second Son)
Pacha (The Emperor's New Groove) vs JJ Jacobs (DImension 20)
Kaya'aton'my (American Girl) vs Danielle Moonstar/Mirage (Marvel comics)
Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Sacagawea (Night at the Museum)
Débora (Cidade Invisível) vs Matthew Carver (Kagagi)
Papa-Capim (Turma da Mônica) vs Professor Kukui (Pokémon Sun and Moon)
Tainá (Tainá uma aventura na Amazônia) vs Nuna (Indivisible)
Ken Hotate (Parks and Recreation) vs Nizhoni (Race to the Sun)
Revali (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs Daunis Fontaine (Firekeeper's Daughter)
Korra (The Legend of Korra) vs Ch'ah Toh Almehen/Namor the Submariner (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Tye Longshadow (Young Justice) vs Lilo Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)
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literary-illuminati · 7 months
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Book Review 53 – The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
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This is the last novel I read exclusively and entirely because it was nominated for a Hugo, and is also the first thing of Scalzi’s I’ve ever touched. Not that I haven’t been, like, peripherally aware of him for a while, but until now I’ve never really felt compelled by any of the pitches I’ve heard for his stuff. Having now read this – yeah, I stand by that. It’s not a bad book, but it’s just very much brainless dumb popcorn fun. Also he’s got a few writing quirks I kind of despise.
The story is about exactly what it says on the tin – a former grad student who dropped out to join a startup and then got fired and ended up doing food delivery during COVID runs into an old acquaintance and is offered a mysterious but high paying job ‘lifting things’. The job turns out to be with the eponymous Kaiju Preservation Society – an NGO with bases on an alternate earth, studying the nuclear-powered leviathans that are somehow its natural apex predators and protecting them from poachers. From there the plot plays out as you’d expect – crash course training and being introduced to the world, making friends, near-misses studying the Kaiju, an asshole billionaire whose revealed to be the villain, breaking the rules and disobeying orders with those friends to save a Kaiju from the billionaire before she goes nuclear and wipes out half of Newfoundland, and so on. Like I said, brainless popcorn. The pacing would actually work very well adapted to a movie, I think – certainly the whole thing would do better with some visuals.
This is a very simple novel, clearly designed to be a comfort read rather than something you wrestle with. Everyone is exactly who they appear to be when they’re introduced, there’s no moral complexity or clever mysteries, the plot plays out beat for beat as you would expect it to. Cozy fantasy for people who like giant monsters and action scenes, I guess?
The tone is very jokey, in a very 2010s nerd culture kind of way? This is a book written about people who name the bases on the world full of 12-story kaiju after classic Godzilla movies, and for people who would do the same. Just about every sympathetic major character is a massive nerd of some variety, and this is very clearly a reason you’re supposed to relate to and like them. And the lampshading – the book knows its worldbuilding makes no sense, and it takes pains to point this out to you as you read it so you can laugh at it, again and again. Hell, it lampshades how much its lampshading, complete with a definition of the term that feels like it was read right off of TV Tropes. Others may find this endearing, for me it just grated intensely.
Lastly - so this isn’t a book about COVID, but it’s very clearly a pandemic novel. The non-Kaiju World parts will probably be a fascinating cultural artifact for undergrads a couple decades down the line. It’s got the housing crisis, the gig economy, ZIRP corporate phantasmagoria, COVID lockdowns, and all that’s before all the cultural references. Anyway, it wins a decent amount of goodwill from me by remembering the existence of all the people for whom ‘lockdown’ wasn’t really a thin because ‘essential worker’ was a shockingly broad category. Still, it’s all just backdrop that stuck out too me, not really the book’s actual subject.
Anyway yeah, I’m probably being a bit harsh – this was nominated for a Hugo? Really? - but the book’s fine. Inoffensive. Would make a great Disney movie.
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lowpolypeople · 2 years
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Lifeline (low poly) from Apex Legends
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thatqueerfangirl02 · 4 months
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My honest opinion of Mean Girls (2024)
Even though nobody asked for it.
If you are familiar with the Broadway Musical, and you are expecting this to be a movie version of the Broadway Musical, you will be disappointed. However, it is a wonder modern remake featuring songs from the Broadway Musical.
Renee Rapp is perfect and I love her. She can do no wrong.
Aaron Samuels could have been better, but I was initially glad they didn’t just go for a “White Boy of the the Month” type. (I was informed after the fact that he is in fact a “White Boy of the Month” I just haven’t seen TSITP.)
Song wise Apex Predator, Sexy, Revenge Party, World Burn, and Rather Be Me we’re fantastic, overall beautiful execution. However they did cut some of my favourite songs, and put in new ones instead.
The songs they did keep were changed a bit to have a more “2020s “ vibe, instead of the “Y2K/2010s” Broadway vibe that they originally had.
Loved the little cameos.
Full of queer representation (gender & sexuality) as well as BIPOC representation. I even noticed some of the background/extras had visible disabilities which is amazing.
There are a couple iconic/notable lines from the OG versions that were changed for - I’m assuming - political correctness, but they were done in a way that didn’t change the intentions.
Queer icons Janice (forget her last name too lazy to google it) is played by Actual F*cking Disney Princess Icon MOANA herself!!! And I personally think that is a slay and a power move.
TL;DR Overall great movie, 7.5/10 would recommend and will watch again 👍🏼
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probablyspooky · 10 months
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Probably my masterlist
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Yautja Fics
Message Received (Predator x Fem!Reader Guardians of The Galaxy)
Traitor (2010 Berserker Predator x Fem!Reader)
Oneshot- Strength (Feral Predator x Fem!Reader)
Oneshot-Sweets (Predator x Reader)
One Of Us (Alien VS Predator Celtic x Fem!Reader)
Royalty (Predator x Fem!Reader)
Requests
Bad Blood Catches You playing with Yourself
Yautja x Gymnast Reader
Saving Reader From a Bear (Yautja x Reader)
Breastmilk
Ranking Of Kings
Arranged Marriage (King Desha x Fem! Reader)
Apex Legends
Season 17 (Revenant x Gen!Reader)
Untitled Revenant Project (Revenant X Fem!Reader)
The Old Ways
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blaintism · 5 months
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headcanons about glee characters i think are gamers and what kind they are bc sometimes ppl talk about it and i have insanely complex thoughts about this
blaine: canonically plays a shooter game in season five. i think he’s a casual non toxic enjoyer of them, but really enjoys anything action adventure. keeps up with new releases and plays what interests him. has a ps5.
kurt: would’ve had some mobile game addiction like candy crush or cookie clicker type in the 2010s. likes more casual games like animal crossing and the sims but is the type of player to have extreme beef with some townie. hits villagers he doesn’t like with the net
tina: if you’ve ever seen that tweet about how girls will commit wars crimes in video games this is tina. devises terrible things for sims to go through. fucks around and ruins things in multiplayer games on purpose.
sam: canonically plays the shooter with blaine. i think that’s mostly the type of game you’d see him playing. has gotten really into fortnite and makes blaine play the fortnite festival with him.
artie: canonically plays the shooter in season five as well, probably likes those a bit. i can see him being into overwatch lmaooo. plays a lot of niche indie games on the side because he’s artsy too. huge steam library.
santana: gay little story games. life is strange type beat. visual novels. i peg her for this bc of the mention of her being on lesbian subtext blogs.
puck and finn: average COD bros LMAOOO. they play zombie games together. and in a current day au fortnite, apex, what have you
brittany: rhythm game extraordinaire and that’s it
everyone else: video games are mostly foreign to them (unimaginable to me haha). i imagine rachel having a weird hatred of them even.
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truebluemeandyou · 2 years
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DIY Inspiration Teeth Shoes by APEX PREDATOR by Fantich & Young
I posted about the Apex Oxfords previously on my Halloween blog here.
These shoes are embellished with dentures. The Apex Predator Oxfords have 1050 fake teeth on the soles of the shoes!
Apex predators are predators with no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain.
Apex Predator presents male and female ceremonial attire that are customised in teeth, human hair, bones and military ribbons. The collection consists of Ceremonial Attire, Ritual Objects, Headdress’s, Mask’s, Perfume, Tote & Gladstone bags, Health & Sport objects and a Footwear range that is specifically tailored for the discerning client with the taste for power and exclusivity.
Find out more about the Apex Predator Collection here.
Fantich & Young Collaboration with Jan Jenson, Linea Erotica, 2006
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Oxford Alpha, 2010
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Darwinian Voodoo, Apex Predator, Empire, 2012, Photo by Giles Price
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Pro Intimidate, 2016
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Mary Janes, 2014
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Wild West, 2014 
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Superstar, 2016
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Fantich & Young, Apex Predator, Infant Shoes
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Check out my post on another Inspiration DIY, Teeth Purse by Artist Nancy Fouts here.
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How to make your inspired version of teeth shoes? Search “fake teeth” on amazon.
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