#Babylon's Genius Mechanic

[atangledfate]

" Fucking finally..."

[aquillis-main]

Yes, I did indeed mean for both Terriermon and Lopmon to be their X variants! I should have made that clearer, LOLS.

I was asked to do the Babylon Rogues for the AU, but I'm not entirely sure if I want to stick to some of the ideas I had for them. I'd definitely drop Crusadermon/Rhodoknightmon as the final evo for Jet's partner, and I might just make Wave's partner Blimpmon because... Well, they live on a blimp, and Wave is a mechanical genius like Tails. Her having the literal Blimp Digimon would make sense. Beyond that, I know I want Jet to have a virus type Digimon as his partner, but besides Tinkermon (who doesn't fit the bird theme), there's not... a wide variety of Bird Digimon out there that are virus type, and the most recent Virus Type Bird Digimon is... Vulturemon. A Digimon I don't think fits Jet at all, and I kind of don't want to do any overlap. Well, there is Soundbirdmon, but that's more boomboxy and not really part of Jet's asthetic in general. I might make Soundbirdmon Vector's previous form Digimon, just for the sake of it... As for Jet, maybe Owlmon? It's my biggest grasp of straws if you want an official Digimon.

Storm sticks with Biyomon/Piyomon and Peckmon because I'm an ass to Storm.

As for the others... Fang's definitely the guy who'd have a Digimon that's either all guns, or silly and over the top. My main two choices are Doggymon/Dogmon or Gundramon, but Gundramon's a bit too cool for Fang as is, so Doggymon/Dogmon I'd pick.

Mighty, Mighty, Mighty. I might lean more into his peaceful nature, but also Armadillomon is a good fit for him... If I didn't have Manic, I'd pick Armadillomon for him.

Ray? That's a bit trickier, I guess a Digimon that prefers gliding and is still a mammal Digimon would do, but I don't think there's a lot of those... Wait, What about Tobucatmon? That'd be a good digimon for him.

Bean would have Iguneetmon/Ignitemon, a Digimon that's precariously living on the edge with it's grenade on it's neck. Explosions would occur.

As for Bark... I give up and give him Gryzmon/Grizzmon. Because they're bears.

What do you think of some of my choices on the Digimon partners? I made sure to pick Digimon based on character personality and their main motivations/characteristics instead of 'which one is popular? I think this one...' like some people do. Arcadimon was the hardest, because I knew it was gonna be the one I wouldn't have been sure about the most...

Sonic: Veemon/V-mon

This is definitely the most no brainer one, I also independently thought of this and I think it's a perfect fit. Magnamon is definitely also the most Super Sonic of all megas lol

Tails: Jazamon

Hadn't heard of this one! I like him though. He combines Tails main things which is flying and being mechanically inclined. I was having a hard time thinking of a good partner pick for Tails personally. I think this is a good pick.

Amy: Shortmon

CUUUUUUTE! 💯 absolutely perfect choice holy fuck. I also like how it's a champion level (although apparently that was just made up by a reference book but whatever).

Knuckles: Vorvomon

Lava dragon. For some reason that fits really really well? Also apparently this boyo is a co-partner with Jazamon in their debut, so that fits pretty well for Tails and Knuckles being Sonic's right and left hand buddies. So yeah, good pick.

Big: Frogmon

Nuff said

Cream: Terriermon and Lopmon Version X

Not sure if you meant both of them would be X Antibodies or if Terriermon would be normal and only Lopmon is the X ver, but either way I think this is a delightful pick. Also for some reason I really enjoy Cream having two partners.

Shadow: Arcadimon (Perfect/Ultimate)

Yup that one's spot on. Fits his aesthetic perfectly. Also love Shadow having an Ultimate as his default partner.

Rouge: Witchmon

Pfft, perfect. Just oozes femme fatale energy. And love her having a champion as well.

Vector: Deckerdramon

Fucking rad. Maybe Vector's would have boom boxes instead of missile launchers.

Espio: Igamon

lol literally just fucking ninjamon. I mean yeah, what else would it be?

Charmy: Fanbeemon

ALSO one I decided upon myself, the instant I learned about Fanbeemon's existence.

E-123 Omega: Guardomon

Checks out. Though personally I might have gone with Gargomon for the sake of the Barret gunhands, but if Cream is gonna have Terriermon we wouldn't want to double up like that.

Blaze: Leomon

Dead cat walking. But for real, think this is a good fit. He could have a bodyguard type vibe for the princess too. Personally I might have gone with Gatomon or Black Gatomon, but then I guess their evolutions would diverge from the theme whereas Leomon stays a cat all the way up to mega.

Marine: Captain Hookmon

10/10 moving on

Silver: Exermon

Unusual choice I think but I love it, really fits Silver's aesthetic.

Infinite: Negamon -> Abbadomon

Fucking A that's perfect. Be careful who you bully in highschool indeed. Also not sure if it's meant to imply a warp evolution or if he'd digivolve up through the stages naturally, but personally I like the idea of it being Negamon when he's just the mercenary, and warp evolving all the way up once he gets phantom ruby infused.

Eggman: ??? (May possibly be his own creation)

My personal choice would be Machinedramon. Especially if we're talking the Digimon World version, specifically. Because in that case, yeah. Definitely fits as a "frankensteins monster" digimon choice.

This is why I wanted to ask you cuz you know about way more digimon than I do, I was either struggling with picks or going with really basic bitch choices lol. Definitely would accept all of these partnerships as canon in any kind of cross over.

The only ones missing are the Babylon Rogues and maybe the classic characters like Fang Mighty Ray Bean and Bark.

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

Birb parents birb parents birb-

OKAY SO SINCE THERE ARE A LOT OF BIRB PARENTS I AM GOING WITH CAREY AND DARLA BECAUSE I AM PRETTY SURE THIS IS WHO YOU MEAN!

instead of just talking about them i’m including a more thorough timeline (i say this loosely because i skip over huge details like the og babylon rogues and their drama, how they’re reunited, other shit, etc…)

THIS IS NOT ALL THERE IS TO THEM! i am open to further asks from you and everyone else to flesh them out as characters but i don’t know how to describe personalities without prompts so i mean 😎 idk what i just wrote but hopefully it is something comprehensible

anyways, an un proofread shitty loredump below about my fave bird parents ever

so, carey the jackdaw was the previous mechanic of the babylon rogues and is wave’s dad. while ash and brando were having Their Shit (more on that another time) carey was just, enjoying the show and doing his own thing!

one night he comes across a roller rink and just HAS to go. he’s obsessed. unlike his cocky team members and eventual daughter, carey doesn’t give a shit about being “the best extreme gear rider” because he’s only there because he has to be and is 1000% invested in his research (more on that later).

he doesn’t expect fantastic skaters when he goes, but out of everyone there, someone ACTUALLY outskates him. effortless tricks while putting a new spin (pun intended) on skate dancing!

… obviously this is darla. now, swallows are smart, but they’re commoners to birds like jackdaws (considered the smartest birds and carey is quite the genius). carey is humble but his teammates (mainly brando who is jet’s dad btw) are NOT, and would scoff at his crush on darla.

but hey, darla is a strong and witty mobian. she’s a fun airy free hippie lady with the most down to earth personality but the minute her and carey start talking she is sending him SPEECHLESS. and god he loves when people can do that to him. until wave is born, carey is 100% convinced darla is the most intelligent and well rounded talented being the universe has ever seen (and honestly he might be exaggerating a bit out of love but there’s something special about her)

so they’re flirting as carey tries to make smalltalk and darla giggles her way through reading him to filth. after coming around enough, he learns it’s her roller rink and is curious about why she stays when she closes.

turns out at night she opens her doors as a shelter for homeless youth of sorts— the city is infamous for its mass amount of young homeless mobians and she lets them stay there, sleep, eat, shower, and skate on the house. she isn’t rich, but darla ensures she has a strong enough business to take care of the people her city forgets about

carey is like, stunned. the rogues are loaded and this is his rude awakening that his privileged life is removed from reality and the rogues are no better than the people they steal from. darla doesn’t accept handouts which also shocks him (in a good way) which leaves him with the realization he’s going to marry darla and stay here working a normal job forever. and that will finally make him happy

… SIKE! brando works hard to ensure this won’t happen (more on his jealousy another time) and makes them do races far away from darla. she offers to sell her stuff and go with carey who tells her absolutely fucking not, stay here because these kids and this town needs her

they’re still together though, calling every day and stronger than ever. brando mellows out at some point and makes it seem like the rogues are settling down!

so they have wave, and darla encourages to work on his research (he found a way into the GUN database and is trying to figure out information on chaos emeralds before getting distracted by classified detained documents from a professor gerald robotnik about inhibitor rings… 😳)

now, something happens with brando and a hit is put on darla who is presumed dead. this means wave is raised solely by carey in his workshop, hence why she’s a total slob with no social skills whatsoever. she got all his messy traits (okay wave is basically nothing like her mother besides the style points when riding extreme gear or skating)

carey LOVES darla unconditionally. so you can imagine what a grieving hermit mechanic might pass onto his daughter (he is never mean or abusive to wave, just a total mess which leads wave to believe this is normal)

anyways, by using his research to cope, carey actually manages to prototype some inhibitor rings! they’re actually not just inhibitors, they supply infinite storage to whoever wears them like a pocket dimension. he has also been secretly running the roller rink and sneaking into town where he meets an amnesiac traumatized homeless kid with wind powers… oh yeah. i’m going there rn

SO! carey sneaks out to train this kid with something, anything to harness his powers, and decides on ninjitsu. the chameleon takes to it well while also getting a killer education because like i said before, jackdaws and carey in particular is really fuckin smart and a great teacher! the kid volunteers to wear the prototypes so they have a mutually beneficial mentorship program :”)

carey is ready to call out GUN at a huge research conference and says his mentee and wave will finally meet each other (“you guys have a lot in common!”) so it’s something to look forward to. he has to go out one more time and entrusts wave with the display inhibitors. they’re gold like the ones in the classified document descriptions, but don’t have any powers (he lies— they have a limited pocket dimension power)

so wave being the sneaky kid she is decides to wear them. yay wrench exposition!

… carey never comes back. wave thinks he’s dead. btw she’s 8 around now

turns out brando was trying to remarry carey to his sister becca to try and fix things on both their ends, but carey would rather die than betray his love for darla like that. so he gets ratted out to GUN and has been in hiding since. he never wanted to leave wave but he knew adam would do something about it for him— if there was a chance to see wave again someday he needed to be alive first

he continued his research in secret while taking care of espio, but wave was sent to live with becca anyways (a story for another time but that explains why jet and wave are considered cousins but more like siblings in my lore)

years later, they find carey again due to reasons that are complicated spoilers and darla turns up too (SHE IS SMART I TELL YOU!!!) but she’s a lesbian lol took her long enough. HOWEVER, she still loves carey in their own special way and are soulmates regardless of romantic orientations so just.

god. when they get reunited it’s so much. like darla is ready to apologize for faking her death and dipping (valid to be fair) but carey is just. a stunted mess who is just so happy she’s alive. like, darla keeps telling him he should be upset and hurt and hold her accountable so they can naturally heal and that she owes him an apology that shouldn’t be forgiven instantly but he’s like “i don’t want to waste more time being mad at you when i spent all these years desperate to see you again because i love you 🥺” THIS TALL RIPPED DILF TURNS INTO THE MOST PATHETIC SOPPING WET LITTLE MEOW MEOW THE SECOND HE WANTS TO TELL HIS WIFE HE LOVES HER

darla is just happy to have her best friend back as well as a DAUGHTER and to meet her FRIENDS and FAMILY and oh my god the second she meets espio she is attached and cries about how carey saved him too because all she ever wanted was to make a difference and when she was gone he carried on her movement and legacy. out of love. for her. she might like women but carey isn’t a romantic husband he’s her proper partner and now they have a whole sonic cast to be hot parents of so i mean 🫶

the story for why they’re all reunited plus the other nuggets are for other days but tyty for enabling me to post this on main finally!!!

[aion-rsa]

The Sister Cast: Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel’s Best-Known Roles

https://ift.tt/31KaCcX

Written by Luther creator Neil Cross, The Sister stars Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel as acquaintances connected by a long-buried, dark secret. The four-part paranormal thriller based on Cross’ 2009 novel Burial, sees Nathan Redman (Tovey) and Bob Morrow (Carvel) tussle with their conscience when the past re-emerges and threatens to upend the lives they’ve built. Tovey and Carvel star alongside Amrita Acharia as Nathan’s partner Holly, and Nina Toussaint-White as Holly’s friend and a police officer investigating the disappearance of a young woman (Simone Ashley).

Leads Carvel and Tovey boast a long and healthy back-catalogue of stage and screen parts. See below for five of their most recognisable roles to date. 

Bertie Carvel: Magician, Adulterer, Headmistress, Murdoch, Agatha Christie 

Jonathan Strange – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Carvel was dream-casting for the role of mercurial magician Jonathan Strange in the 2015 BBC One adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s rich period-fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (a cracker for fans of 19th century lit and astonishingly worthy of its 1000-odd page length). He was paired perfectly with Eddie Marsan as the withdrawn and bookish Mr Norrell, against whom Carvel’s Strange appeared even more, well… strange. Carvel played the character as part Dr Frankenstein, part Lord Byron, with his own sense of mischief and unpredictability. Magic.

Miss Trunchbull – Matilda the Musical

Roald Dahl’s villains are legendary, and on stage, Bertie Carvel made the antagonist of Matilda the Musical unforgettable. Plumped out with padding, a hump, warts, a wig and a weightlifter’s belt, he didn’t play the terrifyingly sadistic headmistress for laughs, but got them anyway. Carvel won an Olivier award for the performance, and was nominated for a Tony. In the upcoming film version of the Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin musical, Voldemort himself, aka Ralph Fiennes, is reported to be picking up the Miss Trunchbull role.

Simon Foster – Doctor Foster

For a brief period in 2015, a Bertie Carvel character became the most-hated man in the country. As the cheating husband of Suranne Jones’ titular character in BBC drama Doctor Foster, he became a dartboard target for wronged women everywhere. Smug, arrogant and apparently conscience-free, Simon Foster’s extra-marital affair with Jodie Comer’s Kate was all anybody talked about.

Rupert Murdoch – Ink

Carvel won a coveted Tony award for his role as media mogul Rupert Murdoch in Ink, a play by Quiz and This House playwright James Graham, set against the backdrop of the late sixties as a young Murdoch buys UK tabloid newspaper The Sun.   

Zachariah Osborne – The Pale Horse 

One of Carvel’s most recent and prominent screen roles saw him join the twisted Sarah Phelps-Agatha Christie universe. In two-part adaptation The Pale Horse, he plays Zachariah Osborne, a car mechanic who becomes obsessed with the idea that he and lead Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) have been cursed by witches…

See also: Frank Temple in Baghdad Central, Finn in Babylon

Read more

TV

The Undoing Review (Spoiler-Free): Classy Thriller With An All-Star Cast

By Rosie Fletcher

TV

New British TV Series for 2020: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas and More

By Louisa Mellor

Russell Tovey: History Boy, Werewolf, Slacker, Gamer, Everyman

Rudge – The History Boys

Both on stage at The National and on screen for the 2006 film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, Russell Tovey played Rudge, one of a group of sixth-formers taking the Oxford entrance examination in the 1980s. Alongside Tovey, the play’s cast has included Dominic Cooper, James Corden, Sacha Dhawan and Matt Smith, all of whom went on to very big things.

George Sands – Being Human

Supernatural drama Being Human was never quite the same after the series three departure of the original cast (well, not the original original cast, which had Andrea Riseborough as Annie, didn’t have Poldark’s Aidan Turner as Mitchell, but did have The Crown’s Claire Foy as George’s ex-fiancée Julia). Russell Tovey was there from the start as werewolf George, the beating heart of the Bristol-based flat-share.

Steve – Him & Her

Russell Tovey made a terrific pair with Sarah Solemani (who’s written the currently-in-production BBC drama Ridley Road) in low-key BBC comedy Him & Her. Becky and Steve were loveable slobs whose inertia meant their sitcom’s action never left the confines of their filthy flat. No matter, because they were subject to an onslaught of grotesquely comic visitors, from Becky’s sister Laura (Kerry Howard) to upstairs neighbour Dan (Joe Wilkinson). 

Kevin – Looking 

Celebrated HBO comedy-drama Looking was hailed by many critics as the male, gay answer to Lena Dunham’s Girls over its three-season lifespan between 2014-2016. The series won well-deserved plaudits for its funny, touching and frank portrayal of the lives of gay men living in San Francisco, navigating career, love lives and family. Tovey played video-game genius Kevin, the boss and sometime love interest of lead Patrick (Jonathan Groff).

Daniel Lyons – Years and Years

Without spoilers, Tovey’s character has a heart-wrenching and gripping storyline in Russell T. Davies’ Years and Years. The six-part BBC series follows three generations of a Manchester family from the present day years into the future, where modern politics, the economy and division over immigration have all worsened in the UK. It’s a powerful drama, and Tovey is right at its heart.

See also: Henry Knight in Sherlock ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’, Midshipman Frame in Doctor Who, Budgie in Gavin & Stacey, Jake in Flesh and Blood, Ray Terrill in the Arrowverse ‘Crisis on Earth X’ 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Spooky drama The Sister airs at 9pm on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th on ITV.

The post The Sister Cast: Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel’s Best-Known Roles appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Hvs51D

[abunchofcrazyweirdos]

OOC:

If youre checking out my muses page: PLEASE Ignore my blank muses. I am redoing everything and it’s in the works. Here are my muses in case you’re wondering and would like to know who they are. I do have another page of muses that is perfectly alright. If you’re wondering who they’re FCs are I will let you know too. 

Noah Puckerman: (S1-6 or college).

Jake Puckerman: Womanizer of McKinley High School. Dancer/Singer.

Mason McCarthy: Twin brother to his sister Madison. He wishes that she would let him live his own life. He’s a cheerleader and singer.

Kitty Wilde: Head Bitch in Charge, her role model is Quinn Fabray. In Glee and a cheerleader.

Derek Hough: Lives to have fun and dance. Professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. Passionate, Dedicated, and joker.

Kevin Matheson: Video game programmer, nerd, diligent, resourceful and sensible.

Brian Kinney: CEO of Kinnetik and owner of Babylon night club. Self-made millionaire.  He will often put his foot in his mouth, and say things without thinking

Riley Matthews: Ball of energy. Outgoing and Bubbly. Loves her family and friends. Will try something new even if she fails.

Lucas Friar: Moved from Texas to New York. Champion bull rider, compassionate, intelligent, noble, athletic and a gentleman.

College FC for Lucas

Farkle Minkus: Boy genius. Nerd. Loves school. The teachers pet and he rather be studying than out partying with friends.

Ashton Irwin:  Drummer for 5SOS. Aussie Native. Singer. Punk rocker, passionate.

Calum Hood: Bass player for 5SOS. Singer, Adventurous, Aussie

Luke Hemmings: Lead Singer, Guitar player for 5SOS. Dedicated and Aussie.

Michael Clifford: Vocals and Guitar player for 5SOS. Aussie, Punk rocker, joker, shy at times.

Harry Styles: . ¼ of One Direction. Singer plays piano and guitar. Cheeky, lovable, Baby Tarzan and curly.

Louis Tomlinson:  Joker. ¼ of One Direction. Singer. Guitar player and Piano.

Liam Payne:  ¼ of One Direction. Beatboxer, Singer, Batman (secretly) and Daddy Directioner. Lovable.Adorable, Puppy.

Niall Horan: Food lover. ¼ of One Direction. Drums, Singer, Guitar, Piano.

Zayn Malik: A former member of One Direction. The rapper, Singer, Doing my own thing, the tattoo artist.

Alec Lightwood: Shadowhunter, reserved, logical, charming, imaginative. Don’t mess with him. Overly protective of his sister and loved ones.

Billy Nutter: Punk, protective, impulsive, devoted, uncertain and sassy.

Nikko or Hunter Clarington: Singer, bad boy, adventurous, passionate and lives life to the fullest.

Oliver Queen: Athletic. The Green Arrow. Independent, Strong, hard-headed, stubborn and will do anything to save his family and friends.

Ethan Snow: Hard headed, bad boy with a soft side. Once his mind his made up, that’s it.  He won’t budge.

Trinity White: Sweet, lovable, warm, singer and a bookworm. Can be hardheaded at times.

Evie: She will always be in the library, or with a book in her hand. She is very driven and passionate. Very intelligent.

Felicity Smoak: Team Arrow. Graduate of MIT and a hacker.

Caitlin Snow: Bio-engineer for S.T.A.R. Labs. Easily hurt so she guards herself and her heart. Killer Frost

Steve Rogers or AKA Captain America. Kicking ass and taking names. Loves to have a good time and joke around.

Clint Barton or AKA Hawkeye. Sneaks up on you if you’re not careful. Will kick your ass if you get on his bad side.

Cisco Ramon: Mechanical Engineer at S.T.A.R Labs. Intelligent, joker, laid back and Vibe.

Clary Fray: Promising art student, intelligent, guarded. Shadowhunter

Cole Pendery: Member of IM5. Dorky, a child at heart and very lovable. Cuddly panda.

Jackson Whitmore: Cocky, competitive, has a lovable side to him. On the lacrosse and swim team. (Verse: Roy from Arrow as well)

Lindy Sampson: Born in Chicago now lives in New York City. Works at NYPD in the Cyber Crimes Division. Hacker, MIT Drop out. Quick to take the blame.

Tommy Calligan: NYPD Detective with the Cyber Crimes Division. New York City born and raised. Witty, Smart and tough.

Jake Bolin: Aussie born and raised but moved to New York for job. Lawyer. Has a temper and will snap easily.

Gabe Morales: Member of IM5. Bad Boy but lovable too. Cocky.

Iris West: Daughter to Joe West. Journalist, Graduate Student. Witty, Passionate, easily will defend friends and family. Brother: Wally West.

Jace Wayland: Determined, narcissistic, expert Shadowhunter.

Connor Walsh: Law Student. Sly, Sexy, Smart, Narcissistic

Veronica Mars: Private Eye. Will accept any job that is offered to her. Dedicated to her work, family, friends and partners.

Oliver Hampton: Computer Nerd and hacker. Falls in love easily. Has to learn how to guard his heart.

Logan Echolls: Known as the resident bad boy of Neptune. Does not apply himself, smart, sarcastic attitude,tough exterior but troubled inside.

Grace: Gentle. Kind. Positive outlook on life. Surfer. Sweet.

Mack: Leader. Smart. Confident. Determined. Surfer. Singer.

Aiden: Passionate. Driven. A leader. Smart. Hardheaded

Simon: Intelligent. Finds humor in any situation. Loyal. Vampire or Human

Izzy Lightwood: Kick ass. Comfortable in her body. Keeps people in check. Breaks rules, will speak her mind.

Image result for raphael shadowhunters

Raphael: Well-dressed. Handsome. Protective.

Image result for lydia shadowhunters

Lydia: Driven. Bad ass. Vulnerable. Harsh.

Image result for Magnus Bane

Magnus Bane: High Warlock. Glitter. Perfection.

Jason: Mechanic (Motorcycles)

Josh: Tattoo Artist.

Neal: Informant for FBI.

Image result for Jess Mariano

Jess Mariano: Writer. Smart. Witty. Hot-headed/Temper

Image result for Logan Huntzberger

Logan Huntzberger: Smart. Charming. Flirty.

Image result for machine gun kelly

Ty: Your typical bad boy.

Image result for tyler young

Tyler: Closeted gay. Foster child. Dad is MIA and Mom is sick.

Image result for brent antonello

Jude Kinkade: Vice President of Devils Basketball team

Zero or Gideon: Member of the Devils Basketball team.

Noel Kahn: Your typical charming guy with a bad side. Throws wild parties.

Wyatt Casey: Outsider. Likes to keep to himself mostly.

Diego: FBI Agent.

Barry Allen or Sebastian Smythe: Singer, Forensic scientist and Student

Danny: Hockey Player.

Mickey

Ian

Chelsea

Ben

Deran

Andrew

Jughead.

Jay

Thomas

Stiles

Ethan

Derek

Theo

Liam Dunbar

Corey

Mason

Pol. Student.

Buck: Firefighter. 

Ricky

Carlos

Aria

Marley Or Kara 

Chris

Moose:

Cami:

Sean or Eddie:

Andie:

Blaine Anderson:

[sonicfanuniverseproject-blog]

Here’s an update to the overview, probably gonna keep changing this as more stuff gets added. Gonna move on to filling in the details now though.

############ #THE BASICS# ############ Primarily based off of the Archie Sonic Reboot Continuity, but incorporates elements of other parts of the franchise and fan-content.

Canon: The world established in the Nu-252 comics, minus the super genesis wave (whether or not Unleashed is canon should be at the author's discretion). The events in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Adventure 2. The events of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog are partially canon -  some events may or may not differ from the way they are depicted in those games. Elements from other games may be canon, but the plot(s) either are not or else have not yet occurred.

########### #THE WORLD# ###########

###OVERVIEW### Set on Earth (or Mobius or whatever you want to call it) at an undisclosed point in the near-ish future.  The world is currently undergoing a low-intensity global conflict between the United Federation (and Allied factions) and the Eggman Empire.  Not quite a cold war but not a world war either.

Overall Geography matches Earth, with minor changes- Northamer - North America Soumerca - Central and South America Eurish - Europe Efrika - Sub-Saharan Africa or Africa as a whole Yurashia - Asia or Central and East Asia Midesta - The Middle East, Western Asia and/or North Africa Tralius - Australia Artika - The Artic Ocean and surrounding land, including the norther parts of Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Greenland.

###FACTIONS### United Federation (and GUN)  -Federal Republic  -Covers much of Eurish, Northamer, and parts of Yurashia and Efrika, with some territory in Soumerca and Artika.  -A Republic, essentially the United States and European union combined.  -Large Military force.  -Allied with various other nations, at war with the Eggman Empire.

Eggman Empire  -Authoritarian Dictatorship with Feudal Leanings.  -Strong presence in Soumerca, Efrika, Midesta, and Tralius, with 'smaller' outposts in Yurashia, Northamer, and Artika, and an enclave in Avalon [British Isles] in Eurish.  -Less an empire and more of a rogue military force at this point (Think Brotherhood of Nod from Command and Conquer).  -At war with much of the rest of the world.

Kingdom of Acorn  -Small Pacific Island Kingdom.  -Small military, more of a defense force or guard.  -Allied with the United Federation, at war with the Eggman Empire.

Kingdom of Meropis  -Underwater City-State Kingdom off the coast of Soumerca.  -Extremely Small military, really just a city guard.  -Isolationist.

Black Arms  -Extraterrestrial.  -Ded (Mostly).  -Military in nature, although in a distinctly alien way.

###LOCATIONS### (Feel free to add real world locations, or locations inspired by real places, but try to avoid anything that would be too jarring for the setting. For example, the Grand Canyon or Barringer crater might be good ideas, but Toronto might not.  The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone would be right on the line between the two.) --Artika-- Holoska - A village located in northern or western Alaska (or equivalent). Part of the United Federation.

Artika Egg Army Base - A modest outpost, notable as the main radar array for the Eggman Empire in the northern hemisphere (similar to PAVE PAWS). Also used as an airstation.

--Efrika-- Mazuri - A city in the Sahel or Sudanian Savanna (think Timbuktu). Part of the United Federation.

Efrica Egg Army Base - Located at the edge of the Guinea region south of Mazuri (Note: since it is closer to England (Avalon) than Iraq (Shamar) - 2700 vs 3400 miles). Contains a large motorpool, among other facilities. One of the larger Egg Army Bases.

--Eurish-- Spagonia - A major city in southern or south-western Eurish (in either Spain or Italy or the equivalent). It contains a large university, Spagonia University. Part of the United Federation, it is safely away from the frontlines of the ongoing global conflict.

Apotos - A large city in south-eastern Eurish (in Greece or the equivalent). Part of the United Federation, it is also safely away from the frontlines of the ongoing global conflict.

Soleanna - A prosperous city-state in south-eastern Eurish (like Venice but on the Croatian or Montenegrin coast). Not part of the United Federation, although it is closely associated with it.

Coolette - A now modest farming village in Auvergne (or equivalent), with the now-abandoned Castle D'Coolette standing nearby.

Avalon Egg Army Base - A large, heavily fortified citadel in Avalon (British Isles), and the only presence of the Eggman Empire in Eurish. Also called the Sylvanian Egg Army Base (eg. Britian vs. England).

--Midesta-- Shamar - A large city in Mesopotamia (or equivalent). NOT part of the United Federation.  Has been the scene of numerous conflicts in recent history. Currently contested by the Eggman Empire.

Midesta Egg Army Base - Located in the desert near Shamar (think Petra), specializing in desert warfare. One of the larger Egg Army Bases.

Babylon - 400 or 500 year old ruins of a once-great city located in the desert. Ancestral homeland of the Battle-Bird Armada and other (mainly avian) mobians.

--Northamer-- Empire City - A sprawling metropolis and the economic engine of the United Federation's Northamer territories (Essentially New York City, and located in about the same location). Under zero threat from any kind of overt attack by the Eggman Empire. clandestine operations, however, are another matter entirely.

Central City - Capital of the United Federation. Located in the Bay Area on the Pacific coast (Essentially San Francisco).

Westopolis - Another significantly large city in the United Federation. Located about midway between Empire City and Central City (think Chicago). Suffered significant damage recently, but has recovered quite well.

G.U.N. Headquarters - Headquarter for the Guardian Unit of Nations. Located either in or near Central City.

G.U.N Fortress - A major military installation and command center for G.U.N. (similar to Cheyenne Mountain).

Prison Island - A tropical island in the western pacific. Previously used by the United Federation and G.U.N. as a naval base and high security prison/depository. Since destroyed and left abandoned.

Northamer Egg Army Base - A small outpost located in an isolated part of Northamer (possibly around the area of Montana or Wyoming).

Metropolis - Important industrial center of the Eggman Empire and a major research hub. A quasi-capital of the Eggman Empire. Located somewhere in the south-east of Northamer, far away from Empire City and within flying distance of the Mystic Ruins. (Note: put it here because it wouldn't make sense for it and Mobotropolis to be so close to each other and not be constantly fighting, also needed to be close to the Mystic Ruins)

--Oceania-- Mobotropolis - Capital of the Kingdom of Acorn, a pastoral city located on Westside Island in the Acorn Archipelago in the south pacific (somewhere in Polynesia or Micronesia).

Meropis - Underwater City-Kingdom located off the coast of Soumerca, near Station Square.

Angel Island - A floating island typically found floating above the Pacific Ocean. Originally located near the Mystic Ruins before it became airborne. Contains many ancient ruins as well as left-over bases used by Doctor Eggman.

--Soumerca-- Station Square - A large city in the United Federation with a thriving tourism and entertainment industry. Located in the north of Soumerca, along the Pacific coast near the Mystic Ruins (think Acapulco with a dash of New York). Badly damaged by Perfect Chaos, but has mostly recovered.

Mystic Ruins - Ruins of an Ancient Echidna city. Dotted with archeological sites and small villages.

Harbor Heights - A small seaside resort town. Part of the United Federation.

Soumerca Egg Army Base - Located somewhere in the Jungles of Soumerca (most likely somewhere in either the Amazon, the Yucatan, Nicaragua, Venezuela, or Colombia).

--Tralius-- Tralius Egg Army Base - Primarily a research and development lab for egg army equipment, for this reason it is located far away from any United Federation territory.

--Yurashia-- Chun-Nan - Large, populated, coastal region in East Yurashia (around where Guangdong or Fujian are). Currently in a period of political upheaval, many parts of the county have been rendered effectively lawless while warlords fight for control. Can also refer to the greater area around Chu-Nan proper (effectively China).

Adabat - A costal city in South-East Yurasia. Part of the United Federation.

Yurashia Egg Army Base - Destroyed. Previously an outpost and special forces training center.

############ #CHARACTERS# ############

###Sonic & Co.### Sonic the Hedgehog - Needs no introduction. Originally from Westside Island in the Acorn Archipelago.

Miles "Tails" Prower - Best friend and 'adopted' little brother of Sonic. Genius mechanic and aeronautical engineer. Originally from South Island in the Acorn Archipelago.

Knuckles the Echidna - Last known echidna and guardian of the Master Emerald and occasional ally to Sonic. Originally from and resident of Angel Island.

Amy Rose - Admirer and close friend of Sonic. Resident of station square.

###The Caotix### Vector the Crocodile - Private detective and head of the Chaotix Detective Agency. Associate of Knuckles the Echidna.

Espio the Chameleon - Ninja member of the Chaotix Detective Agency.

Charmy the Bee - Member of the Chaotix Detective Agency.

###The Kingdom of Acorn### King Acorn - Monarch of the Acorn Archipelago, a benevolent ruler. Past dealings with G.U.N. and Dr. Eggman have made him cautious and guarded at times, although he is very open and friendly with those he trusts (such as Sonic & company). Wife died awhile back.

Vanilla the Rabbit - Courtier. Cream's mother.

Professor Charles "Uncle Chuck" the Hedgehog - Court inventor and scientist. Uncle (figure?) to Sonic.

Ben Muttski - Apprentice to Uncle Chuck.

Dr. Ellidy - Former court scientist. Creator of Nicole.

Nikki [Dead] - Dr. Ellidy's daughter.

Rosie Woodchuck - Former nanny and tutor of Princess Sally.

Elias Acorn - Prince of a cadet branch of the Acorn line and Sally's cousin. Presently attending Spagonia University.

###Freedom Fighters### Princess Sally Acorn - Heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Acorn. Leader of the Freedom Fighters. Mother died awhile back. Spent a good part of her later childhood separated from her father due to Dr. Eggman's attack on the kingdom.

Bunnie Rabbot D'Coolette - Dutchess of Coolette, Cyborg with the ability to fly and shoot lasers out of her arm-gun. Married to Antion D'Coolette.

Antion D'Coolette - Duke of Coolette, swordsman and royal guard in the service of King Acorn. Married to Bunnie Rabbot D'Coolette.

Rotor Walrus - Resident inventor and mechanic for the freedom fighters. Often collaborates with Tails when the two of them meet. Originally from Artika. Left after the death of his mother and an abusive childhood.

Cream the Rabbit - Junior member of the freedom fighters.

Nicole - Extremely advanced empathetic human-level AI. Close friend of Sally. Master hacker. Created by Dr. Ellidy.

###United Federation### The President - President of the United Federation.

Professor Gerald Robotnik [Dead] - Creator of Shadow the Hedgehog, the Biolizard, and the Eclipse Cannon. Grandfather of Maria Robotnik. Head researcher on Project Shadow immortality research project.

Maria Robotnik [Dead] - Granddaughter of Gerald Robotnik and sister-figure to Shadow the Hedgehog. Suffered from N.I.D.S. Shot and killed during the raid on space colony ark ~50 years ago.

###G.U.N.### Abraham Tower - Commander of G.U.N., close friend of Maria Robotnik, and Shadow's boss.

Amanda Tower - Captain of a G.U.N. Battleship. Daughter of Abraham Tower.

Madonna Garnet - G.U.N. counterintelligence agent and interrogator.

###Team Dark### Shadow the Hedgehog - G.U.N. agent and friends with his colleagues Rouge and Omega. Created by Professor Gerald Robotnik as both an immortality experiment and a potential cure to N.I.D.S.

Rouge the Bat - G.U.N. agent, spy, saboteur, infiltrator, and tactician for Team Dark. Friends with her colleagues Shadow and Omega.

E123 Omega - Renegade E-Series robot. 'Friends' with Shadow and Rouge. Agent of G.U.N. and walking arsenal. Enjoys destroying Eggman's robots.

###Empire City### Honey the Cat - Famous fashion designer and a prize fighter on the side. Friends with Amy Rose and business associate of Breezie the Hedgehog.

Breezie the Hedgehog - Successful (and ruthless) business tycoon and owner of Breeze Media as well as Casino Park. Formerly in the employ of Dr. Eggman, but currently in good standing with the United Federation.

###Meropis### King Puff - King of Meropis.

Queen Angelica - Queen of Meropis

Princess Undina - Sly, somewhat impish princess of Meropis. Currently traveling the world on a stolen pirate submarine, accompanied by lieutenant Echo the Dolphin.

Echo the Dolphin - Lieutenant of the Meropis City Guard and currently the personal bodyguard of princess Undina.

Striker the Mantis Shrimp - Captain of the Meropis City Guard.

Coral the Betta - Priestess of the Eusebes Shrine near Meropis. Responsible for maintaining the Meropis shield barrier. Friends with Pearly and Razor, and more recently with Amy Rose.

Pearly the Manta Ray - Apprentice and close friend of Coral.

Razor the Shark - Guardian of the Eusebes Shrine and friend of Coral and Pearly. Former member of the Pirates of the Setting Dawn and brother of Blade the Shark. Former acquaintance of Abyss the Squid.

###Shamar### Spike the Porcupine - Leader of the Desert Raiders, close friends with Sonar and Trevor. Similar to Sonic personality-wise, although a bit more of a realist.

Sonar the Fennec - Member of the Desert Raiders and close friends with Spike and Trevor. While at first she may appear bright and upbeat, in reality she often worries about her friends.

Trevor Burrow the Mole - Member of the Desert Raiders and close friends with Sonar and Spike. Completely blind, but mostly made up for with his other senses heightened as a result.

###Chu-nan### Dulcy the Dragon - The somewhat shy leader of the Shijin Warriors. Formerly a member of the Eastern Forest Clan (before she ran away). Friends with Princess Sally and Sonic, as well as the other Shijin Warriors. Can fly and breath fire.

Jian the Tiger - Member of the Shijin warriors and former member of the Yurashia Egg Army. (Former) childhood friend of Conquering Storm.

Bunker the Tortoise - Monk, shrine matron, and member of the Shijin warriors.

Cinder the Pheasant - Junior member of the Shijin warriors and assistant to Bunker the Tortoise.

###Eggman Empire### Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik - Would-be world emperor and self-proclaimed "greatest scientific genius in the world". Most folks just call him Dr. Eggman now. Holds doctoral degrees in Engineering, Philosophy, Science, and Medicine, granted by himself, of course.

##Northamer Egg Army## Clove the Pronghorn - Egg Boss of Northamer and Cassia's older sister. Only follows Eggman for a cure to her sister's disease, although that may change soon. Is a surprisingly skilled fighter (probably in the top 3 for the Egg Bosses) but prefers a diplomatic approach most of the time, unless her friends or family are threatened.

Cassia the Pronghorn - Co-Egg Boss of Northamer and Clove's younger sister. Suffers from an incurable disease and receives ongoing treatment for it from Eggman, making her and her sister dependent on Eggman. Competent fighter Loves videogames.

##Soumerica Egg Army## Thunderbolt the Chinchilla - Egg Boss of Soumerica and Dr. Eggman's self-proclaimed 'number-one-fan'. One of the few genuinely loyal members of eggman's forces.

##Efrica Egg Army## Axel the Water Buffalo - Egg Boss of Efrica and talented Mechanic. Leader of a biker gang before joining up with Eggman, now leads them as the Efrica Egg Army.

##Artika Egg Army## Turndra the Walrus - Artika Egg Boss and Rotor's father. Originally the chief of one of two major tribes before submitting to Eggman. Believes in survival of the fittest and that the strongest should rule. A fierce fighter, tends to think of things in black and white.

##Norther Oceans Egg Army## Akhlut the Orca - Egg Boss of the northern oceans and rival/enemy of Tundra. Ferocious in combat and a bit of a sadist. Can be manipulative, but tends to favor brute strength.

##Southern Oceans Egg Army## Abyss the Squid - Egg Boss of the southern oceans. Former member of the Pirates of the Setting Dawn and self-proclaimed 'greatest pirate who ever lived'. Loves everything about the pirate life, especially the drinking.

##Tralius Egg Army## Maw the Thylacine - Egg Boss of Tralius. A scientist and inventor in his own right, also one of the few genuinely loyal members of Eggman's forces, although more for selfish reasons. Very little is known about his true motivations. May be a war criminal.

##Midesta Egg Army## Nephthys the Vulture - Egg Boss of Midesta. An old war veteran and a mentor to Spike, Sonar, and Trevor. Prefers to avoid conflict, after having seen the destruction caused by Midesta's periodic wars firsthand. Respected by those under her, many of whom served with her before Eggman arrived.

##Avalon Egg Army## Mordred Hood - Lord of Avalon (Sylvania), acting as the Eggman Empire's Egg Boss for the region. While noble by birth, no-one else recognizes his claim to the throne. Only still in power because Eggman is backing him.

##Yurashia Egg Army## Conquering Storm - Egg Boss of Chu-nan and leader of a formerly-independent clan which now make up the bulk of the Yurasia Egg Army. Driven to unify Greater Chu-nan and bring an end to the conflict and strife in central and western Chu-nan (think Warlord-era China).

##Battle Bird Armada## Battle Lord Kukku XV - "Fifteenth son of a noble lineage" which streches back around 400-500 years to the destruction of the city of Babylon and leader of the Battle Bird Armada. Only works for Eggman to avoid having to fight both Eggman and The United Federation. plans on breaking away from Eggman when the opportunity presents itself.

Speedy (Battle Lord Kukku XVI) - Son of Kukku and heir to the Battle Bird Armada. Acts mature when 'on the job', but still has a childish streak in him. Secretly loves videogames.

###Black Arms### Black Doom [Dead] - (Former) Leader of the Black Arms. Tried to eat the inhabitants of the World.

Eclipse the Darkling - Last member of the Black Arms? Half-Brother to Shadow by blood, not that Shadow would ever admit that. Vengeful and lost, not sure of anything other than getting revenge on Shadow for destroying the Black Arms.

######## #EVENTS# ########

###THE DISTANT PAST### ??Real World Events?? (if they fit the setting, WW2 probably didn't happen, but the middle ages or Rome, or their equivalent might have) SA1 Flashbacks

###THE RECENT PAST### S3&K, SA1, SA2 Much of the reboot comic

###CURRENT EVENTS###

###THE FUTURE?### (Maybe a metaplot at some point)

[oscopelabs]

Lights, Camera, Mania: Showbiz Satire’s Descents Into Madness by Charles Bramesco

In his seminal tell-all Hollywood Babylon, Kenneth Anger claimed to reveal the festering truth beneath the dream factory of the American film industry. His was a bemused but cynical perspective on the business of show, reveling in the sordid juiciness of early Tinseltown controversies that usually concluded with tragedy, if not death. Representatives of the film idols referred to in the book lined up to denounce the tales of drug-fueled orgies and suicide cover-ups as conjecture and falsehood, and indeed, the modern reader would do well to take Anger’s gossip with a metric ton of salt.

But rather than a factual history, Anger’s book has more value as a portrait of a certain mentality specific to this professional milieu. Even if Clara Bow didn’t bang the entire USC football team, this progenitor of the celeb exposé spoke to true conditions of the culture surrounding the movie colony, suggesting that decadence and luxury made—and continue to make—it too easy to go mad with power. Readers flocked to Anger’s toxic oil spill of a book for the same reason airport bookstores regularly sell out of the latest A-lister’s confessional: it’s devilishly pleasurable to watch fame and fortune make someone act crazy.

The best Hollywood send-ups have adopted this jaded outlook, turning an eye inward to find a carnivorous business that masticates talent and spits it out once the flavor’s gone. The recent, toothless likes of Argo, La La Land, and The Artist have courted the label of satire with a line about expanded universes here or a jab at blowhard producers there, but these little rib-nudges have been affectionate counterpoints in otherwise adulatory valentines to the magic of the movies. The good stuff cuts to the dark heart of an industry that gives creative types—and who could possibly be more mentally infirm than a writer—too much money and influence for their own good.

The history of showbiz spoofery is the history of insanity: the finest entries have used the assorted pressures of filmmaking to push their characters to their wit’s end as an absurd representation of the corrosive forces of Hollywood. Starting from Anger’s sensationalist tracking of Frances Farmer’s long, sad descent into madness, all roads have led to the sanatorium.

The main thoroughfare is the derelict drag of Sunset Blvd. Billy Wilder was the first to conjure a human manifestation of filmmaking’s maggoty underbelly with Norma Desmond, a crumbling grand dame cannily played by crumbling grand dame Gloria Swanson. Swanson applied the exaggerated techniques of silent film acting to the talkie form in order to create an affected style marked by its own period, a symbol of decay in an industry obsessed with the new and young. She constructed an insular fantasy life in her isolated castle lair as a coping mechanism for her fall from prominence, and for his blackest joke, Wilder allowed her delusions to become reality in the film’s concluding punch line. Norma’s deteriorating psyche imbues the film around her with a bit of her mania, too; a funeral for a chimp Charlestons along the line between the silly and the somber. Even as he verged on the outlandish, he struck a chord; Louis B. Mayer famously bellowed to Wilder at an L.A. screening, “You have disgraced the industry that made and fed you! You should be tarred and feathered and run out of Hollywood!”

But this strain of satire truly hit the fever-pitch sweet spot with S.O.B. in 1981, trading the showbiz-specific indignity of aging past relevance for that of creative compromise. Director Blake Edwards plays a cruel and pernicious god to his Job-like plaything of Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan), a producer driven to desperation by his first flop and willing to do anything in order to salvage it. He’s put through the wringer several times over, bungling four suicide attempts in increasingly pathetic fashion before arriving at the epiphany that sex was the missing ingredient from his character study of a closed-off woman retreating into the recesses of her own mind. (All we see of the fictitious Night Wind is a disturbing, surreal dream sequence set to “Polly Wolly Doodle” twice over, first as an unsettling juvenile fantasy and then as a doubly unsettling eroticized juvenile fantasy.)

The film industry, at least as it’s shown here, doesn’t function like other professional sectors. Nobody really knows what’s going to connect with an audience and what won’t, and to those working on the inside, it often feels like no rhyme or reason governs the separation of hits and misses. Edwards makes Felix into the casualty of a sense-defying work culture, where no bad idea or underhanded maneuver is off limits so long as it yields success at the end of the day. Felix grows deranged as a result of his constant humiliation, and resolves to play as dirty as the weaselly studio executives who cheat him out of the rights to his picture once it starts to look like a success. By the moment he’s killed due to his own harebrained plan, he’s been reduced to a nattering nutjob, martyred by a system seemingly resistant to logic.

Robert Altman would torment another power-producer to the point of breaking a decade later with The Player, but the next film to actively integrate the mentality of lunacy into its overall atmosphere would be the gleefully unhinged Death to Smoochy. (It’s no coincidence that all the films mentioned so far drew powerfully polarized reactions at the time of their release; a draught this bitter has never gone down easy.) Shifting to the other side of the camera, director Danny DeVito mined laughs by transposing the cutthroat nature of big-leagues entertainment to the bush leagues of kids’ shows. He juxtaposed the core nastiness of back-room wheeling and dealing with the outward-facing nicety of Barney and his ilk, and in doing so, delivered an uncommonly misanthropic take on how the sausage of entertainment gets made.

Moreover, the film presented a physical manifestation of hyperactive id in Robin Williams’ corrupt, ruthless kiddie showman Rainbow Randolph. Starting at a coked-out 10 and only turning the dial higher from there, Williams rendered his role as a manifestation of pure, white-hot hate, screaming every line at the top of his lungs. As he goes about his dogged mission to dethrone his replacement Smoochy (Ed Norton as the chipper Sheldon Mopes), DeVito suggests that Randolph’s frenzied dysfunction simply reflects the fucked-upped-ness of his climate. The ostensibly incorruptible Sheldon is offered the seductions of money, pleasure, and influence, and while he’s able to remain true to his principles in the face of it all, Randolph’s the foil illustrating what happens to those without the required moral fortitude. He has a near-complete psychotic break at feature length, his mind irreparably warped by the deleterious forces of televised playtime.

Tropic Thunder took a more specific set of reference points for its deflation of Hollywood ego and pretension, ultimately driving its subjects to the brink of sanity as well. Namely, the myth of Francis Ford Coppola and the notoriously calamitous production of Apocalypse Now (dutifully chronicled in the making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness) provided the guideline for this send-up of war films and the people who play make-believe in them. Coppola reportedly went a touch native while mounting his titanically ambitious epic in the jungles of Vietnam, and likewise, the prima donna actors dropped into the wild start to lose it when they realize the danger they’re in is bona fide.

Writer/director/star Ben Stiller gets in some good potshots at scuzzy corporate types (Tom Cruise’s craven studio head Les Grossman comes off looking the worst of all), but mainly lampoons the actors taking their craft seriously enough to lose sight of themselves. Both Stiller’s macho action hero and Robert Downey Jr.’s award-festooned boob slip into their assigned roles, extending Method acting to the point of fractured identity. Rather than taking aim on the machinery that generates movies, Stiller trains his crosshairs on the process of acting itself, mocking those artistes so wrapped up in “becoming” their role that they can’t tell where it begins and they end. Stiller accelerates their mental strain by dumping the cast in enemy territory, but they don’t end up anywhere that Jared Leto hasn’t gone of his own volition.

Just about all entertainment that goes behind the scenes of entertainment agrees that the job’s not a part-time gig, that creating art on this kind of scale demands a lot from the people involved. The gentler critiques have stopped the symptoms at workaholism, but these more incisive films expand that list to include a wide array of psychological hazards. Los Angeles runs on hysteria, on the single-minded willingness to do anything and everything to make the show go on. The innumerable “troubled-but-brilliant” biopics have made the suggestion that inner anguish is the noble sacrifice that true talents make for shouldering the burden of genius; in an art form as prone to disaster, complication, and overall FUBARification as cinema, it’s just the cost of doing business.

[itsworn]

Industry Icon Ted Dzus: Made In America

Ted Dzus and I go back more than forty years. In that time, he built some pretty hairy companions and all of them exhibited craftsmanship, thought, and even a little whimsy. And this was well before the internet tangle, so we got our news pony express-like from the monthly rags and the advertising copy that accompanied them or we heard it over the land line. There was civility then. Nobody yapped immediate when there was no forum to put it in; there was no specious social media for all that gas and very little grit.

These days everybody’s been dog-trained to spit up a sound bite, no matter how inane, thoughtless, or cruel, for a few seconds of something and there’s always somebody with a phone cam on every greasy street corner in America to record their proclivities. Common sense surely seems to abandon them, or maybe they haven’t got any in the first place. Back in the day, we just kept hammering and kept our derision close to the bar…

I lived in northern New Jersey then, so it was only a short crawl over to Long Island. One powerful fall day in the mid-seventies, I was out there to shoot Ted’s Modified Production Vega wagon that had been naturally riddled with Dzus rounds. We had lunch at Herman’s, one of his favorite haunts. We ate, we drank, we ate some more. Then we burned rubber across the street to a strip-mall gin mill managed by Geraldo Rivera’s brother, who fixed us right up with a six-pack of Kamikazes. (Yo, what’s the big deal, it’s only two o’clock.) About an hour later, we set fuzzy sights on the Vega.

Suffice that I had to put my shoulder to a steady tree so I could focus (a loose term here) the Nikon. I felt woozy, delaminated. When the proof sheets came back they were awful. (Your eyes were closed when you did this, right?)Maybe it was time for a change of scenery. Shortly thereafter, I got the new-car bug at Motor Trend and left the land of hard-core modified for the bright, shiny, and mundane. Fact is, I did a dozen or so stories with Ted over the years.

Then, it’s somehow 1998 and beyond my belief I’ve been the editor of Hot Rod for two years. I’m on Power Tour, the first one to chew down the Right coast (from Ft. Devens, Massachusetts to Tampa), waiting in a ratty motel lobby in ratty Suffern, New York, for some company to arrive. Across the floor I see a tanned head and trademark white shirt, bobbing in conversation—Dzus. When he sees me, his face lights up.

We tramped around for a decade, sometimes on Long Island, always on Power Tour. There were cocktails after five. Sometimes we yelled at the crowd. Sometimes we yelled at shoddy service. Sometimes we yelled at one another. And so it was with a couple of very blessed, very fortunate miscreants (now in their mid-seventies) who never really got beyond the age of 18. Not quiche aficionados. Not cars ‘n’ coffee wanks. Not soap opera stars. Car guys.—Ro McGonegal

William Dzus (born Volodymyr Dzhus)

As a child, Ted’s grandfather had a fascination with all things mechanical and he especially loved large machines. As he grew older, his interest expanded. One day he saw a thresher and followed it to the fields. When his father John found him watching it he was enraged that William had been frittering his time. John Dzhus was not one for any resource spent that didn’t immediately add to his or the family’s wherewithal, e.g., farming. As his ancestors, he was bound to the land in the western Ukraine and fiercely pushed his son to follow the same life; he distained William’s natural curiosity and refused to indulge him in his true interests. One telling example: William had built a miniature tabernacle out of wood for his work-worn grandmother thinking that it would brighten her up a little. When his father saw it, he ripped it from his hands and crushed it under a heavy boot. William was undeterred.

Sometime later, he dreamed of having his own transportation. Because there was no metal to do it with he built a working bicycle from trees and branches as the raw materials. Pieces of rope he found along the roadside became the “tires.” William was pleased with his pure accomplishment. His parochial somewhat sadistic father was not. He found the bicycle and smashed it to pieces. Incidents as such were a large factor in William’s desire to get out of the Ukraine, away from his suffocating father and make his bones in America, in the land of the free. In 1913, he made the crossing carrying a change of clothes in a cardboard suitcase and a small fortune of $25 in his pocket, or so the story goes. He spent years in the new country becoming acclimated and making contacts.

Eventually, William managed to establish a shop in Babylon, New York, even as the Great Depression was raging full. Rather than repairing cars, if they still had them, his clientele was more concerned with putting a potato on the table and keeping the roof over their heads rather than squandering what little money they had on personal transportation. It occurred to William that this trend was a bellwether and he closed the doors to his sanctum for good in 1929.

Subsequently, he went to work as a toolmaker in the fuselage department of the Fairchild Aircraft Company in Farmingdale, New York. At the time, the switch from wood to metal aircraft construction was an epiphany, but there were teething problems. Drawing the light metal alloy through a die produced the frame components, and though it worked fine, often the dies scratched the metal deeply enough to where the intrusions became stress risers that certainly became cracks when exposed to the constant rigor of operation. William, the consummate thinker and inventor unkinked the problem by applying a coat of lacquer to the dies, thus isolating them from the surface of the extrusions.

By 1931, his lush, verdant mind and economy of design had devised a die that formed aircraft window frames rather than doing it the old way of cutting, fitting, and welding, thus saving time and money. He is also credited with developing the first automotive grille and the first radiator fan, but lack of promotional funds and patent knowledge precluded proprietary rights.

That same year, William observed a military exercise, watching planes take off and land, looking for weaknesses. He heard a lot of rattling as the aircraft touched down and he traced it to the cowlings, those removable metal sections that housed the engine. None of them were securely attached to the structure of the plane. The repertoire included fasteners in the shape of a diaper pin, a mushroom-shaped latch fastener, and a trunk latch type. William envisioned a fastener that would prevent the metal from vibrating and eventually hardening from this activity; the hardened metal became brittle and ultimately the piece would fail.

His panacea had three basic qualities; strength, safety, and simplicity. It was easy to lock and unlock in either direction and required adjustment of a scant ninety-degrees. The fastener was self-locking by virtue of a recess in the cam that allowed the drawn spring wire to fall in place behind it (see illustration). Dzus produced 26 sets of fasteners for an experimental aircraft. The set-up worked so well that Fairchild leaned heavily on William to give up the patent or get the hell out. William would not bend. He extended a figurative middle finger and told the company to rotate. He would open a machine shop after his own regard. It wasn’t long before Fairchild invited him back, sorely missing his genius. He was quick to realize that the company was flopping and was able to purchase his vital machine-shop equipment at auction. On April 26, 1932, the Dzus Fastener Company drew tentative breath in a garage on Hawley Avenue in West Islip, New York.

Original line drawing of Dzus quarter-turn done for patent purposes that ran in a sixties issue of Popular Hot Rodding.

Way before a single race car adapted the Dzus quarter-turn fastener, these buttons would become the panacea for military aircraft. That occurred only after the cam-and-spring arrangement had been deemed successful in the field of commercial aviation and that was what finally attracted the interest of the U.S. Army Air Force. The military had long been conscious of the need for a better fastener as repeated reports from pilots, crew members, and maintenance personnel indicated that many aircraft failures were attributable to a cowling that was improperly secured. Such failures were directly attributed to the intense vibrations of the machine guns, frequently causing the cowlings to break away from the superstructure. Sometimes, the defeat was in the fastener itself and sometimes it was attributed to the metal surrounding it.

William proposed to the military that the cowlings were fastened too rigidly to the fuselage and didn’t provide enough cushioning. He demonstrated how this fatigued the metal of the cowling under the fastener, weakening it to the point of breakage. Then he concluded by demonstrating the cushioning effects of his Dzus fastener. As a result, the fasteners were tested in commercial aircraft, and soon afterward, the Dzus prodigy was approved for all Air Force craft.

What’s the advantage of those magic buttons? Here are a few.

Note: Long before race cars entered the big picture and before the aircraft industry travails, one of the earliest application of Dzus fasteners on a race car was by Ed, Sr. and Zeke Justice (eventually Justice Brothers) while working at Kurtis-Kraft in Glendale, California. Ed was an A&E at Douglas Aircraft prior to WW II and had graduated from Fry Aircraft School in Kansas. The car the fasteners accommodated was the “Bullet” Kurtis-Kraft midget owned by Joe Garrison and this “upgrade” had occurred while boss Frank Kurtis was out of town. At first Kurtis wasn’t too thrilled with their alterations, but he later realized the benefits of the quarter-turn buttons.

At age 69, patriarch William passed away from complications of a stroke. He was succeeded by his son Theodore.

Ted Dzus

Before the all-American Ukrainian got into drag racing, he liked American and British two-seaters and had a Corvair-powered dune buggy. He drove upstate to Watkins Glen for the single-seat Formula 1 races. One day that all changed like Dr. Jekyll skizzing into Mr. Hyde. A friend who had a 409 took him for the thrill ride of his life. He was floored. The next day he says he ordered a 1966 GTO and checked the boxes for triple carbs, close-ratio 4-speed, Posi-traction… and also the one for undercoating delete.

“I pulled the engine out and took it across the river to Dick Simonek in Gasoline Alley in Paterson, New Jersey,” said Dzus. “He built me a legal NHRA C/Stock motor. I went to West Hampton a few times, but for me it really was more fun to drive it on the street.” More complicated projects would follow.

It was almost time for young Ted to carry the flag. He realized that he’d have to create a niche for the racing fasteners and a place of his own within the family history.

“After I graduated high school in 1961, I didn’t want to go to college full time. I wanted to work at the plant, but I took Business Management classes at night. I started at Dzus in the fall of ‘61. My grandfather made me punch the clock. He said I would learn something from that. I started right at the bottom and learned all phases of manufacturing by being hands-on. I loved this part of it anyway. I did hand-screw, automatic screw, cold-heading, packing, shipping, engineering, drafting, in-house sales, and applications; I manned the phone and did on-the road sales. What was the correct fastener for the application?” In 1964, he segued to England for about six months and learned how things were done in the Dzus plant there.

Eventually, Ted became an assistant to his father Ted. Then the pace ramped up. He was elevated and sat on the Board of Directors. He married Carol in 1980. Two years later he became president of the company. He and Carol travelled. They went to the facilities in England and Paris and by 1989 there were Dzus facilities in Britain, Scotland, France, Germany, and Japan. In 1989, the Managing Director of the English company formed a group that bought all the other companies.

It soon became apparent that the new owners paid little attention to the aftermarket, speed equipment, race car builders, etc. So, the aftermarket started to make their own fasteners (patents were exclusive for 17 years). Southco in Concordville, Pennsylvania, now owns the Dzus name and along with latches and fasteners of its own design, sells the quarter-turn product to industry.

“I always had a problem with the shrink card companies to advertise all Dzus stuff,” Ted scowled. “They said that they didn’t make enough money to produce exclusive Dzus full-page ads. Although I continually asked them to put Dzus along with other products on their page ads, they never did. They only had Dzus in their catalogs. So the others, the valve cover fastener, clutch stop, quick disconnect for radiator hose, header collector quarter-turns, air cleaner fastener, quarter-turn oil drain plug, which I had patents on, were never promoted.

“After WWII, the guys started using Dzus on their hot rods with the thinking that if they will hold fighter planes and bombers together, they sure will hold our hot rod together and they got busy changing from straps and bolts to Dzus quarter-turn fasteners. Racers got them from surplus stores. I think the first company to supply speed shops was Mr. Gasket. Joe Hrudka and I had some fun out there in Cleveland. Then other speed equipment companies followed.” But Dick Moroso had Dzus on shrink cards before Joe did. When I told Dick there were a few guys that sold the fasteners—body-builders, race car guys, small stuff out of a box, really. He said, it’s good for competition. But boy did he get pissed when Joe shrink-carded the Dzus. I said to him, what happened to ‘competition?’ He cooled down.”

Ted Dzus was a war baby born of a culture that celebrated hard work, dedication, and a strong constitution; he had his father and grandfather to remind him of that. For him it was all about the process and the excitement it generated, and the money not so much.

Dzus Use

“The Stock and Super Stock guys would unscrew the radiator hose clamps and run cold water to cool the motor down between rounds. To address this messy time-consuming job, we designed the radiator hose quick-disconnect device. It worked by releasing the pressure at the radiator cap, twisting the fastener a quarter of turn and then pulling the hose free.”

The valve cover fastener: “Garlits and I are good friends. I asked him if he would try-test them on his dragster. This was 1970-ish. He was still using steel valve covers. I went to the Indy race with fasteners to just give to him some to try later. No, he put them on there and then. Of course he had to ask if they would hold. I said yes. Don said let’s do it.”

The clutch stop was attached to the pedal arm and was adjusted so there was just enough “clutch” to power shift…and keep the foot from going too far. From there, we developed quick-release modes for the oil drain, distributor hold-down, battery cable, carburetor(s), air filter hold-down, and header dumps.” On the civilian side, Dzus fasteners were being used to hold together compound fractures in human long bones.

“In the early shot, around 1968, Big and I both looked good. I’d made a placard for Don saying thanks for testing our stuff, well appreciated, etc. We were great friends. At the Indy Nationals, I brought him a box of the ¼-turn fasteners that I’d patented for rocker covers. I told him to take them home and try them out. He asked if they would hold. I said ‘yaaaah!’ He put ‘em on right there. The ’98 Power Tour stopped by his place and I wanted a sequel image to go with the original.”—Ted Dzus

45 Years Of Animals

Ted’s cars naturally became test beds for various products and not coincidentally were tax-deductable expenses. Exposure to the racing arena exhibited the diversity of application.

1973 Vega

More than forty years ago, Ted dragged the tiny station wagon into the Dzus plant so he could fix it with rails of his own design. Not that the chassis was something special because it wasn’t. He could have farmed this chore out, but he didn’t and that’s what made it special. He built the chassis and the rollcage from 1 5/8-inch mild steel. Don Hardy supplied the engine swap stuff and the V8 coil springs. Ted pushed the engine as far back as he could without the need of a new firewall.

Speed Research and Development in Malvern, Pennsylvania, sussed out the rear suspension design that included a Don Hardy 12-bolt housing supported by 22-inch upper and 25-inch lower links in conjunction with a Watts link. Hardy’s narrowed axle was damped by Armstrong coilover shocks. This car had two distinct incarnations: the first was representative of a street/strip driver. Later, the shenanigans segued to race-only reptilian.

The LT-1 engine was a hot item in 1970. Richie Zul was booming at S&K Speed when he did the machine work and balanced the assembly, but the engine builder was local Richie Solano. He retained the forged crank and connecting rods and included Manley pistons that contributed a 12.0:1 compression ratio when combined with matched and polished ports of the zippy LT-1 heads. Solano dressed it out with a Racer Brown 66R roller and kit along with Mr. Gasket rocker arms. The Edelbrock tunnel-ram raised 660cfm Holleys. Dzus communed with Jere Stahl, who in a fit of controlled madness squeezed in exhaust with 1 7/8-inch primary pipes. Yeah, and those sixties-style Cyclone side pipes were so stupid loud that the cops over in Queens could hear them.

As a street rat, Ted banged on a T-10 that Zul had built and then followed with a hopeful Hone overdrive unit that offered 30 percent gear reduction and yielded 13 mpg on the open road. But all that needed to change. Dzus reminded me of something that happened when we took the Vega out one day. “I floored it and power-shifted Second gear and it drifted 50-60 feet down the street. We both thought it was cool. You said ‘Eff.’ I was saying ‘straighten out mo-fo.’ Any way, it did that most of the time.” So in the interest of consistent 10.60 times, Dzus installed a Fairbanks Turbo 400 and never looked sideways again.

Dzus: “I drove the Plain Brown Wrapper mostly on the street. Joe Conway painted it Cinnamon Mist and overlaid that with gold pearl. Then I lightened it up and bracket-raced the tri-state area. One of my sponsors, Harwood Fiberglass Front Ends, gave me a slicker ‘74 nose and Moroso followed up with a revised hood/scoop arrangement. Joe painted it again, School Bus Yellow, and the Plain Brown Wrapper became Quarter Turn Fastener Man. Then I sold it to my friend Fred Kobasiuk—who still has it.”

1980 Chevette

“I wanted to build a real race car,” said Ted, “and travel the East Coast. I had a good friend in town who owned Top Speed speed shop. I asked him if he knew anyone who had the time to travel. ‘I have your guy,’ he said. ‘He’s a motor head, sleeps and breathes cars. Well, step in Fred ‘The Kabas’ Kobasiuk. If something broke, I’d say screw it, let’s party. No-no. Fred wanted to dive under the car and fix it right then. We raced from Canada to Florida. We’ve been together through the Chevette, the ’55, the ’51 Merc, and the Henry J.”

If this cartoonish crate comes off a little weird, that’s because it is—a toady, truncated body bracketed by gigantic tires. Throughout, the objectives were easy accessibility and ease of maintenance. To reduce mass, builder Richie Sullivan (Richie Sullivan Race Cars, Huntington Station, New York) envisioned the foundation as a short and narrow 2x3x1/8-inch chromemoly chassis. Richie built a tube axle, custom kingpins, and used coilover shocks for the front (complete with a Pinto steering rack) and leveled a Strange Engineering Dana 60 (5.12:1 gearing) in the back. He ran it with ladder bars welded directly to the axle housing.

To that end, Sullivan prevailed not on a complete body but on a puzzle of panels instead (roof, doors, hood, hood scoop, deck lid, and interior and engine tinwork), all of them cinched by 171 quick-release buttons. The windows were Lexan. Lightweight brackets accommodated the Don Hardy radiator core and connected the fiberglass nose to the frame. Stripping all the pieces down to the naked chassis took about 15 minutes.

Its braking system was unorthodox. The Strange Engineering discs were controlled by dual master cylinders. One attached to a pedal on the floor and was for the front brakes; the other controlled the rear brakes. Ted locked the front brakes for the burnout and to stage the car. On the top end, the rear binders, along with the influence of a drag chute, alleviated the stress on the front ones and helped the car keep composure when slowing abruptly from high speed.

When Sullivan had finished with the body prep, the car went to Burd Turd Auto Body (Deer Park) and Chris sprayed the Chrome Yellow. Bayview Chevrolet (Bay Shore) supplied many of the engine performance parts and all the metal exterior components.

Gasser guru Jack Merkel did the trick oiling modifications and built the 0.006-inch clean-up bore 350 motor on a forged arm, Superod aluminum connecting rods, and Manley 13.5:1 pistons with VHT baked into the gas-ported domes. Jack liked a Comp roller (0.368/0.368-inch lift at 0.050; 312/312-deg. duration) and put it in with Racer Brown’s lifters and roller rockers, Comp valve springs, and Ridgeway girdles. Racing Head Service prepped the Turbo cylinder head castings to the limit of Super Modified rules. The fuel system featured a Holley 850cfm carburetor and an Edelbrock Victor manifold. Somehow, Hooker built the snaky long-tube headers for it.

The viable powertrain included a Fairbanks Powerglide driven by an 8-inch converter and monitored by a Hurst Auto/Stick. Friction or lack of it depended on 15×4 and 15×12 Centerline wheels with 26×4.5 Goodyear fronts and D8 compound 31.5×15 slicks. In Super Gas, the littlest Chevy ran a best of 9.69 seconds at 139 mile per hour. The car met a violent, ignominious end.

Ted: “I was sponsored by ATI. There was a Points meet that weekend at Maryland International Raceway and ATI’s Jim Beattie had secured the track for test and tune on Thursday for his sponsored cars, so I had to be there. I wanted to go anyway. We were running S/G. But before we hit those timers, we’d added weight to slow the car down. It went 9.60s all day long, anywhere.

“Jim wanted to freshen the ‘Glide,” he said. “I went down to his place, picked it up, and put back in Chevette and put oil in it. I made a pass. At the traps, smoke started coming through the transmission tunnel. I pulled the chute and at the same time the car made a hard left turn into the dirt. As it rolled, I let go of the wheel and closed my eyes–that pissed me off because I didn’t see anything but I wasn’t knocked out. There were no photos, no photographic evidence of what had happened because shooters wouldn’t be there until the following day. I’d made a big mistake in haste. No one had checked the drain plug, which was in hand-tight, not wrench tight. It vibrated loose, fell out just before traps and oiled down the right slick.”

1955 Chevy 210

“During a test session at MIR, Ted rolled the Chevette in the lights. When I saw my friend disappear at the top end that was a scary time. But Richie Sullivan had built a superior car. Ted was unscratched after that final 9.90 pass and said that he was alright and just needed a cocktail and he would be better again! We undid the Dzus fasteners and took off the body and interior panels and left them in the dirt, all except for a door and the deck lid which we saved as mementos. We brought the chassis and drivetrain home. The chassis got some minor repair and was sold.

“The Chevette engine was disassembled, basically because it needed a rebuild. Of course, Ted wanted to get back into the game. He had the engine and transmission and I had this ‘55 sitting in a chicken coup. I asked Ted if he was interested since I did race it when I was a kid and had owned it since I was 15. We rebuilt that car from the ground up.

“We did a lot of brainstorming. We did a back-half with ladder bars and coilovers. Removed the old stock front end and replaced it with a Pinto rack steering setup. We lightened it wherever we could. Used a fiberglass front end, doors, trunk lid, and bumpers. I fabricated the headlights out of fiberglass, from mold to finished product. All the glass was replaced with Lexan and we used aluminum wherever possible—interior and brackets and we fabricated hinges for the doors. We made the new grille out of aluminum square and round stock to the dimensions of the factory one. “The car sat very low. To access anything in the back and to remove the slicks meant dropping the rear suspension. We came up with a better plan. We cut large circular wheel openings and we reproduced the cut-out with aluminum and used Dzus fasteners to attach them to the body.

“For consistency, Ted wanted the 2-speed to shift automatically. We started out with an Auto Meter tach equipped with a shift light. I had a friend who was an electronic tech who built a board with relays to pick up the shift-light signal at the pre-selected rpm and send that signal to a solenoid. After some research, we decided to use air as the medium. Parts were readily available. We put an air cylinder and a solenoid in trunk. It worked like a dream.

“We wanted to run that car in Super Gas, but couldn’t get it to go that 9.90; it ran a best of 10.07. Not bad for a shoebox with a 355 small-block, Predator carb (how many remember them?), a Powerglide, and an early Oldsmobile rear. We decided to run in 10.90 Super Street. Ted came up with this idea for a throttle stop: We had the air and the electronics and just needed to add another circuit with a time delay. It worked great, but Ted was uncomfortable with the gas pedal pulling his foot up so he developed a spring setup that when the stop was applied he would not feel it in the linkage. Again, it worked great. We looked at the water pump and electric drive as another place to reduce weight. Ted called Jabsco. We ended up with a marine bait-well pump. We fabricated an aluminum manifold for the block, installed the pump, and we were off to the races.”—Fred Kobasiuk

“I always said ‘Fred’ but no one knew him. This is what I sent to sponsors…and possibly Facebook. Here’s Fred ’The Kabas’ Kobasiuk with the J.”—Ted Dzus

1951 Mercury

By this time, the race-car tramping was well over, but Ted couldn’t sit still. He’d been captured by another idea: long-haul cruising on the Hot Rod Power Tour. On his first one, he drove his triple-black late-model Trans-Am. But after he’d gotten his beak wet, he had a talk or two with Hot Rod’s Gray Baskerville, who steered him to the fiberglass-bodied Mercury, a car that was a hot rod icon and irrefutable in Old Dad’s mind. This one would be a bona-fide street car outfitted like Ted’s Lincoln Town Car and encompassing, among other civilities, air spring suspension, air conditioning, electric window lifts, LED lighting, and an electronically coded entry system.

Then the trouble started. He’d sourced a fiberglass body from a fly-by-nighter in Virginia. The shell he got came off the mold with a three-inch chop and was ready to be channeled but was otherwise rudely unfinished. Joe Rupert at Higbie Collision (West Islip) devoted insane hours to straightening and mending the material and installing the high-mount brake light, directional signals, marker lights, and LED insertions. Rupert says he applied the PPG Ford School Bus Yellow straight from the can.

Torsional rigidity would be the key to a tight, rattle-free coffin. Scott Weney of S&W Race Cars in Spring City, Pennsylvania, created stiffness with a 2×3 chassis on a cushy 118-inch wheelbase. S&W fabricated a 9-inch type axle housing that carries a Strange Engineering third member, Detroit Locker differential, Strange 35-spline axles, and 4.10:1 gears. Weney positioned the assembly with ladder bars, a diagonal link, and Air Ride springs. At the front, he was bound to Air Ride upper and lower control arms to accommodate the air springs.

Dzus was used to having a cannon on the other end of the throttle. He didn’t back down just because the Merc was headed for the highway. He called on contemporary Scott Shafiroff to build the bomb the in Bohemia. It has a 540-inch displacement, an 8.5:1 compression ratio, a whopping fat Vortech V-7 (Race M) supercharger and a liquid-to-air aftercooler system. Mike Ingrossio at MI Performance in West Babylon tackled a pile of 2 1/8-inch Hedman tubing and tucked it all above the bottom of the frame. As a complement, Mike adapted space-saving oval-shaped Spin Tech 3-inch exhaust pipes and mufflers.

The Rat exhales an easy 800 horsepower and to soak up the grief, Ted stuck an ATI Turbo 400 behind it and stacked the sandwich with a Gear Vendors overdrive that effectively turns the three-speed into a six-speed transmission. The Merc motor literally whistles down the freeway laid back and relaxed with an overall final drive of 3.20:1; at 70mph it’s turning 2,200rpm. On the visceral side, the 540 can light up those elephantine 31.0×18.50 Hoosiers at will, though Ted rarely succumbs to ego. Since the Long Island where he is isn’t exactly the land of wide-open spaces, mostly he putts around town getting lots of thumbs up and doesn’t seek any high-school challenges.

One day, though, I witnessed the full-bore Merc. Out East somewhere beyond Patchogue he did something unusual. He stood on the gas! I was about an eighth-mile down the road. Ted locked the front wheels and matted the throttle and the Merc was instantly ringed in a roiling cloud of carbon black that must have been hiding in there since the last Power Tour. Then the tires went up in a white mass. I smiled and uttered something profane as he ripped past me wide open. My ears rang in the silence.

In the practical sense, the car is very accommodating over tens of thousands of miles, but it’s got a sharp edge to it. Though road noise is minimal the exhaust intrudes and so you have to talk above it. Ted has a larger frame than I and the position of the low Wise Guy bucket seats reflects that. While they fit him perfectly, my legs stick straight out and don’t reach the firewall. I’m amazed that such a conglomeration fits so tightly together. The doors latch easily the first time. When the side glass is down, it tends to rattle when you pull the door shut, but thereafter stays eerily silent on the road. More than 15 years since it was finished, the Merc has proven itself time and again, devouring tens of thousands of miles in the process.

When Ted had spoken with Gray Baskerville all those years ago about what he could to do next, Ol’ Dad had also suggested a Henry J.

1951 Henry J

Ted was in a bidding war for this pristine, unmolested roller and he was kind of emotional about it simply because his uncle had one back in the fifties. Daily he would give me updates on his eBay betting progress. He worried that he wouldn’t get the count right and lose out. In the end, his bid was better than the rest and very soon the west Texas J was headed for West Islip.

While he wasn’t fretting, he was planning. When he wanted to know what I thought the engine and drivetrain should be I said that he wouldn’t like my answer. He didn’t. To champion the lightweight vibe, I said I’d go with an all-alloy LS and a six-speed manual. His eyelids fluttered. His eyeballs glazed. He saw no blood in the wimpy Chevy wedge. He wanted old-school terror screaming from hemispherical combustion chambers.

He called old friend Bill Mitchell and they talked about a late-model aluminum 528 that engine veteran Paul Kaufman would massage with a recipe of his own. Paul set the aluminum cylinder block with a K1 Technologies crankshaft and matching connecting rods pushing Wiseco pistons. He stuck the elephant with a hydraulic roller and capped the bores with Mopar Marsh Performance cylinder heads (PN P5153875) fitted with 2.25/1.94 valves, 170cc combustion chambers, valve seats and guide inserts. A hydraulic camshaft went home with corresponding valves springs, retainers, and keepers. But by far, it was the induction system that caused the most consternation.

The issue with the Hemi and twists and turns of manifolding was a minimum of properly vented space to package them in. Ted and Fred had to re-orient the Vortech V4 compressor, and that meant pushing it halfway through a hole in the inner fender. Hogan’s Racing Manifolds fabbed the primary system that features twin throttle bodies, FAST fuel injection, and intake tube plumbing created by Vibrant Performance. A FAST Dual-Synch distributor and an MSD Blaster coil and Moroso primary wires manage the flame front. Once again, Mike Ingrossio turned a pile of Kook’s tubing into 2¼-inch primary pipes followed by a 3½-inch system. Alpha at Induction Performance and Mike at M&S Performance did the initial, get-it-running tune-up with a keyboard.

Torque transfer is handled by a TCI 4L80-E with a manual valve body and a 2,400-rpm stall speed converter. The terminus is an S&W three-link supporting a 9-inch axle. Ted remembers that (the late) Scott Weney began with an engine on the floor and that he literally built the car around it. Weney fabricated upper and lower control arms for the Air Ride suspension and propped the Unisteer electric power steering directed by an Ididit column and a Flaming River rack. There are lots of brakes here, too. A master cylinder hidden beneath the dashboard activates the collection of Baer 14-inch rotors stymied by 6-piston calipers. The Weld S71 three-piece wheels are wrapped with M/T S/S skins and are down for the stance: 17×8 with 245/45 and 18×12 with 345/35.

Ted has affection for wood trim and leather upholstery and the interior in the Henry has lots of both. To set the stage, the dashboard was moved rearward to accommodate the position of the seats and Ted’s long legs. A swatch of Auto Meter dials dominate. The real goof is that Dzus didn’t trash the bus-size steering wheel with the big “K” (stands for Kaiser-Fraser who built the Henry J from 1951-54) in the center of the horn ring. Phoenix Upholstery in Franklin Square covered the seats and door panels as well as the custom-crafted center console.

Dzus is hooked on that PPG School Bus Yellow. Maybe Joe Rupert at Higbie Collision isn’t but he put it on after a minimal body prep. To make it pop a little, he powdered the paint with a pinch of red pearl. He excised the bumper and rolled the rear pan. He removed the front cattle prod and made a low valance panel/air dam in its stead and had the grille/nose re-plated. On the hood, the Henry J script is original.

He established credibility in a world he did not make and ran the business accordingly. He turned 75 in March. He’ll never quit. The Henry still has some problems with its teeth. The intake system has been redone and the final tune-up is still elusive. By the time you read this it will be a lap-top tweaked, chassis-dyno graduate.

During Indy 500 qualifying, a side pod on one of the cars flew off. I didn’t see it but got plenty of phone calls telling me that Chris Economaki said that Dzus fasteners had failed. The incident aired more than once that day as they were filling time due to rain. Spoke to those race car guys to see what happened and they said that it wasn’t the fault of the fastener. I found CBS or NBC, can’t remember now, and asked them to retract what Economaki had said. I dropped a catalog for them and I left. But I’d forgotten something and went right back in…and there’s my catalog in the waste basket! Now I’m pissed. ‘Have Jackie Stewart retract it or I’m suing!’ I later saw him in the pits. We talked. A paper wanted a picture and Jackie quarter-turned my chest.”—Ted Dzus

Car Craft Hi-Risers was a spiff for those up-and-comers we thought most deserved the exposure. The unwritten rule (known only to us) was that if someone had the cheek to ask to be named a Hi-Riser they would never be one. We got a lot of crap for that, especially from the ad strokes. We laughed at them.

Match-head trio at the end of the East Coast Power Tour in the hotel bar in Tampa.

“Don’t know the date but I went to Cleveland to see Joe Hrudka at Mr. Gasket. We partied in his Rolls and that’s when he decided to take the Dzus Fasteners and put them on a shrink-card. When I came home, I put together the “Cheek to Cheek” flier as a mailer-hand out. Dick Moroso actually had the shrink-cards, before Joe. When I told Dick there were a few guys that sold the fasteners, were body builders, race car guys that sold parts from a box. He said ‘It’s good for competition.’ But boy did he get pissed when Joe put the Dzus on shrink-cards. I asked him what happened to ‘competition.’ He cooled down.”

On the civilian side, Dzus fasteners proved invaluable to healing compound fractures like this imperfect shin bone.

The post Industry Icon Ted Dzus: Made In America appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/industry-icon-ted-dzus-made-america/ via IFTTT

[atangledfate]

Wave couldn't help but let a little laugh out at Surge as she took claim to the damage of her gear. She plopped herself down cross legged next to Surge, sighing softly but still bemused by the other's claim. If only that were true she'd get yelled at less later but she still found it pretty funny! She was something else, this electric girl--- and pretty to but her interests were certainly more in who she was and where she came from. She had asked tails but he refused to give an answer. Not surprising he still hated her for all the trash talk she did way back when.

" Hah, if only... i told you we babylons don't like to lose... so i removed the limiter on the engine. Basically fried it, in knew it probably would...but experimental engines are prone to that...but you know? i'll let you have it... just this once "

Though learning that Surge was basically tapped out made her feel better about her loss. But on the same hand she didn't wanna see Surge keel over either. More do to her curiosity then concern for another life. Her moral scope was pretty skewed compared to jet or storm.

" So you pushed yourself to far huh? You better be more careful next time--- if i win because you short out i'd be really pissed about that... so take better care of yourself ok? "

She dropped thet lecture she wasn't jet and she wasn't gonna give another take care of yourself speech. She crossed her arms though and glanced to one side. The question Surge asked seemed simple but it was a loaded answer. They were alot of things but how much should she even say? definatly couldn't mention Babel, or the organization that was for sure. She liked breathing after all, and while jet woldnt give a shit---his father sure would.

" We are Babylons... some of the last of our kind. So yes we are a team, but racing is just part of our culture. Babylons solve all kinds of disputes with races, because there are to few of us left to risk killing one another. So we race... the entire Extreme Gear Grand Prix --- That was all based on an ancient Babylonian celebration... "

She explained without going into to much detail, the did have some time to kill while waiting for storm

" As for being thieves... Jet's Family are all notorious thieves... So it was only natural for him to take up the mantle to. Storm is Jet's childhood friend... and i was a genius gear designed... it was a team made hell! "

" As for treasure hunting, we just specialize in snatching ancient artifacts. People hire us to find and grab certain ancient relics, and we just got good at it...plus jet's a bit of a collector himself. I suppose that plays a large part ... personally i'm just in it for the rings! "

She smirked as she was quite wealthy in truth

" But i trust those two idiots... having someone who you know will always have your back is a comfort... no matter how bad things get. I know Jet will always be there to bail me out. And i in turn keep him from killing himself... that a suitable answer? "

" What about you? I've heard all kinds of wild stories. Based on the kids statement i am guessing your both enhanced? if its to personal no worries... i ain't gonna pry more then your willing to talk about. "

If she wanted to know she could find out, the fact she didn't showed she had some level of respect for privacy.

" Just color me curious... not every day i meet a good looking chica who can trash me in a race..."

"Eh, I can even break things without having to actually do anything." Surge seemed awfully smug that Wave trashed her new board just to keep up with her top speed. Well, pervious top speed as that new mode certainly changed that. The tenrec kinda hate's the color as it reminds her too much of Sonic, though a power as a power. Helps she was getting over the voice screaming at her to kill Sonic.

"I would, though I'm sure Drippy would tell me to not run for a hour or two while my body recovers from tapping into a new ability. I don't know, I think he's tripping, though I don't wanna worry him and slip back into bad habits." Surge was honestly glad he was freaking out when she nearly passed out and didn't call her ma'am either. Drippy was making some real progress.

Surge would then lay on the ground. "Guess you'll have to give me a ride then." The tenrec may feel fine, though could still sense that her body was still trying to recover from what she did. The speedster guessed she'd be meeting another one of the Babylon Rogues. Storm? That's the big guy if she recalled correctly.

"So, what's the deal with your team? Are you thieves, racers, some sort of treasure hunters, or what?" Surge knew a bit from the data Starline had, though it just who they were and that was about it. Guess he didn't see them as much of a threat at the end of the day. The tenrec could agree as they didn't really take sides or anything.

[atangledfate]

" You lot don't go to your therapists? what is wrong with you people! I'm a class A idiot... and even i got to my therapist... "

" Pfft, finally admitting it? "

" Shut it Wave... go shove your face in grease or what ever it is you do! "

[atangledfate]

Wave knew she was pushing her luck with her gear, all the meters had her in the red. The heat she was putting out from it was starting to get to her to, as she was dripping with sweat. She was really leaning into the gear's accelerator, any thoughts of throwing this race were gone! it felt like a matter of pride just to show she could keep up with the Tenrec! For a moment, just a moment she and Surge are side by side and her eyes stare into the Tenrecs locked neck in neck it felt like--- she had a chance!

But that chance, that feeling of being able to win was quickly and violently dashed by Surge. The thunderous explosion ripped across the field and it took everything she had to not get blown away by it! How fast was she going now? Mach or 4? who was this girl? but that sort of power reminded her to much of Sonic! She grit her teeth in frustration, her gear wasn't strong enough yet! But damned if she didn't give it everything she had!

" Damn... "

She felt herself crossing that finish line but she did feel utterly depressed by it. All this to impress a girl, and she probably nearly fried the gear in the process. Surge had won, of course that was kind of always the plan and yet she didn't feel great about losing that badly to her. She brought her gear to a thrilling halt with a blast of air and dust and turned her dial back down to bring the power levels to normal.

She stared at her HUD impressed she held up at those speeds. Was likely some heat damage, but she didn't explode and the reactor didn't go critical. But she still couldn't keep up with someone like surge or Sonic. There had to be a way to push it beyond that limit---no wrong she knew there was one gear that could. But no way that thing was ever seeing the light of day.

She plopped down on her gear taking a seat and letting Surge catch her breath after that stunning victory.

"... guess i did ask for it..."

She huffed under her breath

" Least my gear held up... i thought i had you there for a second... but a Victory is Victory, Congratulations! "

" Ah well... least the kid got some data... "

She crossed her arms.

" Well let's go on that Date... you won after all... guess i'm buying "

Surge was pushing herself to run as fast as she could and then some, wondering if Wave even had what it took to seriously push her. Well, at least the tenrec was going to get a free meal out of it and Drippy got to get some data on some quality extreme gear as he would say. Then the speedster heard the swallow's gear getting close and they were on pace again.

"And here I thought you were about to be left in my dust. Guess your board has a few tricks too." Surge couldn't say any toy could do something like keep up with her when she's pushing herself. That said it was clear she was starting to lose ground now, and the finish line was up ahead. So she began trying to run faster.

Surge starting to pull everything into just focusing on running and nothing else. The tenrec lightning starting to become a bit wild as she began zoning out. The speedster was starting to sweat too as she was clearly trying to force herself to run faster and faster as she was continuing to keep the pace.

Surge was really pushing herself, though it seemed to finally pay off as her lightning changed to dark blue along with the tips of her hair. The tenrec eye's becoming dark blue as well before her speed seemed to double as she blasted off with making a large boom the sound of thunder. Wave did ask for the thunder after all.

Surge then finally saw the finish line, though with her increased speed thought it best to try and stop sooner so that's what she did, her high momentum carrying her speeding towards the finish line while messing up the ground. It would take the tenrec some time to get used to using this level of speed.

[atangledfate]

The crack of thunder roared through the canon as both racers ripped across the track. The roaring hum of Her gear, the wind in her face, the thrill of a challenge! She felt the excitement in her chest as her heart beat faster and faster! the roaring thrum of Surge's electricity! yet Wave leaned forward pushing her gear harder! The hum growing louder! She was gaining on the tenrec rapidly so! she shifted her gear around the debris of the track and as she shifted and waved across the stone floor!

She could feel the excitement racing through her! She forgot how thrilling a 1 on 1 race could be! her body lowering to make herself more aero dynamic! as she was gaining ground! slowly creeping up on the Tenrec! What felt one sided a second ago was now the Two side by side! each Twist and each turn had them neck in neck! Sometimes Wave would lose ground or other times it was Surge but in the end Wave was keeping pace! the new gear was running its paces.

Wave rolled her gear up along the side of the Ravine and flipped herself upside down! so she was directly above the Tenrec now! giving her a cocky smile! She was just BEGGING the Tenrec to open up---show her what she could REALLY do!

" Gonna enjoy that lunch you are gonna owe me! "

She taunted Surge! what was a little smack talk between racers!

" Come on! show me your THUNDER! "

"Good, cause I only wanna go against someone when they're at their best and giving it all they got." Surge wasn't one to take on anyone who wasn't worth her time and she had to admit the birds knew how to use those fancy boards of theirs and move decently fast. The tenrec had other reasons for this too. She just hoped that Wave could give her a good challenge that push's her.

"Enjoy the sound of that while you can. Soon you'll just hear the sound of eating my dust." Surge was confident in her speed, even with the course. The tenrec may be fast, though she also had control. Something she would be making it clear to Wave as soon as the race started.

Surge kept her hands firmly on the ground as the count down started, ignoring some dust being blown in her direction from Wave revving the engine on her board. The tenrec didn't break her gaze from the count down soon seeing the last three numbers. Time seemed to move slower as she watched it count down. The speeder's breathing slower as she got ready to dash off with small amounts of lightning coming off her body.

Surge then saw go and instantly dashed off at the same time Wave went as the two were now on pace with each other. "That might be hard when ya starting eating my dust, though I'll give your little toy credit for keeping up with me." So far the only real one who's matched her speed was Sonic. Maybe that Shadow guy, though the tenrec hasn't fought him yet.

[atangledfate]

She didn't know the whole story to the conflict, not really. Sonic and Amy seemed to have kept the event under wraps. But she knew enough to know they fought. But there origins, were still a mystery to Wave. At least she didn't know all the details, but with what Kit said some things were falling into place. Downloaded? that was a key piece of the puzzle and Wave was able to quickly fill in some holes.

She knew who starline was if only because they helped grab the emeralds from the zeti. Eggman threw his ass out before they arrived but they all made no point in hiding how pissed they were. So he lived? caused more problems by the sound of it. These two were his little pet projects? What had he done to hem exactly? how deep did it go, she wanted to know more but figured asking was to personal. She'd have to do some digging on her own.

She placed her hands behind her head as she let the kid and Surge set up. She just gave Surge a sideways glance with a rather smug grin on her beak.

" We Babylon's always give 110%! it's just not in our blood to half ass a race. Don't you worry! I'll be sure and wave to you as your eating my dust "

She gave Surge a cocky smile as she placed her foot back into a racing position. The gear starting to hum with energy as its anti-gravity drive came online. The energy swirling around the gear hummed with Ark energy.

" Mmm listen to my baby purr... nothing sounds quite like it... all the research into the Arks finally paying off--- lets start that count down! "

A little drone buzzed down between them and a flashing holographic 10 count began to count down. Wave taking her starting pose as she revved her Gears engine, causing the ground to throw up dust below her, and the air to ripple under her gear. The Alien energy wasn't chaos energy, or Wisp Energy but a unique power cell used in ancient babylon tech.

this was it! finally she could test her new baby against a real challenge! she just wondered how she'd hold up! Her eyes turned to lock with Surges, and she winked playfully at her. As the timer went down and down. Wave felt her heart start to race, her adrenaline start to build in anticipation! why was it only Jet could be excited for a race?

3.....

2...............

1........................

GO!!!

The drone flashed its go sign and Wave blitzed forward with a flash of violet energy! Her gears were all high acceleration and control, meaning she didn't need to slow down, on curves or waste energy building up speed again! It lacked the raw power of a Type J but made up for it in pure handling! But that was why she chose the ravine! full of sharp curves, tight twisting turns and the terrain on the floor was always a challenge to deal with. Falling rocks also a threat but it was the edge she needed she hoped to keep up and give Surge a challenge.

" Let's see what your made! "

"Starline assumed we'd have a need to read and speak Babylon so he download all information Eggman had on it and transferred it into my brain." Kitsunami personally didn't see a point in it at the time, though supposed it was something that could come in handy now that he was staring to make his own extreme gear.

The fennec would then hit a few buttons on a control panel he held which moved the camera's into various place along the holographic outline of the track. "All set to get the data. Put this on you chest," he said, tossing Surge a small device.

"Right, ya wanna monitor my vitals and all that shit," Surge said, slipping her hand inside her shit and put the device on her chest before putting her hand back through the sleeve of her shirt. The tenrec still wasn't sure why Drippy was so worried about her vitals and shit, though she was sure he had his reasons.

"As fun as it sounds knocking ya around all over the track I'll be focusing on running it out. If I had a rule it's if I think ya holding back on me then I'm fucking out." Whatever Surge had in her back pocket it seem to require the race to be taken seriously. The tenrec was smart enough not to reveal her cards so easily.

"Then you better be ready for me to rub it all in ya fucking face." Surge was more than okay with bragging about her victories. The tenrec would stretch her legs a bit more, wanting to make sure her muscles were nice and loose before things started. With that she put her hands on the ground and got ready to dash off.

[atangledfate]

Wave tilted her head watching the Fennec closely, she hadn't expected that. Very few outside of actual Babylons could read there language let alone speak it. There were few times she could say she was impressed by someone out right. How many people could she say she could talk to in Babylonian? hell some of her own people barely spoke it! only those of noble blood bothered or researchers!

" Not bad, but I'll stick to Basic for Surges sake. But it's pretty impressive, i don't even think the runt managed that. You two are just full of surprises aren't you? Fine, In truth i'm kind of curious how far you can go myself. "

She was just intrigued by the runt, both of them really. She wanted to see how much he could figure out on his own, and how much he'd be stumped with. There was alot more to her tech then simply knowing the language or even old designs. She was always pushing the boundaries. Her life's dream was to make the ultimate gear, one to surpass even the ancients technology.

She Rolled backwards on her gear placing a hand on the board and flipping into a hand stand and from there back onto her feet, a display of her athleticism. She drifted over to the holographic starting line and gave Surge her full attention. What ever the shrimp came up with she'd be curious to see it. But right now she just wanted to see what her gear could do---and get that date from Surge.

Truthfully she didn't find herself interested in another to often, and maybe it was just a physical attraction. But something about her drew the swallow in like a moth to the flame.

" Right, we have a race don't we? We'll go by Babylon Rules! We Babylons don't have many rules! we embrace freedom in all its forms! But when it comes to a Race! We do respect one another... you cross a line i'll cross back... so if you play it straight i'll do the same--- you want to get rough? i'll return it in kind! that's the Babylon way! "

She smiled as she explained the rules of a true Babylon Race. No matter how rough Surge wanted to get, Wave was confident she could handle it. But she also didn't limit Surge though hoped she wouldn't try to just off her or something equally crazy! Honestly this was a risk for her.

" The Drones will count down from 10---then we go, first one over the finish line wins! Loser gets to pay for lunch! Winner gets all the bragging rights... those rules fair? anything you wanna add? or shall we get to you buying me lunch already! "

"Yeah, sure did. I'll think about it," Kitsunami said as he seemed far more focused on getting his hover camera's up and going than what Wave was saying to him. Hit a few more buttons the cameras would fly up in standby mode. All the fennec had to do was wait to see what the track was and give the orders where he wanted them stationed.

Surge would watch Wave make a course with some fancy tech junk. "One lap race huh? Sounds like ya want to lose as fast as possible. Just make sure to remember what I said. You hold back and I'm out." The tenrec wouldn't use her secret move unless she was actually backed into a corner, and for that to happen she needed to be pushed into it.

"Yeah, well, I guess we'll see if extreme gear can really keep up with me and I have some trash one or they're all just slow." Surge was curious if the one The Restoration gave her was just a cheap piece of garbage compared to something made by someone who's ancestors created the thing.

"Then he has his sights set short. I don't care about matching you or his tech. I want to go beyond that." Kitsunami guessed Surge was rubbing off on him, at least in terms of wanting to be the best at what he does. The fennec was far more humble about it in the sense he knows there are currently people above his skill level. "Besides, having the ability to read and speak your language helps." Something Starline programmed into him.

"𐎨 𐎽𐎧𐎠𐎱𐎤 𐎬𐏀 𐎼𐎮𐎱𐎪 𐎼𐎨𐏂𐎧 𐎼𐎧𐎮 𐎨 𐎼𐎠𐎭𐏂, 𐏂𐎧𐎮𐎸𐎦𐎧 𐎢𐎫𐎤𐎠𐎭 sweep 𐎨𐎽 𐏂𐎧𐎤 𐎫𐎠𐎽𐏂 𐎯𐎤𐎱𐎽𐎮𐎭 𐎮𐎭 𐎬𐏀 𐎫𐎨𐎽𐏂 𐎨'd 𐎽𐎧𐎠𐎱𐎤 𐎬𐏀 𐎼𐎮𐎱𐎪 𐎼𐎨𐏂𐎧" Kitsunami didn't want to deal with Wave trying to say he was bluffing about that his last statement.

[atangledfate]

She floated around the two slowly doing a full rotation to get a good look at the shrimp she brought with her. Reminded her of a certain Fox she use to badger for fun! but then that was a long time ago, and she'd grown up since then--- hah as if! She plopped down on her board using it as a seat as she grabbed the bag she had strapped to her back and plopped it open. Her eyes on Surge as she got as good as a compliment from Surge as she had all day---she was counting it as a win.

" So he's the little brain of your outfit isn't he? I heard you gave Miles a rough time--- Good, He was always my favorite to tease! Easy to set off, besides! i'm way smarter then he is! you ever want pointers to getting under his skin, let me know eh hermanito "

She tugged her bag open and gave a soft whistle and dozens of tiny orbs floated out of her bag. They had a soft violet glow about them as wave activated her AR once again, this time choosing a program set, and the orbs flew off into the nearby ravine. they created a holographic images along the ravine, denoting the race path and the finish line at the end. They also marked various hazards for the racers to avoid.

" That should do it--- i normally use these for test runs and, gauging my gear prototypes viability in actual races. But it should work for denoting a path for our little match up. "

A Taco Place? She probably picked one of those non-authentic places but they'd see wouldn't they.

" What ever you say Chica! but don't get to far ahead of yourself, you haven't won yet! but i admire your confidence... don't lose that you'll need it "

She finally turned her attention to Kitsunami, and leaned back on her gear to give him a curious look. Could he even understand her tech? Might be interesting to see what he comes up with, though she was sure the big boss man wouldn't approve. Still she wondered what he'd think? and what Surge might think of it to.

" Heh, funny Miles still is trying to perfect his design to match up to my tech, and he's never got close. Might be interesting to see how he fairs... maybe he'll impress me! i'll allow it but only under one condition... "

She flipped her hair like crest back behind her and gave them both a sideways glance.

" You let me see your end product... and most importantly--- don't go sharing it with those clean sweep creeps. They give me bad vibes... "

Wave didn't bother responding to the Tenrec as she floated away from her. Just giving her a smug ass smile as she flicked her AR HUD and added her Contact to Surge's phone to! She winked at her and turned blitzing off into the sky toward her home. She'd just need a couple of things from her Lab and she thought she could give her a decent challenge. Of course winning wasn't want even on her radar, she had a feeling beating Surge would upset her more then anything else. Like Jet she had this massive Ego, damaging that might not go well for Wave.

She pushed her way back into her lab grabbing a bag off the counter and tossing a few odds and ends into it. She slid her code into her console and grabber her new prototype gear, the sleek purple and gold gave it a royal look about it. She tucked it under her arm and punched her fist against the open button for the dock door.

She saluted the confused looking half asleep Jet before she jumped backwards out the Doc spinning around and planting her feet on the prototype gear---like thunder it roared to life sending her rocketing across the sky! She twisted and skimmed across the clouds enjoying the freedom of the wind!

Like Violet rocket she zoomed down to the meeting place like a violent whirlwind and spun herself as she passed Surge sending a gust of wind past her! nothing she was sure the tenrec couldn't handle!

" Sorry for the Wait... but i like to make an entrance! "

[atangledfate]

Wave didn't bother responding to the Tenrec as she floated away from her. Just giving her a smug ass smile as she flicked her AR HUD and added her Contact to Surge's phone to! She winked at her and turned blitzing off into the sky toward her home. She'd just need a couple of things from her Lab and she thought she could give her a decent challenge. Of course winning wasn't want even on her radar, she had a feeling beating Surge would upset her more then anything else. Like Jet she had this massive Ego, damaging that might not go well for Wave.

She pushed her way back into her lab grabbing a bag off the counter and tossing a few odds and ends into it. She slid her code into her console and grabber her new prototype gear, the sleek purple and gold gave it a royal look about it. She tucked it under her arm and punched her fist against the open button for the dock door.

She saluted the confused looking half asleep Jet before she jumped backwards out the Doc spinning around and planting her feet on the prototype gear---like thunder it roared to life sending her rocketing across the sky! She twisted and skimmed across the clouds enjoying the freedom of the wind!

Like Violet rocket she zoomed down to the meeting place like a violent whirlwind and spun herself as she passed Surge sending a gust of wind past her! nothing she was sure the tenrec couldn't handle!

" Sorry for the Wait... but i like to make an entrance! "

She snorted rolling her eyes at the statement that they wouldn't let Surge have any custom work done. She found that lame as hell and agreed with the Tenrec on that front. Course she didn't know much about the kid that was with her, but she suspected he was the real brains at least the technical side of her team.

" Course they would tell you that--- no Custom gear? I'm shocked you've done so well without a decent ride. Actually i'm a little impressed... "

Babylon's prided themselves on there gear and the more custom it was the more street cred you had. No Babylon's gear was stock, and anyone using stock was defiantly looked down on--- but Wave could see such potential in Surge.

" I say screw what they think, just do what you want and fuck the consequences... not like they'd ever know if you did mod it anyway "

She rolled her eyes at Surge and jumped up and planted her feet on her gear shifting her weight and turning the gear so she floated around the tenrec and coming down closer to her. her hands firmly on her hips as she locked eyes with her looking somewhat annoyed with her.

" Oh please, If i thought you were a one trick badnik i wouldn't even have bothered talking to you. Is it so crazy to think i just find you interesting? A bad Green Bitch shows up, throws hands with Sonic, and causes a mess of damage in downtown--- and now she's workin' beside them? "

She placed a finger in her beak leaning in closer to Surge

" You are an interesting Chica...you know? "

She drifted back away from Surge as she flipped her crest back behind her back and lowered her Goggles. She had a soft grin on her face as she rose up into the air. She flicked her wrist to call up a holographic AR interface, and flicked her wrist sending a location to Surges Phone.

" Meet me there... let's see you put your rings where your mouth is... no llegues tarde "

She said in a very fluent native language of the babylons

" See you soon, I just gotta stop the Air Ship and grab my baby... then i'll be ready for our date! "

She winked at Surge before pressing her foot down and zipping off into the distance! Well it couldn't have went better then it did---well no it could have but this was salvageable, she was interesting. But only time would tell if this was a waste of her time and effort! Still she wanted to know more and if it took a race to do it, well she was all for it.