#dash hwlr

[thunderstomm]

Dash Wheeler and Professor Rearview, back when they were campers at the Ultimate Garage!

I wonder if they ever used to be friends, or if they were enemies from the start?

Original designs- I changed them a little but not by much (:

[viewer-of-many]

HWLR/Monster High AU: A Wheel Good Time

HWLR/Monster High AU by @thunderstomm

"Look at that car go! This is the race of the century! Newcomer Coop is about to make history in his favorite car, the GT Scorcher!"

The young phoenix had a confident look on his face; this race was his to win!

"You wanna race? Heh, how you like these hot wheels?"

Some of the others tried to block him, but he could get by easily!

"On your left!"

Time for a real show: "It's not the same without the flame!" He activated his car's power, while also opening the window to let his own fire through.

"Look out, here I come! On your right!" He gets his car to do a flip as it approaches a jump point. "Above you! Yeah!" He crosses the finish line, having his car do a spin as he jumps out into a flying flip of his own. "I did it, I'm Camp Champ!" The crowds cheer his name...

"Coop, you're nightdreaming again!"

The real scene reveals itself; Coop is in an elevator with his dad.

"Sorry Dad, I was thinking about how awesome camp will be at..."

The elevator doors open.

"Whoa...the Ultimate Garage!"

The place is huge, and clearly, the sight of it so close up inspired a sense of awe.

"Wow! This place is so cool! Oh! Those must be the other campers!"

There were five of them: a vampire, a werewolf, a sea monster(with a prosthetic right arm), 🟡a simulacrum🟡, and a gargoyle.

"I hope I have what it takes to be a real Hot Wheels racer." "If anyone does, it's you Coop. If you ever have doubts, just remember what you tell me: a Hot Wheels racer always says..." "Challenge Accepted!" They fist bump, and then, the sound of a car can be heard.

"Oh, that's my cue! Gotta go, Dad!"

A green car races into view of the campers, as they watch excitedly. It starts to spin in a big circle around them. "So cool!"

The car opens up, revealing the driver, a Ceryneian Hind. "Hey there campers, I'm..."

"Dash Wheeler! 10 time Hot Wheels 500 champion!" "Leader of the Ultimate Garage!" 🟡"And a big fan of booberry waffles!"🟡

"Well, I guess we can skip my intro. Welcome 🟡Spark🟡, Mac, Brights, Axle, Sidecar, and Coop! You six were chosen because you have what it takes to be the next generation of Hot Wheels racers. We're gonna race Hot Wheels cars, build amazing tracks with the Track Builder, and learn what it means to be a Hot Wheels racer. The one who gets the most points gets to be Camp Champ!"

The campers all cheer at that.

"Buckle up, racing school starts now! Behold, the wonders of the Ultimate Garage! Take it away Squeakers...Squeakers, uh, where's Squeakers?"

"I'm coming, hold on!" Everyone looked around: there was a robot hidden between some boxes. He pushed the boxes out of the way and rolled out toward the crowd, his wheels squeaking the whole time.

"Wow!"

The robot used one of his tools to reveal all the cars that the garage had to offer.

"Whoa! I can't believe my eyes!" "Experimotors, Street Beasts, the full set of Acceleracers!" "It's every car in Hot Wheels City!" "Sure is! It's not called the Ultimate Garage for nothing! Every car has a special power. You'll use these racing gloves to choose one and complete the challenge. Now, go check out the cars, we will begin in one hour! In the meantime, I'm going to get me a booberry waffle."

🟡"The Twinmill, Dash's favorite car! It's won more races than I can count!"🟡 "I wanna find one that gets me big air!" "I like the taco car!" "So many cars! Awesome!" "It doesn't matter which car any of you pick! I'm gonna be Camp Champ!" "Yeah, he's gonna be Camp Champ!" "Don't worry about those two; Dash picked us because we all have a chance to win!" "How about you Coop, is there a car you're pumped for?" Yes, there was, and right then, he saw it. "The GT Scorcher! I've been dreaming of this car forever!" "No way! If anyone's driving the GT Scorcher first, it's gonna be me!" "I don't think so, Axle!" They both flew off toward it, but being less experienced in flying, Axle bumped into Coop, sending them both off course.

🟡"Look out! Dash's Twinmill!"🟡 Coop slammed into the tire as it was being changed, his fiery wings setting it alight as it began to bounce wildly around the city. "Oh no, the tire!" From so high up, the campers could see all the damage the flaming tire was causing. "So, you launched a flaming tire into Hot Wheels City. I'm sure that happens all the time."

"Breaking news: a flaming tire has been launched into Hot Wheels City for the very first time!"

"Don't worry dude, you probably won't get in trouble."

"Whoever caused this crazy chaos can bet they are in big trouble! Oh no, it's coming straight for me!"

"Well, it was nice knowing you...not!" Axle laughs a little, then continues. "No way Dash lets you stay at camp after this!"

"I can't get kicked out on the first night! I need to stop that tire before it wrecks the whole city!" "Well, you're not gonna do it alone." 🟡"Agreed."🟡 "I'll stay here and work the Track Builder!" "And when you fail, Sidecar and I can laugh in your face!" They both begin laughing, perhaps as practice for what they think is going to happen.

"We gotta put the pedal to the metal. Hot Wheels racers, let's get that tire!" They put their gloves on and select their vehicles. "I want a racer fast enough to catch that runaway wheel. I choose: the GT Scorcher!"🟡"I need a car that can bounce that tire back home. I choose: the Rodger Dodger!" 🟡 "And speaking of bouncing, this truck will get me big air! I choose: the Baja Jump Truck!"

With the cars selected, it's time to get in and go. "You can do this!" The cars go up the lift, the track is made..."Let's race!"

Those still at the garage could see everything. "Whoa, that was awesome!" Provided, of course, that they weren't distracted like Dash was. "Now, where are those waffles? What's an Ultimate Garage hero have to do to get some waffles around here?"

"I see the tire!" 🟡"Coop, let's catch it before it gets away!"🟡 "You don't have to tell me twice!" He sped off to try and get to it, but quickly realized..."This was way easier in my nightdream!" He approached a series of loops ending in a ramp. "Now I know how my underwear feels in the washing machine!" The others took a different path to reach him as he landed.

🟡"Are you okay?"🟡 "Yep, just a little spun out." He looked to see where the tire was. "The tire's going to destroy the city!" 🟡"It feels like we're never going to catch that tire."🟡 "We have to try: a Hot Wheels racer always says, Challenge Accepted!" "We won't be Hot Wheels racers if the tire won't stay on the track." 🟡Flashback time: there was never a flaming tire bouncing around the city before, but there was a regular one, and to stop it, the racers used..."The Track Builder, that's it!"🟡

Time for a video call. 🟡"Brights, come in, this is Spark."🟡 "Brights and Squeakers here!" 🟡"We need you to change the configuration of the tracks to keep the tire on it."🟡 "Rodger that, Rodger Dodger! Squeakers and I are on the job!" A few button presses was all it took. "Track Builder, go!" Now, they just needed to find the tire. "There is it Squeakers! Let's catch it before it does any more damage!" Working together, they managed to redirect the tire back toward the others. "We did it, Squeakers!"

"One runaway tire, heading your way!" "Racers, let's roll! Keep your eyes open; Brights should be getting that tire to us any second!" They looked over..."There it is! Okay team, now's our chance!" They raced off after it. "Okay, let's catch that tire Hot Wheels style!" "Oh yeah! Time for some big air!" Mac went up a curved incline, launching his car into the air and bouncing the tire back. "On your left, Spark!" 🟡"Coop, one runaway wheel coming your way!"🟡, she said as she hit the wheel with the front of her car, bouncing it right in front of his. "Got it now!" He approached a hill shaped road, but as he did, the top of it started to disappear!

"Brights, part of the track is missing!" Back at the Ultimate Garage, Axle had managed to take control of the Track Builder away from Brights. "Axle, you're ruining the track! Coop's gonna fall off!" In her nervousness at the situation, Brights began to bite her right arm. "Looks like your time at camp has officially stalled out, Coop!"

🟡"Oh no!"🟡 "He's not gonna make it!" "I'm not gonna make it!" 🟡"There must be something we can do!"🟡 "We tried everything!" "We tried racing..." 🟡"The Track Builder..."🟡 "The power of friendship..." "Wait, power! What did Dash say about power?"

Every car has a special power...

"Every car has a special power! That's it!" As he approached what was now a jump point, he knew what to do. "Ok GT Scorcher, let's see what you got! Super Speed Burst, activate! Go Hot Wheels!" Just like in the nightdream, it was a flip over the jump point that did the trick! The tire fell on it's side, finally stopping. Coop went over to it to put the flames out while everyone except Axle cheered. "I did it!"

Later, back at the Ultimate Garage: "Hold up, explain this to me again, one more time." "Dash, please don't blame Mac and Spark. I knocked the Twinmill's tire off...and set it on fire. If anyone deserves to be kicked out of camp, it's me." "Wait, wait, who said anything about kicking anyone out?" "What?!" "The point is, you made a mistake and you fixed it. You should've seen the stuff I got into when I was a camper." Squeakers, who was replacing the tire, agreed by saying, "No kidding!" "Yeah, there...there were skid marks. Smart move choosing the GT Scorcher; you picked a car fast enough to catch that wacky wheel!" "The key was to never give up!" "Plus, he had help from his super awesome, totally cool new friends!"

"I'm glad to hear it, because if you thought tonight was wild, buckle up! We are just getting started. Who's ready to race?!" Everyone shouted in excitement, ready for whatever comes next!

[thunderstomm]

HOT WHEELS: LET’S RACE - Mini-Redesigns and Headcanons !

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching this super-cute new hot wheels show! And while I originally didn’t intend to do much in terms of fan content, I accidentally got very attached to these silly little guys so something was in order. While I like what the show has to offer, I don’t love that they wear casual clothes instead of actual racing gear, so I designed my own !!

The suits match because I imagine that these were given to them as a gift from Dash, symbolising the shift from “temporary campers” to her full-time protégés. I wanted to go full-hot wheels inspo, so all of the suits are decked out with a sweet flame pattern ! They all have little name badges on the side, and the colours of their suits are taken from the racing gloves which Dash gives them in S1! I wanted the suits to feel very simple compared to a pro racer’s suit, so while they have many staples, they have no sponsor patches anywhere ! As for the numbers on their suits, they are their rankings from camp !(thanks @viewer-of-many for the idea!!)

As I do with any media I like, I’ve included some little headcanon pages to go with! I’ve included headcanons for their full names- because I refuse to believe that these are all their legal names- as well as their pronouns, ages, racer numbers, nationalities, and heights ! I want to go in-depth on some of my choices, so buckle in! (Also if you’re finding this post and you’re a hot wheels fan PLEASE come talk to me I need more people to babble with)

COOP

Cooper “Coop” Fèng, our camp champ and main character is up first! I’m pretty sure that Cooper is canonically his first name, so I stuck with that. The nickname “Coop” was kind of just a natural development, it’s shorter, and he likes cars. Perfect! His surname is Fèng, a Chinese surname that means phoenix- which I chose because I think it’s a neat reference to his shift from “average kid” to camp champ. A real rise from the ashes! I headcanon him to be Chinese & African American- his Dad is the former and his other parent would be the latter. His pronouns are he/him, he’s 12 years old, 4’10” tall and thanks to his winning status- racer 01 in the level 2 training program !!

MAC

Mackenzie “Mac” Caliper is next ! Like Cooper, I feel like his nickname is just a shortened version of his full name, and “Mackenzie” just felt right. Before you ask- the name is gender neutral where I come from. His surname, Caliper, is taken from a car part, it’s the disc in a brake system ! Also I made his hair into some sort of mullet-y thing because of his crimes of having no bangs. I headcanon him to be Canadian. Mac uses he/him pronouns, is 12 years old (he is the oldest of the three 12 year olds, having a December birthday in the year prior), 4’11” tall, and racer 04 !

SPARK

Samantha “Spark” Turner ! For her first name, I wanted something cute that could hypothetically be given a GNC nickname. Plus “Samantha” and “spark” sound so cute together! The nickname Spark came from her love of inventing, and how her brain is always “sparking” with ideas! Her surname, Turner, is a play on a car’s “turn signal”. Not included on the chart, but I headcanon her as Autistic ! Spark is a black Canadian, her pronouns are she/her, she is 11 years old (the youngest of the 6 campers), 4’7” tall, and is racer 03 !!

BRIGHTS

Bryce “Brights” Hikari is racer 05! I imagine that she was born missing her arm, hence her prosthetic. Despite her hair matching her Uncle’s- it’s 100% dyed. Her first name, Bryce, fully just comes from me mishearing her name the first time I watched the show. So I choose to reuse it. I headcanon her as being Japanese, and her surname, Hikari, means “light”! The nickname “Brights” combines the sound of her first name and the meaning of her last! Brights uses she/her pronouns, is 12 years old, and is 4’9” tall.

AXLE

Axle Spoiler, son of beloved champ Striker Spoiler! The only character with a canon full name, and the only one who I can believe that his name is actually his legal one. I headcanon him as being Mexican. Axle is the oldest of the racers, at 13 years old. Axle uses he/him pronouns, is 5’2” tall, and is racer 02- something he accepts, but feels just a little taunted by. (I feel so funny saying so little about him because he’s my favourite.)

SIDECAR

Simon “Sidecar” Cotter is the final racer ! For his name, I wanted to keep the initials of his nickname (S.C.) intact. I went with Simon for his first name, because it’s a little goofy, but also feels just a little TOO formal for someone like him. His surname is, you guessed it, a reference to a car part! A Cotter is a pin which secures something in place. I think that Axle gave him the nickname “sidecar”, because he seems to start off as his sidekick. Sidecar is American, 13 years old, 4’8” tall, uses he/him pronouns, and is racer 06 at camp !!

While that is all I’ll be sharing for now, I do have another more detailed art piece of these guys in their canon outfits, in my more polished art style, which I hope can be coming out sooner than later. Again, if you like this show, please DM me here or on discord so we can chat!!

Thanks for reading !! 🩵💚💛🩷❤️🩶

[thunderstomm]

HWLR: Future AU (Part 2!) ✨

Axle Spoiler, son of now retired former champion Striker Spoiler, has become a racer himself. There are big expectations for him, and often times, he’s not sure if he’s meeting them. While his father is undeniably proud of him, the public seem so critical of each of his performances, and the comparisons seem to endlessly pile up as more races happen. He is also the most socially aware of what is happening, and recognises that his friends are struggling just as much as him, even if the pressure they face could be perceived as “less”. He cares, but can’t resist teasing them a little, treating everything with an “I told you so” mentality.

Bryce “Brights” Hikari is constantly putting her creative mind to good use. Her primary career is to design the race courses for all of Hot Wheels City’s biggest races and tournaments, but she also does photography, and visual design for the cars, working alongside Spark, who handles the mechanical side. Brights is as bubbly and bright as they come, but she’s also self-aware of how lonely things have become, and that everyone else is closer to eachother than they are with her. But she finds it best that she not mention it just yet… everything is so stressful, why add more issues to everyone else’s plates?

Simon “Sidecar” Cotter has always been great at generating hype for other people, and he seems to have embraced that role even further. Working under reporter and announcer Speedy Getaway, Sidecar has quickly become the most popular commentator in Hot Wheels City! The public love his enthusiastic personality, and he seems unbiased, for the most part… until Axle is brought into the picture, as his support and enthusiasm becomes unprofessional.

Feel free to ask questions regarding this AU!

[thunderstomm]

Hot Wheels: Let's Race - Season 2 Thoughts

Season 2 has been out for a few days now, and I've watched every episode at least once through, so I'm finally going through all of my thoughts on the show, what's going on, and what I think is going to happen next. The joy of serialized kids shows!

Everything will be under the cut, just in case. Spoiler alert for all of season two!

First off- we're finally introduced formally to our "mystery racer"- Cruise! She's the daughter of the villain of the first season, Professor Rearview, and a racer in her own right. I have to say, I think her character design is very clever, having the shape of her pigtails match Professor Rearview's big hair! i know some people may not like that Cruise is his daughter, as opposed to a grandchild or niece, but I think that the fact of her being a direct descendant makes more sense for the story they're telling. That and there's fun to be had with Professor Rearview being an evil dad.

Cruise is undeniably the highlight of the season for me, and my new favorite. I enjoy the angle of the racers having a non-camper opponent, as the lack of constant close proximity, or down-time with one another means they don't have to be cordial or polite towards Cruise, and we see a lot of more intense emotions fester as a result- especially on Coop's end.

I also think in general, Coop as a character works much better in this season. The pre-established motivation, plus his new outstanding title as the camp champ are threatened directly by Cruise, as he is her primary target to beat, and the determination and vigor it brings out in him is very entertaining to watch.

The rest of the racers sadly don't fare as well, as it feels like they take more of a backseat when compared to season 1, outside of a character focus episode. This feels especially apparent with Axle, who has gone from his role as the main rival, to being good-aligned all of the time. His personality is still intact, but It feels very odd to see him so reduced in role, as the show doesn't frame him as a threat to Cruise also- despite the fact he is probably the only racer outside of Coop who could pose such a threat. The rest of the cast seem much more competitive when Cruise is not in the picture, but once she is, the show relegates them back to supporting roles. Considering the show's age demographic and the story it wants to tell, this isn't a huge problem, but nonetheless a little sad to see.

We also get a bit of backstory for Dash and Professor Rearview! I'm surprised to see they're the same age- either Dash has aged really well, or Professor Rearview has aged terribly. It's interesting to see they were campers at the same time. Were they friends? The amount of team-strengthening exercises that Dash has her own campers do is re-contextualized by this reveal- is she trying to prevent a repeat of what became of Rearview by making sure they do actually like eachother and get along, meaning the jealousy that comes with losing is minimal, or reduced because they can feel good for the person who does win because they are friends?

The environment that Dash and Rearview were in was clearly far more competitive and unforgiving. Of course, we can't pin it all on just that, as Professor Rearview's coping mechanism and overreaction to his loss is his own fault. Explanations, not excuses. And carrying this grudge for at least 30 years, it has long passed being something to be blamed on the conditions of the environment.

I'd love to see a flashback episode regarding their time at the Ultimate Garage honestly! Who were the other four campers who they trained alongside? I'd like to think maybe Axle's dad, Striker, was one of them. Seeing the exact conditions of the race would certainly help to clarify as much. Not to mention, they already have the 3D models for young Dash and Rearview...

One thing that was made clear by the episode count, and the season ending about half-way through the level 2 arc is that season 2 has been split in half, and the season 3 we're to get is really the second half of season 2. Which means more time to dwell on what we've gotten, and who will be the winner of the Ultimate Garage. There's also the question of whether the show will redeem Cruise, and have her join the side of good. I personally am conflicted? It would be interesting, and makes sense, but we are also yet to see any desire to change- let alone Cruise's own motivation and feelings towards her father's plans.

One thing I wish we had seen was a slower moment between Cruise and someone else, particularly any of the racers! I think the show would have it be Coop, as he is our main character, and I don't really have an issue with such. Season 1 gave us a whole episode where he was made to work with Axle, and it gave us a better insight into his character, motivation, and storyline. I think an episode like this with Cruise, under a circumstance that suits their storyline and characters better, would work wonders. Cruise clearly LIKES to race, and yet she is willing to help her father win it in order to destroy it? There's the general question of why Professor Rearview would even allow his daughter to be a racer, but considering he was a former racer, I suppose it would be a waste to not pass on those skills. Is Cruise of the belief that her father will spare her car, and allow her to keep racing? I want to see Cruise forced to talk to someone so that we get these answers.

As mentioned in a prior post, I have two theories regarding the next season's end, the winner of the Ultimate Garage, and the events that could follow. These are both hypotheticals in which Cruise does get a redemption arc, so both of these could very easily be wrong, and Cruise could remain evil, which still would be fun to see.

Option 1: Coop wins the Ultimate Garage. Coop manages to catch up in flame badges to Cruise, leaving the final race as to being between the both of them. Coop ends up winning the big race, much to the delight of the other camp racers, Dash, and his father. However, this victory does not stop Professor Rearview, and he puts his plan into motion to destroy the Ultimate Garage anyways. The campers and Dash all band together to stop him, but It's not enough. All hope seems lost, and there is a moment between Professor Rearview and Cruise where Cruise comes to the realization that their plan working means she will never race again, and lashing out in anger to get a victory that destroys the rich car culture of the city, and takes away something she loves, is just not worth it. She'd rather race again and get a chance to prove herself and improve, rather go down as a sore loser. Using her knowledge of her father, her car's unique abilities, and a little encouragement from Coop and the other campers, Cruise helps to stop his plan. After his defeat, Coop invites the other racers to continue staying with him at the Ultimate Garage, wanting them all to continue improving together. He also ends up extending the invite to Cruise, considering that now she has no place to go, as she's betrayed her father, and now that she's "good".

Option 2: Cruise wins the Ultimate Garage. Despite the campers' best efforts to beat her, Cruise still ends up winning out, and is rewarded with the ownership of the Ultimate Garage, much to the despair of everyone else. She excitedly shares the news with her Father, who is excited to begin the plans to destroy the whole thing. However, Cruise is starting to have doubts. She has all of these amazing cars and resources at her fingertips now, and she can use these to become an even better racer! She tries to convince her father that maybe they don't have to destroy everything, and can keep some of it intact, but he is not having any of that. He's looked forward to this for years! Realizing that he won't listen, Cruise instead asks for help from the campers, admitting that she was wrong, and needs their help now to stop Professor Rearview. Reluctantly, they choose to believe and trust her, and foil the plans with their racing skills. Once he is stopped, Cruise attempts to hand back over ownership of the garage, but the others insist she keep it. They come to a compromise- they'll share. After all, there's a lot they can all still learn from one another, as people and as racers.

Thanks for reading all of the way through! What are your thoughts on the new season, and your theories, if you have any ! I'd love to hear what everyone has to say!

[thunderstomm]

I can’t believe this was correct (from a conversation in GJ Discord back when I first watched the show!)

[highway-35]

CATEGORY SEVEN SPECIAL INTEREST EVENT INCOMING

idk where any of this was sourced bc all im seeing are shady seo/ai sites, but the screenshots look official enough

so obviously the transporter is coming back. but here's a thing i noticed:

(not a season 2 screenshot fyi) there's 7 seats. mystery character is going to be joining the crew- implied by the trailer but it could easily be dash too.

none of these seem to be of any real importance (read: can't decipher clues from them). EXCEPT:

HELLO GORGEOUS.

this character looks pretty fem so my hopes of vert wheelerdom are dashed... jj abrams better put in some work and bring him back for his new movie istg.

i'm pretty confident this is supposed to be rearview's relative. daughter or niece maybe? she looks kid sized but the eye shapes def imply that she's older. a pinch older than axle maybe?

also this looks like a new badge system.

hype for fall 2024 except not really hwlr kinda sucks. im just ill

Hey @highway-35 and @thunderstomm, Hot Wheels Let's Race got confirmed for season 2! It's coming out sometime in the fall, and the announcement came with screenshots! I'd like to put the focus on one screenshot in particular: