#the super crest is still funky i know

[crow-eyed]

re-edited this piece again- ended up liking it way too much

[earthstellar]

Figure Review: Earthspark Elita-1

Packaging

I like Hasbro's move away from plastic packaging; I've noticed they're using a wrapping tissue paper type material twisted tightly into strands as their replacement for plastic ties to secure figures to the cardboard, and I really like that as it's far easier to open and makes all of the packaging fully recyclable! :)

I also want to point out that they seem to have done a nice subtle touch of using specific colours for the non-plastic ties to match each individual figure; On Elita-1's packaging, the twist ties are the same magenta/pink colour as her paint. It's a good little detail!

Root Mode

I think it looks great-- So far, the Earthspark figures seem to really try hard to match their on-screen look as much as possible, which is super nice!

The head sculpt is really good, and very faithful to her appearance in the show. There's very little paint on this figure aside from her head crest and eyes, with most of her body being magenta/soft lavender pink.

She doesn't have too much flexibility, as she doesn't turn at the waist, her head is fixed, and her joints (aside from her arms) are pretty limited.

That having been said, her legs are movable enough to compensate for this, and her proportions in root mode look great.

Her guns are permanently fixed to her arm, but any issues that might be caused by posing her with the larger gun underneath (as it collides a bit with her back kibble) can instantly be fixed by simply rotating that larger gun to the topside of her forearm, so it's clearly a problem they considered when working on the design and it can be worked around.

The non-removable guns do make her a little tricky to pose if you want her to be holding her smaller gun, but she's pretty stable on her feet, and lacks the backpack-heavy issues that a lot of other Elita-1 and Arcee figures tend to have.

The absence of the GHOST logo on her chest is pretty glaring, but it's possibly because it would have been too tricky to add as part of the plastic mold, and it might have been difficult to get a painted logo on there in a way where any detail would actually still be visible.

(Plus, if things change in the show, who knows if GHOST will still be around... So it could be a future-proofing thing as well.)

Alt Mode and Transformation

Her alt-mode is her all-terrain SUV mode from the show.

That having been said, there are a couple things that are a little funky here:

She has her guns built into her arm, which might come across as a bit weird looking in certain poses in root mode, and does make it slightly difficult to figure out where her arm fits into her alt-mode.

And also, holy fuck, this is such a complicated transformation process.

Keeping in mind that transformation complexity is always on a sliding scale for most figures based on various design challenges etc. and difficulty is somewhat subjective, but I think I've seen enough people talking about how tricky this figure is to transform to feel comfortable saying it's a fairly non-intuitive transformation.

This is a figure rated for ages 6+, and I have no idea how a six year old would possibly do this-- I feel like it might lead to a lot of frustration for the intended age range.

I fully admit I have cognitive problems which make figuring out the more complicated transformations pretty difficult for me, but it took me about an hour with the assistance of another person via Skype, the instruction pamphlet that came with the figure, a tutorial video, and a forum post for me to be able to transform her even half way.

I'm not sure it was entirely necessary for her to require this much of a difficult transformation process, but I'm by no means a toy designer, so it might be the case that this was actually needed for some practical reasons that I'm not aware of.

The plastic is pretty light weight, but doesn't feel flimsy, although I'm wary that her over the shoulder wheels and the hinges on her door wing panels might warrant a little caution-- I tried to be a little careful when transforming her. That having been said, they don't feel weak at all, just possibly more delicate when compared to the rest of the figure.

Final Feelings

I'm definitely keeping this figure in root mode, but that's fine, because the root mode looks excellent.

I do think the transformation sequence on this one is notably difficult, which might make it a better figure for teens/adults rather than younger kids.

Overall, I'd say this gets pretty high marks for screen accuracy in root mode (absence of GHOST logo aside), but takes a hit in my personal rankings purely for how fucking impossible the transformation process is, lmao

But if you like having a more challenging transformation sequence to figure out, this is a solid choice!

[brandwhorestarscream]

Can cybermorphs get normal bots pregnant?

Uhhhhhhhhhhh-

Gonna be honest, I hadn't even considered that. Maybe...?

So like. Ok. From what I've gathered the base xenomorphs are asexual--as in, they have no sex, not that they don't experience sexual attraction. The only ones even capable of reproducing are the queens: that's part of why they have such massive sway and control over others of their species

But does that complete lack of a reproductive array carry over to the cybermorphs? I'm honestly not sure. From a horny perspective I wanna say yes, it does, and the cybermorphs naturally have spikes and valves, but then that kinda defeats the purpose of Megatron being a queen variant. I'm also not sure which physicality the cybermorphs take more after, internally: externally there's likely a broad range and they can appear anywhere on the spectrum thabks to the cybertronians' natural ability to alter their shape so drastically. I'm guessing their base form is somewhere right in the middle: mecha with elongated heads or crests and maybe the barbed tails, while also bearing a face with functioning optics and a mouth (secondary jaw included). They can transform to look like normal born mecha, for the most part, or full fledged xenomorphs scaled up. Probably also derivatives of whatever their cybertronian parent has (assuming they have one. By this I mean a sire that specifically fertilized their eggs, not a host). Example, the vosimorphs can take on the form of the tetrajets, but probably with a few modifications to suit their alien biology.

Internally though, that's another beast all together 🤔 I think... maybe they do have the equipment, but the vast, vast majority of them are sterile/infertile, and can't reproduce with each other. That means they can still interface, to blow off steam or to bond or just because it feels good, but it won't result in cybermorph sparklings. The ones that can are all of the queen caste or higher, and pretty much never do because it's so inefficient. Why spend time and resources internally incubating a single baby when you could instead produce a clutch of 20 in less time? If anyone has done it, it's probably Soundwave, and more out of morbid fascination than anything. The resulting morphlings are tiny, scrawny, as they never had a host and couldn't grow to full size: live births just aren't suited to the cybermorph race. Soundwave's gaggle of morphlings are excellent spies and hackers, but can't wander too far from him for long. They need constant strengthening from their carrier’s spark, methinks

On the opposite end though, a cybermorph actually sexually impregnating a non-mutated mecha... hm. Maybe? Something about their biology means they can't sexually reproduce with each other, but maybe whatever that component is doesn't apply to crossbreeding? Idk if cybermorphs shoot blanks or their transfluid doesn't actually carry genetic code (what is it then? I have no idea), but... maybe since normal mecha just need a full gestation tank and excess spark energy to kindle, that has something to do with it. Maybe the resulting child would be almost entirely pure cybertronian, because the sire can't actually contribute a lot of the building blueprints. Or maybe the result is cybermorphs that are a lot more cybertronisn than xenomorph: not attuned to the hive's needs, no loyalty to the queen, just some funky biology but nothing super noteworthy

I don't know. I'm gonna say:

- cybermorph x cybermorph breeding is almost impossible because of sterility, most cybermorphs can't be sparked up and can't spark any other morphs up. Outliers (outside of the queens) exist but are extremely rare

- queens can impregnate normal mecha. They could also probably gestate an actual fetus if there's no eggs in their belly but typically won't

- cybermorphs can possibly breed with cybertronians but don't have much desire to. Up for debate

[hamingo]

10 facts about me

Rules: Share 10 facts about yourself and tag 10 other blogs! I want to get to know my mutuals, and the people I follow a little bit :) The facts can be about anything!

Tagged by @feeshies thanks!!!

I'll tag @ft-willzz @raesand @jasper-the-menace @goreador @timelesslyjune @mister-knight @shsl-heck @vampiiriic @babybirdykirby @draculastits no pressure though!!!

1. I grew up in a village. I'm a villager.

2. I have a diploma in communications, culture, and journalism studies, which I use to write blog posts for a destination management organization (I work at a Visitor Centre and I write for our website. But the DMO thing sounds more professional)

3. There are five pets in my house that I care for. My cat, St. Jimmy, my boyfriends cat, Orca, my betta fish, Amy Lee, my boyfriends pleco fish, Roomba, and the household crested gecko, Mico.

4. I took french all through high school and college, but then didnt use it at all for three years. This left me able to comprehend spoken and written french, but completely unable to speak it.

5. My best friend got me into VtmB in our grad year of high school (2018). I have since been a story teller for my ttrpg group for a few years now and we are coming to the end of my second self-written chronicle (and I'm working on writing both a silly one-shot to run for my coworker's d&d group to get them into VtM as well as my next long chronicle for my own group)

6. My favourite colours are pink and yellow.

7. My favourite childhood video games are Dragon Quest 9, Pokemon Black, and Super Scribblenauts, all for the nintendo ds.

8. Even though I made a name for myself on this site as a flamingo lover, my favourite animals are actually bears now. Still love flamingos tho, those guys are so funky. A solid 2nd fav animal.

9. When I finally man up and get a drivers license (and not just learners permits that I keep letting expire without going for my N test) (I just let my 2nd one expire btw. I now have to go test for my THIRD learners permit) I want to get a jeep and paint it pink so I can have an irl barbie jeep.

10. My fav pokemon type are ghost, but my fav pokemon is gothitelle. My fish, Amy Lee, is actually named after my gothitelle, also Amy Lee, who is named after the singer.

[roleplaylogs]

Grofflin

A nice Grofflin RP where Jon goes to visit Lin in Puerto Rico

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

You both like Jamilton, Whamilton, Hamilton RPF, and grofflin.

You: [1.29am] I miss you. LMM

Stranger: It’s late, Lin, you doing ok? I miss you, too. JG

You: Yeah, I just miss you! LMM How are you doing? LMM

Stranger: I’m alright, glad you’re not feeling incredibly sad or whatever. JG

Stranger: I’ve been awake far too long, ugh. JG

You: I mean, I'm putting on a brave face, but I'm not like incredibly sad, more mediocre sad. LMM But I'd rather talk about you. Insomnia? LMM

Stranger: Funny, I’d rather talk about you. But you’ll end up telling me eventually, I’m sure. JG

Stranger: Definite insomnia tinged with the usual anxiety. I think I miss the stage. JG

You: I miss the stage with you on it. LMM

Stranger: Yeah? I miss spending time with you in general, but especially on and around stage. JG

You: We were so good together in the play. LMM

Stranger: We really were, even if we didn’t really interact. I really enjoyed comndeering your dressing room. JG

You: Some of my best memories from the show was hanging out in that dressing room with you. LMM

Stranger: If you wanted to come all the way out to Pittsburgh you can come hang out in my trailer with me. JG

You: I wish I could, Papi, but I just flew out to PR. LMM

Stranger: You’re in the Motherland and you’re moderately sad? Lin, sweet thing, what’s up? I’d come down to you but we’re filming all week. JG

You: I don't know, maybe I'm just in a funk. My family are all still in NY and I'm in a boujee hotel room that just feels weirdly sterile and I miss you so bad. LMM

Stranger: Sounds kinda funky, yeah. V didn’t come? JG

You: No, we're not doing so great at the moment. LMM

Stranger: Ahhh, I’m sorry to hear that, really. I... let me check my schedule, alright? I might be able to sneak out of here. JG

You: Really? I can get you on a plane whenever you need, first class. LMM

Stranger: Really really. I miss the hell out of you and it seems you need some good old cheering up. You don’t have to do that, boo. JG

You: I know I don't, but I want to. I'm dragging your working ass out of the country, I'm gonna do it in style. LMM

Stranger: I am 1000% volunteering to leave the cold as fuck Pennsylvania city to come see you in Puerto Rico. No dragging required. But I know arguing with you is pointless... JG

You: Good, glad we got that sorted. LMM When can I book the flight for? Can they change your filming schedule? LMM

Stranger: (Delayed) So, we can finish up my stuff for the week tomorrow, and I can have til next Tuesday. So a week? That’s not bad. JG

You: A whole week? Awesome! That's great! Oh man, I'm so happy now. LMM You can help me go through my lines for the PR play! I can assure you I have forgotten every Ham lyric. LMM

Stranger: Lucky for you, I have forgotten NONE of them. We’ll get you all rehearsed and happy. JG

You: God, I'm so scared I'm gonna be shitty now. You gotta be ruthless with me, train me up again. LMM

Stranger: There is no way you’d be shitty, Lin. What with all that Disney training I’m sure you’re a better dancer. I’ll get you in top Ham shape, no problem. JG

You: Oh my god, it really put me through my paces, I've never been fitter. If you squint, and if I really suck in, you can kinda see abs. LMM

Stranger: !!! I’m going to touch them, you know that, right? JG

You: I mean, I've got no one else to show them off to. LMM The dad bod is still and always will be here, just a little fitter. I'm also a way better singer now, so, we can thank Disney and their expensive ass singing lessons for that too. LMM

You: ((Brb real quick I gotta go put some food in! Might be like ten mins))

Stranger: ((Alright!))

Stranger: You can show off to me when’re you like, Lin. I mean it. Just go full on showboat like Daveed. JG

Stranger: I love you just the way you are but the tiny improvements will only make you stronger. More formidable. I definitely cried in Poppins Returns because of you, by the way. JG

You: No one can showboat like Daveed, don't be silly. LMM You did? Fuck, that means so much to me. I tried so hard and I'm so proud of that, I'm so glad you like it. It's a love letter to the first movie, which I adored. LMM

Stranger: I know, I know but you could try! Just never put a shirt on and pretend you aren’t attractive. JG

Stranger: I did. Cried three separate times, but most of it was because I was so so proud of you. You did so well, Lin! The lamp lighters scene, oh my god. JG

You: Ha, I don't have to pretend. LMM God, you know that was a whole week of filming? Just that scene there? It's the most exhausted I've ever been but so worth it. LMM

Stranger: Shush, you’re so handsome and charismatic. JG

Stranger: Oh, I believe it. It was beautiful and magical and I want to watch you on that lamp post like 24/7. JG

You: Not a patch on you, you handsome devil! LMM I made so many pole dancing jokes, I'm almost embarrassed. LMM

Stranger: Oh, stop that. Let me admire you! JG

Stranger: Ha, I know you very well. I’m sure that almost is the key word there. JG

You: I've never made Em laugh so much than when we were filming for that scene, we had a blast. LMM God. It's like that was a high I'm now crashing down from. LMM

Stranger: G o d, you call Emily Blunt Em, I am JEALOUS. JG

Stranger: We’ll get you back up on that crest, I promise. Ham in PR is such a huge deal. JG

You: You gotta meet her sometime, I will set it up, she's awesome. I also met Jon Krasinski and almost died, that man is a confirmed god and he and Em are perfect together. LMM You're right. I just need my personal hypeman by my side. LMM

Stranger: You shut up right now, I’ll just end up quoting the entirety of Devil Wears Prada right into her glorious face. I need to meet her. JG

Stranger: You’ll have me for a week, but I’ll always hype you, Lin. You’re legitimately the most talented, kind, bright man I know. JG

You: I'll make it happen. LMM Oh, stop it. I wouldn't be where I am without the support of you, you mean the absolute world to me. LMM

Stranger: I knew I loved you for a reason ;) JG

Stranger: You’d be so great without me, you’ve got a team of hypemen, Burr I will always be the loudest. JG

You: Hell yeah you will. God, I can't wait to see your ridiculously cute face and smush it in my hands. LMM

Stranger: Oh, it’s ready to be smushed, hasn’t happened in far too long. JG

You: You got that right, I'm gonna smush you so hard. LMM Which, in hindsight, sounds incredibly inappropriate. LMM

Stranger: ... I’m not mad about it. JG

You: Me neither. Groffsauce so cuuuuute. LMM

Stranger: Why are all the best men tragically straight? Ugh. JG

You: Uh. LMM Yo. LMM You talking about me? LMM

Stranger: You, Daveed, every other straight guy in theatre. JG

You: Oh my god, this is priceless. LMM You think I'm straight? LMM

Stranger: ... ok, so I’m wrong, then. How wrong am I? JG

You: Super wrong. I'm super not straight. LMM

Stranger: The whole V thing threw me off. I mean the willingness to throw yourself at me should’ve been a clue but that was more wishful thinking. JG

You: Yeah, I guess the whole married to a woman thing does make me seem a bit straight. But I am a theatre kid, so... LMM Remember when I made that Heights promo with you in it? I had the biggest crush on you. LMM

Stranger: So you’re bi, or bi adjacent, then. That’s... wow. Ok, my worldview just shifted a little. JG

Stranger: I remember that so well, it was so damn entertaining and cute. I’ve been practically wrapped around your finger since. JG

You: Yeah, I just don't really care about gender, I'm just attracted to everyone, basically. LMM Thank god, because I wrote KG3 for you. LMM

Stranger: Yeah, yeah that makes so much more sense. Either way you were out of my reach. JG

Stranger: You did not — really?? Why didn’t you tell me that before? JG

You: I swear I've mentioned that before. You know, like I wrote GWash for Chris? You were in mind already when I was writing. LMM

Stranger: I know you wrote Washington for Chris, but also damn. I guess it just blows my mind every time I hear you say it?? JG

You: Well, yeah. I had a big ass gay crush on you at that point, so why wouldn't I try and rope you in to my project? LMM

Stranger: Well, fuck. How could I say no to you, Lin? It’s literally impossible. With those big, bright eyes and all of those words. JG

You: Ha, insert say no to this reference here. LMM You think my eyes are big and bright? Aww, shucks, ya making me blush! LMM

Stranger: You’ve got such doe eyes, and those lashes, Lin. I’d murder someone for lashes like that. But you’re incredibly handsome. JG

You: Don't do murder, that's bad. LMM [delay] Well, your uh, flight is booked! LMM

Stranger: I’m not going to murder... maybe. JG

Stranger: Oh, thank you! You really are too much. JG

You: I know, I know. Get told it on the daily. LMM I'll get a car to pick you up from the airport (not because I'm lazy but I don't fancy getting mobbed if I come meet you). LMM

Stranger: I don’t blame you not wanting to get mobbed. Am I going to be staying with you? JG

You: Of course. This is a big suite, it's got two bedrooms! LMM

Stranger: Then you’ll see me in the suite! We’ll have a lot of fun practicing your lines at all hours. JG

You: And staying up watching old movie musicals like we're at a slumber party. LMM

Stranger: Too bad I can’t braid your hair anymore. JG

You: You were always so good at that. LMM Face masks though...! LMM

Stranger: It’s the Pennsylvania Dutch in me. JG

Stranger: Face masks! And manicures. Bet your nail beds are a mess. JG

You: They are, you gotta sort them out. LMM Anyway, it's late, we should sleep. But I will see you at my crazy fancy suite. LMM

Stranger: I’ll fix ‘em up. But ok, yes. Sleep. I’ll see you in a handful of hours! JG

You: Lin definitely didn't sleep much that night, far too excited to see Jon the next day. He worked a little the next morning, keeping an eye on the flight tracker for Jon's plane so he knew when it arrived safe, and got a driver to go pick him up. So, the fame might have changed him a little, but it was worth it. He looked up when he heard the key card he'd had given to Jon at the front desk clicked in the door and got up, a huge grin on his face. "Hey! It's my favourite heartthrob!" He said, running over and practically jumping at the taller man to hug him.

Stranger: Jon definitely didn’t sleep until he was on the plane — thankfully he was one of the lucky ones who could conk out on flights — he was just too excited to see Lin. There were nerves festering in the pit of his stomach that he had long since thought dead. As if getting confirmation that Lin wasn’t straight changed anything between them. It did not, but he couldn’t get those damn butterflies to settle down as he keyed his way into the suite. He didn’t have a moment to even set his bags down before he had to drop one in order to huddle Lin against him so they didn’t topple over. He was laughing brightly, unable to help it, as he carelessly dropped the rest of this things to get both arms around the ball of energy. “Hello to you too, Lin! Let me get in here,” he said, still laughing. But it was easy to shuffle them a few steps into the suite so the door could close behind him. “Look at you,” Jon sighed, getting both hands up onto Lin’s shoulders. “You look so good, lithe. Like you have a whisper of abs.”

You: It was so crazy that Jon was here, and Lin could actually hug him, it was like a dream come true. He'd really needed someone or the next few weeks would have been unbearable. He beamed up at him as Jon looked at him, nothing but true, unfiltered happiness in his eyes. "I do! If I suck in and you squint!" He said, before hugging him again. "God, you've like, totally beefed out. Mindhunter really did a number on you, huh? Look at how in shape we both are, I'm so proud," he rambled on.

Stranger: “Beefed out, god yes please keep telling me that. They have me working out far too much for my liking, but if you like it then we’re good.” Jon couldn’t help but get a little lost in the sound of Lin’s voice and the bright spark in his eyes. He ducked a little so he could duck his head to Lin’s shoulder. “You look great, so great. A sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure. Pittsburgh is so dull especially because it doesn’t have your spark.”

You: Lin hugged him tight, pressing his face against Jon's hair for a moment. God, he smelled good. Focus. "Are we just gonna compliment each other for the whole week? Because I am so good with that!" He pulled away eventually and picked up a few of Jon's bags. "There we go, I'll show you to your room, kind sir," he put on his English accent that he now had perfected from Poppins. "Follow me!" He went off in the direction of the other bedroom next to his.

Stranger: Jon couldn’t stop laughing, the happiness just pouring out of him from being close to Lin again. “I could spend all damn day telling you how awesome you are.” Gathering up his other things, he trailed after Lin slowly, looking around the suite with open wonder. “Listen, if you don’t talk like that all day, I’m going to be so disappointed.” Tucking his bags into the closet in the bedroom, Jon tossed his keys and wallet onto dresser and immediately went to the window to get a look at the view. “This is actual paradise, I hope you know.”

You: Lin put his bags down on the bed before going to stand beside him at the window. "I know, right?" He sighed happily. "Mi pais es tan hermoso," he said fondly, before looking up at Jon. "That means, my country is so beautiful. Now, you gotta make a choice. Jack the lamplighter voice, or Puerto Rican Lin!" He joked, rolling his Rs in an exaggerated fashion.

Stranger: Jon reeled Lin into his side pretty easily, his arm settling around his shoulders. “I don’t honestly care which Lin I get because I still get you regardless. But now I know now why you love this island so much.” Leaning toward the window, as if that would get him closer to the view of the sea, Jon was beaming. “How is this place even real? I’ll have to go exploring.”

You: Lin leaned easily against him, fitting snugly against his body. Oh man, this was nice. "I'll have to take you on a tour," he promised, looking up at the wonder on Jon's face rather than the view. It was arguably more beautiful. Not arguably. Factually. "But I wanna just hang out with you first for a while. Order room service, maybe a bottle of champagne to celebrate..."

Stranger: This closeness was what he had missed the most about Lin — about how well they fit together and how warm Lin was. Turning his face to look at him, he was only a littler surprised to find Lin already looking at him. A slight blush overtook his face and he laughed quietly. “You can give me a tour tomorrow morning. I am so down for staying in and seeing champagne-happy Lin.”

You: "I am such a lightweight now, I hope you're prepared to handle me!" Lin grinned and pulled away from his side, only to grab his hand. He didn't want to be separated from him, and honestly, he was a little touch starved at present. He grabbed a menu that Jon could read over his shoulder, practically leaning back so Jon's chest was pressed against his back. Was it hot in there? "What are you feelin?" He asked, reading over the desserts. He had a sweet tooth.

Stranger: “I am well-versed in corralling drunk friends. Besides, you’re easy,” Jon winked overly dramatically and happily held onto Lin’s hand. The contact was beyond nice and he practically wrapped himself around Lin as they perused the menu. “I’m feeling being indulgent. No gym time, no strict diet. Just get a bunch to share?” His free hand settled idly over Lin’s hip, holding him close as if he was afraid Lin would just disappear.

You: Lin grinned when he felt Jon’s hand settling on to his hip, almost shivering at the contact. “Sounds perfect.” He pulled Jon over to the sofa where the phone was, sitting down, half in Jon’s lap as he reeled off a massive order of room service, a bottle of champagne, and he checked their mini bar was suitably stocked as well.

Stranger: Jon handled Lin into laying down on the couch beside him, his head landing in his lap. Not that it took too much convincing really. It was always easy to get Lin where he wanted him. There it was easier to run his fingers through his short hair. “This is going to be a great night, just you and me. Running lines for the play?” It was like they hadn’t spent weeks and months apart.

You: Lin grinned up at Jon when he put the phone down, gazing into his pretty eyes. “Oh yeah, just like the old days,” he said. “Aren’t you just so excited for the play? I wonder if they’ll make us stage kiss!” He put on a high school voice, bringing up their inside joke from years ago.

Stranger: Jon burst out laughing before getting himself under control. “God, what if they make us stage kiss in the play?” Jon whispered, though fighting not to giggle again. He failed. “It’s been a while since you kiss-bombed me.”

You: “I know! Oh, I miss my surprise kissing you for the internet,” Lin sighed happily. “I bet twitter misses it. I know I sure do!” He’d always made excuses before to kiss him, because he’d just always wanted to. Jon just thought it was a prank, before. Lin wished things were different.

Stranger: “You ever just want to kiss me just to kiss me?” Jon asked after a prolonged moment of silence. Looking down at Lin — bright eyed and so handsome — Jon didn’t even bother keeping his thoughts to himself. “I missed you, really. And I had been so convinced that I was living in some weird limbo with you being out of reach but not really out of reach now, are you?” He babbled a little, the words just sort of not stopping.

You: The tone changed and Lin’s expression softened, listening to Jon. “Maybe I was out of reach for a while,” he said quietly, his heart pounding hard in his chest. “But I’ve wanted to kiss you period for years,” he confessed.

Stranger: Pushing Lin’s hair away from his forehead, Jon just kept touching him idly. “You should do it, then, if you’d still like to. I’d like it a lot.” His hands were shaking even as he threaded his fingers through that soft, thick hair.

You: “Yeah?” Lin whispered, shivering as Jon touched him. “I think I’d like that too.” He leaned up from Jon’s lap (using his newfound abs), reaching up to put his hand on the side of his neck. He looked at him for just a moment, before leaning in and pressing their lips together.

Stranger: It was like Lin was moving in slow motion, Jon could hardly believe it. He shifted just enough to make it easier on Lin to kiss him. It was tentative and sweet and Jon’s heart was about to leap out of his chest and he was sure Lin could feel it. Curling his hand around the back of Lin’s head, Jon encouraged the kiss to deepen.

You: Lin closed his eyes as they kissed, just feeling how nice and sweet it was to be kissing him properly, and not for some prank. He made a quiet noise as it started to deepen, as full of noise as ever. He couldn’t keep quiet at any aspect of his life. He melted against Jon’s chest, allowing the kiss to deepen even further, pressing his tongue against the seam of Jon’s plump lips.

-- And then it got a little NSFW that I won’t post here -- 

[softichill]

Woob! 5k club and looking... Well I'm fine but my Blorbo isn't. I make a Terrible god. But I'm enjoying myself. That's all that matters. How are your projects? I hope that they're doing well. I do like your art. I feel like a request would be greedy of me. Would it? We do this every day so asking more of your time feels wrong. I'd just like to see whatever you scribbled down, if it is greedy. Your style is nice. I went to see a reptile show with my mother a day ago! Enrichment! I bought a 3d printed friend, a rock ( jasper unknown variety), a charm I do not know who it's of, and a boa morph in a bow sticker with shimmering stars! I could have bought a 3d printed moving creature but they were too fragile. And I could have got FOSSILS. I feel a fool for not buying less things before stumbling on ancient fish jaw plates. I am sad. BUT I got to see so many ball pythons ( I shortened this to balls when telling my sis. She snickered) a ton of leopard gecko morphs, monitors, a freaking b&w tegu, cresties (crested geckos), and even some hairless rats! They were male so my sis was correct in her laugh. I wish I could have a snake. Mom hates em and the economy sucks too bad to move out. I'll name a ball after her when she passes. They can live to 40! Oh... But you probably wouldn't like it there. Tarantulas. Others as well just not as many. Quick PSA: if you go to a reptile show be prepared to see spiders. Scorpions are arachnids as well but you could be fine with em. I dunno? Mom complained about people covered in tattoos. Next it will be the dyed hair. She says she'll be furious if I get a pyramid on my pyramid shaped cluster of birthmarks. Sis said she wants to see a picture of a co-worker's tattoo. I know her opinion on tattoos I guess. Some religions believe that tattoos are the only thing you can take to the afterlife. I think that's nifty. Today I hope you're in for a soothing Finnish folk song! Varttina made a song called little bird BUT the title is in Finnish so look for Linnunmieli ( album vers.) So glad sis showed me this. The live version isn't as good even tough it's faster, surprisingly.

I haven't been drawing as much sadly!! Though that's mainly because I've been playing a ton of games lol. I'd love to do a request!! :> Feel free to send in anything you'd like. Can't guarantee I'll get it done immediately but I'll still do it!

Ooo that sounds super fun!! Yeah I probably wouldn't really like it there thanks to the tarantulas haha, good to know that it was cool tho! Also I would have LOVED to get one of those jaw plates even if they're fake.....

My rec today is vs. DJ Supernova from No Straight Roads!! Super funky song, and a very fun boss fight too!

[luvborne]

this is, by far, the best thing ive done/said for this sofie to date..... its a log btwn sofie n enrique so y’all are not.... going in blind

calligenia: sent a photoset - Photographs of wild cockato...

YOU SHOULD GET A LOAD OF THESE BIRDS.

what you do not see here today is 9 different cockatoos in different colors and they all have lots of personality and zazzpizz. i can describe them all if you want.

flightlined: First of all. I would love it if you described the birds to me. Only if it wasn't too much though. And second. Yes

I like the really pink cockatoos

calligenia: there are like three of those! 

ok so the first one just. he's very punky to me. he's all black and a little stouter than the other ones? there's another black one in there but that one is like. iridescent. that one's the glam goth one. this one just doesn't have the sheen. even though he's a little short his crest makes up for it? it's the biggest out of all of them. not the fluffiest though. it's tall and the feathers are like. looong spikes. hence! punky! he has a little red patch of skin that's connected to like. the inner corner of his eye to his beak. he's got a really big one of those btw. i bet he eats nuts or something. the red skin is like. the color of a tomato but only if you splattered one out on the counter and let it bleach in the sun like a lawn chair for a few weeks.

flightlined: He sounds... Beautiful. I love his red patch especially

calligenia: just you wait.

should i do the rest all in one go or pause for commentary between.

flightlined: Give it to me all in one go. Hit me. I'll comment on all of them no matter what I assure you and I do hope you do the same

calligenia: here goes nothing.

so. there are nine birds in the total set. one down.the second and ninth ones are similar. like. color wise. their bodies are like! my favorite pink. liiike light blushy pink. and it gets a little brighter and darker near the beak. the beak itself is whitish gray and it has a tiny tiny tiny blue undertone. i only notice because i have an eye for color. it’s like. really really subtle. the wings and the crest are gooorgeous pure white and on the inside part of the crest there’s feathers the color of BRIGHT fire. not real fire that’s just orange. but like. cartoon sunset fire. red and gold and a tiny hints of orange where the red hits the yellow. #9′s plumage is a little more dull though? not even dull just like. a tiny bit lighter. and where #2 has little black eyes like a stuffed animal #9 has lighter brown eyes that are a tiiiny bit bigger. #9′s kind of more graceful looking too? very like. flowy. #2 is kind of stout. they look like if they were a cartoon spy team #2 would be the stupid and kind of ugly but lovable one. like. the jonah hill. and #9 would be the clever dashing debonair one. like. the channing tatum but less buff and more sleek.

#3 and #7 are similar kind of color wise but that’s it. they’re both almost all white. not as pure white as the pure white on #2 and #9 but just about. they have a circle of faded azurey blue skin around their eyes and orange from the inner corner of the eye to the beak. the beak is the same light greyish white but in these ones the blue undertone is heavier. thaaat’s about where the similarities end. the orange on both is a very tropical sunset orange but on #3 it’s a pretty light and faded and she only has it in that little inner corner to beak spot. she has a tiny bit of really light yellow under her wing and under her eye but it’s like. it’s not stark. it flows with the rest of her feathers. she has a body that like. if she was a person she’d be a model. she doesn’t have the same body as any of the other ones and all of her feathers are super neat. she has no crest or anything either. her head is smoooooooth. have you ever seen a budgie? it’s like. the same body type but bigger. #7 looks like if jorgen von strangle from the fairy odd parents got turned into a bird. he looks like proportionally the biggest out of all of them and he’s very. blocky? stocky? he’s a big boy. the orange on him is more intense and he doesn’t have any yellow except for under his eye. the orange on his face goes all around his eye and over the rim of his beak and he has a pinstripe of orange around the inside part of his neck. it’s like. a break in the white. he’s not sleek like #3 aaand his feathers are all like. ruffled. his beak is a lot bigger too. he’s just very tough looking. he doesn’t really have a crest per se either but he has like? a raised brick of feathers? on his head? all white and it’s like. brick shaped. but feathers. i think these two could fall in love. opposites attract or whatever. not usually my personal philosophy buuut i think it could apply here.

i like #4. he looks like the english writer protagonist of some romantic french movie where he falls in love with a mysterious amoureuse (me) and they stay in a tiny parisian apartment together and sleep on a mattress on the floor. he stands up very straight and he doesn’t have much of a crest either but a few feathers at the front of his head are puffed up like those ARE his crest. his body is pink. not quite as red as the blushy pink i like but it’s not a purpley pink either. just. middle pink. and it’s pretty dark. very like? rosey. if you imagine not the light pink roses but the dark pink roses. the top of his head is that same pink but very very light. like. the lightest light pink roses. it starts halfway up his eye and just covers everything above that like a beanie hat. he has a little gray circle of skin around his eye and his beak is the same color gray. it’s light and it has the tiiiniest yellowy undertone on the beak. his wings and only his wings are a darker gray. but not super dark! medium gray but on the lighter side. like. if it was a scale of one to ten and one was white and ten was black this would be arouuund a 5? maybe a 4 and a half or a four. i’m leaning towards four. and his eyes! they’re very big and very lovely with bright things in them. the same light brown as #9 but a little richer i think. he’s lovely.

#5 is like. the classic white and yellow cockatoo. like. if you imagine COCKATOO you’d probably imagine this guy first. white body. yellow crest. black beak and eyes. his beak is all like. not cracked looking? but scuffed. it’s been doing things for a long time. aaand his feathers are a little ruffled and he stands like how people stand when they’re leaning all of their weight on one leg. uneven. but he’s still adorable! he’s very dopey looking to me like if one of those yellow smiley faces got turned into a bird. his crest is like macaroni to me. not that it looks like any particular macaroni but i just get that feeling from it. do you get that? my favorite part of him is this little round circle of lighter yellow he has on his cheek. it’s almost perfectly round and it makes him look like he’s blushing. he’s sooo cute.

OH. BTW. they're all in front of a very plain light gray backdrop.

#6 is black and it has an iridescent sheen but not nearly as much of a pretty one as #8. #8 has a very peacock sheen to the black but this one is more like. indigo. like. peacock but with less colors and very dark so you can’t tell it’s peacock colors. glossy black. and his feathers are super wide? and very ruffled. you can see the sheen more because of that. on his belly there are a couple feathers sticking out where they’re more brownish and less shiny but still like. black. the feathers on his chest and head are the sheeniest. his eyes are dark brown but like! very rich and chestnutty. and they only have a little bit of skin around them. his beak is super light gray and it’s really really big. like. lighter than the backdrop and i can’t see the bottom part. ummmm. he has light but not too light (like light and bright) little yellow speckles all over his face? in a radial pattern. like. it’s like his eye is the sun and the speckles are the rays. same pattern. he doesn’t really have a crest but he has a few feathers that hang off the back of his head a little the way short hair does if you push it back. kind of? maybe they stick up sometimes and it’s a mini crest that’s like. folded back. idk. he’s funky.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST! NUMBER 8. this one has the most beautiful feathers i think. it makes me think of like. winnie if she was a cockatoo:) his feathers are black and fluffy and have the most brilliant sheen to them. like! oil slick peacock colors. blueish green and greenish blue with tiny bits of brown at the bases that aren’t really noticeable. it’s like where it fades into the black. his feathers are puffed up a lot and it makes him look very mysterious because like they hide most of his beak (it’s blueish dark gray btw. bone black). his eyes are very dark brown but not quite black and they have a little bit of blackish gray skin around them but really not much. his crest is all puffed up in a glorious iridescent fluffy mohawk. where #1 had like. the spiky mohawk this guy just has an awesome skewed semicircle of feathers. he’s just very glamorous.he's pretty stocky but i think that's mostly the feathers. and that! is all the birds.

flightlined: Several notes: I've no idea who Jorgen Von Strangle is, a blue undertone actually sounds horrifically beautiful for some reason and I'm glad you managed to find it with your eye for color, I can't believe you want two of these birds to fall in love. Sort of. What is your personal philosophy on love then? If not opposites attract. Four sounds awfully pretentious I must admit. I love him. "Very lovely with bright things in them" is how I might describe Winnie's eyes. I think... Eight is my favorite. For. Reasons I imagine you're well aware of

Did you know that you're quite fantastic Sofie? This was. Unbearably sweet of you to do

calligenia: several notes on your notes: it's ok i think all you really need is the name. it is you're welcome. no comment on the lovebirds (see what i did there). i'm not sure if i have one, i've been called a true rooomantic though? whatever that means. 4 is pretentious and lovely and i love him too. that's adorable and you can steal the line from me if you want. aaand eight is a good favorite to have:)

awwwwwww. it's nothing.

[itsworn]

Wrecking Their Coupe Didn’t Stop Them from Racing at Daytona in 1956—They Just Turned it Into a Roadster!

The Custom Automotive Special 999 Fuel Coupe

Crushed.

More than 30 years ago, I was vacationing in Santa Monica, California, and drove out to Temple City to “The Home of the California Kid,” Pete and Jake’s Hot Rod Parts. It turned out to be a long, hot drive to an unassuming little storefront and not the huge emporium I was expecting. And there wasn’t a whole lot to look at. The work was going on in the back behind closed doors. In desperation for some memento, I purchased a copy of the then recently published Petersen’s The Best of HOT ROD.

Over the ensuing years, I have studied that book cover to cover—they’re just now separating—and it has proven an invaluable resource if only to provide a place to start when researching articles in old issues of HOT ROD. On page 161, in a section called Racing Roundup, there was an intriguing shot of a flamed Deuce roadster—or was it? The caption read, “May 1956 This classic highboy started out for Daytona as a coupe, but when its tow truck broke a wheel, the car flipped, crushing the top. A cutting torch made it a roadster.”

The car was kinda cool. The flames were a little funky, but it was, after all, 1956. I filed it away until one day talking to Greg Sharp, he said, “Well, Jim Davis drove that car.”

“Really? Jim Davis who published Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine?”

“One and the same.”

I had known Jim when he was president of B&M, and thanks to the Internet, he wasn’t hard to track down. Jim began his amazing journey in this industry as publisher of Super Stock and Stock Car Racing magazine. From publishing, he went on to establish one of the largest ad agencies specializing in performance automotive products with offices in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. From there, he went on to be president of B&M Performance and Racing, a post he held for 18 years. Then he had a short stint as president of Russell Performance, after which he co-founded Professional Products, where he was chief operating officer for 15 years.

Meanwhile, he was chairman of the SEMA board of directors, SEMA Person of the Year, PWA Person of the Year, and received the Street Rodder magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Jim’s latest venture is Performance Injection, a company supplying electronic fuel injection systems, manifolds, and associated products.

All that aside, I called Jim and asked him if he remembered the story of the coupe turned roadster.

“Of course,” he replied. Here’s the story, in his own words:

The 999 ’32 three-window coupe was conceived by Ray Giovannoni of Custom Automotive on New York Avenue in Washington, D.C. This would have been sometime in 1954. He had just bought a cam grinder and wanted to use the car to promote the cam business. I spent a lot of time at the speed shop, so Ray asked me if I would like to drive it for him. Naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Ray bought and sold a lot of early hot rods. He was also a master engine builder and did a full port and relief job on the 296ci flathead block. He ground his own cam that he called the 999, hence the numbers on the car.

Although Ray presented himself as a master cam grinder, the 999 was actually a direct copy of an Isky 400 Jr. cam. I am likely the only person who knew this besides Ray. In fact, in the early days all the grinds that Ray offered were copies, and one day he actually talked one of his regular customers into buying a 999 cam to replace the 400 Jr. he was running at the time. The customer swore it ran better.

The dark blue 999 coupe with its primitive flame job was fitted with a Halibrand quick-change, ’48 Merc engine with Weiand heads and intake, 3x2s, and Harmon & Collins dual-coil ignition. Its fenders and running boards were removed, and the wheels were Buick rims on Ford centers.

Our first outing was February 1955 at Daytona with the car as a coupe. We didn’t really do our homework because all we knew was where to line up to make the run. We did not know that there was a 2-1/2 mile buildup area before you entered the measured mile. So when our turn came, I floored the car and took it up to full speed. The tach indicated our top speed was about 140, Ray having put in some fairly high gears.

Despite going 140 mph, it seemed like it took forever to cover that 2-1/2 miles. I was used to having 10 or so seconds of full throttle with the car, and now it was going on forever. Finally, I arrived at the start of the measured mile and breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned to despair as the car started to slow down. I looked at all the gauges and everything appeared OK, but the car just kept going slower and slower. Finally, I got to the end of the mile and took my foot out of it. My speed was a paltry 108.401 mph average that was a terrible disappointment. If I recall correctly, I think the best measured mile speed for the entire week was about 135 set by a modified ’56 Chevy driven by Curtis Turner, a famous NASCAR driver of that era.

What had happened was the extended full throttle run burned all the valves, and the longer I stayed on it, the worse it got. Although Ray had dialed back the amount of nitro to maybe 40 percent, the engine was just not designed to run full throttle on nitro for 3-1/2 miles. If we had known what we were doing, we would have marked off a point maybe a half a mile before the start of the measured mile. I would just cruise the car from the start to that point at maybe 70 or 80 mph and then get on it.

During the summer that year, we ran at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Manassas, Virginia, a 1/5-mile of dirt and one of the first dragstrips on the East Coast. This was back before the days of timing clocks, and as I recall, we never ran at a track where we got any times. Ray had set up the car to run on nitro, and we basically ran 100 percent. He used to pour a cup of water into each tank of fuel, but I’m not sure why. If I had to guess, I would say we ran somewhere in the low to mid-11s at about 125 mph, which in 1955 would have been decent.

I remember we towed the car up north someplace, Pennsylvania or possibly New Jersey, to race on an abandoned airstrip. The big gun at this track was a green, channeled fenderless coupe with an early Chrysler Hemi that I believe was out of New York.

They used a flag starter, and then another guy was standing by the side of the strip a quarter-mile down; he judged who the winner was if it was close. We lined up against the local favorite and managed to pull a major holeshot. As we neared the finish line, I noticed the guy there started running down the strip away from us. He realized we were winning but that the green coupe was gaining on us. I guess he was hoping he could move the finish line far enough that the coupe would win. But he couldn’t run fast enough, and we still had a car length or two by the time we passed the retreating flagman.

In August, Ray decided he wanted to tow the coupe to the Automobile Timing Association of America (ATAA) World Series of Drag Racing in Lawrenceville, Indiana. On our very first run down the quarter-mile, the coupe really hauled ass, but about two thirds of the way down it suddenly began to slow down dramatically, like I had applied the brakes. This track did not have e.t. clocks, just speed. I think our speed was 70 or 80 mph. As I turned off the track, I noticed we had no oil pressure, so I shut it off.

We towed the car back to the motel, removed the engine, put it on the bed, and pulled the pan. One of the main bearings had spun and scarred up the crank. We drove into town and found an auto parts store where Ray bought some 0.010-inch-under bearings. Then he laboriously sanded the damaged crank journal with some sanding cloth. We had that crank in and out of the block dozens of times until he finally got the journal sanded down enough to where he could tighten the main bearing caps and the crank would turn. Who knows if the journal was even close to being round? Highly doubtful.

We reassembled the engine, put it back in the coupe, and the next day we went out to the track. We fired it up and it sounded fine but did not have adequate oil pressure. Ray made the decision to not run the car again because we probably would have grenaded it. Nevertheless, we got a nice two-page feature in the October 1955 issue of Speed Age magazine.

The following year, Ray decided to go back to Daytona and run it at some local drags. Our tow rig was a really clean ’50 Ford pickup. He loaded the back of the truck with spare parts, a bunch of cams that I think he was hoping to sell, and of course a full set of tools. Ray was a meticulous guy, so the back of the truck was very neatly packed. Our drag tires were bolted to the top of the tow bar, and we had some 6.00x16s on the car for towing.

Ray did not like to drive, so I was driving, and somewhere in Georgia the highway kind of swooped down and then back up. Just as we hit the bottom, the right rear tire on the coupe dropped off the edge of the pavement onto the dirt shoulder. While attempting to get it back onto the highway, I lost control. We were probably going about 65-70. The rig started to jackknife, and as we crested the top of hill we slid off the highway onto a very large dirt area.

The truck and coupe were in a full jackknife position, sliding sideways with the brakes locked. At that point, I realized we would be coming to a stop without actually hitting anything. Then I made one of the worst decisions of my life. I took my foot off the brakes. Because the front wheels of the truck were in a full locked position to the right, releasing the brakes allowed the front wheels to turn, which caused both the truck and the coupe to flip. The truck only went over on its left side, but the coupe flipped all the way onto its top. Everything in the bed of the truck went flying—cans of nitro, tools, spare parts, and 30 or 40 cams.

Despite not wearing seat belts, we were both unhurt, although Ray, who was no lightweight, ended up on top of me. We climbed out the passenger door and a group of people came running out of a diner across the street. They helped us get both vehicles back on their tires and then we started collecting all the stuff. The cab of the truck on the driver side was somewhat crushed, and the side glass and the rear window glass were gone. One of the truck wheels was bent beyond repair, and although we did have a spare, unfortunately it was a different size than the other rear wheel, so the differential got quite a workout on the trip home.

The entire cab of the coupe was crushed and the radiator shell was damaged, but otherwise it appeared relatively unharmed. We decided to drive back to D.C. This was February, and with no glass in the windows, it was freezing. Initially, we thought the trip was over, but the closer we got to the shop, the more we became determined to see if we could fix things up enough to go back.

Once back in D.C., Ray had a body shop guy pound out the truck roof so I could sit up straight. He also replaced the broken truck glass and cut the crushed top off the coupe. Meanwhile, he had a local top shop make us a custom white tonneau cover that hid the fact that the car was not actually a roadster. He also fabbed up a rollbar out of exhaust tubing that was totally worthless, but we did not have time to make a real one. The grille shell was beyond repair, so we stole the one off my ’32 coupe and eventually painted it white. Amazingly, after only three days’ work, the coupe-turned-roadster looked pretty good, despite what it had been through.

When we got to Daytona, the drag races were being held at an abandoned airfield some distance out of town. It was a night event. We went there and made a couple of passes, and the car seemed to run fine. I was frankly somewhat skittish, probably due to the rollover and lack of a real rollbar, and never really made what I would call a full, full-throttle pass. Also, there was no lighting of consequence on the track, which also made me very uneasy. We didn’t run against anybody.

The ATAA was also staging drag races on the beach. I remember that they had a card table set up and were collecting entry fees from a very long line of car owners wanting to run. As we sat there and watched the tide go out while ATAA personnel continued to collect entry fees, I told Ray that there was no way the tide would be out long enough to run all of those cars. There were easily more than 100 entries.

The ATAA decided to select what appeared to be the four top potential contenders and run them off first. That was us, Art Chrisman in his famous flathead dragster, a Crosley with a gear-driven side-mounted Olds, and an early fenderless pickup truck with, I think, a Cadillac engine.

We flipped some coins to determine who would race whom, and we unluckily drew Chrisman. Actually, the pickup truck was probably the only one of the other three that we could beat. Chrisman dusted us off, although we gave him a decent race. The Crosley, built by Burt Kessler and Dean Gammill of Matoon, Illinois, whipped the pickup easily and then put it to Chrisman.

By then, the tide had turned, and ATAA called off the drags. I don’t know if the hundreds of would-be racers got their money back or not. But their frustration was taken out by staging drag races on Daytona’s main street. When the cops tried to stop the fun, a well-documented riot broke out. According to newspaper reports, about 3,000 people joined the rioting, overturning police cars and trashing a fire truck that tried to disperse the crowds with water jets. The National Guard got called in, and I remember that Ray and I and one of the guys crewing with us were in a local bar having a brew when five or six guardsmen came in, announced a curfew, and ordered everybody off the streets. One guy at the bar refused to leave until he could finish his beer. That got him a billy club to the head and he was forcibly dragged out of the bar.

Despite the wreck, the many sleepless nights repairing the car and truck, and our poor showing, we actually had a pretty good time. However, once the car had been wrecked, Ray totally lost interest in it. He rebuilt the motor and sold it to some local racers who proceeded to blow it up on the starting line at their first race. I was actually standing nearby when the driver revved the engine until the pan opened up like B-29 bomb-bay doors dropping the crank and pistons onto the pavement. I don’t recall what happened to the car itself; I never saw it again.

HOT ROD’s Ray Brock snapped this photo of Jim Davis racing 999 at Daytona. By a flip of a coin, Jim was paired to race against Art Chrisman’s flathead dragster.

A photo of 999 when it was still a coupe, posed in front of Ray Giovannoni’s Custom Automotive speed shop in Washington, D.C. The super-sano tow vehicle is Ray’s ’50 Ford pickup.

Speed Age magazine profiled Jim, Ray, and 999 in its October 1955 issue, using them as an example of a successful drag racing team. “It doesn’t look like it, but that little ole cut-down job can put a lot of race cars to shame,” reads one caption. Note the coupe had yet to be flamed.

Jim Davis and 999 in the pits at an unidentified track.

In the pits at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in the summer of 1955.

Another shot from the Elizabeth City pits. The Speed Age story described the coupe’s wheels as a “composite of Ford center and Buick rims, which is necessary for the large racing tires that they contain.”

Timing equipment was essentially nonexistent at most of the tracks where Jim raced, but he figures the coupe was good for quarter-mile passes in the mid- to low 11s at 125 mph.

After Jim and Ray’s disastrous first try at getting to Speedweeks in 1956, here’s 999, now a roadster, pulling into Daytona. Note the unpainted grille shell, which Jim took off his ’32 coupe to replace the one damaged in the accident.

The riots that took place at Daytona provided irresistible fodder for local reporters and spurred HRM Editor Wally Parks to “get the story straight” in his May 1956 column. The damage was done by “hoodlums, not hot rodders!” he wrote.

Some of the hardware Jim earned driving Ray’s fuel coupe/roadster.

The post Wrecking Their Coupe Didn’t Stop Them from Racing at Daytona in 1956—They Just Turned it Into a Roadster! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/wrecking-coupe-didnt-stop-racing-daytona-1956-just-turned-roadster/ via IFTTT