#we got a trans pallet it on design

[seagull-scribbles]

A patchworked Prower :)

[artharakka]

im very interested in your dnd oc Rhiam, i think its really cool and rarely done to have a trans character actually transition during the course of the game, was it always your intention for her to be trans or did this evolve naturally in the campaign? also i love her design especially the colour pallete with the earthy tones and rich blue accent colours <3

Hi! And thank you because ough I also love Rhiam so much even if (and because) she's my own character 🧡

Rhiam is one of those characters that just starts to live a life of its own, you know? I can plan things for her but some things just feel right or wrong. Because at the beginning I was thinking that "now for a change I'll make a dude character, just a regular humble lad". I think I even said something like that out loud to our DM haha, so it was not planned from the start.

What I did plan quite from the beginning was that Rhiam, coming from the huble countryside, was determined to start a new and less dull life in the city. She wanted to become a proper mage and actually do something with her magic. I think her original plan was to try to become a performer (though she noticed that performing magic tricks to strangers rather than your own siblings is slightly more daunting). So while I didn't know everything about her, I did know that she desired to be something else than a farmer boy. And I knew that she desired to have earrings and jewelry and beautiful outfits. Then at some point we thought with our DM that hmm maybe there's something else besides just not wanting to be a farmer, maybe she desires not to be a boy as well. But yeah, we have also tought that it's funky that it happened gradually and during game like this. I think we got to have conversations and themes we wouldn't have had if I had just made her trans from the start (not that there wouldn't have been anything wrong with that but yeah, this was interesting!) Especially since our group really likes to take time to dwell in little moments and details (for real, our average game session spans over a weekend and lasts mmm around 18-24h in total? with pauses of course) Her final transformation (heh) also happened in a neat transitioning phase as they are currently in a mountain pass between two countries.

Oh and speaking of transformation, I also gave Rhiam alter self spell that she used to try what it would be like to be a girl/woman. And since I have actually made short poems for her every verbal component spell, I used lines that referred to our D&D world's shapeshifting god of the forests Iija Iki-Mettä and asked aid from her. And eventually Iija invited Rhiam to her sacred pond and transed her gender more permanently than what Rhiam alone could do. So I'm now multiclassing her as druid. Another thing I said I wouldn't do since I wanted to try some other class than druid for a change. "This time I will do a man guy boy who is not a druid" I said. "Congrats lil buddy that's the worst anyone's ever done it" I say to myself now (and wouldn't have it any other way <3).

[salemisdying]

Salem’s Modern AU master list

Redesigns:

i accidentally tim drake-ified danny… i love skunk hair danny so i had to include it

Sam got a more punky hairstyle, and all her clothing is thrifted, handmade, or bought from cruelty free clothing brands

I gave danny and tucker matching dumpty humpty shirts, and decided that where danny’s accent color is red, sam’s is her pop of purple eyes, tucker’s should be yellow to set his pallet apart from danny and sam’s. they all got mainly black and gray clothing so the accent color is too differentiate their pallets.

For Paulina i went for the “clean girl” aesthetic. I wanted to keep the pink in the design but i just couldn’t get any shade to fit right with her palette and decided that it could get saved for different outfits

For Star, i definitely leaned into the small town “cheer is my life” mentality (because i’ve experienced it lmaoo) and made sure to give her a cheer crew neck that has accents to match her cheer uniform. As far as my search went, I couldn’t find any sort of canonical last name for star, so i gave her one with a US last name generator website. i input her first name as Star, birth year as 2004, and searched through the results until i found one that i liked, so she’s now Star Wilson.

Valerie got a more “effortlessly pretty” look than paulina and star. i kept her outfit simple with the lighter green to compliment her green eyes. i really liked the idea of a headband but i couldn’t fit it into a modern context with her outfit, so i went for a scarf style i saw on pinterest.

the casper high cheer uniform was pretty much ripped directly from my uniform in my freshman year but with a mock neck top and a slightly different skirt. the poms were referenced off my sophomore year poms, and the bow was based off one of my freshman bows. my coach never let us wear socks that weren’t ankle high or no show, but i love the “old school” vibe of the tall socks so i decided to bring them into my design.

i had no part in the creation of the background other than lighting effects and drawing star, her pose, and her uniform. the base image of the football field was pulled from pinterest.

My Modern AU is set in 2022-23, the kids were born in 2004-2005 so they’d be about 17/18 now.

(these are my current peers so i’m unfortunately very aware of how they act…)

My AU is an: A-Listers know, Trans Danny, Phantom Crew (A-Listers,Team Phantom + Wes&Val unlikely friendship), Bad Fenton Parents, and Possible crossover fic

[More To Be Added]

[recentanimenews]

Isekai, Ranked

If Anime is escapism, there is no better way to escape than plunging Into Another World, where our niche skills and routine possessions may shake the fabric of reality! From MMO-inspired, to hard fantasy, there are many types of shows on this list but no movies nor series we haven’t seen recently. Bring all disagreements to the comments below!

1. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Re:Zero takes Isekai’s love for fish-out-of-water stories on step further: through brutal, expectation breaking blind sides, it makes the viewer a fish out of water too! Dripping with fantastic animation, Re:Zero true strength is the balance of its highly detailed world without over explaining its magic system, time loop mechanic and political systems. It also earns bonus points for  limiting the application of its protagonist’s powerful magic and technological advantages.

2. Sword Art Online (1st season)  In the narrowest of second places, SAO pairs top shelf animation with an approachable cast and easy to appreciate central conflict. Its lovingly constructed MMO setting aside, Kirito’s mistakes and occasional darkness elevate him above his potentially generic good-at-everything character type and Asuka plays the strongest heroine/love interest on the list.

3. Now and Then, Here and There Imagine if Digimon told a bleak about story sex trafficking child soldiers trapped on a waterless world with a maniac king? NTHT’s intense swerve from adorable into darkness is on par with Re:Zero and, much like Natsuki Subaru, HTHT’s Shu must rely on ‘durability’ and ‘heart’ to make it through. While some of it’s later tragic moments are predictable, this f’ed-up little anime scores major points for telling a complete story and having that story grow Shu from simpleton into a conflicted young adult.

4. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet While Red’s post-earth scifi origin may stretch the common definition of Isekai, being trapped in a primitive culture that treats him (and his AI-driven mech Chamber) like a hero of old does not. Beautifully, Gargantia flips the script and makes Red’s overwhelming power, and killing in general, at odds with the local people.

5. Yōjo Senki / The Saga of Tanya the Evil Give us World War I with magic, a gender swapped villain as our protagonist, and God as our antagonist, and you’ve given us something pretty damn original. Like Gargantia, this reborn in another world captures thinking differently about the world can be as powerful and terrifying as unworldly strength. Without question, Yojo Senki’s cast is the most uniquely imagined on this list.

6. No Game No Life Like Tanya, the Blank twins piss off god and are sent to another world as punishment. However, their punishment is much more stylish and… harem. Underneath NGNL’s acid-soaked panties, over the top protagonists and the psychedelic color pallet, lives a show featuring thoughtful puzzles and imaginative spins on classic gamble to win story telling. Sadly, its story ends unfinished…

7. KonoSuba One part jab at Isekai and one part love letter to the starting town of every fantasy MMO, KonoSuba is all parts ruthlessly funny!  While this reborn in another world (with a goddess!) show is not be as smartly written as NGNL, and it becomes repetitive after a time, the constant frenetic action more than makes up for it.

8. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Quiet, thoughtful, and full of sadness, this hard fantasy Isekai doesn’t care if its heroes are reborn in another world or trapped in a dungeon crawl afterlife. Building family bonds and connecting with people who would not normally be friends is all that matters… and it’s lovingly animated to boot!

9. ReCreators As a reverse Isekai, ReCreators distinguishes itself by bringing the other world to us. The experience is fantastically animated and packed with clever dialog that somehow breaths sincerity into a profoundly silly plot. The cast is quite diverse, both in design and personality, which keeps the action fresh, yet somehow cohesive throughout. It’s only major flaw is, the final act, which is way to drawn out.

10. The Devil is a Part Timer No I’m not kidding! This reverse Isekai’s premise that the Devil is trapped in our world and must work at McDonnald’s to get by is charming. While DiaPT’s humor isn’t particularly specific to the devil, the jokes are punchy, and the overall plot develops at a respectable pace. As an added treat, the opening gothic fantasy fight scenes are surprisingly well animated.

11. Log Horizon (1st season) Most exposition heavy, trapped in an MMO themed Isekai featuring ‘top ranked’ players crumble after a few episodes. More often than not, these shows try too hard to sell the coolness of their game worlds, user interfaces, and central characters. Miraculously, Log Horizon gets better mid season with a simple question: if former NPCs have personalities, can grow and learn, and even die, are they more human than the former players that dismiss them as background texture? Still, it takes Log Horizon six episodes to get going and good lord is it gray looking…

12. Overlord (3 Seasons) This transported into an MMO Isekai mirrors its main character: it is competent but not sure what it should be doing at any given moment. Sometimes the protagonists are villains and sometimes they are heroes. More often than not, characters are given lavish screen time to develop, only to be slaughtered whimsically. The resulting narrative is full of call backs and revealed foreshadowing… yet hasn’t gone very far in 3 seasons and hasn’t asked any interesting questions along the way.

13. El Hazard – The Magnificent World (OAV/TV) Predestined paradox, trans-dimensional time jumping high school students (and their drunk gym teacher) are trapped in an Arabian Nights’like land besieged by sentient bugs, a secret tribe of assassins from another dimension, and a death star like eye of god orbiting nearby. If you watched anime in the 1990s it will all be familiar but it still manages to feel original yet cohesive production. The character abilities are wonderful, the tragedy is nice, and plenty is left up to your own imagination to fill in the blanks. A bland, fault free, protagonist and a boy-crazy harem vibe are the only reasons it isn’t higher on the list.

14. Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri This invading the other world Isekai flips the script to deliver political intrigue, clash of culture, and commentary on Japanese society. It loses points for being a overly harem, relying on super dumb/super evil antagonists, and a dull protagonist but it’s fun enough to watch.

15. Drifters Stylishly violent, strikingly ugly, historical character filled and utterly bonkers, this reborn in another world Isekai’s uniqueness will hold your attention. Even if you do not want it to.

16. Rise of the Shield Hero (2 Seasons) On paper, this transported to an MMO world Isekai’s “treat the hero like crap,” “watch him accept the role of a slave-buying villain” and ultimately “rise to become the true hero” concept is great. Revealing that the world he’s saving may be less redeemable than the world the invaders are trying to save is also great. Too bad its padded and many of the arbitrary delays and narrative dead ends feel like cop outs.

17. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime While it lacks the initial hardcore’ness of Shield Hero, this reborn in another world Isekai is pleasantly animated and full of heart. The idea that naming monsters grants them power is a pretty neat mechanic too. It just sort bounces from idea to idea without a sense of purpose of resolution. One minute it’s a story of unlikely friendship, then magic destiny, then town builder, then harem, and onto magic school and isn’t about anything in particular until a hastily thrown together plot ties it up at the end. It scores points for making its hero a slime… although the reborn aspect never feels played with or justified.

18. Angel Beats! If the gun fetish, kids fighting a loli-angel instead of attending school in the afterlife plot weren’t so dumb and drawn out, this rebirth story’s touching moments would push it much higher. There’s a really good tale of life cut short, reunion after death, and again after rebirth here and it gets major bonus points for finishing the story it had to tell. Totally squandered.

19. Death March / Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku Like Shield Hero, this reborn in an MMO Isekai is actually quite good looking. However, its Gary-Stue protagonist, harem and absurd narrative padding make it far less interesting.  OMG how many episodes are about making lunch?! That’s too bad because the concept of code-like “copy and paste” magic system is pretty neat.

20. Wiseman’s Grandson / Kenja no Mago Despite opening with a modern day man being killed, this reborn into a fantasy world Isekai is more Magic School than Isekai. The only thread that connects the protagonist’s lives is that he can look at magic with an eye for process instead of outcome. The result is harmless easy watching but harem elements, a slow pace and lack of getting anywhere narratively hold it back.

21. How Not to Summon a Demon Lord This summoned into an MMO Isekai starts off as charming, but ecchi-heavy, before abruptly turning dark at the end of the season. We’re talking ‘make a child watch as her best friend is slowly tortured to death’ and creepo ‘finger-bang a loli cat girl in order to give birth to the demon inside her’ level dark. While those elements elevate HNtSaDL above niche appeal of its harm and MMO content, they aren’t so interesting to earn my recommendation.

22. Problem Children are coming from Another World, Aren’t They? The non-ecchi poor man’s No Game no Life features a talking cat that only some characters can understand and dreadful music. TFW smooth jazz? There’s some cuteness to be had, and the solutions to gambling games can be clever, but the overall vibe is low energy. It loses drama points because its protagonist is as smart as a god and physically stronger.

23. Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? This poor man’s Konosuba is occasionally funny, satire of RPG conventions and family relationships. Mama’s skill that interrupts whatever her son is doing, no matter what it is or where he is in the game world, is particularly charming. Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding the creepo factor of sexualizing that family relationship.

24. Restaurant from Another World My mom is secretly from another world and my restaurant’s front door connects back to that world each day is certainly unique, but it’s structured more like a food-porn show than Isekai. While the linkages of each patron become clear over time, few characters are not aware of those connections themselves. The result never feels like it gets anywhere.

25. In Another World With My Smartphone Stories without risk are still watchable when they immerse us an interesting world, or delve into niche details like food or how magic works, or sleeze us with harems and sex appeal. Smartphone fails all of these things. Worse, it does nothing with it’s one idea: protagonist Touya is reborn in a fantasy world with smartphone. Except, GOD GIVES HIM GOD TIER MAGIC FROM THE GET-GO! Ironically, Re:Zero and No Game No Life both use of a cell phones in more interesting ways, and Tanya’s God isn’t even comparable. Unoriginal, unfunny, not dramatic, not sexy, not worth watching.

26. Maou-sama, Retry! This transported to an MMO Isekai’s trash production values, and bizarre characters are hard to take seriously. The results are sometimes so terrible they are funny, such as incompetent background music transitions and detailed horses hiding at the edges of the frame. Sadly, a bland harem and complete lack of narrative objective kill the mood.

27. Isekai Izakaya Imagine a low energy, public access style show, with a tourism theme, that featuring a modern Japanese restaurant that serves fantasy world patrons…

28. Isekai Cheat Magician A loveless summoned to a fantasy world Isekai who’s protagonists are the most powerful and purely good characters could deserve a niche rating. Not this one. The narrative sort of ‘skips the boring stuff’ and, in doing so, skips character development. Hilariously, what the narrative does show is poorly animated, always underwhelming magic battle scenes or people standing around talking.

29. Endride Without dialog, this stumbled into a magic world Isekai’s vibrant color and crisp art would be watchable. The fact that the world is somehow inside of Earth’s core and the sparse use of mythology are unique, but its dumb-as-bricks whiny teen protagonists have the maturity of a small children. There are many unintentionally funny moments like scientists using gigantic laptops or the king’s magic weapon looking like a safety pin. Ultimately, the cast is so unlikeable that the show itself is unwatchable.

By: oigakkosan

[techouspeaks]

Toon VS Toon: The Dragon Prince VS She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 2018

Both shows have a lot of promising diversity but which one does it better? 

Alright, so you’re probably wondering why I compare these two shows together? A side from being both hosted on Netflix and showing a lot of diverse characters and story elements, along with taking place in a magical universe where war is raging on and the fate of good solely relies on our heroes saving the day. There’s not too much they have in common.

Well the thing is that’s what I’m going to discuss, how they handle diversity and which one does it better.

Now if you hadn’t read my She-Ra review, I basically think the show is okay. The concept and how the characters are drawn are nicely done and I like Adora, Mermista and Bow. Some of the concepts are very interesting. I just feel it lacks a little bit, especially in animation and character development. I feel like the story and character development is way rushed including the relationships between the characters including our leading female lead Adora and her rival villain Catra. 

The Dragon Prince I recently started watching and it didn’t take me too long to get invested. I liked the settings, the animation is gorgeous and the characters are very likable, despite the dufus wimpy lead that even Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon would call a dork. I kinda think that Callum was meant to be a copy of Hiccup a little bit. 

The one thing these two shows do have in common is diversity as I said. The characters are all diverse. You have lesbians or hints of lesbian relationship, you have people of different cultures and different skin tones all in this world and it’s not a huge thing, but which one does it better? Which show handles the diversity much better and respectfully.

Let’s look at She-Ra. We have a lot of female leads that have different body shapes and skin tones and all that. There’s even a hint that during a dance with Adora and Catra that there might be some closer feelings. However, this is barely hinted at. There’s no real actual gay relationships as of now. It could be because the series has yet to have a season 2 and Dragon Prince has two seasons already, but still it lacks a bit.

As stated before Bow and Sea Hawk are kinda gay stereotypes. They’re obviously not gay because Sea Hawk does flirt with Mermista and has this huge infatuation with her and Glimmer kinda has a thing for Bow so it’s undecided if Bow is actually gay or not, but it’s obvious they’re stereotypes. At least Sea Hawk is and Bow is sorta that but not as bad. He’s very competent as a character and besides liking pretty things and the whole “Best Friend Squad”, he does act like a natural person would, but yeah his overall is still pretty much a dated stereotype of “Let’s put this kind of character in it because social justice is in right now!” 

All the other characters I’ve said before in my review just feel like well archetypes. You have the lack of emotion, bored tough chick whom I do like and is my favorite character but lets face it, she’s an archetype. I’m not going to deny that even if I do like her. The sweet sensitive type, the geeky nerd that is totally into tech more than people so much so she’s extremely socially awkward. Aside from Glimmer, Adora, maybe Catra and sometimes Bow, most just feel like archetypes and with how the characters are design and how this show tries to be in your face with “We have diverse bodies and we have diverse this and that!”, it comes across almost deceitful with it’s premise. Especially any male character remotely masculine is one of the bad guys and that’s a bad thing. Feminism isn’t about hating or showing masculinity as a bad thing but something as equal to it or just as needed and that the role of masculine and feminine can be reversed around.

The Dragon Prince has it’s stereotypes too. Like I said, Callum is pretty much your wimpy hero that wants to find his place in the world. However, most of the characters are pretty much realistic. What I enjoy about this series is that it does show diversity but in the right way. Not only because there’s more diverse characters ranging from not only on the main list such as sexuality, breaking gender roles and races but also in other factors such as a character that is deaf and mute, a character that is blind and even at one point, Rayla was experiencing what it’s like to lose a limb, which that happens to people too. However, it’s how these characters are represented that makes this show stand out nicely.

All the diversity is treated naturally, like it’s been there for years and everyone accepts that people no matter what they are or who they are can do anything. They don’t feel like they’re just put there for the sake of pleasing the audience with “Hey we got this type of character in it! So you have to like the show!”. The characters just fit in the role. The king just happens to be black, the general just happens to be deaf, the pirate just happens to be blind, the queens are lesbian, which I don’t understand how they have a kid together in a world where technology isn’t established. I guess maybe some sort of  magic, maybe one of them is transgender but okay! It’s just well natural. It’s treated like a normal thing. 

The only bias thing here is just magic folk, more specifically the elves and creatures that are connected to magic vs humans.

Most of the characters in the Dragon Prince feel real, like they are people you will meet, including the villain somewhat. 

In fact, when you really think about it, the Dragon Prince does feel like an old 90s - early 00s show, because a lot of shows like Captain Planet, Avatar the Last Air Bender, Storm Hawks, among other kids action shows that did have diversity. The thing is we weren’t so into social justice stuff back then that maybe people just don’t realize it now. We had diversity in kids shows back then, with the exception of an open gay character, but I guess people just aren’t paying attention. 

What I say about this show being close to say Avatar or early shows is a good thing. It makes it feel less dated. Like you could watch this show years from now and not go “On this was from the mid to late 10s”. In fact, characters don’t even rely on slogans like some of the characters will say in She-Ra or talk like again “Best Friend Squad”. Okay, that’s not really a huge slogan but you get what you mean. 

Sometimes the Dragon Prince will get preachy like how Ezran will say all that is right about humans when Rayla does her human impression, but over all, it’s not in your face about the diversity. 

The only thing people may complain about is the lack of “diverse bodies” aka having a fat or “curvy” characters in it. I think there is only one character that I would say is on the chubby side and that’s one of the kings that Viren meets at the meeting, which I say, you’re talking about a show where most of the characters including the queens fight and know how to fight. Even if a fat or somewhat chubby or curvy character fights, they ‘re gonna lose most of that because that’s how your body burns calories. There’s a reason why if you want to lose pounds you exercise. It’s science and this show at least has some science to it’s lore! Well except, again I dunno how two queens make a baby but again, maybe one of them is trans and with no kind of surgery for that kind of thing, they still have all the male parts. Hey it’s still showing a lesbian relationship. The man becomes a woman so...that’s something! It’s showing a trans and lesbian relationship. Or maybe the girl is actually adopted, I dunno. It’s still treated as a normal thing and at least we actually do see the queens kiss so there’s something!

Another thing that kinda makes She-Ra 2018 a bit dated is the use of colors and animation. It uses the same kind of flash animation and colors that a lot of shows like Steven Universe and other cartoon network  and Disney channel shows tend to use. Not much of the animation makes it stand out or different from shows that use the same kind of style and pallets. That and there’s times where it’s clear the animation isn’t so good. The characters may not move as fluently as they need to move and some scenes look a bit incomplete.

Guys I know it’s hard to do animation but if a small team of animators making a youtube show, the Hazbin Hotel, can clean up on their animation and even without the clean up is still good, there’s no excuse. She-Ra’s animation crew work at Dreamworks, the same studio behind the How to Train Your Dragon series and Voltron! Shoot, the Dragon Prince isn’t even owned by a huge company and it still does better!

The Dragon Prince is set in a more mythological time period and the animation fits well into it. The use of lighting and colors as well as shading makes it feel like genuine. It still looks similar to shows say like Storm Hawks or other 3D action shows but it still has it’s own look and it’s a breath of fresh air to see a show have such beautiful colors and designs. The colors are can be light and pretty with shading to make it easier on your eyes as well as dark in grim when the scenes need to fit that tone.

So obviously, the Dragon Prince does win over She-Ra. If you disagree or think I’m a bit bias, okay. I grew up with wonderful animation such as Disney and Nickelodeon shows. I can’t help but like quality animated shows!

I also like to point out, though this isn’t a comparison, but since this is sort of my review of the show, I must say I really do like how smart the characters including the side characters are in the Dragon Prince. Most of the time in a story like this, the people will blindly follow the evil adviser, not realizing he did it, only to go against the villain at the end when the truth is found out. Here, that’s not the case. Even his own children start feeling odd about their father and most of the soldiers don’t like him nor want to do what he says. Many of the characters suspect Viren’s nature and even the kings and queens while at first want to go with Viren’s plan to group up for war, it’s only until the child queen (I sadly forgot her name) decides, even after the heartbreaking tale of how her parents died, feels that it’s pointless forcing her people to fight in a war where they are more likely to be killed, that the other royals follow beside her and go against the war. It’s done realistic. No one is just a plain idiot! People have their own thoughts and the series never fails to show how each individual feels.

In this day and age, we know that leaders are gonna have many followers and many enemies or people that don’t agree with them even under their reign. This makes sense and I like how this show handles that. Such a simple thing like that is what makes this show a breath of fresh air and why She-Ra doesn’t remotely hold a candle to it.

I may do a review of the show, a proper one and give it my full rating. So far, you I think highly of this show and as for She-Ra, I will continue to watch it as time goes on and when season 2 finally comes out, I’ll check it out. Maybe the later seasons will fix the problems I have or stay the same. It’s not a bad series but I’m gonna act like I don’t have problems with it. I’m not gonna pretend to like something more when the series that is obviously superior does better than it.

I will say this. How you relate to each one depends on you. Maybe you do find yourself relating to She-Ra’s characters and situations. If that’s true, more power to you. You may even say I’m wrong with how I explain things. I honestly, don’t care since most of the time I don’t read notes anyway but I’m not gonna tell you what to like or dislike. These are personal opinions. Nothing more, nothing less.

So that concludes that the Dragon Prince is the winner of Toon VS Toon Battle. Highly do recommend you check both series out as much as I think less of She-Ra, it’s good for at least one viewing so you can draw your own conclusions. Naturally, I highly recommend the Dragon Prince especially if you’re hugely into animated fantasy adventure series like Avatar the Last Air Bender, maybe Adventure Time, Storm Hawks and Legend of Korra.

I’m Tech! Seeya in the next review!

[yarboywatchesmovies]

What I've Watched This week (Movies + TV)

I haven't written about some of the movies I've watched in a while, But I've watched some good stuff this week That I want to talk about

MONDAY: V For Vendetta

What I always thought to be one of those annoying dude bro movies was actually a beautiful and well shot film. The editing and sound design was really amazing, and the key grips did a great job here. the only thing I didn't like was the very obvious digital blood, wish it looked better. The story was fantastic, the ending was one of my favorites from this year. Also V is trans lol

Over all rating: 5/5

WEDNESDAY: Ten Year Old Tom + How Harry Met Sally

I was recommended Ten Year Old Tom on twitter, and really liked it! HBO Max has had some great originals so far, I'm planning on watching some more of their originals soon. The show was funny, almost every episode got a laugh out of me. My favorite one was The Roast, the timing on the audio was fantastic. I think the (very) limited animation and style adds to it, the only thing I wish was better was the consistency. In some episodes, the ten year olds know what sex and drugs are, but in others they don't. it flip flops. I recommend it still!! Over all rating: 4/5

I had to watch How Harry Met Sally for my editing class, one of those "must see films". At first I was confused on why this was picked for us to watch compared to other assigned films like Mad Max and Kill Bill, but this film has fantastic editing. The timing and use of reaction shots, lack of music in scenes, all perfect. I don't love the whole "men and women can't be friends" message, but this is from the 80's so I'm not too pissed. Ironically, I like the first half when they're just friends a lot better. It's sweet and genuine, you don't get to see a lot of adult friendships like that on the screen. Over All rating: 3.5/5

THURSDAY: Monster House + The Spy Who Shagged Me

I remember being really scared of this movie as a kid, there was this display for the DVD in Rate Aid that I always got spooked by. Anyways, this film is an interesting one from the early 2000's, as it uses Mocap. I didn't see this one, but I did see Tin Tin and Christmas Carol. This movie looks really good compared to other mocap films, it's not too uncanny. The animation is a bit floaty at times and some of the characters look weird (the babysitting), but I think the animation still holds up, especially for the action scenes. I wish they spent more time IN the house, but the story is pretty solid and honestly very tragic. I'm glad we got this gem out of the Mocap era.

Over All rating: 3.5/5

Ok I watched snip bits of Austin Powers as a kid, I knew it was a "bad" movie in the sense that it had a lot of adult comedy, but good lord I didn't realize it had this much lol. I loved how colorful and fun this movie was, it was really funny. It's not too dated yet, I still understood most of the references. I think some of the jokes went on for too long. Also, some of the practical effects were eh. The fight scene with Austin and Mini Me looked bad in some shots. This movie is still good! I would've liked to see it in theaters

Over All rating: 3.5/5

SUNDAY: Over The Garden Wall (1-5)

I didn't watch anything Friday or Saturday, I was busy with homework and editing. I decided to begin this series finally after seven years (crazy to think this was SEVEN years ago, I remember this airing!!) and so far I like it a lot! I get the sense it's building to something, the characters are great and the color pallets are nice. It's very well paced. I decided to finish it tomorrow instead of binging it in one go.

I'm not going to score this yet because i haven't finished it

Expect some Halloween stuff this week! I'm gonna watch some fun things this week. Tomorrow night I'm watching nosferatu !

[sockdreams]

Sock Journal: Our Proudest Year Yet

Every year we do a round-up of our rainbow socks for June, which we hold dear as Pride Month! In past years we've even branched out to suggest styles and combinations of styles which best represent the other pride flags, but this year we went ahead and made our own! Additionally, we've been rethinking our rainbows and adding exciting new variations, because whatever kind of pride you wish to express, we want to have you covered!

Because we know that pride month is about more than rainbows, we created our own line of Proud Stripes after receiving requests for them last June. We started with four different flag stripes, and it immediately became clear that four wasn't enough! Now we have seven different colorways and two different lengths, by popular demand!

Proud Stripes in Pink Rainbow are based off the original Pride Flag designed by Gilbert Baker.

Neon Pink/Neon Purple/Turquoise stripes represent the Pansexual Pride flag.

Columbia/Rose/White stripes for Trans Pride.

Black/Grey/White/Purple stripes make an Asexual Pride flag.

Purple/White/Kelly stripes for Genderqueer Pride.

Neon Yellow/White/Purple/Black stripes form the Nonbinary Pride flag.

Neon Pink/Purple/Royal stripes represent Bisexual Pride.

In fact we love our Proud Stripes so much that our Pride Month seasonal logo sticker currently features the pink rainbow stripes! Add one to your next order for free, but don't wait too long - she's only available while supplies last!

Speaking of pink rainbows, this year we got inspired by the softer side of this favorite and versatile colorway. Introducing two lighter, retro-style rainbows: Pastel Rainbow and Sidewalk Chalk!

Most recently we were inspired to bring in some vertical rainbow stripes, but then we thought we'd mix things up even further... in our new Dreamer Nocturnal Rainbows and Dreamer Laser Rainbows, you can decide if you want the full spectrum, all warm tones, or all cool tones! Since the full rainbow features one cool leg and one warm leg, you can buy two pairs (either two rainbow or one each of the warm and cool options) and have the option to wear them as all three configurations!

Dreamer Nocturnal Rainbows feature our regenerated cotton yarns and muted color pallet from our Harvest Rainbows.

Dreamer Laser Rainbows feature our high quality acrylic yarns, in the same bold, bright colors as our Radiant Rainbows.

Of course, we've still got a whole array of our regularly scheduled rainbows and gifts for Pride to choose from, so even if our innovative new styles for Pride aren't quite You, you should be able to find something that is! Just remember this one important thing.... we are incredibly proud of our amazing, unique customer base, and we wouldn't change a single one of you. Happy Pride Month!

GAY Crews * Rainbow Giftcard * QUEER PRIDE Knee Highs

♥Rosalind Socks by Sock Dreams • Free Shipping in the US • $5 International Shipping Find us on facebook | twitter | pinterest | instagram | sock journal | g+

[pyrewriter]

Stories and Surrender (Part 2)

After a few deep breaths and some sniffling Willy had regained his composure "Thank you" he said wiping the tears from his eyes. "Where was I, oh right...-I had brought one of his cap guns with me to keep him in my mind bu-" he started to choke up again so Chat put a hand on him and he began to breathe again. "-But just the other day when I got turned into...this I got a message saying my brother was dead, shot dead after getting stuck in the crossfire" he was gripping the gun crying.

"You-you don't have to tell me anymore..." Chat consoled him.

"And now hehe-here I am being no better than the same people who shot my brother" Willy's voice was strained and angry "-I didn't want this I didn't want any of this".  

"Most people don't not really anyway" Chat pat Willy on the shoulder "You told me your story It's only fair If I told you mine".  

"You don't-" Willy tried to protest

Chat cut him off "It's fine and you're not gonna stop me now, but I'll make it short" he put his mask back on.  

"I didn't always have it this good, I grew up in the back alleys of Missouri then the hoods of New York. I am the youngest of my siblings with the eldest being my half brother but our bond went deeper than blood with both my siblings. My father met my mother while they were in school ,he was a design major, they fell in love and my mother had her second child. Then he disappeared for about three years, my eldest brother was about thirteen when he came back and they had me. Five years go by, our eldest brother's eighteen and joined the army and I've been in more than a few fights so I could handle myself. We moved to New York a few months later, the bad part of New York so mom and dad weren’t always there for one reason or another but we managed. Two years in New York and I find out my eldest brother's getting deployed...five years he'll be gone, off in some foreign country leaving us practically alone". 

"Three years went by ,I was ten, my sibling was eleven and they’re trans ,I support them no matter what, but I also had to protect them from most people both at school and on the streets. I got stabbed and slashed more than a few times for it but they were safe so I was fine. Our eldest brother video called every year on Christmas, our parents were usually there but they couldn't always stay so it was more of a siblings call. Then on the third year of his deployment ,Christmas day, our parents went out for a while and he called just like always but then all of the sudden his base got attacked. It was probably only a few minutes but it felt like hours as we watched him fight, taking shot after shot before he was gunned down right in front of us". 

"Christmas had always left a bitter taste in my mouth since that day but I didn't come to hate the holiday until much later. A few years go by and my father had begun to grow distant from me and my sibling he even started arguing with mom from time to time. When I was fifteen my father had gotten 'discovered' by a famous fashion critic and we moved here to Paris. My sibling went to study abroad as they tried to get into a prestigious school. Not even a year goes by and on Christmas day my mother goes missing, poof just like that gone from the face of the earth. It was that day that I came to despise Christmas and since then my father has grown more and more distant and I became nothing more than his model and public figure. I'm eighteen going on nineteen now and I still harbor a deep resentment for a lot of things. But I've been talking too much and this turned into my life story."

Willy was staring at Chat with his eyes as wide as they could possibly be without falling out of his skull "Holy shit, I think you take the cake for most fucked backstory".

Chat laughed at that "hahaha maybe between you and me but from what I've heard some of the other Miraculous wielders have way more fucked up stories than mine". 

"Well I'll tell you what Tom cat you hide it better than most if you've gotten this far without being turned" Willy said leaning back as he let Chat’s story set in.

Chat chuckled "Yeah well I am a man of many masks, literal and figurative" he gestured to his face cracking a smile, "Now come on I'm running out of time and I have some things I need to do as a civilian". Willy nodded getting up from the bench and motioning for Chat to lead the way. When they finally reached the police station only the three officers were talking around the coffee machine in the break room and there was no receptionist at the big wooden desk. The office walls followed the same color pallet as their uniforms. Chat knocked on the window of the break room, when one of them looked to see the noise they rushed out to meet him. 

"Ch-Chat Noir? what are you doing here and with him?" one of them asked pointing to Willy.

"Came to turn him in, Lady's not available, he surrendered willingly and I can't just leave him on the streets" Chat explained then asked "Where's the rest of the station?".

"There all out looking for Adrien Agreste, he-"

"He's been reported missing I know, do you have somewhere to keep him or not?" he asked sounding slightly annoyed.

The officer looked surprised at Chat’s dismissal of the disappearance "Yes, we don't normally detain people but we keep the cells clean, follow me" he turned pulling out a key ring. Chat and Willy followed him around a corner and down a hallway to the cell block.  Once Willy was in a cell and the door was locked the officer assisting them asked "How long is he going to be here?".

Chat shrugged "If I could tell you I would, could be days could be months" he looked at Willy "I just need you guys to give him a place to sleep and something to eat, I'll handle the rest".

"Well if that's the case-" the officer handed Chat a pair of keys.

Chat held them confused "What are these?" he asked.

"They’re the keys to get back into the station and to his cell, I won't always be here and I don't know if the other officers would be as understanding" he explained. 

"Oh that reminds me," Chat turned to Willy who was laying on the mattress in his new temporary room "Hey cowboy hand me your gun will ya".

"I almost forgot about that" he said getting up and approaching the bars drawing his weapon before handing it to Chat. 

"Thanks I'll be back for you in the morning" Chat said, then turning to the officer "You guys have any to hold this thing?" 

"We'll have to put in the evidence locker is that ok" he said 

*BEEP BEEP* "That'll have to do, I need to get gone" Chat said tossing the gun to the officer "I'll leave that to you just make sure it's locked up tight" he said running down the hall. He barely managed to get outside and into a nearby alley when he de-transformed. "Too many people saw Chat go into this alley, if I leave now people will get suspicious even if they don't recognize me" he thought to himself. Lucky for him the alley had another entry at the opposite end, he used that as his exit and planned his next move as he walked back to the train station.  

Once he had collected his things Adrien planned to check on where he stood financially because his phone and cards were all on borrowed time. After checking on his accounts at the nearest ATM he realized how screwed he really was. Every account except his savings had been locked leaving him with around €12,000 and about €150 in his wallet and sooner or later his phone plan would be terminated. He wandered from park to park enjoying the views but staying on the move since the most of the Paris P.D. was looking for him along with his former classmates. 

As the day was winding to an end he settled down to take a nap in the park near his school with the statue dedicated to Ladybug and Chat. Adrien sat on a bench staring at the statue wishing she would hurry up and get back from wherever she was.  He let out a long sigh and sank back into the bench.

"You doing ok kid?" Plagg asked from Adrien’s pocket.

Adrien pulled out his phone and pretended to take a call "Hello, yes I'm doing fine, why do ask".

"You seem kinda tired and more than just physically" he said rolling with the charade.

"Yeah well with all that's happened are you really surprised?"

"I guess you're right but you know you can talk to me" Plagg said looking up at Adrien with genuine concern in his eyes.

He saw his look and sighed "Yeah I know, I know it's just hard sometimes you know and now I'm kinda pissing in the wind...hey I can't talk too much right now I'm in public and it's getting late".

"Alright you get some sleep but we're talking more about this tomorrow, got it" Plagg said in a demanding voice.

Adrien chuckled "hehe yeah I'll talk to you when I can tomorrow, good night man" he brought the phone away from his ear letting his head hang looking into the sky. The sun was setting and his feet hurt from walking across Paris all day but before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep he texted Nino. "I'm fine, don't worry, meet behind the school after 20:00 (bring snack plz)".

Nino, Alya and the rest of the class had been searching all across Paris looking for their friend and had regrouped outside the school.  

"We got nothing, did any of you guys have any luck" Alya asked looking to the rest of the class hoping for some good news.  

They all had solemn expressions shaking their heads "Nope" "Nothing" "Not a thing aside from posters and billboards".

Alya let out a heavy sigh "Alright guys, thanks for helping but I think we should call it...".

Chloe ,who had been honestly scared and concerned about Adriens disappearance, spoke up "Hey maybe we could look again tomorrow what do you say guys". 

At her words the class all seemed to perk up at once letting a collective "YEAH".  

Nathaniel placed a hand on her shoulder "Thank you for coming with us, you know I think we really misjudged your character Chloe". He stepped forward "Alright guys let's get some sleep and meet up again tomorrow". 

As they dispersed to go their separate ways Nino’s phone buzzed looking down seeing it was an 'unknown number' but he knew the number by heart. After reading his friend was ok and wanted to meet he let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.  

"Hey Nino, who you texting!?" Alya yelled over her shoulder having walked ahead without noticing that Nino had stopped.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing, just an 'unknown number' probably a miss dial" he said brushing off his abrupt stop. "I'll walk you home" he said jogging up to meet her.

The city of Paris was quiet and he had been pulling double patrols but that didn't stop Adrien from walking up at the ass crack of dawn as he had been for the past month. At some point he had shifted his sleeping position to lay flat on his back and he was used to Plagg sleeping on his head or face while he slept. This time he felt something else lying on his face, grabbing it he could tell it was soft and furry once his hands were around it the thing began to squirm. Whatever it was crawled off his face and onto his chest lifting his head he saw one blue eye and and green eye peering at him seeming to pierce the veil of black that held them in place.

Then it meowed at him. It was a black cat ,a young kitten at that, it was shivering pretty badly despite it not being very cold. Adrien , still a little groggy and trying to process what was going on, grabbed the little black ball of fur as he sat up putting it in his lap. He looked down at it stroking its fur lightly, he could also see into his pocket where Plagg was still sleeping. Seeing both Plagg and the kitten shut down the thought that Plagg didn't tell him about Kwami shape shifting and somehow turned himself into an actual cat.  

Adrien sat thinking to himself "I can't just leave a Kitten out here, agh but I'll be late for Patrol if I don't go, and I need to meet with Willy...I guess I'll just have to take it with me". Then speaking aloud "Alright little one wanna go for a ride?" he said holding the kitten up to eye level, getting a better look he could see the kitten was a male. "Correction, you wanna go for a ride little 'guy'?" he stated with a smile, the kitten meowed happily "good answer" he exclaimed.

"Ugh what's with all the noise I didn't think you'd be so cheery right now" Plagg said as he popped his head out of Adriens pocket.

"I'll explain later Plagg but right now-" he placed the kitten beside him looking around to make sure the coast was clear "Claws Out!".

Previous Chapter(Part 1)   Next Chapter   Chapter Guide

[itsworn]

Cleveland Power & Performance Puts Dodge’s Most Iconic Body on a Fully Functioning Hellcat

Body swaps are difficult to successfully pull off. Consider the oddly proportioned Ferrari bodykits on C4 Corvette or Fiero chassis. Unless the dimensions of both cars are nearly identical, like a Tri-Five body on a 9C1 Caprice frame, your average body swap usually looks a bit off because of the work required to make the two line up. Given that, we were dubious of the success of this swap—a 1969 Charger built on a 2016 Hellcat chassis—when we first heard about it more than a year ago. Cleveland Power & Performance (CP&P), the shop that performed the entire build in-house, did little to encourage any optimism, either, by shooting the in-process photos in unflattering angles and disguising their subtle craftsmanship with ghastly chrome wheels.

“Yeah, we did that on purpose,” CP&P owner Rick Fragnoli said, laughing. “Those wheels were terrible, but we wanted to keep the final design and look of the car a secret.” It paid off.

The body was heavily modified, but the overall dimensions are true 1969 Charger; some pieces were enhanced, such as extensions built onto the front fenders to mate with the Hellcat lower bumper and deeper door recesses.

It may be a surprise to learn the builders are an underdog in the industry. “No one wanted to sponsor the car,” Rick said. Their goal was to be featured as a SEMA booth display vehicle. “We had at least one company back out at the very last minute, and we didn’t think we’d be able to take the car to SEMA.” When the car was finally unveiled at the Kooks Headers and Exhaust booth at the 2018 SEMA Show, the public reaction was epic.

Leading up to SEMA’s results were the 30-year efforts of the Fragnoli family’s evolving company. In 1986, Rick’s father, Rick Sr., lost an important promotion at his former job, so he quit it and purchased a junkyard in Columbia Station, Ohio, the same day. With no real knowledge or interest in cars, Rick Sr. started a family business with sons Rick (this story’s main character) and Brian.

The team at Cleveland Power & Performance (CP&P) created their own custom mix of PPG Paint they call Strangler Green.

In 1999, Rick bought a wrecked but nearly new Trans Am Formula from his dad and fixed it in a flash. With pops on vacation, Rick took the newly running car on its maiden voyage and got sideswiped. Rick still owed his dad for the car, so instead of repairing it again, he sold the LS1 driveline, a hot item in 1999. This marked the company’s first drivetrain package sold. Since then, the Fragnolis have focused on selling drivetrain-swap packages, so if the name Cleveland Power & Performance sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen the drivetrain-swap-on-a-pallet packages online and on the company’s social media. CP&P crates up complete, turnkey driveline swaps and markets them by firing up the engines right on the pallet. The kits come with everything you need—fuel system, pedal assembly, instrument panel, wiring harnesses, and ECM—to install the package into the older car of your choice.

Now, 60 percent of the company’s business is devoted to drivetrain sales and 40 percent to building cars, but the team receives little recognition for their projects. “So we thought, Let’s build the ultimate car using as much of our products as we can and show people we can actually build cars.” But what car? “If we were going to build something this big, we had to do with the best body we could, a ’69 Charger,” Rick said.

The functional air-dam hood has familiar lines, but it’s all custom. Beginning with an Ato Metal Direct Charger hood, the team cut and reshaped it multiple times, once even having it in seven separate pieces. The hinges were another issue, as they had to fold into the firewall. It took three months to complete the hood.

Thus, “Reverence” was born from three separate cars: a 2016 Hellcat Challenger chassis, a 2016 Hellcat Charger drivetrain, and a 1969 Charger body. The Challenger was a theft-recovery from Houston, and all that remained was a basic structure and dash. The Charger arrived at CP&P riddled with more than 30 bullet holes. “It was apparently a movie-style shootout,” Rick said. The electronics and interior were needed for the police investigation, but the drivetrain was complete and uninjured. The 1969 Charger was purchased as a bare—but complete—body and included spare parts and two engines.

The build began by removing the front clips of each of the Hellcats and stripping the Challenger to just its floorpan, rockers, and trunk floor. The 1969 Charger’s floorboard and trunk pan were removed, and with the quarter-panels loosely hung, the body of the ’69 was raised and lowered on a lift over the Hellcat chassis more than 40 times over the course a year. The team would measure, cut a piece, and measure again. When the two bodies were finally molded together, custom rockers needed to be built to make up the difference in width, as the 2016 chassis is narrower than the 1969 Charger.

Four years ago, CP&P changed its name from Cleveland Pick-a-Part, trying to distinguish the business as more than just a junkyard.

Aside from the width, however, both the new and old vehicles are surprisingly similar in dimensions, a true testament to Dodge’s retro design. The 2016 Hellcat Challenger has a similar width and wheelbase to the 1969 Charger. But the 1969 Charger has 9.5 inches of extra overhang to the rear bumper. Likewise in the front, the fenders needed custom-fabricated mounts. The core support is a combination of both the ’69 and ’16 pieces, as it was used to hang not only the 1969 Charger’s fenders, bumper, and hood latch but also the Hellcat’s radiator, intercooler, and headlights.

The front end distinguishes this body swap from the rest, thanks to its combination of components. The front grille, from the hood to the steel bumper, is mostly 1969 Charger with frenched and tucked black-chrome bumpers and Hellcat hideaway headlights. A modified Hellcat bumper sits below the steel bumper. Originally, none of the lines matched, so the team built metal extensions on the factory fenders to mate with the Hellcat bumper and splitter. Inside that lower bumper is a custom aluminum grille, which took six weeks to build by hand.

The stance comes from the modified wheelwells and KW Variant 4 coilover kit, which drops the otherwise-stock Hellcat suspension 1-1/2 inches.

The project relied on the car being fully functional, which involved much trial and error. For instance, the cowl and firewall of the 1969 Charger only needed to house the wiper motor. Now, it’s filled with electronics, A/C vents, and the bigger wiper motor of the new car. The cowl was rebuilt twice after discovering the first design didn’t allow access to the wiper motor. All accessories, electronics, and features of the Hellcat are functional in Reverence, without any error codes.

The Hellcat Charger’s mostly stock engine has been upgraded with a healthy tune, Metco pulley, and Kooks Headers and Exhaust 2.00-inch headers. Reverence made 722 hp to the tires on pump gas, a significant upgrade from the claimed stock 707 hp to the crank. Out back is a one-piece aluminum driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop and Mopar Performance 3.09 rear gears with a limited-slip differential.

CCW SP551 Monoblock one-piece wheels measure 20×9.5 inches all around and are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero 275/40ZR20 up front and 315/35ZR20 out back.

After several show appearances in the spring, the car will be sold to raise funds for CP&P’s next project. “I’m also really proud of it, and I wouldn’t change a thing. There will be a spot in my heart missing when it goes, like sending a kid off to college, but it will be time to move on when it’s ready,” Rick said.

Saying a body swap is simple is like saying winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is effortless. While a lot of people have done it, it isn’t easy. The task involves an enormous amount of time, effort, research, and errors. Reverence’s premise was straightforward, yet the execution was far more complex. Integrating Dodge’s most iconic body styling with one of its best-performing cars of all time was no easy feat, but judging by the reaction so far, it’s safe to say the team at CP&P pulled it off.

Performance of the mostly stock powerplant was improved a bit with a 2.85-inch Metco pulley, 10-percent ATI Super Damper, and stainless-steel Kooks Hellcat long-tube 2-inch headers and 3-inch dual exhaust.

2016 Hellcat Challenger Weight 4,449 lbs Wheelbase 116.2 in Outside length 197.5 in Outside width 75.7 in Overall height 55.7 in

1969 Dodge Charger Wheelbase 117 in Weight 3,100–3,682 lbs Outside length 208 in Outside width 76.7 in Outside height 53.2 in

The real black chrome on the bumpers and gas cap give the car a stealthy appearance. Chroming was performed by Ogden Chrome in Ogden, Utah.

Total Cost

Projects like this are expensive, especially when a company’s marketing budget is invested in one build. Although it wasn’t a cheap build, the CP&P team used its junkyard knowledge to save some dough.

Here is the 2016 Hellcat Challenger with the top of the body being removed.

1969 Charger Shell Cost purchased: $19,000 Estimated parts sold: $7,000 The car came with multiple engines, sets of bodywork, and spare parts. Since the Hellcat was to donate its inner structure, a large part of the 1969 Charger wasn’t needed.

This was the moment the 1969 body came to rest on the Hellcat chassis. From this point, the team worked extensively to get the overall look right, reworking the wheelwells, height, rockers, and overall stance.

2016 Challenger Hellcat Shell Purchased price: $4,000 Estimated parts sold: $3,800 The Challenger was a theft-recovery car from Houston, where thieves stole the drivetrain, suspension, brakes, and wheels, leaving only the unibody structure, A/C vents, and miscellaneous pieces.

The team built steel sections that mimic the shape of the Hellcat bumper but act as fender extensions. All that remains of the original Hellcat lower bumper is a portion of the centersection.

2016 Charger Hellcat Drivetrain/Car Purchased price: $25,000 Estimated parts sold: $5,500 This particular vehicle was used for its drivetrain, but it wasn’t complete; many items were removed to be used in a police investigation.

Total cost invested: $45,000 Total cost of parts sold: $16,300

The post Cleveland Power & Performance Puts Dodge’s Most Iconic Body on a Fully Functioning Hellcat appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/cleveland-power-performance-puts-dodges-iconic-body-fully-functioning-hellcat/ via IFTTT

[itsworn]

1970 Challenger: Meet The First-Ever Non-Hack Hellcat Swap!

This Hellcat-powered 1970 Challenger RT/SE could be the ultimate melding of classic styling, modern performance, and comfort.

If you think back to your high school days, there’s likely at least one car you used to see on a regular basis that was sitting neglected in someone’s yard or under tree. You probably daydreamed about that car and wondered why on earth anyone would be so callous to treat it like that. You certainly wouldn’t. You would get it back on the road to its former glory. For Larry Rose, this ’70 Challenger RT/SE was that car. As a young man, he kept his eye on it as it sat neglected in a yard. He saw it every time he drove out to his grandma’s house in Georgetown, IL and he would just shake his head and then spend most of the rest of the drive thinking about it.

How hard could a Hellcat swap be? …The answer is really hard, and plenty expensive.”

In most cases, stories like this usually include a few attempts at inquiring about the car, always to be turned away with declarations that it’s not for sale. Larry’s story went much better though. He kept an eye on the Challenger, and in 1989, he got wind that the car was for sale for $3,500. The bad news was that a light pole had fallen across the hood and gone through the windshield. Still, Larry knew that was the car, so at the age of 17, the Challenger became the first one he ever bought.

The bad news was that a light pole had fallen across the hood and gone through the windshield. Still, Larry knew that was the car…”

Being a high school kid, money was tight, so Larry replaced the windshield and worked the fender back out as best as he could. He spent some time getting it reliable and drivable again, and the 383 Magnum, four-speed, Dana-rearend—equipped coupe was his ride for the last two years of high school. As you would expect, there were many nights spent cruising the local hot spots to see and be seen. On one of those trips, Larry even managed to catch the attention of a good-looking girl who he took to prom. He didn’t know it then, but she would eventually be his wife. Some say the cool car had a little something to do with that.

Larry even managed to catch the attention of a good-looking girl who he took to prom. He didn’t know it then, but she would eventually be his wife.”

Around 1990, Larry saved up enough from his job working at a pallet company after school to have a local shop swap on a fender, repair the hood, and spray on a new coat of Lime Green paint. Shortly thereafter, though, Larry went away to college and the Challenger went into storage for a few years. School comes first, but once he had time to devote to it again, the Challenger was back on the road, and at the drag strip. It was still running the stock drivetrain, and rowing gears down the track was fun, but to get more consistency Larry swapped in an automatic. Then to get more speed, he added a nitrous system. The Challenger remained in this form for the next few years, and was a force to be reckoned with.

The RT/SE moved back and forth from the front to the back burner through the late ’90s and early 2000s as life changed and other projects came and went, but around 2005 Larry started thinking about making some really big changes. The burgeoning pro touring movement was bringing on a surge of innovation in new products to make classic cars more powerful, better handling, and more fun. For all of its history so far, the Challenger had pretty much just been a straight-line car, but Larry was warming up to the idea of getting more well-rounded.

It’s not only one of the first fully operational Hellcat swaps, it’s one of the cleanest. Despite 45 years of difference, Larry Rose managed to make the swap look factory. Larry did retain A/C, but noted that the variable displacement compressor requires some rewiring to be compatible with the Vintage Air system in the Challenger.

While the 383 had been a great engine and taken a beating over the years, it was time for a freshening, so Larry took the opportunity to upgrade to a 440 6-pack. The automatic came out and a stick went back in, but instead of a four-speed, the Challenger got one more cruising leg from a five-speed swap. The really interesting stuff happened underneath the skin though. Rather than rebuild or upgrade the original suspension, Larry opted for a full Reilly Motorsports package with the AlterKtion system up front and the Street Lynx in the rear. To say this transformed the Challenger would be an understatement. It was like a whole new animal and Larry fell in love with it all over again and started driving it a lot more.

A donor Hellcat’s shifter, uConnect touch screen, push-button start, pedals (including electronic throttle control), and even the seats were seamlessly integrated into the classic Challenger’s interior.

While not all factory parameters are functioning, Larry did retained the touchscreen LCD from the Hellcat which allows selection of performance modes.

There are things you learn about a car the more you drive it, especially when you’ve become accustomed to the nice things modern cars offer. For example, while a 6-pack looks oh-so-cool when you pop the hood, keeping it perfectly tuned in all conditions can be a bit of a chore. Plus, it’s not exactly easy on fuel. Since Larry was enjoying driving the Challenger more and planning to attend the 2012 Hot Rod Power Tour, he started looking at fuel-injection options and settled on a FAST EZ-EFI system. Notwithstanding, even with the more precise fuel and ignition control, Larry discovered the often lower quality fuel available in rural areas caused a lot of spark knock, requiring him to stop and manually adjust the timing.

Larry and his wide Kara were sold on the Power Tour, so Larry decided that the next evolution of the Challenger needed to be in the direction of easy long-distance touring. He wasn’t willing to give up on performance however, not by a long shot. Thanks to the modular design of the AlterKtion K-member, Larry knew he could easily swap to a different engine family, including a Gen-III Hemi. After some planning sessions, Larry placed a call to Cleveland Power and Performance to get one of their running pallets with an ’08 6.1L Hemi and complete wiring harness. While he was at it, he figured it was a great time to add a Magnuson supercharger. To preempt grenading the five-speed, Larry ordered a Tremec six-speed to handle the grunt. Larry and Kara attended more Power Tours with the Challenger in this configuration, and Larry discovered how much fun a boosted Gen-III can be on the drag strip. We guess you could say that was his gateway to late-model drivetrain performance.

The three-piece Boze Alloy satin-black wheels look great and allowed Larry to spec them exactly to the offsets he needed to run massive tires front and rear. Similar in appearance to the Hellcat’s tuner wheel, they fit the theme perfectly.

That brings us to 2016. While all of those upgrades were cool, we know what you really want to know: How hard could a Hellcat swap be? If the Challenger already had a blown Gen-III in it, how hard could it be, right? Wrong. The answer is really hard, and plenty expensive. Even more so because of Larry’s choice of transmission.

While sitting in traffic on the 2016 Power Tour and getting a severe left leg workout, Larry looked over at Kara and stated, “We should just buy a new Hellcat with an automatic trans.” Kara shot that down stating that they really didn’t need another car. “Fair enough,” Larry thought, so he countered with, “Well, what about a Hellcat engine upgrade instead?” That sounded fine to Kara, so at literally the next gas stop, Larry called up Cleveland Power & Performance and asked to be placed on the waiting list for the next available running pallet with the eight-speed automatic. The next week, they called Larry back and said they had one ready to ship out, if he was sure he wanted it. Larry assured them he was, and the Hellcat pallet arrived at his shop literally ready to run. For a couple of months, Larry would crank it up on the pallet just to show it off to friends, but when it came time to actually put it in the Challenger, the headaches began, particularly pertaining to the TorqueFlite 8HP90.

For a couple of months, Larry would crank it up on the pallet just to show it off to friends, but when it came time to actually put it in the Challenger, the headaches began…”

Before the stick shift brigade gets their pitchforks, if you haven’t driven one, you’ve got no argument to stand on. The 8HP90 is a marvel and to be perfectly honest, the best transmission option for the Hellcat and easily among the best performance-oriented, non-dual clutch self-shifting transmissions on the market. Sure, there was a point in time where a manual transmission was the only way to go, but those days are gone.

Starting with the roots, the 8HP90 debuted in the BMW 760Li behind a V12 engine, so it was engineered for precision behind power. Weighing less than 10 pounds more than the five-speed automatic it replaces, the eight forward gears work to keep the Hellcat engine in its most efficient rpm range with tight ratios of 4.71, 3.14, 2.10, 1.67, 1.29, 1.00, 0.84 and 0.67:1, with a 3.30:1 Reverse. Thanks to that 4.71 first gear, the Hellcat uses a tiny 2.62:1 rear axle ratio, yet delivers a 12.34:1 torque multiplication factor in first gear. For perspective, to achieve the same value with a 1970 street-spec Hemi Challenger, the standard 2.45 first gear would require huge 4.88 gears. Eye opening, huh? And while six-speed drivers may enjoy the connected feeling they get from the stick shift and clutch pedal, there’s no beating the 160 milliseconds shifts in Track mode. And that, friends, is why Larry decided to enter untested waters and keep it for the swap.

We say “untested,” because the 8HP90 is not a currently supported swap. Yes, there are at least two swaps we know of running around with one, Roadkill’s General Mayhem and the Gas Monkey Garage 1967 Dodge Dart “Shartcat,” but that doesn’t mean the info is accessible out there for everyone. Also, it’s a different case if you don’t want to hack your car up as much as they did. So with no harness or ECU available other than the stock parts, trying to integrate 2015 systems with 1970, plus a few aftermarket systems, opens up a world of complications. As far as we know, Larry’s is one of the few Hellcat swaps currently drivable and he’s still about 95 percent of the way to having it all figured out. The only current nagging concern is the ECU defaulting to limp mode after 130 mph. Larry speculates it could be a VSS issue related to the 3.54 gears in the Dana 60 causing the ECU to believe the vehicle’s absolute speed is too high, which, if determined to be the case, creates another issue since no one produces a 2.62 gear set for a Dana 60. That’s also why you see the stunted power numbers in the Fast Facts, since the Challenger cannot hit full rpm on the dyno. Still, in current form, Larry reports the Challenger is totally drivable and road-trip reliable. If you’re looking for the easier route, Larry advises using a GM 4L60 series with a standalone controller.

Larry’s is one of the few Hellcat swaps currently drivable and he’s still about 95 percent of the way to having it all figured out.”

On the topic of “not supported,” the Hellcat technically isn’t either, because even though it’s a Gen-III Hemi, it’s most definitely not the same level of install. Even though Larry had already installed a 6.1, the Hellcat was not a direct drop-in. For one, because of the lines routed from the rear of the supercharger, the engine had to be moved forward ¾ inch. Then there’s the six heat exchangers and all the requisite plumbing. For example, to cool the intake air and maximize density, a 250-watt thermostatically controlled electric pump moves 45 liters of coolant per minute through two intercoolers built into the flanks of the supercharger and two radiators positioned at the front of the car. You can’t just shove them any old place they fit; they need strong airflow and Hellcat-equipped cars are designed with this in mind. In fact, when Larry spoke to Chrysler engineers at a show once, they said one of the biggest issues he would likely face would be getting enough airflow to the coolers to keep the Hellcat out of limp mode. Working within the envelope the ’70 offers, Larry’s solution was to position the coolers within the fenders for the best airflow and add slim auxiliary fans. While he has not attempted open-track use, this solution has been effective for regular street use and Power Tour.

Wiring is its own adventure with a swap like this. The complex multi-tiered electrical system in the production car features multiple computers that all retrieve data from each other. The challenge is figuring what you can eliminate and what you can’t. For example, disconnect the wheel-speed sensors and you’ll trigger a code and disable the traction control, stability control, and speedo, but the car would still be drivable. On the other hand, the car would not crank at all if the ABS module were unplugged. That’s why Larry’s Challenger has the Hellcat ABS module mounted and plugged in, even though it’s not actually doing anything. As for the rest of the wiring, Larry reached out to numerous resources to confirm what was critical to operation. If the Challenger had a modern dash swap, it would be lit up like a Christmas tree with warning lights from triggered codes, but none are mission critical.

You would never know from looking that Larry Rose’s 1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE was packing a modern Hellcat Hemi and eight-speed automatic, and that it put down 617 hp to the tires at the Mopar Muscle Dyno Showdown sponsored by Petty’s Garage.

Despite the fact that it’s already a driver and has taken home the Mopar Muscle Editor’s Choice award at the 2017 Mopar Nats, the saga of the ’70 Hellcat is actually an ongoing one as Larry irons out the technical details to get his RT/SE as turnkey as a brand-new Challenger. The plan is to have all the details ironed out so that he can offer the swap to customers of his shop, Larry’s Automotive in Newburgh, IN, with minimal hassle and using only the necessary components. Plus, if you haven’t noticed by now, Larry loves to upgrade and change this car, so this is hardly the last iteration. If you want to see more technical build details and follow the progress, check out his Instagram @70Hellcat because even though the Challenger will be making 707-plus hp once the bugs are smashed, Larry hinted to us that he’s already pondering what he may do next to make it ever faster.

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