UnionRags123

23, they/them Here for Cars, Cars 3, and Planes: Fire & Rescue DMs and asks are always open!

[unionrags123]

Intro post?

I guess I should do an intro post XD

I usually go by Union or Arden :)

I'm 23 and nonbinary (they/them pronouns)

My fandoms are Pixar Cars and Planes (Mainly Cars 1 & 3 and Planes Fire & Rescue)

I can be found on Discord as ardentismaxima and Ao3.

My dms and asks are always open!

I love chatting about headcanons (especially angst)!

Sometimes I draw lol

(I stay away from the smut side of the fandoms)

(I'll write dark, but not smut)

[x0stormie0x]

jacksonlightning anything atp we r starvinggggg🤲

WE ARE STARVING <\3 so you're getting a one-shot because ily/p

I had this idea in mind for a while now, decided I'd make it a one-shot.

Hope you enjoy and thank you for the ask <3

----------------

"Happy Accident"

It was a warm summers morning, all of the crew cheifs would gather around to have breakfast at the diner. Lightning had to admit he felt weird being there, even if it wasn't all the time.

Cruz would take turns with him, one season he would race, the next season she would. It was her turn, so Lightning got to experience how crew cheifs prep for races.

He started to click with Ray Reverham, his boyfriends crewcheif.. or was he like a father instead? They seemed awfully close.

Lightning had met Ray before, Jackson had introduced them. It was a bit awkward at first, but they started to warm up to one another.

The racer had to admit, he was a bit anxious around Ray.

This day was a bit different. They sat down for coffee and decided to just, talk. Not about the races, or the stats. Just talk.

It occurred to Lightning that he had never heard Jackson laugh. He would hear small chuckles and hums whenever Storm would find something funny.

But dammit that man never laughed.

"What am I doing wrong Ray? He's never laughed at my jokes, are they dumb? Too many dad jokes?" Lightning gripped his coffee mug, watching Ray sigh and set his down.

"McQueen, Jackson doesn't laugh that much. Hell, I've only ever heard the kid laugh really loudly once.." He went back to sipping his coffee.

Lightning couldn't take that for an answer, he wanted- no, NEEDED, to hear what Jackson's laughter sounded like.

So he made a plan.

At the racetrack the racers normally hung out in small cliques. Jackson wasn't really beloved by every racer, even after he had attempted to get along with them.

Storm normally hung out with Cruz, Danny, and Tim. So Lightning knew just where to find him.

He slowly walked over and wrapped his arms around Storms waist with a big smile. "Hello, love"

Storm turned to face Lightning, tilting his head slowly "Why are you smiling like that? You never have that stupid grin on your face unless it's for a joke.."

Damn Jackson knew him too well

"Okay, yes I have a joke, but hear me out. I think this one will get you" Lightning smiled with excitement, watching his boyfriend cross his arms.

"Okay, give me your best one.. " Jackson smirked with amusement.

"Okay, what does Mario use to make pizza?... Nintendough!" Lightning held his hands out, listening as the other racers groaned loudly and walked away. Jacksons smirked turned into a smile and he began to chuckle, covering his mouth slightly, giving a small laugh.

"God champ, I didn't think it would be that bad!" Storm snickered.

Lightning smiled softly "But I got you to laugh!! Sooo..I'll be right back"

As he walked up to Ray with a satisfied smile, he crossed his arms. "He laughed!"

Ray took off his sun glasses, looking down from his pit chair at Lightning. ".. Was it a chuckle or a belt of laughter?.. "

"It was..a chuckle but it was louder?" Lightning frowned, watching Ray shake his head.

"He didn't laugh, it was a chuckle."

"What?! Oh come on Ray! What do I do?" Lightning huffed, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked back to Jackson. "What am I doing wrong.."

Ray frowned, closing his glasses and hooking them to his shirt "Mr.McQueen trust me, you'll know when the time comes what his laughter sounds like. Give it time.."

After the race, everyone went back to Radiator Springs to celebrate. Cruz had won, with Jackson coming in second place.

Lightning decided to take Jackson on the walk up to the Wheel Well Motel, just to get some drinks and relax.

The sunset cased a beautiful glow onto the waterfall and the bridge as they crossed, making for a peaceful scenery.

Lightning looked down at Storm, stopping in his tracks. "Wanna race to the Motel?.."

Jackson turned to him with a smirk "Why? So I can kick your ass?"

Lightning rolled his eyes playfully "Ha, ha. No, just a friendly race, no winners or losers"

Jackson shrugged, before lining up with Lightning ".. Sure, why not?"

The two readied themselves, preparing to take off. On your mark, get set, GO! They dash off down the bridge, rushing towards the gravely ground of the street. They rushed around the twists and turns, with Jackson taking the lead.

Lightning smiled as he watched Jackson run, not paying attention to his steps.. Or the fact that his shoe-lace was untied. Which was about to become a happy accident.

"Wo-ah! Oohf!" Lightning tripped over his shoe-lace, tumbling over into the sand and brush. He looked around, not noticing the small tumbleweed that had fallen on top of his head.

Jackson quickly stopped when he heard Lightnings tumble. He turned and rushed to the veteran, his eyes widening. "Are you oka-"

"Sorry, I didn't notice my shoe lace was untied"

Storm snickered, and then suddenly..he belted out in laughter, a laughter so sweet it could rotten your teeth.

Lightning stared up at him in awe, his eyes sparkling as he listened to the joyus sounds that came from his boyfriends vocal cords. ".. What's so funny huh?" He smirked.

Jackson couldn't stop himself, trying his hardest to breathe ".. Looks like you took a tumble!" He laughed again, leaning against a tree to keep his balance as he pointed back to the tumbleweed on Lightnings head.

Lightning shook his head, watching the tumbleweed fall off, as he began to laugh as well.

As their laughter subsided, Lightning slowly wrapped his arms around Jackson's waist, buring his face into the racers shoulder.

".. I love your laugh.. "

Jackson's eyes widened a bit as he hugged Lightning back, letting out a hum as he rested his head against the veterans chest.

"And I love you" Storm smiled.

The next day, Lightning got to tell Ray all about it. He went on for hours and hours. It was definitely one of the most magical moments of his life. Even if it was a Happy Accident.

[unionrags123]

LOVE THIS

[unionrags123]

a sally for @knightmarebug

(drawn for the @carsartexchange )

[x0stormie0x]

I'm just gonna throw this out there!! Anybody who's interested in learning about Jackson Storm or just genuinely wants to know more about his character!! My friend @kaderp made a google docs with his entire story on it!! (Bless them for making it) So if anybody would like me to send the link to them I'd be more then happy!! 🫶

[unionrags123]

The Jackson Storm story is ImportantTM!

[praxcrown5]

WOC Question game!

Let's get to know everyone in the fandom better!

Rules of the game: I'll post some Cars/Planes questions. Reblog with your answer. Create a new post with new questions directed at the fandom.

Include the tag "wocquestiongame" in your responses and be sure to tag the cars fandom. Let's see where this goes.

My questions:

How long have you been a part of the fandom?

How did you get involved in the fandom?

Who is your favorite character and why?

My responses (below cut)

1 and 2: I've been a fan of Cars since 2006, when I saw it in the theater. Only within the last year have I gone balls-to-the wall with hyperfixating posting WOC art online, writing fanfiction, and generally interacting with the fandom...so I guess I'm pretty new to the things, here. I'm not super active online because of my work schedule (I'm a groundskeepee for a local zoo), but I try the best I can with the time/energy I have at the end of the day.

3. Doc Hudson, hands-down. When I first saw the movie, I liked Doc...but thought he was being rude and unfair to Lightning. Fast forward a while to when I got my dream job, teaching college geology. After three years, I realized that the admins didn't give a shit about education and that they seemed to be doing everything in their power to shut down anything that myself, or other professors, tried to do for the student body. I quickly became disillusioned by the apathy and lack of support...and I had to resign because the stress was literally killing me. I know now that this is a common theme in higher ed...but all I wanted to do was teach. To see that flame of understanding kindled in the eyes of my students...

To lose that, was like having my soul pureed in a blender, and I...havent been able to teach since.

Every time I hear Doc's line "there was a lot left in me, and I never got the chance to show 'em"...I tear up. He's still reeling from an apathy that ended his career ..and I understand how hard that feeling can be to rebound from, how you can lock everything in a garage and hide behind a new personality... because your old life is too painful to think about.

[thekeyboardplayer]

Ooh fun

I've been watching the movies since I was like five and then started reading fanfic in 2018. Tried writing too, but didn't post...

...until last December. Started on fanfiction.net and went over to AO3 to get more engagement. That worked pretty well. Though joining Tumblr got me way more connected to the fandom and the art side.

Favorite character... ummmm Siddeley for now. He's competent and only gets a few minutes of screen time (which leaves ample room for my headcanons) and he's a spy jet for crying out loud. He was also one of the easiest ones for me to draw as a kid so that's probably part of it 😭

[no-drivers-license]

Been watching Cars 2 at the young age of 4 then forgot about it until i turned 12-13

By seen fanart, then interacting with the artist....then you know I just started writing after getting tumblr

Idk man. Jackson? Siddeley? Holley?

[unionrags123]

1. Been here since September 2024 ish. I watched Cars for the first time in June 2024, but I didn’t realize there was a fandom for another few months.

2. Got involved in the fandom when it occurred to me that “oh, there’s probably a fandom for that, lemme find it”

3. Current favorite is Billy Oilchanger. I’m not even sure why…but his nervous smile in the “Dinoco is all mine” Big One is definitely a factor

[recurringwriter]

WHOA!!!!! i love my friends' ocs

[abtl]

Reblog to let your friends know you love their ocs

[unionrags123]

me with @strip-weather-forecast and sharkie's ocs

[midwinterhunt]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

[unionrags123]

I had a whole plan for a Cal Weathers drawing.

Chick Hicks had other ideas 🤣

(Work in progress)

[carsincorrectquotes]

[unionrags123]

Reading through the incorrect quotes again…

[unionrags123]

Dug out my water-based markers…

[strip-weather-forecast]

Angst angst angst 👀

Weathers angst?

Cal legacy angst???

Hailey chasing Cal with a toad?

you know i’m all for cal angst!!!

Cal sighs, sitting in his hotel room. God, he lost. Again! How could he let this happen? How could he let Tex down? How could let his family down? He then quickly stands up. He isn’t sure why, but then… Cal isn’t sure why he does most things; he’s quite impulsive when he can be.

The racer then sits back down on the bed, running his hands through his hair with an exhale. He fucked up, and he knows he fucked up. He then hears his phone buzz. It’s his uncle.

Uncle Strip: You okay, Cal? You seemed upset leaving tonight. Wanted to make sure you were okay.

Cal doesn’t respond to the text. He then lays on the bed, closing his eyes for a moment, then looking up at the ceiling. Only ten years ago, he was winning races, having fun, partying even. Lightning and Bobby are to thank for that one. Now he’s on the verge of tears in his hotel room.

In his rookie days, and even now, Cal suffers from major anxiety. He was diagnosed with it when he was a teenager and prescribed medication for it, he was fine throughout high school with the pills, but when racing started… it just seemed to break. Blackouts, crying, you name it. The thought of all this makes Cal cringe.

He then stands up again, but he feels sick. He blames that on how fast he stands up. Cal then walks outside to his hotel balcony, gripping the rail loosely as he looks at the beautiful view of Daytona Beach. It almost reminds of him of where he grew up.

After a few minutes of blankly staring, he feels something on his cheeks. It’s tears. “Shit…” He mutters, quickly wiping them away. He feels like a failure. To his sponsor, to RSN, to his family. God, he’s a disgrace. Would his parents even be proud?

Cal can barely remember his mother. She died when he was only seven years old. Cal does remember his father more clearly though. He died when he was fifteen, and that’s where the anxiety started. The thought of his parents makes him more depressed.

The wind blows softly, and Cal quickly moves back inside. “Jesus…” He sighs, going back to his bed, and looking at his phone. The message from his uncle still remains unread. Cal is going to keep it that way.

“What am I going to do?” He mutters to himself, unlocking his phone and going onto Twitter. Big mistake.

Cal Weathers set to retire?

That sentence. That whole sentence just breaks him and his heart. No, he can’t retire! He’s too young! Come on, there’s no way. Then Cal remembers what Strip told him.

The youngsters will tell you.

Cal then sets his phone down, letting more tears fall from his face.

It’s just time for bed.

[unionrags123]

Omg the ANGST

“Poor Cal, he deserves better,” I say, as I encourage the angsting 🤣

TY JAS!!!!!

[nurfhurdur]

Extremely old hyperfixations are working their way back into my life.

Cue Phantom of the Opera Overture.

[unionrags123]

The POTO overture is so dramatic and i love it. I could probably listen to it on loop for hours (I’m pretty sure I actually have lol)

(There’s a US tour starting late(?) next year and I am so excited)

[soumarhea]

When you're too focused on Windlifter's "smile", and didn't fully notice Blade's rotor blades.

Notice there's solid blocks of grays on his blades, the same way Dusty's injuries were. idk how to word this

Blade flew out to help rescue the RV couple with that same rotor blades, and five days or so later, it's still "freshly" patched up.

Maru buffed out his crumpled cheek, and repainted his burnt side, but the rotor blades just got the bare minimum😭😭.

Maru: Those are the non-essential blades. I need to keep Blade ✨pristine✨.

[valkyrieres]

Sou I apologize for this but those aren't patches :""") Blade has always had those grey parts on the blunt sides of his rotor blades

You'd need to replace the whole blade if it gets snapped/broken, and putting primer paint+patching up rotor blades just.... doesn't make sense? 😭

[mittch22]

Actually, I think you're kind of right!

Although its definitely not a patch as in 'bandaid' type patch, it is actually a patch. But, instead of fixing an issue, its designed to prevent one.

As you pointed out, the grey strips are situated on the leading edge of the blade, not the trailing portion, indicating that the strips are being utilised as an anti-errosion method. Lots of dust and particles in the atmosphere, along with larger and heavier projectiles which can cause slow damage, leading to chips and sharp edges, leading to amplified localised stress, leading to metal fatigue, leading to cracking, which will eventually, inevitably and rapidly lead to a blade shearing (don't worry though. Heli blade inspections are regular and there are methods to ensure the early detection of issues before they get to serious. Maru would be AAAALLLLL over that shit).

Although I have no idea why the whole blade is not covered. If I find out, Ill update.

[blade-ranger-301]

I've seen photos of helicopters flying and they have that "coloured disc" effect that some aviation photographers like to go for, so I guess it also works as a design feature too.

Like this

And also I've noticed some helicopters only have the stripes applied to only the tops of the blades to make the spinning rotors easier to see for other helicopters nearby, so maybe it's also a safety and visibility feature too?

[unionrags123]

Safety and visibility makes a lot of sense, especially considering what conditions Blade flies in.

[youhavehitawall]

Sheriff is the kinda guy who will spot for anyone who wants to pull dumb stunts. You can do anything if you convince him first

[unionrags123]

This is the guy who sat? parked? by the track so Lightning could practice that turn after running out of asphalt in the middle of the night

[carsartexchange]

Cars & Planes Fandom Winter Art Exchange 2024

ASSIGNMENTS ARE GOING OUT MOMENTARILY!!!!!

Artwork will be due to be gifted December 20th!

Please let me know ASAP if you can't complete your prompt!

(Assignment messages will be sent by @unionrags123 here on tumblr and/or by ardentismaxima on Discord - both accounts are mine)

[unionrags123]

Art exchange assignments are about to be sent out!

[strip-weather-forecast]

here’s some info on my strip/lynda kid if anyone is interested :33 her name is hailey :)

—Three years older than Cal; currently 43

- Birthday is June 18th, 1981.

—As a child, Hailey was a lot like her mother who was a tomboy. She was always playing in the dirt and getting dirty.

- Tracked mud throughout house daily

- And also despised bath time as a child

—Knew she liked women at age 14.

- She was ashamed of it for about six years and never said anything about it to anyone.

- Came out to Cal first.

- Then her parents.

- Obviously very accepted into her family lol.

— Due to her father racing, Hailey had an automatic interest in it.

- Her and Cal were taken to most, if not all the races.

- And this made the media go bonkers.

— Actually bought Strip a shirt that says “Awesome like my daughter” completely unironically.

- Yes, Strip DOES wear it.

—As a child, her favorite movie was Footloose and Hailey would sit in front of the tv and watch it for HOURS.

- “You’re killin’ me, kid.” Strip says, putting the VHS tape in so his six year old daughter can watch her favorite movie for the what seems like 30th time today.

—Doesn’t race for Dinoco. Hailey wanted to step away from that and wanted something different.

- Races for an air conditioning company called “Cloud 9.”

- Despite not profiting off of Dinoco, this does not step the media from calling Hailey a nepo baby.

- She was offered Dinoco when Cal retired, but Hailey gave it to Cruz due to how impressed she was.

— Got into a LOT of trouble as a teenager.

- Throwing parties when her parents were away for races.

- Had her fair share with smoking

- Stole money from Lynda’s purse one time.

— Hailey is obviously very ashamed of these things, but she did have her fun in her 20’s.

- PARTIED HARD.

- Secret flings with the Dinoco girls? Yeah.

—Practically an aunt to Cal and Loretta’s kids

- They call her Aunt Hailey lol

—Strip’s looks with Lynda’s personality no doubt.

- But very stubborn like her father

—Her music taste is very much like her parents and the stuff she grew up with

- The Beach Boys

- Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash

- Dolly Parton? YES.

- Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, you know, she’s CULTURED.

— HATES getting her picture taken.

- She gets so embarrassed when the paparazzi takes photos of her and they resurface online.

— Pretty active on social media!

- Mainly active on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok.

— Very knowledgeable when it comes to cars.

- Loves to fix up old cars for fun.

- Owns quite a bit of cars too!

- Owns a 1970 Pontiac Grand Prix

- Corvette from the 80’s

- Tex loves talking about cars with her lol.

[unionrags123]

she totally tried to gaslight Cal into thinking Cal was short for "California" at some point lol

[strip-weather-forecast]

Angstiest Team Dinoco headcanons?

(Team Dinoco because of Tex, not Cruz lol)

cruz hate club. ANYWAY.

my most gut wrenching hc is that cal suffers from major anxiety and during his rookie season he would have many anxiety attacks lol! (we have discussed how the legacy affects this boy)

he got it under control as he got older but the next gens pushing him into retirement made it spike again and he would lose sleep over not being good enough for dinoco.

[unionrags123]

CAL LEGACY ANGST.

Poor Cal 😭

“Poor Cal” I say as I go write more Cal angst…