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writingmochi · 1 year

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cast: txt all members & enhypen hyung line ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: an anthology series for txt and enhypen; a love letter from the author to “loveless”, my bloody valentine, and the shoegaze genre

genre: variative for each member

based on: music my bloody valentine’s “loveless” album (1991)

message from the moon: do remember that this is fiction and all the actions the idols do in these works do not reflect what they are in the real world. this is a non-priority anthology so all stories are standalone, won't have any schedule for deadlines, and will be written on my availability! also, noted that the infos written below aren't the final one so i can add/subtract anything.

i had this on the back burner for almost a year now, but i want to create hype (for others and myself) since this has been in my wip from the moment i posted it and since i have the desire to write the stories…

taglist? right here

writing order? here’s the poll result!

only shallow

cast: rebel!sunghoon ✗ outcast!fem.reader

synopsis: watching the goonies on vhs in the corner behind a counter, you are working your night shift in a gas station in the center of downtown. head tilts up from the chiming bell, you see your school’s rebel and his red ford mustang behind him, a smirk on his face as you roll your eyes

genre: kinda enemies to lovers, 80s au, high school au,

warning(s): tba

inspired by: a bit of movie dazed and confused (1993) and the breakfast club (1985)

loomer (visualizer) • an entry for equinox: the escapist

cast: jay ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: jay has always been a loomer, an introvert, and an outsider in a group of people others presumed are bad. looming in the shadows in the corner of the parties full of drinks, drugs, and sex, only can be seen with the flamed blunt of his cigarette in the dark. out of the blue, an orange flame is ignited in the dark corner, creating a silhouette of another person, another loomer, standing beside him

genre: lonely people in neon cities, drama, romance, early 00s au, bad boy au, angst, mature content (consumption of drugs, explicit smut)

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie fallen angels (1995) and millennium mambo (2001)

when you sleep

cast: hueningkai ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: a soulmate's connection can be different for each of them. kai’s connection to his soulmate comes every time he sleeps: when he relieved the highlights of the day that isn’t his, but his soulmate’s. kai didn’t like that his friend ask him to go on a double date with their soulmate and their friend. yet, the date doesn’t seem to be that bad

genre: soulmate au, college/uni au

warning(s): tba

i only said

cast: soobin ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: your body sways as you stood in the middle of a crowded train car on the way home. you can see a glimpse of your crush, soobin, that stands, only a few people between you. as you see he turns his head and looks into your eyes, sending you into a trance for milliseconds. the train car is empty and light shines into the car, realizing you are not underground and sand fills the floor of the car

genre: magical realism, urban fantasy, silent lovers, meet ugly, hurt/comfort

warning(s): tba

inspired by: music video txt's "magic island" (2019) and "eternally" (2020)

come in alone

cast: drummer!jake ✗ videographer!fem.reader

synopsis: the crowd cheers as you watch from the sideline from behind your camera, the band closing their shows for the night as they have to prepare for their next stop. a whistle can be heard as you see the drummer standing against the doorframe, waiting for you to be tangled in his arm. that is until your past haunts you in one of the shows

genre: band au, tour au, acquaintances with benefits

warning(s): traumatic experience

sometimes

cast: rogue chaebol!beomgyu ✗ supermodel!fem.reader

synopsis: flashes of lights filled the dark void as you run the runway for the last time in your show in italy. what you didn’t see is a man whose importance people knew, hidden in the crowd as he looks at the glitz and glamour. only then do you see him in your sight as you sit in the back alley of the after-party, in solace as you join into an adventure you never expected to go

genre: existentialism, travel au, runaways, set in italy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie lost in translation (2003) with a tinge of call me by your name (2017)

blown a wish

cast: taehyun ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: the eighteenth birthday is the one that you’ve been excited about since you enter high school. so excited that you even bought a candle set from one to 18 in counting down the days to your birthday, each candle represents a wish you want to achieve by 18. with taehyun beside you, surely you can achieve all your wishes, right? ...right?

genre: magical realism, romantic comedy

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie 16 wishes (2010)

what you want

cast: heeseung ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: sweats trickle down your forehead as you look at the track before you. all the training and hardships have come to this but you have an underlying thought crossing through your mind. is it worth it?

genre: drama, rivals to ???, athlete au

warning(s): tba

inspired by: movie i, tonya (2017)

soon

cast: dance prodigy!yeonjun ✗ dance amateur!fem.reader

synopsis: a mirror wall resides on one side of the practice room you’re in. stretching your stiff body, you overcome yourself to follow your interest after a long time. dancing. not knowing that the room was actually bigger as there is someone on the other side of the mirror, looking and wanting to guide you to your glory

genre: dancer au, mystery

warning(s): tba

inspired by: the phantom of the opera meets movie step up (2006)

taglist: @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @haechanswaifu @wccycc @cha0thicpisces @y4wnjunz @stayzentiny @rebsmoonn @boba-beom @angelbythewindow @ttyunz @reallysmolrenjun

#txt imagines #enhypen imagines #txt scenarios #enhypen scenarios #txt x reader #enhypen x reader #rsc: loveless #cr: yeonjun #cr: soobin #cr: beomgyu #cr: taehyun #cr: hueningkai #cr: heeseung #cr: jay #cr: jake #cr: sunghoon #cs: txt #cs: enhypen #sc: regina

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sims4cars-breezemotors · 1 year

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Preview of February "Starter"!

These 9 cars available for Patrons!

Download

1980 Dodge Diplomat

1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible

2022 Acura RDX

2021 Lynk & Co 03+

723 Quartz Regalia

2021 Ford Bronco

2019 Land Rover Discovery

2015 Subaru WRX STI

1969 Ford Mustang

#the sims 4 #sims 4 #sims4 #sims4car #the sims 4 cc #the sims 4 custom content #thesims4cars #the sims 4 cars #sims4vehicles #the sims #the sims 4 cc finds #sims 4 cc finds #the sims 5 #sims 4 cars #sims 5 #sims 4 cc #the sims custom content #sims 4 alpha cc #sims

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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Ford Mustang Day

It’s got sleek lines and a powerful engine, its name speaks of wild places and adventurous times. For generations it was the car of choice for action heroes and spies alike, even James Bond drove one in Goldfinger. For some it was the very flavor of summer sunsets and nighttime drives on youth’s misadventures, but it always brought them home safely. We’re talking about the Ford Mustang, of course, and Ford Mustang Day celebrates this incredible and iconic piece of American engineering.

History of Ford Mustang Day The Ford Mustang was first introduced to the world in April of 1964. The World’s Fair was in full swing, and this car was Ford’s introduction as the car of the future. This introduction of the Mustang also was the introduction of the first Pony Car, to wit, a line of small sporty cars with sleek lines and an affordable price-tag. Sales of the Mustang proved that this car was going to become an American favorite, with well over 400,000 sales in the first year it was in production, an unprecedented success for an unprecedented vehicle. The muscle car of the time was the Thunderbird, and that beauty was the one that every serious sports car fanatic wanted to own. The Mustang came into existence with the idea not of replacing that vehicle, but instead putting its like within reach of the working class. Such was its popularity that over 500 clubs celebrating the Mustang came into existence within just 3 years of its release. This is the kind of fanaticism that’s usually saved for classic cars, but the Mustang just rolled right in and took its place as a new classic right off the bat. Such was the popularity of the Mustang that 60 years later over 9 million of them have been sold. Ford Mustang Day celebrates this vehicle that came out of nowhere to become an American institution.

Celebrating Ford Mustang Day All over the country (and indeed, all over the world) festivals and celebrations are held that honor this vehicle. 60 years of different models of this line are brought out by enthusiasts, most maintained in impeccable shape, standing as an icon of their time. You can find these with a simple web search, and then go out and see the march of time and technology as it reshaped the overall appearance of the Mustang while leaving its underpinning sense of aesthetic and purpose untouched. Ford Mustang Day presents an opportunity to really appreciate what American Engineering can do, and how a car can change the face of the automotive industry.

Source

The Ford Mustang was formally introduced on April 17, 1964.

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chadscapture · 1 year

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2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

#2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt #cvmc

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toxickehlani · 4 months

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𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

║ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ･* – 𝖲𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌

║ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ･* – 𝖠𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗅𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖺 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍’𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗆𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖾.

║ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ･* – 𝟤,𝟤𝟩𝟪

║ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ･* – 𝖺𝖽𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾,

║ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ/ᴘᴀʀᴛ･* – 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖨❣️: 𝖥𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝖬𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ

ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

Angelia’s POV

𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 the princess of one the most ruthless gangs in Los Angeles. My great-great-great grandfather, Mauro Ballesteros, moved to Arizona from Mexico with his parents at twelve. After kids bullied him for not being from America, Mauro got with the local Spanish teens at the school and on the street and formed Los Santos Vagos. Over time, the group expanded and multiplied to different city areas. From that moment, his gang was the most feared as it’s passed down from generation to generation.

Now, in the present time, my father, Sergi, has been running the show since my grandfather passed it down to him. Things have changed a bit over the years. We respect other territories and don’t kill on their turf. Sometimes, my father expects a lot from me, like he wants me to always step up to the plate. Honestly, it’s stressful.

I’m getting ready to meet my pops and brothers at the warehouse in twenty minutes. I stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my body, and walked to my bedroom. After drying myself, I changed into gray solid flare yoga pants, a white crop top with a gray cropped zip-up hoodie, and gray New Balance sneakers. I stood before my full-length mirror and styled my hair in a slicked-back bun. Grabbing my purse from my bed, I picked up my phone and left my room.

My mother, Yvette, watched a telenovela on TV in the living room. I leaned over the back of the couch and kissed her cheek.

“Adiós, mamá, te veré más tarde.” I smiled, walking to the front door. ( “Bye, Mom, I’ll see you later.” )

“Adiós, amor.” She replied as I closed the door behind me. ( “Goodbye, my love.” )

Unlocking my custom pink 2019 Ford Mustang, I climbed in the driver's seat, fastened my seatbelt, and drove away from the house. Before I met up with my dad and siblings, I stopped by McDonald's and bought myself a McGriddle, two hash browns, and a medium Sprite. As I pulled into the warehouse, people stopped and stared at me instead of working. Exiting the car, I grabbed my food, locked the doors, and walked to my dad's office. I knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

“Come in.” His deep baritone voice speaks from the other side.

Opening the door, I see my three brothers. Moises is 30, who my parents adopted when he was a teenager. They found a scared and hopeless boy and took him in their arms. Antonio is 24 and was the son of someone my father was close to before he died and brought his son into his home. Finally, there’s Mauricio, the baby out of the two of us. He’s 19 and spoiled as fuck.

I sat next to Antonio as my father smiled at me. As he opened his mouth to speak, Mauricio's annoying ass decided to say something to me.

“Why do you always have food in your hands?” My brother asked, looking at me.

“Same reason why you don’t have a girlfriend.” I sarcastically replied, biting into my breakfast sandwich.

Mauricio had nothing to say and kept quiet like he should’ve. My father rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, annoyed.

“Can we carry on, please?” My father asked, eyeing us intensely.

“Sorry.” I apologized, flashing him a genuine smile.

“Okay, 16th Street Lagos has been killing our dealers, taking the drugs and money.” My dad sternly commented, leaning his hands on the table.

“What are those bitches taking?” Antonio questioned, rubbing his hands together.

“Our weed, meth, and heroin.” My father replied, shaking his head in frustration.

“Let’s go kill those foo’s man. Fuck that shit.” Mauricio stated, jumping to his feet.

“Sit down, puto. We can’t just walk into 18th Street’s territory and start shooting people,” I remarked, smacking my little brother’s arm.

“She’s right.” My dad nodded, agreeing with my previous statement.

“Let’s show them why we’re the most dangerous gang out there. Show them what we stand for.” Moises replied, puffing his chest out in confidence.

“I agree with him,” I interjected, nodding in agreement.

As the conversation continued, my phone suddenly started ringing. I pulled it from my purse to see my best friend and ride-or-die Gloria calling me. Smiling, I stood up and walked out the door to answer it. M

Hola, puta.

R.H.B🫶✨ - Puta?! Please don’t make me slap you through this phone.

What’s up, love?

R.H.B🫶✨ - One of the homies is having a get-together at his place tomorrow. Do you want to go?

Yeah, I’m down. Who’s going?

R.H.B🫶✨ - Chachi, you and me.

Okay, I’ll talk to you when I come to your house. Are you home?

R.H.B🫶✨ - Yea, I’m here I’ll see you boo.

Bye.

I walked back into the office and sat down in my original place. The conversation about rival gangs stealing our merchandise continued for about forty-five minutes. Once our meeting was over, I followed my dad out of the office behind Antonio and Mauricio.

“Guess who wants to fight you, Angel,” Mauricio said, clapping his hands in amusement.

“Who?” I questioned, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

“Antonio’s ex Yasmin.” He replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Screw that bitch. I fought her so many times it’s draining my energy.” I expressed, shaking my head.

Antonio’s ex-girlfriend Yasmin was the biggest shit-talker known to man. When they were together, she would give my mother and me an evil glare whenever she came over. Once I confronted her, she said I’m not Antoinio’s real sister, and I’m probably fucking him. I became so enraged I punched her in the face, and we started fighting inside the house.

“I told her she needs to watch her mouth. Talking all that shit online.” Antonio remarked,

“Is it on her Instagram or Facebook?” I asked my brothers, walking to my car.

“Facebook,” Moises answered, leaning against the side of my vehicle.

“Okay, I’ll check it out.” I nodded, unlocking my car and getting inside.

“The homegirl said Yasmin wants to fight tomorrow,” Antonio commented,

“I’ll be there to fuck that bitch up,” I replied, getting in the driver’s seat of my car.

Closing the door, I started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. When I pulled up to Gloria’s house, I parked behind her car, stepped out, and walked up to her front door before ringing the doorbell.

“¿Quién es?” I hear Gloria's question from inside the house. ( “Who is it?” )

“It’s me!” I shouted, placing my hands on my hips.

The door opened, revealing my best friend since diapers, Gloria ‘Loca’ Enriquez. I love and respect this girl for always having my back and behind there for me.

“Hey, mami.” Gloria smiled, greeting me as she pulled me into a hug.

“Hey, my favorite girl,” I replied, returning the gesture.

My best friend allowed me inside her house and closed the door behind me. I followed her into the family room and sat beside her on the sofa.

“What have you been up to, my love?” Gloria questioned, smiling at me.

“Nothing much. I left the family meeting before I got here and received some news.” I sighed, answering her question.

“What happened?” She asked, staring at me with curiosity.

“Well, first, someone is killing our dealers and taking the merchandise. My dad thinks it’s 16th Street Lagos.” I explained, leaning my head against the back of the sofa.

“Why would they come across town for drugs when I know they revive their stuff?” My best friend asked me, furrowing her brows in confusion.

“That’s what I was thinking.” I nodded, clapping my hands together.

“What else happened?” Gloria asked, drinking from her water bottle.

“Moises told me that Yasmin, Antonio’s ex, wants to fight me tomorrow,” I confessed, rolling my eyes.

“No fucking way.” She gasped, shaking her head.

“Girl, yes. I told Moises I fought her so many times it drains my energy.” I sighed, pressing my lips together in annoyance.

“I understand.” Gloria nodded, flipping her over her shoulder.

“Hell, last time we fought, she tried to jump me with her sister and best friend,” I commented, laughing at the memory.

“Girl, why do you think Chachi and I were there? We were not about to have that.” Gloria responded, giving me a high five.

“Exactly. Like bitch you are a pussy.” I laughed, throwing my head back. “Yasmin is hard-headed as fuck. I fought her until I broke her nose, yet she still talks shit.”

“We’ll see if she continues running her mouth after tomorrow.” She nodded, shrugging her shoulders.

“I hope not because I don’t have the energy to whoop her ass again.” I laughed, shaking my head.

Gloria and I continued talking when my phone started ringing in my lap. I looked down at it to see my little brother Mauricio calling me. Rolling my eyes, I answered his call.

Hello ugly.

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - First of all, I’m never ugly. Second, when are you coming home?

You are and why?

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - Mami wants to know.

Why didn’t she call me and ask?

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - She’s cooking.

What is she making?

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - Shrimp and steak Alfredo pasta.

I’ll be there in the next twenty minutes.

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - Ok, I’ll let her know.

Thanks, asshole.

Snitch Ass😒🖤 - I bet you won’t say that to my face.

Keep that energy.

Ending the call, I continued talking to Gloria about what was up and coming with the gang and my father’s plans. After some time, I decided to leave and said bye to Gloria, giving her a bear hug.

“Call me before you go to sleep.” My best friend said, pulling away from me.

“Okay, see you later, babe.” I nodded, waving at her as I walked to my car.

Climbing inside my vehicle, I started it up, fastened my seatbelt, and drove home. Once I parked behind my mother’s automobile, I got out and used my keys to enter the house. When I walked inside, I heard my mom yelling at someone in the kitchen.

“¡Fuera de aquí!” She yelled, swatting my younger brother's hand away as he tried to grab a piece of steak out of the pan. ( “Get out of here!” )

Mauricio winced as my mother smacked him with her wooden spoon. “Lo siento.” He held his head in pain as he sat at the table, waiting for her to finish cooking. ( “I’m sorry.” )

When my mother saw me standing in the kitchen, she smiled, chewing on shrimp. “Angelia, how was the meeting?”

“It was good, although we suspect that 16th Street Lagos is killing our dealers and stealing our merchandise,” I answered, sitting next to my brother at the kitchen table.

“So what are you guys going to do about it?” My mom asked, turning the stove off.

“I don’t know. We have to wait and see what Dad wants to do first.” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

Suddenly, a loud commotion echoed through the house before I heard the voices of Antonio, Moises, and my father. The three of them entered the kitchen, kissing my mother’s cheek.

“Huele bien aquí, mamá.” Antonio nodded, kissing my mother's cheek. ( “Smells good in here, Mom.” )

“I made shrimp and steak Alfredo pasta. A new recipe I found online.” She replied, smiling at him.

“Siempre tienes la cocina oliendo bien.” My father smiled, wrapping his arms around my mother and placing a kiss on her lips. ( “You always have the kitchen smelling good.” )

We could hear their lips smoothing aggressively against each other’s, making me smile at their affection while my brothers gagged.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Mauricio groaned, turning his head away.

“Oh, shut up. Weren’t you the same way with your now ex-girlfriend? What was her name? Lina?” I laughed, pointing at him as he was speechless. “We couldn’t keep you two off of each other.”

“Man, why do you have to bring her up?” My little brother asked, smacking his lips.

“It’s the truth.” I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. “At first, I thought you were going to get her pregnant the way ya’ll be going at it like rabbits.”

“Shut up. I don’t even talk to Lina anymore.” My little brother grumbled, rolling his eyes. He pouted, crossing his arms like a child.

My father pulled away from my mother as she started filling plates with food and smacked my little brother on the back of his head. As Mauricio sat at the table with his plate, I became disgusted at how messily he ate his food.

“You eat like a pig.” I cringed, watching him slurp the pasta noodles.

“You look like one.” My little brother retorted, rolling his eyes.

“¡Pinche pendejo!” I cursed, throwing a water bottle at his head. ( “Fucking asshole!” )

“¡Qué mierda!” He gasped, staring at me in shock. ( “What the fuck!” )

Before I could react to my brother, my father stepped in, making us look at him.

“Hey! Cut it out!” He remarked, pointing at me. “Apologize to your brother.”

“Lo siento, hermanito.” I apologized, crossing my arms. ( I’m sorry, little brother.” )

“Say sorry, Mauricio.” My mother said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Sorry, Angel,” Mauricio replied, glancing at me.

Huffing, I ignored him and continued to eat the food my mom cooked for the house. Once I finished my plate, I sat it in the sink and headed to my room. I got comfortable on my bed and started watching Netflix on my TV until I eventually fell asleep.

#✰ 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑰𝑺: ⠀ ⠀ ⠀« my writing»#$!%? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀/ urban fiction 、#$!%? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀/ spanish lovers、#$!%? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀/ spanish couple 、

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astrangewoman · 1 year

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baby got to drive the truck today ✨

her name is Sammy and she’s a ‘73 Ford F-100. we bought her for $1000 back in 2019 only to have to sell her to pay rent 6 months later. fast forward 3 years, and we get a call from the guy we sold her to saying that he wants to take on a new project and asks if we want to buy the truck back. we obviously say a loud “HELL YES” and drive halfway across the state, slip him an envelope of cash, and drive her back home.

we’ve had her back for months and months, but today was the first time I comfortably drove her around since Marshal replaced the steering column and did other tune-ups on her.

I have a fantasy of living in a town where I own a shop or gallery of some kind and Sammy is my primary form of transportation, while Marshal prefers either the motorcycle or the Mustang he’s working on rn with his uncle. I’m usually dressed like Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic in this fantasy and we usually live in that house, which I recently learned was actually just a façade built purely for the movie and then torn down post-production, but I digress.

I love this truck. I love a homecoming. I love daydreaming. I love that I now look forward to the future instead of feeling like I don’t have one or that it’ll never come.

p.s. that’s not a rebel flag tattoo on his arm; it’s the tennessee state flag in the shape of the state. I’m always paranoid that someone will think the former 🙃

#personal #hi #ford f100 #1973 ford #sammy the truck #chuck

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mariacallous · 1 year

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For now, Alex Lagetko is holding on to his Tesla stocks. The founder of hedge fund VSO Capital Management in New York, Lagetko says his stake in the company was worth $46 million in November 2021, when shares in the electric carmaker peaked at $415.

Since then, they have plunged 72 percent, as investors worry about waning demand, falling production and price cuts in China, labor shortages in Europe, and, of course, the long-term impact of CEO Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. After announcing his plans to buy the platform in April, Musk financed his acquisition with $13 billion in loans and $33 billion in cash, roughly $23 billion of which was raised by selling shares in Tesla.

“Many investors, particularly retail, who invested disproportionately large sums of their wealth largely on the basis of trust in Musk over many years were very quickly burned in the months following the acquisition,” Lagetko says, “particularly in December as he sold more stock, presumably to fund losses at Twitter.”

Lagetko is worried that the leveraged buyout of Twitter has left Tesla exposed, as interest payments on the debt Musk took on to fund the takeover come due at the same time as the social media company’s revenues have slumped.

But Tesla stock was already falling in April 2022, when Musk launched his bid for Twitter, and analysts say that the carmaker’s challenges run deeper than its exposure to the struggling social media platform. Tesla and its CEO have alienated its core customers while its limited designs and high prices make it vulnerable to competition from legacy automakers, who have rushed into the EV market with options that Musk’s company will struggle to match.

Prior to 2020, Tesla was essentially “playing against a B team in a soccer match,” says Matthias Schmidt, an independent analyst in Berlin who tracks electric car sales in Europe. But that changed in 2020, as “the opposition started rolling out some of their A squad players.”

In 2023, Tesla is due to release its long-awaited Cybertruck, a blocky, angular SUV first announced in 2019. It is the first new launch of a consumer vehicle by the company since 2020. A promised two-seater sports car is still years away, and the Models S, X, Y, and 3, once seen as space-age dynamos, are now “long in the tooth,” says Mark Barrott, an automotive analyst at consultancy Plante Moran. Most auto companies refresh their looks every three to five years—Tesla’s Model S is now more than 10 years old.

By contrast, this year Ford plans to boost production of both its F-150 Lighting EV pick-up, already sold out for 2023, and its Mustang Mach-E SUV. Offerings from Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 could threaten Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 in the $45,000 to $65,000 range. General Motors plans to speed up production and cut costs for a range of EV models, including the Chevy Blazer EV, the Chevy Equinox, the Cadillac Lyric, and the GMC Sierra EV.

While Tesla’s designs may be eye-catching, their high prices mean that they’re now often competing with luxury brands.

“There is this kind of nice Bauhaus simplicity to Tesla’s design, but it’s not luxurious,” says David Welch, author of Charging Ahead: GM, Mary Barra, and the Reinvention of an American Icon. “And for people to pay $70,000 to $100,000 for a car, if you’re competing suddenly with an electric Mercedes or BMW, or a Cadillac that finally actually feels like something that should bear the Cadillac name, you’re going to give people something to think about.”

While few manufacturers can compete with Tesla on performance and software (the Tesla Model S goes to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds, reaches a 200-mph top speed, and boasts automatic lane changing and a 17-inch touchscreen for console-grade gaming), many have reached or are approaching a range of 300 miles (480 km), which is the most important consideration for many EV buyers, says Craig Lawrence, a partner and cofounder at the investment group Energy Transition Ventures.

One of Tesla’s main competitive advantages has been its supercharging network. With more than 40,000 proprietary DC fast chargers located on major thoroughfares near shopping centers, coffee shops, and gas stations, their global infrastructure is the largest in the world. Chargers are integrated with the cars’ Autobidder optimization & dispatch software, and, most importantly, they work quickly and reliably, giving a car up to 322 miles of range in 15 minutes. The network contributes to about 12 percent of Tesla sales globally.

“The single biggest hurdle for most people asking ‘Do I go EV or not,’ is how do I refuel it and where,” says Loren McDonald, CEO and lead analyst for the consultancy EVAdoption. “Tesla figured that out early on and made it half of the value proposition.”

But new requirements for funding under public charging infrastructure programs in the US may erode Tesla’s proprietary charging advantage. The US National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program will allocate $7.5 billion to fund the development of some 500,000 electric vehicle chargers, but to access funds to build new stations, Tesla will have to open up its network to competitors by including four CCC chargers.

“Unless Tesla opens up their network to different charging standards, they will not get any of that volume,” Barrott says. “And Tesla doesn’t like that.”

In a few years, the US public charging infrastructure may start to look more like Europe’s, where in many countries the Tesla Model 3 uses standard plugs, and Tesla has opened their Supercharging stations to non-Tesla vehicles.

Tesla does maintain a software edge over competitors, which have looked to third-party technology like Apple’s CarPlay to fill the gap, says Alex Pischalnikov, an auto analyst and principal at the consulting firm Arthur D. Little. With over-the-air updates, Tesla can send new lines of code over cellular networks to resolve mechanical problems and safety features, update console entertainment options, and surprise drivers with new features, such as heated rear seats and the recently released full self-driving beta, available for $15,000. These software updates are also a cash machine for Tesla. But full self-driving features aren’t quite as promised, since drivers still have to remain in effective control of the vehicle, limiting the value of the system.

A Plante Moran analysis shared with WIRED shows Tesla’s share of the North American EV market declining from 70 percent in 2022 to just 31 percent by 2025, as total EV production grows from 777,000 to 2.87 million units.

In Europe, Tesla’s decline is already underway. Schmidt says data from the first 11 months of 2022 shows sales by volume of Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) vehicles outpaced Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 by more than 20 percent. His projections show Tesla’s product lines finishing the year with 15 percent of the western European electric vehicle market, down from 33 percent in 2019.

The European Union has proposed legislation to reduce carbon emissions from new cars and vans by 100 percent by 2035, which is likely to bring more competition from European carmakers into the market.

There is also a growing sense that Musk’s behavior since taking over Twitter has made a challenging situation for Tesla even worse.

Over the past year, Musk has used Twitter to call for the prosecution of former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci (“My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci”), take swings at US senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders over government spending and inflation, and placed himself at the center of the free speech debate. He’s lashed out at critics, challenging, among other things, the size of their testicles.

A November analysis of the top 100 global brands by the New York–based consultancy Interbrand estimated Tesla’s brand value in 2022 at $48 billion, up 32 percent from 2021 but well short of its 183 percent growth between 2020 and 2021. The report, based on qualitative data from 1,000 industry consultants and sentiment analysis of published sources, showed brand strength declining, particularly in “trust, distinctiveness and an understanding of the needs of their customers.”

“I think [Musk’s] core is rapidly moving away from him, and people are just starting to say, ‘I don’t like the smell of Tesla; I don’t want to be associated with that,’” says Daniel Binns, global chief growth officer at Interbrand.

Among them are once-loyal customers. Alan Saldich, a semi-retired tech CMO who lives in Idaho, put a deposit down on a Model S in 2011, before the cars were even on the road, after seeing a bodiless chassis in a Menlo Park showroom. His car, delivered in 2012, was number 2799, one of the first 3,000 made.

He benefited from the company’s good, if idiosyncratic, customer service. When, on Christmas morning 2012, the car wouldn’t start, he emailed Musk directly seeking a remedy. Musk responded just 24 minutes later: “...Will see if we can diagnose and fix remotely. Sorry about this. Hope you otherwise have a good Christmas.”

On New Year’s Day, Joost de Vries, then vice president of worldwide service at Tesla, and an assistant showed up at Saldich’s house with a trailer, loaded the car onto a flatbed, and hauled it to Tesla’s plant in Fremont, California, to be repaired. Saldich and his family later even got a tour of the factory. But since then, he’s cooled on the company. In 2019, he sold his Model S, and now drives a Mini Electric. He’s irritated in particular, he says, by Musk’s verbal attacks on government programs and regulation, particularly as Tesla has benefited from states and federal EV tax credits.

“Personally, I probably wouldn’t buy another Tesla,” he says. “A, because there’s so many alternatives and B, I just don’t like [Musk] anymore.”

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rpmtrish · 10 months

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Racing News: Ford Unveils Mustang GT3 Race Car

By SEMA Editors Ford has unveiled the Mustang GT3 race car, based on the all-new '24 Mustang Dark Horse, during a special ceremony as part of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The automaker also announced plans to enter the GT3 into the iconic endurance race's FIA GT3 category in 2024, along with an entry in the 2024 World Endurance Championship season under Proton Competition, the German team led by team principal Christian Ried. "It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone," said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Co. Multimatic will build and support the GT3s, while M-Sport will assemble the Ford Performance-developed 5.4 L Coyote-based V8 engines. The GT3 features a bespoke short-long arm suspension, rear-mounted transaxle gearbox, carbon fiber body panels, and an aero package developed to meet GT3 targets. In addition, the automaker announced a new Ford Performance branding described as a "cleaner, simplified look" that will be integrated across its racing vehicles. New E1 World Championship to Launch Inaugural Electric Powerboat Racing Season UIM E1 World Championship--the world's first all-electric powerboat racing championship--has unveiled the venues that will host the first-ever racing season beginning in January 2024. The season will launch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by a to-be-determined location in the Middle East in February 2024. Two events--set for April and May 2024--will take place in the waters of Venice, Italy. Then, competitors will visit Monaco in July 2024, followed by Rotterdam, Netherlands, in September 2024. Teams will race RaceBirds boats near the shore, allowing fans to view the action from land. WyoTech Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class WyoTech--the U.S. automotive, diesel and collision trade school based in Laramie, Wyoming--has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class, with alumni including the late trailblazer known as "The Fastest Woman on Earth, a John Deere master tech whose YouTube videos have garnered 8 million views, a custom car builder who returned as an instructor and more. "Each of the six alumni has achieved tremendous career success and demonstrates WyoTech's capability of training students to succeed across the entire spectrum of the trade industry," said Jim Mathis, president and CEO of WyoTech. "We're honored to recognize them as the first inductees of WyoTech's Hall of Fame and to show the public the kind of impact our graduates have on the trade industry and the world." To be eligible for the WyoTech Hall of Fame, alumni must be five years post-graduation and established in the industry. The inaugural WyoTech Hall of Fame Class is (in alphabetical order): - John Alonzo is the racing operations-marketing director for the race shop at Scoggin Dickey Parts Center in Lubbock, Texas, one of the world's leading dealers of high-performance engines and GM parts. - Jessi Combs (1980-2019): The late Combs broke stereotypes and records by joining the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger team and, in 2013, became "The Fastest Woman on Four Wheels" at 398 mph, with a top speed of 440 mph. In 2019, she set a new women's landspeed world record at 522.783 mph before the accident that took her life. That feat and her career were memorialized in the HBO Max documentary "The Fastest Woman on Earth." - Dave Gilley is the founder and owner of Gilleyfab Enterprises, near Salt Lake City, Utah, known for top-tier, fine-quality fabrication in the UTV industry. - Levi Green is the owner and instructor of HammerFab near Austin, Texas, which specializes in handcrafting upscale turnkey customs and industry-leading fabrication tools and parts. - Zeth Key is a Master John Deere service technician at a Sloan Implement location in Illinois. In April 2008, he launched a YouTube channel in honor of his late friend Jake to promote the trade they loved and to "inspire a younger generation to pick up a wrench and start a great career" keeping agriculture running. In two years, the channel grew to 63,000 subscribers and 8 million views. - Randy Svalina is a WyoTech specialties instructor who teaches students a curriculum and a way of life that helps their families and communities. "As a part of WyoTech, we help others reach their goals, their dreams, raise their families and succeed in their journey," he said. Read the full article

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