Fanfiction Trope MASH-UP

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Shipping Cruz with Lightning feels very weird and gross to me.

1. There is a big enough age gap between them that she remembers watching his races when she was kid. She is at most in her early-twenties and Lightning had been racing for ten years by Cars 3 and is considered “old” by a bunch of twenty-something racers in 2017. While an age gap like that isn’t wrong per se, there is that power imbalance in terms of life experience that a romance wouldn’t work. While I image Sally is the older one between her and Lightning, they don’t seem that far apart in age where one of them is +10 years older.

2. Speaking of power imbalances, Lightning was also technically her employer. Technically it’s more of Sterling, but Lightning has some authority and influence over her job so long as he’s working for Rusteze. Yeah Cruz quits at the end, but they were still working together. In that way, him helping out Cruz getting a shot at racing feels like a sort of like a “casting couch” situation.

3. I never saw where people think Lightning or Cruz had or could have romantic feelings. I got always got the impression Lightning was acting more like a father to her. Luckily that seems to be the majority of Cars fans, but somehow tvtropes begs to differ.

So yeah, I’m not a fan of daddy issues in that regard. Yet somehow my mother thought that Lightning and Cruz were a couple and wondered if Sally would get jealous. Honestly, I rather Cruz just be Lightning’s sort of daughter figure and Sally his girlfriend.

Marriage is overrated and ten years on Sally and Lightning are a healthy, functional couple. Sally has little interaction with Cruz but she seems to like her fine. She was mad at Jackson talking to Cruz and making her uncomfortable (I would too, especially if Armie Hammer was talking to me) and was very complimentary of her Dinoco paint job at the end. Sally has no issue with Lightning spending time with a younger woman because she trusts him and their relationship. Healthy relationships.

However, that doesn’t stop me from shipping Cruz/Natalie Certain and Sally/Holley. I’m more of a yuri fan than yaoi, but it’s understandable why yaoi is more prominent in this fandom.

And then Holley saves their asses while Finn is in la la land waiting to die.

Holley: Oh Ford, you kidnap a tow truck without doing background check, you yell at me for shocking your informant when you had TWELVES HOURS to say something, and you got caught because you didn’t think to look up. And you call Mater the idiot? He at least no idea what he doing most of the time and I was mostly following your orders! 

Finn: Shut up woman! We have to stop this violence with the only way I know how: with MORE violence!

Holley: Should’ve seen that one coming. Just promise me your death count will be less than three today.

Finn: Yes.

Omg I just realized Finn is 100% willing to die for McQueen no question.

BEWARE MY SPRAY CAN!

Red looks impress

Ramone looks so pissed holy shit

YES I HAVE TO SHIP RIGHT NOW! I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP AND I’M GOING TO SAIL HER INTO WHATEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE!

I was the FIRST Cruzon shipper!

Ill take this ship to my grave okay.

I had a dream like that once... My god... this movie will give me feels...

It’s my Toy Story 3, and I’m not even graduating!

Doc and McQueen were probably racing around Willy’s Butte and then Doc started like, shaking, breathing heavily all of a sudden and had to stop in the middle, Lightning being really worried and like oh god no no you’ll be okay you’ll be okay and Doc was just fading away slowly and he looked right into Lightning’s eyes and explained to him that his engine’s seizing, there’s nothing anyone can do. Lighting’s crying and calling for help but Doc told him no, this is how he wanted to die, he wanted to die while racing, while in the moment, and not tucked away in a garage or something. Lightning just kept crying and telling Doc he loves him as his mentor is dying in front of him, and Doc’s last words were just, “Lightning…thank you.”

So… I missed a few Fridays, but I’m still going to try for a weekly schedule. So sorry. This character is Gabe McDonnell. As described by his creator “he’s laid back, open minded and a helpful individual, but sometimes he just wants to be alone for various reasons.” His mother is dating a sleezeball boyfriend. He and his best friend AJ Maye are the first to find Sev. The face claim for this character is based on #tannerbuchanan while the character’s body type is based on the Archie cartoon of the 70s. He’s kind of the Mike Wheeler in terms of being the leader, but also shares that role with Tara in bonding with Sev. #strangerthings #sevenchronicles #seven #chronicles #gabemcdonnell #gabe #mcdonnell #greaser #1970s #1976 #fanfic #stranger #things https://www.instagram.com/p/CgnmG2TDl_Y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

MOOOOORRRRREEEE!

GODDAMMIT! I WISH I COULD DRIVE TO SEE IT!

(1 hour later after having been throughly tranquillize.)

Cruz definitely has the face of the “this isn’t going to be good idea anymore... is it.” My god I can’t wait/hope for more adorableness from her.

Now I’m suddenly thinking Miss Fritter if human, would look like Jasper from Steven Universe.

HUGE SPOILERS FOR CARS FANDOM

Link to an Instagram video of a small portion of the Demolition Derby clip from the Road to the Races tour.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuYuE-j_pT/

And not only that we now know there are at least two different kinds of afterlife. And that séances are possible.

Mater seemed to be weirdly chill about how he was about to die. He only didn’t go with the Speed Demon is because he didn’t want to leave Lightning alone… he didn’t care his sister wouldn’t see him just that he didn’t want Lightning to be sad and alone.

Honestly I think that was legitimately sweet this episode. Mater was worried about Lightning being sad about him dying and Lightning was worried for Mater’s safety.

They are friends who care about each other and it’s weirdly sweet here.

cars on the road episode 3 alternate title "mater fucking dies for about 3 seconds"

Anyways,

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

TORTURE AND SALLY AND CRUZ! WHY ARE YOU MAKING HIM WATCH!

I know I should’ve seen it coming but it still made me scared!

IT’S HELL IT’S HELL IT’S HELL IT’S HELL IT’S HELL IT’S HELL IT’S HELL!!!!!

OH THANKS FOR THE ENDING! I GUESS I’LL JUST ASSUME THE WORST OF HAPPENED TO THE THREE!

Okay...

Mater, call the spies and get a Maui hook and go save your friends,

Holley, get out the taser and shock the minions and help Mater get them out.

Finn, put eighteen holes inside of Axlerod.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRn2jDfsOsQ

Lightning McQueen: Moronic Feminist!

(At the Demolition Derby with Luigi, Guido, and Mack watch from the side in concern. They see Cruz stuck in the mud and Lightning nearby.)

Luigi: Oh shit! Lightning go get-a her out of the mud!

Lightning: I’m not doin’ it. That would be sexist

Luigi, Guido, and Mack: What!?

Lightning: This right here, this situation, this is the damsel in distress trope. And I am not about to contribute to it.

Mack: While I can agree that trope is horrible in this particular situation we need you to do this. She’s in danger.

Lightning: No. It'd be against my moral compass.

Luigi: Your fucking moral compass is a roulette wheel!

Cruz: (increasingly scared for her life) Lightning I know what you mean but this isn’t the time for that.

Lightning: I’m sorry Cruz I can’t do it.

Luigi: Look, she’s already in the situation. You just need to pull her out of it.

Mack: What if we pretend she’s just a crippled car.

Lightning: That’d be denying her sexual identity. Cruz, you do identify as female, right?

Cruz:(annoyed but getting worried over not being able to get out of the mud) Yeah and I understand. Sometimes in our culture things are ridiculous, but face it, situation is situation.

Lightning: I’m sorry. I can’t do it.

Guido: OOOOHHHHHH GOOODD!

Lightning: Think about it from my perspective! What do you see over there?

Luigi: YOUR TRAINER! AND SHE’S IN TROUBLE!

Lightning: Well I see a highly capable girl. Sure life’s beaten her down a little but that’s not gonna stop her. Nothing’s gonna stop her. She can become president of the world one day!

Luigi: NOT IF SHE’S SAWED IN HALF BY MISS FRITTER!

(20 minutes later Luigi, Guido, and Mack leave the two at the derby and back to the trailer)

Luigi: Okay, so we all agree. We’ll hide her body on the beach, if Lightning’s still alive we train somewhere else and never come back here again. We’ll-a tell Sterling we lost Cruz somehow. Good?

Guido: (Nods)

Mack: I like it!