SP4phearless

I have episodes 5-8 all typed up and ready to go.... but they're trapped on my desktop, and I need to set it back up.
I've been out of town, for the last two weeks, and I'll be gone until the end of May. To anyone who pays attention to this, it may be a while. Sorry for the suspense...

Damn you, Final Fantasy Tactics! You're supposed to be helping to CURE my writer's block!
I suppose, next time I try to occupy myself in a moment of pen paralysis, I'll choose something with a far less engrossing story.

I made the mistake of listening to Run Past Through The Plains, from the Final Fantasy Tactics OST, whilst driving the GTi.......
long story, short: 6 points off my Missouri license.....


At least I didn't get caught when it was Cryptkeeper (Forza 4 Version), by Camo & Krooked.... because that would have resulted in jail time, and impound fees...

Next up is the "worthy adversary", herself, Vanessa. I will admit, she is very difficult to write for. Sometimes, I think I'm going a little too overboard, with her, even though this is simply the natural flow of her personality. I want to tone her down, but anything along those lines feels forced and unnatural, so I just go with it. Anyways, here's her bio:

Vanessa Saito
Age: 27
Ht/Wt: 5'9"/115lbs.
Birthdate: February 13th (Aquarius)
Affiliation: Rocket Dancers
Profession: Upscale Restaurant Hostess
Primary Car: 1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R VSpecII (BNR32)
Other Cars: none
Theme Song: Skyline Silhouettes - Element 101

Vanessa is what some would call a "trust fund baby". She comes from a rich family, and is somewhat displeased with her own inherited affluence. Thus, she tends to rebel against the status quo. Although indulging in some of the benefits of her upbringing, she has a propensity to "slum it" with those of lower social classes, far preferring their company to that of her own category.
Never one to willingly take what she doesn't feel she has earned, Vanessa insists on working for everything she has, keeping her substantial trust fund as an emergency supply of funds. Her own Nissan Skyline was a gift to herself, for years of work, during her high school and college years. Being a very terse, and straightforward woman, Vanessa makes no effort to hide her self-image, or sexuality, and frequently comments on her somewhat overwhelmingly healthy views of her own body, and personality. At times, she even appears to swagger, but this is, in all actuality, simply the result of her confidence, and utterly unapologetic persona.
All that being said, it comes as a shock to most people, to find out that she is the dominant figure on the Loveland Pass racing scene. A role she never takes lightly, and somewhat identifies herself by, as it was the only thing she has ever felt she truly earned by her own merit. When Black Dawn arrives on the scene, and challenges her all-female racing crew's dominance, she takes this to heart, and becomes enthralled with the idea of outright defeating Jarod Wynde... a rivalry that yields no small amount of animosity, respect, and sexual tension, all at once.


And, here is the third original member of Black Dawn, the analytical Jon. I wanted an aire of mystery about him, but that brought him too close to the Ryosuke Takahashi formula, so I fought to give him a bit more personality (by the way... I'm not a big fan of Initial D, at all, in case you couldn't tell)....

Jon Ross
Age: 30
Ht/Wt: 5'7/185lbs
Birthdate: October 25th (Scorpio)
Affiliation: Black Dawn
Profession: Co-owner of Like The Wind
Primary Car: 1987 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R
Other Cars: 1991 Honda Civic Wagon AWD (EE5)
                    1997 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS
Theme Song: Living in Chaos - The Offspring

Shrewd, soft-spoken, cunning, and dangerously skillful, are all perfect ways to describe Jon Ross, as a racer. In normal life, he is somewhat outgoing, though he only tolerates social environments for so long, before retreating to his "lair", to plan his next project. Jon tends to take a very Tesla-esque approach to automotive customization work... sometimes (especially in the case of his own Starion) plotting out a modification plan, without a car in mind. Jon is a genius when it comes to engine design, and function, and is the driving force behind Like The Wind's horsepower department.
In Glendora, CA, while Jarod took his 5-year hiatus, rivals, customers, and enemies, alike, soon began to refer to him as "The Guru of Speed". Nobody took it softly, when a machine tuned by Like The Wind showed up on track, or on the mountain. However, a tragic incident, where a young customer died, while driving a car Jon had tuned, caused him to retreat from his policy of churning out devilish machines, and he soon took up a strict interview, and personalized modification plan, with all customers... a policy which was followed, to the letter, from the first day it was implemented.
Unlike everyone else in his life, Jon Ross does not fully engage in any "real" activities. He has dedicated his entire life to his work, and is so absorbed in building and driving the fastest yet safest cars, on the road, that he has little time for anything else. A true worshipper at the temple of horsepower, if there ever was one. Jon also has an uncanny knack for a deep understanding of the abilities and limitations of other racers and cars, and is well-known for his on-the-spot analysis of a situation. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that Jon has never lost a race.

Since manga writers like to do this for their characters, I think I'll try my hand at it, every once in a while, just to see how it works out. Let me know what ya'll think. after you've read my works, that is.
First one up, is the main protagonist for Black Dawn, who, although he shares my first name, is NOT a self-insertion. He's actually got very little in common with me, at all. If anyone in the series was inspired by my own personality, at all, it's the twin sister... except that I'm not rabidly bisexual.
Here goes:

Jarod Wynde
Age: 30
Ht/Wt: 5'5"/170lbs
Birthdate: January 8th (Capricorn)
Affiliation: Black Dawn
Profession: Co-owner of Like The Wind, and owner of Wynde Tile & Stone
                   Former US Army (MOS unknown)
Primary Car: 1988 Mazda RX-7 TurboII 10th Anniversary Edition
Other cars: 1986 Nissan Sentra Sport Coupe
                   1991 BMW M3
Theme Song: That's What You Get - Paramore

Jarod is a recalcitrant and tacit person, for the most part. Slow to show any emotions, at all, despite the fact that he is quite capable of feeling them (even when he lectures his least favorite employee of Wynde Tile & Stone). He normally only expresses anything at all to his twin sister, Kim, who seems to be the only person he trusts with any of his troubles, at all, or towards whom he shows any humor or jest. His reluctance to share any of his internal struggles is so great, that his own best friend, Jon Ross, doesn't even know Jarod had served in the Army for 5 years, or that he was married, and widowed (under yet unknown circumstances), during that time. In fact, he never speaks to anyone about his time in the military, and becomes very annoyed whenever the subject comes up. However, he does not seem to regret his service.
Originally from Glendora, CA, Jarod, Kim, and Jon had relocated to Colorado, in order to continue their co-owned speed shop, Like The Wind. Restrictions on modifications to road-going cars, and the ever-increasing crackdown on "grey market" imports, in California, forced them to move their operation to an area that was more friendly to their profession.
As well, Jarod seems to enjoy a large degree of financial success, partly due to the family wealth, and his hard-working nature. Being an owner of two flourishing businesses, at only 30 years old, he has never had any money trouble. His attitude and demeanor betray absolutely none of his personal affluence, and he has little time or patience for stereotypical wealthy people.
He is a very skilled tuner and racer, having been raised in a family of hotrod builders and so-called "canyon carvers". He and Kim also have extensive on-track experience. His childhood was happy and privileged, and until he returned from his military service, Jarod was quite outgoing, friendly, and well-liked by most, if not all, of his peers.
His most prized possession is his special edition RX-7, which he inherited from his deceased brother, Danny. One example of only 1500 in the world, and the car he most often uses for racing on Loveland Pass.



Next up is the twin sister, Kim. I found, during writing the story, that I relate a lot to her, and she's probably my favorite character, in the whole series. Any resemblances to me are purely accidental. It's just kinda funny that there happen to be so many of them. But, she's bi and loves every minute of it, and I'm... so not.

Kim Wynde
Age: 30
Ht/Wt: 5'1"/110 lbs
Birthdate: January 8th (Capricorn)
Affiliation: Black Dawn
Profession: Co-owner of Like The Wind
Primary Car: 1990 Nissan Silvia K's Club (PS13)
Other cars: unrevealed
Theme Song: Born For This - Paramore

Kim is well known for being almost overwhelmingly passionate about damn near everything. Opinionated, and quick to share the full spectrum of her emotions with nearly anyone she trusts… which is just about everyone she comes across. Very social, and outgoing, Kim does prefer to take on a "service writer" role, in the shop, as long as she still gets to dirty her hands, most of the time. She's also well known for being a very unashamed bisexual. A fact that earns her a great deal of playful ribbings from her twin brother, Jarod. She is flighty when it comes to romantic relationships, often moving in and out of them, on a whim, and sometimes going back to former lovers. There seems to be a method to her madness, and nobody around her has ever dared disparage her for her lifestyle.
An incredibly capable driver, she is nearly on par, in terms of skill level, with Jarod, and at one point, was actually able to consistently defeat him, when the two competed in on-track events, as children, teenagers, and young adults. In fact, it was Kim who first suggested the idea of the trio getting involved in the illegal, yet overlooked world of mountain racing.
Her relationship with her brother is one that matches nearly every stereotype on twins. In fact, she happens to be the only person he fully trusts with anything. A detail she does not take lightly, and often feels that she is responsible for him, in an almost motherly capacity.
She proudly sports a grey-market imported Nissan Silvia turbo, which was a 16th birthday gift from her parents. Having little interest in owning any other car. Not even a "daily driver". She sometimes jokingly refers to her Silvia as her "soul mate", and mostly refuses to let anyone else so much as touch her beloved car.
A stark contrast to Jarod, and the symbolic stability of the group. Were it not for Kim holding everyone together, there would be no Black Dawn, or Like The Wind. She's got little to complain about, and not a care in the world.