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21burritoseavey · 3 years

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Going Public (d.s.)

a/n: Hey! I'm sorry this took so long, but here you go, really hope you enjoy this! also i guess you could say secret relationship is pt.1, hollywood fix is pt.2 and this is pt.3 but you can read them on their own:) sorry if this is a little unedited! and...bad lol

Summary: Daniel and Y/n have a little movie night and do the TikTok trend of “I hate all me, but when he loves me I feel like...” and post it, confirming their relationship.

Y/n always stayed over at Daniel’s place at the end of the school week. After her shift at work, she’d head over to his house so they could spend the evening together. Sometimes when Christian wasn’t around or Daniel was home alone, she’d just let herself in and greet Kobe as he ran towards the front door, and she’d see Daniel in the studio or in his bedroom. They’d cuddle under the blankets and have the TV on in the background, gentle chatter flowing between them. Those nights were easily Y/n’s favourite part of the week.

One Friday night, Y/n had plodded to the front door. Her muddy footsteps followed her to the welcome mat, testament to the slight chill and light autumn drizzle outside. She wiped the souls of her boots against the grimy, brown strings with her hand gripped onto the door handle and was surprised to see the house strangely clean and empty when the door squealed open. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought no one was home, but Daniel’s text fifteen minutes earlier told her otherwise. I mean, even the gentle pitter patter of Kobe’s paws didn’t fill her ears when she kicked off her shoes.

“Daniel,” She called softly, brushing her fingers against the marble countertop. Y/n walked over to the kitchen cabinets and started rummaging around for a snack. Her movements were comfortable and unashamed, the sight of her had the corners of Daniel’s lips instantly turning upwards into a smile. He had emerged from his bedroom silently, having just gotten off a phone call with his manager, Randy.

His footsteps creaking along the floorboards had Y/n snapping her head to the sound and she jumped back in fear as she saw him. “Oh God,” She breathed, pressing a hand to her heart in momentary embarrassment. The packet of chips in the cabinet toppled over the edge and Y/n spun back around. “Okay, this house is haunted or something.” She laughed. Daniel chuckled quietly and walked over to the counter. One mug of hot chocolate sat on the tabletop, steaming, and swirling with a sweet aroma. “Oh, is that for me?” She asked Daniel, walking towards him to drape her arms across his waist and give him a hug.

He let a gentle laugh fall from his lips. “No, it’s for Kobe over there,” he joked, looking over Y/n to gaze at the small puppy curled up on the blanketed sectional sofa. Y/n looked over her shoulder to follow gaze, noticing more than just Kobe in the corner. The living room was illuminated with warm light by two small lamps on opposite sides of the couch. Blankets and pillows were brought in from Daniel’s bedroom to scatter throughout the little space and a bowl of caramel popcorn - Y/n’s favourite - sat amongst a plethora of snacks.

Y/n walked towards the couch, letting out a quiet, “what’s all this for?” before she faced Daniel again.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought it would be nice since it’s cold and rainy tonight.” He set the hot cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table.

“Well, thank you, Daniel.” Y/n tugged a corner of her lips into a shy smirk and padded towards him. Daniel willingly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his body against hers, the feeling of her sinking into his soothing embrace had smeared a smile onto his face.

“Do you want to pick the movie?” He asked, his whisper muffled by her hair.

“Yeah,” Y/n stepped back gently and looked across the room to the TV remote.

Daniel chuckled, “m’kay, but if you spend twenty hours trying to pick a movie…” He trailed off, picking up the TV remote with a raised eyebrow.

“Okay, that was one time.” She defended, snatching it from him.

----

“What’s with the photo?” She smiled towards the camera behind a sip of her drink. The movie Y/n chose was Pride and Prejudice, and she was proud to tell Daniel it only took her five minutes to pick it out. Ribbons of yellowy light shone over their faces as they slumped back on the couch, blankets wrapped around them, and a bowl of popcorn shared between them in the middle.

“Just ‘because I love you,” Daniel uttered, biting his upturned lips. He dropped his phone to his lap.

“Y’ sure”

“Okay, I have to tell you something,” He beamed, eyes ablaze with zest and heart beating with excitement. He set her face in his palms and kept his calm smile, he watched her eyes lit up at his statement. Y/n drew back his hands and dropped them to her lap with his fingers entwined with hers. She shuffled to devote her attention to him completely.

“What is it?”

Daniel giggled and leaned in for another kiss. “Something...” He glanced everywhere but her, knowing well that he said something that would absolutely drive her crazy.

“Stop being so mysterious,” Y/n huffed, dropping his hand to cross her arms.

“Okay fine,” He chuckled breathily. “I think we should tell my fans we're in a relationship.” He said, shifting his gaze to rest on Y/n while she processed the news.

“Yo-you mean like-” Y/n gaped, “like really tell them. Like say: we are in a relationship?”

Daniel nodded swiftly. “Yeah,”

“How should we tell them?” Y/n asked, reaching across the couch to retrieve her phone. Kobe shifted sleepily in her lap and stretched his paws, tickling her arms and she giggled at the feeling. “Kobers, Dani’s fans are going to know about me.” She cooed, scratching his soft stomach lightly.

“I was thinking I could just post a-” “Oh! Oh! Oh! Should we make a TikTok?!” She exclaimed, answering her own question before he could even comprehend her sudden excitement. “Yes! We really should make a TikTok!” Her fingers led her to her TikTok app, and she scrolled through sounds to find out what video they should make. Random sounds filled the quiet space every once and a while as she sampled the audio. She wanted it to be perfect. The most perfect announcement video there ever was, and since the young couple had thought about this moment for a long time, Y/n already had a few ideas brewing in her mind. “Look Daniel, this one’s cute, right?” She said through a wide smile, facing the dimly lit screen towards him. A little montage of another couple came into view as Daniel glanced up from his own phone.

“Yeah, that’s cute.” He shrugged, plopping a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.

“We have to be that cute.” Y/n spoke, “You have to be that cute,” She bit back her smile, watching Daniel’s head whip towards her in fake offence out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey! I’m always cute!” ----

By the time Daniel and Y/n had finally finished filming their TikTok, the natural light outside had diminished completely, leaving the dark sky aglow with mere city lights in the distance. Daniel lifted himself off the couch towards the doors and windows to draw the blinds. Y/n watched him tiredly from the couch, eyes drifting to his ocean blue eyes and brunette hair dusted with blonde and-

“What are you thinking about, baby?” Daniel asked through the quiet room, kneeled beside her on the floor. He leaned back on the edge of the couch and rested his head on her lap. Y/n giggled, watching his eyes drift to the ceiling before meeting hers. She leaned in and giggled onto his lips before they shared a quick kiss. Daniel groaned tiredly as he lifted himself up onto the couch again, hands habitually falling into Y/n’s and head resting on her shoulder as he gazed at the blank screen. The movie had been abandoned ever since Y/n had the idea of making a TikTok - paused on a sweet scene of two lovers together, just like the young couple on the couch in real life.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Daniel.” Y/n asked again, glimpsing up from her phone to really see if, he was sure. The TikTok remained in the drafts of Daniel’s individual account.

“A hundred percent, Y/n”

“I’m scared about what they’re going to say.” She frowned.

“Don’t even worry about it,” He consoled her.

“Okay,” She gave a half smile, although the slight fear lingered in her voice.

“Let’s just watch our movie and check it out later,” Daniel pressed the post button, sending Y/n into a fit of nervous giggles at how easy it was for him. Her eyes lingered on the video for a few long seconds, but Daniel whisked gaze away from the screen to meet him. Endearing and relaxed. He leaned in and bumped their noses lightly before letting their lips meet for a soft kiss. Y/n pulled him closer, tugging the blanket draped across his back higher up so it could envelop them both. Daniel’s giggles pulled them out of their lingering kisses and pressed one strong kiss to her lips again before continuing the movie. For a while, it was just them, together. In Daniel’s living room. Lights off. Lamps on and a movie playing quietly across from them. And for the first time in a long time, Y/n didn’t let the external opinions of everyone else get to her.

taglist: @chilling-seavey @marthagryffindor @randomlimelightxxx @hiya-its-amber @the-girl-who-cried-wolf @hackerXavery @jonahlovescoffee @onlyangelavery

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#daniel seavey #daniel seavey imagines #daniel seavey fanfic #why don't we #why dont we imagines #why dont we fanfic #zach herron #jack avery #jonah marais #corbyn besson #why dont we oneshots #daniel seavey oneshots

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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Godddddd I'm so upset that I dislike yen this much, doing main quests in skellige and Freyas ppl were doing stuff and she again disrespected other cultures with Geraly being against, "I may be inhumanly beautiful" I know she's meant to be confident but wowww. She's not confident and worried for Ciri she just comes off arrogant and selfish and vain. Like, fuck.

The ultimate mood, anon. My Witcher fandom life would be so much easier if I enjoyed Yen ... but I just do not lol. Remember how I mentioned that things were going to get even worse than her stealing and using a potentially dangerous artifact? Yeeeaah. She also resurrects Ciri's friend to torture him for information, all while destroying another sacred garden to get the power to do it! It's not even a "She's so evil and I love it 😏" situation for me because the game tries so hard to convince us that she's still The Best. Geralt's sexy soulmate, Ciri's adoring mother, the baddest bitch around who gets things done and does it with an effortless confidence... all while ignoring how horrific her actions and attitude are. Oh sure, other characters speak ill of her at times, but considering how much Geralt is written to adore her, no matter what you choose, that's all undermined. I love morally gray/evil characters, but I've never enjoyed them when the text refuses to appropriately acknowledge that side of them. Nothing is more frustrating to me than a story that frames disliking a character as the unambiguously wrong thing to do, especially when the text is piling up reasons to dislike them and, as a result, ignoring or shrugging them off their actions as not that bad. Yen is a rather extreme example of that for me. Despite her attitude, her choices, and other characters outright going, "Why do you like her?" the story as a whole works under the assumption that it's correct to like her anyway because Geralt loves her. And he loves her for... reasons.

They do meet before the wish, but only just. Major "The Last Wish" spoilers in this paragraph, so feel free to skip. Basically, Geralt and Dandelion run into trouble with a djinn, he goes to Yen for help since she's a sorceress (first time meeting her), he instantly falls for her because she's gorgeous and such (there's an elf there who is also madly in love with Yen. Men just... fall for her, instinctually), she heals Dandelion, Geralt agrees to pay her, but Yen has already decided on the payment she wants. She takes control of Geralt's mind and forces him to attack the town to seek revenge on those who have insulted her, resulting in him waking up in prison awaiting execution for "his" crimes. Meanwhile, Yen has gone after the djinn for herself because power/trying to regain her ability to have a kid. Geralt escapes, finds her failing to master the djinn (an attempt which btw has endangered the whole town) and despite what she's done to him, Geralt tries to get Yen to escape with him. She refuses, set on capturing the djinn even though it's obvious she can't. So as a last resort he uses the final wish to bind their fates together, saving Yen from the djinn in the process. Aaaaaand then they have sex.

So yeah, their rocky relationship is one of the main reasons why I can't enjoy Yen. For some their tumultuous history is evidence of realism, for me it's evidence that they're not actually very compatible and they're only together because a) that's the fantasy trope: protagonist men get together with the hot sorceress and b) because the magic is literally ensuring that they can't escape one another. I mean, canonically their fates are tied together by magic and canonically they spend about 20 years swinging between passionate love and fearsome fights... but there's supposedly no connection between these two things? No chance at all that they keep coming together because magic is drawing them rather than because they actually want/should be together? I wrote a meta a while back about the short story where they meet, which includes a present day scene where Geralt is criticized by another character — Nenneke — for running out on Yen. Thing is, he tries to explain that he left because she was "too possessive" and this is... flat out ignored. By both Nenneke and the fandom. There's a strong trend of ignoring Geralt's words in favor of a pro-Yen interpretation of events. He says he left because she was too possessive and she treated him like ____ — he's not allowed to finish the sentence and say what she treated him like because Nenneke interrupts him, saying she doesn't care about his version of events. Major yikes imo! She turns a claim of being possessive into Geralt not being man enough to stick around. The fandom likewise turns this into a case of Geralt getting cold feet and running out because he's a bastard who hates commitment. Likewise, Nenneke and the fandom claim Geralt is trying to get Yen money as a way of appeasing his guilt for leaving, he claims he's doing it simply because he still cares for her — even if he doesn't want to be with her — and knows she needs it. Geralt's words are frequently dismissed, in the same way others characters' opinions of Yen are dismissed. Any mark against her is treated as either a lie, or a convoluted claim that they don't really know her... never mind that an understanding of why she may act this way doesn't excuse the behavior itself. (Plus, the whole "Yen had a horrible upbringing, so of course she struggles being kind" perspective always fell flat to me when so many, including witchers, had horrendous upbringings too. The whole point is this world is a mess and most everyone suffers). It's supposedly true love, yet if someone came up to me and went, "I magically tied my fate to this woman to keep her from getting herself killed and we've spent the last couple decades having what many would term a rocky relationship, to put it kindly. I left once because she was too controlling. She once cheated on me. I likewise hooked up with others during our frequent breakups. A mutual friend used magic to get me to have sex with her — also while my lover and I were broken up — and though I view it as a dumb decision I'm happy to forgive her for, my lover is ready to commit murder because again: possessive. A lot of the time we're only a family because of our daughter. I once thought she'd horrifically betrayed us both. She didn't, but it says something that I was so ready to believe it, huh? Hmm? Permanently separated? Of course not! I love her. We're destined to be together after all :)" I'd be like, "Uh... you sure about that, dude?"

Not that Geralt doesn't make his fair share of mistakes in the relationship — he absolutely does — but I don't think it helps his case that he's immature in other ways and, frankly, that he's a very strong, badass witcher. It's easy to turn the hints we get about their relationship into a simplistic "emotionally naive man can't give the poor woman the commitment she wants" situation. Given Geralt's status as the badass fighter of the tale, it's likewise easy to dismiss his admissions of her being "possessive" and his general discomfort. He's the man. He's the witcher. If he's making any claims about how Yen isn't treating him well, they must be excuses, or exaggerations, because real men, especially physically powerful men, would do something about that — a something that's not sneaking out in the middle of the night. A lot of people read Geralt leaving as the ultimate proof that he's an immature bastard who doesn't deserve her. I read him leaving and think, "What were you trying to get away from? What was going on that made you think you could only leave by sneaking out without a word?" To me, that doesn't read as someone who felt safe, comfortable, and respected enough to do anything but slip away and try to wash his hands of things. And I'm not just pulling this "Geralt is at least somewhat afraid of Yen and isn't comfortable establishing boundaries with her" reading out of my ass. When Yen wants Geralt to kill the golden dragon for her and he refuses, saying he doesn't care anymore, his thoughts are:

He expected the worst: a cascade of flames, flashes of lightning, blows raining down on his face, insults and curses. There was nothing. He saw, with astonishment, only the subtle trembling of her lips. Yennefer turned around slowly. Geralt regretted his words.

And everyone is like, "See! Yen has improved so much. Geralt nearly made her cry, but she's supposed to be the bad guy here?" Meanwhile, I'm going, "Uh... anyone want to unpack why he expects fire, lightning, insults, curses, and blows to his face for telling her no? Why he's astonished that she wouldn't use her magic against him? Anyone think that Yen refraining from attacking Geralt when he refuses to murder on her command is a pretty low bar? No? Just me?"

Geralt and Yen's relationship makes me uncomfortable and a great deal of that discomfort derives from how much of the Witcher fandom shrugs off the fictional warning signs. I mean, I post primarily about RWBY. We watched a man in that show try to sneak away with his kids when his villainous wife planned to use them for a eugenics plan... and the fandom still blames him for that, refusing to admit that he was in an abusive relationship. Because that doesn't happen to men, right? I'm not saying it's the same for Geralt and Yen, simply because they are written to be soulmates. An abusive relationship was, quite obviously, never the authorial intent. However, I am saying that the a "This isn't a healthy relationship" reading is there, it exists as an interpretation, and both the story and fandom's tendency to dismiss it is something that hasn't helped me enjoy Yen's status as an otherwise well written, complex character. Their equality supposedly stems in part because they're both so flawed, yet each time I see a list of Geralt's supposedly equal faults they're... lacking imo. "Geralt bound himself to Yen without her consent." Yeah, to save her from dying from the djinn she was trying to enslave, after she refused to leave, while her actions threatened a whole town. "Geralt ran off without a word." Mmm hmm, anyone care about why? And my personal favorite is a scene you may not have gotten to yet (or may not get depending on your choices), but suffice to say, Yen is supposedly justified in physically attacking Geralt if he dares to challenge her in any way. That's the main takeaway across the fandom: If Yen is pissed off, you must have done something to deserve it which, in the relationship deliberately written to be "stormy," is something that sets all the alarm bells in my head off. Honestly, it kinda makes my skin crawl to go, "Geralt didn't deserve that" and get responses back of, "Yeah he did because he [insert basic human action here]." The Witcher world is hard and cruel, absolutely, but that doesn't mean I personally enjoy seeing an equally messed up relationship presented as something that's enviable in its flaws. "That's actually true love because the magically bound man who often expresses discomfort with his lover, written by a male author with a very iffy perspective on women, says it's true love." Crazy theory here, but... maybe it's not?

Idk, lots of rambling on my end tonight! For me, Geralt/Yen reads as something rather tragic which, in a canon that unironically upholds the relationship, and in a Yen-adoring fandom, doesn't make enjoying her character any easier. I keep coming back to Witcher 3, the comics, the show, even the books going, "Maybe I'll like her this time?" but nope, still trying lol.

#witcher #mymetas

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carshowz · 6 years

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The more time you spend in the automotive industry your mindset changes, you start to look at things differently. Instead of zipping through a parking lot at a car show and taking notice of the shiny paint with a bit of pearl glistening from the sun because, that is what grabs your attention; you find yourself taking your time, enjoying the moment. I guess you can say it comes with age or just the appreciation of what goes into a build, no matter what the style or genre is. You start to question why a builder built a vehicle the way they did, not in a cruel way, but more of wanting to understand the story behind the build, why they incorporated certain elements, etc. When we caught a glimpse of Wild Torquey and CMESLAM created by Tinman 2 Kustoms at SEMA, the creativity meter instantly shot up for us.

With the power of the interwebz and social media, it doesn’t take long for a cool automotive build to trend, especially at SEMA. Our team caught wind of Wild Torquey and the CMESLAM rig parked in one of the lots at SEMA. We saw pics being shared via social media and we knew we had to check it out. We came across the Tinman 2 Kustom rig and we all stood there for a bit taking it in, checking out every detail. The rat rod style is an acquired taste, many people cannot see past the patina paint and they automatically dismiss the build in their head and move on. When you pay attention to the details of the build, you will find an amazing amount of fabrication and engineering that is well thought out, creating a purpose-built machine.

Luke Merrill (Tinman 2 Kustoms) is the man behind the build of Wild Torquey and CMESLAM. What is more attention grabbing then a 1931 Chevy Rat Rod with a custom built PJ trailer and a 1966 C10 in tow? It’s a massive rig in a parking lot full of show vehicles and we needed to learn more about the build and the man behind it.

Wild Torquey & CMESLAM

The BUILD Details of the Tinman 2 Kustoms Rig

While Luke placed his professional goals on hold after college to continue to build his foundation of becoming a known builder at such a young age, the 1931 Rat dubbed Wild Torquey proved to be a challenge Luke was willing to tackle.

Some of the build highlights may go unnoticed by the untrained eye. For example, the ’31 was originally a 4-door made into a 2-door. Luke, welded, trimmed and blended the back doors to make the 4 door into a stretched 2 door.

Many people do not realize the fabrication that goes into a frame. For this build, Luke partially used the stock frame (front frame rails and a small section of the middle), the majority of the frame created was fabricated from 7 gauge steel that took a few months of engineering.

While outfitting any vehicle on air, there is a considerable amount of architecture that is involved. As Luke describes the fabrication of the engine cross-member was challenging the end result allowed for the oil pan to sit a 1/2″ from the ground at the lowest point of suspension travel. The entire frame weighed 650 pounds when completed.

Luke scoured the internet to find assistance on building his first diesel engine, the results of all of his hard work? A 800hp and 1500 ft. lbs. of torque (on spray with the hx52 primary and wh1c secondary). That is just a glimpse of what went into the Wild Torquey build.

Photo by Mike Mieczkowski

CMESLAM is a 1966 C10 body transplanted on to a 1994 Silverado chassis. As much attention as the ’66 build is getting along with Wild Torquey, this particular build marks #4 for Luke and his Team. Although Tinman 2 Kustoms has begun building their build portfolio with 3 prior builds, Luke began engineering this build in his mind throughout the years. As air-ride technology evolves, Luke knew he wanted to outfit CMESLAM with a bad ass air suspension setup. The ingredients to that recipe consist of an AVS 7 rocker switchbox, powered by Viair 444c dual compressors, directed by ½ SMC valves, Air Lift bags and an 8 gallon tank. For frame/suspension the truck is equipped with a new back half (parallel 3-link) with a mini c-notch. The frame is not Z’d. Bags were fabricated into the front control arms and the frame was reinforced and plated.

With functionality in mind, Luke built a custom steel bed floor that allowed him to haul dirt, car parts or whatever his heart desired. Many do not realize to build a vehicle that can be slammed to the ground while using air suspension, there is a considerable amount of fabrication, engineering and work that needs to be done. The end result, 8.5 of travel and a 10,000 lb. capacity, proving that CMESLAM is not just for show.

While the exterior appears to be an old school C10, there are a ton of creature comforts that was outfitted into this truck. As Luke notes, the wiring was probably one of the biggest challenges of building CMESLAM. Luke spent two weeks straight, over 100 hours of running custom wiring throughout the C10. An amazing challenge, but overall Luke is happy with the results. All of the dash lights in addition to retro fitting features such as cruise control, gauges and custom gauge pods gives the truck a stock / clean look. While the untrained eye may not notice all of the custom work put into these builds, the person who has the patience and the time to look over the details will certainly appreciate the amount of work put into this entire rig. The final weight for Wild Torquey with a full tank of fuel is at 4000 pounds. The total weight of the entire rig, with the trailer loaded is 13,000 pounds.

Photo Courtesy of Tinman 2 Kustoms

Who is Tinman 2 Kustoms, Luke Merrill

Question and Answer session with CarShowz.com

CARSHOWZ: There is a seed planted in all of us at one point or another that kicks off the urge to become a gear head. Was the 1965 Chevy C10, that your Dad gave you, the seed to get you started? What started it before the C10, give us a glimpse into the Luke Merrill lifestyle?

Luke Merrill: Yes, I’d say the 1965 C10 was the big seed. However, before the C10, I started out with just doing little audio things, tinted windows, and basic stuff to my 2000 impala. I first learned how to change my oil on this car when I was 18, so mind you; I hadn’t really been all that into cars growing up, despite waxing my dad’s show truck almost every weekend. Around the time I was 18 is when I started my YouTube, to sort of show some of the stuff I had been doing with the audio and whatnot.

Here is the story on that 1965 C10 and how it came to fruition. My dad had always promised he would give me his truck when I graduated high school. A little background info; he built a very nice 1941 Chevy show truck that has won numerous awards and is one of the jaw droppers that people dream of building and owning. So, all the time through high school I was excited to get that truck (I thought) when I graduated (2010)…. Well, little did I know, when I came home after I graduated he had this piece of shit C10, which had been rotting into the ground behind our garage, sitting in the front yard with my name & balloons on it. He wasn’t lying; he gave me his truck…. LOL…I was super disappointed at first. But then I said to myself… the hell with it and started to build it. I figured it couldn’t get any worse, so why not see what I could do with it (it literally had trees growing through the floorboards).

My dad has always worked on cars and was the original “Tinman”. He is a fabrication wiz, but has limited knowledge about drive-train or many other facets of cars. On the C10 I had him help me make some rockers for it as well as some redneck style lawnmower fender cab corners. I think the thing that was amazing and most exciting to me was the fact that he saw a pair of lawnmower fenders in a scrap pile and recognized that they could be used as cab corners for my C10. I have always been a cheap bastard, which will probably never change, so the re-purposing of junk parts was just awesome to me.

I did some pretty novice body work on the truck, did the basics on the engine, frame, etc. and just made it into something that could be driven again. It was painted with a 60$ gallon of automotive paint and all done for less than $600 with everything. Nothing crazy, but it turned out pretty cool for the little bit of money involved. Although it was a lot of work, it was rewarding to see that something I built went from 0 to 100 in just a few months and a few dollars.

Then I started doing more metal work and it just kind of went from there. No schooling, classes, seminars or anything in the automotive field. Just trial, error & lots of internet research time. After high school I did however go to the University of Minnesota for 4 years and graduated with 2 honors bachelor’s degrees (2014). Psychology and Economics were my fields of study. While I was successful in college and pretty seriously recruited by some companies, I never got a job offer that seemed to “fit” perfectly with who I was and what I wanted. So I decided to pave my own path.

My weekends & holidays, throughout my time in college, were spent at home working in the garage. Specifically, building my bagged ‘66 C10, a ‘73 Nova SS and lots of little odd jobs on other vehicles. While I was back up at school, for the few weeks at a time between home visits, I would edit the video footage and upload to YouTube. Because some of these build videos got some good publicity, I figured why not see if I can take it to the next level and do some more serious videos? After college graduation, I started to put a substantial amount of effort into my YouTube, sponsors and building, not only vehicles, but an internet presence for the vehicles.

Anyone can build vehicles. With today’s media exposure opportunities it opens a whole new set of doors, which I wanted to unlock and walk through. That being said, every week since I’ve graduated college, I’ve committed 60-70 hours a week to building, videoing, editing & obtaining sponsors. It’s been a very, very hard financial thing for me to do, but I’m hoping in the long run it pays off. As with any business, the first few years are always the hardest, right? If it doesn’t work out, at least I have built some bad-ass rigs and learned a lot about internet marketing and how to communicate with different people at different companies, so it’s a win either way. And that’s the way you have to look at building cars. There are going to be challenges that seem like they are just a waste of time, but life is a constant learning battle that you have to CHOSE to win and make the best of the situation.

CZ: For those who are not familiar with your builds and your YouTube channel and are just getting a glimpse into your SEMA build, I wanted to introduce our followers to your roots. Not to take away from your feature, but to give the viewers an idea of how deep your roots go, can we talk a minute about your Dad’s 1941 Chevy Pickup? I want to let the people know that the Merrill family covers all spectrum’s of automotive builds.

LM: While I have found my creative passion in Rat Rods, my Dad has been more of a conventional street rod guy all of his life. He did a lot of sheet metal fabrication in his adult years and had always had various cool cars around. In 1980 he found a 1941 Chevy body in a field in pieces. He decided he had to have it and wanted to build himself a hot rod. 18 years later, the truck was finally finished.

I remember the first show we took it to, he won first place and me and my little sister were super excited! After that, I started cleaning it for him almost every weekend. I enjoyed it at the time, but eventually it made me dislike shiny paint, because of the work involved and the constant worry when driving it.

At first, he & my mom absolutely hated the fact that I wanted to build a rat rod truck (my bagged C10). They told me that it reminded them of trailer trash and they didn’t want it at their house. Well, I built the fuck*r anyways! After they saw how much I was able to use the truck, without ever worrying about scratching it (their worst fear with dad’s truck), without ever having to clean it, etc. they finally understood why I had chosen that direction. The creative aspects of rat rods are outstanding (SOMETIMES) and my parents have grown to appreciate that as well.

CZ: There are several great automotive builders out there, who is your inspiration and why?

My Dad, he always has so many creative ways to do things, it’s nuts.

Steve Darnell, because he realizes that the beauty is in the craftsmanship & resourcefulness of the build and not the 100,000$ paint jobs.

Obviously Chip Foose is an inspiration for most, but the stuff he builds is out of my (and many others) means.

Jamey Jordan, Jesse James, and any craftsman that puts his heart into his art and isn’t a cockbag. Richard Rawlings? Don’t be like him.

CZ: You have a great following on YouTube and post a lot of different builds and you post a lot of fun shenanigans. Tell us about the creation of Tinman 2 Kustoms? Is it strictly a YouTube channel as a hobby, a business, tell us more about Tinman.

Tinman 2 Kustoms started out as just a YouTube page where I could post some of the minor automotive stuff I was doing in my spare time after I graduated high school. I never intended it to become, sort of, who I am & my full time efforts.

CZ: Out of all of the builds at SEMA, once we got a glimpse of “Wild Torquey” and “CMESLAM” we had to take a closer look. What gave you the inspiration to build such a rig?

LM: Drugs, all the drugs! Haha jk. I have always wanted a classic “rat rod” with the 30’s lines and sinister looking chop, etc. I also never built a diesel, and wanted to do something different. At the time I started this build (2014) there were very few diesel rat rods on the road. 4 years later and that has definitely changed. I was also sick of asking people to borrow a truck/trailer when I needed to haul something. With the diesel, the airbags and the overall quality of the build, one night I just had the idea to put a hitch inside and worked around that from there on out. All the measurements were meticulously considered and a customized trailer was ordered from PJ Trailers. The trailer was the single largest purchase I have ever made, but I am so stoked that I made the choice to spend the money and now have a car & trailer that I have been able to use to haul a bunch of projects. If a car isn’t useful, why build it?

CZ: Being in the automotive industry for some years now, we have come across many different styles and genres. Rat Rods are always evolving and for most who do not understand the culture, they started as a revision of hot rodding from the late 1940s and early ‘50s. If you had to explain the style and the culture to others, how would you describe the Rat Rod community?

LM: The question of “What is a Rat Rod” is one of the most commonly asked questions in the Rat Rod community. I write a column/article in every issue Rat Rod magazine and am always trying to tailor my column to the blue-collar hotrod community. That’s really what rat rods generally are: A blue-collar hotrod. “What is a rat rod”, can only truly be defined by the owner. It is all preference and opinion. While the typical rat rod is an original patina 30’s car that has been chopped and has a bigger engine and lots of cool touches, rat rods have evolved into a lot more over the last 10 years and are finally getting the love they deserve. I prefer rat rods because of the creative freedom associated with them. Everyone’s rat rod is unique. Unlike a restored car, which are generally just less interesting to look at (in my opinion).

CZ: Being such a young builder and an inspiration to others, what advice would you give to new up and coming builders? If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

LM: Work hard & passionate!!! Use the internet to your advantage. It’s a fantastic tool to learn, talk with others and network yourself and your business.

If I had to do it all differently I would have spread myself a little bit more away from YouTube and more towards Facebook and other social/media platforms. I put almost all of my effort into YouTube. They have really made it difficult for people like me to be successful on YouTube now, and I wish I hadn’t spent so much time with it, because I know eventually YouTube will become a dead end. It’s sort of like the rule of thumb with investing… don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, in case you lose that basket and have to start over. I am working more on Facebook and other stuff now however.

CZ: How do you perfect your craft, metal work, fabrication, etc. What do you recommend to young builders who want to learn how to weld and fabricate, etc.?

LM: I am NO WHERE NEAR perfect, just wanted to say that right off the bat. There are people that are more skilled in every aspect of vehicles than I am. I distinguish myself with my hard work and media efforts. The key to good fabrication is patience & critical thinking. Quality tooling is a huge plus, but not mandatory. Want to learn how to build your own skills? Watch my YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/tinman2kustoms

CZ: As a follow-on to the previous questions, not everyone has the ability or the space to build cool rides. How can young enthusiasts get involved in the automotive industry. We realize social media is a huge tool, tell us how you have grown your YouTube channel and what has helped you?

LM: Social media is THE REASON that I have the tooling that I have. Working my ass off to get the viewership I have and then working even harder to get sponsors on board. It’s been a long term commitment. I grew up in a household that never had money. We were actually considered poor. I never saw that as a hindrance to what I could do. Whether it was hustling audio or writing papers for people, I always made my way. That’s the thing with today’s kids. They like to make excuses. Sure, I was fortunate our house had a big garage for me to work in, but there are always ways to get things done otherwise.

On average, I’d say I spend 25 hours a week on social media/email, just promoting myself/my brand or answering questions. Spending time sending pages messages and networking is crucial. The more times a company or page sees your name, the more they will see your dedication as well. Send links to anyone involved in every video. If you have a product in one of your videos, send that company the video link with the time mark of their mention. They may even share it. It’s a slow process but that may get you an extra follower or two. Just keep with it!!!

CZ: What’s next for Luke and Tinman 2 Kustoms? Another SEMA build?

LM: I’m currently working on a SEMA build for 2018. This one is particularly special because it is a car that my dad started for my mom in 1995, and has never been able to finish due to money & health reasons. Now that I have a solid foundation in hotrods and awesome companies that work with me, I can give her a vehicle that is much nicer than they would have ever been able to afford otherwise. If I can bring home another award next year, I will be ecstatic. This build is more of a conventional street rod. So to be able to build an award winning rat rod and follow it up (hopefully) with an award winning street rod would be amazing.

Tinman 2 Kustoms Wild Torquey & CMESLAM Photos

Tinman 2 Kustoms – Giving Back to His Fans

This is pretty cool to come across. There are a lot of humble people in our industry, but I do have to admit they are becoming harder to find. Luke enjoys giving back to his fans. Check out the below video with the following description from Tinman 2 Kustoms YouTube:

Aiden opening his surprise holiday “care package”! Finally got to edit and upload this. Thought it was pretty awesome! Thank you Aiden for being an avid follower and friend.

CZ: Please take this time to give a shout-out to those who stand by you, those who have helped you along the way (friends, family and sponsors).

LM:

Shoutout to my parents for letting me use their garage all of this time. Also thanks to them now that I am back living at home because I don’t make hardly any money doing what I love to do.

Any of my friends who have purchased & rock the Tinman 2 Kustoms Apparel!

Shoutout to all the great sponsors that have helped with parts or knowledge.

Tinman 2 Kustoms Sponsor list

Air Lift Performance https://www.airliftperformance.com/

ARP Fasteners http://arp-bolts.com/

Auto City Classic http://autocityclassic.com/

Autometer https://www.autometer.com/

AVS https://www.avsontheweb.com/

Airslamit https://store.airslamit.com/

B&M Racing http://www.bmracing.com/

B&W Hitches http://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/

Bilstein Shocks https://www.bilstein.com/en/

Black Sky Racing https://www.blackskyracing.com/

Cambridge Upholstery https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeUpholstery/

CNC by Altered Image http://facebook.com/nicholas.schintgen

Dexter Axle http://www.dexteraxle.com/

Dynomite Diesel http://www.dynomitediesel.com/

Farrell Diesel Service http://farrell-diesel-service.business.site/

Federal Tire http://www.federaltire.com/en/

FiTech http://fitechefi.com/

Flowmaster http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/

Fluidampr http://www.fluidampr.com/

Hamilton Cams https://hamiltoncams.com/

Hurst http://www.hurst-shifters.com/

Hypertech http://hypertech.com/

JAZ Products http://www.jazproducts.com/

JET Chips https://jetchip.com/

Larry B’s http://www.fostertruck.com/

Mahle Motorsports http://www.mahle.com/

Maradyne http://www.maradynehp.com/

Nitrous Express http://www.nitrousexpress.com/

OPTIMA https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us

Oracle Lighting http://www.oraclelights.com/

Pj Trailers https://www.pjtrailers.com/

Por15 https://www.por15.com/

Race Ramps https://raceramps.com/

Rostra Precision http://www.rostra.com/

SLAM Specialties http://slamspecialties.com/W/

Sinister Diesel https://sinisterdiesel.com/

TKO Clamps https://www.tkoclamps.com/

Viair http://www.viaircorp.com/

XS Power https://4xspower.com/

Yukon Gear & Axle https://www.yukongear.com/

Tooling thanks:

ArcOne Welding https://arc1weldsafe.com/

Blue Demon Welding http://www.weldingmaterialsales.com/

Drill Doctor http://www.drilldoctor.com/

Eastwood https://www.eastwood.com/

Empire Abrasives https://www.empireabrasives.com/

JZ Designz https://www.facebook.com/JZ.Designz/

Milwaukee Tool https://www.milwaukeetool.com/

Mittler Bros Tool https://www.mittlerbros.com/

Artwork thanks:

Nick Weisner (Fineline Kustoms)

Upscaled Designs

Keep the Bitch Floored

This list of sponsors has been hard earned and something that I am proud of. Maintaining all of these relationships as well as everything else, exclusively on my own, is very tough and stressful. I don’t want anyone to get discouraged because they can’t get sponsored or can’t do what they want to do. It’s never easy, even if it seems like it’s easy for me behind a computer screen, it’s just not. Work hard and prove your worth, don’t get upset because it’s not all coming to you fast. The best things in life are often the most challenging.

Tinman 2 Kustoms SEMA ’17 Experience

CarShowz Tinman 2 Kustoms Conclusion

As we travel the country, we are extremely honored to come across humble and motivated Builders like Luke Merrill. We would like to congratulate Luke and his accomplishments, especially his latest achievement of winning Top 40 overall & Top 10 Young Guns in the Battle of the Builders at SEMA 2017.

Follow Tinman 2 Kustoms

To keep up with Luke and Tinman 2 Kustoms, check out Luke’s social media pages, give them all a follow:

YouTube

Facebook

Instagram

Tinman 2 Kustoms – Luke Merrill – The Builder of Wild Torquey The more time you spend in the automotive industry your mindset changes, you start to look at things differently.

#feature #shop talk

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