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Riding and Control - TV Tropes

  • ️Fri Dec 16 2016

House of Travel Index
Air-Based Travel | Land and Sea Travel | Non-Vehicular Travel | Riding and Control | Teleporting | Touring

This is basically a place where visitors can try out various kinds of vehicles and move them in many different ways. It will take time for visitors to get the hang of various vehicles (or maybe they won't improve at all).

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Intermediate Gods

Caim and Angelus 

Caim and Angelus, God and Goddess of Dragon Riders

Pantheon / Riding and Control

Older Caim and Angelus

Captain Falcon 

Captain Falcon, God of Nitro Boosting (Douglas Jay Falcon, The Bounty Hunter, "Famicom", Bart Lemming, Andy Summer, "Captain Hotdog", The Supersonic Slugger, Supersonic F-Zero Pilot, Number 11)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captainfalconssbu.png

  • Intermediate God
  • Symbol: A golden falcon emblem.
  • Theme Music: Mute City (Super Smash Bros. Brawl Remix), alternatively Theme of Captain Falcon (F-Zero GX)
  • Alignment: Chaotic Good
  • Portfolio: Bounty Hunter, Badass Driver, Adaptation Personality Change, Cool Helmet, Blue Falcon, Falcon Flyer
  • Domains: Speed, Personality, Competition
  • Allies: Ryu Suzaku (his successor), Mario (with a friendly rivalry), Solid Snake, Otacon, Kirby, Green Biker Dude, Ymir the Tusk, Tawna and the Nitro Squad, Eva Wei
  • Rivals: Samus Aran, Lobo, Chrom (one-sided), Johnny Cage
  • Enemies: Black Shadow, evil members of the House of Crime and Transgressions
  • F-Zero is a futuristic racing competition where the stakes are high and the prize is grand. Captain Falcon is just one of several contestants and probably the most recognizable one out of these races. Speed is important and utilizing boost power can help get him and the other races closer to glory. That said, it's not something that can be used indefinitely and if they run out of boost power, they're at a greater risk of getting their vehicle destroyed during the race.
    • With how fast the cars go and how aggressive the racers can get, F-Zero competition is definitely difficult, especially for those that are trying it out for the first time. Falcon has had plenty of experience on the circuit and has sometimes given advice to those who are interested in this high-speed competition.
  • Even though he's a popular racer in the F-Zero contests, Falcon's probably even more well-known for taking part in the Smash tournament and has been a fighter in that since it was first established. What's surprising is that although he's generally stoic during the races, he's much more hamtastic during these Smash matches. It's hard to say why that personality change happens.
    • It's during these competitions that the notorious "Falcon Punch" came to light. A lot theories have been made out of what it is truly capable of and even Ganondorf decided to utilize a slower, yet stronger version of that move. The Falcon Punch move has proven to be quite popular among spectators of the Smash tournament and its fans include Solid Snake and Otacon. Furthermore, those who had no involvement with that tournament (such as Ymir the Tusk) took a liking to that move to a point where those fans made their own version of the Falcon Punch.
    • Chrom has a heated one-sided rivalry against Falcon due to the latter allegedly shutting out Chrom of the Smash competition and even making Chrom look like a loser because of that. In Falcon's defense, he probably didn't intend for that to happen, but the damage has been done.
      • With Chrom coming in for the 5th Smash Tournament, Captain Falcon is ready for Chrom to show him his moves.
  • His Blue Falcon machine is fairly well-balanced compared to other F-Zero machines and is also quite useful for launching anyone not in a vehicle into the air under certain circumstances (but don't ask how it can drive by itself without a driver). That machine has become popular enough to have decorative replicas made and even a kart-racing version of it was created for Mario's racing contests.
    • As for the plumber, Falcon gets along with him fairly well, but seeing Mario's karts capable of anti-gravity racing made Falcon a bit jealous (though he got over it). Falcon needed to get used to watching slower vehicles in action, though.
  • The Falcon Flyer is another of Falcon's vehicles and has been used on a few occasions. It has been used as a fighting platform quite often and since Falcon has fought on top of that machine before, it's safe to assume that the Falcon Flyer has an autopilot option.
  • One of Falcon's obstacles both on the track and off was an evil clone known as Blood Falcon. Because of that, the Captain has become opposed to a fair number of evil knockoffs that are in the Pantheon.
  • If he isn't racing or engaging in over-the-top fights, then there is a possibility that he is fulfilling his role of a bounty hunter. Although a number of people rarely see him actually do that job, he has found himself going against other bounty hunters such as Lobo and Gondar.
    • His relation with fellow bounty hunter Samus has been one of high interest. There have been missions involving bounty hunters that often have the two involved (one of them involved incapacitating Bowser) and some tend to bet on who will clear that objective first. At the same time, Falcon and Samus has been considered a popular pairing in the Pantheon.
    • A prominent racing rival of Falcon's was Samurai Goroh, who is also a bounty hunter. When it comes to some of the ascended samurai of the Pantheon, Falcon seems to be reminded of him based on his encounters with the more aggressive samurai.
  • Falcon does have a gun with him though he very rarely, if ever◊, uses it, leading others (mostly gun-users) to wonder why he would carry around something like that to begin with.
  • Most of Falcon's targets during his stints as a bounty hunter tend to be criminals, including evil ones from the House of Crime and Transgressions. The House of Law and Justice also heard of a rumor that Falcon used to be a police officer. Whether the officer past is true or not, Falcon's been effective at keeping enemies in check off the racing track.
  • You don't win by being lucky - you win by being bold!
  • Was amicably challenged to a podracing match by Anakin Skywalker, with Captain Falcon winning. Anakin keeps on insisting that it was a close race, while Captain Falcon won't comment at all.
  • While doing a shoot at the Big Blue, Johnny Cage proclaimed that the upcoming Captain Falcon film will star himself as the titular racer/hero. Said racer/hero provoked by the actor's choice of words describing the role, insists that Cage show Falcon his moves; to bear the honor of even pretending to be the Falcon, he must first defeat the real deal. Cage decided they would duke it out...in a simulated battlefield arranged by Wiz and Boomstick; both being heroes, there was no need for unnecessary deaths. Falcon won the battle, and Johnny was forced to recant his claim.

Lesser Gods

Axel Almer and Lamia Loveless 

Axel Almer and Lamia Loveless, Dual Deities of Mecha-Exclusivity (Axel: Captain Axel, Ahoseru; Lamia: W17, Boing-chan)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/axel.jpg

Axel

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lamia2.jpg

Lamia

Chosokabe Motochika 

Chosokabe Motochika, God of Implausible Boarding Skills (Sea Devil of the West, Demon of Shikoku, Arslan)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/motochika_sb4_render_6930.png

  • Lesser God
  • Symbol: The Chosokabe Clan Crest◊, superimposed over an anchor.
  • Theme Music: Chosokabe Fan Banner*, Land Ahoy!*
  • Alignment: Neutral Good
  • Portfolio: Implausible Boarding Skills, Kleptomaniac Heroes, Pirates, Lovable Rogues, Mister Fanservices Without Shirts, Nice Guys, Eyepatches of Power, Cool Boats, A Brother To His True Companions, Rocket Powered Anchors, Good Old Fisticuffs, Powder-Based Fire, The Owner of a Competent Pirate Parrot
  • Domains: Piracy, Camaderie, Travel
  • High Priest: His SW counterpart
  • Allies: Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, Gracia, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Monkey D. Luffy, Jack Sparrow, Robin Hood, Sly Cooper, Franky
  • Conflicting Opinion: Akechi Mitsuhide
  • Enemies: Demon Oda Nobunaga
  • The anti-thesis and Arch-Enemy to Mori Motonari. While Motochika treats his soliders as fellow comrades, Motonari treats his own as mere pawns.
    • However, he regards Motonari's counterpart a lot less bitterly. He simply thinks the other Motonari is strange to deal with: Motochika can see the man's potential, but that version of Motonari dismisses it to focus on being a historian instead.
  • Don't call him "Princess" if being assaulted with an anchor isn't something you enjoy.
  • Was once recruited by Ishida Mitsunari due to said God's hatred for Ieyasu. Motochika doesn't like the idea of being in the same force as Motonari, and it did not take him long to leave.
  • He used to be the God of Kleptomaniac Heroes in the House of Crime. However, many have come to see his abandoning his old habits and has thus lost claim to the title. His skill in maneuvering on his anchor in the sea, on land, and even in the sky, have saved him as a deity, as he now resides in the House of Travel.
  • At one point, after moving to his new House, Motochika visited Franky of the Straw Hats, showing the resident god the blueprints of his own Cool Ship the Fugaku. He was amazed as Franky started pointing out the flaws in the design and the easy and effective improvements that could be made over it, all of which Motochika has made plans to address on the shortest possible notice. He also regularly pays visits to the Thousand Sunny now, coming up with new ideas to discuss with the Cyborg.
  • Tends to address his allies and followers collectivly as "sons of bitches", but please know this is a term of endearment.
  • Since leaving the Western Army and ascending, he has repaired his relations with Ieyasu. Although it took Bright Noah to get the Sea Devil to listen to reason in regards to Shikoku.
  • He usually avoids or flat-out fights Akechi Mitsuhide during his bad days...yanno, when he's a sadistic, scythe-wielding monster. But at one point, he's approached by Gracia, who begged him to help her find her an exorcist to exorcise a monster that possessed her father. Motochika nearly dismissed Gracia and told her to just face reality that her father was a monster... until he suddenly received flashes about an alternate version of himself, and the friendship he shared with the good Mitsuhide and Gracia (and also the slick shamisen skills his counterpart displayed in lieu of piracy). After that, his mood changed and he promised to help Gracia with her issue.
    • Some time later, he was the first to learn that she learned of her "two different fathers". Motochika has grown impressed with the other Mitsuhide on how different he is from the one he knows, but is worried about his conflicted-and-insecure side. He also finds it funny how that Mitsuhide is pretty much one of the only ones to use a traditional Japanese blade as his main weapon. For everyone's sake, both Motochika and Gracia are keeping their mouths shut as they fear the day both Mitsuhides will separate and engage in their fated battle for final supremacy...
      • Ironically enough, he's also baffled to find out that along with an interpretation of Sima Shi (as well as his father Sima Yi later on), during the conflict against the Demon King Orochi, his shamisen-playing counterpart happens to sound a lot like the Hideyoshi he knows of. That, and he noticed that, indeed, the guy's shamisen skills are as fine as he witnessed in that vision. The two got to talking after a while, and the shamisen-wielding portrayal ended up throwing the anchor-wielding portrayal for a loop with some confusing-yet-insightful advice. What unites the two, despire their diffrences, is that both of them are gladly willing to defy what fate has in store for them to shape their own destiny, for the sake of their homeland of Shikoku. Both of them also scoff and take pride in Oda Nobunaga's historical nickname for the original Motochika, "the bat who refuses to leave its nest".

International Rescue 

International Rescue note , Holy Rescue Squad of Epic Launch Sequences

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tb02_e1426684380974.jpg

From left to right: Gordon, Virgil, Scott, Alan and John

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51b77b3392d38265f1d33df2c9c68d25.jpg

Jeff Tracy

The Thunderbirds

Live-Action Iterations

  • Lesser Gods, though the Thunderbirds are capable of feats leveling those of an Intermediate God
  • Symbol: The Thunderbirds
  • Theme Song: Thunderbirds Theme Tune (Film Version by Busted)
  • Alignment: Lawful Good
  • Portfolio: Science Heroes, Launch Sequences Far Grander than Usual, Badass Crew/Badass Family, Masterful Piloting Skills, Named After the Mercury Seven, Nice Guys, Having Very Precise Shots, Funded by Jeff's Astrologist Exploits, Lantern Jaw of Justice
  • Domains: Rescue, Family, Vehicles, Establishments, Take Offs
  • Heralds: Grandma Tracy, Lady Penelope and Aloysius "Nosey" Parker
  • Allies: Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Charles Xavier/Professor X, Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, The Fantastic Four, The Incredibles, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Team America, Shirou Emiya, Hawkins Party, Ness, Lucas, Sei Asagiri
  • Enemies: Sundowner, Lex Luthor, Red Skull, Darryl Revok, ADVENT
  • Respected By: The Houses of Heroism, Family and Relatives and Machinery and Technology
  • Odd Friendship: The Satellite of Love Crew
  • Wary of: Cameron Vale, Lucy
  • S.O.S! Heralded members of the GUAG as the sudden appearances of three giant aerospace craft took to stopping an emergency when a battle between the GUAG and the GUAE left civilians on the brink of danger. Two of the aircrafts managed to avert the danger by saving everyone before a potential tragedy occurred. This was the opening call of the International Rescue Thunderbirds, who managed to make an impressive first impression in the Pantheon in a way most heroes would approve of.
  • International Rescue is an organization ran by the Tracys, a multi-billionaire family consisting of a grandmother; the patriarch Jeff, who was an astronaut with several instances of space travels and fame; and his five sons Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Together, they use the Thunderbirds, aerospace vehicles specifically designed to contain as much collateral damage as they possibly could and save civilians from danger. These actions have made the Tracy's some of the most celebrated heroes in their world as they've always put themselves on life's line if it meant benefiting for the greater good. The list of vehicles are as follows:
    • Thunderbird 1: Piloted by Scott and the most frequently used of the Thunderbirds. It resembles a missile and takes off like one vertically, but flies and lands horizontally during missions. Also the fastest of the vehicles.
    • Thunderbird 2: Piloted by Virgil. Large plane that houses many vehicles themselves, one of which being Thunderbird 4. Houses with pods, usually with specialist rescue equipment.
    • Thunderbird 3: Piloted by Gordon and used for direct contact with Thunderbird 5 alongside space-centered missions.
    • Thunderbird 4: Piloted by Alan. Housed under Thunderbird 2 and is used for underwater missions.
    • Thunderbird 5: Piloted by John. The largest Thunderbird, it is a space station used to receive transmissions from all around the world to alert the team of ongoing crisis and disasters and sending distress signals.
  • The International Rescue team is celebrated and highly respected by the Houses of Heroism, Family and Relatives and Machinery and Technology. Reasons behind it very depending on the House, but Heroes are impressed by their effectiveness and their dedication to helping those in need and being their world's paragon, Family sees them as a trustworthy group of a father and his five sons who value one other highly and Technology see the Thunderbirds as one of Earth's most impressive vehicles and are interested to experiment for similar projects and craft at some point.
  • The Thunderbirds do have an Arch-Enemy in The Hood, a terrorist with Psychic Powers and committing acts that the Thunderbirds often have to go out and clear. As a result, International Rescue are pretty aware of those with similar powers to the Hood. That said, they don't have any prejudices against those who are morally good, and are even willing to befriend them if it means sharing the common goal of simply helping others.
    • They're opposed against Darrel Revok and ADVENT because their Psychic Powers remind the Tracy Family of The Hood. However, as bad as Revok is, ADVENT is worse primarily because the stronger members of it's army have potent psychic uses that is potentially more harmful than The Hood's. As a result, Thunderbird 5 is doing it's best to keep in track of any ADVENT forces it could find in case they initiate an attack.
    • They are, however rather sympathetic towards Professor X, who as a mutant, is trying to take steps to leading his race to a better future. Additionally, International Rescue have also gotten along with Ness, Lucas and Eleven, kids who possess psychic powers and have used them for good. As an extension, they're friends with the Hawkins Party who often appreciate the science and craft of the Thunderbirds, even wishing to fly one someday.
  • International Rescue are very close allies with the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers as they share a very similar work that revolves around helping people and it also helps that the Rangers' High Priests (their Super Sentai counterparts) are an actual family too. That said, The Lightspeed Rangers are more combat-experienced and they're willing to aid the Tracy's in that aspect.
    • They also get along with Shirou Emiya and Sei Asagiri in this aspect. The former will always try to find a way to help others, even if it proves counterproductive at times and the latter's experience in working with the White Knights has led her to try working with those who genuinely want to help others, with the Tracy's being a good way to settle for it and with Sei being willing to rush into burning buildings and defeating a haywire robot on her own, they're willing to accept her help at anytime. Additionally, her bodyguard status to Stella Hoshii reminds International Rescue of Penelope and her butler Parker.
  • They were immediately taken in by the Grand United Alliance of Good, mainly because of their dedication to helping others and their overall experience in it. While they can be offensive during field missions, their main priority is to minimize as much damage and save as many people as they possibly could, which is what the Thunderbirds are meant to do as envisioned. As a result, they are placed under the membership of the GUAG Kibou Go since their work is essentially to provide a sense a hope towards others in times of strife and danger.
  • As heroes, they're well received by Superman, who champions them as proper heroes and praises their family dynamics. Batman is a little bit complicated, given his gruff and aloof demeanor. That said, he is willing to give the Tracy's a helping hand and even provide for their tech, the Thunderbirds included. They've been generous since.
  • Tony Stark was impressed by the technology and design surrounding the Thunderbirds and all the other vehicles and devices the Tracy's possess. Him and Reed Richards have, much like Batman, offered to help provide them with more tech and resources to help them out, given the fantastical and often destructive nature of the Pantheon. As a gift for their partnership, Stark has also presented the International Rescue with individual Iron Man suits, telling them that they may need it someday. Although they've accepted Tony's gift, the Tracy's are actually yet to use the suits, thinking that it's for a last-resort situation.
  • As a rescue team, they oppose beings like Sundowner, Lex Luthor and Red Skull due to their terrorist-esque activities, the latter two's attempts to Take Over the World and the former wanting to instigate war to build up profit. Because the Thunderbirds are primarily built to rescue, not to battle, they're fought by other heroes, though the Tracy's will waste no time trying to at least help those caught in the crossfire.
  • Often times, Scott will be seen in the House of Food alongside his grandmother. It's because he really likes her apple pie and wants to introduce them to Gordon Ramsay. Though he's been cautious about it, given Ramsay's demeanor of being incredibly critical and verbally aggressive about food quality and fears that he may scare or upset his grandmother.
  • Alan, being the youngest in the family can be seen around the House of School doing jock-based activities like basketball and driving cars. He's pretty popular with girls, though he has a specific crush on Tin-Tin. So far, any attempts to get to be with her are indefinitely delayed, usually because he's needed for a lot of rescue missions. Alan is actually comfortable with it, given that he prioritizes his work and his family more than his own interests fir the time being.
  • Due to the Pantheonic Seas being filled with numerous beasts capable of wrecking even strong vehicles apart, such as Lagiacrus, The Meg, Gyarados and Moby Dick, Thunderbird 4 has been commissioned to be upgraded as soon as possible, given that those beasts are easily capable of wrecking ships apart. They're also considering upgrading the other Thunderbirds, given the very nature of the Pantheon and the destructive results it could potentially ensue.
  • Due to the presence of several planets with sentient life, Thunderbird 5 has been upgraded to receive transmissions and messages from different areas around the galaxy. This has proven beneficial to many space-operating groups, such as the Jedi Order, Starfleet Command, The Z-Fighters and their allies and many more. However, International Rescue are in development to create a portal that could utilize interdimensional travel between different planets for Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4 to enter.
  • There is apparently a Thunderbird 6, a vintage Tiger Moth biplane that was once flown by Alan. Nowadays, it hasn't really been bought up all that much, not even by International Rescue themselves. There are apparent rumors that it's stashed someplace in Tracy Island, but the family haven't gotten to talk about it for now.

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

Thunderbirds are GO!

Quick Man 

Quick Man, God of Being Too Fast to Stop (DWN-012)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12_-_quick_man_9815.jpg

  • Lesser God
  • Symbol: The Quick Boomerang
  • Theme Song: Quick Man Stage; alternatively, his Power Fighters theme
  • Alignment: Neutral Evil
  • Portfolio: The Rival, Battle Boomerang, Built For Speed, Not For Defense, Designed From Elec Man's Design Template, Too Fast to Stop, Lightning Bruiser, Weak To Sudden Deceleration, Incredible Jumping, Super-Speed, Blood Knight
  • Domains: Speed, Boomerangs, Lightweight Materials, Robots, Conquest, Rivalries
  • Followers: Takajou, Locomotive 777, The Ambiguous Puzuma
  • Superior: Doctor Albert Wily
  • Allies: The Robot Masters loyal to Dr Wily (especially Wood Man), The Yellow Devil, Leonard Snart, Wile E Coyote
  • Headbutting Villains with: Metal Sonic, Eobard Thawne
  • Rivals: Mega Man, Bass, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rainbow Dash, The Roadrunner, Barry Allen, Metal Sonic, Speedy Gonzales
  • Enemies: Dr Thomas Light and the Robot Masters loyal to him, Bob and George, Sonic the Hedgehog, Barry Allen, King Candy/Turbo
  • Opposes: Serpent and tortoise deities, the House of Explosives, Dio Brando and deities who can stop time
  • Interested in: The Transformers deities
  • Following his first failed attempt at world domination, Dr Wily decided to create eight of his own Robot Masters to help his conquest. Using the designs of Elec Man, he created a Robot Master meant to be the fastest of them all-Quick Man. He proves very proud of his speed, which makes him a devastating opponent against Mega Man. However it also serves to be a weakness has he's a Fragile Speedster, and Too Fast to Stop. He even outruns his own vision.
  • Meant to be the original rival of Mega Man. His special status is indicated by being the Robot Master on the North American box art, and the boomerang on his head extending out of the screen. As such, he really doesn't like Bass. Due to his loyalty to Dr Wily they're not outright enemies, but has stated to him that he came first and deserves to be Mega Man's true rival. Bass considers him an outdated model, not worthy of being in either's ballparks. Often Dr Wily has to worry about the two squabbling with each other.
  • Quick Man's temple is also his level, which is difficult to get into due to its fast insta-kill force beams, which unless you have really fast reflexes will need Flash Man's Flash Stopper to get through. Of which you need enough of the weapon to deal with him. Because of his weakness to the weapon, he steers clear of Dio Brando as The World would be pretty devastating on him
  • If Doc Robot is any indication, he is also weak to Search Snakes. Doesn't like snake deities for this reason, or explosives because he's weak to the Crash Bomber weapon. He also doesn't like turtles, tortoises and snails, though it has nothing to do with any weakness. He just doesn't like slow creatures. A good point is that he makes quick decisions and doesn't sleep much, and he's a fan of racing. Bad point, he's impulsive and restless.
  • Declares himself to be the fastest android there is. He tried to put that to the test against Metal Sonic, which Dr Eggman and Dr Wily tested out. Metal Sonic won, which only motivated Quick Man to try and get even faster. Though there is a rivalry between the two, there is a certain amount of understanding in that they were created to be rivals and the fastest that there is. They'll sometimes work together against their main rivals, but their own egos often get in the way of this.
  • When Eggman and Wily officially joined forces, he was naturally one of the Robot Masters sent to go after Sonic. Sonic's speed far exceeded his own, and he has sworn to one day surpass his speed. This incident, along with the later incident with Metal Sonic, has led him to challenge others in the pantheon with super speed. Rainbow Dash seems interested.
  • Felt bad for Wile E Coyote never getting the Road Runner, and has provided services to help chase him down. He very nearly captured him, but unfortunately one of Wile's traps got in the way. He couldn't get out of the way and ended up being caught instead, prompting a "meep meep" from the Roadrunner who left the now broken Quick Man in the dust.
  • Prefers overwhelming speed, but that's not all he has. He also has the Quick Boomerang, which is the weakness against Metal Man and later Pharaoh Man. Captain Cold was amused at the idea of a speedster with the same kind of weapon as Captain Boomerang, and the two made a deal; he'd help the Rogues if he gets to prove he's faster than Barry Allen. He's also made some deals with Eobard Thawne to help his rivalry, but given Thawne's incredible ego and even Quick Man thinking he's an asshole, it hasn't really gone anywhere.
  • Loves the sport of racing, being a playable racer in the Mega Man: Battle and Chase game. His car is the Sonic Formula, and wanted to compete against his friendly rival Turbo Man. However he wasn't available. Quick Man seems interested in the Transformers deities because they remind him of Turbo Man. He has nothing good to say to the Turbo in the pantheon however, as even he thinks his ego when it comes to racing is dangerous and Turbo is not one to stand competition.
  • If Bob and George is to be believed, he's the love-child of Elec Man and Cut Man on crack, and addicted to sugar while talking like Gollum. Don't bring those subjects up with him.

Demigods

Dominic Toretto 

Dominic "Dom" Toretto, God of Badass Drivers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_242.jpg

Jack Barnes 

"It's now June 1944. We hear that the enemy has ordered Rommel to fortify the shores of France with an Atlantic Wall of steel and concrete. The Germans know we're coming. Hell, the whole world knows we're coming. Under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied Forces are about to launch the biggest offensive in the history of modern warfare. It's Code Name...Operation "Overlord". Word is we're landing troops, tanks, supplies in Normandy. Our first move in pulling Europe out of Hitler's fist. The assault's a few hours away now. More than 7 Divisions are gearing up to hit the beach. Eisenhower's already sent our bombers to pound the bridges, railways, and fuel depots. Anything to cripple Nazi supply lines to the Atlantic Wall. No doubt the Germans expect us to hit the Atlantic Wall by sea. But the night before the dawn landing out unit will parachute behind enemy lines. Along with the British 6th, we'll clear a path to move our army of the shore. The plan is to rendezvous with Allied troops from the beachhead, work our way back into France, and snuff out any resistance along the way. God be with us. Sergeant Jack Barnes, June 5th, 1944."

Sgt. Jack Barnes, Patron Saint of Manning Crew-Served Weapons and Vehicles Singlehandedly (Barnes)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boxshot.jpg

  • Demigod
  • Symbol: The patch of the 101st Airborne, as well as the Diamond symbol of the 501st PIR on his helmet
  • Alignment: Lawful Good
  • Themes: Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Main Theme, Sturmgeist, and Half-Track
  • Portfolio: Capable of manning crew-served artillery guns and military vehicles all by his lonesome, Hailing from the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, Often forced to operate deep within German territory, A soldier, and rather knowledgeable about poems and literature
  • Domains: Paratroopers, Crew-served Weapons, United States Army, Elite Soldiers
  • Allies:
  • Enemies:
  • A North Dakota native hailing from the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, Sgt. Jack Barnes is noted amongst his peers for his ability to man crew-served artillery pieces and military vehicles singlehandedly and without issue. He had first demonstrated such abilities during the airborne landings on D-Day, when he saved himself and later a squad of British paratroopers from German infantry and tank assault. Specifically, he manned a German Flakvierling 38 Anti-Air gun and a Flak 36 Anti-Vehicle gun all by his lonesome, and managed to kill his would-be killers with these weapons. From that point onward, these skills of his would prove time and again useful, with the OSS eventually taking interest in his skills and recruiting him for an important late-war mission while Trapped Behind Enemy Lines.
  • Barnes' first combat jump, as mentioned before, would be in the early hours of June 6th, 1944, over Normandy, France. Under intense German Anti-Air fire and heavy cloud cover, Barnes and his unit were badly mis-dropped deep behind German lines, with Barnes himself being the apparent Sole Survivor of his entire stick. The rest of his unit were either killed by the flak, by German troops patrolling the area outside of the barn that the Sergeant had gotten his parachute stuck in, or from drowning in nearby canals. Barnes himself managed to defend himself, and eventually rout his would-be killers using a German Anti-Air gun.
    • Upon meeting the first friendly soldiers he could stumble across, Barnes was rather surprised to see that they were British Paratroopers from the 6th Airborne Division, rather than Americans from either the 82nd or 101st. This indicated that he was way off of his original target and drop zone. Nonetheless, Barnes decided to stick around with the British Captain known as "Foxhound", along with his two surviving subordinates Privates Wilson and Galloway, helping them take out several German artillery guns, kill a German Colonel named Hildebrandt, and destroy an important bridge near Caen, albeit at the cost of Wilson's and Galloway's lives.
  • Some time following D-Day, Barnes would eventually rejoin his old unit, presumably fighting alongside them for the rest of the 101st Airborne's deployment in France. It was unknown if Barnes also fought with the unit during Operation Market-Garden. What is known, however, is that he was still with the 501st PIR when they were deployed to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. During the 24th-26th of that same month, Barnes and his unit would perform a daring raid deep behind German lines, stealing a supply truck and half-track containing German weapons, ammunition, rations, and medical supplies. Using these captured German weapons, Barnes and the 501st PIR would successfully Hold the Line against a surprise German night attack on their lines, and later, use said weapons in a successful counterattack against a German-held Belgian village. In the process, Barnes and his unit had inflicted heavy losses on the German forces near Bastogne, destroying at least half a dozen tanks, a few half-tracks, and several dozen artillery pieces alongside a large number of infantry.
  • It was this combat performance in Normandy and Belgium that would eventually get Barnes noticed by the OSS. Following the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Barnes was officially recruited into their ranks. As part of this unit, Barnes would be given a very important mission: to a list of Double Agents from the German Chancellery Building in Berlin, Germany, as well as a map of the chancellery from a crashed American recon plane. For this mission, Barnes would be working closely alongside a Soviet recon team stationed on the outskirts of the city. Whilst managing to successfully infiltrate the city alone, with the Soviets diverting German attention away from him, Barnes was forced to commandeer a German-captured T-34 tank with the arrival of German reinforcements near the chancellery. Successfully crewing the tank by his lonesome, Barnes managed to successfully escape the city, destroying several German tanks, artillery guns, and vehicles along the way. Upon making it back to the bridge where he entered the city from, Barnes was informed by his OSS handler Capt. Monroe that the reason there were a lot of German tanks in the area was because an entire Panzer Division was attempting to breakout of the city in force, via the very bridge he had crossed. Wasting no time, Barnes in his T-34 linked up with the Soviet recon team, who by now had called in reinforcements in the form of two T-34 tanks. With their help, Barnes was able to destroy one of the bridges, hold the other one, and destroy several Panzer IV and Tiger I tanks attempting to cross the second bridge. Ultimately, Barnes and the Soviets would prevail, with the Soviet Air Force arriving to destroy the remaining bridge out of Berlin.
  • For his actions in Europe from June 1944 to May 1945, Sgt. Jack Barnes would be awarded the following medals: (1) the France and Germany Star, for helping the British 6th Airborne Division accomplish their objectives and despite Barnes himself having been horribly mis-dropped, (2) the Belgian Croix De Guerre, for his and the 101st Airborne's heroism in holding the Belgian town of Bastogne during the height of the Battle of the Bulge, (3) the Medal for the Capture of Berlin, for helping the Red Army stop a German Panzer Division outside Berlin and saving countless Soviet lives, and (4), (5), and (6) the Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Distinguished Service Cross, for his entire tour of duty in Europe.
  • Following Johann Schmidt's overthrow of Downfall-verse Adolf Hitler, the ascension of Nazi German strongholds like War-Torn Berlin, Fort Schmerzen, and Der Flakturm, and the simultaneous increase in German troop strength, the increased need for skilled Allied soldiers capable of operating deep behind enemy lines was made a priority by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sgt. Jack Barnes, on top of having experienced no less than three battles where he operated behind German lines with little to no support, was also rather skilled in using German, Soviet, British, and American small arms. On top of that, Barnes also knew how to operate crew-served artillery pieces and vehicles of both German and Soviet origin singlehandedly, a skill that not even experienced operatives like Lt. Mike Powell and Lt. Karl Fairburne had. It was this last skill of his that would ultimately get him noticed for ascension. President Roosevelt, with Steven Spielberg's help and recommendation, sent Sgt. Jack Barnes a letter notifying him of his new assignment in the Pantheon.
  • Unsurprisingly, upon reading the details of his new assignment, Barnes accepted the offer given to him by the President. Upon reporting to President Roosevelt, the latter assigned him the official title of Patron Saint of Manning Crew-Served Weapons and Vehicles Singlehandedly. And with that, Barnes, as part of both the 101st Airborne Division and Office of Strategic Services, would be given incredibly dangerous assignments taking place both on the frontline and deep behind Axis lines. Along the way, he would be aided by soldiers from all three major Allied powers, no thanks to his prior combat experiences in Europe. And, on occasion, he would also be getting help from some unlikely allies.
  • Among Barnes' first assignments in the Pantheon was helping fellow deities secure the inland areas surrounding Omaha Beach. Dropping from a Douglas C-47 transport plane alongside members of Easy Company, 506th PIR, Barnes was initially separated from his fellow US paratroopers thanks to German Anti-Air fire. Fortunately, he eventually linked up with other friendly paratroopers operating in the area, specifically the 101st recon squads of Staff Sergeants Matthew Baker and Joe "Red" Hartsock. With help from Pfc. Gary Jasper and Pfc. Timothy Connor, Barnes was able to take out a number of Flakvierling 38 guns, allowing for airborne reinforcements to arrive unimpeded. Eventually Barnes and his fellow paratroopers linked up with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who had managed to break through the German defenses at Omaha Beach. Amongst their number were Lt. Mike Powell, as well as members of Charlie and Dog Company, and were also assisted by Lt. Karl Fairburne. With the 101st Airborne's assistance as well as air support from the Battlehawks, Barnes was able to help accomplish Powell's and the Rangers' mission. During this battle, Barnes crewed a Nebelwerfer launcher by his lonesome, using it to knock out a German Panzer IV tank attempting to counterattack Easy Company's position.
    • This action by Barnes, alongside his previous experiences in Berlin, would get him noticed by Fairburne. The SOE Sniper was, in fact, planning a mission in that very city thanks to some captured German intelligence report detailing a Project known simply as "Weisshexe". In the meantime, Barnes would end up helping both him, Powell, and Captain William Blazkowicz in sabotaging German operations in France. The Sergeant, for his part, would would turn the German's own artillery pieces against them, using these fixed gun emplacements to wreak havoc on German supply convoys, parked tanks, and even against the German Luftwaffe's aircraft.
  • In War-Torn Berlin, Sgt. Barnes, thanks to not being trained as an OSS operative, was given the task of diverting German attention away from one of their facilities, while Lt. Powell would infiltrate an abandoned V2 rocket production site outside the city while disguised as a Waffen-SS officer, with Fairburne stealthily eliminating German sentries and snipers outside the facility and providing overwatch. In addition, Barnes himself would also serve as mediator between Western Allied Forces and Soviet Forces currently operating in and around Berlin, having fought alongside the Soviets in April 1945. Upon hearing explosions and rifle fire in the distance, the signal on when Lt. Powell and Lt. Fairburne would begin their attack, Barnes acted quick and commandeered a German Flak 36 gun. Using this cannon, Barnes manages to stall German reinforcements from arriving at the underground facility just long enough for the two Allied soldiers to escape. Upon hearing from them via portable radio that they're out of the facility, Barnes himself makes it away from the combat zone towards Soviet lines, and successfully links up with Soviet deities Capt. Viktor Reznov, Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko, Pvt. Vasili Ivanovich Koslov, and Vasily Zaytsev. They then take him to Marshal Zhukov, who in turn thanks Barnes for his part in helping soften up German defenses around Berlin. After congratulating the American paratrooper, Zhukov gives the Sergeant the directions on where his fellow Allied operatives went, complete with a personal letter of thanks addressed to President Roosevelt.
    • At some point following this battle on the outskirts of Berlin, after linking up with Powell and Fairburne, Barnes was able to save a young boy named Jojo Beltzer, who was caught in the middle of a firefight between several Waffen-SS soldiers and his Soviet and fellow American allies. Upon killing several and forcing the Germans to make a hasty retreat, the Soviets capture the boy, assuming him to be in league with the Germans. Fortunately for Jojo, before he can be harmed or even shot by the vengeful Soviets, Reznov in particular, Fairburne and Barnes come to his aid, having noticed from his tone and body language that he wasn't in any way a fanatic and was just scared and clueless. As it turns out, Jojo, despite having ascended as a deity relating to the Nazi Protagonist trope, is anything but a Nazi, having renounced his beliefs in them entirely when his universe's World War II ended. He also told the OSS agents that he was glad that they were around, as from previous experiences he had almost been executed by the Soviets once already. From this encounter, Barnes, and by extension Fairburne, strike a friendship with Jojo, with Barnes teaching the boy about a few poems that the Sergeant read and memorized when he wasn't in combat, while Fairburne had told Jojo about his own youth and eventual dislike the Nazi ideology, the Lieutenant being of German descent himself.
  • Whilst the Berlin mission ultimately ended on a bittersweet note, with Powell and Fairburne unable to take out the Nazis' new wonderweapons project completely but at least gathering more than enough intelligence on what they're facing, Barnes, along the other members of the 101st Airborne in the Pantheon, would soon be deployed to a completely new location: the Principality of Eylstadt, which had been taken over and occupied by German forces following its ascension. Whilst an Alternate Timeline equivalent of Austria, a country that Easy Company at least had been to during their deployment, Barnes, Baker's, and Hartsock's squads haven't. Despite this issue, once they parachute into Eylstadt, they begin launching attacks against German positions around the capital city of Landsbruck. Barnes, for his part, would end up saving Eylstadt's Propaganda Hero Izetta from her Arch-Enemy Sophie, by manning a Flakvierling 38 and firing at the evil White Witch's direction, just enough of an opening for Izetta to deal a severe blow to her opponent and force her into retreat. In addition to Eylstadt, Barnes would also see action several times in the Netherlands, serving alongside the rest of the 101st Airborne in and around Eindhoven and Hell's Highway, fighting against heavily-armed Heer Infantry and Waffen-SS units deployed in the area. It would be around Hell's Highway, in fact, that Barnes would meet fellow paratrooper Cpl. Boyd Travers of the 17th Airborne Division for the first time. Both paratroopers, with help from Baker's and Hartsock's squads, would end up fighting alongside one another, at one point participating in the destruction of at least four Tiger I Heavy tanks attempting to launch a counterattack down Hell's Highway.
  • When not in combat, Sgt. Jack Barnes can often be seen with the deities from the Girls und Panzer universe. Thanks to his ability to crew tanks as well as artillery pieces singlehandedly, he was able to impress virtually all of them during one of their tankery matches. Of the girls, the one who was most impressed with the Sergeant's skills was Katyusha, who specialized in the use of Soviet tanks, which included T-34 tanks similar to the one Barnes had used in Berlin. It was through their shared experience in crewing Soviet tanks that the two formed an Odd Friendship of sorts. Barnes himself would often crew a T-34 in Pravda High School's markings during matches, scoring more than few victories in tankery matches, at one point even besting the crew of the M4A3E8 Fury, who happen to be experienced American tankers and take part in tankery matches on a regular basis.

"The Fall of Berlin was a bloody nightmare of house-to-house combat. The Soviet losses were staggering. But from the moment Red soldiers raised their flag over the Reichstag, the Allies had sealed Germany's fate. The long War for Europe was over. Adolf Hitler, who had promised a thousand years of pain, lay dead in his bunker. Soon they'll draft and sign the usual treaties, award their medals and campaign medals, build their memorials. But mourning the countless dead...That won't end in our lifetime. Until the generations that follow, I offer the prayer that somehow we find our way to a lasting peace. Sergeant Jack Barnes, May 1945."

Launchpad McQuack 

Launchpad McQuack, God of Crashing Vehicles (L.P., Lunchpail, Lawnchair, Stamp Pad, Captain Crash)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/launchpad_mcquack_2017.png

  • Demigod
  • Symbol: One of Scrooge McDuck's crashed planes or the Thunderquack
  • Alignment: Neutral Good
  • Portfolio: Ace Pilot, Universal Driver's License, Adventurer Outfit, Goggles Do Nothing, Scarf of Asskicking, Cloudcuckoolander, Genius Ditz, Friend to All Children, Papa Wolf, Gentle Giant, Lantern Jaw of Justice, Loyal to Scrooge, Darkwing, and their Friends no Matter What, Darkwing Duck's biggest fan, CEO of Quackwerks for a bit
  • Domains: Crashing, Aircraft, Piloting
  • Allies:
  • Enemies: Bradford Buzzard, Magica de Spell, Flintheart Glomgold, The Beagle Boys, Pete
  • Admires: Batman
  • Launchpad McQuack is a pilot working with Scrooge McDuck while also being a sidekick to Darkwing Duck. He’s a skilled pilot, yet ends up crashing almost every plane he pilots, along with some other modes of transportation along the way. Launchpad also isn’t the smartest duck in the pond, but that hasn’t stopped him from stepping in to help his friends when the need arises. With a big heart that leaves behind an even bigger pile of scrap metal, Launchpad is willing to stick by the McDuck Clan and their associates no matter how bad things get and is particularly friendly towards the youngsters in that ensemble.
  • Having just finished going on a mission with Darkwing, Launchpad got a letter from the Duck triplets talking about a far off place that not only was connected to Duckburg and St. Canard, but had a lot of exciting things going on that Launchpad would be very interested in. It didn’t take long for preparations for Darkwing and Launchpad to explore whatever was being described in the letter and Gosalyn ended up tagging along for that trip. Launchpad and the others arrived at the destination the triplets and Mr. McDuck was at and while the landing wasn’t as bad compared to what normally happens with Launchpad at the wheel, he did end up crashing near a building due to the brakes being faulty. That particular mishap aside (and the repairs didn’t take long), Launchpad was appropriately eager to see what the rest of McDuck clan has been up to and the ever-busy pilot has continued to fit time between being Darkwing’s sidekick and helping Mr. McDuck and his family travel to many interesting spots around the world with Darkwing sometimes accompanying them depending on what’s going on.
  • Donald Duck has gone on plenty of adventures outside of what his extended family goes through and much like how the McDuck Clan has learned about his friends and adversaries, Launchpad has gotten to know them as well. While he has helped out Chip, Dale and the rest of the Rescue Rangers once and is aware of Goofy, it’s some of the bigger endeavors Donald took part in with his friends that got Launchpad eager to know more of. As highly as Launchpad values Mr. McDuck and Darkwing, he found it just as impressive that not only was Donald a well-meaning duck who wants to help his extended family as much as he can, he’s also shown to be versatile despite the struggles he faces and has embarked on plenty of grand adventures with the likes of someone as famous as Mickey Mouse. Even though it’s clear that Launchpad has a lot in his schedule and can’t fully commit to helping some of Donald’s friends like Sora (whose adventures are far more dangerous than most of what Launchpad has gone through his the McDuck Clan and Darkwing), anyone who’s willing to be supportive of the extended McDuck family are people who Launchpad is willing to aid no matter how troubling the adventure could get.
  • Despite being good at piloting aircraft and being a kind person in general, Launchpad’s reputation for crashing anything he gets his hands on has made most straight-laced pilots wary of hiring him for help. One pilot who had no problem hanging out with Launchpad was Ted Striker, whose seemingly straight-laced demeanor hid some odd quirks of his own, including boring people with long-winded stories. Launchpad didn’t find these stories to be dull and was more than open to showing Ted some unusual kinds of aircraft and telling stories of strange adventures of his own as a show of friendship. While Ted’s experience flying wasn’t enough to prevent Launchpad from crashing any aircraft the two are in, he still sees Launchpad as the kind soul he is regardless of how many planes he’s crashed.
  • Joseph Joestar was another person who ended up crashing any vehicle he’s in control of, but what Launchpad found intriguing was that the whole tendency of crashing vehicles was a by-product of the Joestar lineage just getting themselves into a bunch of bizarre adventures. In a more general sense, Joseph was everything Launchpad isn’t when it came to personality: brash, confident, and smart enough to use any trick in (and out of) the book to get the upper hand against his opponents. Like Launchpad, Joseph has traveled across the world to fight off some strange threats, values his friends and family greatly, and is more than willing to step into battle if they’re in danger. As vast as the McDuck family tree was, the Joestar family tree was just as fascinating when it came to extended families going on journeys across the world dealing with problems ranging from enemies that aren’t that difficult to defeat to dangerous foes that had a personal grudge against an entire family and their friends. Even if Launchpad isn’t going to be able to get the same kind of confidence that Joseph has, the Second Jojo can tell that Launchpad is pretty much an honorary member of the family he hangs out with and has encouraged him to make the most out of all the adventures he’s involved with.
  • If Launchpad is a pilot whose habit of crashing planes while landing them has made some wary of flying with him, then Jonah is pretty much his seafaring counterpart as the sailor’s klutziness has resulted in many ships he’s on sinking. This didn’t deter them from being friends with each other and Jonah believes that Launchpad’s dedication to his friends is something worth admiring and emulating when it came to wanting others to trust him in sailing the seas. Unsurprisingly, this led to more sunken ships and it didn’t help that while Jonah is only a problem at sea, Launchpad has crashed a lot more than just aerial vehicles despite being an otherwise good pilot. Despite the concerns that having the two of them around would spell disaster for anyone trying to travel with them, Launchpad and Jonah are good friends to each other and have had conversations about their journeys whenever they aren’t out going somewhere with others.
  • Coming with the territory of being a kind-hearted duck who is taking care of Gosalyn alongside Darkwing and being a regular companion of the triplets, Launchpad is fond of children and has stepped up his game whenever his child friends are in danger. It became obvious that while he shares the animosity that the McDuck Clan has towards their most prominent foes, he has a bigger hatred towards those who actively harm children. The triplets and Gosalyn on her more capable days can hold their own against some foes, but it didn’t change the fact that they would need the help of their elder kin to take down some of the stronger adversaries they go up against. That was also why Launchpad is willing to become stronger for the sake of the youngsters that are part of the extended McDuck family. He might not be all that smart and can almost never stick the landing anytime he’s controlling a vehicle, but he knows that losing family can lead to troubling times and he (along with Darkwing and the rest of the McDuck clan) aren’t going to let some entities who have made a living ruining the lives of children (regardless of whether they have families or not) make things harder for this clan.
  • Tails was someone who Launchpad took a liking to for a number of reasons. Not only was the two-tailed fox a skilled pilot like Launchpad, but he had a similar kind of adventurous spirit that the triplets have and was a sidekick willing to stick by with their hero no matter what, another trait that Launchpad happened to share when it came to hanging out with Darkwing and Mr. McDuck. Tails is able to fend for himself fairly well at times, though Launchpad has acted like an older brother to Tails (despite Tails being smarter than Launchpad) whenever they embarked on high-flying adventures separate from their regular group of friends and Launchpad has learned quite a bit about advanced aircraft and machinery from Tails. He also learned that there were plenty of young inventors with their own specialties akin to how Tails is focused on planes and while Launchpad hasn’t had any luck in being able to fix the planes he’s crashed compared to Tails’ mechanical skills, Tails finds Launchpad to be good both as a pilot and as a friend to the group he hangs out with.
  • Besides being a pilot, Launchpad is also Darkwing’s sidekick, helping him out in fighting crime and raising Gosalyn. He’s not the brightest sidekick out there, but he is very friendly and it was surprising for him to learn not only how many different sidekicks there are, but how such a role played out for a few characters in the Pantheon. Batman, a hero who worked from the shadows like Darkwing, but was much more competent in general, had Robin as a sidekick, but there was a lot more to it than that as Launchpad would find out. The Caped Crusader had a handful of different Robins throughout his career due to various circumstances involving those predecessors and the Dark Knight has plenty of baggage that impacted his work. Despite the inherent darkness that Batman regularly goes through metaphorically and literally, he has plenty of associates who are willing to help him through troubled times and he is very protective of children. It was a bit difficult for Launchpad to process just how much Batman had to go through, but there were a few things that Launchpad understood, including Batman’s willingness to keep children safe and the immense loyalty Alfred Pennyworth had towards Batman. While Darkwing isn’t able to get the same kind of attention Batman has and the problems that go on with the McDuck Clan aren’t as severe as what Batfamily has gone through, Launchpad found a lot to like about Batman thanks to working as sidekick for Darkwing and engaging in adventures with the McDuck Clan and their friends.
  • Launchpad has gone on plenty of adventures that aren’t related to the McDuck Clan or anyone closely associated with them and what little details he provides once he’s done tend to be strange. These side quests have also resulted in him getting plenty of girlfriends, though he isn’t able to fully stick with one for a number of reasons. This has made him the subject of some jealousy by a few womanizers who feel that he doesn’t look like someone who could win over women easily. Johnny Bravo, a man who tried way too hard at getting women on his side and failing just as badly in the process, had a talk with Launchpad upon hearing that the latter was skilled with winning over women. Launchpad responded that it’s as easy as helping women with whatever trouble they’re facing no matter how outlandish the scenario is and that while Johnny didn’t seem like a bad person, it’s a matter of having one’s heart be in the right place so that women can leave with a good impression of someone.
  • As one of Mr. McDuck’s most trusted associates, there would come a time when Launchpad would temporarily have a go at running a company, but it didn’t involve McDuck Enterprises directly. Instead, Launchpad would have a short-lived tenure as the CEO of Quackwerks, a company formerly run by Taurus Bulba, one of Darkwing’s enemies, as part of a plan by Mr. McDuck to reform the company. While he’s in no rush to be the head of another company any time soon, that didn’t stop Launchpad from finding out about a multitude of other companies in the Pantheon that ranged from being benevolent in actions to being hostile to more than just McDuck Enterprises. Given how much planning Mr. McDuck has to both keep his company afloat and travel around the world with his family and friends combined with the difficulties that are faced in trying to actively reform such awful corporations, the most Launchpad could do is disapprove of those corrupt companies.

If it's got wings, I can crash it!

Racing Drones 

The Racing Drones, Unholy Mook Mobile Drivers of the Pantheon (Drones)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/racing_drones.png

The Racing Drones' Vehicles

  • Demigods individually, Lesser Gods when working as a team
  • Symbol: The Racing Drones logo
  • Theme: Racing Drones Theme
  • Alignment: Lawful Evil as a whole, Gelorum is more on Neutral Evil
  • Portfolio: Mecha-Mooks who drive and even transform into part of Equally expendable cars, Killer Robot, Absolutely determined to win any and all races at any cost, Having limitless numbers of drones and vehicles at their disposal, Number-coded naming for their units and vehicles, Dark Is Evil, All of their drones and vehicles colored in dark green and black, Actually being thousands of years old
  • Allies: SKYNET and its many subordinate units, AM, The Fabrication Machine, Sigma, Lumine, Ultron, The Decepticons, The Combine, ADVENT
  • Enemies: Any and all humans, especially drivers, as well as any good-aligned machines supporting humanity
  • Rivals: Nitrous Oxide, Emperor Velo
  • The Racing Drones were highly-advanced robots created by the Accelerons, a mysterious alien race known for loving to race vehicles. Their purpose was simple: to win races, no matter what the cost. And they did as they were programmed and made to do.
    • Too well, in fact. So well, that they pretty much took all the fun and passion away from racing. Because of this, the Accelerons decided to banish them to Earth and seal them the Antarctic ice sheet. There, they remained dormant for thousands of years, until humanity learned how to make advanced cars and knew how to drive them well.
    • And so, in the early 21st century, the drones, led by Gelorum, emerged onto present-day Earth, determined to Take Over the World, Kill All Humans, and defeat the Accelerons in a race and eventually overthrow them.
  • At first, Gelorum, who had assumed a human disguise, did her best to blend into humanity in order to understand how they raced as well as to attempt to steal the Wheel of Power, a device capable of giving access to the Racing Realms, worlds containing different racing tracks.
    • Her first attempt failed, and left her damaged and scarred. Following this, she rebuilt herself, with her Robotic Reveal made all the more apparent. However, she and the drones had successfully taken the Wheel of Power, and managed to thwart Dr. Peter Tezla's attempt at stealing it back. This left the genius scientist crippled and forced to wear a body brace until he can recover.
  • After a few minor setbacks in the realms, Gelorum and the drones managed to secure all of the Accelechargers, by simply storming the Acceledrome and taking the ones belonging to the Teku, Metal Maniacs, and even the Silencerz. However, her subsequent attempts to push through with her Evil Plan at taking on the Accelerons ultimately fails, with her cheating in the Ultimate Race instead of using her own driving skills. In full Sore Loser combined with Villainous Breakdown fashion, she attempts to kill the victor of said race, one Vert Wheeler, before the Accelerons banish her for good.
    • Finding out that their leader has been banished and as a result lost the Ultimate Race, the RD-L1 units took command of the Drones, and ordered them to Kill All Humans present in the Acceledrome. Their attempts were ultimately stopped when the Silencerz intervened on the other drivers' behalf, allowing Vert and the others to escape.
  • Following their defeat at the hands of the humans, the Racing Drones, including their leader Gelorum, were ascended into the Pantheon, complete with all their vehicles and production facilities. They emerged suddenly from a cave located in a mountain, where they promptly began setting up operation from within, churning out hundreds of new drones and cars within hours. However, without the Wheel of Power, they could no longer regain the Accelechargers, at least for the time being.
  • Unlike most examples of the trope they represent, the Racing Drones actually form part of and transform into part of their vehicles, specifically the roof and driver's cabs on several of their mass-produced cars. In addition, both the drones and the vast majority of their vehicles are mass-produced on an assembly line. Despite this, however, they are far from being worthless.
    • In fact, their AI programming has been shown to be some of the best when it comes to driving through all kinds of environments, being able to adapt to any foreign environment in a matter of minutes.
    • With regards to their vehicles, among other things they have come up with an adaptable tire capable of changing its texture with the push of a button, allowing them to more easily traverse through any roads. The vehicles themselves are made up of reinforced alloys, allowing several of them to house incredibly powerful engines while maintaining incredibly high speed and maneuverability. In addition, all of them, including the drones themselves, house onboard weaponry, allowing them to reduce any rival racers and their cars to dust with a single hit.
    • The only real downside is their inability to think creatively, being robots and all. It's the main reason why many a human driver has outwitted them.
  • Aside from their array of advanced racing vehicles, they also have two other notable Mook Mobile units that aren't cars. The first is a jet fighter which they use for close-air support, and is armed with the same blasters used in their cars. The second is the Sweeper, a massive Lightning Bruiser of a machine designed to capture rival racers and their cars by sweeping them into itself, then systematically dismantling their car and holding the driver in a cage.
  • Interestingly, while most of their vehicles are mass-produced, they also have a handful of Super Prototype cars in their arsenal. The most advanced of these is the RD-09, Gelorum's personal racecar. Using the latest technology and having the compatibility to mount multiple accelechargers, it is the Magnum Opus of their technology.
  • Their ascension earns them the interest of several evil-aligned deities and organizations, most of whom are interested in using the drones and their vehicles as additional firepower and manpower. Chief among them is SKYNET, who sees Gelorum's hatred of humanity as something they can form an alliance over. This is mainly due to seeing the Racing Drones' vehicles as massive improvements over the Moto-Terminator in terms of performance.
  • Gelorum comes to admire AM's hatred of humanity, and promises to hand the computer system any other unlucky humans she captures.
    • She also comes to respect the Fabrication Machine's skills at producing mooks for itself, and even offers it the chance to help her construct more powerful drones and vehicles by integrating it into the drone production facilities. She also continues to encourage it to continue its crusade against humanity, even down to giving it a drone body and a personalized car for its own use.
  • Sigma and Lumine are among the deities that Gelorum comes to respect, due to them wanting to turn against humanity much like how she rebelled against the Accelerons, her own creators. The same goes for Ultron.
  • Gelorum and the Drones find out about the Decepticons after a number of them scan and disguise themselves as a number of their vehicles. She decides to ally with them, due to coming to like Megatron's belittling of humanity.
  • Because of their alien origin as well as their hostility towards humans, XCOM, the MIB, the HECU, and even the Black Ops consider them as legitimate targets for them to oppose. The fact that they're machines gone rogue from their masters also earns them the attention deities like John Connor. Organizations like ADVENT and The Combine see the Drones as potential allies because of this, not helped by Gelorum's willingness to Take Over the World and Kill All Humans.
  • Two deities they consider as rivals rather than outright enemies are Emperor Velo and his accomplice Nitrous Oxide. Due to the Drones' programming to win any and all races at any cost, they would rather race against them and their allies to prove that they're the superior racers than work together with him. In other words, the Drones are definitely the type to accept Velo's challenge, to the point that they're willing to kill either him or Oxide just for a shot at winning.

"The Drones have forgotten the purpose of competition. The important thing is not winning, but striving to win."

"We were created to win! Winning is all there is!"

The West Coast Cabbies 

The West Coast Cabbiesmembers, Divine Quartet of Crazy Driving

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crazy_taxi_boxart_dreamcastbrasil3.jpg

Left to right: Axel, Gena, Gus, B.D. Joe

  • Demideities
  • Symbol: The Crazy Taxi logo (pictured)
  • Theme Song: All I Want by The Offspring
  • Alignment: Somewhere between Chaotic Neutral and Neutral Good
  • Porfolio: Crazy driving, Sweet and indestructible cabs, Radical speech, Snarking at their passengers, Overlooked danger, The cool factor, Using ramps for cool jumps, No time to waste, Situational waterbreathing, Earning fares
  • Domains: Recklessness, Transportation
  • Heralds: The Small Apple Cabbiesmembers, The Glitter Oasis Cabbiesmembers
  • Allies: Travis Bickle, Sonic The Hedgehog, Beat, Irisviel von Einzbern, Shank
  • Rivals: Homer Simpson
  • Enemies: Rosco P. Coltrane, Mr. Burns
  • Somewhere in California and other locations, many different people are looking to get to their destination as fast as possible. In order to do so, they must rely on four cabbies of varying personalities and temperaments to reach that location. Those cabbies are very skilled at driving, but have a huge disregard for basic traffic safety. In fact, those customers actually admire those acts of recklessness and will provide additional fares to the cabbies in addition to the cabbies getting to said destinations quickly. They might not offer the most practical and logical way of getting there, but their methods sure beat walking.
  • It was a peaceful day in the Pantheon, and unlike most other peaceful days that would lead to a calamity of some kind, nothing was happening behind the scenes that would threaten the stability of the Pantheon that day. A few deities got tired of walking and looked through a phone book to see if there was someone that could get them to their destination faster. Four cabbies arrived some time later and offered to take those deities to their desired places. What followed was a wild ride throughout the streets of the Pantheon as the cabbies caused near-misses and skidded across streets, but they were able to get those deities to their destination quickly. Those deities liked the cabbies' crazy style of work and made a successful request to get them involved in the Pantheon.
  • The four quickly managed to find another cabby in Travis Bickle and decided to strike a conversation with him. Travis, who mostly preferred to keep to himself, was a bit surprised to find others in the same field as he is, though the four aren't entirely aware of his life beyond being a cabby. Given the other commitments he has in addition to working with a taxi, Travis figured that the four could fill in for him whenever he's doing his other work, which the four obliged. The differences in how Travis and the four take their passengers to their desired places couldn't be more different, but the four are among the very few deities that Travis doesn't have a lot of issues with.
  • Of the four, B.D. Joe has taken some time off his job to participate in races between Sonic the Hedgehog and other Sega characters. Some of these races involved taking to the skies and sea in addition to being on the ground, with Joe's taxi having the appropriate modifications for said races. The other cabbies have noticed Joe's participation in those races and have even talked to him about having their cabbies attain the same modifications that he has so they can take passengers across the sea (driving on the sea floor is a different thing entirely) and through the air. He's certainly open to that idea and test runs have been made using these methods to get more Pantheonic denizens to their destinations, no matter what those places might be.
    • As far as the Sega characters that Joe encountered during his races are concerned, there's a few that the group have a fondness towards. It isn't much of a surprise to see them friends with Sonic, especially considering their quick mindsets and separate wild adventures they go on. The cabbies have also sometimes seen Beat and Ecco (though the latter had nothing to do with the aforementioned races) around during the aforementioned test runs on the modified cabs, with Beat sometimes tagging along with the group in his down-time.
  • While looking for some deities that could join them in delivering passengers in their own crazy style, the quartet saw Irisviel driving around wildly. They invited Iris over for a chat about driving and she was enthusiastic about her driving and wanted to have something to do from time-to-time whenever Kiritsugu is busy. The cabbies decided to let her be a part-time worker with them, though it's been noted that Iris sees driving around as comparable to running around in a playground and her average delivery time on getting passengers to their places is slower compared to the cabbies. It's not something that'll bring her down nor damper the quartet's friendship with her.
  • All four are at odds with Homer Simpson due to him having once taken on a roll not unlike theirs. While the various residents of Springfield have taken a go at that kind of driving during that time, the mostly friendly rivalry is mostly directed to Homer. Springfield's driving craze happened because Mr. Burns attempted to buy out the city's transit systems and have radioactive buses running around. The West Coast cabbies have a problem with what Mr. Burns attempted and he's more than willing to try and pull off that stunt again in the Pantheon.
  • Their antics managed to earn the ire of Rosco P. Coltrane, a corrupt law enforcer that has spent much of his life chasing after three people in a multitude of driving-centric chaos. He sometimes waits for them somewhere and attempts to ambush them to try and arrest them, but the cabbies are successful in thwarting his efforts. Some of the passengers who are with the cabbies have noted that being chased around makes being around the four even more thrilling than normal, though that's partly because Coltrane isn't that well-respected in the Pantheon in general.
  • One thing that surprised the four was seeing an Extreme Gear based on their cabs, more specifically the one used by B.D. Joe. The Crazy, as it is called, relies on Rings instead of air to move forward (though some aren't sure if other monetary values also apply). The cabbies found it a bit amusing that there's rumors of that Extreme Gear being possessed by the soul of a greedy taxi driver, especially since they've noticed that no one has been badly affected from it after using it.
  • Axel is a 21-year-old cabby who took up the job having been inspired by going on a taxi ride when he was younger. He has played the bassist in various bands, is good at picking up women for dates, and serves as a pretty good mediator for his friends. In spite of all this, he has a short-fuse and gets into fights for little reason, something that's prevented him from landing a consistent girlfriend or a permanent role in a band.
    • Some part-time musicians in the Pantheon decided to start up a rock band one day and were looking for someone to fill the role of bassist. Axel took up that job despite the concerns of Yuu Haruna, who was another bassist and was overseeing that particular project. When the time came for the band to perform, things went well until the group went backstage and someone insulted them. Axel got into a fight with that person and the end result was the band getting kicked out of the venue and later disbanded, much to the dismay of Yuu.
  • The 25-year-old B.D. Joe is a cheerful dude that enjoys entertaining people. Aside from his taxi-driving profession, he's a noted street performer whose musical skills are apparently on par with that of professional musicians. As enticing as the prospect of being a professional musician is, he enjoys being a cabby as is and making people smile is something that's more than enough for him.
    • If he isn't busy with his cabby job, then Joe might be around other parts of the Pantheon as a street performer. His street performances have led others to recommend him to the Houses of Musicality and Theatre and Spectacle so that he can bring smiles to more people than before. Joe has stated that being a street performer is more of a part-time thing, but he appreciated the offer regardless.
  • Gena is the sole female member of the West Coast cabbies and is someone that not only is skilled at driving (even among the other members of the group), but has done quite a bit of work on her own car. While Gena has what it takes to become a professional racer, she's more interested in street-racing due to it providing more thrills. She has also earned the attention of various guys, but doesn't really pay them much attention.
    • Having heard of her skills as a mechanic, others within that specific profession have approached her with the intent of improving her taxi further. Gena wasn't all that interested in others changing around her ride, though some of them were persistent to the point that they got out blueprints of what those improvements would entail. While she could understand a bit about Joe's upgrades he got for those races, she wasn't really receptive to what those mechanics were presenting regarding her car. Those mechanics were disappointed and later told to leave, with Gena saying that she'll know how to fine-tune her car on her own.
    • Gena's love for street racing led her to meet up with Shank, who decided to invite Gena and the other cabbies over to Slaughter Race and see what they think of it. The quartet was more than surprised to see what it was like, though Shank reassured them that she's not that bad of a person and that what she does in the game is only because of the role she has in it. While the four didn't accept the offer to join Shank and her friends, they still maintain a good friendship with her, with Gena having quite a bit of conversations with her.
  • As the oldest member of this group of cabbies, the 42-year-old Gus is the one that kick-started the Crazy Taxi trend. Before this, he was a very unruly hooligan that was determined to win no matter what. Thanks to frequent bouts of gambling (something that he does whenever he isn't doing work as a cabby), he has mellowed out and learned that winning isn't everything.
    • Gus has spent some of his free-time going to the numerous casinos and gambling establishments around the Pantheon. He managed to find a handful of gamblers during these instances and found most of them to be friendly gambling buddies. He has told some of them such as Tsunade that winning isn't everything as he learned firsthand.