Tinsel Steelus - Maiden Name
Married Name: Tinsel Steelus Wheeler
Age: 27-32
Occupations: Temporary Duelist, Member of the Elite Mobile Task Force (formerly), F-Zero pilot
Birthplace: Earth, Mute City
Best Friends: Rick (fiancé-husband), Lucy, Dr. Clash (deceased), Dr. Stewart, Mr. EAD, Captain Falcon (deceased), Burt/Andy, Clank, Beastman (Chris Annex), Octoman, Rodney Stewart, Gomar and Shioh, Leon, Roger and Draq, Lily Flyer, Luna Stewart, Phoenix Levin, PJ, Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Mantis, Rocket
Other: Yugi, Yami, Joey, Plassein, Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Groot, Rocket Raccoon
Appearance: Falcon's Followers; The Samurai Returns; Cold as Ice; Rick's Lament; Vulnerability of a Hero; Ryu's Immigration; A Trilogy of Tension; Tanaka in Trouble; Merry Christmas, Rick!; Tinsel's Trial; Tinsel's Interview with Mr. Zero; Ending it All; Man of Destiny; An Action Point for Valentine's; The Power of the Falcon; I Like it When...; PJ, the Empyrean Colonist; The Bostonian Comes Home, To Be Married and Loved; A Tragic Day, Worriment of the Future, Ikran's F-Zero Deleted Scenes
Machine: Silver Comet
Used Cards: Kuriboh, Catapult Turtle, Multiply, Blue-Eyes (all forms), Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress, Time Wizard, Baby Dragon, Giant Soldier of Stone, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon
Theme Song(s): Main Theme (Mach Rider from SSBM, during an intense race)
A World without Love (Rick's Lament)
Grand Prix Results (F-Zero Maximum Velocity, during a casual/practice race)
Mission Clear! (F-Zero GX, when someone joins her team)
Run the Show (Kat DeLuna and Busta Rhymes, song on her comeback after training in the Hovercraft Hub)
Saria's Song (Tinsel in training even when using simulations)
I Got a Name (Tinsel/Rick's first wedding dance)
Biography[]
As the name may imply, she's a fan of things that have a lot of lusters. Back in the original F-Zero Grand Prix, Tinsel became fascinated with racing. Her prized machine, the Silver Comet, had led her in second place during the Knight League while Falcon took the golden trophy. Unfortunately, her victory was cut short as she entered the Queen League; the circuits were more unforgiving, and she almost died when she couldn't make over a gap in White Land. She was hospitalized for so long from her near-death experience that she missed out on the King League, including the accident which took place during the Great Finale. Since then, she was thrown into despair and never wanted to race again. Her machine was left abandoned in a garage in Mute City, and she also missed out on the F-Zero X race.
But she eventually got her hopes up as she heard of another intergalactic tournament. She eventually enrolled after she met two young Duelists, Yugi and Joey. Although Mute City and Port Town didn't suit their tastes, they were fascinated with the places and the fact the former's the main capital of all the F-Zero races. So, they decided to tag along as she explored certain parts of the galaxy while running into the undefeated champion, Captain Falcon. During his missions, they've discreetly used some cards to assist him, whether it'd be Slifer in the Lightning power plant, or Red-Eyes trying to dismantle a speed-sensitive bomb. Eventually, they met, and the pair enrolled in the Grand Prix together to prevent his nemeses, Black Shadow and Blood Falcon, from winning.
By the time they won, Yami sensed an evil presence, which was Deathborn who slewed the demon and challenged Falcon to a death-defining race. In the Underworld, the champion somehow emerged victorious before the team was about to use their Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Then, they were encased in cards while the bounty hunter faced off the creator spirits. After that, they resumed their exploration. And it was about a year since she then met Rick and the Task Force as he was looking for Samurai Goroh. She became a member of the crew and usually had a certain disposition with Jody and Jack. There was a time when she used her Duel Monster cards during a party in Truman's home. She dropped the Duel Disk and avoided a trap set by him as Rick, Lucy, and the Arrows were caged in a basement. She countered him and the Bloody Chain using Kuriboh and Multiply, the Galaxy Police arrived, and Truman avoided arrest. However, she made an enemy for life, threatening him that if he should capture racers once more, it'll be his "head in the smasher." There was a reprieve for a few days, until Rick lamented over his lost past. Her relationship has grown for him since then, and she even saved his life from the Skull's spell after she succeeded using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
There were also some times when she had to contact the Duelists for emergencies such as when Roger and Draq were participating in a race against Rick as Pico attached speed-sensitive bombs to every F-Zero machine after a promise he made to Alias on winning it, or when she borrowed some of their low-leveled Duel Monsters to hold back the fatal meteor storm after Zoda deactivated the shields. When the Crystal Cup ended, that began her curse on losing every challenge as Rick, Falcon, and Jack, and at one time Lucy, stole her victories. She became very glum after that.
By the time the Duelists went up against a 10,000-year-old curse, things got complicated for Tinsel. Without saying a word, she just got up and went as she decided to quit dueling. The Task Force was actually surprised and glad that she volunteered to work for them full-time; it was indeed a better fit for her since she had more skill and experience as well as a better sense of belonging. Not to mention she loved hanging out and helping her friends along the way. Despite their relationship lasting for about a month, Yugi, Yami, and Joey still remained friends with her, but their contacts since then became very seldom.
After several months of winning race after race, while never taking in first, she eventually was brainwashed by Dark Million. She recently enrolled in the Hovercraft Hub on Planet Tortiz 3, as a way to improve her skills since she hardly ended up in the top five. Fortunately, the spell eventually wore off and Dr. Stewart made a formula to reverse the effects. She had an accident at Mist Flow, then she recovered as Rick was watching over her. Through time, she slowly had a deeper attachment to the pilot as she learned of his dark past and the loss of Haruka. She promised to herself she'll always be there for him, as he has always been supportive.
During the mid-spring, she returned to headquarters only to find Rick and his team missing. She knew Dark Million was behind all this and so she'd fit the pieces together and encounter new friends along the way. So far, she was successful on reuniting with Rick, Jack, Lucy and EAD; however, she was unable to save Dr. Clash after he was involved in a tragic death. Still, she manages to push forward, and she would never give up as long as her friends are by her side. Since then, she moved onto the finals and learned the Booster Fire, as well as a special technique that enabled her machine to make longer leaps as she enters a Jump Plate, and land more lightly. She witnessed a terrifying incident during the Championship race as Black Shadow took Rick back to Dark Star. Fortunately, she was reunited with him as she, Falcon, and his friends helped him regain his senses and escape while he was saving Rodney. But things took a turn for the worst as she unexpectedly encountered Jody where her team was going to meet. As soon as she made an ultimatum to kill Super Arrow with a special bullet she made, in exchange for the Duelists' lives, Tinsel went berserk and declared quitting the Task Force. Soon after, she was abducted by Black Shadow, and he made a deal with Rick to surrender the remaining Light Reactor Mights. Now, this begins a perilous journey to his own turf with Dr. Stewart as the only infected associate left.
By an act of faith, Rick was able to save Tinsel while she was in a deadly scrimmage with Miss Killer. After some attempts trying to intimidate and trick him, he made a fateful decision to save his true love thanks to Haruka's kindred spirit. She later reunited with her friends, and Rodney decided to tag along as the trio entered the Dark Reactor Core. It was there where Dr. Stewart recited the legend of the savior. Rick Wheeler was the chosen one, as the Wuji for the Yin and Yang that was Black Shadow and Captain Falcon respectively. After the Death Anchor destroyed the restricted lab creating the Blood Falcons, Rick made a declaration to defeat Deathborn for good, leaving his beloved with the memos he kept.
It was only a matter of time before she saw Rick emerge victorious after defeating Deathborn and destroying the Dark Reactor; however, the loss of Captain Falcon was quite devastating. Nonetheless, Yami, Haruka, and even Jody and Dr. Stewart congratulated her on her accomplishments by reuniting the Task Force and saving the universe. After a week of grievance, she resigned gracefully and went on her last mission, to take care of Rick, who's become the official savior and Falcon's replacement. She was incredibly grateful that her new friends had found a place within the Federation, as well as finally overcoming her worst fear as Rick took her to White Land. Using the technique James taught her, she had nothing to dread, and she and Rick had never been closer, as they felt complete at last.
A couple months later, Rick received his first bounty hunting assignment which happened to be in Port Town. The Hive was to set off an epidemic known as the T-Virus and is owned by the corrupt Umbrella Corp. Rick took the challenge to save his and the late Falcon's home world, and he barely made it out alive. Tinsel saw him comatose until he was revived hours after thanks to Falcon's encouragement as well as the Light Reactor Mights.
Several months later, she was engaged to Rick, and she remained by his side throughout his new career as a successful bounty hunter. After he reached 50 captors, he and she got a word from Jody that Lily Flyer needed to be rescued by a street gang. They did, and she informed them that she was practicing a tune that was rumored to awaken the plasma Deity of Giant, Plassein. She was on her way there; coincidentally, so were they, to relax there for a week. This unexpectedly turned into a salvage mission on apprehending Don Genie, who was obsessed with money, and would fulfill a prophecy that the Chosen One must reunite the four Materia orbs to restore the world. This made Rick's 51st bounty, and Tinsel was with him all the way. Together, they went through the Deities' temples and obtained the spheres, but Don made a last stand by shocking Rick and Plassein. In his weak state, he urged her to finish the mission by placing the orbs of Plassein and Gastro to their corresponding slots, resulting in the restoration of the warring triad, and the damage done to Giant. She and Rick recovered, mourned, and spent their week-long vacation. Then he showed her his new abilities thanks to Goroh's rigorous tutoring. It was then that Tinsel witnessed Rick's profound techniques, and they both realized that he rightfully chose to follow Falcon's footsteps and those were the signs of the calling of his destiny.
She later met up with a lost alien from the Empyrean Colony named PJ; she and Rick volunteered to get him back on his feet after the massive explosion there.
She and Rick have set a future wedding date, on October 9, 2577, on the second anniversary on the day they first met in Planet Cryton, around four weeks after he woke up from cold sleep. The plans were all laid out, from the bridesmaids/ushers to the locations of the ceremony and reception, to picking their mentor as the wedding officiant. Heck, they already planned on what their attire would look like. The merry occasion would start on that day, while also inviting some odd guests such as Goroh and his family, even the Duelists' other friends Tea and Tristian. Sadly, she never got her invitations back from Lewis, Beat, nor Lily Flyer. She did decide the honeymoon should take place in Port Town. Rick agreed it'd be an advent for their future residence.
As Rick was curious on who her father of the bride should be, despite the fact her parents died several years ago, she wasn't certain; her mind went blank as she brainstormed any possible candidates, but they were so bizarre and unfitting. So, Rick gave her some privacy to think things over, then...her mind snapped as repressed memories caught up to her! She screamed in agony, he came to her aid, and she was in hysterics while she recalled her neglectful old man, about how she refused to relocate to the Asian Colonies from Mute City. Rick immediately contacted the Stewarts, and they were on the case. Meanwhile, he became worried that since she had this cold bias towards men as dominant figures, he thought the wedding could be cancelled, and their relationship broken... From his constant hobby on finding a mate there and having sex as a top priority and weapon, she ran away and Burt took her in, hence her residence near the Falcon House. Stewart assured her that he has died thanks to a tsunami which destroyed the Philippines, and she thought it was a way to punish the wicked. The docs tended to her turmoil/anxieties and assured her that Rick shall be the opposite of her farce father; she soon chose Dr. Stewart as the escort down the aisle afterwards. And she was ecstatic that Rick shut down 5 interplanetary brothels and resisted Princia's charm when he went to the Desert Kingdom at Planet Magica; it was thanks to Haruka's ring that saved him from temptation, as she and Tinsel spoke to him subconsciously and broke the thrall, then the thot and her territory were destroyed by a meteor shower!
Still, Rick returned with Stewart, and she was incredibly ecstatic knowing that he'll always be faithful to her and never give into temptation just as her father did. Through his wedding vows, and as long as he has Haruka's ring, he demonstrated how unbreakable their bond is. In addition, they received more than enough space credits to keep the occasion going. And she was soon invited to her bachelorette party at the Raining Spa and Salon! Tinsel received a variety of services; this was definitely a good way to ease her inner turmoil her thot dad left! She also received some envelopes of money (shugi-bukuro), even a lot of space credits from Samurai Goroh thanks to the gems he stole and cashed in from the Desert Kingdom before it was destroyed.
With a fortnight to go, she received an unexpecting call; it was only the Guardians of the Galaxy dropping a line to say hi, especially from Star-Lord, Rocket, and Baby Groot! As they apologized for not showing up on account of their busy bounty-hunting missions.
With only a week left, Tinsel finally received her dream wedding dress, comets and all, at the Falcon House! She and Rick also received some shugi-bukuro and their sum was up to 3/4 of 1 million space credits! They presumed they'd pay the Falcon Fortress twice, so they cashed them in, and there were a few hundred thousand credits to spare! Heck, she also got a set of exotic drums from Planet Giant, as well as a ceremonial outfit symbolizing the Genbu.
Before she knew it, it was the day! Everyone but Rick and Burt were seated as she was being escorted by Dr. Stewart. She met up with Rick at the makeshift altar then Burt announced their union. They went thru a sake-sipping ceremony, the san-san-kudo, to symbolize purity and challenges, then they read their wedding vows, received their rings, and tied the knot w/ a passionate kiss! From that moment on, she's known as Tinsel Steelus Wheeler!! She enjoyed the reception, then went on stage to perform the duet, "Ebony and Ivory," w/ Kate and did the finale, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," honoring Rick, Burt, and Haruka saving her from her dad's and mistresses' sins.
Soon enough, she went with Rick to the honeymoon in Port Town! Before she did, she performed the bouquet toss and Dr. Stewart managed to catch it! Rick and Tinsel were being covered by thrown rose petals as they headed to their chauffeur, PJ, and his Groovy Taxi. It went thru the warp gate toward the space harbor where the hovering yacht awaited them. They embarked and soaked in the incredible scenery; an hour later, they went below decks and settled down, or rather take their marriage to the next level. Rick was earnest to go all the way, unprotected, and Tinsel warned once he gets under her skin, there's no getting out. He accepted and their bodies and souls intertwined. The universe is at peace and aligned, just as they were, and as inseparable from that night on.
Several months later, Tinsel and Rick began to experience some biological changes; she was becoming more fragile emotionally, her hormones were on tilt, and became more paler and sicker even during the Particle Accelerator race. Rick's becoming more reckless as his hormones skyrocketed and had more libido, frequent episodes of meditation with Goroh, as well as bounty hunting more. Still, their relationship never wavered, even during that race against a new gen of space pirates; even when they found out Tinsel was expecting! They wanted to give the experimental uterine replicator a try, but...sadly, their attempts weren't successful as the egg/sperm cells failed to merge and can't form a fetus. Their chances of bearing a child were lost...
Later on, they were ambushed by a gangbanger in Mute City, possibly one belonging to the disbanded Bloody Chain. Rocket came to their aid thanks to his Laser Gun which incapacitated the criminal. He and the other Guardians reunited with them, with the couple admiring Groot's rapid growth. They boarded the Milano to take the thug to the nearest prison where the Federation would apprehend him. Rick and Tinsel discussed with the Guardians on how much the future had changed for the team, Tinsel, and the Young Capt. Falcon. Gamora stated some species had either become endangered/extinct, though Rick did volunteer to repopulate some species including indigenous people from Giant and Earth, specifically Native Americans, using tubes storing his donated DNA. Tinsel grew fascinated as long as Rick wasn't cheating on her and only did for the greater good. He also mentioned both he and Tinsel tried and failed using their cells to reproduce in a uterine replicator hence losing their chances on bearing a kid. The guys also reminisced on all the people they'd lost, before they entered thru a black hole taking them over five centuries into the future. They eventually regained their confidence hoping to settle in Port Town and plan for a brighter future.
She'd later appear in the series known as the Criminal Case: Multiverse. Tinsel works as an assistant for the Elite Mobile Task Force, as she solves various criminal cases throughout the universe. She'd also serve as Rick's replacement, since his bounty hunting would take most of his schedule. She'll team up with fellow heroes such as Dr. Stewart, Jody, Jack, Clank, as well as those outside the squadron like Spike, Jet, Dandy, Radical Edward, Travis, Archer, and other honorary candidates.
In the deleted scenes it was said in the first Lap that Tinsel looked up the Astro Robin's oddball stats as well as poor jump height, thus making Jack have an almost endless losing streak against Rick while he was being trained by Silver Neelsen.
In the second Lap, Tinsel stuck with Rick in the Galaxy Runner as he said goodbye to Haruka. As they were approaching Earth, she offered him to be escorted in her Silver Comet while her beloved was grieving over the losses. She even escorted Rick into his flat and stayed with him during the bereavement process lasting for several days, even saying a final farewell to Haruka's vessel in the Mute City funeral home before she was buried. He was suffering from nausea, headaches, heartbreak, and hardly ate nor drank anything and Tinsel stuck with him all the way as his moral supporter. It was then noted to Jody and Dr. Stewart the pair decided to leave the team. After several days Tinsel made the ultimate decision to move into his flat! Then, after he woke up late one day, he noticed she wasn't there. His last guess was at Memory Park where he ran to and saw Tinsel moping over the harbor. With a thin grin, it brought her to Rick's side, and they warmed up to each other at last!
In Port Town, they both watched the twilight sky together, and he could've sworn he heard Haruka whisper, Thank You, to him, even seeing Douglas Jay Falcon saluting him once he wore the new Captain Falcon attire for the first time.
After that, it was his first bounty-hunting mission tracking down the T-Virus. As Dr. Stewart told the bad news to Tinsel, Rick then wound up in Purgatory. Tinsel begged her beloved to not die like he did so losing Haruka...
It suddenly convinced him to never cross, and remembering Tinsel and her sorrowful words, he went back to the starting bank and reached into the thin barrier taking him back to the living! He told Tinsel he had to make a choice, something not many victims of death had, so he can be close to her again. He recovered in the ICU with her, and then he drawn a picture of his journey in the Bardo!
In the fifth deleted Lap, Rick and Tinsel were running to find shelter from the impending thunderstorm; they were still hanging out in Boston, and he managed to find an old shed belonging to his ancient homestead! As the storm hit, he used his thermal kinesis to ignite the dusty logs which quickly combusted in the fireplace! He and Tinsel then gathered various knickknacks and memos reminding Rick of his lost childhood, even photos and other oddiments of his parents and his deceased dog, Axel. As night fell, the storm raged on making Tinsel uneasy, though Rick's comfort, his stories of his past, and the dazzling flames were enough to soothe her. Eventually they fell asleep on the sofa, and they headed back to Mute City once the storm subsided.
Silver Comet[]
Comet Statistics Altered Stats with Big Fang parts
Body: C B
Boost: A A
Grip: B C
Tinsel's machine pic made by TheRevivedRacer
The Silver Comet was inspired by Hailey's Comet. As it shines while it races, its shape of the machine is very similar to a comet's luminous body and tail. This was revealed that it was once Dr. Clash's experimental machine, a prototype in which Tinsel obtained and constructed from a cryo-hibernation capsule; much like Rick with the Dragon Bird. Despite the appearance, it's also able to shoot out ice beams, freezing her enemies. It was rumored to be by a reconstruction after the incident in White Land, from the nozzles to withstanding heat. A perfect example was when Tinsel was chasing after Rick who was on the pursuit for Jody to Planet Alcatrand. The duo was attacked by Zoda, and Tinsel showed up at the last minute freezing the machine gun aloft instantly.
The Comet also has sub-par endurance, its defenses are still an improvement. But it's boost is extraordinary, and it handles sharp and slight turns fairly well. It's easy to handle and it helped Tinsel obtain many victories, even though she doesn't always mind being in first place. Until there was a slight change as it was enhanced by components from Bio Rex's Big Fang. It now has the same stats as the Dragon Bird EX, minus the Reactor Might she had. Thus, she couldn't use her ice beams unless there was one present in the ignition.
Personality and traits[]
Tinsel's main weaknesses in racing were handling sharp turns, the Comet's weak stamina, as well as lagging behind her teammates. The thing is she usually wants her friends to win, as she always feels she may steal the spotlight from them. It was mostly they're job to win against Dark Million after all. And being she was a newbie, she never wanted to be a burden. Her other issue outside of competing was her meekness. Jody once lectured her about it, as she needs to take chances like Rick and Jack do. She must not hold back, even if the going gets tough despite being a woman. That if she could overcome her fears, she'd be unstoppable. Tinsel used that point of advice during the Big Blue race and won first while saving her life and Leon's in the process. Since then, it was the thing that kept her motivated on reuniting the Task Force.
Tinsel is known to have a pure, sympathetic heart, and she would deal with any risk to help her allies in need, especially Rick whom she feels the most compassionate for. However, if you mess with her and her friends, she can be as cold as ice.
"This baby is hot in cold courses, cool in hot courses, and it looks SPECTACULAR when it speeds across the track. It's a great machine, and I NEVER want to replace it! Unless...if I would count the Dragon Bird." - Tinsel describing the Silver Comet.
The Tribal Ceremony[]
As they became fiancés, Rick invited Tinsel to the 2nd Tribal Ceremony, knowing this'll be good for them. Since Tinsel had an affinity for exotic drums, ever since the ones in Giant, she had her chance to shine as the embodiment of the Genbu, complete with her tribal dress, and her own bongo drumming beside Rick and Domin... She was also enthralled in the 3rd assembly, as she watched Rick hit the taiko for her, with Drowzee commanding him. It was possible they mated.
In the fourth assembly, she stuck by Rick as they were summoned atop the Eternal Palace by Unaliving Liu Kang while he described of his archenemy, Darkseid; the couple became determined to put an end to him.
Trivia[]
- Tinsel Steelus Wheeler was the first of Ikran's OCs to get married! Her 2nd OC is actually from Mortal Kombat, Aiko Krackle, who married to Titan Liu Kang via roleplay on August 19th, 2024!
Gallery[]
