#JL lower decks

[ragingbookdragon]

To Be Human--To Be Alive

Hal Jordan x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 3.5 Warnings: Explicit Language, Mentions of Death, Angst

Author's Note: I've been listening to Calum Scott's "Biblical" on repeat since it came out and I thought about this. Enjoy! -Thorne

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Hal Jordan was no stranger to pain. He’d felt it all: emotional, psychological, physical, mental, the list goes on and on, up and down, left and right, every which way until the end of time. That being said, he still wasn’t used to being thrown into concrete walls by meta-humans who had strength equivalent to Superman’s.

He rolled onto his side, feeling his broken ribs shift beneath his skin, and groaned, trying to find the will in him to get to his feet. All he had the strength to do was look over at Barry who was busy getting his own ass handed to him by another meta-human who seemed overly fond of freezing his feet.

A sinister laugh came from above him and Hal turned his head, eyes widening as he saw the meta-human standing before him a slab of concrete raised in his hands.

“Oh fu—”

He saw it before he heard it. The meta-human’s head intact one second and exploding into a hundred shards of brain matter and bone, some of it splattering across Hal’s suit and face. The concrete slab fell behind the meta-human and then he went to his knees, body pitching forward to land beside Hal’s feet.

The echo of the gunshot was enough to gather the other’s attention and her eyes had barely widened before another shot echoed across the street and her head exploded too, body falling beside Barry.

The two superheroes scrambled to their feet, and Hal was already forgetting about his broken ribs, willing constructs to life in order to provide protection for him and his best friend. Whoever killed the two enemies wasn’t firing anymore, but Hal wasn’t going to take any chances.

Green Lantern. Flash. Come in.

Barry skidded a stop beside Hal who shifted his hand, making the constructs combine into one giant wall; he put his free hand to his ear. “We’re here, Batman.”

What just happened? The life signs of your targets just went offline.

Hal looked to his friend whose blue eyes were wide, equally shocked about the turn of events. “Uh…about that…”

What happened?

“Batman, we’ve got a sniper somewhere in the range of our local. Took down both meta-humans within seconds of each other.”

Deceased?

Hal glanced behind him at the freezing meta-human’s corpse, a giant pool of blood growing from the spurting arteries. “Well, they don’t have heads anymore, so, yeah. They’re deceased.”

Understood. Superman’s coming in for protection.

The line clicked and Barry looked at Hal. “I think we should move. If that sniper’s still in the area, we shouldn’t be hanging around waiting to find out.”

Hal let the speedster pick him up, speeding down an alley away from the street so they’d be out of the line of sight. “What type of gun do you think they used?”

Barry shrugged, setting Hal down. “I don’t know. Normal rifles don’t do that much damage, even from that distance.” He didn’t even want to look out the alley way. “That had to be a high caliber rifle.”

“You think they’re a friendly?”

“Hal, they just blew off two people’s heads. That doesn’t seem friendly to me.”

He shrugged. “Well yeah, but they didn’t blow our heads off so…” he tipped his head side to side. “Seems like they were helping.”

Barry glowered at him. “Blowing people’s heads off isn’t helping superheroes. It’s vigilantism gone dark.”

“Sheesh, you sound like Spooky with that attitude.” Hal griped, turning with a new construct when a flash of red appeared in their visions. He lowered it when he realized it was Superman. “Supes!”

“Are you two okay?” Superman asked.

“We’re fine,” Barry replied. “The bullets came from the right. If I had to take a guess, it would’ve been the parking garage in the distance.”

Clark shook his head. “I checked. There were no signs of scuffing from a gun stand, or GSR around the area.”

“So, where’d they fire from?” Hal questioned and Clark nodded towards the street.

“Somewhere farther than just this street.” He glanced at them. “Whoever it was is gone now. C’mon, Batman’s getting a statement ready for the local PD.” He flew off, leaving Hal and Barry standing beside one another, more confused than anything.

***

Calling in late to work had never been Hal’s thing. Honestly, as lazy as he was sometimes, he loved his job. Loved the thrill of getting up in the air, loved feeling the shock sending him into his seat as he broke the sound barriers in the sky. Scrounging around parking garages and abandoned buildings for a ghost-shooter wasn’t his idea of a good day.

So far, he’d searched at least three abandoned buildings in the area, each coming up empty, and the last one showed the exact same signs. He sighed, letting the construct fade. Even the ring couldn’t make heads or tails with any of the evidence around him. Whoever their shooter was, was practically a specter. Hal had no idea how someone managed to shoot two meta-humans down that fast and then leave just as quickly, escaping both Barry and Clark’s abilities.

Hal had seen people killed before. Had even done the same a few times, even up in the air on combat missions and in his suit when he had no other choice. But seeing someone’s head burst like a watermelon hitting concrete right in front of his very eyes was something completely different. A different level of fear that there was someone out there ready to do the same to him, and all it would’ve taken was a random whim and a finger pulling a trigger. But it was like he told Barry—whoever their shooter was, wasn’t shooting to kill them, they were helping.

He drew his eyes along the wall of the empty room, finally resigning himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to find whoever it was that had helped them; with that, he sighed, letting his shoulders droop—he was going to lose fifty bucks to Barry because of this.

“Giving up so soon?” Hal spun around, coffee eyes wide as he scanned the room around him. “I’m surprised Green Lantern showed up. I was expecting Superman or Batman.”

“Who said that?” he questioned, spinning in a circle.

“Who or what?”

“What?”

“Who.”

Hal growled. “Quit screwing with me.” Apparently, they already knew who he was, and he let the green suit flash to life. “Show yourself.”

“Why should I?” they asked in return. “I saved your life.”

“You blew off two people’s heads.” He retorted.

“Should I have let the metas crush you and freeze off Flash’s legs? And here I thought you wanted to live and let your best friend be safe.”

“Killing people isn’t always the answer.” Hal said, turning around again and then he saw it, the glimmer of what looked like a tactical cloak. He pointed to the corner of the room and let a construct come alive. “Show yourself.”

The glimmer appeared again, and then something booted down and he watched as the tactical cloak faded, leaving a woman in its place, sitting up against the wall, one leg stretched out, the other pulled up near her chest, her elbow resting on her knee—and a big sniper rifle was resting against her chest, barrel pointing up towards the ceiling.

She was decked out in some kind of cyber armor that Hal could only describe as futuristic, solid black with purple electric currents running through the slots where the plates of her gear met, mainly down her shoulders and arms, and down the sides of her chest to her ribs to her feet.

“What’re you doing here, Green Lantern?” she inquired, the mask she wore muffling her voice enough that it wouldn’t give identification; her visor was darkened too. “Shouldn’t you be in the air, flyboy?”

Hal tipped his head curiously. “You know who I am?”

She nodded. “I do. And who Batman and your friends are.”

“How?” Batman’s identity was practically unidentifiable unless he told someone.

“Government databases as well as a hacked encryption into the Justice League computers.” She seemed awfully nonchalant as she shifted and rose to her feet, slinging the rifle to her backs. Even when Hal aimed the construct at her, she didn’t seem phased. “Why are you here?”

He blinked. “I wanted to find you.”

“What for?”

“Well…I’ve got a bet riding on finding you, but I also wanted to see where you’d shot from.”

She eyed him momentarily then gestured him over to the window; he stood beside her, and she pointed down the street. “I shot from here.”

Hal’s eyes almost bulged out of his head—he couldn’t even see the street they’d been on. “That’s gotta be at least eighteen hundred meters. Maybe farther.”

“Fifty caliber rifles are built for long range.” She merely replied. “I heard the commotion when the JL got into the city. Then I heard you and Bartholomew Allen getting beat down and decided to level the playing field.”

“How’d you hear commotion that far away?” he asked, and she tapped the side of her head.

“I’ve got enhanced senses. But the detection cameras around the city help too.”

Hal looked at her, watching as her eyes were darting around the street, like she was trying to work a strategy in her head; it reminded him of Barry. “Are you some kind of super soldier?”

She nodded. “I was. Designation Spectre.” Her head turned and she met his eyes. “I was created for covert military operations.”

“You mean assassinations?” he mused, and she nodded.

“Amongst other things, yes.”

“So, if you’re a military toy, why are you here?”

Something shifted in the air and Hal shivered. “Because when they cut the operation, they started hunting down all the soldiers. I went AWOL before they got to me.”

“You’re on the run?” Hal was sympathetic to her, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. “I can help you. Come to the Watchtower with me and we’ll see about setting you up with us.”

Her head turned again, this time staring at the hand gripping her shoulder; he didn’t seem to get the hint because he squeezed her arm. “You mean come to the government regulated superhero operation? That one?”

He winced. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing I could’ve said.” He pulled away. “But we can protect you. Or at least get you to safety away from any enemies.”

She grunted quietly. “There’s a lot of enemies after the bounty on my head.”

“How many?”

“Well, Deathstroke’s been a recurring figure.” She rolled her shoulder and turned around, walking away from the window. “He’s more annoying than dangerous. Like a brown recluse infestation that you just can’t kill.”

“Do you want to come with me though? I can take you directly to the Watchtower and call Batman.”

“I don’t think someone like Batman is going to like someone like me coming into his territory.”

Hal made a face. “Excuse you, the Watchtower is our territory.”

“Yeah, everyone but Wonder Woman is Batman’s bitch.” She bemused. “You just think the place is for everyone.”

“Still waiting on a yes or no.” Hal griped.

“I’m thinking it over.” Then she fell silent for a few moments; she hummed and looked at him. “Alright I’ll go with you.”

Hal cocked a brow. “It took you that long to think about it?”

She scoffed and led him from the room. “Don’t be ridiculous, my mind moves at a speed similar to Bartholomew Allen’s or Bruce Wayne’s.” She glanced at him. “I was looking over the watchtower floor plans in case you decided to collect my bounty and I needed to escape.”

He merely blinked at her and formed a construct outside the building, watching as she climbed in. “Something tells me you’re going to be a handful.”

“Well, I can tell you like having your hands full, Hal Jordan.”

Hal chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

***Months Later***

Oddly enough to Hal’s surprise, (Y/N) fit right in with the League. She and Barry could talk about forensic science for hours, going into their own little world that only batman knew anything about, and occasionally, the Big Bat himself would involve himself in their discussions. It was the one time Hal thought that Batman was enjoying himself. Of course, Batman also seemed to enjoy training with her.

They’d go for hours on the mat, switching through different forms of martial arts, and Hal and the others kept a betting ring on who would win each match because for all the greatness Bruce Wayne was as Batman, (Y/N) seemed to be the only person who could match him blow for blow and still win sometimes.

Diana loved her, or so she loved the idea that (Y/N) didn’t back down from fights or simply let enemies off the hook. And he understood from listening and learning, that (Y/N) enjoyed Greek literature and culture, prompting the two women to delve into deep conversations over history and stories.

Everyone loved (Y/N). She was like Bruce if he were lethal and was kind. And Hal? Hal wanted nothing more than to take her to dinner, but surprisingly, (Y/N) was either extremely dense or she just didn’t want to date anybody because every time Hal asked her out, she had an excuse. And while Hal backed off when a woman said no, she’d not said no yet, so he was merely wondering if she was waiting it out—something he was going to find out, come hell or high water.

***

He watched as she held the soldering iron in one hand and held up the gauntlet in the other, examining her work before deciding it was decent enough to call it a day. Setting both the armor and the tool down, she stood from her seat and stretched, rolling her muscles, and popping her joints. She didn’t like to be still for long periods of time unless she was doing something, like sitting in a sniper nest or enhancing equipment; he’d learned that the hard way after they were set on global patrol in the Watchtower one night.

“Do you want something?” she asked, not looking at him as she gathered her armor together.

Hal chuckled, walking over to lean against the table. “A few things.”

“Gonna ask me out again?” (Y/N) questioned, putting the gear into a footlocker.

“Finally gonna say no?” he responded, and she stood up, meeting his gaze.

“Do you want a no?”

Hal shrugged. “It’d be easier than having to come up with another excuse for asking you out.”

(Y/N) hummed, walking past him and he followed her as she wandered through the hall of the Watchtower. “So far you’ve asked me out twenty-one times.”

“I’m tempted to make twenty-two, if you’ll say yes.”

She paused and turned on him, giving him an odd look. “Why do you want to go out with me? Aren’t you worried about fraternization?”

“Fraternization is only regulated in the military,” Hal shrugged off. “We’re no longer in the force.”

“That only answered part of the questions.”

Hal reached out, thumbing a smudge of oil off her face. “I’m interested in you.”

“That’s it?” (Y/N) inquired. “You’re interested in me and that’s why you won’t quit asking me out on dates?”

“You’re smokin’ hot?” he offered with a snarky grin, and she rolled her eyes, turning around.

“Every day I’m reminded of why you’re such a skirt-chaser.”

As she walked off, he hurried behind her and grabbed her upper arm. “(Y/N), wait.” She paused and he pulled her around. “Go out with me tonight.”

“Are you asking or telling?” she challenged. “Because the latter isn’t going to fly with me.”

Hal snorted. “It’s a bit of both.” When she cocked a brow, he added, “Go out with me tonight, and if you don’t have a good time, we’ll never talk about it again and I’ll stop asking.”

(Y/N) regarded him a moment. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

She pulled her arm from his grip and spit into her hand holding it out to him. “Shake on it, flyboy.”

Hal pulled a face and grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly, and when (Y/N) pulled back and stalked off, he grimaced and wiped his hand down his pants—but he was happy she finally agreed.

***

“It’s been a long time since I had good Cuban food,” she murmured, glancing towards the stars in the sky. “I’d forgotten how good it was.”

Hal looked over at her, folding his hands in his lap. “Before or after the program?”

(Y/N) hummed. “Before…I grew up in an old neighborhood in the suburbs of Jacksonville…there was a Cuban restaurant down the street from my house and we used to go there all the time for dinner.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“My family.”

Something in her tone seemed bitter, but also disheartened and lamenting. “Have you seen them since you came back?”

(Y/N) looked away and muttered darkly, “The government executed them when they couldn’t bring me in.” Her lips pulled down. “I heard that none of my family gave into their demands…they were loyal to me until the end.”

Hal felt his heart sink in his chest. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). That’s horrible.”

She shrugged. “I killed the squad that attacked them…I got my revenge.” Her eyes found his as she looked back over. “What about you? Is your family still around?”

He found it hard to believe she didn’t know even though she knew everyone before she joined. “You don’t know my history?”

“I only know your name,” she responded. “And what little you’ve shared. Well…little is for Batman, you share an awful amount of yourself with everyone.”

Hal snorted and nudged her in the ribs. “Hey, just tryin’ to be friendly.” She smiled, waiting for him to speak, and when he did, his voice was just as sad as hers was. “I have a big family. Me, my siblings, my mom, everyone else.”

“No dad?” (Y/N) questioned and he looked at his hands.

“My dad died in a plane crash when I was a kid.” He sighed. “I witnessed it.”

“That’s…I’m sorry.”

“I swore I’d never bow down to my fears and when I turned eighteen, I joined the Air Force and followed in dad’s footsteps.” He huffed a breath. “I still get terrified when I fly…always have…but I do it to honor him.” Hal swallowed thickly, feeling warmth in his eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be someone that would’ve made proud.”

A hand touched his and he looked down at it, then to her, eyes widening when he saw tears silently running down her cheeks. “I’m sure your father is looking down on you with pride wherever he is, Hal.”

He couldn’t help but reach over with his free hand. “You’re crying?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Your story is…heart wrenching.” She leaned into his palm. “I feel your pain.”

“I—I can’t believe you’re crying for me though…no one’s ever done that.”

She reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen form his eye; he hadn’t realized it did. “You can cry too, Hal.” (Y/N) smiled sadly. “We might be strong…but we’re still human.” She reached up with her free hand and pulled his hand down from her face, squeezing it in hers. “Cry if you want to, Hal. I won’t judge you if you do.”

Hal didn’t want to cry. Not in front of her at least and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep them at bay. “It’s not manly to cry in front of a woman.”

“Everyone cries, Hal, even men.” (Y/N) leaned forward and took his face in her hands, pressing her forehead to hers. “You are allowed to feel.” He gazed into her eyes, this time not stopping the tears as they gathered in his; she smiled. “Fall to pieces, Hal…I’ll put them all back together.”

“Yeah?” he breathed tearfully, and she nodded, pressing her lips to his.

“Promise.”

Hal pulled from her grip and buried his face in her strong shoulder, and soon his body was shaking with sobs. And (Y/N) merely wrapped her arms around him.

“Let it go, Hal. Fall to pieces, darling.” She whispered, pressing kisses to his skin. “I’ll pick it all up.”

He kept apologizing, “I’m sorry’s” rolling off his tongue with each cry and she merely shook her head.

“Don’t be sorry, darling.” (Y/N) replied, turning her face to his cheek, pressing her lips to his skin. “Be human…be alive, Hal.”

His grip only tightened on her, and he shifted his face so he could see her, and he stared into her eyes, his own big, brown ones saddened, but full of heart and emotion. She threaded her fingers in his hair and smoothed it with gentle stokes and caresses.

He sniffed strongly and croaked, “The next time we go out, can we forgo the emotional moment?”

(Y/N) huffed a laugh and kissed him. “Sure, Hal.”

[the-goofball]

And in the spirit of this post I have a concept:

The Planet Raffi Series (or a collection?) - let’s make some childhood memories for Soji and Elnor

I have two ideas so far.

Part 1: Pillow fight

The gang minus Picard is sitting around a table on the lower deck. Somehow a pillow fight comes up in the conversation. Soji has no idea what that is. Neither does Elnor. When even Seven shakes her head and says that she’s never done it, Raffi is all “we’re gonna change that this instance” (I’m just assuming that there are holo-emitter throughout the ship since the holograms seem to pop up everywhere).

Rios and Seven protest (mildly) but that only leads to Raffi making them the target for everyone else.

Minutes later pillows and feathers are flying everywhere; the whole ship is filled with the sound of laughter, curses and the more or less soft thumps of the pillows hitting something.

Once the fight dies down, Seven steps up closely to Raffi and begins picking feathers out of her curls.

Someone orders the computer to get rid of the mess.

Then, a booming voice from upstairs: “Computer, belay that order.”

Everyone looks up to Picard. “You made the mess, you clean it up.”

“What?”

“But-“

“And the holograms won’t help you either,” he says. “They may point out when you missed something.”

“You’re such a spoil-sport, JL.”

“You are lucky this hasn’t been a food fight.” Picard walks away.

“Are you out of your-“ Too late.

“What’s a food fight?”

“Oh, instead of pillows you throw cake or something at each other,” Agnes provides helpfully.

Elnor’s face lights up. “I like cake.”

Raffi grabs Seven’s hand and pulls her away.

Part 2: Pillow fort/blanket fort

Where Raffi sits with Soji and Elnor in a blanket fort with ice-cream and/or popcorn while they either listen to a spooky story or watch cheap horror holos (Seven told Raffi about the b-class horror movies that Tom Paris used to watch).

Meanwhile, Seven fetches one of the bottles of “what passes as alcohol on Coppelius” that Rios had taken with them. “For hard times”, he had said. He sees Seven coming and his gaze goes to the bottle in her hand and just asks: “What is Raffi up to now?”

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Once I have their voices more clearly in my head, I’ll actually sit down to write them properly - right after that little hurt/comfort fic that keeps poking me.

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Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Bring it on :o)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/02/2021 (Ariana Grande, Digga D, Ella Henderson & Tom Grennan)

I like how on the UK Singles Chart, even if it’s kind of a slow week, we still have nine new arrivals to get through. Joy, let’s just start with the rundown. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

As you’d expect, a lot of the debuts from last week were pretty flimsy on the UK Top 75, the range I cover on the singles chart, and hence a lot of it’s gone, including all of the slowthai songs, even “CANCELLED” with Skepta which reached the top 40. Another big top 40 debut that’s disappeared is, again as you’d expect, “UK Hun?” by the United Kingdolls. We do have three pretty big drop-outs though: “No Time for Tears” by Nathan Dawe and Little Mix, ”Really Love” by KSI featuring Craig David and the Digital Farm Animals and finally, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio. It seems that finally we’re making some room for the Spring hits to come tunnelling in by next month. That also shows in our notable fallers, as we have “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and remixed by DaBaby at #37, “Whoopty” by CJ at #39, Taylor Swift’s re-recorded “Love Story” plummeting off of the debut to #41, Fredo’s album bomb continuing to linger as “Ready” with Summer Walker and “Burner on Deck” with the late Pop Smoke and Young Adz are down to #44 and #64 respectively, “you broke me first” by Tate McRae at #47, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #50, “Siberia” by Headie One featuring Burna Boy off of the debut to #58, “willow” by Taylor Swift at #59 (Not a good week for Taylor), “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran at #69 (The bigger question should be why it’s here at all), “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper at #71 and “Apricots” by Bicep at #73. For our gains, well, it’s pretty weird trying to find our replacements for all of this, as we have “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers back to #68 as it takes advantage of a slower week, “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek having a weird second wind at #60 – and the same goes with “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles gaining big for some reason up to #46. Otherwise, we do have some genuine rising hits in the top half of the chart, like “Mixed Emotions” by Abra Cadabra at #45 off of the debut, “Regardless” by RAYE and Rudimental at #43, “Astronaut in the Ocean” by Masked Wolf at #35 (Because I guess since Logic’s retired, people are looking to Australia for a half-baked replacement), “Believe Me” by Navos at #33, “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #32... Okay, if we’re going to give rising artists their first top 40 hit, why is it these guys and not Kali Uchis? Though I have a feeling we’ll talk about her next week. Anyway, our other notable gains are “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka at #31, “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence and FLETCHER at #29, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max at #25, funnily right next to Joel Corry’s “Head & Heart”, “Commitment Issues” by Central Cee at #18, “Up” by Cardi B at #17, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S at #15 and “Latest Trends” by A1 x J1 at #12, with no real movement in the top 10. With all that out of the way, let’s stay cautiously optimistic for our new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “All You Ever Wanted” – Rag’n’Bone Man

Produced by Mike Elizondo and Ben Jackson-Cook

You probably know Rag’n’Bone Man for “Human”, one of the biggest hits in the UK of the 2010s that never really crossed over stateside. I was never a fan of the guy’s music in its over-produced blues-pop crawl, so I didn’t really expect his next album to do anything for me... but I feel like it does matter to a lot of people. His first album was big – and not just moderately – with several hit singles, and he would later hop on Calvin Harris’ “Giant” to more success. With that said, I don’t know why this lead single from his upcoming sophomore effort Life by Misadventure took a month to get to the lower reaches of the chart, even with a video. Has his hype fizzled out? Is there something more behind this or do people genuinely not care enough to check out the guy’s music past his debut record that had a bigger push? I don’t know but I do know that I actually quite like this... I mean, a lot. Finally, Rag’n’Bone Man found some faster-paced production that works very well with his signature baritone voice, as this almost post-punk-esque groove may be stiff but it chugs along nicely, especially with the layered guitar loops and those inspired distorted synth bloops, with some real dynamic mixing. What I feel is missing from this is stakes, at least in the content – it seems more observatory than telling any real narrative or drama that warrants such a rocketing song, especially that screeching guitar solo. I don’t think that really matters, though, as the subject matter is interesting enough in how he discusses places he’d spent his childhood in like Brighton and London and how they’ve changed since, with a pretty understandable level of both nostalgia and anger levelled at whoever made those changes... knowing he supports Corbyn, there could be some political undertones here, but I digress. The song caught me by surprise, I hope it sticks around further than a couple weeks.

#70 – “Lifestyle” – Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine

Produced by Rice N’ Peas

So, Jason Derulo struck gold with the TikTok fame and his return to the #1 spot as he stole some Pacific Islander’s beat on “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” with Jawsh 685, and in 2020, everything seemed to go right for Derulo at a good time, even netting a BTS remix in the process. Now ever since then he’s been alternating between original tracks and more “borrowed” Pacific Islander beats, and this is one of those original tracks, which sounds nothing like the siren or Tampa beats so I’m pretty sure we know what the aim really is for those tracks. Whilst he’s had some success in the European markets, he hasn’t had much in the US so a catchy pop single with Adam Levine, detached of the Maroon 5 brand as that continues to fade away post-“Memories”, seems like an apt but desperate attempt at latching onto said market. God damn it, I’m embarrassed to say that it worked because this should not be a good song. It’s got a pretty funky synth riff and bassline that makes this otherwise pretty embarrassing track a lot more listenable, as Derulo’s delivery is pretty insufferable (but still pretty sonically appealing; the guy sounds great with a lot of Auto-Tune). There’s a lot of nonsense lyrics, both literally in the post-chorus and more ridiculously in the first verse, full of lyrics about how an unnamed woman is “shining bright just like Rihanna-na”, one lyric out of the whole song that is generally pretty weak lyrically, as you’d expect. The chorus is really damn catchy though, and propelled by horn lines and pianos that sound pretty triumphant, even if the clipping falsettos sound like garbage, and Derulo’s  ad-libs in Levine’s verse are just hilarious. Honestly, Levine sounds better with this hook than Derulo does, mostly because Levine is aptly and actively not trying, which is much more fitting for a messy dance-pop track. With just two verse-chorus structures, as well as two post-choruses, this is basic and practically unfinished; there isn’t a bridge. With that said, I can’t hate this at all, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the fact that Levine’s reverb-drowned “Lifestyle!” backing vocals are cut off in the mix during the chorus... that did genuinely get a laugh out of me, don’t ask why.

#65 – “HEAT” – Paul Woodford and Amber Mark

Produced by Paul Woodford

From just a glimpse of her work, Amber Mark seems a lot more unique and soulful than most of the replaceable dance-pop singers, but for the purposes of this song and hence this show, that’s all she is, and Paul Woodford is just the boring DJ. This is a dance-pop song with 90s MIDI-sounding pianos, odd vocal processing, generic string patches, a house groove accentuated by a lot of fake hand-claps and a weak, barely-there drop. The time house-pop does something interesting for the first time in years in the mainstream beyond this garbage that’s been living in German night clubs in the 90s for decades after the fact, is the day I am a much happier woman. Skip this.

#61 – “Didn’t Know” – Tom Zanetti

Produced by Sjay

If you want proof of how slow a week this is, there aren’t even lyrics for this on Genius. Anyway, I don’t know or care who Tom Zanetti or Sjay are because guess what this is? Another house-pop track. To be fair, this one has more of a bass-heavy deep house groove and bassline, and a pretty cringeworthy rap verse from who I assume is Tom Zanetti, going for what seems like a Chicago house vibe but missing any of the soul or big diva samples, relying instead on a checked-out delivery from someone no-one knows the name of. Really, what do you expect me to say about this? It’s a sex jam, but it’s so basic and minimal that those keys in the chorus end up sounding as eerie as they do seductive, and overall, there’s genuinely nothing to grab from this other than that Tom Zanetti shouldn’t be rapping... whoever that even is. I did look up the guy and it makes perfect sense that this guy was making bassline music decades after that was big, because this screams “failed attempt” to me, and hopefully if the British public have any sense, it’ll be a failed attempt on the charts. We’ll have to wait and see on that front, I guess.

#57 – “Time” – JLS

Produced by Oswald Hamilton (or Biggz the Engineer)

So, legendary(?) boy band JLS are probably one of the bigger names from the craze of R&B and pop bands and vocalists that got big from The X Factor but JLS had actual staying  power for at least a little while, mostly because, well, there was always a place for them in the late 2000s and early 2010s, where it wasn’t uncommon to see these dance-pop tracks flooding the chart. They weren’t that great, obviously, but they didn’t need to be as what mattered to the audience and label was that the four boys kept their charm and style by the time they released a new record every November and that a couple singles off of it went to the top 10. That comment about longevity must not have lasted, however, as whilst most members were able to find some kind of success solo, usually in broadcasting like Marvin Humes, people weren’t really demanding a comeback, I suppose, as whilst this is their first charting song since their 2013 farewell “Billion Lights”, this new reunion track hasn’t made much noise at all and is probably here off of sales. I mean, the lyrics aren’t even on Genius yet... oh, wait, it’s some other guy that happens to be called JLS. Huh. Well, that makes sense, but, like, you’d want to change your name if it was that closely related to a big name, especially if you weren’t a family-friendly boy band and were instead a pretty awful rapper relying on a weak UK drill beat with absolutely no energy at all. Okay, so this sounds like several rappers here, so I assume it’s a rap group or collective. Either way, not many of these people have much charisma to talk about, like at all, and this beat can’t carry them on that lone piano melody alone, even if it is kind of menacing. The song feels twice its length, and something screams industry-made to me. I don’t know, maybe it’s because it’s a debut single, but they’re not signed to any major label so that’s just speculation. With some research, I found that it’s by two guys called Switch and J9 and a lot of fans were confused why it was uploaded under JLS, when the original song, on YouTube, isn’t even called “Time”. It’s called “Look”. I can only see this as kind of a scummy marketing ploy by a label, as I don’t think an independent distributor would be willing to change the name, artwork and artist name to believably look like JLS. I don’t know about any of this but really the song isn’t bad or really worth caring about, just a game of finding the impostor. To be honest, I’d love for JLS’ actual comeback single to be a drill banger in response, but again, we’ll have to wait and see. For now... who even gets the royalties for this?

#56 – “CLOUDS” – NF

Produced by Tommee Profitt and NF

You know what’s decidedly less fun than UK drill rappers masquerading as late 2000s boy bands? Christian rap. To be fair to NF, he’s less outwardly Christian as he is just family-friendly pop-rap with a lot of technical skill and that’s fine, although it does mean his fanbase consists pretty much exclusively white kids who think they listen to “real rap with a message” and dismiss anyone with a darker skin tone as mumble-rap. Though I don’t think NF purposefully lets into that demographic, at least from the little I’ve heard, I don’t doubt that he knows that’s his base as he continues on this lead single from his upcoming mixtape CLOUDS to criticise rappers who “go Hollywood” whilst also acknowledging how violent some of his lyrics may seem, which kind of seems like an odd thing to say in this context. I mean, NF here is only being clean rather than Christian, but not in a Lecrae way where he’s genuinely a versatile and soulful rapper outside of the religious stuff that tends to work its way into a lot of his work. Instead, NF just kind of meanders over a condescendingly bad piano-based trap beat, with pretty pathetic flows that really undermine how much technical skill this guy supposedly has. I mean, if he’s going to imitate Eminem with even more filler bars and unfunny mid-verse skits. To be fair, I can’t complain about the dude’s energy, and the beat does get better as it gathers a lot more energy in its choral grandiosity, but I feel like this one starting verse just lasts for days because of how little is actually said in three minutes, and that second verse is shorter but says even little. That’s before getting into some of these lyrics as it really is just nonsense half of the time. He claims to be “not artistic” – I don’t know why Nate meant by that but it just comes off as how it is on paper: hilarious – and also flooding the first verse with a series of ridiculous metaphors you’d be hard-pressed to wrap your head around, including questionable name-drops for... Bill Gates, of all people. I do find it ironic how despite his fanbase wanting to make you think you’re not smart enough to get NF’s really “clever” bars, the Genius annotations for one of the few kind of cool lines here show that it completely goes over their heads. NF says, “Got something in my cup, ain’t codeine”, which you can stretch – pretty reasonably – to be a Biblical reference. The song’s about fame and success, so referencing “my cup runneth over” makes a lot of sense. The annotations says that it’s unclear what’s in NF’s cup, and a comment corrects him, saying that it shows in the music video that Nate’s cup has water in it. Nice one, guys. At least Eminem murders women and Hopsin’s a racist piece of trash, what does this guy have?

#38 – “test drive” – Ariana Grande

Produced by Foster, Mr. Franks, TBHits and Murda Beatz

Ariana Grande released the few bonus deluxe tracks from her Positions album last week, and of course, at least one charted – not many others could as you can’t have more than three hits at a time on the UK Singles Chart. I know, it’s silly. Honestly, I think the deluxe tracks were in most cases better than the standard edition, and I think if we cut out the annoyingly large amount of filler in that total package, we could have a pretty damn great record from Ari, but as is, it’s really just fine and suffering from all of the issues her past few years of music have. With that said, “test drive” might be my favourite ever song of hers, with its gorgeous 90s R&B keys that lead us in to a bouncy house beat from Murda Beatz of all people (in a similar vein to “motive” from the standard edition but with actual sound design). There isn’t that much of a bass in the groove here, but it makes up for that with its twinkling synths and Ari’s delivery which sounds convincing and infectious through the whole track, which may be short at just barely more than two minutes but does not waste that time with its incredible chorus and whilst I would have preferred some more complexity or meat to this production, particularly the percussion, this dreamy blend of 90s pop styles is really fun as is, especially in that final chorus with those subtle strings and bleep-bloops coming in, to the point where you don’t really care how abruptly it ends... which actually might be a pretty fitting end for a track about a youthful, very sexually active relationship. Yeah, this is pretty great – check it out.

#36 – “Toxic” – Digga D

Produced by Trinz

Speaking of bonus tracks, here’s a bonus track from Digga D’s most recent mixtape, Made in the Pyrex, and any goodwill I had for this guy is gone because this song is deplorable. You can say it’s satirical all you want – and to an extent it probably is – but I really can’t sit here and listen to a rich guy talk about how awfully he treats women for three minutes. Basically, the song is about influencers that want to “suck his bone”, and honestly that would be fine if he kept it about the sex, rather than how much he seemingly hates these women, calling them good for nothing sex objects with the subtlety of a dusty red brick. Misogyny is common in rap music and popular music as a whole, and it’s forgivable because, really, objectification is so commonplace that there’s no point in fighting it off, and really there’s nothing wrong in a rapper saying “my girlfriend is attractive” because... well, yeah, she probably is. There’s also nothing wrong with a rapper describing or depicting sex, because sex happens, and there’s also nothing wrong with rappers describing their conflicts with women because, again, they happen, and music is never supposed to represent a perfect life or perfect human. You can express your flaws and irrational emotions, even if they are “toxic”, in your music because it’s a form of human expression that knows few bounds, and as long as there’s some kind of tact or thematic approach, I really do not mind and will often try and justify it. However, when you’ve got a guy with no charisma or personality describing how he uses his fame on Twitter to his advantage for cheap sex, what really is the point in listening to this guy? Do you enjoy hearing about how he constantly condescends and insults the women providing him with cheap sexual desires? Sure, they never sent you letters while you were in jail, but they were never supposed to. These are Instagram models and social media influencers you use to get your rocks off by sliding in DMs, not long-time relationships, and you know that, so why are you complaining when your emotional desires are not met beyond intercourse... especially when you clearly don’t care about hers? I guess Digga D is being “toxic” on purpose as the title and chorus ensues, but this is too overly-specific and based in what seem to be real-life situations for me to stick with this and justify any of it, especially him referencing the models’ substance abuse, how he refuses to drink fancy wine she bought her instead of his cheap Magnum tonic wine – a sexual stimulant from Jamaica. All that would be fine if it weren’t for how he takes this back to real life by mentioning his ex-girlfriend, breaking all illusions of satire and fantasy. In the second verse, he continues to slut-shame and condemn women for... travelling abroad? Profiting from OnlyFans? Wearing Rolexes? If you want to talk about how many designer accessories you wear, how many places you’ve been, how many women you’ve had sex with and how many women you use for your own benefit and no one else’s, as you do in all of your songs, then where’s your excuse for criticising women for doing the same thing? Oh, right, there is none! I heard a few weeks ago and talked about on this show how the government has to see Digga D’s lyrics and censor them in the case that they’re too violent. It’s pretty telling how this misogynist piece of shit slipped through those cracks, huh?

#28 – “Let’s Go Home Together” – Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan

Produced by TMS

Okay, so this is our highest debut this week, and it’s from singer Ella Henderson, who you probably know from “Ghost”. She was another X Factor singer and this song actually dates back to 2016, where it was leaked online as a duet with James Arthur. More than four years later, it sees an official release with the slightly-less-trendy Arthur replaced with Tom Grennan, similarly non-present pop singer. I’m surprised the label’s even letting her release this pretty generic pop ballad with an acoustic pick-up and lyrics about going home together while drunk, as well as trap-esque percussion because of course. I mean, her second album has been shelved for half a decade, and Tom Grennan himself has kind of been in limbo until recently, and it’s not like he’s doing anything interesting or different here with his insufferable mumbling delivery. There’s an unfunny bait-and-switch in his verse at some point that I think even James Arthur would have pulled off better, and Grennan’s last line in the bridge is genuinely just one of the worst moments in music this year, Jesus Christ – you’ve just got to listen to that part, I guess. The song’s really not worth speaking more about and I want to wrap this up.

Conclusion

A slower, less chaotic week yet still a mixed bag and mostly bad. I’ll give Best of the Week for Rag’n’Bone Man for “All You Ever Wanted”, with a really close Honourable Mention for Ariana Grande’s “test drive”. Worst of the Week should be pretty damn obvious given that Digga D’s “Toxic” even exists, but Dishonourable Mention really is a toss-up. I guess Tom Zanetti’s “Didn’t Know” might be the most embarrassing song here... apart from “Lifestyle” of course but that song really is just okay. For next week... who cares? Here’s this week’s top 10:

Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank if you’re interested – really, I just talk about Weezer more often than I should – and I’ll see you next week.

[trixproperty]

For Sale Hotel di Legian Kuta Bali dekat ke Pantai Kuta & Jayakarta Hotel Legian Luas tanah : 900 m2 / 9 Are (2 Sertifikat hak milik) Bangunan : 4 lantai + Rooftop Status tanah : SHM / Freehold IMB / Building permit dan ijin ijin operasional UKL dan UPL Lengkap dan hotel Running Well / Beroperasi Kategori hotel : Bintang 3 *** Fasilitas Hotel : Zest Hotel Legian dilengkapi dengan akses internet Wi-Fi diseluruh kamar dan area publik, kolam renang, elevator tamu, area parkir, JAEN bar & kitchen dan juga kamera kemanan CCTV 24 jam Fasilitas & Layanan Hotel Legian: • 51 Kamar Zest terdiri dari 3 type : - 16 kamar zest queen - 27 kamar zest king / Twin bed - 8 kamar zest queen Balkon • Elevator dengan Kemanan Akses • Kolam renang & Bar rooftop • Upper pool deck dan lower pool deck • Jaen Bar & Kitchen (untuk makan pagi dan all-day dining) • 24 Jam Kemanan @Kamera CCTV • Akses internet • Toilet umum dengan fasilitas untuk disabilitas • Dekat dengan toko kecil • Dekat dengan ATM • Pembayaran dapat dengan kartu kredit/debit Showing 1 to 1 out of 1 results found BAR & KOLAM RENANG ATAP • Berenang di infinity pool yang terletak di atap Hotel menjadi alasan utama mengapa Zest Hotel Legian menawarkan sesuatu yang luar biasa. • READ MORE • Showing 1 to 1 out of 1 results found Services • 24 hour security • Airport transfers available • Amenities • Air Conditioning • Satellite/Cable TV • Shower • Telephone • Toilet/Shower • Toiletries • Flat TV 32 " Facilities • 24 hour front desk • Bar • Elevator • Rooftop Bar • Free WiFi in public areas • Free WiFi in room • Non-smoking rooms • Restaurant • Swimming Pool • Activities • Internet Access #Harga Rp 50 Milyar Zest Hotel Legian Jl. Werkudara No.525, Legian, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361 #beranipunyarumah #trixproperty (di TRIX Property) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKvtAWHARtr/?igshid=1nqlnvtbhlsh1

[poirott]

It was predicted by some box office gurus a while ago that Murder on the Orient Express would do “over or under” $275 million worldwide at the box office. It’s already at that mark ($274m as of Dec 10) and is far from finished. It’s still playing in 60 markets. The week to week drop has been lower than expected every time. The movie is at No. 3 if you go by weekly global earnings, after Coco and JL. Variety called it “a solid performer” internationally. MOTOE only just opened in Japan on Dec 8th and is coming to France on Dec 13. Japan and France are two big Poirot markets. We’re looking at OVER $275m. Amazing for a movie with a $55m budget!

Via Deadline today: “It had great start in Japan with $2.6m (+42% on Gone Girl) and Taiwan at $983K (2.6x bigger than The Great Gatsby). Italy was the top hold at a fantastic 12% increase from the previous station stop. The international cume is now $182m with France on deck next session. The movie is overall outpacing Gatsby by 43% and Gone Girl by 58%.”

People are wondering if a $100m domestic/USA box office, and a $300m worldwide box office, are possible. It’s at $92.7m right now in USA.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for those big numbers! :)

[starrybouquet]

I realized today that we have very few episodes left of Lower Decks and that after that comes Discovery. I was... surprised by how much I am scared of Disco s3, and how said I'll be to see LWD go (for the time being). In general, I'm not anti-New Trek, but BIG WARNING IN RED LETTERS: I am rather critical of Disco and especially Picard here. I'd put it under the cut, but I'm on mobile, sorry.

I wasn't alive when most of Trek aired and so this is kinda my chance for actual current Trek during my lifetime, so I feel like I have possibly more of a right to be upset about this than someone just wishing for "the good old days". However, if even a bit of anti-New Trek is not your thing, don't bother reading this. I just needed somewhere to rant, and if I can't rant on my fandom blog on this godforsaken site, then it's not serving its purpose 😂

---

Thoughts in bullet form, cause that's how I roll:

I want to like New Trek. I want to like it so, so desperately. I'm too young to remember anything about Voyager/Enterprise airing, and I didn't enjoy the reboot movies (too actiony). This is my chance for real, new Trek content, and I love TNG and Voyager to bits, like DS9 and TOS and ENT well enough, and I want to feel like I'm watching "current" scifi for once. Also ideally sci-fi that does not put one of their main women cast members in a bodysuit. Thanks.

So I was very excited about Disco. I liked the first episode. I liked how Burnham was portrayed, and I liked Georgiou, and Saru, and I thought, this is promising.

And then (spoilers ahead)...Georgiou died. And then we did this whole mirror universe thing which seemed to have a lot of violence for shock value and a lot of Burnham soliloquizing and that's it

I love Picard's soliloquies and Janeway's soliloquies and Sisko's soliloquies and I'm even okay with Archer's. But it was just wrong to me to have Burnham soliloquizing when she *wasn't the captain*. She's a crew member, rank stripped, and she's standing here taking up all the airtime? Everyone else just listens to her? I like the concept of doing a show not centered around the captain. But in practice, it's...tough. Especially when you aren't focusing on the XO, which I think is possible.

So I suffered through s1 because it was Trek, and I didn't love it. There were some good parts. But not enough to outweigh the bad. But I tried s2, because hey, maybe it would be better.

And you know what? I loved Pike. I liked it better overall. I wished it had been slightly more episodic, more character-driven, less plot-driven, but I liked it. Especially because of Pike. Burnham still had an inordinate amount of power for a science officer, and also randomly decided to leave the ship, but okay. I was okay with it.

So, the funny thing is, I actually think Discovery is okay. So why am I dreading season 3?

I don't know. I mean, Pike is gone. I'm worried about how they'll portray our future--it looks like the Federation is in shambles, from the trailer? To be very honest, though I'm happy to see trans and NB rep, I'm afraid of that plotline overshadowing all the characters we already have who already don't get enough character development. I'm afraid of the plot overshadowing that char development in general, I guess.

But the saddest thing is that this dread is new, and I'm pretty sure it's because of Picard. It's not Disco's fault.

I'm sorry. Yes, there were some redeeming qualities. Yes, I really dislike Picard.

As y'all know, I am a HUGE fan of TNG. I can't say Picard was my favorite, because four TNG chars are tied for that spot, but he was one of my favorites. And I hate--HATE--how Picard the show has changed my view of him.

I don't really dislike Picard himself in Picard. He's okay. Maybe not exactly the character we remember, but I could have lived with that, IF HE HAD A GOOD SUPPORTING CAST.

And here is where it starts to get really ranty, I'm sorry about that, but these thoughts have to go somewhere. Scroll past if you don't want to read this, I won't be offended.

Mostly, there's a bad case of "show not tell" and also a lack of redeeming qualities with all the characters.

Let's start with Jurati. Why, exactly, am I supposed to care for her? I just...she betrays them, betrays everyone, and never shows that she's changed. We're told all about her brilliance, how she feels. She never shows that to us. I so wanted her to be a good character, because he's a scientist and a woman and I'm a scientist and a woman, but I ended up hating her. Sigh.

I actually like Rios. I find his character well fleshed out and likeable and let's face it, he's exactly my type. So, why oh why is he with Jurati?! He deserves better...

Raffi. Ah, such potential. And some good background. But her self-pity routine is way overdone, and we are only told about her friendship with Picard, not actually shown that. Sorry, but I'll accept someone who calls Picard "JL" when even the TNG crew all calls him Captain or Jean-Luc only when I actually *see* why they're close.

I liked Dahj a lot. But Soji was somehow...so unlikable in contrast. I don't know why? And I have so many questions plot-wise, so many holes that I feel got cut out in editing and were never fixed. Anyway.

I LIKED ELNOR. HE WAS NICE AND A GOOD CHARACTER AND WE SAW A GOOD BSCKSTORY AND THEN HE JUST DISAPPEARED. WHAT.

Oh, and killing Icheb for shock value was totally cold-blooded and pure malice and evil and God clearly the producers didn't care about Voyager. Even though Beyer was one of them.

And unfortunately, this has not made me feel better. Just more upset about Picard. There are so many other things I want to pick at. The plot, the weird editing, the weird pacing, killing an Imzadi kid for a completely stupid reason. Ugh.

I'm sorry for subjecting you all to this.

On a more positive note, I've loved Lower Decks and am really hopeful and excited for SNW? So there's that. Hopefully I don't have my hopes dashed.

It should also be noted that despite all this, I'm still going to watch every show, probably, which explains why CBS doesn't care if I like it or hate it. Gotta love that. Take my money, CBS.

[kansascityhappenings]

Joe’s Weather World: “Snotober” snowstorm impressive for October (THU-10/31)

Mother Nature treated winter weather lovers with an appetizing snow yesterday…sticking in the evening and amounting to a pretty solid 1-2″ or so areawide for  many folks. It was really coming down last night for awhile and adding up. I need to go out and measure after this blog is done but it sure looks like 2″ on my deck. We broke a record for the most snow “officially” in KC for the 30th of October with 9/10″. NOt an October record though…the October “Surprise” snow from 1996 still holds that record.

The other issue then was the cold..it was a race overnight to clear out…or hold onto the clouds…we cleared out and the temperatures crashed into the lower 20s…impressive as well. The record of 17° will stand though.

Overall with the perspective of this being OCTOBER…this was a very impressive and noteworthy snowstorm. By mid-winter standards…meh…but by not even Halloween standards…wow!

Forecast:

Today: Sunny and chilly with highs around 40°

Tonight: Clear and chilly but perhaps not as cold…lows in the 20s

Friday: Partly cloudy and breezy with highs in the 50° range

The Weekend: Nice overall…cool on Saturday with highs in the 40s…then approaching 60° on Sunday.

Discussion:

Well let’s start with the snow reports…received through 8:30 this morning…

Again for mid winter…whatever…but for October…yeah that’s impressive.

Add up the .9″ at KCI (seems low to me) and the .3″ on Monday…and we’re up to 1.2″ officially that’s the 5th highest for the month of October.

So obviously you want to know how that correlates into what happened in the winter and if you’re a snow-lover…well you may want to get excited…of the 4 other winters 3 were big producers…and the one that wasn’t (1908-09) is missing a lot of data for part of the snow season.

1996: 29.2″ (remember about 6+” was the October Surprise…so really it was a little above average after that

1898: 38.6″

1913: 26.5″

1908: 13.2″ (missing numerous days in OCT and NOV of snow information…but the data is more reliable from DEC>APR and there was only 10.9″ in that timeframe…so we’ll just say below average)

So 3 out of the 4 previous snow seasons we’re bullish for the snow.

Interesting…

I think this was overall a well predicted system over the last 5+ days or so…it’s not that anyone was surprised…I thought overall the messaging was pretty good. I thought my one big key to the forecast on Tuesday was perfect really…when would the snow stick? During the day (it didn’t) we’d be closer to 3-4″…after sunset (it did) we’d be more in the 1-2″ range…and the latter happened to a tee.

To be fair I had a healthy skepticism that this could happen about a week ago…but I was gradually coming off that as we got closer and actually started getting pretty bullish about the potential.

Human forecasters vastly out-predicted computer forecasts for the actual totals. The computers had a tough time trying to figure out the transition times and the precip types…and were over-generating the snow. The GFS in particular was gruesome with the extremes.

I saved a few of the model forecasts from 48 hours before the snow…so let’s grade them strictly for our local area.

Let’s start with the EURO…

Grade: B

Now the GFS…

Grade D- (F grade for many of the previous runs)

Now the ICON model which is a German model

Grade: B+

Finally the NAM model…

Grade: D- (F for areas east and northeast of KC)

So us humans were in the Dusting-2″ range as a forecast (mine from Monday night) and in the 1-4″ range on Tuesday night with the caveats mentioned above above the sticking snow timing.

Overall I’d say the humans get an A grade…

Of course now that means we’re having a “white” Halloween…in places where they should be having one…their not.

Halloween used to be reliably white in Fairbanks. No more: 2019 is the 4th consecutive year with Oct 31 snow depth less than 1" (2.5cm) at airport/in town. Before 2016 just 5 Halloweens in previous 85 years were snowless. #akwx #Halloween @Climatologist49 @joshdryer @newsminer pic.twitter.com/rhiMRwna7v

— Rick Thoman (@AlaskaWx) October 31, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Stat of the day…this is only the 2nd #Halloween in KC weather history with #snow on the ground (more than a trace) when the observation was taken. 1912 is the other one. Both cases: 1" jl

— Fox 4 Weather KC (@fox4wx) October 31, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Onwards…

Decent but cool weather for awhile and more cold air lurking…and right now…I would not be shocked if parts of northern MO sees more snow next week…iffy but there is a way.

More cold air though will be an issue…mainly from Tuesday of next week into Saturday of next week…take a look at the temperature anomalies for that time frame averaged over 5 days…

That’s 10-15° below average again…so after Monday it’s back to colder weather again…and the data may play catch-up to what’s coming too. The GFS isn’t as cold BUT it’s recent bias in moving systems too quickly eastwards is not working in it’s favor at this point in my opinion.

So enjoy the more comfortable weather on Sunday and Monday because most of next week will be cold again.

OK so it’s been a busy time…blogs and a lot of late nights with sports and not a lot of sleep…so we’ll rap it up for today…enjoy the winter wonderland while it lasts.

The feature photo is from ‎Savannah Whitesell‎  down in Spring Hill.

Joe

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/10/31/joes-weather-world-snotober-snowstorm-impressive-for-october-thu-10-31/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/10/31/joes-weather-world-snotober-snowstorm-impressive-for-october-thu-10-31/

[strac9]

Well, made some progress on the rear today or my Larry did 😏 New lower and upper decks, new bumperette/mud flap holders, tail light mounts..... And supposed to be leaving tomorrow, just over 2 weeks on the road including #jpdirtndrive2019 & #ejs2019, obviously decided to bring the JK instead of the new JL..... But the JK will be up for sale. Lots to do still before hitting the road! #jku #backhalfed #hemiswap #hemijk #onetons #41s #rockjock60 #kingshocks #rubiconexpress #4sale #maxbiltoffroad #antirock #warn https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv77BGujYnk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eogoq9g4bhv1

[itsworn]

Totally Custom, Top-Notch Pro Touring 1968 Camaro

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to build a phenomenal car. After meeting Jim Gloe, we think it takes a nuclear engineer.

Yes, that’s right; Jim’s a real nuclear engineer. And that’s his real name. But what’s important here is that he built a 1968 Camaro to basically reactor specs. Like 316-series stainless—it’s all over the car in the form of brackets and tabs. Ever seen welds in a car done to ASME XI specs? Well now you have.

The affair began in 1972 with another ’68 that he bought at the ripe ol’ age of 14. “It had an LS6,” he says. “Which, frankly, stands for Long Straight 6, which in my situation, was a 230ci straight-six.” But he traded that one for a Vega, which he at least built to Pro Street specs. But the first-gen Camaro that got away was always in the back of his mind.

“In the year 2000, my wife and I decided to build a ground-up 1968 Camaro,” Jim begins. And this time he swore to do it the way we always promise ourselves. As in, “This time, it shall be without the limits and financial constraints I endured as a young kid.” Only unlike most of us, he actually did it.

That Jim fabricated his own rotisserie then commenced a program of bagging and tagging everything that came off the car, documenting the disassembly with more than 600 photos, should set the stage for how this build went.

After he disassembled the car, he delivered the major components to Detroit Speed Inc. There, the car got all N.O.S. beltline sheetmetal. Then it underwent modifications dictated more by function than simply form. For example, a cowl-induction hood would’ve accommodated the tall-deck big-block but at the expense of a higher center of gravity. So the DSE crew sectioned the crossmember for pan clearance and relieved it for header and pulley space to mount the engine lower.

A trip to DSE is usually what defines a car’s nature. And make no mistake; this car’s all the better for it. But it was the work by Jim and Tony Goodrich from Tony’s Rod and Custom that really sets the car apart.

For example, the 316-series stainless mentioned before has most of the tensile strength of 4130 and the corrosion resistance of stainless. They’re properties that make the material abundant in the reactor world (and expensive everywhere).

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Reactors have redundancies, so Jim built it into various components. Like the car has a key switch in the event that the pushbutton starter fails. To hedge his bets, he even used gold-plated terminals. This kind of caution inspired him to do something kind of unheard of in the weight- (and style) conscious world of street machines: he carries a spare tire. The dude even created the fuel filler in the likeness of an ASME Class I flange, a design used in leak-sensitive assemblies. You know, like nuclear reactors.

Speaking of leaking, the headers won’t. Ever. Dissatisfied with production header gaskets, Jim contracted Percy’s High Performance to build six-layer gaskets from dead-soft aluminum. Of which, you and I can now buy at Summit Racing (PN PHP-66089, if you’re curious).

The engine is even one-offed for function sake. Jim runs a Ram Jet manifold, which fits only short-deck engines. He had Wilson Manifolds’ shop foreman Tony modify it to fit the engine and shorten it to fit under the hood. He also shaved the redundant bosses, webs, and center fuel rail.

Ever pragmatic, Jim participated in a kind of apprenticeship with his own car under the tutelage of Tony Goodrich at Tony’s Rod and Custom. They employed custom techniques to refine the car mechanically. For example, they cut and modified the sheetmetal to eliminate the body shims that the factory used for expediency. Rather than being a bolt-on, the rear spoiler is now an integral part of the trunk thanks to Tony. Though the lid is admittedly heavier than stock, Jim took it as an opportunity to fabricate stronger springs in the form of stainless gas struts that he had made in Germany. He kept the stock hood hinges, replacing the coils with similar struts that attach directly to the hood. The philosophy being that it’s the load path rather than the hinges themselves that cause panel-alignment issues.

And rather than spending a bunch of money to hide things like plumbing, Jim spent a bunch of money on Swagelok components. Components he encounters daily in reactors. Components that will never fail in the course of this car’s activities.

Naturally, he used top-shelf fasteners, even making a few from ARP components where production ones didn’t exist. Oh, and get this: where torque specs didn’t exist, he created them.

And it wasn’t just mechanical stuff that he went overboard on. For example, rather than invest a ton of time perfecting pot-metal faux hood vents, he worked with Dean Rodgers and Baumgartner Race Cars to design and whittle functional ones from billet aluminum.

Even the 572 emblems were designed with a custom typeface then cut from brass stock and hand-shaped before being chrome-plated.

This car is made special by things one just can’t buy. Like rather than send the car for upholstery, Jim and wife, Geralyn, invited Scott and Gary Long to stay at their house, erecting an impromptu sewing room in their living room and a workshop in their basement.

And it’s not just their work that makes the cockpit stand out. Jim used a Hurst shifter to fabricate his own shift housing. It’s actually a Powertrain Control Solutions Simple Shift that selects gears.

Is Jim Gloe’s Camaro overkill? Of course it is. But so are a lot of cars that we feature.

The subtle difference here is that this car’s overkill testifies to its creator’s interests and skills. This is a build that follows the design axiom: form follows function, where the look of something is dictated by its components. Also following high-design principles is the honesty; Jim didn’t hide anything. “We wanted the guts to show,” he observes. What makes it extra interesting is that Jim kept various components that most people replace with fancier ones (hood hinges, for one), investing the savings in places where they mattered more to him (the Swagelok stuff, for another).

The rest of us won’t build a car to reactor specs. Nay, we shouldn’t. Because that wouldn’t be true to us. And honestly, it’s probably not true to us to do things to a car just because other people do them.

But we can all take away something from Jim Gloe’s build. Primarily, that we should do things that reflect our own interests and skills. Because it really doesn’t take a nuclear engineer to build a car that stands out; it just takes someone who’s willing to put a little bit of themselves into whatever they do.

Tech Check

 Owner: Jim and Geralyn Gloe, Fulton, Missouri

Vehicle: 1968 Camaro

Engine

Type: Chevrolet Performance big-block

Displacement: 572 ci

Compression Ratio: 9.6:1

Bore: 4.560 inches

Stroke: 4.375 inches

Cylinder Heads: Edelbrock rectangular port

Camshaft: Lunati grind RRB1-234-244 (0.575-inch lift, 234/244-deg. duration at 0.050-inch)

Induction: Ram Jet 502 modified by Wilson Manifolds, Arizona Speed & Marine throttle body, FAST XFI ECU, 60-lb/hr high-Z EV1 injectors in full-sequential mode with 10-degree opening retard

Ignition: FAST dual-sync distributor, MSD 6A digital ignition

Exhaust: Custom-built 2-inch primary headers with 3.5-inch collectors with stainless 0.065-wall 3-inch pipes and Borla mufflers

Output: 638 hp

Drivetrain

Transmission: 4L80E built by Gordon Stoney, supervising engineer of Hydramatic Division

Rear Axle: GM 14-bolt with Torino-style axle ends, Truetrac limited-slip, 3.55:1 gears, Moser 33-spline axleshafts

Chassis

Steering: DSE 600-series Saginaw

Front Suspension: DSE with stock drum spindles and Addco 1 1/8-inch antiroll bar custom bent to clear Milodon oil pan

Rear Suspension: DSE QUADRALink

Brakes: Baer/Alcon drilled/slotted 13.5-inch rotors with six-piston, staggered-bore monoblock calipers, front; Baer SS4+ 13-inch drilled/slotted rotors with polished hats, four-piston calipers, rear

Wheels & Tires

Wheels: Budnik Tiller 5 (custom cut for caliper clearance) 17×8 (4.875-inch backspace) front, 18×12.5 (7.25-inch backspace) rear

Tires: BFGoodrich G-Force Rival S, 245/40 front, 335/30 rear

Interior

Upholstery: Luxor II Ultraleather

Seats: Fourth-gen Camaro, custom trimmed

Door panels: Fesler, modified with speaker bosses

Steering Wheel: Budnik

Instrumentation: AutoMeter Pro-Comp Ultra-Lite II with warning lights

Shifter: Custom-fabricated assembly by owner, Powertrain Control

Audio: Alpine head unit with JL signal processors and amplifiers, Focal Slimline front speakers and 165KF rears. Installed by owner, tuned by Eric “The Entertainer” Pyle (Jefferson City, MO)

Built By: Scott and Gary Long, SEANAE Interiors (Grovespring, MO)

Exterior

Body Prep & Paint: Tony Goodrich, Tony’s Rod & Custom

Modifications: Rockers extended 2 inches with ground effects added to backs of rear fenders and leading edges of fronts

Hood: Stock SS with billet aluminum vents designed by Dean Rodgers, machined by Baumgartner Race Cars. Milled for vent function

The post Totally Custom, Top-Notch Pro Touring 1968 Camaro appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/totally-custom-top-notch-pro-touring-1968-camaro/ via IFTTT

[timelessautosales]

1947 Chevy Stylemaster Coupe (AZ) - $32,500

Exterior: Blue Interior: Gray cloth Transmission: Automatic Small block 350 with TH350 Engine: 8 cylinders Mileage: 27363

No Expense spared on this car. Everything on this car is color matched, powder-coated, chrome or billet. Painted and finished from top to bottom. Way too many details to list everything. Built as a show car, but civilized enough to use frequently or for road trips. Take it out and play with it! Competition quality stereo system with DVD video, CD/MP3 support, and can be used with Sirius Satellite Radio as well. Loud, clear and accurate home theater quality system. Multiple IASCA show winner. Multiple car show winner as well. All around an excellent and exceptionally fun car to drive. Looks great, sounds great, fun to drive, and easy to deal with. Has been stored under a cover, in dry indoor storage in Southern Arizona for 10+ years. As its been in storage for a number of years, we replaced the fuel pump and rebuilt the carb so the car starts and runs excellent as soon as you turn the key! Its been been dusted off for these photos and the car looks great and shows well. Too many other projects, and not enough time to enjoy this one properly, so my loss is your gain. 27363 miles showing currently. Paint is overall in excellent condition, and shows very well. This car was never a trailer queen, it was built to show and drive and enjoy. If you are looking for something to drive and enjoy and have fun with, just hop in and go as the car shows very well and looks great! Fun car, great looker, amazing paint colors, excellent interior condition. Custom touches everywhere. Very nice street rod. Much less expensive to buy it than build it. :) What you see is what you get!

Mustang II front suspension. Small block 350 with TH350 automatic Front Disc brakes, rear drums. Power steering Power brakes Cruise control. Fenders smoothed into the body and leaded. (Front and rear) Shaved Door handles and emblems. Nosed and Decked.(Emblems/trim/handles removed from hood and trunk lid) Electric door poppers. (Hidden buttons, and also remote control) Electric trunk release. (Interior switch, and also remote control) Cabled hood release inside vehicle. Vintage Air A/C Classic Instruments gauges. Filled and extended lower dash panel. (For Stereo and AC vents and controls) Ghost scallops on hood. Custom scalloped interior door panels. Custom etched neon backlit "Chevy" logo plexiglass panel in rear deck. (Etched in reverse to rear properly when reflected on the rear window) Billet Mirrors Billet interior door handles and window cranks. Power Windows. Custom gas filler door. Frenched license plate box w/billet frame & 3rd brake light Frenched power Antenna True Billet Specialties billet wheels. "Bigs and Littles" with Michelin tires. Neutral grey tweed interior. Custom Clifford car alarm with Valet mode and custom remote features. Hideaway Clarion TV monitor/DVD player in dash. Plays DVD's, CD's, MP3 CD's, Siruis Satellite Radio ready. Rockford Fosgate Symmetry EX equalizer system. Capacitor wired into Amplifier. Custom center console Custom Blue Neon accents throughout Dual battery system. (With 2 brand new Optima Blue Top Deep Cycle 800CCA batteries. 1 Week old) Custom storage compartments in trunk and under rear seat. Dual 12V jacks in the trunk for powering accessories. Custom JL Audio factory Chrome subwoofer. Custom Xtant Amplifier with factory hand polished case, color matched factory grille, and Plexiglas safety cover with Chevy Bowtie cutout. Amplifier and sub-woofer are custom one off pieces built for this car. Custom Classic Instruments Voltage gauges in the trunk for both batteries. (Gauges match dash gauges.) All aluminum panels are custom brushed and micro-etched to label the functions, fuses, etc. Custom Jumper cables. Hood prop rod. (New) New Fuel Pump and freshly rebuilt Edelbrock 600CFM Carb. Includes Billet Specialties Half Wrap steering wheel and horn ring. (Not installed)

NO trades.

This vehicle is located in Tuscon AZ 85748 Please call Dean @ 520-546-9330 to see this custom car.

[farsight-the-char]

Been thinking of things Jason Todd could do to make him like, Be A Person, and not a bad cop.

Realized you could have him stop being Red Hood, and put him in a JL book, as like, a mechanic/engineer for the Watchtower.

Have him lead a Justice League “Lower Decks” book. About those who maintain the Watchtower.

Could be fun.

[timelessautosales]

1947 Chevy Stylemaster Coupe (AZ) - $34,900

Exterior: Blue Interior: Gray cloth Transmission: Automatic Small block 350 with TH350 Engine: 8 cylinders Mileage: 27363

No Expense spared on this car. Everything on this car is color matched, powder-coated, chrome or billet. Painted and finished from top to bottom. Way too many details to list everything. Built as a show car, but civilized enough to use frequently or for road trips. Take it out and play with it! Competition quality stereo system with DVD video, CD/MP3 support, and can be used with Sirius Satellite Radio as well. Loud, clear and accurate home theater quality system. Multiple IASCA show winner. Multiple car show winner as well. All around an excellent and exceptionally fun car to drive. Looks great, sounds great, fun to drive, and easy to deal with. Has been stored under a cover, in dry indoor storage in Southern Arizona for 10+ years. As its been in storage for a number of years, we replaced the fuel pump and rebuilt the carb so the car starts and runs excellent as soon as you turn the key! Its been been dusted off for these photos and the car looks great and shows well. Too many other projects, and not enough time to enjoy this one properly, so my loss is your gain. 27363 miles showing currently. Paint is overall in excellent condition, and shows very well. This car was never a trailer queen, it was built to show and drive and enjoy. If you are looking for something to drive and enjoy and have fun with, just hop in and go as the car shows very well and looks great! Fun car, great looker, amazing paint colors, excellent interior condition. Custom touches everywhere. Very nice street rod. Much less expensive to buy it than build it. :) What you see is what you get!

Mustang II front suspension. Small block 350 with TH350 automatic Front Disc brakes, rear drums. Power steering Power brakes Cruise control. Fenders smoothed into the body and leaded. (Front and rear) Shaved Door handles and emblems. Nosed and Decked.(Emblems/trim/handles removed from hood and trunk lid) Electric door poppers. (Hidden buttons, and also remote control) Electric trunk release. (Interior switch, and also remote control) Cabled hood release inside vehicle. Vintage Air A/C Classic Instruments gauges. Filled and extended lower dash panel. (For Stereo and AC vents and controls) Ghost scallops on hood. Custom scalloped interior door panels. Custom etched neon backlit "Chevy" logo plexiglass panel in rear deck. (Etched in reverse to rear properly when reflected on the rear window) Billet Mirrors Billet interior door handles and window cranks. Power Windows. Custom gas filler door. Frenched license plate box w/billet frame & 3rd brake light Frenched power Antenna True Billet Specialties billet wheels. "Bigs and Littles" with Michelin tires. Neutral grey tweed interior. Custom Clifford car alarm with Valet mode and custom remote features. Hideaway Clarion TV monitor/DVD player in dash. Plays DVD's, CD's, MP3 CD's, Siruis Satellite Radio ready. Rockford Fosgate Symmetry EX equalizer system. Capacitor wired into Amplifier. Custom center console Custom Blue Neon accents throughout Dual battery system. (With 2 brand new Optima Blue Top Deep Cycle 800CCA batteries. 1 Week old) Custom storage compartments in trunk and under rear seat. Dual 12V jacks in the trunk for powering accessories. Custom JL Audio factory Chrome subwoofer. Custom Xtant Amplifier with factory hand polished case, color matched factory grille, and Plexiglas safety cover with Chevy Bowtie cutout. Amplifier and sub-woofer are custom one off pieces built for this car. Custom Classic Instruments Voltage gauges in the trunk for both batteries. (Gauges match dash gauges.) All aluminum panels are custom brushed and micro-etched to label the functions, fuses, etc. Custom Jumper cables. Hood prop rod. (New) New Fuel Pump and freshly rebuilt Edelbrock 600CFM Carb. Includes Billet Specialties Half Wrap steering wheel and horn ring. (Not installed)

NO trades.

This vehicle is located in Tuscon AZ 85748 Please call Dean @ 520-546-9330 to see this custom car.

[itsworn]

Find Out What Made This 1956 Chevy Pickup A Complete Surprise

The first time Rafael Nava saw this beautiful Candy Red ’56 Chevy custom truck he had no idea that it belonged to him. Even after his son, Miguel, handed him the keys, it took a moment for reality to sink in.

Rafael, from South San Francisco, retired last year from his family owned janitorial services company. For a long time Miguel had planned to honor the occasion in an extraordinary way. “When I was little, we would go down to Redwood City and watch the cruising,” Miguel remembers. “One time, a beautiful Tri-Five Chevy truck came cruising by—all modified, with candy paint and wire wheels. It caught my dad’s attention. The idea always stuck in my mind that someday I would get him a truck like that for a retirement gift.”

Miguel grew up in the middle of Bay Area car culture and his interest started in his early teens. Since then, he has had a few cool cars—a couple mid-’60s SS Impalas, a ’64 Fairlane, a 5.0 Mustang, and others. In high school, Miguel met a kid in auto shop class named Joe Compani, who later went to work for Roy Brizio Street Rods as a custom bodyman and painter. Today, Compani has his own shop, Compani Color in Hayward, California. Miguel and Joe have remained friends, so when he started looking for a truck, he contacted Compani. “It was second nature to figure that if anyone would help build this truck, it would be Joe.”

Early in the search for the right truck, Miguel found this ’56 listed on Craigslist. It was fairly local and owned by someone Compani knew, who had purchased it but never started a rebuild. The owner volunteered to tow the truck to Compani’s shop and Miguel mailed him a check without ever meeting him. The pickup was stock, the rough shell of an old farm truck finished in black primer—and blasting it revealed just how little there was left. Compani told us that only the cab, hood, and frame were retained. The rest would get replaced.

As work got underway, Compani asked Bill Ganahl to get involved. Ganahl is another Brizio Street Rods alumnus, and the owner of South City Rod & Custom. This truck is one of many collaborations between Compani Color and South City and Miguel gave them creative control of the project. Travis Duffy and Ryan Campi from Compani Color, and Donny Welch from South City also contributed to the build.

To see the truck now, you would never suspect the bad condition it was once in. Exterior components were repaired and replaced, and badges and trim pieces were shaved. The replacement bed was rounded at the bottom and the stake pockets and rail ends were filled. The shaved and filled tailgate was equipped with custom latches and stop arms. Miguel commissioned cabinetmaker Felix Dominguez to create the beautiful stained oak bed floor. A handmade rear pan was added, along with late ’40s/early ’50s–style Ford taillights. Later, when it was ready for paint, the Chevy rolled into the spray booth at Compani Color, where Compani shot a shade of House Of Kolor Candy Apple Red that seems to emit its own light.

Underneath, the factory frame was retained, but the suspension was completely rebuilt. Miguel wanted the truck to be classic looking, but with a modern ride. The ’rails were boxed and C-notched. The frontend was upgraded with Heidts Mustang II–style package, including dropped spindles and cut coilovers. At the rear, a four-link setup locates the GM 10-bolt Posi rearend, with Aldan coilovers to smooth the ride. The truck rolls down the road far better than it did during its farm days—and you can see the perfect hot rod rake that adds attitude. Mag Gray Salt Flat Special wheels from American Racing were chosen to complement that attitude. The wheels measure 20 and 18 inches and are wrapped with Goodyear Eagle Sport radial tires.

BluePrint Engines built the high-performance Chevy crate engine planted between the front fenders. The 355ci small-block is topped with an Edelbrock intake manifold and four-barrel carb for traditional aspiration, with a nostaltgic finned air cleaner for traditional looks. Finned valves were added to match. An MSD ignition fires the air/fuel charge, and the exhaust is routed through Sanderson headers. Exhaust pipes built by Downtown Muffler Service in Hayward are corked with Flowmaster mufflers. Backing up the small-block is a GM 700-R4 transmission, assembled by Larry Marlon.

The candy paint—and the whole classic style—carries over into the truck’s interior. The ’57 Ford steering wheel and ididit column were painted to match the stock dash, and factory gauges were replaced with aftermarket reproductions to maintain an original look. The sound system is a combination of a Custom Autosound stereo with a JL Audio subwoofer and MB Quart speakers.

Chris Plante at Plante Interiors in Santa Rosa reupholstered the cab. The stock bench was disassembled down to the frame, rebuilt, and upholstered in leather and fabric. Chris said the high-quality European full aniline leather features a natural two-tone marbled look that is almost translucent. The contrasting cloth insert is N.O.S. ’58 Chrysler fabric. Plante stitched it with a brick pattern modeled after Chevy Del Rey upholstery and used the same design on the headliner and door panels. The carpet is Daytona weave, as was used on Tri-Five Chevys and early Corvettes.

The general public got its first look at the finished ’56 Chevy at the 2016 West Coast National in Pleasanton. Among them was Rafael Nava, who never suspected a thing and never expected to own such a cool classic truck. “I convinced my dad that we were going to meet somebody to talk about business. He didn’t think twice about it. When we got to the fairgrounds, I showed him the truck on display at the South City Rod & Custom and Compani Color vendor booth and told him the whole story. He couldn’t believe it; he had to ask Compani. When I handed him the keys he teared up.”

The surprises aren’t done yet. According to Miguel, his dad didn’t know that his truck had been photographed for Classic Trucks, or that this feature was being written. That means that in addition to Miguel, Compani, Ganahl, and everybody who helped build Rafael Nava’s unexpected ’56 Chevy, you and everybody reading this are participating in the surprise.

Tech Notes

1956 Chevy | Rafael Nava

CHASSIS Frame: ’56 Chevy, boxed, C-notched Rearend: GM 10-bolt, limited slip Rear suspension: Four-link, Aldan coilovers Front suspension: Heidts Mustang II IFS, cut coilovers, dropped spindles Steering: Power steering Brakes: GM front disc brakes with 11 rotors, stock rear drums Front wheels: American Racing Salt Flat Specials 18×7 Rear wheels: American Racing Salt Flat Specials 20×10 Front and Rear tires: Goodyear Eagles DRIVETRAIN Engine: Chevy 350 crate engine, 0.030-over, built by BluePrint Engines Heads: Stock Carburetor: Edelbrock 650 cfm Intake manifold: Edelbrock Valve covers: Aftermarket finned Air cleaner: Aftermarket finned Ignition: MSD Headers: Sanderson Exhaust / Mufflers: Custom pipes / Flowmaster Radiator: Aluminum Transmission: GM 700-R4 Ford AOD, built by Larry Marlon BODY Style: ’41 Ford pickup Modifications: shaved, bed stake pockets filled, lower bed rounded, bed rail ends filled, tailgate shaved and filled, custom latches and stop arms, mini-tubs Hood: Stock Grille: Stock Door handles: Stock Headlights / Taillights: Stock / Early Ford truck Bumpers: Stock front, handmade lower rear pan Glass: Stock Painter: Joe Compani, Compani Color Paint: House Of Kolor, Candy Apple Red Chrome: Global Plating INTERIOR Dashboard: Stock Gauges: Aftermarket reproduction Steering wheel: ’57 Ford truck Steering column: ididit tilt shifter Seats: Stock bench, modified Upholstery: Chris Plante at Plante Interiors Material / Color: European full aniline leather / brown and N.O.S. ’58 Chrysler fabric / gray Carpet / Color: Daytona weave / brown Stereo: Custom Autosound deck, JL Audio subwoofer, MB Quart speakers Heater: Vintage Air heater / defroster Wiring: Custom by South City Rod & Custom

The post Find Out What Made This 1956 Chevy Pickup A Complete Surprise appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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