#Jack seems to collect so many of these rubber ones I don’t think this picture does justice for truly how many he can wear at once

[imperatorrrrr]

thinking today about how Jack and Nico both have a thing with ~bracelets~ except Nico’s is with beaded bracelets and Jack’s is with the rubber ones.

[heartofsnark]

NSFW Alphabet: Mamoru

Note: Here’s my favorite grumpy old man, also, other than Ota’s the dirty secret section on all of these kinda turned into Sex Sent Me To The ER: Bidders Edition. I don’t know why I became so preoccupied with them getting hurt during sex. But, here’s this thing. I hope you all like and it actually shows up in the tags. 

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He just wants to cuddle up to his partner and pass out. If MC says they need something, or if they clearly need some tending to afterwards, he will, especially if they did something a bit rougher. But, he’s not the type to worry about doing a whole hell of lot after sex, or ever if we’re being honest. He’s happy to just pass out sweaty with cum on him and just deal with cleanup in the morning. Besides, sometimes he wakes up during the night and wants to go again, so not much point in cleaning up, right?

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He isn’t the kind of guy to spend much time thinking about his body or giving any sort of fucks about his appearance. Honestly, if he could he’d spend his life in his old sweatpants and t-shirt. The only time he genuinely gives a shit is if starts thinking MC cares, than he can be a bit insecure. But, if you really forced him to pick something, it’s going to be his dick. He’s pretty happy with what he’s packing.

He’s a boob man, through and through. They’re soft and just feel really nice in his hands. If MC let him, he’d probably be constantly squeezing and playing with their tits. His mouth tends to gravitate towards them, sucking and teasing them. Doesn’t matter the size or anything, he’s content playing with whatever they have to offer there.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

He likes creampies the most, he knows it’s not always a great idea, but he honestly loves knowing MC is full of his cum. He can be kind of jealous at times and creampies tend to quell some of that, making it feel like his partner is really his. He cums a lot too, so by the end he’ll have made a complete mess of his partner, which he also loves. MC is more put together than him, who isn’t, so seeing them so wrecked and leaking his cum drives him crazy.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He and his MC have fallen off the bed during sex, he got a bit carried away. For a solid moment, he thought he broke his dick and was terrified. Lucky him, he just kind of bruised it and was out of commission for a while. He spent the entire time in bed with ice on his groin having MC pack and carry to him. It honestly would have been nice if not for the whole hurt dick situation. The next time they had sex they were extra careful.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Moderate, he’s probably had around two girlfriends in the past. As much as he talks about liking provocative women and acting like a perv, he’s honestly not that into casual hookups. He’s had one or two, but that’s about it. He just prefers being physical with someone he cares about, that trust makes it better, not that he’d ever admit that. But, he has a high sex drive, so within those two relationships he did get a decent amount of experience. He has a good grasp on what he likes, what he’s good at, and what pleases his partner. Out of the bidders, he definitely has the most normal sexual history.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Cowgirl type positions tend to be his preference, despite what people might think this isn’t because he’s lazy, honestly it seems like sex is  what he’s been conserving energy for. Even if his MC is on top, he’s thrusting and is honestly probably still setting the pace, he has a hard time keeping still during sex. He mostly likes the view and seeing his partner desire him enough to take any sort of charge. He prefers being able to see and touch their chest, or having full body contact with kisses. These type of positions would be his pick:

Watering Can: http://sexpositions.club/positions/101.htm

Cowgirl (duh): http://sexpositions.club/positions/113.html

Crab:  http://sexpositions.club/positions/77.html

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

He might make a few teasing jokes in the build-up, but he veers more towards serious during sex. Mamoru gets very into it and he wants his partner to be the same way, he’d rather his partner moan than laugh. That being said, he isn’t above laughing if something stupid happens. Sex isn’t always some picture perfect experience, things happen and he’d be lying if he said there wasn’t a time or two when he and his partner ended up cracking up laughing during sex over something stupid. He leans more towards serious and won’t try to make his partner laugh, but whatever happens, happens.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Please, he barely gives a fuck about the hair people see. His pubic hair is dark gray, bushy, and thick. I also think he probably has a bit of a happy trail or hair on his stomach. He just lets it grow however it pleases. The only time he really would do anything is when he gets with his MC. He’ll trim a bit more often in general because now someone will, hopefully, be interacting with his junk. But, he’ll only put genuine effort in and try to make it neat is if either MC complains or he starts to feel insecure. He does have those moments when he realizes he’s kind of a disaster of a human being and worries MC might truly regret being with him. Kind of like when he suddenly starts cleaning or slicks his hair back for something. Like a sort of, “See, you didn’t make a horrific mistake, please don’t leave me,” sentiment.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Day to day, Mamoru tends to struggle with being honest about his feelings. Even during sex, unless something traumatic (like MC nearly dying)  has happened, he focuses more on dirty talk than romantic talk. He’s more likely to gush about how he loves MC after they’ve fallen asleep and can’t hear him.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

He jerked off fairly often when he was single. With his MC, he only really jacks off when they have to be apart because of work or whatever. Not if they’re fighting though. If his partner isn’t with him because they’re angry, masturbating just makes him feel really pathetic. He uses porn magazines for his material, yes, old man Mamoru doesn’t even use the internet for his porn needs. MC definitely found a sizable collection of them when they cleaned his apartment.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Spanking Kink, he talks a lot about his partner being bratty and needing punishment, so what better way than watching their ass turn red under his hand. 

Domesticity Kink, if that’s a thing, having his partner take care of him and their home makes him feel loved. Also, he seems to like the idea of his partner in a frilly white apron and if they didn’t want to wear anything under it. He wouldn’t be opposed to it. 

Roleplay/Costumes is one he denies, he has an entire bag of costumes Baba has given him since he got with MC. He’s never thrown them away and while he’d never say anything, if his partner wanted to try a few on he wouldn’t be against it. There’s this playboy bunny one that he’d like to see on them. Just admit your kinks, Mamoru!

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

For the most part, he just likes staying in bed and rolling around together all day long. It might be a bit tame, but it’s nice to just be together in the comfort of home. I can also see him being into sex in his car. Pulling over off the side of secluded road and climbing into the backseat together. It’s a little risky, but not too much, and it just feels very Mamoru to me. I don’t have a great justification. He definitely has to clean his car out first, though.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Domesticity, his partner taking care of him means a lot to him and makes him want to take care of them in another kind of way. 

Semi Bratty Behavior/Demandingness, he complains, but he honestly loves when his partner makes little demands and wants to be a bit spoiled. Like when they want so many kisses a day and then get pouty when he pretends to be annoyed. He thinks it’s cute and he likes making excuses to “punish” them. 

Seeing his partner in his clothes, he’s not quite sure why, but it turns him on. It feels like a very normal cozy couple thing and show him just how comfortable they are with him. He prefers it to lingerie, honestly.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Super dangerous stuff is out, obviously he doesn’t want to hurt his partner. He’s not into heavy BDSM; choking, gunplay, shit or piss stuff, sounding, needles, electric play, knife play, CBT, caging, chastity, or anything with rubber or latex. Threesomes, cuckcolding, or anything involving sharing his partner is not his thing, he’s the jealous type and just the thought makes him feel like shit.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

He definitely likes and is skilled at giving oral, but he’d rather receive. It feels a little selfish, but he can’t help it. He tends to think of his MC as innocent and seeing them do something so dirty just excites him. If MC is comfortable with it, he’d like to fuck their face, the feel and look of their mouth around his cock is just incredible.

P = Pace (Are they fats and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He usually tries to start off a bit slow, but he can pretty much never keep a slow pace. He gets caught up in it, becoming fast and rough before too long. His usual pace can be kind of brutal.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He likes quickies quite a bit. Proper sex is better, but he gets turned on throughout the day. So, if he can get MC to take a break from work and screw around, he’s going for it. If they ever want to come down to the station and take him away for a quickie, he won’t say no. He prefer it to working, that’s for damn sure.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He’s not that risky, sex in his car and a little teasing in public is about as risky as he is in regards to getting caught. He’s willing to try things out, though he’s not prone to being the one to introduce things, if he does he’ll try to act like he’s just joking. If his partner asks to try something out he’ll act annoyed, but he’s more than willing. Just admit your kinks, Mamoru!

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Ever wonder what he’s always conserving his energy for? Spoiler alert; its sex. He lasts about an average amount of time, but he can cum about three to four times before he needs a break. And after an hour or two of sleep, he’s okay to do it all over again.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t personally own any toys, when it comes to masturbating, he’s fine with his hand. He’s open to getting toys involved though, mostly for his partner. Toys aren’t a huge turn on for him, but if MC wants to use one in front of him or depending on the toy use one on him, he’s willing to try it.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Mamo is a tease, he likes seeing his MC all riled up. Seeing them get flustered is fun and turns him on. Though, he’s a ‘can dish it out but can’t take it type’ he gets just as, if not more, flustered if his partner turns the tables on him.. Getting his partner worked up is fun for him.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Talker and grunter. He’s not particularly loud and doesn’t want to be loud. He focuses more on dirty talk, finding things to say that excites his partner. When he’s really feeling good and when he cums he’s has a throaty sort of grunt he makes.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

He kind of likes/is turned on by seeing his partner jealous over him. He wants his partner to trust him, obviously, but seeing them get upset over other people hitting on him makes him feel good. It’s really rare, he doesn’t get hit on a whole lot and usually he’s the one getting jealous. Apparently his cute partner is more attractive than him, an unkempt man who looks older than he really is and smells like cigarette smoke, go figure. So, seeing they feel the same way and don’t want to lose him either, means a lot to him. He also might milk it a bit, because sometimes he’s an asshole.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

I’m still not sure how to describe dicks! He’s longer than average, about 8 inches. More notable is how thick it is, I generally think of him as a thicker guy if that makes sense, his MC can’t fully wrap their fingers around it. No major curve to it but a slight upward tilt, a few prominent veins run along the shaft. Still not sure if I’m giving good dick descriptions.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

His sex drive is pretty high. When he reluctantly wakes up in the morning, he wants to tease and try to have sex. When he catches MC during work cleaning his suite in the middle of the afternoon, he wants to cop a feel and see if they can have sex. When they get home and get done having dinner, he wants to have sex. When he wakes up during the night and they’re still curled up together, he gets handsy and wants to have sex. He honestly didn’t realize just how high his sex drive was until he was in a relationship, anytime they’re close his hands just start to wander.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Unless there’s some reason not to, he falls asleep pretty quickly after sex. He’s always looking for excuses to sleep for a while. The issue is that with all of his napping during the day, he’s kind of fucked up any semblance of a sleep schedule he might have had. He usually wakes up during the night and might try to go again, or he’ll just hold them close and say all the lovey dovey crap he’s too embarrassed to say when they’re awake.

[whatsupweinzimmers]

ONE YEAR OLD!

November 1, 2017.  HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, JACK!  What a difference a year makes.

1 year ago today we entered Brigham & Women’s Hospital for a 9am induction.  For months of my pregnancy, we were ”prepped” on what my delivery “schedule” might entail due to our baby’s known heart defect.  But we really didn’t know.  We really didn’t know how it would feel once rubber hit the road.  We really didn’t know that we would torture ourselves for 12 hours after being induced over what the next day and month would look like.  …As if we hadn’t done that enough already.  It was all we could think about since we received the news at 20 weeks pregnant, and now we were at t minus a few hours of go-time.  I had to give birth to this baby, send my baby away, have my baby undergo major surgeries, and then wait and wait to see how each day of the recovery went.  There were so many if/then statements highlighted on our prepped delivery “schedule.”  It seemed like it was every day of the second half of my pregnancy that Mike and I discussed our various conversations with the cardiologists to make us feel better that we knew and were “prepared” for all scenarios.  We were supposed to be so happy and excited, but we ranged in emotions and were generally terrified.

And when we found out on the evening of November 1, 2016 that our baby was ready to enter the world, we really didn’t know that being escorted into an operating room and waiting for 20 doctors and nurses to enter before starting to push would be both remarkable and chilling.  All 20 just watching and waiting, sending guidance to each other, pointing around the room, and readily positioned with each of their “tools” at arm’s length. Every person in that room knew their role, and the order that their duties had to occur.  One nurse just standing next to the phone on the wall, waiting for a ring and to make her calls over to Boston Children’s.  She intimidated me the most.  What kind of phone calls were we expecting here?! Over the months prior, we often felt reality checks…together, alone, at work, in the car, in the middle of the night. But at that moment it was hitting me like a ton of bricks.  It would have been impossible to actually be prepared for the emotional roller coaster we were hopping on for 14 days at Boston Children’s Hospital.  We didn’t even know if this little lovebug inside of me was a boy or a girl, let alone whether or not he or she was a lion-hearted tenacious nugget of pure strength.  We prayed for months that this baby would be ready to put up the fight of his/her life just minutes, hours, and days after he/she was born.  We really didn’t know how it would feel to actually lay eyes on our very own baby.  We had heard that this baby would instantly become the love of our lives.  …That there is no greater feeling than seeing your child for the very first time, and no greater love than that of you for your child.  We really didn’t know how it would feel to see that our precious child, who we did in fact instantly fall in love with, that we had prayed every day for was born blue and turning bluer by the second.  In that moment, we did know from our collection of if/then statements that this would be a very time-sensitive situation, and that it meant our baby would need their first operation immediately.  But we really didn’t know just how much it would yank on our hearts to see this boy taken from us after a mere 10 seconds, to the corner of the large operating room.  That corner filled with a number of those 20 doctors and nurses waiting to track his stats, force tubes down his throat so he could breathe, and hook him up to unknown machines.  And I really didn’t know that I would lay there waiting to hear my baby scream and cry because to me that meant he was “okay” and well, alive.  I relied on the expressions, tones, and body languages of doctors and nurses, and it was petrifying.  …All that before transporting him to the next round of doctors at Boston Children’s that would perform their operation to ensure he could get just enough oxygenated blood circulating until his big open heart surgery a couple of days later.  I really didn’t know that I would turn selfish in those moments.  I wanted my quality skin-to-skin time.  And I wanted pictures, damn it.  I wanted pictures of my just-born infant on my chest, nuzzled into my neck.  I wanted pictures of raw emotion at the birth of our first child.  I wanted all my tears to be made of joy rather than joyful tears being overtaken by saddened and panicked ones.  I wanted pictures of Mommy and Daddy gushing over their baby. I wanted to put on a fancy maternity robe, touch up my mascara, and take those priceless first pictures with my son. Hell, I wanted a photographer in there, and I wanted all family members in there getting individual pictures with this treasure of a human.  I just gave birth to a boy that I loved more than anything, and I really didn’t know that I would find myself laying on the other side of the room feeling completely helpless.  My eyes followed Mike as he eavesdropped and peeked around doctor huddles, trying to get another glimpse of our boy.  I can tell you that I read the body language and lips of every person in that room. Despite my thoughts of helplessness, I was focused, concerned, sensitive, protective, answer-seeking, multi-tasking…and I said “this is motherhood.”   I really didn’t know that a year later I would still be able to see the image of that room I gave birth in, and every person in it, and every action that took place.  I feel like I got a full dosage of motherhood in the first 30 minutes of my son’s life. And I really didn’t know that that maximum dosage was going to come again and again and again for the next two weeks.  The sounds of hard-at-work nurses and doctors directing each other, and calling for an on-call doctor at Boston Children’s to prepare their operating room for Jack’s first procedure sounded like absolute panic to me.  His big open heart surgery wasn’t even going to occur for a few days, and THAT is what I was “prepping” for all this time.  It felt like I was emotionally and physically exhausted and really wasn’t prepared for this motherhood at all.  So then we really didn’t know what was going to happen when Jack had to be carried off to his very first and very important “appointment.”  …That his devoted resilient Dad would find room for his hand on the miniature hospital bed to help the nurses and doctors wheel him over to Boston Children’s.  “Er, I’m going with him, I have my cell phone.”  …And that his mess of a Mom would be forced to recover for a few hours before seeing her baby again.  I really didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to remember what he looked like just hours after he was born.  I really didn’t know that my nurse and my Mom would be wheeling me back to my hospital room where my Dad and my brothers were, and that I wouldn’t be able to introduce them to my baby.  They waited all day at the hospital for their grandson/nephew to be born, and all I could think is “why didn’t I know that they wouldn’t be able to meet him today?” I really didn’t know that I was going to be elated to see them and then weep in the next moment at the sight of their stress and worry and say: “He is supposed to be here with us now.  We should be taking pictures.”  

 I really didn’t know that while my newborn was undergoing open heart surgery for 8 hours, we’d be sitting in a waiting room next to moms and dads waiting for their teenagers to get out of surgeries repairing broken wrists and torn ACLs.  I really didn’t know that our updates every 90 minutes would be as brief and non-descriptive as “the first incision was made,” and “he is hooked up to the bypass machine.”  I really didn’t know that throughout his stay in the CICU, we would be comparing our baby to neighboring babies saying “that baby is a couple days ahead of Jack, Jack should be out of here to the step-down unit in a few days if he progresses like that baby.”  I really didn’t know that I would wake up in the middle of the night in our room at the Yawkey Family Inn bawling, needing to call the nurse at Jack’s bedside.  I really didn’t know that for the first two weeks of his life, my baby would be “awake” for a combined few hours.  The tiny body of our first-born under ‘paralytics,’ with breathing and feeding tubes…covered in cords and plugs and tubes and tapes and wires for two weeks.  I really didn’t know that this whole “experience” we endured would continue to hit me and bring me to tears throughout his first year, and probably forever…together, alone, at work, in the car, in the middle of the night. There has always been special precaution taken by Jack’s pediatrician and by his cardiologists even when he has a simple “cold,” and it brings us back to our moments at Boston Children’s. When Jack was three months old, our pediatrician sent us to the hospital from his normal check-up.  She said his spleen was enlarged and she wanted x-rays. Because if both his spleen and liver were enlarged, then his heart may not be pumping blood the proper way.  There we were in the hospital again, waiting and waiting, but he was fine.  We are thankful for the thorough nature of our doctors, but naturally, we don’t always want to be reminded that our son has congenital heart disease and that he is a special case, and though we have every right to believe his heart is perfect…that we don’t exactly know what may come in the future.

 …Now I really do know some stuff!  Essentially that we live and learn and adjust and persevere…with the help of exceptional support systems if we’re lucky.  I know now that sometimes obstacles occur in the lives of those that can handle them. And Jack has handled this like. a.  BOSS.  And whatever comes at him in the future, he will continue to be a boss.  I really do know that it’s best to be kind because everyone is fighting a battle that we may or may not know about.  I know that hospitals are frightening and upsetting, but also humbling places.  I know that empathy is so natural, and that we are damn lucky that we are not in the shoes of many others.  And we should think about that from time to time.  I remember thinking daily inside Boston Children’s that we were the lucky ones, and I can still remember the way my heart ached for so many children and families we saw in passing.  I know that though it may sometimes bring a slew of unknowns, anxiety, heartbreak, and undesired emotions, the joys and love found in every day of parenthood far surpass the tearful and scary moments and make it all worthwhile.  I know that Mike and I are stronger, and I think, a more “prepped” Mom & Dad for all that we went through.  I know that genius and life-saving surgeons, doctors, and nurses have our back and will be with us forever and help guide us through anything that comes Jack’s way.  I know that Jack’s tenacity, might, and fearlessness were instilled immediately and will live with him forever.  I’ve seen that because of Jack’s preferred lifestyle (action-packed/full throttle/valiant/confident), he meets many floors and walls and objects with his noggin and various parts of his body.  It seems there is very little that bothers him, and if it does, it’s for no longer than a few seconds…he is super strong, he overcomes, he is always happy (unless he’s very very tired), and he truly has a love for each day.  He wakes up chatting to himself in his crib and patiently waits for us to enter his room…and we’re greeted with the biggest smile as he stands up stomping his feet.  I know that Jack tackles things head-on, he dives right in.  (He tries to crawl into the ocean.  He speed climbs up full sets of stairs in 8 seconds flat. He takes the most direct route everywhere he goes, climbing over objects/people/animals.)  He’s a force to be reckoned with, he takes the path of most resistance…because he knows he can.  I know this sheer determination will be another one of his tremendous assets throughout life.  I know that if his first year is any inclination of his future, this boy will not be held back by anything.  He will overcome any hurdle that faces him, especially if it has to do with his heart because he has already fought so hard.  He pushes himself until he’s satisfied.  I know that our boy is going to make us happy and proud and amazed for the rest of our lives.  Jack will tell his story and how he scared the poo out of his Mom and Dad.  I know that Boston Children’s Hospital is THE best hospital for pediatric cardiology.  And best of all, I know from the heart surgeon that we are forever indebted to, that performs his gift on hearts the size of walnuts, that Jack’s heart is perfect.

  Thanks for listening, check back again in a year ;)

[evdarcy]

An Unusual Hero C10S2

Please remember, this is unedited and unfinished, but will hopefully fill in the holes that were left and answer some questions without leaving too many others. HOWEVER I will answer all and any questions if you want to leave me a comment.

Next update - Friday 18/06/2021

Sarah’s head snapped up, her eyes wide as she frantically looked around. Her hand went straight for her gun at the small of her back as she tried work out where she was.

‘Easy, cowboy,’ Luc’s low voice said, his eyes watched her over the top of the computer screen. She focused on his beautiful green eyes, just visible above the line of the monitor and reminded herself she was safe, away from the Demon and all the devastation he brought. She took a couple of deep breaths, removing her hand from her gun, and let her eyes slowly drift around the room to take in everything she could see.

That’s right, they were at the library. They’d come to charge her phone and check on the news being reported on the aftermath of their escape two days ago—God, it felt like a lifetime already. She glanced at the phone on the desk and groaned as she saw the charging icon’s green bars still quickly rising before dropping away to nothing and repeating the cycle all over again.

She sighed heavily as she dropped her head back to the crook of her arm and stared across the table to where Luc sat. He’d gone back to his web search, browsing for everything he could on the Demon, probably something she should be doing too, but she was pinning all her hopes on the phone-thing working out exactly as she pictured it in her head. She was sure it would connect her to some super secret phone, deep in the depths of a hidden bunker somewhere under London, only accessed by the Prime Minister, the highest military personnel in the UK armed forces, and a cleaner. Just the one. They’d probably be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to nip in and spruce the place up a couple of times a week… Man, she’d love a job like that.

She sighed. Trying to dismiss her daydreams. She watched far too much TV. It would probably just connect to the GPS in the device and tell her where to go—maybe she’d have to meet someone and give them a code, something like the bees only collect honey when—

She shook her head, rubbing it along the soft, thick jumper she’d donned that morning. She really didn’t have a clue what the hell the locket’s secret port was going to do, but she really should be considering what to do next just in case it didn’t—

She buried her head against her arm and squeezed her eyes shut tight against the sour thought. God help them if the phone didn’t work. She didn’t really have the first clue what to do without Jack leading the way. When they’d hightailed it out of Vegas she’d just followed the road, determined to put as much space between her and the wreck of an escape as possible. She’d simply driven until she was too tired to keep her eyes open any longer and had only pulled over in a beautiful, secluded spot by happen-chance.

‘Shit,’ Luc’s voice broke the silence of the library. She lifted her head slightly, managing to peer at him just over her arm.

‘What?’ she asked, her voice muffled by her sleeve. He didn’t say anything, his focus still on the screen before him, and Sarah quietly watched as his eyes quickly scanned whatever he’d found. She groaned as she rolled her head back up along her arm, before it rested on her shoulder and she stared out the window at the far end of the table.

Maybe they’d cancelled Destiny. Perhaps, Marc had finally come out about the secret love affair some of the fans swore he and Luc were having. What if Linda had actually… if she’d…

Damn, she couldn’t even come up with something good to finish that train of thought. She just didn’t have the energy to do anything. A single day of sitting around and doing nothing had zapped her of every ounce of motivation she had—although the nightmares starting up again didn’t help. She’d been like a sloth yesterday, barely moving from under the thick blanket she’d wrapped herself in before plonking her arse in front of the fire in the sitting room. She’d started reading the books Jack had left in the back of the car and asking the occasional question to Luc who seemed quite well informed on the matter of the Smoky Mountains. She’d been very impressed when he’d told her that it was very different to the Teton’s where they currently were.

‘But do the Smokies have bears?’ she’d asked.

‘Yup. Black bears.’ She didn’t ask for him to clarify if that was better or worse; surely they would still try and eat her if she came across one?

‘Wolves?’ she’d said, hesitantly.

‘Not as many as up here, but still a few. They’re quite endangered though and you’d rarely see one outside of the national park.’

She drummed her fingers again, wondering if perhaps a mountain side cabin hidden away somewhere would be a good place for them to hide. The little one they had commandeered was okay, but it wasn’t right. It was too close to the road and right next to a huge tourist spot. It would be too easy for them to be stumbled upon. Or for the owner to decide to come visit.

Sarah sighed and pushed herself up to sit properly in the chair again. She held up the phone to check the charge and heaved another exaggerated sigh as she rolled her head back across her shoulders.

‘Do you have to?’ Luc stared over the top of the monitor at her. She made to mimic him, but the look in his eyes gave her pause.

‘What’s up?’ she asked, putting the phone back on the desk and leaning over the table as if she’d be able to see the screen. He simply stared back at her for a moment before he turned the monitor around to face her. There, on the Geek Chic! website, was a huge headline announcing that Casey McManaman had been caught in the blast and was suspected dead hidden somewhere amongst the rubble.

‘Shit,’ she breathed as her eyes began to scan the piece. Luc made to swing the screen back around but Sarah grabbed it and held firm as she read what had happened. Her stomach dropped; there had been almost twenty people in that morning’s meet and greet including Casey, his security, some convention VIPs and staff, and a Geek Chic! reporter called Paige Hamilton. Their meeting room had been on the ground floor directly outside the blast area; they were probably the worst hit of the whole disaster. In two days they’d found nothing but bodies in the debris and they weren’t holding out any hope for anyone else.

Slowly Sarah raised her eyes back to Luc’s. She saw anger simmering there, but guilt and sorrow warred with it. She bit her lip as she let go of the screen and sat back.

He said nothing as he turned the monitor back around and Sarah followed his lead; what the hell could she say? I’m sorry? She wanted to snort at the thought. Sorry I killed your friend and co-star, a guy you’ve known and worked with for five years. Someone who was probably more like family to you because of how often you had to work together…

Although, Casey did play a demon, he was probably friendlier with Marc more than Luc, so—

She shook her head of that callous thought. God, she could be a right bitch sometimes. At least this time she hadn’t said it out loud as was often the case.

‘Luc, I—’

A quick, high pitched beep-beep made Sarah’s words stop. She glanced down to the phone, excitement making her heart pound in her chest as she grabbed the device, but the little picture of the battery was still quickly filling and dropping, filling and dropping. She frowned as she shook the thing, as if that could somehow make the little picture remain green.

‘Um, Sarah.’ A nervous tremor in Luc’s words caught her attention. Her head snapped to him and took in his pale face; any anger he might feel towards her was gone and replaced with sheer fear and panic.

‘What?’ She dropped the phone back to the wooden worktop as she stood up and leaned over the desk to try to see the screen again. Luc didn’t say a word, instead he slowly lifted his closed fist in front of his face. Sarah went to slap it away, but her hands instead closed around his fingers as her eyes spied the watch on his wrist that no longer displayed the time.

‘So. Funny story,’ Luc began, squirming in his seat with embarrassment and nerves. Sarah’s eyes flickered from the device to his eyes and back again. She licked her lips as her mind tried to piece together what she was seeing and what the hell it meant.

Picked up the GPS on your watch—don’t move, help on way. Linda.

Sarah met his eyes again as the text continued to scroll across the tiny screen.

‘You have a smartwatch?’ She spoke her words quietly, trying not to explode the way her mind was telling her to release the sudden wave of panic that washed over her. ‘A smartwatch with GPS.’

‘I didn’t think—’ he began, before Sarah cut him off.

‘No you didn’t!’ She threw his hand back at him. ‘Everything you’ve touched, wipe it all down.’ She hissed her order, trying not to draw attention from the tables around then. As calmly as she could, she grabbed the phone, unplugged the charger, and threw them both into her handbag.

‘Take that off,’ she said when they began to head for the exit.

‘I’m so sorry—’

‘Not now,’ she she said through clenched teeth as she smiled at the librarian as they left. She took the device from him as they stepped outside and headed to the car—luckily, they’d been able to snag a parking spot near the building’s entrance.

‘Get in,’ she told him as she popped the locks again, but she didn’t join him. Instead, she hurried to the back, shoving the fancy watch under the rear wheel before spinning on her heel and opening her door. She jumped inside, throwing Luc a quick look of disappointment before she began playing with the wires again to get the car to spring into life.

‘Don’t say anything,’ she told him when the car’s engine roared. ‘I don’t want to hear apologies,’ she said as they tore out the lot with a squeal of rubber on asphalt and the crunch of glass and metal as they destroyed the tracker. She manoeuvred carefully through the busy afternoon streets, her mind whirling with thoughts of what to do.

They needed a quick get away but they also needed something to distract from them. Something to grab the attention of the locals to get them talking to the police, FBI, CIA, or whoever they’d be sending for them about that rather than them…

‘We’ve got to ditch this thing,’ she told him, running her fingers over the steering wheel. She put her foot down as they hit the 191 again. ‘You said there’s a national park around?’

‘Yeah,’ he said quickly, nodding his head rapidly. ‘It’s further up the state, and you’ve got Yellowstone further north again.’

‘Plan of action then.’ She took a deep breath, quelling her rolling stomach and bracing herself to try and sound convincing. ‘Back to cabin and grab everything. Then we hit Yellowstone—that’s more touristy right?’ Sarah caught Luc’s head bob from the corner of her eye. ‘Okay, we grab a car there and dump this thing. Then we drive back the way we came, hit Grand Teton and switch out again. We’ll keep going south, doubling back almost on the way we first came—they won’t expect us to do that. They probably already think we’re heading for the Canadian border.’

‘Where we really headed?’ he asked quietly. Sarah pursed her lips as she considered her options. She had an ID in Utah. She couldn’t use it, but Utah was full of Mormons and the church’s headquarters were based in Salt Lake City. Even if she hadn’t studied the culture for one of her covers, she knew—because everyone did—that the Mormon church sent missionaries all over the world and did most of it from Salt Lake. The city was probably just as touristy as the national parks but for different reasons. They could probably blend in there.

‘What do you know about Mormons?’

Any questions, please drop them in the comments. Next update on Friday!

[itsworn]

Mooneyes Xmas Party 2017: An Epic Going-Away Bash

In its January 2018 issue, Hot Rod Deluxe announced that Irwindale Event Center—the home of a dragstrip inaugurated in 2001—would cease operation in early 2018. Another track bites the dust. Southern California has indeed lost several of them over the last couple of decades, including Carlsbad and L.A. County Raceway in Palmdale. Thankfully, our friends at Mooneyes, led by Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, managed to squeeze in a final major show at Irwindale a couple of weeks before Christmas: the aptly called Mooneyes Xmas Party.

It seems that enthusiasts felt the urge to visit, one last time, the beloved venue, turning out in droves at the gates as early as 3 a.m. Ultimately, more than 1,500 vehicles and 15,000 visitors joined the organized mayhem to enjoy a busy schedule of activities. Mooneyes’ extravaganza is a great way to sample SoCal’s custom car culture, as it mixes a most eclectic array of cool rides: hot rods, kustoms, lowriders, vans, muscle cars, air-cooled VWs, and more ape-hanger-equipped motorcycles than we’ve seen in a long time. It looks like some bikers chose to attend the Mooneyes show rather than the Chopperfest that was scheduled for the same weekend, but canceled due to the terrible fires dangerously close to the event’s venue in Ventura.

The Xmas Party also offered a huge vendor area, which enabled the crowd to buy new car parts, artwork, vintage clothing, and even haircuts. Mooneyes had an impressive booth, of course, to promote its diverse product line, some going as far back as the company’s early days when Dean Moon opened shop in 1962. The same part of the vendor area was home to the stage used by several invited bands and, later, by the always popular Pinup Contest.

The Mooneyes Xmas Party is more than a static show. Some folks came to watch—and participate in—the Run-Whatcha-Brung drag races, which once again combined a vast range of cars and a handful of bikes. The A/FX sideshow, led in part by gasser guru Dale Snoke, proved entertaining as usual with plenty of wild wheelies.

With the demise of Irwindale Event Center, Shige and Chico are now on a hunt for a new venue. We’ll keep you posted.

Oh yes, it got crowded. In fact, we don’t remember such a turnout at Irwindale since Mooneyes adopted the site in 2006. The awning on the right covered Mooneyes’ booth, while bands played on the left. (They included Dynotones, Hot Rod Trio, Gamblers Mark, Colony Boys, and Delta Bombers.)

With unseasonably warm temperatures in the 80s, visitors came by the thousands to see great rides in the vein of Robert Rojas’ trick ’31 Ford roadster (left). The venue quickly filled with spectators’ cars as well. By mid-morning, the less fortunate had to find a spot outside Irwindale Speedway—some miles away.

Longtime journalist Pat Ganahl (who’s now retired and very happy about it) has been the owner of the Ike Iacono dragster since 1988, though he completed its restoration much later, with help from various heroes of the hobby such as Pete Eastwood. The attractive six-cylinder racer graced the cover of HOT ROD in January 1959 and ran 150 mph on 50 percent nitro. Many will recognize the yellow rail sitting behind it. That’s Mooneyes’ replica of the dragster campaigned by the company circa 1963.

In the foreground, you can admire the GMC six that propels the Iacono dragster, equipped with a 12-port Wayne head and Hilborn injection. The vehicle shares the space with Billy Crewl’s Model A on ’32 rails, an accurate tribute to Jack Calori’s iconic roadster. Built in the 1940s, Calori’s roadster ran 128 mph at the lakes in 1947. One of the most distinctive details of the car remains the set of exhaust pipes sticking up on each side.

The success of the event should be attributed in part to the numerous car clubs onsite. The Gearheads displayed a handful of excellent hot rods, such as Rick Tokiyeda’s ’25 Model T (left), flanked by a trio of ’28-’29 Model As driven by Carlos Marin, Kirk Munday, and Bryan Bailay. The Gearheads are based in the city of Glendale, a hotbed of rodding activities since the 1930s. Think SCTA’s Sidewinders and Stokers clubs.

Dubbed “The Dirty Farm Truck,” Jeff Martin’s pickup has a unique appearance, courtesy of a heavy channel job, suicide-mounted I-beam, and unusual choice of wheels. It first sat on 16-inch rims, later replaced with tall 21-inch wires, plus skinny rubber front and aft.

If you had $26,500 burning a hole in your pocket, you could have purchased this frame-off-built ’30 Model A, which hints at the 1960s gasser scene and occasionally ran at Irwindale. Interesting features include a 383ci stroker, 700R overdrive trans, Moon tank fitted in front of the grille, and bobbed rear fenders, although you cannot see them in this photo due to the XXL-sized slicks!

What a great-looking hot rod! Chopped top, Deuce grille, no hood, triple 97 carbs: It’s all there. Peter Rodriguez drove from nearby Azusa in his ’30 Ford, which made some waves in the Suede Palace at the 2017 Grand National Roadster Show. He belongs to the Throttle Kings, a club that co-promotes the annual Rhythm Collision music festival and car show in Riverside, California. v

Built by Sinister Hot Rods in Lewisburg, Ohio, this ’33 Ford coupe (with 1934 grille) belonging to Conrad Garcia relies on a stout 283ci motor with a nice, lopey cam and a four-barrel Holley. The ’33 roadster behind it, formerly owned by Lynn Pew of Pews Place, is the property of Ray Dunham, a gearhead known for his good taste in cars (’39 Lincoln Zephyr, supercharged ’36 Ford, and so on).

The staging lanes remained busy all day long, with more than 130 participants enjoying the eighth-mile. They drove a wide range of vehicles as exemplified by this picture, with domestics representing the bulk of the entries. In the foreground sits Ryan Brown’s ’55 Chevy looking excellent with its gasser attributes: lack of front bumper, nose-high attitude, headers poking through the fenderwells.

Here is a cool lady. North Hollywood’s Kendra Fleharty wanted a hot rod and eventually bought the body of a ’29 Ford roadster about a decade ago, thanks to a tip from friend and Burbank Choppers Car Club member Aaron Kahan. Kendra built most of the channeled jalopy herself in her garage, installing a Cad engine and a windshield from an old wooden boat. Jimmy White at Circle City Hot Rods built the headers and a handful of other components.

The Don Waldron collection focuses heavily on original gassers. He purchased the Silly Willy four-door sedan six years ago as a bare shell and eventually managed to trace its racing history all the way back to 1959. In 2013, Don installed a rolling chassis from another Willys and a 409ci motor. He sold the gasser to Mark Sladovich in 2015.

Yep, that’s the back of the driveshaft resting on the asphalt. No luck indeed for Galpin Auto Sports/Steve Carpenter’s entry, a ’57 Ford equipped with a 502-horse Ford 302ci bored over to 331ci. The car has all the elements of a genuine gasser, from the Moon tank in front to the straight axle from a 1950s Ford truck. Its finish is better than most, including the Pearl White diamond pattern upholstery.

“What can be better than racing your buddy?” asked Dale Snoke when we showed him this picture. Dale competed with his well-known ’64 Comet, seen burning rubber against the green ’62 Dodge Dart, which he co-owns with U.K. resident Brian Gibson. (“When he occasionally comes to the States, he hops in and races it.”) For the occasion, Dale elected to let his friend Nick Magaña play with the genuine 1960s So-Cal Super Stock entry. v

Todd Hoffman’s ’64 Plymouth Savoy named Sayonara competes with American Nostalgia West Drag Racing, a group devoted to 1960s vintage A/FX and Super Stock racers. (“Our cars are larger, heavier, and have huge American motors compared to their modern-day counterparts,” explains their website.) Powered by a 528ci Max Wedge motor, the coupe leaves many in the dust with its 6.00 e.t.’s at 112 mph over the eighth-mile.

Arizona’s Glenn Gibbons returned to the Xmas Party with his popular ’64 Pontiac LeMans. He based his “Pouncin’ Poncho” contender on a hulk found in a salvage yard. Notice the rear wheel opening moved toward the door, in true A/FX fashion. Motivation comes from a 455ci Olds V8, punched to 462 ci and topped with Hilborn injection. Like most class entries, the Pontiac performed some fantastic wheelies to the delight of the crowd.

Nicknamed “The Fat Lady” by the A/FX gang due to its sheer size, Ernie “The Attorney” Algorri’s ’67 Ford Fairlane makes it down the track thanks to a 440ci Windsor-based small-block, which delivers 1,000 hp. Ernie has been racing his steel-wheeled beauty for years, managing a personal best of 9.15 at a blistering 150 mph, mighty impressive for a heavy car occasionally street-driven.

Chuck Hoffman and Cliff Lozis teamed up to build this very red ’69 Mustang, with Chuck typically handling driving duties. They juggle with different powerplants, but when they drop in their 460ci V8, the wheel-standing A/FX crosses the quarter-mile finish line in 9.70 seconds.

Car Craft magazine teamed up with several established names from the custom world to build a nasty Street Machine with a cool 1960s vibe, using a ’71 Dodge Demon. They based their exercise on an unfinished Pro Street project car, purchased dirt cheap on Craigslist. Among the shops involved: Circle City Hot Rods (fabrication), The Harpoon (paint scheme and patterns), and Grant Petersen of Born Free (welding). The twin-turbo Hemi coupe runs deep in the 9s over the quarter.

We remember seeing the Victor Cacho ’50 Merc at the 2013 Grand National Roadster Show, an elegant build by Cacho Customs by all accounts. Look closely and you might notice the discreet flames over that PPG Sunburst Orange. The lake pipes pretty much rest on the ground once the Firestone airbags are deflated.

Originally a Business Coupe model, Jesse Loera’s Pearl Copper–colored ’50 Ford received a heavily chopped sedan roof, along with other traditional lead sled alterations: frenched front and rear lights, smoothed bumpers, and a ’49 grille. Under the shell modified by Los Diablos hides a Ford 302ci V8 hooked to an AOD trans, in addition to an Air Ride suspension kit.

Founded in 1996, the Rumblers have become a prominent hot rod and custom car club, as demonstrated by this clean ’54 Chevy. Robert Miret has been the driving force behind the group; you might know his name if you listen to punk music and the band Agnostic Front in particular. The Rumblers have chapters across the United States and Europe as well.

We couldn’t find the owner of this ’55 Cadillac convertible but feel compelled to show it to you. It looks excellent sitting low to the ground on airbags. The vintage trailer happens to be severely lowered, too!

Mooneyes’ Xmas Party gathered an impressive troupe of lowriders based on pre-’55 GM products, aka “bombs.” Here, Lorenzo Dominguez’s ’49 Chevy truck keeps company with Gerry Orozco’s topless ’39 Pontiac, which he purchased from the original owner. The rare convertible runs a 222ci inline-six. Gerry belongs to the Bridgetown Oldies Car club.

We dig the appearance of this ’54 Chevy truck, looking bone-stock until the owner lays it on the asphalt thanks to an airbag setup hidden in a box above the rear axle. Under the hood lurks a Chevy 235ci motor. Nothing wrong with this inline-six, being the engine of choice on early production Corvettes, with slightly different specs. Note the contrast between the nicely painted truck and the other Chevy pickup (and ’38 five-window Ford) parked next to it.

When Studebaker introduced its new truck in the late 1940s, characterized by its round shapes, who would have thought it would continue inspiring customizers 70 years later? The design of the model did not evolve drastically during the following decade, though the ’55-’60 version (aka E-series) seems to be a favorite within our scene. Here is a tasteful ’59 hauler.

The lowrider scene encompasses an eclectic assortment of vehicles, with 1970s and 1980s barges playing a key role. Even HRM devoted pages to the subject, as far back as the April 1974 issue, featuring the Imperials Car Club. Check out this arresting lineup, dominated by cars running wire wheels, with a few sets of Cragar five-spokes thrown in for good measure.

The post Mooneyes Xmas Party 2017: An Epic Going-Away Bash appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/mooneyes-xmas-party-2017-epic-going-away-bash/ via IFTTT