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let-it-raines · 5 years ago

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Hi! So, I just saw an interview to Kit Harington from GOT, and he's got the most ridiculous moustache because of some proyect that he's filming or something. Can I request a one-shot in the BotB universe where Killian has some ugly/funny/ridiculous hairstyle or beard or moustache for one of his movies and Emma can't have sex with him or just simply look at him without laughging? And the talk shows' people find about it and ask about it in every interview or something. Thank you!

Hi, nonnie! I’ve been saving your ask for awhile now (I had to finish the story first), and I’m too thrilled to get to answer it now! And to the others who have sent me Betting on the Bullseye prompts, I’m working on them ❤️

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tag list: @ultraluckycatnd @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @andiirivera @superchocovian @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @notoriouscs @mariakov81 @jonirobinson64 @bmbbcs4evr @thejollyroger-writer @lifeinahole27 @ultimiflos @galaxyzxstark @idristardis

-/-

He settles down in the bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulders and inching closer to Emma until he can get one arm slung over her waist and the other underneath the pillow, his chin on her shoulder and her feet tucked between his calves. Her moving her feet is how he knows that there’s still some kind of consciousness left in her and that she’s not dead to the world as she slumbers.

“You smell good,” she mumbles, and he smiles at that, spreading his hand out across the width of her stomach and tapping his fingers against her skin as he nuzzles further into her.

Working these long days on set has been killing him physically, but mostly it’s been killing him emotionally as he’s away from Emma and McKenzie, only really seeing Emma on the rare occasions that he’s home in time for her to go to sleep. He’s thankful that he’s shooting in LA so that they’re not far apart distance wise, but it doesn’t feel that way sometimes when he only sees his wife when she’s asleep and only sees his baby girl when she’s in that post-nap phase where she could care less that Daddy is home and all she wants to do is play with her toys. The ache he feels missing them almost reminds him of being away filming during the early stages of Emma’s pregnancy with his Kenzie girl, but that may have been far worse as he very literally couldn’t be there to hold her when she was suffering through nausea and fatigue.

At least he can hold her for all of that now even when he’s not around as often.

“It’s my aftershave,” he whispers in response, turning his head and kissing just below her ear, pressing his nose into her skin as he works at the skin there, listening to the little moan Emma elicits. God, he loves that. “The one you bought me for my birthday. Good to know that you – ”

Emma very suddenly twists in his arms, kneeing him in the stomach and kicking at his calves as she lands on his hand and is staring at him with their noses less than an inch apart, her lips parted and eyes widened with her brows raised.

“What the hell happened to you face?”

He recoils is head, furrowing his own brows while he looks into her eyes and tries to understand just what about his face has her so shocked. Is he bleeding and hasn’t realized it? Did he nick himself shaving? Is he getting a black eye from filming? Did he get hit without noticing?

“What do you mean, love?” he questions, pulling his hand out from underneath her to grab onto her waist, squeezing her hip as Emma’s hand rises to touch his cheek.

“You shaved, KJ,” she whispers, almost as if she can’t accept the words she’s saying.

“Aye, I know. I shave all of the time.”

“But, babe,” she continues, her fingers moving up and down his cheek, seemingly unable to stop touching him everywhere that she can get her hands on, not that he would ever mind that, “you never shave all of the hair on your face off. You just trim your scruff. It’s so…”

“Handsome? Dashing? So attractive that you simply have to kiss me right now?”

“Smooth,” Emma says instead, her brows pressing together as she concentrates on the movements of her hands. “It’s like baby skin but still the tiniest bit prickly.”

“Funny, that’s what I say about you.”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

“You’re so good to me.”

“I really am.”

“And forever the most humble and kind woman on the planet.”

“I mean, I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“You never do.”

“Gah,” Emma groans, running her entire palm over his cheek while he slowly pulls her closer to him, their hips nearly touching, “this is so weird. I’ve never seen you with no facial hair. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Well, I’d hope that you do still find me handsome. I’d hate to think a movie role is what’s going to break apart our marriage.”

“I know. I always thought it was going to be a mid-life crisis where you go out and spend all of our money on a new boat or something.”

“That could still happen.”

“Could it?”

“Yeah, I’m only thirty-seven. Still plenty of time for me to spend McKenzie’s and baby Jones’s university fund.”

“All over some facial hair,” Emma sighs, leaning in to gently slide her soft lips over his, seemingly happy to linger there instead of moving. But then she does, encouraging him to open his lips with a flick of her tongue a little pressure from her lips as he forgets about everything but Emma and how she feels with her body against his and her lips effortlessly moving while she lets out this little gasp that he doesn’t think he’ll ever get over. He doesn’t really want to when she makes the most glorious sounds that only he elicits from her. He’s about to fully tangle his tongue with hers and press her body down into the mattress, but then Emma’s trailing her mouth away from his lips and across his cheek and his jaw, rubbing her nose into his skin. “It’s like I’m kissing a different man.”

“People are always telling me to help keep the spark alive with things like that.”

Emma giggles into his cheek before he gently nudges her down onto her back, placing his knees on either side of her thighs to keep himself from weighing down on the small curve of her stomach as he slowly, leisurely, desperately melds their lips together. God, he misses her so much, and after this baby is born in six months, he’s not working for a solid year so he can spend time with his wife and his children. He doesn’t have any other commitments, and he plans on keeping it that way.

“I don’t think that’s what they meant.”

“Probably not,” he hums, nipping at the dip in her skin just above the collarbone. She smells of vanilla strongly enough that she must have taken a bath just before he got home. Or maybe Kenzie got her wet when she was trying to give her a bath before bedtime. He misses bath time. In the morning he’s going to get Kenzie to take an extra one so he can watch her giggles as they play with the letters that stick to the tub wall. “But I know that I romance you well enough to not need advice from others.”

“Can you use romance as a verb like that?” she asks on a gasp of broken air as her hips push up into his and her hands start running up and down his arms, staying at his biceps while he teases her skin.

“Does it matter?”

“Only for – ah – for future reference.”

“Well, I say that you can,” he murmurs into her skin before he starts working his way down her body, slowly pushing away clothes to kiss the tops of her breasts and her nipples, biting and teasing and driving her wild all the while she whimpers and moans and encourages him to keep doing exactly what he’s doing.

When he makes his way down to her thighs, having taken her pajama pants off, he’s just about to work his way past her underwear when he hears another giggle that he knows has nothing to do with the way that he’s kissing her. He ignores it, nudging his nose into her skin just above where he knows that she wants him when he hears it again, this time a little louder and more insistent as Emma’s legs close in a little on him.

“Darling?” he questions, poking his head up to look at her over the very slight swell of her stomach. He can’t see her face as it’s twisted to the side and into a white pillow case, but he can see her shaking from laughter. “Emma, love, I know I’m a confident man, but I can only take so much of my wife laughing at me when I’m about to have sex with her.”

“It’s y-your…it’s your face,” she sputters out before falling back to the pillow.

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

“Oh, KJ, that’s not what I mean,” she insists, propping herself up on her elbows while he starts moving away from the crevice of her thighs, his ego a little bruised even as he moves back up her body, trailing his lips and his teeth up her stomach and sternum and down her arm until he’s planting a kiss against the little MJ inked into her skin where the dot used to be. They’ll both have to get another one soon whenever they decide on a name for this baby.

He still wants to get Emma’s name somewhere, but he hasn’t decided where yet. They’re not going to have any more children after this, so he doesn’t have to worry about needing a place for a third initial for a child. He’s thinking he might get their wedding date tattooed around his ring finger for when he has to take his ring off for work even if it’ll have to be covered in makeup every day. He’ll know it’s there.

That’s really not the point right now, though. Emma laughing at him for no apparent reason when he was primed to do his best work is, however, is most definitely the point.

Falling back against the pillow himself, he stretches his arms and legs out, trying to cool the heated blood in his veins down as he takes several deep breaths, Emma still laughing beside him. What the hell is happening?

“What do you mean?” he growls, likely a little more agitated than he should be.

“I – okay, it’s going to sound stupid,” Emma says more quietly as she moves around on the bed until she’s sitting next to him and looking down at him with a soft smile on her face and her hair matted up in a way that makes her look like McKenzie when she wakes up from a long nap. He’d love baby Jones to be a boy, but he thinks he might like another girl too so that he can have all of his girls.

Really, though, he simply wants the little lad or lass to be healthy. That’s all that matters. That’s always what’s mattered.

“But?” he encourages, taking her hand in his and twining their fingers together despite him being a little annoyed with her.

“Your face is really smooth, babe. Like, it kind of feels like when I’ve just shaved my legs, so when you’re kissing my thighs, that’s kind of what it feels like and I can’t – I can’t stop laughing at it. It kind of tickles to be honest, which is totally the opposite of how it should be. I’m just really used to you going down on me and feeling your scruff.”

He sighs before he laughs himself, unable to stop as he shakes his head from side to side, disbelief at this woman never ceasing. He seems to remember her once saying her legs felt like a dolphin when she shaved. Maybe that’s what his face feels like to her, and it’s too foreign of a feeling. “You’re telling me you can’t have sex with me because of my face.”

She raises a brow. “Am I allowed to make a joke here or not? Because you totally set yourself up for that one.”

He reaches over and pinches her leg, watching her squirm and settle back down next to him so that their intertwined hands rest on his chest while his free arm wraps around her shoulder. “I did set myself up for that one despite knowing better.”

“Mhm,” Emma agrees, adjusting her head and her legs until she’s comfortable and totally intertwined with him, just not in the way he thought they would be. “I love you. I do. And I love your face no matter how it looks, but I have known you for five years and never once experienced you with a totally clean shaven face. It’d be like if one day I showed up as a brunette.”

“That’d be hot.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean.”

“I do, I do.” He turns his head to the side and kisses her temple, purposefully rubbing his chin into her skin. “You know, just because my face is different doesn’t mean my tongue works any differently.”

“Later,” she yawns, running her foot up and down his calf in a way that is not at all helping the situation. “I just got really tired.”

“Did you nap today?”

“Didn’t have time.”

“Emma.”

“I know, but I got home from work and Kenzie was super whiny about everything and the nap didn’t happen. I was in bed by nine, though, and then you came home and I got all distracted by that handsome face of yours.”

He smiles into her hair and shifts a bit under her weight, running his hand up and down her arm. “You’ve got a bit of a Russian nesting doll situation happening. You need your sleep.”

“A Russian doll situation?”

“Yeah, like the dolls where you – ”

“I know what they are. Are you saying that’s what pregnancy is like?”

“Isn’t it?”

Emma laughs and shakes her head. “If only I gave birth as easily as those things come apart.”

“Now that would be a sight.”

“A really creepy one. Kind of like your face right now.”

“Sleep, love,” he chuckles. “You can make fun of me some more in the morning.”

“Sounds like a plan, Stan.”

She doesn’t make fun of him the next morning, and he mostly thinks it’s because they don’t get a lot of time together before he has to go to set. Mckenzie wakes up a little before six, the monitor they have in their room going off for her, and instead of staying in bed and waiting for her to go back to sleep, he slowly unwraps himself from Emma and heads down the hall to his daughter’s room, picking her up and holding onto her as she babbles to him. She’s got quite a few words down now, and for a sixteen-month-old, he thinks she’s doing pretty well. She’s happy and healthy, and even if he doesn’t get to do bath time with her, they do spend a little more time together than they’ve been getting, Emma eventually coming down the stairs with her pajamas still rumpled up.

But then he’s off to work, and it’s the same routine over and over again for the next month.

He thinks that Emma gets used to his lack of beard of his face, no longer giggling uncontrollably when he tries to romance her, but when the time comes for him to start growing in his sideburns and mustache, he braces himself for her to hate it.

But she doesn’t.

Mostly because she doesn’t notice.

He knows that Emma is busy with work and with balancing a million things on one very small plate, but for the fuss that was made about his clean shaven face, he really did think that she’d notice he was growing a handlebar mustache and some seriously thick sideburns for his movie. The seventies were an odd time, and he cannot wait to be able to shave all of this off and grow back his normal facial hair.

Seriously.

But he’d also kind of like Emma to notice.

He knows the exact moment she does. They’re sitting on the beach with Kenzie, trying to keep her from stuffing sand into her mouth because that’s the phase they’re going through with her, when Emma’s gaze lands on his and her lips part and brows rise high on her forehead, eyes most likely widened under her sunglasses.

“What is happening with your face right now?”

“Darling, no offense, but I’m beginning to think you don’t pay attention to what happens with my face since you are continuously shocked by these changes.”

“I swear I look at you and pay attention to you, but I don’t…no, no, Kenzie,” she sighs, getting up from the towels and reaching to grab their daughter and pull her back to them. “We don’t eat sand.”

“Yummy.”

“You’re such an odd child, little love,” he chuckles, reaching forward to tickle her stomach until she dissolves into a fit of giggles, “but we don’t eat sand. It hurts our tummies.”

“It yummy,” she repeats.

“No, it’s not,” Emma sighs, resting McKenzie on her thigh and tickling her hands across her stomach to make her laugh. “KJ, I really don’t think I noticed the mustache.”

“What about the sideburns?”

“There are sideburns?” she laughs, placing her hand in front of her mouth in a pathetic attempt to cover up her giggles. “I’m…I’m so sorry. I – I shouldn’t…Killian, how long are you going to be sporting this kind of facial hair?”

“At least two more months.”

“Okay, okay,” she nods, her eyes most likely shining under her sunglasses, “I can deal with that. It’s just going to take some getting used to. If anyone can pull off this look, I have faith that it’s you.”

“Thank you, love,” he smiles, a little at Emma but mostly to himself at how much Emma’s affected by his changing facial hair. He knows she would never love him any less no matter what he looks like. It’s simply amusing to see how she takes the changes. “Alright, Kenzie, let’s put on your floaties so we can go out in the water and look for fish.”

Their life goes on, Emma’s stomach and his facial hair growing every day, and while he appreciates the roundness of Emma’s stomach and the growth in her breasts as their son (that’s right – they’re having a boy!) grows healthily within her, Emma does not seem to appreciate his facial hair. Nothing really changes with them. If there’s one thing he’s come to appreciate about his marriage – and really there are far too many to count – it’s that while he and Emma do get into disagreements, they’re a team who laughs together. She makes him laugh more than anyone just as he does to her, and no matter where they are or what they’re doing, they always have that playfulness that comes with being so comfortable with someone. It’s special, what they have, and he never wants a day to come where Emma doesn’t laugh at least once a day.

But the fact that she’s started laughing during sex (more so than usual, really since the two of them definitely aren’t the type of people where it’s always serious. Where’s the fun in that?) when she gets a good look at his face is definitely not what he was expecting. He doesn’t mind. He laughs too. His appearance isn’t what it usually is and sometimes when he gets a good luck at himself in the mirror, he can’t help it either. But it becomes this constant, consistent thing that he grows used to, and even if some people think that it’s a bit harsh, he’s forever charmed by his wife.

When filming is over, he gets to shave, his face returning to almost normal, and when he and Emma celebrate the night after filming is finished, Emma carefully situates herself on his thighs to help with her stomach as she runs her lips over his jaw.

“I kind of miss it,” she lets out on an exhale as she sinks down onto him, her walls enveloping him in all of their goodness, the slick warmth nearly driving him into the madness that it always does.

“My darling, we slept together four days ago. I don’t think you missed my cock too much.”

“Sometimes you shouldn’t say the things you think,” she giggles into his neck while his hands find her hips to help guide her a bit.

He waggles his brows even if she can’t see them with her head resting on his shoulder like it is. “We were both thinking that.”

“I was actually thinking about your mustache.”

“Emma,” he gasps, sliding his hand down to rest at her ass, squeezing the slightest bit, “you miss my mustache? You hated that thing.”

“It grew on me.”

“Technically it grew on me.”

“Your jokes have become so much worse since becoming a dad.”

“I have a reputation to uphold for all other dads when it comes to telling dad jokes.”

She hums, swiveling her hips a little bit more and making him nearly lose himself right there. “You do have a reputation to uphold. I’d hate to make someone think that you weren’t keeping up with your quota of dad jokes.”

“Next thing you know they’ll find out I haven’t been wearing the cargo shorts.”

“Killian, my love,” Emma says very seriously, pulling back from his neck so she can cup his cheeks while her hips do something indecent to him, “I will accept the mustache, but I will not accept the cargo shorts.”

-/-

Six months later his beard is back to its normal length and shape, has been for awhile now, and he’s on James Cordon to promote his movie. It’s the last piece of work that he has to do before he can finally take a break to be with Emma and the kids without any work interruption, and as fun as this is, he cannot wait to go home in two hours.

“So you know I have to ask,” James starts from behind his desk while Killian smiles, wishing the lights weren’t quite so bright as he reaches up to scratch behind his ear, “about your wife, your family. It’s a bit of a tradition with my producer threatening me if I don’t.”

“Well, what does she threaten you with?”

“I’ve signed an NDA and can’t tell you that.” He laughs and nods his head, waiting for the words he knows are coming. “So, I love your wife. She’s a sweetheart, but there’s a rumor making its way through the Hollywood grapevine that your facial hair in your latest movie caused a bit of an issue in your marriage.” Killian rolls his eyes and leans down to bury his face in his hands before peeking through his fingers, wondering if this story is ever going to go away. “Would you like to expand on it a bit?”

“Would I like to?” he laughs, sitting up against the couch and pushing his hair back while he smiles. “No, likely not, but I will. So I was out to eat lunch with my brother. We were chatting. It was all fine, and I, being an idiot and forgetting that people care about things that I say, was telling him that my wife found my moustache and sideburns to be quite a…she couldn’t stop laughing at me. Like, she’d look at my face and bust out laughing, and it’d get particularly bad when we were having private time.”

“When you were fucking?”

“Oh hell,” he chuckles, his laugh mixing in with the audience as they play the fake censorship bleep over the speakers since that’ll have to be censored later. “Pretty much, yes. Sometimes she couldn’t help herself and would laugh until she couldn’t breathe, completely taking us out of the moment because then I’d start laughing too.”

“Really?” James hiccups as he laughs too, leaning forward on the desk. “It didn’t hurt your pride?”

“No. Emma, you have to understand that Emma is the funniest person I know. Far funnier than me, and we’re always laughing. Usually not at each other’s faces, but we’re always laughing. I looked ridiculous for a really long time, and honestly, I’d keep that damn mustache for the rest of my life as long as it makes her laugh.”

“But at what cost to your sex life?”

“Well, we just had a little boy, so I think things are still looking up there.”

He finishes the interview, his face hurting from laughter as they thankfully move away from his personal life and onto other things, and when he and Emma settle down to watch the interview that night, at her insistence of course, she laughs throughout the entire thing, their bedroom filled with the melodious sound he’ll never tire of.

“KJ,” she giggles, peppering kisses all over his face, “I love you and your face always.”

Seeing this tiny, sarcastic, fun-loving woman smile or laugh or cuddle with their children or light up like a constellation in the sky gives him life and reminds him of just how much he loves her and her face always.

Though, Emma with a mustache and sideburns would be quite the sight to behold.

#betting on the bullseye #cs fic #cs ff #captain swan #captain swan fic

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privateplates4u · 5 years ago

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Mercedes-AMG GT R: 5th Place – 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car

Mercedes-AMG calls it “the Beast of the Green Hell,” an overt nod to its development on the so-nicknamed Nürburgring Nordschleife. It’s the hardcore variant of a previous BDC winner, and it’s out for blood. Under hood, its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 has been cranked up to 577 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. It continues to feed a rear-mounted seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle but with closer-spaced gear ratios. Manually adjustable coil-over springs twist their way around electronically adjustable shock absorbers, and a rear-steering system helps get the maximum agility out of the Cup tires. Carbon-ceramic brakes stop the car, and a manually adjustable nine-stage traction-control system helps get it up to speed again after the corner. It’s Best Driver’s Car week! Keep it on MotorTrend.com this week as we count down the finishing order of our contenders this year and share bonus content you’ll only find right here. Get those tires to stick just right, and the 3,680-pound GT R will nail the quarter in 11.4 seconds at 127.6 mph and knock off 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Around a skidpad, it’ll return 1.12 average g, and on our figure eight, it’ll average 0.96 g during a blistering 22.8-second lap. It even stops fast, needing only 96 feet from 60 mph. We Say “Phenomenal braking; arguably the most confidence delivered—which is appropriate because this car is bonkers fast, rudeboy loud. It’s throaty and thrusty off the line and very, very confidence-inspiring for a powerful rear drive vehicle. It just sticks—except when it pogos over rough pavement. The vertical motion, driving position, and overall shape of the car are reminiscent of the Viper—as is the confidence it inspires. It’s daunting at first, but once you manhandle it, the GTR just goes. And the more confidence you gain, the faster the AMG GTR goes; the harder you push it, the smaller it drives. It’s great fun to fire the brakes and dive-bomb a corner, then load up the rear wheels at exit, and just squash the throttle. Despite the front wheels appearing way out front, turn-in is evil quick. “Still, I’m not leaning into the corners as I do with a few in this field. It took until nearly the bottom of the road to find my rhythm with this one. In others, including the winner, that feeling was instant.” – Ed Loh Read about other 2017 Best Driver’s Car contenders: Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Lexus LC 500 Aston Martin DB11 Nissan GT-R NISMO Mazda MX-5 Miata RF McLaren 570GT “Simply brutal. It’s the AMG way. It felt so confident. Great brakes, great power delivery. So easy to drive smoothly. Excellent work from the men and women at Affalterbach.” – Erick Ayapana “This car is at home on the track; it’s where it makes the most sense. The AMG GT R is a car you need to drive flat out in order to have any real fun in it. Driving it slow isn’t boring, but it’s not enjoyable. Nearer to the car’s limits on a closed road or on track is the AMG’s home. This isn’t an everyday driver’s car, but in fantasy land it’s quite fun.” – Christian Seabaugh “Driving this car made me laugh out loud. Our Kermit the Frog green AMG GT R provides an experience closer to Mr. Toad’s wild ride. The engine sounds amazing and the ride up Highway 198 actually made me giggle—numerous times, out loud, with no one around to hear me. “Hang on to the wheel, and let it rip. It has the power to get unruly but holds the road incredibly well. It has so much power at the ready that you can put it in Sport mode and Comfort suspension and still feel like you are running with your hair on fire. “Just when you think you are about to get into trouble it just sticks. The big beautiful grabby brakes inspire confidence. But the car does have the ability to strike a little terror with so much power and an engine roaring all around you.” – Alisa Priddle “Absolute, unfettered, grinning-like-an-idiot insanity. If the Camaro had a dual-clutch and had a death wish, it would drive like this. I don’t smoke, but I need a cigarette, badly. “This is all the excitement and adrenaline the Ferrari and McLaren wish they had. Yes, the car is making you better and faster, but it’s also making you feel like you’re hanging on for dear life. It’s both electrifying and intimidating at the same time. “The power! My god, the power. Every time you dip into it it’s like being on the end of a fully extended bungee cord. “My one complaint: even at multiple felony speeds, the brake pedal is very touchy. A bit less bite and a bit more progression, please. It’s hard to modulate in the half an inch of pedal travel between nothing and emergency eyeball extraction. – Scott Evans “My kind of machine! Brutal, in every sense of the word. You need to be aggressive, and in possession of something akin to intestinal fortitude, but if you take the risk, the GT R offers the reward. The back end is jumpy, but in a predictable way. It’s a much more alive feeling than the regular strength GT S. Very impressive car. This should be a podium car.” – Jonny Lieberman Randy Says “AMGs have a personality in their engines of a broad torque curve, and you got still the satisfying pull all the way to redline. And this fat torque curve makes the car easier to drive, too, because it’s more controllable that way. A Dodge Viper picks up torque as it revs, and so maybe you put your foot down at the apex, and then halfway out the corner the torque’s building, and things are changing. Whereas, in the AMG, that stays very much the same, and you just roll it in. It has a wee bit of entry oversteer, so it points for the apex very well. If a tire slides, it’s usually one of the backs. The front was very strong on the way in. I got a little bit of middle push, not much. I mean we’re talking a little bit this way, a little bit that way. Shock damping is well controlled, but it’s not harsh. It still had a decent ride. It was not the least bit upset with the bump in turn six, and I even drifted it over the rumble strips into the new pavement on the last lap. “It’s powerful enough to spin the tires. The car’s on the edge of that coming out of most of the corners. But this linear response to the throttle and the power curve makes it an enjoyable experience. You’re not wrestling alligators. It’s much more harmonious. I have to roll that power in. You can’t be stabby. And its stuck all the way to the track out. “I enjoyed the traction control that had adjustment available. Especially in tricky conditions. Any time you don’t trust the grip, that could be really, really cool. And it’s interesting to me that they give it such a priority. It’s right in the center of the dash, painted yellow. For me, that’s a substitute for all-wheel drive. “Braking was incredibly strong at first. And then the braking gs stayed pretty consistent, it was pretty strong, even up into the corkscrew, and the brake system compensated well for coming over the top. It stopped well even when it was light, which I’ve noticed that a couple of cars here don’t. But the pedal got a little bit long by my last timed lap, which tells me the fluid was getting hot. There wasn’t brake fade, but the pedal travel got a little bit longer. It still stopped, but when I braked for turn five it was pretty long, and when that happens I start thinking “I hope it stops for the corkscrew,” which it did. “It was an enjoyable car to drive, but it was just a little loose, not hooked up enough in the back.” 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 243.0 cu in/3,982 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 9.5:1 POWER (SAE NET) 577 hp @ 6,250 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 516 lb-ft @ 1,900 rpm REDLINE 7,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 6.4 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.67:1/2.53:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 14.3:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 1.9 BRAKES, F; R 15.8-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 10.0 x 19-in; 12.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 285/30R19 94Y; 335/25R20 99Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 ZP (Tread 180) DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 103.5 in TRACK, F/R 66.7/66.1 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 179.2 x 79.0 x 50.6 in TURNING CIRCLE 37.6 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,680 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 48/52% SEATING CAPACITY 2 HEADROOM, F/R 39.5/— in LEGROOM, F/R 43.5/— in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 58.3/— in CARGO VOLUME 10.1 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.6 sec 0-40 2.2 0-50 2.8 0-60 3.4 0-70 4.2 0-80 5.0 0-90 6.0 0-100 7.1 0-100-0 10.7 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.3 QUARTER MILE 11.4 sec @ 127.6 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 96 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.12 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 22.8 sec @ 0.96 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 1:33.01 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 2,100 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $157,995 PRICE AS TESTED $198,445 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, fr side, fr head, fr knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/50,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 19.8 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 16/22/18 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 211/153 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.06 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium The post Mercedes-AMG GT R: 5th Place – 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car appeared first on Motor Trend.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/mercedes-amg-gt-r-5th-place-2017-best-drivers-car/

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topmag222 · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/renault/2020-renault-megane/

2020 Renault Megane

The 2020 Renault Megane is a small family car manufactured by the French car manufacturer Renault. The 2020 Renault Megane is offered in three and five-door hatchback, saloon, coupe, convertible, and estate body styles at various points in his lifetime, and it has been through all three generations, is now in the fourth incarnation. The fourth-generation Mégane is larger and lower than its predecessor. The suspension is made of MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion bar at the rear. Brakes are discs on both axles. The driver can choose between five driving modes that change the setup of the car.

#gallery-6 margin: auto; #gallery-6 .gallery-item float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 11%; #gallery-6 img border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; #gallery-6 .gallery-caption margin-left: 0; /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

2020 Renault Megane Estate

2020 Renault Megane GT

2020 Renault Megane Interior

2020 Renault Megane RS Trophy-R

2020 Renault Megane RS

2020 Renault Megane Sedan

Renault Megane 2020 Egypt

Renault Megane 2020 Hatchback

Renault Megane 2020 Interior

The 2020 Renault Megane models have a head screen and a seven-inch screen. Options include customizable cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, speed limit warning, blind-spot monitoring, automatic headlights, reversing camera, parking sensors, and a hands-free parking system. Laurens van den Acker, the chief designer of Renault, said of the car: “Renault can manufacture cars with a Latin skin and a German heart”. Megane has nine engines available with power output between 89 hp (65 kW) and 202 hp (149 kW).

2020 Renault Megane RS Trophy

Renault Megane facelift has a more powerful version of the 1.2 L 1.2hp (130 PS; 95 kW) 1.2-liter turbo engine sold, while the design of the hatchback, dome, and estate versions have been updated to include the new model range from Renault. Later, a 220 hp (223 hp; 164 kW) version of the 2.0 L turbocharged petrol engine was added to the range

2020 Renault Megane GT

The Mégane GT is a high-performance 1.6-liter I4 diesel and petrol engine. It comes standard with a four-wheel steering system and an automatic dual-clutch gearbox with an optional road clutch. It also has a slightly different design inside and out.

2020 Renault Megane Sedan

The 2020 Renault Mégane Sedan, launched in July 2016, looks like the Talisman, but with the front section of the Mégane IV hatchback and a fast-paced sloping roofline. It has more space for passengers in the back seat than the hatchback and a larger luggage compartment with a theoretical volume of 508 decimetres. Megane Sedan is sold in the African continent, the Middle East, various East Asian and Australian markets.

2020 Renault Megane RS Interior

Renault Megane 2020 Sedan

In Europe, 2020 Megane is offered in various countries, including Turkey, Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Ireland, but not France or the United Kingdom. Depending on the market, two petrol engines and three diesel engines were offered, with power outputs ranging from 90 to 130 hp. Only the mid-range engine is suitable for mating to the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

2020 Renault Megane All-Electric

The electric version of the Mégane Saloon that Renault is building will have a lifetime warranty, and payment will follow on the model established by the mobile phone industry. After the car is purchased, owners will switch to a battery replacement and charging plan based on their expected mileage. Reloading had to take place at one of the 500,000 sites that Project Better Place would build and maintain. however, a new 2020 Renault Megane alternative will have to be sought due to the filing of bankruptcy by Project Better Place.

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magtop22 · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/renault/2020-renault-megane/

2020 Renault Megane

#gallery-3 margin: auto; #gallery-3 .gallery-item float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 11%; #gallery-3 img border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; #gallery-3 .gallery-caption margin-left: 0; /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

2020 Renault Megane Estate

2020 Renault Megane GT

2020 Renault Megane Interior

2020 Renault Megane RS Trophy-R

2020 Renault Megane RS

2020 Renault Megane Sedan

Renault Megane 2020 Egypt

Renault Megane 2020 Hatchback

Renault Megane 2020 Interior

2020 Renault Megane RS Trophy

2020 Renault Megane GT

2020 Renault Megane Sedan

2020 Renault Megane RS Interior

Renault Megane 2020 Sedan

2020 Renault Megane All-Electric

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years ago

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The Rad JDM Subarus Fans Brought to STI’s Motorsports Day

I couldn’t leave Subaru STI’s Motorsports Day at Fuji Speedway—where I drove the new STI S209 and a few JDM models, plus rode in an iconic WRC racer—without checking out the parking lots and gaping at the cool stuff fans brought. As I began to peruse the more than 1000 cars in attendance, I challenged myself to find a 22B—this was a celebration of 30 years of STI, and surely an example of one of its most iconic cars would be somewhere, right?

Unfortunately, no. After about 30 minutes of searching, it was clear I wasn’t going to see a 22B—but I did stumble across tons of other interesting cars. Unsurprisingly a lot of GC8-generation models were scattered about, as were a few WRX coupes. (This got a bit annoying after the fourth time I thought one was a 22B from afar.) As I surveyed the cars, the dominant theme emerged: rally-inspired modifications. For many, Subaru and STI means rallying, as it’s only been in the last decade or so that the company has turned its focus to endurance racing and Japan’s Super GT series. As such, more than a few cars were festooned with the iconic ‘555’ livery, gold wheels, and hood-mounted quad fog lights, and I probably don’t need to tell you what the Subaru Replica Owner’s Club that was there was all about. I have to give credit to the members; they did a great job with their cars.

It wasn’t just rally lookalikes and Imprezas, though. There were also a few JDM-special Subarus most Americans have never even heard of. Like the cute R2 kei car with its baby Tribeca face; Subaru even made a two-door version called the R1, which was a sort of modern interpretation of its first car, the 360. There was one of those in the lot, too, with every badge imaginable on it.

Or what about a Subaru Chiffon? Yes, Chiffon like the cake. It’s another kei car, but this one is a badge-engineered Daihatsu Tanto. Nearby was an Exiga, a seven-seat mini-minivan related to the Legacy that even spawned a Crossover 7 version. It served as the replacement for the Traviq—a car I forgot existed until I came across one here—which was a rebadged first-generation Opel Zafira. Circling back to kei cars, one of the coolest by far was the Vivio Targa Top with the rally-style Racing Hart wheels. Amazingly, a Vivio was driven by Colin McRae in the 1993 Safari Rally.

Among cars you may have heard of, seeing the occasional fourth-generation Legacy (as seen below) made me realize how good looking these cars still are. There was even an example of the ultimate incarnation of the fourth-gen Legacy, the S402. Launched in 2008 strictly for the Japanese home market, it was limited to 402 units in each body style. It was the last hurrah for what is arguably the handsomest version of the Legacy, and was equipped with a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer four lifted from the contemporary Impreza STI and tuned to deliver 285 horsepower.

Even rarer than the S402 was the Legacy STI S401. Originally, STI intended to make 400 examples but only ended up producing 286. It was the very last twin-turbo Legacy—the sequential turbochargers made way for a single turbo afterward—and was the result of Subaru handing the Legacy to STI and telling them to go to town. STI did just that, fitting a 2.0-liter EJ208 with 289 horsepower, a six-speed manual from the STI, a front limited-slip differential, a full STI suspension, Brembo brakes, and gorgeous 18-inch BBS wheels. The S401 can be distinguished from regular Legacys by the unique bumpers, hood scoop, and pink STI badges.

I lapped all four main lots, in the process finding an SVX, a couple of Forester STIs, and a Crosstrek with orange wheels. As I called it a day, I noticed flared rear fenders out of the corner of my eye—could it be the 22B I had given up on finding? It definitely looked like a 22B . . . but under its hood sat the 2.0-liter engine from the standard WRX rather than the larger 2.2-liter unit in a real 22B. Still, it was a well-executed replica, and it was good enough for me. I could go home happy.

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jesusvasser · 6 years ago

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The Rad JDM Subarus Fans Brought to STI’s Motorsports Day

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years ago

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The Rad JDM Subarus Fans Brought to STI’s Motorsports Day

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robertkstone · 6 years ago

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Specs Check: 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. Camaro ZL1, Challenger Hellcat

We finally got to see the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at the 2019 Detroit auto show, roughly one year after the car was officially confirmed. Although we still don’t know exactly how much horsepower the new Shelby makes, the Blue Oval brand has given us plenty of other specs to drool over. The GT500 will no doubt be a beast, but how will it stack up against the supercharged pony cars from Dodge and Chevy? Keep reading to see how the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat compare on paper.

Muscle Mass

The 2020 Shelby GT500 is powered by a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 that’s related to the engine in the 526-hp GT350 but gets a cross-plane crankshaft instead of a flat-plane. The supercharger is a roots-type 2.65-liter unit that forces air through an air-to-liquid intercooler sandwiched between the blower and the engine. Exact power output remains unknown, but Ford engineers promise more than 700 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Ford estimates the GT500 can do 0-60 mph in roughly 3.5 seconds, which is the time we recorded for a 2018 Camaro ZL1 in testing.

The number to beat is still 707 hp and 650 lb-ft, the amount the standard Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat makes from its a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8. The Hellcat Redeye raises the bar to 797 hp and 707 lb-ft thanks to an engine derived from the one in the limited-production Demon. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 doesn’t quite make the 700-hp club, but still packs a punch. Its supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 produces 650 hp and 650 lb-ft and features 11 heat exchangers.

Switching Gears

The only transmission offered on the GT500 is a Tremec-sourced seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. No manual is currently available. The Camaro ZL1, meanwhile, offers a choice between a six-speed manual and 10-speed automatic. That 10-speed, which was jointly developed by Ford and GM, was once rumored to have been considered for the GT500. Ford engineers ultimately decided on the twin-clutch because it was already beefy enough to handle the high torque of the Shelby’s supercharged V-8, whereas the 10-speed would need to be reinforced.

The standard Hellcat and Hellcat Widebody can be had with an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual, but the Redeye is only offered with the automatic.

Track Capability

Where the GT500 might have the advantage over its high-horsepower contemporaries is its on-track performance. The hood and widened front fenders are made from a composite material to keep weight down. A rear seat delete also helps reduce weight. All GT500s feature electronically adjustable magnetic shocks and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires as standard. A Carbon Fiber Track package adds an adjustable carbon-fiber GT4 wing for more downforce, front splitter dive planes to reduce front-end lift, unique springs and anti-roll bars that lower the car slightly, unique damper tuning, and staggered-width 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. A Handling package additionally gets you a Gurney flap for the wing and strut mounts that allow camber adjustments.

The Alpha platform-based Camaro ZL1 is already a competent handler is stock form, but to get the best track goodies you need to opt for the 1LE package. The manual-only 1LE is lighter than the standard ZL1, thanks in part to Multimatic DSSV spool-valve shocks in place of the stock magnetic dampers. In addition, the package includes adjustable camber plates, an adjustable rear anti-roll bar, hard-mounted struts, and solid bushings all around. The 1LE also wears wider and stickier Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires. To improve aerodynamics, the 1LE sports a carbon-fiber rear wing, a large front splitter, and dive planes. In 2017, the Camaro ZL1 1LE lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes, 16 seconds—more than 5 seconds quicker than a Ferrari 488 GTB.

The Challenger Hellcat is arguably more at home on a drag strip than a road course, but if you’re going to drive any Hellcat around a track, you’ll probably want the Widebody variant. That model is 3.5 inches wider than the standard Hellcat and comes with 20×11-inch wheels wrapped in 305/40-size Pirelli P Zero tires.

The Cockpit

For the most part, the GT500’s cabin is your standard Mustang fare. The dash features carbon-fiber accents, and the digital instrument cluster has a few Shelby-specific graphics. The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel looks similar to the one in the GT350, with the paddle shifters being one obvious difference. Instead of a traditional gear lever, the GT500 gets an electronic rotary shifter similar to those found in other modern Fords. The GT500 comes standard with two seats (though a rear bench may be an option in the future), and those well-bolstered Recaro buckets look both supportive and fancy trimmed with leather and Alcantara. An 8.0-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system is standard.

The ZL1 comes standard with Recaro seats, red seat belts, and a suede-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel. The 8.0-inch central touchscreen offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Chevy’s Performance Data Recorder system is available as an option, and includes a high-definition camera mounted behind the windshield, dedicated microphone, telemetry recorder, and dedicated SD card slot.

The Hellcat comes standard with Houndstooth cloth performance seats, but those seats can be ordered in your choice of two kinds of leather with embroidered or embossed SRT Hellcat logos. The Hellcat gets a flat-bottom steering wheel with backlit SRT logo and a 7.0-inch in-cluster display with unique Hellcat graphics and performance timers. Through the 8.4-inch Uconnect central touchscreen, drivers can access SRT Performance Pages to see various performance data.

Pricing

The starting price for the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 hasn’t been announced yet, but considering that the 2019 GT350 will start at $60,235 and the 2018 GT350R starts at $68,230, it’s a safe bet that the top-trim snake will cost at least $70,000. Chevy charges $64,695 for the ZL1, or $72,195 for one with the 1LE package. The 10-speed auto is a $1,595 option on the regular ZL1. The 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat starts at $61,745 including destination charge and gas guzzler tax. The Hellcat Redeye is priced from $72,845, and the Widebody package adds $6,000 to either variant. The eight-speed auto is a $2,995 option on the “base” Hellcat and Widebody, and comes standard on the Redeye.

The post Specs Check: 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. Camaro ZL1, Challenger Hellcat appeared first on Motortrend.

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blue-scorpion-king · 6 years ago

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Fourukaa, aka 8 other names -Earl Zolubu’s 3rd sword-

*Earl's 3rd and most recent sword= Fourukaa: The straight, double-edged katana sword that was supposed to be the 13th Saijo O Wazamono, but got affected with an curse to obtain an 'outsider' garuda demon spirit (Legendary bird, or bird-like being, from Hindu/Buddhist/Jain myth). With 9 names, changing from one to the other as the views on this sword changed over time, from before the curse, the time of maybe the katana going a bit beyond the line of acceptable swords, during the sudden 'possession' of the sword, to long after it was not to be make the number of the Saijo O Wazamono grade swords from 12 to 13. Aoi Mizu no Yamanoha ("Blue Water Mountain Edge")/Hiya Ame ni sono Shisha no Kuni, or Shisha, for short ("Cold Rain in the Land of the Dead")/Shouhisha Kuro Katsuryoku ("Consumed By Black Vigor")/Warui Hana, or Warui Ringo ("Bad Blossom", or "Bad Apple")/Namae wa Tsuke Rarenai Ken ("The Sword That Shall Not Be Named")/Kuro Taaru No Sebun Chakura no Hasu ("Black Tar of the Seven Chakra Lotuses")/Hi to Taiyou ("Fire And Sun")/Garuuda (Garuda)/Fourukaa ("Forcalor", an water/air fallen angel-demon of Hell, or "Fall Mother") How Earl earned this extremely high grade, but cursed sword: Back in 2038, 8 years ago from 2046, During his trek to get back home after events that got Earl & one of his best friends, Meruem, to escape the prison, Impel Down, in Bagklock Earth's (One Piece) equator, on one of the last islands on that journey, Wano Kui, things went nutty mcgee when Earl found a small, small 'lake', that had an air-tight wooden coffin for an cursed sword, Fourukaa, one of 9 names, that was once considered to become the 13th out of the Saijo O Wazamono grade swords, and buried by those of the blue snow tipped mountain-dwelling Hikui Tomo Senotakai/Hi-tomo-takai ("Short & Tall") clan. Feeling that such a sword, even if cursed, shouldn't really go to waste, buried underwater, it wouldn't have to bother future generations of Wano, if it is not on Wano soil anymore, & that he can tame the demon inside the katana blade, Earl went to the clan to ask if he can earn the sword after a duel, which he expected to meet resistance on the idea to even consider opening the coffin. But, after much convincing, on one condition, Earl would have Fourukaa in his possession, as a swordsman, after attempting to defeat Yama-inshou of the Midori Oni Yuki (Earth Elemental Sword Style), with 2 swords, one blade is an odachi and the other is an wakizashi, who is the strongest and fastest, despite his 4'0" height, in combat on top of Mt. Aoi Yuki, in front of the graves of the samurai who choose to be buried under the tip of the mountain, under the blue snow. It was a grueling, blood-shedding duel between Earl and Yama-inshou, with more and more nobles walking to the short, snowy mountain, where Earl had to uncap his first three power caps to be on equal ground, before delivering one final blunt strike, both hands on the blade, the baskethilt to Yama-inshou's forehead like an hammer, and knocking him out, fair and square. After that, after earning Fourukaa by the lakeside, Zolubu had to watch , with an expression of grimace and yet, acceptance, that Yama' would be willingly to accept his dishonor and smiles at Earl for being a true warrior, even as an outsider. Yet another face and name Earl would never forget. From there, after the other events in Wano Kui, 8 years later, Earl had the sword with the 'demonic problem bird', Fourukaa, ever since, hanging beneath Lanza, and managed to get a grip on the sword's curse mostly. Entire katana length: 42 inches long, -That is said that every single part of this 'unorthodox' katana to have been soaked with crushed lotus flower juice, mixed with juices of 7 different crushed foods; red Daikon ("Radish"), Unshu Mikan ("Citrus/orange"), yellow-colored Gohan ("Rice"), Tsukemono ("Cabbage"), Ao Ringo ("Blue Apple"), Budou ("Grapes"), & Ierouseji ("Yellow Sage"), symbolizing the 7 Chakras, the blood of an dying asura, and the blood of an buddha at an almost eternal slumber, while it was forged and put together for religious purposes, which makes an very exquisite smell, even mixed in with the blood of enemies and duel opponents. Blade length: 28.0 inches long. Originally a normal blue-gray copper/steel alloy blade, before the Garuda's curse changed it to mostly a vantablack blade, with dark copper blue crow feather hardening line/hamon design on the blade itself. Weight: 43 pounds (43/Shizan in Japanese can literally mean "Stillbirth", which is a part of a superstition that room 43 in the maternity section of a hospital should be avoided). No sori/curvature at all. Width of the base: 4 inches wide. Width of the Yokote (Line between the tip and the rest of the blade's 'sheet'): 37mm. Thickness of the base: 2500 mm/2.5 inches. Thickness of the rest of the blade: 2000 mm/2.0 inches. Length of the Nakago (Tang of the sword): 23.36 cm/9.2 inches. Tsuba width: 14 inches by 10 inches. The dark brownish green Habaki design is of an snorting, angry horse, with an fiery bright orange mane, clamping to the base of the blade with its mouth, the rest coming out of its mouth to throat. The Tsuba (Guard) design is shaped like an mountain, with a blue 'peak', or the bottom of the Habuki, with the carvings of 2 grinning baboon monkeys, with purple fur, dark pink skin, & long tails, making the rest of the tsuba. The Fuchi (Collar) design is of an grey & orange whale in red (Bagklock) sea water, covered in the crater-riddled rock of the 3 (Bagklock) moons, with an big mouth that is shaped like an hole, with a black 'abyss'. The menuki (Tsuka ornament) design is a brownish-green dragon with 14 tendril-like tongues and 2 cyclops-like eyes. 7 'sealing' Mekugis (Handle pins). Squared Tsuka (Handle) length: 14.0 inches. The Bloodgood maple wood tsuka is scarlet red in color and the pink Same-kawa (Wrapping), in an heart-shaped snake scale pattern, makes the pattern of an silhouette of a buck deer's head. The Shitodome ('Before-pommel' if you will) & Kashira (Pommel) design is of a blackish crow, with a purple hue, that has six straight wings, three heads, and three legs, the 2 (Bagklock) suns behind it, casting its shadow, with the end of the Kashira shaped like an wolf's head, that looks similar to the ruler of Area 2 of the Gourmet World, one of the 8 Kings, "Wolf King" Guiness. The cobalt saya's design (Scabbard), made out of reinforced cherry blossom tree wood, is that the koiguchi (Saya's 'mouth') is shaped differently than other katanas, made out of an red oni/ogre's canine tooth, while it is shaped like an grinning red oni (Similar in looks to Toriko's Red Gourmet Devil), along with the kojiri, or the end of the saya, being made out of a blue oni's canine tooth, while it is shaped like a grinning blue oni (Similar in looks to Toriko's blue Gourmet Devil). The right side of the saya is decorated with the design of the ten heads of the Ramayana asura villain, Ravana (Ravu~aana in Japanese), expect with one being an skull, with tiger-like canines, in the far, far bottom of the saya, while the other side has the different colored lotus flowers representing the 7 Chakras and at the ends of the saya, cut by the coil, are the green-haired, pale skinned Buddha, with eyes barely open, and an blue skinned, black haired Asura. & The sageo (Cord) is light gray in color. The nature of this sword's curse is to change much of the sword to vantablack, thus having 99.965% of light be absorbed, not reflected, *directly* becomes linked to one's 7 Chakras, add watery effects to the very air from each movement, like swinging & thrusting, while having visible whirling, & waving, air around the blade, REALLY wants to shed blood, and to absorb both the 'light' of its owner's opponent's soul and their shadow when slain, little by little with each successful strike, until just 1.4% of the soul & shadow remains. Theme song: "Bad Apple!!", an extremely famous Touhou arcade game song.

Earl Zolubu on Four: [“Fourukaa is a problem demon bird to deal with at times. But, I can use it enough to keep it right on the path of my thrusts and swings. It is a cursed honor, maybe. But, it is a honor to wield such a sword like this indeed.”]

Song:***:Starto

~The Bat~

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carp3n0c73m · 7 years ago

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Frozen in Memory: People, Activities, Objects - Chapter 4

I walked past him and followed the landing around to the right, stepping down a series of nine stairs of bare concrete which matched the brick walls, both sporting a coat of thick white paint, covered in the quiet grime of years. There came another roar, less intense than the first, but more sustained and subsiding into a drawn out, menacing growl. The hair on my arms stood up, doing their evolutionary best to make me look big and threatening; this failed miserably, not the least reason being that my arms were covered by my sweatshirt and as such were not visible. There was a haze the stairwell that limited my vision, so I moved slowly until I found myself at the bottom of the stairs. Before me was a very small landing with not quite enough headroom to put one's arms above one's head. There were exposed water pipes running along the top of the ceiling and the space was cramped, almost claustrophobic. And what was waiting for me there literally tossed me into the lions den.

The lion: known from childhood as the king of the jungle, the largest and most majestic of all wildcats, the very picture of courage and fierceness and valor. What they don't tell you in school about lions is that even though they are much bigger than your house cat, they still smell like a litter box and rancid meat, but that could have been because they were in an enclosed space. The lions were smaller than those that I remember having seen in the zoo as a child, but they were still big enough quicken my breath and inspire my testicles to retreat ever so slightly into the depths of me. Please do not misunderstand my meaning when I say small - each was almost 6 feet long and would have stood about 4 feet at the shoulder. There were seven lions, all male, with huge cascading manes and large, powerful muscles, but at the moment they were not being put to predatory use as the cats had heaped themselves into the middle of the landing. I had never seen a pile of lions before and it was indeed an impressive and intimidating sight. The stairwell and landing smelled of pheromones and musky cat musk and danger, but not imminently so as they were all groggy and lounging.

At the very bottom of the stairs, just to the right side of the lion pile was the reason for the roaring. He stood all of three and half feet tall, in a classic black suit that had been tailored to his diminutive stature. The black bowler hat and mustache were from another time and he looked exactly like he did in his films (when he was alive), only smaller; he was the spitting image of Charlie Chaplin, has Chaplin been born a little person. He looked up at me with an extremely frustrated frown, not the least bit startled.

"Antonio?" I asked. I don't know why I said it, that name just flew out of my mouth; it just seemed right.

He looked at me with an incredulous glance, exhaled loudly, rolled his eyes expressively, and then dismissed me entirely. Charlie Chaplin was wielding a golf club that was too large for him to hold properly. The metal of the club glinted in the full incandescent light and I saw that it was actually a putter. And he was using it in a most peculiar fashion, sort of as a weapon, but his movements were all wrong; if he was trying to defend himself, he was terrible at it. I watched his process unfold in fascination.

The mini Charlie Chaplin would set himself up right next to one of the lions with his feet a shoulder width apart and do his best to adjust the golf club as if he were going to putt out. Then he would haul back and hit the lion on its hindquarters as hard as he could with the putter and the lion would jerk in surprise and loudly roar, turning its head to bare its teeth at him and express its displeasure at being struck. As this happened, the small man would, almost with an air of surprise, jump back, drop his putter, and retreat two or three steps into the corner of the landing and cower there, wringing his hands anxiously and blinking repeatedly. He would wait a little bit for the lion to settle down, and then would venture out of the corner, pick up his club, and begin again. I watched this play out several times.

Occasionally, he would climb up to the top of the pride, with the cats making all sorts of annoyed sounds at being trod upon, and try and see to the other side of the landing. Sometimes, as he was backing up he would trip over his slightly oversized shoes, stumble, and step on one of the lions' tails, which would bring with it more roars and growling, but for some reason, the lions never jumped up and devoured him whole. He used their heads as footholds while climbing and while they didn’t care for his ascent, they made no more aggressive moves than voicing their discomfort and baring their frightening teeth. There was something at work here that I was not seeing.

Regardless of what was happening, I felt that my path lay on the other side of the felines, so I tried to catch the little man's eye in order to ask him if it was safe for me to pass or if he could help me. Every time I made eye contact with him and started to speak, he would exhale loudly in frustration, get even more flustered, shake his head, and make exasperated sounds, gesticulating frantically at the lions, but he never spoke. This, oddly, made a certain sense to me as Charlie Chaplin was not a star of the talkies and didn’t speak in his films, at least not as far as I knew and I had certainly never heard his voice. Perhaps he simply was too preoccupied to concern himself with me, but either way he went right on hitting the lions and retreating and then hitting the lions and then retreating.

Every time he made it to the top of the lions, he would point at something out of sight on the other side of the landing. I became very curious, not only because I knew I had to somehow get down the next set of steps, but I wanted to know what he kept peering at on the other side. I considered retracing my steps up towards Aristotle, but somehow I knew that he would not be there any longer and that much like Willy Wonka's fantastical factory, I couldn't get out backwards; I had to go forwards to go back. As these thoughts were bouncing around in my head, a whistle ripped through the stairwell, arresting my attention and drawing my focus to the top of the mountain of lions. Charlie Chaplin was once again at the summit of the Caterhorn and he was observing me with an impatient mien. Once he was sure he had my attention, he inhaled as if to speak, then he winked. Just once. And he gestured for me to join him.

I hesitated, appalled by the thought of going anywhere near the lions let alone climbing on them, but Antonio Mr. Chaplin was insistently pointing to the other side of the landing and making hurry-up motions with his arms and I had seen him ascend and descend many times without being attacked. In light of all I had seen thus far it was apparent that a different set of rules applied and that just maybe climbing on top of a bunch of lions might not be the craziest thing that I would do all day.

I steeled my resolve and stepped from the last tread of the stair on which I had been standing. I hesitantly reached out and grasped the flank of one of the lions to aid me in gaining purchase while, as gently as I could, I placed my foot on the back of another one. The lion on which I was about to stand began twitching its tail in agitation. As soon as I shifted my weight fully onto the cats, they started growling; I could feel their bodies vibrating beneath my touch like a powerful idling engine. I froze. I felt my fight or flight instinct kick in as a response to the obvious danger. My hands became clammy and I was sweating, unable to process what I was doing. I felt myself starting to freeze, but rather than be trapped where I was and unable to move from fright and panic, I pushed all of the air out of my lungs and inhaled deeply (not through my nose due to the ambient odor, but even so I could quasi taste the lions on that breath) and decided to stop thinking and not look down, as it were; I focused on the goal of making it to the top and put it out of my mind that I could be attacked at any moment. I pulled with my arms and pushed with my feet, always keeping three points of contact like my father had taught me while bouldering when I was a kid, and slowly I progressed amidst a serenade of deafening roars and angry growls.

While a mound of seven lions may not sound like a tall order, both literally or figuratively, it took me a full sixty seconds or so to finally reach the top, tentative as my progress was. When I arrived, my host wasted no time to allow me to catch my breath and stop my limbs from shaking from the adrenaline dump I had just experienced. He grabbed my shoulder and pointed to the opposite side of the landing beneath us. There at the top of the last stairwell (which was only five or so stairs for I could see the bottom from my new vantage point), near the corner was a small tin cup set into the landing, which I now saw for the first time had been overlaid with what looked like worn out, bargain basement Astroturf of the type we have all of us seen at sad, slowly dying miniature golf establishments whose glory days lay behind them by several decades. A little red flag poked up from the center of the cup, the silhouette of a lion in black upon the wee carmine field. Even stranger was the six or so inches of a lion’s tail that lay upon the ground, protruding from the hole.

I stared at it for a moment, putting two and two together, and realized that Little Charlie Chaplin was attempting to putt, but was being foiled by the lions. He had built a putting green to practice his skills or for the sake of amusement, or mayhap he was damned here as was Sisyphus to his endless task to always try, but never to accomplish and experience the triumph of sinking his ball into the hole, of achieving the summit with his infernally heavy stone. I turned and looked at him only to find that he had already retreated back down below and had started running again on his Mobius strip. As I watched from above, something didn’t quite fit properly and it took a moment for the other shoe to drop. I looked from curious little man to the flag in the hole with its feline emblem, and finally to the tail lazily twitching from the hole itself. And then it made sense, in the most nonsensical of ways, in the manner that Alice understood how to move forward, though without the understanding of why.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN was PUTTING LIONS.

There was no ball trapped under the hill, the dwarf’s attempts to sink his shot frustrated by felines; the lions were the ball! He was putting lions! With that realization, I looked back to him only to find him staring right at me. He briefly tipped his hat and then went right back to what he was doing, my existence completely forgotten. I took some small comfort in remembering Camus’ argument that one must imagine Sisyphus happy, but then my thoughts were interrupted by a loud SMACK! and an even louder roar of pain and surprise. The pile trembled beneath me and I felt it time to move on. There was only a small space between the topmost lion and the ceiling, but I wriggled my arms and shoulders through it and dragged myself to the other side, whereupon I promptly lost my balance and came tumbling down the side of the cat heap. I picked myself up and started to descend the last of the stairs when I heard a new sound that stopped me.

It was purring.

I turned around to see which of the lions it was coming from, but none of them looked particularly content. I stepped closer to the pile and traced the sound as best I could, only to find that it was coming from the tin cup in the hole. I approached it and saw that there was no bottom in the cup, just a black void from which protruded the tail. In a moment of boldness, I poked at the tail, which promptly disappeared into the void with a flick, but the purring intensified. I don’t know what possessed me to do so as I never would have thought to have done it in real life (and I assuming that this was no longer real life and hoping that consequences here were different than in my quotidian norm): I reached my hand into the hole.

They were in there just as I suspected and my fingers closed around them and I pulled them out into the light: three playing cards, which I placed into my pocket with the rest. I stood up and turned to take one last glimpse of something which I was certain I would never seen again. I contemplated taking a photo with my phone, but somehow it didn’t seem right.

“In this place, let ghosts be ghosts, let love be love…”

The words emerged from the back my mind, from another theatre in the past, inscribed, spoken, and lived. I sighed, turned back to the stairs, and descended the steps, looking forward to no longer breathing cat ammonia.

#mnemonic #magic

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topmag222 · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/renault/2020-renault-captur/

2020 Renault Captur

The 2020 Renault Captur is one of the crossovers to beat, thanks to low running costs and plenty of style. The 2020 Renault Captur is thicker than before, while LED headlights are now standard across the range. Extra chrome gives a more luxurious look than before, while the lights are redesigned to match the rest of the Renault range. Bigger changes are inside, with high-quality materials and soft coverings for the dashboard. There’s also a new Smart Cockpit with a 9.3-inch infotainment display on top specs, as well as a digital instrument cluster available in 7 or 10-inch layouts.

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Even the basic ‘Play’ model has a touch screen that can connect to Google Maps or Waze via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. As before, the new Captur includes a slider on the rear bench that allows you to prioritize space for rear passengers or luggage. The boot capacity is 81 liters higher, which is up to 536 liters in total – bigger than the Honda HR-V, SEAT Arona and Ford Ecosport.

2020 Renault Captur Interior

The interior is inviting and luxurious. Top versions get a 9.3-inch vertical paperback format satnav, which somehow works better than a horizontal screen, with repeat instructions in front of the driver. Inside it is a very comfortable place with nicely finished, soft touch surfaces and comfortable seating. Well thought out with 12V terminals plus a few front and rear USB sockets. Even the cup holders are prudent, low and placed behind so that the cups or tins do not interfere.

2020 Renault Captur Interior

Unfortunately, although the rear seats slide back and forth with 150mm, they do not fold up nicely as in a Jazz or HR-V, so there is a fairly high cargo deck with the backrest off. The cargo space is an impressive 536 liters (VDA) with the bench all the way forward and 422 liters with the bench sliding back to maximize legroom. This is a significant increase compared to the original Captur which had 455 liters and 377 liters respectively. B

2020 Renault Captur Engine

Buyers can choose from three petrol engines and two diesel engines. The petrol options include the new TCe 100 turbocharged three-cylinder 1.0-liter shared with the Nissan Micra and Juke, and the new Clio, along with 130 and 155 versions of the 1.3-liter TCe engine. The diesel range consists of a Blue dCi engine with 95 or 115 PS, while buyers can also choose from a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission with dual clutch.

The E-tech plug-in hybrid model from 2020, combines a 1.6-liter petrol engine with a 49kW electric motor and can run up to 28 miles under electric power alone. The 9.8 kWh battery “will always maintain enough charge to move away at low speeds under electrical power”, while a strong regenerative braking system means you can use single-pedal control.

2020 Renault Captur Diesel Engines

A 1.5-liter DCi diesel engine is also offered, and while likely a niche compared to the gasoline, it would better suit higher mileage and those who spend a lot of time on the highway. Two versions of this four-cylinder engine are available with 95 hp or 115 hp, and the latter can have an optional seven-speed automatic transmission.

2020 Renault Captur Hybrid Engines

Renault is developing a hybrid version of the Captur for the first time. It combines a 1.6-liter petrol engine, electric car and 9.8 kWh battery pack with automatic transmission. It’s an ‘E-Tech’ design, and it should provide a driving distance of zero emissions up to 28 miles if the battery pack is fully charged.

2020 Renault Captur Safety

The Renault Captur has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP, but the Clio has already received a five-star result, which is a good sign. The Captur not only shares most of its security technology, but is also slightly larger. According to Renault, the Captur has “the most comprehensive range of operating system systems” of any crossing, which aims to make driving simpler and safer. The available kit includes a 360-degree camera view, a highway and Traffic Jam Companion that can help drive the car in certain situations, customizable cruise control, lane assistance and traffic sign recognition. The 2020 Renault Captur also has updated autonomous emergency brakes that can detect cyclists and pedestrians.

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magtop22 · 5 years ago

Text

New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/renault/2020-renault-captur/

2020 Renault Captur

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Renault Captur 2020 White

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2020 Renault Captur Engine

2020 Renault Captur Diesel Engines

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2020 Renault Captur Safety

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jonathanbelloblog · 6 years ago

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The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet Is Spectacular

ATTICA, Greece—Here in the cradle of Western civilization, things are grim. Last year the country emerged from a bailout by other European countries that totaled more than $350 billion, and while comparatively speaking things are looking up, the unemployment rate in this part Greece is still over 20 percent. Aside from the presence of graffiti everywhere, there isn’t much evidence of young people. A double tennis court over here has been abandoned, as has a playground over there, with a pair of basketball goals that nobody appears to have used in a year.

Buildings, including a beautiful little church, are empty and unkempt. Every construction worker in the state appears to have gone on strike at exactly the same moment, leaving a plethora of unfinished houses, stores, and apartments. Long-legged, suicidal dogs wander the streets.

Everything, even the gorgeous Aegean Sea, seems to have a slightly gray cast. Oh, there are bright spots, alright, and our new $170,810 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet was one of the brightest, getting looks of mild contempt and only an occasional thumbs-up from drivers, who seem saddled with the most boring collection of cars in one place since there was an East Germany. Truckers bear down on us, swing wide on turns. We feel stinkin’ rich, and not always in a good way, as we drive along in our gleaming Carrara White Metallic Cabriolet with a black top, which we chose instead o the colors featured in the photos here because we though we’d be less conspicuous. We were not.

Greece will bounce back—there’s a lot of pluck in those bloodlines—and we have a car to tell you about. Which we kind of already had in our report on the 2020 Porsche 911, the eighth generation of an icon. Even though it sort of looks like generation 7.5, it’s virtually all new, and there’s plenty to talk about with the Cabriolet.

The top, for instance. It’s a multilayer cloth piece whose magnesium structure folds in three sections to store completely under the rear deck; the little ballet takes but 12 seconds. Then you can call up a rear windscreen that eliminates wind buffeting and makes normal conversation possible, even at speed. Top up, the insulation attached to those panels muffles road noise, including, unfortunately, the exhaust note from the 3.0-liter, 446-horse flat-six.

The engine is attached to an eager new eight-speed PDK transmission, with a seven-speed manual due shortly after the Cabriolet’s introduction in late summer or early fall. Headroom is plenty up front even for those over six feet. In the back, the tiny twin rear seats are best left to grocery sacks, helpful since there’s only 4.5 cubic feet of cargo room up front.

On the road, the improved rigidity is evident, and proven by the fact that the Cabriolet now is offered with the Sport Suspension package previously limited to the coupe. For $5,450, the package gets you the Sport Exhaust, the Sport Chrono package, black tailpipes, and that PASM Sport Suspension, which stiffens everything up and drops the overall height by 0.4 inch. The differences between the chassis’s Normal, Sport, and Sport+ settings is perceptible, although the exact measure of the dynamic spread would be better taken on a track. We kept the chassis and suspension set to Normal for the bulk of our drive, which helped dampen the multiple bumps and potholes—it appeared the road-maintenance crews were at reduced capacity, too.

All that aside, we could find very little wrong with the Cabriolet, except for the problem we’ve had for years with the 911: We can’t afford one. Our test car went from $126,100 to the aforementioned $170,810 with a liberal addition of options that ranged from Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control ($3,170) to Rear Axle Steering ($2,090) to the killer Burmester stereo. The latter is a $5,560 option, compared to the entirely adequate $1,600 Bose system that’s also offered. If you want all-wheel drive, base price jumps to $133,400. We sampled the all-wheel-drive 4S model, and it offers a bit of increased stability; if you live in a climate where the roads are often slick, it’s probably a good investment.

But 911s have never been cheap, and when you remove the top the price goes up even more. Despite this, nearly a third of the 911 customers prefer to go topless. If we’re not on a track? Us, too. Nicely done, Porsche.

2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S Cabriolet Specifications

ON SALE September PRICE S, $126,100; 4S, $133,400 ENGINE 3.0L DOHC 24-valve twin-turbocharged flat-6; 443 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 390 lb-ft @ 2,300 rpm TRANSMISSION 8-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2+2-passenger, rear-engine RWD or AWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 20/26 mpg (city/hwy, est) L x W x H 177.9–178.4 x 79.7 x 50.7–51.2 in WHEELBASE 96.5 in WEIGHT 3,537–3,650 lb 0–60 MPH 3.5–3.7 sec (est) TOP SPEED 190 mph (est)

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jesusvasser · 6 years ago

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The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet Is Spectacular

2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S Cabriolet Specifications

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years ago

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The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet Is Spectacular

2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S Cabriolet Specifications

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