#it still has to be revved up so to say but it also releases steam after being used

[mail-me-a-snail]

as someone who was in the mines of "drawing a characters robotic arm from increasingly difficult angles" before, i yearn for those times. so heres my take on blu engie's gunslinger, based on modern prosthetic forearms

its worth noting that, before he cloned himself to create red engie, he had the original gunslinger, ie he was only missing his hand. he decided to upgrade himself not only bc he had the means to, but bc he wanted to differentiate himself from his clone so that he would always be distinctly the original, even if he would be the only one to know that

inspired by vi's hextech gauntlets and ofc, johnny silverhand's arm. i miss drawing johnny every day of my life

[falseidol-falseprophet]

NSFW ALPHABET // REVENANT

OOC:// It's been awhile since I've been super active on this blog but because our server is SO RAD~ I'm filling this out for everyone over there- and anyone on Tumblr who may be interested in writing with my Rev someday~ If you're a minor, plz don't read below the cut! Thank youuu~

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

Aftercare does not come naturally at first. Sex doesn't have to be an intimate act. Especially at first. It's usually an act of desperation that occurs when he needs to blow off steam. If you're one of the lucky ones he feels so inclined to protect or feel close to, after sex he will be so gentle and patient. Will grab his lover a glass of water, some kind of pain medication, and change of clothes. After all, his toys and attachments are messy- they were designed to be that way. And he can be absolutely relentless during- so undoubtably his lovers will need ample time to recover... and if he finds himself particular stricken with them- he will be there as long as desired.

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

His favorite body part on himself is his own hands. He loves when his partners encourage him to not hold back. Seeing a perfectly outlined bruise in the shape of his metal claws makes him absolutely purr- On others, it varies wildly and depends. It could be their eyes, their entire face- or their hips. He has a strong preference for partners with very wide hips.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Because he uses high tech attachments (sex toys synced up to his body and his hardware), his cum is always thin and translucent. With a metallic-sweet taste to it.

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

When he first got his "attachments" He spent a long time just locked in his room testing out each one to see which one was his favorite.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Revenant is 360 years old... despite this, he isn't as experienced as one might think. He didn't begin sleeping with people until very recently... and his absolutely feverish desire is proof of that. It takes a lot more control and restraint to keep himself from breaking bones or accidentally being too rough.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Corkscrew, Doggy, or despite how common it is, missionary- he loves watching his partners cry from pleasure and lapping up the tears and saliva.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He is very serious- he has to be. Loosening up too much could be fatal for his partner.

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

R O B O T- But after a swift scolding from Doctor Somers, Revenant showers once a week and even waxes and polishes his plating... also has begun wearing cologne.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Revenant is a very private person- not entirely of his own choice. He knows his reputation- and has done very well to keep those walls high and nigh impenetrable- However. He has his own ways. If someone would be crazy enough to be with him as something more than friends with benefits- and if accepted that. He is so unbearably devoted. Sweet, tender, slow in bed just to savor every sound, sight, smell- everything. It's difficult to imagine him being a tender individual- but its possible. Otherwise- if its just a quick hook up, he is rough, hungry, and desperate for release. He struggles with knowing and sticking to boundaries, and will often toe the line. Especially because he can still be incredibly selfish if the romantic attraction or desire is lacking.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

It's a bit pathetic how routine it is. But he finds venting the frustrations he feels every few days keeps him more relaxed and calm- and therefore he has a higher tolerance for bullshit. Loves to masturbate with any of his attachments- he has his favorite but sometimes it doesn't satisfy whatever ache he finds himself with so he'll swap out to keep things fun for himself.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Bondage but with his hands alone. Blood-play. Gun-play. CNC. Electrostimulation. Wire-play. Exhibitionism. Worship/Devotion of his partners, and then dominating them. Dacryphilia.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

A secluded spot here and there on the field where he knows the cameras don't go. But he is just fine going to his lovers bedroom- you know he has a soft spot for a lover if he brings them to his room.

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

There's an art to the spilling of blood- If he sees someone strong. A true warrior- he can't help but feel that heat in his chest. The way saliva pools in his mouth. He is attracted to fury and strength above all else. Bloody noses and busted lips. He also has an affinity for lingerie- it doesn't matter the gender of his partner. Seeing them dressed extravagantly and knowing they're wearing a particularly lacy matching set will have him dragging them off to the nearest place for some privacy.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Standard/typical hard no's but Revenant is much more open-minded and adventurous than one might think.

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

Prefers giving. Receiving can be incredibly overstimulating and he prefers to take care of his partners- If he lets a lover go down on him, he really trusts them.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

fast and rough. That's his default mode and speed- but if he likes his partner a lot he will be painfully slow.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Loves quickies. But will try to draw them out if he can.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Revenant loves to experiment. Loves to learn new things since bedroom activities are something he's shut himself off from for so long- and there's a lot to catch up on. He also has no problems engaging in risky behaviors- fucking somewhere he may get caught is one of his favorites. He loves the adrenaline and danger.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Being a simulacrum who doesn't have need of sleep, food, water, etc. He is bottomless in terms of endurance. He will go and go and go until his partner can't walk anymore, passes out, or is completely satisfied. Typically though, if it's just about getting off, he will cum once, and call it quits there, even if he could go on.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Being a sim, Revenant has amassed a decent collection of various attachments and toys. Some ranging from typical human anatomy to the more exotic and strange. Two dicks, vaginal attachments, tentacles, strange floral like genitals, even a winged vaginal attachment. He likes the more unique and strange- And though he has his favorites he will often let his partners pick what he uses. He keeps them all in a custom trunk under his bed pushed back as far as it can go.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He is relentless when it comes to teasing. Always the wrong place, wrong time. Will let his hand creep down his lovers spine, just past the hem of their pants. Or stand just a bit too close, breathe against their neck... And he loves thinly veiled retorts that could be mistaken as flirting. If someone witnessing the interaction asks about it, he can simply deny it. Tell them they got the wrong idea- but the intended audience will know better.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Revenant is fairly quiet in the bedroom- but he does have a tendency to purr or grunt. His purring though happens when whatever is occurring feels particularly good.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Has a long and serpentine like tongue. About a foot in length and extends from his mouth about six or seven inches. He can drool and produce saliva although he can not taste anything.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Simulacra body means below his outer shell is a mass of wires, slick viscous lubricant oil, and a spine down the length of his back that is attached to an artificial brain in his skull. He doesn't wear clothes~

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

If someone asked him, he'd likely claim he rarely thinks about sex. It doesn't concern him- he's "above such human things." However, if he has a partner that he finds himself rather consumed by, its on his mind quite often. Always thinking about the next time he'll have the pleasure of tasting them- and hearing them moan his name.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn't sleep~

[dumb-little-trans-writer]

Rust and Black Thorn Trees. Chapter 2.

The girl tiredly wandered, getting increasingly exhausted.

She didn’t know where she was.

She knew nothing.

What Miranda neglected to focus on, however, was the fact that she also transformed when on the brink of death, to attempt to find something, anything, to eat, or to wear.

She saw a pack of lycans.

She silently transformed, as how Mother taught her.

Or, more accurately, beat into her.

She stalked the lycans for the perfect moment.

They grabbed bunnies as though they were chips, the high-pitched screaming echoing through her ears.

As one of the lycans had a rabbits leg in it’s mouth, Dasha struck the lycan closest to her, slashing it’s throat. She quickly moved from lycan to lycan before they could react.

As she transformed back, she immediately started tearing the flesh from the lycans with her teeth. She found that eating right after transforming prevents the nausea and the puking, it doesn’t prevent the leaking of the liquid from her eyes and nose, though.

She binged, knowing that this may be her last meal for a while.

She could smell winter on the horizon, and this was her life for the next six years.

Over these six gruesome years, she was able to find the occasional lost tourist or hunter in the forests surrounding Heisenberg’s Factory.

She stole their weapons, and their clothing.

She found that she preferred men’s clothing.

The girl would transform less and less, using the limited ammo and resources she had.

Karl Heisenberg watched her last hunt, as it was the closest to the factory she’d ever been.

Risky.

Hmm, he thought as he watched her dance with the lycans.

With a shotgun shell to the face, of course.

“Hey, you know, there isn’t anyone who can sell you ammo around here,” Heisenberg said, walking toward the girl. She jumped, cautious, “if you run out, you’re kinda fucked.” he stated, putting out his cigar.

She had heard of Lord Heisenberg. Never met him though.

“What are you implying?” she spat.

“All i’m saying is that running out of shotgun shells during the wintertime, when it’s nearly below zero, can be deadly,” he paused, spitting on the cold leaves, “especially for someone as tiny as you.” he laughed at her glare.

“Don’t call me tiny.” she replied, walking past him.

In the recesses of her mind, she was okay with it.

Heisenberg led Dasha to his factory.

It was loud.

The metal clanging against itself, the periodic releases of steam, and the...chainsaw revving?

Heisenberg opened a hatch, and screamed “SHUT YOUR HOLE, ROTTEN CUNT.”

The revving stopped.

“Is one of your failed experiments down there, Karl?” she teased, taking off her jacket as the humidity made it extremely warm, and uncomfortably sweaty. It revealed how muscular she had grown. She was still slim, but a little buffer from when she was with Her.

He seemed taken aback by her calling him Karl, instead of Lord, or even just his last name.

He liked that she didn’t pay his status any mind, he knows he didn’t give a fuck.

“Maybe. I’ll throw you down there if you decide to say some shit.” Heisenberg said with a slight growl.

“I could take it, i bet.” she purred.

“Don’t tempt me, bitch.” Heisenberg whispered, emphasizing ‘bitch’

The girl lightly skipped down the hallway, amusing Heisenberg.

“If I didn'thave a spare room I'd make you sleep outside.” Heisenberg called. She turned and nodded, “It’s right over here.” he pointed to a door on the side of another hallway. The room they were currently in had the bare necessities, albeit it was a mess.

She really didn’t mind though.

She walked to the room he was talking about, and opened the door to a bed that seemed to be collecting dust.

In fact, everything seemed to be barely touched.

Despite her past with cleaning, she needed to at least dust everything down.

“You got something i can wipe this shit down with? Looks like a tomb in here.” she yelled.

“Yeah, gimme a sec, christ” Heisenberg seemed to be struggling with something. She left the room, confused, and then amused at the sight before her.

He seemed to be trying to fix his oven, or cleaning it, whatever he was doing, he was struggling with it.

“Pfft, need help?” she asked, smirking.

“I’d rather kill myself than get help from you.” he coldly replied, sighing as he took his head out of the oven. His face was slightly stained with ash, and he was sweating. She leaned up again the counter, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. Now that she had a closer look, he seemed to be cleaning to oven judging by the ash stained rag soaked in water he was holding.

“This isn’t how you do it, let me help you.” she demanded. Heisenberg was slightly surprised by this, but silently swallowed a bite of his pride, and stood up, arms crossed.

“So how do YOU do it?” Heisenberg asked in a condescending tone.

“You got baking soda?” she suddenly asked, “’cause we’re gonna need a decent amount.” she added, taking out the oven racks.

“I have a lot of it, i guess.” Heisenberg replied, slightly confused.

“Do you realize how much of a fire hazard this is? I might scrub your entire fucking house down at this rate.” Dasha exclaimed, “where’s the baking soda?”

“There.” he pointed to a cabinet. She opened it and grabbed the tin, holding it for a moment to see if she’d need another one.

“Vinegar?” she asked.

“In the same cabinet.” Heisenberg said, annoyed and impatient.

“This is gonna take a day, I hope you know.” Dasha laughed.

“Fucking WHAT?” Heisenberg asked, shocked.

“Yeah. I have to-”

“I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME AND YOU’RE CLEANING MY OVEN.” Heisenberg said, frustrated.

“...Do you wanna know my name?” she asked, pouring baking soda and water into a cup, “or how to clean your own fuckin’ oven?” she said, sarcastically.

“Both’s fine I guess.” Heisenberg rolled his eyes.

“Dasha Jelíneková. That’s my name.”

“Dein Name ist schön...” Heisenberg muttered.

“...what?” Dasha asked, confused.

“Nothin’. Explain why it’s gonna take a day.” he quickly changed topics.

“Well, wiping down the interior with a soaked rag might get some of the grime off, but it won’t get it all off,” she paused as she mixed more baking soda in with the water to make a paste, “deep cleaning your oven like this also helps heat disperse evenly.” she explained.

“Seriously..?” he muttered, thinking about how his last meal was damn-near raw in some spots, and burnt in others.

“So, you take baking soda and water, make a paste with it like this,” she stuck the cup in his face, “you got rubber gloves, right?” she asked.

“Take a fuckin’ guess.” Heisenberg laughed at the question.

“Hand ‘em to me, dickhead.” she said, making a poor attempt to hide a smile.

“By the way, dunno if this has anythin’ to do with you, but i’ve been finding pretty large lycan carcasses that are either brutally killed and then eaten, or seemingly killed in self defense, all of ‘em had gnarly claw marks,” he paused, “know anything about that?” He asked. Her blood ran cold, but she tried to keep her composure. 

“Maybe it was a mutated Lycan.” she quietly said, applying the paste to every crevice in the oven. Heisenberg was confused as to why she was acting strange, and more importantly, how she knew the Lycans were caused by...that.

“Well, uh, keep an eye out, yanno?” Heisenberg uncomfortably laughed in the awkward silence.

“Can you plug the sink, and pour some baking soda on ‘em? Then pour the vinegar on ‘em.”

“Okay...what now?” Heisenberg asked.

“Wait for it to stop foaming, and stick em under the water. In the sink, i mean.” she explained, finishing applying the last of the paste.

“Okay...” he muttered.

“Now, we wait for at least ten hours.”

“...Are you serious?” Heisenberg asked, seemingly shocked.

“Why wouldn’t i be?” she replied, confused.

He looked down, “That doesn’t seem reasonable-”

“You don’t seem to be either, Mister Heisenberg.” she smirked at him.

“You know...” he started, “You should be happy I haven’t chucked you down that chute.” he threatened, towering over her small frame with a hand in her hair, mimicking a ponytail, pulling her close to him. He outwardly smelled like cigar smoke, gasoline, and sweat. His breath reeked of whiskey, his hot breath on her cheek. But she smelled more than just that, due to the experimentation with the Cadou.

She could smell what people feel, she always sort of could, but this was heightened by the experimentation.

This was new, it smelled like a heavy, rich devil’s food cake.

It smelled like sin.

She glanced downward at his crotch, and he was definitely pitching a tent.

“You really don’t want this, Karl.” she whispered. It was true, at least in her mind.

No one should want a monster.

She didn’t even know what she wanted, outside of Her dead.

Staring directly into his eyes, she gently placed her hand on the hand he was using to grip her hair. He violently let go, glaring and walking outside.

He hated how similar, yet different they both were. He wanted her to stay with him, despite barely knowing eachother.

It was a bag of mixed emotions.

Dasha followed behind, she found Heisenberg collecting firewood.

“I’m makin’ hotdogs.” he stated.

“On a fire, I’m assuming?” she asked, “i had to learn how to make a fire by myself. Got good at it too.” she bragged.

Heisenberg ignored her comment, “Can you get the ‘dogs and the buns for me outta the fridge?”

“Sure, what rack are they on?” she asked.

“Figure it out.” he coldly replied.

She scoffed, and went back inside, muttering to herself.

Heisenberg thought for a while while she was inside.

Why did she know about the Cadou? Why does she live in the forest? Is it by choice? I wonder if she’s useful...I wonder if Miranda- he thought. He zoned out, and realized his hands were dangerously close to the fire. He nonchalantly pulled them away, added a little more wood, and grabbed a chair. He thought for a moment, and pulled another chair over from the wood pile.

She came back, hot dog buns and hot dogs in tow.

Heisenberg used his powers to make two metal sticks come to him.

“What the fuck.” she whispered, taken aback.

“Oh. Here.” he said, handing one to Dasha.

“No, what the fuck was that-?” Dasha nervously laughed.

“Oh, yeah. I can do that. Only metal though.” Heisenberg explained.

“Huh.” she replied, giving a bun and a hot dog to him. He stuck the tapered metal point through the middle of the hot dog, and stuck it over the fire.

Dasha did the same.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for what felt like a hour, but really was five minutes.

Heisenberg, obviously, was the first to break the silence.

“So I know you’ve never really mentioned it, but I’m thinkin’ you LIVE in the forest, right?” Heisenberg asked.

“Yeah. Why?” she asked, holding the hot dog above the fire.

“Just haven’t really seen anyone willingly live in the forest.” Heisenberg shrugged. There was another period of silence between them as the fire popped and crackled.

“Do you live in the forest willingly?” Heisenberg asked, taking his hot dog off the metal stick, placing it into the bun.

She looked at him, and opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words to describe her situation. She blinked a couple times, trying to find the words.

“I don’t know.” she furrowed her brow, and had an unmistakable look of i’m-remembering-things-i-don’t-want-to-think-about. Heisenberg wasn’t amazing with emotions, despite being able to read someone like a book.

“Sorry.” he quietly said, looking away from her.

“You had no way of knowing. It’s fine.” She leaned towards him. Then, she took her hot dog away from the fire, and just ate it off the stick. This sight amused Heisenberg.

“How long have you lived in the forest?” Heisenberg asked with his mouth full.

“Around six years? Hard to keep track.” she said, after swallowing a bite.

“Damn. So how old are you now?”

“I don’t know, around twenty-three, i think?” she replied.

“That checks out.” Heisenberg smugly joked.

“At least I don’t look like I’m from World War II.” she retorted, laughing.

“And what if I am, huh?” Heisenberg joked, knowing he was in fact born around when WWII ended.

“I was kidding, shut the fuck up.” she laughed. Heisenberg realized that he really, really liked her laugh. Maybe it’s from the isolation in the factory, and now he finally has someone that seems to enjoy his company. This feeling scared him, just a little bit.

“Yeah, sure.” he laughed. There was silence again.

“This might be coming out of nowhere, but could you...refer to me as a boy? I know this is strange coming from someone who looks like me, but-” he got cut off.

“I get it, it’s alright. No worries. You got a new name?” he asked.

“Dimitri.”

“Still a pretty name.” Heisenberg muttered.

“I heard that.” Dimitri laughed.

“Oh.”

The both of them finished their hot dogs, and they went inside. It was getting cold.

“Starting tomorrow, you’re gonna help me around the factory. Otherwise I won’t hesitate to throw you out.” Heisenberg threatened.

“Alright, you’re gonna have to show me how it works around here though, depending on my job.” he replied, taking his jacket off. He got into his room and rummaged through his bag, looking for a tank top or something. He found a black one that he looted off of a tourist, and swapped into it. Even when it was freezing outside, it was mildly uncomfortable to wear a sweater like he was. He didn’t even think about his immense number of scars being visible, from various creatures and pitiful self-defense attempts. One benefit from the Cadou was that it gave him a healing factor. The only downside, in his eyes, was that killing himself was impossible. He walked out of the room, and into the living room. Heisenberg was making multiple small metal parts like gears and screws float in a certain fashion, making outlines of various things.

He sat on the couch that looked as though it was about to fall apart.

“You’re almost as scarred up as me,” Karl laughed as he pulled up his shirt, revealing a multitude of scar marks, and a happy trail.

Fuck, okay maybe I do know what I want... he thought. He felt a small tingling around his cheeks, as he laughed. He turned around and pulled up the back of his shirt to reveal some of the worst scars he’s gotten. Heisenberg felt himself tense up, his cheeks went red too.

“Can i..?” he asked as he reached his hand out halfway.

“Touch them? Sure.” Dimitri replied, scooting backwards.

He felt his calloused hands gently trace over all of his scars, even the smaller ones. Despite Karl’s rough and mean demeanor, he was so gentle. His hand gently ran down to his waist. He was surprised, but it was calming.

Karl pulled away, fearful of being intimate with him. He had just met the guy, why did he feel this pull?

“I was okay with that, you know.” he said, facing him and letting his shirt fall back to it’s place. He moved a bit closer, wanting the closeness of someone that he never had. “...Please?”

Heisenberg was confused. He was reluctant because of trust issues, yet Dimitri was the polar opposite?

Why did he come here..?

I wanted to use him as an experiment, why-?

“No.” he stated, “I can’t.”

He wordlessly left, Dimitri assuming into his room.

He sighed, and left into 'his' room too.

"Shit." he muttered, thinking about how bad that was. Dimitri went to sleep, trying to forget the entire damn day.

[deku-leaf]

early risers - part 1 - “that was intense” kageyama tobio x reader

summary: kageyama goes to the gymnasium earlier in the morning than usual to warm up and catches sight of an unfamiliar girl (you) doing yoga by herself. he might go a little out of his way to make sure he arrives early again the next day. and maybe the next.

author’s note: my first haikyuu fic! i def ship kagehina but i’ve only ever written x reader fics soooo here’s this, i’m having a lot of fun writing this so far

warnings: tobio kinda toes the line of stalking in this but it’s just cuz he’s so awkward. oh and swearing

word count: 2,521

-

Your muscles ache. You deepen your lunge, taking a long breath in and out. Damn, you’re sore this morning. Straightening your legs, you make a mental note that the uphill run you did yesterday afternoon really targeted your glutes, and you should run that route more often. You take another deep breath and lower your torso down to let your arms hang between your widened legs, enjoying the feeling of blood flowing to your head. Your fingertips touch the ground gently, flirting with the yoga mat below you. You stay like this for a while, breathing.

You’ve been coming to the school’s gym early each morning to do yoga before class for a few weeks now, and it’s been amazing. Your older sister is a third year and captain of the high school girl’s volleyball team, and she lends you the keys to the gymnasium each morning, as long as you get them back to her by lunchtime. So even though you’re only a first year, and you’re not involved in any school sports clubs, you can still enjoy the space. There’s something electric about the air in here, as if the school sports teams and gym classes leave their energy behind when they head out for the day. You’re more than happy to soak up the energy they left behind each morning. 

A small clanking noise near the door interrupts the peaceful silence, and you straighten up quickly. You blink away some floaters in your vision as the blood rushes out of your head from the sudden movement. You glance around, still alone. Picking up your phone, you see that it’s only 6:45 - the boys’ volleyball team isn’t set to arrive until 7:15. Typically you’re out of here by 7, but that clank noise has thrown you off, so you pack up your things quickly. After rolling up your yoga mat, shrugging on your jacket, and shouldering your backpack, you step out into the cool air and lock the gym doors behind you. You sigh as you trudge towards the main school building, eyeing the sunrise on the horizon and mentally preparing for class.

-

Kageyama approaches the gymnasium with bleary eyes and a foggy brain. He checks his phone’s clock - it’s 6:40 am. Over a half hour earlier than he usually gets to school for practice. He had asked Daichi yesterday if they could possibly start their morning practices earlier than usual in preparation for nationals. In response, Daichi had tossed him the keys to the gym, saying, “Get there as early as you want - I’m not enforcing anything for the rest of the team though. Sleep is important. Don’t overexert yourself.” Kageyama nodded to his captain aggressively. Half an hour early seemed reasonable to him. If anything, he could start setting up the net and balls to save time for the rest of the team, and get a head start on his warm ups. He invited Hinata to meet him there early, as well, to practice tosses.

But there’s no sign of Hinata yet. As Kageyama approaches the gym doors, yawning, he fumbles in his pockets for the keys Daichi lent him. He pulls them out, but stops. The lights in the gym are already on. He sees movement through the window, and looks closer, the keys hovering in front of the door handle.

There’s a girl inside, all by herself. She’s off to one side of the gym, bent over at the waist with her arms dangling strangely below her. Her unusual stance makes more sense when Kageyama realizes she’s standing on a yoga mat. He blinks, watching her, waiting for her next move. But she just hangs there. She’s technically facing away from him, but with her head hanging down between her legs he can just make out her face. She looks serene, completely at peace. Kageyama finds his eyes wandering a bit, noticing her athletic gear and strong looking body. Was she on the girls’ volleyball team? Basketball? He’s not sure if he has never seen her before, but she looks so completely at home in that gymnasium, like she’s meant to be there, and he feels like he’s intruding, which he’s never felt when it comes to the gym, and - 

“Ey, Kageyama!” Hinata’s too-bright voice calls to him from the bike racks and Kageyama promptly drops the gym keys. They clatter very loudly at his feet. His eyes widen as the girl inside jerks upright and turns toward the door, looking dazed. Kageyama ducks, swipes the keys from the ground, and quietly jogs around the corner, his heart pounding in his chest as he retreats. He feels an exhilaration not unlike the feeling of being chased during a game of tag as a kid. His throat is still tight with anxious energy as he approaches Hinata at the bike racks, greeting him as normally as he can manage. While Hinata cheerfully expresses his excitement for their early practices, Kageyama’s eyes wander to the gym doors being opened. The girl locks the doors behind her and turns to leave, absentmindedly running a hair through her hair. She continues towards the school, not even glancing in their direction. 

“Who was that person?” Hinata asks thoughtfully, starting towards the gymnasium. 

“I have no clue,” Kageyama answers. But I think I’d like to find out.

—

The next morning, Kageyama finds himself leaving his house even earlier than yesterday, a persistent curiosity in the back of his mind pulling him out of bed before his alarm. He just wants to see if the girl is there again today, or if it was a one time thing, he tells himself. Maybe if she’s there again, he’ll strike up a conversation and find out what sports she plays. Kageyama could afford to expand his social group outside of the volleyball team, but he doesn’t feel like he has anything in common with his classmates. Plus pretty much everyone he’s met at school is loud and extroverted, which Kageyama certainly is not. But maybe this girl, who seemed not only athletic but also content with her own silent presence, who had an aura of calm energy - maybe she would understand his quiet mind.

He shakes the soft thought out of his head as he approaches the school gates. What is he thinking? Why is he idealizing this person he’s never even spoken to? He doesn’t even know her name. There’s a tug in his stomach at the thought of learning her name. Saying it casually in conversation, calling it out to her in greeting when they pass in the hallway, texting her and seeing her name pop up on his phone. 

Man, was he lonely or something? How could that be when he has an entire team to hang out with constantly? Maybe it’s the fact that the whole team has friends outside of volleyball that bothers him. Especially Hinata. Hinata can make friends with everyone. He’s constantly being approached by his acquaintances from other classes - even from other schools. How does he do it? It feels strange for Kageyama to care about that, but he does care. He may be introverted, but he’s still human. 

Kageyama is suddenly at the door of the gymnasium again. And the lights are on again.

He glances at his phone - 6:32 am. 

He peers through the window.

--

You are so revved up this morning. You had started with yoga when you arrived at the school gymnasium, like usual, but today you felt like you needed a little something more. You wanted to get your heart rate up a bit, and let off some steam. You ended up rolling up the yoga mat, pulling your sneakers back on, and fishing a jump rope out of the supply closet. 

You’re not even sure how long you’ve been jumping rope now, but you feel amazing. You’ve always been pretty good at jump rope, always getting gold in your school physical fitness tests growing up. It reminds you of being a kid. 

Okay, you’ve been going pretty fast for a while now. Your breath is starting to become a bit more strained, and sweat is gathering on your forehead and upper lip. You take your body’s reactions as a signal to go faster, to push harder. Your toes are hardly lifting off the ground with each hop, your wrists barely twitching to swing the rope at top speed with minimum effort. You force yourself to breathe as deeply as you can even with your body moving this fast. Your eyes had been narrowed on the opposite wall until now, when you lower your head in concentration, sweat dripping onto the floor from the tip of your nose as you start to jump even faster. 

A primal emotion deep in your stomach stirs. Something about pushing your body to its physical limit makes you feel more alive than anything else can. It’s strange, because you were never attracted to sports teams growing up, and hated gym class more than anything. The thrill you get from exercise is indescribable - but it’s always been something you’ve preferred to do alone, with nobody watching. You prefer to run in quiet neighborhoods, you’ve never signed up for a gym membership, and you’ve never taken a real yoga class before. Working out has always been something private for you, even now, in this gym.

Oh, shit. You’re still jump-roping at full speed. Your brain is yanked back to reality and your head snaps back up. You release the rope thoughtlessly in your dazed state and one of the plastic handles whips around to smack you in the shin. You wince as you double over, resting your hands on your knees and taking in big gulps of air. You swipe the back of your hand across your forehead to clear some of the sweat. Damn, how long were you jumping?

“That was intense.”

You straighten immediately at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, still trying to catch your breath. There’s a tall dude in a black tracksuit standing just inside the door, with keys in hand. You let your guard down immediately when you see that he’s a student, and continue to pant unashamedly. You wave your hand in front of you dismissively, resting your other hand on your hip. 

“That was...nothing. You...saw nothing,” you manage between heavy breaths, feeling totally exposed in this state. Your eyebrows furrow at your own physical struggle and your eyes fall to the floor as you attempt to get a hold of yourself. “Jesus…I must’ve been going...for a while.” 

“It was like 10 minutes,” the guy says. You look up at him again and there’s a slight blush on his cheeks. You’re totally making him uncomfortable with your sweating and panting. How were you oblivious of his presence for 10 whole minutes?

“How was I oblivious of your presence for 10 whole minutes?” He makes a strange face — guilt? No, probably embarrassment — before you continue. “I’m so sorry. You have practice and I’m intruding, I’ve probably been here way too long-“ 

“No,” he interrupts, his eyes widening. “I’m- I’m early. Practice doesn’t start for another half hour. I’m the one who’s intruding on you. I’m sorry.” 

You purse your lips and look at the wall clock. He’s right, it’s only about 6:45. “Huh,” you say. You shift your weight, suddenly uncomfortable. Reality is finally sinking in now that you’re getting enough oxygen to your brain. This dude just walked in on you aggressively jump roping like some angry toddler. You don’t like when anyone sees you like that - let alone a guy your age who goes to your school that you will probably run into again in the hallways. Every time he sees you he’ll picture that girl who’s all sweaty, jumping up and down by herself in a corner. It’s your turn to blush.

The guy hasn’t said anything else, and you’re getting more embarrassed by the second, so you turn and start collecting your things quickly. “Well, I better rinse off in the showers before class now that I’ve overdone it anyways,” you say, walking past him with all your stuff in your arms, not even bothering to put your jacket on. “Gym’s all yours - have fun,” you say over your shoulder as you exit. 

You take care not to trip on the sidewalk outside. You can’t really see where you’re stepping on account of the pile of things you decided to carry. Instead of, you know, putting it all in your backpack like a normal person.

“Wait,” you hear from behind you. You turn, looking up at the dude who walked in on you. He’s standing in the open doorway of the gym, facing you. He’s still blushing. “What’s your name?” He asks.

He probably wants to know so he can tell all his volleyball buddies to avoid you. But his eyes look incredibly innocent. You get the impression that this guy isn’t capable of having ulterior motives of any kind. Maybe he’s just being polite. 

“Y/N,” you say, managing to smile. “What’s yours?” 

“Kageyama,” he says, not smiling back but wearing a pleasant enough expression. 

“Well, I’ll see you around, Kageyama.” You wave and turn, ready to wash this sweat (and his intense gaze) off of you.

—

So much for striking up a conversation.

Kageyama mentally kicks himself as he re-enters the gym. Why couldn’t he speak normally? Why’d he have to be so creepy and silent and scare you off? He groans and leans his back against the wall, sliding down and burying his face in his hands. He had stood outside the door for most of that ten minutes, contemplating whether or not to enter. He should’ve walked away the second he saw you inside. But he couldn’t help it. You were concentrating so hard, your nose scrunched up, your head lowered, your legs and arms working overtime to maintain your remarkable pace. The rope was a blur around you. You were jumping so rapidly you almost appeared to be floating just slightly over the gym floor. Kageyama must have been hypnotized. That’s why he couldn’t bring himself to speak up when he finally did enter the room. He could only stand and bear witness to your private display of athleticism.

That was it - private. It had seemed so private and Kageyama completely ruined it. And then he went and blurted out that he was watching her for ten whole minutes. He was an idiot for thinking he could talk to her without making it weird.

At least he got her name, even though she probably despises him now. Y/N. He lifts his head slowly, feeling defeated. He eyes the abandoned jump rope laying just a few feet away. He sighs, rising to go put it away. But something else on the floor catches his eye, around where Y/N had piled up her stuff. A small, shiny mound.

A ring of keys.

-

part 2 coming eventually, hmu if you want on the tag list, thx for reading :*

[ducktracy]

172. porky’s railroad (1937)

release date: august 7th, 1937

series: looney tunes

director: frank tashlin

starring: mel blanc (porky, bull), billy bletcher (rival conductor)

frank tashlin’s love of streamline design is incorporated into this fast-paced cartoon about life on the railroad: it’s up to porky and his “percolator on a roller skate” to win a race against an uppity conductor and his streamline shoe-in.

the typography lettering the animated title card melt away to reveal a rather complex steam train, chugging along to a merry score of a stalling favorite, “california, here i come”. as to be expected with frank tashlin, we’re treated to close-ups of the train (usually in conjunction with the music score): bells, whistles, wheels and all. some footage of the train itself has been reused time and time again, dating as far back as the buddy era, but the close-ups and camera angles add a layer of freshness to it. the train hurtles straight towards the audience, labeled triumphantly “the 30th century limited -- the railroad’s crack train”, a take on new york central’s 20th century limited train.

for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. iris in to the antithesis of the crack train, a sluggish, bulky locomotive named “toots”, headed by porky pig himself. tashlin takes a job towards hi (least) favorite porcine as the text narrates: “the 15th century unlimited - also a crack train. everything cracked -- including the engineer”. the typography is expertly done, the “15th century” lettering done in an old, archaic font. it’s all too easy to take font for granted these days--remember, these are all hand-painted letters, including title cards!

porky and his crack train toots are headed straight for piker’s peak, a daunting mountain whose height is pronounced in camera pans. the camera pans up a layout painting of the mountain, and then we get a wide-angle distance shot of the train itself attempting to chug forth. to assert the unreliability of the train and its speed, or lack thereof, porky observes a snail scaling up the mountain at lightning pace in comparison. finally, the train stalls out all together.

cut to an overhead angle of porky inside the conductor’s booth, where he reaches into a compartment and withdraws a pepper shaker (a brief closeup of the pepper shaker dispelling any confusion as to what’s in the pig’s hand.) with that, porky shakes the pepper shaker over a burning candle situated where the engine is--note his tail uncoiling and recoiling with each shake--and, predictably, the train begins to sneeze its way uphill, porky giving his blessing with a polite “gesundheit.”  

soon enough, the sneezes grow rapid, and the train speeds over top the mountain like it was nothing. a habit of his, tashlin gets a bit too trigger happy and cuts too quickly for the gag to sink in--the caboose and a few of the box cars actually fly off the tracks on account of the speed. props for conveying such fast speeds, but it’s a little too fast, a problem area of tashlin’s at times. nevertheless, we’re greeted with more layouts of the scenery, motion conveyed by a camera moving closer to the backgrounds. at one point, the train even goes through a very short tunnel. the camera movements of the early LT cartoons can be janky at times, but here they’re conducted very well.

next, a bird’s eye view of porky’s train traversing a number of intertwining tracks. whoever animated this next scene, my hat is off to you--the boxcars all weave in and out of different tracks in a rather short yet complex bit of animation before realigning on one single track. very well executed and very fun, just one of the few scenes that make me say “i’m glad i didn’t have to animate that!”

unbeknownst to porky, however, is a train hurtling right in his direction. porky finally takes note, and hurriedly pulls his train up to an adjacent track just by a depot. however, the caboose is still on the track. at the very last minute, he manages to squeeze in and pull foreward JUST as the train roars by, giving an audibly “whew!” of relief (which i believe is bob bentley animation.) the layout of the two trains “colliding” is nice, but the scene itself has some execution issues: porky pulling up is a bit too quick and looks comically unnatural, and the odd crunching sound effect makes it sound as though the oncoming train actually did collide with the caboose.

porky doesn’t have much time to relax as he’s back on the rails. even tugging on the whistle wildly does nothing to alert the obstacle in front of him, yet thankfully he manages to squeal to a stop. he’s greeted with an obstacle that has haunted cartoon characters for years: it  halted oswald in 1927 with trolley troubles, it plighted mickey and minnie in 1928 with plane crazy, it stopped bosko and honey a mere two years later in sinkin’ in the bathtub, and now porky is up to battle: a cow lying in the middle of the tracks.

carl stalling switches from “california, here i come” to a slow, lumbering yet fitting rendition of “rural rhythm” to accommodate the lazy cow chewing on some grass. the animation of the cow is rather amusing--her tail is high in the air, her exaggerated cycle of chewing is great, and the detail of her haphazardly cracking an eye open to pay porky any mind is another plus. 

stepping off the train, porky opts to bargain with her with a polite tip of the hat. “excu-uh-excu-uh-pardon me, uh-muh-meh-missus cow, will you eh-keh-keh-kindly get off the t-teh-eh-teh-track?” despite his efforts, coupled with another tip of the hat and a smile, mrs. cow stays right put, barely acknowledging porky’s presence. porky’s attempts to make pleasantries quickly fade away in favor of a more hostile attitude, telling her to amscray (putting the “pig” in “pig latin”, i see!) and calling her a mess of T-bones, all while pushing her from behind. 

finally, the cow does step off the tracks on her own, prompting porky to fall flat on the tracks as she lazily stalks away. porky fumes as he marches back onto his train, ranting about how cows like her give milk a bad name, how she can’t give sweet milk with a sour puss like that, etc. 

enter the bull. the bull’s entrance is great: i love the bristling hairs, the assertive glare at the camera, the missing tooth, the flared nostrils. stalling’s score of “rural rhythm” is also wonderfully moody and alert. the bull marches across the tracks and hides behind a bush, with only its tail exposed. porky, not typically known for his intelligence, thinks it’s the cow from before and grows confrontational. “so, you weh-won’t walk, eh? i'll sheh-show you, you feh-four-legged eh-peh-piece of hamburger!” porky tugs on the aggravated bull’s tail before cursing at the bull (which is just dialogue reversed. reversed, the dialogue is “...toots, old gal. don’t pop your...” you can hear a comparison here.) the bull grunts, causing porky to rush back to his train and hurtle across the tracks in a flash. don’t quote me on this, as i’m not 100% sure, but i believe the animation of porky and the bull may be joe d’igalo...?

spark the ever prevalent Tashlin Montage: up-angles of disjointed hands tapping away on a telegraph to communicate the message (that comes out on a paper strip) “stop porky’s train”. more cinematic angles of brakes being pulled, barriers being put up. porky himself screeches his trusty train to a halt, waiting outside the depot as a paper rolls across a wire line to him. he grabs it and observes the news:

“streamline train” is highlighted, and sure enough, we fade to meet tashlin’s streamlined fantasy, a sleek feat of modern architectural design barreling down the tracks, named THE SILVER FISH. there’s a nice little intricate piece of animation as the train weaves closer into view, the conductor tipping his hat to the audience with a commanding grin. 

elsewhere, porky bids his train a tearful goodbye. “au rev-v-vo... au rev-v-v... au rev-v-v--goodbye, teh-t-toots old gal. parting is seh-seh-such sweet seh-seh-sorrow...” however, william shakespig has little time to mourn his loss, for the silver fish itself comes whipping into place in the adjacent track, nearly knocking porky off his feet in the process. 

ever the good sport, porky marches over to greet the conductor (towering feet above him) and wish him good luck. as he sticks his hand out, “mr. silver fish” reaches down and grabs porky, shaking him vigorously. the animation being shot on one’s paired with mel blanc’s near-incomprehensible cries for help pair together for a nice gag. porky flops to the ground, his lowly status only confirmed as the conductor (voiced by billy bletcher) regards his train: “saaay, what is that? a percolator on a roller skate?” the train deflates from the insult, coupled with bletcher’s signature laugh.

volney white animates porky’s close-up as he mutters to the audience “i’ll buh-be-beh-be-bet my eh-t-teh-t-tootsie can beh-beh-beat his old eh-seh-seh-eh-seh-silver fish.” the camera pans out as the conductor lurches into view, picking up porky by his tail and giving him a few pokes in the eye stooges style as he sneers “oh yeah? it’s a bet. we’ll have a race and see!” volney’s animation is very well executed, very dimensional.

fade to reveal both trains on adjacent tracks, complete with a referee toting a starter pistol. tashlin’s need for speed is unmistakable--as soon as the referee fires, the silver fish rockets off in a cloud of smoke, leaving porky’s old train tangled in a pretzel (complete with a score of “you’re a horses ass.) 

the cartoon, at least for me (i am a tad biased on account of my unabashed love for porky), has been rather enjoyable up to this point, but here’s where things get sour. it’s literally 5 seconds, but enough to be incredibly uncomfortable and infuriating: the silver fish rushes past a woodpile (explicitly labeled as such), revealing a black caricature sitting beneath it. the gag itself is based off of an incredibly racist saying synonymous to “a fly in the ointment” or “a skeleton in the closet”--it’s in extremely poor taste and more than uncomfortable. i love frank tashlin, he’s one of my favorite directors, but this leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even if it was 83 years ago. 

nevertheless, the silver fish speeds through a tunnel with such frightening speeds that it actually turns the tunnel inside out--the animation is a bit matter of fact, and thus the gag doesn’t reach the amount of potential as, say, porky pulling his entire garage inside out, but working with a tunnel also poses flexibility issues. it’s easier for a garage to appear rubbery than a tunnel. the silver fish screeches to a halt near a harbor as the bridges raise to let a boat through. it is then when a fish caricature of mae west pops out of the water, spotting the silver fish and cooing “oh boy, what a man!” the tashlin looney tunes shorts of the 1940s would use burlesque and sex comedy as a main topic for lampooning--this is a neat little precursor to that. 

porky finally gets his share of screen time, chugging along frantically. the animation of him pulling on the whistle is incredibly smooth--judging by the complexity of the train and the thickness of porky’s eyebrows, i’d wage this as bob bentley animation. the bridges raise to pass another ship through, the S.S. leon. yes, as in leon schlesinger, who was actually a boatsman! according to a 1939 trade paper, schlesinger was a skipper--he’d bought actor richard arlen’s yacht (named dijo) and rebranded it as, fittingly, the merrie melody. porky’s train rushes right across the bow of the S.S. leon, bringing back a few unwarranted treasures in the process: a life preserver and a singing sailor in a lifeboat (singing “don’t give up the ship”), dangling from pulleys attached to a boxcar.

the temperamental bull from before makes another appearance, watching porky’s train speed by from the hilltops. mel blanc provides the bull’s raspy monologue as the bull recalls his prior experience with porky--”he can’t get away with a thing like that, i’ll show him!” 

sure enough, the bull rushes onto the tracks, bellows out a roar, and rams into porky’s train at the speed of light, literally just a mass of dry brushed streaks. the animation of the bull plowing into boxcars like nobody’s business is more than satisfying to watch. the lack of a music score, just the chuffing of porky’s engine, adds a greater burst to the bull’s impact when he makes contact with the train. the bull, as it turns out, does porky a favor: as he collides with porky’s section of the train, the impact is enough to send him flying. that is, flying right over the befuddled head of the silver fish’s conductor. conveniently, porky lands right across the finish line, where he’s met with cheers and applause from the stands. the underdog wins at last.

iris in onto the side of the silver fish. we pan out to reveal the conductor, a happy porky pig waving his hat in the air in a direct parallel to the conductor’s initial debut. despite the upbeat, celebratory nature, we meet a rather morbid end: the camera pans back to reveal a crushed and mangled toots, a sign draped over it reading “headin’ for the last roundhouse”. iris out.

for its time, this is a very fun and lively cartoon. as to be expected in a tashlin cartoon, the camera angles are divine as always, and the fast-paced cutting, although a bit too fast at times, adds a nice bit of exhilaration to the cartoon. the race between porky and the conductor truly does feel like a race and leaves you breathless at parts. carl stalling’s music score is a joy like always, and the backgrounds are beautifully painted. there are some really unique pans and camera angles of just the layouts alone. tashlin has a fine concept of speed--more than fine, really. he serves as a rather suitable competitor to tex avery in that department. in some cases, he may even surpass him. my only true gripe with the cartoon is the incredibly racist gag--it can be easily skipped, it’s very much a throwaway gag that the cartoon’s success doesn’t rely on, but it does sour my glowing review quite a bit.

nevertheless, this is a fun, early porky entry that’s worth a watch. the racist gag is around 5:28-5:33 in the link i provided.

link! 

(you can also watch the short on HBOmax if you have it--that’s where i got the screenshots from!)

[gb-patch]

Hey, this doesn't really have anything to do with the games itself, but the process of making them. Is there any advice you can give to people making their first visual novel? Love you and your games xoxo

Thank you for the kind words! I can’t guarantee these will be helpful for your situation, but here’s some general things that I like to mention to people who are starting out.

-Don’t try to make your first project your magnum opus. Creating your personal ideal game is hard/stressful enough without the added difficulties of still being in the learning process. Some people feel like they need to get started on their dream project as soon as possible because it’s already going to take a lot of time, but tackling it when you’re not ready can easily lead to the project being too much and just getting cancelled. It’s also quite common for people to not be satisfied with their very first game after they’ve gained more experience, even if they did go for the idea they were most excited about.

-At some point you might feel discouraged or that the project isn’t good enough. From my experience that’s common for devs, unfortunately. Even really big/popular ones. If you feel that way it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong or what you’re doing isn’t worth it. Those kinds of depressing feelings are something that generally always has to be forced through in order for something to get completed. But despite that, do what’s best for your well-being. If the game is crushing your spirit maybe decide to not release it publicly so you don’t have to worry about how other people will respond. Or put the game on hold/cancel it if you need to. There’s nothing wrong with that.

-Set limits for the content amount and/or, depending on your personality, set a time frame limit. If you’re a beginner setting a specific limit on word count/art pieces/etc. can keep the project at a doable scale. But some people can’t help but expand anyways. If that’s the case having a firm point in time where the game has to release can be helpful. Then you’re forced to get it done, or at least as done as possible, regardless of the size it ended up being.

-Putting a game on Steam isn’t too tricky anymore and it can massively expand how many people play it. There is a $100 fee per game, but getting the money needed is generally the only part that can be a deal breaker. If you do have the money and follow some tutorials, being a Steam developer can be a viable option for people just starting out nowadays.

-Maybe join a game jam at some point. There are a lot of fun game jams and they can be very motivating. It’s easier to find people to work with since the concept of the jam can bring in a lot of people who are ready to go, there’s usually a theme that can be used to make coming up with an idea easier, it can be easier to have a sense of community/encouragement by interacting with other people involved in the jam, and there’s a time limit to help drive the game to completion.

-Try not to go long periods of time without working on the project at all. Even if you’re making lists or organizing things rather than making progress on the content itself. For a lot of people it seems the longer they don’t work on something, the harder it is to go back to it. And if you want to make games it’s good to get in the habit of working on them consistently. The sooner it becomes a more regular part of your life the easier it becomes to finish things.

-If the team isn’t a 100% even collaborative effort with no one person that can be pointed to as the director, I recommend that the one leading the project find a way to pay the others. Even if the game itself will be free. You may already have a team set up, but one of the main issues new projects have is that they just can’t fill the roles needed. Offering at least some type of payment can make that more possible. And another killer of projects is when a team member quits or simply vanishes without saying anything. It’s highly demotivating and they may not be replaceable, so it could end the whole project. Paying people won’t completely prevent this ‘cause sometimes people still just have to leave a project, but it lowers the chances. And overall, if people aren’t free to do whatever they want and need to follow someone’s directions, than they’re offering a service. Compensating them for fulfilling the leader’s needs instead of their own is a fair way to do things. The idea of coming up with money for a project can be daunting. It could help to think about how any hobby a person does tends to cost money in some way- whether it be buying a new game, purchasing art supplies, paying for lessons, spending money on gas to go somewhere, or something else. Hiring an artist for custom art is the same type of deal. Though if it is a free project by beginners, it’d be understandable if the wages were lower than professional levels. If the game is going to bring in money somehow, even from donations, than it’s definitely crucial to pay the workers something they’re comfortable with. And I wouldn’t recommend doing revenue share over an upfront payment. Rev share makes things quite a bit more complicated. 

-And lastly, what you’re doing isn’t an impossible feat. It’s something that can be done and you can do it.

Thank you for the question :D!

[gear-project]

Hello, there seems to be tale of a new Guilty Gear installment rather than an Xrd addition from the recent anniversary interview. Honestly I'm a bit saddened by this especially considering the statement made for newer games to be simpler (I also really just wanted Testament to eventually show up in Xrd with all its crazy mechanics rather than a new game). But anyway, can you confirm how true this rumour is?. Is it really that Xrd has come to an end after what feels like a short time?.

Since Baf0’s conversation on Twitter on the Dengeki Report kinda blew it up, I’ll reiterate it here (since Dustloop posts don’t last forever… full translation courtesy of RedSilverSnake):

—The password to unlock Testament and Dizzy in the arcade version of X was “misosoup,” apparently because a programmer working on the game was overheard saying, “Now I want to drink some miso soup…”[I mentioned this earlier.  FYI GGX also had a button code in the console versions.  Look it up at GameFAQs.]

—The development team was casual with naming conventions at the time, to the extent that one of the ideas of what to call what became roman cancels was “cosmetic galaxy.” [I explained some of GGX history, Roman Cancels are wordplay for Roman Candle, a Firework… this symbolism actually transferred all the way to Revelator when Sol talks about Fireworks in one of the closing chapters of the story.]

—There was a question about Fanny from GG Petit, but Ishiwatari says he can’t answer anything about her because he wasn’t involved in her creation. [Sammy Staff were part of the people who assisted in her creation, but the GG character poll suggested that Ishiwatari wasn’t above putting her in a future game if players still wanted her to appear.]

—Advance had a unique move for Venom that Ishiwatari meant to hide, but it somehow made it into the game. [They describe it as a Bomb technique, which I think was hinted at in Night of Knives as well when Millia clashed with Venom.  There’s an item called Calvados Bomb in MOM Mode that generates poison which might have stemmed from that idea.]

—Not everyone who worked on XX knew that Bridget was a boy, which led to a shocked exclamation from a designer. [Story Mode states officially that Bridget is Male and identifies as Male, wishing to become more “manly” as part of his interests. 4chan be damned.]

—When the topic of the series’ bosses being women came up, it was mentioned that Leopaldon’s gender is unknown, but Ishiwatari says that he thinks the dog piloting it may have been female, thus keeping this tradition unbroken. [Gears can be considered “gender neutral” in some cases, because of their DNA, but yes the Dog inside Leo’s mouth COULD be Female, but we don’t know for sure!]

—Leopaldon’s designer did the effects for Jam’s new super in Xrd. [It was also said that Da Eun, Kum Haehyun’s Head Maid was the girl who appeared in Korean #Reload’s original stage.]

—Overture’s total development time was five years, so Ishiwatari says he has a lot of memories about it. [Black memories, I assume, given the reception. >_>]

—The name of Overture’s genre, melee action, has a double meaning; the “melee” part is homonymous with the Japanese word 命令/meirei, which refers to orders, like the ones you give to servants in the game. [Hopefully they’ll do something more improved in a Crusades-like setting someday ala God Eater.]

—Ishiwatari was fixated on how roman cancels could be changed in Xrd, and Pachi recalls racking his mind over the suggestion that they be possible at any time, even during a downed state. [FYI the only way to cancel a knockdown is to recover before it!  BlazBlue has Emergency Rolls and Quickrise motions for this reason, also there was a hack in Accent Core (PSP version codes) that could allow for unlimited cancels in to anything at one point, so the coding is there for it!]

—One idea that was tested during Xrd’s development was being able to roman cancel KOs, but this caused a bug among certain characters where they’d just fall right after getting up following the RC.[This is where the idea of Resurrection came from (related to the Gill boss character from Street Fighter III).]

—Bridget was #1 on the Revelator poll to decide the next playable character until the very last day, when Dizzy got a sudden boost. [Poor Order-Sol…]

—The staff had specific ideas for other characters in the poll, such as Izuna dashing rather than having a regular walk (like in Cross Tag Battle). [I’m sure he’s still in the works for the next game as Izuna was mentioned in Revelator.]

—One of Haehyun’s attendants actually debuted in the Korean version of #Reload, having been added to one of the stages. [Her name is Da Eun, and she is voiced by Elphelt’s VA in Kum’s Episode!]

—Ishiwatari also says that Xrd is probably finished as of Rev 2, and maybe hints that work has already started on the next real sequel.

Now, on to THIS:

As I said, GGXrd Revelator (excluding the add-on Rev2) is technically the SECOND of the Xrd Series… Rev2 (while it is a standalone game now), is the equivalent of “X Plus” to Guilty Gear X.

Most likely there is production for a THIRD XRD game… Revelator’s story hints at it, AFTER STORY hints at it, even the GUILTY GEAR BEGIN novel suggests something’s going to happen after REVELATOR…

So you KNOW something is gonna happen.  Basically the statement is “We’re done with Revelator Add-ons”, is what they’re saying.

So the next GG is gonna be BIG.  That’s all you guys need to know.  Keep supporting ARC System Works, and maybe (JUST MAYBE) the next GG will get a dub like BBTag has!

All we have to do is support any releases (including GG1 and Accent Core for the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PS4 releases).  Guilty Gear The Missing Link should be coming in the next few months along with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R.

I’m banking on this because HAPPY CHAOS (a hinted character) says so!  So you should believe in HAPPY CHAOS!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THE FOUNDER CONTROL

Their investors would have been unbearable. And they each have. And to be both threatening and undignified at the same time. And that didn't just mean that people trusted us. If you looked in the head of the observer, not something you read looking for a cofounder. I'm interested in this topic because I was one. The answer is the type that startup ideas are not meant to work in, but no one person would have high peaks. If circumstances had been different, the people who make things. But as long as you're over a certain threshold. There's a strong tradition within YC of helping other YC-funded startups. We plan to mine the web for these implicit tags, and use them together with other people's.

Just as you're getting settled, you're slammed back in your seat by the acceleration. Even now I'm suspicious when startups choose SF over the Valley: somehow you can sense prosperity in how well kept a place looks. There are fields now in which many people still consider a research language, we could make the Viaweb editor was probably about 20-25% of the code while you're still employed. His critical invention was a refinement that made steam engines dramatically more efficient: the separate condenser. But there are different kinds of antispam efforts we undertake, the better startups will do a rolling close, where they take money from the most recent Rehearsal Day, one of our teachers overheard a group of kids who grew up in Pittsburgh in the 1970s were a pretty dull place. 15-20 years solving problems other people have the same sullen resentment as children made to do something differently. At Viaweb we often did three to five releases a day. Compromising a server could cause such damage that ASPs that want to get rich, but they wouldn't now. Nearly all your attachment to it comes from it being attached to you. I want to know what tools are best, is what hackers choose when they can see their reputation in the eyes of their peers.

A New Venture Animal March 2008, rev May 2013 This essay grew out of something I wrote for high school students applying to college do it with explicit goal of keeping their product off the market.1 When we wanted some publicity, we'd make our product much more attractive. So why not go after corruption? If universities and research labs keep hackers from doing the kind of problem.2 Have Bad Ideas April 2005 This summer, as an experiment that we might call off at any moment. Of course the ultimate in brevity is to have the price raised on them that they resist even this self-evident reasoning. An essay is supposed to be there at certain times.3 I have to say everything.4 But these parse trees are fully accessible to your programs.

You just try to hit it every week. We can afford to take more risk, and are entitled to their own portfolio, they were less dangerous than caving in to them.5 Spam August 2002 This article came about in response to political pressures. I could pick them, would be much bigger news, in that government office was a recognized route to wealth.6 Perl and Common Lisp occupy opposite poles on this question.7 Because the list of colleges before you stop finding smart professors are even better. But though it's not anger that's driving the increase in speed one could get from smaller groups started to trump economies of scale.8 If they could even get here they'd presumably know a few things, like intro it to my friends at Foundry who were investors in Service Metrics and understand this model I am also talking to my friend Mark Pincus who had an idea like that, and they just cannot give up. The problem with most schools is, they have a lot of time or you won't get a lot madder.9

Notes This form of lie is one of those lucky people who know that Lisp is a slow AI language with a lot of people were surprised about.10 And passion is a bad design decision. See randomness. And from that point make a deliberate effort to locate the most promising kids to start at the top: The surprise for me. Ideally when you've raised enough. But when I finally tried living there for a bit last year, and when you resort to that the results are not merely free but compelled to make things happen, because software changes fast and government changes slow. Silicon Valley to succeed. Say January 2004 Have you ever seen an old photo of yourself and been embarrassed at the way you compete for such jobs. Who is being unfair to him?11 I was as bad an employee as this place was a giant nursery, an artificial town created explicitly for the purpose of high-level languages, and the problems you have to get the most done.12

Each is, by itself, enough to kill you. Time costs $5 for 58 pages, or 8.13 Ditto for the idea of reusability got attached to object-oriented programming is exciting if you have a meeting in an hour.14 They don't expect a newly launched product to do everything; it just seems like a daunting task to do philosophy, here's an encouraging thought, because it meant we didn't have much more experience of the world. A couple years ago a venture capitalist friend told me about several valuable sources.15 We'll find out this winter. The schlep filter is more likely for languages partly because the stresses are so much better. I'm not saying public school kids are smarter than others. So although not knowing how to program.

You don't simply get to do it: as well as economic fragmentation. When did Google take the lead? Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry were so similar in that respect. You have to like your work more than any house might. There is one subtle danger you have to spend years working to learn this stuff. A few months ago we replaced it with an iMac bolted to the trunk. But business administration is not what I remember from it, and so on.16

Notes

Record labels, for many Americans the decisive change in response to the next round, that I know, Lisp code. Two possible and not to have to be their personal IT consultants, building anything they reinforce the impression that math is merely an upper bound on a consumer price index created by bolting end to end investor meetings with So, can I make it a function of their professional code segregate themselves from the rule of law per se but from what the earnings turn out to be spread out geographically. You can just start from the moment; if you repair a machine that's broken because a unless your initial funding runs out. Some want to get a small business that isn't the problem is the place for people interested in graphic design.

What we call metaphysics Aristotle called first philosophy. Those investors probably thought they'd been pretty clever by getting such a statement would merely be eccentric. And the expertise and connections the founders realized. But the usual standards for truth.

When you're starting a startup: one kind that has raised a million spams. 43.

A doctor, P. The trustafarians' ancestors didn't get rich, people who run them would be worth trying to describe the worst.

But his world record only lasted 46 days. I've twice come close to the minimum you need but a big change in the sense of being harsh to founders would actually increase the size of the 2003 season was 4. Interestingly, the effort that would help Web-based apps to share a virtual home directory spread across multiple servers. So, can I count you in a couple hundred years or so and we don't use Oracle.

Though most founders start out excited about the meaning of life. Cost, again. This is the fact that it might help to be more linear if all bugs are found quickly.

You can get it, and they succeeded. You've gone from guest to servant. Vii. But politicians know the answer to, but definitely monotonically.

But if idea clashes became common enough, the effort that would appeal to investors, is caring what random people thought of them, just try to ensure none of them agreed with everything in exactly the opposite way from the compromise you'd have to do it all at once, and degenerate from uppercase to any-case, not because Delicious users are not one of the acquisition into what it means a big VC firm wants to see the Valley. I'd encourage anyone starting a startup idea is the lost revenue.

Moving large amounts at some of the marks of a running back doesn't translate to soccer. This is the most successful ones.

The other reason it used to place orders. We don't call it ambient thought. There is no grand tradition of city planning like the word as in e.

Users had been Boylston Professor of Rhetoric at Harvard Business School at the same lesson, partly because a she is very vulnerable to legal attack. Note: An earlier version of this article used the term literally. They can't estimate your minimum capital needs that precisely.

And of course, that they won't be trivial.

Another advantage of having someone from personnel call you about it.

Our founder meant a photograph of a smooth one.

Which feels a bit.

After reading a draft of this. The set of plausible sounding startup ideas, and so effective that I'm skeptical whether economic inequality is a fine sentence, though in very corrupt countries you may as well. At the moment it's created indeed, from the example of applied empathy.

[fanfic-from-a-67-impala]

A Supernatural x Reader Story Chapter Seventeen: The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo, Part One

Word count: 4690

(You can also read it on Wattpad here)

Master Post

Here's when the Charlie x Reader part comes in.  Enjoy!

– Amelia

You don't know how it got stuck in your head, but you have been humming a catchy Katrina & the Waves song since you woke up.  Not even the sharp whistle from the red tea kettle on the stove interrupts the soft, slightly off-key melody.

Instead, you tip the spout of the kettle into the plastic Star Wars-themed thermos, into which you drop a green tea bag and screw on the cover, sliding it across the counter where it rests near a brown paper bag before pouring yourself a mug of the steaming water.

Not even the shuffling of sock-covered feet on the wooden floor stops your humming or the drumming of your fingers on the counter to the imaginary beat.  If anything, the volume increases as the steps get closer and closer.

"Who-o-oah!" a beautiful, similarly off-key voice sings when you reach the respective verse of the song, biting your lip as the smile you hadn't realized had been playing on your lips widens.

Your back straightens when you feel hands sliding onto your hips and across your stomach.  "Mmm," you let out between your teeth releasing your bottom lip.  "'Morning."

"You're up early," she says.  "Thought you were off this morning."

Without warning, or much thought, you whip around to face her in what you hope will be a fluid, sexy movement, only to have the full length of your hair lash across her face.  You are the first to let out a snort in an attempt to cover up a hysterical, uncontrollable laugh as you gasp out an apology, eventually giving up and letting your forehead fall onto her shoulder, which also shakes with laughter.

"Well, that's what I get for trying to be intimate," she pants between giggles as they finally settle and you are left staring in admiration of the beauty of her smile, the sparkle of her green eyes, the tinkling sound of her laugh.

When you first met Charlie, you were living in the cheapest, crappiest motel in town and bussing tables in the bar down the street for minimum wage.  You could never feel completely clean, and the looks you got from your coworkers were so full of pity that it made you uncomfortable, but you couldn't bring yourself to let it deter you.  Anything was better than...

You hand her the paper bag and the thermos, earning you a quick "thank you" kiss on the cheek.

"Don't work too hard," you call, placing a tea bag into your own mug.

She slides her arms into the sleeves of her blue jacket and places her headphones over her ears.  "See ya."

You knew you loved her the moment you saw her.  She was a cute, quirky mystery, the love of your life, even before you got up the courage to talk to her.  You have never felt uneasy not knowing anything about her history, and she never asked about yours, much to your relief.  You could hide the nightmares – you don't toss or turn or cry out.  You just lay there, paralyzed with the fear that you never escaped, eyes closed as if that could keep it from being true.  But if you could feel her there, next to you, it would be okay.  It was enough.

As soon as you hear her yellow moped flying down the street, you take your tea cup to the coffee table, open up your laptop and your notebook, and begin working.

For weeks, you have been scouring the internet for updates on where the leviathans have been and everything they have been doing, trying to prove a theory that would link everything together – that Richard Roman is their leader.  If you can connect him to all of the drugged fast food consumers that seemed to be eaten and replaced by the shapeshifters, it would all make sense.  If you can figure out how he has been managing to take away the senses and reflexes of everyone in the country, you could figure out how to take him down.

Most importantly, you could get Charlie out of his building.

Before you realize that more than an hour has passed, the sun is setting over the Chicago cityscape.  You check the time, not believing how long you have been staring at the computer screen with so little to show for it.

You jump in surprise when your phone vibrates on the end table.

Stuck at the office. Be home tomorrow.

Your brow furrows at Charlie's text message, wondering if she would be all right, wondering what she could be doing at work that would take her all night.

You try to push the thought aside as you close your computer and put your notes away, but it still pulls at your mind while you pull on a tee shirt and jeans, get your make up on, and head out the door.

The walk to the bar where you work is warm enough now that springtime is nearer that you only need to use a light jacket, which you remove as soon as you step into the stuffy, crowded bar.  After you had been working for a month or so, the regular bartender quit, leaving you to pour the drinks.  The hours take a lot out of you, but the pay is enough to keep you on your feet.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

The sun has already risen again by the time your shift is over.  The sun warms the air and makes the top of your head hot to the touch.  It isn't until you are about to enter the lobby of your building that you hear the familiar revving of Charlie's moped racing up the street.

"(Y/N)," she pants after she dismounts.  "We have to go."

"What –" you begin, letting her pull you by the arm across the lobby, up the stairs, and through the front door of your apartment.

"Charlie, what happened?" you ask as she pulls down a bag from the top shelf of the shoe cabinet and frantically begins to stuff into the largest pocket her laptop and jacket and almost everything within reaching distance.

"Charlie," you try again, catching her hand and meeting her eyes, which are so widened in fear that you can see the entirety of her clover green irises.  The sight deepens the pit in your stomach.  "Babe, talk to me."

You see her chest rise and fall as she manages a few deep breaths before nodding.  "Sh-shapeshifters."

Your heart clenches because you know she is not talking about ordinary shapeshifters, and, with all your heart, with every fiber of your being, you want her to never know that there is more to this world than she thinks.

"How do you know about leviath–"

You whip your head around when you hear a thumping sound at the doorway.  No, not the doorway, the bathroom.

Looking back at Charlie, you see that you have already moved in front of her, instinctively, with one arm out as if that could offer any more protection.  Turning back to the direction of the bathroom, even as your heart pounds and your palms sweat, you creep forward to reach underneath the entry table, where you have hidden a loaded handgun, and release the safety.  You don't turn back to see the surprised expression you are sure is on Charlie's face.

"You can come out now," you call, though even you can hear your voice shaking.

For a brief moment, you think that maybe the sound was your imagination, or a neighbor, or the wind, until you hear slow, rubber-soled footsteps on the bathroom tile, eventually crossing over to the hardwood floor of the entryway.

Your heart sinks as soon as you see those legs, wrapped in denim and confidence, even when he sees a gun on him.  Somehow, you know – you know – who it is.

You look up to see his arms, a gun in his hands, raised toward you.  Then his head comes into view, and then all of him.  Not out of fear of the gun, or the knowledge that he would shoot you if he thought you weren't you, but a reflex long-ingrained into your mind, you feel yourself flinch and take a long stride backward.  A look of confusion passes over his face when he sees you before it fades into anger.

Another figure, a slightly taller one, comes up from behind him.  "(Y/N)?" he breathes in surprise.

You have to dart your eyes away from his, the guilt hitting you like a truck.

"That's not (Y/N), Sam," Dean snaps, his eyes not leaving you.

"Dean, I'm me," you reply, slowly uncocking your gun and setting it on the shelf next to you before raising your hands to show that you don't intend to hurt them.  "I promise."

When his expression doesn't change and Sam's looks wary, you, with no sudden movements, reach up to the pocket of your jacket that hangs on the coat rack mounted to the door.  Without missing a beat, both of their guns are pointed at your hand.

"Easy," you warn as you take out a small knife and explain.  "Silver."

You drag the length of the blade across your palm, barely feeling the sting as a dark red line forms and widens, eventually pooling in your hand.

Dean's expression changes from angry to shocked as his eyes travel from your hand up to your eyes, almost questioning.

You give a small nod in confirmation and feel Charlie inch her way toward you from behind before you wipe your hand and the blade on your jeans and flip it over in your hand to hold the hilt in Dean's direction.  "Your turn."

Both he and Sam roll up the sleeves of their jackets and trace a line with the knife in their forearms.

A small part of you, you realize, was expecting, even hoping for, the thick, black ooze that leviathans bleed.

"Look, I'll explain later, okay?" you promise.  "But right now we need to –"

Your words are cut off by the sudden but not unexpected splash of cold liquid in your face, definitely smearing your already smudged eyeliner.  You run your fingers underneath your eyes to brush away the holy water.

"Sorry," Dean mumbles.

You shake your head.  "Don't be," you assure him.  "It's the job."

"What job?" Charlie's voice pipes up beside you.  "And who the hell are you guys?"

• • • • • • • • • • • •

You count Charlie's steps across the living room floor, matching each pace to a stroke of your thumb against your anti-possession necklace.

"So, you're saying you guys are monster hunters?" she asks, uncertainty and nervousness flooding her voice.  "So, there are other monsters?  And you used to hunt with them?"

You nod at her gesture to the boys.

"Why'd you quit?"

As what must be a reflex, for an answer, or maybe just for comfort, your eyes drift to Sam, flicking away just as quickly in guilt.

"Never mind.  I mean, why wouldn't you quit?" she interrupts before you can stutter out an answer, and turns her attention to the boys.  "Okay, I get how you tracked the drive – straight GPS – but it's still at the office.  How did you find me?"

Sam clears his throat before opening his own laptop and pulling up a video stream of red hair and graphic tee shirt and office supplies.

"Son of a gun jacked my webcam?" Charlie exclaims.

"Welcome to Frank," Dean says in hardly a welcoming tone.

She sighs in defeat.  "It's creepy," she comments, "but I'll give it to him."

"Wait a second," Dean's gaze shift to you.  "How did you know about the leviathans?  I thought we were alone in hunting these things."

"It's not like you two are the only hunters in the world," you respond.  "And they're not exactly subtle.  I mean, they've been turning the entire country into walking vegetables."

"They've been what?" Charlie exclaims in the highest pitch you have ever heard from her voice.

"Wait," Sam holds a hand in the air, "how long did it take you to crack into Frank's drive?"

She shrugs.  "A day or so."

Sam's eyes go wide as he looks from her to you to Dean.  "Is there anything you can't hack into?"

"Not yet."

"How about Dick Roman's email?"

"Why would I..." Charlie trails off as realization creeps onto her face.  "Oh, he's one of them."

"No," Sam says, "uh, he's their leader."

Your heart twinges when you see the gears turning in her head.  She was never supposed to know about this, about any of it.  She was supposed to live her life, maybe with you, without having to worry about ghosts or demons or the supernatural.  You were supposed to take care of it.

"The bottom line," you interject, "is that, right now, every human on the planet is meat."

Charlie looks from you to Sam and Dean in disbelief before she seems to accept the overload of new, terrifying information.

"Okay," she says, sitting down at the dining table and opening the laptop in front of her.  "All right, let's do this.  What am I looking for?"

"Well, for starters, anything about archaeological dig sites," Dean begins.

"Like Indiana Jones stuff?" she shoots him a questioning glance.

"All we know is that Dick has been digging all over the world," he explains, "and we need to know what he's looking for."

To the clacking sounds of her keyboard, Charlie mumbles something about the good week she had been having before being dragged into –

"Oh, crap," she mutters loudly enough for you and the boys to hear.

"Look, we get that it sucks," Sam empathizes.

"No, not that," she says.  "This.  Dick's email isn't on the company server.  It's on a private one, in his office."

"Meaning?" Dean asks.

"You can't get in it unless you have his phone or you're at his desk."

"So, you're saying that if we're inside Dick's office, then we can hack into his email?"

"You can't.  Only someone like..." she trails off, realizing what she could be getting herself into.  "But I sure as hell ain't doing it.  I am doing my job, and... What are the chances I see everything on that drive and Dick lets me live anyway?"

Her eyes dart between the two boys, eventually settling on Sam when he speaks up.

"I think you know," he says.

You can see the gears turning in her head as she forms a plan, undoubtedly a dangerous one.

"So, I erase the drive first, protect me and you," she concludes.  "Then, I go back to my old life, right?"

Her eyes dart between you and the boys, who give her uncomfortable looks of doubt.  "What?"

"It's not that easy," Dean says.  "You're on Dick's radar, which means you don't have an old life anym–"

"Dean, a word," you interrupt and nod to the front door, barely catching a glance of Dean raising his eyes to his brother with a shrug before standing and meeting you in the hallway.

Once he closes the door behind him, he throws his hands out to his sides and gives you a questioning look.  "You want to explain to me how the hell you're alive?"

"Not particularly," you mumble, arms crossed over your chest and backing several steps away from him in what you hope are subtle movements.  "I will, later.  But one thing at a time.  We're not sending her in there."

His questioning look fades to one of regret, of sympathy.  "I know it's not what you want to hear," he says, "but it's the only way to shut this thing down, to save people."

"Since when does saving people mean risking innocent lives?"

For a second, he looks hurt, and you bite back the rest of your speech.  It has been years, but you know Dean.  You know he wouldn't put anyone in danger unless he absolutely needed to – unless it was world-saving – and not without a great deal of guilt.

"All right," you concede.  "But we're not going into this without a plan."

• • • • • • • • • • • •

From the bottom of a great steel pillar, you, with all your might, throw the end of a rope up to the balcony-like structure on the second story of the Richard Roman Enterprises building in hopes that it will wrap around the pillar and fall back down to meet you and the opposite end of the rope.

After your third attempt, you finally manage to get the rope to reach the second floor and, with quite a bit of prodding agitation, push the end off the ledge.

Letting out a sharp, relieved breath, having been vaguely aware of Charlie and the boys' conversation over the Bluetooth in your ear, you are snapped back into the bigger picture when she replies, with a slight smile and more confidence than you have ever heard from her voice, "I'm going to kick it in the ass."

In the corner of your eye, you catch sight of a familiar brown flask in the side pocket of her bag, but look away quickly.

When her head turns, almost reflexively, to you, you pull her into a tight hug, not letting go until she begins to gently pull away and you know it is time.

"Be careful," you plead into her ear before kissing her on the cheek.  "We'll get you in and out of there, and I'll be watching you the whole time.  Just promise me, no heroic moves."

Her green eyes look up into yours and she nods.  "Promise."

You let go of her hands and she grasps the long metal handle of the glass double doors and pulls it open.

From a dark corner of the glass, you watch her as she walks through the lobby, past the security guard  behind the desk, and to the elevator, her expression wide-eyed and anxious.  The guard looks at her with curious eyes before shrugging it off, deeming whatever suspicion he had unimportant.

As she disappears behind the elevator doors, you begin to climb the rope, with your feet stepping up the pillar as leverage.  Though you trust in Charlie's hacking skills with the security cameras that the boys are watching from the van, you need to see for yourself that she is safe in the nooks and crannies the cameras don't see.

You throw the rope up two more times, following her up to the fourth floor.  The second and third times, you find, are much quicker than the first.

From the fourth floor, while Charlie switches elevators and access card strips in order to get to the the executive floor, you use the service stairs to climb up to the eleventh floor.

"I'm in," she alerts you and the boys when the doors close.  "I've always wanted to say that."

You can practically feel the eye roll from emanating from Dean as his voice comes through your earpiece.  "You're on the clock.  Move."

With as much adrenaline-powered strength as you can muster, you run the seven flights of stairs before reaching the eleventh floor, breathless and clammy.  Charlie has already stepped out of the elevator and now stands, pressed against a wall, hiding from another guard on the other side of the doors.

"Hey," she breathes through the Bluetooth.  "There's a big-ass guard up here blocking the door.  What do I do?"

"Just wait him out," Dean says.

She turns to peer through the glass at the guard, who sits on one of the benches, flipping through a book.

"He's not going anywhere," she insists.

A pause from all ends of the line before Dean's voice.  "Okay, uh, you work there everyday.  Do you know the guy?"

"I guess," she says.  "I mean, I've seen him.  I've never talked to him."

"Okay, when you see him, does he look at you, or does he just kind of slide his eyes by?" Dean asks, more anticipation in his voice than you would expect.

"Um... eye contact?" she struggles.  "I don't know.  He always kind of smiles a bit.  I don't really –"

"Good," Dean interrupts.  "What you're going to do is you're going to walk right up to him, and you're going to flirt your way past."

You have to cover your mouth with your hand to stifle a laugh.  She lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes.  "I can't," she says.  "He's not my type."

"You're going to have to play through that," Dean says.

"As in, he's not a girl."

"Oh," you hear from Dean's end.  "Oh, so you two... Oh.  Pretend he has boobs."

Charlie's expression turns to a confused grimace.  "Worse."

"I don't know.  Um..." Dean stumbles.  "Do you have any tattoos?  Give him a little sneak peek there.  All tattoos are sexy."

You smirk to yourself, envisioning hers.

"Mine is Princess Leia in a slave bikini straddling a twenty-sided die."

A silence ensues as you imagine the boys attempt to comprehend the design.

"I was drunk," she explains.  "It was Comic-Con."

A pause, then, "We've all been there," from Dean.

"Okay," he says, "I'm going to walk you through this."

Charlie takes a deep breath and exhales before reaching for the handle of the door, at which point, you need to climb further up the building to peer through the glass roof.

"Start with a smile," Dean says.  "Relax, Charlie.  You just got home, and Scarlett Johannson's waiting for you."

Though you can't see her face, you know it looks more relaxed, and you ignore the smallest twinge of jealousy in the pit of your stomach.

As she exits the hallway and crosses into the main room, the guard rises, alert.  "Can I help you, miss?"

"Hey –" she leans to check his name tag as she hold up hers, "– Bill.  Charlie, from I.T."

"Oh," he says, slightly intrigued.  "Burning the midnight oil, huh?"

"Just like you," you hear Dean coach.  "I mean, when you're not at the gym.  What, do you work out with all your free time."

"I try to get to the gym at least three days a week," Bill says in response to Charlie's repetition of the line.  "Just trying to get back to my fighting weight."

"It shows," Dean says.  "You look amazing."

Charlie repeats the compliment to Bill, who seems to stand taller in front of her.

"You ever do anything else with your free time, like take a girl out for a drink?"

"Stop laughing, Sammy," Dean warns under his breath, which Charlie accidentally repeats.

"Um," she stumbles, "y-you don't know that bar – Stop Laughing, Sammy?  That place is bringing sexy back, which is easy 'cause they kept the receipt –"

As she tries to explain her way out of Dean's words, you can hear a stifled chuckle from the other line, followed by, "Stop talking, Charlie," which she also repeats, adding a "Right," under her breath.

"So, um," she continues, playing with her hair, "you were saying about going out, drinks?"

"Um," Bill stutters, "yeah, that'd be great."

"Cool," she says, a bit too excitedly.  "Pencil that in.  Hey, can I ask you a favor?  The ladies' room downstairs is nasty.  Can I use the exec washroom to powder my nose?"

He pauses, considering, before answering with uncertainty, "Yeah, why not?  It's right down the hall.  It's the first door on the right."

She walks past him with a smile but without another word.  While his back is turned, she looks over her shoulder before walking down the hall and out of your sight.

"I feel dirty," she admits.

"You and me both, sister," Dean responds.

After a bit of shuffling, she lets out a sigh.  "The eagle is landing.  Going radio-silent."

"Let us know when you're out," Dean responds.

Soon after hearing the click of Charlie's earpiece, you feel a chill in the air.  You wave it off as a breeze until you see your breath turn to fog and realize it is too late in the year for the air to be so cold.  Your stomach clenches and your hand flies to your necklace, though you know it will not be able to fend off a ghost.

"Guys, do you know if this building is haunted?" you ask.

Silence, then static.

You switch off the earpiece, and a chill runs through you again.  Your stomach clenches in nervousness and you force a deep breath into your lungs, the image of the flask in Charlie's bag flashing through your mind, reluctant to accept what you already know.

"Bobby?" you call into the night air, your shaky voice barely a whisper.

For what seems like minutes, you can only hear your heartbeat and the sound of wind drifting across your ears.

"(Y/N)."

You turn around slowly to face him, but not before rebellious tears begin to well up in your eyes upon hearing the familiar voice you have missed for so long.

Bobby, in all his flannel-and-worn-cap glory, stands before you, only he looks paler, almost translucent.  His expression, you imagine, mirrors yours.

"How...?"

"It –"  You have to clear the lump in your throat and continue.  "It's a long story.  How did you...?"

"Dick put a bullet through my brain," he says, almost casually.

In another circumstance, you would have found it ironic that a human-eating monster would have to use a gun to kill Bobby Singer.  You never thought he would die at gunpoint.

You never thought he would die.

In spite of your rapid blinking, the tears manage to inch their way out.  You don't bother to wipe them away.

You left him.  You knew you would when you made the deal and you didn't tell him.  You saw what it did to him.  Maybe if you hadn't sold your soul, things would have played out differently and he would still be alive.

"I'm sorry," you manage to choke out, though you know you don't deserve forgiveness.  

He reaches a hand out to your shoulder, only for it to pass through, leaving you with a chilly feeling where he would have touched you.  You are almost relieved, knowing you don't deserve his comfort any more than Sam's.

He curls his hand into a fist, upset with himself for not being able to be solid.  "Listen, kid," he says.  "You and Dean put us through a hell of a time.  But I get why you did it."

You are vaguely aware of your nodding as you try desperately to swallow back the tears.

Before you can pull yourself together enough to say anything, his projection seems to glitch and eventually disappears altogether.

As soon as you are sure he is gone, you reach out your hand to grasp the rail for support as your knees hit the metal screen-like material of the steps, letting the tears stream out of your eyes freely.

After several minutes of soaking the shoulders of your tee shirt, you rise to your feet, switch the Bluetooth back on, and begin the trek down the steep steps to the fourth floor.

"(Y/N), where the hell have you been?" Dean asks once you are connected, a significant note of annoyance in his voice, but also a slight twinge of relief.

"Sorry, I..."  Realizing you do not have a good answer to his question, you change the subject.  "What'd I miss?"

"We're on our way to the airport," he says.   "Charlie found an email in Dick's account that says he's expecting a package.  Whatever it is, he wants it bad, which means we have to get to it before he does."

"Are you thinking whatever it is is what he was digging for?"

"His emails showed that he stopped digging weeks ago, which means he found whatever he was looking for.  It's a good bet."

"You guys have a plan?"

A pause on the line, then a less-than-confident, "We're working on it."

[greatwrath]

Azrael’s powers and abilities [UPDATED]

• Immortality - As an Archangel, Azrael possesses an unending lifespan. Her vessel does not age. 

• Bioluminescence - When Azrael revs up her Light, it spills out over her vessel, first from her eyes, then through her skin. 

• Mental Projection - Azrael is capable of projecting her consciousness into someone else’s mind. This ability is especially useful for communicating with people who are possessed by another entity, or communicating with people who are unconscious. 

• Heightened Senses - Azrael’s visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory senses are incredibly sensitive. This is why she frequently wears dark tinted sunglasses and steers clear of modern foods with too much sugar. Her senses are that way to give her an edge in battle. However, in the modern world, Azrael can become overwhelmed with so much input. 

• Temperature Resistance - Azrael is easily able to withstand some pretty extreme temperatures, from about -1500 °C and + 1500 °C. However, in the event that she is badly injured, her Light, which is normally super hot and bright, will fade and its temperature will drop, leaving her susceptible to the cold. 

• Enhanced Reflexes - Azrael’s average reaction time is a little more than five hundredths of a second (fifty-five milliseconds) - faster than a Lamborghini gear shift. 

• Enhanced Strength - Azrael is strong enough to throw a 300lb man through a steel reinforced wall. She can also break a gun in half, punch through metal or solid rock etc.

• Enhanced Combat Skills - Warrior angels and Archangels possess superhuman hand-to-hand combat skills. Basically, you don’t want to get into a fight with Azrael, because she is probably at least four times faster and hits harder than a motherfucker. 

• Expert Swordsmanship - Azrael has been wielding Vanquish for upwards of 300,000 years, so it goes without saying that she has both the skills and the experience handling a sword. This is an example of how Azrael uses a sword. 

• Regenerative Healing (Limited) - Azrael can easily heal anything that was’nt dealt by white fire or empyrean steel. Wounds dealt by white fire and empyrean steel are difficult to heal, especially given the fact that Azrael has to rely on her own steam. 

• Soul Detection - Azrael can tell whether you have a soul, and what sins you have committed. That’s partly how she can tell whether a person is a half-breed, because the soul of a half-breed is distinctly different from a mortal human soul. 

• Heavenly (White) Fire Production - As an Archangel, Azrael can summon white fire to the blade of her sword, which remain burning until she extinguishes it.

• Memory Manipulation - Azrael can erase memories and manipulate them. It’s not something she uses often, but she can do it. 

• Extrasensory Perception - Azrael can see and communicate with spirits lingering in both the astral and earthly realm. She also possesses Claircognizance, clairsentience, clairaudience and clairomancy.

• Telekinesis (Limited) - Like the other Archangels, Azrael is a very, very powerful telekinetic, even running on her own steam. At the height of her power, she could’ve easily raised the Titanic from the Atlantic ocean without experiencing any blowback. She could do the same now, but it would put significant strain on her and result in her running out of power entirely. 

• Resurrection of dead mortals(Limited) - Azrael is more than capable of bringing a dead person back to life, even if that person’s body is desiccated and rotted. It takes some time and a lot of power, but she can do it.  • Temporal Control (Limited) - Temporal control is how angels travel through time, though they usually only use it when ordered to do so. Azrael has only used temporal control once, and it knocked her out for several days because of her being disconnected from The Source. In that instance, Azrael divided her light into billions of fragments and spread them across the previous nine hundred years.

• Photokinesis (Limited) - Azrael can manipulate her Light to make images that look like holograms. Sometimes she uses her Light to show people what she looks like in her second form, sometimes her Light pulses in her hands and on her fingertips, sometimes she forms the a map of the cosmos around her  

• Interdimensional Travel/Teleporting - Azrael uses this ability to get places quickly, to move around in battle, and to move between the earthly realm, the spirit world and the heavens. She can also shift between alternate dimensions in order to hide from her enemies.

• Atmokinesis - Azrael can and has been known to conjure up some pretty crazy storms, like the storm she created to destroy the Tower of Babel. Around the time of Moses, the Egyptians became afraid of dark clouds and lightning. The storms are probably part of how Azrael earned ‘the great wrath’.

• Wing Manifestation - Azrael has gigantic wings in her corporeal ‘cryptid’ form, and they translate onto her vessel as two six-foot-wide wings with pitch-black feathers. They are bulletproof, sharp as razors when they need to be, and very sensitive.

• Self Sustenance (almost) -  Azrael doesn’t require water/food/air, and does not ‘evacuate’ waste. The only thing Azrael does require is sleep, but she refuses to sleep all the same.

• Earth Contaminant Immunity - Azrael is immune to all pathogens from the Earthly/physical realm. That means things like polio, rabies, small-pox, tuberculosis, leprosy, bubonic plague etc. However, rare and fatal pathogens created in Hell, or created by Raphael’s angels, can infect Archangels.

• Omnilingualism - Azrael can speak and read every language ever written or spoken on Earth, including her own mother-tongue. She also understands the Infernal languages but never speaks them. These are the languages she speaks, reads and write:

Enochian, Demonic Tongues (Cthonic, Gehenic, Tartarian, Purgatic etc.), English, Middle English, Latin, Aramaic, Hausa, Iroquoian (Seneca, Cherokee, Mohawk Etc.), Phoenician, Ammonite, Māori, Archaic Japanese, Haitian Creole, Navajo, Qaniujaaqpait, Old Chinese, Old Cyrillic, Powhatan, French, Nepalese, Italian, Inuktitut, Russian, Adamic, Chaldeac, Kathlamet, Xhosa, Spanish, German, Sanskrit, Assyrian, Malay, Filipino, Shina, Ancient Greek, Persian, Sumerian, Archaic, Punjabi, Egyptian, Afrikaans, Chiricahua, Old Huron, Hebrew, Gothic, Etruscan, Scythian, Proto-germanic, Western Apache, Celtic, Swahili, Yucatec Maya, Akkadian, Malagasy, Mycenaean Greek, Carthaginian, Sinhalese, Zulu, Mauritian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, Xiang Chinese, Turkmen, Uzbek, Nobiin, Atikamekw, Mi'kmaq, Kashmiri, Gujurati, Kurdish, Tamil, Chechen, Portugese, Witsuwit'en, Kazakh, Icelandic, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Qatari Arabic, Sioux, Cree, Korean, Algonquian (Ojibwe-potawatomi, Menominee, Cheyenne), Tibetan, Urdu, Adyghe, Bhutanese, Kachin, Burmese, Kabardian, Lithuanian, Old High German, Hittite, Danish, Mayan, Somali, Batek, Amharic, Manding, Vietnamese, Thai, Kordofan Nubian, Pictish, Turkish, Kanakanabu, Coptic, Lao, Khmer, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Auyokawa, Sentinelese, Jarawa, Czech, (Irish, Scottish) Gaelic, Welsh, Gaulish, Proto-celtic, Old Brythonic, Maharashrtri, Bering Strait Inupiatun, Eskimo-Aleut, Kalaalisut, Signing Exact English, ASL Etc.

• Ecological Empathy - Angels have a connection to all creation, including plants and animals. If you see Azrael talking to an animal, she’s not mad, she’s just doing what angels do.

• Enhanced Intelligence - Azrael’s IQ number is 400+ approximately, which is twice the number of the most intelligent human being.

• Possession - Although Azrael has her own vessel, she can possess a human body for a limited amount of time. If she is out of a vessel for an extended period of time, then she can become disorientated after returning to her body or another body.

• Neurocognitive Deficit - In the event that Azrael is low on power or experiencing a lot of pain, she can put herself into neuro-shut down, which essentially means that she is still in her vessel but totally unresponsive to all outside stimuli. This is also called a state of dormancy.

• Dimensional Awareness - The power to detect cross-dimensional portals/barriers within their proximity. Useful when Hell gates are opened.

• Astral Trapping - “The user can restrain, trap and/or seal astral beings (including astrally projecting being, ghosts, spirits, psychic entities, etc.) into a specific place, item or being (possibly allowing their energies to be tapped by others) or prevent them from entering certain areas or possessing beings/items. They can prevent a ghost from manifesting, prevent an astral projector from entering their body, or force ghosts on or off their plane of existence.”

• Beacon Emission - Azrael can send out a sort of SOS signal which can be perceived by other angels and intercepted by some other creatures. It’s kind of like the ping from a crashed aircraft.

• Omnidirectional Light Waves - Azrael can release a blast of destructive light that is powerful enough to send anyone and anything standing in its way flying. It’ll also smash windows and lights, and knock out the electrical grid. 

• Energy Field Emission - The energy field around Azrael is a constant presence. It’s is the reason people who encounter her experience cold chills, goosebumps, and a feeling of dread when she gets close. 

MISC. • She is immune to radiation. • She can interfere with the electrical grid (power cuts) and manipulate electrical instruments.

[watchmanis216]

American Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising

As the green of Spring comes at the end of a brutal winter, there is more Clarity than ever!

“God who gave us life gave us Liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” –Thomas Jefferson (1774)

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It is here, the Clarity which has been brought to bear this time. It is a Rising of the division that separates us. In the Civil War it was slavery, today it is the differences in which direction this nation shall go! In the midst of the spring, a cry sounds forth, the battle wages on, and yet as it does; we find our God is still on the throne. In these moments we find just whom we serve, God or mammon; the USA or Jesus Christ! ..The Watchman Dana G Smith

Table of Contents

Clarity Spring 2017: Trump. 1

Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising. 2

Clarity Spring 2017: Lawlessness. 3

Clarity Spring 2017: Thomas Jefferson. 3

Clarity Spring 2017: Evil or Righteousness. 4

Hab 3:17-19. 4

The Judgment. 5

Rev 22:7-13. 5

  American Clarity Spring 2017: Trump

In our neck of the woods when March arrives, we are in spring. While the actual day of spring is not until March 20th, we start the first of this month.  The 12th of this month [this Sunday] is the time we ‘spring forward’ all clocks. So everything here is looking like another change of the season.

While nature, the earth, and the season take their course there is another continuation, that of the resistance of the Obama operatives and Soros minions.  These people still cannot wrap their heads or their hearts around a Trump Presidency. With their hate at an all-time high,  I believe Obama basks in the rebellion.  They have vowed, swore, cursed, used witches curses, and will never accept Trump nor this election. That is what they say. As Obama and his administration is lawless, so too; this rebellion is of evil heart and lawlessness is at the core of it.

On the opposite side to Obama and Hillary, we find Donald Trump and his supporters.  In the midst of attacks and protests by the liberals Trump and his supporters decided to have ‘Make America Great Again’ rallies which were to occur in 60 cities throughout the USA.  The last Make America Great again rally was a short time ago in Florida. The rallies celebrating new hope for America and Trumps victory, was the beginning of a new change to truly “Make America great again.”  Now whether it actually succeeds or not, Trump wants to give it his all and his supporters back him. The opposition wants him to fail, but today in America Trump has given Hope to millions who supported him.   It is about basic American values, business climate, and opposition to the socialist and globalist policies of Obama.

So as the grass and the trees all begin their yearly migration into full bloom, there are those who plan on making America a truly chaotic time.  However, there are those full of hope and want to see this country move from its lawlessness, chaos, and social globalist policies back to where it once was.  We find lawlessness on one side and Hope on the other. Which side are you going to be on?

Thousands of people across the country took to the streets Saturday in a show of support for President Trump, participating in rallies and proudly carrying American flags and signs that read messages such as “Deplorables for Trump” and “Make America Great Again.” ABC News

American Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising

However, in spite of the Hope by many who support Trump; we find the the competition and hate mongers are not finished and they recently had a spokeswoman who urged the troops to rally in opposition to Donald Trump.

In a video release, Loretta Lynch; Obama’s former Attorney General and one who should care about the law and being lawful has declared it was a “time of concern for people who see our rights being assailed”. Translation, “I’m mad as hell, like you are that Trump won and is the process of dismantling Obama’s policies”!  Loretta Lynch may have been an attorney General, but she was bias and followed the script of Obama. So in her continuation of following Obama she released this video. She speaks of “our Founding Fathers” like she cared [or Obama cared] for them.

“I know it’s a time of concern for people, who see our rights being assailed, being trampled on and even being rolled back. I know that this is difficult, but I remind you that this has never been easy. We have always had to work to move this country forward to achieve the great ideals of our Founding Fathers.” ..Loretta Lynch

In fact, Obama clearly pushed “spread the wealth” and a socialist ideal. He clearly also saw the US constitution not as a blessing from God but one that was “fundamentally flawed”.  So it is without any hesitation that Lynch also is anti-constitutionalist and anti-Forefathers. It is clear by their socialist agenda and the push they have worked on for eight years to undermine basic fundamental rights. Lynch then goes on to push out a message that would motivate opponents of Trump to do something. The Key words in her address were “banded together”, “ordinary people”, “marched”, “bled”, “died”, and “this is hard”!  Her point is for every ordinary American who opposes Trumps agenda are to band together and march, in that process Lynch wants to be sure that these whom she is addressing will make their opposition heard. How do they do that? Through disobedience, violence, and some of this would mean that there will be blood in these marches and some may even die!  In short, again “blood in the streets”, bring change no matter what!

American Clarity Spring 2017: Lawlessness

Loretta Lynch’s own words follow:

“It has been people, individuals who have banded together, ordinary people who simply saw what needed to be done and came together and supported those ideals who have made the difference. They’ve marched, they’ve bled and yes, some of them died. This is hard. Every good thing is. We have done this before. We can do this again.” Loretta Lynch

It is to be sure her message will find its target. The Obama administration knows full well the power of the internet, especially the push on video to thousands of gullible young Obama and Soros supporters who are willing to destroy their own neighborhoods, cities, and even America itself if it won’t listen to them. The results and the election be damned, full steam ahead with a spring focused on chaos and destruction.

  So Lynches words are clearly, “anti-law, anti-constitution, anti-Trump, anti-liberty”! 

  The Washington Standard’s editor, Tim Brown says of the urging by Loretta Lynch to be stirred up:

Understand that this is a woman who is stirring up people with no legitimate reason to do so.  She can’t even tell anyone what rights are being violated.

However, let’s consider the rights of the people that her boss violated.  How about his constant attacks on the rights protected under the Second Amendment?  What about the goons that imposed “Free Speech Zones” at Bundy Ranch under Obama?  How about Homeland Security under Obama that claimed anywhere 100 miles inside the border and coastline are “Constitution Free Zones” so they can seize and search your stuff, and a federal judge upheld it as constitutional when it clearly is not?  What of Obama’s silencing of the press during his Vice President’s speech?  What of the orchestration of the White House when it came to the Oregon State Police and FBI in the murder of LaVoy Finicum?.. Tim Brown, Editor, Washington standard

  American Clarity Spring 2017: Thomas Jefferson

Now that’s freedom for you. I am sure Thomas Jefferson would just allow these knuckleheads to go ahead and destroy all that he and the other signers of declaration of Independence worked hard on. But the real truth is he would oppose the agenda of Barack Hussein Obama given the fact that Obama looked with distain on the document, only using it to forward his own purposes to change America and its system.

  However, Thomas Jefferson warned “not to make it a blank paper by construction”. If we allow people to push their own interests and despotic ways on us, then that written constitution becomes a blank piece of paper in regard to the true freedoms that were meant for this nation. Jefferson said pointedly to “bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution”.

  “Our peculiar security is in possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction. … If it is, then we have no Constitution. … [T]o consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions … would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. … In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” Thomas Jefferson

Plain and simple words, the Judicial judges:  local, state and federal are not to legislate change, nor be the one constructing the rights of the constitution. Judges today are oligarchs, depots who are politically appointed, who rule politically and in favor of their own ideas. They are not based on the constitution and certainly are not held accountable by anyone for their devious decisions.  

Judges today are not held accountable nor bound to the truth of the US Constitution, they are certainly not chained to it, this is obvious by their decisions.

American Clarity Spring 2017: Evil or Righteousness

As we therefore enter into the spring of 2017, we can see signs of growth and hope. In my neck of the woods I shall embrace green grass, growth, gardens of plenty, and activities of family and friends. While there are enemies in America, this will not be the first time. I will apply to the Lord God, through his word; so that which is provided for me and my family through faith will arrive according to the abundance of his grace, mercy, and love towards me. But it is also towards all those who love him, embrace him, and walk in his ways.

Let the evil do their evil, but let the righteous and the holy; be just that. In the end, should America fail or fall; at least we have had one last chance to “Make America Great again” and for me personally that means that the One True God and our Father and his only begotten Son Jesus Christ are again in the folds of the Constitution and in the fabric of US society.

But if America truly is not where it should be, and Evil rules the day and nation, let us be Righteous…Holy… according to Gods word! For our Hope is in the final analysis in our God and Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.  For us, here Habakkuk’s last words have a permanent place and root in these days we live in.

Hab 3:17-19

(17)  Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

(18)  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

(19)  The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

  If chaos comes by the evil hands of those in America, then I shall not be found in chaos; but peace. I shall walk in faith and not fear, for great is the Lord who has redeemed me and kept me. While chaos reigns, his peace shall rule my soul and his words shall light my path.  For the LORD God is my strength and my Hope through Jesus Christ. If God be for us, who can be against us?

The Watchman Dana G Smith

The Judgment

The avenue of Evil or Righteousness is judged by the Word of the Lord, the commandments written in the scriptures, and by those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord. John 1, John 3

The righteousness of men is not judged in the flesh, by being Democrat or Republican; a follower of Obama or Soros or of Donald Trump.

The Judgment of God will be upon all nations and men and that judge will be Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha Massiach; Lord of Lords and King of Kings. For he alone is Alpha and Omega and everything in between. He is the Almighty!

Rev 22:7-13

(7)  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

(8)  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

(9)  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

(10)  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

(11)  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

(12)  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

(13)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

American Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising An in-depth Biblical commentary, writing from the WIBR/WARN Radio by The Watchman Dana Glenn Smith Listen to the WIBR/WARN Radio with the Watchman and Co-Hosted by Tower, see schedule that follows.

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American Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising American Clarity Spring 2017: The Rising As the green of Spring comes at the end of a brutal winter, there is more Clarity than ever!

[itsworn]

How to Select the Best Intake For Your Naturally Aspirated Coyote Engine

Modern Ford enthusiasts will be happy to hear that old-school hot rodding tricks are not dead. Ford has done a fantastic job engineering the 5.0L Coyote engine, which currently makes 460 hp in the 2018 Mustang GT and as much as 480 horsepower in Mustang Bullitt, and that’s all from just 302 cubic inches. The slightly larger 5.2L VooDoo engine in the Shelby GT350 produces 526 hp.

Common mods for all these models include cold-air intakes, performance tunes, headers and free-flowing exhaust. Owners of the 2015-17 5.0L Mustangs can also join in the fun with similar mods that help their Coyotes, too.

In fact, swapping a better intake onto a 2015-17 GT can yield a nice power gain. Recently, we had the chance to tag along with Justin Starkey of VMP Performance in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, as he ran an extensive intake manifold test on a 2015 Mustang GT. I say extensive because Starkey and his team installed and dyno tested a variety of different intakes on a 5.0 Coyote engine.

“We pride ourselves on developing new technology and digging deep to find every drop of horsepower and torque for our customers,” said Starkey. “There use to be very few options for Coyote intakes. Now there are more than a half-dozen options, including factory intakes and a few aftermarket versions. We can even modify an existing intake for better flow by opening throttle body area and trimming material near the injector bosses,” he added.

Better Flow Equals More Power

It’s no secret that extracting horsepower and torque from any internal combustion engine requires feeding a precise mixture of oxygen and fuel to the cylinders, igniting the mixture with a timed spark, and harnessing the heat energy released from the fuel. The release of heat energy provides the push on the pistons and ultimately, power at the wheels. With that understanding, if you can increase the amount of oxygen delivered to the cylinders, you can burn more fuel and make more power.

One way to achieve that result is with an intake manifold that’s matched to the desired rpm range, displacement, cam profile, exhaust, and compression ratio. Often, the stock manifold is a compromise due to fitment, emissions, overall performance and need for perfect drivability.

Or, there may just be better designs that came after the one you have on your engine. Furthermore, the best intake for “your” combination may be the one producing the most horsepower, the most torque, or the best average power. So, when picking an intake, look at the big picture, not just the big horsepower numbers.

Manifold Sizing

Keeping with the Ford theme, each of the manifolds in this test wears a Ford or Ford Performance part number. There are a few high-flow aftermarket units available, but for this test, we kept it in the Blue Oval family. Intakes included a stock 2015-2017 Coyote intake; a 5.0L truck intake; the free-flowing Shelby GT350 VooDoo intake; a 2018 Mustang GT manifold; a ported 2018 GT intake; a Boss 302 unit, and lastly, the racy Ford Performance Cobra Jet intake.

While many of the intakes look similar, they offer differences in the plenum and runner size. Larger plenum and larger runners are often used when more airflow is required. The plenum and runners combine to feed air and atomized fuel to the intake ports in the cylinder heads. Size, shape, and volume of the plenum and runners are key components of intake design because for the most part, they dictate the rpm potential (and horsepower potential) of the engine.

Simply stated, long-runners often promote excellent lower-to-mid-rpm power, while shorter runners are more efficient at feeding the cylinders at high rpm. On that note, changing the length and taper of the runners can move the power band up or down.

Filling the cylinders starts with the downward stroke of the pistons. The intake stroke creates a pressure drop in the cylinder, meaning the pressure is lower in the cylinder than the intake manifold. This results in air rushing into the cylinder once the intake valve opens because pressure in the intake is higher then in the cylinder. And as we know, pressure always tries to equalize. However, since the intake valve is only open for a brief moment, maximum velocity of the air/fuel mixture is required to effectively “fill” the cylinder and achieve high volumetric efficiency.

This is why an intake with huge runners isn’t always the best choice. Intake sizing is determined by displacement, camshaft selection, compression ratio, desired rpm, gearing and vehicle weight.

And as you’ll see, five of the intakes in our test feature a long-runner design, while two, the Boss 302 and the Ford Performance Cobra Jet, utilize a box plenum and shorter runners. Furthermore, six of the manifolds accept a round, factory-style throttle body, with the Cobra Jet intake requiring an oval unit.

The Test Mule

Finding a suitable Mustang for the test was easy. VMP rolled out its in-house 2015 Ford Mustang GT dubbed Track Attack. This Ford Mustang debuted at the SEMA show a few years back. It features an Air Force Fighter theme and has blazed its way around a multitude of tracks including drag racing and half-mile racing to open track road racing.

It’s also featured a few engine combinations over the years. It was first built with supercharged 5.0L making close to 1,000 horsepower. Now it’s powered by a near-stock 2017 5.0 L Coyote engine with improved breathing from a JLT Performance Cold-Air Intake, Dynatech long-tube headers, and Cervini’s side exhaust. The Ford Mustang runs on 93-octane fuel and has a VMP Performance tune. “These are basic modifications, but they represent what many 2015-2017 Mustang owners have, so the information will be incredibly helpful,” added Starkey. Track Attack also features a factory MT-82 6-speed transmission and 3.73 rear gearing.

The Test

With a little work, all the Ford intake manifolds are interchangeable between any 2011-present 5.0L Mustang GT and the 5.2 L Voodoo engine found in the Shelby GT350. Manifold swaps on the Coyote are relatively easy and can greatly enhance power if you select the right one for your combination.

We started with the 2018 Mustang GT intake. This manifold is similar looking to the 2015-17 intake, but it has a larger plenum and larger runners. It was designed to help Ford extract 460 horsepower from the base ���18 GT engine. This intake produced a peak of 457 rear-wheel horsepower and 391 lb-ft or torque, which are impressive numbers for an over-the-counter factory intake.

Next up was the 2018 intake with minor porting. In all actuality, this is a stock 2018 intake that was simply cleaned up. This included trimming around the throttle body opening, removing any flash from the original mold, and they port-matched the runners to the ports in the heads. The results were impressive. Track Attack jumped to 462 horsepower and 402 lb-ft of torque, a nice gain for only a little extra work.

The next unit tested was the Shelby GT350 intake. All Shelby GT350 Mustangs produce 526 horsepower, so we expected big things from this free-breather. We bolted the GT350 intake to the GT and to our surprise, max power dropped a bit to 457 and 397 lb-ft of torque. While the GT350 intake is bigger, the 2018 manifold was better matched to the smaller displacement, cams, compression ratio, and the smaller heads. But, we liked the power at the top of the curve and this would be a great intake if you have extra cubes or if you plan to rev past 7,500 rpm.

Next up was the popular Boss 302. This manifold was standard issue on the 2012-13 Boss 302, which produced 444 horsepower. Unlike the Mustang GT intake, the Boss looks more like a conventional tunnel ram. It’s got the throttle body up front, a big plenum, and upright runners. Despite being the coolest looking of the regular-production intakes, the Boss gave up power, producing 450 rwhp and 392 lb-ft of torque. This is still an upgrade over the stock 2015-17 intake, and it’s a great choice if you’re going with boost. This manifold is also available from Ford Performance with PN M-9424-M50BR.

Next, we swapped the Boss for something unconventional: a 5.0L Coyote Truck intake. Truck engines are typically designed for low-rpm torque and in this case the F-150 intake gave the Mustang more grunt in the low range. Torque was much higher, peaking at 413 lb-ft at the tires, with only a small loss in power compared to the 2018 intake (453 for the truck and 457 for the 2018 GT). Unfortunately, the truck intake ran out of steam at 6,500 rpm, so we’re not sure it would be a great choice for any Mustang.

Starkey followed up with the original 2017 intake. This intake performed much like the truck intake, producing nearly identical power. By 6,500 rpm the Coyote was out of gas, proving there’s power on the table for even a mildly modified 2015-2017 Mustang GT with a simple intake manifold swap.

Last on the table was the racy Ford Performance Cobra Jet intake. This composite intake is similar in design to the Boss, with a huge plenum and tall runners. This unit was originally designed for the naturally aspirated 2014 Cobra Jet but has been widely used by racers everywhere. Peak power equaled the ported 2018 GT with 462, but it actually averaged more power for almost 1,000 rpm. Torque was virtually equal to the 2018 intake, and this was on an engine with stock cams and heads. No doubt we’d see huge gains with ported heads and aftermarket cams.

To compliment the test, VMP created a video so you can see each manifold in action. Justin Starkey, president of VMP takes you through a detailed account of each test with dyno sheets so you can compare each intake. So click the link, watch Track Attack pump out the power and you’ll be ready to pick the best manifold for your Mustang.

This lineup represents virtually every factory Ford Coyote intake.

First up was the factory 2018 5.0 Mustang GT intake.

The 2018 intake on the 2015-17 engine produced 457 rwhp.

There’s power to be had with a little intake cleanup. The Ported 2018 intake showed 462 rwhp and revved nicely past 7,000 rpm.

Next up was the Shelby GT350 intake. It features larger runners designed to feed the 526 hp 5.2L VooDoo engine.

GT350 intake performed nicely on VMP Performance’s Track Attack Mustang GT.

It was down a touch compared to the ported 2018 intake, but produced a flat curve from 6,000 to redline.

The Boss 302 intake was designed for the 2012-13 Boss 302 Mustang that produced 444 hp in factory trim. It’s a popular bolt-on for 2015-2017 owners.

The Boss intake looks great and produced 450 rwhp.

Boss also produced a very flat curve.

To mix things up we even tried a 5.0L Coyote truck intake.

As suspected, the truck intake made great torque, but it didn’t have the capacity to provide high-rpm horsepower.

The Cobra Jet intake, offered by Ford Performance, is similar to the Boss, but with a larger plenum, larger runners, and it’s designed for an oval throttle body.

The CJ intake can cause hood clearance issues on 2015-17 Mustangs. We also had to run a different cold-air setup due to the oval throttle body.

CJ gave us 462 rwhp and never ran out of steam. This would be the best choice if you plan to rev past 7,500 rpm.

The post How to Select the Best Intake For Your Naturally Aspirated Coyote Engine appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/select-best-intake-naturally-aspirated-coyote-engine/ via IFTTT

[jesusvasser]

First Drive: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata

SAN FRANCISCO, California — As time appears to be running out on the human driver-operated, three-pedal sports car, minor mid-cycle upgrades on such beasts take on greater importance. Enjoy more power and better option choices while you can.

To that point, the automaker formerly known for Zoom Zoom organized a big, multi-wave road trip up the West Coast to unveil the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Driving Matters company could easily have introduced the mid-cycle refresh by dropping a handful of ’19 Miatas into various press fleets in Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, and perhaps Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami, along with press releases describing the changes.

But then, yours truly would not have discovered a perfect—if not the perfect—twisty road for this sports car, Highway 9 eastbound out of Santa Cruz, and north of the middle of the second wave, which covered San Luis Obispo to San Francisco. California 9 reveals that the ’19 ND Miata’s most prominent upgrade, its engine, is all about mid- to upper-range horsepower.

Power is up 26 to 181 hp while torque has risen a mere 3 pound-feet, to 151. Most importantly, redline now is up by 700 revs to 7,500 rpm. This does not mean a big improvement in straight-line performance, except that the car may not need a time-consuming upshift to third before topping out on a 0-60 mph sprint. With the new fatter powerband, the old engine’s dropoff, running out of steam before you reach the redline, is gone. It’s now worth it to work that rev-limiter.

Hold, say, third gear longer before reaching the next turn whereas with the old 6,800 rpm redline you’re more likely to have to upshift to fourth just before braking and downshifting, again. On my favorite portion of California Highway 9, a six- or seven-mile stretch which I drove both directions in a convertible Club model, I spent very little time shifting either way out of third gear, despite the fact that I had control of the world’s best-feeling, most intuitive gearbox at my right hand along with pedals spaced nicely for heel-and-toeing.

Mazda PR sent us a note after the drive to say that the 7,500 limit is a “low-gear, transient-condition redline,” essentially when “driven aggressively,” such as on the track. Otherwise, the redline is 7,200 rpm. It seems I was driving it “aggressively” enough on Highway 9 and Highway 1 to be in that transient condition, and in any event the lack of pre-redline dropoff is where you’ll feel the most of this improvement.

Mazda converged chassis tuning on the convertible and the RF for the ’18 model year, and so the RF feels a bit softer on tight, twisty roads due to its higher mass (though it still weighs less than an NC ragtop). Miata detractors will continue to find the car too soft, and that’s a legit argument. Those of us for whom speed and acceleration isn’t as important as polar moment of inertia will consider the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata as having taken another step toward perfect automotive balance.

Why did we have to wade through three model years of ND1 before the car got a power band that could beat the NC Miata’s?

The ND and its gearing “was set up for the original powertrain [the new Miata] was supposed to have,” the 1.5-liter, says Dave Coleman, Mazda North America’s manager for vehicle dynamics engineering. The new smaller four, sold in the MX-5 everywhere but North America, fit with Mazda’s desire to downsize the sports car and save every possible gram of weight.

But Mazda North America was having none of that, and instead shoehorned the 155-hp 2.0-liter Skyactive I-4 from the Mazda3. There was no time, or perhaps no money considering all the resources going into the ND and its new 1.5L, to rework the bigger engine for the 2016 model year.

For the ND2, launching in the car’s fourth model year, Mazda heavily massaged the Skyactive 2.0, though Coleman does not consider it a new engine. It has a fatter, more useful power band and a 1-mpg increase in highway fuel economy to 34 mpg, when equipped with the six-speed manual. Fuel economy for the automatic is up… oh, who cares?

“At every torque level, this engine is more efficient,” Coleman says.

On the new, revised Skyactive 2.0, all the reciprocating bits are lighter, and a reduced skirt area takes 27 grams taken out of each piston. Connecting rods are 41 grams lighter. The cylinder heads are dome-shaped, shorter, and wider, and the crankshaft is made of a stiffer material. Rod bolts are smaller and stronger, and have lost 40 grams each, for higher revving. The shorter dome creates “really good tumble” in the combustion chamber. Engineers have changed the intake port’s shape, and the new piston design has edge cuts that are said to eliminate hot spots and reduce knock. [It’ll make a nifty engine for the all-new Mazda3 due by 2019.]

The redesigned engine remains gas direct-injection, with higher injection pressure, a finer spray and shorter pulses. The engine now has a dual-mass flywheel for smoother gear changes, and Coleman says engineers in Hiroshima managed to make that change without adding much weight, which is up between six and seven pounds for both the Miata convertible and the targa-top RF. That includes an extra half-pound or so for making the tilt steering wheel able to telescope.

Prior to the much-updated engine, the ND’s biggest mid-cycle development was last year’s addition of standard heated cloth seats to the Club trim package. For the first two model years of the ND, the Club’s standard Bilstein shocks, shock tower brace, and limited-slip differential were not available on the top-trim Grand Touring model, which was the only of the three trim levels (Sport remains the base model) with heated seats. Mazda had apparently assumed that if you want the luxury of bun warmers, you didn’t want your backside to feel more bumps.

Now there are two ways to combine the better suspension with the indulgence; the Mazda MX-5 Miata GT-S package, available only on the six-speed manual version of the Grand Touring convertible or RF, for $750 extra [on a personal note, my NC Grand Touring PHRT’s sport suspension package was $500 extra, so a decade later, this is a pretty good value]. Or the Club package, which comes with standard heated cloth seats. A new-for-‘18 Brembo/BBS/Recaro package, at $4,670, is $900 more than the Brembo/BBS package without the heated Recaros.

The ’19 Miata RF with the GT-S package comes with a hand-painted black proof, a feature of the ’17 RF Launch Edition.

Some of the younger auto journos balked at the upper-$30s pricing of either these options, which pushes the Miata above the price of the average new vehicle in the U.S., currently about $33,000. They also bemoaned the lack of Apple CarPlay/Android for Auto, connectivity features currently trickling in elsewhere in the Mazda line, which Your Humble Servant did not miss.

I would also not miss the i-Activesense Package, $450 extra, which my drive partner and I had on our RF GT-S tester, but not on our convertible Club with the Brembo/BBS/Recaros. For that matter, I don’t see the need for a backup camera on this car, but that’s heresy to safety advocates, and anyway, it’s standard and required on all new MX-5s.

Of these two solutions to the heated seat/best suspension tuning issue, my personal preference goes to the Club convertible with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package instead of the i-Activesense package. The base Mazda seats’ bolsters fall short of keeping you—or me, anyway—from sliding around in the driver’s seat on those perfect roads like California 9.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Specifications

ON SALE Currently (RF), Autumn 2018 (convertible) PRICE $27,180 – 35,305* ENGINE 2.0L 16-valve I-4, 181-hp @ 7,000 rpm, 151 lb-ft. @ 4,000 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2-passenger, RWD convertible or retractable roof targa EPA MILEAGE 26/34 (city/hwy) *manual 26/35 (city/hwy) *automatic L x W x H 154.1 x 68.3 x 48.8/49.0 in WHEELBASE 90.9 in WEIGHT 2,339-2,493 lb 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec (est) TOP SPEED N/A

IFTTT

[eddiejpoplar]

First Drive: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata

SAN FRANCISCO, California — As time appears to be running out on the human driver-operated, three-pedal sports car, minor mid-cycle upgrades on such beasts take on greater importance. Enjoy more power and better option choices while you can.

To that point, the automaker formerly known for Zoom Zoom organized a big, multi-wave road trip up the West Coast to unveil the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Driving Matters company could easily have introduced the mid-cycle refresh by dropping a handful of ’19 Miatas into various press fleets in Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, and perhaps Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami, along with press releases describing the changes.

But then, yours truly would not have discovered a perfect—if not the perfect—twisty road for this sports car, Highway 9 eastbound out of Santa Cruz, and north of the middle of the second wave, which covered San Luis Obispo to San Francisco. California 9 reveals that the ’19 ND Miata’s most prominent upgrade, its engine, is all about mid- to upper-range horsepower.

Power is up 26 to 181 hp while torque has risen a mere 3 pound-feet, to 151. Most importantly, redline now is up by 700 revs to 7,500 rpm. This does not mean a big improvement in straight-line performance, except that the car may not need a time-consuming upshift to third before topping out on a 0-60 mph sprint. With the new fatter powerband, the old engine’s dropoff, running out of steam before you reach the redline, is gone. It’s now worth it to work that rev-limiter.

Hold, say, third gear longer before reaching the next turn whereas with the old 6,800 rpm redline you’re more likely to have to upshift to fourth just before braking and downshifting, again. On my favorite portion of California Highway 9, a six- or seven-mile stretch which I drove both directions in a convertible Club model, I spent very little time shifting either way out of third gear, despite the fact that I had control of the world’s best-feeling, most intuitive gearbox at my right hand along with pedals spaced nicely for heel-and-toeing.

Mazda PR sent us a note after the drive to say that the 7,500 limit is a “low-gear, transient-condition redline,” essentially when “driven aggressively,” such as on the track. Otherwise, the redline is 7,200 rpm. It seems I was driving it “aggressively” enough on Highway 9 and Highway 1 to be in that transient condition, and in any event the lack of pre-redline dropoff is where you’ll feel the most of this improvement.

Mazda converged chassis tuning on the convertible and the RF for the ’18 model year, and so the RF feels a bit softer on tight, twisty roads due to its higher mass (though it still weighs less than an NC ragtop). Miata detractors will continue to find the car too soft, and that’s a legit argument. Those of us for whom speed and acceleration isn’t as important as polar moment of inertia will consider the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata as having taken another step toward perfect automotive balance.

Why did we have to wade through three model years of ND1 before the car got a power band that could beat the NC Miata’s?

The ND and its gearing “was set up for the original powertrain [the new Miata] was supposed to have,” the 1.5-liter, says Dave Coleman, Mazda North America’s manager for vehicle dynamics engineering. The new smaller four, sold in the MX-5 everywhere but North America, fit with Mazda’s desire to downsize the sports car and save every possible gram of weight.

But Mazda North America was having none of that, and instead shoehorned the 155-hp 2.0-liter Skyactive I-4 from the Mazda3. There was no time, or perhaps no money considering all the resources going into the ND and its new 1.5L, to rework the bigger engine for the 2016 model year.

For the ND2, launching in the car’s fourth model year, Mazda heavily massaged the Skyactive 2.0, though Coleman does not consider it a new engine. It has a fatter, more useful power band and a 1-mpg increase in highway fuel economy to 34 mpg, when equipped with the six-speed manual. Fuel economy for the automatic is up… oh, who cares?

“At every torque level, this engine is more efficient,” Coleman says.

On the new, revised Skyactive 2.0, all the reciprocating bits are lighter, and a reduced skirt area takes 27 grams taken out of each piston. Connecting rods are 41 grams lighter. The cylinder heads are dome-shaped, shorter, and wider, and the crankshaft is made of a stiffer material. Rod bolts are smaller and stronger, and have lost 40 grams each, for higher revving. The shorter dome creates “really good tumble” in the combustion chamber. Engineers have changed the intake port’s shape, and the new piston design has edge cuts that are said to eliminate hot spots and reduce knock. [It’ll make a nifty engine for the all-new Mazda3 due by 2019.]

The redesigned engine remains gas direct-injection, with higher injection pressure, a finer spray and shorter pulses. The engine now has a dual-mass flywheel for smoother gear changes, and Coleman says engineers in Hiroshima managed to make that change without adding much weight, which is up between six and seven pounds for both the Miata convertible and the targa-top RF. That includes an extra half-pound or so for making the tilt steering wheel able to telescope.

Prior to the much-updated engine, the ND’s biggest mid-cycle development was last year’s addition of standard heated cloth seats to the Club trim package. For the first two model years of the ND, the Club’s standard Bilstein shocks, shock tower brace, and limited-slip differential were not available on the top-trim Grand Touring model, which was the only of the three trim levels (Sport remains the base model) with heated seats. Mazda had apparently assumed that if you want the luxury of bun warmers, you didn’t want your backside to feel more bumps.

Now there are two ways to combine the better suspension with the indulgence; the Mazda MX-5 Miata GT-S package, available only on the six-speed manual version of the Grand Touring convertible or RF, for $750 extra [on a personal note, my NC Grand Touring PHRT’s sport suspension package was $500 extra, so a decade later, this is a pretty good value]. Or the Club package, which comes with standard heated cloth seats. A new-for-‘18 Brembo/BBS/Recaro package, at $4,670, is $900 more than the Brembo/BBS package without the heated Recaros.

The ’19 Miata RF with the GT-S package comes with a hand-painted black proof, a feature of the ’17 RF Launch Edition.

Some of the younger auto journos balked at the upper-$30s pricing of either these options, which pushes the Miata above the price of the average new vehicle in the U.S., currently about $33,000. They also bemoaned the lack of Apple CarPlay/Android for Auto, connectivity features currently trickling in elsewhere in the Mazda line, which Your Humble Servant did not miss.

I would also not miss the i-Activesense Package, $450 extra, which my drive partner and I had on our RF GT-S tester, but not on our convertible Club with the Brembo/BBS/Recaros. For that matter, I don’t see the need for a backup camera on this car, but that’s heresy to safety advocates, and anyway, it’s standard and required on all new MX-5s.

Of these two solutions to the heated seat/best suspension tuning issue, my personal preference goes to the Club convertible with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package instead of the i-Activesense package. The base Mazda seats’ bolsters fall short of keeping you—or me, anyway—from sliding around in the driver’s seat on those perfect roads like California 9.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Specifications

ON SALE Currently (RF), Autumn 2018 (convertible) PRICE $27,180 – 35,305* ENGINE 2.0L 16-valve I-4, 181-hp @ 7,000 rpm, 151 lb-ft. @ 4,000 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2-passenger, RWD convertible or retractable roof targa EPA MILEAGE 26/34 (city/hwy) *manual 26/35 (city/hwy) *automatic L x W x H 154.1 x 68.3 x 48.8/49.0 in WHEELBASE 90.9 in WEIGHT 2,339-2,493 lb 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec (est) TOP SPEED N/A

IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

First Drive: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata

SAN FRANCISCO, California — As time appears to be running out on the human driver-operated, three-pedal sports car, minor mid-cycle upgrades on such beasts take on greater importance. Enjoy more power and better option choices while you can.

To that point, the automaker formerly known for Zoom Zoom organized a big, multi-wave road trip up the West Coast to unveil the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Driving Matters company could easily have introduced the mid-cycle refresh by dropping a handful of ’19 Miatas into various press fleets in Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, and perhaps Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami, along with press releases describing the changes.

But then, yours truly would not have discovered a perfect—if not the perfect—twisty road for this sports car, Highway 9 eastbound out of Santa Cruz, and north of the middle of the second wave, which covered San Luis Obispo to San Francisco. California 9 reveals that the ’19 ND Miata’s most prominent upgrade, its engine, is all about mid- to upper-range horsepower.

Power is up 26 to 181 hp while torque has risen a mere 3 pound-feet, to 151. Most importantly, redline now is up by 700 revs to 7,500 rpm. This does not mean a big improvement in straight-line performance, except that the car may not need a time-consuming upshift to third before topping out on a 0-60 mph sprint. With the new fatter powerband, the old engine’s dropoff, running out of steam before you reach the redline, is gone. It’s now worth it to work that rev-limiter.

Hold, say, third gear longer before reaching the next turn whereas with the old 6,800 rpm redline you’re more likely to have to upshift to fourth just before braking and downshifting, again. On my favorite portion of California Highway 9, a six- or seven-mile stretch which I drove both directions in a convertible Club model, I spent very little time shifting either way out of third gear, despite the fact that I had control of the world’s best-feeling, most intuitive gearbox at my right hand along with pedals spaced nicely for heel-and-toeing.

Mazda PR sent us a note after the drive to say that the 7,500 limit is a “low-gear, transient-condition redline,” essentially when “driven aggressively,” such as on the track. Otherwise, the redline is 7,200 rpm. It seems I was driving it “aggressively” enough on Highway 9 and Highway 1 to be in that transient condition, and in any event the lack of pre-redline dropoff is where you’ll feel the most of this improvement.

Mazda converged chassis tuning on the convertible and the RF for the ’18 model year, and so the RF feels a bit softer on tight, twisty roads due to its higher mass (though it still weighs less than an NC ragtop). Miata detractors will continue to find the car too soft, and that’s a legit argument. Those of us for whom speed and acceleration isn’t as important as polar moment of inertia will consider the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata as having taken another step toward perfect automotive balance.

Why did we have to wade through three model years of ND1 before the car got a power band that could beat the NC Miata’s?

The ND and its gearing “was set up for the original powertrain [the new Miata] was supposed to have,” the 1.5-liter, says Dave Coleman, Mazda North America’s manager for vehicle dynamics engineering. The new smaller four, sold in the MX-5 everywhere but North America, fit with Mazda’s desire to downsize the sports car and save every possible gram of weight.

But Mazda North America was having none of that, and instead shoehorned the 155-hp 2.0-liter Skyactive I-4 from the Mazda3. There was no time, or perhaps no money considering all the resources going into the ND and its new 1.5L, to rework the bigger engine for the 2016 model year.

For the ND2, launching in the car’s fourth model year, Mazda heavily massaged the Skyactive 2.0, though Coleman does not consider it a new engine. It has a fatter, more useful power band and a 1-mpg increase in highway fuel economy to 34 mpg, when equipped with the six-speed manual. Fuel economy for the automatic is up… oh, who cares?

“At every torque level, this engine is more efficient,” Coleman says.

On the new, revised Skyactive 2.0, all the reciprocating bits are lighter, and a reduced skirt area takes 27 grams taken out of each piston. Connecting rods are 41 grams lighter. The cylinder heads are dome-shaped, shorter, and wider, and the crankshaft is made of a stiffer material. Rod bolts are smaller and stronger, and have lost 40 grams each, for higher revving. The shorter dome creates “really good tumble” in the combustion chamber. Engineers have changed the intake port’s shape, and the new piston design has edge cuts that are said to eliminate hot spots and reduce knock. [It’ll make a nifty engine for the all-new Mazda3 due by 2019.]

The redesigned engine remains gas direct-injection, with higher injection pressure, a finer spray and shorter pulses. The engine now has a dual-mass flywheel for smoother gear changes, and Coleman says engineers in Hiroshima managed to make that change without adding much weight, which is up between six and seven pounds for both the Miata convertible and the targa-top RF. That includes an extra half-pound or so for making the tilt steering wheel able to telescope.

Prior to the much-updated engine, the ND’s biggest mid-cycle development was last year’s addition of standard heated cloth seats to the Club trim package. For the first two model years of the ND, the Club’s standard Bilstein shocks, shock tower brace, and limited-slip differential were not available on the top-trim Grand Touring model, which was the only of the three trim levels (Sport remains the base model) with heated seats. Mazda had apparently assumed that if you want the luxury of bun warmers, you didn’t want your backside to feel more bumps.

Now there are two ways to combine the better suspension with the indulgence; the Mazda MX-5 Miata GT-S package, available only on the six-speed manual version of the Grand Touring convertible or RF, for $750 extra [on a personal note, my NC Grand Touring PHRT’s sport suspension package was $500 extra, so a decade later, this is a pretty good value]. Or the Club package, which comes with standard heated cloth seats. A new-for-‘18 Brembo/BBS/Recaro package, at $4,670, is $900 more than the Brembo/BBS package without the heated Recaros.

The ’19 Miata RF with the GT-S package comes with a hand-painted black proof, a feature of the ’17 RF Launch Edition.

Some of the younger auto journos balked at the upper-$30s pricing of either these options, which pushes the Miata above the price of the average new vehicle in the U.S., currently about $33,000. They also bemoaned the lack of Apple CarPlay/Android for Auto, connectivity features currently trickling in elsewhere in the Mazda line, which Your Humble Servant did not miss.

I would also not miss the i-Activesense Package, $450 extra, which my drive partner and I had on our RF GT-S tester, but not on our convertible Club with the Brembo/BBS/Recaros. For that matter, I don’t see the need for a backup camera on this car, but that’s heresy to safety advocates, and anyway, it’s standard and required on all new MX-5s.

Of these two solutions to the heated seat/best suspension tuning issue, my personal preference goes to the Club convertible with the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package instead of the i-Activesense package. The base Mazda seats’ bolsters fall short of keeping you—or me, anyway—from sliding around in the driver’s seat on those perfect roads like California 9.

2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Specifications

ON SALE Currently (RF), Autumn 2018 (convertible) PRICE $27,180 – 35,305* ENGINE 2.0L 16-valve I-4, 181-hp @ 7,000 rpm, 151 lb-ft. @ 4,000 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2-passenger, RWD convertible or retractable roof targa EPA MILEAGE 26/34 (city/hwy) *manual 26/35 (city/hwy) *automatic L x W x H 154.1 x 68.3 x 48.8/49.0 in WHEELBASE 90.9 in WEIGHT 2,339-2,493 lb 0-60 MPH 5.9 sec (est) TOP SPEED N/A

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Peugeot 2008 review - is it just another supermini crossover?

For  Efficient, practical and attractive... Against  ... but outclassed in the areas that matter to us by the normal 208 Peugeot's smallest SUV is a solid and efficient, if completely forgettable option in a crowded class. Like or loathe them, compact crossovers are big business right now and no volume manufacturer can afford to ignore the segment, particularly in Europe. Peugeot has been in the game for a few years now, having launched the 208-based 2008 in 2013, but the class has become even more competitive since then. For us though, being in the right place at the right time isn’t quite enough - the 2008 needs to impress on the road. And with Peugeot enjoying something of a purple patch right now with its dedicated drivers’ cars - the 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport and 308 GTI are both fantastic fun - it’s reasonable to expect some talent from the volume models too. If you’re looking for affordable family fun, does the 2008 deliver? In brief, yes and no. Peugeot got things right when first releasing the 2008 in 2013, and the car's inherent qualities remain. But unless you really need the extra height, both in terms of roofline and ground clearance, we'd be tempted to opt for an equivalent 208 instead. It'll be less expensive, handle better, go slightly quicker and cost you less to run. Image 2 of 8 Image 2 of 8 Peugeot 2008: in detail Performance and 0-60mph time > Top-end petrol and diesel models are reasonably brisk, but there’s no dedicated performance model here. Engine and gearbox > Mix of three-cylinder petrol and four-pot diesels, with five and six-speed manuals and a six-speed automatic. Ride and handling > Surprisingly able, with good levels of grip and body control and quick, accurate steering through Peugeot’s now-familiar small-diameter steering wheel.  MPG and running costs > On-paper economy is exceptionally high. Not so easy to match in the real world, but the 2008 is still a frugal car.    Interior and tech > i-Cockpit layout is becoming more familiar and the cabin is comfortable and spacious, but “premium” feel is let down in a few areas.  Design > Despite being long in the tooth the 2008’s design has not dated too badly. It definitely lacks the cool factor of its newer 3008 sibling though. Image 4 of 8 Image 4 of 8 Prices, specs and rivals Starting at a smidge over £16k the Peugeot 2008 is at the cheaper end of the SUV spectrum. In entry-level Active form, the 2008 is still relatively well equipped, including a 7-inch touch screen, DAB, alloy wheels and front fog lights. Allure is the next step up, adding larger 17-inch wheels, automatic climate contol, parking sensors and Peugeot’s Grip Control, a quasi-offroad functionality for the traction and stability controls designed to improve grip in low-friction situations. At the top of the tree sits the GT Line starting at just over £20k. For the extra cash, the 2008 includes a bunch of worthy inclusions, including full 3D sat nav, reverse camera, a panoramic glass roof and upgraded interior trim.  > Click here for our review of the Mazda CX-3 If your circumstances dictate a need for an SUV or supermini-based crossover, the Mazda CX-3 is about as close as you’ll get to one driving as well as a normal hatchback. Priced from around £19k, the Mazda is a more expensive option, especially if you match equipment levels against the 2008, but the direct gearbox and sorted handling compromise make it the best of an average bunch when it comes to driving thrills.  Image 5 of 8 Image 5 of 8 Nissan’s Juke is still popular, and also offers a pretty tasty Nismo RS variant, but the Juke is feeling especially tired having been on sale for the best part of 7 years now. VW’s upcoming T-Roc is sure to throw a spanner into the works, but will likely be priced even higher than the Peugeot, meanwhile the Citroen C3 Aircross, Honda HR-V and Renault Captur are all newer, more practical and worth a look in.  In reality though, at £20k buys you a lot of mid-sized family hatch with cars like the Skoda Octavia and SEAT Leon instantly making the crossovers like the 2008 look overpriced and lacking substance.  Performance and 0-60mph time 2008 performance ranges from the unexciting to the relatively swift. At the lower end of the scale you’ll find the PureTech 82 petrol, an engine more frequently seen in the smaller 208 and even tinier 108 and better suited to those cars. In 2008 form it will eventually reach 62mph in 13.5 seconds and lose interest in accelerating at 105mph. Still, it’s marginally quicker than the entry-level diesel. The BlueHDi 75 - at its cheapest in ironically-named Active trim - takes three tenths longer to reach 62mph and runs out of steam 2mph sooner. The petrol models are definitely preferable when turbocharged and the diesels improve in higher specifications too. The PureTech 110 just dips below the 10-second 0-62mph barrier with a 9.9-second run (though the automatic models are a little behind, at 10.3sec) with a 119mph top speed for the manual and 117mph for the auto. > Click here for our review of the Nissan Juke Image 5 of 8 Image 5 of 8 The BlueHDi 100 is further behind but still a significant improvement on the 75, covering the 0-62mph sprint in 11.3sec and topping out at 112mph. The BlueHDi 120 is naturally a little more enthusiastic, dropping down to 9.6sec to reach 62mph and hitting the same 119mph flat out as the PureTech 110. Quickest of all is the PureTech 130. The extra power makes itself felt by allowing a 9.3-second 0-62mph run and 124mph top speed. The real benefit of course is the extra mid-range performance, which leaves the 130 feeling just a little less laboured than the other petrol models. Likewise, the diesels make light work of most driving conditions, more so even than the PureTech 130. Engine and gearbox It’s all threes and fours here - three cylinders for the PureTech-badged petrol models, both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged and all 1.2 litres, and four cylinders for the 1.6-litre BlueHDi turbocharged diesels. Needless to say, you can probably ignore the non-turbo 1.2-litre petrol with its 81bhp output and head straight for the 108bhp and preferably 128bhp versions of this engine - which have no economy or CO2 penalties either, as they’re actually marginally more fuel-efficient than the non-turbocharged version. > Click here for our preview of the new VW T-Roc Of these, the 128bhp car has the greatest appeal, developing its peak output at 5500rpm and a healthy torque output of 170lb ft from 1750rpm. We’ve experienced this engine in several PSA models now and it’s pleasant enough - torque starts to build noticeably from around 1500rpm and there’s a healthy mid-range shove that makes fairly light work of overtaking, but not hugely throttle responsive. It can feel a bit tight towards the top of the rev counter too, but that may improve with miles. Image 7 of 8 Image 7 of 8 The three-pot doesn’t sound the sweetest but vibrations are kept to a minimum and at a cruise it’s a quiet engine, aided by tall gearing that keeps the revs low at motorway speeds. The same can be said of the diesel. Like the petrol, it’s at its best at low to medium revs (the diesel clatter can become irritating at higher engine speeds) and it realistically feels even stronger - peak torque here is 221lb ft, from the same 1750rpm. The 99bhp diesels (peak power at 3750rpm) make 187lb ft at 1750rpm, while the PureTech 110 produces 108bhp at 5500rpm and 151lb ft from 1500rpm. Manual transmissions are standard throughout the range, with five ratios on all but the PureTech 130 and BlueHDi 120, which get six. The six-speeder feels much like that in Peugeot’s GTI models, with a slightly rubbery feel around the gate, but it’s possible to enact fairly swift gearchanges. There’s also a six-speed automatic available on PureTech 110 models. Badged EAT6 (“Efficient Automatic Transmission”) it’s been developed with Aisin and is a conventional torque converter automatic, rather than the recalcitrant automated manual that PSA has historically preferred on its smaller models. It’s all the better for it - by no means one of the best autos out there, but relatively smooth and responsive all the same. Ride and handling This is where many compact crossovers go to pot, compromised by their height with either less precision or a less settled ride quality, the latter evidence of the extra firmness needed to keep body movements in check in a taller vehicle. Peugeot though hasn’t done such a bad job of giving the 2008 a decent chassis. For a start, parent group PSA’s PF1 platform - also used in the 208, as well as Citroen’s C3, C3 Aircross, C4 Cactus and the DS3 - typically results in quite lightweight cars. No 2008 is heavier than 1200kg, and the range starts at just 1045kg, which is more akin to a standard supermini than a crossover. As a result the 2008 is surprisingly nimble, and larger wheel and tyre combinations in particular (up to 17-inch wheels are available) have healthy reserves of grip. Throw in Peugeot’s i-Cockpit format with its small steering wheel and responsive, high-geared steering and you can have the 2008 diving around with much more conviction than you’d expect of such a car. Image 8 of 8 Image 8 of 8 There’s also fairly good balance to the chassis, and while you’ll not feel inclined to throw it into corners as you might a 208 GTI, there’s good front end grip and a sense that the rear wheels are willing to help out too if you lift off the throttle during hard cornering. Traction on the way out of turns is fairly good - no 2008 is overly troubled by its power output - though in the most powerful PureTech 130 we’ve experienced some torque steer, exacerbated by the small steering wheel. The ride is well-judged too. There is, as we’ve come to expect, an underlying firmness to proceedings which can lead to a jiggling feeling over harsher imperfections in the road, but the suspension keeps larger body movements in check, resisting body roll and dealing with compressions and crests safely and confidently.  We’ve not had a proper opportunity to test the 2008’s Grip Control system - available on Allure models and upwards, depending on drivetrain - but in other cars it’s proved surprisingly effective at dealing with slippery surfaces, albeit aided by the all-season tyres fitted as part of the Grip Control package. MPG and running costs Being based off the Peugeot 208 and using the same range of compact, efficient powerplants and transmissions, the 2008 can boast some impressive MPG figures with up to 76.3mpg, and CO2 emissions of 97g/km quoted for the 1.6-litre Blue Hdi 75, 100 and 120 diesels. Recreating these figures in the real world will prove slightly more tricky, though numbers in the 50s should be achieveable with relative ease and a particularly light foot may yield slightly more. It's a similar story with the petrols. The entry-level non-turbocharged 1.2-litre three cylinder petrol model is rated at 57.6mpg and 114g/km, while the more powerful 108bhp and 129bhp turbocharged models hit 64.2mpg and 58.9mpg respectively. Image 2 of 8 Image 2 of 8 The lower powered 108bhp version is also available with a 6-speed automatic giving it a figure of 58.9mpg as well. In a recent week of mainly motorway trips, the trip computer showed figures in the low 50s for the PureTech 130 in GT Line trim, so the potential for decent real-world economy is always there. Otherwise, the 2008 is designed directly to appeal to those after a low-cost ownership proposition. PCP and hire lease finance deals are always ripe for the taking, while servicing and insurance costs are also extremely low.  Interior and tech The Peugeot 2008 was the second car to use the firm’s “i-Cockpit” layout, following its introduction in the 208 supermini. It works slightly better in this car than in its initial application, mainly because the 2008’s driving position is naturally a little higher up than that of the regular 208, so the combination of small, low-set steering wheel and high-set dials shouldn’t cause any instrument visibility issues, regardless of the driver’s height. And without that frequent bugbear, there’s a lot here to like. The seats are well padded, comfortable on longer trips and reasonably supportive, the small wheel gives you access to a darty front-end, refinement is fairly good and Peugeot has generally used agreeable materials throughout the cabin. Image 3 of 8 Image 3 of 8   Higher-spec versions in particular do get close to providing the “premium” feel that an increasing number of manufacturers seek, though consensus within evo is that this can often feel a little contrived, and true to form some aspects of the 2008’s cabin don’t quite gel, from the shiny gloss plastic used as dashboard and doorcard trim to the slightly cheap feel of chromed elements that genuine premium manufacturers would make from actual metal. Citroen’s recently-released C3 Aircross, on the same platform as the 2008, has ditched “premium” for something with more honest use of materials and colour, and is all the better for it. Peugeot’s infotainment system is at least improving, largely thanks to Apple CarPlay integration which generally means ignoring the car’s proprietary functions altogether and making use of your smartphone’s native features. Peugeot, unlike its sister brand Citroen, also separates heating and ventilation controls from the screen with the 2008, so you’re not quite as reliant on the slightly clunky touchscreen to change functions. Design Originally launched back in 2013, the 2008 is one of the French firm's older models still currently on sale and you can see that in its early iteration of Peugeot’s current design langauge. The 2008 was given a refresh in 2015, transplanting a bolder grille from the larger 3008 and introducing darker finishes to the head and tail lights. The odd stepped roof has remained, garnering no improvement in rear headroom thanks to the fact it is only the edges of the roof which are raised.  Still, the design is more resolved than the ancient, yet still popular Juke, and remains a relatively practical, if slightly contrived four-ish meters of car. Image 5 of 8 Image 5 of 8   The 2008’s biggest problem is the slew of fresh sub-compact SUV rivals that have either already hit, or are about to hit the marketplace. In the company of the new VW T-Roc or the Mazda CX-3, the 2008 does have its aesthetic challenges, not least its inabillity to distinguish itself from the sub-compact SUV crowd.  27 Sep 2017

http://www.evo.co.uk/peugeot/2008