#titano sweat

[evilhorse]

Had to stop because it tastes like Titano sweat.

(Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #34)

[elliemarchetti]

How do you think the RQ characters will be in the Hunger Games?

You know what, I have nothing better to do, so I'm about to propose my very own version of a Hunger Games AU, where the Queenstrial is a mix between the Hunger Games and the Selection from the homonymous series (if you’ve never read it, do it, you won’ t regret it)

To Choose a Queen

Words: 1082

The village was unbearably crowded, and with the late summer heat it was the last thing one wanted, but it was an important event, which hadn’t occurred in more than twenty years, and participation was mandatory, so people had flocked to the square unwillingly, generating a smell of sweat so strong that Mare had to restrain herself from throwing up. In no time the space became nearly claustrophobic, after all, although the place was small, quite a few people lived in the Stilts, and Mare squeezed Gisa’s hand harder and pressed herself against Kilorn, her mother right behind them.

"I still remember when Queen Coriane won,” she murmured in her oldest daughter ear. The thing that Coriane Jacos had won was the throne and it happened through the Queenstrial, the event that for the following weeks would be broadcast live twenty-four hours a day for those who could afford a private television or in short evening summaries that everyone would be forced to watch, and it was very simple: when a prince came of age, every High House that had a female daughter between the age of twelve and eighteen, and everyone made sure to have one when such a possibility was at stake, had to “provide” her to the royal family, who would then send them in a large open-air arena, which could contain everything from a torrid desert to a frozen wasteland, to fight to the death. The last one still standing would win the throne. It was barbaric and disgusting, but Mare wouldn't have complained if the Silvers of the worst kind decided to sacrifice a few of theirs for the entertainment of the masses nor did it surprise her that those heartless beings decided to sacrifice their daughters for a chance to end up in the royal family. The woman her mother was talking about, from what little Mare had been able to understand from history books and gossips, hadn’t made a great impression at first and it didn't even seem that she had been prepared to participate, for how weak and frightened she looked, but when there was just a handful of opponents left she had used her singer ability on a girl, she didn’t remembered which House she was from, who in her place had exterminated the remaining participants, starting from what had been considered the favorite from the beginning, Elara Merandus, and then slaughtered herself. She had been ingenious and she had come out of that perverse game with her hands practically clean, which had earned her some sort of respect from the Reds as well, who she didn't seem to disdain like the rest of her race, but they were all futile thoughts, which left Mare's mind once the national coat of arms, accompanied by the hymn, appeared on the screen. First a general gave a quick update on the war with the Lakelands and a couple of other, even shorter announces were made by some ministers and then, finally, the king spoke: “Today we honor tradition, but before I announce the Queenstrial participants my royal wife would like to say a few words to them.”

The woman stood up, showing a beautiful yellow dress, perfectly matched with the jewels and the golden crown. She had a serene smile on her lips, as if she had forgotten the horrors she had been forced to witness, and joined her husband: “Enjoy your last night as normal girls, because tomorrow your life will change forever.”

Mare doubted that the High Houses’ daughters had ever had a normal life, but she didn't said it aloud, too busy looking at the first face that appeared on the screen. They must’ve taken the photos from the Blood Register. They updated them annually, and if even the Reds had to try to look their best during those shots, she couldn't even imagine what the Silvers were doing to look like gods.

“Clove Arven, silencer,” announced the king, and despite the forced applause, her name didn’t ring any bell in her, just like many others later. Clarissa Eagrie looked particularly pretty with her porcelain-skin but Kilorn said that the hottest so far was Camille Gliacon, even if he wasn't convinced she would go very far in the competition. After her, Elayna Greco, a strongarm, was introduced and after her Elane Haven, a shadow that was Gisa’s Silver copy, just with lighter complexion. By now Mare had grown accustomed to the king's almost monotonous voice, and after Sonya Iral she had missed at least a couple of names, if not more, when a banshee was presented. A rapid look and Mare knew she was a walking corpse: she wouldn’t have survived the Blood Bath, the first race to the Cornucopia, the giant golden horn-shaped cone filled with supplies and weapons around which the Queenstrial started, even if she had been allied with more than half of the participants. After her the name of Samantha Nolle, who looked like a real lady, was made, but Tiny Nornus looked like the biggest deal so far. When Tirana Osanos appeared on the screen, the prince smiled. Maybe he already knew her, maybe he wanted her to win. It was sad that he couldn’t choose his wife, but she understood the logic behind the madness.

“Kriss Provos, talkie,” said the king, and a girl that looked vaguely like a cat appeared on the screen. They were without a doubt all beautiful and dangerous girls, although Rohr Rhambos seemed more like a child, but Mare was getting tired of standing and looking at people who had no meaning for her. For a moment she thought that maybe she should’ve bet: she didn't approve when Kilorn did it during the Feasts and Evangeline Samos seemed pretty lethal but she immediately got the idea out of her head at the thought that she might’ve lose.

“Wren Skonos, skin healer.”

A very dark-skinned girl appeared on the screen. Her eyes were dark gray, bright and expressive, and she seemed kind but strong willed. Even if she would never admit it, Mare was a little sorry she was going to die. She was followed by Ashley Thany, a stoneskin, and Mareena Titanos, an oblivion. When the photo of the latter appeared on the screen, the blood froze in her veins. The face before her, the eyes that were watching her, were hers, and in a matter of seconds, everyone in the Stilts turned toward a nobody that had suddenly become somebody else. 

[quikoitalyblog]

Quiko Italy – One Stop Solution for Gates & Doors Automation

We, at Quiko, manufacture and commercialize automation systems for gates and doors along with other wide range of products including automation for civil and industrial gates, barrier gate, automatic barriers, parking lots management systems, automatic rising bollards, access control systems, automatic doors, door entry systems, hands-free opening devices, electronic control boards for automatic gates, control and safety devices, CCTV products and many more. The gates or door automation system, apart from adding curb appeal, help in making any property more secure. Nowadays, many industries have shifted towards the industrial gates automation, in order to add an extra layer of security to protect their machinery and large inventories.

Products Offered by Quiko

Quiko offers quite a number of highly automated products that adds an aesthetic value to the property apart from increasing its security. Some of our products are:

• Swing Gate Openers: The swing gate openers are used for both residential and industrial purposes. The products in this segment include linear swing gate operator, articulated swing gate operator, and underground system. These linear arms are available in both the electro-mechanic & hydraulic versions. The swing gate opener category includes diverse products like EON, NEO, ROTELLO, HYDRO, SPIDER, SCARABEO and SUB series. EON, a linear swing gate operator, is mostly preferred for residential applications and it can be installed in areas having very little space for installation. The ROTELLO, on the other hand, is a swing gate actuator and can be installed at domestic as well as industrial locations. It is an electromechanical actuator and can be installed without breaking any sweat, on the swing gates that are up to 4.5m long. 

Quiko also supplies hydraulic gate openers for residential and intensive usage. They have the ability to generate large power that makes these hydraulic gate operators, ideal to be fitted with large-sized swing doors. The articulated arm swing gate operator is specially designed for gates having large pillars & lightweight structures and is a viable solution for one leaf pedestrian gate. Underground swing gate openers help in attaining the clean line of gates by fitting them underground in their special zinc-plated containers.

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The company also supplies sliding gate kits in order to make the entire process trouble-free. A frontal manual release lever helps in manual handling the gate in any unforeseen circumstances. MOOVY series gear motors for slide gates are also a part of sliding gate kit and comprises of a powerful motor for handling sliding gates of large size. To ensure long & proper operation of the sliding gate motor, the reducer is lubricated with permanent grease. Quiko also supplies TITANO, a heavy duty sliding gate motor, that is made of highly resistant components designed specifically for the automation of heavy sliding gates.

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[olivereliott]

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 19 November, 2017

Brough Superior launches the £58,000 Pendine Sand Racer, Valentino Rossi commissions a Yamaha XJR1300 tracker, and Officine GP Design show Suzuki how to design a cafe racer. It’s all about European style this week.

Suzuki GSX-S750 by Officine GP Design Despite best intentions, the 2017 GSX-S750 hasn’t set the world afire. Enthusiasts wanted a stripped down Gixxer, but what we got instead was a watered-down upright that became heavier when naked. So Luca Pozzato of Turin-based Officine GP Design recently took a crack at one—and it has us skimming through eBay for a donor of our own.

Looking to pay tribute to the long running heritage of the Suzuki GSX series, Luca focused on re-interpreting memorable design cues. The hand formed aluminum tail screams 80s chic, but the perch and endurance-style tank are more akin to a SRAD (Suzuki Ram Air Direct) Gixxer from Nirvana’s heyday. And the bikini fairing is a clear nod to the era that ushered in the home-brew streetfighter. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work—but to see it is something else.

From a performance standpoint, Luca left the modern 750cc mill alone. But he’s made a few additions through subtraction, by fitting a one-off titanium exhaust and 17-inch OZ Gass Titano wheels—the lightest hoops OZ sells for the street. [More]

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer Pendine Sands is a seven-mile stretch of beach lining the south coast of Wales. The historians among us will know that it was once the home of the Welsh TT, and that it still sees action as a speedway for record seekers. It was also a favorite of George Brough, and from 1928 onwards, he named all his racing bikes ‘Pendine.’

The reborn Brough Superior marque has now given the Pendine name to its newest creation, the Pendine Sand Racer. Powered by a 100 hp, 88-degree V-Twin, the Sand Racer is a mash-up of tracker and scrambler design cues that is absolutely breathtaking. The tank and tail flow seamlessly to create incredible visual balance, and showcase all the mechanicals we love on classic bikes—with a meticulous degree of finishing.

The chassis is titanium, as are various connecting components for the suspension. The brakes are handled by Beringer and the swingarm is a completely CNC’d unit deserving its own spot in a museum. Pricing starts at £57,999 (around US$77,000), chaps. [More]

Suzuki GS1150 by KickMoto The Halifax, Nova Scotia shop is no stranger to these pages. Of their five previous projects, three have been featured on EXIF. And now we can include their sixth build, a Suzuki GS1150-based cafe that shows how these Canucks really sweat the details.

Partners Jeff and Jordan looked to the aviation industry for inspiration during this build. That meant extensive use of aluminum, typically graded for the friendly skies. The headlight, which was spec’d to resemble a WWII fighter, is comprised of six individually CNC’d units, and is a marvel to behold. The CNC machine was kept running to tackle a bespoke top clamp too, which allowed the fitment of a Kawasaki ZX14 front end—and features a recess to flush mount the new Motogadget speedo.

The hand-formed custom tail is perched on a new subframe that sits high to accommodate its tall rider. An LED taillight is flawlessly sandwiched between the two halves and just below, a custom mounted Ducati swingarm is framed perfectly by the rear hugger and bespoke muffler. [More]

Yamaha XJ1300 by Rodolpho Frascoli If you’ve seen the video, then you know that Valentino Rossi doesn’t lose any of his superhuman riding abilities when asphalt turns to dirt. And now he has a new toy to fling around his Ranch.

Built from the most unlikely of donors, this flat tracker named Mya started out as a beefy Yamaha XJ1300. Rodolpho Frascoli was commissioned by Rossi’s VR46 team to perform the transformation and, we dare say, he’s done a cracker job.

The bodywork is flowing, minimal and capped by a full-length seat to give Rossi plenty of room to move around. The ergonomic hard parts, including the bars and pegs, have been swapped to deliver better control and there’s Öhlins suspension fore and aft.

Despite the dark photos, you’ll also spot a set of R1 headlights residing on either side of the forks, below the turn signals, and a small, 2-piston Brembo mounted up front in case The Doctor needs to leave the Ranch on a house call. [More]

Harley-Davidson Sportster by Mule Motorcycles When we dropped the news of Indian’s Scout FTR1200 Custom, I swear you could hear a sigh of relief from the motorcycling world: It’s the exact bike we’ve all been gagging for. And now, the biggest name in flat tracker design, Mule Motorcycles, has delivered the one that Harley should build: The Midnight Express.

But this isn’t a Richard Pollock creation—former colleague and machinist Mel Cary handled the bulk of this Sportster build. Of course, there were a few winks, nods and nudges from Richard along the way. A low-mileage Sportster was sourced and Mel went to work on the stance. A set of widened 19-inch Morris HD wheels was powder coated before bolting up.

The front suspension went from saggy to stout with the addition of Ducati 996 forks, which are held in place by a set of A&A dirt bike clamps. In the rear, where you may expect Öhlins, there’s a pair of Penske remote reservoir shocks from a decade-old Formula 1 car.

The engine was left virtually untouched, but a new Mikuni HSR42 carb was bolted up, the exhaust was swapped for a custom reverse-cone set-up, and there too many other details to report here. Great job, Mel! [More]

[elliemarchetti]

The Scam (part 4)

@lilyharvord I haven’t forgotten that I promised you not to end this with the third chapter, so here is the fourth! Hope you like it!

Previous chapters

Words: 1536

When the guests finished eating, they raised their glasses for a last toast to the now larger royal family, but the truth was that afterwards they would continue to revel in a riot of colors anyway, trying to win the sympathies of the sovereigns. Soon she would have to learn to recognize them all, to not only match colors to families and families to people, but also remember what the single person liked or not, with whom they were married, what they possessed, if and how they were useful and many other things that already gave her a headache, but it was worth it.

"Being a queen is a difficult task, but I'm sure you will be able to complete it in the best way, when your time will come,” Elara whispered in her ear, almost making her jump.

“You will help me, won’t you?” she asked, hoping those words were the right ones to have her on her side. She didn’t want the whisper to be her enemy, she could’ve destroyed her without the slightest effort and invent a complicated plot to justify her premature departure, and she wanted her as far away from her mind as possible but only a queen could prepare her to fit in that role, tell her what she should’ve do and how she should’ve behaved to be up to the role and not be found out for the scam she was.

"Obviously," she replied, smoothly. "But I am sure that our dear Tiberias will do everything in his power to fill you in on a queen’s duties.”

"Definitely," she agreed, stamping a fake smile on her face. She never called him Cal, like his father did, and after all those years it was at least a strange attitude. After all, she'd seen him grow up, even though he wasn't her son. It was Cal himself who interrupted that disturbing exchange to present her personally to some nobles, including Volo Samos, the head of House Samos. Although the black silk edged robes were rather sober and he didn’t had large jewels in sight or noteworthy medals, he exuded an indisputable aura of power. He held a glass of wine in his large pale hands, just like the rest of his family, and with a sharp look he proposed a toast to his daughter, the new princess. Mare had understood that Evangeline had been the favorite for the role of new queen, before her arrival, and the fact that they had accepted the downgrading so quietly made her suspicious to say the least, but she did not express it aloud not even when they left, mentally pinning it as one of the many other things she should’ve asked Cal once they were alone, which happened when, at the end of the event, he escorted her to her new room, that the servants must’ve prepared in a hurry while she was presented at court with a name not her and a title stolen from a girl who died at the front when she wasn’t even able to walk or speak. With his short legs Mare found it hard to keep up with Cal but he didn't seem to notice, absorbed as he was in his thoughts.

"What troubles you? I know it all sounds very rushed, and I too was shocked by their decision, but we knew it would happen sooner or later. " she said, almost in a whisper, taking his arm just before a couple of guards rounded the corner.

"That's not the problem," he replied, once they were far enough away that they were no longer within earshot, surprising her. "Although it was unexpected, the thing that really worries me is House Samos’ behavior. I know Ptolemus well and I thought that at least he would’ve tried to punch me for putting his sister aside, not to mention his father: his power doesn’t derive only from a title, he’s also the owner and manager of Norta’s iron mines. Every weapon used in war is produced with the metal extracted from his lands, if he decides to raise prices, or worse, openly challenge us..." the words died in his throat, the consequences too serious to be expressed aloud.

"It would be a stupid decision now that his daughter is engaged to Maven.” she replied, hoping to calm him, even if she had had the same doubt.

"But Maven is only the second son and they want the throne," he replied, a note of sincere concern in his voice.

"They will have to do much more than want it to take my position," she replied, resolutely, but she was already thinking about a couple of maneuvers that could’ve strengthened her position at court, which she began to implement as early as the next day, when she met her new teacher, the one who was supposed to help her not only with Norta's history but also to learn about and control her ability. Those people lived for big bouts of power, she hadn't forgotten the obligation to watch the fights in the arenas, and she had plenty of it, enough to feel confident when she was admitted to train with the other people her age. Around her the other boys warmed up, mostly doing stretching or running around the gym, but some did much more amazing things: Elane was getting in and out of her field of vision, distorting the light around her to the point of disappearing completely, while Oliver Laris levitated specks of dust forming a small whirlwind in his hands and Sonya was lazily fighting against Andros Eagrie, a short, muscular eighteen years old whose ability was to foresee the near future. She kept throwing languid looks in Cal’s direction but she should’ve settles for her companion’s attentions if she didn’t wanted for her parents to choose for her someone that probably wasn’t even interested in her as a person but only as an asset.

"In line," ordered a low, almost imperceptible voice. Her new instructor entered quietly, accompanied by a House Provos’ member. He was small, almost resigned, with a fair complexion full of wrinkles and white hair that matched his robes, which confirmed his belonging to House Arven, an important family, full of power, strength and everything the Silvers believed in. She knew of him before she was Mareena but she never understood how powerful he could be since she never had something he could deprive her of but now that she felt his ability wrapping her like a silent blanket, depriving her of her energy, she understood why everyone who wasn’t used to being normal was somehow afraid of him. Even his pupils carried out his orders without saying a word and Mare imitated them, happy that at last she was asked to do something that hardly could go wrong: she had spent her whole life running away from the Stilts guards with Kilorn, not to mention the races she used to do with her brothers when they were younger. For a moment, she felt free again, but the sensation came to an abrupt end when a section of the wall moved, throwing her to the ground.

"Welcome to training," Cal said, chuckling. Along the entire perimeter of the gym, various sections of the wall moved and formed barriers for the athletes, who the others seemed to know how to manage very well, as if they were used to it. Obviously it was Provos who controlled them and for a moment she even had the feeling that he was staring at her with a satisfied grin. Suppressing the temptation to scream at him, she got back on her feet, with the prince constantly beside her, in a protective and vaguely irritating attitude. But after all he would become king and what was his job in situations like that if not to protect the queen? She tried to outrun him increasing her pace, but he kept up, and at Arven's new order he was the only one who hadn't shed a drop of sweat; even Evangeline seemed exhausted, although she did everything to hide it. She still wanted to prove that she was more suitable than her to be queen, but she didn't care: Mare was really proud of herself, despite the rough start. The instructor, however, seemed to have just started and ordered his assistant to bring the targets, which appeared from the floor. Without their ability those people would’ve been ruined.

"Lady Titanos," muttered Arven, drawing her attention. He gave her chills with his voice, that sounded like a ghost was trying to caress her back. "I've heard that you have an interesting ability."

Obviously he was talking about her white and purple destructing lightning, something she was able to create and not only control, as it happened with every other Silver. She was special and that man seemed to know. Too many were suspicious and soon she would’ve had to do something about it, not only for her own good but also for that of her family. Thanks to her they lived in the most comfortable way allowed to the Reds, but a misstep and the king himself would’ve taken everything away from them.