#why is part of the stock also gunmetal

[ball-of-catgirl]

I seriously cannot believe this show has been running for this long and they still cannot get guns right ever

[truerescreatuconfessions]

The past few days have been like a slap in the face so I'm sorry but I'm have to say this. I apologize to everyone but this is going to be long. I am aware that Pat will probably never see this post so it's pointless, but I have to say it anyway.

First, I'm going to start with a positive. Thank you to Lilith for being brave enough to pass on that anon message to Pat. Thank you also to Burrito for giving us a place to voice our concerns where they can't be shut down, whether Pat chooses to listen or not.

Now to business. I'll start with you Pat, on the off chance that you'll someday read this somehow. As people have said, no one is complaining about your recolor OAK. Please stop trying to turn it to that because it's not that. What we are complaining about is the absolute silence with which Dan received not one but 6 OAKs. The fact that many people on staff had no idea this was an option while Rumor, who I'll get to in a bit, also got one. I have spoken to many staff and ex-staff and not a single one of them knew that OAKs were ever part of staff pay or rewards. The ones I've spoken to also hadn't ever heard of this OAK test in any way. The way it was handled with Dan covering it up and saying "we were testing to see if there was interest" was clearly him backpedaling and now it just sounds like people are just rushing around to cover his ass. I don't have to repeat what at least a dozen people have said on this blog but I will. You don't gauge interest by quietly adding a dozen OAKs to the site and saying "oh, if someone finds them completely by accident then people are interested, otherwise no one cares." You gauge interest by posting a poll, by asking people in a place where everyone can voice it, and by making it front-and-center. I know you said you aren't talking about the subject anymore, but you skirted around the sheer number of OAKs Dan got by pretending we didn't say anything about them.

About the bans you claim "never happened." There is screenshot evidence from Kina, dozens and dozens of them, that Dan cheated for her and others. Ok, screenshots can be doctored, what about the video she sent in? Was that also doctored? If those right there aren't compelling enough evidence to ban Dan, why were four people banned for screenshots? Hell, Zuzu, Shinigami, and Shinohara were all banned for speculating that Dan was cheating during the name clearing. Zuzu was allowed to return, the other three were not. What rules did they break? Did they cheat? No, they talked, exactly like you constantly encourage us to do, about how they felt and what they thought was going on. They were banned. So please Pat, never tell us that "no one is banned for voicing an opinion" because that is categorically untrue.

You might tell us there are other reasons behind the scenes. Ok, let's say that's true. Why were they banned within a day or so of those screenshots coming to light? Why was that the catalyst moment? No one else was banned and unless they had a secret cheating ring with exactly 0 other people involved it sure sounds like those screenshots were the reason.

Also please never say Dan doesn't give special treatment to people. Rumor has been banned multiple times for cheating and abusing staff tools. He still gets an OAK. Omni is a known hacker, still enjoying the site like nothing ever happened. Juke was literally banned for running a hate blog, which is still active when anyone is brave enough to post on it, currently not only back but on staff.

When Rumor was banned, he got to move all his pets to Dan's account and they were kindly returned when he was allowed back on the site. Kina also moved all her pets before she was banned but that was determined to be "unfair" and "not allowed" so they were all returned to her account. Then a conveniently-timed name clearing happened.

Let's look at that name clearing for a second. Dan repeatedly and constantly told us that he was busy and didn't have time to refresh on the site all day for the clearing. Amazingly, he was online for every single clearing. Every last one of them. The odds of that are astronomical when you consider he claims he sleeps, eats, goes out with friends, and works 8 hours a day. He also got tons of incredible, high-value names. These facts are the reason Hell and the rest suspected him of cheating in the first place and honestly that seems like a fair assumption.

You say we need to speak up, but we did. Half a dozen people on that discord said they felt horrible about something and you basically swept it under the rug by saying "oh, it took longer than planned and we didn't say anything publicly but it'll be there soon I promise. Now never speak to me about this again and I refuse to respond anymore." There's been no information anywhere on Res about anything regarding this other than a quick post Dan made only after he was called out multiple times for the number of OAKs he suddenly had.

A minor complaint that I've seen a dozen times on the SB is that new items keep getting quietly released so anyone that does quests suddenly finds themselves failing them because they don't have the items stocked up. Honestly makes me happy I don't waste time with quests. Maybe one or two items doesn't warrant a full update, but isn't that exactly what the changelog is for? For minor additions, fixes, updates, etc?

Another minor complaint I've heard from a few sources is that people continue to spam the SB with copy paste from the site. There was even a forum post about it that no staff addressed, unless that's changed since I last checked. I've seen it happen constantly while staff are on the SB with no policing of it. Why should users listen to this rule, which was added because enough people complained about it happening, when staff don't bother to uphold it?

Now to Rumor. His latest blog honestly boils my blood in so many ways. If his real information was given out and doxxed then that is absolutely disgusting and I do not stand for that. No one deserves it. I am starting this section by saying that because I want to make it clear that it's not ok that that happened, if it did. That doesn't mean I like him or agree with any other part of that blog.

Yes, I'm sure he worked long hours as a CM. You know who else did? Gunmetal, Dess, a bunch of other CMs. Someone else? All the artists, all the support and mods, all the writers. His blog makes it sound like it was just him putting in the hours and that it was purely his idea about all those events. Remember, before we got to a point where staff didn't know what was going on with events because no staff talk, staff used to all contribute together to events. Or maybe they didn't, I don't know, but they at least knew what was going on so I assume they had some input. I remember a time when asking on the SB about an event with staff around, regardless of their position, meant you could get an answer. Nowadays we have staff that have less idea than the users what's going on with an event. Staff like development, who you would assume would know everything about the event that they helped create, or mods, who should probably at least get an overview of the event if they're going to be able to help users.

Speaking of other staff helping with events. Is Rumor pretending he wrote every piece of those events on his own? Why are no writers mentioned anywhere in his list of people that spent many long hours working? He obviously can't pretend he drew everything for the event, but is he implying he wrote everything?

You say people on that list are "deserving" of OAKs Rumor. Schemes has been staff for almost no time compared to some of the old staff that you decided didn't deserve listing. Juke was banned and then unbanned, obviously more deserving than the ex-staff that still frequent the site and have never been in trouble.

Now let's turn to the thing that made me want to scream. You say to "just speak up" more. I've seen at least 8 different people, off the top of my head, told to "stop talking about it" in the SB when they voice a concern and it goes on longer than one or two sentences. Not a single one of the people I'm thinking of was being rude or starting something, they were trying to express themselves and basically being told to shut up. Often they're told to "take it to the forums" which works about as well as just saying it out loud in a room alone. No one reads the forums. Or at least very few people. Staff never responds to suggestions, not staff that can make those changes anyway, mods do sometimes and rarely an artist. Posting in the suggestions forum is like yelling into the void and hoping the void yells back. The absolute only way to be heard in the suggestion forum is advertising it nonstop on the SB and even that barely gets any staff looking.

You say this lack of communication is the reason many people have quit? Yes, that's very true, the exact opposite way you imply. People have left the site often because their feelings are silenced and their opinions completely ignored. No one reads their posts, staff don't respond to them except to tell them they're wrong or to tell them to stop talking about things, and their friends get banned for nothing while staff are allowed to continue cheating with no consequences. So you're right about that, people do leave over the lack of communication, but it's the lack of communication and understanding from staff that drives them away.

I know Pat will probably never see this, but if he does, or if someone is brave enough to link it, maybe he'll hear it. At this point considering his reactions to the people that are trying so very hard to make their voices heard on the Discord I doubt it but I can always hope.

[doctors-star]

21 ♡

prompts

petrichor - the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a long period of dry weather

Ruth is not wearing her stockings. Their lovely wardrobe lady would be scandalised.

Actually, the stockings wouldn’t be the half of it, since she also isn’t wearing her heavy walking skirt of fine, deep green wool, nor yet her pretty olive calico shirtwaist; no hat, no hair rat, no shoes. She is sprawled in a chair in the shade of the kitchen, trying not to let any part of her sweaty skin touch any other part of her, in just her shift and petticoats and corset, and she is waiting.

For midday to pass, or the heatwave to break, or for her brain to get itself working again. Whatever happens first.

It is miserably hot. There hasn’t been a raincloud in nearly a month and the temperature has only risen; the novelty of an actually summery British summer has now thoroughly worn off, and even those people who can wear shorts and t-shirts rather than corsetry and wool have taken to retreating indoors around noon. Alex and Peter, the poor sods, have been hauling water up to the market garden for a week solidly and still everything is wilting; their animals are cowering in the shade; and after some excitement yesterday that had ended in Ruth and Peter holding his waistcoat spread open in an impromptu sunshade over one of the sound engineers, now prone and somewhat groggy, as various producers and medics had fluttered about and fussed over heatstroke, the entire crew has packed up and gone home until the temperature will concede to being reasonable. In all honesty, she ought to be sheltering away somewhere too, as should Peter and Alex; so, naturally, they’re off up the market garden in sunhats and SPF 50, and Ruth had thought she’d have a go at the laundry.

She glowers in the vague direction of the copper. Sod the laundry.

There’s a sort of clattering sound in the yard which she has come to associate with the boys returning from some task all tired and clumsy, and lo, the bright rectangle of the doorway is dimmed: Peter places a bucket carefully on the floor by the door and then crumples quite slowly and gently to the floor, lying full-length on the cool flagstones with a sigh of relief.

Alex, eyes adjusting to the sudden comparative darkness after the incredible blinding sunlight of outdoors, trips over Peter’s feet. With some careful flailing, he manages to grab the back of a chair and hold himself upright, and then he frowns down at Peter. “Now, why didn’t I think of that,” he says conversationally.

Peter closes his eyes and smiles rather smugly at the floor; Ruth spares him a fond look, but then goes back to looking up at Alex with mounting concern. “Oh, you do look red, love,” she chides gently, reaching up to his rather tomato-tone face. Obligingly, he leans down so that she can press the backs of her fingers to his forehead - even to her warm hands, his skin feels very hot and unhappy. “You should have come in sooner.”

“It’s hot outside,” Alex mumbles in his own defence - but rather weakly, like he knows that this line of argument is not going to get him terribly far. “I did wear my hat, and suncream.”

“And we should have come in earlier,” Peter agrees around a mouthful of flagstone. “Sorry - I should’ve-”

“You’re not my mum, Peter, you don’t get to send me indoors and fuss over me,” Alex says, rather irritably; Peter, like a champion, refuses to rise to it and instead pouts up at him.

“Not even a little bit? Can’t I fuss just a little bit, because I love you so much?”

Alex can’t seem to help a smile. He looks a little sorry for his heat-induced crossness, and conveys this by nudging Peter’s leg with his foot and feigning a frown. “Not even at all,” he says sternly. “You horrible, tanned man.”

Ruth snorts an inelegant laugh and Peter beams at them. Rather than fry, as Alex seems inclined to - a fate which Ruth is working furiously to avoid - Peter has gone a rather pretty brown colour. Nicely suntanned, and not horribly burned. It’s alright for some. Ruth reaches out her bare foot and prods his shoulder with a toe. “It’s all grime, really.”

“Hah!” Peter reaches out and wraps one large, sweaty palm around her ankle. “Jealous. Look,” he says, lifting her foot slightly so that Alex can see the contrast - his hand against her shin, which hasn’t seen sunlight in at least a year. “Look at this idle, workless woman. See how I labour in the fields to maintain her white and shapely ankles.”

Ruth kicks free, trying and failing not to grin at him. “What do I do, then?” Alex says, slumping in his chair and pushing his damp, sticky hair back from his forehead.

“Absolutely nothing, you’re purely ornamental,” Peter says, stretching languidly and propping his chin up on one hand to smile at them.

Alex rolls his eyes and turns bodily to Ruth, ignoring Peter. “Idle and workless, are you? I thought you were laundering today.”

Ruth makes a face of such furious displeasure that both Alex and Peter both splutter in surprised laughter. “I did not,” Ruth says with an expression of pinched displeasure, “have much success.”

“Why, is the copper playing up?” Alex says with a frown. Ruth elects not to go into just how a copper could play up, large saucepan as it essentially is, and instead just scrapes some loose hair off the back of her sticky, sweaty neck with a wince.

“I almost wish it was,” she confesses. “Nearly steamed myself to death.” Alex and Peter are already frowning in concern and sympathy, and so she decides not to tell them about the rather close call: the unbearable heat and walls of steam coalescing into spotting vision, light-headedness, lungs full of thick, unbreathable moisture; sitting down rather quickly; and then the undisclosed length of time spent lying on the floor wondering if it were possible to drown in steam. They would only fret.

“Are you alright?” Peter says, reaching out and tapping her instep in deference both to his instinct to touch and comfort, and to her instinct to kick anything that makes her any warmer than she already is.

“I’m sitting in the kitchen in the middle of the day in my underclothes,” she tells him.

Peter grins. “I’m not sure what answer that is.”

“Honestly, me neither,” she says, smiling when he laughs. “Let’s go with fine.”

Alex pops his waistcoat buttons open and shrugs it over his shoulders and onto the back of the chair. As he does, a breeze skitters abruptly through the door and makes a quick circuit of the room, rustling a newspaper and tugging at Ruth’s skirts like an errant child; just as abruptly, the light outside dims and the sky turns a well-lit grey. The air turns heavy and expectant, tasting of lightning on the tongue, and there is an almost tangible pause as if all the world were taking a breath.

“This always happens to me,” Alex says without much irritation as he frowns at the world without. “I start dressing for the weather, and it changes straight away.”

Peter tilts his head. “Take your shirt off,” he suggests mildly, “and it might even rain.”

Obligingly, Alex hauls his shirt over his head and then, less obligingly, balls it up and lobs it at Peter’s head. Ruth huffs in amusement and pushes herself up out of the chair, stepping carefully over Peter to stand in the doorway and watch the weather. Alex follows and sticks an arm out, bare skin turned up to the gunmetal heavens; there is a curious feeling of hesitancy, as if the clouds have come over all shy and embarrassed of a sudden, and were only willing to offer a few sparse raindrops; and then it starts raining. Properly. Finally.

Ruth smiles gently and turns to place a palm on Alex’s bare sternum. “Weather mage par excellence,” she declares.

Alex smiles back and draws his arm back to fold his fingers around hers and hold them to his sweat-sticky skin; Ruth pulls them both out into the yard to stand under the clouds and let the rain wash them clean.

It is glorious. Her instinct is to run for shelter and screw her face up under the sudden onslaught of water, but she overrides it to tip her head back, eyes closed, and relax. It is such a relief; it is cool, and the air is clear of cloying heat, and it is simply so pleasant to be not hot for a change. The clothes she is wearing are too thin, really, and soak quickly, and her feet are bare and picking up bits of dust and dirt from the hard, dry yard, and Ruth feels present in a way which she hasn’t, this past week. She has been hiding indoors from the heat and pulling away from heavy clothes and blankets and the arms of her lovers to avoid claustrophobic sweating, but this too has made her oddly separate. But now - now - she can smell the earth and the rain in a delicious swirl of summer countryside, and she can feel water beating insistently against her skin, and there are stones digging into her feet and she reckons she could walk miles like this, just like the cavemen used to do, as if she were some kind of neolithic hunter with an almost supernatural knowledge of the natural world. The countryside smells so beautiful, and it is, in its way, hers.

She opens her eyes. Alex is watching her, waiting patiently, and when her eyes meet his he squeezes her hand. “Hi,” she says softly with a tiny embarrassed smile.

He beams at her warmly. “Hello.” It is so pleasant to be so quietly understood.

Peter has his head tipped back too, arms spread wide to encompass all the rain he can reach, and Ruth has to grin. “How are you, Mr Darcy?” she teases gently, nodding at his water-soaked white shirt.

“What a glorious feeling,” Peter says very seriously, shuffling forward without opening his eyes to wrap them both in wet cotton. “I’m happy again.”

Alex tilts his head, idly freeing one arm to sling around Peter’s shoulders - so naturally, it appears to take no thought at all. “Singing in the Rain?” he checks.

“Mm,” Peter agrees, pushing sodden curls out of his eyes and opening them to grin at Alex and Ruth. “But also, you know, generally.”

Ruth smiles and leans her head against his shoulder. Her toes dig slightly into the dirt - fast becoming mud - and she inhales the smell of rain-soaked dust, allows it to settle in her lungs, and is generally rather happy herself.

[gvnbreaker]

CHARACTER SURVEY || Aja Hyskaris

@yascaret​ edited/removed some of the questions to make this more FFXIV-friendly. I made a few of my own changes as well.

RULES.  Repost, don’t reblog! Tag 10! Good luck!

TAGGED BY.  @yascaret​ and @wood-warder​

TAGGING. If you’re reading this, you’re tagged!

BASICS. FULL  NAME :   Aja Hyskaris

NICKNAME :  None (yet?)

AGE :  Appears around late 20s/30 by hyur standards

BIRTHDAY :   Midsummer

GENDER : Non-binary; she/they

ETHNIC  GROUP : Viera (Rava)

NATIONALITY :  Ivalician (?)

LANGUAGE / S : Common

SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :  Homosexual

ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION : Homoromantic

RELATIONSHIP  STATUS :  In a relationship with Lofn Yascaret & Pjel Qoet

HOME  TOWN / AREA :  The Hyskarian Deepwood, Golmore

CURRENT  HOME :  A small house in Shirogane.

PROFESSION : Mercenary. Bounty/monster hunter & occasional bodyguard.

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Vibrant red, wild, curly, falling to mid-back; undercut. Sideburns and widow’s peak.

EYES :  Amber.

FACE :   Square with a sharp jawline. High cheekbones, thick, arched eyebrows, and a prominent, aquiline nose. Often smirking insufferably or flirtatiously, prone to great expressiveness and wide smiles but just as easily brooding. Sharp teeth.

LIPS :  Full. Her smiles are crooked to begin with and deadened nerves on the left side of her mouth add to the effect.

COMPLEXION : Deep brown with warm undertones, lighter palms and soles of her feet, a lighter smudge underneath her nose and around her nostrils. Freckling around her shoulders, arm, the tops of her thighs and her lower back.

BLEMISHES : None of note.

SCARS :  Covered in scattered scars of varying age, depth, and severity, particularly on her left side and near her prosthetic arm. Ceruleum burns on torso; old, ringed scar around throat; vertical scar on left corner of mouth; small scar across nose; edge of left eyebrow; three scars beneath right eye.

TATTOOS & PIERCINGS :  Blackwork tattoos around forearm and legs, among others (design with art to come); white tattoos (curve, three dots) beneath eyes; Several gold rings along outer shells of ears; gold septum ring

HEIGHT :   Just under six fulms, not counting her ears.

WEIGHT :   Average.

BUILD :   Muscular and stocky, with broad shoulders tapering to a strong waist and thighs. [body type reference]

FEATURES :  Her left arm, from the start of the bicep, is a mechanical prosthetic, appearing to be of magitek-or-close make.

ALLERGIES :   None that she knows of.

USUAL  HAIR  STYLE :  Worn loose and wild, not so much a style as a thick mane.

USUAL  FACE  LOOK :  Bare-faced, wearing tinted red pince nez. Smirking, grinning, flirting--generally looking like a complete asshole.

USUAL  CLOTHING :  Loose, open shirts, trousers, long coats, heavy, knee-high boots, leather jackets.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Imprisonment, isolation, drowning, Garlean war machina.

ASPIRATION / S :  Stability, helping others, belonging. In her younger years, she had romantic visions of knighthood, but those have since quieted with the years.

POSITIVE  TRAITS :  Adventurous, Passionate, Brave, Charismatic, Strong, Empathic

NEGATIVE  TRAITS :  Cocky, Bull-headed, Self-destructive, Reckless, Impulsive

MBTI : ESFP

ZODIAC :  Leo

TEMPERAMENT :  Sanguine

SOUL  TYPE / S :   Warrior

ANIMALS :   Wolf

VICE HABIT / S :   Brooding, drinking to excess, recklessness, impulsive decisions, using sex as validation.

FAITH :  She spares it little thought.

GHOSTS ? :  Yes.

AFTERLIFE ? :  Maybe.

REINCARNATION ? : Hopefully.

ALIENS ? :   When she met her first hyur man, she knew aliens were real.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Garlemald bad, fuck cops.

EDUCATION  LEVEL :  Average for a viera of her village. She's taught herself to read between the lines better after being conned out of a full hunt reward once or twice in her early days in Rabanastre.

FAMILY. FATHER :   Fleeting contact a lifetime ago.

MOTHERS :  Still in the Wood.

SIBLINGS :   Several, no contact. She was close with one, but has made peace with never seeing any of them again.

EXTENDED  FAMILY :  Still in the Wood--as far as she knows.

NAME MEANING / S :  Aja, from the Hyskarian Deepwood

HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? : She was born in Golmore, but as far as she knows her name has little meaning.

FAVORITES. BOOK :  Adventure stories and romance novels. She’d never admit it, but they can be found hidden in her satchel or underneath or inside other things.

DEITY :  She tries not to think about them.

HOLIDAY :  Moonfire Faire, ????

MONTH :  Summer

SEASON :  Summer & Fall

PLACE :  A grassy field. The back of a cycle. On top of someone or between someone's legs.

WEATHER :  Thunderstorms, rain showers, clear skies and bright sun overhead.

SOUND / S:  Rain, thunder in the distance, the soft breathing of a woman asleep.

SCENT / S :  Metal, cedar, rain, leather, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

TASTE / S :  Meat, whiskey, curry, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

FEEL / S :  Furs, leather, grass, rain, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

ANIMAL / S :  Cats, coeurls, dogs.

NUMBER :  7

COLORS :  Red, browns, black, gunmetal

EXTRA. TALENTS :  She's a blunt instrument, so beating the shit out of things. Flirting. Fixing things, usually the mechanical variety. Making friends. Diffusing social conflicts as often as she creates them. She's a good cook, but it's suitable really nowhere else but over a fire with a beast's flank in one hand and a metal spit in the other.

BAD  AT :  Love. Understanding and accepting her feelings. Has a chronic case of Foot-in-Mouth Disease. Has a long fuse, but her temper can spin out of control when pressed. Terrible at restraint and not being reckless and impulsive.

TURN  ONS :  Stockings, especially with the seam up the back. The nape of a woman's neck. Banter. Compliments. Smiles. Give her a smile and a coquettish eyelash flutter or make her feel strong and she's useless putty in your hands.

TURN  OFFS : Flirtatious men, cowards, cruelty, Garleans.

HOBBIES : Fishing, tinkering, gambling, trying new foods, sparring and training, exercise.

TROPES :  You Can’t Go Home Again, Badass Longcoat, Dark-Skinned Readhead, Cannot Spit It Out, Hot-Blooded, Scars Are Forever, Everyone Can See It, Artificial Limbs, Berserk Button, Unusual Eyebrows, Dark and Troubled Past, Rage Breaking Point, Cool Bike, Hot-Blooded Sideburns, Fiery Redhead, Red Oni Blue Oni, Gun Blade, La Résistance, Spell Blade, Love Epiphany, Bruiser with a Soft Center, Didn’t Think This Through (Gonna stop now or I’ll be here all night)

QUOTES : “Ah, fuck.”

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 :   If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called,  what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1 :  John Wick mixed with Final Fantasy VIII mixed with Drive but with Garlean soldiers, turncoats, gay bro content, a sorceress, and also heaps of gay in general.

Q2 :   What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2 :  Chromatic rock, Nightrun, hair metal, a lot of Deftones, Tool, the Weeknd, indie and acoustic rock for angst.

Q3 :   Why did you start writing this character?          

A3 :   When viera were teased at Fanfest, I lost my mind and have been unable to concentrate on any other character since. Aja was actually going to be a hrothgar, but when they genderlocked them and the model and general design didn’t fit her body type, well… plans changed.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character?          

A4 :   Much like @yascaret’s answer, getting my gay hands on viera in FFTA and being obsessed since then. I wanted to write a warrior, a little battered but unbroken despite everything. She came out differently than originally planned, but in a good way. She’s just an even bigger himbo now.

Q5 :   Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 :   I worry about Flanderizing her too hard, because while she is a big flirtatious himbo idiot I also want it to come across that she has depth.

Q6 :   What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6 :   Not a lot. I guess we're both stubborn idiots with very long fuses that nonetheless eventually explode and/or destroy whatever is on the receiving end. Also what's gender precious

Q7 :   How does your muse feel about  you?          

A7 :   She probably wouldn’t acknowledge me at all, but we might bond over spicy noodles.

Q8 :   What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?        

A8 :   Lofn and Pjel are the obvious choice, but… Lofn and Pjel. I really love writing her alongside and against them because their personality traits both complement and chafe against one another, often in the same scene. Also I love their chemistry and look forward to how that plays out.  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Q9 :   What gives  you inspiration  to write  your muse ?        

A9 :    B u n y  d e a t h  s q u a d. Just in general seeing my RP partners and roleplayers I haven’t interacted with yet writing and posting content for their characters really inspires me. As far as writing Aja, I take a handful of aesthetics, design elements, and themes and smash them together until something clicks. Listening to music and rolling through a prompt generator usually kick starts me into writing a drabble or developing something, and the FFXIV Write challenge has been great for that this month.

Q10 :  How long did this take you to complete ?          

A10 :  About an afternoon and part of an evening. I fell into TV Tropes a little too hard near the end.

[vividracing]

New Post has been published on https://www.vividracing.com/blog/top-5-best-intake-systems-for-ford-f-150/

Top 5 Best Intake Systems for Ford F-150

If you are looking to treat your Ford F-150 to some goodies, a new intake system is a great place to start. Cold air intakes are one of the first modifications car enthusiasts install on their vehicles. Why? Because unlike other engine mods, such as exhaust systems or bolt-on turbos, intake systems are more affordable and fairly simple to install.

Upgrading your F-150’s air intake system is one of the cheapest ways to increase its horsepower and performance. While they won’t add quite as much power as other engine parts, they will help your engine in numerous other ways like improving airflow, reducing air temperatures, and delivering better fuel economy. Adding to that list of benefits, a cold air intake system will give your F-150 a nice throaty growl that is sure to supply more smiles per mile.  

All in all, you can’t go wrong with an aftermarket cold air intake. But the virtually endless catalog of options out there could be overwhelming to some. To help you along, we have compiled a list of some of the best Ford F-150 intake systems below.

#1 K&N Performance Cold Air Intake System

Get the most out of your Ford F-150 truck with the K&N Performance Cold Air Intake System. Strategically designed to maximize your truck’s power by removing the restrictive stock filter and replacing it with a premium cotton one that allows for improved airflow and enhanced performance. K&N only uses top-grade components when manufacturing its cold air intake systems. This kit features a polyethylene corrosion-resistant construction intake tube and a custom heat shield that helps protect intake air from the high temperatures of your engine bay.

K&N’s high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rotationally-molded tube helps increase the amount of airflow to your engine, thus providing guaranteed power gains. With this system, it is possible to achieve as great as 23 horsepower and 34 pounds-feet of torque, which is an incredible bang for your buck. The system is paired with a washable and reusable high-flow cotton air filter coated with oil to capture dirt and other debris as they flow too. The oversized, conical shape allows you to drive up to 100,000 miles before servicing your filter. The filter is super efficient and effective and may only need to be washed every once in a whole. 

K&N’s cold air intake system can typically be installed in under 90 minutes using your Ford F-150’s existing factory mounting points. Moreover, you can just install the system and go. There is no tuning needed! It may sound different and deliver more power, but your truck will drive perfectly fine without a tune.

Get Yours Here!

#2 Airaid MXP Series Cold Air Intake System

Your Ford F-150 will be faster and more efficient when you install this AIRAD MXP Series Cold Air Intake System. The MXP Series represents the ultimate in AIRAID cold air induction systems. It is specifically engineered to deliver higher levels of horsepower and acceleration gains for both high-performance gas and diesel vehicles. This AIRAID system directs more air to the engine and lets it run more efficiently overall. This means that your Ford F-150 will experience higher horsepower figures and drive further on the same amount of fuel. The power gains can be as large as 24 horsepower when installed properly. That’s a major improvement for the money!

AIRAID’s MXP Air Intake Systems begin with a replacement one-piece roto-molded air box that tackles the faults of the restrictive factory design. The airbox houses an AIRAID premium air filter that delivers outstanding airflow and filtration. The air is directed through a new air intake tube crafted from cross-linked, high-density polyethylene using advanced computer modeling processes to maintain proper mass air flow readings and calibration.

The AIRAID MXP intake combines high-quality materials, durable components, an excellent fit and finish, and aggressive styling that is unparalleled on the market today! This system is available with either a SynthaFlow oiled filter or a dry filter. The filter is washable and reusable, crafted from several layers of high-quality cotton gauze and a special nano fabric material that captures everything down to two microns in size. The AIRAID MXP Series Cold Air Intake is specifically designed for your Ford F-150 for a perfect fit and easy installation process. The kit goes on fast and does not require any special tuning to function properly. Just bolt it on and drive!

Get Yours Here!

#3 aFe Power Momentum GT Cold Air Intake System

Outflow your Ford F-150’s factory intake by up to a whopping 66 percent with the aFe Power Momentum GT Cold Air Intake System. The Momentum GT intake is strategically designed around a pre-oiled, large 9-inch-tall conical inverted top air filter that boasts a 360-degree radial flow. The filter features five layers of high-quality mesh cotton that provides maximum airflow and performance. The oiled filter can also be easily washed and re-oiled for several reuses and long-term functionality. The patented unique air filter-to-housing interface allows for the largest filter size, thus increasing the amount of available air.

The Momentum GT Cold Air Intake spotlights a smooth one-piece sealed housing, rather than the use of multiple-piece housings, to ensure the coolest air intake charge available. A large, clear sight window is also present for hassle-free filter inspection and a more appealing look overall. This cold air intake system utilizes a CAD-designed, dyno-tuned, roto-molded intake tube crafted from cross-linked polyethylene plastic to achieve the maximum power gains possible. The tough molded plastic design is developed to last for years. What’s more, aFe guarantees it will resist chemicals and heat, and not corrode as time goes by.

Two CNC-machined, high-quality billet aluminum fittings are mounted on the tube to provide a perfect connection with the Ford F-150’s OE vacuum lines. Ultra-strong premium stainless steel T-bolt clamps and silicone couplings are included in the kit for a secure installation. aFe Momentum GT intakes are engineered with fewer parts for a quick and easy bolt-on installation process. Tuning is not required; you will enjoy smooth engine operation right from the get-go.

Get Yours Here!

#4 AEM Brute Force Cold Air Intake System

If you are looking for improved performance for your Ford F-150, look no further than the AEM Performance Cold Air Intake. AEM is dedicated to designing air intake systems that allow the largest amount of cold air to reach your truck’s engine and, therefore, boost horsepower and torque figures. This AEM kit was designed, dyno-tested, and tuned specifically for your Ford F-150. Not only does it boost power under the hood, but it cools your engine efficiently so you can experience better acceleration and improved fuel economy. The icing on the cake is the more aggressive sound you will hear when you step on the gas.

Air enters the system via an oversized AEM Dryflow synthetic washable air filter for amazing airflow, filtration, and performance. The air filter is located in the original air box space and is protected by a heat shield designed to reduce intake air temperature and heighten horsepower. The dual intake AEM Dryflow air filter is constructed from an oil-free, synthetic filter media that can be used for up to 100,000 miles before cleaning is required. The Dryflow synthetic air filter is also 99.4% efficient in fine dust testing, never needs to be oiled, and filters out dirt as small as one micron. 

The air intake tubes are crafted from CNC mandrel-bent 6061 aluminum with a durable gunmetal gray powder-coated finish. Moreover, AEM’s Brute Force Cold Air Intake was developed to accommodate the engine’s factory emissions control devices like the intake air temperature sensor. 

Get Yours Here!

#5 JLT Performance Cold Air Intake System

The JLT Performance Cold Air Intake will have your Ford F-150 driving faster and more capably. It is specifically designed to draw more air into the engine and keep it cooler for increased power generation. This system was developed using advanced processes to optimize space and ensure the best fitment. It is crafted using an attractive and durable black textured plastic that can handle extreme temperatures and hold its shape and form well over time.

The JLT Cold Air Intake features special MAF housing for added performance, in addition to a Powerstrack air filter to keep the air clean as it moves through the system. The large 4.5-inch S&B filter inlet with a radiused end allows for smoother airflow to the F-150’s throttle body. JLT uses only the best air filters made by S&B to its own stringent specifications. JLT loves S&B’s tapered flange design and Powerstack filtered ends for optimal performance.

The JLT Performance intake system retains the bottom half of your Ford F-150’s stock airbox and maintains a fresh air feed by doing so. JLT also includes a new top half to accept its larger filter (4.5×6 inches) and tube. The black textured intake tube measures 4 inches at the throttle body side to allow for larger aftermarket throttle bodies. In testing, JLT found power gains to be a consistent 10-15RWHP at the peak, with even more under the curve. No tuning or modifications are needed.

Get Yours Here!

[resconarchive]

prinxess's rescreatu rant

Hey all (+Riyo), it's prinxess. I found this blog today, which naturally means I spent the next 5 hours flipping through the archive lol. This was supposed to be a short post but plans never go as expected (Warning: this is LONG). If you know me, you’ve probably seen me try to talk about this stuff in the SB—which rarely goes well, haha. I’m going to word vomit on three main things: Res’s “first come, first serve” issue, Staff/ShoutBox Culture, and my own mistakes.

This isn’t Voice of God. I’m just a flawed 20-year-old who feels compelled articulate her thoughts at least once somewhere.

I accept responsibility for what’s written below.

1. Early Birds Get the Worm

Nice names are Res’s lifeblood. The aim of the game is to accumulate as many as you can. It didn't start out that way but that’s what it's become; it's human nature to want what your peers want. We enjoy having valuable things—the proof is in the pixels. But LOL good names are now worth 1B tu? This is why people are so upset with the site. If you made an account in 2006, quickly hatched three creatu named Diamond, Emerald, and Sapphire, and didn't log in again until now, your account would be worth more than someone who joined a year ago but has put in hundreds of hours into the site.

1B is pretty abstract, so I'll offer a cold splash of in-game reality. 700M = $100

Many of Rescreatu’s issues writhe around one malignant crux: its “first come, first serve” groundwork. Meaning, if your account isn’t old enough to be sent off to grade school, then you are out of luck. With everything. If you weren’t there when you could fish tier-1 names from the Atquateen Forest, if you weren’t there during the mass graveyard purges, if you weren’t smart enough to buy valuable names en masse for cheap from naive tweens 8 years ago, you’re out of luck. Unless Mr. Moneybags disembowels him/herself into your hands, you will never measure up to the sheer wealth of a select few old users (Gunmetal, Fleur, etc).

The visible wealth disparity is unreal. It’s kind of cute—there’s this ritual where when a newbie appears in the SB, older users flood them with tu and lovely creatu because they know baby bambi can’t make it on their own in modern Res. But what about the invisible users? The 99% who never set foot in the SB? Imagine you’re twelve, creating an account for the first time. You’re given XYZtu (aka not enough) to start off with. Hatching pets is fun. You like finding clothes for your avatar in the trash. A while later, you become interested in buying more creatu, so you fiddle around with the Creatu Search. And... you realize that the only good rwns are in the 20M+ range.

Actually no—a few weeks ago, a user called prinxess went through the entire directory, cleaned out most lower-priced RWNs, and stuck them in her shop at mark-up. But hey, she left “Blisters” and “Introspective” for you.

There’s nothing to do on Rescreatu except lord your cool names over other users. Nothing else... except... wait. Isn’t the Kir Quest about colors, not names? Which brings me to my next point. Years ago, blondes were worth 700k, and albinos 3M. Players back then threw these cheap creatu at Kir and rode the Uldavian Express to higher Rounds at mach speed (there are 5 Rounds now. each need an additional 120 creatu/points to access). Nowadays, albinos are no longer stocked in ranchers—period. I’m talking chimbies and meragons, not even seasonals. To use myself as an example, I restarted Kir a month ago (I was only at 25 points, Round 1). I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t being 100% efficient with my tu, but within a few days, I managed to add an additional 23 creatu to that number. At the cost of nearly one billion tu. 95% of which went towards beans.

If you’re a newbie with a dream of earning a Cyancu Nest, you need to give Kir 180 creatu total. That isn’t just hard—it’s straight-up impossible. From a cost/benefit standpoint, if you do not already have a substantial amount of Kir points, do not touch the Quest. Instead, buy the prize shop items from other users.

Because, let’s do some math. 180 (creatu) x 7,800,000 (price per bean) = 1,404,000,000tu.

I swear on every god out there that, overall, you will not just be spending 7.8M per creatu.

Cyancu eggs are selling for 500M each/1.5B for a nest, pretty close to that mythical 1,404,000,000 number. Just buy the egg.

A staff member once told me, “The Kir Quest is supposed to be hard.” Fair enough. The original purpose of the Quest was to fix Res’s overpopulation problem. Make higher colors valuable again. But now we’ve swung hard towards creatu extinction. The fix is relatively simple. Have Kir ask for blondes/albinos less often. Or increase the likelihood of hatching colors. Should be a simple coding tweak.

Side-note: With beans having become an integral part of Rescreatu’s ONLY real continuous Quest, why are they still cash shop items? People love to tout “but the site needs money to run”. How about put out a better product instead of squeezing users with Stockholm Syndrome/a gambling addiction out of more pennies? Actually, not pennies, it’s serious cash. The next promo is $100 for 3 retired CS eggs—a promo which was supposed to be in December, but moved because the higher ups thought users would be too strapped for cash during Christmas.

2. Staff/Culture

Hopelessness makes the newer users leave. Staff corruption poisons the rest. I’m not involved in current Rescreatu politics, but in the past it absolutely was a thing. Even with generally loved and respected staff members.

 I don’t want to disclose too much information, but since I’m old and weary, I’ll say that (without asking for it) a substantial boon was thrown my way because I was friendly with a member of staff. They are still highly regarded within the community.

14BM was unabashedly shady. One day, I announced I was selling a name on the SB and got in touch with a buyer. During our back-and-forth rmailing, 14BM rmailed me to say one of us had “accidentally hit the report button” which pointed her to our conversation. She warned me the other user was ripping me off, and that she could give me a better offer. Not very professional behavior, in my honest opinion.

Way back when, BillyBob was abusing glitches.

A name appeared in anon-staff’s Showroom one hot second after the person it belonged to was banned for “using a bot to find eggs.” Anon-staff had previously asked if they’d ever sell the name and they had said no. Shady.

Real talk. A staff member told me they don’t even care if you use bots, just as long as you don’t find enough seasonal eggs to ruin the market. I think anything above 40 is considered suspicious. Nevermind if you actually have no life and want to search for eggs for 48 hours straight.

There were way more corruption incidents, but those were so long ago I barely remember them. As for current staff, I can’t speak for them. Honestly, I can’t tell who most people are anymore because of all the username switching lol. There’s this ridiculous implicit rule of “don’t ask what someone’s username used to be” around Res. Like hello? That makes no sense. Not only do they retain their unique pets, but really, if someone hated you, a simple change of username isn’t going to make them suddenly forget who you are. Similarly, the whole idea of a new username being “a new start” for the user is frankly hilarious. Especially when you act no different.

That’s unfortunately just the start of my issue with Res’s “nice” culture. I’ll call it by another name: suck-up culture. It’s this omnipresent force of saccharine sweetness that’s nearly alive from how many people are hooked up into it. Plenty of users are genuinely nice, I won’t knock that. But damn, when a staff member/older user/wealthbag comes on the SB? It’s a vicious competition to prove how close they are are with that member. Immediately, there are “glomps” and “huggles” and “we’re married!/best friends” as if they actually give a shit about the other person. You do not. I know you do not. Everyone knows you do not. You’re just trying to get free things—and hey, it’s not a bad move, since those users are generally the gifting type. Oh. The cringiest thing is when a fan gives a popular user a cheap present, so the popular user will feel obliged to give them something in return—hopefully a better something. Machiavelli must be rolling in his grave.

This sugary behavior has somehow infected staff as well. I find it doubly disgusting because I can’t even call them out on it.

“<3 oh sweetheart, just so you know, what you’re doing is called spam. [link to rules] please take a look!! :333 ^_^”

“ *pops in* haiiiii guys, sorry to bump in but could you please take this convo to rmail? :3 *hugs* squeeeee <333 *hopes you dont hate me* ”

Like, fucking Christ. I can feel their phantom arms around me in my sleep. Can anyone speak normally anymore? Does everything need to be qualified with butterflies, sunshine, and overtures of love?

Back to the subject of staff... that issue is multifaceted. First, it’s a weirdly cyclical thing. Notice how newly chosen staff are almost always friends with current staff? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen some anon that’s never visited the SB become staff purely on merit (save for artists/programmers). But I could be wrong. Anyway, users inducted into staff are usually already one of Res’s wealthy elite. I can only speak for the trend I’ve noticed over the years, but A LOT of people become staff as a status symbol. Some also do it because they’re invested in the site and want to make it better. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. You can want to help while liking the boost in popularity at the same time. The real issue with staff is how they are compensated. Getting paid in credits (cash points?) actively increases the wealth disparity in the site. There’s a difference between giving someone 100 dollars versus a handful of credits. If someone handed you a hundred dollars, would you use it for rent or on some virtual name tags? Without this choice, staff are essentially forced into one course of action: buy credit shop items, put these items in their merchant shop, sell them to users, rake in tu. Or just sell cp for tu.

Rescreatu doesn’t use their staff properly. I’m referring to writers and artists. There are hundreds of wearable items available, but dressing up an avatar to look forum-fancy isn’t the purpose of a pet site. It’s a nice feature. But I didn’t join Rescreatu so I could play dress-up, I joined for the pets, for the battle arena, for the story of it all. Writers, I feel, are the most wasted of all. Does anyone actually read the stories in the books? Does anyone buy books, even? Res should take their talent and invest in proper story lines. They have six writers right now. Come on. Put up a good kidnapping site-wide story involving Xoria and Loyna. Get a competition between Scria users and Reiflem users going. Maybe the story could be Quest-style, with the users voting on how the story moves with their tu. Do something!

...Because this site also needs a tu sink. Desperately. Contrary to popular belief, the Kir Quest isn’t a tu sink, it vacuums money up to the top dogs of Rescreatu. You buy 10 beans—where are you getting these beans? More than likely, it’s from a staff member selling 70 of them in their shop. IRL right now there are 4 users selling beans: Feather x34, Isolation x30, Umbreon420 x1, Phos x36. Nothing against these users—in fact, I like them, but do you notice a trend? What do staff do with all this tu? They buy names at premium prices because they can afford to.

Q: Wait, prinx. If you just paid real money, you could have lots of tu too! A: My honor code forbids me from validating freemium games

Q: But, prinx. Why don’t you just become staff?  A: I tried when I was 13 but they didn’t accept me ): Probably for good reason.

It’s shocking that the stock market hasn’t been removed/tweaked yet. It shouldn’t be possible to buy 50,000 stocks of FAS for 400k on Sunday, and sell that for 20M one week later. This is another reason why names are considered the real currency on Rescreatu. Their value increases along with the inflation. It’s the only safe investment you can make.

3. Me

So, my long-winded rant is out of the way. Above, I mentioned I’d like to apologize for myself, so here I go. For context, these past few months I’ve been trying to get rid of my RWNs through forum auctions. In the latest thread, I stuck in an umbrella clause basically saying that I reserved the right to pull whatever bullshit I wanted, which I used, without warning, to tack 1.2B Autobuy options to the names. Half my reason was I was being egged on by a friend to do it. Half was because I just didn’t care. Never in my wildest dreams did I even imagine one person would actually go for it, let alone 3. When I opened the thread the morning after, I felt dread. My actions understandably upset quite a few people. I acknowledge that what I did was unprofessional. I regret it, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson.

In general, I’ve spent my recent years on Rescreatu being rude and abrasive. Trying to tie 14 year old staff in logic knots, picking at overly sensitive members, engaging trolls, the works. I’ve been throwing angsty melodrama around like glow-sticks at an EDM concert, and it isn’t fair to the newer members who have no memory of Res’s past.

This post clocks in at 2.5k words. The only reason I’ve written so much is because Rescreatu means/meant so much to me. For all its faults, Res somehow just works. Maybe because it encourages addictive behavior. Maybe because of the community. Whatever it is, it’s helped the site escape multiple waves of peril that would’ve killed any other. For that it deserves some applause. 

If you want to contact me, rmail me or email me at blu.moon.dragon@gmail.com. I don't bite

Peace.

[lindyhunt]

Urban Decay is Discontinuing the Original Naked Palette and People are Pretty Heartbroken

When it came time to purchase my very first palette—previously I’d only owned a couple of single MAC eyeshadows in teal blue that I (mistakenly) thought I looked cool in—I didn’t even have to consider my options. Because at that time, there really only was one option. One palette to rule them all: The Urban Decay Naked palette. With twelve pans of shadow, it was the perfect product for any type of look and any type of woman. From warm chocolatey shades, to frosted pinks to a deep sparkly black, this velvet-covered palette was all you needed. Dependable and versatile, it became a makeup staple.

But yesterday, the makeup brand shocked the beauty community when it announced they would discontinue the iconic product. The shock factor came less so from the loss of eyeshadows (there have been a ton of neutral dupe palettes released in the years since) but more so from the loss of something near and dear to many people’s hearts. This is a product that holds sentimental value more than any other, and for a lot of people, the Naked palette was a gateway product and an introduction into the world of beauty.

It’s safe to say that people are pretty sad.

RIP the Urban Decay Naked palette – with me through the intense school disco nights with lids matted in intense 'Creep', hungover eyes hidden with 'Sin', makeup disasters averted with a sweep of 'Half-baked'. You will be missed x

— Anna Cafolla (@AnnaCafolla) August 23, 2018

Urban Decay is discontinuing the first palette I ever ever bought. The first makeup purchase that really made me FALLLLLLLLL in love with makeup 😭😭😭 idk how to handle this

— Kathleen Lights (@KathleenLights1) August 23, 2018

so sad that urban decay are discontinuing the original naked palette 😭 half baked on the lid and dark horse in the crease will forever be a look 😭😭

— Zara✨ (@ZaraMcNally) August 23, 2018

This is also a mood:

wow urban decay naked palette is being discontinued after 8 years and i just began crying??? i don't even use it???? i just feel kind of old???

— arabelle sicardi (@arabellesicardi) August 23, 2018

There’s a (gunmetal) silver lining to this cloud, however. As a parting gift, Urban Decay is slashing the price of the OG Naked palette in half, both in stores and online. And there’s comfort in the fact that the brand is giving its baby the “extra-af” funeral it deserves.

Today, we mourn our beloved original Naked Palette, a revolutionary product that changed the beauty industry forever 🖤🥀 A little bit naughty, often dramatic, and always in the press, the innovative game-changer and category creator will be laid to rest after 8 years. The funeral is being held today in Newport Beach, CA with badasses and beauty influencers alike. @kandeejohnson, @christendominique, @katy, @makeupshayla & @chrisspy will all be in attendance, with a eulogy by @nicolerichie. Click the link in our bio to see the entire sendoff on YouTube. #UrbanDecay #UDNaked #Makeup #Beauty

A post shared by Urban Decay Cosmetics (@urbandecaycosmetics) on Aug 23, 2018 at 7:49am PDT

Today, we mourn the loss of our beloved original Naked palette 💔🥀 Though this parting is bittersweet, you’ll still be able to get your hands on the palette anywhere Urban Decay is sold, while supplies last. 🖤US: Save 50% on the original Naked Palette at UrbanDecay.com, all Urban Decay stores, and retailers where UD is sold. 🖤 Canada: Save 50% on the original Naked Palette at UrbanDecay.ca, all Urban Decay stores, and retailers where UD is sold. 🖤 UK: For TWO DAYS ONLY starting August 23, save 30% on the original Naked Palette at UrbanDecay.co.uk and Urban Decay stores. 🖤 Korea: Save 50% on the original Naked Palette at Urbandecay.co.kr. Don’t see your country? Reach out to your local UD retailer for more info. https://www.urbandecay.com/storelocator #UrbanDecay #UDNaked #Makeup #Beauty

A post shared by Urban Decay Cosmetics (@urbandecaycosmetics) on Aug 23, 2018 at 9:06am PDT

So why is Urban Decay pulling the palette? It’s not entirely clear, but based on the overwhelming amount of product out there and the many documented dupes, it’s probably not selling as well as it used to. Even my own palette has been sitting in the bottom of my drawer unused for some time now. But despite that, it’s still something I haven’t been able to let go of.

Overall, it’s been an intense week for the beauty community. From ugly Twitter dramas to lengthly apology videos, the loss of this palette is just one more blow.

So if you’re really struggling with the prospect of saying goodbye, make sure to stock up on a fresh Naked palette before they’re all gone forever. Thanks for the memories, Urban Decay. It’s true what they say, nothing gold can stay, not even ‘Half-baked’.

[itsworn]

Car Craft’s List of the 27 Coolest Things at the 2018 Mecum Auction in Kissimmee

In the background, the hammer falls Wayne Schemekle’s unrestored 1970 Boss 302 Cougar Eliminator sold for $121,000

Cars of every shape and size show up at collector auctions, and there were more than 3,000 of them at Mecum Kissimmee, which has become the season opener for the winter auction circuit. Starting in Florida makes this a somewhat different audience than some of the more westerly auction venues, as the Orlando area as a popular destination for snow-weary northerners, as well as international travellers, have an opportunity to bid on some stellar cars. Indeed, with the event book-ended through a couple of weekends, you could find ample things to do with the family and still get your fill of car action.

Even if you are not looking to find that car of your dreams, there is a lot to see. After all, the cars themselves are on display where you can see them up close, and the field isn’t limited to pristine restorations. There are street rods and hot rods, drag cars and street machines, oddball station wagons, and low-mileage highway cruisers. There are deals to be had if you are patient. The auction venue itself is an indoor stadium called the Silver Spur Arena, but the overall Osceola Heritage Park has space for the thousands of cars, Dodge’s Hellcat-based thrill ride, a special event-oriented midway, and the so-called ‘glass house’ where the most valuable vehicles were usually on display. This year, that building included a number of great vintage drag machines, ultra-low-mileage original muscle cars, and a mixture of exotics led by Bugatti and Ferrari. For many, Mecum’s season-opening event is a wide-open chance to enjoy great cars, whether you are a big roller, a budget chaser, or just someone who appreciates the faster things in life. Even the sold cars often end up back on display, and huge tents are erected to allow a leisurely walk through to see the cars. There are also media presentations on big-screen TVs throughout to keep up with what is on the block, and Mecum publishes catalogs for some of the collections. This year, we also saw a great wooden racing boat collection, road art that included the never-used stock of an old sign company, a bi-plane, motorcycles, and some other surprises. Go to mecum.com and sign in (it’s free) for the full results.

Sudden Death 1975 Mustang II If there was one car this year that typified the Car Craft mystique, it was this legendary Motor City street machine built by Pro Stock racers Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush (yes, youngsters, Roush was all about drag racing in the ‘70s). The Mustang II design was lamented by many, but once a Pro Stock suspension design, cage, and set-back Cleveland-based engine were installed, this silver beast was notorious on the streets of Detroit, with the name Sudden Death coming from a HOT ROD article by the legendary Gray Baskerville. Twin-turbos were too much for it, so it got parked in the ‘80s, but current owner Tom Tate found it and redid it like it was back in its heyday. On the block Thursday, the bidding reached $47,000, which did not meet the reserve, so Tom kept it. The internet was buzzing on this one, though, and since Mecum offers sellers a second chance to run the car through later in the year, we may see it again.

1965 Z16 Chevelle Kayo Erwin of Tennessee is a long-time collector who brought a number of cars that had been in his collection for decades. One was this low-mileage, restored RPO Z16 1965 Chevelle. As some people may know, these were image cars for Chevrolet, released to prime the pump, so to speak, for the upcoming 1966 SS396 package. This is why only 201 were built that first year. The beautiful car took home a winning bid of $280,500.

1972 Mr. Norm GSS Dodge Demon The Demon name has been brought back by Chrysler/FCA recently, but the original small-block version had its own version of ‘serious.’ Mr. Norm’s Grand-Spaulding Dodge in Chicago released an exclusive edition that featured the 340 Six Pack that had been used only on the 1970 Challenger E-bodies Trans-Am packages. These A-bombs rarely show up for sale, and this one was in pristine shape with A4 Gunmetal Gray paint. From the Wayne Scheeckle collection, and $62,700 later on Friday afternoon, it belonged to someone else.

The ZL1 Camaro Offering Topping the million dollar mark for muscle this year was a pair of ZL1 Camaros, both with original ZL1 engines. One was sold new through the Fred Gibb franchise itself, and the other was a reassignment from Chevrolet after Gibb frantically called Detroit when he got the first invoice. He had been told the sticker price would be about 4500.00; instead, when the first truckload arrived in LaHarpe, Illinois that February, each car had a retail of over $7,000! It was the only time Chevrolet is known to have taken pre-ordered cars back, and they were reassigned cars to other dealers directly from Norwood. Only 69 ZL1 Camaros were built, and they rarely show up with real 1969 blocks in them.

Landy’s Dodge The Mecum auction publicity department worked hard to promote the exclusive drag cars owned by Nick Smith. These were the cream of the crop for the years they raced, and none was more known to the Mopar faithful as the 1965 Dodge Coronet raced by Dandy Dick Landy. Featured in a monster wheelstand in a full-color CC center spread that year (and on Kissimmee-area billboards in 2018), the Landy machine is considered one of the best preserved of the batch of cars built by Chrysler as ‘AFX Dragsters’ that year. It climbed to a cool $500,000, but Nick (seen at left with his crew) decided he would keep it. Vintage drag cars have cooled recently.

That Boss 351 Another car from Wayne Schmeeckle’s collection was this 1971 Boss 351 Mustang. The final Boss package released in that era, this was a dealer demo that had been sold with less than 1,000 miles on its odometer. In fact, it has been driven only 823 miles since new and had an MCA Thoroughbred Gold award to prove it. When the hammer fell, this incredible survivor was sold for $192,500.

Thrill Rides by Dodge Sometimes you want to take a break from the action, and lots of people were walking over to the Dodge display to get a fast and sideways blast in a new Challenger or Charger. The track layout changes based on space, and this year was a water-assisted tire-churning kick through a chicane, immediate heavy braking, a hairpin turn-around, and 100 feet of hard acceleration. Dodge gets your info, gives you some free swag, and thrills you with a seasoned driver at the wheel. This is free with your admission into the venue; just do it before the line gets too long.

The Absolute No Reserve Offering On several days throughout the auction, groups of cars were offered with no reserve price to begin that day’s bidding. The early birds who were on hand for the day’s start found out quickly that these were all solid cars, and most of them sold at close to market value. They included Hemi Mopars, Shelby Mustangs, and more. This 1970 W30 Olds 4-4-2 hammered a big $99,000 final bid on Saturday morning.

Gas Ronda’s 1965 Mustang Among the cars in the Nick Smith Collection was this original 1965 A/FX Mustang. Painted Poppy Red with correct lettering, this was one of the cars created under contract with Ford for NHRA-legal racing. Ronda actually had two of these SOHC-powered cars, as the first one assigned to him was wrecked in pre-season testing. He then ran the season in this car, which had originally been built for show use. It’s new owner won the auction with a final bid of $324,500 on Friday.

Celebrity Drivers Don Garlits, Bruce Larson, and Al Joniec (shown with the Cobra Jet Mustang he won the 1968 NHRA Nationals in), were among those seen as part of Mecum’s action this year. Larson was there with his 1962 Ford (yep, the guy known as Mr. USA-1 once worked at a Blue Oval franchise), Garlits did some color commentary, and Joniec drove the legendary Rice & Holman-backed machine across the block.

1962 FX Fords So few of these cars were built, and fewer exist now. We are talking about the very first embers of Total Performance for drag racing, the 1962 Ford Galaxie lightweight. Nick Smith had one of the four that were not rebodied as 1963 models, while a very young Bruce Larson personally went to Detroit and got lightweight parts through Ford to uphold the brand’s honor in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions. This included the first 2×4 intake released to the public beyond Dick Brannan’s experimental stuff. Selling the car for the widow of a close friend, Bruce was happy to have it hammer home at $66,000, complete with a near-priceless book of paperwork.

Daytona 500 Camaro Pace Car We all know about the Indy Pace Car program with the orange and white packages, but how about this 1969 Camaro dressed out for the 1969 effort at Daytona. Produced during the third week of October 1968, the NASCAR pace cars first saw official duty at the 1969 Daytona 500, and they were used through the season at various other tracks, receiving new lettering for each race. All of them were returned to Chevrolet Motor Division at the end of the 1969 season, intended to be sold to the public. Based on its unique optioning, it is believed this was one of the ten cars from that program, and owner Joe Cheek had a buyer for it through the Bid Goes On program about an hour after the car did not meet reserve on Friday. The Bid Goes On option lets buyers make a higher counter offer to Mecum, who checks to see if the owner is interested. If so, the money changes hands and another car is sold!

1970 Hemi Coronet R/T Hardtop This big, bad Dodge was a personal favorite, and I had chatted with long-time owner Chris Coulson many times during the last two years. The first 1970 Hemi exported to Canada, and the only one in this body design to feature the four-speed, 4.10 Dana Super Trak Pack option, this Plum Crazy purple Mopar climbed to a final hammer of $143,000. Mecum had promoted the car at both MCACN and in the event advertising, and my (possibly biased) opinion, it was a great buy on a unique performance car. I wish I had the $144,000 to try for this one!

The Happy Days hot Rod Ok, so maybe its not as cool as some of the musclecars up for sale, but this little machine would be cool just to take to cruise night. With some possibility of even George Barris having been involved with it, it was still a movie-level build and not really detailed. It was graced with signatures of many of the Happy Days TV stars including ‘the Fonz’ Henry Winkler, however. Frankly, when the bidding topped $80,000, we are of the belief the owner would have been wise to send it a new home.

Big Bad Jav This 1970 Javelin was part of the No Reserve collection and took home a healthy $55,000 Saturday morning. Hard to restore, this SST was a real Go Package equipped version, complete with the optional spoilers, sidepipes, blue paint, 390-CI engine, and four-speed crash box.

Getting The Old Car Back The first car that noted collector Tim Wellborn had ever bought from Mecum auctions was a 1970 LS6 Chevelle. He sold it a couple of years ago, having found another one with lower mileage. A persistent friend talked into Tim selling that one, and, to his surprise, the original black car was among the 2018 catalog offerings. Between doing NBC-SN color commentary on Friday, got the car back for his Alabama museum, noting with a slight grin that he actually purchased it back for a little less than he sold it for.

The 1964 NYWF 427 Galaxie Probably the biggest surprise for some attendee was that this big Galaxie 500 convertible brought $225,500. Powered by the R-code 427 8-bbl package, what made this car special was that it was used at the beginning of the 1964 New York World’s Fair as a display car along with the first Mustang. A convertible with extra chrome and trim. This car was spectacularly restored and is a special piece of Ford history.

Joel’s Crazy Corvette There were some very nice Corvettes here, from high-buck 1963 Z06 tankers to reasonably priced late models. If we had to pick one to take to the Car Craft Summer Nationals, we would have done what collector Todd Werner did and grabbed this documented 1970 Phase III Motion machine. Well-known in the hobby and once a cover car on one of the long-gone east coast magazines, this car featured a radical appearance and equipment thanks to Joel Rosen and his crew at Motion Performance. The car was expertly restored by George Rubistello about 2003. Werner, whose collection of vintage drag cars was featured on our cover a few years ago, added this unique machine to his stables for $104,500.

By the time I get a Phoenix The 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix is a monster Mopar from a time when Detroit was adjusting to the new decade with varying degree of success. The company built fewer than 600 of these cars, and most of those are long, long gone by now. Stylish in a way Chrysler could only have done, this rare example was pretty cool, and it was the only car we saw this year featuring the long-ram intake design, which was coded as D500 on the 383 Wedge. With spectacular paint, a large number of factory options, mostly original equipment, and a selling price of $68,200, this would have been another wild piece to own, if only for its crazy engine technology and unreal body size.

The NOS Old Sign Factory The Flexlume sign company went bankrupt during World War II because the government did not want their neon- and incandescent-lighted advertising signaling to enemy flyers where our cities were. When the company’s assets were sold in 1944, what was left of their old stock that had not been turned to the wartime scrap went into storage for 80 years. On Sunday’s final day, this collection of cool advertising was sold at no reserve. Many were smaller pieces while others, like these never-used Gulf signs, were so large they would need a real gas station to hang up for display. How neat would it be to become the first-ever owner of one of these still-crated old-school signs?

1961 Pontiac Safari Wagon Mecum sold tens of millions of dollars worth of cars here, so relatively speaking, only a few did not meet the reserve. One of them was this very cool 1961 Safari station wagon that was just begging for a Nostalgia Top Fuel car to push around. A single repaint in rare ‘Firedawn Mist’ (a bronze metallic paint), original sheet-metal, great two-tone interior, dealer-installed Tri-power layout on the 389 engine, a power rear window, upscale trim, and complete paperwork rounded it out. It stopped getting action on Wednesday at only $25,000, so the owner understandably chose to take it home.

The Bugatti When money is no object, you have the choice of modern hypercars like this one, a 2018 Bugatti Chiron. Think of this car as having Formula 1 technology in a street car. It makes more than 1,400 horsepower bone stock, goes 0-60 in 2.3 seconds, top ends at 261 MPH (honest, officer, I missed the sign), and really can’t be Car Crafted. After all, the tires are $22,000…apiece! This car, which showed just 249 delivery miles, had a literal million dollars in optional equipment alone on it. Even when the bidding pushed above the $3M range, it did not meet the reserve. How many already-full garages could you buy for $4,000,000? A bunch, but the Chiron was a true spectacle here, and lots of people enjoyed the chance simply see one of these very exclusive cars up close. They took lots of selfies here, too.

1970 Buick GS Stage II This 1970 Stage II Buick GS 455 was one of the No Reserve cars, and it certainly lit our fire. Created by the company’s engineering arm, just two cars received Stage II parts, as GM had gotten very serious about emissions controls before the development onf ths package had concluded. This one held NHRA and AHRA records, as well as cool authentic racing paint and a prototype hood scoop. It hammered home at healthy $115,500 on Friday morning.

His and Hers GTOs This ‘couple’ of red convertibles was offered separately, both beautiful presented and optioned differently. ‘Hers’ was a 1967 with white interior, power seats and top, automatic transmission, and a 2.93 rear gear. ‘His’ was a 1966 four-speed with a Royal Bobcat tune up, 3.55 gearing, Hurst wheels, and day-two Tri-Power. Sold back-to-back, the same buyer took the pair, offering more than $140,000 for the classy lady after laying down an additional $92,400 for the he-man model. We’d drive either. Right, dear?

The Last Auburn Last year when we picked our favorite classic car, the Duesenberg was an easy choice. It was a cool car but, hey, it’s a little pricy like the Bugatti. This year, we picked a classic that sold for a lot less: only $121,000. Auburns were among the best-known models of the ‘deco era,’ but the ravages of the Great Depression spelled their end. This 1936 Model 852 was the final new release by the ebbing Indiana firm- a cabriolet featuring a rumble seat, a Lycoming straight eight, and scads of class. It’s so cool as it sits that it might even be a car we would leave stock…maybe.

The post Car Craft���s List of the 27 Coolest Things at the 2018 Mecum Auction in Kissimmee appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[tcobeauty]

BEAUTY HAULS: Ulta Owns My Soul

Despite waiting patiently for the 20% off entire purchase coupon I knew had to be coming soon (and then finally showed up–more on this later), in the meantime I spent far too much time on Ulta's mobile app stocking up on some maintenance items and picking up a couple of splurges on sale. The first step is admitting you have a problem, RIGHT?

On that BOGOHO tip: The Schick Hydro5 razors (which, I know, I need to switch to like Harry's or something, but I only recently got back into shaving on the regular, so I'm just trying to stock up and save while I can), which I didn't realize until after the fact that these weren't the Sensitive Extra-Hydrating version, so hopefully they won't tear my flesh too terribly. L'Oreal was also BOGOHO, so I grabbed their lightweight, self-contained True Match Mineral Foundation (they no longer make the Translucent version 😥) and my all-time favorite liquid eyeliner, Linear Intense, which I wish they would make in every goddamn shade that exists—the felt tip is still the absolute best liquid liner delivery mechanism out there.

Sale-wise: The Joico Shampoo and Conditioner were 2 for $20, which is a GREAT deal on this color-depositing product that keeps me relatively vibrant in the last couple of weeks before a hair appt. I'm switching back to the Shea Moisture Shave Butter after finally using up the Whish Shave Cream—I love the way it smells, but I can't justify the cost. 

I've recently become obsessed with nude nail polish (symptom of being in my 30s, i suppose) and I now have a foursome (lol) of this Sally Hansen Color Therapy polish and it's fast becoming one of my favorite nail color products in general. I love that you don't need a base coat, it helps repair and moisturize (ostensibly, anyway), and it wears several days with no chips, which are always the bane of my nail existence.

Last but not least: the Tarteist Matte Lip Color was on sale, and there's a part of me that, no matter how dry and flaky my lips get with most matte colors, is also kind of obsessed with finding one that doesn't make my lips look like The Mummy and is forgiving with shaky-hands application. That MIGHT just be this lip color, which is also one of the more perfect nude lip colors I've ever come across for my skintone. I was expecting something a bit more pink, but in this case, I think it works.

Paid: $92 | Value: $130 Savings: $38 / 29%

So yeah, despite the sale prices, the BOGOHO deals, and rewards points, not the best haul overall. With my ongoing spending tracking, I'm trying to really focus only on getting products I already know and love, and/or something I've been wanting to try that will replace something I've been using, and then only if it's on sale.

Buuuuuuuuuuut suffice to say that when my 20% off coupon finally DID arrive, I was more than ready (and more than a little perturbed at myself for not being able to hold out until it arrived tbh). Not the most exciting of purchases, I'll admit, but I stocked up on plenty of staples and a few new goodies to try.

I suppose I should find a hairspray like half as much as BedHead Masterpiece, but until then, I'll buy it in multiples every time it's on sale. Other regular faves include the Whamisa Sea Kelp mask (I'm SO GLAD Ulta carries it so I can at least get some rewards points and discounts as opposed to Glow Recipe, which I love, but hardly ever has sales or promos), my all-time fave Shea Moisture Superfruit Multivitamin Firming Hand & Body Scrub, the Schick Intuition razor (don't hate, it's for convenience and I'm lazy af when it comes to body hair removal), and a waterproof Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara.

I carried on a bit more with my recent seaweed kick and picked up a travel size Shea Moisture Age Defy & Color Protect Sea Salt Texture Spray, which has a nice, lightweight texture but also still has actual salt in it, so I'm not sure how they get away with "color protect," in the name, so we'll see about that. I've been curious about The Body Shop's line of natural skincare products, so I figured this cute little kit of seaweed-based products with a cleanser, toner, matte-fying moisturizer and night treatment would be fun to try, especially as the heat and humidity start to work their way into my pores.

Maybelline had a buy-two promo, so I got this Color Jolt Intense lip paint which was SORELY misrepresented in the photo on the website, because I thought it was actually metallic, but it is instead a pretty standard creme mauve. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. And then I love the Color Tattoo Chrome cream eyeshadow format and texture, but this Gunmetal shade is much darker than it appeared on the website, which leads me to believe that Maybelline needs to get their shit together with regards to product photos. I will say, however, that my tarte silver liquid eyeliner looks GREAT overtop of it—a dark shadow with a lighter, metallic eyeliner might be my new fave look!

I rounded out my haul with a travel-size ZOYA nail polish remover that I already REALLY like – it removes color quickly and efficiently, doesn't dry out my nails and make them more brittle than they already are, and has a relatively pleasant smell. And then I just couldn't resist this goofy-ass unicorn-themed Pacifica Sugared Amber Dreams Rollerball and while it is very sugary-smelling, I think it will layer really nicely under some of the other Pacifica fragrances I have, specifically the fig, which I've been trying to layer with vanilla and it just keeps getting lost underneath.

Paid: $103 | Value: $158 Savings: $55 / 35%

Definitely a better haul overall, thanks to that elusive 20% entire purchase coupon, but still not my best. Ulta is my home for staples and favorites, and I've only recently started to get into more of their bigger beauty brands (except for UD, I've loved that shit for what seems like actual decades). Still, I got my first Ulta Rewards card in like 2001 and have been a Platinum member for at least half that time, so I'm not going anywhere. They also have the best rewards program BY FAR, and pretty much always have, which is why I tend to buy so many staples and basics from there, with a few splurges on sales every now and then.

[betechit-blog]

HTC 10 Evo (Bolt) revives Snapdragon 810, everyone wonders why

When you can purchase a HTC 10 with present day equipment for less, what's the purpose of the Evo?

As indicated by HTC, the HTC 10 Evo—known as the HTC Bolt and sold solely by Sprint in the US—is the perfect telephone for the lucrative £450-£500 cell phone advertise (its correct cost is TBC). It's a market ruled by organizations that offer last-era leaders which once sold for upwards of £600 at chop down costs, it says, and telephones from any semblance of Huawei and ZTE that contain claim mark chipsets as opposed to all out Qualcomm Snapdragons. The HTC 10 Evo, with its full-metal body, vast 1440p show, and Snapdragon SoC ought to, on paper in any event, cover that portion pleasantly.

But I don't know why anybody in their correct personality would get one.

The HTC 10 Evo is controlled by a Snapdragon 810, an octa-center SoC that first showed up in 2014, and was utilized as a part of HTC's M9 amid 2015. Which is not to state that the 810 makes the Evo moderate. To be sure, execution under Android 7.0 Nougat was fine amid a brief hands-on. However, a shiny new, opened 32GB HTC 10—which Ars named one of the best Android cell phones discharged for this present year—costs under £500 from various online stores. This is a telephone that packs the most recent (or sufficiently close most recent) Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery inside a smooth metal case.

In the US, where the HTC Bolt is sold for $599 on Sprint, you can purchase an a shiny new, opened HTC 10 straightforwardly from HTC's site for $499.

How HTC anticipates that anybody will purchase a telephone that has a two-year-old SoC when it likewise offers one with a much more up to date chip—at a similar cost or less—is a riddle. For hell's sake, OnePlus will offer you the OnePlus 3T for just £400 ($439)— and that accompanies a Snapdragon 821, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of capacity, and comparably awesome form quality and materials. It's difficult to see where the Evo bodes well.

Be that as it may, what the hello, how about we give it a go.

Ostensibly, the HTC 10 Evo offers a similar outline dialect as the HTC 10, with an all-metal body and a spotless front-belt free from any startling marking. Since the splendid and vivid 1440p LCD show has been broadened out to 5.5 inches (dropping the pixel thickness to 534 PPI—not that you'd ever see), the bend on the back has been diminished, bringing about a much compliment, and ostensibly more current feeling back. It's a small piece more slender than the HTC 10 too at 8.09mm, and because of its little bezels the Evo is shockingly agreeable to hold for such a substantial telephone.

The quick unique mark scanner on the front of the HTC 10 has been brought over and works similarly also, alongside the capacitive back and multitasking catches. Both the front-and back confronting cameras have been given a lift, going from 5MP to 8MP on the front, and 12MP to 16MP on the back. Nonetheless, they are marginally more awful in every single other regard, with HTC supplanting the quick laser-self-adjust with stage identification self-adjust, and dropping the opening from f/1.8 to f/2.0.

As specified, the Evo is fueled by an octa-center Snapdragon 810, a 64-bit SoC made up of four ARM Cortex A57 CPU centers, four ARM Cortex A53 centers, a 2.0GHz clock speed, and an Adreno 430 GPU. That is matched with 32GB of microSD expandable stockpiling and 3GB of RAM. The 810 is still quick, even on the GPU side, yet given how rapidly Android is dropping backing for more established SoCs nowadays, it's not the best thought to burn through £500 on a telephone with one inside. That is also all the warmth and power enhancements incorporated with the 820, which help with battery life.

All things considered, HTC has stuck an extensive 3,200mAh battery inside the Evo, alongside Quick Charge 2.0 support, which it cases will last "throughout the day." Android 7.0 is incorporated and basically stock (yahoo!), and surprisingly, HTC has made a fairly water-safe telephone as well. The Evo is IP57 appraised for submersion between 15 centimeters and one meter of water.

In spite of HTC typically hitting into about sound—and as a matter of fact, I'm somewhat fixated on it as well—I haven't said the Evo's earphone jack yet. That is on account of, similar to the Apple iPhone 7, it doesn't have one. Rather, earphone sound is pumped out by means of the USB 2.0 Type-C jack on the base of the telephone. What's more, much the same as the iPhone 7, it's a senseless move that makes things simply that tad bit less advantageous for shoppers. Without a doubt, HTC packages in a couple of good "high-res affirmed" in-ear earphones. Also, yes, remote Bluetooth earphones work fine.

Be that as it may, the excellence of the earphone jack is in its universality: remote earphones come up short on charge. Wires on wired earphones, the USB-C connector included, regularly break. Evacuating the alternative of connecting to any combine you like is a client bother that could some way or another be maintained a strategic distance from. Besides, all top of the line audiophile earphones are wired.

Still, HTC's answer is superior to Apple's. All the sound preparing is done inside the telephone—with the same brilliant 24-bit DAC and intensifier utilized as a part of the HTC 10—rather than in the earphones. That implies dissimilar to Apple's awful sounding, and costly, dongle, any modest USB-C-to-3.5mm connector will give you a chance to utilize your current earphones fine and dandy. It's a disgrace HTC doesn't give you one in the Evo's container, however.

It's another abnormal exclusion in what is out and out a weird telephone. Either HTC doesn't know its own items or those of the opposition, or (more probable) it's turning up the PR machine trying to move a couple of units of a telephone made for particular (and without a doubt unusual) bearer requests in the US here in the UK and Europe. I question anybody will get bulldozed by it.

The HTC 10 Evo will be sold solely through HTC.com not long from now in two hues: "Gunmetal" and "Ice sheet Silver." It won't be sold by means of systems.

[itsworn]

Hot New Mopars For 2018! Widebody Hellcat, Trackhawk & More!

Every summer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) brings in automotive journalists from around the world to their “What’s New” media event to check out soon-to-be released 2018 rides from all the brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, SRT, Ram, Mopar, and Fiat. While there was not one brand-new totally redesigned car or truck in attendance at this event, there were plenty of new looks combined with performance and attitude for many of the updated 2018 models. This is also one of our favorite media events of the year as we get to drive like mad men in high-powered Hemi machines around the fabled Chrysler Proving Grounds nestled in the rolling hills of Chelsea, Michigan. So here are highlights on what’s hot, cool, and coming soon to a dealer near you!

2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody The biggest news from Dodge at this event wasn’t the Demon that got let loose back in April in the Big Apple, but rather its tamed, street friendly, nicer twin: the Hellcat Widebody. We had seen images of a Challenger SRT Hellcat clad in wheel flares popping up all over the Internet and many proclaimed this to be some Demon engineering mule, but we had other thoughts and had a notion the fender flares (first seen on the Challenger GT concept almost two years ago) would be repurposed for another project. Little did anyone know (except us!) that the Hellcat Widebody was hiding in plain sight right under our noses. While the world was possessed by the Demon, the SRT engineers were developing the Hellcat Widebody. Good thing they did and here’s why…

The Hellcat Widebody gets more meat on all four corners and makes better use of its tried and true blown 6.2L Hemi and all its glorious 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. torque. According to Dodge/SRT, road course lap times on a 1.7-mile track got lowered by approximately 2 seconds per lap verses a standard Hellcat Challenger. In the drag strip arena, the place most Hellcat owners will likely frequent, the Widebody ran 10.90s on stock Pirelli street rubber verses 11.20s on the standard Hellcat rubber (275/40ZR20).

The Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody won’t get the sticky Nitto NT05R 315/40R18 street-legal drag radials as found on its evil twin, the Demon, nor does it get the Demon’s ’68 Super Stock Hemi Dart inspired hood scoop. All that was borrowed from the Demon’s part bin was its fender flares and front spoiler that add an additional 3.5 inches to the Challenger’s width.

Filling the Hellcat Widebody’s flared wheel wells is a more civilized rubber for everyday usage. Pirelli P-Zero 305/35ZR20 tires mounted on what Dodge calls “Devil’s Rims.” These split-five spoke aluminum wheels measure 20 x 11 inches and have a cool matt finish. This helps camouflage the massive amounts of brake dust from the six-piston Brembo brakes kissing those two-piece 15.4-inch rotors as you haul the 4,400-lb Hellcat Widebody down from 195 mph.

The 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody gets a standard electric power steering (ESP) with selectable modes, a new front splitter (borrowed from the Demon), new grille and fender badges, and optional colors for the Brembo brake calipers. A new interior seating color is available called “Demonic Red Laguna.”

One final note, unlike the Demon which comes in only an automatic, the Hellcat Widebody can be had with a manual transmission for those of you who like grab gears and play footsy with a third pedal. Starting price is $71,495 MSRP, and don’t worry, there’s no limit to how many Dodge will crank out from its Brampton Assembly plant.

2018 Charger The Charger lineup for 2018 remains mostly unchanged but there are some cool things for America’s favorite four-door muscle car. On the Charger SRT Hellcat, it also gets a refreshed grille and fender badges, new wheels, and optional colors on the Brembo brake calipers including black, orange, and gunmetal. Like the Challenger SRT Hellcat, you can outfit the Charger SRT Hellcat interior with Demonic Red Laguna Leather.

For the budget conscious buyers not looking to increase insurance company profits, the Super Track Pak option is available on the 3.6L V6 Charger SXT Plus. What you get are some really cool upgrades such as Bilstein shocks, 3.07 axle ratio, performance hood with air induction (borrowed from the Scat Pack and Daytona), performance styled front and rear fascias, sculpted side sills, and Dodge Performance Pages in which you can sort through all sorts of good data such as reaction times, 0-60 times, g-force indicator, lap times, and more. The 3.6L V6 also gets a power bump from 292 to 300 for more scoot with less loot. Think of the 2018 Charger SXT Plus with Super Track Pak option as a modern day Duster Twister or Demon Sizzler, except only faster and better mpg.

2018 Durango As more buyers step away from sedans and into SUVs, it was only a matter of time for the SRT engineers to give the Durango a serious shot of performance. With the launch of the 475-horspower 2018 Durango SRT back in February, Dodge now had a serious player in the field of fast and capable AWD family haulers that have three-row seating. With e.t.’s solidly in the 12-second zone, the Durango SRT epitomizes the “family that drag races together stays together.” The fact it has a best-in-class towing capacity of 8,600 pounds means Durango SRT might give your trailered race car a run for the money.

Also new for 2018, all Durango R/T models will share the Durango SRTs intimidating front fascia and performance hood that has a scoop and heat extractors. The new lower front valence also houses a new cold-air duct system to help the R/T’s 360-horsepower 5.7L Hemi make good use of cold, fresh air.

“Performance is more than just stats and Dodge performance is an attitude that permeates through everything we do,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands (Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA, North America). To that point, even the Durango GT’s lowly 295 horsepower 3.6L V6 can be had with the SRT hood. While some diehards may take this as a dilution of the SRT brand, we say bring it on. If it helps Dodge move sheetmetal and gives buyers more options to personalize their vehicles, it’s a good thing. Also, B5 Blue will be available exclusively on the Durango R/T and SRT later in the production run.

2018 Jeep Trackhawk After two years of enthusiasts asking for the 707-horsepower Hellcat Hemi to be dropped in an AWD platform, the SRT geniuses created the new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. To say the engineers and product planners got it right would be an understatement. The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the most powerful and quickest SUV ever to roam the soccer field’s parking lot. With 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, quarter mile times in the 11.6-second range, and a top speed of 180 mph, the Trackhawk can also drop would-be opponents at the drag strip at will.

The SRT folks made sure not detune the Hellcat’s claws when they dropped it into the Grand Cherokee as the 6.2L Hemi still delivers 707 horsepower with only a slight drop in torque (645 lb-ft versus 650 in Challenger/Charger Hellcat models). Like its naturally aspirated stable mate, the Grand Cherokee SRT, the Trackhawk gives owners a myriad of tuning options for on-road or on-track. These include things like the four-wheel drive system, transmission, paddle shifters, stability control, suspension, and steering.

The 2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is still a Jeep and that means it also has to be a functional SUV. Trackhawk can tow 7,200 pounds so you’re good to hook up your trailer with you vintage muscle car and go places. At this time, pricing has not been announced but an educated guess would put the Trackhawk north of $70K. Look for it coming fast later in the year.

Ram Brand Even though the current Ram is going on close to a decade without any major changes, the product planners are still finding ways to keep the truck fresh and exciting. New for 2018 is the Ram Sport Appearance package for 1500. The standard equipment includes a new grille borrowed from the Ram Limited but painted body colored, 20-inch painted or polished wheels, halogen projector headlamps, and other goodies that will make the guys at the Home Depot loading dock jealous.

If you like you pick-ups dripping in luxury, then the 2018 Ram Limited Tungsten package is for you. The Ram Limited is well appointed as it comes but the Tungsten package subtracts the bright, shiny chrome bits and replaces them with Tungsten color trim. Select body color features also give the Ram Limited Tungsten a more refined look, perfect for when the caddy at the private club gets your golf bag out of the bed.

The interior is also wrapped in leather with a suede headliner thrown in for good measure. It’s the kind of interior you’ll want to remove your muddy work boots for before stepping up into the cab. The Ram Limited Tungsten edition is available in 1500, 2500, and 3500 models and will be available in later this year.

For you off-road wannabes, the Rebel stays for another year and gets a factory-installed leather option and some new colors for 2018 including Blue Streak. Don’t look for a hopped-up version of the 6.4L Hemi under the Rebel’s hood. The current 5.7L Hemi cranking out 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque carries on to fight another model year.

Meet the Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Think of it as a street friendly Demon that can be driven daily while bending corners and clicking off 10.90 e.t.’s at will on the stock Pirelli tires. Unlike its satanic Demon brother, the Hellcat Widebody makes for a better daily driver.

The feedback among the Mopar faithful on the Hellcat Widebody flares is almost universally positive and we personally dig them. Those massive 20 x 11-inch “Devil’s Rims” and 305/35ZR20 Pirelli P-Zero tires fill up those broad shoulders.

Head of Passenger Cars for FCA, Tim Kuniskis, was grinning at the press event. While his team of SRT engineers had been developing the Demon for months, the Challenger Hellcat Widebody was running around in plain sight and no one realized it. Glistening in Octane Red, the Hellcat Widebody is stunning in person, take our world for it.

The 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody is powered by the tried and tested 707-horsepower 6.2L supercharged Hemi. Even with the massive Pirellis on the Widebody, the 650 lb-ft torque from the blown Hemi can still roast them at will.

New for 2018 on the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Hellcat Widebody is the Demonic Red Laguna leather interior. It’s blindly beautiful when sunlight dances off those high-back bucket seats.

Mark Trostle, Head of Design for Dodge and SRT, played a major role in creating the 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody and making sure the sculpted wheel flares gave it a wider, more menacing stance.

The 2018 Challenger SRT Demon looks great in B5 Blue. Unfortunately, they didn’t let us take it for a rip down the drag strip at the Chrysler Proving Grounds. These guys are as smart as they look!

Journalist in tow, SRT Engineer Jim Wilder takes the Demon for a run around Chelsea. Wilder has the dubious honor of being the test pilot during the Demon’s development and he made all the quarter-mile passes in this beast.

Want the look of a Scat Pack or Hellcat Charger without paying for high insurance rates and premium unleaded? The 2018 Charger SXT Plus, with the Super Track Pak option, gets a performance hood, performance front and rear fascias, and other drivetrain/chassis bits to make this 3.6L V6 machine more fun to drive while saving some coin. They did let us drive this one!

The 2018 Durango SRT with its 392 Hemi can run 0-60 in 4.4 seconds; trip the quarter-mile beams in the high 12s, has three-row seating, and can tow 8,700 lbs. The starting MSRP is $62,995, and comes in $3,900 less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.

Dodge has given the 2018 Durango R/T a frontend refresh by raiding the Durango SRT’s parts bin. The functional SRT hood with center air inlet and side heat extractors along with new front fascia and lower valance give the R/T more street attitude.

You asked for it and the SRT folks delivered. The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk packs the Hellcat’s 707-horsepower beating heart. The engineers only had to give up 5 lb-ft of torque for the AWD driveline configuration. This thing will run solid mid 11-second e.t.’s all day.

The current Ram truck platform is getting old but the brand still finds way to keep the models fresh. The Ram Sport Appearance package adds a body-color Ram grille, halogen projector headlamps, and optional black wheels.

Ram Rebel returns for 2018 wearing a new color called Blue Streak. It still packs a 395-horsepower 5.7L Hemi and now you can dress up the inside with a leather interior option.

Now you can valet at posh restaurants and hotels in this 2018 Ram Limited Tungsten. Available in 1500, 2500, and 3500 models, the Limited Tungsten package takes luxury to a new level with special exterior trim and select body color features. Inside, the seating surfaces are bathed in premium leather. Leave your work boots on the running boards before climbing in!

The post Hot New Mopars For 2018! Widebody Hellcat, Trackhawk & More! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[itsworn]

Take Your Project To The Next Level With A Pro Stylist!

For many traditional Chrysler lovers, there’s no question as to the end goal of their Mopar project: bring it back to stock-appearing at all costs. That’s an admirable goal for many owners and many cars, but it’s not the only choice. For a variety of reasons, you may want to consider other alternatives and build your ride in another style besides “stock.” Pro Touring, Pro Street, restomod, street machine, altered wheelbase/AFX, and nostalgia Super Stock are all popular interpretations that vie for our admiration. This is nothing new to guys of a certain age; who among us doesn’t remember buying AMT, Monogram, or Revell model kits as a kid and agonizing over which of the three ways to build it—stock, custom, or super stock?!

As a grown adult, you will once again face that decision when you dive into your fresh Mopar project. Only this time, there’s way more than three ways to build it! In our previous story, we introduced you to Geoff Gates and Alloy Motors, who have begun to disassemble and take stock of our 1968 Plymouth Valiant project car. With the trim and glass removed, and with all the emblems and fasteners bagged and tagged, the Alloy crew will be identifying areas that need serious work like rust repair and panel straightening. Much of this is the same with any project, whether it’s a restoration or a full-on Pro Touring build. What’s different is that if you intend to deviate from stock, this particular juncture in the build is when you should plan your final appearance such as stance, wheels, tires, paint, graphics, emblems, ride height, and any other tweaks to the outward-facing sheetmetal and trim.

Gates, who is also a formally trained designer and art director, knows how critical it is to perform concept ideation prior to—rather than during—a project. He knows from experience and observation that cars designed piecemeal along the way are frequently awkward looking and unwieldy, and can be unnecessarily expensive as well. Concept ideation is the car builder’s equivalent of the carpenter’s slogan: “measure twice and cut once.” It’s the same idea behind why builders hire architects before they build houses.

In a past life, Gates was the chief creative officer of a successful Bay Area creative agency. As such, his tentacles are sunk deep not only into the car building hobby, but the international design world as well. On several occasions, Geoff Gates and Alloy Motors have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Alberto Hernandez Mendoza, one of the brightest automotive stylists of our time. Known to friends and colleagues simply as Alberto, (you can see his work at www.coroflot.com) we’re fortunate to have him in the service of our Project Valiant for this installment.

“The real meat of this part in the series is talking about design,” says Alloy’s Gates. “Small—and big—decisions can make or break a project. One of the keys is meeting with the customer and discussing ideas for what kind of personality they want their car to portray.” After talking with us, some things bubbled to the top. Like many Mopar fans, we’re mostly interested in keeping the sleeper look, like a restored stock car that doesn’t look like it will go 11s in the quarter, but with some subtle modifications. Gates: “At Alloy Motors, we can’t leave well enough alone, so for the purposes of illustration in this article, we are going to show how we could take this buildup to 11, given a bigger budget. Alberto and I will show how we’d still design to keep the integrity of the car intact, but push elements into something a bit more modern, but not super trendy either.”

Before Alloy Motors starts a project, Alberto and Geoff Gates meet. Armed with reference photos of the car, they discuss the approach. “We’re looking at the car, what weak points we see that could use improvements, and start taking notes for any modifications we want to try,” says Gates. Alloy typically proposes two or three ideas to the client, from mild to wild.

Here Alberto and Geoff are taking a look at the grille and discussing a subtle mod of cutting out the center and fabricating a new center piece that will sit further back toward the radiator support. This is a signature Alloy move. When done correctly, it will look stock to an untrained eye, but someone fluent in Mopar will notice it after staring for a bit. Design wise, this will add some depth of plane to the front of the car and a bit of aggressiveness.

“Another area of the car we noticed was the side trim,” notes Geoff. This is a signature of the Valiant 200 trim level, and design-wise it seems like an afterthought, riding on top of the door handles and creating a funky tangent where the molding meets the handle. “The idea here would be to keep the molding on the side of the car to retain the sleeper look, but drop it down, fit it to the door handle, and gap it tighter,” says Geoff. “Subtlety is key here, but the Mopar geeks will call it out!”

Here’s a close-up of the molding and how it interacts with the door handle, sitting near the door gap. It’s not a prime example of a good design decision, but with some re-location, it will appear stock, but look much more integrated into the car.

Another subtle trick Gates likes to do is move the round 1968 marker lights on the car—as well as sometimes putting them on cars from the ’70s that have the giant rectangle reflectors. This can change the look of a car just enough, and is one reason why “sweat every detail” is the Alloy Motors tagline.

One of our design directions is to really play off the sleeper look of the car. The hoodscoop was a necessity with the induction system, but nothing screams horsepower like a giant scoop on the hood. And while it’s a throwback design, this one has some of those funky tangent issues like we had with the door handles. Alloy is working out how they can hide the air induction system and go back to a stock flat hood.

To attack this problem, Alloy removed the hoodscoop to check how much clearance there is. Gates shot a photo and Alberto just drew with colored pencils on top of the picture to start designing a plenum and induction system that can fit under the flat hood. Alloy will work on styling some more as they engineer and mock it up, but they think they have the room.

Here you can see how Alberto drew right on the photo. It’s going to be a tight fit, but if we’re headed toward the sleeper look, ditching the hoodscoop would make a huge difference. Engineering and custom fabrication is what sets Alloy apart from just any car builder.

Alloy begins with some reference photos of the car and a complete detailed line drawing, then they make a bunch of copies of this drawing and start working on top of it. Start loose, making notes and drawings on top, then tighten it up as you like the direction.

Here Geoff Gates and Alberto look at some wheel options for one of the more wild versions they’re presenting. The wheel choice can make or break a build, with the wrong choice ruining a great car. You see this all the time at car shows. When picking a wheel, you want it to fit with the overall aesthetic of the car. Here, the steelies sell the sleeper look and are great on the car, but as we push to a more restomod concept, we’ll look at different choices.

On the 1968 Valiant, the taillights have a distinctive angular look. This is an example of an OEM design that you can translate to a wheel choice. When looking at wheel options, Gates started looking for wheels that have a similar angular shape to them.

These two wheel designs from Giovanna and American Racing have a similar look to the angular design of the taillights, so they would be a great place to start.

Obviously, having the luxury of drawing the wheels on the rendering is a cheaper way of trying different options. You don’t have to spend much money to try a few different designs out on a car using this technique.

So here’s where Alberto landed on the “sleeper” version of the Valiant. It retains the mostly stock look of the car with some very subtle modifications. You can see the grille centers are pushed in a bit, the marker lights are moved up, the side trim has been relocated, and the B-pillar and window surrounds have been treated to black paint.

Painting the window frames satin black on the car helps it look like a no-post car when you view the car from a distance. The black blends with the glass and makes the window opening appear larger. Removing the hoodscoop plays off the sleeper look even more. We’re keeping all the chrome and trim on the car, just cleaning everything up a bit.

In this rendering Alberto went for a Pro Touring look. Instead of the snorkel scoop, Alberto put a shaker hood on the car, changed the wheels to a tuner style, swapped the roof for a Dodge Dart sport roof, and tucked the bumpers. We’d also consider painting the car a slightly more modern color and treating the trim and bumpers to a satin gunmetal finish.

One of the great things about having renderings is we can scan them and work in Photoshop to change elements. Here’s two images to show what this car could look like with the Dodge’s sport roofline, the top chopped, and lowered a little. In the second one, the chop and lowering is taken too far and has gone drastically wrong.

Here’s the same car rendering with some five-spoke Torq-Thrust wheels put on the car digitally. You can see how it dramatically changes the look, and they’re a ton cheaper than many options.

Here, Alloy Motors kicks it up yet another notch. Here’s the same car with a 1968 Dodge Dart sport roof welded in and slightly chopped. The entire front end is modded for a very track-inspired look as well as being lowered a bit with some fender mods to fit bigger wheels. Also, check out the custom aluminum side skirts with a gill design.

Here’s a rendering for a ’69 Road Runner that Alloy has been toying with. It’s a full-on restomod with Gen III Hemi power, road-course handling, and multiple finishes of black. If any readers want this car built, Alloy has a perfect un-restorable donor as a starting point.

Here’s an idea Alloy Motors is kicking around to completely re-style the front end of a 1973 Plymouth ’Cuda. Gates owns the donor car, and it’s a rusty mess. This one may be the next one Alloy builds as Geoff Gates’ personal ride.

This 1969 Dodge Coronet rendering shows extensive body mods including a completely integrated monocoque-style tub/frame combo. The potential donor car for this is another rusted-out hulk Gates owns.

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