Would you believe that I spent nearly a month trying to figure out the perfect prompt for April Fools day, one that was fun but not too corny, and then I nearly forgot to post the prompt! Anyway, I never could think of anything. Then a few weeks ago Springie sent me the perfect image. It's an older one, but one that inspires lots of speculation. Have fun with it! Thank you Springie!

LOL! It reminds me of this old cartoon...

Jason: I told you. Every girl who realizes I'm 'the' race car driver swoons. Mark: I never would have believed it until I saw it.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your safety belts and keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Here's my bit: April 1. It had been years since she last marked that day. So, when the urge to do something appropriate to the day possessed her, she just had to do something to exorcise it. The grin on her face grew wider as she spotted the car just a short distance off by itself -- the hours she'd spent fashioning a sling to carry her dad's old Roller Creeper on the back of her chair might pay off after all. She reached her destination. She locked the chair's wheels and dropped the Roller Creeper onto the ground beside her chair. She then mentally kicked herself for not thinking about how she was going to transfer from the chair to the wheeled board next to her. After several minutes of slowly sliding from her wheelchair to the ground, she pulled the Roller Creeper over to her and just managed to get on before it rolled away. After a couple more minutes of positioning her body just so, she was effortlessly gliding under the car. And now the wait. Three Gatchamaniacs were making their way through the parking lot. These three usually weren't at the site at the same time, so one would expect them to catch up with bits of each others' personal lives. However, their conversation went like this: "I wish I could find out what happened at her 'therapy session'!" littlewolf said. "Don't feel bad." KT1972 replied, "I can't get a straight answer from her, either." "Who cares about that?" Daniella T chimed in, "I just want her to share Jason with the rest of us!" KT suddenly stopped. "Is that EW's wheelchair by Jason's car?" "Yeah." LW answered, "And I don't see her." "There's no sign of Zark..." DT added, "But I think there's somebody under the car!" They cautiously approached. When they were just a couple of steps away, a moan came from under the car. A combination of fear and concern crossed the Gatchamaniacs' faces. Littlewolf started to lean down to peer under the car. "Oh yes!" they heard ElectricWhite groan. LW froze. They then heard her gasping and panting. "Oh yeah...yes...OH GOD, YES!!!" Each of the three slapped a hand over her mouth to hold in the schoolgirl giggle straining to burst forth. They backed away slowly at first. Then they turned and, with ever increasing speed, rushed back toward the site. As soon as they were inside, they let out a shrieking laugh and began babbling simultaneously. "Was she really --?" "Hell, yes!" "Who was with her?" "There's no way to fit two people under that car for that !" "Do you know what that means?" "She's gone round the twist for sure!" "We've got to tell somebody !" ElectricWhite nearly choked trying to hold in the laughter as she watched the other three running away. She waited until the tears stopped gushing from her eyes before gliding out from under the car. She almost knocked over Mark and Jason. Mark was leaning down, hands on his knees to brace himself. Jason was next to him, leaning over a bit and bracing himself on Mark's left shoulder. Their faces had expressions of being -- what? -- shocked? Perplexed? She couldn't quite tell. "Um, EW," Mark finally -- and uncomfortably -- said, "were you just doing it with Jason's car?"

LOL I think you scarred Mark for life. I bet Jason's somewhat turned on, though he'd never admit it to Mark. As for the gossip girls ... shame on you!

Originally posted by ChrisW As for the gossip girls ... shame on you!

Aw, gee! I was just havin' a little fun... Anyway, I liked the off-hand salute to GOS. And, Becky, that was short and to the point . . . and BRILLIANT!

Chris, you had me going there. I cold feel Jinpei's confusion and fear, thinking he was alone. Great piece.

Oh, EW, you are so evil!

Originally posted by Becky Rock Jason: I told you. Every girl who realizes I'm 'the' race car driver swoons. Mark: I never would have believed it until I saw it.

Forgot to comment on this, totally fits the pic!

Chris, you had me! I thought for sure Jinpei was in some alternate timeline where Nambu had somehow sacrificed himself to kill Katse! I love the way Jinpei used the dream to bond with Jun. EW that's.... strange. I think I'm with Mark on this one.

Originally posted by Transmute JunEW that's.... strange.

My life simply isn't complete unless I make someone cringe!

Originally posted by Becky Rock Chris, you had me going there. I cold feel Jinpei's confusion and fear, thinking he was alone. Great piece.

BR: Thanks! I had this random collection of weird ideas and thought hmm, I think I can do something with this. TJ: It's funny, for the last section at first I swapped to Ken's POV, and then I was going no, no, this is Jinpei's story. Get outa here Ken! EW: The shame on you was directed at the gossip girls, not you. Of course, you made them gossip ... Of course NOW I think of the perfect name for Joe's soap opera: "As The World Burns."

Becky - Brief and to the point, I like that! Chris - Love it, It kept me guessing and was a great read! P.S. EW's chair/Zark /Jason tangle makes for great gossip fodder!! EW - You just keep getting stranger and stranger - CAR smut now? And not even with Zark involved? should we be starting to worry about you? It fits the pic though, and made me laugh, so not all bad!

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KT: Go loverboy Ryu! Joe, if you didn't keep showing your dates your guns, you might have a better chance ...

KT, that ficlet was just right for a mid-morning smile! Car smut...how far could that go? (Oh good Lord...)

LOL, KT! Now who's the girl?

EW: Now you gave us something new to gossip about -- hooray!!! P.S. I know nothing about cars, but you seem to like them! Chris -- Chilling! But I really liked the idea of Ken and Joe as movie stars -- fits the prompt perfectly! Becky -- Yes, they do swoon, you're so right...Take it from someone who knows...

KT: Go, Tiny! We DO need a follow-up to this one Chris -- just to be sure, you WILL go back to Club Aphrodite, no?

KT - you go, Ryu! EW - car smut? Have we gotten that...creative?

Originally posted by Daniella T P.S. I know nothing about cars, but you seem to like them!

Well, what I do know comes from watching my dad when he'd work on them...though he'd probably kill me if he knew I was touching his Roller Creeper!

Originally posted by Becky Rock car smut? Have we gotten that...creative?

Don't blame me! It's the answer that came when I asked, "What on earth would put that expression on their faces?"!

Originally posted by Daniella T Chris -- Chilling! But I really liked the idea of Ken and Joe as movie stars -- fits the prompt perfectly!

Hey, they've got their good looks and are adrenaline seekers, so why not? Hehe. And yes, I'm going back to Club Aphrodite next time.

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what had Jinpei done to upset her? apart from being typically Jinpei, of course!

Jinpei may have met his match.

I think Iona has valid claims... and after this Jinpei will either be on a rampage or leave her alone!

Part of me wanted to feel sorry for the little guy...wanted to, but didn't succeed! He should be happy he had a way out before he suffocated!

Jinpei's lucky he's still in one piece, based on what he's been doing to Iona.

Becky, that was laugh out loud funny.... Chris--great to see you working with a more minor character. Poor Jinpei, I could feel his panic at loosing everything he knew, and then the joy when finding it was all a dream. EW--I guess that's one way to change a gunked up carborator. KT-Woo! Ryu gets the girl first for a change...LOve it. We really need to have a Ryu focused challenge, dontcha think?

Originally posted by k2p2 Chris--great to see you working with a more minor character. Poor Jinpei, I could feel his panic at loosing everything he knew, and then the joy when finding it was all a dream.

I'm up to 3 fics from Jinpei's POV. It's becoming a habit!

KT--I think Iona has had enough of Jinpei being Jinpei... Chris-Jinpei possibly has... TJ-you bring up a valid point, would this continue to escalate on Jinpei's side...until someone got hurt, really hurt. Iona is no match physically to the team, something that Jinpei could easily forget in his plotting...ooh--this isn't going to end well, is it. EW--That was the whole point. Jinpei had it coming to him in spades...all those things, with the exception of the passwords I've actually witnessed...and she left him with the ability to call for help...I just wonder what 'story,' he's gonna tell when Joe finally opens the trunk of his beloved new vehicle... Becky-Yes, he is...Iona may not be a match for speed or strength...but she can be sneaky.

Originally posted by ChrisW I'm up to 3 fics from Jinpei's POV. It's becoming a habit!

A good one to have!

Originally posted by k2p2 EW--I guess that's one way to change a gunked up carborator.

Oh, so that's what she was doing.

Riiiiiiight.....

So who's going to believe that?

Um... *sound of pin dropping*

k2p2: Somehow this piece seemed more "innocent" to me than previous installments. Pranks, yes, in bad taste maybe (salt in tea????) but still pranks! I hope it doesn't get out of hand...Or maybe I hope it does, to see Iona in serious action!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by k2p2 EW--I guess that's one way to change a gunked up carborator.

So that's what EW was doing! Is that what you call it? Carborator?

Mark: Who are these people down there looking at us? Jason: Gatchamaniacs...you know, our fan base. Mark: And why are they staring? Jason: You haven't been reading the most recents fics, have you?

Originally posted by Daniella T Mark: Who are these people down there looking at us? Jason: Gatchamaniacs...you know, our fan base. Mark: And why are they staring? Jason: You haven't been reading the most recents fics, have you?

Yep, that works! And you sum up so much with so few words!

Ken: Is that Jun in a bikini? Joe: And I thought her miniskirt was hot! Ken: Stop looking at her miniskirt! Joe: Fine, I'll look at her bikini instead.

DT - Mark needs to catch up, hadn't he? TJ - Ken stepped into that one.

DT: Poor Mark if he ever finds those fics. His virgin eyes! TJ: Somehow I see the next moment being Ken jumping Joe to fight in the sand. Jun might cheer them on and hope swimsuits were lost.

So would we!

Um, Springie... would you mind drawing the guys fighting with 'lost' swimsuits?

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Um, Springie... would you mind drawing the guys fighting with 'lost' swimsuits?

Yes, yes!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Ken: Is that Jun in a bikini? Joe: And I thought her miniskirt was hot! Ken: Stop looking at her miniskirt! Joe: Fine, I'll look at her bikini instead.

That'll teach Ken to try to outsmart Joe!

Mark - "Are they teeth marks?" Jason - "yeh" Mark - "don't you think that's a little excessive, 1-Rover-1 just wanted to play with the other dogs" Jason - "She is a pack alpha" Mark - "True...but....that territorial?" Jason - "yep" Mark - "Remind me not to get between Littlewolf and her pack" Jason - "Probably wise" Mark - "Blast whose going to tell Zark... Jason...Jason? now were did he go"

LOL the visual is perfect.

Awwww..... poor 1-Rover-1....

Maybe Zark will decide to retire now...

We could only be so lucky!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun We could only be so lucky!

With a bit of a push from EW...a push down the stairs maybe...

Maybe Zark shoud be introduced to that alpha female. Maybe she needs a new chew toy.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Maybe Zark shoud be introduced to that alpha female. Maybe she needs a new chew toy.

Yes! For heaven sake, yes! Otherwise, he's got more time to chase my wheelchair, dammit!

you wanna be pack EW? Fair warning, our new foster dog Oskar is a Shar Pei (rolly dog) they like to chew and gum things, your chair would be fair game and covered in slobber Our staffy eats anything that look like it has stuffing in it, my shephard/husky cross is shedding at the moment so there fur balls everywere, there is no escaping them ps I'll pass on Zark being a chew toy, I am very particular to what I feed my dogs

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Originally posted by ElectricWhite Mark was leaning down, hands on his knees to brace himself. Jason was next to him, leaning over a bit and bracing himself on Mark's left shoulder. Their faces had expressions of being -- what? -- shocked? Perplexed? She couldn't quite tell.

Quite the April Fool's joke! And it fits their expressions in the pic so well too!

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Originally posted by littlewolf ps I'll pass on Zark being a chew toy, I am very particular to what I feed my dogs

Come to think of it, exposing the puppies to Zark would be animal cruelty! Sorry 'bout that.

Originally posted by lborgia88 Quite the April Fool's joke! And it fits their expressions in the pic so well too!

Glad you liked it! Going by the other posts, I think you're the only one who remembered that it was an April Fools prank! (I guess that, once you've fallen into the "strangely smutty slutty" type, it's virtually impossible to get out...)

Jason - What do we do with him now? Mark - Your the one who had to tell him you were going to give him to the Condor. Jason - He's a goon. You thought I was going to tell him he was getting cookies? Mark - I was hoping to have him awake long enough to ask him some questions. Jason - Then you should have brought Princess, in her bikini. Jason ducks the swat headed his direction.

Becky --

The goon might be too distracted to answer questions if Princess was in her bikini...

I blame the previous mention of a bikini.

and who's fault was that?????

Don't look at me! I'm usually blamed for the weird Zark/car/anything mechanical stuff!

I admit it! I'm the one who brought up the Swan in a bikini! But I'm not sure why everyone is 'blaming' me for it. Is it a bad thing if the guys admire her in a bikini?

don't know... Ask Becky

Originally posted by lborgia88 Spooky! Even if it was just a dream, it is a possible alternate reality, where things went a little differently for everyone... Love "Ace" and "Dirk"!

I knew it was a dream from the start, but I hadn't decided the mechanism of why he wasn't there until I got to that point. It all really did hinge on Jun being there right when Jinpei needed to be found. I could have let someone else find him, of course, but for my purposes the morbid route was perfect. The funny thing is that Ace came up from my subconscious without me realizing it as I tried to come up with a good action hero name. Later I went, oh yeah, GoS! So added Dirk. Originally I just hadn't named Joe's soap opera character.

Becky: LOL give him cookies ...

I'll give Jason cookies anytime. Just for the record, I don't admire Princess in a bikini. I'll admire Jason in nothing, though.

hee hee hee wouldn't we all, Becky!!

Any artists willing to give us something to admire?

Uh oh. She got out the pokey stick.

Ha! It's wasted on me this time...

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jublke: I think I have broken my brain trying to picture this, hehe

ChrisW - Ha! I won't torture Springie by asking her to illustrate it! I did forget the April Fool's Day angle, though.

Originally posted by jublke ChrisW - Ha! I won't torture Springie by asking her to illustrate it! I did forget the April Fool's Day angle, though.

You could add just a little bit and you'd have that covered!

Good for the Chief, jublke! And good for Jason....

OMG, the Chief in a fuzzy rainbow wig? I just can't imagine it either, it would have to be an April Fools prank itself!

LOL, this was great Julie. It took me a bit to figure out who it might be ... but I did figure it out before you actually told us. Now we know the real reason why the chief had 1ROVER1 built.

That was great! I'm so glad you were inspired by the picture! I just had to laugh... FWIW, these Bradbury's prompts are for jumping in and out whenever you feel like it. No minimum or maximum, or requirement to do every one, no time limit.. I'm glad you decided to test out the waters!

Julie, that was great! Springie, you've got to do it!