#2017 Freshers

[finelinefae]

everything with you

synopsis: a simple, true kind of love

word count: 7.1k

contains: fluff, angst, cancer, brief mentions of sexual assault, allusions to domestic violence and a toxic relationship, normal people/one day vibes, boyfriend harry

a/n: posting this here because i love it so much and i was feeling emo. also have been away for a week so haven't had much time to finish writing things I'm still working on (there will be a soft girl sunday post tomorrow don't worry and i am also working on a tattoo h blurb as well !!)

. . .

October 1st 2017

Harry and Y/N met during freshers week at University in 2017. 

"Should we make out?" 

They were standing in a closet now after meeting just ten minutes ago downstairs. 

"M' names Harry," Harry spoke, sitting on the couch and looking down at his first drink of the night. He wasn't much of a drinker but also feared missing out or being seen as unordinary - at university, drinking felt like it was deemed ordinary. 

Y/N blushed, her cheeks pink from the humidity in the room and the fact that a guy was talking to her. She pulled down the sleeves of her dress to hide her shaky hands. She noticed she stuck out like a sore thumb with how she decided to dress, her long sleeves and knee-length skirt juxtaposed with every other girl in the room. 

"'M Y/N." She responded. Harry nodded, sheepish and awkward as he tried to think about something to say. 

They were sitting side by side, looking out at the other people dancing to the music that echoed through the house. "What do you study?" Y/N managed to ask and cringed at the question. Was it normal to talk about school at a house party?

"Music." He nodded as Y/N tried to think up another question despite already asking one. "What about you?"

"English." She said and an awkward silence fell between them. 

Harry eventually turned to look at her, lips parting at the natural beauty even just from looking at her side profile. Her hair was in waves that fell down her back and he thought her dress was pretty too. She had a tiny bump on the bridge of her nose that led to her plump, cherry red lips. 

She felt his gaze on him and turned her head, catching his eyes and looking down from embarrassment. He was beautiful like a living, breathing adonis. His eyes were a sea glass green and he had chestnut brown curls on his head. 

"It's a little loud in here don't you think?" Harry spoke, his voice seemed closer to her now. 

Y/N looked up and looked around at the crowd of people, "Just a little." She said, 

"Do you want to go upstairs?" He wondered if maybe it would be easier to get to know her in a quieter setting.

Y/N followed him upstairs, wondering whether he knew where they were going and if he knew anyone else at the party. She had only just met him and despite his awkwardness, her trust issues were too much for her to just relax around him. 

He opened the door and pulled her inside, "Um...Harry?"

He nodded, already guessing what she was about to say and looking down at her, "We're in a closet." He stated. 

"Yeah." She whispered, her heart racing at the close proximity. 

"I don't live here." He tried to hide his embarrassment. 

Suddenly, Y/N burst out laughing, the entire situation was something she didn't see coming and she couldn't help but laugh at the predicament. It wasn't too long before Harry began to laugh along with her, the both of them standing in the closet in hysterics. 

When their laughter quietened down, Harry looked down at Y/N. His demeanor changed as he admired her as she bit back a smile. "Should we make out?" 

Her lips parted, "U-Um-I-I've never been kissed before."

"Me neither." He murmured, he wasn't even sure why he asked, he just felt like it was something he should be doing being at a freshers party. 

Y/N thought about it for a second, she gulped down her nerves and looked at his lips before looking at him again. "O-okay." She nodded. 

She'd never been kissed but neither had he, so neither of them could complain it was a bad kiss. She thought it'd be better to kiss him now to get the firsts out of the way. 

"Okay." He released a shaky breath and slowly leaned forward. 

Y/N stood on her toes the closer he got to her, their breaths echoed around the room as their hearts raced at the same time. The tension was thick as their lips were closer to touching. It seemed strange that the first person to touch her lips was a man she had met just ten minutes ago. 

Harry reached for her hand, brushing his fingers against them and feeling how soft her skin was. Her eyes fluttered shut when he felt his fingers run up her arm, a path of goosebumps arising. Her nose rubbed against his and her eyes fluttered shut when his fingertips touched her waist. 

She had the urge to press a kiss to his jawline as his fingers danced across the skin on her arm, "Harry," She whispered, her head resting on his shoulder. 

 Everything she was feeling right now was exactly how she thought she'd feel if someone kissed her and yet their lips hadn't even touched yet.

His lips brushed against hers and eventually, she leapt up into his arms and pressed her lips to his, arms wrapping around his neck. She whimpered at the sensation of his tongue tangled with hers, her entire body felt as though it was on fire as he continued to touch her. She tugged on his hair like her hands had a mind of their own and he released a guttural groan which made her tummy flutter with excitement. 

If they were to continue, she was curious to see where things would go next but her curiosity was killed when the door opened and they pulled away from each other. 

"My bad." Someone chuckled and closed the door again. 

Harry was breathing erratically, looking down at the floor as his mind whirred. 

"I should go." Y/N was the first to talk and before he could even reply, she opened the door and left. 

February 20th 2018

Harry was late for class but he was in no rush to get there. In fact, he hoped the seminar would be over by the time he got there so he didn't have to answer any questions. He hated talking in front of people. 

He decided to take a longer walk to his seminar, going in a direction he had never gone before and hoped he would get lost along the way. 

As he pulled out his phone to change the song he was listening to, he ended up bumping into someone else. "I-I'm sorry," He immediately crouched down and picked up the books on the floor.

"I-It's fine, don't worry about it." A delicate hand touched his as they reached for the same book. 

His head perked up when he registered who the person was, the voice was the last thing he heard before he went to sleep every night. "Y/N?" He spoke before he could stop himself. 

She looked up at him, he noticed she looked different to when he had first met her. The light in her eyes looked dimmer and she seemed more on edge than when he had first met her. 

"Harry?" She smiled, standing up. 

"It's good to see you." Flashes of their first kiss came to mind and he quickly brushed them away. 

"How's the first year treating you so far?" She tucked her hair behind her ear. 

"It's been... good." He was lying but he wouldn't tell her that, not when he felt the need to impress her. 

"Oh I'm glad, we should-"

"Y/N!" Y/N stilled, her head turning to look past Harry's shoulder. Her sudden change in expression made him turn to see the person who had caused it. 

A man stood waving his hand in the air in the distance, he looked slightly older than both Harry and Y/N. "Who's that?" Harry looked at Y/N.

"T-That's Shaun." She muttered, holding her books tightly to her chest. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" He hated how the question tasted when he asked it but wanted to know. 

"Yes." She said, his heart was hurting but he tried his best not to show it. "I should get going."

She walked past him but he called her name before she managed to get away, "Here," He took out a pen and wrote on the front of the page of her notepad his number, "In case you need me."

She smiled but it didn't meet her eyes, "Thank you." 

He watched her as she walked away and didn't start to walk again until she walked around the corner. 

He couldn't help the gut feeling that was definitely going to need his number whether she wanted it or not.

May 15th 2018

Harry had finished his last music exam and stood in his dorm room, packing his room up since his mother would be picking him up tomorrow afternoon for the summer. 

He knew other people were out partying and enjoying the fact that the first year was over but he was too keen to get home. University hadn't treated him nicely and that was just the way it was for him. 

He hadn't made many friends besides a few in his music class, even then he wouldn't really consider them friends, mostly just people he spoke to now and then. He hadn't been to a party since the first week of freshers nor did he really want to. 

"Fuck." He murmured to himself when he could hear the vibrations of his phone ringing. He rummaged through the piles of items he had created whilst packing and eventually found his phone under a pile of clothes. 

The number was unknown but he picked it up anyway. 

"Hello?" He frowned, waiting for a response from the unknown caller. 

"H-Harry?" He stood straight and held his breath when the voice he hadn't heard in a while was talking to him on the phone. "I-It's Y/N."

I know. That was what he wanted to say but instead waited for her to carry on speaking. He wasn't sure as to why she was calling him now since he had given her his number three months ago. He spent the first few days waiting for a call from her but was always let down. 

"U-Um, I know we haven't spoken in a while b-but I really need you to come g-get me." She was on the verge of tears as she held the phone to her ear, waiting for him to say something.

Harry cleared his throat, "Are you okay?" He asked, concern in his voice as he walked to the door. 

He waited for a response, "No." She sobbed, "I'm at a party outside campus on Melville Street and I don't know anyone else." 

He stumbled over his belongings as he pulled his shoes on and tugged on his jacket. "Hey, don't worry. I'm on my way and I promise I'll be there in five minutes." 

"O-Okay," She whimpered, "Thank you...Harry." 

He ended the call and raced down the steps to the front door, running out and making his way to Melville Street where he knew all the parties were held throughout the year. He could already see a mass of people at one particular house at the end of the road and could only assume it was the house Y/N had called him from. 

He pushed his way past the other students, apologising as he did so but making no effort to stop himself from getting to Y/N. He ran up the stairs and opened the door to each room, ignoring the screeching from teenagers making out and wanting him to leave. 

Eventually, he got to the end of the hallway and faced a closet door. He slowly put his ear to the door and heard the sniffles and cries of someone behind it. Carefully, he pulled the door open and looked down to see Y/N, crying into her knees as she curled up into herself. 

He closed the door behind him and crouched down in front of her, "Hey," He whispered, not wanting to frighten her. 

She looked up, cheeks tear stained and makeup smothered which she tried to wipe away with the back of her hand. "You're here." She whimpered and wasted no time in leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. 

This was the last thing he was expecting to happen tonight but he didn't stop from holding her tightly in an attempt to squeeze the pain out of her. Sometimes people just wanted a hug and he just so happened to be the only person who could give that to her right now. 

"What happened Y/N?" He looked her in the eye and was brought back to the first time they were in a closet together. He wished he could go back to that time or at least be with her now under different circumstances. 

"It's nothing." She wiped away her tears as best as she could. 

"I don't think you would have called me of all people if it were nothing." He cupped the side of her cheek and noticed a bruise under her eye. His heart fell out of his chest when the worst-case scenario came to mind, "D-did Shaun do this to you?"

He didn't need an answer from her because the look on her face was clear enough to tell that he was right. Y/N began sobbing all over again, "How long Y/N?" Harry asked, firmly. 

She didn't answer, "Y/N, how long?" 

"Since February," She confessed in a whisper and hid herself away from him. 

Harry felt an incredible urge to walk out to find Shaun and release every ounce of his rage onto him but he also knew that wouldn't do anything to help Y/N at this moment. So he took a deep breath and placed a gentle hand on Y/N's shoulder. 

She looked up with wide, teary eyes and tried to crack a smile, "Let's get you out of here." 

She laughed breathily, "What? You don't like being in a closet with me anymore?"

He couldn't seem to find it in himself to laugh with her, "Not when you're like this Y/N."

She loved the way his voice sounded, she had been thinking about it ever since she first kissed him in the closet. Maybe that's why Shaun treated her like he did because she was lying in bed with him and dreaming about someone else. 

Harry walked out of the house with Y/N under his arm, shielding her away from the party. "Do you have anyone who can pick you up from your dorm?"

Y/N looked down at her shoes, embarrassment filling her, "I-I moved in with Shaun, he didn't want me living with the other girls and he's in his second year so..."

"Fuck." Harry said, eyes wide. 

"Yeah," She laughed, pitifully. "Feel free to name me an idiot for the next few hours."

Harry sighs, "I'd never call you that Y/N. Sometimes we make mistakes when we're cast out into loneliness by others." 

They carried on walking in silence. Y/N wasn't sure where they were going until they got to Harry's accommodation. "We'll have to sleep here for the night." 

"A-Are you sure?" Y/N was nervous, wringing her hands together. 

He didn't reply as he led her upstairs to his dorm where he knew everyone else was out getting drunk. She stepped into his room and was surprised to see the piles on the floor. It was amusing and sad to see. Each pile seemed to represent a different part of him, parts she knew nothing about, and yet he was the first person she thought about calling when she was in trouble. It felt like a cruel trick, she relied heavily upon strangers to lift her up because it was easier than being seen as weak by the people she deemed most important. 

"I've been packing, m' mum's picking me up tomorrow. It's a bit of a mess." He begins picking up things from the floor, underwear and pages of sheet music. 

"You play guitar?" She was still standing by the door.

"A bit, piano mostly." She notices the keyboard at his desk. 

"You can take the bed, I don't mind sleeping on the floor." He stands, not sure how to act with a girl in the room, especially a girl he thought about before he went to sleep.

"Why can't we both sleep on the bed?" She wondered, kicking her shoes off. 

"Y-Yeah," Harry gulped, "W-Whatever makes you comfortable." 

Y/N and Harry sat side by side on the bed and were immediately brought back to their first interaction. Except this time they didn't have the noise of the party to fill the awkward silence. 

"He didn't rape me, Harry." She whispers out of nowhere, she was crying again and he hated it. 

"I never thought he did." He lied, he did think that.

"I-I'm not that desperate." 

"I never said you were." 

"Shaun was good to me and then... I've never been in a relationship before. I didn't know how it was supposed to go." She confessed.

"I know," He knew she needed to talk about it but he also knew she didn't particularly want to. 

"Right." The sheets ruffled beside him and he looked over to see her lying on the bed with her back facing him. Her shoulders were shaking as she cried into his pillow.

Harry didn't know what to do. He wasn't good at comforting people or talking to people or being around people but he couldn't live with himself if he just sat there and watched her cry. He twisted his body and placed a hand on her shoulder. He noticed her flinch slightly but in a blink of an eye, she turned around and buried her face into his stomach, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his shirt. 

Harry did nothing as he ran his fingers through her hair and just let her cry for the next hour. 

"Harry," Y/N whispered in the dark, the both of them lying side by side flat on their backs. 

"Yeah." He whispered back.

"I wish I didn't leave the first time." Her confession surprised him. He thought he was the only one who thought about their kiss daily. He often thought how they'd be today if she were to have stayed. 

"Me too." He said and felt her pinkie hook around his. 

They fell asleep after that. 

June 20th 2018

It was summer and Harry was in Italy with his family. 

"Harry! Lunch is ready." His mother called from the patio as he sat in a hammock with his guitar. 

He lugged himself out of the hammock and felt a vibration in his back pocket. 

Y/N: I hope you're having a good time x

He bit back a smile, feeling giddy with the fact that she had messaged him in the middle of the day even though they'd been texting on and off since the summer began. 

Harry: Yeah it's been alright, too hot for my liking.

He held his breath as the dots began to appear as she typed out a reply.  

Y/N: Why am I not surprised? x

Harry: I've been working on a few songs whilst I'm out here though

Y/N: I look forward to being the first to hear them x 

Y/N smiled as she looked down at her phone whilst she sat in the back room on her break from working at the supermarket. He had told her once he'd never played a song before to anyone, not even his mother. She asked him if he'd ever play something to her and he immediately replied with three letters. 'Yes'. 

Y/N worked for the rest of the day and finished her shift at three thirty. She had to pick up a few things before she went back to her house where she was living with her mother and grandmother. 

She went to check the time on her phone but ended up seeing a message from Harry. 

A gasp escaped her lips when she noticed it was a voice note. It was a long time since she had heard Harry's voice. 

She reached into her bag for her headphones and pulled out the tangled mess. Suddenly a crackling sound and the heavy rain pouring in the background began to play. She waited until she could hear the gentle strum of a guitar and Harry's voice flooding her ears as he began to sing. 

There was something so comforting about his voice and a part of her felt ignited by the pure vulnerability in his voice as he sang. "Sorry, okay bye." He mumbled at the end of the voice note. 

She laughed and immediately began to type out a message. 

Y/N: It's beautiful. 

Harry: I miss you Y/N.

Her heart stuttered from the simple text message. 

Y/N: I miss you too Harry. 

July 20th 2018

"Here let me take that for you." Harry grabbed her bag and slung it over his shoulder, "I'll show you up to your room.”

"It's...big." Y/N looked at the home Harry had in Italy with his family. 

He chuckled, "You could say that."

He was in awe that she was here with him in Italy. He had invited her out when she told him she'd never been abroad before despite having a passport. After asking his mother, he bought her a cheap flight over to the Amalfi Coast and set up the guest bedroom, buying her candles and things from the nearest grocery shop.

"Do you love her?" Anne smirked whilst she stood at the door with her arms crossed, watching her son put face masks into what would be Y/N's bathroom drawer.

"No," He shakes his head. "No, I don't." 

"Okay." She said but wasn't assured by his answer.

Harry placed her bags on the double bed and gave her time to take in the house. "Is your mum home?" She wondered. 

"No, she and Astrid went to the market," Harry said.

"I can see the sea." She looked past him, out the window. 

"That's funny, since you arrived all I can see is you." He whispers, looking into her eyes. She didn't have to tell him she agreed because he already knew. 

Things between them had changed over the last month and they both knew it. Since Harry sent the song over to her, things between them were different. They spent the majority of their nights sleeping late and having deep conversations over the phone. Harry now knew more about her than anyone ever did and she knew even more about him. 

They hadn't kissed since the night they first met and Harry would be lying if he said he didn't think about it still. 

"Harry, come down and help us with the groceries!" His mother called from the kitchen. 

Y/N followed Harry down the steps where his mother and sister were. "Harry!" Astrid squealed, the six year old leaping into his arms. 

"Hey, Astrid." He smiles, putting her down afterwards and walking over to his mother. 

"Oh goodness, you must be Y/N! Harry has told us so much about you." Anne grins and goes over to hug Y/N. 

"It's nice to meet you," Y/N spoke, shyly. 

"Hi," Astrid grinned, one of her teeth missing. 

"Hi Astrid, it's nice to meet you." Y/N grinned. 

"You're pretty." Astrid hides behind Harry as she speaks. 

Harry and Anne laugh, "Why don't you take Y/N down to our beach? It's a wonderful day outside." 

"Sure," Harry nodded, putting the milk in the fridge. 

Harry led Y/N back to her room so she could get dressed into her bathing suit. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. You're probably tired."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Y/N asked, pulling out her swimsuit from her backpack.

"I want you to be everywhere." He smiles softly. 

She bites back a grin, "Give me a second." 

Harry walks back in once he puts his swim shorts on and halts his movements when he notices Y/N standing in front of the mirror putting suncream on. Her hair was tied back and she had removed her makeup from her face. She was wearing a black, one piece swimming costume. He could see the curve of her hips and her breasts and watched as she applied sun cream to her bare arms and legs. He didn't want to stare too long but he couldn't help but revel in the beauty of her. 

"I'm ready." She smiles, covering her body with a towel. 

"Cool." Harry gulps. 

. . .

"It's cold." Y/N shivers when she walks further into the ocean. 

"It feels good." Harry smiles, walking out into the sea. 

They stood facing each other in the middle of the ocean. "Your family seems nice,"

"They're alright," He couldn't stop looking at her. 

I really want to kiss you right now. He thought but tried to contain himself.

"Have you written any more songs?" She asks. 

"A few, I was inspired you could say."

"By who?" She wonders. 

Before he could reply, a wave knocked into them both. Y/N lost her balance and slipped underwater but Harry just managed to grab her waist and hold her before she was able to drift away. 

They both started laughing, Harry's hands were on her waist the entire time as they smiled at each other. 

"Are you going to kiss me?" Y/N wonders, Harry's breath catching in his throat, "At the party you had the same look in your eye when we were in the closet."

"Do you want me to kiss you?" He asks.

"I always want you to kiss me, Harry." She says. 

He scoffs, smiling, "You can't say that you know." 

"Why not?" She bites her lip.

"Because then I'll just have to kiss you all the time." 

"I always want you to kiss me, Harry." She whispers again this time in his ear, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. 

Harry shakily exhaled and leaned his head forward. He had thought of this moment for months since the first time they met and he didn't think it would happen for a while. Y/N had told him all the things Shaun had done to her during their short relationship and he knew it would affect her for a while once they had broken up. 

She kissed his shoulder, the saltiness of the water on the tip of her tongue, before she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. 

Harry whimpered like he had been in desperate need of her this whole time and he was finally getting what he wanted. His hands were everywhere as he tried to hold her in the ocean, she pushed his wet hair back and cupped his cheeks. 

"Y/N," He whispered over and over again, "I'd never be like him, I hope you know that."

She said nothing, just smiled and kissed him again and again and again and again. 

August 3rd 2018

"Do you think I'm a good writer?" Y/N asked, her bare chest pressed against Harry's as she finally caught her breath from opening up to him in a way only he was allowed to see. 

"I think you're a wonderful writer." He hums, releasing her hair from her messy ponytail so he could massage her scalp with his fingertips.

"Really?" She smiled up at him, he felt a tight feeling in his stomach at the sight of it.

"Yes." He kissed her sweaty forehead.

"I think you'd be a good musician." She played with his fingers. 

"Thank you." He wasn't sure what to say besides that. He knew she had faith in him, sometimes too much. 

"Harry," She started. She moved to sit up, she was naked and slouched over but it didn't phase him one bit, he liked seeing her naked, it was possibly one of his favourite things. "Y' know you're my best friend right?"

"I know that," He nods. "You tell me every day."

"I think I might be in love with you." She confesses, a sigh of relief escaping her.

"I know I'm in love with you." He admits, he'd never told anyone he loved them besides his mother and sister but with Y/N it felt different. He felt as though he was opening a part of himself that had always been locked and only she knew how to open it.

"So we love each other?" She crawls over to him, falling beside him and lying on her back, her head lolling to the side to look at him. 

His hand goes to her tummy and he rubs his thumb up and down, "We love each other." His hand slowly creeps lower. 

"Can we have sex again?" She asks, biting her lip.

He loved the way her cheeks flushed when she spoke about doing intimate things with her. Her eyes would turn a darker shade and the hairs on her arms would stand on end. 

"Y'never have to ask." He murmured and kissed her everywhere.

January 30th 2022

Harry and Y/N moved in together when they graduated. It was an easy decision and they didn't regret it one bit. 

"Morning baby," Harry hummed, kissing her shoulder and handing her a mug of coffee. She was wearing a shawl and a lace bra with his boxer shorts and he made sure to take a mental picture of her right this moment. 

"Morning handsome." She whispered, tired and achy from being at her computer for a second day in a row. 

Y/N was a writer or at least trying to be one. She was currently signed to a literary agent and was attempting to get a book published. She'd been spending the last few days going through the edits she'd been sent from her first draft. 

He placed two hands on her shoulders and rubbed his thumbs into them, massaging her shoulders and easing some of the tension. "I'm going to the studio today, wrote a few songs last night." 

"You did?" She grinned, her head turning to look up at him, "Will I get to hear them first?" 

"You know you will. You always get to listen to them first you know that." He chuckles, leaning down to kiss her. 

He rubbed his thumbs under her tired eyes as he cupped her cheeks, "Get some sleep darling, please." 

"Can I have a kiss first?" She pouts, her eyes gazing up at him.

He snickered and kissed her the same way he did when he first met her, leaving her in a daze as he left her in the kitchen and walked out of the house to get to the studio. 

"I think I want to marry her," Harry spoke aloud, his friend Mitch turning to him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I want to marry her." 

"Good for you, man. She's good for you." He gives him a friendly pat on the back. 

Harry drove home with a memory stick sitting in the passenger seat of his car. He also had an engagement ring in his back pocket that he picked up on his way home. It was cheap and fake, costing him just thirty pounds, but he planned on buying her a new one when he sold some of his demos to other artists. 

When he walked through the door, he noticed Y/N was no longer at her computer. He walked into the lounge and saw her passed out on the sofa, a loaf of bread was on the coffee table with a tub of butter and a knife stuck into it. 

He sat down beside her, and she stirred. "Hi baby," He stroked her hair out of her face.

"You're home." She hummed, grabbing his hand and holding it to her chest with her eyes still shut.

"Come to bed, my love." He keeps his voice down when he speaks to her. 

"But I want to hear your music." Sleep weighed heavy in her voice. 

"Y' can hear it tomorrow darling, let's go to bed." He picks her up and cradles her in his arms as he carries her up the stairs. 

"Love you," She whispers as he lays her in bed and covers her in the blanket. 

"Love you too." He grins, lazily and crawls into bed next to her, holding her tightly. 

September 16th 2024

He's never felt pain like this.

"Where is she?" He gripped onto her mother's shoulders, looking at her with pleading eyes. 

He had rushed to the hospital, cancelling his show last minute since he was touring with the band he had written songs for. They invited him at the last minute to be the opening act for their show and he accepted despite his homesickness and desire to stay with Y/N.

"Mr Styles?" A nurse approaches with a doctor beside her. 

"Is she okay? What's going on?" He was tired before he got the phone call but now he was wide awake and wasn't planning on getting sleep anytime soon. 

"Mr Styles, we're going to need you to take a seat." The Doctor places a hand on his shoulder but he brushes it off, growing frustrated. 

"Please, just tell me what's going on." 

A sigh leaves the doctor's lips, "Miss Y/L/N has had to have emergency brain surgery."

"W-What?" He froze, unsure how to process it all.

"We found a tumour in her brain that we've had to remove, the cancer is still there but-"

He blocked out the doctor's words after that, all he seemed to hear were the words 'surgery' and 'cancer'. Y/N had cancer. 

"C-Can I see her?" He had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"She's asleep but you can go in and see her." The Doctor nods and turns to the nurse, giving her instructions. 

Everything blurred and moved in slow motion as he walked down the corridors to Y/N's room. He couldn't believe what was happening and whether or not it was real but the pain coursing through him was enough to tell him that his life had taken a turn for the worst. 

"We'll leave you alone." The nurse nods. 

Harry saw Y/N lying in the hospital bed with wires coming out of her and a bandage wrapped around her head. 

"No baby." He shook his head, "No, no, no." He walked forward and fell to his knees in front of her. 

He gripped her hand and squeezed tight, sobbing as he tried to think up ways to help her, to trade places, to take all the pain she was feeling and consume it himself. 

"You'll be fine," He whispered, kissing her cheek, "You'll be okay." All the while twisting the cheap engagement ring he had given to her before he left to tour. 

It wasn't the most extravagant engagement but it was perfect for them. Harry had taken Y/N camping for the first time but they soon realised they both hated it. It didn't help that it was pouring with rain and the tent had a hole in it. 

So, they ditched the tent and bought a cheap motel room. They had dinner at a restaurant opposite the petrol station where the food wasn't too good but they had to beat soft serve ice cream. 

Harry asked the question after they had sex in their motel room. A tangled, sweaty mess and in a haze, he just blurted out the question to which she immediately said yes and broke down crying because she loved him so much.

Later on, Y/N woke up in the evening with Harry sitting awake beside her. 

"H-Harry," She mumbled, her eyes fluttering open and close. She was very tired. 

"Hey darling," He crouched down in front of her so he was eye level with her, "M right here."

His voice always soothed her, since the very first day they met, "I'm sick aren't I?" She tears up. 

He slowly nods his head, "But you'll get better."

She wasn't so sure.

December 1st 2024

"Can we go to Italy to get married?" Y/N asked, sitting at the windowsill with a book. She was wearing a headscarf over her hairless head as the sun shone through the window. 

Harry thought she looked beautiful.

"I thought you wanted to get married here at home?" He wondered, they both wanted something simple so planned their wedding reception to be at their house in the back garden. 

She placed her book down and stood up on shaky legs. She was getting thinner the more they did chemotherapy, sometimes she could barely hold her head up from exhaustion but she was fighting her way through it all. 

She climbed onto Harry's lap who was sitting at the table writing music. "I want to go to Italy for Christmas and get married."

Harry chuckles, "I don't think people will be happy if we do all that last minute, it'll cost a lot too." 

She shakes her head, a cheeky grin on her face, "I just want it to be us two." 

He thought about it. He knew how much their families meant to the both of them and how important it was for them to be there but he couldn't lie if he said the thought didn't tempt him.

 "What about our parents?" He asked.

"Well I assume they'd be upset for a while but they'll get over it. We can have a party in the back garden just like we originally planned." She snaked her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, he could tell she was getting tired. 

"When would you want to leave for Italy?" He wonders and she knew she had persuaded him. 

"Tomorrow." 

December 3rd 2024

They got married where they kissed on the beach. 

Y/N was rushed to the hospital in the evening. 

May 22nd 2025

Harry was alone. 

He stood in front of the mirror adjusting his tie and tried his best not to get emotional. 

He hadn't seen her in a while but he hoped she was giving him some reassurance wherever she was.

"My boy," Anne walked in, wearing a sleek dress, "You look so handsome." 

She adjusted the lapels of his suit and cupped his cheeks, a bittersweet look on her face, "They're waiting for you." 

He nodded, glanced one last time at the mirror and exhaled. 

People were already standing in the pews of the church, some were already crying as he walked to the end of the aisle. He turned around and took a heavy breath, his hands shaky. 

"You've got this," Mitch whispered, reassuringly. 

Suddenly everyone stood up as the music began to play, waiting for the love of his life to turn the corner. 

Y/N beat cancer on Harry's birthday this year. 

He cried tears of joy and they celebrated by ordering two ice cream cakes and eating them both with just two spoons and Mamma Mia playing in the background. 

They decided they wanted to get married again with a proper ceremony since their wedding in Italy was slightly tainted by the fact she had to go to hospital. Their mothers were also adamant they had another wedding they could actually attend. 

He held his breath when she walked out in a beautiful, white dress. It was a tight fitted, mermaid dress with an open back. She was adamant about having a tight fitted dress so she could see how bloated her belly got with the buffet they had for the reception. With the chemo, she couldn't stomach a lot of food but now all she wanted to do was eat and Harry loved it. 

His eyes began to water as she walked down the aisle on her own. She didn't want anyone to walk her down the aisle because she didn't like the idea of someone giving her away. No one was giving her away because she had always been Harry's right from the beginning.

"You may now kiss the bride!" Everyone cheered as the Officiant announced it. 

Y/N leaned forward and smiled, tears down her face, "Should we make out?" She whispered. 

"Most definitely." Harry smiled and it was the happiest he had ever been in his life. 

October 1st 2027

Welcome to the world, little Matilda. 

You came into this world with sun beams coming out of you and we haven't seen the rain since.

Your mother is currently asleep and I haven't got the heart to wake her up. She never ceases to amaze me with how strong she is and I've promised her months of rest since all you seemed to do was wake her up in the night with your tiny toes and little fingers pressing against her belly. 

I've loved your mother for ten whole years now and it just adds to your perfection that you were born on the day we met. 

On the day we met, I was awkward and shy and hated people which makes no sense since we were at a party. I had no intention of meeting your mother but she was there and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. 

Don't worry Matilda, you are half your mother and will be just as pretty as she is. 

She was my first kiss, the first person I opened up to and the only person I wanted to spend my life with.

Except now we have you and my world before these ten years seems non-existent. 

I love you Matilda and no matter how much I say I love you, I will always love you more than that. 

You have my green eyes and your mother's little nose. I can already tell you have the imagination of your mother because you were grabbing at my fingers last night and making noises with a smile on your face. 

I promise to raise you with as much love as I have given your mother and I know your mother will love as hard as she loves me. Our house will be filled with nothing but love for you Matilda and I hope you hold onto that and carry it with you wherever you go. 

You will always be the light in our lives from now on my sweet Matilda. 

"Is she awake?" Y/N murmurs, eyes still shut.

"No, she's sleeping." Harry looks down at the little girl in his arms. 

"I can't believe we made her Harry." She smiles, cheeks pink, reminding him of the time they first met. 

It did amaze him how the person they created together was a product of their love. He didn't really think it possible to hold love in his hands until he held Matilda for the first time. 

"I love you, Harry." She whispers, holding his hand. 

"I love you too." He sighs, feeling utter bliss.

He would do it all again, he thought, the ups and downs and in-betweens, he'd do it all. 

Everything with you. 

[mariacallous]

Wading through the latest dreck from the 2024 campaign, it seems that a racist congressman from Louisiana has demanded that the mythic dog-and-cat-eating, “vudu”-practicing Haitian immigrants of Springfield, Ohio, slurred by Donald Trump on the national debate stage earlier this month, “better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.” Or else. Under pressure from colleagues in the House on Wednesday, the congressman, Clay Higgins, deleted the social-media post. Then hours later he told CNN that he stood by it anyway: “It’s all true. . . . It’s not a big deal to me. It’s like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off.” Asked about the controversy, House Speaker Mike Johnson called Higgins “a dear friend of mine” and a “very principled man.” As for the tweet, Johnson, an ostentatiously devout Christian, replied, “We move forward. We believe in redemption around here.”

Outrage is an impossible emotion to sustain in this age of manufactured political outrage. I know it; Higgins and Johnson surely know it, too. Indeed, they are counting on it. Who, after all, will remember this particular bit of hate speech next week, when there will undoubtedly be so many newer, fresher outrages to be upset about? But still. Maybe pause a minute on this one. While Democrats agonize over the proper levels of policy detail required to prove Kamala Harris’s suitability for the Presidency, Trump and his acolytes have gone deep into the racist recesses of the American psyche to run a campaign meant to stir the passionate hatreds and deepest insecurities of their followers.

J. D. Vance recently made the mistake of publicly admitting the artifice inherent in all this. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate was asked about the alleged Haitian pet consumption and why he and the former President kept bringing up a story that had no basis in fact. “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” he said. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” When Bash expressed shock at his admission, Vance backpedalled, but barely, claiming that he had, in fact, heard “firsthand accounts” from his constituents, causing him to spread the rumor, never mind that they were swiftly debunked. “But,” he concluded, “yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’s policies.”

Days of coverage ensued about what he did or did not admit in the interview, lost in which was the important point that this was not a “gotcha” story about a single errant statement from Vance but a core belief that has underpinned the MAGA approach to politics since Trump’s demagogic début, nine years ago. The jokes about Trump’s “they’re eating the dogs” debate line might have missed the point, which is that when the laughter fades, the slurs remain. This is how propaganda works. Ask Congressman Higgins.

I was reminded of this when I received a call from Fiona Hill, the top National Security Council aide on Russia for much of Trump’s Presidency. Hill told me that she was stunned by how similar Vance’s defiant embrace of the radicalizing power of stories, whether true or not, was to the views advanced by Vladimir Putin’s chief international propagandist, the Russia state-television personality Margarita Simonyan: So what, in effect, if we make stuff up? “I was just really struck: RT and VT—Vance-Trump—are the same,” she said. “It’s the same weaponization of migration and disinformation.”

The episode recalled for Hill an incident early in Trump’s Presidency, in November of 2017, when Trump tweeted out several inflammatory videos from a British far-right group purporting to show attacks carried out by Muslim immigrants. British officials contacted Hill, urging her to get the White House to have Trump pull down his tweets and disavow them. But, she said, when she brought the concerns to the White House press staff, which was then run by the current governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, she was rebuffed. Hill was told that Trump was simply using the videos to further his domestic political agenda. When Sanders was then asked about the tweets by reporters, her response was an uncanny preview of Vance’s recent remarks: “Whether it’s a real video,” she said, “the threat is real.”

Vance’s justification for the Springfield slur—that he was really making a point about “Kamala Harris’s policies”—is a reminder of another one of the big lies powering this election: the charade that Trump is actually an ideological MAGA warrior engaging in legitimate and substantive policy dispute, and that that policy agenda is what makes him appealing to his otherwise unrepresented followers. This canard has been one of the most persistent fallacies we’ve heard from Republicans about Trump, a category error that fundamentally misses what kind of politician he really is.

I was reminded of this often overlooked point while moderating a book launch for “The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within,” an important new academic work by Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former national-intelligence official covering Russia and Eurasia, and two academic colleagues, Erica Frantz and Joseph Wright. Their study places Trump in the international category to which he properly belongs—that of an aspiring autocrat who has taken over the Republican Party and turned it into a “personalist” vehicle for himself, the type of party that, in the authors’ words, exists “primarily to promote and further the leader’s personal political career rather than advance policy.” This is now a global phenomenon, the authors found—from Brazil under Bolsonaro and Turkey under Erdoğan to less cited cases in El Salvador, Georgia, Poland, Senegal, and Tunisia. Putin’s Russia, regrettably, is the modern archetype, a template going back more than two decades that the others have followed.

Where does all this leave the non-MAGA Republican? We actually know the answer to this one: they are hunkered down, still largely planning to vote the party line, averting their eyes, ignoring the slurs, and pretending that Trump and his campaign are something other than what they are. Nikki Haley offered a pretty clear version of the contortions required by the hard-core Republican partisan who both hates Trump and is voting for him anyway, because, well, the policy. During the début of Haley’s new Sirius XM radio show, on Wednesday, she struggled to explain why she was now publicly endorsing a man that she called “toxic” and “totally unhinged” just a few months ago. She said that she had not forgotten his campaign’s personal attacks on her—including, apparently, putting a bird cage outside of her hotel room to emphasize his insult of her as a “bird brain”—but that she was willing to overlook the insults now, because “politics is not for thin-skinned people” and she needed to think of “the good of our country.” She then listed the economy, the border, national security, and “freedom” as reasons why she would make such a sacrifice. Uh-huh.

To the extent that Trump is promoting policy in 2024 at all, his proposals largely revolve around a single theme: he will wave his magic wand and make problems go away. At the G.O.P. Convention in Milwaukee, he promised, “Under my plan, incomes will skyrocket, inflation will vanish completely, jobs will come roaring back, and the middle class will prosper like never, ever before.” In his rallies, he pledges to end the war in Ukraine “in twenty-four hours.” The Republicans’ all-caps political platform, which was approved at the Convention in Milwaukee after being personally dictated, in part, by Trump, contains planks such as vows to “STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC” and “MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN.”

Earlier this week in Georgia, Trump appeared at a campaign rally that was billed as a policy rollout for his plans to inaugurate “a new age of American industrialism.” In between extolling his proposed tariffs as a brilliant scheme to “take other countries’ jobs,” Trump, the policy maven, questioned Harris’s intelligence and patriotism, attacked electric cars (except those manufactured by his supporter Elon Musk), and said immigrants were “coming from all over the world” to ruin the country. Trump’s signature moment in this rally, as in other recent speeches, was when he recounted his takeaway from the two assassination attempts against him: “People say: It was God, and God came down and He saved you because He wants you to bring America back.” Still think this is about policy? Kamala Harris might need an eighty-two-page economic plan printed out on glossy paper, but not Trump. His was sent from Heaven above to rescue us. 

[otterandterrierwrites]

happy female orgasm day, y'all!

here are most of my fics were Leia is getting some, if you need inspiration to get it on ;)

hanleia

What it takes to come alive Pre-ESB - Han and Leia decide to take a last chance while trapped and surrounded by hungry monsters. [wc 4,884, 2020]

keep with me forward (all through the night) Pre-ESB - After kissing during an undercover mission, Han and Leia struggle to ignore their feelings as they infiltrate a masquerade gala [wc 19,716, 2019]

All work and no play Pre-ESB - Secretly showering together in the communal 'fresher on base. [wc 2,924, 2021]

Night at the Grand Regent Hotel Sex pollen fic! [wc 7,854, 2022]

A lesson ESB - Leia shows Han what she likes on the trip to Bespin. [wc 710, 2017]

Not quite dirty talk ESB - During the trip to Bespin, Leia accidentally shuts Han out. Luckily, he knows how to draw her out of her shell again. [wc 2,354, 2023]

Dreamscape ESB - Last night together in Cloud City. [wc 986, 2018]

the static of your arms, it is the catalyst RotJ - Reunion sex and feelings after Han is released from the medcenter [wc 3,995, 2020]

Alone time Post-RotJ - Han and Leia find some alone time in a ‘fresher (again) [wc 1,792, 2018]

Something's electric in your blood Post-RotJ - A walk on the beach is interrupted by a storm, and Han and Leia wait it out in a cave. [wc 3,529, 2017]

The best right in a million wrongs Smutty follow-up to the book “Last Shot”. [wc 4,479, 2022]

honey don't feed me (I will come back) vampire AU! [wc 36,000, 2024]

Courting Princess Leia COPL fix-it! [wc 6,940, 2023]

leia/evaan

Hold me tight ‘cause I’m just holding on for tonight Leia deals with her grief and finds comfort in the arms of a fellow Alderaanian woman.[wc 8,406, 2020]

Here comes the spark before the dark Evaan and Leia dress up fancy, and have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. [wc 1,023, 2021]

[watchmakermori]

rereading The Bedlam Stacks: my feelings six years on

until recently, I'd only read The Bedlam Stacks the once - back on release, within the span of a few days. I'd enjoyed it at the time, though not nearly as much as my beloved Watchmaker, so I thought it was time to go back to it and see how my feelings on it have changed.

back in 2017, I recall enjoying the first third of the book a lot, finding the middle section a bit slow, and thinking that the ending was a bit sudden. Having reread it again, my thoughts are similar in some respects - I still think that the pacing is strongest at the beginning, and hits a sluggish section once Merrick gets to Bedlam. My feelings on the ending are complicated, because part of me thinks that it's missing something, but part of me thinks it has the best conclusion of any Pulley book so far.

Bedlam is a difficult book for me to critique. There is so much that I love about it, so many isolated scenes and concepts that stick with me, and the prose is fresher and more beautiful than I remembered. The scene where Raphael turns to stone for 70 years is so beautifully, horrifyingly handled. The markayuq are a haunting, fascinatingly original concept. Merrick and Raphael, while hitting a lot of the classic Pulley duo tropes, stand out in many other ways - the fact that their romance is only implied, and left somewhat ambiguous, is actually a novelty against the context of her other works. They also feel more...mirrored than other Pulley pairings? Most of her romances seem to thrive on difference. Differences in class, in race, in intellectual standing, in physical strength. And obviously Raphael and Merrick have some of that, but they're also markedly similar in a lot of ways. Even though Merrick doesn't have Raphael's strength, he does have the memory of being a much stronger and healthier man. Both characters have a past of physical violence, and they are both shown to be capable of it in the narrative itself, as with when Raphael shoots the passing traveller and Merrick strangles Martel to death.

Their relationship to disability is also similarly mirrored, because both of them are haunted by old versions of themselves. Raphael is watching himself turn into a markayuq, feeling himself lose time and mobility, knowing that his transformation is impending and inevitable. Merrick also knows that he will never again be the man he was before his leg injury; he has to adjust to it, to work around it and accept that it has changed him. The acceptance of inevitability is a really interesting theme in Bedlam, which feeds all the way through Merrick and Raphael's central friendship. They don't really get the best of anything - they meet under bad circumstances, for less than a month, and they will never have enough time together due to Raphael's condition and a thousand other factors. But that doesn't mean that their friendship isn't worth something, that it isn't immensely precious.

So there's a great deal that I love about Bedlam on a thematic level, but I do think that the actual plotting of the book is quite weak overall. There are lots of isolated scenes that I love, but the connecting tissue is somewhat thin. The middle of the book involves a lot of waiting - waiting for the snow to clear, waiting for Clem to return, waiting for Raphael to tell Merrick the truth and take him beyond the salt line. Merrick does not have a great deal of intentional impact on the narrative, so it does often feel like you're sitting around waiting for the plot to come to him.

That's not to say that the plot needed to be bolder or bigger. It didn't need to focus more on the search for quinine. Honestly, I don't think high-stakes drama is one of Pulley's strengths - her forte is small interpersonal conflicts between select units of characters. In Watchmaker, the conflict and stakes don't really come from the lurking bomb threat or the police investigation - it's about Thaniel struggling with his own desires over the impulse to do the 'right' thing. Grace represents a more conventional path for him - a wife, a house, a future with children, and the money to look after his sister and nephews. But Mori is who he actually wants. And those warring desires come into greater and greater conflict as the story moves from beginning to middle to end. Thaniel's goals are not static.

But in Bedlam, there isn't that same sense of escalating tension and raising stakes. Merrick has his reservations about Raphael and whether he is dangerous, but ultimately, those reservations don't really change the decisions he makes. So much of what happens feels like it was always going to happen, which means that a lot of the tension feels somewhat...inorganic. Intangible. There isn't even the threat of discovery for most of the book, because Raphael knows exactly why Merrick is in Bedlam and Merrick makes no attempt to hide the truth. He keeps quiet about the threat of the army, but even if Raphael had discovered it sooner, it doesn't feel like it would've materially impacted how the story played out.

So it's a hard book for me to articulate my feelings on. The themes and concepts and characters and isolated scenes are excellent, but the story feels - just slightly - like it is less than the sum of its parts. At times, it seems more like a series of episodic events than a narrative, even if those episodic events are still deeply enjoyable.

But the ending is immensely powerful. The melancholy and the joy of it. The simple devotion of Merrick being there when Raphael wakes, 20 years later, with a cup of coffee - which was what Merrick had gone to make when Raphael first went into stasis. It is simultaneously an act of mundanity, and also an act of incredible loyalty and dedication - and love often does shine brightest in those small moments of devotion.

A while ago, I was lamenting that Pulley only ever gives us happy, cosy endings rather than something more tragic and bittersweet, but I don't think I was actually accurate on that. The conclusion of Bedlam is desperately sad, for all its loveliness. Because while Raphael and Merrick are reunited, we can't know how long they will have together. The story denies us that knowledge, that closure, by ending just as Raphael laughs.

I'm so glad I reread it. It is a bit of an odd fish next to all of Pulley's other works, and that makes me appreciate it much more with retrospect. This reread also reminded me, on a more general level, of everything I love about Pulley's writing - the sublime weirdness and the quirky characters and the nonchalance with which she handles speculative elements. For all her flaws as a writer, nobody is doing it like her, and I truly cannot wait for The Mars House.

[bunnimew]

We were tagged by @9haharharley1 and @overmooneleven who could not have foreseen what a production this was going to turn into 😂 Thank you!!

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

*Gets out the record player* There's required listening while scrolling this list...

Now that the mood has been appropriately set, here we go!

Warm Bodies 10 Edit9It'sYourBoyJackFrostAightSo High Seas Hijinks pt 2 Android Pitch Neon Ideas Von Kaiser Mix Tape If you don't dance, no romance Jack Frost and the Quest for the Stanley Cup Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide YA Novel Merman/Nature Elf Baby It's Cold Inside Everything but the fresher sink Halloween bodyswap Saiyuki Fantasy AU Coffee and Fruit Snacks Untitled Document Blackice ABOlive Garden Concerned Neighbor AU Obsolete Force Monsters Donut Saga 2022 RotG Bingo RotG Bingo 2021 Free Day Light Magic Soulmate AU Sleight of Hand Android AU Wing fic space vampire arranged marriage fake ppl scifi book pogo kylux AU Hope Week 2022 Let's Play AU Clydeland Ghost roommate Omega hux Techwear AU Original magic apocalypse Holiday kylux Pink hair hux Goose steals the staff Quarantine Kylux twitfic college au ST/Kylux Omega hux sequel cyborg hux Fuck this I'm outtie hux Loud AF kylux Loud AF blackice Every floor is Loud AF Loud AF Zag and Than Angel/Demon AU Gymnast hux Parkour hux 5 times hux blows kylo A/B/O Hades Kylux A/B/Olive Garden Disney Princess Hux Hutt slave Mitaka Femlux Afterlife Bloom Halloween2020 sen aid + sen kid kylux Trivia and Other Flirtations Gertrude Pink hair Jack + Hux Teacher/Teacher Merge ST and EU frank/strange Bingo Fancy Dinner Matchmaker Cape Selection AU Senate Takeover Manny Moonbear's Pizzaria Guardians in Black Party fancy pitch Jasper/Lapis Suzalulu week 2016 horror ideas Untitled Terminator Game Terminator Ideas Frank/Strange coffee shop au Ideas for erotic stabbing Suzalulu week 2017 Zell birthday Gratuitous sleepytime Lulu the professional hand model au Peter has two dads au RotG Coffee shop AU Veelamate AU Sorceress Jack Guardian of the D Blanket Scenario i think Saiyuki bang 10k Clover AU Wizards unite AU X/1999/RotG [Redacted] Pitch's New Groove PoGo AU spacerace magic repo RotGRepo! Colormate AU Overqualified Merlin Caffeine and High Fructose Corn Syrup O2: Teammates Spideypool Bingo 2019 B1: Personal Trainer Spideypool Bingo 2019 Spideypool fairy AU Tie fix Soulmate tattoo AU 3 5 10 AU idea Silent Hill AU O1: Met at the Dog Park Spideypool Bingo 2019 ff8 werewolf au Buffate 2 Kink series Dance All Night Let Me and Your Body Talk Pounded in the Butt by the Physical Manifestation of the Fear That I Will Never be Good Enough While He Tells me I am Good Enough Also He's British  Silent Hill AU Bathtime Evening Horror Husbands Fic art 1 Morning cuddle Fic art 2 Spinel Jack Cover art Croptops Spiderman kiss Gargoyles

We literally do not know as many people as we have WIPs. I'd have to pull out the yearbook and start tagging people from high school and we're not going to do that. But we do have to tag @seekerseekingsomething for reasons they will understand and @askmyname @quillienvii @pheasantmadness for Other Unsaid Reasons ❤

[thrawns-backrest]

Posting this now because if I edit it one more time I'll go insane. Enjoy!

Title: Buried in Ice

Characters: Ronan, Ba'kif and others

Chapters: 4/?

Summary: Ronan adjusts to life with the Chiss when a sudden revelation leads him to realize that his fate is not as firmly in his hands as he'd thought it was.

___

The Steadfast, Eli had to admit, was once again living up to its name.

For a vessel that had spent a week on standby without its crew, it had bounced back into active service with admirable ease. Or maybe it wasn’t the ship itself, as much as it was its crew Eli thought as he leaned back in his seat and listened to the chatter of various officers flitting between their stations.

It was not the Chimaera, admittedly – it would be a long time before any other vessel took the title of home for him – but the routine familiarity of it was welcome. Especially after a week on an unfamiliar ship sharing quarters with five other officers.

Even Tanik and Khresh’s bickering had its charm after that. Anything did, really, compared to the stilted awkward conversation of people who weren’t quite used to living together. And speaking of which…

“Lieutenant Commander Vanto?” He turned to glance at the Chiss orderly. “The bridge will begin pre takeoff procedures shortly. Is there anything you need?”

The Chiss stood there patiently and Eli threw him a sheepish little smile. “No thank you, I’ll be off in a moment.”

He got a nod in response and the other wandered off again, leaving Eli to sigh and run a hand through his hair. If there ever was a polite way to tell someone to kriff off… At least they were being polite about it.

Eli’s pride aside though, the Chiss had a point, Ar’alani didn’t take kindly to people lounging around on the bridge when they weren’t needed and it would be prudent of him to scamper away before she arrived.

With that in mind, and another long-suffering sigh, he leaned forward to turn off the terminal where he’d been pretending to read some datasheets. He made sure to give Vah’nya a little wave when she saw him get up and then he was on his way to his quarters, deep into the ship’s interior.

In all fairness, he had a good reason to avoid getting back. A very angry, very vengeful harpy of a reason that he’d managed to elude for a week.

Ronan had not been happy about being left behind on Csilla. Decidedly and understandably so given that Eli hadn’t gotten the same treatment. But that didn’t mean Eli had made the situation any better when he’d avoided Ronan and slipped away before the other could unleash his preliminary rage on him, thus ensuring that his esteemed roommate would be twice as furious with him now.

Not that Ronan didn’t usually have something to complain about – even if he didn’t he was quite good at making up reasons anyway – but Eli was sure it would be worse this time. Not least of all because Ronan had had time to stew in his anger while he kicked his heels back on cold, indifferent Csilla.

And now the one to suffer for it would be Eli.

Dragging his feet against the floor, he rounded the corner and saw the familiar hatch come into view. He half expected Ronan to be waiting for him outside but was surprised to find the hallway empty and even more surprised when he didn’t find Ronan inside even as he keyed the hatch open.

Eli took a step into the small space. Strange… maybe he’s gone to grab something from the mess? Although that was unlikely given they’d just picked their crew up from Csilla and the fact that Ronan avoided mingling with their Chiss colleagues like the plague. The light above the fresher indicated that it was unoccupied as well and Eli frowned at the sight of pristine untouched sheets.

No luggage, no rumpled sheets, no other place to hide in the room in general. Where in the Maker had Ronan gone now? Eli bit his lip, lingering at the hatchway. A certain recent conversation played on repeat in his mind and a nagging little feeling had materialized at the back of it. He was probably being paranoid, of course. But it didn’t hurt to check.

With his mind made up he spun on his heel and headed back down the hallway. The crew were already running pre takeoff diagnostics by the time he reemerged on the bridge and he gave a mental sigh of relief as he spotted Ar’alani in her command chair.

Marching up to it, he hid his wringing hands behind his back.

“Admiral. Do you have a moment?”

“Lieutenant Commander Vanto.” Ar’alani gave a miniscule nod. “What is it?”

“Has Lieutenant Ronan reported back to the ship yet?” He winced. “Lieutenant Lyron, I mean.”

A stupid mistake. Just because they accommodated him didn’t mean they extended the same courtesy to Ronan yet. Ar’alani seemed to ignore the slip up but some other dismayed emotion crossed her face.

“You haven’t heard yet?” she asked, a frown creasing her brow.

Eli’s stomach dropped and the room suddenly felt colder.

“Heard what?” he asked hoarsely.

“I suppose you haven’t…” Ar’alani stroked her chin. “Lieutenant Lyron is being reassigned.”

“Reassigned? Reassigned where? By who?”

“By General Ba’kif himself. As for where, I don’t have the details yet. All I know is that he won’t be part of the Steadfast’s crew anymore.”

“Isn’t this a bit sudden?”

Ar’alani huffed. “He’s been on Csilla for a week now. I’d hardly call that sudden.”

“It’s just –” he fumbled for the right thing to say. “Well, he was rather vocal about being unhappy here last time we spoke and I was wondering if it hadn’t gotten him in trouble.”

That seemed to catch Ar’alani’s attention and she narrowed her eyes, turning around to face him fully.

“Vocal in what way?” she asked briskly. The tone registered with Eli and he stiffened but kept his mouth shut as he weighed his reply.

Vocal in a way that could get him killed, he allowed himself to think in the privacy of his mind, because he’s an idiot. But the thought didn’t make him feel any better and he once again recalled his conversation with Ronan.

If Ronan had expressed those same grievances on Csilla of all places, and done so with his usual lack of tact, he could be rotting in a high security cell by now or worse, Eli thought fearfully.

You can’t pry secrets away from the dead, he remembered Khresh saying once, nudging a Grysk corpse with his boot. Yet another victim of their enemies’ fanatic suicidal policies upon being captured.

Were the Chiss prepared to go this far for the same reason? Absolutely, he concluded grimly. This war had cost them enough already.

He shook his head and remembered Ar’alani was still waiting for an answer.

“In a way that could be… misconstrued ma’am.” He said carefully. Maker, if he had to spin lies to save Ronan from his own stupidity.

Ar’alani, predictably, didn’t like his answer and Eli steeled himself as he saw her gaze harden.

“I will have to ask you to speak plainly, Lieutenant Commander.”

Kriff. He had stepped out of line. No matter how you looked at it, there was an accusation in his words and even if Ar’alani knew him well enough to realize it wasn’t directed at her, it was still one aimed at her people. And while Eli knew it wasn’t an implausible one, to make it without any evidence was a poor move on his side. Insolent even.

He felt his cheeks warm as he looked to the floor and clenched his hands behind his back.

“It’s nothing ma’am. I was just wondering.”

Ar’alani’s colder than usual gaze kept boring into him. For a moment he wondered if throwing himself out of the nearest airlock wouldn’t be less painful than this.

“I will tell you if I receive any additional news,” Ar’alani’s frosty tone snapped him out of his thoughts.

“For now we’re preparing for takeoff. Non-essential staff are to clear the bridge.”

___

Eli had in fact not been given any additional news. And neither had he been able to stop thinking about Ronan’s absence.  

And after his third time of bungling his duties because of being distracted, Ar’alani had finally lost her patience with him. The next time the Stedfast stopped on Csilla to resupply, she emerged from the duty office and all but dragged him all the way to EDF headquarters where she gave him some directions before storming off for a meeting with Ba’kif.

Eli was of course mortified for making her snap like that. One of the most accomplished commanders he’d served under and Tharwn’s friend, at that. But the predominant feeling that gnawed at him as he walked down the winding corridors of Csaplar was dread. Ar’alani hadn’t given him details and he’d felt too embarrassed to push for them but he was fairly sure he was supposed to meet Ronan where he was going. Fairly sure. Or maybe this was the place where he would simply learn of Ronan’s fate.

Eli now cursed his past self for thinking that leaving Ronan unsupervised was a good idea. If the man had decided to take things into his own hands – which he certainly had the gall to do, Eli thought as he remembered a certain shuttle bearing vital evidence rising into the sky – there was no telling how much of a liability he’d presented himself as and what the Chiss would do with him as a result.

And how the guilt of that result would affect Eli.

But that would have to wait, he decided, as he stopped in front of a numbered door and checked again with his notes before raising a hand to knock. There was a short pause and he used it to wipe his sweaty palms on his thighs.

Then the door slid aside and Eli’s mouth opened on reflex before promptly snapping shut as he stared at the person in front of him.

Chiss. Tall, bored-looking and dressed in administrator garb and unmistakably Chiss. Eli felt his stomach clench. This was supposed to be Ronan’s office, his mind supplied frantically, and again the image of Ronan’s cold corpse being disposed of somewhere flashed before his eyes.

Just as a flash of surprise crossed the Chiss’ face.

“Oh, the other one…” he murmured and Eli blinked at him dumbly.

“What?”

He tried to wipe the dumb look off his face but the Chiss was already turning away, talking to someone else further inside the room.

“Lyron, we have a guest.”

Lyron, Eli perked up, feeling a spark of hope, that was Ronan. And if that wasn’t promising enough, Ronan’s petulant grumbling answered them not long after.

“I’m busy, can’t you take them on?”

“I think they’re here to see you specifically.”

At that Ronan himself finally appeared at the door – or at least Eli had to do a double take to make sure that was Ronan, what with what he was wearing – and the moment their eyes met, Ronan’s face flushed almost comically.

“Maker Vanto, what did you do!” He hissed and yanked Eli harshly into the office.

“There’s only two of us here, why would you think stirring up trouble with the Syndicure was a good idea? As if they don’t distrust us enough already.”

Eli’s confusion only grew as he was dragged over to a cluttered desk, his relief all but snuffed out under the flurry of events unfolding around him.

“Wha–? No, I didn’t do anything!” he sputtered and almost fell back on his ass when Ronan finally let him go and spun around to glare at him. “I’m not in trouble, I’m just here because –”

Because I wanted to check up on you, his mind finished for him and the words died in his throat, his tongue seizing up in defiance.

Like hell he was going to tell Ronan that. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance on Mustafar he, Eli Vanto, was going admit he’d been worried sick about Ronan and feeling guilty on top of it. Eli would sooner eat his own boots.

He would sooner eat Ronan’s stupid cape.

He grimaced and tugged the sleeve Ronan had yanked askew back into place.

“I’m here because Admiral Ar’alani told me to check up on you.” He lied evenly and Ronan, the ingrate that he was, had the nerve to roll his eyes.

“I don’t need another handler.” Before Eli could protest though, he fixed his glare somewhere behind Eli and bit out a ‘what?’

Eli turned to see the Chiss from earlier sitting at another desk and observing them with open curiosity.

“Nothing, it’s just your language is so strange,” the man said thoughtfully, making Eli realize that he and Ronan had been throwing rapid-fire Basic at each other this whole time. Ronan met the remark with a scoff.

“And you think yours sounds any better to us?”

The Chiss blinked at him. Then gave a dainty shrug.

“Fair enough.” He got up and tossed a data cylinder Ronan’s way. “That’s the data on the Plikh case Ba’kif told us about. I’ve had enough of those blockheads for today so I’m going to the back to do some filing.”

“Fine. Don’t let your sleeves get caught in any equipment again.”

“Please, that was one time. But I’ll be careful for your peace of mind.”

“The day I find peace of mind in this job is the day this planet sprouts vegetation.”

“My, we should tell Ba’kif to find you some more leisurely cases then.”

Eli followed the whole exchange in mute wonder, flicking his gaze between one party and the other. For all that most of it was sarcastic or biting the whole thing had an almost casual air about it.

“Friend of yours?” he asked once the Chiss had disappeared in what Eli assumed was ‘the back’.

“My colleague, if that wasn’t obvious enough.” Ronan huffed and waved a hand at the seat on the other side of his desk. “Come on, you’re clearly not going away until you have a full report.”

A full report was indeed what Eli got. Mostly because of his own growing curiosity and not because he doubted Ar’alani would get all the details from Ba’kif. If she didn’t have them already, long before they’d landed on Csilla.

The more Ronan talked though, the more Eli was forced to set all his hang-ups aside and reluctantly admit that this, all of this, sounded like it was the best place for Ronan to be.

For starters, Ronan may have survived alright in the navy for the short time he’d been there but underneath all that swagger and bravado, he was still a civilian. And no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Eli could tell he didn’t have the stomach for real military work.

The image of him clutching his midriff and looking decidedly queasy after a more brutal encounter with the Grysks was one Eli was more than familiar with by now. These things took their toll in time.

But more importantly, Ronan was doing well here.

Eli’s eyebrows shot up as he learned that Ronan wasn’t just training to be one of Ba’kif’s employees, he already had a few successful cases under his belt and from the sound of it, Ba’kif was entrusting him with even more sensitive ones.

And on some level, it made sense.

Ronan may have stumbled in the navy but administration, the tangled politics of keeping Krennic’s project afloat and coordinating all the secret operations surrounding it, that was his element. Eli himself had witnessed the man read the room and adapt instantly to his makeshift plot, successfully keeping up with him on Aloxor.

At the end of the day, no matter how much they disliked each other, Eli had to admit these were things Ronan was good at. Thrawn wouldn’t have sent him here if he wasn’t.

The man himself seemed to enjoy it too, despite the typical disgruntled front he put up. Eli may not be a savant in reading people, but he knew Ronan well enough by now.

Even the exaggerated way he gesticulated in his new robes didn’t escape him, he thought wryly with a private little sense of amusement. Trust Ronan to flourish in an elaborate, flowy outfit.

One thing that did worry Eli was that Ronan seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much. After hearing about Aguilos’ case, Eli had gone a bit pale, wondering if the loth cat that had gotten the cream wasn’t terrorizing the whole pantry and begging to get in trouble. But Ba’kif seemed to be on top of that for now… at least it sounded like it, Eli thought to himself.

Eli didn’t know the general too well personally but from what he could glean from Ar’alani he was a staunch ally of Thrawn’s and that support could have inclined him to watch over Thrawn’s envoy. Eli genuinely hoped that was the case.

Speaking of Thrawn though… Eli furrowed his brow as he only partially listened to what Ronan was saying.

No matter how much he tried to chase the thought away, he couldn’t help but feel like there was a familiar touch to how neatly things had slotted together. Ronan’s fortunate new position. Ba’kif’s support. It all seemed a bit too convenient.

Was it possible that…? No, Ar’alani had told him from the start that they didn’t know what to do with Ronan. They’d struggled to find a place for him on the Steadfast and if Thrawn had had a plan for him, he would have said so. Or rather Eli liked to think that despite the fact that not informing people of his intentions and still getting the intended results was exactly Thrawn’s style, down to a t.

The only reason Eli wasn’t entirely sure this was all some multi-dimensional game of Dejarik on Thrawn’s part was that he couldn’t imagine his mentor knowing what to do with a political player.

An analyst like Eli, sure, but someone like Ronan? Thrawn could recognize his talents perhaps but Eli couldn’t imagine him foreseeing this development of events.

In fact, the only thing Eli could think about as he left Ronan’s office, lost in his own somber melancholic thoughts, was that Thrawn himself could have benefitted greatly from an institution like this if it’d been around when he was. And that’s to put it lightly.

Ar’alani was characteristically close-lipped when it came to telling Eli stories of Thrawn’s past but she’d told him enough (not to mention Eli had been there for every step of Thrawn’s journey in the Empire) and he had no doubt his former mentor must have faced the same political struggles in the Ascendancy.

Constantly and relentlessly until they had eventually led to his exile.

An event that was instrumental in leading Eli to where he was now but that he felt deeply regretful of nonetheless. There was so much here, Eli thought, that Thrawn could be experiencing for himself. Things that Eli may never get used to himself but that must have been dear to him.

Of course, there were things Eli missed viscerally himself – things he may never experience again depending on how this war developed – but the fact still stood that Eli had made a conscious decision about leaving his home.

Thrawn hadn’t. And neither had Ronan, he supposed.

And he had to wonder how much of what Ronan expressed so boldly and unequivocally, Thrawn kept to himself. Eli shook his head slowly, feeling a sudden sense of sadness.

If there was anything that sounded like Thrawn, it was suffering alone, in silence. That unwavering stoicism that made Thrawn so many enemies and even more admirers. Eli could only hope that wherever Thrawn was now, he had the strength and support to power through whatever the Empire and the rebellion threw at him…

And that one day he would be here, personally, to show Eli all the things he had missed about his home.

___

taglist: @vibratingbonesbis @labextia

[reckonslepoisson]

Tiger Bay (1994), Good Humor (1998), Sound of Water (2000), Finisterre (2002), Tales From Turnpike House (2005), Words and Music by Saint Etienne (2012), Home Counties (2017), I’ve Been Trying to Tell You (2021), Saint Etienne 

After the trio’s first two plunderphonic and sample-focused records, Saint Etienne settled into a groove that they’ve pretty much remained in for three decades. Generally, each release has a few really excellent, irrepressible dancey bangers, plus several mopey, breathily (ie badly) sung slow tunes, a few moments of fresh (or at least fresh for Saint Etienne) experimentation and a passage or two entirely unbearable. I can take or leave it all, though some albums (Tiger Bay, Sound of Water) are slightly better than others. Not the best batting rate, not the worst either.

… Until, that is, 2021’s I’ve Been Trying to Tell You – which is, for me, one of the great pandemic era records. Saint Etienne’s most recent album (as of writing, May 2024)  was a much needed reset, the trio finding clarity in an adjusted approach that was less self-hagiographic and complacent, and much fresher. Sure, it’s a little repetitive (and one can ignore the highfalutin stuff about it being set in the ‘90s), but I’ve Been Trying to Tell You is lush, patient, crafted – and a Saint Etienne career highlight. 

Pick(s): ‘Like a Motorway’, ‘Sylvie’, ‘Heart Failed’, ‘Shower Scene’, ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’, ‘Heading for the Fair’, ‘Magpie Eyes’, ‘Music Again’

[finnlongman]

I finally managed to wiggle things around enough and detach an older inactive account so that this is no longer a "group" blog and I think this means I can now receive DMs again?

Which also meant I was able to perceive this blog's DMs for the first time since, apparently, 2017. Very funny to see a message sent to me by an incoming fresher in my undergraduate department who is now in their mid-20s and I saw them just the other day.

Anyway, I think this means if you need to message me about something that requires more back-and-forth than an ask, you can do that. But I will turn this off if it gets too overwhelming 😅

[silentreigns]

George fans talk about prioritizing, I actually had more than one cases of Merc prioritizing Russell before Lewis.

The one I will use is Brazil 2022. Yeah, usually esp Merc will always pit the leading car in every pit under normal situation and in this race there was exception. Merc in their second chose to pit Lewis who had fresher tires bc late first pit and obviously can use it as an advantage in remnant laps by late pit and in the hindsight, if he did that, he can actually get a free pit bc the sc. But Merc somehow took that away by changing the pit call order to make Lewis pit for the second stint first, making sure he can’t attack Russell for win bc he didn’t have tires advantage which was gained by himself, after getting crashed into by Max and with car damage, he still managed to close the gap with front by himself, and Merc just took that away bc they want a solid finish without potential inner fight.

Back to Singapore 2023, obvs Russell got the prior of being leading car in the team, first pit every time, even though Lewis will lose time bc Merc slow double pits. And the smartest strategy is to pit Lewis and keep Russell out, but I think with Russell he would insist to pit bc he wanted to win. Unfortunately Merc is so used to this strategy with Lewis, who can always make this kind of hunting happen that made Merc think maybe the other driver can make it work too. And We have Bottas who failed to make it in Bahrain 2017( or 18? ) and Monza 2019 and now we had Russell crumbled under pressure too. Just show that not everyone suits this strategy.

I have a lot of thoughts on this and they're pretty scattered but walk with me

Mercedes needs to quit with these long pitstops. These 3-5 second pitstops aren't cute and they need to resolve that issue 😭😭😭. Double stacking is not their strong suit so that made me even more nervous

I only remember a couple of things about Brazil 2022, so I might not be completely accurate. I think George and Lewis were allowed to fight for the win. I don't know if it was possible for Lewis to win though even if he didn't have contact with Max. Lewis only led for a few laps and George was having one of the best races of his career. Too bad there was so much drama in the paddock that it completely overshadowed his win 😭

In hindsight, maybe it would have been better for George to stay out and for Lewis to pit in the final stint yesterday. Maybe George didn't have a good outlap so that ruined his chances of catching Lando. Mercedes took a gamble and it did pay off until it didn't 🤷‍♀️

I will never get mad at George for being ambitious and pushing himself to be the best driver. I'll get annoyed about him suggesting team orders, but I understand that he just wants to maximize the amount of points

But I do need to recognize that this season he's made a lot of mistakes that have cost him considerably. Colliding in a wall with Canada, contact with Lando at Zandvoort then proceeding to cause an incident with Yuki which resulting in Yuki getting penalized somehow, hitting a wall in Singapore, and I can go on. I feel like he's been off this whole season, and it's hard to explain what I mean

We know George is talented but his impulsive decisions this season have me scratching my head. I don't think he's crumbling under pressure because he has been qualifying way better since the summer break. He just needs to... calm down. Like we know you're a great driver and that you're in high pressure situations. He just needs to be in a better headspace.

[perchbird]

I would post more but I'm currently waiting on a blog archive download (my last one is from 2017-2018 or so) so I can purge a ton of old stuff (this blog is 10 years old!) and start a bit fresher.

[greenwaybrews]

Sustainability Values through Coffee

Welcome to Greenway Brews, where your cup of coffee is brewed with purpose and a pinch of eco-consciousness. Nestled along Waterford's Greenway route, we’re more than just a coffee stop. We're a pitstop for families, adventurers and a sustainability hub for anyone seeking to make a difference with each sip.

Our Green Philosophy

Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword here; it’s the backbone of everything we do. From our repurposed container café to our eco-friendly packaging, every detail is designed with the planet in mind. Our mantra? Small changes, big impact. At Greenway Brews, we're dedicated to making changes to better the world; one cup at a time!

Coffee Grounds: Not just for your cup

Did you know your used coffee grounds can be a superpower for your garden? Here at Greenway Brews, we offer our used coffee grounds for our patrons to take home. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, making them ideal for plant beds and compost piles. Our community loves this little recycling tip—give it a try!

Did you know? GREEN EDITION

"Three-quarters of Irish coffee consumers want their coffee to be sustainable. 65% own a reusable cup, with 23% saying they will sacrifice a caffeine hit if they have forgotten their reusable cup"- Liquidline Ireland

"One in three Irish people now buys a coffee at least once a day – an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year according to a 2017 survey of 1,011 people"- Jennifer O'Connell The Irish Times

"22,000 coffee cups are discarded hourly in Ireland, equating to 528,000 cups daily, which totals at 200 million annually"- Ecoset Founders Oscar & Sarah

"In 2021, Bewley's Coffee Consumption Report found that 78% of Irish adults drank coffee each day"- Adam Maguire RTÉ

Sustain-a-Brew; What we do to make changes

Reduce, Reuse, Reward!

We encourage consumers to bring their own reusable cups by giving them a discount on their coffee. This tiny incentive helps to minimize the amount of disposable cups used on a daily basis, reducing waste and encouraging environmentally responsible practices

Compostable & Recyclable Packaging

All of our takeout cups, lids, straws, and food packaging are completely compostable or recyclable. We're dedicated to ensuring that every aspect of your takeaway experience has as little environmental impact as possible

Fair Trade Coffee & Locally Sourced Ingredients

To lower our carbon impact and help the Irish economy, we prioritise purchasing our products from fair trade coffee vendors. Buying local, from milk to baked goods for our snack range guarantees fresher ingredients and fewer food miles

Energy-Efficient Practices

Our store has been equipped with energy-efficient lighting and appliances, which cuts energy use by up to 20%. To further reduce our environmental effect, we train our team on energy-saving techniques such as shutting off equipment when it is not in use

Eco Friendly Swaps you can make at Home

Making sustainable choices at Greenway Brews is easy, but there are so many little tweaks you can try at home too. We recommend reusable cups, ditching plastic straws, and using re-usable containers instead of disposables / tin foil. Looking to start your sustainability journey? Check out the poster below for some simple starting points to living a more sustainable lifestyle

Sustainable Brunch Boxes at Greenway Brews

Our Brunch Boxes are crafted for families, adventurers, cyclists, and picnic-lovers alike. Filled with locally sourced goodies, they’re ideal for anyone looking to refuel on the go. Pre-order for your family's day-trip, or swing by to grab one for your trip along the Greenway. Each eco-friendly box is made from 100% recyclable material, ensuring minimal impact on the planet. Enjoy a delicious, guilt-free experience knowing your meal is as green as your adventure.

You can find more information on our products and services in our recent blog post here

Final Sip: Making Sustainability Simple

At Greenway Brews, we believe in simple, meaningful changes—one cup at a time. Whether you're here for a quick coffee, a family outing, or to stock up on eco-tips, we're thrilled to have you join our journey to a greener, healthier planet.

Have you made any changes at home? Or maybe you have some helpful tips we missed? We'd love to hear from you in the comments

[volgrawr]

Last night I managed to 100%Breath of the Wild's Master Mode.

I started this file roughly a year ago for partially wanting to replay it and for writing material for my AU. I have played this game many times over the years, but this was the first time I properly beat it (and played the Champion's Ballad). Somehow I was able to beat this in under 200 hours (sitting at 155). Go me?

Just some ramblings surrounding the game below:

2017 was a hectic period in my life. I went through some major life-changing events that by some miracle I came out on the other side much better off. Not to say it wasn't incredibly stressful, though. One of my best friends would gift me his copy of the Wii U version of the game (he planned on getting the Switch version) to help me take my mind off of my life for a time.

Playing that game for the first time was a magical experience. As a veteran Zelda player who was so used to most of the franchise's linear gameplay over the years it was refreshing to see something so different. And because the game was so new there weren't any floating spoilers or guides that spoiled the fun.

Revisiting this game again, although it didn't recapture the magic I had playing it the first time, did make me admire all the intricate details perfectly tucked into the game. It also made me appreciate Tears of the Kingdom a lot more as its gameplay is quite the improvement over its predecessor. The amount of times I was using magnesis and especially cryonis made me miss ultra hand. Perhaps that game spoiled me haha.

Playing master mode wasn't too bad either. I only really struggled in a few areas. Beginner Master Trials and its infamous floor 11 comes to mind. Forcing you to fight several silver lizalfos who can rapidly heal to full health if you are not constantly hitting them, that can kill you in 2 -3 hits, with no armor and only given weak weapons was absolutely unforgiving. But the funniest part is there is a method to beat this room that is so easy it makes me embarrassed that I had any difficulty to begin with. Also my rematch with Waterblight during the Mipha's song questline was just as annoying but that was more of a skill issue.

I did start that game file with the idea that I wanted to 100% so I followed Zelda Dungeon's interactive map to get all the korok seeds and whatnot. It wasn't that bad doing that while multi-tasking for other parts of the game (except when I, even though I was following the map, ended up missing two korok seeds and I had to tediously comb through everywhere to find the ones I missed).

A similar thing happened with some shrine quests because I completed it without logging the quest down first. I wanted to get a 100% on that too so I had to look everywhere for the ones I was missing and spent almost two hours trying to find this last one. It turns out I was missing the Spring of Wisdom log. I thought I had that one originally because I remember talking to an NPC about it. But it turns out there's another NPC that actually initiates the quest. Silly me!

I got all of the clothing you can find in the game (and including some amiibo exclusives) and maxed out upgrading them. Yes, even the ones that required star fragments. I ended up exploiting a glitch called menu overloading to duplicate materials I needed (because there was no way I was going to farm star fragments regularly so late in my gameplay). The glitch is very easy to do and it results in a funny side effect:

Overall satisfied I completed this 100%. I am going to play Tears of the Kingdom for a bit until Echoes comes out. I do also plan on 100% it to see how it compares to BOTW from a fresher perspective. Here's some other screenshots of my 100% run (mostly to brag).

And a bonus of one of my cats "helping" me out.

[pharmawalksjobs]

Aurore Pharmaceuticals walk-in interview for Freshers and Experienced candidates on 16th - 18th July 2024

Aurore Pharmaceuticals, founded in 2017, is dedicated to being the top choice for pharmaceutical companies as a pure-play API manufacturer. Our primary focus is on producing high-quality Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in accordance with regulatory standards. With manufacturing facilities in India boasting a total capacity of 600 KL, our flagship facility in Hyderabad is approved by…

[otterandterrierwrites]

otterandterrier’s fics: bedroom hymns

A thematic self-rec list.

SMUT

Ignite my circuits and start a flame Anthology of shorts based on prompts, going from before ESB to after RotJ (not all are smutty). [wc 9,587, E, 2019]

What it takes to come alive Pre-ESB - Han and Leia decide to take a last chance while trapped and surrounded by hungry monsters. [wc 4,884, E, 2020]

keep with me forward (all through the night) Pre-ESB - After kissing during an undercover mission, Han and Leia struggle to ignore their feelings as they infiltrate a masquerade gala [wc 19,716, E, 2019]

All work and no play Pre-ESB - Secretly showering together in the communal 'fresher on base. [wc 2,924, E, 2021]

Night at the Grand Regent Hotel Sex pollen fic, set during the comic "Rebels and Rogues". [wc 7,854, E, 2022]

A lesson ESB - Leia shows Han what she likes on the trip to Bespin. (this fic is outdated to what I think today, but it was a big deal to me at the time) [wc 710, M, 2017]

Not quite dirty talk ESB - During the trip to Bespin, Leia accidentally shuts Han out. Luckily, he knows how to draw her out of her shell again. [wc 2,354, E, 2023]

Dreamscape ESB - Last night together in Cloud City. [wc 986, M, 2018]

the static of your arms, it is the catalyst RotJ - Reunion sex and feelings after Han is released from the medcenter [wc 3,995, E, 2020]

Alone time Post-RotJ - Han and Leia find some alone time in a ‘fresher (again) [wc 1,792, E, 2018]

Something's electric in your blood Post-RotJ - A walk on the beach is interrupted by a storm, and Han and Leia wait it out in a cave. [wc 3,529, E, 2017]

The best right in a million wrongs Smutty follow-up to the book “Last Shot”. [wc 4,479, E, 2022]

Leather and lace Post-RotJ - While Han rambles on about the Millennium Falcon, Leia decides to let him know how much he turns her on. [wc 1,885, E, 2019]

[hannahlacey]

Final Learning Agreement: LO3 + LO1

Week 5

Synopsis of study

Within this last unit, I intend to address the intrinsic link of alcohol and social life within the context of university life in the UK. Research shows that binge drinking and a heavy reliance on alcohol is built into the social lifestyles of students within the UK, with 81% of students believing getting drunk is part of university culture (SOS, 2022). For instance, the ‘Freshers fair’, the introduction of university life, has been identified as influencing binge drinking, establishing the foundation for persistent drinking (Fuller et al., 2017). With a particular focus on nightlife, this expectation to drink is prevalent for not only students but is symptomatic of a wider UK drinking culture.

Studies have highlighted that non-drinking youth feel the most social pressure to drink, resulting in avoidance of late-night drinking occasions (Katainen, Härkönen and Mäkelä, 2021). Due to this, there is a lack of opportunities available for non-drinking students to enjoy the nightlife surrounding university life. My aim is to provide sober and non-drinking university students with an equivalent ‘university experience’ that challenges social norms, providing a more inclusive social life.

Contextually, the rise of sobriety is currently apparent in young generations, causing a growing demand for alcohol alternatives. With research insights indicating an expectation for students to drink, this offers a unique proposition to address this within a university setting. This project aims to not only provide a safe and healthier opportunity for UK students to socialise, but to address the wider issue embedded in drinking culture, and beliefs surrounding sobriety and wellbeing.

This project will be embedded in research, delving into wider, systematic social beliefs and expectations, to underpin and subvert unhealthy drinking motives. I will utilise university experiences to highlight the touch points that ignite social beliefs or enable alcoholic expectations. By delving into student’s social lifestyles, I can use this information to inform my critical thinking. This may be explored through a series of personal interviews and explorations, combining research insights with more personal findings.

Through the development of a non-alcoholic solution, this project provides a space to explore applied branding, providing an experience to my target audience. By exploring narrative and wider systematic attitudes, I propose my solution will utilise and divert these through marketing, exploring the relationship between sobriety, social-life and students. This aligns with my interest and professional developments, as I explore my brand and advertising skills further. Inspired by the pre-existing market of both no/low alcohol brands, I also intend to utilise their successful marketing as a platform to inform my designs. Alongside this, I intend to harness the theatrical marketing approach alcoholic brands embody, finding ways of re-interpreting their engaging tactics to re-define social fun for sober students. This way, my outcome will be defined by the contemporary market trends that are subverting the definition of sobriety and socialisation, in the context of university lifestyle.

[findjobseasy]

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