#Either way cheers for the 4! One More Bonus indeed!

[pics-that-make-you-goku]

Well, would you look at that!

It has barely been a month and already we have gotten a (albeit, low quality for now) render and some figures for Daima's SSJ4 on the way!

Here is to hoping it will get more coverage and merch from this point on!

[violet-t-9]

Check in on my (not very realistic) wish list for episode 141

 1. Blooming Grove Clay family reunion! Hugs and tears! Home-cooked meal and tea! Much needed relaxation and downtime after saving the world.

Ay that was a nice meal and a good night’s sleep.

2. Widogast’s Nascent Nein (9!) Sided Tower because Caleb still has a spell slot for that! So many cats and books. Also, rooms for Essek and Molly (9!). Bonus: seeing more rooms on the 8th floor of the tower?

Oof well thanks Trent now we don’t get to see the tower again, ever. I’m 100% sure that Essek will see his room during the Aeorian study fun times and Luc and Yeza will see their rooms in magical summer camp with professor Widogast though, so I’m happy.

3. Check in and visiting Allura to return her staff and Kima’s Holy Avenger (”hey we saved the world killed Lucien stopped the city Allura are you proud of us? You are? Tell us who is on the Tal’Dorei council.”)

They mentioned it, but they didn’t play it out, unfortunately. Alas, the members of the Tal’Dorei council shall forever remain a mystery.

4. Check in and visiting Yussa and Wensforth to apologize for their last visit to the Tidepeak Tower and using his emergency exit plan, but Yussa being too grateful to be saved from a screaming city hivemind to care.

Yep, thank you Caleb for remembering Yussa lol. Should have known that he would want to study the Happy Fun Ball... Wizards sharing knowledge, how nice! Also, Veth’s goodbye to Wensforth was very sweet.

5. Molly getting more and more of his memory back and slowly becoming his old flamboyant self.

I... wow I mean I guess Kingsley? This technically happened? He is going to become someone new, which is always exciting! He got a lot of... interesting memories back too. He is also interested in learning about Molly’s memory too, even though he is somebody else (and just as flamboyant).

6. Caleb says goodbye to Frumpkin and there is either a sweet farewell or Frumpkin just goes “nah fam I choose my wizard you can’t get rid of me”.

Aw Frumpkin didn’t feel ready to leave at first... :( The actual farewell was indeed short and sweet, I loved it. 

7. Beau and Yasha moments, conversations, fun times, shameless PDA, or potentially fade to black because they deserve it.

Camping outside at night, aw. Their moment after the Zeenoth trial was very touching as well! “Yes, my love?” and “my Expositor” lol how romantic they are. They are planning to settle down and explore Yasha’s past together! Their honeymoon little trip! Also, “I will have you and then some” was indeed hot.

8. Jester and Fjord being domestic, adorable and sharing kisses/conversations or potentially fade to black because they deserve it.

The sleep snuggle was soo cute and Jester’s love admission was adorable! Also the rain and double confession wow Fjord what a romantic man. Their conversation in Nicodranas was sooo cute guys. They planned boat trips!

9. Caleb and Essek have a long one-on-one conversation about their “it’s complicated” relationship and have some more physical contact (still reeling from the forehead touch last episode).

Caleb attempting to include Essek in the globe of invulnerability and Essek dragging Caleb away from melee combat aw. The kiss on the cheek and the empathetic hug... I will take the time travel conversation as well. 

10. Veth, Yeza and Luc’s joyful/tearful family reunion and happy fun times in which Veth and Yeza may or may not celebrate in private.

Aw that was a nice reunion, so very cute. Veth gets to fully return home to her family after saying goodbye! I’m going to assume that she celebrates her return with Yeza in private. 

11. Cad’s moments with his family and also with Molly (because it’s fun to watch them on screen together and conversing let’s be real).

Caduceus gets to be with his family now, enjoying life at the blooming grove! He deserves the relaxation!

12. Jester’s reunion with her mother with big hugs and finding out that parent trap TM has succeeded thanks to her genius plans. Also, the gentleman being a super awkward but loving dad.

Yes I knew it would work! The gentleman is a nervous drinker confirmed lol. The mother-daughter talk was very nice and a great reminder!

13. The Mighty Nein plans for the future: getting rid of Cloven Crystal, Fjord visiting Vandran (with Jester probably, who discusses Tusk Love with him) and maybe Sabian? Yasha’s plan to bring flower to Zuala (trip with Beau?). Beau’s plans regarding Zeenoth’s trial (has that happend yet? Does she want to go?) and Caleb’s plans for the assembly (or even further ahead, magical school? Aeorian research with Kryn Colleague? How pissed is Ludinus Da’leth?)

Well, the empire siblings sure started a task force against the assembly huh. Also yeah Caleb you tell him, F**k your vacancy Martinet Ludinus Da’leth! Professor Caleb will teach Luc. Astrid would be more interested in the position anyways. Fjord got to visit Vandran with Jester and got him to join their sailing adventures! Jester also talks about Tusk Love with him wow. Beau testified against Zeenoth with Yasha by her side! Yasha gave flowers to Zuala on a trip with Beau! Caleb and Essek got to do their Aeorian research study! Fjord’s cloven crystal adventure was also addressed! I’m so good at predictions you guys I KID YOU NOT I predicted everything.

14. Getting an update about Astrid and Eadwulf to find out that they are in fact doing fine because Trent is in deep trouble and under heavy investigation by the Augen Trust and Cobalt Soul (bonus: Trent is already starting to get what he deserves. Or even better, Trent has died from liver failure in jail. Like his jaundice really kept getting worse so one can hope I guess?)

F**k you Trent, you just had to show up and ruin everything didn’t you. Well, Astrid and Eadwulf are fne now, and Trent IS in deep trouble and rotting in jail. Still hoping that he will die from liver failure after like, a few years.

15. Fjord officially “meeting the parents” and Gentleman/Marion giving Fjord the shovel talk because that didn’t happen last time.

Aw he didn’t go with! But the gentleman did talk about Fjord anyways lol and gave her some sound advice.

16. Wedding mentions/discussions? Proposals? Anyone? No?

Well Jester proposed to marry... her parents? Lol did not see that one coming. Veth and Yeza renewing vows yes! It was a nice suggestion. 

17. Artagan/sprinkle joins in the celebration because why not (bonus: Sprinkle gets to be free! Or whatever an undead weasel could be lmao)

Artagan and Jester’s conversation was very nice development for them. Sprinkle gets to stay forever, unfortunately for Sprinkle lol.

18. Obligatory wish for Essek’s fancy dunamancy or magical items (like I know we will never see dark star probably but I live for spell casting flavours).

Essek’s hold person on Trent was clutch, “stay down”, what a king. The tether essence, lightning bolt and gravity sinkhole were all wonderful. Still sad about the dark star never being seen though.

19. Obligatory wish for the polymorph spell (look, I just love it okay).

Hey, Jester threatened Astrid with it! Polymorph mention wins! Fjord was sad about the potential choice of turning her into a turtle but it would have been funny.

20. Obligatory wish for Caleb to use more fire/customized/dunamantic spells creatively or with nice flair (what’s sexier than wizards NOTHING).

What’s sexier than counterspells and dispel magic NOTHING. Also hey, the manacles of stasis worked!

21. Discussion about Essek’s future because oh boy can he even go back to the Dynasty? Have they found him out yet? If they did, how mad is the Bright Queen? Are Volstruckers too busy to chase him down? We need to know!

Oh man I mean Essek found a way to live freely at least! With a lot of illusions and identities, of course. He also got to stay in contact with the M9! I think he may show up in campaign 3!

22. Group hug! Group feast! Group cheer! I dunno, just do group stuff. They are the Mighty Nein, they are the Mighty Nine, they saved the world!

A lot of group hugs and feasts! I especially loved the hug when they said goodbye to Essek. 

23. Visiting/checking in with other NPCs or allies potentially! Like Kiri, Calianna, Twiggy, Keg, Shakasta, Bryce, Dagen oh also the Hag (I’m kidding).

They checked in with Orly! Not these allies but you know, Orly is awesome. 

24. Obligatory wish for everyone (the Nein, their friends/families) to get a happy ending that gives me a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment, and that the episode/campaign ends with a poetically beautiful scene!

Yes, it was a very poetic and very beautiful story indeed

I love the Mighty Nein/Nine, I love the cast. I’m so grateful for their story in my life. Words are not enough to describe my thankfulness for being able to go on this journey with them.

Now excuse me I just need to go sob in a corner.

My score: 19/24

Seriously though check out #13 I’m proud of that one

Other Highlights: 

Caleb hit 100 HP OMG I too am proud of him.

Well I didn’t expect the boss fight but I’m glad we are getting one? 

Caleb’s produce flame was used by Veth on Fluffernutter, nice!

The Veth + Beau putting collar combo was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, also there is something poetic about Caleb relying entirely on his friends and Astrid to carry out the collar tactic on Trent.

The forced empathy commands by Cad lmao wow angry Cad is scary, too bad Trent didn’t have any.

Veth’s silent image... Caleb disintegrating and burning everything in the T-dock... Caleb’s book for his parents... Professor Widogast... Excuse me I’m going to cry now.

[sondepoch]

Chapter 6

Written in the Stars (Lucifer x Angel!Reader)

Four thousand years is a long time. In the absence of your most cherished friend, it feels even longer. But when a certain student exchange program in the Devildom reunites you and Lucifer, things aren't the same. Because four thousand years of separation is a long time. And the love you once felt for Lucifer has changed into something different—something forbidden. But that might not even be your biggest problem, because with each passing day, your holy wings are turning blacker and blacker.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | ✔

MASTERLIST

You're in your element.

All of you, really.

The demons love Solomon—well, "love." Most of them still avoid him, never really having taken the effort to look past the shadiness of his outward personality, but the few demons that have stuck around have been added to his collection of pacts, and they have iron-tight bonds with the sorcerer. You've never seen him so pleased.

And then there's Simeon: probably one of the most goodhearted angels even in the Celestial Realm, so blissfully kind that even the demons have grown used to him and his little antics. Of course, it absolutely helps that the angel is nowhere near as innocent as anyone expected, constantly keeping the demons on their toes, but they seem to consider that thrill an added bonus to his company.

Luke...well, Luke might be the one having the hardest time, if you're perfectly honest. He still gets teased by the lower demons for his youthful appearance, but once they grew to learn that he was more bark than bite, even they began to relax with the insults. By now, the angel boy is quite happy, with Beel readily available to taste whatever treats he produces, and Barbatos always equipped with a new "recipe he doesn't have time to make but would like to see made."

And of course, there's you.

Well, you always knew that R.A.D. would be a blast. Even if the lower demons hadn't grown to love you for your bubbly nature (a fresh change, they say), you had the entire House of Lamentation to keep you entertained. And not to mention the fact that you and Lucifer grew involved at the beginning of the year—that thought alone still sends a flutter of butterflies to your stomach.

But you can't think of Lucifer like that right now.

No, Lucifer is the enemy.

"MC, catch!" Luke exclaims, tossing two water balloons your way, which you somehow manage to grab without popping them on contact. "Everybody ready?"

You glance around at your teammates: the nine demons remaining alongside you, Simeon, Solomon, and Luke. Everybody has two water balloons in their hands, and your faces are all rock hard with the memory of your comrades who have fallen at the hands of the enemy team.

A firm frown fixes its way onto your face when you recall how Belphie and Beel had cornered you from the treetops earlier, and had almost released an entire bucket full of liquid onto your shoulders before you bribed your way out with promises of paying for dinner next time the three of you go to Ristorante Six.

"Alright, split into teams!" A demon shouts, and then you're at Solomon's side. The mage enchanted your body earlier with a weightlessness spell that makes it even easier to sprint around and evade balloons, and you're not about to leave his side after he already helped you out once. "And go!"

Wordlessly, you and the mage begin sprinting along the treeline, both of you harnessing the full strength of Solomon's enchantment to jump and land in the treetops, where you have the best view of what's going on below.

"What if someone else is in the trees?" You ask, making a long leap from one tree branch to the next. Your figure peaks out over the treeline every so often, but the giant oaks are so high up that you doubt anyone will see.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Demons don't like using spells to boost their bodies, and Diavolo said that shifting out of human forms will lead to an instant game-over for that person."

You nod, continuing the journey forward in silence.

The other demons may be taking this lightly, but for you (and the rest of your dormmates in Purgatory Hall), this is your only shot—and you all plan to win.

You briefly recall the assembly this morning from when Levi took the mic. At the time, you'd been shocked that the shut-in otaku was willingly giving a speech in front of the entire student body, but you quickly realized that this was a major source of his ego. At the end of every sentence, as Levi explained (probably for the thousandth time, since he remarked that this was an annual occurrence) the rules of the Water Wars, cheers would erupt from the entire student body.

It took a message from Lucifer to calm everyone down enough for you to actually learn the rules of the Water Wars, but they were simple enough.

There are only four rules.

Rule 1: No switching sides. Everyone is assigned to either the Southern Water Fortress or the Northern Water Fortress, based on which half of the campus their dorms are on. Friendly fire, even if accidental, is grounds for "Water death"—a fancy phrase Levi coined for being 'out,' but you're determined not to let it come to that.

Rule 2: No leaving the R.A.D. campus. Yep, for the annual Water Wars, Levi has clearance to use the entire R.A.D. (buildings included!), though the students who are more interested in playing will stay towards the center.

Rule 3: Participants must get one 'kill' every half hour. Evidently, the entire Water Wars game was framed in the image of an actual military war, so getting someone out counts as a kill, and being killed yourself really only means that you're out of the game. Rule 3 is what prevents students from hiding during the entire game, since it only lasts one day, and is enforced through an enchantment spell everyone was bound to at the start of the game.

Rule 4: Avoid killing. And now this is probably the only rule you actually have a problem with, since it only says "avoid" killing without explicitly prohibiting it, but Simeon reassured you that demons won't actually take it to heart.

But if Rules 1 through 3 attempt to create a semblance of order, the subtle openness of Rule 4 wrecks it all, perhaps the only reason why these Water Wars have begun to feel like actual war.

And Lucifer is the enemy.

It's nearing the end of the day, and both teams have suffered heavy losses. The enemy team is exclusively the remaining members of the House of Lamentation and some other odd demons, while your team's numbers are even fewer. But that's why you and Solomon are going straight to their base—to eliminate the brothers before they can eliminate you.

You glance at your wrist, where there's a timer that dictates how long ago your last kill was. Eighteen minutes.

"How much time is left for you?" You ask Solomon when the Southern Water Fortress becomes visible. It looks empty, almost completely abandoned, and the sight worries you.

"I need to make a kill within ten minutes," He mutters back, squinting at the ground in case any lingering demons are foolishly wandering around.

You don't bother.

This is the endgame, less than twenty people left on both teams after the eight-hundred that started the game, and no one who's lasted this long will be making careless mistakes.

"Ready?" You call to Solomon when the fortress grows close enough for the two of you to jump onto it. For a moment, you worry that his human body won't be able to take the force of the collision, before realizing that he's not stupid enough to allow something so trivial to kill him.

He nods.

The two of you jump, landing weightlessly in the heart of the enemy fortress not seconds later. Staying back to back, you slowly begin walking around until you realize that your earlier worries have indeed become reality.

"They abandoned their fortress."

"Damn," Solomon mutters, standing up straight after he realizes you're right. "Shit. Five minutes before Rule 3 gets me out."

"Same," You mutter worriedly, seeing that the timer has approached twenty-four minutes on your wrist.

But before either of you can further comment, an announcement from Diavolo interrupts you both, his figure lighting up the sky over the R.A.D. campus.

"Greetings, students!" He exclaims happily, arms crossed with a pleasant grin stretched across his face. "At this point, there are less than ten students remaining in Leviathan's annual Water Wars!" You hear a cheer go up, but you can't tell where it's coming from. "To keep with tradition, the formal betting will now begin! More interestingly, it is now exclusively exchange students versus demons, with three exchange students defending the Northern Team and seven demons remaining in the Southern Team!"

You and Solomon exchange wary looks.

Shit.

"In light of this turn of events, your host Leviathan has decided to refill both fortresses with holy water and hexed water! The rules of elimination have been altered: to eliminate an exchange student, you must tag them with hexed water; to eliminate a demon, you must tag them with holy water. That will be all! The next update will come in either one hour when this session of the annual Water Wars comes to a close or when there is a winner!"

Double shit.

"Um, won't holy water kill a demon if it touches them or something?" Solomon asks. "And won't the same thing happen with angels and hexed water?"

"Not quite," You murmur, grabbing Solomon's arm and using all your strength to jump up with the sorcerer, the enchantment carrying you high into the sky where you can already see a group of demons returning to refill their water balloons. The two of you float to the ground right in front of their fortress, realizing that you're in for an all-out battle. "It'll sting a lot, but that's about it. Levi is probably only doing it to make us scared so that we fight even harder."

"Alright…" Solomon trails off, nodding his head hesitantly. "So, what's our current plan for those demons heading straight for us?"

"The reason they're returning to their base is because they need hexed water to get us out, right? That means they can only tag us with normal water right now," You respond, grabbing your two sad-looking water balloons.

Solomon nods, grabbing your arm. "Ready?"

"Ready."

And then the two of you have jumped forward with all your strength, soaring over the demons and their looks of utter shock as you begin the return to the Northern Water Fortress.

***

You and Solomon had managed to reset your Rule 3 timers on your journey back, both of you dropping water balloons on an unsuspecting Mephistopheles. It hadn't counted as a kill, but it had worked to give the two of you an additional thirty minutes.

On your return journey, you'd been completely cautious, making every effort to avoid demons for the sake of your own protection.

It seems that Simeon, on the other hand, went all-out.

"I'm not sure how they got here before you did, but the Southern team attacked our fortress!" He exclaims with his usual pleasant smile, sliding you both water balloons filled with holy water. You would worry at his revelation, but he says it with such a calm demeanor that you can't help but be suspiciously at ease as well.

"How did you manage to evade them?" You ask, squishing a balloon experimentally.

"Evade?" Simeon asks, shaking his head with a smile. "Luke and I attacked them, of course! Though Luke sacrificed himself to take Beel out. The lower demons came in range of the water cannons, so I managed to get them out like that—but I actually had to venture out to fight the rest of the brothers." He shakes his head, frowning. "I was only able to get Mammon and Satan. Lucifer is still out there."

Who put this overpowered angel on defense? You can't help but wonder, realizing that he's successfully reduced the entire enemy team to one demon in a single attack.

"Simeon, you're amazing!" You exclaim, wrapping him in an excited hug. Before, your team was the underdog—but with only one demon on the other side, your chance at victory has never been higher!

"What about the rest of the brothers?" Solomon asks. "Levi, Asmo, Belphie—are they already out?"

"Levi couldn't play, since he's hosting the Water Wars. I think Asmo got out in the morning because he didn't want to play and risk ruining his face and Belphie…" You actually don't know about Belphie. "I'm guessing he fell asleep and also got out because of Rule 3."

"So that means…"

"Right."

There's only one enemy left.

"Alright," You say, crossing your arms. "Then let's make a plan."

In the end, it's really Simeon who makes the entire plan while you and Solomon stare at him in awe, wondering whether he was a battle commander in a past life. The angel's reasoning is perfect, and he thinks of everything: a counterstrategy, four different what-if scenarios, and a plan to throw Lucifer off-guard. And it absolutely helps that he still remembers everything about the fallen Morningstar, using his current knowledge of the demon to even pinpoint where Lucifer must be right now.

And, from your position in the treetops, it seems that Simeon was right.

You wave at the angel subtly, keeping movement minimal to not draw attention. He's hundreds of meters away, but you can still make out the subtle nod he gives you and Solomon, all three of you now in-position for the plan.

As expected, Lucifer is standing in the middle of an open field, arms crossed, with a bucket of water balloons next to him. His pride won't allow him to seek out the enemy on their terms, so he's forced the three of you to come to him, and now he waits. You know all too well that he's waiting for a single one of you to make a sound, so that he can pinpoint your location and throw a balloon filled with hexed water your way to knock you out. But you won't give him that chance. You bend your knees, hands firm around the two water balloons in your palms.

Ready, you mouth to Simeon. Solomon must do the exact same thing, because in seconds, the angel is moving—your own cue to begin the assault.

Simeon stays low on the ground, zig-zagging his way toward Lucifer as the demon pauses and aims, focusing on the angel while Solomon makes his own lunging jump forward with three haphazard balloon tosses.

Lucifer manages to dodge all three, barely taking a second to grab a balloon and knock Solomon out with it—the impact of the collision dropping Solomon's body to the ground, and you can't help but wince—before he's back to focusing on Simeon.

With the demon's brief shift off balance, you recognize your cue to make your jump out of the treetops, soaring over Lucifer while Simeon draws ever closer, and—

Oh no.

You can feel the precise movement when Solomon's enchantment wears off, likely caused by the sorcerer's sudden unconsciousness, and Simeon pauses for a moment to glance worriedly up at your flailing form. You've already jumped, but your body is no longer weightless, and you're charging headfirst at Lucifer with gravity pulling you down all the way.

Sensing Simeon's hesitation, the firstborn demon wastes no time in delivering a swift throw straight to Simeon's chest, the added sting of the hexed water crumpling Simeon to the ground in a hiss.

Still flying through the air, you decide that it's too late to turn back, so you do your best to take aim and throw your balloons at Lucifer, now approaching him directly overhead. Powered by your strength, the balloon cuts through the air faster than you, and it makes a streaming sound as if approaches Lucifer overhead, and it's so close to hitting him, just another hundred feet and he'll be out, and you're so close and—

Damn it.

Hearing the sound, Lucifer looks up, only briefly stunned by the fact that it must look like you're falling out of the sky armed with water balloons. His eyes widen, realizing that both his hands are empty, and then he comes up with perhaps the most frustrating solution he could possibly think of: throwing the entire bucket of hexed water balloons up at you, the pink and purple and yellow balloons soaring up into the air at top speed.

When they collide with the two balloons from your own throw, the sudden stop after such overwhelming speed is nothing short of chaos.

Seven hells.

The balloons collide in a deafening pop! that sprinkles holy water and hexed water everywhere in a mini-explosion: onto you, onto Lucifer, and every inch of space in between.

Your body streams through the suspended water particles in the air, and you hiss at the sensation of hexed water. On the ground, Lucifer is wincing with the same pain, feeling holy water sizzle on his skin—but really, that should be the least of either of your problems because your jump was extremely well-aimed and any second now gravity is going to your body all the way and you're going to collide with Lucifer and—

Goddammit—really, can you catch a break?

The two of you groan in pain, skin hurting from the holy and hexed water, bodies aching from you literally crashing into Lucifer from almost a thousand feet up in the air.

"Are—are you okay?" You manage to ask him, wincing as you try to stand up, only collapse onto his chest again.

"All...good…" He mutters, groaning. "And you?"

"S-same," You manage to stutter, holding your head.

And then you both black out.

***

Today's dinner is served in the House of Lamentation, with the food prepared by Luke and Beel.

At the beginning of the school year, you would all eat in your own dorms, separate from one another. But by the end of the second week of school, there was no point to it. You would always be texting the brothers on a group chat, Solomon would always be video calling Asmo, and it got to the point where even Luke, with his self-proclaimed hatred of demons, was texting Beel on his D.D.D.

Simeon and Lucifer got together and agreed that, to cut down on everyone's phone usage at the dinner table, your dorms would begin eating dinner together once a week. And then it turned into twice a week. Soon, thrice a week. And then it was every other day, and now the only time you guys don't eat together is on weekends.

But today, there's a competitive edge in the air, all of you having come fresh from the Water Wars. (Well, others did. You, Lucifer, Simeon, and Solomon were all temporarily stored in the infirmary until you regained consciousness.)

"Oh please, Asmo." Solomon crosses his arms, tapping his fork on his plate while Beel brings the dishes from the kitchen over. "You were out in the first half hour, there's no reason for you to act all cocky."

"Excuse me!" Asmo gasps dramatically, crossing his arms. "What if someone threw something at my face?! I know you're okay with being knocked out, but I have to look perfect all the time. You could never understand, Solomon."

"Alright," You interrupt, leaning back in your chair. "But I'm sure we all know that our team actually won, right? Lucifer totally lost to me."

"Those are bold claims, MC." Lucifer regards you with a smirk. "If I recall, I wasn't the one who was completely soaked to the bone afterward. Look, your hair is still wet."

"Shut it, Luci." You scowl. "The only reason it even counted as a tie was because gravity did all your work for you when I fell through the water. How did that feel, hm? To know that, if not for the Devildom's natural forces, then you would have lost?"

"Wasn't it you who came crashing into me, though? You needed me to break your fall. Are all your plans so thoughtless?"

"Only because Solomon's enchantment spell wore off!"

"And you didn't think of that as a possibility? Tsk, how disappointing."

"Hey!" You protest, crossing your arms. Lucifer still wears that devilish smile, daring you to continue. And you absolutely would, if not for Simeon.

"Now, now. No need to be upset, little lamb." Simeon pats your head, frowning slightly at the dampness before his lips curve upward once more. "We all know he's simply jealous because he knows we were the rightful winners."

"Simeon!"

A wave of laughter rises from the table as you continue to taunt each other, only finding eventual peace when Luke brings out the last of the food. You mindlessly take spoonfuls of whatever looks good, your plate a mixed assortment of Celestial and Devildom food. It took two months to get to this point, but you've finally grown used to the local cuisine.

Everyone seems extra talkative today, the excitement of the earlier events still not worn off. Levi chatters animatedly about everything that happened, regaling you with all the details you weren't able to see in person.

"Still, though. I can't believe no one thought to dry you off," Simeon tuts disapprovingly, a frown present on his face. "I hope you don't fall sick, little lamb."

"Oh, right!" Mammon exclaims, glancing at you. "I forgot that angels fall sick so easily. How ya doin', MC? All good there?"

"I feel fine," You say, stretching. "I think falling onto Lucifer was worse. He's not comfortable."

But as if on cue, you suddenly cough, a shiver following soon after.

Simeon sighs, his frown deepening.

The rest of dinner passes by quickly, but no one's in a rush to leave. As with tradition, the Water Wars took place on the third Friday of the second month of school, and no one has any plans for the evening.

The eleven of you end up spaced out over various couches (with Belphie napping on the floor) in the common room, chatting aimlessly about all the projects you have coming up. As usual, Mammon keeps trying to convince you all to play card games—and thus, to gamble on them—but Lucifer shuts him down quick enough.

Another violent cough is ripped from your throat, the room going silent at your momentary struggle.

"Little lamb?" Simeon questions, concern present on his face. "Are you sure you're alright? You know that this is how all our illnesses start, and I don't want—"

Another coughing fit comes from you, only stopping when Simeon moves forward to rest his hand on your back. "Little lamb?" He repeats, voice gentle.

"I, um…" You place your hand over your chest, where it still tingles from all your coughing. "I don't feel too good."

Simeon brings a hand to your forehead, and when he steps back, his frown is even deeper. He turns around, glancing at the brothers. "I'm going to take her back. Her forehead isn't incredibly hot, but it's warmer than usual."

But Lucifer shakes his head. "You know how cold Devildom nights get, Simeon. The journey back will only make things worse." He glances at you, worry written into his features. "It may be best if she spends the night here."

Simeon looks hesitant about the idea, still incredibly aware that the exchange students dorm separate from demons for a reason, but when he sees you shiver, he relents.

"I'll fetch her things," He says, unclasping his Celestial cloak in favor of using it to cover your body as a blanket. "Solomon, Luke, let's go."

"I'll come, too!" Asmo exclaims, jumping up as soon as his eyes settle on Simeon's bare shoulders. An amused smile dawns on the angel's face at the realization, but he humors the fifth-born and allows Asmo to tag along as he ushers the rest of the residents of Purgatory Hall out, Asmo practically clinging to his arm the whole time.

When they're gone, the air in the room changes.

"Are you alright?" Lucifer asks, moving to sit next to you on the couch. His lips ghost over your forehead, earning a small groan of protest from Mammon at the PDA. Even you're surprised at it—given that Lucifer has never liked showing affection so openly, even when it's as small as this—but when you look into his eyes, you see genuine worry.

"I'm fine," You respond, laughing a little. "Don't kiss me, or you'll fall sick, too."

"Demons don't fall sick as easily as angels," Satan comments from the other side of the room, leaving to give you some privacy. The other brothers soon follow suit.

Lucifer watches them leave, waiting until they're all gone before he pulls you into his lap, pressing his forehead to yours. "Excited to spend the night here?"

You laugh lightly, leaning into his warmth. Even with Simeon's thick cloak wrapped around your shoulders, you feel undeniably cold, and you shiver in the demon's arms.

"Still cold?" Lucifer asks. You nod, and he lifts you. (You have to stop yourself from gasping when you realize that he's carrying not only your body weight, but the weight of your Celestial cloak, plus the weight of Simeon's even-heavier cloak.) "We have a guest room in the House of Lamentation, so I'll set you up for the night in there."

"I can walk," You say, pouting lightly as he carries you up the stairs, but Lucifer ignores all your protests.

"You're sick," He justifies, entering a room you've never seen and setting you down on the bed. He goes as far as to tuck you into the covers, batting your hands away when you try to do it yourself. "Rest and sleep is the best remedy for a common illness like this. If we were in the Celestial Realm, I'd get you some medicine, but…"

"Luci," You reach your hand out of the blankets, slipping it into Lucifer's. "Don't stress. I'm fine."

You hold back another round of coughs, but not for long, and in half a minute, you're in a seated position once more, coughing into oblivion with no signs of stopping.

"Shower? Do you think a shower will help?" He asks as he helps you lie down, his eyebrows furrowed. "Or do you want warm water? I can get you some more blankets, too, but if you want some—"

"Lucifer," You interrupt, silencing him with a hand. "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning, really. I'm not as sick as you think."

But he's far from convinced.

"Fine, do you really want to know what might help me right now?" He nods, crossing his arms, ready to travel to the ends of hell to get you whatever you say you desire. "You. Come and lie next to me."

You tug him into bed, giving him no chance to retaliate as you snuggle into his side.

"Simeon will be returning…" He begins, hesitant.

"Shush," You say.

You close your eyes, forgetting how cold you are when Lucifer silently wraps his arms around you, keeping an ear open for the sound of a message on his D.D.D. or any approaching footsteps. But the only thing you register is the soft sensation of his hands as they go up to stroke your hair, and the feather-light kiss he lays against your forehead.

"Get well quickly," He murmurs softly, pressing his lips against yours as if he knows that you're already drifting off, and the action is more than enough to keep all bad thoughts away from your dreams as you're pulled into a deep slumber.

***

Simeon didn't leave your side the entire night.

Angels certainly fall sick more often than demons, but it's still unpleasant whenever it happens—and the last time Simeon had seen you shiver this violently was six centuries ago.

He frowns as another gasping cough tears its way through your lungs, your frame curled into itself as you try to stop the sickness from progressing, and a wave of sympathy washes over Simeon's heart.

Being sick is never pleasant.

But it seems that he's not the only one concerned for your well-being.

"You don't need to watch her from all the way over there," The angel calls, not bothering to turn around and face the demon standing at the door. "Come inside, Lucifer."

Simeon hears the firstborn hesitate before he finally accepts the request, quietly walking over to the other side of the bed.

"How is she?" Lucifer asks, raising a hand to your hair, brushing the loose tresses out of your face. You flinch at the contact, but your body leans in to the additional source of warmth soon enough.

"Worse. She began shivering around midnight. I think her fever started up two hours later. It broke for a while in between, but…"

"It's back."

Simeon nods, tightening his grip on your fingers as he holds your hand, thumb brushing over the knuckles as you sleep. He glances upward, trying to catch Lucifer's eyes, but the darkness is too overpowering. The moonlight falls into the room at the perfect angle, illuminating your body but neither the angel nor the demon, the two men as hidden from each other as their thoughts.

He watches with bated breath as Lucifer's hand trails from your hair to your cheek, gently stroking the skin in soothing circles, just how Simeon had done an hour ago.

"She's beautiful," Simeon comments, more to fill the silence than anything.

"She is," Comes Lucifer's response, a confirmation, but it's something more than that. It's an affirmation, a silent you're right, and you've done well that comes from the guardian of old to the guardian of new.

And then the angel doesn't bother saying anything else, because the silence that wraps around Simeon and Lucifer isn't a veil of awkwardness or edge, but one of serenity. Their faces are tranquil as they watch over your figure, at peace as they bask in the quiet knowledge that the bond they share—two guardians, past and present, connected through you—is something that words can never convey. Their bond goes deeper than brothers, deeper than the love they have for one another and deeper than any materialistic birthright that could bind them together: no, they are bound to each other by their love for you, pure as an angel in Simeon's case, passionate as a demon in Lucifer's.

The demon bends low against the bed, cupping your jaw gently with his hand to lay a chaste kiss against your forehead. It looks innocent, sweet; but Simeon knows the truth.

As Lucifer's lips ghost over you, you begin to stir in the slightest, eyes fluttering open as you look up for the first time since falling asleep. "Luci?" You ask, though it's more of a quiet mumble than anything.

"I'm here," He mumbles, leaning back. "Go back to sleep, MC. Save your strength."

But you don't heed his words, tugging insistently on his sleeve before he can draw your hand away. Your eyes are clouded with drowsiness, but your request is clear: "Come closer, Luci. Lie down with me."

There's a moment of silence, one where Simeon presumes the demon is raising his eyebrows in shock at the boldness of your request, before he lowers his head. The moonlight catches his eyes just the slightest, and Simeon can make out the question in his gaze—the silent May I? that Lucifer is requesting.

Simeon smiles. "Go ahead."

Lucifer is stiff as he shifts onto the bed, your body embracing him instantly with no regard for Simeon next to you in your compromised state. Your chest is soon rising and falling in a calm rhythm once more, arms wrapped tight around Lucifer's waist as you press into his warmth, but the demon is more preoccupied with Simeon than anything else. Now, in the moonlight, Lucifer's face is completely bare—the angel is the one who is concealed.

"Simeon, I—"

"You don't need to pretend," Simeon cuts him off, a soft smile present on his lips. "I already know, Lucifer."

"You...know?" Lucifer asks, voice incredulous.

Simeon can't help but laugh a little at that, the sound soft as it leaves his lips. He smiles, even though he knows that Lucifer can't see it in the darkness. "Being her guardian for four thousand years has taught me how to read MC well. She hides the truth with her lips, but not her actions. Even Solomon has figured it out."

For a moment, Lucifer is left speechless, evidently not having expected this of all things. And then, Simeon feels guilty for having his face hidden by the darkness and he sits on the bed, facing Lucifer where they can both have an honest conversation illuminated by moonlight.

"How long?" Lucifer asks, relaxing the slightest when he sees the kindness in Simeon's smile. "How long have you known?"

"As long as this has been going on, I suppose." Simeon taps his chin. "Though I only grew confident in my deduction that night before school started, when you called and covered for her."

Lucifer nods, remembering the night well.

And now, it's Simeon's turn for a question.

"Do you love her the way she loves you?" He asks, though he suspects he knows the answer.

"No," Lucifer murmurs, looking down at you fondly. "I love her more."

"I'm sure she would say the same thing."

"I don't think it's possible to love anyone the way I love her," Lucifer responds, raising his eyes back up to Simeon's. For once, the angel realizes that Lucifer isn't trying to hide any of his emotions behind his wall of pride, and everything is evident on his face: the love he harbors for you, the adoration, the inexplicable infatuation that nothing seems to surpass. "A part of me suspected that you knew," Lucifer comments, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers. "MC told me that you never asked questions, so that meant that you either hadn't noticed anything at all or you were consciously letting us be. And you've always been…" The edges of Lucifer's lips curl upward. "Observant."

"I wanted her to tell me when she felt ready," Simeon whispers. It's the truth—he knows that if he were to ask you an outright question, you wouldn't lie to him. "And I wanted to give her the option of keeping the secret. I can't imagine this relationship…"

"You can't imagine it has a happy ending."

Simeon nods quietly, dropping his gaze.

He knew from the start that this would happen. When you begged the High Seraphs to send you to the Devildom for Diavolo's exchange program, your heart only thought of Lucifer platonically—but that was before the element of temptation had been introduced in your relationship. When you used to both be two holy beings, proud and pure, it was unsurprising that only a friendship blossomed between you two. But when Lucifer's wings turned black, his nature changed as well, and four thousand years had only furthered your subconscious desires for the man.

And the High Seraphs knew it, too.

Part of Simeon's role as your guardian was to save you from temptation, to keep you walking the holy path and to halt any potential relationship between you and Lucifer. But he had never sworn it. And so when he saw the light in your eyes as you talked about the demon, he knew that he would not pry you away from the man who made you so happy.

Because he knew that in the end, the two of you would be separated regardless. So why not allow you the mercy of happiness in between?

"That night she left Purgatory Hall crying. It was two months ago, but I'm certain you remember. That night, she went to you. Tell me, Lucifer." Simeon's eyes darken, an occurrence rarer than a blue moon, but Lucifer doesn't flinch as their eyes meet. "Were you the cause for her tears that night?"

There's a moment of silence between the two, Simeon's protective instincts over you colliding with Lucifer's natural urges to shield you away, but Lucifer finally speaks.

"You are asking if I hurt her, correct?"

A nod.

"I did not." Lucifer casts his eyes away. "But I was inadvertently the reason she was crying."

A spark of curiosity lights Simeon's eyes for a moment, but it's gone as soon as it arrives. He does not seek forth anything beyond what is necessary, and the temptation for answers is one that cannot influence him. "Very well," He says, lips curved upward. "If you have not hurt her, then the two of you have my blessing."

Lucifer smiles.

The look in his eye is amused, and Simeon understands the reason for it. A relationship blessed by an angel is fated to succeed, it is said. Neither of the two know if this is truth or merely a myth cultivated from the heavens above, but both want to believe in it.

"Blessing a relationship that is doomed to fail," Lucifer mutters. "You have always had a strange sense of humor, Simeon."

"I have still yet to see a failed union that was blessed by an angel. Who knows? Perhaps, there will be happiness for you both in this."

"Perhaps," Lucifer responds.

The two of them remain in silence for the rest of the night, all things that needed to be said having been said. They only speak again to soothe you in hushed whispers when your figure begins to tremble particularly violently, or your cough grows especially bad. By the time the sun has begun to rise, you've broken out into a cold sweat, your entire body shaking as you try, in vain, to get warm.

"Are you leaving?" Lucifer asks when Simeon finally gets up, surprise written onto his features.

"Not quite. The High Seraphs gave me some medicine to use in case of an emergency...I know that a common cold such as this hardly constitutes as an emergency, but I'll deal with them later if I need to fetch more."

Lucifer nods, bidding Simeon farewell while the angel promises to return with Solomon and Luke, hoping that by the time he can bring you medicine, you'll be woken and eager to see your friends.

"Go," The demon says when Simeon hesitates. Only a final promise actually convinces the angel to depart: "I won't leave her side until you return."

***

As expected, mornings in the House of Lamentation are chaotic. Add all the residents of Purgatory Hall into the mix, and the house can hardly go a full ten minutes without a shout or the sound of something breaking.

Thankfully, both the parental figures of the dorms are locked by your side, tending to you while the brothers (and Luke and Solomon) pop in and out of the room.

"How long does the medicine take to work?" Lucifer asks impatiently, crossing his arms as he stares down at you. Simeon administered the aid over half an hour ago, but you've yet to show any signs of getting better. If anything, you've gotten worse.

"Relax," Simeon comments, amused at his friend's impatience. "It should kick in any second now. We'll know when it's working."

"How?" Lucifer asks, tapping his foot on the floor.

"Goodness, Lucifer," Simeon tuts disapprovingly. "Have you no recollection of how Celestial medicines work? We know it's kicked in when her angel form materializes. The natural boost to her magical power will force whatever toxins are causing this illness out of her system, and—"

"Her angel form will materialize?" Lucifer asks, with an intensity that Simeon doesn't understand.

"Yes. And then we'll begin to see symptoms of—oh look, it's already begun!"

Simeon watches with a pleasant smile as he recognizes the familiar light overtake your body, observing as you transform from human to angel. He hums approvingly, noting that it's been quite some time since he's actually seen you in this form.

And then the light fades.

Simeon's smile drops.

"Little lamb?" He whispers, eyes round in confusion. It quickly fades into horror, and then fear. This can't be right. His eyes are failing him, surely. How can it be possible that your wings, so pure and white and precious, have turned black?

The angel glances up at Lucifer, desperate for answers, for solace, for help, but the sympathy in the demon's eyes stops Simeon completely.

Lucifer knew.

There's another moment of confusion: a second of agony where Simeon simply doesn't understand why you would keep something so important from him but would tell someone else, why you would hide a change that must have torn your heart apart, why you would act like nothing is wrong when something clearly is.

And then the pain clears, and there's a flash of understanding where the truth dawns upon him. Not just the reasoning for your blackened wings, but truly everything. Why you never told him about your wings. Why you hid your relationship with Lucifer. Why you thought you could protect him if he never found out.

The two men glance at each other, eyes communicating more than words can ever say as they mutually vow to protect even this secret.

But then the sound of footsteps—the sound that they've both heard over ten times in the past hour alone—draws nearer once again, and they realize that while they can protect your secret, the moment the other residents of Purgatory Hall find out, it's over.

The door! Simeon's eyes seem to shout. But neither the angel nor the demon can move as they stand frozen at the sound of the footsteps drawing nearer. It roots them to the spot, freezing them like an enchantment stronger than anything they've ever experienced.

"Hey, guys!" The familiar voice of Luke calls out, drawing closer and closer. Simeon wills his legs to move, his mouth to say something, but his body isn't his own anymore. "Breakfast is ready!"

And then Luke is in the room.

Simeon doesn't think he'll ever forget the deafening silence of this moment, as the secret of your blackened wings that you've tried so desperately to keep hidden comes unraveled.

Because in one second, Luke is screaming at the sight, flinching at your impurity, and calling Michael's name at the top of his lungs, summoning the archangel in what he doubtlessly thinks is the right thing to do.

We failed her, Simeon and Lucifer seem to say to each other as they maintain eye contact, unmoving despite the sudden chaos that has gripped the room. They don't move, nor do they speak, nor do they flinch when the holy light of Michael's spirit materializes next to them, the rest of the brothers soon following suit.

I'm sorry.

The words are meant for you, a quiet beg for forgiveness that Simeon couldn't protect your secret. Would it have been different if he had known the truth from the start?

It matters not. I have failed her.

The angel's turmoil is written in his eyes, in his furrowed brow, in his slumped shoulders. But as the world around him continues to move in slow motion, he closes his eyes, sending a quiet prayer to God that this situation may somehow be salvaged.

Though in his heart, Simeon already knows that all is lost. 

MASTERLIST

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | ✔

Word count: 7.1k

Notes: Posting this really late at night because today was wild :( Also i took a nap in the afternoon and i am like 90% sure that it was just a graphic sex dream (straight up porn, but like mild plot) which is extremely interesting because i am not a horny person and he’s the last brother i would expect to dream about but maybe its a sign that i should give him sum attention

Comment & Like

Next Update: 6/9/20

I do not own the rights to Obey Me! or any of the characters within it.

[makeste]

BnHA Bonus Rant: Top 10 Anime Betrayals

or, ITP makeste talks about the mysterious ~U.A. traitor~ and who it could be.

this was originally typed up as part of my recap for chapter 83 (which I won’t link here due to tumblr being picky about posts with links in them, apparently? but you can find it under the “makeste reads bnha” tag), but it got so long that I cut it out and made it into its own post. also, this post is spoiler-free, assuming that you are caught up with the anime. I haven’t gotten much further along myself (only up to chapter 141), so I’ll request for manga spoilers to be left out of any discussion lol.

okay, so! to start off, I’ve gone back and forth on the whole traitor thing. part of me doesn’t want there to be a traitor in U.A. because there are a lot of ways to fuck that up, story-wise. I don’t want it to feel forced, or for the other characters to look really stupid in hindsight for not having figured it out, or for the traitor to be someone I really like and so it ends up feeling weird and OOC because I was so sure they were a good guy. and also, I don’t necessarily think that a mole is the only possible explanation for the attacks on U.A. there are a other ways the villains could have been getting their information. mind control/mind reading, or disguises, or hacking into U.A.’s security, etc. there are other possibilities, and most of these don’t even require quirks to boot.

having said that, I will acknowledge that the fact that the story brings this possibility up repeatedly and discusses it at length makes it much more likely to actually be the case. otherwise it’s a waste of a plot seed. so fine, for the time being let’s assume there is indeed a traitor. and I know I said not too long ago that I wasn’t going to discuss this, but I say a lot of things, and it turns out I have some thoughts on this after all so. lol.

here are my top 10 suspects for U.A. traitor, ranked from least to most likely.

10. All Might

nah just fucking with y’all. it’s definitely not All Might.

9. Aizawa

yeah, gonna go out on a limb and say it's not the guy who was nearly murdered by the villains and sustained permanent damage in the USJ attack.

8. Vlad King

I feel like if it was Vlad, he would have tried harder to keep his own students out of the crossfire. also he has a dog. he’s a nice person, dammit. shame on you for suspecting this poor man.

7. Snipe The Sheriff

he’s not a prominent enough character to be the traitor. it wouldn’t be enough of a shock.

6. Midnight

can we not have the sole female U.A. faculty member be the goddamn traitor please and thank you

5. One of the Students

first of all how dare you

but second of all, shit. I feel like this is the first of these options that’s actually a legit possibility, if only because the shock value would be off the charts. but I don’t like this because we’ve gotten to know almost all of these kids extensively, and they’re all goddamn heroes. these are good kids. don’t tell me one of them has been secretly evil this whole time. that’s not gonna fly, and would be incredibly difficult to pull off without it feeling contrived and stupid. but it would be shocking though, ngl.

there is, however, one exception to this, and it’s a big one. but I’ll get to that in a little bit.

4. Rat Principal

first of all, Rat Principal is clearly evil regardless of whether he’s a traitor working with the League of Villains or not. I mean just look at him. he’s a cute little rodent thing with an unparalleled IQ who likes to drink tea and plot things in his office. and also he was experimented on or whatever and is clearly a little deranged. really, the only reason I don’t think he’s the traitor is because he’s so overtly and unquestionably fucking evil that it would be way too obvious. let’s all just breathe a sigh of relief that this fiendish little capybara is on our side.

okay, so now we’re getting into the top three. these are the only people who I could actually see being the traitor, really. I could have just made this a top three and saved myself some time and effort, but then I wouldn’t have been able to post the picture of Nezu with the tea cup, so. I did what I had to do.

anyway

3. Tsukauchi Naomasa 

okay, so I’m aware that this one doesn’t make much sense. for one, he’s not part of the U.A. faculty. for another, All Might trusts him, and he’s been privy to a lot of sensitive information that clearly hasn’t been passed to the villains. so it’s like, if he is a mole, then he’s a pretty bad one.

but. on the other hand:

he may not be part of the faculty, but he is best friends with one of them, and we know that he and All Might regularly share information with each other that’s supposed to be top secret. so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that All Might could have told him where the kids were headed without giving it a second thought, because he trusts him more than just about anyone

we don’t know what his quirk is, IIRC. it could be something that lets him extract information he wouldn’t normally have access to (like mind-reading)

the biggest secrets that he was in on (All Might’s weakened state, and Deku being the One for All heir) are, conveniently enough, things that All for One and Tomura also knew about. and no one questioned it, because of course AFO was the one who injured Toshinori in the first place, and the thing with Deku wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. but still. that’s a really helpful coincidence

there’s just something about his face that’s put me off since day one. I’m not sure what it is, but he’s almost too blandly nice? like it strikes me as the kind of face that could shift into a craaaazy evil expression with ease, and it wouldn’t look at all unnatural

idk, I just wouldn’t be at all surprised if and when this guy turns out to be evil af

2. Present Mic

loooooool oh boy I’m gonna get an earful for this one. okay but look. just hear me out

shock value for days. he’s Aizawa’s old school friend, isn’t he? basically he’s the perfect level of “established enough so as to be a shock without necessarily being whiplash-inducing.” he’s pretty much the only member of the faculty who hits that sweet spot of the audience being familiar with him even though we haven’t actually spent a lot of time with him in the actual series. we all love him, but we haven’t actually seen a lot of him. it’s not like Aizawa where we know he cares about his kids because we’ve seen it with our own eyes. we trust Present Mic because Aizawa trusts him, and because he seems like too much of a goofball to possibly be secretly evil

he’s another one with that type of face that normally seems non-threatening but could probably be twisted into a really menacing expression with surprising ease. it’d probably be really hot too

he is the first one to bring up the possibility of there being a traitor. “but officer, if I really was the murderer why on earth would I have called the police?” obviously to make it seem like you didn’t murder someone you clever fuck. don’t pretend like you’re all innocent

but seriously, it effectively makes him seem like a less likely candidate even though there’s no reason to believe that’s actually the case. very smooth. and I don’t trust it one bit

and last but not least, drum roll please...

1. Hagakure Tooru

yep, so in spite of her cute and cheerful personality, as well as the fact that she was one of the only class A kids injured in the forest lodge attack, Hagakure is actually my prime suspect for the following reasons:

her quirk is perfectly suited to espionage. this pretty much goes without saying

no one actually has any idea what she really looks like. because of her personality, we imagine that she’s cute and sweet and bubbly and innocent, but it would be such a great surprise if her appearance was finally revealed one day and it’s like “oh wow yeah she’s totally evil”

her personality is very much that of a “typical” teenage girl, to such an extent that it could easily be an elaborate cover. like, if you were trying to pose as a U.A. student, you couldn’t ask for a more disarming fake identity than that. basically no one is going to question it

now then, getting to the matter of the lodge attack. it’s true that she was injured, and at first glance would seem to make her being the traitor much less likely, were it not for two things:

the gas was non-lethal with no lasting side effects. assuming she knew this from the start, it would have been a very effective way to clear her from suspicion without putting herself at risk in any way

this makes her one of only two kids in class A (the other being Jirou) who didn’t know about the police raid and Kirishima’s planned Bakugou rescue attempt. meaning she couldn’t warn the League ahead of time. now, we know that the villains were pretty much blindsided by the raid, meaning that if there is a traitor, said traitor either wasn’t able to pass this information along, or chose not to. so ironically, this actually makes Hagakure look a whole lot more suspicious

lastly, we can’t actually verify Hagakure’s whereabouts during the USJ raid. she says she was with Todoroki, but he never actually saw her. that in itself isn’t strange, obviously, but what is strange is that she never said anything to him to let him know that she actually was there. and that does strike me as a little odd, particularly because she could have been caught in the crossfire of his attack if that actually was the case.

so that’s it. these are the people I’m keeping an eye on. if and when one of them turns out to be evil I totally called it. although I still kind of hope there isn’t a traitor though. like, come on U.A. why you gotta be like this

[gumnut-logic]

Gentle Rain (Part Nineteen)

Title: Gentle Rain

Warm Rain Series

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen

Author: Gumnut

1 – 4 Mar 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don’t realise it is happening.

Word count: 3000

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Scott/OC, Gordon/Penelope, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.

Timeline: Six months after ‘The Proposal’, almost a sequel.

Author’s note: For @scribbles97 And here we are, the last chapter. There will be an Epilogue full of important stuff, I’ve started it. Also, those of you who follow me on Tumblr will have already read the first Tale of Gentle Rain – I kinda jumped the gun and didn’t want to officially publish it until I had finished this fic…which is pretty close now. So, there is more to come. Thank you ever so much to @scribbles97 who has helped me through this entire fic. Also thanks to @i-am-chidorixblossom and @the-lady-razorsharp who have also answered my frantic calls at various points in time – this fic was a nerve-wracker and I can be really insecure at times :D I would also like to give a massive thanks to all of you who have cheered me along the way. Your comments and feedback have kept me going. It makes it so much more purposeful to write if I know what I’m writing is being read and super bonus if it is being enjoyed. Thank you so, so much ::hugs you all madly::

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

Waking in hospital was not her favourite. She had done it many times in her thirty years and none of those events had been pleasant.

She could smell the hospital around her.

A frown. Vague memories of faces, words, it seemed like dreams, all leading back to that man from International Rescue.

A pair of blue eyes.

Scott Tracy.

She woke with his name on her lips.

And he was the first thing she saw.

“Em?” His voice was soft, tentative, and the hope in his face so strong.

“Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” That smile of his still turned her insides to jelly. “How are you feeling?”

How was she feeling? A quick physical check and she found herself surprisingly good. “Good. I’m good.”

His smile widened.

A snuffled snort echoed through the room. She frowned. “What?”

Scott stepped back and she came eye to eye with Kayo sitting on a couch in the corner. The smirk on her face was amusing, particularly considering the man asleep in her lap. Virgil was snoring softly, curled up rather awkwardly on the too small sofa, still in his uniform. His baldric and toolkit were draped over the back of one of the chairs.

“Is he okay?”

Scott’s smile was reassuring. “He’s fine. Just tired. Stubborn idiot refused to go home.”

“Why?”

He frowned and she realised that he, too, was still in his uniform. “You don’t remember?”

Remember? A blink. “You caught me.”

“Yes, I did. But you were injured.”

Injured? Her brain didn’t seem to be functioning at full capacity. “How?”

His brow furrowed immediately. “You had a laceration on your leg. You lost a lot of blood.”

“I did?” She reached down and peered under the covers. Her left stump was swathed in bandages. Another frown and she forced her mind to think.

Scott speaking to her calmly, but firmly. Strapping her in. She had flown in a Thunderbird. Thunderbird One. Thunder was right. It had roared. So, so fast.

Then the hospital. Perth Hospital. Again.

Scott holding her. Her blood on his hands.

Worried blue eyes.

She shook herself. She must be on something. She was foggy.

“The bridge? The people?”

“We saved as many as we could.”

Virgil snorted again.

She frowned at the man as Kayo stroked his hair. A glance at Scott. “Why are you here?”

His eyes widened and his expression closed suddenly and considering their recent history she realised exactly how that might have sounded.

A blink. “No, you idiot. I’m talking about the broken arm, leg and ribs, not to mention the hole in your side that was stitched up a few weeks before Christmas.”

“Uh.” Now he looked uncomfortable, almost like a young boy who had just discovered he was in trouble.

Her foggy mind still wasn’t registering properly, but it still managed to calculate recovery times. She rubbed her eyes. “And what about Virgil? You know, the man who recently died.” In the corner of her eye she saw Kayo tense.

“It was necessary.” His stance straightened. “Besides, we had backup.”

“I noticed. But that didn’t seem to exclude either of you from the rescue.”

“There wasn’t time-“

“Exactly! You haven’t given either of yourselves enough time!”

Those blue eyes flared. “And what exactly did you expect me to do? Sit back while you fell off a bridge?”

And there it was, the blatant self-sacrifice that was going to kill these men. “You had back up! Let them do their job. Stop risking yourself.”

“I couldn’t leave you there.” It was quiet, but the words were firm.

She stared at him. “Your health is worth the risk, Scott.”

“Yours isn’t.” He glared at her. “I will not risk you.”

“Me? What about the other hundred or so people?”

His lips shut closed and he didn’t answer. Blue simply stared at her.

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t...”

“How could I not?” And suddenly he was so much closer.

“Oh, for goodness sake, kiss her already!” There was a thump and a groan, and they both looked up to see Virgil rolling off the couch. The man was obviously stiff as a board. “Have at it, I’m getting coffee.” And without a glance at them, he stumbled from the room, dragging Kayo with him. Kayo did grin back at both of them, however, her eyes sparkling.

Em frowned. “Are you sure he’s okay?”

Scott smiled. Oh god, that smile. “I thought you’d be familiar with Virgil Sans Coffee by now.” But he was leaning in and that smile touched her lips. As always, he was warm, his energy burning, reaching out and drawing her in. A brush of his tongue on hers and he released her. She didn’t want to let him go.

His smile became hesitant. “I believe I owe you an explanation.”

“Regarding your habit of flashing hot and cold?” God, honestly, she only wanted him to kiss her again. His hot was so hot. Screw it. “I’ve just had a major traumatic incident. I’m injured, and I’m pretty sure I’m high on pain meds. Can we save it for later? I’d really just like to you to kiss me again.”

His grin was as gorgeous as his smile, and god, when he wrapped his arms around her and took her lips with his, all the cares in the world could wait until later.

-o-o-o-

Em was only in the hospital for a few days, but in that time, she managed to have every Tracy march through her door plus Kayo and her uncle.

Uncle Crispin arrived with Sally Tracy along with Alan. Alan was looking a little green around the gills and the description he gave Kayo of what her uncle and his grandmother had been doing on the plane was enough to turn Em a little green in sympathy.

There were some things that you just didn’t want to know about the generations above you.

Uncle Crispin gave her the third degree on what had happened. This was quickly followed by him cornering Scott the moment he walked through her door on the way back from a meeting with the GDF.

“And what are your intentions with my niece, Tracy?”

“Kip!”

“Uncle Crispin!”

It was hard to tell who was more offended, Mrs Tracy or Em.

But Scott didn’t back down. He took a step towards her uncle and looked him in the eye. And he could. Not having seen Scott standing to his full height, Em hadn’t realised he was that tall. Though slimmer in youth, he could match every one of her uncle’s many inches. Wow. “And what are your intentions with my Grandmother?”

“Scott!” Okay, Mrs Tracy was the more offended.

Em glared at the both of them. “If you two gentlemen do not stop alpha strutting in my hospital room, I will ask both of you to leave.”

Scott’s response was immediate, probably feeling like he was already on probation and didn’t want to blow it. He backed down, but she didn’t fail to notice that he stepped immediately to her side. She rolled her eyes at that.

Uncle Crispin glared at him, but also backed off, stepping back beside Mrs Tracy.

“Now, Uncle Crispin, this is my business. While I appreciate your protectiveness, I find it rather ironic that you are attempting to protect me from the grandson of your paramour, and the leader of International Rescue, an organisation you greatly admire. You have a model Thunderbird and figurines, for crying out loud.” She turned to Scott, whose eyes were bugging out a little at her last statement. “And you, give your grandmother a break. Uncle Crispin is a great guy, I can promise you that. Stop snarling at him.”

Neither man commented, merely exchanging wary glances. God, men!

The tableau was interrupted by Virgil waltzing in with a get-well balloon tied to a blue teddy bear. Every face in the room turned to him. He stopped in his tracks and blinked. “Did I interrupt something?”

Em couldn’t help but smile. “No, nothing of importance.”

His eyes darted back and forth between his eldest brother, Uncle Crispin, Em and Kayo. “Okay, good, because Scott bought you a get-well bear.” He strode up and plonked it on the edge of her bed.

“I did?”

Kayo elbowed her brother. “Yes, you did, because that is what good boyfriends do when their girlfriends are in the hospital.”

There was a silence for a moment and Em stared at Virgil. The engineer smiled at her.

“Yes. Yes, I did and I do.” Scott said the words, but looked a little stunned.

Em bit her lip, but couldn’t help grinning at his expression. She picked up the bear. It had blue eyes and a perpetual smile. Reaching out a hand, she snagged Scott’s and pulled him towards her. “Thank you, Scott. It was a very kind thought.” And she was grinning up at him.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

“Can I give you a thank you kiss?”

She couldn’t help but grin at the grin that immediately split his face. He bent down and, oh, oh, thank you. Thank you, indeed.

The bear was dropped to the bed covers and one hand was in his hair, the other on his shoulder feeling the flex of muscle through his shirt.

“My god, I’m surrounded by a bunch of lovebirds. Okay, that’s it, I’m making a point of being somewhere else for some time. Em, get better soon. Enjoy...my brother.”

Scott broke off their kiss just in time for her to see Alan shudder. Mrs Tracy grabbed the youngest before he could escape and said something quietly to him Em couldn’t hear before kissing his cheek. Alan rolled his eyes and stomped out of the room.

Em had a grip on Scott’s shirt and didn’t want to let go. Virgil was grinning ear to ear. Kayo had a smirk on her face. Mrs Tracy was smiling. Uncle Crispin, surprisingly, wasn’t glaring, but was thoughtful instead.

Scott was staring down at her in amazement.

She grinned. “Can I say thank you again?”

Virgil cracked up laughing.

-o-o-o-

Escaping from hospital did not equate to escaping from the Tracys. Kayo, despite being heavily involved into the investigation surrounding the bridge bombing, found the time to accompany her back to her apartment. Virgil had declared her hoverscoot deceased and promptly acquired her a new one. Her protest at the cost was met with a flat-eyed stare, and yeah, billionaires, money no object, yada-yada-yada.

It was a relief to slip back into a hoverscoot. The hoverchair from the hospital was just clunky and cumbersome.

While Virgil packed the car, she took the opportunity to sit down with Kayo for a moment in her own loungeroom. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I can’t believe...” And she ran out of words.

“Em...” Kayo held up her hand. “Trust me, we are equal on all scores.” Virgil stuck his head in the door and grabbed two more of the small bags she had hastily packed and disappeared again. Kayo smiled just a little, her voice quiet as she stared after him. “We’re equal.”

“If there is ever anything I can do for either of you. Just ask.” She reached out and grabbed the woman’s hand. “Please.” She tried her best to covey how much it all meant to her.

Kayo turned to her and tilted her head a little. “If you do the same.” A small smile. “I hear rumour that is what friends do.”

Em couldn’t help but grin just a little. She felt like a teenager swapping friendship bracelets. The thought was just ridiculous.

But it meant so much more.

“Oh, I’ve got something for you.” Kayo reached into her pocket. “You should keep this on you at all times until Brains can set you up with something a little less conspicuous.” The security officer handed her the IR comm she had worn in New Zealand.

Em stared at it. “Are you sure?”

Kayo arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure.”

Em held it in her hands, the embossed IR logo catching the light. “That is something I’ve been meaning to ask. I left this behind in Wellington. How did you know I was on the bridge?”

“I planted a tracker in your hoverscoot.” There was no apology in Kayo’s expression.

Em stared at her. “What?”

“You became an IR concern. I needed to know where you were.”

“Why?”

“We are primarily a rescue organisation. However, our technologies are advanced and there are people out there who will do anything to get their hands on them. You know this, it has already affected your life drastically.”

“You think they might use me to get to you?”

Kayo shrugged. “Maybe. Possibly. There are a range of vulnerabilities in the equation. The tracker was to protect you and IR. In this case, we knew you were on the bridge and could act accordingly.”

“Is that what happened? Were they after me?” Her heart stuttered at the thought. To be honest, she had already considered some of the dangers involved. It was obvious. She had lost her family to a man who had wanted what the Tracys had.

Something flashed in Kayo’s eyes.

“No, a group has claimed responsibility. Lunatics. Don’t worry. Penelope and I are working on it. We’ll find them.” And Kayo stopped there, obviously unwilling to reveal anymore.

Her apartment door opened again and Virgil walked back in. “Anything else? I think I’ve about covered my rehab for today.”

Em mentally shook herself and smiled.

-o-o-o-

The stop at her apartment was exactly that, just a stop. She needed assistance and the doctors had only released her with the reassurance that she would have company.

So, bags packed and loaded, Kayo flew her back to Tracy Island, and she found herself in the same room she had spent Christmas. Cecil arrived to attend to her every need. The man was a like a clone of Gordon Tracy, though taller and skinnier. A ray of sunshine who never stopped smiling.

Scott bounced back and forth from the island every day, horribly busy, both with the GDF and the Thunderchick squads. Then a tsunami in Japan took every hand IR had available.

All the brothers came back from that pale and dead-eyed.

She caught him before he could escape to his room.

Even though she was prepared for it, it still hurt when he brushed her off. “Em, I’m tired. It’s been a long day. You should be resting.” His natural reflex was to lock it all up and process it alone, the same way he had when Virgil collapsed.

She hadn’t missed Virgil beelining to Kayo. Hadn’t missed her wrapping her arms around him, his head dropping to her shoulder in pure exhaustion. Her leading him away to their quarters.

Scott had glanced at them while removing his baldric and dumping it on the couch before throwing himself down beside it.

She steeled herself. “I’m fine. It is you who needs the rest.”

He looked up at her and the exhaustion and pain in his eyes broke her heart. Reaching out, she ‘scooted forward, dropping the ‘scoot directly onto the couch and took him into her arms, lying his head on her chest.

He resisted at first, his muscles tense, and she was forced to wonder how long it had been since this man had been comforted. She knew a good percentage of his history, had seen the care he doled out to his family, but who cared for the carer? Virgil, most certainly, but he would ever be younger.

Em would ever be older.

She pulled him tighter, running her fingers through his hair, and slowly his arms crept around her and returned the embrace. He didn’t fully relax, no doubt that would take time, but his breathing evened out and he rested his weight on her.

“I love you.” The words came out unbidden. She didn’t mean to say it, but it was said.

His reaction was immediate. He sat up, pulling away a little and staring at her.

Em felt the blood drain from her face. “I’m sorry, I-“

And he was kissing her, his strength pulling her close. His tongue begged entry and she let him in, as he crushed her against him. His cologne was overlaid with sweat and dirt, he desperately needed a shower and a shave, but he was in her arms and loving her in his own way.

She didn’t expect the words, not yet. If there was one thing she had learnt over the last few months, it was that Scott Tracy had a large family, but ultimately, he had been alone for a long time. As alone as she had been.

It was going to take time.

The kiss broke off, his breathing heavy, eyes glistening in the evening light. “Em...”

She reached up and placed a finger across his lips. “You don’t have to say anything.” He kissed her finger, his breath hot on her skin. “I will only ask you for one thing.”

His eyes widened in an expression very similar to the last time she had made such a demand of him.

“Ping me. Come to me. Seek me out.” Her fingers drifted into his hair and she leant forward to kiss his forehead. “I’m here. You are not alone. You don’t have to say anything, I won’t force you to talk, I promise. Just be...with me.”

It was all she could ask.

He stared at her for a moment, words bouncing about his eyes, but none finding his mouth. Eventually he drew her into his embrace, a soft kiss to her jaw, her cheek and her lips. There was no smile, no charm, no Commander of International Rescue, no big brother.

Just Scott Tracy.

He dropped his head to her shoulder, exhaustion in every line of his body. Em stroked his hair and just held on.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[sleepypie1212]

Sleepypie’s Guide to Kdrama Love: or, 10 Steps to What is TOTALLY a Healthy Relationship*

I wrote a thing. Did you miss me? 

Have you ever wondered how all those kdrama girls do it? Do you too yearn to enact their principles in your life and achieve the same effect? Yearn no more! Here's my handy ten step guide to making a relationship work, k-drama style! Step 1: Be a Candy Remember, you must be poor but plucky, working a multitude of small-paying part-time jobs and living in cramped rooftop apartment. You must be absolutely wallowing in debt you've inherited, yet still face each coming day with a brave smile and optimistic, can-do attitude. Family's a no-no, unless it's a) your beloved father in a coma he won't wake up from, whose expensive hospital bills you must pay, b) an evil stepsister who devotes her every spare moment to making your life hell, or c) a missing  brother you worry about and look for, but who will only conveniently reappear at the end to alleviate any worries about your right to be happy or the potentially incestuous nature of your romance. Do try and have one female friend you will be able to turn to for relationship advice in the future. Her advice will always be terrible, but that won't matter, she's just there to point out that you like your romantic lead before you're willing to admit it yourself. Don't worry if she's better at makeup and fashion than you are. Although you will always complain about being poor and ugly, you will be effortlessly beautiful at all times, your clothes will always be name-brand, and as a bonus, your cell phone will always be the newest model. On the flip side, I hope you like subway.

Step 2: Meet Cute It's time to meet the love of your life! Now, he must be strikingly handsome, impossibly rich, and, most importantly, an apparently ice-cold bastard (don't worry, he's actually a giant softie hiding a tragic past behind those barriers and just waiting for the right girl to come along and teach him the power of love. We'll get to that in Step 3). Remember, it's important you meet in an unplanned, painfully awkward way that leaves him with a strong distaste for you. Tried and true methods include forcing him to give you a lift in the rain, throwing up on him during a plane ride, or tripping and making him catch you in one smooth graceful movement while his important papers for that big meeting that will define the rest of his life go flying. He should abandon you/make loud noises of despair and disgust/drop you at the earliest possible moment. Congratulations! You are now fated to be. Don't forget to call him a rude bastard once he's gone! Step 3: Forced Proximity The most important step. Somehow or other, you and the One must be forced to spend copious amounts of time together. This can be for almost any reason--maybe you've started working at his company, maybe you two enter a contract relationship for whatever reason (usually it's to get his matchmaking mother off his back, but bonus points if he wants one of your organs or its his crackpot grandfather's idea), maybe he moves into your house against your protests because he's being hounded by reporters and needs a place to hide. Regardless of the whys, you are now obligated to breathe each other's air for large quantities of time. Don't worry if it leads to a plenty of friction initially--that's normal! Soon, you'll realize all that bickering you do is actually cover for your simmering sexual tension. Arguments will now end with long, lingering gazes at each others lips. Curse words will start to be endearments. You will both quickly realize how noble and kind the other actually is, despite misleading first impressions. To hasten this process, I suggest shared babysitting sessions, eating homecooked meals at your table (don't be surprised if he's never had a homecooked meal before--his parents have usually never had time for him, and he will probably burst into spontaneous tears over the first mouthful), and drinking beer together on your rooftop, star-gazing. These situations are very conducive to deep conversations that don't seem to have much context--don't worry about that. You are Baring Your Souls to each other, an important part of the process. If you get the chance to be in a life-endangering situation, seize it, so he can rescue you dramatically, and then reproach you for being foolish, thus revealing how deeply he does actually care.

Step 4: Jealousy Right about now, his First Love should reappear on the scene. She will be, without a doubt, Unpleasant, especially to you, since she will sense how close you and the One have become merely by witnessing you two laughing together as you walk care-freely down the street (I suggest you be coming back from something he originally protested was for children--an amusement park, perhaps--but which he came to deeply enjoy. Be eating ice cream and get some on his nose for added effect, as his playful retaliation will reek of repressed emotions). He, however, will not be able to see this, and will instead be incredibly confused by her reappearance. He will try very hard to reconnect with her, refusing to believe he has changed since meeting you (a lamentably useless denial, since everyone else can clearly see, and frequently mentions, how much nicer he seems). This will be a bleak time for you, as you will be deeply saddened by his apparent affection for Another. Luckily for you, the Second Lead will be around to catch you! He will have been a neighbor, co-worker, or someone you viewed as a kid brother. He will do everything in his power to be there for you, though he will never explicitly state his affection (don't worry, second leads never do). Unfortunately, nothing will cheer you up. You will be  constantly reminded of the One by strangely specific things--a cup of coffee, a floating balloon, a teddy bear--immediately saddening you. Don't be too downcast! Unbeknownst to you, the One will witness you apparently being happy with the Second Lead and be absolutely consumed by an ironic jealousy, leading him to do all kinds of delightfully petty things you own't understand and find peculiar.

Step 5: The Kiss Good job, you've made it to your hallmark moment, the one that that will set the seal on your relationship with the One, affirming you will survive any and every obstacle thrown at you (there will be many), and haunt you in a series of never ending flashbacks for the rest of your romantic life! The One has finally been pushed to the breaking point, and is no longer able to deny the strength of his passion. Depending on the sub-species of drama hero you have acquired, the kiss may take one of several shapes. It may be exquisitely planned, with fireworks, roses, and a heart-stopping declaration of love. More frequently, it is a surprise to both of you, the culmination of weeks of building tension. You will always be in a beautiful location. You will always look stunning. He will always look stunning. You will probably have been fighting immediately before. When he kisses you, remember to stand stiffly, staring transfixed before you with shock. If emotions are especially wrought, you may cry, so that he may wipe the tears away with his fingers. . If you're unlucky, you might not remember this first kiss due to temporary ghostly possession or his penchant for freezing time at significant moments. But odds are that means you get a second first kiss! Who doesn't love that? And on the positive side, from now on, the One will be incredibly sweet, self-sacrificing, and adoring. He will not in any possible way resemble the man you first met. Except he will still be smoking hot. Savor this moment, because you will shortly be very unhappy indeed 

Step 6: The Obstacles I warned you they were coming, didn't I? Because now that you and the One have kissed and thus declared your undying passion for each other, his family will rise up in protest. They will seek to humiliate you at every opportunity, try to bribe you to leave him with money (you must be deeply affronted by this, and bravely choking back your tears, condemn them for not realizing you have pride and that not everything can be bought), and/or destroy your life by any possible means. I would suggest investing in insurance, because you are about to be kicked out of your home, lose your job and gangsters will shortly corner you in alleyway (don't worry, the One will save you, if only so he can berate himself later for bringing all this down on your head).  If he has no family (this is rare, and means he is either an alien, a time-traveler, or a cartoon character transported to your world by an unexplained deus ex machina), he will realize that he will soon be compelled to return to his planet/time/dimension by impenetrable forces, leaving you vulnerable to the enemies he has made on your planet/time/dimension who will seek vengeance on you as soon as his back is turned. 

Step 7: The Noble Idiocy Sigh. It's unavoidable, so grind your teeth now and get it over with. The One, deciding that somehow he is making your life miserable/endangering you, will decide to leave you. He won't explain why--instead, he'll give you a terrible reason for leaving. Usually it's something far more stupid and hurtful, like he never actually loved you and that you were just an amusement. He will then vanish from your life, returning to his original sphere like he never left it, and plunging everyone's life into untold clouds of freaking gloom. Go ahead and sob, no one's judging you. It's not your fault your boyfriend makes shitty decisions like a little kid instead of talking things over with you like an adult. If it makes you feel better, he's even more miserable, and he spends an ungodly amount of time staring at the little trinket you gave him that one time, pining for days gone by. If it wasn't so stupid, it would be hilarious. Step 8: The Reunion You will unexpectedly bump into each other on the street or at the office, and he will gaze at you soulfully. You will turn away, still deeply hurt by his abandonment, but it's all going to be ok, because now having seen you in person once more, all the moronic reasons this seemed like a good idea to him in the first place will become irrelevant and he will start popping up in your life like a toadstool, giving you the chance to exact petty but oh-so-satisfying vengeance if you so desire. I suggest so desiring. It's massively entertaining. But only push him to the point where he confesses why he left in the first place, and then melt like the marshmallow you are. You may have to chase after him in the rain, but it's fine--it will provide a particularly striking backdrop to your makeup kiss and give him the opportunity to shelter you with his umbrella, letting himself get unnecessarily soaked in the process (he'll probably be ill afterwards and collapse, but don't worry. Let him lie in bed a few days, with a saline solution and spoon feed him porridge and he'll be right as rain. Er. No pun intended.) Step 9: The Final Problem Everything that came before was build-up for this, and now you must face down whatever issue has cast a cloud over your fated relationship all this time. Is one of you dying? Has one of you promised to go to jail for the other? Has his family threatened to disinherit him if he continues to see you? Fret not, everything will be magically cleared away. There will be a miracle cure, a guns drawn showdown where the actual murderer is finally caught, or his domineering father will have a stroke and become a much kinder, gentler person.  Along the way, it will be revealed that you and the One actually met as children, either only briefly or were best friends until one of you moved/lost your family/faked your own death, and in reality are each other's long forgotten First Loves. Smell that? That's Fate. Finally, you're almost there! 

Step 10: The Ending This is the trickiest part to pull off, but having made it this far, I'm sure you can do it. It's clear to you and to everyone else you and the One will be together forever now. Nothing can tear you apart. But do you want to get married right away in a big, beautiful ceremony? Do you want to date for awhile, spending a lot of time sitting in front of beautiful sunsets with the One? Do you choose to inexplicably study abroad for a brief period of time, returning only then to fully consummate your love? The choice is yours, but whatever you choose, you've earned a stunning conclusion to all your suffering. *not applicable to sageuk storylines which are more inclined to heavily feature torture, blood feuds, hanboks, flowing hair, horses, and reincarnation. See my Ten Steps to Surviving a Sageuk for that one.

[thetradeway]

Session 29: 23 Jan 2021 “That’ll be the mating demon.”

Joe tells us that Duncan will rue the day he summoned a bunch of flumphs. He has had to spend an hour this past week reading up on flumphs, an hour that he will never get back. We aren’t going to enjoy it much either, he says. Oh, cool…

Ed will be with us apfelsaft. We give him five minutes, while we discuss Ahleqs’s flumphs. Ah - Ed has arrived. There is more flumph talk; we discuss trying to communicate with them. Do they speak? Our DM and now resident flumph expert, says yes - telepathically.

Now there’s talk about Star Trek, and Critical Role, and conventions. Today is a good day to die. Indeed.

The flumphs emit a faint blue glow - but then start pulsing and turning red. We roll Nature or History checks. All of us except Tarragon and Ahleqs (who both roll nat 1s) know that in the presence of evil things, flumphs turn red.

The flumphs are frightened of Ahleqs, and they do a really fun thing when they’re frightened: they jettison a stream of effluent on the target of their fear. This stuff is a component used by Wizards when casting Stinking Cloud.

Excellent!

Now Ahleqs will smell disgusting for three days - to the point where anyone within 20 feet of him makes a CON save, and if they fail it they will puke.

Less excellent.

On with the combat! Popcorn is still confused, and attacks Kessler. He can make another save versus the confusion, but fails with a 4.

The Babau attacks Rusty with its Weakening Gaze ability, and it succeeds. He now only does half damage with STR based weapons. It then attacks him with a spear, causing some of his less essential bones to fall off. He nimbly shambles out of the way of the second attack, fortunately.

Kessler rolls a 2 on her Confusion so she does not move or act on her turn. She rolls her save to end the spell - and passes. She turns to the demon: “Oi, fuckwit! You’re next!”

Grease wizard is up. He curates some magics for us all to see: Mirror Image. Is that his action? “It is! Balls!” He thinks and or mutters in all his languages: “Er, (mumbling), the evil demon lady must be vanquished! I command ye flumphs in this endeavour!” Celestial, Common, Deep Speech and Dwarvish.

The flumphs show no indication that they’ve understood him. “Blast!”

One of the flumphs shudders - and a bunch of tiny flumphs appear from under its mantle. One of them wriggles up Gideon’s sleeve. “Have I got a baby flumph? I will guard him with my life!”

Rusty attacks the demon elf with a spell, and misses with a 16. “Oh! Augh! Rusty! Get your act together!”

Wait - does he get advantage? Gunna is grappling her. Yes! Ed rolls again. Rolls even lower. Rusty bottled it.

Tarragon rages and rushes over to attack the elf with her quarterstaff - she hits, and gets a glare in return. Ha. Good.

Melaina wants to shoot her in the face. She decides against Sharpshooter, and hits with a 17 doing 21 damage including her sneak attack. She hides as well as she can from things that aren’t looking at her; there isn’t much in the way of hiding places in here.

Can Gunna still hit her if he’s grappling her? He wants to do a Tyson - he makes a melee attack to try and bite off an ear. He hits with a 25! He rips her ear off; well that’s his how-de-do-dis, because she’s dead. Yay! Lots of cheering.

The demon is still there, however. Gunna drops the body of the elf and engages it. 16 to hit? That hits for 14 damage. Dayum. He does a Northman war cry. “Grahhhh!!! Winner!!!!”

Gideon, Gunna, Melaina, Ahleqs and Kessler see the air near the top of the stairs shimmer, and a strange looking dog blinks into existence (Tarragon is facing the wrong way so she doesn’t see it). It runs up and bites the demon. Demon blood flies everywhere.

Ahleqs debates what to do, deciding eventually on Eldritch Blast. 23 and 19 both hit, ten total force damage. “Is it dead? Did I kill it?” No. It didn’t like it but its still alive. Ahleqs sits down in his stink. He makes a CON save to see if he throws up from his own smell, but passes.

“For the next three days.”

Popcorn is no longer confused, so he attacks the Babau, he hits but is disappointed to realise that the thing is resistant to slashing damage. Still hits though.

The Babau does a Weakening Gaze against Gunna, who passes his CON save. It attacks him and hits. He’s still in double figures, he crows.

Kessler casts Magic Missile at level 2 at the Babau - four darts hit it, for 14 damage. “Fucker! I told you I was coming for you!” She moves to cut off his escape, and bonus action slams a potion in case he turns on her. Goblin rage! She adds Fury of the Small to her damage, as an afterthought. And then realises that she doesn’t have any potions left.

Gideon asks how the Babau is looking - makes an Investigation check with a 22. It’s bleeding and heavily wounded, but moving as normal so not all that close to death. He believes it is time to use Ray of Enfeeblement! (Ed reads the description in Gideon’s voice, a quavery old man voice.) He rolls a 19 to hit it - now it only deals half damage with STR based weapons. He’s undermined its confidence, maybe it’ll go away and think about its actions. Gideon also prays to Moradin, his dwarven god, and motions for Rusty to attack as well. He does, but misses. wait - ADV. nope, still a miss.

Tarragon takes the second to last space around the demon; it now resembles the bit in Shaun of the dead where they’re battering that zombie in the Winchester to Don’t Stop Me Now. She hits it with her quarterstaff, screaming obscenities as she goes.

Melaina shoots over Gideon’s head, but misses. ADV, but still a miss. Gunna rinses and repeats. 18 to hit, for 23 - and kills it, yay!

The flumphs start to vanish, but Gideon’s sleeve flumph remains. He is very excited by this. He wants some of the flumph effluent; Ahleqs knows where there’s a large amount of it. Unfortunately (or fortunately) Gideon doesn’t have anything to carry it in.

We make History checks (Melaina at ADV) to see what the elf-demon thing was; she rolls a dirty 20.

It was a fey’ri - half demon, half elf. A noble house of elves bred with demons during an ancient war to strengthen their blood. They capture (usually) sun elves and breed them with demons to create more fey’ri. Morally we were ok killing this thing. Melaina knows that other elves will probably reward us for its head - Good thing Gunna already chopped it off. We stow it away.

Gideon gives the dog a stern look. It seems otherworldly and disinterested in Gideon. We offer it food. It seems interested in Tarragon. She recognises it from her friend - it’s Raeph’s! Perhaps he’s fallen down a well. She asks the dog to take her to Raeph. Its called Naysa. It blinks to the top of the stairs and looks back at us. Ahleqs follows at a distance, presumably wilting the flora as we go.

The dog starts scratching at a door that leads to the ruins at the bottom of the tower.

Do we want to rest before we move on? What time of day is it? Ahleqs finds some water to start scrubbing off the flumph stink. Do any of us fancy helping him, it will give him advantage on his roll? We all refuse immediately. Gideon tries, but fails his CON save and throws up.

Kessler does her Alarm spell. Melaina can do Mage Hand, so she can help Ahleqs from a distance.

On second watch, Ahleqs spots a quasit crawling up the stairs; he thinks he can deal with it himself. It does set off Kessler’s Alarm spell, so she is also awake. Ahleqs does a quiet Eldritch Blast, but he does also do a little scream. Kessler looses her Lightning Launcher. All the attacks hit - the quasit is blasted into dust.

Melaina makes a Perception check for her watch; rolls a 12. She doesn’t see anything and her watch passes without incident.

Gideon asks Tarragon about flumph care; with a nat 20 she knows all about them. They eat small rodents and snakes, but they usually live off telepathic energy and thoughts. Ahleqs suggests pressing the flumph to his head.

The door Naysa leads us to is locked; Melaina unlocks it.

Joe makes the mistake of asking how we enter the room: “QUIETLY!!”

Gunna goes first, with Melaina, then Tarragon. Gideon wants to be the meat in the sandwich, and Kessler goes with him in case she gets the chance to shove him down the stairs. Ahleqs goes at the back, even though he’s less fragrant now.

We makes Stealth checks with Pass Without Trace; Melaina rolls a Nat 20 (30 total with Pass Without Trace gives her 40!) and straight up stops existing.

It’s dark so the humans will need torches, immediately negating all our stealth checks. We hold off lighting any for a minute.

There’s some discussion of asking the dog if it’s dangerous, but we wouldn’t be able to understand her.

Naysa is emitting a low growl - apparently the answer to our unasked question is ‘yes’. Gideon decides to scout ahead - Tarragon goes with to give him the benefit of PWT. We make more stealth checks. We see some ‘disgusting things’ - dretches.

Okay team. We could surprise attack or sneak past?

Ahleqs: “What do they look like?”

Gideon: “Like the goblin but bigger.”

Gideon suggests throwing the sorcerer at them to maximise the surprise and take advantage of his pyrotechnics, thus lighting the scene for the humans.

What’s the plan? Move ourselves to prepare for a surprise attack, then launch a surprise attack.

Gideon grabs Gunna by his big nordic hand and leads him into position. (He’s gone out for a fag, so Sophie says he goes quietly)

Surprise attack!

Gideon kicks off the action with Fireball, and places it so he gets all of them. Joe makes various Dex saves for the dretches - two pass but two fail and are killed outright. Woohoo! Even the ones that make the save are now close to death.

Kessler shoots her Lightning Launcher, waits for her laptop to catch up, then makes her attack rolls. She kills the two remaining dretches. Yay!

We don’t even need to be in initiative. Ahleqs pulls out Simon - he was lit previously, but Ahleqs kept him in his coat. Gunna now lights a torch.

Naysa has stopped growling.

Looking around - we are in subterranean ruins, with elven carvings on the walls. Gideon has Stonecunning - he examines the walls. Rolls a nat 20 and adds double his proficiency.

It’s made of white marble - Gideon believes it to be a palace. “Oh my friends, we shall find such treasures here!” He starts to run his hands over the stone. “Not quite as elegant as dwarvish stonework, to be sure, but it has its merits.”

Can he see any passages? He hems and haws. He thought he saw a door, but he did not. The DM points them out. (Gideon casts Obvious Door.)

There are two doors. They look much the same. Which door does Naysa want to do? She sniffs around and blinks in and out but doesn’t seem to know which way to go. Gideon sniffs about for elven treasures.

Tarragon reaches for one of the doors, but a skeletal hand reaches through and grabs her - she takes 10 necrotic damage and one level of exhaustion!!

Kessler examines the other door - from a distance. Melaina opens the other door with Mage Hand - there is no skeleton on the other side. Just a spiral staircase leading down. Gunna charges down, pressing on the walls and stamping on the floor as hard as he can, poking the ceiling with his sword, licking doorknobs, everything. “The first D&D character to die of coronavirus.” He takes 1 level of hepatitis.

He does some sneaking (with PWT) and rolls a 22 for a 32 total.

We find ourselves in a huge room with a magical wall bisecting it. On the other side is a huge demon!

Gunna makes an Investigation check; rolls a 9. Higher than he was expecting. It looks like there is a cage on a dais on the far side.

Kessler: “That’ll be the mating demon.”

What size is it?

Large.

Gideon rolls Investigation on the forcefield; rolls a 10. “I believe it to be some sort of Force Field.”

Naysa is scrabbling at the forcefield with her paws.

Tarragon finds some double doors, and asks Melaina to take a look at them. (She learned her lesson with the last door.) Melaina checks for traps with a dirty 20 - and finds a trap that required a roll of 20 to spot. Nice!

She wants to disarm it, but if she sets it off it will do a 30ft cone AOE thing. Gunna stays to help her (emotionally - he’s useless mechanically) and Tarragon casts Guidance, while the others move out of the blast radius.

Melaina rolls an 11, and a 1 on her Guidance. Gunna casts Teleport. Disguise Self. Rope Trick!

Gideon is still standing right in the blast radius, so he gets it as well. They all make WIS saves - Melaina Natty 20’s it, Gideon rolls a 15, but Gunna gets 13. They take psychic damage - Gunna takes 15 and gets disadvantage on attacks for 10 minutes. The others get 7 PSY damage and no effect on attacks. Gunna casts Healing Word.

The trap is spent now, however. Melaina has a go at picking the lock, and there’s her 20.

Naysa starts growling. Melaina makes a Perception check (Gunna’s ears are bleeding. He needs some calpol). Gunna takes 12 piercing damage - the end of a spear appears through his side!

We roll initiative - turns out that was a surprise round.

Tarragon Thorn Whips the creature but whiffs it. She casts Healing Word on Gunna for her bonus action. Gideon casts Ray of Enfeeblement, and tucks the baby flumph further up his sleeve to protect it from harm.

Kessler wants to know if we can’t just talk about this. Then she casts Magic Missile at level 2.

Naysa gets a turn - she charges the thing that attacked Gunna and bites it - she is growling and hanging off the creature’s wrist. Gideon: *laughs* “quite the fighter, eh??”

It’s another Babau. It attacks Naysa back, and spears at Gunna again. Gideon halves the damage to Naysa, and the spear attack misses. It does get a save vs. his Enfeeblement, but that’s a big fat fail. “I am a wise and powerful wizard!”

Gunna attacks with a 15, but that’s a miss. He goes again with a 9 (He’s still at disadvantage from the psychic attack from the door).

Ahleqs can’t see anything so he does an Eldritch Blast, doing 3 force damage.

Popcorn rushes forward to savage the Babau. He hits with his beak but misses with his claws. Melaina hides and shoots.

Tarragon misses with her Thorn Whip again. We all kind of want to save our spell slots, because Joe started laughing when Gunna refused another Healing Word, saying he’d be fine as long as ten more Babau didn’t charge around the corner.

Gideon is delighted to find that his Chill Touch spell does an extra die of damage now that he’s level 5! He fondles his book of lore, happy with his attack.

The gobbo does another MM for 12 force damage. No, 16!

The babau, deciding to mix things up a little, spears Gunna again. (He casts Barkskin. Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Um - )

it’s Gunna’s turn. Has ten minutes passed yet? Probably not. He attacks with a 24 - at Disadv! He forces a STR save (Does it have to? Gunna: “I insist.”) and it rolls a 13 - a fail. It takes 18 damage and it is disarmed of its spear, only it isn’t, because Gunna has killed it. Yay!

(Ed puts a gif of someone raising his arms and screaming “Victory!!” on the group chat; Gunna does exactly that.)

Does he need aid with that spear? He takes a potion. We’re all quite tired so Joe calls it there as Mina and Duncan are yawning.

(It turns out that Ed’s Irish coworker has been calling him Rich for the past year but he speaks so quickly that Ed has only just realised that’s what he’s saying. It is now far too late to correct him.)

[swldx]

Radio New Zealand Int. 1355 7 Feb 2021

6115Khz 1259 7 FEB 2021 - RADIO NEW ZEALAND INT. (NEW ZEALAND) in ENGLISH from RANGITAIKI. SINPO = 55334. English, bellbird int. until pips and news @1300z anchored by Adam Cooper. More than 100 feared dead after Himalayan glacier bursts in India collapsing a damn and causing a flash flood. A former Pullman Hotel guest who had been isolating at home in Hamilton for a week tested positive for Covid-19 but the Health Ministry said the case was most likely historical. Dunedin City Council providing free fruit and vegetables during blood tests as lead water contamination scare continues. West Auckland is on edge after a man was taken into custody today after allegedly firing two shots into the air during a fight due to possible gang activity. @1304z trailer for "9 to noon" program. @1305z Weather forecast. partly cloudy in the south. north island mostly fine with occasional showers. @1306z "all night program" music DJ'd by Adam Cooper. he mentions a message from "Steve" describing the "magical" coast road of NZ. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 100kW, beamAz 35°, bearing 240°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 12912KM from transmitter at Rangitaiki. Local time: 0659.

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Rodney Johnson 

Date: Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 3:16 PM

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Hi Adam,

Aaron was inspired to draw a picture of his experience this morning and I have attached it. Also, if you are interested I made some phone video recordings of your show this morning if you care to hear some airchecks from almost 13000Km away! The youtube links below:

https://youtu.be/SEitD4VTfCs

https://youtu.be/cu6D10WUE2w

https://youtu.be/A40qAFWXagc

https://youtu.be/ro9lN3R_lms

Oh and I don't know if you know it but at 1259 GMT (1:59am your time, I believe) the 6115kHz frequency signs on with a bellbird interval signal before the top of the hour pips followed by the news. Both Aaron (6 years old) and Leonard (4 years old) loves the sound of that bellbird and here's a rendition of it by 4-year-old Leonard:

https://youtu.be/hsGLfwLeKDQ

Thanks again for the shout out! Aaron is still beaming about it!

-Rodney, Aaron, and Leonard

Hide quoted text

On Sun, Feb 7, 2021 at 8:38 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Great photo Rodney, thanks for sharing! Must have been a bonus catching a nice clear sunrise in the middle of winter!

 

It brings back plenty of memories from my road trip down that coast. In fact that image suddenly made me think of the Bixby Bridges further south which were a highlight when I did the trip.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Kind regards

Adam

 

From: Rodney Johnson

Sent: Monday, 8 February 2021 3:26 AM

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Subject: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

 

Once again with the photo!

 

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Rodney Johnson 

Date: Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 8:24 AM

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

 

Hey Adam!

 

Yes we heard you mention us on air! You should have seen the smile on Aaron's face! Thanks so much, you made our day! And yes, very could here, the coldest day so far this winter by far! Thanks for warming it up a bit for us.

 

Thanks for mentioning the coast road in the pacific Northwest. Indeed a very rugged and beautiful place! I've attached one of my favorite winter sunset photos I took during a trip back in the 80s. It was at a place called Cannon Beach in Oregon.

 

(Sorry for all the typos, I'm all thumbs when trying to type on the phone!)

 

Have a great day, and enjoy your summer there. We're certainly missing it here!

 

-Rodney and Aaron

 

 

On Sun, Feb 7, 2021, 7:37 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Good morning Rodney and Aaron!

 

That has made my morning to know you are tuned i. It’s great to have your company!

 

Yes, the West Coast road is quite a special road in a remote part of New Zealand’s South Island – they even have signs up telling you to fill up with gas as there is quite a distance between gas stations. Quite rare for a small country like ours! The land and geography actually reminds me of the Pacific Northwest road through Oregon and California which I assume you’re familiar with Rodney – the rugged coastline, harsh (but beautiful) sea conditions, and the occasional spotting of a seal or whale if you’re lucky!

 

I had a look at the weather forecast in Plymouth out of interest – MINUS 2 is your high today?!?! Goodness me, that is cold. (That translates to minus 19 Celsius in the way we measure temperature) – I cannot quite believe that after a day at the beach on New Zealand’s Kapiti Coast, just north of Wellington, where our high today was a very enjoyable 75 Fahrenheit.

 

I trust you’re keeping warm, and great to hear from you over the other side of the Pacific. If you keep listening, at about 0250 NZDT in about 10 minutes I’ll pass on my best regards to you both on air and share your note with our listeners.

 

Thanks so much for your continued correspondence.

 

Adam

 

From: Rodney Johnson

Sent: Monday, 8 February 2021 2:12 AM

To: AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz>

Subject: Re: My Son and I catch your program every morning!

 

Hi Adam!

 

Aaron and I are Listening to you right now on the all night program! Great to hear about your memories traveling the magical  coast road in NZ!

 

You sound quite cheerful, keep up the good work!

 

-Rodney and Aaron!

On Mon, Feb 1, 2021, 4:33 PM Rodney Johnson <rodneyj44@gmail.com> wrote:

Greetings from Minnesota, Adam!

 

Aaron and I were listening to RNZ on Shortwave this morning at 1300GMT (2 am NZST), and the signal wasn't as good as it has been, but I thought we heard Johnny Blades reading the news, maybe you were on the hour before? It is noisy shortwave, so I certainly might be mistaken! Yes, Vicki and John have been so nice, and Aaron treats all of this correspondence like gold because he's just learning to read. This reception report and letter were certainly the first correspondence he's written, let alone getting such a warm response. The whole thing has been a great experience for him and definitely gets us both up in the morning!

 

So you stayed in British Columbia, Canada? I grew up in Eastern Washington State near a town called "Pullman" about 100km south of Spokane and about 500km east of Seattle. When I lived in Seattle (for about 12 years starting in the late 80s) I often make the trip to Vancouver BC for the Fringe Festival there. A very beautiful city!  I'm glad you had the chance to experience what we call "The Pacific Northwest". It really is a wonderful area. My reading about your trip makes me think you might have seen more of the country than I have! For Instance, I have never managed to make it down to New Orleans. I'm afraid we just moved to this area myself and between work and kids were just starting to explore Minnesota when the Pandemic hit. We have been meaning to make it up north to Duluth and what they call the "North Shore", we've heard a lot of good things about it, so you might try there. Also, if you enjoyed Yosemite (I have gone backpacking there a couple of times during my time living in San Francisco California from 2000 to 2015), You might also Try Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (and also the Grand Tetons, if you find the time) and Glacier National Park in Montana. Both of these Parks are along the Rocky Mountain range featuring the continental divide (one side all rivers flow to the Pacific, the other side the Atlantic!). 

 

Great to hear from you Adam. We'll be listening for you on the air!

 

Cheers!

 

- Rodney, Aaron and Leonard!

 

 

 

On Mon, Feb 1, 2021 at 5:47 AM AllNight <Allnight@rnz.co.nz> wrote:

Kia Ora Rodney, Aaron and Leonard!

 

Adam Cooper here – one of the fill-in presenters on the ‘All Night Programme’ – I’m on this morning, so your message has come to me. Vicki actually mentioned your correspondence to me when I was out working in the newsroom the other night when she had received your message – it’s so nice to know you’re turning in all the way from Minnesota. It’s quite amazing the global community we have tuning into RNZ, either via traditional radio or online. I know when I lived overseas, in British Columbia, Canada, that RNZ was a perfect way for me to keep in touch with everything that was happening back home – and to of course remind myself what the New Zealand accent sounded like!

 

Vicki is on her rostered days off but I have saved your latest message for her so she will see it when she returns to work a bit later in the week.

 

I hope all is well in Minnesota – I have a real love of the United States, which culminated from a six-week road trip a friend and I did in a hired 25-foot long RV in the summer of 2016 – starting off in California, and going up and down the country across many states, and finishing up in Chicago (which would be the closest I’ve been to Minnesota) – before flying to Washington DC then catching the train up to finish in New York. It was a magical trip and everywhere was just brilliant. My highlights were the pristine Yosemite National Park in California and the vibrant live music scene of New Orleans. I managed to see a lot of Washington State and Oregon too when I lived in Vancouver Canada for two years between 2018 and 2019.  Once this nasty pandemic dies down, exploring more of the US is top of my list again – I’ll happily take any recommendations of “must-see” places around the Midwest or Great Lakes area!!

 

Thanks again for your note, it really is great to know you are keeping us company from the other side of the Pacific.

 

Take care,

Adam Cooper

RNZ All Night Programme

[ajanefantasy]

Sari: The Borough - Ch 5

Two days later…

Sari held Asha as she danced amongst the usual crowd of seafarers, lifting her high to great cheers, as well happy giggles from the girl. Asha had bonded quickly with Tramp and his sons—Ocean, Paddle and River—and they with Asha, which pleased Sari greatly. She could see Reven’s spirit dancing amongst the group, never straying too far from his daughter. She knew he too was pleased with Asha’s new home, but far was he from ready to move on. He would watch over his little wildberry for quite some time, mayhap he would always watch over her.

“I look for Miss Zhari!” a deep voice called from the doorway. It boomed actually, as if he had forgotten he was not upon the sea.

The music stopped as everyone turned towards the interruption of their fun. Asha scrambled down from Sari’s hold and hid behind her, gripping her waist tight. The one interrupting was quite large and to a child such as Asha, quite scary as well. The man had a slashing brow, a full beard, and a long braided tail of dark auburn hair. He was not an unattractive man, but his features were more interesting than handsome.

“Hold no fear, poppet. He means no harm.” She knew that, because her magik was swirling madly, taking in all the information she could gather before she stepped forward.

“He looks most put out.”

“Methinks he might be in need of spectacles.” Sari squinted her eyes and waved a hand in front of her face, which earned her a giggle. “Run to Tramp, he will allow no one to be mean to you.”

Quick as a hare, Asha scampered through the crowd and behind the bar, grabbing Tramps waist as she had Sari’s. Her heart thumped a little less frantic when she felt her new papa place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I am told Miss Zhari spends time here.” The large seafarer stepped further into the pub, eyes narrowed as he continued to scan the crowd.

Sari started to take a step forward, but the regulars gathered around her, blocking her way. She stopped herself from laughing, they were attempting to shield her from the newcomer; she loved them all the more for it. Usually she could see over the heads of her fellow patrons as her six feet of height offered her that privilege, but so protective had they become of her in The Borough that the few sailors who matched or exceeded her in height were the ones standing in front of her.

“And who might ye be to be demanding our Zhari’s attention?” Manly Scruff, one of the shortest patrons in the pub, stepped forward from the crowd, his kilt, a bit frayed at the edges, swinging about his knees—The Borough was home to quite a few from the Northern Seas. He looked up at the newcomer, arms akimbo with hands on his hips, showing no fear despite the great difference in height. The stranger topped him by at least a foot.

“Capt’n Hammer Boots I be and a debt of gratitude I owe for she found and aided in the retrieval of my cargo.”

“All is well, my friends.” Sari put her hands on the shoulders of the two men directly in front of her, giving them a squeeze. “This is Master Stack’s new captain. I mind not meeting with him.”

“Are ye certain, poppet? Nae need is there if truly ye desire it not. A stranger he be to these parts.”

Hammer’s brow furrowed. “Far am I from a stranger to Issin Sound.”

“And yet never have any of us seen ye in here,” Manly shot back.

Hammer opened and then closed his mouth, realizing the other man was correct. Never did he stop within The Borough. He oft stopped within the local teahouse, but not the pub. Truth was, rarely did he drink. Teased he was by his family for it, but never had he found a taste for ale or yiska, and ‘twas rare to find good wine served within a pub.

He crossed his arms over his chest, growing stubborn. He would speak with the one who helped Master Stack retrieve his cargo. ‘Twas all he heard about since returning from his trip inland and he was beginning to think they exaggerated. Claimed they did she be a fancy sort, though preferred she did to take ale and dance with them than her own kind. Claimed they did she would buy ale when funds were short with only the expectation of a story as payment. Claimed his crew did she solved mysteries. Claimed they did she showed no fear of Lucky and trounced her well with sword and insult and doing so despite her arm covered in blood from Lucky’s sword.

Surely such a woman did not exist.

“If Miss Zhari be here, I would speak with her.”

Sari pushed and shoved and forced her way betwixt the two men in front of her and instantly Cal was at her side. She smiled up at the large man. “I am Sari.”

“Sharree then, not Zhari?”

“Depends upon where one is from, but ‘tis indeed Sari. ‘Tis a Tartyn name.”

“I see.” He eyed the woman, certain she could be no more than twenty and five. Nor could she ever be mistaken for one who made her living by the sea, let alone held need to use her hands in any physical manner. This woman, ‘twas obvious to him, she was either from the High Commons or Titled class. So what did she do within such a place? She stood before him, as his crew described, and yet still did he have trouble believing. “You aided Master Stack? You fought Lucky Charm?”

“You speak as if such things are difficult.” She smiled hearing those about her chuckle. Apparently, Captain Hammer found little humor in her words if she were to go by his scowl.

“Lucky, she…”

“Is a cur and a vile one at that. Do you need see the lovely line of stitches I hold from the confrontation?” She touched her shoulder. More chuckles from the group behind her, but she held her hand up and gained silence. “Captain Hammer, Master Stack is a fine man and a friend, one who asked me for aid which gladly was given. Hope I do he continues to hold place within your crew for ‘twas not his fault what happened.”

“That I know well how Lucky Charm operates, never did it cross my mind to put him ashore. That he made certain my cargo was returned and increased, ‘tis a bonus he will receive. Truly you fought Lucky?”

“Again, ‘twas not difficult and better fights have I had. Not even were her insults original.”

“I thank you. I especially thank you for an even finer cargo is now mine from this venture. Aught you ever need of me and ‘twill be done.”

“Aught I desire?”

“Aye. You hold me in debt and always do I pay my debts.”

“And no doubt do I hold that I will collect.” Sari laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the crowd, signaling the music to begin again. This man was much too serious.

---

©A. Jane

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Sari Chapter 1

[tumblunni]

Cathedral Tower Defense Game character ideas and stuff so far! I’ve talked about some of these before but I wanna just compile it in summary form, and try and get thinking about more to add. It’d be so cool if I could make it like an early suikoden game where you have the world’s biggest party selection! Or at least have that equivelant but with recruiting shopkeepers and townbuilders and stuff.

So... long post ahoy!

* Protagonist (Sir/Lady/Master Amity) Your selectable renameable main charrie! A badass disabled veteran who lost their family in the war and ended up defending this cathedral town of strangers in order to prevent another tragedy. They’re generally distrusted at the beginning, have a lot of doubts about what philosophy they should take in life, and its up to you to decide how the story plays out. But no matter what, this protagonist is a cool grumpy comically-serious nerd gramp! (or gran or etc) i really REALLY like the idea of changing them to be an older veteran character, it just works so much better and seriously WHY are there like zero grandma protagonists in anything ever? I will vow to make this one as amazing as possible!!

* Florin Generally supportive yet sassy and lazy deutorogonist helper guy. He’s your first ally in this world and maybe kind of a tutorial, lol. Even though he’s a total cinnamon roll, he’s as distrusted as you because he’s a demon. Even the protagonist kinda wonders why on earth he wants to help them, and whether he’s some sort of enemy spy... His elemental realm is over plants, and he has no greater joy than taking a nice nap amoungst the flowers~

* Malachi At the moment the only fully developed idea I have for another party member, aside from Florin. Though I’m not sure if I want him to be optional or mandatory? In either case when you recruit him he’s the catylyst for a lot of character development for Florin, and they end up becoming like a lil adopted family ^_^ Anyway, Mal is a very young and adorable demon child that the party finds sealed away beneath some ruins. Precociously innocent, he seems unaware that he’s become a monster. I mean, everyone eats rocks, right?

* Admiral Chiffon (wip name) A major recurring enemy turned ally! Chiffon starts off as just the eccentric comic relief member of the opposing army, kinda harmless and kinda entertaining. And you might pity her quite a bit, because her coworkers treat her like absolute shit. I basically invented this character because I got sick of seeing the ‘ha ha flambouyant gross comic relief villain’ thing in recent fire emblems, and wondered what it would be like to have a villain whose LGBTQ status is treated as a sympathising aspect instead, leading to a redemption when she finds people who dont treat her like those damn writers treated everyone :P So yeah, she’s a transgender woman who faces a lot of predjudice in her career, and I hope I can make it very heartwarming when she finds true friendship with our heroes! And also I hope it can make the non-comic-relief villains seem extra disgustingly unforgiveable after you see how badly they treat their own teammates. Her personality is gonna be kind of a greedy merchant sort of person, but what if that archetype was a good character instead. She remains sassy and greedy even when she’s been redeemed, i like a good ‘ol vice-filled hero yknow! Character development is my jam! Also all i know about her design so far is that I think I want her to have stylishly skunk striped hair, to represent greying streaks and all. I was imagining her as the token grandma of the cast before I decided to age up the protagonist lol

* Currently unnamed church matron duo, aka Timon And Pumbaa One of my early-ish undeveloped concepts for non-battling town members. These two are florin’s equivelant, they’re the town workers you start off with before the game really starts. I’m thinking they’d be like nuns/priestesses that worked at this place before you came along, and you have a bit of a rivalry here because they pragmatically know they need you to defend the stronghold but they’re also very wary of you. The ‘timon’ one would be the main one who actually holds all these opinions, a sort of crusty matronly mega paranoid lady who thinks you’re gonna backstab us all at any moment! And she’s some sort of super scary chronic sufferer of resting bitch face, even though she sees herself as the ultimate arbiter of justice everyone else thinks she’s terrifying. Just imagine her trying to hug a baby that just cries as if it saw the face of death! Life sucks when you’re a lawful good character stuck in a chaotic evil character design! And then her partner is a funloving pumbaa-esque team chef, who’s actually kinda too loving and innocent to ever distrust anyone. But she always just falls in with whatever her boss says, its like a pinky and the brain situation. Oh and I’m already kinda preemptively shipping these two before I’ve even finished designing them XD

* Depression jail janitor Starts as a prisoner you take from one of the enemy raids, but he ends up winning your trust and joining your team. Entirely against his will! he’s a chronically depressed man who was forcibly drafted into the evil army even though he doesnt believe in their cause, but now he feels like he’s unforgiveable anyway. So he spends all his time trying to convince you that he is indeed pure evil! But the more humble he is, the more everyone believes in his genuine kindness. Alas! It doesnt help that he also kinda has chronic hero syndrome and cant resist helping out in every possible way. So that is how a prisoner ended up becoming the one in charge of the jail keys! And he’s like Everyone’s Dad. (Even the people decades older than him...)

* Former bully powerful friend The one other main child character, cos I wanted Malachi to have some friends. They start off at odds and she initially joins in with everyone bullying him, cos she wants to fit in. But he ends up helping her deal with her insecurities and realise she was only resenting him for being ‘weak’ because she saw herself reflected in him. or rather, the traits in herself she’d tried to hide to make everyone like her, even if it meant joining in with bullying and only having horrible asshole friends. So she sacrifices her popularity with the main clique in order to defend malachi, and ends up finding her first true friend with him. They’re better off being outcasts together! So yeah cutie malachi will have some sort of stronge deliquent friend with a heart of gold, and I’m not sure yet whether she’d be playable or not? i kinda feel like its not right to have someone that young join the party unless they have magic powers to protect them. So maybe she can fight by teaming up with malachi, actually? like, she rides atop his stone dragon golem form and supports with ranged weaponry or something. or just acts as an advisor? I liked the idea I had that there would be a buffs-only type of magic stone, and people could cast it on themselves to have enhanced senses at something or other and improve their supporting skills. Like the protagonist would maybe have an eyesight-enhancing buff crystal to act as a sniper scope!

* Rival warrior buff teen person Very undeveloped cos I just came up with them ysterday, lol! I’m thinking possibly make this character female just cos this archetype doesnt get to be female all that often. Kind of a draco malfoy type snooty rival, but with a more sympathetic side and ultimately you do become friends. Theyre just a simple ordinary citizen who was doing the best they could to protect their family before you came along, and now kinda resents the fact you’re all BETTER THAN EVERYONE and taking their job as guardian! They have a lot of anxieties over the fact they struggled so hard to become self-trained and now you’re here making it look easy. So the plot has a general theme of believing too much in ‘destiny’, and that some people are just born with talent and you’ll never succeed if you werent lucky enough. This character started off trying to act like theyre inherantly blessed with that talent, because they’re terrified that they aren’t... Oh and I think once you befriend them I think they might be like a ryuuji/junpei type of friend? But without the weird sexism and homophobia randomness that persona 4 threw onto yosuke. Just like a bit of a cheerful cliche ‘bro’ who isnt all that interested in books and likes to be all ‘cmon do it for the vine’. A good polar opposite to the protagonist who could have some cute interactions!

* Rival warrior’s chilled out older sibling figure of reasonableness Every rin needs a yukio! I think they’d be maybe a bartender or owner of a restaurant or something? Just some sort of super chilled out job where they act as an agony aunt to their customers, the place is very popular because of the great service. (Though also everyone is kinda like ‘yo you dont have to run it all by yourself, yo you dont need to give us bonus extra special treatment, seriously get some sleep dude!!’) But anyway they’re this perpetually relaxed super kind soul who’s always the reasonable response to their lil sib’s ohohoho angry rivalness. But the bad side to it is that they’re also a lil depressed and apathetic about their own life, they’re kinda like someone who really lives for their family, in a bad way. They’ve been like a single parent to their sibling because they had kind of a tragic backstory, and big sib has just grown too used to sacrificing everything in order to help other people and never taking care of themself. And they have a lot of trouble even.. feeling emotions. The outwardly chilled and happy-go-lucky facade covers up just a void of nothing but self hate and emptiness. They feel like they’d already been tainted by the way their abusive parents used to treat them, its too late for them and all they can do is try and save other people from falling down the same path. Oh, and I think maybe the two siblings are actually immigrants from the villain country? Like, when older sib ran away from the abusive family they ended up here, and now they try and keep it secret, to the point that even the younger sibling doesnt know where they were born. Basically I just wanna have a LOT of different subplots showing how the ordinary citizens of this country aren’t all evil just because their government are the bad guys in this story. And especially covering topics like characters who’re part of that ethnicity and get treated like they’re inherantly terrorists even if they were born and raised in a completely different country!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1241

Monday, December 17, 2018

 I got sucked into the vortex that happens this time of year for social events that I couldn't avoid. We went out to dinner on Friday at Grow Your Roots Café in Kanata with our vegetarian friends to celebrate my and Brian's birthdays, which are two weeks apart in December. I actually enjoyed my beyond meat burger platter. Way better than A&W's, although to be fair I haven't had the fast food version yet, but Brian has. And their fries were excellent too. Saturday was date night with dinner at the Yangtze Restaurant on Somerset Street and then crossing Arthur Street to Bar Robo to see the Tony D Trio. I've always wanted to see Tony D play live and this was a great chance to do that. It was intimate and we got a great table. We stayed for both sets and got home just before midnight. Not bad for an old fogey. The rocking music helped me stay awake. Sunday morning found us at the Carleton Tavern having breakfast at 9 AM. We try to see Sam the chef before Christmas and wish him and his family all the best for the holidays. Sam spoils us. You can tell he piles a lot more food on our plates than for other diners. You get that when you've patronized a place for 40 years. And finally, I venture out tonight to go see the Aquaman movie with my Jee-Riz partner Chris. I hear Amber Heard is in it.

 X-23 #7 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). X-Assassin part 1. You can safely jump onto this book right here with this new story. Laura and Gabby help out the NYPD with a serial murder case and the killer is something brand new. I like the connection between the assassin, X-23 and Honey Badger and the new art team did a great job so I'm going to keep reading.

 Doctor Strange: The Best Defense #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Greg Smallwood (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). By the Vishanti was this ever good. These Defender one-shots are thoroughly worth reading if you're a big Marvel Fan. Greg did a wonderful tribute to Steve Ditko in a two page spread and I loved his Clea. The stabby guy in the bed sheet is still killing aliens too.

 The Silver Surfer: The Best Defense #1 - Jason Latour (writer & art) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). My hopes for all of the Defenders one-shots to be stellar were dashed with this one. Norrin Radd doesn't even appear until way later in the story. It starts off incomprehensibly with a bunch of aliens and ends with a lot of new age gobbledy goop that the Surfer spouts while floating in space. The crazy knife wielding Halloween ghost only shows up in two panels so that was disappointing as well. The only thing I liked was when the Surfer's board takes off eh.

 Magic Order #5 - Mark Millar (writer) Olivier Coipel (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This is the penultimate issue with many shocking revelations. It sets up next issue's conclusion beautifully. I can hardly wait to find out what happens.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1/LGY #241 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yay! This did not suck. I was so afraid that the new Miles book would not stand up to the high standard that I put on it when Brian Michael Bendis was writing his adventures. Saladin Ahmed did an excellent job here and it helped that Javier Garron's art rocked the whole issue. You get all you need to know to enjoy this Spider-Man even if you didn't read the 240 issues leading up to this. I admit I did a little eye roll when the super villain showed up but then there's a twist that made me give a cheer. I can't wait for the next issue, and that's the magic that Brian used to make that kept me reading.

 The Batman Who Laughs #1 - Scott Snyder (writer) Jock (art) David Baron (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). I was going to give this 6-issue mini a pass because I didn't like the whole Dark Nights Metal storyline but I thought I'd give Scott Snyder another chance. He presents a very different kind of dark knight that I still do not like so I won't finish reading this story either, but that's just me. If you want to see what happens when Batman gets turned into the Joker (WTF?) then you'll want to read this.

 Goddess Mode #1 - Zoe Quinn (writer) Robbi Rodriguez (art) Rico Renzi (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This new Vertigo book takes place in a very colourful future where folks live in a virtual reality because the real world sucks. Cassandra Price is a coder who works for the corporation that controls the VR. A glitch sends her into another reality and there she meets three other women and I think they go fight evil forces. This book is very bright and very tech and text heavy. I felt like I didn't get to know Cassandra very well before she gets transformed into a goddess and her situation is very confusing. This book is not to my taste unfortunately.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #3/LGY #11 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). A.I.M. has broken into Pym Labs to steal tech and Nadia must save her friends and keep the bad guys from getting away. These foes are quite formidable and even with the help of the original Wasp and Mockingbird, the bad guys win. I like the new A.I.M. villains and want to learn more about them.

 Avengers #11/LGY #701 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness & Cory Smith (pencils) Mark Morales, Scott Hanna & Karl Kesel (inks/finishers) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the calm before the next storm. According to the cover Jason's other story in Thor, "The War of the Realms", will cross over into this book in 4 months. Meanwhile, T'Challa meets with some international super heroes to try and form an alliance to keep the world safe. Thor and She-Hulk go on a date and Phil Coulson explains why there's a Squadron Supreme of America. See, it's not always massive alien invasions and war with Namor.

 Fantastic Four Wedding Special #1 - This lead in one-shot to Fantastic Four #650 has 3 stories.

"(Invisible) Girls Gone Wild" by Gail Simone (writer) Laura Braga (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) is a silly bachelorette party at a strip joint with Alicia's friends and some of Sue's super powered buddies. I expected better from Gail.

"Father Figure" by Dan Slott (writer) Mark Buckingham (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Matt Yackey (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) reminded me of who Alicia's step-father is. I was touched as I remembered asking Mr. Fowler for Penny's hand in marriage. I loved the job the two Marks did. I would have sworn Jack Kirby drew this.

"The Puppet Master's Lament" by Fred Hembeck (writer & art) & Megan Wilson (colours) was a monologue recap of Ben and Alicia's relationship. It was typical Fred Hembeck humour.

You really don't have to read this since there's nothing here that impacts the wedding much but it's a nice accompaniment to the big day.

 Sasquatch Detective #1 - Brandee Stilwell (creator & writer). This $7.99 US 64-page special continues the beloved tradition of silly funny animal comic books that used to rule the racks. Too bad it doesn't cost 25 cents like back in the fifties. You get the origin story by Ron Randall (art) Ross Campbell (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). This will tell you how Tonya Mae Lightfoot from the Appalachian Mountains leaves her Sasquatch family to go to Los Angeles and join the LAPD. What follows are five short stories where Tonya solves crimes. I would not have wanted to read this big book normally, but the art throughout is really good. Thanks to Gustavo Vazques (art) & Chris Sotomayor (colours) in "Sasquatch Anniversary"; Gustavo Vazques (art) & Ross Campbell (colours) in "Unsolved Mysteries", "Neighbourhood Watch", "Arrest and Relaxation" & "Smoke and Mirrors". There are even some cameos by some DC heroes as a bonus.

 Batman Annual #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). If Tom King ever leaves Batman I hope that Tom Taylor takes over the writing chores. I love when Alfred is featured but only if it's very well written and this story is very well written indeed. The relationship between Alfred and Batman/Bruce is special and this story proves just how special. If you're a Batman fan but don't normally get the annual, you have to get this one.

[cookinginmyheels]

Ah the holiday season. Love it or hate it, now is not a “meh” time of year. I’d prefer to be all merry about it, but discovered that when you move around and are either so new don’t know anyone celebrate with, or lack funds to escape to warmer or merrier climes, the holidays can be slog to just get through.  Luckily I’ve also discovered the joys of finding your tribe in a new land, and this year I’m so dang jolly I practically jingle when I walk.

Part of my strategy for enjoying the holidays was figuring out how to entertain during it. Getting on your pal’s schedules during this crowded season can be a blizzard of “Rats, I’d love to but already have something”, as calendars fill with family parties, festive work things, ugly sweater clad latke fries, cookie-swaps and the like. All of which is why I choose to host a holiday brunch.  It’s WAY easier to get a slot on early afternoons, and guests (at least my friends) seem to love a good pre-game. Brunch also has the added bonus of ending early, leaving time for a little disco-napping before everyone heads out for a night on the town.

This year I’m heading back to NY for the holidays, but last year I held what I am hoping will become a biennial brunch on New Years Eve day. If you are like me, going out that last night of the year is an amateur-night of  overpriced over-expectations often followed by disappointment – thus something I usually avoid. But an early afternoon brunch? I’m all in on that, and so are my friends.

The menu below was just a part of the year-end buffet on my dining room table ushering in the end of 2017. All of my friends brought a dish and bottle to share, making this truly a community effort. Give some of these a try, and I guarantee tummies will be jolly indeed. 😉

Sending you BIG CHEERS for all the joys and deliciousness of the season! XO

Holiday Brunch Menu 

This is the list of things I made – supplemented beautifully by all the lovely treats my friends added….

Holiday Brunch Menu

Mushroom & Gruyere Tart

Alsace Onion Bacon Tart

Trout Pate

Bostock **  (This recipe link calls for brioche, but this works really well with challah, which is easier to find. You can also skip the orange flower water in the syrup.)

Assorted holiday cookies and truffles (FYI, this is a GREAT way to get rid of them before the January righteousness and resolutions kick in)

Alsace Onion Bacon Tart

Inspired by André Soltner’s version, serves 4-6 lunch sized portions, or 12 hors d’oeuvres

Alsace Bacon Onion Tart, Mushroom Gruyere Tart

This is partly authentic in regards to what goes on the tart, but I took the shortcut of using puff pastry instead of making the tart dough. I was already going to use puff for the mushroom tart, and it was perfect for this too.

1 sheet puff pastry

4 bacon slices (1/4 lb), cut crosswise into 1/8- to 1/16-inch-wide strips

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 lb onions, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced crosswise (10 cups)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Line a sheet pan with parchment and preheat your oven to 400ºF. Flour your counter or board, and unroll one sheet of puff pastry onto the parchment. With the point of a knife, gently score (cut through about halfway, NOT all the way) about a half-inch border around the pastry. You’ll be spreading everything up to that score line, so the outer border puffs up forming the edge crust. Stow in the fridge to keep cool until you are ready to fill.

Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and pour off bacon fat. Add butter to skillet and cook onions with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low cover skillet and continue to cook, lifting lid to stir frequently, until onions are very soft and pale golden, about 20 minutes. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

Whisk together crème fraîche, eggs, nutmeg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then stir in onions.

Remove the pan with dough from fridge, and carefully pour the filling on and spread just to the score line. Bake until filling is set and top is golden, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Smoked Trout Pate

Trout Pate

I’m not sure where I found this recipe. I made it the first time for a 45th birthday party (mine) and it has been a staple in my brunch/cocktail party recipe repertoire ever since. Serve with brioche toasts, pita chips or slices of baguette, and it makes an AWESOME breakfast shmeared on a toasted everything bagel too. 🙂

1 pound smoked trout fillet, skinned and de-boned

¼ pound cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons cognac

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, plus more for garnish

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons lemon juice

hot sauce, such as Tabasco

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Puree trout, cream cheese, butter, cognac, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and dill in food processor.  Add lemon juice, a few drops hot sauce, salt and pepper, and pulse. Transfer to bowl. Cover, and refrigerate at least an hour (or overnight). Garnish with more onion and dill.

If you like what you read here, please help me spread the word. Meantime, I’d love you to join me on Facebook (please click the ‘like’ button.)

  DWF: Getting Brunchy With It Ah the holiday season. Love it or hate it, now is not a "meh" time of year.

[healthylifepage]

DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE!

A fortnight ago, I had an outrageously exciting adventure; I headed to Machynlleth, in North-West Wales to take part in the Red Bull Fox Hunt, the world’s only all-female downhill mountain biking event (N.B, there were no 4-legged foxes involved, only 2-legged ones on bikes!). Regularly cycling along the leafy roads of suburban North London and growing up biking about the idyllic Swedish countryside I mistakenly thought I probably had this covered and that it would be pretty easy; not for the last time, I somewhat misjudged it! The course was remote, cold, muddy, unbelievably slippery and the mountains were terrifyingly steep at speed; imagine trying to get traction whilst cycling through chocolate slurry… Why did I do it? EE invited me to go somewhere with absolutely no coverage, so that they could show how their 4G ‘Helikite’ can deliver superfast 4G to my smartphone in the most remote places.  This was a super muddy experiment for me to prove the thesis. Click MORE to see how I got on during the downhill (clue; my shoes became ‘collateral damage’!)…

1)    SETTING THE SCENE…

This was an event powered by EE’s superfast 4G network which allowed me to use my phone for calls, texts, and planning/checking my route. Whilst travelling to Mach (as the locals affectionately – and pronounceably – nickname it), there was a point at which signal simply stopped on the train. The more rural we got, the less likely it was that I’d be able to check emails, have a flutter on social media or even make calls. That absence of what you might take for granted, the ability to communicate on demand, was quite surprisingly paralyzing as if a sense has been temporarily muted. With that in mind, it was quite amazing to find myself standing on top of the mountains in rural Wales only to receive a good luck call before heading down the track!

Rachel Atherton, last year’s winner, and MTB pro designed the route. Unfortunately, she had a cracked rib and for that reason was unable to take part, but she was there cheering competitors along. This year’s winner was Millie Johnset who was the first down the hill with a dominant, fear-inducing and presumably reckless time of 00.03.50, outperforming 2nd place by a prodigious margin of 33 seconds!

2)    WHY CYCLE?

Cycling is one of my favourite ways to travel around as it not only gets me there, but I can do some bonus cardio training in the process. It burns calories (c. 120 calories per mile), elevates the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, eases the risk of cardiovascular disease and it’s pretty soft on the environment too! Compared to running, which puts a lot of strain on the body (especially the knees), cycling is very low impact exercise and is kinder to your joints. It builds stamina and strength, with fewer injuries along the way. If you’re worried about losing precious muscle mass because of the CV, cycling actually develops muscle, especially in the lower body as power is generated by the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which will fuel additional calorie burn even after the journey has ended. It will also stimulate the production of HGH (human growth hormone), and remember, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so this is a form of exercise that keeps on giving!

However, this event evidently wasn’t about road biking. MTB is a completely different ball game; in fact, it’s not actually a ball game. Enthusiasts who’ve invested thousands of pounds into their bikes, gathered from all over the UK, pitched tents overnight in a muddy, sodden field surrounded by cute local sheep so that they could get on their bikes early in the morning in the rain, to cycle up a mountain and then hurl themselves back down again! That’s dedication, passion and enthusiasm from a super involved community!

3)   MY TAKE…

a) OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE… Whilst it was indeed cold, wet and rainy and the mud only got muddier, it was also super invigorating to be out there! For lack of a better example, it a little bit like the time when you’re standing beside a lake and you’re already cold and you’re debating whether to get colder and wetter by jumping in…. then you do it and it feels great! You just have to plough on and hope for the best!

b) Brings people together, a diverse crowd. This was my first experience within the community, and MTB is, I would say, a fairly niche discipline. Yes, it’s pretty accessible for everyone but for this event, you either live nearby or have gone out of your way to pursue this passion.This became apparent when looking around I saw energetic women of all ages and different fitness levels who all had different reasons for being there. One woman I spoke to said she wanted to lose weight but wanted a real outdoorsy challenge and another said she’d divorced her husband and wanted to just do something different.

c) It’s challenging, exhilarating and for anyone looking for a bit of adrenaline look no further! The closeness to nature combined with the speed and knife-edge approach to balance is a recipe for a natural high!

d) Intense cardiovascular training, whilst being low impact. It’s cardiovascular training with natural intervals. The terrain constantly changes, you may be going downhill, uphill, pitching left and right, whereby speed and resistance changes. This means you’ll have times of heavy resistance, so your legs burn and are seriously challenged. Interval training gets the heart rate up toasts more calories in less time. This is serious leg training targeting the gluteus as well, so you may experience soreness the next couple of days if this is something you’re not used too.

e) It’s affordable. You can rent bikes of varying technical credentials, and at different price levels but that’s a one-off investment. You don’t need a membership, you literally can cycle anywhere – endless freedom! I probably wouldn’t bring a Boris Bike to this sort of event though…

f) TOURISM! It means you see new parts of the world. Whether it be your city or the countryside, it gets you out in the open, fresh air and stimulation!

4) DID I GET SIGNAL?

Despite being off the grid, with no network coverage, in the rural outback of the remote Welsh countryside, EE’s ‘Airmast’ balloon showered an arcing dome of superfast 4G signal across the competition site, and beyond. With my smartphone tucked inside my jersey, I was in contact with whoever and whatever throughout. I was able to call, text and record-and-share my workout stats through the day. I took breaks during the hours of riding up, down and around the course, during which I could simply be in touch when needed – that’s a sense of freedom I very much appreciate, given how much the job relies on communication!

  ______________________

This post is a sponsored collaboration with EE. For more about why I take on such projects, please see my DISCLOSURE page. Thank you. 

The post DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE! posted first on yummylooksbest.blogspot.com

[yolandadsims]

DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE!

A fortnight ago, I had an outrageously exciting adventure; I headed to Machynlleth, in North-West Wales to take part in the Red Bull Fox Hunt, the world’s only all-female downhill mountain biking event (N.B, there were no 4-legged foxes involved, only 2-legged ones on bikes!). Regularly cycling along the leafy roads of suburban North London and growing up biking about the idyllic Swedish countryside I mistakenly thought I probably had this covered and that it would be pretty easy; not for the last time, I somewhat misjudged it! The course was remote, cold, muddy, unbelievably slippery and the mountains were terrifyingly steep at speed; imagine trying to get traction whilst cycling through chocolate slurry… Why did I do it? EE invited me to go somewhere with absolutely no coverage, so that they could show how their 4G ‘Helikite’ can deliver superfast 4G to my smartphone in the most remote places.  This was a super muddy experiment for me to prove the thesis. Click MORE to see how I got on during the downhill (clue; my shoes became ‘collateral damage’!)…

1)    SETTING THE SCENE…

This was an event powered by EE’s superfast 4G network which allowed me to use my phone for calls, texts, and planning/checking my route. Whilst travelling to Mach (as the locals affectionately – and pronounceably – nickname it), there was a point at which signal simply stopped on the train. The more rural we got, the less likely it was that I’d be able to check emails, have a flutter on social media or even make calls. That absence of what you might take for granted, the ability to communicate on demand, was quite surprisingly paralyzing as if a sense has been temporarily muted. With that in mind, it was quite amazing to find myself standing on top of the mountains in rural Wales only to receive a good luck call before heading down the track!

Rachel Atherton, last year’s winner, and MTB pro designed the route. Unfortunately, she had a cracked rib and for that reason was unable to take part, but she was there cheering competitors along. This year’s winner was Millie Johnset who was the first down the hill with a dominant, fear-inducing and presumably reckless time of 00.03.50, outperforming 2nd place by a prodigious margin of 33 seconds!

2)    WHY CYCLE?

Cycling is one of my favourite ways to travel around as it not only gets me there, but I can do some bonus cardio training in the process. It burns calories (c. 120 calories per mile), elevates the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, eases the risk of cardiovascular disease and it’s pretty soft on the environment too! Compared to running, which puts a lot of strain on the body (especially the knees), cycling is very low impact exercise and is kinder to your joints. It builds stamina and strength, with fewer injuries along the way. If you’re worried about losing precious muscle mass because of the CV, cycling actually develops muscle, especially in the lower body as power is generated by the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which will fuel additional calorie burn even after the journey has ended. It will also stimulate the production of HGH (human growth hormone), and remember, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so this is a form of exercise that keeps on giving!

However, this event evidently wasn’t about road biking. MTB is a completely different ball game; in fact, it’s not actually a ball game. Enthusiasts who’ve invested thousands of pounds into their bikes, gathered from all over the UK, pitched tents overnight in a muddy, sodden field surrounded by cute local sheep so that they could get on their bikes early in the morning in the rain, to cycle up a mountain and then hurl themselves back down again! That’s dedication, passion and enthusiasm from a super involved community!

3)   MY TAKE…

a) OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE… Whilst it was indeed cold, wet and rainy and the mud only got muddier, it was also super invigorating to be out there! For lack of a better example, it a little bit like the time when you’re standing beside a lake and you’re already cold and you’re debating whether to get colder and wetter by jumping in…. then you do it and it feels great! You just have to plough on and hope for the best!

b) Brings people together, a diverse crowd. This was my first experience within the community, and MTB is, I would say, a fairly niche discipline. Yes, it’s pretty accessible for everyone but for this event, you either live nearby or have gone out of your way to pursue this passion.This became apparent when looking around I saw energetic women of all ages and different fitness levels who all had different reasons for being there. One woman I spoke to said she wanted to lose weight but wanted a real outdoorsy challenge and another said she’d divorced her husband and wanted to just do something different.

c) It’s challenging, exhilarating and for anyone looking for a bit of adrenaline look no further! The closeness to nature combined with the speed and knife-edge approach to balance is a recipe for a natural high!

d) Intense cardiovascular training, whilst being low impact. It’s cardiovascular training with natural intervals. The terrain constantly changes, you may be going downhill, uphill, pitching left and right, whereby speed and resistance changes. This means you’ll have times of heavy resistance, so your legs burn and are seriously challenged. Interval training gets the heart rate up toasts more calories in less time. This is serious leg training targeting the gluteus as well, so you may experience soreness the next couple of days if this is something you’re not used too.

e) It’s affordable. You can rent bikes of varying technical credentials, and at different price levels but that’s a one-off investment. You don’t need a membership, you literally can cycle anywhere – endless freedom! I probably wouldn’t bring a Boris Bike to this sort of event though…

f) TOURISM! It means you see new parts of the world. Whether it be your city or the countryside, it gets you out in the open, fresh air and stimulation!

4) DID I GET SIGNAL?

Despite being off the grid, with no network coverage, in the rural outback of the remote Welsh countryside, EE’s ‘Airmast’ balloon showered an arcing dome of superfast 4G signal across the competition site, and beyond. With my smartphone tucked inside my jersey, I was in contact with whoever and whatever throughout. I was able to call, text and record-and-share my workout stats through the day. I took breaks during the hours of riding up, down and around the course, during which I could simply be in touch when needed – that’s a sense of freedom I very much appreciate, given how much the job relies on communication!

  ______________________

This post is a sponsored collaboration with EE. For more about why I take on such projects, please see my DISCLOSURE page. Thank you. 

The post DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Health And Fitness Updates http://fitnessontoast.com/2017/10/24/fitness-travel-wales-downhill-mountain-biking-ee-signal-iphone-8/

[muscledemandsrespect]

DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE!

A fortnight ago, I had an outrageously exciting adventure; I headed to Machynlleth, in North-West Wales to take part in the Red Bull Fox Hunt, the world’s only all-female downhill mountain biking event (N.B, there were no 4-legged foxes involved, only 2-legged ones on bikes!). Regularly cycling along the leafy roads of suburban North London and growing up biking about the idyllic Swedish countryside I mistakenly thought I probably had this covered and that it would be pretty easy; not for the last time, I somewhat misjudged it! The course was remote, cold, muddy, unbelievably slippery and the mountains were terrifyingly steep at speed; imagine trying to get traction whilst cycling through chocolate slurry… Why did I do it? EE invited me to go somewhere with absolutely no coverage, so that they could show how their 4G ‘Helikite’ can deliver superfast 4G to my smartphone in the most remote places.  This was a super muddy experiment for me to prove the thesis. Click MORE to see how I got on during the downhill (clue; my shoes became ‘collateral damage’!)…

1)    SETTING THE SCENE…

This was an event powered by EE’s superfast 4G network which allowed me to use my phone for calls, texts, and planning/checking my route. Whilst travelling to Mach (as the locals affectionately – and pronounceably – nickname it), there was a point at which signal simply stopped on the train. The more rural we got, the less likely it was that I’d be able to check emails, have a flutter on social media or even make calls. That absence of what you might take for granted, the ability to communicate on demand, was quite surprisingly paralyzing as if a sense has been temporarily muted. With that in mind, it was quite amazing to find myself standing on top of the mountains in rural Wales only to receive a good luck call before heading down the track!

Rachel Atherton, last year’s winner, and MTB pro designed the route. Unfortunately, she had a cracked rib and for that reason was unable to take part, but she was there cheering competitors along. This year’s winner was Millie Johnset who was the first down the hill with a dominant, fear-inducing and presumably reckless time of 00.03.50, outperforming 2nd place by a prodigious margin of 33 seconds!

2)    WHY CYCLE?

Cycling is one of my favourite ways to travel around as it not only gets me there, but I can do some bonus cardio training in the process. It burns calories (c. 120 calories per mile), elevates the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, eases the risk of cardiovascular disease and it’s pretty soft on the environment too! Compared to running, which puts a lot of strain on the body (especially the knees), cycling is very low impact exercise and is kinder to your joints. It builds stamina and strength, with fewer injuries along the way. If you’re worried about losing precious muscle mass because of the CV, cycling actually develops muscle, especially in the lower body as power is generated by the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which will fuel additional calorie burn even after the journey has ended. It will also stimulate the production of HGH (human growth hormone), and remember, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so this is a form of exercise that keeps on giving!

However, this event evidently wasn’t about road biking. MTB is a completely different ball game; in fact, it’s not actually a ball game. Enthusiasts who’ve invested thousands of pounds into their bikes, gathered from all over the UK, pitched tents overnight in a muddy, sodden field surrounded by cute local sheep so that they could get on their bikes early in the morning in the rain, to cycle up a mountain and then hurl themselves back down again! That’s dedication, passion and enthusiasm from a super involved community!

3)   MY TAKE…

a) OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE… Whilst it was indeed cold, wet and rainy and the mud only got muddier, it was also super invigorating to be out there! For lack of a better example, it a little bit like the time when you’re standing beside a lake and you’re already cold and you’re debating whether to get colder and wetter by jumping in…. then you do it and it feels great! You just have to plough on and hope for the best!

b) Brings people together, a diverse crowd. This was my first experience within the community, and MTB is, I would say, a fairly niche discipline. Yes, it’s pretty accessible for everyone but for this event, you either live nearby or have gone out of your way to pursue this passion.This became apparent when looking around I saw energetic women of all ages and different fitness levels who all had different reasons for being there. One woman I spoke to said she wanted to lose weight but wanted a real outdoorsy challenge and another said she’d divorced her husband and wanted to just do something different.

c) It’s challenging, exhilarating and for anyone looking for a bit of adrenaline look no further! The closeness to nature combined with the speed and knife-edge approach to balance is a recipe for a natural high!

d) Intense cardiovascular training, whilst being low impact. It’s cardiovascular training with natural intervals. The terrain constantly changes, you may be going downhill, uphill, pitching left and right, whereby speed and resistance changes. This means you’ll have times of heavy resistance, so your legs burn and are seriously challenged. Interval training gets the heart rate up toasts more calories in less time. This is serious leg training targeting the gluteus as well, so you may experience soreness the next couple of days if this is something you’re not used too.

e) It’s affordable. You can rent bikes of varying technical credentials, and at different price levels but that’s a one-off investment. You don’t need a membership, you literally can cycle anywhere – endless freedom! I probably wouldn’t bring a Boris Bike to this sort of event though…

f) TOURISM! It means you see new parts of the world. Whether it be your city or the countryside, it gets you out in the open, fresh air and stimulation!

4) DID I GET SIGNAL?

Despite being off the grid, with no network coverage, in the rural outback of the remote Welsh countryside, EE’s ‘Airmast’ balloon showered an arcing dome of superfast 4G signal across the competition site, and beyond. With my smartphone tucked inside my jersey, I was in contact with whoever and whatever throughout. I was able to call, text and record-and-share my workout stats through the day. I took breaks during the hours of riding up, down and around the course, during which I could simply be in touch when needed – that’s a sense of freedom I very much appreciate, given how much the job relies on communication!

  ______________________

This post is a sponsored collaboration with EE. For more about why I take on such projects, please see my DISCLOSURE page. Thank you. 

The post DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Fitness on Toast http://ift.tt/2y1RQBe via IFTTT

[rebeccaflaneus]

DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE!

A fortnight ago, I had an outrageously exciting adventure; I headed to Machynlleth, in North-West Wales to take part in the Red Bull Fox Hunt, the world’s only all-female downhill mountain biking event (N.B, there were no 4-legged foxes involved, only 2-legged ones on bikes!). Regularly cycling along the leafy roads of suburban North London and growing up biking about the idyllic Swedish countryside I mistakenly thought I probably had this covered and that it would be pretty easy; not for the last time, I somewhat misjudged it! The course was remote, cold, muddy, unbelievably slippery and the mountains were terrifyingly steep at speed; imagine trying to get traction whilst cycling through chocolate slurry… Why did I do it? EE invited me to go somewhere with absolutely no coverage, so that they could show how their 4G ‘Helikite’ can deliver superfast 4G to my smartphone in the most remote places.  This was a super muddy experiment for me to prove the thesis. Click MORE to see how I got on during the downhill (clue; my shoes became ‘collateral damage’!)…

1)    SETTING THE SCENE…

This was an event powered by EE’s superfast 4G network which allowed me to use my phone for calls, texts, and planning/checking my route. Whilst travelling to Mach (as the locals affectionately – and pronounceably – nickname it), there was a point at which signal simply stopped on the train. The more rural we got, the less likely it was that I’d be able to check emails, have a flutter on social media or even make calls. That absence of what you might take for granted, the ability to communicate on demand, was quite surprisingly paralyzing as if a sense has been temporarily muted. With that in mind, it was quite amazing to find myself standing on top of the mountains in rural Wales only to receive a good luck call before heading down the track!

Rachel Atherton, last year’s winner, and MTB pro designed the route. Unfortunately, she had a cracked rib and for that reason was unable to take part, but she was there cheering competitors along. This year’s winner was Millie Johnset who was the first down the hill with a dominant, fear-inducing and presumably reckless time of 00.03.50, outperforming 2nd place by a prodigious margin of 33 seconds!

2)    WHY CYCLE?

Cycling is one of my favourite ways to travel around as it not only gets me there, but I can do some bonus cardio training in the process. It burns calories (c. 120 calories per mile), elevates the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, eases the risk of cardiovascular disease and it’s pretty soft on the environment too! Compared to running, which puts a lot of strain on the body (especially the knees), cycling is very low impact exercise and is kinder to your joints. It builds stamina and strength, with fewer injuries along the way. If you’re worried about losing precious muscle mass because of the CV, cycling actually develops muscle, especially in the lower body as power is generated by the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which will fuel additional calorie burn even after the journey has ended. It will also stimulate the production of HGH (human growth hormone), and remember, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so this is a form of exercise that keeps on giving!

However, this event evidently wasn’t about road biking. MTB is a completely different ball game; in fact, it’s not actually a ball game. Enthusiasts who’ve invested thousands of pounds into their bikes, gathered from all over the UK, pitched tents overnight in a muddy, sodden field surrounded by cute local sheep so that they could get on their bikes early in the morning in the rain, to cycle up a mountain and then hurl themselves back down again! That’s dedication, passion and enthusiasm from a super involved community!

3)   MY TAKE…

a) OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE… Whilst it was indeed cold, wet and rainy and the mud only got muddier, it was also super invigorating to be out there! For lack of a better example, it a little bit like the time when you’re standing beside a lake and you’re already cold and you’re debating whether to get colder and wetter by jumping in…. then you do it and it feels great! You just have to plough on and hope for the best!

b) Brings people together, a diverse crowd. This was my first experience within the community, and MTB is, I would say, a fairly niche discipline. Yes, it’s pretty accessible for everyone but for this event, you either live nearby or have gone out of your way to pursue this passion.This became apparent when looking around I saw energetic women of all ages and different fitness levels who all had different reasons for being there. One woman I spoke to said she wanted to lose weight but wanted a real outdoorsy challenge and another said she’d divorced her husband and wanted to just do something different.

c) It’s challenging, exhilarating and for anyone looking for a bit of adrenaline look no further! The closeness to nature combined with the speed and knife-edge approach to balance is a recipe for a natural high!

d) Intense cardiovascular training, whilst being low impact. It’s cardiovascular training with natural intervals. The terrain constantly changes, you may be going downhill, uphill, pitching left and right, whereby speed and resistance changes. This means you’ll have times of heavy resistance, so your legs burn and are seriously challenged. Interval training gets the heart rate up toasts more calories in less time. This is serious leg training targeting the gluteus as well, so you may experience soreness the next couple of days if this is something you’re not used too.

e) It’s affordable. You can rent bikes of varying technical credentials, and at different price levels but that’s a one-off investment. You don’t need a membership, you literally can cycle anywhere – endless freedom! I probably wouldn’t bring a Boris Bike to this sort of event though…

f) TOURISM! It means you see new parts of the world. Whether it be your city or the countryside, it gets you out in the open, fresh air and stimulation!

4) DID I GET SIGNAL?

Despite being off the grid, with no network coverage, in the rural outback of the remote Welsh countryside, EE’s ‘Airmast’ balloon showered an arcing dome of superfast 4G signal across the competition site, and beyond. With my smartphone tucked inside my jersey, I was in contact with whoever and whatever throughout. I was able to call, text and record-and-share my workout stats through the day. I took breaks during the hours of riding up, down and around the course, during which I could simply be in touch when needed – that’s a sense of freedom I very much appreciate, given how much the job relies on communication!

  ______________________

This post is a sponsored collaboration with EE. For more about why I take on such projects, please see my DISCLOSURE page. Thank you. 

The post DOWNHILL IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WITH EE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Donald Fitness Tips http://fitnessontoast.com/2017/10/24/fitness-travel-wales-downhill-mountain-biking-ee-signal-iphone-8/