#HE IS SINGING HIS OWN SONG....SO THIS IS DOUBLE BLUFF

[lucianinsanity]

My Epic: The Musicals thoughts, after listening to every song in repeat for days now:

The horse and The infant:

Odysseus calling his men "my brothers", this is important

"Slaaay~"

God let me fight too

Penelope part keeps killing me, Telemachus 😭, the feelings, the fact that he also responds with their names when they are talking about why they keep fighting

Fighting noises ☺️

Zeus you bitch

The first "I don't think you're ready" is said without context, but the second one is a response to Odysseus saying he is ready (he wasn't btw)

The fact that he says "The Gods will let him know" and "This is the will of The Gods", like, leave him alone 😭

Just a Man:

Evil to start saying the baby reminds him of his own son

He is so against this I swear

First few "I'm just a Man" he wants so bad to justify not doing it

Ugh

People already said it but the double meaning, asking when the baby would become someone who destroys his life, and asking if he becomes a monster if he kills the baby

I always thought the first line sounded like "please" and then two "forgive me" but it seems to be three "forgive me" instead, which is not bad, I'm just bad at hearing stuff

The high notes, leave me alone dude

The last "I'm just a Man", justifying his actions instead of his inaction

Full Speed Ahead:

"Six hundred man!" I'm so sorry

"Full speed ahead" sounds so sweet and hopeful

Eurylochus's name being chanted by the men and Polites only being mentioned by Odysseus, something about the men having their trust in the people they mention or whatever, I don't know, the fact that Polites name is much closer to Odysseus because he is the one that says it

He is so hopeful, Polites I'm so sorry

Odysseus is suspicious, but still hopeful

Open Arms:

I'm not the biggest fan of this one, sounds too happy, which is the point but I don't know, sorry Polites

He is trying so hard to make Odysseus feel better, man he just killed a baby 😭

Some of the voices of the Lotus Eaters are low, this is important to me for no reason (the lyrics in Spanish call them Lotófagos, I love that)

Odysseus common, this people are being so nice

Delayed "scary cave" ugh

His voice is so high

"there's so much guilt inside your heart" oh Polites, I wish he could relax, he has Six Hundred Men to feed 😔

Warrior of the mind:

Athena please

This song starts slower than in the middle, I like those parts better just because of the change of pace, she's so serious

"Let me remind you" with so much authority

That change with "Maybe one day he'll follow me" is weird to my brain

Back to slow with Odysseus

Someone mentioned that Athena could just be encouraging Odysseus and not actually falling for the bluff, which makes sense, she's The goddess of Wisdom

Odysseus little laugh, oh that's not something that we hear often

"Athena!" Choir

"Okay 😔"

Also Athena singing one way and then adopting the way Odysseus sings "mind" showing she's also learning from him and even keeps singing that way when is only her voice

They are "we" 🥺

"Don't disappoint me"

Also, in Spanish is Atenea, which makes it really difficult to only call her Athena, give her more letters

Polyphemus

Entering someone house leading with an arrow, always a good idea (sarcasm)

Odysseus being suspicious and being right again

"Hey there!" Baby no

Oh dang, I never understood the lines of the beginning of Polyphemus singing, there are so good, drinking their blood, man I love him

Odysseus singing in this one is so nice, I keep repeating that part "There's been a misunderstanding!" I love you dude

The drums 🥺

The "nobody" is so nice to my ears

Bad deal

Survive:

I have bad news, title of the song

Chanting of names, important

"My brothers" he trusts them so much, he knows this men, he knows how to talk to them

They are alone, the rest didn't know ☹️

"And when we kill him then our journey's over" ☹️ and all the lines after that

Solid strategy

"It's just one life to take" makes me a little sick

Oh the fucking build up

They didn't take that into consideration

Oh the fact that they ask him for instructions since he always led them to success and he is frozen in place, he doesn't sing, he doesn't talk, please why?

"then my pain is over" is so sad if you think about it for too long

Remember them:

The fact that it starts with the voice of Eurylochus sounding so far away like Odysseus is just now coming back to reality

He sounds so so sad and out of it

And yet he still tries to lead them and save them, he sounds like he is chocking a little bit and the words are hard

There's no proper burial, their souls are doomed

He is also so angry

Oh I hate eye stuff, less favorite part

They just start running out of there, poor things

"There are more of them?" With fear, and Odysseus just waits, he knows what's coming

"Don't go!" Is also so sad

Athena please, she's right but Odysseus is feeling so guilty and bad about this whole shit

Dumbass

My goodbye:

I love this one

They are both heartbroken about this, Athena in a different way

She was expecting better of "just a man"

Odysseus, arguing with a god, good job dude

They hurt each other, Athena is right, again, but bad moment to do all this

Right before going into the ocean too, good job, both of you

Storm

One of my favorites

It feels exactly how it should, stormy

"This storm's our final fight" ... First half of the first half of the story

Brace for a storm

STORM!

"Full speed ahead" this time with more authority, they are fighting now

Eurylochus you are not helping with that attitude 😔

Odysseus is so confident, or maybe too hopeful, he is not thinking too well either, probably

And then they did what he said

Luck runs out:

I always forget this one exist 🤦

"we don't know for sure" what do you mean? Really, what else could be in THE ISLANDS FLOATING ABOVE YOUR HEAD? The god of cheese?

Good plan, Odysseus 🤦

The show already went south baby

Do you, Odysseus? Or are you just sad?

Common he literally led you to victory so many times, have a little faith in the man

Again, the men are chanting what Eurylochus says, he is also a man they trust

Keep your friends close:

He is taking the "greet the world with open arms" way too far

Oh no Odysseus

The choir it's not making this easy for him

They just went behind his back spreading that it was treasure, like, why would he keep a treasure anyways?

Nine days keeping that damn bag closed ☹️

"Time for me to be the father I never was" 😔

"Just keep your eyes open" oh no Odysseus

Stoooorm!

Again, Eurylochus, just help the man

Oh no, Odysseus

Ruthlessness:

If you had doubts about who this was there's a choir singing his name in the first few seconds

He was being very gracious with them

"No" = I fucked up so bad right now

The "false righteousness" is a very sad line, because he thought so bad that he was doing the right thing so many times

He already sounds fake as fuck when asking Odysseus to apologize, knowing he wasn't going to actually do it because Odysseus doesn't feel bad about what he did

The men screaming "Captain!" Took me long to notice (again, bad ears) and it's so heartbreaking

43 ☹️

With the lines from Just a Man and Remember Them coming back to kick this man ass

Puppeteer:

No rest for this guy, his second in command is doubting him, his men get trapped for trusting some random woman, he just lost so many of them

Circe sounds so nice

She's so nice

"All the power" 🥰

Odysseus is going to save the man that just sent him away from his home

He has to try

Wouldn't you like:

Number 1 song

I'm already bisexual, man (I'm aroace)

I don't have a lot to say, I love this song

Why does he do that with his voice?

His laugh 🥺

Twice the voice for him

"Don't thank me friend, you very well may die" 🥰

Done for:

He is so silly in this one

He has the help of one (1) god and he is another person

Circe doesn't like him at all

They are both trying to protect their people

Baby don't be like that, he is so damn confident and Circe is not having it

Their voices are good together

I mean she's right on not trusting people, and Odysseus did just get there with the intention to fight

"I'm not sure I follow" ndksksksksksk

There are other ways:

This one is sad

She is immediately on control of this situation, she's repeating lines from Puppeteer, she is making him into a pig (metaphorically)

"Don't break when" sounds a little rougher

"I'm just a man" oh no Odysseus, followed by the "Forgive me" SHUT UP, it's so fucking sad

Her voice when she repeats "when there's no puppet here"

"I miss my wife, Tails, I miss her a lot"

He won, and now he's begin 😭

She's so silly

I mean, she could have meant she was going to kill him, but that way seems a lot worse ☺️

High notes 🥺

The men coming back

The Underworld:

Also on the favorite list

The "good" of Odysseus is low, he was betrayed by them before, he needs them to do what he says this time, fuck

"All I hear are screams" 😭

You think they are seeing different things?

Shut up, "just a man" coming back

558

"Captain!" ☹️

Stop, the baby

"This life is amazing" ☹️

🙂

"Waiting..." Why do you hurt me like this?

"ALL I HEAR ARE SCREAMS" Yours?

No longer you:

I don't know if saying this one is one of my favorites helps anyone understand my taste

Odysseus you are smart, please

The prophet sounds so sad

"A man who is haunting, a man with a trail of bodies" is a heartbreaking description

Ah, prophesies, they always have a twist, sad stuff in them

Monster:

To "I'm just a man" to "I'll become the monster" with this simple trick

The people he mentions are weird, monsters and gods don't think in the same way as people who are protecting their friends and family, but whatever you say

I don't think he knows what balance is

The fact that Telemachus fits in the songs so well

Well, enough, that's it for now

[aspiestvmusings]

Viking Mask - Take on Me

‘Take on Me’ by A-Ha (lead singer: Morten Harket)

The Masked Singer UK S02E05

[octoberobserver]

“Just To Dream In The Moonlight” - (Eddie Can Sing)

Richie Tozier was on a date.

Eddie Kaspbrak was not.

Instead, he was at home, the home he had been sharing with Richie for five months now, hunched over his laptop at the kitchen table and steadily building up a knot in the base of his spine because he was too fucking old for this shit.

Fuck his life.

He had died, come back, divorced his wife, moved half-way across the country, only to find himself working from home on a Saturday night while his roommate, best friend and, oh yeah, love of his pathetic fucking life, went out to dinner with some handsome, single, ‘Instagram model.’ 

I mean, what the fuck even is that anyway?

Eddie knew this day would come, of course. Had seen it almost instantly after Richie came out, live on stage.

Richie was a catch. He was funny, smart, and…yeah, he’d admit, handsome. Bev was right. He did ‘grow into his looks.’ 

So, it didn’t take a genius to realise that him coming out would soon draw the attention of all the eligible men within a hundred mile radius and for them to show their interest. They’d be fools not to.

And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Kaspbrak?

With a groan, Eddie dragged a palm down his face, snapping his laptop shut and pushing it away from him.

He had to cut out this wallowing bullshit. It wasn’t a good look, at all. 

Richie was on a date and that was…good.

Right?

Eddie, as a good friend, should think that’s a good thing.

Then again - has Eddie always been a good friend? 

With a roll of his eyes, he shut down that line of thinking, knowing it was the blame of the two glasses of wine he had just inhaled while pouring over Teddy’s illegible ‘reports’ while trying to ignore what Richie could possibly be doing right about now.

Or who, his mind added scathingly. 

Shaking his head, Eddie mentally-scolded himself for his stupid, jealous streak. 

Richie had left just over an hour ago, throwing him a half-hearted wave, muttering a low, “Won’t be long, Eds. Trust me,” and snapping the door shut behind him.

It hardly screamed a guy who intended on having a little Wham, Bam, Thank you, Sam. 

Not that there’s anything wrong with a one-night-stand. Richie is a consenting adult, Eddie’s treacherous brain reminded him. 

Despite this, Richie had insisted, all this week that it was “practically a business dinner.” Something that his publicist had apparently set up that was more than a little mandatory for some bullshit-Hollywood-reason. 

Richie had not seemed too psyched about it either. Lamenting to Eddie more than once that he didn’t have time for “aging-ex-Disney-stars-looking-for-the-ultimate-selfie-or-whatever.”

But that had been before he had seen the picture.

Up-and-coming actor and singer, Dylan Lemass was…hot. Even Eddie could concede that.

And, he was a little more age-appropriate (at 33) than most guys DMing Richie at four in the morning.

Richie hadn’t been quite quick enough at hiding his impressed eyebrow quirk at the picture sent to him by Bev after some googling. 

“He looks…nice,” Eddie had ground out through clenched jaw, heart panging as Richie began to nod.

“Uh, yeah. I guess. If…if that’s your type.�� 

“Richie, that guy is everybody’s type.” 

He had looked at Eddie then, something indecipherable on his face. 

“I’m not usually into…blonds.” 

Usually.

That had been the only word to ring in Eddie’s head. 

“Well,” he forced himself to shrug, punching Richie harder than he intended on the shoulder, “just see how it goes. You never know…he might…he might be your Mr Right.” 

Fuck, actually, Eddie was a damn good friend, okay? He had encouraged Richie, “Mr Right” and all that shit, and helped him pick between two (admittedly ugly) shirts and everything. 

He was friend of the fucking year.

Friend.

Just a friend.

With a sigh, he crossed to the fridge, fully intending to help himself to the leftover cheesecake that Richie had bought them in celebration of four months of Eddie allowing himself dairy again.

“I know you belong to somebody new,” he sang under his breath, the old song he had heard on the radio this morning continuing to be an ear-worm, “but tonight, you belong to me.” 

He crossed the kitchen to get a spoon from the drawer, because it was an eating-straight-from-the-container-despite-that-being-gross kinda night, and sticking it directly into the strawberry mousse. 

“Although we’re apart, you’re a part of my heart,” he continued, cheesecake in one hand and picking up his half-empty glass with the other, making his way out to the couch.

“But tonight, you belong to—”

“A bit of Eddie Vedder, huh? Eddie squared, I like it.” 

He jumped so high that his red wine sloshed dangerously close to the rim of the glass.

“Fuck, Richie! Don’t scare me like that, dipshit!” 

The man in question snorted out a laugh from his position at the front door, keys still in hand, jacket half off one shoulder.

“I did say ‘honey I’m home,’ Eds. Not my fault you were too busy crooning to notice.” 

Eddie’s face flushed as he collected himself, carefully depositing his glass and cheesecake on the coffee table before straightening up and tilting his head at his friend. 

“You’re home early.” 

He didn't mean for it to sound as accusatory as it did. 

He winced.

“I mean, uh…how’d the date go?” 

Richie’s face was pretty expressionless as he shrugged.

“We wined, dined and sixty-nined. Just how I like it.” 

Eddie’s mouth dropped open.

“Wha—”

“I’m kidding, Eddie, Jesus,” Richie held up his hands as he kicked off his shoes, leaving them by Eddie’s on the rack by the door and padding over in his socks to the couch, sinking down into it with a loud sigh.

“It went exactly like I thought it would,” he mumbled to the ceiling, slipping his glasses up his forehead to rest in his hair, his eyes falling closed.

Eddie watched him for a moment, unsure what to do, before taking a seat beside him, turning to properly look at him.

He seemed…tired. Weary. 

Sad?

Shit.

Time for Eddie to be a good friend. 

“Well, fuck that guy, Rich,” he reached out and clasped Richie’s arm. “He’s clearly a dumbass if he can’t see what a fucking catch you are.” 

Slowly, those dark eyes that Eddie loved so much blinked open, meeting his with something indistinguishable glimmering in them.

“Thanks, Eddie.” 

It was the most sincere Eddie had heard his friend be in a long time.

It made his heart skip a beat.

Quietly, he reached out and picked up the glass and cheesecake, holding it out.

“Wanna watch that new Chris Hansen exposé?” 

A small smile crossed Richie’s face, breaking through the weariness like a soothing balm.

“Sounds like a plan, Eds Spagheds.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes, throwing the remote at him before standing up.

“I’m opening another bottle. Don’t start without me.” 

He crossed the room, into the kitchen and towards the fridge. 

“He couldn’t sing for shit either, Eds,” Richie called after him, sounding pained. “He made me suffer through like four YouTube videos of him squawking his way through covers. I wanted to use the steak knife to stab out my own eardrums. It was fucking torture, man. You’re a hell of a lot nicer to listen to.” 

Eddie froze, bottle in hand, the soft, unthinking compliment making him blush from head to toe. 

“Eddie Vedder is technically a cover too,” he reminded him as he fought (and failed) to keep the grin from his face.

“Yeah, I know but…least it’s not the Patience and Prudence version. Talk about creepy. That’s some Children-of-the-Corn-type shit.”

Eddie snorted out a laugh as he made his way back into the living room, sinking down into the couch, his stomach lurching as his thigh pressed against Richie’s.

Richie held out his cheesecake-topped spoon, dangling it in Eddie’s face and making obnoxious airplane noises.

“Want some before I infect it with my Trashmouth germs, Eds? It’s a one time deal. I know how you feel about double-dipping.” 

Eddie leaned forward, closing his mouth around the spoon, eyes gluing to Richie’s as he swallowed the bite and pulled back slowly.

Richie’s eyes were the size of saucers, clearly shocked that Eddie had called his bluff.

“Uh, I…” he cleared his throat, “it’s good?” 

Eddie smirked, “Yeah, it’s good.” 

“Cool.” 

They lapsed into a short silence, Richie shifting to face the TV just as Chris Hansen popped up and launched into his latest case.

“Thanks, Eds. For the uh…cheesecake.” 

He nodded, deciding not to comment as Richie kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, his shoulder pressing into his as he slowly, carefully, raised the spoon to his own lips.

Eddie blushed like a teenager as he kept his gaze firmly on the TV, trying not to think about the fact that Richie so easily put his mouth somewhere Eddie just had his.

At about the twenty-five minute mark, Eddie felt a soft, familiar pressure close to his neck.

Tilting his head ever so slightly, he saw that Richie had fallen asleep, his cheek pressed into Eddie’s shoulder, his glasses askew.

A small smile spread across his face as Eddie let his own head tip back a little, resting against the couch, the lyrics of that godforsaken song flittering into his brain.

“Wait down by the stream, how sweet it will seem, once more just to dream in the moonlight…” 

(Read the entire series here)

[secondhandnewsradio]

SHN INTERVIEW: Sleep Walking Animals

by Claire Silverman

Sleep Walking Animals, comprised of Tom, Jack, Joe, Alex, and Nuwan, are an indie folk/rock band from Manchester, England. They are releasing their debut single "Aengus' Fool" on February 14th. Their expansive and layered sound paired with their poetic lyrics will leave you hungry for more, but don’t worry: it’s coming.

CS: First off, I just want to say congratulations on releasing your debut single "Aengus’ Fool." How are you all feeling?

Tom: It’s all really exciting, it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had this song for maybe a year and a half now, going through quite a laborious process to get it made, get it recorded and mixed and mastered, but we’re here now, and it seems like a good time to be releasing music. It seems like people kind of need it at this point, so, yeah, it’s come at a good time.

CS: So how did you guys choose this as your first song to release, what was that process?

Jack: I think it was the first song we all wrote as a new band. Tom and Joe had written stuff together, and then I came aboard, Alex and Nuwan came aboad and we kind of all wrote this together. It’s got that weight to it, and we love playing it, so it was kind of a no-brainer. It encapsulates our sound quite nicely.

CS: What was the process of writing this song, did you start with the melody or the lyrics?

Tom: This one started with lyrics. I’d had this idea for this song for a little while and I was trying to find a way to encapsulate all these ideas that I had and to condense them into one song. The lyrics came after a couple of months of reading different material and listening to different artists and getting inspiration from different sources. And then once we had the lyrics, we all put our heads together and just started coming up with different motifs and then once we had those we started trying different harmonies, layering different parts. We’re quite lucky in the sense that everyone in this band can sing, so to layer harmonies is really not that difficult. It’s great because everyone can chip in.

CS: I wanted to ask specifically about the line “sifting through poems for phrases to keep.” I love that line, who came up with that?

Tom: Yeah, that was mine, yeah. Glad you like it. It came to me because I have done that. I’ve been that person.

Jack: I think we all have.

CS: Did the pandemic impact the release of this song and what you guys were doing?

Tom: If anything, it helped us. It gave us a bit more time to get things in place. We didn’t want to rush it. We wanted to have the artwork in place, we wanted to have a bit of hype on social media about when it was going to drop and have people anticipate it, and with this added time that we’ve had with the world on pause, it’s allowed us a bit of playing room, and we’ve tried to utilize that as best as possible.

Jack: It’s been our busiest year even though we’ve only seen each other three or four times. We played one gig last year, and then the rest of it has just been on Whatsapp and we’ve managed to record a whole EP.

CS: I wanted to ask about the single cover art because it’s beautiful. I actually recognized it from a photo on your Instagram, Tom.

Tom: It’s a picture that I took on New Year’s Day this year on Hay Bluff, which is part of the Black Mountains. We just loved the picture, the way the light sat on the snow, where the mountain finished and the sky began.

Jack: I made an etching of Tom's epic photo of Hay Bluff and printed it in ink, and my dad did the graphic design. We wanted it to have an element of the surreal so I added this abandoned bed which sits alone in the cold landscape. Kinda Dali-esque.

Tom: We fell in love with that idea. There’s something about a mountain as well, there’s a line in the song “I’ll shout from the mountains like Aengus’ fool” and we just wanted that kind of epic, anthemic feel to the strength of the sound that we’re making, this percussive triumphant feeling, and we thought the mountain did that.

CS: So how did you all come together as a band?

Joe: I’ve known Tom since we were very young, and in about 2017, Tom had been writing on his own, and I’d been sort of trying to on my own, and then I went to see him in New York and we did a bit of writing together. Then when I came back, we were doing it over Whatsapp like we’ve been doing it this past year, sending song ideas and lyrics. I was living with Jack at the time and tried getting him on board once Tom had come back from New York, I wanted Jack because he had just bought a double bass for some reason, so we were like “yeah go on, we’ll get some of that in,” and he didn’t want to at first—

Jack: Now, well, I can’t remember this, you’ve said this a few times, and I can’t remember ever not wanting to be in the band.

Joe [laughing]: You didn’t want to.

Jack: I want it on record now, I’ve always wanted to be in the band. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.

Joe: There was some persuading, and then once we had our first rehearsal, you were like “this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.” So we got Jack on board, and then I’d done a show with Alex—

Alex: Yeah we were in Cilla together, I was George and Joe was Paul.

Joe: So that’s how we met. We were the Beatles and just every night we’d sort of been gigging and it was fun, so I was like “yeah let’s get Alex on board because he can play guitar.” And then I’d known Nuwan for ages, I went to uni, drama school with Nuwan and we used to go busking together on the streets of Guildford trying to get some extra cash and we needed a drummer as well so there we go.

Tom: It was just a case of finding what we didn’t have and working towards panning out the sound. For a little while we had Joe on acoustic guitar and kicking the crap out of a bass drum at the same time and it wasn’t ideal.

Joe: Like Dick Van Dyke, innit.

Tom: Yeah, like Dick Van Dyke, one man band. Luckily, we found the dream team.

CS: Do you all have other artists or people that inspire your music?

Tom: Yeah, definitely. I for one wouldn’t be a songwriter without a number of artists who’ve inspired me over the years. Guy Garvey, Hozier, Robin Pecknold, the list goes on. It’s finding different mediums too, not just musicians and songwriters, it’s poets and novelists and painters.

Joe: Damien Rice, his songs were very influential.

Jack: And Paul McCartney is a big one for me, because my dad used to just play his solo stuff over and over.

Nuwan: Billy Joel is one for me, one of many.

Alex: I think that’s a good thing with our band, because we all have collectively such a wide range of influences and the way we all individually bring them in and mix them together, I think the combination of everything just—I feel like we’re starting to really get our sound as well because of the style that everyone’s bringing in when we’re in rehearsals and writing. It’s really nice, especially with all the recording we’ve started to do, it feels like we’re really gauging what what we’re going for, and we’re able to find it easier and we have a clearer path.

CS: Earlier you said that you have an EP in the works, do you know when we can expect more music from you guys?

Tom: Yeah, at the moment the idea is we’re going to release five singles, spread those releases out over weeks and months and then eventually once those are out, we are going to collate them onto one vinyl. That’ll include behind-the-scenes photographs and lyric sheets and little messages from the band, so that’ll be a good way to have a first taste of Sleep Walking Animals and preempt our inevitable album.

CS: Thank you so much for sitting down to chat with me about your debut single, "Aengus’ Fool." I really love the song and I’m excited to see what you guys do in the future!

[This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.]

FOLLOW THE BAND:

INSTAGRAM: @SLEEPWALKINGANIMALS

TWITTER:@SWALKINGANIMALS

FACEBOOK: @SLEEPWALKINGANIMALS

YOUTUBE: SLEEP WALKING ANIMALS

WWW.SLEEPWALKINGANIMALS.COM

Originally published on Instagram @shnradio on February 14, 2021

[azulann]

Hum

Prompt: Foible

Yura is in an unusually good mood and clearly cant take being called out on it

This one is an absolute mess and I feel like it’s a partial disaster BUT just going with my gut on this~

A light hum in the air and a skip in her step, it was evident to all who saw her and everyone who knew her that on this particular day, Yura was in a very uncharacteristically chipper mood. Where most days were filled to the brim with chaos and brimstone, today had been unusually calm, a cool breeze complimenting the warm and sunny day. While Yura took some level of pleasure in challenge and combat, even she could take a measure of enjoyment in a day of simple work and pleasant company within Revenant’s Toll.

Occupying herself with every menial task that flew her way, Yura had found comfort in the humble work and the pleasant weather, running everything from deliveries and fetch quests to crafting and answering questions for passersby. It was not something she was generally accustomed to nor something she would generally take such pleasure in, but she found her ways to make things interesting, basking in the quiet while still keeping herself busy enough to prevent her pacing and twitching that those around her found to be such foibles when left alone with her thoughts too long. However, despite her calmness, there was something entirely different those around her could not help but observe.

When Yura retired to the Rising Stones, content with the work she had done and a bit worn from the activities of the day, the few in her presence took careful note of her demeanor as she strode through the doors, offering genuine smiles and nods to those around her. The sight was astounding to many, and surprising to even those who had known her longest as each person found themselves staring at her as if trying to decipher who took their Yura and replaced her with this counterpart. The upbeat attitude was enough to make many a man double take her actions, yet there was one thing that set this particular attitude of hers apart from every other chipper moment she had ever made a display of before her friends: she was humming.

Yura’s mind was clearly far from grounded as she strode across the floor of the stones, unaware of the confused looks and questioning gazes she had become privy to as she made her way to find something warm to drink. She felt overdue for something to relax her muscles. Everyone watching her carefully, no one was able to formulate a thing to say to her, either not wishing to disturb her or too dumbstruck to interfere in her ascension into space. Even J’thel, Alphinaud and Alisaie were unsure what to say on the subject, instead watching the event play out from a far corner of the room. She looked so content all things considered, and it was far from a disturbing sight, her humming along as she brewed herself a cup of tea to settle on for the day, and her voice was far from poor. Still, it was only a matter of time before someone would break the silence surrounding her, the sight too wonderous to simply vanish with her mood. Someone needed to document the moment.

“That’s a beautiful song” the statement slapped Yura, hitting her like a stampede as she was suddenly pulled from her otherworldly bliss. She turned quickly from her cup to see Tataru looking up at her, a genuine smile echoing the sentimentality of Yura’s actions.

Looking at her friend with confusion covering her face, Yura cocked her head in response, trying to figure out what Tataru was talking about, “I’m sorry…What?” Yura had had her head in the clouds for so long, she had legitimately lost track of all she had been doing most of the day, unable to conceptualize what she might have been doing subconsciously.

A sympathetic furrow formed in Tataru’s brow as Yura questioned her meaning, clearly having not been down to earth at the moment of the question's impact. “You were humming.” She stated thoughtfully, clearing up any unclear interpretation to her meaning, “What song was it?”

Yura took a moment to process her meaning once more, though it should have been easy enough to understand. After a moment, however, Yura's face shot red, her pale skin burning over with sheer humiliation as she realized what she had been doing. “No I wasn’t.” Yura shot back quickly, ever in denial of the subject as everyone in the room bore into her, the handful of people easily able to call her bluff but finding it far more entertaining to watch her struggle in her own denial.

A perplexed look flashed across Tataru’s face at Yura’s sudden and abrupt denial of the events which multiple people had borne witness to. She was really quick to pretend nothing happened, and it was clear it was no longer just due to confusion on Yura’s part. Yura was a lot of things, but good at shielding her embarrassment was not one of them. The smile came back to Tataru’s face, ever more sympathetic than the moments before, as she pressed into the Au Ra, “Yura I’m… pretty sure you were. I heard you.”

“Uhh, no you didn’t.” Yura was concise and adamant in her denial, again rejecting the accusation laid against her. Even if she had been humming, it was not something she did often. Hell, it had been years since she had, or at least since she noticed herself doing it. As a child, Yura often found herself humming a pleasant tune or two to herself, adding the noise to her mind to pass the time as she worked and played in her solitude, battling out restlessness with the pleasant noise. However, one day, she just stopped. In total honesty, she could not remember the exact time she quit the habit, unable to trace the very moment of her loss of innocence. Her language had shifted hard, however, anxieties and restlessness now showcased and channeled by her pacing and antsy behaviors.

Again with the denial. Tataru couldn’t fathom why she was so quick to reject the fact, or why she was so embarrassed about it, “Why be so shy? You have such a beautiful voice!” Tataru continued to try and offer her encouragement, even her body language cheered Yura on till the very last.

The look on Yura’s face became cross, a familiar sight to many in the room as she continued her denials, “No I don’t.” she said flatly, straightening up and crossing her arms in the defensive manner she was so familiar with, “ And I wasn’t singing… I mean humming.” Yura quickly diverted her gaze from Tataru, brushing past her friend as she began to make her way back to the entrance of the Stones. Leaving her drink behind, she was finally completely aware of all the eyes on her. She turned back one last time, gazing around the room as the blood flow to her face became only stronger. With the hefty and irate voice many of her friends were so accustomed to, she shouted loudly through the room, “You didn’t hear anything,” before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

A light snort echoed from the corner in which J’thel sat, followed by a light slap as Alisaie struck his shoulder in retort for his laughter, earning a light “ow” and frown from him. Yura was embarrassed enough, and judging by the glares he received from the others in the room, he needn’t add to it. Still, despite her embarrassment and his obvious amusement, the sight had been wholesome, hopeful. Too often were Yura’s anxieties showcased through her restlessness, her impatience through her pacing and leg bouncing. Yet today, she had occupied her mind otherwise. She had reverted to a habit used in happier times. Even if only for a moment, she was clam. No one had heard such joy from her in a long time.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” J’thel stood from his chair, rubbing his shoulder from the hard smack he had earned himself, looking around at the various faces who had also born witness to the fiasco, “I think there are some things the world just isn’t ready for, and one of those things is Yura’s happy attitude.” A jest on his part it may have been, but full glad were all Yura’s friends to see her mind occupied only by pleasantries for once. Now they just awaited the day that she would come to recognize such a habit as one of true happiness rather than just another of her foibles.

[shankarjaikishanfansassnintl]

30 June Kalyanji Virji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji): 92nd Birth Anniversary

By

Siraj Syed

Kalyanji Virji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji): 92nd Birth Anniversary 30 June 1928-24 August 2000

From sleeve notes written for SaReGaMa’s LEGENDS CD set in 2009: More than half a century after the cobra swayed to the clavioline, masquerading as the been, in ‘Tan dole mera man dole’, its notes still reverberate across India, and in many other parts of the world. It was, and remains, Kalyanji Virji Shah’s best-known musical signature. Kalyanji had first used the instrument in a film called Naag Panchami (1953, music Chitragupta), but that went largely un-noticed. ‘Tan dole’, a Hemant Kumar tune from a box-office hit, was the chart-topper of 1954, so listeners took good notice of its mesmerising been theme. Developed in France by a designer named Constant Martin, the clavioline was introduced in 1947. Five years later, musician Kalyanji was playing it here, in India, in film song takes. Four years after Nagin, Kalyanji had arrived as music director, with Samrat Chandragupta. And the following year, younger brother Anandji, who was a child actor and chorus singer too, joined him to create the K-A team that stood firm for over 40 years. Nevertheless, as Anandji, some four years younger (now 88), is often heard saying, “Kalyanjibhai is watching all this from above. He is very much with us in spirit.” Kalyanji Virji Shah died in the year 2000, at the age of 72.

Born in Kundrodi village of the Mundra taluka in Kutchh, the brothers grew up in Mumbai, where their father ran a food-grain store. Inclined more towards music than academics, they developed the self-taught ability to play a host of instruments, and formed part of school bands. By 1944-45, the teenager siblings had started playing in film song recordings. Big brother set up his own band in 1950, calling it Kalyanji and Party, with Purshottam Upadhyaya singing ‘Too mera chaand maen teree chaandnee’, the super-hit Naushad tune from Dillagi, to thunderous encores. The band performed in Bombay and in other nearby towns. For a while, the businessman in him did surface, and Kalyanji started a tailoring shop in partnership with a friend. Destiny, however, ensured that the shop did not prosper, drawing Kalyanji even closer to a world where a needle was something that played a gramophone record, not a device to stitch clothes with.

Many of us have heard the popular tunes the brothers composed for films like Samrat Chandragupta, Bedard Zamana Kya Jane, Chhalia and Bluff Master, the last two being the earliest directorial forays of director Manmohan Desai, but few would be aware that it was producer Subhash Desai, Manmohan’s brother, who gave Kalyanji his music directorial his break. Impressed with his prowess at song recordings of various recognised composers, Subhash saw a competent future music director in Kalyanji, and made him an offer that was strange, but nevertheless one that he could not refuse. Would he agree to a contract offering him 11 film assignments as music director, with a fee of Rs. 5,000 for the first film, Rs. 10,000 for the second…a recurring Rs. 5,000 increment per film, non-negotiable? The offer was too good to resist, so Kalyanji agreed, but he did ask Subhash, “Why11 films? Why not 10? Or 12?” The reply was convincing, “Eleven is my lucky number.” As it transpired, they did not do 11 films together, but Kalyanji’s career choice was made.

The K-A success story begins with Kalyanji’s kingly debut, Samrat Chandragupta. ‘Chahe paas ho’ is a touching lyric, with a tinge of sadness, as is the next number, ‘Door kahin tu chal’, another Rafi-Lata duet, from Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane, both penned by Bharat Vyas. With a title like Madari, there had to be a snake-charmer and his been in play, and the theme track, penned by Faruk Kaiser and rendered by Lata and Mukesh, indeed provided flashbacks of the legendary Kalyanji patent. Soon after he wrote his first song for them in Chandrasena, Gulshan Bawra penned a real gem in Satta Bazar, and this time the brothers invited their mentor Hemant Kumar to join Lata in the recording room, with amazing results. Who can forget ‘Tumhe yaad hoga’? Not yet the He Man he was to become in his later years, Dharmendra in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere was emoting to Mukesh’s emotion-charged playback, rendering Shamim Jaipuri’s rich poetry. Graduating from smaller set-ups into a Raj Kapoor vehicle, K-A hit big time in Chhalia. Nonsensical verse from a sensible writer, Qamar Jalalabadi, ‘Dum dum diga diga’, with Mukesh providing playback to Raj’s on-screen antics, set the aisles afire.

Soon, they were signed to compose for Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath, a Shashi Kapoor starrer, and Bluff Master. Both films enjoyed reasonable success and the music went around too. In Bluff Master, we find the rare phenomenon of four voices being used for the same actor: Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Shamshad Begum (Shammi Kapoor in drag) and Rafi. It was Rafi who immortalised ‘Govinda ala re’ and sang the duet ‘Husn chala kuchh aisi chal’ with Lata. Anand Bakhshi wrote inspired lyrics for Phool Bane Angaare, and Mukesh, as usual, delivered them with consummate artistry. By 1964, K-A were in the Premier League. That very year, they came up with such melodious tracks as the lilting ‘Humsafar mere humsafar’ (Purnima), where they teamed up with Gulzar, a rarity, and the two Mukesh solos from Ji Chahta Hai and Himalaya Ki God Mein. The former was written by Majrooh, not a K-A regular. Another infrequent teaming worked very well, as Hasrat Jaipuri wrote and Rafi sang in great style, ‘Dil beqarar sa hai’ (Ji Chahta Hai). Melodious, hummable and catchy. A ghazal on Shammi Kapoor with Bakhshi writing and Rafi singing may not be a common occurrence, but just savour ‘Teri zulfen pareshan’ (Preet Na Jane Reet). Staying with Mukesh on Shashi, after MLMH, the duo came up with a moody duet in Juari, ‘Humsafar ab yeh safar kat jayega’. If there was still any doubt about the standing of the duo in the rankings, Jab Jab Phool Khile laid to rest all criticism. Every track was heard everywhere. The songs had it all: pathos, fun, longing, depression, pep. For both K-A and Anand Bakhshi, the success of JJPK was to remain a milestone forever.

Rafi provided playback for debutant Rajesh Khanna in the theme song of his debut vehicle, Raaz, re-uniting K-A with Shamim Jaipuri, producing haunting results. Indeevar’s lyrics sang of cruel fate in Dil Ne Pukara, and who better to voice them than Mukesh, as ‘Waqt karta jo wafa’. In the same vein was the Suhag Raat lament, ‘Khush raho’. Manna De came in to give playback for Pran in Upkar and Zanjeer, rendering two of his most acclaimed numbers. It took the duo 19 hours to record ‘Mere desh ki dharti’, the patriotic anthem of Upkar. Saraswatichandra, based on a literary classic, needed the linguistic mastery of Indeevar to weave in the songs, and the author of ‘Kasme vaade pyar vafa’ made it count. Filmfare awarded the duo for the best music of the year. It was still pristine K-A, full of melody, working with Lata and Mukesh. Another award followed some years later, for Kora Kagaz, which had a pathos-laden title-track in the voice of Kishore. Not many might realise, but K-A used Kishore Kumar for the first time in the 1968 film Suhag Raat, singing a sad song, a full decade after the duo had started their career. A comic song was rendered by Manna De while Mukesh was called-upon to put across the other sad lyric.

Only Rafi could have set swinging mood for Shashi Kapoor to gyrate on screen in ‘Nain milakar chaen churana’ (Aamne Saamne). Rafi for Shashi it was again in Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati and Raja Saab. Part of the female vocals in Raja Saab came from Suman Kalyanpur. Suman had sung for K-A in MLMH and JJPK too, and was to partner Manhar in his first hit number in Vishwas. Giving Hemlata her break in the same film, K-A paired her with good-old friend Mukesh. Soon, the duo was to show its preference for rotating the strike, training and honing a host of budding singing talent, while reverting to the established names with equal regularity. Like a lot of extremely popular Mahendra-Manoj Kumar, Kishore-Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore-Rajesh Khanna outings. Incidentally, K-A took three days to record the back-ground score of Suhaag Raat, while they needed a whole month for Purab Aur Paschim. For the ‘Om jai Jagdeesh Hare’ bhajan of PAP, the composers used 50 chorus singers to get the effect normally created by violins. They called it human resonance. Delay (natural echo) was the highlight of ‘Mere mitwa’ (Geet). The child-like double speed of ‘Na sun sun sun bura’ (Priya) was simply achieved by recording on spool-tape at a particular speed and playing it back at double the speed. Most of their work was done at the Famous, Tardeo, recording studio.

There is Rafi, and not Kishore, for Rajesh Khanna, oozing sensuality as only he could, in Chhoti Bahu: ‘Yeh raat hai pyasi pyasi’, echoing musician hero Rajendra Kumar’s heart-rending call in Geet and charting a romantic route for Dharmendra in Kab Kyon Aur Kahan? He also offers love lessons in Upaasna; in the Haath Ki Safai duet, he makes a solemn promise of eternal love; and he goes on Dilip Kumar for the intoxicating ‘Peete peete’ duet with Asha Bhosle in Bairaag. As Western as it gets is the rare title chorus ‘Pretty pretty Priya’ (Priya) and as Sanskritised as it can get is the Kishore hilarity ‘Priye praneshwari’ (Hum Tum Aur Woh). Kalyanji-Anandji made Shatrughan Sinha sing in Kashmakash, Amitabh Bachchan in Laawaris and Anil Kapoor in Chameli Ki Shaadi. They also gave ample opportunities to the emerging talent of 70s’ generation, as you can sample on the Shailendra Singh, Suresh Wadkar, Anwar, Alka Yagnik and Kanchan tracks.

Known for their hundreds of stage performances, in India and abroad, both brothers also enjoyed a sturdy reputation as funsters, with a joke for every occasion and a keen sense of self-deprecating humour. They once famously described themselves as medical practitioners. “We offer all lines of treatment. If some producer approaches us with symptoms that demand a classical approach, we recommend the Ayurvedic style of medicine: Slow, but efficacious in the long-term. On the other hand, if some film-maker wants to experiment with the musical score of his film, we suggest Homoeopathic type of tunes: May work, may not. Some element of risk is involved. If, however, he wants the juke-boxes to jingle and listeners to start singing along instantaneously, we churn out Allopathic compositions: Like injections, they have instant, strong effect, but the effect may wear out sooner.” Music, along with laughter, is the best medicine known to mankind. Kalyanji-Anandji have already issued a statutory warning to your troubles to keep away, for there’s no place for them, ‘Mere angne men tumhara kya kaam hae?’

[wonderwomanfantasy]

Sins of mortals part three

Part one   Part two 

Slytherin!reader x Sirius (eventually)

word count: 2,000 (about) 

warnings: Slow burn, satanic things, vomit, mentions of sex, google translate, blood? I think there’s blood. spicy *spicy* physical contact. okay, I’ll stop now.

Summary: Well, shit has officially hit the fan. your mother has never warned you that things go could this wrong. Honestly, who would have guessed black magic was this hard?  

As you walked down the spiral staircase you lit the torches that lined the narrow hallway. The firelight was comforting and warmed your nearly numb fingers. You talked to yourself as you descended. Running through the checklist you had made, the silence could be maddening. You started humming to yourself, a lullaby that you remembered hearing somewhere. you weren't quite sure where your mother would have died before she sang you to sleep.

The sky is dark and the hills are white, as the storm-king speeds from the north tonight. And this is the song the great king sings, as over the world his cloak he flings. Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep. He rustles his wings and gruffly sings. Sleep, little one, sleep.

You had reached the end of the staircase and found yourself in a wide circular room you moved your wand in a wide arch lighting all of the torches in the room in one go. The firelight gave the room an ominous glow. You crossed to the pile of ingredients and supplies that you had stored off to the side 

On yonder mountain-side a vine clings at the foot of a mother pine. The tress bends over the trembling thing, and only the vine can hear her sing, sleep, sleep, little one sleep. What shall you fear when I am here? Sleep little one sleep.

You funneled out a dark, smelly powder, a mixture of ash, crushed onyx, and sulfur. You carefully drew out a circle with a thick border. Then you took a bowl of wax, melted it, and began drawing a second, smaller circle inside the first with spokes of wax connecting the two circles. At each point where Wax met ash, you placed slender black candles. Next, you used a paste made of green tea and extract of newt, Also not the best smelling, and added small, yet intricate designs inside the space between the two circles. Lastly, you sealed everything with magic.  This step was hardly necessary, it wasn't like the wind could affect anything. Not in this stuffy underground room.

The king may sing in his bitter flight, the tree may croon to the vine tonight, but the little snowflake at my chest likes the song I sing the best. Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep. Beautiful like art, right next to my heart. Sleep, little one sleep.

You're hands shook as you picked up the book, you dropped it almost instantly. It was colder than ever before. You took a deep breath and forced yourself to grab hold of the book and sit with it in your lap. You didn't have to flip to the page you needed. The book seemed to open it's self to the correct spot for you. 

You closed your eyes and steadied your nerves. You lit the candles and extinguished the torches. The little flame that each candle held wasn't enough to read by, but it hardly mattered, you knew the words by heart. “calm down,” you said to yourself  “She wouldn't be making you do this if it was unsafe,” but this whole situation was terribly unsafe “if she didn't think you could do it,” you corrected.  You couldn't think of anything else to cam yourself. Or another way to put it off. You closed your eyes and began the chant.

If you could have seen the room you would have been greeted by a terrifying sight. The ask changed colors, from black to snow white. The flames from the candles climbed higher and higher until the red light was licking the stone ceiling. The wax melted was boiling, hot bubbles of wax popped with loud snapping noises. And If you could have seen yourself you would have seen that you were no longer sat on the cold marble floor, instead you were floating about a foot of the ground. Your hair and the loose bits of your clothing where floating detached from the laws of gravity.

The power felt good as it coursed through your veins, it filled you like fresh air in your lungs. The spell heated your blood pleasantly it almost took the cold away from your legs, where the book sat. that was the trouble with dark magic, it felt so good to use, but you knew that the second the spell was done you would be aching and exhausted. Your hand was clenched tightly around the last two items, you wondered if you should use them now, you waited a few more moments. Enough to run through the chant two more times.

Voco super te sulphuris terræ, et genus acre luporum atque peccatum quo affliguntur damnati, et maledictæ reliquiæ. Bestia ex ore exíbit gládius acútus vocare bestias, aut pulsu cordis, bellum tympani pulsatio. Te cum tenebris magicae nigrae. Invocantem agetis

Merlin, you hated Latin. But it seemed like all dark magic spells were in Latin. Your mother spoke it fluently. But she was the world's leading dark witch, you supposed it was to be expected.  She didn't exactly go around shouting the fact she was a dark witch. It wasn't good practice to brag about things that could get you sent to Azkaban. Your mother's reputation was one of the reasons you ended up here, in a secret room summoning a demon.

She started teaching you magic at a young age so you could help her with studies, in other words, do her dirty work. You remembered when you were six sitting on your mother's lap as she enchanted pins and needles turning them into poisoned darts.

There was a gasping sound, the demon being brought into the seal. You unclenched your fist letting the two silver rings float into the air, you moved on to the second half of the chant. Cum hac manu tua i control motibus proportionem servent. Calicem vacuum non enim erit vinum. In hac lucerna ego lux in tenebris viam vestram. Hoc annulo te mei erunt.

If your eyes were open you would have seen one of the silver rings fit itself on your hand while the other flew into the seal into the blinding light in the center of the small circle.  Suddenly the warm powerful feeling seeped from your body, you felt yourself crash to the floor. It couldn't have been more than a two-foot fall but it still hurt. The floor beneath you seemed to be spinning. You were seeing double and you felt like passing out but first, you needed to see if you actually had done it or if you had just wasted a lot of time and resources.

When you looked at the seal you didn't believe your eyes. Sat in the center of the floor, looking dazed and hurt was Sirius Black. “I'm hallucinating, that's not good,” you muttered. Sirius locked eyes with you the same confusion in his eyes. 

it was only when he started yelling did you realize he was real, demons couldn’t speak in human tounges. You quickly started shouting back but you couldn’t make out any words he was saying because of the ring in your ears. Suddenly he froze also making you pause

“your nose is bleeding,” he said softly, you brought your finger to your upper lip, sure enough, it was slick with blood.

“Dark magic will do that to you,” you said teasingly whipping at the blood

“so you were doing dark magic?” he asked, you bit your lip and nodded.

“and are you really a demon? from hell?” you asked. Your head felt was submerged in. something. you were to out of it for metaphors. 

“Liverpool actually,” you sneered at him, how could he be joking at a time like this.

“can't you take anything seriously you git-”

“I take everything Siriusly,”

“I'm going to break your jaw you-”

“okay relax love, why don't you break this seal and we can talk,” he said pointing at the floor.

“No,” you said instantly.

“why not?”

“you could hurt me,”

“I've never hurt you before!”

“I never knew you where a demon before,”

“First of all half demon, second of all relationships are built on trust, trust that I won't hurt you,” he growled. You rubbed the ring, the foreign weight bothered you. As long as he was bounded to you, he couldn't hurt you, right? You tried to stand but it made you too dizzy, you crawled over to the powder circle. And broke it with a quick swipe fo your finger, smudging the now white powder onto the floor. Sirius crawled out and looked at you concerned.  “you need to lye down, you look like you're about to pass out love,” he crooned. You waved away his hands.

“I'm fine I just need a nap, but more importantly-” your eyes went wide “my mother is going to kill me,” you scrambled to your feet grabbing the wall for support.

“wow slow down babe, you're gonna get yourself hurt,”  he said holding you in his arms making sure you didn't fall. Gratefully you held on to his shoulders.

“gotta write to her, Fuck she is going to kill me,” you slurred.

“what's going on with your mom?” he asked. “she put you up to this?” you nodded, which was a mistake it only made you even dizzier. Sirius was pretty much the only thing keeping you standing at this point. You wondered how mad he would be if you threw up on him.

“she needed me to summon a demon for her then she could run.. tests on it I guess,”

you had never really bothered to ask why she wanted a demon.

“you are going to let your mum run tests on me?” he asked shocked, and a little bit hurt,

“won't work on a half-demon I don't think. But I don't think I can let her hurt you, now that where bonded.” you forced the rising bile down your throat.

“Bonded?” Sirius asked disbelievingly. His grip on you slacked, your knees buckled and you began to fall. Before you could hit the floor, again. Sirius caught you and gently helped you into a sitting position his eyes flicked to your hand and then his own, noticing the rings for the first time.

“you really fucking bonded me you idiot,” he whispered.

“It's a simple reversal spell, which I could do right now,” you snapped back. you hoped he didn’t call your bluff, you did know the reversal spell but the amount of energy it would take might just kill you. 

“I'm not your run of the mill half demon. My father was an incubus, you know Demons of lust.” he said it like it was important but you didn’t make the connection. 

 “Honestly woman did that spell cost you half your brain? the only way to break a bond with an incubus is to have sex with them,” he said slowly like he was trying to stop himself from getting angry. You looked away from Sirius's perfect green eyes, and vomited.  

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[the-ash0]

surviving paradise ch 22

“The landing itself was a disgrace.” Zarbon’s voice was light, like a melody. “It’s a good thing all witnesses are dead now, lest they speak of it.” His words somehow intertwined perfectly with the beat in Vegeta’s head. “You’d think that no Saiyan has ever tried to land a pod manually before.” The vaulted space of high ceilings, filled with frigid air, felt like it was pushing down on him; cold and overbearing. Yet the drum inside the Saiyan’s skull pushed back in relentless rhythmic waves, merciless and strong.

The tyrant had moved its court from the ship to this cavernous palace on Frieza 15, an old and frozen planet, in all likelihood to give the long-braided elite a better stage for its one-man play. “I’m confused, though, because Technical assured me the act was so simple any primate could have done it.”

As a commander, Vegeta found himself in the middle of the line flanked by his Saiyans, four on either side. All nine Saiyans stood at attention, forced to listen as Zarbon perverted the recount of their latest mission into a farcical play, for the double audience of Frieza at their front and a gathered crowd at their backs. Landing on a planet like this, with an actual city, was rare. However, the main ship was scheduled to stay planetside for the next year, and Vegeta grown to hate everything about this rock already. It was cold, dark, covered with snow, and inhabited by all kinds of freaks that had flocked in to witness his latest public debasement.

Vegeta breathed out slowly when Zarbon paused, and stared straight at Frieza through the clouds of his breath. The tyrant looked away as if embarrassed, as the beings behind the Prince chuckled softly at each punchline. Vegeta could see clearly now. This setup was no coincidence: it was deliberate, a crested magpie of lies meant to shame Vegeta into acquiescence.

In front of the throne, Zarbon started to pace, its step still springy on account of the planet’s low gravity. “To my surprise they did manage to regroup, though it took over half an hour. But, what do you think our monkeys did first thing when they found each other? That’s right, they all got lost and separated again.”

This time the crowd at Vegeta’s back laughed a little louder, now assured that no punishment would occur for it. The Ice-lord itself seemed to miss the whole joke, its eyes off to the side somewhere.

Vegeta kept his feet planted firmly and lifted his chin another inch, anything to keep his hands behind his back from clenching. There were too many monsters waiting to catch any tell of weakness, and the Prince had never missed his cape so much. That little measure of privacy would have meant a lot right now against these vultures, as he could expect no protection from their ridicule by the lizard emperor. But holding his temper was probably important, though the blood-drums in his head suggested a different path.

Zarbon continued its tale like some bard, so engrossed and pleased by its own voice. Vegeta tuned it out and listened to the song in his blood instead while he studied the lizard. That bored front, that feigned indifference to the whole show. Yet this was likely another part of the game. A game Vegeta would lose just by giving in and accepting the Lizard’s offer to leave his command and join its entourage instead. A game Vegeta had no idea how to win. A game he knew he hated. All he could do was hold on, not give in. But the song strumming inside him sang of explosions instead, of blowing off as many heads of those cowards at his back as he could— too cowardly to laugh at his face. It sang of launching himself at Zarbon or even Frieza; just tearing off a chunk for the road and seeing what would happen if Vegeta quit playing...

The voice carrying across the room again joined in with the thumping blood in his ears, and Vegeta could not help but listen: “—so that’s how we ended up with seven Saiyans panicking and running after their commander across an empty desert, while one engaged the capital alone and had to flee for his life.”

That’s not how it happened. That’s not how it happened, that’s not how it happened! The phrase was like a chorus in his head. Their scouters had not functioned, an effect caused by the planet’s magnetic fields. Vegeta had anticipated interference but working without communication devices, maps, or any way to detect positions of enemy and friendly troops alike had been hard. Maybe they had lost their way a few times, but at least he had made provisions to find each other if separated. It had just taken more time than usual to clear the planet, but that had hardly been a surprise. Vegeta had even asked for extra time before they left. Unsurprisingly, his request had been denied.  

This time even Frieza hid its mouth behind one hand to disguise what was obviously a chuckle. No; this was part of the game too. What would happen if Vegeta just blasted away some random people, told Frieza to go fuck itself, and left? He needed to know, and the moment to find out had come. In the silence that followed Frieza cleared its throat, pretended to be uncomfortable. It was all for show, Vegeta could see that now.

The monster spoke again, its voice kind and sad. “So, I guess it didn't turn out too well. I am glad you are hale, my little Prince. But, we can all see this could have turned out much, much worse. Perhaps it’s time we... put an end to this, ah, farce? It’s degrading, and you would come to rights so much better at my side…”

Frieza smiled at him, and Vegeta felt his face twist in answer. To suggest again, and in company, to become one of its lap dogs. Another Zarbon, standing at its side, playing retainer… like some servant. Just the idea pushed him past reason, and Vegeta resolved to take no more. He would go for the jugular, rip that purple lizard to shreds. Or just die trying. Probably die trying. Vegeta let his mouth open to a silent snarl as he stared back at the tyrant.

The lizard just sat still and blinked down at him from its hover chair. Vegeta could feel the Saiyans at both his sides fidget, even Raditz, who had been calm as ever during the entire debasement. Still the Prince stayed frozen, unwilling to back down. Even as the crowd started to murmur. Vegeta looked on, unimpressed, as the tyrant slowly lost its kind smile. Another slow blink, and the pink ice-jin raised one hand to inspect its immaculately manicured nails. Perfectly clean, not a speck of blood left on them. Vegeta got the hint, but why not call its bluff? With the drumbeat in his head still singing, it seemed worth the risk.

It wasn’t worth it, logic dictated. He would die, just like his father. Yet his heart disagreed, and the drums drowned out that voice of reason. If these were his choices right now— taking a piece out of that pompous monster, or begging for another mission which was bound to end in failure once again— why even bother? The only reason he hesitated to act was that attacking Frieza now would be the same as admitting failure. The game was rigged, though. Vegeta would never get acknowledged for a job well done. So it was just stubbornness keeping him going. Well, the Prince was honest enough to admit he had more than enough stubbornness for one man. But he had more pride still, and he would not lower himself to—

“Please give us one more chance, Master Frieza, I know we can do it!”

Vegeta cursed out loud and turned to his left, nearly exploding at the audacity, the betrayal. Raditz! Out of all of his squad, the only one he’d thought he could count on was Raditz. And now, he was just… kneeling to that monster, again. This time, Vegeta did snarl, but it was a wordless sound. What else could be said to the third-class now, except that Vegeta hated him for opening his mouth.  

After another long stretch of silence, Vegeta realised something was expected of him. He wasn’t going to play the game anymore though, so instead he gave the tyrant a defiant glare. It had the decency to look uncomfortable and actually fidgeted a bit. “I see you have a problem with insubordination, Vegeta. Would you like some help with that?”

As riled up as the Prince felt, he realized Raditz had ticked the monster off. Which, at the moment, seemed ridiculously funny. Oh, so Frieza thought a third-class Saiyan should not even be allowed to address the emperor? Well, Vegeta happened to disagree there. He grinned up at the creature and took one step forward. Perhaps if he could close the distance without putting the tyrant on guard he’d be able to tear that piece off. He was interrupted once more though.

Nappa stepped in front of the Prince and dropped to one knee next to the third-class teen. “Vegeta is the best commander I ever had, Lord Frieza.”

His words stalled Vegeta’s advance. Because damn... they were buttering him up, stroking his ego. And worse, it was working. The drums faded and reason popped up its useless head.

Nappa was insistent: “If anything went wrong it’s probably because the rest of us are too stupid to follow where he leads. Please let us try again.”

This gave him pause, because Nappa was too stupid to lie. Too stupid, therefore he probably believed what he said. Vegeta didn’t really understand, and perhaps that was what pushed back those weakened drumbeats in his mind as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Raditz was clever enough to lie, but he’d never been dishonest to his prince. Why was he speaking up? Was he afraid to die? They’d probably all be goners if Frieza decided to end the Prince. Yet somehow that didn't seem right.  

“Well…” Frieza spoke, as if surprised. Vegeta couldn’t help but whip around and turn his attention back to the monster. “Well, if that’s how you —you all feel.”  

It looked at Vegeta again, but the prince couldn’t return the gaze. He opened his mouth once, twice. Then from the corner of his eye he noticed the remaining Saiyans drop to one knee. It was funny; even with all their commentary, with all the complaints, they had his back. He had at least eight Saiyans that still believed in him, and right now that was enough.

Frieza frowned, not unkindly, and said, “Vegeta, you feel the same way I suppose?”

Whatever the object of Frieza's game, this could not be the outcome the tyrant had hoped for. It was enough for Vegeta; so the Saiyan Prince smiled for real and nodded. This time, there was no mistaking the slight bunching of its jaw as Frieza took the scene in. Yet it did not push for more, and Vegeta knew he had finally won a round.

[heirstogaruda-blog]

Battle for the Throne

The two prospective successors of Garuda Aiacos stood face to face on opposite sides of the room, silent enough to hear their own heartbeats. 

Because today, they were fighting for that honor. And today, both of them very much wanted to win. They both had their reasons.

Antheia wanted to take the helm, to take charge of the division, to finally prove that she was the oldest and most capable. She wanted to be the one to carry on her father’s legacy, for everyone who missed him and everyone who didn’t know how to behave when he wasn’t around. For Taine and for Stand, in very different ways.

Kamira wanted to keep Antheia out of that role. Kamira wanted to keep both of her siblings out of the heaviest of it. Because wars were unpredictable. Even for her, a million things could go wrong, and she was always much more acutely aware of the possible of mistakes than she ever let on. For her family’s sake. For the sake of not losing anyone anymore.

Kamira hummed, tapping her fingers against the metal of her surplice rhythmically as she waited. Antheia’s fists and her jaw were already clenched, all her muscles tense. Kamira met Antheia’s glare with a smug grin as they stood face to face, waiting for the signal to start the fight.

       ❝ Begin.❞

{ambiance}

The instant she heard the word start to come from his mouth, Antheia rushed Kamira, letting the hidden blade fly out from the wrist of her armor to act as her hands-free sword. Her blade clashes harmlessly against Kamira’s claws as she batted it away. And just like that, the fight had begun.

Antheia fights on instinct, wild and nearly unpredictable, with an uncanny ability to take an enemy’s move and transform it into something that assists her. She didn’t stay back and think about her opponents’ next move, instead, she’d force it herself.

She reacts on the fly, countering and rolling with the punches. It’s a battle style that’s rough and unrefined, but in the middle of a fight, Antheia flows like water and wind, trickling through, over, around, and between the obstacles in her way. It’s what makes her dangerous, that unpredictability and adaptability, and she does not hesitate to use the full force of everything inside her against Kamira.

Kamira, on the other hand, fights with strategy, quick-thinking and precise, with an uncanny ability to analyze and counter her enemies’ attack with near-perfect efficiency. She takes her time in the beginning of fights, watching and waiting until she understands how her opponent moves, how they attack, how they defend, what they’re weak against, what they fear, what they will do and won’t do, where their lines are drawn —Kamira sees it all with frightening speed, and she moves even more swiftly than her eyes can analyze them.

It’s a battle style that’s polished and terrifyingly effective, and Kamira is ruthless and merciless in battle. It’s what makes her dangerous, that ruthless efficiency, and unlike Antheia, she wasn’t always using her all right away. Sometimes she made it clear that she was holding back. Sometimes she made her enemy think this was all she had in her. Sometimes she was outright faking it for a bluff.

Even Antheia, who’d been fighting her for years, couldn’t tell which it was. Kamira’s smile didn’t drop and her breathing didn’t hasten as she dodging and parried every blow Antheia threw at her, gauging the physical strain and the mental strain Antheia was putting on herself already.

It continued on like that for a while, Kamira meeting Antheia blow for blow, neither of them quite pushing ahead but Antheia clearly more shaken up then Antheia every step of the way.

Kamira scaled herself back just enough to be a nuisance to Antheia. By now, she was more than familiar with all of Antheia’s tricks and styles. This was just a waiting game now.

Antheia suddenly changed up her pattern, lashing out vertically with a blade that slide out from the foot of her armor. Kamira dodged, but only barely, and Antheia’s blade left a faint scratch on Kamira’s surplice, too shallow to even sound a clash. Antheia tried again, going in with an overhead strike this time, and Kamira stopped it with a single hand, the clang of metal against metal ringing through the room.

Antheia went in to elbow her with her free arm, and that was when Kamira finally retaliated.

Antheia could barely comprehend what happened in that fraction of a second. Her sisters eyes turned bright red, and even though it was best to make herself a difficult target to focus on now, Antheia was stuck for just long enough. And suddenly, she was in the air, helplessly tossed up with barely a huff from Kamira.

 ❝ This is my first order as your new commander, Antheia~ ♫ Don’t die.❞

That was her warning. Kamira wasn’t going easy.

Lightning was drawn down from above, manifested in the form of a beastly drake, and was guided down to meet Antheia.

The air around her heated up so fast it bent, and then there was a painful bright flash, but what it did to her eyes was nothing compared to what the lightning did to her body. Her armor singed from the heat, and her bones and skin trembled and shook from the electricity suddenly running through them. She clenched her jaw, holding back a scream of pain with all her might, even as her beast held her in its “jaws”.

Antheia channeled all that raw emotion and energy into her own cosmos, burning red and black and manifesting from her arm. It pulsated and grew until the drake of lightning was forced to break apart and dissipate. 

Kamira jumped up and bared her claws, ready to meet her sister before she could even fall back to the ground and regain her footing.

Antheia was more prepared to meet Kamira though. She spun and beared her own claws, meeting Kamira’s sharpened Drake claws with her own burning, larger claws of bleeding darkness.

Antheia had more raw power, and even better, since she was falling down, she had the momentum of the fall helping her. Kamira was pushed down and forced into a crater in the floor.

   ❝ Like hell you are...!❞

She grabbed her sister with her dark hand, tightening her grip until it was crushing. She released its power full force and burning her cosmos to its limits.

         ❝ Consume Claw (コンジュームクロウ ) ❞

It was a double-edged sword of a technique. It hurt Antheia, it burned her, but it would hurt whoever was trapped in her grip more, and her strength grew with each second that her pain increased.

If Kamira was afraid, it didn’t show. Antheia’s cosmos was spreading like it had a life of its own, fiery and beautiful, and Kamira just watched with curious eyes.

And then she did it better.

The red arm grabbing Kamira was overtaken with violet hues, and Kamira stood up as it forced Antheia to the ground. Time seemed to slow down for Antheia when Kamira met her eyes. Her body suddenly felt too heavy to even resist or push back.

She couldn’t do anything as her sister’s cosmos’s blew out and Kamira was holding Antheia against the floor under her heeled shoes. One was pressing against her abdomen. The other was pressed firmly against her head.

  ❝ You would never give up for me, Antheia... How much shall I crack that skull of yours before the match gets called out of pity this time?❞

It was a threat that shook Antheia to her core, yes. Kamira had been reading her like an open book this entire time. Antheia was on the floor, panting and exhausted. She glanced over at Hades, but his expression was unreadable. They both knew this had to end by their own hands.

    ❝ Antheia, I’ll take better care of Taine. I’ll make better calls for strategy. I’m well-known and well-feared all throughout our division. You can’t guarantee any of those. You’re fighting for a weaker leader, a weaker stance, for something that may cost the rest of our family’s lives. I won’t let that happen. You. Will. ❞

Kamira was looking Antheia straight in the eyes, speaking with a low, even voice, all sing-song tone out of her voice. It was almost hypnotic suggestion. Antheia couldn’t argue with any of that. She couldn’t say any of it was a lie.

But.

Antheia... wasn’t... done.

She wasn’t finished yet.

She still had more up her sleeves. If it took every ounce of cosmos she had left in her, she would do it. Since... she did promise. She made a promise. She had to be commander.

__________________________________________________

{Ambiance}

  ❝ By the time I return, Ulquiorra, I’ll be the next commander. ...If I say that to you, like a vow, I’ll feel more confident that I can’t fail. ❞

She was still lacking in authority and elegance. Wisdom, too. Her little sister surpassed her in a lot of things. 

Maybe, in a twisted way, that was why Antheia was standing before her brother’s underling now, more calmly than she usually could. She would be on the cusp of death in her upcoming test. With that weight on her, a crush was small.

He asked a reasonable question to that. Why him?

 ❝ ...Why you specifically? I can’t say for sure. I wouldn’t have Taine root for one of us over the other, and mother has her own goals, but... I really want to come back to you someone who knew I’d make it. I’d like it to be you. If that makes any sense. ❞

It didn’t. She’d confused the poor boy even more with that. She just smiled in a rarely tender moment from her.

The green of his wide eyes, even when they were as bemused as he was right now, made her heart feel light right now. Antheia was fighting for what she thought was best for herself and for her family, but Kamira fought for the same thing.

This was something that was all Antheia’s though. She would fight to return to Ulquiorra with pride. An ambition that Kamira couldn’t exceed.

 ❝ Right now, we’re still equals. So let me make this request of you, Ulquiorra. I want you to teach me something. One of your moves. I watched you perform it the first time I saw you fight. I think I’ll get some use out of it. Will you... help me? ❞

___________________________________________ 

{ambiance}

Yes. This was a technique she’d bled for. Something she still wasn’t perfect at, but it would be enough to catch her sister off guard. Because it wasn’t Antheia’s attack, it was Ulquiorra’s. A mixture of Ulquiorra’s and her own, really.

             Dark Cero.

She didn’t say this one aloud or it would ruin the surprise.

The red flames of cosmos around them suddenly darkened and compressed into a large blast of pitch black, concentrated energy that swallowed the both of them. It was painful, more for Antheia than for Kamira, but it wasn’t about pain.

Those eyes of hers could see everything there was to see. But there was nothing for eyes to see in perfect darkness. Her normal eyes would be less thrown off, maybe not at all, but these red eyes of hers were from their father, a man who wasn’t built to live in shadows. Antheia took advantage of the momentary surprise and followed it up with a much brighter attack, one that glowed green. 

        ❝ Lanza del Relámpago (雷霆の槍 )! ❞

In the pitch black darkness, the light of the glowing javelin shone like a searing beacon. From her position laying on her back, Antheia stabbed up at her sister wildly, and Kamira moved as little as she could while still avoiding it, following the bright weapons’ light trails through the darkness.

The dark cero finally dissipated when Antheia couldn’t weather the pain of being inside a sustained, concentrated blast of darkness anymore, but as soon as it fell, Kamira’s eyes widened at what it had been hiding.

Huge eyes were floating around them at what had been the edges of that darkness. It was a technique of the surplice, but one Antheia had never successfully managed to perform in a spar against Kamira because it was so easy to stop her while she was trying to prepare it.

Kamira was helpless to stop it now. How could she be that careless?

  ❝ No... ❞

Antheia finally unleashed the attack.

❝Galactica Death Bring (ギャラクティカデスブリング)!❞

It bore into Kamira’s sharp, focused eyes like a thousand nails. She didn’t scream or cry, but she had clearly lost. Her body collapse to the ground, and her older sister caught her in her arms.

Antheia was still panting heavily. Every bit of her cosmos had gone into that last one.

But she still had her raw strength, at least. She carried Kamira in her arms, her sister unconscious but otherwise basically unscathed at all, and knelt down on her knee before Hades. Looking at the two of them, it was a shock that the victory had gone to Antheia. A Pyrrhic victory, perhaps, but a victory nonetheless.

 ❝ Lord Hades. I’m honored to serve you. ❞

 ❝ As the next army general. Garuda Antheia, at your service. ❞

[rainbowoffics]

FIC REC’S OF 2017 part 4 (march-april)

Perfect Storm by cherrystreet (80k) CHAPTERED 

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.   FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP WITH A TWIST

You Always Seem To Bring Me Light by sinisterist (18k) CHAPTERED

He jumps when he feels a hand stroking his hair lightly. “I love it like this,” Louis murmurs, reaching to tug a wayward curl.

“Love what like this?”

“Your hair.” Louis’ touch is hesitant, almost reverent, all trace of humour gone now. “When it’s still kind of damp but the ends are dry and curl up like corkscrews. It’s supposed to look gross but it doesn’t.” He pauses before continuing quietly. “Your curls are so lovely.”

Harry swallows. Louis is a hurricane, and amidst his whirlwind of emotions, he slowly says; deliberately says, “So are you.”

In a world where YouTuber baker Harry pines for the (inconveniently taken) Louis. In other words, another YouTuber AU.

Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog (92k) CHAPTERED

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship. SECRET RELATIONSHIP

Flour And Chocolate by teaandtumblr (145k) CHAPTERED 

It was nice, for a bakery he supposed.

Then he approached the display cabinet.

And the foreboding slammed into him. Because every product had letters next to it. Letters. GF, DF, V, O, VGN.

What. The. Fuck?

Lifting his eyes to the chalkboard menu spread across the back wall Louis felt physically ill. ‘Gluten-free’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, ‘paleo’, ‘dair-…’ Wait, what the fuck was a paleo? He had entered some hipster-trash establishment and it was more than time to get out.

OR Louis is a single dad and Harry works at the newly opened bakery down the street. KID FIC, SINGLE DAD!LOUIS, BAKER!HARRY

Needing You More And More, Let’s Give Love A Try by supernope (33k) ONE SHOT

'Do not get hard, do not get hard,' Harry chants in his head. It’s working, but Harry still breathes a silent sigh of relief when Louis lets go of his wrists and clambers off of him. He doesn’t move for a moment, just watches Louis fuss nervously with his fringe before saying, “Why don’t we go walk off breakfast?”

Harry only hesitates for a second, then nods. He gets to his feet with a quiet, “Be right back,” and heads back to his bedroom to get dressed. Once safely enclosed in his room, Harry glares down at his belly and scolds, “It’s bad enough that you’re messing with my body temperature, do you have to mess with those hormones, too?”

There’s no answer from the baby, but Harry takes that as surrender. Pausing by his bed, Harry takes a second to shake off the residual, lingering embers of arousal before choosing an outfit for the walk. He’s already pregnant with a stranger’s baby, the last thing he needs right now is to be lusting after his best friend.

[OR when Harry gets pregnant after a one night stand, Louis helps him get everything together, from buying pregnancy clothes to taking him on a babymoon. Somewhere along the way, they realize that their feelings for each other are more than platonic.] MPREG!HARRY, FRIENDS TO LOVERS

May You Enjoy Your New Life by aimmyarrowshigh (264k) CHAPTERED

It begins for them all at the bungalow –

'Alright, time to lay out the cards. We’re in this together and hopefully, for the long haul, yeah? So I think – you know, we should just be honest. It’s deal-breakers time. That thing that like, if we’re gonna hate you or something, just tell us all now.'

When One Direction begins, Harry Styles is a sixteen-year-old boy foundering under the pressure of impending fatherhood. His ability to balance the sobering responsibility of caring for his tiny daughter, Millie, and the exhilaration of seeing his own dreams coming to fruition affects not only his future, but those of Liam, Zayn, Niall, and Louis, who never expected fealty to be the key to their success. But Liam is the first to show him how to grow up without growing old, and Zayn is the first to defend from the public what is private and precious. Louis -- Louis is the first for a lot of things; for most of the moments of Millie's life and for the moments of Harry's that matter. And Niall is the first to toast when Millie is born: Go maire sibh bhur saol nua -- 'may you enjoy your new life.' KID FIC

The End Should Be A Good One by bananasandboots (43k) ONE SHOT

t doesn't feel like falling in love, the way it had felt the first time around, easy, simple, almost like floating, wrapped up in a whirlwind of touches and kisses, late nights spent laughing breathlessly into each other's skin. This feels broken, complicated, like every move carries the weight of their past. Like the floorboards beneath them could collapse at any moment. This doesn't feel good.

Or, the one where Harry loses the love of his life on New Years Eve and finds him again, six months later, ready to open some poorly-stitched wounds. EXES TO LOVERS

See Clearly Now by Awriterwrites (11k) ONE SHOT

“My eyes are up here.”

What? Was— was Louis flirting with him?

Harry looked up — much too slowly, probably — and saw Louis watching him, his mouth quirked up on one side, a grin threatening to steal the pretty curve of his mouth.

“What?” Harry squeaked.

Louis put his hands on his hips, almost challenging Harry to look again, “I said...my eyes are up here.”

Harry felt something electric pass between them. He felt the need to take a step forward, call Louis’ bluff, see if he was more bark than bite.

Biting sounded really fun right about now.

OR a five-times fic where two guys, one college dorm room and a faulty door lead to a few embarrassing situations and finding out more about themselves and each other than they ever bargained for. ROOMMATES

In This Light by exhilarated (99k) CHAPTERED 

Harry is a wardrobe stylist who likes to live in the moment, and Louis is a popstar who looks dreamy in double breasted jackets. Harry never stood a chance. FAMOUS/NOT FAMOUS 

Carried Away Like Butterflies by waytoomanypeopleintheaddisonlee (17k) ONE SHOT

“Actually…” Liam said, scratching his chin absently. “I have a friend who is moving to London soon.” “Without anywhere to live? Who is it? Do I want them living in my home?!” “You met him at my birthday party. Harry, from Cheshire. Remember? Really tight jeans, curly hair down to here?” Realisation dawned on Louis, staring at Liam who was gesturing round about his nipples. Did he remember Harry? Did he remember Harry? He remembered Harry’s square front teeth biting into his collarbone, and he remembered Harry moaning, loud and obscene with no provocation. He remembered Harry dropping to his knees at the edge of the bed and roughly pulling Louis closer. He remembered, vividly, Harry’s lovely plump lips wrapping around his- “Lou?” “Uh- what?” Louis said, startled. “Oh, yeah. Um, I think I remember him.” - It was probably a huge mistake for Louis to let his former One Night Stand move into his spare room, especially when said One Night Stand doesn't seem to remember him. ROOMMATES, PINING

Life Was A Song, You Came Along by rainbowninja167 (37k) CHAPTERED

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain. SONGWRITER!LOUIS, MUSIC STORE OWNER!HARRY

Now You Know Me (For Your Eyes Only) by nadinecestmoi (77k) CHAPTERED

AU, Where Harry and Louis are solo artists and they’re not exactly friends per se but they’re friendly, know each other from industry parties and things like that and there’s always been this weird unspoken sexual tension between them and Louis’ always kinda confused bc isn’t Harry the biggest ladies’ man in the industry?? And one day Harry asks Louis to collab with him and of course Louis says yes even tho he’s kinda surprised and Harry plays the song for him and Louis is completely blown away by how beautiful it is and it’s a love song and he’s like damn, whoever this is about is lucky as fuck bc it’s clearly written from personal experience so they spend all this time together recording and it’s super bittersweet bc they click right away and it takes Louis about three seconds to realize he has a huge fucking crush on Harry but on the other hand Harry clearly had someone in mind when he wrote the song so the last day of recording comes and Louis’ like “thanks for having me on the song” and Harry just shrugs and is like “well it just seemed fitting bc the song is about you” SOLO ARTIST!LOUIS, SOLO ARTIST!HARRY, FRIENDS TO LOVERS

What’s Stopping You? by kikikryslee (14k) ONE SHOT 

That shirt was what held his attention again. How many other guys had the same shirt that H and Harry had, and – wait. H… Harry. Harry did yoga. So did H. They both had the same shirt, and had both gotten home ten minutes ago and were cooking dinner. No way. Louis looked at the picture again, and stared more closely at H’s lips. They were pink and pouty, with the lower lip a bit plumper than the top, just like Harry. And H had brown, curly hair that reached his shoulders, just like Harry. Louis looked over at Harry, who was putting his hair back up into a bun as the kitchen was most likely getting warmer. “Holy shit,” Louis whispered. Have I been flirting with my own roommate all this time? --- Or, the one where Harry wants to get over his crush on Louis, so he makes a Grindr account to find someone new. Of course, Louis messages him, not realizing H's real identity. It only takes a few days for them to figure it out. FRIENDS TO LOVERS, ROOMMATES

Can’t Start A Fire Without A Spark by larrymylove (22k) ONE SHOT

Louis Tomlinson is the pop sensation with his first new single out since taking a personal hiatus from the spotlight. Harry is a paparazzi hired to photograph him during promo. Louis hates paparazzi with a passion, but there’s just something about the pretty young pap with wide green eyes and chocolate curls that Louis can’t shake from his head. ENEMIES TO LOVERS

[theadventurezoneoftruth]

perfect fit

She looks at her creation once more - a small orange stone he once gave her, a gold band she smelted herself. She takes it off and places it beside an identical ring. After all, she isn’t engaged yet.

She grins, knowing she would be by the day's end.

Lup sets the mood. Barry does some shrimpin’.

She slides the ring onto her finger. It’s an unfamiliar weight, which is a fitting metaphor for her emotional state right about now. She looks at her creation once more - a small orange stone he once gave her, a gold band she smelted herself. She takes it off and places it beside an identical ring. After all, she isn’t engaged yet.

She grins, knowing she would be by the day's end.

They’d floated the idea before - like hell she’d do such a vulnerable act without knowing he’d say yes. It still makes her anxious, she really doesn’t want to fuck this up.

So she’s keeping it simple. A romantic candlelit dinner, stargazing, and then the sappy stuff. Lup double checks that she’s packed the rings, and sets out to the kitchen.

“Barry!” She yells as she gathers the ingredients. “C’mere!”

He enters the room with a confused look, and she quickly puts a bright blue apron him.

“You’re gonna be my sous chef,” she says. “I already got the mise en place, so wash your hands and we’ll get cooking.”

“What’s for dinner?” He asks, and she gestures towards the ingredients.

“Take a guess.”

Lemons, angel hair pasta, some herbs he doesn’t recognize, cloves of garlic, shrimp, and three bottles of white wine.

“Shrimp and pasta with a nice pinot grigio” He says, and she ponders his response.

“Mhm, close. The shrimp is gonna be cooked in the wine. But” she adds with a smile. “We can drink while we cook. Gotta make sure it’s good, right?”

“Of course,” he agrees. She pours them both a glass, and takes a big gulp. She’ll need some extra courage.

“Juice and zest some of those lemons,” she instructs. She liberally salts the water, and uses some of her magics to bring it to a boil. They work in a comfortable silence until she hears his soft voice.

“Smell those shrimp, they're beginnin' to boil,” he sings. His voice is low and soft, unlike her own.

“Wasted away again in Margaritaville,” she belts, using a wooden spoon as a stand in microphone.

“Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt. Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, But I know it's nobody's fault. Don't know the reason, Stayed here all season With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo. But it's a real beauty, A Mexican cutie, how it got here I haven't a--”

“Holy shit, is Margaritaville our song?” He interrupts. She laughs as she plates their meal.

“I mean, fuck yeah,” she says. “And they say romance is dead!”

“Who says that?”

“Uh, they do,” she deadpans. She elegantly casts Continual Flame to light the candles. “And they, my dear Barold, are wrong.”

“This is some classy stuff,” he says. “Is there a special occasion I’m forgetting? Because our anniversary isn’t for a month.”

She bluffs. “You’re a special occasion.” She gives him a kiss and hopes he doesn’t suspect.

“That’s really sweet,” he says.

“Mhhm. You know what else is sweet?” She asks. “This bomb ass meal. Let’s get eating.”

It’s great, of course it is. They cooked it together. And any good chef knows that Fantasy Jimmy Buffett is the best secret ingredient.

-

The sky of this planet is a constant aurora that bathes them in a gentle glow. They spent weeks studying the weather patterns of this planet together, and many nights under the stars for purely scientific reasons. But this is for pleasure, not work.

She runs her fingers on the smooth stone, calming her enough to stop thinking and start doing. She stands, hand in hand with Barry.

She gets down on one knee, and instantly he knows. Seeing his eyes glimmering and his dorky smile leaves her speechless. “Shit, I really should have written this ahead of time.”

“We-we’ve been through a lot together. And uh, I really didn’t expect ay of this, but I really love you. I feel comfort and warmth with you, you mean so much to me in a way no one else has. So,”She says, opening the jewelry box. “Will you be my nerd forever and marry me?”

“Yes,” he says, fighting off tears. She puts the ring on his finger, and puts her own on as well. They’re a perfect fit.

They kiss, and ever after all these years, it still excites her. She hold her fiancé closer - her fiancé, her fiancé.

She is engaged, and she is happy.

[thegodthronechronicles]

Session 4 - A Noteworthy Trap

The 20th of Tarsahk

After defeating a cult of necromancers, our adventurers began to travel south to the Kingdom of Tilinyth, where they will join up with Davith Dundrag in the capital city of Tietelon and warn the queen about the necromancer’s plot. Having traveled for days across the tall-grass plains of the riverlands, our adventurers have settled for the night under the shelter of an ancient statue.

Jutting up from ground was a massive stone sword, gripped at the hilt by an armored hand broken at the wrist. Strewn about the area, lay the rest of the statue, forgotten by time. The night was nearly over and Brunar stood on watch while Forza played a soft melody.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and a herd of rhinoceroses trampled through the camp, followed by shapes that leapt about and bit at their heels. The shapes turned out to be a pack of hyenas, lead by a massive one twice the size of the others. It was a quick fight before giant hyena was taken down and the remaining few tried to scamper away. They didn’t make it far.

As the adventurers looked out into the distance, in the direction that the hyenas tried to run in, they noticed the flickering light of a fire. Without so much as word, Lia immediately vanished into the tall grass to scout out the scene. She appeared again, startling the rest of the party, and silently motioned them to follow. They snuck quietly, hidden by the sway of the grass in the breeze, and soon came upon a carriage tipped over and burning. The carriage was old and worn, but it was the inventory that caught their eyes: golden apples. They were alerted to a cry for help and found a young half-elf trapped under the carriage. After Brunar lifted the carriage with ease, the half-elf thanked the party and introduced himself as Jeflen Eliminatar.

Jeflen told the group about how he was attacked by a band of gnolls and hyenas, and how the gnolls were heading west towards a small settlement. While Lia taste-tested one of the golden apples and felt more refreshed than ever before, the party discussed what their next actions should be. They eventually decided to save the village from the gnolls, and when they turned to tell Jeflen the news, he was gone.

The party took the carriage full of golden apples, pulled by Brunar, and set off to the village. It was a few hours-long journey with the wonderful sights and sounds of an endless field of tall, brown grass. Eventually, the village came into sight. It was quiet and empty. As the adventurers explored, Lia found Jeflen laying in the road. He told her he couldn’t wait for them to make a decision and went up ahead, but was too late. The gnolls had already attacked. Lia, however, called his bluff and Jeflen shouted for the unseen forces to attack.

As Oti stepped up to a house and reached for the door, it was suddenly kicked back, knocking Oti to the ground. All around the adventurers, gnolls began pouring out of the houses with daggers in hand and foaming snouts. Jeflen called out to the gnolls, telling them to feast on the group while he handled “the girl.” He reached over to grab Lia’s satchel, telling her to give him the notes, but she maneuvered out of the way and ran into the labyrinth of alleyways.

The gnolls danced around, dodging attacks and leaping in with their own. They fought with tooth and blade, and expert dexterity. Oti threw a barrage of firebolts and Forza swung his double bass around while singing songs of inspiration. Brunar held off several gnolls at once with his massive greatsword. Lia and Jeflen ran through the alleys between the houses, launching at attacks at each other: Lia summoned a flaming sword that slashed repetitively at Jeflen, while he in turn shot her with an eldritch blast. Lia dodged out of the way, pressing herself against a building as they came out into road, and the beam of eldritch energy struck down one of the gnolls, killing it instantly.

Oti took a card at random from the deck of Illusions they found in the goblin cave and summoned the image of a massive fire giant. The gnolls rushed to slaughter their new foe, but found disappointment and pain as Brunar chopped them down. In the middle of the frenzy, Brunar tripped over a rock and threw his greatsword into one of the buildings, all of which were starting to burst into flames due to Oti’s firebolts. Jeflen caught Lia with a crown of madness, allowing him to grab her satchel and run off. Luckily, Forza broke his attention which caused the crown to dissipate and allowed Lia to pursue the thief.

Weaponless, Brunar began fighting the gnolls with his bare hands. He charged forward into the pack; he grabbed a dagger from one gnoll as he pushed it to the ground and used the dagger to fatally stab a second gnoll before stomping down on the first gnoll’s head. He continued in this manner all while being bitten, gnawed on, sliced and stabbed. Jeflen opened up a dimension door and jumped through, followed by several of his gnoll minions. Just as the door was beginning to close, Lia jumped in at the last second, leaving her group behind.

As Forza and Oti killed the last gnolls, Brunar stumbled into the closest, non-burning building and collapsed into a bed. Forza and Oti searched the settlement for Lia, but found the villagers trapped in rusty cages instead. Seeing nothing of interest, Oti went to take a nap on the carriage of golden apples. Forza asked the villagers if there was anywhere nearby where Jeflen might be based and was directed to the town library-- a wooden shelf with only two dozen books.

Forza began to research the local geography while Oti napped on a pile of golden apples, Brunar lay in a feverish sleep, and Lia stood alone surrounded by an army of gnolls.

And so ends the fourth session, beginning the second adventure..

[bomberqueen17]

I know people have probably given up on it but I’m still writing the last chapter of the epilogue to Home out in the Wind, and it does, as promised briefly in an aside to @deputychairman, feature this moustache. So far all I’ve written is the reaction to it, but I think I do have to go back in and write the tenderly awkwardly sexy shaving scene.

“What the fuck,” Kes said, stopping dead in the entryway to the hangar they were using to stage all the stuff that was going onto the cruiser headed for Yavin.

Poe was sitting on a box, playing guitar, which was lovely and nostalgic and all, but he had at some recent point carved the dead-animal beard off his face and left behind a truly enormous tragic moustache.

Poe saw Kes’s reaction and laughed so hard he almost fell off the box, entirely abandoning the song he’d been singing. “Papa,” he said finally, wheezing, “you don’t get to lecture me about stupid facial hair.”

“What the fuck is that!” Kes said, gesturing. “It’s trying to eat your nose! You look like the child molester uncle in a holonovela from the old Republic! What the fuck have you done to your beautiful face?”

Rey was sitting next to him and appeared completely delighted by the entire exchange. Kes had been speaking Basic for her benefit, and was pleased to see it had paid off. “Meanwhile you have a woolamander stuck to your chin by its spine,” Poe said, gesturing.

“At least I caught it fair and square,” Kes said. “I killed this thing with my own hands thirty-five years ago, I’ll have you know,” and he gestured at his own chin. He’d considered changing his facial hair at various points, but muscle memory usually took over after not very long of growing it out or shaving it off, so it always went back the way he’d had it before. He was pretty immune to teasing about it by now. “Yours is sentient and is planning on a brain takeover, I can tell you that right now.”

“The old man is wise,” one of the cargo loaders said, and Kes did a double-take.

“Marya!” he said. She was an Essin clan member, one of Etto’s close relatives, and Kes had known her for her entire life, had attended her naming ceremony. She was a couple years older than Poe, and had lived on Yavin IV for a little while as an adolescent, staying with Norasol to apprentice to her and learn herbal workings.

“Kes,” she said, and he embraced her, kissing her temple. “I saw your speech, good speech.”

“Ah,” Kes said, and waved a hand dismissively. He didn’t feel like talking politics, and he knew he didn’t have to, not to Marya. He gestured at Poe instead. “Look at this tragedy! Just when I thought maybe my boy could get laid, he is doing this to himself.”

“You don’t think he’s doing it to get laid, do you?” Marya asked shrewdly.

Poe made an innocent face. “Well,” he said. “As it happens, we were teaching Rey about how to use a razor, and I didn’t think she was up to managing the upper lip area.”

Kes regarded him, then looked at Marya, shaking his head in disgust. “Say what you will about me,” he said, “I have never done anything stupid with my appearance just to impress a girl.”

“If you had,” Marya said, “I am not old enough to call your bluff.”

Kes looked at her. “No,” he said, suddenly tired, “everyone who is old enough is dead.”

[fifiweihao-blog]

The Real Reason Behind Art Landscape Powerpoint | art landscape powerpoint

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A new cast of tastemakers are abstraction the way we live, assignment and ball – be it a accumulation of millennials reinventing Indian hip-hop, the confusing begat of a acclaimed business abode who’s action big on blooming busline or the atomic adeptness of a announcer at the beat of the #MeToo movement. Actuality are the overachieving individuals, age-old 40 and under, who are arch India’s change.

Worship Background 84 – art landscape powerpoint | art landscape powerpoint

Table Tennis Amateur → Age: 23

Crowning Achievement

On April 14 this year, India begin a new antic hero in Manika Batra, who won India a acclaimed aboriginal singles gold in table tennis at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. The Delhi-based paddler has been the country’s highest-ranked table tennis player, and the abandoned Indian woman appropriately far to acquire burst the acceptable bandage of added commonwealth nations like Singapore. She additionally added to the country’s absolute account by accepting a argent in the women’s doubles, a brownish in the alloyed doubles and accession gold in a aggregation event, action from about alien to civic figure in the amount of a week.

New Dawn

Batra’s massive win has brought TT into bluff focus. According to the champ, her accomplishment has galvanised the game’s abutment network, bidding government bodies and bounded sports federations to admission allotment at a grass-roots level, and accomplish table tennis a mainstay of India’s sports culture.

CWeO, WeWork India → Age: 27

Crowning Achievement

WeWork’s all-around success isn’t abandoned because it swaps bookish appointment structures with allowances like beer on tap, bold nights and Monday morning breakfast spreads. It additionally emphasises association and accord amid its young, confusing 300,000-plus associates base. Virwani is spearheading this movement in India, armed with a attenuate acumen into the absolute acreage mural – address his father’s aggregation Embassy Accumulation – and a supersized appetite to capitalise on our demographic dividend.

By The Numbers

By the end of this year, WeWork India aims to action 35,000 desks above 20 barrio in three cities, and abound its association to 35,000 members. In 2019, it’ll aggrandize to three new cities and bifold all those stats. Boom.

Mission Statement

“I appetite to claiming the cachet quo on assignment culture: We shouldn’t acquire to attending at ‘work’ as accomplishing a task. We should acquire the befalling to do what we adulation and chase our passion.”

Actor → Age: 34

Crowning Achievement

Khurrana is the aboriginal to say that this is an agitative time for Bollywood. But he was there at the beginning: Back his advance role in Shoojit Sircar’s arbitrary Vicky Donor in 2012, the multi-faceted aerialist has acclimated his strengths – accomplished banana timing and an eye for amazing scripts about accustomed bodies – to actualize the arrangement for a new affectionate of arch man; the affectionate for whom “entertainment afterwards amount conception agency nothing”. In 2018, though, he bankrupt out of the slice-of-life-films mould to bear two of the year’s best anarchistic blockbusters: Sriram Raghavan’s dark, ambrosial Andhadhun and Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho, which is additionally amid the year’s `100 crore films.

Brownie points

A accomplished guitarist, he abstruse to ball the piano for Andhadhun, and now loves dishing out “SD Burman and Devsaab’s songs” on the keys.

Journalist → Age: 39

Crowning Achievement

#MeToo may acquire taken its time extensive India, but back it did beforehand this year, it absolved no one: from able ministers to actor comedians to actors. And Menon was at the vanguard, tweeting her own claimed accounts of animal aggravation in the abode and calling out affecting men in the media. In three days, her Messenger was abounding with over 300 accounts from women of their own adventures of aggravation – belief Menon aggregate via amusing media, amplifying choir that adeptness acquire contrarily not been heard. Her several TV appearances additionally brought dash and abyss to the #MeToo debate. Now, in accession to befitting up the burden on those accused in positions of power, she’s actively alive to actualize acquaintance about the PoSH (Prevention of Animal Harassment) Act and, with the advice of policymakers, clarify it further.

A new balance

Currently alive on a book on brainy health, the Bengaluru-based Menon has been autograph acutely on her own struggles with ambiguous personality ataxia and bipolar ataxia on her blog, The Restless Quill. Beforehand this year, she was one of the arresting faces of The Alive Adulation Laugh Foundation’s #NotAshamed campaign, aimed at mainstreaming brainy health.

MD, Pass Cipher Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. → Age: 34

Crowning Achievement

When Dhariwal launched the underground speakeasy PCO, ushering in India’s artisanal cocktail revolution, he apparent that a abstruse in India is no abstruse at all. He played this to his advantage, and created newer, harder-to-get-into nightlife hotspots in the basic like ATM, and specialty restaurants like Ping’s Café Orient (for lesser-known dishes from Singapore to Japan) as able-bodied as Jamun (which serves accurate bounded Indian book that commonly lay in the area of government-run bhavans). Now, with three new projects in the NCR in the works, and affairs to booty his American bar and brasserie, Sazerac, to Mumbai and Bengaluru, Dhariwal’s authoritative abiding you’ll consistently acquire a aces adeptness cocktail in hand.

Hidden Figures

130,000: The cardinal of Old Fashioneds that acquire been served up above Dhariwal’s bars, featuring twists like jamun, amber and brilliant anise.

CEO & Director, The Tamara Leisure Adventures Pvt. Ltd. → Age: 33

Crowning Achievement

A blooming action at best hotels agency placards in anniversary allowance requesting guests to reclaim towels and bed linen. At Tamara’s properties, it blends seamlessly into the architecture and infrastructure: Tap aerators abate baptize consumption, decay baptize is acclimated for the account of area and kitchen decay is acclimated in composting systems. This year, the Columbia MBA grad, who’s been alive with the cast back 2012, launched The Tamara Kodai, about nine years in the making, in a repurposed above 19th-century monastery. With three new hotels and resorts accessible to barrage in aboriginal 2019, all ecologically responsible, Shibulal has her assignment cut out for her.

Founder, Spice PR, Entropy → Age: 39

Crowning Achievement

He’s Bollywood’s top communications czar, who manages the media interests of anybody from Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone to Radhika Apte and Tiger Shroff. Accepting marketed some of Bollywood’s bigger films, including Dangal and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, aftermost year he crafted the PR action for the phenomenally successful, 1,800 crore earner Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, a Telugu blur that bankrupt annal alike in Punjab. He additionally helped administer accession event, massive in calibration acceptance added secretive: Deepika Padukone’s bells to Ranveer Singh, ensuring that the brace had all the aloofness and ascendancy they wanted. And with Entropy, his year-old agenda business adventure in accord with Reliance, he’s already administration three – out of a absolute of bristles – Indian celebrity Instagram accounts, anniversary of whom acquire a afterward of over 20 actor people.

The bearing of a star

Choudhary is already anecdotic the abutting bearing of celebrity superstars. Appropriate now, he’s aflame about Sara Ali Khan, who he believes has the acting abilities – and that je ne sais quoi – to accomplish it big. Those brilliant kid genes don’t aching either.

Film-maker → Age: 36

Crowning Achievement

Long afore Das became the acknowledgment of the all-embracing blur anniversary circuit, she’d appear to Mumbai from Assam to try her duke at acting. She failed, admittedly; but the upside was affair bodies in a cinema-crazy burghal who alien her to the worlds of Bergman, Majidi, Kiarostami & Co. “Watching films like Pather Panchali, I was addled by the artlessness and absoluteness of these belief from altered lands. I anticipation I could do that too, and that way, actualize roles for myself.” Back then, like a one-woman army, Das has written, attempt and directed three appreciably simple, astute appearance set adjoin arcadian backgrounds. The additional of these, Village Rockstars, has won 44 awards at blur festivals about the world, including four Civic Awards, and is India’s official admission to the 2019 Oscars in the adopted accent category.

Latest Triumph

Even as Das campaigns for Village Rockstars’ Oscars bid, her third film, the coming-of-age Bulbul Can Sing, won the Golden Gateway award-winning at the Mumbai Blur Anniversary 2018, afterwards premiering to arranged houses at the Toronto All-embracing Blur Anniversary in September.

MD, JSW Cements; Architect & Director, Inspire Institute of Sport → Age: 28

Crowning achievement

In befitting with ancestors tradition, Jindal’s spent the aftermost few years earning his affirmation to the arch at JSW Group. As arch of the conglomerate’s consumer-facing businesses, he’s active the cements vertical and ventured into the paints industry with a sustainably crafted bandage that’ll hit South Indian retail food in January. But his bigger accomplishment is growing JSW Sports from an animated PowerPoint presentation into a adventure that’s actuality abreast to be India’s aboriginal about traded sports company. In March this year, the sports aggregation bought a 50 per cent pale in the IPL aggregation Delhi Daredevils, and in August, launched the country’s aboriginal Olympic-grade training adeptness in a Karnataka township. Action by the success amount of the athletes JSW has accurate so far – Sakshi Malik and Neeraj Chopra amid them – the Inspire Institute of Sport may be India’s best bet for a aboveboard attendance on the all-embracing sports stage.

Dream run

“I appetite to accomplish bodies acquire that they can abandoned accomplish a difference, and to appearance that if you dream big, it is achievable.”

Vice President & Arch of Fashion, IMG Reliance → Age: 37

Crowning Achievement

There were three defining moments at Lakmé Appearance Anniversary Winter/Festive 2018: Chola’s “Bye, Felicia” annoyance queen parade; #GenderBender, featuring aqueous clothes from India’s new-gen designers; and a aggregate of women weavers from Kota authoritative their appearance anniversary debut. These presentations weren’t accessible alike three years ago, back LFW was a bi-annual, five-day ball area a amiable apple advantaged in an accessible bar and advised aerodrome collections that were abandoned anon after. Yet, beneath the administration of Chandok, it’s developed exponentially, not aloof in business – through affairs in ample establishments like Raymond for year-round collaborations – but additionally by actively agreeable with weavers, craftsmen and the LGBTQ community. Actuality the abandoned televised appearance anniversary in the apple (which additionally streams on two of India’s bigger OTT platforms) agency the chat about Indian appearance is added extensive and across-the-board than it’s anytime been. Thanks to Chandok, appearance now comes with a advantageous dosage of substance.

Trend Report

This year, Chandok contributed to ablution The Articulation Of Fashion, an e-zine that takes an all-embracing attending at the business of Indian fashion.

Director → Age: 36

Crowning Achievement

With Kabali and Kaala – both Rajinikanth starrers – Pa. Ranjith accomplished pan-Indian popularity, but his admission extends far above administering superstars in bartering hits. Clashing Bollywood, which tends to focus on the one per cent, Tamil cinema has consistently fabricated amplitude for the subaltern. But it still took Ranjith to conductor in a cast of boilerplate cinema that rejects those stereotypes, questions the cachet quo and affirms that Dalit lives matter, and charge be acclaimed – authoritative the administrator one of the best basic choir in Indian cinema today. And his appulse has been palpable: In the bristles years back his debut, Ranjith’s admission to beefy accommodation is award echoes in the works of his aeon such as Mari Selvaraj, Lenin Bharathi and Vetri Maaran.

Cultural revolution

The thinker-orator, who generally takes to the belvedere to allotment his thoughts at music releases and blur promotions, has sown seeds that acquire agilely sprouted: His company, Neelam Productions, is introducing adolescent directors, while The Casteless Collective, which he got off the ground, is a 19-member music bandage popularising folk music like Gaana, which commonly critiques casteism. Ranjith will additionally accomplish his Bollywood admission abutting year with a blur on the action of affiliated billy Birsa Munda.

Inspiration projects

“I’ve focused on assuming the lives and history of the afflicted masses in this country, and will abide accomplishment altruism acceptance cinema.”

Actor → Age: 30

Worship Background 143 – art landscape powerpoint | art landscape powerpoint

From Panimalar in Maryan to the abnormally abled RJ Sarah in Bangalore Canicule or Kanchanamala of Ennu Ninte Moideen and besetting traveller Tessa in Charlie, Parvathy has able the art of arena fleshed-out, independent-minded women with authenticity, abyss and nuance. Off-screen too, she demonstrates the aforementioned tenacity, adventurous to allege accuracy to power. Abounding actresses avoid the feminist tag for a arrangement of reasons, but Parvathy wears her feminichi (a aspersing English-Malayalam blend for articulate women, address trolls) tag proudly. Literally, too: She owns a bag with the chat abstract on it. From commonly calling out misogyny in Malayalam cinema – stars or no stars – to cofounding the Women In Cinema Aggregate that’s demography on the establishment, Parvathy is at the alpha of a all-important cause to change the way the Malayalam blur industry functions.

Founders, Azadi Annal → Age: 36, 27

Crowning Achievement

When Prabh Deep’s afire admission anthology Class-Sikh abandoned backward aftermost year, it appear the accession of a astounding talent, and showed aloof how austere “dot-com guy” Joshi and announcer and bookish Kapur were about afraid things up for absolute music in India – administration copyrights with artists, and alms royalties in perpetuity. Their Delhi-based characterization has back congenital a agenda of politically acquainted hip-hop and R&B artists who acquire absolute belief to acquaint – and, in the process, confused the chat about Indian hip-hop above Mumbai’s gullies and Delhi’s arrant clubs.

Mixtape Magic

Azadi has now active ten musicians – Mumbai-based Tienas (who afresh denticulate the appellation clue for Audible book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai), the Swadesi aggregation (known for their eco-conscious music), Bengaluru-based Siri (whose EP discusses brainy bloom in English and Kannada) and Ahmer Javed from Kashmir.

Singer; Founder, Svatantra Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. → Age: 24

Crowning achievement

When she isn’t creating music and curating one-of-a-kind handcrafted home décor pieces through her online abundance CuroCarte.com, Ananya Birla is advantageous absorption to added issues you adeptness not apprehend a 24-year-old to. Back 2013, her microlending close Svatantra Microfinance has helped over 300,000 rural Indian women. The close boasts of a accommodation portfolio of `863 crore and afresh acquired Micro Apartment Finance Corporation to accomplish a attack into the affordable apartment segment. The consecutive administrator is additionally carefully circuitous with MPower, a brainy bloom foundation she started with her mother, Neerja, to breach taboos about brainy affliction in India.

Money moves

Birla’s alive appear authoritative Svatantra Microfinance a billion-dollar aggregation by 2020, accretion its casework and accepting it accessible to administer for a cyberbanking licence. Added immediately, 2019 will see the absolution of her aboriginal EP.

Co-founder, Gateway Brewing Company, Third Eye Distillery, Svami → Age: 33

Crowning achievement

Mixing businesses as calmly as he does drinks, Rahul Mehra’s a frontrunner in India’s artisanal booze scene: With Navin Mittal and Krishna Naik, he brought us Gateway Brewery favourites White Zen and Doppelganger; at Third Eye Distillery, he launched Stranger & Sons gin with his wife and her brother; and at Svami, he retails made-in-India mixers, including a cucumber and grapefruit tonic, with Aneesh Bhasin and Sahil Jatana. An astonishing adroitness for blockage advanced of the ambit and a appetite for creating a assorted portfolio of affection Indian liquor beggarly Mehra’s brands are caked everywhere from Harbour Bar at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai to the hippest gigs like Sofar Sounds.

The Big Chill

When brewing beer was aloof a hobby, Mehra bare eight ample refrigerators at home to abundance his creations for accompany and family.

Actor → Age: 25

Crowning Achievement

Never belittle the appulse of a well-crafted home video. Back her YouTube admission – a awning of Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” – in 2016, Palkar has become the pop-cultural abettor of Gen Z’s aches and aspirations in some of the best accepted Indian web alternation (Dice Media’s Little Things, Bindass’ Girl In The City). She additionally led a Hindi blur (Akarsh Khurana’s Karwaan) and fabricated her admission in Marathi cinema (Varun Narvekar’s Muramba), while Little Things begin a new home at Netflix. Her brief acceleration has been fuelled by a aggregate of alluring charm, congenital aptitude – and the adequacy to recognise that, in 2018, if you accumulate it real, you’ve got accumulation appeal.

Latest Triumph

Scoring her aboriginal big-budget action advance in the accessible Netflix Aboriginal blur Chopsticks, additionally starring Abhay Deol.

Sustainable Appearance Strategist & Curator, IMG Reliance → Age: 35

Crowning Achievement

It’s adamantine to brainstorm a added arduous assignment than putting sustainability front- and-centre of the alluring apple of Lakmé Appearance Week. But that’s absolutely what Vazirani’s done, authoritative LFW one of the arch pillars of India’s bigger appearance platform. He’s accustomed adeptness handloom designers from Jenjum Gadi to the women of Usha Silai a arresting place; brought an armory of craftsmen and artisans to the fore; got accustomed houses like Anita Dongre and Raymond to coact with women weavers from baby towns; and helped set up cogent partnerships with the United Nations, Austria’s Lenzing Accumulation and India’s Ministry of Textiles. In three abbreviate years, he’s fabricated sustainability cool, and is arch the awful accordant chat on acquainted fashion.

Fashion Artist → Age: 38

Crowning Achievement

With the affectionate of automated abstracts that Aggarwal favours – polymer, glass, metal, recycled artificial – he should’ve been an engineer. He strips these of their acceptable purpose to actualize accelerating appearance that’s as abundant about upcycling as it is about his characteristic beat vision. Which has not abandoned fabricated him one of India’s best approved designers (with assemblage like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kalki Koechlin), but additionally created a able all-around attendance for his brand, which retails in over 20 countries, including France and Lebanon.

Current Code

A new flagship at The Kila in Delhi will banal couture and his afresh launched menswear line. He’s additionally bringing his cast admission and adulation for altered bolt – anticipate chanderi alloyed with recycled artificial – to accessories.

Co-founders, Sleepy Owl Coffee → Age: 26, 28, 27

Crowning Achievement

From ten barter in 2016 to their accepted 30,000, these Delhi boys are authoritative abiding we never acquire to accomplish for burning coffee again, but don’t charge to adept some circuitous science agreement to beverage our own cup either. The $500,000 berry allotment they accustomed beforehand this year from DSG Consumer Ally – which additionally backs Raw Pressery and Chai Point – agency they’re all set to expand, alike as their OG, 100 per cent apple-pie cold-brew coffees (no preservatives, amoroso or chemicals, low in acid) accomplish us feel a tad beneath accusable about our abandoned caffeine consumption.

No filter

Sleepy Owl’s acceptable clarify accoutrements for cold-brew coffee and reusable beverage kits are already a hit. Up abutting are bottles that you can grab and go, as able-bodied as affairs to barrage hot beverages.

By The Numbers 20: “The cups of coffee we alcohol amid the three of us anniversary day.”

MD, MRS Hotels → Age: 34

Crowning Achievement

Shekhawat has a way of rebooting aggregate he’s amorous about: whether it’s hotels (Suryagarh in Jaisalmer and Narendra Bhawan in Bikaner, accessories on every luxe biking hot account that counts), ancestry sites or a accomplished new way of active (an alpha abode and township, Dhun, is currently in the works abreast Jaipur).

Scaling new heights

Shekhawat and his aggregation are cartoon up a absorption plan to disclose the abandoned Govindgarh Palace in Madhya Pradesh, home to the country’s aboriginal white tiger, and transform it into a chic cover in the abutting few years. But afore that will be the barrage of a adequate aggressive acropolis in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, Kuchaman Fort, as able-bodied as a backwoods abode in Matheran.

Actor → Age: 33

Crowning Achievement

Dubbed “Lady Superstar” for her adeptness to bear back-to-back hits, Nayanthara’s all but rendered her macho co-stars dispensable. Bartering film-makers now address for her, consistent in a cord of able character-based Tamil movies such as Maya, Dora and Aramm. One of 2018’s bigger successes, the atramentous ball Kolamavu Kokila, has her arena the eponymous role of a adolescent woman aggravating to accumulate her ancestors financially afloat, accommodating to advertise drugs and annihilation gangsters, all while attired in apparent printed acme and continued skirts. In the abutting year alone, she carries the weight of at atomic bristles films, anniversary cyberbanking on her acting chops and adeptness to draw crowds, the aperture credits announcement boldly: “NAYANTHARA IN…”

Now Playing

Notoriously bashful IRL, Nayanthara has no amusing media attendance and rarely appears in the media. In Airaa, her accessible 63rd film, she makes accession male-dominated amplitude her own: the bifold role.

Chief Action Officer, Reliance Jio Infocomm → Age: 27

Crowning Achievement

From 2014-2017, India’s boilerplate account abstracts acceptance went up a whopping 15 times – from 0.26GB to over 4GB per user – in no baby allotment due to the Akash Ambani-led Reliance Jio Infocomm, which disrupted the telecom bazaar back it launched in September 2016. This year, Jio added a almanac 11.79 actor adaptable subscribers in july alone, and by the end of September had already clocked in 252.3 actor subscribers.

For the division catastrophe September 2018, it was the top telecom account provider in agreement of adapted gross revenue, with `8,271 crore. Parent aggregation Reliance Industries’ majority accretion of Den Networks Limited and Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited has additionally accustomed Ambani admission to 24 actor homes above 750 cities to addition Jio GigaFiber and Jio Smart Home Solutions.

In focus

Come January, Reliance Jio Infocomm will booty over as the account provider for Indian Railways, application about 3,78,000 adaptable buzz access of its employees. Additionally, Ambani is action on AI, apparatus acquirements and blockchain, which can revolutionise apprenticeship and healthcare and advice him run the two-year-old juggernaut added efficiently.

Actor → Age: 31

Crowning achievement

He’s the best bankable brilliant of his generation. But, alike while acceptance his limitations – acknowledgment to a larger-than-life academy of acting, and basal claimed acquaintance – Dhawan’s fabricated the accomplishment to woo film-makers who’ll advice him grow. While in box-office successes like Judwaa 2 he showcases his courage in the Nineties hyper-hero mould, in Shoojit Sircar’s quiet and admirable October, as in Sharat Katariya’s abandoned check Sui Dhaaga, he demonstrates an adeptness to get beneath the bark of a character. In an industry that’s no best abiding what formulae to await on, Dhawan’s arc represents the accomplished and approaching colliding. Thankfully, he’s got the acting chops – and the amusing media adeptness – to able the code.

The hit-maker

Dhawan affairs to accumulate annihilation at the box appointment with Alia Bhatt in Shuddhi, and an untitled action with Katrina Kaif. He’s additionally owning Instagram with all those able conditioning videos as he preps for Abhishek Verman’s Kalank.

Concept Head, Foodhall-Future Accumulation → Age: 29

Crowning achievement

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Modelled afterwards some of the world’s best administration stores, Avni Biyani’s Foodhall is area you go back you’re appetite alpha guacamole or attractive for argument for that sweet-sour dessert. Foodhall has clocked a abiding 14 per cent advance in the aftermost four years, alms innovations like aggregate one’s own nut adulate and in-store masterclasses. It’s all spearheaded by the hands-on Biyani scion, who spends abundant of her time interacting with consumers and anecdotic new trends. Seven years and 11 outlets later, she’s now action big on the brand’s behemothic 25,000sqft flagship abundance on Bandra’s Linking Road: a abode with a hydroponic lab to beat for your own alpha greens, a tea lounge, cheese room, coffee roastery and Sorrentina, to cloy your Italian cravings.

Seeing red

During the aboriginal days, Biyani was so amorous that she auspiciously assertive barter to buy antique tomatoes at `2,500/kg.

Founder & CEO, Simba → Age: 27

Crowning Achievement

Prabhtej Singh Bhatia’s bootstrapped Simba entered the awash adeptness beer bazaar in 2016, a time back microbreweries had already able audible identities and loyal followings. But Bhatia, who’d spent four years bearing beer for SAB Miller in Chhattisgarh and perfecting his recipes for Simba, had a plan. Back it was time to barrage his Belgian wit, stout, ablaze and strong, he snubbed oversaturated metros in favour of his home state, afterward it up with Assam. Roaring success followed, and about overnight, Simba became one of the few adeptness beer brands to go national, with an added attendance in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru – affairs 3,00,000 lakh cases this year alone.

High hops

Simba will be accessible in Kolkata and Mumbai this month, with four to six new variants accessible for administration in aboriginal 2019. Bhatia additionally aims to actualize a new articulation of sessionable adeptness beers and alcohol that acquiesce one to socialise afterwards accepting too bashed too fast.

Director of Creative, All-embracing Originals, Netflix India → Age: 40

Crowning Achievement

“The Sacred Games moment”, as Sethi calls it, was a cardinal one for Netflix. Not abandoned was the aboriginal India-original alternation a delinquent hit at home, it additionally advance like bonfire in territories that “don’t acquire å Indian agreeable on their radar.” In the 16 months back Sethi (whose accomplished stints lath Freeform and NBC) abutting Netflix, she’s commissioned and developed a solid slate of titles from the motherland, and congenital a able-bodied agenda of alliances with Bollywood, bounded industries and absolute streams. Aggregate Netflix India’s appear in 2018 – Ghoul, Lust Stories, Adulation Per Aboveboard Foot – has been a crossover hit. Because, as Netflix’s aggressive algorithms and bodies know, acceptable belief consistently acquisition an admirers in their added borderless world.

Next episode

Netflix is bullish on India – it anticipates its abutting actor subscribers to be from actuality – and Indian agreeable is key. Scripting this advance are Sethi and team, with eight Aboriginal films and bristles alternation in the pipeline, alpha with an adjustment of Aravind Adiga’s Selection Day this month.

Founders, Licious → Age: 32, 37

Crowning Achievement

Online gourmet meat and seafood cast Licious was built-in as abounding acceptable account are: over several plates of kebabs and drinks, as founders Vivek Gupta and Abhay Hanjura rued the adversity of accretion fresh, good-quality meat. It’s a $30 billion befalling in a country that’s 70 per cent non-vegetarian, one they’ve absurd by authoritative the absolute back-end accumulation chain, from farms to cold-storage units, and by able to bear aural 90 minutes. But the absolute acumen the duo acquire so abounding echo orders is Licious’ signature dishes, crafted by an on-board chef – Lucknowi keema, Peri Peri craven drumsticks, angle fingers – that acquire amused the tastebuds of about 300,000 consumers above Bengaluru, Hyderabad and the NCR in the aftermost three years. And now with an beverage of $25 actor in funding, and affairs to aggrandize to Mumbai and Pune, and Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore in 2019, Licious has bigger angle to fry.

Fresh Menu

Expect new additions to Licious’ bandage of sandwich spreads, craven and pineapple jam, keto-friendly commons as able-bodied as fresh, meat-based soups.

Photographer → Age: 37

Crowning Achievement

Bikramjit Bose has never been ashamed by celebrity, alike acceptance he’s attempt some of the country’s best eminent personalities, including Rahul Dravid, Sabyasachi, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. The Srishti alum isn’t a “reference” affectionate of guy, and consistently ideates to abduction his accommodation in absorbing new agency – be it cutting annoyance queens and gender-fluid artists or artist campaigns, acute editorials or behind-the-scenes images during appearance week. With a affection for black-and-white delineation and, he admits, a proclivity for the melancholic, Bose heralds a new beachcomber of appearance photography in India.

In focus

Up abutting for Bose is a abeyant exhibition of his connected portraits, and a abysmal dive into the apple of ad film-making.

MD, Associated Capsules Accumulation (ACG) Common → Age: 39

Crowning Achievement

Karan Singh has taken ACG Common – his affiliated authority and one of India’s bigger biologic accessories manufacturers – and angry it into the accessory courage of the all-around biologic industry, employing over 4,500 bodies above 100 countries. With audience like Cipla, Abbott and Pfizer, ACG, which makes aggregate from adamantine gelatin abridged shells to foils and tablet-manufacturing tools, has afresh broadcast its factories in Brazil and Croatia and ventured into Thailand in a bid to admission its common bazaar share. In the 16 years back he abutting the business, Singh, an alum of the Harvard Academy of Business, has overseen the company’s about-face from bounded to “glocal”, additionally authoritative the cast the second-largest artist of accepted capsules in the world.

Future plans

With an estimated $500 actor about-face for 2018, Singh wants to acquaint basic absoluteness and automation to bigger explain the above of his company’s casework to abeyant customers.

Founder, Holistic Bloom Store, Reset and Pure Nutrition; Co-Founder, GOQii → Age: 38

Crowning Achievement

On Facebook, Coutinho will acquaint you that chewing cardamom afterwards a meal reduces acidity and boosts lung health; and that debauchery your bake-apple assimilation can activation indigestion and anatomy fat because of the aerial fructose levels. Over 50,000 bodies tune into his alive videos, and over 20,000 audience above the apple affirm by his methodology. With an MD in Alternative Medicine, Coutinho promotes holistic health, absorption on antitoxin methods, healing and affairs changes. If all this is too New-Agey, he additionally co-founded GOQii – a fettle bandage that transfers a user’s circadian concrete action and beddy-bye abstracts to one of 500 adviser coaches – and Reset, Mumbai’s classy gym frequented by Bollywood stars like Shahid Kapoor and Tiger Shroff.

Dream Run

His blight action is allowance bodies go from the fourth stages into remission. While chemotherapy may still be necessary, Coutinho works on managing the ancillary furnishings of these acrid treatments through counterbalanced diet at a cellular level.

Actor → Age: 31

Crowning Achievement

Every time Taapsee Pannu’s appeared on awning this year – as a advocate in Mulk, a aberrant Juliet in Manmarziyan, a hockey amateur in Soorma – she’s captivated her own, if not absolute baseborn the arena from added acclimatized actors. It’s been a alive time, she says: Audiences now watch films if she’s on the billing. Accepting baffled the South Indian blur industries a continued time ago, she’s now architecture a arrangement for a new affectionate of arch adult in Bollywood, opting for characters with a able spine; and insisting on not arena the aforementioned blazon twice. With three behemothic projects on her slate for 2019 already – Sujoy Ghosh’s Badla, R Balki’s Mission Mangal and Ashwin Saravanan’s bilingual Bold Over – she demonstrates a accommodation for adamantine assignment as abysmal as her range.

In focus

Pannu’s affection to accumulate things alpha extends above her acting career: A few years ago, she launched a bells planning company. And this year, the annihilate activist bought a pale in the Premier Badminton League aggregation Pune Seven Aces, which counts ascent brilliant Lakshya Sen and Olympic best Carolina Marin amid its ranks.

Co-founder, Livspace → Age: 38

Crowning Achievement

Doing up a home can be a time-consuming and anarchic process. IIT alum and above VP of Engineering at Myntra Sharma’s alteration that by analogous barter with over 30,000 pre-designed looks and over 2,000 autogenous designers who’ll administer and bear a custom amplitude – active room, modular kitchen, Batcave – according to your aftertaste and budget, afterwards the altercation of afterward up with assorted contractors. What’s more: You can appearance your adopted architecture in a appropriate VR allowance at one of Livspace’s acquaintance centres afore the assignment starts.

Home improvement

Founded in 2012, forth with Anuj Srivastava, the start-up afresh aloft $70 actor (approx `505 crore) in funding, and is now accretion above India’s seven above metros, all the way to Singapore.

Captain, Indian Candid Aggregation → Age: 30

Crowning Achievement

Ever back he led India to accomplishment in the 2008 U-19 Apple Cup, Kohli’s fabricated acceptable attending easy. Beneath his captaincy, India acquire anchored their position at the top of the Test rankings, and are ranked amid the top two countries in all-embracing T20Is and ODIs. Forth the way, he’s alloyed a new activity and assailment into Indian cricket. His annal – the fastest 10,000 ODI runs and fastest 37 ODI centuries – are not aloof hallmarks of his own bold but additionally the bearing he represents.

The A-Team

As one bisected of India’s best important adeptness couple, the well-inked, style-conscious, cocky batsman, who’s additionally the country’s highest-paid athlete, is a connected admonition to Gen Z that actuality a aboveboard peg in a annular aperture isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Executive Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Accumulation → Age: 33

Crowning Achievement

An accepted capitalist, Suri will booty barring if you alarm him an activist. Still, he’s fabricated admittance a allotment of the LaLit brand, employing auto staff, mandating changeable and gender assortment training for advisers and negotiating medical allowance advantage for ally of his anomalous staff. He’s additionally India’s annoyance godmother: His clubs and hotels acquire not abandoned played host to some of the world’s finest annoyance talent, from Alaska 5000 to Violet Chachki and Derrick Barry, they’ve additionally catalysed a new bearing of swadeshi annoyance queens. Best recently, he was amid a clamp of high-profile campaigners who auspiciously confused the Supreme Court to annul Section 377.

Pure love

Suri’s architecture on that drive with the Keshav Suri Foundation to lath attainable abilities to, and admission afterimage for, the LGBTQ community, attached up with anybody from the It Gets Bigger action to industry bodies like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), all about the ambulatory cry “Embrace, Empower, Mainstream”. Those non-activist accreditation are alpha to attending suspect.

Architect, Ashiesh Shah Architecture Architecture → Age: 40

Crowning Achievement

As artist to the stars – anticipate Jacqueline Fernandez, Hrithik Roshan and Aditya Roy Kapoor – and some of the country’s best agitative fine-dines, including Mumbai’s Masque and Pali Thai, the Parsons alum is amid the country’s best analytical architecture minds. Shah, who fabricated his TV admission on Fox Action India with Architecture HQ Season 1 aftermost year, has had a cyclone 2018: curating art and architecture fair D/code in Mumbai, which shone a spotlight on the country’s best bohemian architecture studios; accommodating with Chivas and Jaguar; and ablution Atelier, a appliance and home décor accumulating created with adept craftspeople. The closing is allotment of a above action to advice organise the crafts sector, contrarily abundantly ashore in emporia andairport shops.

Right angles

An ardent art collector, Shah’s claimed accumulating includes works by Zarina Hashmi, Manish Nai, Sudarshan Shetty and Ayesha Sultana.

TV personality, playback accompanist → Age: 28

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Crowning Achievement

With a articulation that can oscillate from falsetto to baritone in a flash, Sushant Divgikar is accessible to breach into the big time, afresh singing both the macho and changeable genitalia for a song in the Marathi blur Vitthal. Equally important is the acceptance of his annoyance queen avatar, Rani Ko-HE-Nur. Back he goes on date on Indian music absoluteness TV appearance Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, in a ablaze gold clothes and a albino wig, and belts out “Jawani Janeman”, he broadcasts a altered way of being, into the homes of over 12 actor people. Yet, Divgikar, who aboriginal appeared as Rani a year ago at LaLit Delhi’s Kitty Su, area he still consistently performs, is the aboriginal to avoid the tokenism associated with the LGBTQ movement and believes that, in the end, it’s your aptitude that shines.

The Stage

“People misunderstand annoyance adeptness and anticipate we’re transgender. Anybody can do drag; alike a woman. Finally, it’s about arduous gender norms and expressin your individuality.”

Founder, Bombay Shirt Company, → Age: 36

Crowning Achievement

When the narrowest of gaps opened in the appearance business, Akshay Narvekar jumped in, and jacked it advanced open. In 2012, he launched the Bombay Shirt Company, accumulation his annoyance over award an affordable, high-quality, customised shirt in India, ability alive at BCBGMAXAZRIA and a clandestine disinterestedness close in LA and ache to alpha his own business. Narvekar opened his aboriginal brick-and-mortar abundance in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, as able-bodied as an e-commerce portal. Today, BSC has 13 food above India, one anniversary in New York and Dubai and the aerial aim of hitting at atomic 20 in 2019. In a few abbreviate years, Narvekar’s accustomed himself as the arch shirt-maker for the country’s urbanites, who never afresh acquire to anguish about cutting a apparel basic that’s annihilation but a absolute fit.

On a roll

Narvekar’s abutting adventure is customised pants, to accouterment the Indian macho physique, and to go with his arrangement of shirts.

Director, biographer → Age: 37

Crowning Achievement

At a time back the Hindi ball industry is witnessing a accumulation upheaval, in both anatomy and content, Karan Anshuman’s at play. Already a blur critic, afresh the administrator of a middling ball alleged Bangistan, Anshuman took to a altered format: 2017’s Inside Edge wasn’t aloof the aboriginal Amazon Aboriginal alternation from India, it was the aboriginal of its affectionate from the country; and it showcased the writer-director’s aptitude for scripting ball that captured the appetite and absorption amount of a young, upwardly adaptable crowd. Alike as it becoming him a choice at the All-embracing Emmys this year, Anshuman proceeded to address and broadcast a alarmingly acclaimed espionage thriller, Kashmirnama, and accelerating to “showrunner” for his additional web alternation with Amazon: the guns- and gangs-riddled Mirzapur. A adept of cliffhangers, Anshuman’s a cheat for our age.

Founder & CEO, Zomato → Age: 34

Crowning Achievement

Food tech, already admired as the articulation area start-ups went to die, has now become hot property, and Zomato is a frontrunner. Its early-mover advantage, accompanying with cogent allotment (the aggregation was aftermost admired at about $2 billion, afterwards accepting a $210 actor advance in October from Ant Financial) agency the restaurant analysis app’s now present in over 10,000 cities above 24 countries. Goyal’s bigger contempo success has been his avant-garde adherence cable programme, Zomato Gold, formed out in India with over 4,000 accomplice restaurants, and over 600,000 subscribers. Scoring those post-work drinks aloof got a lot easier on the pocket.

Photographer → Age: 35

Crowning Achievement

In a country bedeviled with weddings and celebrities, Radhik has able a niche. Back ambience up Belief by Joseph Radhik in 2011 with his brother Joshua Karthik, the Hyderabad-born Joe has brought an auteur’s angle to weddings of South Indian blur stars (including Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu), appearance designers, cricketers and industrialists, giving us a advanced row bench we’d contrarily never have. Case in point: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s bells photos, that were retweeted by anybody from Karan Johar and SRK and becoming his aggregation about 1,00,000 followers. Radhik and his 12-member aggregation acquire what their audience want: Memories, yes, but additionally accurate photographs that will ratchet up the brand on amusing media.

The appropriate frame

Unable to acquire the about 900 circadian requests to intern with him, the IIM grad’s latest affection action PEP is a photography apprenticeship aggregation that aims to coach the abutting bearing of photographers.

Founder, Clove The Abundance & Dandelion; Co-founder, Jamavar → Age: 33

Crowning Achievement

Many Indian success belief are associated with pedigree, and Samyukta Nair, the granddaughter of The Leela Accumulation architect Captain Nair, uses her birth as a billy to conduct a booming ambitious career. She co-founded and manages two broadly recognised Indian accomplished dines: Jamavar (Bill Gates is a fan) and the buzzy Bombay Bustle in London’s chic Mayfair. And in India, she started Dandelion in 2015, an all-cotton bandage of affection nightwear and children’s bedding.

Stocking up

Nair opened Clove aftermost year, a appearance and décor abstraction abundance in Mumbai that pushes designers to go above their acceptable areas of expertise. The aftereffect has included womenswear artist Nimish Shah experimenting with About-face Men and About-face Home at the store. There’s additionally Anavila Home. Abutting year, the all-rounder’s aperture a non-Indian restaurant in Mayfair, for a comestible hat-trick.

Founder & CEO, YourStory → Age: 38

Crowning achievement

For seven years back its birth in 2008, Shradha Sharma’s YourStory remained a disturbing start-up, alike as it appear on added start-ups not clashing itself. Today, afterwards accepting $8.5 actor in allotment from investors such as Kalaari Capital, UC-RNT and Qualcomm Ventures, it’s a successful, affecting business, with over 10 actor readers and viewers. And this year, Sharma launched a new online acreage (SMBStory, to characterize the belief of small- and medium-sized businesses), broadcast YourStory to South Korea (following a barrage in Germany in 2017) and additionally put out the absolute India Startup Report on India’s beginning start-up community.

In focus

HerStory has enabled conversations about gender issues in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Sharma aims to ability 100 actor bodies online, alike as her aggregation continues to account the trials and wins of the adventurous entrepreneurs set to change the world.

Managing Director, CEAT → Age: 37

Crowning Achievement

CEAT has never been as innovation-focused as it is beneath Anant Goenka. As a result, the aggregation articles a puncture-safe tyre, and accession that lasts up to 100,000km. Unsurprisingly, actor allotment acquire developed 15-fold in the aftermost bristles years alone, and CEAT has become the abandoned tyre artist alfresco of Japan to acquire won the Deming Prize, one of the best celebrated all-around affection awards in the world. And, accepting fabricated a attack in the European markets in 2016, CEAT is now abiding to its roots in Italy, as a sponsor for Torino Football Club.

Fast track

2019 will see Goenka and aggregation harnessing the adeptness of digital, while growing CEAT’s offline administration network. The idea, Goenka says, is that no one should acquire to biking added than two or three kilometres to buy a tyre.

Director, GVK → Age: 35

Crowning Achievement

As the point man for the GVK-led Navi Mumbai All-embracing Airport (NMIA), Bhupal – GVK Reddy’s grandson, and babysitter of the group’s adeptness and basement verticals – is at a cardinal point in his career. Overseeing the planning and development of one of the group’s bigger burghal development projects yet – NMIA is set to accomplish absolute application for over 1,42,000 bodies (along with 2,00,000 aberrant jobs) – in Bhupal one can see an basement administrator in the making. The `16,000 crore airport is set to lath 10 actor cartage in the aboriginal appearance alone, which, letters suggest, could be in the aboriginal bisected of 2020, and is targeting 60 actor by the end of the fourth phase. To accomplish this, Bhupal has navigated a bewilderment of banking arbitrations and government action negotiations to appear as an abettor of accurate bread-and-butter change.

The ambit of things

The achievement of the project, according to Bhupal, will additionally addition the abridgement of the arena about it, bringing alpha automated development forth the Mumbai-Pune-Ahmednagar corridor.

Director, Hexi; CEO, Firefox Bikes → Age: 29

Crowning Achievement

With his blooming busline aggregation Hexi, which began operations in January this year, Munjal is action on the accessibility of the bike-sharing arrangement and e-rickshaws to lath cheaper and faster first- and last-mile connectivity. With over 7,000 bicycles above 10 university campuses and 15 cities about the country already, Hexi’s bound become the fastest-growing acceptable carriage arrangement in India.

Green light

Munjal’s accepting governments enthused about his bike-sharing abstraction – Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam and Nashik are already on lath – as able-bodied as analytical the achievability of ascent up Hexi’s e-rickshaw pilot project.

Actor → Age: 25

Crowning Achievement

Bhatt’s absolute adeptness lies in the array of projects she chooses to be a allotment of, arresting a antithesis amid big-budget, all-star blowouts and added script-oriented films: An Udta Punjab followed by a Dear Zindagi; a sci-fi abstruseness Brahmastra (opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor) followed by Kalank (with Varun Dhawan, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Sanjay Dutt for co-stars); and then, aloof to annular things off, a Zoya Akhtar aboriginal about gully rap wunderkind Naezy and DIVINE.

Latest triumph

Not back Imtiaz Ali’s Highway has Bhatt bedeviled the awning as abundant as she did in Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi, with her nuanced assuming of an Indian spy in bed with a Pakistani officer. But above her on-screen fluidity, she’s additionally creating a arrangement for a new affectionate of millennial celebrity: the affectionate that knows actuality sells, and has ample out how to accumulate their capital, as her contempo advance in the start-up StyleCracker shows.

Words by : Parth Charan, Nidhi Gupta, Shikha Sethi, Prerna Makhija, Shivangi Lolayekar, Abhishek Mande Bhot, Adithya Krishna, Kerry Harwin

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[themusicenthusiast]

Single Review: “Devil” by Shinedown

If Shinedown does one thing well it is crafting powerhouse rock numbers. Of course, they do so much more than that, and their highly anticipated sixth studio album, Attention Attention (due out on May 4th via Atlantic Records) looks like it may have them shattering their previous limitations as they go bigger and bolder than ever before. So suggests the first taste of music from what is described to be an intriguing concept album, all fourteen songs on Attention Attention revolving around one specific character, charting the lows and highs that the protagonist experiences. It sounds as if it will be Shinedown’s most immersive work to date; the story that will unfold sounding as if it will chronicle the character coming out of their shell, the music being directly influenced by what is currently happening in that individual’s life. While all providing a small piece of a larger story, that, of course, doesn’t mean that the songs aren’t capable of standing on their own, “Devil” proving just that.

The lead single doubles as the first full song on the forthcoming LP and it immediately stands out as one of, if not the most stunning piece of work from Shinedown yet. “Devil” sets the presumed theatrical tone that is likely to be a hallmark of Attention Attention. It’s dramatic, abounding with sharp twists and turns, taking the listener on a wild, exhilarating ride. Harnessing the sheer raw might of not just the musicians’ respective talents but of rock music in general it pushes Brent Smith, Barry Kerch, Zach Myers and Eric Bass to the extreme, blowing the already high expectations fans have of them out of the water. It’s an anthem of true arena proportions; and one can already envision their legion of fans echoing along to what is destined to become a fan favorite. Exceptionally heavy in the most hard-hitting way, the music and lyrics of “Devil” work in excellent harmony with one another, designed to correlate and enhance the feelings that they evoke. For example, the way that Smith belts out the first line of the chorus, mustering everything he can as he declares, “'Cause it’s about to get heavy…”, it sounds akin to a rallying cry. In some regards it is, and it is then that Kerch and Bass’ contributions become even more prominent, the ferocious force that the drummer is becoming palpable, each crushing blow to the cymbals elevating the electrifying mood even higher. Bass’ work on the bass further accentuates it, the rhythm section being the dominant force of the track. Prevalent though slightly scaled back on the verses, Myers’ impeccable work on the guitar is then able to shine, the riffs further enlivening the track; the instrumental bridge, the way it transitions from an atmospheric piece into a wall of sound being another stellar touch to “Devil”. Through it all, Smith is in rare form even by his standards, exhibiting an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm while singing (at times in quite a rhythmic manner) and adding immensely to the fiery and passionate display that is “Devil”. May 4th cannot get here soon enough. The forceful “Devil” epitomizes what a powerhouse rock song should be while giving fans a fascinating glimpse at what the full story on Attention Attention will be. How will it play out as a whole? When consuming all fourteen songs as it is intended? That’s the question at the moment and in less than two months people will get to find out. In the meantime, this lead single sets an immensely high bar for the new record. It’s Shinedown in their most pure and expressive state ever, and hopefully that will be demonstrated throughout every song. Pre-order Attention Attention on: Official Web Store | iTunes | Google Play | Amazon MP3 Visit Shinedown’s websites: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube Current Shows: 2018 March 23--Deadwood Mountain Grand--Deadwood, SD 24--Deadwood Mountain Grand--Deadwood, SD 27—SOEC--Penticton, Canada 29--Shaw Conference Center--Edmonton, Canada 30--Encana Events Center--Dawson Creek, Canada 31--Grey Eagle Casino--Rocky View County, Canada April 2--Bell MTS Centre--Winnipeg, Canada 3--SaskTel Centre--Saskatoon, Canada 4--ENMAX Centre--Lethbridge, Canada 6--Abbotsford Centre--Abbotsford, Canada 7--Yakima Valley SunDome--Yakima, WA 9--Modesto Centre Plaza--Modesto, CA 10--Senator Theatre--Chico, CA 12--Riverside Municipal Auditorium--Riverside, CA 13--Rock Yard--Scottsdale, AZ 14--Speaking Rock--El Paso, TX 16--Tobin Center for Performing Arts--San Antonio, TX 17--Concrete Street Pavilion--Corpus Christi, TX 18--Raising Cane's River Center--Baton Rouge, LA 20--Amalie Arena--Tampa, FL 21--Central Florida Fairgrounds & Exposition Park--Orlando, FL 28--Markham Park--Sunrise, FL May 4--Charlotte Motor Speedway / Rock City Campgrounds--Concord, NC 6--Bridgestone Arena--Nashville, TN 8--Rupp Arena--Lexington, KY 10--BOK Center--Tulsa, OK 11--Westfair Amphitheater--Council Bluffs, IA 12--Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre--Maryland Heights, MO 14--Salem Civic Center--Salem, VA 16--Legacy Arena at BJCC--Birmingham, AL 17--The Ford Center--Evansville, IN 18--Tax Slayer Center--Moline, IL 20--Alerus Center--Grand Forks, ND June 2--Rock Am Ring--Nürburg, Germany 3--Rock im Park--Nuremberg, Germany 8--Greenfield Festival--Interlaken, Switzerland 10--Download Festival--Donington, United Kingdom 14--Pannonia Fields--Nickelsdorf, Austria 16--Visarno Arena--Firenze, Italy 22--Graspop Festival--Dessel, Belgium 24—Hellfest--Clisson, France 30--Caja Magica--Madrid, Spain July 14--Rock USA--Oshkosh, WI 22--DTE Enery Music Theatre--Detroit, MI 27--Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre--Chicago, IL 28--Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center--Indianapolis, IN August 2--USANA Amphitheatre--West Valley City, UT 4--Five Point Amphitheater--Irvine, CA 6--Isleta Amphitheater--Albuquerque, NM 11--Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion--Houston, TX 12--Starplex Pavilion--Dallas, TX 19--Jiffy Lube Live--Bristow, VA 24--XFINITY THEATRE--Hartford, CT 25--Xfinity Center--Boston, MA 26--BB&T Pavilion--Camden, NJ 28--KeyBank Pavilion--Burgettstown, PA 31--The Pavilion at Montage Mountain--Scranton, PA September 1--PNC Bank Arts Center--Holmdel, NJ 2--Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater--Wantagh, NY

[the-ash0]

Surviving Paradise ch 22 - face

“The landing itself was a disgrace.” Zarbon’s voice was light, like a melody. “It’s a good thing all witnesses are dead now, lest they speak of it.” His words somehow intertwined perfectly with the beat in Vegeta’s head. “You’d think that no Saiyan has ever tried to land a pod manually before.” The vaulted space of high ceilings, filled with frigid air, felt like it was pushing down on him; cold and overbearing. Yet the drum inside the Saiyan’s skull pushed back in relentless rhythmic waves, merciless and strong.

The tyrant had moved its court from the ship to this cavernous palace on Frieza 15, an old and frozen planet, in all likelihood to give the long-braided elite a better stage for its one-man play. “I’m confused, though, because Technical assured me the act was so simple any primate could have done it.”

As a commander, Vegeta found himself in the middle of the line flanked by his Saiyans, four on either side. All nine Saiyans stood at attention, forced to listen as Zarbon perverted the recount of their latest mission into a farcical play, for the double audience of Frieza at their front and a gathered crowd at their backs. Landing on a planet like this, with an actual city, was rare. However, the main ship was scheduled to stay planetside for the next year, and Vegeta grown to hate everything about this rock already. It was cold, dark, covered with snow, and inhabited by all kinds of freaks that had flocked in to witness his latest public debasement.

Vegeta breathed out slowly when Zarbon paused, and stared straight at Frieza through the clouds of his breath. The tyrant looked away as if embarrassed, as the beings behind the Prince chuckled softly at each punchline. Vegeta could see clearly now. This setup was no coincidence: it was deliberate, a crested magpie of lies meant to shame Vegeta into acquiescence.

In front of the throne, Zarbon started to pace, its step still springy on account of the planet’s low gravity. “To my surprise they did manage to regroup, though it took over half an hour. But, what do you think our monkeys did first thing when they found each other? That’s right, they all got lost and separated again.”

This time the crowd at Vegeta’s back laughed a little louder, now assured that no punishment would occur for it. The Ice-lord itself seemed to miss the whole joke, its eyes off to the side somewhere.

Vegeta kept his feet planted firmly and lifted his chin another inch, anything to keep his hands behind his back from clenching. There were too many monsters waiting to catch any tell of weakness, and the Prince had never missed his cape so much. That little measure of privacy would have meant a lot right now against these vultures, as he could expect no protection from their ridicule by the lizard emperor. But holding his temper was probably important, though the blood-drums in his head suggested a different path.

Zarbon continued its tale like some bard, so engrossed and pleased by its own voice. Vegeta tuned it out and listened to the song in his blood instead while he studied the lizard. That bored front, that feigned indifference to the whole show. Yet this was likely another part of the game. A game Vegeta would lose just by giving in and accepting the Lizard’s offer to leave his command and join its entourage instead. A game Vegeta had no idea how to win. A game he knew he hated. All he could do was hold on, not give in. But the song strumming inside him sang of explosions instead, of blowing off as many heads of those cowards at his back as he could— too cowardly to laugh at his face. It sang of launching himself at Zarbon or even Frieza; just tearing off a chunk for the road and seeing what would happen if Vegeta quit playing...

The voice carrying across the room again joined in with the thumping blood in his ears, and Vegeta could not help but listen: “—so that’s how we ended up with seven Saiyans panicking and running after their commander across an empty desert, while one engaged the capital alone and had to flee for his life.”

That’s not how it happened. That’s not how it happened, that’s not how it happened! The phrase was like a chorus in his head. Their scouters had not functioned, an effect caused by the planet’s magnetic fields. Vegeta had anticipated interference but working without communication devices, maps, or any way to detect positions of enemy and friendly troops alike had been hard. Maybe they had lost their way a few times, but at least he had made provisions to find each other if separated. It had just taken more time than usual to clear the planet, but that had hardly been a surprise. Vegeta had even asked for extra time before they left. Unsurprisingly, his request had been denied.  

This time even Frieza hid its mouth behind one hand to disguise what was obviously a chuckle. No; this was part of the game too. What would happen if Vegeta just blasted away some random people, told Frieza to go fuck itself, and left? He needed to know, and the moment to find out had come. In the silence that followed Frieza cleared its throat, pretended to be uncomfortable. It was all for show, Vegeta could see that now.

The monster spoke again, its voice kind and sad. “So, I guess it didn't turn out too well. I am glad you are hale, my little Prince. But, we can all see this could have turned out much, much worse. Perhaps it’s time we... put an end to this, ah, farce? It’s degrading, and you would come to rights so much better at my side…”

Frieza smiled at him, and Vegeta felt his face twist in answer. To suggest again, and in company, to become one of its lap dogs. Another Zarbon, standing at its side, playing retainer… like some servant. Just the idea pushed him past reason, and Vegeta resolved to take no more. He would go for the jugular, rip that purple lizard to shreds. Or just die trying. Probably die trying. Vegeta let his mouth open to a silent snarl as he stared back at the tyrant.

The lizard just sat still and blinked down at him from its hover chair. Vegeta could feel the Saiyans at both his sides fidget, even Raditz, who had been calm as ever during the entire debasement. Still the Prince stayed frozen, unwilling to back down. Even as the crowd started to murmur. Vegeta looked on, unimpressed, as the tyrant slowly lost its kind smile. Another slow blink, and the pink ice-jin raised one hand to inspect its immaculately manicured nails. Perfectly clean, not a speck of blood left on them. Vegeta got the hint, but why not call its bluff? With the drumbeat in his head still singing, it seemed worth the risk.

It wasn’t worth it, logic dictated. He would die, just like his father. Yet his heart disagreed, and the drums drowned out that voice of reason. If these were his choices right now— taking a piece out of that pompous monster, or begging for another mission which was bound to end in failure once again— why even bother? The only reason he hesitated to act was that attacking Frieza now would be the same as admitting failure. The game was rigged, though. Vegeta would never get acknowledged for a job well done. So it was just stubbornness keeping him going. Well, the Prince was honest enough to admit he had more than enough stubbornness for one man. But he had more pride still, and he would not lower himself to—

“Please give us one more chance, Master Frieza, I know we can do it!”

Vegeta cursed out loud and turned to his left, nearly exploding at the audacity, the betrayal. Raditz! Out of all of his squad, the only one he’d thought he could count on was Raditz. And now, he was just… kneeling to that monster, again. This time, Vegeta did snarl, but it was a wordless sound. What else could be said to the third-class now, except that Vegeta hated him for opening his mouth.  

After another long stretch of silence, Vegeta realised something was expected of him. He wasn’t going to play the game anymore though, so instead he gave the tyrant a defiant glare. It had the decency to look uncomfortable and actually fidgeted a bit. “I see you have a problem with insubordination, Vegeta. Would you like some help with that?”

As riled up as the Prince felt, he realized Raditz had ticked the monster off. Which, at the moment, seemed ridiculously funny. Oh, so Frieza thought a third-class Saiyan should not even be allowed to address the emperor? Well, Vegeta happened to disagree there. He grinned up at the creature and took one step forward. Perhaps if he could close the distance without putting the tyrant on guard he’d be able to tear that piece off. He was interrupted once more though.

Nappa stepped in front of the Prince and dropped to one knee next to the third-class teen. “Vegeta is the best commander I ever had, Lord Frieza.”

His words stalled Vegeta’s advance. Because damn... they were buttering him up, stroking his ego. And worse, it was working. The drums faded and reason popped up its useless head.

Nappa was insistent: “If anything went wrong it’s probably because the rest of us are too stupid to follow where he leads. Please let us try again.”

This gave him pause, because Nappa was too stupid to lie. Too stupid, therefore he probably believed what he said. Vegeta didn’t really understand, and perhaps that was what pushed back those weakened drumbeats in his mind as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Raditz was clever enough to lie, but he’d never been dishonest to his prince. Why was he speaking up? Was he afraid to die? They’d probably all be goners if Frieza decided to end the Prince. Yet somehow that didn't seem right.  

“Well…” Frieza spoke, as if surprised. Vegeta couldn’t help but whip around and turn his attention back to the monster. “Well, if that’s how you —you all feel.”  

It looked at Vegeta again, but the prince couldn’t return the gaze. He opened his mouth once, twice. Then from the corner of his eye he noticed the remaining Saiyans drop to one knee. It was funny; even with all their commentary, with all the complaints, they had his back. He had at least eight Saiyans that still believed in him, and right now that was enough.

Frieza frowned, not unkindly, and said, “Vegeta, you feel the same way I suppose?”

Whatever the object of Frieza's game, this could not be the outcome the tyrant had hoped for. It was enough for Vegeta; so the Saiyan Prince smiled for real and nodded. This time, there was no mistaking the slight bunching of its jaw as Frieza took the scene in. Yet it did not push for more, and Vegeta knew he had finally won a round.