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mikimakiboo · 6 days ago

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Sansnautica AU - Learning To Trust, With Love

Bad Sans Poly ! ( mtt x Nightmare, Cross isn't there yet )

The Sansnautica AU belongs to @ancha-aus ! :D consider this an early Christmas gift friend •w•

This is my little interpretation of how the gang met Nightmare and started the first part of the poly, which is obviously inspired by our rambling in the notes ( btw the boys' designs are linked in her master post so go check them out because I don't know how to describe them )

Also I still know NOTHING about subnautica except for the fact that it's underwater so please ignore the inaccuracies, even tho I tried to keep it quite vague as to avoid them lol

I started proofreading this at like 1:30am and finished at like nearly 2am so there might be mistakes left lol

How did all of this happen ? How did Nightmare allow this ? He never allowed it before. He liked being alone. At least he thought he did, but then they showed up, and he let them stay.

Well, they didn't "show up", he did remember saving one: Killer.

He was out hunting, roaming on his territory, when he heard noise. If at first he wouldn't have paid attention to it, it quickly became apparent that the noise was coming from his side of the frontier, which meant, whatever was making such noise, was trespassing, and he wouldn't tolerate that.

So Nightmare got closer, ready to chase off any intruder, until he saw what it was: the aliens that were invading the ocean, hunting a boneshark mer who obviously looked quite tired already. They were hunting. These aliens were hunting on his territory, they were hunting a mer. Mers belonged to him, he was their God. That wouldn't do.

He launched upward to where the noise was coming from, appearing in all his height in front of the boneshark and the aliens, putting a stop in their course as the mer crashed into the reef, having tried to avoid hitting the leviathan.

Nightmare watched as the aliens gestured to each other, swimming backward to try and flee, but the God was faster as his hand moved forward, picking them as if they were seaweeds. He bared his fangs, feeling terror emanating from the aliens as he brought them closer to his opened mouth. The terror didn't last long, it faded rapidly after the first bite. There was nothing left when he swallowed them.

He turned to the shark against the reef, seeing as he was still shaking with a fish tightly pressed against his chest, seemed like he too was out hunting. The two stared at each other for a while, before Nightmare turned his back to leave without a word. He had eaten, he could go back to his hideout. He hated being outside for too long, not that he was scared of anything, he just preferred the intimacy of his nest.

He wouldn't have thought the boneshark would follow him, and even worse, refuse to leave when Nightmare stopped to tell him to go back to where he came from. No, instead he followed him to his cave and laid on a flat stone to munch on his fish. Nightmare could have chased him, but he was feeling the fright residues coming from the mer, and decided to be merciful and let him rest for a while.

The next morning the mer was gone, Nightmare thought he went back to his own nest, but instead he came back two days later with two new sharks: a sand shark and a stalker, both mers, both as tired looking as the first one. The sand shark was the first to approach him, a large prey in his hands, that he put down in front of him before backing off. An offering it seemed, a silent demand to be allowed to stay in exchange for some of their catch. Nightmare looked at them silently for a while, he didn't want to have anyone in his nest, he didn't want his tranquility to be disturbed, but the aliens were still out and they were chasing mers specifically... he inspected the offering, it seemed to be a rabbit ray, a fresh catch. He grabbed it between two fingers to take a closer look, sensing the anxiety of the three mers rising, and finally swallowed it whole, accepting the offering and, by extension, allowing them to stay.

They had introduced themselves, the boneshark that Nightmare saved was named Killer, the sand shark that had offered him the ray was Horror, and the stalker was Dust. They seemed to be bounded, as these species didn't usually mix and travel together. Nightmare learned soon after that they were in fact mates.

Their presence wasn't insufferable, Nightmare wouldn't say he enjoyed having them around, but he had to recognize that having a little bit of life in his nest wasn't the worst. Having noise, someone talking to him even if just to tell him about the hunt of the day, was something he didn't think he had missed so much. He wouldn't say he liked them, but he would be a little pained if they left. He did find it amusing, however, that after a few days these three started to try courting him. They weren't the first to try, and he had always found comical that such small creatures thought they had a chance with him, so he let them do so, wanting to see for how long they would try before giving up like all their predecessors.

All was well, truly, fish was abundant in his territory and the small shiver usually wasn't out for too long with the aliens roaming around. But still Nightmare had to leave the nest to make sure no one tried to mess with his borders.

He should have been more careful. He was watching, looking out for any alien, so focused on their potential presence that he didn't hear the screeching noise in time and was hit on his side by a ghost leviathan as big as him. He could fight back, of course, he was strong enough to make this leviathan get out of his territory, but the surprise combined with the sudden sharp pain slowed him in his reflexes and he was hit a second time before he managed to attack and push the ghost leviathan away with more struggle than he would have liked it. Luckily for him, it wasn't another mer.

The wounds were bad. Very bad. He couldn't stay outside like that and most importantly: he couldn't stay this size or he would never heal. Well, he would, but incredibly slowly, and he couldn't afford that. He had to switch back to his smaller form, the healing would be long too, but much less long than in his current big form, as his body wouldn't need as much energy. But he had a problem: he wasn't alone anymore in his cave, there were three sharks that Nightmare knew would be bigger than him once he would turn small. He would be a prey to them. They were courting, yes, but they were courting because he was a massive leviathan capable of protecting them, but once they would see him small and hurt, unable to fight them three at the same time ? They would have the perfect opportunity to kill him and claim his territory with all the resources it contained. They wouldn't think about courting him anymore, that Nightmare was sure. But still he had to go back, he couldn't stay in the open.

He switched back to his small form as to lose less blood as he swam close to the ground, one arm around his wounded waist and the other using the branches and rocks on the ground as holds to give him the impulsion to move faster, trying to stay focused on the noise around him, praying he wouldn't attract any predator with the smell of blood.

When he arrived at the entrance of his nest he was panting, his vision blurry and whole body aching. He slowly looked inside but didn't spot anyone. They must have been out hunting. Good. He didn't want them to see him. He quickly, or as quickly as he could, dived into the deeper part of the cave, looking for a dent in the wall in which he could hide. He found one hidden behind seaweeds and moved them slightly to the side to sneak inside the dent. He laid on the moss on the floor, exhausted and shaking, his whole body in pain. He needed to gather food and materials to heal the wounds, but his body was refusing to move and his vision was becoming darker... he needed to stay awake, he had to, he couldn't sleep now, but he felt so, so drained...

He opened his eye when he heard his name being called. Was the shiver back from their hunt ? Nightmare curled up a little more on himself, not answering. He heard them swim around for a few seconds, and the weeds masking the entrance of his dent were moved aside as Horror appeared in front of him. Nightmare tensed, baring his fangs and curling two tentacles around himself to hide the wound as the others were ready to strike. Horror looked at him for a while without talking, but clearly analyzing him as he frowned, turning back to call the other two. Nightmare tried to get up, not wanting to seem weak in front of them. "Don't move" Horror told him with the same firm but gentle tone he used when Dust or Killer hurt themselves on hunting sessions and wouldn't stay still as he healed them. The two arrived rapidly, Killer's arms still full of fish, and both stopped to stare at the small leviathan. They had smelled blood when entering the cave, and they apparently weren't wrong.

Killer got closer, Nightmare growled, and he stopped, slowly taking a fish to hand it to him, but Nightmare didn't move, his gaze planted in the boneshark's. Killer put the fish down at the entrance of the nest and pushed it towards him, repeating the maneuver with three more fish before finally backing off. Dust wasn't here anymore, Nightmare hadn't seen him leave, focused on Killer. "You should eat", he said, "Dust went to fetch some large weeds to make bandages" he added when seeing his, almost frightened, gaze going from Killer and Horror to the spot Dust was previously in. They were truly stupid if they thought this "pretending to care" would make him lower his guard.

Dust came back with the weeds, but didn't dare approach when Nightmare growled at him. He put it near the entrance, and joined the other two a little farther. They had established a new small nest closer to the dent but still far enough to leave him some intimacy. He hadn't touched the fish yet, not feeling like eating. Why didn't they attack yet ? He couldn't move much, his body stiff from the pain, and couldn't turn back to his more massive form as he was in a way too small dent to do so. He was at their mercy, truly, and yet they were chatting a few meters away like nothing happened. Maybe they were waiting for him to fall asleep to kill him without risking getting bitten ? But how would he manage to stay awake for so long ? He was still so tired... he would wait for them to fall asleep first, and then he would take small naps after small naps, see if it helped...

It didn't help. He felt so tired still. Horror was in front of him, outside the dent, but still looking at him, the other two were outside. "Eat" he ordered him, and Nightmare barely had enough energy to growl back, not liking his tone of voice, but he knew he had to eat or else he wouldn't heal. He slowly reached out to grab one of the fish, munching on it without much conviction despite the hunger. He almost fell asleep with the half-eaten fish in his mouth. Horror didn't move from his spot, only turning his back when he had finished the fish, seeming satisfied. No one attacked him this day either.

He kept taking small naps, but each time he looked they hadn't move from their sleeping pile. Still, Nightmare was cautious. No one attacked him the next day, Dust tried to approach him again but backed off when seeing his gaze. Horror and Killer both frowned at that, but Nightmare didn't care. He didn't want them near him.

The few days that followed were roughly the same: Killer went out, Nightmare didn't know if it was for hunting or something else as he often came back without any catch, Horror made sure he ate at least one fish by staring at him until he gave in, and Dust tried to approach him only to fail and back off. Neither of them tried attacking him and Nightmare started to doubt they would do it one day. Why wait after all ? Why make sure he ate and try to bandage his wounds if they wanted to kill him ? It wasn't logical. None of this was logical, from Dust and Kiler spending so much time outside only to come back without fish to Horror never leaving the front of the dent like a guard. Nightmare didn't understand. He didn't understand what they were trying to do. "Dust and Killer patrol on your territory, since you're not in the right condition to do it yourself", Horror had answered when Nightmare asked him where they were going everyday. They were patrolling ? Protecting his territory ? He didn't need someone to protect his territory. At least not before. Now... he appreciated the help. He didn't need another leviathan claiming his lands while he was away. "And you ?" Nightmare had asked, "I stand guard here, make sure no one tries anything", he had answered, but Nightmare wasn't satisfied, "why not stand guard outside ?" He had asked again, "you're not outside" Horror had said. Nightmare didn't answer.

Dust tried to approach him again this day. Nightmare didn't growl, he looked at him for a while before resting his head on the moss and letting the stalker come closer. The three sharks exchanged a surprised look, and Dust grabbed the weeds and entered the dent, slowly getting closer to the injured leviathan. He looked at him again, to make sure it was okay, and grabbed some moss to clean around the wounds. Nightmare tensed, and Dust stopped. They stared at each other for a while, but as Nightmare didn't move, Dust went back to cleaning, carefully, slowly, he then wrapped the seaweeds around the wounds. Nightmare looked at him work, seeing how delicate he was, how patiently he had been waiting for the authorization when he could have given up right from the start, or simply not try at all. And yet here he was, after maybe a week or more, Nightmare had lost count, cleaning his almost infected wounds and wrapping them in weeds, before leaving again once the job was done, not wanting to invade his personal space for too long. Nightmare kept watching the bandages for a while before grabbing one of the fresh fish Killer had brought him after their hunt. He didn't understand them.

Dust kept coming back every day to check on the wounds, always waiting for Nightmare to authorize him to approach before moving.

And so Nightmare was here, in his dent, thinking about everything that had happened in these past weeks, in these past days, how he let them near him and how they never once tried to take advantage of his situation, instead guarding his territory and bringing him food, keeping his wounds clean as to heal better. He looked at Horror, he was laying down a few meters away, his eyes were closed but Nightmare knew he wasn't sleeping, he was always listening for any suspicious sound, making sure no one, except for his two mates, entered the nest.

Nightmare felt a warmth spead in his ribcage when looking at the sand shark. The other two were outside, he was alone with him, and didn't feel in danger. He felt... safe. He couldn't explain it, but he felt safe despite his condition.

Horror stood up and turned to look at him, having heard a low noise. Nightmare heard it too, but he didn't understand why Horror turned to him. He wanted to ask him, but the noise became louder when he opened his mouth. He had felt his throat vibrate. Was it coming from him ? Was he making this sound ? It was an unusual sound for him, but he had heard the others make it too... he was purring... he hadn't purred in years...

Horror smiled fondly, swimming up to him and stopping before entering the dent. Nightmare didn't stop purring.

- Can I come in ?

Horror asked in a soft tone. Nightmare hesitated for a second, before slowly nodding, watching as the shark swam into the dent and around him to lay down, facing the entrance still, but this time surrounding Nightmare with his tail like a barrier.

Nightmare looked up at him, refraining a yawn.

- You can sleep, I'm not moving.

Horror reassured. He wouldn't move, both from here or to try anything, he would stay still and stand guard just as he was doing everyday in front of the dent, only this time he would be inside.

Nightmare kept staring for a moment, before slowly drifting into sleep, only moving slightly to press his back against Horror's side, feeling his warmth as a reminder he wasn't alone.

He wasn't alone anymore, and he wouldn't be alone ever again.

Once healed he would swear loyalty to them and to protect them from any threat, to offer them a safe place and to never doubt them ever again. They deserved it. They deserved his trust.

They deserved his love.

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imsorrythatimweird101-blog · 8 months ago

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**Using gateway tapes for void state*

Many people (especially Tumblr, I see y'all) are really interested in the void state. Me too honestly but here's the information that I got about the void state through the gateway tapes.

**By One-lawfulness**

“Glad to see others here who also use the gateway tapes. I'm starting to believe we'll 1 you can shift with them but more so F15 is essentially the void state. It seems they are described the same way.”

“ body asleep/ mind awake is indeed F10. However the void state from what I read is when your pure awareness. You don't feel the body, you can't see, hear, touch, etc. There is no body at all your simply awareness. There's a post I believe in one of the shifting groups where someone linked and reposted a Twitter post where someone went into detail on what is and isn't the void state. All I know is the void state while it shouldn't be hard to reach isn't as simple as some think. But it makes sense since it seems shifting, manifesting, etc is all instant from it.

This should link to the post

https://www.reddit.com/r/shiftingrealities/comments/18swmdp/definitive_guide_to_the_void_state/?share_id=1dj52vByrbmI3Q7rNmULO&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=

Well they say the focus levels are different for everyone but there are some general guidelines to it. Some where someone linked a page with a brief description of each focus level and when you read F15 I think or maybe 12 it's described as a void.

But if your looking for manifesting it seems some say you can do that in F10, 12, and 15 but I assume it's easier the higher you go.

(It's F15)

If I find the page with the focus level description I'll link it also

Found it

https://www.monroeinstituteuk.org/focus-levels/

Personal experience

what's recommended is once you get there the first thing is to manifest being able to enter it easily. Then from there do as you wish. That could work. I assume using it along with LOA is a great combo to help get into the void state the first time. When I was first trying the void state before using the gateway tapes I was in F10 essentially and couldn't fully go into it.

I stayed with F10 for a while but realized I was holding myself back because F10 wasn't hard to enter and I was saying I needed to master it first.

**By Beautiful_V**

F10 is SATS. SATS is the mind awake body asleep, you repeat a scene to mnaifest but that isn’t SATS it’s the state you do that hence state akin to sleep. You can manifest all the time using it! Instead of affirmations (lullaby method) I visualize until I fall asleep in this state. The trick is you can’t be too tired or too awake. Or even better just do it during a nap never takes me more than 3 days.

**Beautiful_v manifesting method**

“My routine”

-Do Wim Hof breathing technique

-Have theta waves immediately playing afterwards

-Count to whatever gets me to floaty feeling at first it was 500, now it’s 200/300 when you lose count just go back to the nearest 100th so you don’t fall asleep

-when I get the floaty feeling it means I’m about to fall asleep so affirm or visualize desired results.

-fall asleep in the wish fulfilled there will be no time for you to doubt because you’ll be too tired

-do this for 3-5 days it works in less depends on your beliefs but I always say 3 days because that’s what I read from Neville so I adopted that mindset !

**Big_suggestion9**

“Yes F10 is considered the void state”

Background: he has his own YouTube channel and is currently on wave 3 tape 6! He's personally like a mentor to me because I ask him about stuff. This is what he personally told me.

He's experience

https://youtube.com/@TheGatewayExperience?feature=shared

**My opinion**

Everyone is right in this discussion. Gateway tapes are based on personal experience. **No matter what, you need enter F10 for anything. Shifting, astral projection, void state. F10 void state or not. To achieve anything you need to achieve F10!**

**What do you recommend?**

You want to go into a void state? Then finish gateway tapes for F10 (gateway 1). Then do F12, after MASTERING everything. Go to manifest tape and affirm that you can go to void state instantly or whatever affirmation you want. Simple as that

**PLEASE READ**

(All credit to them, I did remove some digits from the username. Please do not contact them! I don't want to have a bunch of people flooding their Dms. If you have questions about it. Ask me and I will message them personally if it's that's okay. THANK YOU!)

#reality shifting #void state #void #shifting blog #manefesting #law of assumption #law of manifestation #gatewaytapes

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skyward-floored · 17 days ago

Note

Hey what are your thoughts on the groups from the latest update btw?? 👁️👁️

- hero-of-the-wolf

They’re really interesting!!! Some of them were pretty unexpected, but I’m excited to see how they all unfold.

I made a post about this already but Time putting Sky with Twilight was so smart of him. Sky is the best swordsman and best equipped to take care of the Shadow if he shows up, and I’m sure Time is remembering how Dink was actually running away from the Master Sword in shady escape. Dark Link is really unlikely to mess with Twilight with Sky there, and I appreciate how Time figured that out so well. I’m also curious about what kind of conversations they’ll have without Time or the others around, I’m betting the Master Sword will come up again 👀

Legend and Hyrule seems like an odd group, and Time even mentioned he regretted that he had to put such experienced people together, but aside from boomerang shenanigans it actually kind of makes sense. Legend is okay-ish with teamwork, but Hyrule seems like he’s allergic to it. Putting them together will hopefully make them realize it’s not a solo mission this time, and they’ve got to rely on each other’s instincts and knowledge. Plus downfall duooooo I can’t wait to see what they get up too AAAH

Warriors pointedly chose Wild to go with him. Obviously he’s finally going to follow through with his earlier statement from Sunset pt.5:

—and Wild (and Wind lol) knows it.

(I love Wind’s little “oooohhhh you’re in trouuuuble)

There’s been a lot of discussion about how Warriors is going to lecture Wild, and I personally think he’s going to be firm, but not mean. He’s not going to blow up at Wild, that’s not his style (unless Wild argues back and Warriors roses to the bait, but I don’t... think that’ll happen). I think he mostly just wants Wild to understand what was—and is—at stake.

Warriors is military. You follow orders in the military. When you don’t follow orders, you get yourself and others killed. You have to rely on your fellow soldiers and your plan of attack, you can’t just run off by yourself and deviate from the plan and Warriors knows that. He went through something similar on his adventure, he got cocky and thought he was invincible, started disregarding anyone except for himself. He nearly died because of it, and in this instance, Wild could have died because he was blinded by his emotion and risked being injured just as badly as Twilight.

It’s not exactly the same, but I’m sure Warriors is looking at this and going “well crap that’s me”. So I think he’s going to give Wild a quick “here’s what you did wrong and don’t do it again because I’m trying to keep us all alive and you’re making that difficult so try and listen to orders so we can accomplish our mission here???” lecture. And I’d bet good money ol’ Dink is going to interrupt him partway through because he’s out for both Warriors AND Wild now for multiple reasons and they’re totally doomed :D

Aaaaand Time Wind and Four. I think they’ll be really fun to follow, I can’t wait to see more of Four and Wind together especially. Maybe they’ll FINALLY NOTICE EACH OTHERS’ SHIELDS and put together maybe being related. I’m hoping. I’m hoping so bad. I’m also eager to see Time and Wind interact some more (yay!) and also Time and Four because we haven’t seen a lot of them together yet. Maybe even some realizations that Four comes before Time..? Maybe. We’ll see. I bet Four will have to shrink for a puzzle though.

So yeah I’m really excited to see how things are going to go :D

#apparently I had a lot to say lol #answers from the floor #lovely hero of the wolf #linkeduniverse #linked universe #all the links #lu warriors #lu Wild #<- but I talked about them the most #rambles from the floor #but yeah those are just my thoughts #I’m probably wrong on a number of counts but it’s fun guessing

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anamelessfool · 2 months ago

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A Naming

Rated Teen, Papa Emeritus II’s Son and Family

Tags: Halloween Hijinks, Eldest Kid Anxiety, Suburban Dad Secondo, Disabled Secondo, Post-Retirement Life, Magic Rituals, My AU

CW: Underage Drinking

Dedicated to @kissingghouls thanks for cheering me on you’re my little Hell Pumpkin🎃 I’m on AO3 with all my other fics but Tumblr gets mad at me when I post links

Part One (of 5)

Oct 31, 2017

The Leider residence was the only one on the cheery suburban block that was bare of decoration. The house year round was neat, sensible; a single floor ranch with the occasional hearse out front. Neighbors thought the lack of decoration, especially during Halloween, was a choice made out of propriety. One would hope the family responsible for interring your loved ones would have a sober outlook on the macabre. Their entire modus seemed to be one of complete disregard for any happenings outside their own home. Unavailable, discreet, out of the way. A little fortress meant only for its occupants.

And in a way, it was. Its unassuming nature was by design. The patriarch of the house, known to his neighbors as Michael Leider, was a severe man in appearance and temper. His entire family was full of noise and cheer and life but he himself preferred to stay out of the way. The only completely peculiar thing about him was each morning just after sunrise he’d step out onto his back concrete patio and scowl at the sky. A journal would come out, he’d scrawl a few lines, and then return to his kitchen to make that morning’s coffee.

What his neighbors didn’t know was that the man had journaled daily about the weather for fifteen thousand one hundred and seventy-eight days so far, give or take a few due to illness or inconvenience. It wasn’t that neighbors didn’t know, it was more what they have not seen. Or were allowed to see. Mr. Leider’s life was carefully constructed, like the life of any true magician. He had been once the hub of arcane power as Papa Emeritus II, known as Secondo; master magician and the spiritual leader of the Satanic Church of the Void. The Void itself was closer to a true hell than any suburbanite could ever comprehend, but it had been a large part of most of his previous life. For over forty years Secondo had balanced this world and beyond this world. Spirits called to him, demons obeyed his commands. Now all that was left was the old practicum of documenting the weather, but this ordinariness was his choice.

Because a seasoned magician knows of the dangers of attracting attention.

“Yesterday…” Eden Leider’s eyes got wide. The half-nibbled pizza was abandoned on her plate as the eight year old regaled a tale slowly and with great reverence. “Yesterday…there was a kid…at my school…at recess…”

She was surrounded by her family, as always, in the kitchen strewn with handmade Halloween art projects. She had hurried home with her younger brother Sam from the bus and immediately wanted to try on her costume, only to be met with the torture of having to eat before she went out tonight. Pizza AND the green beans. If she was going to be doused in sugar later that night then at least some half-attempt at healthy food was a requirement. Her father Secondo had insisted on it.

“Oh I saw this!” hissed her younger brother Sam. “I saw this!”

“No you didn't you were in gym,” snapped Eden.

“No I saw, I saw the ambulance!”

“He fell…and his arm? His arm was like this!” Eden held out her arm crooked, a primal little grin stretching across her face. “There was his bone sticking out.”

“Bone sticking out?” Their mother Sandra lowered her pizza slice, her eyes wide in amused interest. There was nothing more she enjoyed than encouraging her younger children’s odd sense of wonder. It was like watching kittens attempt to navigate themselves out of a paper bag.

“His bone! Was sticking! Out!” shouted Sam.

The eldest brother Paul let out a too aggressive sigh, subtly glancing down at his phone on his lap. There was another message. He disguised his gasp as a cough.

Dana: u coming

Paul L: trying

Paul nervously cycled through his apps, arriving at Dana’s photo again. A perfect face, a winning smile adorned a photo of her in a theatrical costume. Below, her favorite quote that Paul recently decided was evidence of her profound understanding of reality: Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world! Let your soul take you where you long to be!

I will, Paul always thought.

His father didn’t even have to make a noise for Paul to know he was watching him. Paul looked up and met the Eye embedded in his father Secondo’s skull, white and shark-like. It was usually concealed behind a colored lens but still burned through all the same. Paul was not normally afraid of it, but in this circumstance he swore it could read his mind. It was something that existed beyond his father, an interloper perched on the man’s broad shoulder. The human eye beside it had its normal expression of cool assessment. While his father’s left eye expressed an understanding of the beyond, the rest of the body was that of an intelligent stoic. Someone not interested in seeing their son look at their phone at the dinner table. Paul smiled thinly back.

“We can't even have a jack-o'-lantern?” Eden’s whines came into focus once more. “Not even one?”

“I'm not encouraging anything or anyone to enter this house,” Secondo reminded her stiffly, releasing Paul from his gaze. “Our home is our domain and I keep it well tended.”

Secondo, known in the past as Papa Emeritus II and leader of the Satanic Church of the Void, had always been a serious man. Serious, but never humorless. His wife Sandra has gifted him a bright orange shirt that said “This is My Halloween Costume” and he wore it now as he cut his pizza slice with the grace of some sort of aristocrat. His younger children had dumped tribute drawings around him: scrawled images of him as a skeleton man surrounded by assortments of demons and pools of blood. Eden idolized him, and his youngest idolized his sister and so the two of them had become his most loyal cultists whether he liked it or not.

Paul took the chance to answer Dana back.

Paul L: my dad is

Dana: yeah

ill ask

Dana:🙂

“If you’ll excuse me,” Secondo muttered with a regal bow of his head. He unhooked his forearm crutch from the back of his chair and maneuvered himself to his feet, politely grabbing empty dishes to deliver them delicately to the sink as he left the kitchen.

Paul turned quickly to his mother. “There’s a party tonight and…”

Sandra smiled wryly. “I’m always happy when you want to be social. But your dad will have to drive you.”

Right. Secondo had retired to his study for an hour before taking the younger kids out. In Paul’s experience of suburban fathers, there was a seasonal quality to all of their domestic obsessions. Some dads fretted over lawns, or snowfall, or their collection of vehicles in various states of disrepair. Secondo’s special interest at this time of year was obscure arcane protections. Paul had never once experienced any sort of supernatural event in their home, but as he grew up he suddenly became responsible for helping his father with his weird chores. Burying recycled jars filled with nails and rat bones. Standing on ladders to hand specifically colored yarns around the outside perimeter of the house while Secondo commented on ideal placement. Collecting perfectly good specimens of mullein or rue from the side of the road with the shovel Secondo always kept in the backseat of the truck. In his mind’s eye Paul wondered what strangers thought of the impromptu highway gardening, or the digging, or all the rock arrangement. Maybe they assumed the teen was enduring some old time tough love father-son punishment.

Honestly that would be far less embarrassing.

Paul found Secondo in his office. The room was dimly lit, with scarves draped across the computer and all of his work things. There were more books and journals than wall space, and so some were stacked neatly in piles besides the shelves that went right to the ceiling. Said ceiling was stained with areas of candle soot, the walls doubly so. Secondo stood in the far corner of the room, the doors to an old TV hutch open to reveal the magical seat of his home: his altar place.

“Dad, can I go out tonight?”

Paul saw the familiar diagrams and charts taped on the inside walls, along with some twig and twine poppets right out of a horror film. Deeper into the hutch lay even more oddities: deer jawbones, rocks of Significance. Some desiccated bundles of herbs. A mason jar of old buttons.

Secondo was whispering something into a waterclear crystal skull. He lowered it and stared into Paul, the white Infernal Eye settling in to regard the teen like an old crow. “Hm?”

“Yeah uh…a party. It’s everyone from theater club. Tonight.”

“Parents will be there?”

Shit. Paul wrung his hands. “Uh…I think so?”

Secondo let out a puff of air through his nose, a wordless sign of him mulling over facts. He didn’t speak much, but his elegant movements and subtle expressions spoke more than any words could. He gently replaced the skull on his altar and closed the doors, tying a red ribbon across the knobs. Paul waited with bated breath.

“All your homework done?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“I—” The two little ones bounded into the office. Sam launched himself at his brother’s knees and squeezed.

“Put our facepaint on, Paul!” said his sister.

“Yes, please,” Sam added. Paul looked up to meet his father’s eyes once again.

Secondo was smiling.

“What did Daddy’s face look like? I want it to look like that,” Eden insisted. In the bathroom Paul applied the white makeup to the entirety of her face while she frowned and got into character.

“I dunno, some kinda…skull or something.” Paul was deeply indifferent to their father’s past life. He didn't remember the pageantry, or the tours he was dragged on as a young child. He barely understood nor cared that his father was someone who wandered the space between two worlds, who channeled dark powers through his body, who captivated thousands with twisted tales of death and demons.

All Paul really remembered was seeing his father decline. He saw his father have days of extreme pain he chose to conceal, watched his mother help her husband as good as any nurse or wife could. As the Void wracked his body Secondo couldn't do much anymore. Couldn't play with Paul or carry him or do anything more than preserve himself for when he was on stage. So Paul was indifferent to Papa Emeritus II. In some way his earliest thoughts were of happiness now that his father could be around.

And they could finally all be somewhat normal.

Paul darked the hollows of her eyes with black face paint and added long lines across her mouth to simulate snagged teeth. He recalled the exaggerated lines across the jaw. Satisfied, he turned his sister around to show her in the mirror. She nearly jumped out of her skin the moment she saw the face that was no longer hers. But then she laughed wickedly.

“Oh I want to be a skull now!” crowed Sam, tugging at Paul’s clothes. “Make me a skull face!”

“No you're not allowed,” Eden said. “Pumpkin Skull? I'm the skull. Paul tell him I'm the skull!”

“Wouldn't make sense on you, Sammy,” Paul explained. “I'll give you a jack-o'-lantern face.”

“Yeah okay but make it scary,” Sam muttered.

Eden had worked for days on her costume. It was of course an homage to the towering glory of her father’s previous life, in miniature form. She had fashioned a cereal box into a decent miter. Secondo had coaxed her out of applying true upsidedown crucifixes to her outfit, and so wrathful skull heads scowled down the pillowcase chasuble and bats adorned the miter. “I'm a…Hell Priest.”

“She made it herself.” Sandra shrugged. “Turn around, honey, you're the cutest little hell priest I've ever seen since your father.”

Sam extended his little arms and wiggled his fingers, grinning. “And I'm a…Hell. Pumpkin.”

“My adorable little freaks,” said Sandra of her children, nudging Secondo next to her on the couch. Secondo had his usual severe frown as he watched the little ones scurry around the carpet and howl. Sandra addressed Paul. “And you're wearing that? To a Halloween party?”

Paul looked down at his jeans and band tee, old ratty hoodie and sneakers. “Halloween’s for kids, mom.”

“At least the shirt’s clean,” said Secondo.

“You two are really boring, you know that?” Sandra ribbed over the rim of her coffee mug. “But have fun? Extra fun for me.” Out of all of them she loved Halloween the most. It was a love of the macabre that drove her to join a Satanic Church, after all. Sandra held the work phone for the memorial home in her hand as her family got ready to leave for the night. She had selflessly volunteered to be on call so her brothers and husband could bring all their kids around the neighborhood. Then again, watching the goriest horror films at home without the prying eyes of her children was a decent consolation prize.

Sandra caught her youngest in her arms and brought his little body into a hug. “You know, you can die… but no one really stays dead on Halloween.” She immediately pretended to bite him all over, and Sam screamed and laughed.

“You're deeply unprofessional, dear,” muttered Secondo, yet a small rare smile hovered across his face. He gave his wife a peck on the cheek and pulled himself to his feet. “Let’s go. Paul, help me get your siblings in the car.” The younger ones let out shrill shrieks and jumped towards the door, grabbing their candy pails while already whining.

Sandra gave a soft chuckle, then reached out to gently touch her eldest son's hand. “Paul, have fun alright? You need it.”

Paul smiled faintly and returned her affection with a hug. “I’ll be fine. Thanks. I hope you…don't have to work tonight.”

“Same,” replied his mother. “But you got to take everything as it comes, right? Be always ready.”

“Paul,” said Secondo.

“Hm?” Paul had been staring out the window as they drove across town. Behind them in the backseat the younger kids were chatting wildly about all the candy they were going to eat later. By this time in his life Paul was used to drowning it out. Ever since Sam could talk, Paul finally got a break and Eden got a perfect little peon to hang on to her every word.

Secondo had both hands on the wheel as he drove sensibly. He never looked up from his task but he never had to do more than slight gestures or certain tones of his voice for Paul to know what came next. “Name it,” he said.

Secondo was talking about the feelings rolling around in Paul’s insides. From a young age this was a common ritual he shared with all of his children. Paul realized more and more that Secondo now didn’t demand a vocal response to this request anymore the way he did of the younger ones. After years of this, Paul had an automatic cool response to any sort of restlessness in his mind.

Paul let out a soft breath, imagining himself holding the feeling in his hands, like always. It felt prickly, hot. Torn right from his chest and squirming like an impatient puppy. So he looked down and named it. Apprehension. Worry.

The little feeling stopped jostling him. But there was something else tugging at him, gripping its sharp little teeth into his pant leg and pulling. Dana’s picture on his phone came to mind. He swallowed.

Crush.

The truck stopped, Secondo put it in park. High school kids idled out on the front porch of a large house cheerfully decorated with pumpkins and the warm glow of string lights. The little demons of feeling that tugged at him skittered away to wait in the shadows. Paul gave a weak goodbye utterance to his family and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Secondo spoke. “And Paul.”

“Yeah?”

The intensity of the whitened eye in his father’s skull never ceased, even when freed for an instant as he blinked. “You are a person of integrity.”

Paul gave a half-hearted nod, slamming the door. He watched the red lights of the truck veer slowly away and occasionally stop to avoid throngs of trick-or-treaters. Now before the house, before this strange new world, his nerves began to circle.

Like it? Reblog it! Thanks so much, see you in Part 2…..

Next chapter link in comments!

#papa emeritus ii #ghost band headcanons #Halloween fic #domestic fic #my art #ghost scenes from the void #sfw fic #anamelessfool halloween #anamelessfool halloween start

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felassan · 17 days ago

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Mass Effect: The Official Cocktail Book (Part 1 of 2)

[you can get the book here]

Drink, food, and other lore blurbs from this book. (The book also contains the associated real-world recipes and photography thereof. This post only contains the in-world lore segments).

this post is Part 1 of 2. Rest of post is under a cut due to length. [Link to Part 2]

If there's a particular drink/food you'd like to see the recipe and or picture for, lmk.

Introduction: Written in 2184 CE by “Ambree T’Sia”, identity classified It’s a big galaxy out there. Numerous planets and their inhabitants, all jockeying for power, prestige, and precedence. With these competing agendas often clashing, seldom mixing, sometimes you need a swig of something stiff to get you to the next Relay. Well, you’ve come to the right place. And me? Nine hundred years (give or take) and a variety of careers and aliases later, I hustle my way through the galaxy by the name of Ambree T’Sia these days. It’s the one fiction that allows me to keep the rest of the story honest – with varying degrees, depending on the situation. What I can share is this: a former asari huntress, I left the military bureaucracy to lead a small covert unit of ex-commandos focused on espionage and assassination outside of official channels. More effective and more fun that way. In my earlier years, I quickly learned that the best way to collect information is to buy a merc a drink or talk to the entertainers. The more I relied on bars and nightclubs to gather intel, the more connections I made with the key players. Not just the ones in the back office, but the ones slinging drinks with closed mouths and open ears. I started posing as a bartender myself and got quite good at it. Enjoyed it, even. I couldn’t exactly stay put for, well, reasons. But among those in the know, I’m still the go-to source for recommendations about the Milky Way’s best bars and nightclubs. After one too many “you should write a book!” jokes, I did. Guns and bribes in this economy? A cocktail guide seemed like an ideal little side hustle to help fund my more targeted activities. With this pen name, I’m free to share my favorite anecdotes about well-known figures across civilizations. I’ve also included a few safety tips for surviving the galaxy, setting your drink on fire, or respecting local drinking ages. (If you’re not legal, close this book up and come back when you are, babe.) I guess I just don’t believe in accidental injuries. For those feeling brave, go ahead and speculate about who I truly am. I’m not worried in the least. Because you won’t guess, and I’ll never tell… -- “Ambree T’Sia”

MIXERS Whether you’re slinging the hard stuff or milder “hair of the FENRIS Mech that bit you” drinks, mixers are the essential building blocks to any good bar. By all means, keep your favorite fruit juices, sodas, and whatnots on hand. But as someone who tends to move around a lot due to my… profession (I’m a master of the Asari Goodbye), I tend to lead a minimalist lifestyle. As such, I keep these mixer recipes on file to prepare quickly, as I need them. Let’s just say that they’ll keep your cocktails interesting.

Blue Thessia

Yes, mama is supposed to love all her babies the same, but this mixer is my favorite for its taste and versatility. (Hmm… sound like any cocktail authors you know?) Named after the asari homeworld, the Blue Thessia is the crown jewel of your bar essentials. You’ll predominantly taste sweet juniper and recognize that bold, asari-blue color. You could make your drinks without Blue Thessia, but that’s programming a Quantum Blue Box type AI and not giving it a sexy voice. What a wasted opportunity! Do be aware that this one contains trace amounts of element zero – nothing to concern yourself about, though, and it does keep things nice and sparkly.

Tuchanka Dry

This is the good stuff and it’s very hard to come by, which is why I make my own. Tuchanka Dry is similar to a fat-washed bourbon, which not only adds the flavor of the fat to the spirit, but also its texture and weight. If you’re making a Full Biotic Kick (page 43), well, this part’s the “kick”. Traditionally made with Thresher Maw fat (I did say it was hard to come by), this recipe started as a krogan rite-of-passage celebratory drink, when leftover fat from the kill was mixed together with alcohol. If you prefer dodging grocery carts over acid spit, you can make your own and get a surprisingly similar taste by substituting bacon.

Horse Choker

I’ve often found fighter pilots to be aggressive and competitive, so it delights me that this recipe I procured from a hot-tempered Alliance pilot named Jeff “Joker” Moreau Is instead indulgent and harmonious. The chocolate and espresso flavors combined with the spiced rum work oh so well together in a luxurious cooperation that especially enhances minty drinks. But don’t take my word for it – if you’re feeling a little spicy and hot-tempered, you might find this mixer helpful when you toss back a few shots of Joker’s Challenge (page 98) with your closest frenemies.

Simple Syrup

An essential building block for cocktails. Any well-stocked bar has a traditional simple syrup on hand. If you’re new to cocktail making and a bit apprehensive, start here – just add sugar to boiling water. See? Simple. As you’ll see, I prefer twice as much sugar to water. It’s on the richer side and your mileage may vary, as they say. Be aware that you don’t want to let too much water evaporate, or the syrup will reduce and cook down to something resembling krogan poetry: thicker and sweeter than expected. (Try to get past one stanza of Blue Rose of Illium without rolling your eyes out of their sockets, I dare you.)

Salarian Salination Solution

Successfully made your way through the Simple Syrup recipe (page 13) but still feel like you need one more easy win? Perhaps a mixer that’s ideal for citrus-heavy cocktails? Make this bartender’s saline next and keep in mind that science doesn’t always have to be complicated. Science is also very useful, and you’ll find this mixer in a variety of recipes throughout this book. (For the more adventurous, the Liquified Turian on page 57 is a must.) Now, if you think adding sea salt to warm water isn’t exactly “science”, then your name isn’t Sel Vass – a double-crossing salarian bartender who fancies himself an “intoxicologist”. I have… thoughts on that, which is why I’ve named this Salarian Salination Solution after him. And if your name is Sel Vass, I’m going to add your kidneys to my next bar menu – preferably with you still alive. (I’ve heard that when the Protheans did this to your ancestors, they found the fear adds “spice”).

Tupo Concentrate

I love a good Tupo Concentrate: it has a delicious balance of mouth-puckering tartness and euphoric sweetness. The only problem? I can never find any berries! Tupari sports drink-makers horde as much as they can to sell “12 trillion bottles per day”, despite only containing 10 percent real tupo juice (goddess only knows what the other 90 percent of that swill is). Fortunately, grenadine is a perfect substitute for when you’re looking to add a beautiful hue and unexpected depth of flavor to your cocktail.

Drell Skin Venom

Like bitters, Drell Skin Venom adds a nice bite, making your cocktail extraordinarily complex with just a few drops. Now, you might think that enough Drell Skin Venom may grant the memory-recall properties of its erstwhile secretor, but it’s more likely that the high alcohol content (which keeps it in heavy rotation at swanky bars like the Silver Coast Casino) will create more plot holes in your life than the salarian extranet drama Dynasty of Stars (with the same amount of nausea - stick to science, you excitable little amphibians!)

Asari Honey Syrup

For the occasions where you’re looking to spice things up, I’d suggest using this honey syrup. It’s just as versatile as its simple syrup sister but adds a bit more flavor. This particular mixer has a spicy little background as well: the original recipe was made in an Ardat-Yakshi monastery and its honeyed flavor is as alluring as its makers. Considering said makers enjoy nothing less than total domination, however, this syrup is unexpectedly collaborative with numerous drinks and flavors.

AFTERLIFE CLUB What is Afterlife? Why, the ultimate in illicit entertainment. Iconic, chic, ready to show you a good time… but mind your manners. Under all that polish, Afterlife is seething with violence just under the surface. A locus of power and secrecy – is it any wonder the glitzy club sports an ethic of violence and greed? And that’s just how this nightclub’s patrons, and its Pirate Queen, prefer things. Aria T’Loak oversees this particular multilevel palace of paradise and perdition on the space station Omega. And yes, its lure entices millions around the galaxy to leave their ordinary lives for extraordinary adventures, so be sure to show her the proper respect. She’s shot people she liked far more for way less. The recipes in this section are her top sellers – perfect for when you’d rather spend the night in than risk getting poisoned by a batarian bartender with a grudge against humans.

The Omega Sling

This cocktail is a personal favorite of mine from Afterlife for a reason. It’s sweet, tart, bitter, fruity, and spicy all at once. A complex little thing, and a single-serving punch that can also pack one. While it’s definitely a drink made to impress (look at that list of ingredients!), for me, it tastes like personal accomplishment. I once led a raid on a CAT6 outpost that nabbed enough high-end military gear to outfit my crew for a long, long time. It was a bastard to plan, just like the Omega Sling, but that only made the victory that much sweeter.

Blue Sun Spritz

Did you know that the Blue Suns mercenary group was founded by a batarian named Solem Dal’serah? That’s the public-facing story they’d prefer you believe, at least. And to celebrate said founding, Solem toasted the group with this hard-hitting wine spritz. The color ends up being a rich deep blue – a little on the nose, maybe, but it lands most satisfyingly on the tongue.

Tuchanka Sunset

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that krogan don’t have a sense of humor. I used to run with a Battlemaster in my early days whose wit was as dry and vast as an Asterian desert. We survived an Eclipse double-cross by the skin of our teeth, and when we got back to our dingy little hideout, he toasted our fortune with a Tuchanka Sunset. His own personal recipe. He claimed the bartenders at Afterlife know how to make it, if you ask. Now, I love a good sunset drink and as such was appalled to watch him dump black rum on top of an otherwise flawless concoction. Sensing my shock, with a wry half-smile he said, “Well, yeah, wouldn’t be a sunset on Tuchanka without a choking cloud of toxic ash to ruin the view now, would it?”

Serrice Ice Brandy

I find human Alliance officers to be particularly dull and single-minded. So new to space, with such a short lifespan, few know how to relax and have fun. Not so with their medical personnel: disgruntled, overworked, and with the romance of military life quickly snuffed out by the harsh realities of combat, they know how to put the Rs in R & R. Serrice Ice Brandy always reminds me of a particular Alliance officer named Karin Chakwas, very posh and put together, who got a little salty after a drink (or several) of the stuff.

Sovak Juice

Have you heard the one about how krogan males name their infants? According to salarian scientist Padok Wiks, they get drunk on sovak juice and hold belching contests. Apparently, whatever sounds most like a word becomes a name. I doubt there’s much validity to this claim (although… Wrex?) but I still remember the young krogan merc I renamed after a night of tossing back these nutty, bubbly little things together. It’s been a while, but I do sincerely hope Urp is doing well out there. [note on recipe: “Garnish: For sovak juice? Come on, now.”]

Noverian Rum Swizzle

Seeing as rum is a liquor made with sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice, one might associate it with warm, tropical climates. One would also be wrong and very much missing out on one of the finest varieties in the entire galaxy. I refuse to make this drink with anything less than quality Noverian rum (and Asari Honey Syrup, of course). Once you’ve had a taste, you’ll understand why Aria T’Loak was so sulky after Purgatory’s stock of the stuff ran out. Though, to be fair, having her entire empire occupied by Cerberus General Oleg Petrovsky may have also contributed to her sour mood. For that authentic touch of frost, I recommend harnessing biotics to give your stick the right amount of swizzle.

DARK STAR LOUNGE Dark stars, as a theoretical curiosity, could be extremely powerful. Dark Star Lounge, an actual bar, definitively serves extremely powerful drinks. Located on the Citadel one level up from the C-Sec office in Zakera Ward (a convenient perp walk away when patrons get too rowdy), many bartenders are happy to give customers exactly what they ask for… the “usual” being a thumping hangover. If you like your drinks stiffer than a turian’s carapace, you’ve flipped to the right section. Higher-proof spirits with a higher spirit-to-mixer ratio for a higher class of drinker, Dark Star recipes do not disappoint. I trust you can handle it… and if you happen to wake up next to an attractive stranger the next morning whose name you can’t quite recall, I recommend breaking the ice over some Huevos Rancheros à la Vega (see page 12, you charmer).

Batarian Ale Shandy

If you’re not a krogan or batarian, please don’t drink uncut batarian ale. It’s mean, it’s green, and it will leave your insides clean. Instead, use this recipe to make yourself a refreshing and fizzy shandy. Yes, a human Spectre managed to stay on their feet after chugging a glass of the uncut ale – at least that’s what one Dark Star Lounge bartender claims. But ask yourself: Are you really the type? I’m reminded of a naïve bar patron cosplaying in plastic N7 armor he convinced his poor wife to buy him (along with his shuttle-fare off world, understandably). You’re not “truly extreme”. Do yourself a favor: Check your ego and enjoy the Batarian Ale Shandy.

Dark Star Vespertini

No trip to Dark Star Lounge is complete without ordering this signature cocktail, the Dark Star Vespertini, especially if you have a bit of a sweet tooth. I’ve included the recipe here, at great risk to certain of my… relationships… at the lounge. It’s simply too delicious not to share, with a rich chocolate-raspberry taste. Be sure to shake this one well – for the nonbiotics who need to do this task manually, I liken it to the amount of time until you start to worry your arm will fall off. If it feels like you’re giving the tumbler a quick ride in an M35 Mako, you’re doing it right.

Ryncol Cocktail

Listen up, tough guys. I promise you that bartenders are never impressed when you swagger up and ask for “the strongest you have”. In fact, just to make sure you embarrass yourself in front of your friends, they’ll probably slap on a fake smile and pour you a tall glass of krogan ryncol. Never heard of it? They certainly don’t advertise the stuff. But for fun, let’s spitball some potential slogans: “Ryncol! It hits aliens like ground glass,” or “Ryncol! It’s like sipping knives,” or “Ryncol! It’ll set of radiological alarms.” Just ask a certain Commander Shepard. And enjoy your purple prayers to the porcelain goddess…

Paragade Punch

While Tupari sports drinks are all the rage, don’t discount Paragade! Especially in cocktails. By itself, it’s not too good and it’s not too bad, but mixed with alcohol, it’s somewhat of a revelation. This recipe gives you a layered drink that starts out sweetly and ends with a real kick to the quads. Perfect for those nights where you might hold your tongue at one bar only to start throwing chairs at the next. It takes a deft hand to get the blue-purple-red proportions right when you’re making one, and to get the ending you want after a night of drinking them.

Dextro Heat Sink

Like a boilermaker, the Dextro Heat Sink is a great way of making strong alcohol stronger. During his Archangel days, Garrus Vakarian and his crew would slug these like candy as they racked up wins against the Blue Suns, Blood Pack, and Eclipse thugs on Omega. This is a sweet and spicy tequila cocktail (the “heat”) with a dropped shot of Ancho Reyes liqueur (the “sink”). An unlimited amount of these might be fun at first, with the occasional pause to blow some heat off your tongue, but it’s advised to keep them to a finite amount.

Turian Horosk

Considering the rigidity of turians, you’d need a pretty strong drink to loosen them up enough to get the wedgie out of their thermal armor. Enter: Turian Horosk. Another Garrus Vakarian favorite, you’re not going to find this outside of a handful of bars, and certainly not at the posher Silver Coast Casinos of the ‘verse. So, if you’re looking to calibrate your soberness in the opposite direction, here’s the recipe for you. The lemonade flavor helps it go down easy and the spices are optional – the hangover from too many rounds of this, however, is not.

PURGATORY BAR The Citadel is a tourist trap. Humans tend to view this as a disparaging label, but I say it with great enthusiasm. For my credits, there’s no better way to take in the sights than as a lowercase t tourist, and there’s no better place to do that than the Citadel. If you have the time, a bar named Purgatory serves drinks that are especially heavenly. If you like new takes on classic cocktails with a slightly higher mixer-to-alcohol ratio, sip on these before taking in the sights and sounds of the Presidium. And if you’re just not convinced it’s worth the visit, well, at least you can whip up these drinks at home. And do take your Citadel recommendations with a grain of salt when you’re there (barring the guide currently in your hands, of course). Especially ones coming from the hotshot human Spectre making the rounds – that one will endorse anything for a discount.

Frozen Pyjak

The best part about tending bar? The customers. I learn a little about a lot just by listening. The worst part about tending bar? The customers. Sometimes I don’t have to listen too intently, as their volume increases with their alcohol intake. For fun, I used to give my loudest customers a freebie: the Frozen Pyjak. I overheard Samantha Traynor boasting (loudly, ironically) about this and it sounded too entertaining not to try it out: Every few hours, you empty your spill pad into a martini glass and toss a little ice in for presentation. This is a much nicer variation for you to make. All these ingredients go incredibly well together, so you can serve it to people you actually like. [note on recipe: “Garnish: Well now, that would defeat the point.”]

Full Biotic Kick

My curiosity for the Full Biotic Kick was piqued by a charming young Alliance comms specialist named Samantha Traynor who extolled its virtues. Apparently, this was the most popular drink served when she worked “extensively” as a bartender during her university days… for a whole four years. I understand humans consider this quite the span of time – how quaint. I believe the “kick” comes directly from the Tuchanka Dry, and if you’ve ever faced down a biotic krogan Battlemaster (and lived to tell about it), you’ll understand why.

Vodka Skycar

As the Citadel became increasingly populated and its denizens spread across the wards of this colossal space station, they began to rely more and more on a centralized mode of transportation. Enter the skycar, a maddeningly slow shuttle that, though nowhere near as glacially paced as Citadel elevators, redeems itself with some of the most incredible views in the galaxy. When I need to slow down, I make myself a nice Vodka Skycar, get lost in its pretty sky-blue color, and hire an ambling ride around the glittering Citadel Tower. Magical.

Rojo Loco

Everyone loves a good Rojo Loco: C-Sec, pirates, accountants, politicians, hunky Alliance marines who think pull-up contests and cute little nicknames might get you into their beds (full disclosure, they can, and they have… cheers, James Vega). Because underneath all the stories everyone tells themselves about themselves, at the end of the day, all any of us are really looking for is to enjoy a bit of spice and heat. Maybe that’s a firefight. Maybe that’s filing paperwork. Either way, this drink ticks that box and gives you the same warm tingle.

TM88 Smash

I love a good rebrand. TM88 used to be known as “Merc’s Courage,” because drinking enough of the stuff gave one the false sense of strength that often comes with getting absolutely hammered. Salarians especially took a shine to this Earth-based whiskey and swore it had medicinal properties… when really it was the shortest distance between two points to get a person drunk. Ever the opportunists, salarians branded TM88 as a cure-all and “the only alcoholic drink endorsed by the Medical Board of Sur’Kesh.” Alliance officer Kaidan Alenko credits the stuff for his speedy discharge from Huerta Memorial Hospital. So, drink up! Doctor’s orders.

ETERNITY Due to its extreme opulence and high level of security, the asari-run planet of Illium is a preferred tourist destination and (second, third, fourth) home of many of the galaxy’s most well-known celebrities. It’s also under a state of near-total surveillance. You can take their self-congratulatory media touting Eternity as “the sexiest bar in the Milky Way” with a few handfuls of salt (though with Matriarch Aethyta slinging drinks, “sexiest bartender” would be harder to argue with), but don’t sleep on their drink selection. I have a soft spot for asari drinks, as you might expect. I find them to be sweet and mellow and think Eternity gets them right. I’ve collected a few of my favorites for you here. Regarding the Liquified Turian (page 57) backstory, well… who can say if that one’s legit? But seeing as the normally stringent customs laws of Council space on safety and sapient trafficking are relaxed on Illium, I can’t say I’d be too surprised.

Mystery Drink

I understand mystique. It’s a powerful weapon that can influence your enemies before you ever need to fire a shot. I also understand bullshit and am very good at differentiating the latter from the former. So, when I first heard this Mystery Drink is rumored to come from “the deepest reaches of the Traverse,” distilled on a “shadowy nameless planet” by “specifically adapted Vorcha,” alarms were ringing in my head. Until I had a sip. Deceptively fruity and floral but highly intoxicating with an otherworldly appearance, well, does it matter where it came from, especially if you can get the same fabulous taste using syrup from canned lychees? No. In the case of this delicious little Mystery Drink, it most certainly does not.

Asari Honey-Mead Bellini

Made in an Ardat-Yakshi monastery, asari honey mead is for those with taste. And, let’s be honest, credits. Whoever said “the best things in life are free” was compensating, because this expensive little drink is worth the experience. Ever the one to push boundaries, I prefer to prepare my honey mead with sparkling wine to make an effervescent little bellini, because the sweet and mellow flavor mixed with bubbles positively sparkles – in the glass and on the soul.

Perfection

I once crossed paths with this pretty little human who called herself Miranda Lawson. Despite her formidable intelligence, killer biotic abilities, and, well, let’s just say her “superior physical constitution,” she seemed to be… missing something. She didn’t say and I didn’t press, but we shared a drink whose taste was as excellent as the woman pouring. Asking her what she called it, she gave a sad smile and simply said, “Perfection”. Indeed. To her surprise (and delight, I might add), I sweetened the affair with a shot of strawberry liqueur and told her, “Yes, but there’s always room for improvement, dear”. Hmm. I wonder if she ever found what she was looking for.

Memory Stealer

Ah, Kasumi Goto. The best thief in the business. You don’t remember her and she prefers it that way. She’s so good, she’ll even nick your memory of her ever having been there… along with whatever valuables you had in your pockets. When I do have the good fortune of remembering her, I like to pour this drink made with Japanese gin in her honor. And like the master thief herself, one too many Memory Stealers will no doubt leave you with a hazy recollection the next morning.

Liquified Turian

“Ambree,” you say. “Certainly, Matriarch Aethyta’s story of a krogan drinking liquified turian on a bet is embellished? A tall tale? Urban legend meant to titillate, disgust, and delight?” Maybe. Regardless, it’s one of my favorites, so I made this drink in homage (and to capitalize off the story – your girl is nothing if not quick to make a quick cred). I use a tequila base, with agave being native to a desert climate like you’d find on Palaven. Of course, I use egg white for the smooth texture, plus saline to stabilize this particular choice of “protein”. And the blue curaçao, well, turian blood is blue, after all! Mm, you can almost taste the dextro-amino acids. [note on recipe: “Garnish: No embellishment needed with a backstory this impressive.”]

FLUX

Flux is one of the more recent night spots to open on the Citadel and boasts a casino in addition to a well-stocked bar. The atmosphere is almost as inviting as the volus who runs the place – alternating between owner, cook, and bartender, one wonders where Doran finds the energy. But at some point, you’ll be sure to find this little macaroon from Irune shaking his pressure suit on the dance floor.

The recipes I’ve collected from Flux are, as you can imagine, fun and whimsical. Seeing as Doran spends an equal amount of time in the kitchen as he does behind the bar, you can also find a fair bit of culinary flare in the drink preparation. Enjoy yourself, Earth-clan!

Tupari Blast

Despite the volus being a race not cut out for physicality of any kind, their mastery of trade and commerce has helped Tupari sports drinks conquer the galaxy. It seems like you can’t swing a dead CAT6 without hitting a vending machine of the stuff, and Doran has a particular fondness for it. I’d be remiss to not include it here, both for its delicious taste and because of how well it sells. Its strong fruity flavor makes it a consistent Flux favorite. It’ll give you the courage to get on the dance floor and the electrolytes to stay there until closing time.

Rum Relay

A toast to the Mass Relays! Forgive my (brief, I promise) indulgence in sentimentality, but the Relays have brought together an array of intelligent life whose differences remind us of how we’re all pretty much the same: unsure of our place in the universe, but in our best moments willing to teach and learn from our Milky Way sisters and brothers. No one understands that better than Doran, and what better way to celebrate it than by sloshing a Rum Relay milk punch all over the dance floor as you boogie the night away.

Blasto Sting

This one unironically loves the Blasto franchise. The acting, the writing, the backdrops? High camp, babe. A human essayist, Sontag, wrote, “You can’t camp about something you don’t take seriously. You’re not making fun of it; you’re making fun out of it.” And what’s more fun than adding cream to grape Pucker? It creates a hanar in every shot. Try my favorite drinking game: gather your friends, fire up Blasto Saves Christmas, and throw back a Blasto Sting every time he says, “Enkindle THIS!”

Denorian Beer Granita

Krogan are not known for negotiation. If you find yourself mediating with one for goddess’ sake do not show up empty-handed. I tried to bluff my way through just such a situation once and you wouldn’t be reading this book if I hadn’t had ingredients for Denorian Beer Granita on hand. I developed a fondness for Denorian beer from Urdnot Wrex, but this cocktail takes it to another level. In a desperate attempt to cool tensions, I offered to make a round of this unique drink with its smooth taste, fun texture, and visually appealing look. The krogan got the recipe and I got to walk away (with a little extra pep in my step from the caffeine). Win-win.

Tasty Tankard

What can I say? I’m a Matriarch with a Maiden’s tastes: I like a pretty young thing on my arm, a warm Acolyte pistol, and a heaping bowl of human ice cream. Chocolate, if you’re taking notes. The Tasty Tankard is essentially a boozy milkshake, and I urge you to ignore anyone who tries to tell you that drinks made in a blender only belong in cheesy resorts. This one goes down dangerously easy, and the recipe makes enough for two… or one krogan with a sweet tooth. If that krogan happens to be Grunt, I advise having enough on hand to fill a large enough container. Perhaps a flower pot’s worth? [note on recipe: “Serves: 2… or 1 krogan.”]

CHORA’S DEN Not for the faint of heart, Chora’s Den on the Citadel is the “livelier but deadlier” choice to stop for a drink. A gentleman’s club owned by a scoundrel (novel, I know), the clientele and drinks lean heavily towards the strong and seedy type. The loud music and low lighting do well to cover the bloodstains and less-than-legitimate conversations, but you’ll have a great time if you mind your business and tip the asari dancers well. Be sure to ask Fist, the proprietor of this fine establishment, about the back room – it’s perfect for your next shady deal. And I’m not one for gossip, but if you’re curious about the smell, I’ve heard Fist has a habit of burying “old problems” under the dancers’ stage. The following recipes evoke the Den’s more… aggressive tendencies.

Tequila Se’lai

Whether you’re human, turian, or salarian, we’ve all got our shared little “catch phrases” we catch ourselves saying: “Embrace eternity” if you’re asari, “Victory or death” if you’re krogan, ★heavy breathing intensifies★, if you’re volus… you get the idea. I quite like the quarians’ “Keelah Se’lai,” or “By the homeworld I hope to see one day.” Tragic but beautiful. This recipe is an ode to their homeworld, Rannoch, with desert and coastal flavors all brought together with a lovely prickly pear syrup.

Elasa

I’m not really a “drown your sorrows” type of gal. I’m more of the “drown you in a hail of incendiary ammo if you upset me” type. To each their own. If you lean more on a shoulder and less on a trigger, you can’t go wrong with an Elasa, aka Sorrow’s Companion. (They’re not joking when they say it serves one…) Pale green with a bitter aftertaste and tangy sweetness, it’s a great way to take life’s lemons and make lemon garnish for your cocktail (or limes, in this case). Fist, ever putting the gentlemen in gentlemen’s club, used to refer to this drink as The Cynthia, a snide reference to Elasa being Alliance Commander David Anderson’s preferred drink during his divorce.

Quad Kicker

Not for the faint of heart, the Quad Kicker will, well, kick you straight in the quad, I suppose. Samantha Traynor is adamant about “no curry powder” in her version, but why take away that spicy mouthfeel? Add that curry simple syrup and let this baby wake you up! It ain’t called the Quad Fondler, so step up and throw down with your friends (or enemies).

Shadowbrokertini

I hope by this point you’ve come to realize that I know everything that’s worth knowing. Yet I humbly admit that, try as I might, I’m still unable to unmask the Shadow Broker. But I am familiar with their agents, including a certain proprietor of Chora’s Den. And even though Fist refuses to confess what he knows (which, I suspect, is even less than I do), he did agree to collaborate on a cocktail worthy of that confidential entity. Dark, shadowy, and with enough caffeine to help keep one sharp in the secrets-trading game, the Shadowbrokertini theatrically uses dry ice to add an air of mystery. I trust you don’t need the Shadow Broker’s services to know that swallowing dry ice can kill you, yes? [note on recipe: “(Note: Some Shadow Brokers prefer it without lime at all.)”]

The Erotic Biotic

I suppose I should start this one off with a warning: Don’t underestimate young asari. Yes, there is a strong drive for at the Maiden stage to explore and experience. Curious and restless, some look for the nearest bar to dance in. But that’s no reason to let your guard down. Many don’t realize their mistake until they’re telekinetically slammed into the nearest concrete wall. Well, that’s just the ratio of risk-to-reward that Chora’s Den captures with this drink. With a winky flavor profile of fruit and cream, finish your Erotic Biotic with Drell Skin Venom to add a tingly bite (for the adventurous types), or with chocolate bitters (for the romantics). I like a bit of both – I may be a Matriarch, yet I’ve never lost that desire to explore and experience…

The Shifty Cow

While I’ve heard just about every maxim in the ‘verse, one rings particularly true: “You can’t trust any animal that can milk itself.” Yes, I’m talking about space cows, with their unsettling, grabby little hands. Turn your back around one and they’ll pick through your pockets. The Shifty Cow cocktail is a clarified milk punch. And that’s partly because it’s fun to separate the milk solids from the drink, but also because I’m reminded of these audacious little cows eagerly separating an unsuspecting fool from their credits. And yes, we do have that in common, which reminds me of a human maxim: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” You win this round, space cows.

-----

[you can get the book here]

#bioware #mass effect #alcohol cw #garrus vakarian #best boy #video games #long post #longpost #lul

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mournivaldisco · 5 months ago

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Sanguinius and Horus being entirely normal about each other, a quote post

In roughly chronological order.

(LONG. Apologies for the terrible mobile formatting)

Mortarion’s primarch novel:

The two of them have been sent to find out what Mortarion is up to with his, uh, unconventional methods of compliance.

[Horus] grimaced and placed a hand on the Angel’s shoulder. ‘Our judgement must not be rushed, though. I understand the temptation. Believe me, I feel it too. That, I am convinced, is why our father sent us to meet with Mortarion. We can check each other’s first impulses without causing offence.’

‘You think we can check Mortarion’s too?’

[…]

‘I think it is good that we have our time to think about that before Mortarion arrives.’

Sanguinius smiled. ‘The better to check our first impulses?’

Horus smiled back. ‘I do think it’s best that we greet him calmly, don’t you?’

(No, I don’t know why this sounds like they are going to bang in the meantime.)

Mortarion is pissed off that the two of them in particular are there: Sanguinius and Horus were so close. Mortarion felt a bond with Horus, but he knew it was not as strong as the one that joined Horus to the Angel. He was facing a united front, whether or not the other two would admit it, even to themselves.

He has a point; they are basically finishing each other’s sentences during their cameo in this novel: [Mortarion:] ‘I have nothing to hide.’

‘We don’t mean to imply you do,’ said Horus.

‘It’s not your honesty that concerns us,’ said Sanguinius.

---

The flashback to Melchior in Fear to Tread:

[Sanguinius]: ‘I must content myself with merely being the better warrior.’

‘Don’t make me pluck those wings,’ Horus retorted.

‘Perish the thought!’ said Sanguinius. ‘Without them I’d only be as handsome as you are.’

‘That would be tragic,’ Horus agreed.

(guys are you flirting right now)

They both express that they are sad they can’t spend more time together: ‘I confess I would relish the opportunity to share the battlefield with you again,’ Sanguinius went on. ‘And not just that. I miss our conversations.’

Horus’ frown deepened. ‘One day we will be done with all this […] Then we can talk and play regicide to our hearts’ content.’

Ohhh nooo

Horus Rising

When Sang first arrives on Murder: “[Horus] stepped forwards and embraced Sanguinius to his breast. No two primarchs were as close as the Warmaster and the Angel. They had barely been out of each other’s company since Sanguinius’ arrival.”

Horus is determined to go into battle personally on Murder. “Loken was sure that Sanguinius was the reason. Horus could not bring himself to stand by and watch his dearest brother go to war. Horus could not resist the temptation of fighting shoulder to shoulder with Sanguinius, as they had done in the old days.

Horus would not let himself be outshone, even by the one he loved most dearly.”

During a discussion about the interex: “Sanguinius said nothing. He allowed his Chapter Master to weigh in with the opinion of the Blood Angels, but kept his own considerable influence for Horus’ ears alone.”

Making each other giggle:

“[Horus:] ’And it seems my wisest option is to return to Terra and confront the Council on the issue of taxation.’

Sanguinius sniggered.”

The scene which comes immediately after the infamous ‘on his knees and not above a whisper’ moment, where Sanguinius appears in Horus’ chambers having eavesdropped on his conversation with Loken and Aximand. It gives very ‘I was just hanging out in my boyfriend’s bedroom in a robe, eating cherries, like ya do’ vibes.

“Sanguinius stood in an archway at the far end of the chamber, behind a veil of white silk. He had been listening. The Lord of Angels brushed the silk hanging aside, and stepped into the stateroom, the crests of his wings brushing the glossy material. He was dressed in a simple white robe, clasped at the waist with a girdle of gold links. He was eating fruit from a bowl.

Loken and Aximand stood up quickly.

‘Sit down,’ Sanguinius said. ‘My brother’s in the mood to open his heart, so you had better hear the truth.’

‘I don’t believe-‘ Horus began. Sanguinius scooped one of the small, red fruits from his bowl and threw it at Horus.

‘Tell them the rest,’ he sniggered.

Horus caught the thrown fruit, gazed at it, then bit into it. He wiped the juice off his chin with the back of his hand[…]

‘Sanguinius, my dear brother, is right, for Sanguinius has always been my conscience.’

Sanguinius shrugged, an odd gesture for a giant with furled wings.”

Loken’s POV:

“Two days earlier, Primarch Sanguinius had finally taken his leave and returned to Imperial territory with the Blood Angels contingents. Horus clearly hated to see him go, but it was a prudent move, and one Sanguinius had chosen to make simply to buy his brother more time with the interex.”

Later in Fear to Tread, Horus’ choice of messenger to Sang is… interesting:

An unnaturally tall female clad from head to foot in robes of a strange, sheer material […] beneath the shapeless robes she wore nothing else.

‘Horus Lupercal’s message is for his brother’s eyes only. The meme-blocks in my psyche and the telepathic codes holding my aura closed will only dissolve…’ She released a sigh, gazing dreamily at the primarch. ‘When we are alone.’

Sanguinius was like marble for the longest moment, his face unreadable.

[he agrees]

The primarch reached out and raised her chin with his fingertips, making her meet his gaze. ‘You’re a curious one,’ he offered. ‘What has made my brother send you to me, mamzel?’

‘I would not like to guess,’ she breathed, fingering a silver clasp upon her robes.

[…] ‘I am not divine, sayeth the angel.’ She reached out, daring to touch the trailing edge of his folded wings beneath the mail cloak.

To deliver the message, she of course has to strip off. I can only imagine Sang at this point thinking he has basically been sent a strip-o-gram.

The End and the Death. Ohhh boy. (I’m trying to avoid real plot spoilers so these are mostly out of context quotes)

Ways in which Horus describes Sang in this book, sometimes within a few pages:

Sanguinius, whom you’ve always loved

The beautiful Angel

He was the only other choice [for Warmaster]. Can I tell you a secret? He would have been my choice. I love all my brothers, but my love for Sanguinius is particular. […] You must meet him. He will take your breath away.

Back in the day, you adored him because you thought him fearlessly brave. But it was effortless back then. To see him now, fighting on despite his mortal dread of you, you understand that he has become fearfully brave. That is impressive. It makes you love him a little more.

He’s taunting you […] You thought he was better than that. You thought, in fact, that he was perfect. [It] makes him seem juvenile, and you don’t want to think of him that way. He’s Sanguinius. You’ve always loved him.

He’s got a little left. A little strength. A little speed. More than you expected. He deserves his fame. […] Oh, he’s good. Even now. Still trying.

The dreams were real. Your favourite brother should have heeded them.

He sees himself as the last good man standing. The last loyal son. The last bastion of noble valour, fighting to the death in his father’s name, refusing to submit. That’s why you love him. It is painfully heroic. It is the quintessence of what he is.

Before Sang finds Horus, A Character explains to him that ‘You don’t know if you want to [kill him], because it’s Horus.’ […] and that the pain he feels is not his wounds, but grief for the loss of Horus as he knew him. Sang says ‘I couldn’t see it. Now you say it, I do. I miss him very much. So very much.’

The same Character: ‘Join him? He’d love that. He loves you.’

Sooo as if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough -

Their first words to one another:

Horus: ‘Brother.’ […] My brother. My dear brother. I waited for you for so long. You have come, as I hoped you would. I have missed you. […] My heart is full that this is the choice you made.’

Sanguinius: ‘And my heart is full to see you again. […] Despite all that has taken place. I have mourned the loss of my brother Horus. I would not have let this monstrous war end without seeing you, with my own eyes, one last time.’

Horus tries to convince Sang to join him straight away. ‘Make a wise choice, my dear brother. I have longed for your company.’

When Sang declines: A single tear wells from his eye and trickles down his cheek. ‘Pity,’ he says.

Sang’s POV (a passage which has such Vibes that I immediately wrote a fic based on That Intimate Knowledge):

He knows Horus, just as he knows the Vengeful Spirit. He knows his brother’s secret levels and concealed flaws, because Horus taught them to him. In those far-off days before the shadow fell, Horus shared everything with his angel-brother. That intimate knowledge, granted without vanity or hesitation, has allowed Sanguinius to penetrate the most formidable flagship in the Imperium. It will also lead him to his brother’s heart.

Horus wanting to turn Sang to his side rather than kill him, against the wishes of the chaos gods:

You’re still holding back a little. He doesn’t have to die. When that instant of recognition finally hits him, you’ll give him one last chance to reconsider his position.

He will see, at the very last, the way things truly are. An epistemological revelation. Weeping in joy, he will beg you for forgiveness.

And you will, in your infinite mercy, grant it to him. It will be the greatest moment of his life, and the sweetest victory of yours.

At what point will he realise that everything he’s doing is utterly pointless? How beautiful will that moment of recognition be? You want to see that futility dawning in his eyes. Close up. Face to face. You want to smell it on his breath.

(calm down Horus)

Once futility has broken him, you will lift him up again. You will carry him to the throne you have prepared for him, and invite him to sit there and rest. He will have played his part, and done all he could. There’ll be no shame in saying yes to you then.

He is your favourite. Always has been. You want him with you, because that will mean something. […] To break him, to bend him to your will, now that’s a true triumph. The embodiment of Imperial loyalty, cowed at your feet, feeding from your hand, pledging his devotion. Look upon that, father.

(excuse me Horus but feeding from your hand???)

Sooo there we have the sheer vibes of the final fight featuring Horus constantly narrating how much he loves Sang. My face went through so many permutations of expressions while reading it for the first time.

#black library #horus heresy #sanguinius/horus

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enthusiasticharry · 5 months ago

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𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 12.2k

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: after a way too long hiatus from this fic, i'm happy to tell you all that regret me is back!! the fic master post is linked ahead if you fancy a re-read or a first-time read, it's there for you! it's been lovely dropping back into this world again and i would love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions so pls come and chat to me about it!! next chapter should be out within a month or so, and it will be the last chapter of regret me!!

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language, talks of drug/ alcohol use, mentions of addiction recovery, sexual content, mentions of cheating and a stupid little boy who doesn't know how amazing he has it.

𝐩𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟓 here

Los Angeles, Spring 1975

“Are you sure you can’t come now?” Harry mumbles against YN’s lips, “I can squeeze you into my suitcase.”

YN laughed, pressing another kiss to Harry’s lips, “I can’t come now, you know that. I’ve got rehearsals for the next three weeks and then I’m coming.”

Harry groans and drops his head down to her neck, littering kisses to her skin as he squeezes her. He had been like this for the past week, ever since the seven-day countdown started. YN loved how much Harry loved her and wanted to be with her, but he was also aware that she needed to stay back in Los Angeles for a little while for rehearsals for her own tour that was starting in a month or so. Before she did kick off her tour though, she would fly out and spend a few days with Harry on his, so at least they had that to look forward to. Harry understood that this was necessary for both of them, but that wasn’t going to stop him from missing her, nor would YN stop missing him.

Harry would be busy on his tour, one which has broken records with ticket sales that YN didn’t know could exist and she was so proud of him. She would be busy with rehearsals, and sorting out everything for her tour and she would be okay. At this point, they had spent so much time together that YN thought Harry would be happy to have a break from her, but it seemed as though it was the complete opposite. She hoped spending a week together before they were both thrown into their tours at full force would at least make the rest of their time apart slightly easier.

“I know, I know,” He mumbles into her neck, finally pulling his head away so that she can look at him again, “I’m going to miss you so much, baby.”

“I’m going to miss you too, you know that,” YN mumbles against his lips, “But it’s only going to be for three weeks and then I’ll be with you.”

YN placed another kiss on his lips, running her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck one last time to make up for the lack of it for the next few weeks. She was going to miss him more than anything. Whilst YN was ready for the time apart and had prepared, she knew that it was going to be different with her support system gone. She had a different support system to focus on now – and that was her music.

“Harry, it’s time,” It was Jeff that called his name from behind her, and Harry groaned immediately.

Harry dropped his head to her shoulder again, and she wrapped his arms around his broad shoulders and pulled him even closer to her if that was possible. There wasn’t even an inch of space between them at this point.

“I love you so much,” YN mumbled against his neck, feeling as though she wanted to cry but she wasn’t going to let herself.

“I love you too,” He pulled back and placed one more kiss on her lips, “I’ll see you soon.”

“You will,” She smiles, prying his arms off her one last time, “Now go, before Jeff has both of our heads."

Harry pouts but listens to her, placing another final kiss on her cheek before making his way towards the bus. YN turned so that she could watch the bus drive away. Harry sat down next to Jeff, a pout on his lips as he did so. YN just beamed a smile at him and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes not leaving his.

As the bus started and drove away, YN waved and blew Harry kisses until the bus had turned out of the parking lot, and she could no longer see it.

There wasn’t time for YN to be sad though, as she had to leave to get to a meeting with Leroy about her tour, and then go and meet her new band in the afternoon and begin to rehearse for the tour. These were how her days looked for the foreseeable future, full of different things to do and not a single second in the day to think about anything else.

The drive to Leroy’s was quick, and YN spent the entire time in silence. In her head, she was going over potential setlists for her tour, and also potential outfits that she could wear (all centred around her cowboy boots of course) and also what she was going to make herself for dinner (food was a priority after all).

With all of those thoughts swirling around her head, and not a single one of Harry pushing to the surface, she had managed to drive to Leroy’s office without a single worry in her head. She was a little early, but that was better than being late, so she packed up her bag and made her way inside.

Throwing a smile to Agatha on the desk, she made her way towards the elevator and up to Leroy’s office. The last time she came here for a meeting, she was late because she was throwing back pills in the bathroom. Now, her mind was clear, and she was in control of herself, and it felt good.

YN may be sober now, but she was still the same badass. Therefore, when YN made it to Leroy’s office she didn’t knock and instead, she just walked in. Leroy was on the phone, and his eyes widened when he saw YN making her way into the room and sitting down across from him.

“I’ll, uh, have to go,” Leroy mutters into the receiver, “My next meeting is here… yeah, I love you. See you tonight.”

YN smiles, crossing one of her legs over the other, “Wife, or mistress?”

“Wife, not that it’s any of your business,” Leroy sighs, another look of shock waving over his face again, “You’re actually on time.”

YN shrugged, “That I am.”

“Who knew that getting you sober was the one thing that would get you on time?” Leroy says with a smile, but YN’s face doesn’t move.

YN was sober, she was. She had fallen a few months ago, but that was the first and last drink that she had. It was. She regretted it immediately and threw the rest of the bottle away. That was when she decided that she wasn’t that person anymore and that when she needed something to lean on, she would lean on her friends her music, and Harry.

That didn’t mean that she didn’t feel guilty about it because she did. She had been sitting on that secret since it happened, but there was no way that she was going to tell any of them about it. She was doing fine right now; she was honestly and truthfully doing fine.

“That’s not the only thing that getting me sober has fixed,” YN shrugged, messing with the hem of her skirt.

“I can see that,” He smiles at her, “You look good, you do.”

“Thank you, Leroy, I appreciate that,” She glares at him with a bashful smile across her features, “Now as much as I love talking about me, I think it’s time that we spoke about my next favourite topic – my tour!”

Leroy sighs and shakes his head. If last time was anything to go by, especially because she had given him a list of demands when she was only the opener, he dreaded to think what she was going to ask him for now that it was her tour.

“Well, how about I tell you what we have so far and then you can say your piece,” Kenneth explains and YN nods, knowing that was probably for the best, “So far, we’ve got the staging ready, booked the opener, booked the venues and the hotels for the nights that you aren’t travelling. We’ve got the bus and all the travel sorted.”

“Sounds like you’ve been busy,” YN smiles, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

“Well, whilst you’ve been MIA we’ve had time,” Leroy explains, “Ticket sales have been good, great even. Rolling Stones did you good.”

YN sighs, shaking her head. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the article, not since it came out and especially not since what it caused. She has, however, allowed herself to celebrate Harry’s cover, and article, because that was everything that he needed to kickstart his climb within the industry.

“Yeah, well, everybody seemingly wants to see the recovering addict perform,” YN sighed, shaking her head, “And what’s that thing you always say – any publicity is good publicity?”

“In this case, yeah,” He nods, “If it wasn’t for that article, your ticket sales would be good we all know that but nothing like what they are now.”

YN sighs and nods, “I guess I’ll thank journalist dickhead when I see him next.”

“Don’t worry, if we have control of anything you’ll never have to see that man again.”

“Good, now, my ideas,” She smiles, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the desk, “So, I want separate buses. If the last tour was anything to go by, the band and groupies will want to party, and I don’t want to be anywhere near that. I also want a separate green room. I don’t want to be involved in any of that. I can’t be involved in any of that.”

“I’ll see what I can do, YN,” Leroy nods, sincerity in his voice.

“No, it’s not you ‘seeing’ what you can do, you’ll do it,” She taps her nail on the desk, “I can’t be involved in any of that. I’ve been on the straight and narrow, and I need to stay that way.”

Leroy nods and runs a hand over his face, “Two buses, two green rooms. They’re yours.”

“Good, thank you,” She does give him an appreciative smile now, “I’ve sorted the set list, I did it on the drive over, so I’ll discuss that with the band, I’ve got my costumes in the majority I’ll just need someone to go and pick them up for me.”

“I’ll talk to Agatha,” Leroy nods, “She’ll send someone for you.”

YN nods. Yes, Leroy could be a dickhead sometimes but that was his job. It was times like this when she remembered why he was her manager because underneath that façade of being an absolute prick, he had a good heart, and he did care. If he didn’t care about her, he wouldn’t be spending the agency’s money on things that aren’t a necessity.

“You know, you’re a real sweetheart sometimes.”

“And you’re less of a bitch when you’re not on drugs.”

They share a laugh, and for the first time in a while, she thinks that everything might be okay again.

“The chord progression goes up,” YN sighs, lifting her hand to her forehead, “I don’t know if you know it but you’re going down.”

“It’s just easier that way,” Jackson, YN’s new bassist replies with a shrug as they stand in the middle of the rehearsal room, “It’s easier to go down than it is up, thought you wouldn’t mind that.”

“I do mind that, actually, yeah,” YN nods, crossing her hands over her chest before sighing, “Because it’s my song, and I wrote the progression going up.”

They had been rehearsing for the shows for a week now. YN had been getting to know all of the new members of the band and whilst some, like the pianist Pepper and the drummer Fiona, just got on with the job and listened to what YN had to say, some like the bassist Jackson and the guitarist Felix (who just had to know each other and were friends) wanted to make their lives easy and by doing this in part were not listening to YN.

“Yeah, we know you’ve written all these songs and you want them played a certain way,” Felix sighs, resting his arms across his guitar, “But we’ll be playing them over and over and for our sake, shouldn’t we simplify them slightly?”

“No, we shouldn’t,” YN shakes her head, her gaze fixed firmly on the two friends who were standing there with smug-ass grins on their faces, “We shouldn’t simplify them because if you learnt the songs right, you’d be able to play them over and over again because you’d know them, the right way.”

YN knew that after her conversation with Leroy had gone so well nearly a week ago there was going to be something that would turn it on its head and make life hard for her. Her band, or seemingly half of it, was that. They were just young, stubborn musicians who wanted to be playing for themselves and not for some random girl who was a perfectionist and made them work.

“This is the seventh song we’ve done and they’re all fucking different with their chord progressions, and riffs,” Jackson was the next one to speak up and YN was so close to either socking him in the face or kicking him out of the band.

“Well, who are you? Captain fucking obvious because that’s how songs go, they’re not the same,” YN throws her hands up in the air, taking a heated step towards him, “You are getting paid to play my songs how I want them to be played, and if you, both, have any more complaints then you can fuck right off back from where you came with no pay-check, and no tour.”

Both Jackson and Felix started to stalk towards her, but Pepper and Fiona were up and standing in front of them so that they couldn’t move closer. YN didn’t move in fact, and she didn’t look scared. She just stood there, with her arms crossed and feet planted firmly on the floor. She wasn’t scared of a couple of coked-up twenty-year-olds who were complaining because their job was too hard.

“Guys, let’s just have a break yeah?” Pepper was the first to talk, placing her hand on Jackson's shoulder but he was quick to brush it off, “We’ll all go for a smoke yeah? I’ve got some joints, and we’ll share them around.”

“Yeah, come on,” Fiona did the same to Felix, “Both of you are hitting a low, and need to relax.”

YN sighed and shook her head, “Yeah, you two go and relax and get high and by the time you’re back I hope you’ve pulled your head out of your asses and realised you’ve got a job to do.”

Pepper pushed Jackson out of the room, and Fiona did the same to Felix, but she hung back.

“I’m sorry about them they’re both –”

“Pricks?” YN filled in the blank.

“Yeah, that’s a word for them,” Fiona laughed, walking over, and placing a hand on YN’s arm, “You can join us? We can go away from them but there’s no use wasting a joint.”

YN sighs and shakes her head, “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t –”

“That’s fine,” Fiona smiles, “Well, you know where we are if you need us.”

YN offers Fiona a smile and watches as she walks out. Once she’s left on her own, YN drops down on the sofa at the side of the room and drops her head back. One day YN was going to find a band to play with her that created no problems in her life and helped her rather than insult her.

YN’s eyes had drifted shut, and she was a minute or two away from falling asleep. With the long hours and days that she had been having, as well as struggling to sleep on her own without Harry she hadn’t been sleeping well. Today though, she was so ready for bed, and she knew that the second that her head hit the pillow when she got home, she would be fast asleep.

“Knock, knock,” A very familiar voice knocked her out of her slight slumber, as well as the hit of knuckles on the door frame.

YN’s face broke out into a smile at the sound and sight of Vivienne walking into the room, a bag of food from Ed’s in her clutch. She nearly cried on the spot at that sight.

“Hi Viv,” YN smiled, opening her arms so that Vivienne could drop down and wrap YN in a hug.

“Hi babes,” Vivienne laughs, accepting the hug and then dropping down on the sofa next to her.

YN did feel bad. She had completely forgotten that she had agreed to have dinner with Vivienne at the studio today because it was their last night together. Tomorrow, Vivienne was leaving for the first stop of the tour with Pamela and her band, and whilst YN was so excited and so proud of her, she was going to miss her. At the moment, with YN’s days so stressful she was loving coming home to Vivienne and hearing about her day, and then unloading slightly about her day to Vivienne. She was just going to miss that comfort around her.

“Saw the band outside,” Vivienne says and YN sighs, her eyes widening as she shakes her head, “High as kites.”

“They can get as fucking high as they want as far away from me if it means they stop being pricks,” YN sighs, her head leaning on the sofa.

“That bad?”

“That bad,” YN nodded, sitting up and reaching over to grab the bag from Ed’s, “This is exactly what I need right now.”

YN didn’t even hesitate before taking a bite of her chicken sandwich, not caring that she had sauce all around her mouth. Vivienne laughed and passed YN a napkin, allowing her to wipe said sauce from around her mouth.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?” YN asked, popping some fries into her mouth after speaking.

“Seven,” Vivienne responded, and YN blew out a deep breath.

“I’ll try and be awake to say goodbye, but I don’t know,” YN shook her head, “I don’t know what time we’ll be finished here and we’re not leaving until they get, I used to know done.”

Vivienne laughed, taking a bite of her burger, “You can’t say that you’re not getting your money’s worth.”

YN joined in with the laughter and shrugged, “They know what they’ve signed up for, and I have no complaints about Pepper and Fiona – they’re great. It’s just the boys, they’re…”

YN sighs and shakes her head, and Vivienne finishes her sentence, “Too fucking full of themselves.”

“Yes!” YN laughs again, running a hand over her face, “They think they’re the fucking shit and have decided that they can play my songs better than the way I’ve written them even though they’re paid to play them the way I want.”

Vivienne shakes her head, “You must have the patience of a saint to deal with that.”

“I do not, or they would still be here and not banished outside,” YN laughed.

“God, I knew Pamela was lucky with her band but every time I meet yours it fucking solidifies it,” Vivienne shakes her, drinking from her milkshake.

YN’s mouth drops open, “Where did you pull that from? Did you get me one?”

“Of course, I did,” Vivienne reached down to a bag that YN hadn’t seen and pulled out another milkshake, a vanilla one that was YN’s favourite, “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“You would be such a shit friend and the fact you got my favourite means you’re the best friend,” YN laughed, taking a sip of her milkshake, “God, I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” Vivienne beams at her friend, “But it’ll not be too long, and you’re seeing lover boy in a week and then you’re jetting for your singsong.”

“Yeah,” YN sighs, running a hand over her face, “Look at us, eh? Busy, busy, busy.”

Vivienne furrowed her eyebrows at the girl, and YN had a slight inclination of what she was trying to say but YN couldn’t bring herself to.

Last week all YN could speak about was how excited she was to see Harry, and a part of her still was. The only thing was, Harry had promised to phone her when he arrived, and she hadn’t received a phone call. She phoned him the next day and he answered, but the conversation was cut short. He said that he’d phone when he had a spare minute, but she hadn’t had a call. She had phoned him, but he hadn’t picked up for a few days after. So far, there hadn’t been any communication between the two and YN was sceptical.

There was a rational part of YN’s brain that knew that he would’ve been busy and getting settled into the tour wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Then, there was the other side of her brain that knew even on tour, there were a few minutes in the day that he could’ve called her, and they could have shared a few minutes of conversation. That was where YN’s scepticism came in.

“He’ll just be busy, babes,” Vivienne placed her hand on YN’s, squeezing her, “You know how much he loves you.”

“I do,” YN nods, “And I’m just stressed, and busy but he’s just busy too.”

At this point, YN didn’t know if she was just trying to convince herself as much.

YN had just been to the bathroom and then beelined to the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee in the studio after another full day there with what felt like a lot and not a lot done at the same time. It had been a week since Vivienne had left for her tour, and it was t-minus 2 days until YN was leaving to go meet Harry on tour.

During this week, YN, and her band (mainly Jackson and Felix) finally managed to make some edgeways. It had taken two weeks of work for them to finally realise that YN wasn’t going to back down from having her songs played properly so they might as well just do as she asks. YN knew that if she was a man, and it was a man trying to make them play their songs properly they would do it with no questions asked. She knew that she wasn’t going to back down, and she was just slightly pissed that it had taken them two weeks to finally realise that.

With her mug of coffee clutched in her hand, she made her way back into the rehearsal room.

Once she saw the sight she was greeted by – YN sighed and dropped her head back.

There were a few rules that YN had made the first day that they had started rehearsals. They were mainly to keep the focus on the music, but it was also to protect her and protect all of the progress that she had made.

Walking into that room, her hot coffee in her hand and tiredness washing over her YN could have done with anything else but seeing Jackson and Felix, sat on the sofa doing a line off of one of their guitar cases. With the rules that YN put in place, and how small this place is it would have taken them two seconds to walk into another room or go outside to do it, but yet here they are –ignoring everything that YN had said.

“Jesus,” YN shakes her head, “What the hell are you doing?”

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Jackson responds, running his fingers against his nose, “Stupid fucking question.”

“I know what you’re doing,” YN crosses her arms over her chest, still clutching her coffee cup in one hand, “My question is why the hell are you doing it?”

“To get fucking high,” Felix laughs, as though it is completely normal, “Why? You want some?”

“No, I don’t fucking want any,” YN shakes her head, “There’s one fucking rule in here and that’s no drugs.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t in the fucking room so why does it matter?” Jackson shrugs.

“It matters because those are the rules,” YN scoffs and shakes her head, “It takes two fucking seconds to leave the room and go somewhere else but you two are too fucking lazy and seem to just not want to listen.”

“It’s because you overdosed, right?” Felix was the one to speak up now, a shit-eating grin on his features, “I read your Stones article. Ended up in rehab, right?”

YN’s entire face dropped. She didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t know if she even wanted to say anything. There was no need for any of this when they were supposed to be working, but as YN had quickly realised from getting sober, what is said when on drugs has no rationale. What was being said was horrible, but they were high, and YN knew that it wasn’t them necessarily who were saying it.

“Uh, YN?” A voice called from over her shoulder.

YN turned to see Rebecca, the receptionist standing at the entrance of the door with a small smile, “Yeah, Rebecca?”

“There’s a phone call for you,” She smiles.

“Thank you,” YN smiles and makes her way towards the door before stopping and turning back to the band, “Just don’t fucking do it in here.”

YN places her coffee cup down and follows Rebecca to the phone, smiling in thanks as she shuts the door behind YN, leaving her alone in the room. YN sits down on the desk, picks the phone up and places it against her ear, saying hello to whoever is on the other side.

“Hey baby,” YN’s body relaxes slightly, as she leans against the wall the desk is pressed against.

“Harry, hi,” Her face breaks out into a beaming smile just at the sound of his voice, “How are you? How have you been?”

“I’m fine baby, just busy,” He sighs into the receiver, and YN can hear slight shuffling, but she just puts it behind her, “How are you? How are the rehearsals going?”

“They’re –” YN hesitates for a second before shaking her head, “It just feels as though every time we take one step forward, we’re also taking about seven steps back.”

“I’m sorry about that baby,” Harry’s voice relaxes her, but also for some reason, it feels as though something isn’t quite right, “But hey, two days and all you’ll have to think about is me.”

YN laughs, “Hundreds of people screaming your name every night isn’t enough, eh? You need me to be obsessed with you too.”

“Well, I’m obsessed with you baby, so I hope you’d be the same,” Harry laughs over the receiver, “I can’t wait to see you, I’m sorry I haven’t phoned that much.”

“I can’t wait to see you either, Harry,” A small smile graces YN’s lips, “Don’t worry about phoning, I know you’ll have been busy, and I just can’t wait to –”

“Harry come on, or we’ll start without you!”

YN’s eyebrows furrow and her head tilts slightly. The voice that interrupted her over the speaker wasn’t one that she recognised. It was female, but it didn’t sound like Sarah or any of the other female members of Harry’s band or the ones that he’s surrounded by.

“Give me a minute, I’m on the phone to YN,” Harry responds to the voice, and it does ease YN slightly.

“Who’s that?” YN asked after she heard the door shut on the other side.

“It’s just Mary,” Harry responds, “She’s the lead singer of the opener.”

“Huh,” YN nods her head. She hadn’t heard much about Harry’s opener, before or even after he had left for tour, “What are they going to start without you?”

“I don’t know,” YN hears rustling, as though he’s running his hand over his face, “I think we’re playing some sort of card game, I don’t know…”

“I don’t want to keep you if they’re waiting for you,” YN smiles, finger running along the edge of the table.

“No, it’s fine baby they can start without me,” He’s quick with his answer, but YN shakes her head.

“No, you need to go and play, and win,” YN laughed, knowing exactly what Harry was like when it comes to games, “I need to get back to rehearsal anyway, and it’s only two days and then I’ll see you.”

“You will, baby,” YN could hear Harry smiling on the other end of the phone, which made her smile in turn, “I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too,” YN chuckled, “Now go and play whatever it is, and win because we all know you’ll be in a mood if you don’t.”

“You know me too well,” YN just sighed at Harry’s voice, obviously having his attention on something other than her. She knew what it was like she supposed, and how everything on tour heightened senses and the rest of the world just seemed to revolve around their little bubbles, “I love you, baby. I’ll see you in two days.”

“Bye Harry,” The words slip out of YN’s mouth but just as she mutters, “I love you too,” The phone line stops.

YN sighs, putting the phone down and running a hand over her face. With another sigh, she stood up and made her way back into the studio. Pepper and Fiona had shown up at that point, and there wasn’t a drug in sight in the room anymore. Whilst she might have preferred to be able to get this off her chest with Harry, she was happy that he sounded okay, and that he was just as excited as she was to see each other.

Just after YN walked into the room and picked her coffee back up, the boys walked in. They looked significantly more relaxed than they did before her phone conversation, and a part of YN was relieved by that. It meant that YN hoped that their high would last long enough for her to get through a few more songs before she could call it a night – and leave them to do whatever they wanted to do without her being around.

“Shall we run it from the top?” YN asked, watching as for the first time in a long time they all fell into line.

YN would be lying if she said she didn’t in relief at the sight. They would run through the songs; YN would go home, and she would be a step closer to Harry and have a relaxing week with him.

YN nodded at Fiona, watching as the girl tapped her drumsticks together to count them in. The music started, YN opened her mouth, and she sang and just like that – nothing else mattered in the world.

YN walked out of the Pittsburgh airport, sunglasses perched upon her nose and suitcase dragging behind her. The weather had just begun to warm up, as the seasons slipped between spring to summer, the sun was out in full force. It was as though it knew that YN was having a break, ready for her time with Harry and the sun became the one to greet her for that experience.

YN’s eyes bounced from left to right, looking through the taxi rank to see if she could spot Harry. She knew when her flight was getting in, and he said that he’d already planned to be there when she arrived.

Then, there he was.

Her face broke out into a smile, and she picked her bag up so that she could bounce over to him quicker. He was standing with his arms crossed, resting against a yellow taxicab with his sunglasses perched upon his nose. The second that YN stood before him; his face beamed a smile at her. He uncrossed his arms, and YN took that as her cue to drop her bag down onto the sidewalk beside them and threw her arms around his neck, Harry’s immediately resting in the small of her waist. It felt right, it felt safe – and it felt like home.

“Hi, baby,” YN mumbled, immediately placing a litter of chaste kisses upon his lips, “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too,” Harry smiled, accepting the flurry of kisses YN pressed against his lips, “You ready?”

YN sighed with a blissful smile upon her lips, “More than ready.”

She moved to pick up her bag, but Harry slipped his arm through hers and grabbed the bag for her. He set off towards the trunk of the cab. He nodded at the driver and bounced back to open the door for YN, “My lady…”

YN giggled and nodded her head at Harry, and stepped into the car, “Why thank you, kind sir.”

YN pushed herself across the back seat of the cab so that Harry could slip in behind her. He threw his arm around her shoulder, the girl slipping underneath with ease. It was as though their movements were in sync, as though they knew exactly how the other was most comfortable and where they wanted to be – as close to each other as possible. YN moved her hand so that it could link with Harry’s free one, and rest them on his thigh, squeezing it until his attention was back on her. She lifted her head in his direction, accepting another chaste kiss upon her lips, and another and a flurry of more until the two of them were in a fit of giggles in the back seat. YN wondered at what point the driver of the cab would realise who they were, and whether or not this would be a headline the next day, but she didn’t care – she was in the arms of the man she loved.

“I think we should scrap the party tonight,” Harry mumbled against her lips, pulling away and resting his head upon hers, “I haven’t seen you in too long, and I have no plans of sharing you tonight.”

YN shook her head, unable to control the laugh that escaped her lips. She slipped her head into the nape of his neck, placing a kiss there, “Whilst I don’t hate that idea, we can’t exactly not show up to a party that is being thrown for us.”

“I think that’s exactly what we should do,” Harry nodded, his lips pouting ever so slightly, “You’ll have your time to catch up this week at some point — I need my time to catch up with you all on my own.”

YN rolled her eyes lightly, but a smile never left her face. She knew what Harry was doing, and she also knew that they would have plenty of time for that before the party started, so there was no need for them to miss it.

“Whilst there are things I can’t wait to do,” YN mumbled against his neck, her teeth grazing the skin ever so slightly, “I can’t wait to see Sarah and Mitch, and what was her name again? The singer in the opener?”

“It’s, uh, Mary,” Harry mumbled, and whilst YN heard the slight shift in his voice, she decided to ignore it, “You’ll get to meet her tomorrow, even if you don’t tonight.”

“Harry,” YN warned, turning to face him with a slight raise of her eyebrow, “We’re not missing it. Don’t want to hear another word about it.”

The cab stopped outside the hotel after around half an hour of driving, and YN would be lying if she said that she wasn’t thankful that she had finally stopped travelling and could rest. The drive hadn’t been that long, but the flight included meant that it had been non-stop all day, and she was truly ready for said rest.

YN’s lips parted in shock when she walked into his hotel room, “Jesus, Harry, is this a hotel room or a house?”

“Only the best for you,” Harry gleamed a smile at YN as he placed her suitcase at the end of the bed, “In all honesty, ticket sales were through the roof and the label only wanted me to have the best of the best.”

“God,” YN sighed, dropping down on the bed that truly felt like a cloud, “I hope I get this treatment.”

Harry dropped down next to her, reaching his hand out to move her hair off her face, “You will. I have no doubts about that.”

YN sighed, sitting up, “Well that makes one of us.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed from his place on the bed. He sat up and moved closer to YN so that he was directly behind her. He rested his head upon her shoulder, pressing a kiss to the skin there ever so gently.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” YN shook her head, running her hand across her forehead, “It’s nothing. I think I’m just tired.”

“You know you can tell me anything,” Harry mumbled, head still pressed against her neck, “Whatever’s worrying you.”

“It’s nothing, I promise,” YN nods, turning her head so that she can place a kiss on his lips, “If it gets too bad, I promise I’ll tell you.”

His hands came to wrap around YN’s waist, pulling her towards him, “We’ve got time to rest before the party.”

YN’s head turned to look at Harry, “I thought you didn’t want to go to the party.”

Harry sighed and offered her a smile, “I suppose it would be rude not to show up to our party, like you said.”

YN just chuckled, leaning forward to place her lips upon Harry’s. It was strange how quickly the two of them had just fallen back into the comfortable familiar space that they often found with each other. YN’s fingers found their rightful place in the nape of Harry’s neck, tugging on the curls that rested there. It was crazy how much she had missed this man whilst they had been apart, but she supposed that was what love is – always wanting to be around the person and missing him when he’s not around.

YN should have been surprised when their kisses were more from more than just a peck, but she wasn’t. Their tongues began moving together in blissful harmony. There were other things that she missed as well as just Harry himself. It was a feeling that she couldn’t find on her own, and she needed him to be with her for it.

YN’s body turned, and her hands slipped around Harry so that they ran up his back. She could feel the curl of Harry’s lips as he smiled against hers, “I thought you said you were tired.”

“I am,” YN’s lips curled into a smile as well, “But I can rest later.”

“That you can.”

YN giggled as Harry’s hands moved down her body, gripping the lacey material of her tank top and pulling it over her body in one quick motion. She had forgone a bra that morning, mainly for comfort on the flight but she would be lying if she said there wasn’t the thought of easy access for a situation such as this one. Harry’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight, as though he was a boy again and seeing his first pair of tits.

“You’ve seen them before,” YN giggled, watching as his eyes jumped from her chest to her eyes and then back down to her chest again.

Harry just beamed a smile at her, “And it’s like Christmas every time.”

He dropped his head down to her neck, placing kisses along the skin until it met her chest before they landed directly on the plush skin of her breast. His teeth grazed her nipple, tugging at the peak lightly to elicit a hiss from her lips. He knew exactly what buttons on her body to push, and whilst she sometimes hated it, she loved it at the same time.

“No teasing,” YN spoke breathlessly once Harry had released her nipple, her hands resting against his cheeks to pull his head back up to him, “I don’t have the energy for teasing.”

“Another time,” Harry nodded, and YN breathed a sigh of relief when he obliged her request.

He pulled his shirt over his head in one quick motion. Whilst he was doing that, YN made a quick move to take her pants off, throwing them upon the pile of clothes that was collecting at the side of the bed. She watched as Harry pulled his trousers, and underwear off at the same time – those too landing upon the pile. He dropped back on the bed, resting against the headrest and allowing YN to climb over and straddle his waist.

“Wanna ride you,” YN mumbled against Harry’s lips, “Need to be close to you.”

“I’m here,” Harry nodded, “Take what you want.”

YN rested one of her hands on his shoulder, using it to steady herself as she lined herself up with his cock. His hands found their rightful place upon her waist, helping her to comfortably drop down onto his cock at whatever pace she needed to. YN moaned against Harry’s cheek as she accommodated his full size, feeling that comfort and fullness that she hadn’t since Harry had left.

“So full,” YN mumbled against his cheek, “Feels so good and deep.”

The pace that YN and Harry had decided upon was slow, but it was deep. The pleasure that it provided was too much for both of them. Harry’s hips bucked up to YN’s to match her pace, their lips meeting and never disconnecting from each other’s apart to allow a moan to slip past.

“Can feel you squeezing me,” Harry mumbled into her lips, “Getting yourself off on my cock.”

“Missed this, missed you,” YN moaned, her lips parting as his hips bucked deeper in her.

Harry’s hand slipped down between their bodies, his thumb resting upon her clit and beginning to circle the little nub. YN gasped into Harry’s mouth once more, unable to hold back from the overwhelming pleasure she was feeling. It was everything together, moving all at once that caused her to tighten around Harry’s cock once more, her orgasm washing over her soon after. Harry followed not too closely behind, his grip on YN’s wait tightening as he did so.

“How did I last so long without you?” Harry mumbled, his head falling onto her shoulder, “Think you should be with me, forever.”

YN just chuckled, using Harry’s shoulder to lift herself off of him. She whimpered slightly at the loss of contact, but Harry was there to stabilise her once she had done.

“I’m here now,” YN dropped down on the plush bed again with a smile. Harry leaned over to place a soft peck on his lips, moving her head to rest upon his shoulder, “God, I do need that rest now.”

“We’ve got time,” Harry nodded, placing a kiss on YN’s hairline, “Can have a quick snooze now, if you fancy?”

YN nodded, snuggling into Harry’s body. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, dropping into dreamland ever so quickly just by knowing that Harry was there with her. Harry didn’t move the entire time that she was asleep, knowing that she needed it more than he needed his arm. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t drop off at some point, waking to the sound of YN fluttering around the room.

“This is a nice wake-up call,” He beamed a smile at her from the bed, watching as she sat at the vanity with only a towel wrapped around her body.

YN just giggled, “You slept right through my shower. Seems like I wasn’t the only one who needed rest.”

Harry stood up from the bed, bare feet padding across the carpet until he was behind her, “Haven’t slept the best this tour, seems like I needed you in my bed.”

YN huffed a laugh, “In more ways than one, I presume. Now, shower. We can’t be late.”

“We can,” Harry nodded, head resting on her shoulder, “If we have to go, we can at least be late.”

YN groaned and pushed Harry in the direction of the bathroom, “Shower.”

Harry groaned once more but did as she said and stepped into the bathroom. YN took her time, doing her hair until it was sitting perfectly, and until her makeup looked flawless. The dress that she decided to wear hugged her body in all the right places, the sleeves stopping at her elbow where they extended into a bell shape. It was a light iridescent fabric, and once YN had placed her bangles on her wrists and her cowboy boots were on her feet she truly felt excited, and ready to party.

“God,” Harry whistled as he walked out of the shower, his towel resting low on his waist, “Are you sure we have to go?”

“Yes,” YN continues to fasten her earrings, “Get dressed.”

Harry dropped the towel, walking over to grab his clothes, “Positive?”

YN groaned, pushing past Harry, and opening the wardrobe to grab the clothes she wanted him to wear. She threw the jeans at him, as well as the vest and shirt that she loved ever so much. He just smiled at her, slipping his underwear on.

“You look gorgeous,” Harry smiled, and YN couldn’t help the flush that covered her cheeks.

“Thank you,” She placed a chaste kiss on his lips, “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

By the time that YN and Harry had walked into the room where the party was being held, it was already in full swing. Harry’s arm was securely wrapped around YN’s waist, and hers around his. It didn’t last very long though, as the second that YN saw Sarah in the distance her face was beaming out into a smile, and she was deserting Harry and making her way over there.

“Oh it’s been too long,” YN smiled as she wrapped her arms around Sarah.

“It’s Harry’s fault,” Sarah sighed with a shake of her head, “He’s kept you all to himself.”

YN rolled her eyes, “It took some convincing to even come today, basically had to force him out of the room.”

Sarah laughed and pointed towards the drinks table, saying that she was going to get them a drink. YN sighed and nodded, saying that she’d wait here. Her eyes danced around the room, obviously trying to find Harry. She found him standing in the corner of the room, a bottle of beer grasped tightly in his hand, talking to a blonde girl with a smile on his face.

Sarah returned with a bottle of cola in her hand for YN and a beer in her hand for herself. YN smiled at her, but her eyes returned to Harry and the girl across the room.

“Thank you,” YN nodded, taking a sip, “Who’s that Harry’s talking to?”

Sarah’s eyes followed the direction that YN was pointing in, “Oh that’s Mary, Harry’s probably told you about her.”

“He has,” YN nodded, pointing her head back in Mary’s direction, “Introduce me?”

Sarah widened her eyes but nodded, walking towards the pair. YN cleared her throat the second that they stood in front of them, interrupting whatever conversation they were having.

“Mary, this is YN,” Sarah nodded.

YN smiled and wrapped her arm around Harry’s waist, “Harry’s girlfriend.”

“No, it’s, uh, so nice to meet you!” The girl beamed, the British accent shocking YN slightly, “I’ve heard so much about you.”

It was then that YN saw it. The constantly shaking hands, the blown pupils and the fidgeting with her nose were everything that YN needed to know.

“Vivienne’s having a good time,” YN nodded as she walked back into Harry’s dressing room after finishing up her phone call with Vivienne, “I tried to ask about the tour, but it was Pamela this and Pamela that."

Harry nodded, opening his arm out to YN so that she could drop beneath it, “She’s in love, leave her be.”

“I am, don’t worry,” YN laughed, bringing her feet up so that she could curl up with him, “I’m sure I was just the same. It was probably always Harry this and Harry that.”

Harry just shook his head, pressing a kiss to her hairline. He was dressed and ready for the show, and Mary’s band was already on stage for their set so she knew that it wasn’t going to be long before Harry would be whisked up onto stage.

“The break’s not too long away, right?” Harry asked, finger messing with the frill on YN’s shirt, “Then she’s coming to see you, right?”

“Yeah,” YN nodded, absentmindedly running her finger across the material of his trousers, “She won’t tell me much, I’ll probably have to pry it out of her.”

Harry just laughed, “Or you could just wait for her to tell you herself?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” YN grimaced with a shake of her head.

It was then that YN felt Harry’s fingers move from the frill of her shirt to the soft skin of her stomach. She could tell what kind of a mood he was in (despite what they had done that morning, soft and slow wrapped in the covers from the bed) and found it even more so when his fingers slipped beneath the material of her skirt.

“We don’t have time for that,” YN mumbled, her teeth clamping down on her bottom lip as his teeth started to graze the nape of her neck.

It was no use though, for Harry already was slipping his hand underneath her body to pull her onto his lap. Once his lips were upon hers, it was as though nothing was going to stop them. She was drunk off him, and nothing was going to stop them.

His hands rested firmly upon her ass, his fingers digging into the flesh eliciting a moan from YN’s lips. YN sighed against Harry, rocking her hips towards his. She hadn’t a single idea of how long they had been making out like a bunch of horny teenagers.

“Harry!” The door burst open, and Harry and YN’s lips disconnected to see who it was that interrupted them, "You should see it out there it’s… oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” YN offered the girl a smile, clambering off Harry’s lap, “Don’t worry about it.”

“I forgot you were here if truth be told,” Mary spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It did cause YN’s eyebrows to furrow at the girl, “I’m just so used to walking in here.”

YN furrowed her eyebrows once more and turned to look at Harry, but he wasn’t looking in her direction at all. YN watched as Mary walked into the room and dropped down on the sofa across from them. It was hot on stage, but the sweat that was dropping off her body was more than just the heat from the stage that was causing her to sweat in such a way.

YN’s suspicions were once again confirmed when the girl pulled a small bag out of the trouser pocket and tipped the contents onto the table in front of them. YN’s heart started to beat quickly, and she reached over to grab Harry’s hand.

“Uh, Mary,” Harry spoke, leaning forward in his seat slightly, “Do you think, that, maybe you could do that somewhere else?”

Marry let out a laugh, but that dropped when she saw the serious expression on Harry’s face, “Are you being serious? You’ve never had an issue before.”

“I know, and now I do,” He shrugged, and then stood up, “Think it’s time for me to get out there.”

He leaned down to place a kiss on YN’s lips, “Smash it, I love you.”

“Love you too,” He walked towards the door, “You’re coming to watch, yeah?”

“Course I am, give me a second.”

YN waited until the door had shut behind him when she turned to Mary, who had just finished her line. Mary wiped her nose, turning to look at YN who was still facing her.

“Do you want some?” Mary asked and YN shook her head.

“No, I don’t,” YN sighed standing up, “Are you coming to watch Harry?”

“Never miss it,” Mary nodded, “I’ll be there in a second!”

YN sighed and walked out of the room, moving towards the side of the stage. She smiled at Jeff who was already there, and watched as Harry did what he did best. Their shared love of music, and the way that it brought them and so many people closer together. Seeing him dance and sing his heart out and have all of those people singing along with him –caused her heart to grow even more for the man on the stage.

“It’s insane that he can do what he does,” Mary spoke from the side of her, “He’s just amazing.”

YN offered Mary a smile and nodded her head, ready to turn her attention back to Harry but then she saw Mary, and she saw the look that the girl was giving Harry as she moved on the stage. It was a familiar look, but YN couldn’t quite place her finger on what it was that was familiar. Then when she turned to look at Harry she realised what it was.

It was the look that YN had given Harry every time that she had seen him on stage, the one that for herself manifested in her love for him. YN couldn’t stop whatever feelings the other girl was manifesting for Harry, and she couldn’t control what would happen, but she could love Harry as much as she could.

All she had to do was hope that was enough.

“How come you’ve got a private jet?” YN asked nudging Harry who was sitting in the seat next to her with her elbow, “I feel as though you’ve got everything this time.”

“You’re just jealous,” Harry responded, sliding down into the seat further, “You just wish that you’d asked for a private jet.”

YN just huffed, settling further down in her own seat. Sarah and Mitch just laughed from their seats across from the couple, watching as Harry tried to wrap his arm around YN but she pulled away with a pout on her face.

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Sarah shook her head, “It’s small and cramped and you can hear everything that everyone is saying.”

That became ever so obvious when the four of them dropped silent, and everything that was being said at the front of the plane seemed to get louder. YN tipped her head down the centre aisle to see a few of the other members of the band, as well as the opening act. Although YN couldn’t see exactly who was in the middle of the group, she had an incline that Mary would be one of those present.

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” YN nods, grimacing slightly, “I think I’d lose my head if I was stuck on a plane with just my band.”

“You’d have Leroy, yeah?” Harry mumbles, dropping his head down onto YN’s shoulder.

“Yes, I would have Leroy, but I don’t think even he’d be the best company that I’ve ever had,” YN shrugs, moving her arm slightly so that Harry could get even more comfortable.

“He seems alright from what I’ve seen,” Sarah shrugs.

YN groans, “He is, he’s okay. He’s just forty and I think he’s potentially going through a midlife crisis and that isn’t exactly where I’m at in my life.”

Sarah and Mitch both laugh at her words, and it’s at that point that they realise that Harry’s already fallen asleep. It hadn’t taken him long. YN gently kicks her bag over to Sarah, asking if she can take a photo of the two of them. YN smiles as Sarah points the polaroid in her and Harry’s direction, the man already beginning to drool on her shoulder – but she didn’t mind.

Sarah passed the printed photo to YN, smiling as she watched the girl shake the print a few times before smiling at the sight. YN was smiling in the photo, but it seemed as though Sarah had managed to capture YN as she had turned to look at Harry’s sleeping form. It was a beautiful photo, and it would be one that YN would cherish forever.

“Can I ask you both something?” YN asked after a minute or so, her eyes dropping to Harry just to ensure that the man was still asleep. It was then that YN realised that Mitch had also fallen asleep, and it was just her and Sarah left awake, “Or, can I ask you something, Sarah?”

“Of course, you can,” Sarah responded quickly, as if it was the easiest response in the world.

YN sighed, her eyes resting upon the photo that she had left face-up on the table in front of them, “How is he? Genuinely.”

“Harry?” Sarah asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as YN nodded, “He seems fine to me.”

YN nodded, “It’s just… I mean, we didn’t talk much before I came out and it just feels… possibly, as though he’s hiding something.”

Sarah shook her head, “I highly doubt it, YN. That boy can’t keep secrets for shit. When he first started seeing you, Mitch and I could tell that something was off with him, but he kept denying it and denying it until he said that someone was joining us in the studio the next day.”

“And it was me,” YN smiled, remembering that day.

She had been nervous when Harry had asked her to come into the studio with him. She knew the band and had already met them many times before (being on tour with them and everything) but, seeing as though she left that tour in a less than desirable way she was nervous to see them all again. The nerves also came being in the studio with them, and whilst yes she performed in front of them every night – being in a studio with them was a completely different experience. It was way more raw, and exposed and vulnerable.

But, despite all of YN’s worries and her concerns none of it mattered. None of it mattered because the second that she walked into that studio; they all accepted her with open arms. It was as though none of them judged her or thought less of her due to what happened and instead, they all just cared about her well-being, and also any of the ideas that she may have.

“I wouldn’t worry, YN,” Sarah shook her head, “I think you would know if you had anything to worry about.”

YN had hoped that would ease her mind.

There was a part of her that knew that from Harry’s side, she had nothing to worry about. She knew that he was in love with her, and she was with him and there was no reason for her to dispute that ever. The thing that worried YN was that she knew that Mary harnessed some of those feelings for Harry, and she had no reason not to act on them. Whilst to some people, being in a relationship would be reason enough not to try something with a person –unfortunately, YN knew better when it came to some musicians.

At the same time though, she could be worrying herself for no reason and she had no reason to judge Mary at this point as she didn’t know the girl. But there was something in the back of her mind nagging her that she should trust her gut and trust her instincts.

She just hoped that her instincts were wrong.

The second that YN stepped into her and Harry’s hotel room, she made a beeline for the shower. Harry trailed behind her, but they didn’t say a word to each other. Her conversation with Sarah and her doubts were spiralling around her head.

With a sigh, YN reached into the shower to turn the water on, taking a second or so to allow the water to warm up before she stripped and stepped inside. It always felt night to wash travel off of her body, and that was no different now that she was in a private jet instead of just a normal plane. The shower allowed for YN to wash the flight off of her, but also allowed her body to relax from all of the thoughts that had been circling in her brain.

She had just begun to shampoo her hair when the door opened, revealing Harry’s body ready to get into the shower with her.

“Can I join you?” He asked, a soft expression on his face rather than what she expected it to have.

YN nodded her head, “Help me shampoo?”

Harry smiled but nodded, stepping into the shower, and closing the door behind him. He wasted no time in slipping his hands through her already soapy hair and began to massage her scalp, just as she had been doing but it felt so much better when he was doing it.

The fact that Harry was so close to her, and yet she felt as though there were things that they both were hiding from each other. It was difficult, and her brain was struggling to handle that fact. The last time she felt like this, she would turn to drugs, alcohol, or anything just to numb the feelings that she was having. And yet, she couldn’t do that now. She wouldn’t do that now.

Instead, as Harry continued to run his fingers through her hair the only way that she could express what she was feeling was by crying. It started as one tear slipping down her cheek until multiple were and then her shoulders started to shake. Harry’s hands stopped running through her hair, and that was when she knew that he had noticed her crying.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Harry’s hands grasped her shoulders, turning her around so that she was facing him. The water began to run over her head, and she closed her eyes so that none of the shampoo would go into her eyes. The crying didn’t necessarily help with that, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” YN shook her head, but she couldn’t stop the crying either, “I don’t know, I’m fine I think.”

“Well, you’re not,” Harry pointed out with a small smile on his face, his thumb coming to rest on the soft skin of her cheek, “But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Just tell me how I can help.”

That only made YN cry more. The fact that Harry was so understanding of her, and seemed to know exactly what she needed even when she didn’t even know herself.

“It’s nothing, I swear,” YN pouted slightly, “I think I’m just sad that I’m leaving in a few days.”

“YN,” Harry shook his head, moving closer to her to wrap his arms around her body. YN slipped hers around his waist, pushing her body as close as she could to his.

If she didn’t feel comfortable enough at this moment to say how she truly felt, she knew that she could say something else. It wasn’t a lie either, because there was a nagging in her head that worried about how both of them would respond to being apart again. She hadn’t even thought about her tour the entire time that she had been here, and that thought was slowly creeping up to the forefront of her mind as well.

“I’m sorry,” She shook her head, “I don’t know, I think I’m maybe just nervous about my tour and leaving you.”

“Don’t apologise,” Harry shook his head, placing a kiss to her forehead, “I feel the same way.”

YN’s heart broke at the fact that Harry was feeling this way too. She supposed that he didn’t have the same feelings regarding Mary that she did, but that didn’t matter. She was struggling with the idea of leaving him with no control over the situation, and also toying with the stress of being without him.

It was a struggle that neither both of them would have to do alone though, and that was the bliss of it she supposed.

“Hey, we’ll call at every opportunity,” Harry nods, dipping his head so that he caught her eye-line, “I promise I’ll be better.”

“You’re perfect,” YN shook her head, “As long as we do this together, we’ll be fine.”

Harry dipped his head down once more to place his lips onto hers, and she accepted the kiss with no hesitation. She dropped her head onto his shoulder, a small smile crossing her face as she did.

“I have an idea,” Harry spoke, his head resting upon hers, “But I don’t know how you’ll feel about it.”

“What is it?” YN lifted her head up, the water still cascading over her shoulders.

“I want you to come on stage tonight,” He spoke, looking down at her with nothing but adoration in his eyes, “I want to sing Cherry, with you – just us.”

YN began to cry again, but it wasn’t due to any sadness, but it was just the overwhelming amount of love that she felt for the man in her arms.

“I’d love nothing more.”

“We’re starting in Nevada,” YN spoke, her fingernail tapping against the glass of water she had in her hand as she spoke to Jeff, “Then it’s three months, I think, maybe four and then we’re finishing in L.A. Troubadour actually.”

“God, that’s amazing YN,” Jeff shook his head, a proud and truly glad expression on his face, “Let me know the date and I’ll see if Harry’s free.”

YN’s face broke out into a smile, “I’ll get Leroy to send the details over, I’d love to have him come out.”

“I’m sure he’d love it too.”

Harry and YN had already spoken about whether or not he was going to join her for her last show, and seeing as though his tour would be long done and he’d be back at home in L.A, it made sense. There was the panic that came over YN’s body at Harry’s request of flying his mother out so she could meet YN and see them perform. YN had never been in a relationship such as this one before, one that felt as though it was going to last and to the point where meeting parents was actually on the cards. But, she wasn’t going to say that to Harry when he had been so excited over the prospect.

“Speaking of Harry,” Jeff sighed, checking his watch, “He should be here. Mary finished five minutes or so ago.”

“Oh,” YN looked around the room and saw Sarah and Mitch and other members of the band but no Harry, “He’s probably in his dressing room, I’ll go get him.”

YN placed her glass down on the table and walked out of the room. Harry’s dressing room was just down the hall, and she had been in there with him earlier but she could tell that he needed a moment so she decided the best thing to do was make herself scarce. It didn’t upset her that he needed his space, God knows she’s the same before she performs but it was strange that he wasn’t with the rest of the band when they were supposed to be going on stage soon.

Not thinking that anything would be amis, YN opened the door and walked into the room and then her heart dropped.

Harry was sitting on the sofa, with Mary straddled across his lap and their faces pressed together. YN must have gasped, because both of them turned to her. Harry immediately threw Mary off his lap, but it seemed that all three of them were frozen in shock.

YN’s eyes started to glass over, “Jeff is, uh, looking for you.”

Without another word YN turned and walked out of the room, ignoring Harry’s calls of her name from behind her. She walked towards the green room but before she could step inside, Sarah threw the door open.

“Oh,” Sarah jumped slightly at YN being stood outside the door, “Are you okay?”

The girl’s expression dropped at the shocked look on YN’s, “I’m fine. Is it time?”

“Yeah, we’re just ready to go,” Sarah’s attention was taken by Harry and Mary walking towards them from behind YN, and even though she wanted nothing more than to turn and walk away from this entire thing, she had made a promise to perform with them, and it would look strange if she didn’t uphold that promise.

It was also a good way of ensuring that YN didn’t do something that she would regret in the future.

“Let’s get this show on the road then,” YN nodded and turned and walked away from the group without another word.

When Harry began performing, it was obvious that something was amiss. He wasn’t his usual chatty self, and there were few times that YN thought that he was going to cry. YN tried with everything in her might not to cry, because she wasn’t going to give Mary (who was standing just a few feet away from her) that satisfaction. The girl, even though she might have been involved in one of the worst things that had ever happened to YN seemed to have not a single feeling about the situation. But YN also knew that when someone was using heavy drugs, just as Mary was emotions and reality didn’t exactly work the same as a normal person would.

That angered YN more than she expected it to.

She hadn’t even realised how much time had passed until a microphone was being thrust into her hand, and she realised that Harry was speaking to the crowd.

“Now,” He held his hands out to quieten the crowd as much he could, “I have a very special guest coming out tonight to sing this next song with me. She’s… she’s my world, she’s my everything and I love her so much. So, can you all make some noise for YN YLN!”

Exhaling a breath, YN walked out onto the stage. It was crazy to her that the second she found herself on stage and she heard the crowd chanting her name – all of her worries seemed to ease ever so slightly.

The music started, and she turned to look at Harry, but he was staring straight ahead as though he was trying everything in his power not to look at her. It broke YN’s heart.

“Don’t you call him baby/ we’re not talking lately/ don’t you call him what you used to call me,” Harry started to sing, and even though YN tried not to she couldn’t help but be captivated by him, “I, I confess I can tell that you are your best/ I’m selfish so I’m hating it,”

YN lifted her microphone up to her lips, trying to compose herself before she started singing , “I’ve noticed that there’s a piece of me in how you dress/ I take it as a compliment,” YN took a breath, “Don’t you call me baby/ We’re not talking lately/ He doesn’t call me what you used to call me.”

Once she had finished singing, she turned to look at Harry who was this time staring right at her. He had angled his body in her direction, and she did the same for him. Now, it didn’t matter how many other people were on stage with them, or how many people were in the audience listening to them. It was as though they were the only two people on the stage.

And it broke YN’s heart.

“I, I just miss/ I just miss your accent and your friends/ Do you know I still talk to them?” YN closed her eyes, listening to Harry and everything that he was singing at her. His voice broke, but he managed to recover quicker than YN would have been able to.

“You know he takes me walking round his parents’ gallery,” YN could feel the tears starting to collect in her eyes, and she saw that the same were collecting in Harry’s.

“Don’t you call him [me] baby/ We’re not talking lately,” Everything that was wanting to be said between the two of them was being spoken to each other just by the looks in their eyes. The hurt, the betrayal, the regret. To an outsider, this must have been the oddest experience and yet one that spoke the loudest words.

“Don’t you call him what you used to call me.,” The two of them finish at the same time and there was silence, “He doesn’t call me what you used to call me.”

Once the crowd broke out into cheers they both knew – it was over.

#rm #harry styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles writing #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles au #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x reader #harry styles x yn #harry styles x you #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles series #series

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starsopinions · 4 months ago

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The Minecraft movie........

I've been playing Minecraft for as long as I can remember. My brother and I would spend hours on Hypixel, our survival world, and building escape rooms for each other (the exit would no doubt be behind a painting). As a movie fanatic, a film about Minecraft sounds like such a fun concept with great potential yet from the look from the teaser trailer it seems like all that potential will remain unused.

Link to the trailer if you haven't seen it yet!

Plenty of people have already commented on how it looks, which let’s be frank, is terrible. This post, however, is not about the look but the story so here is a summary: The set design is quite nice except it does not look like any Minecraft biome. The people look extremely out of place, especially Steve who is supposed to be part of this world. Last but not least, there are moving, working windmills. Anyone who has played Minecraft will probably feel the same way about this, which is not happy. This is the main problem, the makers have maybe watched 1 Let’s Play. They don’t know the Minecraft experience. They haven’t played hardcore survival and felt the pain when you die because your elytra breaks, they have never gone mining at 2 am on a rainy night or have built a beautiful base they a proud of.

Which brings us to the soulless plot. For anyone unfamiliar, this is what Warner Bros. describes it as: “Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, Henry, Natalie and Dawn—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve. Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”

That made me throw up in my mouth a little. Minecraft is such a fun and unique game and this is what they come up with? Minecraft is a game about being creative and there are literally endless possibilities. This plot has nothing to do with the actual game and could be applied to any video game. Speaking of other games, it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice that this is the exact plot of the movie Jumanji.

I’m secretly hoping they pull a Sonic and fix the movie at the last minute but I don’t think that is realistic. I don’t think all is lost though, Emma Myers (who plays Natalie) is, in my opinion, a great addition to the cast and is funny and talented. The rest of the cast isn’t much to write home about, unfortunately. As stated before, I do think the set has a cool look to it, it is just a shame that it doesn’t look like Minecraft.

Here is what I would do if I were in charge:

Firstly the whole cast is going. I would make it an animated film, Minecraft isn’t a realistic game and it doesn’t come across well in live-action. Steve and Alex would be the main characters.

The movie would have an entirely different plot and would either focus on Steve and Alex trying to defeat the Enderdragon for the first time, etc. (I think this is a bit basic but sometimes less is more)

Or it could be about the lore of the Enderdragon, Endermen, Ghasts, etc. and what happened to them and how they ended up where they are. There are so many theories about this online and it’s a side of that Minecraft hasn't been explored yet.

Another option could be about the villagers and pillagers. It would be cool to see more of their history and maybe Steve meddling to make peace or something in that direction. Think about how cool raids could be in movie form.

(see how I just thought of 3 way more original and fun plots off the top of my head when the writers couldn’t think of a singular one in months)-

A MUST for me is the classic Minecraft music. It should be in the trailer, in the movie, it should be everywhere. It is so nostalgic and everyone who has ever played Minecraft knows how iconic it is. (not saying it is not in the movie right now, I obviously haven’t seen it yet but wanted to include this point)

I think it could be cool if, for example, Steve would find a new biome or a new item and then we would get it in the game in an update. It would show a real connection between the movie and the game which is missing right now. (again not saying they won’t do this but I’m not getting my hopes up)

Besides all this, it would be amazing to see jokes and references to the actual game. Think forgetting to set your spawnpoint, inventory being full, etc.

And lastly, I NEED to see Minecraft YouTuber's references. I think they might do this, I’ve seen multiple YouTubers talk about the movie and I know Mumbo visited the set, so there is a possibility. Minecraft has one of the biggest YouTube communities, not referencing it would be a missed opportunity for sure.

I don’t think this movie will be especially bad, from the looks of it, it’s going to be a whole lot of meh. I do want to say that I have not seen the movie yet as it isn’t out yet, this means that a lot could still change (please please please). I will be in the cinema on April 4th with low expectations but high hopes, I have never wanted to be wrong more. Let me know what you think and thank you for reading all the way to the end <3

As always, this is MY opinion. Feel free to disagree but remember: It is a game about blocks, it's not that important (she says after ranting about it for like 2 hours lmao).

#minecraft #minecraft movie #minecraft fanart #minecraft art #minecraft smp #mineblr #minecraft mods #starsopinions☆

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siconetribal · 4 months ago

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Beyond the Bookshelves (9)

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Frustration, Impatience, Time taking forever, Loki still not getting anyone's title right

Summary: You’re a Resource Management Specialist at S.H.I.E.L.D. normally referred to as “The Librarian”. You’ve been assigned the nightmarish task of digitizing all the physical resources currently owned by the agency, with a few new computers and one extra helper.

A/N:

Please comment/like/reblog. If you’d like to be tagged moving forward, please let me know! (If I missed any tags, please let me know, I’ll add you right away!) I’d also greatly appreciate it if rebloggers remember to add the tags (or some at least).

The lovely banners used in this fic are from @cafekitsune.

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters.

Two more days?! The plastic and metal rectangular deceive creaked from the intensity of the grip, moments away from breaking. “What does she mean, ‘just two more days’,” he sneered the words, launching the device into the leather cushion as he stood up from his couch. It bounced up and plummeted to the carpeted floor with a muffled thud that was masked by the rapid steps of the pacing god. “It is not ‘just’ two more days, she has failed to respond to me multiple times, and she dares to say it’s a mere two extra days? I’ve been going mad in this overly decorated prison tower with nothing new to read! Had she looked at my earlier texts, she could have easily changed the order while on site at those other facilities!” He curled his lips inwards and pressed down on them, coming to an abrupt halt as he clenched his fist and took a few deep breaths, running a hand through his hair. This was unacceptable. He was a prince, and she was supposed to answer to him. Regardless of professional ranking, he outranked her socially. She was a mere Midgardian, and he was one of the great Asgardians, whom her kind revered as gods once upon a time. He knew the Librarian was aware of this, she was well-informed and managed the resources of this organization. And yet, here she was able to cripple him, bend his knee and ask that she return his clearance to enter the library. “She will pay. I will make sure of it.” He hissed the words through gritted teeth.

The spoke words worked like a charm, dispelling his anger as a calm fell over him. His frigid body temperature quickly warmed, and the frost that was beginning to coat the surrounding furniture and floor quickly evaporated. He walked around the sleek coffee table and picked up the abused phone. Tapping the screen to life, he reread her message again. However, this time he focused his attention on her other words. There, in black text, were the words ‘I trust you’. How could she trust him? He was the unforgivable, irredeemable villain who terrorized the world and nearly lay waste to the entirety of the city he was currently in. The very city where she worked and most likely lived in with loved ones and kin. He was the monster that needed to be caged and monitored, never to be trusted. And yet, here she was giving it away to just anyone? He scoffed and rolled his eyes at the naïveté.

No one in their right mind would give me their trust wholeheartedly. This has to be one of those sayings these Midgardians have. What were they called? Me-mes? He relaxed back into the couch, lips scrunched to one side and eyebrows furrowed. “She has to be out of her mind, there is no other plausible option.” The hushed words seemed to echo in the silence of his suite. Painful and sharp, there was no other explanation. “Why else would she wait for an apology from a prince?” He rubbed at his chest to ease the uncomfortable ache that swirled above his heart. “At least she is fine.” The words lingered on the tip of his tongue, but were never spoken. He had too much on his mind at the moment to care about yet another oddity that linked to this queer young woman, it would be something to worry about another time.

Y/N sneezed for what had to be the tenth time within the last hour. She knew planes could be a bit chilly, but she was well bundled up and currently comfortable. Pressing the inside of one of her wrists to her forehead, she tried to assess her temperature.

“I don’t feel warm, but it must be fatigue getting the better of me. I’ve been running all over the freaking globe getting all this set up.” She gently massaged her forehead, closing her eyes to ease any potential sensory overload of her exhausted body. The only solace she had was that everything was set into place and the other locations could begin scanning all the documents they have into the database. She would start the scanning process in the main branch as well. She knew traveling to and fro from the various bases was a waste of valuable resources and, most importantly, precious time. With only two translators, who were not even always readily available; it was better to have them read through scanned files when she could nab them, instead of letting them look at the physical text in person. “This is the most efficient way to do this. They’ll read and translate it, I’ll transcribe and upload it.” Easier said than done, Y/LN, easier said than done. She rolled her wrists and flexed her fingers with grim foreboding, the ghosts of cramps future coming to haunt her like the ghost of Christmas future did Scrooge.

“I’d joke about retiring early after this, but I don’t think this task will end soon enough for it to be considered ‘early’ anymore. What did I do to deserve this punishment anyway? At least Scrooge as a miserly jerk, what karmic deity did I piss off in a past life?” Rubbing the back of her neck, she reclined the seat and shut her eyes, sneezing one more time before falling into a deep slumber.

Two hellish days sluggishly ticked by as Loki impatiently awaited the return of the little nuisance known as the Librarian. The fact that he knew she would be back seemed to make the wait all the more insufferable. Each time he looked at the clock, it was as if the hands were frozen in place. A part of him even wondered if Stark somehow caught wind of her reply and purposely adjusted every clock that he happened to look to show that no time had passed at all. The younger prince knew it was not plausible because Stark had gone on his mission with Thor and some others. They left days prior to her response. He was in this infernal hell because fate was cruel. The only thing keeping him sane were his own meetings and training sessions. Only then did time seem to move properly, instead of slower than molasses.

Great, I’m thinking in such weird terms because of all the time I’ve been forced to spend with the Lieutenant Chatterbox. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. Never mind that, today is the day. He glanced at his phone’s lock screen. There was a notification with the date that read: Return of the diabolical librarian. As soon as the clock struck eight, Loki left his quarters and made his way to the sanctuary he was unlawfully denied access to. He could have left early and been at the door just as it was to be opened, but he decided to have some leniency and give her a fair ten or so minutes to prepare. He was a magnanimous ruler, he would hear her out before deciding whether she left with malicious intent or not.

Standing before the wooden double doors, Loki hesitated for a moment. He gripped his key card that hung from a badge reel on his suit jacket. He eyed the speaker system above his head, knowing full well that the same grating computer voice will spew the same words that have been haunting him for weeks now. This time, he had a response, though. He would tell it that the Librarian has asked for him to come speak with her, and it would verify with her before allowing him entry. If not, he would use his magic to transport himself to the main desk and calmly request that she upheld her word of removing the hold. Pressing the card to the scanner, he watched the red light turn green and heard the chime of it being registered. A click from the speaker above signaled it had been activated. His jaw tightened as he took another deep breath, anticipating the rejection.

Tags: @vbecker10 @huntress-artemiss @softestqueeen @thegodofnotknowing @princess-ofthe-pages @firedrakegirl @rcailleachcola @cabingrlandrandomcrap @lotrefcp @lwtannie @jainaeatsstars @msdjsg7 @tom-hlover @kneelingformyloki @gruftiela @gigglingtiggerv2 @kats72 @mischief2sarawr @evalynanne @wolfsmom1

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patroxlos · 5 months ago

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home base . ch3

"friends who believe in mpreg" - 2.7k words

ultraman: rising (2024). kenji sato x reader

master post. ao3 link.

previous: ch2. "friends who reconnected and who certainly don't want to be more"

next: ch4. "friends who sleep on call with each other"

Kenji endures an awkward interview with sports journalist Ami Wakita.

And is it monsterfucking if you're kind of into Ultraman?

A/N: So my dad accidentally bought me a coffee float instead of the coke float I asked him to get me. I ended up caffeinated at 11PM and began writing this in jitters. it's nearly 3AM. This is unedited and unfiltered which means: my writing is gonna be so unserious you will sit there and ask yourself "Is this writer different from the one who made the last two chapters?"

Hoping you can keep up with all my pop culture references. Motsubishi is such a silly little name. I was workshopping other company names like "Soni," "Yomaha," etc. but Motsubishi is giving Mob Psycho 100 brand parody.

Also, I refer to Ami as 'Ms. Wakita' connotes that she and Ken are still not that close, but as you would be able to tell while reading, they are begrudgingly becoming fast friends.

---

“Absolutely not.” Ken denies it immediately, with a slight aggression. “There’s no lovechild to speak of. We are just friends.”

Ami Wakita flinches a bit at his tone. “Woah, they weren’t kidding when they said you’re a bit defensive about her.”

“Who’s they?” He huffs, taking a bite from a strip of tonkatsu to calm down. He was glad that it is just him and Ms. Wakita in the restaurant at the moment. He would not want anyone to overhear their conversation about you.

“Your friendship with the Motsubishi scion has been well-documented since the start of your professional career. Rumors about your couplings have been circling since before,” Ms. Wakita points out.

“No comment.” His media training kicks in with his mouth full.

She rubs her temple a bit. “What did I say about you showing a little vulnerability?”

“I didn’t even say anything about my dad before you psychoanalyzed me!”

“Well was I wrong?”

Damn, she’s good. “...I thought you were a sports reporter.”

“Reporting on the players’ personal lives is a big part of it,” she coolly responds. “You should read my articles on Ohtani’s translator embezzling his funds, or the Yuki Tsunoda puppy interview I produced.”

“This isn’t about puppies though…” His shoulders are tense. “She’s just been my friend for as long as I can remember. Her family has always been good to my family– especially to my mom–and I know how much they value privacy. She is at a really crucial point of her career working to inherit one of the biggest conglomerates of the world. She and I definitely wouldn’t risk a secret pregnancy.”

He is impassioned when it comes to you.

“Woah…Can I quote that?” Ms. Wakita glanced down at her phone recording their conversation.

He deflates. “Yeah yeah sure whatever. You’re right, this isn’t the first time someone has made up stuff about us. Lovechild is new though. The last time it was an arranged marriage.”

“If it helps, online reaction has always been generally positive at the idea of you two coupling up,” she tries to be helpful. “Both of you are celebrities in your own right. You’re both young, wealthy and attractive. It fulfills a lot of people’s fantasies. The engagement rumors came about only because you two have been publicly attached to each other for so long.”

It does help. A bit too much. His heart picks up. Of course Ken has read all the comments whenever those articles came out over the years. You visit him in L.A. whenever you could, and those visits helped a lot with maintaining your friendship. There are multiple photos of you attending his career-defining games wearing his baseball jersey— the oversized look making you seem like his perfect WAG sitting beside his mom.

Ms. Wakita reads this on his face, clear as day. She figures that he is telling the truth about you and him never ever being romantically involved, but there seems to be something additional brewing on the surface. Putting on an unassuming tone, she asks “So I guess that’s it? You both can’t imagine being involved?”

He leans back on his seat, confidently answering “Yes, we both think it won’t work out long term—”

He proceeds to unlean as the realization causes him to hunch over. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuckity fuck. She really can get the devil to confess his sins.

She tries not to look too thrilled about his slip up, which he can commend her for.

“W-What I mean is that neither her nor me— it’s not happening. It never happened,” he stammers. He needs a new media trainer.

“I’m sure you recall that there have been photos—”

“Of her at my games? Of course she was, haha!” He did NOT need her to mention their other photos right now.

Please don’t.

Please don’t. Please… He is supposed to be moving on. Which he has!

“—that pop up over the years of you two being overly familiar.” She finishes.

God kill him. “All alleged. They’re too blurry to be sure it is us.”

“...Some looked like pro shots to me.”

Ken nearly slams his face on his tonkatsu.

“The one where you’re both getting smoothies at Erewhon was cute?” She sounds honest, and she is. She isn’t even going to report on this. It is already evident that the gossip is a sham, but she cannot help but want to tease the baseball player a bit, now that they are sort of becoming acquainted.

He sighs. “Thanks. It was the Ken Sato wheatgrass and bone broth blend. She didn’t like it.”

He remembers that day. You made a face when he tried to get you to take a little sip, so he blew some raspberries against your cheek and maaaybe just a little on your neck as you both stood in the parking lot; you were shrieking for him to stop as his smoothie-covered lips smothered your skin. All friendly, of course.

“Where did the lovechild thing even come from?” Ken thinks aloud. “She looks too great to be pregnant.”

Ms. Wakita, known single mother, asks “...Do women not look great pregnant?”

“Oh you know what I meant,” He snaps as she covers her mouth with a napkin to laugh.

She stops the recording on her phone to slide him the online tabloid article. Allegedly, he and you fought about him being an absent father at the restaurant last night as you have endured your pregnancy all alone. The story ends with a sweet coupling at the parking lot before you left on separate vehicles, a marker that neither of you planned to get married, or a possible abortion in the near future. What.

“You have a thing for parking lots?” She tries to joke.

His eyes nearly bulge at one line. “‘ The Motsubishi scion ate for two as she devoured a Yakisoba platter all alone—’ It was a decently sized portion for a reasonable price! And I definitely am not an absent father!” He says the last bit with a bit too much vigor.

“I didn’t write it,” She tries to keep his emotions in check. “...I did nearly believe it for a moment though when you called me last night. Was it an hour or two after you met up with her at the yakisoba place?”

He admits that if he was in Ms. Wakita’s place, he would’ve also thought he was secretly raising a child. He wonders whether the Baby is awake right now, terrorizing Mina. “Totally unrelated events.”

“And the apparent baby book purchases in your credit histo— how did a gossip mag get that information?” She marvels as she scrolls through her phone.

He doesn’t know what’s worse: the world finding out that he is raising a giant baby lizard in his basement or people thinking that he’s an absentee like his own dad.

A red blinking light catches Ms. Wakita’s eye. “Are…you gonna get that?”

Not hearing her at first, he runs a hand through his face. God he really did not want to imagine your reaction to this news article. He promised you that it would not be weird. The past is past. If your friendship is already in danger, this might ruin things even further. Oh he can already hear the alarm bells ringing in his head—

Or from his watch?!

“Hey, you don’t have a kid growing in you right now, do you?” Your assistant asks you as she glances at your stomach.

You were both in one of your sleek city limousines on the way to a late evening banquet, where you are due to give a speech. The traffic jam in front of you stretches a kilometer. You follow her gaze. “I thought this suit was slimming.”

She passes you her phone. Huh. ‘Motsubishi Scion Gets Impregnated by Famous Baseball Star.’ You pass the phone back to her. “I don’t want to see the kind of porn you’re looking at.”

“Young Master, it’s an article about you and Ken Sato.” Your assistant was not in the mood for your jokes right now.

You just shrug, taking your phone out to send a few quick texts to Ken. You are sure he probably heard the news by now, and he will definitely agree with you that it is as hilarious as it is ridiculous. “It’ll blow over.”

As you look back out of your window, you’ve already forgotten about it. Seems like a slow day for the newsroom.

At the horizon, you see a PacMan proudly sticking out from the top of a building get knocked down by some beam of light. You yawn and stretch back out on your seat. “Can we go any faster? I want to get this banquet over with.”

Your driver sighs. “This new kaiju attack is impossible ma’am. Apparently, it is just running around without any clear direction.”

“Well I don’t think a monster would have access to KoogleMaps,” you reply wryly.

It was going to be a long night. You begin to settle in for a nap while people are exiting their cars and running out into the streets. Their screams of terror sound muffled inside your bullet-proof vehicle.

“Should we get out too?” Your assistant nervously asks.

You lift up your foot and rest it on your knee. “I’m wearing So Kates. I don’t think I can run either way.”

As you say that, your security detail at the front of the limo begins getting out. Ugh, Tokyo is the worst… You need to fly out soon. He opens your car door and extends a hand out. “Let me carry you, Young Master. Better to evacuate now.”

“Must I?” You groan in frustration.

“We can skip the banquet and take you home,” he compromises. Begrudgingly, you step out of the vehicle just in time for the pinkest…chicken lizard to pop up at the corner of the street.

Immediately, you are swept off your feet as your security detail rushes to escort you and your assistant away from that thing as fast as possible, the wind is knocked out of your lungs. You peek over the shoulder of your bodyguard for a better glimpse at the chirping beast.

You lock eyes with it.

Big mistake.

Because why the hell did it flitter with excitement and began chasing you?!

It keeps chirping, and… burping?... as it hobbles and stomps over cars. Your jaw drops as your limo is flattened like nothing. And for some strange reason, the monster’s eyes are solely trained on you.

Did I do something to piss it off? You ask yourself as it gets closer. You know you can be a bitch but you would remember if you told it to fuck off. No, this monster is chasing after you like it knew you. There was no aggression in its oddly proportioned body, like you are being chased by that grotesque baby in the Tin Toy Pixar short. There is no moral compass behind those beady little eyes, just the pure pleasure-seeking nature of baby hedonism.

It gets closer, and your bodyguard’s legs can only run for so long. He screams bloody murder as he feels himself get picked up, you along with him, by the beast. You hear another scream that sounds like your own voice as you feel yourself get ripped from your bodyguard’s grasp. The monster puts him back down on the street, his landing relatively gentle.

You are being shaken like a rattle now in its claws, its gurgling filling your ears. “Oh my god.” You feel yourself getting sick from the nausea. You never thought you were going to die like this. Your legs flail in the air helplessly but your So Kates stay on, pinching your toes like you are about to give them the best shoe advertisement Louboutin can ask for, with how it feels glued to your feet.

The ground rumbles as if a giant springs through the streets. Your life does not flash before your eyes, but you can hear it in your ears— a very clear ring of Ken shouting “Baby! Put down the human!”

…

Huh?

You felt your body decompress as the monster’s grip loosened. Air returns back into your lungs, but you don’t find yourself returned to the ground.

Instead, you are being lifted up way higher into the sky as you lay on the palm of Tokyo’s hero: Ultraman.

You hiss as your eyes burn from the blinding lights of Ultraman’s unblinking lenses. “Are you okay—?” He says your name with a rising panic. You can swear you saw his chest light threaten you change colors. He is cradling you against it.

You did not know Ultraman can be this friendly with Tokyoites. You struggle to regain your ability to speak, a bit confused and frazzled from everything that just happened in the past minute.

The hero takes this as a bad sign. “Oh god you’re hurt.” There is an ache in his words that shakes up your own core. No one has ever sounded this worried for you.

Man is he bright . You try to shield your eyes from his light. You are brought up close to his face as he inspects your body. “I– I’m fine,” You manage to rasp out. You are initially not sure he heard you, but the evident sag of his colossal, broad shoulders affirms that he did.

You have never gotten to observe the hero this up close. Despite the unemoting face, you find his body to be an open book as it trembles with the fear of losing you. Even if he must be like this with every other citizen in need of saving, you cannot help but feel a little special.

“I was so worried— wait here for help.” He lowers you on top of a roof building, his fingers shaky, worrying about dropping you. You shakily slide off his palm, patting down your suit. You stumble a little on your stilettos, and instantly his massive hands crowd you once more to hold you up. " Please be careful."

“Ultraman!” You shout as you push away his fingers. “I’m okay, thank you!” You point towards the Tokyo Tower, where the baby-like kaiju was already climbing up. “You gotta deal with that first! Leave me, I’ll be alright."

“Huh? Oh, yeah, god… ” The hero curses, getting ready to sprint towards the tower. “Be a good girl and stay put, yeah?” He says to you before running off.

Your feet wobble on your heels as you nearly keel over from the adrenaline coursing through your body. That… you are never leaving the house again during a kaiju attack. Though… you watch as the slim figure of Ultraman begin to climb the tower after the kaiju. Maybe it won’t be that bad next time.

Later that evening in the Ultrabase, Ken excuses himself from the company of his father, Mina and the baby as he heads towards the bathroom for a long-awaited shower. His muscles ache with every step, and he is tempted to pass out on the cold floor— wouldn’t be the first time since getting this newfound responsibilities.

This is getting too overwhelming. He still cannot believe he felt so cornered against the wall that he had to call his dad for help like some kid. If only you saw him now. You were oddly closer to his dad than he was.

Oh shit, you.

You, who he left stranded on some random building.

He quickly fumbles for his phone, eager to call you to see if you’re alright.

Shit , he feels some tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. He is fucking everything up. He is a bad son, a bad father, a bad friend.

Ken opens his messaging app, and he first sees the texts that you sent earlier in the evening.

…

[YOU]

Hey bbgirl.

You pregnat? Pragnent?

My mom is gonna hand you a stack of 20M yen just to stay away from me. Are u g to take it so we can split it after? LOL

Not rlly in the mood to be ur baby daddy atm. get a DNA test before i send child support.

SENT LINK: Motsubishi Scion Gets Impregnated by Famous Baseball Star.

Bc if one of us left that restaurant pregnant it definitely would not be me

A/N: Ultraman fine as hell have you seen his waist?

This chapter was supposed to go A LOT differently from how it ended up being. It was initially supposed to be an extended conversation between you and your assistant about your past...whatever you had...with Kenji during your visits to L.A. But I actually really like writing Ken POV because him and I are pretty similar?

#ken sato x you #ken sato x reader #kenji sato x reader #cross posted on ao3 #one of the sillier chapters lmao

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saffron-words · 4 months ago

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Introduction and UtsuKare Translations Master Post

Some of you might recognize me as that Russian translator of Utsukushii Kare books from Wattpad. I decided to revive my tumblr to compile all the links and explanations here for those of you, MBM fans, who can't wait for official English releases of the books.

I could never keep a blog, so for now here I'll just tell how it all came about, and you can find links to all my MBM translations at the end (feel free to just skip the wall of text). So a couple of years ago I finally bowed down and decided to read Utsukushii Kare series in Japanese for language practice, even though I found the summary unappealing and I'm generally suspicious of overhyped media (as far as BL novels go, these books seemed to be The most hyped-up series in Japan). Much to my surprise, I loved it so much it was hard to move on. And while I waited for a chance to buy book 3 and Interlude, I gobbled up everything else related to the series that I could. The manga was only just starting, I didn't like dramaCDs (but I'm in the minority), and the drama somehow revived my love for watching Jdramas, even though I thought that this part of my fandom life has been over for years. When the second season started airing, I made a new friend in the Russian-speaking parts of the Internet who was even more obsessed with MBM than I am, and we fangirled to our hearts' content. At some point I promised her to translate the big sex scene from the end of book 3 as a gift for all the talks. I did, and since back then there was nothing for book 3 in any European language, as far as I know, I decided to post it online and give a link to English-speaking UtsuKare fans too. And since Wattpad doesn't allow copying text, and the browser translator feature from Google Translate was really inadequate, I also put up a link to the translation made with Deepl. As far as machine translators go, it is noticeably more comprehensible, and I didn't have the time (or skills to do the book justice, really) to translate it to English myself. Anyway, after this excerpt I thought I could manage one more important scene from book 3, then one more, and then I finally gave up and started translating it properly from the beginning. I also started correcting mistranslations in Deepl-versions that I kept doing for English readers, so some parts of the book are now much more readable than others. Now the third book is done and I started to work on book 2, Nikurashii Kare. I also translated several stories from Interlude and plan to do at least one more, but that is put on the backburner for now since I want to do as much of the book 2 as I can before book 4 in the main series comes out. Yes, we're getting a new Hira and Kiyoi book! This year too, probably. And unless it completely disappoints me or something terrible happens IRL, I plan to translate it as well.

So here are the links to everything I've translated from My Beautiful Man book series:

Book 3 "Nayamashii Kare" which continues the story past the movie (completed). The text is in Russian, but there are links to decent machine translations to English at the beginning of each part (I've also run through most of them and corrected the mistranslations). Or you can use the in-browser translation feature, but the results would be less readable.

Book 2 "Nikurashii Kare" which was technically turned into season 2 of the drama and the movie, but the script has deviated so much from the book, at times it's like a completely different story (in progress; about 1/4 of the book will be done with the next update which I plan on posting soon). I don't make Deepl translations for this since the official English release will be out in a couple of months.

Stories from other books in the series. The first part is a short scene from Nikurashii Kare, and the rest are stand-alone stories from Interlude. One of them had also been translated to English by Mauli before, but I didn't use her version when working on mine. The rest of the stories have never been translated by anyone else, as far as I know. These, too, have links to Deepl-versions at the beginning.

Disclaimer: my Japanese is not yet really on a level good enough to translate fiction, and there are bound to be mistranslations even if you read the original Russian versions. But I'm cross-checking myself on everything to try and keep those mistakes to minor things. I also know how to translate so I made sure that the text flows well, doesn't feel choppy and retains the same vibe that I get from reading the original.

#utsukushii kare #my beautiful man #utsukare #japanese bl #美しい彼

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mikimakiboo · 28 days ago

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Time Travelers AU - Bathroom Break

I am baaaaaaaack on the story ! For those who missed it I published everyone's backstory, all are linked in the master post !

@ancha-aus it's been a while since I tagged you here

First

I feel like this chapter is way too short compared to the time it took me to write it

Here it was: the moment Dust dreaded the most... going back to work. Not that there was a problem with his job, his colleagues were fine, the customers were usually nice except for some exceptions, but it was to be expected when working in a fast food. No, the thing that worried him was leaving his roommates, because they were basically roommates, alone all day. He wasn't afraid they would fight, thought Nightmare had been quite distant these past few days, he didn't participate in conversations during meals and usually just translated for Killer and asked him a few things, but apart from that he always seemed moody, mad about something and avoiding them. It did worry Dust, maybe it was something he did, or didn't do, that caused the noble to change his behavior ? He'll need to talk about it with him. Regarding the others they all seemed to get along, he noticed Cross would sometimes lower his guard when Killer talked, or rather rambled, to him to listen to what he was saying, which was something important to note as the knight only ever left the door to eat, Dust knew it because he saw him sleeping while still standing. Horror was nice to everyone, just not paying much attention to Nightmare as he seemed to avoid him more than the others anyway, and Killer just liked to chat with everyone, not caring if they understood him or not. So no, Dust wasn't scared they would fight. He was scared they would get bored, get curious and break something or even hurt themselves, that someone would knock at the door and call the cops when seeing them, or many other things they could do that could result in troubles both for them and for Dust. He really didn't need that.

Dust sighed, preparing yet another burger and putting it in a bag for those at the drive through, he didn't need to think about it anymore, the movements were basically muscle memory at that point. Should he introduce the others to burgers ? Maybe he could order everyone a burger once he got his paycheck, and he could buy soda and potatoes to make the fries himself ? Would they even like it ? Nightmare would probably despise the grease, maybe Cross too as he seemed to be very in shape, but he had a feeling Killer and Horror would like it. Well, that could be a plan for later then.

He felt someone tap on his shoulder.

- Break time, I'm taking your place.

His colleague said. Was it already his break ? He didn't see the time pass, for once. Well, he usually didn't have much to think about, so he must admit he wasn't particularly focused on the time that day.

- Oh, okay, thanks.

He finished the burger he was making before putting down his apron and going to the changing rooms to grab his phone in his locker. He then went to the bathroom, not that he needed to go as he was a skeleton, but he liked sitting on the throne in his little cabin, that way he didn't have to sit in the staff's room and make small talk with the others, he could just scroll on his phone for fifteen minutes without being disturbed. He sometimes wished he had a digestive system so he could take a dump on company time and be paid for it, but he didn't have one, anything a skeleton consumed was either turned into magic or would get thrown up if the body couldn't "digest" it. What a shame, honestly.

He wondered for a moment if he should call home on the land-line, but he soon figured it would be useless as he didn't teach them how to pick up a phone, so he just hoped everything was fine and went on socials to see what new brainrot was available to pass the time.

His alarm went off after fifteen minutes, indicating the end of his break. He sighed.

- Alright, here we go again...

He muttered to himself, getting up without flushing, and opened the door to step out of the cabin. He tripped on a branch and fell face first on the grass.

Cross flinched, planting his sword in the ground as to maintain balance when he felt everything shift around him. The house had dissapeared, and he found himself in a field surrounded by a forest. It felt like a few days ago, when he appeared in Dust's backyard, he had felt the air sting and crackle before everything shifted, and when he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else.

Where was he now ? He pulled his sword from the ground, holding it tight in case a threat would appear, and looked around him, were the others here too ? He heard a noise behind him, and quickly turned, only to see Killer gripping on a branch, hanging from a tree. As he was about to run by his side he saw Horror coming out from behind a bush, leaves and twigs stucked in the furr of his coat. Killer saw him too.

- Horrooooooor ! Adiuvaaaaa ! He cried.

Horror jumped, not expecting to hear a voice above him, and quickly went to grab Killer and put him safely on the ground. The Roman then immediately opened his bag to make sure all of his stuffs were with him, and sighed in relief before looking up at the Viking.

- Gratis..

Horror nodded, then looked at Cross.

- Vel ?

He asked, thought Cross didn't understand, but he supposed Horror asked him if he was doing good, as he looked concerned. Cross was doing fine, he wasn't hurt and by chance landed on his feet and on a plain surface, unlike Killer who ended up in a tree.

- Eo vais ben, mercit.

He thanked him, before hearing a spine-chilling scream.

- Google noooooooo !!

All three of them turned quickly, startled, and saw Dust, a little farther, kneeling on the ground with his little magic rectangle in his hands, visibly distressed.

- Dust ? Killer called, bene facis ?

- Google's dead ! Dust cried out, holding his rectangle in the air, it's mort, morz, mortuus, liflátinn, dead !!

Cross froze, who was dead ? Who was so important that Dust had to announce their death in five languages ? Was his rectangle dead ? Wait, wasn't the rectangle what allowed them to communicate ? Oh. They might have a problem then.

They looked at each other for a minute, not knowing how to save the rectangle from death, before Killer went to the wheeping skeleton and kneeled before him, looking through his bag. Dust looked up at him when he took out the thick book Dust had been reading recently: the Old Norse dictionary. Cross remembered Killer shoving the book in his bag when Dust left without it, saying he would keep it safe until he returned. Dust looked at the dictionary in awe, taking it carefully.

- Oh my fucking god, Killer, I love you so much right now, gratis.. !

Killer smiled, happy to have been useful.

As Dust was getting up with Killer's help they heard a new noise, and as they turned, they were met with a rather unusual sight: Nightmare, the very sophisticated Nightmare, was laying face flat in a mud puddle, the only mud puddle in the whole field, and looked particularly horrified, and disgusted, when he stood on his elbows, his face covered with mud. Killer couldn't help but burst out with laughter, especially when Nightmare tried to get up only to slip and fall again. Cross heard Dust fight back his own laughter and Horror chuckled, but even if the scene was indeed funny, Nightmare trully looked distressed, and Cross couldn't leave him like that.

- Sire !

He rushed to his side, helping him up by letting him grab him for balance, not caring if he dirtied his armor as it was rather easy to clean.

- Vous trouvez cela amusant !? Nightmare yelled, angry, and shaking slightly, asking if they found it funny.

Horror raised his hands in an apalogy motion, but Killer was still pretty much dying on the ground, wheezing and holding his non-existant stomach, Dust simply avoiding his gaze. Nightmare huffed, a shameful blush on his cheeks as Cross helped him step out of the puddle and sit on a log nearby as he tried to wipe the mud from his face, taking his gloves off as they were just as muddy anyway.

- Estes-vos blecié, sire ? Cross asked, wanting to know if he was hurt.

Nightmare shook his head, he wasn't hurt, physically at least. Cross nodded, standing straight again to look at the others: Killer had stopped laughing and was now catching his breath, Dust was looking at their surroundings, and Horror was looking at Nightmare, thoughtful, but didn't come any closer.

Now that everyone was here, they needed to think of a plan. They needed to figure out where they ended up, or when, if they could seek shelter somewhere, or if they couldn't and would have to build a sort of nest at least for the night, what they could hunt or gather, take turn to stand guard, ... Horror didn't seem to have his axe with him, which was... rather inconvenient, but he was pretty sure Killer still had his knives in his bag so it meant they were at least two with weapons to defend the group. He looked down at Nightmare again. They had to find water.

He sighed and gestured to everyone to come closer. He would rather they didn't split up.

- Nos devons trover eaue, he said, glancing at Nightmare who was still staring at his hands, senz se séparer, he added, looking back at them.

- Okay wait, Dust stopped him, "eaue" means water, right ? I mean he does need to wash himself so it would make sense he needs water... wait I think I remember the translation... he thought for a while, looking throught the dictionary, okay so.. aqua for Latin ? Aaaand... vatn for Old Norse.

Killer snorted.

- Sordidus est, aqua eget.

Cross wasn't sure what that meant, but judging by Nightmare's glare it most likely was a mockery, or one of the Roman's usual tease at least. He wanted to reprimand him, now wasn't the time for teasing, but Horror was faster than him and gave Killer a gentle nudge on the shoulder, shaking his head disapprovingly, to which Killer whined but didn't push it. Horror then pointed at the woods.

- Vatn.

Before anyone could reply, he opened the way. He had fallen in a bush and heard running water in the distance when he got up, surely there was a river nearby.

- Wait wait wait ! Dust interrupted again, Horror stopping to look at him. We're just gonna accept that we apparently got tossed throught time ? I mean it ain't you guys first time but it is mine ! And I actually have to go back to work !

Cross frowned. Work ? He knew what work meant, but why was Dust talking about work ? Oh, right ! Dust was supposed to be at work ! But he couldn't get back to work now, they didn't even know in what time they were, but surely it wasn't Dust's time anymore as these strange buildings were nowhere to be seen. Cross shook his head, Dust couldn't go back to work for now.

- What do you mean no ? I need the money.

Cross thought for a while, trying to remember the translation for money, and shook his head again.

- Nos sommes denz une altre époque, pas de "work".

He tried to explain, telling him they were in a different time. Dust frowned at him, before sighing.

- Well it's gonna be one fucking long bathroom break then... He mumbled, before following Horror again.

Cross held out a hand for Nightmare but the noble got up by himself, and simply followed the others from a distance, Cross walking behind to make sure no one deviated from the line and no threat appeared.

After only a few minutes they heard running water, and at the next turn around a tree, they saw a small river. Nightmare went to kneel on the shore and put his hands in the water. Killer went next to him, crounching down, and ignoring Nightmare's glare to rummage through his bag and take out a piece of cloth that he handed him. Nightmare looked at it for a while before taking it without saying a word, still bitter that they laughed, and put it in the water to clean his face. Dust stayed near Horror, looking at the trees.

Cross stood back, watching them all, making sure everything was safe for them to stop here.

He really hoped they could find a shelter soon.

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cable-salamdr · 5 months ago

Text

Alright, y’all already know. It’s time for a teaser breakdown.

Before I start, I will say that I will at times deviate from the chronological timeline of the actual teaser in order to accentuate or explain my point, or just because the images correlate to each other. Spoilers ahead, obviously. And just be aware that this is probably going to be a massive read (future cable who just finished writing: it is.).

(Also, here’s the link to my previous analysis post on the IMBD pictures because I cite it a lot, in case someone hasn’t seen that one yet)

So, let’s crack in, shall we?

Right off the bat, what I noticed immediately: This is a different punch than we’ve seen in the other Lloyd vision where Beatrix punches him (right). The lighting and background are different. Maybe this could be an indication that Beatrix is close to coming back? Either way, that sure is a way to start a teaser (I will be addressing the other part of that vision later)

Yay! Roby! By that selfie stick bit I am PRAYING that he *actually* has the personality that he does in that set promo video, because it now seems ever more like that. Also, hey! That’s one of the Explorer’s Club members! I’m assuming that he managed to find work in this Temple City after the Merge (good for him honestly tho he doesn’t look too thrilled)

Okay, this. We’ve already had this image as per the IMDB thing and we already assumed that it was Roby welcoming the ninja into the temple city, and through that I am going to assume that that image comes right after this one:

Which implies what I had already kind of guessed, and it’s that the ninja will have difficulty getting into the Temple City/ there will be some force trying to stop them. I actually first assumed this was the Imperium Hunters, but it seems like those are actually the Temple Guards.

Now, as per what I thought before and what I see here, I’m going to assume that this is a challenge already. In a sec I’ll talk about all the different kinds of challenges we see, because I think they’re quite interesting in of themselves, but because of that giant screen we see projecting the ninja (Lloyd and Nya) on Jiro behind Roby, this basically confirms to me that these Temple Guards aren’t there because they want to particularity stop the ninja from entering, but that they are just a sort of obstacle that any potential participant has to overcome in order to get into the city.

So, yay, the lizards aren’t being hurt just for the sake of it! How nice.

Then we’ve got this and. Uhm. Well first off what the fuck

But now to actually be serious, other people have already been saying this, and it’s the idea that the person sitting down (in what looks like almost a throne? Idk) is Nokt, and he’s sort of… half and half between the two worlds, which could bring about all sorts of things.

Edit: I have been made aware that this, in fact, probably isn’t Nokt (neither his body nor soul)

So what do I think this is? I have no fucking clue. I could say that this was my idea about Jordana getting mildly possessed by another FF that may have gotten out (because the way she acted at the end of p1), and honestly that seems to be the most plausible answer right now. Either way, to me, it looks like the other FF are either praying/ casting, or perhaps having some sort of meeting together? No matter what, it looks ominous as fuck, and something Kai and Bonzle (who we see walk up behind Kai) should probably not be walking into for their own safety.

*THIS* I find a very curious screenshot. Because yay Lloyd in his master robe HEWLL YEARH but also. He didn’t wear that before. In that IMBD picture we see him on the screen, and he is in fact wearing the green tournament suit.

I think what this implies is that THIS is actually for the The Feast episode, wherein I think they gave this sort of formal robe to Lloyd as a way to… I guess make him stand out as the leader of the group? Not to mention that they seem to be coming from a building and going into a new building and looking at something rather grand, which I can thus only assume is a big dining hall. I know people are saying that Arin looks too happy for it to be an episode farther in, but I honestly think it could be a facade. The fact that he’s holding open the door could imply that he feels the need to do something useful, at least.

However, the fact that Lloyd is wearing his robe also makes me think of another clip that we see:

I am going to say that I’m directly assuming these two things happen within the same episode. I haven’t seen anyone talk about how Lloyd is wearing the same outfit, and I think that’s with the assumption that he’s wearing this for the entire tournament which, as said, I don’t think is true.

What everyone IS talking about tho is the cloaked figure. Which, yk, is a cloaked figure. Of course I want to know who it is, but I have attempted my best at cross referencing any of the villain’s suits, and none of them match (A further post about that here). Which brings me to…

Something that I find very curious is that we don’t see any of Ras’ crew, except for Cinder. He’s the only elemental master they’ve got, and we don’t know whether Jay is *actually* gonna be there at all now, considering we didn’t see him whatsoever. Could this cloaked figure be Jay? Sure. But the suit doesn’t match up, either. Which made me realize that we don’t see any of the other fighters at all, really, which is… interesting, to say the least. Perhaps they’re just waiting to reveal what kinds of others powers there will be present at the tournament.

And since I was already talking about Cinder, let’s look at these screenshots, shall we?

What I get from the first one is that HORRAH Wyld vs Cinder rematch!! (Which means we can’t fully trust those fighting promo cards from a while ago because the fights don’t seem to completely match up). What else I get from it is that Shatterspin is allowed in the tournament, and by extension Rising Dragon! Which means that this is likely a tournament with rules similar to the Tournament of Elements, where the rules were basically that you could do whatever you wanted.

And for the second one. Good lord, I don’t even know. It just scares me, that’s all.

No, but, fr, what is happening. Why does he suddenly have Wyld’s power. Someone said this could be also like in the TOE, but instead of the loser’s element going to one person they go to the winner, which, yk, isn’t terrifying at all. You know what else isn’t terrifying at all? This bit:

I have much thoughts about this image, but I’m just gonna say what my first thought was, and it’s that this is Wyld accidentally setting something on fire, and then not being able to control it. Maybe even IN the Cinder fight. Maybe this is someone else causing it and Wyld gets blamed.

Either way, what I think is going to happen here is exactly that: WF gets blamed, and she will have to show that she’s grown as a person and wouldn’t just set things on fire anymore without reason, that she can help. Whether that works, or whether other people even believe her, is yet to be seen, I suppose.

(On a lighter note, I fucking love the little face of the flame on her back. The second letter seems to be a F, and the first one perhaps an R? I’m not quite sure. Anyways, it’s adorable.)

And speaking of adorable things:

GEO. HE’S HERE!!! He’s here and he’s cheering and I am going to selfishly believe that he’s cheering on Cole because GAH I need Geode to become real by the end of this season. God I hope no one at that Tournament is racist to Geo I would punch my screen

Ahem. Anyways. I guess what we can get from this is that those outfits seem to be spectator outfits rather than what the participants wear! And what we can get from that is that Geo will sadly probably not participate in the tournament. To be fair, it seems like only trained fighters will be attending, and despite Geo being able to kick ass, I don’t think he would be particularity good at it against people who have been training for who knows how long.

This also might imply he left the finder kids at the monastery in Mr. Frohicky’s care— which, yk, still leaves the question of how he gets to this tournament in the first place, as we do not see him in any of the screenshots where the ninja are still outside Temply City.

What I also realised from this is that we don’t see Euphrasia anywhere in this trailer. I’m still holding onto hope, so we’ll wait and see.

Then we’ve got all the Sora centric bits (which there seem to a lot of, which kinda tells me that she’s gonna be a focus and YES this will cause issues for Arin no one can convince me otherwise)

Anyways, as I said before, these images demonstrate to me what kind of challenges there will actually be within this tournament: Not just fights, but also what looks like a parkour and a race! Oh what joys. The first one actually kind makes me think that this is a challenge about ingenuity (due to that pole Sora is holding), but I might be reaching with that.

I didn’t get a screenshot of that lil Cole we see in that third clip as well, but I think that means we can safely assume that they're driving that combo vehicle we already have a set of, for which Cole gets the white and orange wedding suit! (Why? I don’t know. In my heart I'm choosing to believe everyone gets a similar outfit to that one.)

And that fuckass little dragon? I've got no idea. It kinda reminds me of Vania's dragon, Chompy, but also of those little Source Dragons Lloyd saw floating around his head right before he had the Master Dragon vision. Idk, it confuses me, so I'm choosing to ignore it lmao

And now the screenshots that I’ve been wanting to hold off on the longest… ho boy. Okay, there’s a lot here.

First off: This is before the tournament, and the next two images that I will be looking at are also before the tournament (the one with Lloyd falling), due to the fact that they are wearing their normal suits.

Second: The Matriarch. In the Kingdom of Madness area. As many people have already been guessing, this is likely where she thought to settle next after getting forced out of their previous home. But also, she looks… bigger? Idk maybe that’s just me. I also keep thinking that it’s the Energy, the Source Dragon that was imprisoned, or that it kinda looks like a bigger Zanth, but I’m probably wrong with that, as that doesn’t make much sense.

Either way, the kids seem to have to help her with something. And, to me, she almost seems… hurt? Like she didn’t call them there to chat or catch up with Riyu, but that she desperately needs help, perhaps something about her horde. Anyways, it concerns me deeply, especially with the next image in mind, which I cannot imagine being before that first one.

Other’s have been saying it and we all know it: that in the background looks like an Administration computer. The problem is that… it’s not the usual color (which was I think green? Berate me if I’m wrong)

So, what do I think happened here? I think the pictures directly correlate. I think what’s gonna be happening here is that the Matriarch wanted to move to this place within the Kingdom of Madness, the Administration was notified of the wrong kind of dragon activity, and is then trying to get them back out, most likely by capturing and deporting them, but maybe also something worse— who knows at this point. Somehow, the Matriarch got hurt, that’s for sure. Maybe she fought them, who knows. What I think will then happen is that either the kids attempt to find where they took the dragons, or they, too, will be captured and brought back.

What happens after this is entirely illusive to me. Of course they could be seeing Jay in that second screenshot, but somehow I doubt it (if this prediction comes true I’m gonna lose my fucking marbles). Either way they are seeing something that’s not normal, which has got to be something extreme, considering Arin has been in that place and has most likely told Sora about it. Maybe they just set off an alarm and that’s why it’s blaring red? Who knows. I sure don’t.

And these screencaps are just as a mystery (as said, these are very likely pre-Tournament, as Lloyd is still in his climber suit)

But what I haven’t seen a lot of people say yet is that we do know who that dragon is, as it appears to be Heatwave (you can see his face in that split second, in the first screenshot). It looks to me as if Lloyd was either deliberately jumping to one place and Heatwave caught him as to prevent that (for whatever reason?), or Lloyd somehow ended up in this falling situation, and HW is saving him (for whatever reason???). Either explanation scares me.

And last, but oh my god definitely not least, we have this clip of Motion. She is so gorgeous I don’t know what to say.

So I’ll just repeat what others have been saying, which is that this is likely in the first episode and the way that the ninja actually get their invitation.

Also I lied I do have smth to say: I feel like this could correlate to that one part at the beginning with Lloyd’s nightmare, where he also sees Motion. Perhaps Lloyd will be convinced that following this invitation will be a bad thing, since he saw it in relation to the other bad things (such as Beatrix punching him for a second time), but the others will convince him, for better or for worse.

Either way, this means that the invitation is personal. We can assume that this will not be some sort of trick by others, but that this is really Motion, inviting them to the tournament, as she was also one of the SDs that was up for helping Lloyd. This makes me ever more so believe that whatever the prize of the Tournament is could potentially result in Kai’s return.

Anyways, that’s all from me. I hope this ramble wasn’t too unorganised, I’ve been writing this for………..an hour. I am normal about this show I swear.

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