#i thought i’d be missing seasons by now but i’m actually loving the ambience of the base game

[simspaghetti]

Peaceful evening at the park 🎶💞

[conduitandconjurer]

Meta 

Klaus is opportunistic, but never in such a way as actively hurts others.  Klaus is a conjurer, a conversant with the dead, and therefore a being of change, self-actualization, and transition.  Down to the “hello” and “goodbye” hands.  He’s a harlequin, a trickster archetype, LIMINAL, nonbinary, an agent of unexpected wisdom and, again, change, change, change.  You can’t expect a corvid to behave like a lion. 

There’s apparently some static circulating the TUA fandom about Klaus’s behavior in season two. I’m well into it and still not seeing why, but I think part of the misapprehension is that he uses and then neglects Ben, rendering their partnership in the execution of his power unequal, and opportunistic, providing him the fodder that fueled his cult.  

I’d like to address that as a new fan, on several counts:

1) the desire to see Dave again and the willingness to tamper with the Kennedy Assassination timeline (unaware, so far, as to the world-ending effects) in order to spare his One Great Love from dying in Vietnam.  I will side-burner this one right now because I haven’t gotten to the end of season two yet and don’t yet know to what extremes Klaus will go to see this happen.  

2) His relationship with Ben.  The real reason why he keeps Ben a secret hidden under a bushel is, imho, complex.  This one goes out to @vericey, who thought up the headcanon, but in essence, Klaus has never wanted the powers (the “greatness thrust upon him”) that he was born with, unlike his siblings, who have savior complexes (their own highly difficult psychological battles, which I am NOT discounting here), and who seem compelled to use their powers to save others. It’s both an obligation and a validation for them.  For Klaus, that’s never been the case. HE DIDN’T ASK FOR THAT RESPONSIBILITY, SO TO HIM IT’S CONTRACTUALLY UNFAIR TO ASK HIM TO HONOR IT.  He has no desire to be a conduit to thousands upon millions of dead souls who need him to attend to their unfinished business.  Attuned and emotionally sensitive, he is already daily over-stimulated and overwhelmed by their needs and demands.  Enter Ben, the byproduct of that unwanted ability, who is the sibling who had a statue at the academy. The sibling everyone mourns.  Ben already has more presence among the other Hargreeves kids than Klaus, who is still alive.  The siblings have disregarded Klaus as a junkie since adolescence.  They never bothered to learn WHY he gets high, WHY he has his head plugged into music 24/7, WHY he runs from responsibility. It’s not because Klaus is truly unreliable or selfish: it’s because in order to bear his unwanted special ability, he has to numb the ambience.  But what KLAUS knows is that his siblings would suddenly hold great value in his presence if they knew they could use him to talk to the brother they actually DO miss.  So he mentions Ben only sparingly, and never discusses Ben’s CONTINUAL presence.  It’s a desperate bid to gauge whether or not his family values him FOR HIM. 

3) Which brings me to the cult.  A lot of fans see the Klaus Cult as some kind of comic relief that reveals the depth of his self-centeredness. It’s not entirely untrue, but there’s another layer. Klaus conceals and obscures, Klaus mutes and hides, as a way of coping.  This applies everything from his sardonic sense of humor, to his drug abuse, to hedging on the truth about Ben, to avoiding conjuring unless he must, to taking advantage of people’s preconceptions of “enlightenment” and “holiness” in order to climb the (homophobic, cissexist) social ladder of 1960s America.  

The key to 90% of Klaus’s opportunism is that it’s BENIGN.   What he does may affect others but only insofar as they choose to react in a way that harms them.  He never gives them the tools to hurt themselves; he simply interacts in the same sphere as they do, without action and without judgment.

(Klaus’s outlook on life is very Eastern-hemisphere, and it’s no surprise that when he was traveling the world in the era of oft-high white hippies appropriating Eastern thought, he visited India.)  

 Think about previous examples: robbing a convenience store for like an armful of junk food; trying to steal money from his millionaire dead abusive father; letting Ben haze a racist cop to get his sister’s husband out of jail.  It’s the same thing with the cult.  Ben levitates Klaus, Klaus quotes pop songs by TLC and Destiny’s Child to wow crowds into seeing him as a guru. People are happy and peaceful, and he happens to get lots of money and flourish in queer havens across the country, like San Francisco, where otherwise he’d probably be brutally murdered for being gay.  Does anybody get hurt? Nope.  And to me, that’s what’s crucial. 

 Incidentally: the only time Klaus was ever connected to someone else getting hurt was when Patch died by Agent ChaCha’s gun.  Be assured he blames himself for that, but he certainly didn’t ask to be kidnapped and tortured for days, nor did he ask Patch to go into the hotel room without backup from Diego.  

I think people should bear in mind that while Klaus is a master of nonaction, he is also never selfish in such a way as gets other people hurt.  He is the first person to comfort as well as sensibly aid a sibling in a moment of real crisis. Three examples off the top of my head:

A) Being the only sibling aside Allison to seriously question locking Vanya away in the very room where she was abused by neglect as a child, insisting, “this is Vanya, she used to cry when we stepped on ants!” and “Why don’t we just let her out and ASK her what happened?”  If anything, Klaus is a champion of respecting the will and rights of others. 

B) Putting a hand on Luther’s shoulder while crying himself, when Allison was discovered nearly killed by Vanya (poor Vanya, she’s a whole other kettle of fish and I frankly adore her), as well as being very kind and patient with Luther when he was drunk earlier (and physically assaulted Klaus):

C) Rushing into a police riot zone to rescue Allison while her husband, frightened of her powers, was running into danger: 

Klaus has a compassionate heart.  He just has issues with confrontation and with follow-through, because this is a life he would forfeit in a second if he could. And who can blame him?   Frankly Klaus has the healthiest outlook on Reginald Hargreeves and his abusive bullshit, of all the siblings. He’s the only one who calls Reginald out, establishes healthy self-other boundaries with his “father,” and is then at peace with the ways in which Reginald continues to fall short, certain that these failings are no fault of Klaus’s own.   Just see their conversation in the barbershop in “heaven.”

Let me repeat: 

HE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS RESPONSIBILITY, SO TO HIM IT’S CONTRACTUALLY UNFAIR TO ASK HIM TO HONOR IT. He will try, when it concerns the welfare of family members, but he doesn’t see why he should be somehow predestined to “save the world” when he never claimed the ability to do so. 

4) And that’s not even touching Klaus’s Complex-PTSD, which began before Vietnam and is still a MAJOR and FORMATIVE part of how he behaves now.  

[datheetjoella]

Fantober 2020, Day 24: Picnic

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Part: 24/31 (read the full collection here) Word count: 1,564 Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, Quarantine, Pandemic, References to Sexual Content Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!

                                             --------------------------------

When Makoto visited the shrine on January first and prayed for a good year, the last thing he expected was to be in quarantine because of a pandemic three months later. And yet, that was exactly the situation he found himself in.

His study and work had been put on hold and he had to refrain from leaving his home except for necessary groceries, but Makoto felt like he couldn't complain. He wouldn't get lonely because Haruka was here and there was no one he'd rather be stuck inside with than him. They recently moved into a bigger apartment, so even if they did get sick of each other's company - which was unlikely - they could retreat to either the bathroom and their bedroom, which was separate from the living room and kitchen. All of their loved ones remained to be healthy up until now which was a blessing in itself, and he'd always been a homebody anyway so he didn't miss going out and about as much as some of their more extroverted friends.

But there were days Makoto couldn't help but feel lost. After all, he was in Tokyo to follow his dreams and it was a bit frustrating he couldn't continue to live the life he meticulously built here. When days passed during which cancelled plans should've taken place, the sullen feeling welled up and he missed even the most mundane things, like going to a bookstore with Ikuya and Hiyori or drinking coffee at Marron and catching up with Kisumi, Asahi, Akane and little Tsukushi.

Today was one of those days. The cherry trees were in full bloom and even though they hadn't planned a flower-viewing party with their friends, Makoto always looked forward to the season. It was sad to let the beautiful petals fall without appreciating them properly, but spring would come again and Makoto was sure they could celebrate a new start then. Health and safety were priority number one, everything else could wait until later.

Fortunately, Makoto wasn't one to get bored easily so on days like these, he distracted himself by reading a book or playing some games. While Haruka didn't mind being cooped up at home either, he did miss the freedom of swimming at the pool. To make up for the lack of water, he spent even more time in the tub than usual and to release his excess energy, he dragged Makoto over to their bedroom at least twice a day. It could be a bit exhausting, especially if Haruka insisted on a second or even a third round, but Makoto would be lying if he said he disliked this turn of events. Being with Haruka so much, both between the sheets and outside of them, was the silver lining amidst this awful situation.

After one of these 'morning marathons', Makoto was the one relaxing in the bath for a change. He invited Haruka to join him, but he claimed he had something to do and left swiftly after they cleaned up. Not wanting to pry, Makoto let him off the hook without any questions. If it was important, he was sure Haruka would tell him eventually.

Cuddling with Haruka held his preference, but it was also nice to be able to stretch out his legs for once. With his eyes shut in contentment, Makoto basked in the warm, soapy clutch, enveloped by comfort and serenity; moments like these made him understand Haruka's affinity for the water a little more. He could stay here for hours, but the seed of curiosity Haruka planted in his mind by acting so cryptically began to grow as the water nourished it.

When his stomach growled, he gave in to the temptation and yanked the plug out of the drain. He dried himself quickly and slipped on some loungewear. If Haruka was still busy, he would leave him be. Then he'd be a good boyfriend and whip up some egg sandwiches for their lunch.

"Haru?" he called as he opened the bathroom door and his jaw hurtled to the floor.

The furniture inside their living room was shoved aside and Haruka was sitting on a large quilt in the middle of it. Multiple lunchboxes with all kinds of different food, from onigiri and karaage to pieces of fish and a variety of vegetables, were set out beside him along with a thermos and two cups. And to top it all off, an enormous drawing of a hanging, blossoming cherry tree was taped against the wall, fallen petals spread across the floor.

"Haru," Makoto gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle his astonishment. "What's all of this?"

"You looked so somber that we can't go out to watch the cherry blossoms, so I thought I'd bring the cherry blossoms here."

Tears emerged in Makoto's eyes, but he swallowed them before they could spill. Ever since they were little, Haruka had been incredibly kind and thoughtful, yet gestures like these never ceased to surprise Makoto.

"This is amazing, Haru," he said, letting his eyes drink in the atmospheric feast Haruka prepared. "When did you do all of this?"

"I started this morning when you were still asleep and I finished it while you took a bath," Haruka said, a soft, shy smile adorning his lips.

"So that's why you were so eager to keep me in bed," Makoto said; Haruka was always excited and ready to pamper him behind closed doors, but he brought it to a new level this morning.

"Part of the reason," Haruka mumbled and Makoto could read the rest of the reason on his face, that was shaded the same lovely pink as the paper petals. "Now, sit down and eat before the food spoils."

At the mention of food, Makoto's stomach cried out again. At least he hadn't skipped breakfast for nothing.

He plopped down on the quilt beside Haruka, who handed him a pair of chopsticks. They said their thanks, then Makoto didn't waste a second before he dug in. He picked up an omelette roll, that was so soft and fluffy it melted on his tongue. He had to resist the urge to moan; he'd already disturbed the neighbours enough at that point.

"This is so good, Haru," he said through his full mouth. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

Haruka shrugged. "I know it's not the same as an actual picnic with our friends beneath a real cherry tree, but I hope you still like this."

"I love it," Makoto said, leaning over to drop a kiss onto Haruka's cheek, "I couldn't have wished for anything more than this; this is the best flower-viewing party I've ever been invited to."

And he meant every word. Despite them being inside their house and the tree being cut out of pencil-coloured pages of his notebook, the ambience hadn't gotten lost. On the contrary, because it was just the two of them at home, the ambience was even better than it would've been otherwise. Haruka put so much effort into doing this especially for him and that made it so much more meaningful than anything they could've set up with a group of friends. This was so charming and whimsical it turned Makoto's insides to mush, his heart fluttering against his ribcage.

Perhaps Haruka was even more of a hopeless romantic than him. But if he said that, Haruka would surely get annoyed at him and he wouldn't want to make him grumpy after this grand gesture of affection.

"I had no idea you were planning something like this," Makoto said instead as he plucked a mini tomato from one of the boxes. As a token of his appreciation, he'd leave most of the mackerel for Haruka.

"If I let you notice, then it wouldn't have been a surprise."

"You're right. You raised the bar by a lot, though. I don't know how I'm ever going to top this."

"You don't have to," Haruka said, munching on a tuna with mayonnaise onigiri. "I didn't do this to get something in return."

"I know, but this is so special to me, I want to do something for you that gives you that special feeling, too."

"Idiot," Haruka said as he picked at a grain of rice, "You don't have to do anything for that."

Fireworks of adoration exploded in Makoto's stomach. Haruka was so cute, he truly loved him too much for his own good. This adorable reaction only made the desire to return the favour fizz up even stronger.

"Thanks, Haru." An unrestrainable smile curled Makoto's lips. "Still, this is so much fun, we should do things like this more often. When all of this is over and we can go out again, I'll take you on a nice date. I can't promise it'll be anywhere near as good as this, but I'll try my best."

"If you insist, then I'll be looking forward to that," Haruka said with a tiny smile of his own brightening his beautiful face.

Makoto leaned forward and stole a kiss from Haruka's mouth, the flavours of the food intermingling between them. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to organise for their date, but fortunately, he had a lot of time to think about it. For now, he would simply enjoy their little picnic and revel in this amazing moment Haruka created.

[catchlalune]

My Dearest Rose

a/n: hello again my starbursts! I hope quarantine is treating you well, please don’t forget to keep practicing social distancing! In the next installment of fics I may never finish writing is one very dear to me, I was having soooo much fun writing it but admittedly lost my steam. There are a lot of errors that I haven’t fixed and though the plot was thought out it was not completed in its entirety (obvi) it was maybe about 55% complete? But please give me some feedback and tell me if you like this style of song fic! (Also the very end is supposed to be very close to the very end of the story, I jumped around a bit whilst writting it!)

Pairing: Kim Woosung x Reader

Word Count: 3012

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Fantasy! Au, Cinderella! Au (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella to be more precise)

Warnings: mentions of minor character death

The sweetest sounds I’ll ever hear are still inside my head

The kindest words I’ll ever know are waiting to be said

The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see, and the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me

The first time you meet him it is down by the public shoppes. He’s someone you’ve never met before and someone you are sure you’d remember due to the color of his hair, golden like inside of an iris’s petals.

 His eyes were so brown and so kind you had trouble responding to him when he spoke to you. 

“Miss? Are you alright?” You have to blink several times for his words to register in your head and when they do, you jolt and quickly look to the ground. 

“Yes, I think so.” You finally speak up as you gather the packages that were dropped when you were trying to not be trampled by the majestic horses and the beautiful blue carriage embroidered with the most astonishing golden detailing. 

“Those royals, never caring if they’re in someone’s way.” He comments as he begins to stack the packages for you and you quickly take them from him. 

“Oh, I’m sure they were going somewhere very important.” you reply sheepishly He doesn’t seem to buy that but gives you a gentle smile nonetheless. 

“Important enough to almost run someone over? I’m not sure about that.” He remarks, with a telling smile. You stop for a second just to think over his words, your brows furrowing as you turn from him. 

“Well, thank you, thank you very much.” You thank him meekly remembering you really are in a hurry, but before can make your getaway he frantically follows you. 

“Wait, what’s your name?” He asks, questioningly. You weren’t inclined to answer but you did nonetheless. 

“(Your name)? I like it.” The smile he gives you is charming, fit for a prince you think. 

“It grows on you I guess, if you’ll excuse me I really must deliver these now.” You can hear the fatigue in your voice as you say that and you turn to leave again but he continues to follow. 

“I can help! I do wish to speak to you some more and figure out what a man would need to learn in order to get in your good graces.” He says cheerfully and he takes the heaviest boxes from your arms before you can think about protesting. He just sets off in the direction you were headed.

“Well, I suppose I should know the name of the man that would like to know. And why he might be so adamant in helping out a girl he’s just met.” You sass as you jog after him.

“Let’s just say that he’s” a charming stranger.” He chuckles out, smirking.

“How charming can he be if he won’t answer a simple enough question as his name?” You ask as you stray away from him for a moment to drop off a package to the baker’s wife who was waiting outside of the bakery for you. She greets you with a wide smile and a warm muffin freshly baked. She sends you off with well wishes and a Tell your father thank you!

“How well do you know the people of this town?” You jump a little at the voice of the strange man to your left. 

“I’d feel more obligated to answer once I know how to address you.” You shrug. He laughs and shakes his head. 

“I thought I would be able to get away with not telling you but I concede. My name is Woosung.” He says pleasantly

“I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want to tell me if you want to help me but alright, it’s a pleasure to meet you Woosung.”  You say almost dropping a box. 

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” He replies smoothly. You want to smile at that but cover it up with a shift of the packages in your arms. 

“So it is.” 

With the help of Woosung you were able to get the deliveries done much faster than anticipated. Though he was a little strange and a bit over eager he was kind enough to help you with your task and see it through to the end. You decided it best to reward him by sharing half of your muffin with him. 

“It is much better when it’s still warm and with a glass of cold milk. My mother always thought so anyway.” You comment, remembering. He perks up at that while mumbling the question you so dreaded hearing with a mouthful of muffin, his stuffed cheeks making him look like a woodland creature. 

“Thought so?” 

“Yes, she passed when I was five. I remember bits and pieces but not everything.” You say. His shoulders slump and he gives you a sympathetic look. 

He replies. “I apologize for asking.” You were glad he didn’t say he was sorry for her passing, for you never really knew what to say after that in a conversation.

“There’s no need for an apology. I’ve learned to live with it now, my father had a girlfriend a couple years past and she was nice at first. Until she wanted me to call her mother then she got very mean. She made me do all the chores around the house alone and then at the end of the day would make me sleep in front of the fireplace as her two daughters took my room.” You state, seemingly unhappy with it.

“And your dad did nothing to stop it?” There was anger simmering underneath his tone. 

“He wasn’t around often. He may have been around for a week at a time before leaving for business trips. Until one day I begged him to stay or to take me with him and then he questioned why. My stepmother and sisters left very promptly after that.” Is what you respond.

“What do you do now?” He asks,with eyes that seem to be hanging off your every word. 

“Now I work with him. We moved towns after that and we are actually fairly new here. We own the flower shoppe right down there.” You point to the shop on the far side of the square that sat on the corner of the road. The bench two of you sat on having the perfect view of the quaint little store. 

“I’m not sure why I told you all this. But I think it probably has to do with having the same old routine all the time.” You continue.

“I understand that. Working tirelessly day in and day out doing the same old thing. It is nice to do something out of the ordinary once in a while.” He nods looking up at the clouds that lazily passed by. You were glad that at least someone could understand you. 

“Well, what about you?” Your question seems to startle him. 

“M-me?” Was that a stutter? He seemed so confident a moment ago. “My story is not very interesting. Just a boring family living in a boring place surrounded by boring people doing boring tasks.” He sounded a bit bitter about it. 

“That does seem a bit uninteresting.” You remark, letting it go for now, allowing the silence to settle comfortably over you both. Well, as silent as the ambience of the busy town square would allow. When the sun begins to lull he stands and stretches looking much like a cat, the thought makes you giggle and he grins in your direction. 

“Leaving so soon, Prince Charming?” He blinks at you, a bit startled. “You act so gentlemanly, it is something befitting of a prince.” You tease.

He shakes his head at this. “Oh hardly m’lady, I am not deserving of such a title.” He tilts his head then a small frown adorning his lips. They were a pretty pink color like that of a peach-colored rose. You then wonder. “Will I see you again?” 

“Perhaps, if you are ever in need of a bouquet.” He says smiling at you again, always such a dazzling occurrence. 

“I will make sure to need one in the future. Then, I’ll be going first.” Woosung says, you nod at him a small wave after until he turns his back and disappears down the cobblestone walkway.  

When you turn to make your back way to the store, your best friend stands before you a question in his eyes and his arms folded across his chest. 

“Oh! Dojoon, you nearly frightened me to death.” You squeak out, the hand over your heart could hardly calm its frantic beating. 

“Who was that?” He questions. You weren’t sure why but the tone in his voice had you a bit miffed. He was a nosy man but all in good faith. He was the first person you bonded with in town after landing a job in your store and you two were basically attached to the hip ever since. Usually you two would take turns delivering and working in the store, often alternating between the tasks. He probably set out to find you after you took longer than usual to get back.

“A charming stranger, that’s all.” You said, opening the door to your store, not really caring too much if it hits him as it shuts. 

“He has a name, doesn’t he?” He pushes. Dojoon had no trouble keeping up with your shorter strides. 

“Who has a name?” Your father's voice makes you jump for the third time that day. 

“No one, papa. How were the sales today?” You say, diverting the conversation.

 The attempt to change the subject worked well in your favor as your father and Dojoon were easily distracted by telling you animated stories of the days events. You only listened half heartedly, in the back of your mind you hoped -though a strange thought-that you would be able to meet the charming man once again. 

♧♧♧

After that encounter, Woosung came back the next day, and then the next, always incredibly charming and princely. The two of you spent so much time together you hardly noticed the changing of the seasons, summer turning to autumn, autumn to winter, the chill of the snow bidding its farewell when spring came and nestled its way into the trees, breathing life back into the nature around you. 

The two of you often spent time working together, if he didn’t help you with deliveries then he was helping your father with business matters or Dojoon with tending the flowers. If anyone enjoyed Woosung’s company more than you it was Dojoon. He was certainly skeptical at first until he met him and then they bonded well over their common interests in black roses and music. 

“Aye, did you all hear? The prince is giving a ball!” One of your regulars Mr. Windsong informs you with a bright smile. You notice Woosung stiffen next to you but you choose not to say anything about it. 

“Oh is he? I’m sure that will be very nice for the royals.” You reply to him flippantly, you weren’t very interested in the affairs of the rich. 

“You should be more interested,” Mr. Windsong motions for you to lean in so he can whisper in your ear,you humor him if only to get him to leave. “I hear he is to be picking a princess. Any lady he sees fit to marry so all of the eligible young woman in the land are invited.” 

“Trying to marry my daughter off are you?” You giggle at your father’s grand entrance bringing with him the lingering smell of cherry blossoms from the outside. 

“Oh no papa, he was just telling me about the ball the Prince is holding.” You watch as your father raises his brows and hands off a couple packages to Woosung to put away. 

“Oh the I heard about that too, apparently his parents want to marry him off. A little strange if you ask me, the King isn’t even past his prime yet.” The wind chimes tinkle as Dojoon steps in and Mr. Windsong steps out bidding everyone a farewell. 

“Perhaps his parents just want what is best for him.” The three of you turn your heads to Woosung whose mouth is slightly turned downwards. 

“Perhaps, but regardless it has nothing to do with me,” You get up from your perch behind the register and pick up a watering can to water some yellow carnations. “I have no interest in marrying a prince, let alone one I don’t know. Don’t you think marrying someone you hardly know is barbaric? What’s the use of marriage if not to marry someone you love?” You remark.

“Well we don’t know if the prince is being forced into it, he could not be.” Woosung adds, smiling at you but you sigh shaking your head slightly. 

“I’m not talking about the prince, I’m talking about the women. Why are we expected to just fall in love at the drop of a dime? Who cares if you’re a prince or a common man if you just expect us to just fall at the mention of fame and fortune?” You rebuttal.

If there was one thing Woosung was not expecting it was that. Your words caused his skin to flush, they were so cold. 

“Now dear, not all men are the same.” Sensing the tension your father steps between the two of you and Dojoon lets out a loud boisterous laugh. 

“Honestly, papa. I’m as mild and as meek as mouse, whenever someone gives me a command I obey. But the idea of being forced into marriage infuriates me. I loathe it, what am I to do if the one I marry forces me into it to? Will I ever get to be myself?” You question.

“Listen to me dear, I will not let that happen. No one will ever force you into anything ever again, not even me.” Your father sets a warm palm on your shoulder as reassurance and you nod at him. 

“I know, I just get scared sometimes thinking of life outside this shop. What if when you pass I’m married off to some evil man? Money does the worst things to people papa.” You can hear the “emotion” in your voice.

You watch as Dojoon steps forward with a crooked smile and shakes his head. “What am I chopped liver? I thought we made a pact that if you weren’t to be married by the time of your father’s passing that we’d-”

“Why are we speaking as if I’m about to meet the undertaker?” Your father interrupts, his question makes both you and Dojoon laugh. 

“Not at all sir!” Dojoon says, face flushed from laughing.

“It’s just, mama passed out of nowhere it seemed and if that were to happen to you too well I..I wouldn’t know what to do.” You prune at a patch of Forget-Me-Not’s as you say this, you vaguely remember your mother being fond of the baby blue blooms. 

☆☆☆☆

"I yearn for you, for your soft glances and your approval. I have never known a feeling quite like this, I only wish for you to extinguish the fire inside me. Please, tell me you care for me too."

You can't help but look at him from his confession, affairs of the heart were not something you were well versed in. But you'd be lying if you said his presence didn't alight a fire in you and snuff it out all at once. Its the tenderness of his voice and the way the moon reflects off the water on to his face that makes your breath quicken, at least that's what you tell yourself. 

"You know I care for you."

"But do you care for me? Does me being a prince make a difference? Tell me now, and I won't ever bother you again but you have to speak to me. Please do not shut me out." Woosung sounds desperate and you cant help feeling it's your fault for making him this way. 

The two of you sit there for a long while, him waiting patiently and you staring at the way the moon hits the water. You want to say it, want to speak your truth but admission is so hard and you are so weary. Regardless of the passage of time Woosung never moves from your side, he remains even when the chirping of early morning birds can be heard. He knows you, he understands. 

"I- I wish to-" Your voice comes out hoarse but Woosung doesn't seem to mind, he just hangs on every last word. 

When you turn to him you can see the adoration in his eyes, it was always there sparkling and bright. You could always feel it, the way he seemed to find your gaze in a crowded room always. The way with which he spoke to you, soft and steady. The way with which he bore his heart to you, slow with no pressure. It is all you can think about before pressing your lips to his in a kiss that would make Aphrodite squeal. 

The touch of his lips on yours is so right, he melts into it but does not move to make it go any further. It is languid and full of the emotions you both can not hope to ever put into words. It is full of the longing and of two beating hearts that call out for each other. Even then he remains as he always has. 

"Charming." 

"My dearest love, you are the charming one. And I will always be right here for you." He speaks the words like the whisper of a song as he taps the spot on the left side of your breast where you can feel a hammering. 

It's clear to you now that from the very moment you met at the shoppes all those seasons ago that he had always been for you, waiting and patient. 

[kat-feinated]

My favorite Denver restaurants

How was your week?

My week included being invited to have a threesome with two of my work clients, who are both meth addicts and lost custody of their child due to said meth addiction.

My boss asked me to send the text to her and just replied “FOR GOD SAKE” and I feel like that’s the perfect summary of my year.

Speaking of meth, we finally finished watching “Tiger King” this week. I know I know, that show is so one month ago. But I have a lot of thoughts that I need to share with the world.

1. Did anyone else find Joe really sympathetic and felt bad for him? Yes, I know he’s unstable and probably killed animals and stuff but I found him...endearing!? 

2. Doc Antle is the creepiest ever ever ever. 

3. Jeff Lowe sucks. And his wife is way too young for him. And THE WHOLE THING WITH THE NANNY I JUST CAN’T.

4. The guy with no legs whose name I can’t remember was my favorite character. And just seems so normal. How did he end up there!?

5. I’m proud of Saff for standing up for Joe in the aftershow...everyone else just sold him down the river!

6. Howard Baskin. Howard Baskin singing. Howard Baskin’s wedding photos with Carole Baskin. The show is worth watching just for Howard Baskin.

7. Do I think Carole murdered her husband and fed him to a tiger? Yes. Would I still hang out with her in a heartbeat? ABSOLUTELY.

8. I’m extremely mad that I didn’t come up with “hey all you cool cats and kittens”. And now it’s already over-used.

Do you miss eating at restaurants as much as I do? (Probably not because you’re probably a normal person who has friends and other hobbies). I miss restaurants so much it HURTS. I miss looking up menus and deciding what I’m going to order days before I go. I miss people-watching and commenting on everyone else’s food. I miss kind servers bringing me baskets of bread and drinks that I didn’t make. I MISS RESTAURANTS YOU GUYS.

So, while I’m eagerly waiting for restaurants to start re-opening, I thought it would be fun to share my very favorite places to eat in Denver. Share this list with your favorite Denver local! Or better yet, come visit Denver and try these spots out (and invite me!!). 

Cuba Cuba: This was the first restaurant I tried in Denver, because it’s across the street from our old apartment. It’s located in an adorable blue bungalow but is surprisingly spacious on the inside. For drinks, order their house made mojitos or a pina colada. For appetizers, order the plantain chips with guacamole and garlic sauce (YUM) or the empanadas. Everything I’ve eaten there for dinner has been delicious, but I especially love the coconut shrimp and the chimichurri steak.

Perfect for: a date night or girls’ night where you feel like getting a little dressed up (but you’d be fine going there dressed more casually).

Rioja: This is my mom’s favorite Denver restaurant, and she insists we go every single time she’s in town. It’s located in Larimer Square, the cutest and most charming street in downtown Denver. It’s a bunch of old Victorian buildings that have been converted into restaurants and shops, and the street is decorated with twinkly lights and Colorado state flags so it’s a great spot to get a touristy picture when you visit.

The menu changes constantly, so it’s hard to recommend exactly what to order, but you can’t go wrong with the pasta dishes. They are known for their artichoke tortelloni and it’s honestly the best pasta I’ve ever eaten in my life. Last time we also ordered the tagliatelle and clams which was fantastic. For starters, order the smoked pear and raclette if it’s available-so yummy.

Also, Rioja makes all their bread in house, and it’s probably our favorite part of the restaurant. Waiters literally come around with a giant tray of bread and I always try every single type. The lavender sourdough and rosemary biscuit are life-changing.

Perfect for: when your parents come visit (and pay!) or a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday dinner. It is on the pricey side.

Work & Class: This is probably the Denver restaurant I’ve eaten at the most. Located in the very hip Five Points neighborhood, Work & Class is always busy and does not take reservations, so I would recommend going on a random weeknight vs. a Friday or Saturday. If you do go on the weekend, plan on an hour plus wait-the good news is you’re surrounded by bars and breweries to help pass the time.

Work & Class is a South American/American fusion restaurant, and everything is served tapas (small plates) style, so go with someone you are cool sharing with. They have fabulous in-house cocktails which change seasonally, so definitely order one while you peruse the menu. It’s hard to make food recommendations since I’ve probably tried everything on the menu and have never been disappointed, but some of my favorites include: the lamb, the empanadas, the mac & cheese, and any of their vegetable side dishes.

Perfect for: your group of friends who you’re comfortable sharing with (eating off of each other’s plates!).

Mercantile Dining & Provisions: This is another spot that my mom insists on visiting every time she comes to Denver. It’s located in Union Station in downtown Denver, which is itself a great spot to visit. It’s an old train station (that is still a working train station) but also home to a hotel, an ice cream parlor, a bookshop, a florist, and every other small adorable business you can imagine.

Mercantile serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (I’ve had all 3 there), but my mom and I have created what we believe is the perfect system for dining there. We always go on the day she is leaving town, since she can take the train from Union Station to the Denver Airport after our meal. We try to go around 11am, and we order a raspberry muffin. My mom doesn’t even like muffins, but these are no ordinary muffins-not too sweet, perfectly fluffy, moist (I’M SORRY) -just sheer perfection. After sitting and people watching for about an hour, we then order a short rib sandwich around noon, as soon as they start serving their lunch menu (it gets quite busy at this time). SO GOOD. SO TASTY. Plus, the restaurant itself is so cute-it looks like Joanna Gaines designed the perfect black-and-white chic modern farmhouse.

Perfect for: brunch/lunch after a morning exploring downtown Denver, or a quick bite before catching the train to the airport.

Lowdown Brewery: Is it cheating that this is actually a brewery and not a restaurant? I say it counts because they make all their food in house. I don’t always love going to the popular breweries around Denver because they’re usually packed. I’ve never seen Lowdown packed and in my opinion it’s the best brewery in Denver in terms of food and ambience-and the beer is good too!

Not only do they make and sell their own beers, but their menu always features a seasonally rotating list of Colorado beers as well. They have a lot of IPA’s (which I despise but everyone else seems to love). I’ve tried their blood orange wheat, selfish (pale ale), and their blackberry sour and have enjoyed all three. In terms of food, you can’t go wrong with any of their pizzas, salads, or sandwiches, but I personally can’t get enough of their beer cheese dip (served with broccoli, apple slices, and soft pretzel bites-I’M DROOLING).

Perfect for: sitting out on their patio with friends in the warm weather. Bring your dog!

El Five: El Five has one of the coolest views of downtown Denver, not to mention delicious food and drinks and great service. Their sangria is the best I’ve ever tasted, but they have tons of great cocktail, beer and wine choices if that’s not your thing (but also what is wrong with you). For appetizers, try the spreads of the med-a platter of house made pita, hummus, and veggies. For their traditional tapas, I’ve tried and enjoyed the patatas bravas, the shrimp & calamari, and the goat cheese croquettes. Then, of course, you must try their paella. I’ve tried both the Valencian (made with rabbit confit!) and the seafood and would recommend either. Be prepared to log roll out of the restaurant when you’re finished because you will have gained 100 pounds.

Perfect for: a festive date night, dinner with your parents, drinks with your girlfriends-just be prepared for an expensive bill.

Stowaway: I’ve only been to Stowaway once, right before the shelter in place order started, but I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. First of all, it is tucked into the cutest former warehouse-turned-hipster-coffee shop/brunch spot, complete with exposed pipes and red brick walls. I AM HERE FOR IT.

We went on a Sunday morning with some friends who warned us to expect a bit of a wait. Fortunately, the Denver Central Market is just a few blocks away so we were able to enjoy some cocktails and/or coffee while we waited.

When we finally got in, I ordered the Colorful Colorado (an egg dish) because of the 8 million reviews I’d read ahead of time that told me I must order this dish or live a life of unending misery and regret (ok, that might be a slight exaggeration but it was something along those lines). I also split the fruit toast with Joshua because I have to order something sweet and something savory when I go to brunch (I know I have a problem, just leave me alone). Both were so freaking good. I can’t wait to go back soon and try everything on their menu (or more likely, order the same two dishes over and over again).

Perfect for: brunch with your favorite hipster friend.

Linger: This is the one restaurant on my list that I love more for the location/ambience than for the food, though the food is certainly tasty. Linger is located in my favorite neighborhood in Denver (LoHi or Lower Highlands) and the building it’s in USED TO BE A MORTUARY. Like, WHERE DEAD PEOPLE WOULD BE SENT AFTER THEY DIED. I personally find this so cool, and if this freaks you out, you would never know except that I just told you (sorry). It’s very airy inside with cozy mood lighting and exposed brick walls. This is another place that does small plates and they’re all globally-inspired street food dishes-the menu is literally divided by continent (i.e. Asia, Africa). For drinks, order the turmeric mule. For eating, you really can’t go wrong, but some dishes I’ve enjoyed include: the bao buns, the impossible burger persian sliders, the tuna tostadas, and the potato masala dosa. Skip dessert because right around the corner you’ll find Little Man Ice Cream-one of my favorite ice cream spots in the city.

Perfect for: a first date/date night, a girls’ night, or a summer brunch on their rooftop bar.

Snooze: Full disclosure-Snooze is a chain and is not just located in Denver; they have locations across Colorado and in a few other states including Texas and California. That being said, I just have to include it on my list because I believe it is completely worth the hype.

Because there is always a long wait (I’m talking 2 hours sometimes), we always go on a Monday morning when there’s a federal holiday that other people don’t get off, such as Columbus Day. Don’t kid yourself-there will still be a wait, but it will hopefully be closer to one hour. Plus, they give out free coffee while you wait!

I don’t even like pancakes, but I always order the pancakes here. ORDER THE DAMN PANCAKES PEOPLE. You can even get a pancake flight where you can sample three different types of pancakes (I highly recommend the blueberry danish pancakes and the sweet potato pancakes). If I’m in a savory mood, I’ll order the breakfast tacos with a side of one pancake.

Perfect for: brunch with your friend, brunch with family or anyone with kids, brunch with your arch nemesis, brunch with anyone.

Hopefully this list made you excited to go back to restaurants again in the future, instead of depressed! And please send me your best restaurant recommendations! These conversations are what I live for.

[isitgintimeyet]

The Ties That Bind

AO3

Previous

Thanks for reading so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thanks to @mo-nighean-rouge for the beta and support.

The first part of this chapter was written in a spirit of lighthearted frustration, in the run up to Christmas, as I marvelled at my husband’s (and many other men’s) ability to take no responsibility for family gift buying at Christmas, devolving it to his long suffering spouse (i.e.me “But you’re so much better at it than me!”). As my daughter says, it’s fun to see the look of surprise on her dad’s face as she opens her presents from ‘mum and dad’.

Chapter 26: A Grinchless Christmas

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more! ― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Three days before Christmas Day and Claire had officially started her holiday. Much to the amazement of many of her colleagues who couldn’t quite believe that this year, there would be no Miss Beauchamp to cover gaps in the rota or deal with unscheduled emergencies. She had made it clear that she would be absolutely unreachable.

Claire filled two mugs with fresh coffee and placed them next to two of Mrs. Crook’s homemade mince pies on the serving tray. She hesitated before adding a third pie and went to join Jamie in the conservatory.

Snuggling next to Jamie, Claire sipped her coffee and gazed out of the wall of glass. The garden was blanketed with a heavy frost, glittering in the winter sun. Snow hadn’t reached this far south yet, but they had been assured, or warned, depending on one’s viewpoint, that there was already “a wee smatterin’” on the hills around Lallybroch.

Claire stretched contentedly. Ahead of her laid two whole weeks, the longest break she’d ever taken from the hospital. Her Christmas shopping was complete, her clothes sorted for the festive season at Lallybroch. All she had to do one pick up one present for Jamie and she was done.

The chirp of Jamie’s phone announced a text. He finished chewing his second mince pie as he read.

“Christ. Season of goodwill and all that but I could do wi’out this.”

“Is there a problem?” Claire asked, worried.

“Nah, just the usual. Geneva wants tae pop round, her words no’ mine, this evening tae give me ma present. Ye’ll be here, won’t ye, Sassenach?”

“If you want me to, of course. Have you got her a present?”

“God, no. Didna think it would be a good idea. I have some boxes of biscuits left over from work. I can give her one of them.”

“James Fraser, we may not be fond of the woman, but she is the mother of your child. You can’t give her biscuits. That’s for work colleagues and elderly neighbours. Besides, I don’t think she’d even touch them unless they were Fortnum and Mason’s at the very least!” Claire playfully punched Jamie’s shoulder

With quick reflexes, Jamie grabbed Claire’s fist and brought it to his lips.

“Sassenach?” He whispered.

Claire sighed and waited. She knew exactly where this conversation was going.

Encouraged by her silence, Jamie continued. “Ye’re headin’ intae the shops this morning, are ye no’? D’ye think ye could buy something… er… suitable for her?”

“Suitable? And what do you think is suitable for a woman who’s been trying to steal you away from me for months? I know what I’d like to give her…”

“Please, Sassenach. Just dinna get her anything too personal, no smelly stuff, nothing like that.” Jamie made pleading, puppy dog eyes at Claire. “Ye’ll ken what tae get her. Ye’re much better than me. Look at all the lovely stuff ye’ve bought Maggie. I couldna have chosen any of that…”

“Enough.” Claire cut his pleading short. “Spare me the helpless man routine. I’ll do it. But only because I love you.”

Jamie smiled and, rising, pulled Claire to her feet. He kissed her soundly on the lips while fondling her bottom. “Alright, so, d’ ye want me tae drop ye off at the shops on ma way tae the gym?”

************

The initial agreement, made several weeks before, had been not to bother with Christmas decorations at either Jamie’s house or Claire’s flat, since they would be spending a lot of the holiday season at Lallybroch. They both confirmed this was a logical decision, as there would be plenty of time in the future for all that.

First it was a pair of candle holders, that Claire noticed during her shopping. Clear glass beakers with frosted pine trees etched all around. Subtle, they agreed, but with scented candles would provide enough Christmas ambience for the house. Next it was a wicker reindeer that Jamie spotted on his way to a meeting. Then quickly followed the baskets of pine cones, wreaths of holly and berries and a carved wooden nativity scene. By the time Jamie arrived home with a large Norwegian spruce tied to the roof of his car, they both realised that they should give in and fully embrace the Christmas decorations. So, they spent the next weekend wandering the Christmas markets, drinking too much mulled wine and buying ornaments and lights for the tree.

And now, as Claire looked round the living room, she was thankful that they had ignored logic and dived right into Christmas. Feeling nicely full from Mrs. Crook’s beef stew, all she wanted to do was snuggle on the sofa with Jamie, watch a bit of festive television and maybe have a whisky mac or two. As it was she was sitting literally on the edge of her seat, listening out for the doorbell and Geneva.

Finally, the doorbell rang. Her stomach filled with butterflies as she heard Jamie’s footsteps in the hall and the door open.

Geneva strode into the room. Now in her seventh month of pregnancy, she still managed to exude an air of glamour, dressed in a simple black tube dress with a scarf draped across her shoulders and, as Claire had suspected, a very neat baby bump.

She seemed momentarily surprised by the sight of Claire, but quickly recovered. “Claire,” she drawled. “How lovely to see you.”

The look in her eyes said just the opposite.

Jamie hovered in the doorway unsure what to do before realising his duties as host. “Geneva, would ye like a drink? We have some soft drinks if ye’re interested.”

“No, thanks. I can’t stop.” She eyed Claire coldly. “Just wanted to give you your present and see what you were doing for the holidays. I suppose it’s a busy time of year for you, Claire, at the hospital. Too much alcohol and icy pavements will keep you occupied, I’m sure.”

Jamie moved to Claire’s side. She felt his reassuring warmth next to her. “Actually, Geneva, Claire’s no’ at the hospital fer two weeks. We’re headin’ up tae Lallybroch fer Christmas and Hogmanay.”

“Oh, well that answers my next question. I’m off to Mummy’s for Christmas, but was planning on having a New Year’s Eve party up here. Wondered if you wanted to come… er... both of you?”

Despite the invitation being extended to both of them, Claire recognised that in Geneva’s eyes, she was the unwelcome and unnecessary tag along. She smiled sweetly, her smile as insincere as Geneva’s words.

“Sorry Geneva, we canna come. Thanks for the offer, though… anyway, how are ye, and the bairn?”

“Yes, we’re fine… Merry Christmas, Jamie.” She handed him a large gift bag.

“Thanks. And jes’ a wee gift from us.” Jamie picked up the beautifully store-wrapped picture frame Claire had bought earlier and passed it to Geneva.

“Jamie, would you mind opening it now, please? Just need to check something.”

Jamie shrugged and dived into the bag, his hands delving through layers of tissue paper, and pulled out a midnight blue linen shirt.

“Ach, ‘tis verra fine. Thank ye.”

“No, hold it up against you. I need to see if I have the right size. It’s been a while…”

Reluctantly, Jamie unfolded the shirt and held it against his chest. “Aye, it fits fine.”

Geneva reached out to try to smooth a crease against Jamie's chest  as he quickly folded the shirt roughly and dropped it on the coffee table. Claire openly looked at Geneva in amazement. There was no point in faking sincerity or subtlety. Geneva was being as subtle as a sledgehammer, and was now seemingly oblivious to Claire’s presence.

It was as if, Claire thought, Geneva viewed this as a competition with Jamie as the prize. Well, Claire was not going to compete. She knew it was Jamie's decision and he had made it.

Suddenly, Geneva winced, placing her hand on her belly. She reached over to try to take Jamie’s hand. Claire felt her stomach lurch, seeds of self-doubt beginning to spring up in her mind. Jamie moved his hand abruptly away from Geneva’s and looked across at Claire. Geneva, ignoring Jamie’s snub, rubbed her bump.

Still trying to remain polite, Jamie edged towards the door. “Weel, er… Merry Christmas tae ye, Geneva.”

“Yes, Merry Christmas to you too, Jamie.” Geneva smiled warmly at Jamie, the smile cooling considerably as she turned to Claire.“... … Claire.”

Message apparently received, Geneva made her farewells and left. Claire settled on the sofa as Jamie pottered in the kitchen, returning with two Whisky Macs and a dish of peanuts.

He handed her a glass. “Reckon ye could do wi’ one, Sassenach. Ye’re thinkin’ sae hard I could hear ye in the kitchen. Talk tae me.”

“That shirt, Jamie, the one that’s currently in a heap on the table. That’s Turnbull and Asser… linen… that could easily have cost a couple of hundred pounds.”

“Am I no’ worth it? Is that what ye’re sayin’?” Jamie joked.

“I thought Geneva was treating this as a competition.” Claire ignored his interruption and continued. “Her against me with you as the prize. But then I just realised, that’s not her plan. She’s not trying to get you to leave me. I think it was me she was targeting tonight. She wants me to leave you. If she makes it as uncomfortable as possible for me in this relationship, she thinks I will go. And then perhaps you’ll fall into her comforting arms and that’s her goal. But she underestimates me.”

Claire paused and sipped her drink. “Now, I know there are uncomfortable bits in this relationship and things we need to adapt and get used to. But I’m not going anywhere, James Fraser!”

“And Sassenach, neither am I.”

Claire relaxed against Jamie, her head nestled against his chest. Kissing the top of her head, Jamie picked up the tv remote control and began to flick through the channels

“Enough tension tonight. Let’s have some Christmas entertainment and no’ think about that woman any more… Ah, Love Actually...”

“I love this film. But, I’m warning you, it makes me cry. I mean real, ugly cry.”

Jamie turned Claire’s face to his. “‘Then ‘tis jes’ as well I’m no’ wearing that fancy, expensive shirt, with all the snot there may be around.”

His lips lightly kissed her forehead and nose before reaching her lips. Gently, his index finger traced the same path. Suddenly serious, he continued “Claire, I ken, these last few months with me have no’ been the easiest fer ye and I’ve given ye cause to shed a fair few tears. And fer that I am truly sorry. I dinna ever want ever tae make ye cry… but I do. I love ye and I sometimes wonder how ye've stuck by me through all this. Ye're a rare woman… I’m no’ sure what I've done tae deserve ye.”

“Or,” he added with a wry smile. “What ye’ve done tae deserve me.”

Claire returned his smile. “I ask myself that all the time. My plans for a fling with no complications didn’t exactly work out, did they?”

She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady pounding of his heart. Her fingers worked their way between his shirt buttons and idly played with the copper hairs. She thought for a moment, before speaking.  “Honestly, sometimes, you’re right it’s not easy. When I see the way she looks at you, or rubs her bump, it hurts. I don’t like to admit that, but it does... But that feeling, that hurt, isn’t there all the time, it passes. The feeling that stays with me all the time is how you make me feel. And I don’t want to not have that in my life. I know, even with all these complications, I would still make the same choice. And, I remind myself, it’s Geneva who looks at you that way, not you looking at Geneva… and it’s Geneva who, despite all her trying and games, still goes home alone... Just, please, no more complications.”

Jamie kissed the top of her head. “Aye, Sassenach, I promise. And now, let’s watch the film, and ye can ugly cry tae yer heart’s content.”

[h-styles-babes]

Harry Styles Blurb/Request #7

I had a request a little while ago to do some prompts from a list I posted on my blog. I’m not sure if the person who requested them wants me to tag them in this, since they PM’d me instead of sending an ask, so I’ll leave them unmentioned unless they request to be tagged. Anyway, thank you so much for the request, darling! I’m slowly working my way through the other requests I got from that list. Onward!

24. “It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka.” & “Don’t argue, just do it.”

Harry Styles was pretty much a household name. He was famous for his rise in One Direction, then for his extraordinary solo career and his phenomenal performance in an Oscar-winning film. He was seen as pretty much the nicest person in Hollywood—or anywhere, really—and you would be hard pressed to find a person with something bad to say about him. He donated millions to charities, he went out of his way to fulfill as many Make-a-Wish requests as possible, he never said a bad word to anyone, even those damn paparazzi that harassed him on the daily, and he was the first celebrity you’d worked with that always shook hands with everyone present when he walked into a room. You’d never met anyone like him before, and you honestly didn’t want to work for anyone else ever again.

Being his personal assistant, though, you saw a different side to Harry than the general public saw. That didn’t mean you admired him any less, because he’d never done anything or asked you to do anything that was questionable or shady. He was exactly the same as he portrayed himself to the public as he was in his private day-to-day life. Except he was much weirder than anyone who didn’t personally know him would ever expect, she believed. And he was much more the typical early twenty-something male than people probably would like to believe. He certainly didn’t party as much as he used to, but he could still get drunk with the best of them, and he was currently the most drunk Y/N had seen him in a long time.

It was post-tour, and they had just arrived back in the UK from being in Italy for about two weeks. While it had been mostly a vacation for Y/N, since there wasn’t much planning to their trip, aside from when he went on his fancy yacht trip, she had been there to make sure Harry was where he was supposed to be when they weren’t wandering around town or lounging on the beach. Now that they were back on their home turf, there weren’t many obligations Harry had, so there really wasn’t any reason for Y/N to be with him often. She spent most of her day in her own flat, catching up on the shows she’d missed out on while touring the world with Harry and the rest of his crew. Season eight of Shameless had just been released on Shameless, so she had every intention of finishing all twelve episodes in a few days before she was back to searching for something else to do with her downtime. She was positive Harry would be back to filling his schedule within a few weeks, so she was going to enjoy it while she could.

She’d only been out of Harry’s presence for fifty-four hours when she got a phone call from him on a Friday night, or Saturday morning, rather. It was nearing four in the morning, and she was on the last episode of Shameless, and she was determined to finish it. She wasn’t really even tired, since she’d been lounging around all day drinking coffee and sitting in front of a fan while streaming her show from her laptop to her telly.

Y/N paused her show and answered right away. If Harry was calling her in the middle of the night, it must have been something serious, and she had better answer. Or he could be calling to ask her if she wanted to go with him to the taco place a few blocks over that was open until two in the morning because he was craving horchata and cilantro. (He had called her just after midnight after his first show in LA back in July, with a real hankering for King Taco. There were only two in all of California, and while he’d heard the one somewhere in the Inland Empire was good, he knew the original one in LA was the best. It was necessary for his stay in LA. And who was Y/N to deny her boss his craving for Mexican food in the middle of the night? She wasn’t a monster, after all.)

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she’d answered.

“Y/N?” That definitely wasn’t Harry, and Y/N sat up in her seat, suddenly more alert than she had been.

“Mitch? Why have yeh got Harry’s phone?”

“Harry is beyond drunk. I’d take him back to his place myself, but the car’s full. And I don’t want to send him home alone. Who knows if he’d actually even get there.”

That was the most Y/N had heard Mitch utter at once in the entire time she’d known him, so she knew Harry must have been in a state. She could hear yelling in the background that sounded distinctly like Harry, and Mitch shushed him and told him he was on the phone. Harry giggled and made a slurred shushing sound, and Y/N could just imagine him pressing his forefinger to his pursed lips. She smiled.

“Where are you lot at?” she asked, already reaching to slip her trainers on, once that Harry bought for her when they were in America. They were just Vans, but he had a matching pair, and she had been endeared by his excitement when he revealed them to her before one of his shows. He had been so happy that he’d gotten her shoe size correct without even having to ask her.

“Just a pub a few blocks from Harry’s place.”

That was all the information Y/N needed to know exactly where it was that Harry was. It was a low-key, quiet pub that was a lot like the ones he’d gone to in Holmes Chapel, he had told her. He preferred it to the loud clubs that were more popular in London because it was familiar and more his speed than the thumping music and writhing mass of bodies that came along with larger clubs. She’d been to it many times with him, enjoying the ambience of the wooden floors and glossy top of the bar. She knew the location well.

“Be there in ten. Hold tight and make sure he doesn’t do anything to hurt himself. Lord knows he’s a clumsy drunk.”

As promised, Y/N pulled up into the car park of the pub ten minutes later, not having changed out of her pajama shorts and tank top. She hadn’t even thought to put a bra on, and she was regretting it now as she stepped out into the chilly London night. That was the last thing on her mind when she saw Harry, though, leaned up against the side of Sarah’s car, looking like he was giggling uncontrollably as Mitch made sure he stood upright.

When Mitch caught sight of her, a look of relief passed over his face. She jogged up to them and slid Harry’s arm around her shoulder, attempting to take some of his weight so Mitch didn’t have to work as hard.

“I know you’re technically taking time off. I couldn't think of who else to call, though.”

Y/N brushed him off. “I’m his PA, I don’t really have time off.”

“Button!” Harry shouted when he finally opened his eyes enough to spot Y/N talking to Mitch. Apparently, he hadn’t fully realised that he’d had his arm slung around her as she helped Mitch steady him. He tightened his arm around her and squeezed her into his side in a sort of hug-cuddle.

“Hi, H. Had a bit to drink, yeah?” she greeted, flashing him a smile.

Harry raised his free hand and pinched his forefinger and thumb together. “Just a little.”

“From what I saw, he had several shots of tequila and a few mixed drinks. But I wasn’t with him the whole time,” Mitch informed her.

“Fabulous,” she muttered. Telling from how far his lids had lulled, he was incredibly inebriated, more so than she’d ever seen him, as far as she could recall. “Well, thanks for callin’ me, Mitch. Thanks for takin’ care of him. I’ll get him home.”

“Don’t wanna go home. Wanna go to yours.” Harry looked down at her with bleary eyes and pouted.

“Don’t yeh wanna sleep in your own bed?” Y/N enticed, sending a nod Mitch’s way when he gave her a look that asked if she had it handled. When she confirmed, Mitch made his way toward the driver’s side of his car, and Y/N started ushering Harry across to her car.

“Nope. Wanna cuddle up with yeh in your bed. So soft and warm, petal.”

“Oh, boy,” Y/N chuckled. Harry was typically a very affectionate man, but it was at a whole new level when he was drunk.

He was a touchy fellow, too, so the way he was nuzzling his nose into her head was no surprise to her. She couldn’t deny the way her tummy fluttered at his little gestures, but she quickly squashed it down. She was his PA for Christ’s sake. He paid her to be around him and figure out his life. She would deny it to anyone else, but she couldn’t deny it to herself that she fancied him a bit. It was nothing major, she’d convinced herself, just a bit of schoolgirl crush on him, because he was undeniably attractive and she knew how incredibly kind and lovely he was personally. She’d properly dealt with it for years now, so she let little things like his cuddling and hugs and terms of affection slide right off her back. It may have smarted a little, but she did it.

“Please? Don’t wanna go to sleep alone,” he pouted.

“I’ll stay with yeh until yeh fall asleep,” Y/N promised. She’d never slept with Harry before, aside from the odd time or two when they’d fallen asleep on a couch together, and they usually just ended up with their heads on each other’s shoulders. Y/N knew Harry was a cuddler, and she didn’t know how that would go over when he was asleep in a proper bed. Plus, she was his employee. Sleeping in a bed together wasn’t exactly appropriate.

“Don’t wanna wake up alone, either,” he argued. They had finally reached Y/N’s car, and she quickly flung the door open and started guiding Harry into the passenger seat. She glanced around quickly to make sure there weren’t any odd fans or paparazzi lingering about, trying to snap pictures of Harry in his extremely intoxicated state, but the parking lot was empty, and the people who were walking by were uninterested in Y/N trying to get a drunkard home.

“How about I take yeh home, put yeh to bed, and I’ll stay in a guest room?” Y/N offered, knowing Harry wouldn’t quit until he got his way. He was stubborn by nature, and his drunk mind had no way of tampering it down like he did when he was sober.

He huffed as Y/N reached across him to buckle him in. “Fine.”

She smiled at him before shutting the door with a sigh. She had a long night ahead of her.

Y/N figured it would be easy enough to get Harry up to bed, and sound asleep within ten minutes of walking in the door. She had been sorely mistaken.

Harry wanted something to eat when they got to his house, so Y/N had obliged him and made him an egg white omelet with some veggies he already had cut up and topped it with hot sauce. He’d sat with a content little smile on his face as he ate it and Y/N made herself a cup of tea. It had already been a late night and the time she’d been awake for the day was starting to wear on her. She was sure she’d be asleep by the time her head eventually hit the pillow in Harry’s cushy guest room.

She’d began to gather him to go upstairs, but he’d insisted on getting himself something to drink. Thinking he was just going to pour himself a glass of water, Y/N had left him to go in search of a charger for her phone, which was nearly dead. When she came back three minutes later, he had a very large bottle of vodka in his hand, the other trying to steady a glass as he attempted to pour. With a groan, Y/N darted over and grabbed both objects from him, dancing out of his reach as he protested.

“It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka,” she told him, capping the bottle and pouring the bit he’d managed to get into the cup down the sink.

“Oi, that’s expensive liquor,” he protested, trying to grab for it again, boxing her into the counter with his body.

“Don’t care. S’not like yeh can’t afford it.”

“Not the point,” he grumbled, pouting as Y/N filled up the glass with water. She turned in his arm, presenting him with the glass with a smile.

“Drink that down now, then head up to your room and get changed. I’ll bring another glass up to yeh in case yeh get thirsty while you’re sleepin’.”

“I don’t need t—”

“Don’t argue, just do it,” she reprimanded, using her mothering voice. It worked on every man she came across that needed a little forceful direction, and Harry was no different. He pouted, but he did as she said, downing the glass in a few gulps before handing it back to her and turning to head up the stairs.

Y/N took the time to refill his glass and find a few paracetamol tablets and clean up her mess from cooking in order to give him time to get undressed and under the covers in peace. For all the times Y/N had seen Harry in just his pants, it had never been when it was just the two of them in his bedroom, and she really did not want to experience that right then. It was one thing to see him nearly naked while she was helping him get into a suit for a show or a photoshoot, but it would have been entirely different if he was plastered and in his own home, trying to get into bed.

Luckily, when she made it up to his room, he was already tucked under a sheet, only his chest and shoulders visible, nearly asleep. He smiled sleepily when he saw her, and she returned it as she set the pills and his water on the nightstand.

“Don’t need to puke or anythin’, do yeh?” she asked, mostly teasing. She was sure Harry could hold his liquor, but he had consumed quite a bit from what she’d gathered from Mitch, so she just wanted to be sure. She couldn’t have her boss choking on his own vomit and dying in the middle of the night. She’d feel awful, not to mention she’d never get hired again.

“Nope. Feel fine, just fuzzy,” he told her, closing his eyes completely.

“Did yeh brush your teeth?” she asked. “Wash your face?”

He peeked one eye open at her, pouting out his lips. “Yes, mum.”

Y/N smiled. “Good. I’ll be down the hall if yeh need anything. Goodnight, Haz.”

“Yeh sure yeh don’t want to cuddle up with me? M’bed’s comfy.”

While the slur to his words should have sent Y/N instantly scurrying away, afraid of the possible turns this conversation could take, she stayed rooted in her spot beside his bed. His offer was tempting, but Y/N was very aware of their separation as employer and employee. And drunk Harry wasn’t someone who’s suggestions she typically took seriously, because they were often ridiculous. This was the same man who thought jumping into the stream that ran around the bungalow they’d stayed in in Jamaica at nearly two in the morning was a good idea.

Eventually, Y/N sighed and flashed him a closed mouth smile. “Be good, Harry. Go to bed, sleep this off, and I’ll see yeh when yeh wake up.”

Harry pouted and muttered back a goodnight as she flicked off the lights and headed to the guest bedroom that she used when she stayed over. They’d had many late nights planning his schedule together, having powwows with Jeff and Harry’s label trying to nail down touring and a promo schedule and any other events he needed to attend. These lasted well into the night, and Harry was always concerned about people driving back so late, so there were always rooms available to those who wanted it. He was a very thoughtful host, and Y/N was very thankful for it.

The first rays of sunlight were already slotting through the cracked blinds when she settled into the bed finally. She pulled the curtains to ensure nothing would wake her up unnecessarily before nestling herself down into the plushy pillows and bedding the mattress was dressed with. She was so comfortable and so exhausted from the events of the last few hours that she fell asleep only moments after she closed her eyes.

Her last thought was that she hoped Harry would take the pain relievers she left out for him and not remember anything that he suggested tonight in the morning. It was enough that she would have to live with the memory. She didn’t need Harry walking around with it too.

Y/N wasn’t sure what hour it was when she became conscious again. The room was dim from the blinds, but she felt rested enough, so she supposed it was probably early afternoon. She had every intention of reaching out and taking a look at her phone for the time, but she was stopped when she realised there was an extra weight on her.

There was an arm slung across her waist and another one under her neck, acting as a pillow. A warm body was pressed against her back and she could distinctly feel the puff of breath against the back of her head, lightly rustling her hair.

Y/N knew it was Harry. Which was a relief of sorts, but her body also tensed with the realisation. When had he gotten in here? How had she not noticed that he’d curled up in bed with her? Had he realised what he’d done, or had it been executed in a drunken stupor?

Whatever the answers, Y/N wasn’t waiting around to find out. She couldn’t deal with this. She couldn’t deal with whatever awkwardness that would ensure once Harry awoke to find them in the same bed together. Drunk Harry’s wants and Sober Harry’s wants were on two completely different spectrums, she reckoned.

So, as carefully as she could, so as not to disturb Harry too much, she slipped out of bed, put her shoes back on, grabbed her phone, and dashed out of the room. She was in her car back on her way to her house in five minutes, her heart beating erratically and her palms a bit sweaty.

She hoped Harry was drunk enough the night before to block out memories of what exactly happened. Y/N didn’t need this affecting her relationship with her boss. She loved Harry, but her job was more important than her emotions.

[swablueskies]

100 days until New Horizons

Days 100 - 73

Created by bebebese and low-key tagged by Kendall and I’m so excited that I need to channel my energy into something Animal Crossing related! I altered the question numbers to be a countdown from 100 to 1. Watch me completely fail to do these daily from now on. 

100.  Do you prefer making up a new name for your villager, or using your own name? I pretty much always use my name or a derivative for my first player character (younger me used Rachael, now I use Rae). Anything after that is completely fair game!

99.  Do you use the first map you’re given, or do you reset for layouts? I used to use the first map I was given but now I’m an elitist and I’ll probably spend the first week of release resetting for the best island, which will be hard because there won’t be any online guides to show off what kind of island layouts are possible 😬

98.  Do you use the face you’re given, or do you wait for guides and choose your favourite? Wait for guides and choose my favourite, always. However, if player customisation is going to be more along the lines of HDD/PC, then I might not need to wait~ !

97.  Favourite town/island name?/Have you a name picked out for your town/island? I’ll assume this question is about my favourite of MY names because if I had to pick from every name I’d ever seen it would be impossible!? My favourite of the ones I’ve had over the years is probably Polaris, my second Wild World town. (I spent several hours after getting New Leaf for the first time agonising over whether to call my town Polaris or North.) I’m very partial to Paprika and Ginkgo too which are two of my New Leaf towns! I might name my island Ginkgo, but I’m not 100% sure yet. I need to start brainstorming

96.  Will you be sharing with friends/family, or is your island going to be all your own? ALL MINE B*TCHES I’M NOT LETTING ANYBODY SCREW UP MY SH*T (also my parents wouldn’t play and my brother has his own Switch and I don’t have any friends so)

95.  What’s a new feature you’re excited about? Pole vaulting?! I am also SO excited about the idea of getting to choose to have my town in the Southern hemisphere and being able to follow the real seasons! I tend to miss summer in Animal Crossing because I drop off playing over the winter for some reason, and I get bored of the snow really easily when I’m playing obsessively over summer, so that’ll be so nice. 

94.  Favourite fruit? Honestly I don’t really have a favourite. Maybe peaches or oranges?

93.  Least favourite fruit? Durians are ugly! I like pears a lot but I probably wouldn’t want them as a native fruit, as they blend in too much with the trees ... and I’m a little tired of cherries, I always seem to get cherries as my native fruit. 

92.  Favourite area? (Beach, campground, shopping district etc, from any entry in the series.) I’m not sure if this is 100% my most accurate answer and I’m probably forgetting a special favourite but I really loved and miss Celeste’s observatory. I also like the museum a lot in general! The music and the ambience and slowly watching the displays fill up is so nice.

91.  Where do you like to like to put your house? Do you like that level of customization, or do you prefer to have some things decided, like in older entries? In some ways, having restricted choice is easier because you don’t spend so long agonising over the perfect spot. I do like being able to customise my town to that extent though and by the looks of things New Horizon is going to be even better in that regard. I usually like having my house near water and a little bit isolated from my other villagers and shops etc. 

90. Favourite grass pattern?  Probably circles cos I’m basic, but I’m fond of squares too. I don’t care much for the star shaped snow which I know is a big draw for the circle patterned grass.

89. Least favourite grass pattern? Triangles.

88. Favourite villager(s)? Lily is my ultimate forever favourite but honestly I have so so many that I love. 😭

87. Least favourite villager(s)? It used to be Pippy but I have let go of that anger and become a more enlightened person for it and I even made her a very nice house in Happy Home Designer. Now my least favourite villagers are just the extremely ugly ones like Hippeux/Beardo/Barold (and extra bonus hatred points if they’re Smug, I don’t mind ugly Cranky villagers so much but ugly Smugs are just ... slimy)

86.  Did you like doing Tom Nook’s chores, or did you find those to be a pain? I used to not really like them when I was young, but honestly I would be so into those being reinstated or just like getting a part time job in general. (The shift at The Roost in New Leaf wasn’t really that great, I liked delivering items for villagers more.) 

85.  Favourite NPC(s)? Celeste! And Isabelle and Sable and Blathers and Brewster and I’m quite fond of Joan and Redd as well. AND LEIF!

84. Least favourite NPC(s)? Mmm ... I don’t think I really have one. I used to dislike Lyle in Wild World but now that he’s had a career change I don’t mind him so much. I guess maybe Don Resetti? Nothing against him but I have had literally zero interaction with him ever so he’s my least favourite by default.  Also ... as much as I like Tom Nook I’m not sure how I feel about him being like the “mascot” of New Horizons. 

83.  Do you use paths? Are you excited about the new path tool? I do sometimes and I am!! I’m not sure if I’ll stick with it because I really like grassy paths lined with flowers (and if grass erosion isn’t a thing I might even not use paths at all) but I’m definitely going to give it a go. 

82.  Favourite feature from an older entry? I miss Celeste’s observatory and making my own constellations. I also miss Flea Market day and when villagers developed their own hobbies that you could help them with ... like for a while they’d be really into gardening and they’d plant tons of flowers, or they’d really enjoy fishing and ask you to catch progressively rarer fish for them. I miss how much villagers used to talk to each other out and about, and how the NPCs had more dialogue and history to them. And I kind of miss how narky the villagers could get sometimes! I liked earning their love instead of having it from the beginning. Also the recycling bin was always fun to look at. OH and!! roof items from HHD and the customisable curtains/window panes/doors and ambient sounds etc. I really hope those interior design options make a comeback in New Horizons.

81.  What was your first Animal Crossing game? Wild World!

80.  Favourite activity (fishing, bug catching, fossil hunting, other)? I like it all really! I maybe have a special spot for watering flowers though. Something about it is very soothing. 

79.  Least favourite activity? Diving. Great concept, horrible execution. I do hope it returns in New Horizons but I sincerely hope it is improved somehow because it was just painful. I don’t know a single person who actually enjoyed it after the novelty wore off and they started hunting the more skittish sea creatures. 

78.  Favourite bug(s)? Birdwing butterflies are prettiest but I love seeing fireflies in the summer. Also I like the crickets in autumn. Also honeybees and snails just make my heart full and I think orchid mantises are really pretty too! Possibly my number one hope for New Horizons is a revamp of bug containers so I can display them in my house. 

77.  Least favourite bug(s)? Basically the gross ones lmao, flies, ants, fleas, and mosquitos are f*cking annoying. I hate hate hate wharf roaches I don’t know why, I think I just hate the sound they make when they scuttle around. Also I hate centipedes on principle. Oh and diving beetles because they’re a pain. 

76.  A quarter of the way there! How’s the wait? I am so desperate for this game to finally come out. I thought I could make it to March 20 without losing my mind but it’s hit me all of a sudden and I WANT IT NOW

75.  Favourite fish? I really like Napoleonfish because they’re so iridescent when you catch them in the sun~ I like frogs because of the sound they make and goldfish on account of them being pretty much the only fish with a nice display, also soft shelled turtles because TURTLE and arowanas because they’re pretty.

74.  Least favourite fish? Hmm ... maybe eels? Also sea bass naturally. 

73.  Favourite fossil? I ... really don’t have much in the way of an opinion on the fossils to be honest. 

[badzombies-sister]

Supergirl s03e02 Triggers. Recap, thoughts and predictions

If there’s something I’ve learned is that rambling helps me deal with my feelings for this show since pretty much I have no one to talk to about it, mostly cause they like Mon-El and don’t see anything wrong with him (what can I say? there’s crazy people on the world)

The title says it all but just in case beware SPOILERS ahead

This season has started really amazing, it's doing what I've wanted for so long and that is delve into Kara's past at least the trauma part and dealing with the duality of the life she leads. Last weeks episode was good in the way that Kara is trying to separate herself from her humanity and Alex talking to her was the best part of that episode, reminding her that Kara Danvers is as important as Supergirl and while she said get over Mon-El (which at least I did) I think she meant move on. This week's episode (aptly named) continues to deal with that, Kara stating that she's not human and well she's right but it has nothing to do with this, yeah she's an alien but that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings or that certain feelings belong to one species or the other, for example she feels love that's not only human and fear too which is the focus of this episode. I loved that they gave more past to Kara in the sense that now we know she had panic attacks when she first came to Earth which is understandable and how the show focus on her fears was amazing. Look was I happy that Mon-El was there and mentioned? Fuck no but he was not the focus, he wasn't her biggest fear, he's just part of the fears and traumas that Kara hasn't dealt with. In the form of Psi we manage to get into Kara's mind and with it we learn that her fears are:

-Abandonment, she has lost her family, her planet and now her boyfriend (ugh). Everything she loves she ends up losing it.

-Loneliness, she states that she was so alone and she spent so much time on her own in the pod with no one to help her.

-Claustrophobia, her confinement in the pod left her with a sense of fear from being in such a close space which we see later when she's in the elevator and this plus the loneliness leads me to believe that she remembers part of her time in the Phantom Zone.

-Powerlessness, she couldn't save her parents, couldn't help Kal-El as she was meant to do, couldn't save Astra and couldn't save Mon-El.

-Guilt, cause she send Mon-El away and she might have kill him (one can only wish he's dead)

This shows how complex her fears are cause in the end she pushes everything down and doesn't deal with her trauma, she hides in the fact that she's an alien to try and not break and maybe is cause she thinks if she breaks she'll never be herself again but losing Kara Danvers is not the answer cause it means losing Supergirl, all her personas are important: Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El and Supergirl. Kara Danvers represents the normalcy and life she built on Earth, her moving on; Kara Zor-El is the girl who lost everything and Supergirl is her parents expectations and living up to them and Krypton; they are all parts of her and she can't live without the other, I mean the love for her sister is what pushed her to reveal herself as Supergirl, the need to protect others and the love for her city is what drives her to s superhero so making Kara Danvers disappear won't make Supergirl better. And how about those beautiful Danvers sisters' moments, last week with Alex helping Kara and confronting her and this one with comfort and support. This is exactly what I missed from season 1 (and Lucy!) more moments like this showing the strong bond between them, with this we've established that Kara suffered panic attacks in the past and that Alex helped her a lot, this history, this bond is what I live for. That being said, the most hilarious parts was Alex making Winn spill, I mean come on she just looked at him and he broke xD well she's intimidating but still, poor Winn is the little brother.

And now let's talk Alex, I love how much they've flesh out Alex, we know so much of her right now: she's gay, she never had lasting relationships, she sees J'onn as a father figure, she doesn't want a big wedding. It's great! (we still need more, we want more) I love to see more of Alex.That being said I now a lot of the fans are mad with the recent episode on account of the kids issue but from certain point of view is nice to see the lgbt couple going through the same tropes that the hetero couples go through, rejection, fighting, mortal danger leading to proposal and wanting kids or not; it doesn't mean that I want them to break up but at least there's a bit more equality (except screen time, what the hell cw?) James too has gotten more story too, the way I see he's finally found some balance between being the boss and Guardian and Lena stepping into CatCo throws him off cause she is the boss now and he got use to the power, to be the leader and he feels undermine and jealous of how easily Lena is at being boss.

Lena on the other hand is trying to do some good, she's expanding and learning and now she's the boss to two empires which leads me to: how does that work? is she CEO in both? or is Cat still the CEO to CatCo? does this mean that Cat doesn't own CatCo anymore? cause no way she'd let that happen or is it like 40/40 of shares and the rest to the board members? could Edge even buy out Cat? will Lena be back to L-Corp? I mean she went to the trouble of re-branding it and she's an engineer and a scientist, L-Corp is what she loves so I hope she doesn't step out completely, does she have a saying in L-Corp? I mean whatever Samantha decides she first has to approve? Look I don't know how business/companies work so please someone explain all of this to me, I have a degree on engineering not business. While on the subject of Lena, last week's episode at least touched upon her guilt (just a teeny tiny bit) on bringing the Daxamites to  Earth, let's be honest Edge would have totally build the portal, anyone would have, how the fuck could Lena have known she was being played and she did in fact save everyone at the end, well her and Supergirl. Also I'm loving Lena's and Kara's friendship, it makes my day; learning to work together and helping each other is the best; come on Lena only told Kara she was going to the office and she's looking for her the whole day and trying to help, she also saved the company cause she asked her for help, if that's not love then I don't know what is.

Btw Samantha, totally saw it coming she was gonna be working for L-Corp, didn't know it was gonna be vice-CEO (is that even a position? is that what she is?) but it makes me wonder what will happen when she turns into Reign. Oh and her kid....well I wanted her to be squash cause I was seriously annoyed with her! Seriously! Also someone give her some comics or superhero shows cause if her mother is a superhero I guarantee it she'll have less time to spend with her and who the hell does she think pay superheroes for their work? (I bet the DEO doesn't even bother to pay Kara cause they’d probably use her salary for repairs), I get it why she was acting like that and I totally went "awwww" but before that I wanted her to die, sorry.

The only bad parts I've seen so far were Mon-El being mention (ugh) but at least it serve to delve into more of Kara's fears, the lack of Lucy (if they could mention Colonel Lane they could have spare a second to acknowledge she's alive and well, that at least she still exists!), that we didn't see more of Maggie calming Kara, that it wasn't Alex that made Kara wake up last week's episode (it made sense! she's trying to help her live again!), that they showed or mention Astra (sure the ambience didn't justify her appearance but she's still a loved one Kara lost), that Kara panicked before opening her shirt and Lena found her in the mist of it. Look I wish a lot of things for this season (hell I wished a lot for last season) but if wishes were money then I'd be a billionaire (obviously I'm not).

Now for my predictions for this season, I'm not saying it's gonna happen but I'm 90% sure they will cause the writers love to disappoint:

-Lena and James dating, they made eye contact that's it, that's all the writers need. They're gonna base it on the love-hate they have going with the agreeing and smiles of the first episode and the discordance of this one; once again heteronormative ruining characters and the show.

-Maggie and Alex will break up, before I get attack (that is if anyone actually reads this) I don't want that to happen, they are adorable but you gotta admit it's not likely that the first relationship is the one, also Floriana Lima was meant for one season only and every tv show that goes with the kids disagreement is a death note for that relationship sooner or later but who knows maybe that will get us to see more of Alex moving on, finding her soulmate (please let it be Lucy! please! if isn’t Maggie then let it be her!!).

-Mon-El will return (cured of his allergies by the Legion of Superheroes cause hey Saturn-Girl is a member and the character was cast) as the superhero Valor, his entrance most likely will be all heroic and romantic saving Kara wearing a suit with the same colors as her, showing that he became everything she wanted for him all hero like and charming (and I just threw up in my mouth) and this will make the show become the Mon-El show once again.

-Ruby will most likely die, I know I wanted to kill her cause she was on my last nerve but this is no about me not liking her but because the only way writers motive another character is by killing their love ones (Astra as the prime example) so.... she'll die which will activate Samantha’s powers (she did use them when Ruby was in danger) and with that the duality that is meant to be delve into this season for her character, will see her struggling with her dark side wanting to kill Supergirl for not saving her daughter (probably blaming her without reason and making Kara feel super guilty) and her good side trying to be the hero her daughter wanted her to be.

So those are my predictions for this season I'm really hoping that they don't happen but then again last season I was really really REALLY hoping Kara wouldn't end up dating Mon-El but we know what happened, me bashing my head against the wall and glaring at the screen that's what happened. Either way here's to hoping I don't have to do the same this season, here's to hoping for more character development and hoping that that development (for Kara) doesn't revolve around Mon-El but then I'm familiar with disappointment delivered from the writers since season 2 and well in the wise words of my beautiful baby Spencer Hastings "You know what they say about hope. It breeds eternal mysery!".

With that in mind CHEERS ON MISERY!

[psi-psina]

The Hounds of Baskerville read-through

Pt two, Dartmoor. [pt one]

(this post is a direct continuation of pt one)

Credits to Ariane DeVere once again for her transcripts.

They head to Dartmoor in silence, and begin by scouting out the area to get an idea of what they’re dealing with here. John points out Baskerville and Dewer’s Hollow, and Sherlock asks what the skull and crossbones are. A minefield? “Guess they’ve always been keen to keep people out.” …Clearly. 

Sherlock…I’m begging, why do you keep lining your hearts with explosives. 😩

They work at a distance from each other, Sherlock high above on the rocks, John alone on the ground. Playing on this thread in series 2 of a literal GULF separating the two of them, simultaneously calling back the mirror-case of The Hiker & The Driver, and foreshadowing Sherlock’s suicide off Bart’s.

Then they arrive at Cross Key’s Inn. On their way in they pass a small group of tourists gathered around young Fletcher as he goes about his business of selling them on the lurid idea of the Hound escaped from Baskerville. They share an awkward moment as Sherlock protectively adjusts his coat as they pass the group and John gives him the Eyes before looking away.

John and Sherlock enter the inn, and Fletcher dons the monster mask to excite the tourists as, elsewhere, Henry grimaces as he remembers during a session with Lousie. Another very thematic transition, as Fletcher’s lighthearted joke turns into Henry’s nightmare. Louise is positioned in this scene identically to John in 221B, in a mirror, dressed in matching colours:

Mirrors. :)

Henry (Sherlock) just says that that part of the memory doesn’t change. It’s always the same. But there’s something else now; two words. Liberty and In. Sherlock himself will complete this phrase for his mirror shortly: 

Liberty in death, the only true freedom.

Back at the inn now, finally some John action! John is taking care of practicalities and getting them a room at the bar as Sherlock loiters in the background eavesdropping. I love this scene sooooooo much.

Look at this:

…Cocks

sldkjfnas Look they are the ones who do this all the time I am just observing. Anyway, with all the nice background undertones about food and meat and.... . cocks creating a nice ambience (and the nice phallic beer taps?? lmao) as John get’s them a room,  it’s not hard to guess what...what might be on John’s mind at this prospect of sharing a room with Sherl. So of course, Gary warmly says he’s sorry they couldn’t do John and Sherlock a double room, and John starts to say (and perhaps remind himself) that things aren’t like that between them, but Gary just smiles knowingly and John gives it up and pays him. They mirror each other with their “Ta’s”, and while Gary’s back is turned John spots an invoice for the. . . . . . meat supplies.

The meat supplies for the gay owners of the vegetarian inn for feeding their (secret) ”hound” sdkjfnaksdf. John nicks the invoice for later.

Now, Billy and Gary are simple romantic mirrors for Sherlock and John, but MORE PERTINENTLY they are CLEARLY conduits for Messer's Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, like...The curly Scottish bloke and his partner, the camp gay ginger! Not the culprits per se, just some blokes jumping on the opportunity to add some spice to their business! Playing on the local legend! Lovely amiable fellows who are nonetheless lying through their teeth about the ‘Hound’ right to the very end! The audacity! These shameless self-inserts! Also like, just more evidence that John is Steven’s self-insert and Sherlock is Mark’s asdkjf.

Anyway, John moves the subject to Baskerville (❤️) and the skull and crossbones out on the moor, hopefully asking Gary, “Pirates?”

MYCROFT: “My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher and yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?” JOHN: “I don’t know.” MYCROFT: “Neither do I. But initially, he wanted to be a pirate.”

It’s the skull and crossbones that baby Sherlock wears...when he plays pirates...

;___; JOHHHNNNNNNN. IT IS PIRATES!! He loves him!! He knows!! He just doesn’t know that he knows!! 😭 ALLOW HIMMMM!!!

But, nothing so sweet or soulful to be found at Baskerville. :( Right now, this shit IS a minefield. Gary says No no, it’s the Great Grimpen Minefield, home to the Baskerville (❤️) “testing site” that’s been going on so long unchecked that no one really knows what the hell’s in there anymore. :( Ugh, tell me about it. John takes this in and asks, a bit more warily, “Explosives?” And Gary warns him, oh no no, not just explosives, break into that heart and if you’re lucky, you just get blown up. In case you were planning a nice wee stroll. :(  And unfortunately, John is not one of the lucky ones. 

So…to start with this is literally ALL that is on John’s mind this entire season, he is completely obsessed and pining to DEATH because he is being tormented by some VERY strong misgivings and conflicted feelings about Sherlock which are sadly both sensible and very well founded:

SHERLOCK (rolling his eyes): Yes, if I wanted poetry, I’d read John’s emails to his girlfriends. Much funnier.

SHERLOCK: Yes, good. Skipping to the night that your dad was violently killed. Where did that happen?

SHERLOCK: ...and then there was the one with the spots; and then the one with the nose; and then ... who was after the boring teacher?

SHERLOCK: The shade of red echoes her lipstick – either an unconscious association or one that she’s deliberately trying to encourage. Either way, Miss Hooper has lurrrve on her mind. The fact that she’s serious about him is clear from the fact she’s giving him a gift at all. That would suggest long-term hopes, however forlorn...

And this is just a few examples from these two episodes, this isn’t even getting into the shit Sherlock does in series one that this is building off of, and this is also BEFORE Sherlock starts doing REALLY fucked up shit to him like attempting to drug him and gaslighting him in a lab experiment, or making John watch as he commits suicide off a building and allowing John to mourn for two whole years. Sherlock emotionally humiliates John, he humiliates other people in front of him, he manipulates him and is downright cruel to him at least once in basically every episode bar probably the first two, in which Sherlock more just takes him for granted and swings kinda relentlessly between pursuing and then rejecting him. John desperately wants Sherlock to be the the warm-hearted, caring, playful, funny (pirate ;_;) person he sometimes glimpses behind the facade, but he’s increasingly convinced he’s kidding himself, and just seeing what he wants to see because he’s besotted and lonely.

Anyway, Gary goes on to say that all that morbid Baskerville stuff buggers up tourism a bit, scares people off, so thank god for the demon Hound. God bless Henry and his hound from hell, made them a nice little industry off it. :) John then asks Gary if he’s ever seen the Hound and Gary says he hasn’t, but goes on to say that Fletcher has, motioning right at Sherlock, and by extension Fletcher who is standing just behind him in the entrance.

“He runs the walks, the monster walks.” “That’s handy. For trade.”

“Did wonders for Devon tourism.”

This gets Sherlock’s attention and he exits the inn to go after Fletcher. John is looking a bit distracted, eyes wandering around a bit as he gazes after Sherlock’s retreating figure with a rather amorous look…

God…But as Sherlock exits John’s line of vision a clear warning pops into focus:

Beware the Hound, John. Keep those wandering thoughts (and eyes) in check. Don’t want to get savaged. :(

Young Billy, the camp Sherlock mirror to John’s Gary, appears behind the bar and he and Gary start bantering their Hound (the cheek!!). John looks down and smiles to himself at their easy intimacy. Billy teases Gary about his snoring then asks John, “Is your’s a snorer?” And John immediately asks if they have any food. Crisps? Anything? It’s not like all the scenarios running through his head at the idea of sharing a room with his beau wasn’t bad enough, now he’s thinking about Sherlock softly snoring...in his arms…ugh that one made him hungry. He gets a drink to wash his chips down with (presuming he can get any...he never has much luck with food), since he’s halfway through a stout when he joins Sherlock outside. Needs a stiff drink after…all that.

Back with Sherlock, he takes a gamble on Fletcher being a gambler, he gets into ‘disguise’ and approaches Fletcher as a skeptical but intrigued tourist, attempting a blasé demeanour but just coming off as awkward as he tries to broach it, like he’s a bit scared Fletcher might actually have something. Fletcher gets very cagey and Sherlock asks if he has any proof which is enough to scare Fletcher off, until John appears and Sherlock turns it all into a game, which Fletcher can’t resist. He pulls out his phone and shows Sherlock a pic of an ordinary dog, which Sherlock sneers at, and taunts “Sorry John, I win.” Then Fletcher starts going on about the hollow, much like Henry was in 221B, but Sherlock still remains unconvinced. That is, until Fletcher tells them a Ghost Story, and pulls out a plaster cast of a large paw print. Sherlock is spooked now, and shies away from it a bit, eyeing it resentfully as he’s obliged to pay John. John takes another swig of beer as he eyes off Fletcher, and happily takes Sherlock’s money.

Approaching Baskerville, we are bombarded with signs signalling danger and secrecy, dogs roaming around, and men with guns. Baskerville has some strong parallels to Sherrinford, another top secret "facility” cum heart-dungeon that’s home to an escaped mayhem-causing monster that Sherlock has to confront. Sherrinford? Baskerville 2.0 tbh. Sherlock uses Mycroft’s ID to get them inside, which is absolute nonsense because Mycroft’s face is clearly on the ID lmao. Mycroft, of course, has full access to Baskerville (❤️) and “all areas” because he’s that aspect of Sherlock; The Clever One, the brain without a heart, the iceman persona, the detached puzzle solver, order, rationality, Mr. Caring-is-not-an-advantage etc. And this is the guy who’s In Charge. For fuck’s sake, Sherlock. Thank god he starts to reject alla that nonsense in The Sign of Three.

Anyway, John is anxious about all this, and quips

JOHN: Caught in five minutes. “Oh, hi, we just thought we’d come and have a wander round your top secret weapons base.” “Really? Great! Come in – kettle’s just boiled.” That’s if we don’t get shot.

John (rightly) does not anticipate any hospitality in Sherlock’s ‘ole heart, and is rather worried they might just get shot.

They drive on in and hop out of the car both seeming a bit trepidatious and are swiftly met by Corporal Lyons, who is a bit flustered by their presence and immediately asks if they’re “in trouble”. Because Baskerville (❤️) just doesn’t get inspected you see. It just isn’t done. John’s eyes wander over the attractive young Corporal and he swiftly pulls rank, getting them inside easily as a contrite Lyons scuttles to obey and give them the ~full tour~ and Sherlock is unable to completely hide his appreciation for his…Captain John Watson.

They go inside and Lyons takes them underground into the main lab. Sherlock asks Lyons about the animals they keep down here and gets all ominous about it as the ‘monsters’ inside Baskerville mill all around the lab. 

“Phone Lestrade! Tell him there’s an escaped rabbit!”

FLUFFY FRIENDS. I like the way they frame the monkey’s and rabbits to look monstrous, really adds to the utter absurdity of it all. As the boys look around, Frankland exits the gas chamber and approaches them, all smiles and affability, hidden in plain sight, just like Moriarty.

FRANKLAND: Ah, new faces, how nice. Careful you don’t get stuck here, though. I only came to fix a tap!

SHERLOCK: James Moriarty is for hire. PROSECUTING BARRISTER: A tradesman? SHERLOCK: Yes. PROSECUTING BARRISTER: But not the sort who’d fix your heating. SHERLOCK: No, the sort who’d plant a bomb or stage an assassination, but I’m sure he’d make a pretty decent job of your boiler.

Lol. Frankland (Moriarty) only came to Baskerville (❤️) to fix a ‘leak’ but then…he got stuck in there…and now he’s a full blown virus 😩 Frankland gets some ominous villain treatment as he retreats and John then asks Lyons what it is that they actually do in this place;

LYONS: I thought you’d know, sir, this being an inspection. JOHN: Well, I’m not an expert, am I?

Lyons dodges John’s questions by acting like he should already know all that, then answers as imprecisely as possible. They head further on into Baskerville, now entering a lab in which they meet one Doctor Stapleton, another John mirror and one of my favourite instances of John’s bisexual coding lol. She’s another Doctor, same physical type, fair-haired, wearing a button-down cardigan and has a young daughter.

Sherlock asks what her role at Baskerville is, to which she snorts in amusement and says she’s not free to say, to which Sherlock reacts rather strongly?

Like even John is bewildered. Why do you suggest she remains that way Sherlock, hmm? Hmm? I have no idea if this is just a coincidence, but the phrasing along with Sherlock’s response just stuck out to me, especially since these are both Mark’s episodes.

She then says

STAPLETON: I have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. I like to mix things up – genes, mostly; now and again, actual fingers. SHERLOCK: Stapleton. Knew I knew your name. STAPLETON: Doubt it.

This quip about Stapleton’s (= John’s) name happens right after she ambiguously says she “likes to mix things up”. Genes mostly but also, actual fingers. Has a rather, wide field, you might say. And she’s (required to be) very secretive (private) about it. 

And then we get to the crux of the matter, Sherlock quips dramatically about coincidence then holds up his moleskin on which he’s written…Bluebell.

In the end, Sherlock breaks into Baskerville to find out why Bluebell had to die.

SHERLOCK: Why did Bluebell have to die, Doctor Stapleton? JOHN: The rabbit? SHERLOCK: Disappeared from inside a locked hutch, which was always suggestive. JOHN: The rabbit? SHERLOCK: Clearly an inside job. STAPLETON: Oh, you reckon. SHERLOCK: Why? Because it glowed in the dark?

“Why did I have to die, John?” CLEARLY AN INSIDE JOB. OH YOU RECKON. Sherlock’s halfway there, but we'll return to this later on, as this isn’t pertinent until John speaks to Stapleton after he’s drugged. This is just set-up for that. For now, Sherlock looks at his watch and hightails it outta there with a very indignant and confused John on his heels.

JOHN: Did we just break into a military base to investigate a rabbit?

Well…………….yeah. You did. :(

Elsewhere, the ‘security breach’ slowly makes it’s way to Mycroft who apparently receives word of this ~national security breach~ via text message and literally just rolls his eyes at his phone and sends Sherlock a text. Like, I’m laughing my ass off, did people really ever think this show was ‘realistic’. It’s NONSENSE. No one but Mycroft is involved or even notified because this is all a dumb heart-metaphor, which is also why the only action Mycroft takes is to send down Sherlock’s ‘handler’ to look after him lmao. The only thing they have ever cared about are their dumb metaphors (that I love! So much!). Sherlock just laughs at the text and says Mycroft’s getting sloppy (has he ever NOT been though…this is the question) as they rush toward the elevator, in which they conveniently bump into Frankland again. Back on ground level, they run into the stern and impressive Major Barrymore, who is quite outraged that Sherlock has staged an inspection.

BARRYMORE: The whole point of Baskerville (❤️) was to eliminate this kind of bureaucratic nonsense... SHERLOCK: I’m so sorry, Major. BARRYMORE: Inspections?! SHERLOCK: New policy. Can’t remain unmonitored forever. Goodness knows what you’d get up to.

“The whole point of Baskerville (❤️) was to eliminate this kind of bureaucratic nonsense...” Like...is this some meta-fictional yelling on Mark’s part about the heartrooms or what :/ And like, I get it, the heartrooms etc WERE no doubt intended to subvert the ‘bureaucratic nonsense’ that would inevitably swamp the first gay Holmes adaptation and allow them to tell the story they wanted to tell relatively undetected, but I’m with Sherlock on this one lmao. These fuckers have been running around unmonitored for TOO LONG and they can’t keep getting away with it! Enough is enough! Um, anyway, they’re interrupted as Lyons sets the heart-alarms off despite the intruders being like, right there with them, and just says ‘ID unauthorised’. Sherlock hands over Mycroft’s ID and just as Barrymore is about to skewer them, Frankland intervenes and is able to persuade Barrymore that Sherlock is in fact Mycroft Holmes (I guess. Since Mycroft is basically just The Brain anyway), and get them off the hook. This scene is a clusterfuck to me and one of the few where I can’t really tell if there’s anything going on because there’s no context and I can’t stand watching it because of the alarms. Like the scene with Jaqui, I feel like it’s mostly just setup for the second trip to Baskerville.

Frankland walks them out and seeks to ingratiate himself with them and insert himself into the investigation although Sherlock is clearly still on edge. He gushes about the hat, saying Sherlock’s almost unrecognisable without it (tell me about it) as Sherlock crankily says that stupid hat wasn’t his hat. (I take it anyone reading this is familiar with the meaning of the hat, but if you haven’t seen it the tjlce video explains it well). He then compliments John on his blog, “the pink thing” and “that one about The Aluminium Crutch”*[1] and with the mention of THAT debacle Sherlock abruptly changes the subject. Frankland says he knew Henry’s dad better than Henry himself and that he had all sorts of “mad theories” about Baskerville (❤️) but was nonetheless a good friend. He gives Sherlock his number, and says to give him a call if he can help with Henry.

Frankland throws some shade at Stapleton after they joke about killing Sherlock again and then they part ways. As soon as they’re alone, John immediately asks Sherlock what all that about the rabbit was, and Sherlock doesn’t answer. He smirks to himself knowingly, then flips his collar up and pulls his coat protectively around himself (in my opinion). His acts of defensiveness are so tiny, man, it breaks my heart. John, (pining to DEATH!) already wound up from being led down this rabbit hole blind, blurts out

JOHN: Oh, please, can we not do this, this time. SHERLOCK: Do what? JOHN: You, being all…mysterious with your, cheekbones, ’n turning your coat collar up so you look cool. SHERLOCK: I don’t do that! JOHN: Yeah you do.

John is simultaneously endeared and exasperated by this behaviour, but mostly he’s just dying of frustration with all his own pent up desires for his friend.

But Sherlock doesn’t really take well to stuff like this, because he think’s John’s straight. And he hates himself, so obviously he’s never gonna see affection in being teased like this (at least, certainly not the kind he wants) by a ‘mate’ with whom he’s secretly in love. I’m quite sure all he see’s here is the blokey prodding, y’know; posh boy public school with your cheekbones and high collar. A joke. A laugh. It grates at him. These micro-misunderstandings? Death.

The sexual tension continues as they sit in the car together, making awkward eye-contact and immediately looking away from each other before John brings up Bluebell again. Sherlock speculates that Jaqui made Bluebell glow with a fluorescent gene and concludes that as we know she performs “secret experiments” on bunnies, the question is now whether she’s been “working on something deadlier than a bluebell”. As we know, the answer to that question is…no. So John makes a joke.

“To be fair that is quite a wide field.”

John cracks a bi joke RIGHT THERE…AT Sherlock…he’s flirting at him again! Twice in less than five minutes! Sherlock is stumped and perhaps kinda suspicious of another joke at his expense and John just looks away and smirks to himself. I am sorry but I love this so much, John is just like, I’ve had enough of this mysterious asshole it’s MY turn to be a cryptic bitch for once! Aksjndf.

Likes to mix things up….has quite a wide field…dis bisexuelle coding, Mark! ❤️

They arrive at Henry’s house and there is a pertinent moment here that’s been deleted from the episode (perhaps because it’s too obvious), but the script snippet is included in The Sherlock Chronicles:

Sherlock asks John for his money back while they wait for Henry to answer the door, and John rebuffs him, claiming Sherlock owes him. >.< You can see Sherlock is kinda crabby when they cut to him as Henry opens the door:

Uh...tense. They head inside and John looks around, quite surprised, and asks Henry a bit tactlessly,

And this is Sherlock’s reaction:

Hooo boy. TENSE.

In the kitchen, Sherlock helps himself to Henry’s sugar as Henry tells them about the words he remembers, Liberty In, and Sherlock supplies the complete phrase. Henry asks “What now then?” and Sherlock supplies them with The Plan, as he tries to drink his sweetened coffee, which he’s having some trouble swallowing. :(

It’s not to his taste! He just doesn’t do coffee ok.

SHERLOCK: We take you back out onto the moor. See if anything attacks you.

John laughs and acts peeved about Sherlock’s recklessness and Sherlock snaps at him quietly. Got any better ideas? He concludes that if there is a monster out there, the only thing to do is find out where it lives. Time to face his fears at the scene of the crime.

*[1] - writemeastoryofsolitude’s meta “The Mystery of The Aluminium Crutch, or How Sherlock Holmes Fell in Love” has a lot of great insight’s about this particular blog post, I haven’t read it in years and from what I remember I certainly wouldn’t parse it like that myself, but it gives you a pretty good idea. :)

tagging any interested parties again :) @sarahthecoat @impossibleleaf @northstargrassmaiden @devoursjohnlock @gosherlocked @love-in-mind-palace @221bloodnun, @johnlockiseternal, @tjlcisthenewsexy etc

[mrjohnangulo]

SRAM AXS Groupset launch on Dartmoor

I’m not gloating when I say ‘I get to do a lot of cool stuff.’ I just really appreciate getting to ride my bike in attractive places, enjoy meeting friendly, fun, creative people and get excited about new kit. So I’m never not gonna think my job is  cool.

    At the tail end of last year I got a call that was pretty damn special by any standards. Along with a small crew of European riders – Marty Merrit, Yewie Adesida and Charles Nicholson (whom I know from racing fixed gear crits) I was selected to try out an incredibly super secret new SRAM product. Back then I was sworn to secrecy, the penalty for revealing even the smallest detail pretty much death. I can now tell you that it was SRAM’s new, innovative groupset, eTap AXS.

       As the project absolutely had to remain under wraps until its February launch date, it was handy that Dartmoor, where we were shooting, was enjoying its usual mix of extreme weather – thick dark clouds one minute, rain the next and all of it interspersed with golden shafts of sunlight. Hidden in the landscape’s myriad pleats and folds we were able to ride our AXS equipped bikes on the open roads without fear of seeing anyone. Though the magical landscape is actually very accessible from neighbouring Exeter, it’s four-seasons-in-a-day climate and numerous tiny lanes are perfect for hiding in full view.

    Along with the nearby coast, Dartmoor is one of the very reasons I live here in Devon. One of our crew, Kate, must have seen some incredible places through her role at SRAM and I found myself wondering what she thought of the area. Showing her around and seeing her excitement at the wild horses and cattle roaming the wild, windswept landscape I couldn’t help but feel proud of the beautiful National Park that I have the privilege of riding whenever I like.

We also visited a few of the local pubs including one of my absolute favourites, the Rugglestone Inn in Widecombe and one that’s new to me, the Ring of Bells in North Bovey. Both serve such good food that even those indoctrinated to believing British food sucks had their opinions reversed. We made sure that (once we had finished working) everyone got the try Doom Bar and Jail Ale, two of the best West Country brews, just so they got the full experience.

We didn’t have time for a cream tea but I’d have directed them to Home Farm just down from Haytor if we had – it’s one of the best places to stop for coffee and cake on a bike ride. Cafe 360 should get a mention here too for its amazing vegan cakes (try the peanut and banana one) and ample indoor bike parking (!) but I don’t think it has the correct ambience for a cream tea. But I digress.

    It’s all too easy to get complacent about the places we get to ride all the time. I’d miss every bit of my existence were it taken away and do make a habit of reminding myself that. I love Dartmoor, the English seaside and fish n’ chips. Still, I’m guilty of getting bored of training rides on the same old routes (even though I do try not to be a grump) so showing visitors around is a really nice to be prodded back into appreciating your own everyday.

  As I write this, I’m actually waiting in for delivery of my very own SRAM eTap AXS groupset and a new set of Zipp 303 wheels to go with it (you need an XT Driver with the new groupset). I can’t wait to kit out my custom Wyndymilla Saw Doctor with its new bling. Stay tuned for a video in Friday about the groupset, wheels and build. In the meantime, check out SRAM’s paean to Dartmoor here:

https://launch.sram.com/en/axs/discovering-dartmoor

The post SRAM AXS Groupset launch on Dartmoor appeared first on Bikes 'N' Stuff.

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