#update from later i was just a bit bloated and my muscles were a little inflamed haha

[bigfootsgirlfriendd]

back 2 THIS oversharing but i am going to mildly shove my mother. i love her AND!!!! she buys me junk. like...hello. the kind bar is one thing but she noticed the first week of quarantine the part of this ED i actually find ugly reared its head as in i ate...too many corn chips and wanted to die and worked off the calories which also made me want to die...and during that i built some muscle from all the fucking workouts but in my quadriceps and then i was like now i REALLY want to kill myself. but anyways. i complain because what the fuck else do i have to say. not a hell of a lot. to continue complaining....she bought me corn chips and like!!! ones specifically for me and i was thinking in my head ‘i will take you out.’ i didnt ask for it. ive been stressing that i dont want to eat that shit. like i talked to her about it and how distressing it is for me. i mean think about it. a little. it’s hard to describe what it’s LIKE to feel so horrific about shit food and your body even when you are still like a size 2-4 and so i should just shut up, right? but the physical reality doesnt even matter. ok it does because when your dumbass disordered brain makes u eat shit guess what. the amount of PHYSICAL pain it causes. i potentially have celiac and the fact that i would still eat bread and it was fucking EXCRUCIATING. and i know pain, given i am female. this was worse than the cramps that had me lying on the ground for a solid hour. just waiting for it to be over. 

anyways. it’d been awhile since the last grocery run (well, about a week) and FINALLY. i was making progress for a few days. feeling good! eating my regular healthy shit and NOTHING. ELSE. it just sucks so bad when people around you eat like shit and don’t care. luckily i have like..the vegan thing and telling myself (though i can’t confirm it, like, NOW) that i have celiac has helped. but every damn day dude!! my f*ther is constantly shitting on my sister for eating a lot of sugar and saying ‘she’s gonna get diabetes’ which...isn’t wROnG per se but like sir your body is already failing you every damn day of the week and you eat like shit! who’s the one eating shit tons of red meat, mayonnaise (which, btw...that should be a crime that gets you put in jail. none of this weed shit. if you eat mayo....straight to prison), BEER. like sir what the fuck did you think would happen. my mother...is interesting lmao she eats a lot of shitty things but small amounts and then continues to eat small amounts of actually good things too ‘to compensate.’ is she rail thin? no! then why do i feel insecure? well!! that is my issue to deal with. issues? probably. i just want to like...manifest my own like shed. doesnt have to be large or anything. shed. with my kitchen and pots and pans and spoons and not oNE of them has been used to cook something gross. and those pantry shelves? you’ll see nothing but legumes, broth and almond milk! PERIOD. (okay...unless i’ve forgotten something else). 

what i am saying is all i asked for food wise was fruits, vegetables, broth, almond milk. baby carrots as a snack for the hummus in the fridge. and she bought me a family size bag of corn chips and a glorified candy bar of a product (less sugar? maybe so. but who the fuck cares? it’s literally all trash). maybe i will crush them up and flush them down the toilet. i hate to be wasteful. but it is waste is it not. then i have to wash the container tonight. and she bought another box of gluten free crackers. which....ma’am. they have sugar added. im not gonna fucking touch them. why would you do this. 

it’s so wild cause growing up i always thought my mom, at least, was healthy. that as a family we were healthy. but i feel like in america we have such a warped view of what that actually fucking means. and this is on the east coast, too! i can’t imagine the midwest. i’m a skeleton in the grave there i’m sure. which isn’t entirely their fault. but anyways. but looking at all this shit. like....i want to scream? kind of? 

i would, but...best not to have neighbors think that you’re getting murdered. although...i think that people feel like neighbors would do something if they heard noises. but let’s be real. every time some random knocks on the door we play dead until it goes away. let telemarketers go to voicemail. block out sirens with noise cancelling headphones or, country version (rural?) if you hear some whack shit out in the woods? like fuck are you gonna go out there and investigate! you’re gonna go ‘well that’s none of my business’, pretend to forget you heard it, and move on! i don’t know how many of these sentences are coherent. 

i’m gonna go eat some baby carrots now. fuck. 

[6ix-dragons]

Their Desired Future (for Jerza Day 2020)

Series: Fairy Tail Pairing: Jellal/Erza Rating: T+ Word Count: 3,799 words

Note: This story can also be found on AO3, FFN, and Pillowfort!

UPDATE (June 22, 2021): I have updated this story, to make a few changes! These include edits to sentence structure/rewording for some parts of the story to improve the flow, and make them more readable. However, I've also changed a certain part that happens later in the story, by adding more to it! I hope you enjoy these changes, and the updated story itself!

---

It was a little late in the morning, when retching noises erupted from outside the half-open door, leading into the bathroom.

Within the room, a young, redheaded female had found herself on her knees, hunched over the toilet. Clad in only her violet silk bathrobe, the scarlet-haired woman braced strongly against its seat. Her fingers firmly grasped onto it, as she emptied out the contents of her stomach into the bowl below.

Breathing heavily, the redhead coughed, sputtered, and wheezed, before spitting out the remnants from her mouth. She groaned woefully, her lips twisted to a deep scowl.

"Ugh…this…damned illness!" Her trembling body heaved mightily, while she leaned up more against the toilet's seat. "I swear it's been like this, for almost a couple of weeks, already!"

Erza then suddenly grunted, freezing in place, when she felt another wave of nausea hit the core of her body. The intense churning in her stomach had eventually come to pass, without forcing her to throw up—but, it left the redheaded woman with great concern that perpetuated with every passing moment.

A deep sigh escaped her breath. "Seriously," she muttered, lifting her head up from being face down towards the toilet's bowl, for long. "What is going on with me, right now?"

In her mind, she could recall how it all progressed, and culminated, into the predicament she currently experienced, just now. First, she felt mildly nauseous at times, the week prior. Initially, she brushed it off, thinking she had caught some kind of stomach virus. That is, until it all escalated in the next few days after, when she found herself rushing towards a restroom.

It just seemed to hit whenever it wanted to, but Erza knew that whenever it did, it hit her hard. It especially hit her, every time she had taken a bite out of her favourite foods—including her strawberry cakes. In fact, it was so bad, that even the very scent of those cakes had sent her running straight to the toilet. She just found it so odd that it would even happen like that.

The other times Erza had used the toilet, during the days after her mild illness, was when there was a sudden urge to relieve herself. It happened more frequently than she thought, having felt her bladder fill up more than a few times, every day.

Flushing the toilet with a single push on its tap, the female Scarlet gingerly moved towards the mirror above the sink. Grabbing a face towel, she wiped the bottom-half of her face, before rinsing the towel under the sink's faucet.

As she did, she closely observed her own reflection in the mirror, parting away the fringes of her hair that stuck to her forehead. Beneath her messy tresses that were tied into a high ponytail of sorts, her face was flushed with burning red, from the great exertion her body previously made. Even that, however, had failed to hide the dark shades that slowly formed underneath her eyes.

Erza could also recall in her mind, of how fatigued she was, during those same days—when her illnesses gradually worsened. Just like the nausea, she found herself a lot more tired, at any given time. It truly wasn't like her, to fall asleep in the middle of anything. It was even the case for this morning, when she got out of bed a couple of hours later than she'd usually been.

'No, really,' she thought, pressing her fingers against her temples that ached within, while she returned the damp face towel onto a wall-mounted hook. 'What the hell is going on with me?'

The redheaded woman frowned at the aches that pounded away at her head and across nearly every muscle in her body. 'Ugh,' she groaned at the pangs of pain throughout her muscles. 'Where's Jellal, when I needed him the most?'

As she noted in her own mind, her lover and husband had already left their house, off on his own accord. Of course, he had woken up earlier than her—hence, the lack of his presence around their house. And, yet, it would be nice if he was still here…if only to take care of her whims, and needs.

While she began brushing her teeth, and rinsing her mouth thoroughly, Erza thought of every single reason, as to why she continued to experience these symptoms. There was then a thought that surfaced in her mind—one that made her much nervous than how she felt with the symptoms she recently experienced.

Finishing her final rinse of her mouth, the scarlet-haired female stepped out of the bathroom, where she ended up in their bedroom. Taking the calendar off from her nightstand, she peered carefully at the current month it was on. Erza counted back the days, with the grueling question on her mind: 'When was the last time I had my period?'

She gasped aloud, eyes widening, upon the realization that her previous period had occurred the week before those symptoms started.

'No…it can't be,' the redhead narrowed her eyes at the calendar, in disbelief. 'I couldn't have missed it, last week…right?'

Turning away from the calendar, Erza stared into the open void, trying to remember the last time she made love with her husband.

In her mind, there was no denying it that both her, and Jellal were…sexually active with each other. Quite even so, in recent memory. However, for each time they did the deed, protection was always used. Although, there were times when she'd assumed that it was a 'safe day' for her, too.

Whether or not they had used protection for the last time they made love to one another, it really didn't matter much to her, anymore. The rising suspicions in her mind already pointed to a single, potential cause that could dramatically shape the course of not just her life…but, together, with him, as well.

Erza's breath stilled, as the unnerving thought of it all had sent her stomach bloating, and churning away, yet again. Holding a hand against her belly, the sudden wave of nausea had come, and gone, without much incident.

She shook her head, after, her breathy sigh drawn out.

Opening the top drawer underneath her nightstand, her hand crept into the furthest corners of it, before they were able to find what she was looking for. Pulling it out from the drawer, a small box filled with testing sticks was held in her hand.

As she remembered well, she bought it from a local pharmacy, only a few weeks prior. She had her own reasons for purchasing it—among them, in such situations like the one she currently faced.

Closing the drawer, Erza took the box with her down the stairs, into the kitchen. Placing the box on the countertop, she poured herself a full glass of water. Taking the box away from the countertop, the scarlet-haired woman read the instructions on the package, while she drank down the entire glass.

Bowing her head slightly, an unsure frown was plastered on her face. 'Will this…even work?'

The redhead took another moment to carefully examine the box, before she felt a familiar pressure building up in the lower regions of her body. Exerting a wistful breath, quietly, Erza placed the empty glass on the counter. Having opened the box, she took out one of the testing sticks from it, inspecting its pen-like shape.

She carried both the box and the testing stick with her, into the upstairs bathroom, where she set them aside on the sink's counter.

It was now, or never, for her, at this point.

Taking a clear, plastic cup, from a pile sitting atop a nearby shelf, Erza plopped down onto the toilet. Bringing the cup underneath her bathrobe, right between her legs, the redhead began to empty her bladder, sighing softly in relief.

---

With the testing strip portion of the stick fully dipped into the filled plastic cup, Erza could only sit and watch, from the seat of the toilet. Her fingers grasped the soft silk fabric of her bathrobe, trembling away with intense anticipation. The feelings of fear, and anxiety heightened in her mind, with every passing second—despite the test taking only ten minutes to complete.

It was just beginning to be a bit too much for the redheaded female, wondering what the result would be for her. She had to find a way to ease her nerves, to calm herself down, in all of this.

Rather than waiting for the test to finish, she decided to take a shower, in the meantime. Rising up and away from the toilet's seat, Erza untied the knot of her bathrobe, slipping it off from her bare body. Hanging it onto a wall-mounted rack, she undid her knotted strands of hair at the back of her head, freeing her long tresses that flowed down to her waist. She then stepped into the spacious stall, having opened the frosted-glass door to it, before twisting the taps around.

An airy sigh of content left her breath, as lines of water cascaded from the shower head, gently pelting over her exposed body. Erza found the warm water to have soothed her aches, and pains, from earlier, as she grabbed the bar of soap from the corner shelf.

The female Scarlet took in its pleasant strawberry scent, while running the bar across her arms. Her body, however, stilled, when she ran it down her midsection. Looking down on herself, with raised eyebrows, Erza placed her hand over her abdomen. Smoothing over it with her hand, she noticed that her belly wasn't as flat, and toned, as it was before. Rather, it had bulged out slightly.

"Huh," she murmured lowly, pressing her hand lightly against her midsection. "It must be all the food that I ate, lately…"

Moving the bar of soap towards her chest, Erza winced at the prickling pain that surged from her breasts, when she ran it against them.

"Oww," she hissed, taking the soap bar away from her chest. With a free hand, her fingers gave a few light pokes, and squeezes, against her bosom. Groans of discomfort sounded from the redhead, having felt the prickling jabs from within. "How are my breasts this sore? They weren't like that, before…"

Erza also noted right away, about how heavy her breasts were. While her breasts were already enormous to begin with, she didn't think, let alone feel, that they had grown in size—up until this point.

Whatever she may think of it all, it certainly didn't help allay the worries she had.

The scarlet-haired female finished her shower, by wetting her hair, and scrubbing it with her favourite shampoo. After a thorough rinse, she turned the taps off.

Clouds of steam rushed out from the stall behind her, as she swung the glass door open. Reaching for a large towel from a rack at the closest corner, Erza draped the cloth over her shoulder, holding onto it. There was a tall, full-length mirror situated at the wall beside the shower, where the redhead examined her own body with it.

Right away, she noticed the changes in her body that struck out to her, as the most obvious. Her burgeoned chest had indeed become larger, than what they usually were—having grown by almost a cup size, she figured in her mind. The areolae of her nipples also grew a bit larger, alongside, with the redhead having observed the slightly-darkening colour of them.

Lowering her gaze further below the chest of her mirrored self, Erza could barely notice the small bulge that formed around her lower midsection. Upon turning her body to its side, however, the bump had become more apparent to her.

Laying her hand over it, Erza released a low sigh filled with uncertainty. She then took out the large towel that she held over her shoulder, and wrapped it around her body. Taking a smaller towel from the same rack, she dried her hair with it, before wrapping it around the top of her head.

As she did, the chimes of a few electronic beeps reached the redhead's ears. They forced her attention towards the testing stick that was in the cup, signaling that its test was complete.

Holding back the gulp in her throat, Erza paced towards the sink's counter. The crimson-haired woman took a few deep breaths, while she carefully retrieved the pen-shaped stick from the cup. Her fingers trembled mightily, struggling to hold onto it.

'I…I don't know what to think…if it's true that I'm…!' Her bottom lip quivering, Erza closed her eyes, and flipped the stick over. '…Alright…you can do it, Erza. Just get this over with…'

Taking another deep breath to relax, as much as possible, Erza opened up her eyes, and peered down at the front side of the plastic stick.

A huge rush of air escaped the redhead, her body paralyzed in place. Her pupils shrunk within her eyes that grew wide at the results displayed on the pregnancy test that she took.

Two red lines filled the rounded rectangle, on the front side.

It was positive.

The redhead blinked for a few seconds, at first. "No…that can't be right…can't it?" She whispered to herself, finding her grip on the pen-like stick much shakier than before. Her breathing picked up immensely at this sudden revelation, along with the beating of her heart. "You've got to be kidding me…"

As the shock of it all had slowly worn off, a rush of emotions began to overwhelm her. Tears started to gather in her eyes, while she continued to stare at the positive test result, still processing it through her mind.

Erza sniffled, right as she looked down at her abdomen, placing a hand gently over it. With the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she slowly brought herself back into the open shower stall, sitting down against the tiled wall that was still wet from her most-recent bath.

The tears in her eyes finally leaked out from the corners of her eyes, streaking down her face, as she locked her gaze at the stick. Eventually, the frown on her face turned to a smile of joy.

While she had yet to see a gynecologist to confirm everything, she was now more than happy to know that she was going to become a mother, soon. She was ecstatic, rather. Whatever fears and concerns that she had from the beginning had already faded away, with this finding of her own.

Taking her eyes off the stick, they flew back towards her belly, where her hand remained over it. Sniffling again, Erza placed the stick onto the damp floor, resuming her gaze towards it. She then turned her sights back to her abdomen, wondering to herself about how she'll break this kind of news to her husband.

---

"I'm back, Erza!"

It was later into the evening, when the young, blue-haired male returned to their residence.

Closing the front door behind him, and locking it, Jellal noticed the odd silence that greeted him, right after he stepped in.

"Eh?" He raised his eyebrows, as he called out her name, again. "Erza?"

Her voice came out from around the corner, leading into their living room. "I'm right here!"

His lips crept to a smile, as he walked into the room. He found her seated on their sofa, in her blue silk bathrobe, with her hair tied back into a high ponytail. Only the lamp at the side table next to her had provided the lighting, for the entire room.

"Jellal." The redhead greeted him with a heartwarming smile. "How was your day?"

The cobalt-haired male held back an elated hum. "It was actually nice," he replied with a small grin. "I got to go out more, with Natsu, and the others."

"That's pretty good to hear." Erza gave a soft simper, in response—before she casted her eyes away from him, with a slight frown.

It didn't take long for Jellal to notice that something was off about her, right away. "Is…is something wrong, Erza?" His eyebrows cocked upward at her. "Something on your mind, perhaps?"

"Jellal," she softly requested, scooting aside to make room for him, as she placed her hand on the empty seat. "Please sit down with me."

Blinking for a brief moment, Jellal took up the seat next to her, with a more concerned expression on his face.

"Erza…what is it?" He placed his hand gently over hers. "It's okay to talk to me…"

Taking the moment to go through what she wanted to tell him, said redheaded female took a shallow breath, mustering the courage to do so. "Jellal," she began, quietly. "Do you remember those times, when I got very sick, through all of last week?"

Jellal nodded his head shortly. "Yeah." He brought his hand at the back of his head. "You told me it was a bad stomach virus of some sort."

Erza's frown widened, as she glanced away from him. "Well, it's not actually that."

He raised a curved brow at his wife. "Then…what is?"

Finding it in her heart to go ahead with it, the redheaded Scarlet turned to face him directly. "Well," she revealed, with a small smile. Her smile gradually cracked open to its brightest, as she continued, measuring her pauses carefully. "What if I told you…we are expecting a new addition to our house…our family?"

"F-Family?" Jellal initially blurted out, trying to make sense of her question, before everything slowly dawned on him. "Wh—what…w-wait…E-Erza…a-are you trying to tell me, y-you're—"

Surprise instantly took him, when, in one instance, he saw her rise from the sofa. In the next, she suddenly grabbed his hand, and placed it against her abdomen.

"Yes, Jellal," she finally spoke up, excitedly. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes, as she did. "It's true…I'm pregnant."

Gob-smacked at the news from her, the azure-haired Fernandes didn't know what to make of it. He remained silent, still staring at her with incredulous eyes, and his jaw hanging slightly ajar. He then turned his sights awkwardly away from her.

Erza's eyes widened at him, as she broke the silence first. "…Y-you okay, Jellal?"

She then gasped, when she felt his arms wrap around her. Quickly standing on both feet, Jellal had leaned in closer to her.

"Yeah," he sniffled, burying his face against the crook of her neck, smiling ecstatically. "You have no idea how happy I am, to hear this from you."

With wondrous eyes, Erza blinked for a second. She smiled serenely, letting the tears flow down her cheeks, while she ran her hand gently over the back of his head.

Another moment passed, before Jellal finally released his arms from her. Crouched down, on one leg, his eyes darted to where her midsection lay. He curiously rested his hand over it, through her bathrobe. "Did you see the doctor, already?"

"Ah…yes," she nodded. "I did see the doctor earlier this afternoon…and, she confirmed that I am, indeed, pregnant."

Parting open the flaps of her bathrobe, Jellal managed to feel the exposed skin of her abdomen, stroking his hand around it. "How far along are you, right now?"

Erza held back a small giggle. "A little more than eight weeks," she explained. "That's how my doctor told me." She then took out a postcard-sized photo from the coffee table, handing it over to her husband. "She was willing to take an ultrasound scan, as well."

Jellal was amazed, upon viewing the photo print of their child—no larger than a cue ball—currently developing within the confines of her womb.

"I can't believe it," he murmured in awe, before placing the photo back onto the table. His eyes returned to her belly, having felt its slight bulge with his hand. "More than eight weeks, already…"

Erza maintained her gaze onto her husband, below, smiling happily under awestruck eyes. The redheaded female then felt her husband's lips press against her belly, as he left a few kisses against it.

"H-hey!" She giggled to his warm touches. "That tickles!"

"My apologies," Jellal chuckled. "I can't resist." He then looked up at her, while he took her hand, bringing his large one over it. "Although, I must say, Erza…I want to thank you."

A tinge of red covered across her face, as she blinked. "For what?"

"For everything," he answered, from the bottom of his heart. "For giving me another chance in life." He gently moved his hand around the back of hers. "For being there with me, every step of the way." He then brought their hands together, over her abdomen. "But, most importantly…for making me a father." He flashed a bright smile at her, under weeping eyes. "I'll be there for you and our child…always."

In the back of his mind, this was the best result that could ever happen for both of them. This was a desired future—not just for him, or only for her. But, it was theirs. Together.

Their desired future.

And, it finally became reality.

Tears started to leak from her eyes, again. "That's so sweet," she gasped out, before her lips broke open into a heart-warmed smile. "Yes. Yes, Jellal. I know you will." She softly stroked her hand over his. "The baby and I are very fortunate to have you. Thank you, Jellal."

Rising up onto his feet, the azure-haired male wrapped his arms around her, once again. Erza returned his hug, bringing her arms around him. Gently releasing her from his hug, Jellal's hands remained on her arms, as he leaned in to slant his lips over hers. Erza sighed delightfully, pressing her lips back against his.

Both then pulled their mouths away from each other, the now-expecting couple catching for air. Jellal brushed his fingers gently against the side of her face, wicking away whatever tears were left on her skin.

Erza narrowed her eyes at him, her lips stretching to a curious smirk. "What are you thinking now?" She then gasped, when she felt him scoop her up, with his arms. "Eh? J-Jellal?!"

Carrying his wife in his arms, Jellal gave her a naughty smirk of his own, curving an eyebrow. "I thought…maybe we can celebrate this kind of news, upstairs." His curved brow then hitched upward. "Shall we?"

The blush on her face deepening into the colour of her hair, Erza blinked at him, with stunned eyes. She then released a long, mischievous giggle, in which her husband chuckled back.

With her arm around his neck, Jellal carefully carried his now-pregnant wife out of their living room, and up the stairs to their bedroom—where the real fireworks started from there.

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Gainer, Part 1

(Sort of a One Shot Story Post 1/3)

“Alright, guys. It’s week three of my gain train and I have gained…” Jeffrey stepped off the scale, opened his eyes, and sighed. “…Point…five pounds. Well. That’s progress! I’m sure…I’m sure my body just needs to get used to this new gaining thing. I’ll update you next week. Subscribe to HEFFrey! Later!” He turned off the camera and groaned. Another week of failure. Any kind of gain would’ve been nice. Muscle gain. Fat gain. Subscriber gain, even. He just didn’t know what he was doing wrong. The first week he’d tried stuffing himself silly. Second week was gainer shakes and reps. Third week was water chugging to try for even water weight. But everything just went straight through him. He had been cursed with this scrawny twink body when all he wanted was to be a big bellied bear. His aunt had said their family was blessed with a godly metabolism but he always felt like it was more than that. He couldn’t gain a pound even when he tried hard. He felt doomed to being a hundred and twelve pounds soaking wet.

The comments were nice though. Since his channel was new, it was mostly supporters, hardly any trolls bothered to lurk around him, though he’d get the odd ‘wtf’ down there or people who wished they could keep weight down and envied him. Mostly though, he had some followers who encouraged him and looked forward to his development. They said he should keep trying and he’ll get there. But it just felt like an impossible dream. This night a couple comments popped up right away. ‘Love the water stuff. Keep it coming.’ ‘U cute already. No need for gains.’ ‘More ass shots.’ ‘Hnnnghgnnnnngnghg’ He chuckled a bit at them. He knew guys would be jerking off to it. In a way, it was what he was going for. It made him feel sexy, though it felt a little gross at times. Essentially, it depended on his mood. But it was a fetish thing, gaining, so he knew what to expect. Another thing he expected were the suggestions. In fact, he’d only tried to water gain because of a suggestion on a previous video. So when he saw a comment of someone trying to peddle some kind of gain quick scheme, he was mildly interested. ‘I have trick for you. It is good. Get big fast. Just a drink. Message me contact info.’ He rolled his eyes. Guys were always trying to hook up with him like this, and it was a little annoying. ‘Get big fast’ wasn’t going to be enough to get his digits. He never met with people from online. Call him traditional, but he was a face to face kind of guy. He wasn’t even on Grindr. There weren’t any other comments worth scrolling through, so he plugged in his phone and decided to retire for the night. He went to bed emotionally deflated and hoped he could find something new to try tomorrow.

“You’re HEFFrey.” He was at his favourite bar the next night. He was never a big fan of beer, but his gainer mindset convinced him if he drank it enough, maybe one day he’d have a trucker worthy beer gut. He was two coronas deep when he heard the name called out. The music in the bar was loud though and his lightweight ass was a little buzzed already so at first he thought he was just hearing things. But then again in the strong accent he couldn’t place, his tag was called again. “You are HEFFrey. Gain boy of the web.” A tall stranger had sat down next to him. The guy had very pale skin, jet black hair, and these wide blazing sun coloured eyes that stared so deeply. He didn’t move as he spoke directly at Jeffrey. “It is you, yes?” he asked again. “Uh…” Jeffrey started sweating all over. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, was all he could think. His biggest fear was someone recognising him from his channel. That’s why he tried not to film his face in the videos. So how did this guy know? “Must be you. You have the mother’s marking,” the stranger said pointing to a spot on the back of Jeffrey’s palm. “My birth mark…” Jeffrey whispered, pulling his hand away and cradling it. “So… You got me… Please though, it’s private. Don’t tell anyone.” The stranger shook his head. “No. But I left you a comment. Did you read?” “Uh, thanks bro, but I get a lot of comments…” “I help you. I know fast gain. Big gain.” Jeffrey blinked. So this guy… Was this the guy who asked for his contact info? He always imagined his subscribers lived halfway across the globe. What was the coincidence they’d be meeting in the same city in the same bar the very next day? “I have gain product,” the guy said. After he finished speaking, he actually moved now and fished a bottle out of a satchel Jeffrey hadn’t noticed earlier. The bottle looked just like the one of Mass Gainer he had at home, but this one was in some unrecognisable language. Jeffrey blinked at it and scoffed. “I’ve tried that kinda stuff…” “No. You have not. This is not like your lame human powders. This is from my homeland. It is guaranteed gain.” “Listen, dude. Nothing works on me,” Jeffrey said. “This stuff sounds great, but I’m almost ready to give up.” “No!” The guy shook his head quickly. “You are my favourite to watch. I promise you, this works.” Jeffrey huffed and drank a bit more of his beer. “What do I gotta do? I can’t read that shit…” The man beamed excitedly. “It dissolves in any drink. Milk. Water. Beer. Smoothie. Up to you—” Jeffrey snatched the bottle, uncapped it, and poured half a cup of it into his beer. He lazily swirled it around with a finger before chugging it down. The alcohol went straight to his head and he felt a little tipsy. “Ah… Oop…too fast.” The stranger watched him in awe, a pleased smile on his face. “How do you feel?” “Like this ain’t gonna work…” Jeffrey leaned forward and grabbed the handsome strangers shirt. “But I did it for you cause you’re hot, so how ‘bout you take me home?” The stranger all but sparkled. “I’d love to.”

The next morning, Jeffrey woke up with a wicked hangover and an ache in his anus he felt like he would feel for days. He didn’t remember much from the night before. He remembered little clips: a car ride, the sound of his keys, shirts flying off, the overall feeling of being hot and horny. But now, he felt sick and gross, with a side of regret. But he knew the ache of a good fuck and it had been a while. Too bad he couldn’t even remember the other guy’s name and he was nowhere to be found… After throwing up in the bathroom, he pulled himself to his feet and went to wash his face. The water was so cool and refreshing it helped him think straight and his vision cleared up as well. A second later, he was staring at himself in the mirror. “…No… No way…” He backed up slowly, staring down at his midsection. He couldn’t believe it. His usually concave stomach was actually slightly bloated. For anyone else, this would be a side effect of all the beer and snacks he had the day before, but for him, it was like he’d become as fat as Santa Claus. He couldn’t believe it. Looking down, he pressed a finger into his stomach to make sure it was real. When his skin resisted, he felt almost faint with delight. It worked! That guy’s stuff, whatever it was, actually worked! And overnight too! He tried to reconnect his mind to his feet so he could go stand on his scale. He closed his eyes and counted to three, then looked down. “…Two…Two pounds? Two pounds!” Jeffrey started panting. “Oh my god… Oh my fucking god… I need to… I need to vlog this!” He nearly tripped over himself trying to get to his camera. He was so excited to share his new growth. “Hey, guys! So...Oh my god, this is a pretty, uh, impromptu video. I said I'd be back next week, but, uh... Well, just look!” He paraded his new body in front of his camera very pleased with himself. “So, this growth is kind of a mystery... I met this pretty hot guy who had, like, a gainer shake powder or whatever. Some cool foreign stuff. Threw it in my beer and here we are. I’m so excited. To that guy, thanks bud! I didn’t get your name but like… You know. Hit me up.” He rubbed his stomach happily and patted it. “Okay, so that’s all for now. I can’t wait to see where we are next week.”

This slight new shape gave Jeffrey so much confidence. He celebrated every night and woke up each morning ridiculously hungover. He managed to sober up for his work shifts but he didn’t have too many shifts so he didn’t worry about it. Besides, his cousin, though barely around, paid for everything in their apartment so work wasn’t important to him. He’d started dedicating all his own income to this gain thing. He always went to the same bar each night but he didn’t see the powder guy anywhere again. He shrugged it off though. You could only get lucky so often, right? Flipping on the camera a week later, he nearly danced in excitement. “Alright, first reading of the day,” he said. “My appetite’s been up and as you guys can see, there’s definitely new growth. I feel like I should have, like, a name for when we do a scale reading… Scale…scale… Uhhhh… Measurement mode? Hah, I don’t know… I’ll work on it…” He stepped on the scale and beamed. “Another two pounds! Guys, I’m… Just wow. I’m 116 lbs now. I never thought I’d get here… Let’s do a belly measurement!” He pulled out his measuring tape and pulled it around his middle. “29 inches! God, I mean, compared to what’s out there, that’s pretty lame, but for me, this is so dope. I was 25 inches two weeks ago. Jesus. I hope this keeps up. I’m fucking…I’m shook or whatever.” He turned and gave them one last extended front and profile view before signing off and turning off the camera. He wasn't much of an editor so he just re-watched it to make sure he liked the video and threw it up online. Within minutes he was getting quite the comments. Many were just as excited as he was and he loved it. One guy mentioned his arm was still bigger than Jeffrey but Jeffrey didn’t mind. He knew he was gonna get big. He just had the best feeling about it.

Part 2 Part 3

[let-it-raines]

Second in Command: Ch. 9

Summary: Life as the "spare to the heir" isn't all that it's cracked up to be when you're the supposed screw-up of the family, but people don't know what really happens behind closed doors.

Rating: M (this chapter especially for sexy times)

A/N: So you know awhile ago when I teased you guys about having written my favorite chapter so far for this fun little story that’s not so little anymore? This is it! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!

This week has had a massive amount of words thrown at you wonderful people, but my little break from the real world is over so while, as long as nothing dramatic happens, there will still be regular updates. Just not as regular, my friends. 

I’m now tagging people who have either asked to be tagged or who I know are my wonderful, faithful readers. If you ever want to be put on or taken off the list, just let me know: @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic @onceuponaprincessworld @kmomof4  @bmbbcs4evr @jennjenn615 

Everything available on ao3 | here |

Chapter Nine:

“Love,” Killian shakes her arm, waking her up from her slumber even though he doesn’t want to. He wants to let her sleep, but he needs her to read the statement before they release it. He’s not going to make such a public decision without her approval.

 Together, they said last night. And together they’ll say from now on.

 “Emma, darling,” he shakes her again, tapping his hand against her shoulder as his other hand moves the hair off of her forehead so it doesn’t keep falling in her face. Her eyelids twitch the slightest bit before she burrows herself into the couch cushions, a sure sign that she’s waking up. He continues to run his hand against her forehead, along the line between soft skin and softer hair, until she turns on her side, eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright green.

“Is everything okay?” she mumbles, stretching her arm out to aimlessly try to reach for his thigh in the dark.

 “Everything’s fine. I just need you to look at something with me, okay? I need you to wake up, sweetheart.”

 “What time is it?”

 “It’s early, but we’ll go up to bed when this is finished, I promise you.”

 Emma ever so slowly rises from her spot on the couch, taking a moment to blink her eyelids to try to wake up and adjust to the light. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

 He reaches over to grab his laptop, opened to the document he’s spent the night crafting before, despite his better judgment, indulging himself in another glass of rum. He’s sober now, but he’s damn tired. He needs this whole thing to be put behind him for many reasons, but right now mostly so he can get some sleep.

 When he hands the device to Emma, her eyes squint as the brightness and the words register with her, her hand reaching up to rub away the sleep. She doesn’t say anything, but he watches as her eyes flicker across the screen, her face mostly emotionless as her fingers move at the pad of the laptop to finish reading, scrolling back up several times as if she’s double and triple checking the words. He’d be nervous if he weren’t so tired.

 “Send it to your aide or whoever and tell them to release it.” “Are you sure?”

 “Yes, it’s good. It needs to be said. I don’t want to have to hide out for the rest of our lives.”

 “It’s going to change things, Emma.”

 “Let it. I’m ready.”

 He takes the laptop out of her hands, immediately sending the email to all of the people who need it before closing it and taking her hand, pulling them both up to lead her upstairs to their room. He doesn’t bother changing clothes, just slipping off his slacks and unbuttoning his shirt, having discarded his belt and suit jacket hours ago, before crawling into bed and wrapping himself around Emma, kissing her bare shoulder before falling into a sleep that he so desperately needs.

 When he wakes up, it feels as if he’s been asleep for years, the light dancing through the curtains feeling more like it’s burning him than anything else. He doesn’t feel refreshed. He might even feel worse than he did when he went to sleep, but that will happen when you were basically up for over forty-eight hours.

 “Hey,” Emma whispers, running her hand across his jaw from her position beside him, blonde curls pinned up against the pillow, “you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

 “Bloody tired.”

 She chuckles softly, fingers still working their magic against his skin. “That’s the most you’ve slept in awhile. I imagine you feel a tad bit groggy.”

 He groans, shutting his eyes for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against his chest, running his hand down her back until it dips under the material of her shirt, the soft skin warm against his palm as he rubs circles over it.

 “What time is it?”

 “It’s almost noon.”

 “That’s still too bloody early.”

 “You don’t have to get out of bed, but you do need to wake up so you can sleep tonight, okay?”

 He moves his hand from her back and reaches up to touch her hand, stopping her movements and turning his head so that he can kiss her palm. “How are you today, my love?”

 She hums against his shoulder.

“I have a headache, and I’m bloated. But that’s more my period starting in a few days than anything else.”

 “Do you want to take a bath to soothe the ache? I know they help you.”

 “Do you want to take it with me?”

 He raises his eyebrow. “Is that even a question?”

 When the water is warm, scalding really, and the tub is full, a honey bath bomb that smells like Emma scenting the room, he slips into it, immersing himself into the water and feeling his muscles almost immediately loosen. Moments later Emma slips in with him, nestling herself between his legs and leaning her body against his chest and her head back against his shoulder, her hair pulled up into a bun to keep it out of the water.

 So many times in his life this has been an erotic moment, their skin soft and wet and pliant pressed against each other, but that’s not what this is. This is jut a comforting moment for the two of them to have some time to themselves with nothing else beating down on them. He likes to think they’ve earned it.

 He’s running his fingers across her stomach, the muscles both hard and soft against his touch when she tilts her head to the side and kisses his jaw.

 “Do you remember the time we first did this?”

 He presses his lips against the back of her neck and holds them there, content to stay like this forever.

 “Aye, how could I forget?”

 “Mom and dad were out of town to visit dad’s brother, and they’d left the pub to Will, his first real test as a manager, Dad had said. And we were just so excited to have the place to ourselves after not getting to see each other…”

 It had been raining for weeks, the transition from winter to spring not a smooth one, and the two of them had been as frustrated with their schedules conflicting as most people were with the fact that they couldn’t step outside without being splashed with water. But then by some blessing, David had decided to go see his brother in America, and Mary Margaret had decided to tag along with him, leaving Emma behind to make sure that nothing fell apart with Will in charge.

 Emma had told him that when her parents left, her mum had told her to have fun and be safe while they were gone, but her dad had given her some kind of cryptic message about not letting people who aren’t supposed to come into the building in. Emma and Killian had been dating for nearly nine months, had known each other for nearly a year at that point, and David could still be unsure about Killian spending time with Emma. They were both adults, but sometimes it’s difficult for a dad to let go of his little girl.

 Killian couldn’t be with Emma during the first two nights of her parents’ absence, but on night three, he had two days off of work, so he was more than ready to slip away from his responsibilities and spend time with Emma.

 Emma: The apartment door is unlocked, so let yourself in and lock it behind you whenever you get here. xoxo

 He does just that, walking through the pub and immediately heading for the staircase, switching the downstairs lock before taking the steps two at a time in his excitement over seeing Emma. It’s been a week, and while not long in the grand scheme of things, it’s the longest they’d been apart since they’d begun dating.

 “Emma?” he calls out when he opens their front door and she’s not in any of the obvious places, the living room, kitchen, her bedroom, et cetera. He knows she’s here, though. The doors wouldn’t have been unlocked otherwise. She can be forgetful, but she’s never forgetful enough to risk someone getting into the house when no one is home.

 “Emma?” he repeats, dipping his head in her parents’ room to find nothing.

 “In the bathroom,” he hears her yell, her voice muted through the walls, “you can come on in.”

 He figures she’s just doing her hair or something, but when he opens the bathroom door in the hallway, it’s to Emma sitting in the tub reading a book, the bubbles she had in there having faded away so that she’s on full display to him, his eyes raking over her despite his attempt not to.

 He’s already half hard, and he can feel his jeans becoming tighter by the second.

 “Hey,” Emma greets, titling her head back and motioning him over with her finger, hooking it into the collar of his shirt when he reaches her and pulling him down until his lips are slanting over hers and her hand is buried in his hair, immediately pulling at the strands so he can get closer to her.

 “Hello beautiful,” he responds when they finally pull apart from each other, his breath heavy against hers as they rest their foreheads together. “To what do I owe the pleasure of you being gloriously naked before me?”

 Blush used to rise to her cheeks when he’d say things like that, but not so much anymore. Sometimes he misses it, but he likes that she feels comfortable in their relationship.

 “Honestly?”

 “Honestly.”

 “I figured you wouldn’t be here for awhile, and I decided to treat myself, but…if you’d like to join me in here, that would be more than welcome.”

 She might not blush much anymore, but he still can. His blood rushing to both his cheeks and his cock.

 “Yeah?” he questions, already pulling his t-shirt over his head, ruffling his hair as the material rises over his head.

 “Very much so,” she promises, scooting forward so that once his jeans and briefs are hastily removed he can slip in behind her, nestling her lithe body into his embrace, his arms immediately running down her stomach as he begins to press kisses against her neck. Emma’s breath is already catching at the way he runs his tongue behind her ear and the way his hardness is inches away from nestling into her softness.

 Fuck, it feels good, and all he wants to do is slide into her and feel the way her wet heat contracts around him. But he knows she’s not quite ready yet, so he continues to tease her skin with his lips as she begins to squirm in his embrace. There’s something to be said about foreplay, the soft, sometimes demanding, touches that work you up until you almost can’t take it anymore, the only relief coming from finally being able to slide home.

 He’s distracted in the feeling of Emma’s skin against his lips, the lukewarm water lulling him into a sense of comfort, when she moves away from him, turning her body so that she’s straddling his lap and melding their lips together in a kiss much deeper than the one he gave her in greeting.

 Her breasts are rubbing against his chest, hard peaks mixing in with his hair, and he’s missed the feeling of her skin against his. It sets him ablaze every damn time, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of it. If he ever does, if he ever tires of the weight of her breasts in his hands or the little whines she makes when he runs his tongue against hers, hot and slick, if he ever tires of the way her breath hitches when they first join together, her muscles contracting against his pulsing length, or the way her face contorts when she reaches her peak, lips parted as her head is thrown back…if he ever tires of those things, he won’t be the man Emma deserves.

 “You feel so good, darling,” he murmurs against her lips, lightly biting down on her bottom lip before soothing it with his tongue. “I’m not even inside you yet, and you feel so bloody good.”

 She lets out the little noise he loves, a quiet whimper that lets him know she’s ready almost as much as her lifting up on her knees to rest over his length, guiding him to her entrance before sinking down on him, the heat of her walls causing a shiver that runs all the way to his toes.

 “Fuck,” she groans, leaning her forehead to rest against his shoulder as he runs his thumbs against her hips, small circles to distract himself from the lack of movement as she adjusts to him. “Killian, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this.”

 He kisses her nose.

 “I know, darling. Me too.”

 At that, he captures her lips with his and grasps her hips, helping her lift and then sink back down on him without sloshing the water out of the tub. Everything is heightened this way, the sensation of the water swilling around them as Emma’s breasts continue to rub against him and the feeling of her hot quim surrounding him makes him feel like he’s on fire even if he’s underneath water.

 Once Emma’s comfortable with her pace, he releases her hips so that he can snake his hand in the small space between their bodies to where she’s moving against him at their hips. He knows the moment he finds her clit with the way she gasps, having to cease the way her hips were thrusting and rest her head on his shoulder.

 “Is that good, love?”

 “Mhmm,” she mumbles against his skin, and the fact that he’s dissolved her into a wordless mess with just one flick of his thumb against her clit lets him know that she was more keyed up than he had imagined.

 So is he.

 Not being able to stay still any longer, his hardness painful inside of her, he thrusts up into her while continuously thumbing at her bundle of nerves, changing the speed and the intensity based on Emma’s breathing until she moans “fuck just like that” when he’s harshly flicking against her and slowly pumping himself up into her, both of them teetering on the edge before Emma falls first, his name on her lips as she grips his shoulders, nails digging to the point that he’s sure they’ll leave marks tomorrow.

 No part of him minds.

 It only takes a few more thrusts, the feeling of her fluttering around him aiding to his cause, for him to fall too, pleasure shooting through him as he empties himself into Emma. He usually only needs a moment to bask in his orgasm before finding his legs again, but today he feels the need to rest his forehead against the crown of Emma’s head while he tries to regulate his breathing and feel something other than the tingling sensation running throughout his body.

 “Do you think we can do that all the time?” Emma jokes, falling back from him to rest against the other side of the tub, breasts resting above the water and legs tangled with his. It’s suddenly much smaller in here than he remembers it being a minute ago, the porcelain hard against his body.

 “I think it may be a little too loud,” he looks down to the water on the floor, “and a little too messy to be doing this all the time with your parents around.”

 “They’re not here this week, though,” she teases, walking her foot up his chest until he snatches it and holds it still against her while he runs his fingers against her ankle. “How long do I have you for?”

 The inflection of her voice changes from taunting to melancholy in a matter of moments, and all he really wants to do is hold her when he sees the way her eyes are staring off into the distance, right above his head.

 “Two days, and then I’m going to France for a few days for a dinner and some meetings.”

 She doesn’t respond. Instead rising from the tub, water dripping off her bare body (damn) before she wraps herself in a fluffy white towel, offering him his own before she brushes through her hair, untangling the strands that managed to get wet.

 “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asks later when they’ve both dried and changed into pajamas. Emma’s sitting in the armchair in the living room holding her mug of hot chocolate, only now it’s no longer hot, having cooled as she holds it but doesn’t drink it. When she doesn’t respond, he asks again. “Emma, are you okay?”

 “If I tell you something, will you promise not to freak out or act weird afterwards?”

 “I promise.”

 “Sometimes, or a lot of the time really, I think you’re going to leave me.” Bloody hell.

 “That’s not going to happen, Emma. I’m in this for the long haul.”

 “I mean, logically I know that. But then I’ll be looking at you, and it’s like Neal’s face will flicker across yours and I’m seventeen again getting arrested for something I didn’t do.”

 He doesn’t know what to say, how to handle this, so he just asks what feels right.

 “What about today made his face flicker across mine?”

 “It wasn’t really his face but his voice…I’m happy, and it still surprises me sometimes. And it’s like he’s nagging at me about how if I wasn’t good enough for a low life criminal like him how could I be good enough for you?”

 He’s up in an instant, tossing his blanket aside and taking her mug out of her hands to fold his palm over her forearm. “Emma, my love, I understand how and why you feel this way. We all have our demons, some more present than others, but that particular one is a demon who needs to die.”

 “I don’t know if it’s ever going to go away.”

 “I know,” he brushes her forehead with his hand, moving the hair back before kissing her stomach through her tank top, lingering above her navel simply so that he can feel connected to her. “And I don’t pretend that I can kill it. That has to be you, but I want you to know that no matter what, you’re always good enough for me. Better than I deserve, really. I love you, yeah?”

 “I love you, too,” she confesses without hesitation, the downward turn of her lips reversing into the smallest smile Killian’s ever seen.

 “I can’t guarantee that you’ll never be hurt because of me, but if you trust me, you’ll have to trust that I’ll never leave you unless you ask me to.”

 She just nods her head and cuddles further into the chair cushions.

 “Do you want to eat dinner tonight or no?”

 “I can order takeout from the Chinese restaurant down the road. They’ll deliver, and I can text Will to get it at the door.”

 “Sounds perfect.”

 Once they get their food Emma seems to settle into a better mood, the demons quieting down for a night. It’s nothing new for her to be worried that he’s going to leave her or do something to betray her like Neal did. Some scars don’t heal. We just learn to live with them marking our skin. Sometimes learning that takes longer than you expect, and that’s okay.

 “I don’t see his face anymore,” Emma admits, bringing him back to the present where they’re comfortably soaking in the tub at his (their) apartment, her neck resting on his shoulder as she leans back into him.

 “Whose face, love?”

 “Neal’s. I don’t see his face flicker across yours like I told you I did that night.”

 So much like back then he doesn’t know what to say, not sure that there’s ever going to be a right response to something like this.

 “Killian, I love you.” She places her hands over his on her stomach, squeezing them. “This time in our life is tumultuous…we’re – we’re going through things, both individually and together, and I absolutely cannot wait to come out on the other side with you, believe me. And I’m not glad that it’s happening, but I’m glad that it’s happening now, where I’m sure of myself and sure of us. I don’t have the urge to run or think that you’re going to leave me when things get rough. And I know sometimes you think we shouldn’t have done everything the way we did, but if we’d done this five years ago, I don’t think I’d have made it. I’d have still loved you, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle all of this.”

 He just tightens his hold on her waist and tilts his head so that he can kiss her temple, lingering there and squeezing his eyes shut before speaking against her skin. “I’m sorry for everything, Emma. For every bad thing that’s ever happened to you. I’m sorry for everything that you’ve been going through recently. All I want is to protect you.”

 “All I want is to protect you.”

 “At least we’re on the same page,” he chuckles as he holds her the slightest bit tighter.

 When the water cools, he moves so that both of them can get out of the tub, Emma slipping into his bathrobe while he slides on a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, the dampness of his hair dripping down the back of his shirt.

 “I’m tired of living in the past,” she admits as she washes her face at her vanity, the white scrub bubbling up on her skin before it’s cleansed off with water.

 “I know how you feel.” He runs his hand along her back in soothing circles. “I need to do some work. Do you want to come hang out with me in there or do you have your own things to do?”

 “I promised Dad I’d put in our orders for next month because I can do that from here, so I guess I can sit in your office with you.”

 They’ve been working for a few hours, Emma having finished and moved on to scrolling through her phone, when the doorbell rings.

 “Darling, can you go get that?”

 Emma rolls over on the sofa before making her way out of his office and presumably to answer the door. Killian answers a few more emails, calling his aide to confirm some of his upcoming events, and continues to work on a speech for the opening of a hospital wing he’s sponsored. He keeps waiting for Emma to come back so that they can discuss her security detail more and to tell him who was at the door, but before he knows it fifteen minutes have passed and there’s no sign of her.

 Curiosity wins over, and he rises from his desk and walks down the hallway, running his fingers along some of the picture frames Emma has put up, until he passes the archway for the living room and sees Emma sitting in one of the recliners, wiping away at her eyes.

 “Hey, there you are,” he greets as he walks toward her, only seeing that she’s not alone in the room when he’s fully in the room.

 “Hello, younger brother,” Liam greets from his position on the couch, legs crossed with a manila folder in his hands.

 “Uh, hi Liam.” What the hell is he doing here and is he the reason Emma’s crying? Killian feels his fists clench and has to reign himself in so that he can at least ask what’s going on before punching his brother. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

 “If you’d like to take a seat, I’d love to talk with you about what I was just talking to Emma about.”

 Killian looks back at Emma for some kind of silent confirmation that everything is okay, and she nods her head as she genuinely smiles, lifting up the right side of her body so that he can slip in the chair behind her and wrap his arm around her waist while she sits in his lap. She pats his leg in a comforting manner before they both look to Liam.

 “So what were you two talking about?”

 “I was just telling Emma here that I’m sorry for everything that she’s been going through lately, both because of me and because of the press and the people. I could have helped with all of it, prepared the two of you better for it, and I was too caught up in myself and my life to be the person I should have been.”

 “How could you have helped with the press?”

 Liam holds up the folder. “I’ve been through all this before with Abigail. We might have had different paths to this point in our lives, but we can still help.”

 Liam opens the folder before thumbing through a few pages, laying them out on the table. “So this is basically going to be your lifeline,” he begins. “Killian could have gotten most of this from his aide, but I felt that it would be better coming from me because most of this can get awfully dull when you’re reading through it without the humans who experienced it firsthand.”

 Emma rests her head against Killian’s and moves his hands to rest above hers, his fingers pressing over her ring.

 “And Abigail is open to any questions you have, Emma, but she was feeling a bit under the weather today.”

 “Is she alright?” Emma asks, her body tensing against Killian’s.

 “Aye, pregnancy is just catching up with her, and she needed to rest. You two will understand one day.”

 Liam doesn’t give them time to stew in that comment before he goes on. “So I have some personal tips and tricks in here for how to navigate places without bringing too much attention to yourselves, though Killian is already great at that, but it’ll help you, Emma, to know some protocol on top of what you know now. You’re getting security in light of all of the incidents, correct?”

 “Right,” Killian answers for them.

 “So you’ll feel much safer because you will be safer. No one is ever going to lay a hand on you again, okay? You’re not going to go through that any longer. We have the ability to protect you, and we want to protect you. Father and I have also decided, as long as the two of you are okay with it, that we’re going to give you the same kind of media protection we get. There will be repercussions for anyone who tries to get interviews spewing nasty information from ex boyfriends or old classmates. What happened with the Neal fellow never should have been allowed, and I’m sorry that you were subjected to that. You didn’t deserve it.”

 Killian feels Emma take a breath against him, her body rising and then falling back against his, and the emotions are practically radiating off her body. This is a lot to take in for many a reason, but the fact that Liam is here offering his help and talking about how he’s been working to protect them means more to Killian than he can even comprehend.

 Even if it’s late, it’s appreciated.

 “Is this all for real, Liam?” Killian questions, kissing Emma’s hair, the scent of honey still lingering there from their bath earlier.

 “Yes, Killian. It’s all for real. I’d been working on some of this for awhile, but when I got the alert of your statement this morning before it was released, I couldn’t focus on anything else. This life we live isn’t fair sometimes, most of all with the fact that our personal lives are on display, but it’s unacceptable for people to be treating Emma the way she’s been treated. I realize that’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black from me, but I’m trying. I’m trying for myself, for my family, including the two of you. I’ve wronged you both and even if you never forgive me, which you have every right not to, I’d like to do better by you both.”

 “Thank you, Liam.” Emma’s voice is soft, quiet like when she wakes up in the morning. “This means a lot to me that’d you and Abigail are willing to help out. It’s been like I’ve been isolated on an island for two with no way out sometimes, and it’s really helpful to know that there’s a way out.”

 “Of course, lass,” Liam smiles softly at her, nodding his head. “I’d like to talk to your parents at some point about how all of this is impacting their business as well to see if we can remedy that.”

 “Yeah, uh, yeah that would be great.”

 Liam rises from his seat and Killian and Emma do the same, Emma tightening her bathrobe where it was starting to come undone.

 “I’m sorry to come over without any notice, but I’m on my way to Vancouver for the week. I didn’t want to leave without at least having a bit of this conversation. We can flesh everything else out when I return, if that’s what you both want. I just wanted you to know that we’re here for you, even if we weren’t at first.”

 “That’s very kind of you. Thank you.” Killian almost moves to hug his brother, the temptation building like it never has before, but something holds him back from embracing, well, the embrace. Instead he steps forward and places his hand on Liam’s shoulder, squeezing the skin there. “Have a safe trip, okay? We’ll check in on Abigail and Alex. Have them over for dinner or something.”

 “They’d appreciate that,” Liam responds, placing his hand over Killian’s on his shoulder, the movement feeling like something’s shifted into place after a lifetime of earthquakes shifting them apart, before removing both of their hands and edging out of the living room. “I’d be best to let you two go. Almost anything you need to know is in the packet, but if you have any questions, write them down for me later, aye?”

 “Aye,” Killian confirms as he watches Liam walk out of the room, the sound of the front door closing following soon after.

 When he turns back around, it’s to Emma sitting back down in the chair, legs tucked under her and hand back to swiping at the tears that are pooling in her eyes on the verge of escape.

 “Darling, what’s wrong?” Killian questions, squatting down so that they’re at eye level with each other.

 “Nothing, I promise,” her sniffles betraying her. “It’s just been a highly emotional few days, and I kind of feel like I’m experiencing whiplash. But, baby, you just had a moment with your brother. Like, a real live no-hostility-involved family moment.”

 “I know,” he whispers. “Was it weird?”

 “It was wonderful.”

 He stands from his squatting position and leans over Emma, resting his hands against the back of the chair to support his weight as he leans over her to slant his lips against hers, resting their foreheads together when they pull apart so as not to lose the connection.

 “You’re the love of my life, you know that?”

 “I had an idea.”

 He kisses her nose.

 “You’re the love of my life too, Killian.”

 “Good, now that we’ve got that established, do you want me to make us something to eat before we go through those papers? Or do you want me to make us something to eat and to put those off until the morning and just live in a bubble for the rest of the day? Because I’m kind of feeling like the bubble.”

 “I think the bubble sounds like a good plan, to be honest. I really feel like I shouldn’t be reading through important things when I didn’t even bother to put on anything but your robe. Plus, I’m really hungry, and if you’d like to make me some kind of comfort food for dinner, I’d be eternally grateful.”

 “Good comfort food or your version?”

 “My version is good.”

 Emma ends up deciding that she wants mac and cheese, the kind with the crackers sprinkled on top, so he’s busy crushing ritz crackers while she sits on the countertop watching him. It’s as he gets the dish in the oven that he comes up with an idea.

 “Emma, do you want to go for a drive?”

 “A drive?”

 “Yeah, like I cook this and put it in a tupperware container and we just drive? Spend some time together and get out of the house without having to worry about anyone bothering us?”

 “That sounds like a good plan, babe.”

 After Killian’s macaroni and cheese is made and they’ve got some sandwiches and waters to go with them, all packed up into a small cooler bag, they make their way to Killian’s Range Rover, him sliding into the driver’s seat while Emma settles into the passenger side, fiddling with the radio until she finds some songs that she likes before pulling her legs up under her and resting her hand on his thigh as they drive off into the busy streets as most people are coming home from work and they’re trying to get away from it.

 He didn’t have a plan on where to go when he suggested they try to get away for a little while, but as he continues to take turns down different roads he realizes he’s driving to Brighton. If they hit traffic the right way, they’ll be able to get near enough to the water just before the sun sets over the horizon. Sure enough, they’re a bit fortunate, and Killian speeds a bit, but an hour and a half later they’re sitting on the pebbled sand of the beach with hats and sunglasses shielding their faces as they eat the macaroni out of the container and watch the orange of the setting sun reflect across the blue of the water.

 “This is good,” Emma mumbles, her mouth still full of the noodles, “even cold.”

 Killian takes a bite with his own fork, chewing and silently agreeing with her.

 “And you can’t beat this view,” she continues, taking another bite.

 He looks over at her and the way the sun glints off the curls of hair that trail down her shoulder beneath her hat. She looks beautiful and more relaxed than she’s been in days, and he’s so glad they did this. He must zone out for longer than he realizes because then she’s leaning over and bumping her shoulder into his, taking her sunglasses off so he can see the green of her eyes.

 “Hey, you okay?”

 He takes her hand and lays a kiss on her palm before moving up the rest of her arm. “I’m perfect, darling. I’m just thinking.”

 “Not to be repetitive of, like, our past few weeks, but do you want to talk about it?”

 “I think we should go on holiday.”

 “Now?”

 “No,” he chuckles, bringing her hand to rest in his lap. “I’ve got a lot coming up, especially with all the changes we’re making, and I don’t want to go anywhere that’s not for work until Abigail has the baby. So I was thinking after Christmas.”

 “It’s not even October, and you’re thinking after Christmas?”

 “That’s not that far way, love, and we have to decide on where we want to go. I’m thinking someplace tropical.”

 “No snowy ski resorts?”

 “No,” he laughs, “I’m thinking white beaches and clear waters and places where I can watch you walk around with sun on your face and a good margarita in your hand.”

 She bumps her shoulder into his again. “So this is all about seeing me in a bikini?”

 “That’s a definite perk,” he teases, taking off his sunglasses as the sun has now set and the nighttime ocean breeze is wafting across his skin, “but I think I’d just like to get away with my love in a place where we’re not always being watched. Just you and me. Going back to our basics, so to speak. I think we deserve it. Maybe we can finally go sailing.”

 “Do you even know how to sail or is that just something you say?”

 “I actually know how to sail, thank you very much. Our parents taught us growing up. It’s one of Father’s favorite things to do when he gets the chance.”

 “My father likes to play bar games in his spare time.”

 “Aye, and he bests me every damn time. You’d think he rigged the darts.”

 “And don’t you forget it, buddy,” she laughs, leaning her head on his shoulder as he releases her hand to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her into him, the soft lines of her body molding against his. “Do we have to go home?”

 “Unless you intend to sleep in the car, I’d say so. But we can stay out here for a little while longer, though you’re likely to get cold in just your leggings and t-shirt.”

 She sighs against his shoulder, her breath causing goose bumps to rise against his flesh. They stay like that for awhile, just two people mixed among others all across the globe sitting near the water and staring out at the sky surrounding them.

 They’re not the only people in the world who are in love, but sometimes it feels that way to Killian, especially later that night, when the sun has fully set and stars scatter across the sky as they pull up to the apartment, Emma’s hand interlaced with his as they make their way to the front door. It’s late and he’s groggy, but that doesn’t stop him from lifting Emma up into his arms, her laugh echoing throughout the hallways as she peppers kisses across his face, only stopping when he has to walk up the stairs.

 He doesn’t bother turning on the bedroom lights, letting the light from the lamps outside flitter through the windows, before gently placing Emma on the bed, soft giggles escaping from her as he captures her lips, so soft and pliant and warm, with his own. There’s something to be said for kissing just for the sake of kissing, the feeling it sends through your body, and when Emma gently runs her tongue across his bottom lip, asking for entrance, he gladly grants it, tangling their tongues together in one of his favorite dances. You just have to pick a partner who knows what they’re doing.

 He can feel the moment Emma runs her hands through the hair at the nape of his neck, something of which he’ll never tire, and she keeps her hand anchored there while the other runs up his spine, soft little taps of her fingertips against the bone underneath his shirt. They stay that way for awhile, lips moving together, until Emma’s hand leaves his hair to move underneath his shirt as well, pulling up at the material until he pulls back and tugs it over his head.

 She’s lying beneath him as he stands at the end of the bed, her blonde hair splayed out on the white of the comforter behind her. She’s beautiful. Her mouth is ticked up on one side as she whispers a “come here” to him, crooking her finger and encouraging him to move back down to her. He complies, because what else is he going to do when it comes to this woman?

 Killian plants a chaste kiss against Emma’s lips before trailing his own over her jaw, the soft whines emanating from Emma encouraging him in his caresses until he finds himself kissing down her clothed stomach, only stopping when she props herself up on her elbows, her stomach muscles contracting, to lift her shirt over her head, exposing the light yellow lace brallette she had on underneath.

 “You’re so beautiful, my love,” he whispers against her skin, kissing the tops of her breasts as her eyelids flutter closed, his arms reaching behind her to unclasp the lace until it falls loose, Emma shrugging her shoulders so that the straps easily fall off, exposing her glorious breasts to his gaze.

 “I remember the first time I saw you, Emma,” he speaks into the darkness of the room as he runs his thumbs across her nipples, the pink buds pebbling at his touch as Emma whimpers, the sound shooting straight through him. “You were – are so bloody gorgeous, the curls of your ponytail framing your face and the dark of your eyelashes looking down at me as you told me to get my soggy ass out of the booth.”

 “I didn’t say that,” she protests, running her hand through the hair at his forehead as he dips his head to lick a flat strip in the concave between her breasts, tasting some of the salt air they exposed themselves to just hours ago.

 He continues to move his tongue up her body, over her collarbone, and then up the hollow of her throat until he reaches her lips, pulling away just before she can capture his bottom lip between her teeth. “But you were thinking it,” he whispers against her lips, giving her the barest of touches as he runs his hand over her stomach, splaying his fingers over her navel as the other hand twists her nipple between his thumb and index finger, tweaking it until Emma arches her back off of the bed and into his chest. “You looked so frustrated with me, like how dare I walk into your pub in order to get out of the rain.”

 “Shameful, really,” she teases, reaching her hand into his hair and pulling until his lips crash back into hers, forceful and demanding and not at all the mood he’s going for here, so he has to slow her down, tilting his head to gain more access as he languidly kisses her, nibbling on her lower lip before soothing it with his tongue.

 “Killian,” she moans, moving her hands so that they run down his back, nails delicately scraping down his skin until she manages to get her hands on his ass, pulling him into her so that he’s nestled into her hips, the thin material of her leggings and of his joggers not hiding how ready they are for each other, “what are you waiting for?”

 “I am romancing you, darling.”

 “You don’t have to do that.”

 “I want to.”

 She releases her grip on him then, moving her hands to cup his cheeks, running her thumb over the scar on his cheek in the most gentle caress as she gazes up at him with wide, adoring eyes. “You are a wonderful man, Killian. I love you more than anything in the world, and I want you to make love to me tonight, okay?”

 “Okay,” he nods against her forehead before he feels her try to move from under him, using her legs to encourage him to flip over onto his back.

 As he splays himself there, his legs stretched out while Emma stands between them ever so slowly hooking her fingers into her leggings and pulling them down down down to reveal that she didn’t have anything underneath, her blonde curls beneath the flat of her stomach enchanting him and causing him to suck in a breath. She winks at him then, her mouth forming a goofy grin that reaches all the way to her eyes, and his love’s ability to be both seductive and playful at the same time never ceases to amaze him.

 He’s distracted by his thoughts so he doesn’t even realize that she’s hooking her thumbs into his sweats and pulling them down as much as she can before he lifts his hips off the bed to help her out, kicking them off his ankles and onto the floor while Emma is busy kissing up his thigh, her hand running up his length and damn that’s amazing.

 “Emma,” he moans, trying to contain himself, but the sensation of her lips on his hip and her hand on his cock is too much.

 “I am romancing you, Killian,” she teases, throwing his own words back at him, and wow has he come to regret them as she crawls up his body, peppering open mouthed kisses against the trail of his chest hair until she’s leaning over his mouth, her folds teasing him at their hips.

 “Your eyes, even blown black with desire like they are right now,” she whispers, circling her hips above him in a way that has him struggling to keep his eyes open, “are the most gorgeous blue I’ve ever seen.”

 She touches his face then, running her fingers over his jaw. “I love your stubble, how it’s black with a little bit of red peppered in, and I love when you don’t shave for a few days and it’s full and just the right mix of soft and prickly. I love the way it feels when you rub it against my cheek in the mornings when you’re waking me up or how it feels against the inside of my thighs.”

 She kisses his jaw, running her tongue behind her lips, and this is torture. Some kind of amazing, pleasurable torture.

 “I love,” she says, running her hands down his biceps as she sits on his lap, right below where he wants her, “the strength of your arms when you hold me, no matter what the occasion. And I love,” she moves her hands through the hair at his chest, “this hair and how it pokes through the top of all of your shirts. I love the ways that your eyes crinkle when you’re truly smiling.”

 She rises on her legs and scoots forward, guiding him to her entrance before slowly slowly slowly sinking down onto him, and the feeling of her around him, so tight and warm and wonderful, has him throwing his head back and reaching for her hips just so that he can touch her.

 “And mostly, at least for our purposes right now, what I love is the feeling of you inside me, thick and full and perfect.”

 At that, she starts to move, rolling her hips against him as her breasts bounce with each movement, and it feels so goddamn good that he can do nothing but look up at her and mutter encouragements as his fingers dig into the skin at her hips, feeling the bone there.

 She’s setting him on fire, the slow roll of her hips in the unhurried pace that they’ve been keeping with all evening. But the pace is starting to become more pain then pleasure, so he takes control of their movements, speeding up the pace as he thrusts up into her. She let out a whimper that makes his blood rush out of him, but that’s nothing when she moves to cup her breasts, rolling the already pert nipples with her fingers as she smiles down at him, her hair curtaining her face.

 He can’t take being this far apart from her, despite being literally connected to her, so after giving a pointed roll of his hips, causing her to throw her head back in ecstasy, he grabs her hips and rolls them over to change their position, his body encasing hers. The way she clenches to keep him from slipping out has him stopping to mutter a “bloody fuck” against her shoulder before thrusting himself into her once more.

 He can tell that she’s getting close, rising higher and higher to her peak, so he releases her hips to grab her wrists, sliding his hands until their fingers are interlaced above her head. He tilts his hips so that his thrusts catch her clit, and he knows he’s got a good rhythm when her breath hitches and her legs wrap around his backside. He continues to pump himself inside her as he nibbles at her shoulder, and he’s aware of the moment she’s reached ecstasy because her moans cease and her lips part as a tiny sigh escapes them.

 He can’t help but grin at her, kissing her jaw before snapping himself into her at a furious pace, eager to meet Emma in her bliss. It doesn’t take long, the whole night being wondrous torture that he doesn’t want to end, but it does eventually with him moaning Emma’s name against her skin.

 Later they’re curled under the blankets, and he’s running his hand over Emma’s stomach, his fingers dancing across her flesh before ghosting over her still bare breasts and finally landing on her hip. Her breathing is steady and deep, and he knows that she’s asleep, has been for awhile, their day and their love making having lulled her into a slumber while he stays pleasantly awake with the feel of her moving against him.

 He’s said it often today, thought it even more, but he loves her so deeply and so truly that sometimes he doesn’t know what to do with himself. It’s like he cannot physically contain it, always needing some kind of physical or emotional outlet. He moves to brush her hair off of her temple before placing a soft kiss there, checking to make sure that she’s still asleep before whispering, “I cannot wait to marry you, Emma Nolan.”

[burgerteamgo]

White Owl Impossible Burger - Burnt Tastes Like Burger

This review took place on Halloween, October 31, 2018. TJ and Karen each got the White Owl Burger ($14): an Impossible Patty (a “meat-free, plant-based burger”), American cheese, lettuce, onion, Moonbrine pickles, burger sauce, and a Grand Central bun with fries. Karen got some kind of beer that she thinks was called “Everybody’s Amber,” but can’t quite remember ($5 during Happy Hour).

K: Ok, here we go. Finally time for the Impossible Burger!

T: It does look very similar to meat…

K: I read that it bleeds like real meat, but so far I don’t see any fake vegetable blood, thank god. Still, I’m pretty freaked out by this.

T: I know, me too. It’s...

T&K: [together in unison] Spoo-ooooky.

[First bites]

K: I taste… a lot of melted cheese, which is good.

T: Which is great! The patty itself tastes beef-adjacent? I’m struggling to describe this flavor.

K: Yeah, there is a little bit of that not-meat aftertaste. It’s hard to tell what I’m tasting when I take a bite of the whole thing. The patty definitely doesn’t stand out the way beef does. It’s not the star of this show. The texture is scarily similar though. Also, it looks like we have different burgers. The buns are different and yours is more cooked than mine.

T: Mine is on the edge of burnt. Not that I’m complaining. Wanna swap bites?

K: Sure.

[They swap]

K: I can taste the patty more in yours because it’s so well-done and crispy.

T: You also have a softer bun than I do.

K: Interesting. This is the first time we’ve ordered the same burger somewhere and gotten different burgers.

T: Curious.

K: Spoo-ooooky?

T: Kind of.

K: Ok, I’ll stop. I mean, all together, it does taste good.

T: Yeah, I’m enjoying eating this. I think I like it a little less though because it’s trying to imitate a burger and I’d rather just have the real thing.

K: That’s how I feel about most food imitations. I’d always rather be eating the real thing. This is just OK.

T: It’s salty, which is good. There’s an interesting flavor to it. And the burger is constructed well. I like the classic American cheese and pickles and sauce.

K: All the ingredients are good. It doesn’t fall apart like some veggie burgers. And I guess it’s, like, better for the environment and stuff.

T: Red meat is pretty horrible for the environment.

K: This is true.

T: I guess if I were not going to eat meat anymore, this would be a pretty good replacement. Although sometimes I just like a veggie burger that doesn’t try to imitate meat, like a black bean burger. It’s not trying to be something else, it’s just a different kind of deliciousness.

K: I think the true test of this will be how I feel after eating it. Like, will I feel heavy and bloated afterwards like I’d just eaten red meat? If that’s the case, then what’s the point?

T: We should do a check in later to see how we’re feeling.

K: Agreed.

[Chewing]

K: It looks like a burger and kind of tastes like a burger and it’s moist and juicy like a burger, but there’s not a drop of grease coming out.

T: Spooo-ooooky!

K: I just got a little bit of a charred flavor.

T: Which is funny because it just tastes like burnt, but burnt tastes like burger.

K: Burnt tastes like burger! So true.

T: My patty is coming apart a little bit now.

K: I’m trying to think what would ever cause me to eat more of these. Maybe just if I feel bad about eating meat so much, but honestly, for someone who has a burger blog, I don’t eat a lot of red meat.

T: Same

K: I read an article about how they made Impossible meat and it said that scientists experimented with recreating, like, the tendons or ligaments or whatever in cow muscle. It sounded like such a horror show. I’m glad this isn’t so accurate that it has meat gristle and weird stuff in it. At least it’s just a soft, nondescript texture.

T: High praise.

K: It’s not meat, you can say that for sure.

T: Yep.

Ambiance

K: I do like the ambiance of this place when it’s not crazy crowded on the weekends.

T: It’s nice. I’m really into the fact that the bartender is dressed like Freddy Mercury.

K: Same. I meant to compliment him on his costume, but I got distracted by burger and beer options.

Sides

T: These fries are not good. Crispy, but unsalted.

K: No flavor.

T: The sauces are good. The ketchup has a little spice to it and I always appreciate burger sauce on the side.

K: Fries get a 3.

Rating

K: How do we rate this burger? Do we do it on a normal burger scale?

T: Sure. How much do you enjoy eating it?

K: Hmm...

T: If I was gonna rate this burger from 1 to 10… I think 6. I dunno if it would be higher if I only ever are veggie burgers, but as someone who is a connoisseur of burgers, this is a 6.

K: Yeah, maybe it’s a lifesaver for vegans and vegetarians and people who’ve had heart attacks, but not for this burger girl.

T: That said. It’s a well crafted burger. All the elements land well. The bun, the sauce, the pickles, the American Cheese.

K: The shredded lettuce.

T: Shredded lettuce is great. So yeah, if you’re a vegetarian, get this burger.

K: I was gonna give it a 5.5, but you did sell me on all the other ingredients, so I give it a 6 too.

Update (via text message at 8:55pm that night)

T: I was a little gassy after that burger.

K: Same. Can’t tell if it’s more or less than a normal burger though.

T: Agreed.

K: The verdict is still out.

[wandering-chronicler-blog]

The Wolf of Farore - Chapter 12

An Ongoing Zelda/Witcher Fusion Fic - Updates Wednesdays/Thursdays

[First] [Previous] [Next] [Archive]

Author Note:  (July 26, 2017):  Hey everyone.  Just as a heads-up, I am doing a small bit of housekeeping as I’ve noticed that the chapters don’t show up in a dash if I include an outside link.  There’ll still be an Ao3 link but it won’t be on the posts.  It’ll instead be on an archive page which will get put together.  I also apologize for any inconvenience this creates.

Summary:

War has come to The Kingdom of Hyrule.  The people cry for a savior as monsters and spirits stalk the once green fields of the provinces.  Famine grips the populace as the Gerudo Tribes and their blin allies strike along the borders.  Hope for peace begins to drown in the blood spilled in No Man’s Land.  But Hyrule doesn’t need another hero.  It needs a professional.

The Story So Far:

After finding most of the refugees at the camp turned into shadow beasts, Link, Midna and the gorons clear Old Kakariko of the monsters and rescue a small number of survivors.  However, the rogue sorcerer from The Twilight is right under their noses, at the bottom of an abandoned well concealing an ancient Sheikah prison...

CHAPTER 12:  TWISTED TWILIT SORCERER:  MAJORA’S HERALD

The bottom of the well was not what either of them had expected initially, but it made sense from what Link recalled from old history lessons about The Inquisition.  About how some old Sheikah forts and prisons were hidden in plain sight.  After a minute of walking, Link and Midna both came to the entrance and both instantly knew it had been a prison.  A metal mesh was on the brick wall in front of them.  Link scaled it in moments and they saw the main chamber.

 The large square room lead off in three directions.  One to the west and east and one north.  The way west was blocked off by rubble and debris, suggesting it had collapsed some time long ago.  The way east was open and a glance down the way revealed numerous cells.  Over a dozen broken corpses lay in heaps in some of them with flies buzzing around them.  A few even had gaping holes in the back of their heads.

 “By the Twin Sols,” Midna said.  “So many bodies.  And they smell real fresh still.”

 “Damnit.”  

 “All the more reason to find him.”  She shook her head.  “This doesn’t make any sense though.  Seeing this suggests he’s been here longer than he’s had the mask.”

“What could he have possibly been doing to those refugees?” Link asked, entering one of the cells. “This looks like he either was torturing them or performing vivisection.”  He squatted down to inspect one of the bodies.  The damage to the back of the poor man’s head was just like that of the dragon.  Carefully, he saw a dead twilit bloat inside.  “Not that that there’s…”  He cut himself off as he noticed something.  “Wait a second.”

 “What?”

   “Can you give me a little more light?”  As he spoke, the small glowing sol floated over and glowed brighter.  It gave him a better look at the barbarism that had been inflicted.  Some of the more intact bodies though immediately had Link’s gaze.  The muscles were swollen and the bones twisted.  He knew magic could do this, but it was clearly not forced by magic.  It looked more like as if it had deliberately been grown that way.  There was also how the bones looked thicker in some places and thinner in others.  This all looked far too familiar from his time as a Chosen Champion of The Crown. “Midna, you said one time there are still hexers in The Twilight.  Do they use mutagens for The Change or is it all magic?” 

“I don’t know.  I could find out though.”

 “Good.  Because the way some of the damage looks, he may have been messing with mutagens on these people.  And they have bloats in their skulls too.”

 He heard her sharply inhale. “Gods, that’d mean that…”  Midna shook her head.  “Only a child before puberty could possibly survive them.”

 “Yeah, I’m right here.” He got back up.  “Most of the time if an ordinary person takes those mutagens they’ll just die.  But if kept alive with magic through The Change and done properly, you’ll get a mindless hulk.  Like the dullest of big blins.”  He glanced over at the bodies once more.  “Well, not quite mindless, but still.”

 “Seen this before, huh?”

Link gave her a single nod.  “South Seas.  One of my first solo assignments.”  

 “Tell me more when we’re done here.”  She held an open palm out and the small sol floated back to hover over her palm.  “We gotta find him and get the mask back.”

 “Agreed.”  He started for the door, but paused, quickly drawing the sword from his back.  At seeing that, in Midna’s free hand, orange and teal bands of light began to dance and crackle.  A second later though, the magic vanished and Link lowered his sword.  What he’d thought were a pair of impish monsters were just grotesque statues standing at the archway back into the main room.

 “The statues?” Midna asked. He thought he could hear her smirking.

 “Yeah.  They looked like foglets in the light and shadow.” He reached back and slipped the sword back in its scabbard.  “They’re too thin though.  The arms are too long and the legs are too short.”

 “Never seen anything like it before.  Kinda ghastly to look at them, huh?”

 Link nodded before stepping past the statues and back into the main room.

At the end of the hall they came to what looked like had once been a mirror chamber.  Numerous torches were set around an altar in the center. In front of a ruined pedestal and stand that had once held a magic mirror was the wall and upon it was a defaced Sheikah Eye with deep gashes sliced into the stone.  What caught their attention though was the figure sitting cross-legged in front of the ruined pedestal.  They wore dark robes with turquoise accents and a mantle similar to Midna’s.  His sleeves were massive and his orange hair was cut short.  Link couldn’t see their hands, but he was sure spellwork was already being prepared in them.  There was a snap and their head jolted upright.  He was wearing the accursed mask and watched them through its warped eyes. He cocked his head to the left, with another snap, and then to the right.  The mask’s eyes moved independently, following the hylian and twili in the room.

 “Do you know who we are?” Midna asked.

 “You…” they said, but the voice didn’t sound right to Link’s ears.  It was an even and calm male’s voice.  But it was too evenly paced; too rehearsed to be truly natural.  “You are a traitor...  You are both traitors.  You turn against your own.  But do you... Do you see yourself as a traitor?” His head jerked around to face Midna. He said something that Link recognized as Twilise, but other than that had no idea what he said.

 She replied in the same language.  Link picked up some pieces of it, but could guess she was asking him to remove the mask.

 “Chaos has two faces, Princess,” he said, the unnatural voice returning.  Link stayed quiet, watching it.  He glanced once at Midna to see her standing casually, but he’d caught a brief moment of surprise.  Ateren’s head moved and was glaring right at him.  He could see magic beginning to crackle along and around the edge of the mask.

 “Wait,” Midna said.  “Ateren, stop this.  You could spark a war doing this!”

“But…  But we were made this way.  They called us monsters.  Demonspawn.  You dare suggest that a war isn’t justified?”  He cocked his head back and forth a couple times and exhaled sharply.  Ateren’s arms jerked upward.  That’s when Link saw it.  The mask was fused to his face.  “And you seek to appease our jailors and their puppets.”  He was standing now, on one leg and watching the twili.  His body twitched before he brought their arms inward and then snapped them out again.  “You are not worthy of your title.  Or your bloodline.  A true Monarch of Twilight would…  Would…” A crackle of energy began to dance out of the long sleeves.  Link could feel the energy in the air.  Another glance at his partner and already saw a globe of turquoise magic between her palms. It was just a question now who was going to make the first move.  Link slipped his shield on his back as quietly as he could.  The two twili mages were watching one another, ignoring him entirely.  Link was hoping that’d be the mistake their quarry made.

  Link pulled his crossbow from his side.  A silver bolt already loaded.  He’d have preferred to have the light magic enchanted ones, but they had been taken from him back at the castle.  One of the sorcerer’s arms shot towards him, a trio of bolts of magic shooting out of the sleeve.  Link fired. The silver bolt shattered against a magic barrier while two of Ateren’s shots hit Link square in the chest.  One shot clean through his arm.  He already felt himself bleeding, but the magic of his armor mended the minor injuries.

 Midna’s arms flew apart and the globe between her hands vanished in a flash.  A pair of twilit wolves appeared out of the long shadows cast by the torches and rushed the sorcerer.  Out of Ateren’s other sleeve was a lash of red energy.  One of the wolves was hit and vanished into darkness as the lash cut deeply into the chamber’s wall.  The other moved to be between the sorcerer and Link.

 He watched as the two circled, seeing the sorcerer move their arms like Midna had.  Within moments there was a flurry of magic flashing between the two of them.  He backed away for a moment.  There was a lull as Ateren melted into a shadow and emerged a moment later.  More black sprites fell from above.  Link saw glowing red twilit markings on each. They engulfed the wolf, who began to fight back.

 Link pulled his sword from his back.  One of the sprites skittered on the floor and leapt for him, tentacles writhing out the back. As it flew in the air, he swung. It was cleaved in two and vanished. Another came for him and another. He quickly counted dozens of them. Another jumped and smashed into his shield.  Yet another of the shadow vermin bit his ankle.  Seeing he was going to be overwhelmed, he made a sign in his hand and slammed his palm into the ground.  A dome of fire erupted around him and incinerated the vermin.  He glanced up to see the sorcerer again.  A glowing ball of magic was coming right for him. Before it struck though a dark funnel with turquoise around it appeared in front of him and pulled it in.

 “Got anything that could help you avoid getting hit?” Midna asked.  She was right by his side now.  Another lash of magic came from their attacker and forced them to dive apart. “Or taking one?!”  She opened the portal again.  The spell came out of it, the sorcerer dodged.

 “Keep him busy for a second!”  Link had one thing in mind.  He pulled the Din’s Fury from a pouch and ripped the cork out with his teeth.  He downed the potion in a single gulp and dropped the vial.

  His heart pounded as he felt the fluid in his throat boil.  His muscles tensed as he saw more sprites falling from above.  They didn’t seem to be falling as quickly.  With a deep breath, he swung his sword in an arc, slicing through more of the falling vermin.  A return swing sliced a couple more of the vermin before they touched the ground.   As he cut through the last one, he pulled a grenade. He heard a snap and saw Midna had lit its fuse with her magic, even though she was on the other side of the room. A great turquoise lash of energy was wrapped with the red one from Ateren.  Midna let out a cry as she directed her arc right.  It threw her attacker into the sheikah eye on the wall.  Link tossed the bomb in his hand as they flew.  It clattered against the wall and exploded.

 There was no sign of a body. They knew he’d vanished into a shadow. Link and Midna stood with their backs to one another, watching the room.  He heard her energies crackling in her hands.  Another snap and he saw one of her wolves appear.  “The mask is part of him,” Link said.  “No way we’re getting it off.”  

 “Plan B then,” she said.

 Link glanced down to see a field of shadow forming.  “Please tell me that’s you.”

 “It is.”  He could hear the field expanding.  Glancing over his shoulder he saw her holding her hands up. Another magic whip appeared and swung. Link rolled forward, ducking under it. The torches flew through the air. He got up in time to see Midna catch it with her own magic in another challenge.  The masked sorcerer floated forward before the field of dark energy Midna had laid down ensnared him.  Link saw orange bands around their legs.  They lashed out with their other hand and threw another trio of bolts at Midna. She was knocked back and collided with the wall.  There was a flash of orange as she hit it.

 He pulled his shield from his back and moved to stand between her and the attacker.  Ateren had two glowing whips of magic now.  The sorcerer jumped upward and spun.  Link made another sign with his fingers and ducked. He heard a gentle hum as the blue crystal formed around him.  There was a loud shriek with each strike against it.  With the fourth, Link saw it shatter.   He glanced back to Midna as the sorcerer moved away from them.

  “I’m okay!” she said, getting to her feet once more.  He saw a faint orange sphere vanish from around her.

 “Can you bind him again?”

 There was that familiar, cocky grin on her lips.  One he had seen many times in the months they’d worked together during The Conjunction. Not another word was needed.  Link beat the pommel of his sword against his shield a couple times, grabbing the sorcerer’s attention.  The shield suddenly was pelted by red bolts as Link ducked behind it.

 Link gritted his teeth as he felt the magic rattle against his shield.  The hail stopped for a moment.  He glanced over the top to see Ateren throwing another large globe of energy at him.  Had he not imbibed the potion, he’d have been hit.  Instead, he dropped his shield and grabbed his blade with both hands.  In a single swing, steel struck the magic ball and sent it flying back at the caster.  

 Before Ateren could try and invert the spell back at him, darkness formed under him.  Two bands of orange wrapped around his legs and then two more jumped out and grabbed their arms.  He let out a scream as the globe came back and struck him square in the chest. Dark red lightning crackled around his body and frayed his robe.  Midna pulled her hands down and their opponent was on their knees.  Link leapt forward and swung down with a shout.  The blade went through back of the sorcerer’s neck and his head rolled off.

They stood for a moment to catch their breath then.  Link felt his body shaking; another effect of the Din’s Fury mixing with the adrenaline and how much magic he’d already used.  Midna had her hands on her knees and was catching her breath.  She quickly stood back up with magic ready though. When Link looked up, he saw the dead mage’s head floating upward.  It turned in the air to look at them.  The twili sorcerer’s head fell back to the floor, leaving just the mask floating in the air.  Link caught a glimpse of it.  Ateren’s eyes were wide and mouth frozen in a scream.  Dark holes looked like they had been drilled into his jaws, brow and cheeks.

 “Uh, Midna?” Link asked, fingers coiling a little tighter around his sword.  The mask remained floating in the air, its eyes fixed on his partner.

 “Okay, that’s a surprise,” she said.

 “It served its purpose,” a voice said.  Like when they’d entered, it was calm, even and direct.  “A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage.”  The mask’s eyes flickered and the yellow whiskers twitched.  There was a rattling sound before Midna raised her hands defensively.   Magic crackled between her fingers, but it flickered and died in seconds.  She was reaching for it, eyes wide.  He saw her trying to step back, but slipping on her heels.  

 Link pulled the crossbow off his hip again and loaded a silver bolt when he saw her starting to struggle to keep from grabbing it.

 “Link!” she shouted. “It’s…”

 “I see it!”  He aimed and fired the crossbow at the back of the mask then.

 “What are you-“she began, but the snap of the bowstring cut her off.  The mask spun around and the arrow struck a barrier of magic.  A second later, orange bands wrapped around it, Midna’s magic freed from whatever had happened.  In spite of the magic and her struggling, it drifted towards her, eyes still fixed on Link.  “No… No!”

 In that instant, Link acted on his instincts.  He dropped the crossbow and jumped.  There was a flash of green magic wind and he appeared above the cursed mask, blade aimed downward.  The second the steel met its face, there was a flash and a screeching that made his ears ring.  He could make out Midna screaming as he was thrown into the wall on the other side of the room.  The screeching stopped.  In a few moments, his ears stopped ringing as well.  As his vision returned in the dim chamber, Link could see the mask on the floor, broken in half.  His sword had been shattered and there was smoke floating out of the two halves of the mask as it began to turn black.  He took one of the blue vials and drank it completely.  His wounds weren’t going to seal on their own as long as Din’s Fury was still in his system.

Where was Midna though? He looked to where she’d been held but only saw her ruined mantle and scorched clothes in a pile.  After a moment of letting the potion do its work, he forced himself to his feet and limped over.  He landed on his knees and looked at the remains for a moment.  His eye caught something though sticking out from under the black and turquoise.  It was a tiny twitching hand.  The mantle fell apart in his hand as he pulled it away.  Lying on its side under it was a humanoid creature that was barely up to his knee.  It was covered in fur and had dark markings on its chest and left leg.  Its red eyes were massive, though barely open.  The markings on those arms were familiar. Its orange hair though…

 “Midna?”

The eyes moved at his voice. “Is it…?”  Her voice was far higher than it normally was.  She was struggling for air.

“It’s done.”  He looked at the shattered mask.  “I don’t know if we’re safe from it in the future, but yes.”  Before he could find a way to tell her what had happened, she spoke up.

“Good…  We’re safe.”  She tried to sit herself up, a shocked gasp coming from her mouth.  He noticed a long fang in her mouth now when she did.  Her eyes were wide as she looked at one of her hands.  “That…” She touched her face and looked ready to cry.  Or let out a litany of cursing.  Link couldn’t tell.

She almost looked like one of the strange statues they’d seen earlier.  Softer in shape and not quite as monstrous, though still enough to be called hideous.  “I know a curse when I see one, Midna.  We need to get you out of here.”

“I…”  She tried to stand, but couldn’t.  She could barely move her arms.  Before she could do anything else though, Link had taken his hat off and slipped her feet first into it.  “No…  What…”

“It’s probably still raining.”  He pulled it up on her before wrapping the rest around her small frame.  “And you don’t look good.”

“Damnit, I’m the princess of the most powerful sorcerer clan in the entire Twilight Realm.  I will not be swaddled like an infant…”  She scowled at him, fang sticking out.

In spite of the situation, Link couldn’t help smirking a little as he got back to his feet.  The imp was cradled in his arms.  “Well excuse me, princess, but you can’t even stand.” Link held her against his chest as he got his lantern out and lit it on one of the few remaining torches.  He hooked it to his belt and carried her out of the dried well.  As he carefully climbed out, he felt tiny hands holding tightly to his scabbard’s strap. They walked through the ruined refugee camp and carefully Link climbed on Epona.  He turned her reins and with a gentle nudge in her sides, they started back up the mountain pass.

 She was silent for the ride back to the goron village.  The rain continued, but at least did not appear to get any worse.  He could see torches lit and the people moving about in the camp outside the domes as it came into view.  He finally couldn’t take it.  He looked down at the bundle he held to try to keep dry.  “How’re you doing?”

“I don’t feel good,” she said.  “It just. I can barely move.  I feel like every ounce of magic has been ripped out of me and then twisted.”

“You’re not going to be stuck like this.  Curses can be lifted.”

“I know, but the work involved…  That was very strong magic.  Stronger than mine even.  You have any idea what you might need to break something like that?”

“I can find out.”  He looked down at her.  “And I know you’re not one to give up either.  We’ll get you back home-”

“No!”  Even though she was in bad shape, she was loud enough to make Epona start.  Link held onto her and the reins to keep from falling off.  “I can’t go back!  Not like… Like this!”  She moved so her head was against his chest.

He could see fear in her eyes.  To see them on someone so confident and forward scared him.  He took a deep breath then and instinctively squeezed her a little against him.  “Then we’ll find a way to lift it here.”

“You need to get south though.  Before the war turns.”

“I know an information broker.  I can get what I need from them and maybe a lead on the curse.”  The horse took a turn and the village vanished from view as they went around the pass.  “We have the archives at the dome as well as a starting point.”

“…And I can dig through them while you’re down there.”  She took a deep breath.  “Between us we should find a few leads.”

“Exactly.”

Midna let out a weak laugh.

“What?”

“Maybe the hat isn’t so bad…”

[cdrforea]

Vizio SB36514-G6 Soundbar Review: Shockingly Affordable Dolby Atmos

New Post has been published on https://bestedevices.com/vizio-sb36514-g6-soundbar-review-shockingly-affordable-dolby-atmos.html

Vizio SB36514-G6 Soundbar Review: Shockingly Affordable Dolby Atmos

Vizio SB36514-G6 5.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar

"The Vizio SB36514-G6 is your one-way trip to delight Dolby Atmos on a budget."

Sleek design

Impressive performance from Dolby Atmos

Solid detail for the price

Chromecast Wi-Fi streaming

Several ways to customize the sound

Bass can be limp

Setup and calibration require patience

It will be hard to hide from Dolby Atmos. From 4K Blu-rays to Netflix, Amazon and Disney's new streamer, Disney +, Atmos sneaks into every format. The only real barrier is the expensive hardware that makes Atmos sing.

This is where Vizio's growing fleet of Dolby Atmos soundbars like the SB36514-G6 come in.

After Vizio thrilled the crowd with the $ 1,000 SB46514-F6, which offers 5.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos performance for hundreds less than most of its competitors, Vizio has released several follow-ups in different sizes at lower prices . The SB36514-G6 shrinks the length of the flagship bar by a full 10 inches, but retains all 5.1.4 channels, Chromecast streaming, and more for just $ 700.

Is there atmos in it?

The SB36514-G6 comes in a relatively compact L-shaped box that is reminiscent of most two- or three-channel budget bars and is much smaller than the sarcophagus boxes that I get from other all-in-one Dolby Atmos I'm used to setups.

Inside, you'll find a sleek, five-part system that features Vizio's signature silver and black (a greeting to your Raiders fans). The 36-inch soundbar (which adds to the intricate name) contains three oval drivers on the front, two passive radiators, and oval drivers towards the center.

The two satellite speakers are each equipped with two drivers, including their own high-powered drivers, to complete the ".4" height channels, which bounce the sound off the ceiling for a hemispherical immersion. The last piece of the puzzle, the aluminum-coated subwoofer, has a small but powerful 6-inch driver inside that highlights the bass.

While the satellite speakers need to be connected to the subwoofer with old-fashioned cables and mounted behind you, the system is easily one of the most inconspicuous Atmos setups I've encountered, causing guests to be amazed at how much sound can be extracted from them a compact setup. The aesthetics are more useful than sexy, but the silver-plated subwoofer is really stylistic.

The most inconspicuous Atmos setups that I've come across.

There are numerous connections on the back of the bar, including a digital optical connection, an analog 3.5 mm connection, Ethernet for the Wi-Fi connection, HDMI ARC for connecting to your TV and an HDMI input for the Connect a streaming box or other device directly. Of course there is also Bluetooth streaming, although the "casting" from Spotify or other apps using Chromecast technology from Google offers the best sound quality.

Loaded package

The SB36514-G6 offers numerous play options as well as numerous functions – especially for the price – many of which can be traced back to Vizio's Google partnership. The brand's SmartCast system uses Google Casting for Wi-Fi streaming, which also uses multi-room streaming with other Google Home speakers, as well as basic Google Assistant commands for the bar over those speakers. In other words, it pays to dive deeper into the Google ecosystem to get more for your money.

When it comes to decoding surround sound, the SB36514-G6 essentially has the entire Dolby Suite, including Dolby Atmos (of course) as well as Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD. DTS Digital Surround and high-resolution DTS-HD Master Audio are also supported, but DTS: X, the brand's Atmos rival, is not. As with the SB46514-F6, this means that all DTS: X 3D surround tracks must be rendered virtually. On the other hand, we've seen so few DTS: X mixes outside of some 4K Blu-rays that this shouldn't be the case. For most listeners, this is not that important.

On the video side, the SB36514-G6's HDMI 2.0a input provides 4K HDR pass-through, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

Old School Interface (with a twist)

Those who are used to one of Vizio's sound bars – including mid-level and even entry-level bars – are very familiar with the remote-based interface used here. Essentially, the remote control's Casio-like digital screen is the interface you need to scroll through the small window from EQ and sound modes to inputs and speaker settings. There is only one column of white LEDs on the front of the bar with an on-board display.

It is a system that I have never loved, that I have got used to over the years. In addition, compared to bars like Samsung's expensive Q90R, it's easier to forgive the elementary setup when you consider Vizio's desire to deliver the best Atmos punch for your money.

You can use the remote control to change almost anything, including adjustments for height speakers – something that Vizio's previous SB46514-F6 didn't include – and center, surround, and subwoofer levels so you can effectively adapt the system to your room. Still, it's a bit more expensive than automatic calibration systems like Sennheiser's highly Falutian Ambeo bar, and due to some bass balance issues (more on that below), I had to play around a lot to include things.

An interesting aspect of Vizio's setup is how the Music, Film and Direct EQ modes work. The latter is the only way to get an unrestricted audio signal, including stereo playback for music. In addition, all subwoofer, speaker, or bass / treble settings are exclusive to the mode you are in. In the end I just used the film mode (with my own adjustments) for film and TV playback and the direct mode for music playback.

It is important that the Vizio SmartCast app offers an additional option for customizing sound and functions, with a multitude of settings in the virtual remote area. It's a great addition to the real remote and offers a modern upgrade to the outdated user interface. With the app you can also set up the SB36514-G6 in your Wi-Fi network.

configuration

Getting the SB36514-G6 up and running is easy enough, if a bit tedious, when it comes to laying these long cables for the satellite speakers. They are connected to the wireless sub, which theoretically limits the placement options in larger rooms. However, there are a lot of cables to work with and I simply placed the sub in my room in the usual layout. Just make sure you've matched the color-coded left and right inputs with the appropriate speakers. Otherwise you have to start over.

Otherwise, connecting to the TV is very easy. The supplied HDMI cable leads from the HDMI ARC connection of the bar to the corresponding ARC input on your TV. This is important if you want to get Dolby Atmos directly from your TV. You can also use the TV remote control to control the volume and power of the SB36514-G6 (although you may need to turn on CEC in your TV settings). Otherwise, the optical input is the best backup option.

The system is an absolute ace with Atmos content.

The last piece of the puzzle connected via Wi-Fi via the SmartCast app caused me (predictably) some problems. It's always difficult to connect third-party Google Home products to Wi-Fi (or is it just me?), And I had to restart the app a couple of times to make everything work. Finally, however, things clicked and I was able to use the app and stream via Spotify Connect without any problems.

performance

There's nothing like a sweet Dolby Atmos demo to knock someone off your feet, and a weekend full of house guests gave me the opportunity to do just that. When I turned on the library with specially tailored demos from two of Dolby's latest demo discs, my guests were absolutely amazed when they first learned what Atmos can do. Like drug addicts who were looking for their solution, they repeatedly asked me to load the next scene so that I could get lost again in the lush Atmos sound.

When it comes to Atmos content, the SB36514-G6 is an ace.

In the Leaf demo, the bar pulls you blindly through the trees and later turns the brochure, which breaks off the branch around you with impressive precision, while the subwoofer pulsates the heartbeat of the scene with booming pressure through the room. The Amaze demo is similarly spectacular, as the insects initially shimmer in a whisper around you, while the Rainstorm clip offers cascading showers from above and lifelike thunder that shakes your chest with crackling power. And so on.

It is this powerful subwoofer that occasionally stands in the way of an otherwise brilliant experience outside of the Atmos clips. While the submarine has the muscle, it doesn't always have the rhythm to control it. Sometimes it sounds limp and bloated when it should be tight and stiff. While this unbridled blow generally does the trick in potent action scenes like the introductory monster fight in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 2, it gets a little hot sometimes, like an uninvited party guest who started partying too early.

This is most evident in the content of television programs, especially during musical interludes. In the thematic intros for shows like Parks and Recreation and The Office, the submarine blows up the room without warning and forces you to scurry for the remote control. In the Jessica Jones intro, the sub simply got out of sync and transforms the wonderful stand-up bass from tight and lively into a blurry, over-coated porridge. Overall, it takes a certain balance between genre and genre to keep the action hot and the more subtle scenes cool.

These problems do not occur with Samsung's high-end Atmos bars, such as the HW-K950 or the updated Q90R, which offer more details, performance and, above all, more control over the low frequencies. But these bars are also more than twice as expensive as the SB36514-G6.

Otherwise, the SB36514-G6 is very impressive and offers a solid level of detail of the front unit. The bar only occasionally sounds as bright as it looks in the upper midrange – usually when lighter blends are used. It's also relatively solid for music playback, as you can choose the right settings for most genres in direct mode, and you can just let the stereo sound spout respectable details and big volume for larger rooms.

Honestly, it's amazing that you can get this kind of swirling movie sound from a bar of this price and stature. Vizio's piecemeal system, which swaps the 36-inch bar into multiple Atmos iterations, seems to be paying off – both for Vizio and for anyone who wants to bring the sweet pulse of Atmos into their room while making it clear stay below $ 1,000.

Warranty information

Vizio grants a warranty on its soundbars one year after the date of purchase.

Our opinion

The latest 5.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar from Vizio offers an impressive wealth of Atmos riches for your dollars in a slim design and extends this exciting surround technology to almost every setup and budget.

Is there a better alternative?

Not at this price. Bass reproduction is poor, and you can get more details and balance from sound bars with similar prices that use virtual surround effects, but nothing I've encountered offers more atmospheric thrills for less money.

If you want a bit more quality, performance, and stiffness across the spectrum and have some money to play with, Vizio's $ 1,000 SB46514-F6 offers a higher quality experience, including bigger, tighter basses. Outside of Vizio, the Samsung HW-N950, still my favorite Atmos bar, is available at a bargain price compared to the original price.

Do you need further help with the purchase of a soundbar? Check out our favorite sound bars from 2019.

How long it will take?

The SB36514-G6 appears to be solidly built and is as future-proof as you would expect from a soundbar of this price and caliber. The only thing we want that isn't here is eARC, something we see in the latest top-class A / V equipment.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you're looking for exciting Dolby Atmos sound on a budget, the Vizio SB36514-G6 offers the best $ 700 you can spend.

Editor's recommendations

[universeinform-blog]

Android Circuit: Massive Galaxy S8 Leaks Reveal Everything

New Post has been published on https://universeinform.com/2017/03/24/android-circuit-massive-galaxy-s8-leaks-reveal-everything/

Android Circuit: Massive Galaxy S8 Leaks Reveal Everything

Taking a look again at seven days of information and headlines the world over of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes all of the info of the Galaxy, more information on the release date, secrets of the Samsung Browser, Nokia avoids the flagship combat, why coloration is the following cell war, the extraordinary OnePlus 3T, a long-term overview of the LG G6, and Google’s new Family Link software program for Android.

Android Circuit is right here to remind you of a few of the many stuff that has befallen around Android within the remaining week (and you could discover the weekly Apple information digest right here).

The entirety You’ll Love Approximately The Galaxy S8

Are you geared up for the huge tick list of thrilling matters in the Galaxy S8? Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly has the listing, he’s checked it twice and Samsung is prepared to visit metropolis with the 2017 flagship, in addition to the overall numbers:

Further, [industry analyst[ Kuo expects a 6:4 shipment cut up in favor of the Galaxy S8 with forty-45 million handsets sold all through 2017. This slightly decreases then the 52M Galaxy S7 units shipped in 2016, but Kuo says That is no cause for Samsung to be disenchanted. Instead, he points out Galaxy S7 shipments were unusually high because of the recalled Galaxy Note 7 which driven capacity Be aware customers back to this handset. the next huge moment inside the cellphone story of 2017 will be the launch and launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus handsets by Samsung. With a media occasion on March 29, the focal point turns to the timing of the retail release in April. TechRadar has more on the diary control:

Samsung’s teased the Galaxy S8 on video, and now it begins placing up print adverts in elements of Asia, giving us clues as to whilst we might be capable of buying it. One of the posters, spotted by way of leaked @UniverseIce, contains the reference to April 2017, and as the Samsung Galaxy S8 is being introduced on March 29 meaning April is probably whilst it’s going to hit shops.

The poster doesn’t certainly display whatever else new, but it all over again highlights the threshold-to-part display, and with a big ‘S’ inside the center there’s no question that That is an advert for the Samsung Galaxy S8.

The popular know-how now is that pre-orders will start via April 10th, with the first handsets physically released on April twenty-first.

Android Application Development Solutions – Where Did It All Start?

When Apple was first founded via Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976, to increase and sell private computers, the era changed into astounding, and not anything like anything we had seen earlier than. With digital era so superior, human beings had been convinced that no other competitor could ever evaluate. Then something pretty amazing passed off While Android stepped up to the mark. Android, Inc. turned into founded in October 2003 through Andy Rubin, Wealthy Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White. The aim of Android was to broaden…

Smarter cellular gadgets that are more privy to its owner’s region and Andy Rubin

At this modern-day time, Android’s intentions were to create operating systems for virtual cameras. However Whilst Google obtained Android Inc for $50 million in July 2005, it changed into in question whether or not Google had been planning to enter the cellular phone marketplace, and that they did! Google then developed a platform for mobile devices powered by using the Linux Kernel and has firmly rooted the Android emblem as it’s miles these days. Considering 2008 Android has had numerous updates to streamline improvements in its operating systems, and with its interface capabilities and customer usability, it’s clearly considered to be a force to be reckoned with!

In latest years Android has slowly been changing an increasing number of iPhone consumers into Android customers, because of its elite functionality. Thanks to this, there has been a surprising surge in the wishes and development of Android packages, however, what does it take to make an Android app?

All apps have the ability to increase the functionality of the tool it’s using within a sure technical region, so with regards to Android software improvement solutions, all are written the use of the SDK (Software improvement Kit). The SDK presents an intensive set of improvement tools which incorporates Software program libraries, a debugger, a handset emulator, documentation, a pattern code, and tutorials. Java is used as the principle programming language because it has whole get entry to the Android APIs (application Programming Interface). different improvement tools are generally to be had just like the Local development Kit, the Google App Inventor that’s remarkably visible surroundings for any trainee programmers, and of direction a diffusion of cross-platform frameworks for mobile internet programs.

Of path, if you’re a non-technical person and this sounds particularly overwhelming, then there are quite a number IT corporations inside the virtual global that would assist you to fulfill your imaginative and prescient, and construct your Android App for you at a value. Although the disadvantage of this is that you may need to pay out a touch more to get what you want, on the plus side of things you will be working with a business enterprise that may provide a team of experts, which generally has an extensive heritage in Android software Software improvement. Most services will abide by way of improvement recommendations and rules, which guarantees that your Android application won’t comprise any dodgy surprises. Also, Maximum IT organizations will provide comprehensive utility checking out, protection checks and Also product guide on launch, and in some cases thereafter.

Once your Android app is good to head, you could sell it on Google Play, wherein customers can download it for a small fee or totally free. Google play is the primary app save this is mounted on all Android devices that follow Google’s compatibility necessities.

How to Build Massive Muscle Workout Program

Hello My Buddy,

Do you understand that “the high-quality physiques had been all built by way of tough paintings on the fundamental, heavy responsibility sporting activities?” There are no exceptions to this announcement. Even smooth-gainers like John Grimek and Steve Reeves who could build up muscle very easily could have never reached the Hercules-sized muscle mass they built without a maximum attempt. John Grimek labored up to squats with six hundred pounds, in the back of the neck presses with three hundred pounds, and bench presses with four hundred kilos and this became inside the days before steroids, HGH and unique lifting shirts and leg wraps!

Genetic advantages or not, John Grimek skilled tough and heavy to earn the massive body he obtained that let him emerge as the only an entire life Mr. The united states. And so did every different character with steroid-unfastened natural constructed massive muscle whose muscles are not simply bloated pumped-up tissue. WHAT these primary sporting activities are, and how hard you ought to work on them for extraordinary outcomes, is the “secret components” you must practice to make a reputedly “simple exercising” right into an “outstanding workout” when you perform it!

My Preferred simple exercises for maximum Muscle Boom

1. The Squat – Normal, parallel, heavy respiratory style

2. Stiff-legged lifeless elevate or bent-leg

3. Bench urgent – barbell or heavy dumbbells, Incline or flat bench style

4. Rowing – Bent over, barbell or dumbbells, one or two arm

5. Army Press – Seated or status, barbell or heavy dumbbells

6. Energy cleans barbell or dumbbell

My remark and experimentation have led me to consider that an exercise is productive in building “muscle tissue” if it lets in you to use very heavy weights brings into play the Massive muscle corporations — and creates plenty of over-all frame fatigue.

From this vantage factor, it is clean to look why most of the sporting events observed by way of most weight lifters do not degree as much as the standards required for building most muscle mass. Minnie-mouse sporting activities like Back-to-the-wall-awareness-curls, lateral increases, frontal leg extensions, triceps “kickback”, lunges, cable go-overs and different physical games of the like are a waste of an entire life in case your purpose is to build large muscle tissue.

Shop yourself a lifetime and in all likelihood wasted years of effort. Do no longer hassle with the little sports if your aim is to attain your genetic potential for max muscle length and power.

I at an entire life, get plenty of flak from trainee’s, “muscle gurus” and want-to-be muscle developers when I write articles or deliver a seminar speaking the reality about sensible barbell education for constructing real muscle that lastsThe comments from meat heads, the “commercial-muscle-makers,” the steroid-takers and others don’t hassle me one bit. I let them do their element; my venture is to train the fact to folks who want to the actual solutions to constructing real muscle without all the commercialism and hype.

Welded Wire Mesh – Everything You Need To Know About

Production manner for welded wire mesh

Welded cord mesh has replaced the fashion of concrete fencing to a terrific quantity. This assists with a transparent partition and is found generally used with stadiums and parking space. However with the years, now humans also are using the identical for guarding their homes. In line with the welded wire mesh producer, the Production process includes various machines including the lathe or transformer. These machines employ the electric power to feature and achieve the project.

Cloth used for manufacturing welded twine mesh and their characteristics

Transferring in advance with the Fabric used for production welded cord mesh, the most popular Fabric that is used for the reason is stainless steel alloy. This alloy is fabricated from diverse factors which include nickel, chromium, copper, nitrogen, carbon. Upon undergoing the conversion procedure, These metals show sizable changes in their mechanical and chemical properties. They render tremendous homes like resistance to annoying cracking, anti- corrosive and sturdy. But, alike all matters, it’s too is the situation to wear and tear. Up to a widespread duration says 3-4 years, no weather condition can result in corrosion, But past the equal, corrosion isn’t uncommon. To prevent the identical, it’s miles suggested to offer a coating of nickel or Percent on the same. This enhances their durability for another ten years.

Search the only you want as according to your wishes

Nowadays there is a massive quantity of welded cord mesh producers inside the market offering a wide range to cater your myriad of wishes. Of path, the only supposed for residential fencing can’t be used for fencing your farmland or a commercial complex. These wires range regarding Material used, design and size. Other than the identical, you could additionally get wires as per your given specs to fulfill your preferred needs. The only component you need to do right here is taking the pain to search for a depended on welded cord mesh producer imparting you with this provider.

Right choice for less expensive fencing

Aside from rendering a tidy and smooth surface, welded wire mesh additionally adds a decorative contact to your home. Together with Those, every other enticing function you revel in with Those is that they’re without problems less expensive while in comparison to another fencing forms. So if you are looking ahead for an inexpensive yet durable fencing, not anything may be higher than going beforehand with the same. Take time from your busy schedule and search for the most dependable supplier in this field.To make your Search smooth, the internet is there to your rescue.