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techprolonged · 5 years

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Huawei launched two models of its camera centric P-series this year – Huawei P30 and P30 Pro. However along with these two, the Chinese smartphone maker also launched a cheaper model in the line-up, Huawei P30 Lite in Pakistan and other regions except China.

Like usually Huawei launches a smartphone in China and then launches the same phone globally with a different name. Sometimes the same phone is placed in a certain line-up or series to fill the pricing gap. The latter is what we can assume as a situation with Huawei P30 lite replacing the China specific Nova 4e in global markets.

Nevertheless the identical design and hardware, the P30 Lite features some extra network bands than Nova 4e, to support in global markets. But launching the phone in P-series to reach more consumers with low budget, might be an ideal decision for the company to have more sales.

Huawei launched its camera power house – Huawei P30 Pro for PKR 1,75,000 in Pakistan. The company also launched the standard model of P30 for PKR 1,25,000. These are exactly around the European price tag and really the higher ones – thanks to Pakistani Rupee value.

So with those higher-priced flagship models, Huawei P30 Lite becomes really favorite among the lower-budget customers. The P30 Lite costs only PKR 48,000 but also lacks almost everything that the flagship counterparts have. It’s just another mid-range smartphone that you would see a lot in this price range. The question is, is P30 Lite worth the price of it and is it really competitive among its price range? We will evaluate that right in this review, so continue reading.

We did a separate unboxing session with Huawei P30 Lite earlier with our first impressions. You can check that out as well.

Huawei P30 Lite Unboxing/First Impressions [Urdu]

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Our first impressions were pretty fine with Huawei P30 Lite. However P30 Lite felt premium like any previous P-series phones but as we have recently with Nova series phones. They are as good as P-series. Means to say that the build quality and design of P30 lite is extremely similar to those, recently introduced with Nova 3 series.

Here is the full list of items you will get in the Huawei P30 Lite retail box.

Huawei P30 Lite – The device itself of course.

Travel Charger: 5V/2A + 9V/2A Quick Charge

USB Type-C connectivity cable

Stereo Earphones

SIM tray eject tool

Quick Start Guide

Silicon back cover

Screen protective film (factory-applied)

Let’s have quick look at the specifications and features of the Huawei P30 Lite.

Quick Features and Specifications

Huawei P30 Lite SoC Chip: Kirin 710 CPU: 4x Cortex-A73 2.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 1.7GHz GPU: Mali G51 MP4 Memory 4GB RAM + 125GB Storage microSD card dedicated slot (up to 512GB) OS / Software Android 9 Oreo / EMUI 9.0 Display 6.15-inch IPS LCD 2312×1080 FHD+ resolution, 19.3:9, Pixel density: 415 ppi Screen-to-body ratio: ~84% Rear Camera 24MP Main PDAF Sensor, f/1.8 lens aperture 8MP Ultra wide-angle 2MP depth sensor 720p/1080p video recording at 30fps Front Camera 32MP sensor, f/2.0 lens aperture Battery 3340 mAh 5V/2A (10-watt) 9V/2A (18-watt) fast charging Size/Weight 152.9 x 72.7 x 7.4 mm / 159 grams Sensors Fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient light, E-Compass, Gyroscope Connectivity WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual Band: 2.4GHz / 5GHz WiFi Tethering, Hotspot Bluetooth: 4.2, USB 2.0, Type-C GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou Color Options Peacock Blue, Midnight Black

Build and Design

Huawei P30 lite has a unibody design with a 3D curved glass on the back. The design follows the last year’s P20 Pro which was later adapted by some other brands too including Honor. In fact Huawei shipped its mid-range Nova 3 series and Y9 2019 in the similar design. Now that the Chinese phone maker has not moved on to another unique design for its P30 flagship phones, it keeps it alike on the P30 Lite as well.

The other blue variant, which is called Peacock Blue has some eye-catchy gradient color. But the black variant is totally plain and decent.

Thanks to the not-so-big size of the phone, that the handling is easy as well as one-handed use is also quite possible.

You can see the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor along with the triple-camera setup arrayed vertically on the upper-left corner.

Components and Ports

Huawei P30 Lite sports a USB Type-C port along with the loud speaker and 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom. There is also a mouthpiece (primary mic). The power button is on the right side of the phone along side the volume rocker.

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There is a SIM slot on the top of the phone, which is a hybrid slot. It can serve for one SIM and one microSD card or two SIM cards at once. You cannot use two SIM cards and a memory card simultaneously though.

Front and Display

Huawei P30 lite features a U-shaped dewdrop notch on the front that houses the front-facing camera. Bezels around the screen are now similar to most bezel-less designs we have seen. They are all thin around the left, right and top, whereas the bottom chin takes some space due to the components and ports.

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Huawei P30 Lite features a 6.15-inch screen with aspect ratio of 19.3:9. It comes with full HD+ display resolution of 2312 x 1080 pixels serves with the pixel density of around 415 ppi. According to Huawei the it’s a 90% screen-to-body ratio which does not include the the frame outside the glass. But when we include the full front profile to calculate the display area ratio, it comes out as around 84.2%.

The phone comes with an LTPS IPS LCD panel and its outdoor visibility is quite impressive. Full HD resolution is also something attractive but it’s always prone to consume more battery. So you might want to consider your preference here – whether you want long runner or a sharp and crisp display.

During our trial, the display wasn’t quite aggressive with battery drain. So you shouldn’t be worry about that either.

Software and User Interface

Huawei P30 lite runs Android 9.0 Pie operating system out-of-the-box. On top of it, the phone layers with the proprietary EMUI 9. Huawei has changed a lot in the new version, specially the placement of some built-in apps and features within settings.

The native camera app once again gets some feature shifts. The aperture mode is no more available on the main viewfinder slides but portrait mode is. But you can access the aperture mode from “More” screen. Just like that there are some unneeded changes I believe.

Apart from those little changes, the basic interface and user experience remains the same as we have seen previously in EMUI 8.2. The home screen still comes with two modes – standard and drawer mode. Notification panel remains intact with white theme.

Lock, Unlock and Home Screen

The lock screen keeps its Magazine style by default as always. You can change the categories to load wallpapers from, in this specific style. Just in case if you didn’t know, this style loads a new wallpaper every time you press power button to wake up the phone. Some quick options are also present on the lock screen.

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The home screen can be configured as always to have different layout of icons. Folders and context menu is there that you can initiate by tap and holding an icon – you can still drag the icon that way by ignoring the menu and continue with dragging.

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Even though the EMUI 9 has some features/options shift from here and there, the home screen settings are still not in one place. The home screen configuration options still don’t offer to change the style – standard or drawer mode.

App Drawer

Default home screen style is just old without the app drawer but you can turn it on by going through Phone settings > Home screen & wallpaper > Home screen style > Drawer.

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Huawei should really move this option to the home screen settings which are available right from the home screen.

Software based Notch Handler

The software based top-bezel illusion that camouflage the notch as it was never there, continues with P30 lite. Though the notches made it possible for displays to expand further around to edges, there are people who don’t like those cut-outs. This software based bezel is really for them as it aligns with the notch’s size by darkening the top status bar.

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Then it turns out to be much similar in size of the bottom physical chin. However the top bar still keeps the information intact, so it doesn’t loose the space either. All those icons and notifications appear along side the front-camera.

Variety of Navigation Styles

In addition to common three-key navigation that you have seen in above screenshots – recent apps, home, and back keys, P30 lite also has a few more navigation options. Single-key navigation, and navigation dock.

[navigation styles screens]

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Navigation Dock. When enabled, a dock is appeared floating on the screen which you can simply tap, tap & hold, hold & stretch and drag to respectively navigate to back, home, recent tasks view or move the dock itself.

Security & Privacy

Fingerprint and Face Unlock are the two basic security features in Huawei P30 Lite. There is indeed no objection over fingerprint scanner as it’s as fast as always Huawei has made it. Face Unlock, on the other hand, only uses the front camera. Hence it’s not that fast and secure as fingerprint sensor will be.

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PrivateSpace

In addition to various security and privacy features like App Lock, user profiles, Huawei has added a new PrivateSpace which I guess is more useful than user profiles. Unlike user profiles you don’t need to choose the user first to switch to. Instead, you can just turn it on with your main profile and set a different PIN code to unlock into this space right from your own main profile’s lock screen. In fact you can set a different finger to go into this space without any other input on the lock screen.

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It’s a perfect option to apply on a case when you need to give out your phone temporarily to anyone for a while, you can put your finger (that you have set for PrivateSpace) on the scanner and it will be unlocked into that space. You can even share that PIN code with them as it’s totally a separate space and won’t show anything from your main profile.

Phone Manager

The phone manager is still there and it’s an important part of Huawei smartphones, I appreciate that as most of the things it would handle from management of memory to the privacy features. Phone manager app include everything from permissions, mobile data control, memory cleaner and management, Avast virus scanner is built-in, app locker and then a shortcut to battery options.

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Smart Screen Resolution

Huawei P30 lite has a native resolution of 2312 x 1080 pixels but you can set the resolution down to 1734 x 810 pixels which will consume low power. However, by default, the Smart resolution option is turned on which will automatically adjust the screen resolution when needed to conserve the battery power.

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App Assistant (formerly Game Suite)

Previously Huawei has shipped its phones with a built-in Game Suite app. It would allow users to add certain games in a list that will provide the users with uninterrupted gaming experience. In addition the system will optimize the settings for better performance in selected games. This may also consume more power and you may experience heat up. But the Game Suite was replaced by the “App Assistant” in the latest EMUI 9.

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I didn’t find any significant difference but it was really hard finding the App Assistant in the phone. Unlike the Game Suite that was right among the apps, the App Assistant is hidden into settings. You need to go through Settings > Apps > AppAssistant.

System Performance

As we have already noted above, the Huawei P30 lite features Kirin 710. It is company’s latest mid-range system-on-chip which was released last year with Nova 3i. Sooner after that, the chip was also featured on Huawei’s mid-range Y9 2019.

Nevertheless the Kirin 710 is a good processor and competed really well with Snapdragon 660 and Helio P60 at the time of launch. But now that we have seen upgraded versions from both Qualcomm and MediaTek, I believe Huawei could have brought some upgraded processor too with P30 Lite.

PUBG Mobile should be enough to tell about the gaming performance; right? Well, it automatically configured on the second level of graphics “balanced” and frame rate at “medium”. This default configuration gave me the wonderfully lagless experience. You can also go further 1-level up in graphics to have some doomed experience.

So it’s not gonna take any bump in performance compared to previous devices with Kirin 710. In fact, the P30 lite’s benchmark scores were far less than Nova 3i and Huawei Y9 2019 carrying the identical processor. But the culprit is the default settings which prefer to facilitate with better power management. The system allows you to turn on “Performance Mode” in battery settings. That brings back the true performance of the phone which is nearly identical to what we have experienced with Nova 3i and Y9 2019.

Benchmark Scores with Performance Mode (ENABLED):

AnTuTu v7.2: 140331

Geekbench v4:

Single-core: 1565

Multi-core: 5456

3D Mark – Sling Shot Extreme

Open GL ES 3.1: 986

Vulkan: 1369

Benchmark Scores with Performance Mode (DISABLED):

AnTuTu v7.2: 118234

Geekbench v4:

Single-core: 1535

Multi-core: 5173

3D Mark – Sling Shot Extreme

Open GL ES 3.1: 936

Vulkan: N/A

Battery Performance

Battery wise, the Kirin 710 has helped the P30 lite just how it did with Nova 3i. The 3340mAh battery in Huawei P30 lite is good for all kind tasks for the whole day.

Can’t compare with Y9’s large 4000 mAh battery, but still P30 Lite didn’t let me down with its power management. With all day to day tasks including phone calls, text, social interaction, streaming video and music, etc, it should be fine for P30 lite to stay up until you may need to put it on charge when you go to sleep.

Like Nova 3i, excessive camera usage may take more battery in P30 lite. Graphically heavy gaming will take most of the battery juice as well as GPS navigation. With that in mind, you may need to charge the phone mid-day.

Camera – Photos and Videos

Huawei P30 lite features triple camera setup on the back. The main 24MP sensor is supported by a large f/1.8 aperture lens. Along side an 8MP camera sports ultra wide-angle lens. A third 2MP depth sensor is hosted for bokeh effect in portrait and aperture mode.

The camera user interface follows most of the features as we already know, however it has also shifted some from one place to another. AR Lens is also present with 3D QMoji for front camera and other visual effects for both front and rear cameras. Unlike Nova 3i, the AR backgrounds and 3D objects are not available in P30 lite.

The camera features a pro-mode like always, but a so-called “Night” mode is also present that takes shots in dark environment with longer exposures and lower-ISO sensitivity. Unlike in pro-mode, the long exposure in night mode works with AI powered stability that can work impressively hand-held. It takes a 3 sec exposure at lowest possible ISO sensitivity according to the scene. You can choose your own exposure time and ISO as well in this mode, but the longer you go, the more blurry photos you may get.

Huawei P30 lite features company’s AI algorithm can “recognize 22 categories” of scenes and provides optimized settings instantly. The “AI” option is provided right above the live viewfinder that you can turn on/off.

Camera Performance

The Huawei P30 lite camera worked nicely to capture pleasing photos in most of the environments. The camera reproduces true colors but a bit vibrant as well. Image detail is also fine along with right amount of sharpness in bright light or outdoor. The camera also managed to provide better dynamic range in most overly back-lit situations.

In addition to enhancing sharpness, producing better colors and image detail, the noise handling was also impressive by P30 lite.

When shooting in dark and low-light situations, P30 lite impressed with capturing nice image detail. The noise handling was also controlled well. Sometime the over exposed light glows were the problem. But when the the special night mode is in action, you are gonna witness really a pleasant night-time photograph with vibrant but accurate colors.

As far as portrait/aperture mode is concerned, image detail mostly remains fine but sometimes it gets softer on subject. Taking portrait shots in bright light is easy for the phone, but like most smartphones even including the high-end ones, it struggles to take usable portrait shots in low-light.

The ultra wide-angle camera helps in scenarios where you need to cover more area in your frame. But currently like any other smartphone with ultra wide angle-lens, P30 lite also comes with a fixed-focus camera. The images look good when viewing in full but when you look look at it 1:1 scale, you will notice that the detail is not as fine as you would have with the primary camera.

The 32MP front camera is just new entrant in mid-range segment. The P30 lite makes use of it very well. This large resolution selfie shots come very sharp out of the camera. The image detail impressive in bright light. However the one in low-light is also not that bad.

Just keep an eye on our portal or our social pages to get notified as soon as we publish a dedicated camera review for Huawei P30 lite. Here you can see some sample shots anyway.

Sample Photos

[slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157678225652217″]

Video Recording

The Huawei P30 lite supports up to 1080p video recording that too 30fps and 60fps. Though the electronic image stabilization (EIS) is only supported with 30fps recording. The phone does not support 4K video recording but indeed has a Slow-mo support with 120fps or 480fps.

We’ll inform you as soon as the dedicated camera review is up for Huawei P30 lite. For that, you have subscribe to our portal and social channels.

Conclusion

Huawei P30 lite comes at right price range with all its features but we still believe that the phone must feature an upgraded processor. However Kirin 710 is still comparable with MediaTek’s Helio P70 in Vivo V15 and OPPO F11 Pro. The default settings of P30 lite focus on power management which is indeed a good thing. But in this default mode the performance of the phone will be much restricted. That’s why with default settings the benchmark tools performed far less than others. However, turning on the performance mode, brings back the phone to perform equally with others.

USB Type-C has finally been added to mid-range segment with P30 lite, which is a welcome thing. Fast charging on the other hand is also a good thing on P30 lite.

But with the price tag of PKR 48,000/- P30 lite is gonna have tough time competing Vivo V15 and OPPO F11 Pro. However it’s worth mentioning that Vivo’s V15 and OPPO’s F11 Pro cost a couple of more thousands and come with some appealing features such as pop-up selfie camera and truly bezel-less screen.

P30 lite can still be considered on the positive side as the phone comes with the glass build and also supports USB Type-C. It’s rather more compact. On the other hand, the Vivo and OPPO’s counterparts are built with plastic. So it’s much easier for you to decide – what stands better according to your preference.

Huawei P30 lite in Gallery

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Huawei P30 Lite Full Review – Upper Mid-Range or Something Premium? Huawei launched two models of its camera centric P-series this year – Huawei P30 and P30 Pro.

#Huawei Nova 4e #Huawei Nova 4e Price #Huawei Nova 4e Review #Huawei P30 Lite #Huawei P30 Lite Price #Huawei P30 Lite Price in Pakistan #Huawei P30 Lite Review

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randomthingsthatilike1 · 6 years

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It’s funny that I keep seeing things that act as if Lena would be the helpless one out of her and Kara and I absolutely adore Kara and the girl is a damn genius with super powers and picks up things fast, but growing up she also had to deal with extreme culture shock, PTSD, and along with powers sensory overload, to name just a few of the things about her childhood on Earth. She comes from a dying planet with insanely advanced technology and science—not really survival skills, and more so just trying to adapt and heal.

Lillian was teaching Lena chess at the age of 4. And say what you want about the Luthors, and there’s plenty, we see Lena working weekends, nights, hell Thanksgiving—she’s a CEO by 24, probably more than a few degrees. That kind of work ethic and drive (regardless if it’s actually healthy, it’s huge) didn’t come from nowhere. Every single skill Lionel and Lillian could cram into Lex and Lena, they probably did. Regardless of how Lillian might feel about Lena she’s going to have expectations, and at the absolute least if she’s going to have to be this girl’s mother she might as well make her useful, or someone for Lex to compete against, and Lillian loves Lex.

There’s no point to giving him a rival if that person isn’t pushed and given the same kind of preparation and training and education that he receives. And Lillian is someone who can be on the run from everyone and not get caught—that’s going to take more than just money, that’ll take skill. Not to mention running a black ops program with no one the wiser isn’t exactly on the list of things that a rich housewife can do.

Kara is from a technologically advanced planet—maybe a few days is fine but she’s probably so horrified not to be around any tech she only likes camping for the difference in her senses and all the pretty nature and landscape. Imagine if you went back to a time before indoor plumbing—and sure a week of it is fine but months and months???? No. It’s probably worse for Kara. She was p well supplied with tech, if the spy beacon that Astra had that had a signal that could be received anywhere was simply a child’s plaything—or if it wasn’t, and it was something she had because of Astra’s military connections, then who knows what else she had access to? She’s probably good with mechanics, to a certain extent because of her father the scientist—who created a damn rocket and taught her plenty about mechanical engineering—but they would have had different elements on Krypton. It’s hard to know how to build something when all the materials are different—Lena would be just as screwed if she was given Kryptonian materials from the get go.

But my point is, Lena is probably actual fucking MacGyver, or even better yet, the Supergirl version of Elliot Spencer. The Luthors definitely seem like the kind of people who have their kids be in Boy/Girl Scouts, because you never know when you might need those skills—they’re Luthors, they have people gunning for them from the cradle. You never know when you might need some of those skills, especially if you need to go off grid, or have to dump everything in a moment’s notice. Like I’m not making a definitive statement, except yes, yes I am if you gave Lena a knife and some decently warm clothes and set her off into a forest she’d probably be fine for however long she’d be there for. Lillian and probably Lionel seem like they would definitely hire a swim coach to make sure their strokes are textbook perfect, but first they’d absolutely and quite literally throw them in the deep end to teach them how to swim—the coach is about achieving perfection, and this is survival. And Luthors don’t depend on anyone else for that—the sooner they learn that the better.

A powerless Kara, on the other hand, would be absolutely fucked. She may have gone camping w alex but lbr kara definitely used heat vision to start a fire and has no idea what kind of clothes to pack or what to do about bug bites and maybe knows how to pitch a tent and some useful things that don’t rely on her powers but 5 minutes after losing her powers she cuts her hand on glass and breaks her arm—it’s not a matter of intellect, but it’s kind of like how astronauts look up when they drop a pencil—you get used to a certain baseline. Kara could definitely learn, but Lena already knows what she’s doing. Lena was taught she couldn’t trust on anyone but herself to survive and Kara was taught stronger together. This isn’t to say this is a failure of Kara’s that this isn’t her mentality—Kara has plenty of knowledge about science and alien cultures and technology and language and religion and understanding of people that Lena probably struggles with, especially in comparison. Kara was doing calculus at least since she was 4. Honestly out of the two of them she’s most likely better at science and math—but it’s probably painful for her bc it reminds her of Krypton, and it’s not like humans are going to be very accepting of a 15 year old trying to correct them on widely accepted theories. That would bring attention.

Kara was told to hide—Lena was told she wasn’t allowed to, that she had to be extraordinary because that’s what Luthors are.

We see in her very first episode she’s a marksman, able to shoot the man that had Alex hostage without even hesitation. We also see her Gerry rig that device at her charity under the table with a tiny bit of help from Winn, but not that much—that’s not exactly a lab setting.

The Luthors have so many back up plans and hidey holes that their family motto almost seems to be “be prepared.” Like Lena does not like Roulette and has 0 plans on ever going to her fight club but she knew exactly where the address was from the top of her head, without consulting a planner. And the fight clubs most likely rotate where they’re at—sure Roulette has connections but the DEO took Leslie Willis—if they don’t know about her she’s not going to bring her to their attention. And still Lena knew where it was, because it’s important to be prepared.

Or better yet—the Luthor motto might be all knowledge is worth having.

Lena probably picks up new skills in her “free time”—or really whatever time she has that she’s not working at her company, not able to simply lay around and do nothing. “You never know when you might need to know how to wrangle a crocodile kara” “You never know when an assassin might try to kill me while I’m on ice Kara” “You never know when you might need to know this very obscure and esoteric language Kara” “It’s a very distinctive sound and one day I might need to be able to distinguish between the sounds different guns make when cocked Kara” “Who knows if you’re ever in the mountains with only a paper clip and a hair tie Kara” “Kara it’s always useful to know how to be able to get out of a straight jacket without any help”

Kara is very confused about her strange nerdy friend but Lena feels such vINDICATION the first time something she’s been practicing requires her expertise you said it was weird to know how to competitively duck herd AND YET HERE WE ARE WITH A DEADLY ALIEN SPECIES THAT RESEMBLES IN SEVERAL WAYS DUCKS

tl;dr Lena would be absolutely fine wherever she’s dropped up to and including the woods or a farm with only the clothes on her back and a used tissue and after a week or so Kara would be clutching her phone wondering where the wifi is

#kara danvers #supergirl #lena luthor #supercorp #luvers

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neijayah · 6 years

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Seoul, day 1 - Arrival

So to make this journey possible, I had to save up most of my years vacation days plus apply for educational vacation at my company, which was thankfully approved. A lot of preparation had to be made. Not just communication with the company that organized this educational travel, but also making sure my cats are cared for. But I admit, they're like my children. 😅😇

As I would be staying for about a month, I had to pack quite a bit, as I didn't know, where exactly I would be staying until 2 weeks before arriving, and if the residence has a laundry or not. Thankfully the hotel I'm staying at, has both a washing machine and a dryer, though in the cellar, for every resident to use. So it meant I could at least keep clothing limited.

EF offers to arrange flights from Germany to Korea. Unfortunately, only from two airports in Germany, and non of them near my parents. So it would have meant either traveling by plane, train or rental car to these airports, or organizing the flights myself. The advantage was, that I could decide which flight company I would take and how long stay-overs would be. Taking into account, that most flights - at least in Europe - nowadays are delayed, I didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere due to the incompetence of others.

I decided for Turkish Airways. Though the German-Turkish relationship is a bit strained right now, Turkish Airways has a good reputation and statistics in crashes. This shouldn't be your concern, but I just watched "Mayday - Air Desaster" way to often. 😅 I could have taken a connection flight with a stay over for 1,5 h. But, as I wasn't sure, if the plane would start on time and how big/complicated the Istanbul airport is, I decided for a 6 h stay-over. Enough time for delays and finding your gate and even eat something valuable.

Only negative point using Turkish Airways and therefore having to use Istanbul as transfer airport is, I have to say, the security check in Turkey. It was hasty and not really thorough. In today's time, not the best decision.

Both flights were eventless. It bit shaky from time to time, that eating your meals and drinking was a bit challenging. My seating neighbor even spilled her water over me. Thankfully, it wasn't the red wine she also had ordered. Unfortunately, Turkish Airways didn't offer any food from the destination country. Usually, flight companies offer two menus, one of the company's origin country and one for the destination. Same for the entertainment. Though I was lucky to even listen to BTS' latest Japanese album.

Immigration in Korea is pretty easy, like most things in Korea. Thanks to Korean technology, when your passport was scanned, they tell you to put your fingers on the scanner in your own language. On the plane they hand out the registration cards for immigration and for "importing goods" if you have packed anything, that isn't allowed in Korea. You don't need to fill these out on the plane right away. There are several points on the way to the immigration desks to fill them out, or get new ones. Pens are provided at these desks as well. Everything worked pretty fine, until I took my suitcase from the treadmill. My lock has been opened and not properly closed again. So I was running around with a extra bag for the commute, that I actually wanted to store in that suit case. Not so nice for a 1h 45 min. travel with some changing and trying to find your hotel. The latter one being the bigger problem. I will come to this problem and how to solve it a bit later.

Before I arrived in Korea I had to think about how to stay in contact with my home country, family and friends. If it was wiser to get a second SIM card or just make sure that I have cheap internet connection. I decided for the internet connection. I don't take phone calls when I'm home. Sure as hell, won't do it in Korea. Several Korean telecommunication companies offer so called Wifi eggs, a mobil internet router. Perfect for shorter vacations. If you're staying longer, like for a few months, and love to talk with home, a second SIM card might be smarter. The SIM card can be obtained at the airport directly. Sources say, it's cheaper there, than in Seoul itself. So inform yourself, where to get everything. SK Telecom offers rented mobil phones, SIM cards and Wifi eggs. Ordering/renting can be done online beforehand, either on their website or on distributors like trazy.com. The pick-up was very easy as well and the prices reasonable. KT Telecom offers the same service. It can also be ordered and found on the trazy website. SK and KT Telecom both have Wifi router in every metro train, as far as I know. So if you buy/rent a SIM or even mobile phone, you're save with these two companies.

EF offers their students to take a taxi with the help of an EF employee. But as I was fine with traveling with public transportation, I chose to take the metro. Pretty easy progress, if you know where you have to go to. Taking public transportation tickets are a necessity. When staying more than a few days, the T-Money card is the best choice. Offering diverse pictures on the front, they all work the same. At the clerks desk at any convenient store (like CS), where you buy the card, you can load it right away with an amount of your choice. 20,000 Won (approx. $20) is a good start. If you don't use all of it, it stays on the card for several years. I used my one about 4 years ago. Nothing got lost.

If you're just staying for a day or two, there a special tourist T-Money cards, with benefits for sightseeing entrances. I had one at my first travel, but it didn't work for the N Seoul Tower. So you might have to be prepared, that it isn't always excepted.

You have several options getting into the city: either taxi, bus, by express train or underground. Train takes less time, but might take you further into the city than needed and may cost more. The underground/metro takes longer, as it is an all-stop train, but you can get off, when needed. Be careful with taxis, as you better have the address written down, preferably in Korean or speak clear Korean without an accent. They might take you to the other side of town, to where you actually wanted to be. And you might get stuck in traffic like every car. The bus is a good option as well, depending on your time of arrival and how strong your stomach is. Be aware, that rush hour times here are around 5 to 8 p.m. You don't want to get stuck in traffic there. Don't know about the early rush hour times. Though, in some areas of town, buses have their own lane. With these airport busses you'll have to name your exit station, so the bus driver can insert the right charge into the T-Money card reader. Baggage is stored in special compartments at the busses belly. You'll get a receipt for your luggage, so you get the right one out at your arrival. If you choose the metro, follow the signs stating "all-stop".

Commuting with the underground is pretty easy, as everything is signed out. Even if you are actually on the right track, before you even step into the metro. Just know the next station for your direction. But it's wiser to know beforehand which bigger metro station is on that track, as most of the times, while changing from one line to another, they only show bigger transfer stations, that might connect you to another line. So better you have a plan at hand to look after which stop are on your direction.

After getting your T-Money card and have it charged with your money, just follow the signs with trains stated. It takes a bit of walking but nothing compared to finding the right bus or getting the taxi driver to understand clearly where you want to go. Before getting to the tracks you will have to scan your T-Money card to get in. Always be sure to scan them again, when leaving the train station (and bus) and sometimes even when changing the trains. This way the right amount of money will be discounted.

You will find that there are glass fronts all along the train track at the station. A way to prevent suicides or like in Germany getting pushed onto the tracks by some stranger.

Something you should prepare in advance as well, is to figure out, where exactly you have to leave your train station. Not just the right station but also the right exit. There are usually around 6 to 8 exits and more, which can be quite far away from each other as whole shopping areas are located at those stations. Your hotel or bigger sightseeing attractions will usually tell you which exit is the best to leave the station. And by the way, you actually don't need to speak/read Korean when visiting Seoul. Almost everyone speaks at least a little bit of English, more so the younger generations. And every street, metro or other signs are written in Latin/Roman writings. Just smaller shops go with Korean writing. But some necessary words are easy to learn beforehand.

It took me quite long, though to find my hotel. It was a little hidden in a side road. And Google Maps isn't really helpful, as you cannot just give in the address. Naver or Kakao Maps might give you better options and fresher cards. Both also help you taking the right train.

The hotel I'm staying at offers breakfast for an extra charge, which is pretty good. But I decided to get the food for myself. You find most stuff, somewhere around. Still have to find a decent supermarket, though, that isn't into luxury. But basic food, snacks and ready made food can be bought in nearly all convenient stores. And you usually find like 3 and more right around the next corner. And the choice in Ramyeon is beyond expectation.

I stayed at the Urban Place, a nice hotel with good equipments. There are other possibilities to stay, which are usually not more than a few square meters with a toilet/shower cabin, if at all. So if you don't want to spend a huge amount of money, don't expect luxury in all four corners. My room is equipped with a small fridge (really small), a small cooking area with the minimum of kitchen equipment. Shower and toilet are separated and TV and Wifi are included. TV also offers a few British programs and Arirang, a Korean TV station in English.

This was probably more than enough information on arriving and what to do, to get around.

#korea #seoul #EF #neijayah

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blousejudo6 · 3 years

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The Top Rated First Smart Phone For Teenagers Does Not Have A Display In Any Way

Picking the 1st phone for your children can be a difficult task and just one that you need to control from the start, you should setup situations pertaining to using the cell phone along with what site and apps are best for your little ones. There is no correct or incorrect time to give your kid their initial mobile phone, yet almost all authorities think that the much longer you wait to provide your kids their first smart phone, the better. Then again, what if you are a parent who wishes to have the ability to connect with their child with out allowing them with their personal phone too soon? We’ve identified a resolution. Relay is a interface-free, water-resistant, cellphone that allows your son or daughter to speak to your cellphone with the push of a button. Mother and fathers can speak with their boy or girl’s Relay gadget utilizing a Relay application from their personal smart phone. For couples with children who would like a cellphone with very little contact numbers to give a call to their children and teenagers, Relay permits young adults to contact parents when they are at home from school or out with friends, while eliminating the added worry of what they might be watching at on the displays or all of the other dangers involved with allowing a child cell phone use ahead of time. Adults can additionally use the Relay app on the phone to customize their child’s gadget to play audio tracks, present language talk and translation to their good friends who've Relay telephones. The Relay mobile phone by itself is usually $50 and there exists a $10 monthly charge to run it on the network system. Relay is at many discount stores. It will come in 5 cool designs, so you’re sure to get the perfect last-minute surprise on your own little one, or a niece or nephew. The perfect smartphone for young adults come in all sizes and shapes, from a single-button touch-to-call safety gadgets, to powerful Android cell phone with drop guard, to the lowest cost iPhone if you would like your children on your iCloud family storage area plan. It is still a painful choice when shopping for the littlest person in your personal life. We are here to offer help to uncover the ideal phone for your child, preteen, or young adult - any age, actually. We are authorities on choosing mobile phones for children, as much as we are able to aptly select the ideal cellphones within the United States. We have contemplated crucial attributes, like parental controls, toughness, ability limitations, device tracking, and cost. The recommended cellphones for teenagers will be extremely simple products generally meant to start a path of dialogue with mom and dad. For teenagers, we went forward and aimed for low cost simple smartphones that enable phoning and text messages without way too many product features for your children to get swept up in. For high-school students, we included low cost mobile phones that provide a decent balance of worth and efficiency while maintaining robust parental adjustments by using Android and iPhones. Since newer iPhones and Android smartphones operating the latest operating systems (like iOS 11.4 and iOS 12 beta) have plentiful parental configurations build in, adults should feel confident choosing such cellphones for teens and children at their discretion. Android Moto E5 The Moto E5 is not merely just one smart phone but rather a group of cost-effective smart phones with different product highlights. Although their difference, each of them make great spending budget choices for your teenager. Even though many budget Android devices can be performing on out of date hardware or technology, the Moto E5 is current with recent Android and processor chips 8.0 software programs. Finally, the Moto E5 Play is certainly toned down a little bit, defining it as much more budget friendly at less than a hundred dollars. In England, a typical Moto E5 and the Moto E5 Plus will be accessible soon. Besides the standard Moto E5, most of the others add a water-repellent coating that will assist make sure your kids do not ruin their mobile phone. Galaxy S8 If you prefer to give your young adult a highly capable mobile phone but be concerned they could ruin it and waste lots of money, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active is the best option. It offers all of the performance a modern Android smart phone demands, but it’s made tough.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active screen is sharp, the camera is great, and the battery is forgiving if your teen forgets to charge it one night. All of that is packed into a chassis with an great rating. In other words, it can handle a complete lot of carelessness. We dropped one screen-first onto a rock floor from five feet up, and the display was fine. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active will come in the United States on Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Clients on other platforms and in the UK can look in its place at the Galaxy S8 and the best Samsung Galaxy S8 cases. Iphone SE The iPhone SE may not be the most modern iPhone, but it’s currently backed by Apple with the most up-to-date iOS 11 enhancements. Despite their years, it works very well with Apple’s A9 microprocessor still, and it shall offer your child all the smart phone features they should demand. The perk of its generation can be that it is available at a very low price for an Apple piece of equipment. One of the primary shortcomings about getting your teen an iPhone SE is that it is not built to end up being exceptionally heavy-duty. Nevertheless, this is an issue that should be corrected with a cost-effective iPhone SE phone case conveniently. iPhone 7 or 8 If cost is not a major dilemma and you want to buy a phone case (or your children has revealed themselves never to be clumsy), the iPhone 7 can result in exceptional solutions. Your son or daughter should never feel held back by any insufficient functionalities (or style) on these newer devices, even though you may feel safe that the parental settings on iOS will be all that is needed to watch your teenager’s usage. Even though the advance expense might be excessive, program help and support for these newer iPhones should go on for more time, so you won’t need to be stressed about upgrading anytime soon. As an extra incentive, the iPhone phone cameras are exceptional, so you’ll get to check a large amount of awesome shots of those things your teen is doing. Discover one cause to offer your daughter or son a cellphone: if they are often out of view of trustworthy individuals and may need to get in touch with you or some other caregiver. Don't purchase your child a high priced, high-end mobile phone. The Wait Until 8th effort, that advocates only giving kids cell phones after they reach the 8th grade, makes some good reasons, although it too quickly avoids smartphones and social websites, which are not the same things. The marketing campaign's main position, though, is the fact that younger children generally solely require cellphones for calling and limited text messaging. The best smart phone for tweens and children is a plain voice mobile phone, a screenless Republic Wireless Relay, or a pure monitoring device just like the Hynt Token. The instant you manage to step up to a smart phone, do not waste too much money. Kids aren't liable. That's the rationale of the things that will make them kids. They may lose cell phones, drop cell phones, dip cell phones, and break cellphones. Presume it will sooner or later happen. There is a lot of decent phones in the price range that run relatively new, protected versions of their operating systems, are not frustrating to utilize, and do not appear shamefully uncool. You will uncover even a handful of decent ones below two hundred. We are not going to enter the endless debate, never resolved, about mobile phone radiation and kids, but a decent amount of mother and fathers have indicated concern to all of us about it. The great information is the fact that radiation concerns only essentially come into play when a phone is placed exactly up to our brain for extended intervals of time, and young children do not communicate on the mobile phone with all their classmates and friends much anymore: they will text. Rapid conversations with mom or dad on a plain mobile phone, for everyday safety or misc uses, won't harm any person. For long conversations, get a hold of an affordable wired headphone. Regardless of the telephone you buy, make sure you purchase a good, tough case for it. My little princess uses a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 within an Otterbox Commuter cellphone case. I did not anticipate how artistic my child turned into by working with the S Pen, frequently doodling and making ideas. As a result of the smart pen, the Samsung Note 4 is not simply a cellphone, it clearly is an countless diary. Try to make a bargain with your teen: Just in case they end up getting a telephone, you're allowed to glance at it. I check my child's cellphone systematically. She is fine with that; that's the arrangement. I do not peruse her text messages, nevertheless she is aware I've that option. Yet another requirement before buying your son or daughter a cell phone is to find the perfect service package. The most affordable alternative is Wireless internet-only, with no SIM chip. If so, your kid will only have coverage in determined Wifi networks, and can't send out standard texts or make ordinary phone calls. Your daughter or son can, however, use iMessage on Apple iPhones, or Google Hangouts for texting and calling to other Google friends on Android mobile phones. Your phone service provider may make available a smart phone on a payment deal. If perhaps you are using a data bucket with a kid, make sure you set a limit on their smartphone to a particular volume of monthly data to make certain that your kids may not eat up all of yours.

#social media #cellphones

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superdeanlover · 7 years

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How to Sope In 3 Dates or Less

Authors: Superdeanlover, Impalasfortreanchcoats

Chapter: 1/4

Summary: When Hoseok met Yoonji and lost all common sense... or actually, all sense of self preservation.

Or, how to ensnare the sun, the epic quest of a young heroine.

It all depends on your perspective.

Ships: Namjin, Sope/Yoonseok

Category: High School AU, Courtship, First Dates

Ao3 Link: here

“Jin can I ask you a question?”

Jin looked up from his physics book to see Hoseok lodged upside down on their couch. His legs were flung carelessly and his shirt had slipped down showing a little bit of his tanned belly.

“Sure,” Jin smiled at his roommate.

“When am I going to find love? When is someone going to write songs about my beauty, charm and wit,” Hoseok pointed at a frame holding the latest poem Jin’s girlfriend had written for him.

“I can put that away if you want,” Jin set his pen down and got ready to talk Hoseok back from the edge. Hoseok had been in a mood lately which meant he didn’t have his usual sunny demeanor.

“No don’t hide your love,” Hoseok sat upright on the couch clutching a hand to his chest dramatically. “You don’t have to stop your perfect romance with the woman of your dreams, because I am a loser that can’t find love.”

“So things with Hera didn’t work out?”

“Define work out,” Hoseok melted off of the couch onto the floor and absently pushed at his English notebook.

“Ahmi and I are going to the movies on Friday. We’re going to watch Deadpool. Why don’t you come along?”

“Thanks man. But as much as I support you guys in your love, I’d rather not spend the whole time awkwardly watching you guys play kissy face.”

“First,” Jin put on the best indignant face he could muster, “I would like to say we don’t play kissy face, but I don’t like to lie.” Hoseok laughed as Jin hoped he would, “and second, why don’t I ask Ahmi to bring a friend along it will be a group date. You down?”

Hoseok set his English notebook down and considered the offer. Had his life really come to group blind dates? Yes, his brain answered instantly. Yes, it had. But in reality, what did he have to lose? It wasn’t like you could find love if you didn’t look for it, right?

“Alright, I am down.”

“Great,” Jin picked up his phone and sent his girlfriend a quick message.

Jin:

My love

Monie:

Yes?... You gorgeous piece of man. Miss me already? ;)

Jin:

How was your day? And of course, I miss you.

Monie:

It was great. I got to have lunch with this hottie who is totally obsessed with me. He’s so obsessed he cooked me lunch AND…. I got the highest score in the exam I took last week! HOORAY for me! Who is your DADDY?

Jin:

Our children are going to be beautiful and smart!!! CONGRATS!!! And you were worried! See I told you, you would do amazing. You should listen to me, but you don’t. (Also my dad is Mr. Kim why?)

Monie:

Thanks and yes I should listen to you. (Remind me, I said that next time I freak out)

Jin:

I took a screen shot of this already. Hey so you know our movie date on Friday?

Monie:

Yes…. Don’t you dare cancel OR CHANGE THE MOVIE! If I have to watch another RomCom, I am going to be upset.

Jin:

RomCom’s are life. They will make a movie about our love one day. Besides I WANT to see Deadpool. So Hoseok has been a little down lately and I was thinking he could come along.

Monie:

Ahhh so things didn’t work out with Hera?

Jin:

He said “define work out” when I asked him about it.

Monie:

Ouch. Hoseok is great though. I wonder what happened.

Jin:

I have no details. I just know he was inverted and lodged on our couch. I was just thinking he could come along… maybe… if it was ok… if you don’t mind.

Monie:

Yes of course he can come along. I love him. He’s great.

Jin:

Great. Actually…. I was thinking…. Have I told you I love you by the way? You looked really pretty today with that new hair clip.

Monie:

?.... ok?

Jin:

Maybe you could invite a friend for him…

Monie:

Dude are you serious?

Jin:

He’s sad! It’s like the sun has been eclipsed. ECLIPSED I TELL YOU

Monie:

Dude…. You’re lucky I love you, you know that?

Jin:

Is that a yes?

Monie:

Have I ever said no to you?

Jin:

Yes, I distinctly remember one time in specific you said no.

Monie:

I AM IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT BIOLOGY AND WHAT YOU SUGGESTED WAS NOT HYGENIC. I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU SAW IT.

Jin:

Hahahahahahaha. I wasn’t even thinking about that 😉

Monie:

Sure you sexual deviant, my answer is still no in case you’re trying to get the topic back on the table… but ANYWAY who did you have in mind? Yerin is seeing someone. Mina just broke up with N (again) and Yura is going out with Jonghyung, totally cute by the way. I have gossip on this later.

Jin:

Hmmmmmmm there’s Y

Monie:

Yeah, I don’t love you that much.

Jin:

Yoonji is nice.

Monie:

Define nice…

Jin:

I think she’ll like him.

Monie:

Define like…

Jin:

Nice: possessing, marked by, or demanding great or excessive precision and delicacy. Like (1) to be suitable or agreeable to. (2) To feel attraction towards or take pleasure in; to feel towards.

Monie:

How can you be so beautiful and such a dumbass?

Jin:

Divine intervention: obviously. How could you not believe in intelligent design after seeing me?

Monie:

I’ll email the Pope. But alright, I’ll make this work somehow. I am going to need 30 bucks.

Jin:

I believe in you!!

Jin:

Wait what?

Monie:

There is only one way to get Y go do anything..

Jin:

Of course (epic eye roll). Who would have known that all it would take to get Y out of bed in the morning was 7 dancing men.

Monie:

Oh shush or I’ll tell her what you said.

Monie:

AND they sing and are super talented.

Jin:

I am kidding. I am kidding. I’ll send you the money right now. Also love you.

Monie:

Love you too. Wish me luck! Fighting.

“No.”

Ahmi stood stock still, her mouth still opened and her unasked question stuck in her throat. She closed her mouth and gave her friend a perturbed stare, “Dude, I didn’t even as you anything yet.”

Yoonji just squinted up at her from where she lay, splayed out, starfish style in the grassy shade of the tree. They were both out behind the school, a good ways away from where the other students were having lunch. Ahmi decided to forgo food so she could focus on the mission at hand, while Yoonji probably snuck her lunch in during class and already had her fill to maximize her napping schedule.

Ahmi sighed, unceremoniously plopped herself down besides Yoonji, and said, “So, yeah, I do actually have a tiny favor.”

At some point between Ahmi’s two sentences, Yoonji had closed her eyes.

She didn’t deem it worth opening them again to respond, “Whatever it is, the answer is still no.”

“Come on, Yoonji, you haven’t even heard what it is!”

“Alright, tell me this, then.”

Ahmi perked up, “Yeah?”

“Does it have anything to do with that hare-brained boyfriend of yours?”

Ahmi glanced to the side and pouted a bit, “Maybe?”

“Then the answer is no.”

“Oh, are you serious,” Ahmi finally exploded, kicking her legs out in anger, “it’s not like I ask you favors all the time!”

“I give you glorious, unsolicited advice at all the time. You can consider those favors.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Who was it that told you not to feed your boyfriend your shit baking for his birthday?”

“You dumped my cake in the trash and threw a match on it.”

“And Jin was perfectly happy with the store bought cake, and you were not down one boyfriend. I saved his life, you know. You’re welcome.”

Before Ahmi could come up with a decent response, Yoonji continued, “And who was it that helped you not look ridiculous on your first date?”

“I though the red dress was sexy.”

“It was, but you looked stupid in it. It was like watching baby’s first, very awkward strip tease. You needed to be yourself, and weren’t you more comfortable in the longer skirt?”

“Ok, you got a point there. Whatever happened to that dress, though?”

“I took it.”

“Oh, my god, Yoonji.”

“It wasn’t your size, anyway. Waste not, want not.”

“Ugh! Damn it, Yoonji.”

Ahmi gripped her hair in frustration. Jin owed her so much for this, so, so much. She took a deep breath to calm herself, before going at this from another angle.

“Okay, you know what, let’s negotiate this. Listen, you come through for me this time, and we can work out some kind of… payment,” she said and quickly added, “within reason!”

Silence stretched between them for a moment, before Yoonji finally opened one eye to look at Ahmi. “I am listening.”

“Alright, so Jin and I are going to the movies this Friday, right? And he has this friend who’s a really great guy, but he’s going through some rough times right now, so we wanted to cheer him up and bring him along, but who wants to third wheel us, you know? And since you’re not doing anything anyway, I was thinking –“

“Jin is making me lunch for a week, weekends included, 50 dollars flat rate, but if the guy is extra annoying, I want an extra fee for pain and suffering.”

“A week? That’s insane! Lunch for three days, extra fee is negotiable.”

“One week and 50 bucks. Take it or leave it.”

“But Jin has to make our lunch, too! And he’s busy enough as it is!”

“Well, he’s not too busy not to go poking his nose into other people’s business, otherwise we wouldn’t have this problem, would we? That’s my final offer.”

Ahmi heaved a sigh, but she had an extra card up her sleeve just for dealing with Yoonji, “How about this? One week, no weekends, because what the fuck, and a bomb.”

Yoonji was just about to tell Ahmi to go shove her offer ‘where the sun don’t shine’ when she computed what was said. She opened both her eyes to stare at Ahmi, “Bitch, you better not be playing with me.”

“Your very own ARMY bomb.”

“Version 2.”

“Of course. WIFI connection for concerts, color adaptable… vibration.”

“I want it before Friday.”

“You can have it tomorrow if you say yes.”

“And I still get the lunches.”

“Fine,”

“Okay.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, don’t gloat, you just look dumb.”

“Hell, yeah!” Ahmi cheered and bounced where she sat, before pausing and giving Yoonji a long look, “Just so you know, it only vibrates when you turn it on and off.”

“It just depends on how fast I can turn it on and off, then.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Maybe.”

“So tell me about my date,” Hoseok did his best not to fidget even as he shifted his weight from one foot to another.

“Well her name is Yoonji, and she’s Ahmi’s friend of course. They have music and art together.”

“Oh so she’s artsy?”

“Hmmmmm… yes definitely. Ahmi and her met in detention last year.”

“What? Miss Top 1% got into trouble?”

Jin punched Hoseok on the shoulder lightly. “Yes, last year she kept on getting uniform violations remember? Yoonji spotted Ahmi’s BTS patch and they became friends.”

“Wait a minute… my date is ARMY?”

Jin arched an eyebrow. “You swear like it’s that bad,” Jin checked his watch. The love of his life was running late.

“Jin… Look we’re great friends and Ahmi is perfect for you, but you’re wiped. She drags you to all the fan meetings, concerts, and anything else BTS related. In your relationship there are three people: you, Ahmi and BTS. How is that not considered that bad?” Hoseok ended the sentence with air quotes.

“She really likes BTS. It’s something we can do together, and I like it when she’s happy,” Jin said simply.

“So it’s not weird that she has a bias in the group and spends all the time she’s away from you and part of the time with you thinking about another guy…. No, no, a set of guys, seven to be exact,” Hoseok squinted up at Jin.

“Oh Hoseok,” Jin wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “I am worldwide handsome. I don’t worry about such petty things.” Jin let go of Hoseok and scanned the lobby again, “also that’s why I go with her,” he added with a wink.

“Ok,” Hoseok lifted his hands in defeat. “If you say it’s not that bad I’ll believe you. Shit it’s not like I would know anyway.”

“They’re here,” Jin nodded towards Ahmi and the girl still in her school uniform trailing behind.

“Hey guys sorry we’re late. We missed the bus,” Ahmi smiled at Hoseok then turned her attention to Jin.

Hoseok saw what passed between them and it made his heart ache. They loved each other so much. Ahmi’s eyes turned from bright to radiant by just looking into Jin’s face while Jin’s cool and unscathed demeanor melted at the sight of her. Hoseok looked away feeling like an intruder in the intimate moment they shared when he noticed her.

He noticed her first because she too was an intruder in the love their friends shared, and second because she was lovely. She was a pretty thing, he thought, and assumed many guys at their school thought the same thing when they looked at her. Her hair was dark, rich and smooth. Her skin was clear and unmarred by the ache marks that he struggled with occasionally. He wondered if she also obsessively applied creams, serums, and treatments as his sister and mother did. She was tiny next to Ahmi with her trim uniform jacket and unbound shoulder length hair. Her big eyes scanned the lobby of the movie theater completely uninterested as if everything was beneath her genuine consideration. Hoseok knew the moment she noticed him because her posture changed. She squared her shoulders, and squinted at him a deliberate move that amused him.

“This is my friend Yoonji. She’s a second year,” Ahmi stood next to Jin creating a circle. “This is Hoseok Jin’s friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hoseok bowed slightly and smiled enjoying the cross between a scowl and smirk that played along the edge of her lips. When Yoonji didn’t answer, Ahmi coughed and elbowed her friend.

“Nice to meet you,” Yoonji bowed and then attempted what might be called a smile. Hoseok’s first reaction was vague irritation at the sight of her lips set in a thin line. Still, it was a pretty set of lips if you looked at them. When the moved towards the concession stand Ahmi and Jin already making epic nacho and snack plans, Hoseok had to adjust his stride to keep up with his date. For such a small girl, she had a long and purposeful stride.

“Do you want to get some snacks,” Hoseok asked as Yoonji strode pasts him and ordered. She smiled at the cashier and flipped her short crop of hair over her shoulder. It gave him a little jerk in the belly to watch how her hair cupped the side of her face. Stupid, he thought as he moved to stand next to her still with the image of her exposed neck in his mind.

“I’ll have some nachos, a large coke, and some gummy worms please,” that’s when Hoseok saw it. A petal pink flush of color stained her cheeks and she turned the smile of delight from nachos, large coke and gummy worms on him. Hoseok would challenge any man to put of a defense against such unfiltered joy. Distracted he simply handed over his card to the cashier without ordering.

“No, I am good,” she said pulling her own card from a BTS wallet.

“No really its fine, I got it.” Hoseok pushed his card forward almost landing right in front of the cashier’s face. Yoonji made a quick sound of annoyance.

“Don’t look at him,” she said to the girl in a commanding voice,” look at me and TAKE MY CARD.” The cashier quickly complied unable to do anything else and threw Hoseok an apologetic smile.

Yoonji got her receipt stuffed it into her wallet and moved to the side to wait for her food with a smile on her face like nothing had happened.

“I’ll have a hot dog, small popcorn, and a coke,” Hoseok told the casher as she turned to take his order. “I could have paid for you,” Hoseok said as he stood next to Yoonji to wait for his order.

“Nah, I am good,” she said simply.

“No really, it’s not a big deal,” Hoseok tried again.

“Yes, it is,” Yoonji responded without turning to look at him. “If you pay for me then social convention dictates that I have to act a certain way blah blah. If you were trying to be nice then thanks, but I am good. If you had something else in mind with the gesture,” now she turned her gaze on him. “Try anything and I’ll kick your ass so thoroughly not even Ahmi will be able to put you back together.”

When Hoseok, tried to help Yoongji carry her tray, she planted herself in a stance that signaled a fight. “I am just trying to help,” Hoseok held both hands up.

She relaxed a bit but she still squinted her eyes at him. “Do you want ketchup for the hot dog?” She asked in a quick change of mood.

“Sure.”

“Ok I’ll go get some ketchup and napkins be right back,” she tossed her head, and sent her halo of hair flying. Hoseok followed to soft sway of her uniform skirt which he noted was short.

His date was prickly Hoseok concluded, but temper suited her. She had long slim legs and right when his thoughts turned to more interesting road Yoonji caught him looking. Her brow lifted under her neatly styled bangs and her mouth thinned. Her eyes turned dark and dangerous sending sparks as she walked back towards him. Hoseok swallowed the urge to apologize and smiled sheepishly. She was fascinating. Why did he find her so interesting?

Yoonji pushed napkins his way diving up their food. “Don’t make me punch you,” her words were clipped but rolled off of her tongue as if she’d uttered the threat so often it was common.

Hoseok coughed and covered the smile playing on his lips. “You guys ready,” Jin asked as he and Ahmi walked up with an inappropriate amount of food between the both of them.

Hoseok led Yoonji into the movie theater and they followed Jin and Ahmi to find seats. Once at the middle of the hallway, Hoseok caught himself because the damn woman put her foot out to trip him. “Hey! What are you doing?”

“Follow me,” Yoonji took a sip from her soda and walked in the opposite direction.

“Shouldn’t we sit together,” Hoseok asked looking towards Jin and Ahmi.

“Absolutely fucken not,” Yoonji climbed up some steps and selected a seat before melting into it. “They talk during the previews and make plans of what movies to see so hard pass.”

She had a point so Hoseok shrug his shoulders and sat down. He took his drink from her and handed her the nachos and gummy worms. She shifted slightly in her seat and the edge of her skirt brushed lightly against those amazing legs. Hoseok pretended to arrange his things putting his card back into his wallet and turning his cell phone off. He stole another glance towards her legs and watched as she attacked the nachos out of the corner of his eyes. Before Hoseok could take the first bite of his hotdog she put down the arm rest between them with squinted eyes, “if you try anything, I’ll break your fingers.”

The movie started under a cloak of darkness and Hoseok’s muffled laughed. He couldn’t remember ever having so much fun on a date. She’d threatened to punch him and break his fingers. How could he not like her?

During the movie, she laughed with abandon and often. Even in the dim lights of the movie theater, Hoseok enjoyed her gummy smile. On first dates, in his experience anyway, there was always tension and people didn’t always act like themselves. There were always pretenses and appearances to keep up, but not with her. She was enjoying herself and the movie. When Hoseok offered her some of his popcorn she squinted at him again and then took a small handful with a curt, thank you.

She wasn’t a dainty flower, but she was herself, and he just had to like that about her.

“The movie was great,” Ahmi had her hand linked in Jin’s and was gesturing wildly. “I laughed, I cried, and I laughed again.”

“It was hilarious, but I could have used a few more dick jokes,” Yoonji grinned winking at Ahmi. “The more meta the better.”

“Right,” Ahmi responded enthusiastically. “Also can I send a personal thanks to Ryan Reynolds oppa. He must have skipped out on a lot of tasty snacks to get that banging body.”

“Yes very nice,” Yoonji nodded in agreement. “Not my style, but nice booty.”

“Not your style,” Ahmi smacked Jin in her shock. “He’s everyone’s style right babe?”

“What I don’t get,” Jin turned to face both girls, “is how the both of you can be so perverted.”

“How are we perverted?” Ahmi’s smile wavered as she pulled away from Jin. “Did Ryan Renolds oppa not look amazing?”

“How Jin?” Yoonji asked.

Hoseok stood by Jin’s side in solidarity, but his friend was about to get it. “I just meant the comments …,” but Jin trailed off.

“Maybe he’s trying to say we’re objectifying Ryan Reynolds oppa,” Yoonji suggested.

“Sure,” Ahmi crossed her arms over her chest, “if with objectification he means not seeing Ryan Reynolds oppa as a breathing living, human being but as a thing that can be claimed and owned.”

“Yeah,” Yoonji put a hand to her chin. “But Ryan Reynold’s oppa’s worth is not defined by how beautiful or sexually desirable he is or by how much attention he receives or how many women want to fuck him.” Hoseok winced a bit. “He doesn’t satisfy our female gaze… for Men it doesn’t work out like this. Socially, men’s worth is defined by other factors Sure as an actor we can say that his looks and sexual appeal do have a sway there; however…”

“He, if people are interested I his work, will continue to have a long and successful career regardless of how he ages unlike his wife who is also an actress and under different expectations in Hollywood,” Ahmi finished as Jin started blinking quickly a sure sign that he was nervous.

“Jin if we can’t live in a world where Ahmi and I can’t appreciate a dick joke as much as the next person then why even try,” Yoonji took Ahmi by the arm and the two girls walked away towards the arcade.

“Man what were you thinking,” Hoseok asked.

“I wasn’t obviously,” Jin turned and followed the girls.

“You think they’ll be ok? They’re not going to fight the rest of the night are they? I was hoping to nit the arcade,” Hoseok tilted his head over to where Jin was standing in front of Ahmi gesturing wildly and blinking like there was no tomorrow.

Yoonji sank deeper into the chair and crossed her ankles together. “Is the hare-brained beauty blinking like his eyes are going to fall out?”

Hoseok sat down and looked over at their friends. “Yes, definitely and they’re watery too.”

“Does she look like she couldn’t be more bored and her lips are thin and tight?”

Hoseok shifted in his seat go get a better look at Ahmi. “Yup absolutely.”

“They’ll be fine then just give them a few more moments,” Yoonji settled back in her chair and went shockingly still like someone had taken the battery out of her.

“They shouldn’t fight it really isn’t a big deal.”

“It isn’t?” Yoonji opened one eye to look at him.

“Well its important of course,” Hoseok responded, “that gender things be discussed.”

“Gender things,” Yoonji gave Hoseok a sideways glance. “Well you’re not wrong… Take them for example.” She nodded towards their two friends.

“Do you think that they would have had this disagreement if they were both male or female?”

“Hmmmm that’s a weird solution, but maybe?”

“Good answer because regardless of gender Ryan Reynolds oppa or hyung is hot as fuck,” Yoonji answered simply. “Gender is performative and a construction… look at them if Ahmi was a guy how would you interpret what’s going on between them right now?”

Hoseok looked over back at their friends. Jin was still blinking like crazy touching the sides of Ahmi’s arms to get her attention. His face was incredibly close to her keeping the conversation between them despite the obvious signs that they were having a disagreement. Ahmi turned to look at Jin and again Hoseok was struck with how much she loved his friend. It was all there in her eyes despite the sheen of annoyance. “Well that they’re good friends.”

Yoonji burst out laughing. “Really? Friends? Those two?”

“Well Jin isn’t gay.”

Yoonji shook her head and squinted at him. “It’s not about that, that’s not what I asked you. If nothing was different they’re still making kissy face eyes at each other, and standing just as close, and looking at each other like that does something change? Do the way they love each other change because they’re both men?”

Hoseok watched as Ahmi’s dimples flashed at Jin. “No, they’d still love each other.”

“Exactly,” Yoonji said with a gummy smile.

“Race cars,” Yoonji said shaking a handful of coins in in Hoseok’s direction as she walked past him. Hoseok followed leaving Ahmi and Jin in the middle of an intense game of basketball.

Hoseok followed as Yoonji selected a Fast and the Furious version of the game and quickly put coins in. “I’ll get the next game,” he smiled at her. She snorted at him. She was a mule of a woman and he couldn’t help but like it.

Hoseok was happily flipping through the different card options when he spotted her: Hera.

She was with a group of her friends and the guy she had passed him for, Leo. She spotted him and Hoseok sunk into his seat. Please don’t come over, please don’t come over, he chanted in his head and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Yoonji watched out of the corner of her eye as Hera walked over to talk to Hoseok. From Hera’s position either she couldn’t see her or just opted for ignoring her. Hera’s voice dripped with pity and Yoonji recognized the look of scraped male pride in Hoseok’s eyes. Yoonji wouldn’t have intervened, but the tension in Hoseok’s frame made her act. Yoonji put a light hand over Hoseok’s shoulders and leaned in completely ignoring Hera. “Oppa, if you pick this car we can do the drift course. I reeeeally want to do that one.”

Yoonji fixed a polite smile on her face but kept her hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. “Hi Hera,” Yoonji flipped her short crop of hair back from her face. Hera was pretty for sure, but Yoonji could take her if need be. “Are you here alone,” Yoonji tilted her head to the side.

“Of course not,” Hera answered. “I am here with a group of friends and Leo.”

“Great then you should go back to them,” Yoonji turned her full attention to Hoseok. Yoonji winced internally when she saw Hoseok’s eyes cloud a bit. She had turned on the charm a little too much, but surely he’d understand why later. “Oppa, what color are you going to pick? I think I’ll go classic with the all black when it’s my turn.”

Yoonji watched the look of confusion in Hera’s face and wondered if the three brain cells the girl had in her head had finished computing the scene. A few minutes later, the girl quietly excused herself and left.

“Sorry,” Hoseok mumbled for only her to hear. Yoonji nodded and prepared herself to kick his ass at every game in the arcade.

Yoonji kept leaning onto Hoseok until she was sure Hera was gone, the entire time wholly aware of the waves of confusion coming from Hoseok’s tense frame, despite his apology.

So, when she sure the girl was gone, Yoonji felt obligated to punch his arm for good measure. Rather than backing off, she leaned in, prompting Hoseok’s eyes to widen as he was forced to stare into her semi-irate face. It was funny how such a small girl could cut such an intimidating figure.

Once she was positive she had his undivided attention, Yoonji spoke, jabbing his chest for emphasis, “I don't like people who are full of themselves with nothing to back it up. I don't like stupid people even more. And, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here, but I'm assuming you're a nice guy, or at worst, you're leagues above Hera, since you actually seem to have a personality. So, let's be clear here, Hera committed the cardinal sin of annoying me. You, thus far, have not. Keep that up, and I won't regret saving your face, right there. Are we good?”

Hoseok could only nod.

“I'm even willing to consider that dumb face she made funny enough that you won't owe me for that. Don't say I’m not generous.”

“Thanks?”

“You’re welcome.”

There was a moment of awkward silence as Hoseok tried to figure out what happened, because he kind of lied when he nodded, but considering he honestly felt his life depended on satisfying the girl looming over him, he could be forgiven for his dishonesty. He took a moment to observe the tiny figure of Yoonji, and couldn't help but mentally compare her to the warrior heroes of old folklores.

Wait. Did that make him the damsel?

He shook his head and tried to get a better hold on reality.

“So, you want to?” He pointed at the game.

“I said I'd get the next game. That shit was just for show.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Just hurry up, I want my turn some time this year.”

Strangely, he couldn't help but flash a smile at her in response to the griping.

He went about choosing the car and specs, and then he was off. Hoseok wasn't terrible at racing games, but even he had to admit having a gorgeous dictator of a girl leaning over the headrest of his seat while he played wasn't exactly conducive to skillful maneuvering.

It got worst when she started talking again.

“So,” she drawled, her voice unnerving as it was coming from over his head, but he couldn't turn to look at her, much like speaking to a judgmental god, “I was just thinking, your terrible taste in girls aside, you do seem like a decent dude.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

“Don't question my judgment. Anyway, you're single, then, and obviously not of your own volition.”

“No, I guess not.”

“So, give it to me straight. What kind of weird shit are you into?”

Hoseok proceeded to drive straight off a cliff.

“What?” He whirled around, while the game readjusted the car.

She didn't even really look at him. Instead, pointing at the screen and said, “you kind of suck at this game, don't you?”

“Yeah, no, wait, what? No! What did you mean by weird shit?”

“Your car is about to go off the cliff again.”

Hoseok was forced to turn back, and once again, Yoonji became a disembodied voice floating from above him.

“And I meant exactly what I said,” she continued, “you must be into some weird ass shit to suck that bad with girls. I mean that was Hera. She's the very definition of ‘easy,’ but somehow you obviously managed to screw that up.”

“How did you know I screwed up?”

“I said ‘easy,’ didn't I?”

“I'm not into anything… weird.”

“Oh, don't give me that. You can tell me. No judgment here, promise. I just want to know what made her run.”

“I'm really not -”

“Not buying it. You into fisting?”

Fortunately, there was no cliff to for Hoseok to swan dive from, but he did crash into the barrier. There was some flailing with the wheel to get back on the road, but he managed it and very calmly said, “no, Yoonji, I'm not into fisting.”

“Yeah, I didn't think so. I'm pretty sure someone could talk Hera into that. Hmm, watersports?”

Hoseok was white-knuckling the wheel when he answered, “no.”

“Really? I would have put money on that. I was going to say pegging, but it's Hera. She would totally be down. BDSM?”

Before, he could respond, Yoonji plowed right on, “actually, I think she wouldn't turn that down either. Besides, I don't think you could afford decent enough toys for that. Wait, you think you would be dom or sub?”

Hoseok was choking on air. Who knew it was possible?

Completely unaware of his plight, Yoonji’s word vomit continued to pour over Hoseok’s increasingly sweaty head, “actually, why am I even asking. Sub. Definitely sub. Although, I see potential for power bottom in you. You should give it a go someday. Let's see… I don't see Hera being thrown off by you having a voyeurism kink, though. Maybe actual threesome, might be if-y. You like orgies?”

Hoseok had no idea what to say, so he just shook his head. Why wasn't this round over? Oh, look, an oncoming train, maybe third time’s the charm and he could get out of this hell seat.

Yoonji made a scoffing noise as his car was obliterated by the train. He happily gave up his seat to her, and while Yoonji was occupied with inserting the coins, he planned a hasty retreat to the oasis of sanity that was Jin and Ahmi. He was debating the moral quandary of it, when she ended it for him with a sharp, “Now watch and learn. This is how the pros drive!”

Hoseok found himself watching over the headrest as Yoonji destroyed his score. He found himself smiling, despite the sweat still beading his forehead. He almost forgot the whole ordeal, but then Yoonji happened again.

“So no orgies, huh,” she said, still going full speed in the game.

He felt his shoulders slump in defeat and just hummed his agreement.

“This is harder than I thought it would be. Okay, I'm going to list some shit, you just say yes or no.”

Hoseok sighed. This girl…

“So, cum play, yes or no?”

Choking on spit was indeed possible without even swallowing.

“No? Okay. Bukkake?”

“No…” he whimpered, not really sure what that actually was, and debating the wisdom of looking that up when he got home.

“Hm,” Yoongi hummed as she blasted past the other vehicles inside the game, “I had this cousin who said her boyfriend couldn't fuck without porn playing in the background. Like they tried, and he couldn't. Not wouldn't. Couldn't. You got some hiccup like that?”

“Yoonji, I haven't…”

“Haven't what?”

“You know. I just haven't… with anyone.”

“Oh, fuck yes!”

“What?”

“No, not you, I just knocked this guy off the road,” she said, not taking her eyes off the screen, “so you're a virgin? No shame in that.”

“Uh… thanks?”

“It's not like you need someone else to have fun, anyway,” she casually added.

So this is what a heart attack feels like; Hoseok had always wondered.

He meant to ask what she was talking about, but all that came out was an incomprehensible garbling noise.

She huffed a short laugh, “what? Like your hand doesn't count?”

Hoseok wondered where the high-pitched kettle sound was coming from, until he realized he was the one squealing. Oh, god, how embarrassing.

Surprisingly, although she still hadn't looked away from the game, Yoonji laughed. And from his angle, Hoseok was able to see enough of the smile to be stunned by the contrast it was from the usual look of displeasure. Oh, god, she's adorable.

“Wait,” she said, “so did you understand what I was talking about?”

“You do realize there's the internet,” he said, ignoring the fact that there were maybe a few items he might have to research later.

“So you're doing the homework, but not pulling in the grades, got it!”

He just heaved a sigh and accepted his lot in life.

“Alright, quickie then. Are you a furry?”

“Why are we still on this?”

“I'm curious. It's pretty obvious Hera moved on to more experienced pastures. This is just for funsies.”

“No, not a furry.”

“Vore?”

“No,” he said, mentally writing down another item on his growing list.

“That's probably good thing.”

Or maybe he shouldn't look it up after all.

“Well, this sucks.”

“Sorry?”

“No, not you, I barely made top ten. Who the hell thinks ABCD is a decent player name?”

“I think yours is cool. Suga?”

“Damn straight it's cool. I came up with it,” she stretched and took a swig from the soda she'd all but forgotten since she started the game. Then stopped with a frown.

“What's wrong?” Hoseok was worried about the abrupt change in mood.

“I'm low. Gotta refill.” She shook her empty soda at him and wandered off, calling over her shoulder, “You go find the dastardly duo. I’ll meet up with you guys in a sec.”

Once again, Hoseok was left staring after Yoonji, both in fear and admiration.

Hoseok was surprised he didn’t swallow his tongue. Who was she? Did she just say everything that popped into her head? Although that wasn’t quite accurate, he thought as she walked away to get a refill of her soda. She waited until the most shocking and inappropriate things came into her mind then she decided to say them out loud.

“Hey, are you guys interested in playing a two on two epic arcade smackdown,” Jin clapped a hand over Hoseok’s shoulders.

“Sure, sounds like fun,” Hoseok said halfheartedly as his date walked back looking as innocent as a nun.

They played in pairs: Jin and Ahmi against Hoseok and Yoonji. What had started as a friendly competition had turned into a marathon for frozen yogurt tickets. They played four rounds of Dance Revolution, basketball, air hockey and fruit ninja.

They all sucked at DDR which was sad.

They all looked like idiots trying to play, but luckily Hoseok pulled ahead by just a few points giving them the win in that round. They would have won at basketball but Ahmi had miraculously slayed the game after a technical do-over. Hockey by far had turned out to be the most competitive with Jin almost losing a testicle in an aggressive and probably illegal air hockey move by Yoonji.

“Oh, oh babe are you ok?” Ahmi asked as she walked over to stand next to Jin. Yoonji had burst out laughing and Hoseok hadn’t been able to help himself. When Jin whispered a deflated, “I am ok,” Hoseok had only laughed more.

Although the race had been tight, Hoseok and Yoonji had emerged victorious thanks to her ruthless accuracy in air hockey and fruit ninja.

“Yogurt passes please,” Yoonji put her hand out. Ahmi pouted slightly but handed over the two yogurt passes her mom had given her. “Let’s go, bye suckers,” Yoonji turned and waved Hoseok over.

“We’re not waiting for them,” Hoseok asked as he caught up with her.

“Hell, no they lost. They don’t get frozen yogurt that’s the rules.”

She liked strawberry short cake.

Hoseok would have never guessed that Yoonji liked strawberry short cake in a million years. Hoseok took a spoonful from his hodgepodge of frozen yogurt and toppings. It had been fascination to watch Yoonji deliberate, contemplate and carefully select her ingredients until she’d settled on a simple combination of vanilla and strawberry base, with cake pieces and fresh strawberries.

“I’ve never been here,” Hoseok looked around the small shop.

“Oh, I come where with Ahmi. We usually get a table in a corner somewhere and study for a bit.”

“Oh that’s cool, usually Jin and I just study in the dorm or library.”

“Of course you guys do,” Yoonji took a sip form her raspberry infused water. “Color me not surprised that Jin doesn’t actually have a life outside of Kim Ahmi.”

“He has hobbies,” Hoseok defended.

“Sure name three,” Yoonji challenged as she pushed the empty container out of her way and leaned closer to him.

“Well he likes Mario Bros, and he enjoys playing the game-“

“Nope that’s one thing,” Yoonji interrupted.

“No, gaming and collecting are separate activities,” Hoseok argued.

“Hmmmm ok so Ahmi and I like BTS. We collect their stuff, buy the albums, and go to concerts are all of those separate activities or part of a whole?”

She had him there, “fine Mario Bro’s related things are one. He also likes the color pink.”

“Liking a color isn’t a hobby,” Yoonji sat back looking smug already.

“It is if its his life aesthetic,” Hoseok said with a cheerful smile.

“Fine I’ll give you that one, but you’re reaching.”

“And third,” Hoseok said triumphantly, “he likes… he likes,” Hseok trailed off trying to figure out what else to say. Everything else that Jin did was for Ahmi so those things didn’t really count as hobbies. Jin had started to cook because Ahmi had made him a box lunch and he’d gotten food poisoning. After the third time it happened, the guy did it for survival. “He likes…,” Hosoek trailed off again unable to come up with a third thing.

Yoonji raised an eyebrow and watched Hoseok closely. “He wants to be an actor,” Yoonji filled in after a few minutes. “He’s harebrained and all, but he’s actually pretty good.”

Hoseok just stared at her.

“You should close your mouth. You look like a horse,” Hoseok just watched as she walked away to throw her empty yogurt cup in the trash.

The bus ride was uneventful and silent. Hoseok walked with Yoonji towards the dorms.

“Alright so see ya,” Yoonji turned around and started to make her way towards the girls dorms.

“Wait, wait I’ll walk you,” Hoseok said as he awkwardly followed along.

“Suit yourself,” she said as she put her hand sin the pockets of her coat.

“It’s pretty tonight,” Hoseok looked up at the evening sky. The moon was full and round so which was great because he didn’t have to worry about tripping over a rock and faceplanting like he had on his date with Choa. That had been beyond embarrassing so much so Hoseok still avoided her.

“Sure,” Yoonji looked up to admire the moon.

Hoseok noticed her skin was almost the same color as the glow the moon gave off. In the dim lights, her skin seemed to shimmer.

“You’re staring,” Yoonji turned to face him and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I am sorry, I didn’t’ mean to stare… Its just your skin… its super white like the moon,” Hoseok fully expected to be punched or torn to pieces as she had previously threatened. Much to his surprise, she smiled and looked down at her hands.

“Yeah, my skin does that,” Yoonji pulled her sleeve up to reveal a silky and white wrist. “My skin is pretty pale naturally, but since BTS just had a comeback and we were streaming the video Ahmi and I are extra pale.”

Hoseok said nothing as he followed her along the buildings. “This is far enough,” Yoonji announced in the courtyard.

“Oh, I can walk you the rest of the way,” Hoseok offered.

“Not necessary, I can walk myself.”

“Ok well…,” Hoseok didn’t know what to do with his hands. Why did humans have hands anyway? What were you supposed to do with your hands on a date? “Thanks for helping me win the frozen yogurt it was great.”

“Sure,” Yoonji said calmly.

“Oh yeah thanks. I had a… Oh there’s a- “Hoseok’s hands reached for Yoonji before he could stop himself. She had giving him all of the signs that she did not appreciate being touched or approached without proper warning. Why Hoseok had no sense of self-preservation would intrigue professionals for years because there was murder in Yoonji’s beautiful eyes when his hands circled her shoulders.

In Hoseok’s defense, he was trying to protect her from a huge bug that was on her shoulder, but perhaps reaching for her the way he did was not the best option. It looked like he was trying to struggle cuddle her akin to hugging a cat who was not in the mood for your shenanigans.

One second he was reaching for her and the next he was on his face in the dirt with a very sharp knee digging into his back and a hand pulling viciously at his hair.

“Are you fucken kidding me,” Hoseok felt his head snap back harder as she put more force into the hold. “Asshole,” she muttered as she pushed his head into the dirt and Hoseok just lay there as he heard her walk away.

“Hoseok, I hope you don’t think I am being nosey but why are you bleeding and covered in dirt,” Jin walked towards Hoseok and lead him into the kitchen.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” Hoseok said dishearten as he let Jin sit him down and hand him an ice pack.

“Last time I saw you, you were with Min Yoonji so I’ll believe just about anything,” Jin said as he held Hoseok’s hand and waited for the story.

Five minutes later, Jin sat in the kitchen doing his best to hold the laughter bubbling inside of him. “I think that, that is the most accurate description of Yoonji and physical contact. She is like a cat you struggle cuddle. I am so sorry,” Jin threw Hoseok a comforting look. “I should have given you more warning. You can’t make sudden moves towards Yoonji, but I didn’t think you’d try to make a move on her on the first date.”

“I didn’t make a move there was a huge bug,” Hoseok pouted, “she didn’t even give me a chance to explain either. I know it looked bad but my intentions were noble and the next thing I knew I was eating dirty Jin.”

“I believe you,” Jin nodded,” but Yoonji isn’t very trusting. She gets hit on a lot like a lot. She might not be your usual type, but a lot of guys at school think she’s very beautiful. She’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t date, since BTS is her one true love, but when she transferred here she caused a huge commotion even the class president was trying to charm her.”

“Class President Park? How did I miss this,” Hoseok asked.

“I think you were mooning over Seolhyung at the time.”

“So, she’s really popular?” Yup Hoseok thought he definitely didn’t have a chance with her. What the hell was his mind thinking? He didn’t have a chance with her? Of course, he didn’t want a chance with a girl who had beat him up or did he?

“Yes, and no. Yes, she still is because a lot of guys and girls admire her,” Jin laughed lightly. “She jokes with Ahmi that she’s everyone’s type and has the best legs in the world, but because she’s turned down so many guys no one is brave enough to ask her out anymore. She’s just admired from afar.”

“So, she’s not seeing anyone,” Hoseok couldn’t help but think back on their date. She had laughed, joked, and talked to him. Sure, he ended up eating dirt in the end, but that was by far one of the best dates he’d ever been on.

“Dude didn’t you hear me? She destroys hearts faster than Ahmi breaks things,” Jin said so intensely that Hoseok kept all his questions about the mysterious Min Yoonji to himself.

They had both come to an interesting conclusion earlier that evening when the two couples went their separate ways. And despite their lack of yogurt, as Ahmi and Jin watched the unlikely pair wander off, she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of anticipation with a hint of trepidation. When she took a look at Jin, her boyfriend had his head tilted to the side and a thoughtful look on his face.

“What do you think,” she had to ask.

Without changing his stance, he answered her question with another question, “what is the likelihood of that turning into something?”

“On one hand, not very high. Yoonji is… Yoonji,” Ahmi said while turning to look at the backs of the figures in the distance.

Jin nodded sagely, eyes also still on the two, “on the other hand, this might not be impossible. I mean, Hoseok is, well, Hoseok.”

“You have a point there, sweet macchiato of my heart.”

“Oh, do I? Well, if my darling genius queen says so, then it must be true. This might be the start of a beautiful love story.”

“Or a glorious trainwreck.”

“Either way -”

“We can always watch the firework together.”

“Have I told you I love the way your mind works?”

“Not as often as you should, but I'll forgive you if you get me a nice milkshake.”

“As you wish. Nothing but the best for my beautiful lady.” He hooked his arm in hers and gently led her away.

“You're such a sap, Jinnie,” she laughed while slapping his arm.

“Only for you, pikachu!”

“Oh, shut up!”

“We really should keep an eye on this whole thing though.”

“We should. I feel responsible.”

“I'll keep up with Hoseok. You fill me in on the Yoonji side of things.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now, milkshake!”

And with that decided, Ahmi tried not to look too conspicuous in their dorm common room waiting for Yoonji’s return. The longer it took, the antsier she became. Was it possible that Yoonji had actually hit it off with a guy? Or did she kill him and was in the process of getting rid of the evidence?

Ahmi shook her head and went about cleaning the third cup she'd accidentally destroyed with her fidgeting. She was in the process of dumping the shards into the trash bin when the sound of the front door opening broke the silence.

Dropping everything she was doing and kicking the bin aside, she ignored the crack that was probably the demise of said bin and ran toward the sofa, diving into it at the same time the door opened.

Fuck it, Ahmi had never been subtle, and the giant smile she was shooting at Yoonji was probably horrifying. Had it been anyone else but Yoonji, they would have turned right around and left for the sake of self-preservation.

Given that it was Yoonji, however, she just rolled her eyes and went about getting herself a some water.

“Ahmi, what happened to all the cups?”

“Just use the ones from the drying rack.”

“We’re kind of close to maxing your destruction budget this month.”

“Shush. You can't prove shit.”

Ahmi listened to Yoonji puttering around in the kitchen for a bit before coming in after her. She stood behind her, resting her chin in her hands and beamed expectantly at the other girl’s back.

“Stop whatever you're doing, Ahmi. I don't even have to look to know you're doing something stupid.”

“What? I'm just curious.”

“About what?”

“You're back awfully late,” Ahmi sung the last word a bit, maybe having too much fun playing with fire.

“The yogurt place was far.”

“Yeah? And?”

“And what?”

Ahmi gave up and waved her arms in the air a bit when she finally exploded, “how did the date go?”

Yoonji turned around, face blank as ever, and said, “okay, first thing, it wasn't a date. Second…”

“Yes?”

“You owe me extra compensation.”

Ahmi froze. “Wait, what?”

“I am willing to accept it in kimbap. Good night.”

With that she stomped off into her room, leaving behind a gaping Ahmi.

It took a few seconds for the taller girl to collect herself and when she did, all that she could think was a simple, ‘oh, dear…’

#BTS #bantang boys #BTS fanfic #Namjin #Sope #yoonseok

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taeguboi · 7 years

Text

‘The Closet’ -- J Hope x Reader

Requested - I know everything lately is coming in parts but I just wanna stay active with my writing, so this is going to be a 2 part thing, even though it’s technically a one shot type thing

Masterlist // “Godammit Hoseok!” (My other J Hope x Reader one-shot)

The music industry is definitely not always as glamorous or exciting as one might think; four sleep-deprived individuals with a coffee supply to accommodate the entire college stare blankly at a computer screen with the same word on their minds --

Deadline.

“Guys, there are literally no takes I can say I’m pleased with… can we try again?” you question.

“We’ve only been able to book til 7… It’s like 20 to now…” Namjoon states.

“This set of assignments are the most stressful yet, I swear…” Hoseok groans, throwing his head into his hands.

You had been sat in the studio today with Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok for most of the day now, since early morning. To the outsider, this was just a course in which all you need to strive for is to achieve a decent final grade, but to you and your hard working friends, this was something so much more. This is a chance to prove your talents, your abilities, create something special that might one day reach out to people.

“Maybe if we just like fall asleep in here, the caretaker will take mercy upon us and leave us here and we can continue throughout the night” Yoongi jokes, stretching his arms out to behind his head and leaning back in his chair.

“Nah, that'd never happen Yoongs; we'd have to like hideout in that cupboard over there…” Namjoon chuckles, pointing over at the unaccounted for closet.

You get up out your chair and walk over to the closet door “What's this even used for anyways?” you enquire with a giggle, trying at the door handle, only to discover it locked.

“I don't know, extra mic stands or something?” Yoongi shrugs.

“Nah, they're kept in the corridor I think… I bet it's something weird like… a shower room!” Hoseok suggests.

“What would a fricking shower be doing in a studio Hobi, huh?” Namjoon asks.

“Yeah Hobes, that would be breaking like so many health and safety rules, man!” you continue, joking.

“Ah, I really don't get how we find the will to live and joke at times like this….” Yoongi states, changing the subject, or so you think. “... And it's probably like washed up students who didn't pass….” Yoongi jokes “oooooh!” he dramatically whoos as though he is successfully scaremongering a child.

“Oh give up guys! What are we gonna do?” Namjoon groans with genuine concern about the project at hand, nodding towards the screen with an incomplete project displayed.

“There's only one thing for it; we come in as and when, even if not all of us. Whenever this place is free, we're get in here and work our asses off.” Yoongi responds expectantly.

Again, to an outsider, the response would be something along the lines of “hell no!” but why turn down the chance to work towards your dreams? Of course, everyone agrees, beginning to pack their bags and the equipment away, ready to get home and crash in their beds to catch up on some much needed sleep.

***

The very next morning, as expected, before any scheduled lesson times, everyone has piled into the studio to continue working, yourself taking plenty of drinks to lubricate your vocal chords and the boys having bought out a whole coffee shop to ensure everyone can stay alert during this unusual schedule.

“Right, one more time y/n to try another take and then me and Joon are gonna have to leave for our lesson” sighs Yoongi, finger ready at the mouse to click that ‘record’ button.

“Okay” you exhale deeply, the nerves trembling through you, forever being victim of red-light syndrome… Honestly, at times, you could practice countlessly and absolutely nail the song, but the minute that red button is pressed, something just ends up feeling… off.

Another take is attempted, and although it's probably your best yet, you can't help but still feel dissatisfied with the outcome.

“Right, you guys get going to class, I'm gonna keep practising, sorry” you apologise.

“Don't worry about it y/n; we all agreed we wanted to make this good” Yoongi reassures you as he and Namjoon make their way to exit. “Hobi can practice lines with you while we're gone.”

“But he's recorded everything” you reply, starting to feel annoyed that you don't possess the confidence that the rapper has when it comes to recording.

You can't help but feel that you're the one hindering the process of completing the track; the song is genius, penned, mixed and all the rest by the boys; the boys are reliable and so talented that you just couldn't wait to start collaborating with them when they requested that you give their song a female vocal… You were now just at the point of getting stressed out at yourself in your mind for your own incompetence.

“I'll stay with you though, so we can work on those nerves” Hoseok kindly tells you as Namjoon and Yoongi exit. His words threw you though; you'd never actually told a single one of the lads about your red light syndrome, so how did he know?

“I...I never said I was nervous” you stutter, evidently trying to tell yourself this more than him.

“Look, I used to get it all the time; recording, it's scary right? Like once that button gets hit, whatever you do has the potential to exist forever. It's natural to worry about messing up or not doing a good enough job.”

Well this feels a bit embarrassing now.

“Ah, n-n-n-n-no” you stutter “it's not that” you nervously chuckle, over exaggerating your gestures. “Yoongi was right; I just need more practice” you lie, not wanting to look like a fool in front of your class mate, though you're pretty sure you've failed to keep up a calm and collected persona now.

“Hmm” he mumbles uncertainly “Okay…”

You're rather sure he can tell just how hard you have been practicing and how you know this piece like the back of your hand; you could sleep sing this; if you woke up tomorrow, remembering only one thing, it'd be this.

And you know he knows.

“At least relax and have a coffee first, yeah?” he suggests.

“Fine” you sigh in defeat. “I swear you lot have an unhealthy obsession.”

“It's what keeps us going!” he defends dramatically, eliciting an awkward giggle from you as you feel slightly more awake from just Hoseok’s bright smile.

“Okay okay, I won't send you off to coffee-holics anonymous just yet…” you jest, grabbing a tepid cup for yourself.

“Hmm” you mumble with the same uncertainty as the boy in front of you previously had. “It's too cold for my vocal chords; I'm gonna have to nip out for a new one”

“Alright. I'll join you actually… in fact….” he continues, scrambling through his jacket pocket “...I'll pay!”

“Oh no! I can't possibly take money from someone who's time I've already wasted plenty of…” you argue.

“Who said anyone has taken or wasted anything?” he smiles. “What's wrong with ordering two lots of coffee for myself and happening to change my mind about the second?” he questions.

“You are daft Hobi.”

Entering the coffee shop, you wonder if the blonde haired boy who is strangely eager to order and buy your usual is trying to sweeten you up for some reason. Maybe he thinks you're purposely making bad takes as an excuse to stay away from other problems or something? A long shot,perhaps, but more likely the this stupid little fantasy that crops up in your in for just one naive moment before you tell yourself that you're certain it's the former.

Seating yourself at a quiet booth by the window, you pull out your laptop from your bag and connect to the cafe wifi for assignment work, and for a solid five minutes, you are able to write a couple of paragraphs for some evaluation.

“For you!” Hoseok chirps, carefully placing down both cups of caffeine rush. He observes your current typing urgently and sighs as he takes a seat opposite you.

“Y/n, we're supposed to be taking a breather: now put that laptop away and let's… talk” he smiles genuinely, though you're still uncertain whether your slight crush is making you blind to any sarcasm or insincerity.

You've always tried to brush Hoseok off, trying to just see him like a stain on your shirt - not noticeable always straight away, and when you do notice it, it doesn't completely ruin your day. Which is perhaps why you had subconsciously thought of the latest assignment deadline the moment opportunity knocked to chill out in his company.

“Ugh, I'm sorry Hoseok, I just tend tend to prefer evenings and weekends of freedom…” you excuse.

“Ah, freedom… what is that?” he questions with a sigh, placing his cheeks in his hands, attempting remain with a serious expression. You have to try your best not to break out in a stupid grin at the sight.

“I don't know… maybe it's in the closet” you jest, referring to yesterday's conversation about the mysterious door, and you figure you are now safe to smile a little excessively.

As though Hoseok is sat in daydream, he stares somewhat longingly out of the window, looking onto the busy city passing by. “Man, that'd be neat, to find whatever it is you need all behind one door…”

“Unfortunately, we all have to open several of them just to get even part of something we want nowadays” you bluntly reply, snapping him out of his romanticized thoughts.

Back in the studio, something catches your attention the minute you walk in -- well, not something specific, like a coat disappearing, but you can sense a change in the room since you left. Had someone been in here during your short break?

Seating yourself at the chair behind the microphone, you let out a huge sigh of frustration, still feeling unprepared to record a decent take, and you half expect Hoseok to give you some bullshit lecture again about how everything will be okay, but instead, you notice his attention is elsewhere.

Reaching out to the closet, Hoseok catches his fingers through the now existing gap between the door and the frame and the door effortlessly brushes open. The look of dopey excitement on his face is adorable, you mentally note as you get out of your seat to investigate just what Hoseok is up to…

“Well, I guess now, we can find out what’s behind this bloody door” he states, walking into the dark miniature room.

“Hoseok? What are you doing?” you question.

“Woooaahh!” he exclaims, clearly making an overreaction at what is probably a pile of textbooks on a shelf.

“Hobi, get out of there!” you instruct.

“No, y/n, you have to come check it out! It’s amazing!” he cries out, clearly trying to persuade you to go along with some pointless, insignificant clause.

But of course, you comply.

“Fine” you exhale, following behind the boy.

Entering the ‘mysterious’ room, you are slightly disappointed that the room is in fact empty.

“I don’t get it” you say with confusion. “All the times they moan about not having enough room for storage, yet here’s a perfectly good room just collecting dust and sorting nothing but fusty air…”

“Eh, I don’t know… I kind of like it” replies Hoseok. “It’s concealed from the world; it’s almost… cosy. It makes a pretty good hide out if you’re having some sort of panic attack I reckon.”

“Perhaps… but other than that?” you challenge.

“I have my ideas, but…” he begins, reaching for the handle and slowly pulling the door inwards to close it “...it depends.”

“Depends on what? What are you doing Hobi?” you ask, feeling as though you should be worried right now that some college guy is shutting the two of you in a closet that could potentially lock itself up.

“Depends if you’re claustrophobic for one thing…”

“I’m not.”

“In that case…” he continues, now definitely closing the gap. “Other than that, I could help you with those nerves…”

“Is that not the same thing as hiding out from the rest of the college?”

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t” he states, taking a step towards you and closing the space between you.

“Hobi, what are you playing at?” you enquire, quite conscious of how close you are to Hoseok now.

I feel like something is about to escalate super fast you think to yourself, and this thought is only heightened as Hoseok moves his gentle hand up to your dumb founded cheek.

You can’t help but feel drawn into him like a magnet.

Part 2 here

#j hope x reader #j hope fic #j hope fan fic

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iheartbuckynat · 7 years

Text

It’ll Be A Lonely Christmas Without You

Dear @king-queen-and-ace here is gift #4 (of 4). The fic that I was originally supposed to write for you over a whole month ago (again, even though you’ve forgiven me, still really sorry about that…)

I hope you like it!

Title: It’ll Be A Lonely Christmas Without You.

Rating: M (for swearing and references to sex).

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Natasha Romanoff.

Genre: Very Mild Angst with Fluff?

Summary: Bucky’s not having a good day, and he’s gone and bought a Christmas tree to boot. Set just after the Brubaker run. Based much more on their comic versions than their MCU ones. Canon compliant.

Author’s notes: I blame this angst on @king-queen-and-ace‘s prompt (the title of the fic) and, in equal measure, on @elithien (and this beautiful piece of inspiration) and @nataliaromanovs (for this beautiful piece of inspiration). Their art is so preeeeeetttttttyyyyyyyyy…

Thank you, @fuckyeahbuckynatasha, once again, for organising all the events that you do! Maybe next time I won’t be so late! ^_^;

In some ways, Bucky being a product of a less successful version of the super-soldier serum made him luckier than Steve. He could get drunk, for one. It took a lot to make it happen, but it was achievable. The buzz never lasted long enough, though… definitely not enough to get him to pass out completely (which was the ideal outcome at this point), but sufficient to at least see him through to a state of utter waste on his couch in nothing but boxers and a sleeveless undershirt.

In direct contradiction to all his years of discipline training, of muscle building, of ballet (yeah, the Soviets had trained all their elite spies in the art, Natasha hadn’t been special on that front, she’d just been better at it than anyone else), he was flopped back on the sofa, posture be fucking damned, his fifth bottle of vodka in his metal hand and one of the those A4 digital frames clasped in his right as it automatically transitioned, unnoticed by the apartment’s only occupant, through photograph after smiling photograph.

He was the quintessential picture of a broken-heart drowning in its own sorrow: his piercingly clear, icy eyes were overcast and glassy, his hair was unkempt, his face was dirtied with shadow so heavy it was practically a beard and his skin was a dehydrated wreck. His gaze, however… his gaze was intently focussed on the clichéd embodiment of holiday spirit twinkling prettily a few feet away from him. He smirked at the juxtaposition. Of all the unexpected things to have in his sparse, brick-and-glass apartment, James Buchanan Barnes was the current owner of a one-hundred-percent genuine (and unreasonably expensive) Christmas tree. It was bushy, it was bright and it battled admirably against the stench of potato-based ethanol for the right to infuse the air with its traditional scent of pine and joy.

He wasn’t afraid to admit to himself that he was mildly proud of his work. He’d done a decent job of the lights, but after he’d accidentally shattered a delicate glass bauble with his bare foot (and then picked out the multitude of very breakable slivers from his sole with tweezers) he’d given up decorating and just thrown a ton of tinsel all over the damn thing. It wasn’t the greatest tree he’d ever seen, but it wasn’t awful considering the minimal effort he’d applied in setting it up. The only glaringly obvious absence was the tree topper: an angel which, fittingly for his current situation and mood, rested on the floor just out of his reach, her eyes downcast and thus blinding her to his presence. “Metaphor’s kinda on the nose, isn’t it?” he asked her before deciding he sounded entirely too sober and took a hefty swig of the Russian cure-all (although technically this particular bottle was Polish, and pricier than the others, so it should have really been drunk first when he would’ve been better able to appreciate it. Then again, he thought, hindsight’s always been, and continues to be, a giant bitch).

In the silence of the apartment he could hear everything, despite (or maybe because of) the alcohol coursing through his body. He didn’t even have to try. Training, serum or a little of both, he wasn’t sure, not that he particularly cared… it wasn’t super-hearing (not like the gifts some of the others he knew possessed), it was more a hyper-awareness of himself and his surroundings. As a result the message he was receiving from his environment was, unfortunately for him, painfully loud and coldly clear: he was entirely alone. The littlest of sounds echoed out into the quiet, driving the point deep into his heart, like a blade slipping under the ribcage, burying itself angrily into giving flesh: the rhythmic and slow tick, tick, ticking of the analogue wall clock (he couldn’t bring himself to go entirely digital), the tiny, intermittent buzzing of the tree-lights, evidence of a loose connection in one of the strands (he’d have to fix that at some point), his own unusually heavy breathing, the clink of metal against glass as his grip tightened on the neck of the bottle, the clack of said glass against his teeth as he opened his mouth and vainly hoped the fire spilling into his throat would throw him into a pit of blissful oblivion… and the piercing shrill of his email notification.

He looked over to the far side of his foot rest (referred to normally as a coffee table) and glared at the offending piece of technology. “Not now, Steve (who else would it be today?). Fuck off.” He regretted the venom of his comment immediately (of course he did) and mentally apologised to his best friend as he sat up to reach for the phone.

~*~

One Year Ago

“This is going to take at least three weeks to heal.”

As James paused to allow the metal doors to slide open, Natasha looked up from her place in the wheelchair. “I was present at the infirmary,” she stated, her entire left leg cast and strapped up to the extended leg prop.

“That’s a spiral fracture to your femur, it’s not a sprained wrist.” He guided her smoothly into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor basement. Alone as they descended, he continued their conversation. “Ordinary people have to be operated on for something like that, you know.”

“Again, I feel I should remind you that I was there,” she said as the corner of her ruby mouth quirked up in amusement, “looking at the x-ray of my leg, that the doctor was showing me, James.”

He placed his real hand onto her shoulder and traced it along the gentle slope in affection. “I’m just saying, spending that time recovering at my place makes more sense.”

“I have a bed at home, too,” she countered, “I also have a phone and a laptop with wifi. I’ve recovered perfectly fine from more serious injuries in worse conditions.”

“Just because you spent a week hiding out in a Somalian cave once with a broken arm and collarbone doesn’t mean you have to do that all the time.” The elevator arrived at its destination and slid open its doors. “You’re allowed to take your time to recover, and in a nice environment, too.”

“I’d actually been talking about the gut shot I took in São Paulo.”

He frowned, unable to recall the event. “When did that happen?”

“When I was sabotaging the primary operations of the international criminal commonly known as the ‘Favela Saint’.” There was no hiding the hint of pride in her voice as he wheeled her along the row of cars, heading towards a black SUV.

“The war lord?” he asked, mildly surprised. “That massacre was you?”

“It was originally supposed to be cleaner,” she admitted, “but things went south when they got to our man on the inside. Fortunately my improvised plan proved to be more effective than the original one. The only problem was I got caught up in the fray and took a hit to the abdomen.”

Being so intimately familiar with her body that he could practically recreate an exact replica of her from memory, he was completely certain that there wasn’t a single trace of that injury left on her. “The wonders of SHIELD medicine and super healing.” He opened the side door of the vehicle and picked her up carefully. “And don’t change the subject. Why don’t you want to stay at my place?”

Natasha didn’t answer until he’d placed her across the back seat and she’d shuffled into a more comfortable position. “I don’t want to impose,” she conceded, “and I know how to take care of myself.”

“It’s almost like you don’t want me around,” he said as he wheeled the empty chair into the back of the van.

She couldn’t see his face but she knew he was smiling by the sound of his voice. “You know that’s not true,” she said, not playing his game. He might have been joking, but she’d heard the hidden question underneath the fun: do you need me to give you some space? “You could stay at my apartment with me,” she offered (No, I don’t, but thank you for asking).

He stood at the side door of the van, giving himself an unobstructed view of her, and shook his head. “I know you, Nat. Being cooped up for almost a month is going to drive you crazy, and then add a big lump like me into the mix and you’re not going to feel comfortable in your own space… it’s not exactly a large apartment.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “You’re not planning on spending the entire time with me, are you?”

“Every single day, if you’ll have me.” He grinned and this time she did see it. “I got lucky. I don’t have another mission until the New Year.”

She didn’t believe that, not for a second. He’d been on his phone while her leg was being put into the cast, he must have been rearranging things then.

“I’m at your service, Ms Romanova,” he continued, “ready and willing to nurse you back to the pinnacle of health.”

It drew a reluctant smile from her as he shut the door of the van. “I don’t need you to do that for me,” she said once he’d settled into the driver’s seat.

“You don’t need anything from me, Nat, that’s why you’re so amazing.” He twisted around to face her. “Look, I get it. For people like us, spending three weeks together alone, with nothing else to do, is a lot of intimate time. That’s why it’ll be easier at my place, where there’s two bedrooms.” He watched her for a reaction at his attempt at humour but when she gave none he sighed. “I just want you to get well. If you’re most comfortable staying at your own apartment, then I’ll take you there. If you need some time alone, I understand that to-”

Natasha scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, interrupting, “I get it. I’ll come to your dumb Christmas sleepover.” He grinned at her like a kid with a present, and her heart beat just a little faster at the thought that she could make him so happy. “We need to stop at my apartment first, though. I have to pick up a few things.”

“Sure, anything.” He pressed the ignition button and the van revved to life.

“You’re wrong, by the way,” she said as he reached for his seatbelt.

“About what?”

“I do need you, James.” His eyes flew to the rearview mirror and caught her waiting ones easily. “More than you know.”

He swallowed away the sudden dryness in his throat while he studied her reflection. They sat watching each other in silence for a long second, letting the weight of her words sink in, and then he smiled, unabashedly. “Onwards to Casa del Bucky, then.”

~*~

He was in awe. Truly he was. How she managed to do it, he had no idea, but Natasha Romanoff was sitting on his couch with her entire left leg casted up to the thigh (although, SHIELD being SHIELD, the cast was sleek, dark and high-tech) and propped up on the coffee table, cushioned by a myriad of pillows (he hadn’t been aware of even owning that many). She was sporting a thin, hunter-green t-shirt, a pair of black bikini briefs and literally nothing else. All adornments and makeup had been removed, her hair was tied back in a low ponytail (as was her way when she wasn’t working), and yet… and yet, doped up on cocodamol, half dressed in an old shirt and trapped by 3D-printed plastic as she was laying back on his couch, legs splayed, eating from a bag of chocolate covered pretzel sticks whilst flicking through random Christmas movies, she was still somehow the most sublime creature he had ever seen. It was like she was physically incapable of not being graceful. As if it was part of her very nature. For lack of a better way to describe it, Bucky thought she was fucking enchanting.

When she caught him staring she grinned and then placed a pretzel in between her teeth, tilting her head back and offering it to him. He leaned down into the couch, using the armrest as support for his weight, and bit the stick, pulling it into his mouth and crunching it. “These are pretty good,” he realised.

“I know,” she said, picking out another one and feeding it to him. “That’s why I had you get them from the store.” She proffered him a third one, but when he moved to bite it she pulled it back and kissed him instead. He didn’t mind the trade.

As he snaked his metal hand along her jaw, threading his fingers through her hair, he vaguely heard her dropping the pretzel bag. Before he could deepen the kiss, however, she pulled away, cutting him off from the source of the heat building within him and denying him the satisfaction of a full embrace. When he opened his eyes again, he found her holding a thin box wrapped in green paper. “Merry Christmas, James,” she said softly.

He blinked in surprise, his lust taking an instant back seat in favour of confusion. “I didn’t think you celebrated it,” was all he could think to say. He lowered himself onto the couch, careful not to touch her leg.

“No,” she replied, “but you used to.” She pushed the gift gently into his hands. “Open it, it’s Christmas Eve, after all.”

Touched by her kindness, he looked down at it and then up at her. “But I didn’t get you anything.”

Mirth danced across her features as she leaned down and lifted her bag of chocolate pretzels from the floor. “You got me these,” she said, shaking it.

His right hand rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. “You’re making me feel like even more of a heel.”

“I’m pretty sure they stopped using that word back in the nineteen fifties,” she teased.

“Oh,” he said, dropping his hand and feigning offence, “is that a dig at my age, Ms Romanova, great spy of the early Cold War?”

“No, Mr Barnes, it was a dig at your archaic use of slang,” she countered, sitting back and popping another pretzel into her mouth. “I’m practically the same age as you and Steve and I don’t sound like an old lady.”

“You do in Russian.”

Her hand froze in the bag. “What?”

“You sound like a babushka,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

She gasped. “I do not.”

“You do.”

“James Buchanan Barnes,” she said, her voice hardening to give her a more commanding tone, “you will retract that statement immediately.”

Others might have cowered (and if he hadn’t been having so much fun, he might have, too). “I will not.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I have a mastery of nine languages, a proficient grasp of another eleven and conversational fluency of a further four, with particular eloquence in my mother tongue.”

His eyes flicked down to her lips. “There’s no denying what a gift your mouth is.”

“I’m being serious, James.”

“So am I,” he said, barely able to contain his laughter.

For a moment she said nothing as she assessed the situation. “Hand back the present.”

He shook his head once. “It’s too late, you’ve already given it to me.”

“James-”

“Alright, I was kidding,” he conceded.

She didn’t believe him. “You weren’t.”

“I wasn’t,” he confirmed. And grinned again.

She folded her arms and huffed lightly. “Do I really sound like an old woman in Russian?”

He placed the gift on the coffee table and slid his metal arm along her right, uninjured leg. “It’s not that bad,” he admitted, his humour dying down in favour of honesty. “When you’re being formal it isn’t noticeable, but you haven’t adapted it to the change in times as much as you have with other languages.” He stole her bag of pretzels away from her and ate one. “I suppose you didn’t consciously acknowledge the need to do so in the same way you did for the others, since you’re already so comfortable speaking it.”

“You’re probably right,” she said, figuring he’d had a point. “Everything I read in Russian is pretty high-brow or technical, and when I’m over there I’m usually speaking with aged dignitaries. I haven’t had cause to speak it informally for a while, not unless I’m dealing with scumbags… and I haven’t exactly wanted to emulate how they speak,” she sighed before coming to a reluctant conclusion. “I’ll have to rectify this.”

Bucky had to physically stop himself from groaning with lust. She was killing him softly, that was for sure. He’d pointed out a sensitive and personal chink in her otherwise impenetrable armour and instead of resenting him for it, she’d assessed what he’d said and acknowledged her weakness. God, he thought, she even handles her flaws with grace and dignity. He cleared his throat and shifted in his sitting position. “If you want practice there are some terrible Russian TV shows which are supposed to be pretty compelling,” he suggested, “and some pretty interesting movies.”

Her eyebrows lifted in mild surprise. “When did you find the time to watch all of those?”

“I haven’t, yet. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity.”

“Well, we have another two weeks to go before I’m out of this cast.” She plucked the bag of pretzels from his hands, her mouth quirked up at the corner. “Now open your gift and try not to insult me again while you do it.”

He rolled his eyes and pretended to be exasperated. “I said you sound like a babushka, not that you were-”

“Digging a bigger hole, James,” she said, daring him to finish his sentence.

He leaned in, a tender smile on his lips, and kissed her gently. “I take it all back,” he apologised.

She fed him another pretzel and then handed him his gift from the table. “<What am I going to do with you, my darling?>” she asked in Russian.

He looked up at her as he peeled open the green paper. “<I can think of all kinds of things,>” he replied as he pulled away the last of the wrapping. “Is this what I think it is?”

The box was cardboard - a glossy white - and printed on it was an image of the gift it cradled inside: a photo frame connected to a power plug, complete with a generic picture of a happy family with a dog.

“Yeah, I got the idea from Tony’s office. All your photos in one frame,” she said. “Do you like it?”

He looked up at her and smiled. “This is really thoughtful, Nat. Thank you.”

Pleased to see that he approved of her choice, she smiled back. “That’s not the real gift, though.” She took the box from him and placed it cautiously on her lap, leaning it more on her right leg than on the cast.

“No?”

“No.” She pulled out a memory stick and showed it to him. “This is.”

His dark eyebrows creased in curiosity as he took it from her. “What’s on it?” he asked. “Photographs?”

She nodded. “As many as I could find with you in them, or with people connected to you. From your past, from your present. Anything I could get my hands on. There’s over four hundred of them on there.”

Four hundred? “Natasha…” he breathed. “This is…” he looked at her in wonder. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

She shrugged a supple shoulder, her eyes affectionate. “Happiness in a single drive. Easy to take with you if you ever have to make a quick escape.”

He laughed lightly, observing the stick for a second before looking back at her. “This is awfully sentimental,” he said.

“You love it.” She smirked, knowing without a doubt it was true.

“I do,” he admitted without hesitation, “almost as much as I love you.”

She leaned in, inviting him to meet her halfway. “Then prove it, you sap.”

The kiss was more heated than their last and Natasha made the mistake of moving far too much, too quickly. A jolt of pain raced up her thigh bone and left a deep, pounding ache in its wake. She hissed and he pulled away immediately.

“Does your leg hurt?” he asked as he put the memory stick back into the box and moved it to the floor, out of the way.

“A little, yes.”

“Do you want a pain killer?”

“Please,” she said, nodding.

He got up from the couch and fetched a glass from the kitchen area. With his space now free, she readjusted herself, wincing slightly as she shifted. Home Alone was currently showing on his flat screen and she did her best to concentrate on it in order to distract herself from the pain. One of the criminals was breaking into a house, barefoot for some reason, and stepped on some glass baubles.

“Maybe next year we can put up a tree,” she suggested once he’d returned with the water and pills. “One one would do nicely over there.”

His gaze followed her finger to a spot by the large window. “That’s an unusually festive suggestion, coming from you.”

She lifted her right leg and pulled her knee back slowly to let him slot into the space on the couch.

“You don’t like the idea?” she asked as she lowered her calf onto his lap once he’d sat down.

“I don’t mind it.” He let his metal hand slide absently along her shin. “But we don’t have to have one if it’s just for me. Besides, we live in New York, there’s a pretty impressive one in Rockefeller Center if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yeah, but it would be nice to have one of my own. Just once, you know? To see if it’s worth the effort.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

“And if it is, it might be a good tradition to start together.”

The implication of her suggestion was not lost on him. With their lives the way they were - fluctuating with the slow, unstoppable grind of time, with the fear of death lurking behind any corner they turned - tradition was not ordinarily a luxury they could afford to have. They would never be a family, not in the nuclear two and half kids and white picket-fence kind of way (not that that was what either of them wanted), but they were something, and it was deep, it was special. It was worth holding onto. It was worth building on. “I’d like that.”

“So we’re agreed, then. Next year, you’re getting a tree.”

“Looks that way.” He was enjoying the fact that she seemed so happy about it. “You’ve started decorating it in your head already, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” She sipped at the glass of water still in her hand. “My living space is made up of a web of safe houses in various, secret locations. I don’t get much of a chance to try my hand at decor.”

“That’s a pity. I bet you’d be good at it. You have excellent taste.”

“Flatterer.” She nudged him lightly with her toe. “When you were young, what did you use to top your trees with?”

He thought about it for a second before answering. “I don’t remember what they used to use in the orphanage, but in the army camp,” a smile spread slowly across his lips as he retrieved the memory, “we used to drink a bottle of whatever we had at the time and shove it on upside down.”

“An empty bottle of booze? Really?”

“The alternative was a rusty tin can.”

“Hmm,” Natasha said, “I didn’t have a lot to celebrate in my youth, but that even sounds depressing to me.”

He laughed. “It wasn’t that bad. Some of the G.I.s would get creative and turn a leaflet into paper wings for the bottle. And there was always a lot of food for Christmas dinner.”

“What about when you were a little boy, with your sister?”

“For that tree, mom used to put an angel on top.”

“So let’s do that.”

“No star for the Russian, huh?” He cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you believed in religion.”

“I can’t afford to,” she said in a low voice and then drained her glass of water before placing it on the floor, “not in my line of work, anyway.”

Bucky rubbed delicately at her ankle. “I believe in angels,” he said.

She look up at him and saw his expression. She debated answering him, knowing what he was setting her up for. She did it, anyway. “Oh?” she asked, playing ignorant.

“Yeah, and I’m staring at one right now.”

She let her head drop onto the back of the sofa. “Oh my God, James.”

He was laughing again. “Too much, huh?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. She reached for the pillow behind her back and tossed it lightly at his chest. “That one was ridiculous.”

He caught it easily and narrowed his eyes with mischief. “Will it get me to second base, at least?” he asked.

Her pulse began to quicken at the thought. “Maybe even third,” she answered, “if you call and order the platter special from Ichiban’s Sushi.”

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and drew up the restaurant’s website. “I’m here to serve, Ms Romanova,” he said as he began filling out the online order form. When he was done he tossed it behind him and grinned.

“That was fast.”

“They guarantee delivery in thirty minutes,” he explained, “that doesn’t give us a lot of time.”

She nodded, agreeing. “Then we’d better hurry.”

“What’s more convenient for you? We could do it right here on the couch, or I could whisk you off to the bedroom.”

“Do I look like a fairy princess to you?”

“No,” he said, his grin turning feral as his gaze dropped to the parting between her bare thighs, “you don’t.”

He wet his bottom lip with his tongue, watching as she slowly shifted her hips into a more accessible position. “Make me scream, James,” she said, “only watch the leg.”

“Yes ma’am,” he whispered. And he did.

~*~

He reached over and picked up the phone from the coffee table, entering his passcode with his real hand while he used the other to help him polish off the remains of the vodka. When he saw who the message was from, he tossed the empty bottle to the far side of the couch and sat up, giving the email his full concentration:

Hi Barnes,

I found this polaroid behind one of my drawers while I was doing a clean out. I don’t know why I have this of you, I figured it might’ve been from a random dossier or something that I’d probably brought home at some point, but it’s not exactly standard SHIELD photography… Maybe it belonged to you or someone you know and it fell into my bag or something?

I didn’t want to throw it away, it seemed personal and it’s a nice picture of you so I thought you might want it back (if it’s yours). Have a Merry Christmas, Barnes, if you celebrate that sort of thing. And thanks for the save earlier this year. I owe you one.

Natasha Romanoff

Once he’d read the message he scrolled back up to the top and read it again, just to make sure he’d gotten every detail. Once he’d done that, he opened the attachment and recognised the photograph immediately. It had been taken at a rooftop barbecue during a summer day with some of the other Avengers at the time. Clint had been messing around with an old polaroid camera of Logan’s (how he’d gotten it, he had no idea) and passed it onto Natasha while making some joke about the number of old people at the party.

He gripped the phone tighter in his hand, his heart aching at the memory.

She’d caught him with his metal arm outstretched as he’d tried to reach for her and the camera. The smile on his face was half-posing and half displeasure at having his picture taken (Natasha had said it was sexy), with his eyes hidden by aviators and his t-shirt discarded because of the heat. She’d been laughing a lot that afternoon (Jessica Drew had been in fine comedic form), prompting him to return the favour by taking a few candid shots of her on his phone. Those were locked away in a secure safe, along with everything else which had evidenced their relationship, although if he was patient enough, copies of them would have eventually flitted across the screen of the digital photo frame which currently lay next to the empty vodka bottle on the couch.

He heaved in a shaky breath as his emotions threatened to get the better of him. Tossing the phone over to the other discarded items, he reached around the couch and picked up his final, unopened bottle of vodka. He’d saved this one for last (a shitty, commercial brand - it was all they’d had in the supermarket) so he wouldn’t be able to taste it. He cracked the seal and downed three gulps before coming up for air.

But it didn’t help. Of all days, he thought. Of all the days for her to make any form of contact it would, of course, be on the very day he was honouring his love for her by drunkenly decorating a Christmas tree. If that was fate trying to throw him a bone, it could go fuck itself.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his left hand while his right one’s loose grip dangled the bottle. His long hair surrounded his face, placing him in shadow and mercifully shielding his view from the garish representation of love and family sparkling before him.

His shoulders shook as the tears began to fall. One by one they spilled into tiny, unseen puddles at his feet. He’d survived worse pains than the one he was facing (some of the people he’d killed, even before his time as the Winter Soldier… so many innocent faces…) but this one had been the cruelest. Every so often a memory of her would rear its beautiful head only to sting him with a venom as excruciating as the day he’d lost her. “Natalia…” he said in a broken whisper. She’s better off without me…

As thoughts of her assaulted him he gave up trying to reign in the tears, instead flooding the silence of his apartment with the sobs that wracked his body. He told himself that he would only give into the pain for a moment, that he’d allow himself a minute before he would take back control, but somehow in between that short space of time he ended up with his phone in his hands, and a message ready to send to her:

I love you imiss you so much im lost without you. Nothing feels the same nothingis the same. Youre my entire soul.

His thumb hovered over the word ‘send’ as he struggled to see sense through the fog of alcohol and longing. It was such an easy thing to do, to fall prey to that self-destructive temptation. It would do more damage than good. It would be selfish in every way, he knew that. But knowing did nothing to dampen the desires of the heart. She was gone, but she was also right there and it was supposed to be enough just to know that she was alright. But it wasn’t. Fuck no, it wasn’t. Because she didn’t love him, and that left him utterly empty inside. As if someone had ripped out the very parts of him that had kept him alive and scrapped him thin.

His better conscience won in the end, like it was supposed to, like she would have expected of him (like Steve would have). He deleted the message.

Cathartically, it seemed to break the spell (enough for him to take in a more sure breath than the one that had sent him spiralling downwards). Time’s up, he told himself, no more of this. She’s better off without you. His minute of self-pity was done.

He stood up, resigned to the reality of his situation, and stumbled his way to the bedroom, to sleep it all off.

~*~

His waking the next morning was not exactly a very pleasant affair. He’d left his phone in the living room and had no means to check the time, but given that he’d left his curtains open it was easy to see that the sun had yet to rise. He guessed that made it around six in the morning, which meant he’d gotten less than four hours of sleep. But it was Christmas Day, people had made plans with him in them and he wanted to visit Rebecca. So he got up (the hangover would die away quickly enough) and he walked out of the bedroom into the darkness of the rest of his open-plan apartment.

The sight of the tree, still blinking jovially, surprised him for a moment. The air was tinged with the smell of stale vodka, the empty bottles of which twinkled with multicoloured refraction of the Christmas lights. The sight was unexpectedly pretty, given the state he’d left the room in.

He set up his coffee machine, feeling his way in the dark, unwilling to switch on the ceiling lamps and ruin the view. While it percolated he retrieved his phone from the couch and, with a heavy sigh, he re-read Natasha’s email and began crafting a suitable response:

Hey Nat,

Yeah the photo’s mine. Someone took it while messing around with an old polaroid camera at a party. It must have gotten mixed up with some documents or something (or maybe you took it home on purpose? If so, I’m flattered). Could you keep it and give it to me the next time we meet? I kinda want it back since it’s one of the few decent photographs of me that exist out there. Of course I don’t know when that’ll next be, so you might have to keep it on your person for a while (which is not a thought I mind). I trust you to keep something like that safe for me until I can get it back.

And in case you’re curious, I do celebrate Christmas, I even got a tree this year. A friend suggested I get one, she thought it would brighten the place up. She was right… sort of.

You don’t owe me anything, Nat, you never have. Just know I’ll always be there for you, if you need it.

Take care of yourself.

Yours always,

James.

He put the phone down without sending it and started on making himself (a large) breakfast, turning on no more than the stove’s hood light. The pancakes, eggs and bacon took longer to make as a result, but as he sat himself on the dining time, facing the tree as it shone out, illuminating the entire apartment with its pretty, Christmas spirit, he decided it had been worth the extra effort. She would have loved it. It would have been a great tradition.

He smiled to himself as he shovelled a forkful of pancakes into his eager mouth (a hyped-up metabolism and a liquid dinner could drive a man to starvation), and thought about how the saying, “it’ll look better in the morning,” was kind of true. Maybe he’d needed to get it all out of his system. Bucky had his good days, but he had his bad, too, and they tended to build and climax in unhealthy bouts of self-loathing and heavy-drinking sessions. Yesterday had been the latter, but today… who knew?

He looked down at his phone again and evaluated his intended reply with a critical eye. “No,” he said, to no one in particular, “this is too personal.”

With a clearer head and a full belly, he edited the message:

Hi Natasha,

Yeah the photo’s mine, thanks. It must have gotten mixed up with some documents or something. Could you keep it and give it to me next time we meet? I’d really appreciate that.

Thanks for the Christmas wishes, I’d reciprocate but I have a feeling you don’t celebrate the holiday, so I’ll just wish you well for the New Year.

There’s no need to thank me, you’re more than welcome. I’m always around if you need anything.

Take care,

James.

Polite. Not too personal. Perfect.

His heart beat painfully in his chest, but he sent it anyway.

When he was done, he took his cup of coffee and walked over to the couch, analysing the tree as he approached. It definitely needed to be finished. “Alright then, you’re up, angel face. Make this look good.” He picked up the porcelain ornament and carefully placed her into position, adjusting her a few times to make sure she was securely set and facing the right direction.

When he finally took a step back to survey his work he found he was sufficiently satisfied - at least enough to get him through the rest of the day.

He raised his cup in a toast. “Merry Christmas, ‘Tasha,” he whispered.

#buckynat secret santa #king-queen-and-ace #buckynat fanfiction #winterwidow fanfiction #buckynat #winterwidow #charlie writes #very mild angst

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droneseco · 4 years

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AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector

Our verdict of the AKASO WT50 Mini Projector: If you're looking for an ultra-affordable, ultra-portable pico projector, the AKASO WT50 will get the job done, but don't expect to use it in anything but the darkest surroundings.610

Sure, television screens are getting larger all the time, but if you want a truly large screen without spending tens of thousands of dollars, you need a projector. Of course, a 4K projector capable of display sizes upwards of 100 inches isn’t cheap either. Not everybody needs one of those.

That is why the mini-projector market has sprung up in the last decade or so. They aren’t the most capable, but they’re portable, affordable, and easy to set up and use. Unlike some other manufacturers, AKASO doesn’t lie about what its tiny WT50 Mini Projector is capable of, which is exactly why we think it’s worth a look.

AKASO WT50 Pico Projector AKASO WT50 Pico Projector Buy Now On Amazon $249.99

Specifications

The raw specs of the AKASO WT50 mini projector aren’t going to blow anyone away. Of course, at this price point, it’s a tough call as to who would be expecting incredible hardware specs in the first place. Still, it’s good to know what you’re dealing with.

Brightness: 50 ANSI Lumens

Resolution: 854×480

Dimensions: 5.71×3.15×0.79 inches

Weight: 0.64lbs

Projection Ratio: 1.19:1

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, 2x USB, SD Card slot

Battery: 3.7V, 5000mAh

Android Version: 7.1

As with any piece of technology, there’s a lot more to the performance than numbers on paper and name recognition of the components. First, let’s take a look at the whole package.

What’s in the Box?

Taking the top off the box, the first thing you’ll spy is the projector itself, neatly nestled in form-fitting foam. The bundled accessories are tucked into three separate cardboard boxes underneath, creating a platform for the projector to rest on top of.

In one box you’ll find a tripod with a pivoting head, letting you align the projector at often unnecessarily odd angles, but we’ll get to that later. In the other boxes, you’ll find the AC adapter, HDMI cable for use with external playback devices, remote control (batteries not included), the manual, and a warranty card.

Setting Up the AKASO WT50

Before you can start watching movies or TV shows, the projector requires a bit of setup. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple process and doesn’t take all that long.

AKASO recommends that you fully charge the WT50 before first use. The battery was already mostly charged so this didn’t take long. Still, I plugged in the power adapter before I powered the projector on, just in case. Powering on is a two-step process: First, set the slide switch to “On”, then press the power button right next to it.

Once the power is on, make sure you’ve got the projector pointed at a suitable surface (a white wall will do) and you can set up the rest. In my case, this meant connecting to Wi-Fi, but you can also set up using a wireless hotspot or no networking at all, assuming you’re plugging in external players.

Before you do that, you’ll need to adjust the focus wheel to get the picture looking sharp and in focus. This is also when you’ll want to try using the included tripod if you need it. The design of the tripod leaves quite a bit to be desired. It’s nice that it’s included, but the pivoting head means it’s far too easy to tilt the projector, making getting a level image from the projector a little tricky.

Connectivity

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the AKASO WT50 has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as mentioned earlier. I was actually surprised that the WT50 supported 802.11ac wireless networks, which isn’t always the case on these lower-cost devices.

The WT50 also has a few ports to make connecting other hardware easier. The full-size HDMI port makes plugging in Blu-ray players, streaming boxes, and game consoles easy. You also get a pair of USB ports, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone / auxiliary audio jack.

If you want to play media from your phone, the AKASO WT50 supports a few different methods. You can use Wi-Fi Display (aka. Miracast), AirPlay, or a third-party app solution that requires you to download an app on your phone. Unfortunately in my testing, I was unable to connect to the AirPlay server on the projector despite trying with multiple devices.

Features & Interface

You’ve got two different ways to operate the AKASO WT50: the included remote and the touch interface on top of the projector. It’s handy that these are both included, as it means you’re not out of luck if you lose the remote.

The AKASO WT50 is powered by Android 7.1, meaning it’s a lot more capable out of the box than older, not-so-smart projectors. The Google Play Store is included, as well as a utility for sideloading apps in APK form. This means that you can install any streaming app you want and it should have a decent chance of working.

But don’t expect everything to work perfectly, especially with the included remote. Netflix, which is installed on the WT50 out of the box, worked with the remote long enough to sign in. After that, I thought the remote had quit working. Instead, it turned out that Netflix—at least this version—wasn’t working fully with the remote. Using the touch interface on top of the projector, navigating the menus worked fine, but this was less than ideal. Hopefully, a future firmware update may improve remote compatibility.

The location of the remote sensor is also a slight issue. It’s located on the back of the projector, but the remote is of the IR variety, meaning you need line of sight. Even if you’re a little off to the right or left, getting the remote to work can take some aiming.

Finally, the interface can be a little laggy at times. It’s not worse than a Fire TV Stick or similar device, and it’s not a big problem, but you’ll definitely need to be a little patient at times.

Picture: How Many P?

Mini or pico projectors aren’t often known for their high pixel counts, and this makes sense. It currently isn’t possible to make something that is capable of 4K resolution that is also small and affordable. Considering those last two points, it’s even tough to hit the 1080p mark without trouble. That said, you’ll see some that support 720p, even in this small size, like the Nebra Anybeam.

The WT50 accepts sources up to 1080p, but it’s not actually showing them at this resolution. Instead, the WT50 uses a native resolution of 854×480, while puts it at 480p. This means that as you push the size of the picture higher by moving the projector farther away from your screen, it’s getting blurrier all the time.

If you keep the screen size around 80 inches or less, it’s nowhere near as blurry as you might imagine. You’ll notice it more with text, especially navigating menus, but once you’re caught up in what you’re watching, you probably won’t notice it looking especially low resolution, unless you’ve just watched a 4K movie on a similarly sized screen.

The bigger problem with the WT50 is one that AKASO doesn’t shy away from: the limited brightness. At a peak brightness of just 50 ANSI lumens, this isn’t a bright projector. If you’re watching in a very dark room, the brightness isn’t a problem.

If you’ve got anything above minimal ambient light, the projector will struggle. Try watching something with sunlight streaming in the windows and you might as well just turn it off.

Sound Advice

It’s a very good thing that the AKASO WT50 offers both Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in 3.5mm audio jack. Why? Because the built-in sound, while functional, isn’t something you’ll ever really want to use if you have a choice.

This can’t really be helped, in AKASO’s defense. The WT50 is so tiny that there’s no way anyone could fit a speaker capable of creating movie-ready or even TV-ready sound inside. If you’re using this to quietly project a movie on to a close wall in the middle of the night—something I can’t imagine is all that common—the sound will be adequate, but only barely.

In my testing, I happened to have a Bluetooth-equipped soundbar nearby. Connecting the WT50 to this made a world of difference in making the movie feel more cinematic. Of course, if you’re using the WT50 for an outdoor movie night with the kids, you probably won’t be able to lug along a soundbar, but even a standard portable Bluetooth speaker will be a worthwhile upgrade.

Should You Buy the AKASO WT50?

As we mentioned at the very top of this article, AKASO doesn’t over-promise when it comes to the capabilities of the WT50. Fortunately, it doesn’t under-deliver either. This means that you’re getting exactly what you expect, which is strangely refreshing in this day and age.

That said, the WT50 isn’t for everybody. If you need higher resolutions or a projector you can use in anything resembling daylight, take a look at our favorite projectors for your home theater. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a portable projector to use outside for occasional outdoor movie nights and you don’t live in a brightly lit neighborhood, the WT50 may be just enough for what you need.

AKASO WT50 Mini Projector, 1080P HD Video DLP Portable Projector with Android 7.1, WIFi, Wireless and Wired Screen Sharing, Trackpad Design, Pocket Sized Home Theater Pico Projector for iPhone Android AKASO WT50 Mini Projector, 1080P HD Video DLP Portable Projector with Android 7.1, WIFi, Wireless and Wired Screen Sharing, Trackpad Design, Pocket Sized Home Theater Pico Projector for iPhone Android Buy Now On Amazon $249.99

Read the full article: AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector

AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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grassroutes · 4 years

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AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector

AKASO WT50 Pico Projector AKASO WT50 Pico Projector Buy Now On Amazon $249.99

Specifications

Brightness: 50 ANSI Lumens

Resolution: 854×480

Dimensions: 5.71×3.15×0.79 inches

Weight: 0.64lbs

Projection Ratio: 1.19:1

Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, 2x USB, SD Card slot

Battery: 3.7V, 5000mAh

Android Version: 7.1

As with any piece of technology, there’s a lot more to the performance than numbers on paper and name recognition of the components. First, let’s take a look at the whole package.

What’s in the Box?

Setting Up the AKASO WT50

Before you can start watching movies or TV shows, the projector requires a bit of setup. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple process and doesn’t take all that long.

Connectivity

Features & Interface

Picture: How Many P?

If you’ve got anything above minimal ambient light, the projector will struggle. Try watching something with sunlight streaming in the windows and you might as well just turn it off.

Sound Advice

Should You Buy the AKASO WT50?

Read the full article: AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector

AKASO WT50 Review: Cheap and Cheerful Mini Projector posted first on grassroutespage.blogspot.com

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splashrollstumble · 5 years

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Africa Cycle Tour – Zambia

The Road to Livingstone

We left the odd little guesthouse we were staying in and cycled off back into Kazangula. The town appears to exist purely as a means to serve the thousands of truck drivers waiting to enter Botswana. As we weaved our way through the hundreds of trucks and up the main street, we saw a chicken shop that might be able to refill our bottle waters. The staff was friendly enough to do so, and as we waited, we got chatting to a truck driver sitting nearby. He said he would usually wait five days to get through the border, sleeping in his truck the entire time!

With our water topped up, we cycled up to the turn off onto the main road to Livingstone. I immediately noticed the change in vegetation and landscape. We were only a few hundred meters from Botswana but it was far greener and more hilly here, just from being on the other side of the Zambezi river.

The road was quite busy with trucks going both ways from the border. It didn’t have a particularly decent shoulder, so we were forced to move off every few minutes and had to listen out for trucks coming from behind. Although the hills were an added effort, it was a nice change from the long flat roads of Botswana.

Upon arrival in Livingstone, we went straight to Jolly Boys backpackers, checked in grabbed a beer and chilled by the pool. It was full of all these blonde Norwegian girls on some kind of tour but they spoke little English and were less social than we hoped.

We did, however, meet a group of about ten other people who were going to a fancy riverside bar for happy hour, so we joined them. In the taxi on the way one of the guys, Ashley, recognized my voice and he turned out to be an Aussie guy I had met exactly two years ago in Pai, Thailand – what a bizarre and incredible coincidence!

We got chatting over many half-price cocktails and beers and caught up on what we had been doing since. He told me he is working in Canada and well, I’m obviously still travelling. We all watched a beautiful sunset over the river, got drunker and then headed back home around 11 pm.

The following few days, Romain and I explored Victoria Falls and spent some time relaxing by the hostel pool. I also went into Zimbabwe just for one night to party with Ashley and his friend and came back at 6 am. Romain and I were meant to catch a bus to Lusaka but delayed it for one day as he had met a girl. Eventually, we headed off to Lusaka where we would continue the cycle to Malawi.

Lusaka

In Lusaka, I had my first robbery of the trip. When getting off the bus and collecting our bikes out from underneath, I put my brand new flask down for a second and it disappeared. It was annoying because it was new but at least it was just a flask and nothing serious. We camped that night at a cheap campsite nearby and I got some work done on their dodgy wifi. While sitting on one of the sofas in the chill area I got badly bitten by fleas all over my legs and arms, which was annoying but fairly common in Africa I guess.

The following day my laptop was acting weird and not charging. I feared that it had finally broken for good after two years and I’d need to buy a new one. We headed to the nearby mall to investigate options but everything was too expensive, so we just had pizza and then headed back. By now it was too late to start cycling, so we booked in another night at the campsite and fortunately my laptop had magically started charging again.

We met some guys from the campsite and an older couple who had traveled to 80 counties in 11 years in an old 4×4. Initially, they meant to only do a one month trip to South America and just never stopped.

Cycling to Malawi

We were finally ready to cycle off to Chipata on the Malawian border after a week off the bikes. We got up early and after some coffee and breakfast, headed off. As the city faded away around us, lots of quaint Zambian villages started popping up with typical African style huts.

We stopped for some lunch of fat cakes and cold drinks at a small roadside shop and then cycled on through more and more villages as the countryside grew more beautiful around us. Just as evening was descending we bumped into another French cyclist coming in the opposite direction. He was very excited to see us and especially to speak French with Romain.

They chatted for about 15 minutes during which time Romain picked up some tips and info about the road ahead and Malawi. After we continued it soon started to get cloudy and fearing a storm might come we decided to ask about camping at a nearby clinic. The caretaker who lived on site kindly said we could camp in his garden and showed us where to get water from a borehole.

We set up camp and I did some work while Romain cooked dinner. We went to bed just before a thunderstorm split the skies and crashed down upon us.

Luangwa Bridge

We awoke early and did our best to dry our tents in our host’s back garden while having a few cups of coffee and some boiled eggs. We set off a bit later than usual because of drying the tents and it was already quite hot by the time we got going.

Stopping for lunch around 1pm, we ate nshima and chicken – a local staple that costs around $1 usually. It’s not bad although often a bit dry and chewy and usually without enough sauce. Still good value for money. Towards about 4 pm we saw a sign for ‘cold beer’ so pulled over and found a nice restaurant/bar. The owner came and chatted to us and was very friendly but kept saying he needed an investor to help build to his guesthouse. I told him I’m saving up to buy a new tent to live in so can’t help much, but I gladly supported him by buying two beers.

We were considering camping there but decided rather to head off and see if there was somewhere on the roadside up ahead. Very soon we hit a huge hill and had to cycle up quite a steep gradient for a few kilometers. Eventually, near the top of the pass, we found a boarding school and as usual, they were very accommodating. They showed us a nice covered concrete sitting area where we could camp and told us we could use the toilets and refill water. It was a very comfortable night and I managed to do more work although the cell connection was getting weak now as we got further from civilization.

That night it didn’t rain and we managed to get going early at around 7 am. After coffee and some biscuits, we set off towards Luangwa Bridge Market where we planned to stop for lunch. The roads were becoming considerably more tough, winding along between valleys and hills.

We arrived at Luangwa Bridge by lunch just as the heat was becoming unbearable. Unfortunately, the lack of electricity means none of the makeshift roadside restaurants have fans, so we tried our best to enjoy some food and a beer in the blistering heat. The hustle bustle of the African market surrounded us, with the sounds of competing music, sputtering food and the occasional argument filling the air.

Fortunately, one store used solar panels to keep its drinks cold and we managed to find a shady spot to cool down and relax. After about two hours we were ready to continue, although to be honest, I was ready to call it a day since it was so hot. The cycle down the hill to the bridge cooled me down a bit but it didn’t last long as we had a big climb out of the valley after.

Villages and Rural Clinics

The road continued up in a winding fashion and we passed the rusted, twisted chassis of an old truck wreck. It was a sobering reminder to watch for dangerous drivers. The further we went into rural Zambia the more children appeared from villages along the roadside. They would all come running towards us shouting “How are you? How are you?” repeatedly, which must be the first thing they learn in English. It was quite cute and eventually I learnt to reply “Fine, how are you?“ – anything else they wouldn’t understand.

As evening approached, we pulled up to a rural health clinic and decided to once again ask about camping. They were also accommodating and even offered to give us a room in the women’s shelter which turned out to be two rows of very rough, rundown rooms full of insects. They very kindly cleaned them out a bit but we still ended up pitching our tents inside to avoid mosquitos. I then investigated my bike and found the source of all the ants that had been crawling all over it the entire day. There was a small colony of ants which had made a home in a screw hole of my handlebar bag. I sprayed them with peaceful sleep, mourned the passing of my adopted children and then cleaned their corpses out with a stick.

While making dinner an I asked the security guard if there is anywhere I could get some drinks. I was hoping for beer but figured it’d probably be unlikely in a health clinic. Anyway, he took me down the road to a tiny village shop which had cooldrinks and small bottles of whiskey for less than a dollar. So I bought two knock-off colas and some of the suspect whiskey. The whiskey obviously turned out to be some diluted crap but I didn’t care, it was drinkable.

After our usual pasta and sauce dinner, we had a coffee, watched the lightning storm and then got to bed.

We were up early, packed up our tents, filled the water bottles and got going early. The day was clear and sunny as usual and the roads became less hilly, opening to long stretches which helped us cover a lot of distance in a short time. We stopped for lunch in a small guest house with a nice restaurant that was cool and shady and I got some work done while we ate the usual rice and chicken. After another 30 km’s or so we found an old church, the caretaker of which allowed us to camp in the grounds. It was a full moon and we had a nice campfire dinner before getting to bed early again.

Bike troubles

The next day we packed, filled our water bottles and got moving early. We passed through Kachalola and Nyimba villages reasonably quickly and made it to Patauke by about 10 am. There we sat at a small gas station restaurant while I got work done and we had some breakfast of samosas, fried chicken and a salad that Romain put together from our leftover vegetables.

We even saw some Mzungus (the African word for foreigners or white people) for the first time since leaving Lusaka. Petauke is a turn-off point for the South Luangwa national park, so it hosts many foreigners. Just after leaving Petauke, I noticed my wheel was wobbling a bit and I made a mental note to get it aligned in Chipata. However, it was too little too late. A few kilometers out, a spoke snapped loudly. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was and kept going, but a few minutes later another snapped and my wheel went competed out of shape. I pulled over and waited for Romi to return. Luckily he had some spare spokes and a spoke tool but we couldn’t figure out how to get the rear cassette off to replace them. Fortunately, some locals informed us that there is a bike repairman a few meters up the road!

I put some of my luggage on Romi’s bike to ease the back wheel and then we walked for about 15 minutes until finding a bike repair guy. He also couldn’t take off the cassette but ensured us he could repair the spokes by bending them in. With no other option I trusted him and after a short time he had repaired them in fairly good looking condition, for less than a dollar!

We continued on after two hours and found the road a bit flatter here so we could move faster. We road fairly well throughout the day only stopping for short breaks and quick snacks until reaching Sinda, where we decided to grab an end of day beer. We found a bar that wasn’t too crowded or noisy but being Saturday, a lot of people were already out getting drunk.

Luckily we didn’t draw too much unwanted attention and just received the usual questions from a few guys who seemed friendly. After the beers we continued on out of the village to find a spot to camp. We soon reached a sign for a rural clinic and followed a dirt path into a village. We finally found the clinic managers and they said we could camp behind the clinic but it wasn’t fenced off or anything from the village so we attracted a lot of attention. Fortunately, they offered to put our bicycles in a secure room with the night guard.

As we set up our tents, a huge group of children began to gather and stood staring and laughing. Once done, we started cooking and that made them even more interested, so they came closer. It wasn’t annoying or anything but it wasn’t exactly peaceful after a long day riding. Eventually, some older boys came and after chatting we asked if they could ask the children to leave us in peace. They obliged and shouted ‘jia’ at the kids which seemed to do the trick. We thanked them and they said they’ll see us in the morning.

With some peace, we finished our evening meal and coffee and then turned in for the night. Morning involved the usual coffee and breaking camp before heading off toward Chipata. At lunchtime, we stopped in a small town and found a cool lodge with good food and a place where I could get some work done. We were making good time so we chilled for a few hours before moving on. Back on the road just as we arrived in Chipata, disaster struck again – another spoke broke!

I realised this was going to keep happening and I might need to buy a stronger back wheel but now it was too late so we just walked to the lodge where we were camping and chilled for the evening. For dinner we wanted to go to a local buffet restaurant but on arrival, it was closed (Sunday), so we ended up at a popular but expensive pizza place called Panarottis.

Chipata

The next day I took the bike to a local repair place and after considering all options, decided to keep the wheel and replace all the spokes with stronger ones. The mechanic didn’t know much about the European hub and cassette I have and didn’t have tools to remove it but eventually managed to wrench it off. After spending a few hours replacing each spoke he tried to put it back on but when I tried to cycle it got stuck.

I took it back and he spent the rest of the afternoon brutalizing it back on until eventually, with some bits missing, it worked. I’ll still need a new wheel soon but I had no choice but to take what I could get. After a long and tiring day, I decided I needed something enjoyable so I bought some cheap meat and wine and headed back to enjoy a braai at the lodge. We drank and ate and listened to cool music before crashing out in the hostel beds that we had decided to upgrade to for that night.

The next day we stupidly decided to take a bus to Lilongwe because we thought it would save time but it ended up taking longer than cycling. We waited at the Chipata bus station for hours for two people from Lusaka to arrive, on a bus full of flees – it was filthy. We had some pretty good local nshima and chicken though while we waited.

Once arriving at the Malawian border we again had to wait hours for the staff to check the bus until eventfully leaving and arriving at Lilongwe in the dark at about 8 pm. After a stressful mission getting everything off the bus in the pitch black in a muddy car park, we cycled off along dimly lit streets to a nearby backpackers.

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213hiphopworldnews · 5 years

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The Best Rap Albums Of January 2019

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The first month of the year was a bit quiet on the release front, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t some fire that will last through the year. Future dropped off his The WZRD solo album, while upstarts Boogie and Dreezy dropped a pair of long-awaited albums with Everything’s For Sale and Big Dreez. Elsewhere, YNW Melly and Yung Bans dropped off a pair of impressive, harmonious projects, and Aesop Rock took us on another journey with producer Tobacco as Malibu Ken.

Future, The WZRD

Future set off what’s sure to be a typically busy 2018 with The WZRD. The album’s release cycle has been dominated by reaction to his admission that he was reticent to announce that he kicked the cup and quit lean. But the debate about his omission shifts the focus from what should be the primary takeaway of his latest work: His undeniable musical gifts.

Sure, Future occupied a lane as a self-medicating blues spitter as prone to depressive laments as euro-fashion references, but that’s not the whole of who he is. The WZRD properly displays the scope that he should have staked his musical reputation on before any intoxicant. The album is twenty tracks, but only an hour, which keeps the listener entertained. Album standout “Crushed Up” is an ode to “diamonds in the face” where he manages to let us know “I just blew an M on my kids,” a subtle nod to what may be newly-shifting priorities. On “Baptiize,” he gives us a glimpse of his pensive musing by noting, “when it come to these emotions I play camouflage.” But there’s no hiding that this is a strong effort which shows he doesn’t need any lean to step through with trap bangers.

Boogie, Everything’s For Sale

After much anticipation, Compton rapper Boogie’s debut album Everything’s For Sale is here. Boogie has frequently referenced the hardships of his upbringing in the buildup to the album, which he delves into with poetic flourish throughout the 13-track project. On album intro “Tired/Reflections,” he deftly surmises that “It’s hard to feel sh*t when you livin’ off pain pills/Hard to put on war boots when you walkin’ on eggshells.”

“Silent Ride” and “Skydives,” show him delving into the permutations of a shaky relationship where commitment and loyalty are resounding obstacles. On “Rainy Days,” he and Eminem celebrate their hard-won place in the game, but both surmise that they still have more to do to add to their legacy. Boogie obviously has a longer road ahead than Mr. Mathers, but Everything’s For Sale is a strong first step in the right direction.

Dreezy, Big Dreez

Whether Chicago artist Dreezy is being a fashion killa with Kash Doll on “Chanel Slides” or harmonizing and asking her man to “tell me how it feel when you wit’ me” on the dreamy “Ecstacy” with Jeremih, her sophomore Big Dreez album delivers. The project boasts features on half of its ten tracks, but Dreezy’s vivacious mic presence is still the driving force. She’s just as adept weaving a narrative on heartbreak with professional song-stealer Jacques on “Love Someone” as she is dropping flashy double-time bars with Offset on “Cash App.” Big Dreez is an energetic, well-crafted exhibition of the Chicago rapper’s versatility on display.

Payroll Giovanni, January 30th

Detroit’s Payroll Giovanni released one of the best albums of 2018 with his Big Bossin Vol. 2 collaboration with Cardo, and he’s getting an early start on following up that momentum with January 30th. Sure, the project was just released, but Payroll’s gritty bars are among the best we’ve heard in this first month of scant releases. On “Do What I Do,” he proclaims that his occupation is “stayin on my job” over triumphant horns, while “Still Run The City” is a posse cut full of Detroit standouts HBK, Dre Armani and Doughboy Roc. Overall, the eight-track project is a strong primer for Payroll’s burgeoning fanbase.

YMW Melly, We All Shine

It’s a tragedy that YNW Melly’s recently released We All Shine, an album that in part explores the “Murder On My Mind” MC’s YNW Melly’s carceral experience, was released while he’s in jail on marijuana charges. But perhaps the only silver lining preceding his eventual release is that its another collection of solid songs that will tide his growing fanbase over, and that he managed to collaborate with the insanely popular — if insanely maddening — Kanye West on the properly titled “Mixed Personalities.” “Robbery” shows off his knack for outright crooning coarse street narratives, while “Why You Gotta Walk Like That,” “Control,” and “Ingredients” exhibit the album’s predominant theme of romantic, racy tracks.

Yung Bans, self-titled EP compilation

If you’re unfamiliar with Atlanta rapper Yung Bans, his recently crafted, 72-song compilation of his five previous EPs — and four new songs — is a comprehensive place to start. His gifts for autotuned harmonies are apparent throughout the hefty project, whether he’s exploring the range of “Raw’s” linguistic connotations, collaborating with Lil Skies on “Waterslide” or “Lonely,” or quite simply lamenting that, “N—-s Be Lame.”

Wifisfuneral And Robb Banks, Conn3ct3d

A pair of Florida artists link on the aptly titled Connected album, which shows Wifisfuneral and Robb Banks in their trap music bag. The pair pay homage to one of Cardi B’s many entries into the cultural lexicon with “Okurr,” trade bars over a serene anime sample on “Nauseous,” then bid their loyalty to loved ones and hate to snakes on “La Familia.” The two show off decent chemistry, as Banks’ oft-laid back delivery is offset by Wifi’s more energetic flow. We’re sure most of their fans will be looking for them to stay Connected for more work in the future.

DJ Kay Slay, Hip-Hop Frontline

This legendary New York DJ wanted to make no mistake on amplifying his position within the culture, naming his latest compilation project Hip-Hop Frontline. Kay Slay is known for getting the game’s most ferocious spitters to go bad over gritty production, and Hip-Hop Frontline is exactly that. The album has verses from legends like Grandmaster Caz, Bun B, Busta Rhymes, and The Lox, but also makes way for the new school with Dave East and Moneybagg Yo on “Hater Proof,” Kevin Gates on “I Do This On The Regular” and the brooding “They Want My Blood” with Casanova 2X, Mozzy, Joe Moses and Shoota.

The project is the perfect antidote for those seeking hard rhymes over hard bears, and its a sign of Kay Slay’s respect that every artist showed up and vied to put their best foot forward lyrically. If Slay is on the frontline with more work like this, hip-hop is in fine shape.

Aesop Rock & Tobacco, Malibu Ken

Aesop Rock’s abstract, labyrinthic narratives are an intriguing match with producer Tobacco’s synth experimentalism on Malibu Ken, a collaboration project that released on Rhymesayers January 10. Aesop’s “I’m the world weekly news bat child / B-lining ash pile to ash pile to ash pile” opener on album intro “Corn Maze” sets a characteristically confounding tone for the ten-song project, while Tobacco’s inventive old-school synths serve as a strong cosmic backdrop. Malibu Ken is the furthest thing from the sunny aesthetic one would attribute to the iconic Mattel doll, as the album instead posits what it would sound like if he were body-snatched into an alternate universe full of vivid lights and blippy synths.

Fifthgod, The Fifth Tape

Long Island producer Fifthgod has been making a name within the New York underground rap scene for years. He recently introduced the world to his production and curatorial skills on his compelling debut album The Fifth Tape, a highly anticipated work that’s been in development for several years. Boasting appearances by lyricists like Skyzoo, Ab-Soul, Retch, Da$h, Remy Banks and more along with up and comers like New York’s Mogul Club, Marlon Craft and others, the 15-song track is a perfect union of classic and new age New Yitty lyricism over a range of thumping, evocative compositions. Songs like “‘14 Stuy” pay homage to Brooklyn, while “Conservations” shows Banks trading bars with Mogul Club’s Dre Dollasz and History over a jazzy, piano-driven canvas.

source https://uproxx.com/hiphop/best-rap-albums-january-2019/

#hiphop #hip hop legend #hip hop history #hip hop #music #trending #hip hop news #ballin #hip hop scen

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kriterium3-blog · 6 years

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ASUS Eee PC T91 Battery all-laptopbattery.com

There are two clear-cut winners among those: The wonderfully well-made Dell XPS 13 for Windows users, and the long-steady MacBook Air for Apple loyalists. With its sharper screen, lower starting price, and tighter design, I prefer the new XPS 13, but you really can’t go wrong either way.Laptops are one of those markets where you really see a drop-off in quality if you try to cut costs — there are a few decent budget options out there, but most are too chunky and battery-light to be great companions on the go.If you know you can be careful with it, though, Acer’s Aspire V13 is a solid value for a relatively affordable $600. If even that is too much, or you just want something to type up some Word docs on the flight, I don’t mind the $170 Lenovo Ideapad 100s, either.Unless you splurge on something like a Surface Pro 4 — which still appears to be as good as it gets, for a hybrid — your tablet will probably get more mileage as a consumption device than a production one on the road. It’s mostly something for movie watching, web browsing, book reading, and game playing.To nobody’s surprise, Apple’s iPad line still has the best mix of gorgeous design, super fast performance, and dead simple software for making all that a pleasure. If you grab the iPad Air 2, you’ll get something that’s at least somewhat accommodating to most people’s work too.

The iPad mini 4, meanwhile, is about as powerful as the Air 2, and more compact, but won’t be as friendly if productivity is a big deal.The entry-level iPad mini 2 is the weakest in the series, and has a comparatively lesser display, but it’s still great for the money, and a little less unwieldy by default. The sheer user-friendliness of iOS on tablets keeps it a step above just about any other budget tablet on the market.For pure value, though, the $50 Amazon Fire is tough to top. It’s a cheap slate, to be sure, but it’s consistently competent where it matters. If you just want to pass the time with a few videos, especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member, it’s a great buy for the cash-strapped.If you’d really rather not crunch your laptop into your bag, packing a portable keyboard will make working with your tablet less of a headache than it’d be with a virtual QWERTY pad.These don’t get much lighter and thinner than the Logitech Keys-to-Go, which is what one of the Surface Pro’s Touch Covers would be like if it had genuine feedback and travel. It’s totally spill-resistant, too, and these days you can find it for a relatively affordable $35 or so.

Its ultra-thin design won’t be for everyone, however. If you’d rather a slightly more traditional, though no less affordable, keyboard, the Logitech K380 feels good, looks good, and isn’t a burden to carry around.If you’re the type who spends your rides plowing through books, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite is a great buy. The Kindle ecosystem is far and away the most reliable of the e-reading crop, and the fine display, big battery, and built-in backlight of the Paperwhite make accessing it very smooth. The only noteworthy issue is that it’s not waterproof; if that’s a concern, Barnes & Noble’s Nook GlowLight Plus should do the trick.You don’t need me to explain why your smartphone is an important travel accessory. There’s a good chance it runs your life as it is. But if you’re a frequent traveler in the market for a new phone, it’s worth picking up an unlocked model — i.e., one that isn’t tied down to a particular carrier.You’ll still pay a little more for it upfront — though times are changing — but one perk you’ll gain in return is the ability to swap out SIM cards and switch carriers if you’re heading overseas. You’ll keep coverage and avoid pricey roaming charges as a result, and most of the time you’ll even make a little more cash when it comes time to resell the device.

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None of this really changes which smartphones are best, though: The iPhone 6s is still great for most people, what with its wonderful camera, blazing fast performance, full display, and eternally supported app store. There isn’t really anyone for whom it’s outright bad. Just about all of that applies to the Samsung Galaxy S7, too, and its camera is even better. Huawei’s Nexus 6P is a fantastic alternative for phablet aficionados, meanwhile, and the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is a well-rounded choice for those on a budget.And if you just need a cheapo old-school phone in case of emergencies, you can look to something like the Blu Tank II. Don’t judge.Alright, you’ve made it to the hotel, and you want to relax a bit before heading back into the wild. You can catch some Netflix on one of many solid media streamers, but of the cheaper and more compact dongles on the market, I like the new Roku Streaming Stick.

Its UI doesn't heavily favor one service the way the Amazon Fire TV Stick does, it doesn’t require an outside device like the Google Chromecast, and it's faster than both. It can bypass the pesky captive portals that keep some streamers from connecting at hotels, and its app now lets you connect headphones for private listening. For $50, it does almost everything you need, and does it well.You can liven up that hotel room (or the drive to it) by blasting some music (or just some NPR) through a quality Bluetooth speaker. There’s an overwhelming number of options to choose from, but the JBL Flip 3 nets you a full, smooth sound, about 10-12 hours of battery life, water resistance, and a sturdy, colorful design for less than $100. It’s good value.If you’re backpacking or generally heading outdoors, though, a more diminutive speaker like the JBL Clip+ might work better. As its name implies, it has a built-in carabiner clip that lets it easily attach to a bag or belt loop. It also has the same water resistance. It can’t get as powerful as the Flip 3, naturally, but its sound is still crisp, clear, and largely free of distortion. It’s a superb choice in the $40-50 range.

As we’ve noted before, HooToo’s series of TripMate devices are explicitly designed to make traveling more convenient. The TripMate Titan is the high-end model of the group, and acts as a serviceable portable battery, travel WiFi router, and network-attached storage all at once.It isn’t outstanding in any one of those areas, but it’s the rare all-in-one that actually does multiple things well. It isn’t particularly big, either. For $59 (normally), it’s a fairly affordable way to consolidate a few handy devices into one.Still, many of you may not need a travel router or NAS to make it through your trip. A portable battery, on the other hand, is almost always something you’ll be glad to have brought with you.Anker is a tried-and-true name in that market, and its new PowerCore batteries are smooth, slim, and efficient. At $20 for a 10400mAh unit or $40 for a 20100mAh pack, they aren’t overly expensive either.That they have near-perfect user reviews on Amazon at the moment should give you an idea of how reliable they are. If you have a long ride ahead, there’s just a heightened sense of security that comes with having one of these things around. They’re usually worth the bag space.

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Then there’s the obvious power-related stuff. Regardless of what gadgets you bring on your travels, it can never hurt to have a few spare microUSB and/or Lightning cables around in case one gets misplaced along the way. Again, Anker has reliable and affordable options here with its PowerLine microUSB Cable and Lightning-to-USB Cable.Likewise, if you wind up in a hotel room that doesn’t have enough outlets to charge all your devices, a small power strip like Belkin’s SurgePlus Mini Charger can come in handy.Finding steady internet on the go (or in a spotty hotel room) is a notorious hassle, but you can bypass much of that annoyance with a mobile hotspot. If you can’t or don’t want to use your phone as such, Verizon’s Jetpack MiFi 6620L is a dependable, consistently well-reviewed option. Like most MiFi routers, it’s not cheap, but Verizon’s network has long been the fastest and most expansive in the country. If you live on the road, it could be a wise investment.Finally, your gear will be more prone to disasters when you’re outside the confines of your home. As such, it’s worth another reminder that you should really go out of your way to backup your data before heading off. If you’re working with a handful of important files in particular, bringing along a spare flash drive is a simple and space-efficient way to keep them safe.

The differences between most USB sticks aren’t enormous, practically speaking — just make sure you buy a USB 3.0 one — but the SanDisk Extreme gets you proven fast read/write speeds and a fair amount of space at an affordable price. With a 4.6 rating after 1,800 Amazon reviews, it’s shouldn’t let you down. Google is reportedly working on a brand new tablet that will look and feel just like the Chromebook Pixel, save for two key differences — it'll run on Android and it won't be attached to a keyboard.Google's current Chromebook Pixel devices are laptops that run on its Chrome OS operating system, which is based on its Chrome browser. The new tablet would essentially be a tablet version of Google's Pixel line of Chromebooks, and the company plans to call it the Pixel C, according to Android Police, which claims to have received information from insider sources. The new device will reportedly launch in November, but Google is likely to announce it at its big event in San Francisco on Tuesday.

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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I drove a $44,000 Buick Terrain Denali — and it could give Audi and BMW something to worry about (GM)

The GMC Terrain Denali has been redesigned for 2018.

The new crossover is sleeker and smaller, but it still exudes GMC purposefulness.

We think it competes under the radar with big-name luxury brands.

GMC and Buick are companion brands in the General Motors hierarchy, sitting between mass-market Chevy and upscale Cadillac.

As such, they hold down the tricky near-luxury space. Near-luxe was more important when GM sold more brands. You didn't jump from Chevy to Caddy — you passes through Pontiac and Oldsmobile and Buick to get there.

Buick has traditionally appealed to affluent suburbanites, while GMC was more of a truck brand. But now with SUVs and crossovers resurgent in the US market, GMC and its premium Denali trim level have a entirely new role to play, that of a almost-luxury competitor to true luxury brands, but with a bit more robust capability for activities like towing trailers.

We've been generally impressed by GMC and especially by Denalis — the Acadia was one of the best SUVs I drove in 2016 — so I jumped at the chance to check out the mid-size Acadia's little brother, the compact five-passenger Terrain Denali. This SUV has a base price of about $32,000, but our 2018 all-wheel-drive vehicle stickered at a well-optioned $44,370.

To put it bluntly, the Terrain Denali is absolutely tempting if you live a typical suburban existence, face down bad winter weather, and make occasional forays into the wilderness and have stuff to tow. The crossover shares a platform with the Chevy Equinox, an SUV we've expressed some qualified enthusiasm for in the past.

Nicer than the Chevy it shares a platform with

The Terrain is considerably nicer, with premium materials and appointments. Out tester was equipped with a gutsy 252-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines that deliveries a sub-seven-second 0-60mph sprint and can tow 3,500 lbs. (Upscaled Equinoxes can match those specs, by the way.)

Looks-wise, the Terrain has that rugged, competent GMC thing, although the 2018 comes with a "floating" roof — the roof appears to hover above the Terrain's body. Still, it comes off tougher than the Equinox, and it certainly exudes a truckier vibe that many other crossover, which are erring on the side of resembling beefed up sedans or wagon, rather than domesticated SUVs. This is really what makes GMC stand out as a brand: its pickups look far more chic than their mass-market cousins, but its crossovers occupy a middle ground between purposeful utes and snazzy luxury rides that would recoil from actual dirt and mud.

Compared to Terrains of the past, the second-generation vehicle is smaller and lighter. The downsizing is a positive, as the all-new Terrain is a breeze to drive: stable, relatively quiet, but also maneuverable, with easy steering, responsive brakes, a firm but not stiff suspension. You can sense that if you took it offroad it would be able to manage some rocks and trails, so long as you didn't push your luck. There's a selector between the seats that allows you to switch setting, depending on the conditions.

Easy to drive, with excellent tech

The nine-speed automatic transmission never struggles and helps the Terrain yield a decent 21 mpg city/26 highway/23 combined. Cargo capacity is fine for weekly grocery runs and could handle a family of four's luggage for a weekend trip.

On the technology front, the vehicle comes with GMC's version of General Motors' excellent infotainment system, which makes Bluetooth device pairing a breeze, connects with OnStar to provide 4G LTE wifi, and provides AUX/USB options to go along with SiriusXM satellite radio, good voice recognition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and capable built-in navigation. The Bose premium audio system sounds great, as it has for us on every GM vehicle that's been equipped with it.

The options list on my tester added up to just over $4,000, much of which was consumed by a large sunroof. The rest was made up a suite of driver-assist features, including lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, and automatic braking. We also got heated a cooled front seats and heated rear seats.

In all, a lot of vehicle for the money, and in the Denali trim, a worthy alternative to flashier crossover offerings from the major luxury brands, with whom GMC is stealthily competing.

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juniorformulamotorsport · 6 years

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5th September 2005 A Weekend At The Races

So we had quite a weekend in Germany. For those of you who want to know about it, here it is! It isn’t all cars…

Thursday didn’t start off too well, with the damn car having another nervous breakdown, and me ending up having to coax it to the local garage after I dropped Lynne off at work. At least I had already planned on working from home for the day, but it meant I lost a couple of hours from the day that I could have made good use of. Anyway, Robert arrived reasonably on time, we picked Lynne up from the office, and trekked cross country from there to Stansted airport. Apart from a desperate phone call from Megamarshal and the others, who were already in Germany, there were no alarms en route and We made decent time. The call was because the landlady of the wonderful Gasthaus Rodarius speaks no English, and the rest of my friends speak no German, and they were failing utterly to communicate. After I’d sorted out who was in what room, and that we would be arriving very late and she should give our keys to Megamarshal or Andrea, we made what now seems to be our habitual restaurant stop at the Seafood Bar for dinner (seafood platter this time, made more attractive because they were out of oysters and were replacing them with massive prawns).

Germanwings got us off the ground in pretty good order and we were nicely on schedule landing at Konrad Adenauer airport (Koln/Bonn). The trouble was that on time was 23.00 hours and according to the Michelin route planning software we still had an hour and twenty minutes driving to do – and that in a VW Golf Automatic. Now I don’t like automatics. I find the lack of a third pedal disturbing in the extreme, and this was a particularly temperamental version of the breed, which tended to hunt through the transmission of its own accord, often in the wrong direction! So that was fun as we tried to find our way across the Eifel mountains. We finally arrived at Oberbaar a little after midnight, which meant we had enough time to unpack and fall exhausted into bed, cursing my employers because the shortage of holidays is what meant we had to go out so late on the Thursday.

Anyway, we didn’t get as much sleep as we would have liked, but we did at least manage to postpone any real activity till after breakfast. I’d warned the others that the breakfasts were pretty enormous that last time we’d stayed there, and so they proved. Lots of rolls, hams,cold meats and cheeses, and various jams and spreads, a semi-compulsory boiled egg, fruit juice, cereals, yogurts, you name it pretty much. And this for an amazing 24 euros (around £16) a night! After escaping from Frau Rodarius, who is one of the World’s great talkers, we arrived at the circuit in good order, got set up in a corner of the press office, and settled in for the long haul. There was a bit of cursing involved, because to get to the press office at the Nurburgring, you have to park on the other side of the main road and walk in. There was a shuttle bus waiting, but he reckoned it was no distance at all to the press office, and declined to take us. So we flogged across the footbridge to the circuit side of the road, across a second, much higher footbridge and along miles of corridors, dragging laptops and cameras and all the other peripheral stuff you need, thinking deeply uncharitable thoughts about the shuttle bus driver!

I was also soon thinking uncharitable thoughts about Dell keyboards, because my space bar was beginning to stick and I wasn’t looking forward to a weekend of reporting in gibberish! Anyway, it’s a very smart press office and the wifi access was available pretty much all weekend, which is a first this season… We settled in, watched testing, and then took a wander to find a lot of people in the paddock in various states of excitement because they’d been round the Nordschleife, which is the long, twisting old circuit, that is mostly considered too dangerous to race on now. As it’s too dangerous to race round, it’s open to anyone who wants to to drive on, on payment of a handful of euros! The hire car companies would be getting some very worn tyres back on Saturday evening, and would probably be wondering why…

We had a fine afternoon, gossiping with the Kimballs, and with all sorts of other people, and eventually, after qualifying, left the circuit, planning on eating at the Restaurant Pistenklause, in the Hotel Am Tiergarten in Nurburg. The others had been the night before, and were quite reasonably raving about it. They specialise in Italian food, including pizza, pasta, and meat cooked on a hot stone. It was very good, though the stones did make it more than a little smoky as the evening wore on. We found ourselves in the middle of the restaurant, which was rapidly filling up with all sorts of racing people (Michael Bartels, Duncan Huisman and some of the other sports car drivers), including all of the Carlin team. We had a chat with Alvaro, with Christian and with Charlie, and spent some time abusing Stephen Jelley on his Dad’s instruction. Oh, and it’s possible Mike Conway smiled at us, though a driver of our acquaintance claims this is one of the signs of impending apocalypse (the other being Daniel Clarke making an intelligent remark). We also acquired a couple of photographers in need of a room for the night because they couldn’t find the place they’d booked into. We sorted that out though we don’t plan on making a habit of it… I’d though the days of the the “Stella, can you…” phone calls were over, but clearly they aren’t. And so, to bed earlyish.

If we ever find out whose idea it was to run the second qualifying session at 8am, there’s a number of people in the F3 paddock who want a word or two, possibly with a baseball bat studded with nails… We had to have breakfast at the unspeakably early hour of 6.45 and were at the circuit by 7.30, the first people in press office before the lights had even been switched on… It was not my idea of a good thing and the right answer, I know that much. The pine trees were still mist-shrouded and the sun was just beginning to burn through it before the cars came out. It seemed like cruel and unusual punishment, we just couldn’t figure out what for. Anyway, once everyone had woken up, we were able to get on with a good day’s racing, which got ever more satisfying after a bizarre first win for James Walker. The points position at the end of the first race meant that only Alvaro or Charlie could actually win the championship any longer, and Alvaro only needed 12 more points to wrap up the title.

Much as I like Charlie, I’ve been telling Alvaro since April that he was going to be 2005 champion, and as I explained to Charlie I don’t like to be wrong! And by the end of the afternoon it was all over, and Alvaro Parente is the 2005 British F3 International Series Champion, to our great delight – even though I did shed a tear or two as he crossed the line at the end of the race. Everyone was kissing and hugging wach other, and lots and lots of photos were taken of the new Champ with all the people who had supported him, no matter how tenuously. Eventually we tore ourselves away, and went back to the hotel, where we celebrated in style with a couple of bottles of sekt (German sparkling wine), before we split to go our separate ways for dinner. Lynne, Robert, Megamarshal and I fetched up at the Dorint back at the circuit, where the Pfifferlinge (wild mushroom) menu proved wildly tempting (the soup was wonderful, as was the rump steak with lots and lots of mushrooms) and we had a relaxing evening, prior to more sekt back at the gasthaus, where we reflected on what a long strange day it had been – as if James Walker winning wasn’t strange enough, I’d actually managed a conversation with Mike Conway after months of trying to get him to communicate, and was still in shock!

I woke up still smiling on Sunday, and finished the last little bit of reportage before breakfast! We had a late sekt breakfast (Frau Rodarius knew things had gone well for us, and said she’d like to offer us a bottle to celebrate), before we packed and finally checked out. We meandered back to the circuit to try and send the last report off, only to find there was no connectivity and no one had any idea when there would be any. We stuck around long enough to enjoy the sight and sound (and the rumbling coming up through the floor) at the start of the LMES race, then took ourselves out of there and on a short drive to Maria Laach for a wonderful lunch at the Seehotel Maria Laach, which started with 3 of us and eventually became seven, when Andrea and Megamarshal joined us after a lap of the Nordschleife, and then Cassandra and Al arrived about half an hour later.

We couldn’t get a table on the terrace (it’s tremendously popular in fine weather), but we did manage to get one in the main restaurant just by the huge French windows that opened onto the terrace, so it was cool and pleasant and we could still see the garden and the pine forested hills beyond. The chef was celebrating the potato, and so I had crispy potato cakes with a pork and mushroom ragout – you can never have enough mushrooms, say I. The desserts were scarily proportioned, and very delicious (we watched a nun tackling an enormous iced coffee with ice cream and wondered what sort of penance she was going to have to do), and all in all it was great way to spend a Sunday.

Afterwards, we walked up to the Kloster, and nosed around the abbey, which was started in 1093, and rebuilt several times, but that still retains a number of splendidly Romanesque features including a fountain that looked very Carolingian to me, even though it would have been too early for the building and anyway it was in too good a state of preservation. Photos will follow, just not immediately. After we’d poked around the building we had just enough time for a short stroll by the lake, and then it was time to drive to the airport for our flight home. We got in just before midnight last night, in a storm that made us wonder if that might have been the start of the impending apocalypse we’d been talking about, but then we realised that no one had heard Dan Clarke say anything intelligent – or intelligible for that matter – so we stopped worrying about it and went off to bed!

Travel 2005 – Germany 5th September 2005 A Weekend At The Races So we had quite a weekend in Germany. For those of you who want to know about it, here it is!

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