#just watched the king in the car park channel four special

[maudeboggins]

I used to see posts about how Ricardians are unhinged and as a plantagenet enjoyer i thought it was just tudor propaganda but wow they really are unhinged

#just watched the king in the car park channel four special

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Yamata-no-Orochi (Part 3) Betrayal

*kicks the legs out from under the table, one by one*

You’d been stuck for hours. It was extremely late but you couldn’t sleep. Caesar and Chu Zihang drove in circles before finally parking in an alley to wait. At first, it was all emergency vehicles -- Police, Fire, and EMS -- then there were many reporter trucks with satellites mushrooming from their roofs.

After that, the streets got very quiet and occasionally you spotted dark sedans driving far below the speed limit, like sharks on the hunt. Hydra was looking for Mingfei and Erii.

You lay in the back seat to keep hidden. You were still in your silver Cheongsam and heels. You stared holes in the back of the driver's seat and listened to the radio. Seventy six people were dead. Only a single person was injured. They were painting it as some wild street race gone wrong. People were describing fiery debris. Bodies, some of them in various degrees of dismemberment, were strewn all over the street. It would take days to recreate the scene. One of the things the reporters quickly picked up on was the lack of wounded. How could a car accident be so catastrophically fatal?

But the noise of the radio faded away in your mind. Instead you were remembering when you first saw Z. It wasn’t in real life. You first saw him in your dreams. When you were hurt or frightened by the nursery staff, Z would appear and ask you what you would like to happen to those people. If they stuck you with needles you would say, “I wish they would be stuck by a million needles.” And then watch as they were stuck, screaming and crying in pain, just like you were.

Or if you were beaten by the nurses, something horrible and perverse would happen to them in your dreams. Like one round nurse would swell up so big and red you could see her veins through her transparent skin and wherever you popped her she would bleed.

When you first saw Z in real life, it was the special day when you graduated from the preschool section to the adolescent section and started to use your soul skills in experiments. He stood tall and proud, his bright red-gold eyes gleaming at you. He smiled at you, a warm smile like he was the king and he could have picked anyone in the world but he picked you. That smile was a gift that beckoned you to run towards him. You thought it was a dream. But he opened his arms and hugged you.

In the back of the car, tears fell at the memory. You’d never been hugged before. Ever. A warmth spread from his arms and his body and filled you. It made you bright. It opened your mind and heart and let him in completely, without reservations. After that he was your best friend. Between him, you and Renata, you felt privileged, you learned quickly how to navigate your dangerous world and soon you were the oldest and most successful hybrids there. You were sure to go to the capital.

It was only at Anton’s death that Z showed you the truth, but he didn’t help you survive Black Swan overtly. You still had to watch your friends die. You assumed Z died too. He never reappeared in your dreams again until you nearly died in Chizuru and then you were so happy to see him again. But your relationship changed into something far more intimate. You didn’t know if you were ready for something like that. But he certainly did.

At least he never lied. He never explicitly said he loved you. He didn’t even say you could love him either. He said you didn’t know any better. Of course you didn’t. He’d groomed you since you were a child.

Remembering that made it hurt all the worse. A great shadow has fallen over your past. Now you had no happy moments to reflect on with Z. Everything was full of crevasses that hid questions and doubts. Like the boulders that would forever separate Izanami and Izanagi from each other in the underworld, you and Z were now irreconcilable.

“I haven’t seen a patrol in the past 15 minutes. Think we’re clear?” Chu Zihang asked.

“How the hell should I know? We take a risk if we wait 15 minutes or an hour.” Caesar responded. “You okay back there MC?”

You look up at him, his blue eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. “I’m pissed.” you growl.

“I bet you are.”

There was more to be said but now was not the right time.

You end up making it a room across from the hotel where Erii was staying. Lu Mingfei was waiting for you there.

Mingfei cracked open the door and then let you in.

“Take off your clothes!” Caesar said coldly.

His voice was so sharp and harsh that Lu Mingfei immediately did so, removing his shirt.

When Mingfei unbuckled his belt, Caesar snapped. “Keep your pants on… turn around.”

“Oh, you were so serious I thought I had to take off all my clothes.” Lu Mingfei said.

Chu Zihang and Caesar curiously admired the dense lines of scars on Lu Mingfei’s back. They were so numerous that you could not find a single unmarked spot on him. It was like he had endured a beating of a thousand strokes or had rolled over a bed of knives. Even Caesar and Chu Zihang were stunned speechless.

“Are you done looking? I’m kinda cold.” Mingfei peeked over and startled at the sight of you. “Ah! You didn’t tell me MC was here!”

“She doesn’t care, stop wiggling!” Caesar hummed. “Incredible self-healing ability. A trauma of this magnitude would take at least 3 weeks to heal even at a top-notch medical center. But only eight hours have passed since you were attacked. You should have bled to death on the spot.”

“That’s because the wound began to heal itself the moment he was injured. The blood vessels stopped bleeding on their own, so the blood was locked in the body. The cells filled in the wound by a high rate of division. Even the ruptured tendons were repaired.” Chu Zihang said. “This self-healing ability surprasses that of Chisei Gen and MC.”

Could this be why the principal rated him as S-rank?” Caesar mused. “If he always had this ability, wouldn’t he make the perfect meat shield? If we have another gunfight with someone, we can send him in front of us to Main Tank the damage while we lay down suppressive fire!”

“The so-called lack-of-childhood must have been an act, then? Boss, you’re so familiar with the term ‘main tank’. What do you play? Warcraft or Warhammer? Anyways, shut up about that, we’ve got a bigger problem!”

“We already know, even if you didn’t come to us, we came to you. Every news channel is broadcasting what happened last night.” Caesar grabbed the remote from the chair and turned on the TV.

You already knew the story, so you don’t bother watching it again. Something else was bothering you. Caesar said she was 21, and was staying at a love hotel, but he also said she was wrapped around his finger. Didn’t Caesar say that he was hoping for Erii to fall in love with Mingfei? The whole idea suddenly made your skin crawl!

“Caesar. Is it alright if I go to the bathroom?”

“Huh?” Caesar looked up from the TV. “Yeah sure whatever.”

You walk inside and shut the door and get as far away from the door as you can and lean against the wall. You cross your arms, your nails biting into your biceps. You understood that Erii was potentially dangerous and that was evident today. But all you could think of was Z’s gentle hug, his indulging in your punishment fantasies, the play time and the jokes. It was all fun until it wasn’t. You recall the souvenir Mingfei got from her after she rescued him, a little duck bath toy. You’d tteased him for playing with it. Mingfei said he would never bathe with a duck.

He wasn’t that much of a kid.

Fire like a kiln blazed in your stomach. This was the person Mingfei had wrapped around his little finger? As Caesar had so blithely put it? You flush the toilet and pretend to wash your hands and open the door.

The boys were already moving on, talking about something else.

Caesar was standing next to Mingfei and handing him a card. “Meet at Pier 7 in Tokyo Harbor. The address is written on this.”

“What if she loses control while on the ship?” Lu Mingfei looked frightened.

Caesar handed him a box of medication encased in a glass vial to Lu Mingfei: “Isoproterenol, a strong anesthetic. Give her this medication. It will reduce her vital signs to a minimum and she will sleep until she gets to China. Give her some glucose half way through the trip.”

“But she’s very weak now!” Lu Mingfei raised his voice. “Injecting a very weak person with a strong anesthetic and only living on glucose for seven days? What if she dies?”

Caesar patted his shoulder: “We don't want her to die either, but this is the most feasible way to deal with it right now. She is a deadly weapon that could get out of control at any moment. And we can neither continue to hold this dangerous weapon nor return her to the Hydra, so the only way to do that is to send her out of Japan. It would take a bit of a risk, but it would get her out of Tokyo, the center of controversy. She’s the strangest hybrid we know of, perhaps related to the awakening of the White King. And with her gone, it would be the equivalent of a dangerous element being removed.”

Wait a minute. This didn’t sound like Caesar. The way Caesar was talking about her to Mingfei was not the way he talked about her to you. The way he talked to you was that she was a beautiful girl and that hoped Lu Mingfei and the Uesugi Clan Chief would get together!

Mingfei seemed convinced by this however.

Chu Zihang spoke up. “Caesar and I have discussed this before we came. And this is the only way. Find an excuse to take her out and bring her to the dock tomorrow at exactly four in the morning. She trusts you and should agree to board the ship with you.”

Chu Zihang’s words were like a bomb going off. “Uh… excuse me!” You say.

“What is it?” Caesar asked, his voice slightly dismissive.

“Why don’t you just tell her the truth?” Your face was awash in indignant confusion.

“What? Are you kidding?” Mingfei squeaked.

“No, I’m not kidding! Caesar just said,  ‘make up an excuse’. You’re going to lie to her!” You lower your voice to a whisper but point sharply at the hotel across the street. “Do you think she’s stupid?! When she finds out that you’re lying, she will go absolutely nuts!”

“MC.” Caesar took a breath. “MC… I know how you feel but now is really not the time.”

“No, you’re being cruel. Mingfei, you should know better!” You snarl. “You are her only friend, her only one! You are under an obligation to be upfront with her or else you’re no better than Herzog! You should know better. All of you should know better!”

“Hey…” Caesar growled, his eyes darkening. “This is completely different. Don’t compare me to that asshole.”

“What if she loses it? You don’t know if she can handle that sort of information. She’s extremely mentally unstable!” Mingfei whimpered.

“There is nothing more destabilizing than being betrayed by the people you trust.” You stare at  Caesar accusingly. “After all this time, after all you know about me. You turn around and pull this?” You take a shaking breath. “She is a child.”

The room descended into an uneasy silence and no one moved or spoke. The only sound was the continuous rain on the window and the rumble of distant thunder.

“That’s your plan? Tell her the truth. Are you going to take responsibility for her going on a rampage after she hears that she’s dying? Not everyone is that strong, MC.” Caesar was completely expressionless. He only got this way when he was upset.

You take a breath and let it out. You start to speak and nothing comes. You shake your head, struggling. “The man who told me I was dying was the man who loved me.” 

You turn away and leave the room to regain control of yourself.

A few moments later, Chu Zihang exited with a box of tissues but he quickly saw it wasn’t needed. You were just staring blankly at the wall in the hall. 

“Caesar has decided to let you go. He wants you to stay with Mingfei tonight and go with them to the docks tomorrow. Take the ship to China with them.”

“What’s stopping me from telling her the truth on the way there?”

“Mingfei will drug both of you.” Chu Zihang said.

You turn to look at him and then immediately turn away, your heart sinking. “He views me the same way. So much for the ‘I'm not Godzilla’ speech huh?”

“Things aren’t always black and white. A lot has happened. You’re in obvious danger from something we don’t understand. You may not realize it but your mental state is not the same as when you arrived.” Chu Zihang’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Your mind is going too.”

You just shake your head. “All I hear are excuses. Excuses for him to be a hypocrite.”

Chu Zihang sighed, and you see for a moment how tired he was.. “You don’t have any say in the matter. The decision is unanimous, not only between me and him, but also Lu Mingfei.” 

You drop your arms from your chest, limply.

He looked down at you, his eyes cold. “If you defy the orders, I won’t hold back. From your training you should understand what I mean.”

The door opened and Caesar walked out. “Alright, let’s go Chu.” He paused next to you, his eyes cloudy. “I care about you. I really do. But there’s too much you just don’t understand. We’ll talk about getting you back to Japan once this is all over.”

You look up at him and shake your head. “The key to my survival is in Tokyo. If I leave, you won’t see me again..

He reaches out to hug you and you let him. You take a deep breath of the smell of his shirt which still smelled of those fine Cubans. It might be the last time. He really did believe what he was doing was the right thing even though it directly contradicted what he said before. 

“Don’t say goodbye. I’ll see you later.” Caesar said. “Keep an eye out on the two love birds.”

He walked away and didn’t bother looking back.

You return to the room with Lu Mingfei and sigh. “What a mess.”

He laughed but there was no humor in it.. “Yeah no kidding.” He was holding a modified pistol in his hand, one of Caesar’s Desert Eagles!

“What… are you doing with that?” You shiver violently. 

“If she gets out of control, I will have to shoot her. The bullet inside is specially made to be completely lethal. Even to dragons.” He mumbled. His eyes were dark pools and you couldn’t read the emotion in them. “If, for some reason that doesn’t work, you’re to finish her off.”

“Will you use that against me too?”

After a long silence he continued. “Turns out we actually are going to be at war this whole time. Me and Erii were never going to happen. You and I were never going to happen. I tend towards being a human. You and Erii tend towards the dragon side. If we go to battle, we have to use all our resources against each other and fight tooth and nail. It doesn’t matter if you sit together on a Ferris wheel or… talk all night on the phone or… run through the streets in the rain.”

He lifts his head to you. “If that day comes, we just have to grab our weapons and fight.”

He looks back down at the gun. “You were raised to fight. It’s what you know. But Erii… she doesn’t know anything.”

Outside the window it was pouring rain.

#Dragon Raja

[ourfavcanadianshawn]

No Feelings Allowed|S.M|Chapter Seven {just two idiots}

<<Last Chapter|Masterlist|Next Chapter>>

A/n: Wow I wrote this in only a day. That deserves a pat on the back, yay go me! Alright everyone just keep in mind that Y/n is studying to be a doctor. A lot of references to the past couple of chapters, enjoy!

word count: 2612

prompt: shawn and y/n have some unfinished business that they decide to…tend to

“Why do we keep playing this game like there are no feelings involved, when in the end that’s all there’s ever been?” { @i-see-you-mendes }

The hospital corridor felt stuffy: a undertone of bleach swirled in the air, people perpetually were not regulating their sneezes and or coughs, and the sound of snores coming from patients or the cries coming from visitors. Each wall radiated a freshly painted stench that spoke the word absurd, the last time the walls were painted was back in the eighties. Every nurse seemed calm and non-haste. The only difference in all of them is that some captivated the ‘I don’t have time for this’ look and the others grasped the ‘I’m ready to take care of you’ look. In other words, some held a smile and some didn’t.

“Okay Y/n would you mind taking a look at the analysis report from the chemotherapist for Darcy Lewis while I go check on a newer patient?” Dr. Manson asked, lifting his gaze from a clipboard in his hands. His eyes suited on Y/n, who was across the room writing a report. Her gaze shifted up to her mentors eyes, she nodded in reply.

“Of course! Do you need me to email you the final copy of it once I go over it with the patient?” Her shifted gaze stayed put on Dr. Manson as she shut her laptop.

“That would be great. Also make sure to tell Anna to go through with that diagnostic for Tim Weatherly,” Dr. Manson approached the door before turning back to his intern, “and could you do a stop in with Lily? She really misses hanging out with you.”

“Are you sure? What about the other patients?” A concern strikes her face as she perked up in her seat as the sound of the name, Lily.

“Of course, Y/n. It means a lot to me. You’re one of the only people who can make her smile and feel normal. Phill and Anna can cover the rest of the patients. Please just go do it...for me,” Dr. Manson rested against the doorframe, sending a pleading stare to Y/n, “take her to the bottom level of something, please Y/n if you want. Her days are believed to be numbered, I don’t want to watch her go without a smile.”

Y/n frowned at the feeling she would feel about losing the young girl. Her eyes trailed back to the door where Oliver(Dr. Manson) stood. She smiled and nodded her head, “okay.”

“Thanks, it means a lot to me Y/n. I will see you at one thirty for that finalizing of that diagnostic,” Oliver chucked while throwing a thumbs up to Y/n.

“Bye,” she waved to him. She tucked her laptop into her bag and started her journey to the examine room.

The hallway had as much personality as the rest of the hospital. The floor is slate grey and the walls that pure white color. Above, the ceiling is made from those polystyrene squares laid on a grid-like frame. There are commercial prints on the wall, tasteful in the dullest way. This place definitely isn't ran by risk-takers. Above every door she passed, a large plastic sign, dark with white lettering- no crazy fonts, just bold and all-caps. Her eyes fall to the hard-boarded clipboard in her hand, it’s roughness gave her hand the scratchiest feeling.

She finally looked up again at above the doors to see the illuminating sign of the examine room.

A hand of hers went to the keycard around her neck and scanned it onto the card slot. As the door opened she smelt the whiff of cleaning products. Several different doctors and their interns sat together, discussing different plans for their patients. On the far other side of the room were four see-through windows. Only two held a surgery in it. These were for the interns and trainees to preform a simulation of a real life surgery with a dummy, or if they were lucky the would get a actual human who did in fact need surgery.

A couple interns sat on the opposite side of the room on their computers, most working on reports.

“Anna, Manson wants you to go through with that diagnostic,” Y/n approached a short blonde currently stepping outside one of the simulation rooms. Anna slid off her gloves and mask.

“Okay, the one for Tim Weatherly?” She slipped off her scrubs, holding onto Y/n for support as her slippers came off.

“Yes, that’s the one. Manson is checking on a few cases also. And he wants you and Phill to take over the next few patients of mine, he needs me to go check up on Lily,” she compiled, handing Anna her clipboard.

“I’m also gonna need Lily’s document. I need to read up on a few things, catch up on everything,” Y/n added on and followed Anna over to the younger females category.

“M, M, M....Here we go Lily Manson,” Anna said, handing Y/n the document.

“Okay see yah at lunch? You want to get sushi?”

“Actually, Phill asked me out to lunch...” Anna smiled lightly to her co-intern.

“Really?!? That’s great! Oh my god it’s about time! Well then I will see you at Manson’s office for final check ins?” Y/n started on her way out as she saw Anna nod her head yes.

“Hey Lily, how are you doing?” Y/n entered the bright eyed twelve year olds room.

“Y/n? Oh my goodness, Y/n! I missed you. Are you a year older yet? Have you got a boyfriend yet? How is your dog? How is your friends and family? Why didn’t you tell me you we’re friends with THE Shawn Mendes? Huh? Oh, have you ate the macaroni yet? I highly recommend it—“ “Lily! Yes hi I’m here. Slow down, I barely heard a word you got in and–What?!?” Y/n came rushing to Lily’s bed. “How did you know I was friends with Shawn Mendes?”

“It’s all over the news. Pick up a tv remote or magazine one day, would yah?” Lily chuckled, grasping onto the tv remote beside her. She turned on the tv and turned it to the celebrity news channel.

“Shawn Mendes sneaking around with mystery woman? Hate to say it to the Mendes Army but your ruler could be taken... the girl Mendes was apparently ‘sneaking around with’ is his former high school best friend Y/n Y/l/n. The two were seen at a club together in Toronto earlier last week and it seemed something really connected between the two...”

“Andddd here’s another one...” Lily changed the channel.

“Ten things you must know about Y/n Y/l/n, the old friend of Shawn Mendes’ who seems to be stealing his heart. Starting at ten, Y/n is a University student at University of Toronto. Leave it to Shawn to find a very well educated girl. Nine, Y/n was friends with Shawn even before fame. Could she just be using him for the mon—“

“Shut that off now!” Y/n hollered, pointing to the television remote.

“Okay, okay calm down. Here,” Lily cut off the tv and gazed down at her blue blanket.

“How about we focus on you? How have you been feeling?” Y/n started to walk over to Lily’s collection of toys.

Lily shrugged and ended up smiling when she Y/n picking up her favorite doll, a American Girl doll named Amber.

“I’m doing good. I feel like someday soon I will get to go home with my dad, and soon I will be cleared of everything. No more sickness, no more gowns, no more wigs, no more crying. I will finally get treated like a normal kid! Look my hair has started grow back, I forgot what my hair felt like,” Lily beamed, rambling about her hope.

Y/n cracked a smile but it dropped soon after, knowing Lily may never go home. A sadness ruptured in her knowing this was the way her grandma went. The first stage of her dying was hair growth. Then hope begin to rise and then she got terribly sick.

“Lily, you are a normal kid...” Y/n inhaled deeply, saddening her look to the young girl.

“No I’m not. I’m a freak. A diseased freak!” Lily yelled out.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I can’t go outside ever. I can’t see other kids. I don’t have friends, and I have cancer Y/n. I don’t even go to school!” A frown played on the girls mouth as she turned her gaze away from Y/n.

“But Lily, think about it. It’s like being a princess. You’re to special for anyone to see you. The king, you’re dad, keeps you inside to protect you. A prince is out there trying to get into the castle but can’t. He has a feeling of how amazing you are...” Y/n trailed off when she saw a big smile appear on Lily’s face.

“He thinks I’m a princess?”

“He’d be crazy not to,” Y/n commented before both of their head turned to the clearing of a thought at the door. They both saw Dr. Manson standing there with someone standing behind him.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting, I wanted to spend time with my Lily. My schedule cleared for the day and so that means you’re free to go Y/n. Also you have a visitor...” Oliver stepped to the side to reveal Shawn.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice rang through the room as she came closer.

“To talk to you about the other day. I want to hangout with you today—“ “Oh my god! You’re Shawn Mendes!” Lily screamed, pushing off her blanket and jumping out of her bed.

“Lily!” Oliver grabbed his daughter and set her back into the bed, “you’re not supposed to get up.”

“Bye Lily, I will see you tomorrow.”

“What do you want actually?” Y/n asked as she slid off her coat and set it on the coat rack.

“To talk. I’m sorry about the other day of the hockey game, for being snarky,” Shawn said, running a hand through his hair. His eyes stayed on her every movement.

“Fine you talked. Time for me to go...”

“Wait,” he clung onto her wrist like magnetism, “at least let me take you out for lunch?”

“I honestly cannot believe you convinced me to get in a car with you,” she argued, still in outrage.

“Listen I think this a good idea for us. Bonding, eh?” He rubbed his elbow up and down her arm as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Oh please, you sound like my brothers after they went to go fuck one of my friends,” she batted his hand away and kept a stare on the window. Y/n wasn’t even interested by anything from the passing environment out the window. Her mind just stayed focused on trying to make this ‘bonding time’ with Shawn as short as possible.

“Listen we both owe each other explanations, Y/n.”

“For what?” She bit back, her head spun faster than Shawn could drop a phone of one his fans.

“Me for writing that song about you—“ “I don’t care that you wrote a song about me doofus.” She waved him off.

“Then you wouldn’t care to learn and know why that I wrote other songs about you?”

His reply grabbed her attention and it caused her to jump at him, “what? You wrote more songs about me? Tell me now!”

“I will at lunch but in return...”

“In return what?”

“You have to tell me why you were so upset about me leaving you in bed alone after the night we—“ “Oh no...don’t even say it,” venom dripped from her voice.

“The night we had sex...” He smirked over at her, knowing it would push her buttons.

“Talk about me not really changing from high school...you’re still a annoying little prick,” she rolled her eyes over to him, causing the smirk to jump off his face.

“Hey! I bet you didn’t think of that when I stayed around when no one else did, and helped you with all the shit going on in your life. Lauren thought I was cheating on her! Y/n I was the only fucking one there for you—“ “Why? Why did you stick around with me when you could have been with Lauren?”

“Because I’m a good friend and...wanted to help you...” He sounded like he was questioning himself.

“Bullshit Shawn, I know you and you would not do that. You stuck around for two years while I went through that shit. My grandmother, my mum, and my dog passing away...Why were you there?” She screamed at him as her floodgates opened. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Because I was in fucking love with you!” Shawn screamed right back, making a thick tension in the air.

“You were?” She whimpered, feeling lightheaded. “Yeah.”

“Oh,” she nodded.

“I told her...I fucking told her...” Shawn repeated as he wondered into Geoff’s apartment.

“Dude did you lose the bet?” Geoff came running to his mates side.

“No...I told I was in love with her though and told her I wrote so many songs about her,” he planted his head into his hands as he took a seat on the couch.

“Did you say which ones to—“ “Yes, Geoff. I told her basically every. Fucking. Album was about her. Ruin, Roses, Never Be Alone, Crazy, Imagination, Life of The Party, Kid in Love, A Little Too Much...which ones am I forgetting?” Shawn paused.

“Oh um, This is What it Takes....Oh and There’s Nothing Holdin Me Back. We know your story was bullshit. Sure you saw the name Y/n as one of the characters but just her name got you in your feelings. You got to stalking her instagram and then you wrote that song...” Geoff concluded while sitting next to Shawn, “so how do we still help you win the bet?”

“I have no idea...”

“Shawn what is up with you? You’ve barely eaten your dinner,” Karen, Shawn’s mum spoke up.

“What? Oh nothing...I just need to talk to Aaliyah,” Shawn grasped his little sisters hand and brought him up to his old room.

“What?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“Ok, what I’m getting ready to say will sound stupid but—“ “I’m a firm believer of whatever comes out of your mouth is stupid,” Aaliyah cut him.

“Hey guess what?”

“What?”

“Shut up,” Shawn chuckled before continuing, “Y/n and I are in this bet thingy and whoever admits to having feelings first, loses. I told I used to be in love her yesterday. I have no idea what to do...”

“First of all, you both are idiots. Second of all, you already both love each other—“ “No we don’t!” Shawn argued, taking a seat on his sisters bed, “I still can’t believe you took my old room.”

“Don’t change the subject. Now back to what I was saying...why don’t you take this bet as a opportunity to make her yours since your plan at graduation got fucked up...” Aaliyah reasoned, taking a seat next him on the bed.

Shawn knew she had a point, but he just didn’t want to commit to it. His eyes trailed from his sister to her nightstand. It held a picture on top of it and it was a picture of him, Y/n, and Aaliyah in Dallas during the first Magcon. He saw how skittish fifteen year old Shawn was around Y/n. He was just blushing at how he had his arm around her. His face was super red and she had her head leaning on his shoulder, she was just being herself while Shawn was flexing in the photo.

He mentally chuckled to himself at how stupid he was, and soon realized what he was lying about what he had said earlier to her.

#shawn mendes #imagine #shawn #mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #fanfic #hey #part #seven #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes imagine #shawn imagine #shawn fanfic #mendes army #reader #shawn x reader #fluff #angst #yay #have fun #enjoy #so close to the end

[sbknews]

Hickman denied the home hat trick by O'Halloran but crowned Milwaukee King of the Mountain

Peter Hickman was denied his first ever Bennetts British Superbike Championship triple victory in race three at Cadwell Park, when a last lap mistake gave Jason O'Halloran the opportunity he needed to grasp the lead on the final lap to celebrate his first win at the Lincolnshire circuit. Hickman had a spectacular start to the weekend, claiming Faye Ho’s FHO Racing BMW team their first Superbike race win yesterday. The local legend was then able to carry the momentum into the second race of the weekend, despite coming under pressure on the final lap from standings leader O'Halloran. O’Halloran got a tremendous launch off the line in race two, leading the pack on the opening lap but Hickman was instantly on the attack. However, it wasn’t until lap nine that he could make a pass on the McAMS Yamaha rider, diving down the inside on the brakes at Mansfield. Hickman continued to try and break his rivals, edging out an advantage over O’Halloran but the Australian reeled him back in over the final three laps. The McAMS Yamaha rider was within striking distance on the final lap, but despite piling on the pressure, Hickman had the edge at the chequered flag. The battle for third was initially between Christian Iddon, the region’s fastest plumber Lee Jackson, and the Irwin brothers, but disaster struck for the VisionTrack Ducati rider when he crashed out of third at Charlies on lap four. Jackson then had the upper hand, but Tommy Bridewell was storming through the pack after another bad start, running in eighth on the opening lap. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider first moved ahead of Glenn Irwin, and then hit a top three position with a decisive pass at Coppice on lap 14, pushing Jackson back to fourth. Bridewell was able to break the group behind him, but reigning champion Josh Brookes had been building momentum throughout the race from his fourth row start, and was able to force his way through to fifth. The lone VisionTrack Ducati rider held off Glenn Irwin, who was then embroiled in a fight with his brother Andrew, as the pair exchanged blows, but it was the Honda Racing rider who had the edge. Andrew Irwin’s seventh place put him just ahead of rival BMW rider Bradley Ray. Ryan Vickers, still feeling sore after his high-speed qualifying crash, was ninth as Storm Stacey returned to the top ten. Tarran Mackenzie was watching from the sidelines after the McAMS Yamaha rider decided to sit out today’s races after breaking his finger in his race one crash yesterday. In the final race, O’Halloran hit the front to take the initial advantage off the line, but by the time the pack had reached Park, Glenn Irwin went for a move down the inside to grab the lead. O’Halloran was then pushed back into third place when Hickman made a move on lap three, before the FHO Racing BMW rider was able to take the lead at Mansfield two laps later. Bridewell again had one of his bad starts off the pole position, which dropped him down to fifth on lap one, but by the sixth lap, he had wrestled his way through into third place. The leading trio remained the same as the previous two races with Hickman and O’Halloran ahead of Bridewell, until the closing stages. Hickman managed to save a big moment on the final lap, but it meant that he lost momentum at Coppice. O’Halloran seized the opportunity and made a decisive move down the inside at Charlies. O’Halloran was able to hold off a counter attack to score his first race win at Cadwell Park, and with it claims the Milwaukee Summer Grand Slam Trophy. Hickman meanwhile took second place and his highest points’ score of this round crowned him Milwaukee King of the Mountain. The battle for fourth was between Brookes and Jackson, which went down to the wire. Brookes had made a spectacular pass on Jackson and Glenn Irwin in the early stage of the race to move into fourth. Brookes continued to defend hard from Jackson, but the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider was able to match his best season result, making a move with three laps to go to push the Australian back a position. Today’s fifth places marks Brookes’ best result of the season in dry conditions. Glenn Irwin held off Iddon to claim sixth place with Ray in eighth, but dropping out of the top eight in the standings by just two points. Andrew Irwin and Vickers completed the top ten. Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Race 2 result: - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.155s - Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +0.817s - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +1.672s - Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +7.384s - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +10.159s - Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +10.605s - Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +10.758s - Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +12.567s - Storm Stacey (Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki) +24.172s Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Race 3 result: - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +0.203s - Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +2.332s - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +5.832s - Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +6.004s - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) +8.953s - Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +9.351s - Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +9.669s - Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +10.135s - Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +17.308s Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Cadwell Park: - Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 342 - Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)  223 - Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 223 - Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 205 - Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 200 - Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 165 - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 154 - Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 133 Peter Hickman - FHO Racing BMW Race 2 winner “Race two was certainly a harder race than yesterday, although it is never easy around Cadwell Park! “I was watching my pitboard and was up to 0.7 and then I had a little bit of arm pump, but I saw Jason was getting closer and I could hear him out of Charlies! “I knew I had to be a bit more defensive but not compromise my speed. I got away with it towards the end but it was fantastic to make it a double. “To say I am disappointed to have not made it a hat trick would be an understatement, but it was my only mistake all weekend in the third race. “It cost me the race, so that was frustrating but I am pleased I was able to save it, as the rear came right around at 120-140mph! “That gave Jason the chance and I thought about having a lunge back, but I just wasn’t close enough. “Two wins and a second place, plus Milwaukee King of the Mountain, so I am really pleased with a fantastic weekend for the FHO Racing BMW team as that is a big point’s haul for the championship.” Jason O'Halloran - McAMS Yamaha Race 3 winner “It’s been an amazing weekend. I know we’ve done some triples this year, but that win means a lot to me. "I have wanted to win here for a long time, it’s the closest thing I’ve got to a home round and over the years I’ve had a lot of local support from both the fans and people sponsoring me so it’s a special place for me and I’m really pleased I could do it. "The whole team have done an awesome job this weekend, we were up against it with the weather so we had to use the races to figure out a setting. Each race the bike was better and in the last race the bike was the best it’s been all weekend. "The pace was so fast, fair play to Peter he was setting a really good place at the front but I never gave up, hung on for as long as I could and went for the opportunity when it arose. I’m really pleased with the weekend and can’t wait for Snetterton.” For more info checkout our dedicated British Superbikes News page Or visit the official Bennetts British Superbike Championship website www.britishsuperbike.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews

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[jonboudposts]

Calling Out to My Past: Rap Music and Suburbia in the 1990s: Part 1

It begun with a record.  Bigger and Deffer by LL Cool J.  My older brother got hold of it, played it regularly and I could not help but listen. For a young boy with attention problems, this had the amazing effect of bringing me some kind of centre point for a while.  After lots of pestering, he recorded onto cassette for me and it rarely left my Walkman. It is obvious to say, but in the mid-1980s outer-London suburbia, this was a new sound; a genuinely unheard type of music.

These articles will not be any comprehensive history of hip hop culture; this is just about how it affected my life; how it helped me form my character and switch me on to a world outside; of injustice and the need to fight back; of a world where imagination to create was not restricted or sneered at. This is not nostalgia because that disease needs killing off; this is just about life.

I grew up in the suburbs of Hillingdon.  Not a place full of diversity, nor originality.  While the social upheaval of Rave was going on somewhere in the country, ‘going out’ in my world meant going down the park, or sometimes to Harrow or Uxbridge shopping centres.  Live music did not exist and record shops were not on the agenda; we bought our 7” singles in Woolworths.

Houses were either the post-war verity or the new builds that look like show houses for your own remake of Village of the Damned.  Some were pastel; many had a Vauxhall of some verity on the driveway.  The music these people listened to was universally appalling.  I somehow knew from early on it had nothing to do with me.

They like things the same and are not into relating to difference. These are the sort of people Heart FM and Magic were invented for.

The cover of Bigger and Deafer had a many in slick clothes and a chain around his neck, standing on a car bonnet.  Somehow I knew it was New York City.  The sound, as the cliché goes, was like nothing I had ever heard before but really, that’s the truth.  Beats were not coming from a drum kit; there were no guitars or synths and central to it all was one confident man with amazing word skills.

Even kids in my primary school had no idea who LL Cool J was.  As my brother got bored with the record, I got that too.  I would not have thought of myself as the type who liked poetry but something went in my head when I heard things like the opening lines of My Rhyme Ain’t Done:

 ‘The president woke and he called the pope

The pope planted heaven on a golden rope

PS the Lord raised Michelangelo from the dead

So he could make a fresh painting of my head’

Now bragging is something that became tiresome in rap music and everywhere else pretty quickly but lines like that were at least a little inventive; calling upon the almighty to raise a great artist purely to paint your portrait. The wordplay was something that always impressed me. Rap music was from another world and that was before it fully opened my mind to the social reality of American life.  This was giving us news, while we were still recovering from the BBC re-cutting footage of the miner’s struggles at Orgrieve.

The next few years passed without incident musically (or much else). Music came from the radio and rarely stayed in the head for long, although as mentioned there was something brewing in the fields that you occasionally caught wind of, perhaps while watching late-night Channel 4, but that was as close as I ever got.  My life was a tired, cultural wasteland.

Then, I became a teenager.

One day, it must have been in 1992 or early 93, I was walking to the train station when I saw some kid with a Public Enemy t-shirt.  It looked like my thing; the three main members sitting around a skull, Flavour Flav smiling with his mouth full of gold teeth; some uniformed heavies standing behind them.

Later, probably in an Our Price, I took a punt on the album Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black, whose cover was the t-shirt design.  I remember first hearing it on a Saturday night; it made an impact.  Public Enemy’s best is generally accepted to be It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet and I agree; but A91 will always have a special place for me – my introduction to the harsh beats of The Bomb Squad’s production that can still loosen your teeth and the rhyming dominance of Chuck D on songs about the lasting legacy of slavery, police harassment and brutality – all so sadly relevant today.  The unrelenting nature of this music, not letting you up for air yet still having positive messages, was very influential.

This music was almost always a Walkman thing.  As I got further into the genre the amount of naughty words were going to be a problem if my parents over-heard (although it is debateable they were ever switched off enough to not really know), so bar the odd-Saturday afternoon when everybody was out, music listening was a clandestine affair.  I could be in the same room as the family, moronically staring at the TV for another episode of Only Fools and Horses or Noel Edmonds on whatever weekend pap was allowing us to forget the oncoming Monday morning; but I had a different soundtrack pumping through my earphones.  They got served the mainstream; I sat at the back of the living room with a revolution beginning in the head.

Public Enemy became a staple but then there was Ice-T.  A former criminal turned rapper who documented life on the tough streets with an authentic voice, inventing Gangster Rap in the process.  He bragged a little, but specifically made the point that he (and you) were as good as anyone; Going from a broken family, passing through gang life then moving to Beverley Hills to a big house full of guns, in case anyone took a real dislike to his presence.

Another boy in my school, a posh white boy from the pricey end of Northwood, leant me Power and OG (Original Gangster).  These albums contained a fully-realised artistic vision; the tales of modern street life, criminality and consequence; standing up to authority and learning to stand up against injustice.  The message was ‘I may have been poor and black in America, but now I am rich and black and not backing down’.

However this is not a rosy look back; consumption of the music of Ice-T was not without it’s problems. His attitude towards women was pretty shit; nothing but fuck machines really, but that has always blighted the genre.

Similarly Ice Cube had indulged in this sort of thing, but he also gave us the undiluted rage of what it was like to be on the receiving end of police harassment and brutality.

When we saw the LA riots on TV, it was of course shocking but there was zero attempt

by the news to enquire why this was happening – why were some people calling it an uprising?  To begin to answer questions like that, we had to turn to The Predator.

In an interview with Hip Hop Connection magazine, Ice Cube had praised the response in LA to the acquittal of four police officers who had been caught on video severely beating a man named Rodney King.  He expressed regret that some people had been hurt, but pointed out that ‘America doesn’t hear pickets and protest singing, she just hears mass destruction’.

The Predator was an historical document according to one writer at the music magazine MOJO.

Through listening to that album I learnt who Darryl Gates was (‘that’s where all the hate went’); through Cypress Hill’s Black Sunday I learnt about how to mix musical style from punk intensity (as Public Enemy had done) with a more laid back style that did not compromise on the content on the song.

Through the 2 Live Crew (yes they were shit but still), Ice-T and Body Count, I learnt about censorship and how it worked and who it targeted.  Why was there a live version of a Phil Collins song on Capital FM where he talked about a woman who ‘may fuck up your life’ and my parents didn’t have a problem with him?

I was not a mainstream suburban boy; I never had been and it was clear never would be; now I had my own taste, a growing interest in politics and the stories of the dispossessed; plus my wardrobe was changing to include t-shirts of my favourite artists and jackets with a logo of some US football team called the LA Raiders.

Everything had changed.

 End of Part 1

[thehungrykat1]

The Fun Never Ends at Universal Studios Singapore

Our trip to Malaysia and Singapore last year had us visiting three different theme parks in a span of four days (Read: Seaside Vacation at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour in Johor, Malaysia). You can really say that we are still kids at heart because we never seem to outgrow these lovable toys and characters. We definitely saved the best for last because our last theme park-hopping destination brought us to Universal Studios Singapore at Sentosa Island.

It’s my second time to visit Universal Studios Singapore but this time I brought my sister with me to share the fun. This is Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park, featuring 24 rides, shows and attractions in seven themed zones. You can find Universal Studios Singapore inside Sentosa Island, which is itself a major entertainment hub that also houses Resorts World Sentosa and other tourist attractions.

The theme park is open daily from 10:00am to 8:00pm except on weekends when it is open until 10:00pm. A one-day ticket costs SG$76 which you can easily purchase online. If you want to make your visit more special, get the Universal Express Unlimited for an additional SG$50 which gives you VIP access so you can skip the lines on each ride.

Some of the popular attractions here include Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs. CYLON, the world's tallest duelling roller coasters. There is also the Revenge of the Mummy indoor coaster and Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. We’re not really the adventurous types when it comes to rides so we’re happy taking photos with Optimus Prime.

The Waterworld live-action show is based on the blockbuster movie where guests can witness a tidal wave of death-defying stunts, along with thrills and spills from real explosions of fire and water. It was like watching a movie with all the cute actors and sensational special effects.

We seem to like the kiddy attractions more, so we joined Elmo and Super Grover in the world’s first Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase. This high-flying adventure is designed for the whole family as you zip through the space mission and meet all your favourite Sesame Street characters.

We also watched Elmo as he directed his own TV channel on Elmo’s TV Time. His friends from The Sesame Street star in this comedy, action show, and reality talent competition all in one.

We want cookies! There are several snacks and dining establishments around the park so you will never get hungry. The prices are a bit on the high side but that is to be expected.

The Shrek 4-D Adventure is a fairy tale adventure that continues from where Shrek the movie left off. Join Princess Fiona and Shrek on their honeymoon adventure that will make you jump off your feet. The line here can be a bit long but it is really worth the wait.

You can also see Shrek in person at the Hollywood Dreams Parade. Dance and sing along to the thrilling beats with all your favorite characters in this captivating spectacle as you join the chorus of energetic dancers and magnificent floats. The parade is presented only on selected Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

This dinosaur seems to be getting thirsty. We had lunch at the Discovery Food Court and I ordered a very appropriate Milo Dinosaur paired with their Hainanese Chicken Rice set. 

I already rode the Revenge of the Mummy ride on my last visit and it was a hair-raising experience, so I’m content just taking photos outside the attraction. 

Meet and Greet sessions are also available throughout the day so guests can catch their favorite characters up-close. Shrek and Fiona were resting at their tree house so we took the opportunity to get some photos with them. What a nice family picture!

The lovable Puss In Boots and Kitty Softpaws flaunt their slick flamenco moves in The Dance For The Magic Beans. Guests can just sit on the sidewalks and watch the street performance. After the show, make sure to take photos with the feline stars.

You can also take a ride at the Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey roller coaster, and join Puss and Kitty on this anti-gravity, swashbuckling adventure atop a giant beanstalk in search of the precious golden eggs.

But we are both happier riding King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round. This crazy carousel ride is not just for kids but for the young-at-heart as well with its high-energy dance music in a festive beach scene.

I also remember visiting Universal Studios Singapore a year earlier with my elementary school friend, Paulene, who had migrated with her family and currently works in Singapore.

She was my tour guide around Singapore that time so we did a lot of sightseeing and catching up on old times. She also tricked me into riding some of the scarier attractions so I know which ones to avoid this time.

The park also needed some repairs that evening so I was more than willing to help out.

Aside from Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa also offers many other exciting activities for the entire family. After out visit to the park, my sister and I then checked out some of the other attractions like the S.E.A. Aquarium. 

The aquarium is home to more than 100,000 marine animals of over 1,000 species, across 50 different habitats. I got to have a close encounter with these nurse sharks, stingrays, giant moray eels, octopus, and lots more.

There was even a special Pokemon exhibit during that month so we also got tickets to see what was inside. The Pokemon craze was still very much alive that time so we had fun going around the displays and activities.

One way to see the entire Sentosa island is by getting on the Sentosa Cable Car. This is actually one way of entering or exiting Sentosa but we bought round trip tickets so we can get go back to the island and explore it some more.

It was just unbelievable riding the cable cars high above these gigantic cruise ships. We literally went on top of the ships and I was amazed at how big they were. The glowing night lights and the magical view really made this such a wonderful experience.

Our trip to Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa were truly memorable and I’m so happy that I have my sister to share all the fun with me. Our next sisterly bonding trip is coming soon so we are both excited for our upcoming adventure.

Universal Studios Singapore

Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa Island, Singapore

[phone]

www.rwsentosa.com/en/attractions/universal-studios-singapore

www.facebook.com/UniversalStudiosHollywood

#UniversalStudiosSingapore #UniversalStudios #ThemePark #Singapore #Family #Fun #Entertainment #Rides #Sentosa

[midlifechic]

A little while ago I mentioned that just before Christmas, I was invited to review the newly refurbished Pentonbridge Inn in Cumbria. I don’t know about you but I’m busy plotting things to look forward to – so I thought I’d give you the lowdown on why this place is worth a visit. It’s close to home for us but we’d travelled from one end of the country to the other because we arrived straight from spending two days in London celebrating my win at the Blog Awards. We were weary, feeling grimy and polluted after our urban partying and a country break was just what we needed.

Sweater dress (now in the sale); Boden boots circa 2005; Hope scarf (AW15)

Where is the Pentonbridge Inn?

It’s located bang on the border between England and Scotland, about 15 miles east of the M6 so it’s easy to get to. [custom-mapping map_id=”9642″ height=”300″]

What kind of place is it?

An old country inn that has been brought back to life by the owners of local Netherby Hall. It has been considerately refurbished using natural building materials and enhanced with tweed and velvet furnishings. The clientele seemed to be mostly well heeled locals. There were a lot of extended family groups, probably because it was Christmas, along with a few thirty-something couples.

Why would I go there?

For a complete rest. The inn is surrounded by countryside and you have a 360° view of both England and Scotland for miles around. As soon as we walked in, I felt relaxed. In fact all that I wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon was burrow down in one of the comfortable armchairs and do absolutely nothing at all…

What makes it special?

The focus at The Pentonbridge Inn is on the food. I had been told this by the PR agency beforehand and was expecting simple but good country style cooking. I was mistaken. The food is a few scales above anything I have experienced outside London. I say this seriously because we have both of Simon Rogan’s restaurants (L’Enclume and Rogan’s) on our doorstep. In my opinion, the food at The Pentonbridge Inn blows them out of the water.

Lunch

This isn’t a foodie blog but as you know, I do enjoy eating so I want to take you through what we was on offer. We started with lunch and here’s the menu to give you an idea of what was on offer:

I chose the cauliflower soup which was liken molten cauliflower cheese. It was smooth, rich, velvety… I don’t have the adjectives to describe how delicious it was. Mr MC’s meal in the foreground was the poached egg with mushrooms and ham. Also fantastic.

We knew we had some serious dining ahead in the evening so we skipped the next course and went straight on to puddings. I had the treacle tart which was the only thing that I felt was a bit sub par – it didn’t give me the tooth-crumblingly sweet hit of my childhood. Mr MC chose the local cheeses which were served with membrillo.

The rooms

We could have relaxed in the bar all afternoon but our cosy room was calling us…

… the box at the foot of the bed contained a Smart TV that popped up giving us the option to log straight back into the boxset we were watching on our Netflix account as well as other channels.

So Mr MC was happy. I was drawn by the bathroom and spent an hour wallowing in the bath, using some of the Scottish Noble Isle ‘fireside’ scented bath products…

…I was tempted to have a shower too – just because it was so beautiful!

There were lots of thoughtful details in the room such as a Roberts Radio playing Classic FM, a Nespresso machine with capsules and fresh milk and remote control skylights – a huge relief to me because I have to have fresh air to sleep well.

Dinner

So that was our lazy afternoon. We changed for dinner and went down for an apéritif in the bar which was now bustling. There are two options for dining, a relaxed menu in the bar or the choice of à la carte or tasting menus in the restaurant. We knew we were going to be served the tasting menu which always makes me a bit nervous. However they asked if we had any particular preferences so I was able to veer away from foods that I just can’t face such as game and offal.

Our table had a fabulous view of the chefs at work. It was interesting to see just how calm the kitchen was. It is run by husband and wife team Jake and Cassie White. They have an incredibly high pedigree having been trained by Marcus Wareing at ‘Marcus’, his two Michelin starred restaurant at The Berkeley in London.

The food went way beyond my expectations. This is what we ate:

Amuse bouche: cauliflower cassonade, lambs’ sweetbreads, crispy cerleriac

Starter 1: slow poached hen egg, quinoa and cep mushroom crumb, shitake soup, parsley oil, parsley and shallot salad and castel franco radicchio

Starter 2: pumpkin fondant, pumpkin velouté espuma, cows curd, kumquat, sliced pumpkin compressed with clementine and thyme

Starter 3: Orkney island scallop, dashi poached parsley root, walnut, pear

Main course (me): beef fillet, onion fondant, balsamic gel, barbecued leek, toasted cabbage, pickled red onion petals and onion seed, white onion sauce

Main course (Mr MC): Venison, celeriac, crisped and ribboned quince, foie gras, persillade, juniper and hazelnut

Pre-dessert: white chocolate mousse, dipped orange, candied orange zest, yuzu and ginger granita with tarragon

Dessert: shortbread, passion fruit, caramel, tempered 70% guanaja chocolate, condensed milk nougat, milk ice cream, passion fruit gel

Petit fours: blackcurrant and chocolate ganache, lemon drizzle madeleines

Every single dish was a taste explosion. The only element I really wasn’t keen on were the sweetbreads. I did try one. It did have the texture that I thought it might and I did (just) manage to swallow it whole before my mind caught up with what I was eating!

The service was warm, friendly and educational. Each dish was presented and talked through when it was brought to the table so that we understood where the ingredients had been sourced from and how the dishes had been prepared. We discovered that most of the fruit, veg and herbs are grown at Netherby Hall, just a mile away. Our wine was changed throughout the menu to complement the food.

And this was the end result… we pretty much rolled like barrels from our table to the sofas in the bar for coffee, petit fours and cognac.

Camisole top (now in the sale); Sequin trousers (now in the sale)

A bountiful breakfast

The following morning we enjoyed one of the most carefully thought through breakfasts I have ever had. There were  breads still hot from the oven, warm granola bars, yoghurt, freshly pressed juices and fruit followed by a cooked Scottish breakfast.

Any criticisms?

Very few but in the interests of a balanced review we had to find something. As you know we are aesthetically driven and the art at the inn jars, it just doesn’t quite fit with the ambience. A lot of the flowers in the displays both inside and out were artificial which seemed a shame.

Our only other issue was that both the inn and the rooms were very hot. Wherever we go, I am nearly always frozen but I ended up going down to dinner in just the camisole that I had planned to wear underneath my tux jacket which was very unusual. There is a very impressive biofuel energy set up and it was clearly running very well!

What is there to do in the surrounding area?

Walk for 10 minutes and you’re standing on the Scottish border (slightly alarming that police tape is attached to the border sign… and why does the sign look as though it has been beaten with a caber)? Of course don’t forget that this area is brimming with history and the stories of the Border Reivers, the raiders who lived along the Anglo-Scottish border from the 13th to 17th centuries. Scotland and England were frequently at war during this time so the families who were unfortunately positioned on either side of the border formed protective allegiances. It was a time of survival and cunning as they raided each other’s lands and houses, often taking prisoners for ransom.

There was a really interesting book about it in the room and I read the first few chapters. If you are planning a visit it would be worth a read in advance because it really brings the area to life.

The Steel Bonnets

The river Esk divides England from Scotland and this is the view from the bridge. The Pentonbridge Inn can book a rod for you in advance if you’d like to try your hand at fishing. There are salmon and trout to be caught but of course the rights vary depending on which side of the river you are on – they will explain it all to you.

This is great walking country and if we’d had more time I would have loved to explore the riverbank, especially if we’d had Gary with us. Incidentally, dogs are welcome in the bar and there are a number of dog-friendly rooms on the ground floor.

Within easy reach

Assuming you have a car with you, these places are within easy reach:

Penton: the nearest village, lovely walks in Penton Wood

Netherby Hall: currently being restored by the owners of the Pentonbridge Inn and sometimes open to the public, details here

Langholm: birthplace of poet Hugh McDiarmid and The Edinburgh Woollen Mill

Longtown: Arthuret Parish Church, the legendary resting place of King Arthur

Newcastleton: a local town with a music festival at the end of June

Devil’s Porridge Museum: a five star visitor attraction. Find out what life was like in the WW1 trenches and also learn about the part this region played in both wars

The Solway Coast: an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Do a spot of birdwatching as you walk and see pink footed geese, whooper swans, dabbling ducks and oyster catchers. You can also stand at the end of Hadrian’s wall.

Kielder Forest: enjoy the forest or book a visit to the Observatory where you can see the largest area of protected sky in Europe at the Northumberland Dark Sky Park

Further afield

Hawick: many of the world’s leading designers source their cashmere from here. There is a visitor centre where you can see how cashmere is produced and several of the cashmere companies have outlets in the town.

Kagyu Samye Ling: a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery which is open for day visitors for no charge, all year round. You can visit the temple, which is open daily from 6am until 9pm and stroll around the peace garden and grounds. There are also Tibetan Tea Rooms.

Hermitage Castle: where Mary Queen of Scots visited her secret lover. It has a legendary giant’s grave and a mystical history of reivers, wizards and witches find out more here.

Melrose: leave your car here and take the train to Edinburgh(1 hour 20 min journey) for a day of shopping, eating and culture.

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What to pack?

The mood at The Pentonbridge Inn is relaxed country chic. Even in the restaurant there is a very understated style.

    Relaxed Saturday Afternoon

Just relax – have lunch, a glass of wine or two, take a book and some magazines.

1. Blush jumper – just the right nubbly texture to give you the country style look that says “I’ve had it for years.”

2. Girlfriend jeans – the step on from a skinny, a fit that hugs but has a slightly looser, ankle flattering hem

3. Grandad shirt with stitch detail (currently in the sale) – much easier to wear under a jumper or jacket than a collar and you’ll need the layering if you’re sitting by the log burners

4. Ankle boots – add a hint of spring to your outfit, plus an easy to walk in rounded block heel

5. Single breasted trench – for anyone like me who dislikes the lack of symmetry of an open double breasted trench

6. And… add a hint of natural looking polish – this isn’t the place for gel covered talons

Gastro Saturday night

The amazing dining experience you’re about to undergo requires a level of laid back chic

7. Long satin top – easy elegance in a flattering off-white with a sheen that will shimmer in the candlelight

8. Leather leggings in a non-urban navy blue, you’ll be glad of the elasticated waist (these navy leather jeans with a zip at the ankle are heavily reduced in the sale and if you’re lucky they’ll have your size… I’m so tempted because there is a size 12…)

9. Bright embellished flats – this isn’t the place for a vertiginous heel and these will be an elegant shoe as we move into spring

10. The perfect travel companion – a clutch that converts into a crossbody to use during the day. This also answers the conundrum of how to carry a bag when you’re out walking

11. Something silk to slip into when you return to your room. Remember this place is cosy, you won’t need your flannel pyjamas

Fresh Air Sunday

After the sumptuous breakfast at The Pentonbridge Inn, you will want to get out into the fresh air to aid your digestion.

12. A lovely knit with a springtime feel – and yet it’s half price in the sale, be quick

13. Repeat yesterday’s girlfriend jeans

14. An easy to wear quilted jacket with Stormwear protection. Don’t worry about the white, it’s machine washable.

15. Classic country wellies from the brand that is loved by the royals.

Final thoughts

The Pentonbridge Inn has already been added to The Times Cool Hotel Guide and The Telegraph so I suspect its reputation will soar. I won’t be surprised if it becomes a big foodie destination in the north with rosettes and a star or two. Go soon – before the prices rise to match, there is a special offer for dinner, bed and breakfast in January if you’re quick.

Disclosure: ‘The Pentonbridge Inn’ is not a sponsored post. We were invited to stay on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis so that I could write an honest, unbiased review.

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Great British Boltholes – The Pentonbridge Inn, Cumbria A little while ago I mentioned that just before Christmas, I was invited to review the newly refurbished…

#2018 #british boltholes #casual chic #travel #weekend chic

[jungleworldtravels-blog]

As you leave behind your family and friends, with a happy tear or two, and after a magical wedding celebration, a place where two hearts became one, you embark on the beginning of your exciting journey as a married couple. 

The honeymoon is just as much a part of your coupling as the ceremony.  “hony moone” as it was originally known back in the 14th century, leads to the word “honey” and is meant to depict that part of a marriage where there is much pleasure and tenderness.

Where you go on honeymoon can make a real difference to a wondrous holiday or one that starts your newlywed life off on the wrong foot.  So, make sure you choose the perfect destination.

Peru is an excellent choice and if you weren’t sold on this as a honeymoon destination, you will be once we, at Jungle World Travels Luxury, are finished with you. 

Where To Go in Peru?

There are so many options in Peru, a land so diverse and welcoming, but we have selected our firm and most rewarding favorites.  Machu Picchu, Cusco, Tambopata, Puno, Mancora Beach, and Paracas are all excellent choices, and we are super excited to tell you why.

    Tambopata

We begin with a real treat.  A lush, tropical paradise, Tambopata is one of the four districts of the Tambopata Province in the Madre de Dios Region in Peru.  Within Tambopata, you will find their rich and vibrant National Reserve, as well as the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park.

If you are elated by the thought of taking lazy walks through dense vegetation, and the idea of exploring all that nature and wildlife has to offer, then you must consider this organic destination for a Peru honeymoon.  With over 1200 species of butterfly, a bird species that tallies around 700, as well as other wildlife hitting the 100 species mark, you will be kept quite busy in this biodiverse environment.  We guarantee you will be in awe of this luscious Peruvian Rainforest.

  The Best Hotels in Tambopata

Imagine waking up to the sound of a breeze rustling in the trees, a Woodnymph chirping on a branch, and the sun peaking through your blinds with a gentle shake.  Your most romantic honeymoon in Peru could be a reality with Jungle World Travels Luxury

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

The Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica is by far the best hotel to stay at when in Tambopata.  Voted by National Geographic Traveler Magazine amongst the world’s best eco-lodges, you must know you have stepped into greatness. Inkaterra sits right next to the luxuriant Tambopata National Reserve and you will have a bird’s eye view (excuse the pun) of all the wildlife.

Your choices of cabanas at Ikaterra are varied, but all with rustic beauty and charming comfort.  The Dining Room boasts delights for all foodies alike and be sure to try out their amazing cocktails, especially during Cocktail hour.

  What To Do at Inkaterra?

The Tambopata Luxury Lodge offers a myriad of excursions, from a trip to the daring Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, which is not for the faint hearted.  This bridge system is 30 meters above the ground and gives you the unique chance of viewing the wild Amazon from a totally different angle.

Amazon Villa

Your luxury honeymoon in Tambopata couldn’t be more romantic than at Amazon Villa.  The number one reason you need to consider this resort is because, as a newly married couple, you will be able to be completely alone, in your own exclusive bungalow, surrounding by the beauty of the Amazon.

What better way to honeymoon?

Your exclusivity extends to exotic Peruvian cuisine dinners enjoyed in the most romantic setting; monkey watching, bird watching, and so much more.  All this, alone with the love of your new life.

If you were concerned about the rooms at Amazon Villa, you will be pleasantly impressed to know that the décor is authentically countrified, yet delicately fancy.  King-sized beds, hammocks, spacious bathrooms, self-catering amenities, and even electricity.

What To Do at Amazon Villa?

Besides spending loads of time just gazing into each others eyes, you can traverse their 30 meter scaffold canopy tower, and perhaps even get to discover a brand new species of insect.  A boat trip, inside the Tambopata National Reserve to the Chuncho Clay Lick will see you viewing macaws swooping down to eat the clay lick.

If you’re interested in the way the jungle works, you can take trips to a Brazil Nut Concession and a jungle farm Adventurous trips up the Tambopata River in Kayaks or on Stand Up Paddle Boards will be a great highlight of your trip. Should you want some luxury treatments, try the variety of spa treatments on offer, from Deep Tissue Massage to Foot Reflexology with hot stones.

All of this alone, without any interference from nosey neighbors, whilst on your Peru honeymoon.

  Cusco

Cusco is very well known for its archaeological remains and architecture that dates back to Spanish colonial times.  Set in the middle of the beautiful Peruvian Andes, you will be taking much time looking at the baroque style buildings and romantic Inca stonework.

You can adventure out on many Luxury tours in Cusco.  Just ask us at Jungle World Travels Luxury.

The Best Hotels in Cusco

  Belmond Monasterio Hotel

A honeymoon should appeal to all the senses, from what you see to what you feel, from the sounds and to the tastes.  And, Belmond Monasterio Hotel certainly caters to all.  Luxury couldn’t be more apparent in this ironically former monastery.  And, you can feel the peaceful aroma drifting amongst the bushes and trees in the majestic center courtyard.

    What To Do at Belmond?

Belmond is close to all the local delights, such as the markets, restuarants, galleries and walks to explore the historic architecture.  But, if you wish to just stay and enjoy all that Belmond offers, you can choose from two gastronomical restaurants, 122 designer suites, Andean Bath Butler services, and a therapy suite.

Palacio del Inka Luxury Collection Hotel  This hotel boasts almost 5 centuries of history within its walls.  You will be in awe every step of the way. Choose from their many luxury suites, but don’t get stuck in their comfortable rooms too long.  There is much to do.

  What To Do at Palacio del Inka?

Head to the Venturia Tour Desk and ask about their many traditional walks and extreme activities. For a relaxing day, take your pick of rejuvenating spa therapies at their magnificent spa.

The hotel is very aware of the environment and you too can take part in their many environmental practices, when it comes to water and energy saving.

And don’t forget their unforgettable dining experiences at their two restaurants, Inti Raymi and Rumi Bar.  What is a luxury honeymoon in Peru without some gastronomical delights?

One cannot live on love alone.

  What else to do in Cusco?

The best tours in Peru can come from any of the many cities, and we highly recommend you look at the Hiram Bigham Luxury Tren, which is a day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu, through the mountains.  Welcoming staff and comfortable seats will see you enjoying the ancient scenery and looking forward to the Sacred Valley.

Have you ever dreamed of traveling through the Peruvian Andes on a train modeled on the Pullman cars of the 1920s The Belmond Hiram Bingham train not only makes this possible, it turns a magical journey into an unforgettable experience, with personalized service that takes care of every last detail on your trip.  Travel on the exclusive and luxurious Belmond Hiram Bingham train and enjoy the elegant dining car, the bar car, and the observatory*, where you can take in the unmatched scenery in the open air while sipping on a traditional Peruvian cocktail and listening to live local music. 

  Start your experience off with a welcome cocktail. Once onboard, the maître will invite you to a brunch and gourmet lunch. The return trip includes a fine dining experience at dinner. In both cases, you can accompany your meals with beverages (non-premium) and an excellent wine selection.

To the beat of the Peruvian cajón and tambourines, live traditional Peruvian and international music will set the tone throughout the trip for an unforgettable trip to the Machu Picchu citadel.

Your travel to Cusco wouldn’t be complete without one of the best tours in Peru.  Just take your pick.  https://jungleworldtravels.com/en/peru-luxury-romance/

  Machu Picchu 

Machu Picchu’s history goes back to the 15th century, and their surprisingly ultra modern dry-stone walls which fuse blocks without the use of mortar, has made this area a very popular destination. Machu Picchu is an Incan city surrounded by temples, terraces and water channels, built on a mountaintop. It was built with huge blocks of stone joined to each other without any mortar. Today it has been designated cultural heritage of humanity in recognition of its political, religious and administrative importance during the age of the Incas.

The Best Hotels in Machu Picchu

Surrounded by lush vegetation and ancient trails, we have sourced the two best hotels to experience your honeymoon in Peru.

Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel

While Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel is a traditionally family hotel, you will find that there are many reasons to include this on your list of possible destinations for a Peru honeymoon. Devout service is one of this hotel’s main specialities, boasting the best receiving of their guests, and on-the-ball attentiveness.

  What To Do at Sumaq Machu Picchu?

Take an exotic walk to the great waterfall  along the paths where locals walked many moons ago. Indulge in their Peruvian delights, very delicately designed to titillate your taste buds, by combining seafood and citrus.  The art of the Pisco Sour, a exotic and unique cocktail, can be learnt and the recipes taken home to try later.

And, if you so wanted to, you could renew your vows once again with a traditional Andean Marriage Ceremony, called Arac Masin.  We highly recommend this as an addition to the many amazing memories you will experience when in Peru.

https://jungleworldtravelsluxury.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/andean-wedding-remarkable-experience/

  Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu

For a bit more of a modern twist, but still keeping with the magic of the Machu Picchu area, Belmond Sanctuary Lodge offers a relaxing and rustic experiences.

Imagine cool nights by the indoor fireplaces, private patios where you can sip champagne, mountain views to wake up to, and gastronomic a’ la carte dining at either Tampu or Tinkuy Restaurant.  These are all part of this Peruvian honeymoon experience.

  What To Do at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu?

Aromatherapy massages are a must, keeping your body and mind at peace.  The Machu Picchu citadel is a lovely trip and one not to be missed.

And, to get down to the heart of Machu Picchu, attend a passionate Payment to Earth Ritual, an offering to Mother Earth, Pachmama.

Further activities in Machu Picchu are the Mandor Hike, where you can get down with the wild, exploring the many species of birds, amazing wild  flowers, and ferns that date back 2000 odd years.

Your romantic honeymoon tour in Peru is just beginning.

  Puno

Puno is known as the “folkloric capital” and this is due to the many traditional festivals that take place all year through.  You will be surrounded by history and authentic natives that are all too excited to tell you all about their heritage.

  The Best Hotels in Puno

Titilaka – Lago Titicaca – Peru

Titilaka comes highly recommended as the choice whilst staying in Puno.  The Andean lifestyle will come alive as you explore this ancient civilization of the Inca.

Nestled on the edge of Lake Titicaca, this boutique hotel will not only cater to your need for history, but your desire to relax and experience Peru to the fullest with your new life partner.

  What To Do at Titilaka?

Take an entire day on your honeymoon in Puno, and go on an adventure deep into the pre-Inca ruins.  Take the time getting to know the natives and discover just how they live.  If hiking is your thing, then slip on some comfy boots and head onto an ancient trail, filling your body and mind with all that is Peru.

  For the foodies, you are in for a treat at this lodge.  Their in-house Peruvian chef, Maria Fe Garcia, will spoil your taste buds with her contemporary cuisine.  You may just rate this hotel as the most romantic hotel in Puno.

  You won’t leave Puno without at least a dozen new experiences under your belt.  Come play in Puno, why don’t you?

    Paracas

The Paracas experience is one you will never forget. The ancient land is rich in history and the natives are very open to showing you just how they live from day to day.

The Best Hotels in Paracas

Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort

A paradise resort that will have you coming back for more when next on holiday in Peru.  Whether you want a plunge pool at your doorstep or you are happy to walk out into pristine and luscious gardens, Hotel Paracas can offer both.

  What To Do at Hotel Paracas?

Get close to nature on your honeymoon in Paracas, and take a sail to the Ballestas, or a quick flight over to Pre-Incan Nazca Lines. 

Dining is an experience all on its own, with so many options to choose from. With a mix of Peruvian and Mediterranean cuisines, you taste buds will be in awe throughout.  In addition, the views are breathtaking as well.

From the soothing spas to the cool swimming pools, you could stay and never leave this amazing hotel, but there is so much to do in Paracas too.

  What To Do in Paracas?

With nutritious breakfasts, luxury tour Paracas style, pumping your heart as you traverse through the desert, and tented suppers out under the stars, you will be thinking about making this holiday in Peru a permanent annual fixture.

To make your honeymoon experience all the more magical, take a tour with Jungle World Travels Luxury, starting off with a peaceful  Private yacht champagne Bites –Paracas ,Luxury Cruising in the Ballestas Islands along the cool waters, sipping champagne and snacking on delectable bites or Romantic Deluxe Picnic in the desert of Paracas .

Further, on the tour, you will visit the Ica Aerodrome, and take a flight to view all the wildlife that makes up Paracas, from the hummingbird to the pelican, from the monkey to the lizard.  This part of the tour will end up in Lima, and from there, you will travel to Cusco.

https://jungleworldtravelsluxury.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/best-tours-in-paracas-discover-the-mystery-of-the-desert/

    Mancora Beach

Mancora Beach is a place of beauty and comes highly recommended as one of the destinations for a romantic tour in Mancora.

When Peru pops up in conversation, most thoughts go straight to Machu Picchu. Beyond that, Lima gets a little love, as does the Sacred Valley. But generally speaking, the list ends there. Mention Máncora—a strip of sandy beaches on the country’s northern Pacific coast Máncora is a quiet seaside village whose biggest claims are surfing, ceviche, and year-round, sun-drenched skies. It doesn’t take long to fall in love with the under-the-radar spot free of tourist clatter and full of charm. Simply put: If you’re looking for the good things in life without added fuss, Máncora is the haven you’ve been dreaming of. Book your trip with Jungle World Travels

  A tropical delight, where you and your new life partner will be constantly mesmerized on a daily basis.

The Best Hotels in Mancora Beach

  KiChic Boutique Hotel

Modern meets native in the most sophisticated way.  The KiChic Boutique Hotel is a true gem in Mancora Beach.

1 minute from the beach, you only have to breathe and you’re there.  An outdoor crystal pool, a garden lush with the local plants and trees, and an air-conditioned room that offers all your human need amenities, you will never want to go home from your honeymoon in Mancora Beach.

Their rooms are all constructed with furniture locally made and each room is unique.

Your gastronomic adventure begins and ends here, with a choice of vegetarian or fish dishes to die for.

  What To Do at KiChic Boutique Hotel?

As per their catch phrase, “It’s not just a hotel, its an experience”, you can expect some out-of-this-world offerings. For the more active, try an early morning yoga class, a sunset horse ride on the pristine beaches, or swim with the local turtles.

If you choose to relax, as honeymoons are best this way, try a spa treatment, or a relaxing outdoor cinema experience under the stars, all this privately just for you and your other half, with no others.

Jungle World Travels Luxury can offer a luxury tour in Mancora, so tell us what you like, and we will find it.

    Hotel Arennas Mancora

The Las Pocitas Beach is the setting for the Hotel Arennas Mancora and besides its contemporary and chic décor, you will be wow’d by the immaculate indoor and outdoor pool, and all the delights served at the onsite restaurant.

The rooms are to die for, and you may just find yourself spending a great deal of time there, gazing out at the crystal blue waters just meters away. 

  What To Do at Hotel Arennas Mancora?

We should ask, what isn’t there to do?  Activities range from exciting deep sea diving to exhilarating kite surfing; sunset or early morning horse rides along the beachfront, and exploring the sea life with some whale watching.

      What do you do in Mancora?

Other places to visit whilst in Mancora would be the spectacular Lima-Cusco-Sacred Valley of the Incas-Machu Picchu-Mancora.  Indulge in the beauty of the traditional dances, both in their energy and colorful costumes.

  Things to do on your Honeymoon in Peru? As you leave behind your family and friends, with a happy tear or two, and after a magical wedding celebration, a place where two hearts became one, you embark on the beginning of your exciting journey as a married couple.