[57]

The next morning, Nihlus gets up early to prepare breakfast. The weather outside is still terrible. The storm had lessened during the night, but by the time he got back in bed, it had picked up again, accompanied by a fresh chorus of ferocious howls. Now, hard clumps of snow are smacking against the window like the wind’s percussive accompaniment. He swirls the leftover tequila and drains it in one gulp, setting the flask on the table with a loud thunk. There.

Continue reading [57]

[55]

He followed the faint smell of smoke to a stall near the edge of the market, sandwiched between an asari confectionery and a hanar diner. The place looked clean, freshly renovated, with spotless white tiles and clear glass tanks, not a speck of mold in sight. A neon orange sign hung over the storefront, some of the letters flickering once in a while. It was supposed to be artistic, he figured. The glass seemed to be hand-blown, and a permit on the Presidium was much too expensive for such oversights.

The woman behind the counter stood up when he approached. “What’ll it be?”

Continue reading [55]

Misfire Anon Story Collection at smehur.com

I am delighted to announce that you can now read Mass Effect fanfiction written by Misfire Anon, my dear friend and partner in crime, here on smehur.com.

Included is the complete collection of the titular Misfire Fills, the phenomenal slice-of-life ficlets that laid the foundations for our shared Saren/Nihlus verse and inspired many fans to take in interest in this rare pairing. If you’ve never read these, it’s a must! And if you have, this is a great opportunity to revisit them in a new and more reader-friendly environment.

I also wholeheartedly recommend reading (and rereading!) Misfire Anon’s longer works, among which The Other Beginning is my personal favorite, followed closely by Vertigo and Marked.

Misfire Anon has an account on FanFiction, where some of their stories are posted, and on Tumblr, where you can see some of their lovely art.

♥ ♥ ♥

Image: The Fight Never Ends, by Misfire Anon

[53]

“What do you mean,” Saren said, spitting out the syllables, “‘you can’t read it’?”

“I’ve never seen this radical before.” And Nihlus pointed to a symbol that resembled a backwards ‘orn’ with two extra strokes thrown in. “Does that say ‘lorn’?”

Evidently, it did not. Saren’s mandibles actually went slack for a second. Maybe in shock. But the subsequent tucking was fury. Definitely fury.

“You’re illiterate.”

“I think I handled that last report just fine, thank –“

“You can’t read the preface of Service without a translator?”

“I never had to read the preface of Service without a translator,” he hissed back.

Saren shook his head. “Fine. We’ll start with a translator.”

“Sorry, I didn’t load ‘ye olde bird-tongue’ on mine.”

Saren looked like he was about to pick up the substantial tome and break his spine with it.