#and i was thinking that of all people lumen would enjoy sitting on it

[fabledtactician]

irregularly scheduled arknights doodles dump! recent lingering echoes rerun has turned me into a full time goat liker im afraid (+a few other sillies)

#cycha tries to be creative #arknights #ebenholz #its the middle of winter and all im thinking of is the beach....im so tired of the cold #also that couch is my actual coach in my room #and i was thinking that of all people lumen would enjoy sitting on it #the logos one is me findind the banshees kiss artifact in is2

[fandom-necromancer]

Choose your side

To the first Halloween short! This was prompted be the wonderful @derpyfangirl! I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 | AU: Vampire 

Gavin looked left and right down the path. The streetlights failed to illuminate all of the road and Detroit’s city lights didn’t reach that far. But he was thankful for the darkness, it made his plan so much easier. He wore dark clothes to blend into the background better and checked on his equipment. His silver gun was holstered at his side for quick access, as well as a few sharpened pickets, a chain of garlic bulbs and his favourite sword. He covered it with his coat and fell into a short sprint to scale the chain-link fence that was surrounding the old castle. He let himself fall onto the other side and hunkered down to wait for any sign he had been spotted. As everything stayed calm, he made his way over to the walls, crawling through the shadows to the only access point Gavin knew of: A creaky wooden door that would lead to a partially flooded basement. He leaned against the cold stones of the doorway, carefully pulling it open. He risked a look inside the darkness and slipped inside. He didn’t see a thing, but he didn’t need to. With the experience of hundreds of similar visits, he manoeuvred around puddles, his feet searching for elevated tiles and pillars. He could see the distant light of candles now and his steps became more careful. It wasn’t far now, Gavin could nearly feel the other’s presence hovering over him, ready to strike the moment he would step outside. And Gavin couldn’t say he wasn’t looking forwards to it.

He straightened his back before walking through the last arch and stepping into a huge hall. Two curved stairways led up to a gallery and more rooms. Candles were the only source of light, lined up on the railing of the gallery, stone tables at the side of the large hall and huge crystal chandeliers above his head. Gavin walked into the middle of the room, trying to keep an eye on every dark corner. Only then he drew his sword and took position. ‘I’m here!’, he called, a smirk on his face. ‘Now come get me!’ As if only waiting for the challenge out of nowhere the shadows moved and coiled like an enormous beast rising from eternal slumber. They gathered from the gallery and trickled down the stairways to unite back before Gavin. The smoky shadows piled up slowly, only to form a person and attack in a heartbeat.

Gavin parried without missing a beat. His sword caught the other’s and directed it away from his body. The next swing followed, and Gavin evaded it with a simple side-step to attack himself. But again his sword collided and Gavin was caught face to face with his opponent in a stalemate only to be broken by who was the stronger fighter. Blue eyes stared into green and Gavin’s adversary grinned at him, flashing sharp elongated canines. Gavin pressed harder against the sword but didn’t manage to push him away even the tiniest bit. Not until the other allowed it, letting the crossed weapons move closer to his chest before leaning over the blades to meat Gavin’s lips.

Gavin huffed, but returned the kiss, slowly letting his sword sink next to his side not to accidentally hurt the other man. ‘You know, darling, I don’t actually need all that drama’, he muttered against his lips and Gavin smirked. ‘Really? Thought you’d like it!’, he teased, putting his arms around the shoulders of the taller person. ‘I mean, you really liked it the first time we met, Nines.’ ‘Only because you were the only human to even get close to killing me’, the vampire tried for excuses. But then he shrugged, returning the hug. ‘Okay, yeah, you are right, I do like it.’

Gavin let go of him and picked up the sword he had to have discarded somewhere around the time Nines had kissed him. ‘Should I get the kitchen running? Are you staying for long?’, Nines asked, as he picked up his own. ‘I mean, not gonna say no to a snack, but I just wanted you to know I’m out for a mission’, Gavin explained. He kept step with the Vampire as he moved to a door underneath the stairs that would lead them to the kitchen. ‘We got a new lead for some activity over in Chicago, you know someone there?’ Nines frowned next to him and hummed for a while thinking. ‘Hmm, the Chens are strong over there but they kinda went vegan and run a coffee shop now.’ ‘Vegan?’, Gavin asked. ‘Can’t imagine how that would work for you guys…’ ‘Coconut water is similar to the inner lumen of red blood cells, just with different levels of ions.’ Gavin looked at the Vampire next to him incredulously. ‘I guess they use supplements for the rest’, Nines shrugged. ‘And that works?’ ‘They are still around, so I guess. Not really my thing. But at the same time, I got you. No need to feed on the innocent for me.’ He patted Gavin’s back lovingly.

Gavin’s hand subconsciously moved to his neck where the collar of his jacket hid the small precise marks Nines left on him whenever he went for a meal. ‘You going to be alright?’, he asked concerned. ‘I’ll leave tomorrow, but I prepared a few pouches for you. They are over at my place. The usual spot.’ ‘Thank you. But I’ll be. Just be careful on your mission. Most of Detroit’s vampires know not to touch you, but the Stern Clan isn’t really a name in Chicago. I’ll message the Chens though. They’ll keep an eye on you.’ ‘Thanks babe. But I can handle myself.’ ‘Have I ever said anything different? Now come, let’s get you something to eat and then make this night count, shall we?’

-

As Gavin was on his way back to the city trailing the van of his fellow vampire hunters on his bike, he felt exhaustion tugging at him. He craved nothing more than a hot shower followed by the rest of the night spent with Nines in that heavenly soft bed. Nines was so much different to the vampires he met on his job. Sure, all of them were monsters that sucked the blood of humans, but… There were some who had come to terms with the morality of it and some that simply bathed in the feeling of power and bloodlust. It were only the latter who were a real danger. Nines on the other hand…

Okay, yes, he wouldn’t lie to himself. Nines had been dangerous once. But Gavin always had had a thing for danger. And Nines was phcking attractive. He had the knowledge and wisdom of several centuries, helped him with his missions from time to time and was fine with letting a few habits fall. If Gavin was so freely offering his own blood, he also didn’t really need to go and look for victims every other night. They simply fit together Gavin had decided. And after a while they had become what Gavin had most feared: full on lovey dovey romantics. Not that Gavin truly minded if it meant they would spend the night together in bed, star gazing or appreciating just being in each other’s company. Yes, screw the shower. He craved for Nines’ strong arms around him, his dusty scent in his nose and his own hands in his hair. Some peace and quiet after this last mission. He would just have to help the others stow away the equipment and discard of the body. Then he would head straight to Nines’ residence.

They parked the van and Gavin’s bike outside the loading platform of the headquarters of Detroit’s vampire hunters, before heading to the stairs to unload. Then they pushed the roll car with their equipment inside. They were heading towards the armoury, but they would never make it: The great hall was in uproar. Gavin could only see hunters being flung around by the chains they were holding, others shooting blindly and even more sitting somewhere behind cover holding their bleeding wounds. Mostly slashes across arms and legs. Incapacitating blows not meant to kill. That made Gavin look up to the centre of the heavy chains. That was when his heart stopped.

‘Nines?’ He had whispered it to himself disbelievingly, but the enormous head of the giant figure before him turned towards him. It was about two times the size of Gavin and there was no mistaking Nines true form. His giant wings batted away the humans around him effortlessly, while these blue eyes focussed on Gavin only. The snout of a bat, his emaciated looking body with pure muscle underneath tight skin and bony ridges did little to instil fear in him. Gavin had felt these hands hold him, caress him. These lips, whatever form they were could be so tender and gentle. The inhuman screeches could be the most beautiful melody.

‘Nines!’ The party that had just been on a mission with him was looking at him perplexed, but Perkins, leader of the vampire hunters had spotted him. ‘Get him!’, he screamed over the noise. ‘Get the traitor!’ The people around him were still hesitant. Gavin was the best hunter; how could he be a traitor? ‘Now!’ That made them move. Nines growled in anger at hearing the human’s order and with a fling of his shoulder he pulled multiple humans who had tried to anchor the chain across the floor, effectively knocking the hunters closest to Gavin off their feet. That was enough time for Gavin to make his decision and react. He had pulled out his sword and gun and began shooting at his former co-workers. Nines was his everything and he wouldn’t allow them to kill him. Not when he had agreed to refrain from killing humans. Not when he was one of those vampires that just wanted to secretly live their lives with those dear to them. If he had to choose between the hunters and Nines, he knew exactly how to decide. He focussed his fire on the hunters holding the chains on Nines’ left side and the vampire caught onto his thought. He kept his right busy until his left was weakened enough for Nines to break away. He ducked out of the chains and with a single blow of his wings he sent the humans tumbling against the wall. Gavin was caught in a fight against three hunters now and didn’t pay much attention to Nines. That’s why he was startled by the vampire grabbing him and flying towards the round roof window. Nines smashed through it, sending glass shards to rain down on the few quick humans who lined up to shoot.

Gavin began to realise they were out of the hall as he saw the night sky above them. They were soaring through the air and Gavin had to shake off the confusion from the flurry of pictures since he had been snatched from the ground. Nines pressed him hard against his enormous chest and Gavin had to pat against the arm to remind his love he still needed air. ‘What do we do now?’, Gavin shouted up to the vampire. ‘How- How the phck did this even happen?’ Nines landed on the flat roof of a supermarket and changed back to his human form. He opened his mouth to say something, but adrenalin was still coursing through Gavin’s veins. ‘Holy phck you are bleeding!’ Nines looked down on his leg that was slowly oozing a black substance. ‘I’m fine, it’ll heal’, he groaned. ‘Not if it’s from silver, phck, Nines what-‘ ‘I’m fine’, Nines growled again, silencing the human. ‘I went to your flat, I was hungry. They waited for me.’ ‘They were in my flat?!’ ‘Yes. I guess they knew of us.’ ‘Oh, that’s why they sent me on a phcking rookie mission!‘, Gavin shouted and Nines had to hold his arm to remind him they likely were followed already. He had to keep it down. ‘I was caught off guard and they took me to their headquarters. Then you came.’

Gavin nodded. ‘And the hell are we supposed to do now?’ ‘I guess it’s time you meet the family’, Nines smirked. ‘What? But… I’m human. What would you even say to them?’ Nines laughed. ‘I’ll just tell them you killed half of Detroit’s hunters. That will make them like you. Besides, I’m not the first one to bring one home.’ ‘What?’ Gavin looked at the vampire sceptically. ‘Human or hunter?’ ‘Both.’ ‘Who is it?’ ‘Err… well my brother took a special liking to a certain human… Anderson I think was his name.’ ‘That drunk phck has a vampire boyf- Never mind.’ Gavin shook his head. ‘You know, I thought he went slack because of drinking and old age but… Don’t tell me we’ll meet him too.’ ‘Well, I’d think so’, Nines chuckled, holding out a hand for Gavin to take. ‘Come on. We’ll be safe there.’

Gavin was still hesitant, but it was settled as he looked into Nines’ eyes again. ‘As long as we’ll stay together, I’ll be fine.’

#detroit become human #dbh #dbh halloween #Halloween short #Reed900 #RK900 #Gavin Reed #Vampire!RK900 #Vampire hunter Gavin

[vraelgard]

As the leaves change color and fall from the trees, it's obvious winter is fast approaching in Vraelgard. With the beginning of December come the first flurries; coating the streets of Terra and changing the forest of Blackgrove into a winter wonderland.

Another festival is beginning to appear in high swing, as natives in both Terra and Blackgrove prepare for the winter solstice. It's apparently right around Glacia's holiday, but this year it seems there's another tradition that's taken the forefront of everyone's mind. During the solstice, they pray for the safe return of the light, lighting floating lanterns and setting them into the sky to guide the sun home. The idea of a perpetual night in the dead of winter is a nightmare, and it seems the lingering effect of Midnight has not been so easily forgotten by the citizens.

The day of the solstice arrives. Citizens gather in town squares and parks, family and friends together to set their prayers into the sky once it becomes dark. Thousands of lanterns illuminate the sky, and you can't help but feel it's probably more than usual. A majority of the populace sits up all night, trying to make sure the sun does indeed rise.

And it does. Of course it does... The balance between light and dark had been restored, right? The sun reaches its apex in the sky at noon...and then...

It remains.

* * * * * * * * 

"Praying for the safe return of the sun, hm?" says a mysterious figure. "Well, you never really did think about what would happen if you didn't have night, right? Let's see how you feel about it."

* * * * * * * *

At first, the lingering of the sun in the sky can be brushed off. Days are getting longer again, right? But when it's stubbornly refused to move for several hours, people are beginning to grow worried. Where was Lumen to fix this? What was going on? Where was the Viscountess Dawn when she was most desperately needed?

The answers came in the form no one really wanted, but many could not be surprised. Another broadcast from Princess Lilliana, displayed across every screen in Vraelgard.

"Attention my citizens: It appears something grave has befallen our Sage of Light, Lumen. From the reports I have received from those in Whitfield, he has been petrified, just like Tenebrae before him."

Here, the princess pauses, looking uncertain. And then...after a moment, her silver gaze meets yours (somehow, inexplicably) with steely determination.

"For those not native to our world, I once again beseech your aid. I will give you more information on what must be done, and then...the rest is up to you. The fate of our country rests in your hands. May the Goddess Tania bless you."

With that, the broadcast ends, and additional information is received on your phones. Everything you need to know is down below:

WELCOME TO OUR SECOND STORY EVENT: HIGH NOON

What's going on?

Someone seems to have petrified the Sage of Light, Lumen, and stolen his elemental gem, the sunstone. With this power at their disposal, they have effectively ended night for the time being, creating a permanent noon effect.

Not so scary sounding, right? Well...

For those of you with Lumen as your patron, you will find that your powers have grown weaker, and you may feel physically ill. Talk about a bad side effect...

According to reports, those who stay in the sunlight for too long begin to become paler, translucent versions of themselves, losing in addition their sense of identity. If you want to avoid becoming a mindless light zombie, we suggest bringing along some form of protection, like a parasol. Among those affected includes Viscountess Dawn herself...

It seems the answer to saving Lumen lies in the lanterns that were lit for the solstice. Each lantern also came with a small amulet coin attached. If enough of them are gathered, the Mage of Light, Sun, seems to feel he can reverse the damage done to Lumen. As to where you'll find them? Well, they're guaranteed to be scattered over Terra, Blackgrove, and now available...Whitfield.

What will we find out in Whitfield?

Whitfield is known primarily for the rolling fields and farmland, in stark contrast to Blackgrove's forests. The entire area is covered in snow, as it's winter. Unfortunately there isn't much shade to be found here, but why should there be? It's the land of Light, after all!

The main city is unfortunately, for now, unavailable. It seems it's been overrun with the strange light-zombies, and is unsafe for those who haven't been affected. This is also where Lumen's temple is located, so you'll just have to bring the amulets to Sun at the castle in Terra.

The event will run until December 31st, at which point the conclusion will be posted and Vraelgard will officially be on hiatus. As noted in previous posts, this is not a permanent closing, but rather a temporary and much needed break until we feel comfortable reopening. Until then, please enjoy yourselves!

#vraelgard event #vraelgard high noon #high noon

[nyotasaimiri]

What’s Yet to Come

She dreamed about the stars now, every night. Not the quiet fiery orbs her ship orbited, those were her everyday. She dreamed of the myriad, of the stars in every color, of the great hand curled around her. However the dream started, whatever nightmare or memory first caught her mind, it always ended in the stars. They never formed quite the same pattern twice. Nyota had the feeling they were changing in time like steps in an unseen dance. It wasn’t done yet. 

“Not yet,” she murmured, stretching out a hand. “These aren’t my stars.” 

The motion woke her and the stars faded. Nyota sighed and checked the time. A little less than an hour before her normal waking. A second sigh turned into a yawn as she stretched and sat up. Close enough. She might be able to take her morning routine a little slower today.

Nyota was surprised to find that the training room was already occupied when she got there. “Oldarva? You’re up early.”

Eldie squeaked in surprise but turned the flinch into a feint and an impressively accurate kick against the training dummy. “Sorry, Captain, I… Well…”

“It’s alright.” Nyota picked the dummy up and straightened its joints. “You’ve been practicing, I see. Your form looks good there. Shift your weight back just a little more as you finish, so you don’t overbalance and fall over if you find yourself fighting on uneven ground.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Oldarva relaxed and smiled, soft and gentle.

Nyota offered her some water. “Have you been coming up here every morning?”

Eldie nodded. “Nearly, yes. I didn’t want to get out of practice, but I didn’t want to bother you…” She shivered a little as Nyota started detangling her coppery fur a little. “That feels good…”

Nyota chuckled and took a moment to rub deeper against Eldie’s shoulder and ease some post-workout knots out of the muscle. “You’re getting muscular.”

Oldarva gasped, blushed, realized Nyota did that to get a rise out of her, and almost pouted. “Play fair, ma’am.”

Nyota laughed again. “I am. I do mean it.” The laugh turned into a quiet purr. “I can tell you have been working hard for this.”

The blush returned, as did Oldarva’s smile. “Thank you.”

“If you have enough energy for it, I would enjoy seeing how far you’ve come for myself.” Nyota took a ready stance, just a little mischief rising into her smile again. Mischief and excitement. The brief bout with Aly had reminded her just how much she missed sparring.

Oldarva hesitated, as Nyota expected, but then she mirrored Nyota’s stance. “I’m ready.”

The smile widened with pure pride.

*

Arjun shuffled sleepily down into the kitchen, scarf slung haphazardly around his shoulders and hat on only by virtue of not being off. He yawned, then stopped as he spotted the two apex cooking. “…’m I intruding?” he mumbled as both looked up at him.

“No, you’re welcome. Come sit down,” Nyota offered. She turned her attention back to the pancakes—no, not pancakes? They were too thin to be the proper sort.  

Oldarva shuffled over and started shyly fixing Arjun’s scarf and hat. Her hands smelled like fruit. “Did you sleep alright? Your hair is a mess...”

“Slept fine,” he grunted, “just waking up.” He didn’t mind the fussing too much. From what he saw, no one minded Eldie, really, for anything. Even their dangerous captain never hurt her—Something warm was pressed into his hands. He inhaled. “Coffee. Bless you.”

Eldie smiled at him as if somehow aware of what he’d been thinking. But he knew that wasn’t possible. “Breakfast will be ready soon if you can wait a little while,” she said.

Arjun sniffed the coffee again and shrugged. “I got time.”

It was an odd kind of dance, watching them, and Eldie’s steps were bolder than he remembered. She didn’t flinch or shy away or apologize at all as she sliced fruits and blended thick cream to fill the thin pastries Nyota was making. It smelled great.

Brought back some really odd old memories. Hadn’t seen two women working in the kitchen together in decades. No time for that at the smelter or mines. Just a bunch of hot, sweaty workers scrounging for coffee and reheated beans.

He sipped his coffee and focused on the hot bitterness. Back to the present, Arjun. He was old enough to be their captain’s grandfather. The people in those memories were long gone. No point plodding through the past. Too much to worry about in the present. Like their captain… he had not forgotten that “wager” Lumen gave him. He wondered if she knew about it.

A plate settled in front of him, grey-furred hand offering him his choice of cream or berry crepes. So she didn’t know, or was a better actress than she seemed these days. Arjun shrugged and accepted one of each flavor. Those questions could wait until after breakfast.

#starbound #starbound fanfiction #starbound fanfic #writing #as long as we remember #arjun #oldarva #nyota saimiri

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hi! I'm so glad you are taking requests again, this is an amazing blog. Do you know of any tooth rooting fluff? Just cute and domestic. Maybe getting together?Thanks😊

Yeah we do! - Anastasia

Lazy day by Alenacantfly

(1/1 I 270 I General I Sterek)

Derek huffed. "And what about my plans for today?"

Stiles shrugged. "Cancel them."

"For a lazy day in bed with you?" Derek smirked and Stiles knew he had him.

What is this "morning" you speak of? by ohminewt

(1/1 I 441 I Not Rated I Sterek)

Stiles really hates mornings but his boyfriend is one of those weird people who enjoy them. 

Thumb wars by Smowkie

(1/1 I 751 I General I Sterek)

Stiles was never really still, not completely. He could sit still, be patient and calm, but there was always some movement. A foot tapping, a knee bouncing, fingers tapping, chewing on strings, something, always something. Sometimes it was annoying, the foot tapping could be frustrating to listen to, but in those moments Derek usually just gave Stiles his hand and his restless energy would focus on that instead.

He’d bend Derek’s fingers, trace veins and tendons, fiddle with it constantly until one of them had to let go. It was nice, Derek didn’t even think Stiles was aware of what he was doing most of the time, but Derek loved it, loved that distracted focus on himself.

When we're the best of friends by Emela

(1/1 I 1,698 I General I Sterek)

“Momma," Stiles squeals, splashing a little. "Derek said my tail was pretty and I said he was pretty. Are we married now, momma? Do I have to live here all the time now?”

Or the one where kid!Derek meets kid!Stiles and proposals happen.

Intimacy by osirismind

(1/1 I 1,911 I General I Nolan/Brett)

Nolan and Brett have mated. Brett takes care of Nolan. That’s the whole plot.

Mates and Marriage Proposals by lavenderlotion

(2/2 I 5,087 I General I Steter)

He looks around again, trying to see if anyone is looking at him like they might want to be friends, when he suddenly sees the prettiest boy in the entire universe. His heart goes funny, beating a whole lot really fast, and his eyes go wide before he squints them so he can see better.

"Momma," Stiles whispers, tugging on her sleeve and then tugging again when she doesn't look at him. "Momma!"

"What is it, Mieczysław?" Momma asks as she looks down at him.

He motions for her to lean down and whispers as quietly as he can into her ear. "That's the prettiest boy I've ever seen, Momma."

Magic Lumen Agency by Jahamna

(5/? I 6,194 I Mature I Steter)

"Are You a Magical Natural?"

His phone was spying on him, that was the only logical answer. Stiles thought that it was really odd at first, how all these strange ads kept popping up on every new page he visited and how relatable all of them were. This one was promoting some kind of magician kit for kids, with a fake wand and all. Nothing to worry about, if not for the fact that he just had a huge freak out at work, where for a moment he almost believed that he was some kind of Karma wizard.-------Or, Stiles is Magic but doesn't know it, Peter tries to discreetly change that by sending strange ads and puzzling messages his way.

Sharing Food by aussiebee

(2/2 I 9,564 I Explicit I Sterek)

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." ― M.F.K. Fisher

Or

Derek is pretty much absorbed into the Stilinski family, one meal at a time.

Evolved Derek, and all it entails by Stereks_n_sourwolfies24

(37/? I 41,755 I Not Rated I Sterek)

Stiles stared at Derek, panting on the ground with blood pooling around him, face scrunched up in pained grimace. He stared at Derek and thought about all the times Scott had ignored him or dismissed him when he needed his help, when his life was on the line. He thought about all the times Derek had gone out of his way to save him, even if it meant risking himself instead.

“Fuck that,” he said.

And then he was running.

Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back. by ColdHeartedBitch

(39/? I 79,994 I Mature I Sterek)

“It’s a private property.”

Those are his first words to Stiles who stands with wide eyes and jaw hanging low. He should say something. Like simple sorry, for example. He truly had no idea this part of the forest belongs to someone. So yeah, it is appropriate to apologize for trespassing. But guess what? Stiles' brain to mouth filter isn’t having it so instead of apology, what comes out is:

“Oh my god, your eyes are beautiful.”_

Or,the one where Stiles meets Derek in the forest. Somehow, they become friends, boyfriends, lovers, family.

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #steter #peter hale #fluff #anon

[jflashandclash]

Tales From Mount Othrys

Luke: Uncomfortable Beginnings Part II

           “Sing to this cop. I need them both alive,” she croaked, her voice about to give out.

         Jack shook his head frantically. He hugged himself. “No singing,” he said.

         “We helped with your friend,” Luke said impatiently. He was uninterested in this cop’s melodic eulogy (Why would she have Jack sing to him?) and more interested in keeping the contents of his stomach inside of his stomach. This was fine. They were going to need to kill people, right? But, these cops had been innocent. They probably didn’t even know who Greek gods were beyond their commercial branding.

“Yea, we might want to get out of here before their backup realizes they aren’t responding to their radio,” Phil grumbled, “Never thought I would wish for a Cyclops in a group, but some mimicry would be fancy right now.”

Luke nodded, trying not to panic. He had to keep it together.

         Fēi Lín ignored him. Her eyes narrowed at her friend. “Jack.”

         “N-no.��� He shook his head again, his hair bobbing with each shake. His vibrant eyes widened in fear.

         “Jack, he’s going to die,” she said.

         “Oh, he’s already good as dead,” Phil said, “I’ve seen plenty of half-baked corpses in my day.”

         Jack dropped to his knees with a crunch that made Luke wince.

         Luke was about to yell at them again. If this dude wasn’t going to cooperate, they needed to leave him behind.

         Then, Jack sang. The words sounded Latin and Luke caught a few that he thought he recognized, something about, Lumen Christi. Jack’s voice sliced through Luke’s anxiety. For an instant, all Luke could do was absorb the vibrations of the falsetto. Aches that Luke didn’t know he had unknotted and turned to putty. Luke hadn’t realized that he’d chewed his lip raw until he felt the skin close over, smooth and unscathed. The sickness in his stomach dissipated.

         The beauty of the singer’s range made Luke lightheaded and dizzy: a sensation of euphoric belonging that he’d heard other people describe when going to church.

         What little color there had been returned to the pale cop’s face. He exhaled. The pool of blood around his head rippled.

         When Fēi Lín wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, more didn’t appear. She sat up, piercing eyes much more alert.  

         Jack stopped singing.

         They paused for a moment.

         “Well, shit,” Phil said, sounding impressed. “Aw, shit,” he said instead when the pale cop pressed a hand to the floor to push out of his own blood.

         With how peaceful everything felt, Luke almost didn’t think to handcuff the other cop. The one with dimples had woken too. He seemed a bit more disturbed by the handcuffs and gag.

         “Stay still,” Fēi Lín said before Luke could grab the pale cop.

         Her voice no longer sounded weak. It was deep, melodious, and commanded a terrifying sense of authority. Although Luke knew he needed to handcuff that pale cop, he couldn’t get himself to move. All he could do was stare at her horrifically deformed face, wondering why his limbs wouldn’t work.

         The red-head, Jack, sagged onto his side.

         The cops hadn’t moved either. Everyone could only watch as Fēi Lín scooted to Jack, so she could take his face in her hands.

         “I’ve never seen a child of Apollo heal multiple people with one song,” Phil said. He was in mid-crouch to rise but didn’t seem able to finish the motion. “That’s some Orpheus-level shenanigans.”

         “Child of Apollo?” Jack asked. His chest fluttered rapidly. “What are you talking about? Is—is this real?” His question was directed at Fēi Lín as she forced him back into sitting position.

         “Yes,” she said. “Where were you going?”

         Jack could still move. He glanced at the abandoned cop car. Luke knew it was only a matter of time before someone came in or out of the school and saw they had one officer bound and gagged and another seemingly paralyzed. He doubted they could smile and wave and say, “Oh, it’s just a drill!”

“To the station,” Jack said.

         “Why?”

         He swallowed. “Our maid found Mom, Dad, Shelby, and Aston dead in the living room. And—and Charger.”        

         At the word “maid” anger had flared inside Luke, but it ebbed away at the last part of the sentence and the way Jack’s eyes became watery. Luke didn’t want to admit that the pale-freckles in combo with the boy’s band shirt made Luke want to give Jack a hug. Especially when Jack glanced hopefully at each of them, like someone would say his maid hadn’t found his presumed family dead.

         Fēi Lín gently stroked Jack’s cheek. “What happened?”

         “I—I—” Jack’s lips trembled. “I think I accidentally killed them.”

         “Yea, I tend to mistaken when I kill family members too,” Phil said.

         “Shut up,” Fēi Lín said to Phil, her eyes burning. Phil looked like he wanted to say more, but couldn’t. She returned her gaze back to Jack, pity crunching her leathery brow. “Did you tell the cops that?”

         Jack nodded his head, swallowing again.

         Fēi Lín exhaled slowly. She released Jack and turned to the cops. They stared at her with wide eyes.

         “Cops,” she said, “You will get onto your radios and report that you were attacked by masked assailants while trying to escort Mr. Flash to the station. The assailants pulled up in a van, attacked you two, disabled you, and took Mr. Flash as he struggled and screamed, trying to escape. You now think these are the prime suspects in the deaths of his family. You will have no recollection of me, or these two men. Is that clear?” She didn’t wait for a response, though Luke wasn’t sure they could give one. “Now get up.”

         The words were so powerful, Phil stood and Luke felt himself straighten up without intending to. He touched the top of Backbiter’s hilt, relieved he had control over his body again. What Phil had said earlier made Luke tremble. This girl could kill both of us with a single word. Luke hadn’t realized how literal that warning had been.

         In spite of whatever injuries they had sustained, both cops rose.

         There were no bruises on the neck of the cop that Fēi Lín had put into a headlock.

         The other cop’s hat had slipped off onto the pavement. Blood smeared his thinning hairline. There were no holes or fractures, nothing to show he’d been kicked by a barn animal. He looked more like something from a low-budget zombie movie.

         On the ground, Luke could see the paper flower had fallen into the man’s blood, soaking it to a deeper red.

         Both cops shambled towards their car. Neither glanced back or showed any hint of remembering Luke, Phil, Fēi Lín, and Jack were there. The one with dimples didn’t even seem to realize he was still handcuffed.

         “I don’t know how long that will work if we’re still here when they’re done reporting,” Fēi Lín said. “We need to get out of here. Let’s talk in my car.” Fēi Lín reached into a compartment on the side of her boot and withdrew two keys.

         “Wow,” slipped from Luke’s lips.

         This time, Luke felt like he had a choice about moving or staying, but a nagging, foreign sensation inclined him to do anything this girl suggested. He was pretty sure he’d start hoola-hooping in the middle of a battle if he thought it might make her smile. He chewed his lip, debating if he actually wanted to go. Phil and Jack had already started to follow.

         “Woo-ee! Man, I knew you were gonna be powerful, girlie. But an omega two-for-one sale? How do you like ‘em tin cans?” Phil asked.

         “Isn’t the expression ‘them apples?’” Jack rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. He stared at Phil’s hooves warily, glancing at Fēi Lín and Luke as if checking to if everyone also saw the shaggy legs or, maybe instead, if Phil was secretly the shadiest of moving garden decorations.

         “They’re real,” Fēi Lín confirmed. She led them over to a 1994 Jeep Wrangler in the senior parking lot. She didn’t bother opening the door. Instead, she stepped onto the foot assist and hopped over the door.  Luke felt more and more suspicious. He was waiting for Fēi Lín to pull a mask off and reveal a Charles’ Angel or some other secret agent.

Luke and Thalia had survived years outside of Camp Half-Blood on their own, but they had made it to camp when Luke was fourteen and Thalia was twelve. If you can say that Thalia made it to camp, Luke thought bitterly, remembering how often he’d dodged the camp harpies at night to sit underneath her tree’s branches. (Long story.) Anyway, Fēi Lín, and Jack, survived for at least three of four years longer and they were still trying to go to school like normal. How?  

         Luke was terrified this might be some kind of set up by the Camp Half-Blood or that other camp Kronos had mentioned. But, Chiron wasn’t that smart and didn’t plan that far ahead. No one should have known Kronos was rising. Not yet.

         Jack went to the passenger side. He used the door like a sane person. “Is he a monster?” he asked, glancing nervously as Phil crawled into the back.

         “Yes,” Fēi Lín said.

         “No,” Phil said at the same time.

         “Don’t get too attached, we might need to kill him,” Fēi Lín said.

         “Hey, Pouty Face, you coming?” Phil said with no apparent concern for Fēi Lín’s comment.

         Luke had centaurs waiting for them in a nearby forest. While the idea of seeing a satyr ride a centaur again was tempting, he couldn’t think of a way to convince Fēi Lín and Jack to take that alternative transportation. Hopefully the centaurs would be smart enough to follow Fēi Lín’s Jeep. With how often the centaurs enjoyed smashing their heads together, he doubted it.  

         He did not like the thought of getting into this chick’s car without knowing the plan.

         She didn’t wait to hear an answer. Fēi Lín started the engine and shifted the car out of the parking gear.

         Luke rushed over and hopped into the back. His pulse rushed, but… something about this felt right. Camp Half-Blood had almost been boring. He’d lost any control of his life, was not allowed to leave when he wanted, and was only able to supervise children and do chores that he hadn’t signed up for.

         This was liberating: he was back with people closer to his age—Phil excluded—taking initiative without Kronos’ goading, and unsure of what was going to happen next or where they were going.

         When Luke examined Jack’s freckles, bright eyes, band shirt, and painted nails, the nostalgia was overwhelming, like he was back to exploring with Annabeth and Thalia, and Grover, and they didn’t know what adventure stirred over the horizon.

***

Thank you for reading! I feel like Phil is a little too comfortable with half-baked corpses, but that’s just the kind of partner Luke needs. Ah, friendships based off mutual mental dysfunction <3

#Tales from Mount Othrys #PJO #HOO #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #luke castellan #Phil #Fei Lin #Jack #Friendships based off mutual mental dysfunction should be the title of my autobiography XD #I want to see Luke in a self-help group with a bunch of people giving him hugs #he'd be so angry #wonderful angry little shit <3

[moonlightreal]

Winx Club season 8/19

And we’re back!  Thanks to Evergleam!

In which we see the last of Diaspro.

19 Tower beyond the Clouds

Monocerous is the ‘home star’ of the winged unicorns.  Does this place even have a star core?  I don’t think we saw one.  Maybe Peg moved here after Magical adventure, he found his own people.  i like that idea.. of course I also like the idea that Peg still lives on Domino playing with all the local kids, and someday he’ll belong to bloom’s daughter.

Flying!  More flying!  I assume there are girl-and-unicorn toys.  Stella tries to make friends with her unicorn but accidentally insults him by calling him a ‘horse cousin.’  Well, to quote Sir Pterry, “a unicorn is just a horse that comes to a point!”

They hear a scream for help from a floating island and ride to the rescue!

It’s Diaspro, the scream queen.  She and Bloom are not thrilled to see each other. Then Bloom sees Sky being chased by the black unicorn.  When I watched this in italian I thought Diaspro had told them sky was in trouble, but in English at least, nope!  In english Bloom just asks what she’s doing here and she says, ‘Oh, just passing through.” nice, Diaspro.  -_-  

The black unicorn is chasing Sky, blasting him with fire from its horn.  Bloom’s unicorn does not want to dive to the rescue!  All the Winx unicorns are scared of him.  

Aisha: “We’ll just use ranged attacks!  let’s transform!”  I love that she said ‘ranged attacks’ it’s so video game.  Or Nanoha.  ‘shooting arts’ and ‘strike arts’… anyway.  I haven’t been able to reference Lyrical Nanoha yet this season.

Flora asks the trees and they say the black unicorn isn’t evil.  But I guess the plants didn’t explain why he’s acting evil!

Bloom suggests they trust their unicorns.  The unicorns do this cool pattern flying that makes rainbows in the sky.  One of the girls calls it a magical air show.  Magic sparkles fall from the unicorns’ colored manes and the girls realize this is cool and lend the unicorns their magic. Together they make a rainbow of light that falls down on the black unicorn, making him shimmer with iridescence before he returns to his normal color.  The black unicorn is saved!  His horn doesn’t grow back though, which I would’ve expected.

The girls land, and Bloom runs to Sky.  Tecna fixes Sky’s flying suit, which is cool.  Sky says he’s lucky to be friends with a Fairy of Technology.

Aisha tries to approach the black unicorn,. But he’s still not real friendly. Some unilumens arrive and explain the the black unicorn is named Aryo and he’s not evil, he just doesn’t trust anyone because the last person he did trust broke his horn.  Bloom says, ‘I hope you’ll find someone to bond with.”

Diaspro decides this is a good time to step in with, ‘I’m sorry to interrupt such a touching moment, but can we just go home now, Sky?”

The Winx criiiiiinge.  Flora holds her hat over her face in horror at the relationship drama that’s about to be unleashed upon us.  Hehe!

Bloom works out that the two of them were on a mission together.  Diaspro is gonna make Sky confirm it but before he can do anything but stutter, Aryo advances on Diaspro.  She backs off in terror—and Sky looks like he’s about to leap to her defense, actually, when the unicorn licks her face.

“Looks like Aryo found someone to trust.”  says a unilumen in the most skeptical voice a lumen could muster.

Aryo kneels so Diaspro can mount.  She says she doesn’t want to ride a ‘winged animal’ but then realizes this isn’t a bad idea after all.  “I’m leaving, nobody appreciates me here!  Quick, take me back to Eraklyon!”  They fly off, with Diaspro calling back, “Bye bye sky, I’ll be waiting for our next mission together!”  Darn, I was kind of hoping Diaspro had seen the light and was going to spend time with people who wanted to be with her, get her life together, enjoy her new unicorn friend… but probably not.  Hmm, now that she has a evil looking unicorn could Diaspro be poised to step up as a major villain in later seasons?

Stella: “Truly, unicorns are really strange creatures.”  her unicorn bucks a little and she clarifies that she only means some unicorns.  heh.

Sky thanks the girls for the rescue and Musa points out he’s not out of danger yet.  Sky turns to see Bloom glaring at him.

The unicorns graze peacefully.  Flora invites the girls to go check out some floating rocks so bloom and Sky can fight in peace.

“I can’t believe you’ve been on a mission with Diaspro all this time!’

“I’ve already told you, Diaspro tricked me, I was convinced we were on a mission for my father.’

‘Then you could have told me, unless… you had something to hide.”

“I tried to answer your calls but every time I did Diaspro got into trouble again.  You have to trust me, I couldn’t wait to see you again.”

Sky wants to join the mission for the prime star, but Bloom’s still pissed he didn’t tell her about Diaspro and sky says again that Bloom doesn’t trust him.

The Trix apparently watched this whole thing.  Stormy’s still boasting about how she got a prime star.  Icy shuts her sisters up and they fly after the Winx.

Bloom and Sky are still pouting.  Sky says he always trusts Bloom when she’s off saving the magic universe.

Happily, the gate appears then.  The unicorns magic it open and everyone flies through. Including the Trix.

The gate takes them to somewhere else on Monocerous, there’s a floating island with a tower that looks like a unicorn horn.  Purple light glows from the top of the tower.

But the unicorns land the girls at the bottom, because we can’t do it the easy way! Then they fly off.  

But all of a sudden, purple clouds and lightning!  Flora says it’s unnatural. The first guess is that the prime star is defending itself but no, it’s the Trix!  Who have lost the element of surprise because Stormy had to show off.

Cosmix time!

Aisha makes a BIG morphix bubble around the Winx, but Darcy takes her out pretty quick so I guess she overreached herself.  Tecna mentions that morphix doesn’t conduct electricity.

Battle battle fighting fighting, we’ll get the prime star first…

Icy does the smart thing and flies towards the top of the tower.  Sky confronts her and Icy… slaps him with a giant ice cube!  Ahahaha!

Bloom sees her sweetie flying through the air stuck to a giant ice cube… but Sky uses his suit and unsticks himself.  He and Icy grab for the prime star!  They’ve both grabbed it!  Purple light explodes out of the tower!

Bloom’s flying up to help when she gets whooshed into the purple and the she’s in this… rainbowy iridescent space?  The background looks like the glittery cosplay fabric I buy for twenty bucks a yard, but only if I have a really good coupon.

In this magic-space Sky is flying, dodging spears of ice.  Icy has some good minimal magic gestures too, she’s summoning big ice stalagmites she calls ice blades with just a flick of her finger.  I guess the animators haven’t seen Frozen.  Sky is trapped.  Bloom is upset!

Oh no, Bloom can either help Sky or go after the prime star, which will she choose? She looks back and forth.  Sky, to his credit, is trying to escape for himself.  He tells Bloom to go after the prime star, to trust him to handle himself.

Cool epic fight music!  Bloom summons her fire dragon, we see it grow out of her hand.  She sends the dragon after Icy while she grabs the prime star. Sky does something with his suit and he lights up and busts out of the ice prison.  Hooray!  Sky and Bloom have a moment.

The star case appears and says some poetry about trust, and Bloom puts the prime star in.  Bloom apologizes for freaking out and Sky apologies for not telling her about Diaspro.

Icy comes back for more and tries to freeze them.  Bloom; ‘I’m sorry, but I prefer the warmth of friendship and true affection.”  Boy was that a stilted line!

Flora blows away all three Trix with a petal storm.  We’re blasting off again!

The girls congratulate themselves.

Their unicorns and the unilumens fly by overhead, and Twinkle flies down to join them.

Now would be a good time for… a concert!  With only Sky as the audience.  Twinkle briefly sits on Sky’s head, which is adorable, then she sits in his arms.  I love that, I always felt there wasn’t enough sitting on each other when the girls had their pixies, you know?  It seems like the kind of bond that would lead to snuggling.

The girls sing, the unicorns fly overhead, Sky nods in time to the music, then he and Bloom have a romantic moment.

I know we won’t see the Winx’s unicorns again, but I hope Diaspro will still have her unicorn later.  Diaspro needs a weird pet!  And that’s all we see of Diaspro in this season.  She tricked sky into going on a mission with her, seemed not to notice it wasn’t making him like her any better, and got a unicorn. So that’s… something.  I guess.

Next time: Winxboards!  Mielle!  A giant… pokemon?

#winx season 8 #winx club

[paleorecipecookbook]

What To Do & Where To Eat in Santa Barbara

It’s been a hot minute since I traveled to California, which is really a shame since it’s a quick direct flight for me and it immediately feels like I’m in some far away vacation land. Well, that’s pretty much exactly what it is. Especially Santa Barbara. I hadn’t spent much time in Santa Barbara before this trip and now I’m wondering why it hasn’t been a normal yearly occurrence for me. This sleepy little ocean town has become a bustling area to try amazing food, sip on about a million glasses of wine, and take in the sea breeze as you dip your toes in the water. It’s just simply lovely.

And one of the best parts about being in Santa Barbara is that you can make your way into Santa Ynez Valley. I went to Santa Ynez Valley last year and absolutely fell in love with the area and this time around it was even more beautiful because of all the rain they have been getting recently. The rolling hills of the valley were so incredibly green and everywhere you turn there is another beautiful vineyard. It really is a breathtaking area. And since I didn’t check out the tiny town of Los Alamos when I was in SYV the year before, we decided to stay at the newly renovated Skyview Motel. You can see this iconic roadside motel from the highway and from downtown Los Alamos since it’s perched on a hillside overlooking wine country. And the motel itself includes a beautiful restauant, pool and the cutest rooms – many that include their own patio with personal firepit. I was welcomed by a cute cat each morning who loved our patio furniture as it’s bed. Since it wasn’t warm enough to hang out by the pool while we were there, we enjoyed some cocktails at the restaurant before making our way into town to try even more wine!

When you are in Los Alamos, you have a full block of restaurants, bakeries and tasting rooms to check out, so you can rent a bike from the Skyview Motel and bike into town for a buzzed and full afternoon. We first stopped in at Casa Dumetz for a wine tasting, a really really delicious wine tasting. I’m not huge in to wine or really even know what I like, but I know I enjoyed every single one of these wines. Casa Dumetz makes highly acclaimed reds and whites with premiere fruit grown exclusively in Santa Barbara County vineyards and the wine tasting room shows how much love goes into each one of these bottles. 

And after you try the wine tasting, you can wander next door to Valle Fresh to enjoy some tacos and tapas while you check out all the beers and ciders in Babi’s Beer Emporium. All three spots are owned by chief winemaker Sonja Magdevski to ensure that everyone in your group is happy and satisfied. We ordered a carrot appetizer to get in some extra veggies on our trip, then we loaded up with delicious tacos. It was incredibly easy to eat gluten free here since all the taco shells are made in-house with corn. Everything was so fresh and delicious! We really loved this spot.

Then for our first dinner in Santa Ynez Valley, we made our way to Solvang (where I stayed last time) to the restaurant First & Oak. This restaurant is located inside the Mirabelle Inn and is considered one of the best spots in Santa Ynez Valley since it includes some of the most fresh local ingredients. First & Oak includes many small plates so you can try a ton of different things on their menu, and they recommend creating your own tasting menu to ensure you get the full experience. We ended up both trying a four-course tasting menu and I think three would have been a better idea because we were STUFFED. So so stuffed. I tried the lobster bisque, halibut, pork risotto and white chocolate meringue. Everything was fantastic and the server was so helpful making sure everything we ordered was gluten free! And if you are wine tasting during the day, the owners of First & Oak also own Coquelicot Estate Vineyard in Los Olivos, which is just a quick drive away from Solvang. 

Another meal we had in Los Alamos while we stayed there was at Pico at the Los Alamos General Store. This restaurant is a beautiful spot that serves farm-to-table upscale comfort food. The restaurant also shares their building with local Lumen Wines where you can try all their wines in their tasting room. We tried the mushroom salad, brussels sprouts and short rib, and everything was so fresh and served up beautifully.

And before we left, we ended up eating at Plenty on Bell a couple of times for breakfast! We loved this spot and everything we tasted was cooked to perfection. I ordered the short rib hash and the short ribs and potatoes were both crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Many people also recommended Bob’s Well Bread Bakery but I didn’t see too many gluten free options on the menu so we stuck with Plenty instead. But if you don’t eat gluten free, I heard Bob’s is fantastic!

Then once we had our fill of the countryside, we made our way back to Santa Barbara to see all it has to offer. We were lucky enough to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara and soak up this absolutely stunning property. This was my first time staying at a Ritz-Carlton resort and it completely lived up to its name. Not only was the staff incredibly attentive and helpful at every turn, but the property itself was perfection. There was always something to do, something to see, and some sort of drink to indulge in. The oceanfront property includes 2 miles of beach to walk on, a nature walk to take your dogs on (yes, it’s dog-friendly!), and they have beautiful pools, hot tubs, and fun games like bag toss and ladders throughout every corner. We spent almost an entire day on the property just having cocktails and playing games. There was really no point in leaving!

Two things I can’t recommend enough is eating at Angel Oak for Sunday brunch AND checking out the Club Lounge on the property. While we ate at Angel Oak for brunch, we were able to sit on the patio overlooking the ocean while professional whale watchers looked on for any signs of whales swimming by. We sadly didn’t get to see any whales ourselves but many people talked about the whales they had seen earlier. I ordered the cobb crab salad when we ate here and it was AMAZING! I hate salads but I ate every bite of this one.

But if you don’t get to see any whales, not to worry, the Club Lounge will keep you happy and entertained. The Club Lounge is very exclusive since they only let about 30-35 rooms enjoy the services that the Club has to offer. In the Club, you’ll have a personal concierge to help you with anything you need whether you need a glass of wine or champagne or a house-made latte. Then you also have a ton of amazing snacks to choose from, including gluten free snacks and treats. I spent so much time in this lounge working on my computer, enjoying breakfast, and getting some snacks to take on the go. It was such an amazing spot to relax and unwind while catching up on work. I loved it so so much!

Then for our first dinner in Santa Barbara, we headed to Les Marchands Restaurant and Wine Shop. This spot was named “Wine Bar of the Year since it is led by a world-class team of certified sommeliers and wine profressionals. You’ll also find more than 400 selections of wine at this spot. So if you’re a wine lover, this is definitely your spot! I found it a tad more challenging to find gluten free items here since many of their entrees are pasta or include wheat, but we still enjoyed a fantastic waygu steak while we were there!

Then for our last full day in Santa Barbara, we finally took a break from all the wine and got to moving. We wandered around Stearns Wharf & Harbor to see all the shops, then we walked down by the ocean, then finally made our way to state street and into Salt. In downtown you would never know that you can find the largest Himalayan salt cave in North America. I always see people with Himalayan salt lamps next to their bed and I never really knew why, but I found out in my own salt session that Himalayan salt has a ton of different benefits like supporting respiratory health, promoting sinus health, preventing muscle cramps, and promotes bone strength, along with a ton of other benefits. And while you’re in the Salt Cave, you can simply enjoy a 45-minute meditation session or you can always book a treatment such as a massage, scrub or a Nexneuro vibration treatment. It’s all very earthy and crunchy, and I love it. It was a great way to break up the day and do something a little different.

Then after we meditated, we went straight to Tyger Tyger. Curry is a dish I could eat for every single meal and I talk about it quite frequently. So when my friend found out I was heading to SB, she said I absolutely HAD to eat at Tyger Tyger and order the pork curry. And HOT DAMN I’m so glad I listened to her because it was lifechanging curry. Not just good or great or amazing. It was LIFECHANGING. We also tried the Malayasian Curried Cauliflower and I almost licked my plate. I couldn’t get enough of this spot. Everything on their menu is marked gluten free and/or vegan, which makes it extremely easy to order. And it’s so unique compared any other spots because within the location, you’ll also find Dart Coffee and Monkey Shine ice cream. And the ice cream has an Asian flair to eat because you’ll find selections like Black Sesame and Mango Sticky Rice soft serve with fruity and crunchy toppings to sprinkle all over.

And for my last meal in Santa Barbara, my friend took me to LoQuita to enjoy some traditional cooking methods of Spain. I’ve never been to Spain but now it’s at the top of my list after experiencing LoQuita. This meal was absolutely fantastic, I can’t say enough about it. Everything was so incredibly fresh and flavorful. Like OMG flavorful. We enjoyed the Jamón tasting, the oyster mushrooms, cauliflower, spanish tortilla, and FANTASTIC chorizo paella. If you are ever in Santa Barbara, this spot is a complete must!!

I hope this post gives you some inspiration to create your own Santa Barbara trip in the future! I can’t say enough about Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley. They are both amazing places to visit that aren’t overwhelmed by traffic and people. It’s just a great place to get away, relax and enjoy all that California has to offer. And now I’m already planning my next trip back so I can check out even more restaurants when I’m there! Be sure to read below because I have even more recommendations for when you are there!

Quick Summary of my SYV & SB Trip Favorites:

Hotels

Skyview Motel

Ritz-Carlton Bacara

Restaurants 

Valle Fresh in Los Alamos

First & Oak in Solvang

Pico at the Los Alamos General Store in Los Alamos

Plenty on Bell in Los Alamos

Angel Oak at the Ritz-Carlton

Les Marchands Restaurant and Wine Shop in Santa Barbara

Tyger Tyger in Santa Barbara

LoQuita in Santa Barbara

And if you’re staying for more than just a few days, here are even more restaurant recommendations –

Lilac Patisserie

ParadICE Hawaiian Shave Ice

The Lark

The Lucky Penny for gluten free pizza

The Honey B

Santa Barbara Public Market

Ty Lounge at Four Seasons Resort in Montecito – official drink of Santa Barbara

And there are also about a million things to do while you’re in Santa Barbara –

Go to Stearns Wharf & Harbor

Check out The Funk Zone – one of the cutest areas in Santa Barbara with lots of shops, restaurants and wine tasting rooms. It reminds me of RiNo in Denver because it’s filled with old warehouses and manufacturing plants with a ton of artists’ studios and galleries, breweries and other shops. It’s a total different feel from everything else you find in Santa Barbara

Go on the Urban Wine Trail – more than 2 dozen wine tasting rooms all within blocks of downtown, which means you don’t have to drive into the valley and you can ditch your car and walk to almost any of them without worrying about how you will get home once you enjoy a few too many tastings. Here are just some of the tasting rooms you can check out –

Kunin Wines

Santa Barbara Wine Collective

The Valley Project

Riverbench Santa Barbara

Wineries of the Presidio Neighborhood

Go to the Farmers Market! It’s held almost every day in a different spot so you can always get the freshest ingredients, no matter what day it is.

Check out Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Take a City Tour of Santa Barbara on the SB Trolley

Rent a bike, roller blades, coupe, or a surrey with Wheel Fun Rentals to easily get around town

Go kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding with Paddle Sports Center

Go hiking nearby

Carpinteria Bluffs

Inspiration Point

Arroyo Burro Beach to Goleta

Lizard’s Mouth

Refugio to El Capitan

Bill Wallace Trail

Gaviota Peak

Gaviota Wind Caves

Go to Montecito for some fancy shopping

Wander down State Street for cool stores and shops

This trip was hosted by Visit Santa Ynez Valley and Visit Santa Barbara, but all opinions are my own!

The post What To Do & Where To Eat in Santa Barbara appeared first on PaleOMG - Paleo Recipes.

Sourse of this article: http://paleomg.com/

#paleo #recipe #paleo diet #food #yum #healthy #delicious

[yellowroseanddreamstorm]

Chapter 2: Gossip 

It was an off day at the manufactory. Well, one of the not so rare off days as it were. Edmond was all too familiar with them. It was a Friday, and not just any Friday either. It was the Friday before a big event that was going on in town the following day.

The event in question was the Fall Charity Festival the upper class was holding. Free food and all the like for the working class to enjoy. It was a kind gesture and was one of the few times that even the snobbiest of the upper class were willing to interact with the commoners such as Edmond and his co-workers.

However, Edmond didn’t give much care to events like this. He enjoyed socializing with others and free food wasn’t something he would turn down but he had plenty of other things to worry about at the moment. Mainly, making up the work his co-workers would leave in the wake of calling in on the day before the event.

It was stressful to say the least for Edmond and anyone else who decided to stick to their shifts. It would be double the amount of work and barely any time to rest at all.

Edmond wiped his brow as he finished putting the final touches on a set of gears, packaging them in to a canister and sending them on their way through an air tube. He sighed as another set of metals came in along with blueprints. He gave the blue prints a quick glance, holding back the urge to groan.

More gears. Guess they’re in high demand this week.

Edmond shook his head, pulling his goggles over his eyes, getting straight to work.

It will be over soon. Just keep working and the time will go by quicker.

He glanced at the clock above his station, seeing he still had about another two hours to go before he was off the hook. Two more hours before he could go home and make a meal to fill his growling stomach. Two more hours before he could run like a mad man to the post office to send his reply to Bridget.

He glanced over to his work bag, eyeing the letter canister sticking out of it, Bridget’s name barely visible. He would have gone this morning but the post office was packed to the brim with customers and getting to work on time unfortunately took top priority over sending a letter.

And I have an appointment with Dr. Carter too right after work.

Edmond sighed.

He turned his attention back to his task, working carefully as he formed the metal into gears. Gears that would wind up in some intricate machine at some point in time. Edmond smiled a bit, thinking what kind of purpose they would serve once they left the manufactory.

Maybe it would assist in powering a machine that would help with water flow for a canal system or maybe even be responsible in controlling the flow of said canal system. It was also possible they could be part of some inventor’s next great idea that could help tons of people with certain tasks or maybe even be part of the smallest little thing like a toy for a child to play with.

Who knows, maybe they’ll be part of one of my creations one day.

He chuckled at the thought, bouncing on his heels a little. He could see it now. Working his days away in his own private workshop, creating all manner of inventions that people could use to help with tasks and fun little toys and gadgets children could play with. His workspace would be so much better than the one he was in now. It would be a nicely sized table with all the room he would need for tools and parts. He would have a radio too, playing all the classical music he could enjoy, especially piano music. On top of that, it would be much cleaner, not musty and smokey like his current workstation. Also, there would be more light. He would be determined to have a window right above his workspace so he could get as much natural light as possible during the day before having to use any form of lamps to light his workspace once night rolled in. Most important of all, he would have an actual chair that he could sit in that would be just right for work, not having to stand for hours on end like he was now.

Then, once the day was over, he would retire to his home for rest and there waiting for him would be Bridget. A warm smile on her face and sparkle in her golden brown eyes, welcoming him home from a long day of work.

He sighed wistfully at the thought before straightening up as he heard the break whistle blow.

Oh, sweet mercy! Thank you, Mr. Roberts!

He set down the gear he was working on, quickly grabbing his lunch and hurrying out to the benches in the area. He sat down with a sigh of relief, digging right into his food, not even caring he still had his work gloves on.

He focused mainly on his food, listening here and there to the chatter of other co-workers that were sitting around the area.

“I swear I oughta have a word about this with Mr. Roberts about these lazy bums who basically ditch work for these events. He’s got to have noticed this is causing a problem production wise.” said a co-worker with a frustrated tone.

“Oh, I’m sure he has but not much he can do. Let’s remember, we may be part of a big manufactory but he can’t go firing people willy nilly. We’re all he’s got and well, he can’t really say much to the upper class about those parties. They could easily get him into trouble.” Another said in reply.

“True… Ah well, guess it’s just what we’re going to have to deal with. Hey, you hear about all the weird stuff going on in Central City State or just Lumen Solum in general?”

“Define weird. We always got weird stuff going on in all of Lumen Solum. The good and bad kinds of weird.”

Edmond’s ears perked up at this, raising an eyebrow.

Something abnormal in Central City State?

Worry washed over him as Bridget crossed his mind.

“The weird disappearances. You know, all those missing people cases that have been popping up as of late?”

“Oh yeah, been hearing about that. No one has been able to make any connections either. Every victim has been from all parts of the class scale and well… they basically have nothing in common. It’s just random. It’s one the most bizarre things the forces have seen according to the papers.”

“Yeah, though gotta say, whoever is behind it is quite the mastermind. Not saying I want them to get off scot free, I just find it interesting they’ve gotten this far without being caught. It’s been going on for months now.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll catch whoever it is eventually.”

Edmond hummed in thought at this but quickly shook his mind of it.

Gossip will be gossip and I know for fact many around here just LOVE exaggerating the truth about stories they hear.

He decided to tune out the conversation, not wanting to think about it anymore. Though he couldn’t help but glance over to his work bag, flickers of worry crossing his mind as he eyed the canister sticking out of it.

oooooo

“Have you been doing the stretches I recommended to you for your hands, Edmond?”

“Yes.”

“Been remembering to take time off at the manufactory?”

“Yes.”

“Been eating enough?”

“... Mostly?”

Edmond cowered a bit as the doctor before him leaned in closer, giving a glare that could freeze anyone’s soul.

“Edmond, you’re scrawny enough as it is. Let’s not make that worse.”

“I-It’s not intentional, Jack! I swear!”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Ahuh.”

“No, really! I barely get enough food in while I’m at work sometimes because the breaks are so short or I just get caught up in socializing.”

“What about the beginning meal of the day? Do you at least get that in?”

“Most of the time if I don’t fall out of bed when I realize my alarm clock didn’t go off properly.”

Jack shook his head, walking away from Edmond, picking up a clipboard and jotting some notes down.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“I don’t know. Chop me into bits and sell my parts on the black market?”

Jack looked back to him, giving both a disgusted and amused look.

“Very funny.” Jack turned his attention back to his clipboard. “Well, seems everything checks out and I’m glad you didn’t miss your monthly check up this time.” Jack glanced to him again. “I hope you have an excuse for last time?”

Edmond tilted his head.

“Did my letter not get to you? Work went over time so I had to miss.”

Jack shook his head.

“The mail system can be finicky. I swear we need more phones like they do in Central City State. It would make communication so much easier.”

“Well, maybe I could fix that.”

Jack smiled, seeing the glint in Edmond’s eyes.

“I’m sure you could but you’ve got a lot to worry about right now, like your current job.”

“Not for much longer.” Edmond gave a determined look. “Once this month is over I’ll have enough to open my shop.”

“If you say so.” Jack went back over to him, handing him a piece of paper. “Just some notes and my bill for the month. Also, please be careful when walking out after dark. I know we’re a small little town but things can still happen.”

“Of course.” Edmond gave a confused look. “Though everyone knows that. Did something happen?”

“Eh, don’t know if you read the papers much or if you listen to gossip but there has been a lot of weird disappearances going on around the country. Central City State has been getting hit the hardest but it’s not limited to that area. I just worry about it possibly coming here.”

“I’ve heard about it but I just figured it was blown out of proportion by gossip like every other piece of news.”

“Well, it is real. I can tell you that much.” Jack turned away, hiding the frown on his face as he started looking over the medical supplies in his cabinets.

Edmond’s brow furrowed a little as he got off the exam table, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Jack… Did you lose someone?”

Jack was silent for a moment before he let out a sigh.

“I have a brother who lives in Central City State or I should say lived there. He was filed missing quite a few months ago when this whole thing started. I don’t want to believe he’s linked to the disappearances but… something in my gut tells me otherwise.”

Edmond’s eyes widened before a frown crossed his face.

“Jack I… I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll live.” Jack cringed a bit. “I’m sure he’s somewhere, I know it. I just need to find him. For all I know he probably got lost because he wandered off somewhere.” Jack forced a smile. “He always had a bad habit of wandering off and getting into some kind of trouble. Typical Dante.”

“Is that his name?”

“Yep. Dante Carter.”

“Heh… I wonder why I haven’t heard of him until now.”

“Well, didn’t really have a reason to bring him up.” Jack shrugged. “I’ve only known you for a few months after all. Sure, I don’t mind you calling me Jack but hey, gotta keep some secrets to keep you on your toes.”

“True, very true.” Edmond gave a gentle look. “Tell you what? If I see him, I’ll drag him right back to this medical office or your home ASAP.”

Jack looked to Edmond, smiling a little.

“Heh… Thank you, Edmond. Though, just so you know…” Jack dug into his pocket, pulling out a pocket watch, opening it to show a photo on the inside of the cover. “This is what he looks like.”

Edmond looked, seeing the photo showed Jack next to a man who was a little younger than him that had dark hair and specs, a gentle smile on his face.

“Noted. I’ll do my best to remember that.”

Jack nodded, staring at the photo of him and his brother fondly before pulling away from Edmond, closing the watch. He picked up his clipboard, taking the papers off it and putting them into a file.

“Thank you again, Edmond. Now, get out of here before the post office closes.” Jack eyed canister sticking out of Edmond’s work bag that was sitting on a table off to the side. “It’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”

Edmond looked at the clock, eyes widening before scrambling towards his bag, quickly slipping on his coat and hat.

“Will do! See you next month, Jack!”

Jack shook his head as he watched the man leave before opening his pocket watch again, staring at the photo inside.

I swear, sometimes, Edmond reminds me of you.

#don't make deals with demons #edmond wilkinson #jack w. carter #jack carter #dr. jack carter #dante carter #original concept #original story #story preview #story #aileen rose #yellow rose productions

[ajtorres0]

Another TCFFP Story Excerpt

Sorry I took 2 days off, my mom’s birthday was over the weekend so I didn’t have much time to add the next story snippet, but I’m back and here you go. Also I know it’s early, there are a few challenge photos I want to upload today and the rest of the month.

Here is my 2nd account that is purely WIP only @a-j-torres0

Chapter 6

 Centered at the back of the square, sitting in a decorated booth of white, azure, and gold rests an aging man with strong features though a few wrinkles mar the area around his eyes and mouth. He dons white, silk robes decorated with many gold chains and sapphire gems and a two crowned papal tiara atop his head. His piercing, sky colored eyes stare hungrily at two people bound and on display in the center of the square.

 One is a young man with fair skin and black hair and one is a woman with umber brown skin and reddish-brown hair braided uniquely in rows atop her head. Their wrists are bound behind them as they kneel on the ground over a large, wooden chopping block with tears flowing down their faces. The people call the young man a traitor while hurling a barrage of slurs towards the woman, some of which are unfamiliar to Salvia and others she would never repeat.

 “Captain, do you have any idea who that man is sitting next to the Papa Regem?”

 Salvia turns to Zinnia, her eyes even wider than before. “WAIT! That man is the Papa Regem!?”

 I’m afraid so Salvia. He has twisted the teachings his followers obey to coincide with his abhorrent ideas of a ‘perfect’ society. It sickens me! Ultor bellows angrily as Salvia returns her attention to the Papa Regem and the man sitting nervously next to him.

 She is startled back, recognizing the man next to the Papa Regem, her King of Cabreo here in Lumen Magnum. “Wait that’s −” Baldric and Zinnia turn to Salvia with curiosity. “Rey* Benigno Dalí Cardona.”

 Baldric and Zinnia squint their eyes, not understanding the Cabreoan term. She takes notice of their confusion and with a heavy sigh says, “He’s the ruler of Cabreo, my King.”

 Baldric and Zinnia are shocked and turn to look at the regal man sitting uncomfortably next to their Papa Regem. He is a handsome man with thick, dark brown, wavy hair with a trimmed beard and mustache around his lips. A small, gold crown sits atop his oval shaped head with piercing green eyes. His copper skin is only a tad lighter than Salvia’s.

 His crimson and gold Cabreoan garb is vastly different than those of Marlela. The sleeves are puffy from shoulder to elbow then tighten around his forearm. The tunic hugs his body while white ruffles stick out from the sleeves and collar.

 A gold, decorated kraken symbol hangs from his neck and a long, fluffy, dark crimson cape hangs from his shoulders. His hands clutch the arms of his mahogany throne as he slowly sinks into his chair, his face growing ever more sour.

 “We stand here today in witness to an unspeakable and unholy union between this man and this − slave. For their crimes of unsanctified fornication and betrayal of their own kind, they are sentenced to death by BEHEADING!”

 The people cheer loudly in joy of the Papa Regem’s words as massive axes rise high over the two executioners heads. The executioners look to the Papa Regem, awaiting the order.

 He takes one last look at the two poor souls and the faintest of grins creases his lips. With the wave of his hand the executioners heave their axes down, burying their blades in the prisoners necks, separating head from body. As their heads tumble to the ground blood pours from their necks, and stain the white cobblestones beneath. Their bodies slide off the blocks as they twitch lightly.

��King Benigno’s eyes open wide in horror. Baldric can’t imagine what must be going through the man’s mind but it’s clear he finds no amusement in this.

 Suddenly he hears the rushing of hooves behind him. He turns and sees Salvia as she turns into a small alleyway nearby. He quickly turns his horse and kicks its sides signaling for it to run. He gives chase after her with Zinnia trailing behind.

 Baldric catches up to her and takes hold of her horse’s reigns, forcing it to stop. As he opens his mouth ready to scold Salvia for rushing off, her wide, tearful eyes quickly take him aback as she trembles in her saddle. He releases a gentle sigh and places his right hand on her left shoulder, squeezing it gently for comfort. “Come on, let’s take Rose somewhere safe. Is that all right?”

Well here is the next chapter, I hope you have been enjoying what I have been posting. I wanted to show another gruesome scene from my novella. Well tell me what you think of The Call for Finis: Pride so far, thank you for reading.

#Am Writing #Fantasy #High Fantasy #Adventure #Novella #Story #Excerpt #Snippet #The Call for Finis: Pride #TCFFP #Author's Journey #A.J. Torres #Lady Red #Write #Writer #Writing #Writeblr #Writerblr #Bookblr #Execution #Book #Angels #Demons #Religion #Rapture

[kiaronna]

Soulmate AU Suggestion Master List!

a flower/bouquet blooms somewhere on your body when going through puberty. It will be completely unique, except for your soulmate, who'll have it in exactly the same place. HOWEVER, it will be in black-and-white until the first time you first see/meet your soulmate, and then it slowly begins gaining colour. The colours don't even have to be natural. Maybe the flower(s) have an associated meaning? (Phoenix Lumen, FFN)

everyone were born with "marks" on different colors and shapes and whenever your soulmate came closer the mark grew. (With mark I mean colorful swirly things. Not picture-like marks of flowers or stuff...) (Kirei Ao Tori, FFN) Another is when the the Soulmate-pair meet in dreams. It could potentially be pretty great if neither if the pair could speak to the other in human language and they both were in the shape of an animal("spirit-animal"?) in the dreams. It could actually work since no one knows what animal other people are. Bonus COULD be that you only understand what the other said if you had heard their voice in real life and NOT through a TV-screen. (I kind of came up with this now wile writing... -_-') (Un-relevant(kind of relevant?) side-thing, what if people could somehow project their "spirit-animals" like a patrons? (Kirei Ao Tori, FFN)

 Idea 1: until you meet your soulmate, you're physically incapable of feeling Idea 2: you don't age past puberty until you meet your soulmate or, conversely, you age rapidly without them.  Idea 3: you're ADD until your soulmate comes along- they bring focus to life.  Idea 4: you share your soulmate's heartrate/heartbeat. Yuri has panic attacks, Victor is an athlete, they go back and forth.  Idea 5: you feel your soulmate's fears.  Idea 6: you don't feel your own injuries; your soulmate does. There's a precarious culture surrounding soulmate's because of the potential for abuse.  Idea 7: when you eat and sleep and drink, your soulmate is affected as well. Yuri's eating habits and Victor's stress come into play.  Idea 8: you share ideas, but not information. I.e. shared procedural memory and imagination.

(Laura, FFN)

 you can't feel pain/be injured when you're around your soulmate (booopsboops, FFN)

 a world where, the day you meet your soulmate, you both suddenly become allergic to something (the same thing). So like say you're eating ice cream with this cool new person you just met and you suddenly find yourself with puffy eyes and a sore throat, and you're never able to eat ice cream again, and you're chatting with them one day and they casually mention how torturous it is to watch others enjoy ice cream while they have to sit on the sidelines because of their damn allergies, and it's too bad because they really used to like the stuff, and you just think to yourself, "Oh. OH." (Unconscious Again, FFN)

Siulmate AU where, when you first meet your soulmate, you burst into song. It isn't necessarily loud or long, it could just be a line or two of something, but it's your soulmate's favourite song at the moment. So, say your soulmate was a closet Broadway geek, you might end up singing a verse of "Memory" from Cats and breaking your vocal chords because the key is so damn high.  (Unconscious Again, FFN)

au where wenever you wright something on yourself it also appears on your soulmate. (TDIHP, FFN)

story wherein the soulmates feel each other's emotions when their eyes meet. Or where soulmates hear the songs their soulmate is hearing in their mind. (principessa luna fiorella, FFN)

1.   You have a tattoo that illustrates something about the moment that you fall in love with a person. Examples: fall in love at the beach? Seagull. Realize you love your best friend at their bday party? Party hat. 2. You occasionally have incredibly vivid dreams about the person, but aren't given details as to what they look like(I like this one cuz your soulmate is literally the person of your dreams, but you don't love them simply based on looks) 3. You are born with a streak in your hair that's the color of your soulmate's eyes or hair or both (I can see issues coming up with this one where it isn't really definitive, especially in cultures that doesn't have much diversity appearance-wise)  4. You can do a perfect impression of your soulmate's favorite animal (strange, I know, but the image of yuri perfectly imitating makkachin and victor thinking 'that was so cute' popped into my head) (drkm2000, FFN)

soulmates could feel each other's emotions (LiannaAila, FFN)

 a world where whatever soulmates write on themselves shows up on the other's skin? Sometimes people use this for any mark too, like bruises etc. (booopsboops, FFN)

Every time your soulmate gets a surface wound (bruises, hickey, scrapes, cuts, stuff like that) it appears on your skin, in a color that represents their soul, for as long as it takes for the injury to heal. It can happen from the moment you are born so I think it would work for your fic because of the age difference. I read about this and think that it is utterly adorable. (Stuffs-and-zzzzs, FFN)

 they swap bodies for 24 hours and have to figure out who the other person is and how to contact them (BookdragonBeth, FFN)

you constantly dream about yours and your soulmate's wedding day ceremony. But, the dream ends abruptly, ending right before the priest says their full names towards the end right before they kiss. With Victor and Yuuri already being in their 20's, they've had this dream enough times that they could recite their own and each other's vows. In their vows (LeMinaChan, FFN)

what if you could turn into your soulmate's favorite animal? With some kind of discerning feature. Like an animagus in Harry Potter. (It feels like I'm referencing Harry Potter a lot.) It would be hilarious if small children ran around in different shapes of animals especially since kids change favorite animals all the time. One day you change into a cat and the next into a bear or something. (Poor, poor parents...) I'm thinking the animal would have to be something specific so people couldn't just go up to someone and claim to be their soulmate. Or just have a shared specific feature. (Kirei Ao Tori, FFN)

veryone is born with a blank outlined design on their body. While the outlining design is a prefect copy of their soulmate the color schemes that make up the rest of the design are different. The colors show the different emotions and trials that their soulmate has went through. The mark fills in a little each year until the soulmates finally met. The size of the mark depends on the great things that your destiny has in store for you. Normally a persons mark is small, just enough to fit on the back of someones hand... But for Victor and Yuuri it was different. Almost their entire bodies were canvasses. (guest on FFN)

where one doesn't age until they meet their soulmate (The Blood Cloak, FFN)

 your greatest accomplishment or, as they called them, Deeds appeared on your soulmate's skin.  (The Blood Cloak, FFN)

[tails-and-scales]

Hello, Could I get a matchup please? I’m an introvert and a bit of a homebody at times. Definite Night Owl, I do enjoy going on walks especially during the evening and night hours. My hobbies are reading, drawing and baking. I’m usually quiet less I’m with my friends and I tend to keep to myself. It takes forever for me to open up and befriend people so…yeah a little awkward in the friendship department. But I would do anything for those I care about.

After reading what info you’ve provided, I’ve put together a list of compatible bitties for you! They’re listed in no particular order.

Nox: they would be a great match for you! They’re very much like you in a lot of ways, and would get along well with you because of it! Nox are typically quiet bitties because of their shyness. They may be timid when first meeting you but will be comfortable around you as you grow closer. Like you, these lamia can be a bit awkward with socialization or meeting new people, so most of their socialization will be with you. They’ll enjoy cuddling up with you and reading a good book with you. Even just sitting with you in silence would be fun for them! They’ll like to try what you bake as well, and will love to see your drawings.

Twilight: these are another good match for you! Like the Nox, a Twilight is very similar to you. Granted these bitties are bigger because if being a centaur, at 5 feet tall, they’re still sweet. Twilights are normally quiet and enjoy being on their own. They like reading a lot as well, and loves a day of curling up under the shade with a good book. So they’ll love reading with you or to you, and once you’re close enough, will even allow you to rest against them as you relax. They’ll absolutely adore going on night walks with you, enjoying the fresh air as well as looking at all the stars that are visible in the night sky. They’ll want to tell you all sorts of stories and fun facts about the stars. And they’ll be a great help to you in the kitchen when it comes to baking.

A Lumen and Nocturne pair: these two would be nice for you as well. They balance each other out nicely, and would be a good set of energy and calmness for you. They’ll both want to try your hobbies with you and spend time with you. They’ll enjoy curling up with you and reading, and Nocturnes will especially enjoy the calm quiet. A Lumen will love to bake with you, and can be pretty energetic, so expect them wanting to bake a ton of sweets! The Lumen would also love to draw with you.

Lampris: another good match for you! Like many of the others, they’ll like to curl up with you and read with you. And a special thing with the selkies is that their size can alternate between their normal size of 5 foot from skull to tail and from a smaller size of a foot and a half from skull to tail. They’ll go whatever size better fits your convenience and living space! They can help out with baking as you need, and will like to try almost everything you bake. One thing with the Lampris though, is that they’ll want to swim in something pretty often. This can be via whatever you can think that’s safe for them, and even a temporary thing could be a filled bathtub for them in their smaller form. It’s better to have a pool or something similar for them in the long run though!

#nat speaks #match up #nox #twilight #lumen #nocturne #lampris

[nyotasaimiri]

Trouble on Muhlifain V, part 4

I couldn’t just leave things hanging until Monday after the ending last time. Darn my rule of staying as true as possible to what happens in-game... 

Hadley abandoned her orders the moment she heard Sonny’s shout. “Sonny, what’s happening?” she asked, running back over. She couldn’t see her captain or their medic at all. The far side of the cave was shrouded in fog.

“Captain’s tryin’ t’save him,” Sonny told her. Her voice shook. She pointed at the cloud with her remaining hand. “She’s tryin’ to save Lumen.”

Namina had caught up with them and was already pushing past. Hadley turned to follow him when Sonny caught her hand. “Take me. Please.”

Hadley reached Namina, Sonny limping beside her with her remaining arm around her shoulders, just as Arjun and Geo began to hesitantly follow them. The fog began to clear as she joined the Floran, revealing Nyota sitting in a shallow pool of water at the base of the snowdrift, Lumen’s head cradled between her hands. His light was dim now, almost sleeping. Her palms were cracked and blistered, her brown cheeks reddened by steam, but she looked up at them and offered a weary smile as they approached. “I think I ordered you to stay back,” she rasped quietly, “but I can’t fault you for doing what I would have done.”

“Captain, is he…?” Hadley swallowed hard, unable to quite finish the sentence.

“Waking up,” Nyota said.

Lumen groaned, his light brightening as Nyota helped him sit up, one hand moving to his brand. “I coulda sworn… Was I dead?” he asked. “Well, I... guess I ain’t now...”

Sonny started fizzing with relieved laughter. Her brand hummed with the radio-static sound again, but there was a different note to it this time. “Captain, yer a gol-dern mad-ape,” she said, “and I thank ya for it.”

-

Seven people huddled together in the little ice cave, enjoying the warmth of Arjun’s fire. Arjun was distributing spare blankets to everyone and apologizing for the lack of space, which no one really minded. Namina and Hadley sat near the entrances, keeping watch. Sonny had fallen asleep not long after Lumen woke and was currently leaning on the orange Novakid’s shoulder, one blanket wrapped around both of them. Geo sat across from Nyota, tending to her burns as best he could with Lumen’s slightly disoriented guidance and their limited supplies.

“I wish we could do more,” Arjun said as he joined them by the fire. “You and your crew, you’ve more than earned our friendship. Seeing your efforts today, it was an inspiration. I’ve never met anyone willing to put themselves in such danger for an ally, let alone someone they’ve only just met.”

“Captain iss crazy,” Namina commented, grinning. “Floran likesss it that way.”

“Hush,” Nyota said. Her slightly reddened ears betrayed her embarrassment.

“It was very effective, but not without cost,” Geo said, bandaging her hands. “None of us got through that unscathed. If you are willing to follow me back to camp, my comrades can offer better treatment for you there. The Apex have some of the best medical technology in the galaxy.”

“You are certain we will be welcome?” Nyota asked. She could feel the burns aching across her arms. It would be some time before she could fight again without proper attention. But she also remembered how the rebels sometimes reacted to strange Apex.

Geo nodded. “The Resistance is wary, for fear of Miniknog spies, but Arjun is right. Your crew helped us, and you were willing to go to great lengths to save your friend. I will vouch for you.”

-

It was too dangerous to travel that night, with both Novakid unable to walk unaided and their captain nowhere near ready to defend them. Nyota slept fitfully, drifting in and out of dreams that were more than half memory. Monster screeches woke her as often as the burns did. It was nothing new. She’d gotten used to pain and lost sleep a long time ago. But she was grateful when the sun finally rose.

#story post #novakid #starbound #nyota saimiri #alice hadley #arjun #namina #sonny #lumen #poor guy actually did get taken out during that scuffle #darn my rule of staying true to gameplay #(thank you chucklefish T^T)

[mrstevenbushus]

Lighting Cost Guide

Most of us struggle to get the quality, frequency and variety of artificial lighting ideally balanced in our homes, especially if these decisions are being made late in the chaos of a building site.

It’s quite an art to get your lighting right – an ill-thought through design reliant on the common recessed spotlight and dimmer switch combination is unlikely to produce an aesthetically pleasing result.

So it’s much better to have help early on, carefully considering how each room in the house will be used at different times throughout the day. Perhaps, working up mood boards during this stage could help  you figure out what you’ll need.

Measuring light intensity: how many Lumens do you need?

Manufacturers will label bulbs (known as lamps by the trade) in terms of the products’ Lumen output, Lux intensity and their Kelvin shade/warmth. These are how different elements of the light is measured: brightness in Lumens; and intensity (or spread per m2) in Lux.

To put this into context, 800 Lumens generally does well to replicate normal daylight inside the home. The Kelvin (K) scale works to identify the tone of the light, with the warmer yellow/orange tints set at around 2,000K-3,000K and colder white/blue hues at 4,000K-8,000K.

Many self build homes include an open-plan kitchen, dining and family zone as the central hub, where different lighting demands are required as the daily routine evolves – task lamps in the kitchen, relaxed/warm illumination at the dining table and a cosy, fireside ambience for watching movies on the sofa.

Experienced interior designers taking a holistic approach to the artificial illumination will include a mixture of different fittings.

An interior designer will look at the room objectively and make sure the proposed scheme delivers to the functionality the owners want. What’s more, a professional can help you save money.

People sometimes feel an interior designer will be expensive and not fit with their budget. The reality is that hiring someone who really comprehends the subject will eliminate a lot of error, and therefore expense. They fully recognise how to cost items and are very savvy at balancing out where you need to put your money.

Learn more: Hiring an Interior Designer for your Project

Think overhead lighting to provide directional wash over wall and floor surfaces, uplighters to do the same with walls and ceilings, pendants to highlight features and table lamps to soften the mood.

Directional lamps can help to reduce glare, while dimmers are useful for softening intensity and the general layering of light will create striking architectural shadows thanks to strategically placed features, blinds and curtains.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the colour of your walls and ceilings will contribute to the amount of reflection – for instance, darker hues tend to absorb rather than transfer.

Low voltage vs low energy

Many homeowners struggle with the difference between low voltage and low energy.

Low energy means the lamp will produce the required levels with a reduced amount of consumption, which is measured in watts (w).

Low voltage is a safety option; normal supplies run at 230V (volts), which is the current pressure being driven through the cables.

This pressure starts life at a power station at around 400kV (kilo-volts), stepping down at other transformer stations as it gets closer to houses until it ultimately reaches 230V as it enters our buildings.

Layered illumination will add impact, but requires careful consideration. Shown here are John Cullen Lighting’s handmade Grissini Pendants, Lucca uplights and Oslo floorwashers

Internally, we may choose to reduce this pressure further where it enters a wet zone in the house (ie bathrooms and kitchens), say from 230V to 12V for recessed lighting.

To achieve this you’ll need local transformers positioned just before the fitting connection. However, the lamps in our bathrooms still require the same number of watts to produce the light, so it’s the flow of electricity (measured in amps) that will need to increase to compensate for our drop in voltage (amps x volts = watts).

How many light fittings do you need?

Conventional lights are connected to a circuit (either a ring/loop or a radial, which travels in one direction) that feeds to the consumer unit (the fuse board). There are usually separate circuits for ground and first floors – there are likely to be several in each storey in larger properties.

Each circuit is protected by a 6-amp miniature breaker (MCB) that works to keep it safe from overload. The whole system is protected by a minimum of two residual circuit devices (RCDs) that are there to guard against any earth leakage (and human shocks).

The below table is a rough template for how many fittings are needed in different rooms – it’s easy to see how numbers can escalate. Adding a porch light and then four external flood lights would tip the total over 100 with around 25-30 light switches.

Type of light fitting/roomBED 1BED 2BED 3BED 4BATH 1BATH 2WCHALL & LIVINGKITCHENUTILITYDININGSITTINGSTUDYSpotlight662101066Wall & table lights22222212442Pendant lights222212Strip lights222241Total Lights666688312146578Total switches3322111322221

Lighting costs

As with all building products, prices vary enormously; the cost of different light fittings presented below are purely a guide.

Although many folks leave it to the electrician to supply these, if lighting is important to you then it’s better to visit suppliers and look into the options – much like you would with other elements, such as bathroom fittings.

It’s difficult to isolate the overall labour costs of having your artificial illumination installed as this will be carried out as part of the overall electrical installation at both the first and second fix stages.

However, lighting will represent about half of the electrician’s work in the house and it usually takes two weeks for first fix and another two for second and final commissioning.

Type of light fittingTotal in homeNotesAverage rateTotal CostSpotlights46Recessed spotlight can start at £1.60 with directional at £4.95 & fire rated at £5.95£5£230Wall & table lights25Plug sockets for table lights would be £2.50; some two-way uplights at £35£17£425Pendant lights11A pendant with flec could cost £1.50 and some feature pendant fittings £100£50£550Strip lights13From a small 250mm light at £4 up to a task strip light at £12£8£104Switches25Backing boxes at £1 and switches from £5.30 for 3-gang£4£100External lights5A robust LED spotlight with PIR£35£175LED Lamps95For the internal light fittings; 5w spot at £6.50 and a 1m strip at £10£7£665Ancillaries1Cables, flex, low voltage transformers, clips, etc£400£400

LED lamps today

Light emitting diode (LED for short) lamps have been around for decades, but have only dominated the market in the past five to 10 years.

LEDs are more efficient in generating light from energy and do so without creating much heat – as a direct comparison.

You will only need a 5w (watt) LED to generate the same light as a 50w tungsten spot lamp or a 60-100w incandescent unit (which the government aimed to phase out by 2011 because of carbon reduction targets).

This is great news for homeowners as the overall electrical load will be lower, meaning bills are cheaper, too. The success of LEDs means manufacturers have found a way to produce them across most of the Kelvin scale; we can now enjoy warm lighting, as opposed to the crisp, cool, bluer shades that had previously characterised these units.

Smart lighting & upgrade options

Smart technology is fast becoming a more affordable choice, with lighting controls at the heart of the automated home. Common options include multiple push button switches where three, four or five pre-set mood levels can be selected, each then graded with a dimmer.

These require independent cabling and a central controller/relay for each zone (usually one room); however, one criticism of these systems is that a slight delayed response can cause the user to keep pressing buttons. Control via mobile phones and tablets is also an option, with some systems allowing you to change things even when you’re not home. For more on smart lighting see page 87.

The homeowners of this stunning new build benefit from Control4’s Mockupancy. The smart technology learns their daily routine and replays lighting scenes, entertainment scenes and even closes the blinds, all whilst the homeowner is away.

Read this case study: Smart Home Technology & Audio Visual System

In addition to purely technological upgrades, you may want to incorporate some more theatrical lighting, such as illuminated wall recesses or a perimeter channel around a dropped suspended ceiling.

In combination with a central chandelier, these features can help to create a bit of drama and atmosphere. Stair lighting is increasingly common and subtle directional illumination can also help to separate zones within an otherwise open plan layout.

Outdoor lighting

Not simply a way to guide you to the front door when you get home in the dark, external lighting can be used to enhance garden features.

Rather than closing the blinds or curtains, an internal space can be enhanced by switching on outdoor lighting so that you can see a dramatically staged set – especially where there might be a pond, pergola, pool or illuminated specimen trees.

How can I get my outdoor lighting scheme right?

First you’ll have to plan in advance and in detail. This means understanding the elements you want to illuminate and making provisions early enough in the build process to achieve it. It’s not enough to say that you want a light in a particular location; you need to know what fitting, too, so you can run the right cable, create the right installation points and fit the appropriate drivers.

More from Brilliant Lighting designer Melanie Shaw: Outdoor Lighting Design Ideas

Obviously there is some expense incurred with external lighting but its installation is becoming increasingly easy thanks to robust external sockets and switches, flexible armoured cables (which can travel through planters) and uplighters mounted on spikes.

A useful recent innovation is the ability to set the sensitivity and time delay for some external security lights remotely by a device operated at ground level rather than having to do this from a ladder.

Top Image: Using a variety of fittings, such as pendant lights and recessed downlights, will help you zone areas in open-plan spaces. This kitchen-dining room lighting design is by Brilliant Lighting.

The post Lighting Cost Guide appeared first on Build It.

Article reference Lighting Cost Guide

[orange-purifier]

dragonfruit, apricot and orange for All of em :3c

//hey anon??? I love you. I’ve been so bored all day so it’s nice to get to answer things! To avoid confusion, remember: answers by C are like this. Answers by Silas are like this. Answers by Lumen are like this.

Dragon fruit: do you drink alcohol?

Yeah I mean I can. I’m old enough. Yeah surprise sunrise just because I’m short and immature doesn’t mean I’m not an adult. I’m 21. Only the fruity ones though. My favorite is either a pink lemonade vodka because yes it’s strong but it’s g o o d, or like a strawberry daiquiri. 

Um- I will admit I have drunken alcohol a few times, I never drink much though. Honestly, I’m not sure I have a favorite alcohol because it’s so rare I drink it that I can’t really say I have one I enjoy. 

Once. Only once. Not the best idea, ended up having a hangover and ending up vomiting blood. Since that bad time, I do not drink fucking alcohol. Ever. 

Apricot: what do you do when you’re sad?

Ummmm. Cry. Alone. I have a reputation to keep up here, But yeah I cry. Sometimes beat up a pillow or something. I try my best not to cry in front of people because what would they think? I mean, here it’s diffrent. No one knows here how much of a bad person I was back where I came from. I mean, I’ve gone to jail like 5 times for beating up people who hurt my sister, I’ve actually landed two people in the hospital. But I just sit alone and cry.

I work. //But Silas  you’re always working except when you’re with your boyfriend// I can not focus on what is making me upset when I am busy fixing books. Sometimes I’ll read a bit from one book if I need a break, but only for a few minutes, never more then five minutes. 

I don’t have time to be sad. Sadness is a weakness. Sadness leads to fear and fear leads to others thinking they can control you. That leads to trouble or death. I don’t have enough time nor am I going to allow myself to be sad. It’s basic knowledge.

Orange: do you have long eyelashes?

Sadly, yes. It sucks. They get IN my eyes, and it makes me look super girly. It’s weird. I don’t us mascara or anything, my sister did though.

I plead the fifth.

The answer for Silas is yes, yes he does. It’s one of the many things that makes him look kinda girly. On top of the fact he has a thinner, willowy build. Like, it’s kinda girly but still not girl like enough that it looks weird? 

Coraline. Please. Stop. You’re embarrassing me.

No. Fuck off. If you get close enough to look, you’ll most likely have a knife through your torso.

#asks #anonymous #silas #’c’oraline #lumen