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payalandrene · 10 months

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TÜRKIYE!!!

We had pitched our tent just before the border in the Roma village of Lesovo. We slept in the park and could use the toilet at the bar. Very quickly children came by to see what was up in the park, speaking the little English or German they could with us. We were definitely the entertainment for the evening.

The next morning we jumped on our bicycles (not as early as we would have liked) and reached the border in no time. There was a fairly long queue, but cars were more than happy to let us jump the queue. Border agents on both sides were more concerned with our well-being (insisting that we be careful), rather than checking our papers, one Turkish agent, excepted. He insisted that Payal open her saddle bags, but was disappointed that there were only clothes and some bike tools! While he decided to halfheartedly interrogate René regarding what he was carrying, another border guard was giving Payal suggestions of where to go on the Black Sea, his home region.

We missed the turn-off for side roads, but the main road did not have much traffic and the shoulder was wide. Added benefits were a tasty restaurant along the way, a direct route to Edirne, our halt for the night, and a very nice truck driver who stopped to give us ice water, as it was getting hot!

Edirne, at the confluence of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey has been fought over many times throughout history. It was the original capital of the Ottoman Empire and today is known for three mosques, including the Selimiye mosque, which was designed by the chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Due to renovations, we were only able to see a small corner of the mosque.

Sulimiye Mosque ceiling (photo fro. Islam by design).

We also visited the restored synagogue. After a fire in 1905 had destroyed a number of synagogues, the Jewish community came together to build a large synagogue, which opened in time for Passover services and celebrations in 1909. After the last Jewish families left in the '80ies, the synagogue fell into disarray. A fund for historic buildings restored the synagogue and it reopened in 2015. Seeing how multi-cultural and multi-religious this region of the world had been once - Jews, Muslims and Christians living side by side, along with Turks, Greeks and Armenians was juxtaposed by the 100 year Treaty of Lausanne, which took away the rights of most minorities in order to move modern Turkey toward a modern homogeneous state. Edirne also has a museum and monument dedicated to the Treaty. We did not visit it, but at the end of August Payal will be moderating an event about borders and the Treaty of Lausanne.

On a happier note, we experienced a lovely sunset on the Meric bridge, followed by seeing it lit up at night. After talking some filmy shots, we went to a what we thought was a restaurant on the edge of the bridge for dinner. It was actually a café run by the teachers' union in Edirne and only served tea and snacks. Somebody spoke to us in English and asked us if we were cyclists. When we replied affirmatively, he invited us for a tea and introduced his friend, who was the manager of the café (but actually a geography teacher!). They are part of a nature club, often going hiking, mountaineering and cycling. We shared stories about mountaineering. Bulent told us that there are indeed women in their club; he also gave great tips about visiting the Black Sea, as he grew up there. One of the best aspects of the trip was meeting connecting with people from all walks of life and realising how much we have in common with complete strangers!

We also went for a drink at a hotel bar and our waiter turned out to be a sculpture artist. Serghei's family is Russian, but he grew up in Istanbul and is now based in Edirne. He shared with us how difficult it is to get by in Turkey due to the poor economy. It's not just artists who take any job they can get or have to moonlight. It is a shame, because we saw how talented he is - do check out his work online. While we can't fix the problems of the Turkish economy. we decided that we can at leave a big enough tip so that he could invite someone out for a nice meal!

From Edirne, we made our way to the Black Sea, only 160 km to go, but lots of small hills to tackle along the way. We found a shady bench in front of a mosque and decided to have lunch there. Little did we know that 40 children were inside attending madrassa (religious school) and were about to be released for a break. As is often the case with children, they are timid at first, only to untie their tongues to ask us 1,001 questions, showing off any English they know! They wanted to know where we slept, how we washed our clothes and ourselves! They wanted to know how Payal ended up in Switzerland from India and the US and they also began to ask us if we were Muslim and whether we prayed. Payal let them know that India was a country with all religions living peacefully together (unfortunately not true anymore) and that all religions lead to the same path, they seemed satisfied. Had the teacher not called them back in, they would have likely been happy to ask us another 1,001 questions!

We continued to meet people in Turkey on the street. In Kirkarelli, a small city we passed through, we met a farmer who bought us a tea at the local tea shop and then insisted that we come to his house for a meal despite having just finished our lunch. Payal told René that we had to go so as not to insult him and we are so glad that we did! His wife made us an omelette out of fresh goose eggs from their yard and the best butter milk we have ever tasted (even better than lassi in India!). Thanks to Google translate we were able to have an interesting conversation with him and his granddaughter. He told us about his political work; he is in a party that opposes Edogan and was disappointed about the election outcome. He has gotten passports for his family with the hope that they could travel, but the inflation and the weak Lira makes it almost impossible to afford basic items. We also heard about how his daughter is fluent in German and English and managed to study at university. Due to the bad economy, she cannot find a job in economics and instead works in tourism on the Anatolian coast. In moments like this, we realise how lucky we are to be able to decide what we want to do with our lives. We are a very privileged minority, who often forgets how good we have it compared to the majority of humanity. We realised that those with the least, were the ones most giving of their time and resources.

After taking a group picture, it was time to move on. He sent us onto a road that was a direct route to the Black Sea, but it was so hot that the tar was melting and the rubber of our tyres was sticking to the road! We decided to take an older road, which had more gravel mixed in it.

We could either go to Igneada or Kiyiköy; both were about the same distance from Edine and our new friend Bulent had talked about how green and beautiful Igneada was. In the end, we went to Kiyiköy, only because it was closer to Istanbul and we could camp there. There was a major hill at the start of the ride, followed by long uphills with only short downhills - very unsatisfying! By the time we arrived, it was so hot and we realised we didn't want to camp. For the first time ever, René actually wanted air conditioning!

We were quite happy that Kiyiköy is not a fancy resort destination. Rather people who lived nearby came there for the day or weekend. But this meant that we had to check the rooms to make sure the AC was working and the window screens were not full of holes. Once we managed to find a hotel, we headed for the best lunch we had had in a long time - an older couple had a small restaurant and guesthouse. Everything was extremely fresh and made with love. The woman convinced us that we must try her signature dish and she was right!

Finally it was time to jump into the sea and get some reprieve from the heat. Both of us prefer freshwater to the sea, but the cold Black Sea felt like heaven! The beach we went to was small and laid back - we were able to rent an umbrella for a decent price and there were toilets and showers. It was nice to not have to a break from cycling or being a tourist. We were just chilling at the beach. In the late afternoon we made our way back to the hotel, looking forward to a shower and a nap in a cool room, only to find out the air conditioning was busted. We were able to switch to the fanciest room in the house for the same price!

The next day, the big boss was at the guesthouse and wanted us to switch rooms - as he couldn't speak English, he made his colleague do the dirty work! Payal was not happy and made it known that she would not be shifting rooms. Luckily, René is better at staying calm in such situations and told Payal to be quiet! In the end, René made the boss speak directly to him using Google translate and told me that he hopes he wouldn't go back on his word, which did the trick! Thereafter we were able to all shake hands and be on good terms. During this trip, we realised how we are able to balance each other out and that being in partnership makes life easier and more enjoyable!

The rest of the day was spent at the beach, followed by a drink at a restaurant, which turned into eating dinner and dancing to traditional music with Güven and Eda - Güven is the life of the party! He got half the restaurant up and dancing and then insisted that we sit with them. His wife Eda spoke some English, which we then followed up with our favourite Google Translate! She has a way of answering with either humour or poetry. It was lovely to hear how she looks to enjoy life and be kind to others. Eda's teenage daughter was also there, a little bit embarrassed by the partying of her mother and step-father :). For both Güven and Eda this is their second marriage - they met in the factory that they work in; when you are travelling and don't have a common language you suddenly become more of a human than usual - you are not identified by your profession and you connect with people on the most basic level, meaning you interact with people that you normally wouldn't. It is nice to get out of our bubble and beat back assumptions we hold.

Local music on the Black Sea

We left Kiyiköy early in the morning toward Istanbul, as it was getting very hot! Komoot, our bicycle app was taking us off-road and we became suspicious and we were contemplating what to do. Suddenly another bicyclist on tour came out of no where. It was the first time we saw a Turkish person cycling with a load (see the photo!). Achmed spoke excellent German, as he was there for five years when he was younger. He regularly camped on the Black Sea and travelled between his home and the ocean (about 40 km). He spends a lot of time on the sea to deal with the tragic death of his son many years ago. We parted ways, only to meet up again in the next big city and had a lovely lunch together.

Cyclists immediately connecting!

And we keep getting closer to Istanbul, our final destination...

#Turkey #bicycletouring #travel #Blacksea

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cordiibus · 1 year

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@unavernales

theoretically, paying for a tropical getaway with his boyfriends is a way to relieve the existential horror plaguing him. eternity, who asked for it? who wanted it? who cares, he replied, when he's got two hot boyfriends and a bottle of macallan to get into a hot tub with. having his dick sucked while sniffing a line or three of coke off of red's ass is all the philosophy serghei needs.

the dhampir only sighs defeatedly when shuni and red both show up (looking no less glorious) covered in blood. to be fair, shuni seems to have only gotten the spectator's splatter. red is still drenched with it. it stinks, to be honest, and serghei can probably only manage half chub at this rate.

"fuck's sake," he swears along with a string of muttered romanian obscenities. "shower before you jump in here." he gets to opening the macallan and then "i thought i told you no messy shit--! we're on fucking vacation--! you know how much of a fucking pain it is to pay off the cops here, huh?" he continues to lecture. they're lucky they're cute. "anyways, hurry up. and wear those matching shorts i got you two." or nothing. serghei would love if they wore nothing.

his frustration will be quickly forgotten once his dick is tended to.

“ the FUCK, tell that to fucking slenderman over here, he fucking started it !! ” red exclaimed, snapping and getting defensive. shuni was merely grinning as they rocked on their heels. while they were doing well portraying innocence ( lies ), it really was all shuni’s fault. having that sick personality of theirs, it was just a habit that someone would want to wipe the smug look off their face. of course, shuni just happened to dodge quick enough where the punch landed onto red instead. hence, the whole situation.

“ and what better way to spend this vacation than getting to know the locals.” shuni snickered. “ i didn’t even get dirty , should be fine..” making their way towards seghei, shuni leaned to press a greeting kiss to the corner of his mouth before biting his cheek. “ could just strip right here for you...” red was still ranting while he was seeing shuni already making moves without him. it really wasn’t a second later where the shorter man’s foot connected on their rear to make shuni fall right into the hot tub.

“ not so fucking quick now huh ??? ” a loud, obnoxious laugh escaped red.

#( shuni interactions. )#( red interactions. )#( see theyre so lovely !! lskjsl )#unavernales

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queensoybean0724 · 3 years

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Succession Chapter 1 (Karl Heisenberg/female reader) Resident Evil Village fic

Here is chapter one of my new fanfic!

Title: Succession

Characters: Karl Heisenberg, female reader, OCs

Rating: PG-13 for language and intense scenes (for now, this is a slow burn, but it will get very hot and spicy in later chapters)

Summary: You discover a long lost relative from Moldova that you didn’t know existed has died and you are his sole beneficiary. You are on board a plane to collect your inheritance when your plane crashes in a village in Romania.

Author’s Notes: I do not own the characters from Resident Evil Village. This is a work of fiction. Anything remotely similar to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1

The music blasted from the car speakers as you drove down the main road towards the highway. You had your phone plugged into your car stereo, your favorite Spotify playlist on shuffle. Despite the A/C being on full blast, beads of sweat formed at your brow and rolled down your temple. You adjusted the vents on either side of you, making sure the cold air directly hit your body. The song that was playing had you tapping your fingers on the steering wheel, your head bopping to the beat.

The fridge at home was close to empty and it was beyond time for you to go grocery shopping. The grocery list was secure in your purse and you were determined to stick to the items on the list and not make any frivolous purchases. Money was tight and you only had so much money left before payday next week.

The song shut off suddenly followed by your ringtone. Looking at the screen of your phone, UNKNOWN stared back at you. Probably a spam call, you thought to yourself, reaching to press the red Ignore button. Unfortunately, your finger slid at the last minute and mistakenly tapped the Accept button. You watched as the call came through and the seconds ticked off. FUCK!

“Hello?” you greeted with a hint of exasperation in your voice.

“Hello, am I speaking with Miss Y/N?” a heavily accented male voice responded.

“Yeah, this is she,” you muttered, rolling your eyes. You tried your best to avoid these calls, ignoring them and letting them go straight to voicemail. Very rarely was it followed with an actual message, which was more than fine with you.

“Miss Y/N, my name is Ron M. Dathermi. I am a lawyer residing in Chisinau, Moldova in Eastern Europe…”

You raised your eyebrows at that. Moldova? Who the hell was calling you from Moldova? Chalking it up to a scam, you were about to interrupt the man when he continued.

“...I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your great uncle, Serghei Popa, has passed away from a short illness and has named you his sole beneficiary…”

You couldn’t help the amused huff that came out of your mouth. This must be some very elaborate scam.

“Umm...sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. I don’t have family from Moldova and I have never heard of this man in my whole life.” You were about to hit the End button when Mr. Dathermi continued.

“Am I speaking with Y/N, born on (your birthday) to (your father and mother’s full names) and the granddaughter of (your grandfather and grandmother on both sides of your family)?”

Your eyes widened at that. “Yeah, that’s me…” you answered.

“I know this may sound unusual, but Mr. Popa was the brother of your grandmother on your mother’s side. He was given up for adoption at birth and taken in by a Moldovan family. He did not have a spouse and had no children, and according to the genealogy report I have before me, your grandmother and your mother are both deceased. Your mother was an only child, yes? It appears to me that you are the last of his living relatives.”

You pulled off the road and into an empty parking lot. The information you were being given was a lot to handle. You didn’t have that large of a family. You were an only child and raised by your parents and both sets of grandparents. Both of your grandfathers had died before you turned 10. Both grandmothers died within 5 years of each other and your father and mother died of illnesses, cancer and pneumonia respectively, in the last year. Grief was a feeling that you knew better than anyone. You kept to yourself mostly and you didn’t have any close friends or a significant other.

“Listen,” you began, “you are correct about all of your information, but how do I know this is not some kind of scam?”

The man on the other end of the phone cleared his throat and the sound of shuffling papers met your ears. “I can imagine that this information is sudden and unusual. What I will do is send a copy of his will and a copy of the genealogy papers to your address. I encourage you to take this to your lawyer and have them look over the information. The reason I am calling is because I need you to fly to Moldova, sign these papers, and accept the monetary inheritance that he has left you.”

Your jaw dropped as you looked down at your phone. Fly to Moldova? Is this true? The only thing you knew about the country was that a foreign exchange student from high school was born and raised in Moldova. That about sums up your knowledge of the country. This seemed incredibly asinine and ridiculous. But the word that settled in your train of thought was “inheritance.” What inheritance?

“Mr...what was your name again?” you asked.

“Mr. Dathermi, but you can call me Ron,” the lawyer responded.

“Ron...umm, how much monetary inheritance are we talking about?”

More shuffling of papers was on the other side of the phone, Ron clicking his tongue as he looked through the information. “He has left you 53,806,746 Moldovan Leu...which translates to $3,000,000 in American currency.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!?!” you exclaimed before clamping your lips shut. You heard Ron chuckle. “I’m sorry, pardon my language. It’s just...wow...this sounds insane…”

“I can imagine it does,” Ron replied, “which is why I want to mail this information to you and have your attorney take a look at it so you know this is a legitimate will and testament. If you would like, I can mail the information straight to your attorney if you are still leery.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” you said, shaking your head. Your mind was whirling. None of this sounded remotely true. You felt as if you were dreaming. This felt like something that only happened in books and fairy tales...a girl who had nothing and nobody suddenly inheriting millions of dollars from an unknown distant relative. What are the odds of something like this happening in real life? You gave Ron Dathermi your home address.

“Thank you very much, Miss Y/N. I will send this as soon as possible. I’ll also include my business card so your attorney can contact me and we can iron out the details. Thank you very much, Y/N...I’ll be in touch.”

You thanked him as well and ended the call. All alone in your car in the empty parking lot, you let out an excited squeal and started hopping up and down.

You adjusted the messenger bag that was slung across your shoulder as you heard the overhead speaker call for the boarding of your flight. Taking a deep breath, you got in line, extended your ticket to the airport employee, and walked down the tarmac and into the plane.

Butterflies were fluttering in your stomach. Your hands gripped your bag tightly as the flight attendant looked at your boarding pass and pointed down the aisle to where you were to be seated. You had never flown before and your nerves were on alert. Scenes from Final Destination flashed in your head as you walked down the aisle towards your seat. Taking a deep breath and willing your body to relax, you located your seat next to the window and sat down, plopping your bag onto your lap.

The small window was close to the wing of the plane and looking beyond that was a long expanse of grass that met a vast forest. You were thankful that you had the window seat and your headphones so you could tune everything out and relax in your own little world.

Once the papers from Mr. Dathermi arrived a week prior, you immediately called the attorney that helped you with the probate and will from your parents’ deaths several months back. He was more than happy to help, knowing that you were all alone in the world after your parents had passed. Two days later, he called to inform you that all of the paperwork was, in fact, legitimate and that Mr. Serghei Popa was the brother of your grandmother. He showed you the adoption papers, confirming that your great uncle had been put up for adoption and the family that took him in had relocated to Moldova when he was two years old. He had remained in the country until his death. Your attorney contacted Mr. Dathermi, who in turn secured a round trip plane ticket in order for you to come to Moldova to finalize the paperwork and collect the inheritance.

At the thought of the money you were about to acquire, another surge of excitement flowed through you. Your parents hadn’t left you much after their death and you worked at a dead-end job that had no room for advancement and no possibility for raises. All of these recent events sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

“This is your captain speaking,” the voice sounded from the speaker above your head, “we will be departing in the next ten minutes. Please make sure your seatbelts are secured, your tray tables are up, and all electronics are off until we are at the appropriate cruising altitude. I will inform everyone as soon as the coast is clear. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy the ride.”

You fastened your seatbelt and laid your head back, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Don’t be nervous…” a voice sounded next to you. You opened your eyes and looked over to see an older gentleman with wide rimmed glasses and a nice smile.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked, returning his smile.

“It’s pretty obvious,” he chuckled, “my name is Bruce Williams. I’m the air marshal on board this flight.” You told him your name and shook his hand. “Just relax,” he assured, “we’ll be flying for the next 10 hours. There are lots of movies and tv shows to watch on the screen in front of you, or you can listen to your music and read a book if you brought one.”

You patted your messenger bag. “Yeah, I have a few books to choose from. Thanks,” you smiled.

Within minutes, the plane had backed away from the tarmac, turned towards the long expanse of runway, and increased speed before leaving the ground and soaring up into the clouds.

The steady hum of the plane’s engines provided a relaxed soundtrack as you slept. It was close to early morning, according to the clock on the tv screen, but your watch was still on your regular time zone. It read early afternoon and that threw you through a loop. You had heard that jet lag could be a bitch and you wondered how bad yours would be once you landed. Bruce had passed you a pillow and blanket once you were ready to sleep and he assured you that your bag and belongings would be safe while you slept.

You were so thankful to be seated next to him. Not only was he the air marshal, but he was a really cool person as well. You two talked about movies and actually watched a couple of them on the tv screen in front of you. Bruce was kind and nice to talk to. The crinkle of crow’s feet around his eyes, his laugh, and his hair color mixed with hints of gray reminded you of your father...maybe that’s why you liked him so much.

You shifted in your seat and let out a soft yawn. Stretching your arms above your head and arching your back, you wondered how much longer it would be until you touched down in Moldova.

“You weren’t asleep that long,” Bruce murmured. You looked over to see a book in his hand and his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom and then go back to sleep,” you replied, standing from your seat. Bruce stood up and allowed you out into the aisle. You made your way to the bathroom towards the back of the plane. The cabin was dark with little lights dotting either side of the aisle on the floor. Soft lights were shining here and there from people reading, watching the tv screen, or messing with their phones while most of the passengers were asleep.

Once in the bathroom, you did your business, flushed the toilet, and began washing your hands. The mirror in front of you showed a tired and weary version of yourself. Some of your eye makeup was smudged. You told yourself once you returned back to your seat, you’d retrieve the makeup remover wipes in your bag and do away with the dirt and oil.

Just then the plane hit an air pocket and dropped several feet, throwing you forward towards the sink and mirror. You let out a shriek as the plane quieted and went still. “God dammit,” you muttered, putting your hand over your heart, “that scared the shit out of me!”

Once out of the bathroom, you slammed the door shut and walked back to your seat. You tapped Bruce on the shoulder and he moved aside.

You lifted the window shade and looked outside. Natural light from the start of the day began to show. The plane was amongst the clouds so it was fairly cloudy and hard to see.

“How much farther do we have?” you asked Bruce. He shifted the book to his left hand and looked down at his wristwatch. “We should be there in three hours. I think we are flying over Romania right now…”

You nodded your head and thanked him, turning back to the window. The clouds gave way momentarily and provided the opportunity to see the ground below. Tall, snowy mountains came into view. You smiled and marveled at their beauty, wondering what mountain range this was. You cursed yourself for forgetting the basics from your World Geography class in high school. Hell, all you knew about Romania was that it was the setting for Dracula and the real life territory that was once owned by Elizabeth Bathory, who allegedly killed upwards of 650 maidens and bathed in their blood. You shook your head and smiled to yourself. You really did enjoy some morbid and fucked up stories.

Your train of thought stopped short when a large and spacious castle came into view. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. It looked like something out of a Disney movie or from ancient castles that still sat throughout Europe. The place looked like it stood on several acres of land and who knows how many square feet. What a gorgeous and breathtaking place it was. You wondered just what was inside a monstrosity like that and who was lucky enough to inhabit such a place. Maybe there were castles in Moldova that you could explore and visit while you’re conducting your business.

The castle fell out of view and not far from it stood what looked like a village. You were too high up to see any people or any traces of lights or torches. You took everything in with total awe and appreciation. It looked like a small and sleepy storybook town.

A sudden movement close to the village caught your attention. You squinted your eyes and tried to look closer, pressing your forehead to the window. What the fuck is that, you wondered. It looked like a black tree, naked of leaves or any type of growth...and it was moving. It looked to be swaying in the breeze, but the size of it looked way too sturdy for any kind of gust to move it with such fluidity. As you focused on the tree, it appeared to be growing...getting closer to the plane. Was the plane descending? Were you getting closer to Moldova?

One of the branches of the tree slowly drifted to the ground before extending long and rigid, slinging itself up into the air like a bullwhip, hitting the wing of the plane. The plane suddenly tilted as the slithering limb wrapped around the wing and broke it off. You let out a loud scream as the plane turned on its side, Bruce falling against you, squishing you to the wall. “WHAT THE FUCK??” Bruce screamed as yelps, shrieks, and screams echoed in the cabin of the plane. Dozens of people were knocked from their seats, flight attendants falling into the aisle and rolling towards the cockpit. The plane shook and quaked as it dropped several feet in a matter of seconds.

“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” you screamed, grabbing hold of Bruce’s arm. The air masks dropped from overhead and Bruce grabbed yours, making quick work of putting it over your face. “HOLD ON TO IT! HOLD IT OVER YOUR MOUTH, Y/N!!” he commanded, reaching for his own mask.

“THE WING OF THE PLANE HAS BEEN DAMAGED!” the pilot yelled from over the speakers, “WE ARE LOSING ALTITUDE! BRACE FOR IMPACT!” People screamed and panicked, holding on to whatever it was they could. Panic surged through your body as your fingers dug into Bruce’s arm. The plane shook as it fell. Your stomach dropped and it felt as if you were seconds from impact. You looked out the window one last time before the ground came into view and everything went black.

He leaned over the body on the metal table in the lab of his factory. He fastened the bolts with a wrench and tested the strength of the metal against the rotting flesh. A soft horn sounded in the distance along with the various turns of chains and clangs of steel against steel. He wiped the sweat off his brow and walked to his desk, looking over the blueprints and sketches he had devised the previous day.

Despite the different array of sounds, nothing could mask the loud crash that sounded off in the distance. He lifted his head, silently trying to figure out what the fuck made that noise. Leaving the body laying on the table, he exited his lab and made his way down the stairs and to the factory doors.

With a grunt, he slid the doors aside and looked off into the distance. Black smoke billowed from an area that looked to be close to the village. Other than the crows squawking and flapping their wings in retreat, everything was dead quiet. He looked off to the right just in time to see the long, spindly limbs of mold retreating back towards the earth. Karl Heisenberg’s face tightened in a disgusted grimace.

“Mother Miranda...what have you done?”

#resident evil village #resident evil village fanfic #karl heisenberg #karl heisenburg x reader #daddy heisenberg #house heisenberg #heisenberg #karl heisenberg fanfic

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mrsrcbinscn · 4 years

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Franny Robinson HC Infodump #7: More Music Stuff

tw: mentions of psychedelic use (it’s clear it is in moderation but)

Cover Contributions To Tribute or Charity Albums (and other notable covers):

King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller - Franny recorded a cover of The Moon Is High (And So Am I) for the album. There’s a really cute video uploaded on her YouTube channel of her recording the song and she’s playing acoustic guitar and dancing around in place as she sings in several takes. It’s one of the few internet videos where her husband is seen, because sometimes the camera pans to the sound engineer booth when he’s sitting next to Serghei, her go-to sound guy.

She participated on the charity album BBC Children In Need: Got It Covered, since England’s been her home from nearly twenty years now. She sang a slowed down, gentler version of Pat Benatar’s Shadows Of The Night. (inspired by that being a song I vividly remember my mom singing to my siblings and I lmao)

For the album The Music Is You: A John Denver Tribute, Franny sang Rhymes and Reasons.

On a John Prine tribute album released in 2017, Franny and the other half of the duo Dara & Danny, Daniel Maitland, recorded In Spite Of Ourselves for the album.

For a Connie Francis tribute album, Franny sang Where The Boys Are

Franny, along with black country singer Erica James, curated a Charley Pride tribute album, featuring solely country or country-adjacent singers of color. “Charley Pride, when I discovered a black country artist, as an Asian-American growing up in the 80s, that was amazing to me. Because little Cambodian me was like, ‘wow, so you don’t gotta look like Dolly or Willie to love this music.’ Everyone thinks country and bluegrass music is white people shit, but it ain’t. It was always a mix of folks influencin’ it. DeFord Bailey paved the way for Charley Pride, who paved the way for Darius Rucker, who paved the way for Jimmie Allen, Willie Jones, Mickey Guyton, Erica right here, and non-black POC like myself and Dan(iel Maitland). It was such an honor to get to curate this album with Erica. Amazing.” Franny recorded Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger for the album.

On the Tracy Lawrence tribute album Good Ole Days, she recorded As Any Fool Can See with him

She was featured on Brooks & Dunn’s Reboot, recording She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind

During a SiriusXM session, she sang Gretchen Wilson’s When I Think About Cheatin’, and the performance w/ent viral

On a Leonard Cohen tribute album, she recorded A Thousand Kisses Deep and that cover also became popular

During a Spotify Sessions recording with Seoul Hanoi’d, Franny recorded a cover of Marcy Playground’s Sex & Candy, which also blew up, prompting Seoul Hanoi’d to officially release it on their 2018 album. It was the second of five singles off of the album, and Franny in the music video was Hot ™

During a Spotify Sessions recording as a solo artist, Franny recorded a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s From The Bottle To The Bottom

Khmer Music:

Franny, for the most part, does not record or perform pop music. However, she’s collaborated on tracks with Cambodian pop singers

She writes a lot of songs used in the soundtracks of Khmer tv dramas, and sings a lot of them as well

She’s known as The Soundtrack Queen in Cambodia

In addition to a lot of songs for film and tv, she’s released three albums entirely in Khmer. A jazz album comprised of original songs and Khmer language versions of classic jazz songs; and two in the indie/alternative style of music similar to Seoul Hanoi’d

And she’s recorded Khmer versions of several of her most famous songs

With other Cambodian diaspora musicians, she regularly collaborates on special covers of iconic Khmer 60s and 70s songs

Songwriting

Franny’s even more active as a songwriter than a recording artist. She’s got over 1,000 songwriting credits to her name.

She began writing songs “when I was 11, but they were atrocious, unsalvageable things. The first song I wrote that ever saw the light of day even after heavy edits was first thought up when I was thirteen.”

Franny is openly bisexual and explores that in her songwriting-- however, most of her songs about women or her sexuality that she wrote “pre-2009-ish” she’s scrapped or sold to other artists. Why? “Look, I’ve been married to my husband for almost twenty years now. And that doesn’t make me any less bisexual. But a lot of the songs I’ve written about women are from the perspective of a thirteen through twenty year old me, and at forty, I’m not the best narrator for those stories anymore.They are my lived experiences and my lived feelings, but I want to see how someone actually going through that will take it and interpret it. The songs I write about women loving women now are about characters I make up for the purpose of storytelling so they’re about women closer to my age, it’s about big girl love, not adolescent love.”

Common themes in Franny Sor Robinson songwriting: geography, vivid imagery like she’s showing you a picture of what she’s singing about, Buddhist themes, Christrianity (she’s a Buddhist but grew up in the Bible Belt so she’s very familiar with Christian themes), alliteration

Franny came under a degree of controversy in 2014 with the release of a song called “The Sabbath” because it was a tasteful song about how much she likes sex with her husband after they’ve been apart for a while, and Franny was like “you know you’d think the pearl-clutchin’ folks would be glad I practically worship my husband, but I forgot women ain’t supposed to actually enjoy sex.”

She's written another really sweet song about making love with her husband that did Not get hate because it was Acceptable TM and pretty romantic actually. Think along the lines of Josh Turner's Your Man or Dierks Bentley's Come A Little Closer. Songs deff about how they wanna get down but sweet.

After Franny retweet a clip of that Tyler Childers song in 2019 with the caption “big relate”, she was asked in a tweet if a follow up to The Sabbath was in the cards. Franny replied with “there’s a demo recorded for a song I wrote about six years back and that’s that on that.” Yes, Franny Sor Robinson indeed has written a song about masturbation. She’s performed the song live a few times, however, it is still unreleased officially

Franny’s written songs with lyrics alluding to her family’s experiences under the Khmer Rouge and escaping and resettling around the world, she cleverly hides them among her albums so people accidentally digest some education

Cornelius is the well-documented muse for “every love song I’ve written that I don’t specify in the album notes or an interview is written about a character. My husband is the love of my life and had given me twenty years and counting of great material to write about.”,

Franny’s been on both ends of this story. In 2019, a song Franny wrote but didn’t record became a smash pop hit after she and her producer sent it around to other producers. They recorded Franny’s demo in mid-2017 and they and the bigger pop producer that worked on the song with them listened to over 20 demos of the song until they found the right person to sing it.

And in 2013, Franny got a huge boost to her fame when she was the featured vocalist on a pop song that became a global smash hit. Franny doesn’t typically do like...super top 40 pop type music, but she liked the song so when her agent suggested she record a demo for it and send it back to the producer looking, she was like “sure, okay” and then was absolutely surprised that they chose her over some of the names she knew also recorded demos for the song.

Misc. Music facts

In 2019, a group of NYU students (where she did her undergrad) made a Franny Sor Robinson tribute album project; the majority of the students were Asian students in the university’s music programs who cite her as a big inspiration for them pursuing music. She 100% cried

For the Netflix show Just Trust Me that she co executive-produces, Franny is also one of the people who soundtrack the show

In 2020, to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of her biggest solo album’s release, she pulled a The Story And Cover Stories (we stan Brandi Carlile) where it was re-released along with cover versions of each song by other artists including some of Franny’s biggest living musical influences. All proceeds for the album were donated to Cambodian Living Arts.

Franny has openly admitted in interviews to using mushrooms, LSD, and DMT before in songwriting sessions. Her stance is Kacey Musgraves’ stance. Franny quote from 2019, “Used responsibly, I think psychedelics are a worthwhile experience to have. But safety and education are key. I truly don’t believe they are party drugs. Psychedelics aren’t a party, they’re a deeply spiritual and philosophical journey.”

#&&...hc #i should have slept but it is 6:15 am and here i am

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murios-archive · 5 years

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THE WORDS HAD BEEN MEANT AS AN APOLOGY, of sorts, even if their sincerity was questionable. does serghei feel as though he could have done more to turn his little brother away from a dangerous path? perhaps. but they’d both been children, at the time, how could he have been expected to make a difference when nikolas was so seduced by the life dangled before him? still, he’s curious enough by the response to have him questioning it further.

❛ oh yeah ? tell me, niko, what should i have done ? ❜ it’s a dangerous thing to ask, and he’s certain he can guess his brother’s complaints ------he should have stayed being the most stark among them. but then, he would have been selling his own soul, as well, and maybe there was still hope for one of them. he sips at length from his glass, letting the drink settle over his tongue as if in preparation of the words that will succeed it. ❛ no, ❜ he mutters finally, in a liquor-saturated breath, and with all of the lamentation such an admission deserves. ❛ no, i don’t think it would have changed a goddamn thing. ❜ one brow rises as he peers up at his brother, tone taking on a hint of amusement. ❛ you are too damn stubborn. ❜ if ever there was a time for that old adage about pots and kettles, it’s in this moment, in the hypocrisy of any petran speaking to another’s willfulness. // @prcsopa » 〈 !! 〉

#prcsopa #« a smile & a gun will get you farther !! » s. petran 〈 interactions 〉#s. petran « fidelity ˒ bravery ˒ integrity ! » main.#prcsopa 〈 feat. niko petran 〉

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bujorulgalben · 2 years

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hc: of the pure emotion of opera

ah, the opera headcanon. one i’ve tip-toed around for the longest time, although i can’t really say why! it’s a headcanon i’ve had knocking about in my noggin for nearly as long as i’ve had anica, and i reckon it might be about time to share it! so! let’s talk opera:

the history of opera in romania coincides with the history of romania itself, as a modern-day nation; needing to assert and construct itself not only in romania itself, but also the social elites. the german king. onlookers romania based much of its modern infrastructure on, in paris, berlin, and vienna.

opera first arrived in romania in the late 18th century, and by the second half of the 19th century - indeed, when romanian revolutionary thought blossomed and triumphed - local opera works with their dramatic, local flair, were being produced. before then, french, italian and german touring companies controlled the sway of opera. the first performance in a purpose-built opera house in romania was indeed in italian! bellini’s ‘norma’!

so what does this all mean in anica’s character development? well:

the adoption of strong pro-latinisation, pro-western notions going forward with the construction of the romanian state gave anica strong inclinations to continue reading in italian and french. her proficiency then provided a good foundation to her understanding and quick love for the touring operas she saw. the drama, explosive emotion, decadent stagecraft and music, all of it only solidified that love. from there, it wasn’t long until she was learning opera herself. already having knowledge of the language and a good (and loud) singing voice, vocal stamina (have you SEEN how much this woman talks! and how quickly!) meant she could start formal training quickly.

she established a powerful soprano performing style; the highest adult female voice. richly dramatic, as is she with all things. serghei was just as quick to ask her to do the glass-shattering trick.

romania’s national opera society became a state institution under the patronage of one queen maria... and we wonder why anica loved her so much. i can imagine her wanting to sing for her late queen and her romance family cousins a lot ;v;

the national opera building in bucharest is also located near the cotroceni neighbourhood, where anica resides. i love connecting the dots like this.

but now that i’ve justified it, i can talk about the reason why i’ve been sitting on this headcanon for so long: one of my big introductions to romania and it’s musical history is angela gheorghiu; one of the greatest operatic sopranos and a personal favourite of mine. i got to see her perform in tosca for her 30th anniversary with the royal opera house in london and got very emotional in doing so. it’s so powerful, and i believe anica takes a great deal of pride in her reputation, and in turn, romania’s reputation as a ‘dark horse’ in the opera world. not necessarily your first thought when you think ‘opera’, but absolutely incredible in its own right.

seeing angela perform live, and having her music and style play such foundational parts in anica’s development and sustained character (dramatic diva mannerisms, her overall look and fashion sense,) made me adamant about making anica a soprano, also. so here we are!

#cununi de flori uscate fâşâiesc ✧ hc #now if you'll excuse me: i'll be listening to vissi d'arte. again. and having a good cry.

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bencvolentways · 5 years

Note

“#” for serghei!

send me “#” for cell phone headcanons about our muses including/ ACCEPTING!

- what your muse’s name is in mine’s phone

My heart 💕 - what your muse’s picture is in mine’s phone

- what your muse’s ringtone is in mine’s phone

“You Make Loving Fun” - Fleetwood Mac

- my muse’s last text to your muse

[Text] I have four holiday parties this week? Does it sound dreadful to you because trust me, it is. How’s Niko doing today? I know I ask everyday but I just like to make sure.

[Text] Miss you. Once this trial I’m prepping is over, I’m hogging you up so say goodbye to adulting for a few days.

#Leela x Serghei #battlebrcd

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themakersmovement · 5 years

Photo

How to Set Up a Smart Kitchen Serghei Starus/Shutterstock Your kitchen is full of appliances, but they’re dumb. Technology, like smart speakers, lights, ovens, and faucets, can make cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping easier. Creating a smart kitchen isn’t hard, and everyone in the home can benefit. Here’s how. Why a Smart Kitchen? Your kitchen is a room of productivity and mess. You cook your meals, clean your dishes, and maybe even eat in your kitchen. Every cabinet, utensil, and tool contributes to your kitchen experience, for better or worse. And adding intelligence to your cooking space can improve your recipes and speed up the work. Kitchens can host some of the most useful smarthome technology in your home. You can buy smart ovens that take the guesswork out of cooking times and suggest recipes you may not have tried or a smart faucet that you can turn on and off by voice, or ask to pour a set amount of water. But it’s not all big, flashy new appliances. A smart display like the Nest Hub or Echo Show can convert measurements for you, set timers, or show the next steps of a recipe you’re working on, and smart lights are an inexpensive way to improve the lighting in your kitchen. For example, smart light switches can save you money by turning everything off at scheduled times, and smart LED strips can light the dark spaces under a cabinet. Every kitchen is unique, but the advantage of creating your smart kitchen is choosing just the technology that you benefit from and skipping everything else. Start With a Smart Speaker or Display This Echo really helped cut down the time to make a grocery list. Josh Hendrickson Smart ovens and faucets are impressive, but the first thing we recommend for every kitchen is also the cheapest: A smart speaker like an Amazon Echo or Google Home. Or, better yet, a smart display like the Nest Hub or Echo Show. Echo Dots and Google Home Minis can typically be found in the $30 to $50 range, depending on sales, and the functionality they provide goes well beyond the cost. Google’s Nest Hub (formerly known as the Google Home Hub)and Amazon’s Echo Show cost a bit more at $129.99 and $229.99, respectively, but add a lot over a basic smart speaker. With a smart speaker, you can set multiple named timers to keep track of your food cook times. If your recipe calls for a measurement you don’t have, you can ask for a conversion, like “how many teaspoons in two tablespoons?” or “how many cups in a liter?” when you need to convert to another measuring system. Smart speakers also serve as an intercom if you spread them throughout your home, so you can easily announce when dinner is ready. And to keep yourself entertained, you can listen to music while you cook. Read the remaining 22 paragraphs https://buff.ly/2KNY2m9

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jodybouchard9 · 6 years

Text

5 Gorgeous Design Ideas From Around the World You’ll Be Dying to Steal

Just like America itself, American interior design is a melting pot of inspirations from other countries.

The style we know as midcentury modern, for instance, originally was a spinoff of the modernist movement in Denmark. Our version of feng shui, of course, takes its inspiration from the ancient Chinese philosophy that governs spatial arrangement and orientation and how it relates to good energy. And even design trends that feel uniquely American—like farmhouse or boho chic—originated in France, merci beaucoup.

Where will American homeowners look next for global design influence? Check out these five cool decor ideas that are trending in other countries.

1. Ukraine: Unprocessed natural textures

Unprocessed clay covering the ceiling. Photo courtesy of Sergey Makhno

We’ve painted our brick fireplaces white and dip-dyed our wooden chairs, but homeowners are starting to embrace the natural look again. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Ukraine, where designers “respect nature and create interiors to live in collaboration with it,” says Ukrainian designer Serghey Makhno.

Sure, Americans have been gradually integrating more natural elements into their homes, but Ukrainians take the trend one step further: Their homes are filled with raw materials and colors like clay and flax.

“We don’t process the textures,” Makhno says. “It’s important to feel the warmth of unprocessed Carpathian wood or light coldness of the real stone from the bank of the mountain river.”

And these textures are utilized in unusual locations, too. Layering unprocessed clay across your ceiling, for instance, creates a subdued, earthy appeal.

“Using all advantages of Ukrainian nature, we create something unique,” Makhno says.

2. Italy: ’70s colors

Photo by Luis Pons

On this side of the Atlantic, we’ve got serious nostalgia for the ’90s. But in Italy, the ’70s are all the rage. At Milan’s most recent Salone del Mobile, the international furniture and design fair, Houzz Italy editor Leonora Sartori spotted mango and moss green aplenty.

“These specific colors are quite loved, as they are room-changing colors but still not so strong that you will get sick of them after six months,” Sartori says. “They can bring a really nice touch to the room.”

To make these shades sing, pair with modern minimalism: clean white lines or simple black-and-white patterns. The combination of retro and contemporary will evoke a luxe vibe.

3. Rwanda: Imigongo patterns

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Do you know Kenyan fashion icon @dianaopoti? She opened a beautiful retail outlet in Kenya's Village Market called Designing Africa Collective. It features dozens of Africa's best independent brands. She has been championing the creatives industry for years and despite the successes she has accumulated, she remains exceptionally open and down to earth. Here she is pictured in Rwanda against an imigongo wall. . . This woman's month celebrate the hardworking fempreneurs you admire who are doing their part to support whatever community they love. . . If you dream of opening a retail boutique one day what would you ask Diana? . . . . . . . #africanbaskets #africanstyle #rwanda #imigongo #accentwall #accentchair #interiorstylist #interiorstyled #dianaopoti #fashionblogger #interiorsinspiration #forthehome #microinfluencer #sodomino #africaninteriors #finditstyleit #neutraldecor #earthy #elledecor #Kigali #interiordecoration #shoppingtrip #blueprintafrica #girlbosses

A post shared by BLUEPRINT AFRICA (Design) (@blueprintafrica) on Mar 28, 2018 at 5:01am PDT

Traditional Rwandan imigongo designs are graphic, geometric, and, most importantly, gorgeous.

These bold patterns “are painted on walls, pottery, and canvas,” in Rwandan homes, says designer Aline Uwimana, the founder of Thoms Interior Design in Kigali—but this look has everything American designers are loving these days: vivid color, striking shapes, and a stark palette.

Fun fact: This artwork is traditionally created using cow dung. But if you prefer not to be that authentic, these designs also look stunning painted with oils or etched into clay.

Choose a pattern with bold reds to bring drama to an otherwise minimal room, or look for spiral or geometric black-and-white designs to draw the eye and add a chic, playful effect.

4. Kuwait: Laser-cut screens

Photo by Elite project kuwait

If you live in a busy city—or even on a busy street—maintaining your privacy without feeling boxed in might feel like a delicate balancing act.

Kuwait has a solution: decorative screens.

“We are seeing more and more laser-cut patterns inside and outside of homes,” says designer Ana Cummings, who used to live in Kuwait.

And screens provide more benefits than just privacy: They offer “light and temperature control over exterior windows, especially in warmer climates,” she says.

You can even put these gorgeous dividers inside for an exotic way to segment your open floor plan, use them as decorative features, or install them on staircases, Cummings says.

Ease in with a simple but stark black laser-cut divider—or go bold and colorful to add intrigue and drama.

5. Japan: ‘Friendly minimalism’

Photo by SUBU Design Architecture

This trend is anything but stark and sterile; it’s all about warmth, simple objects, and playing with light. And Japanese superstar organizer/author Marie Kondo deserves some of the credit for this amiable look.

“This originates from a lifestyle change, as people have become more and more interested in the decluttering philosophy and the positive vibes and life-changing power of having a less cluttered house,” Sartori says.

Consider lots of natural elements along with tatami-style sofas, which sit directly on the floor and can be rearranged at will. Or try a minimal—yet funky—geometric chandelier (like this low-key bronze light), which provide a hint of glam without feeling excessive.

The post 5 Gorgeous Design Ideas From Around the World You’ll Be Dying to Steal appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 5 years

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How you can Set Up a Good Kitchen

http://tinyurl.com/y6eggxhk Serghei Starus/Shutterstock Your kitchen is filled with home equipment, however they’re dumb. Expertise, like sensible audio system, lights, ovens, and taps, could make cooking, cleansing, and grocery procuring simpler. Creating a wise kitchen isn’t arduous, and everyone in the home can benefit. Right here’s how. Why a Good Kitchen? Your kitchen is a room of productiveness and mess. You prepare dinner your meals, clear your dishes, and perhaps even eat in your kitchen. Each cupboard, utensil, and gear contributes to your kitchen expertise, for higher or worse. And including intelligence to your cooking area can enhance your recipes and velocity up the work. Kitchens can host a number of the most helpful smarthome expertise in your house. You should buy sensible ovens that take the guesswork out of cooking occasions and recommend recipes it’s possible you’ll not have tried or a wise faucet that you could activate and off by voice, or ask to pour a set quantity of water. However it’s not all large, flashy new home equipment. A sensible show just like the Nest Hub or Echo Present can convert measurements for you, set timers, or present the following steps of a recipe you’re engaged on, and sensible lights are a reasonable method to enhance the lighting in your kitchen. For instance, sensible mild switches can prevent cash by turning all the things off at scheduled occasions, and sensible LED strips can mild the darkish areas beneath a cupboard. Each kitchen is exclusive, however the benefit of making your sensible kitchen is selecting simply the expertise that you just profit from and skipping all the things else. Begin With a Good Speaker or Show This Echo actually helped reduce down the time to make a grocery checklist. Josh Hendrickson Good ovens and taps are spectacular, however the very first thing we suggest for each kitchen can be the most affordable: A sensible speaker like an Amazon Echo or Google Home. Or, higher but, a wise show just like the Nest Hub or Echo Show. Echo Dots and Google Home Minis can usually be discovered within the $30 to $50 vary, relying on gross sales, and the performance they supply goes nicely past the fee. Google’s Nest Hub (previously often known as the Google House Hub)and Amazon’s Echo Show price a bit extra at $129.99 and $229.99, respectively, however add loads over a fundamental sensible speaker. With a wise speaker, you’ll be able to set a number of named timers to maintain monitor of your meals prepare dinner occasions. In case your recipe requires a measurement you don’t have, you’ll be able to ask for a conversion, like “what number of teaspoons in two tablespoons?” or “what number of cups in a liter?” when it’s essential convert to a different measuring system. Good audio system additionally function an intercom for those who unfold them all through your property, so you’ll be able to simply announce when dinner is prepared. And to maintain your self entertained, you’ll be able to hearken to music when you prepare dinner. And so they can velocity up the grocery checklist. Fairly than spend an hour or two as soon as every week wanting by way of what provides have to find out what it’s essential purchase, you may make a grocery checklist as you go. Each time you utilize the of one thing, you’ll be able to inform Google or Alexa so as to add “ketchup” or “cumin” to the procuring checklist. You’ll nonetheless must doublecheck issues when it comes time to purchase groceries, however the job might be shorter. A sensible show, like Amazon Present or Nest Hub, is even higher. Good shows have all of the options listed above, however the added display screen provides you visible elements to your timers, conversions, and may also stroll you thru recipes with seen steps. Acquired a Nest Hub? You’ll be able to name up a YouTube video together with your voice for some fast cooking directions. And you probably have a video doorbell, one of the best smarthome gadgets you can own, a wise show will allow you to reply the door with out having to cease cooking. Some firms are beginning to launch sensible shows particularly designed for the kitchen, too. At CES 2019, KitchenAid introduced the $200 Smart Display. It’s successfully a Nest Hub that’s splash resistant and comes with unique cooking content material. And GE’s Kitchen Hub, although costly at $1200, is a large touchscreen that hangs proper above your range. RELATED: Why Video Doorbells Are the Best Smarthome Gadget Good Lights Full the Kitchen Typically it’s simpler to interchange a single mild swap as a substitute of a bunch of bulbs. Josh Hendrickson Each room of the house can profit from sensible lights, and the kitchen is not any completely different. However you don’t must go as far with sensible lights as you would possibly in different rooms. Whereas coloured mild bulbs are nice on your lounge and bed room, they received’t add as a lot to the kitchen. As a substitute, you would possibly think about both white smart bulbs or a smart switch. In case you have a number of fixtures in your kitchen all managed by a single swap, the latter route could be cost-effective as smart switches usually run within the $25 to $60 vary. Some sensible bulbs, like these by Philips Hue, price that a lot on their very own. In case you have cupboards over counters, like most kitchens, sensible LED strips run alongside the underside of the cupboards to make for wonderful evening lighting whenever you need one thing much less brilliant. Philips Hue LED strips are costly, at $80 for six and a half ft, however they do get pleasure from Zigbee vary and native management. However for those who want to save cash, you might all the time purchase commonplace LEDs and convert them to Zigbee. You’ll spend one thing nearer to the $50 vary and get 16 ft of LEDs. Good Ovens Do the Onerous Work For You June If nobody taught you to prepare dinner, you would possibly discover the duty intimidating or demanding. And even for those who do know to prepare dinner, it’s possible you’ll not take pleasure in it or discover it time-consuming. Good ovens are designed to assist with all these eventualities. Most sensible ovens appear like an outsized toaster oven and work off related ideas. Sometimes they home a digicam pointed on the meals you place within the oven. Synthetic intelligence examines the meals, acknowledges the elements, after which determines an optimum temperature and prepare dinner time. Some sensible ovens have automated cooking applications; you select the dish by way of an app, and it walks you thru steps and winds up the cooking for you. Better of all, with some sensible ovens, you’ll be able to stroll away and regulate your meals by streaming the digicam feed to your telephone or pill. If you happen to’re the sort of one who can by no means bear in mind how lengthy it takes to hardboil an egg, you’ll recognize the simplicity of placing an egg in your oven, selecting hardboil in an app, and strolling away. What it’s possible you’ll not recognize is the worth, however that’s enhancing too. June Ovens used to price an astounding $1,500, however the newest mannequin reduce the worth again to $600. The Brava Oven, nevertheless, begins at $1,00zero and goes up relying on what equipment you need. Most sensible ovens are countertop models, and received’t exchange your full-sized oven. However you may be shocked at how a lot meals does slot in a countertop oven, June’s producer boats that you could prepare dinner a 12-pound turkey as an example. Past strictly sensible ovens, Amazon’s Basic’s Microwave and a few Instant Pots include Alexa expertise for controlling or recipe steering as nicely. For Fingers-Free, Measured Water, Add a Good Faucet Delta An important a part of the kitchen is your sink. You’ll use it to fill measuring cups, pots, and clear your dishes. Inevitably, whenever you’re cooking, you’ll want water, however your arms are full or soiled. A touchless faucet is superb for these events, simply wave your arms in entrance of the sensor, and the water activates. A voice-enabled faucet takes that comfort a step additional. With Google Assistant or Alexa integration, you say issues like “dispense two cups of water” or “flip off.” You’ll be able to even set customized measurements, so for those who commonly fill a container to a certain quantity, you may make the method simpler with a devoted command. Think about saying “fill pitcher” each time you made Kool-aid on your kids or iced tea for your self. You’ll be able to set the pitcher within the sink, use the voice command, and stroll away to work on one thing else with out worrying about overflow. Voice-enabled taps include just a few drawbacks, although. The voice instructions aren’t very intuitive. For Alexa, you’d say, “Inform Delta to dispense one cup of water.” Moreover, you’ll want a handy plug beneath your sink, ideally one not managed by a swap. The most important downside, although, is worth. Delta’s VoiceID faucet runs just below $550. And Kohler’s Sensate, which isn’t out but, will doubtless be priced in an identical space, given it has touchless faucets for $500 already with out Alexa integration. Extras for Your Kitchen iRobot If you happen to maintain any small home equipment or lamps in your kitchen, it’s possible you’ll wish to think about including a wise plug to realize some voice management. Simply plug the lamp or system into the sensible plug, then plug that into the wall. You’ll deal with the remainder of the setup by way of an app. Good plugs are reasonably inexpensive, ranging between $15 and $30, and make a simple method to give dumb objects some restricted intelligence. For recipes that originate exterior the U.S., a smart scale might turn out to be useful. They often join by way of Bluetooth and offer you a readout in your telephone or pill. Simply pour and watch the outcomes in your display screen. At round $20, a wise scale isn’t a major funding however might save effort and time. If you happen to hate mopping the kitchen flooring, iRobot’s Braava mopping robot will alleviate a few of your frustration. Consider this as a moist Swiffer that does the pushing and shifting for you. It’s additionally one of many least expensive robots supplied by iRobot, at simply $170 plus refill pads. The one system we don’t suggest on your kitchen is a brilliant fridge. Producers have executed a poor job of maintaining the “sensible” a part of the fridge, and your equipment that usually ought to final 50 years perhaps susceptible and old-fashioned in simply three to 5 years. That common reasoning ought to apply to any intelligence you add to your kitchen. You wish to be sure that what you utilize provides sufficient comfort to justify any complication. And that the additional tech doesn’t make a tool much less safe and extra vulnerable to failure. However with simpler entry to recipes, conversions, and voice controls, it’s possible you’ll take pleasure in cooking in your kitchen greater than you might have earlier than. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '335401813750447'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link

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jamesheartfield33-blog · 6 years

Text

5 Gorgeous Design Ideas From Around the World You'll Be Dying to Steal

Just like America itself, American interior design is a melting pot of inspirations from other countries.

The style we know as midcentury modern, for instance, originally was a spinoff of the modernist movement in Denmark. Our version of feng shui, of course, takes its inspiration from the ancient Chinese philosophy that governs spatial arrangement and orientation and how it relates to good energy. And even design trends that feel uniquely American-like farmhouse or boho chic-originated in France, merci beaucoup.

Where will American homeowners look next for global design influence? Check out these five cool decor ideas that are trending in other countries.

1. Ukraine: Unprocessed natural textures

Unprocessed clay covering the ceiling. Photo courtesy of Sergey Makhno

We've painted our brick fireplaces white and dip-dyed our wooden chairs, but homeowners are starting to embrace the natural look again. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Ukraine, where designers “respect nature and create interiors to live in collaboration with it,” says Ukrainian designer Serghey Makhno.

“We don't process the textures,” Makhno says. “It's important to feel the warmth of unprocessed Carpathian wood or light coldness of the real stone from the bank of the mountain river.”

And these textures are utilized in unusual locations, too. Layering unprocessed clay across your ceiling, for instance, creates a subdued, earthy appeal.

“Using all advantages of Ukrainian nature, we create something unique,” Makhno says.

2. Italy: '70s colors

Photo by Luis Pons

On this side of the Atlantic, we've got serious nostalgia for the '90s. But in Italy, the '70s are all the rage. At Milan's most recent Salone del Mobile, the international furniture and design fair, Houzz Italy editor Leonora Sartori spotted mango and moss green aplenty.

To make these shades sing, pair with modern minimalism: clean white lines or simple black-and-white patterns. The combination of retro and contemporary will evoke a luxe vibe.

3. Rwanda: Imigongo patterns

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Traditional Rwandan imigongo designs are graphic, geometric, and, most importantly, gorgeous.

These bold patterns “are painted on walls, pottery, and canvas,” in Rwandan homes, says designer Aline Uwimana, the founder of Thoms Interior Design in Kigali-but this look has everything American designers are loving these days: vivid color, striking shapes, and a stark palette.

Fun fact: This artwork is traditionally created using cow dung. But if you prefer not to be that authentic, these designs also look stunning painted with oils or etched into clay.

Choose a pattern with bold reds to bring drama to an otherwise minimal room, or look for spiral or geometric black-and-white designs to draw the eye and add a chic, playful effect.

4. Kuwait: Laser-cut screens

Photo by Elite project kuwait

If you live in a busy city-or even on a busy street-maintaining your privacy without feeling boxed in might feel like a delicate balancing act.

Kuwait has a solution: decorative screens.

“We are seeing more and more laser-cut patterns inside and outside of homes,” says designer Ana Cummings, who used to live in Kuwait.

And screens provide more benefits than just privacy: They offer “light and temperature control over exterior windows, especially in warmer climates,” she says.

You can even put these gorgeous dividers inside for an exotic way to segment your open floor plan, use them as decorative features, or install them on staircases, Cummings says.

Ease in with a simple but stark black laser-cut divider-or go bold and colorful to add intrigue and drama.

5. Japan: 'Friendly minimalism'

Photo by SUBU Design Architecture

This trend is anything but stark and sterile; it's all about warmth, simple objects, and playing with light. And Japanese superstar organizer/author Marie Kondo deserves some of the credit for this amiable look.

Consider lots of natural elements along with tatami-style sofas, which sit directly on the floor and can be rearranged at will. Or try a minimal-yet funky-geometric chandelier (like this low-key bronze light), which provide a hint of glam without feeling excessive.

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