#Blue Ridge Studios and Bed & Breakfast

[hotelbooking]

Blue Ridge Studios and Bed & Breakfast Nestled in the picturesque town of Te Anau, New Zealand, Blue Ridge Studios and Bed & Breakfast offers a tranquil and comfortable retreat for discerning travelers. With its 4.5-star rating, this charming hotel promises an unforgettable stay amidst breathtaking natural beauty. Boasting just three well-appointed rooms, Blue Ridge Studios and Bed & Breakfast ensures an intimate and personalized experience for every guest. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with warm hospitality and a seamless check-in process. Check-in begins at 2:00 PM, allowing ample time to settle in and explore the hotel's surroundings. The attentive staff is always on hand to assist with any requests or provide recommendations for local attractions and activities. As for check-out, guests are kindly asked to vacate their rooms by 10:00 AM. This allows the dedicated housekeeping team to prepare the rooms for incoming guests, ensuring a fresh and inviting space for each arrival....

[florencemtrash]

He Feels Safe With You — Azriel x Reader

Summary: Azriel's sleeping habits begin to worry you, but after a conversation with Cassian, you realize you've misinterpreted the entire situation.

Warnings: Major fluff. Like tooth-rotting sweetness. Sleepy Az.

Author's note: I should be sleeping because I have work tomorrow but instead I've chosen to write this oneshot and I have no regrets.

It was starting to become a problem now. 

You cocked your head to the side, cradling a cup of tea in your hands and watching Azriel as he continued to sleep soundly in your bed. You had the windows cracked open and the early Autumn breeze swirled indoors with the scent of lavender, bergamot, and the strawberry jam you’d slathered over your toast. You checked the time once again on the glossy marble clock face. The arrow-shaped hour hand clicked ever closer to 11am, the minute hand close to overtaking its competitor. 

10:55am and Azriel was still asleep. 

The sheets clustered loose and low around his waist, mimicking the curling of his shadows up and down the ridges of his spine and across the delicate membrane of his wings. His wings hung loose and relaxed, stretching off the edges of your bed and caressing the floor with a lover’s touch. You blushed at the sight. When you and Azriel had first started courting each other three years ago, you’d thought through the mechanics of housing an Illyrian warrior in your bed — should you buy a new bed frame and mattress? Did you even have space for it in your apartment? The answer had been no to both, and yet Azriel loved when your daytime activities ended here instead of at the townhouse. If he cared about having to walk sideways to avoid the bookshelves in the halls or having to crouch to avoid the overhang above the staircase, he didn’t mention it. 

Three hours ago you’d woken up beneath the gentle weight of his wings, untangled yourself from Azriel’s greedy limbs, and crept down the stairs to your kitchen, bleary eyed but well rested. But that was three hours ago! Since then you’d brushed your teeth, washed your face, and eaten breakfast, and still the Shadowsinger hadn’t stirred. You were beginning to question whether he truly was the Spymaster of the Night Court as you sat in your velvet chair and admired your lover. You traced all the subtle movements of his body as he muddled through dreams you could only wonder at — the creasing of his brow, the slack line of his lips as he breathed, the twitching of his fingertips as he reached for some phantom object. 

The clock struck eleven and you sighed, gathering your plates but leaving Azriel’s pile of toast, butter, and honey alone. You also left the teapot and its mismatched cup, blowing magic over its lid in a silent command to keep its contents hot until Azriel awoke. 

“I’ll be down in the shop,” you whispered to his shadows, trusting that they would relay the message when their master finally decided to grace the daytime with his presence. 

One by one, shadows slipped off Azriel’s skin, curling around your ankles and wrists in a silent plea to stay. You shook them off like one might a needy child, promising you’d only be two floors down. 

The artists’ corner in Velaris was an eclectic array of compact townhouses, each outwardly dressed in their unique, dazzling finery. Your townhouse was squished between a painting studio and a luthier’s. The painting studio’s owner seemed intent on changing the color of the wooden sidings every other day and the drawings scribbled over the windows every other week. Today it was periwinkle blue to match the hydrangeas overflowing from the window boxes. 

You nodded in approval as you flipped the apothecary sign over from “Much apologies, please try another time” to “You’ve caught us! We’re open!” The blue would match your tulip yellow sidings and the clean white accents of the luthier’s. Last week it had been red and that had looked gods-awful. 

You busied yourself in the shop, crushing up lavender and herbs and boiling mugwort in fire-stained glassware in between flurries of customers until the medicinal stench in the air grew thick and strong. You were used to it by now. It smelled clean. Like home. 

You were finishing tying up a bundle of teabags when Cassian came in carrying a sturdy wooden box under one arm like it weighed five pounds instead of fifty. You snapped out the wrinkles of a cloth bag, dropping the teabags and five vials of sleep serum for the nightingale-winged nymph in front of you. 

“Four feathers and three strands of hair, as we bargained for,” you said, sliding the bag across the counter. 

The nymph nodded in approval, extending out a wing and shoving her fingers into the pillowy softness. She tested for loose feathers ready to pull.

“You’re a godsend, Y/n, has anyone ever told you that?” She pulled out three feathers, closed her wing, and started testing the feathers on the other side. “Finnigan’s was asking me for ten. Ten! Can you believe that? If I hadn’t found you in time I’d have been reduced to a plucked chicken.” She was much less precious about her mousey brown hair and yanked out three strands at random. “Oops, you get an extra strand today,” she sang, dropping the feathers and hair into the jars you held out. 

“Well it’s a good thing you found me then, Moricka.” 

“Honestly! I understand he’s got a large studio space he’s renting in the thick of the Palace, and even I will admit the ambiance is rather professional—” 

Cassian raised his brow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his scarred lips as he continued to stand motionless in the doorway. It was true your space was more… homey than Finnigan’s, but your expertise shined in intimate spaces. You liked the control and the familiarity that came from running a smaller business and you wouldn’t give it up for the world. 

“But I do think the success is getting to his head. You both studied under Lady Madja so I don’t see why—” 

You nodded absentmindedly. It was always like this with Moricka. The songbird in her made it difficult for her to stop talking, but at least her voice was pleasant. 

She threw her hands up in the air before finally catching wind of another presence in the room. Cassian waved at her with a wink and an orange blush creeped onto her full cheeks. He tended to have that effect on fae with his towering size and the wild beauty of his chiseled jaw and smattering of scars over his cheeks and brow. 

“Oh… oh dear, I didn’t realize you had another customer. Oh my goodness I’ve been talking your ear off all this time and you’ve been too kind to say anything. You’re a godsend, Y/n. A godsend! I don’t know what I would do without you, although I should really be letting you go now.” She grabbed her things and sidestepped the range of Cassian’s wings, trying and failing now to gawk. “I’ll see you soon enough again I’m sure.” 

“I’ll be here.” You sighed in relief when the doorbell rang behind her petite frame, the inoffensive smile you offered all your customers sliding off your face like oil on water. Cassian chuckled, dropping the box onto the countertop with a dull thud. 

“Long day?” 

You pulled out a stepstool and began rummaging around through the box, pulling out jars of squid ink, bark trimmings, buttons, and one particularly nasty jar containing a large eye suspended in yellow goo. “It’s not even three.” 

“Did I stutter?”

You tapped the glass and the eye swiveled around to look at you, pupil enlarging and constricting with a stutter. “Yes, yes very good,” you muttered your praise and Cassian fought hard not to shiver. He had a stomach for a great many things, but some of the specimens you handled tested his resilience.

“Thank you for bringing all of this. You’ve saved me a great deal of trouble.” 

“Perhaps you could do the same for me and tell me where my brother is? I’ve been looking for him all day.” Cassian leaned forward on the counter, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Are you holding him hostage, Y/n? Are you using your feminine powers to bring the poor male to his knees? I must admit, I didn’t imagine you as the kind capable of kidnapping. Or shadow-napping, shall we say?”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m hardly holding him hostage.” You gestured down the hallway past the bookshelves and the cases of empty glassware where the light from the staircase glowed like an iron eye. “He’s upstairs sleeping.” 

Cassian furrowed his brows, stepping around and past you. He kept his wings tucked closer to his shoulder blades, careful not to upset the cramped organization you maintained in your shop. 

He smirked. “Still? Are you sure you didn't work your feminine powers last night?” 

You glanced out the store window. A few fae lingered outside the coffee shop across the street clutching takeaway boxes against their chest as they chatted and sipped their drinks. The street was otherwise empty. For now, you wouldn’t have to deal with any customers. 

You looked back at Cassian. “I actually wanted to ask you about that.”

His brows furrowed. “About feminine powers?” He'd meant that as a joke.

“Gods, Cassian let that go.” You wrung your hands. “I wanted to ask if Azriel was alright? Has he seemed… normal to you?”

“I don’t know, has he?” Cassian lowered his voice, sinking into one of the stools by the clear glass medicine cabinet. “From what I can tell he seems well. Happy.” 

Although happy was an understatement. Ever since you’d stumbled into their lives with Madja’s accolades and your wry humor, Azriel had been a goner. You’d pulled emotions from him as deftly as a spinster with a pile of wool, reduced him to a reverential, lovesick mess, and imbued his existence with a color not even Feyre could mix up. Which made it all the more confusing why you looked so nervous.

“You’ve seen more of him than I have, Y/n.” Cassian said. He braced his elbows against his knees, turning serious. The faint bags under his hazel eyes hinted at sleepless nights spent fussing over Neera. It was their fault really, any daughter of Nesta and Cassian was destined to be restless and particular.

“He just… he’s been sleeping more. Falling into bed early, but waking up late. Sometimes we’ll be reading together or just existing side by side and when I turn to face him, he’s dead asleep on the couch.” 

Cassian’s lips twitched, slowly stretching into a smile. You plucked a hemp bag off one of the wall shelves at random, tossing its contents into a mortar and beginning to grind just so you could have something to do with your hands. 

“At first I brushed it off, but it’s gotten to a point where I’ll be talking to him — mindless things, but regardless — and I’ll catch him dozing off. He’s always very apologetic after but I…” The mortar and pestle clattered to a stop. “I worry that he’s growing bored of me. Or that he’s sick in a way I can’t help.” 

“Y/n.” There was a smile in Cassian’s voice, and indeed when you looked at him, his teeth were glistening in the soft afternoon haze. His eyes shined knowingly, as if the answer were obvious.

You paused. “Yes?”

“He feels safe with you.” 

You blinked once. Twice. 

“Pardon?” 

Cassian tipped back in his seat, knocking his head against the cabinet with a rattle of jars and glass as he laughed. “He’s sleeping so much because he feels safe with you. It’s probably why he prefers to spend time here instead of at the townhouse and why he’s still dead asleep while we’re sitting here gossiping about him. Three years ago you couldn’t even whisper his name in a crowded room without him appearing from the shadows as if summoned.” 

You felt heat rise in your cheeks. “Oh... I see.” 

Cassian was grinning. “Y/n, I promise you he’s not bored of you. Azriel sleeping is a good thing. The gods know he could use more rest. I think he might be the worst of us when it comes to taking care of ourselves.” 

Something about Cassian’s words had a crack splintering in your chest. You knew about his past. You knew of the horrors burned into the ruined skin of his hands and the weight his duties deposited on his shoulders.

And here you’d been worried over him sleeping past noon. 

Shadows slipped down the stairs, pooling around your feet in a neat circle and kissing the exposed skin of your ankles. Azriel followed closely behind, still wearing his rumpled hair and pants and a shirt he’d hastily shoved his neck and arms into. He hadn’t even buttoned up the slits below his wings, opting to let the fabric swing free and loose and expose flashes of skin as he walked. 

He jutted his chin out in acknowledgement of Cassian and then folded himself over your back, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist and dropping his face into the crook of your neck where he breathed in the scent of lemon and lavender and medicine. 

“You weren’t there when I woke up,” he said, frowning. There was a slur to his words.

“It’s past three, brother.” 

Azriel snapped his head up in surprise, squinting at the window and the afternoon sunlight streaking in. The pale cobblestones shone like they’d been drenched in honey. 

“What?” 

Cassian rolled his eyes, patting Azriel’s back fondly and mussing up your hair before walking towards the door. He flipped the sign from “You’ve caught us! We’re open!” to “Much apologies, please try another time.” 

“Goodnight, you two!" He called from over his back. "Remember we’re meeting at Rhys’s for dinner tonight.” He turned, bracing his arms against the top of the doorway and leaning forward like he meant to share a secret. “8pm sharp. Don’t be too late or we’ll get the wrong idea about what you two are up to.” He winked, then whistled down the street, letting the door close on its own behind him. 

Azriel sighed, going back to nuzzling his face in your neck. He peppered the sensitive skin there with kisses. 

“Will you be coming back upstairs then?” He murmured hopefully. "Now that you're finished with work?"

You bit your lip and decided rather quickly that the world would not end because you closed a few hours early. 

You led him up the stairs, past the kitchen and living room on the second floor, and then up to the third floor — your bedroom. The window was still open, the hustle and bustle of the city and the smell of coffee from across the street wafting in. Steam no longer poured from the lip of the teapot, so you knew Azriel had had something to drink, and where you’d left toast on his plate this morning lay only crumbs. 

Azriel dropped to his knees, untying your laces and helping you out of your boots. Then he straightened and tugged at the belt loops of your trousers, silently asking for permission before unbuttoning them and sliding them off your legs. Your shirt, then his shirt, and then his trousers joined the pile of crumpled clothing on the floor.

He gently pushed you back onto the bed, falling face first after you with a sigh. This was his favorite position to sleep in — you comfortable on your back and him laying with his hips slotted in between your legs and his head resting over your heart. 

You sank your fingers into his velvety, black hair. His hums of satisfaction flowed through your body, lighting every nerve with a comforting buzz. 

“Azriel?” You asked him, before sleep could finally claim him once more. 

“Hmmm?” 

“Do you feel safe with me?” 

He pressed his face further into the soft flesh of your chest, bringing his arms up and around your waist before allowing his wings to do the same. The thin membranes glowed red as hot coals, blocking out the most offensive rays of light from outside. 

“When I am with you, I forget that I was ever that boy whose hands got burned. When I am with you, the hundreds of years I spent feeling alone and worthless in this world melt away into nothing. When I am with you — when I am in this place that smells and feels so strongly of you — I can imagine a future that is good and pure and perfect.” He sighed deeply, seemingly ignorant to the pounding of your heart and the waves of feeling flooding your system. “So yes, my love — my Y/n — I do feel safe with you.”

“I feel safe with you too,” you murmured. “I love you, Azriel.” 

You kissed the crown of his head, earning one last smile and a slurred, “I love you, Y/n,” before his jaw went slack and the room went silent save for the mixing of your breaths and the stirring of shadows.

[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass) || Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round) || Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger) || Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) ||| Also posted at AO3

—

Chapter 6B: Without You

Without you in my life // I'd slowly wilt and die But with you by my side // You're the reason I'm alive...

Soundtrack: “Without You,” Mötley Crüe, 1989 [click here to listen]

Six A.M. – Claire quietly shut her door and softly padded down the hallway toward the dining room.

The Ridge’s sleeping quarters reminded her of her college dorm – a long hallway of single rooms, with a shared bathroom at the end of the hall. Women were up here on the second floor – men were in a separate wing on the other side of the dining room, which with the therapy rooms and administrative offices sat at the middle of the large building.

As she entered the dining room, she smiled a hello at Glenna, a kind middle-aged woman who organized breakfast, among dozens of other jobs. Glenna had had a terrible addiction to pills – “just like you, dear, and I overcame it, so you can too” – and had found a home at The Ridge keeping the whole operation running.

“You’re up early,” Glenna remarked as Claire poured herself a cup of coffee.

Claire stirred in cream and sugar. “I haven’t been able to sleep.”

Glenna set down a tray of piping hot cinnamon buns. “It will be a while before you do. Remember, your body is still in shock. It will take longer than you want, to find a new rhythm. Be patient.”

“I will. Thanks, Glenna.”

Glenna gestured with her head toward the porch. “He’s out there.”

Claire frowned. “Who?”

Glenna smiled. “Who do you think? It’s none of my business – but you’re well-suited.”

Claire piled two cinnamon buns on a plate, her heart beating a bit faster. “There’s nothing going on between us. Besides, isn’t it against the rules?”

Glenna set one hand on her hip. “Not yet there isn’t. And since when did the rules ever stop either of you?”

Claire smiled and shook her head, already crossing the empty dining room.

As soon as she popped her head outside, she saw him – alone in the corner of the porch.

As she approached, she saw he had an acoustic guitar on his lap, strumming quietly, scribbling in a notebook.

“Good morning.”

He looked up at her, suddenly beaming. “Early to bed, early to rise, hmm?”

She held out the plate, and he took a bun. “I figured, might as well get up.” She sat down next to him, set down the plate, and took a long sip of coffee. “Do you always get up this early?”

Chewing, he turned back his guitar, plucking quietly at the strings. “Yeah. Being here is the first regular sleep schedule I’ve had in years. This may sound terrible – but I realize now that I’d forgotten how to fall asleep.”

She wrapped her hands around the coffee mug. “What do you mean?”

He tapped the side of the guitar. “I was drinking two bottles of Jack a day, Claire. I’d have it with breakfast, throughout the morning, before a gig, after a gig. I’d just pass out at some early hour, with some girl who I’d picked up at the gig or at a strip club after the gig, and then wake up sometime the next day. And when I wasn’t touring – I’d still drink a lot. Hang out with my friends, or with the band – go out, hit the clubs, maybe do a few bumps of coke. But it would always end the same way, passed out on a floor or a couch or, on better nights, my bed.”

She watched a blue jay flit from tree to tree, down below in the forest.

“I had so many chances over the years to wake up. It’s so clear to me now. There was one day when we were in the studio, laying down a new track – and I needed to take a break, so I’d gone to a smaller practice studio next door. With a speedball in my pocket. So I helped myself to it, and I don’t remember what happened next, but my producer tells me that a few minutes later I’d buzzed him on the intercom, and asked him for a gun so that I could shoot the men in top hats who were coming out of the speakers.”

Claire swirled her half-empty coffee cup. “I’d work three days on, three days off. It’s a punishing schedule – but I knew that going in. After a long day with several surgeries, I’d crash. Sometimes I’d have to be on call, so I’d sleep in this little room we had upstairs in the staff area. It had two sets of bunk beds and a shower – all a body needs. But I’d be so wired from the adrenaline – from needing to focus so much on the patients – that I couldn’t sleep, you know?”

He nodded. “I know. I know exactly what you mean.”

“The pills helped me sleep. That’s what I told myself at first. And I didn’t feel terrible when I woke up – especially if someone was banging on the door, giving me a five minute warning to get back downstairs. I could get all of the sleep with all of the alertness on the other end. But then…well.” She sighed. “Then it got to the point where I told myself I couldn’t sleep at all if I didn’t have the pills – even on my days off. Because I had to sleep, to make up for the sleep I’d lost when I was on call. And then I was taking them during the day, to calm down.”

He turned a new page in his notebook, pulled out a pen from behind his ear, and scribbled something.

“I guess you’re working on something new?”

He nodded. “Sometimes the music comes first. Sometimes it’s the lyrics that come first. But if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember it the next day.” He frowned. “Come to think of it – it must be because my memory was so shot from the booze, that I wasn’t even capable of remembering.”

He cleared his throat, and set down the guitar, and picked up a cup of coffee. “What do you think? You’re a doctor, after all.”

She smirked. “I’m a surgeon, not a neurologist. But it sounds plausible. Can you remember things better now, that you’re sober?”

He nodded. “It’s crazy. I just feel so much…clearer. In control. It’s good to be in control.” He took another bite of cinnamon bun. “Are you feeling that?”

She sighed. “I’m feeling. I didn’t want to feel anything for the longest time. But now I’m feeling…just feeling.”

Footsteps on the deck behind them – Rupert, shuffling in his bathrobe, blearily waving hello, clutching a gigantic cup of coffee.

A beat.

How to find common ground outside of their addictions?

“Can you tell me more about that song you’re writing?”

He set down his coffee and picked up the notebook, flipping back to the previous page. Set it on the table between them. Picked up his guitar. Looked down at his notes. Started to sing – his voice quiet, clear, strong.

Without you, there's no change My nights and days are grey If I reached out and touched the rain It just wouldn't feel the same

Without you, I'd be lost I'd slip down from the top I'd slide down so low Girl you never, never know...

Without you, without you A sailor lost at sea Without you, woman, the world comes down on me

“I don’t know where to go from there,” he said, continuing to play slow notes on his guitar. “Need more verses, of course. Maybe a space for a guitar solo. I don’t know.” He looked up at her. “What do you think?”

Rupert clapped and hooted from across the porch. Giving Claire enough time to find her voice.

“I think you’ve got a keeper there,” she said softly.

He held her gaze. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Play Freebird!” Rupert shouted.

They shared a smile.

Claire’s world tilted just a little.

[stiltonbasket]

Nielan fathers day prompt! Sorry if its late, but how about finding out they're going to be parents on Fathers Day? (mpreg, adoption, surrogacy, your choice).

anon: the first fathers' day after jingyi is born, modern lxc and nmj both set up a present for each other "from Jingyi." It's very cute. Baby Jingyi magnanimously chews on his foot and accepts giving two presents and meals.

this is for the art thief au, so lxc is trans here!

(ao3 link)

----

What should I give Xichen for Father’s day?

Nie Mingjue has been puzzling over gift ideas for the past two weeks, with no luck whatsoever. Jingyi is still too small to make them gifts, so he and Xichen use the occasion to exchange presents with each other and label them with their little boy’s name; Xichen probably picked out his gifts already, since he knows Nie Mingjue’s tastes like the back of his hand, but Mingjue keeps flipping through mail-order catalogues and crossing off their entire inventory as he goes.

“I have present,” Jingyi insists, as Nie Mingjue carries him down yet another aisle of their local department store. “A-Die, look!”

Mingjue looks. A-Yi is holding a six-pack of orange bath sponges, since Xichen mentioned that they needed some more earlier that morning.

“That’s not a Father’s Day gift, A-Bao,” Mingjue chides, kissing Jingyi’s forehead. “Last year, I gave your Ba a brooch with his initials on it, remember? It has to be pretty.”

Jingyi wrinkles his tiny nose. “Starfish?”

“Mm, the starfish brooch.” Lan Xichen has an impressive collection of jewelry, with most of it coming from gifts Nie Mingjue gave him over the course of their fifteen years together; and nearly all of the pieces are sea-themed to go with his husband’s wardrobe and his clear, moon-white skin.

Perhaps he could buy pearls, this time?

“A-Yi,” he says slowly, “what do you think about going to the discount shop across town?”

A-Yi is happy enough to go wherever his father goes, so Nie Mingjue drives to the discount store--full of discarded, overstocked, and secondhand merchandise from all over the city--and digs through the bins of jewelry until he finds an antique bracelet, strung with pearls carved into the shapes of starfish and clam shells. Jingyi nearly loses his little mind at the sight of it, and he squeals at the top of his lungs while Mingjue pays for the bracelet and bundles him back to the car.

“I know them,” he declares, when Mingjue gives him the bracelet to play with on the way home. “Diedie, it’s a clam!”

Mingjue glances up at his son’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “Can you count how many clams there are?”

Jingyi flings himself headlong into the task, counting twelve starfish and eleven clams, and then he peruses the Learning Reader books Xichen keeps in the back seat until Mingjue carries him into the house.

His husband runs to meet them at the door, and it is this, not the driveway or their well-worn doorstep, that means Nie Mingjue has finally come home.

______

To Nie Mingjue, stepping into his woodworking studio feels like stepping into another world.

It isn't that the studio looks very different from the rest of the house--in fact, Nie Mingjue had a tiny nursery built into the north corner, since he set the studio up with A-Yi’s needs in mind--but Mingjue feels different here, more sure of himself, and aware of his own thoughts and hopes as he scarcely is anywhere else. He had only to enter, and he was changed: his hands steadier, his heartbeat slower, and his mind somewhere distant and immediate all at once. It is here that he pays homage to his heart, his muse, and the dearest friend he has ever had, or ever will. It is here that he pours pieces of his love for his husband into everything he touches, and everything he makes, and emerges with pieces of polished art like testaments to the husband he vowed his life to. 

“That isn’t a metaphor,” Nie Mingjue said once, when Huaisang asked what he meant. Mingjue has carved everything from furniture to lamps into shapes reminiscent of his husband’s lips, perfected the stems of wooden sunflowers to match the sweet arch of Lan Xichen’s neck, and burnished every last one of his creations until they shone like sunlight falling on the apples of his husband’s cheeks. He etches A-Huan’s expressions into the faces of statues intended for the foyers of upscale hotels, and into a thousand quarter and sixth-scale figures commissioned by model collectors, since he rarely has any excuse to sculpt his husband directly. But today he does, so he sits down at his bench and gets to work with a block of oak and his favorite gouge and chisel.

He will love this, Nie Mingjue thinks, as two bowed heads and a pair of smiles take shape under his hands. This is the most beautiful thing I have ever made.

He glances over his shoulder at Jingyi, fast asleep in the glass-walled nursery with his feet up in the air, and turns back to the sculpture with his heart quivering in his chest.

______

The sculpture takes about a fortnight to complete, almost exactly the span of time between the day Nie Mingjue begins working on it and the holiday it was intended for. Nie Mingjue wakes up early on Father’s day, leaving Xichen asleep behind him, and bundles A-Yi out of bed and down into the studio. They wrap the sculpture up together in Jingyi’s favorite gift wrap, and then Nie Mingjue carries him to the kitchen just in time to catch his husband as he comes stumbling down the stairs.

“Good morning, love” Lan Xichen sighs, burrowing into Nie Mingjue’s arms. “What should we have for breakfast?”

“Eggs?”

For some reason, Lan Xichen shakes his head.

“Noodles, then?”

This suggestion is met by a drowsy nod, so Mingjue goes to the fridge to dig out  a few ingredients while Lan Xichen hops onto one of the bar stools with Jingyi in his lap. He chops the scallions and garlic for plain noodle soup around their son’s little body, leaving Mingjue to boil noodles in one pot and stock with soy sauce and sugar in another until three blue bowls of yang chun mian are steaming on the counter.

“Smells yummy,” Jingyi yawns, while Xichen spoons fresh green onions into his soup bowl. “Baba, feed A-Yi?”

“He’s forgotten about the presents,” Lan Xichen mouths, as Nie Mingjue tries not to snicker. They eat quickly, slurping down the noodle soup with cups of soy milk on the side, and then Jingyi scrambles to the other side of the room before running back with Mingjue’s wrapped box in his arms.

“Father’s Day gift!” he squeaks, wriggling like a happy worm as Xichen laughs and tries to remove the gift wrap without tearing it; because Jingyi never lets either of them cover gifts with anything but Pingu penguin-printed paper, and he cries if anyone rips it up in front of him.

Mingjue used the weakest tape he could find, so that Xichen could extract the box with the paper left mostly whole. He hands the paper to Jingyi, watching as his husband’s slender fingers close around the base of the sculpture, and then--

“Oh!” Lan Xichen gasps, pulling it all the way out into the light. “A-Jue, I--”

The sculpture depicts him and Jingyi at the beach near their house--in fact, at the same beach where Mingjue and Xichen first met. Mingjue was sitting on a sandy rock, catching his breath after running around behind a hyperactive Nie Huaisang all day, and then he looked out over the foggy water and saw what looked like a water spirit drifting out of the darkness in a rowboat.

He sculpted Xichen seated on that very rock, with his long hair tangling in an invisible gale, and a little heap of shells (the pearls from the old bracelet he found at the discount store) piled up in his lap. Jingyi is standing on the ground at his feet with a wave of seafoam brushing his ankles; and in his hands is a small pearly starfish, offered up to his baba as Lan Huan leans forward to cup A-Yi’s cheek in his palm. Both father and son are smiling, with heart-breaking happiness in A-Huan’s eyes, and sheer pleasure at finding the starfish in Jingyi’s.

Nie Mingjue looks up at his own flesh-and-blood husband, tearing his eyes away from the wooden figure, and finds Lan Xichen sitting there, frozen, with tears rolling down his face as he traces the tiny ridges and dimples of stone and sand and water.

“It’s beautiful,” he chokes, rounding the corner of the table to throw his arms around Nie Mingjue’s shoulders. “It’s the most precious thing you’ve ever made, sweetheart.”

“The most precious thing I helped make is over there,” Nie Mingjue teases, tilting his head at A-Yi. “But I think this one comes pretty close.”

Xichen opens his mouth, and then closes it again; but Jingyi interrupts before he can say anything else, impatient to present his diedie’s gift from his baba.

“Now this one!” he shouts, diving into Xichen’s pocket for a small present in a wooden box, labeled with Jingyi’s name just like Nie Mingjue’s gift was. He all but shoves it into Mingjue’s hands, leaping up and down on the spot while he snaps the lid open--and then he screeches with delight as Nie Mingjue goes crashing to the floor, staring at the contents of the tiny box until his eyes blur over.

He had expected some kind of memento or trinket, like he usually gives to Xichen. But the box was so light, impossibly light--and it holds a pair of hand-knitted baby socks, set neatly on top of a black and white photograph with his husband’s name printed in the upper left corner.

Nie Mingjue has already been a father, already accompanied his husband through the endless doctors’ visits and checkups that came before Jingyi was born. He saved all of Jingyi’s ultrasound pictures, even the ones where A-Yi looked like a chubby white bean on the sonogram, and he stared at every photograph for so long that reading them comes as second nature to him.

"A-Huan,” he says, after a long pause. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming this.”

“You’re not,” Lan Xichen laughs, wiping Mingjue’s face. “I had my first doctor’s visit last week when you and A-Sang took Jingyi to the park. And the clinic ran a few blood tests just in case, so I already know it’s going to be a girl.”

“And you’re okay? Both of you?”

“Very okay, darling. I haven’t even had any morning sickness yet, and the baby’s perfectly healthy.”

Nie Mingjue only cries harder, at that; but Xichen is crying too, clasped in his arms while A-Yi climbs all over them, so perhaps it doesn’t really matter.

All in all, this is the sweetest father’s day he has ever had.

[inkwell1013]

Snapshots - Persona 5

Pairings: Yusuke Kitagawa & Yusuke Kitagawa’s mother, Yusuke Kitagawa & Ren/Akira, Yusuke Kitagawa & Madarame, Yusuke Kitagawa & Natsuhiko (all plationic/familial)

Genre: Angst, shameless angst, one shot, found family, 5+1 fic.

Word count: 6.2k

Warnings: This fic deals with some heavy topics, including child abuse, emotional abuse, meltdowns, the death of a parent, a mention of suicide, unhealthy eating habits and alcohol abuse.

Summary: There’s a funny thing about memories. Some of clear and defined – like a photograph – while others are hazy and vague like a half-finished sketch. Still, they define a person just as much as the choices they make or the friends they keep. All of Yusuke's most important memories are about Madarame. Thinking back on his life, he wondered how he missed all the red flags.

Five moments in Yusuke's life chronically his life with Madarame and one moment after he leaves him.

- - - - -

Age 3

“Mama, play with me,” whined Yusuke, tugging on his mother’s sleeve.

His mother sighed, setting her paintbrush down on her easel. “I can’t play with you right now Yusuke.”

Yusuke pouted. “But I want to play!”

“Why don’t you draw instead?” she said. “I promise I’ll play with you once I’ve finished this painting. Okay?”

Yusuke beamed. “Okay, Mama.”

She gave him an easy smile and fetched his crayons and some paper from the shelf. She passed them over to him and went to get some more paint. Yusuke sat down at the table and started scribbling. Slowly, the picture began to take form. A neat brick house with a wild garden next to it.

It was a world away from the decrepit house they shared with Madarame. The shack was nailed together from sheets of scrap metal and was so unstable that a particularly strong gust of wind could have knocked it over.

Two people were standing in front of the house. A dark-haired woman and a small boy. Him and his mama. Just the two of them. They would finally be happy there away from everyone else. Away from Madarame.

Yusuke didn’t like Madarame. He was scary. Mama tried to make them spend time together, but Yusuke would always throw a tantrum and demand to be let go. She would always concede and let him run off, but he knew she and Madarame weren’t pleased about it.

“What is your painting going to be Mama?” he asked, as he coloured in the sky a bright blue. He imagined that they would live far out in the country, away from the grey skies of Tokyo.

“It’s a surprise!” she answered, tapping him on the nose as she walked back to her easel. “But it’s going to be a present for you.”

“A present for me? Can I see it?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not until it’s done. You can’t know what it is, because then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Yusuke went back to his drawing.

After a few minutes, Yusuke realised that he was thirsty. He turned around in his chair. “Mama, can I go get a drink?” he asked.

She didn’t say anything. She just stood there, holding onto the easel and quivering. He hurried over and gave her a little shake to get her attention.

“Mama!” he cried. “Are you okay?”

She convulsed and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Her body and twitched, as if there were electricity flowing through her veins. Yusuke didn’t know what to do. He tried to shake her awake, but that just made her tremble even more. He yelled Madarame’s name until his throat hurt but he didn’t come to help.

Yusuke didn’t remember much after that. Everything was hazy, like a drawing smeared over with chalk dust. He remembered a dark figure loitering in the doorway, it’s face bland and uncaring. It stood there for a good few minutes. Standing. Staring. Waiting.

By the time that she had stopped shaking, it was gone. Yusuke was crying. Then, he heard sirens. He slammed his hands over his ears and closed his eyes, trying to block out the terrible noise. The sound dimmed but wasn’t gone completely. He curled up into a ball and rocked himself, trying to calm the swirling emotions in his chest.

He had been doing that for some time when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, hoping it would be his mother. Instead, his eyes met with those of a stranger. Startled, he shuffled backwards. The man was wearing a dark green uniform and had a kind-looking face.

“Hey kid,” he said softly. “Are you back in the real world?”

Yusuke gave a hesitant nod. “That’s good,” continued the stranger. “You gave us a real scare there but your daddy told us not to worry.”

Yusuke furrowed his brows. “I don’t have a daddy,” he mumbled.

“Your grandpa then?” Yusuke said nothing, just shaking his head.

“No grandpa either? Then who’s the man downstairs?”

“Madarame is Mama’s friend,” said Yusuke.

He looked to his mother, who was still lying on the floor. There was dust in her long dark hair, which was splayed out above her head. She wasn’t shaking anymore, which was good.

“Can I talk to my mama?” he asked. “She fell asleep, but she’ll be awake by now.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this kid…” The man looked over to his friend, who was knelt next to Yusuke’s mother. The woman, who was wearing the same uniform as him, shook her head. The man bit his lip and held out his hand to pull Yusuke to his feet.

“Let’s go downstairs,” he said.

“I don’t understand… Is she going to be okay?”

The man shook his head. “I’m so sorry. Your mother has passed away.”

Yusuke knew at that moment - when everything he knew came crashing down around him – that they would never have that perfect crayon scribbled life.

 Age 7

Yusuke was bored of waiting for Madarame to finish painting, so he decided to explore. He was curious to see what he would uncover in the drafty, old shack. Maybe there would be buried treasure under the floorboards or a wild beast living in the basement.

Yusuke always had an overactive imagination. He made stuff up for the fun of seeing where his mind would lead him. Sometimes it would take him to faraway fantasy lands full of awe and magic. Other times he would find himself somewhere mysterious and dark, full of horrifying creatures - like the dark shadow that watched his mother die.

He was so deep in his head that he nearly slammed headfirst into an unfamiliar door.

It was covered in pretty peacock feathers, all painted in swirls of blue and gold. He ran his fingers along the ridges and crevices in the paint, marvelling at the way it was layered. The style and technique were nothing like Madarame's and it made him wonder who painted it. Could it have been one of his previous students?

He stood on the tips of his toes and grabbed a hold of the handle. Just as he was about to swing open the door, someone grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him backwards. He whipped his head around and saw that it was Madarame.

“Sensei, what’s in this room?” he asked.

Madarame slapped him so hard that Yusuke was knocked to the floor.

Still reeling from the shock and confusion, Yusuke raised a shaky hand to his cheek. It hurt to touch.

“You are not allowed in that room,” growled Madarame. “Do you understand me?”

Yusuke nodded through the tears which threatened to fall from his face. 

You are not gonna cry. You are not gonna cry. You are not gonna cry. 

Maybe if he repeated it enough, it would be true.

Madarame stormed off in a violent temper, leaving a shaken-up Yusuke to continue with his day like everything was normal. He went to eat dinner with his fellow pupils. Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow at Yusuke’s bright red cheek but said nothing, handing him his food wordlessly. The rest of the pupils stayed similarly tight-lipped. Yusuke swore he could see the tiniest hint of sympathy on their faces. 

After wolfing down his food, he excused himself and went to bed, thoughts swirling in his mind.

Why would Madarame hurt him like this? Madarame loved him. It didn’t make any sense.

The next morning, Madarame came down for breakfast like normal and Yusuke briefly wondered if he just imagined it all.

Everyone else found a reason to leave the room, leaving Madarame and Yusuke alone.

Madarame spoke first. “I'm sorry you’re upset Yusuke, but you have to understand this from my point of view. That room is where I keep all my old paintings and if you were to damage them, I would be upset. You understand, right? I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Yusuke gave a hesitant nod. Madarame stood up and patted him on the shoulder. “Good. I love you Yusuke,” he said, as he left.

Yusuke was still curious about the contents of the room (perhaps even more now that he knows it’s full of paintings) but when he went to investigate later that day, he found that it was sealed with a heavy padlock.

So, he left it alone and tried to push the ordeal to the back of his mind.

 Age 9

Tidying up the studio was one of Yusuke’s chores. Madarame had never asked him to do it, but he always blamed Yusuke when it was messy in there, so Yusuke learned it was expected of him.

He dumped the pallets and paintbrushes in the sink. Turning on the tap, he watched the paint run together and wash down the sink.

Madarame usually let Yusuke paint with him - as long as he behaved - but Yusuke had been exiled from the studio for two weeks now. He understood though – Madarame had to focus on his pieces for the upcoming exhibition.

Madarame had always been short tempered but the past few days had been worse than usual. It was okay though. He was just stressed about the exhibit; Yusuke was sure everything would go back to normal once it was done.

It was quiet. Natsuhiko had gone on an errand, so it was just him and Madarame. The shack always felt empty now that there was only three people.

Madarame used to have lots of students back when Yusuke was younger but over time, they had all left. Yusuke didn't really know why but he didn't want to risk upsetting Madarame by asking.

A few open cans of paint were sitting on the windowsill next to a drying painting. Yusuke went to put them away but something about the painting made him stop to take a closer look.

Madarame had signed it, but it didn’t look anything like his style. Had he really painted this?

The longer Yusuke looked at it, the more confused he got. The strokes of the brush were familiar and…

The realisation hit him. This was Natsuhiko’s work. He had painted it and let Madarame sign it as if it was his own. Why would he do that? It was didn’t make sense.

He was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn’t even notice that he had knocked over the paint until it was seeping into the canvas. Panicking, he swept the it out of the pool of red, hoping it would still be salvageable.

Yusuke snatched a rag from the cupboard and desperately tried to wipe off the paint but it quickly became obvious that the painting was too damaged to be saved.

That was how Madarame had found him – scrubbing at the ruined painting with a rag, red stains all over his hands and forearms.

“I’m sorry,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and flapping his hands to calm himself. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to.”

Madarame prowled over to him, like a wolf stalking its prey. Yusuke expected the slap but that didn’t make it hurt any less. “I’m sorry Sensei. I swear it was an accident,” he mumbled, tears welling in his eyes again.

“Apologising isn’t going to fix this Yusuke.”

“I know, I just… I can’t… I don’t...” He could barely get a word out. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

“Oh, stop that!” snapped Madarame, grabbing Yusuke by the wrists. “I didn’t want to do this again but you’ve given me no choice. Come on.”

Yusuke allowed himself to be dragged down the corridor, thinking that Madarame would just yank him upstairs and maybe shut him in his room. That wouldn’t be so bad.

His eyes widened when Madarame pulled him past the stairs and a little further down the hall. He dug his heels into the ground and tried to wrench his arms from Madarame’s grasp. Madarame just tightened his grip, digging in his fingernails harshly.

“Sensei please!” he cried. “Please! I’m sorry.”

“You have to learn.”

“But I don’t want to!”

“Do you think I care what you want?” yelled Madarame, hauling Yusuke into the cupboard beneath the stairs. “This is for your own good.”

With that, Madarame slammed the door shut and locked it. Yusuke screamed to be let out, but was ignored. He tried to force open the door, but only succeeded in making himself exhausted. Defeated, he sunk down to the floor.

There was a miniscule crack in the wood which let in a little light, but it wasn’t enough to illuminate the dark cupboard. Of all the punishments he endured from Madarame, this was the one he hated the most. It was cramped and uncomfortable, and he never knew how long it would last. Madarame would let him out once he felt he had learned his lesson, whenever that was.

His wrists hurt where Madarame had dug in his nails. Yusuke wasn’t sure if they were bleeding or not – it was dark enough in the cupboard that he couldn’t discern the difference between the paint and the possible blood – but it hurt all the same. Why did Madarame hurt him like this?

It’s because you were bad.

Was that true? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t know anything anymore.

He had been in there for some time when the front door creaked open. Yusuke heard footsteps coming toward him. He peered through the crack and saw that it was Natsuhiko, home from running errands.

“Yusuke, where are you?” called Natsuhiko.

“I’m in here!” responded Yusuke. “Can you let me out?”

“Yusuke? I can’t believe that he… Not again. Are you hurt?”

“Only a little,” said Yusuke. “I might be bleeding.”

Natsuhiko mumbled something under his breath that Yusuke couldn’t quite hear. “I’m calling the police,” he said. “He’s been getting away with this for too long.”

He could hear Natsuhiko talking to the police, and even though he was pretending to be confident, his voice was trembled with every word. He was talking so quickly that Yusuke couldn’t make out the words.

There was a long pause and Natsuhiko mumbled a thank you. Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.

“What the hell are you doing?” shouted Madarame.

“I’ve called the police,” said Natsuhiko. “You can’t keep treating Yusuke like this. I won’t let you!”

“You have no right to tell me how to parent my son, Natsuhiko. This is a punishment – nothing more,” said Madarame.

“This is abuse!” yelled Natsuhiko. “I’ve being turning a blind eye to it for too long but this ends today.”

“I can’t believe you are doing this to me!” growled Madarame, grabbing Natsuhiko’s arm. “You’re going to regret this.”

“No!” roared Natsuhiko, snatching his arm out of Madarame’s grip. “You’re not going to control me anymore. I am done! I’m not that fifteen-year-old boy you picked up off the street. Not anymore. I’ve had enough of you using and manipulating me. This ends today.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” said Madarame. “You don’t understand anything about the world Natsuhiko. You’re so naïve, still just a child.”

Natsuhiko violently shook his head. “I’m not a child anymore. I am nineteen and I know what I am talking about. You’ve been mistreating me for so long. You abused all of us. That’s why everyone else is gone. You hurt them so much they couldn’t stand to be here anymore. You’re the reason that Tatsuo has a panic attack every time he picks up a paintbrush. You’re the reason Miki shakes in terror whenever she’s around men. You’re the reason that Yukki killed herself!”

“YOU’RE INSANE!” bellowed Madarame, grabbing onto Natsuhiko’s collar. “Do you think I wanted that to happen? I loved you all like my own children.”

“You sure have a funny way of showing it. We’re terrified of you.”

“How dare you treat me like this! I took you in when no one else wanted you. I saw potential in you when you were just a homeless delinquent - when everyone saw you as trash – and this is how you treat me?” He sounded genuinely upset and Yusuke felt a little guilty.

Madarame continued. “You’ve always been manipulative but this is a new low, even for you. Prank calling 911 is a crime you know.”

“I didn’t…”

“Yes, you did. You called the police out of spite. All because you want revenge for nothing.”

Natsuhiko stared at him. “That’s not- I’m didn’t- You’re lying.”

“Let’s see what the cops think,” growled Madarame. “Whose story are they going to believe? The accomplished, famous artist or the high school drop out who never amounted to anything? I know who’s side I’d be on.”

There was a ring at the front door. “That will be them now. It’s not too late to back down.”

Natsuhiko faltered for a moment - for just long enough for Yusuke to think he had given up – before giving Madarame a sharp glare and shaking his head.

“Suit yourself,” said Madarame. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

***

The officer inspected Yusuke’s wrist. Traces of blood lingered amongst the red paint.

“You’re saying he did this?” asked the officer, gesturing towards Natsuhiko. Madarame gave a nod.

“I’m afraid so,” he sighed. "Natsuhiko tends to get a little aggressive with his brother when they play.”

“Bullshit!” yelled Natsuhiko. “You’re lying.”

“Don’t speak to your father like that,” snapped the officer.

“But nothing he’s saying is true,” said Natsuhiko desperately. “He’s the one who hurt Yusuke, not me.”

The officer sighed and stood up. “Calling the police under false pretences is a crime. I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t do it again. If we’re done here, I need to leave.”

“You can’t leave.” Natsuhiko grabbed a hold of the officer’s sleeve. “Please, he’s lying.”

“Let it go kid,” said the officer. He slammed the front door shut on his way out.

“Go to your room Yusuke,” hissed Madarame.

Yusuke eyes flicked between Madarame and Natsuhiko, unsure and frightened.

Natsuhiko gave him a brave smile. “I’ll be okay Yusuke,” he said. “You can go.”

***

Natsuhiko limped into Yusuke’s room a while later, a shadow of the person he was, voided of all his courage. His left eye was bruised purple and black, and his lip was split down the middle.

“What did he do to you?” asked Yusuke.

“Nothing he hasn’t done before,” said Natsuhiko, sitting on Yusuke’s bed. “If you could leave today, would you do it?” he asked, wiping the blood from his lip.

There was a long empty pause

“I would,” he admitted. “Are you going to leave?”

Natsuhiko stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

***

The next morning, Yusuke woke up to a single post-it note on his bedroom door. It had a phone number written on it, as well as two words.

I’m sorry.

 Age 13

Yusuke had finished his first proper painting. He called it Grief. It had taken him hours and he was satisfied with it. The way the colours and shapes twisted upon each other was perfect and the colours were just right, which was satisfying. He had spent so long picking the right shades of blue and red that he worried he would have gone mad.

There was something profound about it. It was an apt representation of how he felt about his mothers passing - tornado of sorrow and bitterness. He barely remembered her but there was still an empty hole she had left in his heart that nothing seemed to fill.

Yusuke had proudly showed it to Madarame, rambling about his inspiration and the techniques he had used. Madarame gave him an impressed smile, that seemed ever so slightly forced.

Then, he asked Yusuke something strange. “Do you remember the day your mother died?”

“I don’t,” lied Yusuke. His recollection of the day was vague but there were shards of the memory clinging to his mind. He remembered a dark shadow, and the kind man who came to help him. He wanted to tell Madarame about the shadow, but he would never believe Yusuke.

Besides, the selfish part of his brain wanted to hold onto the final moments of his mothers life for himself.

“That’s good,” said Madarame. “I wouldn’t want you to remember something so... traumatic.” He tapped the painting. “Do you mind if I hold onto this for a little longer? I need to have a closer look before I can give you feedback.” Yusuke had been more than happy to let him keep the painting.

Two weeks later, Madarame held an abrupt exhibit. Yusuke had been excited to see what art would be on display. Madarame had been struggling with significant art block for weeks and Yusuke was glad that he was feeling creative again.

Yusuke was floored when he saw the principal piece of the exhibit. It was the painting he had poured his heart and soul into encased in a gaudy ,golden frame.

For a moment, he thought Madarame had put it up by accident. He glanced around. His mentor was just a few feet away, happily chatting with a critic. He hadn’t even noticed the mistake. Should he tell him?

Madarame walked over and stopped in front of the painting. He would have to realise his mistake now. Right? The critic studied the artwork with an enamoured look on his face. “This is a fascinating piece,” he said. “I'd love to know your inspiration.”

Madarame gave a serpent’s grin. “This piece is one of my favourites in this collection. It plays with the concept of fame and how it effects one’s ability to create art.”

The fan nodded. “I see. That makes a remarkable amount of sense.”

Bullshit! Everything Madarame had said was bullshit. He had stolen Yusuke’s art. Yusuke had ripped open his own heart and poured it onto the canvas, and Madarame had taken it like it meant nothing. Yusuke wouldn’t have minded Madarame taking credit for it either, as long as he had asked and hadn’t corrupted the meaning like that. That was unforgivable.

He listened to the two men talk for a little while longer. Once the critic was gone, he pulled Madarame far away from prying eyes or ears.

“Why did you steal my painting?” he demanded.

Madarame frowned. “I didn’t steal anything Yusuke. You agreed to let me use it for this exhibit.”

“I agreed for let you keep it for a bit. I never agreed to this!”

“Stop being so selfish,” snapped Madarame. “I’ve done everything for you these past years. You owe me. The least you can do is stop being such a brat.”

“But this painting is so personal...” muttered Yusuke, looking anywhere but Madarame’s face. Why did he feel like the bad guy? Madarame was in the wrong. Madarame had stolen from him and lied and hurt him. So why did Yusuke feel so guilty about upsetting him?

“All paintings are personal,” said Madarame. “Yours is nothing special.”

“But I –"

“You’re being ridiculous Yusuke. This conversation is over. You agreed to this and getting upset over nothing isn’t helping anyone. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an exhibit to attend to.” He whirled around and walked away, leaving Yusuke standing alone, confused and guilty.

Age 15

The feeling of the paintbrush in Yusuke’s hand was familiar and reassuring. The growling feeling in his stomach was familiar as well, though it did nothing to comfort him. He put down his brush and looked up from the painting he was working on.

“I’m hungry,” he said.

Madarame sipped his green tea. “Be patient.”

Yusuke frowned. “But I want to eat now.”

“Don’t be selfish Yusuke.”

“But—”

“Just finish this painting, then you can eat,” Madarame stood up and setting his cup in the sink.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He patted Yusuke on the shoulder as he left the room. Yusuke listened to him fetch his coat, leave the house and lock the door behind him. It wasn’t unusual for Madarame to go out in the evenings, so Yusuke paid it no mind.

He returned to his painting, the hunger gnawing at him like a wild beast.

 Yusuke finished his painting after a few hours and immediately went to start another. It wasn’t that late, not really. It was barely even dark outside. Besides, the more work he did, the happier Sensei was. It was a simple equation really. Hard work went in one end and kindness came out the other.

The next time he checked the clock, it was nearly midnight. His eyes strained when he pulled them away from the canvas. When had it gotten so late?

He really should eat something.

When he checked the fridge, he found it was nearly empty. Yusuke wouldn’t be sent grocery shopping until Sunday and the food would have to last until then. Besides, the gnawing in his stomach had calmed a bit. He could survive another night.

Something deep down told him he doesn’t deserve anything anyway.

Yusuke tidied up after himself and went to his frigid room. It was always cold in there because the radiators didn’t work. They broke down a few weeks after Natsuhiko left and had never been fixed.

He didn’t have much - just his futon, a small table and an easel in the corner - but it was enough. Madarame had always preached that worldly possessions and wealth corrupted an artist. You couldn’t be creative if you were happy and content. You needed to suffer.

Art is borne through suffering. Art requires sacrifice. Pain is temporary but Art is forever.

He lay down on his futon, exhausted and hungry. A tiny shard of anxiety lingered in his mind, keeping him awake. Madarame still wasn’t home. It was unusual for him to stay out this late without warning Yusuke first.

Yusuke was probably just being paranoid. Everything would be fine. His sleep slowly came to him, like snow settling on the ground, only to kicked around by the first person to deem it’s existence inconvenient to them.

He was startled from his brief rest by a sharp banging at the door. Yusuke dragged himself out of bed and went to let him in. Opening the door, he saw something he didn’t expect.

It was Madarame.

He was drunk.

Yusuke knew that Madarame drank – it wasn’t a secret – but he had never actually seen him drunk before. Whenever he stayed out late, he would slink off to bed while Yusuke was asleep, being careful to not wake him up. Yusuke would find him hungover the next morning and connect the dots.

Madarame looked like shit. That was the simplest way to describe it. There was vomit down his shirt, he reeked of whisky and his hair was wild and unkempt, as if he had been caught in a hurricane on his way home. He swayed on his feet, to intoxicated to keep his balance.

“What are you doing awake?” he slurred. “It’s late. You have school tomorrow.”

I was up late worrying about you.

“You’re drunk,” said Yusuke, slightly more accusatory than he intended.

Madarame bristled. “I’m not drunk,” he snapped. “I’m just a little… tipsy.”

Why does he even bother to lie?

“I think I’m going to be sick again,” muttered Madarame, stumbling into the house.

Yusuke grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the bathroom. Madarame retched and Yusuke went to pull his hair out of his face so he didn’t get sick in it.

As it turns out, helping your drunk father puke at one o’clock in the morning is not fun. Madarame looked rather pathetic, and Yusuke wondered why he kept doing this to himself. It only ever brought him pain.

Helping Madarame into his bedroom, Yusuke handed him a clean set of clothes. He turned around while Madarame got changed and took the soiled clothes from him afterwards.

“You are so much like your mother Yusuke,” croaked Madarame, as he settled down. “Sometimes, when I look at you, I see her eyes staring back at me.”

Yusuke didn’t remember his mother, but from the few blurry pictures that he had found around the shack, left forgotten in notebooks and stashed away in drawers, he knew they looked a lot alike. They shared the same dark hair, cool-grey eyes and lean stature. They could have been twins.

“I loved your mother,” wept Madarame, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “I wish I did something differently that day. I could have saved her.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” reassured Yusuke. “You couldn’t have stopped it.”

Madarame rolled over to his side, racked with sobs, and Yusuke comforted him until he fell asleep. He wasn’t slightly surprised when he only got to bed himself at four in the morning.

He was even less surprised when he fell asleep in class the next morning. His teacher hit him over the back of the head with a rolled-up newspaper and Yusuke jumped so hard he almost fell out his chair.

“No sleeping in class,” he snapped. “Why on earth are you sleeping anyway? Did you stay up late watching television or something?”

Yusuke nodded.

He didn’t know what he would say. How would he explain that his father is falling apart at the seams? That he seems to be drunk more often than he is sober? It makes him feel lonely and isolated. There is no way that his teacher could understand.

No one could possibly understand.

 Age 16

Yusuke was staying at Ren’s house for the night. It felt strange to sleep in the same room as another person; he hadn’t shared a room with someone since his mother died.

He couldn’t sleep, anxiety swirling in his chest. What if something had happened to Madarame? What if he had a mental shutdown? Even after everything Madarame had done to him, Yusuke didn’t want him to die. He tried to reassure himself that Madarame had been okay when he had made his confession.

Still, they didn’t know much about the mental shutdowns. Could they be delayed? He wanted to poke Morgana awake and ask him, but decided not to. He didn’t want to be a nuisance. Morgana flicked his tail in his sleep and Yusuke hoped he was having a nice dream.

It was too quiet in the attic. The only sound was the rain beating down on the roof and Ren snoring on the couch. Ren had insisted that he take the bed, which only made Yusuke feel more guilty. Ren had done so much for him and Yusuke didn’t want sink further in his debt.

You’re so selfish Yusuke. You always use people.

He wanted to wake Ren up. He wanted to feel less alone. He wanted to let out this worry before it ate him alive. Ren had said that Yusuke could wake him if he needed him.

But you don’t need him, not really. You want him, but you don’t need him.

He decided to let him sleep. Yusuke stared at Ren, pondering. Why had he helped Yusuke in the first place? He had been so rude to him and his friends when they’d first met. Still, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge. He had probably forgiven Yusuke already.

Hopefully.

Yusuke laid back in bed, trying to force himself to sleep. He jumped a little when his phone vibrated on the windowsill. Someone was calling him. No one ever called him.

He was about to decline the call, when he recognised the number. Trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t wake Ren up, he spoke.

“Natsuhiko?”

“Yusuke, there’s something I need to tell you,” said Natsuhiko. He paused, as if trying to figure out what to say next. “There’s no easy way to say this but Madarame is dead.”

“What?” exclaimed Yusuke. Ren stirred on the couch. Yusuke lowered his voice. “How did you—"

“I have a friend who works at the Police Hospital,” explained Natsuhiko. “He told me.”

“That can’t be true…” Madarame couldn’t be dead. Yusuke couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it.

Natsuhiko sighed, his voice more sympathetic that Yusuke expected. “He was an old man Yusuke. Being arrested put too much stress on his heart and he couldn’t handle it.”

“Sensei always had a weak heart...” mumbled Yusuke as a wave of guilt crashed over him. He had done this. He had killed his father. And for what? A mere slight or two? Was that worth snuffing out a human life?

Natsuhiko sighed and for a split-second Yusuke thought Natsuhiko knew what he had done. His logical side reminded him that was ridiculous.

“Look, I wanted to be the one to tell you this rather than some stranger,” said Natsuhiko. “Madarame wasn’t a good man but he was still your father. It’s okay to mourn him.”

There was a pause. “I have to go,” said Natsuhiko. “Are you going to be okay?” The question was as loaded as Yusuke's silence.

“I’ll be fine,” murmured Yusuke. Natsuhiko hung up, leaving Yusuke with his horrified thoughts.

He faintly realised that he was crying. Why couldn’t he stop? He was such an idiot. He was going to wake Ren up. But Yusuke couldn’t stop the tears from coming. He was a murderer. No one could know about this.

He could leave. The idea hung around his head for a minute. There was nothing trapping him here. He could just pick up his bags and leave. Escape the scorn of the only real friends he ever had.

But where would he go? He couldn’t go back to the dorms. Everyone there knew him about Madarame and he wouldn’t be able to take their pitying stares. He would stay at a motel, but he had no money. How would be pay for it?

He really had nowhere to go. Yusuke had never felt so guilty and lonely and helpless as he did in that moment. Pulling his knees to his chest, he wiped tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and did his best to quell his weeping.

You’re not seven years old anymore Yusuke. Stop crying.

He was so inside his own head that he didn’t notice that Ren had woken up until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Yusuke looked up at him through bleary eyes, his brain barely recognising his friend.

“Yusuke… Are you—"

Yusuke pushed him away and scrambled to his feet. “Don’t touch me!” he snapped.

“Yusuke, what’s wrong?” said Ren. “I just want to help you.”

“I killed Madarame! Natsuhiko just told me he had a heart attack. He’s dead and it’s all my fault.” He fell to his knees, chest heaving.

“I’m a murderer,” he sobbed. “I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted him to die.”

“You are not a killer,” said Ren, crouching down to Yusuke’s level. “I’ve only known you a week, but I know that much. You didn’t kill him.”

“But I stole his heart, knowing this could happen. He was old and weak. I should have known better.”

Yusuke was startled when Ren wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “You couldn’t possibly have predicted this Yusuke. Besides, stealing a heart doesn’t cause heart attacks. We know that much. You didn’t kill him.”

Suddenly, Yusuke was three years old again, wrapped up in his mother’s arms. He hasn’t felt safe in so long, but in that moment he found comfort again.

Ren didn’t judge him. Ren wasn’t mean or snippy, even when Yusuke got tears and snot all over his t-shirt. Ren hand rested lightly on Yusuke’s shoulder, holding him to reality when Yusuke was sure he might evaporate and float away. He is an anchor. A lighthouse in a stormy ocean. A beacon of comfort in the mess of Yusuke’s life.

Yusuke’s voice was ragged by the time he finally brought himself to speak.

“I hated him,” he muttered. “Despised him even. But there were good days. Days where I loved him. Sometimes we would sit in the den together for hours, just painting. Painting and painting and painting. He used to praise me too. “You’re such a talented painter,” he would say. “You’re such a good kid. I love you so much.”

“You never knew what to expect from him. Sweet words could be replaced with cutting insults in an instant. But I wanted that praise so badly that I would hunt for it. I would do anything he asked, just so I could hear that praise. Turn over all my art, go without food, take his insults and abuse, all for the promise of a little kindness at the end of it all. I only ever wanted to be loved. I only ever wanted him to love me.”

Yusuke buried his face into Ren’s shoulder, not wanting to see Ren’s to see his pathetic expression. “Why do I still love him? Why do I still love the man who ruined my childhood? The man who killed my mother? The man who treated me like dirt? Why can’t I just admit that he hurt me?”

“Will I always be his property?” he asked. “A portrait in his museum of stolen work. His son in name but not in practice. His prodigy. His worker. Will I ever be free from him?”

Ren held Yusuke even tighter. “You are a creator,” he said. “And you are an artist. You are so much more than your past. So much more than what he said you were. And most all, you are my friend. I care about you Yusuke.”

For the first time in his life, Yusuke knew he was hearing the truth.

[sierrabinondo]

summer tour 2018 - days 1 - 4

welp tumblr i am back again with a new tour recap!!! people liked this last time so here i am i guess

this tour recap is mostly for my own reasons. there’s something different about documenting something life-changing and important to yourself on a social media site you’ll probably be subject to visiting again without trying, as opposed to writing it by hand which hurts after a while or in a word document that you’ll never open.

my band with sails ahead just embarked on our longest tour ever. 11 shows, no off days. we somehow still got sleep, ate well (and went broke for it), and didn’t get sick. it wasn’t perfect every night, but it was still rewarding even in the smallest possible ways. 

i decided to recap this across several posts as an easier way to read everything instead of one long one that would serve as a painful, arduous read. so here are days 1-4.

day 1 - asbury

our tour kicked off in asbury, so we were home for our first day. it was sort of difficult to get in the mindset for tour but once destination dimension arrived i was good.  

in asbury i always passed this storage trailer-looking building with palm trees all around it. it turns out it’s called outpost city, and it’s an oasis for touring musicians to come hang out while on the road. it’s invite-only (i think?? PLEASE check me), and we were contacted a week before tour started to go check it out. i already promised work i was going to work a full day my last day but hooooly we could not turn this down. this place had a lounge area, a small demo studio, free wifi, and a general store with product placed in there by brands that you could grab FOR FREE. as long as we tagged the brands on all of our social media the stuff was ours. we spent a few hours there before the brewery show and it was really fun. i had to do work the whole time as a result of leaving work early haha, but i still enjoyed it a lot.

Photo: Julie Yi Photography

the brewery show was awesome. i didn’t play the greatest set so i was super bummed haha, at least i don’t think, but we had a great turnout. the line-up was awesome and we got to see a lot of friends.  sound was amazing and as always the brewery is just the coolest venue.  really grateful we could finally play here. i was so glad people showed up early to see destination dimension so that they at least had a crowd. a lot of my friends cared about making it in time for them which was nice of them. it was incredibly weird to have ryan watch us while another drummer was playing with us, we all felt so bad. we were so distraught leading up to this tour about him not joining us due to his carpal tunnel, but we had no choice. our friend and fill-in drummer matt shindle killed it and the show made us excited for the rest of the run. i think i said a cool and inspiring thing that made everyone yell very excitedly but then i followed it up with some lame shit so it ruined the moment lmao. 

Photo: Julie Yi Photography

i returned back to my house in brick with destination dimension and jeremiah came with so that we had one more night together before i left. i was feeling a little better about leaving but i wouldn’t actually be excited until we were finally in the van. 

day 2 - falls church, va

after waking up mad early on like 5 hours of sleep only, i got ready to leave as julie was dropped off at my house to drive up to bandago together. i cried as jeremiah said goodbye to me because i’m a big dumb baby and never ever spend time apart from him haha.

the drive to virginia took forever. i was so exhausted but for some reason it was impossible to sleep in the van. and then i led us to the wrong holiday inn; our actual hotel was so far that we just had to check in late and go straight to the show. the vfw was actually a pretty cool spot. it was nice to be in falls church again; the last time i was there was when i was a kid and my aunt and uncle lived in an apartment way before they had my cousins. 

Photo: Julie Yi Photography - us with pulses, destination dimension and a couple members of timberbrooke!

turnout wasn’t huge at all (a pattern that would repeat itself lmao) but all of the bands were super nice. of course, we were extremely stoked to play with pulses. i felt bad because i kept screwing up faces, names and bands at first but it ended up being fine.  our friends said i played more confidently this show than the night before but it didn't feel like that. i felt like i sounded like shit and i looked like an idiot lmao. on stage, there’s actually a million things going through my head while i'm singing. i almost wanted to throw the microphone at one point but can’t do that!!! i also apparently sounded better but i still have issues believing people when they say i sang well, because people lie to other musicians all the time and tell them they're great just to be polite. i warm up before every show and do diaphragm exercises but if my throat fucking feels like shit from my allergies and tight and dry there's nothing i can do. the humidifier doesn't help. there's not a day where i don't practice. i wish my body wasn't so unforgiving haha.

well the korean BBQ spot next door was cool lmao and there was a dog at the show. our hotel room was nice but the furniture was so oddly arranged. it was difficult to make room for the air mattresses but we made it work. i shouldn’t talk though because hotel rooms on tour are a luxury haha.

day 3 - greensboro, nc

the drive to greensboro was just a little stressful because of the torrential downpour, and a car accident happened right in front of us at one point lmao. but mostly, the drive was so serene and beautiful. we drove through the blue ridge mountains and listened to the new anthony green album. this is what i love about touring, getting to see these beautiful sights. i think i almost cried hahaha.

we arrived to greensboro and the block we were on for the gig had some sick spots. we got vegetarian food at this place called boba house. the food was incredible. and then the venue, new york pizza, had $3 craft beer!!! insane. i didn't drink the last tour and i said i wouldn't this time but i remembered we were going to be in a position to try some region-specific foods and beers, so i let myself have a sunshine gose from birdsong brewery after our set. it was soooo good. yeah funny thing was, i actually drank A LOT this tour. last tour i was super sheepish about it, but this time i was going to be in too many new places to not try local beers. it didn’t affect me as much as i thought it would but i believe it still did to *some*extent. i also couldn't resist the touch tunes juke box and helped myself to playing santana again like the last tour hahaha.

the turnout was decent but everyone the headlining band brought (and the band themselves) stood outside for every band. at one point joe went outside as we were about to go on and yelled at everyone saying “hey guys we drove a long way to play the show come inside” i was mortified lmao. sadly, you cannot make people care about you, they have to show interest on their own. BUT, obviously he was saying what we were all thinking. listening to a band play from outside the venue does not always mean you are paying attention to the bands. they didn't even come inside for one single song for any band. if you can’t make the people you bring stay for the bands, fine, but why play the show at all if you don’t care about the touring bands? 

Photo: Julie Yi Photography

chris, the vocalist of destination dimension, was a huge huge help to me on tour. he gave me really great honest criticism and it helped me work on some bad habits i have while performing. i know i’m a big baby and all but i can take critique and i wish more of my musician friends were more honest with me. it shows they care because they don’t let me blindly wander around just repeating the same awful habits. for the first time i also wore both earplugs in while singing but it only lasted two songs. i know it’s foolish to not wear them, but i cannot stand how i sound with earplugs in, it fucks me up just as bad. i used to use earasers but i was sick of pissing away $40 everytime i lost them. and i'm not capable of not misplacing something, i know i'll lose them again. i wasn’t too happy with my performance this show either but the people watching us were cool and attentive. wes was so kind to hook the show up for us, and we loved the dudes in impersona. really fantastic band.

later that night shindle realized he left his laptop charger at the venue. we were using his laptop for interludes and his click tracks. it was too late to go back so we decided we’d go back in the morning before leaving to go back to charleston. but sadly the venue didn’t have it and we absolutely had to move on to the next city. i felt so bad. however we were able to make our tracks still work on my personal laptop that i brought. 

day 4 - charleston, sc

charleston was a little rough lmao, but still fun. as always we arrived just in time to check in to our hotel, get food and pull up to the venue for load in. we stayed at a holiday inn, and we were hoping since it was a hotel that the room would be nice and big but it wasn't. the beds were huge though. after checking in we noted that a counter service-type grits restaurant was across the parking lot. i was going to try to only buy one meal per show day but it looked like the next day i'd be buying grits for breakfast haha.

it was an insanely hot day. in fact, the hottest day on tour. it was bad. it was at least 90 degrees or more out especially with the humidity but whatever, we were heading to the venue soon so we would hopefully find relief there. something i was ABSOLUTELY adamant about was that we ate cookout. for anyone who doesn't know, cookout is a chain based in the south that serves southern food and super cheap, filling meals. you can get a “tray” which is like one main meat or dish, two sides and a drink for $5.29. the tour package met there to eat before load in. stopping made us late, but there was no way in hell we weren't going and i was making sure of that lmao. and it was worth being a lil late i think, i think everyone liked it. santino bought twice the amount of the tray he ordered hahaha.

so we finally get to the venue, which is tua lingua - and

there's no

air

conditioning

we had zero idea this place had no central air. i had no idea the place didn't have it!!! but otherwise the venue was a very sick spot. like out of the blue in cambridge (rip), but much much bigger. they had numerous amazing art pieces, a dark room and an interactive bubble exhibit. the staff was very nice. we did our best to play the best set we could with the heat. at certain points it was even cooler outside the building because the hot air just wasn’t moving out. we almost cut our set short out of fear of not being able to handle the heat but we made it through. we also had to play without our tracks but that was fine. a couple people named jesse and fianna came to the show because they heard about it from the hemisphere facebook group!! so awesome. zacoma also made us a custom copy of their CD based off our tour marketing it was so fucking sweet of them!! i don’t have the photo of it otherwise i would have shared it but when i get it i’ll post it. them and hollow notes made the show a great one, i highly recommend both bands. i bet tua lingua is sooo sick to play in cooler weather just not in the summer haha.

photo credit: julie yi photography LOOK AT HOW SWEATY I AM. 

because the show ended massively early (THE DREAM), i suggested going to the charleston waterfront since we had time to explore! santino was wary because the poor guy was starving, but he agreed to spending 30 minutes of walking around. so the tour package drove out to the waterfront/rainbow row and we walked around for a while. it was sooooo beautiful out, i was so happy to see the town again. a guy jumped in the pineapple fountain as we were dipping our feet in to dig for change and he was in there for an hour HAHA. we also ended up staying an hour because we were having so much fun. there was another fountain nearby you could actually walk through. maybe it wasn't actually allowed but there were no signs so whoops!! we went from just sticking our hands in the jets to santino and jaime sticking their whole fucking heads in i was screaming laughing hahaha. it was a very happy and pure moment.

on this tour i learned a lot of new things about santino, one of which is that he apparently really likes milk LMFAO. and we had to like run around to try to find somewhere open that would have milk and cookies but everyone settled for taco bell. we went back to the hotel to watch aggretsuko but netflix kept glitching and the screen would black out whenever subs were on the screen i was so pissed. but we enjoyed a very wonderful night of going to bed early.

[monicalozzano]

Sentimental education

MOVIES 

Disney Classics 

Alice’s Wonderland (1923), Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Make Mine Music, The Jungle book 1, Peter Pan, Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians, Alice in Wonderland, Anastasia, The Sword in the Stone,  The Ugly Duckling, The Jungle book 2, The Practical Pig, The Aristocats, Silly Simphonies, Lilo & Stitch 1 and 2, Plane Crazy, Robin Hood, Little Marmaid 1, 2 and 3, Pocahontas 1 and 2, The King Lion 1, 2 and 3, Mulan 1 and 2, Hercules, Bambi, The Rescuers, The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1 and 2,  The Three Caballeros, Aladdin 1, 2 and 3, Tangled, Meet the Robbinsons, Tarzan 1 and 2, The Princess and the Frog, Frozen, Moana, The Beauty and The Beast, Saludos Amigos, The Many adventures on Winnie The Pooh, Lady and The Tramp, Oliver & Company, The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Home, on the Range, Wreck-It Ralph, The Leyend of Sleepy Hollow, Animation from Disney/Pixar

Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, Monsters Inc, Monsters University, Cars, Cars 2 and 3, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Inside out, The good Dinosaur, Brave, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, A Bug’s Life, Up, WALLL-E, Bolt, Chicken Little, Zootopy, Gnomeo and Julieth, Big Hero Six, Coco

Disney live-action 

Mary Poppins, The cheetah girls, Alice in Wonderland, Alice Trough the looking glass, High School Musical 1, 2 and 3, Camp Rock, Camp Rock: The Final Camp, Wizards of Waverly Place, Wendy Wu: homecoming warrior, Princess Program Protection, The Beauty and The Beast, Stuck in the suburbs, Maleficent, Cinderella, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Enchanted, Princess Diaries 1 and 2, Pixel perfect, 

Dreamworks 

AnimationRaise of the Guardians, The Boss Baby, Trolls, The Croods, The Prince of Egypt, Turbo, Shark Tale, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Home, The Guardian Brothers, A Monster in Paris, 

Paramount Pictures

How To Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, Shrek 1,2 & 3, Shrek the Third,  Shrek Forever After, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted,  Monsters vs. Aliens

Universal Studios

Lorax, Despicable Me 1, 2 and 3, Sing, Pitch Perfect 1, 2 and 3, Mamma Mia, 50 Shades, 50 Shades Darker, Bruce Almighty, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Psicosis, Les MIsérables, The Land Before Time

Blue Sky Studios

Robbots, Ice Age 1, 2, 3 and 4, Río,  Horton

Studio Ghibli

Tonari no Totoro, Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, 

Sony Pictures

Hotel Transilvania 1 and 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Smurfs 1 and 2, Goosebumps, 

alittlebitofeverything..

A lot like love, Basquiat (1996) Fight Club, Spring Breakers, El ciempiés Humano, Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, 12 monkies, Psyco, Casablanca, 50 First Dates, Get Smart, Love Rosie, Romeo and Julieth (2013) La vita e bella, Batman Trilogy (by Nolan) Ramona and Beezus, The Neon Demon, Under the Skin, the perks of being a wallflower, The proposal, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Pollock (2000) Charlie St. Cloud, The Danish Girl, The Notebook, 10 things I hate about you, Titanic, Pretty Woman, P.S: I love you, (500) Days of Summer, A Walk to Remember, Letters to Julieth, Nothing Hill, About Time, Dear John, The Crush, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, No String attached, A Cinderella Story, Grease, The Breakfast Club, My Best Friend's Wedding, 27 Dresses, The Vow, Shakespeare in Love, The Last Song, Another Cinderella Story, One Day, Ever After, Remember Me, The Longest Ride, The Lucky One, If I Stay, Paper Towns, Tres metros Sobre el Cielo, Tengo Ganas de Ti, The First Time, Cinderella (2015) Pitch perfect 1 and 2, Mean Girls, Clueless, Wild Child, Not Another Teen Movie, Easy A, Cruel Intentions, La Vie d'Adèle, Bring it on, John Tucker must die, Monte Carlo, Just like heaven, What Happens in Vegas, Runaway Bride, Definitely maybe, Friends with Benefits, Black Swan, The sweetest thing, La la land, Moonlight, Crazy stupid love, Grease, Bad moms, Love and other drugs, The Social network,  Just go with it, Grown ups 1 and 2, Bedtime stories, Click,  We’re the Millers, Big Daddy, The devil wears Prada, The Intern, Bride wars, Coco avant Chanel, The Theory of Everything, Sabrina, The Pursuit of Happiness, Marie Antoinette, Last days, Blue valentine, Singing In The Rain, Cecil B. Demented, eXincenZ, Back to the Future, The day of the Jackal, Roman Holiday, I, Tonya, Phantom Threat, Ginger and Rosa, Lady Bird, Dunkirk, Fifty Shades of Grey (Trilogy), The Orange Workclock, 2001: Space Odyssey, Roman Holiday, Matrix, Dead Poets Society, The Edge of Seventeen, V for Vendetta, Lion, The Glass Castle, Hacksaw Ridge, Arrival, Independence Day Resurgence, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), Suicide Squat, Wonder Woman (2017), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League​, Batman: Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming​, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, Thor, Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, Iron Man, The Square, Wonder, Murder On The Orient Express, Before Midnight, The DUFF, Peter Pan, Snowman, Anabelle 1 and 2, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Greatest Showman, A Dog’s Purpose, IT, Baby Driver, The Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro, Me Before You, Wish Upon, Happy Family, Atomic Blonde, Water for Elephants, Agora, Ted, LOL (2008), LOL (2012), Hairspray, The Healer, A Question Of Faith,The Danish Girl, Mr & Mrs Smith, Spice World, Bed Time Stories, Pixels, Spy Kids, Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Valentines day, Intern, Little Prince, The Theory of Everything, We Are Your Friends, To Kill a Mockingbird​, Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, Heaven is For Real, Saving Mr. Banks, Life as We Know It, Dorian Gray, Twenty, Nerve, Batman: The Lego Movie, Baywatch, The Emoji Movie, Captain Fantastic, To The Bone, The Lovely Bones, Flipped, Homeless to Harvard, Ghost World, Divergent, The Hunger Games Trilogy, El Club de los Incomprendidos, Final Destination Franchise, Neon, The Longest Ride, Before I Fall, Matilda, My Babysitter's a Vampire, Endless Love, No Se Aceptan Devoluciones, Latin Lover, Now is Good, How I Live Now, Que Pena Tu Boda, Que Pena Tu Familia, Cásese Quien Pueda, Que Culpa Tiene El Niño, Nosotros Los Nobles, Cantinflas, Memorias del Subdesarrollo, Child of Rage, El Amor En Los Tiempos del Cólera, La Vendedora de Rosas, Rosario Tijeras, Soñar No Cuesta Nada, Los Colores de la Montaña, El Acorazado Potemkin, F for Fake, Agarrando Pueblo, Ojo y Vista: Peligra la Vida del Artista, El Tigre de Papel, Sex in The City, Mirror, Mirror, Stepmom, Adore, Think Like a Man, The Three Stooges, Vamps, Zambezia, The Beatles: Eight days a week, Storks, Ghost in the Shell, Bad Moms, Liar Liar, Clueless, Shape of Water, Woody Woodpecker, Everything Everything, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Fallen, Dude, The Space Between Us, The Kissing Booth, Barefoot in the Park, Mamma Mia, American Beauty, Guardians of the Galaxy, Fathers and Daughters, Mr & Mrs Smith, world War Z, When We First Met, 

            SERIES 

Friends, How I Met Your Mother, 13 Reasons Why, Sense8, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, The End Of The Fuking World, Las Chicas del Cable, Stranger Things, Riverdale, Jane The Virgin, Gossip Girl, Luis Miguel, Grace and Frankie, Abstract (the art of design), Velvet, 

SERIES ANIMADAS

The Simpsons, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter´s laboratory, Ruglats, All Grown Up!, Courage The Cowardly Dog, Star vs the Forces of Evil, Steven Universe, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, We Bare Bears, Caillou, Hey, Arnold!, Ed, Edd y Eddy, CatDog, SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, Johnny Bravo, Recess, The Angry Beavers, Futurama, The Wild Thornberrys, Happy Tree Friends, Super Friends, Mike, Lu & Og, Pepper Ann, Bob the Builder, Oggy and the cockroaches, The Animated Series, The Pink Panther, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Fairly OddParents, Codename: Kids Next Door, Lazy Town, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Flintstones, Regular Show, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Las Tres Mellizas, Woody Woodpecker, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, The Tom and Jerry Show, Tom and jerry Kids, Scooby-Doo ¿Where are You?, Scooby-Doo Creepy Cities, Pokemon, DragonBall, Pucca, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Popeye the Sailor, The Proud Family, Phineas and Ferb, The Replacements, Dave The Barbarian, Doug, Danny Phantom, Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, The Buzz on Maggie, The Emperor's New School, Phil of the Future, Dragon Tales, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Clifford Puppy days, Care Bears, My Little Pony, Bear In The Big Blue House, Zaboomafoo, Curious George, Jay Jay The Jet Plane, Sesame Street, The Book of Pooh, Blue’s Clues, Rolie Polie Olie, Jojo’s Circus, Little Einsteins, Barney and Friends, Go Diego Go!, Pocoyo, The Backyardigans, Higglytown Heroes, Dora the Explorer, Silly Simphonies, Heidi, Animaniacs, The Jetsons, DuckTales, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Tiny Toons Adventures, Inspector Gadget, Pinky and the Brain, Top Cat, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,  The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Captain Tsubasa, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Stanley, Pinky Dinky Doo, The Koala Brothers, Cubeez, Troll Hunters Tales of Arcadia, The Boss Baby, Gravity Falls, The Little Lulu Show,

KDRAMAS

Goong, Uncontrollably Fond, My Love from Another Star, The Heirs, Love Cells 2, 

                                    still in process...

[wikitopx]

Certainly these idyllic scenes still exist, although less picturesque plastic tubing has replaced most of the buckets, and many of the farms may now be chic B&Bs.

Another Vermont exists alongside this idealized one, represented by bustling Burlington, the outlet malls of Manchester, Killington's frenetic après-ski scene, and Brattleboro's unlikely blend of gritty blue-collar and '70s hippies grown up. Even the state's mainstay of agriculture has a new look, as dozens of artisanal cheese makers transform Vermont's dairy industry, and tourists eagerly follow the Vermont Cheese Trail to sample them.

Other trails lead to traditional tourist attractions: maple farms boiling sap and welcoming visitors each March, and covered bridges-seven of them in the far-northern town of Montgomery alone. You'll enjoy both Vermonts.

Discover the best things to do in this captivating state with our list of the top tourist attractions in Vermont.

1. Lake Champlain

Extending for 120 miles between Vermont and New York, with its northern tip in Canada, Lake Champlain lies mostly in Vermont, and draws visitors for its recreation, wildlife, and historical attractions. Its watershed covers more than 8,000 square miles.

Much of its 587 miles of shoreline are undeveloped; a haven for wildlife; and a playground for canoeists, kayakers, and sailors. On the Vermont side, 318 species of birds depend on Lake Champlain, and 81 species of fish swim in its waters.

According to Samuel de Champlain, for whom the lake is named, a 20-foot serpent-like creature also swims in the lake. His was the first, but certainly not the last reported sighting of what is now known as Champy. You might catch sight of it from one of the several lake cruises, or even from one of the three ferries that cross to the New York side from Charlotte, Burlington, and Grand Isle.

Several wildlife reserves protect its shore and neighboring wetlands, including the Dead Creek WMA, where thousands of migrating snow geese stop to rest in late October. You can learn more about the ecology at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, at the waterfront in Burlington.

TheLake Champlain Maritime Museum, overlooking Basin Harbor in Vergennes, explores the lake's role in the Revolution and War of 1812. You can also visit Mount Independence, an important sister fort to Fort Ticonderoga across the lake in New York, and attacked in July 1777. Learn more at the visitor center and explore the 400-acre site with the help of trail maps with historical notes and descriptions.

2. Stowe

With a covered bridge, white-spired church, weathered barns, and ski trails down the mountainside, Stowe is everybody's image of Vermont. At the foot of Mt. Mansfield and in the heart of the state's snow belt, it's also the town that most personifies the glory days of Vermont's early ski industry, a heritage that's explored here in the Vermont Ski Museum. Although avid skiers had climbed the mountain long before that, and a rope tow was installed in 1937, things really took off in 1940, when the first chairlift was opened.

It's not all about skiing; you'll find shops and boutiques, art galleries, dining, and lodging of all sorts. Exhibits of works by Vermont-based artists are shown in the Helen Day Art Center. You can rent bicycles to ride, or you can walk or skate along the 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation Path, a paved multi-use route through meadows and woods alongside the river, with beautiful views of Mt. Mansfield.

Stowe Mountain Resort is still one of New England's premier ski destinations, and the gondola that carries skiers in the winter takes sightseers to the summit for more views in the summer and fall. You can find things to do here all year.

3. Shelburne Museum

Restored historic buildings and the collections they house at this open-air museum reflect Vermont's rich history and America's folk and fine art traditions. You can explore a round barn; the lake steamer SS Ticonderoga (now on dry land); a lake lighthouse; a barn filled with vintage carriages and wagons; a print shop; and collections of carved decoys, American quilts, handmade hatboxes, hooked rugs, and trains, in a bucolic village setting among manicured gardens.

In contrast to the simple farms represented at the museum, you can glimpse an entirely different kind of farming in New England at nearby Shelburne Farms. The grand turreted barns and farmyard of this 1400-acre working gentleman farm are still in operation, and you can sample their cheese, visit the gardens, and even have tea, depending on the tour you choose.

4. Hildene

Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the president, visited Manchester with his mother shortly before his father's assassination. After he had become president of Pullman Company, in the early 20th century, he returned to build the Georgian Revival Hildene as his country estate.

Hildene represents a fine example of homes built as retreats for the families of wealthy magnates and is furnished with a number of pieces from Mrs. Lincoln's family. Personal belongings of President Lincoln include his famous stovepipe hat.

Other highlights are the thousand-pipe 1908 Aeolian organ, in working condition, and the elegant dining room furnished in Queen Anne style. The home remained in the Lincoln family until 1975, thus preserving the original furnishings and memorabilia. The formal gardens on the terrace overlooking the broad valley have been restored from records of original plantings.

You can stay in another of these elegant mansions built in Manchester by wealthy industrialists. The Inn at Ormsby Hill, near Hildene, is now an elegant bed-and-breakfast.

5. Church Street Marketplace

In the heart of downtown Burlington, Church Street is only four blocks long, but it forms a wide, traffic-free space for public events and a lively street life even in Vermont's cold winters. Along with the festivals scheduled throughout the year, it's a place for sidewalk cafes, benches, and public artworks, and the buildings alongside it are filled with shops, restaurants, and boutiques. In the summer, when everyone is outdoors, it has the feel of an Italian piazza.

A mural, Everyone Loves a Parade! by Canadian muralist Pierre Hardy decorates a wall, and other artworks include a life-sized statue of a local jazz artist and a fish fountain crafted of metal. It's no wonder this has been named one of the Great Public Spaces in America; it's also listed as a National Register Historic District.

You can stay close to the action, only a block away at the Hotel Vermont. This hip, modern inn has a local community ethic and lovely views of Lake Champlain from its upper-floor guest rooms.

6. Mount Mansfield and Smugglers Notch

Mountain Road climbs out of Stowe and up the shoulder of Mount Mansfield, past Stowe Mountain Resort, where a gondola carries skiers and sightseers to the summit. Beyond the resort, the road narrows to snake through Smugglers' Notch, one of Vermont's most engaging natural attractions.

The road through this pass between Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak is so tight and narrow as it winds upward that at some curves only a single car can pass through the openings between the giant boulders.

Snowplows can't get through it in the winter, when the road closes just past the ski area. The rest of the year, you can park the car and walk the paths among this massive jumble of glacial rock and discover the caves where 19th-century smugglers once hid. The caves and gigantic boulders were formed when the glacier stalled here during the last ice age, smashing the mountain ledges and dropping them into the notch, where they were carved and tumbled by more glacial action. Mansfield is Vermont's highest mountain, and at its top are sweeping views and more than two miles of ridge-top hiking above tree line. This is one of only two places in Vermont where rare arctic-alpine tundra exists. A number of routes reach its summit. The Long Trail crosses Route 108 at the foot of Smugglers' Notch, climbing steadily for 2.3 miles to the ridgeline.

Close to the point where the Long Trail crosses Route 108 at the base of Smugglers' Notch, Topnotch Resort is a luxurious base for exploring the area, with mountain views, three pools, a full-service spa, and a fine-dining restaurant.

7. Ben & Jerry's

Unquestionably Vermont's most popular tourist attraction for children, Ben & Jerry's factory tour is a favorite experience for adults, too. On the 30-minute guided tour of the factory, you'll watch workers as they make and package ice-cream, while a guide explains the process.

On days when the factory is not operating, you'll still see inside it, but a movie will show it in action. Of course a sample of the day's flavor is included, and you can sample more flavors before choosing your favorite at their scoop shop.

The gift shop sells B&J goods, and you can take ice-cream with you in insulated carriers. Be sure to visit the Flavor Graveyard to mourn the loss of their dearly de-pinted flavors and to smile at the past tongue-in-cheek names.

8. Bennington Battle Monument and Museum

The 306-foot-high obelisk, visible for miles around, commemorates the 1777 battle fought about five miles west of Bennington, which turned the tide against the British by splitting British General John Burgoyne's forces in half, making the final American victory possible. You can bypass the monument's 412 steps by taking an elevator to the top for views.

The nearby Bennington Museum is best known for its extensive collection of works by primitive folk artist Grandma Moses, along with her schoolhouse painting studio.

The museum is also especially strong in its collections of Bennington pottery, furniture, toys, American glassware, and Victorian quilts. You'll also find fine art and artifacts from the colonial and Civil War periods.

9. Brattleboro Farmers' Market

In a region known for its small farms and agriculture, Brattleboro's is the poster child of farmers markets. More than a place to buy fresh-picked vegetables and fruit from small independent local farmers, it is a social event, a meeting place, a Saturday lunch stop, and part of the weekend routine for southern Vermonters.

You'll find old favorite vegetables and all the trendy new varieties, along with flowers, artisanal breads, farm cheeses, handmade soap, local honey, maple syrup, pottery, jewelry, smart scarves, and French pastries. Plan to be there around lunchtime, when there will nearly always be live music and maybe Morris dancers on the shaded lawn.

Some vendors sell prepared foods to eat at picnic tables under the trees. You may find savory stews from Mali, Thai noodles, Lebanese dolmas, even Breton crepes. In the winter, the market moves indoors to a Main Street location.

Brattleboro itself is a cultural and social phenomenon, one of Vermont's few towns with an industrial past, but also one where back-to-the-landers settled in the 1960s and '70s and never left. The arts flourish here, and on any night of the week, you'll find a choice of gallery openings, performances, classes, community action meetings, concerts, public forums, and other activities.

10. Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

Exuding all the charm and fascination of an old-time Victorian museum, without the mustiness, the museum endowed by the owner of Fairbanks Scales covers subjects from Vermont wildflowers to the mysteries of the universe.

The 1891 building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, exhibits many of the usual things you'd expect-mounted birds and animals, Native American stone tools, Civil War memorabilia-as well as many delightful surprises. Take, for example, the bizarre collection of Victorian portraits of Washington, Lincoln, and others formed entirely of bugs and beetles.

Vermonters love visiting the live broadcast studio for their favorite weather report, Eye on the Sky. Downstairs is a hands-on nature center with wasp hives, frogs, iguanas, and creepy things kids love. Planetarium programs examine the sky above St. Johnsbury and beyond.

Across the street is the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, whose Art Gallery was added in 1873, making it the oldest art gallery in the United States still in its original form. These and other outstanding examples of Victorian architecture on Main St. are described in a walking tour map of the street, available at the museum.

Read also: Top 10 things to do in Rochester Ny

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/703328-703328.html

[cynthiabryanuk]

12 Great Winter Sun Holidays Across The Globe—And Where To Stay

To help you avoid the inevitable winter blues, Holiday Lettings has compiled a gorgeous selection of winter sun holidays around the world—and we’re featuring specific rental properties for you to stay in that will make your experience even better. Scattered across the globe with prime sunshine during the UK’s cold midwinter months, these top winter sun destinations (six locations) and holiday lets (12 properties) are just what you need.

Ditch the dreary weather of December, January, and February for the bath-water warm seas of the Indian Ocean in Goa, or the Great Barrier Reef-fringed Queensland. Whether you want to splurge on a winter sunshine stay or soak in the “vitamin sea” on a budget, Holiday Lettings has amazing winter sun holiday rentals for every traveller.

Gather a group and splash out from £57 per person, per night, for a winter sun holiday in an immaculate Sri Lankan villa with stunning sunset views from the roof terrace. If you fancy a winter sun destination without a hefty price tag, enjoy the warm weather from a charming bolt-hole in Goa, from just over £6 per person, per night! Book on Holiday Lettings ahead of the hectic Christmas season, and give yourself something to look forward to when the festivities are over.

1. GOA, INDIA

January Average Temperature*: 25° February Average Temperature: 26°

Luxury Option: Isprava Villa Evora

Check out the Isprava Villa Evora on Holiday Lettings!

4 bedrooms (sleeps 8), from £455 per night, £57 per person, per night

Located off a quiet village street, this secluded luxurious villa is exudes tranquil charm. With marble flooring, stained-glass windows and hand-finished walls, the villa is a charming Portuguese-style home. Antique furniture pairs with bright cushions and vibrant paintings, and the bathroom features exquisitely intricate mosaic walls. The open veranda overlooks a pool and outdoor dining area, making it a great spot to soak up the warm Indian sunshine.

Budget Option: Villa 8

Check out the Villa 8 on Holiday Lettings!

2 bedrooms (sleeps 7), from £43 per night, £6 per person, per night

Villa 8 is the perfect sunshine bolt-hole with an incredible bargain price tag! Located in the heart of north Goa, the villa is close to local amenities including miles of unspoilt beaches, local restaurants and the legendary hotpots where you can really shake off the winter blues. The property itself has a tranquil charm, brightly decorated with the amenities that you need for a dream stay including a gym and swimming pool onsite.

2. SRI LANKA, ASIA

January Average Temperature: 26° February Average Temperature: 27°

Luxury Option: Salina Villa

See Salina Villa on Holiday Lettings!

6 bedrooms (sleeps 12), from £764 per night, £64 per person, per night

This stunningly luxurious 6-bedroom villa is fully staffed with a chef, on-site manager, and house staff as part of the experience. Relax and unwind from the stresses of battling a cold winter at home from the villa’s roof terrace, whilst watching the spectacular sunset. The villa’s impressive pool overlooks the beach, which you can access directly from the property.

Budget Option: A Taste of Eden

See the Taste Of Eden rental on Holiday Lettings!

2 bedrooms (sleeps 6), from £55 per night, £9 per person, per night

Nestled between a tropical lagoon and cinnamon plantations, enjoy the Sri Lankan sunshine for a much cheaper cost at A Taste of Eden. This beautiful property, with its large terrace, is fringed by a tropical oasis. The bedrooms are bright and airy, with a modern bathroom, and well-equipped kitchen for families and friends to enjoy big meals together ‘al fresco’ on the terrace. The owners can also offer a scooter to explore the surroundings, and a daily breakfast of delicious tropical fruit.

3. SURAT THANI, THAILAND

January Average Temperature: 26° February Average Temperature: 27°

Luxury Option: Samara Villa

See Samara Villa on Holiday Lettings!

5 bedrooms (sleeps 17), from £1,042 per night, £61 per person, per night

If you’re looking to splash out, Samara Villa is designed to offer guests all the comforts and pleasures of contemporary living in an unspoilt, natural, oceanside setting personifying Koh Samui’s unique island appeal. The property is peaceful and very private with a modern, Thai-influenced design that combines natural materials and shingle roofs with the best in contemporary finishing and luxurious amenities. Sublime sunrises and sunsets can all be enjoyed right from the comfort of your own bed, making dreary winter days feel very far away.

Budget Option: Sea Suite Villa

Check out the Sea Suite Villa on Holiday Lettings!

5 bedrooms (sleeps 8), from £44 per night, £6 per person, per night

Good value Sea Suite Villa is located directly on the beach, with an incredible pool overlooking the ocean. The property is in a lively area near all the hotspots, perfect for forgetting about the gloomy winter back home. The smartly-decorated rooms have a modern and elegant design, and each includes a relaxing hot tub with a sun terrace where you can soak up every bit of vitamin D!

4. DUBAI, UAE

January Average Temperature: 19° February Average Temperature: 20°

Luxury Option: Palm Jumeirah Villa

See the Palm Jumeirah Villa on Holiday Lettings!

6 bedrooms (sleeps 12), from £1,172 per night, £98 per person, per night

This gorgeous luxury villa is truly palatial. Located just steps from a pristine white sandy beach on the famous Palm Jumeirah, this 6-bedroom villa boasts a chef’s kitchen, fully-equipped gym and a casual billiards room with impressively plush furnishings. Enjoy a stress-free sunshine break, with a full-time maid and chef so you don’t have to lift a finger. Whether you’re relaxing in the grand pool or large tub, a holiday here will ease you through the winter in sublime style.

Budget Option: Skycourts Studio

See the Skycourts Studio rental on Holiday Lettings!

1 bedroom (sleeps 4), from £61 per night, £15 per person, per night

For a cheaper alternative, this modern, upgraded studio apartment in Skycourts is a great value option for a winter sunshine getaway. The apartment is stylishly decorated and the queen-sized bed is the perfect place to relax after a long day exploring the best that Dubai has to offer, or sunbathing by the huge apartment complex pool.

5. ST. JAMES PARISH, BARBADOS

January Average Temperature: 26° February Average Temperature: 26°

Luxury Option: Atelier House

See the Atelier House on Holiday Lettings!

4 bedrooms (sleeps 10), from £1,100 per night, £110 per person, per night

Atelier House is a luxury contemporary villa with stunning architecture and breath-taking views that will erase the stress of the winter drizzle. It sits on a beautiful ridge half a mile from the famous beaches of Barbados’ platinum coast, with sunset views out across the Caribbean. Designed to maximise the views, the limestone terrace and infinity pool also overlook a protected gully filled with ancient Mahogany and Flamboyant trees, where green monkeys regularly ramble.

Budget Option: Unique Treehouse

See the Barbados Treehouse on Holiday Lettings!

1 bedroom (sleeps 2), from £77 per night, £39 per person, per night

Located in Chimborazo, St. Joseph amid the last remaining tract of natural Barbadian rainforest, Treehouse is an eco-friendly villa boasting modern comforts at a budget-friendly price. The first of its kind in Barbados, this off-the-grid one bedroom home juxtaposes innovative technology with the tranquillity of an ancient rainforest. The sleek, modern kitchen leads out to a large covered patio with seating for informal dining offering views of the surrounding tropical rainforest.

6. CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

January Average Temperature: 28° February Average Temperature: 27°

Luxury Option: Alinghi Beach House

See the Alinghi Beach House on Holiday Lettings!

4 bedrooms (sleeps 10), from £579 per night, £58 per person, per night

Alinghi Beach House is a unique designer beach pad which extends out across over the ocean, offering the perfect relaxing holiday under the Aussie summer sunshine. Set among 14 acres of Australian bush, it nestles into the cliff giving a sense of total privacy with awe-inspiring views and only sounds of the waves crashing onto the rocks below. The Estate has its own private 30-metre salt-water swimming pool, mod-grass tennis court, and BBQ cabana. With direct access to the private beach at Honeymoon Bay, this beach house is the ultimate luxurious Australian beachside holiday.

Budget Option: Central Cairns Oceanfront Home

See the Central Cairns Oceanfront Home on Holiday Lettings!

1 bedrooms (sleeps 4), from £101 per night, from £25 per person, per night

With uninterrupted panoramic ocean views from the balcony, this holiday let offers an Australian beach escape that won’t break the bank. The complex even has an onsite spa, gym and pool, where you can unwind from the over-indulgences of Christmas. With the Reef Terminal entry for the Great Barrier Reef just a short walk away, why not top off your holiday with an incredible bucket list diving experience?

All average temperatures sourced from holiday-weather.com

Holiday Lettings is part of TripAdvisor Rentals and lists hundreds of thousands of homes all over the world. You can pay online safely and easily, using Payment Protection.

The post 12 Great Winter Sun Holidays Across The Globe—And Where To Stay appeared first on Holiday Lettings Blog.

from News And Tips For Traveling https://blog.holidaylettings.co.uk/winter-sun-destinations-sunshine-holidays-world/

[touristguidebuzz]

Why Is Asheville North Carolina So Cool?

Fun Things To Do In Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville has to be one of the coolest small cities on the East Coast, with a relaxed bohemian vibe and adventurous spirit. Here are some fun things to do there!

Located in North Carolina’s scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville has a unique mix of hipster coffee shops, award-winning restaurants, outdoor activities, and more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

After hearing about Asheville for years, whether from friends, or the Obama’s visiting on vacation — it was time to learn what all the fuss was about.

Why was Asheville rated the #1 US travel destination for 2017? Why does everyone think Asheville is so cool?

Pack Square Park

Travel Tips for Asheville, North Carolina

Things To Do In Asheville

Anna and I spent 4 days visiting Asheville in partnership with Explore Asheville Tourism, and had a wonderful time eating, drinking, shooting photos, and enjoying nature.

Asheville’s creative (and slightly eccentric) locals contribute to a lively downtown unlike any other. You can experience an intoxicating drum circle, shop at vintage boutiques, sit down to an amazing locally-grown meal, and admire cool street art all in one day.

One of the best ways to experience the city fully is by exploring on foot. With about 87,000 residents, Asheville isn’t huge. But it’s not too small either.

It feels like a large town, and just the right size. Asheville’s downtown in particular is easily walkable, with a charm all its own.

Asheville Street Performers

“Chicken Alley” Mural

Tons Of Art & Music

Asheville is known for its art scene, and you’ll quickly understand why. There’s fun street art all over the place, like colorful murals painted on the side of buildings & under bridges depicting the city’s history.

My favorite was probably “Chicken Alley” by Molly Must, which you can find on Carolina Lane & Woodfin Street. Two giant chickens watch over the alley, a place that used to be full of real chickens in the past.

In the 1980s artists began transforming a bunch of old industrial buildings along the French Broad River into studio space. Now the public can visit these studios as part of the Rivers Arts District and browse the work of over 200 local artists.

The town is full of small lounges, clubs, and breweries featuring live rock, jazz, and bluegrass. Many don’t charge a cover either.

Or you can check out some fun (possibly strange) street performances in the center of town. Don’t forget to tip if you enjoy the show! Asheville wouldn’t be the same without them.

Lexington Avenue Brewery

Pack’s Tavern

Beer City USA!

Asheville is known as “Beer City USA”. Because with 26 different craft breweries in the city, and another 60 nearby, beer lovers won’t want to leave.

Some of the most popular in town are Green Man, Catawba, Wicked Weed, and Lexington Avenue Brewery.

About 100 local beers can be enjoyed in Asheville, and each brewery has its own unique character. From strong hoppy IPAs to dark stouts, to fruity raspberry ales, you’re bound to find something you’ll love.

On top of the incredible beer scene, the city is also “steeped” in tea culture.

Check out Dobra Tea, afternoon tea at Biltmore, and The Herbiary.

Whitewater Stand-Up Paddleboarding

The French Broad River

French Broad River

The French Broad River winds its way past Asheville, providing a natural space for all kinds of outdoor activities & adventures.

You have your obvious river sports like whitewater kayaking and inner-tube floating, but there are some lesser-known activities here too, like “bellyaking” and whitewater SUP.

Bellyaking was actually invented in Asheville — it’s a face first kayak-type ride using special “paddle gloves” to maneuver through the rapids.

I decided to try some whitewater SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) for the first time with Wai Mauna SUP Tours.

Stand-up paddle-boarding through class I & II river rapids on the French Broad River requires a lot of balance, it was more difficult then the lake or ocean SUP I was used to. I fell a few times, but it was still fun!

Eating Our Foraged Food at The Marketplace

Salsa’s Restaurant in Asheville

Farm To Table Dining

Asheville is home to over 250 restaurants, many serving locally produced meats and veggies while supporting North Carolina’s farmers. They’ve been doing “farm to table” long before it became a cliche.

We obviously couldn’t try every restaurant in town with just four days, but my favorite places to eat in Asheville were The Marketplace and Salsas.

French Broad Chocolates is an ice-cream lover’s dream too. The line outside is long, but there’s a reason for that.

The chocolate ice-cream floats are sooooo good! It was worth the wait.

The Famous Biltmore Estate

George Vanderbilt’s Extensive Library

View Off the Back Deck

The Biltmore Estate

The historic Biltmore Estate is one of the most frequently suggested places to visit in Asheville. George Vanderbilt’s gigantic, hundred-year-old property is indeed quite busy all year long.

George, an heir to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, fell in love with North Carolina and began building his property by late 1889. He decided to create a dream home surrounded by natural forests and productive farms.

This 178,926 square foot mansion sits on 8000 acres, with over 250 rooms, and is America’s largest home. The Biltmore holds regular exhibitions — they were displaying movie costumes used in films set during the XVIIIth century when we were there.

George Vanderbilt was one of the most-read men in America, and amassed a library of more than 22,000 books — including over 3,000 he read himself. Gazing at the walls of books in his preserved library was fascinating.

Wild Foraging with No Taste Like Home

Picking Chanterelle Mushrooms

Wild Foraging Tours

I’ve never been wild mushroom picking before, so we signed up for morning foraging tour with a company called No Taste Like Home.

Our day began with an overview from owner Alan Muskat about types of edibles we’d be looking for, and which poisonous plants to avoid.

After being equipped with baskets, harvesting knives, and paper bags, we headed into the enchanting North Carolina forest. I was completely surprised at how many things you could eat, and how good they tasted!

We collected Day Lily flowers, Chanterelle mushrooms, Stinging Nettle, Sassafras leaves, and strange mushrooms called Hairy Rubber Cups. While not popular in the US, they are apparently a delicacy in Malaysia.

After, you can bring your “catch” to local restaurants in Asheville like The Marketplace, where chefs prepare your dinner using the wild ingredients.

The Blue Ridge Parkway

Many Fun Hikes in the Mountains

The Blue Ridge Parkway

Nestled between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville offers year-round access to hiking trails and exhilarating views along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway.

The complete route stretches 469 miles from North Carolina to Virginia, and is home to a wide range of diverse plants and animals. It’s technically part of the National Park System.

Along with hundreds of hiking trails, the parkway includes sections of the Appalachian Trail — one of America’s classic long distance hikes that stretches from Georgia to Maine.

Asheville was a perfect base for exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we spent a full day cruising its winding pavement. Stopping occasionally at mountain lookouts and for short hikes to admire the area’s nature.

Looking Glass Falls

Sliding Rock Falls

Natural Waterslide!

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest is located South West of Asheville, only 30-45 minutes away. It’s considered the birthplace of modern forestry in America, and home to the country’s first forestry school.

Driving through Pisgah on Route 276 is a fun little road trip complete with waterfalls, white water rapids, hiking trails, and camping opportunities.

We stopped by two different waterfalls. The first is called Looking Glass Falls. Located right off the side of the road, it’s super easy to reach, and a nice place to cool off in the summer heat.

The second is Sliding Rock — basically a huge natural waterslide made of smooth stone. A quick ride down the 60-foot flat, sloping boulder will definitely wake you up due to the chilly 50 degree water!

The Davidson River is a popular area for fly-fishing too.

Grove Park Inn

Abbington Green B&B

Places To Stay In Asheville

If you’re wondering where to stay in Asheville, here are my recommendations:

Grove Park Inn – Asheville’s most famous hotel is one of a kind. Built out of stone on the top of a hill, it features various restaurants, a beautiful spa, and scenic views of the city.

Abbington Green B&B – This has to be one of the best bed & breakfasts I’ve ever stayed at. Beautifully designed with a peaceful garden, tasty breakfast, and friendly southern hospitality.

Downtown Asheville

Asheville Travel Tips & Advice

There’s a fun public drum circle every Friday night between 6pm – 10pm in Pritchard Park, where people of all ages join in to dance to the music.

Asheville has a beautiful array of wildflowers that bloom between April and June. Keep your eye out for trillium, lady slippers, wild ginger, evening primrose, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and many more.

The best time to visit Asheville is during the fall foliage season (October), as trees & mountains are incredibly colorful. Summers are usually pretty busy too, and get the best weather.

Parts of the Appalachian Trail pass through this region. For a taste of this famous 2,180 mile trek, try hiking the Max Patch Mountain trail for great views.

The Biltmore Estate is Asheville’s most popular attraction, so it can get quite crowded. Go super early for awesome photos and less people.

Asheville has a little something for everyone. You can enjoy scenic mountain vistas, fun live music, locally produced food and beer, a vibrant arts scene, hiking and other outdoor adventure activities too.

I have to say it has become one of my new favorite mountain towns in the United States, and an excellent weekend vacation destination. Who knows, you may never want to leave! ★

Bonus Video! Things To Do In Asheville

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for new Adventure Travel Videos! (Click to watch Things To Do In Asheville – North Carolina on YouTube)

More Information

Location: Asheville, North Carolina Plan Your Trip: Explore Asheville Useful Notes: Asheville has it’s own regional airport that’s large enough for regular commercial flights. Some airlines that fly there include Continental, Delta, United and US Airways. Recommended Guidebook: Asheville & Great Smokey Mountains Suggested Reading: Only In Asheville: An Eclectic History

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Any questions about traveling to Asheville, NC? Do you have any other suggestions? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

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Why Is Asheville North Carolina So Cool?

Fun Things To Do In Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville has to be one of the coolest small cities on the East Coast, with a relaxed bohemian vibe and adventurous spirit. Here are some fun things to do there!

Located in North Carolina’s scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville has a unique mix of hipster coffee shops, award-winning restaurants, outdoor activities, and more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

After hearing about Asheville for years, whether from friends, or the Obama’s visiting on vacation — it was time to learn what all the fuss was about.

Why was Asheville rated the #1 US travel destination for 2017? Why does everyone think Asheville is so cool?

Pack Square Park

Travel Tips for Asheville, North Carolina

Things To Do In Asheville

Anna and I spent 4 days visiting Asheville in partnership with Explore Asheville Tourism, and had a wonderful time eating, drinking, shooting photos, and enjoying nature.

Asheville’s creative (and slightly eccentric) locals contribute to a lively downtown unlike any other. You can experience an intoxicating drum circle, shop at vintage boutiques, sit down to an amazing locally-grown meal, and admire cool street art all in one day.

One of the best ways to experience the city fully is by exploring on foot. With about 87,000 residents, Asheville isn’t huge. But it’s not too small either.

It feels like a large town, and just the right size. Asheville’s downtown in particular is easily walkable, with a charm all its own.

Asheville Street Performers

“Chicken Alley” Mural

Tons Of Art & Music

Asheville is known for its art scene, and you’ll quickly understand why. There’s fun street art all over the place, like colorful murals painted on the side of buildings & under bridges depicting the city’s history.

My favorite was probably “Chicken Alley” by Molly Must, which you can find on Carolina Lane & Woodfin Street. Two giant chickens watch over the alley, a place that used to be full of real chickens in the past.

In the 1980s artists began transforming a bunch of old industrial buildings along the French Broad River into studio space. Now the public can visit these studios as part of the Rivers Arts District and browse the work of over 200 local artists.

The town is full of small lounges, clubs, and breweries featuring live rock, jazz, and bluegrass. Many don’t charge a cover either.

Or you can check out some fun (possibly strange) street performances in the center of town. Don’t forget to tip if you enjoy the show! Asheville wouldn’t be the same without them.

Lexington Avenue Brewery

Pack’s Tavern

Beer City USA!

Asheville is known as “Beer City USA”. Because with 26 different craft breweries in the city, and another 60 nearby, beer lovers won’t want to leave.

Some of the most popular in town are Green Man, Catawba, Wicked Weed, and Lexington Avenue Brewery.

About 100 local beers can be enjoyed in Asheville, and each brewery has its own unique character. From strong hoppy IPAs to dark stouts, to fruity raspberry ales, you’re bound to find something you’ll love.

On top of the incredible beer scene, the city is also “steeped” in tea culture.

Check out Dobra Tea, afternoon tea at Biltmore, and The Herbiary.

Whitewater Stand-Up Paddleboarding

The French Broad River

French Broad River

The French Broad River winds its way past Asheville, providing a natural space for all kinds of outdoor activities & adventures.

You have your obvious river sports like whitewater kayaking and inner-tube floating, but there are some lesser-known activities here too, like “bellyaking” and whitewater SUP.

Bellyaking was actually invented in Asheville — it’s a face first kayak-type ride using special “paddle gloves” to maneuver through the rapids.

I decided to try some whitewater SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) for the first time with Wai Mauna SUP Tours.

Stand-up paddle-boarding through class I & II river rapids on the French Broad River requires a lot of balance, it was more difficult then the lake or ocean SUP I was used to. I fell a few times, but it was still fun!

Eating Our Foraged Food at The Marketplace

Salsa’s Restaurant in Asheville

Farm To Table Dining

Asheville is home to over 250 restaurants, many serving locally produced meats and veggies while supporting North Carolina’s farmers. They’ve been doing “farm to table” long before it became a cliche.

We obviously couldn’t try every restaurant in town with just four days, but my favorite places to eat in Asheville were The Marketplace and Salsas.

French Broad Chocolates is an ice-cream lover’s dream too. The line outside is long, but there’s a reason for that.

The chocolate ice-cream floats are sooooo good! It was worth the wait.

The Famous Biltmore Estate

George Vanderbilt’s Extensive Library

View Off the Back Deck

The Biltmore Estate

The historic Biltmore Estate is one of the most frequently suggested places to visit in Asheville. George Vanderbilt’s gigantic, hundred-year-old property is indeed quite busy all year long.

George, an heir to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, fell in love with North Carolina and began building his property by late 1889. He decided to create a dream home surrounded by natural forests and productive farms.

This 178,926 square foot mansion sits on 8000 acres, with over 250 rooms, and is America’s largest home. The Biltmore holds regular exhibitions — they were displaying movie costumes used in films set during the XVIIIth century when we were there.

George Vanderbilt was one of the most-read men in America, and amassed a library of more than 22,000 books — including over 3,000 he read himself. Gazing at the walls of books in his preserved library was fascinating.

Wild Foraging with No Taste Like Home

Picking Chanterelle Mushrooms

Wild Foraging Tours

I’ve never been wild mushroom picking before, so we signed up for morning foraging tour with a company called No Taste Like Home.

Our day began with an overview from owner Alan Muskat about types of edibles we’d be looking for, and which poisonous plants to avoid.

After being equipped with baskets, harvesting knives, and paper bags, we headed into the enchanting North Carolina forest. I was completely surprised at how many things you could eat, and how good they tasted!

We collected Day Lily flowers, Chanterelle mushrooms, Stinging Nettle, Sassafras leaves, and strange mushrooms called Hairy Rubber Cups. While not popular in the US, they are apparently a delicacy in Malaysia.

After, you can bring your “catch” to local restaurants in Asheville like The Marketplace, where chefs prepare your dinner using the wild ingredients.

The Blue Ride Parkway

Many Fun Hikes in the Mountains

The Blue Ridge Parkway

Nestled between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville offers year-round access to hiking trails and exhilarating views along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway.

The complete route stretches 469 miles from North Carolina to Virginia, and is home to a wide range of diverse plants and animals. It’s technically part of the National Park System.

Along with hundreds of hiking trails, the parkway includes sections of the Appalachian Trail — one of America’s classic long distance hikes that stretches from Georgia to Maine.

Asheville was a perfect base for exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we spent a full day cruising its winding pavement. Stopping occasionally at mountain lookouts and for short hikes to admire the area’s nature.

Looking Glass Falls

Sliding Rock Falls

Natural Waterslide!

Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest is located South West of Asheville, only 30-45 minutes away. It’s considered the birthplace of modern forestry in America, and home to the country’s first forestry school.

Driving through Pisgah on Route 276 is a fun little road trip complete with waterfalls, white water rapids, hiking trails, and camping opportunities.

We stopped by two different waterfalls. The first is called Looking Glass Falls. Located right off the side of the road, it’s super easy to reach, and a nice place to cool off in the summer heat.

The second is Sliding Rock — basically a huge natural waterslide made of smooth stone. A quick ride down the 60-foot flat, sloping boulder will definitely wake you up due to the chilly 50 degree water!

The Davidson River is a popular area for fly-fishing too.

Grove Park Inn

Abbington Green B&B

Places To Stay In Asheville

If you’re wondering where to stay in Asheville, here are my recommendations:

Grove Park Inn – Asheville’s most famous hotel is one of a kind. Built out of stone on the top of a hill, it features various restaurants, a beautiful spa, and scenic views of the city.

Abbington Green B&B – This has to be one of the best bed & breakfasts I’ve ever stayed at. Beautifully designed with a peaceful garden, tasty breakfast, and friendly southern hospitality.

Downtown Asheville

Asheville Travel Tips & Advice

There’s a fun public drum circle every Friday night between 6pm – 10pm in Pritchard Park, where people of all ages join in to dance to the music.

Asheville has a beautiful array of wildflowers that bloom between April and June. Keep your eye out for trillium, lady slippers, wild ginger, evening primrose, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and many more.

The best time to visit Asheville is during the fall foliage season (October), as trees & mountains are incredibly colorful. Summers are usually pretty busy too, and get the best weather.

Parts of the Appalachian Trail pass through this region. For a taste of this famous 2,180 mile trek, try hiking the Max Patch Mountain trail for great views.

The Biltmore Estate is Asheville’s most popular attraction, so it can get quite crowded. Go super early for awesome photos and less people.

Asheville has a little something for everyone. You can enjoy scenic mountain vistas, fun live music, locally produced food and beer, a vibrant arts scene, hiking and other outdoor adventure activities too.

I have to say it has become one of my new favorite mountain towns in the United States, and an excellent weekend vacation destination. Who knows, you may never want to leave! ★

Bonus Video! Things To Do In Asheville

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for new Adventure Travel Videos! (Click to watch Things To Do In Asheville – North Carolina on YouTube)

More Information

Location: Asheville, North Carolina Plan Your Trip: Explore Asheville Useful Notes: Asheville has it’s own regional airport that’s large enough for regular commercial flights. Some airlines that fly there include Continental, Delta, United and US Airways. Recommended Guidebook: Asheville & Great Smokey Mountains Suggested Reading: Only In Asheville: An Eclectic History

Pin This!

READ MORE FROM THE UNITED STATES

Hiking The Zion Narrows In Utah Miami To Key West Road Trip Hitchhiking Across America From Coast To Coast

Any questions about traveling to Asheville, NC? Do you have any other suggestions? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://expertvagabond.com/asheville-things-to-do/

[thoughtfulcupcakesublime]

Virginia Living magazine has released its “Best of Virginia 2017” list in this month’s issue.

The list highlights the best places to eat and shop as well as the top services and events. This year, 50,000 people voted on 105 categories.

In the northern Virginia region, here are the awardees from Prince William County:

Best Automotive Repair Shop

Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire; StevesAutoRepairVA.com: An official Goodyear dealer, Steve’s Auto Repair offers services, including inspections, tune-ups and engine repairs and replacements. The team is committed to community outreach and has opened the shop to help Cub Scouts build Pinewood Derby cars for their annual race, and donated a bus to a local Boys and Girls Club.

Second place: Shannon Auto Repair; ShannonAutoSales.com

Third place: Olde Towne Auto Repair; OTAR.MechanicNet.com

Best Accounting Firm

Third place: DuvallWheeler, CPAs; DuvallWheeler.com

Best Architecture Firm 

Loveless Porter Architects, LLC; LovelessPorterArchitects.com: The 35-year-old firm’s specialty is commercial design – projects have included schools, office buildings and shopping centers. Loveless provides full service design and construction services, including some interior detail work. For a church building, the team helped select wood for the construction of pews. Loveless also performs residential design.

Best Day Spa

Second place: Tranquility Day Spa & Salon; TranquilityDaySpa.com

Best Dental Practice

Third place: Sporting Smiles Pediatric Dentistry and Family Orthodontics; SportYourSmile.com

Best Event Planning Company

Third place: Creations by Brenda; CreationsByBrenda.com

Best Hair Salon

Second place: Curves Hair Studio; CurvesHair.com

Best Interior Design Firm

Third place: Olamar Interiors, LLC; OlamarInteriors.com

Best Orthodontic Practice

Second place: Dunegan Orthodontics; DrDunegan.com

Best Pediatric Practice

Manassas Pediatrics; ManassasPediatrics.com: Featuring a team of five pediatricians, the practice provides sports physicals, same-day sick visits, asthma care and well visits for babies, kids and adolescents. All of the pediatricians at the 25-year-old practice are on staff at Novant Health Systems’ Prince William and Haymarket medical centers.

Second place: Haymarket Pediatrics; HaymarketPediatrics.com

Best Private Air Service

Chantilly Air; ChantillyAir.com: Chantilly Air customers can charter flights from a fleet of seven aircrafts that includes Learjets and Challengers authorized to conduct flights at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The company’s Jet Card program offers discounts for frequent fliers. The service also provides aircraft management services for private plane owners, including scheduling, crew staffing and maintenance tracking.

Best Real Estate Firm

Third place: DePugh Realty; DepughRealty.com

Best Annual Charity Event

Second place: CASA CIS’ Annual Evening Under the Stars; CASACIS.org

Best Art Event

Third place: Historic Manassas Gallery Walk; ManassasGalleryWalk.com

Best Art Gallery 

Third place: Creative Brush Studio; CreativeBrush.com

Best Museum 

Second place: The Manassas Museum; ManassasMuseum.org

Third place: National Museum of the Marine Corps; USMCMuseum.com

Best Performing Arts Company

Gainesville Dance Center; GainesvilleDanceCenter.com: Take in a performance by Gainesville Dance Center students, and you just might be wintessing the birth of a star. Former students have gone on to compete on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance?, and perform with the Radio City Rockettes. More than 100 classes between to locations offer tap, ballet, contemporary and jazz.

Second place: Showcase Dance Studio; ShowcaseDanceStudio.net

Third place: Manassas Ballet Theatre; ManassasBallet.org

Best Bed And Breakfast

Second place: Manassas Junction Bed and Breakfast; ManassasJunction.com

Third place: Bennett House Bed & Breakfast; VirginiaBennettHouse.com

Best “Do Not Miss” Tourist Attraction

Second place: Manassas National Battlefield; NPS.gov/Mana

Best Fishing Outfitter

Second place: Cabela’s; Cabelas.com

Best Hunting Outfitter

Gander Mountain; GanderMountain.com: Gander Mountain sells hunting gear for game big and small from brands like Carry-Lite, Bushnell, River’s Edge and Primos. Inventory includes 2-D and 3-D decoys, tree stands, game and trail cameras, apparel by brands like Under Armour and the North Face, and even shampoos and deodorants for those weekend getaways off-the-grid.

Second place: Cabela’s; Cabelas.com

Best Retirement Community

Second place: Tribute at Heritage Village; TributeAtHeritageVillage.com

Best Bar

Second place: Malone’s of Manassas; MalonesOfManassas.com

Third place: Monza; EatMonza.com

Best Barbeque Restaurant

The Bone; TheBoneBBQ.com: The NoVa-based barbecue chain has five locations and a food truck, and its menu of scratch-made sides and sauces, plus meats smoked daily in house, has a real following, The family-owned restaurant once catered a PGA tournament party for golf pros Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods, Jimmy Walker and Justin Thomas, who called the Manassas location a “go-to BBQ spot!”

Best Breakfast Restaurant 

Ashton Family Restaurant; AshtonFamilyRestaurant.com

Best Farmers’ Market

City of Manassas Farmers’ Market; VisitManassas.org: Operating year-round, 1-3 times each week depending on the season, the market offers fresh, local produce and wares – including meats, cheeses, baked goods, candles, skin creams and handmade clothing – from vendors located not more than 150 miles from the Manassas city center. Last year, more than 56,000 visitors attended the market days.

Best Food Truck

Second place: The Bone; TheBoneBBQ.com

Best Local Gourmet Food Store

Third place: Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.; Wegmans.com

Best Local Ice Cream Shop

Nathan’s Dairy Bar; NathansDairyBar.com: Named for the owner’s son, Nathan’s Dairy Bar has all the charm of an old-fashioned ice cream shoppe, including a walk-up window where you can order soft serve ice cream or sherbert. Special flavors, like salted caramel and chocolate raspberry truffle, change twice weekly , and with the seasons, Its food truck – called Nate Jr. – is available for events.

Third place: Milkberry Yogurt & Bubble Tea; MilkberryYogurt.com

Best Locally Owned Coffee Shop

Third place: Jirani; JiraniCoffeeHouse.coma 

Best Mexican Restaurant

Zandra’s Taqueria; ZandrasTacos.com: Housed in a historic 1920s building, Zandra’s offers a menu of nearly two dozen a la carte tacos. Guests are encouraged to try multiple variations built on soft corn or flour tortillas or with lettuce wraps. The menu includes traditional items like carnitas salsa verde and more inspired options like sesame-crusted Ahi tuna with cabbage and Santa Fe dressing.

Third place: El Tio, Tex-Mex Grill; ElTioGrill.com

Best Outdoor Dining

Second place: Monza; EatMonza.com

Best Pizzeria

Tony’s New York Pizza; TonysNewYorkPizza.com: Naples-born Tony D’Agostino founded Tony’s in 1989 to bring authentic Italian food – such as pasta al forno (or “messy lasagna”), which includes house made meatballs, Italian sausage, beef, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce and ziti – and New York style pizza to Prince William County. Tony’s now has three locations in the region.

Best Place For Brunch

Second place: Malone’s of Manassas; MalonesOfManassas.com

Best Seafood Restaurant

Second place: C.J. Finz; CJFinz.com

Third place: Blue Ridge Seafood; BlueRidgeSeafood.com

Best Creative Cocktail Menu

Third place: Malone’s of Manassas; MalonesOfManassas.com

Best Book Store

Richard McKay Used Books; McKayUsedBooks.com: Richard McKay has been buying, selling and trading used books – including children’s, fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels, textbooks and comic books – since 1983. Over the years, the shop has added vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and games (both board and video) to its inventory, and features a local authors table.

Best Bridal Boutique

Amy’s Bridal Boutique; AmysBridalBoutique.com: Founded in 2008, the boutique moved to its current location in historic Manassas two years ago. It offers gowns from designers, including Stella York and Justin Alexander, and outfits bridesmaids and groomsmen as well. Retro Fans can pick up 1950s-inspired dresses and accessories from the brands Pimp Girl Clothing and Lindy Bop.

Second place: Jeanette’s Bride N’ Boutique; JeanettesBride.com

Best Car Dealer 

Shannon Auto Sales; ShannonAutoSales.com: Shannon Auto Sales specializes in pre-owned vehicles from makers like Audi, BMW, Fiat and Hummer. The dealership provides everything you need for your new wheels right on site: along with in-house financing, it also has repairs, including tire balancing, brake service and repair and safety inspections.

Best Fine Jewelry

Third place: Ashby Jewelers; AshbyJewelers.com

Best Florist

Second place: Flower Gallery of Virginia; FlowerGalleryManassas.com

Best Gift Shop

Shining Sol Candle Company; ShiningSol.com: While on the road touring with Brett Michaels, Pete Evick purchased a candle – and was thoroughly unimpressed. So the rock- and roller embarked on a new career path: Making candles of his own. Five years later, the brand, which hand makes hand pours every candle on site, offers some unusual scents, including officially-licensed candles for Def Leppard (“Pour Some Sugar On Me”) and Aerosmith (“Permanent Vacation”).

Second place: The Things I love; TheThingsILoveManassas.com

Best Independent Home Decor Store:

Second place: The Things I love; TheThingsILoveManassas.com

Best Motorcycle/Scooter Dealer

Second place: Whitt’s Harley-Davidson; WhittsHD.com

Best Women’s Clothing Store

Second place: Allyssa Bryn; AllyssaBryn.com

The post Virginia Living Publishes “Best of Virginia 2017” appeared first on What's Up Woodbridge.

via What's Up Woodbridge

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Houses For Sale in El Prado, NM

27 A B Day Ln, El Prado, NM

Price: $365000

Enjoy the efficiency of green features & an attractive, architecturally designed territorial style home. 3BR/2BA. loft & studio apt. on 0.9 acres. Approx. 2100 total sq. ft. The home portrays southwestern design w/views of Taos Mtn. & sunsets to the west. Light & cheerful. Featuring tile flooring & tongue and groove ceiling. A wood burning stove helps make cool winter nights cozy. Kitchen is open to dining area & living room. Master features walk-in closet & ample master bath. The loft is perfect for your gear or a meditation/exercise/yoga room. Split floor plan separates master sui te for privacy. 2 additional bedrooms, spacious laundry area & bath. In addition, the home features a private entrance to the studio apartment that is perfect for guests or rental. The studio includes a sleeping area, kitchen & bath w/western views of Taos mesa & beyond. Gas log stove for extra warmth & plenty of light. Both home & studio apartment are well insulated including additional construction details to soundproofing. Passive solar is oriented on lot to capture winter sun & shield summer sun. Northern location is prime to tennis & TSV enthusiasts w/all the outdoor adventures you can enjoy. When you are ready to relax it is just a 10 min. drive to the center of Taos for entertainment, shopping & all the necessities. Home is at the end of a quiet road. Bring your family & dog, take a walk, make a garden, make it your home. Great getaway, permanent home or use as 2-income producing units. Long term rental history, currently renting for $1250 & $600/mo.

61 La Canada Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $1500500

Unique property close to Taos Ski Valley. Enter through the custom forged metal gates to find yourself in a fully landscaped property that features a man made pond, stream that runs through the property, completely manicured lawn & mature aspen trees! The landscaping sets the perfect tone for your entrance into the home. You will see quality craftsmanship throughout. The builder, Mr. Bob Loveless, is a renowned stone mason & the detail work is evident throughout the home. The dining room boasts a covered tin ceiling, as does the master bath. The living room welcomes you with its spaciou sness & grandeur. Doors leading outside from the Living Room, Master Suite Hallway & Dining Room will have you enjoying comfortable outdoor/indoor living with the outdoor kitchen as well. Custom details also include, cedar lined closets, custom stone work, four fireplaces, two inside & two outside, large master suite, nice room separation & gracious entertaining spaces. Enjoy walking through the house using the virtual tour & schedule your private showing today!

72 Night Hawk Trl, El Prado, NM

Price: $1650000

Stunning Artists’ home with unbeatable 360 views! This gracious home is a perfectly executed combination of historic style and contemporary finishes. Designed by renowned architect, Robert Parker, this property consists of a 3252 sq. ft. 3 BR/2.5 BA main house with two studios and a 556 sq ft guest house on a bluff with 7.5 acres surrounded by manicured and natural landscapes and expansive outdoor spaces. There is a spacious deck off of the living room that faces Taos Valley and overlooks the verdant valley and acequia below with side views of Taos Mountain. The main house plan is organ ized along a linear axis with its galleria and linked interior spaces. The sleek state of the art kitchen has a wall of windows facing the mountains, Caesarstone countertops, Bosch cooktop and Gaggenau oven, a Thermador fridge, a separate bar sink, and gorgeous Bulthaup German cabinets. The dining room, living room and master suite have 125 year old vigas reclaimed from historic structures. Thoughtful split floor plan with living area at one end of the house and large studio and meditation room with Chaco style stone walls adjoining the master suite at the other end. New exterior color coat in July 2016, a 274 deep well tapped into an aquifer, the best views in Taos and splendid touches and finishes too numerous to mention. RobertParkerAssociates.com

151 152 153 Quail Ridge Inn, El Prado, NM

Price: $250000

Completely remodeled Quail Ridge Inn condo, 2 bedroom, 3 bath unit, single story unit with 3 kiva fireplaces being sold furnished and equipped. Interior of condo was destroyed in fire, so now has natural gas fired hot water baseboard heat, new kitchen (countertops, appliances and cabinets) tiled baths and no popcorn ceilings. East facing patio accessed thru living opens to great views of El Salto and Taos Mountain and QRI court #1. Versatile floorplan so bedrooms can be locked off and rented separately. Living area has murphy bed for extra guests. Easy access off of paved parking lot ma kes for convenient access to Town of Taos or Taos Ski Valley.

11 Los Alamitos, El Prado, NM

Price: $209000

Sitting pretty on the Taos Mesa, this two bedroom home has been lovingly maintained, and it shows. Walk into an open living area filled with natural light, wood floors and southern exposure. The bright, open kitchen has lots of storage, a breakfast counter, and room for a dining table. The converted family room with satillo tile and wood ceilings is spacious with lots of windows and french doors lead to a lovely flagstone patio area. This home is as sweet as it looks, and it sits perfectly perched with sweeping views in every direction. Call us for a tour, or to answer any questions you may have.

40 Santistevan Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $199000

A peaceful oasis with uplifting panoramic views. There is a large studio/storage space attached to the garage. The house has two stories with the loft bedroom upstairs. The property has three .83 acre lots. New Sierra Pacific windows. Flagstone wrap around porch.

1113 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, El Prado, NM

Price: $290000

Great investment opportunity! Live in the single family 1855 sf home and rent the tri-plex next door or rent all four units. Great highway frontage that tri-plex could be converted for commercial purposes (special use permit required). Work in the front building and live in the home.

125A Tusas Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $349000

Located in valley land well off Lower Las Colonias Road, this property offers a rural, private setting, fantastic territorial and mountain views, and peace and quiet! 2 acres. 1867 sq ft, contemporary pueblo style, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home loaded with special features including: a great room style floor plan, high ceilings with recessed lighting, gas fireplace in the living room, built-in entertainment center, contemporary kitchen with Beech wood cabinets and a large dining area in front of the view windows. Scored concrete floors. Two covered patios, one with a cozy outdoor fireplace. Ta ll picture windows and skylights. The site orientation maximizes the views, the abundance of natural light, and the passive solar gain. the spacious master bedroom has a spectacular Taos Mountain view, large bath with double sinks and walk-in shower and a walk-in closet. Two additional bedrooms, one that is perfect for an office with a mountain view and window seat. Large laundry room with plenty of storage. 2 car garage. Alarm System.Good restrictive covenants. Effective passive solar.

9 Seco Ln, El Prado, NM

Price: $249000

Brand new construction for an affordable price. excellent quality and great views. easy access to town. outdoor living space for that indoor outdoor feel

9 Isleta Dr, El Prado, NM

Price: $295000

Territorial style 2 story home in Upper Colonias, 3 bedroom/2 bath home, features . open floor plan with kitchen living and dining combo. Large windows with great views of Taos Mountain and sun room facing south for solar gain. Kiva fireplace, brick floors. Kitchen features large pantry and under the counter washer and dryer. Outside storage building for gardening needs or recreational equipment/toys is included.

101 La Colina, El Prado, NM

Price: $235900

Significantly remodeled, this property sits on 1 acre and was the former El Prado studio of renowned Navajo artist RC Gorman. Additional acreage is available. See MLS# 97642. Brand new septic, plumbing, electrical and heating. Current heating is electric baseboard, but can be converted to gas. Natural gas line is run to the home. New tile floors and new bathrooms. New kitchen. Lots of natural light. Spacious 2450 sq. ft. 3 bed. 2 ba. with tremendous views. Convenient and easy access directly from State Hwy. 522 with a short drive to Town of Taos or Taos Ski Valley. MLS# 96472 Reduced to $235,900! Text 386254 to (575) 201-3968 for more info.

1010 Francis Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $529000

Contemporary farmhouse located on 2.268 verdant acres in El Prado. Open skies, trees and big mountain views. Fully fenced and gated. Established gardens areas, some farm animal facilities, garden sheds and a geodesic dome greenhouse. The 1992 sq ft house underwent a complete remodel and renovation, designed by local, celebrated Edge Architects. The new design created an open floor plan, with fantastic light, high ceilings with exposed timber-frame beams. Here is a summary of the renovation from edgearchitects.com: “Situated on fertile valley property just outside of Taos, New Mexico, th is renovation creates an environmentally conscious, passive solar home. One goal of the renovation was to take advantage of southern exposure by adding a greenhouse hallway to increase passive solar heating. A territorial style, pitched metal roof replaces the previous roof. Timber trusses add height and volume. Existing floors were refinished to expose a rich variety of woods. A guest suite was added, built of Rastra block, locally harvested timbers, and bamboo flooring. The kitchen includes cast concrete counter tops and salvaged corrugated metal cabinet door panels. The walls are finished with handmade pigmented natural plasters developed a palette of warm, earthy tones with well-chosen accents of cool, muted greens and blue-greens. A new porch on the north and an entry hall provide a formal entrance to the home, an element that was lacking in the original design. A trellis on the south provides summer shading. To deal with a high water table in an environmentally sensitive area, a new KOI re-circulating trickling filter biological septic system was installed.” (Advanced Treatment Unit)

69 71 State Road 522, El Prado, NM

Price: $450000

Looking to build your dream near Taos? Live in this very appealing and cozy 1300+/- sq ft 2-bed 1-bath home, while rejuvenating and re-envisioning the 2600 sq. ft, commercial building. The commercial building served as two popular restaurants in the past – the Villa Fontana and the Hungry Gator. This is where patrons enjoyed fine food and breath-taking views of the Taos Mountains from the back outdoor patio, with gardens and a pond. It was most recently used as a retail gift and used bookstore. Or, own and lease out this dual-use, 1.56 acre property as an income-producing source. Reside ntial property heated with free standing gas furnace in dining area. Commercial property heated with wall space heaters.

17 Fiesta Mesa, El Prado, NM

Price: $58000

Delightful and affordable northside lot with sensible restricions and well share off BB Hill, with close up unobstructed views of the Pueblo peaks. This is the lot for you to build your home; easy access to the Ski Valley, to hiking rafting and roads to Santa Fe. Views to to south to Picuris Mt; to the west to El Pedernal and to the north to San Antonio this is truly a sight to behold.

256 White Water Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $79000

This is a great building site in a relatively quiet and nicely developed area of attractive homes, with a great view of Taos Mountain. Utilities(power, phone, fiber optic, natural gas) are at the residences on either side of the lot. Must drill a well for water. This property is located about 6 easy miles from the Taos Plaza, restaurants and grocery stores. Nice!

Tr A2-A2 Calle Alicia, El Prado, NM

Price: $31500

This would be a great building site for your Taos dream home. Affordably priced, with electric, phone, and fiber optic at the lot line. Water is shallow here for an affordable well. The views of Taos Mountain are really grand, and this is a quiet neighborhood with very minimal traffic. On the lot, one can orient their dream home to take advantage of the passive solar gain, and also to take advantage of the views of Taos mountain. From the lot, it is a quick 6 mile drive to the Taos Plaza and the center of things.

88 Highway 150, El Prado, NM

Price: $89000

Warm, inviting Studio condo with Fireplace. Enjoy panoramic mountain views from the private patio. Sold furnished and equipped. Exceptions apply. Ownership includes use of Quail Ridge amenities and facilities for owners and their guests. Great location with easy access to Town of Taos or Taos Ski Valley. Enjoy all the amenities of the Tennis Ranch tennis courts, pool, spa and common grounds. The Quail Ridge Tennis Club has been rated as one of the top tennis clubs in the country. MLS# 99408 $89,000.

95 Eototo Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $774000

Remarkable Pueblo Contemporary Compound on 3.84 Acres with views in every direction. Top Quality build/design. 2762 SQ. ft. 3 Bd/2.75 Ba Main House, 1300 SQ. ft. 2 Bed/1.5 Ba Guest House and over 1000 SQ ft. finished-out Shop with 2-car garage and single carport attached. The main house enjoys an indoor solarium, outdoor brick patio and upstairs balcony/porch plus, gym/exercise room. Lots of natural light! Family compound? Live/Work compound with spacious studio/shop? Care to rent the Guest House? This quality compound offers many options with which to live your dream!

19 Buena Vista Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $315000

Beautiful open floor plan with lots of windows and mountain views.

9 Bad Dog Rd, El Prado, NM

Price: $250000

Pueblo style home in quiet neighborhood with well thought out restrictions. House has high ceilings with vigas and kiva fireplace in the living room. Custom kitchen in great room with spectacular views of the mountains. Large master bathroom in split floor plan. Tile floors throughout the house.

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-el-prado-nm/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/158101238270