#I think about this sprite on an almost weekly basis

[kc5rings]

I know everyone is having fun with Jessica being THE sad wet cat with black hair and a massive weapon but remember

There is is more than one rightful heir to that wet cardboard box

[roanoke-gremlin]

What the Water Gave Me

Santiago’s particular brand of immortality is heavily inspired by the ABC show ‘Forever’ which aired in 2014. It only ever got one season, in spite of it being pretty awesome. So, enjoy!

@the-roanoke-society

    No one really ever gave him much more than a passing glance. A mechanic is sort of a given, given the scale of the Society’s operations, Santi thought. And he was perfectly happy to work in the background. Someone had to help the less adept agents with the upkeep of their chosen mode of transportation. He mostly left Agent Arizona to her own devices, same for Agent Sprite. All he really did for them was machining and fabrication of spare helicopter parts and weapons.     But the real work was tech like that which was found in the engine of a certain half-angel’s motorcycle, and the real fun was the upkeep of the classic and modern cars, both for the agents on assignment, and those who needed a reliable ride to get them wherever they needed to go to forget the horror and not-so-happy endings they faced on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis.

So, when he finally came out of his garage to join the agents in the manor for dinner on a spring day, he’s a little shocked to be regarded with such curiosity. He’s always been here, they just never really noticed. Particularly the younger agents that were apparently Elfin and Jackalope’s kids. How time flew... Last time he thought about Tiffany, he had just watched her drive off in a tricked-out powder blue Cadillac. And then a year later watched Agent Nephilim park that same car in the corner of the garage as a sort of memorial to an agent who wasn’t allowed to remember. It was still there, as far as he knew, safe under her dust cover. 

    “So, how did you get here? And how long ago? What’s your ‘Thing’?” Carter asked across the table, unaware of the unspoken agreement that Santi had with pretty much every other agent present.     “I- well- longer than you’ve been around, for sure.” he replied, not really wanting to get into it at the moment. Especially not in front of that cute new recruit. Bracken, wasn’t that his name?     “Carter…” Joan rumbled, a tone of warning cast the boy’s way, and a look of concern for his friend. Memories of cold water and darkness sprang to his ancient mind, and he couldn’t imagine what memories Santi must hold.

     “Whaaat? I can’t ask questions now? That’s not fair.” Carter pouted, wincing when his sister lightly whacked his shoulder.     “Not everyone has to answer your questions.” Parker said coolly. “Sorry.”     “No, it’s fine. I just- Yeah. It’s not exactly a topic for dinner conversation. Don’t- Don’t feel bad. You couldn’t be expected to know.” Santi pushed back his plate and sat back in his chair for a split second before taking off for the door.  Joan gave Carter a look and followed after Santi. He went back to the garage and up to his room in the loft above, locking the door and sitting on the floor in front of it so no one could come in and disturb him.       “Davies, there’s still someone in there. Ed is still in there. We have to get him. Please.” one of the firemen begged, clinging to his arm as the floor started to pitch at a growing angle. Santi shooed him away and struggled to lift the heavy door.

This boat was supposed to be unsinkable. This wasn’t meant to happen. This was wrong. As if the fire burning uncontrollably in the hull for the past two days hadn’t been enough of an omen.  There’s a sharp lurch as the steel buckled further, and the water continued to flood the holds. Santi pushed the men away.     “Get to the boats if you can, the lot of you. Hurry. There’s not much time. I’ll get him and meet you on deck.”     “Yes sir.”     “Godspeed.” Santi thought to himself, finally managing to crack the door, only to be met with a rush of steam as the water put out the engines. “Ed?!? Ed, come on, we’re getting you up to the deck.” He shouted above the hissing steam and the screech of warping metal. No response. Upon further scouring of the scene, Ed’s limp form was visible, floating facedown in the ash-blackened water. Santi was about to turn back, when he thought better of it. The ship was lost. He wouldn’t want to be trapped in the hull for eternity. This was no decent grave. He slipped into the icy water and hauled the body up onto his shoulders. At least they could both be recovered and given a decent burial if the distress signals were ever received by anybody. It took some doing, but he managed to get up to the lower deck. 

Not nearly far enough. 

Nowhere near the boats. He had to leave Ed behind. He could hear men and women calling for help, all third class passengers who had been left to fend for themselves. He had to at least try to help some of them. It’s 1:30 AM on April 15th, 1912.

Joan knocked on the bedroom door. “Davies? Open up. Please.” He rested his forehead against the door.     “Not now. I can’t. No-” He said, fighting to control his breathing.     “That’s an order.”

Santi wordlessly scooted over so the door could swing inward.     “I can still hear them.” he whispered after Joan settled on the floor beside him. Somehow, the man still towered over him even when sitting down. “Why can I still hear them?”     “I wish I could tell you. But you’re here and they’re not. Let the dead stay dead.” he said solemnly. All those innocents left for dead because of class difference and poor timing; it still upset him if he thought on it for too long.

     “I should have died. Why couldn’t I have stayed dead? Surely one of them deserved what I ended up with…” Santi dragged a hand over his face as he got his breathing under control. Joan nodded in agreement.     “I’m sure one of them did. But you survived, and they didn’t. There’s bound to be a reason for that.” 

     “Oh, I’m sure being the eternal mechanic is a grand destiny.” Santi snarked, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand.     “Hey, maybe it is. You don’t know. And you might not ever know for sure. But in the meantime, you do pretty nice work.”     “You just say that because of that bike I rigged for you back in the day.” he laughed, forgetting the sadness and the mystery of his situation for a moment. It still gave Joan a pretty puzzle to ponder over. 

2:15

Santi struggled to keep his footing as the ship began to go down bow-first. He was lucky enough to be near a railing. He closed his eyes, hearing the panicked screams of those who slid down the length of the deck into the water below. The lights on board slowly flickered out, causing even more of an outcry amidst the rush of water and the thrashing of the unfortunates floating in the freezing water. Alone, in the dark, flares ignored, and with no functional radio to call for help. Santi braced himself as the ship slid beneath the surface. The impact with the surface seemed to be the worst of it. And then he realized how little control he had over his limbs.

2:20

He had never been so cold in his life. The pull of the water took him under briefly with the ship.

He couldn’t help the reflexive gasp that filled his lungs with bitter water. And then he was gone. Or so he thought. He awakened at the surface, sans life-vest. Sans...clothes in general. But as the minutes ticked by, the cold seeped in, muscles seized, and he couldn’t keep afloat for long. Cardiac arrest set in and he sank below the waves again.

3:40

Would there be no end to this? What was happening? It was so still; bodies floated past him in life vests, blank eyes staring up at the stars and into eternity, and Santiago Davies had never wished more for a permanent death. Men, mostly, but a fairly large number of women and children had met their demise in the black water. Santi braced himself for the end again, sobbing in relief when the darkness took over. And then he awoke again.

4:05

When the RMS Carpathia arrived in the area and sent out lifeboats to search for any unlikely survivors, Joan had almost decided against joining the effort. Let the dead tend to their dead, he thought. But the little voice in the back of his mind wouldn’t shut up long enough to let him rest easy. So many lost... 

Anger, sadness, but mostly pure shock took over. No survivors, except those in the boats. Did the Creator really think so little of His own creation to let them destroy themselves like this through their own foolish pride? Joan was ready to guide his rescue boat back to the ship when he heard a splash and a pained sob. Sharp dark eyes scanned the water. A survivor? How? The ship sank nearly two hours before, and many died in the first 10 minutes following.     “Over there! Hurry!” Joan ordered the men at the oars. Santiago stared up from the water, shuddering violently, and starting to slip under again.     “Oh no you don’t…” Joan muttered, reaching to grab him by the shoulder and haul him into the boat, but he was no longer there. 

Vanished.

     “What the hell?”  His head snapped up when he heard another splash as the boy reappears.     “Help- Please, God, please…” Before he can go under again, Joan has reached down and drags Santiago over the gunwale, ignoring the nudity, and draping his own greatcoat over his bare shoulders. Santiago curled in on himself, groaning in pain as he shivered.     “What are you?” Joan asked, immediately suspicious.     “A man. I think. I don’t know- I don’t know. I should be dead. I died. I died. Over and over- fuck.” The memories of being stranded in the watery void brought tears to his eyes and a ragged sob tore loose from his blue lips.

     “Breathe. Just breathe. You’re safe now. We’ll sort this.” Joan replied, trying not to ask too many questions. The man has obviously been through a lot. “What’s your name, son?”     “Santiago. Davies.” He looked up at his rescuer. “You?”     “Joan. Just Joan.”

Santiago stands slowly after a few minutes of simply sitting there and breathing. Joan watched him get up and nodded once.     “Better?” He asked, following suit. He could sense Josie waiting just outside the door, and he glanced over. “Jo’s worried. Can we let her in too?” he asked.     “Sure.”     “Santi…” Josie immediately flew through the door, pulling the boy into her arms. “You okay?”

   “I will be, eventually. Maybe. Just need a bit.”    “Of course, of course. But Carter is beating himself up, and he feels pretty bad about starting all of this.” Josie said, shaking her head in amusement. Her cousin’s son took everything so seriously when he thought he’d messed up.    “I’ll head back to the manor in a minute. Promise.”    “Good.” Joan slipped an arm around Josie’s waist and guided her back out and across the lawn to the manor. Santi stared at the now-vacant doorway.He supposed he had a few apologies to make for his abrupt departure. But compared to everything else he’s seen and done since that night when Joan pulled him from the water, Carter’s prodding was small fish. He’d get over it.

[paleorecipecookbook]

How Important Is Stretching? (Plus 7 Stretches to Change Your Life)

Movement is an essential part of life, but so is flexibility.

Unless you’re a practicing yogi or a ballet dancer, chances are that flexibility is something that tends to take a back seat in your life. Unlike working out, however, much of the stretching you have access to doesn’t even need a change of clothes.

Why Is Stretching Important?

Many of us stretch on an almost instinctual basis. Long car ride? Pulling over to get gas is almost always accompanied by a reach for the sky. Waking up after a wonderfully restful snooze? Even babies stretch their arms and legs as long as they can! Even looking across a sea of cubicles in corporate America there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll see a few arms jutting up in the air, reaching for the clouds after drafting the latest report.

While instinctual stretching is, indeed, a wonderful thing and feels amazing, we can all benefit from a sort of organized stretching protocol. The stretches that I’m about to introduce will both feel good and contribute to making you feel better in your skin.

Any or all of these stretches can be used. Some will need a prop or two, while others can be done right at your desk (unless you’re cool enough to have a standing desk, then you’ll actually need to sit!).

Flexibility is Youth

The youngest “old” people that we all know probably have something in common. They can move in a good range of motion, and are relatively spritely and yes, flexible, for their age. It’s one of the things that feels best to us as humans—the ability to move our bodies in natural ways.

Being flexible also has the unique function of making you better in almost every moving endeavor, from getting in and out of your car, to going out dancing with friends, to running a marathon. Being able to express the unrestricted movement of your body through a full range of motion is surely the definition of what it means to have functional movement. If you are cut short in a movement pattern due to flexibility issues, it could affect things as simple as getting down on the floor to play with the kids, or even backing up your car. My dad, for example, has such a limited range of motion that he now has to use the mirrors to back up his car, since he can’t turn his head far enough!

Stretching Is Not Only for Muscles

Although we think of flexibility as something that happens primarily in our muscles and joints, there are studies suggesting that flexibility in the body transfers to the circulatory system of veins and arteries as well. (1) This particular study even went so far as to suggest that “flexibility may be a predictor of arterial stiffening, independent of other components of fitness.” I don’t think that any of us want stiff arteries!

Like any movement program, being more flexible gets you more in tune with your body. Just knowing that you’re feeling a little stiff can be an indication of something being up with your health, whether it’s something you ate, sitting for too long, or just a build up of all the stress that you take on from day to day.

7 Stretches to Change Your Life

I’m going to introduce seven stretches that I like and are easily approachable for most people. A few of these can be quite challenging, while others may not even require getting up from your computer.

This first stretch is one of my new favorites. So much so that I’ve decided to call it the Master Squat Stretch. No other stretch that I’ve seen provides opportunity to stretch the ankle, knee, hips, back, shoulders, elbows, and wrists, all at the same time! Talk about a bang for your buck!

These movements range from combinations of squatting and stretching to lighter stretches that barely involve any range of motion at all. It can be very helpful to perform some or all of these movements in front of a mirror (though this is not necessary) in order to really be able to watch your form while you build awareness of how your body moves.

Master Squat Stretch

First, reach overhead as if you are pressing the ceiling away from you.

Balance the book flat on your hands and straight over your head.

Drive your head forward to make room to keep your hands touching while they are above your head.

Keeping your feet touching at the ankles, push the hips back and begin a squat.

Keep the book balanced in your hands, and squat down until your hamstrings touch your calves. Be sure to keep your heels on the floor!

Once at the bottom, pause for one to two seconds, and drive the book into the air and stand.

I use a book in this example, but anything that will easily slide off of your hands will work to keep you honest in the movement.

For many of us this will be super, super challenging. The heels may want to come off the floor, the elbows will want to bend, and we may only be able to barely “skooch” and not be able to squat at all. This is okay! This is a very challenging movement. That’s why it’s one of the best to do on a daily basis.

Shoulder Pass Through

Using a broomstick, dowel, or even a jump rope, hold it with hands wide in front of you.

With straight arms, guide the stick up and over your head until it touches your butt. The wider your hands the easier it will be to pass the stick over your head and to the back.

You should put your hands close enough that it’s challenging and you can feel a stretch, but not so far that you feel no stretch at all.

This movement is great for the shoulders, and follows through a little to the wrists as well.

Squat to Sotts Press

Using the broom, or stick, place it on your back as if you are going to do a back squat.

Perform a squat with the stick on your back and chest nice and high.

Once you arrive at the bottom of the squat, press the stick up over your head until your arms are straight, then rise up from the bottom of the squat until you’re standing.

Drop the stick down until it’s touching the back again, and repeat.

Get as deep as possible into the squat, and be sure to press the stick as high as possible while you stand from the bottom position.

Thumb Grab Stretch

Standing with feet under the shoulders, reach straight up into the air.

Grab your left thumb with your right hand, then gently pull your left thumb, stretching sideways until you feel that wonderful stretch all down your left side.

Return to the top position and repeat on the other side.

Wrist Stretch

Get into a kneeling position on the floor.

Place your palms on the floor on either side of you.

Keeping your palms on the floor, lean forward to increase the range of motion on your wrists. A little goes a long way!

Also, to stretch the outer part of the wrists, from a tall kneeling position, place the back of your hands on the ground, then slowly sit back on your ankles (be gentle!).

Calf Stretch

Using a doorway, place the ball of the foot on the door frame, then leaning back if necessary, push your heel into the door frame as well.

Using the door frame for leverage, drive your hips (not shoulders) into the door frame. Your arms probably won’t move, instead your hips should be the thing that is driving forward.

The great thing about this is that all you need is a door!

Seated Hip Stretch

While sitting in a chair, bring your right foot up and place it on your knee, or even your left “lap” if possible.

For some, that will be a stretch on it’s own! For others, slightly leaning forward will cause even more of a stretch through the outside of of the right hip.

Repeat on the other side.

The Basics of Stretching

While this isn’t a complete list, it should be enough to get you started on your journey towards increased mobility and flexibility. One of the great things about stretching is that a little change makes a big difference in your life.

P.S. If you want weekly workouts delivered to your inbox, make sure you check out our PaleoFit program.

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