#custom lakehouse

[allonsyblue]

Great Room Dining Room Houston

Large fashionable image of a great room with a white floor, white walls, a regular fireplace, and a stone fireplace.

[atlasmagazine]

Guest Bedroom Houston Bedroom - huge contemporary guest bedroom idea

[biciudades]

Infinity Pool (Houston)

[whatsernameanyways]

Guest Bedroom (Houston)

[jcmarchi]

Understanding On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/understanding-on-premise-data-lakehouse-architecture/

Understanding On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

In today’s data-driven banking landscape, the ability to efficiently manage and analyze vast amounts of data is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. The data lakehouse presents a revolutionary concept that’s reshaping how we approach data management in the financial sector. This innovative architecture combines the best features of data warehouses and data lakes. It provides a unified platform for storing, processing, and analyzing both structured and unstructured data, making it an invaluable asset for banks looking to leverage their data for strategic decision-making.

The journey to data lakehouses has been evolutionary in nature. Traditional data warehouses have long been the backbone of banking analytics, offering structured data storage and fast query performance. However, with the recent explosion of unstructured data from sources including social media, customer interactions, and IoT devices, data lakes emerged as a contemporary solution to store vast amounts of raw data.

The data lakehouse represents the next step in this evolution, bridging the gap between data warehouses and data lakes. For banks like Akbank, this means we can now enjoy the benefits of both worlds – the structure and performance of data warehouses, and the flexibility and scalability of data lakes.

Hybrid Architecture

At its core, a data lakehouse integrates the strengths of data lakes and data warehouses. This hybrid approach allows banks to store massive amounts of raw data while still maintaining the ability to perform fast, complex queries typical of data warehouses.

Unified Data Platform

One of the most significant advantages of a data lakehouse is its ability to combine structured and unstructured data in a single platform. For banks, this means we can analyze traditional transactional data alongside unstructured data from customer interactions, providing a more comprehensive view of our business and customers.

Key Features and Benefits

Data lakehouses offer several key benefits that are particularly valuable in the banking sector.

Scalability

As our data volumes grow, the lakehouse architecture can easily scale to accommodate this growth. This is crucial in banking, where we’re constantly accumulating vast amounts of transactional and customer data. The lakehouse allows us to expand our storage and processing capabilities without disrupting our existing operations.

Flexibility

We can store and analyze various data types, from transaction records to customer emails. This flexibility is invaluable in today’s banking environment, where unstructured data from social media, customer service interactions, and other sources can provide rich insights when combined with traditional structured data.

Real-time Analytics

This is crucial for fraud detection, risk assessment, and personalized customer experiences. In banking, the ability to analyze data in real-time can mean the difference between stopping a fraudulent transaction and losing millions. It also allows us to offer personalized services and make split-second decisions on loan approvals or investment recommendations.

Cost-Effectiveness

By consolidating our data infrastructure, we can reduce overall costs. Instead of maintaining separate systems for data warehousing and big data analytics, a data lakehouse allows us to combine these functions. This not only reduces hardware and software costs but also simplifies our IT infrastructure, leading to lower maintenance and operational costs.

Data Governance

Enhanced ability to implement robust data governance practices, crucial in our highly regulated industry. The unified nature of a data lakehouse makes it easier to apply consistent data quality, security, and privacy measures across all our data. This is particularly important in banking, where we must comply with stringent regulations like GDPR, PSD2, and various national banking regulations.

On-Premise Data Lakehouse Architecture

An on-premise data lakehouse is a data lakehouse architecture implemented within an organization’s own data centers, rather than in the cloud. For many banks, including Akbank, choosing an on-premise solution is often driven by regulatory requirements, data sovereignty concerns, and the need for complete control over our data infrastructure.

Core Components

An on-premise data lakehouse typically consists of four core components:

Data storage layer

Data processing layer

Metadata management

Security and governance

Each of these components plays a crucial role in creating a robust, efficient, and secure data management system.

Data Storage Layer

The storage layer is the foundation of an on-premise data lakehouse. We use a combination of Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and object storage solutions to manage our vast data repositories. For structured data, like customer account information and transaction records, we leverage Apache Iceberg. This open table format provides excellent performance for querying and updating large datasets. For our more dynamic data, such as real-time transaction logs, we use Apache Hudi, which allows for upserts and incremental processing.

Data Processing Layer

The data processing layer is where the magic happens. We employ a combination of batch and real-time processing to handle our diverse data needs.

For ETL processes, we use Informatica PowerCenter, which allows us to integrate data from various sources across the bank. We’ve also started incorporating dbt (data build tool) for transforming data in our data warehouse.

Apache Spark plays a crucial role in our big data processing, allowing us to perform complex analytics on large datasets. For real-time processing, particularly for fraud detection and real-time customer insights, we use Apache Flink.

Query and Analytics

To enable our data scientists and analysts to derive insights from our data lakehouse, we’ve implemented Trino for interactive querying. This allows for fast SQL queries across our entire data lake, regardless of where the data is stored.

Metadata Management

Effective metadata management is crucial for maintaining order in our data lakehouse. We use Apache Hive metastore in conjunction with Apache Iceberg to catalog and index our data. We’ve also implemented Amundsen, LinkedIn’s open-source metadata engine, to help our data team discover and understand the data available in our lakehouse.

Security and Governance

In the banking sector, security and governance are paramount. We use Apache Ranger for access control and data privacy, ensuring that sensitive customer data is only accessible to authorized personnel. For data lineage and auditing, we’ve implemented Apache Atlas, which helps us track the flow of data through our systems and comply with regulatory requirements.

Infrastructure Requirements

Implementing an on-premise data lakehouse requires significant infrastructure investment. At Akbank, we’ve had to upgrade our hardware to handle the increased storage and processing demands. This included high-performance servers, robust networking equipment, and scalable storage solutions.

Integration with Existing Systems

One of our key challenges was integrating the data lakehouse with our existing systems. We developed a phased migration strategy, gradually moving data and processes from our legacy systems to the new architecture. This approach allowed us to maintain business continuity while transitioning to the new system.

Performance and Scalability

Ensuring high performance as our data grows has been a key focus. We’ve implemented data partitioning strategies and optimized our query engines to maintain fast query response times even as our data volumes increase.

In our journey to implement an on-premise data lakehouse, we’ve faced several challenges:

Data integration issues, particularly with legacy systems

Maintaining performance as data volumes grow

Ensuring data quality across diverse data sources

Training our team on new technologies and processes

Best Practices

Here are some best practices we’ve adopted:

Implement strong data governance from the start

Invest in data quality tools and processes

Provide comprehensive training for your team

Start with a pilot project before full-scale implementation

Regularly review and optimize your architecture

Looking ahead, we see several exciting trends in the data lakehouse space:

Increased adoption of AI and machine learning for data management and analytics

Greater integration of edge computing with data lakehouses

Enhanced automation in data governance and quality management

Continued evolution of open-source technologies supporting data lakehouse architectures

The on-premise data lakehouse represents a significant leap forward in data management for the banking sector. At Akbank, it has allowed us to unify our data infrastructure, enhance our analytical capabilities, and maintain the highest standards of data security and governance.

As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of banking technology, the data lakehouse will undoubtedly play a crucial role in our ability to leverage data for strategic advantage. For banks looking to stay competitive in the digital age, seriously considering a data lakehouse architecture – whether on-premise or in the cloud – is no longer optional, it’s imperative.

[cowgirl326]

Kids Room - Beach Style Kids Kids' room - mid-sized coastal girl carpeted and wallpaper kids' room idea with white walls

[athousanddresses]

Home Bar - Galley

Seated home bar - large transitional galley vinyl floor seated home bar idea with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets and quartzite countertops

[keshascult]

Minneapolis Bathroom Powder Room Image of a powder room in the mountains

[golly-missmolly]

Galley in Tampa Idea for a seated home bar with a large transitional galley vinyl floor, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, and quartzite countertops

[racingatthespeedoflove]

Pool Hot Tub in Houston

[shemaegomez]

Contemporary Pool - Pool

[samexplores]

Huge beach style backyard custom-shaped infinity pool fountain photo

[quintinh43]

3 Times Quinn Almost Proposed + 1 Time He Actually Did

The best decision Quinn ever made was you. From the second he stumbled into that Cafe with his parents, to moving in with you, to admitting he loved you and everything else in between. It was a no-brainer that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. And there was no doubt in his mind that you felt the same way.

"I can't believe you're proposing," Jack said, tapping his fingers against the center console of Quinn's car. He never could sit still, and sometimes it grated on Quinn's nerves.

"Why? Do you think it's too early?" Quinn asks anxiously, running his tongue against his lips.

Luke pitches forward from the back seat to share his input, "You've been dating for like what? Five?" He asks, doing some quick math on his fingers.

Quinn nods, "Since March,"

"Ya know, we still haven't forgiven you for not telling us immediately," Jack huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it's any consolation, you are the first people I wanted to tell," Quinn says placatingly.

"Quinner, go easy on our uneducated brother, he doesn't know what the word consolation means," Luke says seriously.

Quinn snorts a laugh as Jack turns around to swat Luke on the head. "I have a bigger vocabulary than you dumbass!"

Before the two of them can escalate into a full-blown bickering match, Quinn interrupts, "Back to my problem, guys! Do you think it's too early to propose?" His fingers tap nervously on the steering wheel as he navigates to the jewellery store.

"There's no proper timeline when it comes to proposing Quinny, it comes down to when you are ready and you feel like it's the right time in your relationship," Jack says.

"I mean, you already knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Y/n, so this is just taking the next step towards that, isn't it?" Luke adds, adjusting his Devils Hockey cap over his curls.

"When did you two become so wise?" Quinn grumbles as he pulls into the parking lot.

"We've always been wise beyond our years," Luke says puffing his chest out. Jack flicks his cap off his head, rolling his eyes.

"Sure Lukey," Quinn snorts, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright boys, let's get this done." Jack claps, practically jumping out of the car.

It wasn't hard at all. Quinn chose a shop where he could completely customize the ring, and with access to your Pinterest board and all the rings that you already own, he knew almost exactly how he wanted it to look. The only thing he was nervous about was whether or not you would like it.

"Don't overthink it too much Quinn, you know her better than you know yourself," Jack squeezes his shoulder comfortingly.

"You could propose with a ring pop, and she would treasure it for the rest of her life," Luke adds, with a roll of his eyes.

The three of them are in and out of the shop within an hour, and Quinn is smiling his ass off all the way home.

1.

A week later, Quinn picks up the ring. It's even better than he imagined it would be in real life. As his car pulls into the driveway of the lakehouse, he sees you out front with his mom, helping her tend to her garden.

You kneel in the dirt, sunglasses perched on your nose, and a canucks cap on your head. Smiling and laughing with Ellen as you both pull weeds from the ground. Quinn's heart beats out of his chest with happiness, and he's struck with the urge to kneel in the dirt next to you and present the ring to you right then.

When you notice that he arrived, you grin widely, giving him a wave. There's dirt smudged across your nose and under your nails, and Quinn thinks the ring would be a lovely accessory to your mud-stained hands.

The outline of the ring box feels warm in his pocket as he approaches you and his mom, "Hi babe," he greets, dropping a kiss to the top of your head, and it takes everything in his bones not to get down on one knee and pull out the ring right now.

"Hi Mom," he says with a quiet smile, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes twinkle knowingly.

"Jack and Luke are napping upstairs, and the two of us are going to start lunch as soon as we're done this."

Quinn nods, "Lemme change and I'll come help you two," he runs up the stairs, tucks the ring box safely at the top of his closet and changes into shorts and a t-shirt to help you and his mom in the garden.

2.

Quinn never expected to be the guy who obsessively walked around with his engagement ring in his pocket after he bought it. But here he was, on the boat, with the ring sitting in the glove compartment. Which you had complete access to.

Jack had called him an idiot, stating that a number of things could've happened, from you finding the ring accidentally, or it falling into the water. Or maybe even a shark eating it. Luke was quick to call Jack an idiot, saying that there were no sharks in Lake Erie. Jack rolled his eyes and flicked Luke in the forehead saying it was to emphasize how stupid Quinn was being by bringing the ring with him onto the boat.

Quinn is currently in the driver's seat, you're on the wakeboard, and the rest of the boys are littered around the boat, whooping and cheering as you throw the rope and tip backwards into the water with a salute.

Trevor whistles low with admiration, "Wow, Mrs. Huggy is a professional,"

"She's not Mrs. Huggy yet, but she will be soon," Quinn mutters under his breath just as you climb the ladder back onto the boat.

It takes a minute for the words to register, but as soon as they do Trevor's jaw is on the floor. He stares back and forth between you and Quinn.

Jack, Quinn, and Luke wear various degrees of alarm on their faces, hoping and praying that you didn't hear anything.

"Damn, guys, was I that bad?" You laugh nervously, and you take in the looks on their faces. You unzip your life jacket and squeeze as much water out of your hair as you can.

"He-" Trevor starts pointing at Quinn, but before any words can actually leave his mouth, Jack is tipping Trevor over the edge of the boat and into the water.

You burst into laughter, and the boys seemingly return to normal as a soaking-wet Trevor climbs back into the boat, muttering obscenities under his breath. "Alright, who's next?"

"Me," Quinn says, desperate to get away from Trevor's pointed smirk, "You're driving," he says, pushing you gently into the driver seat where he was previously seated.

"Are you sure you want me to drive?" You ask skeptically, brow raised.

"O'course babe, there's no one I'd trust more." Quinn punctuated his sentence with a kiss on your cheek. Jack makes an offended noise, that sounds like a dying bird of some kind and you laugh at him.

Quinn rolls his eyes at him as he zips his life jacket and gets into the water for his turn on the wakeboard. He gives you a thumbs up, and parrots the movement, before slowly accelerating. You stand at the wheel of the boat, half twisted towards the back, so you can keep an eye on Quinn.

Quinn stands easily, and you smile accelerating a bit more. You turn in patterns that aren't too sharp but still make nice big waves for Quinn to ride. He's grinning like a madman. You maneuver the boat in a manner that gives him a wave to jump off of if he wants to.

He takes the opportunity, sailing through the air and managing a half spin before he hits the water. You drive around him in a slow circle as he resurfaces.

"That was fucking amazing! Where did you learn to drive a boat like that?" Trevor asks admiringly.

You shrug, cheeks heating under the praise, "My dad taught me," you say, crawling to the back of the boat and offering Quinn a hand as he climbs the ladder, "Been driving watercraft since I was like, twelve or something," you grin, squeaking as Quinn shakes his wet hair out in your direction, "You should see what I can do on a jet ski."

Jack whistles heartily, "We might have to take you up on that one of these days,"

"Sure, Jack, if you think you can handle getting your ass beat by a girl," you smirk. Jack scoffs offendedly, and Luke cackles from where he lies at the front of the boat.

Quinn is smiling so hard, his eyes crinkling at the corners, "I think we have to upgrade you to Captain for the summer, that was the best boat driving out of all of us," Quinn praises, pressing his lips to your hair.

"Seriously!" Jack says excitedly, scrambling for a life jacket, "That looked so fucking fun, no one can ever make waves like that! I'm next." He says jumping in the water before anyone can protest.

"Don't let this one get away Quinner," Luke says, tipping his hat in your direction, "Or I'll take her from you," he throws an over-exaggerated wink in your direction, you giggle and Quinn rolls his eyes. As if the shithead wasn't with him when he bought the ring.

Quinn eyes the glove compartment, where the ring is stored, and thoroughly debates how proposing right now would play out. A sharp whistle from Jack pulls him from his thoughts, and he takes his spot at the back of the boat as Jack spotter.

You resume your place in the driver's seat, and for the rest of the evening, that's where you stay.

Quinn almost has a heart attack when he sees you reach for the glove compartment, but Luke manages to fake trip into you just in time so that Jack can sneakily snag the box and relocate it to one of the other boat compartments.

3.

The house is completely full, with a bunch of the boy's friends who are visiting. Everyone is camped out around the fire pit, nursing beers and laughing loudly. You are curled up in Quinn's lap, head pillowed on his chest while you listen to all of the boys talk about their fondest memories.

You play with the strings of Quinn's hoodie, while he absent-mindedly traces patterns on your arm. His chest rumbles with laughter and his arm tightens around you, as Jack tells a story from when they played together for Team USA. An overwhelming wave of gratitude washes over you. You're grateful for everything in life, and most of all Quinn.

"You're quiet tonight," His lips are pressed against the side of your head, and the comforting baritone of his voice soothes your soul, "doing ok?"

You nod, bringing your fingers up to trace his jaw, "just thinking,"

"Penny for your thoughts?" He speaks low, his words only for your ears, the crackling of the fire, and hearty laughter fade into the background and at this moment it's as if you and Quinn are the only two people who exist.

He was a way of doing that. Making everything else disappear and making you feel like you're the only girl in the world. "I'm so grateful for everything," you answer quietly, "especially for you. Getting to experience life with you, being able to support you, having you there to support me- and just everything that you do and have done for me. You know?"

Quinn's heart swells so wide he thinks it might burst out of his chest. Before he really knows what he's doing, he's slipping out of the chair and kneeling in front of you. You huff because you were enjoying being curled into him.

His hands are on your thighs, and your hands cup his cheeks, thumbs tracing over his cheekbones. Neither of you has noticed that the laughter has died out, and everyone is watching the two of you. Their faces are a mixture of disgust and confusion.

Jack and Luke look downright horrified, sharing a look and exchanging silent words with their eyes.

"Will you m-" Before Quinn can complete his question, Luke is scrambling out of the lawn chair that he and Duker are curled up in and tackling Quinn to the floor.

"BEE!" Jack screeches, adding to the dramatics as he stands on his chair and points in the direction of where Quinn and Luke lay in the grass, "THERE'S A FUCKING BEE!"

There was no bee.

At Jack's distressed yelling, half of the boys are out of their chairs, running around and swatting at the heads of the non-existent bee.

You hold your stomach, laughing at the general chaos. It shouldn't be as funny as it is, but the sight of almost twenty grown men screaming about a bee is pretty hilarious.

"You are welcome you fucking numbskull," Luke hisses in Quinn's ear, as he helps him back up. Quinn gives him a sheepish smile of thanks. Were it not for his brother's antics, he would've regretted that being how he proposed for the rest of his life.

Once the general chaos dies down and everyone is back in their chairs calmly, you speak up with a smirk on your face, "You guys do know Bees are not nocturnal right?"

Quinn looks pointedly at Jack like he's an idiot. As if Quinn has the right to call him an idiot when he almost proposed to the love of his life in front of twenty hockey boys around a campfire on a Tuesday night.

"How do you know that?" Jack asks, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout.

"Yeah," Trevor scoffs, "Seems untrue,"

You snort, taking a sip of your beer, "I'm an elementary school teacher, dumbass, the science unit about bugs is practically ingrained in my brain. Bees are definitely not nocturnal."

"Nope, there definitely was a bee," Luke chimes, "I literally saved Quinn's life."

"Yeah, I saw it too," Dylan adds with a nod.

"It was basically the size of Quinn's head," Cole adds, "really Y/n/n I don't know how you didn't see it," Cole says matter-of-factly.

"I can't believe you guys are trying to gaslight me about bees right now," you snort, nuzzling further into Quinn's warmth.

"I heard it buzzing in my ear, babe," Quinn says seriously.

You roll your eyes at him and tuck your head under his chin and he wraps his arms around you securely, pressing a kiss to your hair, while you argue with the guys about Bees for the next half-an-hour.

+ 1

Quinn slips out of the bedroom to let you finish changing, he pads down the stairs to where his family waits in the kitchen. Jack presents him the ring box, that he had decided to keep with him after the boat incident. Quinn tucks it into his pocket with a deep breath.

"You ready Quinner?" Luke asks, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah," Quinn nods, breathing deeply.

"She's gonna say yes," Jack reassures, giving Quinn a pat on the back.

"I hope so," Quinn says nervously.

His dad chuckles, "Don't worry kid, you're doing great compared to how nervous I was when I was proposing to your mother,"

Ellen laughs fondly, "It's true, he was so nervous he forgot to pull out the ring, and then when he finally did, he dropped it."

Jim rolls his eyes, but the smile stays. Quinn laughs at that, then all his anxieties are bubbling to the surface and spilling past his lips before he can stop them.

"What if she doesn't like the ring? What if she says no, and she thinks it is too soon? What if I fall on my face? What if I lose the ring? What if-"

Jack squishes his cheeks together to keep him from talking. He tips his forehead against Quinn's staring deep into his eyes. "Breathe with me, Quinn,"

Jack takes exaggerated breaths, and Quinn follows his lead. Jim and Ellen quietly slip out of the room, leaving the brothers to themselves.

Once Quinn's breathing returns to normal, Jack lets him go. "She loves you with her whole heart, Quinn. You have nothing to worry about," Luke says, bonking his head against Quinn’s affectionately.

"Thanks, guys," he murmurs, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

Everything goes smoothly in Quinn's opinion. Even when he practically forgot his whole speech. But if he had to do it again, he wouldn't change a thing.

-

Yeah so this ended up being like 2.9k words....

Anyways enjoy friends!

So it's basically a fic but lazy.

Part of This Universe

[willowbot2000]

My Least And Most Favorite Irondad Spiderson Tropes

Favorite Irondad Spiderson Fanfiction Tropes

Anorexic Peter/Peter with an eating disorder- I read this really cool one, I don’t remember the name or the author, but inside of it, Peter was purging himself and he wouldn’t eat anything with bread for some reason.  Tony finds out because Peter passes out while going on a run.

Abusive partner/Guardian- My absolute two favorites of these fics are “Please Understand” by Jipseebree and “Hindsight,” by elphreak they are masterpieces.  I originally read those like five years ago, and I recently read them again.  I really recommend them if they also like that trope.

Caring for the other person after a bad fight- I don’t really have any recommendations for this one, but I do really like this trope.  It’s always so heartwarming.

Sickfic- I love this one.  Especially when Tony gets called to Peter’s school to pick him up.

Cuddles- Literally what I live for.  It’s so cute, especially if they’re watching movies together.

Intoxicated Peter/Tony- I read one of these where Peter gets intoxicated on a roof and tries to jump off it, but Tony stops him.

Peter being scared and confused in hospital- I don’t know any good ones for this one either, but I’ve read so many of these and they’re so good.  I remember reading one a while back where Peter ends up ripping the IV’s out of himself while trying to run away.

Concussions- There aren’t many of these and I wish there were more.  I love this one, especially when Peter confuses Tony with his Uncle Ben and he has a breakdown.

One of Tony’s suits gets hacked- I read one, I think it was called “Taxi” where Tony’s suit gets hacked and Tony has to watch the suit beat up Peter.

Peter staying at the lakehouse with the Stark family to deal with something traumatic (ex. After Far From Home, After May dies, Bad time settling in college ect.)- I also love these.  I read one where Peter comes to stay with Tony after Far From Home and Tony has to remind Peter every few minutes that he’s not in an illusion or else Peter has a breakdown.

Torture fics- I’m reading this one called “Someday (I’ll make it out of here)” by the-color-pomegranet.  It is literally the best torture fic I’ve read.  It’s like forty something chapters, but I promise it’s worth it.

The Avengers make fun of Peter and Tony gets angry at them- I read one of these where they make fun of Peter for not knowing how to shave and so Peter tries to shave on his own.  He ends up cutting himself and so Tony steps in and shows him how to shave.

Least Favorite Troupes

Baby Peter- I would like them if they all weren’t written similar with Peter doing something that normal Peter does all the time, but Tony is scared about bc he’s a baby, like Peter crawling on the ceiling and Tony trying to get him down in fear of him getting hurt

Field Trip/Peter’s friends meeting Tony- I used to like this trope, but I feel like it’s been a bit overdone.  I also honestly think if Peter actually visited the Tower/Compound with his class or friends, Tony and the other Avengers would just treat Peter like another kid visiting the tower/compound in fear of giving away his identity.

Movie Night with Avengers- I also feel like this trope has also been overdone and they all are similar.  It’s just the Avengers cooing over Peter or telling Tony he’s such a dad and in these fics in particular, Tony always ends up having custom made pajamas for him and Peter that are Spider-Man or Iron Man onesies.

Harley and Peter being siblings- I honestly don’t know why I don’t like this one.  I have a similar opinion on the fics with Nebula or Wanda being his older sisters.  I think it’s just bc I feel like those characters wouldn’t get along with Peter’s bubbly additude.  Harley is usually written as a grudge emo boy, Nebula is really cold, and Wanda is always in a sad depressed mood in the most recent movies.  Like I could see Peter and Morgan getting along bc they have similar bubbly personalities.

Fics that take place during olden times- I don’t really like these ones, like the medieval, old wild west, and just writing them in the past.  I feel like it takes away from their characters.  Especially with Tony since his whole personality is based around him being a genius with futuristic technology.

[keithal]

fic: keep on keeping on, dean winchester

supernatural (tv 2005) • castiel/dean winchester • 19,646 words

Dean collects the ashes, after.

He does it alone, the same way he wraps the body on his own. Dean would never describe the dead as peaceful—seen too many, maybe. Vampires choking on the blood clogging their throats; shapeshifters with silver knives driven through their chests; vic’s of the week holding their intestines in their arms and Dean standing over them without a single damn way to stop it. But like this—his eyes closed, eyelashes shadowing his cheeks—Dean might be tempted to use the word “serene” if it weren’t for how pale Cas looks in the muted light of the lakehouse.

(He thinks about kissing that soft, cold, blue mouth, or at least going to the Impala and grabbing something better to wrap Cas in. Something that isn’t a gauzy curtain or a scratchy bundle of sheets, but if Dean steps out of this room, he’ll bite a bullet before he walks back in.)

He builds the pyre, eases the body gently on top, and watches the flames burn as bright and hot as a grease fire. When it’s over, all that’s left is a scorched spot of dark, dead earth.

So Dean gets the ashes. Then he takes the bundle of hastily wrapped blankets—the same shade of blue as the walls of the nursery, the only room in the entire house Cas and Kelly put any effort into decorating—from Sam’s arms, tosses him Baby’s keys, and climbs into the passenger seat.

*

They stop at a KwikTrip before leaving North Cove. Dean hands Satan’s spawn to Sam before he gets out, muttering, “Gotta piss,” and heading inside. He bypasses the bathrooms, hooks around the chip and candy aisle, and pushes out the back exit into an empty lot.

It’s stupid. This always makes him feel stupid—it’s never done anyone shit, doing this, but Dean is fresh out of options.

“Okay, Chuck or God or whatever.” He casts a quick, furtive glance over his shoulder. He starts again, swallowing his pride, and tries to make his voice sound the way it should, soft and pleading and desperate. That should give Chuck enough of a hard-on to fucking listen. “I need your help. You left us. You said everything would be fine, but it’s not. We’re not. We’ve lost everything, and now you're gonna bring him back. You're gonna bring back Cas, you're gonna bring back Mom, you're gonna bring 'em all back—all of them. Even Crowley. ‘Cause after everything you've done—you owe us, you sonofabitch. So you get your ass down here, and you make this right. Right here. Right now.”

He waits. For what, he hasn’t the faintest. A flash of light, an earthquake, a storm—but nothing comes. He takes a breath, ignoring the jackrabbit of his pulse, and forces himself to look around. The staticky sound of some pop song peters out of the speakers overhead. A gust of wind blows past, warm from the lake, and rustles the empty chip bags littering the ground. He takes another breath and smells the sour stench of gasoline, hears the faraway ding of a new customer.

Nothing.

read more !

[lakehouseretreat]

The Muskoka Soul Story

 Lakehouse Retreat Becomes Income Earner.

For Sandra Crossman and Bruce Parlette, building their perfect cottage in Muskoka may have only been a dream had it not been for their vision of having the design work for the rental market as well. 

Their strong background in marketing and a keen eye for detail has made this venture a great success. 

The cottage is aptly named Muskoka Soul because of the feeling you get when you experience the beauty and tranquility of the place. It was the CedarCoast team that created the initial layout and design but then Sandra and Bruce worked with an interior decorator to give each room, as well as the cottage as a whole, a true flavor that makes it the extraordinary private rental retreat that it is today. 

Design

To design this cottage and make it look and feel like a family cottage while at the same time being able to accommodate rentals and corporate retreats took a bit of planning. It all started with a glass of wine on the deck of the old cottage. Looking out at the vista of Lake Muskoka. 

Through a collaboration of the client’s efforts and the CedarCoast team, the project was pulled together very quickly. 

Challenges

There were two main challenges with this project. Sandra and Bruce wanted a 5-bedroom luxury cottage with a library loft, a large media room, a screened porch and all the other typical spaces. 

Given the width of the loft at the building location and the required setbacks from each side, this presented a challenge. This is why a 2-storey design was chosen and certain architectural features still allowed the building to sit low to the property and blend in. The other issue was with the proximity to one of the neighbouring cottages. 

Again, the design was carefully crafted using angled walls and window placement to direct the visitors focus away from that side of the property and out to the open lake. 

Welcome to Muskoka Soul

Muskoka Soul is a two-story, five-bedroom 3 bath, luxury cottage built with CedarCoast’s signature timber frame structure supporting the expansive roof. With soaring architecture, breathtaking views and the conveniences and amenities of modern construction, Muskoka Soul provides all the luxuries of a boutique hotel.

If you are planning a new custom cottage, even in the very first stages of your thinking, we would love to speak with you.

Find out why our customers tell us, "You're not like other builders!"