#ferry converted to a home

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This wonderful 1970 Ferry converted to a home, in North Bend, Oregon has been taken off the market I assume b/c no one bought it. 4bds, 4ba, $698,500.

Isn't this nice? Look at the windows, they're so pretty. The home needs a good cleaning and updating. The photos are dated 2019, so who knows if looks any worse now, but mostly it only looks like cosmetic work. The last time the home was sold was in 2020.

The boat was owned by an actress and a model that were known for their parties- I don't doubt that- look at how long the bar is. It even has a tap and an ice bin.

Boat seats and port holes decorate this room with a beautiful view.

The home is on the shore of Coos Bay.

Beautiful door. There are some lovely details in this home.

It has a very large kitchen with lots of wood cabinetry in excellent shape. So much storage.

Nice big dining area. This home has lots of potential.

It's a huge space- the living room fits a grand piano. I like the glass door and wall. It's not all boat, though, there's an addition that's built onto it.

Look at the unusual fireplace.

In the middle of the floor is a ships wheel. The room is very large and the walls are lovely with the glass and portholes.

It appears that the actual ferry is for entertaining.

What a cozy conversation area.

The guest bathroom has a built-in bench.

Stairs to an upper level or mezzanine. I don't know why there appears to be caution tape on the step, though.

Here's a formal dining room.

It appears that this is a family room. I don't think it's a bedroom b/c it's so open.

Here's a nice bathroom.

The surrounding garden just needs a little trim and it's good to go.

Adorable little footbridge.

The home is on a .62 acre lot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1225-Ferry-Rd-North-Bend-OR-97459/75134679_zpid/

[carionto]

Ignition

Once the Galactic Coalition had (without other realistic options) given Humanity an equal position among the governing bodies, despite the fact they were a single planet race, the initial dread of what they would do eased. A little. When they showed how they powered their impossibly massive vessels, the fears of our ancestors who deemed the Responsibility Barrier a necessity reemerged a thousandfold.

The Humans, with a slight grin, said "Solar power, of course."

They took a delegation within the bowels of one of their smaller, civilian research craft, which was still bulkier, better armored, and more worryingly - better armed than most flagships of the other predator-races. Were we not able to see with our own eyes their actual, what they aptly call, Dreadnoughts, from distances you would normally need a telescope, we would have assumed this was their mightiest warship. Yet it was just one of hundreds.

As we passed through the ludicrously thick and seemingly excessive number of bulkheads and shielded and compartmentalized hallways, the ever present hum of raw power beneath our feet gradually became nerve-wracking. What is that? It reminded us of stories told by those who traveled near Black Holes - of the sheer vastness and infinite apathy they felt from the all consuming entities.

A dozen or so biometric gates later, we were greeted by a gigantic sphere, easily a hundred and fifty meters in diameter, an abomination of reinforced panels, wiring, heat pumps, and countless tubes, hanging from numerous power conduits in the middle of an even more massive chamber from behind our observation platform. A true, pure fusion reactor. And there were Humans, in full protective suits at least, working directly next to it within the ominous chamber.

"We wanted to give you a demonstration of our advances in the past millennia, so please observe as we turn on this one."

This one? As in... the power we were feeling was not from this monstrosity? We had to ask.

"Oh, of course not, this ship has three such reactors, we recently performed a full maintenance on this and decided to delay reactivating it for you to see."

The delegates' mouths (or equivalents) were agape. Sure, nuclear fusion is known far and wide, but due to it's high potential for cataclysmic failure, or worse, deliberate destruction, the vast majority of such reactors were mostly found in deep space stations where solar radiation was scarce. Background radiation converters, while efficient at what they do, were nowhere sufficient enough for anything more than as passive emergency battery chargers. And no civilization kept fusion reactors anywhere near populated or colonizeable planets.

Yet here they were, looking at one nearly five times larger than any other known or attempted. And there were three on this ship alone. They counted hundreds of similar size, a few dozen of their Dreadnoughts, thousands of smaller vessels ferrying between the stations, the surface, and other larger ships. Countless world ending bombs-in-waiting right around the Humans' only home.

"Yeah, us science ships get the biggest ones, kinda need the extra oomph for our projects. The military kids like their redundancies, so theirs are smaller."

A slight relief.

"I think their newest capital ship, the UGSF Caliban of York, has fifteen, each about half ours."

A few delegates passed out. Their attendants rushed to salvage some dignity, but Captain Knoslark of this vessel, The Radiant Dusk at Everest, didn't seem surprised or offended and simply waited for the delegation to regain composure before continuing.

"This is my favorite part."

He said quietly with a glint in his eyes, then his tone changed to a more formal and authoritative one.

"Chief Engineer Ira Tameki, status of Reactor 2."

"All green, Captain. She's ready to purr to life at your command."

"Good. Then," his tone shifted once again, to a far more theatrical one as he took a pose, half turning his body and extending his right hand towards the reactor, index finger pointing dramatically. As he pronounced every syllable of the next word, there was a silent resigned sigh from his crew:

"ignition!"

Outwardly, nothing of significance changed. The engineers clicked at their consoles, bars slowly rose and everyone was deliberately doing their best to make it clear they were ignoring the fact that the captain was still in the same pose.

There was a muffled thump from the chamber, then the hum beneath their feet became a rumble for a few moments before steadying back to a now slightly more intense almost-buzz. Physically, nothing all that noteworthy. Mentally, everyone in the delegation was in true shock as they fully understood what they had just witnessed done all too casually:

The birth of a star.

[lillified]

regarding your piece “outlaws” is it intended to be like an apartment or a spaceship? until corrected, and probably still after, i’m choosing to believe that swindle is doing the equivalent of living in his van

that being said, where *do* the other (they don’t let him inside 💔) decepticons live? I don’t think it’s been shown thus far

hey, that’s a great question!

the “outlaws” piece you see is from an earlier point in the war, and the location is Swindle’s passenger ship, The Knave. It isn’t meant to be a living space, but he’s converted it and uses it a bit like an RV/motor home. Since he spent most of his time (and kept a lot of his stuff) in there, it was one of his prized possessions. In the Outlaws pic he has it parked in a mostly Autobot occupied part of downtown Protihex, where he operates it like a caravan to sell weapons and things to patrolling soldiers.

This actually brings up a great opportunity to talk a bit more about locations, specifically airships and spaceships (I promise it’s relevant to the main Cons);

So, there are many different types of aircraft (beyond the Bots who can physically fly, obviously). On the smallest side you get tactical drones and fighter craft, which are either remotely manned or manned by one Bot, who physically controls the ship by hooking up to a sensory chamber-style pod. These are much less ideal than having a flightforme, but were developed out of necessity, given the central Cybertronian government and fliers have tended to be on opposite sides at different points of history (this trend remains true for the Autobots, who are at a severe deficiency).

Next up are scout ships, which fit a small squadron of Cybertronians (think the size of the X wing in starwars).

After that you get into passenger ship territory, where aircraft have multiple rooms. Swindle’s ship fits this category. They aren’t intended as mobile residences and moreso exist to carry large quantities of ‘Bots over a longer distance, like a train or a cruise ship with basic amenities, but as the war progressed it was hard not to find different uses for them.

Passenger ships can be very specialized, and the only major difference between the larger varieties and true warships is that passenger ships aren’t outfitted with guns or any other involved defenses. Ferry ships are extremely massive passenger ships designed in Nova’s expansion era with the intent of carrying nearly a city’s worth of people across space, to populate new colonies. As suggested, most of these ships were built well before the war, so their defense capabilities weren’t geared for conflict.

The last category, as suggested, are warships. Most warships were manufactured during the war, but there are some that were recovered from pre-Quintesson era. These can range in size from the capacity of a small hotel to an entire military base, or even a city. Their scope is only limited by the ability to fuel them, and many warships were designed to act as mobile camps in the event of crisis and exodus.

As of the current day, the Decepticons have essentially been exiled. The last major conflict on Cybertron put the Autobots in control of most major territories and left both sides materially decimated. Until they can regroup and establish resource control again, the only real strategy the Decepticons have is to lay low and survive.

This leaves Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Lockdown, Ravage, and Knockout on the Determination, which is a small scale warship. Like many slapdash offensive craft, it is flimsy and unreliable, but currently their only real option.

You haven’t seen most of it, but I can give you some sneak peeks:

you’ll see what these are for very soon…

As of right now, that’s all I have for you on spacecraft! I hope that answered your question :) thanks!

[staticspaces]

French Style Chateau

Have you checked out the video yet!?

Now on to the primary suite, this main bedroom was huge, including a massive ensuite with a round stained glass window…as well as a few more photos of the staircase from the second floor!!

This mansion was built in 1985 on two lots in The Bridle Path neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada and was designed to resemble a French style chateau. The 30,000 square foot mega mansion had 10 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, and was located on a huge four acre property that also included a tennis court. It also had a granite cobblestone driveway, a horseshoe staircase at the back and extensive gardens which completed the experience of living in a castle in France.

Originally built by Robert Campeau a financier and real estate developer. Robert began his career by building just one single house in 1949 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His company then known as Campeau Corp was also responsible for building Scotia Plaza, a hi rise built in 1988 in the financial district of Toronto, as well as the Harbour Castle Hotel in 1975. In the 80s, Campeau began a series of leveraged buyouts of companies, both in Canada and the United States. The final company was Federated Department Stores, the owners of Bloomingdale's for $7 billion. This was the beginning of the end for Campeau Corp, as they filed for Bankruptcy in 1990, one of the largest in history. Robert was forced to sell the home in 1990.

The home was purchased in 2002 by Harold and Sara Springer who entrusted architect Gordon Ridgely, interior designer Brian Gluckstein, and landscape architect Ronald Holbrook to bring their vision to life. They brought in 17th century antique furniture from france, original royal academy paintings, Italian marble and even crystal chandeliers.

Other features of the large house included a two-story indoor Olympic-size swimming pool with a retractable floor that converts into a ballroom. It also had an elevator, an oak wood bar, recording studio and even its very own bomb shelter!

The mansion has been featured in several movies including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's 'It Takes Two', 'Kissinger and Nixon', 'That Old Feeling' as well as most recently in an episode of Suits. A party was also held for Jane Fonda in the two-storey ballroom, which was then disassembled overnight so that Campeau could swim in the pool the next day with Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

The Springer's listed the chateau for sale including all of its contents starting in 2014 for $25 million and was last publicly listed in 2018 for $39,500,000. Finally, the home was purchased by Nascond Holdings in 2020 for $30.8 million.

Nascond Holdings is a company owned by the Muzzo Group which is a well known development company in the area. Marco Muzzo caused a drunk driving crash that killed four people and seriously injured two others. It was a very high profile incident several years ago, because of his ties to such a wealthy family. There was also a guest list of people found in the home including Marco's name as the host of the party.

The mansion was demolished shortly after my visit in August of 2022. Not much happened after that until more recently when some activity began to happen on the property. Ferris Rafauli who was also behind Drake's Bridle Path Mansion, is the designer and builder behind the new mansion that will take shape in the coming years.

[ventingfanfics]

Better Together (Shuri x Reader)

You’d had enough. Without a word, you stood and retreated from the room of partygoers. You didn’t stop walking until the door was in front of you, your hand shaking as you unturned the knob and set yourself free. The sound of quick footsteps that followed were ignored by you. 

“Y/N,” a voice called, slipping outside into the humidity with you before you could close the door. It was Shuri. Really, it should have been your girlfriend, not your girlfriend’s friend, that came to check on you.

Her eyes softly regarded you. She knew you were upset, and she couldn’t blame you. Still feeling not only irritated but embarrassed, you turned forward. 

“Do you want me to take you home?” 

Regretfully, you had ridden with your girlfriend in her car to the house party. You wished you’d taken your car instead. 

“That’s sweet, but I don’t want to take you away from them,” You said, referring to her friends that were still most likely enjoying themselves inside. Including your girlfriend.

Shuri kissed her teeth, not the least bit worried about the party. “No, come on. I’ll take you home.” Her tone of voice and the look on her face indicated this was no longer an offer but an order. You metaphorically shrugged and took your place in the passenger’s seat of one of her favorite cars: the purple Lexus LC 500.

One of your new favorite songs played as the convertible got on the road. You sang along and even danced a little in your seat. A small smile rested on Shuri’s face. She cranked the volume and drove faster. 

When the song finished, Shuri noticed you were ready to talk, so she lowered the volume. 

“I’m not a jealous person,” You said. “I just don’t see why she has to obsess over this girl. There’s having a crush and there’s being disrespectful.” You glanced at Shuri who looked passive. 

She caught your gaze. “I’m listening.”

“I knew when I met her that she liked her, and didn’t mind. But she’s doing too much. It’s like she wants to make me jealous. Always praising and drooling over her—in front of everyone, no less.”

Shuri now looked disgusted. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with your friend,” You finished. 

“Neither do I.”

You had noticed that you weren’t near your house at all, though you didn’t mind. However, you were shocked to see you pull into Wakandaland. 

Shuri parked the car and laughed softly at your reaction, completely focusing on you. “You forgive me, Y/N?”

You laughed. “You’re lucky I’m into rides.”

And ride you did. This outing brought out your inner child. It was nice to see Shuri having fun as well. She had shared that she was developing a new attraction to the park. 

“Sssh, don’t tell anyone,” She’d told you when you were on a calmer ride that reminded you of the ferris wheel, but better. “It’s top secret.”

Your eyes widened. “That’s amazing, Shuri!” 

She smiled hard, and you resisted the urge to kiss her cheek. “I know. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited.”

“Look at you, expanding your talents. You can do anything, girl. Anything you set your mind to.”

You didn’t dwell on her deep stare at the latter statement. It was enough to warm your body, though, you ignored it. You instead put your attention to your phone for the first time since you’d arrived. You sucked your teeth. “Can you believe she only called me once and didn’t even leave a voicemail or text?” 

Realizing you were talking to yourself, your eyes darted around the park, seeing some families and couples, but no Shuri. As you walked around and got ready to contact her, you felt someone cover your eyes. 

“Y/N Y/L/N?” If not for her poor attempt of disguising her voice, you would have screamed and jumped into action. She laughed when you swatted her, softly glaring at her. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.Does this make up for it?” She revealed a prize that she’d just won for you. Your face broke into a smile. 

~~

The night came to an end. Or so it seemed as Shuri walked you to your door. Why did you feel nervous? You typically felt relaxed around Shuri. You didn’t know if it was because she was the one who always checked on you when your girlfriend acted out of line or because you were used to your girlfriend leaving Shuri to look after you. 

In this moment you felt like someone who just went on a date and liked it. You wondered if Shuri would kiss you. A part of you felt like a school girl who wanted to replay your time together. The other part didn’t want it to end. 

“Well, I hope you had fun, Y/N,” She said, clasping her hands in front of her. She looked at you genuinely. Her voice gave away that she was a little nervous. Was she feeling what you were feeling?

“I had a blast,” You said with a smile, feeling comfortable again. “Thank you for taking my mind off my joke of a relationship—once again.”

Shuri’s own smile faded. “I meant it earlier when I said I don’t know why she mistreats you. She’s so into that girl from social media that she fails to see what’s in front of her, and how lucky she is.”

Your eyes glimmered. “You would make a girl lucky, too.”

Her face lit up. “Yeah?”

“Of course! If I was a different kind of girl, I would’ve…let’s just say, I’ve been on my best behavior, especially when she makes it so easy to cheat with you.” 

Shuri’s eyebrows went up and she smiled, stepping closer. “What are you saying?” You’d never seen her stare harder.

“No, I was just saying that she’s always leaving us together and you’re always cleaning up her mess, treating me the way she should be treating me…” You spoke a little too fast, your words running together. Shuri found it cute. 

She licked her lips and stepped even closer, holding eye contact. “You know, I used to feel guilty for having certain thoughts about you. But we both know she doesn’t deserve you.” 

Your heart could burst from all the butterflies. “What kind of—“

The loudness of a car door slamming shut interrupted you. You and Shuri whipped your heads to see your girlfriend approach your residence. You looked at Shuri whose visage turned firm. 

“Were you about to kiss my girl?” Your girlfriend asked her. 

You scoffed, “You have a lot of damn nerve.”

“Yeah, whatever. Unlock the door, will ya?”

You just scowled at her until you heard Shuri try to calm you with an “it’s okay.” Like magic, you felt relaxed again and opened your door. To your surprise your girlfriend didn’t follow you. 

She confronted Shuri. “I think you’re taking this ‘look after Y/N’ thing a little too seriously, don’t you think?” 

Shuri didn’t back down.“Then woman up and do your job.” Truthfully, she didn’t want that to happen. She wanted her to continue to screw up. 

Girlfriend leaned back. “Letting that white horse, savior shit go to your head, huh?”

Shuri narrowed her eyes. “There is so much wrong with that statement, but for the sake of my time, I won’t even go there. Y/N has been putting up with your mess for too long. She’s over it, and so am I.”

“Oh, she’s over it, huh? Y/N, are you over it? Are you leaving me?” She called loudly, coming into the house.

“Do not taunt her!” Shuri said, following her.

You rolled your eyes as girlfriend tried to reach for you. “Yes, I am over it. Worry about Deleelah Joy.”

“That’s not fair, babe, she’s a celebrity—“

“You couldn’t even check on me and see if I was okay! I left your friends’ house and was gone for three hours and you only contacted me once! You do this all the time! I deserve better! The way you always leave me with Shuri, you must want me with her anyway!”

Shuri mean-mugged your girlfriend while your girlfriend frowned at your words. You refused to let her sadness affect you. 

“All of this over a celebrity crush, babe?” 

“Could you imagine if I always talked about Letitia Wright and bragged over how fine and smart and talented she is? How sexy she is? Always gushing over her and showing you her posts?”

“Letitia Wright…who’s Letitia Wright…oh, the one who looks like Shuri?”

Both of you looked at Shuri who was shaking her head to herself. You couldn’t help but smile and she mustered a soft smile of her own at you. 

Your girlfriend noticed this connection you and Shuri seemed to share. The smile on your face was one she hadn’t seen in a while. It was rare and it was stunning. Now that she thought about it, you tended to look serious, annoyed, or tense when she was around you. You had stopped smiling at her the way you were smiling at Shuri. 

“You do favor her, you know,” You mentioned, since it was brought up.

Her smile grew. “I will take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

Damn, I can’t deny they look cute, Your girlfriend thought. She had some serious thinking or reflecting to do. Without a word, she took her leave. You and Shuri exchanged looks after watching her retreating frame. You heard the door close and you shrugged.

Shuri went over to you and pulled you into a hug. Sighing, you leaned into her warm embrace, engulfing her tall lithe frame. 

“I think she knows we’d be better together,” Shuri said, working calm circles into your lower back and hip.

~~~

Months later

“Give me a kiss, usana.”

Your lips happily touched and moved together. Your bodies melded as you tasted each other’s mouthes and swallowed any sounds between you. The both of you were left a breathing mess. Shuri’s head tilted against the wall as her hands gripped your ass. You grinned to yourself at how aroused she was. 

“We have to touch up our makeup, but it’s okay,” You said, laughing some. This was a big day for Shuri. She was moments away from giving an address about the new attractions to Wakandaland. 

“I need you to calm me down, not heat me up,” Shuri joked. 

“You’re gonna kill it, my love. Like always.” 

“Do you remember when I told you about it?”

You playfully rolled your eyes. Shuri had become something of an old-timer when she would often recall sharing with you that she’d been developing something for Wakandaland and how that same day sealed your fate as a couple. 

“Why you gotta hate on our history? That was an important day for us.”

You giggled at the language she chose and lifted her hand, kissing it. “I love that you find that day just as special as I do.”

[myhauntedsalem]

The History of Zombie Road

Zombie Road has quite a reputation as a place where shadowy figures and other non human entities have long been reported.

Gregory Myers of the Paranormal Task Force presents this piece on the history and deaths of one of the most haunted locations in the United States.

Within the urban sprawl of St. Louis lies a remote area called “Zombie Road”. Urban Legend tells a variety of eerie tales which include being host to ritualistic and occult practices which spawned inhuman and demonic entities while other tales tell of those who met their peculiar demise and still roam this desolate road in the afterlife.

“Zombie Road”, real name “Lawler Ford Road” is about 2 miles long through a valley of forest oak land hills and ends near the Meramec River in the Glencoe, MO area where it meets the newly established “Al Foster” trail.

The history of this area goes back to ancient Native American times where this was one of the few pathways cut by nature over the centuries through the bluffs to the Meramec River area just beyond them. It is believed that travelling ancient Native Americans used this pathway for foot travel and also quarried flint here for the making of various tools and weapons.

In the early 1800’s a Ferry (boat) was operated at the bottom area of this passage at times where a ford was located in the river for settlers and travellers to cross the Meramec River to the other side where the Lewis family owned much of the land. The origin of the road name is unknown to historians even today.

Ninian Hamilton a settler from Kentucky was the first settler to occupy and own land in this area in 1803. After his death in 1856, James E. Yeatman a prominent St. Louis citizen, a founder of the Mercantile Library and president of the Merchants Bank acquired the large parcel of land that Mr. Hamilton settled and owned.

The Pacific Railroad completed their railroad line from St. Louis to Pacific along the Meramec River in this area in the 1850’s. Della Hamilton the wife of Henry McCullough, who was Justice of the Peace for about thirty years and Judge of the County Court from 1849 to 1852, was struck and killed by a train in this area in 1876.

The first large scale gravel operations on the Meramec River began at what would become Yeatman junction in this area. Gravel was taken from the Meramec River and moved on rail cars into St. Louis. The first record of this operation is in the mid-1850’s. Later, steam dredges were used, to be supplanted by diesel or gasoline dredges in extracting gravel from the channel and from artificial lakes dug into the banks. This continued until the 1970’s.

From about 1900 until about 1945, Glencoe and this area was one of the resort communities of the Meramec River’s clubhouse era. Many of the homes were summer clubhouses, later converted to year round residences then lost to the great local floods of the 1990’s.

Some say this is called Zombie Road because the railroad workers who once worked here rise from their graves at times to roam about. Some insist that they have heard old time music, seen anomalous moving lights and other ghostly sightings from that forgotten era. Another tale tells of a patient nicknamed “Zombie” who escaped from a nearby mental facility never to be seen again. His blood soaked gown was later found lying upon the old road later named after him.

Other tales include one of an original settler who met their demise upon the railroad tracks. Another includes a pioneer who lost his wife in a poker game then went back to his homestead and took his own life. Many still report seeing these lonely spirits even today.

During the age of Prohibition a nearby town housed speak-easies and the summer homes of well known gangsters. Tales tell of individuals who were dealt a bad hand by such public enemies resulting in their permanent placement within the ground or bordering river to never be seen again.

The bordering river has tragically delivered many to the other side through the years. Children and adults alike have taken their last living breath within its dangerous waters before being found washed up on its shores. Even during this new millennium, several children met their demise one day within its banks.

The railroad still shows “Death hath no mercy” as many have met their final fate upon its tracks. Local lifelong residents can still remember multitudes of tragic occurrences dating back to the 1950’s. One of these occurred in the 1970’s when two teens were struck by an oncoming train. Some of the local residents were used in search parties to find the body parts scattered about the area.

During the 1990’s a mother and her five year old child were crossing a bridge when an oncoming train met them. The mother’s last action was pushing her five year old child off the bridge. The engineer was able to stop the train and save the child. Although the mother died, this is still one of the happiest endings to a story this area will provide.

More recent past has seen this area become refuge for those wanting privacy to practice the occult and other rituals. Who can really know what true doorways to the darkness or unknown were opened here.

During the 1960’s a couple in their late teens were on top of the bluffs overlooking the road below. The male somehow lost footing and during the fall caught his face in a fork of a small tree growing out from the side of the bluff. His face and scalp remained while the rest of him fell to his death upon the road below. Others have also met their demise from the high bluffs above.

The area has also seen its share of suicides and murders. In the 1970’s a hunter stumbled across a car still running at the end the road. Closer inspection revealed a hose running from the exhaust pipe to the inside of the car with the driver slumped over the steering wheel.

One can agree that there is no lack of legends or tragedies surrounding this area which can explain the bizarre and eerie encounters of those who visit. I was one who became truly intrigued and attracted by such lore and was determined to either prove or disprove the Urban Legends surrounding it.

Missouri Paranormal Research (now a division of Paranormal Task Force, Inc.), the paranormal investigative team I belong to, investigated this area on several occasions. Our visits converted many true skeptics into true believers of the paranormal. I was one of those the first time and even remarked “This was going to be like Winnie the Pooh looking for a ghost in 100 Acre Woods” prior to descending onto the old road.

Within an hour several people observed a human sized shadow figure as it descended upon them from a small bluff nearby. It then ran onto the road, stopped, then disappeared into the darkness of the night. Throughout the night others heard unexplained voices, were touched by the unseen and witnessed the unexplained. This was one night that everyone could conclude that indeed some Urban Legends actually are real!

[limonecat005]

Here's a Cyno x You pov

"You have to add the value of the constant of permeability to solve the equation. Remember to-" You drowned out his deep voice which continued to talk about electrostatics.

You stared at his long white that was tied up in a high ponytail and you let your gaze wander down his back till the ends of his locks. His red eyes were focused on the book in front of him and you carefully wondered if they resembled like the rubies found in the treasures of deserts or maybe like the gems stolen by the forty thieves. Cyno's long tan fingers slowly moved along the lines of the book pointing at the important terms.

You thought how his touch would feel on you. The rough hands exploring every part of you, his warm breath fanning your neck and his deep voice lulling you to subspace. The night city lights illuminating what they could of the room as they filtered through the full length windows. His every push and pull letting you disappear into the soft white sheets underneath and his warmth keeping your heart safe as you watched the stars through the windows.

"You need to note that you have to convert all these values to a common unit system-"

You wondered how Cyno would wrap his lean but strong arms around your waist and trapping you into a cuddle as the two of you watch the sunrise while wrapped with him in a layer of comforter. Snuggle yourself into him carefully, letting your head rest into the crook of his neck and inhaling his scent that reminded you of home. The scent which reminded you of home. A home where you had your favourite flowers, all your favourite scents mixed in the air around you and the smell of something subtle sweet.

Sugar sweet lips of the baklava he had yesterday, how would they taste on yours, coated with sugar of your favourite sweet? His tongue would gently explore your cavern, taking his sweet time to feel everything about you. Then, maybe, feel the shy touches in public as the two of you sat around the bonfire and your friends would sing along to the tune of the guitar; you would feel the ocean breeze and his careful stare.

"And then, make sure you have all the log tables revised before you attempt these questions. You just need to-"

You would hold his hand and drag him to the summer carnival by the beach that happened every year. The two of you would watch the soft pink sky of early sunset as the both of you would explore the area. Maybe try out the games that you used to play as a child. You would miss half of the balloons but Cyno would get all of them and the man managing the stall would forbid him from coming again. And you would laugh at his misery while having some candy floss with him. The two of you would stay till nightfall and ride the ferris wheel, watch the expanse of the dark ocean up ahead.

And then, the two of you would take a stroll by the sea, enjoying the solitude and the sound of the waves crashing the shore. You and him walk barefoot, feeling the sand sinking you in and into this mesmerising kind of feeling. A sort of feeling filtered with the 90s pink and something sort of a daydream; the kind to leave you in a hazy kind of cloud nine.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" Cyno asked as he looked with his intense red eyes tearing your soul apart in a breathless way.

You inhaled lightly. "Yeah."

[jroycethethird]

Rain, Rain Go Away (please)

setting: sometime after capture the flag

featuring: j. royce van doren iii, a strange rain cloud, and could that be… nyra odeyer? @nyraxodeyer

He felt sick. Positively sick. In all his thirty six years of life, there were very few things Royce had truly regretted. He regretted not coming back most summers while he was away at college to watch his sisters grow. He regretted not investing in a few startups which, despite his predictions, did stupidly well and could have earned him a great return. He regretted how he’d handled his marriage, and the way it ended. And now, he regretted toying with a wonderful woman’s affections for him just to win a stupid game. He tried to reason with himself that the coven needed it, that the coven needed a win. The morale had been so low as of late, they needed something good to build confidence again. It’s why he busted his ass trying to get them victory after victory, tried to encourage his teammates to strategize, to be clever, helped them when disadvantages came up. They needed this. So maybe he could have helped secure victory another way. He knew she could portal things around, and he knew how to distract her from not doing that. But after a couple days of ignoring her existence, only to strut up to Aiyla with his charming smile, calling her by the affectionate nickname he gave her, and promising this meeting wasn’t about the game. No it was about them, he was here to talk about them… Only to distract her with a kiss for just until they seized victory… Royce felt a swell of nausea as he thought about it again. It wasn’t a clever strategy, it was just cruel.

He’d been wallowing in the thoughts, a deep furrow splitting his brow, as he walked back from the pier. To celebrate? No, he’d been on the Ferris Wheel for a couple victory laps, but he felt it would be best to go home. So Royce walked a shameful walk towards his car, parked somewhere by the river before he’d tagged along with his team to Downtown. As he walked, he felt a sensation tapping against his head and shoulders, not exactly registering it until he felt it against his face, right by his eye. Royce blinked then, shaking his head as one by one drops began to fall, dripping down over his frame. Rain wasn’t in the forecast, was it? He swore it was supposed to be a clear and warm day. But it was raining… and the downpour began to grow. “Goddammit, of course I’d be caught in a random rain storm,” he groaned, his clothes quickly becoming soaked through. The polo he wore began to cling, his trousers uncomfortable and heavy against his legs. He began walking faster, trying to outrun the downpour. His car must be near and — oh no, his top was down! He needed to run, picking up his speed as he bolted down the walk and turned his head just then to see a car driving slowly pass, the driver gaping out from their convertible at the man. Convertible with the top down. Wait… Royce stopped, blinking at them as they passed by, drifting off on a sunny, dry street while he stood there getting drenched. But… but it was raining… wasn’t it? That’s when he looked up, blinking against the onslaught of water droplets to finally register a single rain cloud standing directly over his person. But that would mean…

Just as he registered it, Royce looked aside and saw her — a face he often saw from the corner of his vision during council meetings as he stole glances across the room. He frowned, lips dragging downward as he glowered at the woman not too far from him. Running a hand over his wet face, getting more and more drenched by the second, Royce began walking in her direction, the ground beneath him being speckled in rain, a long dark trail following his path across the dry pavement. “Nyra,” he greeted through grit teeth as he came closer to her. He sniffled then, shivering under the unending downpour, and pointed a single finger up at the cloud dumping buckets of rain over him. “Your handy work, I presume?” She was a siren, confirmed during their dodgeball game during this whole event, and he knew a bit about them. Didn’t he ask Aiyla over pillow talk all about the differences between members of her court? Yes, and he remembered what she’d said. Weather manipulation. That was their thing, wasn’t it? “A little immature, don’t you think?” He knew it was hypocritical before he said it, but he was kind of pissed he was being soaked over stupid relationship drama. Friendship drama. They were just friends, or were before this. But this was infuriating. “Do you maybe want to cut off the waterworks?”

[blindmagdalena]

Another song that reminds me of Homelander

Everybody Loves You Now by Billy Joel

Baby all the lights are turned on you Now you're in the center of the stage Everything revolves on what you do Ah, you are in your prime; you've come of age

And you can always have your way somehow But everybody loves you now

You can walk away from your mistakes You can turn your back on what you do Just a little smile is all it takes Yeah, you can have your cake and eat it too

Loneliness will get to you somehow But everybody loves you now

Ah, they all want your white body And they await your reply Ah, but between you and me and the Staten Island ferry So do I

All the people want to know your name Soon there will be lines outside your door Feelings do not matter in your game Yeah, 'cause nothing's gonna touch you anymore

So your life is only living anyhow And everybody loves you now

Close your eyes when you don't want to see Stay at home when you don't want to go Only speak to those who will agree Yeah, and close your mind when you don't want to know

You have lost you innocence somehow But everybody loves you now

Ah, you know that nothing lasts forever And it's all been done before Ah, but you ain't got the time to go to Cold Spring Harbor No more

See how all the people gather 'round Hey, isn't it a thrill to see them crawl? Keep your eyes ahead and don't look down Yeah, and lock yourself inside your sacred wall

This is what you wanted; ain't you proud? Cause everybody loves you now

ohhhhhh my gosh yes YES! 😭 honestly i’ve never listened to much billy joel but you are converting me here. this feels like something that would play during a high point and then reprise during one of his meltdowns

[jammatown919]

Love Still Binds Us, Family Finds Us

Fic Description: Carmen is finally ready to reunite with her closest friends.

After two years in Argentina, Carmen had nearly forgotten what it was to be a thief.

There had been no capers to pull in the quaint little orphanage, no reason to sneak around but to avoid disturbing naptime for the especially young residents. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't a thief, nor did she have to think much about being one. She was just a regular young woman, bonding with her long-lost mother, becoming something of a big sister to the twenty-three children under their suddenly conjoined care.

It was good for her, to focus on something new. It gave her an opportunity to heal, to forget for a time the horrors she'd been put through, away from everyone and everything that reminded her.

But it wasn't meant to last forever; just until she got better, which she did, in small steps. Fewer nightmares, fewer painful thoughts, less pain associated with those thoughts. She would never look back on what had been done to her and not be bothered, but eventually, she was able to separate things.

Stealing in itself was not stealing for VILE.

Zack and Ivy were not the Ferris wheel incident.

Julia and Devineaux were not an emotionally detached beating.

Shadowsan was not a one-sided fight to the death.

Gray was not a burst of electricity intended to kill.

Carmen was not what VILE intended her to be.

And with these distinctions in mind, the possibility of returning to what passed for normal in her life became open to her. She wouldn't leave Argentina forever, that was certain, but there was unfinished business in other parts of the world, and two years was a long time to deny her nature.

Paper Star's reappearance gave her the push she needed; a spark to reignite that innate desire to fight the good fight. She was quick to don her hat and coat once more and, with Player in her ear, even quicker to take down a rusty operative, leaving her giftwrapped for Carmen's favorite ACME agents.

Admittedly, the four of them together had spooked her out of her original intention to speak with them that night. It was too much; too many apologies, too many things to say. She just wasn't ready for all of them.

So, she went home. Back to San Diego, where Zack and Ivy still lived on that old, converted warehouse the team had collectively dubbed their HQ. She would start there, with the ones who knew her best.

Still on ACME business, Zack and Ivy weren't due to be home until the day after Carmen's arrival. She hadn't planned it like that, but she found that it worked better for her. This way, she could slip in and have some time to refamiliarize herself with the place before the people. Baby steps and all that.

Her homecoming was tainted with the distinct feeling of intrusion, even as she entered through the front door using her own key. She'd been away for so long that a part of her felt like she didn't have much of a claim to this place anymore. Sure, she'd bought it and still technically owned it, but she hadn't stayed. She'd left it behind, like almost everything else in her life.

But it had been her home once, and despite the thousand apologies on Carmen's tongue, she couldn't imagine Zack or Ivy would be anything less than thrilled to see her return. The only thing stopping her was her own guilty conscience, which, with any luck, could be placated by tomorrow.

For now, though, she would just have to deal.

The common area was almost exactly the way she remembered it. A couple of new decorations, a different rug, one of the couches pushed a little farther back to create a wider space, but otherwise the same.

Upstairs, she found her bedroom exactly the way she'd left it two years ago. Someone must have cleaned recently, as there was a distinct lack of dust, but they hadn't disturbed anything. The thought of Zack and Ivy taking the time to maintain this space warmed Carmen's heart. They hadn't stopped thinking of her, even after all this time.

She sat down on her bed, neatly made even though she'd known while doing it that she wouldn't be sleeping there for a long time. It added to a growing illusion that no time had passed. That she hadn't been off living a completely different life while her friends carried on without her. Part of her wished she hadn't.

She knew, logically, that her time away had been necessary. She'd needed to heal, and to get to know her mother, and everyone had promised her they understood that. But... she could've called. She could have made some kind of an effort not to miss out on two years of her friends' lives, kept up to date only through Player.

"Stop getting in your head," she muttered to herself. "You did your best."

And her best had been walking out on nearly everyone who loved her for two entire years.

Carmen sighed, opting to nip the impending spiral in the bud. It would do her no good, and she didn't trust herself not to get spooked into leaving again. So, she did what she always did when she was feeling lost and anxious.

She picked up her phone and called Player. It was even later at night in his part of the world, and though he really should have been asleep, he answered immediately.

"Hey, Red," he said, sounding entirely too awake for the hour and accompanied by the sound of a computer game with the volume steadily lowering. "I've been waiting for you to call. I saw you landed in San Diego a couple of hours ago."

"So, you weren't just blowing off your bedtime to game?" she asked, instantly comfortable in their familiar teasing.

"Please," Player scoffed. "I'm seventeen. I don't have a bedtime."

"Oh, don't remind me. It's getting harder and harder to think of you as a kid brother."

"Two more months and I won't be a kid at all," Player added. "And just wait 'til next time you visit. I'm almost as tall as you."

"Well, that's just not allowed," Carmen chuckled.

"Get used to it, Red." The look on his face must have been absolutely insufferable, if the smugness in his voice was anything to go by. "I'm all grown up."

Carmen leaned back against her pillow. "We've come a long way from those two kids meeting on a stolen phone."

"And you've come a long way from just a year ago." Though Player said it lightly enough, the mood took a distinct turn. "I remember you telling me you weren't sure you could ever look the others in the eye again, and now look where you are. I'm proud of you."

"Honestly, I'm still not sure."

Player paused for a moment. "You... are at home, right?"

"I am," Carmen replied. "It's just... I know we talked about it. I told them I had to leave and I didn't know when I'd be back and they said they understood, but it still feels like I disappeared on them. They spent so long trying to get me back from VILE and I just left again. They would be so right to be mad at me."

"But they're not," Player said gently. "I talk to them all the time. They miss you, but they get it. They wanted you to take the time you needed."

"I should've kept in touch."

"You couldn't, Carmen. You were having panic attacks for a solid year just talking about them too much, which, before you say anything, wasn't your fault. You were doing your best. You had to take care of yourself."

"I know..." She did, really. Logically, she did. She just resented it. "I know we'll be okay. It's just hard right now."

"You'll get through it, Red. You're the strongest person I know." Carmen wasn't so sure about that, but she didn't have it in her to argue. "Do you want me to stay on the phone for a while?"

"It's alright. You need your sleep."

As if to remind her of what exactly he was all about, he unmuted his game. "I was already going to be up for another couple hours. That time at least doubles for a friend who needs me."

"Go to bed, you gremlin!" Carmen managed a laugh. 

"No thanks, mom," he shot back good-naturedly. 

"Well, I should get some sleep," Carmen said. "I've got a big day tomorrow." 

"Okay. Call if you need anything?"

"Will do." He couldn't see her, but she still flashed a grateful smile as if he could. "Goodnight, Player."

"Goodnight, Red."

------

Surprisingly, Carmen managed to sleep that night. When she woke the next morning, she had a small breakfast, texted Player to let him know she was doing okay, and made a spontaneous donut run so she'd have something for Zack and Ivy when they got home. 

By noon, she was sitting on the couch with the box of donuts resting on the coffee table, anxiously bouncing her leg up and down. She was front and center; the first thing they'd see when they walked in, which would be any minute now. 

She wouldn't necessarily say she was afraid to see them again, but the whole thing definitely got her heartrate up. It was overwhelming, and a very small part of her kept thinking about how she still had time to slip away before they saw her, but she managed to keep herself right there. Waiting would be the worst of it. If she could just get through this part, she would be okay. 

With a sigh, she leaned back into the couch. It still had that particular smell to it that didn't completely match any of their other furniture. Not a bad smell, but one that took her back to a time when the warehouse had just been bought, the bedrooms were still under construction, and she and Ivy had shared this couch as a bed for a few weeks. That was the closest she'd ever physically been with any of her friends, and she hadn't minded the close quarters. In fact, when they'd been able to move into their own rooms, she'd almost missed the comfortable weight of Ivy halfway on top of her for lack of space. 

She chuckled to herself, remembering Ivy's embarrassment that first morning waking up in that position, and how every day after that it had just been normal. She missed that closeness. 

She wanted to hug Ivy again. To ruffle Zack's hair and nudge his ribs when he said something goofy. To quietly occupy the same space as Shadowsan, though she knew he wouldn't be here today. He was in Japan, making up for lost time with his brother. That reunion would have to be another day. 

Thinking of all that, Carmen felt a little more ready to see her old team again, and not a moment too soon. 

The sound of keys in the lock made her jump, but she managed to stay in a relatively casual position. She sat up straight and put on her best welcoming smile as the door opened, revealing two familiar heads of red hair and two dearly beloved faces. 

For a second, they just stared at each other. Then, Zack broke the silence. 

"Carm?"

"CARMEN!" In an instant, Ivy was sprinting toward her, and Carmen barely had time to stand up before they collided and fell together back onto the cushions. Still hugging her tightly, Ivy looked up with eyes full of tears and the biggest grin on her face. "Tell me this is really happening."

"Yeah." Carmen couldn't help but smile at her. "I'm back."

Zack hurried over to join them, laughing softly in disbelief. "We were starting to think we'd never see you again until you took down Paper Star."

Carmen's expression fell slightly, and Ivy clocked it immediately and released her. 

"I'm really sorry," she said softly. "I wanted to keep in touch, but-"

"Hey," Ivy interrupted with a gentle murmur. "You don't have to explain anything. We get it. We're just glad you're here."

"And you brought donuts?" Zack added, peering into the box. "Yeah, all's forgiven."

Ivy shot her brother a glare. "There was nothing to forgive."

Zack froze for a second, glancing between Carmen and his sister with an awkward smile. "Right. I was just messin' around." He closed the box and took on more of a genuine demeanor. "Seriously, we could never be mad at you for what happened. You did what you had to do."

"I wish things had been different. I wish I could've stayed or at least come to see you sooner."

"We all do," Ivy said. "But it wasn't your fault. Besides, you had other things to focus on. Like, how was Argentina? Player said you found your mom."

"I did." That brought Carmen's smile back. "I love Argentina, and my mom... she was better than I could've hoped her. She took me in right away and did her best to make up for lost time. I'd love for you guys to meet her someday."

"We'd love that too, Carm," Ivy replied. 

"So..." Zack began, a little nervously. "Is this just a visit or are you, like, back back?"

"I'm sure I'll be going back to Argentina here and there, but for the most part, I'm here to stay," Carmen said hopefully. "If you'll have me."

"You really think we're gonna say no?" Ivy gave her a light nudge to the ribs. "All we've wanted for two years was to have you back. You're never getting away from us again."

With that, the two of them descended on her again with the tightest, most adoring hugs yet. 

"Well, then, ground crew," Carmen said, squeezing them back. "I'm not going anywhere."

------

If you enjoy my work, please consider taking a moment to reblog it! Likes do not help posts circulate on Tumblr, so the best way to share things you like is to reblog.

Alternatively, I have a Kofi functioning as a tip jar. My fics will never be paywalled, but I do put a lot of time and effort into making content for free, so here's another option to support me.

[under-zero-au]

Underzero is a WIP Au by us, (us being @sariels-world-ella and @strawberry-lemonade38 ) where the surface world was plummeted into a nuclear winter destroying most of the surface world, but the barrier managed to sheild the underground from the damage and radiation but plummeted them in a deep winter as well.

Dr. W.D Gaster is a brillant scientist with old man/single dad who tries too hard, and has sad man at a walmart vibes who just wants the best for Sans and Papyrus. He is the one who theoriezed that the surface world was in a nuclear winter but Toriel and Asgore didn't really believe that claim, and with Chara refusing to comfirm it, no one really believed him (besides Sans, Papyrus and Riverperson, though Riverperson pretended not to just so they can playfully mess with Gaster)

Riverperson was a boat ferry worker who changed their boat into a sled after the tempature massive decreassing. They like to speak in rhyme, say crypic things, and being a bit of a prick in an endearing playful way. They were one of the few monsters that Gaster really thought of as a friend, but it's not entirely certain if Riverperson returns this friendship setiment.

Gaster: "WHY DOES NO ONE BELIEVE ME?"

Sans and Papyrus: "We believe you!"

Gaster: "IF I TOLD YOU THE MOON WAS MADE OF CHEESE, YOU WOULD BELIEVE ME WITHOUT QUESTION, BUT THANK YOU FOR TRUSTING ME." disjointed one frame comics---- (it's like 9 degrees kelvin in the void.)

------ Gaster: "RIVER, YOU'RE MY ONLY FRIEND PLEASE SAY YOU BELIEVE ME!!! ALSO, HOW DID YOU CONVERT YOUR BOAT IN A SLED SO FAST?" River: "Friend? Oh, I thought you were just too lazy to teleport home every day." Gaster: "RIVER, PLEASE!!!!!"

[mikimeiko]

Daytrip - To the lake! And the weather is good this time!

Ok, now that the weather is finally warm enough is time to go back to the lake and the hills/mountains! I'm staying in Lombardy today, and that means I get to use the Ioviaggio ticket, which is a day pass (or 2 days, or 3 days, or a week) that you can use on any regional train, every bus, every tram, every metro, some funiculars and even some lake ferries :3 (not today though) inside Lombardy (actually you can also get to a couple of places in Piedmont, Emilia Romagna and Veneto but only by train. Oh, and two cities in Switzerland! which is very amusing).

Am I going to describe every transport pass I use? Why yes, of course! It might make you want to come here and try them :D

First stop: Luino

I've been to Luino before, but this is the first time I see the historical town centre? The other times I must have stuck to the lakeside, but it is actually very pretty.

Luino is one of those eerie places that was clearly really prosperous at a certain point of history and then (slowly? all of a sudden?) lost its importance/status. The train station is huge and quite elegant, the newish part of the town and the lakeside are full of gorgeous art nouveau buildings, many of those former hotels now converted to other uses.

In 2019 I started a sort of project, an instagram page called Ognistazione that I hoped at some point to turn into a website, a combination of my wanderlust and my completionism: visiting every train station in Lombardy and see what you can find there (unofficial motto: there's always something to see), exploring railway lines one stop at a time. When the lockdown started I was only two stations short on my second line; the first thing I did when the three weeks from my second dose of vaccine were over was to go to those two stations and finish that line. Life was hectic at the time, and a few months passed before I started a new line, but still something was a little bit off and I keeping it up started to feel more like a chore than anything else. So it went on an indefinite hiatus (I briefly revived the page during last summer's train tour, though it was a little off topic).

But today, while I was on the train in a direction I hadn't traveled in a while, I actually felt like trying again. Because really, it's just this weird project that is not really about trains and it's not really about daytrips and it's not really about discovering hidden gems but it kinda is all of these things, and at the best of times it felt like a little nudge to get me on a train and wandering even when I thought I didn't have the energy so I don't know. Let's try again I guess.

(With some modifications, there were aspects that were unsustainable and I don't really care for unsustainability in my free time) (Also would anyone maybe be interested in a tumblr version? I'm not sure if it could work or how it could work but I could try!)

So north we go, to Pino sulla sponda del Lago Maggiore!

LOVE when you can see the water from the train platform.

I've been here once before and I kinda thought I'll never come back again because to get to the town from the train station you have to go up these:

(they continue for a while, this is just the first bit). I am a city dweller made of jello, going up stone stairs for any amount of time kills me every time and I hate it!

But the town is quite nice, and the view of the lake is ALMOST worth it.

Since I'm not dead after all, I decide to go to the next stop, Maccagno, which is luckily BY the lake and not OVER the lake.

I decided to go back via a different route, with a bus for Varese passing through the hills (there used to be a railway ;_; but as it happened to many smaller railways it was decommissioned in the 50s. In Ghirla there's still the old station building and they converted the platforms into bus stops).

It was a good idea because the route is very pretty. It was a bad idea because it picked up all the kids going home from school (WHY DO I ALWAYS FORGET THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS HAVE SCHOOL ON SATURDAYS).

Then I waited far too long at Varese train station, and I was cold and tired and sad, but then? The light got beautiful (:

[razorsadness]

I have long wanted to be starlight in spring
 and the late snow that lingers there, coming down 
at Harpers Ferry over the river or gathered on a windowsill on third street in Brooklyn when I was twenty-two—the potpourri 
of sky the wind carries after a storm. The gray darkening on a far ridge. If you are reading this
 there is still a way. I can take your smooth palm in mine
 and lead you toward a distant city and a night
 when you were on the mountain and dreaming of the other world
 and we can walk together past the pre-war homes converted now to low-rent apartments for college students
 or workers come in from long days on a road crew,
 coveralls draped over the backs of kitchen chairs
 and the light swaying just so. We can go on—
 along the cracked sidewalks above the train tracks
 that can’t exist again even as the grasses come up between them
 and look through a fog and a single pair of headlights
 making definite beams in the material cold. No moonlight to get netted up in on the surface of the water
 no traffic at this hour just the scraps of paper blown
 into gutters and the electric hum of streetlights,
 a few voices, which almost walk like footfall down alleys
 overgrown with briars and creeping vines, their crude
 latticework against the brick and the exhale
 of a bartender on a smoke break and the smoke
 which still drifts. Now it must be all worn through
 but then it was barely remarkable though I stop
 to look back at the homes and at snow melt on roads 
the flat glitter on the black road, the moiré pattern 
yet to be captured by language—and for a minute believe 
in something as my stepfather believed in the smell of fire
 whenever he left in the middle of the night
 and returned before dawn and spoke to no one, didn’t
 wake anyone up. Sometimes I feel that alone, 
that pure, as if looking back at myself
 through the scrim of time and you are there standing in our kitchen at this hour and I can almost hear you and the first singing caught-up there in the back of your throat. Lately I’ve stopped worrying about the end. Each day my hand is smaller on your shoulders. New birds
 still return and the hillsides green all around, the stars 
have traveled over the horizon and in the blink of an eye you are here—grape-vine charcoal in your hand;
 little hyphen I have become.

—Matthew Wimberley, “Materials for a Gravestone Rubbing” (Poem-a-Day, January 10, 2023)

[staticspaces]

French Style Chateau

Don't forget, there is also a very entertaining video of this location as well!!

Now let's shift our focus to the main staircase in the oversized front entry hall, it was pretty spectacular…there are also a few images from the second floor as well!!

This mansion was built in 1985 on two lots in The Bridle Path neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada and was designed to resemble a French style chateau. The 30,000 square foot mega mansion had 10 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, and was located on a huge four acre property that also included a tennis court. It also had a granite cobblestone driveway, a horseshoe staircase at the back and extensive gardens which completed the experience of living in a castle in France.

Originally built by Robert Campeau a financier and real estate developer. Robert began his career by building just one single house in 1949 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His company then known as Campeau Corp was also responsible for building Scotia Plaza, a hi rise built in 1988 in the financial district of Toronto, as well as the Harbour Castle Hotel in 1975. In the 80s, Campeau began a series of leveraged buyouts of companies, both in Canada and the United States. The final company was Federated Department Stores, the owners of Bloomingdale's for $7 billion. This was the beginning of the end for Campeau Corp, as they filed for Bankruptcy in 1990, one of the largest in history. Robert was forced to sell the home in 1990.

The home was purchased in 2002 by Harold and Sara Springer who entrusted architect Gordon Ridgely, interior designer Brian Gluckstein, and landscape architect Ronald Holbrook to bring their vision to life. They brought in 17th century antique furniture from france, original royal academy paintings, Italian marble and even crystal chandeliers.

Other features of the large house included a two-story indoor Olympic-size swimming pool with a retractable floor that converts into a ballroom. It also had an elevator, an oak wood bar, recording studio and even its very own bomb shelter!

The mansion has been featured in several movies including Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's 'It Takes Two', 'Kissinger and Nixon', 'That Old Feeling' as well as most recently in an episode of Suits. A party was also held for Jane Fonda in the two-storey ballroom, which was then disassembled overnight so that Campeau could swim in the pool the next day with Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

The Springer's listed the chateau for sale including all of its contents starting in 2014 for $25 million and was last publicly listed in 2018 for $39,500,000. Finally, the home was purchased by Nascond Holdings in 2020 for $30.8 million.

Nascond Holdings is a company owned by the Muzzo Group which is a well known development company in the area. Marco Muzzo caused a drunk driving crash that killed four people and seriously injured two others. It was a very high profile incident several years ago, because of his ties to such a wealthy family. There was also a guest list of people found in the home including Marco's name as the host of the party.

The mansion was demolished shortly after my visit in August of 2022. Not much happened after that until more recently when some activity began to happen on the property. Ferris Rafauli who was also behind Drake's Bridle Path Mansion, is the designer and builder behind the new mansion that will take shape in the coming years.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“[I] just go to the junkyard and see what I could get,” he told The New York Times in 2010. “Went by the iron man, the boat man, the timber man. Ran by every month. If they had no use for it, I took it.”

He collected air conditioner fans, ceiling fans, industrial fans — the biggest is 25 feet across — and covered them with reflective pieces of highway signs that he cut by hand, so that when light hits them at night, the sculptures dazzle like fireworks or church windows that spin. He swears he didn’t measure, didn’t weigh, yet each windmill, as he called them, moves with engineered precision.

“I don’t use a ruler much,” he said on YouTube. “I can go down there with a hacksaw and I can come within a damn eighth of an inch just guessing at it.”

Simpson was one of the greatest visionary artists in the country, says Roger Manley, director and curator of the Gregg Museum of Art + Design in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of Signs and Wonders: Outsider Art Inside North Carolina. “I think he’s North Carolina’s greatest sculptor, not just great self-taught sculptor.”

Rebecca Hoffberger, the founder and recently retired director of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, agrees. “The level of Vollis’s imagination and the scale in which he was working is without precedent.”

Simpson trained himself on the math and mechanics to turn other people’s discards into brightly colored and whimsical Ferris wheels, clowns on bicycles, airplanes and rocket ships, men pulling a long saw, his son playing a guitar, ducks, horses, and dogs, all representations of his life as a farmer, father, and soldier.

Simpson was one of 12 siblings, born in 1919 in tiny Lucama, North Carolina. His father was a farmer, but Simpson was more interested in the machinery, eventually building a business moving houses and heavy farm equipment. In 1941 he was serving in the military on the island of Saipan when he converted the propeller of a junked B-29 bomber into a windmill that powered a much-needed washing machine. Back on the farm, he invented crop sprayers and built 13 cranes by welding pulleys, booms, and gantries, Manley says, and attaching them to the back of Army surplus trucks. He used them to move brick buildings or huge factory machinery, to pick up combines stuck in the mud or — legend has it — a locomotive when it fell off a trestle bridge.

He was in his 60s when he started building whirligigs for the fun of it.

He had prestigious visitors as well. In the mid-1990s, Hoffberger was preparing to open the American Visionary Art Museum. She’d seen Simpson’s work in Manley’s book, and after Manley introduced the two, she commissioned Simpson to create a signature piece, the visual draw to her new museum. Manley drove Simpson to Baltimore to see the site. Simpson, who had never been out of his home state except during his military stint, didn’t know how to ride an escalator and had never seen multiple-crossover overpasses. “It was like taking somebody from back in time,” Manley said.

Simpson crafted the 55-foot Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, repeatedly voted as the most beloved public art in Baltimore, so precisely calibrated for the space that it looks like visitors could reach out and touch it from the balcony.

He took his sons up to help install it in 1993, Hoffberger says, sinking an old Exxon pole 13 feet into the ground, Mike Simpson climbing on the structure while his father held a rope to keep the boom from swinging in the wind.

“He must have done that for well over three hours,” Hoffberger said. Then a staff member offered to give Simpson a break. “It took three of my young male staff to hold it, and they were only able to hold the boom for like a half-hour without being exhausted. And he had done it by himself. That’s how strong he was.”

Simpson was also smart. “If you listen to the man on YouTube, you would think he was dumb as a box of rocks,” says Mel Bowen, one of the men who maintain the sculptures. “But the man is not stupid. And he wasn’t lazy. He worked hard all his life.”

[charlesandmartine]

Monday 13th March 2023

We are on the 17th floor of our Darling Harbour downtown hotel. We look out across a bank of other hotel and apartment windows, many buildings much taller than ours, and each window appearing a mere dot representing a cell containing a little life. All humanity seems to be spread out before us with all its hopes, fears, expectations, ambitions and hurts. And that's probably what these little dots are thinking looking back at us, grey nomads.

Living in this part of Sydney for the first time and an area we are not so familiar with, it was time to push out to investigate. Well 11am that is. We crossed Darling Harbour by the 1902 Pyrmont Swing Bridge, now pedestrianised and a very pleasant walk with great views of West Sydney Harbour over to the National Maritime Museum. We didn't actually go inside since the collection of shipping berthed were interesting enough. HMAS Vampire - Destroyer decommissioned in 1986, HMAS Onslow - Oberon class Submarine decommissioned in 1999, HMB Endeavour - Replica of Cook's Bark are berthed here. Endeavour is a full sized facsimile and it is incredible that this tiny ship with a crew of 94, the original converted by the admiralty from a coal transporter, set sail in 1768 and travelled around the globe in the process of discovering Terra Australis Incognita for His Majesty King George. Further to the naval theme, the proposed AUKUS deal for the supply of new subs to Australia is a daily news item of great debate and interest on the TV news here.

Crossing the Pyrmont Bridge back again we traced the shoreline along the Darling Harbour, around the entrance, passing the observatory, under Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Campbell's Warehouse and into Circular Quay for a Vietnamese lunch competing with many Ibis birds who were anxiously awaiting a titbit or failing that an opportunity for outright theft.

P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventurer was Quayside today bound for Tangalooma with its queue of passengers snaking across the concourse; anticipation of a great holiday written across their faces. I hope the winds and waves will be kind to them.

Nicely full again we caught the 173x bus to Manly to do a spot of shopping and also to collect our third suitcase which we had parked at Jill's. Whilst in Manly we took the occasion to have a couple of flat whites by the wharf and our last visit to Coles in the Corso to buy our last supply of Tim Tams, last mango and then to Liquorland to buy our last bottle of SB, 'The Ned', unusually on offer at 12 dollars, almost cheaper than at home. Then we caught our last ferry back to Circular Quay, walked up George Street, turned right into Market Street and thus back to the hotel apartment. You can spot the theme here. We have to go home on Wednesday and we are aware of all the things that have made up everyday life for us over the last 10 weeks or so are coming to an end. Well we have tentatively booked Jill for next year.........