#flame tree bbq

[natinkart]

it's currently 1am so it's the perfect time for some

✨️FEM MERCS HEADCANONS✨️ pt 1 DEFENSE

those would be mainly things directly influenced by the gender change, so like personality wise they are pretty much the same as the og

LET'S START WITH ENGIE, HEAVY AND DEMO oh boy those are long...

*mentions of self mutilation, alcohol and emetophobia, just two lines, nothing specific*

engie -i like Dell as a nickname, so her full name would be Delilah. I fell like og engie felt he was weird compared to his peers as a child, so put that feeling on a girl. as a person who grew as the "weird girl" in every school, I can confirm that being a, not anymore, girl with scientific interests and "unfemminine" manners and hobbies, her childhood was NOT easy. she must have likely always felt like a stranger, even in a room full of people who knew her because they DIDN'T KNOW her true self. she would hide her ideas and inventions because she thought they would all be scared of her, and she probably wasn't wrong. so, mental isolation soon became physical. getting older, her inventions were her only friends, and if she wasn't a bit crazy by nature, she definitely became so by never interacting with other people. when she was employed at RED, she finally felt complete in a group of weirdos who never judged her because they were as weird as her. cause of her isolating manners she'd forget basic human needs like sleep and food, so she doesn't have the best routine and health, just enough will to live to get through a 3 day long work session on a project without dropping dead. she DID cut her arm of for gunslinger. she kinda washes her hair..? let's just say she cleans them with dry shampoo without unbraiding them... she think at least once a day to just cut everything off and get a buzz cut, but she knows she'll feel bad for chopping the braids off. those are the only aesthetic things she cares about. I feel I don't need to specify the inexistential need to shave in the gravel war, so she doesn't, half of the merc don't shave so who cares. she has muscles on her upper body, so strong arms and shoulders. after going through A LOT of self doubt and need of validation from others when younger, she is actually really happy about herself and not ashamed of being her true self anymore. and last but not least, she says she's a cow girl, but actually she's a horse girl. she loves horses so much you have no idea.

heavy - if the og maikail is shorted in Misha, the name shorted in Masha is actually Maria, so she'd be Maria, called Masha. the og protective nature would become very nurturing, always caring about the well-being of the others. being the only girl in her family brought her to feel responsible for them, so she has a lot of proficiency in numerous house caring abilities, not only cooking or cleaning. she knows how to repair a wall, how to chop down trees for the fire, how to cook on an open flame, how to butcher nearly every common wild animal, and she sew amazing outfits for the whole team. before RED she used to make only practical clothes, but after meeting spy and pyro, she learned to embrace her creativity. in battle, she's a force of nature with her miniguns, whose still have femminile name, and she takes care of them like one would do with dolls. but it's miniguns. she likes the felling of the ubercharge but at the same time the concept of invulnerability scares her in a profound way. she KNOWS what to much power can lead to. she likes to read with spy, have deep philosophical conversations with medic, have fun with soldier and demo, cook with scout (for normal meals) and engie (when they do BBQ), sew with pyro and finally, stay in complete silence with sniper, the only one who knows how to shut up after a long day. she has a buzz cut, but she wears a bandana as a headscarf. it's the only femminine thing she cares about, for the rest, the outfit is the same, maybe only longer sleeves, but that just because I like it, no specific motive.

demo - i dont really have much idea about her, but i think the pressure of her 3 jobs would bring out an unserious personality as a coping mechanism. she's an alcoholic and trying to keep up with her WILL bring you comatose, but she makes sure that doesn't happen. she may not be responsible for herself, put she's really cautious when others around here are drinking. she's the one that holds your hair when you vomit and pats your back. she treats everyone's hangovers, but also she's the one that brought the bottles in the first place. she wants everyone to have fun but she doesn't wish on everyone her situation.

EDIT: you can find the full art line up HERE!!

pt2 | pt3

will some one read all of this, i don't know... if you did HI I REALLY LIKE YOU

[petalruesimblr]

Station 118 Fire Department

Individual files: Station 118 Fire Department lot - Sim File Share | Custom content used in the lot, refer to this post here. Bulk Download: Station 118 Fire Department lot + 2 CCs created by me - Sim File Share

Station 118 is the go-to firehouse for extinguishing both flames and bad moods caused by overcooked hot dogs at your neighborhood BBQ. Equipped with a firepole that may or may not be a bit too slippery, the Station 118 team of dedicated, occasionally over-caffeinated firefighters is always ready to dash to the rescue - or to fix the oven after another cooking disaster.

Price: 146,637 Lot Size: 20x30 Lot Type: Fire station Store Content: None CC Used: Click here File Type: Package Min. Required Game Version: 1.42 Packs Needed: The Sims 3, Ambitions (tree, wallpaper, door and lot type)

Hello and welcome back to my blog!

I’ve been re-watching a few episodes of 9-1-1 lately and it reminded me that I have a few fire stations built a long time ago. Most of them are on larger lots but I wanted something smaller so recreated one of my old builds and keep it for Ambitions only.

Click on the ’Keep Reading’ below for more information and pictures on this lot.

I wanted to place a few fun/silly photographs of firefighters to lighten up some of the rooms so I made two custom paintings and these are the only CC included with this lot. These are not required and will be automatically replaced in the game but if you want to download them along with the lot, I’ve included a bulk download file option above. If you'd prefer to download just the CC, you can visit my WCIF Navigation page or go directly to the related post, as I’ve made a separate post for it here.

As a reminder, 📣 please note that if you choose the bulk download file option, the Station 118 Fire Department by PRS package file should be placed in your Library folder while the custom paintings (Behind the Hose Photographs and Firehouse Hotshots Photographs by PRS) should go in the Mods folder.

The Ambitions expansion pack is required due to the lot assignment/type and the build items used in the lot as stated in the Details section above. The lot includes all the required objects for the firefighter career including the sliding pole, fire truck and a few decorative items (firefighter's axe wall decoration and fireman’s coat wall sculpture), as well as a small gym and The Book Corral bookshelf to help increase athletic and handiness skills.

Due to the large space on the third floor, I’ve separated the sleeping rooms by gender and placed four beds in each room as I typically have fewer than 10 firefighters in a saved game. You can replace those with bunk beds instead if you need more sleeping space.

This lot has been play-tested and let me know if you experience any problems on your end!

[gizmocrate-werecrow]

Lupine camping

(okay so in the au Crow can turn into a human and back (the fic explaining why is very big) so umm yeah enjoy this, a collab with @classicrocker2000 )

Orbiting a small green planet was a bone shaped satellite. A ladder down to the planet was attached to it.

Down on the lush green planet was quiet a trio to see. One was a tiny red robot who laid on the grass while another was a golden robot who in a moment was a human. There was another human however, a man who was clad in a blue jumpsuit. His blonde hair was short and he held a tinderbox in his hands. He looked up to Crow and smiled. He couldn’t believe the fake SOL trick actually worked. GPC’s calculations gave them around 3 days to rest and relax before Pearl Forrester and her lackys realized the ruse.

After a few hundred years, Crow’s human form had changed, from a teenager to a lanky adult whose long hair was tied back into a ponytail and had a stubble on his chin. His beige jumpsuit now fitted a bit better. Underneath the Robinson name tag was hand sewn T. Robot name tag. He was pitching a tent while his snarker in crime, Tom Servo was laying down, languishing in the sunset of the camping planet while Mike was working on lighting a campfire with a pack of marshmallows by his side.

“Hey Mike, what are you doing with those marshmallows?” Tom asked. He was wearing a fishing hat with absolutely no intent to fish and was trying (and failing) to set up a BBQ.

“Back when I was a kid, Eddie and I would start a fire and roast marshmallows. I would end up burning mine and also burn myself.” Mike said he lit the fire easily before it went out. 

“Looks like I need some more kindling, Servo, make sure nobody gets their hands on the marshmallows, I’m going to get some sticks.” 

“Sure Mike, Don’t run into a teenage werewolf!”

“I won’t Servo!” Mike laughed, he walked into the forest. The forest reminded him of the forests back on earth, but in its own way was alien. The trees had purple leaves and the flowers grew sideways. The various critters that Mike spotted were so strange and alien that he couldn’t fully describe them. Yet there were no sticks that could be kindling to be found.

Mike looked up at the sky, poopie, it was nighttime without the moon’s light. On the other hand, the stars looked amazing down here. Just how many places has he seen in his life that nobody else would ever see? How many strange new lifeforms has he encountered? He was just an out of work actor from Wisconsin and yet…

There was a rustle, a snap and a growl. Mike turned his head to the sound. He needed to get out of here. 

Mike turned to run and ran into something sticky—a giant web. He groaned and struggled a little. A huge wolf-shaped creature came into view and pounced onto Mike. With bitter irony, he realized he might just become wolf food. Mike struggled, his hands trying to break free of the webs. He screamed as the wolf thing scratched deeply into his arms and shoulders with its claws, drawing blood.

The wolf thing had plenty of arms and huge mandibles. It looked down at Mike with its eight red eyes. It opened its mouth and Mike screamed.

“HEY UGLY! GET OFF OF HIM!” A voice called out.

Then the wolf-spider creature stopped to look up.

“Crow!” Mike called out. He watched Crow raise a lighter and a bottle of cooking grease. Crow smiled and flicked the lighter on. Then there was a plume of fire. A makeshift flamethrower in action. The wolf creature screamed in pain, writhing as flames licked its body. It whimpered and ran off, leaving Mike stuck in the web and Crow laughing a bit.

“C-crow! You came? How?”

“Mike, I’ve seen enough bad horror movies to know that if one guy goes into a dark and spooky place alone, they��re going to find themselves six feet under. Now let’s get you back to the SOL. You look like death.” Crow said, taking out a pocket knife.

—

Mike sat on his bed, Gpc snaked in while holding a first aid kit and wearing a nurse’s hat. She put the kit down onto the bed.

“Oh my stars you are hurt, let me fix that.”

“Gpc, how are you going to bandage me up? You have no arms.”

Crow cleared his throat next to him. 

“Oh. Point taken.”

Crow picked up the bandage and began to tend to the wounds. Mike winced as the bandages were wrapped around his arms 

“Yikes that’s going to leave a bunch of gnarly scars.” Crow said.

“Would help if we had sutures, wouldn’t it?” Mike said, looking away as he felt nauseous just looking at the wounds. 

“We would but the SOL is on auxiliary power.” GPC said. “This’ll have to do until we’re back at full power.”

“Just try not to die of an infection, would you?” Crow jabbed. “You might have space rabies oooooh.” 

“Crow! Don’t worry Mike further! I recommend bed rest for the next few days GPC’s orders.” GPC said, pushing Crow out of the door. 

Mike laid in his bed, drumming his fingers on his forehead. He was running quite a fever and his arm felt a little itchy too. Maybe it was space rabies? He hoped not. Didn’t help that the itching was spreading all over his body.

Mike looked at his hands. He swore his nails were a little sharper than before. Maybe it was a symptom of space rabies. It sure wasn’t the strangest disease this side of the universe. Then he noticed the fur. Fur?!

There was a burning pain going through his whole body. Mike screamed while he watched fur sprout on his hands. N-n-no. It couldn’t be. It was a werewolf that attacked him! He was a- a werewolf! It hurt so much! Mike punched the wall and scratched his changing hand down the metal wall, all the while letting out screams of pure agony.

Crow crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. Listening to Mike’s screams, there was a part of him wanted to go inside to help but another part of him just wanted to enjoy the eventual shit that would hit the fan.

Tom hovered over before hitting the air grating and falling over. He mumbled a bit to himself as Crow scooped up the robot and put him next to the door. Tom looked up with some concern. 

“How’s Mike going? Should I go get the coffin?” Tom said.

“Maybe get the coffin. The screaming stopped, so I’m going to check on him,” Crow said, picking up Tom and placing him on the other side of the grate. He watched Tom scurry away before slightly opening the door.

“Crow to Mike? You okay man? I wouldn’t like it if you’re gone…” Crow called into the dark. He held an old invention of Joel’s, the body heat-powered flashlight and pointed it around Mike’s room.

Mike’s room was messy with boxes of costumes for the segments and all sorts of 80s paraphernalia and posters, but there was another layer of mess thanks to a destroyed bed with so many fluffy feathers in the air that Crow sneezed. The light then wandered to the desk that usually had escape plans. Well usually since there was now a pile of wood in the desk’s stead.

“Geeze, it’s quite a wreck, Mike-” Crow said. Then he heard a bang. “Mike?”

 Then something nearly slashed Crow. It was huge and fluffy. It snarled at Crow as he fumbled his flashlight to frame the face of a wolf staring him down. 

“Nice doggy?” Crow laughed nervously, he ran to the entrance, trying to open the door. Then with shaking hands, Crow opened the door and was one foot out of the door when he heard another growl. 

His smile dropped as Mike took a step closer and pounced on him.

Tom finally pushed the coffin through, he screamed at the sight of the werewolf and whimpered in fear.

Mike was all over Crow, Crow struggled against the werewolf’s strength and closed his eyes, so this is how he finally goes. Mike will maul him to death, there were so many things he hoped to do…he would never get to see Earth properly and…

Something wet and slobbery went across his face, was Mike licking him? Crow laughed a lot as Mike kept on doing that.

“Hey, get off of me you big Oaf! You’re meant to maul me to death, not lick me.”

Mike ignored him and licked him again.

“Mike, stop it! It tickles!” Crow laughed. He flinched again as he felt Mike’s cold, wet nose on his face. It was almost like Mike was a huge dog, not a bloodthirsty werewolf!

“Mike?” Tom asked. 

At the sound of his name, Mike stopped licking Crow and looked up at Tom. Tom whimpered and tried to swivel away.

“He’s like a Labrador Tom! Very friendly!” Crow laughed. He finally wriggled out of Mike’s grasp. Letting the now wolfman pounce onto Tom playfully. The other robot screamed as Mike started licking him as well. 

“Stop! Stop! Hehehe Stop!” Tom laughed as his whole sense dome was licked. It was overwhelming to the point Tom felt like he would shut down from all the sensory overload.

Crow, meanwhile, had other ideas. He dug in his pockets and took out a tennis ball, another thing he was planning to do on the planet was tennis, alas it will instead be sacrificed for a much greater cause.

Messing with Mike.

“Hey Mike! Catch!” Crow said he made the motion of tossing the ball but it didn’t leave his hand. Crow let out a hearty laugh while Mike suddenly took off in the direction that he ‘tossed’ the ball. There was a series of loud crashes and thumps before Mike came running back towards Crow. 

“Awww silly me, seems I forgot to let go of the ball. Let me remedy that just now!” Crow said as he once again faked throwing the ball. 

As he heard more banging, Crow chuckled to himself and said, “This is going to be so much fun…”  right before Mike pounced on him.

— 

Crow was poking the tuckered out Mike with his claw hands, once more a robot he sat down absolutely worn out. Crow laughed in tired delirium and looked over to Mike. He watched the fur recede from the body and the tail and ears shrink. Mike mumbled before sitting up

“What happened?” Mike groaned and put his right hand on his forehead. He felt like he went on a bender with Eddie, with the echoes of a pounding headache and pain all over his body. 

“Well, you turned into a giant werewolf!” Tom said with a squeak, poking his whole body out from his room.

“Did I?” Mike said, looking over his hands and noticing his slightly sharp nails.

“Yes, you did, you dolt!” Crow said.

Mike looked down to see his jumpsuit torn almost entirely to shreds. He stepped away to his own room to look in the mirror; his hair had grown a little, and he had a slight stubble. He smiled, showing two slightly sharper teeth than before.

“Now, would you look at that? I seem to really be one. Hope I didn’t hurt anyone.”

“Don’t worry too much. You were adorable, now get a jumpsuit on I can almost see your…” Tom said. 

“I get it, I get it! Can you get out of my room?”

Mike just about slammed the door behind him. He locked the door and grabbed one of his spare jumpsuits.

Mike remembered the day he was asked about what size he wore. He’d thought they were going to bump him up to full-time work. Instead, he became the last human man left alive. 

Now he was a werewolf and a gentle one at that. 

That’s okay, though. He still had the bots. As long as they weren't damaged beyond repair, there was still a chance to return. 

Mike flopped onto his bed. He heard something rip and something twitch. Mike looked behind to see a blonde fluffy tail. Mike yelped before taking a moment to really look at it.  Holy shit, he really had a tail. His hand reached for the tail. It was incredibly fluffy. Forget space rabies; this was a whole other ballgame!

How the hell was he going to explain this to Pearl?! 

Maybe…he could get out of the whole movie arrangement with this. Surely, having lycanthropy was a good reason to call off the experiment and send him home. Or at least let them work together to find a way back to 1990s Earth at best - after he freshens up, of course.

Mike walked into the attached bathroom. He grabbed the razor and shaved off the stubble. A splash of water after, and he was once again clean-shaven. 

Maybe he should keep the slightly longer hair. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as his time sick with hockey hair. In fact, it actually made him look a bit…cool. A man on the run looking for a way back home. 

Mike emerged from his room. He smiled and dusted himself off. He is the captain of the SOL, the last man, the captive. 

Sure he’s a werewolf now but that didn’t change anything, that didn’t change his problem. But that was okay. He’s been through much worse.

(this is set after the episode “I was a teenage werewolf”)

[tatatatatara]

Call me delusional (I am) but Houji is definitely sympathized, or at least pitied Tatara.

He acknowledged that Tatara, a cold-blooded ghoul even to his own kind, had feelings. Love, even.

While Tatara was burning Houji's subordinates into BBQ, he was just standing there thinking about "yeah he hates me for killing his brother".

Also based on the others' reaction and their lack of flameproofing, I think it's safe to say that Houji did not warn them anything about Tatara's possible abilities.

We can see he was keeping silent during the meeting. Like dude say something hello?

He did not tell his subordinates about Tatara's weakness, or strategy against him at all. He went to face him all alone, almost without support (aside from Akira throwing him Chi She).

He didn't say anything to his very confused subordinates, which is kinda weird considering he was a combattant investigators and he had been leading teams before.

Yet he talked to Tatara lol. He gave his enemy an advice/condescending remark during a battle but he didn't tell his subordinate what to do.

For me, again delusional, this is like he was trying to settle things one-on-one with Tatara, without any outside interference. Like Hachikawa also tried to kill Irimi by himself. But it's understandable since Hachikawa has beef with her, while Houji knew for sure that Tatara would do everything in his ability to kill him and still charged at him all alone. Idk that's a bit... suicidal for me? He could have gone for smarter moves I'm sure. But he chose this way because he wanted to kill Tatara by his own hand. Or being killed by Tatara. Either way, it served his purpose, that I believe it is saving Tatara from his own flames of hatred.

Even Tatara wanted this hatred thing to end. The chapter's named is "Relief" in the official translation, and I think Tatara's feelins fit this name the most. He was too tired from all of his emotions and responsibilities. (Also love how he freely admitted it to Houji)

Then we have these two panels. It's like Houji didn't care about Tatara's position in Aogiri Tree at all. To him, Tatara is still a member of Chi She Lian, an old target that he failed to eradicate and now he must take responsibility from it. Combining with the second panels below, I think it's clear that Houji was expressing some kind of pity for him. Like he felt bad for Tatara for being the last survivor and being consumed by vengeance. It's like, idk, a hunter feeling bad for unable to give his prey a quick death, so they must suffer a long, intense pain. I believe he felt that this state of Tatara was his fault, and he wanted to end this for him.

I have proof that he was feeling guilty alright. In root A, when Tatara asked Houji to return Fei and Yan, Houji apologized to him. I think Houji is the only investigator in the series who did this? Comparing to the action of his ex-partner Mado Kureo, this is really something.

Of course, I'm not saying that Houji wanted to spare Tatara or else. I think Houji is the kind who put his duty above everything, and believes that sometimes death is a better option (remember Takizawa?).

Sorry for being at expressing, I just want to explain that Houji definitely pitied Tatara for being the last survivor of his clan, and he took it his responsibility to release Tatara from his own vengefulness. His efforts to kill Tatara were not exactly from hatred, but Houji believed that it was an act of kindness, to set him free, like how he tried to kill Takizawa.

[orangepanic]

A late entry for @makorra-week-2023 for Day 4: Parenting and Day 7: Stronger Together. Thanks to @devildogdemon for the idea of the family BBQ.

Out of the corner of his eye Mako saw her start to get up. He dropped the paper plates clattering to the table. “Korra!” he called. “What do you need?”

His wife glared blue daggers at him. Her arms were braced on either side of her rounded belly, her butt half in and half out of the yellow lawn chair already.

“What I need is for you to not treat me like I’m weak,” she said. “For spirits’ sake I have legs, Mako. I gotta pee. Again.”

Asami snorted softly from the chair next to her. Mako met her eyes. “Can you help her?” he asked.

Asami laughed. “No way. I like being alive.”

“See, she gets it?” said Korra. She shoved herself tottering to her feet and it was everything Mako could do not to reach out and steady her. “Women have been making babies for thousands of years,” she huffed. “We don’t need you hovering.”

“I’m not hovering,” he said. “The grass is uneven. Can you even see your feet?”

Korra opened her mouth but Asami hopped to her feet. “I think Iroh is burning the sausages,” she said quickly. “Go help him. I have to go to the ladies’ anyway. Too many margaritas today.”

Mako was about to reply when a shrill screech cut through the air. “Moooooooooooooommm!!!” A moment later Asami was hit in the leg by a whirl of purple and long black pigtails. 

“Hi, honey,” she said, dropping her hand to her daughter’s sobbing head. “What’s wrong?”

“San changed m-m-my r-r-r-roooooooooock!” wailed Aika.

“San changed your rock. I see.” Asami looked up at Mako and cocked an eyebrow. “Aren’t you excited?” she deadpanned. Then she popped down into a crouch and cupped Aika’s tear-stained face. “Why don’t you let Uncle Mako here take you to see Uncle Bolin?” she soothed. “He’s an expert with rocks. I bet he can put your rock back the way you like it.”

The little girl sniffed dramatically. “I want Daddy,” she said.

Asami smiled. “Or that. I’m sure Daddy can fix it, whatever it is.” She wrapped her arms around Aika’s back and hoisted her to her hip, then handed her over to Mako with a grunt. “It’s like I’m chopped liver some days,” she muttered. “Would you do the honors of delivering this important package to Daddy while we ladies go relieve ourselves?” 

Mako nodded as Aika was passed over, her sobs already fading to sniffles. Her little body felt so hot and light in his arms. She smelled like grass. He knew he’d love whatever came, but a part of him hoped for a girl all the same. Getting to know Aika over the last four years wasn’t a small bit of that, either. Against all odds Asami had turned into a good friend to them both, and through her steady love Iroh had become another. Deciding to buy the house down the street from them once he and Korra got the news had barely merited a discussion. The twins would only be a year and a half older, too. 

“Got something for you, I!” Mako called as he walked back over to the grills. In the distance he could hear more children’s shrieks, probably San and his brothers melting all the rocks in the park while Bolin egged them on. At least that’s what he hoped it was. Meelo had joined them along with Ikki, Huan, and Jinora, and the last time that had happened had involved mud tornadoes. 

The man at the grill looked up and grinned. He shook out the flames in his hands, wiped them both on his apron, then opened his arms. That’s when Mako spotted the two wide-eyed little boys wrapped around his legs. 

“Full house,” he said, taking Aika, who nuzzled promptly into his neck. “I feel like a tree.” 

“San bent my rock,” his daughter mumbled. 

“I heard,” he said. “I think the whole city heard, actually. Maybe if Uncle Mako can take on these sausages we can go find you a new one?” Iroh looked down to where his sons clung to his pants. “We’ll go slow.”

“How do you do it?” asked Mako. 

Iroh looked up. “Which part?”

“The part where Asami didn’t murder you when she was pregnant. I try to be helpful, but all Korra wants is for me to get lost.”

The general chuckled. “No, she doesn’t. She just wants to feel in control.”

“But it’s Korra! What if she hurts herself? Or the baby?”

“I once caught Asami at the top of a ladder with a welding torch,” Iroh said soberly. “I almost pissed myself. I think it was the biggest fight we ever had.” He shrugged, then shifted Aika to his other shoulder. “Then we talked about it. I told her what I needed, which was for her to take her and our child’s safety seriously. She told me what she needed, which was for me to trust her that she knew how to do that. After that it got better. Asami started asking more for what she wanted to keep me from interfering in the things that she didn’t. The fact that a lot of it required I spend all day across town wasn’t lost on me. But the way she’d light up when I came back with whatever obscure pickled thing she was craving helped me feel like I was doing something useful instead of standing around while she did all the work. I gave lots of foot rubs and firebent baths to perfect temperature. I oversaw the contract for the steam room and let her tackle the crib. And in turn she agreed to delegate more at work and hit pause on a couple of projects. It helped.” 

Mako nodded. He couldn’t see Korra letting go of anything, but she did like foot rubs. And it made him realize they really hadn’t talked much about division of labor. Mako had assumed that his job was to take care of her. Maybe there was more to that than simply trying to take over. Korra’s strength was one of the things he’d always loved about her. 

“Thanks, I,” he said. Then he looked down at the green-eyed purple bundle in Iroh’s arms. “Go find your kids some rocks. I’ll handle the rest of lunch and call you all in when it’s ready.”

Iroh smiled. “You’re going to be fine, Mako. Both of you.” Then he looked down at his legs. “Who’s ready for a colossus ride?” he called. The boys started screaming. Iroh laughed and lifted one wiggling leg high in the air before bringing it gently back down to earth.

[sakuramidnight15]

-RSA OC Information-

Character Bio

Name: Isamu Agni

(Japanese: イサム・アグニ)

Romaji: Isamu Aguni

Quote: "Many have will bounds on their own, it's their lives and not ours."

V/A: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese)

Gender: Male

Age: ???

Birthday: March 25

Star Sign: Aries

Eye Color: Dark Misty Blue (His normal eye color)

??? (Unknown Eye Color)

Hair Color: Black to Royal Blue Ombre

Height: 200 cm

Race: Crestia Demi-God

Species: Celestial Type (High-ranked)

Homeland: Themyscira Empire (4th Kingdom Level)

Family: Unnamed Father

Unnamed Mother (Cut off ties)

Unnamed Brothers

Unnamed Relatives

_______________________________________

School Status and Fun Facts

Dorm: Crystaleon (@fumikomiyasaki)

School Year: Third

Class: 3-B (Same Class with Ismene)

Student no. 17

Occupation: Student

Up-holder of the Agni Family

The Empire's Spirit Flame User

Club: N/A

Best Subject: Literature, Potions, and P.E.

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous (Mostly his left hand)

Favorite Color: Dark Colors (Mostly Blue) and Black

Favorite Food: BBQs, Fried Kebabs, Anything Spicy in the ordinary, Lemonade, Meat (Mostly), Veggies (In general), Sour Candies (Mostly Lemon),

Least Favorite Food: Syrup Sweet Candies (Mostly), Too much Mayonnaise, Charred Food (Mostly), Bubble Gum, Ox Meat,

Likes: Exploring New Places (Mostly), Doing Simple Fire Tricks (Mostly), Meeting other specimen races (Mostly within the Rift), Watching Moonrise and Sunsets, Reading Ancient Books in Libraries, His Father and Brothers,

Dislikes: Dealing about much with Aine's Antics (Well he didn't hate it that much from her), Unwanted Tricks (Mostly), Anything that mentions his mother (Mostly), Direct Spells at him, People being unreasonable to him, Losing Concentration,

Hobbies: Selective Memory, Exploring new places (Mostly), Babysitting Aine (Sometimes, Though he isn't bothered much by this at all), Reading Ancient Books (Mostly), Communication amongst Fire Messages (Mostly, from his family and witches at the empire), Finishing his plate of food,

Talents: High-skilled Celestial Magic, Levitation Abilities, Demi-God Physical Strength, Fire Mage Abilities, Dark Flame Spiritual Skills, Spirit Communication, Claymore Swordsmanship, ???,

Nicknames: Isa (From his family and friends)

Isamu-senpai or Agni-senpai (From the freshmen students)

Young Master (From all the Servants)

Big Brother (From his younger brothers)

Issy (From Aine, although it sounded like a harsh nickname)

Amu (From Achlys and Venomia)

Other Nicknames:

The Empire's Spirit Flame User

_______________________________________

Appearance and Personality

Appearance: Isamu holds a very visible muscular body build and also has a stable structure of his uphold which was the result of physical and endurance training sessions. He has black and royal blue colored haired ombre which tends to be very long at the bottom of his heel of his feet. He has dark misty blue colored eyes which they can trigger into an unknown color when using his crestia demi-god abilities. Isamu is known within the empire for his composed behavior but he tends to be blunt for his common facts for his words.

Personality: Born as the eldest son within his family household within the empire of the rift borders, he himself was originally supposed to be the leading heir of the family main blood-tree but unfortunately it didn't pass onto him but passed onto one of his brothers, much to the misfortune of the family which of course his mother didn't much likely had much thought on any of her sons, which it includes Isamu which resulted a gap between them. Since he was the firstborn eldest son, he still then focused on his fire abilities with the training that he can take by the assistance of his father and his teachers, whom he holds close to alongside his younger brothers as well within his childhood but could never understand his mother one bit as he grows up.

Well that is until after his youngest brother became heir, the family realized that the youngest child was incapable of performing the dark fire after reaching to the top which put his mother into a rage of outburst that same day, while Isamu and few of his brothers attempted to help his youngest brother in need of comfort in the evening, a raid attack appeared which it had resulted in the eldest son to notice that he was capable of the performing dark flame. Despite being the only one capable enough for the performance, he then decided to use this in order to protect his family and his brothers within his training.

The current Isamu we're meeting is now a well-behaved and composed crestia demi-god within the dormitory, who seems to keep his schedule balanced as he manages much in his timeline of busyness and workload as the current flame user within the empire in his family household, but whenever he's not busy he tends to have a habit of exploring other places such as the other countries of the rift border, anything he sees opens the tiniest spark of curiosity. Even though he is a crestia demi-god himself, that doesn't stop him from learning new things that are outside of nobility within the walls.

He rarely shows more of his emotions yet that he wants to explore them, although he has the patience to wait for himself to understand. Although he's mostly blunt and speaks through the common facts from his lips, eventually most of his words were simple to know. But it often annoyed Aine quite often which he often watches her over like a baby-sitter, though his bluntly persona didn't falter much. But if he did show some piece of emotion, such as smiling. Anyone knows that beauty is such a killing feature on his face and you know it.

For the best to not even test him at all, if so then the flames all within and around will then be visible to your eyesight at a brink of seeing how he's being messed with by anyone who tries to. True that Isamu has patience that can last for a whole day and can deal with much as he can handle, but if things get out of hand quickly, but do expect for Isamu to raise his hand at the slightest yet you won't see him do his action on you. Though then again, his physical strength plus the flames on him is now enough to end your skin and flesh since they are dark and they burn faster than normal fire power.

Fueled by anything to him alone is one thing to handle the heat, but there are other things that need to settle with. But for now, he still has a lot to learn to handle his family legacy and protection.

_______________________________________

Trivia

-The name 'Isamu' is a Japanese name meaning 'Courage, Bravery, Achievement.' While his surname 'Agni' is the meaning of 'Fire, flame' and is a girl's name of Sanskrit origin.

-He is based on Clive Rosfield, one of the protagonists from the 'Final Fantasy' Game Series.

-Apparently, he seems to have 18 younger brothers, which the youngest is about to enter teenage age while the others around younger within his age. Though they liked to be with him at all times since he was the eldest.

-He seems to be neutral with his dorm alongside with its dorm residents but is seen with his fellow crestia-demi gods. He's on the light side of the dorm.

-He often reads ancient books a lot in his free time.

-He knows a lot about dark flame abilities during his childhood, which his family and him are familiar with witches and their abilities whenever a witch visits them. So Isamu is familiar with witches whenever he sees or meets one.

-Like Aine and Achlys, he too is a pure demi-god and is also different.

-He seems to be in good terms with Achlys, which both of them are sparing partners on a daily basis during break time.

-He often explores other locations such as the other countries within the rift border that speaks his curiosity in him, he seems to have studied every single specimen race he sees whenever he goes.

-Aine seems to be annoyed with Isamu, which he was aware of. Which resulted into him becoming her watch over ( as in babysitter ) on a daily basis, but Aine isn't pleased with it which Isamu didn't care and went with it. The two have a very interesting relationship which seems a bit troublesome.

-He and Venomia were previously dance partners, but the two were just normally friends after meeting each other.

-Based on the info that had been mentioned, he wasn't picked to be the heir for the family main-blood as he was supposed to despite being a firstborn but it was passed onto his youngest brother who became the heir but Isamu wasn't bothered by it and continued his training. However it was revealed that his youngest sibling was incapable of doing the dark flame performance after reaching to the top but Isamu was the one doing so one evening of an attack, in which resulted in their mother entering an abusing and violent outbreak towards Isamu and his younger brothers. Eventually Isamu hadn't forgotten about the trauma that he and his brothers went through.

-His voice sounds very calming and mature, but the tone changes whenever things get serious for him. Which is why I chose Kenjiro Tsuda for his voice actor.

-He has a strong resentment towards his mother after everything had happened in the past. He had no plans of reconciliation with him.

-Though it appears that his father often worries Isamu, which the young tried not to worry about him too much.

-Isamu and his flames are often the heater for his fellow buddies, which he doesn't mind it.

-Losing concentration means for him to snap immediately.

[sailor-toni]

Danny Fenton Football Captain and the East Coast Vampire CH 1

You can also read it on A03, FF.NET, and on Wattpad

Chapter One: The Trainwreck House

The house was at the end of a long driveway off the main road in old Amity Park. Giant oak trees lined each side of the pavement, following the black stripe till it reached the house. The giant oaks framed the faded brown roof and broken windows with their bold yellow fall leaves. Danny hopped off his old bike, and pushed it the rest of the way. The bike had served him since middle school and still bore the scars. Glitter dollar store NASA and astronaut stickers were stuck to its frame. Several had lost most of their color turning brown yellow or blue from the past summer suns. The sun of the present had its fading sunlight reflected off those stickers. Creating spectacles of rainbow on the ground that followed where his bike went. 

The further we went, the quieter his surroundings got, the noise of the city was still there, but it sounded like it was from another room or another time. Then he came upon the house itself.  The house was a train wreck painted sickly yellow and left to die. The sunset set the broken windows ablaze with light scattering their reflections on the leaf covered ground below. Danny stuck his tongue out in disgust. The smell matched the building and he assumed it would give him a headache. The front door swung with the light breeze, each time emitting a loud creek. Danny winced, then he pulled out his phone and opened up the Discord App. 

SpaceGhostDanny: I’m here. Where are you guys? 

SayonaraPaulieCat: The girls and I are still getting ready! We will be there soon!

TouchDownHero: I lost the board. 

ThisSunnyBoi: I’m almost there, I stopped by Nasty Burger for dinner. What do you mean you lost the board? 

TouchDownHero: Look I put it on my bed and now it’s gone. 

SayonaraPaulieCat: Not again!

SpaceGhostDanny: If Kwan is still in town he can get a new one from Walmart. 

ThisSunnyBoi: Yeah! 

TouchDownHero: No, a normal board won’t work. It has to be this vintage one I found! 

SayonaraPaulieCat: Val says she is calling BS

SpaceGhostDanny: Hey Kwan if I pay you back later can you grab me a nasty double burger, extra secret nasty sauce, a milkshake and large fries. 

ThisSunnyBoi: Sure! 

SayonaraPaulieCat: Oh! Star wants a nasty kid’s meal with BBQ sauce and the girl’s toy and a coke, Val wants a triple nasty burger with fries, no drink. Can you get me large fries and sparkling water? 

 ThisSunnyBoi: Uh you have the money for this?

SayonaraPaulieCat: I just Venmo-ed you. 

ThisSunnyBoi: Okay order is right up! 

Kwan added a few wide mouth smile emoji’s after his message. Danny sighed, Dash was right. Kwan did text like a white mom. He shoved the phone into his Casper High letterman jacket and took another look at the puke house. 

A chill shot up his spine as a woman stared back at him. Her skin was melting off her body like wax. The green skin dripped off her sharp chin and splashed onto his feet. But her eyes. They weren't there, instead they had been replaced with two small red flames, like someone had shoved candles into her eye sockets. 

“H-hi h-how can I h-h-Elp you?” Danny took a step back but the woman grabbed his arm and yanked him closer. The lack of breath on his ear terrified him. 

“Get out before HE sees you” Danny was sent flying back, his back crashing into his bike. He shoved himself up and threw his fist up, but the woman was gone. The only sign of her was his own breath escaping his lips in small puffs of smoke. 

“I don’t know who you are Lady but this is supposed to be my night off,” There was no response. “Hey!” Danny called out louder. Wisp of green began to gather in his palm. He cautiously approaches the house, watching for any sign of movement in the leaves. Green vapors began to grow and swirl in his palms, as he moved towards the center of the driveway. 

A sharp and cold wind whipped around him, blowing the golden leaves below him into a frenzy. Until he was in the center of a golden tornado. Splotches of black and red appeared between the holes of gold. The vapor in his palm sharpened into spikes of green energy. Each spike was hurled at the splotches, each one missing as she moved through the leaves. The house’s front door was swinging rapidly with the wind, creaking back and forth. 

“Young Halfa,” she said. “Your life will be in great danger if he finds you, so acknowledge this threat and-” The wind was now a tornado, sucking the air out of its center, choking him. Then as suddenly as it came it stopped. Leaves fell around him as the woman stood in front of the house. “Leave,” Danny shot another energy spike at her. She tilted her head and the train wreck of the house took the abuse in her stead. “Please,” she begged. 

“Who?” Danny gasped out, but the woman was gone. The front door slammed shut. The wind was gone completely now. Not even the leaves still on the trees moved around him. 

Slowly getting up Danny brushed himself off, his red letterman jacket was thankfully unscathed. He looked at the door, then around him, and finally at the door again. It was closed, the horrible creaking from before was gone, but he had to know. So, he began to slowly approach it. Each step closer sent his nerves on edge. His breath was coming out in a long puff of smoke, and he could feel the goosebumps on his arm raise up like small mountains. His fingers brushed the frosty cold doorknob, shocking him. Forcing his arm forward again, the metal didn’t sting his fingers a second time, but the hair on his body rose with the wave of goosebumps. 

“Hey Fenton! What are you doing? Trying to get a sneak peek?” Danny jumped, the green vapors became a mist around his hands. Ready to strike, he turned to see Kwan Seok walking up to him. Kwan's red ten-gear mountain bike was propped up next to Danny’s. Its metal basket was over filled with drinks and Nasty Burger bags. 

“Kwan, we have to get out of here, “Danny jogged to his friend, hiding his hands in his coat pocket.

“What why? I just got here,” Kwan said. 

“This place just doesn’t feel right”

“Well duh!” Kwan rolled his eyes. 

“Hun?” Danny looked at his friend with a dumbfounded look. 

“It’s an abandoned house from the 1800’s, of course it won’t feel right to you. You're not used to it, plus it's all run down and stuff, so it looks gross as well.” 

“That’s- that’s not what I mean dude. I mean there is something wrong with this place.”

“What? Like a ghost?”

“Um, yeah?” 

“This whole town is filled with ghost dude, plus isn’t that the reason we're here? To talk to the dead and stuff?” Kwan wasn’t wrong. Dash had invited them here to see if they could talk to the ghost of the old mansion. 

“Okay, but I don’t think we are going to be talking to Casper the friendly ghost here. This thing might attack us or something.” 

“Are you scared Fenton?”

“No!”

“Awww is our captain scared of a little ghost? Dude your parents are like crazy ghost hunters how can you be scared of a ghost?” 

“I’m not scared dude.” 

“Don’t worry. I know you're scared but dude, the Kwan-ster is here to protect you! Plus,” Kwan slapped his arm around Danny’s shoulder “if a ghost does start to cause trouble, we can just use Dash as a meat shield. This was his idea anyways” The two snickered at the mental image of their blond friend being held up like a shield. 

“What are you guys laughing about?” Behind them arrived Valerie Gray and Star Morninglory. Yes, that is Star’s legal name. Her parents were new-age spiritualists in the 80’s but now all they do is smoke pot and worship Elon Musk from their three garage townhouse. 

“We were talking about using Dash as a meat shield if anything goes wrong!” Kwan yelled out. 

“Ooh that sounds like a great idea, count me in!” Star showed back. 

“Count me in two.” Valerie jest. Star stood on the back of Valerie’s bike, her pink converse supported by two small bars on Valerie’s back wheels. Paulina Sanchez rode up behind them in a pink motorized scooter. Little pairs of pink pom-poms hung from her handlebars. 

“Ooooh! I call using him as a meat shield first!” She yelled.

“No way, it was my idea first so Fenton and I get to use him first.”

“But you boys are already so strong and big. Shouldn’t you protect the ladies first?” 

“What do you think Fenton?” Kwan asked.

“We should get Dash first.”

“Danny!” Paulina yelled as she stopped right in front of him. Her long curly hair looked perfect. No Paulina was always perfect, and today she was wearing that pink v-shaped crop top. “You wouldn't protect me from the ghost?”

Danny forced his eyes up “I would. That’s why you would get Dash after we use him.”

“That’s right Danny!” Kwan laughed.

“Ugh you boys.” Paulina rolled her eyes.

“Yo! Speaking of Dash, where the hell is he?” Valerie spoke up. She had her hair in a tight bun above her head, and was wearing a bright orange tank top and denim shorts. 

“Is he still looking for the board?” Star stepped off the bike, almost falling over in the process. 

“Ugh, it's just like him to lose it.” Valerie scoffed. Parking her bike next to the others. 

“Let’s just have a picnic until he gets here then, Kwan did you get the food?”

“Yep it's right here.”

Star pulled out a large quilted blanket from her star-shaped backpack. The quilt was covered in flowers and butterflies in tacky orange and pink, but no one seemed to mind as they sat down and grabbed their meals from Kwan. Their conversation and inside jokes slowed down as the gang shoved food down their mouths. Danny sat between Paulina and Valerie, while Kwan sat next to Star. The two had been dating for almost a year and it was still stomach churning to watch them together. Their lovey dovey sweet talk could give a puppy cavities, every event they went to they wore matching or color coordinated outfits, even now they both wore spooky black shirts under their red and white jackets. And worst of all, they were a packaged deal. Everywhere Star went, Kwan came as well.

Kwan smirked at him. Danny frowned and munched down on his double nasty burger. Paulina and Valerie were almost complete opposites. Paulina was the head cheerleader with the personality to match. Everything was pink or Barbie related, today she even had pink butterfly clips in her beautiful waist length hair. Meanwhile Valerie was the head of the volleyball team and track team. Her body was toned to perfection and looked like it could crush him. But she still wore makeup and had beaded friendship bracelets hanging over her sweat bands. Both were some of the strongest people Danny knew. And he had a major crush on both. His face buried every time his elbow knocked against one of theirs, or when he reached for a napkin and Paulina’s hand brushed his. 

“Oops! Sorry you go first,” Her voice was like a melody leaving her sweet pink lips. Just being in between them allowed him to forget about the ghost. Oh! The ghost! He took a peek at the train wreck house, and he saw a pair of red eyes disappear from the upstairs broken window. 

“Hey if Dash doesn't come we could head down to the roller skate rink.” He said, glancing away from the ghost. 

“I don’t know, exploring this house could be cool. We could film it and put it on YouTube.” Valerie said.

“Oh I always wanted to do urban exploring!” Star said.

“What if the house falls apart or falls on you?” Danny said

“We can call 911,” Danny accepted Star’s answer. 

“Still I don’t-” 

“Look there’s Dash!” Kwan motioned his friend over.

Dash ran up the driveway, the Ouija board tucked under his arm. “I found it!” he said, holding it up in the air. Everyone gave a quick cheer, some holding up their sodas, others returning to their meals. 

“Did you guys get me anything?” Dash asked. 

“No. You didn’t ask bro.”

“What! But I had to find the stupid board!”

“Calm down Dash, you can have my fries,” Danny handed his fries over to dash. The hulking football star groaned before he joined them. An annoyed expression on his face as he munched on the fries. 

“So you wanna explain why it had to be that Ouija board and not like, something from the dollar store?” Valerie asked.

“This one is a family heirloom. My great Nana told me they smuggled this over when the Nazi’s started bombing France. It’s been in my family since the 1600’s or something like that, and I figured since it’s so old it has to work. We just, uh, have to be careful, my Great-Nana will kill me if this gets damaged.” 

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this then. I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of great-grandma-Baxter.” 

“Oh Danny cut it out. We all agreed to do this, it's too late to back out now” Paulina snapped. 

“Are you scared Danny?” Dash said. 

“NO! I’m not scared.” 

“Aw it's okay Danny Valerie is here to be the brave one tonight.” Star and Valerie burst out into laughter. 

“Hey don’t forget about me.” Dash flexed his muscles. 

“Pff as if,” 

“What?” 

“Do you remember last year at the Halloween fair? You screamed like a girl when that clown came up behind you,” Valerie snickered. 

“Hey, we all saw It. Clowns are scary. And whatever, are you guys ready to go in or not?” Dash said. 

The sun was starting to set below the horizon, the shadows around them were merging into big swaths of darkness. The houses’ windows were now completely black, like a void had taken over the walls of the house, and watched their every move. Dash tried the front door, first gently pulling on it, then yanking it, then he used his whole body to pull it open. 

“I think it’s locked.” Paulina said. 

“Then maybe we should-” 

“NO!” Everyone cut Danny off. 

Dash motioned for Kwan, and together the two boys grasped the handle and pulled for dear life. But the door refused to budge. Staying back with the girls, Danny whipped his head around for any sign of the ghost. CRACK! The boys fell over the steps with the door handle still in their hands. Without its rusted handle or lock, the door swung open with a long high pitch creek.

[ejbcya]

FFXIV Free Company Housing ‘Starstruck’

Beyond an aether shadow of a doubt.

Jenova, Empyreum 5th Ward, Plot 1

more pictures and commentary under the cut

Been playing ffxiv lately and the free company i’m in got a house when the lottery system first dropped a while back. was appointed housing master since nobody else was really playing at the time and were keen to decorate.

only a small plot but the view is nice being fairly isolated and elevated from the other houses. got easy access to the marketboard which was really helpful when i was crafting most of the furniture.

exterior furniture limit was a measly 20 items but the cafe exterior did alleviate the limit by including a cute patio and outdoor dining. replaced the stargazing carbuncle for a striking dummy so i could place a retainer outside attending the bbq spit.

small houses are only allowed one gardening plot so i placed ours up front. can actually reach the roof by jumping from the stables or garden here.

current entrance design. wanted to mimic the window arch of the default exterior as basement glitching obscured original entrance. the back of the tonberry couch and decorative wall fan made a nice rising sun pattern when clipped through the window.

older design originally had wooden slats give a stronger impression of separate doors with a more pronounced handle, but decided to save slots and replace it with a fabric rack above to accent the couch pattern - it also served as a hitbox, otherwise players could clip through the whole door (which is still possible by just jumping through the window lol).

current west wall. used aurora lights phasmascape as falcon’s nest is nearby ishgard. creating the lattice pattern used two factory partitions since the phasmascape has a slight curve around the middle. added a tabletop showcase giving a soft back glow and subtle reflection up close.

old pic of west wall. i liked the idea of a curved window frame but changed it since the slot commitment was a bit high when i also used two swag valences to hide the upper part of the phasmascape. liked the bread rack textures as a wall accent better, but the current blank partitions are wide enough to also force camera to not clip into the adjacent bookshelves.

even older pic of west wall, where the window was wider. might return to this idea and expose more of the distant sky. could probably hang more curtains so it looks less like a high hanging flatscreen tv.

also older pic of entrance lounge. south seas couch is real nice matching by the fortemps fireplace, but decided against the whites and marble.

old pic of entrance and lounge. bit better view of the custom ceiling which is still present. lofted a glade canopy bed to encircle the chandelier. used to have the cute ronka rocking chair floated ontop the harpsichord, but wanted a couch for at least two people to chill.

current entrance lounge. snuck the suzaku painting into the crafting loom as a ‘magical fireplace’ of sorts. - didn’t like the idea of live flames being so close to all these books lol.

current north wall. used the wondrous door window as, well, a door. rotated it so that the sun rays don’t shine inwards. hid the g’raha portrait and used the bottom tassel to accent the door. originally wanted those tassels on the west aurora wall, but the painting kept snapping to the lattice factory partitions.

another view of current north wall. lots more book shelves. chopped down a lot of rosewood trees. flipped the staggered shelf and used the blank middle circle to hang a clock, hiding the numbers. basement entrance is right behind the trick door bookshelf.

old east wall. used to have a private and cozy reading nook - (un)fortunately inaccessible to taller people.

current east wall. replaced the reading nook with a retainer waiting nook. hid a storm cot behind a hingan shelf, exposing just the wall papers. floated a nymian wall lamp against the storm cot vertical beam, making it appear as a rotatable fixture.

current east wall, upper floor. used glade bookshelf as a table and rotated the orchestrion because i like the back pattern.

old pic of basement hallway. i like using wood slats as partitions, but alas, the furniture limit limits thus.

old basement hallway also didn’t branch right into back boiler room. window light rays looked nice shining on the indoor tree.

old basement entryway. used to have a small lounge with the retainer bell stacked on some books. the oasis couch was snug was lined nicely with the wall and shelf.

current basement hallway. made aquariums freshwater as the brackish water gives a softer yellow green lighting.

also like having the allagan nodes floating in the tank. just silly lil floating guys. used to have chairs hidden under these partition tables so you sit right next to the aquarium glass, but scrapped the idea to save on slots.

current basement entryway. lowered ceiling with tatami loft and added hanging ornamental array. even more bookshelves yup.

and walking up these stairs to..

a small dining area! one of my fav spots in the house and surprisingly went through the least renovations. the crystal array and seawater tank gave a vibrant blue lighting, distinct from all other areas so far. lofted an indoor pond so camera wouldn’t clip into this area from the below kitchen, but the geometry caused rocks to still jut out, which i personally feel adds a bit more rustic flare anyhow.

and the kitchen area right below the dining room. rotated the hingan oven such that the pipe lined up with a ceiling light fixture. wanted to give impression of exposed plumbing, leading to boiler room in the next room over.

kitchen’s other side, with a step stool for me. saving slots meant exposing the blue stage curtain draping from the dining area. wanted to place a lot of edible foods on the table, but ended up only using a cooking facility and grocery cart to cover a wider area of the kitchen steppe kitchen.

old pic of backroom boiler hallway. changed the sliding door to a simple windor-door to better guide camera through the hallway. used to have a hairdresser bell here, thinking you’d be able to chill in the bath close by right after a haircut.

old backroom. used to the ‘red room’ as that’ll be all i’d see when i miss the hammer tower minigame. was fond of how the cataur was illuminated dramatically here.

had the stairs lead up to a glade bath. the cherry petals looked really pretty floating in the water. the ambiance when the light was shining was really lovely.

eventually scrapped the backroom-bathroom idea in favour of a more industrial boiler-energy room that would provide energy throughout the house. used lots of enigma partitions alongside factory grates here.

lots of motion with the rotating gears, and even occasional steam exhaust from the alchemy furnace. loose fabrics close to rotating gears might be a safety hazard, but i still like the stage curtain hanging here.

finally a bonus pic of the void. would sometimes jump up after closing menus and find myself here. can see the panels and bed i stuck through the ceiling.

ffxiv housing is fun with the unique kinds of furnishings available and the housing community is always sharing new and creative designs. thanks for reading through this guided tour and hope you visit our small house in this big mmo!

[gate-city-schoolhouse]

2024 ANNUAL BLUEBERRY PANCAKE BREAKFAST AND RAFFLE

RAFFLE ITEMS AVAILABLE THIS YEAR - Thank you to local businesses supporting our Schoolhouse!

Stella-Jones - Cord of Firewood

Rochester Lumber - Jack, Pans, Window Shade

Grand Mound Starbucks - Coffee, Cups, Nuts

Fairfield Inn Grand Mound - 1 Night Stay

Nelson Furniture - Bench

Tractor Supply Grand Mound - Dog / Flag

Tacoma Rainiers - 4 Tickets

Rochester Fruit - 2 Boxes of Fruit

Scatter Creek Vet - Basket + $75 Certificate

Lael's Landscape and Stone Supply - 5 Yards of Bark

Skyzone - (5) 10 Tickets

South Sound Licensing - State Park Pass

Figaro's Pizza - 3 Pizza Dinners

VJ Bargain Barn - Door

Feed Bin - Chicken Start Kit, feed

JAGS - 5 Yards Bark

Scatter Creek Nursery - $50 Certificate

18 Dicks Sausage & Deli - $25 Certificate

NW Hardwood - (2) Board Ends

Holiday Inn Express Chehalis - (2) 1 Night Certificate

L&E Bottling - 10 cases Pop

Everett Aqua Sox (2) 4 Seat Packages

Hannah Airport Limo - 4 hr Ride

Country Corner Market - Steer Manure, Chicken Manure, Potting Soil

Brian Rikstad - Wooden Flag

Museum of Glass - 8 Tickets

Papa Diner - $25 Certificate

Flaming Pig BBQ - (2) $50 Certificate

Farrelli's Pizza (2) $50 Certificate, Hat, Shirt

Holy Lamb Organics - Pillow

Long Beach Breakers - 2 Night Stay (1 bedroom condo)

Tractor Supply Lacey - 8 Solar Lights

Papa Murphy's (2) Family Size Pizza, 1 Sides, 2 liter Soda

Holiday Inn Express Marysville - 1 Night Stay

O'Blarney's - (2) $25 Certificate

Les Schwab Centralia - Wheel Alignment

Ocean Shores Inn/Suites - 2 Night Stay

Holiday Inn Express Sequim - (2) 1 Night Stay

Lael's Moon Garden - $25 Certificate

Dutch Bro's Grand Mound - $50 Certificate, Coffee & Bottle Box

Apple Bee's - $25 Certificate

Hallmark Resort Cannon Beach - 2 Nights

Eagle's Landing Golf Portland - 4 Rounds

Spooner Berry's (2) Flat Berries

Emerald Downs - 4 Tickets, Parking, Program

Lucky Eagle Hotel - 1 Night, Dinner, Breakfast

The Power Shop - Cordless Pruner

OK Tire - Max Tire Repair Kit

Tractor Supply Chehalis - Rooster

Quizno's Grand Mound - 5 Small Sandwiches

Seattle Art Museum - 3 Tickets

O'Reilly Auto Parts - Car Wash Bucket / Supplies

The Barn Nursery - Garden Basket

Weyerhaeuser - Lot A: Large bag Soil; Lot B: Small Bags Soil; Lot C: Trees --- Several of each

Firehouse Subs - 3 Medium Subs

Starbucks Elma (2) Coffee / Cup Baskets

Satsop Nursery - 5 Blueberry Plants

Cascade Pizza Elma - 1 Large Pizza

Thriftway Elma - (2) 5 boxes Pop, 1 Case Water

Staybridge Beyond Hotel Elma - 1 Night, Jacuzzi, Suite

Big Foot BBQ - Rack of Ribs, 2 Large Sides

Alyn & Tia - Tea & Lavender Tart Basket

Alyn & Tia - Coffee & Cookie Basket

Bayview Elma - Large Crockpot & Liners

Hope to see you there!

[bevkuckes]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Mens Tommy Bahama Relax “Flame and Fortune” bbq Grill Graphic Tee Size XXL.

[gaslogfiresmelbourne]

How to Have Fun With Outdoor Fireplaces This Summer

As summer approaches, the idea of sitting around a blazing fire might seem counterintuitive. However, outdoor fireplaces can be more than just sources of warmth; they can transform your backyard into a vibrant and entertaining space. 

For practical tips and ideas for making the most of outdoor fireplaces during the summer months, read on.

1. Choosing the Right Outdoor Fireplace

Before diving into the fun, it's essential to have the right outdoor fireplace for your needs. There are various options available, from traditional wood-burning fire pits to modern gas-powered fireplaces. Consider factors such as space, maintenance, and budget when making your choice.

Wood-Burning Fire Pits: Ideal for a classic, rustic feel. They require regular maintenance, but the crackling sound and authentic ambience are hard to beat.

Gas Fireplaces: Convenient and easy to use, with the flip of a switch. They provide instant heat without the mess of wood. While they might lack the traditional appeal, they offer a sleek and modern aesthetic.

Chimineas: A stylish alternative, chimineas are often made of clay or metal. They come in various designs and are excellent for small spaces.

2. Safety First: Set Up Your Outdoor Fireplace Properly

Before you start roasting marshmallows or enjoying the warmth, it's crucial to prioritise safety. Here are some essential safety tips:

Location Matters: Place your outdoor fireplace on a stable, non-flammable surface. Keep it away from overhanging trees or structures.

Clear the Area: Ensure there are no flammable materials near the fireplace. Create a safe zone by removing dry leaves, paper, or any other combustible items.

Supervise Open Flames: Never leave a burning fire unattended. Keep a watchful eye on the flames, especially if there are children or pets around.

Have Safety Tools On Hand: Keep a bucket of water or a fire extinguisher nearby. It's better to be over-prepared than caught off guard.

3. Create the Perfect Ambiance

Once your outdoor fireplace is set up safely, it's time to focus on the ambience. Achieve the right atmosphere by considering these elements:

Seating Arrangement: Arrange comfortable seating around the fireplace. Think about incorporating outdoor sofas, cushions, or even bean bags for a relaxed vibe.

Lighting: Enhance the mood with strategic lighting. String lights, lanterns, or LED candles can create a cosy ambience without the need for additional heat.

Music: Set the tone with a curated playlist. Choose tunes that complement the laid-back outdoor setting, creating a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

4. Cook Up Some Fun

Outdoor fireplaces aren't just for warmth; they're also fantastic for cooking delicious meals. Elevate your outdoor dining experience with these ideas:

Marshmallow Roasting: Classic but timeless. Roast marshmallows for gooey s'mores or enjoy them on their own.

BBQ Night: Turn your outdoor fireplace into a barbecue. Grill skewers, sausages, and veggies for a tasty feast.

Pizza Oven: Invest in a pizza oven attachment for your outdoor fireplace. Create homemade pizzas with a crisp, smoky flavour.

Fondue Party: Set up a fondue station using the heat from the fireplace. Melted cheese, chocolate, or even hot oil for a savoury fondue experience.

5. Outdoor Movie Night

Transform your backyard into an open-air cinema with the help of your outdoor fireplace. Here's how:

Projection Setup: Invest in a quality outdoor projector and screen. Hang a white sheet or use a portable screen for a DIY setup.

Cosy Seating: Arrange blankets, cushions, and outdoor furniture for comfortable seating. Encourage guests to bring their own blankets for added warmth.

Snack Bar: Set up a snack bar with popcorn, nachos, and other movie favourites. Keep the treats flowing as you enjoy the film.

6. Stargazing Evenings

Take advantage of the clear Australian summer nights to indulge in some stargazing around the fireplace. Here's how to make it an event:

Blankets and Pillows: Create a comfortable stargazing spot with blankets and pillows. Encourage everyone to lay back and enjoy the celestial show.

Stargazing Apps: Download stargazing apps to identify constellations, planets, and other celestial objects. Share interesting facts about the night sky with friends and family.

Telescope Fun: If you have a telescope, set it up for a closer look at the moon and stars. It adds an educational element to the evening.

Conclusion

Having fun with outdoor fireplaces this summer is all about creativity, safety, and embracing the unique features of your outdoor space. Whether you're hosting a barbecue, enjoying a movie night, or simply relaxing by the fire while looking up at the stars.

Contact us at The Log Fire Company, your most trusted log fireplace installation service provider in Melbourne.

[my-weird-news]

Raging Washington Wildfires: 2 Lives Lost, Hundreds of Buildings Devastated 😢

Wildfires: Nature's Uninvited BBQ Party Gone Wrong Well, well, well, if it isn't the latest episode of "Mother Nature's Hot Mess Express"! 🌲🔥 And let's just say, this time she really outdid herself. Wildfires have decided to set up camp in eastern Washington, leaving destruction and chaos in their blazing wake. Two people have already met their unfortunate demise, probably thinking, "Well, at least I won't need sunscreen anymore." One unlucky soul was discovered lifeless in the midst of the Gray fire, which sounds more like a failed color experiment in a paint factory than a wildfire. 🎨 Another unfortunate person was found crisped to a golden brown in the Oregon fire. I guess even the wildfires thought "Portlandia" was a bit overrated. So, let's get this straight: the Gray fire thought it was a good idea to spark up near Medical Lake in Spokane County. Not exactly the ideal spot for a lakeside vacation, I'd say. By the time Monday rolled around, this fire had transformed 15.6 square miles of land into its personal barbecue pit. Meanwhile, over 5,000 residents were forced to pack their bags and experience an unexpected "camping trip" in the city's evacuation centers. What a way to test your survival skills! Hold on to your marshmallows, because those brave Canadian firefighters are battling these infernos too. It's like a cross-border firefighting exchange program! Thousands of people are huddled in evacuation centers, probably exchanging stories about how their pets are the real MVPs in a crisis. And here's the kicker – at least 185 buildings have been roasted, toasted, and generally reduced to ashes by the Gray fire's pyromaniac tendencies. But fear not, folks, the number is expected to skyrocket as officials play the world's most depressing game of "Where's Waldo: Charred Edition." Isabelle Hoygaard, the official spokesperson for the Gray fire circus, confirmed that the small town of Medical Lake and its not-so-distant neighbor, Silver Lake, have received special attention from the flames. It's like a twisted real estate makeover show hosted by a fire-breathing dragon. Now, let's not forget the Oregon fire, which decided it was a great idea to join the blazing party. This fire started its own little forest rave northeast of Elk, Washington. It's like the forest version of a college frat party gone wrong, complete with too much heat and not enough water to go around. The flames devoured 15.8 square miles of land, leaving a trail of disappointment in its wake. But wait, there's more! Over 80 buildings have been turned into s'mores by the Oregon fire, and about 150 more are eagerly awaiting their turn to experience the crispy crunch. It's like the universe's worst bake sale – instead of cookies, you get burnt shingles and a side of regret. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took a little field trip to the charred remains and decided to declare a statewide emergency. And, of course, he took to social media to announce his findings, probably with a selfie in front of a smoking tree stump. He's even had a chat with President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about getting some federal aid. Both of them agree that these wildfires are the Earth's way of reminding us that it's really mad about climate change. In the meantime, investigators are on the hunt to find out what exactly sparked these fiery fiestas. Dry, windy conditions were obviously the uninvited guests, turning a barbecue into an all-you-can-burn bonanza. 🔥 So, let's hope Mother Nature gets the memo and starts sending invites to cooler events. Until then, remember: when nature throws a party, it's always BYOB (Bring Your Own Buckets). Stay safe out there, folks! 🚒🔥🌲# Wildfires: Nature's Uninvited BBQ Party Gone Wrong Well, well, well, if it isn't the latest episode of "Mother Nature's Hot Mess Express"! 🌲🔥 And let's just say, this time she really outdid herself. Wildfires have decided to set up camp in eastern Washington, leaving destruction and chaos in their blazing wake. Two people have already met their unfortunate demise, probably thinking, "Well, at least I won't need sunscreen anymore." One unlucky soul was discovered lifeless in the midst of the Gray fire, which sounds more like a failed color experiment in a paint factory than a wildfire. 🎨 Another unfortunate person was found crisped to a golden brown in the Oregon fire. I guess even the wildfires thought "Portlandia" was a bit overrated. So, let's get this straight: the Gray fire thought it was a good idea to spark up near Medical Lake in Spokane County. Not exactly the ideal spot for a lakeside vacation, I'd say. By the time Monday rolled around, this fire had transformed 15.6 square miles of land into its personal barbecue pit. Meanwhile, over 5,000 residents were forced to pack their bags and experience an unexpected "camping trip" in the city's evacuation centers. What a way to test your survival skills! Hold on to your marshmallows, because those brave Canadian firefighters are battling these infernos too. It's like a cross-border firefighting exchange program! Thousands of people are huddled in evacuation centers, probably exchanging stories about how their pets are the real MVPs in a crisis. And here's the kicker – at least 185 buildings have been roasted, toasted, and generally reduced to ashes by the Gray fire's pyromaniac tendencies. But fear not, folks, the number is expected to skyrocket as officials play the world's most depressing game of "Where's Waldo: Charred Edition." Isabelle Hoygaard, the official spokesperson for the Gray fire circus, confirmed that the small town of Medical Lake and its not-so-distant neighbor, Silver Lake, have received special attention from the flames. It's like a twisted real estate makeover show hosted by a fire-breathing dragon. Now, let's not forget the Oregon fire, which decided it was a great idea to join the blazing party. This fire started its own little forest rave northeast of Elk, Washington. It's like the forest version of a college frat party gone wrong, complete with too much heat and not enough water to go around. The flames devoured 15.8 square miles of land, leaving a trail of disappointment in its wake. But wait, there's more! Over 80 buildings have been turned into s'mores by the Oregon fire, and about 150 more are eagerly awaiting their turn to experience the crispy crunch. It's like the universe's worst bake sale – instead of cookies, you get burnt shingles and a side of regret. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took a little field trip to the charred remains and decided to declare a statewide emergency. And, of course, he took to social media to announce his findings, probably with a selfie in front of a smoking tree stump. He's even had a chat with President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about getting some federal aid. Both of them agree that these wildfires are the Earth's way of reminding us that it's really mad about climate change. In the meantime, investigators are on the hunt to find out what exactly sparked these fiery fiestas. Dry, windy conditions were obviously the uninvited guests, turning a barbecue into an all-you-can-burn bonanza. 🔥 So, let's hope Mother Nature gets the memo and starts sending invites to cooler events. Until then, remember: when nature throws a party, it's always BYOB (Bring Your Own Buckets). Stay safe out there, folks! 🚒🔥🌲 Read the full article

[jplupine]

Feral Possession: Chapter 11

Old Rival

Pairing: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez x Wynter Hughes [Nonbinary OC] Word Count: ~4.6k WARNINGS: 18+ Minors/Ageless get blocked, Exophilia, Demon!Grimmjow, Feral Behavior, Grimmjow being a Terror, Threats of Bodily Harm

Summary: Hosting a BBQ is easier when there's not a demon and exorcist present at the same time.

You can also read it on AO3!

Masterlist | Chapter 11: 

  Sweat was dripping down my back as the summer sun beat down on me. I had already managed to mow the lawn, but the sun was continuing to be relentless as I did yard work. The damn demon wasn't even bothering to help and instead took to lounging in the pool while sipping on some juice.

  "You know, a lot of this shit is from you." I rose my voice while dragging a broken tree limb across the yard. "Wouldn't hurt to clean up after yourself."

  "I fought the demon, my job here is done." Grimmjow raised his glass at me while grinning. He was in his human form again, but I could assume that had more to do with everyone coming over later for a barbecue.

  "You could at least help me chop the wood."

  "Nah, you're doing fine over there, Little Rabbit. Keep up the good work." Huffing, I snapped the twigs and smaller branches from the main branch. Making a pile for kindling, I then went to the porch and grabbed the ax. Propping it on my shoulder, I placed my other hand on my hip while looking at the blue-haired man floating on a blow-up seat.

  "I thought you'd jump at the chance to break something."

  "Breaking bones, yes. Chopping wood, no." Grimmjow waved a finger at me. "Go on, Little Rabbit. Get the wood for tonight's dinner." He was both taunting and condescending, making me roll my eyes.

  "You're just the fuckin' rich lady, and I'm the pool boy." Shaking my head, I saw Grimmjow raise a brow at me. "It's a trope. Rich lady has the pool boy do laborious tasks so she can ogle him as he works. And you, in the pool, have been watching me this entire time, working."

  "Sounds more like a porn trope."

  "Well, it's that too."

  "Oh?"

  "No."

  "Then, go on, pool boy. Finish your tasks." Grimmjow smirked before taking a drink. Sighing through my nose, I went back to the branch and set to work. I had already been sweating, and swinging the ax down on the wood only made me sweat more. I'd already taken my shirt off earlier, so I was just going to have to deal with this for now.

  I was soon craving the shower that would follow this.

  "You missed a spot!" Grimmjow hollered.

  "I'm chopping wood, not cleaning, you ass!" I shouted back before pulling the ax from the branch to swing it again. "You're so much nicer when you're sleeping." I popped off.

  "I heard that!"

  "Good!"

  "Yui said she's bringing her cousin with her, so you better behave." I looked right at Grimmjow while drying my hair with a towel. He clicked his tongue at me, and I pointed. "I mean it. I will compel you to behave if I have to."

  "Bore me to death, why don't you?"

  "I just might." Pushing open the back door, I let Dagur run out and dropped my towel to my shoulders. "Hey, how are you with alcohol? Daniel's bringing booze to go with the barbecue."

  "Doesn't do shit. Who the fuck is Daniel?"

  "I do have more than just two friends, you know."

  "Shock."

  "Grimmjow, sit." I heard a thump followed by low growling. "We still have some time before I have to start cooking. Do you want me to make you do chores in that time?"

  "Fuck you."

  "I didn't think so." Checking the time, I slid the towel off of my shoulders. "I should go ahead and start the fire, though." I muttered before going to put away the towel.

  Going out to the firepit, I stacked the kindling in with leaves before pulling out the lighter. Holding the small flame close to the leaves, they caught fire. I gently blew on the little fire to feed it as it slowly spread to the sticks.

  I tended to the fire to make sure it wouldn't go out and steadily added more sticks to burn until there was a strong flame rising from the firepit.

  "You got a phone call." Grimmjow called out from the back door. "Your little girlfriend is on her way."

  "She's not my girlfriend."

  "Whatever." I rolled my eyes.

  "Why were you even answering my phone?"

  "'Cause there's caller ID, and I don't give a shit about pissing you off." Looking back over my shoulder, I saw the demon leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed. "You know what? Maybe I should send your nudes to your friends." His gaze dropped as one of his hands lifted to show he had my cell phone.

  "I don't have nudes, you jackass."

  "They don't know that." Grimmjow stood up, and I saw him fiddling with my phone while his other hand was on his hip.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Making nudes."

  "....What?"

  "Making nudes." He then pulled the waistband of his sweatpants outward and aimed the phone down. There was a flash of light, and my eyes widened.

  "Stop!" I scrambled to my feet, and the demon got a Chesire grin while taking another photo. "Grimmjow!" He then bolted from the door while maniacally laughing. He ran so quickly to the living room with me chasing after him, and then vaulted over the couch to avoid me. "I fucking swear!"

  "Who should I send 'em to first, huh?!" He called back to me as I chased him up the stairs.

  "Delete them!"

  "How about your little girlfriend? She'll be mighty impressed, Wynter!" He burst into another fit of laughter while waving the phone.

  "No!" I managed to corner him at the end of the hall, but with cat-like grace, he jumped right over my head and ran back down the hallway. "You fucker!"

  "Oooh, how about piss-boy?! Make him really jealous!"

  "I'm gonna kill you!"

  "You literally can't, Little Rabbit!" Grimmjow laughed while turning to face me as he waved the phone to taunt. "I'll just send 'em to all your contacts. How's that?"

  "Don't you dare." I pointed at him.

  "It's just the 'Send All' option, right?" He looked at the phone's screen with amusement on his features while I was panting from running back and forth through the house. Wait....why was I even chasing him?

  "Grimmjow, give me my phone." I commanded, and his grin fell as his hand shot out in my direction. His arm was shaking as he tried to fight the compulsion, and I snatched my phone from his hand. I saw my home screen and went to the photo album to delete his pictures. "Grimmjow, sit." I quickly said when he looked as if he was going to snatch the phone back.

  I then paused.

  I'd have to see the photos to delete them.

  "It just dawned on ya, didn't it?" Grimmjow gave a shit-eating grin. "Go on, Little Rabbit. Delete the photos."

  "You're so immature."

  "Try not to stare too much."

  "Please, it wouldn't be the first dick I've seen. I mean, I'm looking at one right now." I popped off while looking him dead in the eye, and his eyebrow twitched as he snarled. Tapping on the camera album, the photos loaded. I then rolled my eyes as my shoulders slumped. "You fucking asshole."

  Grimmjow cracked up, knowing the photos he took were just of his boxers and nothing more than that. I then paused and looked back at my phone screen.

  "Wait, are those-"

  "I don't have any human clothes, what did you expect?"

  "I'm gonna have to get you your own clothes, aren't I?" I sighed while pinching the bridge of my nose. "Whatever, I'll just deal with this later." Quickly deleting the two photos, I pocketed the device. There was a knock at the door then, and my gaze drifted to it. "Go put some more sticks in the fire. Only a handful." I pointed at Grimmjow while going to the door.

  The demon wandered to the backyard, and I opened the front door.

  "Yui, welcome!" I smiled, and she handed me a box of cookies.

  "Hey. Wynter, this is my cousin, Ichigo. Ichigo, this is Wynter."

  "Pleasure to meet you." The taller man with bright orange hair politely nodded to me with a smile.

  "You, too. Come on in." I stepped back while opening the door wider. However, as soon as the brown-eyed man passed me, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end until he got further away while following Yui. Furrowing my brows, I stared at the back of his head while shutting the door.

  "I hope the cookies are the right kind for the barbecue."

  "Any cookies are." I chuckled while bringing them to the kitchen island to set them down. "I was just about to take the meat out to the fire, too."

  "Sweet." Yui grinned. "Is the roomie showing up?"

  "Yeah, he's out back tending to the fire."

  "Should I warn Gary?"

  "He'll behave this time." Getting the tray of marinated meat, I maneuvered around the two guests and went for the back door. "So, Ichigo, any certain ways you like your food?"

  "Uh, no. I'm not a picky eater." He waved his hand.

  "All right, then. Wait, you're not vegetarian, are you? Because most of dinner is meat."

  "No, I eat meat."

  "Okay, good. Didn't want anyone left out." I chuckled, but again, as soon as I passed him specifically, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. So Yui's cousin had a lot of spiritual energy unlike her....

  "Are we the first ones here?" Yui asked as we stepped into the backyard.

  "Yup. The others should start showing up soon, though." I replied while seeing Grimmjow poke the fire with a stick. He then visibly tensed before his nose was in the air and twitching. 'Oh, please tell me a demon isn't about to crash my barbecue.' I mentally groaned.

  But then Grimmjow's feral, blue eyes shot in our direction and locked on Ichigo. His face twisted into a vicious snarl as he shot to his feet.

  "Kurosaki!" He roared with his hands balled into fists at his sides.

  "Oh, fuck!" I quickly shoved the tray into Yui's hands as she looked absolutely baffled.

  "Shit!" Ichigo hissed under his breath, and for a brief moment, it was as if time slowed as I got between the demon and Yui's cousin. I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I'd never seen Grimmjow this angry. The two also seemed to know each other and not in a good way.

  "Hey! Hey, calm done!" I yelled over the growling as I tried to push the demon back. He was barely even budging, and I could see his teeth sharpening. He was close to transforming, but Yui was right there as well as Ichigo. Grabbing the back of the demon's head, I yanked him down. "Grimmjow, stop!" I said to where only he could hear me, and he froze.

  The growling even stopped as relief flooded my veins.

  "Is....Is everything okay?" Yui asked with concern clear in her voice.

  "Fine. You want to tell me how you know him?" My attention turned to Ichigo as I still had a hold on the demon. The man looked rather shocked while his mouth was hanging open.

  "Uh.... I.... We met in high school. Didn't get along." He was clearly lying because no way in Hell was this demon ever in high school. He knew I knew he was lying too, given the nature of the blue-haired man.

  "Grimmjow, follow me." I commanded, then grabbed his wrist to drag him into the house. "We'll be right back." I smiled at Yui, who still looked baffled, and took the demon to where he couldn't even see into the backyard. "What the fuck is going on?!"

  "Nothing. Just got a score to settle." Grimmjow snarled and took a step forward.

  "Uh-uh." I put a hand on his chest to push him back. "You are not going back out there if you can't keep your shit under control. That's Yui's cousin."

  "He's a fucking exorcist." The demon growled.

  "Exorcist?!"

  "Yes."

  "How the Hell does he know you? I thought you just killed the exorcists you-" I cut myself off as he was looking down at me with such an angry expression. His heart was beating with fury beneath my palm, and my gaze dropped to his chest. "He's the one that gave you the scar."

  "Yes, he is. Now I'm gonna tear him to shreds-"

  "Grimmjow, stop." He froze again. "I want you to listen to me." Grabbing his face, I made him look at me. "You can't do that. You know you can't do that. You do anything to him, and you'll have the cops all over this place."

  "You think I care about some fucking-"

  "They'll try to take you away, dumbass. You're bound to this property, what happens when they force you off it? You fight back to stay here, and it'll only make it all worse. You hide from them, then I'll be the one taken. It's not just your ass on the line here, Grimmjow." I paused while looking at his face to see if what I was saying was getting through to him.

  He still looked furious, but he wasn't baring his fangs anymore.

  "Now, if you can't handle this, stay in the house." I dropped my hands from his face, and his expression changed.

  "Where the fuck are you going?"

  "Back outside. I can't just stay in here."

  "Like fuck you're going back out there without me."

  "I'm not a demon. He won't do anything to me."

  "But he is." Grimmjow grabbed my wrist while looking at me with a serious expression.

  "What?"

  "Kurosaki is half-demon. If that part of him gets the scent of your power, there's no guarantee it won't try to get you."

  "But you said he's an exorcist?"

  "And half-demon. How else do you think he possibly had the power to fuckin' scar me?" Grimmjow lowly growled. "You're not going anywhere near him without me."

  "Then control yourself."

  "Someone want to fill me in on what's going on?" Another voice spoke up, and I turned to see Ichigo in the hallway. Except, my eyes quickly landed on a glint of metal beside his leg.

  He had a katana.

  Where the Hell did he get it from? He clearly didn't have a sword when he had arrived.

  Grimmjow's growl was like a rumbling storm as he looked at the orange-haired man. Ichigo shifted on his feet while raising his katana to prepare for an attack, but that only made the demon growl more.

  "Quit it, you two!" I rose my voice. "Yui is right outside and this is my god damned house! You! Put that thing down." I pointed at Ichigo, and he actually looked shocked.

  "You've got to be kidding me! You know what he is!"

  "You are a guest in my house. I don't have to let you stay here."

  "That demon needs to be exorcised-"

  "I know. ....I'm working on it."

  "....What?"

  "It's a long story. Look, just lower the sword, you're only pissing him off more."

  "He's a demon! You can't seriously be protecting him."

  "From what he says, you're not entirely human either. And I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting you. I'm the only thing keeping him from ripping you apart, so put the fucking sword down." Ichigo's gaze hardened as his jaw clenched, but he let go of the sword, and it turned to smoke.

  "You know his real name, don't you? There's no other way he'd just back down."

  "I do."

  "What is it?"

  "None of your fucking business." Grimmjow snarled.

  "You said you were working on exorcising him, meaning you're an exorcist, right? Sharing a demon's true name keeps us all safer."

  "Pantera is mine to deal with. I've got this under control."

  "You can't possibly-"

  "Just fuck off." The demon stood closer behind me while glaring at Ichigo.

  "Will you shut up? I'm trying to deal with this."

  "There's no way you have him under control. Pantera will kill you the second he has the chance. He's too dangerous to-"

  "Oh! Oh, wait, I've got a solution to this." I waved my finger as my eyes widened. "Look, I honestly mean it when I say I have this under control. I know more about this asshole than what's documented."

  "What?"

  "Just watch this." Raising my hand, I reached up and began to scratch under Grimmjow's jaw. Like a flip of a switch, his growls turned into deep purrs as he leaned into it.

  Ichigo's face looked as if he was experiencing multiple emotions at once, the most prevalent one being bewilderment. To emphasize my statement even more, I lowered my hand a little bit, and the demon followed until he finally snapped out of it and smacked my hand away.

  "You little fucker!"

  "....You have got to be kidding me." Ichigo repeated.

  "No. Look, I've been with Pantera for months, and I'm still alive, that's got to tell you that I know what I'm doing. So, when I say I can deal with him, I mean it."

  "Months?!"

  "Long story."

  "This is fucking crazy." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "You know I'm going to have to report this."

  "What? To who?"

  "....The Soul Society?"

  "Soul Society?"

  "Think of it as the head office for exorcists." Grimmjow explained. "Wynter isn't an official exorcist."

  "You have to get officiated for that?" I questioned, and Ichigo ran a hand down his face.

  "Okay, you show to somehow have a level of control over Pantera, which is unprecedented, no one documented has even learned the name of any of the current Espada, but you're telling me you managed all of this without being a member of the Soul Society?"

  "....Pretty much." Glancing at Grimmjow, I then focused on Ichigo. "We should probably talk about this later. Yui is just out there by herself."

  "Actually, Gary's here now."

  "Fuckin' piss-boy." The demon grumbled, and I just knew he rolled his eyes.

  "....I'm sorry, 'piss-boy'?"

  "Pantera....peed on Gary."

  "You nearly kill me, but now you're just....peeing on people?" Ichigo furrowed his brows while waving his hand.

  "What, feeling left out? C'mere, and I'll piss on you too, fucker."

  "Will you stop?!" I swatted Grimmjow, and he recoiled. "Ichigo, if you want to talk more about this, it's going to have to wait. Okay?"

  "Yeah." He seemed to hesitate before taking a step back to leave. "Right."

  "I better get something real fucking nice for not tearing into that bastard."

  "Like what? Catnip?" I scoffed while crossing my arms.

  "I'm not a fucking housecat." He growled as he grabbed my hips and yanked me back. "And I do mean something real nice, you hear me?" Grimmjow licked up the back of my neck while purring.

  "Could you not right now?" I elbowed him back as he was chuckling.

  "Right now?"

  "You know what I mean. Just come on, jeez." I huffed and went to the backyard. Since I had rushed away with Grimmjow in tow, Yui had taken it upon herself to start grilling dinner so it wouldn't be late. "Sorry about all of that, I'll take over from here."

  "No problem. Everything good now?" Yui's gaze drifted to Grimmjow and Ichigo.

  "It's fine." The orange-haired man nodded.

  "He give you a tough time, too?" Gary chuckled before taking a drink from his beer that he'd gotten from Daniel since he was here now as well.

  "Oh, uh, no." Ichigo put on a smile while rubbing the back of his neck. "We actually used to go to school together and, uh, apparently not everything stayed in the past. Wynter's a good mediator, though, so it's all fine now."

  "Really? Small world. Who would have thought you went to school with a friend of Wynter's uncle." 'Please, Gary. Don't question it.' I thought while setting a log into the firepit. "You know, their uncle actually renovated most of this house. Did you help?" Gary turned to Grimmjow, and the blue-haired man had his arms crossed with a displeased look on his face.

  "Some of it."

  "Oh, what parts? Maybe you can get a job in construction if your handiwork is good enough."

  "I did some of the demolition. And what makes you think I need a job?" Grimmjow's eyes narrowed.

  "Sorry, I just figured with you needing to crash here it was because you were broke and between jobs." Gary awkwardly laughed. "So, uh, what do you do then?" The demon glanced around the yard before looking back at Gary.

  "Landscaping."

  "Oh, did you do the work on the yard? It looks great." Yui smiled.

  "No, Wynter did."

  "All by themself?" Gary made a face.

  "It gave me something to do." I stated while flipping the meat. "He was also at work."

  "So what put you here if you've got a job like that?" Daniel asked while opening a beer.

  "The apartment building wasn't up to code. All the tenants had to move." I explained while waving my hand since it looked like Grimmjow was blanking for a believable lie.

  "Oh, that sucks."

  "Hello?" I answered my phone after it rang.

  "I'm at the door."

  "It's unlocked. Go through the living room and past the kitchen. Follow the hall, and you'll find us."

  "Gotcha!"

  "Was that Veronica?" Gary asked.

  "Yup."

  "How many people are you having over?" Grimmjow looked at me.

  "Just a few. Veronica's got the rest of 'em."

  "You not like crowds, bud?" Daniel smiled before taking a drink. "It's just a little get-together." I saw the demon's eye twitch, but he kept a straight face.

  "I was just wondering."

  "We brought Rosé!" Veronica grinned while waving the two bottles of wine in her hands.

  "Oh, that smells so good!" Judy's eyes landed on the firepit where I was grilling dinner.

  "Your house is amazing, Wynter! Shit, can we move in?" Alex chuckled as she looked at the yard and pool.

  "Someone already beat you to it." Yui popped off while looking at Grimmjow.

  "Oh, damn! Wynter, when did you score this hunk?" Veronica was grinning, but Gary choked on his drink.

  "Housemate! He's a housemate!" I quickly said.

  "Bullshit, I know your type." Veronica pointed at me with one of the bottles of wine, and Grimmjow seemed to perk up while looking at me. "Every one of your partners has been a hardass that's actually a softie. Look at him- Broad, beautiful, muscular, and wearing make-up." She gestured to the markings under his eyes.

  "Veronica, chill. He's really just a housemate." Daniel laughed while taking one of the bottles from her to set it in the cooler.

  "Yeah, Veronica. And he's definitely not my type. Not even the same species." I grumbled.

  "Oh, Hun, that's harsh."

  "He's missing the 'softie' part." Gary stated. "Trust me."

  "I see how it is. Boo, are you an asshole?" Veronica had a playful tone while leaning on Grimmjow.

  "....Yeah."

  "Oh! And he's honest? Gotta admire that much." She laughed while handing Daniel the other bottle. "Don't worry about that too much, Boo. We got some spots to fill in this medley." Veronica pat his shoulder since she was trying to being friendly with the demon, but it looked like it was actually irritating him.

  "So how do you know Wynter?" Alex questioned.

  "I'm a friend of her late uncle's."

  "You knew Jordan? Good guy." Judy stated, and the 'good guy' comment made Grimmjow's eye twitch again. He was really holding himself back in this crowd....

  "Hey."

  "Hm?"

  "Thanks. For not totally fucking up today, I mean." I said while running my fingers through Grimmjow's long hair. After everyone had left with Ichigo and Alex being the designated drivers, the 'really nice thing' Grimmjow got was cuddling.

  I guess it wasn't too surprising the demon quite enjoyed the warmth of the contact.

  We were sprawled out on the couch with the TV on, and the demon was halfway laying on me while purring as I pet him. Grimmjow had his head resting on my chest so that he could also watch TV, and Dagur was curled up on the floor right in front of the couch.

  "Are you drunk?"

  "No. Ass. I'm trying to thank you." The demon then lifted his head and sniffed at my face. "The Hell are you doing?"

  "You're definitely buzzed. I can smell it on your breath."

  "Forget it." I rolled my eyes and looked back at the TV. "Next time, I just won't thank you for shit."

  "Like I care." Grimmjow scoffed before laying his head back down. "I don't, just to be clear."

  "Right." I rubbed behind his ear ad felt the vibration of his purr like a low motor. "So then....do you want to actually tell me about the scar now since I know where it came from?"

  "We fought, nearly killed each other, survived, that's it."

  "Okay, but it's fucking huge."

  "The bastard's demon half is Arrancar. Mix that with exorcist abilities and magick....he's on level with an Espada."

  "At least up to the sixth if you both lost like that."

  "Who said I fucking lost?"

  "He's still alive. You're still alive. Doesn't look like a victory on either end." I stated. "Can he shape-shift like you do?"

  "Yes. ....Why are you so damn curious about Kurosaki?"

  "I need to know what I'm dealing with if he gets in the way of my plans. I told you, I'm sending your ass to Hell or killing you. Mr. Savior Complex isn't gonna come swoop in and steal that."

  "Aw, Little Rabbit. Have you marked me as your prey?" Grimmjow chuckled before licking my cheek. "How sweet."

  "Why do you have to be gross?!" I snarled while grabbing him by the horns to push his face away from mine. He was laughing as those pearly fangs of his were flashing around. "What the Hell is so funny?"

  "You." He looked down at me and licked his lips. "So smart, but so stupid. I didn't think you had that kind of ego to not just let a more experienced exorcist try to get rid of me, Little Rabbit." Grimmjow then brought his face closer to mine. "Or is it because you actually want me here?"

  "You do have your uses, I'll admit, but no. I just want to do this myself. Call it a vendetta."

  "A vendetta? How sweet of you to hold a grudge against me."

  "You won't think it's sweet when I'm locking your ass in Hell."

  "Do you really think you'll ever be able to?" Grimmjow smirked with amusement in his eyes. "Not even Kurosaki could kill me, your uncle couldn't even fully seal me, and you? You're just a little rabbit that can barely swing a sword." He slowly wrapped his hand around my throat. "You go on and on about how you have the time to learn, but do you honestly believe that? Your pulse is already racing, and I haven't even done anything."

  I managed to swallow while those blue eyes were locked on me, and his grip slightly tightened.

  "You know I could end you so easily. You like to play with danger, don't you, Little Rabbit?"

  "I'm not 'playing' with anything."

  "Well....I certainly am." He then pat my cheek before laughing.

[thedisneychef]

How to Light Charcoal Grill: Tips for Perfect Grilling Results

Are you ready to take your grilling game to the next level? Then it's time to learn how to light a charcoal grill. While gas grills are convenient, there's nothing quite like the flavor and experience of cooking over hot coals. But if you've never used a charcoal grill before, it can seem intimidating. Don't worry – with the right tools and techniques, you'll be a pro in no time. First things first: make sure you have all the necessary equipment and materials on hand. You'll need high-quality charcoal (avoid using lighter fluid or briquettes with added chemicals), a chimney starter, long-handled tongs and a spatula, heat-resistant gloves, and possibly a grill brush for cleaning. Once you have everything ready, it's time to set up your grill and get started on lighting those coals. Choosing the Right Charcoal and Tools You're gonna want to grab the right charcoal and tools before you start grilling, so let's get started! First things first, make sure you have good quality charcoal. Avoid using briquettes that contain chemicals and opt for natural or organic lump charcoal. You can find these at your local hardware store or online. Once you have your charcoal sorted, it's time to clean your grill. Make sure the grill is free of any leftover ash or debris from previous grilling sessions. This will ensure that air can circulate properly around the coals and help maintain consistent heat throughout cooking. You'll also want to check your charcoal storage area and see if there are any old bags lying around. These could be damp or moldy, which will affect the quality of your fire. Toss them out and replace them with fresh bags before starting up your grill. Setting up Your Charcoal Grill Preparing your outdoor cooking experience is essential for an unforgettable BBQ party. When it comes to setting up your charcoal grill, the first thing you need to keep in mind is grill safety. Start by placing your grill on a flat and stable surface away from anything that can catch fire easily, such as trees or wooden decks. If you're using a gas starter, make sure the propane tank is in good condition and not leaking. Additionally, never leave your grill unattended while it's hot. Once you've ensured the safety of your grilling area, it's time to clean your charcoal grill before lighting it up. Use a wire brush or scraper to remove any leftover ashes or debris from previous grilling sessions. Then, make sure the ash catcher is empty before adding fresh charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal. Remember not to overfill your grill with coals as this can lead to uneven heat distribution and flare-ups during cooking. With these cleaning tips in mind, you'll be ready to light up your charcoal grill and start cooking delicious meals in no time! Preparing Your Charcoal Before the fiery glow of a successful BBQ, it's crucial to make sure your fuel is properly ignited and ready for cooking. To prepare your charcoal, start by soaking briquettes in water for at least 30 minutes before lighting them. This will help prevent flare-ups and ensure an even burn. Next, use a chimney starter to light your charcoal. Fill the chimney with the soaked briquettes and place it on a fireproof surface, such as concrete or brick. Light a few pieces of newspaper or kindling underneath the chimney to ignite the coals. After about 15-20 minutes, you should see flames coming out of the top of the chimney. Carefully pour the hot coals onto one side of your grill for indirect cooking or spread them evenly across the grate for direct heat cooking. With these simple steps, you'll have perfectly prepared charcoal every time! Lighting Your Charcoal Now it's time to get that sizzle and smoke going for the ultimate BBQ experience! Starting your grill may seem daunting, but with a few simple steps, you can ignite your charcoal and have your grill ready in no time. Firstly, arrange your charcoal into a mound at the center of the grill. Create a small depression in the middle of the mound so that lighter fluid or other fire starters can be poured in easily. Once you've added the starter, wait approximately 30 seconds before lighting it with a long match or lighter. As soon as you see flames, leave them alone and let them spread naturally to other parts of the charcoal pile. If necessary, use tongs to rearrange any unlit coals until everything is burning evenly. Take note: never add additional lighter fluid once the fire has started! Incorporating an emotional response through visual aids can make all the difference when learning how to light a charcoal grill. Check out this table below for some inspiration: FEELING ACTION ----------------------- -------------------------- Excitement Light up those coals Anticipation Wait patiently for flames Satisfaction Watch embers glow With this information and visual aid in mind, go forth and start grilling like a pro! Maintaining Your Charcoal Grill Temperature To keep your BBQ at the perfect temperature, you'll need to tend to it like a garden - give it time and attention, and make small adjustments as necessary. Using vents is an effective way to regulate the heat of your charcoal grill. Open the vents wide to increase oxygen flow and raise the temperature, or close them partially to slow down the burn rate and lower the temperature. Remember that adjusting one vent affects all others, so make changes gradually and monitor closely with a thermometer. Adding wood chips is another way to control the temperature of your charcoal grill while adding flavor to your food. Soak a handful of wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before adding them on top of hot coals. As they begin to smoke, use tongs or a smoker box (if available) to move them around for even distribution. This technique can also be used to revive dying embers by placing fresh hot coals on top of smoldering ones with soaked wood chips in between. Frequently Asked Questions Can I use lighter fluid to light my charcoal grill? You can use lighter fluid to light your charcoal grill, but there are alternative charcoal lighting methods that don't involve chemicals. Using lighter fluid may be quicker, but it can also affect the taste of your food and pose fire hazards. How long should I let my charcoal grill preheat before cooking? To achieve optimal temperature and temperature control, let your charcoal grill preheat for 10-15 minutes before cooking. This allows the heat to distribute evenly and avoids hot spots. Happy grilling! What is the best way to clean my charcoal grill after use? To prevent rust buildup on your grill, proper maintenance is crucial. After use, clean the grates with a wire brush and dispose of ashes. Interesting fact: 60% of grill owners say they clean their grill after every use. How do I know when my charcoal is ready to cook on? To determine when your charcoal is ready to cook on, use the hand test. Hold your hand above the coals and count how many seconds you can hold it there comfortably. For more Charcoal Grilling Techniques and Tips for Grilling with Charcoal, check out online resources. Can I reuse charcoal that was not completely burned during my last grilling session? Don't waste unburned charcoal from previous grilling sessions. It's a symbol of resourcefulness and frugality to reuse it. Try alternative ways to light charcoal without lighter fluid, such as chimney starters or electric starters. Conclusion Congratulations! You now know how to light a charcoal grill like a pro. Remember, choosing the right charcoal and tools is important for an efficient grilling experience. Setting up your grill properly can make all the difference in cooking your food evenly and thoroughly. When it comes to preparing and lighting your charcoal, patience is key. Take your time and follow the steps carefully for a successful fire that will provide great flavor to your food. And don't forget to keep an eye on the temperature of your grill throughout the cooking process to ensure perfect results every time. As they say, "Slow and steady wins the race," so take your time with grilling - it's worth it! Read the full article

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Fun restaurant ideas.

Food Zoo: The main attraction is that the dress code for both the staff and customers are animal onesies(fursuits are also excepted), the exterior and interior is animal themed, and the restaurant serves a variety of food.

Food Zoo Menu

Appetizers: Sesame balls, French fries, fruit cup, onion rings, coconut shrimp, fried pickles, and nachoes.

Burgers: Standard cheese, BBQ bacon, Surf and turf, Veggie burger, Super soy, and Flaming hot.

Salads: Caesar, Potato, and Taco.

Seafood: Fish and chips, Grilled salmon, Crawfish basket, Shrimp basket, Crab legs, and The Ocean's Bounty(Fried fish with crawfish, fried shrimp, scallops, and calamari.)

Pizza: Plain, Pepperioni, Hawaiian, Bacon, Vegetarian, Margarita, and BBQ chicken.

Tacos: Beef, Steak, Chicken, Fish, and Shrimp.

Soups: Minestrone, Pumpkin, Mushroom, Chicken noodle, and Egg drop.

Desserts: Lava cake, Peacan pie, Banana cream pie, Red velvet cupcake, Strawberry cupcake, Vanilla cupcake, Chocolate cupcake, and Sorft serve.

Drinks: Water, Milk, Chocolate milk, Strawberry milk, P.O.G, Cola drinks, and Mango nectar.

2.Holiday Craze: The main attraction is the holiday themed rooms.

Easter room meal: Roast ham, Deviled eggs, Roasted asparagus, Milk, and Carrot cake.

Halloween room meal: Mummy dogs, Cheese witch brooms, Roasted pumpkin seeds, Hocus Pocus punch, and Candycorn cob.

Thanksgiving room meal: Roast turkey leg, Cranberry sauce, Sweet corn, Apple cider, and Pumpkin pie.

Christmas room meal: Prime rib, Mashed potatoes, Mushy peas, Egg nog, and tree cookie.

3.Fairytale diner: The main attraction is actors perform fairy tale plays while customers eat their food.

Fairytale plays: The three little pigs, Little red riding hood, Goldilocks and the three bears, The frog prince, The emperor's new clothes, and Rapunzel.

Fairytale Diner Menu

Main courses: Pulled pork sandwich, Turkey leg, Fish and chips, Roast beef, Roast duck, and Pork ribs.

Appetizers: Baked potatoes, Mixed veggies, Rice, and Salad.

Drinks: Water, Milk, Root beer, Coffee, and Tea.

[fuckyeahdindjarin]

I absolutely adore your Palomino series! As an equestrian who definitely appreciates a fine piece of cowboy ass, what's not to love!?! (Beautiful writing and storytelling too!)

Anyway, saw you're looking for advice on making s'mores, and let me tell, I'm your girl.

First of all, you have to start with the right fire - not huge flames, or you'll just char your marshmallow to a crisp (which is fine if that's your jam). The perfect fire has died down to some nice hot coals, with a few smaller flames still burning. If you want to get really fancy with your fire, fruit tree wood (peach is a personal favorite, but I have also used apple when we have it) infuses a sweeter flavor in with the smokiness from the fire.

There's not much of a science to putting your marshmallow on a stick, and either wood or metal will do the job. Either way, I like to warm the end of the stick just a bit over the fire, before I put the marshmallow on, so that the inside of the marshmallow starts to toast a little. Don't get the end of your stick too hot or your marshmallow will get too soft inside and fall off.

Once you're ready to toast your marshmallow, you have to find the perfect spot over the fire, preferably over some hot coals with a small flame nearby. The coals are your main heat source, and the flame adds a little char to the outside. I like to constantly rotate the marshmallow so it toasts evenly and the inside gets melty. How hot your fire is determines how far away from the coals and flames you hold your marshmallow - too close and it chars, too far away and it doesn't melt enough. There's a perfect sweet spot where the outside of the marshmallow toasts to a golden brown and the inside melts and gets gooey. When your marshmallow is almost ready to fall off the stick is the perfect time to assemble your smore.

I should have mentioned earlier - have the base of your smore ready before you start to toast your marshmallow. Definitely use decent quality graham crackers and chocolate, and using half of a chocolate bar is absolutely necessary. Snack size chocolate bars or less than half of a normal size bar is an absolute tragedy! It's also sometimes fun to mix it up with things like dark chocolate or peanut butter cups instead of milk chocolate.

Now I'm imagining making smores with Jack... 😍

Hello fellow equestrian! 🦄 Thank you so much for reading, I'm so happy that you're enjoying Palomino ❤️

And I am loving your s'mores advice! The fire is such a great tip, I don't BBQ very often over a live flame so that's really good to know. And fruit tree wood? That's fancy AF and I have a feeling Poppy would insist on Jack packing some so he can make the perfect s'mores for Darlin'!

And oh my god - peanut butter cups in a s'mores??! Poppy (and the s'mores purists - affectionate) would have Jack's head for it, but he would defy orders if Darlin' likes a bit of PB 🥹

Thank you so much for this super detailed answer. I bow down to your s'mores knowledge sweet anon!