#hummingbirds are my favorite birds actually if you ever need someone to tell you about them I’m right here 🧍🏼‍♀️

[creative-chaos-apparently]

I follow this bigtime hummingbird photographer on instagram because he takes photos of my favorite hummingbird species which isn’t very common to see for bird photography.

He’s like some old guy with a massive following. But whenever I share one of his photos to my story he MESSAGES me back with various emojis, thanks, and promises of more booted-racket-tail content. They clearly aren’t bot messages either because they are too human.

and I just think that everyone should be this passionate about hummingbirds and promoting artists works. That’s all.

[lexsssu]

Shall We Date: Worship Me AU - Gabriel (Avatar of Diligence)

What if the MC gets transported to the Celestial Realm instead? What if the angels were the love interests?

GENERAL HCs

Known as the “Voice of God” and as such, is Big G’s primary messenger to the human world and the devildom

Because of this, he’s pretty well-known in the 3 worlds and knows a heck lot of different people

Also has a beautiful voice, the kind you’d want to listen to in an ASMR, podcast, audiobook, etc.

Then again do you really expect God’s voice to have anything other than a beautiful voice?

Like seriously his voice sounds like warm melted dark chocolate

He’s also Uriel’s younger twin brother

While Uriel is more akin to the cool and comforting countenance of the moon, Gabriel has the blazing warmth of the sun

Perpetually smiling, but each smile holds different meanings depending on how big it is, if there was any crookedness to it, if he showed his teeth, etc.

His close friends and family can usually tell which smile is which, but it’s his twin that can ALWAYS tell whatever mood he was in even just from analyzing his smile

Most of the time however, that smile hides a rambunctious imp that particularly likes playing tricks on anyone and everyone

He enjoys freaking people out and relishes the reactions they make. The more exaggerated the reaction, the better

That time Big G talked to Moses by going into that burning bush? It was Gabriel’s bright idea

Seriously though, that memory of him freaking out is one of Gabriel’s most treasured moments

Although truth be told, his all-time favorite reactions are the ones he least expected

One of his favorite pastimes is trying to coax a surprised reaction out of Uriel, seeing as his brother was normally so stone-faced

He feels that it’s his divine mission to get as many reactions out of Uriel as he can

He enjoys tormenting Raphael as much as he enjoys mentoring their youngest brother on how to speak effectively

A master of the art of speaking, so he knows every manner of using one's voice no matter what their intended outcomes were

Whether it's to soothe, anger, or seduce someone, Gabriel knows them all

But he asks a price for his services. You have to call him "Big Brother" sweetly if you want to even remotely get his attention for whatever favor you plan on asking him

Gabriel enjoys teasing others aside from pranking them

The flustered reactions he gets is always a nice treat

Don’t get him wrong though, he enjoys messing with others but it’s all light-hearted fun on his end and is never done with any intended malice

Rather, he actually makes sure that he never touches upon sore spots for anyone

He’s just a prankster, not an asshole

Out of the seven virtues, he also the one who still gets in touch the most with Lucifer and his brothers

He is a messenger after all so it’s a given he sends and receives messages the most

With how many prophecies, signs, and dreams he has to deliver Gabriel is almost always out and about. So he’s actually the one who’s least present in the celestial realm

You’d usually catch him on the rare times where he’s on break or in-between deliveries

Sometimes when he’s in need of a little entertainment during assignments, he’d spice up his deliveries by changing the method of delivering the messages

Like perhaps he was supposed to give a human a sign from Big G through a dream, but that’s so old-school so instead he delivers it when they’re wide awake and by themselves

He can’t possibly pinpoint the fact why some humans went to loony bins after he delivered their messages

P.S. They thought they went mad because of those “divine hallucinations”

A chaotic force of nature in all his white-haired, molten chocolate goodness

Emphasis on CHAOTIC

Like the rest of his brothers, he enjoys spoiling Azrael in the way normal big brothers spoil their younger siblings

Obligatory noogies, random wrestling moves, cheek pinching, etc.

An advocate of "No one can bully my siblings except me"

Frequently gets souvenirs from wherever he'd last gone to. He doesn't just get souvenirs for him though, he also gets some for his brothers

Limited edition keychains for Michael for example, sweets for Azrael, local ingredients for Cainabel, tea leaves for Raphael, a new book for Uriel, and etc.

For some reason people like giving him random stuff. Like he could just be passing by and one of his acquaintances or even someone who he'd never really hung out with but knew of him had just harvested their mango tree and now and a surplus of them, or ordered a bit too much of this or that and would give him their extras instead

That's why his pockets are perpetually full with little snacks, candies, and all a manner of random stuff

When his pockets get too full he pops up in the other virtues' offices to lighten his load so to speak

More often than not, it's Azrael who benefits from his brother's popularity since Gabriel himself doesn't eat too many sweets

He doesn't actually notice just how good-looking he is and couple that with his beautiful voice, you can see how and why he's so popular

His generally sunny and rambunctious personality has also earned him many fans

A fan of collecting stamps and has hundreds upon hundreds of books which contain every stamp that has ever come into existence

Stationery otaku

Michael once gave him a pen, one of those cheap ones you get at dollar stores with a cute character at the top. He still uses it until today and never leaves home without it

Regardless of how tacky something is, if it's from his brothers then Gabriel is sure to use it with happiness and pride

ENG VA: Vic Mignogna

JP VA: Mamoru Miyano

ROMANTIC HCs

He’s already a normally friendly and handsy type of guy so it’s kinda hard to notice if he’s actually romantically interested in you

Heck, even Gabe doesn’t realize that he’s into you for a good while because he believes the way he thinks about and reacts to you was still included in the realm of being platonic friends

So what if his heart does those little flips whenever you laugh good-naturedly at his antics? When you gave him that little smile of yours that he liked to think was reserved solely for him?

It’s probably nothing when his skin heats up a little bit whenever his skin touches yours even for a little bit

What do you mean he’s always hanging around you? You were his best friend so of course he’d almost always be with you!

He’s kind of like a bird in the sense that his attention span is always moving from one thing or another, but the fact that you manage to hold his attention for so long even when you’re not there was something that surprised and baffled his brothers

Most notably Uriel who was used to Gabriel flitting about, kind of like a hummingbird if he was being honest

Also like a bird, Gabriel gets a lot of random trinkets. Both of his own accord and because people just like randomly giving him stuff and if he deems any of them worthy enough for you, he’s sure as heck gonna present it and gift it to you as soon as possible

He practically preens whenever you accept his gifts (it doesn’t help that his wings sometimes pop out in all his happiness and excitement). Even just a little compliment gets him so happy and excited for the rest of the day

Offers you his wing to touch if you show even the slightest interest in their angel wings

“ You wanna touch them? They’re 100% guaranteed SUPER SOFT. I always keep my wings nice and tidy since I gotta keep up appearances as a messenger, ‘ya know? ”

Gabe doesn’t realize/forgets that to offer someone to touch the symbols of his power, his wings of all things, showed that he held you in high regard

It confirmed your purity of soul, because to be judged by an archangel, a Virtue even meant that you were a special type of soul, a diamond in the rough so to speak

Although Gabe himself doesn’t notice it, his brothers definitely notice his sudden fixation on you. It’s almost worrying seeing him sitting still for once

While most people would think Gabe would be as chill as he normally he is when facing the truth of his feelings...he isn’t

Many forget that he and Uriel are twins, born of the same core split into two by the Heavenly Father. They shared much more characteristics than just their looks

Once he’s enamored by something, this angel shows his almost infallible dedication to it and only God sits above it

Like Uriel, he does his best to observe and learn everything about you, but what’s scarier is that he does it so covertly that you don’t even know he’s fishing for information all the while relishing his time with you

It doesn’t help that as the Voice of God, his charms are nigh impossible to resist or even detect so you sometimes don’t even realize that he’s playing you right into the palm of his hands

Oh but you don’t have to worry though, Gabriel loves you with all his heart and only wishes to court you properly and perfectly. That’s another of the traits that he shares with his twin

You’ll never have to worry about him coaxing you into something you won’t like or is bad for you. He merely aims to show you the true extent of his pure love

Dates with him are always at different locations or generally something new, because there’s so much that he wants to show and experience together with you

Karaoke dates are a fan favorite between you two, because who DOESN’T wanna hear the Voice of God himself sing?

Like his voice is already like pouring warm melted dark chocolate to your ears but his voice is enough to send you floating happily into the Celestial Realm

“ So where should we go to next? ...Karaoke again? Do you really love hearing me sing that much, cutie? You know I can sing for you as much as you want. I’m all yours~ ”

[nadiaportia]

Life Lessons - A Past Tale

Summary: On a day meant for relaxation, a young magician-in-training finds herself in the middle of an explosive confrontation.

Starring the Rubalacaba family; Ximena, Heloisa, Cibela, Esmé and Marisol

Word count: ~4.6k

Content warning for violence (nothing too graphic) and a messed up family dynamic.

It was a warm midsummer’s day, the sun stood high in the sky and my lessons had been finished an hour earlier. Mistress Julia had congratulated me on my good work and progress and allowed to me go enjoy myself outside for the rest of the day while she was going to the docks. Her wife had been travelling to Karnassos to see her family and they haven’t seen each other for several weeks.

As it was a habit, I decided to go the aviary to relax after my lessons. The grounds were vast, in my own opinion a little too vast, so there were always places to hide but the aviary had something about it - despite the fact that I was barely on my own there. It was also my sister’s Heloisa’s prefered location; she could spend hours in there taking care and marvelling at its residents. When we were both younger, she would teach the goldfinches to sing along to her whistling and proudly showed them to the servants and our father. The aviary was her dominion, especially since our older sister couldn’t be less interested in birds and spent the time she was on the grounds training or studying. 

The aviary was a large cage made of gilded steel with vegetation and a small river flowing through it, in size bigger than the main hall in the manor, where its residents had free reign to live in. Upon entering, I heard giggling and following the path deeper into the small forest, I saw my older sister. She sat on the ground, stroking a golden pheasant on her lap while a hummingbird flew about her face. It was currently holding one of her black curls in its beak as if to pull her up from her comfortable position.

“No, please, Xquic!”, she laughed and stopped stroking the pheasant to gently let the hummingbird sit on her index finger.

“Dorian deserves his caresses too, you know I don’t play favorites.”

She had given every single bird in the aviary a name and treated each of them like individuals. I liked all of them just fine enough but to Heloisa they were as much as her friends like the noble girls she went to parties with in secret. When she saw me, a grin spread across her face. 

“Welcome to freedom! I've been here for two hours now, Livia decided to give it a rest because even she didn't have the spirits to talk for too long about this guy's manifest. I mean, reading about revolting merchants can only be so interesting, especially when you already know they were beaten after the armies of Karnassos and Bizatena came to the Zaan's aid!” 

She sighed dramatically and proceeded to make kissing noises at Xquic. I sat next to my sister. The grass was warm and soft, and Dorian raised his head to look at me. I reached out and caressed the top of his crown. 

“Well, I spent three hours trying to make portals large enough for a human to fit through, but it takes a lot of concentration. When Julia does it, it looks so easy.” 

“Your magic stuff is vastly more interesting than politicking and learning how to lie.”

“I don't get your complaints - Tía Esmé has you on track to leave the junior court meetings and go full game. Cibela attended her first meeting last year.”

My sister's smile turned into a sneer. Even though we all enjoyed the luxury of fundamental education - history, philosophy, various languages such as Bizanti, Zadithian and Prakran, literature, art, music, the sciences and common etiquette proper for a noble of Cartagenth - each of us was also given tutelage in a special field in order to prepare us for our future at the Zaan's court. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”, she said and shrugged, “and still, making portals, lifting objects and talking with spirits is pretty wicked and exciting.” I sighed. It didn't matter if she was the best junior politician and won several play-debates against seasoned courtiers during dinners, she would always want the talents others possessed. But I wasn't in the spirits to argue with her, not today. 

“Magic is a lot more complicated than you think, and from what Tía Esme says it might take even years before I am as good as Julia - and I don't wanna be just good enough to become a tutor.”

“By the mother, imagine that! No, you will be the greatest magician of all times, they will build statues for and tell stories of you, not only here but everywhere! Crystalleans in the North, bandits in the South, Firenti in the East and Calpacians all over will know the name Ximena de Rubalcaba!” 

I laughed and shook my head.

“If you say so, it will be true one day.”

“Of course it will.” Heloisa reassured me and gently shooed her avian companions away from us. “I talked to Tía Esmé a couple of days ago, according to her it could very well be that I were to start my travels very soon. If you asked me nicely and with a bow on top, I could consider namedropping you to the rulers of far away and powerful countries��”

“How's that going to go down? 'Oh, Queen of Prakra, say, if you happen to be looking for a magician, I might just know the right person - my fifteen year old sister!'”

“No, of course not, you idiot. One of the essences of politics is: less is often more.”

“Ah, yes, less was definitely more on the party thrown by the son of the Karnasso ambassador. Or when Shayera, Filomena and you went to a 'health resort'. Or-” 

“Okay, I get it. Phew, it's not my fault you are boring and never want to join in on the fun.” 

“Whatever. At least I won't die of boredom in cabinet rooms or in court sessions when I'm a grown-up.” 

Heloisa scoffed loudly and stood up. “Fine! And you'll never be a capable magician, in the meantime I'll be dining with the influential sovereigns of the world. Who knows, maybe I'll become the next Zaan before you manage to cast a portal!”

I looked lazily at her, how she stood over me, her hands on her hips, the sun behind her head and casting dark curly hair into a warm light. 

“Hm.” I closed my eyes and smiled as I heard her walk off and out of the aviary, fuming while murmering curses under her breath.

And yet she was also my best friend even though we were nothing alike. The nightly carousing my sister loved so much was nothing I could ever be interested in, apart from the fact that she was four years older and thus allowed to do it, but rule-breaking and rebellion without a cause in general never had the same appeal to me. It wasn't as if I hated being in company but it wasn't something I craved like a moth needed the lantern's light, and I certainly didn't have the same social charisma as her, with a face known and beloved by all and the ability to make everyone feel special in her company. I liked being on my own, listening to my own thoughts or doing things on my own such as reading, practicing on Cibela's piano whenever she wasn't on the estate (her visits were becoming rarer anyway), stealing into the kitchen to watch the servants prepare our food (the first time I had done that, they thought Madre had send me to make sure they did a good job), making sketches of the paintings in the galleries and many other things lonely noble children seemed to do, as I had been told by my cousin Agustín. The only son of Tía Esmé was a diplomat on track to becoming an ambassador and during his visits, he would stay on the family estate. Despite him and Cibela being the closest in age, they were like cats and dogs to each other, with him having thrown around the words “cruel” and “heartless” while Cibela had complained to Madre about him being a pathetic excuse of a politician and even a traitor to Cartagenth. So he spent most of his visits with Heloisa and me, even though he always told me I was his favorite - and judging by the sharp remarks he made about Heloisa, even to her own face, there was no doubt it was true. It was a nice feeling to be someone’s preferred company even though I felt as if favoritism seemed to be a family tradition, and not a good one. 

I sighed, opened my eyes again and was immediately almost blinded by the sun. The goldfinches were singing somewhere in the trees and something was chirping softly in the scrubs. A thought crept into my mind and I grinned. I sat up, leaned towards the bush and let out a whistle. It rustled and a black manakin made its way to me. 

“Hello, you cutie.” I said, and wiggled my finger at it. “Wanna help me in an experiment?”

I hoped this would work. We would throw marbles throw the portals to see whether they fulfilled their purpose but never tried it with a living organism, so if it didn't work…

The manakin tilted his head and looked at me. I sighed. 

“Right, you don't understand human speech.” I reached out and softly stroked his chest. “But you're not flying away, so I'll take that as a yes.” He nibbled at my finger. “I'll collect some worms for you, I don't have a problem with digging in the ground unlike someone else.”

A chirp, whether he actually understood a word was another matter.

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. I tuned out the noises all around me and concentrated on the manakin, where it was and on creating a gateway to bring it to another location - not very far, just a few meters away from me. A noise that wasn't quite a noise caught my attention and upon opening my eyes, I saw the bird looking curiously at a small doorway, big enough for him to comfortably fit through, and another one near a tree trunk.

“That's for you. Please…?” 

The manakin looked at me as if he himself was unsure of this.

“Go ahead, nothing will happen.” I said with hopefully enough conviction in my voice. 

It seemed to have hit the mark because he jumped through it - and reappeared a few meters away from me. 

“Yes!”, I screamed and pumped a fist in the air and startling the manakin who jumped about a foot in the air.

Time flew by as I made portals, some bigger than others, for my new friend to walk or fly through, and he strangely seemed to find as much joy as this as me. 

I was in the middle of making another one when I heard footsteps. To my surprise, it was Heloisa, with her face dark like a beetroot and her mouth twisted into a snarl.

“What happened?” I asked worried, hurrying over to her but instead of an answer she pushed me away. Her eyes were rimmed red and there was a glint of fire in copper brown that made me take a step back. 

“What do you think you're going to do with this?”

“Get out of my way!”, was the snappy answer I received as she made her way over to a tree, reached into a hole in the trunk and pulled something out. A shining steel blade, one that I was sure I had seen many many times.

“By the Devil, is that one of the Nopali swords in the ancestral gallery?” I blurted out and followed Heloisa as she stomped out of the aviary. When I got no verbal response, I grabbed her arm and made her face me. 

Her lips switched and she scrunched her nose. 

“You'll see soon enough what I'll do to her.” Wrenching loose of my grip, she whirled around and continued her way, and it hit me like a falling anvil to know where she was going. The aviary wasn't far from the estate building itself so it didn't take too long before we reached the first inner court which also functioned as training grounds for the guards. In the center, on the sand ground, a young woman in light armor with one arm on her back and the other wielding a blunt training sword was parrying the blow of a figure also clad in light armor and with a double-handed sword. She dodged the next blow, made a sidestep and used the momentum to hit her opponent in the side with the swords pommel. The opponent clutched their side and wheeled around to meet her blow, metal hitting metal in an ugly noise.

“Hey! Cibela!” Neither of the figures acknowledged us but merely continued their melee.

“Don't tell me you want do what I think you want to do.” I sighed and held Heloisa's arm. 

“Don't tell me what to do,”, she hissed and shoved me away, “and don't even dare to tell Mother. Cibela!”

“Don't be stupid and put down the sword, please! You'll hurt each other.”

Fury was written all over her face when she said: “That's exactly what I want to do. I've had enough of her thinking she is better than me just for being allowed to train as a warrior!”

“Then challenge her to chess or something, not a swordfight.”

Heloisa let out a mocking laugh. “Of course you'd say that, words befitting of a cowardly magician.” My cheeks stung at her words as if I had been slapped in the face. “You wouldn't understand. You don't have any fighting spirit, so all you are good for is rolling over and playing dead.”

“I just know that fighting battles I can't win doesn't do any good.”

The noise of a body hitting the floor brought our attention back to the fighters and we saw how the woman took the hand of her opponent to be helped off the ground. Dark curls had escaped her braid during the fight and made her look distinctively messy, beads of sweat glittered on her forehead and her neck and face were flushed. 

“May the Devil damn you, stop distracting me!”, she yelled at us and pushed the loose strands of her out of her face. Dark eyes fixated us angrily and Heloisa laughed yet again. 

“Oh, is it that easy? I'm starting to believe you are not good a fighter as you make everyone believe. How do you even survive on those battlefields you claim you're so successful on?”

Cibela's face flushed even darker than it did from the exhaustion and she let out an angry snarl. “A mercenary is easy work compared to you, sister. Now go away, be a nuisance elsewhere.”

“No, I won't!” Heloisa screamed and held out the sword in front of her. The swordsman dropped their sword in shock and made a motion to walk over to us.

“Stay your hand, Octavio, or I'll have you fired and sent to live with the rats in the gutter.”

“Lady Heloisa, please calm down. The sword you're holding is sharp.”

Cibela let out a laugh. “Of course it is. Stop this nonsense before you hurt yourself, you're not worth a fight.”

I couldn't stop her from stomping at Cibela and I threw myself between the two of them, holding my hands out. “Will you two stop provoking each other?” I knew better than to ask what exactly caused this dispute to begin; I wouldn't get an answer anyway. Heloisa and Cibela constantly butted heads over even the smallest issues, and it wasn't helped by the fact that they were both too eager to find reasons to get into arguments. 

Cibela's lip curled in a sneer. “Even Ximena is more of a realist than you. She knows I'd gut you like a fish if this were an actual fight. You are no fighter; all you can do is talk a lot and charm people into doing what you want them to - and that is something everyone can do, it takes no real talent. You're just as stupid and useless as those birds you love so much - pretty to look at and have around with their feathers and songs but shallow and of no use whatsoever.”

Heloisa roared in anger, lifted the sword and ran at our sister. I jumped out of the way, and saw in shock how Cibela easily dodged the blow and took a few steps back.

“I won't fight you, you don't even know how to! It's a waste of my time and an easy kill.”

Frantically I turned to Octavio. “Get whoever, otherwise they'll kill each other for real!”, I yelled and as Cibela's coach ran off, I stood up and thought about what to do. Damn me for not knowing how to make protective shields! 

“Get a real sword and let's find out, and do you think me so stupid to fight you without knowing how to?”

“Yes, I do.”

The next hit on the tourney sword left a dent in it, and Heloisa let out a triumphant laugh. “Don't bother with holding back, or is that all you can do? I have long suspected all you did on those battlefields was have others do your dirty work, seems I was right after all!”

A kick to the stomach silenced Heloisa and sent her tumbling back. Cibela scoffed and walked back to the assembly of swords to train with and took out a silver shortsword. “Yield now, sister. Scars don't suit you and we'd never hear the end of it.”

“I have been watching you train with Octavio and the others, do you really think I never learned even a bit? Or that I might have had someone who helped me from time to time?” The grin slipped from her face as Cibela approached her with sure steps, sword in hands and swung at her. Heloisa ducked and scrambled away from our sister's reach, who looked merely amused. “I think you're in way over your head. But I will give you a lesson you will not forget ever, that you may know your place and to stay in it.”

A quick movement and Cibela took off, sword pulled back to strike at Heloisa, who stood her ground with a determined look on her face. But the impact of Cibela, who was at least a head taller and had a more muscular frame, was enough to send her on her back onto the ground. “Your battles are in court and with words, not blades.”

I screamed in terror as Cibela threw back her arm, to swing it at Heloisa's face-

I acted on instinct, for fear for my sister's life. Light bubbled in my hands and I aimed it at the two. Cibela groaned at the blinding light and covered her face as she stumbled back as Heloisa gave a hard kick at her ankle and rolled out from under her.

“You're a true magician, Ximena,”, Cibela spat at me, her face scrunched up in anger as she stood up, “too much of a coward to get involved directly but always ready to help with dirty tricks. You two are a disgrace to our family name.” Then she spun around to catch Heloisa's wrist, I hadn't even noticed her getting up again and trying to hit Cibela in the back with the pommel. 

“Especially you.”

Her grip was so hard that it made Heloisa scream in pain, she dropped the sword and let it fall into the dust between them. Cibela let her fall back, and as if through fog I saw the blade in her other hand find its way onto Heloisa's torso, connecting with it at the shoulder blade and making its way to the hipbone. Someone's shrill scream rang in my ears and only when I covered my mouth I realized it had been me. But I couldn't move, I was rooted to the spot as I watched my sisters, one standing with the tip of her blade bloodied over the other, lying on the group, gasping like a fish out of water.

Someone else's scream brought me back to reality and I spun around to see our mother and our aunt make their way to us, Octavio hot on their heels. 

“Oh my goodness!” Madre threw her hands to her face as she saw Heloisa in the dust. Her flowing purple gown fluttered behind her as she ran to them, while Tía Esmé approached me and grabbed me by the shoulders with urgency. “Marilena, what happened? Be quick about it.”

I stumbled upon my words various times and only when she dabbed my face with her cape, I noticed tears were streaming down my face. “He-Heloisa challenged Cibela to a-a fight. I didn't think they'd ac-actually-”

“What's done is done. With me, now.” Her hand wrapped around my wrist like a vice as she pulled me along. “Julia taught you the basics of healing, now's time to make use of them.” 

I gaped at Tía Esmé but the steely look in her eyes made me swallow my doubts. 

“Are you happy now? Isn't that what you wanted?” Cibela's voice was cold as ice, no hint of regret upon what she did. 

“Cibela, what have you done?” Mother cried as she cradled Heloisa, tears were freely running down her face and leaving dark traces of her make-up. My sister was looking at the cut in her chest as if she couldn't believe what just happened. The blood was beginning to stain the burgundy fabric black as it seeped out. She raised a hand to touch it and screamed at the sight of her own blood on it.

“I gave my dearly beloved sister what she was so desperately chasing; someone who would put her back in her place and teach her some respect.”

I stared at Cibela and felt my throat tighten at the venom in her words. For a brief moment, nothing more than a split second, I considered picking up the sword on the ground and hitting her with it, but the thought of it frightened me as soon as I finished it. 

The vice around my wrist disappeared and Tía Esmé closed in on Cibela, who held up her chin in defiance. “Did you stop to think about turning down the duel and reason with her without spitting poison? Is this how an officer of the Grand Army of Cartagenth behaves, or this is more akin to a lawless bandit?”

Cibela took a step forward, her face mere inches away from Tía Esmé. “She was the one who insisted on a duel, she can be lucky I decided to show mercy even if I was in the full right to kill her and I wouldn't have shed a tear if I had done so.”

The silence behind that statement lasted both nothing and an eternity, and the ensuing sound of the back of Esmé's hand hitting Cibela's face full force seemed deafening. Mother screamed and instantly let go of Heloisa to help her eldest of the dust, leaving me to catch her before she hit the ground.

“You ungrateful little parasite.” Esmé sneered as Cibela held the side of her face where she had been hit, “have you learnt nothing? Family is the only thing that matters. Without us, you’re a fucking nobody. Get out of my sight.”

Cibela scrambled onto her feet, a trail of blood running down her nose and furious tears building in her eyes. Without a further word she whirled around and left the training grounds, with Madre running after her and saying words made unintelligible by her sobs.

“Octavio, get a doctor. Have them bring something for transport.” The coach bowed quickly with a murmured “Yes, General.” and ran back into the building.

I took a deep breath as I laid my hands on Heloisa's chest. She let out a scream and squeezed her eyes shut. Esmé knelt next to us and regarded the wound with an expert's eye.

“Try to keep her from bleeding out, from what I see the wound is not deep enough to make lethal damage but you can never know. I've seen soldiers bleed to death from a lot less and survive a lot worse.”

She reached out and took Heloisa's hand, gently stroking the back of it with her thumb. “Stay awake, it'll all be alright.”

…

It would be alright, but it ended up taking two whole months. Two months that Heloisa spent in bed, taking medicine that would hurry up the healing process and barely being able to move without experiencing pain. That did not prevent her tutors from giving her stuff to read and it drove her mad with anger, along with the fact that this prohibited her from leaving with the junior council to places such as Vesuvia and Firent. I was the one keeping her company most of the evenings, occasionally Madre or Padre would join but more often than not instead of them it was Tía Esmé if she happened to be on the grounds and not in the city or at court giving war council. Cibela had left the estate grounds days after the incident to lead a division of Cartagense soldiers to the Sea of Persephia, which had to be a journey of approximately two months. After a long discussion between Tía Esmé and Madre on which I had eavesdropped, they decided it was best to send Cibela away for at least a while for the bad blood to die down, and the troops desperately needed support on the front.

“Against who is the Grand Army fighting now?” I asked Tía Esmé one evening during dinner.

“The Bizanti are on the verge of starting a trade war after being threatened by a small, way too insignificant city state and it is our duty to stand by our allies and aid them in crushing the enemy.” Her gaze turned cool as she spoke. “You make it sound as if you think we are always at war with others.”

“Aren't we? You're always holding war councils with the Zaan and his courtiers.”

“Ximena!” Madre put down her fork and looked at me. “Don't speak like this to your aunt, especially not at the table.” But Tía Esmé merely raised her hand. “I don't mind, Marisol. And I don't blame you, dearest, after all you are still only a child whereas your sisters understand the way things work. We have the right to defend ourselves from our enemies at all costs.”

“I know, but does it have to be that way? Agustín surely could solve this, isn’t that what diplomats are for?” Aunt Esmé regarded me with a raised eyebrow, Madre laughed quietly and soon everyone turned their attention back to the food. Even Heloisa seemed to agree with them when I told her what happened at dinner.

“You should be glad we have people like Tía Esmé. If generals like her hadn't been so successful, Cartagenth would’ve already been conquered by someone and instead of the Zaan, some foreign ruler would call the shots.”

I sighed. “Maybe you're right. But not everything needs to end in bloodshed.” You out of all people should know that, I thought bitterly and sat down in an armchair. 

“Some people simply don't know better,”, Heloisa sighed, like always lacking self-awareness, and turned her attention back to her book. I looked at her, my tongue barely holding back a sharp remark, and grabbed the card deck. With Julia not teaching me divination beyond the basics, it was the only area I had to work on myself. The books in the library were helpful but it was mostly a matter of practice, as I found out. A lot of practice and listening. I shuffled the deck and pulled out a card. Justice, reversed. Unfairness and lies. How very fitting.

[bugheadfamily]

Bughead Family Discord Member Spotlight

This week the spotlight is on Mari ( @writeraquamarinara )! Click the read more link below to get to know our member!

Spotlight by Mila, @jughead-jones | Graphic by Katie, @betty-cooper

Mari | @writeraquamarinara

Name: Mari

Age: 18

Location: Montreal, QC.

Any other languages aside from English people can contact you in?: Italian.

Favourite Riverdale characters and ships?: Betty, Jughead, Pop, Fred, Mary, Kevin, Joaquin, Bughead, Joavin, and Choni.

Favourite moments from S1 & S2?: The scene that got me hooked to the show was when Reggie questioned Jughead about killing Jason, and he replied with a snarky little “It’s called necrophilia, Reggie. Can you spell it?” Other favorite moments are pretty much any Bughead scene from S1, but especially their first kiss. I had been shipping them together since the Blue and Gold scene in 1x03, but 1x06 really hit me hard. They’re both two broken kids who find solace in each other. As someone whose mother is all too similar to Alice Cooper, hearing Jughead tell Betty that they aren’t their parents made me so emotional. I rewatched that scene on repeat when the clip came out on Youtube the next day. To this day I can’t listen to Emily Afton’s Lost without crying. I also really love the hug from 1x13 after Betty, Veronica, and Archie go to Southside High for Juggie. S2 favorite moments are also only Bughead scenes, but not all Bughead scenes, if you catch my drift.

What are your hopes for S3?: Are a coherent plotline and consistent characterization too much to ask for? Also maybe have the parents on the show (other than Archie’s) actually respect their children and treat them well, but that’s never going to happen. On a more realistic note, I’m hoping to watch some fun interactions between Josie and Kevin now that they’re going to be step-siblings.

Other fandoms you’re into?: I don’t really have an online presence in other fandoms, but I do love to geek out over Percy Jackson, That 70s Show (specifically JackiexHyde), The Office, Parks and Rec, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and nearly all of the Marvel movies.

What are some of your favourite movies/TV?: As I mentioned: That 70s Show, The Office, Parks and Rec, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Marvel. I’m currently bingeing The Good Place and The Mindy Project. I also went to watch Crazy Rich Asians in theaters and loved it. So basically I’m trash for rom and com. Sue me. (Or don’t. I’m a broke college student who can’t afford that ish.)

Favourite books?: The Book Thief, The Color Purple, Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, Pride and Prejudice, and, most of all, The Glass Castle.

Favourite bands/musicians?: Nina Simone, Alicia Keys, ABBA, Of Monsters and Men, Christina Perri, and Imagine Dragons. 

If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?: I thought a lot about this question. The obvious answer would be “one with magic, or mermaids, or superheroes”. But then I thought that I’d rather live in a world like ours, more realistic, but where women are equal to men, diversity is celebrated, people accept each other for who they are. That’s a very idealistic world, I realize, and (if my preteen love of dystopian novels has taught me anything) one that’s most definitely unattainable, but it’s still nice to think about it. If anyone knows of a fictional world like that, sign me up.

Favourite food?: Gosh, that’s a hard one. Probably my grandma’s lasagna.

Favourite season?: Fall, definitely. It’s my birthday season, and I love the colorful leaves and breezy weather and going apple-picking with my family and friends. Unfortunately, Canada’s fall doesn’t last much more than a day, so I missed out on all that this year.

Favourite plant?: Nelumbo nucifera, aka the Lotus Flower.

Favourite scent?: Aftershave? Weird, I know, but it reminds me of my childhood and my father.

Favourite colour?: Periwinkle.

Favourite animal?: Hummingbird.

Are you a night owl, an early bird, or a vampire?: Night owl, definitely.

Place you want to visit?: The Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan in Iran, and Ryoanji in Japan.

Do you have pets? If you do, tell us a little about them: I don’t have any pets that live with me currently, but I’ve got a pet back home with my parents. She’s a rescued pup from Mississippi, probably some kind of mix between a Pointer and a Labrador Retriever. Her name’s Sassy and she’s super energetic. If you had asked me this question a week ago I would’ve also said I had a cat named Puma but he was twelve and had cancer, so…yeah.

Tell us a little about yourself?: Um, I never really know what to say to that question. Like, what do you really want to know? I’m Mari (the name comes from my AO3/tumblr username, and not my real name). I was born in New Jersey, grew up in New York and Italy, now go to university in Montreal. I’m super passionate about art history, women’s rights, and politics. I hope to be a dermatologist, but honestly, who knows where life will take me. I’m the oldest of four and the first in my family to go through the American school system, so my parents have always referred to me as their “guinea pig”, and that totally hasn’t given me a weird obsession with being the perfect child, perfect student, perfect daughter. For some very obvious reasons, I relate way too much to Betty Cooper.

Fun or weird fact about you?: I fenced competitively for eight years of my life, traveling all around the US and to Europe for training and national competitions, including the Junior Olympics.

Asks for fanfic authors:

How long have you been writing?: I’ve been writing since I was little, but they were always stories with original characters. I didn’t start writing fic until I was sixteen, nearly seventeen, so it’s been a little over a year.

Which is your favourite of the fics you’ve written?: Geez, that’s a tough one. As much as I love my little one shots, I’d have to say Little Talks. It’s largely based on my own high school experience, and therefore my own way of coming to terms with the end of that chapter of my life.

Favourite fic/chapter/plot-point/character you’ve ever written?: Oof. Another tough one. Um, I’d have to say that I really love my characterization of Alice in Blue Sunshine and Golden Rain. She’s a villainess, but hopefully one you love to hate.

Which was the hardest to write, and why?: Again, Blue Sunshine and Golden Rain. I have a bit of a plot twist planned for the story, but I’m really not sure what kind of reception it’s going to get from readers, so I’ve had the chapter half-finished for months. I just need to get the motivation to finish it, and the courage to say “I don’t care if people hate this, or think it’s weird.” I’ll get there eventually.

How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? (examples: Do you draw inspiration from real life? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?) Do you have an process to your writing?: I’ve answered this in a tumblr ask before, but I get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. Mainly from real life, because I like to observe and speculate and ask a bunch of “what if���s and go from there. So, like I mentioned, Little Talks is largely based on my life. But there are definitely some plot points in the story that are a result of me going “well, what if I had done this? Or he had done that?” Another example of a real life-inspired fic is my oneshot I <3 You, which was inspired by that instastory (Cole or Lili’s? I can’t remember) of a cake with bright orange frosting that spelled out I <3 You. I also take inspiration from other creative works, such as books or movies. One of my many upcoming fics is based on How To Train Your Dragon, and another is a crackfic based on the Suite Life. Other times, fic ideas come to me out of nowhere. I was in the lab last summer, waiting for my breast cancer tumor slides to go through antigen retrieval, when I came up with the idea for Blue Sunshine and Golden Rain. My brain works in very strange ways.

Idea that you always wanted to write?: I’ve always wanted to write a lot of fics (I have a whole list of them), but they’re in the works so I won’t spoil any more than I already have. The main fic that I don’t even have an idea for but just want to write is a heartbreakingly angsty fic. One that makes me cry while I write it. Here’s hoping it comes to me soon, because I feel like that could be a really interesting experience as a writer.

Favourite character to write?: Alice. Which is strange, because I don’t like her in the show, but there are so many different directions you could take her character that she’s always so interesting to me.

Best comment/review you’ve ever received?: Oh, well, all of them? Is that an answer? Because all comments and reviews make me super happy. But if I had to choose one then I’d say any comment from @earthlaughsinflowers, @mothermaple, @dottie-wan-kenobi, or @notanotherotherone. I kind of cheated by not picking one, exactly, but oh well.

Best and worst parts of being a writer?: The best part of being a writer is putting a story that you put a lot of your soul into and getting support and love for it. Because I only put stories out there that I’m happy to write, happy to read, but to see that they make other people happy, too? That’s an amazing feeling. The worst part is the amount of time it takes to do absolutely anything, especially when you’re not in the right headspace to write. When I’ve had the worst week ever, and I have to physically push myself to spend time that should be spent resting to write because an update needs to come out soon, it goes from being a fun hobby to being a stress-inducing chore.

Do you have any advice to offer?: I haven’t been a fic writer for a long time, so I wouldn’t say that I’m going to offer up the wisest advice, but here’s what I’ve garnered so far: Do what makes you happy. That goes for all of life, not just writing, and is often hard to follow, but here’s how I see it: If you want to write a story because it makes you happy, write it. If you want to quit your WIP to start something else because that makes you happy, do it. If you need to take a break from writing altogether because it’ll make you happier, take it. Write what you want to write, at the pace you want to write it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

.

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This is the twelfth instalment of Bughead Family’s Member Spotlight series. Each week, a member’s url is selected through a randomizer and they will be featured in a spotlight post. In order to participate, please join the Bughead Discord (more information found here). Thank you.

[nschardin]

Professional Designer Interview | Zoey Finney - Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

How did start your career as a graphic designer?

I graduated in 2010, Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication from Ohio University, which is in Athens, Ohio. I had to have an internship and I found an internship at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, actually. And so, I was doing page layout and some very small amount of illustration and then after that I kept finding reasons to stay. So basically, because I got that internship I decided to move here. I thought it would just be for summer and now I’ve been at Schlitz Audubon for over 7 years now. A friend told me they were looking for a designer, when I started it was part-time and it was definitely a lot of templated things like our newsletter didn’t look anything like it looks today – I was able to redesign it – so it really started as more of a, just put the information where it always was put and over the past 7 years my role has morphed significantly.

What are employers looking for in graphic designers?

I guess in general I feel like a well-rounded designer probably what people are looking for but I feel like you just have to sort of be able to do a little bit of everything. I knew that I would have to know more than just design. When you start working for a non-profit it really becomes apparently how much more you need to know. And so, luckily with my major I took photography classes. Now photography is a major part of my role here am the nature center’s main photographer. I would guess that’s what someone is really looking for, someone who can jump into anything that they are asked to do. In 2015 I actually rebranded the center and that wasn’t necessarily part of my job description – we were actually considering going to someone outside of Schlitz Audubon and having a firm rebrand us but then I decided to take a try at it actually worked out really well. We are working on a wayfinding system for our trails, so, I’ve never designed signs before – wayfinding signs that tell people where to go – but it’s something that I’m learning how to do as I go and I think the result is going to be really good. My design also has to compliment the land so that’s also something that you aren’t necessarily taught but you sort of just have to learn how to design for the different spaces that you’re in, so like, with this wayfinding project we want the signs to tell people where to go and be helpful in that way but we also don’t want them to be neon orange and stick out like sore thumb when people are here to experience nature and go birding and have these, you know, awe-inspiring nature moments that we don’t want to interrupt with something that looks completely out of place so it’s really just learning how to blend it all together. And people hopefully won’t get lost on our trails anymore.  

If you were to redo your time in school knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently?

I wish that I maybe would have done a little more with interactive multimedia when I was in school. At least at my university there were three separate tracks: there was the design track, photojournalism, and there was interactive multimedia. The last I heard of the program they’re becoming a little more intermixed, um, and especially with the multimedia stuff I just think it would have been more helpful to have more schooling in that before being thrown into the project that I work on now that I can do but I just, you know, I didn’t have as much training in them as I could have. In college I took a couple After Effects classes, I think we were required to do an intro to html, but my knowledge of anything web related I sort of taught myself. I don’t do too much on the web but there are things that are applicable, I mean we use WordPress as the back-end of our website and even though it’s set up for us by someone else, sometimes it helpful to have that knowledge to figure out how it’s working. Or even video, I do still photography, but I haven’t ever really dabbled in video.

What gave you confidence as a student designer? What gave you inspiration?

I think as the years go on, I continue to find my voice in design and so I think my confidence level as definitely increased. As I said, I’m one of three people in the marketing department so I feel like the organization has put a lot of confidence in me and my abilities and they really, for the most part, support pretty much everything I create. And so I think just having that sort of atmosphere to work in, it just gives more confidence to me as a designer and I know that “okay, I’m good at this and it’s communicating what we want it to communicate” so, yeah, I think confidence has just continued to grow. Inspiration, I love the color orange and that has always been something that…I mean I can’t really explain it except it’s just like, an obsession. But I feel like just the color has always been an inspiration in a weird way. I’m very inspired by birds, I was not a birder in college but now I’m a bird watcher and so, yeah, I just love birds and they bring me a lot of inspiration. Really just the natural world in general and being at a nature center that has only increased. Lake Michigan is huge inspiration, I love walking down to the lake. Walking down to the lake can just give you a pause, a moment to reflect and if I’m stuck on a design problem, I take a hike and it seems sometimes things will come to me while I’m out. Yeah, it’s pretty cool that a part of my job is walking the trails and photographing what’s going on out on the land.

How do you get feedback on your designs now that you’re out of school?

I think that’s something that I definitely struggled with at first when I was first out of college. I’m sort of still in the situation where I am the only creative-focused person with creative training in my background here, so I just have to seek out ways to get that feedback. I still have some friends from school that if I’m stuck on something I’ll send and ask them to give me honest feedback – especially if it’s a really bid project like the rebranding of the center. That is definitely a project where I sought a lot of outside feedback just to get other people’s opinions to make sure I wasn’t completely off base. I’ve tried to start going to more things like Creative Mornings which is a monthly meetup of creative people. It’s in a lot of cities but there’s one in Milwaukee and so I’ve started to try and do that just to get more interaction with other creative people, so I have that outside of work.

What is your favorite part of the design process?

I like when it starts to come together. Like when you have an idea and then that idea is actually beginning to translate, and you can see it working out on the screen. It might be something like painting a bird that you’re using in an illustration and when you physically see that it’s actually going in the direction that you had in your mind and you can see that end where you can see this idea is coming to fruition, I think that’s my favorite part of the process.

Least favorite part?

Sometimes just getting the spark for an idea, that can be difficult. I guess it depends what it is, but there have definitely been times where you just get stumped and you have no idea where the project is going to go, that’s difficult. I wouldn’t say this is my least favorite, but it’s defiantly one of the harder parts of being a designer, it’s a constant challenge for most designers, but getting the feedback from people who are your clients. So, all of my clients are my coworkers and so I’m the designer for multiple departments and so learning how to have design conversations with non-designers and trying to bring them on board with an idea – that can be a challenge. I wouldn’t say it’s my least favorite, but it’s a challenge.

What do we stand for as designers? Why does design matter?

I think most designers probably stand for beauty and creativity and bringing creativity to things that maybe don’t seem creative. A big part of my role here is using design to educate people, right now I’m working on an informational graphic about ruby-throated hummingbirds, and it’s a way to make things beautiful but also communicate and spread information. I think practically my design matters here because, again, I’m helping educate the public about things like conservation issues in a way that instead of seeing a big chunk of text I’m able to illustrate things and make it more approachable. And hopefully through making the content more approachable hopefully that will translate into someone knowing more about conservation and then taking action. The other example I was thinking about was the wayfinding signs, design definitely matters in that regard because it can really direct someone where to go and help someone not get lost. I’ve always felt like design can help bring a brightness to things and so I think that definitely part of why it matters.

[soloxcadventures]

Las Cruces, NM

Aka, my new favorite place. The drive..........wasn’t THAT bad. The first part of it went pretty quick, I told myself not check the map to see when the ETA would be and that helped my mentality tremendously.

The last leg of the trip, ants in the pants. With Mexico’s border to my left, I felt a twinge of uneasiness thinking I might accidentally end up there. But I didn’t—just New Mexico!

As I pulled into the horseshoe driveway, I was barely out of the car when I hear a “HEELLOO REBECCA!” Janyce, my final and FAVORITE Airbnb host, came right out front and said hello and immediately offered to take my bags. I said I would come back for what I needed. She showed me inside, introduced me to her husband, Ron and their little white dog, Abby. She let me put my goodies in the fridge and showed me to my HUGE room and said to get my suit on and get out in the pool!

Ron showed me out, and I looked down and realized I forgot my flops in the car so Jan looks at me, asks my size, and kicks off her own so that I didn’t burn my feet. Literally, gave me the shoes off of her own feet. Ron shows me around outside, they say to help myself to anything in the outdoor bar area, so I grab a water and we head up to the pool. He tells me a bit about himself and how someone he knew introduced him to yoga in the 70s (he saw my bag) and we chatted about how it’s a necessity.

Then he let me be, Abby stayed with me for a bit. :) I did a few yoga poses and stretches and then sank, shaking, yearning, right into the pool. It felt so cool, so cold, so good. So I breathed my shuddering breaths and swam bag and forth to get some exercise for the lungs, tried to hold my breath under water. And just let the water do it’s thing—heal me.

It’s what I had been looking forward to, coming to this couple’s oasis and just rinsing all the shit in the water. I popped inside the end of one of those lounge floats and floated with my head leaning back against the tube, my arms crossed in front of me and my legs freely flowing. Deep breath in and out, push the tube into my chest...there we go. Perfect spot. I closed my eyes and I thanked so many things, people, and circumstances.

I am thankful that I got here safe and that my car is okay and that I have the two most amazing hosts ever—literally ever. I am thankful that this drive, this trip, this stupid stupid illness happened now, because shit, it made me determined as hell and stronger. Even though it hurt and so many times I wanted to give up. I am thankful for my family, for taking care of one another when I am gone, for trusting me, for loving me, for rooting for me.

Right at the moment, I was most thankful for the water. To wash and rinse all the bad juju off of me and fade away. It was the perfect form of therapy. Like a million water molecules that were as determined as soldiers for a fight and just swam right up to my body and attacked from all angles, caressing and soothing and cleansing. Telling me it was okay, they had me now, they were taking care of the pain. Water, powerful.

After getting chilly I got out, sat down and just watched and observed things around me. Sounds, sights, smells...

The mountains are overwhelmingly beautiful. The cacti are unique, the way some bend like they want to shake your hand, while others leans like they’re frozen in a Michael Jackson dance move. To my right, on the wall of the house reads, “Cactus Cantina, Since 2007.” Aptly named! 

Palm trees, like actual bushy trees with palm leaves are part of the oasis. A bush with purple flowers, a grape vine, and trees I don’t recognize. Knick knacks. Wiry cacti garden ornaments, stones. Hummingbirds near, doves coo softly. The breeze caresses. The umbrella shades the heat. Tin figures and wind chimes do their best to add to the cacophony that is occurring here at the Cactus Cantina. The waterfall, oh the sweet little handmade waterfall trickling peacefully just steps away from the pool. 

But right now... right now I am back outside after having a superb mexican meal. Jan ordered my food for me, DROVE me to go get it. Opened it up for me when we got back, poured me a glass of rosé and then we watched Netflix together. She got me everything I needed and went above and beyond. She’s an incredible host I just am so amazed. For this cheap of a night, I don’t deserve all of this.

So I am now lounging on a chair by the pool, listening to those homemade wind chimes and watching the sunset and watching the cotton candy skies and clouds boast in front of me. Watching as the north star appears and goes, “here I am! Out first!” Listening, to the beginnings of nighttime—the fading of the birds songs, the introduction of the crickets chirping so sweetly. The tips of the Organ mountains behind me are beginning to get lightly dipped in color. And I am breathing in, clean, deep, full, dry, heavenly breaths. And I am okay. In this moment. Jan comes out and turns on the lights for the oasis. And now I am officially stunned, I may never leave. 

I wish, I wish, I wish that I had my family here with me. If you guys were here with this great company, or even alone, on a chair here by the pool, you would absolutely feel this feeling. And this feeling I do not want to let go. So I won’t. I hold it for the night.

There are going to be A TON of pics to follow. Hang tight, then I am going to go see if Jan wants to hang. :)

“The hell,” you ask. “Was it worth it?”

To reply, she said, “Absofuckinlutely.”

(PS I am AWARE of my many grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in previous posts, that’s what happens when you type tired, stressed, half awake, etc etc etc. BAD English major:))

[benjamingarden]

How Much Do you REALLY Save by Gardening?

A garden sounds like a great way to save money, right? Maybe until you start buying everything you need to grow your own food….then you might start wondering how much you really save by gardening? I wondered the same thing last year so I decided to keep track and find out just how much I was saving. The results were pretty amazing. 

I’ve been gardening a long time. Partly because I love fresh produce and I like knowing exactly what goes into (and stays out of) the food I’m eating. I also love the feeling of being at least a little self-sufficient. And, honestly, it feels so satisfying to start with a tiny seed and watch it grow and turn into something that nurtures both me and those I love.  I’ve never really questioned the profit margin in gardening. I do it for so many other reasons besides saving money (kinda like having chickens).

But last year when I was adding a new garden space and building a new fence and hauling in 4-way soil, I started wondering if I actually save any money in this venture. Being an artist, I’m so focused on how it feels (totally right) and what I gain (wonderful, homemade food) and less on the whole math-y part of the equation.  I’ve always been like that and it’s so who I am. But I’m also curious. How much money do you really save by gardening? Do you save any at all? I decided to find out.

How to Track Expenses

The basics of tracking expenses is probably something you’re better at than me. However, these are the expenses I tracked:

All seeds and plants I bought

The new additional fence (100 feet of fencing) and two gates

Two yards of 4-way dirt (because I live on clay that isn’t super friendly for gardening)

New tomato cages and new bean trellises

A new pair of garden gloves

A new hose

I thought it might not be quite fair to add in the fence and gates as that’s a one time expense and not really related to the overall cost of actually growing food, but I added it in anyway.

If you’re tracking for yourself, think of anything related to the garden. One thing I didn’t track that you might have to take into consideration is WATER. I live on a farm with a well so water isn’t an issue. But that might be a major expense for you and something to factor into the equation.

How to Track Profits

My plan for tracking how much I was ‘making’ from my garden included two things:

Weighing everything I harvested

Comparing the prices at my closest grocery store for the organic produce I was growing (or the closest thing to it, if I was growing something not available)

Now, this plan was a great plan. But, honestly, it was hard to follow. I mean, how often did I expect myself to weigh those lovely golden cherry tomatoes before popping them into my mouth while still warm from the sun? Or, late in the season when the vines hung so heavy and I couldn’t keep up with it all and the chickens, on the other side of the fence, begged for snacks. I lobbed countless juicy orbs over to them. So, yea. It was a bit more difficult than I thought.

Here’s what I ended up NOT weighing:

Produce eaten fresh from the garden

Or handed over the garden fence to the neighbors

And given to the begging chickens

The stuff the birds (wild) and other animals (like the family of gray squirrels that took up residence under the front deck) ate or demolished

My beautiful late summer rows of peas that the chickens destroyed (they broke into the garden while I was gone)

Bunches of beans that got stuck in the ‘in-between’–too big to cook and eat fresh, not big enough to dry and shell before bad weather hit

All of the endless bounty of fresh herbs (they’re so feathery light, but I harvested lots of it)

The rhubarb. Why? I don’t know. I just didn’t think about it

The bucketfuls of plums, apples and pears that I didn’t think about adding to the list since they weren’t ‘technically’ my garden but in the orchard

Same with the gallons of blackberries that I picked from the property…not my garden (so it shouldn’t count, I guess), but still growing on the farm and still feeding me organically

As you can see, I didn’t fully think through this plan. A garden scale would be helpful in getting a better total. That would have added the fresh eaten, given to neighbors, fed to chickens pounds of food that are unaccounted for. But, even with so much missing produce, I still weighed a lot of it. And the totals were still surprising.

So, how much do you really save by gardening?

Garden Profits

For me, even with the above oversights and omissions, I spent $350 for my garden last year and netted over $1500 worth of produce in a fairly small (square foot wise) growing space.  This information was extremely exciting! Investing $350 in a garden (and remember, that’s counting a fence!) to grow over $1500 in produce (and actually WELL over that mark since so much of it went unaccounted for), is a great investment in my eyes.

That’s also not counting the satisfaction element. Nor the fact that you get increased Vitamin D and good old fresh air. Or that it helps you further appreciate food because you’ve cared for it yourself. And what can compare to the taste of a vegetable that you planted, tended to and harvested yourself? Just the SMELL alone of those fresh veggies is incomparable to the store variety.

This current growing season I’m enlarging the garden again. This time, by a 40 x 50 space. It means another fence (a much bigger one) and another couple of gates. And a whole lot more 4-way as well as many more bean trellises (I’ve kinda got an heirloom bean addiction). On and on the list will go…but I’m excited because now I know that these investments and my tending to the garden is more than just a feel good (and eat great) exercise. I actually SAVE MONEY!

How to Increase Profits

If you’re new to gardening or even have been doing it for awhile, there are some ways to help save more money in the gardening venture (and saving money means larger profits).

Grow expensive to buy produce.

Some people I know figure out what the most expensive-to-buy vegetables are (that their family likes to eat) and they grow those. And that makes a lot of sense. If you can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for less than $10, but it’s $12.99 a pound for Christmas Lima beans (dried heirloom beans) then, sure, it makes a lot more sense to grow the beans and buy the potatoes (if you don’t have enough space to do both).

Make your own dirt.

If you make and use your own compost, you don’t have to buy extra compost or soil (while I do compost, I don’t make enough of it for the needs of my ever-expanding garden).

Save your own seeds.

If you save your own seeds, you get FREE seeds (instead of $2 or higher for a tiny packet of seeds). While you can’t save every kind of seed, you can save many (while some say you can’t save hybrid seeds or cross pollinated seeds, you CAN, you just won’t be assured of the produce you’ll be growing from those seeds–it’s possible that they will be a bit different from the original plant you saved them from).

Start your own plants.

If you have the time and space to start your own plants early (under a grow light or in the garden) you can save a TON.  A saved tomato seed from last year costs you zero. And if you plant it yourself early, it’s nearly zero. To buy the same plant is upwards of $5.00. That adds up fast if you want to plant more than a tomato or two.

Grow prolific vegetables. 

I know it’s kind of a joke out there about how one zucchini plant can grow enough for a neighborhood, but I embrace that! I don’t mind zucchini coming out my ears. That means I can pick them small and still have lots to eat. (Being gluten-free I’m especially appreciative of owning a spiralizer). There are so many things you can do with zucchini (like these delicious stuffed zucchini ‘ravioli’). My chickens also love it (if one ‘gets away’ and turns into the school bus sized version).

Another winner I grow is Purple Peacock heirloom beans. They’re super prolific and can be eaten both fresh or dried and shelled.  They out produce my other beans at least four to one. Maybe better. Plus the hummingbirds and bees love the purple blooms.

If you’re not sure what kinds of veggies grow well in your area, ask around (your local nursery, on a FB group, etc.)

On the flip side, something like CORN (while I actually love to grow some) takes up a TON of space for what you get in return, plus it is a heavy feeder and depletes your soil.

Of course I’m not saying grow lots of zucchini and skip the corn and potatoes. Do what makes sense for your family. Just think about these things when you’re deciding what to grow and what to buy instead.

Watch the Water.

If you have to pay for your water source, watching that water usage will also help with your profits. Set a timer when you water so you remember to turn off the water (or water by hand, which will conserve even more). Adding mulch to your garden helps with the need for water because it keeps everything more moist and traps the water in.

  So, next time someone says to you, “how much do you really save by gardening?”, you can tell them with confidence: A BUNDLE!

I love gardening so much I didn’t think I really needed to know just how much I could save by doing it. However, now that I know, I feel so empowered by the fact that I’m able to grow wholesome, organic, wonderful food AND save myself a ton of cash in the process. I love win/win situations. This for sure is one of them!

Happy Gardening!

    How Much Do you REALLY Save by Gardening? was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[ultralifehackerguru-blog]

New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/how-i-learned-to-take-better-photos-by-digging-into-my-cameras-exposure-settings/

How I Learned to Take Better Photos By Digging Into My Camera's Exposure Settings

I shoved my phone in my husband’s face to show him a picture I’d taken of the New York skyline. “It’s good, right?” I asked, way too proud of myself because, frankly, it was not good. “Well,” he said. “Imagine how good it would look if you knew what you were doing.” I rolled my eyes but took him up on his offer to teach me about exposure.

A good photo is a properly exposed photo, and all that means is the right amount of light hits the photo in all the right places. I always had a vague understanding of my camera’s exposure settings. I knew they had something to do with the lighting situation. But when I bothered to learn how exposure actually works, my photos went from “that’s cute” to “wow, that actually doesn’t suck.”

Exposure depends on three factors: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed, which is also referred to as the “exposure triangle.”

Not all cameras will allow you to change these settings, but if you’re at all interested in taking photos that don’t completely suck, it’s worth learning how they work nonetheless.

Aperture

Aperture is measured in f-stops and it’s basically the amount of light your lens lets in. A wide aperture lets in more light, and the wider the aperture, the lower the f-stop (f/1.0 is pretty wide). So what’s with the f?

The f/stop is a ratio. As photographer Matt Cole explains, it’s the ratio between the diameter of the aperture in the lens and the lens’s focal length. He further explains:

The focal length is generally measured in millimeters, so we’ll stick with those as our unit of measure. On a 50mm lens, f/2 is saying that the diameter of the aperture is 25mm. The ratio is: 50/25 = 2.

It gets a little more complicated than that, but for photography neophytes like me, all you really need to know is that the f/stop measures how much light your camera allows in. Wide apertures will have a lower number, letting in a lot of light, and narrow apertures will have a higher number, letting in less light. When you shoot something super bright, like the moon, you want a narrow aperture. It’s sort of like a window on a bright day—you don’t need to open the curtains very wide before light floods the room. On a rainy day, though, you might need to open them as wide as possible to get any light in the room at all.

Shutter Speed

While aperture measures dimension, shutter speed measures time: how long your camera’s shutter is open to let in the light. The faster the shutter opens and closes, the less light can get in. If it’s open for a long time, it will let in quite a bit of light. When you shoot photos of the night sky and want to capture the stars, you’ll have a long shutter speed because you need all the light you can get at night (unless you’re shooting the moon, which is already bright).

If you let in too much light, your photos can look blurry. This can happen if you move the camera, too. Going back to the night sky example, this is why it’s important to keep your camera extremely stable—otherwise, you can get blurry stars or light trails (on the other hand, if you know what you’re doing, this is kind of a cool trick). When you’re trying to take a photo of a hummingbird or something else in action, though, you want a super quick shutter speed. This way, you get just enough light to capture one flap of the bird’s wings, as opposed to keeping it open longer and capturing a few flaps which then translate to a blurry bird.

Shutter speeds are measured in mere fractions of a second. An action shot might call for a shutter speed of 1/1200 seconds. But this varies depending on the image. If you’re taking a night sky photo or trying to get cool light trails, you might want to keep the shutter open for up to 30 seconds. Your settings depend on the image you’re trying to get, the lighting, and your other two exposure settings.

ISO Speed

ISO is the third part of the triangle. It stands for International Standards Organization, as it’s a standardized scale for measuring sensitivity to light.

In film photography, ISO tells you how sensitive film is to incoming light. In digital photography, your camera has its own sensor with its own ISO settings. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive your camera is to light and the darker your photo will be. You can take a brighter picture without flash by adjusting the ISO upward. The problem is, a too-high ISO can take all the detail out of your photo. The Bastard’s Book of Photography puts it this way:

First of all, you want to keep ISO as low as possible. Unlike with shutter speed and aperture, there really isn’t a good reason to have higher-than-needed ISO. Because no one really wants the effect that high ISO creates…It creates noise, random pixelation that can smudge the fine detail in an image. I suppose that some photographers do enjoy this look when it evokes the “grain” texture that sensitive film has. But as colored pixels, it’s not usually flattering.

In auto mode, your camera should try to pick the lowest ISO setting possible for the scene. However, you can dig into the setting in manual mode to adjust for night shots or any other situations when the lighting is less than ideal.

The Exposure Settings for Five Types of Photos

I won’t pretend to be a professional or even a good photographer, but once I learned the exposure triangle and how each factor works together, I was surprised at how much better my photos came out. Here are a few examples and the exposure settings I used.

The Moon

Moon photographers follow something called the Looney 11 Rule. The “11” refers to the f-stop, which seems to be the most important exposure setting here. Here’s what the rule calls for specifically, depending on the moon:

Full moon: Shutter speed at 1/125, aperture at f/11, and ISO 250

Quarter moon: Shutter speed at 1/60, aperture at f/11, and ISO 250

Thin crescent moon: Shutter speed at 1/15, aperture at f/2.8, and ISO 250

These settings will get you in the ballpark, but when you shoot your own moon photo, play around with the settings a bit to see what yields the best results.

The above photo isn’t the best picture of the moon that’s ever been taken, but it beats the glowing bulb photos I used to take of the moon, where it was indistinguishable from a street lamp.

The settings I used for the above photo:

Aperture: f/11

Shutter speed: 1/320

ISO250

Not any lens will do with moon photos, though. You’ll need a telephoto lens with a focal length of at least 300mm. Also, use a tripod to make sure your camera is stabilized, because even a small move can make your photo blurry and ruin it. I took about twenty pictures of a blurry moon before I got the one above, and I also used the camera’s timer to make sure there was no movement.

Street Photography

When you’re out with your camera on the street, you often have to be pretty fast to get the shot you want. On a sunny day, here’s where PetaPixel says your settings should sit:

Aperture: f/16

Shutter speed: higher than 1/200

ISO between 200-400

Remember, the higher your shutter speed, the faster your shutter opens and closes, which makes it more conducive to catching a subject in motion: someone walking, a bicyclist, etc. They recommend using a wide angle lens to capture everything. A telephoto lens works, too, but you might look like a paparazzo walking down the street with a giant lens. Here’s the lens I use for pretty much everything.

In the above photo (of fellow Lifehacker writer Stephanie Lee!) , I used the following settings:

Aperture: f/3.2

Shutter speed: 1/500

ISO: 320

Stephanie looks great, but exposure-wise, it’s not the best shot. It was kind of a cloudy day, which is why my aperture is wider, but it’s still probably set way too wide. Looking back, maybe I should’ve narrowed the aperture more and just hiked up the ISO. Live and learn.

Action or Bird Photography

Whether it’s a basketball game or a big bird flapping it’s wings, the key to taking great action shots is your shutter speed. Photography Mad recommends starting at 1/500. As for aperture and ISO, you can probably stick to the same range as street photography shots (around f/16, ISO 200-400), depending on the lighting.

In the above photo, I tried to take ten different pictures of this bird extending its wings, and they all came out blurry. I adjusted my shutter speed to 1/2500 to catch the action. Also, I used a telephoto lens to capture this shot at a distance, since most birds don’t really let you get up close and personal.

Water in Motion

Shutter speed is the name of the game with waterfall photography, too. Again, you need a quick shutter speed to catch the water in motion. The setting depends on how fast the water is moving, so it can be hard to gauge. It also depends on what kind of photo you want. For those ethereal, powdery waterfall photos, here’s what Phototuts+ recommends:

Aperture: f/16

ISO: the lowest your camera will allow

Shutter speed: 2 seconds

Again, this is a ballpark and it’s meant to recreate a specific type of waterfall photo. For the photo above, I wanted to capture the movement of the waterfall, all the detail, including the tiny droplets you see. Here are the settings I used:

Aperture: f/7

Shutter speed: 1/2000

ISO: 320

A quick shutter speed ensures you capture the subject in action. Again, if that’s not what you’re going for, you’ll use a much slower speed, maybe around one to two seconds. Experiment and see what works for you, but these settings should get you started.

The Night Sky and Stars

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is the night sky. I suck at it, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s just a lot of trial and error. Here’s where Nikon USA says you should keep your settings for decent night sky photos:

Aperture: as wide as your lens will allow

Shutter speed: 20 seconds

ISO: They say to increase as needed, but try a range of 4000 to 12800

Photographing the night sky can be tricky because you often want to get the sky and the landscape along with it, and those can call for different exposure settings. Your job is to find a good balance that gets both (or you can take two separate photos and edit, but that’s a different post). For the night sky photo above, I used the following settings:

Aperture: f4

Shutter speed: 15 seconds

ISO: 1250

As you can see, my shutter speed and ISO are a lot farther off than their ballpark suggestion but this is partially because I wanted to get the brightly lit landscape in the photo, too.

Obviously, I am not a pro. It’s possible to take a much better photos. But that’s the point: learning how exposure settings work together is crucial to figuring out how to take better photos. I think I’ve come a long way from pointing and shooting, and all it took was learning a few basics and,of course, experimenting.

©

[benjamingarden]

How Much Do you REALLY Save by Gardening?

A garden sounds like a great way to save money, right? Maybe until you start buying everything you need to grow your own food….then you might start wondering how much you really save by gardening? I wondered the same thing last year so I decided to keep track and find out just how much I was saving. The results were pretty amazing. 

I’ve been gardening a long time. Partly because I love fresh produce and I like knowing exactly what goes into (and stays out of) the food I’m eating. I also love the feeling of being at least a little self-sufficient. And, honestly, it feels so satisfying to start with a tiny seed and watch it grow and turn into something that nurtures both me and those I love.  I’ve never really questioned the profit margin in gardening. I do it for so many other reasons besides saving money (kinda like having chickens).

But last year when I was adding a new garden space and building a new fence and hauling in 4-way soil, I started wondering if I actually save any money in this venture. Being an artist, I’m so focused on how it feels (totally right) and what I gain (wonderful, homemade food) and less on the whole math-y part of the equation.  I’ve always been like that and it’s so who I am. But I’m also curious. How much money do you really save by gardening? Do you save any at all? I decided to find out.

How to Track Expenses

The basics of tracking expenses is probably something you’re better at than me. However, these are the expenses I tracked:

All seeds and plants I bought

The new additional fence (100 feet of fencing) and two gates

Two yards of 4-way dirt (because I live on clay that isn’t super friendly for gardening)

New tomato cages and new bean trellises

A new pair of garden gloves

A new hose

I thought it might not be quite fair to add in the fence and gates as that’s a one time expense and not really related to the overall cost of actually growing food, but I added it in anyway.

If you’re tracking for yourself, think of anything related to the garden. One thing I didn’t track that you might have to take into consideration is WATER. I live on a farm with a well so water isn’t an issue. But that might be a major expense for you and something to factor into the equation.

How to Track Profits

My plan for tracking how much I was ‘making’ from my garden included two things:

Weighing everything I harvested

Comparing the prices at my closest grocery store for the organic produce I was growing (or the closest thing to it, if I was growing something not available)

Now, this plan was a great plan. But, honestly, it was hard to follow. I mean, how often did I expect myself to weigh those lovely golden cherry tomatoes before popping them into my mouth while still warm from the sun? Or, late in the season when the vines hung so heavy and I couldn’t keep up with it all and the chickens, on the other side of the fence, begged for snacks. I lobbed countless juicy orbs over to them. So, yea. It was a bit more difficult than I thought.

Here’s what I ended up NOT weighing:

Produce eaten fresh from the garden

Or handed over the garden fence to the neighbors

And given to the begging chickens

The stuff the birds (wild) and other animals (like the family of gray squirrels that took up residence under the front deck) ate or demolished

My beautiful late summer rows of peas that the chickens destroyed (they broke into the garden while I was gone)

Bunches of beans that got stuck in the ‘in-between’–too big to cook and eat fresh, not big enough to dry and shell before bad weather hit

All of the endless bounty of fresh herbs (they’re so feathery light, but I harvested lots of it)

The rhubarb. Why? I don’t know. I just didn’t think about it

The bucketfuls of plums, apples and pears that I didn’t think about adding to the list since they weren’t ‘technically’ my garden but in the orchard

Same with the gallons of blackberries that I picked from the property…not my garden (so it shouldn’t count, I guess), but still growing on the farm and still feeding me organically

As you can see, I didn’t fully think through this plan. A garden scale would be helpful in getting a better total. That would have added the fresh eaten, given to neighbors, fed to chickens pounds of food that are unaccounted for. But, even with so much missing produce, I still weighed a lot of it. And the totals were still surprising.

So, how much do you really save by gardening?

Garden Profits

For me, even with the above oversights and omissions, I spent $350 for my garden last year and netted over $1500 worth of produce in a fairly small (square foot wise) growing space.  This information was extremely exciting! Investing $350 in a garden (and remember, that’s counting a fence!) to grow over $1500 in produce (and actually WELL over that mark since so much of it went unaccounted for), is a great investment in my eyes.

That’s also not counting the satisfaction element. Nor the fact that you get increased Vitamin D and good old fresh air. Or that it helps you further appreciate food because you’ve cared for it yourself. And what can compare to the taste of a vegetable that you planted, tended to and harvested yourself? Just the SMELL alone of those fresh veggies is incomparable to the store variety.

This current growing season I’m enlarging the garden again. This time, by a 40 x 50 space. It means another fence (a much bigger one) and another couple of gates. And a whole lot more 4-way as well as many more bean trellises (I’ve kinda got an heirloom bean addiction). On and on the list will go…but I’m excited because now I know that these investments and my tending to the garden is more than just a feel good (and eat great) exercise. I actually SAVE MONEY!

How to Increase Profits

If you’re new to gardening or even have been doing it for awhile, there are some ways to help save more money in the gardening venture (and saving money means larger profits).

Grow expensive to buy produce.

Some people I know figure out what the most expensive-to-buy vegetables are (that their family likes to eat) and they grow those. And that makes a lot of sense. If you can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for less than $10, but it’s $12.99 a pound for Christmas Lima beans (dried heirloom beans) then, sure, it makes a lot more sense to grow the beans and buy the potatoes (if you don’t have enough space to do both).

Make your own dirt.

If you make and use your own compost, you don’t have to buy extra compost or soil (while I do compost, I don’t make enough of it for the needs of my ever-expanding garden).

Save your own seeds.

If you save your own seeds, you get FREE seeds (instead of $2 or higher for a tiny packet of seeds). While you can’t save every kind of seed, you can save many (while some say you can’t save hybrid seeds or cross pollinated seeds, you CAN, you just won’t be assured of the produce you’ll be growing from those seeds–it’s possible that they will be a bit different from the original plant you saved them from).

Start your own plants.

If you have the time and space to start your own plants early (under a grow light or in the garden) you can save a TON.  A saved tomato seed from last year costs you zero. And if you plant it yourself early, it’s nearly zero. To buy the same plant is upwards of $5.00. That adds up fast if you want to plant more than a tomato or two.

Grow prolific vegetables. 

I know it’s kind of a joke out there about how one zucchini plant can grow enough for a neighborhood, but I embrace that! I don’t mind zucchini coming out my ears. That means I can pick them small and still have lots to eat. (Being gluten-free I’m especially appreciative of owning a spiralizer). There are so many things you can do with zucchini (like these delicious stuffed zucchini ‘ravioli’). My chickens also love it (if one ‘gets away’ and turns into the school bus sized version).

Another winner I grow is Purple Peacock heirloom beans. They’re super prolific and can be eaten both fresh or dried and shelled.  They out produce my other beans at least four to one. Maybe better. Plus the hummingbirds and bees love the purple blooms.

If you’re not sure what kinds of veggies grow well in your area, ask around (your local nursery, on a FB group, etc.)

On the flip side, something like CORN (while I actually love to grow some) takes up a TON of space for what you get in return, plus it is a heavy feeder and depletes your soil.

Of course I’m not saying grow lots of zucchini and skip the corn and potatoes. Do what makes sense for your family. Just think about these things when you’re deciding what to grow and what to buy instead.

Watch the Water.

If you have to pay for your water source, watching that water usage will also help with your profits. Set a timer when you water so you remember to turn off the water (or water by hand, which will conserve even more). Adding mulch to your garden helps with the need for water because it keeps everything more moist and traps the water in.

  So, next time someone says to you, “how much do you really save by gardening?”, you can tell them with confidence: A BUNDLE!

I love gardening so much I didn’t think I really needed to know just how much I could save by doing it. However, now that I know, I feel so empowered by the fact that I’m able to grow wholesome, organic, wonderful food AND save myself a ton of cash in the process. I love win/win situations. This for sure is one of them!

Happy Gardening!

    How Much Do you REALLY Save by Gardening? was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)