#i drinking so much virtual cocoa it's insane

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

(Just putting this here in case you didnt see on discord. Sendin cuddles🫶🏼💗)

Cosmo, ILY so much. I got so much cocoa for days thanks to you guys today. Thank y'all 😊

[alls-fair-in-pride-and-prejudice]

The Star King’s Labyrinth Part 1

part 2, part 3

As promised, here is part one of my Dragon Prince/Labyrinth mashup fic. Aaravos is in the role of the lovely Goblin Elf king, and my OC Lyra is the lucky poor unfortunate human to be whisked away. The plot of this fic will largely mirror that of the original Labyrinth, but I went ahead and changed a bunch of things. For one, I spent longer on exposition than the movie did. (In which we will see professors Viren and Opeli - which made me wonder if people in The Dragon Prince have last names?)

Rated T on AO3 because cursing. 

Tagging: @psijics​ and @king-bito​ (since you were the first I mentioned this idea to I figured you’d want to see I did the thing)

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged for future parts!

~~~

Lyra was already stressed after her physics class earlier that day. She knew Professor Viren strict, but she had no idea it was this bad.

“I have made myself clear in the past, no late work is accepted in my class,” the physics professor said, not even looking up from the work on his desk.

“I’m not asking for credit; I’ll accept the zero. I just want to be able to do the online assignment to make sure I learn the material,” Lyra explained. She needed to master her understanding of gyroscopes to move on to future material, but the online problems were closed the moment the due date hit, and she could not even check her answers. “Please, I was sick. There was only so much schoolwork I could do before the cold medicine knocked me out.”

Professor Viren shot her a withering look from overtop his glasses. “Then perhaps you should have worked on this material earlier so getting sick wouldn’t have been a problem. If you want to succeed, you have to prepare in advance in case of these things.”

Lyra gritted her teeth, wanting to say something like “Since it’s clearly been a while since your student days, maybe you’ve forgotten how hard it is to keep your head above water in the day to day work.” Or maybe even something like, “I know they had only just accepted the heliocentric model when you were in school, but we modern day students have a lot more to cover, so some fucking basic empathy would be appreciated you pretentious asshole.” She held her tongue, only muttering to herself once out of his office, “it’s just not fair.”

At least she had multivariable calc afterwards. It was always entertaining if they went over something with applications in physics, because then they would witness one of Professor Opeli’s legendary anti-physicist rants. “You do not need to understand the underlying concepts. In fact, you’re probably better off not trying to. You just have to do the math and you’ll sail right through the classes. Don’t even bother with physics professors, they’re virtually useless.” she said once. A student said that Professor Viren would probably be offended to hear that.

Professor Opeli simply gestured to her stony expression. “Does this look like the face of a woman who cares what he thinks?”

Any good feelings Lyra had towards Professor Opeli were immediately dissipated once she decided to assign extra work for the fall break. It’s so unfair! Do these people not understand the concept of a break? Lyra wondered. 

The answer, of course, is “yes,” but college professors do not see days off from school as breaks, but more as lost time that must be made up.

Lyra, a fool that did not yet know that expectation is the root of all heartache, had set her hopes on a relaxing trip home for the four-day weekend. She wanted to go to the pumpkin patch and catch up on some reading while drinking hot apple cider. At the rate she was getting homework assigned, it appeared that she would be lucky to get the cider as a comforting treat while she worked.

At least her parents would help her with laundry and meals… she hoped.

But, as we have already established, Lyra was one to set her hopes too high. Her mother had forgotten that her daughter was coming home that weekend and had booked a gig that would require her and Lyra’s father to travel out of town for the weekend. “At least the dog doesn’t have to go in the kennel now,” Lyra’s mother said over the phone.

“Yeah, so on top of all the stress I’m under, I can also spend the weekend picking up dog shit,” is what Lyra wanted to say. Out loud, she said, “yeah it’ll be nice to cuddle with him this weekend.” Which, she supposed, was true. At least she had a furry companion to help ease her stress levels.

After a two-hour drive Thursday night, Lyra decided she could afford the rest of the evening to relax in the empty house. After taking Orpheus the labradoodle out to do his business, she made herself a cup of hot chocolate and curled up with a fantasy romance novel. It was extremely cliché and an easy read – by no means a great literary work – just how Lyra liked it.

It had just enough spooky elements in it to feel suited to the season too, a gothic vampire romance. The heroine rescued by a creature of the night and taken back to his castle (never mind that there were not castles just laying around in colonial United States, where the tale takes place).

Still, Lyra could not completely keep her mind on the story for her stress. She was already considering what online resources she would have to practice with since Professor Viren had such a stick up his ass that he couldn’t even leave the practice problems open to the students. Khan Academy maybe? It was invaluable in her high school days. Did they have college level coursework on there? How would her grades survive if she couldn’t learn this?

Lyra sighed, trying to turn her attention back to the fantasy world in hand. This was supposed to be her one chance to relax and she was not about to waste it. She reached for her mug only to discover the greatest of all tragedies: her hot cocoa had gone cold, and the marshmallows melted into a sticky inconvenience around the rim. Setting the mug back on the coaster, Lyra groaned. Orpheus, awoken from his nap on the floor by the noise, trotted over to Lyra, apparently deciding he needed belly rubs.

Lyra obliged him, making room for him to curl up next to her on the couch. Of course, despite his size, Orpheus was under the impression he was a lap dog, and there had to be careful maneuvering for Lyra to get some semblance of comfort once he decided she was his new bed.

Cuddling her dog had always been comforting in the past, but it was not long before Lyra wondered about her future, and she could fell the loneliness creeping in sitting in the otherwise uninhabited house. She couldn’t blame school stress for her inability to enjoy that moment, now could she? Why could she not enjoy what moments of rest she had? How was that fair?

Lyra could not deny that her grades were falling apart, and she wasn’t even sure that astrophysics was what she should pursue, but if she was not an academic, what was she? What else did she have going for her in this world after devoting her life since elementary school to good grades and academic success? Despite being a junior, she lacked any social connections that lasted more than a few months. Friendships were hard. She could never really figure out where she stood with people, always being as accommodating and friendly as possible to be safe. After the fact she always worried she came across as clingy, which would set the whole cycle of isolation over again.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just run away from all of it?” Lyra mused aloud as she rubbed Orpheus’s ears. He did not respond, since he was a dog, and this isn’t the kind of story where animals start talking out of nowhere. “I guess that’s what I was hoping to accomplish by coming home this weekend, but my problems followed me here.” She inspected the art on the cover of the cheap paperback. “I want a castle. No, not a castle, I just want to run away somewhere that my problems don’t follow me. Where hot cocoa doesn’t get cold and gross and I don’t have to deal with stuck up professors and unreasonable deadlines.”

Lyra leaned back on the sofa, throwing her head back to look to the ceiling. She was not often one to talk to herself aloud, but perhaps it was the need to fill the empty space that made her voice her lamentations. Maybe some part of her, an instinctual part left over from the days when humans had to evade large predators, knew she was not really alone, that someone was listening in.

“I just wish I could leave this world altogether,” Lyra shouted to the (seemingly) empty room.

All the lights in the house flickered for a moment, then went dark, the only light coming from the streetlamps and moon outside. “It is my pleasure to grant your wish, Lyra,” replied a voice from the shadows.

Lyra leapt off the couch in alarm, spinning around to see where the intruder was. From what she could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Orpheus confirmed for her that something was wrong, raising his hackles and growling softly. Lyra grabbed a nearby decorative candlestick as an improvised weapon for self-defense. “Who’s there?”

There was no answer in any sort of verbal language, but Lyra felt an instinctual pull towards the entryway of the house. She crept along cautiously, Orpheus keeping close by her. She gave him a soft pat on his head as thanks for his loyalty.

In the entryway, across from the coat closet, was a small end table where keys and other assorted odds-and-ends were kept, with a mirror above it to check one’s appearance before leaving. As Lyra approached, she saw a figure in the mirror alongside her own reflection that became clearer bit by bit, as if emerging from fog.

She knew she had to be going insane at that point. The first thing she noticed about the figure in the mirror was that he was purple with silver freckles across his skin. Then his horns, curving against a head of silver-white hair, became clear through the mist, and Lyra wondered if she was dealing with some sort of demon. The sclera of his eyes was black, and his irises were golden and almost glowed in the dim light. Those eyes carried, like the rest of the figure, a frightening sort of beauty, like lightning that strikes a little too close for comfort.

In the mirror, the strange figure stood next to Lyra wrapped in a black cloak with gold trim. Whatever he was… he certainly was not human. Against perhaps her better judgment, Lyra reached out to touch the glass of the mirror in disbelief of what she was seeing. The figure glanced down to where Lyra’s hand met her reflection and smirked.

The person in the mirror reached forward, and Lyra saw a sparkling violet hand reach out to touch hers on her side of the mirror. She screamed and whirled around, swinging the candlestick. The stranger caught her by her wrist, seeming only mildly annoyed at most.

“Is that any way to greet the one that just granted your heart’s desire?” the stranger asks, with a deep baritone voice like honey.

“Granted… what?” Lyra sputtered, taking a moment to find her voice, and managing to wrench back her wrist from his grip in the process. Lyra realized that at some point in her shock, Orpheus had disappeared. So much for a loyal companion. She took a cautious step back from the very strange man in her house, finally settling on one question to start: “Who the fuck are you?”

The man took Lyra’s hand, bowing and placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. She tried to ignore the fluttering of her heart at the gallant gesture. “I am Aaravos, king of this realm. You wished to leave your world, so I brought you here.” He stood, snapping his fingers, and the walls dissipated like mist, leaving the two of them standing in a twilit forest.

Lyra looked around, taking in the ethereal surroundings: the lights like tiny multicolored stars hanging in the branches, and the floating bits of stardust around them. They stood on a hillside, and in the distance, atop another hill, a gleaming castle with impossibly tall and spiraling spires reached into the night sky. Surrounding it in the valley below was a labyrinth so large and twisted it could rival Greek myth.

“And… where is here?”

Aaravos leaned against a nearby tree that bended and curved upon his approach to something more comfortable to rest against. “This was once a realm that served as a prison, but those that sent me here underestimated my power and my ability to mold this world into something more suitable. These days, I find I prefer my new home to the one that banished me. You would be advised to stay close to me, and I can help you avoid the areas that still serve as places of torment.”

“Torment??” Lyra laughed, a tense and nervous sound that grated even on her own ears. “This is just a weird dream. I fell asleep on the couch and I will wake up any minute now… right? Right? I just… I want to go home.”

Aaravos’s face scrunched up in confusion, and a darkness took hold of his gaze as he stalked toward her. “Not five minutes ago, you wished to leave your home. I have graciously granted your wish, and now you would rudely refuse my gift to you?”

Lyra gulped, debating whether she should appease this being with an apology, or whether she should try to reason with him and defend her right to go home. When looking up into the face of this man that radiated dangerous power, Lyra’s sense of self-preservation demanded she choose the former. “I’m sorry,” she said, voice quiet and shaky, “I did not mean to offend.”

Aaravos smiled, reaching up to brush his fingers along Lyra’s cheek. The sweet caress made her shiver, though she was not sure if it was from fear or… something else. “Nothing in this world or any other, dear Lyra, is truly free. I will admit I had an ulterior motive for bringing you here.”

Lyra sucked in a deep breath, staring up at Aaravos with as much courage as she could muster. “And what was that, exactly?”

Aaravos grinned. “I am terribly bored, and you little humans are so interesting.” He took a lock of Lyra’s dark hair that had fallen from her bun and twirled it around a finger. “I could get a lifetime’s worth of entertainment just watching how you react to magic that is so commonplace for me. Do you really wish to go back to your dull human world with your deadlines and lonely nights? Reading books about magical adventures instead of having your own?”

Lyra hesitated, tempted by the offer... but it all sounded too good to be true. There had to be another catch, and she knew she could not trust this Aaravos to be transparent. Besides, as frustrating as it was at times, she loved her studies. She loved her family and her dog and she could not give that up forever. “Please, let me go back. I didn’t mean it when I said I wanted to leave. I was just frustrated. Let me go, please.”

Aaravos sighed melodramatically. “Oh, if you insist… I suppose I shall have to amuse myself some other way.”

Lyra almost laughed in relief. She began to say her thanks, but Aaravos cut her off with a look that carried a sadistic glee to it. “Let’s play a game, then,” he said, his tone sharp and without any of the softness it carried moment before. With a wave of his hand, a clock floated above his palm. “I will give you thirteen hours. If, in that time, you can make it through that labyrinth to my castle, I will send you home. If not, you will stay here forever.” With a snap of his fingers, the second hand on the clock began ticking.

“Wait!” Lyra cried, “I never agreed to that! What kind of deal is that?”

Aaravos cocked a snowy white eyebrow. “You seem to be under the impression, little star, that I was asking your permission. No. I have simply informed you of your current predicament. If you wish to return home so badly, I suggest you get moving. After all,” he gestured to the floating clock with a nod of his head, “the clock is ticking.”

In a flash of blinding white, Aaravos disappeared, and Lyra was no longer on the hilltop, but staring at an elegantly carved stone archway possibly thirty feet tall. She stomped her foot and shook her fist at the sky. “YOU BASTARD,” she screamed, “That’s not fair!”

Left with no other option, Lyra stepped through the archway into the labyrinth.

A/N: Opeli’s disdain towards physics professors is based off an actual calc professor I had. The physics and calc professors I had that semester talked shit about each other and their departments. It was great.

Lyra is a college student because an immortal elf hitting on a 21-year-old is less creepy than one hitting on a 16-year-old. In her original universe, Lyra’s parents were bards, so I decided to leave them as vague performers/musicians in the modern world. 

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

A Celiac's Favorite Gluten Free Healthy Snacks For Working From Home

New blog post!

*Some of the brands mentioned in this post sent me samples of their products to review and consider for editorial coverage, but I only share products I really love and all opinions and photographs are my own*

Healthy snacks for work are always important to have on hand, but perhaps even more so now that many people are working at home because of the Coronavirus outbreak. After all, sometimes it can be tough to schedule a consistent lunch break when your virtual to-do list seems never-ending...and it can feel super easy to rely on easily accessible junk food to fuel your at-home work day.

That's why I thought now would be a great time to share some of my favorite healthy snacks for work. Although I've been working from home as a freelance writer for over four years now, transitioning the college class I teach to an online medium has kept me more than busy, so all these healthy snacks have saved my day many times already. So whether you're looking for yummy vegan protein drinks and mug cakes, healthier chips or a mix of sweet and savory snacks, this healthy snacks for work round up should give you some more ideas on what products to stock up on in the coming weeks for delicious at-home fuel. And if these healthy snacks also just happen to taste freakin' amazing...well, that just makes your snack break at "work" even better!

Sweet Gluten Free and Healthy Snacks for Work From Home Living:

Emmy's organics coconut cookies

If you love coconut, then this gluten free dessert is your dream come true. These coconut cookies definitely aren't traditional - they're very dense, a mix of chewy and crumbly, and on the slight side of sweet. But I love crumbling them on smoothie bowls or pairing them with nut butter. So far, my favorite flavors are dark chocolate, dark chocolate chip, and vanilla. 

Lily's sugar-free dark chocolate chips

If you love chocolate but are watching your sugar intake, Lily's sugar-free dark chocolate is your healthy dessert soulmate. Their dark chocolate baking chips are sweetened with stevia, and they taste just as delicious eaten straight out of the bag (or with nut butter....drooool) or used in baked goods. This chocolate does contain dairy, but as long as milk and stevia don't bother you, these are delicious chocolate chips to have on hand.

Owyn protein drink

As I've shared on my Instagram before, Owyn's protein drinks are my go-to protein source when I'm traveling. Besides being certified gluten free, their drinks are packed with 20 grams of plant-based protein. I've tried their dark chocolate, vanilla and cookies n' cream flavors and enjoyed them all!

Barnana banana bites

I won these banana bites in an Instagram giveaway a few weeks ago, and I am officially OBSESSED. If you like sweet snacks, these banana bites will definitely curb that sweet craving with just one simple ingredient: dried bananas. I've also tried their banana coconut bites, and they are just as delicious.

Woah! Dough bars

I won a five-pack of Woah! Dough bars on Instagram a few weeks ago, and I'll start out by saying that these bars are aptly named. Because I definitely thought, "Woah!" when I took my first bite and realized that it legit tasted like some cookie dough dessert. They're made with healthy ingredients like almond flour, almond butter, organic honey and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and are not only gluten free but also dairy free and soy free. And I LOVED every single flavor, so any of them would make for a pretty dang delicious snack break in my book!

The Amazing Chickpea Spread

If you're looking for a healthy snack that is high in protein but free of nuts, this chickpea spread is mind-blowing. I've been trying to prioritize plant-based protein lately, and this has definitely helped with that. 

Birch benders pancakes and waffles

It's important to note that Birch Benders produces a TON of different pancake products, including ones that aren't gluten free, so make sure you check which mix you get. However, I absolutely love their Classic Gluten Free, Paleo and Banana Paleo mixes. My favorite part is that you can make so more than just pancakes and waffles with the mixes. You can also make pancake "loafs," muffins and more - which are perfect snacks to prep as a healthy snack for work!

Rule Breakers Bites

I've written about the delicious magic of Rule Breakers' chickpea-based desserts before, but they recently released bites. Each bite is around the size of a quarter but super thick. I've tried the vegan dark chocolate brownie bites, and they were seriously addictive. I loved the huge chunks of chocolate dispersed throughout and the chewy, fudgy texture. 

Savory Gluten Free and Healthy Snacks for Work From Home Living:

Crunchsters

When I'm craving a savory healthy snack for work, I've found myself reaching for Crunchsters more often than not. They were kind enough to send a few samples my way, and I've been loving that Crunchsters are high in vegan protein thanks to mung beans. So far, I've tried their Sea Salt, BBQ and Smoky Balsamic and enjoyed all three flavors. (And these were AWESOME healthy snacks to have on my road-trip from Minnesota to Colorado!).

Chomps Turkey Jerky

I've never been a huge fan of beef jerky, but ever since I discovered that Chomps offers turkey jerky, it's become one of my go-to healthy snacks for work when I need an easy source of protein. Their turkey jerky doesn't taste overly salty and I think the package is the perfect size. I've tried their Original Turkey Jerky, which is my favorite, but also like the Jalapeno Turkey Jerky, which definitely has a kick but is still tolerable by spice-avoidant people like me.

Bada Bean Snacks

I know I've mentioned Bada Bean snacks in snack round ups before, but I just HAD to mention them again because I've literally gotten obsessed with their savory flavors. I thought their vegan broad bean snacks were good in cinnamon and cocoa flavors (and they are) but their range of savory flavors seriously blows my taste buds away. My favorites (in no particular order) include Mesquite BBQ, Sea Salt, Nacho Cheese (which is still vegan! LOVE!), Sweet Siracha, Zesty Ranch and Jalapeno Popper. I love snacking on these in the afternoons or with my lunch.

Terra Original Chips

If you love snacking on chips as much as I do, trying out Terra chips is a MUST. All their chips are made from whole root vegetables, ranging from purple sweet potato to kabocha squash. As for the taste? I'm embarrassed to say how quickly I got through a whole bag on my own! If you don't like the taste of veggies, these chips may not be for you. However, I love the earthy flavor of all the different vegetables and the crunch is out of this world.

What I Hope You Remember While Working - and Eating - From Home

At the end of the day, life is pretty scary right now with the Coronavirus outbreak and eating healthy while working from home may not be your priority. And while this is solely my personal opinion and I'm not a nutritionist or health professional, I believe that is 100% OK. Eat the ice cream if you're craving it. Enjoy more chips than you usually eat at once. Realize that right now is temporary, and it's normal for your eating habits to change right now as you cope with everything that's going on.

But if you DO want to enjoy some snacks that are not only healthy but also gluten free, allergy-friendly and insanely delicious, I hope this healthy snack for work round up gives you some tasty places to start!

Are you working from home right now? What snacks are you digging? Tell me in the comments!

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2Rop0Tg