#i love how when humans see a huge mountain they juts go

[jd-205]

Had to look this up on Wikipedia! It's roughly the same size as Poland. It's approx three times the height of Mount Everest and two times the height of the Mauna Kea on Hawaii (the highest volcano on Earth).

The tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars. It has a height of 25 km, Mount Everest is 'only' 8.8 km tall.

[monstersandmaw]

Winter Solstice - Fae Prince, Part Three

Here’s Part Three of Winter Solstice for you! Patreon folks have had access to it for a little while, and now it’s time to share it here. Hope you enjoy! If you do, don’t forget to reblog or let me know with a comment etc. It really is fuel for us writers!!

There’s also artwork of our boy Círdan now too, which you can find over on the Shadows tier ($1) on Patreon!

Finally, Trope Tuesdays are starting over on Patreon (only), with the poll for the first trope going up on 31st January. Both the poll and the resulting story will be available for all patrons from $1 upwards.

Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw)

Content: exploration of the castle, some time with Mirana, a creepy Librarian, and a bit of our one winged angel uh, I mean, Fae...! Wordcount: 3361

After waking up in the Fae Realm after her ordeal with the tainted creature, in the frozen Court of Winter no less, our human met the prince and the closest members of his court, and learns that she has to remain there for a while. This time, we see a bit of the palace, and get to know a couple more of those closest advisors a tiny bit better... 

As one lovely patreon commenter said, ‘our human really knows how to make friends’... or... uh... not.

“Shall I at least give you a little tour?” Mirana said politely as the throne room doors closed with a surprisingly soft whisper behind them, shutting Prince Círdan in and them out with barely a sound.

Narrowing her eyes, she nodded and said tartly, “Show me the places I’m permitted to explore?”

“And the ones you’re not, if you’d like to see them,” Mirana said with a glint in her eyes.

“Yeah, how about I don’t piss off my captor on my first day?” she snorted and Mirana laughed openly, a sound like tinkling glass.

The castle - the House of Winter - was larger than any keep she’d ever even imagined. The only building she had for reference was the king’s palace in Caer Grauth, which, although ancient, had nothing on this place. The walls, as they walked down corridors with lace-like plasterwork, were white as the fresh-fallen snow blanketing the mountainside beyond the crystal windows, and the pale floors were polished to a high sheen and patterned with forking fronds of frost like rare plant fossils.

“Let’s begin with the ballroom,” she crooned, seeming almost to float down a winding staircase with a gently curved banister. The halls and rooms seemed oddly empty as they walked in silence, and when she brought this up, Mirana sighed. “Most of our High Fae in the court live in their own holds,” she explained. “It’s tough living up here.”

She looked around at the opulence as they stepped into the ballroom and snorted sarcastically, “I can see that.”

Mirana rolled her eyes and turned to face her. “Nothing lives here save for brambles inland and seals on the coast. Almost everything we eat we have to trade for.”

That was interesting. “Can’t your magic grow things?”

“Not on a large enough scale to feed an entire nation, which is what the Court of Winter amounts to. The gardens here have the crystal houses, of course, but that is only for the high table and the royal family to enjoy.”

“So what’s your export then?”

The Fae’s eyes brightened at her question and she jutted one hip out as she stood surveying her new human companion thoughtfully. With pretty lips just revealing the hint of a smile at one corner, she said, “These mountains have some of the richest veins of gold, silver, and gemstones. Not to mention that we are the only place that stellarite has been uncovered.”

She frowned, unfamiliar with the word, and Mirana giggled, filling the room with a playful noise that was completely at odds with the solemn, empty ballroom. Mirrors lined each wall, framed by white arboreal columns, slender as saplings, with branches reaching up and over the glass to become the vaults of the ceiling so that it felt like standing in a silver birch forest at dusk, the crystal chandeliers unlit but still sparkling like frozen leaves above.

“Stellarite is the metal from which we make our crowns and jewellery,” she purred, raising her hand and rippling her fingers to show off the three delicate rings she wore on each hand. The metal looked like white gold, but it had a speckled quality to it, like starlight. “A single gram of it costs more than most Fae here earn in a year, and Círdan’s mask is made of an even rarer alloy of stellarite and inlustrium.”

Her lip curled. “What’s wrong with a plain old wooden one?” she muttered, turning on her heel and pacing from the ballroom.

Growing up on the edge of the small village, they’d not been precisely poor, but they’d certainly struggled at times. She remembered vividly in that moment the winter when her mother had hurt her back, having been kicked by a crazy, savage horse that should have been put down years earlier, and she’d not been able to work for months. They’d tried their best, with their father making the journey into the city to sell his turned wooden bowls and carved spoons, but it hadn’t been enough. The boys had only been eight and six at the time, so it had fallen to her to hunt in the forest with arrows that she and her mother had made. They’d got by, and her mother had gone back to work once her mother’s back had healed, but it had been one of the harshest winters she’d ever experienced. And here these creatures were, gloating about some useless precious metal that cost more than most people would see in a lifetime. Her stomach churned.

Mirana had adopted her frosty veneer again when she followed her out of the ballroom, and she marched her down corridors, waving her elegant, jewelled hand briefly to indicate one state room or other, until finally she paused at the top of a staircase. “This is the East Wing,” she said. “The prince, Ahrin, Raeth and I all have our rooms in that part of the castle. I suspect you would not be welcome wandering here, human…”

“What on earth makes you think I’d willingly go looking for any of your bedrooms?” she said and Mirana pouted slightly, as if affronted and trying not to show it.

“Fine,” she said. “Since none of this has been to your liking, perhaps you could tell me what you would actually like to see?”

“Does any of you read?” she asked acerbically. “Do you have a library I can lose myself in while I’m stuck here as your prisoner?”

Returning the venom in the human’s gaze, Mirana crooned, “Oh, I assumed a simple peasant like you couldn’t read. Now that I know that’s not the case, let’s go.”

‘Bitch’, she thought but wisely kept that to herself.

The library was beyond what she’d expected. Like the rest of the palace, it was sculpted from smooth stone, the colour of bleached bones, and it was as cold as everywhere else in the castle, but the three-storey high room was lined with books and scrolls. The light was muted; the enormous windows on the left hand side of the room that stretched from floor to ceiling had had their white shutters drawn halfway, and each panel had, like a child’s cut-out snowflake, twisting voids in the woodwork which let in a pale, muted shafts of light.

A yelp escaped her, however, when someone emerged through a slender, pointed archway in the wall opposite the windows, and she took an involuntary step back in alarm as the strange, inhuman figure approached.

Stoop-shouldered, with iron grey skin and opalescent wings like a dragonfly’s folded neatly behind them, the creature had a gaunt, skull-like face with its leathery skin stretched tightly over harsh cheekbones and deep eye sockets. They were slender in the extreme, walking on legs like a bird’s with deadly jet black talons, their body swathed in a piece of fabric reminiscent of a toga, and, she noted with a swirl of fearful unease, they had four arms. Their head was bald, and their two huge eyes were a startling, blood red.

She had never seen anything like this creature, but, despite the fact that the sight of them brought back memories of the tainted horror that had attacked her, she refused to look away or to be intimidated by them.

When they saw Mirana standing there, they bowed low, wings buzzing a quick, terse salute, and straightened, asking, “Your Highness, what can I do for you today?”

“Nothing, Librarian,” she smiled. “I am just showing our new guest around. Apparently the human can read.”

“Human…” the Librarian hissed, drawing themselves up defensively, lips peeling back to reveal a maw full of needle-sharp teeth. It brought to mind the curiosities which sometimes appeared at the marketplace when a fisherman dredged up something unspeakable from the deep, and she staved off the urge to reach for a belt knife.

Mirana only laughed again, the steel-hard edge creeping back into it that set goosebumps shivering along her skin to hear it. “I know!” she purred in feigned shock. “My dear brother has said she’s not to be harmed though. I’ve grown bored with her inane company, and thought I might just leave her here for a while, if you don’t object.”

There was clearly no way that the Librarian could have objected, even if they’d really rather not have had a human wandering the hallowed halls of their collection. They simply bobbed their head, red eyes blinking softly, and backed away. “The human will make sure its hands are clean before touching anything,” they spat as their parting shot.

“Well, how does that sound then?” Mirana said in that brassy, overly-bright tone that made her want to punch the Fae in the face. Obviously sensing her intentions, said princess’ face morphed into an unmasked expression of deep loathing and she snarled, “I don’t like you being here any more than the next of my kin do, human. I’m not sure what possessed my brother to leave you alive, but do not think for a single heartbeat that I will not do whatever I deem necessary to protect this Court and this family. If you try anything…”

“I have no doubt,” she interrupted softly, trying to keep the fear from her voice. The only salvation she felt, like an anchor on a tiny craft, was the cold iron pendant she still wore under her shirt. It had clearly not been touched when she’d been divested on arrival, and she wondered why they’d left it with her. Perhaps they’d feared to touch it. Fighting the urge to clutch it in her fingers - or, even better, to ram it straight into Mirana’s forehead - she stood tall and stared the princess down.

A soft knock on the wood of the open door behind them drew their attention away from one another, and she watched a servant approach on deferential feet, head bowed low. This one looked almost human, save for the pointed ears and unnatural grace. His hair was black, long - as seemed to be the fashion in the Winter Court if the male Fae she’d encountered so far were anything to go by - plaited back off his face, and his skin was a warm, rich brown. When he rose from his bow, she saw that he had freckles all over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, and bright green eyes.

“Forgive the intrusion, Highness,” he said in a soft, heavily accented voice. “The Prince has asked for your presence. He is in his private study.”

Message delivered, the Fae waited for a dismissal, which came in the form of a flicked wrist, before he bowed once more, shooting the human a quick, nervous glance before backing away a few paces and then turning to leave.

“Well,” Mirana sighed dramatically. “I suppose I’ll leave you here. You know how to get back to your rooms? Good.” The princess didn’t wait to find out the answer, and in fact, she didn’t know how to get back at all; their route had been so winding and circuitous that she had lost all sense of direction, but she was damned if she was going to let on that she was disorientated.

Mirana swept from the library and left her alone with the creepy looking Fae Librarian, who buzzed their wings menacingly from the shadows nearby, a stack of books now in their lower set of arms. There was something insectoid and unsettling about those emaciated limbs that made her think of a patient mantis, with the tightly stretched, grey-brown skin, that made her shiver. Still, not one to let herself be outfaced by a situation, she chirped, “So, what’s the system here?”

“Excuse me?” the Fae asked, half turning back to look at her.

“The system. This is a huge collection - it must be ordered, so I’m just wondering how I find out what’s where, without… how to put it…? Putting my ‘grubby little hands all over everything’ until I find something that attracts my attention…”

Those teeth flashed momentarily before the Fae reined themselves in. They set their small pile of books reverently down on a nearby table and turned back to face her. “History,” they began, pointing a three-fingered, clawed hand at the nearest section and then gesturing along a huge swathe of bookshelves. “Magic,” they added, pointing through another elegant, pointed archway into a separate section of the library. “Fiction,” they sneered, pointing upwards at a shadowy gallery that honestly didn’t look like it got much foot traffic, and finally they indicated, “Music, Nature, Travel Journals and -” here they buzzed their wings again, “- The Mortal Realm.”

She bowed her head and smiled, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that it was insulting for a human to ‘thank’ a Fae explicitly, given that it implied that they had offered the human some kind of favour. The Fae were a prideful lot, if legend was to be believed, and none would willingly offer anything without thought of something in return. Whether it was impolite for another Fae to offer their thanks was a different quandary for another day.

“I’ll head up there then,” she said, nodding at the dusty fiction section. “Nice and out of the way…”

“You do that,” the Fae rasped and a cold shiver thrummed down her spine as they bared all those needle-sharp teeth again in a grimace.

With a false smile of her own plastered to her face, she scampered up to one of the polished wooden ladders and climbed nimbly, almost daring to pretend she was back in the hay loft at their little smallholding and not in the enormous library of a Fae Prince, held there until goodness knew when, completely at the mercy of their every petty whim… Blinking back the prickling in her eyes as panic welled in her chest, she licked her lips and looked around at this part of the library, pacing along the catwalk as if it were a minstrel’s gallery in a lord’s hall.

She’d been right about the fiction section not getting much attention. Leather bound books with brittle, crumbled spines beckoned her closer and, curling up on the floor of a gallery and leaning her weight against the end wall, she drew out one called, ‘The Lay of The Ember Knight’. It was a ballad, written in verse and hand-scribed onto the pale, pristine velum of the book, and as she carefully turned each folio, she lost herself in the lilting rhythm of the lines. Someone had loved this book once, she realised, seeing that the spine was worn and the velum bore the marks of fingers in the corners of each folio.

Swept up in the action as the Ember Knight - actually one of the Unseelie Royal Princesses in disguise - did furious battle with a raging fire drake on the ruined, volcanic landscape of some distant mountain range, the voice calling her from below didn’t rouse her from the story. When someone materialised directly in front of her with a soft ‘whoosh’ and a theatrical rush of odourless smoke, however, she screamed in surprise and dropped the book into her lap.

The six foot six figure in front of her was that of Ahrin, his one remaining wing hanging behind him like a darker shadow in the already dim gallery. And he was laughing softly at her.

“Fuck, you scared me,” she growled, gripping the end-boards of the book in her fingers until her knuckles went white, and staring up at him without standing. “What do you want?”

Still chuckling, he reached his rough-palmed hand out to her and held it there, clearly expecting her to take it and help herself to her feet. When she didn’t, he rolled his amber eyes and withdrew the offer, folding his muscular arms again. “Thought you might want some food… You’ve been in here for hours.”

“You expect me to eat Fae Realm food? Do you think I’m that stupid?”

Again, the hulking Fae showed his amusement freely, shrugging too as he laughed. The sound was rich and warm, with no artifice or pretence to it. He seemed as open as the book in her lap, and even easier to read. “We have access to human food too,” he said. “In fact, Círdan sent me off to the Mortal Realm to get something for you so that you didn’t have to eat our food.”

“I don’t believe you for a second,” she blurted before she recalled that Fae were supposedly not able to lie. Then again, he hadn’t explicitly said that the food she would be offered would be from the Mortal Realm. ‘Tricksy fucking Fae’, she thought darkly.

“Well, that’s up to you,” he said, turning around and shifting into black mist that swirled like a drop of ink in a glass of water. The darkness shot away like smoke pulled by a draft, and he reappeared heartbeat later on the main floor of the library.

“Guess ladders are too mundane for you lot,” she grumbled, easing herself to her feet, stretching her spine until each vertebra had popped satisfyingly, and sliding the book back into the case.

As she descended the ladder, she heard Ahrin say, “You try squeezing through that small gap in the railings with one big wing and broad shoulders.”

“Oh what a terrible burden it must be to be so muscular,” she sarcastically, and he tipped his head back and crowed another laugh.

“I like you,” he said, eyes flashing gold. “Come on. I’ll escort you back to your rooms if you’d like to eat there.”

Deciding not to look that particular gift horse in the mouth since she didn’t actually know the way herself, she accepted, deciding that she could always refuse the food when they got there, and the two of them left the library together. As Ahrin stood politely back at the doorway to usher her through first, she glanced back over her shoulder and caught the creepy Librarian staring after them.

Once outside, with the doors closed, Ahrin leaned down and hissed in a conspiratorial stage whisper, “Don’t worry; they give me the creeps too. I think Círdan only hired them so that no one would dare walk off with one of his precious books…”

“He likes to read?” she asked, astonished.

“Sure,” he said. “But only the really boring stuff…”

“Figures,” she retorted, unable to forgive herself for warming to the enormous brute of a Fae. He carried a straight sword at each hip, their pommels a simple half-moon of what looked like silver but she couldn’t be sure, and he had another smaller knife hanging just in front of those on a frog from the belt. Frankly, he looked a bit rough around the edges compared to the other pristine Fae she’d encountered, with stubble on his anvil of a jaw, and rough, practical leathers instead of fancy silk tunics; Ahrin was definitely a warrior, and she wondered if he was the prince’s personal bodyguard or something. The two had certainly seemed close back in the great hall.

“So Mirana tells me we’re still calling you ‘human’…?” Ahrin ventured.

“You think I’m just going to give you my name?”

“You could at least give us another name,” he said a bit sheepishly. “Seems better than ‘human’…”

“We’ll see about that,” she hedged and he tossed her a roguish, lopsided grin.

A second later, she shot his ruined wings a cautiously curious glance, and all the mirth drained out of his handsome face when he saw where her eyes had landed. He didn’t utter another word to her, even when they reached the vaguely familiar corridor which led to her rooms. He simply stopped outside the door, nodded tersely, and stalked off, shadows roiling around his leather boots until he vanished in a rush of darkness, leaving her alone in the pale hallway with only her pounding heartbeat for company.

Blowing the air out of puffed cheeks, she set her fingers to the door handle and pushed it open to find that she had company waiting inside.

To be continued…

Other Fae Realm Stories on Tumblr...

Prince of the Court of Night x female reader *commission* (nsfw) Part Two (nsfw)

Male winged shadowborne fae (Shaer) x female reader (nsfw) *commission* (long!)

Male reptilian fae (Adan) x female reader (nsfw) *commission*

Male triton Fae (Kaerio) x female character (sfw) *commission*

—

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[emotionaldepravity]

Hello! Would you do HCs of armada Blurr, Jetfire, and Sideswipe having a human companion of their own? Maybe someone older and more mature than the kids? I like to imagine one of them maybe has a cousin who is a detective that ended up sticking around out of concern for the kids in what is basically a war/recon setting. Thank you very much! I'm glad you're feeling up to doing HCs and I very much approve the new content

Ahhh I’m so glad to be back and feeling good about writing again! Also thank you so much for the support! I’m really loving getting to write some stuff for all of these cuties~ Also, these are kinda long… ha ha ha… 

Blurr

- Alexis didn’t bother keeping the Autobots a secret when you happened to see your cousin jump out of a speeding sports car one day to make it to dinner on time. What was the point? You’d just follow her and learn the truth yourself, after all. She might as well as let you help them.

- Due to Blurr being the one that you happened to see first, Optimus suggested that you should get to know him first since you plan on sticking around.

-At first Blurr isn’t sure how to feel about having a human companion so he acts as disinterested as possible. 

- “Isn’t babysitting humans the minicons’ job?” 

-He just doesn’t know what to do with you.

-When you ask him to let you go on a recon mission with him for a new minicon, he is hesitant as he doesn’t want to be slowed down by having to protect you. However, Hot Shot and Red Alert convince him to give you a chance to prove yourself. 

-You manage to be extremely helpful to finding the minicon with how observant and focused you are. Its a nice change of pace for him than dealing with the children.

-For jut a moment, he opens up to praise your efforts, but in the next, he is all closed off one again. For awhile, this is how all your missions go. 

-It isn’t always easy to get along with him. He can be extremely headstrong, and even if you are simply trying to help him, he can shut you down.  

- It takes many silent drives and missions alone together before he truly warms up to you.

-After enough time has passed, he will just drive you around the city just to speak with you privately. Its his way of saying that he trusts you.

-When the minicon sightings slow down, he often likes to take you to see different parts of the world sometimes even back to past battle sites. Though he isn’t one to be sentimental, he would like to experience Earth and its nature when he isn’t try to fight for his life. Since this frivolousness isn’t exactly what he is used to, he makes sure you come along to teach him how to enjoy it.

- Once he finally realizes that his life has changed so much with you around, he almost wants to push you away, but he doesn’t. Instead, he allows himself to embrace his feelings for you.

-However, he has a bit of trouble deciding when or even how to confess. When he does decide to tell you how he feels, its done with little fanfare and as far away from the kids as possible. 

-Alexis occasionally teases the two of you about your relationship. She thinks its adorable. Its because of her that PDA is at a minimum. 

-When he goes on a mission without you, he tips your chin up so he can look into your eyes before he leaves. Its his nonverbal promise to you that he will come back no matter what.

Jetfire 

-The first time you saw Jetfire you knew that something was up.

-A huge space shuttle flying around the mountains where you knew your cousin, Rad, and his friends liked to play was suspicious, and you had to investigate. 

-You managed to figure out about when the space shuttle would circle the mountain and where the shuttle landed. 

- Of course, when the kids jumped out and the mystery shuttle transformed to a huge robot, you had to confront your cousin. He was happy to explain all about the Transformers despite your concern for him in the current situation.

- Seeing that you weren’t exactly pleased with him now in the middle of an alien war, Rad suggested that you support Jetfire when looking for minicons that way you would feel better that him and the kids weren’t out in the field as much.

- Jetfire isn’t keen on the extra work, but he understands that the kids are an important part of the dynamic at the base. He isn’t particularly interested in seeing how low morale could get without them. 

-As you work together to locate minicons, he gets a good chance to figure you out and see your investigation skills. 

- “Never thought I’d see a human be so observant; you must be a P.I.”

- He likes to ask you about yourself. At first it was just to get you to like him, but now, he genuinely is interested in you. Though not all of your stories are as eventful as his own war stories, he thinks highly of them and loves that you’re willing to be so open with him. At some point, he finally realizes his own feelings for you and decides to put his plan into motion to get you to like him in return.

-In typical Jetfire fashion, he does his best to charm you. For a playful flirt like him, teasing and complimenting you are some of his favorite mission activities.

-He can’t help but show off for you its just in his code. 

-Don’t be surprised if he takes you up into space to see the stars whenever things are a bit uneventful. 

-The moment he learns that humans also use nicknames, he starts calling you “sweetspark.” 

- One night during a sleepover at the Autobot base, he showcases his ability to mass displace by pulling you into his lap to “relax.” 

- When he finally confesses, its after a moonlit flight to an open filed where the stars were incredibly bright. 

-For the most part, Rad is just happy that the two of you get along. However, he has been known to make faces when he sees you acting like a couple. 

-He always says the same thing before he heads out for a mission: “Don’t miss me too much sweetspark, I’ll be back soon~”

Sideswipe

- Your aunt and uncle had always asked you to look after Carlos when you had the chance, and with his grades being even lower than usual, you figured a proper “investigation” needed to happen. You had your suspicions that he was skipping, but you had to go and see for yourself.

-One early morning, you follow Carlos only to find that he was definitely not headed to the old middle school you remembered going to so long ago.

-When you get to the Autobot base, not too far behind your cousin, Sideswipe was the first bot you happened to see. When you stare at him in awe, he returns the look because he didn’t really know how to react. Eventually, you 

-After scolding Carlos, and the other kids for missing class, you decide to stay long enough to speak to Optimus Prime.  

-Though part of him wants to act a tough guy like Blurr, he is extremely excited to have a human companion.

- Humans are so interesting to him, and he is always asking you questions about what its like being a human. 

-He thinks that you being a detective is very cool! You are saving the world in your own way, and he respects that a lot. You are like a human hero!

-In his clumsy way, his admiration for you turned into infatuation. He really wasn’t sure how it had ended up like this, but after spending so much time getting to know you, it was hard not to be charmed. 

-He likes to hold you in his hand so he can feel close to you since you are just so small compared to him. 

-Sometimes he wishes he was minicon sized so he could hug you properly. He practically begs Red Alert to find away to make it possible, and one day Sideswipe gets a mass displacement mod.

-Now he mass displaces all the time to hug you. Sometimes the others have to remind him that he has work to do because he cuddles with you for so long. Typically, its Carlos, and his reminder follows a “you two are so gross.”

-Whenever he goes out on a mission without you, he makes sure to give you a kiss for good luck. He gets a bit distraught if he doesn’t get to. 

- Sideswipe is always talking about you to his bro, Hot Shot. You are just so fascinating to him and well he likes to brag about how incredible his human is. In turn, he talks about how much he looks up to Hot Shot to you. After all, he wants the two beings he cares about the most to get along. 

[getparkd]

Got To Be NC!

As you might know, I am a huge fan of parks. Some of my favorite public lands are the very ones in my home state of North Carolina. I have lived here my whole life and have been visiting these parks since I was a kid. Although I have not visited all of them, one day I know I will. So, enjoy this list (and review) of the beautiful parks of NC!

1. Carolina Beach 

Fun Fact: Carolina Beach is one of the only places you can find the carnivorous Venus Flytrap and Pitcher Plant in the wild. This park is home to a subtropical wetland, which is the perfect ecosystem for these carnivorous plants. While you may be tempted to take one home with you, beware because the state of North Carolina made it a felony to poach Venus Flytraps in 2014. Also in the park is Sugarloaf Dune, which has been used as a navigational marker since 1633. In total, the park has 7 miles of trail, and is one I have visited many times during my stays in Wilmington. 

2. Carvers Creek

3. Chimney Rock

This spire of rock is instantly recognizable to anyone within miles. Chimney Rock is 315 foot tall and overlooks Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. “Lake Lure?” you may ask, yes Lake Lure. The spot where they filmed the unforgettable lake scene in Dirty Dancing, as well as the scene of Baby dancing down the stairs. The town is also home to an annual Dirty Dancing festival, so you might want to plan your trip when Baby and Johnny are back in town. As well as Dirty Dancing, you may recognize this park from the climax scene in The Last of the Mohicans. 

4. Crowders Mountain

5. Dismal Swamp

6. Elk Knob

7. Eno River

8. Falls Lake

9. Fort Fisher

Home to the Civil War-Era bunkers and one of the best aquariums in North Carolina. Fort Fisher is a hidden gem in ENC. As a student at UNC at Wilmington, I know all to well about the beach. I know where to find a dirty beach, a crowded beach, and I certainly know how to find a good beach. Fort Fisher is just that. You can sit on the sand and watch the pelicans fly overhead and the cargo ships come into port without the worry of trash and dirty water. Because it is a state park/recreation area, it is kept very clean and has nicer facilities than public beaches in the area. It also has 4 wheel drive access to the beach. If you are visiting, don’t forget to stop by and see Luna, the albino alligator at the aquarium. 

10. Fort Macon

Fort Macon! This place is probably one of the most interesting places in North Carolina. I recently wen there with my little brother to have a little day trip. The park itself is a beautiful ecosystem, as the Musgrove trees are my favorite. We stopped first at the beach was had clear water and a great view of the Cape Lookout lighthouse from the shore. Next we went to the actual fort which was the best part of the trip. Walking throughout the fort you see rich stone works and manicured lawns. I got some really cool Insta and VSCO photos here as well. Highly recommen! 

11. Goose Creek

12. Gorges

13. Grandfather Mountain

One of the windiest spots in the entire state. Grandfather Mountain is home to the famous mile-high swinging bridge. Walking across the bridge is both exhilarating and terrifying. As requested by the staff, hold on to your belongings, and even small children, to keep them form blowing into the valley below. It is also home to an amazing zoo that houses black bears and mountain lions. 

14. Hammocks Beach

Hammocks Beach State Park is a park I visit quite often as it is only about 30 minutes from where I live. I have visited both the mainland site, which has an amazing visitors center and serene wooded trails, and the Bear Island site. Bear Island is a 3-mile long barrier island that is home to nesting sea turtles and clean beaches. A ferry, kayak, or personal boat can take you over to the island to enjoy the water!

15. Hanging Rock

16. Haw River

17. Jockey’s Ridge

My favorite! Jockey’s Ridge is located in Nags Head, North Carolina, right next to Kitty Hawk, the site of the first human flight. Jockey’s Ridge is the tallest active sand dune on the Atlantic Coast. Hiking through this park feels like you are in Star Wars! Some of my favorite activities to do are sandboarding down the giant dunes and paragliding. Jockey’s Ridge to me is the most fun and the most beautiful of all the parks I have visited.

18. Jones Lake

One of the two lakes formed by the geological phenomenon called Carolina Bays. This phenom creates lakes of varying pH levels, resulting in different coloration of the water. Jones Lake is colored a bright red color. This lake has great swimming and fishing. Beware alligators though!

19. Jordan Lake

Jordan Lake is like other lakes in my state, but the one things that makes it interesting: the Bald Eagle. Jordan Lake is the summertime home of this rare species. It is fascinating to watch this birds fly and hunt for prey. You can enjoy swimming and hiking, as there is 15 miles of trails throughout the park.

20. Kerr Lake

Another amazing park in the beautiful state of NC! Just like Jorden Lake, it is also home to a bald eagle. We have camped on the shore a few times and I love waking up early to watch the sun rise over the lake. We take our boat and pull our tubes. Another great thing this park has is rolling, smooth roads. Take your longboard and carve down these streets. There is also a really nice marina down the road who has killer ice cream. 

21. Lake James

22. Lake Norman

23. Lake Waccamaw

Just like Jones and Carolina Beach, these park is home to some cool species. The American alligator and the Venus Flytrap are easy to find in this swampy park. While the slews and backcountry of this park are full of blood-sucking mosquitos and alligators, the lake front dock is an amazing spot to swim. The pH level of this lake makes it perfectly clear. Not only is it clear, but it also is only about 4 feet deep which makes it perfect for younger or inexperienced swimmers to have fun without all the worry. I personally like driving around and seeing all the beautiful lakes houses after taking a swim, but there is also a really nice restaurant on the lake front that I’ve heard has amazing burgers. 

24. Lumber River

Lumber River is the only black water river in North Carolina, and is also a National Wild and Scenic River. This park ahs great kayaking, but beware alligators. 

25. Mayo River

26. Medoc Mountain

27. Merchants Millpond

28. Morrow Mountain

29. Mount Jefferson

It is our family tradition to go every Thanksgiving to get our Christmas tree from the mountains. So, last year we decided to go to West Jefferson and we visited Mount Jefferson State Park. It was approximately 17 degrees and there was ice everywhere, but we hiked to the top and enjoyed the view of the valley below. One of the coolest things about Mt. Jefferson is the Luther Rock. This rock juts from the side of the mountain and allows you to walk out on it and take in the beautiful scenery. 

30. Mount Mitchell

Mount Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River. The observation area at the top allows for you to see as far as 85 miles on a clear day. Just make sure as you head up, you layer up because it can drop temperature very quickly. 

31. New River

32. Occoneechee 

33. Pettigrew

34. Pilot Mountain

35. Raven Rock

Oh Raven Rock! We took this trip after a long day at the ball field on my mom’s 40th birthday. Needless to say we were tired, but we still decided to tackle the 4.2 mile hike to the Raven Falls. We were expecting a waterfall, but instead we got rapids. We did however cool off in the river before taking our long hike back. Despite this, the actual Raven Rock was beautiful and the park is still on of my favorites. 

36. Singletary Lake

The best thing about this lake is how secluded it is. It is tucked away behind a tree line and barely visible from the road. The only people that frequent this are its junior campers. You can enjoy a peaceful evening fishing on its 500 foot peer and if you’re feeling lucky test your swimming skills with the alligators. 

37. South Mountain

38. Stone Mountain

39. Weymouth Woods Sandhills

40. William B. Umstead

I just recently took my second trip to this park and it is still as beautiful as the first time. There are over 35 miles of hiking in this park so it is very unlikely you will see it all. While I do love hiking, I enjoy just driving through the park as well. The stone bridge over Sycamore Creek is one of my favorite spots as it has rolling fields of grass that you can lie down in and have a picnic if you please. 

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

10,000 Follower Special: The League’s Path to Victory! The Time Plan?

In this thrilling installment of the League of Villains tale, Ganondorf and his team of dastardly devils make their big move, playing their cards big! Ganondorf’s ultimate plan is revealed, and the Super Smash Bros must race to both stop it, and save their friends!

Bioshock Universe: The Floating City of Columbia

For Booker DeWitt, life had taken a nosedive down the rabbit hole and just kept going and going all the way to looney-ville. As if a fascist/fundamentalist floating city in the sky wasn’t enough, a teenage girl with time-hopping powers whom he had begrudgingly come to care for topped tings off. Add in weird magical powers from drinking magical coca-cola and apparently machine-men and... yeah he was pretty sure that life would never make sense again.

How he had ended up on this quest to save the world from a psychotic religious zealot he’d never know. But by whatever God there might be he was going to kill him as painfully as possible.

And now, here they were. At the precipice of destiny, ready to end the son of a whore once and for all.

“Stand back.” Booker growled to Elizabeth, mentally deciding if he should split Comstock’s skull with his knew zipline claw, or just blast his head off.

He was leaning towards the skull splitting.

Elizabeth shot him a look. “Booker, no.” she said firmly. “This is between me and him.”

Booker shook his head. “You are WALKING into a TRAP.” growled the former soldier.

“I NEED to do this.” she said, the stubborn jut in her jaw announcing an end to the argument. The look was strangely familiar to Booker, but he mentally chalked it up to the girl being more stubborn than any human had any right to be.

The door swung open, Comstock awaited, in all his self-righteous glory.

The room was beautiful, illuminated by a stained-glass window with a small basin in the center, presumably for baptism.

Comstock smiled, looking for all the world like a loving grandfather. “Come here child.” he spoke with a smile as they approached. “Well come on! I don’t bite.” he said with a laugh.

‘He’s jolly for a man who’s been consistently getting his army killed. Is he just that arrogant?’ thought Booker to himself, not releasing his grip on his gun.

“My, oh, my how you’ve grown.” said Comstock gently as Elizabeth approached.

“...Tell me.” said Elizabeth. “What- what am I?” she asked.

Comstock extended a hand and Elizabeth allowed him to take it. “Look at you child, you’re a mess.” he said, removing the sponge from the full basin.

Feeling a surge of protectiveness and anger Booker ground out “Hey! Let go of her.”

Comstock ignored him. “Elizabeth, everything I’ve done is to keep you safe.” he said as he washed her hand.

“Safe from what?!” snapped Elizabeth.

Comstock sighed. “”The Seed of the Prophet shall sit upon the Throne and drown in flame, the Mountains of Man.”” quoted the self-ordained prophet. The his eyes turned grim. “But the Archangel revealed something else: “Beware, Prophet. Beware the False Shepard, Booker DeWitt, for he shall be as a Wall between her and Destiny.” 

“Why?” asked Elizabeth, practically begging for an answer. But Comstock no longer had eyes for her, he was glaring at Booker and Booker was matching it.

“Booker, I’ve been a fool.” he declared. “I’ve sent mighty armies to stop you! I’ve rained FIRE FROM ABOVE!” he cried, slowly walking around the basin. “I did all of that, to keep you from her, when all I had to do was tell her the truth!” snarled Comstock.

“That is the thing about lies, isn’t it.” drawled a smooth voice from behind them. “They have a short self-life. They go bad, and quickly.”

Booker spun around and his already weird day took another dive down the rabbit-hole.

The silver haired man in all black was the strangest man Booker had ever beheld. And not just his outlandish clothes and ridiculously long hair. He also held a weapon, a Japanese-style sword as long as a man was tall.

Booker leveled his shotgun at the man. “Who are you?” he growled out. “And how did you-” he began, but was shoved aside by Comstock who fell to his knees before the man.

“The Archangel!” he cried. “The Angel who came to me! The Archangel: Sephiroth!” cried Comstock, tears in his eyes. “You’ve returned.”

Booker felt like his hear had dropped into his stomach. There was no way. An Archangel? Really? It was impossible!

But... with all that had happened...

“You?!” cried Elizabeth incredulously. “You’re an Archangel?”

The now named Sephiroth chuckled. “I’m an Angel... after a fashion.” he said, before turning his attention back to Comstock. “You’ve done your duty well Prophet. The time has come. You shall be rewarded.”

Booker began to unconsciously backing up to stand with Elizabeth, putting the basin between himself and the ‘Archangel’.

“Yes, mighty one.” said Comstock. “I’ve... I’ve worked so long. I’m ready.” he said.

“Yes.” said Sephiroth, placing his palm upon Comstock’s forehead. “Your reward.”

“A quick death.”

There was a blinding flash of light, a blaze of unholy heat, and Booker instinctively grabbed Elizabeth and tackled her down, using the basin as a shield between them and the explosion.

Slowly, after the heat had dissipated, Booker and Elizabeth stood, looking towards Comstock and the Angel. Elizabeth screamed and buried her face into Booker’s chest. Booker could only stare dumbly.

Where Zachary Comstock had been, was a charred and black skeleton, bits of flesh still clinging to it, ablaze. The ground beneath it was blasted to high, holy hell, leaving Sephiroth staring dispassionately.

“Well, that’s done.” drawled the Archangel, for what else could he be but an angel, “Now,” he said, pointing his massive weapon at Booker. “Give me the girl, and this will go smoothly.”

Booker didn’t think. He didn’t wait. He grabbed his shotgun and blasted at the Angel, or Demon, or whatever it was.

Sephiroth deflected the bullet with the flat of his blade. Sighing, Sephiroth spoke. “Very well. We’ll do this his way.” And with that, Sephiroth snapped his fingers.

The stained glass window behind them exploded, and a monster entered the room.

It was huge. A twisted dragon-like purple monster even bigger than Songbird. The creature landed, crushing the basin beneath it. Booker raised his shotgun to shoot the monster, but it knocked him aside with a single back-hand.

“Booker!” cried Elizabeth.

Booker slammed into the wall, his vision becoming blurry as pain dominated his body. He was vaguely aware of the monster grabbing Elizabeth and taking off in flight. The Archangel followed, a single black wing flowing behind him.

As unconsciousness claimed Booker, he was aware of a massive mechanical monstrosity stomping towards him.

Columbia was burning.

Rebel and loyalist alike found themselves crushed under the furious attack of nightmare creatures. Mechanical nightmares, twisted mutated creatures that had once been human, and demons straight from Hell itself swarmed the streets as they slaughtered the all within the city.

Elizabeth saw all of this from the clutches of the flying demon as it flew beside Sephiroth.

“Stop!” she cried. “Stop! Those people are innocent! Just STOP!” she cried.

The demon laughed. “There are no innocents girlie. By morning, this place will be a smoldering ruin, sinking into the ocean.” it said in a mocking tone.

“Now, now, Ridley, no need to mock.” said Sephiroth to the now named Ridley. “Besides, we have a job to do.”

And that’s when Elizabeth saw their destination. The Angel Statue, her prison. All about the structure smaller ships flew, attaching strange machines to it, readying it for... something. 

Sephiroth spoke. “You see my dear, we needed your father for this task. To build us the Angel. To construct us this colossus for our own use.” his eyes flicked to her. “And to rear you. Our precious Lamb.”

Elizabeth glared at the so-called Archangel, tears in her eyes. “Why!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?”

Sephiroth chuckled as they landed atop the Angel’s head. “Why, for exactly the reason we said. To rain fire down upon the mountains of man.”

There was a blinding flash of blue energy, and they and the Angel were gone.

Arcadia Bay, Life is Strange Universe

“This is my storm, Chloe.” said Max Caulfield quietly as she and her friend- no, they’d been through too much for Chloe to be a mere friend anymore- stood by the lighthouse, staring at the veritable hurricane bearing down on Arcadia Bay. After all, it had to be her storm. What else could it be? All that screwing around with time, it had all led to this.

The world was a cruel place. To bring her and Chloe back together like this, only to have this happen. She felt rage in her heart at the raw unfairness of this whole shitty deal. Both hers and Chloe’s. First Rachel, then that monster Jefferson, now this?! It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.

“Max-” began Chloe, but she was interrupted.

“Oh my sweet summer child or some shit. You ain’t seen a storm yet.” sneered a voice that reminded her eerily of Nathan Prescott at his worst, and yet infinitely more malevolent.

Chloe and Max spun around, seeing the new arrival. He was about their age, maybe a little older, with ashen gray skin, blood red eyes, and bone-white hair. He was dressed like he was going to a Renaissance Fair, complete with a sword in his hand and a shield on his back. Except the sword looked very, very real.

 “What’re you talking about dipshit!” snapped Chloe, moving protectively between Max and the stranger. “And who the fuck do you think you are!?”

The stranger cackled, somehow over the wind. “Me? I’m a shadow. A reflection. The punchline to the bad joke you call existence.” he cackled. “And I’m the guy who’s here for your little girlfriend bitch.”

Chloe snarled and put her fists up. “Try it fuckwit.” she growled. Max felt her heart swell for Chloe, her brave punk warrior.

The dark stranger cackled. “Oh sweetie. It’s not me you have to worry about... it’s him.”

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Chloe and Max turned their heads, seeing their new adversary.

A towering mountain of metal armor and what seemed to be raw malice was marching towards them, a massive flesh-covered sword in one hand and a demonic looking claw flexing in the other.

Max was not afraid to admit that she voided her bowels in that moment,

:What the fu-” began Chloe, but the creature lashed out, seizing her in it’s clawed hand. Chloe screamed in pain, Max screamed in horror, and the monstrous knight roared as he pitched Chloe off the cliff.

“NOOO!” screamed Max, instinctively reaching out with her powers, but there was a sharp pain to the back of her head, and she collapsed into unconsciousness. 

Dark Link spat as Nightmare picked up the girl. “Well, that was easy. Hope Seph got his as easy.”

“Sephiroth was chosen by the Master. The Master does not fail.” proclaimed Nightmare.

Dark Link rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s go big guy. We got a schedule to keep.”

Nightmare nodded and Soul Edge pulsed with power. A massive red portal opened for them and they stepped through.

Neither noticed the winged mechanical monstrosity grab Chloe Price before she hit the sharp rocks below.

Songbird, the mechanical guardian of Elizabeth Comstock landed on the beach of Arcadia Bay, Booker DeWitt and Chloe Price in it’s arms. Before the mechanical beast were three people. A grown man and woman sharply dressed in khaki’s, and a small child in a blue and purple striped sweater.

The woman placed a hand on both Booker and Chloe’s limp form. “Excelsior. Both perfectly fine. Well done.” remarked Rosalind Lutece to Songbird. she turned to her brother, Robert. “You see? I told you it would work.”

“I never said it would not work. I merely predicted a 97.836% chance that the plan would fail.” he said. He glanced from his sister to the child. “You did well to come to us Frisk.”

*Frisk tells the Lutece’s that they’re happy the plan worked*

“Well there’s still plenty of room for failure. Don’t you worry about that.” said Rosalind dryly.

Robert picked up Frisk and placed them upon Songbird’s back. “Now, to the Smash Mansion, all of you. Tell the Smash Brothers that there is more at stake than they realize. Worry not, we will abate the storm.” he assured Frisk.

*Frisk thanks the Lutece’s again for their help.*

“Well given that we exist within time itself, we had better help you.” said Rosalind. “Now off!”

Frisk nodded and patted Songbird. The mechanical beast flew off, disappearing through one of Frisk’s shortcuts, learned from Sans of course.

“Do you think they will win?” asked Rosalind lightly.

Robert shrugged. “For once... I cannot see. And I rather like the not knowing. That’s more fun than I remember.”

“Indeed.” remarked Rosalind. “Now, the storm? Shall we?” she asked.

“Indubitably.” remarked Robert.

The Twins of Time began to glow with power.

Arbiter’s Grounds, Legend of Zelda Universe

Ganondorf stood before the mostly reconstructed Mirror of Twilight, painstakingly reassembled through massive effort after Midna had shattered it. Ganondorf stood upon the scaffolding, built around the massive Angel of Columbia, placed here by Sephiroth and Ridley after their mission. The Mirror now sat with the chest of the Angle, nestled between it’s collarbones.

“So that’s it?” asked Chara. “The Gateway?”

Ganondorf nodded. “Aye. The Mirror was a gateway between this world and the Twili Realm. But now, with the Angel to serve as a conductor and amplifier, it shall open the doorways between all worlds.”

Chara nodded, an evil smile spreading across their face. “And with the Time Power of those two brats within it...”

Ganondorf nodded. “All of Time and Space will be ours for the taking. And you, Chara, with your own Temporal abilities, shall be the one to open the way.” he said, lovingly ruffling the demon child’s hair. 

“I’m ready father.” said Chara proudly.

Ganondorf laughed. “Of course you are.” he said proudly. “And soon the Angel will be as well.” Ganondorf laughed as he turned from the mirror to face the rising sun. “Rejoce, my child, for Convergence is upon us. And our final victory.”

[prolestari]

Ban and Meliodas. A brotp, about Ban still lost in purgatory “I love you, no matter what”

This was from @extremelypoorperson (don’t know why you sent via anon but okay lol). It’s not exactly what you wanted love, but I hope you like it anyway! It got a bit long so the rest is under the read more!

Response to the prompt listed here (now closed)

After everything Merlin had said about Purgatory, about the choking air and the anguish and the flames of burning acid—well, whatever it was, Ban barely listened to her most if the time—what he did not expect was for Purgatory to be so… well…

“What a shit hole,” he said out loud.

There were no moaning lost souls, no demons, not even a monster or two he could go nuts on. No pits of agony or mountains of doom and definitely no demon king. “Damn,” he muttered, a bit disappointed.

“Ban, there you are,” a voice called behind him. He recognized it immediately, the sound like something out of a nightmare, and immediately he froze.

Moments later she appeared, looking every bit of the bitch he remembered. “Answer me when I’m talking to you,” she scolded.

“Really?” he groaned, looking up. Purgatory was coming more into focus now, the misty emptiness taking shape into some sort of cave. Ugly pieces of rock jutted from the floor and ceiling and walls, but curiously his voice did not echo. “This is what we are doing? You’re sending me ghosts from my past? How fucking cliche.” He looked at his mother, standing with her hands on his hips and a furious expression on her face. “Like something out of a stupid book.”

She stalked towards him, and his brows went up as she seemed to grow bigger and bigger. “What did I TELL you about that mouth of yours?” she shouted, and then the first blow came, hard against his cheek. “You worthless piece of shit, I should sell you. Only thing you’re good for.” Another smack across his face. “You’re as stupid as your father, and uglier too. No wonder he left.” Another blow, and Ban was getting bored. A lifetime of taking hits and her hand didn’t sting the way it used to, not anymore.

“Should’ve been you that died, not Killa.” Smack.

Okay, that one hurt.

“Enough,” he growled, and then there was a hard kick to his stomach, sending him to his knees.

“Fucking brat! Steal from me again and I’ll kill you!”

These ones were much harder, and Ban actually tasted blood. He twisted around to give a punch of his own, but whoever it was now (he had stolen a lot over the years, never could tell) knocked him easily back.

Another kick, another punch, and Ban raised his arms. At that moment he spied someone watching, who had familiar spiky hair and a yellow jacket.

“I could save you,” he called over. “But you’re not worth it. You’d call me father and then I’d go home to my real son and we’d laugh our asses off at you. Pathetic. Glad to be rid of you.”

“Okay now you’re just being mean,” Ban laughed. He sensed the next blow coming so he rolled away, and the beating stopped.

“Hey asshole,” he called into the nothingness. “If you want to give me visions maybe try a little harder, huh? I saw Zhivago before he died. Can’t hurt me with a lie, numb nuts.” He flipped off the ceiling (with both hands, for good measure) and went to sit up.

His body screamed, and he collapsed back on the floor, winded. That was worse than I thought, he thought to himself, and Ban laid there still, waiting for the familiar burning that came as his body sewed and clotted and pulled itself back together.

But there was no burning. No itch as new skin formed, no snap as his bones reset. Nothing was happening, except the growing pain in his head. “Well this is a bitch,” he muttered.

He laid there for a bit, until breathing didn’t hurt so much and his head stopped spinning enough that he thought he wouldn’t be sick. Tenderly this time, he sat up, leaning forward to stretch his aching back and gently checking how many ribs were broken.

“Ban! Ban!”

He sighed. “Not her,” he said to no one just a moment before Elaine was there, sobbing and holding him a little too tightly. He refused to give in to the vision, however, even though her tears were so real and her body was actually warm. “Ban…” she moaned, and instead of hitting him, she was crying against his neck. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he answered sarcastically, and Elaine snapped back to look at him sharply. “Ban? What’s wrong? Is it-?”

Her eyes welled with fresh tears as she scrambled away. “No, no, not another vision, I can’t take it anymore—” He watched as she scrambled to her feet and screamed at the ceiling, “Stop this! Please! I can’t take these anymore, please just let this end!”

“Hey,” he said, wincing as he held put a hand, “What are you talking about?”

Elaine yanked away. “You’re not real. You’re just a vision like the rest of them, like everyone else who is dead.”

Ban swallowed nervously. “I’m not a vision,” he said. “And I’m not dead.”

“You are!” she shouted. “You never came back, and he… he killed everyone, because you never came back, and—” She paused then, her eyes growing huge with horror. “Am I dead too?”

“Elaine?” Ban said softly, his uneasiness growing, “what happened?”

Her eyes were watery, but her face was solely accusatory. “You never came back,” she hissed at him. “My ties to Britannia grew weaker every minute you were gone. Three days went by, and Elizabeth died, and Meliodas became the demon king. His wrath destroyed Liones. Everyone is dead.”

“Can’t be,” he said, more to himself than anything. “It’s only been a few minutes since I got here.”

“Everyone is dead!” she cried. “Everyone… even me…”

Elaine gasped, then turned and ran. “Elaine! Wait!” he called, but the pain in his body was too much, and he could not get to his feet. “Damn it!” he screamed, pounding his bloody fist into the ground. “Enough messing with my brain! If you want to fight, then let’s fight!”

There was no answer, only his ragged breathing filling the space. But then there were footsteps, and as he looked up he saw the Captain, the same stupid grin and the same ugly black vest and the same stance as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Ban!” he said, his voice friendly in its greeting.

“Fuck off, you ain’t the Captain,” he said.

Meliodas shrugged. “You said to come out. You heard Elaine, I’m the demon king now. She really is dead, by the way.”

“You’re a liar,” growled Ban.

The Captain—or whatever he was—laughed. “I’ve always been a liar. I didn’t tell you about the real purpose of the Sins, or that I was a demon, or that I had brothers, did I? I let you all believe whatever you wanted to believe. I even told you that you could kill me.”

Ban narrowed his eyes. “I could kill you right now.”

“You can’t even stand.” Meliodas looked him up and down as he stepped closer. “Now what are you doing here? Humans can’t survive Purgatory, and your immortality is being drained from you with each passing moment.”

So that’s why I’m not healing. “Came to get your emotions, Cap’n,” Ban said. “You’re pretty boring without them.”

“I won’t be needing them, but I really appreciate the sentiment.” He tilted his head and gave one of his grins, the kind he had seen hundreds of times before, and if Ban wanted to, he could pretend it really was Meliodas standing right in front of him. But the devil was a liar, he knew that already, and there was no way this was his Captain.

“So how about we pick up that fight now?” the demon suggested. “I’ll tell you what, you win, and I’ll bring Elaine back.” Meliodas snorted. “The goddesses might be a bunch of liars too, but at least demons keep their word. It’s what separates us from the beasts.”

Ban managed to sit heavily on the ground, one hand cradling his abdomen as he leaned on the other for support. He coughed a bit and peered up through one eye. “The emotions will be enough. I’ll fight you, and if I win, I get them. If I lose, then… well I guess you got one less human to fuck up your plans.” He smiled. “But I know you ain’t Captain, and I know I ain’t dead yet. So either do this, or get out of my face.”

Meliodas frowned. “You’d still do this for him? He lied to you, about everything. Even who he was. Even when you found out, he still lied. He let you go on about Elaine.” He crouched down now, and Ban looked up to find himself face to face with his best friend. “After all he’s done to you, you would do this. You know he would not have done the same for you.”

“Says you,” Ban whispered.

“All this for a demon,” he went on. “Didn’t a demon kill your love? Didn’t a demon nearly kill everyone in Liones? Didn’t demons destroy Camelot, and are moving through Britannia as we speak? You hate demons. Yet you’d give your life for this one.”

“I’m not dead yet.”

Meliodas nodded, smiling. “Very true. But you won’t last much longer. Elaine was right, her tie to Britannia is waning. If you die here, she dies too. If you don’t hurry back, it could be too late anyway.” The Captain nodded his blonde head, indicating over his shoulder. “Go back the way you came, you’ll find the way out.”

Ban grit his teeth. “What part don’t you fucking understand? I ain’t leaving without the Captain’s emotions.”

Slowly, he stood, trying not to wince as he climbed to his feet; Meliodas did the same, stepping back to watch, his expression blank. “Fine then,” he said. “If you want them so badly, come and take them.”

Ban’s hand went out, and his staff appeared. “No matter what you do to me, Captain,” he said, “I love you, no matter what.”

Meliodas nodded, and then the fighting began.

[sachertortes]

Eeeee! For your prompts would you be up for a Logan(Wolverine)/Darcy Awkward meetings #5?

Yes!! For the incredibly lovely and patient @ragwitch, for whom this prompt fill is reallly late. I changed some things from the prompt but I hope you enjoy it anyways :)

Prompt: Awkward Meeting Themed, #5, ““I met you last night when you were drunkenly patting my dog in my backyard at 3 in the morning and when i asked you what the hell you were doing you slurred something about dogs being great and then you threw up on my feet and then fifteen minutes later you were passed out on my couch so that’s why you’re here right now also what the fuck is your name and why were you patting a dog in a stranger’s backyard in the middle of the night.”

Pairing: Logan x Darcy

Rating: T, for language.

He wakes to the tinkling sounds of the dog’s collar, to his happy snuffles. This wouldn’t be unusual, but the sound is coming from outside and he knows the old mutt doesn’t leave his warm pillow by the couch for anything but food and walks. The doggie door was installed as a precaution really, and he’d never even seen him use it. Until now.

Logan is up like a shot from the bed, shoving his feet into boots, and he extends his claws for good measure. He creeps, as slowly as he can, into the kitchen and looks out the sliding glass door.

There’s a girl in the backyard.

She’s…playing with the dog?

She’s a dark bundle of puffy parka and darker hair as she reaches into the mutt’s fur and pets him.

“Aren’t you a handsome, handsome pupper! You’re so great and cute and sweet!” she croons, and the damned dog just takes it ecstatically, his snout pointed towards the sky exposing his neck for more scratchings.

“What the fuck,” he says to himself, blinking a few times to make sure he’s not still dreaming.

The digital clock above the stove reads 3:14am and he has no idea what the hell’s going on.

He sheathes his claws – judging by her complete lack of self-preservation (a parka and jeans for a night in the mountains, playing with some random dog), she is definitely a civilian.

The mutt knocks her over in his exuberance and she laughs uproariously, pulling the dog down with her.

He slides open the door and glares at the intruder.

“Who the hell are you?”

She weakly pushes his dog away and shoves herself upward with what looks like great effort.

“Darcy Lewis,” she answers, slightly unsteady on her feet. “Whoa…Heyyy, muscles…” she reaches over with her index finger, poised to poke his bicep.

He steps away, giving her a speculative look.

“You on somethin’, lady?”

“Rummmm!” the girl declares, lips stretched wide into a smile. “Mon Capitan Mooorgann!”

“Jesus Christ.”

“We’re camping for Janey’s pre-wedding shenanigans,” she explains, tripping and slurring over the last word. “Can you b’lieve?! Camping?! I tol’ her we should get Avengers themed strippers but she said no.” Darcy pouts, plump bottom lip jutting out. “Wanna see Fury in a thong!” she giggles, and he nearly chokes on his own tongue.

“We’d better get inside, it’s cold as fuck out here.”

“M’fine! I’ll just go back to camp, sorry ‘bout wakin’ you, Sir Beardly Man.”

“It’s Logan. And you’re not going anywhere like this. You’ll get lost and die of hypothermia before anythin’ else.”

“Hey! I can make it back! I’m a stong, independent, woman who don’t need no – uh-oh.”

And then she vomits. Right on his shoes.

Then there’s a horrible lurching sound he realizes is coming from her, and she’s on her hands and knees on the pine needle covered ground and she’s puking again, just a millisecond after he manages to step away.

Not that the damage isn’t already done.

He looks down at his ruined boots. “Fuck.” He grimaces.

“Fuck,” Darcy repeats, voice croaky. “I’m so sorry, I – “

“Just - just get in the house alright?”

She takes his proffered hand and with some effort, ends up upright again.

“Sure you don’t have a lady or gentleman friend in there who’d be mad at me?”

“What? No.”

“You sure?  A big, brawny manly man like you?”

He leads the way, toeing off his boots outside the kitchen doors.

“Not for a long time,” he mumbles under his breath. To his horror, she hears it.

“Oh no!” she giggles, huge blue eyes slightly unfocused as she peers at him. “A dry spell, huh?” She stage-whispers, “Or…don’t tell me you’re a vir - a virge – “ Her brows furrow. “A Virginian?!”

He’s unable to help his burst of laughter. “I’m not a Virginian.”

She nods. “Okay. Oh, hey, is your buddy coming in?”

Logan lets out a short, high whistle and a ball of shaggy brown-black fur trots in after them.

Darcy smiles. “What’s your dog’s name?”

“Dog.”

She peers at him disgustedly. “You named your dog, Dog. Not even Spot, but Dog?” she asks.

He shrugs and begins leading her to the bedroom.

She uses his bathroom (“There’s ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet!” he calls through the door) and he gets an extra blanket, then lays it at the foot of the bed.

“Gets cold up here at night. Or early morning,” he tells her gruffly, when she ambles into the bedroom.

Dog pads in after him and sits by the door, tongue lolling out while he watches them.

Darcy sits on the bed and begins to toe off her boots and take off her parka. Underneath, she’s all soft mossy-green sweater and even softer curves. He looks away and begins to fuss at Dog.

“Alright, Lumberjack McScruff, tuck me in.” She wiggles expectantly under the cover.

He swallows.

“Ain’t tuckin’ you in,” he rumbles, and adjusts the plaid blanket at the foot of the bed so it’s covering her feet.

“Thanks, guy,” she says, already halfway to sleep.

He grunts and runs a hand through his hair.

Darcy pats the spot next to her in bed. “C’mere, buddy,” she says in a lilting, sweet voice and something in him clenches.

“He’s not allowed on the furn – “

But it’s too late, because Dog sees his chance and happily bounds up on the bed and stretches himself alongside the girl. If he’s not mistaken, when the mutt cranes his head to stare back at him it’s with two big, brown, smug eyes.

He scowls. “Fine. I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.” He turns to leave and thinks of one other thing. “Remember. Bathroom’s across the hall, please don’t puke on my bed.”

Darcy’s groan is muffled by blankets and dog fur from where they’re burrowing in next to each other. “I said I was sorry!”

He wakes up with the sun.

He pads to the kitchen sets up the old Mr. Coffee (“Yesss,” Darcy says when she wakes and sees what he’s made. “You’re a god among men.” And he raises a brow because no one can really think that, can they?). He sticks some frozen waffles that he forgot he had into the toaster.

They’re halfway through their meal when he looks at her, suddenly alarmed.

“When you were… “

“White girl wasted?” she finishes for him, stuffing an obscene portion of waffle and syrup and butter into her mouth.

He coughs. “Drunk. Did you happen to tell people where you were headed? ‘Cause…”

“Oh shit!” Darcy exclaims, and Dog, who’s back on his trusty pillow twitches his ears. She pulls out her phone. In a minute, she’s on the line with a woman who immediately screeches out a series of indecipherable exclamations.

“Nooo, Helen, no pterodactyl noises,” Darcy whimpers, and brings her free hand to rub at her temple. “My brain is trying to chisel its way out of my skull.”

They talk for a bit and then -

“I’m here with…Luke? I think?”

“Logan,” he corrects, taking orange juice out of the fridge and pouring himself a glass.

She pauses and turns to give him a very…thorough once-over, then her eyes round.

“Uhh. I’m pretty sure I’m here in a cabin with freaking Wolverine,” she intones into the phone and he nearly drops his glass onto the floor.

The woman on the phone chatters back excitedly and Darcy taps her foot. When she can get a word in, he gives Darcy directions (he’s not even a blip on a GPS) then she relays it to Helen.

“They haven’t left camp yet, so they’ll be here in ten,” Darcy says, tapping her phone off and taking a hearty gulp of the coffee.

“No problem.” He drinks his orange juice and licks the corner of his lip. “…Kinda nice talkin’ to another human, actually.”

“Yeah? You ever come back to join civilization every once in a while?”

“Nah.”

“You sure? Because I know where all the fun bars are and I’m pretty sure there a hot dude under that dead thing clinging to your face.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” He crosses his arms over his chest, and glowers.

She smirks at him, not at all affected.

“Absolutely nothing,” she replies, words dripping sweetness and he has to remind himself that he should bring the glass to his lips.

Eventually, the crunch of tires on dirt and gravel interrupt them.

Two sharp honks sound outside, and Darcy winces. “Helen, I’mma kill you,” she gripes, and zips up her parka.

Darcy then turns to him with two big luminous eyes and a wickedly sharp smile.

She takes a random piece of paper from her pocket and hurriedly scribbles something onto it.

“My number,” she tells him, pinning him with a look from under her long lashes that makes the skin on his arms tingle. “In case you need ideas for new dog names.”

He nods once, brusquely, and takes the slip of paper from her. He shoves it into his back pocket without even looking at it.

“Darcy! Come on!” the lady in the car calls out. “We’re gonna be late for Spa Day!”

Darcy leaves.

He goes back to his life for a while; takes Dog out for walks, makes dinner for one. Studiously ignores any communications from Xavier.

It’s two weeks later, and Logan is staring at himself in the slightly streaky mirror above his pedestal sink. The bare bulb flickers.

He angles his head to the side, takes a pair of small scissors and begins trimming.

She picks up after two rings.

Logan doesn’t even bother with a greeting. “Spot,” he begins, “is clichéd as hell.”

Darcy Lewis doesn’t miss a beat and he can hear the smile in her voice when she responds.

“How about Rex, then?”

“That’s okay.” He pauses, runs a hand over his newly shorn beard. “Was thinkin’ Captain Morgan, though.”

Her answering warm laughter alights sparks all the way up his spine.

[zoilathemom-blog]

stuff i wish i knew

Dakota was not planned. In fact, Zach and me were very much mending ourselves back together when we found out I was pregnant. We intended to have a baby at some point, but Winter 2018 was not penciled into our agenda. When we got the news there was no question. We were doing this, we’d made it 10 years at that point and had survived a 6 month separation, we could handle anything. And let me tell you, we really can handle anything. 

Thank goodness we trusted our path because we are so in love with our little human. Dakota is a blessing, the perfect combination of us both and I am so excited for our life as Dakota’s parents. BUT I’d be a lying fool and a faker if I pretended my pregnancy wasn’t riddled with what ifs, doubts and confusion. Even more so, being a mother is terrifying - I’m constantly wondering if I’m fucking up. And the truth is, I probably am. But also, that’s OK.

My time as a pregnant woman was quite isolating. You see, we moved to LA in November of 2015 and hadn’t quite solidified a community here. I always imagined this time in my life would be filled with family and my best girl friends. It wasn’t. So I did what women do best, I adapted. With constant check-ins on my “Mothers.” chat - a group chat of 3 amazing girlfriends who are moms, advice from my mother and a lot of reading, I made it to motherhood. But that was just the beginning,  there is still so much for me to learn. Motherhood is like getting to the top of a 5 mile high mountain only to find that the peak is still 15 miles up. Or like that scene in Titanic when they discover the iceberg has a side that juts out and the sailor screams “it’s got a head!”  That’s motherhood. Always another step on a constant learning curve. BUT, the reward, the reward is so damn good. The first time Koda smiled a non gas triggered smile? I DIED!!!! Dying just thinking about him. Hold up, now I need to run into his nursery and check that he’s breathing....

OK, back now :) 

So, in the spirit of sisterhood and the belief that real talk is the only talk that should exist, I’ve asked for advice. I asked for advice from some of the most amazing moms I know (please take or leave what you’d like - none of this is fact!). I asked them to share what they wish they had known or anything they feel is relevant for first time moms. This will be an ongoing document that I hope mothers will use and share, far and wide. Being a mom is hard. It is scary. It is also incredibly exciting & fulfilling. It is all the damn things and you don’t have to go through it alone. But if you are feeling alone (been there!!), I am here and so is this mama tribe. 

On Support:

“Find plenty of moms who have been through it already and cry on their shoulders.” - Marti Cuevas; Mama to Martin Carle, 39 and me :)

“My advice is to reach out to other moms, either friends w kids or try to make some. Talking out weird questions or just being able to relate is so key.” -Kristina; Mama to Isabel, 8 Months

“Ask for what you need. Your partner or anyone around you for that matter cannot read your mind. Be vocal and direct.” - Zoila; Mama to Dakota, 3 Months

On Post Partum Bodies:

“I wanted to lose the baby weight right away, in my head, but it wasn’t until my son was 18 months that I felt my post-C-section body was ready and able. Everyone said breast feeding will make the weight drop on it’s own; well not for my P.C.O.S.-ridden reproductive system. My advice to first-time moms is to not succumb to the pressure of obsessing over baby weight loss. Follow your heart, mind and body on your post-partum journey back to your pre-pregnancy jeans.” - Rachel Muniz-Strauss; Mama to Donovan, 3 + one on the way.

On Self-Care:

“Don’t put undue pressure on yourself! We do that so much and it serves no one. You are a fabulous mama.” - Sadye; Mama to Rafi, 2

“New moms should do ONE thing a day. Like if it’s going to the store or a doctors appointment or whatever. One thing! Healing after labor and delivery or a cesarean birth takes time emotionally, physically, and spiritually! Over exertion is no bueno when dealing with a baby and a partner who is also struggling to find his or her place in the new family unit as well as probably recovering from the birth!” - Scotlan; Mama to Clementine, 11 Months

“BREATHE: things are going to get super hectic and really noisy. You will get hit with a poop explosion, loud crying and screaming, dinner burning on the stove, phone ringing, your partner asking "hey did you do the laundry yet?", while you have been holding your pee in for the last 3 hours cause you've been running around the house like a chicken without a head trying to do it all...You start to panic...but DON'T! JUST BREATHE and don't cram it all in at once...this is a recipe for ANXIETY. Yes you are a super hero and a bionic woman but you can't do everything at once. So stop for a minute and breathe, even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom for 10 minutes...let the baby cry, let hubby figure it out and BREATHE...in through your nose and out through your mouth and tell yourself "I GOT THIS"..then go out there and conquer each thing one by one with a huge smile on your face... I know it's so simple but trust me it will save you a world of anxiety” - Byata; Mama to Luca, 6, London, 5 & Lucky, 11 Months

ACCEPT HELP. While being a new mom is certainly a sensory awakener, and a super cool and interesting experience that you wanna soak up all to yourself, you MUST accept help, especially from those with some wisdom and experience, and if someone whom you trust offers to watch the baby while you shower or nap, ACCEPT! - Cashley; Mama to Jacob 14, Nicky 11, Sophia 2 

“SLEEP: every mom I have ever received advice from tried to sell me this little bit of information and guess what...I did not buy it! A sleep deprived mama is an unhappy, unhealthy, and uncomfortable mama. When that baby is sleeping, lay your ass down and close your eyes. Being rested allows you to be productive and allows you to be happy and healthy. When you are sleep deprived you make poor food choices (typically lots of sugar to keep you awake) which lead to a poor mood...and when mama is in a bad mood, everyone suffers! So try and sleep...the laundry will wait, the dishes will wait, the dinner will wait, your partner will wait, the whole world will wait for you to wake up!” - Byata; Mama to Luca, 6, London, 5 & Lucky, 11 Months

On “The Way Things Are Done:”

“I would advise not to share with others the name choice for your child. I feel that it should be between you and your partner (if there is one) as you are the parents, and deserve 100% creative control, if I may, in naming your child. I’ve found that when sharing my top name choices, the opinions of others really Jaded me (since when?!) BUT, while I love the names I gave my kids, I wish I had been more private on that aspect.” - Cashley; Mama to Jacob 14, Nicky 11, Sophia 2

“Breastfeeding is INCREDIBLY hard. If it does not come naturally to you, rest easy knowing you are not a mutant who can’t provide for their child. Almost every woman struggles with some aspect of breastfeeding. It doesn’t really start to feel normal until after the 3rd month. Don’t beat yourself up. Also, if you don’t want to breastfeed, that is your choice too and NO ONE has the right to shame you for it.” - Zoila; Mama to Dakota, 3 Months

“Your choice for Feeding source..  I 100%  think should be kept as personal as possible. We all go into this mom thing with an idea of what we want to do, or not, but often times as I now know, things don’t go according to plan with regards to really anything, but especially nursing... lactation issues, latching or lack thereof, allergies, your schedule…. , or formula feeding may just be your personal preference... so regarding nursing vs formula, I found it best to keep mum. Everyone has an opinion, but do what your maternal instinct tells you.” - Cashley; Mama to Jacob 14, Nicky 11, Sophia 2

“Be patient with trial and error. Things that might work for your best friend might not work with your family. Flexibility and letting go of the idea that parenting should “look” a certain way” - Scotlan; Mama to Clementine, 11 Months

“SOMETIME'S LET THE BABY CRY: babies are designed to cry! It actually helps strengthen their vocal chords. I remember with baby # 1 I would be on the toilet while he was napping and I would hear him wake up and cry his little heart out and I would get up without finishing my business; run, trip, fall just to get to him as quickly as possible and help stop him from crying! No need for all that...take care of your shit mama! (NO PUN INTENDED) That baby won't brake. That baby will be fine!  A few extra bouts of crying won't change anything. Yes it sounds painful and you want nothing more than to nurture your baby and protect it...but a little crying is OK...I promise.” - Byata; Mama to Luca, 6, London, 5 & Lucky, 11 Months

Tricks & Products That Save Lives:

“BABY WEARING: is a game changer! I can't begin to tell you how much this practice works. Especially for my super busy super moms who like to multi task...when you wear that baby in an Ergo or a MOBY Wrap (two of my faves), you can do anything you need to around the house, at the store, or outside...that baby is happy to be snuggled up against you, and you're happy that you can knock out a few birds with one stone. Your hands are free to type, clean dishes, make dinner, talk on the phone, fold laundry, speed walk, etc...(all in standing posItion - which is great for your back anyways!) I literally pull a 4 hour work shift out of the house just by wearing my baby. He's happy and I am getting shit done!!! - Byata; Mama to Luca, 6, London, 5 & Lucky, 11 Months

[quietpagan]

What Falls and What Grows 3

"What a diversity of creative wanderers - Weeds.  I enjoy their beauty and variety, and do nothing to reap their rewards.  I neither hoe, nor plant, nor water, nor fertilize, nor prune.  They come and go in lovely profusion as the seasons move.   Often a pleasure, sometimes a pain in the wrong place; and always an example of the wondrous assertion of Being."

-  Mike Garofalo

  Alexandra hadn’t really been sure what she was expecting, but the explosion of light and sound sure wasn’t it. There were crystals everywhere, brighter than fairy lights, bathing everything in washes of color. It wasn’t dark or oppressive at all, despite being underground – this was nothing like the Darklands. It was like one of those raves where people were splashed with neon paint and lit with blacklights. Far at the back, a massive red and orange crystal jutted out of an immense cavern, illuminating everything around it with a fiery glow.

Little magical signs displayed the wares of the stalls around them, statues of trolls jutted out from the walls, tiny things that looked like garden gnomes scurried underfoot, and everywhere, everywhere, there were trolls.

Trolls of every size, color, and make wandered around, several of which were kinds she had never seen before. Most of the trolls she had encountered were either gangly Changelings or enormous Gumm-Gumms, all of them of different clans. Many of the trolls here looked alike, and Alexandra guessed that several clans originated from Heartstone. She couldn’t help but notice that AAARRRGGHH and Blinky and herself actually stood out a bit – there were no other trolls quite like them, that she could see.

They were actually attracting stares. Alexandra fought down the instinct to shrink and instead stood as tall as she could, straightening her back and trying to look like she knew exactly what she was doing. She knew that nobody could actually see her true nature, but the stares still made her nervous; in her experience, attention meant danger.

I’ll just have to get used to it, she thought. The position of Trollhunter wasn’t exactly low-profile.

“How many people live here,” she asked.

“The number varies each season, but two thousand is the general average. Trolls come from far and wide for our wares and remedies. It’s a place to return to, a second home for many trolls who live elsewhere.”

“I can see why,” Alexandra murmured. It was certainly a warm place, familiar to her bones and her blood. There was a faint thrumming, a hum that pulled at her. She shook her arms to try to get rid of the feeling, but it wasn’t unpleasant – more unnerving. It was the unfamiliar feeling of belonging. She didn’t dare ask about the hum.

“If you grew up away from a heartstone, I understand that the feeling may be unexpected.” Alexandra looked down at Blinky, who was smiling knowingly.

Note: Blinky is very observant.

“So the heartstone creates the thrumming?” “No, not quite,” Blinky said, shaking his head. From her right side, AAARRRGGHH clapped a massive hand across her back.

“Heartstone,” he rumbled, and Alexandra suddenly understood. The hum wasn’t created by the stone – it was the combined beat of the heart of every troll in the market, resonating through the crystal until it vibrated with life.

“The heartstone is our life, our light. All trolls are connected to our heartstones.” I can feel it. It was like a hug of the heart, a deep acceptance.

And something tainted it. There was a dark worm, a spreading ink stain, something that prevented her from wholly taking in the feeling, and she knew it was the lie. The heartstone wanted to take her in, but she was changed, and she wouldn’t let it. She had been raised in honesty, knowing her lie, and though she had learned to lie to survive she couldn’t bring herself to lie to the humming in her blood.

She shivered again, and tried to press aside the insistent thrumming.

“Who is she,” Alexandra heard behind her.

“Move, get out of my way – “

“Um – “

AAARRRGGHH moved in front of Alexandra protectively as a small crowd surrounded them.

“This, friends, is our new Troll – “ A large blue troll shoved his way through the center of the throng. His horns were almost as big as his arms, though it looked like he had skipped leg day a few times too many.

“Who is this,” Tempermental demanded. Blinky nervously wrung his hands and took several steps back.

“As I was saying, Draal, this is – “ “One of your clan, Blinky? I wasn’t aware that your people were great travelers,” said Draal, thundering up and standing in front of Alexandra. He had more mass than she, but she was taller than him and she’d stood up to bigger trolls, and in human form, too. The best way to stay alive was to stand steady, and she didn’t budge, glaring at him with all four of her eyes.

“This is our new Trollhunter, Draal,” said Blinky quietly.

The blue brute blinked, and then stuck his huge face directly into Alexandra’s.

“She can’t be,” he growled, “This outsider has no place here.” You haven’t got a clue, fuckwad.

“The amulet seems to think the opposite,” she said lightly. She felt the enormous presence of AAARRRGGHH at her back and it bolstered her.

Draal didn’t take that well. He roared in her face and smashed his fists at her feet – she had to jump back to avoid being crippled. He meant business.

“Please try to remain calm, Draal,” said Blinky weakly.

“Amulet chose,” said AAARRRGGHH, his breath ruffling her hair. Alexandra brought the amulet out of her pocket and held it out as proof; it pulsed helpfully.

Draal cursed in Trollish and drew himself up as tall as he could.

“I am Draal, son of Kanjigar,” he said, thumping a fist to his chest. “And the amulet’s rightful heir.”

Oh, fuck everything, she thought. Kanjigar’s son! She had honestly not thought of that.

“The Trollhunter thing is hereditary?” “Um, well, actually no,” said Blinky, drawing up to her side. “But it was thought that…”

“When my father fell,” Draal said, “The honor should have passed to me.”

He put a hand out, trying to grab the amulet, and Alexandra jerked it away, falling into a defensive stance even as she bumped back into AAARRRGGHH.

The amulet pulsed and pushed back against Draal; AAARRRGGHH kept Alexandra from falling, but Draal was sent onto his back. There was a gasp from the crowd; Draal shook his head, looking both enraged and heartbroken.

“Look,” Alexandra started quietly – the very last thing she wanted to do was get off on the wrong foot, especially with someone who apparently had rather high standing. “I’m sorry, but – “ “Save your apologies, outsider,” Draal snarled, rising back to his feet and turning his spiked back on her.

“Shall I see what Vendel has to say on the matter?” Blinky strolled past Alexandra, patting Draal on the shoulder.

“Feel perfectly free to do so,” he said cheerfully. “In the meantime, we’ll be beginning our new Trollhunter’s training. Lovely to see you as ever, Draal. Pardon me, excuse us…”

Alexandra edged around Draal and followed Blinky through the crowd. When they were in a scarcer part of the market she asked,

“So if the amulet’s power isn’t passed through bloodlines, why did Draal expect…?”

“To become Trollhunter, and follow in his father’s steps?”

They entered a tall, slender crack in the market wall, topped with the glowing symbol of a sword. The walls were smooth and polished, just big enough to AAARRRGGHH to pass through.

“Well, Kanjigar had always hoped that his successor would be his son, you see. Draal’s been training for it his entire life. Perhaps it was wrong, perhaps it was false hope indeed, but nevertheless, Draal has always felt like it would be his destiny to take his father’s place as Trollhunter. And to have you, an outsider, a stranger, snatch – however unintentionally – the honor from him, makes him a tad bit…” “Upset,” Alexandra finished.

“Understatement,” said AAARRRGGHH.

They stepped out of the claustrophobic tunnel into something out of a picture book. Alexandra had only ever seen pictures of the palaces carved in the mountains of Petra, but the…

“Behold, the Hero’s Forge!” Blinky exclaimed.

…the Hero’s Forge, yes, was just as spectacular. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH allowed her to wonder in silence, marveling in the size and splendor of the place. It was darkly lit, with deep shadows and reddish light, but still she could make out intricate carvings and incredible statues atop the enormous gates.

The walked quietly over a thin bridge; the chasm below was too deep to see through to the bottom.

AAARRRGGHH and Blinky, like most trolls, were surprisingly silent when they walked, and all that she could hear was the distant sound of the market and the soft shuffle of stone-flesh.

The statues, she realized as they crossed the bridge, weren’t actually statues.

“You predecessors,” said Blinky quietly. “Trollhunters past, a line of heroism that reaches back to the age of Merlin. Here, you see – “ He gestured to an empty plinth.

“-Will be the final resting place of Kanjigar the Courageous, whenever you feel free to reveal his location,” Blinky finished, raising an eyebrow at her.

Alexandra smirked.

“I’ll bring him down tomorrow,” she said. “Didn’t want him to get graffitied on.”

“That should suffice. Are you ready to start your training?” Now?!

Alexandra froze for a moment, then nodded. She’d honestly thought there would be something, some ceremony or reading of lore or something before they got into actual training, but, she supposed, the sooner she learned how to use the amulet the better.

Blinky asked for them to step back, and then unleashed a gigantic stone blade that fell less than a foot from where Alexandra was standing. She scrambled backward, and another blade emerged from the floor, forcing her to dodge to the side. AAARRRGGHH was scurrying out of the way and he looked like he knew exactly where he was going, so she ran and jumped up on his shoulder, sliding off as soon as he got the edge of the ring.

“What the actual fuck,” she panted, pressing herself against the wall beside AAARRRGGHH.

“That was very good, Master Alexandra,” Blinky said, far too calmly. “You have excellent reflexes.” All the slow ones got eaten, she thought viciously. AAARRRGGHH put a hand behind her back and pushed her forward, into the ring once more.

“Exactly how many Trollhunters have you kill just by sending them into the death ring their first day,” Alexandra shouted. She ducked underneath another blade and clumsily rolled away. Her troll form was out of use; her arms tangled with each other when she tried to scramble across the floor, and her legs and overly-long torso were already feeling achy. She was extremely relieved when a tall, pale troll stomped across the causeway and yelled at Blinky.

“Blinkous Galadrigal!” Blinky turned off the Death Ring and Alexandra gratefully moved out of the arena. The pale troll, tremendously tall and unusually hairy, walked across the ring and stood in front of Alexandra. She couldn’t help but wonder how well he could actually see; his eyes were cloudy and grey, speckled with a galaxy of cataracts.

“I am Vendel, son of Rundle, son of Kilfred,” he said. “And you are?” “Alexandra, daughter of Asphodelus.” Vendel carefully looked her over. She’d never felt more looked-through than by the half-blind troll.

She knew her troll body wasn’t exactly in peak form; she stayed human the majority of the time, and with the death of her familiar, the two had started to blend. She didn’t know if she was tall or short for her kind, or an unusual color, or if her hair or clothing were strange. The only other troll of her kind she had seen was Blinky, and even then, she could tell they still weren’t from the exact same clan. She was taller than he, had more conspicuous horns than he, and two fewer eyes. Vendel didn’t make any comment on her appearance, and stepped away after a minute.

“I would like her to be tested by the Soothscryer,” he finally announced.

“But Vendel, please, we’ve only begun training! Surely it is too early to – “ Vendel pointed to a spot on the arena floor, silencing Blinky with a glare. Blinky fell back and Vendel motioned for Alexandra to come forward.

She stood where he indicated and waited.

“The amulet, please,” said Vendel patronizingly.

Ah. Alex held the thing out and it made a ding! The carvings on the floor lit with red, and with an immensely loud churning a chunk of the center rose out of the ground, forming a semblance of a fearsome troll.

“Behold the Soothscryer,” said Vendel imperiously. “It will judge your true spirit.” Well, fuck.

“Insert one of your right hands, daughter of Asphodelus.” She wondered if this was part of the test, to see if she was stupid enough to actually stick her hand in a mystical garbage-disposal of stone teeth. She looked over at Blinky and he nodded, though he looked exceedingly worried.

Alexandra carefully stuck her top right hand into the mouth of the machine, and it clamped on it faster than she could see. She resisted yelping, but she was terrified that she wouldn’t get the hand back. The pressure wasn’t painful, but there was an uncomfortable tingling in her fingers and she was scared to death that the thing would see her spirit and judge her as wrong, as a lying thing – she’d be killed before she could even escape the arena.

Just as she was starting to despair, the Soothscryer spat her back out.

“That took a while,” she heard AAARRRGGHH mutter. Vendel watched the Soothscryer as it pulsed and sank back into the floor. Alexandra flexed her tingling hand and felt like pelting for the door.

“You appear to have passed,” said Vendel, sounding rather disappointed. Alexandra barely stopped herself from sinking to the floor in relief.

“Is that proof enough for you?”

Blinky stepped back into the arena, patting her right arm and shoulder.

“I suppose it must be. Continue your training, Blinkous.”

 It took them all of ten minutes to realize that Alexandra had never summoned the armor before, and had no idea how. She incanted the shit out of the thing, envisioned and envisioned and finally got so fed up that she threw the amulet on top of Kanjigar’s empty plinth. It appeared back in her pocket an instant later, as she knew it would, but it had still felt good to throw it.

“Perhaps you are not envisioning hard enough, Master Alexandra-“ “I’m going to have nightmares about this thing if I envision any harder,” she said, angrily tapping her fingers against the metal. “Can we take a break? Is there somewhere I can…be alone, for a while?” “Of course, Master Alexandra,” Blinky said. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to procure a corner of the market for use as your quarters – if that is suitable, of course.” Alexandra pocketed the amulet and nodded. She took a second to calm herself down, and led the way to the bridge.

“I was only visiting for a short time anyway,” she said. “I don’t have anywhere permanent to stay yet. Do you know of any place that can accommodate me? I really don’t need much.” “There are a few places I know of,” said Blinky. “There is one that was…recently vacated, you might say.” “I’m not using Kanjigar’s home,” Alexandra said firmly. The idea of staying in the previous Trollhunter’s home, especially since his body was still taking up a good third of her living room, was not particularly appealing.

Draal would have a heart attack, she mused. It did have some appeal, then.

“I’ll pass, thank you,” she simply replied. Blinky held up his hands.

“It was simply a suggestion,” he said mildy. “But we will press on. You worry about bonding with the amulet – AAARRRGGHH and I will find a suitable dwelling.” She nodded her thanks and they departed ways, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH walking out of one of the arena’s back entrances while Alexandra went back over the bridge. She knew exactly where she wanted to go.

 I’ll explain the whole deal with Alexandra and her unfortunate familiar in a later chapter.

So she’s basically having problems with the amulet because of how she sees herself. She was raised in a Quaker household, which taught honesty, but she knew that she was a Changeling and she knew that she was a lie, and she’s known this conflict all her life.

[wayneooverton]

South Georgia is the most beautiful place on earth

I know, I know, I know. Bold statement or what.

Once I had a boyfriend who used to make fun of me when were traveling because everywhere we went, apparently I always exclaimed “wow, this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been!”

In my defense, I meant it every single time.

Surely this was, in fact, the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen with my two eyes, that is, until, I went somewhere else equally or more beautiful. But I digress.

Photo by Jarrad Seng

Now seriously, you’ve got to trust me when I now say, I have truly found the most beautiful place on planet earth. Or at least the most beautiful place I’ve ever laid eyes on.

No, no. Don’t argue.

And it’s not Antarctica. It’s South Georgia.

*throws down the gauntlet*

No, not the south of the American state of Georgia, that would just be silly. No offense to southern Georgians, of course, which I’m sure is a delightful and beautiful too.

This time I am referring to the very cold and remote subantarctic island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean. A British overseas territory. Human population: 20. Penguin population: several million.

Also known as the most beautiful place on the entire planet Earth.

If you still find yourself skeptical after the whole “millions of penguins” comment, read on, dear ones.

Now I know what you’re thinking, how can South Georgia be the most beautiful place on earth if it isn’t plastered all over Instagram or I can’t even find it on a map?

Solid question. Respect.

There are still many stunning pockets of this world that few make the journey to or venture out in search of, and South Georgia is definitely one of them.

As an avid fan and collector of unusual and remote destinations, South Georgia has been at the top of my list for a very long time; it’s one of those rare places that when you meet someone who has been there, they can’t stop talking about it.

I’ve joined the club.

Perhaps one of the most remote islands on earth, South Georgia is approximately 2,100 kilometers off the coast of South America. Pretty much the only way to access South Georgia is by expedition ship from Argentina going down to Antarctica.

You have to want to go badly.

Quark Expeditions voyages to South Georgia every year and I was lucky enough to join them last summer on an adventure that also included visiting the Falkland Islands.

The curious story of the Falkland Islands

For many Antarctica is the bucketlist spot, and I can see why since it was also mind for a long time. But reflecting back on a month down under, I can safely say that I would do anything to go back to South Georgia instead.

So, what makes South Georgia the most beautiful place on earth?

Five simple reasons.

It has the best landscapes, the best wildlife, the most crazy weather, the most fascinating history and of course, by default, it’s sheer inaccessibility.

Now come with me on a visual story, a photographic journey with words (is that a thing?) as I try to convince you that South Georgia is, in fact, the most beautiful place on earth. Enjoy!

Falklands (Malvinas) and South Georgia: Islands of the Southern Ocean

1. South Georgia has the most incredible, wild landscapes

One of my first impression of South Georgia was how awestruck I was by the jagged mountains that seemingly jut out straight from the sea, towering above you. Stark and wild, seemingly barren except for birds and glaciers galore, the views are imposing and magnificent.

As a serious lover of mountains, South Georgia was next level beautiful. Everything about the views around South Georgia screamed power and wilderness. A long and narrow island almost 200 kilometers long, the mountain run like a spine the length of South Georgia with many dropping down into the sea with many fjords and bays along the coastline.

South Georgia really felt like polar tundra meets the Alps. With penguins.

Photo by Jarrad Seng

But perhaps what surprised me the most was how lush parts of it can be. While it doesn’t have trees, it’s still quite green, tussock covered mountains and beaches everywhere, not the white void that is Antarctica.

The landscapes are some of the best I’ve ever seen in the world, no exaggeration. It’s like New Zealand or Iceland times a million. And it’s everywhere. There are no bad views. Oh hey, another incredible glacier. Oh, another one. And another one, and wow, look at those mountains.

Honestly my face hurt from smiling so much. And from the wind too. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

Photo by Jarrad Seng

2. The sheer abundance of wildlife

If you love animals and wildlife, well South Georgia is the place for you! I have never been anywhere with such a stunning array of wild animals packed in close proximity with each other and in such huge quantities.

Most of our birdlife here in New Zealand is threatened and endangered from introduced predators and if you see a few penguins, wow, that’s pretty special and you’re quite lucky.

On South Georgia you have to be careful where you walk to make sure you don’t step one; penguins, seals, and all manner of birds are everywhere. With its rich beaches for wildlife breeding grounds, on an expedition to South Georgia with a level of wildlife encounters not possible anywhere else, especially now since rats were eradicated this year.

Seabirds galore, albatross rub shoulders with skua and other rare seabirds while the beaches are covered with fur seals, noisy elephant and several types of penguins numbering in the thousands.

Photo by Jarrad Seng

Photo by Jarrad Seng

The wildlife in South Georgia is out of this world, and much more dynamic and bigger than in Antarctica. It’s noisy, loud and colorful, not exactly what you might imagine when you picture a remote and rugged island in the middle of the South Atlantic. It’s here on South Georgia where you have the possibility of intimate encounters with wildlife.

The Quark expedition team who guides you there give incredible talks about the animals and you’re briefed about keeping your distance and how to behave with them.

Falklands (Malvinas) and South Georgia: Islands of the Southern Ocean

But the penguins and seals don’t follow the rules. I found if I say down for a while and just observed them, someone would come up to me to have a look at this strange creature in a yellow jacket.

And let me just say, being surrounded by curious king penguins on a beach with glaciers behind you and seals in front of you is not something you will ever forget.

3. Crazy weather unlike anything you’ve seen before

We arrived near Prion Island before sunrise on South Georgia; frothing with excitement,I was up while it was still dark and before the expedition team made any announcements on board. Curious, I opened the door to the outer deck.

Well, better said I TRIED to open the door to the outer deck, but got it open about a foot before it slammed back and I was nearly blown over with a wild howling wind unlike I’ve heard before.

Welcome to South Georgia!

Photo by Jarrad Seng

If it were sunny and tropical, everyone would be there, right?

Hmm now I know what you’re thinking, how does crazy weather make a place beautiful? Hear me out.

For me, there is real beauty in wild and unpredictable weather. From stunning rays of sunlight beaming between rain clouds to katabatic winds whipping up the seas across the bay and unusual cloud formations, to even warm still sunny days that make you want to take your coat off, the polar climate of South Georgia really reminds you of where you are, humbles and intrigues.

4. Wow, what a history!

It’s generally assumed that South Georgia was discovered around 1675 during a sailing exploration and was named by Captain Cook (oh hey) a century later, whose descriptions of the enormous fur seal colonies brought sealers over in droves who almost decimated the seal population within a century.

A completely inhospitable land, few have every tried to settle on South Georgia, except for the hardy sealers and whalers of yesteryear.

Request a quote to adventure to the Falklands and South Georgia with Quark Expeditions today!

At the turn of the century, South Georgia sadly became the whaling hub of the Antarctic by Norwegians, decimating the world’s whale population. Six stations were built along the coast and almost 200,000 whales were estimated to be killed here in about 60 years before they were protected.

The scars of the whaling industry still remain on South Georgia, with bones still bleached white on the beaches and the rusted abandoned stations sitting dull red on the horizon.

South Georgia is also the place where Ernest Shackleton ended up after the most incredible open sea rescue journey in history, and you can visit his grave at Grytviken, the only old whaling station that’s been cleaned up and is visitable, complete with a post office and very cool museum.

South Georgia’s history is brutal and fascinating, and easily visible today.

Photo by Jarrad Seng

5. Its utter remoteness

The real beauty of South Georgia for me lies in its sheer remoteness.

Thousands of miles away for any real civilization, every moment here you’re reminded that you have made the journey to the ends of the earth. Unlike Antarctica, very few expedition ships sail this way, leaving its wildlife and landscapes relatively unknown.

In South Georgia you’re guaranteed experiences that will shake you to your very core, that will inspire you and bring you to tears with its beauty. It’s by far the most incredible place I’ve ever been and I’m itching to go back already.

Is it time yet?

Book the Falklands and South Georgia today and use promo code LIZ150 for $150 onboard credit that can be used for purchases on board at the polar gift shop, or, cough cough, the bar

Have you heard of South Georgia? Do you dream of seeing the penguin colonies there too? Are you a fan of voyaging to remote places? Share!

Photo by Jarrad Seng

Photo by Jarrad Seng

Many thanks to Quark Expeditions for helping get me to South Georgia. Like always, I’m keeping it real, all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me!

The post South Georgia is the most beautiful place on earth appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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[thatsbaloney]

June 2016

  Now that 2016 is finished, Brodie and I thought it would be a good time to recap the month-long trip we took earlier that year. We bused south through Colombia to Quito, Ecuador, spent a week with my brother-in-law and his family there (we saw our nephew in person for the first time!), then went to the States and spent two weeks there. The trip lasted from June 23rd to July 30th, so a month and a week, actually.

Our first stop traveling south through Colombia was Manizales. After that we went to Pereira (Brodie’s last post). Manizales is a small city in the mountains and a popular stop for visiting Colombia’s coffee region and enjoying the area’s hot springs.

We booked a stay through Airbnb with a lovely empty-nester named Beatriz, headed to the bus terminal in Medellín, wandered around reading signs until we found a bus company that went to Manizales, and embarked on our trip!

We weren’t on a big bus or anything; it was one of those vans that seats 10ish. And since the trip takes 4 hours and 45 minutes, it wasn’t long before we made a pit stop in the middle of nowhere between two villages. There was a typical roadside parrilla (grill) restaurant readying for the lunch rush we had beaten by too long to eat there, and in addition to the sausages on display and the usual meat-and-starch dishes, they had a counter where they sold traditional sweets and snacks, one of which had a not-so-traditional name. Now you all know how Pennsylvania is spelled in Spanish!

It wasn’t long before we hit the road again…

…only to then hit this loveliness. We were stopped dead for like 20 minutes until it was our turn to crawl, so some of us got out of the van to take advantage of the opportunity to stretch our legs. At least the jam was along a pretty country road with trees and farms around to enjoy. I checked out the bugs and plants and cows until I got called back to my motorized bubble.

The reason for the backup was construction. Above is the map of the main route we took. We took our trip over six months ago, and this map is from now. They were working on the road then, and they’re still working on it in at least two places.

We hit traffic on the outskirts of Manizales too. We got there right at dusk, which also happens to be rush hour. Same time as the States, around 5-6:30pm.

Since we arrived at our host’s apartment after dark, all we did that night was go out for a quick dinner in our neighborhood and turn in. It was one of those perfect first nights once you get to where you’re going after a day of traveling, warm and cozy inside with the chilly Manizales mountain air hovering outside. We slept like babes.

The next day we naturally wanted to get acquainted with the city. We figured it wouldn’t take long because it’s pretty small—221 square miles (572 km2) for the whole city with a population of 400,000—but we also only gave ourselves one full day, so we couldn’t dilly dally too long with the breakfast our host was kind enough to provide us, a luxury you rarely get with Airbnb hosts. We ate and chatted and pet the ancient cat. Then we headed into town trying not to forget our host’s instructions for taking the bus.

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We caught the right color, but didn’t know when we should get off, so we asked a random person on the bus about Parque de los Fundadores, which is where our host suggested we get off and start walking around to explore downtown. On the way, I stared out the window and took in the graffiti, restaurants and universities. After living in a city of 3 million, they all seemed smaller and closer together in Manizales. We got off at the right parque, and started looking around.

It was too cloudy to see the mountains, so I snapped a shot of the closest statue (Ernesto Gutiérrez Arango, 1918-1997, mayor, doctor, cattle farmer, bull fighting enthusiast (ew…), and university founder extraordinaire) and we headed towards the pretty white and wood church down the street.

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It’s the Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción and overlooks Parque Caldas, which is named for Francisco José de Caldas y Tenorio, Colombian scientist and patriot who didn’t just give his name (posthumously or otherwise) to this park, but also to the entire department of which Manizales is the capital. He was born in Popayán, Colombia, a city we also visited on this month-long trip, was a lawyer, naturalist, military engineer, mathematician, geographer and inventor, and was executed by the Spanish crown for his efforts as a forerunner of Colombian independence from Spain. The Count of Cartagena, who gave the order for his execution, responded to appeals for Caldas’s life with, “Spain does not need savants.” And Caldas is said to have drawn the Greek letter theta (θ) on a wall before he was executed. Theta is a symbol for death, and his writing it on the wall has been interpreted as him saying goodbye.

Founders of universities, executed savants, they’re all about revering smart guys in Manizales. Statues of area educators  and writers are even tucked away in clumps of bamboo to be discovered by curious passersby.

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 We headed further into downtown Manizales along one of the main thoroughfares, Carrera 23, or just La 23. It’s always interesting to see what kinds of names the local entrepreneurs choose for their businesses. Plus, their security style with the street lifeguard chairs. Never saw any lifeguards, though. It would have been cool. I like to imagine them blowing whistles at jaywalkers or clumps of friends blocking sidewalk traffic while they chit-chat.

We took a detour to see more of the city.

Cobwebs of wire over valley views

Improvised clothes lines, or an aerial dumping ground for unwanted stuff?

Then we headed back to La 23 and passed by the city’s bigger and fancier historic buildings.

Mil telas means 1,000 fabrics. Sewing and clothing manufacturing are huge in Medellín, so it doesn’t surprise me that it would be popular just a few hours away in Manizales too. The pink building is DIAN, the taxman.

Next stop, Plaza de Bolívar (virtually every town and city has one named after him, and Manizales is no exception), Manizales’s main square.

This is, by far, the coolest, most badass Bolívar statue I’ve ever seen. Part man, part condor, 100% awesomeness. The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is a national symbol for Colombia and many other Andean countries.

Photo credit: Emilio del Prado. Originally posted to Flickr as “Con aires de abuelete.” CC BY-SA 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10005571

Some may think it’s ugly, and I say that’s just not nice. Some may say it looks like one of these bad boys:

Photo credit: Muppet Wiki. http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Skeksis

and I say that’s just being nostalgic.

I mean, they’re amazing! Just look at that wing span!

Photo credit: Dutchbaby. http://godutchbaby.blogspot.com.co/2009/06/el-condor-pasa.html.

They even hunt wolves!

Photo credit: Eco-nonlogical. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG8ZB4akl6w

Given how dramatically the statue does break from tradition, however,

it’s not very surprising that it has caused some controversy. I’m glad the city was ultimately bold enough to move past it and embrace the sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt’s dynamic and powerful vision.

The sculpture represents many things. One is the combination of heroism (the human aspect) and freedom (the condor aspect), and the details tell us much more. In the pictures you can see that the wings have holes in them. The chest is damaged too, and it all represents violence. Down below, carved into the pedestal, you can see a face. There’s one on the front and one on the back. These represent the Bolívar of the shadows, a Bolívar we don’t often get to see in the more traditional, unquestioningly (even superficially) patriotic sculptures of the same old guy on a horse with a sword, one possible exception being the Naked Bolívar in Pereira, which, incidentally, was done by Betancourt too! Ha!

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Another detail you can’t see in these pictures is that the condor has holes where its eyes should be. This signifies, according to Spanish Wikipedia, the blindness of life and existence. And finally, the mask you can see jutting out from the pedestal also represents Bolívar, but this too is having eye issues. One eye is missing and the other is damaged. In this way the mask of Bolívar represents peace and freedom, but in suspense.

So, yes. This sculpture was…amazing! Also, there’s a basilica, which you can see behind the condor-man in the picture to the right. It’s called the Catedral Basílica Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Manizales. It’s in the neo-Gothic style, which part of me thinks should have married it well with the cloudy, gray weather, but that was lost on our camera.

The best we could do with our camera.

One thing we neglected to do was go to the top of the cathedral and see the main square from above. It would have been cool, but we decided to do other things instead. There was a lot of art just around the square, and other parts of the city to see.

To the left is the sculpture Adam and Eve by the artist Guillermo Botero (not to be confused with Fernando, whose art can be found in this post of ours and this one). And to the right are two details from one of two murals by Guillermo. It’s called Vientos de Libertad (Winds of Liberty), and tells about July 20, 1810, the date of Colombia’s declaration of independence from Spain. It was done in glazed ceramic. I love the wide open eyes and crazy angles of the people’s joints.

I love walking past doorways, peeking in and being surprised with a spacious courtyard I wasn’t expecting to see. Sometimes they have fountains and palm trees, sometimes they house cafés or restaurants, sometimes there are families relaxing in them. The one that inevitably caught our eye in Manizales’s main square was the government building, and since this courtyard is open to the public, we thought we’d go in instead of just taking a peek.

It did not disappoint!

Now, off to check out the cable cars of Manizales. Like the Metrocable of Medellín, the Cable Aéreo de Manizales was created more as a means of public transportation than tourism, but it would behoove any tourist to go for a ride because then you get to see more of the city, and from the inhabitants’ point of view to boot. Plus, one of the stops on the cable car is a charming little town called Villamaría. Our morning spent and our stomachs growling, we decided to ride up and have lunch there.

Off we goooooooooooooooooo!

Rising hills with expanding city creeping into their green, the south side of Manizales, waterfront shantytown

We made it! But then it was raining and we were starving, so we set out to find food. We found a little place on a street off of Villamaría’s main square. It was packed, which was good and bad. Good because it probably meant the food was decent, and bad because we had to wait. It wasn’t long, though, before two seats opened up, but the catch was that we’d have to share the table of four with two other people. We didn’t even blink before saying yes. Coming up on two years abroad, we weren’t strangers to sharing tables with strangers. We quickly ordered the lunch special (soup, chicken, rice, beans, salad, juice), and started up a conversation with our tablemates after they gave us a few awkward glances. We talked about horses and I don’t know what else. Perhaps our other chitchatting topics were overshadowed by the discovery that one of the guys was a prestamista, or, cultural and legal differences from one country to another notwithstanding, a loan shark. He kept track of his debtors on a makeshift portable Rolodex: a pile of business card-sized pieces of paper that he could flip around a ring. He kept it in his pocket, and consulted it before leaving the restaurant. Brodie and I waited until the two guys left to let our mild shock hang out. It’s weird when you hear stories of “types” of people, and then you actually meet one of those “types” of people and talk them. They instantly go from being a story to a real person just like you.

We finished our lunch and, the rain thankfully having (mostly) abated, headed back to the square to wander and take pictures. We had our rain jackets, so we didn’t let the shower deter us.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Villamaría, Caldas, Colombia

The municipal building, which extends out to the left of the church

“Primer Conversatorio: Hablemos de paz en el territorio”

(First Discussion: Let’s talk about peace in the territory)

We were in Manizales around a month and a half before the Colombian government and the FARC drew up their first peace deal of 2016 (they had to do a second one because the first one didn’t pass the plebiscite that was held). We have seen signs and literature in every place we’ve visited about how to bring peace to the country ever since we first came to Colombia. Being able to witness the peace process happening in the country it’s for, and talking to people about it and hearing people say how they feel about it in person is both intense and powerful, even for outsiders like us.

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To end our lunch trip, we took a coffee break in the square before heading back to our apartment.

We people watched while we sipped our brews. I wonder what was in that guy’s sack…

We had time for one last activity before we ended our day, but we don’t have any pictures of it because it was nighttime and we just didn’t feel like worrying about our cameras while we relaxed in some glorious hot springs. There are multiple places to go for hot springs, and we chose one recommended to us by a friend. It was called Tierra Viva, and was smaller and more low key than the most popular place in the area, which definitely appealed to us. I mean, how fancy and extensive do hot springs really need to be if all you want to do is sit in hot, sulfur-y water until your fingers get pruney and then go home warm and happy? We were really pleased with Tierra Viva. The staff were nice, the place was clean, the pools were nicely laid out, you could order food and drinks at any time. You could even drink in the pools, and there were no problems with spills or empty cups strewn everywhere. We got there just before it got dark, and there weren’t many people, but the place had filled up pretty well by the time we left. Hot springs are most popular at night. We chatted with a college professor and his nephew while we floated around in the water, ordered giant, crispy patacones with hogao for dinner by the hot spring pools, and had the staff get us a taxi home.

Our whirlwind tour of Manizales was finished!

The next day, as our bus left the city, I saw this graffitied wall next to the road:

Before the graffiti went up, there had been a mural about slavery on the wall. It just struck me the way the graffiti covered up the recently freed slave in the upper right corner, slapped up over his body with his arms and legs sticking out, as if he had been squished against the wall by it.

  Until next time!

  Shannon

2/18/17

Medellín, Colombia

The Mini-mountains of Manizales June 2016 Now that 2016 is finished, Brodie and I thought it would be a good time to recap the month-long trip we took earlier that year.