#if we had all the house of the hearth kids here we’d definitely need that much room + probably more

[nightmareonpeachstreet]

Sometimes u just gotta find things to distract you from Arlecchino until she comes out

Like decorating your teapot to be a family home for Arle, her wife Furina and their 3 kids, Lyney Lynette and Freminet

[totallyrhettro]

Territorial, chapter 20

Word Count: 2159 Rating: This chapter: PG-13. Overall story rating: explicit Warnings: Forced Human Captivity Summary: After finally realizing their shared love for one another, all internetainers Rhett and Link had to do was live happily ever after. Unfortunately, as it turns out, that’s a lot harder to do in a world of werewolves. Notes: Takes place 1 year after Animalistic began. Still no wives; Rhett and Link are in an established relationship. This is a sequel to that fic. You don’t have to read that first, but it is highly recommended.

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The first thing Link noticed was that he was cold. A chill shiver ran down the length of his body and his hands shook as they grasped for a blanket that wasn’t there. He whined in frustration, thinking for a moment that Rhett had taken all the covers again, but when he reached out to find his boyfriend beside him, there was no one there. Link opened his eyes and the next thing he noticed was green.

Lots of green.

He squinted to see clearer without his glasses, but he didn’t recognize his surroundings. Continuing his tactile search of his environment, his glasses weren’t in their normal bedside spot. Neither was his nightstand. He realized he wasn’t even in his bed, and then he noticed he was completely naked.

Then he remembered.

Getting to his feet, Link rubbed arms, trying to warm up. He had no idea where he had ended up, but he remembered where he had left off last night. On the north side of Twin Lakes, the town Alistair had told him about, Link had parked his car well out of sight. He didn’t have much to go on besides North, so North was the direction he began to hike. He knew it was a useless venture to try and find the Lowells, and therefore Rhett, just by wandering around in the woods, but he hoped to get a head start before his wolf self took over. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to go as far in hybrid form. Besides, he didn’t want to be anywhere near civilization once he changed, just in case he couldn’t control it. He would never have been able to forgive himself if he'd hurt or infected anyone.

But where was he now? He remembered feeling the change coming, irresistible and insatiable. The need to scratch every part of his body, the drive to run wild through the trees. He thought he was prepared to control it, but it was even more difficult being in these strange woods, without Rhett by his side. Once he had removed his clothes, car keys, wallet, phone and glasses, placing them all carefully into a duffel bag in his car, he had let the change happen, maintaining a hybrid form for almost two minutes before he couldn’t hold it any longer. The call of the moon was too much apparently, and now he could be miles away from where he started and no closer to finding his best friend.

~ ~ ~

Rhett felt the cold concrete floor beneath his naked body and at first he thought he was back in Theo’s holding room. When he opened his eyes, he desperately wished he was there, or anywhere else really. Instead he was still in the damp, dingy basement of a prison, trapped in a cage that could either hold him forever or end his life on a whim. He wanted to cry.

Sitting up, making sure the spikes had not been lowered more while he out, he checked himself over. In fact, the spikes had been brought up to their original position, high above him. While this gave him more room to move around, it brought him little in the way of comfort. The pain from his torture was gone, replaced by a dull ache. The wounds were healed completely, but his flesh still remembered how they’d felt, and his muscles were sore from being in this cage for going on thirty-plus hours. His clothes, for the most part, had been shredded, the seams and stitches no match for his late night change in size. Scraps of denim and flannel littered the bottom of the cage. He pulled the last remnant of a sleeve from his arm and sighed. He didn’t hold out any hope that his captures would give him anything decent to wear. As he searched around for anything large enough to hide his modesty, he saw the food tray had returned, this time with real food.

Cautious and more than a little suspicious, Rhett leaned closer to get a better look. On a paper plate were two waffles. Ego, by the look of it. There was no syrup or butter, but Rhett’s mouth salivated from the sight, and his stomach rumbled angrily. It was a far better offering than the dog food from the day before and he didn’t hesitate long to reach out and grab one. It was still warm.

He downed both waffles quickly, leaving barely a crumb behind, and while he was still hungry, he felt better to have something in his stomach. Only once he had finished everything did he wonder who had brought the food down here for him in the first place. It couldn't have been Caleb, surely. Not after the ‘meal’ he served Rhett yesterday. Then who…?

“Good morning.” Without even thinking, Rhett grabbed up the remains of his clothes and covered himself. Coming down the stairs was Damian, who didn’t seem to care in the slightest about Rhett’s embarrassment. “I hope the waffles were still warm. I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up.”

“How long do I have?” Rhett asked, sardonically. Damian gave a small smile as he picked up the empty tray.

“Poison isn’t really our style,” he commented. “Besides, you’re worth more to us alive.”

“I don’t know anything else.”

“You know more than you think.” Leaning against a nearby wall, Damian regarded Rhett with a keen eye. “Yesterday you said you didn’t know anything, and yet, under pressure, you gave us Sequoia National Forest.” Flashes back to the night before ran through Rhett’s mind. He hadn’t been thinking clearly, if at all. Now he wasn't sure if he should have said anything.

“Unfortunately for you, we searched the woods all last night and didn’t see any sign of the mutts. Nothing recent, anyway. They must have just have cleared out. I guess you’ll be staying with us longer.” He turned to leave, but Rhett stumbled to his feet, one hand still covering his privates, and the other grasped onto the bars of the cage.

“Wait!” Damian paused, wary. “Tell me: why is your brother doing this? Why are you and Seth letting him?” Without turning around, he lowered his head with a sigh.

“We’re not really brothers,” he muttered, sadly.

“What?” Rhett wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Now looking back, Damian shrugged.

“Caleb, Seth and I. We’re not really brothers. We grew up together, in the pack, and I guess people thought we looked alike so they just assumed… and we liked the idea so we ran with it. We’d been friends since we were kids and we loved doing everything together so it was like, why not be brothers? We’re brothers in the pack, so that was close enough.”

“Sorta Like me and Link, huh?” Rhett didn’t really want to talk about Link, but he wanted to keep Damian talking. Maybe he could get the man on his side. “Met in first grade. Pretty much inseparable since.”

“Yeah? Wow. I mean, Caleb and Seth, we… we had the pack to be with. I mean, it wasn’t like there were a lot of kids we could hang out with, but you guys…” He let out an impressed whistle. “You had a choice and you stuck together.”

“He’s my best friend. Closer than family. Closer than blood, you know?” Damian nodded, but his eyes weren’t exactly focused on the present.

“He’s your pack…” he murmured.

“Y-yeah. I guess he always was, even before the change.” Damian seemed to dwell on this a moment be speaking again.

“I didn’t want this to happen, you know,” he blurted. “I wanted things to go differently. It didn’t have to end this way...” There was the slightest hint of wetness in his eye before he realized what he was saying. Looking up, he gave Rhett a strange, blank stare. Then, without another word, he headed back up the stairs.

“Wait, please!” This time, Damian didn’t come back and Rhett was, once again, alone in the basement.

~ ~ ~

While he couldn’t be sure how far or how long he’d been wandering through these woods, Link knew he was getting closer to something when the smell of burning logs met his nostrils. A campfire, or maybe a fireplace, was nearby. A warm hearth sounded mighty nice right now. Still shivering, Link searched the skies for any sign of smoke and was relieved to see a thin trail to the North-West. He turned and immediately headed for it.

Before long, though it seemed much longer, he stumbled from the rough, brush-covered woods to a grassy clearing. A small house, barely a cottage, sat on the hill with a single car out front. Neither looked like much, but Link didn’t care. Keeping one hand strategically placed, he dashed across the open area to the front door, his mind desperately trying to come up with a good reason as to why he was showing up to a stranger’s house completely naked. Still shivering, he rang the doorbell and hoped for the best. He half expected Little Red Riding Hood to answer the door.

After a moment or two, a middle-aged woman opened the door, just a few inches, and peeked out at the odd gentleman on her front porch. She eyed him him up and down, and then down again before opening the door further. There was definitely a look of surprise on her face, and Link couldn’t blame her in the slightest. He decided to get a jump on the conversation before she had a chance to ask.

“Ah, I, um…” Unfortunately, he still hadn’t come up with a good cover story. At least, not one that didn’t involve drugs or alcohol, both of which seemed the obvious answer. Lucky for him, the woman seemed nice enough, she even smiled sweetly.

“You want a blanket?” she asked, with a lilt of humor in her voice.

“Yes ma’am,” Link admitted, sheepishly. He couldn’t help but smile when he heard the softest of laughter as the two of them stepped further inside. Link had to admit, it was pretty funny, and at least the woman thought so and not that he was dangerous. He certainly didn’t feel dangerous.

Inside he made his way to the living room, a cozy little room with a fireplace, burning nicely. Link stood next to it, resisting the urge to rub his cold butt before it, simply hunching over, trying to hide his shame while he waited for the promised blanket. The woman, a petite brunet with more than a few greying hairs, grabbed a large brown and white quilt from another room and wrapped it around the naked man, turning around so he could adjusted it better. Muttering a polite thank you, Link curled inside it, relishing in the warmth it provided. He felt much better now, and his senses were starting to come back, including his manners.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he noted, sorry that he didn’t ask before coming into some woman’s home.

“Grace,” she told him, heading over to the adjoined kitchen. “Didn’t catch yours either, dear. Or should I just call you Willy?” Link blushed, smiling an embarrassed smile. He didn’t really want to give her his real name, but the innuendo was far too much for him to handle.

“Charlie.” Ok, so, it was his real name, but not the name millions of people knew him by. It was common enough, and it was easy to remember. He wasn’t very good at lying anyhow. From the kitchen he could hear the clink of metal on china, and then a microwave being opened and closed.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Charlie,” Grace was saying. “Do you like marshmallows?” An odd question, but then this was an odd situation. Instead of dwelling on the question, Link just answered.

“Not really.” The microwave beeped and Grace opened it up and closed it again. Link couldn’t see what she had made, at first, but when she came back into the room with a steaming cup in her hand, he had a very good guess.

“I don’t have any coffee or tea,” she explained “But this should warm you up good.” She handed the hot chocolate to her guest, who took it gingerly with a grin.

“Thanks. It’s perfect.” It was also very hot, and Link had to wait a bit before really drinking it. While he waited, Grace motioned for him to sit in one of the fluffy chairs by the fire. She took the couch.

“Now, Charlie,” she began, sweet as honey. “I’m guessing you had a rough night.” Link couldn’t agree more.

“Yeah, I uh, I did…” Still didn’t have a good explanation.

“Well, that happens to the best of us, dear.” She gave another short chuckle. Her smile was so kind; Link was so shocked about her next question that he nearly dropped his cup. “Tell me. How long have you been a werewolf?”

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[lesbian-sora]

Winter Wonderland

Day eight!

Summary ~ In a last-minute attempt to get away from his family for the holidays, Dan rents a cabin in the woods of North Western America. He knows for a fact that this Christmas will be the perfect Christmas no matter how hard he tries. 

Meanwhile, Phil is running from his feelings and responsibilities by hiding out in his aunts’ cabin. He knows it’s not a perfect solution, but he needs to get away from his usual Christmas traditions. 

As they say, great minds think alike, but maybe sharing a cabin with a stranger wasn’t what they meant.

Genre ~ Fluff, strangers to lovers, family angst

Words ~ 2.3K/~10K

Warnings ~ Only swearing in this part, but referenced character death later on

Author’s Note ~ Yay! I’m gonna try to do a multi chaptered fic again! It won’t be super long, so I’ll probably be done in maybe a week, but I’m planning to get out a chapter every day until it’s done. If this fic isn’t your thing, that’s okay! I’ll still be uploading a Christmas fic every day, too. Here we go!

Next chapter!

Prompt me!

Buy me a coffee!

Yesterday’s fic!

The snow was falling lightly on the mountain, but the narrow road that wound up it stayed clear and cut a dark spiral through the white powder. A lone bright yellow cab made its slow but steady trek up. The December air was cold, but inside was warm and soft Christmas music played over the speakers. The driver just hummed and drummed his fingers against the wheel to the tune of the song, but his passenger in the back seat was staring out the window and talking on the phone.

“Dan, I can’t believe you’ve run off to America and left me here alone at Christmas,” Louise whined across the line. “You could have at least given me a warning so I had a chance to give you your Christmas present. Now I’ll have to wait until New Years to give it to you and that’s just ridiculous.”

“People give each other Christmas gifts late all the time,” Dan corrected her. Remember year before last when we were both so busy that we didn’t manage to get our gifts delivered until February.”

“That was awful! We swore we’d never speak of it again! I had a wrapped gift on my hearth for almost three months!”  

“Actually, we never swore to anything, you just told me not to,” Dan smirked. “Besides, that’s just proof that you’ll be fine keeping my gift for an extra week. If you want you can come pick me up from the airport and give it to me then.”

“You wish. I don’t give festivity deserters rides anywhere.”

“You’re so mean to me,” Dan whined half-heartedly. As he said this, the car rolled to a halt, but when he looked outside, the cabin was nowhere to be seen. “Anyway, I have to go. I’ll call you when I get settled.” He hung up and leaned forward to get the driver’s attention. “Hey, why are we stopped?”

“This is as far as I can take you,” the driver explained. “That’s the driveway, but it requires four-wheel drive, which I don’t have. Sorry, but I gotta leave you here.”

Dan quickly pulled up his maps and groaned. “But I have luggage! And it’s snowing!”

“Sorry, pal,” the driver shrugged. “Nothing I can do.”

Muttering darkly to himself, Dan paid the man and got his bags out of the back of the car, relieved that he’d left in such a hurry that he didn’t have time to pack as much as he normally would have. Thankfully, the snow was light, and he started his hike through the woods. About three minutes in, he discovered that his shoes were not at all designed for this, and all he could do was hope that his sneakers weren’t ruined.

Ten minutes later, he made it to the cabin and was surprised to see an old beat up blue truck parked outside. He assumed it belonged to a groundskeeper or cleaner and shrugged. Maybe they’d be willing to show him where everything was. As soon as he hauled his things up the last few stairs, he immediately started shedding his damp clothes and made a beeline for the lounge (or should he call it a “living room” now that he was in America?) to start a fire and get warmed up. Much to his surprise, there was already a small fire crackling away happily, so he sat down right in front of it, and let his eyes slip closed at the feeling of warmth.

“Uh, hello?”

Dan’s eyes snapped open to see a man, probably around his height, standing in front of him with a confused expression and a thick blanket. Dan smiled and offered a hand. “Hi, I’m Dan; I’m renting this place for the next couple weeks. Do you work here?”

“Uh, no, I don’t work here,” the man said, and Dan could hear a familiar accent coloring his tone. “And what do you mean you’re ‘renting’ it?”

“I mean I went on Airbnb and booked it through New Year’s,” Dan said. “And if you don’t work here, what are you doing here?”

“This is my aunts’ place,” he said. “They’re letting me stay here for the holidays while they’re in Italy.”

Dan flushed darkly and covered his face with his hands. “I’m so sorry. I must have the wrong address or something.”

The man laughed. “No problem. Who are you renting from? I haven’t been here for years, but I may know them. I could give you a ride so you don’t have to walk.”

Still a bit rosey-cheeked, Dan smiled up at him. “That would be great. I’m renting from the Moore-Davies and their place is called Badger Rest. Do you know it?”

The man sputtered. “I, uh, yeah, I know it.”

Dan beamed. “Great! Let me grab my stuff and I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible.”

The man groaned. “No, look. I know Badger Rest because my aunts are Sara and Jessica Moore-Davies. I convinced them to name it Badger Rest because this is where I got my pet badger.”

“Jessica Moore-Davies is your aunt?” Dan clarified. “The same Jessica Moore-Davies that I’ve been chatting with for a week about renting this place?”

“Yeah,” the man said. “She married my Aunt Sara, who I talked to day before yesterday. They must not have talked to each other about letting people stay here.”

“What am I gonna do?” Dan moaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry!” the man said, a twinge of panic to his voice. “I’m not going to kick you out or anything. You paid good money to stay here, I’m sure. Besides, I doubt you have anywhere around here to stay anyway. If you want, we can share. At least for today.”

Dan peered up at him through his fingers. “You’d really do that for me?”

The man grinned. “Of course! Besides, this works out. Now I can be sure that you’re not going to throw any wild house parties and ruin my aunts’ cabin.”

Dan snorted. “As if I could throw a party.”

The man chuckled and offered a hand. “Phil Lester is the name. I was about to get started on dinner. Do you have a problem eating stir-fry? I’m not the best at cooking, but I think I’ve got this down at least.”

Dan took the hand and surprised Phil by using it to pull himself to his feet. “Dan Howell. Do you want some help cooking?”

“Yeah!” Phil nodded. “Careful with the cabinets, though. I’m notorious for leaving them open and I don’t want you to hit your head on the corner or anything.”

“Duly noted.”

Together, they chopped vegetables and sauteed meat and cooked rice, chatting the entire time. There was one instance where Phil almost caught a tea towel fire, but Dan managed to snatch it off the hot eye before any real damage could be done. As they talked Dan quickly learned that he and Phil had basically the same set of interests, just with varying levels of enthusiasm. When Dan learned that Phil had brought his entire Switch system and several games, he almost kissed him.

“Dinner was great, thanks,” Dan sighed, letting his eyes slip closed with a contented sigh.

“I’d say you’re welcome, but you kicked me off the stove halfway through,” Phil teased.

Dan grinned. “I said what I said.”

Phil snickered. “Do you want to play Mario Kart? I’ll pick up the dishes if you go get everything set up.”

“You are like a gift from god.”

“Sure. Give me your plate.”

Dan did as he was told and scurried off to set up their game. Phil had only gotten to the cabin less than an hour before Dan, so the system was still in its traveling case on the floor next to the TV. Thankfully, setup didn’t take too long, and after he untangled and plugged in the wires, Dan was shuffling through Phil’s games. At first he’d thought it was adorable that Phil carried his games around in their original boxes instead of a travel case like everyone else, but soon learned that Phil was an actual demon.

“Hey, so I--”

“These are all in the wrong cases, you absolute trollop!” Dan interrupted gently chucking the box for Mario Odyssey (which contained Zelda) at Phil’s shins.

Phil just giggled with no shame. “I’m pretty sure Mario Kart is in the Splatoon case.”

Dan shot him a glare and opened the box, sure enough finding Mario Kart right where Phil said it would be. “You’re an awful, despicable person,” Dan informed, sitting himself on the couch next to Phil as the menu screen popped up. He handed the blue controler over to Phil who quickly selected the game.

“Who do you normally play as?” Phil asked casually, roaming his cursor over all the characters, not stopping on one for too long.

“Usually, I just play as my Mii, but I don’t have that here so I guess I’ll be one of the Squid Kids. You?”

“Uuuuhhh,” Phil frantically switched from character to character until he finally decided. “Tanooki Mario!”

Dan cut him a playful side glare as Phil picked a cup and course and the race started. “Is this your way of telling me you’re a furry?”

“I dunno,” Phil said, totally deadpan, more focused on the game. “Is this your way of telling me you’re whatever a squid furry is called?”

Dan laughed. “First of all, definitely yes. Second, I guess they’d be squishies or something? I mean technically furries are all manner of anthropomorphised animals, so furry works anyway.”

Phil sputtered out a laugh. “Alright, good to know. Not sure I want to know how you know that, but I guess I’m glad I do now.”

“Oh, please. It’s like you don’t even internet, Phil.”

“Stop making me laugh, this is cheating!” Phil giggled as his character was fished out of the water.

“Maybe you should just get better at Mario Kart. Wait-- Hey!” Dan laughed as Phil abandoned his own controler to try and knock Dan’s from his hands. “This is blatant cheating.”

“Maybe you should just get better at Mario Kart,” Phil mocked. They tussled for a moment before the final horns sounded on the game.

Dan glanced at the screen, gaping. “Fifth? I came in fifth?” Phil was now wheezing with laughter, so Dan tossed his controller aside to continue their miniature wrestling match, this time with more tickling.

“Stop, stop, you win!” Phil choked out. Dan backed off and they laid there panting for a moment before Phil looked over with a wide grin. “So, round two?”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

They played Mario Kart into the night, later than Dan was happy to admit, but when Dan fell asleep mid-race, they decided to call it quits. That’s when realization washed over Dan. “Phil there’s only one bed here.”

Phil grimaced. “I totally forgot about that. Maybe they have and air mattress somewhere?”

Dan was doubtful. “I dunno, your aunt was pretty adamant about making sure I knew there was only one bed.”

“Yeah, but we might as well look.”

“Might as well. I’ll check the bedroom, you check the hall closet.”

“I’ll check the attic, too,” Phil said. “I know they used to keep all kinds of stuff up there.”

Dan nodded and wandered off down the hall to the bedroom with ensuite. He doubted there was going to be an air mattress stored in the bedroom, but you never knew. He checked the closet and under the bed, but was met with the expected clothes and storage boxes. Nothing even remotely helpful here. The story was the same in the bathroom, and Dan returned to the lounge empty handed.

Phil showed up carrying an armful of blankets, but when he saw Dan with nothing his face fell. “Well, these won’t be very useful.”

“Don’t worry about it, I can just kip on the sofa,” Dan shrugged.

“Well, that doesn’t seem fair,” Phil protested. “You paid to sleep here, the least I could do is let you use the bed.”

“You were already nice enough by not kicking me out into the snow earlier,” Dan pointed out.

“Any decent human person would do that, though.”

“You’d be surprised at how few decent human people there are.” Seeing Phil’s mouth open to argue, Dan added, “How about this: I’ll take the bed tonight, and if for some reason we’re both still here tomorrow night then we’ll swap.”

“I doubt either of us are going anywhere,” Phil mused. “There’s only one hotel in town, and since it’s going through renovations I doubt there’s going to be any available rooms.”

“Then it’s settled,” Dan decided. “I’ll sleep here tonight, and you can tomorrow.”

Phil shrugged. “I guess that’s fair.” He smiled warmly at Dan. “See you in the morning.”

“Night, Phil.”

They went their separate ways for bed, and Dan changed and curled up on the couch to sleep. It was a nice couch, but there was a metal rod that cut it in half for support that hit him right on the hip, and his long limbs just barely fit on the cushions. However, easily the worst part was how cold it got so quickly. The south wall was made up entirely of windows that overlooked a beautiful, serene lake during the day, but Dan had no idea how quickly it could sap the room of warmth with the fire doused.

Dan laid there shivering and trying to fall asleep for a good half hour before the hallway light came on an a silhouetted figure stood in the doorway. Dan sat up and watched Phil come in, weighed down with a couple heavy-looking blankets and two cup of what Dan assumed was hot chocolate.

“Can’t sleep?” Dan whispered. For some reason he felt like if he dared speak any louder, something would break.

Phil smiled softly at him. “Yeah. Plus, I remembered how cold it gets in here from when I was a kid.”

Dan took the hot chocolate offered to him, and he and Phil sat together watching the snow fall outside the panoramic window. They were silent until Dan heard a soft snore from Phil. He gently woke up the other man and ushered him back to bed. When he returned to the lounge, it seemed warmer than before.

Next chapter!

Prompt me!

Buy me a coffee!

Yesterday’s fic!

[tastesoftamriel]

The Bee and Barb (a long tale by Talviel)

It was Loredas, 23rd of Rain’s Hand, 4E 203, and I was 19 years old. I was the saviour of Skyrim, having defeated Alduin and ending the Dragon Crisis, a Nightingale, and the head of the Thieves Guild. Between my adventures and work for the Guild, I had more coin than I ever hoped to see in my lifetime. I finally had enough septims to pay the face shaper by the Ragged Flagon to change my natural dark brown hair that I’d inherited from my Imperial mother to a spooky ashen grey I’d wanted all my life. I’d bought my parents a house called Honeyside near the marketplace, removing them from the squalor of the Beggar’s Row hut we’d lived in since I was born, and found them both profitable jobs in the Jarl’s Palace. People still cheered when they saw me on the streets, despite my Guild armour and reputation for being probably the best fighter and most notorious thief in Skyrim.  My newfound fame irked me despite it being over six months since I’d slain Alduin, but I smiled and chatted to anyone who approached me.

I was in the Ragged Flagon chatting with Vekel the Man when Vex walked up to me with her usual expression of annoyance. “What’s up, Vex?” I asked. “Can I interest you in the easiest heist job of your life?” She grumbled, motioning to Vekel to pour her some wine. “Vex, I’m the head of the Guild now and I’ve got shit to do. Why not get Rune or someone to do it? Or do it yourself for a change.” “Ha-hardy-ha.” She said sarcastically. “Literally everyone is on a job. Since you helped revive the Guild, everyone in Skyrim wants a piece of us. And I don’t leave the Flagon unless it’s to sleep, you know it. Every now and again, we like to remind the shopkeepers that we’re in charge. If that means breaking into their strongboxes and stealing something valuable from them, then so be it. Feel like doing a bit of shopping…the Guild way?” I sighed, taking a sip of mead. “Fine, lay it on me then.” “Keerava at the B and B apparently carries flawless diamond on her. I want it.”

I felt a twang of guilt, as Keerava, the Argonian owner of the Bee and Barb, had never been anything but kind to me since I first set foot in her establishment at the age of 16. Of course, these days I paid for my meals, but as an impoverished young girl running with the Guild, she would always let me sit by the fire with a mug of cider and a basket of bread when I was temporarily kicked out of home and felt too weary to go back to the cistern’s hard hay mattresses. But it was a simple job and she wouldn’t notice a thing, so I drained my tankard and stood up. “Be back in 30 minutes.” I grumbled, heading off. I stopped in the cistern to change into civilian clothing to mask my intentions, then made my way up through the trap door.

It was a rainy day, colder than expected. I pulled up the hood of my cloak while nodding to some guards I passed who complained about patrolling in that weather. I crossed the marketplace and made it into the B and B. It was early morning, and the establishment wasn’t open yet. Talen-jei, the co-owner, was busy stoking the hearth. “What do you want?” He hissed, his obvious dislike for me showing. “I’m just looking for Keerava.” “Upstairs.” He grunted, turning back to the fire. I made my way up the wooden stairs that the Argonians kept proudly polished, and looked for Keerava. She was busy making the bed in one of the rooms. I coughed, and she turned around.

“Odd to see you this morning Talviel, we haven’t even opened yet.” She grinned, her harsh voice more of a croak than anything else. “Kitchen’s not ready yet, but we do have some apples in a barrel in the cellar. Help yourself, but try drop us a few septims on the way out, will ya?” “Oh, I just came to chat.” I smiled innocently, and made some small talk while leaning close to the wall so I could see her belt pouch. Luckily, it was just within finger’s reach and I snapped the clasp open. All of a sudden, a loud whooping sound rang through the room, and Keerava’s hand went to her pouch. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” She asked me angrily. “I had this pouch enchanted by a mage with a security spell, and you’re the first one to try break into it? Shame on you! You’d better have a good reason for this before I kick you out onto the street for the guards to handle.” She snapped angrily. “I…” I stuttered, never having encountered anything with a security spell in my life. The Riften locals were getting smart, it seemed. “Keerava, I’m sorry, I was sent here on a job and got told to lift your diamond and I didn’t want to do it because you’ve been so nice to me since I was a kid and-” “By the Hist child, slow down! I can barely hear a word you’re saying!” I buried my face in my hands in shame, both for mucking up a simple job and for betraying the trust of someone who cared for me. Her voice softened and she patted the partially made bed, indicating for me to sit down. She sat by by side, looking concerned.

“Talviel, child, everyone in Skyrim knows you’re with the Guild. Even if you’re not in armour, the way you walk gives it away. But you’re better than this. I remember our first encounter: you were poor but so honest, and I know that honesty is still there in your heart.” I said nothing, as tears of shame dripped onto the floorboards. She continued, “I know one of the real reasons you’re with the Guild. The way you look at that Brynjolf fellow…I’ve seen you in here, walking through the alleys and market. He’s no good for you, child. He’s going to break your heart. Thieves are selfish, and I know you’re not. Remember the time you came in after the Dragon Crisis? What did you give me?” “A…a dragonbone knife and a copy of Uncommon Taste.” I whispered. “That’s right. And you said you carved the knife yourself, specially for the kitchen. Look at yourself, child. You’re not selfish like those people in the cistern.”

“Keerava, I’m nothing without them. I would still be living by the Ratways, helping my father catch fish or scooping horse shit in the stables if it weren’t for them. You don’t understand. While I was gone…I killed. I plundered and looted and stole at any given chance. I’m not an innocent child anymore. And I’m the leader of the Guild, I can’t just leave them. They’re my family.” Keerava smiled, wiping a tear from my cheek.“ But you have a real family to go back to, and I know they’ll take you after all you’ve done for them. And…I can be your family too.” I looked at her without comprehension. “Talviel, when you were nothing more than a hatchling, I once saw you bringing a tray of cookies to the orphanage. You won’t remember this, but I asked you who made them, and you said you did, all by yourself. As you grew older I saw you selling bread and cauldrons of stew in the marketplace, from animals you’d hunted with your own bow. To be honest, our sales in stew dropped during that time, because everyone raved about how good yours was! What I’m proposing is simple: start a new life, come work in the kitchens here for me. You’re a natural, and this is a safe space for you with honest work.”

I sat in silence, pondering. “I don’t know, Keerava, the Guild isn’t going to take this well. I’m in charge, for them it’ll be like the death of the High King. I do love cooking, I’m always doing that when I’m free in the cisterns…but I can’t give you an honest answer just yet. Can you give me some time to think this over?” “Of course, child. Do what you need to do, and when you’re ready -if you’re ready- come back and talk to me. Don’t worry, I won’t report you to the guards.” I stood up, thanking her profusely, saying I’d get back within a week. As I left the room, she called out. “And one more thing, Talviel. I wouldn’t pick any pouches in Riften again if I were you. Practically the whole town has invested in security enchantments.” I swore under my breath and made my way back to the cistern.

“Back from a job, huh? Hope it went well!” Sapphire smiled as I climbed down through the trapdoor, blissfully unaware of what was going through my head. I just patted her on the shoulder and slouched my way to the Flagon. “Pull up a seat…have a drink.” Delvin said, seeing my knitted brows as I came in. I sighed and sat down heavily on the seat opposite his, groaning and thunking my head onto my arms. “I think I’ll need more than just one drink, Delvin.” I said, muffled and not moving. “Oh dear, boss is having a bad day. Vekel, have you got any more of that sujamma stuff?” Delvin called over. Vekel soon brought over a pot of sujamma and a shot glass. I raised my head to pour myself a shot, and was just about to down it when Vex walked in. She glanced at me, Delvin, and the sujamma. “So…I’ll take it that things somehow didn’t go well.” She said, raising an eyebrow. “Oh Vex, you have no idea.”

After I’d finished telling Vex and Delvin about the new security enchantments, they swore and Delvin left to find a contact who could get a more disreputable mage to come up with a counter-spell we could enchant our armour with. “Somehow I have a feeling you haven’t told me everything yet.” Vex said, staring at me from the corner of her eye as she sipped her sujamma. “Vex, did I ever tell you that you’re annoyingly perceptive?” “Thanks, I don’t get compliments like that very often.” “Just…lay off for a bit. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now and since Brynjolf is my second in command I need to discuss things with him first. Where is that damn guy, anyway?” I said, realising I hadn’t seen him in over two days. “That’s not a very nice way to talk about your one true love.” Vex said sarcastically, and I threw a screwed up ball of parchment at her face. “Last I heard he was on a job in Falkreath or something. Check your spreadsheet, he’d definitely have signed off.”

I made my way to my desk in the cisterns. Our formerly blank ledger was full of names. My finger scanned down the page for Brynjolf’s name. “Brynjolf…Falkreath…signed out 18th of Rain’s Hand, expected return date 25th of Rain’s Hand. Great.” I grumbled, partially out of annoyance of waiting and partially because I missed seeing his red head walking around the cistern while calling everyone “lass” or “lad”. I sighed and left a note on my desk that I was feeling unwell and was going to stay with my parents at Honeyside and was only to be contacted upon urgent business. With that, I made my way back out again, letting the unrelenting drizzle splash on my face. I walked slowly to my parents’ house, trying not to think about anything at all. They were both at work, so I unlocked the door, lit the fireplace, kicked off my boots, and sat on the little bunk my father had made for me in the living quarters.

I must have fallen asleep as I heard the key turning in the lock and heard my mother and father come in. They spotted me on the bed and looked confused, as it wasn’t time for my weekly visit. “Talviel, what are you doing here?” My father cleared his throat, startling me to full consciousness. “Oh, hello folks.” I yawned. “Just…not feeling too well, and need a softer bed than those excuses for mattresses down in the cistern.” My mother undid her cloak and hung it up to dry by the fire. “You always have been the worst liar, Talviel. Something’s happened, out with it.” I moved to the dining table and poured myself a tankard of mead, taking a big gulp before starting. “Well parents, I have officially had the weirdest day since I discovered I was the Dragonborn…”

We all sat in silence once I finished speaking. My mother was the first to break the silence. “Talviel, I know it was rough of us to kick you out when we discovered you were with the Thieves Guild, but we realise that was unfair and we’re grateful for our new home and jobs and the coin that comes with it. But I agree with Keerava entirely. You’ve been running with that unsavoury crowd for too long, and you deserve a better chance at life. You would make an excellent chef, and who knows, you might be working in the Jarl’s kitchen next.” My father was silent for a moment, before muttering, “Aye, got to agree with your mother. You know I don’t have the cleanest past, child, but I don’t want you to repeat my mistakes. Get yourself an honest job. Your sweetcakes and rabbit stew are the best I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve travelled all the way to Cyrodiil. I think this would be the perfect job for you.” I groaned. “I knew you both would say that. Didn’t say I’d made up my mind yet though, and I’ve still got to talk to Brynjolf when he gets back. “That man again? Talviel, forget it. It’s not going to happen. As for Guild things, we don’t want to know.”

Finally the 25th rolled around and I went back to the cistern, chewing my nails. Everyone asked if I felt better and I put on a pantomime of being healthy as a horse even though I felt rotten inside. I kept to my desk, reading a novel instead of doing whatever a Guild ringleader was meant to do. At last, in the early evening while I was making dinner, I heard the trapdoor creak open and the cheery call of “Daddy’s home, lads and lasses!” I sighed with relief. “Brynjolf, thank goodness you’re back. I need to speak with you, urgently. Well, after I finish making this quiche anyway.” I said, dusting the flour off my hands and slapping him on the back in greeting. “Not a problem, lass. But only if you let me have some, it smells good.” He winked, and my heart skipped a beat. “Agreed. I’m not very hungry anyway.”

After we ate, we went up the trapdoor, where the blissfully cool night air washed over us. “Where should we go, lass?” Brynjolf asked, as pleased as I was to breathe in the smell of nightshade and grass as opposed to the dank air down in the cistern. “I don’t know, somewhere quiet where nobody can hear us. Can we go sit by the lake maybe? I just need to get out of Riften’s walls.” He nodded, and we were let out the back gate by the guards and made our way to the lake. We sat next to each other in silence for a while, throwing pebbles at the water while torchbugs flittered overhead and I breathed in his scent of cinnamon and cloves. It was a lovely spring night, and it would have been romantic if so much wasn’t weighing on my mind. “How was Falkreath?” I asked, breaking the ice. “About as expected. Had to have a chat with Astrid over at the Dark Brotherhood, though I don’t see why Delvin couldn’t have done it since they’re pals.” He looked over at me, the moon lighting up his beautiful face that I wanted to kiss so badly. “But that’s not why you called me here, is it lass?” “No, Brynjolf. I have…some news. You probably won’t like it, but I’ve kind of made up my mind.”

I told him everything, except for the part about him probably breaking my heart. He listened in silence. “I see. Lass, I’ve never been cut out to be a leader, but if this is what you want, I’m happy for you and by all means you should do it. And I’ll see you often anyway, since I usually duck in the B and B for lunch and look out for recruits. Just like you, a couple of years ago in your rags with that bottle of mead. How you’ve grown.” I smiled wanly, relief and sadness washing over me. “Thank you, Brynjolf. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but maybe the criminal life just isn’t for me.” “Aye, it’s not for everyone, lass. I understand you completely and while I’m reluctant, I’ll take over as Guild Leader.” His hand brushed mine, and lingered there. “So what happens now?” “I’ll break the news to everyone. I don’t want to put you through any more trouble, lass. Spend one last night with us, and go to your new home in the morning. I’ll see you there in the afternoon, so you’d better have something good for the lunch special.” I laughed, and nodded in reply as tears started to well up in my eyes. “Talviel, one chapter ends and another begins. You’re the saviour of Skyrim. The Dovahkiin, a Nightingale, and forever a member of the Thieves Guild. You can do whatever you set your mind to.” Brynjolf said softly, and wiped the tears from my cheeks, brushing back my hair. I felt like I was going to crumble to dust when he touched me, and my heart broke. Keerava was right.

Early next morning while everyone was sleeping, I packed my rucksack and dressed in civilian clothing. I folded my Guild armour neatly and left it on the bed along with my Nightingale blade. Turning around to see my family fast asleep, I wished them farewell silently and climbed through the trapdoor for the last time.

[bangdisocute-blog]

Huawei MateBook 13 evaluate

It’s not arduous to see the place Huawei laptops take inspiration. Simply because the MateBook X Professional aped so much from the MacBook Professional, the brand new MateBook 13 doesn’t precisely scream “authentic.” However this time, Huawei has its sights set on a brand new goal. The MacBook Air. Boasting a beginning worth of $1,000 together with a modern new design, the MateBook 13 seems prefer it has what it takes to problem the Air. Is it simply one other copycat, or is it the actual deal?

The brand new MacBook — I imply, MateBook

Once we say the MateBook 13 resembles the MacBook Air, we aren’t kidding. It has a silver aluminum chassis, skinny profile, shiny display, restricted port choice, and black chiclet keys. There’s even a “House Gray” coloration variant. Significantly. Apparently, Apple by no means trademarked that identify. However these are all surface-level comparisons. And today, what thin-and-light laptop computer doesn’t have just a little little bit of Mac DNA in themit It’s arduous to ding the MateBook 13 an excessive amount of for the affect it wears on its sleeve. And the MateBook 13 does perform a little to set itself aside. Riley Younger/Digital TendenciesWe like the best way the keyboard stretches practically edge-to-edge on the deck. The thinned-out bezels framing the display look good, too. Even the textured emblem on the lid provides some much-needed spice to the laptop computer’s easy end. What actually stands out, although, is the show. Its three:2 side ratio provides the laptop computer a boxy look that feels tailored for productiveness. It’s not fairly as refined because the MacBook Air, although. The lid has just a little little bit of give within the middle, and there’s the slightest quantity of flex close to the middle of the hinge. Huawei’s effort doesn’t really feel low cost, however the Air definitely feels most strong. What actually stands out is the show. Due to the taller rubber ft and chunkier lid, the MateBook 13 is lifted and seems thicker than it's. It’s really thinner than the MacBook Air, and solely a hair thicker than the Razer Blade Stealth and Dell XPS 13. In the meantime, the MateBook 13 weighs 2.eight kilos, simply barely heavier than its rivals. You’ll discover only a few ports alongside the perimeters of the chassis. There’s two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. The left aspect is for information switch and charging, whereas the correct aspect is for video output. That ought to care for most of your wants, although we do miss having the ability to cost and hook up with an exterior monitor over a single cable. So, what else is lacking? Effectively, a microSD card slot for starters. The dearth of Thunderbolt three can be a bit irritating. Almost all laptops over a thousand bucks embrace it now, together with the XPS 13, MacBook Air, and Razer Blade Stealth.

A irritating touchpad

Not everybody cares about touchpads as a lot we do, particularly not when you sometimes use a mouse. However as one of many major surfaces you work together with on a laptop computer, the touchpad’s high quality influences your general impression. For the MateBook 13, that’s dangerous information. For no matter motive, Huawei determined the touchpad was the place corners ought to be minimize. It’s not as glass floor, in contrast to most premium laptops. Gliding your finger throughout the touchpad creates uncomfortable friction that forestalls easy monitoring. It’s most blatant in click on and drag actions, equivalent to highlighting textual content or dragging home windows. It reminds us of a finances Chromebook. The touchpad can be a barely completely different shade of gray than the chassis, which makes it look misplaced. Riley Younger/Digital TendenciesThe keyboard fares significantly better. It’s comfy, there’s a wholesome quantity of journey, and the backlighting is uniform. It’s an ideal typing expertise, particularly in comparison with the MacBook Air, which options Apple’s low-travel butterfly mechanisms. That’s a pattern we had been completely happy to see Huawei keep away from. The structure isn’t too unusual, although there are a few devoted buttons within the perform row that appear misplaced. As an alternative of fast entry to Timeline or some media management buttons, the MateBook 13 has an unhelpful Huawei PC Supervisor key on the F10 location. The touchpad isn’t glass, in contrast to most premium laptops. One optimistic side of the perform row is the webcam. The experimental concept to cover the webcam underneath a perform key within the MateBook X Professional has been deserted in favor of returning it to the highest bezel. Whereas which means the bezel is barely larger, we expect it’s a better option for most individuals. It doesn’t embrace an infrared digicam, nevertheless, so facial recognition is a no-go. A Home windows Hi there-powered fingerprint scanner is constructed into the ability button on the high of the keyboard deck.

You’ll love this show

We’ve already gushed concerning the MateBook 13’s three:2 display. In case you’re coming from a typical 16:9 (or perhaps a MacBook’s 16:10) dimension, you’ll discover the distinction instantly. The taller display supplies ample display actual property, excellent for searching the net, multitasking, and phrase processing. Extra of your work and content material is offered, which makes an in any other case small 13-inch laptop computer really feel bigger. The MateBook 13’s 2,160 x 1,440 display isn’t an improve. It comes customary. It won't be as a pointy because the MacBook Air’s retina show (nor any of the 4K choices on the market), but it surely’s nice for a base mannequin. The identical goes for the touchscreen capabilities, which normally come as an improve for higher-end configurations. As for high quality, not one of the readings from our calibration device gave us pause. Distinction, coloration accuracy, and coloration gamut are common. They’re not high of the category, however they’re competitor general. Riley Younger/Digital TendenciesThe one side we observed straight away was brightness. At a max brightness of simply 243 nits and a shiny display in addition, it typically had a tough time overpowering our brightly-lit workplace. When taking a look at darker photos, we noticed our reflection staring again at us. On a shiny display like this, we wish to see brightness of not less than 300 nits. The Razer Blade Stealth, MacBook Professional, or Floor Professional 6 will crank up previous 400 nits. The audio system are situated on the underside of the laptop computer, which has turn out to be customary. The MacBook Air, Razer Blade Stealth, and Lenovo Yoga C930 have moved them to the entrance, which produce louder and clearer audio. Nonetheless, music on the MateBook 13 sounds uninteresting. It’s wonderful for the occasional YouTube video, however bass absent. Flip it as much as loud and the audio system begin to sound shrill.

Efficiency that pops

There’s not so much to complain about by way of efficiency. The MateBook 13 options the top-of-the-line specs we’d count on see. Up to date Intel Eighth-gen Core i5 or Core i7 processors of the ‘Whiskey Lake’ product line can be found. Each configurations include 8GB of RAM. We wish to see that as a praise to a four-core processor. The MateBook 13 pushes some spectacular numbers, particularly in an artificial benchmark like Geekbench. The MateBook 13 even surpassed the XPS 13 and Razer Blade Stealth in multi-core scores. When in comparison with the MacBook Air, which has a weaker dual-core processor that may’t deal with multitasking fairly as effectively, there’s no contest. We pushed the Core i7 more durable in a video encoding check, measuring how lengthy it could take to transcode a 4K film trailer from h.264 to h.265. It completed practically a minute quicker than final 12 months’s MateBook X Professional, regardless of that being a spendier laptop computer. It’s at all times good to see significant enchancment year-over-year. Huawei MateBook 13 In contrast To Each Matebook 13 configurations include a super-fast NVMe SSD, for fast learn and write speeds. On this case it’s a Western Digital PC SN720, which excels at write speeds, boasting speeds of over 1,300 MB/s in our checks. Sadly, the capability tops out at 512GB. The XPS 13 permits for enlargement as much as 2TB of storage compared. Each reminiscence and storage are soldered on, so no enlargement is feasible sooner or later.

Sure, you may Fortnite

Huawei has included an fascinating part that players will recognize. The Nvidia GeForce MX150. It’s an unusual GPU to see today, particularly as add-ons to 13-inch laptops. What’s important about this one? Effectively, it’s a 25-watt model of the cardboard. The current Razer Blade Stealth is the one different laptop computer we’ve seen use it, although the Razer’s mannequin additionally had 4GB of VRAM. The MateBook 13 solely has 2GB. However as you’ll see, there’s hardly a distinction. Let’s begin with 3DMark. The MateBook 13 checks effectively right here, touchdown scores considerably increased than its larger brother, the MateBook X Professional, which makes use of the 10-watt MX150. The MateBook 13 even beats out the Razer Blade Stealth within the Hearth Strike benchmark. Trying good to this point. We additionally examined the MateBook 13 in a few video games equivalent to Rocket League and Fortnite. Whereas the Razer Blade Stealth may common over 60 FPS (frames per second) with graphics turned up, the MateBook 13 solely hit 52 FPS. That’s almost certainly as a result of increased display decision of the MateBook. That’s nonetheless a major lead over laptops and not using a discrete GPU just like the XPS 13 or MacBook Air. Fortnite is playable. Barely. However, what about Fortnite? We all know you’re all considering it. The world’s hottest sport is, in actual fact, playable. Barely. We turned down the settings to Medium, which simply barely received us into the 60 FPS vary. It wasn’t the sport’s most interesting hour, however it's attainable to play the sport at a easy framerate with out decreasing the display decision. Whereas it’s not a gaming powerhouse, keep in mind that the Razer Blade Stealth is $300 costlier when outfitted with the identical GPU. Rating a win for Huawei right here. For individuals who don’t need to purchase a chunky, finances gaming laptop computer, the $1,300 MateBook 13 can function an on a regular basis laptop computer that simply so occurs to play Fortnite on the aspect. Whole lot. There may be, nevertheless, a catch.

With nice energy comes brief battery life

As with the Razer Blade Stealth, that 25-watt Nvidia MX 150 is a killer on battery life. The MateBook 13 ought to be a long-lasting thin-and-light laptop computer similar to its rivals. As an alternative, it will possibly’t get you thru a full day. In gentle net searching, the MateBook 13 lasts slightly below six hours on a single cost. In the meantime, the MacBook Air will get you over eight, whereas the Asus ZenBook 13 UX333 will web you over twelve. That’s twice as a lot battery for an $850 laptop computer. The MateBook 13 does even worse within the video loop, the place it lasted 5 and a half hours working a repeating 1080p clip till it died. The ZenBook lasts eight hours longer in the identical check! The Matebook 13’s small 41-watt hour battery is definitely accountable right here. A bigger battery is required to assist the 25-watt Nvidia MX150 graphics chip. Huawei claims the model with out the discrete GPU will do higher, and we consider them. How significantly better, although, we don’t know. Our Take Each laptop computer has compromises. The very best stability these traits to create an general satisfying product. For a small group of individuals on the market, a 13-inch MacBook that may play Fortnite will make sense. The MateBook 13 is that. The $1,000 base mannequin can be a compelling choice due to its worth level. We like the three:2 display and keyboard. However with shortcomings in battery, touchpad, and port choice, different laptops are a greater choice. Is there a greater various? The Huawei MateBook 13 undercuts loads of laptops on this class by just a few hundred dollars. The XPS 13 with an analogous configuration, for instance, will price you $1,200. The XPS 13 is a greater laptop computer in practically each manner, however you do pay for the benefit. The identical goes for the Floor Laptop computer 2, which has an analogous three:2 display however prices $1,200 for the same configuration. What concerning the MacBook Air? Effectively, the MateBook 13 is an honest competitor to it, but it surely’s not about to discourage Mac lovers anytime quickly. Its display is much less sharp, its touchpad isn’t glass, its battery life is worse, and the construct high quality isn’t as much as snuff. These quality-of-life variations are what Apple followers reside for. In case you’re actually making an attempt to save lots of a couple of dollars with out sacrificing high quality, take a look at the Asus ZenBook 13 UX333. It has ultra-narrow bezels, quick elements, and insanely good battery life for simply $850. How lengthy will it final? The MateBook 13 is a premium, well-made laptop computer. The elements will really feel updated for quite a lot of years, and the USB-C ports maintain it futureproof for peripherals. Huawei affords an inudstry-standard one 12 months restricted guarantee, which is able to cowl the value the elements and labor. Past that, you’re by yourself. Must you purchase it? No. The power to play Fortnite or Rocket League might tempt, however the general expertise isn’t fairly there. Now we have hopes that the thin-and-light laptops of the long run will be capable to play video games, however for now, some compromise is required. Read the full article

[mundaneapocalypse]

Fantasy (Lucy’s View)

I grew up the way Mark described, except I got to experience the mental illness first-hand.

I think dramatic play is important, but I don’t know why. I like it because I grew up with it, but people who grew up with things tend to like the things, whether not the things are good for them.

My mom says dramatic play is good for a child because it develops his language development, imagination, use of symbols, distinguishing fantasy and reality, to identify with other people, exposes him to various emotions, reinforces motor skills, increases imagination, and gives him a healthy amount of germs and pollen.

My mom says little kids like to help around the house, that they think chores is fun, and they want to imitate the adults, so like to play house or vet or something. She says to take advantage of it and let them vacuum, but does not try to specifically teach them chores. She gets the kids ready for adult life by living one and getting them in the habit of brushing their teeth, keeping gas in the car, and frying a hamburger, and other things like that as the kid grows up. When the kid is 4-5, she might start teaching formal education, but if the kid is not interested, she does not force it, until state law forces her. But when the kid is about six and has to have schooling, it is a very thorough, well-balanced education. Practical life (chores, cooking, and things like that) are different than education, but still important.

Dr. Montessori says kids up to the age of six are in a stage called the Absorbent Mind. They have empty brains and soak up new information more rapidly than they do for the rest of their lives, which is apparent if you look at how much a baby learns in four years and how much an 18-year-old learns in college. So, she says the Absorbent Mind should only be exposed to reality, with the adults introducing no fantasy at all. Then after six years, the kid has all the experience in reality he needs to know that fantasy is not real. He is not able to understand real and unreal before that. She combines education and practical life because that is what reality contains.

Also, Dr. Montessori and my mom are in two very different situations. Dr. Montessori worked with mentally handicapped children and Italian ghetto children, who had difficulty learning anything or who had to fend for themselves while their parents were at work, and so both seriously needed to start learning to cook, clean, wash themselves, dress themselves, keep the house tidy, and garden when they were two years old or so.

Because Dr. Montessori and mom recognize the Absorbent Mind, but have different ideas about how to formally educate it, there is another difference. Dr. Montessori uses more concentrated, controlled activities that have a clear right and wrong the kid can see himself, and lets the kid learn polite behavior from watching other people and wanting to imitate them. Mom uses any opportunity that pops up while playing or reading to formally educate him, does crafts, play games, and reminds the kid what polite behavior is.

Dr. Montessori is more utilitarian, because the kids must behave as adults do, which is efficiently, accurately, gracefully, tidily, politely, and sensibly. They are never forced to act that way, but they learn how by living as adults.

Mom is the opposite of utilitarian, because the kids grow up to be adults as they experience the world and filter it through a child’s perspective and the parent’s shelter. They are taught to adapt their behavior and thinking to the adult world and when not to adapt.

Dr. Montessori observed the children around her and saw that when given the opportunity, children generally prefer to play with whatever it is adults do, instead of playing with a fantasy toy. The kids learn so quickly at that age that they should be taught all the movements for the household chores. She also saw that kids learn through touch and motion, and so all of her lessons are completed with the hands.

Mom observed the children around her and saw that when given the opportunity, children want to help the adults with whatever the adults are doing, but sometimes it is not practical or safe for the kid to do it. She also saw that kids learn through touch, motion, and words, and so had the kids use them every day.

I am taking as much advantage of the Absorbent Mind as possible with the other Montessori aspects.

We heavily limit the ways she is exposed to fantasy, and how she is exposed to it.

However, farm life is very dangerous and Halidom is very dangerous for Elfhame children, although Marmalade has an excellent tolerance to steel and silver. But there are some things here Marmalade cannot do yet for her own physical safety.

I will absolutely not allow Marmalade on the hearth until she listens to instructions, can lift heavy things without dropping them, thoroughly understands the degrees of heat, and has graceful hand movements. I cook over an open fire and the closest to it Marmalade can come is standing 2-3 feet back and holding a hotdog fork in her hand. And so Marmalade has a play kitchen. We also have some ingredients and kitchen utensils on a low shelf away from the fire, which she is supposed to use after she asks for a snack. Because she eats live things, we make her ask permission each time before eating, and then if she gets sick, we know whether it could be from a germ or from an insect.

Marmalade would not be able to use a tractor if we had one, because she is too young to operate it safely, but she may hitch her wagon to her tricycle and pedal the wagon around to do her chores.

She could butcher a small animal, but she could not slaughter it, because she does not have the upper body strength and speed to do it quickly enough. She may pretend with her stuffed animals, and if they break, she must help sew or glue them together again. Often she cannot skin it because she does not have the strength, but she can get in shape by peeling plastic wrap off of something.

Dr. Montessori wants the children exposed to art, and some picture books have great illustrations, even if the stories are about animals in clothes or talking vehicles. This is not used in Montessori Absorbent Mind classrooms because it is not real.

Dr. Montessori also wants the children exposed to music, and some very good music is in folksongs and operas that are not based on reality. Like nobody can sing a 7-minute duet while dying of consumption, and there are not that many people hanging out around battlefields who know how to turn it into a song. Just saying--it is not realistic. I highly doubt Dr. Montessori would want the children listening to songs that were not about real life, or to program music.

Dr. Montessori wants the children exposed to many words from a young age. Many picture books are about unreal things, but have a decent range of vocabulary, and if you add in Dr. Seuss, the child also learns about rhymes and rhythms. Mark finds most of the fiction Marmalade is exposed to and I trust his judgment.

I read them to Marmalade or watch them with her, and they don’t fit with Montessori at all, and so sometimes I ask Marmalade, “Would that really happen in real life?” and she says, “Dunno” and I tell her no and why, or she says “*raspberry* No.” or “No, that’s silly.” If she says yes, we talk about why or why not it couldn’t. This shows her how to distinguish between fantasy and reality, but relies on verbal explanation, which involves abstract concepts a squishy little mind like hers can’t understand yet.

I also teach her that things like her olliblocks are silly and only for fun. I just rearrange them with her and say, “Oh, look at that lady with rabbit feet. That’s silly, isn’t it? Do you think we’d ever see that anywhere else?”

Marmalade knows that in books, movies, and dress-up, the stories are not real. To reinforce this, I use Mr. Rodgers, who consciously moves out of his living room and into the realm of Make-Believe. I tell Marmalade her storybooks are pretend, and when we read the Bible, catechism, or hymnal, or a nonfiction book from a special box, I tell her those books are real and true, and the other books we have are about pretend places and things.

Also, sometimes what Dr. Montessori classifies as fantasy (like fairies) are what Mark and I classify as an alternate universe Marmalade was born in. She would agree with everybody else and say we were delusional, but that also opens up what Marmalade can read and watch.

When she is six or so, I will tell her the differences between make believe stories and hallucinations or delusions. Right now, she is not old enough to comprehend it, and so I try to make her avoid pretend play she would not experience in the real world.

I want Marmalade to understand the world and her vocation. The Montessori method definitely teaches that, and if removing fantasy play is the most efficient way to do it, I’ll use it.

But most importantly, Mark wants her to engage in fantasy. He does not often have a strong opinion about education, but when he does, it is obviously important to him, and I serve, honor, and obey.

[harlequindreams-blog]

Can Massive Knowledge And AI Fix Our Prison</h1>

Whether or not you are a seasoned skilled or a newcomer to the world of photography, it's impossible to ignore the modifications happening throughout the trade. All you really want to know is that the iPhone SE is capable of capturing some remarkably detailed, nicely colored images. It produced the sharpest footage in vibrant gentle, plus it had the best stabilization and the least noise in low mild. These kinds of level and shoot camera are typically known as ‘bridge cameras', presumably since they are the proper bridge from a small compact to a bigger dSLR. It's primarily built for the people who find themselves not skilled photographers and so it entails focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing. Pros: Extraordinarily low price, skinny digicam easily matches in a pocket, 8X optical zoom lens is good in a thin digital camera, constructed-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Most screens are LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY and around three inches in size, with the resolution various considerably across value points. With the section-main advanced F1.4 24mm Lens, the big selection of aperture steps delivers clear photographs and video even in very low best point and shoot camera light situations. You've also acquired your self an awesome digital camera as long as circumstances are favorable, and all the facility you can presumably need with a quad-core 2.5GHz CPU at its coronary heart. Use the Canon Digicam Join app in your smartphone to wirelessly distant management the camera. It is tough to argue with the results from the Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II camera. There's a super-high ISO value of 1,640,000 on provide, while 4K video recording is also on hand. The RX100 V offers an improved autofocus system, a 24 fps burst mode (of sixteen fps on RX100 IV), and extra recording settings for video, however it does have a slighly lower battery life than the IV. Taking photographs or recording video at a sporting event or capturing the finer particulars of a scenic view requires a longer zoom vary to attain lifelike photographs at a larger distance. Like the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera , the Pocket model sports a novel, all-steel design that feels solid - massively out of proportion to its low value. With improved AF times and reduced taking pictures lag over previous G-series models, the developments to Canon's AF system assist guarantee users by no means miss a shot. One thing I can stick in my jacket pocket while I travel and nonetheless get great photos. It's excellent for these candid road images snaps. Thanks to a long 34x zoom range with a high quality NIKKOR Lens, this Nikon level and shoot is a perfect journey camera. Through Wi-Fi, customers can send a digital picture to any email handle saved in your digital camera's deal with e book or by utilizing the camera's touch-screen QWERTY keypad. The Fujifilm X100F seems to be essentially the most significant overhaul of the X100 series since its inception, bettering on dealing with, performance and image high quality. Technophobes typically depend on devoted shutter buttons … but smartphone producers think the fewer buttons they've, the higher, so the devoted shutter release button should be on the way out. Small sensors often have trouble balancing shiny highlights and darkish shadows, however the 360 HS did an admirable job with this difficult excessive-contrast scene. It may well shoot its first picture 1 second after urgent the ability button, and it has virtually no shutter lag. After the initial set-up, sharing photographs might be so simple as using the LUMIX HYPERLINK software on the smartphone. Panasonic's Image App puts a dwell view of the scene (left) in your cellphone, the place you may set focus, hearth the digital camera's shutter, and modify most exposure settings. Including to its portability and comfort, the digicam features USB charging by means of a computer or conventional charging by the AC adaptor, permitting users to power-up from just about wherever. My D-Lux 4 has change into my again-as much as my back-ups since I purchased it a bit of over a yr and a half in the past. First, the iPhone SE helps shooting Stay Pictures , shifting photographs that add a little bit aptitude and context to your pictures. In addition, the digital camera's creative handheld HDR Scene mode routinely combines multiple photographs of a scene to assist create an image with a greater dynamic range without the necessity for a tripod. Panasonic HDC-HS350 lets you report over 30 hours of HD. With numerous selections from manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus, and SeaLife, it's definitely not straightforward to make a quick determination about which digicam is right for you. When you take a second to think about the feat Sony's accomplished right here, the efficiency issues are easier to miss. Within every sort, the myriad digital camera fashions vary drastically, from the bodily design, comparable to dimension and body shape, to the extra complex lens varieties, picture quality, capabilities, and worth. To know more in regards to the technical concepts and sensible demonstration of focal length and photography, be a part of 3 Months On-line Foundation Images Course. If you're headed on a trip where you count on to take lots of photos in low-light conditions, this digicam is your greatest guess. Use a smartphone to control publicity, launch shutter and receive photographs. Throw in maybe the best digital viewfinder in the business plus a beautiful touchscreen and you have got a stew going. Nikon's extensive focal vary (25 to 750 mm equivalent) means it might seize close-ups as simply as action far away. The 2 compression factors (first to focus, second to shoot) are very clearly defined, and I preferred them to the on-screen shutter button (you too can convey up the digicam app with a long-press of the bodily key). It isn't just like the 5D Mark III was a bad digicam - it was one of the best excessive-end DSLRs cash might purchase. Rather than questioning months later the place you had been while you took a specific photograph, GPS knowledge permits you to know precisely the place you were! In our tests, we discovered it does not right the left and right twist motions common to pole customers, however could have a huge effect on the amount of watchable footage. The digital camera can be set to the max 9900K and the tint at M7 and the colours look fairly good however will need some correcting in post.

It additionally lacks a touchscreen, a function we'd have appreciated as a quick and easy solution to set the main target level. Point and Shoot cameras make up a big phase of the digital digital camera market due to their ease of use and their reasonably priced price. The Twin Dial and entrance wheel keys additionally permit customers to shortly and simply alter publicity for easy pro-style control. So yeah, it will fit in your clothes and takes images that'd make your phone cry (had some macabre machine maker kitted it out with tear ducts). The PowerShot N is supplied with enhanced wi-fi capabilities, so excessive-quality photographs might be shared with family and friends even whereas on-the-go. Our selection of underwater cameras has everything for the most onerous core scuba divers in addition to the cautiously clumsy. One other major hitch for Powershot customers is the camera's poor battery life. Canon says that the sensor in this digital camera is engineered specifically for high quality shots in low mild, even at ISO speeds of as much as ISO 3200. The Canon PowerShot G16 occurs to be the camera I often suggest to any good friend who asks me what digital camera they should buy for less than $500, it actually is among the greatest pocket cameras out there. AF-S and AF-C is available in Single-point, Zone and Large/Tracking, making the Fuji-X70 versatile sufficient for many on a regular basis situations and fast paced topics like photographing kids. Olympus and Panasonic use Micro Four Thirds-measurement sensors, offering a middle floor and some excellent and reasonably priced lenses. Fast capturing pace allowed me to capture multiple photographs of the fish college because it formed and turned in a pleasing route. Out of the field, each panel on the Z3C's residence display screen carousel is completely sodden in widgets and shortcuts selling Sony's apps and providers, so you'll must spend somewhat time organizing this to your liking. Featured in two different colours, black, and silver, this digital camera is a beauty that's certain to take unimaginable pictures, whether it is day or night. As has turn into normal on most cameras, Canon's new mirrorless options NFC and WiFi, letting you easily switch footage to an iOS or Android machine. Certain, it's slightly on the hefty side, but it's nonetheless comfortably pocket-sized, is quite a looker, and was the one which we found ourselves reaching for when it came time to take a few holiday snaps on our own. When readers choose to purchase The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it might earn affiliate commissions that help its work. Underneath bright daylight, it's going to seize the sharpest detail and deepest, most saturated color, so that recording of your child's first football recreation will capture each blade of grass. Pakistani Clothes Unstitched Cloth Kurtas & Shalwar Kameez Formal Wear Abayas & Hijabs Dupattas, Stoles & Shawls Pants & Trousers. With a wide-aperture f/1.7 lens, low-mild picture quality could be very impressive. The RX100 IV packs a 20.1-megapixel, 1-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor alongside a BIONZ X image processor and Zeiss best pocket camera Vario-Sonnar T 24-70mm (f/1.eight-2.8) wide-angle lens. Underwater housings are primarily protective shells that encase cameras they're specifically designed round, and are sometimes made from thick plastic or aluminum, and are sometimes able to being submerged to depths of 30 meters or extra.

[perthrenovation1]

Holy moly, we did it. In just over a month we completely renovated our living room. It now looks like this: When only last month it looked like this: We have three kids, three dogs and full-time jobs, so renovation is something that usually has to be done after hours once the girls have all gone to sleep. We both worked from 8pm to midnight nearly every night for a month, and I also cleared out with the kids for 8 hours on a couple of Saturdays while Andre cracked on with sanding the floors (which took ages courtesy of the usual black sticky stuff that those blasted Victorians loved to coat the exposed parts of their floorboards in). Normally a room renovation in our house takes us months of working on it on and off, so getting it done so quickly was fantastic, albeit completely exhausting! We had installed insulation from the cellar room before a couple of winters previously, so at least that job was taken care of. So all we had to do was rip the wallpaper off and replaster the dodgy patches, demo the old 80s fireplace out to reveal the soot-blackened original Victorian opening, replaster around the curve of the fireplace, rip the carpet up and repair, sand and oil the floor, rip the 80s curtains down, prime and paint 20m of skirting, 20m of picture rail, a massive bay window and a multi-panelled stained glass side window, paint the cornice and ceiling, and finally wallpaper the entire room from floor to ceiling. Phew. We used the incredibly gorgeous Paper Meadow wallpaper from UK designer Hannah Nunn that I have been dreaming of ever since I picked up a sample from Hannah at a design show in Manchester over three years ago. I knew that using a paper this lovely for a feature wall only would be doing it an injustice. No, the entire room had to be papered on all four walls, above and below the picture rail, in order to truly experience the sensation of lying in a meadow on a warm summer's day surrounded by waving cow parsley and grasses.   A couple more after (and before) pictures: Some tips on wallpapering. I am no expert in wallpaper so these well may only apply to Hannah's paper, which is of a particularly thick and luxurious quality. Don't worry about getting paste on the front of the paper - it wipes off without a trace with a damp cloth. If you are papering a wonky Victorian room, don't rely on a tape measure to take a measurement and then transfer it to the paper. Our picture rail and skirting are all uneven, meaning a piece of wallpaper sometimes had to be 2cm longer on the left than the right. We found that the easiest way to avoid mistakes was to physically hold the roll in place against the wall, match the pattern, press the end against the picture rail or whatever we were cutting against, mark with a pencil, lay the roll on the floor, and then rule a line in pencil about 1cm above the mark. We initially tried to make all our pencil marks on the reverse of the paper so the front didn't get damaged, but quickly realised this was leading to errors and that the pencil rubbed off with an eraser very easily, so we switched to marking up on the front. I initially tried making paper templates from a roll of brown paper for the fireplace, window, power sockets and so on. Having got the template right, we then transferred it to the wallpaper. This didn't work - because we had a long drop of paper the top would be right but the bottom wouldn't. So we just used the actual roll of wallpaper, pressed it against the opening, marked it up with pencil, cut to roughly the right size, pressed it against the opening again, cut it to 1cm, and then pasted. To accommodate corners like the top of window frames or the side of a windowsill, I used a pair of fine nail scissors and made lots of tiny cuts into the wallpaper that feathered round the corner or angle. These were then very easy to press into place and any overlaps were so small they couldn't be seen. We left about 1cm of overhang at the top and bottom of the walls. Any more and we found the paper didn't stick properly at the top. I then waited until we'd papered the entire room and the paste had dried, and then went round with a stanley knife and a steel ruler cutting a precise line above the skirting and below the picture rail and cornice. I've tried cutting wallpaper before when it is still damp and it tends to tear - waiting until it's completely dry seems to work better. By our standards, this room is now 'done'. Yes we still need to add the last couple of bits of skirting, tile the hearth, make and hang curtains, install a new fire surround or beam, buy sofas, side tables, cabinets and cushions, hang pictures and mirrors... and so on. But those things are all details that can come later - the room is definitely 'finished' enough to live with for a good while. I was not sorry to see the back of the fireplace, let me tell you. Click here to leave a comment, if you like. 

http://www.simplythenest.com/journal/2017/1/19/living-room-renovation-featuring-hannah-nunn-wallpaper.html