#mill ave

[caramelloss]

you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.

[noelbobby]

Here's some Characters of Mine. A random bunch counterclockwise: the Shadowy figure from what, the Proposer from Proposition, Mills from A Stone Tutorial on Drawin' Non-Binary People and the square-headed and round-headed stick figures from An Unsubtle Comic. Like the stick figures say this is an odd selection. Mills and them being here is a very funny contrast to the Shadowy Figure and especially the Proposer. Speaking of those two, as this is the first time either have been seen from the front this also shows the Figure's odd eyes (which I thought of when I drew what, but didn't implement) and that the Proposer has an earring (I had and dropped that idea when I drew Proposition). Also, of these five only Mills has a name and a known gender, being non-binary with a preference for no pronouns, which is functionally exactly the same as the way I'm talkin' about the other four, but the difference is significant t' me an' sorta notable.

[jennyfromthebes]

happy last saturday morning of this year! we made it.

[avaloniaofficial]

i will never forgive the closing of my fav pancake place. they’re replacing it with a dumbass burger place and disregarding the history of the building…

it was all you can eat for $8 which was honestly a steal, and you could get whatever toppings or stuff you wanted. and you got to make them at a grill at your table, which with our group it led to pancake competitions and everything. and then you could go swimming at the spring there before/after. you had to drive all the way out to fuck nowhere to actually make it there but damn :( that was the spot

[liljakonvalj]

Är inte KDare MEN känner att jag behöver förklara detta. Visst, det är kul att föra memes på politiska uttalanden (och fortsätt gärna med det!), men KDs slogan är faktiskt tydlig med vad de vill.

Jag tror de anspelar på definitionen av frihet inom (politisk) filosofi, vad frihet innebär och främst positiv och negativ frihet. Såhär lyder Wikipedias definition:

"Positiv frihet betecknar möjligheten och förmågan att tillfredsställa sin egen potential, i motsats till negativ frihet som betecknar frihet från hinder eller tvång. Annorlunda uttryckt kan positiv frihet sägas beteckna en individs frihet att kunna uppnå sina mål oavsett sina egna materiella begränsningar, och negativ frihet sägas beteckna en individs frihet från auktoritet." (Källa)

Jag brukar tänka på det som frihet till och frihet från.

Om man ska förenkla vad politik innebär så är en av de största frågorna balansen mellan individuell frihet och statlig kontroll. Vissa partier vill se stor statlig kontroll (i regel t.ex. socialdemokraterna) och vissa liten (i regel t.ex. kristdemokraterna och i ännu större grad Liberalerna). Man skulle kunna säga att all statlig kontroll i viss mån inskränker på individens frihet - skatter gör att jag har mindre pengar att röra mig med, lagar gör att jag inte kan göra exakt vad jag vill osv. Men samtidigt möjliggör de också mycket för oss, ger oss friheter - skatten går till skolan som ger oss kunskap, och till sjukvården och polisväsende som skapar trygghet. Lagarna gör att jag ska slippa riskera att bli mördad eller lurad av företag (när de följs, såklart). Alltså ger begränsningarna mig andra friheter.

När KD pratar om gränser och frihet menar de just vilka begränsningar i friheten vill vi att den överstatliga instansen EU ska styra över. Så här står det på KDs hemsida:

Vi behöver vara tydliga med vad vi vill att EU ska vara, vilka friheter vi strävar efter och vilka gränser som krävs. EU behöver gå tillbaka till sitt kärnuppdrag, att garantera fred, frihet och frihandel. Dessvärre har vi sett en utveckling i motsatt riktning. Allt fler frågor detaljregleras i Bryssel idag. (Källa)

Notera gärna särskilt de två sista meningarna om vad de vill bort från. De vill alltså sätta gränser mot EUs möjligheter att inskränka våra individuella grundfriheter, dvs. en mindre överstatlighet. Gränser som skapar frihet.

Sen får man som väljare tycka vad man vill om hur stor makt/vilka frågor EU ska få ha hand om (det är ju ändå det valet handlar om - att vi ska få tycka till!). Men jag tycker deras slogan passar deras politiska hållning, och det är ju trots allt dess syfte.

Har du sett KDs reklamskyltar inför EU? Gränser & Frihet. Hör de ens sig själva?

Såg det i en tidning.

Skicka in era favorit motsatser idag och vinn en plats i EU parlamentet

[directactionforhope]

Late notice but

Today 10/5 is an international day of action protesting one year of the Gaza genocide!

Find a protest near you today or tomorrow 10/6! If you're in the US, look at the links below, from the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights!

October 5, 2024

Note: Tumblr has capped the number of outgoing links you can use in one post. Go to the USCPR link above and click on a protest for a flyer/organizer info for each and every one of these events.

Albany, NY | 4:30PM Dana Park

Albuquerque, NM | 2PM Robinson Park

Amherst, MA | Amherst Town Common

Anchorage, AK | 2PM Townsquare Park

Atlanta, GA | 2PM 190 Marietta SW

Austin, TX | 1PM Austin City Hall

Birmingham, AL | 2PM Victoria Square

Blacksburg, VA | 3PM Pylons

Boston, MA | 2PM Cambridge City Hall

Burlington, VT | 1PM Battery Park

Charleston, SC | 2PM Marion Square Park

Chicago, IL | 2PM Water Tower Park

Cleveland, OH | 3PM 11804 Lorain Ave

Columbus, OH | 2PM Goodale Park

Corvallis, OR | 12 NOON County Courthoue

Dallas, TX | 12PM The Grassy Knoll

Denver, CO | 12PM 400 Josephine St

Detroit, MI | 2PM 5 Woodward Ave, Detroit

Dover, DE | 12 NOON 250 Gateway S Blvd

Fort Myers, FL | 6PM Centennial Park

Gainseville, FL | 2PM City Hall

Honolulu, HI | 11AM Ala Moana & Atkinson

Houston, TX | 2PM Houston City Hall

Indianapolis, IL |  2PM Lugar Plaza

Kansas City | 1PM Mill Creek Park

Kona, HI | 12:30PM Old airport by the skating rink

Las Vegas, NV | 2PM 3449 S Sammy Davis Jr Dr

Little Rock, AK | 4PM 1200 Main St

Los Angeles, CA | 2PM Pershing Square

Louisville, KY | 3PM Water Front Park

Maui, HI | 11AM Kapuka’ulua (Baldwin Beach)

Memphis, TN | 2PM City Hall

Miami, FL | 5PM Torch of Friendship

Milwaukee, WI | 2PM Zedler Union Square Park

Missoula, MT | 7PM 200 W Broadway

Nashville, TN | 2PM Centennial Park

New York, NY | 2PM Times Square

New Haven, CT | 1PM New Haven Green

New Orleans, LA | 5PM Congo Square

Ottawa, Ontario | 2PM Parliment Hill

Orlando, FL | 4PM Orlando City Hall

Pensacola, FL | 5PM Palafox & Gregorary St.

Pittsburgh, PA | Film screening, 3PM 100 S Commons St.

Portland, ME | 5PM Monument Square

Portland, OR | 3PM Unthank Park

Providence, RI | 3PM RI State House steps & 5:30PM 1 Finance Way

Raleigh, NC | 3PM Moore Square

Rochester, NY | 1PM MLK Park

Sacramento, CA | 2PM West steps of the Capitol

Salt Lake City, UT | 2PM 125 S State St

San Antonio, TX | 1PM Travis Park

San Diego, CA | 2:00PM 1600 Pacific Highway

Seattle, WA | 2PM TBA, with car caravans from Spokane, Pasco, Ellensburg

St. Louis, MO | Liberation weekend, 9AM-8PM 475 East Lockwood Ave

Tampa, FL | 2PM Bank of America Plaza

Toronto, Ontario | 2PM Yonge Dundas Square

Urbana, IL | 2PM 101 E Main St

Ventura, CA | 2PM 501 Poli St

Washington, DC | 4PM White House

West Plains, MO | 12 NOON Downtown Square

Wichita, KS | 12:30PM Spirit Aerosystems

October 6, 2024

Amityville, NY | 1PM LIRR

Boston, MA | 1PM Boston Common

Green Bay, WI | 5:30PM Leicht Memorial Park

Los Angeles, CA | Vigil, 6:30PM Echo Park Lake

Minneapolis, MN | 1:30PM Gateway Park Fountain

Ontario, CA | 1PM Euclid & C St

Paterson, NJ | 2PM Palestine Way with Gould Avenue

Roanoke, VA | Vigil, 6PM Heights Community Church courtyard

San Diego, CA | 4PM Centro Cultural de La Raza

San Francisco, CA | 1PM 16th & Valencia

San Jose, CA | 12 NOON City Hall

St. Louis, MO | 1PM Choteau Park

[kvetchlandia]

William Vendetta Bob Newhart Doing Standup, the Mill Run Theater, Niles, IL 1973

“I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” Bob Newhart

Bob Newhart - 1929-2024 - Ave atque Vale

[petterbrorson]

Det lilla vattenfallet, akvarell, 12x17 cm

Här är den tredje målningen av ruinerna efter den gamla sågen. Jag tror att den får avsluta den serien. Nästa serie kommer att porträttera stubbar. Det borde väl finnas en enorm marknad för tavlor med stubbar, eller hur?!? Samlare, ställ er i kö...

...

The small falls, watercolour, 12x17 cm Here's the third painting of the the ruins of the old saw mill. This completes this set, I think. The next set will portray tree stumps. There must be a massive market for paintings of tree stumps, don't you think?!? Collectors, stand in line...

[selkiefinalist]

ok so since EVERYONE has been asking, here are my plans for the avs trade deadline season:

bring back erik johnson, tyson barrie, nazem kadri, jt compher, tyson jost, kurtis macdermid, pe bellemare, bo byram, alex newhook, maybe big z, darcy kuemper, grubi, burky, matt nieto and big tuna, kiefer sherwood, jacob macdonald, dan renouf

re-sign: entire remaining ‘23-‘24 roster

front office additions: joonas donskoi, matt calvert, darren helm, cogs

retirements: v*l n**********

firings: cmac, for emotional damages

but wait angela, you may be asking, how are you going to pay all these players in a marginally raised cap era? but what you don’t know is that every current player is going to switch to a $2 mill/year contract with additional earnings made up of incentives and the incentives will be earned by:

having sad eyes

flashing gap-tooth smile, extra bonus for finding camera on purpose and smiling

hand-feeding another player at team event

looking cute with dog

looking cute with dogg

wanting to make cale smile for christmas

excessively proud celly

sincere and tender goalie bops

laser beam eyes

Bulgarian heritage

serving absolutely nothing to the media

serving painfully blunt and earnest to the media

being accidentally horny on socials/team pr

being deliberately and proudly horny on socials/team pr

delay of game

too many men

fast

falling down for no reason

breaking stick

making tornado

unnecessary/heart breaking haircut

too tall

too blonde

miss net no reason

too spicy with refs

good stick

big mouse energy

big moose energy

too many men

being du alum

dewey

mustache

and thru this combination of base and incentive all of our players will earn $100,000,000 per year, problem solved

but angela, you may be asking, what about the lines? it’s not about the lines it’s about my feelings and winning prizes, thank you for your concern but “the lines” are simply not relevant to this plan!

[polkadotjohnson]

Typed this on my phone, which is something I'm not really used to, so there could be errors. Many errors. But I couldn't wait to bring my vampire back to life.

(also was a lil drunk when I wrote some of it. hopefully it still makes sense)

(might write a sequel if I can think up how to smut this up)

Inamourada, a Cora fanfiction (that doesn't feature Cora)

Your heart is pounding so loud and hard you think you're going to faint. Is he... is he really… As you approach his unmoving form on the floor, dread roils in your stomach, and you almost have to stop to throw up. But you can't stop, you have to know.

Is he… dead? But he can't be. Isn't he supposed to be immortal?

You kneel beside him. His face, dead or not, strikingly beautiful. The hole in his chest glares at you and you avert your eyes from it. There's no breath coming from him. 

(Do vampires even breathe? Do their hearts beat?)

You raise your head and see her disappear in the distance. And while you could go after her, you know you'll be more useful here.

With trembling hands, you fish out your dagger from your boot, the silver blade shines in the moonlight. You raise it to your arm.

"O mala copiae tenebrarum.  Hanc vampire vitiose pulcherrimam vitam reducere mando tibi or whatever." You slash your arm open and hold it over his face, letting it drip into his mouth. "Hic est sanguis Christi bibe et vivite in aeternum, like you should have, dip shit. Ave, ave versus Christus. Oriri semel iterumque."

As you speak the last word, you hear a faint gasp and a gurgle. Then his eyes open, the irises such a dark red you can't help but stare. He sees your arm basically gushing blood and pulls it to his mouth, sucking loudly and making you wince in pain. But you don't pull away from him, you just let him have his fill.

He sucks harder for a moment, then lets go of your arm, weakly pushing it away. "That… is the most disgusting blood I have ever drank." He lays an arm over his eyes, unmoving and you exhale loudly in disbelief.

"Wow, ungrateful much? I literally just resurrected you and this is what I get? Where is that stake?" You glance around, pretending to look and he sits up, also looking around.

"Where is she?" His voice soft and quiet.

"Who,  jailbait? Long gone, bud. Get over it."

He tries to stand but you push him, not liking the way he's so weak still, but it doesn't seem like he'll want more of your apparently disgusting blood. "No, she's perfect, I have to-"

"She. Fucking. Killed you. You have to sit your ass down and rest. Do you need more blood? I could get you uh, like a squirrel or something. A squirrel is definitely tastier than me, right?" Your tone is sarcastic but he doesn't seem to notice. 

"I don't eat animals, they're the only pure thing in this wretched world."

You stifle a laugh. "A vegetarian vampire, got it." Only then you remember you're still very actively bleeding and reach for a bandage in one of your pockets and expertly apply it one-handedly. "Soo what, you need to get back to your coffin? Hang upside down?"

"No, I actually do need more…" He stops himself and looks at you. He looks at you for the first time. "Who are you anyway?"

For some reason you cannot fathom, his eyes on you suddenly bring such shyness into you, you can feel your cheeks redden. "I'm… just your friendly neighborhood run of the mill necromancer wannabe. Uh, you?"

He eyes you up and down and surprisingly lies down once again. "You know who I am." His voice is slow and a little tired. "You've been following me around for weeks."

"Gasp! You noticed?" You curse yourself for actually saying 'gasp'. "Then why… why didn't you…"

"Why didn't I come for you?" He looks you in the eyes with a smirk as he speaks. "You don't interest me. You're weak and unremarkable."

"Unre- have I mentioned you're incredibly ungrateful? I did a spell to bring you back to life, don't think I can't turn that around, mister."

"I don't remember asking you to resurrect me."

"Well of course not, you were dead! Why do you-"

"What do you want? For your troubles?"

You hate being interrupted, but since he just asked the magic question, you let it go. "Isn't it obvious?" You stand up and do a little twirl so he can see your get up. Your black clothes and chains, your tall boots and dark makeup. "I want you to bite me!"

He has the gall to roll his eyes. "Great. Another goth."

"Excuse me? What do you mean-"

"I don't want you. Biting you means we would have a connection, and I don't…" He looks you dead in the eyes again. "Want you."

You don't know whether to cry or scream. So you do both. "Agh fuck you! Arrogant prick who can't even decide between a teen and a cougar and then ends up with neither that's what you get haha sucks to suck fuck you dick go to hell and die again for all I care…" You breathe in to spew some more insults and turn around but hesitate to leave him despite his words. He decides it for you.

"Wait."

"What? What could you possibly want?"

"Help me get back home and I'll consider it."

"I…" You'll hate yourself for this. But deep down you know that if you don't do it, you'll hate yourself even more. "Fine. Can you stand up, o master vampire?"

He punches you, but it's more of a shove. "Keep up that insolence and see where it gets you."

You hold back a sigh and help him up, his claws dig some into your arm sending an intrusive shiver down your spine. 'What the actual fuck', you mouth. You feel them go slightly deeper and he's up. "Where to? Castle? Cave? Futuristic wood and glass house?"

"Just… keep walking."

*

"You're fucking kidding me." Calling the house dilapidated would be a compliment. More like decrepit. Rotting. Dying. His house looks like it's dying. "Is it haunted?"

"I live in it."

"Good point." You push the front door and it opens with the loudest creak you've ever heard. "You must have one hell of a security system."

"Yes, it's called being a powerful creature of the night with such a strong aura of terror no one dares to enter." You stop and look at him to see if he's actually serious, but he's rolling his eyes again. "Why would I worry about intruders? If someone enters, they get eaten."

To be fair, the house is so secluded, deep down into the woods, a place you never knew existed, even though you've walked through these woods your whole life. You doubt anyone else knows about it.

The living room is beyond filthy, leaves and dirt everywhere, every item of furniture covered in deep layers of dust. He plops down into a dingy couch, ignoring your horrified expression. When he doesn't say anything else, you take the chance to explore, morbid curiosity winning over your desire to go home and take a long, warm shower.

The kitchen smells putrid, and soon you realize why. The fridge door is ajar and there's nothing but spoiled food in it. Dirty dishes in the sink. Dirty pans on the table. Does he eat actual food?

You return to the living room and notice some pictures above the fireplace mantel. A couple. Man and woman. Three kids. "Was this their house? Did you kill them?"

"You're still here. Wonderful."

You know he's not going to answer you, so you try something else. "Well?"

He sighs. "Well… what?"

"Are you going to do it or not?"

"I said… I would think about it. Go home and leave me alone, I can't stand to look at you anymore."

You shake your head to stop your nerves from shaking too. "After all I've done, all I've gone through, this is how I get repaid. Story of my life."

"I don't care, go away."

You shake some more, wondering why the hell you didn't bring your cigarettes with you. You could really use one right about now. "I hope you die during the night."

"No, you don't."

The only way you can think to describe what you're feeling is that you're falling for him. You're falling in hate with him.

"See you, sucker." You smile through your tears and go home.

*

You walk through the cemetery every other night, but don't see him again. He used to stalk around, looking at graves and breaking into mausoleums to do god knows what. When you first saw him, he was perched on top of a family grave like a gargoyle. You knew immediately what he was. The rumors were true. Which meant your childhood dream of becoming one could come true. If only you had the guts to approach him.

You followed him around, watched him meet up with the blonde woman, wondering what he could possibly want with her. But other than her, you never saw him bite anyone else.

Then…

Then there was the scuffle with the girl and he died, just like that. It surprised you how strong she was and how he seemed to be holding back.

You wonder if you'll be able to fight like that too if he bites you.

You're weak.

His words reverberate in your head.

You're weak and unremarkable.

You know that. You know. He didn't have to say it.

The scar in your arm doesn't itch anymore. You rip the bandage off and throw it aside. It's completely healed. You want to grab your dagger and open it up again. Instead, you light up a cigarette and inhale deeply, keeping the smoke in until you calm down some. When you blow the smoke, it's clear, almost transparent and you do it again, deeper this time until your heart calms down and you feel that sweet lightness all over your body.

One poison over the other, you suppose.

"Where are you?"

You're still looking at the scar when it hits you. Your stomach drops.

I actually do need more…

You jump from the bench but stumble still lightheaded, that head almost cracking open when you hit the ground.

How many days has it been? Six? Eight? The spell doesn't work twice on the same person. If he dies again, it'll be for good.

Your stamina is deplorable, but you're running. Breathless, legs feeling like they're about to fall off but you're running.

You let out a scream of frustration when you can't find the house and search around some more, trying not to fall in complete despair.

Were there any reference points? Any landmarks? Anything different? No. You couldn't remember anything. Nothing remarkable surrounding the mysterious house of the mysterious vampire.

Nothing at all. That was the point. You were looking for something, turning at every tree that looked different, every twisted path you came across. But the way was unremarkable.

Just like you.

In less than five minutes you're there. The door cracked open just like you left it, and you dread peering inside. But you do it anyway.

"Knock knock, Avon calling."

He's still on the couch where you left him to die.

"Hey asshole." You're trembling, your voice is nothing more than a whisper. He was pale before but now his face is sallow and haggard. The smallest crinkle on his brow fills you with such relief that you fall on your knees beside him. "Looks like you've got no choice but to have more of this disgusting meal, huh." You pat your boot but the dagger isn't there. In your crazed rush, you've probably lost it somewhere along the way. "Shit. Uh, stay here." He exhales softly while you run to the kitchen, scouring the drawers to find an at least somewhat clean knife. There's nothing, they're all drenched in the filthy sink water. "Ugh. Fuck." You grab one with the tips of your fingers and wipe it on your clothes as best as you can and make a new cut next to the last one and all but shove the open wound into his mouth. He only laps at it at first, but then his eyes open wide and he sucks long and hard. Instead of wincing, it sends another unwelcome shiver through your body. In a moment, he's grabbing onto your arm with both hands, claws buried in your skin and you turn your head away so he won't see your face.

"Better. So… so much better." His voice is so weak that you almost want to comfort him, but he gets back to it and this time it hurts a little. It should probably hurt more with the voracity he's going at it, but your head is so light that you're not sure what you're feeling anymore.

That's enough, you're gonna suck me dry. The words are only in your head, but he looks at you and keeps sucking. It's like that story about the guy who tries to help out a snake only for it to bite and kill him. 'It's your own fault. You knew damn well I was a snake and yet you've offered yourself to me.'

Was that how it went?

*

When you open your eyes, you find that hell is nothing like you pictured it. There's no lava pits, no devils with pitchforks dancing around and torturing people. Just decaying flowery wallpaper and dirty sheets. A couple of fresh oranges over a nightstand and a familiar knife.

Your arm is throbbing and you can't move it, but it's not bleeding. Maybe he really did suck you dry.

You devour the fruits without hesitation, even though you don't usually like them. They were so fresh, a complete contrast of everything else in that house.

You get up from the bed when you're done and almost take the knife downstairs to be washed, but then you remember the state of the kitchen, and you really don't want to part with your meal so soon. Soft sunlight dances through the curtains and a warm breeze makes you walk to the window. There's an orchard, and it seems to be well taken care of. Another discrepancy with the rest of the house.

Does he take care of it? You can't imagine that.

You wonder where he is. Probably asleep, since it seems to be early morning. You open the door and it's a long hallway with other doors you're for some reason are weary about opening.

"Vampire?" This is ridiculous, you should know his name. Yet, you've never asked.

"Not now." His voice is soft, but not weak as it was last night. You can't tell from which room it came from and you don't try to find out.

"I'll come back later."

You leave without another word and go about your things in a daze all day. And when the sun sets, you run. There's no need to, not anymore. But you run.

*

"So it wasn't gross this time?" You've just finished sweeping the floor and now you're seriously considering whether you'll have the guts to brave the sink.

He watches you for a moment, leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Why don't you give me some more so I can decide?"

"Sure. If you take it yourself. With your fangs."

"You're persistent."

"One of my best traits." Not believing your luck, you put on the rubber gloves you've just found. They're somewhat gross too, but it's better than just having to shove your hands directly into the putrid water.

"Why? Why do you want to become a soulless monster who thinks of nothing but making people suffer? Nothing but feeding and spreading discord?"

You glare at him for a moment before turning your attention back to the dishes. "Do you have to do those things? I mean, besides the feeding. Can't you just like, I dunno, live your life without ruining other people's?"

"Where is the fun in that?"

"...You're despicable."

"And yet, you're doing my dishes."

If your life had a laugh track, you're sure it would pop up right about now.

"Been meaning to ask. What's your name?"

A few seconds later he still hasn't said anything, and when you turn your head to look at him, he's frowning and looking out the window. "Stay here." He leaps out the door and you realize you've missed seeing him moving this unnaturally fast. He used to do it a lot on the cemetery and-

Wait. Why did he tell you to stay here?

You glance out the window, but don't see anything, it's pitch black out. Then you hear fighting noises. Oh no, did Buffy return? Like hell you're letting her kill him again. You grab a (now gloriously clean) knife and run outside. But the one he's fighting is not a girl this time, but another man. And they're both letting the other have it. "Hey! What's going on?" The fight stops abruptly, the vampire holding the other man by the neck while said man just stares at you.

"What's that? You got your own Renfield?" The guy sounds amused despite the blood running down his nose.

"I told you to stay inside!"

You scoff. "Are you nuts? Since when do I respond to you?" You approach them with the knife by your side and the vampire tries to push the other man away. The man ignores his attempt and in a moment, he's standing right in front of you.

Oh. He's a vampire too. Handsome, but not quite as handsome as y-

No. You did not just think of him as 'your vampire'. Nope. That's not a thing that just happened.

"So… what's your story, Creature Feature?"

"I-"

"Don't talk to him." The vampire pulls the man by the collar and throws him on the ground.

"You were always the jealous type, weren't you Vincent? Never willing to share your toys."

Vincent. You have a name now.

"Yes, Sebastian. And as you can see I am not dead, you can go home now." He glares at you, willing you to get inside with his eyes, but now you're too intrigued to leave.

"You were, though. I felt it." Sebastian stands up turning his back to you so he can talk to Vincent. Ignored, as always. But this time, you don't mind.

Also, he felt it? Were they connected, like Vincent said it happens? Did one of them bite the other? You have so many questions.

"I was just weak. Had some indigestible meal and fell sick."

"Who? Renfield over here?"

You decide to interfere, because for some reason he doesn't want the other man to find out that he did indeed die. "Yeah, I'm inedible, apparently. And I was the one who offered, so I felt bad for making him sick and now I'm doing his chores."

"Hmm. I'm not sure that's how it works. It felt just like it did with Chr-"

"I am fine." Vincent smiles, forced and awkward. "I obviously did not die, how do you explain me standing here right now?"

Sebastian looks Vincent up and down. "That's what I'd like to know."

"There is nothing…" His voice is loud, and he takes a deep breath, forcing that unnatural smile again. "To know. You might have felt me fade away for a moment thanks to the foulness of the blood I had consumed."

Sebastian crosses his arms. "Never heard of something like that."

"What are you, the expert in vampire lore? There are many things we don't know, Sebastian. Like what are you still doing here since I already told you that everything is okay?"

The man dusts himself up, eyeing you one last time. "Be seeing you."

"No, you won't." Vincent grabs your shoulders and starts pushing you back inside as Sebastian leaves.

You can't help yourself. "So, what was all that jealousy about? Do I do it for you now? Are you biting me then?"

"My brother has a strong persuasive strength. If he wants, he can turn you into his slave for life. If that is your thing, make sure to have a long, nice talk to him next time he shows up."

Oh, brother. It explains the similar looks. "So, what, you're from a family of vampires? A clan?"

He breathes out a short laugh. "I wonder what kind of fiction you consume. And speaking of consume, it's time for dinner." He raises his eyebrows at you, and you sigh.

"Fine, but you gotta stop before I pass out this time." You cut up your arm and offer it to him. "What did you do before you had your own personal blood bank?"

He looks like he's not going to answer, so you pull your arm back.  "I can persuade people too. But differently. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses."

"So you could persuade me."

"Why waste energy when you're so willing?" He sucks on the wound with considerably less fervor, but his noises are still enthusiastic. Was it a change in your diet? That couldn't possibly be it, you always eat the same junk. Then…

He pulls your arm closer for a moment and licks the wound clean. Goosebumps start forming almost immediately.

You wonder how healthy it is to lose this much blood so often. "Would you grab me another orange?"

"Help yourself." He turns and leaves before you have a chance to ask him about the orchard.

*

Next time you visit, he's actually hanging upside down from a tree, and there's a crumpled form in the ground next to him.

"Who's that?"

"Dinner." Is all he says.

You stretch your neck to see the person's face, but don't recognize him. "Is he dead?"

"Probably not. I'll take him back in a moment."

It's out of your mouth before you can think about it. "Was he tastier than me?"

"Not really. Too much alcohol in his system. And probably some illicit substances too."

It makes you happy. You want to kick yourself for feeling this way, but it does. "And why are you hanging like that? Trying to turn into a bat?"

He raises himself on the branch like a gymnast and jumps off. "Just exercising a little. What do you want?"

You almost scream at him. He knows what you want. "...Can I finish cleaning? I don't like to leave it half done."

He shakes his head, throwing the (hopefully) unconscious man over his shoulder. "Suit yourself." In a blink, he's gone, and you stride to the house. You're curious to see more of the second floor, but also weary. Are you going to find corpses on the beds? The house owners maybe?

You examine the pictures above the fireplace again. Man, woman, three boys. There are individual portraits too, which you didn't notice the other day, and you recognize the face in one of them. Large, beautiful eyes, and despite the photo being black and white, you're sure they're not red. Possibly brown. Thin, long, nose and perfect cheekbones, although a little chubby, given how young he seems to be. An innocent smile the type you could never imagine on that wretch's face. "So you weren't always evil." In one of the other portraits you think you can recognize Sebastian, younger too and also smiling like an angel. There's no portrait of the other boy.

So this really was his house.

In another picture, the woman who's obviously his mother is looking after the orchard, and in the next, he and her are playing in it, both with dazzling smiles, and that answers another one of your questions. Maybe he's less of a monster than he lets on, if he wants to keep her memory alive like that.

The bedrooms are considerably easier to clean than the kitchen and the bathrooms, but when you're done, you're still so tired that you fall on the bed, a different room than the one you woke up in the other day. There were a few games and old magazines, some of the pages starting to crumble. You stored them as safely as you could in the closet.

The third brother probably died young. You leave the bed with a start, afraid he'll get mad at you for lying in it. "Vincent? Are you home?"

"Yes."

And because he's answering all your questions today, you follow his voice to the next door, one you haven't been to yet. Maybe he'll tell you more.

The room is a library, and on the few walls without any bookshelves, there are paintings, beautiful works of art from artists you don't recognize. He's sitting on an ancient but comfortable looking chair, the book in his hands so worn out you can't make out the cover. "Would you tell me about your brother?"

He sighs. "I already did, he's an insufferable maniac with a penchant for torture."

You can't believe he's the lesser of two evils. "No, I meant… the other one."

He raises his eyes from the book, staring a hole into you, and you swallow, taking a small step back without even realizing it. "I'm sorry. Forget… forget I asked. Pretend I didn't. I'm gonna go grab the broom so I can clean up a bit in here." Great, look what you've done. Now he won't answer anything anymore.

You don't even look up at him when you return to the library, but you can see he's still sitting in the same place, book now forgotten over his lap. You feel his eyes on the back of your neck while you sweep the floor and you can't focus on it. You're sure you've sweeped the same spot three times and it's still dirty.

"She came in one night and killed my parents." His sudden voice makes you jump, and you're pretty sure you let out some sort of embarrassing noise too. "Ate both of them right in front of us. Then she started feeding off of me and my brothers. Her control was absolute. I was twelve, Sebastian was ten. And Christopher…" He sighs shortly. "Christopher was six. It was like that for years. Years. She'd take turns with us so we wouldn't get too weak. And she taught us things. How to play instruments, how to fight. I guess she wanted to start that clan you're so crazy about. And when I turned fourteen, she taught me something else too and I was in love with her. She was perfect. I couldn't get enough of her. Her cold murder of my beloved parents a distant memory in the back of my mind.

"She let me have a drop of her blood when I was eighteen and it tasted like death and it was exquisite. I started killing for her, bring her victims. Christopher was weak, too weak. I'd bring her someone else on his days or offer myself again. I don't remember how old I was when she bit me. Twenty four? Twenty eight? Sebastian was so jealous of her that he begged her to bite him too and she did. That night she had us both, even though he could barely move as the bite took hold. She didn't care.

"And just like that there were more mouths to feed and we'd have to go far away so the townsfolk wouldn't get suspicious. One week we destroyed an entire village. It sated us enough that we could return and settle down for a while.

"She didn't have any reason to bite him then, we were so full. But she did it anyway. There was no rhyme or reason to her. I knew he wasn't going to make it. He was weak. He was going to perish on the first night, unable to handle the transformation. I fed him all night, holding his hand and wiping his face, and he pulled through. I dreamed of my parents, about how disappointed they were in me. Of what I'd become and when I woke up, her spell was broken. I ran upstairs to my parents bedroom, which she had taken for herself and almost screamed. The perfect creature was nowhere in sight. On the bed there was only an old shroud, filthy and foul, rotting. I touched it and she grabbed my arm. Her face a waking nightmare. There were no eyes, only empty holes. A bat nose, horrendous, wet and red. And her fangs were infinite. Her fangs were eternal. I was falling for it again, staring into them and seeing that beautiful demon again, her soft hair, perfect body. I leaned in to kiss her but was pushed away. I fell hard against the door and Christopher was there and his hand was on the window latch while he pulled her to him with the other.

"Don't!"

He smiled and opened it. "I love you."

"He vanished before I could do anything, turned to dust before my eyes, but he'd taken the thing in the bed with him. They were both gone just like that, and I felt like my body was imploding. Coming apart from the inside. In an instant Sebastian was there too and he picked me up and held me tight.

"He was gone the next day and I stayed."

"..." No matter how you try, you can't think of a single thing to say. Your feet feel like they're stuck to the floor. "I… I'm…"

He's in front of you in an instant, his claws softly scratching your chin. "Will I have to spell it out for you? I won't bite you because you remind me of him too much. So you can quit this housekeeping nonsense and leave." He turns to do just that but you manage to grab his arm

"Wait! Can't… can't I keep coming anyway? I won't bug you about it anymore…"

"And why would you want to do such a thing?"

"I like y- your company."

He buffs. "You're a terrible judge of character."

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna finish up the library now." You push him away weakly and he leaves to do who knows what.

Only then do you try to wrap your mind on everything he's just told you. You can't say it justifies the way he is, but it certainly explains it.

You know your chances of him biting you have dropped considerably, but you don't really care right now. You didn't lie to him, you really do enjoy his company, asshole as he may be.

You can only imagine it has to do with your apparent masochistic tendencies.

*

You still let him drink from you every now and then, and he isn't shy about letting you know how tasty it is. You are. You'd blush, but your blood leaves your body before it can reach your face.

"Was it really bad the first time you drank it?"

"It tasted like poison." He licks the wound and you watch his tongue, feeling a little thirsty yourself.

He's a murderer. A monster. You really shouldn't be around him. But… you want to be like him, always have. You've told yourself time and again that if your dream ever came true that you'd only go after evil people, rapists and politicians and whatnot. But what if you change too? What if you don't care?

You barely care now.

Maybe the both of you should be locked up.

It's a moot point anyway, since he's adamant about not biting you. Maybe you should prove to him that you could be strong. You're almost sure you've seen some dumbbells when you cleaned the attic.

(He did mean physically strong, right?)

You can barely lift it one inch off the ground. "Great. Uh, maybe I could start with just the bar?"

You hear glass breaking downstairs and freeze. You were sure he was asleep, as the sun hasn't set yet. "Vincent?"

There's a commotion outside, and from the window you can see people. People with torches, and the smell of gasoline reaches your nose. "Fuck! Vincent!"

Your voice draws their attention and a rock flies right beside your head. You step back but it's too late. Everything goes dark.

*

"Ah…" Why does it hurt so much? And why is it so hot? "No…" You try to get up but there's something heavy on top of you. A beam from the ceiling apparently. But the real pain comes from whatever had impaled your stomach. A… stake? No, it's just another piece of wood. Too big to be a stake.

Is he dead?

"Vin… cent…"

"I'm here."

"You're okay." You taste blood on your cough.

"They're not. And neither…" He comes into view, disheveled and drenched in blood. "Are you." He lifts the beam off of you, and you're pretty sure most of your ribs are broken. "If I remove the other one you'll bleed out almost instantly."

"Then… if you bite me, it'll heal, right?"

He shakes his head, and while the look in his eyes is almost certainly sad, you're pretty sure it's because he's about to lose his favorite meal. "It would take a while for the bite to hold. Days. With Christopher it was fast because she was more powerful." He runs the back of his fingers over your face and you close your eyes.

"Can't… can't you do it anyway? I really wanted to feel your mouth on me at least once." It sounds vaguely sexual, but since you're dying, you couldn't care less.

You're not entirely sure if he kisses you out of pity or because there's so much blood coming off your mouth that he really doesn't want to miss that last snack. You thought it'd be cold, but when his tongue touches yours, it's warm and soft. "Do you think you're strong enough to bite me?"

"H-huh… I…" can barely speak, so no.

He touches one of your piercings but pulls his hand back with a hiss. "Silver. All of them?"

You nod. That is some piece of vampire lore it had escaped you. He can't touch silver. Finally it makes sense why your blood tasted bad that first time when you remember your long lost silver dagger.

"Can you take one off?"

You try to raise your arm. "Can't… move…"

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, going back to the piercing, struggling with it due to his claws. When he gets it off, he punctures and rips his neck open with it before tossing it aside. "Have as much as you can." He leans over you, his pale bleeding neck right by your mouth. So you do.

The taste makes you recoil at first, but you keep going and then it's delicious. A nectar. The best thing you've ever tasted. "By the way," his voice is weaker. "I have no idea if this is going to work, and if I pass out, be prepared for a fiery death."

You release his neck. "Then go."

He just shakes his head and kisses you again, and you hold him tight against you.

*

"Do you think Brazil has a high crime rate?"

"Are you suggesting we move to a place that is known as the tropical country?"

"Hmmweellll… why don't you want to go to Romania?"

He looks at you as if you just asked the dumbest question he's ever heard. "Competition."

"Oh."

"Besides… it's where Sebastian lives."

"Are you kidding me? Then we really should go! We could stay with him until we find some place."

"Have you forgotten?" He pushes you against the side of the burnt house and bites your neck. "I don't share my toys."

"Ah…" His comment should make you want to punch him, but his bite makes your knees too weak for that. "Let's just drive then. We can live in the car until we figure it out." You make sure all the blinds and window covers are in the back seat and open the passenger door for him. "Sorry about the house."

He shakes his head. "It was just a place. They can't take what matters the most." He taps the side of his head with a claw in case you didn't understand. Then he sits down, holding the vase with the seedling, and you almost tell him to put it in the backseat, but the way he's looking at it tells you maybe he wants to keep it closer to him just a little longer.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

When I first saw this 1900 building, in Knoxville, Tennessee, I thought it was the courtyard of an older garden apt. But, it’s a former knitting mill that was saved from demo and turned into a home. It has 5bd  4ba & is listed for $2.650M.

Whoever designed the conversion of this odd-shaped factory did a great job. It’s stunning. Firstly, the old exposed-brick walls are fantastic. Look at the beautiful molding on the arch on the left. Beautiful stairs and mezzanine, plus a fireplace with built-in shelving.

Isn’t this lovely? A dining room/family room combo. 

Large kitchen with beautiful cabinetry and black quartz counters. 

Lovely guest powder room. 

Look at how nice the upper windows look as you’re going up the stairs. They even made a balcony out of one.

This home is huge. Look at the view from the mezzanine.

Cute little room to relax in.

Cute little area.

The main bd. is huge. 

Look at the en-suite. The shower looks like it was made out of an old office in the mill.

The main bd closet and dressing room.

One of the smaller bds. has a beautiful built-in shelf.

Nice little porch.

Around the block is a 2 suite office building so the new owner can rent them both out or work in one. 

The suites have kitchenettes, too. 

https://www.redfin.com/TN/Knoxville/415-W-Depot-Ave-37917/home/181788565

[antigregarious]

My first impression of Mill Ave was a negative one. But, there was one thing I noticed during my walk. There was a park. I needed to come back and like that one ex give it another chance. Lol. Doing a quick Google search I found out it was a decent sized park, considered a desert oasis.

Interested in the some of the facts of this place I read on. I learned I was seven-years old when this place was built and nine-years old when it first flooded. Just a fun fact, my family was one of the first to move to Tempe, my grandfather owned and ran a gas station down the way from this park.

Before heading back to California I was going to give this park a visit. After saying a few goodbyes it was time. I waited a little to long before leaving, the downside of good company. There is this game people in big cities love to play its called rush hour. A game that is even more thrilling while on a freeway where the speed limit is 75-mph you come to a complete stop. And Wait.

What normally is a twenty-minute drive became a waiting game that lasted about an hour, maybe a little more. After completing the mission I finally arrived. This time around, parking was free, and I didn’t have to ping my location on the map. The adventure begins, as soon as I entered the park there was a tree, one that reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Not a specific tree in the movie. But, the house, it was a crooked old home. One line that always makes me chuckle. “Good morning star-shine, the earth says hello.”

Speaking of stars a little further down the trail I came across a bridge that looked futuristic, almost space like. That being said the reflection on the water is what caught my attention. It reminded me of home, not the futuristic part, my town is far from that. But, the bridge and the water. I was missing home a bit.

Coming across this poster of a missing dog, broke my heart. It made me miss my dog, and feel for the owner. I still wonder if Donner and his owner had a happy ending. I hope so.

Well, my walk was coming to an end. After talking to the dude that rented out the kayaks I found out that the lake receives most of its water from the Colorado River. The same river I spend most of my summers, swimming. It was a small connection.

On my way back to the truck there was a building with an infinity fountain. I tried to get a few shots with different exposure settings. A long exposure would have been nice. But, there was some trash gathered in the drain, that I didn’t want to edit out. Then again I shouldn’t have to.

We have this saying, I know sounds like an old timer talking. “pack it in, pack it out.” On that note its time for me to pack out, and hit the freeway. As soon as I seen the bridge, there was only one thing left for me to do. Park, sit, and listen to the Colorado River flow.

[hclib]

Don't Play with Fire

October is Fire Prevention Month. Browse over 2,000 photos of ferocious fires, fire aftermath, flame girls, fire trucks, firefighters, fire-related injuries, and fire safety demonstrations in the Hennepin County Library Digital Collections—a good visual reminder to not play with fire.

Photos top to bottom:

Fire at Pierce Skate and Ski, 1974 (C49286)

Egekvist Bakery Economy Store Fire, 1970 (C07834)

House at 1200 4th Ave. N on fire, undated (C49291)

Fire station No. 4, 1101 6th St. N (MHPC002304)

Washburn-Crosby Mill After Fire, 1991 (C60440)

Goodman Overcoat Building Fire, 1974 (MFD0149)

Fire Trucks in Minneapolis Fire Station No. 6, 30 13th St. S, 1974 (C49651)

See more fire and fire department posts from the past on our Tumblr.

[older-skywalker]

Reda walked through the village happy as could be, in her right hand was Lexus’s and on her back was Poe who she could tell was looking everywhere. The clones were milling around the village market and would wave at the small family. Reda was happy to be out of the house and this was going to be a beautiful day.

@reda-aves

Poe giggles and smiles as he held onto his mother as Lexus held her hand as they walked around the village "So, what shall we do/get today?"

[player1064]

another drabble request from @storyshark2005

a double date-- other couple is author's choice!

(this suggestion plus your talk earlier of double dates with Jill and Shelly somehow resulted in... this)

---

“Alright, Jill?” Gary greets as she wanders into the VIP suite at the Peninsula, looking around with interest. “Ooh, and y’ve brought Shelly, too! You’re gonna have great fun, honest.”

He chats to them both for a few minutes, shows them where everything is and is introducing them both to the few people already milling about when Jamie swans in, immediately making himself at home.

“Jill! You’re already here!” he says, gives her a quick side-hug in greeting before standing next to Gary, slinging one arm round the back of his shoulders. “And Shelly, don’t think we’ve met, ‘s a pleasure. Yous all ready to watch Salford lose?”

Gary scowls at Jamie, pinches him in the side. “Oi!” he says indignantly, “tha’s not fair, we’ve been doin’ alright recently. I think Karl’s been a good appointment.”

“You ‘ave to say that, though, don’t ya? Else people’ll call you bitter.”

Gary’s ready to argue back, but he sees Jill and Shelly exchanging a look out the corner of his eye, and realises he’s probably not being a very good host.

He pinches Jamie again to tell him to shut up, then extracts himself from under his arm and shoos him off to go fetch him a coffee.

“Roy’s texted that he’s just walkin’ up,” Jill says once Jamie’s walked off with grumbles about Gary being a spoilt little bitch. Gary checks his phone: no text from Roy. Always good to know where he ranks in his communication priorities. “Aw, this’ll be so fun. Wish Ian were here, we missed him on the show this week. Did you miss ’im, Gary?”

“Erm,” Gary says, because once recording starts he’s normally too in the zone to really notice how any absences are affecting things.  “I s’pose… I were quite happy with that jacket I wore, y’know, thought he might’ve liked it.”

Roy’s voice suddenly comes from a metre or so away, and Gary startles a bit. “Always with the clothes, Jesus,” he’s saying as he walks over to them. “It was a black and white jacket, what’d’you want, an award?”

He rolls his eyes, then looks at Jill with a warm smile. “Hi, Jill. You’ve picked a nice romantic place to bring your Shelly, eh? I can see why she’s in such a rush to marry you.”

“I love football, actually,” Shelly says, eyes twinkling. “Though I’ve never been to watch a men’s game before, I don’t think. Jill was saying League Two can get quite physical, sounds exciting.”

“I normally just take my wife to restaurants,” Roy says with a shrug. “But I s’pose if it works for those two eejits…” he adds, jerking his head towards Gary and Jamie.

“Nothin’ sexier than watching your team lose while freezin’ your arse off and drinking crap instant coffee,” Jamie says, pressing a cup of said crap instant coffee into Gary’s hands with a wink towards Shelly.

“Oh!” she says, blinking a few times. “I didn’t realise you two were…”

“They’re not,” Jill and Roy both groan at the same time.

“We’re not,” Gary agrees, then yelps when Jamie slips his cold hands under his jumper to press against his skin. “Oi! How many times’ve I gotta tell you, ‘s not my problem you lost your gloves, go buy a pair from the merch stand if you’re so desperate. Leave me ‘n my body heat alone.”

“And how many times’ve I gotta tell you, ‘m not wearin’ anything with your sad little team’s logo on it, so find me a better solution or quit yer whining.”

“It’s not like it’s that cold out, you didn’t even bring a coat! You ought to get your circulation checked, you ask me.”

“You ought to get your diet checked, I’m feelin’ a lot of softness,” Jamie argues back, pressing his fingers into the flesh of Gary’s stomach to illustrate his point and, unfortunately, making Gary yelp again.

Shelly turns to look at Roy and Jill with wide eyes. “Should we…?”

Roy gives a long-suffering sigh. “No point,” he answers. “Best just leave them to it. Here, I’ll show you where we’re sitting.”

[petterbrorson]

Kraftkälla, akvarell, 17x23 cm

Den andra målningen med den gamla sågen som motiv. Jag ska göra en bild från sågen innan jag går vidare till den tredje uppsättningen med målningar som en del av min tolkning av årets tema för utställningen på Laxholmen Kulturhus i Munkfors.

...

Power source, watercolour, 17x23 cm

The second painting on the subject of the old saw mill. I'll make one more painting on this subject before I move on to my third set of paintings as part of my interpretation of the theme for this year's exhibition at Laxholmen Kulturhus, Munkfors, Sweden.