Foray into Canada
It felt a little strange being on the road again after being stationary for several months this past winter. Our campground was the perfect place to recuperate from foot surgery, as well as giving me time to work on my 3rd book. Several people mentioned it would be a perfect opportunity to write while recuperating, but I knew from past experience being on pain killers wasn’t necessarily conducive for focused thinking. Although, I did handwrite a lot of notes during that time that were quite humorous, with tidbits I have ended up using. John was able to skydive once I was able to get around on my own, but once it was time to leave, we were ready.
Although we’d been to Sedona previously, we felt it was worth another visit and spent a few days there. The Verde Valley area really is stunning and the weather was pleasant and not too hot yet. We explored all of the rock formations and enjoyed wandering around in the desert. Walking along the trails in a greener than usual desert was a treat. We also visited Montezuma Castle, located in Camp Verde which was built and used by the indigenous Sinagua people from around AD 1100 and 1425. The well-preserved cave dwellings are quite an engineering feat. The Jerome State Historic park that has the old copper mining town up on the hill took us back to the early 1900s, and has shops with a view down into the valley.
Crossing into Utah, we stayed in a unique campground in Kanab, called Dark Sky. It’s situated in the middle of the desert, away from any main roads. The lack of ambient light in the evening makes it a wonderful spot for star gazing - hence the name. We were able to identify several planets, and the abundance of stars made the sky feel so full and deep. The perspective changed the longer we watched, and I saw two shooting stars that appeared close enough to touch. They had a bath house with two in suite bathrooms that had indoor/outdoor showers, so you could have a private shower outdoors under the sun or stars. They also had homemade pizza on the premises, only one day a week, and we happened to be there that day. Of course we indulged, making it even more memorable. From there we went to Beaver, and then to Salt Lake City, where John got to do a few jumps. Tremonton was next, and when we got to the campground the sky turned quite black, with swirls of gray. We quickly set up and made it inside before it started hailing. The hail pelting the trailer roof was so loud we couldn’t hear each other speak. I was concerned it would leave dents by the sound of it, but it passed relatively quickly. It eventually cleared up but the dark clouds and wind lingered until the next day.
We zipped through Idaho into Montana, reveling in the sights of so much greenery in comparison to the deserts of Arizona. We soaked in the spring-like weather, blue skies, and mountainous terrain, enjoying every minute of it. We stopped in Helena to stock up and look around before heading to Shelby. Once in Shelby we checked to make sure everything was in order with our trailer, since we knew there would be a search at the border. By this point we had eaten any food we thought might be an issue, like fresh fruits and vegetables, and everything else was stored or put away, but with easy access. When we arrived at the Del Bonita border crossing, we were the only ones there. There was another crossing we were told was often busy with a wait, so John purposely chose this one instead. It was a bit more out of way on a much less traveled road, but it was worth it. We were greeted immediately and the guards were competent, experienced and amicable, with a nice balance of professionalism. After doing his inspection inside the truck and trailer, we had an informative conversation about the area and different spots we planned on stopping. They made us feel welcome and sent us on our way.
First stop in Canada was Lethbridge, then our campground in Granum. The weather continued to be excellent and there was a small lake in the campground where we took walks around in the evening. We were close to the town of Fort Macleod and spent the day there exploring the museum that portrays the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police created in 1873. The fort itself served as divisional headquarters until the 1920s. Being American, yet also being a big fan of the cartoon character “Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties”, it was quite interesting to learn more about this police force established to bring order to the Canadian West. We enjoy stopping at museums throughout our travels and learning about world history.
Then off to Banff. We both were pleasantly surprised at how nice the weather had been, and Banff was even more so. John picked the perfect time to be there in his planning, and once again, going during shoulder season was the way to go. We knew it would be wise to make reservations in advance and how quickly things filled up, so we were prepared. John had spent hours on the phone securing our campground in Banff and it was worth it. Our site was easy walking distance to where we could get the bus into town, but far enough out to enjoy the surrounding wooded area. The steep snow covered mountains are stunning, and the natural beauty everywhere you looked really gave us a joyful feeling. We hiked along the path to the falls (more like a cascade), and explored the small town in truly perfect weather. Once in town there were other buses that took you to various sights, and we took one for the hour ride to the well known Lake Louise. This was a bit more touristy with more people, but not annoyingly so. The lake was still frozen in spots that obscured some of the turquoise color, but still an impressive sight. We followed the path around the lake through the less traveled area until my feet decided it was time to head back.
The weather continued to bless us with it’s perfection, and we next went to the Banff Gondola and took the ride up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. Views on the way up are quite spectacular, but once on top there are viewing areas so you can take in the views from a variety of angles. There are sitting areas where you can bask in the sun, some with heat lamps when needed, due to the cooler elevation. Once again there were plenty of people but not crowded and we hung around up top for a while. There’s a trail that takes you to another summit, and John climbed a massive amount of steps up, while I relaxed with a coffee. Out of the seven days we were in Banff, five of them were some of the best weather days ever. The last two days became quite overcast with smoke from the Alberta forest fires, but there was still some decent visibility.
We had already booked the Glacier Adventure to the Columbia Ice Fields for the day we left Banff, and decided to still give it a go, even though the smoke was affecting that area as well. The Ice Fields are where five glaciers feed three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic). These are the largest non-polar ice fields in the world. We traveled on a massive ice explorer to get to the glacier, and then had a half hour to walk on the Athabasca glacier, and take it all in. To say it felt surreal and exotic at the same time is an understatement. Breathtaking and exhilarating - yes, that too. From there we traveled back on the ice explorer, then got on a bus to the glass-floored glacier skywalk close by. The skywalk is 918 feet above the river, built on the edge of a cliff. A portion of it has a glass floor where you can see down to the river, while trying not to get vertigo. After some coaxing I did make it onto the glass portion and followed it around to the other end, with wobbly legs. There were also other amazing view points from up there with stunning views.
The smoke did obscure some of the views, but we were still glad we went. It is such an amazing part of the world and I’m thrilled I got to experience it. The following morning we woke to a much clearer sky and moved on to Hinton, past Jasper, for our next stop. The smoke came and went and we’re now at a one night stand in Grande Cache. Then we’ll move on to Grand Prairie where we’ll spend a few days to see what we can see, and hope the smoke will be clearing out.
Our adventure so far has met our expectations, and even exceeded in some areas. The people we’ve encountered and interacted with have been great, making things even more enjoyable. Now that we’re out of the more touristy areas, we expect our journey to be through more remote areas, with even more natural beauty and animal life. We’ve seen deer, elk, a female moose, a bear (tagged), big horned sheep, a white mountain goat, and various small critters. As we head further up to the Yukon we look forward to seeing more. Stay tuned to join us on our adventurous journey as we make our way through this beautiful country enroute to Alaska.
For all the photos see John and Charlotte’s flickr sites. Just click on either of our names.
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Ghoul Hair Headcanons
This wouldn't leave my brain until I put it out into the world
Dewdrop/Sodo
Pin straight corn blonde that goes to his mid back
Very thin
Dry and damaged from his fire transition (Cumulus bullies him into letting her put oils and serums in it to help. He won't admit that he likes it)
Will wash his hair everyday/every time he takes a shower. This is sometimes multiple times a day. (Cumulus and Rain cry in despair)
Cowlick at the front part. Annoys the shit out of him when it dries funny
Let's his hair air dry after a shower
His hair used to be normally oily pre fire transition from the ministry's lake but noticed that if he swims for long periods of time his hair will be greasy and gross
Leaves hair EVERYWHERE. In the shower, on the furniture, clothes, you.
Uses everyone else's shampoo and conditioner bc he's too lazy to get his own
Will wear it up in a spider clip when practicing
Doesn't like people touching it, will let the other ghouls braid/style it on occasions or if they give him their best puppy dog eyes long enough
Somehow manages to not have bed head. Wakes up and his hair is fine. The pack considers this the 8th wonder of the world
Gets annoyed when his hair gets caught in his mask/balaclava bc he was too lazy to either tie it up himself or let one of the others do it for him preshow
Rain
Wavy hair that curls up just under his ears, blackish almost dark blue in certain light
Hair defies logic, will curl/wave in patterns that don't make sense
Uses 837+ products in it to make it glossy and soft after swimming (screams internally after Dew leaves barely a squirt of shampoo left in the shower and doesn't replace it)
Sleeps with a silk pillowcase
Will pin his hair back with pearl barrettes that papa gifted him
BEDHEAD. The WORST BEDHEAD out of all the ghouls. Wakes up looking like he lost a fight with a moose
Will let anyone run their fingers through it/brush it/style it. He will make you wash your hands beforehand though
Dries it using a cotton T-shirt. Usually the one he was wearing pre-shower
Washes his hair every 3-5 days
Mountain
Brown 3b curly mullet/Mohawk
Shaves the sides bc he finds the hair tickling his ears and horns annoying
Usually has leaves or flowers caught in his hair
Bangs cover his eyes
Cowlick at the crown of his head
Oil? Seums? Who is she, bc Mountain has never heard of her
His horns make headbands impossible so he will use bobby pins to keep his bangs out of the way while in the greenhouse or practicing
Bobby pins are everywhere. In the greenhouse, the practice room, living room, kitchen, EVERYWHERE
Consequently knows how to lockpick doors with said Bobby pins. No he will not tell you how he knows how to do this
Wraps his hair in silk handkerchiefs to sleep
Will wash his hair once a week if he remembers
Shakes his hair out like a dog to dry unless one of the others corner him with the Dyson hair dryer. (He won't admit that he hates the sound it makes)
Will throw in leave in conditioner overnight
Let's Phantom and Aurora put in cute clips that he forgets about
Once showed up to practice with a head full of colorful butterfly clips bc he forgot about them. Copia didn't say anything, wanted to see how long it would take Mount to notice while head banging. He didn't notice the entire practice until one flew off and hit his drum set
Swiss
Dark brownish black locs, sometimes will braid in colors if he's feeling like it. Mostly dark colors like burgundy or purple. Has been convinced to do gold before tours by the others
JEWELRY!!! LOTS of metal rings, cuffs and jewels. Loves being the shiniest thing in the room
Has as many if not more hair care products than Rain. Takes care to make sure his hair doesn't get damaged and is healthy
Sleeps with a silk bonnet to protect his hair
Has done fun style like space buns with his locs but will usually leave it down or in a top knot
Will wash it every 7-10 days or so unless it gets super dirty
Will take care of the rest of the packs hair, is the pack mom about it
Dew/Sodo frustrates the HELL out of him. What do you mean you don't use conditioner??
Will chew on the cuffs like a fidget toy
Takes great pride in his hair, will spend forever in the bathroom if you let him
If his hair isn't cooperating with him, that's it for the day you will not see him
Has injured himself/others while practicing from all the metal in his hair while headbanging/throwing himself around (was forced to wear a cone of shame during the rest of that practice)
Phantom/Aeon
Very wavy almost curly black hair with white streak on the left side
Hair thins out and curls around his shoulders with whispy bangs
Wolf cut girlie ✨
Soft and fluffy, loves to have his scalp scratched and hair played with. Will absolutely fall asleep while it's being done
Has tinted his hair with purple bc he likes the aesthetic
The others have found him in the bathroom at 3am with scissors bc he saw a trend on TikTok and wanted to try it (he was banned from scissors for 3 months)
Swiss cried when he saw it in the morning (what did you do??)
Forgets to wash his hair but is still better than Mountain about it
Washes every 5-7 days
Originally would use a towel to dry until he found the Dyson and now is a menace
Will chew on his hair until it's brought to his attention
Headbands, headbands, HEADBANDS! LOVES THEM.
Has demon horns ones, cat ear ones, regular ones, even those zig zag ones that hurt he doesn't care he loves them
Will use whatever's in the bathroom but prefers softer smelling products
Hates hairspray with a passion
Doesn't sleep with any special pillow cases, etc
Double cowlick where his bags sit and at the crown
Gets really REALLY bad knots at the base of his skull. Will cry when Swiss or Cumulus has to brush them out
Aether
Strawberry blonde short hair and shaved on the sides
Slicked back fade, likes the greaser look from the 50s
Do not touch this man's hair
Not only is it slicked back with 50lbs of product he will also bite you
Has sideburns
Somehow still uses 3-in-1 despite being picky about how his hair looks
Will sing into the hair dryer while using it
Hair is dry, not damaged but definitely not hydrated/healthy enough
Doesn't wear any accessories except for a beanie in the winter
Looks like a peacock in the morning, hair is just everywhere. Sticks up in every direction when he wakes up
Washes it everyday due to the product he puts in it
Fell asleep on the tour bus once and there was a grease spot left from his hair gel
Uses hair pomade that smells like vanilla and sandalwood
Goes through a jar of pomade every two days. The ministry's budget is crying, shaking in their boots bc of this ghouls usage of hair gel
Is a walking fire hazard from the gel
Cumulus
4b curl pattern, rocks the afro with bangs
Natural color is a dark reddish brown but dyes it fun colors like sky blue
Loves to tie it up with a cute designed handkerchief or bun, etc
Will accessorize with butterfly clips or spiral hair wyrms/Jewels
Washes it once a week but uses hair oils/serums daily
Bullies Dew/Sodo into letting her care for his hair
Is the go to for hair advice after Swiss
Uses a silk bonnet and silk pillowcase to sleep
Will use a cotton T-shirt to dry it/scrunch it and then finishes with the dyson
Second biggest hair shedder after Dew/Sodo
Will style it like Rosie the Riveter for practice
Doesn't like it when people touch her hair unless they ask first
Even then the answer may be no
Likes floral scented shampoo/conditioner
Aurora
Straight flat hair with choppy bags
THICCCC hair, goes to the bottom of her shoulder blades
Platinum blonde but dyed underneath
Enjoys the shocked gasps she gets when she pulls her hair up to show the rainbow underneath
Doesn't hold a curl for the life of her, she's tried
Usually keeps her hair down, will do a low ponytail for practice
Twin braids on sides framing her face
Likes playing with the others hair since hers doesn't hold different styles well
No cowlicks but her hair knots horrendously. After show care includes at least two other ghouls trying to help her unknot her hair from her balaclava
Washes it once a week,prefers cinnamon scented soaps
Super greasy if she uses too much product
Is in love with the Dyson hair dryer, fights with Aether on who gets to use it as a mic
Cirrus
Thin, straight dark black hair to her mid back
Twinning with Dew/Sodo except she takes care of her hair ✨
Shorted whispy hair framing her face
Her hair looks blue in certain light, almost like an oil slick
Split ends? Couldn't be her
Favorite shampoo scent is mint
Will spend hours combing her hair
Prefers combs over brushes
Doesn't get bad bed head but her hair is super static-y.
Will wear twin braids when practicing or pin the braids to her head with clips
Hair always looks super elegant
Like Aurora her hair can't hold a curl
Doesn't use anything special to sleep with
Will wash every 3-5 days
Uses serums as needed but her hair is super hydrated
Very soft
Prefers not to be touched but will allow certain ghouls to braid it if asked
Is the one who bought the Dyson hair dryer, is super amused by everyone's feral reactions to it.
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Alrighty my dudes buckle up
GHOST RIDER D&D AU
also WOE. ART STYLE CHANGE BE UPON YE.
First things first thank you to my beloved mutual @moosemonstrous, who was basically the brains behind the operation I basically just wanted an excuse to draw tiefling Robbie and then got smacked in the face with an awesome story way beyond what I had ever thought of with KILLER fucking lore to match <3.
While I usually like to start with Robbie when introducing an AU, we're going to unfortunately have to start with Eli. A man who fucked up so monumentally that the kinda sorta god he's supposed to be serving went 'Bitch??? How about NO.' and humbled him faster than my DM can say 'roll perception'.
Ok I'm getting ahead of myself. Eli is pretty much the same personality wise as he is in canon. Insecure and desperate for power/control. He grew up surviving with Beto by doing jobs for the Myriad crime syndicate. Somewhere along the way he started serving his patron, Desirat, the twilight phoenix, in exchange for her power.
Im just going to directly quote what moose said about Desirat cause its phrased WONDERFULLY:
"Desirat, The Twilight Phoenix - companion and mount of Asmodeus during an ancient war, was torn from her master and captured by uppity mages. They were eventually killed, but she remained chained under a mountain, creating weird thermal phenomena in the area. Her sanity fractured in isolation so she thinks herself divine, and she lends through dreams and visions to those who 'carry a seed of fiery vengeance'. She now speaks to the minds of those who lie spurned and angry at night, calling them to unlock their inner flame and let Desirat aid them in their vengeance."
Desirat chose Eli as her champion to free her. She believed his faults would make him easy to manipulate for her purposes.
But eventually Beto wanted to settle down, and Eli refused to (to quote moose) 'Stop that warlock bullshit that EVERYONE SAID will get him in trouble'. And the brothers separate. During that time, Eli gets it in his head that he can steal more power from her by becoming a Litch. Great! In order to become a Litch he needs to have the most important person to him engage in a willing life sacrifice. Not great.
So he finds Beto and tries to get him to oblige to his sacrifice, and while there might have been a time where Beto might have laid down his life for his brother, he wont anymore. He has a family now. People who rely on him who AREN'T Eli. Unfortunatly, Eli is PISSED by this and kills Beto even though he isn't a willing sacrifice. Eli figures 'Whose really gonna care? A life is a life right?'
DESIRAT cares. She basically obliterates Eli on the spot and stores his lifeforce for later purposes.
(all stat sheets curtosy of the great Moose. Also I feel obligated to mention there was a scary moment during the art process where Eli looked like a beautiful butch lesbian. Horrifying.)
After Eli's spiritual, physical, and magical bitch slap, Desirat starts looking down his bloodline for a NEW champion. Lucky her, Robbie is RIGHT THERE. Protective of his brother, a strong sense of justice even from a young age, a hatred of when things aren't fair; he's PERFECT. She has plans for this one. Eli was a good test run. But she has IMPROVEMENTS planned for Robbie.
So Desirat waits until Robbie is old enough and strong enough to serve her purposes. In that time, Julianna goes out adventuring to get more coin so she can pay for Gabe's treatments of Greater Restoration and just. General food and water and general supplies. But she doesn't come back. She was responsible though and hired someone who was willing to take what she could offer to take care of the boys. Gabe still believes that she's still out there and trying to come back to them. Robbie thinks she's either bailed on them for a life of adventure or dead.
Around when Robbie turns 18, Desirat puts her plans into effect. Seeing as tieflings carry innate magical abilities (most commonly thaumaturgy, hellish rebuke, and darkness) it would be far more advantageous for her champion to be a tiefling than human. In the span of about 4 months, Robbie goes through a rather drastic transformation.
His fingernails harden, then blacken, then sharpen. Awful pressure builds in his skull that is only relived when the beginnings of horns break through his skin. A similar process begins with a lump forming at his tail bone and eventually bursting out into a long pointed tail. His canine teeth fall out and grow back in sharper and longer. His eyes cloud over to black and yellow, all the while his skin reddens and forms hard ridges on his arms, ribs and spine.
To say this is disorienting and painful is an understatement. Not to mention how it changes how the other people around the village look at him (not to mention how it changes how he looks at himself). Even though the stigma around tieflings isn't as strong as it once was, it eventually causes Robbie to be out of a job. So he decides to sell the house, pack up his things, prepare schooling money for his brother and move to the city where more opportunities will hopefully await.
GABE!!! THE LITTLE ADHGH. Idk why but I got extreme cute aggression when drawing this version of him fdjkslaf.
Gabe still has CP like he does in canon, but with the magical advantages of ✨Greater Restoration✨ he can generally function pretty well. He still gets tired sometimes though, so he carries around a walking staff as an aid just in case he needs one (also he can go whack whack. at least thats what Robbie tells him when he gets a little self conscious carrying it around).
Robbie has saved up enough money for Gabe to get a months worth of schooling at the Dawn Father Chantry in the city so he can learn to cast Greater Restoration on himself. Gabe's recent growth spurt has been causing him to need more and more frequent healings, and the Chantry in their home village of Hill Rock has been less and less obliging as of late (partially due to Robbies recent uh... condition. not that anyone would dare say it to his face of course).
Some extra fun doodles with expressions and thinking about how Desirat might look and interact with Robbie. I love when gods have a kind of twisted love for their special chosen people (plus some fun transformation horror cause its ✨me✨ were talking about what did you expect).
Also I really REALLY liked that top left sketch and got the rendering itch so I had some fun and painted it in.
Theres a whole fuckin. Second post to this au all lined up cause Moose when HAM on this. But its gonna take some more character designs so I'll need just a little time. but this will not be the last you see of this lol I promise <3
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