#phyr.3

[alrikhart]

"Place me first in line for a demonstration when you do, friend." Time. A fair request but when Alrik thought about the boon of time he silently thought of shackles as well. His life had felt long already, he couldn't imagine what it would be to live past a century, for two, or for three. One painful decade would roll into another, maybe he'd find bliss, but with years like that, it was inevitable to see that happiness ripped away. If time were a river then Alrik was happy to close his eyes and drift. "Another drink." It was a cheap answer and he felt that, so after the momentary smirk, his mouth faltered.

"Then a hint, as is fair." Alrik took a beat, it wasn't in his nature to divulge anything that might make him vulnerable in any way, but the displacement had left him with an air of absolute certainty. He was a violent creature, he knew this, and he was hardly fair toward those who trusted him most. Alessia among them. "I don't know, yet I'm not without options. The world is happening around me and I-" Alrik paused for a moment as he chipped away at a piece of the bar, earning a scowl from the wench before he ceased his fidgeting. "I don't see my place in it. I want to go home, but there's a barrier between me and Iskaldrik. The druids once traveled through the mist, I'm hoping to find my solution among their old stones." Another beat passed, "Home," Alrik added, "that's what I'd buy."

"Not yet." Maybe having a tail would be cool? Alrik's next question made him think, but not for long since he already had the answer, he just didn't think it was a good one. It was his nonetheless. "Time." As a Genasi he had time to spare for himself, but often did others worry about that, so he'd give it to those who needed it. If he had the chance back then, he'd have given it to his adoptive parents and to his siblings, and they'd still be around; it was a lonely life that of a Druid, he knew it through the arches, and it was even lonelier the life of a Genasi, tempered by the Dark One's power. "How about you?" He offered his best smile.

Zephyr shrugged. "Definitely none," And the many he'd met throughout life could attest to that, one thing that really made him rethink his disguise more than once before. "But haven't we established we're good friends already?" He teased back, stretching and crosing his legs shin to calf under the table. "I'm sure I will be needing your services in the near future, so I certainly will send a message when the time comes." There were many things he wished to know yet.

[snakedad]

Can i ask to know more about your ocs? They seem interesting and fun :3

of course!

porphyria is me! aka phy, Phyr, and pokili, all pronouns. I'm a low shapeshifting dragon, mostly right now i can swap between quad and biped, and change my size, but I'm working on adding a more interesting form to my repertoire

as for abilities, my blood glows, which is usually visible slightly in my wings, though it gets brighter when I'm blushing. that also means my insides and certain outsides also glow a pleasant dim purple, for any prey that find themself in there

on top of that, i have a cool party trick where i can inhale a vapor, let it percolate in my weird kidneys, and then exhale a concentrated version of it. it's mostly fun to get people drunk with, or high. i also use a very strong magical aphrodisiac called pearlpetal, which has led to some very enjoyable nights

(eli and Eliza and the rest below the cut)

eli is, for the most part, just a feral ferret. it's not particularly big, or endowed, or like. smart. just a little white ferret that, when it dies, pops back into existence next to its corpse

from what it's told me, it has the impressive and singular ability to be extremely annoying (i believe it completely). before it joined our caves, it made its living stealing small amounts from big hoards, then coming back to annoy them until it was... satisfied (read: torn apart repeatedly)

~

Eliza is newer, and mostly keeps to herself. she's an anthro garter snake, about 5'2 without the tail. we haven't gotten art of her yet because she has a very slender shape that most anthro snake artists don't do. she bakes very well, and about once a month she gets very needy and dominant for a night. outside of that though, we'll still have some innocent, she fun

~

maddie is our architect. she's a small brown stonemover gravelmouse (no her species has nothing to do with her profession. gravelmice tend to be freeloaders, or borrowers). she's very ace and generally uninterested in being eaten, though she's been mating pressed by eli once or twice to satisfy what little libido she does have. mostly though, she helps give us new rooms and makes sure everything stays stable

~

Lance is... i don't know much about Lance. i know of them, from eli, but it is very good at keeping secrets, and it's not really worth the effort. ask it yourself, maybe you'll have more luck

[kiasnocturnality]

Hi Kia I don’t know if you remember me but I own the blog called @miriiiecal (I sent in the replies about takeshi with darling who brought her tanuki-boy friend over.) well I’ve decided to go into making a proper functioning oc blog called @emphyrean-paracosm. I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me with all your lovely characters and that I absolutely adore your content .

so thank you I hope you stay safe and healthy. Drink lots of water have plenty of fulfilling meals, and just a genuinely happy time you deserve for all your hard work. 🍄✨✨💕💕💕💕🌾

-lots of love phyr

(if I over stepped any boundaries pls let me know and if I did I’m so so sorry)

AHHH!! no boundaries overstepped at all, sweetheart!! It fills me with so much joy to know I can inspire you and I hope I can keep on inspiring you <3

You take care of yourself too, darling xx

[phyr-it-up]

some ocs! duncan and luther. they’re demons and are currently dating <3 duncan alt on my twit luther alt on my twit

[ahotcupoftea]

Happy Pride Month ft. Secret

I haven’t done a Pride Month drawing before. I typically only ever draw my OCs so... Yeah. These characters are from my Secret Series: one relevant character from each book in the series.

Speedpaint Here. 

(Character Info Below the Cut from Left to Right)

Anjali Mina from Secret Switch (book 0.5). 

Anjali is a chaotic-neutral antagonist who has the ability to switch people's bodies. She does so with the protagonist Reika Junyin and the deuteragonist Tobias Dance, thus launching the story. Anjali becomes Reika's love interest halfway through the plot. Switch is intended to be a non-crucial introduction to the series' theme of soul manipulation.

Anthony Slaughter from Secret Zero (book 1).

Anthony could be considered the narrator of the entire series, being present throughout the entire series with the exception of Switch. He is specifically the sole narrator of Zero although the story revolves around his false love interest, Lucas. This story takes place over the entire Secret Timeline, therefore following all events in later books to some degree.

Derek Grey from Secret Reflections (book 2).

Derek is one of two protagonists of Reflections, the other being his twin, Dylan. Derek could be considered a character foil to Lucas, the deuteragonist of Zero. Derek doesn’t have a love interest for the sole reason that he just hasn’t met the right person. Any potential s/o would be under normal, non-plot worthy circumstances. Reflections focuses on and further expands on the concept of Liches, a Bodist type of necromancer.

Dais from Secret Curiosity (book 5).

Dais is a cat given human form. They’re a very old cat who is terrified of pretty much everything. Dais was given a golem’s body by Anjali as a dying wish to leave the house and see a child Dais had once taken a liking to under very specific conditions. The original name for this story was Curiosity Killed The Cat because the other protagonist, Danny, dug too much into Dais’ background and eventually broke Dais’ conditions.

Blake Novella from Secret Beloved (book 3).

Blake is the other protagonist alongside Rubee. This story actually delves a bit into the background of Terraria, the origins of people’s powers, and why Rubee and Blake seem to be immortal (they are). Blake and Rubee, in their youth, were engaged. As time passed, their romantic relationship turned platonic and both found new partners over the centuries. Blake is a traitorous, regretless man who spends a majority of this story mourning a romantic partner he actually really loved even though said partner’s power is Remembered Reincarnation. 

“I lost my husband this year to an illness.” “Stop telling everyone I’m dead.” “Sometimes I can still hear his voice.”

Sapphyr Mata from Secret Fate (book 4).

Better known as Phyr, she’s the protagonist Nyt’s older brother and can even be considered an antagonist to an extent. She’s the crown princess and later queen of the war-torn kingdom Nyeta. She becomes so stressed out in work that she essentially blackmails her brother away from his happy family in order to help her. I always have a self-insert in every story and Phyr is the one for Secret because I am also ACE. 

[dreamysunrays-archive]

Another visit

(Last time you said i should just submit it to avoid it getting eaten (Also i wanted to continue a bit further with it (I also added a headcanon of my own in there)))

What looked like a black bubbling mess on the floor began to grow and take shape. Last time Rayman was visited by a shadow-like creature that grew 6 different shaped arms, with a body that looked like it constantly moved in and out on it self.

This time though, a new creature rose, and this time it’s form was a lot more solid and well shaped.

Despite the creature being covered in shadows, if you look hard enough you could see what it looked like, and even what it’s colors “might” be.

It was a muscular, black reptilian-humanoid with orange eyes, silver spikey hair, three fingers on each foot, and bronzed claws on its hands and feet. Looking a bit harder, it would look like it’s left arm and eye was replaced with magichanical enhancements. (kinda like mechanical enhancements, but magic instead of technology)

What was most interesting was that on it’s right shoulder, what might appear to a symbol could be seen it’s shoulder.

Ly has shown that very symbol to Rayman. It belonged to House Chimera Leptys, one of the highest ranking Houses before the robot pirates attacked the People of Prhys capital on their home island.

House Chimera Leptys was head of creating new creatures, ranging from elementals, golems, gargoyles and colossus, all the way to magichanical creatures, rakshasas, minotaurs, orcs, thunderbirds, facelesses and other creatures.

While people of the Dream Glade was banned/outlawed to create life (Betilla did it anyway), because they think only Polokus is allowed to do that, the People of Prhys did not follow this rule since, just like the knaarens and dwarves, they were made by The Leptys, also known as the Night God, so they had free reign to do that.

The black reptilian-humanoid moved closer to Rayman, and stared with a gaze that clearly said 2 words; “Free me”.

Taking into account of the symbol it was tattooed with, it was clear that this was 1 of the many creatures created by House Chimera Leptys.

The humanoid lowered itself to Rayman’s eye level and began to talk. It’s voice sounded like it was in pain, like it was straining itself to talk to Rayman. It also had a high-Prhys accent.

“3 lies she’ll offer you, and 3 betrayels he’ll send you”. This was the same message that the creature from last time gave, although this, the humanoid showed Rayman an image. It showed Betilla talk to Rayman, and another image of Mr. Dark talking to Rayman, but it didn’t seem like Dark was trying to trick him, but more like WARNING him of something, or someone.

“I will try not to beat around the bush, but Jano’s curse makes it hard.”

“We are not so different you and us. We were both created to destroy the enemies of our people, but like us you’re trapped”.

A ring of black buddles arose around Rayman, and began to take the form of different creatures. “You can help us, and like vise we can help you little brother. You’ll need us, just as much as we need you.” Another vision showed up. It showed Jano breaking free from his prison along with his army of nightmares, some of them being fused with light magic even. It showed a new pirate fleet attacking under a banner that did NOT belong to Razorbeard. The final image was quite interesting.

“When the child of the sun and dreams meets his greatest defeat, unlikely allies and former foes will show up to aid him. When the queen of the broken kingdom accepts her role, she’ll lead her people into a new era. When Child of the sun and dreams, becomes the child of both night and day, champion of both the bubble dreamer and the nightbringer, he’ll face awaken the awaken the dead god ones more.”

As the humanoid said this, the vision became much clearer. It showed Rayman, 1 eye shining like a sun, the other like the moon. In his left glow he hold onto a staff like that Reflux used and his other glow was golden and his body was full of scars.

There were other people, some he knew and some he didn’t.

Besides him stood Ly, wearing both royal Prhys clothes, but also a cloak of shadows, which an arch-necromancers would wear, and she carried a staff with a green gem at the tip of it.

Knaarens of both the desert and snowy mountains was there to serve their champion in this war.

Than there was the infamous criminal Glombrox himself, along with Raymesis and Mr. Dark. Ales was there to, wearing a combat battlesuit that were loaded to the brim with weaponry.

Betilla, Helena, Annetta, Féfé, Holly, Edith, Zizanie, The Magician, Andrew, Tarayzan, Goth, Sir Globrax, Selah, Barbara, Ursula and many of his other friends where there, all wearing enchanted armor and was ready to fight, but some of the people he knew was missing, 3 of his friends who were quite experienced in the art of war wasn’t there. Where were they?

Umber, the guardian of stone and fire was there to, this time he looked more like the 3 other grolem guardians. Either he was upgraded or he simply entered a sort of “attack mode”.

Heavy armored xovars was present as well and ready for war, along with dragons and zaqs.

Even Admiral Razorbeard was present with his army of pirates, ready to fight both Jano and the new invading pirate fleet. There was a clear look of hatred on his face, weather it’s because of being forced to ally with Rayman, or because of the enemy fleet is up for debate.

And behind them all, it showed an army of both creatures that Rayman had never seen before, all wearing the House Chimera Leptys symbol on them, as well as undead creatures who had risen from the grave to serve both The First King, and the other necromancers that were present.

And than the vision disappeared, the black reptilian-humanoid who had shown Rayman these visions began to talk again.

“The prophecy says that this is how things will play out, but you can change it, give it a better outcome. Instead of waiting at the last moment, you can free us right away and drown yourself in the Night God’s blood as soon as possible. That way we can find the 3 traitors, and secure the safty of our home, and you will finally be free, just like we will be.”

With that the surrounding creatures disappeared, all having what appeared to be hope in their eyes, hope that Rayman would come and free them now, instead of waiting like in the prophecy.

black reptilian-humanoid looked at Rayman one last time, before it turned around and walked away, disappearing into the shadows as well.

Yet another weird dream. This time around, it didn’t seem as scary, but quite confusing neverthless.

Jano’s return, the villains accepting to help him... what was with it...?

The people of Phyr... weren’t they all gone, anyway? And... wasn’t he the Knaaren’s champion already...?

...

“...I should talk about it to mom...”

[alicecpacheco]

TEDx Salt Lake City - Time Well Spent

  I’ve just returned from TEDx Salt Lake City 2019 and I am super excited about the experience.  If you have ever watched any of the hundreds of TED talks online, you know what I’m talking about.

TED conferences bring together a myriad of different subjects and speakers are given 20 minutes to give the audience an incredible amount of info about whatever subject they are an expert on.

Here is the description straight from the TED website:

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 110 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

I spent the day learning incredible things from incredible people and then afterwards I was lucky enough to get a chance to spend some time talking with some of the speakers and learning even more.  Also, this isn’t just about learning, it is an *event*!   Held at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus, the breaks throughout the day allowed attendees to go outside and enjoy food trucks, dancers, scientific exhibits, and more.  The only way to really appreciate what these events are all about is to attend one in person.

Attending a TED Conference has been on my bucket list for a few years now.  I had originally thought that the meetings were something reserved for special individuals, but it turns out that all you need is a desire to learn and to purchase a ticket.  You can either visit the  TEDx Salt Lake website or you can go to the main TED website for ALL the details.  

Here are people and bios of those who brought me so much education on Saturday:

Cathy Callow-Heusser Instructional Designer and Educational Researcher Cathy Callow-Heusser started her career as a software engineer. She coded expert systems and multimedia applications while earning degrees in Instructional Design and Educational Research and Evaluation. She has worn many hats, but her happy place is teaching math. Cathy prefers to teach students who have traditionally struggled in math because she loves watching attitude changes as students become successful. The best decade of her career involved evaluating the Bureau of Indian Education’s (BIE) Reading First program and subsequent initiatives in literacy and math, as well as providing technical assistance to help teachers improve reading and math instruction. During this time, she and her teams traveled to 86 BIE schools throughout the US, which cemented her passion for honoring cultures and languages. Representation MATTERS! Cathy is the proud mom of 2 biological, 2 adopted, and 3 bonus children. She and her husband Val have 10 grandchildren.

Connor Behr Molecular Biology Student Connor Behr is currently a student at BYU PathwayConnect in pursuit of a degree in molecular biology, which he has loved and studied since he was 12 years old. He is skilled in the field and has experience shadowing at ARUP Laboratories and a summer internship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Connor received the Emperor Science Award in 2017 for his research in cancer development and treatment, and he conducted related gene and protein expression projects with Physarum polycephalum, an organism he has been studying for more than 9 years. He is currently heading a campaign called the PhyR Project for the development of an alternative insulin production technique.

Cynthia Bee Conservational Landscape Architect Cynthia works to translate the technical nature of landscaping into public friendly messaging as the Outreach Coordinator for the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District's Conservation Garden Park. Whether it's teaching landscape classes to homeowners or creating digital and social media marketing content, she's learned how homeowners think about landscaping-and how to influence them. Cynthia earned her Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture from Utah State University and has spent more than 20 years working in different sectors of the green industry.

David Kozlowski Marriage & Family Therapist David Kozlowski obtained a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from National University in San Diego. Since 1999, David has worked as a counselor, behavioral specialist, mental health worker, and therapist in group homes, crisis treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, drug addiction facilities, and schools for severely emotionally disturbed kids and teens. David has his own private practice, is the Host of the Light The Fight podcast, and is the Executive Director of the Non Profit Quit Trip’n.

Denise Druce Yoga Instructor For nearly four decades, Denise Druce has been inspiring people to live healthier, happier lives. She calls herself an Elevator…when you’re around her, you’re going up! Denise has taught a wide variety of fitness classes over the years, from step to indoor cycling to her current and lasting love, yoga. She teaches her students to stand at the “Soft Edge of the Hard Place” in fitness and in life. Her non-profit Yoga Forward is "taking yoga where it isn’t"…prisons, shelters, schools, and shopping malls. She has a Masters Degree in Public Health, is a Yoga Alliance E-RYT500, and is a breast cancer Thriver. She spends most weekends on the road, making the world a better place by getting more people trained to teach yoga everywhere. Denise and her husband, Michael live in Salt Lake City with their three boys.

Dr. Joey Wilson Engineer and Entrepreneur Dr. Joey Wilson is an acclaimed engineer and entrepreneur, focused on the field of sensing people using radio waves. Dr. Wilson’s breakthrough doctoral work on detecting and locating movement using wireless networks at the University of Utah has earned worldwide attention. Dr. Wilson is now the founder and CEO of XANDEM, a company focused on high-tech radio frequency sensors for applications like energy efficiency, elder care, healthcare and security. XANDEM was the first to research, design, and ship a product that utilizes everyday wireless networks to accurately detect and locate moving people within buildings. Joey and his team are now helping other businesses turn existing wireless devices into powerful people-sensing systems. In his free time, you can find Joey throwing a disc with his wife and two sons on the grassy fields near their home in Salt Lake City, finger picking his guitar, backcountry skiing through the trees, or trail running in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

Dr. Ruby Chou Executive Director, Mundi Project Dr. Ruby Chou is an arts executive, classical pianist, and educator. Ruby advocates for open access to pianos, music education, and innovative performances as the executive director of Mundi Project, a Utah-based nonprofit community music organization. Mundi Project is launching Utah’s first intergenerational music program at Neighborhood House in October. As an educator, she mentors 21st-century musicians as adjunct professor of piano and music entrepreneurship at Weber State University and specializes in teaching youth and adults in various learning environments. Ruby performs locally and nationally with professional, amateur, and young musicians. Ruby also serves on the board of directors for Utah Nonprofits Association. Dr. Chou earned a doctoral degree in Music and Human Learning from The University of Texas at Austin. She graduated from Manhattan School of Music in NYC with a master’s degree in piano performance and a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Utah.

Dr. Taylor Sparks Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Dr. Taylor Sparks is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah. He is originally from Utah and an alumni of the department he now teaches in. He did his MS in Materials at UCSB and his PhD in Applied Physics at Harvard University and then did a postdoc in the Materials Research Laboratory at UCSB. He is currently the Director of the Materials Characterization Lab at the University of Utah and teaches classes on ceramics, materials science, characterization, and technology commercialization. His current research centers on the discovery, synthesis, characterization, and properties of new materials for energy applications. He is a pioneer in the emerging field of materials informatics whereby big data, data mining, and machine learning are leveraged to solve challenges in materials science. When he’s not in the lab you can find him running his podcast “Materialism” or canyoneering with his 3 kids in southern Utah.

Em Capito LCSW Em Capito is an unconventional psychotherapist obsessed with the widespread loss of resilience in the face of overwhelming comfort. While studying her own trauma from the inside out, Em embarked on a series of experiments that led to a prescription for intentional discomfort. Em blends these experiential interventions with meditation and yoga therapy to build the holistic mind-body resilience that carries us through our darkest moments. She completed a master’s degree in social work at the University of Utah in 2007 and a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Phoenix in 2011. Em is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a certified LifePower yoga teacher, and a Dharana Method meditation teacher with a private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Foreign Figures Musicians Foreign Figures’ alternative take on pop music stems from the four very different humans that create it together: EJ, Steve, Seth and Jonny T. Formed in late 2014, the Utah band has achieved millions of streams online, received licensing deals from Fox, MTV and Fox Sports, and taken their charismatic live show to over half of the United States. The band’s sound and synergy comes from their desire to create something unique together that they couldn’t or wouldn’t create on their own. They view their creative differences and skills as something to celebrate, and collaboration as something special. The band name is a synonym for authenticity and imagination, which comes through lyrically in many of their songs, breaking down the culture of choosing sides. Everyone is a foreign figure to someone else in the world—if you’re unlike anyone else, then you’re a foreign figure.

Gerald Elias Musician, Author, Conductor, Composer Gerald Elias leads a dual life as an internationally acclaimed musician and award-winning author. A former violinist with the Boston Symphony and associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, Elias, performer, conductor, composer, and teacher has concertized on five continents. He has been music director of the Vivaldi by Candlelight chamber series in Salt Lake City since 2004. His Daniel Jacobus mystery series takes place in the dark corners of the music world where greed, ambition and lust lurk backstage. His debut novel, Devil’s Trill, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Two others have been recorded as unique audio books in which Elias performs musical clues. Elias has also authored a children’s story, Maestro, the Potbellied Pig. His 2018 essay, “War & Peace. And Music,” won 1st prize from the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Elias resides in Salt Lake City and West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Jaxon Willard Dancer, Choreographer Jaxon Willard dances at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio. He currently trains in numerous styles of dance, including Jazz, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Musical Theater and Ballroom. Jaxon has been dancing since before he could walk. He was a quick study and loved music and to move. He started choreographing early on as well. He made the Brigham Young University Youth Ballroom team when he was 12, but after much thought and heartache, he began his formal training for all styles of dance and dance company involvement. At his very first Nationals competition, the Dance Awards Vegas 2016, he placed in the Top 10 for the Best Dancer. The following year at the Dance Awards Nationals Vegas 2017, he was honored to be named the First-Runner Up for The Best Dancer, with a self-choreographed piece. Jaxon feels blessed to have the opportunity to have found something that brings him such happiness and allows him to express himself in a profound and positive way.

Jessica Baynes Founder, Healing in Motion Dance Jessica Baynes attended the University of Utah, where she received her BFA in Modern Dance. Jessica sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury during her freshman year and underwent almost two years of intensive rehabilitation to regain quality of motor function. During that time, she experienced social isolation, stigmatization, and loss of identity as a result of her injury. Since recovering, Jessica founded Healing in Motion Dance, an arts and medicine initiative that teaches rehabilitative ballet classes to participants with neurological conditions that impair neuromuscular function such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, and stroke. Her goals with the program are to physically strengthen and emotionally empower others with motor function inhibiting diagnoses, through ballet. Healing in Motion Dance serves as a platform on which collegiate dance and physical therapy students collaborate by designing adaptive ballet classes for patients in their local healthcare system.

Josh Taylor Creative Change Agent Josh Taylor is a filmmaker, designer, writer, art director, and creative strategist, but at his core, he is a Creative Change Agent and Business Storyteller. He helps companies in the midst of pivotal change/transformation moments, discover, craft and share their own stories through creative content, experiences, and workshops, in order to help their employees and customers build stronger emotional engagement and human connection to the business and its journey.

Karen Burns Assistant Director, Intermountain Therapy Animals After working in the corporate world for many years, Karen Burns found her true passion in a non-profit organization, Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA). Karen is the Assistant Director of ITA and manages Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Programs in 30 (and growing) schools and libraries in the state of Utah. She has partnered with three different therapy animals over the past two decades, and is also a licensed ITA Workshop Instructor and R.E.A.D. Instructor. Karen enjoys traveling around the country and internationally training others to use our literacy support program, R.E.A.D., in their communities. Karen remains passionate about sharing the gifts our four-footed friends can offer people during difficult times in their lives. They offer hope, healing, fun and a sense of normalcy in settings where that is rarely otherwise possible.

Kotryna Liepinyte Student Kotryna Liepinyte is a former undergraduate student from the University of Utah with a BA in English Literature and Communications. She was born in Kaunas, Lithuania and is passionate about honoring her foreign culture and engaging in conversation about immigration stereotypes. Kotryna's mission is to provide an open dialogue about the representation of immigrants in local and global news. Kotryna intends to pursue her education and passion by attending law school. She also enjoys traveling around the world and experiencing a variety of cultures.

LeBaron Family Singing Family The LeBaron family was brought to the limelight when a casual recording of their family karaoke night went viral. Dennise LeBaron had requested that her children make her a video of them singing “One Day More.” The LeBaron children and their spouses all love to sing, so they happily complied. The video was posted to Facebook, and by the end of the week, it had over 8 million views! When the children were very young, they showed themselves to be extremely musical and eager to perform. Mom and Dad, musicians themselves, were pleased to instruct them in the hope that sharing music would create strong bonds between their children. After the oldest daughter, Holli passed away in 2002, the remaining siblings have prolonged her legacy through music. The family attributes its closeness to the memory of Holli and her deep appreciation for music and their family’s religious faith. The LeBarons hope to not only share their music with the world, but make everyone who hears it feel like family.

Rob Landes Violinist Take a classically-trained violinist who began studying at the age of 3, add two music performance degrees, include a loop pedal and a dash of humor, and you have Rob Landes. Rob Landes has become a sensation on both YouTube and Bilibili (China’s most popular short-video platform) for his combination of video game music, pop music, comedy, and costumes. With over 1.6 Million subscribers worldwide and 160 million views online, Rob has delighted diverse audiences with hundreds of musical covers. As to his live performances, Rob Landes has opened for T-Pain, Rachel Platten, and Jason DeRulo, while also having performed at New York Fashion Week, Carnegie Hall, the Sundance Film Festival, throughout Europe, Northern Africa, Southeast Asia, and now TEDxSaltLakeCity!

[mangle-foxno1-blog]

Фыр-фыр! (Привет) Я робот, по имени Мангл. По началу меня звали Funtime Foxy. Но это не совсем имя... Мангл, кто не знает переводиться как поколеченный. Mngled-поколеченный Я художник. Поэтому буду выкладывать интересные фан арты и посты. А также фанфики,музыку и гифки. Рисую на бумаге:3 И на компе, через Sai. Нажимайте Читать. И пишите мне❤ Foxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfoxfox Phyr-phyr! (Hi) I'm a robot named Mangle. At first, I was called Funtime Foxy. But that's not really a name ... Mangle, who does not know how to translate as healed. Mngled-maimed I am an artist. So I'll post interesting fan of art and posts. And also fanfics, music and gifki. I'm drawing on paper: 3 And on your computer, through Sai. Click Read. And write to me

[lilo-stich18]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Hellboy (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John Myers/Nuada Characters: Nuada (Hellboy), John Myers, Hellboy Summary:

John gets shipped to Antarctica and eventually meets Nuada. A take on the things that happened in between the movies. Once this is done I'll be able to post all the shorts that didn't fit here to their own story.

[alrikhart]

"Like a cat with two legs, do you have a tail as well?" Alrik turned the empty remnants at the bottom of his cup around as he swirled them idly. His dark eyes followed their stir resentment for the uncertainty of his circumstances bubbled. He had a single coin that could buy him... Anything, but what did Alrik want? What did he really need? The things that Alrik desired were beyond the reach of any coin. "If you could buy just one thing, regardless of cost, what would it be?"

Alrik laughed, "Why would I ever do that? What honor is there among merchants?" Teased, but only lightly, he raised a brow in Phyr's direction before he gestured toward the bartender for another drink. "If you have need of my services again, you can get a message to me. I do still need work and the Lysarans toss more coins at stray dogs than they do a dock worker." Capitalism - she was a fucking bitch.

The former Druid shrugged. "I did sell it though, just not for money." He winked at the other, after all, money was very unimportant to the Genasi, even if he knew all too well money was power. "I do intend on landing on my two feet in style." No more to be added, Phyr had a mind

"That is true..." Sometimes Zephyr wondered what was going through other people's minds, and Alrik was one he could never figure out, and maybe he should have stopped a long time ago since he knew the witch didn't wish to be figured out. "That's a plan if I've ever seen one." He pointed out with a larger smile. Grouping all his ideas together in a linear trajectory made for a crazy plan but still possible with the right effort. "Hmm... If you figure it out someday, please, don't hesitate to call for me... I'm all ears." He giggled.

[alrikhart]

"Fortunate for me you're not selling then," That would have been an easy way for the merchant to produce some quick coin, but as it happened it seemed like Phyr had managed well enough on his own. "something tells me you'll land on your feet." From what he knew about the other, he wasn't a man who was easily kept down.

"Not everything is for sale." Subterfuge was one thing, but he wouldn't become the thing that he'd been trained to kill, lest his own name appear on a coin someday. "I think... All of the above, but in the opposite order. Marry a noble, rescue them from a tower, go on an adventure, and then make a new name before starting a new life." Alrik smirked before a weary hand moved to scratch at the side of his head; there was a multitude of things he wished to do, but there was one place where he'd begin. "I'll explore a bit, and assess my options. There are some things I'd like to see."

The other's remark made a small smile show up on his corners. That greed was something he could respect on the young witch. "I am giving you more than I have myself, if you think about it. Didn't I lose most of my products and belongings back in Iskaldrik?" It was a fun thought to be so desperately poor, it'd been long since the days of simplicity when he had nothing to his name when he was but a small child with his siblings and his foster parents. Money to a being such as himself was just something he could accumulate over time, though, so it was not something that bothered him much.

A short laughter left the Genasi's mouth as he thought about Alrik's words, not because it was a funny thought, but because that was a good read. If there was one thing Phyr knew how to do was earn money - and also spend it on useless stuff. He was certain his business would thrive if he would say so himself, but it was honestly something he'd still have to work on for a few years to make it worth the time spent on a single place, and not adventuring around the globe, although he didn't plan on staying put either. "Oh, I'm sure my old acquaintances would be more than capable to fill their pockets themselves if they so wished..." The man in front of him had skills many would pay large amounts for, if properly advertised. "If I may ask, what are your plans going forward? Start a new life with a new name? Go on adventures? Save a noble from a tower and marry them?"

[alrikhart]

"A year? Is that it? I didn't know you were so destitute, here I was thinking you were a Lysaran man of means." Alrik tutted as he sat back with some measure of comfort, the cisterns reminded him of the barrens beneath Yggdrasildal; it made him wonder if he'd end up disappointed everywhere he went. Alessia had been so pent on seeing the world beyond Iskaldrik but Alrik never wanted to leave home, everywhere he went that was precisely where he'd be. The nobility wore different masks here, and different regalia, but to the common person they were all the same. People here bled the same and muttered the same curses on their death rattle.

Riding on the wings of Alrik's last comment, he felt the smile ease into his grave-seeped candor. "One who will hopefully gain a better fortune in the days ahead, one that you can share with old acquaintances." His own drink emptied, he gestured for another as he ruminated over recent events. Alrik's thoughts wandered but he pulled them back to the present; this wasn't Iskaldrik anymore and in a place like Eterna it'd be a simple thing for someone to steep into the back of his synapses. Stories abound of Olympians playing in the minds of their lesser, Alrik didn't intend to be caught so unaware.

Zephyr was a merchant who didn't really care to trick others into bad deals, so the thought of leaving bills for the other to pay out of his own pocket when he didn't have a way to do so at the moment was absurd. "That's a good question." One that he knew the other would ask and that he'd worked with his connections to give the other the most of his stay there, however short that may be - at least to the Genasi who saw a regular witch's lifespan as too short. "Everything should be in check for a year... I think you can adjust yourself to this new environment by then."

In all truth, there was little room for trouble when it came to that deal, Phyr could be a thief by occupation due to his past in the Thieves' Guld, but he was no liar and no deceiver when it came to his word. Rani was there only to report problems and not really as a spy on the other's affairs, although she did have a good training on the matter and was a proficient fighter nonetheless. "If you're left with any further questions, you can ask the housekeeper, she should be better at answering them than I am." He smiled over at the other, picking up his cup. "I am just a merchant."