#picture me in a kayak. where i belong

[visceravalentines]

I'm in Canada btw. if u even care

[mjmenvs3000w24]

Blog 1: Connected to Nature

Hello, ENVS*3000 friends! I'm Maia, and I am in my third year of Biological Sciences. Welcome to my first blog :)

I would describe my current connection with nature as a profound yet carefree essence. I come from the city, more precisely, North Toronto; I found myself yearning for nature's embrace from a young age, perhaps triggered by its scarcity in my urban surroundings. Recognizing my affinity, my dad, a nature enthusiast, actively fueled my passion through camping adventures, hiking escapades, and shared moments immersed in captivating David Attenborough documentaries. In the midst of a large Italian family, where the majority remained indifferent to the natural world, I stood out as the quiet one, the nature lover, aspiring Dr.-to-be. Amidst this, my dad became my reliable support, sharing the same passion for the great outdoors. His passion for wildlife and landscape photography became a shared pursuit, complete with my very own camera.

Photo of a male wood duck shot by Dino Melissa

Despite a bustling upbringing as a competitive dancer for 17 years—which is not exactly an outdoor sport—I surrounded myself with nature books, my dad's photographs, and nature documentaries. Unfortunately, while balancing a hectic city life, the opportunities for my dad and I’s outdoor adventures diminished over the years. However, as I am maturing and expanding my knowledge, I continuously discovered new ways to appreciate nature and its interconnected web of life - not mosquitoes though…

In my quest to inspire others to view nature through a similar lens as I do, I spent the past summer at a wildlife hospital, manning the front desk. Handling cases ranging from fallen hawks to orphaned baby raccoons to pigeons with string around their feet, I strived to educate callers about wildlife while debunking misconceptions. Some common ones are that pigeons are dirty and will give us diseases, and snakes are evil - spoiler alert, both are very wrong! While not everyone appreciated or grasped the educational aspect—some mistaking us for pest removal—many left with a newfound understanding of Ontario's wildlife. Small changes, after all, contribute to a broader impact of protecting our native species. This job expanded my knowledge - which I still try to share with anyone who will listen - and played a pivotal role in further evolving my relationship with nature.

Picture of an American Kestrel

One place that has bestowed upon me a profound sense of place is my cottage—a haven of tranquillity like no other. Nestled on about an acre of land, backing onto a forest, it teems with diverse wildlife such as deer, coyotes, foxes, turkeys, grouse, and a plethora of native plants. Whether quietly observing the tree line or engaging in summer activities like kayaking and hiking, the ambient sounds of water, wind, and nature's symphony create a genuine sense of place; whenever I am there I feel as if I belong there. It's here that I yearn to escape city living permanently, trading it for the allure of a rural plot of land to live off of sustainably. 

Picture of the backyard during the winter

The dream of owning a small farm and caring for animals has been a lifelong goal of mine. The charm of sustainable living intertwines with my passion for nature; here is where I hope to coexist in harmony. Through responsible practices and a deep connection with nature, I aim to contribute to the preservation of the natural world, all while feeling a permanent sense of place like no other.

[futurebird]

Hudson River Monster

In picture books about natural history, at the museum, I have seen many curious creatures that lived long ago that would be monsters to the modern world. But never did I think I should encounter such a beast.

In late August when the water is warm I take my kayak to the Hudson to help supervise the swimmers who are compelled (for some reason) to swim across that river in great rafts of churning arms. It's a famous race: The Hudson Mile Swim. It is very exciting to swim in view of the Manhattan skyline, where the river is at its widest. Every year the event grows more popular.

Volunteers with kayaks are in high demand, and it's fun to have a little vest that says "Race Captain" and a radio, which we use mostly for gossip and to complain about the swimmers getting lost.

I am a kind of aquatic sheep dog. It is common for swimmers to become disoriented and end up far from the main group. Those of us in kayaks guide them back to safety.

So the event is a kind of water marathon, like the NYC marathon, but stranger. The event always makes me think how poorly humans are suited to water. But, humans are hard-headed and go everywhere we do not belong.

I had just prodded the 5th swimmer with a paddle urging her to get back with the main group when out of the corner of my eye I saw something, driftwood? Another kayak? No.

It was bigger than a kayak-- the surface swelled, shimmered with dark wet scales, but as soon as I saw it-- it was gone.

Something was in the water with the swimmers. Something longer than my little boat. Something alive.

There have been whales and dolphins in the Hudson before. So, at first I was kind of excited to see a great cetacean. But, then I remembered-- scales, a crested dorsal fin. Nothing in earths waters is that large with those features.

I was just convincing myself that it must have been river trash when something brushed my boat, something powerful. Before me the swimmer I was guiding back to the group was treading so I shouted. But, she didn't hear!

The water parted and in a flurry of limbs she was dragged under. I want to say that I moved, that I did something but I was frozen.

The waters of the Hudson are dark and murky. You cannot see even a few inches into the depths. Something with a wide mouth, with scales came close enough to the surface to take her by the leg and with her went under, disappearing into darkness.

And then it was as if there had never been a swimmer there at all. The happy sounds of the race still carried over the water. I strained to see into the depths where she vanished, and perhaps there was some movement, distant and violent.

Something small was rising. A swimmers cap floated unhurried to the surface, and bobbed in the rivers gentle waves.

Suddenly the hull of my boat felt very thin. I could feel the cool water through the plastic the churning motion of the waves or of something below. The frozen feeling peeled away, and I broke into a panicked sweat and action.

I thrashed the water with my paddle, hoping to find the swimmer again. I couldn't really process what I had just witnessed. (It ate her! It ate her!) I locked the radio on my neck to broadcast and screamed "Something ate one of the swimmers!" I continued to push my paddle around in the area where she vanished... looking back this didn't make much sense. What did I expect? That she would grab it?

It was not a desperate swimmer that grabbed my paddle, but something else. I tugged back, but that made my kayak lurch, threatening to tip me into the water. To avoid being pulled over I had to let the paddle go.

And that paddle, which was designed to be *very* buoyant, was pulled away from my hands, vanishing swiftly into the impenetrable silty depths. Whatever took it was massive, incredibly strong--

Frozen with terror, I focused now on staying still. I focused on communicating clearly with the race directors in a hoarse, clear whisper. They were questioning my message, but had decided that I must have meant I was dealing with a drowning. "Send the zodiac." I repeated over and over. "Send the zodiac. Now."

I could see the Zodiac raft motoring my way. The race director thought I was having some sort of breakdown. The red rubber cap of the swimmer still floated in the water next to my now badly mangled paddle. I hadn't seen it return to the surface. I didn't dare reach for it.

But, now with the race director and two other kayakers nearby, everyone was asking questions. I pointed to the swim cap, which had a number on it as required by the race rules.

"Are you certain that someone didn't just loose their cap?" Asked the director.

"I don't know what else to say. Something pulled her under."

"Maybe some kind of machinery?" Suggested another volunteer.

The race director retrieved my paddle. As he handed it to me he noticed how one of the sides had been mangled, how it was bent.

"Probably time to get some new equipment." He said in a good natured way.

"Whatever took that swimmer?" I said. "It did that to my paddle." To this he did not respond. By now someone had radioed the swimmer's number and they were trying to find her on the beach. The race was nearly over.

"You aren't going to find her on the beach." I said and found I was fighting tears.

The race director nodded slowly.

"Listen, can I just." I had to stop talking since by voice was quivering. "Can I just paddle in? I don't even know what I saw, but I don't want to be on the water anymore."

The race director was scanning the water around my boat as if it might hold further clues. He looked at me again.

"This isn't some stupid prank is it?"

I just stared.

"Let's all get back to shore." He decided.

[nekoannie-chan]

Vacation

Title: Vacation.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Reader.

Word count: 172 words.

Square: C5 “Tropical vacation.”

Rating: Teen.

Summary: Steve and you need some vacations.

Major Tags: Fluff.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @cabottombingo Captain Bottom Bingo round 2. CABB2024.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @harrysthiccthighsss @marvelatthisonee @caplanbuckybarness @sapphire-rogerss @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot5555 @here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard

Steve and you were looking forward to the vacation that you had well deserved after years of missions. At this point, you were tired of the daily routine. After weeks of planning and anticipation, the day finally arrived when you would head to that faraway paradise. You would not let anyone or anything ruin your long-awaited trip.

When you arrived at your destination, your jaws dropped; it was a visual paradise, far better than you had imagined. The moment you landed, you felt the warm embrace of the tropical air and the salty breeze caressing your faces. You couldn't stop taking pictures to capture every moment. You couldn't even describe the beautiful place in words because it just wasn't enough.

The most fun day was when you decided to go kayaking in the nearby lagoon. You paddled together long enough to reach a small, uninhabited island, where you decided to spend the day. You built sand castles, enjoyed an impromptu picnic, and dove into the lagoon, admiring the beauty below the sea.

[renewherself]

Huntinality III: Hunts Upon a Time

Link's Final Stand

- Identified the sell prices as indicators of word length for the rebus solutions (rupee number divided by 100) and attack power as the numbers for indexing - Identified rebuses for CAPRICE, DISCOVERED, EARNEST, GENERATING, TENANTS, and THINKING - Identified mechanic where the solutions to the rebuses were the ways to defeat the various Ganondorf forms (as their sort-of opposites)

Into the Woods [Meta]

- Identified "SEE THE KING" as a possible candidate for an unsolved feeder puzzle and caught an oversight where "SELL THE COW" had two possible slots where it could fit and had been inserted into the wrong one

Missing Members

- Identified the extraction method: use ROYGBIV ordering for the colors associated with each substring and read the first letters of the substrings

Around the World

- Identified 8/12 of the video games - Identified 30/45 of the locations, characters, items, and objectives clued - Figured out the ordering method for extraction: order by video game release year - Figured out the question being asked, clued by the extracted phrase GIANT SPARROW, was WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH, and the answer and final puzzle answer was FINCH

Weaving

- Figured out the clues "Process which breaks on reordering" and "In rock is ore" were a pair and had to be interwoven together to produce the cryptic crossword clue "PROCESS IN WHICH ROCK BREAKS IS ON ORE REORDERING" and the answer "EROSION"

Creatures [Meta]

- Figured out that each letter of the alphabet only appeared once in the first halves of the clues, as indicated by the flavor text, which was an altered version of "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" - Figured out that the answers to the clues needed to be paired with the feeders to produce the name of a specific animal species, e.g. + (Animal/coloration descriptor) ZEBRA + FINCH + (Autonomous prefecture) CHUXIONG + FIRE-BELLIED NEWT - Figured out the answer to the clue "Headgear descriptor" was CASQUED to pair with the feeder OROPENDOLA

What's Next?

- Solo-solved, including figuring out that the solutions to the rebuses all appeared in the lyrics to the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire" and indexing into the item that occurs next in the list in the song

Are You The One?

- Figured out the clues indicated wordplay that revealed which letters each person wanted to see in their perfect match's name, including: + Match who appreciates a good kayak or racecar and loves their mom is AVA + Someone who can drive them around is GIOVANNI + Partner who follows a straight edge lifestyle is HEATH + Match who will sit down and rest after adding a man to their life is OTTO + Partner who knows all the right angles for pictures is ELLIE

How Many Reps?

- For the Chinese Zodiac subpuzzle, figured out that the clues "VASTLY POWERFUL," "VEER ONTO A TANGENT," and "DON'T RUSH" belonged to this category with the respective answers of "STRONG AS AN OX," "DOWN A RABBIT HOLE," and "HOLD YOUR HORSES" - Also figured out the extraction method for this subpuzzle: indexing the place of each animal in the Chinese Zodiac into each associated clue phrase to get WALRUSSIA

Candies and Stories

- Identified the altered fairy tale titles "THE FOG AND THE SPARROW," "THE RUBBER BRIDEGROOM," and "THE WOLF AND THE KITS"

Keep Out

- Determinedly (teammates spectated me continuing to solve this puzzle even after the last meta had been solved) solo-solved (except for places where my math was corrected by teammates because sleep deprivation caused me to forget everything I knew about PEMDAS), including: + Creating a comprehensive map of the text adventure game in Google Sheets + Identifying the chemical compounds used as ingredients + Figuring out the two ingredients needed for each colored cauldron had to be related to a real life compound that causes fire to change to that color...and then proceeding to brute force the ingredients because I was very tired and thought that would be easier than just looking up the compounds in question + Figuring out the signs being described in the text adventure game were GHS hazard pictograms based on the text in the first room that says, "DANGER: Gruesome Horrific Science inside." + Figuring out each set of secret rooms represented the NFPA fire diamond for the chemical compounds used to unlock the rooms

[kkbarksdale]

Day 5- Guests Arrived!

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

This day was one that we always knew would be what we called a “wash”. We had too many tasks to complete and people to see, so this day never was a big part of our vacation. We started our morning slow, since we went to bed so late the night before with kayaking. We were so sad, because we had to check out of our first AirBnb. We grew to really love this little AirBnb. It wasn’t the nicest place, but the views were amazing and Cody and I had so many memories in it. We slowly completed our morning routine, and packed up our suitcases. I haven’t really talked much about our AirBnb yet, but it was over ran with little stray cats. We loved them all and gave them names. One was a grey tabby like our kitty back home, and we named him our kitty’s name backwards- Goob. There was also a black and white kitty that looked kind of scary with big balls, so we named him Toby. We packed up our little green Jeep with our belongings and said goodbye to our first St. Thomas home for 5 days. 

We ended up having a big change of plans for this day. Our friends Natalie and Austin accidentally rented their AirBnb for an extra night, so we now had a place to hold our luggage! This allowed Cody and I to grab a group of people from the airport. Most everyone already had rides set up, so we ended up being able to get all of the Barksdale group. This day starts to get very chaotic from here. Cody and I are in the midst of putting our suitcases in the Jeep when I get a call from a St. Thomas number. It was actually our CostULess order being confirmed that it is ready for pick up! This was very exciting because we weren’t supposed to pick it up until 3:30 or later. Cody and I decided we would go pick up our $500 grocery haul, and then head over to Austin and Natale’s AirBnb to drop off our luggage and any cold groceries. Then we would head over to the airport around 1:30 to pick up anyone who needed a ride. This was our soft plan and we thought it made the most sense. Once we grabbed our groceries, we headed over to our friend’s AirBnb over in Sapphire Beach. Once there, the security gate guard really hassled us about which AirBnb we were staying in. We had to lie and say we were checking in later than our friends already there. We were unable to reach either of them because they were out for a hike. The guard was frustrated with us, and we were too. We ended saying we would go to the bar and wait for them when we realized that we didn’t have enough information about this place to find their AirBnb. We sat in the car mulling with frustration, trying to figure out what to do until 1:30 when we had to go pick up our family from the airport. After about 30 minutes of waiting, our friends finally gave us a call and informed us that their AirBnb was further up the hill. We left our spot to go try and find their condiminiums instead. On the way up the hill, I recieved yet another St. Thomas call, and boy was this a miracle and game changer call for us. It was the owner of the villa we were checking into later that day! His name was Chris and he was calling to tell me that we could check in earlier than 4:30. This was a big change to our day and came at the PERFECT time. We were about to make multiple heavy, tiresome trips hauling lugage and food into an AirBnb that would eventually need to be taken back out. With that phone call, we were off to the villa!

Cody and I arriving at the villa was almost magical. It was more beautiful than any pictures we had seen. We were blown away by how amazing it was. This little moment was one of my favorites of the trip. It was so fun exploring the villa we were living in for the weekend. They also had way more amenities than we were expecting, such as multiple coolers! This was always a stress point during planning for us as we never knew or could find where to rent coolers from for our beach day wedding across the island. There was an industrial ice maker. A beautiful infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean blue ocean. Cody and I had pre-determined which rooms we wanted people to potentially stay in. I personally was very torn between the upstairs master and one of the downstairs suites. When we arrived, we found that the downstairs was like an open area level with private suites. One had been recently renovated and had been described as a new downstairs master. Cody and I walked in and instantly knew we wanted to stay in that room. It had electric blinds that opened with a remote to view the ocean. It was perfect for Cody and I’s sunrise mornings. Another luxury fact about this home, is that the beds were sooooo comfy. They were the nicest beds I’ve ever slept in. Also, the owner of the villa was a baddest non-native local named Chris Brewer. He owns a construction company along with multiple villas. He is self-made and super successful in the VI. 

After the tour, Cody and I tag teamed getting all of the groceries and luggage out of the Jeep. We were both so sweaty but got it done! We then rushed off to the airport to grab our guests! It was such an exciting time because probably 70% of our guests had arrived around 1pm. the Barksdale crew was very hard to wrangle. They were all overwhelmed and in a culture shock, however they were all excited to be here. I started to stress around this time and struggled shaking the stress for the next couple of days. Cody and I split up at this time. I drove one load of people, he drove another, and Austin and Natalie had another crew. I ended up dropping Stephen, Terry, and Donna off at their villa. Unfortunately GPS did not take us to their exact villa, and everyone in the car was stressing out. Finally, Corky and I headed to the villa. At that time, Lauren and Brandon were already there and picked out their bedroom. At this point, things got a little blurry for me because so many people were arriving and settling in. I was really dying to see my family but they ended up staying at their condo and settled in. By the evening, we had a mini wedding party at our house. Most all of our guests that were in St. Thomas, came over to the villa to party and greet us. It was quite the evening! Everyone was so blown away by how amazing the villa was. We all got a lil drunk but still managed to get in bed by 10 pm. One small cute memory I have from that night, was staying up a little later with Austin and Natalie. I was chatting with them in the kitchen and smoked a lil joint because I was struggling to relax. I ended up showing them that we had a gated driveway that you pushed a button and the gate closed. I did this, and we all laughed and cheered. 

One memory I do have from this evening, is trying to take a group picture with the villa crew plus Carson, Hunter and Holly. Cody placed his camera on a tripod and we tried so hard to take a group picture. It was quite comical because Cody does not know how to work his camera, and neither did anyone else. The camera was on like rapid flash, and kept taking a million pictures. At one point, I was standing in front of the camera, and it flashed right in front of my eyes lol. We ended up getting a good one, and it was a fun memory for us all!  

[aphrodites-law]

"Clarke is matched with Lexa, whose speciality is domestic, girlfriend scenarios". I zeroed in on this like a T-1000. Does it involve soft, yet confident, Lexa and baggy, cable-knit sweaters?

Haha I was encouraged to resurrect this from the ashes by @dreamsaremywords, but it’s basically that, yeah. Each chapter would be a “scenario” and as time goes on, feels get deeper. It’s all very rough stages. Here’s an excerpt:

Clarke can’t help it: she clicks on every profile, spending the evening reading, scrolling, and daydreaming about meeting this or that person in a normal setting.

It’s the seventeenth profile that has Clarke really pause. The woman is her age, dressed in a leather jacket in her profile photo but a simple fall sweater and black jeans in her full body one. It’s the first profile where the full body shot isn’t a predictable pose in a bikini, underwear, or some tight fitted outfit with a vista in the background. The woman’s eyes are intense in her profile but softer in her other photos. Her specialty is body worship and Clarke feels a bit hot and bothered just reading the words.

Her name is Lexa.

Lexa has light skin, full lips and thick brown hair that falls below her shoulders. She has a regal air about her, like she missed her century and belongs on a throne in a castle. Clarke can easily picture a crown on her head, admittedly a strange thought. It’s the way she sits and stares at the camera, so self-assured and in control. She only smiles in one photo, where she’s looking at someone off camera. It’s such a sweet smile that Clarke wonders how it feels to be on the receiving end of it, knowing it's as genuine as can be.

Her heart pounds and her fingers itch to send a formal request to partner up. The other people are just as dauntingly stunning, but there’s something else about Lexa. Once Clarke thinks about Lexa holding her waist, or kissing her until she’s dizzy, she can’t stop.

For just this time, Clarke wants someone to look at her like she means something more than a quick fuck. Like she isn’t disposable. If she could just know what it feels like for once, to be loved, even if it’s a perfect illusion, she could move forward with her life. If Lexa could show her what she’s missing out on; could show her it’s worth the fight...

Clarke takes a breath and clicks on Lexa’s contact button. A page opens to enter availability and Clarke immediately checks the Saturday and Sunday boxes. Anything else is much too soon. Beneath it Lexa has a list of tailored scenarios for her, not all sexual - though one is downright filthy - with the broad outlines enough to paint a picture and the overall tone the domestic preference that Clarke expressed:

- I’m taking you to the Mount Weather adventure park. We’ll stay at a cabin, kayak on the river, go on a zip-line tour of the canopy, and stargaze until we fall asleep.

- We're on our fifth date and I’m coming over with takeout. We both know tonight is different; special. I want to keep you up until sunrise.

- We’ve been together a year. Today is our anniversary and nothing will stop me from treating you like my queen.

- We broke up a few weeks ago after three years together. We’re both angry at each other. I need to pick up a box of my things. When you open the door I can’t help myself - I need to have you again. You pull me inside.

 Clarke feels a blush creep on her cheeks. She’s never slept with anyone without at least some previous interaction and can’t imagine picking the last scenario. She figures it’s for people used to getting into character immediately. Her... she needs to wet her feet before she dives in. At least have a conversation before she’s spreading her legs. Chewing on her bottom lip, she reads over the other three options.  

The adventure sounds exciting, but it’s an unfamiliar environment with a stranger and Clarke’s not too comfortable with that yet. She settles on the second one. It aligns itself better with their situation and Clarke is grateful for the option to be at her apartment. It’ll help keep her nerves at bay and it gives her more control. Lexa must’ve anticipated this when she wrote both indoor and outdoor scenarios. The second scenario leaves more wiggle room. It might end up with Clarke naked and spent, but she’s still the client. If she’s not feeling it, she can end it with her safe word. It’s just a fantasy, she reminds herself. 

[endlich-allein]

Once again, @iinchicore was very kindly to translate an article for me. This is the interview with Till and Joey in MetalHammer (January 2021). The boys tell about their journey in the Amazon and their future projects together.

A big thank you, lots of kisses and a big hug to @iinchicore ♡

Till Lindemann & Joey Kelly : Friendship Without Limits

MetalHammer: How did the preparations for this journey differ in comparison to your Yukon trip?

Joey Kelly: We took along different equipment. While riding on the Yukon we used sturdy Canadian kayaks, which we couldn't find in Colombia. So we took along our own foldable 15 kilogramme kayak. Due to the climate, our choice of clothing was also different. Besides, the Amazon is much more dangerous than Alaska. There are many dangerous animals, small and big ones. You can find snakes, crocodiles and piranhas, which is why you shouldn't bathe in the river. You have to move differently on the Amazon than on the Yukon, where you only have to keep your distance to bears and elks. Amazonia is a jungle, where only those animals survive who eat the others.

Your first river journey led you to the Yukon, now you travelled on the Amazon. Was there a reason for why you picked that river exactly?

Till Lindemann: We were considering to travel along the Chinese Yangtze or the Lena in Russia, Siberia. Siberia was my favourite, but Joey convinced me to go to the Amazon. We have both been there before and knew a little about how to prepare and what to expect. One thing we knew right away was that, in regard to the nature and people, South America was much more exciting – Siberia looks similar to Alaska. That wouldn't have been all that interesting for our second book. Now the contrast is much greater: Alaska is austere and glum, the Amazon is the exact opposite with an entirely different wildlife and vegetation. Don't forget the wonderful colours of South America!

Any fascinating experiences of nature?

TL: It is really rare to spot an animal in the jungle. You can hear them everywhere, but they hide or are disguised very well. With the help of the local guides we observed snakes, birds, monkeys and a tapir. We saw pink dolphins and watched them do their jumps on the river. Because of their skin-like colour the locals believe they're incarnations of their dead loved ones and worship them.

How did the locals at the river react towards you?

TL: Reluctant, at first. You go to them and, for example, ask whether you can stay the night. They don't really talk much in the beginning, but after a night with a lot of Cachaca they warm up to you. Usually they were interested in our fishing gear. Most of them had never seen something like it, as they were used to fishing with rolled up strings and nets. I was amazed that every village we visited, no matter how remote the location, owned fridges with cold beer, they even had solar energy. Huge satellite dishes to watch football. For three days we visited one particular village. There was a storm, so they allowed us to stay. There was an older guy who had fallen off his stilt house, drunk, and broke his foot. Two young men went to the neighbouring village, a day's journey away, to get the shaman. The man should have belonged to a hospital, but that was entirely out of the question for him. It either heals on its own or it doesn't. We bandaged his foot and supplied him with pain meds. Then we continued drinking.

Did you plan beforehand what you wanted to see during your journey?

TL: Yes, a coca plantation. We knew that they existed there everywhere. At first, it was a lot of back and forth. They were staving us off, but after a lot of endless waiting and our patient agreeing to it, they allowed us to go. Along with two attendants from the village, we paddled down a branch of the Amazon that became narrower over time. A labyrinth of branches we would have never found our way out of. Eventually, we ended up at one of the countless plantations. It wasn't harvest time, however, so the leaves weren't ripe yet. But you could see all the tools for it: mashers, bags, and hundreds of bowls. And a little storage.

Did you try the coca leaves?

TL: Yes. We were on the plantation. They hid the plants below banana trees, so you couldn't see the plantation from the air. I did try a few coca leaves, but there is no sorcery about it. You just stay awake and feel energized. Everybody is chewing on them there, it's like coffee, just ten times stronger.

Did you reach your physical limits during this journey?

TL: The body adjusts to the climate pretty quickly. After three weeks you don't sweat all that much anymore. Even the sun doesn't bother you as much anymore, because you're thoroughly cooked anyway. But the humidity requires getting used to. The people there are handling it very differently. They own to pairs of shorts, two t-shirts and beach slippers, and they walk around like that all day.

JK: The climate there is exhausting, you're sweat-soaked after only three minutes. Personally, I don't mind it, but to people who aren't used to it it's a pain. The route we went on was quite difficult in parts, it was very serpentine. You had to paddle the whole time, you had to steer, then there were shoals or the water became too flat, so we had to relocate the boat.

You didn't capsize though, like it happened to you on the Yukon?

JK: No, the water level during that season was way too low. Later on, when the water comes in from the Andes during the monsoon season, the level rises by 15 metres. It drowns out entire forests.

TL: I was there once during the monsoon season. Back then only the tree tops were peeking out of the water. That's why they build their houses on stilts, so the water doesn't reach them. Many villages are located on mountain tops, as the water level won't rise that high.

Considering the many preparations and daily challenges, did you ever find time to relax during such an extensive journey?

TL: Travelling on the Yukon wasn't stressful, because we were sleeping on the sandbanks. Those experiences made travelling the Amazon even easier. As the sun goes down very early there, our only concern was to make camp before 6PM. Whenever we found a good location we sometimes made camp even earlier than that, instead of travelling on and risking not finding a good spot. That only happened to us once, so we had to sleep in the jungle, which wasn't all that bad either.

With a camp fire and night watch?

TL: A camp fire, yes, but we didn't need a night watch. You have to trust your guide, those guys know what they're doing. Our guide went ahead a couple of metres with a bit of string and, within a few minutes, came back with six piranhas. Then we turned on the grill and ate. Piranhas are really tasty, like giltheads.

Did you gain more respect for nature due to this journey?

TL: I had a great respect for nature before that already. Still, I couldn't hold myself back from taking pictures with snakes. I love snakes, Joey thinks they're scary. (laughs)

What did you learn along the way?

JK: I asked the Indians to teach me how to fish with a cast-net and pulled animals out of the water, which an aquarist would usually pay thousands of euros for. Scalars, discus fish, loricariids, sisorid catfish, catfish in all shapes and sizes.

Here in Europe we read a lot about the fact that these romantic times might be of the past soon, due to the systematic ecocide. Is that what you saw over there?

TL: When you approach Leticia you can make out the slash-and-burn methods used below. We assume that every minute jungle area the size of 1.5 football fields gets cleared, for soy plantations or pasture areas. The search for gold is also devastating for the nature. They use mercury to wash the gold out of rocks and clay. The mercury ends up in the rivers, in the fish, and then inside the people.

JK: The Amazon traverses through the entire continent. It is so broad and deep, there are even bigger ships cruising the river than on our rivers here in Europe. They carry natural resources, mainly wood. You can find a sawmill every couple of kilometres. They carry the tree trunks there and cut them along the length (4m by 1,20m or even 4m). Those planks then get transported either by ship or overland, a systematic deforestation of the Amazon area.

TL: You find a lot of filth in the main stream: huge tree trunks, garbage, bags full of plastic, and a lot of wood waste. It's illegal, but everybody does it. Very obviously, even during the day, nobody cares.

Are the locals not aware of the drastic situation?

JK: The sawmills pay the farmers 250 to 300 euros for one tree trunk. The sawmills sell it for 2.500 euros, and then here in Europe it costs up to 30.000 euros.

TL: As soon as they saw us, the lumbermen turned off their chainsaws and fled into the forest, yelling: “Piss off!�� They were afraid that those pictures would be seen by the world. Same thing for the fisheries. Usually, the fish leave the lagoons during the dry season and swim back into the main stream, because the lakes dry out. The law allows it that they cast a net over half of the lake, so that a part of the fish can swim past. Now, the fishermen close off the entire lake, with up to ten nets. No fish can get past that anymore, only the very small ones. They're overexploiting the area high and low. They even steal all the turtle eggs from the clutches. It didn't used to be that way, back then they would leave half of it where it was.

Do you think that could change, if other types of income would replace the exploitation, like tourism?

JK: I don't think that the parts Till and I went to would be suitable for commercial tourism. Let's be honest, the biggest income is ensured by the coca production. You would travel right into a drug area. We could only move around freely there, because the government was taking care of the cartel conflicts at the time. Apparently, the military is now in charge of the coca trade.

TL: Corruption is the order of business. A policeman is earning less than a coca farmer. Thus, bribery and blackmail are commonplace. Almost all of it is illegal: fishing with the many nets, the gold-seeking, the wood clearing and the coca plantation. The areas are huge and hardly controllable. Since president Bolsonaro is in power in Brazil, the clearing business went up by 30 percent. Bolsonaro announced officially that the Amazon is a product, and that's how the people treat it. They expel the indigenous people and allocate them to surrogate areas, their land goes to the gold-seekers and their prospecting rights. The surrogate areas aren't of any use, however, so they don't live in villages anymore, but in small cities. That'll turn out to be very problematic in the future.

Was it a bizarre experience to you to live with indigenous people, even though it is said that there is no room for the white man?

JK: I've seen tourism in parts of the world where I'd have never expected it. An example would be the South Pole. Once I reached by goal there a plane landed, six tourists came out and paid several thousand dollars for a four to six hour long stay. I thought there was a lot less tourism at the Amazon than anywhere else. The only tourists who travel there are either extremely rich Americans or Russians who come in by helicopter, no matter how expensive the journey. As long as they were there once in their life, took a picture with an Indian and a monkey, then they fly back to Bogotá. All in all, you only meet natives here.

TL: You have to differentiate. There are also motor boats and Americans with sun hats on, sleeping in their loggias. But not in the area we were in. There were children there, who pulled at our pants and ran to our kayaks, because they had never seen anything like it. A canoe made of plastic! They only know boats made out of wood. The kids played with our fishing poles, the angling reels, and were amazed by our lures and wobblers. They had never seen something like that before. They only knew of the hooks, where you put a little meat on. There was a lot of curiosity.

Did the journey affect your friendship at all?

TL: Our friendship didn't get any better or worse, it's been a good friendship before. We want our travels to be periodic. Joey and I want to grant us this sort of time off every two, three years. We realized we're getting better at it. We drove down rapids. While travelling on the Yukon we would have peed our pants, but now we're capable of really daring manoeuvres among waves that are 1.5 metres high. You get well attuned over time, become more experienced with the daily routine, the luggage, moving around.

JK: That was one of the reasons why we planned out the next trip right after our Amazon journey. We paddled down the Rhine in August 2020. We decided to do this during the Corona pandemic, because like that we didn't have to travel through so many countries and still got to tell the entire river's history, which led us through Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, France and the Netherlands.

Do these travels to the Yukon and Amazon satisfy your wish for solitude?

TL: Like we said, we already travelled along the Rhine. The Nile will be next. The Mekong river is also on our list, but with the goal to start at its origin. These journeys are really important to us. We might have published up to six books some time. We still have a couple of goals ahead of us: The Nile, maybe the Mississippi, one Russian river and the Mekong. Like that we would have visited a river in almost each part of the world.

Which seems to be a difficult goal to achieve, considering the current Corona pandemic...

JK: Sadly so. Because even if Germany will be cleared of the virus, that might not be the case for Tanzania, where the Nile originates, or in Egypt, where it ends. There are five countries in between, after all.

Symbolically, what did you take home from this journey?

TL: Humbleness! And gratefulness for what we have. At the same time, however, a sort of incomprehension for how we live here in Europe. With so much waste, lunacy and luxury. The people we met didn't really have anything. Property and wealth don't mean anything. The huts, the boats, tools, even the TV, it all belongs to everyone. You eat and drink together, and most of the work is done as a community. They say people are happier there. I won't be the judge as to whether that's true, but life there is simpler, more manageable, and thus people there live more modestly. In Germany people get up in the morning, rush to the office, are stuck in traffic, sit at the computer all day or manage machines, rush back home in the evening. In comparison, it's very relaxed at the Amazon. The people go to bed early, when they wake up they go fishing, hunt or raise manioc and corn. Life there is structured in a very simple way, it's been reduced to only the bare necessities.

What is the first image you see when you think of Amazonia?

JK: Looking back, I'm always thinking of this one boat ride very early in the morning. It was still foggy when we started paddling. To the left of us I can still barely see riverside, apart from that only fog, I can only see for two, three metres. We are on the Amazon without knowing what's ahead of us. It's quiet, there is no wind, the water is calm... That was a great experience.

[throwaninkpot]

There were so many better things I could have done with my time instead of doing a targeted relisten of all episodes that feature Mikaele Salesa, but here we are.

Some notes!

MAG014 - Piecemeal

there's not much here. a victim of The Flesh is losing parts of their body, and tries to strike a deal with Salesa for...something...presumably an artifact that he thinks will save or protect him. but he can't afford it, and is killed by the statement giver shortly after.

MAG038 - Lost and Found

"several crates packed to the brim full of heavy looking volumes" Leitners?

statement giver is struck by Salesa's laugh and isn't sure why; this is a Spiral episode.

thank God Salesa is no longer in possession of the vase, bc I swear, I swear, if it so much as sat on an end table in the same room as Martin or Jon, I would have crawled through my phone to drop the ding dang thing off a building and let it shatter below.

it's in his post-statement notes, while discussing Salesa and how he sells a large amount of artifacts to the Institute, that Jon spots the spider that he smashes, causing him to accidentally break through the wall and discover Jane Prentiss's worms as they prepare to invade the building. which feels significant, given the spider-filled company he seems to be keeping now.

MAG045 - Blood Bag

here's where things get interesting. the statement giver works in a lab studying mosquitos to find a preventative measure against them spreading malaria. the statement giver's boss is distantly related to a doctor who helped stop a cholera pandemic way back when. the boss owns an antique syringe case that belonged to that doctor, and then sells that item to Salesa to help fund this project. it's only after the syringe is sold that things start to go Wrong, and the mosquitos obviously become agents of The Corruption.

why is that interesting? when a statement features an artifact, usually The Fears only show up when that item enters the story, not when the artefact leaves it. The Corruption only starts to infect the mosquitos after the boss no longer has the syringe. especially with its connection to a man who stopped the spread of a disease, the syringe almost plays the part of a talismen against evil in this story, and with it gone, they have lost that protection. which is a curious flip for Salesa (known Cursed Artifact Dealer) to have bought something that might ward off The Fears rather than something that works for them.

MAG066 - Held in Customs

when the statement giver opens the box in Salesa's cargo (an artifact probably equal parts Buried and Lonely), and finds it empty, Salesa looks concerned. I always interpret that as he used to have someone in the box, but the box ate them already.

he warns the statement giver not to fall asleep (as a precaution against waking up to find himself in the box? as a survival tip for when he finds himself in the box?) which reminds me of Gerry trying to help various people survive the Fears, but he also placed a bet with Peter Lukas on whether or not the statement giver would survive, bc might as well get some fun out of it. Salesa contains multitudes.

"whatever this grand game is, Salesa is definitely involved. I just wish I knew whether he was a player or a pawn, or something else entirely." HMMM.

MAG115 - Taking Stock

statement from Salesa himself!

I relistened to Leitner's statement to double-check, and I'm pretty sure Salesa is the only surviving assistant from Leitner's library.

I don't have a lot of thoughts for this one, but get you a man who is so good to his crew that they help him cover up a spooky death without batting an eye.

MAG141 - Doomed Voyage

"he always used to say, he needed a crew to follow him out of trust, not fear" I don't know if this is just the fact I see this same sentiment over and over in Web!Martin fics, but, this reminds me of The Web.

"I don’t know exactly what was different but the whole mood of the ship was off. Kind of sour, somehow. I think it must have been Salesa. Everything always kind of… reflected him. You know people like that? When he was happy, satisfied, everything seemed to run smooth. When he was angry, everyone would be on edge, irritable." hmmm, again: The Web? maybe?

"Once found [Salesa] poring over an old photo album. The ship was there in the pictures, but a different captain, different crew. I asked him who they were, and he just looked at me, eyes sunken like hadn’t slept, and for a second I felt like he was seeing someone else, not me. But then he just shrugged. 'Dead now,' he said, 'doesn’t really matter.' " Hmmmm. what happened to your old crew, mister Salesa, sir?

I wonder if there is a connection between the photo album of his old crew, the final job which is procurring an old camera with a cracked lense, and the fact Salesa's ship is called The Dorian (as in, "The Picture of Dorian Gray").

speaking of the camera. We see the same thing here that happened in MAG045. Salesa and a handful of crew members go to an island to retrieve an artifact. they come back with the aforementioned old camera with a cracked lense, having lost two of the crew members that went with him. and, now the camera is out of its former owner's possession, a storm starts brewing over the island. lightning strikes the trees, and the statement giver can see some vast (nudge nudge) creature below the water surrounding the island, beginning to break the surface. the statement giver falls to the deck of the ship as they sail away, and when he looks back, the island and storm are gone.

just like how The Corruption began to infest the mosquitos once Salesa bought the syringe, The Vast goes after this island once Salesa takes the camera off of it.

CoincidenceIThinkNot.Meme

idk. this is probably me reading too much into it. but it's not entirely impossible that Salesa has been collecting artifacts that ward against The Fears somehow. and if he is, I wonder if that has something to do with how seemingly untouched his manor house has been by the Fearpocalypse.

anyway. when Salesa supposedly dies in an explosion, we only have the captain's word for it (who dies soon after himself). so he might have faked his death.

(and you know what they say. if one cool tank-top-wearing man survived the explosion that supposedly killed him, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that another cool tank-top-wearing man may return from his relaxing kayaking trip. 👀) (I don't really think Tim will come back, but it's nice to dream.)

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #336

"get back, you’re never gonna leave him  /  get back, you’re always gonna please him”

What were your favorite things to draw when you were a lil kid? When I was a very little kid, idk. But once I got into meerkats... I drew them like crazy. Do you think there is something with or around you, like a spirit, angel, ghost or something else? How does this make you feel? No. Imagine you’re a stranger looking at yourself. What things would immediately catch your eye? Ugh, let's not. When did you feel the most confident in your life? Probably my senior year of high school. I was happy with Jason with plans for the future together, I was doing excellently in school... I thought I was really going to go somewhere. Do you think love is needed to have good sex? For some people, no. For me, loving one another is an absolute must. Do you think, or want to, die in the city you currently live in? Fuuuuuuuck no, I hate it here. What is the strangest thing you have ever encountered? Probably when I was otw home from my doctor appointment and we passed a random guy in drag walking on the side of the street... That guy is an icon. Favourite soft drink? It's really strawberry Sunkist, but I love it to a degree I don't even allow myself to drink it, because I will fucking destroy that shit so quick. So I tend to just say Mountain Dew Voltage is my fave. What do you like to put gravy on? I hate gravy, period. Have you ever gone canoeing/kayaking? No, but it sounds fun. What is one thing you know about your family history you’re proud of? Uhhhh idk. Who depends on you the most? My snake. Are you related to anyone famous or historical, if so who? Yes; William Clark and Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth, idr which. Would you ever donate a kidney to anyone, and who? Mom. She only has one kidney, so, y'know. She kinda needs at least one. I wouldn't even hesitate. What is the main quality you think makes a great parent? Unconditional love. What three things do you think of most of each day? My weight is #1. Every second of every day, it, as well as Jason, are somewhere towards the front of my mind. The final is financial and job-oriented stuff. Does/did your high school have pop machines? It did. Do you know anyone who’s won the lottery? No. Have you ever slept in a water bed? Yeah. How often do you use Flickr? I pretty much abandoned my account; nowadays I only occasional check my friend's profile who works at the Kalahari Meerkat Project because she uploads wonderful pictures of the 'kats as well as gives interesting info about them! Who is the last child that you took a photo with? Mom took a picture of me holding my youngest niece Emerson because it surprised everyone; I NEVER hold babies. She crawled over to me and reached up though, so of course I was going to pick her up. How often do you wear hats? Never. Would you ever get a nature tattoo? Sure! Idk what, but I'm rather sure I'll get at leaast one. Is anyone in your family sick at the moment? No. Where do your siblings work, if anywhere? My older sister is a mammographer, and my younger sis is a social worker. Where is your favorite place to buy groceries? Wal-Mart, I guess. Who do you generally talk to the most? My mom. Is anyone saved in your phone under a nickname? Mom is "Mama Bear," and then my siblings are "Little Sister" and "Big Sister." Whose birthday is coming up? My lil sister has her birthday in April. Have you ever ordered from an informercial? No. When, where, and why did a needle last pierce your skin? I needed to get blood drawn for some testing. It was drawn from my inner elbow, obviously at the doctor. Have you been to an escape room? Was it a success? I never have, but it'd be fun. I enjoy puzzles. How many followers do you have on Instagram? I don't feel like checking. What’s the most recent music video you watched? Thoughts? "Mutter" by Rammstein. I picked a screenshot from it to draw, so I rewatched it to select one. It's a beautiful video, but also strange, which Rammstein is great at. Have you ever recorded a cover of a song? No. What makeup products are your go-tos? If I wear makeup, the bare minimum is black eyeliner. Are you going to school this year? No. I gave college as many shots as I could handle both sanity-wise and with finances in mind. I do NOT want to even ATTEMPT to imagine the debt I have after going to three different colleges and dropping out each time. What is your favorite water activity? I enjoy just kinda swimming around aimlessly, relaxing. What are your favorite video games? Okay, I talk about SH2 and SotC enough on questions like this, so I'll mention some others I really enjoy as well: the Silent Hill franchise in general, Spyro games, The Last Guardian, both The Evil Withins, The Last of Us, some Resident Evil games (the 4th in particular), etc. etc. I just love video games. Do you like jello? I enjoy the flavor, but the texture makes me squirm. When was the last time you gave someone "the finger?" Probably while riding in the car with Mom when a dumb motherfucker swerved into our lane. Or something like that, idr the exact occasion. Have you ever held a snake? Yesssss, I want to hold all the snakes. ;_; Most unique place you’ve ever been to? Uh. I guess maybe the Whirligig Park/"Acid Park" nearby us? It's just this large expanse of unique architecture that are mostly, as you guessed it, extravagant whirligigs. You've got to see it if you come to the town. I have some pictures on my deviantART if you wanna see a few pieces. If you were a superhero, what color would your cape be? NO CAPES! Have you ever slept out on your porch all night? Oh fuck no. I'd feel way, way too unsafe. Do you like horror movies? Yeah! What’s your favorite Coke product? Just normal Coke. Watergun or water-balloon war? Watergun. I don't like being hit with stuff. Do you know anyone that’s afraid of elevators? I kind of am. Is there anything in your room that belongs to a boyfriend, or a friend of the opposite sex? I have three plushies from Jason, Tyler, and Girt. My Marilyn Manson poster is also from Juan. Who’s your favorite Beatle? I don't know; I was never a big fan, so I don't know any of them as people well at all. Have you ever texted an ex whilst drunk? How’d that go? I've never been drunk, but no, I've never texted an ex because I was drinking. Do you have to stand on your tip-toes to kiss your boyfriend? I don't have one. The only instance where I had to do that was with Girt. Tall motherfucker. Have you ever been tackle-hugged? Yes. Those are the best. Have you ever rejected someone’s kiss before? Girt once tried to make out with me and I noped the fuck outta that situation. It was so fucking awkward. Is your mood or the overall tone of your day often affected by the dreams you had the night before? My nightmares definitely can. Do you think that there are any positive aspects or outcomes of suffering from a mental illness? If you have a mental illness, do you think it has changed you for the better in any way? I definitely believe my mental illnesses forced me to mature faster and also instilled a great sense of empathy in me. And don't forget emotional endurance. What is your opinion on celebrity culture and celebrity worship? Have you ever been guilty of putting a celebrity on a pedestal? Do you think it’s somehow more acceptable/understandable to obsess over certain types of celebrities (musicians over YouTubers, say) than others? At what point do you think an obsession like that crosses the line? It's dangerous and can be very blinding. An outsider could say I put Mark on a pedestal, but I've always been very aware that he's not perfect and really just another human, I just happen to love him a lot for the human he is, haha. As time's passed, my vision of him has become healthier though (not to say it ever reached the "unhealthy" threshold); it's gotten easier for me to judge him and stuff like that. I think an obsession crosses the line when you put on rose-tinted glasses to look upon someone and entirely ignore their flaws, or if you try to invade their personal lives, ex. being one of those creeps that loiter outside their houses and stuff. If you were to pursue a career in photography and had the opportunity and means to photograph whatever you wanted, what would most like to photograph? Ah, livin' the dream. If I had to choice and would be paid well regardless of focus, I would absolutely travel and photograph the local nature/wildlife. Is there a certain type of clothing (outerwear, activewear, loungewear, etc.) that you enjoy shopping for more than others? Shirts, 100%. Are you ever afraid to post your ideas, artwork, photography, etc. online for fear that they will get stolen or not credited? When it comes to OCs, yes, given that things have been stolen from me before. Photography doesn't worry me much because I don't think I'm good enough for someone to possibly want to steal it (and besides, I use a watermark), and I do the same for drawings. It's the unique characters I make I worry about being stolen if I share them. When is the last time you did something sexual? A few years back. Who is the last person you showered with, if anyone? I haven't showered with someone since I was a little kid and my younger sister and I would to conserve water. What do you think when you see roadkill on the side of the road? It really makes me genuinely sad, and I always wonder if it could have been avoided if the driver was more alert, slower, and thinking about more than the damage it could cause to their car... I enjoy photographing roadkill, brutal as it may be, out of respect for them and the desire to make their individual stories known and just kind of like, raise awareness of it. Too many people are just annoyed by hitting an animal versus more concerned. "Stupid deer," stuff like that. I sometimes worry that doing so can be interpreted as disrespect, to photograph and publish pictures of their corpses online, but I sure hope not. It's the least of my intentions. I just want people to see and care. Have you ever had an ex that just didn’t understand that it was over? Biiiitch I was that ex, 120%. But besides my situation with Jason, this was how Tyler was. I had to tell him about five thousand times to stop texting me. Are your fingernails currently short or long? They're always pretty short. Would you rather have big or small dogs? I like medium-sized dogs most. I'd have to pick large dogs between the two, though. What is your favorite sports drink? I'm not a fan of sports drinks. What was the last compliment you gave a guy? Yesterday, a guy in PHP shared two poems he wrote while hospitalized, and they were wonderful, so full of passion and emotion. I sure as hell told him they were amazing. He's going for his Master's for poetry, so he knows what he's doing for real. Does your jaw ever crack, pop, or lock? It's popped on very, very few occasions. Have you ever thought of how you would give your kids “the talk”? I don't want kids, so no, I've never thought of this. I certainly wouldn't wait for sex ed in school, though. I feel like it's a bit late. I feel children need to know what it's about at a younger age with how disgusting some people are... I want them to be informed on what consent and molestation are so they know to let Mama know so I can punch someone's face into a whole new galaxy if they're ever violated. Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on something? Oh, always. Do you ever write/draw on windows that are fogged up? I did as a kid, sure. Not so much now. If you were married, and your spouse’s parents became ill, would you let them move into your home? If they were truly sick enough to need assistance but not actual hospitalization, yes. I'd want my spouse to do the same for me. Have you screamed in a pillow before? Yyyyep. What do you like more, acoustic or electric? Electric. Did you actually have a cookie jar? We have a Santa one, though I don't even know if we ever used it versus just having it as a decoration. What’s worse, having someone mad or disappointed in you? Disappointed. What do you bite on more, your tongue, lip, or nails? Bottom lip. Do you think that knowing when and how you’re going to die would ruin your life? "Ruin" it seems a bit extreme, but I definitely wouldn't like it. Do you have a favorite bromance? From TV or a movie. Not really, if we're only talking those two options. Do you find flea markets and thrift stores enjoyable? Yeah, you really can find the coolest shit for great prices. What color is your wallet? Mostly red and white; it's a Harley Quinn design. Have you ever been somebody's photography subject? No. Nicki Minaj fan? I believe she's a very talented rapper, but I don't enjoy her actual music. I just don't like rap. Have you ever seen the Niagara Falls? No, I wish tho.

[aprilyn-uclusin26]

The Ilocos Sur Naturals Beauty

hello everyone its me Aprilyn Uclusin,  Allow me to show you some of the province of Ilocos Sur's natural beauty and wonders. 

Ilocos Sur was founded by the Spanish conquistador, Juan de Salcedo in 1572. It was formed when the north (now Ilocos Norte) split from the south (Ilocos Sur). At that time it included parts of Abra and the upper half of present-day La Unión.

The province is famed for its diverse culture and history, as well as its heritage sites, adventure parks, and, of course, its cuisine. This time, though, we'll be focusing on the wonderful sites to visit in Ilocos Sur.

1.  Vigan Cathedral

Another Vigan Ilocos Sur tourist spot to check out is the St. Paul’s Cathedral. Also known as Vigan Cathedral, it is considered a major religious landmark not only of northern Luzon but the country as well. The original structure was built in 1574 with wood and thatch. It was just a mere chapel then. It was only in 1641 when it was turned into a church and was completed in 1800.

The Vigan Cathedral follows a Baroque architectural design that has been modified by Ilocanos to strengthen the structure against earthquakes which is known as “Earthquake Baroque.” Don’t miss this as it is one of the most beautiful Vigan tourist spots.

Highlight:

Earthquake Baroque architecture

2.  Calle Crisologo

If you want to travel back in time, Calle Crisologo is the best place to be. This tourist spot in Vigan City is a street of old Spanish structures, mostly houses of wealthy families and Filipino-Chinese traders. This is where you’ll see the famous cobblestone streets that represent Vigan’s image.

Must-read: Calle Crisologo: Walking Through A Tale of War and Love

Highlights:

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cobblestone streets

One of the world’s best preserved Spanish colonial towns

3.  Bantay Church Bell Tower

The Saint Augustine Parish Church, commonly known as Bantay Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. The church was dedicated to St. Augustine of Hippo. It is also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity (Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad) housing the miraculous image of Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Charity, crowned by the Pope as the patroness of Ilocandia on 12 January 1956.

The old historic belfry of the church known as the Bantay Tower, which served as a watchtower for pirates back in the Spanish colonial era, gave the town its name - bantay (meaning to guard). Established in 1590, the church is one of the oldest in the Ilocos Region

The Bantay Church Bell Tower served as the town’s watchtower in 1591. The magnificent view that this tourist attraction in Ilocos Sur may have been the reason why it was supposedly “Diego and Gabriela Silang’s favorite date spot during the 17th century.”

Highlights:

Located on a hilltop overlooking the province

Perfect for picture-taking

4. Crisologo Museum

Crisologo Museum is an ancestral home-turned-museum belonging to one of Vigan’s most prominent sons, the late congressman Floro S. Crisologo. His wife, Carmeling, had their home converted in memory of Floro after he was assassinated in Vigan Cathedral.

Highlight:

A cool museum showing memorabilia and some artifacts of Crisologo family

5.  Baluarte Resort and Mini Zoo

Looking for a tourist spot in Vigan City that kids would love? You’ll never go wrong with Baluarte Resort and Mini Zoo. Just 10 minutes away from Calle Crisologo, Baluarte Resort and Mini Zoo lets you get close to nature’s wonderful creatures from cute little birds to big cats a.k.a. tigers. This Vigan Ilocos tourist spot is also dubbed as the “Home of the Big Cats in Vigan,” as it shelters Bengal tigers, white lions, and leopards.

Related article: Top 10 Vigan Tourist Spots You Should Explore Soon

Highlights:

Close encounter with the animals

Perfect for families with kids

6. Pagburnayan Jar Factory

When someone gives you a jar from Vigan City, know that it’s of good quality. Among the most famous jar factories in the province is the Pagburnayan Jar Factory. Here they make the jars from a grade-A clay which is abundant in the area.

Pagburnayan, comes from the root word burnay. It refers to the hand-crafted earthenware pots made from Vigan. Bantog clays these are called. They’re dug from the western barangays of the city. I once asked a cuchero who was touring me around where they would get more of these, if supplies ran out. Impossible, he says, they’ve been sourcing their materials from that area since Chinese immigrants came to Vigan City and established the craft.

Highlight:

One of the few authentic jar makers in Vigan

7.  RG Jar Factory

Another tourist spot in Vigan City that lets you unleash the creativity in you is the RG Jar Factory. Like Pagburnayan, you can also buy jars and pots here and even make your own. The jar makers can demo how it’s done and let you create your own clay pot or jar. The place does not have any entrance fees whatsoever but you could donate any amount, it’s up to you.

Highlight:

Lets you create your own jars

8.  Syquia Mansion Museum

Want to see how the wealthy lived in the past? Go to Syquia Mansion. Located in Quirino Boulevard, this tourist spot in Vigan City has been decorated with antique furniture, paintings, and exhibits from the time of President Elpidio Quirino, a native of Vigan. The stunning house was owned by Quirino’s wife, who belonged to the affluent Syquia family.

Highlight:

Home to ancient furniture, relics, and paintings

9.  Padre Burgos House

If you’ve read Philippine history books, you’ll surely be familiar with the three martyr priests during the Spanish times: GomBurZa. Among those three priests lived in Ilocos Sur and that is Padre Jose Burgos. His home is now a famous attraction in Ilocos Sur. Padre Burgos House features different exhibits and a look to the priest’s life.

This museum is the ancestral house and birthplace of priest patriot Fr. Jose Burgos. Known as Padre Burgos House, it is one of the notable historic structures of Vigan, the capital of the province of Ilocos Sur. It is a two-story structure located near the Provincial Capitol and close to St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral. It was renovated by the Filipinas Foundation, Inc. and inaugurated on May 3, 1975. In January 1989, a Contract of Lease was executed by the Ilocos Sur Historical and Cultural Foundation, Inc. leasing the memorabilia for 50 years, and turning over the administration to the National Museum.

Highlights:

Showcases various exhibits and collections

Shows how Padre Burgos lived

10.  Plaza Salcedo

Located between Vigan Cathedral and the Provincial Capitol, Plaza Salcedo is a great spot for picture taking at day and turns to a stage of dancing lights at night. The water in the fountain is always right on cue and dances to the beat of the music. What a sight to catch while munching on the best Vigan empanada. Don’t miss this Vigan Ilocos tourist spot for a fun night!

This is like their version of a mini Luneta Park. Fronting the UNESCO protected Vigan Cathedral , it is flanked by several offices , fast food outlets , shops . It has its own dark history , its own Rizal monument , but gets filled at night with its renowned dancing fountains which is free to the public. For the sake of photo opportunities, just include this in the Vigan itinerary . One of the must see.

Highlights:

Dancing fountains

Near many food stalls

11.  Hidden Garden

Another attraction in Ilocos Sur that will delight your eyes and tummy is Hidden Garden in Vigan. It’s not just a garden though as there are food stalls and a cafe where you can eat while appreciating the beautiful view. They also sell plants and flowers there.

Highlights:

Lots of souvenir items made from indigenous materials

Very Instagrammable spot

12. Mindoro Beach of Vigan

Vigan Ilocos Sur tourist spots are not just about historical places and heritage sites but it also takes pride in sites for RnR. One of the best spots is Mindoro Beach that offers a front-facing view of the West Philippine Sea. The sand there is black fine and smooth as powder.

Highlights:

Not too crowded

Perfect place to relax because of the calming ambiance of the beach

13.  Ilocos Sur Adventure Zone

If you’re looking for some adrenaline rush, add Ilocos Sur Adventure Zone to your Ilocos Sur itinerary. Here you can ride a zip line that  traverses the towns of Santa and Bantay, so you have a perfect view of the Abra River down below as well as the old and new Quirino bridges.

The sports and recreation facility also offers more adrenaline-pumping activities like a giant swing, kayaking, and rock climbing and rappelling at the rocky Banaoang mountains. This is definitely one of the most fun tourist spots in Ilocos Sur that’s hard to miss.

Highlights:

Recreational activities

Perfect for family and friends

14.  Sta. Maria Church

Most of the famous tourist spots in Ilocos Sur comprises old churches that are definitely worth visiting. Among the notable ones is the Sta. Maria Church. This Santa Maria Ilocos Sur tourist spot is a UNESCO-listed Heritage Site as part of the baroque churches in the country. The Augustinians had this built in the 1760s. This destination is a historical piece that tells a story about the country’s past. You’ll also see its bell tower several meters away from the church which is a layout that is unique to its time.

Highlights:

Features baroque architecture

UNESCO-listed Heritage Site as part of the baroque churches in the Philippines

15.  Candon Church

Also known as the Saint John of Sahagun Parish Church, Candon Church was constructed with an Earthquake Baroque design like most other churches built hundred years ago.

What makes this Candon City tourist spot fascinating is its four-storey octagonal bell tower that has alternating open and blind apertures, a balustrade and is topped by a campanile. Don’t miss this as it’s one of the must-visit Candon Ilocos Sur tourist spots.

Highlights:

Earthquake Baroque architecture

Octagonal bell tower

16.  Narvacan Church

Established in 1576, Narvacan Church, also known as Saint Lucy Parish Church, first served as a visita and a first house of worship for the locals. This church stood the test of time and survived many natural calamities and the two World Wars. This Narvacan Ilocos Sur tourist spot is definitely a must-visit.

Highlight:

Known as one of the first seats of Christianity in Ilocos

17.  Sangbay ni Ragsak Falls

If you want to take a break from the historical places in Vigan Ilocos Sur, refresh yourself by taking a quick dip at the Sangbay ni Ragsak Falls. Its name is an Ilocano term which means “Falls of Happiness.” This 30-meter high Suyo Ilocos Sur tourist spot attracts both local and foreign tourists alike because of its picturesque view even if it’s located in a remote area.

Highlights:

Perfect for a quick dip

Stunning surroundings

18.  Archbishop’s Palace

Sitting right next to Vigan Cathedral is the Archbishop’s Palace. What makes it interesting is its architectural features that include sliding capiz shell windows, cut-out decorations with flower motifs, and a garden.

This Vigan Ilocos tourist spot miraculously survived the destruction brought by World War II and it is the only surviving example of an 18th century archbishop’s palace in the country.

Highlights:

The only remaining 18th century palace of this kind in the Philippines

Museo Nueva Segovia that is home to a collection of priceless ecclesiastical artifacts and relics from other churches from around the Ilocos region

[antpernas]

12/9/20

What a good day!!!

So, I woke up around 10:00, but por BAGO I didn’t get up until 12:30 or so. But, I did text Scorpio boy good morning when I woke up at 10, and after I woke up at 12:30 we started texting. I rolled out of bed and from 1:00 to 3:00 I was just doing all my usual “morning” stuff; breakfast, washing my face, taking a shower, getting dressed, etc. I had wanted to go kayaking today, so I was a little sad that I had woken up so late, but in the end it was alright! I ended up leaving the house around 3:30, and the drive to Lake Okeechobee was about an hour, so I’d make it with plenty of time to kayak for a bit before the sunset began. I grabbed one of my meal preps, set that to heat while I loaded my kayak on my car, and got going!

The drive to Lake Okeechobee was absolutely beautiful. I hadn’t realized how much farmland there was just past the end of Loxahatchee heading west. There were so many abandoned buildings, pastures, fields of crops I wasn’t even sure what they were! It was so cool. The coolest part, though, was being able to see the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the fact that the land was so undeveloped made it so easy to see the sun going down.

Eventually, I got to a small city named Canal Point, and, honestly, I was taken aback. It was so small! It can’t have a population of more than a few hundred, the fact that there was even a school was so jarring. I pulled over to pump gas, and while I was doing that there were these two little dachshunds just walking around sniffing people, it was the most adorable thing! I’m hoping that they belonged to the people owning the gas station, or maybe just somebody who had pulled over and let them out to get some air.

Canal Point was the checkpoint where I switched from a road heading towards to Lake Okeechobee to a road that traced the edge of it. I was a little upset that the view from the road to the lake was blocked by a small incline that supported a railroad, but in all honesty if I had been able to see the lake from the road I probably would’ve crashed. Instead, I admired all the stuff that was passing by on the right of me; more farms, solitary homes (some even decorated for Christmas!), forest covers, it was so comforting.

Unbeknownst to me, I had actually passed a boat launch that I could’ve entered the lake from WAY earlier and I didn’t realize that until the return trip. I had also realized that if I had driven all the way to the place I had picked to launch from, I wouldn’t make it in time. I ended up pulling over at an entrance to a hiking trail that goes along the edge of the entire lake. It was so remote, it was really weird. But it was so amazing to finally discover a hiking trail in Florida! They’re impossible to find. And, the best part was that the board at the entrance had a map of all the natural areas I could find and do stuff at in Palm Beach County! There was also a trail register, so I wrote I wrote a small blurb and dated it. The last entry was dated 11/21/20, so that just confirmed that remoteness of this trail.

I got there at around 4:40, and I took a little time to walk around and appreciate the scenery. The wait to see the actual lake was SO worth it; after I had climbed the little incline, the view was breathtaking! I took about 20 minutes to walk around. Once I had my fill, I got to work on moving my kayak which was.... phew.

So the first challenge I had was to actually get my kayak to the water. It wasn’t a HUGE distance, maybe a few hundred feet total, but the fact that it was over an incline made it a little more difficult. Not to mention, carrying a kayak by yourself is so hard! I’m not even sure if being stronger/buffer would help much, it’s just so big and unevenly weighted. I might invest in some carrying straps/a small set of wheels so I don’t ever have to struggle like that again. But anyway! I ended up carrying it half of the way, then just dragging it across the grass for the rest of the way.

The second challenge was actually launching. As it turns out, this hiking trail entrance was not designed for getting into the water, it was designed for hiking! My solution was to use the small jetty that extended from the dike to get the kayak below me in the water, then put all my stuff in and hop on myself as if I were boarding a boat. Somehow, that worked!

The water was really cool, and the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t go too far in, and I couldn’t kayak for long since I had gotten there so late, but I did see some cool stuff! I paddled out to a sign, then I saw some plant floating on the water so I paddled up to that as well. I facetimed some friends and took a bunch of pictures, and once the sun was out of sight, I started making my way back.

For some reason, getting out of the water and getting back to my car with the kayak was super easy. No complaints about that, though! I loaded it back up, then hopped in my car. I had originally planned to eat my meal prep after I finished kayaking, but I had forgotten to grab any eating utensils! Doh! Instead, I just had the chips I had brought and then started driving back.

I got home just as my mom was. I had my meal, changed clothes, texted some friends, and then lied down in bed! I told myself I would get up to work out, but I ended up just falling asleep. Whoops! That was probably around 9:00 PM, and I ended up waking up at midnight.

When I woke up, I showered, did a cucumber face soak, responded to some texts, and since then have just been chilling! Once I finish writing this I might sleep some more. Or I might play some piano. Who knows!

Good night--or good morning--and be safe! I love you!

[militant-holy-knight]

10.  ISIS establishment of a 'Caliphate' where Christians weren’t welcome

When ISIS began to control territory in 2014 and establish its so-called caliphate, Christian homes and businesses were marked with the nuun symbol, the Arabic-letter-N for “Nazarene” that signified followers of Jesus.

Traditional Christians were offered the choice to flee and forfeit their homes or pay a jizya subjugation tax and remain in the caliphate. Former Muslim converts to Christianity were also given two choices: return to Islam immediately or be killed. Tens of thousands of Christians fled their homes in Iraq and Syria, moving to camps within their nation or in surrounding nations. Many of those are still trying to recover and put their lives back together.

At the height of the ISIS onslaught, I interviewed an Iraqi pastor. As we finished our conversation I asked him how American Christians could pray. I won’t ever forget his first request: “Pray that God will call Christians to stay here.” There were so many good and logical reasons to flee. Many of his church members had left for Europe or North America. But he was asking us to pray that some Christians would feel called to stay and to continue Gospel outreach in their nation.

9. Churches closed in Iran; church explodes in Iran

The church in Iran exploded in growth over the past 10 years as the people of the Islamic Republic have lost faith in their Islamic government — and also in Islam itself. In 2013, Tehran’s Assemblies of God church building was closed — one of the last “building churches” holding services in Farsi that remained open in the country.

Today, all building churches are closed. All Christian meetings occur in private homes, in parks or some other location, and all of them are illegal. House church leaders are arrested, interrogated and imprisoned, yet the Church continues to grow. There are estimates that as many as 1 million Iranians are now following Jesus Christ.

8. Pastor Andrew Brunson arrested, tried and eventually released in Turkey

It is difficult to imagine being more high-profile than having President Trump tweet about your case. When Andrew and Norine Brunson went to the police station in October 2016, they thought they were about to receive permanent resident status in Turkey. Instead Andrew would be held for two years in prison, charged with helping to lead a coup against Turkish President Erdogan.

Since his release, pastor Brunson has been open about the great difficulty he endured in prison; wrestling with his own faith in God and at one point even wondering if he was losing his sanity.

7. Omar al-Bashir removed from power in Sudan after decades of targeting Christians

Bashir’s Islamist government had long targeted Christians in South Sudan; with the separation of that area into a separate, new nation in 2011, Bashir’s government turned more attention to Christians in his new, smaller country.

Meriam Ibrahim was arrested for apostasy and sentenced to execution. Czech Christian Petr Jasek — my coworker at The Voice of the Martyrs — was sentenced to life in prison for alleged espionage before the Czech government arranged for his release. Two Christians charged with colluding with Petr were also found guilty, sent to prison, and later released.

But late in 2018, Sudan’s people rose up and demanded a change. Bashir’s government was removed from power in 2019, with surprisingly-little bloodshed. The former dictator was arrested and is locked in one of the prisons where Petr was held.

6.  John Chau’s martyrdom on North Sentinel Island

It was just before Thanksgiving in 2018 when the world learned that a young American had been killed by islanders on North Sentinel Island, a small island belonging to India whose inhabitants are completely cut off from the world.

The initial news reports painted John Chau as an adventure-seeker or some kind of Christian Indiana Jones. There was criticism, including from many in the Christian community. What was he thinking? What kind of diseases did he expose the North Sentinelese to? Why take such risks?

The details that have emerged since paint a much deeper portrait of a young man who’d been preparing for years to go to the island to share God’s love with the North Sentinelese people. And today, thousands of Christians are praying for the people on an island that they had never heard of before John Chau landed his kayak on the beach there.

5. Hindu nationalism’s rise to power in India

When Narendra Modi was elected Prime Minister in India, he presented himself as the can-do, pro-business leader who’d brought electricity to thousands of citizens in his home state of Gujarat.

What he didn’t talk about as much, but was well-known by India’s voters, was his background in the Hindu-nationalist RSS movement that aims to make every Indian citizen a Hindu and make non-Hindus feel as unwelcome as possible.

After his initial election in 2014, Modi was re-elected in 2019 with an even stronger majority, and he’s keeping campaign promises to his RSS base by ending Muslim autonomy in Kashmir and now offering citizenship to non-Muslims from surrounding countries.

Indian Christians received a clear message as they watched Modi’s government take action: you aren’t welcome, and you won’t be protected. Hindu nationalists also received a message: attacks on Christians or other religious minorities will be tolerated and even encouraged by Modi and his RSS-backed government.

4. Changes in China

The past 10 years have seen an alarming increase of persecution of Christians (and Muslims) in China, spearheaded by Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping. New laws on religion took affect at the beginning of 2018 and have led to marked increases in church demolitions, arrests of church leaders and control over all religious activities in China. Concurrently, China has created a surveillance state that tracks every Chinese citizen everywhere in China, making underground Christian work significantly more difficult.

Numerous unregistered churches have been closed down, and several well-known Chinese pastors are in prison. In addition to persecuting Christian citizens, China has attempted to force out foreign Christians, with numerous foreigners finding that their visas have been revoked or won’t be renewed.

3. Asia Bibi’s blasphemy case in Pakistan

Asia Bibi’s persecution saga spanned almost all of the decade as she was arrested in 2009, then sentenced to death by a lower court. Her appeal process took years before the Supreme Court of Pakistan finally ruled in October 2018 that there was no basis for the blasphemy charges against her and ordered her release.

But even after their order, it took more than six months before she was allowed to leave Pakistan for an undisclosed new home where her protection can be better insured.

In spite of the eventual just outcome in Asia’s case, the blasphemy laws that sent her to prison and are often used as a cudgel to settle disputes are still on the books in Pakistan.

2. Chibok girls kidnapped in Nigeria, just one chapter in the story of the rise of Boko Haram and Islamist jihadists within the Fulani tribe

The rise of social media in this decade placed this 2014 story of 276 kidnapped girls — many of whom were Christians — in front of millions of people, as thousands — including former first lady Michelle Obama — tweeted the hashtag #bringbackourgirls.

Five years later, too many of those girls are still missing, and the problem of Islamist jihad attacks not only continues in Northern Nigeria but has spread to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and other nearby nations.

Christians are targeted, and Nigeria’s government has shown neither the will nor the ability to put a stop to the attacks — something that is unlikely to change with the arrival of 2020.

1. 21 men killed on the beach in Libya by ISIS butchers

Like Leni Riefenstahl in 1930s Germany, the terrorists of ISIS clearly understand the power of moving pictures. The group made sure to release a high-definition record of their evil, from the burning of a Jordanian pilot to the beheadings of western hostages.

Images from the 2015 murder of 21 “people of the cross” on a beach in Libya is seared into the memory of millions. The men — 20 Coptic Christians from Egypt and one Christian from Ghana — were hailed as martyrs and heroes back home. The video captured some of them saying, in the final seconds of their earthly life, “Jesus help me.”

Christians around the world were inspired by their courageous faith. They could have saved their lives by accepting Islam. Yet, knowing what awaited them, they chose the way of Christ.

There will be more stories of Christian persecution in 2020 and beyond — Jesus’ promises are always true. And Christians in free nations will have more opportunities to be inspired — and to pray for — Christians who choose Christ over their comfort or even their lives.

[princessjasmineofmeowtown]

2019 was the most traumatic year of my life. I was in a major car accident where a huge truck ran up the back of my car and wrote it off, I had serious issues with work all while completing a diploma. The year was honestly awful and spending my New Year's Eve packing my valuables into my car and waiting to be evacuated really topped it all off. We went out with the bang of all bangs for worst year ever.

We left early on in the day but my dad stayed at home and didn't evacuate until the fire was really close. When he left, he says there were embers falling onto the roof of our house and fire was roaring quickly towards us as our house backs onto a creek with complete bushland on the other side. We were staying at a friend's house at the top of our suburb further away that overlooked our house and all we saw was a roar of flames go up and extreme amounts of black smoke. We could smell everything burning and we were positive we had just lost everything including my dad who had called saying he was leaving but the glow was so large, we weren't sure if he made it out. When he arrived we were so relieved but the glow of fire blew up again and we were doubly sure our house was now gone. Soon after the entire suburb was evacuated because the fire was moving so quickly, we drove about 20mins away to a Woolworths car park and sat there for about 3-4 hours accepting the fact that we didn't have a home. Our house was most likely burnt to the ground and all we could hear were idiots setting off fireworks in a total fire ban whilst over 3 million hectares of land were burning in NSW.

We found out that the fires had passed our suburb and went back to our friends house while my uncle went to check on our home. Firefighters brought him through to assess the damages and somehow they managed to save our house however my 12 year old sister's fully insulated cubby house full of about $3000 worth of Lego (every birthday and Christmas present from every family member since she was 5 years old was inside) had burned to a crisp. That also caught onto our shed which was directly next to it holding all our kayaks, snow gear, boxes of my parents childhood toys, boxes of my favourite childhood toys and boxes of my books, all our bikes, all mum's craft supplies, dad's mower and some tools. All gone. The firies had put it all out and moved along because a street further up was flaring up and manpower was limited. The shed kept minorly flaring up again from a box of my parent's plush toys so my dad and our family friend went down to our house at midnight and fought that fire on their own until it stayed out then they went back to our friends house. That was their New Year countdown.

They told us that our back window had exploded from heat combustion and the front glass panel of the house was smashed in by firefighters to ensure nobody was inside the house so all the smoke was throughout our house BUT IT WAS STILL STANDING and all our belongings inside were safe from flames, just severely smoke damaged. So we knew the main damage of what happened and decided to go back in the morning and assess it all in daylight.

Before we went back in the morning we woke up to find this image on the front link of a daily telegraph article about what they were calling the Charmhaven Fires.

The image has no photographer credit (unlike every other image in the article) and no firefighters are pictured. The photo is taken from the exact perspective of where our garden hose was layed out with the tap on. We know that the firefighters burst through the side gate directly in front of the burning shed, they busted the padlock and pushed through the gates to put it out so it can't have been taken by a firefighter before they started fighting it, the person that took this photo had to come through the other side gate that can't exactly be viewed from the street. It all just feels a bit suspicious to me especially since we contacted the newspaper and they said it wasn't one of their reporters and they can't tell us who took it. We spoke to the firefighters today and they said they did not have any media personnel as there was no time to even consider such things when homes were seconds away from being lost. So theres a mystery that may never be solved.

Today we went back again and started sweeping up glass from the combusted back door and found it had spread throughout the entire house. Insurance got someone to come in and board up the broken glass door and panels with wood so the house would be secure. However, we can't fully clean everything up until the insurance inspectors come and assess the value of the damage so the house is still unlivable and probably will be until we can get the glass properly fixed and properly get all the smoke out which possibly means new or professionally cleaned carpets and possibly new mattresses and a new couch.

I went through the ashes of the cubby house and shed to see if there was anything that could be saved from the rubble and found some pretty sad but very interesting things. Everything had just burned into a pool of childhood toys and memories and a few burnt out family collections.

Now we move on. All the horrible things that happened in 2019 and every year before that have literally burned to the ground and left us with only the most important things, a family and a roof over our heads. We, as a family, have decided that this was a sign we needed to start fresh. This year is going to be different. We've lost a lot and it's been tough but we are only coming out of this stronger. We aren't letting this break us and we have the highest hopes for 2020. This is our year.

Taylor's music will be helping us through it all every step of the way. Maybe this will be the year my mum, my sister and I finally get to meet her and say thank-you for being with us through every struggle over the past 8 years and always giving us a sense of hope and happiness.

We will sing long live to all the memories we made but move on and shake it off and get back to living our lives like everyday is the best day.

So many things have been put into perspective. Belongings can come and go but family and our memories are the most important things we will ever have. ❤️❤️❤️

[mistress-new-mistress]

I started writing this. Idk if I’m gonna keep going.

No wifi. No cell service. No electronics of any kind.

It was heaven for Sansa Stark.

Sansa's mother protested her going to Deerpark, Cornwall so close to exams, but Sansa needed a calm, quiet place to study. With such an unusually warm spring, she wanted to take advantage of the weather to read outside, revise by moonlight, and fall asleep to the sound of crickets.

"You won't last two hours without your mobile," Sansa's sister, Arya, had said.

It was true that Sansa was as addicted to her phone as anyone else, but with no internet or signal to distract her, she was confident she could retain more knowledge and nab a first for her second year at uni.

The cabin Sansa was staying in was nestle between two other charming, identical cottages no bigger than a two-stall barn. The cabins overlooked a lake surrounded by tall pines and muddy shores.

As Sansa drove up to cabin two, she noticed there were no other cars around. Either she would be alone for the week, or her neighbors has yet to make an entrance. Regardless, Sansa thought the area was beautiful. There was a hammock swaying between two trees near the dirt road, a stump for chopping wood, a fire pit, and a small shed nestled right up to the side of the cabin.

Sansa unloaded her bags and breathed deeply, the scent of dirt and pine filling her with hope and purpose. The door was jammed a bit, but with a hearty shove of her shoulder, Sansa burst through, nearly toppling over her belongings. She dropped the bags and looked around. The cabin was smaller than the pictures on the website--with just an oatmeal-colored sofa, a wood stove, a small nook for cooking, and a bookshelf as tall as a five-year-old. A door on the left lead to the bedroom, and another adjacent held the lou.

It was cramped, smelled like mothballs, and deadly quiet.

Sansa thought it was perfect.

About an hour into unpacking and settling in, Sansa heard the low rumble on an engine putting up the road. It got louder the closer it got, until finally roaring up to the next cabin over like a beast.

Sansa peeked out the flimsy curtains and saw a man clad in black on a motorcycle. He parked his bike on the grass in front of cabin one. Great, Sansa thought. A bloody Hell's Angel to ruin the week.

The man got off his bike and took off his helmet. Sansa could only see the back of him. He was a hulking fellow with broad shoulders and dirt-dusted jeans, a cracked leather jacket with a patch of a black horse stitched on the shoulder. He had black hair that was receding a bit, steel-toed boots, and large hands that reached in his coat pocket for a fag.

Sansa groaned as the man lit up a cigarette and blew smoke out. The biker finally turned and, for a half second, Sansa saw his face. The man looked as hard and worn as his leather jacket. His brows were large but his eyes were small, his mouth turned down in a grimace. He had black stubble that looked irritated from so much scratching. If he had smiled and shaved, the man might've been quite handsome.

However, the large scar across the right side of his face ruined the biker's chances of ever modeling.

Sansa squinted, struggling to make out the lines and grooves of the man's deformity, but was caught off guard when the man locked eyes with her. Sansa gasped and stepped away from the window. Through the crack in the curtain, she saw the man take another puff on his cigarette, staring at the spot in the window where she had previously been.

Finally, the man turned away and gathered his bag from the tail of the Harley. Sansa rubbed her neck, embarrassed, then continued unpacking.

***

It was after three by the time Sansa was fully settled in. She made herself a cup of tea and perused the brochure left for her on the bookshelf. Deerpark boasted horseback riding, kayaking, and the village of Herodsfoot just a few kilometers down the road. Sansa began making a list in her in her notebook of provisions to get in town, but was interrupted but a dull thwack! from outside.

Bread Beans Tomatoes Thwack! Wine Crisps Chocolate Thwack!

Sansa threw her pen down and stood from the table. She opened the door and poked her head outside to see what the commotion was.

The biker was chopping wood in his white undershirt, another fag hanging between his lips. He placed another hunk of wood on the block, raised his massive arms, and split the log clean in half with little effort.

Sansa gaped. She had never seen such a strong man. Not even the rugby boys at uni had as much power to them. Sweat rolled down the man's back, shirt clinging to his skin. Sansa unconsciously licked her lips.

"It's rude to stare," the man said. He took a long drag from the cigarette and turned toward Sansa, breathing out smoke as he did. He had a thick Scottish accent, the kind Americans might make fun of on daytime talk shows.

"Sorry," Sansa said. She nervously fidgeted with the hem of her shorts. "I was just seeing what the noise was."

"You've seen it," the man gruffly replied, "now jog on."

Sansa scowled. She watched as the Scotsman turned back to his task and put the cigarette to his mouth again. "Those will kill you," she said pointedly.

He swiveled to her again and said with a snarl, "Literally never heard that before in m'life. You must be a bloody genius."

Sansa lowered her eyes. It was a shitty way to start the week. She decided she wanted to be on this man's good side rather than face the brunt of his bike engine roaring and cigarette smoke wafting in her windows.

"I'm Sansa."

A low chuckle vibrated deep within the man. He abandoned his task altogether, chucking the ax to the side and fully facing Sansa with his arms crossed over his chest. "What kinda feckin' name is that?"

"It's a family name," Sansa explained, ignoring the sting of his insult. "What do they call you?"

"They call me a lot of things," the man said, puffing on his fag. "'Cunt, bastard, asshole. And my personal favorite--" he pointed to his scar "'--ugly fuck.'"

"You're not--" Sansa stopped herself. Her mother always said that her politeness would one day get her into trouble. Sometimes people didn't need to be reassured that they were smart or kind or handsome. Some people treated flattery as an insult. Sansa cleared her throat and tried again: "What's your name?"

The man eyed Sansa up and down, the wheels spinning in his head. He flicked his cigarette away and snubbed it under his boot. "Clegane," he answered. "Just Clegane."

[quarterfromcanon]

Portage

Heather & Valencia - Femslash February - Day 22 - Lie  [1,707 words]

“Kayaking,” Valencia repeated, deadpan. She ran her thumb across the varied textures of Heather’s bracelets while they sat together at the dining room table.

“Mm-hmm,” Heather confirmed with an amused twinkle in her eye. She turned her arm over in an open invitation Valencia readily accepted. They rested their palms together, fingers tracing the veins on each other’s wrists.

“I get the feeling you’re deliberately taking me out of my comfort zone.” 

“That’s because I am.” Heather leaned close until their faces were almost touching. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” Valencia rolled her eyes. “God help me.”

Heather grinned. She kissed Valencia’s cheek. “I’ll go easy on you, I promise. It’ll be someplace peaceful, only the two of us, just to see if you like it.”

“This better prove how much I love you.” Valencia’s lower lip protruded.

Heather rose and pushed in her chair with one hand. She caught Valencia’s fingers with the other and swung back and forth. “I already know.”

___

“I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I can’t. The last time I lied under pressure, I told Anna the Browbarian her cat got hit by a pirate! I said my name was Allegra and Rebecca’s was Madge. Those are not the inventions of a skilled deceiver.”

“V, you’re totally psyching yourself out for nothing. Seriously. You don’t even have to lie. All you’ve gotta do is get through one Sugar Face breakfast without telling Rebecca where we’re going.” Heather draped her palms over Valencia’s forearms across the table. “It’s not like we’re denying her a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I wanna take her and Paula with us someday, too. Maybe after Paula passes her bar exam, we could make it a celebratory outing. It’ll be a blast.”

Valencia nodded with a smile.

Heather tucked a few stray curls back into place. “I don’t feel great about keeping this from her, either, if that makes it any better. I just… Sometimes it’s hard for us to have bonding experiences on our own and I kinda want this to be one of them. I understand why she’s been on the lookout for group hangs since we got our new place, and I wanna make sure we give her that time so she knows nothing major is changing, but it’s only this one little adventure.” She grimaced. “Am I being an asshole?”

“No. I am kind of warming up to the idea of having you all to myself, doing your outdoorsy thing.”

Heather laughed and traced the lid of her cup. “We’ll make it up to her when we go to that honorary event for her mom. Full support and attention. Plus, when we go kayaking the second time, you can be my co-instructor.”

“I do enjoy bossing people around.”

“And I don’t exactly hate that side of you.”

They shared an intimate smirk before Rebecca’s voice interrupted the exchange.

“You two, keep those bedroom eyes where they belong!” She pointed with feigned disapproval. “I’m kidding. You guys are cute.”

“Hi!” Valencia greeted, drawing out the word perhaps longer than necessary.

Heather shot her a look but then turned to address their companion. “Hey, girl.”

Rebecca hugged them both before taking her seat. Heather and Valencia avoided one another’s gaze lest their guilt become even more visible.

They ordered a variety of doughnuts and split each flavor into three parts so they got equal portions. The conversation was broad and casual while the trio spent time catching up, but then they came to the topic of Heather’s recently leased Honda Civic.

“I saw it in the parking lot,” Rebecca acknowledged. “Very sleek. It still has that new car shine.”

“Yeah, she’s keeping this one fairly clean except for those paddles in the backseat.” Valencia started to sip from her coffee and froze.

Heather’s eyes widened over Rebecca’s shoulder.

“Paddles?” Rebecca failed to suppress a mischievous smile. “Are you two getting experimental?”

Heather hid her face behind her hands. “Oh my god.”

“Wait, was I right?” Rebecca asked eagerly.

“They aren’t for that,” Valencia intervened, but her tone made it clear that her mind was whirring. “Paddles have all kinds of different uses. There’s paddle boarding, whitewater rafting, table tennis... None of those are euphemisms! Stop grinning at me like that. Oh! And there are those paddle things they use in the hospital to restart your hea--”

“Babe, I think it’s obvious we’re not driving around with defibrillator paddles,” Heather interjected. “It’s okay.” She turned to their friend. “Rebecca, Valencia and I are planning to go kayaking together. It was supposed to be like a private getaway, as a couple, so that’s why V just went into a babbling spiral trying not to tell you. But the thing is, I don’t really want to keep secrets like that. Neither of us do. You kinda helped bring us together, and we want to be able to have honest conversations and an understanding, y’know?”

Rebecca nodded with her brow furrowed. “I want that, too.” She held out her arms to gently clasp Heather’s and Valencia’s fingers with hers. “Listen, guys, I remember that I didn’t give you a lot of room to breathe when you first got together. I asked a lot of questions and was way over-involved because I felt curious and excited and I love you both so much...” She pressed her lips together for a moment, cutting off the explanations. “But I know now that wasn’t really fair. I probably wouldn’t bring you along on my dates, you know, if I’d had one of those in recent memory.” Rebecca laughed in a way that was at least slightly more convincing than the last time she’d brought up this fact. “The point is, I get it. I mean, you know me; my FOMO shoots through the roof at the slightest provocation, but I don’t want to get in the way of someone else’s romance anymore. Especially not one I helped connect, because I’m pretty damn proud of that.”

They gave each other’s palms an affectionate squeeze and smiled tearfully.

“Once I get the hang of it, will you come with us on a later trip?” Valencia asked. “We were thinking we could have a Gurl Group weekend around it. But I get dibs on being your instructor. It’ll be a good test to see how much I’ve retained.”

Rebecca beamed. “I would love to.”

She released her grip on their hands and grabbed a napkin off the table to dab her eyes. Valencia and Heather did the same. “Wow,” Rebecca chuckled. “Things are getting real in this outdoor doughnut shop today.”

The earlier tension left Heather and Valencia in a relieved breath. “Yeah,” Heather concurred softly.

“Just one condition,” Rebecca said while she picked up a slice of the s’more flavor.

“What’s that?” Valencia prompted.

Rebecca’s eyelids crinkled at the corners as she fought back a giggle. “I’m gonna need a photograph of you in your kayaking gear because I’m trying to imagine it right now and I can’t. The wetsuit, the helmet, the little buckle vest -- like, not even for Halloween, that’s how hard it is to picture on you. I’ve gotta see the first time you wear it.”

The sudden realization of that ensemble’s impending reality washed over Valencia’s face in speechless dismay.

“I’ll do you one better,” Heather offered with audible delight. “I’ll get a video.”

 ___

“Which one do you think?” Valencia held up three river rocks for Heather’s inspection. “I want to bring back a souvenir for Rebecca, but I can’t decide which of these she’d like.” Her nose was already wrinkled in distaste from prolonged contact with the muck adhered to the underside of the stones.

Heather took note of her discomfort and offered to hold the options. She pulled a bandana out of her backpack and scrubbed the surfaces dry. The stones tumbled over the creases in her skin when Heather bounced them in her hand. “Actually, you know what I think she’d really dig?”

She waded into the water and plunged her arm below the surface. Valencia waited on the shoreline, head tilted to the side while she tried to figure out what Heather could be gathering that was taking so long.

Heather returned with both hands full of rocks very similar to the ones Valencia gathered, but in abundance. There was a distinct aesthetic involving four colors. “Yellow for me, red for you, the bluish ones for Rebecca, and pink for Paula. We’ll get one of those double picture frames and glue these all around it. Pretty sure one of those openings is gonna get filled with a screenshot from that video we sent her this morning -- c’mon, V, you know she didn’t let that thing just disappear with the Snap -- and then the second one can be all four of us when we go. We can each find bigger versions of the rocks in our color and carve our initials into them. Line ’em up across a shelf at Rebecca’s house in front of the frame.”

“I like that.” Valencia looked down at her stained fingertips. “It almost makes it worth whatever disgusting scum is currently stuck under my nails.”

Heather frowned sympathetically at Valencia’s woebegone expression. She wrapped the rocks in the bandana and knotted it together. Once the supplies for their project were stowed in her backpack, she took out her water bottle and helped Valencia wash the grit away.

“Okay, now you’ve gotta put the helmet back on,” Heather asserted.

Valencia pouted. “We got it on video. Wasn’t that enough? I’m going to end up with helmet hair.”

“A look which will stay safely off the internet,” Heather assured. “Babe. Come on.” She held out the protective headwear with its strap across her knuckle. “We’ve gotta carry this kayak uphill. A super cute French braid won’t stop a cracked skull.” 

Valencia scowled. She caught hold of the proffered gear. “You know, this combination of subtle compliments and infallible logic won’t work forever.”

Heather walked away laughing. “Yeah, it will.”

Valencia grumbled to herself and crammed the helmet onto her head. “She’s right; it totally will. Damn it.” Her fingers secured the buckle with a snap and she hurried after her girlfriend. “Heathe, wait up!”