#such beautiful complementary colors for our boys

[victimhood]

The two captains exchange jerseys at the end of the semifinal between the Netherlands and Italy at the 2026 World Cup.

(From chapter one of The Beautiful Game)

[image description: Yusuf Al-Kaysani, captain of the Dutch NT, wears a blue shirt bearing the name “Di Genova” and the number 2. He has one arm around Nicolò Di Genova, captain of the Italian NT, who is wearing an orange shirt with the name “Al Kaysani” and the number 4. They are standing on a soccer pitch and there is a soccer ball lying around to emphasize this is about soccer.]

[crazyclownthanos]

White Clover

Page 1: Passing the baton

Words: 3823

The Clover Kingdom

The title of 30th wizard king, now belonging to an orphan who grew up in the forsaken realm, who had no magic and better yet was a devil host

Asta achieved his long life dream and he couldn’t be more happier

Standing on the clover castle balcony with his wizard king crown on his head and his signature smile

Right beside him was his fiancé at the time Noelle Silva who was given the role of one of the many advisers

Standing on his left side Secre Swallowtail or known as Nero in simpler times,another adviser to the wizard king

Along with Finral Vaude, another advisor to the wizard king

Together with Noelle was Mimosa Vermilion known to be clovers best healing mage

The whole entire kingdom was there to watch

From the noble realm

From the common realm

From the forsaken realm

All the citizens were there to watch

Sister Lilly, Orsi, Nash, Recca, Auru and Hollo were standing on one of the castle towers. smiles all around, cheering and some tears from father Orsi.

House Vermillion, House Kira and House Silva stood proudly watching the ceremony. King Augustus was actually bothered to watch the ceremony but all the swine did was sit and squirm in his throne. Some people don’t ever change.

All the captains stood proudly with their squads and robes on

The magic knights all yelling praises and singing for joy

Drouot within the crowd crying happy tears proud to see that boy grow up and soar over the years

The diamond kingdom mages showed up too

Mars

Ladros

Ragus

Broccos

Yagos

Galleo

Mohawq

Human Fana

All showed up to show their support to Asta

The seabed temple folks also saw

Gifso

Gio

Kahono jumping up and down screaming to see Noelle on screen.

Kiato

And the rest of the citizens

The Witches Forrest were also able to watch the ceremony

The elves were invited too. Patri, Elf Fana, Vetto and Rhya watched from the top of one of the buildings filled with joy

The newly crown spade king was just arriving landing right beside Asta with his crown and not to forget Belle still sitting on his shoulder

They didn’t say anything to each other but only smiled. Yuno and Asta shared one last bump fist

The journey ends. A new era starts......

A story of a new devil

This story starts off in a library, dusty books in sight, lightly lit candles illuminating the space, a chalkboard in sight and in front of the chalkboard was a wooden table and chairs

Two boys, one standing in front of the chalkboard and the second one sitting on one of the chairs

The first boy apperance was thin and fair, he was wearing a black turtle neck hemmed to his hips, along side white pants and an over sized wool cardigan. Cherry colored triple bangs and eyes of blooming sakuras seen from a distance

The second boy had two light grey braids on the left side of his head tied up in in a ponytail with bangs on the ride side sprouting out. Heterochromia irises of blue on the right and purple on the left. Wearing long puffy sleeves faded blue shirt connected to circle pins with the house Silva emblem splatted on, having a bit of a hole appears above it on both sleeves and on both side of hips, a lilac slash tired around his waist with the knot on the right side, navy blue pants along side pockets with the same pin at the ankle and the hole above.

Please meet

Ace Silva! The youngest of the Ideale Branch

And

Reagan Silva! The second son of the main Silva branch

“When making a paper crane you need to pull the wings, but not too hard!”

“Ta-da!”

Placing the paper crane on the table Ace gleed with Joy considering it was his 1000th time making a paper crane.

Meanwhile Reagan on the other hand was still struggling doing the top fold, his cheeks were turning red out of embarrassment

“You’ll get the hang of it!” Ace remarked hands on his hips smiling ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. Hearing someone slam the door open frightened Ace causing him to fall on the ground and duck for cover.

Three people walked inside two girls look around the same height, and one male taller than the two girls

“Yo-ho! Regan, Ace!”

Please meet the next generation of Silvas

Be mentally & physically prepared

Seriously.

There beasts.

Haskell Silva.

Nozel Silva’s first son and the heir of the royal Silva family. A hyperactive 20 year old and a 1st class senior magic knight of the Silver Eagles squad. Currently rocking ankle length blonde hair to the ankles tied up in low length ponytail with bangs out. Wearing a sleeveless tight shirt of yellows and golds showing the design of a golden eagle in the middle and golden rays of the sun symboling the eagle, white pants and calf length white boots with golden edges.

Next was Nozel’s first daughter, claimed to be one of the finest ladies in the kingdom. A cunning lady who went by the name Nereida Silva. A rookie member of the Black Bull who got into the squad by persuasion by her aunt, Noelle. She had the facial features and silver hair, a normal Silva appearance (though unlike her yellow eyes that textured her irises) tied up at the buttom and pinned up by a clip with a somewhat curly fringe the swooped up a bit. Wearing something similar to Haskell but instead of the golden edged boots it’s dipped in a silver color altogether. Her tight singlet that caressed her skin in a purple color.

The last one of the bunch

Josslyn Silva.

The eldest of the Ideale branch.

Told to be one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, blessed with mint green eyes like her grandfather, pink luscious lips, quite noticeable and long cherry blossom hair that was normally tied up in a high ponytail along with her bangs that covered her forehead and hair spilling out at the front. Complementary to Nereida and Haskell she of course rocked the silver edged boots, white pants and a pink tight top.

“A-ah! What bring you guys here? I thought you guys were meant to do your intense trial or something else...” Ace murmuring his last couple of words, peering his pink eyes at the three

“I’ll comment and say Haskell was a walking fire hazard in today’s sparring session.” Nereida shared a smile making it look like nothing happened at all.

“Now we’re punished to read all books on magic tool history.” Josslyn cocked her head towards her younger brother.

A vein popped out of Nereida still fuming with rage knowing she got punished for something she didn’t do though appearances such appearances had no effect on her smile.!

“Oh I’m sorry Regan and I will take our leave” Ace stumbled on his words picking up the pieces of the paper he walked to the door expecting Regan following right behind him

“Rega- Aaah!” Ace let out a girly scream seeing Regans face turn purple from being suffocated from the squeeze of Haskell’s biceps

“HASKELL YOUR GOING TO KILL HIM~!” Ace mustered all the strength he could to let Reagan have atleast one breath of air pass his lips. Unfortunately it had no affect on Haskell, the guy was just too buff not like Asta buff just the unequaled type of buff.

Noticing the tears swell up in Ace’s eyes he took note of the state Reagan was in and joined the panic feast

“AAAAHHH WHAT DID I DO?!” Letting the poor six year old rest on his back, Haskell had no other option but to perform cpr on him.

Performing at least 60 chest compressions per 30 seconds, Haskell and Ace haven’t even checked for a pulse better yet done mouth to mouth.

The sound of a sharp inhale was a wave of relief crashing over Haskell and Ace.

“AAH! MY SWEET BROTHER BLOODHOOD YOURE BREATHING AGAIN~!!” Haskell shaking Reagan by the shoulders, waterfalls spilling down his cheeks. Concurrently Josslyn and Nereida stood there witnessing the turn of events not even changing their facial expressions

Squirming around the young boy Reagan sat there dumbfounded still picking up the pieces on what just turned.

Exhaling sharply, Josslyn stepped one foot forward resulting in both Ace and Reagan sitting on their assess kicked out of the room.

Somewhere outside Clover castle, busy by a chain of stalls selling fresh produce and in an alleyway a red fox growling its teeth at some crows over a crushed rotten apple. Successfully the red fox scared the crows away able to eat the apple without disturbance.

A gust of wind came along not disturbing the red fox but the newspaper blown right in front of the apple. Looking at the newspaper the front cover was in view displaying the new generation of Silva’s all standing, hands behind their backs, legs straight plus posture and not to forget their serious expressions. Wrinkling the red foxes expression somehow it didn’t happen to wrinkle on the last boy with the red hair on the left instead it only tilted it’s head. As the red fox shifted its head to the visible sign of the House Silva emblem.

Back at the Silva palace Ace and Reagan walked down the corridor going pass all the Silva’s portraits that came before them, their luxurious silver hair was never out of sight, they had forgotten they were the first generation of Silva’s that all possess their own individual hair color, the pressure was definitely on for them. At the rate their generation is going the pressure might be able to kill them knowing that both Ace and Reagan have not manifested a magic attribute yet, always the word “yet” has to taunt Ace, other children his age are already performing and practicing magic.

“Grandmother......” Reagan said in awe

Hearing those words Ace tapped back into reality seeing that both him and Reagan approached the portrait of Acier Silva looking all beautiful, Ace could only bite his lip in shame, knowing that this was the woman he was named after, he wasn’t reaching the expectations of royals, he wasn’t out there with his cousins using magic neither doing his duty as the bridge between royals and peasants making a difference.

Why wasn’t he never good enough.....?!

Ace’s hands started to shake, noticing this Reagan took Ace’s closest hand to him and started to pet it attempting to give it warmth. Taking his hand out of Reagan’s grasp, Ace held them together forward and bowed deeply altogether with a sad face for a few minutes. Standing back up he turned to see the stern expression of what Reagan was making, squeezing his fists right near his face, quivering his lip and his eyes look like they were about to pop out of his head. Ace almost felt if he we’re to poke his cheek he would explode. Lifting up his hands in surrender, not knowing what he could do next. “R-Reagan d-do you need to go p-p-potty?” Reagan took back his composure, he stopped squeezing his fists, took them to hip level and made hand gestures to Ace ordering him to get onto his height level. Somehow Ace cleary understood what Reagan was communicating and did what he got told. Now kneeling right in front of Nozel’s second son, Ace was not prepared on what was going to happen.

Reagan slapped him.

Before Ace could recover from the first slap a mountain of slaps came flooding in.

Screaming Bloody Mary for a good 5 minutes. Reagan finally finished. Sitting on beaten up Ace’s stomach, huffing and huffing before speaking out to him one last time. “Now have you learnt your lesson?”

“A lesson?! How is this a lesson! You just continuely slapped me without say?!” That’s what Ace really wanted to say. Instead he just breathed out, saluted him and replied back. “You got it captain Reagan.”

Reagan nodded his head in approval. Getting off his stomach. Reagan starred at the glass door near by echoing the songs of spring. “Hurry along Ace! It’s time we go outside.” Pointing to the glass door leading to House Silva’s garden. Ace lifted up his head (still red slap marks kissing his face) scrunching his nose in confusion.

“But why?” Ace questioned. Replying to the question, Reagan had already walked over to the glass door and tried to grab onto the door handle.

“Oh.”

He had to open to door for Reagan. Forgetting that Reagan was shorter than the average six year old male and the door handles around the palace tend to be far higher.

While Reagan was running around the garden on a quest to find as many bugs as he could. Ace spent his time laying on the grass, face down and pretending he wasn’t listening to a kid on crack. Feeling the sudden pain of an object hitting his head, Ace lifted his head off the grass to search on what could of strike him. His eyes couldn’t pick up anything unusual, maybe it was just the pain of the slaps finally coming to fry his brain. Scanning one more time Ace finally saw what it was. An acorn? Sweeping the acorn off the ground Ace held the acorn in both his hands, lifting up his upper body to take a proper look, the acorn was just another ordinary acorn but what felt odd about it that squirrels don’t even take habit around the capital, usually their spotted in places like the woods.

The curiousity caused Ace to take a closer look around the garden to see if maybe Reagan had shifted from scouting bugs to acorns instead. Wasn’t the case at all. Instead of a kid on crack Ace had spotted a baby red fox using it’s amber eyes as a somewhat attempt of brainwashing him. This wasn’t the first time Ace had crossed paths with a red fox, you can spot them sometimes, never in packs but just a single red fox always startling Ace somehow.

A few blinks was traded among the two, soon enough Ace passed on a small smile and wave. The red fox maybe had mistaken the small gesture as a way to tell the fox come fourth. One paw in front of the other Ace did wonder where did the red fox came from. Maybe it was the adult foxes baby? But shouldn’t it stay close to its mother? Finally in arms length, Ace sat up cross legged and let out an open hand for the baby fox to get a closer sniff on his scent, it all went well until Reagan decided to run pass still continuing to scream. The scream had startled the baby fox causing it to hide behind Ace. Evoking Ace to crackle a chuckle he simply laid a hand on the foxes head, while he continued to chuckle with his other hand over his mouth. This brought back a memory of the times whenever he would get scared and hold onto his mother’s leg or hide behind her dress as hypocritical it sounds. Maybe this was the feeling Nebra got whenever Ace would do this

The baby red fox came back around with pleading sounds of joy that only worked Ace over more. Starting to come closer the baby fox began to lay its head on his lap for comfort. Not wanting to wake up the baby fox Ace sat there only focusing his eyes on the sleeping fox.

Regrettably that soothing peace didn’t last long. Reagan came up to Ace holding bugs that he dug up, together with dirt in between his fingers. This time the fox ran out of sight as soon as the oath approached. Ace pulled a face of disgust stirring his head away from the sight.

“Something the matter Ace?”

“Uh. Not really actually.” Ace held the barf in his cheeks.

“You look sick...wanna go see Mimosa?” Dropping his hands. Having the tone of a concerned mother.

Ace cocked his head the other way not wanting to see the sight of his hands again.

“No thank you! Really appreciate it but I think I’ll be fine.” Just when Reagan was going to say something else the scent of gasoline hit them like an arrow.

“Is that the smell of gaso-“ Ace didn’t even finished his scentence. The damage had already been done. The three tater tots had successfully blown up one of their families libraries and some areas outside the library. They can already imagine the headache in front of them.

“Oh come on you old meanie! Is hitting us THAT necessary?!!” Haskell yelped just after gotten a smack a head from one of Nozel’s Mercury stick thingos.

Haskell, Josslyn, Nereida plus Ace and Reagan was currently getting interrogated none other then the head of the family. Nozel Silva, for damaging their “beloved” library.

“Indubitably it is. I could punish you 5 far worse but by all means I’ll keep you alive for now.”

“Oooo you’re so intimidating Mr frostbite~ What are you going to do to that library? DIG IT A GRAVE?” Haskell was getting sharp with his words, he wasn’t the compulsive type though if you were to trigger that all you could do was pray and hope for the best.

That triggered Nozel. The air became thin and the room began to shake in an attempt to scare these children.

Unsuccessfully his plan didn’t work out at all. These children weren’t fazed in the slightest bit. Haskell stood there crossing his arms and tapping his foot, Nereida only stood there with no facial expression expressed and Josslyn could only stare at the ugly paperweight on Nozel’s desk. Meanwhile in Ace and Reagan case they couldn’t even detect mana at all, not to forget this rapid cold feeling wasn’t the first time they had felt it.

As soon as the room felt more lighter Haskell had a bucket of insults ready to missile at his father, however Nozel was able to summon a piece of mercury taped to his mouth to keep him shut.

“At this age of your lives. You three should know how to maintain your magic and keep it away from harms way.” Walking past all Silva’s like they were at military camp.

Nereida lifted up her hand to say something.

“I competely agree with you father, but if you will I need to comment that it was all Josslyn’s and Haskell’s fault. You see Haskell kept on mocking Josslyn and you get the idea that Josslyn is quite short tempted. To flourish her anger she activated one of steamed based spells to fill the area of gasoline so on and so forth.” Ace sometimes wondered how Nereida can stay efficient.

Josslyn rolled her eyes. Haskell was trying to shout profanities with the mercury still taped to his mouth. “Thank you Nereida. I do appreciate your truth. Momentarily I assure its all time you five gets some shut eye for tomorrow’s event.”

All of them except for Haskell saluted and 4 of them made their path outdoors in the meantime Reagan rushed to his fathers side. Ace whispered to Nereida covering his mouth “wait. I still don’t understand why Reagan and I were dragged into this.”

“Better not to question it.” Nereida replied keeping her hands behind her back. Ace slopped forward looking forward to the comfort of his pillow.

The baby red fox ran through weeds in the moonlight. Stopping at a rock placing both paws onto the rock. Then the impossible happened. A illuminating red glitter had taken shape over the fox. The red fox shifted into a baby red fox to an adult red fox. Gawking at the offical royal magic grimoire tower in front of it.

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock

CLING

It was already mightnight. The grandfather clock had sure done its job waking up Ace. Reaching out towards his bed side table for his glass of water but this time as he picked up the glass and lifted it towards his lips no water dropped down.

“Dammit.” He had ran out of water. He had two options. Go downstairs to refill the glass or two swallow his own saliva. He went for the first option. Getting out of his comfortable position, Ace walked down stairs wearing a white shirt and grey sweatpants. Walking down silently, wary not to wake up his parents or sister. Refilling the glass cup he had caught something phenomenal.

The semita blue butterfly. A rare butterfly that glows, which can only be founded during darking hours. He wasn’t letting this chance slip through his fingers. Taking a big sip of the water he started to walk towards the butterfly. Unlike other butterflies that would fly away if they spot danger, many have stated that the semita blue butterfly dosen’t fear danger.

Following the butterfly through the double doors outside the sleeping quarters of the Ideale branch. Pass the portrait of his grandmother. Flying through the main kitchen. Cursory every corner. Making it to the outdoors where Ace never stopped chasing the butterfly. Even when approaching the royal grimoire tower he didn’t take his eyes off it. The butterfly was his goal.

But a slight problem occurred. Reaching the insides of the royal grimoire tower the butterfly started to fly up out of Ace’s reach. To describe the interior of the grimoire tower it was not like any other grimoire tower scattered all over the kingdom. There was windows near the top displaying crystal shaped windows, circling that part. Most fascinating there was floating book shelves carrying books.

Ace had no facnation checking the place out. All he wanted was to get one touch from the semita blue butterfly.

Reaching out his right hand trying to grasp the blue butterfly, his eyes went wider and wider.

He lost contact for a minute then somehow a miracle transpired.

A blue arrow shot out of his palm.

And not like an arrow you find in a bow and arrow. The symbol arrow.

The blue arrow came streaming out of his palm, the length continued to grow as it went up. The blue arrow punched one of the floating book shelves resulting in some books losing balance and to fall off the shelve, flying towards the ground. One of them happened to come flying down to Ace. Covering his head with his hands pleading that the book will somehow move. Taking one more good look at the book as it’s about to hit him. The book stopped. Floating in the air. Wait did he saw a thumb by the spine?!

Taking the book out of his sight Ace flexed his head towards the book direction uncovering a man twice his height, pale skin, black split hair on an angle and pericing red eyes.

“Nice to finally meet you. Ace”



[slothgiirl]

FOREVER ISN’T FOR EVERYONE (IS FOREVER FOR YOU?) part 2

Lucy and I are up before the sun. I've called a cab and manage to grab a banana from the complementary breakfast. Most of the team's still asleep.

 "Fucking techies," Ben mutters, rubbing at his eyes from behind his sunnies, "get to sleep while I do all the work.” He'd stayed out with the rest of the band all night. Who knows they'd gotten back in. And now we had actual work to do. 

"Just you," Lucy replies archly.

"You two weren't out until three in the morning. At least I got a nice shag out of the whole thing."

"TMI Ben!" It's too early for this. But the whole city is too beautiful too miss. New Zealand. I have too at least make it to the beach once during these few days we have here before heading to Auckland. Maybe even make it to hobbit town. 

"It's true. I hate dealing with the business side. I just signed on to party and travel."  

"Where did you guys even go?”

"A bunch of bars. Got some late night eats." He shrugs, looking way too relaxed in jeans and a t shirt. But maybe I was the one out of place in slacks and a silk cami. I just couldn't get my head around doing business in jeans. "You should've come with us Ellie. We missed you last night."

"I prefer not feeling like shit two days in a row actually."

Lucy snorts, "oh you're perfect. You'll do great out here with us."

There's complimentary coffee and I make sure to pour as much creamer as I can into the cup. Ben and the venue manager talk, go over some last minute papers. He passes them to me and I read them and nod, passing them back. They're the same as I have in my files. 

Ben signs off and then they're joking and bantering and I want to stab my eye out. Lucy's gone to go over the press list and signing off on the state of backstage. It's not a huge venue. Nothing like the O2 back home. But the size does give everyone a better look at the stage, probably without selling a kidney for it. 

We're done, having taken longer than we planned. We have to race back to meet up with band to do press. Fuck. Our taxi gets caught up in traffic. 

"How's there even enough cars for there to be traffic," Lucy complains. She doesn't trust the band to speak without her there to do damage control. 

"Fuck it. We're just meeting them at the radio station. Then we can head to hotel and do the rest of the day's press in there." He sends a text. "Can you send a taxi for them Ellie?"

"Got it." At some point I've got to get lunch. A banana and coffee isn't enough to hold me over. 

We barely make it in time and I run off to get them all breakfast while they do their radio interview for the morning. Without specifics I'm left with a bit of time to wander about and find someplace to eat. 

The air feels fresher. Everything has a rose colored cast from it's newness to me. Even I feel lighter without the weight of being known here. Like I could change and be the person I wanted to away from home. In this new place. 

There's a restaurant a street over and the coziness amid the skyscrapers catch my eye. It's homey and welcoming and it smells amazing. I order a couple of their breakfast specials and lunch sandwiches, taking one for myself as the kitchen preps the rest. 

"Large family," the waitress asks. 

I shake my head, "for work actually. I went to school for years to be a glorified assistant." It's funny. I did. But this job, it felt right, even now. 

"That's what my son keeps telling me." 

The foods great. I sip at some tea and wait to be called back. Content to use to wifi. After we get back to the hotel, where some of the crew are setting up for the press, and with the help of the first interviewers of the day, I'll finally have some free time. 

Go walk about the beach. Oriental bay is supposed to be beautiful. And close by. 

Ben texts me and I met up with them at the curb, carrying a large bag of takeout, "It's good," I promise. 

"You ate without us," Miles accuses, all boyish naughtiness, clad in a wife beater and trackies. 

"Down old boy," Lucy says, slapping his chest. Nick laughs, taking a box eagerly as Ben hails us a cab, of which there are plenty in this part of the city. 

"Do we really have press all day," Jaime groans. 

"Bet you didn't think of that when you wanted more people to hear you play," Ben notes with a mouthful of sandwich. 

Miles shimmies, features twisted in delightful amusement, "fame's half the reason I joined a band. Who doesn't want to be a fmaous rockstar. Sex. Drugs, and rock n roll baby."

"You look more like the fifth Beatle than Mick Jagger," I note as we pile into a cab. His hair's certainly Beatlesque. He's also got the boyish charm down, however rakish. 

"Oi!"

Lucy and Ben shepherd the boys to another interview, with promises of partying and beaches later on our last full day before the concert here. 

I wave them off and head up to our room to change out of slacks. I'd been right, I'd been overdressed. And the heat only made it worse. 

By the time I change into some shorts, I feel to tired to go out and sigh see, figuring tonight I'll actually go out with the rest of the crew. It'd be more fun that way. Instead of alone. 

Instead I head down to the lobby with a bag and book and head out to wander the area at least. There's some fast food, the names I know, Mcdonalds and Domino's, and some obvious tourist traps that I go into. 

My family and roommates will at least want a mug. For the first time, I use my own card to buy some souvenirs, opting for keychains to save space. I wander into some of the regular shops to kill time. 

All the stores nearby have a striking similarity to the ones back home. But the architecture's all different. 

My phone is soon full of pictures of streets and buildings and me wearing a New Zealand hat, before I give in and get Mcdonalds, heading back to the hotel, ready to curl up in the beautiful lobby with the book I've lugged all the way from home. 

The air conditioning is a gift. The couch by the indoor fountain perfect and I try to focus on reading Anna Karenina. It's been nagging me since uni. But I've never managed to get through it. 

So many beautiful quotes out there and I can't ever finish a book. 

I almost drop my book as Lucy startles me, taking a seat next to me. "Want to grab lunch by the beach? I mean dinner really but either way?"

"And the boys?"She rolls her watery eyes, the color of fog bound sky, "up to change before having margaritas by the pool. I think they're going out bar hopping again later if you're up for it."

I shrug, "let's see how we feel after wandering about." It's a long walk, but how else will we get to see everything. 

Lucy makes me take a pictures of her against various backdrops. "Make sure you get that building!" She poses. "Wait, over here!" She fixes her hair, back and out of her eyes, "Wait! I think I closed my eyes in that one."

I laugh, willingly taking photo after photo and waiting for her to check them, swiping and zooming in to make sure she likes how it came out. 

"Thank you so much Ellie!"

"It's really no problem."As we get to the beach we duck into the first place that smells good and has a line. 

"First rule of traveling," Lucy grins. "Follow your nose."

It's not half bad. Fish and chips. The fish claiming to be fresh from the day's catch. A perfect dinner. 

Lucy tells me about her last job. "A smaller band, mostly big in europe. I think breaking out into the world's the hardest part. So many bands flounder in the states and unfortunately it's a huge market setter."

"Did you always want to do this kind of PR?" 

"No. But who could refuse traveling! Especially compared to a desk job."

We each pay for our food and head down to the water. The water too inviting to refuse, both of us wading in. 

"It's warm," we both squeal, use to the icy waters of England. 

"It's probably easier to deal with them though."

Lucy's eyebrows rise as she snorts, "you'd be surprised at how crazy things in the boardroom can get!"

We go in past our knees. Yelping as the waves splash, breaking against us. "My underwears soaked," I admit, blushing fiercely. The wet feeling making me want to go running into the water or for a change of clothes.  

"Didn't you say we were just dipping our feet in?"

We laugh. 

The groupchat goes off and we glance at each other, before heading back out of the water. We read over the texts with the sun setting on the water. "This place is paradise," I tell her. Its warm and by the beach and so green. 

"Oh and we've barely even started. Ben told me you didn't even have a passport?" 

I blush. "Yes. I'd only ever been up as far as Scotland." It had been the first and only time I had met my mother's parents. Her family. And despite how it ended, it was a lovely time in the highlands. 

Lucy laughs, scrolling through the messages. "Ben and the rest are heading out to drink up on Cuba street. 'cept for Miles and Alex. They want to go catch some film at a quaint little theater."

"What movie?" 

"The Red Shoes. There'll be food and drinks there too." We trudge through the sand and peddles and reach the sidewalk. This time we hail a cab. 

"How's Cuba street," I ask. She's travelled before. Probably been here with a different band. A different crew. Older than me, lines around her eyes. 

"I mean it's cool," she offers, "but mostly pubs and-it's very much Camden town than Shoreditch."

"A movie sounds nice after all the walking. Maybe along with a nice glass of wine."

"I'll tell Miles we'll be over then," she says, looking up with a smile. It's great to have her here, to get along with her so easily. I'd been nervous before, never having made friends easily in school. Just my dorm mates and whoever I ended up sitting near in class. 

"And I'll tell the cab where to."

Miles and Alex are waiting for us outside when we pull up. Even illuminated by dim streetlights, it's easy too see how pretty Alex is, his face now sans aviators and with a good night's sleep.  

Large and expressive caramel eyes, a softness to his sharp jaw, and a well formed mouth. It helped that he was a good mood, joking with Miles.

"-and I said fuck that mate and drained the whole thing. Burned to bloody hell and back though!"

"Just can't beat an englishman!"

Lucy rolls her eyes, "boys will be boys."

"Ah my dear sweet Lucy who pelts me with candy as I mouth off! Reminds me of me history teacher," Miles winks exaggeratedly. "This is me mate Alex ," he clasps him on the shoulder, pulling him into his embrace, "Alex. This is Lucy and Ellie who I know you already met but."

"Speaking of which," I note, aware of the sand still stuck to my legs and the drying hem of my shorts, "you owe me a drink."

"Oi! What a woman! Hell El, gotta at least wait until we sit down or you might be what we call the local old dog who spends all his days in the back booths of pubs." His voice is all over the place as he twirls an imaginary mustache and it's a combination of it all and him being him that has us all laughing at his antics.

We order chips and a bottle of wine, "to keep it classy," Miles winks, and take our seats in the tiny theater. 

Alex takes the seat between me and Miles, attention dominated by the other man. All the better for me to sneak glances off and it's stupid but I already feel my heart speed up at the sight of him like I'm a teenager all over again. 

"Any if you seen this movie before," Lucy asks conversationally.

" 've not but then again i'm not the most cultured," Miles does a very bad accent as he continues, "je ne sais quoi."

"The french give us films and Serge Gainsbourg and this is how you pay them back," Alex teases, smacking Miles lightly in the arm. I chuckle at that, watching Miles go all mock affronted and tease Alex right back. 

"Is it anything like that old fairy tale?" I can vaguely recall something about cursed red shoes, but the twelve dancing princesses was the story I asked for night after night to my mums despair. 

Alex nods, with a delighted smile on his lips, "loosely. It's great. I think you'll like a lot."

The lights dim and the screen flickers on. I sit back and watch, glass of wine in hand feeling like I'm finally living that life that doesn't really exist, the moments that come straight of of films like this one.

Alex is right. I do like the film.

Its beautiful and I'm not bored at any point. I can here Miles making quite snide comments and am not surprised. 

"It was good," Lucy remarks after as we head out, "very black swan."

"Wouldn't black swan be like this film since it came out before?" I utter. 

"She's got you there Lucy darling," Miles snipes. "Who's up for some drinks! The rest of the boys are still out and about and I've got a bloody mary calling my name." 

He glances at Alex for a second before erupting into laughter that has Alex smiling as well. Must be an inside joke of there's. 

"Are you two coming," Alex asks, meeting my gaze. 

I shake my head. If I wake up early enough tomorrow I could probably squeeze in a trip to hobbit town and back before I had to run anywhere. 

I tell him as much. "Mums a huge Tolkien nerd, so I kind of have to."

Alex nods in understanding, "I've never cared for Tolkien. 've always preferred science fiction. Going way back to good ol Mary."

It take me a second for it to click. Mary Shelley. As in Frankenstein. "Never read it."

"You should. It's a great little book."

Miles snorts, "just watch the movie with the willy wonka fella!"

Alex rolls his eyes fondly. 

We hail a cab and part ways. 

Lucy boldly proclaiming she intends to get a good nights sleep and still look "banging in my fourties."

"Ya that old Lucy darling," Miles snorts, unable to help himself.

"Don'tcha know never to ask a lady her age Kane," Lucy calls out as the cab pulls away and I'm giggling, carefree. No one here knows me. I feel unabashed, making a scene and taking cabs about town. 

"So that Alex is right fit," Lucy states with a knowing smile as she plays the spice girls loudly in our room, handing me more wine. I blush and think I must've drunk way more than I though I did. He is! And I don't know what to do with that. 

So I shrug and reply, "I guess," to her very unconvinced face. With ease, a down another glass of wine, shamelessly crying out spice girls lyrics. 

I might as well be thirteen again. 

[arthurmorganthings]

I hope that you’re having a good day❤️ Can you write about Hosea pining over an intelligent and clever con artist young woman? If you’re not comfortable with writing for him, can you write for Dutch or anyone you’d like? Stay AMAZING!!!!!

Woman in black

Pairing: Hosea Matthews x Mystery!woman

Warning: slight suggestive themes (if you squint anyways), and cursing.

Summary: Hosea Matthews meets his match.

A/N: I might do an Easter egg/crossover with a fic I wrote for Mr. Morgan fouuuuund here :) enjoy!

I guess it’s true what people say, that only time can heal pain, least that’s what Hosea Matthews wishes to believe. His dear Bessie gone for quite some time that he begins to question his grieving. Why pain doesn’t associate with her death any more.

Perhaps growing older was an attribute none the wiser because he stood lost in thought for a brief moment. Forget Dutch conducting his fictitious plan that involves robbing rich folk under their noses, which is a probable reason for Dutch accepting an impromptu Angelo Bronte’s invite to the Mayor’s soirée.

One thing Hosea knew was that Dutch is never one for associating with the rich. He stole from them religiously—as if it played a role in some sort of reparation for his flaws in life. His philosophy passionately ensues that if they can mosey their way through life’s problems money can buy, they can afford to get pick-pocketed out of a couple hundred.

Once entering the ball, the gang is explicitly told to leave their trigger happy toys at the front of the door. Though Arthur felt skeptical about the situation he follows-suit, removing his holster and places it alongside the others.

“I feel all out of place.” Bill mumbles as he practically marveled at the backyard filled to the brim with aristocrats, younger women with older men, gunslingers that so happen to make it out alongside their riches. Arthur nods, staring aimlessly at his environment.

“Alright gentlemen, like we practiced. Arthur and I will go network with Bronte—only I’ll be doing all of the talking; no offense son.” Dutch explains. “Meanwhile, Bill figure out what you can find, Hosea—“

“Hello gentlemen.” A voice with a higher pitch than Dutch was comfortable in retorts. Her dress beautifully made with her copper skin tone to compliment her accessories. Telling by the crown situated on her head, she was a princess of elite status.

Dutch furrows his eyebrows while giving her a puzzled look. His politeness never missed a step as he greets her. “Hello ma’dam.”

Realization dawns onto Hosea in recognition of the pictures plastered all over Saint Denis newspaper article. How could he have let information like this go over his head? He noted that her glance never left Arthur’s, and vice versa.

“Dutch, you fool! Don’t you know who that is?” He inquires. “That’s the princess of Monaco!”

This piques Dutch’s interest in one of many ways: a woman he could potentially rob, or a woman he’d lay with. And despite all of this, she showed no interest in laying with him—the princess appeared too young anyways. Hosea drawled, indifferent between the exchange that occurred between her, and Arthur. Betwixed them was an underlying amount of sexual tension. How her eyes bat, subtle smiles—suggestive speech.

Dutch notices this, his smirk widens.

He introduces the duo before politely sending her away to adhere to their purpose of attending an event of high society.

“But of course.” She nods, giving Arthur a look any man can associate with want, her walk eloquently leaves its mark with the gang. Dutch eyeing Margaret’s hips, swaying effortlessly.

“Christ.” Dutch mumbles. “What a woman.”

He pivots on his loafers. “Arthur my son, you’re either a fool, or an idiot. Which one is it boy?”

Arthur grunts, scratching at his nearly shaven beard. “Oh, I’m sorry Dutch. I thought we were here to con folk out of their money, and not flirt with women half our age.”

Dutch chortles. “Oh, it’s not me who she wants son, that was all you.”

“A princess wouldn’t have me.”

“She seemed sweet on you. Well—do with that information as you please, now gentlemen, back to the plan please.” Hosea insists, rather uncomfortable at the blunder that would soon escalate into whome asserts their masculinity.

By default Dutch wins, his autonomy was that he lead the gang, so that makes him a macho man in comparison to Arthur who was a bird—prepared to take flight.

Hosea digresses. “I’ll go network with a few folk worth robbing.”

“Alright then, come on son.” Dutch motions to Arthur as they head to the upper level of the mansion to speak with Bronte. Hosea gives Bill a reassuring pat on the back before making himself scarce.

He greets folk with vigor, associating himself through a pseudonym as he pours the finest merlot complementary glasses provided by the butlers in the finest suits. He observes as he catches himself in conversation with a few businessmen from Chicago. Hiding in plain sight as Dutch would put it while nursing the rest of his wine down his throat. The sweet taste left him satiated off of beverages for the rest of the night, he does note a woman in black lace and matching hat to finish—the woman looked dressed to go to a funeral for Christ sake.

She grabs a hold of a man from the nape of his neck, lips trailing across his cheek as her fingers go dangerously low to the belt buckle of his pants. If Hosea hasn’t known any better, he’d mistaken her for some goth working girl of the sort, but what she does earns a quirked brow.

Instead of cupping him through his pants, she gravitates to his pockets, robbing the poor man in plain sight. None the wiser, he doesn’t notice anything—a con woman sort. Hosea was colored impressed. She excuses herself shuffling past folk in a hurry.

She walks closer to his direction and he swears his heart skips. Taking in her smooth skin, and primmed makeup. Telling by her lack of aged features, it goes without saying she was young. As she walks past Hosea grabs her arm gently to avoid provoking something that could easily be unavoidable through the art of conversation.

So he pulls his mask over his face, the facade commences. “Good evening ma’am, I don’t believe we properly introduced ourselves.”

Her eyebrows knit together, perplexed as she drinks in her surroundings. She refuses to believe a man of his conjecture would ever afford to be around rich folk. She “plays” along.

“No sir, I don’t believe we have.” She snorts, placing a hand on her hip. “Though I must apologize. I’m kind of in a hu-“

“Ah nonsense, I’m sure you can stay for a drink. Maybe a hand of cards, perhaps. Unless you have a husband waiting for you.” Hosea suggests, a bit too in character though he must say that he’s enjoying himself. She stares with a glint of annoyance before masking the half of her face with a lace fan—a pricey fan with the help of her pick-pocketing skills.

She obliges him with a simple nod. “I’m not the card playing sort. I will—however, take you up on that drink. C’mon.” She looks around anxiously as she follows Hosea to the bar near the gazebo of the mayor’s humble abode. Pouring two glasses of Champagne brewed from the finest brews in Paris—this was almost enough to put moonshine to shame. Almost.

The silence between them was rather awkward. The woman in black opt to keep her comments to herself as she nursed her glass with her head held high. Hosea would be the the one to begin conversation.

“So what’s a lady like you doing in Saint Denis?” Perhaps not his proudest words of choice because she paused for a beat before chuckling into a fit of laughter. Hosea was never one for making a fool of himself, often times than most he’d rarely be placed in a position to be made a fool of; so this was one tough pill he’d have to swallow alongside his pride.

Once she’d calmed down she places the empty glass of Chardonnay onto the nicely decorated table before closing in all space that separates them.

Though she was a feet and a mere few inches shorter, her aura exudes fearlessness. A young spark if he’d say himself.

“I’m sure you’re familiarized with Leviticus Cornwall.” She acknowledges to her understanding Hosea was definitely that of a crook, she allows him to keep his identity hidden.

Little does she know a whole gang of bandits plan to rob the Leviticus Cornwall thrice more.

“Sure.”

“A no good bastard is what he is. Killed more folk in the state of Annesburg than I can count. One greedy sonuvabitch.” The creases in her eyes shift to an expression of anger. “I know you value your discression, but you ain’t no rich man.” He felt the cold metal graze his rib-cage.

He couldn’t bring himself to panic if Hosea was paid in gold the amounts of times he’d faced death. The stranger’s revolver hidden in plain sight as party-goers drink to their heart’s content. Unbeknownst to them of the potential dangers they’d be put in. She faced him in close proximity that one could easily mistaken for two people—sweet on each other.

Now if she was an idiot, she’d fire with no hesitation. It’d be futile to try and escape as the house was flooded with Pinkertons—not to mention heavily guarded by lawmen as Princess Margret resides within the mansion temporarily.

“Don’t be foolish ma’am.” His voice both patronizing, and fearful. “You intend to kill me in a house full of law? You’ll swing before you even know what hits you.”

The sharp click of the safety being removed invoked panic in Hosea, like a game of chess, if he fails to place himself in a proper position—he’d be the pawn. Additionally, his palms grew damp as he places his glass down slowly, almost to emphasize his alliance. The woman in black smirks as she tips her hat downward.

“It seems to me you’ve underestimated the power of a woman.”

A beautiful one at that, on the cusp of womanhood with her soft skin and eloquent features. Perhaps being robbed unbeknownstly wouldn’t be too bad of an experience for him. He couldn’t help but smile as he raises his hands up slightly in defeat. “Fine. Since you refuse to enable your trust—there’s a Patek Philippe watch in my front pocket, take it, and be on your way.”

She scoffs. “You mean to tell me a man of your stature, carries a Patek watch for fun? Pathetic. And you call yourself a crook mister?”

As she goes to reach for the valueble item, there’s a brief interval in which she removes her revolver from his hip, he grabs it quickly before placing it in his possession.

He looks around to see if there were any witnesses that caught onto the game of Russian roulette between them, when he sensed there was none he puts the safety back before pivoting away with his leg.

The woman in black marveled, following behind his footsteps. “Sir give it b-“

“Seems to me you’ve underestimated me, little girl.” His body coming to a halt, staring at the woman in reckless abandon. She suddenly felt smaller from the lack of weaponry. Her pearls dangle from her lobes as she blinks.

“You bandits are all the same.”

“And what does that make you?”

“Oh that’s rich coming from a man that runs with a tail between his legs.”

Hosea frowns at the vagrant insult, his nose crinkles, eyebrows furrowed, and his hands in fists. “What-“

“You—your gang of degenerates. Took what was mine years ago.” She adjusts her hat, space never seemed to matter to her anyways as she plants a kiss on his right cheek. His eyes widened at the exchange but couldn’t move away, staring aimlessly at the woman. “And I will retrieve it very soon.”

Before he could even inquire about her subliminal message, she’d shuffled away quickly as several lawmen search the area in regards to a female “pick-pocket.”

Hosea stood dazed, and confused.

—-

Dutch was the celebrating sort, no matter the location. He brings the party back to the congested stagecoach alongside, Arthur, Hosea, and Bill—Lenny was their chauffeur for the night.

“Cheers to Arthur for gettin’ those bonds. And uh,” he smirks. “Other things we mustn’t say.” Dutch takes his shot as Arthur blushes.

“Dutch, we ain’t do nothin’ for the last time!”

“Yeah, and my Aunt Sally was the president, bullshit Arthur.” Bill adds on with a shot of whiskey in hand.

“Listen you fat slob of shit!” Arthur threatens before Hosea intervenes.

“Will you two knock it off?” He asks as the duo settle down into silent mumbles as Dutch ask him about his night.

“It was, interesting. Met a young woman, she almost robbed me.”

Dutch raises an eyebrow. “Oh.”

“Seems to me you’re losing your touch Hosea.”

Hosea chuckles looking at the night sky hoping they’d give him clarity as to when his next encounter with the mystery woman in black would be. He returns a neutral glance at Dutch.

“I think so too.” He agrees, amusingly.

-

IM SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATES, THIS WAS MY SECOND TIME WRITING FOR HOSEA?? WONT BE MY LAST I JUST NEED TO GET A BETTER FEEL OUT FOR HIS CHARACTER AND ONCE I DO ILL PROLLY WRITE FOR HIM SOME MORE 😂💗💗 ENJOY THIS LIL CROSSOVER FIC IT WAS FUN

[ebthecelebrity]

I Want White Skin

It finally happened. My beautiful black son looked at me and said, “I want white skin.”  My immediate reaction was to faint right there on his bedroom floor, however, I kept my composure and asked him to explain why.  “All the superheroes have white skin,” he replied.

“Well, what about Black Panther?”

“Yeah, but I want to be Batman,” he demanded.

I didn’t even have a solution to his answer.  How do I explain to my 7 year old black son that his skin was beautiful? How do I advise that he is a superhero in his own right? Whew chile….the AGONY!  He had all the freedom in the world to imitate who he wanted to be and I could never crush his dream.  He loved Batman above them all though.  He would playfully tell me he lived in Gotham City and described how he and Robin would hang out in his imaginary life. Being the only kid surely built this imagination. To me, it was healthy to see. I encouraged it daily.  Batman was the cool superhero in his eyes. His bat inspired persona fighting crime with that fly ass bat mobile was my son’s personality to a tee! Damnit! How could I not let him be Batman?!  

“Son, you can be Batman, but the brown version,” I said reassuringly.

He looked confused. “Brown? Batman isn’t brown mom!”

He’s right though. Batman was created by DC Comics in 1939.  This was the same year the segregation era supposedly ended (1900 – 1939). Great strides made by African Americans throughout this decade of sports, education, music and visual artistry took place in this period.  The sense of a dark figure, fighting injustice in the crime infested Gotham City made me wonder if creator Bob Kane was up to something more.  I then realized that in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, singer-actress Eartha Kitt was casted as Catwoman on the Batman TV series in 1967 - 1968.  This gorgeous black woman was Batman’s love interest.

I continue to stare at my son as he got ready for bed. How do I finish this discussion? He clearly can’t go to bed and pray tonight that he wakes up with white skin. I’m thinking of ways to reassure him that he IS batman with melanin!  The struggle between NOT being anti-white but BEING pro-black is one I face every day.  I think a lot of brown people do.  I remember when the movie “Black Panther” came out last year in 2018. I was so excited to witness it on the big screen that I wore an African Head wrap and dressed in the complementary all black to work.  Every 15 minutes I would throw up the infamous “Black Power” fist to my fellow brothers and sisters in passing and in formation, they would throw it back to me. The deep feeling of pride saturated Corporate America in uptown Charlotte that opening week.  Many black professionals were in alignment and it felt great! A Black superhero, all black cast, and a black writer gave a sense of empowerment to brown people. I even purchased my son a Black Panther costume for Halloween last year because I just knew he would love it! Now, I’m sitting here wondering if he would had rather been Batman instead.  Black Panther ranked the 10th biggest box office movie of all time. I was proud to witness it.

“Do you love your skin?”

“Yes,” my son answered.

I thought about President Barack Obama. Another event in this country that I was so proud to witness. Love him or hate him, having a black president in this country was an extraordinary moment! I don’t think Americans truly realized how far we had come as a nation when that black family walked into the White House. We voted a man to be our Commander in Chief that could have easily been hung from a tree by white supremacists the very same year Batman was created.  Funny how life works.  I looked up to POTUS and his wife, Michelle. They stayed dedicated to their country and family; looking so cool and classy while doing so. No scandals, just living the American Dream right?

Looking at these two examples of amazing, superhero Black Men, I wanted to give my son so many other examples. It’s now 9:58pm and it’s way beyond his bedtime. As I tuck him into bed, I realized how important it is to depict and/or introduce positive superhero black men to little brown boys. I grew up in the 80s where there were probably two brown dolls to choose from. I didn’t feel connected to Barbie who had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Every cartoon on television had fair skin.  I didn’t want to embrace my kinky, course hair and begged for a perm at the early age of 6.  I’m pretty confident that I scrubbed my skin in the bathtub to “wash the dirt away”.

It wasn’t the point that my son desired to be Batman. It was the point that he didn’t see a Superhero within himself to be Batman without a color reference. I gave him a kiss good night.

“Hey, being brown is a blessing. Have pride in your skin son. People tan to look like you,” I said with a smile.

Black parents, there’s more work to do. Let’s create these Superhero lives, starting within ourselves. Be your son’s Batman. Be your daughter’s Wonder Woman. Fight the villains of injustice and instill that courage in them to continue that legacy. The sponge of their minds are heavily influenced by everything they see.  Who is your superhero?    

[knotty-hottie]

@alycat919 So, we haven’t talked before, but your post in the Ouran High School Host Club tag reminded me of my final paper for my Gender/Women Studies and I thought I’d share it. I promise I’m not tagging for drama, but just because I wanted to thank you for reminding me. It was a lot of fun to write a research paper about my first anime, and, despite the negativity I talk about in the paper, it’s still a personal fave of mine. You’re free to scroll past this if you aren’t interested, or to engage if you are. I just want to share the work I’ve done with the fandom I’ve explored. 😁

Ouran High School Host Club: Rich in Benevolent Sexism and Rape Culture

He pinned her against the bed, looming above her like a wild beast. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide, her nightgown bunched, her breath caught in her chest. The two stared at each other, like predator and prey, for a split second that felt like an eternity. He opened his mouth, and spoke, surely, calmly.

“You should fix that, ‘being a guy or girl doesn’t matter’ naivety of yours. It’s your fault for being too defenceless.”

It may sound like something from a badly written smut piece, or the rape fantasy of a young person, but in Ouran High School Host Club, this is the reality of our heroine, Haruhi Fujioka. She is a ‘commoner’ (lower middle class) student at a school for Japan’s most elite, having gotten in on a scholarship. After an incident involving her stumbling into an occupied music room in search of a study place, a vase worth ¥8,000,000 (equal to approximately $73,000 in today’s United States dollars), and some classic anime tropes, she ends up as a member of the school’s host club. The series itself describes the host club as “[The place] where the school’s handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran’s elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful.” The series is one of the most famous of all time in the anime community, coming in at spot 20 out of the top 50 most popular anime of all time on the Anime News Network. On SBS, Ouran came in at spot 40 on a fan-voted poll for best anime of all time. On Funimation (the anime’s publisher site) and Crunchyroll (one of the most popular anime streaming sites of today’s day and age) Ouran comes in at 5 stars. It’s a well known, well liked piece of media, that has earned itself an anime adaptation from its manga origin, a dating simulator from its anime adaptation, and a live action reboot based on all three of the previous iterations. Yet, somehow, underneath all of the things to like, there’s a dark underbelly that many willfully ignore or are just plain unaware of. The series perpetuates gender roles, rape culture, and some not-so-subtle homophobia. The way that it gets away with these things is by portraying them through the lens of benevolent sexism, which catches readers, watchers, and players alike off-guard.

Benevolent sexism falls under the larger umbrella of ambivalent sexism, which is divided into two main categories. The first category is hostile sexism, which is what most people think of when they try and imagine sexism. It is described by Dictionary.com as, “[sexism] reflecting negative views of women who challenge traditional gender roles.” It is the toxic, hypermasculinized form of sexism that many are taught to look for. It is the comments of, “You aren’t a real woman if your hair is short like that,” and, “Women are dumber than men.” On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the idea of benevolent sexism. Rather than comments of, “Women are weaker than men, making them inferior,” we hear the benevolent sexist say, “Men should protect women, as it’s the right thing to do.” It’s those moments where women are told they look better when they smile, or are in dresses, or have children in arm. The words are complementary and polite, but they hold the same message as those negative comments of the hostile sexist. Ouran works carefully to craft its message so that it doesn’t insult its main fan base (young women), while still getting its message across. For example, there’s the character of Renge Houshakuji.

Renge first appears in the manga in ‘Episode 3’ and in episode 4 of the anime adaptation. She is what is known as an otaku, which, in modern culture, refers to someone obsessed with some aspect of pop culture (whether that be video games, anime, movies, etc.) to the point that their social life suffers. In Japan, the word has become a word similar to our ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’. In American culture, the word is considered derogatory, and usually falls in line with words like ‘weeaboo’ and ‘wapanese’. Renge wholeheartedly accepts her otaku status, locking herself in her room to do what she enjoys most; playing dating sims. After a turn of events, she ends up at the Host Club, believing that she is in love with Kyouya Ootori, a host who looks identical to one of her favorite characters. After she reveals that this is why she likes Kyouya, she is bashed for her hobbies and considered crazy. The moment her hobbies come to light, they are painted as wrong and she is vilified, even though her male counterparts are considered just and right in there own hobbies. When Hani, one of the hosts, is depicted as morally correct for acknowledging that he is allowed to like the color pink and cute things rather than martial arts. Renge is one of the few female characters in the show that is depicted as having personality traits outside of, “infatuated with handsome boys” and “ultra feminine”, yet she is considered “crazy” for expressing those outside traits. It isn’t that she isn’t traditionally feminine, but that she has more to her character than that, much to the dismay of her male counterparts. She has her own hobbies and ideas. She knows exactly what she wants and goes for it. Even if her methods are questionable and a bit on the stereotypically crazy side, she still goes after her aspirations.

When Tamaki, one of the main characters of the show, greets and flirtily welcomes Renge to the club, she flinches away at his nonconsensual touch. She seems shell-shocked, blushing in what seems like embarrassment. After she comes to terms with him touching her face without permission, she slaps him, calling him a phony (among other insults), and leaving him emotionally beaten before going to Kyouya, the one she really wants. She decides to reinvent the Host Club’s characters in order to help Kyouya make more money, which should, she believes, make him fall in love with her the way she loves him. She is shown to get her ‘comeuppance,’ in a sense, when everything she goes for backfires. Kyouya reveals that he does not like her, she nearly ends up hurt, and she is told that she must take her time and learn about others in order to have a good relationship of any kind. When you come into relationships expecting someone to act a certain way, you are harming your chances of a healthy relationship. The message is good, but Renge’s fate is not quite as nice. She becomes a frequent background character, used for exposition, cheap plot device, and/or the voice of the fawning fan girls. The closest we get to her personal hobbies is the fact that she sometimes cosplays and, if we’re lucky, hear her talk about them for five or so seconds.

Another example of women in the show comes in the form of Benio Amakusa and the rest of the Zuka Club. In the third book of the series, specifically in ‘Episode 10’, we are introduced to Benio. She is dressed in the men’s uniform, has short hair, and is openly flirtatious with Haruhi, acknowledging Haruhi’s sex publicly to the Host Club’s dismay. Once Benio and company reveal to the hosts that they are, in fact, women, Tamaki labels them all as lesbians. All three do end up showing attraction of some sort to women, but the fact that he labels them all as such simply because one is shown to enjoy dressing in the men’s uniform and having short hair is a disturbing thought in and of itself. Tamaki sees that one is a lesbian, and begins making assumptions about their collective character based on that assumption. He goes so far as to pass out in shock at the presence of lesbians, and, once he awakens, says the following to the three Lobelia Woman’s Academy members; “You girls are all wrong!! What can come from a woman loving a woman!? Why did God create Adam and Eve, if not--!” He’s cut off before he can finish the thought, much to the LGBT+ community’s pleasure. Much to the community’s displeasure, however, is the imagery used in the anime to depict lesbians as nazis, having them do the nazi salute to a flag labeled “women”. Back to the plot, once he believes that he might lose Haruhi to this all-girl’s academy, he has some of his fellow hosts dress in exaggerated womanly clothing and wigs so that she can have ‘the best of both worlds,’ so to speak. The hosts think that, if they act ‘womanly’ enough, they will be a satisfactory replacement. Haruhi proceeds to explain that she had never even considered going with the girls, as her home was with the hosts. The Lobelia girls promise their revenge in a seemingly silly and typical manner.

In the only other episode that the Lobelia girls show themselves in, we get to see them kidnap Haruhi and, under the guise of needing Haruhi to perform, trick her into a situation that would lead to a non-consensual kiss in front of a large crowd, if not do more to her. When you watch the show, there doesn’t seem to be much going on aside from a silly and ridiculous plan that some rich lesbians are pulling to get revenge on the ‘noble and correct’ Host Club. When you really think about what’s happening though, it’s scary. They kidnap someone. They nearly sexually assault someone. What does it say that there only true gay representation resorts to these tactics when they are previously thwarted? The girls are basically degraded to recurring villains with silly beliefs, antics, and existences. Why is that?

In volume 5 of the manga, ‘Episode 17,’ we get exposed to Ayame Jonouchi, who is entirely skipped over in the anime. She makes a return in the live action series, however, holding her own arc in the third episode of the series. She’s incredibly intelligent, notably attractive, and, according to the hosts, a monotone speaker. They even go so far as to call her, “Miss Morse” and “Morse Code Lady” at one point. She is described as scholarly looking and strait-laced, and holds a major grades complex. The last of those points explains why she has always been in the top two of her classes grading system, holding the second place position hostage directly under the Host Club’s Kyouya Ootori. Once Tamaki transfers to Ouran, however, she gets knocked down to third, much to her displeasure. She becomes a foil for Tamaki in a sense, showing that her struggle and constant practice to gain knowledge will never be enough to beat the natural tendencies of her male counterparts. After checking the traditional genders of all of the names listed on the sheet for her class, I discovered that there was only one other girl on the page. Her position? Seventh place.

Ayame’s tale’s conclusion is a little bit painful to watch, as it is near a cliche at this point. It turns out that she actually loved Tamaki for a certain comment he made about her straight hair during their first meeting. Her hair is naturally wavy, leading to her having self-image issues in the face of her crush that lead her grades to drop just enough for Tamaki to take her spot. Her wavy hair being exposed by the rain, a breakdown of frustration, and a few compliments from Tamaki later, she discovers that she is beautiful no matter how she looks on the outside, and becomes a regular customer of Tamaki’s. She is petite, cisgender, heterosexual, and pale. The only reason we know that she continues attending the Host Club is because it is literally written into the final panels of the chapter. We never actually see her again in either rendition of the story.

The most famous ‘woman’ in all renditions of Ouran High School Host Club is Haruhi Fujioka. She is a first semester high school student. She is of the lower middle class. She lives with her father that, in every rendition of the story, is called a ‘tranny’ who works at the local ‘tranny bar’ (rather than addressing him as a drag queen at a drag bar). Her mother was a lawyer before her passing. She is attending Ouran Academy on a scholarship. Her hair is short, she needs glasses, and she can’t afford a uniform. She wears her father’s hand-me-down clothes and her grandfather’s hand-me-down glasses to save money. She’s blunt, book smart, and open minded. She’s a lot of things, but, somehow, she gets some of the worst treatment of the series. She is the reader’s insight into the author’s world; the character being exposed for expositional purposes, so to speak. For the sake of brevity, let’s walk through some key episodes of the anime (which is the story’s most well-known adaptation) and talk about what goes wrong in each one.

In the first episode of the series, “Starting Today, You Are a Host!”, we are introduced to Haruhi Fujioka, the protagonist of the story, who is simply looking for a quiet place to study, and, by mistake, stumbles across a club room in use by Ouran Academy’s Host Club. The members (specifically Tamaki, the series’ largest offender) proceed to insult Haruhi on monetary grounds, insert themselves into her personal space, and assume her gender identity and sexuality. After Haruhi drops an 8 million yen vase, the hosts (again, primarily Tamaki) begin to call Haruhi a dog and basically use her as a servant/errand runner. At one point, Tamaki calls Haruhi a ‘piglet’ in reference to her poor ‘servant’ status putting her beneath him. Later in the episode, Haruhi is revealed to be conventionally attractive, her wants are ignored as the hosts makeover her. Her hair is cut, a uniform is bought, and contacts are put in to make her fit the traditionally beauty standards of manhood (as, for the moment, some of the hosts are under the ruse that she is, in fact, biologically male and cisgender). Once this happens, all who attend the host club seem to treat Haruhi better. She is talked to by girls (which, many argue, is understandable, as she is now a host. My counter-argument is that the girls had to request Haruhi in the first place, something they likely would not have done before Haruhi’s involuntary makeover) and the hosts begin paying her real attention. Tamaki begins claiming Haruhi as ‘his own’ to other people, signalling that, to him, attractiveness is the primary trait that is needed to be on the same level as him, personality be damned. He also proceeds to invade her personal space without consent, which leads to her calling on Mori (another host) for assistance.

Once we hit the final moments of the episode, we find that Haruhi has gone to a changing room as her uniform has been soaked in the events of the episode’s climax. Tamaki, yet again invading personal space without consent, walks in with little to no warning on Haruhi changing, discovering her sex is female. He is shocked and embarrassed, reacting in a seemingly cute way to the discovery. Kyouya eventually comments on the predicament, laying out on the table the true message of the episode. “Could this possibly be the beginnings of love?” he asks the viewer, turning to the camera. He wipes over all of the harassment Tamaki has done to Haruhi, ignores what she really wants in the moment, and waters her character down to ‘love interest’. She is the pretty, feminine foil to Tamaki’s handsome, ‘persistent’ (read as; incessant harassment) personality. They are clearly ‘meant to be together,’ and the show makes it clear in that moment that they will be together whether she wants to be or not as the men in her life see it that way.

In the eighth episode, “The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club!”, we find the most controversial scene of the series. Before we can get to that, however, we need to walk through the circumstances that lead us to it. The Host Club is on a trip to the beach (after all the men in Haruhi’s life argue about which swimsuit she should wear, of course), and the male hosts decide to figure out what Haruhi is afraid of via a game. The game is that whoever finds out what Haruhi is most afraid of gets pictures (taken and supplied by Haruhi’s father) of Haruhi in middle school (the more I rewatch these episodes, the more creepy things I realize are in them). After a long day with no results, Haruhi gets called up upon an overlook by some of the Host Club’s guests. As she makes her way up to spend time with them, some drunk men beat her there and begin harassing the guests. They grab the girls, asking them if it’s dull without any boys around and ignoring the girls’ pleas to stop. Haruhi, arriving upon the scene, throws a bucket of shells at one of the offenders, calmly asking them to go away. She stands her ground when one of them attacks back, allowing for one of the girls they were harassing to get away at her own expense. After some verbal abuse, Haruhi is thrown off the overlook into the water below, where Tamaki immediately goes in after her. The other hosts handle the assaulters, and, once Haruhi is proven to be safe, the berating begins. “Are you one of those?” asks Tamaki. “Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai?” He grabs her, and goes on. “How could you think that you, a girl, by yourself, could do anything about those boys?!” After Haruhi explains that her actions were a split second decision and she didn’t have time to think, he yells at her, “Well, think about it, you idiot! You are a girl!”

Tamaki and the rest of the male hosts seem to be on the same page, insisting that Haruhi needs to apologize for her actions. Haruhi, on the other hand, does not see any wrong in what she did, which leads to some friction between herself and Tamaki. The two refuse to speak to each other until one apologizes to the other. At dinner, to avoid talking, Haruhi overeats to the point of making herself sick, which she notices only after being chastised again by the hosts sans Tamaki and Kyouya for her actions. After they request an apology from her, she finds that she needs to empty her stomach’s contents and runs to the nearest bedroom. She finds out that the room is, in fact, Kyouya’s, and that the two of them are now alone, prompting the series’s most controversial scene. Fans sometimes call it, “The Scene in the Dark.”

Haruhi apologizes to Kyouya on multiple grounds as he takes the time to lay out all the hassle she has caused him. When Haruhi offers to pay him back, he points out that he has far more money than her and that she is already in debt. He turns down the lights as he lays out her dilemma and brings up a new solution as he leers at her; why doesn’t she pay him back using her body? While she stands there, attempting to process what he’s said, Kyouya takes action. He grabs her arm. He throws her upon the bed. He straddles her, pins her to the bed, and tells her, bluntly, “You should rethink your own gullibility, that things have nothing to do with a person being a guy or a girl. You’ve made a mistake in leaving yourself so open.” He looks her in the eye and, in simple terms, lays out that he could take her. He has more money, more power, and, most prominently, a penis. Haruhi says that he is bluffing, and, luckily, he was. He gets off of her, and she comments that he is “nicer than she thought” for the experience he’s provided. Bisco Hatori, the creator of Ouran, drives home her message bluntly. Women are weak and should be protected by the men in their lives. They should be passive and, if they fail to be such, should immediately apologize. If a man decides to not sexually assault or rape you, he is nice. You should be thankful that he has the courtesy to not sexually abuse you. It’s legitimately terrifying that this is the message that is being sent out.

As salt in the wound, the very next scene is with Tamaki and Haruhi, with the latter cast as a scared little girl in the damsel in distress trope. She hides herself in the closet, curled in a ball, as the audience and Tamaki discover that Haruhi is scared of thunderstorms! She explains that she has always had to rely on herself as her mother is dead and her dad is constantly working. In response, Tamaki promises to take care of her from now on, she seems to come to a silent agreement to lean on the men in her life more, and the two have an emotional make up moment. Haruhi gets love and support from her friends again once she begins to lean on the men in her life and accept the help. I’ve seen other people argue that the message of the episode is that everyone needs to rely on others sometimes, which is a fair argument, but I can’t bring myself to agree the more I look at it. If it’s just about relying on others, why is there the scared little girl imagery? Why do they even emphasize Haruhi’s sex at all in this scenario if it’s not about that? Hatori knew what she was writing, and the message she sent out. She had a plethora of other ways to explore this theme, and she wouldn’t have written it this way unless she meant for it to be taken in a gender-biased manner.

I could go on, but I feel that I’ve explained my stance on the matter. Ouran High School Host Club is a classic anime in the anime community. A lot of people I know and that I’ve heard from in my life grew up with the show, and some still seek a romantic partner like one of the hosts. In all of the series’s adaptations, we find that certain themes remain prevalent. Women are meant to be pretty, submissive things that are interested in their male counterparts at all times. If you have your own interests, you are obsessive and crazy. If you like the same sex, you are against men. If you take a leadership position, you’re a nag. If you stand for what you think is right, you are a bother to the men around you. It’s scarily similar to what I’ve seen on social media. If you talk about sex too much, you’re a slut. If you talk about sex too little, you’re a prude. If you are too skinny, you’re on drugs, too fat, you have no impulse control. It seems that there is no ‘right’ woman to possibly be, in the fantasy that is Ouran or in the reality we face daily. We can only hope that, someday in the future, we can look back at Ouran and unanimously see it for what it is; a romanticized sexist daydream disguised as a teenage anime romantic comedy.

Works Cited

2400 (2011). Thoughts: The Merit Scene in Ouran. [online] Midnight Express. Available at: https://2400express.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/merit-scene-ouran/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Adler, J. (2015). ‘Ouran High School Host Club’: Haruhi, Heteronormativity, and the Gender Binary | Bitch Flicks. [online] Btchflcks.com. Available at: http://www.btchflcks.com/2015/03/ouran-high-school-host-club-haruhi-heteronormativity-and-the-gender-binary.html#.W6qeFGhKjrc

Darlington, T. (2009). The Queering of Haruhi Fujioka: Cross-Dressing, Camp, and Commoner Culture in <cite> Ouran High School Host Club </cite>. [online] English.ufl.edu. Available at: http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v4_3/darlington/

F. Innes IV, K. (n.d.). Benio Amakusa. [online] Absolute Anime. Available at: https://www.absoluteanime.com/ouran_high_school_host_club/benio [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Hatori, B., RyoRca., Werry, J. and Caltsoudas, G. (2002). Ouran High School Host Club. Hakusensha, p.All.

Hurford, Emily. "Gender and Sexuality in Shoujo Manga: Undoing Heteronormative Expectations in Utena, Pet Shop of Horrors, and Angel Sanctuary." Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Bowling Green State University, 2009. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. 04 Oct 2018.

Lark, M. (2015). Gender roles in Ouran. [online] Themorninglark.tumblr.com. Available at: http://themorninglark.tumblr.com/post/100669214865/gender-roles-in-ouran-hey-guys-sorry-your [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Lark, M. (2015). Kyouya and that scene in the dark. [online] Themorninglark.tumblr.com. Available at: http://themorninglark.tumblr.com/post/100783759195/kyoya-and-that-scene-in-the-dark [Accessed 5 Oct. 2018].

Ogi, F. (2003). Female Subjectivity and Shoujo (Girls) Manga (Japanese Comics): Shoujo in Ladies' Comics and Young Ladies' Comics. The Journal of Popular Culture, 36(4), pp.780-803.

Ouran High School Host Club. (2006). [video] Directed by B. Hatori, T. Igarashi and Y. Enokido. Japan: Bones.

Ouran High School Host Club. (2011). [video] Directed by C. Han, Y. Tachibana and I. Natsuko. Japan: TBS.

SBS PopAsia HQ (2018). Votes are in: The top 100 greatest anime of all-time (as voted by you). [online] SBS PopAsia. Available at: https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2017/10/12/votes-are-top-100-greatest-anime-all-time-voted-you [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

SJ Party (2017). [online] Random Media Analysis Thoughts On OHSHC. Available at: http://thesjtparty.com/post/162171016890/random-media-analysis-thoughts-on-ouran-high [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Ambivalent sexism. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambivalent_sexism [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Anime Top 50 Most Popular - Anime News Network:W. [online] Animenewsnetwork.com. Available at: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/ratings-anime.php?top50=popular [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). the definition of benevolent sexism. [online] www.dictionary.com. Available at: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/benevolent-sexism [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Otaku. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Ouran High School Host Club on Crunchyroll!. [online] Crunchyroll. Available at: https://www.crunchyroll.com/ouran-high-school-host-club [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (n.d.). Renge Houshakuji. [online] Ouran High School Host Club Wiki. Available at: http://ouran.wikia.com/wiki/Renge_Houshakuji [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Unknown (2018). Stream & Watch Ouran High School Host Club Online - Sub & Dub. [online] Funimation.com. Available at: https://www.funimation.com/shows/ouran-high-school-host-club/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].

Wings, S. (2018). Ouran High School Host Club’s Infamous Episode 8: A Study on Rape Culture. [online] Pixels and Panels [ A Game x Manga Blog]. Available at: https://soaringwingsblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/ouran-high-school-host-clubs-infamous-episode-8-a-study-on-rape-culture/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2018]

[rattanachronicles-blog]

Dedicated to my sweet family

SET THE SCENE

I’ve been on my fair share of cruises – Hawaii, Caribbean, and another Alaskan cruise by Holland Cruise lines – and thus, I think I can safely say that I have had enough comparison to write a pretty good review on a cruise ship. The Bliss is the newest and biggest ship to sail the Alaskan waters and I will say it definitely lives up to its ship name. But before I go into the ship, let me give you a snapshot of beautiful Alaska.

Cerulean blue waters with hints of green flow around the gorgeous state of Alaska. The skies alternate between clear blue and a light gray and there is a chill in the air that is a profound welcomed relief from the humid heat of Texas (where I’m from). The air is devoid of heavy pollution and car traffic fumes and every city has its quiet charm. Salmon in every shape and color climb the salmon ladders while bald eagles dominate the skies.

The cold air is contrasted by a hot cup of chowder in chilled hands. One of the little things in life is having your insides immediately warmed by sip of a hot latte. Or being in the middle of a forest surrounded by trees connected together by fairy lights while roasting marshmallows over a large fire.

The most brilliant sharp icy blue glaciers and its pieces float enchantingly and menacingly in the waters. Whales swim by, peaking their heads and showing off their tails as cruisers lean over, awed, with binoculars. Waterfalls bloom out of the sides of mountains with the force of the water creating a thunderous sound.

This state is so breathtaking in every way.

THE BASICS

Time of Travel: July Type of Travel: Family

THE SHIP

Size: While Bliss is definitely not the biggest cruise ship in the world, it definitely appears like the biggest ship on the Alaskan waters when all the ships are parked next to each other at the ports. It’s impressive to see from afar and to walk up to when returning from the city.

We saw so many whales from our cruise ship windows! Not the best photo but I got too excited and eventually put away my camera to just enjoy the magnificent sights

Exterior Décor: The front of the ship is beautifully decorated and my brother and I joked that the artwork definitely invited all the whales to swim up near our ship. I was honestly so surprised by how many whales I saw on the cruise – definitely more than the last time I was in Alaska. The front of the ship is illustrated with the wildlife of the ocean – whales, turtles, and rays. It’s the perfect artwork for a cruise ship.

Interior Décor: The inside of the ship is also tastefully ornamented. In the center of the ship is a gorgeous glass-appearing staircase that wraps around and glitters in the light. The hot tubs are purposefully placed at the tail end of the ship and on the sides so there is a clear view of the ocean. Every room is carefully constructed to its theme.

Service: The staff on the ship is 5/5 stars. They are so incredibly friendly and accommodating and always willing to strike up a good conversation with you but they also know when to leave you alone as well. They always have a smile for you and their response to everything is quick. They all come from different countries around the world and it is fascinating to hear their stories and everywhere they have traveled!

THINGS TO DO ON THE SHIP

Observation Lounge: Located at the front of the ship, this area was one of my favorite areas on the ship. Decked out in large windows showcasing the beauty of Alaska, the lounge is full of comfy arm chairs and the best part? The bar in the middle as well as two buffets of tea time food fully stocked with finger sandwiches, salads, and desserts. On the days at sea, it’s the perfect area to chill with family and friends, play cards, and observe the Alaskan magnificence without being in the cold.

The Pool and Aqua Park: On one of the top decks of the ship is the pool and the incredible water slides on the ship. There is one water slide where you slide down in rafts and there is one thrilling slide that literally hangs over the ocean! There is a fun area where the kids congregate and hot tubs that dot the sides of the ship as well as the rear end. I highly recommend chilling in the hot tubs at the rear so you can see the full view of the ocean behind you as the ship sails.

Race Track: Yes, this ship has a whole level dedicated to a race track where you can race your family and friends either in a single cart or a double seater cart.

TIP: Book your reservations before you get onto the ship! My family and I did not realize that seats were limited so we did not get to try out this part of the cruise.

It does cost a small fee per drive

Mini Golf

Laser Tag: a small fee

Bliss Casino

Video Arcade

Bowling Alley: a small two lane bowling alley. It gets busy really fast! A small fee

Entourage Teen Club: a haven away from the parents – this place has video games, music, movies!

Fitness Center: this fitness center is legit. There is a running track outside and every machine and weight you could possibly need for a week long cruise.

Guppies: A great area for parents and their kids. Many interactive activities

Hair Salon

Plenty of Spas

Mandara Spa and Salon

Spa Salt Room – natural salt caves – halotherapy

Spa Snow Room – an ice cold arctic environment

Spa Thermal Suite

SHOWS

My favorite thing about cruises is the kind of night time entertainment the ship provides meaning the evening shows. I would say my review for this ship’s shows is probably a 4/5 stars in comparison to the other ships I’ve been on. The best shows I’ve seen on a ship still goes to Allure of the Seas, but this ship definitely provides a great entertainment and truly hats off to the hard working actresses and actors!

Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical – $30 per person. This musical is set in a speakeasy and set in the Prohibition Era. My family and I chose not to see this one just because there was a fee and plenty of other free shows to see

Jersey Boys – such a great show about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

Havana – set at The Palace of Lights, this show brings you the beat and culture of Cuba (takes me back to my time in the Cuban capital!)

The great bands on the ship that play across different bars and lounges

Plenty of comedy shows – make sure you book when you get on the ship!

SHIP ROOM

My family of four booked two separate rooms without ocean views. I always encourage people that if you go on a cruise, try to book rooms with ocean views but obviously if it’s not affordable or available, then it is definitely not the end of the world. I only encourage ocean views for two reasons. One, I think it really helps with orientation to time and feeling as though you are not holed up on the ship. A window or a balcony brings light, views, and a breath of fresh air.

But like I said before, if you can’t get a room with ocean views, then it is completely okay too! My family got non-ocean view rooms and we were completely satisfied. The rooms were on the smaller side (but to be expected with cruise ships), but they were clean. The beds were super comfortable and could be put together or turned into two beds. The TV has a huge list of movies to buy but also a great select of TV channels that plays a cycle of movies depending on genre (action, romance, drama).

Nothing better than opening the door to your room and finding complimentary champagne!

BARS AND LOUNGES

There are so many bars and lounges on the ship and they are all excellent. So many options to choose from that I didn’t even get a chance to make it to all of them

Atrium Bar: This is the center of the ship and where a lot of the main ship’s entertainment occurs. There is a stage area and a movie screen where there are nightly movies and hilarious game shows.

Horizon Lounge

Humidor Cigar Lounge

Maltings Whiskey Bar

Mixx Bar

Skyline Bar

Social Comedy and Night Club

Spice H2O – the pool bar

Sugarcane Mojito Bar

The A-List Bar

The Cavern Club

The District Brew House

Vide Beach Club

THE FOOD

The Local: The 24hr pub experience! The two pros of this place is that it is open 24 hrs, the food is free, and there is a great view of the Atrium Bar stage meaning you can eat and watch entertainment one floor below

The Dining Rooms: There are three dining rooms on the ship that you can eat lunch and dinner at. Unlike the other cruises I’ve been on where you had to make reservations ahead of time and to eat at an assigned time, this cruise gives you the liberty to go whenever you would like. Because there are several dining rooms, there is always plenty of space at any time and thus you can dine on your own schedule.

Every day, there is a menu posted outside the dining rooms. You don’t have to look at each of the dining rooms’ menus because they are all the same. The menu does change for lunch and dinner every day

My mom was a bit disappointed that there was no true formal night with a lobster dish as we have found on other cruise ships

The Garden Café Buffet: I have to say that usually I am not a fan of the cruise buffets. The food usually is sub-par, but I have to say I was mildly impressed with the menu at this buffet. My family and I actually ended up eating here more than the dining rooms because of the expansive options and the ever changing menu.

There are hamburger/hot dog stations, Indian food station, a hot food station that changes every day according to the theme, Italian station, cold cuts station, Asian food station, salad station, and a huge dessert station

For drinks, there is a bar and non-alcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee, and different flavored waters

Room Service: This is complimentary and 24hrs a day but there is a service fee!

Restaurants (not complementary)

Ocean Blue – Seafood

Los Lobos – Mexican

Food Republic – Fusion

Cagney’s Steakhouse

Coco’s – Chocolate, Crepes

Dolce Gelato

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea

La Cucina – Italian

Le Bistro – French

Q – Texas BBQ

Teppanyaki

The Bake Shop

Starbucks

Tea Time Snacks

Room service juice with my champagne to make mimosas

PROS AND CONS

Pros

The last Alaskan cruise I went on seemed catered to adults, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this cruise really catered to family and the young kids.

Flexible dining room schedule

Plenty of activities on the ship

Friendly staff

Entertaining game shows that allows most of the ship guests to interact with each other

The buffet food is better than the other cruise ships I’ve sailed with

They have a package that every room gets on the ship – meaning that your price of the cruise comes with every ship getting a certain amount off at each excursion per port or a drinking ticket in which all the alcoholic beverages were free

They were also very big on hygiene and sanitizers

Cons

No main lobster dish

Not a true formal night on the ship (this is a pro or con depending on what your opinion of this is)

Most of the activities on the ship came with a small fee

The room service food was definitely not as good in quality as the rest of the food on the ship

ITINERARY

Detailed itineraries on how to do each port coming soon!

Seattle, Washington

Ketchikan, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Victoria, BC

Basically, I highly recommend this cruise as your first way of exploring Alaska!

Happy Traveling!

— Monica

The Bliss Alaskan Cruise by Norwegian Cruise Line – The Full Review: Following the Whales #travel #travelblog #wander #travelblogger #alaska #alaskancruise #ncl Dedicated to my sweet family SET THE SCENE I’ve been on my fair share of cruises – Hawaii, Caribbean, and another Alaskan cruise by Holland Cruise lines – and thus, I think I can safely say that I have had enough comparison to write a pretty good review on a cruise ship.

[clairescreativeadventures]

New Post has been published on https://clairescreativeadventures.com/happy-hanukkah-2020/

Happy Hanukkah 2020!

Wishing you a very Happy Hanukkah from CCA! We hope you are in good health and have a safe (and sparkly) holiday! 

In 2018, we celebrated the holiday with COLOR !!!

Our Art Adventurers explored color-mixing by making their own age-appropriated color wheel with watercolors!

We then took inspiration from the Bauhaus painter, Wassily Kandinsky & created our version of his concentric (bulls-eye) circle color studies… But included some radiating Hanukkah Lights! (Goal: Complementary, Neutral, Warm & Cool)

*As a boy, Kandinsky’s father became an owner of a tea factory. Kandinsky enjoyed during his childhood years, the piano, cello and drawing. “I remember that drawing and a little bit later painting lifted me out of the reality, he wrote later.” He was always keen on the arts but his parents had other interests in mind. They had him attend law school and he became a successful “Professor to the Department of Law.” Though in his thirties, he ended his career in law and went after his passion in drawing! He attended art schools in Europe and became very successful after his 2nd attempt at schooling in the arts. He then travelled with his latter wife in Europe for five years and then settled down in Murnau at the bottom of the Alps. He soon started painting beautiful, colorful “spots and lines [which] was gradually superseding images of reality.” This is what sparked our love for color! (Unknown, 2008-2020)

*“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” 

-James Keller  (Silberman, 2020)

*Silberman, Jeff (2020) Uplifting Hanukkah Quotes to Read This December. Website retrieved from https://rebekahlowin.com/hanukkah-quotes/

Unknown (2008-2020). The Biography. Website retrieved from https://www.wassilykandinsky.net/

[emokidcake]

Undercover (Calum Hood AU) // Chapter 2 - Calum

word count: 2.5k (sorry nothing is in bold. i'm updating from my phone) - "Get ready, son. Our lives are about to change." That was the first thing Calum's father had told him when they'd arrived in New York City almost two years ago. The whole family had been shaking with anticipation the whole plane ride, talking excitedly about what their new lives would be like. Calum's sister had rambled on and on about how she was going to become famous. His parents had watched on happily with a sparkle in their eyes as they sipped the complementary bottled water offered by the airline. Calum had only sat back in his seat, watching his sister but not truly hearing what she was saying. His own mind was running wild with thoughts and possibilities.  Now, here they were, two years later, and Calum's father was about to be sworn in as the new mayor of New York City. It seemed that their lives really were going to change. When Calum and his family had first moved to New York, he hadn't expected his life to change that much. He had only expected to go to a new school, make new friends, and live in a different house. Sure, he had dreamed up countless possibilities, but even he knew they were far-fetched and unlikely. As a kid, he had always dreamed of what New York City was like in the flesh. He'd always watched the ball drop on TV, and marveled at all the people that filled Times Square. He'd dreamed of tall buildings and bright lights and famous people. He'd dreamed of watching Broadway shows and playing catch with his father in Central Park and watching street performers. New York City was the place he most wanted to visit in the United States. In fact, it was the place he most wanted to visit in the whole world. However, the reality of New York was much different than he had expected. His father rarely did any activities with him, always too occupied with his political campaigning. His parents had sent him to an all boys school, so his hopes of meeting girls were flushed down the toilet. He had only ever been to Times Square once, and even then it was only to help spread the word about his father's mayoral campaign. The tall buildings were beautiful, but they lost their appeal after a while. The only famous person he had ever seen was the weather lady from the local news channel. He had never attended a Broadway show, and had never even gotten close to playing catch with his father. He had only seen a handful of street performers, and none of them had had any real talent. His three trips to the once dreamy Central Park were brief. The first time he went, it began to pour rain ten minutes after he had arrived. The second time he went was once again for his father's mayoral campaign. And the third time he had gone was in the current moment, as he sat under the shade of a tall tree with his best friends sitting in front of him. He thought to himself that being there with his friends was by far the best trip he had taken to Central Park yet. "No, Michael," Calum's closest friend, Ashton said. He was sitting cross legged in the grass, leaned toward their other friend Michael, who was currently clutching an acoustic guitar in his arms. "It's C, E, G, not A, C, G."  Michael sighed and strummed the notes again in the correct order. Ashton gave him a satisfied grin and refocused his gaze back on his notebook, where he was doodling something that Calum couldn't see.  Calum tore his eyes from his curly haired friend and gazed out upon the land in front of him. The grass was a brownish green color, having long faded from the vibrant green of spring. December was almost upon them, but it had yet to snow in New York City. It was one of the rare days where the temperature was in the mid-fifties. Calum loved this kind of weather because it was cold enough to wear a sweater, but warm enough that he wouldn't need an extra jacket.  Children were running around in the grass, playing ball and tag and any other game that their young minds had created. Some people were also sitting under the trees. Some were reading books and others were scrolling through their smartphones. Couples were walking all about, holding hands and chatting. Calum spotted a little girl and her father buying a hot dog from a vendor on the opposite side of the lawn. He smiled slightly to himself. "Earth to Calum!" He heard a voice exclaim. He snapped back to reality to see his other friend, Luke, looking at him expectantly.  "What?" Calum said. "I was just telling you to tell your dad I said 'Congrats'," Luke said. Calum only nodded. He almost told Luke he could tell him himself, but he knew that his father was too busy for trivial things like meeting his friends. They had been friends for nearly one and a half years and his father was yet to meet them.  "I will," he said in a monotone voice. He would never say it out loud, but he could care less about his father becoming the mayor. He kept his mouth shut to uphold the supportive son persona that he and his family had worked so hard to build. Actually, Calum knew he would have been happier if his father was just a normal dad. He wanted his father to be around all the time, offering to take him out to lunch or even asking him for help with chores, such as yard work or cleaning the gutters. However, his dreams of having a normal father faded to grey when they moved from Australia to New York. They traded out their home with a one acre back yard for a penthouse apartment with a ton of windows. The only "yard work" that needed to be done was the watering of the plants on the balcony that overlooked the city. "Incoming!" Luke said softly. By now, Calum knew what this meant. His eyes instantly began scanning the area before they landed on a tall girl with long, jet black hair and tanned skin. She was walking confidently with her head held high. Despite the cool weather, she was wearing a tight jean skirt and a flowy white tank top. As she neared closer to the four boys, Michael stood up from the grass, brushing off the back of his legs. He practically ran toward the girl, and instantly pulled her into a passionate kiss. The three boys groaned loudly. Despite her beautiful and somewhat angelic appearance, Calum, Ashton, and Luke referred to her as 'the Piranha'.  Calum couldn't even remember the last time he had spoken her real name. The Piranha had been in Calum's life ever since he had met Michael. She and Michael had been infatuated with eachother since middle school, or so Calum had been told. She was a fierce, sassy girl with pale brown eyes and a stunning smile. A smile that she often used to her advantage when it came to Michael.  She was always asking him for things, whether it be for him to come over while he was busy with the guys or to buy her something new. All she had to do was flash her trademark smile and Michael was wrapped around her finger all over again. She was always complaining and gossiping, though the boys had learned to ignore her. They'd been dealing with her for years, and they had since grown immune to her cynicism.  Despite her personal flaws, she and Michael's relationship was by far the worst relationship he had ever witnessed. They were constantly fighting. They were both extremely jealous and possessive, which did not add up to a healthy relationship. Whenever she saw Michael even speaking to another girl, she flipped out and screamed at him. Any time Michael would even think about breaking up with her, she'd sink her teeth into him even further. Just like a piranha. "Hello, boys," she said cheerfully. She was standing above them clutching Michael's hand as if her life depended on it. The three boys only nodded back at her.  "Sorry to interrupt your little..." she began, glancing around at the scene. The guitar now sat abandoned in the grass, with numerous notebooks scattered near it. "Whatever this is." "No need to be sorry, Piranha," Luke said with a smirk. Her face turned into a scowl at the word 'Piranha'. The boys had been calling her that for years, yet the term still made her extremely angry. "My name is-" she began angrily, but Ashton cut her off. "We know. But calling you Piranha is so much more satisfying." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, before turning around and dragging Michael along with her. He turned back toward the boys and mouthed a quick apology before turning around and jogging to keep up with her long strides.   "I don't think I'll ever get sick of that," Calum said, leaning back on his elbows in the shade.  "Me either," Luke and Ashton said in unison. *** Calum arrived home to an empty apartment, as per usual. The whole apartment was completely silent. All that could be heard was the telltale signs of the city below. The hustle and bustle could always be heard from inside the penthouse, even in the dead of night. It was as if the city was in a continuous loop of commotion. It was something Calum had grown to find comforting. Despite how crazy his life got, he could always count on the sounds of the city to be there.  Calum walked past the many sets of tall windows that looked out over the tall buildings and lights of the heart of New York City. Being on the top floor of the building had its perks, one being the incredible view. The penthouse was always full of natural light due to the majority of the walls being made up of clear glass windows. The curtains were always drawn, allowing the bright sunlight and flashing city lights to stream in 24 hours a day. Sometimes Calum would just stand in front of one of the many windows and stare down at the streets below, watching people from above with curiosity. He couldn't help but feel like a king as he stared down at the tiny dots below him.  Out of habit, Calum tossed his bag onto the leather sofa and headed toward the windows. The sun was shining brightly now, just beginning to peek out from behind the clouds.He squinted at the bright light and instead focused his gaze on his own reflection in the glass. He studied the sharpness of his own jaw, the small imperfections on his skin, the slope of his nose. It was something he often did, though he wasn't sure what he was expecting to get out of it. He often only succeeded in making himself feel insecure. He put up a front around others. He acted like nothing could bother him; that nothing could hurt him. He never allowed himself to show emotion around people he wasn't comfortable with. He couldn't even remember the last time he had truly cried or laughed. He smiled at people when passing them or greeting them. It's common decency. If he saw someone sad or angry, he would try to comfort them. He wasn't heartless. He had a passionate, sympathetic heart. He did things for others because he was raised right, and he would want someone to do the same for him.  However, when it came to his own emotions, it was like there was a brick wall surrounding his heart. An impenetrable brick wall that was enforced with steel beams. Calum's phone suddenly began buzzing in his pocket. A photo of his mother appeared on the screen. Calum clicked the green button as quickly as he could. His mother rarely called him while she was at work, so he figured it was important.  "Hello?"  "Hi, sweetie." His mother, Joy, said. "Is everything okay, Mom?" he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Joy chuckled. "What, I can't call my son unless there's a crisis?" she joked. Calum halfheartedly chuckled, still wondering in the back of his mind what the true intention of his mother's call was. He knew she wouldn't call just to talk about her day, no matter how badly Calum wished she would every once in a while. "It's great to hear your voice, Calum. But yes, there is a reason I'm calling," she said. Calum sighed, but was not surprised.  "I just wanted to remind you about your appointment with the tailor at 6," she said. "You need to look like a respectable young man during the ceremony." Calum nodded, although his mother couldn't hear him. He didn't know why she felt the need to call him and remind him. She had already texted him twice throughout the day, taped a note to his bedroom door the previous day, and reminded him once again before she had left for work that morning. "Yes, mom. I'll be there." He could practically see her smiling in satisfaction. "Good, sweetie," she said. "I'll be home by the time you're back from the tailor's. Anything sound good for dinner?" Calum knew that responding was pointless. She had done this countless times before. She'd ask him what he wanted her to cook for dinner, only for her to get caught up in some miscellaneous project and profusely apologize before ordering takeout. On the rare nights that she did have time to cook, she simply let Calum serve himself and shut herself in the office to work. She always, without fail, would take her dinner into the study and eat at her desk as she typed away on the computer. Calum wished that for just one night, he and his mother and father could sit at the table and eat together. "Whatever sounds good to you is fine with me, Mom," Calum said. Sadly, this statement did not only apply to dinner. Calum had spent so long going with the flow and agreeing to the things his parents wanted that he barely had time to be on his own and develop his own interests. The only hobby in his life that he had to himself was music. He longed to be his own person, no longer under his parent's control and doing what he wanted to do rather than what he felt they'd want him to do.  It suddenly struck him that he was 18 years old and still had no idea who he was. And that was something that he wanted to change.  ___________________________________________ A/N: Once again, nothing too exciting yet. I'm still trying to let you get to know the characters. As mentioned, Calum is 18 at the start of the story. His age will progress through the story but as of now it is very important that he is still a teen.

[tomerasange]

Chapter 6: Searching for Answers

As the early morning sun fell into the window, birds flocking in the summer air, the daily routine of the town beginning, I arose with a slow start. I had at least believed it was early morning, given my routine in Silverymoon. Rather, with no attendants to my name, the sun was well and truly up in the sky. I chose to sit and ponder yesterday. My bedroom window overlooked one of the primary artery roads, and I could see the town going about its business. The haze of the wine from last night lingered on, but not it a manner that often accompanied my nights of revelry. To that, I was grateful.

I dressed in my armor once more and descended the stairs for a breakfast. Urnig was already awake and devouring a plate set before him at a table. While looking for a meal to satiate my hunger, I lingered on a most fruitful scent coming from the inn’s backroom. Could it be?

Indeed! Not since the halls of Silverymoon did I partake in that most sumptuous delicacy... coffee. That light and refreshing aroma that regales my sense in full and complete wonder. My air cleaned and my complexion rejuvenated. All from one cup.

I spoke with the barmaid, who made mention it was going to cost a pretty piece. Coffee was a rare sight in Phandalin, and the current market shares had been affected due to the orc raids. No matter, I placed my gold down and awaited with baited temper, taking a seat at Urnig’s table. Aurora joined us in turn and ordered a similar breakfast to Urnig. They finished their complementary breakfast and we set about trying to plan the day.

Aurora began. “Well now, it appears we have several leads to begin on. I would like to start with the Shrine of Luck. Sister Garaele might have some information for us relating to this whole Redbrand business, or if she was happened upon by orcs. Also, we may have to enter Tresendar Manor, to at the very least understand what we’re up against.” I said in turn, “I agree. The Redbrands should be about their business early in the day, so we should enter the manor with daylight on our side. If possible, I would like to return to the Lionshield Coster. Perhaps they would have the necessary supplies to help us.” Urnig spoke in a brusque voice “I don’t know about that. We pretty much got what we needed yesterday.”

I didn’t want to inform him I was worried for our health, but if we could find any amount of aid in our trek, I would have liked to have had it. I could still see Aurora’s person hitting the cold cave floor and the two javelins that struck me. I was going to interject, when it came to my knowledge that I didn’t have the capital to afford the tinctures that most adventurers utilized. For that matter, I was not ready to fight a man nearly a cubit taller than I in a war of words, lest it turn to petty squabbling and my eventual physical defeat in a test of strength.

I acquiesced and remained silent for now. Aurora continued. “We should investigate the woodcarver’s house and the young boy from the Alderleaf farm if we’re truly intent on investigating Tresendar Manor. Could aid us.”

As we settled upon our day’s events, my coffee arrived and I inhaled as deep as the drink’s color itself. The scent wafted through my body, intoxicating and divine, reaching into my form and giving an energy humans could only dream to hold. It was all I required and more, and I began to sip the drink delicately. Still, my day was improve further as Sildar walked into the room. His demeanor was leaps and bounds in comparison to our initial meeting. He nodded in acknowledgement of my presence, and walked over to our table. “Good morning, all. Hope you slept well. Tomera, before you depart, I do have that mattter to discuss.”

He took me aside and, with a hearty attitude, spoke. “Tomera, you’ve shown great bravery and sincere concern for those in Phandalin since your arrival, and you have completed in dispatching of the goblins along the trail. For the time, it will be safe and secure, thanks to you and your associates. I have no qualms in providing you invitation to the Lord’s alliance as a Cloak. Your service will begin at the conclusion of finding and apprehending Glasstaff.”

At long last, a new title to hang upon. Nothing to be too jovial about, but this is what I was looking for. I bowed in focus, fist to heart. “I accept your charge, and will do well to hold this position in honor.”

Sildar acknowledged another knowing nod, and left our presence to go about his business. We gathered our supplies and left the Stonehill Inn, the day set before us. We entered into the village, in search of Garaele.

The Shrine of Luck was a humble grotto of stones to the goddess Tymora, patroness of good fortune and one of the deities of luck and trickery. Our Sister Garaele was likely among the worshippers.

It should be noted, for eagle-eyed viewers, that my name Tomera bears striking resemblance to the name of a goddess. To this, a small lesson of Genasi culture. Genasi, being creatures of the four major elements, take on ancient and primordial aspects that align us quite heavily with the pantheon of Faerûn. While my siblings have very noble and human-like names, I was considered by my mother and her midwives to be lively and full of vigor in the months before my birth. Tomera, a name which carries with it a reputation of gustiness and haughtiness by those who have previously held it, was deemed my name, and it can be traced back to the earliest worshippers of the goddess Tymora. And before further inquiry is necessary, it is considered a suitable name for both men and women.

Upon entering the scene, we could see a small service currently taking place. Several maidens sat in homage facing a small altar, embanked by statues of Tymora. A young elf woman was sat to our left, in deep trance but not facing the altar. Aurora inquired to her. “Good morning. We were interested in speaking with a Sister Garaele?”

“You are in great luck,” the maiden spoke. “I am Sister Garaele. What has brought you to the temple of our goddess today?” “We’ve come to speak to you of your recent run-in with someone on the roads. Word has it you were attacked.” Garaele lowered her head with a wry grin in understanding, as if to confirm the rumor had traveled that fast. “Follow me, then. We have a matter to discuss.”

She led us from the main chapel into a small and humble dwelling, labelled by a sign outside to be her own abode, where she sat us and herself in a determined manner. “So, you’ve come about looking to help me. What do you know so far?” Aurora led in the conversation. “You were attacked and came back injured from an expedition, by whom and for what we do not know.” “You are correct in this initial assessment. I was on my way to find an artifact of great power when I was ambushed on a trail. I was able to find myself back to Phandalin well enough, but I’m afraid I am no closer to my goals.”

As Aurora listened into this, she took notice of something, which I had caught on to as well. The maiden, while wearing a robe to likely hide her injuries, was also in possession on several tattoos. Aurora spoke, “I am curious as to the nature of your tattoos. Ceremonial in nature?” Garaele held herself, and breathed sharply. “I was getting to that. My mission is not for the Clergy of Tymora, nor Phandalin. In truth, I am a member of The Harpers, and my quest was to retrieve a wizard’s spellbook.”

I was briefly familiar with The Harpers, if only through their interaction with the Lord’s Alliance. They operate as information brokers, providing knowledge to other organizations on the continent. As to how what their operations entail in detail, I was in the dark.

“The task I was set upon was to retrieve the magic tome of Bowgentle, a wizard from centuries past. To find the tome would not only be historically necessary, but would likely make its wielder unimaginably powerful. The Harpers need this artifact in the possession of one who would hold its power for good.” I briefly asked myself why The Harpers would only send one point of contact into such a precarious situation, until I realized that if Garaele was the only person sent on this mission, she was likely immensely careful and stunningly powerful. Meaning what bested her was even her greater.

Aurora interjected. “We could aid in your quest if necessary. What caused your injuries?” “The bandits and orcs from the trail, naturally. However, I didn’t even come close to the real threat. You see, I have no recollection of, nor manner in finding, the location of Bowgentle’s Spellbook. Instead, I was searching for a lead in the form of Agatha, the Banshee who calls the trail her home.” A banshee. This matter was suddenly ever more dangerous. Garaele continued. “The banshee possesses the ability to answer one simple question to those who ask. You are granted only one question. If you ask her of her day, delay in your question, or deviate into conversation, the banshee will retreat from your presence and the chance lost. Additionally, the banshee thrives on vanity. You should be ready to compliment her appearance, but in case this fails, I have prepared an offering.” With that, she produced a beautiful silver comb, encrusted with gems and patterns from the shaft to the tip, well worth hundreds of gold, and handed it to Aurora. “Giving her this treasure will allow you to answer your question freely without incident. If you return to me with the location of Bowgentle’s Spellbook, I should see fit a reward in your future. Now go by the grace of Tymora.”

We took our leave, and headed due south for the woodcarver’s house to procure any clues as to the whereabouts of his family. As we were passing through the crowds, several Redbands were spotted, harassing an older man and shoving people to the street. Before I could retaliate, Aurora grabbed my shoulder and ducked me behind an alley. I knew not if they knew of our presence, having killed of their number. But, it was clear Aurora was trying to be as sneaky and as smart as needed. Had a scene been started, the market would be in further jeopardy, and it would have been I to shoulder the blame. 

We came across the scene of the Dendrar house, the exterior damaged and broken into, as though a feral owlbear had attacked. The windows were smashed in and the front door was snapped from its hinge. I took point and we entreated to the doorway.

Inside the house, further detritus met our party. The tables and counter where business was conducted were brutally smashed apart, and the backrooms were ransacked. There was almost no way Thel’s wife and child were still here. In order to find evidence to their location, we took to scanning the premises.

I took myself upstairs, looking for the personal effects of the family. Any amount of clues would be helpful in locating them as soon as possible. My mind began to wander to terrible thoughts. Perhaps they were being held captive and being prepared for the slave trade. Perhaps they were malnourished and dying a slow and evil death. Perhaps they were both deceased, lost through inaction and traitors. Needless to say, I had to press on, lest my anger hold me in place.

I located the master bedroom with ease. The upper levels, compared to downstairs, had been untouched by the Redbrands, no doubt the results of their sudden nature. No belongings led me into a new line of questioning, so I pressed on. I found the young boy’s room, hand carved wooden playthings dotting the room. They included a rocking horse and a sword, no doubt the tools of imaginary adventure. How it reminded of my room. When I was a young boy. “Seems about right,” I said aloud to no one, and continued to the final room.

The final room was a smaller, more personal workshop than the larger toolshed dowstairs, where smaller pieces were perfected. I could locate two belongings and inspected them for any tip directing me to the Dendrars. They were a bag of 20 gold pieces and a woodcarver’s tool set. Both likely possessions of Thel. I took the bag and tied it off in order to hold it safe until it could be returned to its rightful owners, and slipped the woodcarver’s set into my pack. Should these Redbrands return, these would be the first objects scrounged.

I returned downstairs to find Aurora and Urnig outside. A man seemed very animated in conversation, and stormed off in a frightful scene, leaving a confused Urnig to sort through his mind. I stood about, staring at Urnig. “Well, no one seemed to be inside. And... what was that fellow on about?”

Aurora chimed in. “Well we were explaining our job, and Urnig seemed so convinced about his cause, that he got quite animated. The gentlemen felt we were grave robbing, so there’s very little we can do to help our cause.”

Brilliant. I suppose we’ll have to convince the town of our goals.

We walked on towards Alderleaf Farm. The home out front was humble and small, built with a rustic charm out of the ordinary from the rest of the town, which seemed more concerned with form and function. We walked around the side and saw two figures attending to their daily routine. A halfling woman was hanging the laundry out to dry in the afternoon sun, while her son, no larger than a gnome, was swinging a sword at a practice target in the shape of a mannequin. Spread far outreaching were that designated the farm’s crops, tilled and sown in preparation for the harvest in month’s time.

I called to announce our arrival. “Good morrow, miss! I hope we aren’t disturbing your tasks.” She looked up to see us, incredulity drawn on her face. “My stars, where are you folks from? I’m busy with this, so I haven’t time to talk.” “Oh, my goodness. We are here only to help. We were sent to deal with these Redbrand fellows, and we heard your son might have information to aid us.” “My son? What’d that boy do now?” She called out to the young child at the mannequin. “Boy, come here!”

The young halfling turned and trod over, sword in hand. He looked up at us as though we were giants. His mother continued. “What did I say about wandering off and sticking your nose in other people’s business? Tell them what they need and help me with the chores when your done.” With that, she grabbed a basket and left into the house.

The boy, eyes widened, turned back towards us. “Are you guys adventurers?” I knelt down, knees bent to his level. There was always a trick I had seen other folk heroes perform for children in Silverymoon, and that was to appear smaller in stature yet larger than life. “That we are, my dear lad. And it seems you might have information that can help with our quest. We here you found a secret entrance towards Tresendar Manor?” I pointed towards the castle on the hill.

He nodded up and down. “Uh huh, uh huh! It’s in the woods! A big hole in the cliff! In the forest to the North!” “And you say this hole leads to Tresendar?” “Well, I saw those men in red going inside.” “I thank you, then. We will take it from here. What you did was brave and can help us greatly.” “Can I come with you? You don’t know where it is. I do!”

As much as I could handle children, my relationship with them was...adequate. I had to bribe the child with something. “You should stay here with your mother. Work would help her greatly, In return, I will help you in your swordsmanship. Care for me to teach you something?” “Oo, oo, oo! Yes!” “Allow me, then, to hold your blade.” The young halfling boy presented his wooden sword. Had I drawn my blade to attack the mannequin, it would have been destroyed.

I showed him a basic stance, side form with shoulders square to the legs. Eyeing the target, I led with a downward strike, as the sword was shaped like a short sword. The blade fell on the target, and with just enough force, I was able to swipe with proper form. Unfortunately, I had not counted on the abuse this target had already endured, and a seam came loose on the cloth target. Aurora was able to mend with a quick spell before the halfling noticed any inconsistencies. I turned to the child. “Now, you know to square the shoulders and keep them loose. Never attempt a full charge unless your aim is true. Have you got all that?” He grinned with a smile showing missing teeth, a sign of either growth of poor hygienic manners. “Thank you, mister! I’ll get back to practicing that.” He returned to the training dummy, with a stance now mirroring mine with a touch of his headstrong front charge.

As he returned to his rigorous practice, we traversed to the wood next to the farm. The thick growth shielded our movements, and no large fauna appeared to be in form. As such, we were free to examine the locale as necessary. As I was examining a freshly scouted path, Aurora and Urning noticed the cliffside. With a spell and a grappling hook, the taut line was secured in place and we ascended up a light sheer face, Tresendar Manor rising above us, an ancient threat. As we reached a outcropping facing another sheer cliff, I looked beyond the tree line, and seeing the town at a distance with no others in sight, we appeared to be in the clear. We took to searching for this hole.

Clearly, the young halfling hadn’t accounted for the cliff face’s angle, and could only roughly make mention of this entrance without any proper landmarks. There was no indication nor clue as to where this entrance was. Urnig, exhausted at this point, began knocking himself into the stone. He was inevitably going to hurt himself, but i needed not worry at this moment. He was in a groove.

Misjudging his speed on one of the strikes, Urnig stumbled and crashed into a small bush growing on the outcropping. As his massive frame hit the wall, we heard a crumbling sound. Invariably, he had found the door. It got the job done, I suppose. “Well, then.” Aurora sputtered, and approached the door cautiously.

We attempted the door, but found it had been locked securely. It was just our luck we had no tools to open this door. Halfheartedly defeated, we trudged down the mountain back to town. Surely, one of the shops would have a lockpick set.

We eventually ran across the Miner’s Exchange, where a variety of tools for the everyday were bartered and sold from the local economy. Where the Lionshield Coster dealt with the continent, this local business was self-sufficient and able to sustain itself through the local economy. The head of the exchange was a shrewd businesswoman named Halia. As we entered the building, her human form was cut diligent and poised with an arithmetic sense. Calculating the store’s jumbled and large inventory of small trinkets, she noticed us. “Hello there. Can’t say I’ve seen you around. New in town?” Aurora said, “Relatively. We were in the area, and needed help looking for a Lockpick Set. Some of the locals sent us your way.” “Lockpick... lockpick... Well, I do have a set of Thieve’s Tools. Confiscated them a while back. What exactly do you three have need for this piece?”

I spoke up, improvising as I was want to do in situations such as these. “Well, the blasted truth is we find ourselves locked out of our room and board at the Stonehill, and the innkeeper’s out on errand and the barmaid’s swarmed with patrons. We’d try to find a spare, but we don’t wish to intrude and lose another key. Just a short jaunt over, and we’ll be in the clear until the innkeeper gets back.”

She took a measured glance at my figure, as well as Urnig and Aurora. “Alright. You seem like an honest bunch. Keys seem to always go missing, so if I get any spares come my way, I’ll be sure to let old Toblen Stonehill know I found his belongings. Might even snag some gold out of it. Ha!”

We exchanged the gold pieces for the Thieve’s Tools and left in a composed hurry, not wanting to attract further attention. As we were convinced and set upon invading the manor, Aurora halted. Her purple Spellscale skin seemed an off mauve as she pointed towards the eastmost road in Phandalin. Several Redbrands were leaving the Sleeping Giant and making their way back to Tresendar. We had missed our window of opportunity. It was now later than expected, so a retreat was necessary. We left the south road and returned to Stonehill, the streets quieter with everyone on edge from yesterday’s events.

As I lay in bed that night, I realized the last bastion of the quest lay before me. One way or another, this Redbrand menace would fall. One way or another, I would find a welcoming into the Lord’s Alliance. One way or another, Phandalin would have peace. If so, then I wished upon whatever God in the pantheon could hear my desperate prayer that this force be held to justice by my hand.

[starsplats]

Review For: Blytheye Blue EOS New Adult Lenses from OhMyKitty!

Full Review Below the Cut! ଘ꒰ ๑ ˃̶ ᴗ ᵒ̴̶̷๑꒱و ̑̑

Wooooaaaah! My first OhMyKitty review~ So excited! This is for the Blytheye Blue (EOS New Adult)! （*’∀’人）♥

The order was placed and confirmed on June 13th, and arrived on July 2nd, which means that the order took 19 days from payment to arrival! The package did not require a signature, and a tracking code was supplied with DHL eCommerce.

OMK has also updated their website for customers living in the USA: they ask for your official written prescription from your optometrist, or ask for the phone number and name of your optometrist in order to get an ‘OK’ from your doctor! This should relieve any stress for those who are worried about the safety of their eyes when looking into wearing colored contacts.

Regardless, anyone wearing circle lenses should remember the basic guidelines: do not wear them for more than 8-12 hours straight! And if the wearer is getting a headache, they should remove the lenses. Remember to change the liquid for your contacts regularly and keep them clean and safe in their cases! (‘∀’●)♡

I ordered this pair of contacts with two others (Sunshine Turquoise and Hana Violet), both of which I am making reviews for! ♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ♪) So stay tuned! ♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ♪)

I bought Blytheye Blue (EOS New Adult) for my Lance McClain cosplay from Dreamwork’s Voltron, and was very interested in how the blue would show against dark brown eyes. These lenses have a cute design including a thick black outer ring to add dimension to the iris, its bright color, and black lines inside the iris to draw our the darkness of the pupils. The lenses are 14.8mm in size, much like EOS New Adult Green which I have previously reviewed!

My order came in an adorable little bag of goodies – I was so stoked when I pulled out a bag chock full of such fun stuff! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧

Other than the lenses I ordered, I also received a couple charming little hair bows and some brochures. My favorite goodie was a catalog of OMK’s lenses, which came in a well-designed and colorful pamphlet of their products! I’m a huge fan of printed catalogs, so it came as a pleasant surprise! 

I also received a complementary contact case for each pair of lenses I ordered – the colors are so sweet!  And they store contacts so well! Out of my experiences with other online contact stores that give lens cases, the decorative Macaroon or Animal themed case often leaks when stored on its side. However, the cases I received are very secure! But regularly, please consider storing your contact case horizontally and without shaking it!

The lenses were packed so each lens was sealed away safely in one vial – and each little vial was securely covered in bubble wrap to protect the product as it went along its journey! 

They cost $20.00 flat, and since my order broke the $50.00 range by a few dollars, I got free shipping on my order! I found this to be a fair price for such bright and beautiful circle lenses! After breaking the lenses out of their vials and placing them to soak inside the lens case, I immediately thought of their accuracy to the stock images shown on the OMK website. 

The color is wonderful, and its hue goes well with the bold and playful blue affiliated with the character I’m cosplaying in these photos: Lance McClain from Dreamwork’s Voltron! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧

ヾ (✿＞﹏ ⊙〃)ノ ! Rating Time ! ヾ (✿＞﹏ ⊙〃)ノ

Design~ 5/5

The design fits very well for my Lance cosplay, but these lenses have the potential to help convey more feminine or cutesy looks! As mentioned before, the thick black outer ring adds dimension to the iris and increases the size of the eye, and the black lines inside the iris draw out the darkness of the pupils.

Color~ 5/5

I absolutely loved the blue vibrancy against my dark brown eyes! As you can see in the close-up photos, my eyes become a beautiful and bright shade of blue! My favorite part about these lenses is that the blue is stunning and beautiful, but the lenses aren’t a neon hue of blue that would freak strangers out in public! Walking around with these lenses shows and bright but not a scary-neon set of blues!

Enlargement~ 5/5

This choice is truly in the eye of the beholder! My Lance cosplay isn’t meant to have a dolly or cutesy look, and conveys a slightly more pretty-boy aesthetic, so this is perfect! However, these lenses did do a flawless job of perfectly enlarging my eyes! The outer ring of bright blue looked stunning, and I’m a huge fan of having a thick black outer ring to make the look more adorable!

Comfort~ 1/5

Unfortunately, the left contact was extremely painful to put in. After soaking the lenses for 24 hours in contact solution, the left lens was still to0 painful to put in. After a few tries, the left lens went in and stayed well… But it still had a dull and continuous pain remaining as I wore them. In the end, I could only take so much and removed the lenses after only a couple hours of wear. After removing the lenses, I could even see that my left eye became a bit swollen, and it really freaked my out! I had slightly cloudy vision in that eye for the rest of the day, showing me that I should not be wearing these lenses if I cared about the wellness of my eyes. I think I need to contact the company on getting a replacement lens for the sake of my own health. :/

Naturalness~ 4/5

Because these lenses aren’t too big and aren’t a neon color from a distance, they blend in extremely well to regular clothes and outfits! Your pupils will look a tad bigger, but it’ll only make you look cuter~! Like mentioned before, walking around with these lenses shows and bright but not a scary-neon set of blues!

Overall Rating~ 6/10! ¯\_(☯෴☯)_/¯

The design and color of the lenses are absolutely flawless. But wearing these lenses were painful and irritating to a point where thinking about wearing them again scared me! I’ve never had any serious issues like this happen out of my years of ordering and wearing the lenses. The company and look of the product are both fantastic! But this may have simply been a defective lens. I will update the review if I hear back from the company!

Thank you so much for reading my review and supporting me! ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁) OhMyKitty has some beautiful-looking lenses for fantastic prices, so remember to drop by their website!

If you’d like to continue supporting me on any of my other social medias, check my Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube! 

꒰˘̩̩̩⌣˘̩̩̩๑꒱♡ Sending love! ꒰˘̩̩̩⌣˘̩̩̩๑꒱♡

[mujeeburrehman]

Semihandmade Cabinets up the Ante, Minus the Pricetag

Semihandmade cabinet doors transform Sweeten kitchens without breaking the bank

Homeowners have a personal style that they express through their designs. Kitchen cabinetry uses a good percentage of an overall renovation budget. So, how do you stay true to your design aesthetic without breaking the bank? One way is to opt for the look of custom cabinets without actually ordering custom. That’s where Semihandmade kitchen cabinets come in!

Semihandmade makes doors specifically for standard Ikea kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, media, and storage units. Here, we round up some top Sweeten renovations which used these doors transforming a wow-level on an affordable budget. (See if you can tell the difference!) Bonus: Semihandmade’s president, Beth Brenner, shares some tips on the different ways a kitchen can be customized.

Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free.

Duo-tone Semihandmade cabinets

(Above) Tina + Andrew’s kitchen

Tina loved her charming 1930s prewar building she grew up in. So when a two-bedroom co-op became available, she and her husband, Andrew, jumped at the chance. It needed to be renovated but that didn’t stop them. They posted their project on Sweeten and hired a general contractor to update their kitchen.

The couple needed to stay on budget, so they looked into Semihandmade cabinet doors. “We tried to be clever and save where we could,” says Tina. “Instead of custom cabinets, we went with Ikea but purchased the cabinet doors from a company that specializes in stylish and modern cabinetry for Ikea kitchen systems.”  They chose a beautiful super matte shaker cabinet in white and light gray.

Tip from Beth: Semihandmade doors are simple to screw on and off, so if down the road you want a totally different look, you can easily change out the doors instead of tearing out your kitchen all over again!

When the budget is the top priority

(Above) A Queens kitchen in a rich neutral

Like many homeowners who renovate, this couple’s biggest concern was budget. After renting for years, they had saved up to buy their own place, a two-bedroom, two-bath in Flushing. They decided updating the kitchen would be the most dramatic change. They chose a mix of neutrals and opted for Semihandmade cabinet doors with Ikea bases. This allowed the couple to get a customized look for a fraction of what fully custom cabinets cost. “The space is much more open and inviting,” says one of the homeowners. “I’ve never been one to hang out in the kitchen, but now I want to spend more time here.”

Tip from Beth: Semihandmade doors come in 45 different colors and styles, but the doors are also available unpainted so you can unleash your DIY spirit.

More storage space, coming right up!

(Above) Dan + Mike’s kitchen open shelving storage

Dan and Mike’s one-bedroom, one-bath co-op was in desperate need of a kitchen renovation. To achieve their desired aesthetic, it would require removing a wall, gutting the entire kitchen, and extending the counters and cabinetry.

Removing the wall had a major impact on the look as did taking down the upper cabinets and replacing them with open floating shelves. The shelves were sourced from a shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that specializes in salvage pieces. For the lower cabinets, they installed Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade doors and hardware. Floating shelves can make up for storage lost in the removal of upper cabinets.

Tip from Beth: Lower shelves are perfect for easy-to-grab cooking essentials like cutting boards, spices, and cookbooks. Higher shelves tend to be more decorative. It’s the mix of objects and textures that makes floating shelves a standout in any kitchen.

Finding savings to splurge

(Above) Jennifer + Alex’s two-toned kitchen

When Jennifer and Alex Figueroa bought their beach house in East Hampton, they wanted to renovate it in order to meet their family’s needs. They have two young boys, so they wanted a space where they could run and play freely. This meant opening up the choppy layout and gutting the kitchen.

“We felt excited about this part of the project,” says Alex. “We splurged on a wine fridge, quartz countertops, and an integrated refrigerator but otherwise kept the open kitchen fairly simple.” This “fairly simple” design included their contractor customizing Ikea cabinets with walnut panel doors for a two-toned look. He also added paneling on the ceiling for a luxe look. This took the 1970s home into the new millennium.

Tip from Beth: Two-toned looks work well when complementary styles and colors are used for the upper and lower cabinets. Another popular trend right now is a pop of color for the kitchen island, paired with base cabinets that are more neutral.  

No time for custom cabinets? No problem.

(Above) Marc + Steve’s kitchen

After seven months of living in their new home, Marc and Steve decided it was time to take the plunge and renovate. “The kitchen was perhaps the most outdated room,” says Marc. The existing cabinets were grimy and the doors were falling off the hinges. They wouldn’t be able to measure for new cabinets before work began. Marc and Steve decided to use Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade doors in order to get the cabinets quicker (custom cabinets have longer lead times.)

To streamline the look of the kitchen, they chose flat-panel doors rather than the popular shaker style. They needed to order cabinets of varying sizes so this choice helped to unify the space. “Design-wise, it’s the kitchen we always wanted and I don’t think we have any regrets about the choices we made (and there were so many choices),” said Marc.

Tip from Beth: Since we make our door fronts to order, the time it takes from payment to delivery depends on the materials purchased. Currently, the average lead time is 3-6 weeks.

 —

See even more inspiring kitchen remodels using Semihandmade!

Need help deciding on cabinets for your reno? Check out Sweeten’s guide, How to Choose Kitchen Cabinets.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, and scope, helping until project completion. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.

Source link

source https://civilco.construction/semihandmade-cabinets-up-the-ante-minus-the-pricetag/ from Civilco Construction & Interior https://civilcoconstruction.blogspot.com/2021/05/semihandmade-cabinets-up-ante-minus.html

[civilcoconstruction]

Semihandmade Cabinets up the Ante, Minus the Pricetag

Semihandmade cabinet doors transform Sweeten kitchens without breaking the bank

Homeowners have a personal style that they express through their designs. Kitchen cabinetry uses a good percentage of an overall renovation budget. So, how do you stay true to your design aesthetic without breaking the bank? One way is to opt for the look of custom cabinets without actually ordering custom. That’s where Semihandmade kitchen cabinets come in!

Semihandmade makes doors specifically for standard Ikea kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, media, and storage units. Here, we round up some top Sweeten renovations which used these doors transforming a wow-level on an affordable budget. (See if you can tell the difference!) Bonus: Semihandmade’s president, Beth Brenner, shares some tips on the different ways a kitchen can be customized.

Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free.

Duo-tone Semihandmade cabinets

(Above) Tina + Andrew’s kitchen

Tina loved her charming 1930s prewar building she grew up in. So when a two-bedroom co-op became available, she and her husband, Andrew, jumped at the chance. It needed to be renovated but that didn’t stop them. They posted their project on Sweeten and hired a general contractor to update their kitchen.

The couple needed to stay on budget, so they looked into Semihandmade cabinet doors. “We tried to be clever and save where we could,” says Tina. “Instead of custom cabinets, we went with Ikea but purchased the cabinet doors from a company that specializes in stylish and modern cabinetry for Ikea kitchen systems.”  They chose a beautiful super matte shaker cabinet in white and light gray.

Tip from Beth: Semihandmade doors are simple to screw on and off, so if down the road you want a totally different look, you can easily change out the doors instead of tearing out your kitchen all over again!

When the budget is the top priority

(Above) A Queens kitchen in a rich neutral

Like many homeowners who renovate, this couple’s biggest concern was budget. After renting for years, they had saved up to buy their own place, a two-bedroom, two-bath in Flushing. They decided updating the kitchen would be the most dramatic change. They chose a mix of neutrals and opted for Semihandmade cabinet doors with Ikea bases. This allowed the couple to get a customized look for a fraction of what fully custom cabinets cost. “The space is much more open and inviting,” says one of the homeowners. “I’ve never been one to hang out in the kitchen, but now I want to spend more time here.”

Tip from Beth: Semihandmade doors come in 45 different colors and styles, but the doors are also available unpainted so you can unleash your DIY spirit.

More storage space, coming right up!

(Above) Dan + Mike’s kitchen open shelving storage

Dan and Mike’s one-bedroom, one-bath co-op was in desperate need of a kitchen renovation. To achieve their desired aesthetic, it would require removing a wall, gutting the entire kitchen, and extending the counters and cabinetry.

Removing the wall had a major impact on the look as did taking down the upper cabinets and replacing them with open floating shelves. The shelves were sourced from a shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that specializes in salvage pieces. For the lower cabinets, they installed Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade doors and hardware. Floating shelves can make up for storage lost in the removal of upper cabinets.

Tip from Beth: Lower shelves are perfect for easy-to-grab cooking essentials like cutting boards, spices, and cookbooks. Higher shelves tend to be more decorative. It’s the mix of objects and textures that makes floating shelves a standout in any kitchen.

Finding savings to splurge

(Above) Jennifer + Alex’s two-toned kitchen

When Jennifer and Alex Figueroa bought their beach house in East Hampton, they wanted to renovate it in order to meet their family’s needs. They have two young boys, so they wanted a space where they could run and play freely. This meant opening up the choppy layout and gutting the kitchen.

“We felt excited about this part of the project,” says Alex. “We splurged on a wine fridge, quartz countertops, and an integrated refrigerator but otherwise kept the open kitchen fairly simple.” This “fairly simple” design included their contractor customizing Ikea cabinets with walnut panel doors for a two-toned look. He also added paneling on the ceiling for a luxe look. This took the 1970s home into the new millennium.

Tip from Beth: Two-toned looks work well when complementary styles and colors are used for the upper and lower cabinets. Another popular trend right now is a pop of color for the kitchen island, paired with base cabinets that are more neutral.  

No time for custom cabinets? No problem.

(Above) Marc + Steve’s kitchen

After seven months of living in their new home, Marc and Steve decided it was time to take the plunge and renovate. “The kitchen was perhaps the most outdated room,” says Marc. The existing cabinets were grimy and the doors were falling off the hinges. They wouldn’t be able to measure for new cabinets before work began. Marc and Steve decided to use Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade doors in order to get the cabinets quicker (custom cabinets have longer lead times.)

To streamline the look of the kitchen, they chose flat-panel doors rather than the popular shaker style. They needed to order cabinets of varying sizes so this choice helped to unify the space. “Design-wise, it’s the kitchen we always wanted and I don’t think we have any regrets about the choices we made (and there were so many choices),” said Marc.

Tip from Beth: Since we make our door fronts to order, the time it takes from payment to delivery depends on the materials purchased. Currently, the average lead time is 3-6 weeks.

  —

See even more inspiring kitchen remodels using Semihandmade!

Need help deciding on cabinets for your reno? Check out Sweeten’s guide, How to Choose Kitchen Cabinets.

Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, and scope, helping until project completion. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation on Sweeten.

Source link

from CIVICLO Construction & Interior https://civilco.construction/semihandmade-cabinets-up-the-ante-minus-the-pricetag/

[firebunnylover]

Hannah Watches LOSH - Man of Tomorrow

This is my start on what will be a one episode-per-post re-watch and review/analysis of Legion of Superheroes. I am going to go through all the episodes of both seasons, and when I finish the show, I will also go into the comics afterward. I will try to aim for once a week at minimum, but that depends on school. The reviews will be made while I’m watching, with much pausing and commentary being made and screenshots being shown, and a final word at the end on both the episode overall and the characters.

I will also be comparing my view when I first saw the episode vs now. Also please keep in mind I did not start with the first episode when it aired. And these will all have my opinion alone, and if you have any feedback/comments you want to give, go ahead ^^

So, let’s start of with the first episode.

Man of Tomorrow

So we first get the preview of the Legion fighting the Fatal Five before cutting to Clark Kent during his last night in Smallville before going to Metropolis.

Watching this again, it struck me that Clark probably didn’t get the best support from his parents on the super power part.

What do I mean? Ma Kent said “Just please be careful. Remember Clark, your not like the rest of us.” Which he replies with “I know.” Now in the animated show most people are familiar with, the superpowers came into being around high school. But his parents seemed to have handled it rather well, as does Clark in the end, and he is given a device that has a message from his birth parents to give him an explanation. But here that’s not the case. I think it’s more likely that the parents were less ready to deal with superpowers, and god, given Clark didn’t know squat about Krypton as evident in the comics that tied into the show – will go into that eventually, who knows how well Clark was dealing with the powers when they first came up. Probably much worse than in the Superman animated series.

Speaking of parents, noticed that Pa was not in the episode. Where is he? Is he dead in this version? Ho geeze, adds to the stress the poor guy must be under.

And then we get our time bubble trio aka TBT: Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, and Bouncing Boy. I wonder what the decision process was behind them. Which will be discussed in a bit.

Cutting back to the fair, we get more evidence of Clark not dealing the best way with his powers after a Jock taunts him and his physical abilities. He is getting ready to toss the ball, recalls Ma’s words. And god, the facial expressions now have the ability to pick apart my heart now.

Just. Ow.

And then comes the trope-tastic faulty Ferris wheel. I bet Grunkle Stan branched out to this fair.

And then we get back to the TBT. What do you mean food on a stick is not normal?! WHAT DO YOU DO FOR POPCICLES?! COTTON CANDY?! CANDY APPLES?!

Wait, how did he get that food? Was it samples? Or did the trio steal it?

I couldn’t help but snicker at Brainy’s and Saturn Girl’s expression at Bouncing Boy. Imma have to go with “stealing”

Also, what performance would the TBT be part of? I mean, I understand cosplay at a convention, but they look a little off the mark at the fair for me. But I would totally pay money to see that performance.

And it happens.

The beginning of what was one of the many triggers in many for shipping a gay ship.

When I first watched this show, I was in elementary. I was having some curiosity towards gay ships – I was in a very heavy weeabo state, and especially into CLAMP’s manga, which is filled with LGBT characters. I was also going through a bit of a religious phase, and my parents aren’t the most accepting people, especially back then. So I was scared by possibly shipping anything that wasn’t deemed right. I wouldn’t go bashing in public, but I wouldn’t confide with others. I wouldn’t really support the LGBT community until high school.

But now, I can fully appreciate the show and what it tried to do. The storyboards probably have more representation for the LGBT community by far, but still, I will take what I can get with this show… THAT’S A LIE I WANT THOSE STORYBOARDS.

Gotta appreciate the dramatic music that comes with the scene as well.

Look at those two concerned guardians.

Now back to Clark.

Given my earlier talk with him and his powers… THIS BOY MUST HAVE HAD A HEART ATTACK WHEN BOUNCING BOY SPOKE TO HIM. HE WAS CAUGHT. YET HE GOES “EVERYTHING IS FINE HERE,” AND PROCEEDS TO SWOOP IN WHEN THE THING STARTS TO FALL APART. KUDOS TO MY BOY IN HOLDING HIMSELF TOGETHER.

GRUNKLE STAN YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING ON THE STATE OF THAT FERRIS WHEEL.

Saturn Girl, I don’t think now is the time for intros.

Pfft, BB is confused by this as well, to the point where his animation is a wee bit off.

And then he proceeds to walk behind Clark and… what’s the best word for this…

 WHAT A PRECIOUS FACE THAT FOLLOWS THAT SILLY BOING NOISE. AND THE WAY HE SAYS “help?” AFTERWARDS IS SO CUTE. EXPRESSIONS IN THIS EPISODE ARE SO GOOD.

I never realized how big Bouncing Boy could get.

Clark starts to nope out, and Saturn Girl said she did the same thing when she saw Bouncing Boy to do that as well.

And cue more internal panicking for Clark.

So, did Saturn Girl like did the whole fair a mind wipe, or just the guys who were witnesses?

More gayness, both sides.

And Clark has a gay panic.

Which will eventually turn into “I’m not Straight” in the future. I’ve been through that phase my boy.

Saturn Girl looks like a mom here, telling the kids to stop flirting atm.

Oh man, Clark asking them not to tell anyone about the super power thing. What a heart breaker.

“It’s okay. We know all about you.”

Wow, great conversation starter B5, totally not sounding like a stalker.

BRAINY WHY DID YOU CUT OFF BOUNCY?! JEALOUSY?! LOOK AT THESE GOSHDARN EXPRESSIONS.

Good job B5, weirded out your crush.

At least Saturn Girl knows saying “Coming to the future” sounds crazy.

“Clark!”

“Wait!”

Oof. My heart at his voice.

And Cool Mom has to step in.

He looks like a kicked dog at this frame.

Let us appreciate how immediately when Saturn Girl says “Let’s just give him some time,” the episodes is edited so that they show up in the kitchen at his house.

So Saturn Girl has a coffee mug, Bouncing Boy has pie, and nothing for the green child. Oh, and embarrassment for Clark.

Well, okay, B5 kinda looks like an angry kid who’s upset their BF is an hour late to the date.

And the introduction the do at the home seems to be much smoother at the fair. Think they did rehearsals waiting for Clark to get home? Did they switch out constantly? And how far did B5 take his crush with the rehearsals?

But Clark defiantly has a lot of self-doubt at the idea of him being a super hero. He uses his powers for good, but he definitely lacks the confidence that he’s good enough for it. He laughs it off at first, then seems a little angry and scared at how much they knew about his powers. Reminds me now of Yuuri Katsuri. And given how little confidence I have had in the last few years about myself, I can further appreciate him now than what I did back then.

Clark was very tempted in coming at “Come with us and you won’t have to hide them anymore.” It’s like getting a safe place to come out, finally, after years of being told that it’s safer to hide himself. Further more appreciative with time for me.

Wow, B5 looks so demanding here.

(Where did they keep that time bubble tho?? It just appeared out of nowhere?)

I kinda laughed at the part where Ma goes “Take a sweater!” then comes down stairs, confused at what he said. “Future?”

I like the atmosphere of New Metropolis in this show. Good use of complementary colors in this shot.

AND THANK ****ING GOD LOOK AT TRIPLICATE GIRL IN HD HER SKIN IS DARKER

I CRY BLOOD AT THE FACT THAT THE FACT SHE WAS SUPPOSE TO BE MUCH DARKER AND THEN SHE CAME OUT SO PALE IN SD QUALITY THANK GOD FOR HD

Granted the concept art of her gave her darker skin but SHE’S SO BEAUTIFUL WITH DARK SKIN

And here we have Queen Sinnamon Roll and Lighting Trash Baby, who PG proceeds to sass out with an eye roll and reality, and then has Trips back her up. Positive female friendships, that’s an instant gold star.

What a jealous baby, getting phased through and shoved aside. Thinking back to the jock we saw earlier, I find it interesting that Lightning Lad was made to fit that image on the first episode. Interesting move. Perhaps it was to show the character development as we went along?

The girls look so disappointed that the skinny Superman came out instead of some muscular guy. Personally, I prefer the skinny Superman design. Muscular guys just don’t seem as attractive to me as often. Might have something to do with that I find myself attracted to girls more often. But I love all girls, and buff girls are on the list of those I am weak for, so I’m just further confused. Maybe I just need another 10 years to figure this one out.

And when Lightning Lad proceeds to poke fun at B5 and Clark…

Brainy looks like a cat who is planning his demise. I had cats for a little over ten years. I know this look. Brainy is giving him the look that says he will murder him in his sleep. Painfully.

And then Lightning Lad proceeds to be a jerk, doing the last thing Clark needs: degrading him on his powers. After everything I talked about earlier, this hurts me in the hard. Trash Baby will be sent to the garbage pit as required.

We cut to the Superman museum, where Saturn Girl brings Clark to speed what’s going on, explaining who the Fatal Five are.

While watching this episode, I realized how much emotional support and guidance Saturn Girl provided for those in need – particularly B5 and Clark in this one. And she doesn’t seem to need to read their minds to figure out what they are feeling. So really, that is really thought provoking. Maybe she studied psychology or hosts therapy groups. In any case, it makes her far more interesting as a person.

I’m kind of interested to see what the military forces were like in this show’s universe, given that they were deemed not available for help against the Fatal Five. How restricted are they? Is there restrictions based on international laws? And as for the Science Police… well, I’m going to discuss that in a future episode.

Okay so tallying up the other legionnaires who were mentioned when the code red was sent out. Shrinking Violet was undercover, Colossal Boy is on Rawl (did I spell that right?), while Cosmic Boy, the leader, is at the outpost, where it is commented he won’t make it on time. Good god, they were spread thin. Just how much shit is going on elsewhere?! Just leave less than ten people at the HQ where one of the biggest problems will find them. NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL.

So the Fatal Five show up, and at least the police try to do something, but still get their asses kicked. A for effort.

And what does Clark do when confronted with his first Comic Villain fight? At first he seems like he’s running away. Leaving the Legion to get their butts kicked. But instead he’s getting the costume, and tries to fly. He’s taking a step forward to define himself as someone who can help. He’s becoming Superman.

But how did that costume just suddenly adjust to the tinier frame? Krypton Science?

And what about his hair? It changed too! It just popped out that signature curl!

Regarding the fight, there are several things I noticed: Triplicate Girl can be forcibly merged back into one singular being, and all three of her can carry Persuader and PG with the ax. Validus chased Bouncing Boy like a dog, which was kind of funny. Lightning Lad abandons his original opponent during fight to go help his teammates, and manages to resist for a while. And then he gave Superman tips in fighting. Saturn Girl is the first to break out of the control, and uses her powers to free the others. B5 has strong robot muscles (what’s the mechanical equivalent?)

Also, I think I should thank this episode for giving the idea of the ax for a weapon in the SU AU i work with, since she got to hold it several times in the episode.

Now regarding the villains, honestly the only one who I find of any interest is Emerald Empress. She was just so causal to Superman when she sees him in costume, and sounded disappointed at the small number of the people who came to confront her team, which gives her some character. Also, I heard somewhere that she is a lesbian. If anyone has a source that can confirm, I would appreciate it so much, cuz I need more queer ladies in my life.

Post fight, Lighting Lad says he knew Superman could do it, only to get the look from everyone. Karma much?

And we see sad Brainy when he says Superman has to go home.

But then Superman is the one who proposes he stays.

And as one last boot to the episode, Superman steals what Lightning Lad’s spot during flight with Brainy’s help. Continuing Karma on the trash baby.

So final thoughts on the episode overall.

It’s a good start the first season, definitely. But I feel there could be better execution. Like the first bit can get people to think that the fight happened before the Legion went to fetch Superman. Like only some of them managed to get away from the Fatal Five, and realize they need help in rescuing the rest of the Legion. That would be more interesting for a first episode, to me anyway.

Villains could have used more development.

Maybe seeing a bit more of the life back at Smallville would have been nice as well.

And how did that decision for the Time Bubble Trio/TBT go? I know B5 probably demanded to go, justifying he was the one who built the device. And wanted to see Superman first. But why Saturn Girl and Bouncing Boy? Did they draw stick, or was it based on the idea that they are probably the most responsible of the group? TELL ME~

But given what we got, I love it. The members of the legion are fun to watch, and it’s a good take on the younger Superman, and the interpretation I got out of the episode was so much deeper than what I got when I was younger.

And kudos out to the staff in trying to squeeze that gay stuff in.

Characters in this episode:

I really like Superman/Clark’s personality here. I can relate to it now better than how I did when I was younger. And now the experience seems like a parallel to finding a safe place to come out. Gold. Star.

Brainiac 5 was nice to see, crushing on Superman. We discover more of him personality wise later on, but it’s so good to see the gay game getting on this early.

Saturn Girl – god I love how she’s so emotionally aware of others in parts of this episode. This girl is definitely someone I would talk to during a hard time.

Lightning Lad… thank god for later character development. He’s a lovable brat here, but needs that character development stat.

Bouncing Boy is a delight. Such goodness in a person. An early-version of Hunk from Voltron. Good emotional support as well.

Seeing the sass that just oozes from Phantom Girl is a joy. My beautiful daughter.

And Triplicate Girl… THANK GOD YOU ARE NOT AS PALE HERE IN HD AS YOU WERE IN SD. I feel that we could have seen more of her and PG, but I really love how they got along in the HQ before the TBT got back.

The villains. Not much to say other than what I said about Empress earlier and that they needed development overall. Sorry.

Well, that’s all for this episode! Hope this was a good read for you all! lemme know if i should put any under a Read More bar.

[theunholygrails]

Milestones pt. 2

More family adventures with you, Spencer, little Maximilian, and the new addition!

This was completely unprecedented and unlikely to be recreated anytime soon, but now for the second Milestones installment because I was overcome by more familial feels and needed to get them out.

Also, thanks to Mr. Stevie Wonder for the song.

Milestones pt. 1

Masterlist

Spencer had gasped gale-force when you broke the news to him. Eyes wide, hands grasped in his hair, spinning once in a frantic circle before running over to crush you in a hug.

A girl! There was gonna be a little Miss Reid!

You prepared Max well for the new addition to your family, reading all the right books and talking it out as you took the second pregnancy in stride with a little more ease than the first. You and Spencer scoured and debated names back and forth as vigorously as with little unborn Maximilian and it was you who finally breathed the perfect name into your quiet bedroom.

Darlene, "tenderly loved".

That was awhile ago, and now Darlene Diana Reid was one year old and rested on your hip as you made your way to the front door of the massive house with your two boys in tow. It was a family dinner party at the Rossi residence and the man of the house himself answered the doorbell.

"Ciao bella!" he sang and smooshed kisses to both your cheeks and the little one, who giggled gleefully at the greeting.

Spencer and Max were next inside the door dressed to the nines in complementary blue and purple blazers and Dave welcomed them in kind, though Max was excited because he got to practice his new favorite thing – a very strong handshake.

"Wow kiddo!" Dave dramatically cried once he got his hand back. "You're gonna be the world champ of arm wrestling with a grip like that."

You laughed as your son ran off with the older man toward the table of delicious unending food while Spencer sidled up to you, arm resting around your lower back as you both beamed and he snuck a kiss to the corner of your mouth.

"Ready to party?"

You hummed a note of contentment. "Since I've got my best party people by my side."

Darlene reached over and placed a soft hand to Spencer's jaw, the sleeve on her maroon dress casting glitter as she did so. "Par-ee, daddy!"

"You know it, sweetheart." He gazed at her with tender eyes that made heat blossom in your chest.

Max may look like his father but a little bit of Spencer's very soul had been plucked and placed in Darlene. She wasn't quiet by any measurement but she was the more curious, the more delicate and perceptive child. She could entice anyone to listen with her massive eyes and the quirk in her little lips and had Spencer wrapped around each one of her fingers. She was constantly pointing at things for him to explain to her and loved falling asleep tucked under his arm as he read book after book.

The night was warm and the three of you made your way out to the patio to join the rest of the party goers, where you were met with a familiar face once again among the milling of so many.

"Oooh man! Isn't she lovely!" Derek crooned and danced his way over to you and more importantly the little girl in your arms. He kept singing and she squealed and clapped in delight as he scooped her up. "Isn't she wonderful!"

You put a hand over your fluttering heart at seeing Derek so enchanted with your daughter and it was only after they'd swung in a few happy circles that he slowed enough to greet you. "Mr. and Mrs. Prettyboy, how's it going?"

"We're great, Derek," you gushed, "thanks for charming her as usual."

Spencer piped up and pointed behind the other man. "But I don't think you'll have her to yourself for long."

Just then a streak of blonde came rushing up and her heels came to a clacking stop next to Derek. "I already got a giant hug from Max, how about my Didi?"

"Gigi!" Darlene cried and reached her little arms out for a squeeze from the favorite aunt.

Derek and Penelope hugged with your little one in between feasting on all the affection and after a nod from you they trotted off with her, no doubt to brag to many others about how they were the favorite pair of babysitters for the Reid children.

Spencer squeezing your hand brought your attention back to his sloppy curls. "You want anything to drink?"

"Whatever's in that big red bottle by the cheese tray looks amazing."

His gentle smile shone at you momentarily before he walked away for proper husband duty. The soft glow of the lights strung up in the rest of the back yard called to you and you strolled about until another favorite face caught your eye.

"JJ!" you called.

She turned away from her southern beauty of a husband and gladly embraced you once you made your way to them. "Hey, you look great! How are you?"

"Really well, thanks. It's all crazy bliss at home."

"What are they, one and three now?" she mused, following your gaze to young Max bouncing around with a handful of crackers to eat and no less than two agents fondly watching him. "Can't imagine them that close in age. But Spencer's always raving about how good you are with them and how much he loves being at home as the perfect four."

You cocked your head with a wry grin. "Right before he launches into –"

"Into the spiel about the nuclear family, yes!" she finished and you both laughed as your lovely husband in question approached and handed you just what mama's night out ordered – a glass of red wine filled precisely to the halfway mark.

"Should I be worried when I hear two girls laughing and looking at me?" he ventured.

JJ knocked him in the shoulder. "Always, Spence. I was about to tell her about how you still look at her the same way as when she was first introduced to us, you big softie."

Spencer blushed, a bright pink dusting on his cheeks that you hoped would never stop returning over the years. "I can't help it, you know. I somehow got the most talented and beautiful woman in the world to be my wife and the mother of my kids, am I not supposed to gawk?"

With a hand intertwined with Spencer's, you carried on and chatted with JJ and a few more passersby about anything and everything from the swish in your dresses to the latest parenting gossip, as well as a few dirty jokes in between. The wind drew lazily between the trees and the people and when it finally carried a child's laugh to your ears you bounced a nod to the group.

"Let me go put eyes on my two real quick."

Spencer was hot on your heels. "I can actually see Darlene on Morgan's shoulders from here but you should make sure Max isn't eating his fill of the buffet, which if left unchecked will be twice his weight."

You tossed a smile to your vigilant husband as he broke away to go check in with Derek and you were just passing the dessert table in your search for Max when a voice from underneath it startled you.

"I'm not sure you need to be under there, buddy," the familiar voice coaxed and then one Emily Prentiss was leading your son out from under the tablecloth.

"Maximilian! Did you make Emily crawl all the way under there to get you?"

The little boy simply giggled and ran to clutch your legs as Emily took long strides around the table toward you. She gathered both you and Max in a hug before quickly retrieving her own wine glass as you exchanged pleasantries.

"I didn't see you or Reid come in but suddenly I saw two little shoes and had to investigate!"

You smiled wanly and pointed behind you. "You haven't missed Spence or Darlene yet, I promise."

While Max munched away at the snack in hand you and Emily watched Spencer retrieve your daughter from Morgan's grasp, only to have her grab her father's pinky and immediately strut around asking questions about everything from the tablecloth colors to people's names and then almost touch a candle flame. Thankfully Spencer swooped in and tossed her up in his arms and her shrieking giggles tugged at your heartstrings.

"Reid could always charm the right kids so well," Emily pondered from beside you.

There were probably sparkles in your eyes as you answered, "He's the best with ours."

The night wore on long and warm and lovingly as you and your family were surrounded by some of the best people you knew. Eventually little eyes got droopy and little mouths started yawning and you and Spencer led the charge out the front door, waving and blowing kisses as you each balanced a toddler and plates of food in your arms.

You watched as your husband pressed a kiss to two little temples and thought maybe you could stand to listen to his nuclear family spiel a few more times. Whatever kept his lovely mouth murmuring words in your ears as your children slept peacefully in the back seat.

[sy-maya]

From Bora Bora To Palmerston

Here is our daily reports of the crossing. You will find the pictures on our facebook page. 

# Day 1

Yesterday, we started our passage to Palmerston Island at the same time as Franziska and Peter from the Swiss boat Pandora. No, it’s not a race ;-). Funny thing is that I (Herbert) and Peter know each other from before. We met two or three times for business lunches and Peter (Outnow) was a good customer of kooaba. How small is the world?

The sea was very rough during the first 24 hours and the wind was blowing with 20 knots.

We are looking very much forward to Palmerston Island. We have read and heard a lot of good things about the island and its inhabitants who all have the same last name: Marsters. William Marsters settled in Palmerston many years ago (for more exact numbers, look it up on Wikipedia). He had three wives and 21 children. Today, his family is in the sixth or seventh generation and counts over 300 members, which live all over the Cooks Islands and New Zealand.

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-16.7794,-155.0378

# Day 2

August 10th, 2017. Waves, waves and waves. The sea was still very rough until this afternoon, then it started to be a little bit calmer. Yesterday late afternoon, we had a fright, there was a huge strong wave which opened one of drawers and many dishes flew away. One cup hit Samy on his head and he was crying for a some time. There was no blood just a little bump and today he was totally fine. So no worry. By the way, the boys are really doing great despite the rough sea. They are playing together all sort of things.

Today, I (Asma) told them a funny story: I was reading my book with a head lamp outside during my night watch, and suddenly I looked behind and there was a very bright green eye in the sky! What is that?! Then it was hidden by the clouds. I continued reading and there it was again, this time it was a huge bright green circle. The Moon! But why was it so green? I was completely amazed and stared at it for minutes. When I woke up Herbert later for his watch, I told him about it and the first thing he asked was: Have you switched on your head lamp on red or white modus? Ah, red. Well that’s normal then, the complementary color of red is greenish. (Herbert here. The eye is doing kind of auto white balance. It takes some time to switch back to normal.) End of the mystery. Argh. Well, the kids though were more fascinated by my story and they asked if I could wake them up next time the Green Moon is here. In the meanwhile, they tried to redo the experiment in their beds with the head lamps hahahaha.

At 5pm board time today, we crossed the official border line between France and New Zealand (Cook Islands). Quite special.

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-17.336,-157.67

# Day 3

August 11th, 2017. Routine takes over. Sea is better and winds are fair. All good on board. This morning, Asma transformed the last rests of bread into a tasty breakfast (pain perdu) accompanied with scrambled eggs.. What a treat. While writing these lines, our fresh bread is about to rise and will be put later in the oven to fill the air with the best smell on earth. The little joys of life :-) Speaking of little joys, here a story about eggs. We were out of eggs for over two weeks. On the two islands Huahine and Taha’a, there were no eggs in any store. Apparently, the reason was a salmonella case. During that time, Asma was trying some eggless cake recipes and I got crazy without my breakfast eggs on the weekends. So when we finally found some in Bora Bora, we were sooo happy.

Otherwise, nothing new. Still 170 nautical miles to go… Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-17.7217,-160.2188

# Day 4

August 13th, 2017. Easy Sunday, nice weather, fair winds, rough sea but eventually we got used to it.

Here is a little story for you:

As some of you know, one of the first things that Herbert asked me when we met was if I was willing to sail around the world with him one day. The answer was something like: “well, I am afraid of huge waves but yes!”. Since then, he was brainwashing me with sailing stories and books. One day, many years ago, I remember coming back home late after work and volleyball training, and there was Herby waiting with his huge smile and sparkling eyes: “I found it! YOUR ISLAND!”. He was reading a book about a Canadian family sailing around the world, and they were on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, where everyone was playing volleyball, EVERY day. “Asma, let’s go there! But we can only go there by boat ;-)”.

Well, that island is Palmerston, and we are only some hours away from there… … And if they don’t play volleyball anymore, I’ll force them to. Hahaha.

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-17.9733,-162.2027

# Day 5

We safely arrived in Palmerston Island at 8am local time. The minute we arrived, a motor boat came to help us attach Maya on the mooring. Despite the fact that Palmerston is an atoll, there is no passage into the lagoon. The moorings are outside (west side of the atoll). This is ok as long as the wind blows from the east. As soon as the wind turns west, we need to move. Otherwise, Maya would crash onto the nearby reef (the water level rises steeply from thousands of meters to just a shallow 20cm depth.

After checking in and immigration, Edward (our host here) took us on land with his motorboat. Here are no restaurants, no stores, nothing. That’s why the locals introduced the hosting system. They bring us on land, feed us, spend time with us and we can give them what we want, if we want. Different values here ;-).

The lagoon is very beautiful. We thought that we’ve seen it all already, but here we stood, mouth open, admiring the beautiful turquoise colors. Wow… Images will follow tomorrow. Good night friends. The tired crew is going to sleeeeep.

Oh, almost forgot to mention two things. 1) It is whale season and whales are everywhere around the atoll. Jumping, diving, blowing water, and everything whales do during the day ;-). 2) Volleyball is announced for tomorrow afternoon. Asma is already training ;-).

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-18.0459,-163.1915