#w snow leopards a close second

[patron-saints]

Hand over your favourite Headcanon(s) of Olivier and/or Izumi!!!

hello my friend !!! i feel like you know most of mine for them already!!! but let’s start w the basics and see where we get:

olivier:

- autistic (food sensitivities, loves loopholes, takes things literally & has a hard time expressing her emotions to name a few) and masks a lot, relying on rules and societal expectations to cover for her when she’s not able to “act normal”

- trans! mtftnb, transitioned at 18, didn’t tell her family shit and they found out when she became the “first female general in amestris”, her second transition is more personal/internal, just a sense of realization in her 30s that she’s less binary than she thought (getting called “sir” is kind of nice, actually, and so is wearing suits… etc)

- buccaneer was not only her right hand but also her best friend, they met in boot camp and had almost exactly the same assignments their whole careers. he used to tease her a lot when they were alone - he’d never undermine her authority in public but he also never let her forget their history as pranksters lol

- she’s ambidextrous AND fights ambidextrously! not based on anything on the show i just think it’s fun. maximum efficiency etc.

- her uniform is VERY comfortable for her in both a literal and an autistic sense but you bet your ass she loves fashion too. she has a very like… you know that like… flavor of women’s fashion that’s like… blazers, jumpsuits, like… Formal But Still Somewhat Androgynous? that’s her vibe out of uniform. you will Never catch her in jeans and a t shirt. never worn a cozy sweater in her life. (this will change. she’s dating izumi.) she sleeps in like… a tank top and boxers probably. i think she’s also… modest isn’t quite the right word, but like, she’s particular about showing skin? so her bathing suits are like, trunks and sports bras, rather than bikinis etc.

- she’s extremely tidy and very organized and a lot of that is due to practice and training! she probably would be uncomfortable w messes anyway, but her ability to deal with them quickly and maintain her space comes from boot camp more than anything else. you know they had servants at armstrong manor. YOU KNOW.

- she’s a lesbian. always has been, always will be. there is a universe where she dated mustang and then came out immediately afterward but that is NOT. my universe. it is funny tho.

- (relatedly i also think she’s stone! you know the post that’s like. “i love locking my door at night. like, you’re not coming in. lmfao.” that’s her but about like. the northern wall, her emotional state, her sexuality, probably her actual door,)

- i think the fact that her and catherine are over 10 years apart in age and i think the fact of catherine being close to alex both means that olivier… kind of didn’t know how to have a relationship with her that was close and meaningful. i think catherine does admire her in some regard, but i think they just didn’t really have a chance to get to know each other and i think it would be rly cool if they did

- not really a headcanon but more of an anti-canon i simply do not think about the two middle sisters ever. to me they do not exist.

- this is already so long but i wanted to come up with new ones cuz i feel like you knew them all already shit and we still have to do izumi, but here’s one more:

- her daemon would be a snow leopard, and she didn’t fully understand why until she was 18 years old stepping off the train in north city, feeling the cold air hit her cheeks, and looked down at her daemon perfectly suited for snow, and then she was like, oh, i’m home.

izumi:

- let’s be real. she’s probably also autistic. who else would expel their students just so they could have a conversation.

- izumi is also trans. what’s her agab? what’s her gender? what was her transition like? to these questions she would either say “what are you, a cop?” or “I’M A HOUSEWIFE!!!!” this is normal and good. (my gender hc for are super flexible and i like different things at different times but i know she’s not cis i know it)

- not exactly a headcanon but she was 18 and sig was 17 when they met, and she attempted human transmutation only a year later. every time i think about the fact that she was only 19 i want to CRY.

- i hc her as mixed race, mostly black & japanese but maybe a little bit of whatever flavor ethnic group white people in amestris are. also i think all izumi flashbacks should have curly hair. i think she does have curly hair, but that’s something you’d only get to see in flashbacks, because i think sig does help her with the maintenance and upkeep of her braids on a regular basis.

- clothes wise i think she’s in a weird space between comfy and formal? most of clothes are actually pretty nice looking but her ass is always in those SLIDES. like those are her fuckin shower shoes??? please. i think she does have a taste in fashion, somewhat influenced by east asian fashion (that one flashback w training the boys she had a mandarin collar shirt that was super cute?) & also that she likes to feel pretty, but i think it’s way more fuss than it’s worth to her, so she saves makeup, jewelry etc for fancy occasions only. actually idk if she EVER wears makeup but i think she does like dresses. (she probably has like. full on pjs for sleeping. and she’d wear a black one piece with a scarf tied a skirt around her waist and a huge sunhat for a beach day!!)

- also super tidy but this doesn’t come from training this comes from an inherent housewife ability she’s had since birth. it’s destiny. magic. true power. i wish i was her.

- sexuality wise i think bi is probably a safe call but i think also “what are you, a cop” applies here too, like it’s a handwavery sort of thing when it comes to gender but in terms of like… i think she’s probably ace/aro spec because. well okay let me put it this way. i don’t think olivier was in love with anyone before izumi and i don’t think izumi slept with anyone besides sig before oliver. so there’s something. going on there. for both of them.

- for a really long time i’ve headcanon’d mason as sig’s nephew but i also think it’s really funny if one day izumi says smth abt this to sig and he’s like. “i thought he was your nephew!” and she goes “my nephew? you know i don’t have any siblings!” but it doesn’t matter anyway because, he’s family

- relatedly, the elrics are also her family. i don’t think she ever says out loud like, “my sons” and i don’t think they ever call her “mom,” and i think that’s important, but i also think it’s important that they ARE her boys!! they can’t replace what she lost, and she can’t replace what they lost, but. they have each other.

- her daemon is a bear. because of course it is.

[ashleytrainor]

Final Exam Reflection

1. We took the metro line 5 to Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement which was an interesting site to visit as it was very close to Place de la Republique which we visited a few days prior. This boulevard begins at Place de la Republique and ends at Place de la Nation, spanning 2,850 meters (1). There are many streets that intersect with it, making it a major roadway in the city that houses a variety of shops and restaurants. We walked down this boulevard while going to the next metro station starting at Place de la Republique and used it as an opportunity to look at the shops and the people that walked along the sidewalks. 

2. In the 6th arrondissement, we searched for the sundial. We followed directions based on the location given on our worksheet, putting it into google maps and also our RATP app. When we were walking, I was looking around enjoying the scenery, and I noticed some interesting art on the buildings. Eventually, our directions told us we had passed the sundial’s location. Confused, I looked up a picture of the sundial online so I knew what exactly we were looking for since I wasn’t even sure what a sundial looked like. When the pictures came up, I realized I had already seen it on the buildings we passed and thought it was just some weird-looking art. We backtracked and were able to find it on the corner of a building next to a restaurant. Upon further research, we found out that Paris has 120 sundials, and Salvador Dalí designed this particular sundial as a present to his friends who owned a boutique at the address number 27 rue Saint-Jacques (French Moments).

3. After taking metro 5 to the Jardin de Plantes was very easy to find in the 5th Arrondissement, as it was just 900 feet from the Gare d’Austerlitz station. Inside, the Garden was very large and all the sites seemed spaced out. Overall, the Jardin de Plantes contained 11 gardens, 6 main places to visit within, and even adorable cafe stands scattered throughout. From additional research, we learned the garden's main attractions include its beautiful gardens (of course), library, exhibitions, gallery, and zoo that was founded largely due to the animals brought from the Palace of Versailles (2). Since we were instructed to find the zoo specifically, we found a map near the front gates and discovered “Menagerie” which refers to the collection of wild animals, and followed the signs posted from there to locate the zoo’s entrance. While the garden itself is free, it does cost 10-13 euros to see the zoo animals. Inside, the Jardin de Plantes Zoo houses around 150 different species of animals, including some of our favorites: kangaroos, flamingos, and snow leopards (2)

4. From Boulevard Voltaire, we took metro line 4 to Saint Sulpice church as we searched for Rimbaud’s “Le Bateau Ivre”. We walked through a square in front of the church to a side street with a large wall that the poem was written. This poem spans 300 meters across a wall written in large lettering with the author’s name being displayed twice near the end of the poem (2). The poem is one-hundred lines long and tells the story of a sinking boat and reflects the struggles of Rimbaud himself in his career as a poet. This poem is considered to be his greatest work and has been memorialized on the wall on 4 rue Ferou. 

5. During our travels in between locations, we passed through the Place de République, which houses a large monument at the center. At the top of the monument is a statue of Marianne, wearing the Phrygian cap and holding an olive branch. The Phrygian cap is a symbol of freedom, and the olive branch is a symbol of peace. Her second hand is resting on a tablet, and the tablet says “human rights”. This monument was erected in 1883 and represented freedom and the history of people fighting for freedom and rights in the French Republic. We found it really awesome that the symbol of Marianne is so meaningful to the French people that a statue of her this large was erected.

6. Montparnasse Cemetery, located in the 6th Arrondissement was very lovely to visit. As we entered its main gates, we first noticed how wide and straight streets were. This was rather eye-catching to us since the dirt roads were very different from the cobblestones in the Père Lachaise Cemetery. Nevertheless, we found the grace of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir just right of the cemetery’s main entrance. The grave itself was designed in a very typical fashion: a rectangular base and a headboard piece with the names and lifespan of the deceased listed, however, it was covered in many unusual markings. All across the back headpiece, as well as along the base, pink and red colored kids' marks, hearts, and other love-related designs were drawn with what appeared to be crayons or lipstick. After researching the reasoning behind the markings we learned that Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were the first pair of known models of an open relationship. The pair never owned a home together but would instead meet daily at cafes to converse, gossip about their other partners, and edit each other's work (6). Supposedly, the two were both writers and never published a piece without the other’s input. While there are many more dramatic details to read further into the lives of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, their legacy left behind is ionic for its pushback against social norms, as well as the questions it raises regarding what love looks like.

7. We walked from Parc des Buttes Chaumont to the top of Passerelle Bichat, the pedestrian bridge that crosses Canal St. Martin. This bridge was very unique to walk across in that it was not shaped or structured like a typical bridge. It was much higher than expected and seemingly came to a point at the top of the steep stairs. The Canal St. Martin that it crosses over was created in the 1820s and was intended to provide clean drinking water to the city (3). There is a park on one side of the bridge with an area for children to play and it seems to be located in a more residential area of the city. 

8. The first place that we went was to the Temple of the Sibyl in 19e. The temple is in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, which is a beautiful green area with trails for walking, a large green hill for hiking or sitting for a picnic, an island with the temple, and a waterfall. The temple sat at the highest point of the island. Unfortunately, when we went to the bridges to get on the island, the island was blocked off and we were unable to enter and get on the island to get a closer look at the temple. The temple looked to have a Romanesque design to it and was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy (Ackteon, Paris – Buttes Chaumont – Le temple de la Sybille, Flickr).

9. This Maille brand mustard was found in a Franprix grocery store located on Avenue de Laumiere. While the grocery store as a whole was dairy small in size, it seemed to have everything in stock that a Parisian would need to cook a nice meal. Within the store, we found the mustard in one of the aisles that were specific to condiments, similar to the grocery stores in the US. At first glance, we were all surprised by the faint yellow color of the mustard.

References 

(1) “Origin and History of Boulevard Voltaire.” n.d. Accessed May 27, 2023. http://www.evous.fr/Origine-et-histoire-du-Boulevard-Voltaire,1161616.html.

(2) “Paris: Le Bateau Ivre Fresco by Arthur Rimbaud, Rue Férou Illuminated by the Words of the Poet - VIème - Paris La Douce, Parisian Magazine Lifestyle, Culture, Outings, Street Art.” n.d. Accessed May 27, 2023. https://www.parisladouce.com/2020/10/fresque-le-bateau-ivre-paris-rue-ferou.html.

(3) Paris, Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de. n.d. “Balade Du Canal Saint-Martin à La Villette Paris - Office de Tourisme Paris.” Accessed May 27, 2023. https://www.parisinfo.com/decouvrir-paris/balades-a-paris/paris-de-belleville-a-la-villette.

(4) Ackteon. (n.d.). Paris – Buttes Chaumont – Le temple de la Sybille. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/73553452@N00/8748730408

(5) Pierre. (2020, June 13). Where to find the Salvador Dali Sundial in Paris - French Moments. French Moments. https://frenchmoments.eu/salvador-dali-sundial-paris/ (6) “Simone de Beauvoir et Jean-Paul Sartre, Un Couple Mythique de La Littérature.” 2014. Www.Rtl.Fr. January 9, 2014. https://www.rtl.fr/actu/simone-de-beauvoir-et-jean-paul-sartre-un-couple-mythique-de-la-litterature-7768645019.

@haleylongcore @nataliedeal02

[zoocross0vers]

Animal Kingdom...Hearts Chapter 1: A Second Chance

Hey guys! As promised, here’s the first chapter of my Kingdom Hearts/Zootopia crossover in honor of the US release of Kingdom Hearts 3 (which is today! Yay! :D)

 If you guys prefer to check out the chapter at my FF.net account then here’s the link:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13190275/2/Animal-Kingdom-Hearts

I’m so happy to see you guys really enjoyed the prologue, so here’s to hoping you guys enjoy the first chapter too! :)

Enjoy! :D

...

Chapter 1: A Second Chance

“Welcome one and all! It’s truly a beautiful day for a parade here in our gorgeous city of Zootopia! As you can see right behind me, everything’s still getting set up for the parade to start as we celebrate the very first anniversary since our city was saved from falling to its knees to the Night Howler epidemic caused by former Mayor of Zootopia, Dawn Bellwether.”

Pulling away from the TV, a prison recreation room is revealed. Said former mayor, sits in a chair watching the news, her arms crossed angrily at the mention of her name by the bright and chipper, wolf reporter.

The wolf continues to report from a sky box giving a bird’s eye view of the street covered with parked parade floats, “Yesiree! Just by the looks of those floats. It’s a guarantee we’re gonna have one beautiful and memorable parade for this momentous occasion. Fabienne, Pete, back to you!”

Back at the ZNN studio, news anchors, Fabienne Growly, a snow leopard, and Peter Moosebridge, a moose, continue the report, “Thank you Roscoe,” responds the snow leopard.

Peter Moosebridge nods, “For those of you just tuning in. Exactly one year ago, pop sensation, Gazelle, played a packed concert at the Animalia Stadium not too long after Dawn Bellwether was discovered to be guilty of the Night Howler epidemic. Gazelle, alongside the newly reinstated mayor, Mayor Lionheart, considered the reestablished unity between prey and predators a thing to celebrate. Considering the pop star’s outspoken activism during the epidemic, it only seemed fitting that the mayor declare this day, Zoonity. A day to push aside the divide that was created by the Night Howler scare and to celebrate our differences by bringing together all mammals regardless of species or classification.”

“That’s right,” Fabienne adds, “As such, the pop star is scheduled to ride on the final float of the Zoonity Day parade alongside the two officers responsible for solving the Night Howler case, Zootopia’s own heroes in blue, Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde.”

Bellwether growls and slams a hard fist on the table next to her.

Things only get worse for the sheep when they cut to a press conference segment showing said bunny and fox, clad in their police uniforms. The surrounding press flash their cameras like mad and push forward their microphones trying to get their questions in and answers from the two officers, “Officers! Officers! How does it feel knowing you’ll be riding alongside Gazelle in the parade?”

Nick answers the reporter with his trademark, confident half-lidded gaze, “Are we honored to be riding in the same float as pop sensation, Gazelle in the parade? Yes, yes we are.”

Judy hums happily at Nick’s answer, “Absolutely. We also couldn’t be happier knowing that we were able to help in bringing this city just a little bit closer together. And rest assured that Officer Wilde and I, along with the rest of the ZPD, will always be here to try to make the world a better place. For all mammals.”

Bellwether scrunches her face in vile, fury. She trembles in anger at the rabbit’s words.

On screen, a frenzy of camera flashes sweep the two officers as the reporters try to barrage them with more questions,

“Officer Hopps over here!”

“Officer Wilde!”

“Officers! Officers!”

The image cuts back to the news anchors, “Truly inspirational words,” says Fabienne.

“From two truly inspirational mammals,” adds Peter.

Fabienne nods in agreement, “Please stay tuned as we bring you more coverage on today’s para--”

CRASH!! The TV screen shatters as a chair suddenly flies towards it and breaks it! Bellwether huffs in anger trying to catch her breath after tossing her chair to the TV. The other prisoners eye her in confusion.

“WHO THREW THAT?!” yells C.O. Swinton, a blonde haired female pig correctional officer.

All fingers immediately point to Bellwether.

The pig huffs out a frustrated sigh as if saying, ‘why am I not surprised?’ She walks over to Bellwether with her hoofs at her hips. “Dawn Bellwether, I should’ve known. Alright, come on. It’s back to solitary for you,” C.O. Swinton grabs Bellwether by the arm. The sheep yanks her arm away.

“It wasn’t me! It was...it was Big Baddy!” Bellwether points to a large she-wolf.

“What’d you say, lambchop?” The she-wolf gets up from her seat and menacingly rolls up the sleeves of her prison jumpsuit, ready to pounce on Bellwether.

Bellwether cowers and sinks under her wool at the wolf’s size, “Nothing! Nothing.”

C.O. Swinton motions her hoof to Big Baddy to go away, “Alright, get back to your seat Big Baddy. As for you Bellwether, I wouldn’t put it past you tossing a chair to the TV. Especially with that parade going on. You’re going to solitary, whether you like it or not.” The pig drags Bellwether away by the arm.

...

The large, heavy door of Bellwether’s lonely cell slams shut. C.O. Swinton locks the door and walks away, leaving the sheep alone.

Once Bellwether is sure the pig is gone, she kicks her bed and stomps around her cell, grumbling under her breath, “Stupid bunny. Stupid fox. If they hadn’t discovered my plan, they wouldn’t be talking so high and mighty,” Bellwether elevates her voice to a higher pitch to mock Judy, “‘We’ll make the world a better place for all mammals.’ Puh!” she scoffs, “If only I weren’t locked up in here, I’d show them a better world worth living in. One free of all predators and stupid idealistic bunnies.”

Bellwether flails her arms back and falls back on the bed. A melancholy expression overcomes her face. She lets out a defeated sigh, “Who am I kidding though? Truth is, they’re out there, and I’m locked up in here. That’s all there is to it. I’m never going to see that perfect world.” Bellwether properly rests on the bed and curls up into a fetal position, facing the wall. She closes her sad eyes, hoping for sleep to eventually take her away from her misery for the rest of the day.

As Bellwether lay there, not a second later, did her cell’s light suddenly start flickering like mad, forcing the sheep’s eyes to immediately pop open. The curious sheep looks up to the wildly flickering bulb. She covers her vision with an arm as the flickering starts to burn her eyes, “Stupid pig. Can’t even put me in a good room with proper lighting.” She gets off her bed and walks toward the door. She knocks and tries to yell past the thick door, “Hello? C.O. Swinton! My cell’s light bulb is on the fritz!” The bulb suddenly shuts off entirely as she says that, “Great. Hello?! Can anybody hear me?!”

“I can.”

GASP! Bellwether suddenly gasps and turns around to face her dark cell, “Who said that?” The sheep asks with blind eyes in the pitch black darkness.

“I did.”

Bellwether turns, frantically, as she tries to pinpoint the source of the mysterious voice, “Wh-Who? Who are you?! Where are you?!”

“I’m right here.”

Bellwether turns to her right, to face where her cell’s toilet is at. The sheep still can’t see anything, but is certain that is where the voice is coming from, “Wh-Who are you? How did you get in my cell?!”

“Calm yourself, little sheep. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“C.O. Swinton, didn’t say anything about sharing a room. This is solitary confinement after all,” the sheep crosses her arms, irritated and annoyed. “So what? Are you a mouse or something that I didn’t see you at first?”

“I’m not a prisoner, and I’m certainly not a mouse.”

Bellwether cocks an eyebrow in confusion, “Who are you then? What are you? What are you doing here?!”

A small chuckle surfaces from the mysterious voice. The dark figure produces an eerie green and yellowish light to visually reveal herself to the sheep. She’s clad in a long black and purple dress that reaches to the floor and goes up past her head, forming long, pointy, devil like horns. She wields a large golden staff with a round golden gem on top. The mysterious woman eyes the sheep with her frightening yellow eyes. She smiles deviously at the little sheep.

Bellwether takes a step back. Her eyes look like they’re about to bulge right out of their sockets at the sight of this strange, never before seen creature! Her jaw slacks, she’s speechless and terrified.

“My name...is Maleficent. And I am going to help you make your dream come true.”

Bellwether just continues staring. She can’t utter a word. She stammers at first, but finally manages to say something, “G-G-GUARDS! GUARDS!!!” The sheep desperately knocks on the thick door. Hoping to reach someone’s attention, “GUARDS HELP!! THERE’S A STRANGE CREATURE IN MY CELL! C.O. SWINTON!”

“They can’t hear you.”

Bellwether quickly turns to face the mystery woman, her arms and back pressed hard against the cell door, “W-What? What do you mean they can’t hear me?”

“Precisely that, they can’t hear you while I’m here.”

“W-What are you?” Bellwether asks near breathless, terrified by the creature’s strange appearance.

“Technically, I’m a fairy. But I suppose, my physical appearance resembles that of a human.”

“A human?” asks Bellwether, confused and terrified.

“A species of hairless mammal that doesn’t exist in your world to put it simple,” replies Maleficent.

“My world?” Bellwether asks, still keeping as far away as possible from the mysterious, never before seen creature.

Maleficent chuckles amused at the sheep’s ignorance, “Yes, my dear little sheep. You see, there are many other worlds out there. Not in the sense of space travel, but consider it traveling between different dimensions or universes. Yours is but a small fish, in a vast ocean of worlds full of different creatures, such as myself.”

The frightened sheep shakes her head in disbelief. She clasps hard at her face, “No, no. I must be dreaming. Yes! That's it! I-I fell asleep and this is all one big bad, really, really weird dream!”

“You are not dreaming. I assure you this is all too real, Dawn Bellwether.”

Bellwether gasps, “H-How do you know my name?”

Maleficent chuckles, “Let’s just say, a little bird told me.”

“Bird?” Bellwether asks, not at all familiar with the word.

Maleficent shakes her head, “Never mind. My point is, I know much about you,” Maleficent strolls casually around the room, “I know you tried to divide your city by infecting predators with the Night Howlers, hoping that the growing fear for them would lead to their immediate exile and eventual extermination from both Zootopia and the entire world. But! You were stopped by a meddlesome rabbit officer and her fox companion. Isn’t that right?”

Bellwether growls and crosses her arms angrily, “Don’t remind me.”

Maleficent smirks, admiring the sheep’s anger, “What would you say if I could give you a second chance at revenge?”

Bellwether’s eyes widen at the evil fairy’s words. She looks to Maleficent with a fascinated, yet questionable brow. She scoffs, “Yeah, I wish. But look around you. I’m stuck in this cell until my prison sentence is up. Which fyi, won’t be until a very, very long time from now.”

Maleficent scoffs, “My dear ignorant little sheep. Do you really think I can be limited by mere walls? How do you think I came into your cell in the first place? I certainly didn’t use the front door, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Bellwether eyes her, curious, “Then, how did you get in here?”

“In due time my dear. But onto the real question at hand. Are you willing to receive my help? Or not?” Maleficent takes a step toward the sheep. Bellwether takes a step back.

“That depends. Why do you want to help me? What do you gain out of my being able to take revenge?”

“Excellent questions. I see you’re no fool,” says Maleficent, impressed. “There is no need for you to worry. I want nothing from you…except, your full and absolute loyalty to my cause. And in exchange, I will grant you your revenge. So in a sense, consider me your fairy godmother here to make your dream world a reality.”

Bellwether takes a curious step forward, her fear for the creature slowly subsiding. “My dream world?”

“Yes. You dream of a world without predators. A perfect world accommodated to your liking, do you not?”

“Well...” Bellwether smirks devilishly, picturing the world in her mind.

Maleficent smiles at the sheep’s expression, “You have dark ambitions Bellwether, which is precisely how I managed to find you. You see, I chase after dark hearts much like yours, so that the wielders of those dark hearts can aid me in hunting down what I ultimately seek.”

“Which would be?”

“Pure hearts.”

“Huh?” Bellwether raises a completely puzzled brow.

Maleficent waves a hand over her staff, causing the orb to glow. An image forms inside the orb -- it’s Nick and Judy, talking playfully at a buffet table out in the streets of Zootopia, “These are the fox and rabbit that ruined your plans are they not?”

Bellwether growls and grumbles, “Yes.”

Maleficent looks to the projection, “These two have very strong hearts. Some of the purest I’ve ever encountered.”

Bellwether scoffs, “Yeah right. You’re really trying to tell me that a fox has a pure heart? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Believe what you will little sheep. But know that his heart is strong and it appears to be at its strongest when near this rabbit girl. He seems to care a great deal for her.” Bellwether raises a suspicious brow at that last statement. She turns her attention toward the orb, closely observing Nick as he playfully takes Judy’s carrot pen and she attempts to reach for it. Judy giggles as Nick smiles -- playfully yet warmly at his bunny partner. Bellwether’s eyes widen, going back and forth between the two as realization hits her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're not trying to tell me that, that fox actually has feelings for Judy?!”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Though it certainly does appear to be the case, does it not?” responds Maleficent, “They are very close to one another’s hearts so it wouldn’t be the strangest thing to surmise from his behavior.”

“Not the strangest thing?!” Bellwether bleats in disgust, “That’s the most disgusting thing I could ever imagine! A predator in love with a prey?! Yuck! You know, I knew that fox was no good the moment I saw him! Though, what am I saying? Of course he’s no good, he’s a fox! If Judy were smart she’d break his heart fast before he no doubt one day tries to eat her--” Bellwether suddenly stops, only to chuckle at the thought, “But then again, him ripping her guts out might actually be pretty entertaining to watch.”

“Yes. Though by the look of things, it is possible that she may feel the same way towards him.” The image focuses on Judy. She holds her pen back in her paw, while simultaneously tugging playfully at Nick’s tie. He appears to give her a heartfelt apology, complete with puppy dog eyes and a trembling lip. The goofy sight causes Judy to roll her eyes and giggle.

“Oh, how happy I am to know it’s mutual,” a snarky Bellwether responds sarcastically. “What exactly do their feelings for each other have to do with me or these pure hearts you seek?”

“Everything,” Maleficent replies simply. She turns the image within the orb to focus on the parade floats. “There is a parade taking place to celebrate the unity they helped create by stopping you, correct?”

“Yeah, so?”

Maleficent changes the projection once again to display an image of a large white door with a large keyhole by the knob. Surrounding the door is pitch black darkness, while light glows around the edges of it, “Your world, along with the many other worlds I’ve told you about, all have one thing in common: Light and Darkness. When you governed as mayor, your world was leaning towards the darkness. For you see, influences can serve as a strong weapon in determining which side a world leans toward. Your dark heart influenced and darkened the hearts of others, including your much hated bunny and fox.” The projection shows Nick arguing with Judy during the Night Howler press conference, “However, once these two united again they defeated you...” The image transitions to them outsmarting Bellwether at the museum, “The day they overthrew you from power, your world regained a balance between light and dark. But now, with this whole ‘Zoonity Day’ parade, your world has begun leaning toward the light. Something, I can't have. For if you must know one thing about me…” Maleficent forms a green heart and a black dragon in her hand as she speaks,  “...it's that I rule the darkness! I feed off of it when it overtakes the hearts of others!” Maleficent has the dragon dive into the heart and swallow it whole. The dragon perishes into her palm as she balls it into a fist.

Bellwether flinches at the visual interpretation and gulps.

Maleficent continues with her explanation, “That is were these two come in.” Maleficent changes the projection on her staff back to Nick and Judy, “As I said, influences can be a strong weapon in determining a world’s fate. If it hadn't been for these two, your world may have already been consumed by the darkness. The light that has now begun overwhelming your world is all thanks to them. They are Zootopia’s heroes and because of that, many mammals admire them. They believe in them. They follow their example of unity between prey and predator.”

Bellwether scoffs, crossing her arms, “Puh. They’re not that great. I would have brought them all a better world.”

“True. Which is precisely where you come in.”

Bellwether uncrosses her arms and gives Maleficent her full attention.

“Join me Bellwether,” an aura of green flames engulfs Maleficent, “Join me and I shall grant you power over the darkness! So that you may use its power to once again fill the hearts of this world’s inhabitants with fear and hatred!” Bellwether watches Maleficent in awe as the fire around the sorceress moves from her to the small sheep. Bellwether keeps a cautious eye on the fire as it swirls around her, engulfing her and giving her a taste of the power that comes with the darkness. “In exchange for this power...you will bring me all of their hearts. Every single last one. From the tiniest mouse to the largest elephant. But most importantly…” Maleficent forges an image in the fire. An image of Nick and Judy and their hearts floating away from each of their bodies. “You will bring me the hearts of these two! They are the key to accomplishing my mission! And once you’ve brought me theirs and everyone else’s hearts…” Maleficent projects a new image in the flames -- in it, Bellwether sits upon a throne, meanwhile an army of heartless mammals of all shapes and sizes bow before her. “I will give you whatever is left of this world for you and you alone to rule as you wish!”

Bellwether’s eyes widen, unable to remove her eyes from that last image. She then looks down at the fire engulfing her hooves, really taking in the feel of the darkness’ power.

“So,” Maleficent extinguishes the fire surrounding them, “What say you Bellwether?”

A dark smirk creeps over the corner of Bellwether’s lips, “I’ll do it.”

“Excellent,” Maleficent smiles as she creates a corridor of darkness, “Let us be off then, shall we?”

Bellwether eyes the portal, amazed -- her jaw slightly ajar.

Maleficent notices the sheep’s expression, “Oh, yes. I almost forgot. To answer your previous question, this is how I entered your cell. Don’t let it surprise you too much. Very soon, you’ll be able to create your own corridors of darkness as well.”

Bellwether smirks eagerly, “I look forward to that, Maleficent.”

Maleficent nods, “Now come my dear Bellwether. We have much planning to do.” Bellwether follows Maleficent into the corridor and the dark portal closes behind them. Maleficent’s plan...has been set into motion.

…

A/N:

Well it seems Maleficent has a new ally. Let’s just hope Zootopia isn’t weak enough to fall to the darkness when we get back to this story.

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I’m sorry to say that this will be the last chapter for now. I hope to come back to this fic soon, but it might be a couple months or so until I return to it. Hopefully Kingdom Hearts 3 will be amazing enough to hold us up until this fic returns from hiatus. Thanks for reading and take care! :D

[broomballkraken]

Title: The Scholar and The Huntress, Chapter 9: A Huntress’ Skill

Fandom: Octopath Traveler

Pairing: Cyrus/H’aanit

Word count: 2959

Warnings: Upped the rating to T because violence

Marsalim was a beautiful city, but the heat was every bit as unbearable as it was in the rest of the Sunlands. H'aanit sighed wearily; she was getting sick of being sweaty all the time, and having to keep cleaning copious amounts of sand out of her hair. She looked down at Linde, who was panting at her side and looking a bit miserable.

"Ist thou alright, Linde?" H'aanit asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she reached down to stroke the fur on the snow leopard's head. Linde purred in response and nuzzled her partner's hand, and H'aanit chuckled.

"Thou ist uncomfortable, but thou shalt stay by my side? Thou art a stalwart friend." Linde meowed happily as her tail swished back and forth.

"Ah, H'aanit," She looked up to find Cyrus approaching, with two waterskins in his hands. "I found a spot to fill these up, please make sure to stay hydrated."

H'aanit smiled and nodded as she took her waterskin, taking a long drink of the cool water that seemed to instantly restore her energy. She was glad that they had finally made it to Marsalim for more than one reason. Yes, it was most likely the final destination in her journey to save her master, but she was also relieved because Cyrus had been worrying the entire trip about her health.

H'aanit didn't feel sick or anything, and she didn't think that she had done anything to make Cyrus think that she was. However, that didn't stop him from asking her every five minutes if she was adequately hydrated or in danger of sunburn or any number of other bad health scenarios. It had almost drove her mad, but she knew he was just concerned about her, so she decided to let it go. She did appreciate how much he cared.

"Marsalim is very much how I expected it to be." Cyrus was saying when H'aanit pulled herself from her thoughts.

"You knowest this town, Cyrus?" H'aanit asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Why, but of course!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with a childlike excitement that made H'aanit smile fondly. "That said, I know more about the Marsalim of old than the one that exists today. The ruler of this town can directly trace his lineage back to Marsalim the Wise..."

H'aanit listened as Cyrus went on. He was always attractive, but H'aanit though that he had an extra dose of charm whenever he was lecturing. It seemed to come so naturally to him, the ability to spout endless knowledge about multiple subjects off the top of his head, and keep those who were listening completely focused on what he was saying. Well, she might be focused on him for a completely different reason. Like how brightly his eyes glimmered as he spoke with passion, or the way his lips moved while he did so...

"...The Jade Palace, a home fit for the wisest of-" Cyrus was saying, but he was interrupted when H'aanit suddenly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down until her lips captured his. His startled noise was muffled as she kissed him, and H'aanit laughed at the dumbstruck look on his face when she pulled away.

"-kings. Hmm..." Cyrus breathed, finishing his last sentence as he blinked slowly. "I...seem to have lost my train of thought..."

"'Tis unlike you." H'aanit said, smirking mischievously. Cyrus laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"I fear that it is your fault, my dear."

"Nay. Youren too alluring when thou ist lecturing so passionately. I couldeth not resist the urge to kisseth thee." H'aanit snorted to suppress her laughter when Cyrus' face flushed a bright red, and he cleared his throat bashfully as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"O-Oh, well, I did not realise that I, ah, had that kind of effect on people." Cyrus said, and H'aanit gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I cannot speaketh foren other people, but thou certainly haseth that effect on me." Cyrus laughed and slipped his fingers under H'aanit's chin, tilting her head up so that she was looking directly into his eyes, and her heartbeat quickened at the intense look he was giving her.

"Well, my darling H'aanit, you are the only one that I care to have that effect on anyway, so I hardly give a second thought about what others may think." Cyrus whispered against her lips, before he closed the miniscule space between them and kissed her again. H'aanit's laughter was swallowed up immediately as she wrapped her arms around Cyrus' neck and deepened the kiss.

"For fuck's sake, get a room already!"

"Ha! For real!"

H'aanit and Cyrus jumped away from each other, faces burning red as they looked to see Therion and Tressa burst out laughing. H'aanit had forgotten that they were standing in the middle of the gods damn city. It was slightly unnerving how easily she lost track of her surroundings when she was with Cyrus.

"Really guys? Just making out where everyone and their mother can see you? C'mon now." Therion teased, a shit-eating grin crossing his face.

"I really didn't expect you two of all people to be the ones to be so...public with your affection." Tressa chimed in, giggling when Cyrus covered his face with his hands.

"W-We shoulde findeth Eliza." H'aanit said quickly, grabbing Cyrus by the arm and dragging him away from Tressa and Therion as fast as she could. Linde let out an amused meow and quickly followed.

"Be careful you two. We wouldn't want you to get arrested for public indecency now!" Therion called after them, and Tressa's howling laughter followed the retreating pair as they fled out of sight.

"Those two..." H'aanit grumbled, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest, her face still red with embarrassment. Cyrus chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, they did have a point." Cyrus said, running a hand through his hair. "We should, ah, probably be more careful about our, er, displays of affection while in public."

"Aye, I guesseth thou ist right..." H'aanit said, nodding slowly. She then took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her eyes suddenly blazing with determination. She needed to focus now on the reason that she had come to this city in the first place.

"Letten us findeth Eliza quickly. I needeth to hunt down and slay this Redeye." H'aanit said as she adjusted her bow on her back.

"Indeed," Cyrus said, his demeanor shifting to a serious state. "Lead on, my dear. I will be with you every step of the way."

"Thanketh thee, Cyrus," H'aanit said, a small smile crossing her face. "I appreciate it." He nodded and they ventured off to find Eliza, together.

*

Cyrus couldn't help but be in awe of the Marsalim palace, and he gazed around thoughtfully at the intricate and beautiful architecture. He was waiting in the palace entryway for H'aanit to finish speaking with the king about the fate of his missing men, and about her plans to slay Redeye. Olberic and Ophilia were also waiting with him, as they had volunteered to join them in hunting down the foul beast.

"What do you think of our odds against this Redeye, Cyrus?" Olberic asked, looking up from cleaning his sword.

"I think we have a good chance. It will be a tough fight, I fear, given that the city guard was wiped out so easily. But, we do have an advantage that they did not." Cyrus said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"The herb-of-grace." Ophilia chimed in, and Cyrus nodded.

"Exactly. If it works like the seer said it would, then we will not have to worry about the petrifying effects that Redeye will try to inflict us with, if we can kill it before we run out of potions."

"And if we do run out?" Olberic asked, and Cyrus shook his head.

"We will not. I have the utmost faith in H'aanit's abilities as a hunter. With the rest of us backing her up, we should be in good shape." Cyrus said. He did feel incredibly confident about this fight. He trusted H'aanit completely, and wholeheartedly believed that she possessed the skills necessary to defeat this Redeye. Hells, she had slain a dragon after all. This couldn't be much harder than that, right?

Olberic let out a rumbling chuckle. "You really are taken with her, aren't you, Cyrus?" The scholar blushed and fiddled with his coat.

"Well, of course I am. She's...wonderful in every possible way." Cyrus said. Olberic barked out a laugh, and Ophilia giggled.

"This is why Therion and Tressa tease you two so much. You are sickeningly sweet together." she said, and Olberic nodded in agreement.

"W-We are?" Cyrus asked, tilting his head, confused. He didn't think his interactions with H'aanit were all that odd. He just said what was on his mind, and a lot of it was telling her how much he adored her. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

Footsteps interrupted their conversation, and Cyrus turned to see H'aanit decending the stairs towards them. Cyrus watched with awe as she strode up to them, her head held high, a determined gleam in her eyes, and her hand resting impatiently on the head of her axe that hung at her side. She looked absolutely breathtaking.

"Ah, H'aanit, what is our plan of action?" Olberic asked, gently nudging Cyrus with his elbow so that he snapped out of his stupor.

"Eliza and the city guard wilst cutten us a path through the monsters to the catacombs, wheren Redeye lies in wait. I planneth on asking Primrose and the others if they could assist them." H'aanit said, "We wilst then hunteth down Redeye and slay it. I appreciate you all foren helping me. I prayeth that I wilst not letten thee down." H'aanit bowed before her friends, and Olberic and Ophilia chuckled. Cyrus smiled fondly at H'aanit as he took her hand in his.

"Oh, my dear. You do not have to be so formal about this. We would have happily agreed to help you even if you did not ask us to." Cyrus said, giving her hand a squeeze. Olberic placed a hand on her shoulder, and Ophilia took her free hand. H'aanit blinked at them for a moment before smiling broadly.

"You'ren all too kindeth to me. I feeleth incredibly blessed to hath metten you all." she said, "Letten us showeth this Redeye whatten we can doeth."

"Aye."

"Indeed."

"Yes!"

The four fierce companions steeled themselves and went to speak to Eliza in order to set their plan in motion.

*

Redeye had turned out to be an even more horrifying creature than H’aanit could have ever imagined. Breathing hard, she quickly lifted her ax to intercept an attack aimed for her head, as Ophilia was preoccupied with healing a nasty gash on Olberic’s arm, while he also downed a herb-of-grace potion. If H’aanit had been keeping count right, that was the ninth one that the group had consumed. There was only one left. She had to end this quickly.

“H’aanit!” She jumped back as a fireball hit Redeye in the face, and it let out a pained wail that was too human for her liking. Cyrus appeared at her side, smoke wafting off of the tips of his fingers. “Are you alright?”

“Aye, I am fine-” H’aanit started, but she was interrupted when Redeye wailed again, and she realized too late that it had caught her, and probably Cyrus as well, in its petrifying gaze. Her heart sank; there was only one potion, and Cyrus had it. They would have to go on without her. She felt her feet start to stiffen up, and she closed her eyes to accept her fate.

Suddenly, something was shoved into her mouth, and she tasted the odd, bitter taste of the herb-of-grace potion. She choked a bit, but most of the potion made it down her throat. Her eyes shot open to see Cyrus looming over her, and he tossed the empty potion bottle away and gave H’aanit a small smile.

“C-Cyrus, what-”

“I’m sorry, H’aanit,” Cyrus said, turning his attention to Redeye. Spellbook in hand, he pointed his other hand at Redeye. “I know you can defeat this monster. Do not worry for me. I love you.”

“No, wait!”

“Ignis Ardere!” Cyrus yelled, and as the three massive fireballs shot out of his hand and hit their mark right in the face, Cyrus’ body suddenly froze, turning a dull shade of gray as the petrification took hold of him and turned him to stone.

Time seemed to stop for H’aanit. Her jaw hung open in horror, and she felt like she had been punched in the gut. It should have been her. Cyrus...had sacrificed himself for her. No, she couldn’t lose him, not like this. Redeye would not take the two most important people in her life. Not while she still lived.

Letting out a rage-filled scream, H’aanit turned to the stunned Redeye, her green eyes blazing with an anger she had never felt before. She whipped out her bow and nocked three arrows at once, letting them fly right into the beast’s ghastly red eyes. It reared back and let out a bellow, and H’aanit charged, pulling out her ax as she jumped onto its back. She quickly positioned herself over its neck, and brought down her ax, cutting into Redeye’s grotesque black flesh. Black blood gushed out, covering her arms as she continued to hack at the fiend’s neck, over and over, putting the force of her rage and sorrow behind every blow. Eventually, she heard a sickening crack as she shattered through Redeye’s spine, and the beast let out a guttural scream as it finally collapsed and took its final breath. Moments later, it disintegrated into nothingness, and H’aanit staggered a bit as her feet hit solid ground.

H’aanit blinked a few times as the victory fully registered in her mind and her adrenaline calmed down. She then turned and ran passed Olberic and Ophilia, who were gaping at her in stunned silence.

“Cyrus!” H’aanit cried, skidding to a stop in front of the still-frozen scholar. With a shaky hand, she reached out and cupped his cold, stone cheek.

“Please...please cometh back to me…” she whispered, holding her breath as the seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. The curse must be broken. It just had to be.

Then, just like nothing had happened, color returned to Cyrus’ body as the petrification wore off, and he stumbled forward a bit as he took in a deep breath.

“Amazing! So that is what it is like to be petrified! I’ll need to write this down as soon as we get back to town. Oh, I do hope I have a blank journal lying around-” Cyrus rambled, but was cut off as H’aanit pulled him into a deathgrip of a hug as she broke down sobbing, burying her face in his chest.

“H’aanit...can’t...breath…” Cyrus wheezed, and her grip only loosened slightly, and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back gently and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s alright, my dear. I’m fine.” he whispered, and H’aanit sniffed as she tried get her emotions under control. “I knew you could fell the beast. I am so, so proud of you. There is not a better hunter in all of Orsterra.” H’aanit finally pulled her face from Cyrus’ chest and she smiled up at him.

“Thou ist such a fool, Cyrus.” she said, as he reached up to wipe the tears still running down her cheeks. “Why did thee not taketh the potion?”

“Well, you were the one most suited to taking down Redeye, so I could not just let you get petrified. That, and I do not think I could have forgiven myself if I had just let that happen to you.”

“I didst not enjoy seeing thee trapped in stone either.” H’aanit said, frowning. “I was...scared. Because I would hath losteth thee and master if the curse was not broken.” H’aanit’s eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. “Master! We needeth to get to Stoneguard and see if he ist alright!”

“Of course. We can head there straight away. I know Primrose has business in Everhold, but it is on the way.” Cyrus said. H’aanit nodded, smiling as she leaned up and gave Cyrus a tender kiss.

“Aye. That soundeth like a good plan.” she said, chucking as Cyrus blushed. “I thinketh my master will liketh you, Cyrus.”

“Ah, right. He is like a father to you, isn’t he? I do hope you’re right about that.” Cyrus said, suddenly looking nervous as he fiddled with the collar of his coat.

“Cyrus, H’aanit.” H’aanit turned to find Olberic approaching them, looking a bit worse for wear, but luckily it seemed that Ophilia was able to patch up his arm well enough. Linde also bounded up from behind him, meowing happily as she rubbed against H’aanit and Cyrus’ legs. Olberic smiled with amusement as he continued, “The city guards that were petrified have been cured. We should make haste back to town.”

H’aanit nodded. “Aye. Letten us be rid of this dank cave.” she said, turning to smile at Cyrus as she took his hand. He smiled back and entwined their fingers, giving her hand a squeeze as they left together, and she had a renewed hope that she would find her master alive and well. She was most looking forward to introducing him to Cyrus.

[yoongihime]

Cheeky Bunny

 Hybrid!AU: Leopard!OC x Bunny!Kook Length: 4.1K (lol is this even a drabble anymore?) Genre: The Most Fluffy Fluff Type: Disney Drabbles ☞REQUEST HERE☜ Recommended OST: (x) Request By: @/kimtrain:“Don’t underestimate the importance of body language." love youuuu MJ so so much  (a/n): IDK OKAY? I REALLY IDK WHY IM SO SOFT. But anyways I this is so frickin fluffy idk anymore (read: I screamed a lot and wanted to smash my keyboard) and any comments are always appreciated, my inbox is open for you lovelies. 

Summary: You’re a predator and he’s the prey, so what happens when the tables finally turn for our dearest bunny? 

“(y/n), you’re fucking drooling.” Taehyung lands a particularly hard pat against the nape of your neck, immediately eliciting a hiss from you and a chuckle from him; your attention now regrettably snagged away from your little crush.

“You brat, that's not a good enough reason to grab my nape,” you hiss, your hands rubbing against the tender flesh. As felines, the neck area is off limits, it’s too intimate and oddly sensitive due to the period where parents would grab their litter my the scruff. So you find it absolutely necessary to repay to favor with a hard smack against his abdomen with your tail, causing a growl to bubble inside the lion-hybrid’s chest, his sunny demeanor evaporating and lips peeling back in act of dominance.

“Oh hush,” you dismiss, rolling your eyes and petting the thick fur of your tail, “You’re honestly acting childish, what are you? A big domestic cat?”

“Just because you are naturally a solitary breed does not excuse you from social norms, (y/n).” Taehyung firmly states, his ears twitching in his messy mop of golden hair. An involuntarily side effect of annoyance.

Well shit, you gone and pissed him off. Again.

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry,” you murmur, your steely blue eyes turning downcast and fluffy white ears laying low in a form of regret. You’re not exactly good with other creatures, since it’s in your nature to want to be prickly and sarcastic, but more often than not you come off as rude or completely awkward. You could say you were born this way. Taehyung lets you brew in your regret for approximately five seconds until the switch it flipped and he’s back to his grossly capricious self.

“Alright, alright that's enough serious talk to last another month, how about we go grab some lunch?” Taehyung suggests, his hand already pulling you closer to his body and his arm wrapping around your form, causing a smile to blossom on your face, taking comfort in his forgiveness. To the entire school you two are the perfect pair, despite the fact that your relationship with Taehyung is completely platonic, the student body seems drawn to the aura you two give off. Taehyung is the ever carefree feline, The Popular Kid everyone gets along with, from the wolves to the fawns, they’re all his loving admirers. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, there’s you. You’re the icy princess, the rare snow leopard hybrid, with your piercing electric blue eyes and smokey grey hair, you’re the moon to Taehyung’s vibrant sun. It’s quite obvious that people are afraid to approach you, even the biggest predators in the school have difficulty holding a conversation, let alone the domestic creatures. As a cruel twist of fate, the object of your affections, the reason the sun rises and the moon cries, is-

“Hey, bunny!” Taehyung greets the retreating boy, his long strides coming to a halt as he turns to look at the two of you. His tail twitches, the fluffy black ball bouncing where he can’t, bunny ears popping up to match and he turns around with a nervous smile tugging the edges of his lips.

“Jungkook!” You half-yell, causing the boy to flinch in his spot, “Do you want to go have lunch with us?”

“I-I err,” Jungkook begins, his composure already melting by the degree from your attention, “I have a meeting to get to,” he practically spits out and bolts out of the room, causing you to freeze in your tracks, your spirits broken once again.

“H-he he did it again.” You sigh the sentence out, as if the harsh exhale would also expel your disappointment. Collapsing back into the chair, you let Taehyung blatantly laugh at your distress as you sulk in the bitter rejection. Jeon Jungkook, the resident film major and bunny hybrid, is your unrequited crush of two years. It’s not his fault that he’s uncomfortable around you, it’s only natural after all, but the boy goes through such great lengths to avoid you to the point where you’ve convinced yourself-

“He hates me.” You deliver the final blow, the statement cutting deeper into your bruised ego.

“He’s just intimidated, the poor kid is a bunny (y/n), and you look at him like you want to gobble him up.” Taehyung winks, making you groan and place your head none too gently on the surface of the table.

“It’s not intentional,” you bemoan, “he just looks so… sweet.”

“There you go again, stop using adjectives that describes food to talk about him! Delicious, irresistible and delectable are absolutely off limits too,” Taehyung lectures, “unless you’re describing me of course.” Taehyung notes your lack of response with an empathetic pat to your back,

“It’s easy (y/n), just relax a little.”

“What difference would that make?”

“You my dear, underestimate the importance of body language,” he insinuates with a wag of his eyebrows.

Almost as reflex, your tail whips out to punch him once again, but Taehyung is done with your antics and grabs the plush fur, causing you to hiss in surprise,

“Okay, okay let’s get you lunch before you claw my face off.”

“(y/n) and Jungkook, you’ll be partners for the upcoming project.”

It’s quiet. The ensuing silence is borderline comedic in it’s magnitude, sharp enough to cut and thick enough to suffocate, so much so that your professor tilts her chin down, her scrutinizing stare piercing through her -5.75 prescription glasses and her voice shattering the eerily tranquil lack of noise,

“I believe I am to take the silence as an affirmative?”

Jungkook fidgets in his seat, his nervous energy radiating off him in tangible waves that suffocates the air surrounding you, despite the fact that he is seated three rows away. When his back straightens and his lungs fill with more air than the usual capacity, you choke out a response before he could light your reputation along with his into fine-grained embers.

“Yes, m’am.”

His incredulity is apparent, even if you can’t see those precious eyes widen in front of you, he makes his vexation clear as day though the twitch of his ears and the occasional half turns he performs every few minutes to stare blankly at you. As the hours tick by, you begin to get restless. It’s not his fault, or yours for that matter, your senses are simply on high alert from the sheer amount of movement he’s making, his fear soaking into your skin, triggering your instincts to hunt.

As the thin thread of your self control begin to deteriorate, the bell rings, effectively snapping you out of your frenzy. Students begin to shuffle out of the room, along with the professor for her next lecture, but your hairs are still standing on end and you take longer than usual to gather your laptop and array of stationary into your backpack. When the grumbles about said hellish assignments fade, another sound perks you up from your packing, the sound of Jungkook’s sneakers squeaking to a stop in front of your desk. Silence gathers gradually, building up under his gaze until you’re drowning in it and have to look away with a clearing of your throat—

“So when do you want to meet up to do the project?” You zip up your backpack, settling it onto your shoulders and rising from your seat without meeting his gaze. Jungkook swallows, his resolve crumbling when you stand up because you’re that much closer to him and his pounding heart. He wanted to say that sentence, wanted to arrange a time and maybe get you to smile at him again today, but it’s impossible to concentrate when every cell of his being is screaming at him to run. So when your eyes meet his, the orbs chatoyant and inquisitive, he blurts out the first phrase that comes to mind which happens to be-

“I can do it.” He states it like a fact, like he is telling you that the sun rises east and sets west.

Curse that stupid fight or flight response.  

“W-what?” you splutter, your limited patience finally running out. It’s one thing to harbor personal feelings towards you but another completely to bash on your work ethic, so your body chooses the choice that he so easily abandoned: Fight.

“Listen Jungkook, I’m going to hope that you didn’t mean that just now and try again. So you really don’t like me, I get it. You’ve made that more than clear to me, so I don’t know why I keep trying like this.”

A sigh.

Jungkook is at a loss, his mouth opening only to close once again, the only consistency being the frown between this eyebrows and the strange twitching of his ears; his body as uncooperative as ever in this imperative moment.

“Maybe dislike is a bit too tepid,” your face sour, “maybe you even hate me.”

Your finger shoot up to hush him at his sudden look of panic.

Wow, your heart hurt.

Stupid, stupid bunny.

“Don’t worry I’m not going to pounce on you just because of your personal feelings,” you explain, but your claws are extended, “but I will not hesitate to do so when you’re bashing on my honesty and work ethic like this. Now, I’m open to work together during lunch and I have a free period for sixth. Come find me or whatever.”

Your ego is so bruised by this point you stumble haphazardly towards the end of row and closer to the neon exit sign, your escape. Fingertips brushing the metal doorknob, you’re pulled back by a strong grip on your wrist, and of course it’s Jungkook. He’s panting, as if those measly steps towards you required immense effort and if you weren’t so caught in your own bitterness you would have noticed the rose tinted hue coloring his cheeks and the faraway look residing in his eyes when you turned to meet his gaze.

“I-I don’t hate you.” Jungkook pleads, his eyes sincere and you hate how your heart leaps out of your chest at those three words. Not exactly an ‘I love you’ but at least that’s some progress.

“Please give me another chance, (y/n).”

Your anger wants to say no, to cut him off and drown in your own self pity, but his hold tethers you to reality and releases you from your childish emotions. Maybe it’s your stubborn ambition that wants to see him try his best, to pine for you as you have for him or maybe it’s the way your name rolls of his tongue, smooth like a melody, that convinces you to agree,

“Okay.”

“You’re here again today, bunny!” Taehyung greets Jungkook who looks up from his notebook to smile at the lion hybrid as he drapes his legs over the bench across from you. For the past week, Jungkook has been sitting with you at lunch and even near you during classes, his presence rivaling Taehyung’s during your days on campus.

You’ve gotten quite smitten with the boy, but your wounded pride refuses to accept that any of his precious displays of affection could mean anything more than friendship. Yes, the way his hand brushed yours as he picked up his assignment has nothing to do with the fact that he wanted to touch you, but didn’t know how to or the constant smile that appears on his face when he makes you laugh is most obviously one of curtesy for your sake. It has to be. You’d sooner believed that the boy would like you (let alone love you) than if he goes and tattoo ‘I <3 (y/n)’ on his forehead.

Yet the reality is indeed the opposite for the lovestruck bunny. You’re his poison and his cure, a step loving you is just a another step towards realizing how incredibly little of an impression he has in your eyes. To say Jungkook is frustrated by how lukewarm your reactions are to his efforts would be an understatement of enormous proportions; for goodness sake he swears you were not like this last week. So what gives? Oh right, him and his loose reflexes that’s what happened. At the verge of giving up, Jungkook looks pleadingly towards the golden boy across the table, his eyes conveying what his speech can’t.

Taehyung knew it was going to happen sooner or later, that poor bunny is reaching his breaking point. He’s not saying that this is Jungkook’s fault (because let’s face it you’re denser than a steel wall when it comes to romance, especially once you’ve been jaded by it), but he’s not going to say that the bunny is innocent in this either. So when those round, clear eyes turn his way as he was munching on his cheeseburger, Taehyung swallows thickly, knowing exactly what the brunette is asking of him.

“Hey (y/n), can you so get me a soda?” Taehyung interrupts your scribbling, your eyes looking from him to his half filled water bottle with apprehension.

“You have drink right there?” you question, clearly confused by his need for another beverage.

“Please? I’ll buy you lunch tomorrow, I’m really thirsty.” Taehyung pleads, his large hands coming to frame his face in a V and his eyes blinking rapidly in an attempt to act cute. Damn him and his beautiful face, if it was anyone else they would look like a Class 1 idiot, but Taehyung somehow pulls the stunt off with grace. You immediately cringe at the display but laughter blooms from your chest nonetheless,

“Okay, okay I’m going. No need to threaten me Tae.”

As you shuffle away, Taehyung turns his attention to the Jungkook. The boy was staring after you with so much longing Tae considering smacking the lovesick grin right off his face.

“So Jungkook,” Taehyung begins, causing those doe eyes to meet his scrutinizing ones, “maybe its just me, but I think you like my best friend.”

Jungkook splutters on the water he was sipping, his chest having up and down to ease the burning of his lungs.

“I- err ..yeah.” Jungkook’s noncommittal response drifts from his lips, if admitting it to Taehyung as difficult, how the hell was he going to say that to you? He grasps his chocolate brown locks messing up the already fluffy strands,

“But she doesn’t notice at all! I’ve been trying so hard.” Jungkook groans, his frustrations overwhelming his shyness for the time being.

“Listen, bunny. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that for that girl to understand. She likes you too you know?” Taehyung says through a mouthful of fries, causing Jungkook’s ears to perk with interest but his face remains pouty and sad on the surface of the table.  

“I’ve been trying so hard though, Tae. Compared to before at least.” Jungkook sulks.

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, my boy! She had hope before you went and shot all of that down and now her emotions are in Grade A lockdown prison called Denial. Unless you want to spell it out and tell her straightforwardly she’s not going to register any of it.”

Jungkook groans, his ears drooping with realization.

“So what do you suggests I do?”

Taehyung’s devilish smile is rather unsettling but Jungkook trusts the lion to not fail him and he draws closer for Tae to whisper into his soft ears.

You come back to a rather strange scene: Jungkook blushing profusely as Taehyung pinches his ear, cackling and whispering something into them only for the two of them to answer with guilty Nothing’s when prompted.

Finger quivering, you take in a deep breath before pressing the little doorbell. It elicits a light, soft sound inside the household, probably because bunny hybrids are sensitive to noises. You hear multiple thumps from the inside, no doubt the siblings Jungkook told you about, and three seconds later the boy himself appears in front of you. He looks amazing today as always, his brown locks ruffled and black ears sitting attentively on top along with a huge cream-colored sweater that he fills out all too well, completed by distressed jeans that seem to be screaming for air from his muscular thighs. As if he’s vocalizing your thoughts—

“You look beautiful today.” Jungkook compliments with a blush, his cheeks turning rosy and a cough is forced out of his chest as a way to avoid your eyes.

Only curtesy (y/n). He’s being polite. You chant mentally, not daring to search for any hidden meanings behind his words. Your body is a bit more honest with the way your ears seem to stand on end, and a dust of rose also makes an appearance across your features.

“Thank you,” you manage to reply, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

He seems to be encouraged by that, taking you by the hand and tugging you upstairs towards his room with some utterance of how his parents are away on a trip and that’s why he has to babysit the kids. His comments flow into one ear and out the other because all you process are your heartbeats ringing in your ears and the way his hand completely envelope yours.

God what is this boy trying to pull today? you mentally yell, praying that he won’t be able to feel your racing pulse through your adjoined hands.

“This is my room.” He announces, hand still firmly holding on to yours despite the fact that the two of you arrived at your destination.

It’s as if you’re seeing an extension of Jungkook between the rows of black and white film photos on the wall, the neat and tiny desk, as well as his color coded figurines down to his deep navy blue sheets that smells just like him.

“You’re so neat.” you breathe out, not knowing what to say when you’re so immersed in his scent you’re practically dizzy from the pheromones.

You pull away from his hold, not looking back to notice his pout and sitting down in his office chair, as far away from him as possible.

“Let’s get to work then!” You suggest, and he nods pulling another chair right next to yours, and leaning over to turn on the desk lamp. At this angle he’s close enough for your lips to brush his nape, the temptations making your canines ache. All too soon he leans back, his smile innocent and you had to exert all your self control not to groan in frustration.

You and Jungkook.

In his room, immersed in his scent.

With about two inches of space in between.

Yep, this was going to be the longest day of your life.

This has to be the most productive you’ve been in your entire life. Maybe it’s because this project is worth more than half your grade, or maybe it has something to do with the need to distract your mind from the bunny sitting next to you. You’re busy drawing up the next draft when—

“Kookie?”

“Oh my god it’s a mini Jungkook!” You exclaim before your mind realized what you were saying, but the tiny little boy at the door was too adorable to dismiss with just a glance. He’s simply too precious, with his short grey ears and round eyes, you barely held yourself back enough to scoop him up in your arms. Jungkook laughs at the wonder displayed on your face, a little jealous that his little brother would be able to steal your heart so easily when he couldn’t.

“Yes Jeonghyun?” Jungkook rushes to his little brother’s side, but the little boy only eyes you with apprehension as he pulls his older brother closer.

“Okay, okay don’t cry.” Jungkook soothes him, lifting him easily in his arms and walking away with him, but not before you spot the unmistakable glare the little bunny is throwing your way.

Great, his entire family hates me, you sigh, the thought more disturbing to you than you would have imagined.

“Hello? Earth to (y/n)?”

You blink, realizing that Jungkook has been trying to get your attention.

“Are you okay?” He prompts, his face a bit to close for your liking so you nod your head, not trusting your voice quite yet.

“C’mon I know you well enough to know when you’re sulking (y/n),” Jungkook places both hands on your cheeks, causing your eyes to widen, “What’s wrong?”

“Would your entire family be scared of me?” You whisper the question because even to you it sounds ridiculous and childish. Jungkook is surprised by the hurt in your voice, but it makes him realize how vulnerable you are right now, with your heart on your sleeve and tears pricking your eyes. You’re simply too soft, delicate enough for him to strengthen his resolve and pick you up princess style, plopping onto his bed with you snuggled tight on his lap.

“Jungkook—“ You tense in surprise, trapped on his legs with his chin resting on your right shoulder and his arms the lock to your makeshift prison.

“Of course not, (y/n). I’m not scared one bit.” Jungkook declares, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. To emphasize his point, his hands intertwine with yours, fingers grasping yours tight and his face nuzzles deeper into the crook of your neck, his nose skimming your sensitive nape, eliciting an involuntary pleased sigh from you.

“Jungkook, stop.” You plead, but your voice is much too weak and your body melts further into his hold. Why is he so strong for such a bunny? You never realized how broad he was until this moment, with your body so easily wrapped up into a harmless little bundle on his lap.

“Don’t wanna.” He protest, the childish tint to his voice only making you blush harder.

“You’re supposed to do this with someone you like.” You protest, but you’re as soft as dough in his grip at his point.

“You’re so dense you know that?” He pauses, beaming at you and you open your mouth to counter when he saying takes the chance to attack,

“I like you, you dummy.”

As if the crushing embarrassment crashed down on him all at once, he burrows his face back into your neck, letting you precess the words all by yourself, eyes glazed over and dreamy. It’s not until he begins to laugh that you snap back into reality,

“(y/n) why are you making that noise, it sounds like you’re choking on your meows.”

You completely heat up at that, burning much to hot to be suffocated on his lap.

“It’s called chuffing you dumb bunny,” you defend your self, cheeks overheating at this point,

“and it means I like you too.”

The pair of you soak in the moment until you hear Jungkook’s gentle musings, “Ah Jeonghyun is going to be even more upset,” he says as he kisses your temple, you’re so distracted from the feeling of his lips on your skin that you don’t even question it, but he graciously explains, “he’s a little jealous of you.”

You make a noise of acknowledgement, your brain overridden by your heart and its giddy thumps.

“It’s okay I like him more than you anyways.” You teasingly tell Jungkook, causing the bunny to flip you over on his lap so that you’re straddling him. Preparing yourself for a retort, your mind completely blanks when he surprises you with a kiss instead of a reply. He’s as sweet as you assumed in your daydreams, his lips gentle and hesitant against yours. Sugar melting on your tongue, you instantly crave more of him, his scent, his taste. True to your nature, you let out in impatient whine, having none of his gentleness when all you want to do is taste him properly. You pull him closer by the baby hairs on his nape, giggling slightly as he lets out a keen of surprise when you nip at his bottom lip and soothes it with your tongue.

“Serves you right, bunny.” You taunt, mirth filling your eyes and laughter ringing until he shuts you up with another kiss, his finishing statement making you splutter with shock—

“I love you, kitten.”

.

.

.

“So what do you suggest I do?”

Taehyung’s devilish smile is rather unsettling but Jungkook trusts the lion to not fail him and he draws closer for Tae to whisper into his soft ears.

“She really loves it when people call her kitten, why don’t you try that?”

“Wha—“

“Trust me.”

“What are you guys whispering about?”

“Nothing!”

[fancytigertrash]

Format Converter For Mac Free Download

Version: 1.9.7Updated on February 28, 2020 [changes] Price: Free

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MediaHuman Audio Converter is a freeware application for Mac OS X and Windows. It can help you to convert your music absolutely free to WMA, MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, Apple Lossless format and bunch of others.

Format Converter For Mac Free Download 64-bit

Free Video Converter. The perfect companion to convert any videos for free. With multiple output formats, you can easily convert local video or downloaded video to other video and audio format (MP4, MKV, MOV, FLV, AVI, WMV, MP3, etc.). Any Video Converter Free is the best free video converter to convert any video to MP4, AVI, MKV, WMV, MP3, and free download videos & music from YouTube and 100+ sites, and edit videos, burn videos to DVD, extract audio from CD. Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) Wondershare. Convert compress and encode audio files from all popular audio file formats including mp3, wav, wma, flac and many other sound formats. Download for Windows Download for Mac Learn more about audio converting Download the free home version.

Simple and intuitive interface

Converts between all key audio formats

Splits tracks by CUE sheet

Exports to iTunes

Converts multiple files simultaneously

Keeps the folder structure

Extracts audio track from video

Absolutely FREE!

Main Features:

Batch conversion

Add all files you want, select the output format and click Start – the program takes care of the rest.

Support for lossless formats

You can directly convert one lossless format to another, without intermediate conversion. For example, you can turn FLAC to Apple Lossless supported by most Apple devices.

Automatic CUE splitting

The program locates .CUE files in the folder and suggests splitting the image to individual tracks if some are found.

Search for disk covers

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If a file contains ID3 tags but lacks the cover art, the program tries to retrieve one using several Internet services.

iTunes support

Apple fans will admire the option to add converted files directly to iTunes multimedia library. You can also choose a specific playlist.

Retain folder structure

Command the program to keep the structure of your folders when running conversion. A must have option for those who store music in Artist/Album folders.

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System Requirements:

Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP for PC systems (32bit/64bit)

macOS 10.15 (Catalina), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS 10.12 (Sierra), OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

About 60 Mb of free hard drive space

Step-by-step instructions:

Format Converter For Mac Free Download Windows 7

Testimonials:

Thank you MediaHuman - you are the only fast and reliable WMA to MP3 converter I've found - you just made my life a whole lot easier! Janine Charles

I have been using SoundConverter on my OSX-Lion iMac but it wasn't doing a satisfactory job on FLAC files. MediaHuman is fast and does two files at once! Superior to SoundConverter! Mark S Ver Steeg

The audio converter app works perfectly-i finally found a freeware to convert FLAC to Apple lossless and keep the tags. Branden Baxley

man i am loving this program i am using media human audio converter and i am convertings 186 music files it has taken less than 5 minutes usually the other programs i use if i was doing this it would take about an hour to an hour and a half this programs is the best. Mina Armanious

Hey! The software is awesome. It took me so long to find an audio converter that wasnt crammed full of useless, superfluous features that I couldn't possible care about. Euan

Wanted to convert some audio files. Used MediaHuman today after struggling with several other apps and tools for the past 4 days. Gosh! Can't tell you what a relief it is to get the job done so easily as I had thousands of sound clips. Thank you guys!!! Divya Raghuram

I am converting thousands of iTunes files to .ogg so I can take my show on the road with Traktor. UR the only 1 that works! DJ-KT

Thanks for the fantastic audio converter! I have a number of AACs that I needed to make to MP3 and this is doing it perfectly... thanks again! Dustin Hamilton

First of all, I love your audio converter. I have used it to successfully convert most of my FLAC collection to ALAC in order for it to be playable on my Ipod. It's all quite intuitive, I love it! Rory

I just wanted to thank you for this software's existence - I used to use QuickTime 7 (and it was clunky!) to convert audio, but when Apple made it slightly harder to get QuickTime Pro I sought out MediaHuman Audio Converter, and have never looked back. It's saved me plenty of times. Thanks! Josh W.

That is a truly great product, much better than Switch, which I thought too expensive to pay for. I know it is freeware, but couldn't resist a small donation when I saw how beautifully written the software was. Thank you. Jim S.

I have been using your product for a couple years now. I just wanted to tell you folks how much I like it. It is absolutely my goto software for any media conversion. I don't have any money to contribute, but I wanted you guys to know how much I appreciate your software. Thank you very much. Mathew M.

The best WMA to MP3 converter, period. I have more than 10Gb of WMA files to convert to MP3. Your software is just making it a breeze. Having struggled with all the major 'recommended' freewares available, I can say without a doubt that yours is just the best for the task. Many thanks from France. Arnaud

Hi Folks, I just wanted to let you know that your Audioconverter is truly excellent. The GUI is simple and selfexplaining, very clever! Also thanks for implmenting CBR at 320kbps. I converted AIFF files to mp3 and they sound much better than converted with my old iTunes. The mp3s sound loud, clear, fresh and have a punchy bass. Heavy recommendation guaranteed :-) Ernst M.

I just want to congratulate you for the MediaHuman Audio Converter. Variety of choices for audio quality, file extension type and multiple cpu core choice. And checkbox for adding to iTunes while converting. Genius. You saved me from hours of waiting. Well done. Maximos H.

I have to say that this converter, is by far THEE best i have ever used. i had to use this in exchange for the built in iTunes converter because it would chop songs into 0:23 seconds after they were converted and that obviously wasn't the whole song. your converter has done its justice to the shitty apple conversion and hence, why i'm writing this review because it's so damn fast AND it also converts as many files as needed with no ads or requiring a license! it's truly and awesome freeware program!! :) Nic

MediaHuman Audio Converter là ứng dụng chạy trên các thiết bị sử dụng hệ điều hành Mac OS X và Windows, hỗ trợ người dùng chuyển đổi các tập tin âm nhạc hoàn toàn miễn phí sang các định dạng MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, WAV, OGG hay AIFF hay Apple Lossless, cùng nhiều định dạng khác. Taimienphi

Downloaded this morning to convert a batch of files, 680+, from WMA to MP3. As a bit of background I started developing software over 40 years ago, which makes me rather picky about how software works. Just wanted to let you know that I am more than pleasantly surprised, this is a great piece of software. I had spent about 3 hours trying other products prior to finding yours, and by far yours is the most full featured and easy to use. Just wanted to drop you a 'thank you', I was looking for a place to leave a review for you, please let me know if there is a place you would like me to leave one. Thanks! Bill D.

MediaHuman Audio Converter is brilliant. It's so good to find really well developed software - so intuitive and therefore a pleasure to use. I've been looking at audio converters for a while now and not found anything that comes even close to your great product. I've been involved in software development all my life and rarely see software that gets the user's experience 'just right' Audio Converter does exactly that. Congratulations. John

All Format Converter Free Download

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File Converter software, free download

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Flac To Alac For Mac

Version: 1.9.7Updated on February 28, 2020 [changes] Price: Free

Flac To Alac Conversion Mac

Mac Convert Flac To Mp3

Mac Os Flac Player

Convert Flac To Alac Mac Os X

MediaHuman Audio Converter is a freeware application for Mac OS X and Windows. It can help you to convert your music absolutely free to WMA, MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, Apple Lossless format and bunch of others.

FLAC, short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, not only offers the same quality as the original audio file but takes up much less space on your hard drive. However, its limited compatibility often pushes people to convert FLAC to MP3 or other more widely-used audio formats. Such inconveniences seem to be exaggerated for Mac users as Apple devices. Convert FLAC To ALAC (Apple Lossless) On Mac & PC With out Quality Loss. Traceywhitton 21 مايو، 2020. Within the first half, the explanation why to convert FLAC to ALAC shall be briefly explained, which have to be recognized earlier than you change FLAC to ALAC. However there may be limitation: iTunes do not play FLAC and DSD recordsdata.

Simple and intuitive interface

Converts between all key audio formats

Splits tracks by CUE sheet

Exports to iTunes

Converts multiple files simultaneously

Keeps the folder structure

Extracts audio track from video

Absolutely FREE!

Main Features:

Batch conversion

Add all files you want, select the output format and click Start – the program takes care of the rest.

Support for lossless formats

You can directly convert one lossless format to another, without intermediate conversion. For example, you can turn FLAC to Apple Lossless supported by most Apple devices.

Automatic CUE splitting

The program locates .CUE files in the folder and suggests splitting the image to individual tracks if some are found.

Search for disk covers

If a file contains ID3 tags but lacks the cover art, the program tries to retrieve one using several Internet services.

iTunes support

Apple fans will admire the option to add converted files directly to iTunes multimedia library. You can also choose a specific playlist.

Retain folder structure

Command the program to keep the structure of your folders when running conversion. A must have option for those who store music in Artist/Album folders.

Advertisement:

System Requirements:

Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP for PC systems (32bit/64bit)

macOS 10.15 (Catalina), macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS 10.12 (Sierra), OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

About 60 Mb of free hard drive space

Step-by-step instructions:

Testimonials:

Thank you MediaHuman - you are the only fast and reliable WMA to MP3 converter I've found - you just made my life a whole lot easier! Janine Charles

I have been using SoundConverter on my OSX-Lion iMac but it wasn't doing a satisfactory job on FLAC files. MediaHuman is fast and does two files at once! Superior to SoundConverter! Mark S Ver Steeg

The audio converter app works perfectly-i finally found a freeware to convert FLAC to Apple lossless and keep the tags. Branden Baxley

man i am loving this program i am using media human audio converter and i am convertings 186 music files it has taken less than 5 minutes usually the other programs i use if i was doing this it would take about an hour to an hour and a half this programs is the best. Mina Armanious

Hey! The software is awesome. It took me so long to find an audio converter that wasnt crammed full of useless, superfluous features that I couldn't possible care about. Euan

Wanted to convert some audio files. Used MediaHuman today after struggling with several other apps and tools for the past 4 days. Gosh! Can't tell you what a relief it is to get the job done so easily as I had thousands of sound clips. Thank you guys!!! Divya Raghuram

I am converting thousands of iTunes files to .ogg so I can take my show on the road with Traktor. UR the only 1 that works! DJ-KT

Thanks for the fantastic audio converter! I have a number of AACs that I needed to make to MP3 and this is doing it perfectly... thanks again! Dustin Hamilton

First of all, I love your audio converter. I have used it to successfully convert most of my FLAC collection to ALAC in order for it to be playable on my Ipod. It's all quite intuitive, I love it! Rory

I just wanted to thank you for this software's existence - I used to use QuickTime 7 (and it was clunky!) to convert audio, but when Apple made it slightly harder to get QuickTime Pro I sought out MediaHuman Audio Converter, and have never looked back. It's saved me plenty of times. Thanks! Josh W.

That is a truly great product, much better than Switch, which I thought too expensive to pay for. I know it is freeware, but couldn't resist a small donation when I saw how beautifully written the software was. Thank you. Jim S.

I have been using your product for a couple years now. I just wanted to tell you folks how much I like it. It is absolutely my goto software for any media conversion. I don't have any money to contribute, but I wanted you guys to know how much I appreciate your software. Thank you very much. Mathew M.

The best WMA to MP3 converter, period. I have more than 10Gb of WMA files to convert to MP3. Your software is just making it a breeze. Having struggled with all the major 'recommended' freewares available, I can say without a doubt that yours is just the best for the task. Many thanks from France. Arnaud

Hi Folks, I just wanted to let you know that your Audioconverter is truly excellent. The GUI is simple and selfexplaining, very clever! Also thanks for implmenting CBR at 320kbps. I converted AIFF files to mp3 and they sound much better than converted with my old iTunes. The mp3s sound loud, clear, fresh and have a punchy bass. Heavy recommendation guaranteed :-) Ernst M.

I just want to congratulate you for the MediaHuman Audio Converter. Variety of choices for audio quality, file extension type and multiple cpu core choice. And checkbox for adding to iTunes while converting. Genius. You saved me from hours of waiting. Well done. Maximos H.

I have to say that this converter, is by far THEE best i have ever used. i had to use this in exchange for the built in iTunes converter because it would chop songs into 0:23 seconds after they were converted and that obviously wasn't the whole song. your converter has done its justice to the shitty apple conversion and hence, why i'm writing this review because it's so damn fast AND it also converts as many files as needed with no ads or requiring a license! it's truly and awesome freeware program!! :) Nic

MediaHuman Audio Converter là ứng dụng chạy trên các thiết bị sử dụng hệ điều hành Mac OS X và Windows, hỗ trợ người dùng chuyển đổi các tập tin âm nhạc hoàn toàn miễn phí sang các định dạng MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, WAV, OGG hay AIFF hay Apple Lossless, cùng nhiều định dạng khác. Taimienphi

Downloaded this morning to convert a batch of files, 680+, from WMA to MP3. As a bit of background I started developing software over 40 years ago, which makes me rather picky about how software works. Just wanted to let you know that I am more than pleasantly surprised, this is a great piece of software. I had spent about 3 hours trying other products prior to finding yours, and by far yours is the most full featured and easy to use. Just wanted to drop you a 'thank you', I was looking for a place to leave a review for you, please let me know if there is a place you would like me to leave one. Thanks! Bill D.

MediaHuman Audio Converter is brilliant. It's so good to find really well developed software - so intuitive and therefore a pleasure to use. I've been looking at audio converters for a while now and not found anything that comes even close to your great product. I've been involved in software development all my life and rarely see software that gets the user's experience 'just right' Audio Converter does exactly that. Congratulations. John

Screenshots:

Our other products:

FLAC to ALAC conversion is used to provide device and software compatibility. As example, to playback of original Free Lossless Audio Codec stuff in iTunes after pre-conversion to Apple Lossless Audio Codec. Read how to convert FLAC to ALAC for free step-by-step on Mac and Windows.

How to convert FLAC to ALAC for free >Sound quality issues >What is the best flac to alac converter >

How to convert FLAC to ALAC for free

Flac To Alac Conversion Mac

To free convert FLAC to ALAC on Windows, Mac OS:

Download and install HiFi audio converter software AuI ConverteR 48x44 Free. [Download for Windows][ Download for Mac ]

Launch the conversion software;

Push Open button and select FLAC file;

In the main window, Output panel select ALAC (Apple Lossless) format, bit depth and sample rate;

In Directory output files panel select target directory;

Push Start button;

Wait until conversion end;

Look for target files into target directory.

To batch conversion of several files use AuI ConverteR Lite or above.

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[dxrkblaze]

Give ME ALL FOR THAT MEME BC IM A HO N I LOVE UR WIRITNG U FUCK

this just in: ru is gay and I love her HHDGSHHDDL THAnk u sm homie I cri,,, ❤️❤️

1) of the fic you’ve written, which are you most proud of?Hmm… probably all my colors? Like, there’s a lot I’d like to go back and change, but at the end of the day it was my baby for a good two plus years and there’s a lot of personal stuff sprinkled in there. It kinda shows my emotional progression throughout high school in the story, and while that’s def not why I wrote it, it’s cool to go back and look at it sometimes to see the things I used to say/think about. Plus it’s one of the only massive projects of mine that I’ve actually completed, lol.

Also I have a lot of love for amc just bc it’s so… different, I guess? Like, I’ve never really seen something like it fleshed out into a full-length story, especially not with silver and blaze. And the fact that it rlly touched several ppl and got them rlly into it… that makes me feel kinda accomplished when I’m not being a self-deprecating prick lmao. I rlly rlly wanted it to be my first fic to get to 100 reviews for a reason!

2) favorite tense (past/present/future)Definitely past, I tried present with the unforgiven and it just made it frustrating to write, lmao.

3) favorite POV (first/second/third/etc)I prefer writing in first person, actually. I think it simplifies things for both the writer and reader, and I’ve always found a lot more freedom to be creative when I write in first person.

4) what are some themes you love writing about?Lmao well, obviously romance is priority one for me, so most of my themes stem from that. I rlly love writing about class struggle tho, whether it’s someone low who’s aiming high or a noble who isn’t satisfied with such a high class. Morality also comes up a lot in my writing, I guess; tryna figure out what the right thing to do is, tryna figure out if this character actually did the best thing, all that good stuff!

5) what inspires you to write?Definitely music… sometimes I’ll stray from it and pick up some inspo from movies/stories/etc, but 99% of the time I’ll be listening to a song and suddenly come up w a fic idea from it lmao.

6) thoughts on critiqueI encourage it!! bc I think it’s the only real way to improve. Sometimes it can make me feel bad if I’m in one of those rlly shitty self-deprecation ruts, but still I usually get over it soon even when I’m like that. I know it’s for the better, and I appreciate everyone who’s ever been kind enough, and cared enough abt my writing to give me critique!

7) create a character on the spot…. NOW!UMMMM OKIE,,, what abt a snow leopard named Kyra… she likes to sit around n read n eat noodles… her main hobby other than reading is dancing. she’s v shy but she loves her close friends n BAM I just made her gay. She’s a lesbian, harold.

8) is there a character you love writing for the most? the least? why?Most - probably silver… his personality is always one I’ve gotten a lot of joy out of writing. He’s basically a walking contradiction, lmfao. He’s also pretty easy for me to self-project onto, idk why. Least - I’m gonna say amy for this one, just because it’s been hard for me to focus on more than one aspect of her personality and flesh all of it out. Plus amy is a somewhat overused character lol, I get a lot more fun out of writing blaze/tikal/others when I need a female role, even if it’s something simple

9) a passage from a WIPOh u kno I gotta dip into royalty au for this one 👀

–

It was nearly a fortnight before any word was received from King Pyrus. It came in the form of a small parcel addressed to Blaze, which held a note inside for her. The young princess jumped at the feet of the servant who had brought it in, and once it was lowered into her hands, she hurried to her chamber. Once there, she closed the door behind her and jumped on her bed, unable to contain her excitement. With a careful claw and an eager expression, she tore the parcel’s paper away. Before looking at what it contained, she snatched the note from her father, and brought it to her face. It read:

My Little Flame,

I am sorry I could not write to you sooner. I remain busy, but I finally began exploring, and I found something I think you will simply adore. It is a traditional robe (I believe it is called a kimono) from here in the Eastern Isles. It is just as beautiful as the land, and just as special as you are to I, my dear. We must make plans to bring you here one day, it astounds me each time.

Do not fret about the ongoings in the world, how ever much you have heard. Kiniti watches over us at all times, and she will ensure peace among all kinetics. Hopefully, I will depart in the coming few days, and we will see one another soon.

With love,Father Flame

Blaze, of course, merely skimmed over the second half of the note as a formality. She laid the message aside, and her jaw dropped once she held the kimono out. It was a beautiful shade of dark purple, with an equally enchanting design. Trails of dainty cherry blossoms sat on rugged branches, which climbed up either side of the robe. The silk seemed to melt between Blaze’s fingers; it was the softest material she had ever felt. She rubbed one of the sleeves against her cheek, and purred into it. When she turned the robe over, she gasped. A large, pink bow was already tied at the back, as if it had been made just for her. She slipped the kimono over her shoulders, and although the sleeves hung low over her arms, the length was just right. Blaze tied the pieces of ribbon at her waist, just as Pyrus had taught her, and words could never express how delighted she was with the gift. She could not wait to show her father once he returned.

As Blaze was fitting her tail through the bow on her back, Baxton entered the room. Whenever Pyrus was absent, it was usually Baxton who took up the king’s general duties. He signed letters, addressed the people, attended court; it kept him quite busy. The only responsibility he didn’t inherit was any control of he army - the sole post he would be familiar with. Quite the chore it was, but Baxton was always fond of his temporary sovereign role. At least in terms of the power he held, that is. In fact, Blaze assumed that he had been yelling at some servants not too long ago, judging by his flushed face.

The elder cat scratched his head. “Princess, did the king leave a letter?”

Blaze pointed to the note on her bed. Baxton scurried to it, and frowned as he glanced over the elegant handwriting. “Is this it?” he quizzed.

The princess nodded, and held her arms out with a smile. “Look, Baxi! Look at what father sent me!”

Blaze couldn’t quite tell what Baxton’s expression conveyed, but it was something between a smile and a scowl. The note crumpled in a quick motion from Baxton’s fist, and was thrown back onto the bed cover. Blaze didn’t think much of this as Baxton hurried out, and she walked to her mirror to admire the kimono again.

–

10) what are your strengths wrt writing?Hmm… I get a lot of ppl saying that I’m pretty eloquent when it comes to phrasing/word choices? I’m constantly tinkering with how things are said, even up until like 30 seconds before I publish smth lmao. I also like to think I never just string sentences together and leave it at that when I’m narrating, I pay a lot of attention to how different sentences/phrases flow together.

11) what are your weaknesses wrt writing?My main weakness would probably be going overboard on all the little things, like how a sentence sounds or flows and stuff like that. I end up being a perfectionist with it, and sometimes when I’m crafting/changing phrases around, I end up with a sentence that kinda drags on or tries to do too much.

12) what’s your favorite place for writing resources?Tumblr’s pretty good for me, actually. I rarely ever seek out resources, but I do reblog a lot of them that come to me here and they’ve been very useful to me in the past.

13) who are your favorite writers?Ok first off binch u@aurora-boring-alis (FF: aurora-boring-alis) Then my other peeps who also make the quality goodness™™ I can’t get enough of (some fanfic accounts more active than others)@maliwarm (FF: biteworsethanbark) @lordoftheghostking28 (FF: lordoftheghostking28) @weezernaut (FF: space mercutio)@ebachan (wattpad: witto150)

[taxicabmag]

Four Poems by Jessie Janeshek

House of Wax/Aches and Pains

It will be bad news        but go ahead, take a walk

               make your own pizza

like it’s the same        as snorting cocaine      in the Arbor Day Plaza

       or racking up red steps

                 under the watertank

or how you mock Dracula             w/ bad hair and a flat chest

                   bat bikinis          black dresses

       and not enough jewelry.

Vampires live        on red sauce or thick venison

        rotting amber in heat

                 and you don’t even listen to me

just send the obituary          but what could the cat music

             in my scrapbook mean?

You lock me in the zoo          my soft leopard stole losing heat

        or you lock me in the wax house

or you spot me at the restaurant

      and stare atavistically       murmuring sister

burn me in street

                          say his death means the ass-end

                                  of good times, the 50s

                          your fancy grief.

In this town full of scarecrows           gold wallpaper, trains

        men kissing from trucks

                             give me dead country magic.

        I buy a strange ring to put on and get sick

        I pray with a twang      walking the earth

                        undead in Nebraska.

Bad Bridge, Devil Red Rumble Seat

               I was the new kind of blonde

    appetitive longlegged automaton          a miniature sheep farm in Brownville, Nebraska.

                       I don’t trust what I’ve done

                                  but have you done it with a hot water bottle

                                          a fear of your fall stalker

                                  or any regularity?

                I was the new kind of bride

         I gave up being pure with any knack for California gold

                       a kind of unconscious

                                   scotch and soda superstition

                      a fair woman acts dark

             I gave myself over      to two dudes with pool cues

                  strapped to their backs

                            I gave up my future             at Meriwether Dredge.

                 My future starts at 10:27

                         red water-tank glows wind factory dark

             before he fucks me, he asks

                        do you have any interest

               in a car wreck that will take        the skin off your face?

            Screwball queen masquerading as queen of the harlots

                          erecting my high heel

                exactly in front of the witch jail

                                           a kind of unconscious superstition

                                           a thin line between kissing and suicide

                 I’ll enter the dinner party dressed like Madam Satan or Norma Shearer

                                false eyelashes maybe.

                  I’m afraid of the party           but your id will give me a ride.

House of Wax/Free O’Frost

         You ask why I’m still chopping

pumpkin on a stick             hens and chicks

         when it’s not worth it            give yourself apoplexy

heat’s on/a top knot              we walk through pseudo-winter

                      you say I’ll regret complaining

        when all men stop whistling

        you say you can’t stop crying

                     about prairie city

        his skin falling off his skull in the yard.

I was drunk in a past life

        I always kept a noose in the room

desolate, spicy, and wild just in case.

        Now I go out to piss

                 behind spooky pines

        since it makes me feel like an animal.

                          I go out in my vinyl

                 Halloween costume

                               and plastic mask

                 I keep lapping up blood to feel full

                          I don’t wear gloves

                     and I owe myself

                          the longest apology.

The glittery deer          wears the longest

                 eyelashes ’til me.

I eat eight pieces of pizza

        sew my lashes on         once I numb myself

                 with booze and cocaine.

You say old money/new money            stratified sadness

        Hollywood forever       erroneous gold jacquard robes.

                 You say unwrap the deer       get out of my house

        but I was drunk in a past life

                 crash-crushy velvet.

                                   High winds, no forgiveness

                          the man spanked me over and over

                                   no gloves

                          a beastling has-been

                          hot roots on the lit

                                   route to stardom

                          illegal schemes and my scar

                                   bloated like your inflatable

                          corpse in pink lipstick

                                   weak star but there’s still a room for me

                          in the dark snow of late-nite TV.

House of Wax/Husker Red

        I dream money comes

in envelopes written in Western font

          like a long-lost rogue father

                badness becomes                badness in badlands and learning the blackness

         badness in learning      a venison daughter        a too-soon semi-waste.

             You apologize for your gender in natural colors

      then you just lean back            criticize body hair

                      you say burnt fur

      too soon and my limitations      you love getting punched in the face.

                                  It probably seems like we’re everywhere

                                         taxidermy museums       the axe-murder house

                                                sucking joints for our sadness

                    and it gets a little murky

                           in my little mind

                                         w/ all the duck decoys

                                              the exposure to the weather

                                         the shadow effect                 the death day hovers

                                                 my face like a harlot

                                            not heart-shaped enough.

You ask why I’m not mourning

             like Dracula’s daughter        you pump up the volume

                 and why can’t we just fuck?

                                         You don’t watch TV                                           this house is too hollow

so let’s just get sad                                   and wander the graveyard

                    hit the stag bar

                           kiss at the stag bar in my blue-black lipstick

but it’s not a diary                if everyone writes it

             hemlock soft hard

                  baywood close liquid

                                                look into my crystal ball

                                                you can’t see a pore

      it’s not a chainletter       when it’s this derivate

                but don’t you feel like my whore

                           tongue on my tongue once

                           drinking from my bloody cheeks?

                                  You’ll go back to god

                                         so your flatbed truck levitates

                           I’ll dream a soft curse

                                       in the murder cabin

                       leave the ghost some tobacco so in comparison you’re moralistic

                                  wash my hair before the hayride

                                  wash my hair after the frost

                                                even in the snowstorm

                                                              in the black coat

                                                I’ll go out to show off my legs—

Jessie Janeshek's second full-length book of poems is The Shaky Phase (Stalking Horse Press, 2017). Her chapbooks are Spanish Donkey/Pear of Anguish (Grey Book Press, 2016), Rah-Rah Nostalgia (dancing girl press, 2016), Supernoir (Grey Book Press, 2017), Hardscape (Reality Beach, forthcoming), and Auto-Harlow (Shirt Pocket Press, forthcoming). Invisible Mink (Iris Press, 2010) is her first full-length collection. She holds a PhD from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and an MFA from Emerson College. You can follow her on Twitter @BlondeBitters and Instagram @fruitbatlashes.

Pictured: Cubism Study, Colored pencil on board, 2017. By John Collins, Taxicab Magazine’s Virtual Artist-in-Residence.

[tfms]

The Market Has Begun, Part 2

I Think I’ve Got Him.

Joy and her boyfriend show wondering where I was.  I think I should have left a message as to where I was.  Alex shows with her daughter.  It's been so long that I've forgotten her name.  I mention how her daughter has grown.  She asks me if I know about HFF, seemingly livid that they are here at the market.  I do my best to stay neutral.  She then launches into a subtle stream of invective.  I can see that sense of feeling betrayed to the point of her arms and hands shaking as she talks.  Reminds me of the feeling I went through posting on TCP (post raid) This must have been close to how Mary Martin felt.  I sell her a jar for her daughter and later see her talking separately to another customer and Pompea.  It looks as if she is spreading her anger along with questioning Pompea and if she knows HHF practices. 

Delphine shows.  A smiling, sparkly wisp of a man.  A make mention that after our last conversation I biked by the "W" hotel, saw a sign that said "Delphine" and realized as I noticed it was an oyster house that it was his. He laughs.  Ed stops by early.  I tell him that last weeks trade was good and to bring me more of the same at the end of the market.  Miele skips in.  Nice to see though I don't seem to be able to spend time with her like I''d like. She seems tired. 

Jack sneaks in behind me.  He ask if I know what he can do about his sciatica. I make mention that he might want to call Lisa.  Max is helping him and has brought along his sister.  True to Jack's nature he asks me "Why does he do that?  Why does he want to work with me?"  He has compared him to Clara's Max. 

"He does so because he likes you.  You're interesting.  He likes you and wants to be around" 

Jack shakes his head and says nothing.  I think I've got him. 

I pour yogurt into cups and send Will out to intersection.  I watch him and initially see him just standing there.  I motion to him to open his mouth.  He soon comes in. I load a second round of cups filling them enough and realizing they can drink it instead of handing out spoons. 

Miele comes around again and orders a mojitos snow cone from the ladies next door.  She offers me a taste.  Very smooth with nice slivers of coconut.  Will, immediately on trying, wants one and gets one. I then send him off to Stan's to get to get the fig/prosciutto pastry, peach scone and his blueberry hand pie. 

Leopard Hair stop by.  Dan and Stacy drop off two soda empties and get two more.  They seem shiny and clean.  I kinda wish I can spend some time with them.  Market momentum has taken over.  I send Will out again. I notice the mojitos on the table completely melted.  I finish it off.  Pompea comes by and says she'll move an umbrella close so we are not so in line with the heat.  An umbrella comes in and the shade is soon inhabited by an older woman dressed as a clown promoting a Hollywood Toastmasters group.  It's unfortunate that she is standing right in front of the stand as I see this keeping possible customers away.  I walk to information desk and ask Jackie if she would ask her to move. 

Will goes out and comes in fast.  I switch from Meier Lemon to Honey.  He say that he can't do it much longer.  I say we are going to finish the jar and then he can rest.  Some regulars come in. Some new people come in.  Jack shows up again.  I give him a bottle of soda.  He tells me he's found a way to deal with his sciatica.  He points to his back and turns.  I see that he has placed the 2 foot long bar he uses as a jack handle (pun intended) between the leather lifting belt he is wearing and his sacrum bone. It is parallel to his spine pressing both into his back between his shoulder blades and his sacrum.  I laugh, more in amazement than anything else.  It's an engineer's temporary solution and one that I can appreciate.  Structure begats pressure demanded from other parts of the body.  Energy event (pain) is dispersed by this pressure. 

He turns and walks back to his stand with his blue bar well tucked in. 

I like Jack.

[mnranger5]

Summer Vacation 2019, Omaha, Denver & Beaver Creek/Vail, 7/7/19 – 7/14/19

By: Daddy, Ashlynn, Brianna, Scarlett & Felicity

As we sat in the hottub on our final night in the gorgeous mountain resort, we asked the kids, what’s your favorite vacation we’ve taken as a family?  Runner up answers included Yellowstone, Disney and Chicago.  But overwhelmingly, the consensus #1 family vacation the Blaniels have taken is the vacation we were currently on!  Yep, Dyan and I struck vacation gold again!  Here’s how we got to that consensus!

 7/7/19

We were on the road by 6AM.  We weren’t traveling in an airplane, train, RV, transit van, or even Dyan’s SUV.  Nope, we rented a minivan for this excursion.  We picked up the van a day earlier so that Dyan and I could get everything loaded up the day before.  That made our morning departure so much easier – and less stressful!

Day one was a nice little drive down through Des Moines and over to Omaha.  We arrived at lunch time and quickly made our way into Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo.  We did a summer vacation here four years ago, and it was absolutely, hands down the coolest zoo we’ve ever been to.

So, when we told the kids this was our first stop on the summer roadtrip, they were super excited. 

We explored the east side of the zoo, making sure we hit the Lied Jungle, Wild Kingdom Pavilion and Scott Aquarium.

Afterward, we made our way over the Hubbard Gorilla Valley, Orangutan Forest and the tiger and leopard habitat.

But the exhibit all the kids wanted to see was the African Safari area where you can view it from the air on the “Skyfari” Chairlift.

The rhinos, giraffes, zebras and lions were all in sight as we sailed across the park on the skyfari.  The kids favorite animals were:

Ashlynn: Deerbra - half deer, half zebra

Brianna: Sharks

Scarlett: Fennec Fox

Felicity: Aligators

Aidan: Gorilla

All Kids: Baby Orangatan

Prior to leaving, take one guess what we ended up doing?  GIFT SHOP!  The kids wandered the gift shop picking up every stuffed animal in the store.  Everybody wanted a stuffed animal, but nobody wanted to spend their own money.  So, Dyan and I did what we always do which is let the kids save their money, and we bought everybody new furry friends!!

By late afternoon, the temps were sweltering.  The kids needed some aquatic relief, so we headed back to the hotel and swam in the pool while deciding on dinner.  Dyan and I were trying to find a fun pizza joint when the kids unanimously voted (while in the pool) on Pot Belly and Cold Stone Creamery.  Both locations were less than a mile from our hotel.  Kids for the win.

Later that evening, we all went swimming again, complete with a very intense game of Marco Polo.

 7/8/19

The second consecutive morning, we were on the road by 6AM.  Denver-BOUND!  Outside of Omaha, Nebraska doesn’t have much to offer in terms of sightseeing, entertainment or roadside stops.  So, the kids did blew through their iPad batteries in record time as Dyan did her best to keep the kids screens charged with the two chargers we brought.  It was a carousel of iPhones and iPads rotating throughout the van.

We rolled into Denver shortly after 1PM.  Made a quick lunch stop at Chipotle before taking the kids out to Red Rocks.  There was scattered thundershowers in the area, but we timed it just right to miss most of the rain. 

The kids played around in the amphitheater area and posed for pictures in the rock formations just outside of the concert venue. 

The kids were adamant that they wanted to return here if Taylor Swift ever played a show at Red Rocks!

We then made the quick trip over to Golden, CO, to get checked into our hotel.  The kids swam in the pool for about 20 minutes before a big storm blew up on us and forced us back to the room.  No big deal!  We needed to get ready for dinner anyway.  After the rain had passed, we walked around the town of Golden checking out the gift shops and grabbing dinner at Woody’s.  Woody’s is a great little restaurant Dyan and I discovered on our trip here in 2014.  Delightful pizzas, and ice cold beer.  

Dyan and Jake for the win!  Of course, we followed up dinner with ice cream from Golden Sweets.

 7/9/19

This was the big day.  The day we’d finally reach our main destination for the summer vacation – VAIL, CO!  After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we were back on the highway, heading into the mountains.  The drive from Denver into the mountains never gets old.  Full of mountainous scenery and old mining towns, the interstate whisks you up, up and away into the snow capped Rocky Mountains.  About 45 minutes into the trip, we hit the Eisenhower Tunnel at Loveland Pass.  Once through the tunnel, we began the long steep downgrade into the Summit County Valley.  About 1/3rd of the way down the pass, the van started to vibrate a bit as I applied the brakes on the steep slope.  Not thinking anything of it, I continued to brake to keep my speed in check.  About half way down the pass , the van started shaking when I applied the brakes.  Something wasn’t right – but I wasn’t sure what was going on.  We continued.  We passed a sign that said something like, be cautious, you aren’t to the bottom yet.  At that exact moment, an overwhelming burning smell filled the cabin of the van.  I looked at Dyan.  We were both confused.  I braked hard and the van shook almost violently as I pulled her over on the shoulder.  The brakes were burning up.  Apparently, I had been applying them a bit too much, a bit too often.  Oops.  We sat on the shoulder, Dyan and I questioning, “What do we do?”.  Although neither of us said it, I know we were both imaging the worst case scenario where the van’s brakes went out leaving us with escalating speeds as we broke loose down the mountain desperately looking for one of those “Runaway Truck” ramps.  Thank God it didn’t come to that…

After about 5 minutes, the smell began to subside and we got back on the road.  The remainder of the drive through the mountains we much more uneventful now that I was aware of the touchy brakes in the minivan.  We entered into the Vail Valley around 9AM.  Vail Mountain is enormous as it towers over I-70.  It certainly looked like it would be one heck of an adventure during the ski season.  About 10 minutes past Vail is the town of Avon, which is at the base of Beaver Creek Ski Area – also a quaint resort tucked back in the mountains.  Sticking out high above the trees was our massive European-chalet-style resort, the Westin Riverfront at Beaver Creek.  The resort facility on it’s own would be spectacular, however, when you add in the setting of the snow capped mountains in all directions around it, the property is remarkably breathtaking.  How are we so lucky to be able to stay in a place fit for a king?

We couldn’t check into the property yet, so we headed into the gated mountain village of Beaver Creek, a short 2 mile drive up into the mountains.  

We browsed the gift shops and got a delicious fresh berry crepe at Rimini for us all to share – it didn’t last long.  But at $14/crepe, this was not going to be our lunch spot!

Back at the resort, the valet attendant recommended the Avon Bakery & Deli for lunch.  It was only a couple blocks away, so we could walk.  When we stepped inside the restaurant we could immediately tell this was no regular Subway or Potbelly.  Nope, it was ALL ORGANIC with bread straight out of the wheat field.  It was the kind of place that frowns on Pepsi and Coca Cola products – instead they produce their own small batch craft colas (complete with paper straws).  It’s definitely where the hippy, green, liberal, vegan, organic crowds congregate to “organize” and drink specialty coffee that is procured through community co-ops.  And it was pretty chaotic. There was a long counter, like at a fast food joint.  Behind the counter, there must have been a dozen people “working,” but really only 2 were actually doing anything.  The rest appeared to be sluggishly coming down from their pot high from the night before – afterall, the weed is legal in Colorado!  In front of the counter was a very small lobby, that was packed with loiterers who appeared to have skipped 1st grade when they learned the social skill called “line formation”.  There were people standing everywhere in the small lobby, some waiting on food, others wondering whether it was their turn to order, a few waiting for tables and many snaking their way through the crowd to the pop refill station.   Well, we entered like a tornado.  Picture five hungry kids on the brink of hunger meltdowns amongst pretentious tree-huggers that probably don’t care for kids to begin with.  Priceless. 

And speaking of priceless, the menu was priceless too.  We ordered 3 sandwich meals and 4 kids meals (flat meat hoagie w/ chips and a pop).  The bill was $130.  WHAT!?!  Kid meals turned out to be $14 and adults were $20.  For lunch meat!  Should have stayed at the Crepe stand!

After lunch, we rendezvoused back at the Westin and spent a couple hours enjoying the pool and hot tub.

Our big event of the day was whitewater rafting on the Lower Eagle River.  Late in the afternoon, we arrived at our river outfitter, Lakota Guides, where they quickly sized us for splash jackets, neoprene boots and helmets. 

We had about a 20 minute bus ride down river to the Wolcott BLM Campground.  Our group of about 40 people were divided up into 5 rafts. The Blaniels got their own raft!

The sunshine was sweltering, but the water temps were paralyzing.  When we booked this excursion in February, Lakota Guides indicated this river began taming in early July, and by mid-late July would have so little water that rafting closes.  The average water flow on the river is about 250cfs (cubic feet/second).     In a typical spring/summer, we’d be hitting the tail end of the snow meltoff, which should run closer to 1,000cfs.  But…..this winter/spring was a rarity in terms of how much snow Colorado Rockies got.  With data going back to 1882, Colorado had 60% more snow this winter than an average season.  In the middle of July, the peaks of the surrounding mountains were all snowcapped.  And due to the extreme heat over the past couple of weeks, the snow melt had intensified.  The waters were roaring down the mountains and flooding the normally trickling creeks and rivers.  The current was running about 3,500cfs.  The river was so ferocious, Lakota Guides called us a week earlier to inform us the minimum age requirement for our float was being increased from 6 years old to 9 years old.  Whew, Brianna would barely squeak by with 3 months to spare!

We boarded the raft with our guide, Byron.  Byron guided for many years on the Colorado River but has been retired from guiding for a couple years.  However, when the Lower Eagle River flooded in the past few weeks, and the rapids gained national attention due to the extreme runoff, he jumped out of retirement for the chance to guide on this intense stretch of river. 

The first 10 minutes of the float were relatively benign – a good stretch to get acclimated to the raft and paddle.  The water was ice cold as it was the product of melted mountian snowpack a mere 12 hours earlier.  Byron encouraged some playful splashing.  Brrr. 

As we proceeded down river, the rapids got more intense.  Not sure it was the vertical drop in the stream as much as how long the rapids were strewn out.  We were ripping from one rapid to the next with no real break in between.  It was awesome.  Unfortunately for me, I seemed to endure the brunt of the rapids.  Sitting opposite of the guide, the front right corner of the raft seemed to meet every rapid head on, soaking me in the icy water.

For the second straight year/vacation, the kids did as little as possible to actually help get the raft in position to take on the waves.  Instead of paddling, they were screeching with enjoyment as they splashed each other and rode bull on the front of the raft.  We had struck vacation gold.

As if the day couldn’t get any better, later in the evening we drove back up to Beaver Creek where they were showing a movie under the stars at the base of the ski hill.  We spread out blankets and brought snacks.  

By the end of the movie, we had all retreated to the fire pit viewing area as the chilly mountain temperatures set in. 

 7/10/19

This was our most adventurous day of the trip as we were spending the entire day using out Mountain Adventure passes at the summit of Vail Mountain.  The adventure passes were pretty sweet, and certainly a vacation highlight for all of us.

The excursion started with a 10 minute gondola ride to the to Eagle’s Nest.  The summit was covered with outdoor family activities.  

First up, the Forest Flyer Mountain Coaster.  Its like bobsledding on rails.  The ride lasts about a minute, but sends you flying down the mountain at speeds over 40mph.  The vertical drop of the coaster is 3,400 feet.  That is a bigger drop than nine Welch Village ski runs (360 ft.) stacked on top of each other!  This would proves to be such a family favorite, we came back to ride a second time later in the afternoon.

Next up was the Bungee Trampoline, which also was a favorite, and experienced twice during our stay.  Who knew doing flips on these was so difficult!

The third activity of the day was the ropes course.  Aidan and Ashlynn braved the Gore Range Adventure Course scaling and crossing obstacles suspended by cable more than 30 feet in the air. 

By this point, the kids started to split up, as not everybody wanted to do the same activities.  

Brianna and Felicity did the Game Creek Zip Lining Tour before joining Scarlett at the Paramount Peak Climbing Wall.

Then they all did Eagle’s Nest Tubing and the Marmot Mini Kids Tubing.  

Even though the kids tubing was for a younger crowed, our kids loved getting sprayed with water on the hot summer afternoon.  For how hot it was, we were surprised to see see piles of (dirty) snow on the ski hill.

Before doing some second and third passes on the adventure course, we had a great sit down lunch at Eagle’s Nest Restaurant.  And by 4PM, we were exhausted.  The sun and altitude were getting to everybody.  We needed to cool down and get back down the mountain.

Once in Vail Village, we found Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, and a fountain in the middle of the village.

Later that evening, Dyan got the girls all dolled up and we went out for pizza.  

Since it was such a beautiful evening, we got some great pics of the kids around the resort.

7/11/19

Pool Day!  We were at the pool by 10AM, staking claim to front row at the pool – a very highly coveted location.  While the kids frolicked in the pool, Dyan and I picked up Starbucks and a grab bag of candy for them.  They literally played in the pool, ALL.  DAY.  LONG.

That night, we went to the Beaver Creek Rodeo, which was a lot of fun for the kids.  

There was candy, face painting, pony rides and even a calf chase (for prizes) where the kids got to go out into the rodeo.

But the unexpected highlight of the night was an evening dip in the pool.  As dusk settled in, storm were springing all around us, but our resort seemed to dodge most of them.  We all sat in the hot tub and reminisced about our favorite and least favorite vacations.  When we asked the kids what their least favorite family vacation had been, Ashlynn put it best when she said, “I wouldn’t call any of our vacations bad, it’s just that some, (Disney) are better than others.”  All the kids agreed, this vacation IS the BEST.  Dyan and I tended to agree.  Being at a 5-star resort with the kids is a dream come true, and best of all, the kids are finally at an age where they can begin to appreciate the significance of this kind of vacation.

Out of nowhere, the clouds opened up and began downpouring on us.  What would have been the end of the night for most families turned into just the beginning for us.  The kids shrieked as the cold raindrops poured down on them.  But we had no plans to let this “rain on our parade.”  We played right though the thunderstorm.  We swam in the pool for 3 hours that evening, until it closed at 11PM.  There was a flag banner than stretched across the pool.  We spent well over an hour taking running jumps into the pool, trying to touch the flags.  It was an absolute riot.  It was my favorite night of the vacation.  Sadly, it was also, our last night at Beaver Creek…

 7/12/19

…But our vacation was not over.  Nope, not in the least, we had a few more things to do and see.  Our morning started off with a huge, delicious, breakfast at Northside Kitchen.

Next stop, Keystone, CO.  This is the ski area Aaron and I skied at in March.  We arrived a couple hours early, so we spent some time shopping around the ski village and feeding the gigantic rainbow trout in Keystone Lake.

Our big adventure of the day was horseback riding through the Arapaho National Forest.  After arriving at Keystone Stables, we all got assigned horses:

Ashlynn: Angus

Brianna: Peanut

Scarlett: Scout

Felicity: Rio

Aidan: Teddy

Dyan: Rocky

Me: Hack

We bought a 90 minute trail ride through the national forest.  I’ve been on a few trail rides in my days and they’ve run the gamut of good to bad.  Some are just walks along a dirt path which can get pretty monotonous.  Keystone Stables had a different kind of ride in mind for us. One that would test our abilities of riding horse while climbing the side of a mountain in one of the most picturesque national forests in the country.  To say it was anything less than phenomenal would be straight up inaccurate.

The ride started with a gentle stroll through the pasture toward the base of the mountain.  This would be the only chance we’d have to get acclimated to the horse.  We quickly ventured into thick forest and steep, uphill terrain.  At times, the trails were so narrow, our horses had us brushing up on trees and rock ledges.  We climbed over 2,000 feet up the side of the mountain as we moseyed along switchbacks and across avalanche slide areas.  And for some reason, Dyan and I got the problem ponies.  It seemed as though Rocky hadn’t gotten enough lunch.  He kept stopping to eat the grass, which was a “No-No” in the national forest.  No amount of pulling the reins was going to stop his afternoon snack.  And Hack also had an issue.  He’d act like a pokey puppy creating 20-30 yards between us and Dyan/Rocky before going into a full blown trot, almost gallop in an effort to catch up. Our guide noticed this one occasion and asked me to keep our speed in check.   Oopsie.

The ride down the mountain was probably more fun than the ride up had been, because we had to do a lot of leaning back to help keep the horses speed and balance in check as they ventured down the steep terrain. The kids absolutely loved the trail ride and grew quite fond of their equestrian companions.  After we got home from the trip, we asked the kids what their favorite excursion was on the trip.  Trail ride.  Unanimous. Vacation Gold!

We made the hour drive back to Denver, with a picturesque stop at Loveland Pass.

But before the night was complete, we had another special treat for the kids. Dinner.  But not just any dinner.

Our reservations were right at 6PM.  Our venue was the iconic, Buckhorn Exchange! The kids went crazy over all the stuffed animals in the place.  We played a cutthroat game of “I Spy” pointing out the most obscure and unique animals in the restaurant.  

When it was time to order, the kids went with some unique plates too.  For starters, we all shared the cheesy rattlesnake dip, which was an absolute hit. EVERYBODY tried it!  

For dinners, Aidan got a Buffalo ribeye and Scarlett they Buffalo cheeseburger.  Ashlynn and Brianna ordered ribs while Felicity wanted chicken fingers.  Dyan and I split the filet and quail dinner. Everybody enjoyed their meals, however, the quail was nothing to write home about.

After dinner, we spent the evening at the downtown Sheraton hotel, rooftop pool.

 7/13/19

The morning started off with a 1st breakfast at the Sheraton Club Lounge.  We met the manager in the lounge, and he was quite impressed with the kids behavior among the group of business travelers enjoying a quite breakfast.  He called down to the main hotel kitchen and had them prepare some giant, fresh, warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies!  They were absolutely delightful.  After checking out of the hotel, the kids had their 2nd breakfast at Krispy Kreme, right next door.  The sugar would be running high today.

The drive to Omaha should have been super long, and boring, but we came up with a new game.  As the kids played on iPads, Dyan and I started a competition.  The good ‘ol A-Z game.  Simple rules, find a license plate or word that begins with A before progressing to B, then C, and so forth.  The game got feisty as Dyan pulled way out ahead when I could not complete the letter “Q.”  Eventually I did, and came back to beat here at the very end when she was stuck on “X.” But it didn’t stop there.  We then decided to make it a team effort to do the same with numbers.  A daunting task.  The challenge would be going from 1-100, and then completing A-Z.  We’d have today’s and tomorrow’s drives to complete the challenge. It started out easy.  One through nine was a piece of cake.  But things got way more difficult once we reached double digits.  The game was full of frustrations.  We must have passed a dozen signs for Highway ”25” in North Platte, but we unfortunately were stuck on number 24.  We scoured the sides of semi’s, road signs, speed limit signs and gas prices.  Midway through the day, Aidan decided to join the game, AGAINST us.  He caught up in a hurry when we stopped at Sonic for lunch and he counted 1-28 on the drive-up stalls.  Lucky. By the time we reached Omaha, we were both in the 60’s, setting us up for a challenging ride home tomorrow.

That evening, we went to Oklahoma Joe’s for BBQ dinner before retiring to the hotel to let the kids unwind with the Lion King movie.

7/14/19

We reached the final day of the vacation. We spent the morning back at the Omaha Zoo checking out some of the attractions we had missed earlier in the trip. We went to the Desert Dome & Kingdoms of the Night.  The Desert Dome is such a cool attraction, but we had never been to the Kingdoms attraction.  It’s housed underneath the Desert Dome and the dark stairwell to get there is quite unassuming.  But wow, did it ever pop a punch!  It’s basically a nocturnal animal exhibit, so it’s very dark.  But wow, the exhibits are so amazing.  The snakes, alligators, bats and other creatures make this a must see.

We did a couple other exhibits before packing up and getting back on the road for home.  We continued playing the numbers and alphabet game.  The kids had lost a little interest, but Dyan and I were going strong.  I swear, some of the number took over 30 minutes to locate, and when we did, we had some loud celebrations and high fives.  The kids, and passer-byers, must have thought we were crazy.  By Des Moines, we had reached the 80’s.  Just outside of Des Moines, we hit a lucky stretch of numbers and we wrapped up with 1-100 around Ames.  Back to the alphabet.  We needed A-Z before we got home.  While we thought this part of the game would be easier, it ended up be more difficult than we thought.  Interstate 35 is not the heavily traveled semi-truck route that I-80 is.  Less semi’s means less signage.  But, we did have billboards on our side.  Signs like Dairy Queen, Wanamingo, Xpress Scripts helped us seal the deal.  Just outside of Fairbault was the “Zumbrota Mazepa” sign.  That was the “Z” we needed! We found the 126 total signs were looking for!

Around 5PM, we pulled up to the house.  After 2,146 miles, it was home sweet home!  Another remarkable trip in the books.

[dawn-mike]

Monday 15th October - Lucky Charms

Today were to take part in our second and final organised walk from Patagonia Camp,the trip involved two walks, the first would be relatively flat and 6km and would take in the El Salto Grande waterfall and continue to the Mirador Los Cuernos and then on to Lake Nordenskjold , the second was to Condor Viewpoint a steep climb with sensational views. Having spoken with Chris, the activity manager the night before about a photography trip he had suggested this trip and said he would use a second guide who would take is somewhere else in the afternoon. We set off, a party of 6 Brits plus 2 guides, Chris & Tony, and a driver to drive into the National Park and the start of the walk. A quick stop at a viewpoint in front of the mountains where we could see the first hotel in the area at the edge of Lake Pehoe, it was built before the area became a National Park and would not be allowed now. There are a few campsites throughout the Park, which enable backpackers to complete the famous W Trail, which takes a few days to complete. We saw large areas of the park, where the latest devastating fire in 2012 had destroyed 27,000 acres of the park, the fire having been fanned by the high winds even trees on islands in the lakes had been burnt. There is a reforestation programme going on but it will be a slow process as in the climate here the trees only grow approx. 3cm each year! As a result of the fire there are strict rules and penalties for being responsible for fires here, the penalty starts at 5 years imprisonment.

The weather was much colder today, some of the longer hikes had been cancelled due to the much lower temperatures -8, and the risk of ice. Having bundled ourselves up we headed for the waterfall, as we approached a corner we could hear the wind roaring and were hit by a 60km blast, luckily we were on a wide and flat pathway so had some ‘staggering room’! Not only was the wind strong, it was cold and then it started to snow, a sleety sort of snow but it was quite magical. Moving on a little further we dropped out of the wind, although today the wind was coming in very strong blasts so we had to be prepared for sudden gusts! The walk to the lake was interesting as both of our guides had lots of knowledge on the flora, fauna and life in Chile in general that they shared with us. We reached the lake in about 2 hours and had a quick break and photo stop although not for long as we needed to keep warm by walking. We returned to the van along the same pathway and headed off to a local campsite for lunch. The guys set up our picnic table in the shelter and we all sat together and watched the local birds trying to scavenge the crumbs, just small birds today, finches and sparrows. The campsite was very well serviced with toilet/ shower blocks and eating shelters, some of the tents on site had been pitched inside the dining shelters, a good move in the windy conditions!

After lunch it was time for the party to split, Tony and the other 4 headed to the Condor Lookout and Chris suggested a short walk to Samiento Lake, the largest lake in the sanctuary, to see waterfowl. The driver joined us on this short walk making our party just four and we headed off across the rough scrubland, Chris had his powerful binoculars with which he was constantly scanning the horizon .... checking for Pumas! Although it would have been amazing to see Pumas everyone was a bit nervous as they are clearly dangerous animals! We reached a small lake and saw a couple of birds, a very pretty looking grebe and a duck with a blue bill, an Andean Duck. Then onwards to a larger lake where Chris explained about the white rock that was scattered over the ground, it is a type of coral called thrombolite that continues to grow whilst submerged in water but dies off when exposed to the air and is found just in this area. We checked out the water temperature in the lake although cold it was not as cold as we would have expected, way too cold for swimming though - it did not receive water from the glacier so this was probably the reason that it was not icy! The water was beautifully clear, just like the clear and fresh air that surrounded us here, we heard an avalanche crashing in the distance, no doubt due to sun warming up!

Time to head back to the bus, we had not made any great discoveries today but it had been a great day ...... however, this was all about to change. As we headed up the hill Chris kicked a stone and Dawn noticed something on the ground where the stone had been dislodged, it looked like a scorpion but surely it was too cold here! Chris came and took a look and couldn’t contain his excitement, it was indeed a Patagonian scorpion, about 4 cm long and the only indigenous species of the Patagonian National Park ... In the 5 years that Chris had worked here he had never seen one and never thought that he would, they are very difficult to spot and due to a very lucky coincidence we had managed to discover one! This was not the end to our luck today .... as we headed up the hill Chris suddenly stopped and said that he could see a ‘cat’ ...... Dawn, walking behind him, stopped and with a thumping heart, thinking that we were close to a Puma, silenced Mike & the driver. Chris then said that he could see a Geoffrey’s Cat looking straight at him, he snapped away with his camera but none of us could see the extremely well camouflaged head, despite searching no one else could see it, that was until it moved. Then came clear the most beautifully marked small cat, larger than a domestic cat at 70-80cm, but with the markings of a leopard to which it is related, he came within 5m of us as he trotted off down hill. We could not take the grins off of our faces and Chris told us that this animal was one of the rarest in the Park, we were buzzing it had been so exciting to see such a rare animal so close and it was another first for Chris too!

The Geoffrey cat was spotted in the future Patagonian Camp for the first time in 2013 using camera traps as it is rarely seen by humans. When observed closely it can be seen that the animal is much more robust and has a larger head than a domestic cat. Members of the leopard family, they are distinguished by their black spots and brown/golden fur, the tail has noteable black rings from the bottom to the tip. It is the smallest wildcat in the world and despite their wild look they are quite cowardly and if threatened or injured will flee, even if this risks loosing their young. A mother has between 5-6 young which will be independent by around 6 weeks weeks of birth. They eat insects, rodents, fish, birds and small mammals.

We now needed to hurry to get back and pick up the rest of the group, there is just time to get a quick picture of another bird, theAstral Negrito, known as the schoolboy bird locally as it has a black uniform and a red school bag on its back! Unfortunately the ‘Condor View’ group had failed to find Condors at the top of their climb, so renamed the walk ‘No Condor View’, they did however, get spectacular views ...... but we reckoned that we had had the best afternoon.

Tony was pretty fed up that he had not been in our party and even more so when his girlfriend, another guide, who had been walking the Fauna Trail radioed in to say her group had seen a mother Puma with two cubs. A drive back to camp, a check in online for tomorrow’s flight ( we really don’t want to leave) and a final dip in the hot tub and dinner ended our last full day at Patagonia Camp.