#you might need to dive into the waterfall of words i call my last post

[alwayslostinfiction]

Ok, reading through my last post I think you can basically break it down into:

What I like about ruby & james relationship a more concise list after the absolute insanity that was my last post:

1. They communicate

2. They are willing to admit they're wrong & correct their behaviour/apologize for it

3. They aren't stuck in their ways. They are open to change their minds when they're proven wrong. Specifically about each other.

4. They support each other/do things for each other

5. They're willing to look a little stupid for each other

6. They are open with their feelings/affection for eachother Infront of everybody (neither of them act like they can't stand the other while they're clearly developing feelings for each other)

7. Their conflict never stems from them being too proud or stubborn to admit they like each other (which kinda goes hand in hand with 6)

[astroshadowdeviant]

Shadow Hunters - Rough Draft Excerpts

So I'm starting over with writing the rough draft of my Shadow Hunters project the name of which I am thinking of changing to Hunters of Shadows for branding sake. These are some short starts- I am basically scene/idea dump writing as I flesh out plot and characters- that I have posted over on my blogspot. I'll likely be writing out a first draft for the entire series and then going in and breaking things up where needed to make each book. Not all scenes presented here may end up in the final story. Of course I will be going through in later drafts to fix stuff like the tenses and POV which I know are currently all over the place. Also it should be noted that except for Bethesda (and maybe Lucy)any names you see are just place holders for the final character names.

Bethesda stared at the purple stick in her hand with its strange yellow-orange topper. Bringing it closer to the light she squinted at the scraggly black swirls that arched across the round surface at odd angles. If Bethesda had to call it anything she would describe it as a wand or a scepter for some person of regalness. The stem wasn't particularly ornate but she couldn't think of anything else it could be if not a wand. And if it did happen to be a wand then her next question was whether or not it actually worked. Heaving a heavy sigh Bethesda stuffed the fancy stick in her backpack and got up to track down the rest of their motley crew. She hoped no one had fallen in a pit or gotten their head bit off by some unholy night crawler while she wasn't looking.

Thankfully it didn't take long to find where at least a few had wandered off to. Bethesda raised an eyebrow when she entered the cavern. “What exactly are you guys doing?” Three pairs of eyes look up at the question. Two sets look slightly guilty and the third...

-

We were lost and wandering through the woods alone. I sniffed; it was the smell of smoke. Someone had to be near. I stiffened. Halo, who was walking behind me stopped right in her tracks. “What is it?” she asked. Not answering her I moved to crouch down into the bushes and started moving in the direction of the smell of the smoke. Even having woken up seemingly in the middle of nowhere and lost I remembered enough from the last time I was here that there shouldn’t be anyone else here whatsoever. I could only think of one group that it could possibly be. And I didn’t like it. “Kaolin?” I held up a finger to signal Halo we needed to be quiet. We had come to a rather thick tangle in the brush. Still crouching, I carefully crawled through a small opening. Halo followed me closely. The opening led to a small nook in between a couple of trees on the edge of a large clearing. The small nook coupled with the thick surrounding brush and dim lighting of the forest offered adequate concealment.

Behind me I heard a muffled gasp from my friend when she looked over me to see through the nook. What we saw confirmed my suspicions from earlier. Huge hulking bipedal beasts were scattered around the clearing.

-

John stares at the blank word document in front of him. The blinking cursor is mocking him he swears. It is laughing at him. It thinks it’s so funny poking fun at him just because he can’t start a single sentence. And now it’s giving him a smug look like I bet I could write this essay better than you all by myself and-

John stops himself and rubs his eyes tiredly. It’s 3:34 in the morning and he has been sitting here for hours. Getting. Nothing. Done. And now he has morning classes in four hours, one of those has a test he still needs to study for and-

He really just needs to go to bed.

Sighing, John sits back in his chair tilting his head to stare morosely at the ceiling. A tiny black spider crawls across the stark white plaster. John tracks its progress idly as he lets his mind start to wander. He really wishes he had taken his sister’s advice against scheduling most of his classes for the morning. At the time, he had figured that he might as well just get the bulk of it done early so that he could spend the rest of the day working and studying. He did not realize how burnt out it was going to make him feel. Not until after he had been doing it for a few weeks. The spider stopped its trek before turning and moving to its left towards the wall with the window.

-

Fighting. Fighting, crying, running away from the sounds of violence. Panic and urgency at the forefront of your mind. I stumble and scrape my knees, my leg, my arms and I’m up again and fighting through the mud and the leaves. It hurts. Oh, it hurts so much- the pain, the sting of the brambles as they nick and dig into my skin. I think my ankle might be twisted. Keep running you can’t stop you can’t- If you stop then it’s the end. No. It can’t be the end you have to keep going. Your breathing is heavy and your throat feels raspy as you pant from exertion. Thud. They’re closer. Thud. Thud. Thud. They’re closer and closer and they’re almost on top of you.

Breathe.

You suck in the air, find a burst of speed you didn’t think you had. You spot the cave up ahead to the side on your left. You don’t think you just run over roots and rocks and dive in. You hunker down and press your back against the wall as you try to catch your breath

It’s a small opening of a cave. Maybe they won’t notice it.

There’s an explosion in the distance- shouting. Footsteps thunder past.

You take this chance to stand back up and run further into the cave. No time to think about where it leads as long it’s away, far far away. You can barely see and your lungs heave from the continued exertion, but you have to keep going you just can’t stop-

Your foot slips.

There’s nothing beneath you.

Darkness.

-

Stop thinking you’re overthinking this it’s so simple really the solution why didn’t you think about it before? So stupid. Estupido. Just pick the rock up. Throw it. Throw it hard like it’s going to burn you if you don’t. Throw it straight into their ugly laughing face. They deserve it. You feel light headed but not the bad kind .This is the kind where it feels like you’re free and you’re looking down on all the tiny insects in the world. It’s addictive and you feel dangerously powerful. You lift your arm and pull back to throw.

“Ella, what are you doing?”

Ella blinks snapping out of it. Startled she looks at the rock in her hand and arm positioned to launch it. I don’t remember picking it up.

-

You pull the chair up and and climb on top of it. You hope no one passing by looks into the room to see you up on the window sill and standing on top of a chair.

-

Raise the broadsword above your head and bring it down swiftly. One quick stroke and they’re done for.

-

Take my hand and watch my life seep slowly out of my eyes like water going down the drain of the kitchen sink. Water is there in my blue eyes and then it’s gone down, down into the dark abyss. What was once a wellspring is now a waterfall running dry.

-

Pulling dirty tricks like that- It’s so… frustrating. I hate it. Am I really any better though? With that stunt I pulled at the museum?

-

Settling down beside the fire I draw my knees up under my chin. All is quiet in the night except for the distant chirping of the crickets. The fire is a delightful break from the harsh cold of the tundras.

-

Cold. Cold. Cold, cold, cold why is it so cold? Teeth chattering temperatures bite at my skin threatening to turn it blue. Water. Hah!

Well-

I guess ice is a form of water. It sucks though

-

“Oh, yes and we’re all just dying to meet you.”

“Well, obviously.”

“Does she understand sarcasm?”

-

You’re at your wits end. You can’t go on like this any longer you just- can’t. You’re exhausted and dirty, honestly you feel like you’ve just been run over by a herd of elephants and then dragged through their dung. And you smell like it too. Lying there in the dark you stare at the ceiling of the sewers you’ve taken shelter in. You’re too tired to move, yet also too tired to fall asleep if that makes any bit of sense. You don’t really think it does, but then when has what you think ever actually mattered in any of this. You’re just sick of it all. You want to go home.

-

1: Burgers are nasty 2: Are… are you okay? 1: There is nothing wrong with not liking burg- 3: No this is sacrilege there is no such thing as not liking burgers how could you even say that 4: That’s not normal bro 1: There is nothing wrong with not liking burgers! 4: *Shaking their head* That’s not normal 3: *Squinting at her* Are you sure you’re a teenager? 1: Yes! I just don’t like burgers 2: Okay, Stacy’s questionable food preferences aside- 1: *Throws her hands up*

-

“Is that a monopoly game?”

He grinned. “Yep!”

Rachel looks at him like he just suggested we go dumpster diving again “……we are not playing monopoly” she deadpans.

“Oh come on”. He plops the box in the center of the floor. “Not like it’d kill you to play one game.” Still grinning.

Lucy cheerily hops up from her spot by the window. “I’m game!” she declares.

-

And now everyone’s looking at him like he just lost the last of his loose screws.

-

I’m at my last straw now. The noise. It just keeps going over and over and over and it won’t stop. There it goes again. I resist the urge to grind my teeth.

[moontemple85-blog]

Winter Vibes

Now that it’s officially Winter (thanks to that fun drop last week from 60 to 30 degrees…you’re too funny, Chicago), it’s time to get in that cold weather (and holiday!) spirit. But where to begin? Well here’s what I’m feeling this season.

FASHION:

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What better way to solidify your friendship than with some Dior friendship bracelets? They come in sets of two so it’s really the perfect gift for you / your bestie this holiday season 🙂

Everything I love captured in one photo — my pups getting festive for the holidays + my G by Giuliana gold puffer. I never knew how much I could love a puffer before this one. Typically they’re boring and bulky, but this one will not make you look like the Michelin man…and I promise the compliments will keep on coming.

Pretty much everything I wear on a regular basis can be found at POGO — a new “Athleisure boutique” (if you will) that just opened in Lincoln Park. Not only is it Instagram worthy (anything with white marble, right?) but their merch is ?. Nike, Adidas Originals, Comme, Public School…they have it all.

I can always count on Net-a-Porter to help me discover new brands / designers. And my latest discovery? Sansoeurs — THE definition of ear goals (even made TWO appearances on my holiday wishlist this year…so hopefully it will make an appearance on my ears post 12/25 ?).

BEAUTY:

I’m all for natural beauty products and it really doesn’t get more pure than Scratch Goods — food grade ingredients all for your skin to (literally) eat up. Not only do I love their products (their body oil is really saving me this winter), their mask bar at their West Loop location is such a fun thing to do with girlfriends (PLUS it’s actually effective). I’ve been struggling with skin issues for about 5 years now. I’ve tried almost everything (organic, prescription, DIY, you name it, I’ve done it) and the only thing that has cleared my skin has been this mask bar! You get to choose from three of their mask bases (pictured above) and three liquids they’re always changing up (like Dark Matter coffee or a juice concoction).  You can mix them all or just a few…totally up to you. I don’t know if it’s the mask itself or that combined with the pre and post prep with all the Scratch Goods products, but my skin has never looked better since I’ve gone to the mask bar. Now I just bought the Charcoal Mask (which is what I have mainly used for my masking at Scratch Goods) so fingers crossed this is the answer to my skin problems!

Not sure why, as someone with naturally frizzy hair, it has taken me so long to try a smoothing shampoo / conditioner…but hey, better late than never right? I typically go for hydrating products but my hair would still be frizzy. A few months ago I started using R+Co’s Bel Air Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner and I haven’t had to deal with frizz since (even tested it out in some humidity while traveling!) I couldn’t believe it. I also use the High Dive Moisture + Shine Creme which makes my hair super soft. The combination of those three products and I’ve never been happier with the look and texture of my hair (finally ?).

WELLNESS:

I’ve been working out at Studio Three for almost a year now (cycling, interval training and yoga in one building — what more do you need?) and as much as I love all their classes, my new favorite is 3×3. What I love about this class is that it works every muscle group (without taking a toll on your body) AND you do it in 40 minutes. It’s 3 upper body, 3 lower body and 3 core exercises you do 3 times (hence 3×3) and you’re done before you know it. I’m all about efficiency so this is really my ideal workout!

If I could pick a #1 for this post it would be Aire Ancient Baths. I’m all for unique experiences and this was honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. The company started in Spain with this idea of an ancient bathhouse. They’re now all over the world and just expanded to the US with locations in New York and Chicago! The standard “thermal bath” gets you access to all their baths (which are more like small pools) at various temperatures. My two favorites were the salt bath (which has as much salt as the Dead Sea, so you just float) as well as the indoor / outdoor where you literally can swim outside to this beautiful waterfall. I was skeptical of that one as I get cold very easily but as long as you stay in the water (which is nice and toasty) you’re golden (and I did this in 20 degree weather). They also offer massages and signature experiences like a Wine Bath (which I am dying to try) and Himalayan salt exfoliation to name a few. All I can say is that words don’t do it justice — you just need to check it out for yourself! It’s fun to do with a friend or a group, on a date, or you can even rent it out for a party / special event. Basically I want to live there so if you ever need someone to go with, I am always in!

FOOD:

I go out to eat way more than is healthy or financially responsible for any one person BUT that means I get to test everything out and share all those that are worth while…with you! Hands down the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in 2017 is Proxi. It really just has everything going for it — stunning interior, fantastic cocktails (their take on a Negroni, called Europeans in the Tropics, with a coffee ice cube is one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had) and ridiculously tasty food. My favorite dish has to be the Tempura Elotes (pictured above). It’s like a combination of Elotes and waffle fries. How could you not be sold? Other star dishes: Shaved Zucchini, Raw Tuna and the Grilled Chicken.

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MUSIC:

Wonder what I’ve been listening to all year? Here’s 5 hours and 44 minutes of my most played songs of 2017.

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Looking forward to some 2018 vibes, but in the mean time…

Images via Instagram

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Source: https://chicityfashion.com/winter-vibes/