#cobblestone paths

[dwuerch-blog]

Let's Launch this Baby!

Yesterday, I spoke of a life of “cruising with Jesus”— a phrase that tickles my soul with joy. For years, the cruise ship has served not only as a vessel of choice but also as a vivid metaphor for my spiritual journey alongside the Lord, charting the waters of life. This afternoon, metaphor merges into reality. We step aboard the Holland America Volendam in the splendid city of Montreal, Quebec,…

[sagent-of-chaos]

i feel absolutely nothing

[woodwool]

going to the city w my family Really putting into perspective how fucked my mobility has become my mom had booked a hotel several kilometers away from everything we were going to and could not comprehend why i was not able to keep up

[mothmiso]

Sønderjylland 2024 (2) (3) (4) (5) by Jesper Hauge

[fembutchboygirl]

I must not be needy. Being needy is the relationship killer. Being needy is the little death that brings total isolation. I will face my neediness. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the neediness has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

[arlathen]

regret.

[lifenconcepts]

[tomirovira]

ROMAN PAVES 202306031625154RT1

Roman roads or roads formed a network of roads that spanned the entire Roman Empire. Originally, the network was designed to maintain effective control of the areas incorporated into the empire, but they quickly acquired economic importance as they facilitated trade and communications. Location: Caldes de Montbui, Catalonia, Southern Europe. Fine Art Prints

[dfl-inc]

AI image generation

[discounterpuppy]

[kjzx]

A funny small bug but in SV if in the same day both an ostrich hatches and an animal gives birth, the name you give to one of the animals will be given to both of them!

[mothmiso]

A summer afternoon In Kalopanagiotis, Cyprus (2) (3) (4) by Eddy Sawaya

[littlesistersti-backupandspam]

itty bitty little people

Sunlight, Afternoon, La Rue de l'Epicerie, Rouen painted by Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903)

[nightingale-prompts]

Just your average coffee shop AU-DCxDP prompt

What do you do when you've been blacklisted from every coffee chain in Gotham?

You have to find other sources.

That is Tim's current predicament but he put out a few messages out and an informant got back to him about a new café that opened on the outskirts of the city.

There wasn't much else on it other than the fact that it was located in an old cemetery. No details or anything.

Desperate for the black icker that made up his blood by this point Tim went.

Walking down the cobblestone path Tim began to doubt if the shop was real. The decrepit tombstones seemed to be the only people here but as he passed the mausoleums he saw a single stone crypt that had a sign.

Hours:

Tues-Saturday 12pm-3:00 am

Sunday: All day

Mon: Closed

(Vlad Masters is banned)

Tim opened the stone door and heard the faint sound of violins and saxophones. A staircase led deeper to an aged wooden door.

The rusty door henge screeched as he opened the door like a doorbell. The room was a lounge with plush seats and smooth wood tables. A dance floor was in the center currently occupied by well dressed patrons. The scent of fresh dark roast coffee filled the air. A band played live music, it was a blend of gothic folk and Jazz. The booths were filled with a few patrons cheering for the performers as they drank coffee and played cards.

The counter where he could order his drink was a bar. Despite what you'd assume they weren't selling alcohol at least not yet. The man behind the counter beckoned him over.

The barista dressed in a white dress shirt and a black buttoned vest embroidered with a ribcage design. He had fingerless gloves with matching skeletal hand design. The man's face was a pale bit warm tone with a blueish green hue on his cheekbones. His lips were a dark ashen black with a subtle shine. It was probably just the aesthetic.

"Evening, traveler." His voice practically purred as he greeted the weary young man"The rhythm's alive, and the spirits are waiting—how can I make your afterlife?"

"Coffee. Black." Tim said gruffly despite to get it in his system.

"Oh, you got it bad, don't you? Let me get you something that will actually help." The bartender said turning to brew a cup.

Tim's eyes scanned the chalkboard menu that hung above the bar.

Hot Coffee Drinks:

Graveyard Brew – A rich dark roast with a hint of smoked caramel. (Tucker's pick)

Phantom Flat White – A smooth flat white with ghostly foam art. (Danny's pick)

Latté of the Damned– A spiced pumpkin latte with black cinnamon dust. (Jazz's pick)

Eternal Espresso– A bold, double-shot espresso.

The Velvet Casket – Mocha with dark chocolate and a touch of vanilla.

Sepulcher Spice – Chai-spiced coffee with a hint of nutmeg. (Val's pick)

Necromancer’s Nitro – Nitro cold brew with a dash of maple syrup. (Dan's pick)

Iced Coffee Drinks:

Cold-Brew Crypt– Smooth cold brew with a splash of sweet cream.

Chilled Cadaver– Iced coffee with coconut milk and a shot of hazelnut. (Dani's pick)

The Frosted Requiem – Blended mocha with chocolate drizzle.

Soulful Swirl– Iced latte with caramel and a swirl of blackcurrant syrup.

Moonlit Macchiato– Vanilla macchiato with activated charcoal. (Sam's pick)

Tim definitely sensed a theme here.

"I added a few shots of expresso and some dark chocolate liquor. It should get you right and some minor heart palpitations. I think I'll call it 'The Black Veil'." The barista smiled very cat-like.

"Am I getting my name on the board?" Tim quipped without thinking as he sipped the hot coffee. Actually, it was cooler than he thought it would be. It was the perfect temperature. And the taste was amazing.

"Only if you're a regular and I think your drink might be too much for anyone else." The barista laughed softly.

"So...this place is pretty um...gothic?"

"This place used to be just for the dead but we've recently over up to the living."

"Heh, I get it."

"Get what?"

Tim coughed awkwardly. He didn't want to stop talking to the goth barista yet and the quality coffee was convincing. Maybe it was the environment. It was like walking into a different world.

"So what's this place called? So I know what Im coming back to." Tim tried to sound cool but let's face it, he's been beat.

"This is the Catacomb Club. Where the spirits swing and the night never sleeps. You should come again soon, cutie. I think I got a good surge of inspiration just looking at you." He purred in delight as he leaned over the bar tapped Tim's cheek.

Tim felt his face burn, the touch felt like electricity tickling his skin. A string of babbling seemed to come out of this mouth as he tried to respond.

"Heh heh, don't keep me waiting dear," he laughed "Oh, and by the way. My name is Danny. Catch me in the early shift. My brother works the late shift mixing the alcohol. But if you want you can catch me on the stage or on the dance floor. I might even make you an extra cup or two." Danny said.

Tim found his footsteps on the way up lighter and only when he made it back the cematary gate did he notice.

He never paid.

[ozzgin]

Algae Monster x Reader content: gender neutral reader, ft. the monster adopt I got from natansiik!

Cottage life was supposed to be idyllic: curious critters, the chirping of birds, the shuffle of vegetation after a soft breeze passes by. What you’d gotten instead was utter silence and emptiness.

This was ridiculous. You stared incredulously at the bird feeder you’d eagerly installed outside, untouched and filled to the brim still. Where was everything? The place should’ve been pulsing with life. Even the flowers you so carefully planted along the little cobblestone path had been afraid to come out of the barren soil.

Frustrated and confused, you reached for your bag and scurried ahead, in no particular direction, hoping to find some answers or at least clear your mind of that suffocating feeling of dread.

Something was deeply wrong with the forest.

As you made your way around the overgrown roots, you began to notice thick clumps of cattails – the only real greenery around there – contouring something beyond your sight. You hadn’t been told of any lake or pond when you moved in, so what were they doing here? Your step became heavier, sinking into muddy ground the closer you got to the wetland.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” you mumbled to yourself, kneeling before the murky water.

You waited a moment, expectantly, yet nothing happened. The damned puddle was just as dead as the rest of the area, devoid of any animals. Right as you were about to turn around, your reflection jolted in waves across the surface, skewing and trembling under the pull of a foreign movement coming from the depths. A fish?

The creature coming out of the pond caused you to fall on your back in terror. It almost resembled a human, tall and slender, with glowing eyes and long claws, its body tangled in a web of seaweed.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see movement around here,” it mused, visibly surprised by your presence. “What are you doing in this graveyard?”

Still taken aback by the monstrosity that had just crawled its way to you, you could only nod and point towards your home. Your voice seemed to be stuck somewhere within your throat.

The idea that you’d been living there seemed to be an even greater shock to the beast. It marveled at you, hesitantly extending a finger and dragging it across your face. Unbelievable. Unconceivable.

You later learned that your unexpected encounter was the main and only inhabitant of the forest, for the very simple reason that everything else wilted in his presence. A spirit of death, meant to lead a solitary existence until time itself came to a halt. Or, as he now discovered, until you’d show up.

By the time you arrive at the pond, he’s already waiting for you. His hollow orbs are narrowed in a smile, flaunting a wide slit across his face. Your eyes involuntarily rest on the sharp rows of teeth protruding from the opening.

“You’re in a good mood today,” you comment as you throw a blanket over the grass.

“Why, of course I am. You’re here.”

He swiftly snatches your wrist and pulls you in a greedy embrace, inhaling your scent. You are indeed here, and you’d better stay here. He’s never known such bliss before. To think someone out there could withstand his ghastly, deadly essence, what a bold dream! Yet here you are, thriving under his touch. For once, his cursed hands bring more than demise.

You’re his precious gift, his most prized treasure. Oh, he’s never letting you go.

[illbegottenfaith]

the one where theo gets glasses

"What did you say you needed again?"

Theo was standing in his bathroom, staring at three equally incomprehensible bottles. From his bed, you called out something unintelligible. He pushed back his hair, damp from the shower, now sticking to his forehead in stubborn clumps.

"What?"

You looked up from the issue of Witch Weekly you had nicked from the common room and were now flicking through. You sighed, repeating yourself.

"Dreamless Sleep potion. The one with the blue label."

A brief silence. Then, his voice echoed from the bathroom, dry and irritable -

"They're all blue."

You huffed, swinging your legs off his bed.

"Just - hang on."

You entered the ensuite to see Theo squinting at the bottles under the bathroom light, holding them up close then far away from his face.

"You look like an old man at the apothecary," you teased. Theo didn't look half as amused.

"I am in an apothecary," he grumbled. "What are all these - so many - and why are their fonts all microscopic?"

You plucked the right potion out of his hand. "They're not microscopic. You just need glasses."

He frowned. "I keep telling you, I don't need -"

"Teddy, you're holding them like it's a tea leaf reading."

He put the remaining vials down. "It's - the lighting."

You didn't look impressed.

"Really? You're going to stand there and tell me you can't read under bright, fluorescent lighting?"

Theo took on a sulky look. "I had it narrowed down," he muttered.

"To what? The cabinet?"

He gave you a look.

"You know, it's very rude of you to be coming in here and insulting my perfectly acceptable vision."

You raised your eyebrows. "This coming from the man who washed his hair with muscle relaxant last week?"

Theo huffed. "I keep telling you, my eyes had soap - "

"Muscle relaxant."

"Oh my god."

"How did you not realise in the shower? You reeked of menthol." You padded out of the bathroom with your potion. "We'll get your eyes checked at Hogsmeade first thing tomorrow."

You pulled the covers up as Theo walked out of the bathroom, dressed for bed, with a faintly petulant look on his face.

"Fine," he mumbled, drawing you close as he joined you under the covers, smelling refreshingly clean of his unscented soap. You dimmed the light just enough for your magazine.

"You look hot," you tried encouragingly as Theo glared at you from behind his dark tortoiseshell lenses.

It was barely 10 am and Theo had already had his eyes examined and his glasses chosen. He didn't seem much appeased by your efforts in finding the frame that would best suit his features and colouring. You were starting to realise him rushing you through breakfast that morning had less to do with his eagerness to get his glasses and more to do with him wanting to finish before everyone else started arriving. Now, as the two of you waited for the bill to be drawn up, he scoffed.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. I'll have to beat off all the fifth year Ravenclaws with a stick, trust me."

"Now you're just mocking me."

You grinned. "Only a little."

You meandered at the door while Theo paid. Outside, spring was in full bloom this time of year. The air was fragrant with the perfume of flowers in the chilly, stagnant morning air.

When Theo stepped out to join you, you stuck your hand in his as you walked back. For a moment, it seemed like he was refusing you before he finally relented and curled his fingers around yours. You watched his expression concernedly.

"Do you really hate them that much?" you asked softly. "Are they really that bad?"

He sighed. The slight weight on his nose felt foreign and the newfound sharpness made everything feel more vivid in a nauseating way. But at the same time, walking down the cobblestone path as the first morning rays filtered through the dissipating clouds felt like seeing spring for the first time all over again.

"I'm just not good with change," he settled for instead.

"But doesn't everything seem crisper? Brighter? Doesn't everything look different? Don't I look different?"

You batted your eyes exaggeratedly at him, earning the first genuine albeit faint smile from Theo in the past 12 hours.

The two of you paused in your tracks as Theo looked at your face. "I don't remember your eyelashes being so...distinct." He cupped your face, dragging his thumb across a faint smudge near the corner of your eye. "And since when have you had this birthmark?"

"Since forever." You stepped back and put your hands on your hips. "Don't tell me you don't even know what I look like."

Theo mock squinted.

"I think I liked you better blurry."

You made a sound of mock indignation.

"I inhale my eggs, come down all this way, go through the headache of picking out your frame for you, and this is how you repay me?"

You sniffed disapprovingly, crossing your arms.

"And to think I used to have a thing for guys with glasses."

Stunned, Theo could only watch as you continued down the path without him at a brisk pace. He thought back to the months you spent badgering him to go and get his eyes checked.

"You couldn't have led with that?"