#Farm Equipment Market news

[teaboot]

Thank you for actually mentioning the fishing nets! I've seen so many people, not just tumblr users but professional Youtubers with big followings, bring this up, gesture vaguely in the direction of that misquoted 100 corporations paper, and then never mention where the plastic waste is actually coming from.

the top three industries in pollution are Fuel and Energy. Second is Food and Agriculture. Third is Fashion.

Even as bad as general plastics are- single-use packaging, containers, grocery bags, all of it- it barely scratches the surface on oil, coal, industrialized farming, and fast fashion.

That fishing nets are for- (dramatic pause)- food and agriculture

Yall have heard of the pacific garbage patch? That floating island literally twice the size of Texas made of discarded plastics? It's not all water bottles and plastic straws. In fact, IT IS MOSTLY FISHING NET.

BUT, as I've said before, a company can make a profit off selling you a metal straw and a reusable bottle and marketing itself as eco-concious and cute. There's not a lot anyone can sell you to make you feel like you're doing your part against discarded agricultural equipment.

You wanna change the world? Invent a $25 trinket made of old usee fishing nets and pay a Kardashian to wear it on TV.

And find a way to visibly infuse the properties of REAL OCEAN GARBAGE into its design or function, because otherwise every two-dollar contracted sweatshop from China to Pakistan will be pumping out brand-new fishing net hair scrunchies for half the price from now till the sun implodes, and the surplus waste from every single one will end up right there with that real stuff in the middle of the ocean.

Easily authenticated non-reproduceable upcycled fish net fashion accessories. They're the future

[haikyu-mp4]

“Your back cracks like an ice tray every time you get out of that grandpa chair of yours, so please for the love of all things nice, hire some help!” Aran scolded, regretting it quickly when Kita hit him with a cold stare that sent chills down his back.

“I’m perfectly fine doing this on my own, thank you,” Kita answered calmly. His friend made a face, knowing he wouldn’t win this fight anyway, and let the topic go so they could watch the volleyball game as they planned.

Fast forward about two weeks and it’s time for the local market to start up. There was news of a new neighbour moving to town, looking for some work to get away from city life. Kita sure hoped you found something, and he wished he could be of help but unfortunately...

Oh…

Kita stopped the second he entered the market, carrying medium-sized bags of rice that he knew the ladies liked to buy. His eyes had caught something much more interesting than the stands. Namely, you.

You were so gorgeous, dressed in the cutest clothes that reminded him of what would pass as cottage core from what he had seen on Instagram when he checked it last month. Just as he was staring, you seemed to notice him as well, waving eagerly.

Instinctively, and a little stupidly, he dropped the sack of rice from one arm to wave, only to startle as the sack hit the ground. He rushed to pick it back up, blushing as your laughter rang and notified him of you moving closer.

Kindly, you tried to take one from him to carry but he assured you there was no need. “That’s just fine, don’t worry. You’re new in town, right?”

“I am! You don’t happen to need any help on your rice farm, Shinsuke?” He was about to ask how you knew his name, only to spot his grandmother standing over by his booth with a clever smile.

Kita shook his head and chuckled, looking back at you fondly. “Maybe I could use an extra set of hands.”

So when Aran visited next, you can imagine his surprise in seeing you wielding Kita’s equipment as you cared for the rice paddies, the farmer himself watching you with soft eyes.

masterlist

[justadeadreaper]

Calling König's toddlers picky eaters is the understatement of the century, if there ever was one. The word picky does not even describe how abhorrent his children are when it comes to eating food. Unlike their father, who will virtually eat anything you put in front of him no matter if it is burnt or decayed due to how he was brought up with food being a limited supply, so he is just happy to eat for once (for context on how horrific be one time you found a whole ecosystem in a bowl in his fridge that smelt like complete rot and he said it was still fine to eat), they will refuse anything and if you dare bring new foods around them expect it to be thrown onto the floor. For weeks on end, they will refuse any other food but their current fixation, then randomly, their little minds decide one day that the food is now their greatest enemy and will refuse to eat it and anything else until they find their next fixation. 

The foods they always like? The main ones are any type of fish or meat that was fried or breaded, cheese, or anything made of potatoes, cream, bread, pasta, and strawberries. The foods they always hate? The obvious ones, like most toddlers their age, are vegetables and fruits, but their hate list also includes anything new, slimy, or that smells or looks slightly off.

Given how picky they can be, König has had to become creative in getting them to eat a healthy diet.

Luckily, with having a well-paid job, a dodgy side hustle/”hobby”, and enough savings to make an average person have a heart attack König can afford to be able to get creative when he is cooking for his darlings. He will spend hours upon hours searching online for recipes and then perfecting them to make sure that the taste of vegetables will be unrecognisable so that they will finally eat them. No matter how hard or time-consuming it is, he continues to do it just because he knows it is the best for his toddlers and he can have nothing but the best for the lights of his life. After enough tests and trials with having his toddlers be his taste testers, he realised what worked best and spent thousands upon thousands of euros to get the equipment to continue doing this.

The first step König makes to put his big plan into action is to make deals with some local farmers and fishers at the market in one of the nearby villages or towns who will drop off fresh produce like meat, vegetables, fruits, grain, and dairy products for him and his kids to eat and in return, he pays them highly for both dropping off the food and giving him some of the best product. He also pays a few to help him set up his own mini farm in his garden so that he can grow a few things himself and with his toddlers so they appreciate their food more as they know where it comes from (if anyone is interested, I can expand on this idea). His next step is to order cookie cutters online, whether they be ones he had to have custom-made or ones he just found randomly when scrolling on some shopping site he had the recruits recommend him; the reason why he decides to order them is because he realised that his toddlers are more likely to eat their food or try new food if it is themed around their interests. 

And, his final step is to redo his entire kitchen from the stove to the sinks to the fridge (he decides to get two double fridges rather than the single one he had before) while getting more utensils that are not the normal things like a spatula or grater as they are more appliances like food mixer for baking or a slow cooker or a rice cooker until his kitchen was full of cooking equipment. He had brought everything he could think of and that others at KorTac or online had recommended, even if it was over the top and had cost him tens of thousands of euros, but his children were worth it all, even if it was a bit of a sink in his pocket.

With his set-up complete and recipes at hand, König can begin cooking for his picky eaters. Due to his toddlers’ preference for fried food such as chicken nuggets, he will put the chicken through the grinder himself to make a paste into which he can put chopped vegetables such as onions, peppers, corn, or mushrooms into which he can then season and bread after using the cookie cutters to make special shapes such as dinosaurs or shark or stars or rockets, it just depends on his what his toddlers’ interests are. He makes tiny edits to most of the recipes, since he prefers to make the components by hand, to make them healthier so that his toddlers have all the nutrients they need so they do not suffer like he did as a child where certain nutrients were neglected in favour of others. König will then spend hours in the kitchen preparing his meals, never letting his toddlers see his crafty tricks that get them to be healthy, which he will then serve to them like it is their regular food.

Examples of the displays of main dishes he puts together for his toddlers are fried fish in the shape of sharks with vegetables cut out in the shape of fish and potatoes that look like coral as it is plated on a water/ocean-themed plate if the toddler’s interest is sharks or a mashed potato volcano with a broccoli forest and vegetable shavings grass with dinosaur nuggets running away as it is plated on a forest-themed plate if the toddler’s interest is dinosaurs or vegetable shavings grass with chicken nuggets in the shape of bunnies with potato fries in the shape of Easter eggs or carrots as it is plated on a grassland-themed plate if the toddler’s interest is bunnies as Miffy has been getting extremely popular or alien shaped chicken or fish nuggets with mashed potato meteors, vegetables shaped into planets or stars, and one massive fry in the shape of a rocket as it is placed on a galaxy-themed plate if the toddler’s interest is the stars and space. Normally, the main dishes will come with a side of any food group he does not add to the main dish, or it may be extras he thinks his toddlers will like but wants them to control the amount they have, like a mixture of cheese he shredded or others vegetables he cut up that they can use to break up their main meal or a fresh bun he had brought.

While the examples of desserts and snacks he makes for his toddlers are milk bread sandwiches with a filling of cream, jam, and fruits that are cut into any shapes his toddlers want that day, or he will use an ice cream machine he brought to make a more healthy version of ice cream that he will sneak more fruits into that he thinks will match the flavour (such as strawberries and blueberries or peaches added into vanilla ice cream or bananas added into vanilla ice cream) with frozen or dried fruit shavings as a topping or a snack they can chew on in the middle of the day or tiny, or little cupcakes filled with fruit pieces and topped with homemade cream that can fit into their tiny little hands as he uses cut up fruits to add features such as spines or bunny ears or marshmallows with details on like stars or paw prints or specially shaped pancakes that are decorated with fruits and whipped cream to give details to make it look like their interests like dinosaurs or cats.

But this is not everything. With the countless recipes he has, he can make countless displays so that his toddlers are never bored. He may substitute one ingredient for another if he wants his children to try new foods or if he wants to change the taste slightly to stop boredom. He may substitute and swap options for new variety or when he thinks his kids are lacking, as he just wants to make sure they are healthy and try any food possible.

[raspberrybesitos]

Woven in the Stars | din djarin x f!reader

Series masterlist | Main masterlist

Chapter 1 - Stitching Serenity

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Word count: ~2.5k

Chapter summary: As he adjusts to life on Nevarro, Din Djarin ventures into town with his son, Grogu, to gather supplies to finish settling into their new home. While shopping, he has a chance encounter with you - a local seamstress. The two of you make an instant connection, as he's drawn in by your beauty and kind heart. After striking up a deal with you, Din heads home after a long day, where suppressed feelings of loneliness and desire arise.

Chapter warnings: slow burn, domestic!Din, dad!Din, mutual pining, yearning, loneliness, bit of flirting, inaccurate star wars info, male masturbation, Din Djarin is referred to as Din and i’m not sorry, reader is female, no mention of hair type/skin color/body type, NO USE OF Y/N.

A/N: happy mando monday! we’ve got another series, babes! buckle up - we’ve got mega pining incoming. Din is a very special character that i hold close to my heart. 🩵 he is so complex, and i want to handle him with so much love and care. i hope y'all enjoy this introduction to the series! feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments or in my asks/dms 🫶🏼

Divider by @saradika

Light blazes through the cracked window, his room rapidly warming up from the brutal Nevarro heat. Din stirs as he hears his son babbling from his room right next to his. Rising to his feet, he pads into the next room, greeted by an excited Grogu. Din scoops him up out of his bed, and carries him into the kitchen.

Grogu’s been babbling a lot more, Din is curious if he’ll say his first words soon. He fixes up Grogu’s breakfast and sets him in his chair at the table along with the food. Making sure his son doesn’t choke while eating, he makes a mental list of things they need to get today at the market.

Beams, wire, fence lining.

Grogu spills some of his breakfast on his tunic, eliciting a sigh from Din. 

New clothes for Grogu are added to the list.

After breakfast, Din changes Grogu out of his messy tunic into a spare one he keeps in the drawer for laundry days. Settling Grogu back into his tiny bed, which Din so proudly made himself, he places his favorite ball and a stuffed frog Greef Karga had gifted to him inside to keep him occupied while he gets ready.

He trudges into the refresher, turns on the shower and strips down before stepping into the water. While scrubbing, Din makes another mental list of chores he needs to do around the farm. 

Tend to the yard, give the starfighter a tune-up, begin building the fence around the pond.

He steps out of the shower and dries off. Dressing in the refresher, he slips back out into the hall and back into his room.

He’s still adjusting to this new life, never knowing such tranquility and domesticity before. They haven’t got much yet, but he’s trying his best. Wanting to give his son a new, calmer life after all they’ve been through.

Sliding on his helmet and tacking on his remaining equipment, he slings the sack Grogu likes to occasionally ride in over his shoulder. He pads back into Grogu’s room, scooping up his gurgling son as he’s entertained with his toys, and placing him into his pram. The clan of two sets off on a long day of gathering things for their new home.

Sauntering into the markets, the clan heads in the direction of the hardware stand. Buying a few beams, wire, and a few sheets of metal fencing to build a fence surrounding the pond in his front yard. Din efficiently packs the supplies together and slings them on his back.

The fabric stand catches his eye, noting that he and Grogu do need more clothes, and even some new bedding.

As Din peruses through the selection of handcrafted items, picking up a new set of sheets for himself and garments for him and his son, Grogu wanders off in his pram to the stuffed animals.

Din perks up at Grogu’s babbling, seeing that his son has picked up a stuffed bantha. “No, Grogu. Put that down, we’re only buying things we need right now.” Grogu’s ears droop as he whines. “We’ll come back in a few days. I promise, kid.”

“Do you need help with anything?” A sweet voice breaking through the bustling air.

You appear from behind one of the cloaks that are hung up on display, kindly smiling at him and Grogu. Din’s breath hitches in his throat at the sight of you. You look radiant, ethereal - your beauty rendering him speechless for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Uh, no, ma’am. Is this your stand?” He asks, feeling flustered.

“It is. Do you like that one, baby?” You ask, crouching a bit to get on Grogu’s level, who’s cooing at your words. “Take it, sweetheart. It’s okay,” you gently tell him. 

“Oh no, I’m sorry. We’re only buying necessities today. Will you have any more next week?” You smile up at the mandalorian. “Nonsense, it’s on the house,” you tell him, giddy as a toothy grin plasters your face. “I’m afraid I can’t accept, ma’am. Thank you for your generosity, but-” 

“You mandalorians are always so cordial. I insist it’s on the house. It’s alright, sweet boy. Go on, take it,” you say. Grogu squeals and squishes the stuffed bantha into a bone crushing embrace, your heart melting at the sight of the little green child. 

“Thank you, ma’am. That’s very kind of you. Could you at least let me pay for it?” You playfully roll your eyes. “Is your helmet sound proof or something? It’s on the house,” you smile, winking at him.

Thank the stars Din wears this helmet, or else you’d be able to see how red he is underneath. 

“I surrender. You drive a hard bargain. I’d at least like to pay for the clothes and these sheets. Are you the seamstress in charge, ma’am?”

You perk up at his question. “I’ll allow you to pay for the clothes, and that I am!”

You’ve got a bit of a spunky personality, from what Din can gather.

“Do you happen to take commissions? These shirts will fit him fine, but if it’s not too much trouble, could I possibly ask for some smaller ones that’ll fit him a little better? I’ll even pay double whatever you normally charge,” he rambles. A twinkle glints in your eyes, your face hurts as you can’t stop smiling at the flustered mandalorian.

“I do take commissions. And no need to pay me double, I’m more than happy to help at whatever price works for you,” you kindly respond. The mandalorian huffs out a modulated chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Thank you very much, ma’am. Could I stop by tomorrow with him to get his measurements? We’ll be in town again gathering more supplies for our new cabin. We’re still settling in and I want him to have enough clothes,” he tells you.

“Sure! I’ll be here for the next week until dusk or whenever I sell out, whichever comes first. Are you liking Nevarro so far?” You curiously ask, wondering if he’s got a spouse at home.

“We are. It’s a much quieter life than our past one, but… it’s a nice change. Just want to make sure the kid has everything he needs.” 

You nod at his answer, unable to stop the next words tumbling from your lips. “Does your spouse need any custom garments as well, or just your son?” 

“No spouse. It’s just me and my son,” he quickly blurts. Your smile reappears at his answer, silence brewing amongst you two. Grogu’s gurgling cuts through the air, both of you turning to look at the excited child in his pram.

“You’re a good dad,” you softly tell him.

“Thank you. You’re a very kind woman. Thank you for being so kind to my son,” he quietly says, fondly staring at Grogu who is occupied with his new toy. “Of course. I can tell he’s a sweet kid. Also helps that he’s adorable. I can fold those by the way,” you say, hands out awaiting his items.

“Oh, thank you very much,��� the mandalorian says gratefully, intently watching you fold his purchases as he searches for his next words. Not wanting your conversation to end just so he can hear your sweet voice.

“Do you make those stuffed animals as well?” The mandalorian asks you. “I do.” 

“You’re very talented,” he compliments. Now it’s your turn to feel flustered, heat surging throughout your body - and it’s not from the blistering Nevarro heat.

“Thank you very much,” you gracefully tell him with a bashful smile, silently asking for the items in his hands

“I might just have to commission you for one of those as well,” the mandalorian says as he hands you the credits for the sheets and garments as you fold them.

“Apologies, as well, for not introducing myself earlier. I’m…Mando. It was nice meeting you,” Mando says, trailing off at the end while packing everything into his bag. 

The market bustles now, making you shuffle a bit closer to him so he can hear you, as you timidly give him your name. He quickly repeats it, burning it into his memory. The gap between you both having grown smaller. Catching a whiff of your sweet perfume, Din’s knees nearly buckle.

Of course you’re the embodiment of sweetness - and he longs to have a taste.

Flashing him your dazzling smile, you stick your hand out, awaiting his grasp. His face grows hot as he shakes your hand, both of your touches lingering. You gaze deeply into the slit in his helmet, hoping he can sense a sliver of desire from you.

You shuffle even closer, nearly fully flushed against his beskar. “It was nice meeting you too, Mando. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Your voice hushed, your words only meant for him to hear. 

“Yes, we’ll be back in the morning,” Mando says just as quietly. Your smile softens as you glance down to your conjoined hands. You pull away, realizing your hold on his hand lingered for a tad too long.

He clears his throat before turning to his son. “Come on, Grogu. Let’s go,” he barks, causing Grogu to snap his head up and look at his father.

“Bye, baby! Oh, hold on a second!” You say, fishing in your pocket and pulling out a piece of candy. “Here you go!” You squeak as you hand him the sweet treat. His eyes light up and he gurgles in excitement. He hurriedly takes the candy from you, unwrapping it to shove it in his mouth. 

“Grogu, what do you say?” His father sternly asks him. Grogu looks up at you and babbles what you think is his version of ‘thank you.’

“You’re welcome, Grogu. Bye bye!” You giggle as you wave off the clan. 

Din makes one last stop, purchasing some things to make dinner. He carries his bag of garments and sheets in one hand and the bag of ingredients in another as his hardware rests on his back. He lugs everything back home as Grogu entertains himself with his new toy.

Opening the door, Grogu rushes in first in his pram as Din trails behind and shuts the door. He tosses the bags onto the couch and settles the hardware in a corner of the living room. Grogu babbles as he plays with the bantha you gave him, giving Din the perfect opportunity to quickly cook him some soup for dinner.

It’s different not living out of ration packs, and actually having time to cook a real, hot meal. Domesticity is so foreign to him. The thought of sharing this new life with someone - with you - quickly infiltrates his mind. His mind swirls as recalls his encounter with you today while making dinner. 

How did you become a seamstress? What’s your story? Do you give away stuff for free to other customers? Or was it because you’re interested in him? Is that why you had asked if he had a spouse? Or were you just being polite? Why does he care so much? He hadn’t thought about the other merchants this way, but there is something about you that has pulled him into your orbit, making him unable to shake you from his mind.

Grogu’s cooing pulls him from his trance, the soup he’d prepared had boiled over while he reeled through his thoughts. Din exasperatedly cleans up the mess and serves Grogu dinner, who scarfs it down the second it’s placed in front of him. As his son eats, Din continues reeling.

He’d been fine with being alone all these years. Why is he starting to feel this way? He and Grogu have been living here for a few months now, so why is he suddenly feeling a sense of desire? Longing? Even loneliness? Could it be the paternal instinct to provide more for his son? Or could it simply be you?

A tiny burp drags him back into reality. Grogu tiredly yawns, his belly full after a long day at the market with Din. His eyes droop, along with his ears. Din scoops him up and heads to Grogu’s room. He places the green child in bed, placing the stuffed bantha you’d gifted him alongside him.

Din shuts the door and walks into his room next door. He continues to think of you while stripping his armor. He’d suppressed his feelings of loneliness for years now, but something about you had brought them to the surface.

Perhaps it was the way you treated Grogu with such sweetness, so maternally. Or perhaps it was your divine beauty which shines so brightly, penetrating from within your kind heart into the external realm. Whatever it may be, Din could not seem to shake the overwhelming feelings of yearning and loneliness - needs craving to be fulfilled by someone, by you.

Sighing as he removes his helmet, he changes into sweats and opts to sleep shirtless tonight. Padding into the kitchen, he puts the dishes from dinner into the sink, grabbing a glass in the midst of everything.

He knows his son is a Jedi and can overpower him at any moment, but Din still places his spotchka on the top shelf of a cabinet. He just hopes for the best and trusts Grogu won’t get into it.

Swiping the spotchka from the high point, he pours himself a hefty helping and chugs it. Helping himself to two more glasses, he begins to feel the effects, his eyes glazed over and heavy.

Placing the spotchka back on the top shelf and his empty glass in the sink, he walks back to his room and pulls his blanket back. Settling into bed, he still can’t get you out of his head.

His cock twitches at the thought of you, palming himself through his sweatpants. Images of you flash through his mind as he takes himself out of the confines of his sweatpants. His length springs out and bounces onto his stomach, thumping in the processing. 

Din spits into his hand and winces as he strokes his cock. He’s so hard it hurts. Closing his eyes, he sighs as he strokes himself up and down, gathering the bead of precum that has dribbled from his tip and smearing it along his length. 

The memory of you smiling as you appeared from thin air has him thumbing at his sensitive head. Your sweet scent lingers in his nose, smelling of florals, candy, and a hint of musk. He picks up the pace at the recollection. His breathing grows ragged as he remembers the glint in your shimmering, kind eyes. A fire burns in his veins, balls throbbing as he nears the edge.

He recalls how his skin felt electric beneath his glove as you shook his hand. The thought of your lingering touch sends a jolt of lightning through his veins as he replays the sweet sound of his name fluttering from your lips.

He wonders if his real name would sound just as sweet.

At that thought, he teeters off the cliff and plummets into his orgasm, painting his stomach with his spend while he groans your name. There’s so much cum, he’s definitely going to have to use his new bedding tonight.

He swims through the treacherous waves of his climax, sweat sheening his body. His hair sticks to his forehead and the back of his neck, a heady bliss crashes over him as he tries to catch his breath. He hasn’t cum that hard… ever.

He pants as he throws an arm over his face. Attempting to steady his breathing, he exhales a deep sigh. He’s never been so frustrated with himself. He’s always had more self-control, more discipline when it came to his desires. It’s unbelievable, and downright embarrassing, how quickly he caved at the thought of you. He doesn’t even know if you’re interested in him that way. It’s not like he could give you everything you deserve either, so long as he follows the Way.

Rising to his feet, he pads into the refresher to clean up the mess he made on his stomach. He heads into the living room, rummaging through the bags he carried in earlier. Slipping into the new pair of pants he purchased from you, along with grabbing the new sheets, he trudges back into his bedroom. He strips the bed and replaces the sheets with the ones you crafted and sold to him.

Groaning, he plops himself onto the mattress and stares at the concrete ceiling. Scintillating moonlight shines through the cracked window while the embarrassment and guilt sink in.

How is he supposed to face you at the market tomorrow?

An exhausted sigh rumbles from deep within his chest. He's never been more eager to wear his helmet ‘til now. He turns on his side before nodding off - hoping for a dreamless sleep, one free of you.

thank you for reading! may the yearning begin 🫡 i’m setting these two up for a slow burn hehehe

we will learn more about reader and her story in the next chapters!! i just wanted to introduce Din’s mindset after settling into a calmer life with Grogu

i want to delve some more into Din’s mind and examine his loneliness since we only catch very brief glimpses of it in the show. we know he gets lonely though, an example being apart from Grogu for 2 years. he’s a human after all underneath all that armor. a complex one at that with being an orphan and having to hide himself all the time.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed! let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future chapters <333

tag list: @gracieheartspedro @undrthelights @tinygarbage @party-hearses @bastardmandennis @nostalxgic @pascalpvnk @javierpena-inatacvest @mandoisapunk

[zvaigzdelasas]

China’s economy is currently on the operating table, hunched over by surgeons, chest cavity splayed open, hooked up to a cardiopulmonary machine, surrounded by nurses staring at monitors flashing vital signs. It all looks rather grim.

This surgery, however, is not an emergency bypass. That would be too easy. China has had many of those already – stimulus packages, grand infrastructure projects and many rounds of directed lending.

Every two decades or so, going all the way back to the founding of the PRC in 1949, the surgeons get ambitious. These guys are mad scientists attempting a comic book trope – to create the ultimate superhero.

They want to inject super serum, replace skeletal calcium with adamantium and dose the patient with gamma rays, giving China the powers of shazams out the wazoo.[...]

In the lamented “pre-reform” era, China’s mad scientists engineered spectacular growth by increasing investment from a prewar 6% of GDP to 20% in the first Five-Year Plan, covering 1952-1957. This led industrial output to register a compound annual growth rate.

The Great Leap Forward accelerated this growth to 66% in 1958 and 39% in 1959 before crashing and burning in 1961 when mismanagement of communal farms and “backyard blast furnaces” caught up with the mad scientists.

Course correction starting in 1962 recovered all lost ground by 1965. According to economist Cheng Chu-Yuan, China’s GDP growth averaged 11% between 1952 and 1966, the eve of the Cultural Revolution. (T. C. Liu of Cornell and K. C. Yeh of the Rand Corporation have a lower estimate: 8%.)

More importantly, China built a full kit of infrastructure, machinery and equipment capable of driving future industrialization.[...]

Many analysts have a tabula rasa understanding of China’s reform era, as if there had been no economy before Deng Xiaoping. In reality, China’s industrialization started right after the formation of the PRC with some of the fastest growth recorded in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Even during the “low growth” Cultural Revolution, resources directed towards public health (for example, barefoot doctors) and primary education doubled life expectancy and quadrupled adult literacy by 1980 from pre-PRC levels.

The mad scientists are now at it again. They have about twenty years of new data not just on China but from the rest of the world. When Zhu Rongji was head surgeon, history had ended and markets reigned supreme. This time around, the surgeons are correcting for market irrationality and negative externalities. The next twenty years is again being determined on the operating table.

Three years ago, the surgeons pried open China’s chest cavity with the three red lines credit limits, instantly seizing the speculation driven property sector. Since then, they ripped out unnecessary organs like education companies, clamped the Ant Financial artery and eviscerated the video game industry. All of this has caused spasms in vital signs from lackluster growth to rising youth unemployment. Wondering whether China will or will not stimulate the economy next quarter or next year is missing the forest from the trees. For the next few years, China’s economy will still be under the knife and whatever adjustments will merely be anesthesiologists and technicians nominally dialing the drugs up and down and adjusting the heart-lung machine to maintain vital signs.

What are these mad scientists trying to achieve? We believe President Xi Jinping’s 2020 target of doubling China’s GDP by 2035 stands. That is an average growth rate of 4.7% for 15 years. But beyond just a numerical target, it is important to figure out what superpowers China is trying to acquire. And just as importantly, what Kryptonite factors China is attempting to inoculate itself against.

China wants America’s Silicon Valley, but regulated; Japan’s car companies, but electrified; Germany’s Mittelstand, but scalable; and Korea’s chaebol conglomerates, but without political capture. It wants to lead the world in science and technology, but without cram schools. A thriving economy, but with common prosperity. Industry, without air pollution. Digital lifestyle, without gaming addiction. Material plenty, without hedonism. Modernity, without its ills. This is, of course, a wish-list and unrealistically ambitious. But these mad scientists sure as hell are going to try. They’ve developed a taste for it.

In college, early into the semester, we went through a ritual called course exchange. Students gathered in an auditorium to swap classes after sampling lectures for three weeks – satisfaction was not guaranteed. The strategy passed down to underclassmen applied to both course exchange and significant others: “Add before you drop.”

China is undergoing – but perhaps botching – the same process with a more party-esque slogan, “Establish the new before abolishing the old.”

The surgeons have been on a tear gutting the old. The big kahuna is, of course, the property sector. But right behind are platform monopolies, private education, financial services and video games. The new has been playing catch-up, with 5G equipment, electric vehicles, photovoltaics and wind turbines being leading examples.

From all appearances, the Industrial Party is in ascendance and China will double down on climbing the manufacturing value chain. The Industrial Party is a political identity that believes industry, science and technology should determine China’s future. Adherents believe that China’s strength lie in the technical skills of her population and thus favor hard-science, high-tech industries as opposed to services and business model innovations.

Therefore, Chinese politicians, whatever their predisposition, must find a way to create space for this next generation of scientists and technicians to develop themselves. They cannot be confined to a production line at a Foxconn plant. Maintaining social stability means finding a use for future scientists and technicians, which means pursuing industrialization. Is there any other way? The key variable for determining the course of China’s future development is thus the massive number of talented technical and scientific workers.

If mistakes were made, it would have been in sequencing and in faith – dropping before adding is a poor strategy in both love and course exchange. China’s mad scientists may have been too confident that electric vehicles and renewable energy would be followed quickly by semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and commercial aircraft.

Perhaps they have reason to be confident. Planning for this surgery has been in the works since 2015 with the Made in China 2025 project. China has been steadily eroding imports of high value added intermediary goods like batteries, precision parts and electrical components, flipping trade with South Korea from deficit to surplus.[...]

China never properly transitioned from its Soviet era Material Product System (MPS) of national accounts to the United Nation’s System of National Accounts (UNSNA) standard, leaving out much of services from reported GDP.

We calculate that China accounts for 22-24% of global GDP and 20-23% of global consumption. We also calculate that household consumption is 50-55% of China’s GDP, in line with global averages. China should easily be able to grow at 4.7% through 2035 with only a modest increase in consumption’s GDP share (5 percentage points over 10 years) without upsetting global economic balances.

In the reform period prior to Xi, everything was sacrificed at the altar of economic growth. In the new era, growth has been walked down from 9.6% in 2011 to an average of 4.7% in the Covid years (2020-2023) as an increasing litany of issues were given precedence. Debt however, soared over this time from 175% of GDP to over 300%. What exactly did all that debt buy?

When Xi assumed leadership of China, he declared that inequality could not be allowed to increase further. Inequality is perhaps the major Kryptonite factor of the American economy which China wasted no time in matching as the economy roared with market reforms.

While still problematic, inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has steadily fallen since 2010 largely as a result of massive investment in urbanization, pushing people into cities and pushing cities up the tiering ladder.[...]

China also poured resources into stamping out last-mile poverty. While most poverty alleviation in China was through economic growth, recalcitrant extremely poverty could only be eradicated by concentrated marshaling of resources, from relocating entire villages to weekly visits by social workers.[...]

Since peaking in 2012, air pollution in Beijing has been cut by over 60%, with Shanghai falling over 50%. China, which used to dominate the list of most polluted cities, now only claims one spot in the top 20. None of this came cheap, from installing scrubbers in smoke stacks to increasing renewables to moving heavy industry to strict emissions regulations for cars.[...]

Before Hu Jintao handed the reins to Xi, Hu warned delegates to the 18th Party Congress in 2012 that “[corruption] could prove fatal to the party… and [cause] the fall of the state.” The popular opinion in the West is that Xi ended China’s highly successful reform era because of an ideological bent. This is off the mark. Xi was brought in to clean house as the wheels were coming off from excesses of the reform era.

Throughout Xi’s decade in office, there has been no letup in his anti-corruption campaign. In 2022, a record 638,000 officials were punished for corruption. While there haven’t been any large scale ideological appeals to the public, it’s a different story within the 98-million-member party.

During this time, free market capitalism and liberal democracies also faced their own existential tests. Success or failure going forward will depend on whether liberal institutions remain intact in the West and whether party discipline can be maintained in China. What the PRC has had since 1949 is a governing party with the political autonomy to play mad scientist. [...]

Of course we live in the real world, not a comic-book world. The question in the real world has always been whether the economy can be engineered by mad scientists from the top down or is it best left to the invisible hand of the market? [...]

The standard economic opinion – against all evidence – is that China was economically stagnant before Deng’s market reforms. The thinking on this for the American economys is undergoing a transformation in egghead land – just how has neoliberal economics benefitted the American people over the past few decades?

In a Q&A exchange at a conference in Malaysia, Eric Li, the barbed-tongued venture capitalist, was asked, “Do you think top-down directives are sustainable in the long run?” To which he replied, “It’s the only thing that’s sustainable.… That’s why America is failing today.” After World War II, Li said, the Americans “lost the ability to do top-down design.”

Dec 2023

[the-froschamethyst4]

The Cowboy Hat Rule

𖤐Pairing: Cowboy! Price x City girl! Reader

𖤐Pronouns: She/Her

𖤐Warnings: smut, cowboy hate rule, strangers to lovers, slight fingering, p in v, slight eating out, handjob, drinking, smoking, making new friends, small town love, some humiliation

𖤐Summary: Y/n came to a small town just outside the city she grew up in and found herself in a small local bar and had some fun with some strangers

——————

——————

9:00AM

Y/n was packing her stuff to get ready to move out west to a small town just outside her hometown. Y/n was a city girl no doubt.

She use to get spray tans before vacations or before she goes out anywhere with her friends. Only shop at high end store like Gucci, Louis, Fendi and Prada, her groceries costed around someone’s rent, she paid so much.

She decided to move so she could have her freedom and wanted to start a small farm with Chickens to sell their eggs, cows to sell their milk and cheese, and sheep for their wool.

She found an abandoned ranch house with almost 4 arces of land, just enough for a barn and enough grass for the animals to graze and eat.

Y/n took some notes on how to take care of them and is honestly excited to have a farm. She likes a challenge and she also is ready to give up her lavage lifestyle for the barnyard.

She had looked did some digging around the small town and saw a small bar, a local grocery store, a strip mall with probably 7-8 different stores, she’s never really heard of.

A mechanic, a salon, a sandwich shop, and she also saw a couple of other farms and every Saturday there is a local Flee Market.

She can’t wait to move and live there.

——————

11:30AM

Y/n saw her new home just up ahead. The movers were confused on if this was the right house but pulled into the driveway and helped unload the truck.

One of the movers looked at Y/n trying to see if they were at the right house.

“Miss? Are we here?”

“Yes! We are here. Awww~ this place is amazing,” she said as she opened the door and took in the sight, it needs to be done up some but she can fix it or see if anyone around knows how to fix certain things.

She let the movers inside and place her couch, love seat, tables, nightstand, dresser and bed down in their certain spots.

Y/n was excited and grabbed her box’s from her car and placed her bathroom stuff in her master bathroom, bedroom stuff in her master bedroom and so on.

She paid the movers and started to set up her bed. And started to unpack the kitchen supplies and bathroom supplies. She unpacked her TV for her bedroom and started to set up her Netflix, HULU, Disney+ and YouTube and did the same with her TV in the living room.

She took in all her stuff in her own house and not in a apartment. Y/n went outside and started to take pictures on where she wanted her barn for her animals.

She didn’t know if she wanted to put it next to the large oak tree to act as shade for her animals or next to the pond to act as a natural water source for them.

She doesn’t know, but she will come up with something.

Now…small town love. She hasn’t really thought about love or finding love in a small town like this place, after her last relationship she’s kind of put off from dating for about a year.

She liked the single life even though it can be very lonely at times hints why she wanted a farm. Give her something to do so she won’t be bored out of her mind, and she can keep herself occupied.

She got in her car and drove to a local store that carried a lot of farm products from equipment, feed, even animals. She parked her car and got out, she definitely looked out of place.

A white t-shirt, black leggings, tennis shoes and a high ponytail. She looked like she just got done doing a hard workout. Everyone else looked like typical country people dressed like they’re ready for the local rodeo.

She rubbed the back of her neck before walking inside and grabbed a cart and started to look around for feed and took a look at the ducks, geese, bunnies and other birds they well selling, unfortunately not the ones she’s looking for.

She just smiled at the cute baby animals and headed to the back where there was flowers and some small sheds. She looked at one that looked like a mini version of a red barn it was cute, something she could use as a chicken coop.

“Hello, you finding everything okay?” A man walked up to her, she jumped a little bit before turning to him.

“Oh yeah…ummm~ I’m actually new to town and I bought that abandoned ranch house on the hill.”

“Oh that house, I’ve never seen anyone live there. It’s like they just made a random house for no reason.”

“Yeah that’s what my seller told me. Like they gave up half way through.”

“Well welcome to Mountain County, oh I’m Alex,” he put his hand out and Y/n shook it.

“Nice to meet you, Alex. I’m Y/n,” she said with a smile on her face.

“But anyways, what are you gonna do with the 4 acres?”

“A small farm, just a couple of animals sell their products and make money I guess,” she awkwardly laughed.

“Ahh~ I own a farm as well, I do this part time and I work on my farm full time. I sell crops at the flee market, I sell corn, potatoes, dried sunflower seeds, carrots, bell peppers, you name I probably sell it.” He laughs.

Y/n could tell he was trying to be friendly and not sound like he’s being cocky.

“Do you have animals?”

“Yeah, cows, sheep, horses, pigs, goats, llamas and chickens, I gonna get geese and ducks soon.”

“That’s cool, do you have any tips for me?”

“Yeah.”

Alex and Y/n could probably talk for hours and hours but unfortunately that’s not the case. Y/n and Alex exchanged numbers to keep in touch and so if Y/n had any questions she could text Alex and ask.

----------

1:30PM

Y/n headed home unpacked some more of her boxes and started to set everything she just bought outside her home. She will be getting a small shed she could keep the feed and whatever inside of it.

She headed back into her house. She changed out of her sweaty clothes and changed into some shorts and a tank top leaving her hair in the ponytail.

She laid on her couch grabbing her phone and looked at some picture of her 'friends' back at the city seeming to be having a blast without her. She didn't even get a 'goodbye party' from them.

She rolled her eyes and continued to scroll through the social media. Y/n saw her considered 'best friend' hanging out with her ex-boyfriend, they were all huggy on each other which made her feel gross.

The guy she told her friend about that was such a jerk to her, and she's over here hanging out with her. Thinking it's okay and that Y/n may never see it.

"So annoying," she rolled her eyes at the post and tossed her phone to the side ready to turn on the TV, but her phone pinged making her look at her phone and saw Alex's name pop up.

Alex: *Hey at The Mountain Top Bar, they're doing all you can get shots and drinks and they're doing line dancing, come join us*

Y/n: *Us? Who am I meeting, Alex?*

Alex: *Some friends of mine, come on, come join us*

Y/n: *Give me a minute*

Alex: *Yeah, take your time, sweet thing*

-----------

2:40PM

Y/n went to her car and drove to The Mountain Top Bar, she was in a dark green, emerald dress, she looked stunning. She exited her car and opened the door to the bar.

She read a sign with pretty handwriting font saying what Alex told her.

All you can eat, free shots and drinks on the house and Line Dancing of the century

She smiled at the sign. She opened the door and saw people dancing, laughing, getting drinks at the bar and playing darts and pool. She looked around for Alex and couldn't find him till she looked at the bar seeing him look like a cowboy like every guy in this place.

She walked up to him and gently tapped his shoulder getting his attention.

"HEY! You made it," he said as he got up and hugged her waist.

"Yeah, thanks for telling me about this, I would have never guessed," she said.

"Anytime, come, meet the guys," Alex said.

They walked to the bar counter and Alex got his friends attention to look at Y/n.

"Y/n, this is. Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Alejandro, König and Price is somewhere around here..." Alex said as he looked around the bar. "Oh, there he is," Alex pointed to a tall, buff man on the dancefloor dancing to Fake ID line dance.

(Okay, no but IMAGINE Price doing the Fake ID line dance from Footloose...jaw dropped, or line dancing in general, periodt)

Y/n watched in amazement as she watched this man dance with perfect synchronization with the rest of the people dancing around him.

"Wow," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, he's being a showoff, come have a drink with us," Alex said.

-----------

3:10PM

Y/n talked with the guys and enjoyed her drink given to her by Alex. Alex promised to give her the first drink of the night.

"HEY! Price, this is Y/n," Alex said, and Y/n placed her drink down and turned to Price.

Price gave Y/n a smirk and titled his cowboy hat towards her.

"Howdy," he said, Y/n felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

Alex could see Y/n's cheeks all heat up, he smirked and gently nudged his shoulder at Y/n.

"Hey," she whispered at him.

"Why don't we go play pool, Price, Y/n you guys stay here and guard our spots," Alex said.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," Price said.

Alex and the rest of the guys left the bar and Y/n and Price just awkwardly looked away from each other feeling embarrassed from being left alone with each other.

"Sorry about Alex," Price said.

"It's okay."

"Are you new in town? I've never seen you here before?"

"Yep, I just moved in this afternoon, Alex is the first person I met while I've been here and now, I guess his friends are my friends, maybe...that Ghost guy doesn't seem to like me."

"Ghost, doesn't like anyone...he just sticks with us because we're the only people who will talk to him," Price chuckled.

"Ahh~ that makes sense," Y/n said.

Price leaned on the bar counter looking at Y/n as she talked about her life about being in the city. Price has never really talked to a city girl before; he was thought that the 'city folk' were a bunch of weirdos and think only about themselves but surely enough he's wrong about Y/n.

"And I left because I wanted to change up my lifestyle, I've always wanted to be a farmer but thought I've never had the time for it, but I realized lately how much free time I have nowadays and so, I thought that I should come live out here and start my own small farm."

"How small? And what will you sell?"

"Just sheep, cows and chickens, sell wool, milk, cheese and eggs."

"Mmm~ yeah, that'll be great."

Price was listening to her talk, and he heard a certain song come on Take it off by Kesha came out, he turned and grabbed her hand.

"Hey come dance," he said.

"But I don't know how to line dance."

"That's okay, follow my lead."

They went to the dancefloor, Price stood in his position with Y/n to his left. She looked nervous but stood in her stance and watched as some people bounced to the song before the lyrics started.

Soon they started everyone started as Y/n felt lost, she didn't know what to do even when looking at Price for help. He was too big of a natural and Y/n could barely stay on her feet. When she would try and move backwards like everyone else, she tripped a bit but caught herself before she could fall.

Price saw and just chuckled at her being clumsy. Y/n could hear him chuckle at her, she felt a bit embarrassed, she stopped what she was doing and headed back to the bar.

Price looked to his right and didn't see Y/n, he looked around and saw her at the bar. He was trying to swiftly make it off the dancefloor was soon trapped on the floor by people crowding around.

Y/n sat at the bar, running her finger over the rim of her glass and looked bored out of her mind.

Alex came up next to her.

"Hey, where's Price?"

"On the dancefloor...I can't keep up," she said, taking a sip from her drink.

"It's okay, line dancing can be hard for people who don't know what to do, trust me, it was hard for me, but I got it down, later." Alex looked at Y/n looked at Price on the dancefloor and turned back to her glass.

"I think, I should go..."

"No, no, stay a bit longer," Alex tried to convince her to stay. "Do you smoke?" He asked. "Come on, you may need some fresh air, come on," Alex said as Y/n followed him outside the bar.

Price saw Y/n and Alex leave the bar to go outside. He again tried to get off the dancefloor and followed them outside.

"Hey, what happened?" He asked with his hands out looking at Alex who was leaning against the brick building and Y/n stood in front of him picking at her nails.

"Sorry...I...I just couldn't keep up and to save myself from embarrassment, I decided to stop."

"Aww, honey, it's okay-"

"Should I leave you two alone?" Alex asked, ready to put out his cigar.

"Umm~"

"If you don't mind," Price told him.

Alex left Price and Y/n alone again. She looked down at her feet as Price took Alex's spot against the brick wall.

"Honey, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, I just didn't want to embarrass myself or you, so I just left and went to the bar and came out here with Alex."

"Honey, I've been embarrassed before by others and let's just say some had it worse, it's your first time, who cares, everyone had their first time, line dancing. Did Alex tell you he fell probably 7 different times during Fake ID, boy could barely stand after tripping so much, he basically made camp on the ground," Price laughed trying to make Y/n feel better.

Y/n still feel awkward that she didn't know what she was doing. She tried to smile at Price telling a story about Alex falling but it didn't make her feel any better.

"Come on, honey, there has to be more to it then you thinking you can embarrass me or yourself," he said, putting his pointer finger under her chin making her look up at him.

"I just...I just need to go home, I'm tired from moving and making new friends, that I'm just worn out," she gave a lazy smile to him and was about to walk to her car, but Price stopped her.

He took his black cowboy hat off his head and stuck it on Y/n's head, some people outside saw it happen and their eyes widened at Price's sudden gesture. They've never seen Price do that.

"Price?" He leaned forward and his lips touched hers, he was gentle about it and smirked when he pulled away from her lips.

"I have a question for you, little lady."

"O-Okay," Y/n was too stunned to even think straight.

"Do you know the hat rule?"

"Hat rule?"

"I know you, city folk probably don't do that, but here...in the country, when someone puts their hat on your head...it means they're taking you home...and you little lady, get to come home with me," he said with a cheesy grin on his face.

Y/n was shocked that he did this, she JUST met him tonight, at least take her on a date before making her 'yours' first Price, come on now.

"D-Do I have to go with you tonight?"

"Nah. but it just shows that...you're mine and whoever fucks with you, I'll know," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Price."

"Hm?"

"Take me home, please."

----------

8:26PM

Price had picked up Y/n out of his red and white Ranger. He kicked his door open and was kissing Y/n’s lips getting a soft moan from her.

He smirked and took her to his bedroom. He placed back on the ground as his hands found her butt and started to gently squeeze them and unzip her dark green dress letting it fall to her ankles.

She kicked it away just leaving her in her underwear. She could hear Price struggling to unbuckle his pants, so, she decided to help him. Her hands were a natural, she pulled his unzipped pants to the side where she can feel his hardened dick in her palm.

She smirked into the kiss as she could feel his hot breath on the side of her neck. Her hands moved up and down, they were soft and felt like someone was barely touching him.

"Oh g-god," he mumbled, he kissed her neck some more but could barely stay on his feet from how gentle she was being with him.

"Am I hurting you?" She asked.

"N-No...I'm...f-fuck," he mumbles again.

Y/n fell on her back on the bed behind her teasing Price once she stopped, she looked down at him, he was taking off his shirt and pants, he removed his cowboy hat and put it on Y/n's head.

"Holy fuck, you look amazing in it, little lady," he said, licking his bottom lip.

"Thank you, kind sir," she tipped the hat at him with a cheeky smile on her face.

He trapped her on the bed and kissed her lips, his hands ran all over her body, holding her waist and he moved his hands down to her thighs and pulled her the edge of the bed.

Price looked down at her and kissed her lips again, his hands cupped her face. She started to remove her underwear and Price smirked before sticking his fingers into his mouth getting them wet and feeling her folds, they were already wet.

He stuck them inside of her lower half and earned a loud and high-pitched squeal from her. Her hand gripped his wrist trying to push his fingers out, but she didn't want them to leave her.

He moved his fingers in and out of her quickly and earned a moan from her. She looked down at his fingers inside of her and watched him pull them out seeing a thick white substance thickened on his middle and ring finger.

He brought his fingers to his mouth and cleaned them off, she felt her folds drench in the white liquid. He bent down to her clit and licked the white liquid clean off her, she grabbed a handful of his hair wanting him to keep going and not stop.

"P-Please don't s-stop, P-Price," she moans. His tongue went inside of her and licked her folds again.

"Hmmm~" he hums and sat up, his left hand grabbed her wrists holding them above her head and his right hand on his dick hitting his tip just above her clit. She moans at the wet sounds clapping against each other.

"Ah!" She moans.

He pushed himself inside of her. She looked helpless underneath him; his right hand held her waist, gripping her tightly that he could very well leave a hand mark on her side.

He moved slowly at first but soon picked up the pace when he could feel her tighten around his dick. He bit his bottom lip possibly making it bleed.

He leaned down to her lips kissing them, once he pulled away, he could see the blood on her lip, he wiped his lip with his thumb and saw the blood and licked his thumb removing the blood from her lip.

Y/n didn't care she was feeling good by Price. He didn't stop moving fast, he wanted her to moan his name, moan so loud that her voice breaks. He cups her face and kisses her lips again.

"H-Holy fuck," he cussed under his breath as he looked at Y/n's face, it was red, and he could see tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He wipes her tears away getting a soft smile from her.

"Are y-you sure I'm n-not hurting you?" He asks.

"I-I'm sure," she stutters as her head went back and moaned again feeling her stomach tighten and she could feel that same liquid run down her clit and possibly onto the bedsheets, Price was huffing and puffing due to the feeling of coming as well.

He pulled out and he watched the cum quickly squirt out of her, he licked his lips and grabbed a rag to help clean her up.

----------

Price had started a bath for Y/n. She was currently in it washing herself as Price stripped the bed and put clean sheets on it and had sweatpants hanging low on his waist showing off his Calvin Klein boxers.

He fixed the pillows and went to the bathroom with some clean clothes for Y/n. She looked up at him with tired eyes and saw him drop an oversized t-shirt and a clean pair of boxers on the sinks counter.

He sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked down at her.

"How's the bath?"

"Good, I love this feeling," she said, bring her hand out of the water and watching the water droplets fall back into the tub.

"I'm glad..." he said, cupping her face. "Tomorrow...would you like me to show you around, my property?"

"That'll be great, thank you," she said with a soft smile on her face.

-----------

Y/n came into the bedroom and fell on one side of the bed and cuddled up to Price's chest, she grabbed her phone and wanted to play dirty like her 'best friend' did with her.

She got on Price's stomach, he was confused and placed his hands on the side of her thighs.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"Just...a little payback for what my 'friend' did to me, by getting together with my ex. I'm going to show I'm not bothered by it and show you off...I'm not gonna show your face, I'm just going to make them feel jealous that I moved on and they can't hurt me," she said with a smirk on her face.

She took a photo of her sitting on her stomach showing off his toned body, his hands on her thighs and her left hand placed on his stomach.

She took several others, one where she leaned against his chest and showed a bit of his face, but she put a blue heart emoji over his face.

She posted them to her social media and within an instant people were liking it and some people, she did still keep in touch with where wandering who this guy was with Y/n.

"She's mad," Y/n evilly giggled at her 'friend' commenting.

Best_friend132: *Girl, you've only been there for a day and you're already screwing someone*

Y/n rolled her eyes and tossed her phone to the nightstand and looked at Price with a smile on her face. She cuddled to his side and Price placed his hand on her waist as he read his book and Y/n could look at the pages with him.

"What even is this?"

"It's called 'Ace' it's about this Mafia couple who hate each other but in the long run fall in love with each other," she sat up stunned that Price, would read romance books, he doesn't even look like he would even read books. If he did it would be a hunter magazine.

"You read romance novels?"

"Yeah, some are interesting, but I usually read adventures, thrillers and humor, really. But some romance books are good."

"Never expected you to read romance novels," she giggles at him.

"Yeah, I know. I try and keep this away from the guys, they'll never let it down." He said, shaking his head and putting his book down and hugged Y/n's waist before they both drifted off to sleep.

---------

5:00AM

Y/n woke up to the sound of a rooster doing his usual morning call, Price woke up as well with his face berried into the crook of her neck and gave her a slight kiss.

She moaned into him kissing her neck, she cupped the side of his head and she felt him rub his hardened dick against her.

"Price."

"Sorry, can't help it..." he said as Y/n placed her hand in his pants and started to help him out.

She moved her hand up and down, her thumb touched the tip of his dick, he gave out a very breathy groan.

"Fuck," he moans before leaking cum on her thumb. It was very quick, and he knows that, he wasn't embarrassed he finished fast, he just wanted to cum in Y/n's hand. It was just...amusing to him to cum inside her hand.

-----------

7:46AM

Price had gotten ready for his farm work, Y/n sat on the porch waiting for Price, she looked up when she heard the screen door to the house slam shut.

"Come on, let me show you around."

"Okay," she stood up excitedly and followed Price around his farm like she was a lost puppy, which she was, she didn't know where everything was.

[saphscorner]

soft launching a rancher duo au @cryingincrocs and i recently came up with that i'm genuinely so obsessed with!! newlywed tango and jimmy move out to the countryside to start a life together on a ranch jimmy's purchased from a family friend. jimmy has always had the dream of raising and rehabilitating animals out in the countryside, and tango is fresh out of his smithing apprenticeship, planning to build a home forge and become a full time bladesmith.

the large property lends itself well to both of their prospective careers, and they quickly settle into a routine of fixing up their new home, working around the farm together, selling animal products and crops at farmers markets to make money. tango also picks up odd handyman jobs in the meantime to afford the equipment for his forge. when tango is able to fully start his career as a bladesmith, he spends his mornings helping jimmy around the farm, his afternoons in the forge, and his evenings in their home. he sells his work as a local artisan and is able to make decent money from the craft.

they'd definitely live a very domestic life together, taking care of their home and going on dates in the evenings when the workday is done. i also love the idea that they'd introduce each other to their specific work, with jimmy teaching tango how to care for the animals, and tango eventually showing jimmy how to forge a basic blade in the shop. honestly i would love to do something with this, though i'm not really sure what? i feel like i can't really make a proper plot out of this since it's more for just like... vibes and atmosphere? so it's not really multichapter fic worthy. leaning in the direction of writing some drabbles and oneshots just to capture the vibe, maybe just some individual moments like a countryside date after a long day of work, or a domestic morning. maybe a oneshot collection? or maybe just more of these ramblings and headcanons!

please leave your thoughts, as this au is very underdeveloped at the moment but i'm so interested to see where it goes!

[jay-wasreblogging]

What if after the Reichenbach Falls in their grief and mourning John and Mariana kind of get together?

There's no company anymore not when Sherlock's absence has left such a vast hole, not when John can't even log onto Spotify without crying looking at all the cases they went on and not when Mariana can barely pick up client's phone calls without feeling sick.

So there's no inappropriate workplace romance happening cause there isn't even a workplace anymore.

Mariana and John don't talk about Sherlock much, it's too painful and they certainly won't speak about their own personal feelings about him either, why would it matter anyways? He's dead.

They don't talk about it. They don't talk about how they still buy and stock up on Sherlock's pasta sauce when they go grocery shopping. They don't talk about Sherlock's room, about it being empty, about cleaning it out, about the fact that the man that occupied it would never come back. They don't talk about his last chemical experiment and equipment still on the kitchen table, untouched and unfinished. They don't talk about it. They just don't. Not even months after he's gone and won't. Ever.

Then the impossible happens, Sherlock comes back from death just casually strolling in to surprise them both. And afterwards Mariana has to help John after he fainted and then Sherlock after John punches him.

And John and Mariana are so full of happiness and relief! The three share kisses and hugs. But...what now though? They go from struggling with his lack of presence, the new routine of just the two of them and mourning Sherlock's death to now having not only him back but their routine and business.

And with everything seemingly being back to what it felt like, the want of what once was comes crashing down - Mariana and John break up to go back to a time before Sherlock's death, even though Sherlock doesn't agree (he just finds out) and tells them that they can only go forward.

Cue the angst of Mariana and John's breakup, John's unresolved feelings for Sherlock that he now has a chance to resolve, Mariana's lingering feelings for John and new found ones for Sherlock, Sherlock confronting his own feelings of jealousy and confusion towards Mariana and John starting a relationship when he was gone (and without him? If he didn't 'die' would they have asked him into the relationship? What about now? He wanted them both but did both want him? What does want even mean?? Does he want a platonic or romantic relationship with them? What even is the difference? And etc etc etc).

And then they got together somehow and all retired on a bee farm where Mariana sells their honey at the local farmers market, Sherlock tends to the bees and John is just a house hubby.

[bomberqueen17]

farm life

Am at the farm. Just gonna witter on uninterestingly about that behind the cut because I"m too tired to be interesting.

Initially we were going to make chicken sausage this week but BIL decided not to, but then when I said I was coming anyway, he decided to cut up some chickens.

In past years they've always sold out of chicken parts way before they've sold out of whole chickens. But a couple of years ago a chef friend told him there was nothing really wrong with thawing a chicken, cutting it up, and refreezing the parts, and initially we were just thawing whole chickens to cut up to grind into sausage, but we did some tests and determined that actually, no, there's really no discernible loss of quality in the parts. So now we don't sell out of chicken breasts in December anymore, but can keep bringing them to market all winter.

So this year we took the whole chickens out of the store, stopped bringing them to market, and are *only* selling the parts, and are saving the whole chickens to thaw and cut up and refreeze as parts. It's working great. It's more work, but it's more profit, and also more sales. People just don't buy whole chickens that much.

So anyway we cut up 88 chickens, and saved like 60 of the carcasses into a pair of huge stock pots. Packaged all the parts up, labeled and weighed them, then put the stock pots on to boil. Today we packaged 89 quarts of chicken stock. I was going to deep-clean the commercial kitchen, but it's not ready for the full spring treatment: we're still washing eggs in there, which means baskets full of chicken-shitty eggs are coming in and getting set on the floor. So I just cleaned and sanitized the heck out of the stuff we were using, and also the floor drain, but have held off. In April when the temps don't go below freezing at night anymore, when the vegetable washing station can move out of the eviscerating room so the egg washing can move back in there, *then* I will haul all the big equipment out and wash the whole room from the ceiling to the walls to the floors to the back of the grinder, under the mixer, under the fridge, under the freezer, all of it is getting powerwashed within an inch of its life.

But not this trip.

Next week we're making pork sausage.

I have been taking my dose of adderall at 8am immediately before I go out to work. It's hard to judge the efficacy, actually, because I'm so busy and so rarely totally self-directed. The real test would be to have me have a day of idleness and half a dozen things I need to accomplish. But I can concretely observe that I don't get a sort of dizzy head rush when it kicks in anymore, and I don't crash around 3 or 4 pm anymore. No, instead I'm just physically exhausted at that time, but it's understandable that I would be, because despite my best efforts to work out all winter, I am in no way prepared for the amounts of heavy lifting, repetitive movements, and sheer mileage you have to walk around here.

Today I finished cleaning the kitchen and then spent a couple of hours with my trusty old pruners, helping Farmsister and Veg Man harvest pussy willows to sell at market in decorative bundles. They just chainsawed the trees off a couple inches above the ground, and then we went at them with pruners and only took the nice branches, and the rest are going through the woodchipper to be mulch. VegMan pointed out the line they'd cut back to last year: this is how you coppice willows, and you can harvest them like this every year. They were fifteen feet tall, all new growth.

Soon we'll have daffodils. Mom had too many at her house, and a couple years ago she and Dad dug up buckets and buckets of them and brought them over and we dug a trench in the hillside and tipped them in. And now they're about ready to be divided again, LOL.

We have pullet eggs too. The chickens are laying pretty well, manageable amounts. We've started packing the eggs by weight, which is a little time-consuming.

OK that's enough wittering. Have I got any photos? Hmm.

the view from the little creek down into the Quackenkill, alongside the back of the old granary. Morning, sun coming through the trees and lighting up the red-stained old siding, the neighbor's house visible at the other end of the cut.

2. A pig friend, muddy snoot questing toward the camera in the sunshine of the winter livestock barn, which has a plastic south-facing roof to let in all the light it can.

3. Farmsister, in her chainsaw chaps and safety gear, chainsawing down the pussy willows in front of the solar panels. (They measured, before they planted the little trees; they'd have to be 40 feet tall to block the light on the solar panels in any season, which I don't think a pussy willow would do, but it's still important to prune them back whether we harvest them for the catkins or not.)

That's all, happy spring. I'm so tired.

[mightyflamethrower]

Biden’s ironically named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was supposed to create millions of green jobs and launch the “sustainable power” industry.

Subsidies flowed to support electric vehicles, wind farms, and solar energy.  We have been covering the slowdown in the EV market, and residents of the East Coast are questioning all the promises made by the wind energy companies after the Vineyard Wind blade failure.

Now, it’s time to turn our attention to solar power. SunPower, the company that provides solar panels to many Californian homes in the sunny Coachella Valley area, filed for bankruptcy this week.

It is the latest development in a saga that has seen the company facing numerous serious and seemingly escalating challenges over the past several months, including allegations about executives’ misconduct related to the company’s financial statements and a recent decision that SunPower would no longer offer new solar leases. Days after the latter announcement, Coachella Valley-based Renova Energy, which markets and installs SunPower systems, said it was ending its partnership with SunPower and temporarily pausing operations after not receiving required payments from SunPower. SunPower’s executive chairman wrote in a letter posted on the company’s website on Monday that the company had reached an agreement to sell certain divisions of its business and suggested it was looking for one or more buyers to take on the rest, including the company’s responsibilities to maintain solar systems it has previously sold or leased.

It is important to note that SunPower was the industry’s “darling” to understand the magnitude of this development.

Founded in 1985 by a Stanford professor, SunPower was, for the past two decades, a darling of the solar industry. The company helped build America’s biggest solar plant, called Solar Star and located near Rosamond, California, and has installed solar panels on more than 100,000 homes. The company’s stock price has fluctuated dramatically, peaking during the solar stock frenzy of late 2007. As recently as January 2021, SunPower’s valuation momentarily reached $10 billion, buoyed by the expansion of its residential solar panels program. But since then, the company’s value has cratered — and this year, its situation became particularly dire.

It is also important to note that earlier this month, the bankruptcy of a solar-powered company in South Florida created an array of problems on the South Coast of California. Subcontractors are scrambling to find ways to guarantee payment for work on homes with equipment from the firm.

Meanwhile, homeowners are regretting their misplaced trust in eco-activists and city officials.

The business — Electriq Power Inc. — was putting solar panels and batteries on Santa Barbara rooftops at no expense to homeowners and with the blessings of the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria. But then Electriq filed Chapter 7 on May 3, freezing all its operations. This prompted one of its subcontractors, Axiom 360 of Grover Beach, to place mechanics liens on homes for which it had yet to be paid. This preserves Axiom’s options for full payment of its installation work and is not unusual among contractors. But for homeowners who didn’t expect any financial outlay, it came as a shock, especially as the recording notice lists foreclosure in 90 days among the penalties. “You’re helping the environment. You’re not paying high rates to Southern California Edison,” said homeowner Randy Freed, explaining why he signed on to Electriq’s PoweredUp Goleta program. He was pleased with the savings in the solar array and storage batteries, but then he received the mechanics lien in June. The possibility of foreclosure was unanticipated, Freed said, and he’d relied on the cities’ endorsements. “It’s a great program; we’ve checked them out,” he recalled the cities saying on a postcard he received.

Hot Air's Beege Welborne takes an in-depth look at the cascade of warnings that indicate SunPower and the residential solar market are in serious trouble. She also hits on a point that is true for all green energy schemes: Today’s technology cannot keep up with the promises being made about tomorrow.

The technology side still hasn’t ironed itself out and may never with as saturated as the market is. With interest rates as high as they are and home prices through the roof, no one wants to pay a fortune for something that’s not rock solid. …That “sustainable” growth is only possible once all the artificial supports are knocked away and the technology proves viable and worth the cost once and for all.

Of course, the solar industry isn’t helped by the fact that the cost savings for customers aren’t quite as lavish as originally promised.

[headfulloflettuce]

The Human Who Fooled All of Prythian

23. I Present Thee With This Muffin of Friendship

Note: The one in which Cosette makes some friends. Maybe. Sort of.

“Why didn’t you tell me we had literal royalty as customers in the perfumery?”

“Cosette, I didn’t know Briar was related to them. She had come in with some other white haired female and requested to see you. Every time they came you were out. They never made a big deal out of it and neither did I.” Ophelia explained, rummaging through a box, trying to find more of the goldenberry perfume.

“I put some of the new bottles on the further shelf.” Cosette pointed, keeping an eye on the pot full of boiling water and teakwood.

“Thanks.” Ophelia grabbed a few of the bottles, rushing back out into the store, where Theo had been holding down the fort.

After paying off his debts Theo looked happier, working in the perfumery with new vigor. The only thing keeping him down was the occasional comment from his father.

Cosette returned her full attention to the lidded pot, adding more ice cubes to the inverted lid, as a liquid slowly formed in the glass bowl inside the pot.

Homemade distillation was my literal savior in this world. The basic mechanism was that herbs, flowers or in this case wood, were boiled and the heat-resistant glass inside the pot caught and condensed the steam thanks to the inverted pot lid and ice. 

Cosette prepared the perfume bottles for the mahogany teakwood oil, pulling out a homemade pipette consisting of a straw and a very small bottle. 

It wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t afford a professionally crafted one yet. 

Considering the long list of renovations Cosette wanted to make to the perfumery and her investment into the farming project, she wasn’t about to get a pipette with medical precision anytime soon. Not that it was extremely needed at the moment.

After the Winter Solstice we had sold out most of the products I had made, meaning I now have to not only make the goldenberry perfume, which many faeries weren’t able to purchase because there was an extremely limited supply, but I also have to work overtime to restock all other products.

A big flaw in the current system was the low production combined with the long time it took to make everything. Hiring additional would be helpful, if not so costly.

Cosette added another mental note to the growing list of things she would need to spend money on.

She waited for the pot to stop boiling before she carefully squeezed the bottle, taking up some of the liquid and putting it into the prepared smaller perfume vial. After completing that procedure for forty bottles she cleaned the large pot and rinsed the ‘pipette’, setting them and the rest of the equipment to dry.

I need to start thinking about the perfumes for Kallias and Viviane.

Several days had passed and Cosette had written up a list of options, but none of them felt right.

I could play with the teakwood as an undertone for Kallias, but I don’t want to come off as cheap with reusing existing ideas for a literal ruler of a court. He did mention liking the Winter Court forests, maybe a pine scented perfume is a safe bet?

No, too safe; it’s too simple and direct. Again, he’s the ruler of a literal country, his perfume is not only a representation of himself but also his lands. Although, by that logic a simple perfume could be endearing in that it signifies he’s straightforward and easy to approach.

Perhaps I could find some other herb that conveys that smell and feeling? I am sure there must be something in the market, and if not I’ll go into the forests myself to find something.

Viviane was easier as she just wanted a sweet, yet alluring flower based perfume. Boom. Why couldn’t more faes have explicit orders like her?

Cosette sighed.

I can work on this later, it’s best if I help Theo and Ophelia right now.

It was currently rush hour, and faes that were unable to get the goldenberry perfume during the Winter Solstice were showing up to try it now. 

We need all hands on deck right now, and knowing Theo's father he wasn’t about to step up.

Cosette stood up from her chair, the floor beneath her creaking.

Forget all other bullet points on the ‘to fix and purchase’ list - these floorboards are moving up to number one.

Cosette shook her head, trying to not get herself down this early in the day, instead focusing on the task at hand - restocking shelves. She quickly began working on the shelves Theo hadn’t gotten to yet as Ophelia masterfully chatted with the customers, directing and entertaining them.

Cosette returned to the backroom, grabbing a box of the perfumes she just finished making.

I am going to need to make more and I just made this batch. Perhaps this really was a sign it was time to hire people 

Cosette walked back into the shop, stopping next to the counter as she was greeted by the sounds of an argument.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you’re speaking to?”

Cosette paused in the doorway leading into the front space, staring at the scene before her.

“I-I am sorry sir, but we just don’t have that scent on our shelves.” Theo stuttered, cowering.

“Ha! And here I thought this perfumery was supposed to be this amazing establishment. Stores on the perfumery street have the scent I like.”

“Then perhaps you should shop there sir.” Ophelia intervened, stepping slightly in front of Theo, shielding him from the rude customer.

“You dare tell me, Lord Ryker, where I should spend my money?”

Ophelia smiled pleasantly, “I am simply telling you that we do not have that perfume available in our inventory.”

“And I am telling you that you’re providing a terrible service. How will you compensate me?”

A couple other faes who were in the store exchanged glances, staring at the scene before them. They and Cosette wore similar expressions of shock at the male’s audacity. 

“Sir-”

“It’s Lord Ryker to you Autumn shit.”

Cosette saw red, but before she could intervene Ophelia’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“I am afraid we cannot compensate you.”

“Oh and why’s that?”

“Because you haven’t experienced a loss due to our actions.”

“Really, shouldn’t you be treating your customers better?” the fae glanced around, as if trying to get the bystanders' support. 

Other customers quickly looked anywhere but him.

“Well due to your negligence my time and emotional stability has been wasted.”

“And you have wasted my patience, how will you compensate me for it?”

“You-”

“If you continue to cause a disturbance I will call in the royal guards patrolling the streets.”

“This is unfair! I demand to see your boss!”

“My boss has given me and Theo permission to kick out any disruptive customers, or to refuse service as we see fit. Also, with all due respect, I do not feel comfortable letting you near her at the moment.”

“And why’s that?” the male smirked.

“You’re unpleasant and have unclear intentions.” Ophelia began walking towards the front door.

“W-Wait, where are you going?”

“To get the royal guards as promised.”

The fae hesitated, put off by Ophelia’s confidence.

“Ugh.” the male shoved her, rushing out the door.

Cosette approached Ophelia who gave Theo a pat on the back and an encouraging word with which he scampered off to continue tidying around the shop.

“You are amazing.” Cosette smiled.

No wonder the Lady of Autumn kept you close.

“I am lucky to have you here.”

“My, you’re making me blush.” Ophelia giggled, shaking her head, “But seriously, it’s just experience. Years of dealing with snobby rich people hardens your skin, and even then, I still mess up. I am sure you very well remember our attempt to enter Winter Court.”

“Well, that’s not fair. You snapped after we had been hiking for literal days and you had just…left a very unfortunate situation.”

Cosette didn’t want to risk talking about Autumn’s prison with random faes around.

“I guess so.” Ophelia shrugged, tension leaving her body a bit as Cosette squeezed her hand, “I am going to get back to work.”

Cosette nodded, letting Ophelia return to her duties. She was about to pick up the box of perfumes she had set down when a familiar voice distracted her.

“That was quite the performance.”

“Sir Amelio.” Cosette looked at the male who approached her, a beautiful, tall, dark skinned fae by his side. 

She smelled of citrus, oddly familiar to the bergamot-styles perfume Amelio had purchased from me.

“We meet again.” he smiled brightly.

I still don’t understand how this man was a Winter fae. His extroverted nature was everything but it. Him and Blanche stuck out like sore thumbs in this cold landscape.

Now that I think about it, no wonder Aquilo recommended Forrest’s inn, they were very welcoming regardless of your place of origin.

Cosette didn't think too hard about how accepting Forrest or Blanche would be to humans.

It wouldn't lead to any good thoughts.

“Cosette, please meet my wife, Solene.”

Well the scent she wore made sense now.

“So you’re Cosette.” the fae’s voice was cold, despite her warm appearance, “I must thank you for the perfume you made me. It’s exquisite.”

Cosette could immediately tell, this woman was of High Fae blood. The aura surrounding Solene made her shiver. 

“You’re too kind Lady Solene.”

Yet Amelio wasn’t High Fae, not by his lacking aura compared to his wife. However, he had no visible markers and I’d argue held a position of some power and wealth. What gives??

Solene’s face remained stoic as stone.

Amelio…what is your type?

“How was your Winter Solstice sir Amelio?” Cosette continued the conversation.

“It was good and please drop the ‘sir’. What about you Miss Cosette? I heard you managed to get a table at the fair? Quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself.”

“If I don’t call you ‘sir’, you drop the ‘miss’.” Cosette corrected, “Yes we did, all thanks to Ophelia’s quick thinking. The fair was quite hectic but a lot of fun.

He chuckled, “I am happy to hear that. Hectic in that sort of environment usually means profitable. The last thing you would want is a table no one visited.”

“That’s true.” Cosette agreed, eyeing the two faes before her, “So, can I help you two with anything today?”

“Oh no, we were just taking a walk in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. Solene here has been curious about the perfumer who made her new favorite scent so I wanted to introduce you two.”

Solene, in Cosette’s opinion, looked bored out of her mind.

“As I said before, it's a very good perfume.” The female fae reiterated 

Cosette wasn't sure but it seemed the woman was almost annoyed by her husband’s excitement.

“One of my favorites.”

“May I ask what your other favorites are?”

“I love ‘iridescent glow’ from Day Court, ‘sea foam’ from Summer and ‘Primrose’ from Spring.” Solene’s dark blue eyes met Cosette’s green ones, “I am proud however, that I can now wear my home court’s perfumes with no shame.”

Cosette nodded, taking note of the perfume names for later.

Always good to be aware of your competitors.

Remembering that they've just been standing in front of the store’s counter Cosette asked, “Would you prefer to go up to my office to continue talking?”

“That would be lovely.” Amelio said.

Cosette quickly put the box of perfumes onto a chair behind the counter, leaving it for Theo.

“Would you like tea?” Cosette set the kettle once they were in her office, giving them the small box of flavors they could choose from.

“That would be lovely.” Solene selected a peach flavored black tea, while Amelio picked out an herbal tea bag.

Cosette poured them all some tea, and sat down across from them, sipping the same blend as Soelene.

Solene is a fae Calypso would be proud of. She had the perfect posture and held her tea cup with grace.

The whole scene made Cosette straighten her back and at least try to sit more elegantly.

No matter how much Ophelia makes me walk in heels I still come off looking like an uneducated peasant compared to these people. It was honestly sad.

Amelio on the other hand didn't bother, sipping his tea casually, leaning back in his chair, and although didn't do anything that would inherently destroy the sense of propriety, certainly wasn't behaving in the most well mannered way.

“I heard that Viviane and Kallias visited you.” Amelio spoke first.

“Yes they did.” Cosette suppressed afrown.

Amelio smiled, “Do you know why?”

Cosette shrugged, “They said they were curious. I believe them, and how did you know they came to visit?”

“The High Lord and Lady like to support the people of their court, especially talented entrepreneurs.” Amelio explained, “Gossip spreads fast, especially if it has to do with the nobility.”

“And here I thought you winter faeries were more tight lipped.” Cosette set down her tea cup.

“Not really, but we do like to act like we’re above such meaningless discussions”. He chucked

“It’s merely harder to tell what we actually think at times.” Solene’s smile was so cold it could make a child cry, “But in reality all of us faeries share one thing in common regardless of our court - a thirst for drama.”

Yeah that checks out considering the way politics were conducted in the books.

Cosette looked at Amelio.

He held her gaze.

“Are you one of the entrepreneurs that they support?”

Now that Cosette thought about it, she didn’t know anything about the politics of Winter Court.

Most of the story took place in either Spring or Night Court. With Autumn, Summer and Day Courts getting notable mentions that gave her an extremely surface level understanding of what they were like. Her mind came up blank for Winter besides the twenty four children that Amarantha killed using an unnamed daemati.

Solene giggled.

Amelio’s smile widened, “We have good relations, yes.”

Cosette tensed.

Did he have other reasons for approaching me then?

“So the real reason you’re visiting me is…?”

“Because I want to grow closer to a fellow business fae.” he answered simply, “I mean, with all the ruckus that you’ve drawn, it’s hard not to be curious.”

Cosette wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse that faes were taking notice of her and the perfumery. On one hand it meant more business, on the other it brought them closer to discovering the truth and ending her journey before it even began.

“I see.” Cosette was trying to find a clue that he was lying.

Guess getting to know established businessmen in the area isn’t a bad idea.

“It seems like I have more to gain from working with you than the other way around.”

“And why do you say that?” Amelio tilted his head.

“I have little experience with business management and a minimal understanding of the inner workings of the Winter Court.”

Investing in me is a huge risk from a logical perspective.

He hummed, finishing his tea and putting down the empty cup, “I respect your honest assessment of the situation, but I can decide for myself if a business relationship is worth pursuing.”

“So I haven’t changed your mind?”

“Your attempt was cute, but no.”

Solene’s eyes tracked Cosette’s movement as the human tried to stay still.

Well, if he’s going to offer up his partnership, it wouldn’t hurt to use it.

“Say, Amelio, I need some advice.” Cosette set her tea cup down.

“Oh?” His eyes sparkled, “I am listening.”

“I have a project I am working on, but I need space to conduct it. Do you know of any buildings that are available for rent?”

“How big of a space do you need?”

“I require a room large enough to house the production and storage of a farming tool about this big.” Cosette gestured with her hands to show an estimated size.

“I can think of a spot.” Amelio nodded, “I have a building where I receive shipments from farms that I own or collaborate with, as well as other products that my group imports or exports. I happen to have a few spare rooms available for rent if you’re interested.”

“Is it far from here?”

“It's a thirty minute walk as it’s closer to the capital’s gates.”

That would be quite the commute for Theo and his father, but it was the perfect location.

“Can I see the rooms?”

“Of course!” Amelio said, standing up, offering his arm to his wife as he did.

Solene stood up as well, linking her arm with his.

Cosette grabbed the cloak she was gifted, walking after them out of the perfumery.

“Ophelia, I have some things I need to attend to, will you and Theo be alright here by yourselves?”

“Yeah of course.” Ophelia gave her a thumbs up, “When will you be back?”

“I’ll be back within two hours.”

“Better be back before we go get lunch.” Ophelia gave her a playful nudge, returning back to her work.

I really envy faes.

Cosette hated that thought as it repeatedly poked its way to the forefront of her mind. She walked with Amelio and Solene down the street, the two dressed in an elegant suit and dress, with light fur coats draped casually over their shoulders.

“You’re not from around here.” Solene stated.

“No I am not.”

I wonder what gave it away, the giant warm cloak perhaps?

“Where are you from?” Amelio prodded.

“I am from the faerie lands. I grew up in a village in one of the central forests.” Cosette lied.

“Ah, no wonder you’re freezing then.” Amelio nodded, “How are you adjusting to our cold climate here?”

“As well as you can see.” Cosette said.

Amelio laughed, “You’re doing better than most. I once saw a Summer Court emissary almost die from hypothermia because he fell through some snow near one of our farms and couldn’t climb out.”

“Was he okay?”

“Yeah, he was found by some farmers and they rescued him.” Amelio said.

“That’s good to hear.”

Amelio positioned himself between the road where carriages and carts drove and Solene.

Did they have the ‘sidewalk rule’ in Prythian too?

Solene glanced at Cosette expectantly. Cosette tilted her head unsure what she wanted from her.

Solene’s expression remained unchanged as she gestured Cosette over to stand by her side.

Oh.

Cosette joined Solene away from the curb.

“Have you had a chance to explore the capital?” Amelio picked up the conversation again.

“Oh, yes I have. The innkeeper of Forrest’s inn gave me and Ophelia a tour of the city when we first arrived.”

“Ah, Forrest’s inn, nice folk there.”

“You know them?”

“They used to source their food from me for their cooking.”

Cosette felt daring so she decided to ask, “Do they now purchase from a person who doesn’t support the current rulers?”

“Haha, no.” Amelio’s eyes were full of mirth, “No they just moved to another local farmer who supports Kallias. I believe he’s a relative of Forrest.”

Keeping it in the family made sense.

The group stepped out onto a busy street full of carts and faeries who were transporting goods into and from buildings. They passed by buildings that were built from white oak, but were so clean and polished that they looked like they were made more out of ice rather than wood.

It seemed to be emulating the style of the royal palace that looked like it was made from ice and crystals. 

Deciding to tempt fate again Cosette asked, “The style of architecture is similar to that of the royal palace. Is that meant to be an indicator of political support or was this just a popular aesthetic?”

Amelio laughed, “You are a clever one, aren’t you?”

Cosette couldn’t help the small blush on her face.

It felt nice to be complemented, okay?

“To answer your question however, yes and no. The style itself is popular within the court. I mean, it is the Winter Court, after all. It would be stranger if people didn’t obsess over glaciers and icicles. However, this type of architecture was popularized with Kallias’s predecessors, so the association is certainly present.”

Amelio led them into one of the large wooden buildings. Inside there was a front area with a secretary behind a small desk, and several hallways leading off into different rooms, as well as a large staircase.

The secretary looked up, “Lord Amelio, welcome back.”

Wait, Lord?! Was I addressing him casually this whole time?

“I am not here for long, just going to go check on the empty rooms we have on the third floor.”

“Of course, Lord Amelio. Oh, by the way, your men told me to let you know that the recent shipment of crops was received.” she handed him a stack of papers, “This is the whole inventory. We’ve already processed it.”

“Perfect.” Amelio took the papers, leading Cosette and Solene upstairs.

The interior looked wellkept, a stair or two creaking as they ascended.

“There it is.” Amelio pushed open a door on the third floor, some crates standing in the corner near the window of the landing.

The door revealed a long room with large windows, tables and shelves. It smelled of dust and wood. Cosette ran a finger along the table, the surface rough with small dents in it.

“So, is it to your liking?” Amelio smirked.

This is actually exactly what I had in mind.

“Yes, it is.” Cosette said calmly, trying to not show her excitement.

Amelio hummed, opening the door at the end of the large room, “This connected room is a package deal with this one. I also have this third room,” Amelio walked back out into the hallway and showed them the room across, “You could use this as additional work space or for storage.”

“How much is the rent? 

“30 gold per month if you’re just taking the large room, and 40 if you’re taking this one as well.”

That was a lot of money, but at the moment our sales were decent enough to be able to afford it. Though, that meant it would take a while before I could hire additional help. Custom orders, especially the ones from Kallias and Viviane, will bring in big revenue, but I will also need to get started on working on a perfume or product that’s accessible to the public.

“By the way, do you have workers for the project?” Amelio inquired,

Ahhh, if I decide to hire additional woodworkers I’ll also need to pay them!

“Yes, I have two.”

“I can recommend some of my men if you would like additional experienced workers.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to impose.” Cosette answered carefully.

I want to retain power over this project. Handing off more and more to Amelio seemed like a bad idea.

Amelio nodded, his smile not wavering, “Very well. Would you like some recommendations?”

Cosette looked at him hesitantly.

“Free of charge.”

So you just want to help me out of your goodwill?

As if reading her mind he clarified, “I want you to like me Miss Cosette. It would be nice if you permitted me to endear myself to you.”

I thought we agreed to drop the formalities?

“I appreciate your honesty.” she paraphrased his words back at him, “But I think it best if I start learning about Winter Court’s economy and work sources in further detail myself.”

Amelio wore a happy expression despite the rejection. In fact, he almost looked happier at the news.

“Then you have my full support. When would you like to start using the space?”

“Could I have a couple weeks? I want to show the space to the people I wish to hire first.”

“Of course. Just let me know when you wish to use it.” Amelio winked, “If you take too long I might give it away to someone else.”

“I’ll be timely, don’t worry.”

“How much further do we have to walk?” The elder groaned.

“Not far.” Cosette sighed.

This man was grating my nerves.

Theo meanwhile chewed quietly on his sandwich.

Cosette had decided to take the two men to see the building the next day during the perfumery’s downtime, giving Ophelia permission to close down early so that it wasn’t too overwhelming to manage the place by herself.

The only downside of this building was the distance we had to walk to get to it. I am going to have to allocate some funds to pay for carriage rides back and forth.

“Can we get a hint at least for what this surprise is?” Theo asked.

“It has something to do with your gift for the Winter Solstice.” Cosette said.

“Right, the supposed gift that we never got.” the elder grumbled.

“You’ll get to have it soon.” Cosette tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

They eventually got to the building, the street it was located on was full of carts filled with various manufactured goods, heading to the gates or being unloaded. There were also some wagons with food, wrapped up and stored properly in boxes.

“The Forge District!” Theo perked up, glancing around with interest.

“Forge District?”

“Some of the greatest smiths and creators in Winter Court work here!” Theo couldn’t contain his excitement, barely sticking to the group as he kept trying to get a peak at the carts and the stuff inside them.

I didn’t realize this place was that big of a deal.

Cosette could admit it looked better than the supposed industrial section of the capital they visited. With proper guards and actual commercial activity the street looked alive rather than creepy or abandoned. Although, they had visited the supposed ‘industrial district’ on a day when all the faes stayed home, so Cosette tried to reserve her judgments.

Why didn’t Amelio flaunt the area’s worth though? Wouldn’t it have helped his case in convincing me to rent it?

Stepping inside the building, Cosette approached the front desk. The secretary looked up.

“Lord Amelio warned me you’d be coming in today.”

“I am just here to show my partners the room.”

“Take your time.” the secretary pushed forward a key, returning to her work.

Cosette took the key, leading the group upstairs to the third floor.

“Lord Amelio? You know him?” Theo stared at Cosette with wide eyes.

Even the elder had perked up, his eyes gleaming with interest.

“He ordered a custom perfume from me and came to give his thanks. We got to talking and he offered me a room to rent.” Cosette explained.

“Woah.” Theo whispered.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Well, Lord Amelio is a very well-known business fae due to the farms he runs and his port trading businesses. He is also credited with helping to keep the economy together during Kallias’s absence, along with a couple other important business figures.” Theo continued, “Though, I mostly admire him because he is a Lesser Fae, yet he commands respect amongst the nobility. How many can claim to be able to do that?!”

Cosette hummed, processing this information. 

So my gut was right, he’s not High Fae. How did he get this far then? 

“Please, the man just married lucky.” the elder kept his voice low as he gossiped, “That wife of his is from a prestigious family. No one will say a word because of her.”

Now Cosette didn’t know what to think.

Was it really just Solene pulling all the strings?

“And why do you need to rent a room?” the elder raised an eyebrow at Cosette.

“I promised you two a gift for the Winter Solstice. I have been working on a side project that will involve a lot of woodworking.” Cosette opened the door, stepping aside so they could see inside, “My gift to you is this project. Working on carving wood rather than perfumery.”

“What is the project?” Theo murmured, walking between the long tables, staring at the workshop in wonder.

“It’s a farming tool that will, in theory, help increase the current harvest.” Cosette explained, “Here is my design for it.”

She showed Theo and the elder her diagrams and sketches of the spirit ‘house’.

“It has a lot of details, and I’ve seen your old works when we were clearing out the perfumery. They’re beautiful. So is the cart you created and the gift you gave Blanche and Forrest. You’re very attentive and are amazing artisans that I would be lucky to have on my team.”

“You know, most faes get each other money or something else if they can't come up with a gift.” 

I am sorry, I thought this was a good gift!

“This is perfect!” Theo’s eyes lit up as he stared at the room as if it were a treasury, “The location is great too!”

“How is the location great?” the elder drawled, “Buildings full of construction projects and ruckus.”

“I’ve been searching for a space that we could move into.” Theo said, turning to his father, “This is one of the neighborhoods I was considering because it’s cheap.”

“Wait, move out?!” the elder exclaimed, staring at his son, “But why?”

“Well, Cosette owns the building, and she and Ophelia still live at an inn. It’s only fair ”

Was…was this a moral compass? From a fae?

Cosette couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wasn’t looking forward to the eventual discussion of asking them to kindly find a different house to live in, or finding a room for herself and Ophelia elsewhere.

Thank you Theo for bringing this up yourself!

“She let us stay there.” the elder grumbled.

“Yes, because Cosette is kind.” Theo frowned at his father, “She let us keep our home despite the fact that she owns it, she helped us pay off our debt, and now she is offering us a job within our field of interest!”

“It’s not what we used to do before.”

“Well, it’s not exactly what we used to do but it’s a starting point.” Theo argued, “We have to restart somewhere, and this seems like a good place.”

The elder grumbled, but Cosette easily ignored him. She felt so proud of the man before her for standing up to his father.

“So,” Theo grinned at Cosette, “When do we start?”

“As soon as possible. I’ll contact Amelio and finalize the payment.”

“I-We look forward to working with you.”

“You really don’t have to move out.” Blanche watched Ophelia and Cosette pack up.

“Blanche we’ve imposed long enough.” Cosette set her bag on the bed, finishing putting clothes away.

“You’re not imposing though…” Blanche grumbled.

“We can’t live in an inn forever.” Ophelia stood up, finishing wrapping her clothes as well, “Besides we’ll visit.”

“You better.” Blanche pulled them into a hug, “Me and Forrest will miss you two.”

“We’re moving just a couple blocks away!” Cosette hugged back.

“Still, I expect you to come here several times a week for dinner.” Blanche ruffled both of their heads, gently messing up their hair.

“We will, don’t worry.” Cosette soothed.

“Yeah! You also better come over to play with me!” Fermin peaked around his mother’s skirts, glaring at Cosette and Ophelia.

“How could we miss out on play time with you?” Ophelia squished Fermin into a hug.

“Ack, on second thought, leave! And take your hugs with you!” Fermin managed to break free from Ophelia’s hold, running away.

Ophelia laughed, teasing the child as Forrest picked up their bags.

“I can carry them.” Cosette insisted.

He shook his head, “I’ll help you take them to the perfumery.”

“Look at my perfect husband.” Blanche kissed Forrest on the cheek, her eyes looking into his with a flirty spark.

Forrest returned the kiss, his expression soft.

The group went downstairs, Blanche putting another bag into Forrest’s arms.

“Here, take some dinner with you.”

“Aw, Blanche. Thank you.” Ophelia hugged the fae again.

Blanche hugged back, holding the younger fae gently. She reluctantly let go as Ophelia took Cosette’s hand and they left the inn with Forrest following behind.

Approaching the perfumery they could see Theo and his father leaving with their own bags. Few words were exchanged as they had to get to their new home and check that all the furniture they requested was moved appropriately.

“Thank you again Forrest.” Cosette said, taking the bags from the burly man.

Forrest nodded, “No problem, don’t forget to lock up for the night.”

“We won’t!” Ophelia and Cosette waved him goodbye as he began the walk back to his inn.

Cosette took a deep breath, smiling as she looked at the perfumery in a new light. The place had always had a cozy charm to it, but now, as the two women stood staring at the tables decorated with perfumes and the clean shelves, it felt different.

“Can’t believe we actually have a home now.”

“I know.” Cosette didn’t like the feeling that settled in her stomach - guilt.

I am not replacing my true home.

Cosette steeled herself.

I am looking for a way back-No, I will find a way back. It just might take some time. This wasn’t a replacement. It was temporary.

Cosette took the bags, carrying them upstairs, followed by Ophelia.

“By the Cauldron, your walk is practically flawless.” Ophelia complimented observing Cosette as she walked up the stairs to the mezzanine.

“I would be disappointed if it weren’t after hiking through the woods in heels.” Cosette answered dryly, “Though I don’t think I compare to the fae quite yet.”

“What are you talking about?! It’s a good walk! My training methods are elite and should not be questioned.” Ophelia giggled, catching up with her friend.

“Yeah, yeah.” Cosette rolled her eyes, “You’re amazing Ophelia. You don’t need to fish for compliments.”

“I am not fishing!” the fae insisted.

Cosette turned back to her Ophelia, her dress spinning elegantly as she maintained her posture, “Just tell me and I’ll shower you in them regardless.”

A beat passed as Ophelia stared at her, before shaking her head and smiling again, “You’re a silly human.”

“And you’re a silly fae.”

Ophelia sighed, her eyes full of pride seeing Cosette’s graceful movements, “My little baby is growing up so fast.”

“Not a baby.” Cosette scowled.

“You are a baby though. You were like twenty one last time I checked!”

“I am twenty three now for your information.” Cosette muttered, Ophelia pinching her cheek playfully, opening the door to her bedroom.

They had agreed Ophelia would take Theo’s room and Cosette the elder’s.

“I am going to go unpack and then warm up the food.”

Cosette nodded, “I’ll join you once I finish up.”

“Sounds good.” Ophelia twirled away dramatically, closing the door behind her.

Cosette could hear happy gasps as the fae explored and settled in. She could only imagine how Ophelia felt having her own room having lived in a prison cell for such a long time.

Cosette walked into her own room, immediately pinching her nose.

That sweet smell again.

She opened the window to air out the bedroom, trying to find the source. Apart from a couple soaps, similar to the ones the elder used to have downstairs, she found nothing.

Sighing, Cosette wiped down the bookshelves and closet, hanging up her clothes. She changed the bedding and mopped down the floors, closing the window soon after as it began getting cold. 

The sweet smell was almost gone which allowed Cosette to relax. Deciding she had done enough for the evening she headed downstairs into their back room to set up dinner, Ophelia joining her soon after.

“Hey, did you get settled in?” Cosette warmed up the meat and rice on the small stove they had.

“Yes, the room is wonderful. There’s a window and the bed is so warm. And the closet Cosette, oh the closet! I am going to fill it with so many dresses.” Ophelia rambled, helping to set the plates, “What about you? How’s your room?”

“It’s nice.”

I am happy she’s happy.

Cosette twisted and turned.

Go to sleep dammit.

She had already gone through all the comfortable positions she could think of, leaving her frustrated and staring up at the ceiling. Cosette was tempted to get up and work but it was around two am in the morning, and if she did that she’d be running on no sleep when the perfumery opened.

Cosette scowled, fluffing up her pillow and snuggling into it 

Is Ophelia sleeping already?

Deciding she had nothing better to do, Cosette got up, still wrapped up in her blanket, and walked several steps to the second door in the mezzanine, dragging her pillow. She knocked.

“Cosette?” a muffled voice sounded.

Cosette carefully opened the door, peeking inside, “Hey, it’s me.”

The room wasn’t anything amazing. From Ophelia’s compliments one could have thought she had the master bedroom in a manor.

Any room would be impressive compared to a cell.

Ophelia was sitting upright in the bed, her hair a mess.

“Can’t sleep either?”

“No.”

Ophelia sighed, collapsing back into her bed, letting out an annoyed groan, “Seriously, it shouldn’t be this hard.”

Cosette climbed into bed, relaxing with Ophelia’s familiar presence next to her. Ophelia pulled the human closer, snuggling. Cosette gently ran her fingers through the fae’s hair.

“It really shouldn’t be.”

Ophelia hummed in agreement, gazing softly at Cosette, closing her eyes as her friend brushed her hair.

“Ophelia, I have a question about Lesser Fae: how do you know if someone is one, versus a High Fae? I know that Lesser Fae usually have markers that separate them from the more human-like High Fae, but is there any other way? I mean, you and Theo don’t exactly have features that make you look non-human.” Cosette asked, voicing her growing confusion over the past several days.

Ophelia flinched.

“Ophelia?”

“Sorry.” Ophelia pulled away, her eyes a dull brown.

“Did I say something?” Cosette sat up slightly.

“No. No, you didn’t say anything.” Ophelia rubbed the space between her eyes, “I just forget how little you know at times.”

Cosette waited patiently for Ophelia to continue.

“Usually you can tell by the aura and power a fae exudes how high up the food ladder they are. As for physical markers,” Ophelia inhaled sharply, “It’s not always an obvious visual marker. We don't walk around naked you know? Some might hide their Lesser Fae traits if possible, like tails or wings.”

“But why hide them?”

“If you’re in a big city like the capital, where there are many nobles and High Fae, it benefits to fit in. Besides, High Fae are seen as the epitome of beauty and perfection.” Ophelia’s voice turned bitter, “Many will try anything to achieve the same visual standard.”

“Oh.” Cosette whispered.

“The rank of Lesser Fae is technically a spectrum, ranging from fae who might be of mixed blood to those who have never left the forest.” Ophelia moved back closer to Cosette.

“Thank you for explaining.”

“It’s nothing.” Ophelia closed her eyes.

Cosette gazed at the fae next to her, conflicted on what to say.

I clearly hurt her somehow.

“Ophelia-”

“Shh, time for sleep.” Ophelia pulled Cosette into a hug.

Cosette closed her eyes.

Less prying, more hugs. Got it.

Cosette got up quietly, not wanting to disturb Ophelia early in the morning. They had a couple hours before the shop would need to be opened so Cosete decided to get an early start to her day.

Not like I was sleeping anyways.

She had managed to fall asleep initially but a feeling of restlessness woke her up. Cosette was currently blaming that stupid restlessness for her having to change in very cold temperatures.

Getting dressed and going downstairs she lit the fireplace and wrapped herself up in a throw blanket.

Why was it always freezing?

Cosette knew the obvious answer, but still chose to be huffy about it. She grabbed a box of some cinnamon perfume and took it out to the front, beginning to put them on their shelves.

Since I have no idea where to start for Kallias’s perfume, let’s consider Viviane’s. She said she wanted a flower based scent, so I have to find out either her favorite flower or a scent that is neutral enough that she could wear it on a daily basis. However, it also needed to be sweet and alluring.

Perhaps roses? They were traditional and sweet. They’re also romantic! Alternatively, I could lean into the fact that she is a Lady of a Court, meaning her scent needs to represent her as a political figure. What are popular Winter Court flowers? I’ll have to go to the market to investigate.

As for Briar…

Cosette rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Yeah I have no idea about Briar. Maybe something sweet and innocent? She seems quite energetic so perhaps something with an undertone of spice?

Turning around Cosette let out a small yelp of surprise.

Briar was pressed up against the glass of the perfumery. She waved.

Cosette hesitantly waved back.

Aquilo poked his head into view, waving as well.

Please don’t tell me the royal family has decided to visit again. I can’t handle that right now - I’m cold and sleep-deprived!

Cosette opened the front door for them.

“Hi!

“Hello.” Cosette didn’t see Viviane and Kallias behind them.

A good sign.

“Please, come in.” Cosette stepped aside, letting them into the perfumery, locking the door afterwards.

I don’t need people thinking we’re open at seven in the morning.

“Good morning.” Cosette said.

“Good morning! We came to visit!” Briar beamed.

“I can see that.” Cosette was hoping her lack of sleep wasn’t horribly obvious, “Is there a particular purpose to this visit, or…?”

“Oh, well I know I requested you make my perfume by getting to know me, but I thought having you show up to the palace for our first meeting might be too intimidating so we decided to visit you here!” Briar explained.

Cosette blinked, the tiredness making it hard to get the details of Briar’s ramble.

“I appreciate your concern.” Cosette said, gesturing to them to follow her upstairs, “I do apologize for not reaching out or visiting you yet. I have been busy finding a spot for the farming project, and getting everything set up for it.”

“Oh that’s okay, how’s the project coming along? Did you find where you want to produce the farming equipment?” Briar skipped after Cosette to her office upstairs.

Briar, give me your morning energy.

“It’s going well. I found a spot for the production of it thanks to Amelio.”

“Amelio?” Aquilo asked “You know him?”

“Well we met briefly when he ordered a custom perfume from me. He visited recently, which was when I found out that he had extra rooms in a warehouse of his. He happily offered to rent me the place for a fair price.”

“Do you always wake up early to prepare the shop for the day?” Aquilo sat down on one of the chairs after Briar had taken her seat.

“No, I just couldn’t sleep.” Cosette admitted.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping I can recommend this herbal tea, I believe it’s a blend of chamomile and passionflower tea. They sell it at most well respected shops. My soldiers say it works like a charm.”

“I’ll look into it, thank you.” Cosette nodded, setting a teapot to boil, “What kind of tea do you two want?”

“Something sweet.” Briar said.

“I’ll skip the tea.” Aquilo gestured to his cup of what Cossette assumed to be coffee.

“So you walked all the way here from your home?” Briar asked

“Well actually we live here now.”

“We?” Briar clarified.

“Me and Ophelia. Theo and his father moved out, so we moved in.” Cosette noticed how Aquilo stiffened for a second before relaxing again.

“Where did you live before this?” Aquilo sipped his coffee

“We stayed at Forrest’s inn.” Cosette brewed the tea.

“An inn? Isn’t that expensive?”

“We got a discount.” Cosette smiled, setting two tea cups on the table.

Briar perked up as if she remembered something and pulled out a beautiful box labeled ‘Frosted Bakery’. She opened it to reveal various pastries: cranberry scones dusted with powdered sugar, cinnamon muffins and gooseberry danishes. The box was practically overflowing with the quantity and diversity of sweets.

“What’s this?” Cosette’s mouth watered at the spread, her stomach growling.

Briar smiled, “I thought since I am visiting you this early we should have breakfast together so we stopped by one of our favorite bakeries.”

Uh-huh.

“I appreciate it.” Cosette took her seat.

On second thought, if you’re going to feed us for free please come more often.

“Here, try the muffin!”

Cosette obediently tasted the cinnamon muffin, the mixture of the spice and sweetness coating her mouth.

Oh my god my tastebuds.

“This is so good.” Cosette chewed.

“Right?!” Briar bit into a muffin as well, pushing a scone towards Aquilo who gave an appreciative nod.

“I love their peppermint-chocolate chip cookies and danishes, but the muffins will always have a special place in my heart.”

“Any particular reason?” Cosette took a sip of her tea.

“It was one of the first sweets I tried when I came to Winter Court.”

“I see.” Cosette watched Briar as she devoured her treat.

I am going to need to look into the Children of the Blessed. Perhaps knowing more about the group within the actual world of Prythian rather than as some group that showed up a couple times within a romantasy novel will give me insight into Briar’s behavior.

There was a knock on the office door and Ophelia peaked in.

“Good morning.” the fae blinked sleepily.

“Good morning.” Cosette greeted her, “How did you sleep?”

“Well.” she shivered, walking over to the desk and grabbing a blanket from one of the shelves that lined the walls. Ophelia did not ask any questions regarding the two guests, merely casting them a calm glance.

“We’re having breakfast, feel free to take anything.” Briar offered, pushing the box of treats towards the faerie.

“Thank you.” Ophelia set aside a scone and a glazed brioche bun for herself, going to make herself some tea.

“Would either of you like a blanket?” Cosette asked, feeling guilty she didn’t offer immediately.

Aquilo shook his head but Briar happily took one.

Cosette finished her tea and muffin, watching Briar chug the remainder of her tea.

“I was wondering, would it be possible to see how you make perfumes?” Briar asked, “Or at least the equipment you use?”

“Oh? Want to steal my company secrets?” Cosette joked.

“I-No! Never!” Briar looked insulted

“Relax, I am kidding.” Cosette smiled, “I would be happy to show you.”

Briar glanced at Aquilo for approval, who nodded, taking another gulp of his coffee.

Cosette got up, letting Ophelia have her seat, and led Briar downstairs.

In the back room Cosette carefully pulled out vials and pots, setting them up to begin working after her guests would eventually leave.

Briar’s eyes sparkled, “Is this what you use to make the perfumes?”

“Yes, we use this to extract oils from things like wood or flower petals.” Cosette explained, holding out a glass vial for Briar to look at closely.

Briar carefully took the glass, examining it, following Cosette, observing her every action.

“We use these larger bowls to collect condensation and oils.” Cosette decided to entertain Briar, “Over here I mix various scents together to create more complex perfumes. I use this,” Cosette showed the pipette, “To collect smaller or larger quantities of oils to produce the desired, nuanced scent.”

“Woah.” Briar in awe whispered.

It was honestly a bit funny how easy it was to impress a human in this world. Back home people knew what a pipette was, and had maybe even worked with one if their school was well-funded. It just went to show how behind the humans were within Prythian.

“Show me more!” Briar leaned over Cosette’s shoulder.

“My pleasure.”

Next: Chapter 24 - Pointy Stick of Doom

Back: Chapter 22 - A Very Polite Non-political Conversation

Masterlist

Tag list: @rcarbo1

If you want to be added to a tag list let me know :D

[archaeopologist]

I thought you all might appreciate learning that there is a happy ending to the Grey Fox Farm saga! The farm did go on the market despite everyone's efforts, BUT anonymous donors rallied to Laurae Hughes' side and she was able to purchase the farm outright.

She signed the deed exactly a week ago today.

I found this part of the article particularly impactful:

“Farms will measure their success by what you're able to put in the bank. I measure my success as to what this place is now. When I first got here we found rolls of carpet and trash belching up out of the ground. The canary grass had strangled everything. There was  no native anything left,” Hughes said. Her hard work to bring back native plants and promote soil quality has paid off. The farm is a beautiful mix of cultivated and wild spaces, with native pollinators sharing space alongside European Honey Bees. There is room for all at Gray Fox Farm, a sentiment that resonated with enough people to help secure its future. “The way I was raised, weak and lazy are four letter words,” Hughes said. “I felt like if I needed to ask for help, I shouldn't be doing what I was doing. I think this is a fallacy that a lot of us grew up with. I got to the point where I realized, if I don't ask for help, I'm going to lose the farm, because the option that was being presented to me, I was not going to be able to attain on my own.”

The article goes on to say that there are still costs that need to be covered, especially since she lost equipment like her tractor in the settlement, so if you can spot for a bit of really good jam consider checking out the store.

And if you live in the the area, Laurae also offers classes on food preservation, basket weaving, and hide tanning!

Cheers to some very excellent news!

[simstruhistory]

The Färbergs

Summer, day 09 of 28 - Year 001

Porvi starts the day by training archery! She wants to be a hunter and provide for her family!

While Porvi learns to hunt, Gudrun is harvesting and learning how to take care of the garden. She dreams of being a housewife and taking care of her own household.

Humbert is a very sick boy... so he tries to enjoy life as much as possible. He is trying to be stronger, but he gets tired often and feels like life is fading away...

Gudrun talks to the birds and learns about their ways and the ways of the woods.

Summer, Day 11 of 28 - Year 001

Hulda spends her morning knitting a new hug for the house and maybe a few more to sell on the weekend market.

Hulda eats the Creature Keeper's Mushroom Mash (TM) and she can finally talk with the birds. She feels as one with nature. She is learning how to talk to the animals and appreciate this place.

Porvi and Gudrun, in the meanwhile, forage for more foods to plant on their farm. Life is simple for them, but good.

Gudrun, Porvi and Humbert spend the afternoon together. Sharing stories and talking. They are so grown up!

Hulda brings Porvi to the village to sell their crops on the market. "Porvi, soon you will be a woman and you need to make connections to keep your farm."

Hulda helps the people from the village "They do ask for a lot here, uhu?"

Hulda goes back home, but not before foraging for some berries.

Hulda buys a chicken coop with the money from the farm. "Asdis, you are now a big girl; you have to have some responsibilities. You will take care of the chicken coop and you can keep some of the money from the egg sales."

Humbert works out to make himself stronger. He believes he can improve his health.

A very interesting celt visit their farm and makes all heads turn around. Weirdly, Hulda's head turns waaay more than it should.

Asdis takes her chicken to the village's fair.

Gudrun gathered some coins and bought herself some equipment to make baskets. She wants to make some money for her future.

[cognitivejustice]

‘A couple of centuries ago, farmers produced multiple crops to feed their families and maybe put aside some surplus as a safeguard for the coming year. Only if they had an outstanding harvest were they able to sell some of their product,’ he explained.

‘Monoculture emerged as access to much larger distant markets made it increasingly profitable to specialise. Specialisation meant more efficient planting and harvesting, fewer types of expensive equipment, fewer labourers with specialised knowledge of individual crops, and strengthened knowledge of one value chain and commercial market, including all its regulations and tariffs,’ he added.

Farming, once one of the most natural of endeavours, has become ‘artificialised,’ claims Raul Zornoza Belmonte, an expert on sustainable land use and crop diversification and professor of agricultural engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain.

‘This globalised capital, chemical and energy-intensive sector is having a negative impact not only on the environment in terms of loss of biodiversity, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions but also on farm productivity and expenses,’ he explained.

Through the Diverfarming project, Zornoza and his team have tackled these challenges by creating a free web-based decision support tool to provide tailor-made solutions, and guidelines for diversified cropping systems. This app also includes a toolbox for adapting the different agricultural activities and even a new prototype of an improved machine for tilling the soil.

Diverfarming’s community of ‘diverfarmers’ implemented these tools and is now enjoying the benefits. ‘In vineyards and orchards, organic farmers have introduced herbs like thyme and oregano alongside or between the main crops. This has reduced the weeds and their expensive and time-consuming removal, and with the same labour, instead of weeds, farmers now have fresh-cut herbs that can be sold as they are or from which their essential oils can be extracted and sold,’ said Zornoza.

‘Aromatic herbs and their beautiful flowers attract beneficial insects – and potentially agritourists, a boon for rural tourism – while increasing soil quality and nutrients and enhancing water retention, and with no effect so far on the quality or production volume of fruits or wine,’ he added.

“ In vineyards and orchards, organic farmers have introduced herbs like thyme and oregano alongside or between the main crops. This has reduced the weeds and their expensive and time-consuming removal, and with the same labour, instead of weeds, farmers now have fresh-cut herbs that can be sold as they are or from which their essential oils can be extracted and sold.

But the advantages of growing different crops together don’t stop here, the practice can also limit erosion, improve the storage of soil carbon and reduce the amount of nitrogen in water. It also provides home to a much greater range of life both below the soil and above from tiny microbes and creepy crawlies to reptiles, birds and mammals.

[covid-safer-hotties]

In the U.S. Response to Avian Influenza, Echoes of Covid-19 - Published Sept 2, 2024

By Joshua Cohen

It’s been about five months since the Texas Department of State Health Services announced that a worker on a dairy farm had tested positive for avian influenza A (H5N1) virus after being exposed to apparently infected cattle. Since then, the U.S. public health response has been slow and disjointed, bringing back memories of how the federal government responded during the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite having a pandemic playbook in early 2020, the U.S. appeared flat-footed in its response to Covid-19, including inadequate testing and unavailable personal protective equipment. And throughout the pandemic, mixed messaging on masks and later vaccines set back public health efforts.

As H5N1 circulates, it seems that lessons from Covid-19 remain unlearned. It appears that missteps are being made regarding testing, surveillance, transparency, and failure of communication and coordination throughout the health care system, the same kinds of things that hurt the response to Covid-19.

“The World Health Organization,” according to NPR, “considers the virus a public health concern because of its potential to cause a pandemic.” What may be concerning is that the genetic sequence of the Spanish flu that killed between 50 and 100 million people from 1918 to 1919 was later found to be an H1N1 virus that originated in birds and then somehow adapted to humans. And based on confirmed cases, the case fatality rate could be as high as 50 percent, as over the past two decades roughly half of about 900 people around the globe known to have contracted bird flu died from it. (There are two caveats, however: Due to limited testing, there were likely more cases that were undetected which would lower the mortality rate. And in the last two years, the global case fatality rate seems to have decreased.)

As of Aug. 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 196 dairy cow herds in 14 U.S. states have confirmed cases of avian influenza.

There have been 14 reported cases in humans since 2022, all of whom were exposed to cattle or poultry, and reports suggest that there may be even more sick farm workers who haven’t been tested. There’s no evidence the virus has started to spread among people, but that could change as the situation evolves. The possibility of spillover is always of concern to experts. One of two main competing theories of coronavirus origins and how it evolved into a human-to-human transmissible infection is zoonotic transfer from mammals sold at a wet market in Wuhan, China, to humans.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared at a press conference in June that his department “is trying to corner the virus,” while releasing a report that human activity is a conduit to bird flu being transmitted between animals when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment move between farms.

But experts have voiced sharp criticism of the U.S. government’s response, especially around the lack of comprehensive surveillance efforts to ascertain the extent of the outbreak. When interviewed by KFF Health News, Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health said, “We’re flying blind.” Without sufficient testing, it’s impossible to know how many animals and humans have been infected or whether the virus has begun to spread between people.

As could have been learned from the Covid-19 experience, integral to conventional approaches to curbing transmission of infectious diseases is a comprehensive set of track, isolate, and contact trace policies. These have not been systematically implemented.

"Without a collective effort across all states, there’s nothing to stop avian flu from spreading around the country."

Michigan stands out as a state with a robust policy to track human and animal infections and investigate which activities pose the most risk. First, the state’s chief medical executive told STAT, Michigan tested more individuals this spring than any other state. And then the Department of Health and Human Services in Michigan launched a pioneering effort to detect asymptomatic (silent) bird flu infections among farmworkers. Furthermore, a press release from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development notes that under state rules dairy and commercial poultry producers must implement biosecurity practices, which include establishing cleaning and disinfection protocols at access points for individuals and vehicles.

Investigators believe the virus may have begun to spread in Michigan when workers operating multiple dairy and poultry operations came in close contact with infected cows and moved from one farm to another.

In April, the USDA issued a federal order requiring testing before lactating dairy cattle can be moved across state lines. Michigan, along with nearly two dozen other states, has also issued its own restrictions. But without a collective effort across all states, there’s nothing to stop avian flu from spreading around the country.

Furthermore, how effective can containment be when the USDA’s order only requires testing for bird flu in lactating cows prior to interstate movement, and no other types of animals?

One of the challenges in managing any major outbreak is the question of who’s in charge to coordinate across departments, such as Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Commerce. For the purpose of inter-department coordination, the Biden administration launched an Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy in 2023.

Among federal agencies, the CDC (housed within the Department of Health and Human Services) appears to be the most actively involved in coordinating state efforts. It has provided assistance for a seroprevalence study in Michigan, to assess whether asymptomatic infections are present in people, for example.

But despite these efforts, there’s lack of clarity around who has jurisdictional authority over what and where. Rick Bright, a virologist and immunologist and former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, explained to CNN why he thinks that a more transparent and comprehensive approach to testing and genetic sequencing is needed. He’s concerned that viral adaptations can occur if there are enough opportunities through uncontrolled spread.

The CDC does now have a roadmap, which it announced for preventing and understanding human infection with bird flu and a plan to develop countermeasures. The roadmap’s main objectives include infection prevention by deploying PPE; examination of primary modes of transmission and estimates of incubation periods, duration of infection and severity; monitoring of genetic changes in the virus; and evaluating vaccines and antivirals. CDC Director Mandy Cohen said lessons from Covid-19 have been learned and that CDC is building upon them, for instance, through its wastewater surveillance efforts.

The CDC’s ability to implement these lofty goals may be hampered, however, by seemingly limited resources. The federal government has pledged only modest new funds this year of approximately $200 million to help track and contain H5N1. Separately, the government is allocating $176 million in Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine against H5N1.

And conspicuously absent are concrete plans, such as how to deploy the stockpile of 10 million doses of avian flu vaccines the federal government currently has as well as the inventory of the antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir). By contrast, Finland is now offering vaccines to farmworkers.

"The CDC’s ability to implement these lofty goals may be hampered, however, by seemingly limited resources."

Aside from inadequate funding and preparation, there’s a problem of overcoming public distrust. A survey published in Health Affairs suggests that about 42 percent of American adult respondents in early 2022 said they had confidence in the CDC to provide quality health information during the Covid-19 pandemic, while about a third said they trusted state and local health departments. This may partly explain why the CDC is now having trouble getting farmers to cooperate with even rudimentary tracking and mitigation efforts regarding H5N1.

Lessons from the history of how Covid-19 unfolded underscore the importance of not being complacent in the face of a potential future bird flu pandemic. It would seem imperative to take proactive measures such as systematic testing of animals and humans exposed to the virus, mitigate transmission risk in the dairy and poultry industries, and coordinate federal and state responses.

[solarpunkbusiness]

Meet three startups, from Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that are harnessing technology to provide simple, viable solutions to energy and food security in Africa.

1. Meier Energy, Morocco’s standard-bearer for energy efficiency

Founded in 2020 by Fouad El Kohen, Meier Energy offers businesses tailor-made solutions to kick-start their energy transition. In just four years, it has established itself as one of the leading start-ups in Morocco and is already exporting outside the country. “It’s a young company dedicated to the development and marketing of energy efficiency, electricity and smart grid equipment,” says founder El Kohen. “Our ambition is to support the ecological transition in both Morocco and Africa.”

2. BioAni, the Ivorian start-up that wants to bid goodbye to chemical fertilisers

BioAni sells organic fertilisers produced using black soldier fly larvae, products that are much cheaper than chemical fertilisers. All that remains is for them to convince farmers to change their habits.

It all began in a garage in Abidjan’s Cocody district with food waste and a few larvae. The insects transform this bio-waste into a particularly effective organic fertiliser. Founder Arthur de Dinechin wanted to get involved in an environmental project in Africa, his adopted continent. After trying his hand at plastic recycling, his thoughts turned to agriculture.

“Here in Côte d’Ivoire, millions of people make their living from farming. There are very few resources in place to help them make a profit from this activity,” he says.

3. GreenBox, the storage solution changing Congolese farmers’ lives

GreenBox enables farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo to store their fruit and vegetables for three weeks instead of two days, using new technology that gives farmers access to remote control of solar-powered cold rooms. These refrigerators also make it possible to establish the state of ripeness of a stored product and ensure its traceability. Its five installations, spread across as many villages, enable customers’ harvests to be monitored in real-time.

Founder Divin Kouebatouka says: “Storage is centralised for the whole village. The cold room is managed by a cooperative. We make racks available to farmers so that they can store their produce. We can’t rent to everyone, so it’s first come, first served.”

For CFA200 a day (around $0.10), farmers are provided with a locker that can hold 30kg of food. “Small farmers, our core target, can’t buy a cold room. That’s why we’ve introduced daily, weekly and monthly rates. Everyone can choose the subscription that suits them best, which is nothing compared to the value of the products they entrust to us,” says Kouebatouka. In addition to his team of 12 employees, a group of five women is responsible for the daily maintenance and management of the cold rooms.