#Winter Hermit Cabin

[bobcat9]

Winter Hermit Cabin

[mamamittens]

Not bed time yet but I am having some fun considering this in my head.

More nonsense for Nikia's story!

You know, when I was making her, I did consider other shippy stuff besides Thatch.

Mostly my top fav blorbos, because why not?

It's not a long list (will likely be longer when I actually catch up to OP)

Ace was tempting but out because I mostly just want to hug the poor bean. He needs more of those and some light teasing, it's what he deserves. Nikia and Ace would just devolve into sibling bullshit, I can see it now. She just pesters the shit out of him and while a little bit of that is fine, thats not usually a very healthy couple dynamic.

Marco was another nice idea but that's just my bird + even cooler bird = Really Cool ✨ birds ✨ thought process at work. He also deserves some head kisses though, make no mistake, but less aggressive than Ace's and more "sleep now, u fucking workaholic". They'd vibe together really well though in chill time.

Shanks... I just don't think Nikia could take him seriously and the excessive drinking would not appeal to her at all. Just a no go all around but she would find him fun to hang out with at a party so long as she didn't have to drink too.

And that's about as far as my thoughts went before zeroing in on Thatch for no discernable reason.

Actually, I think it's the smile. I just really like a nice smile.

Funnily enough, I also put some thought to his most popular ship, Izo X Thatch. Not sure how it happened, to be honest. Though I can see why with some thought, it's not as intuitive as Marco X Ace (what with all the fire and contrasting traits). I would be interested to know how this ship got so ubiquitous, it may just be a case of these two not having many other ships in general.

Which raised the question of putting Nikia in there too, but I'm still a tad thrown with the idea of shipping my SI (as somewhat warped from myself as she is) with anyone, let alone two people.

But it has popped up in my mind again. It would give me more plot to thicken up the overall story. Hate writing short stories for OCs, seems like a waste, idk how else to put it. And it would give more reason on Thatch's side to not initiate if him and Izo have a more open relationship. Maybe they can take another lover if the other approves or at least knows (I imagine this is a useful rule as long as you don't get jealous and it helps avoid any awkwardness if it's suddenly revealed).

Some fun drama of Izou chiding him for stringing some poor girl along for a fling and Thatch being offended like "I don't want a fling though! That's the problem!" So they unpack that together as Izou chides him more for giving her his nicest foulard despite not going for it at all. But ultimately understanding why he doesn't because damn, that would be pretty rude to enter a serious commitment only to leave her most of the year while he gets to stay with his other lover. And she hasn't taken a lover of her own yet so she'd literally be left in the cold waiting for him to call! He can't do that! Not to mention it seems a bit much to throw in Izou to the mix when it took so long for Thatch to warm her up to him.

Too complicated and messy despite really wanting it.

And it would give me the perfect opportunity to let Nikia know earlier since Izou would definitely call her once the dust settled. Might keep the dick move of having her still think Thatch is dead but as a deliberate ploy from Izou to partly keep her safe if Teach found out about their... Thing they had going on and so she doesn't accidentally reveal Thatch survives (or maybe at first Izou really did think he'd die). The other part was in the hopes that she'd find someone she could actually commit too without the complicated bullshit of being in a long distance relationship with pirates.

Probably takes a bit to realize that she absolutely really loved Thatch more than a friend and feels horrible for lying.

She doesn't and always asks how he's holding up before even hinting at her own grief, which doesn't help Izou feel any better about lying. Izou would get some shit for that and he feels increasingly worse for his ruse as he calls her regularly to talk. Feels nice to mourn a (sort of) lover with someone who isn't also reeling from the personal betrayal of a shared brother. Maybe he catches feelings too (Thatch will laugh hard at him for this). Admits that he'd have approved wholeheartedly if given the chance but stops before including he would have liked to be involved too, she'd have fit so well with their dynamic on board. Stops because he meant to let her keep her feelings to herself to mourn as she wants without mixing himself with it (how mortifying to be told my a 'dead' man's lover that they know how you felt after the fact the whole time) but the call breaks down into a very emotional one that, once again, does not help his guilt.

Just, the timeline where I bully everyone for a needlessly long time before letting them be happy.

Or maybe I won't do any of that at all but it does make the overall story more interesting, that's for sure!

[yanderenightmare]

Bakugou Katsuki

TW: NSFW, noncon/dubcon, kidnapping, captive darling, gross Bakugou

fem reader

Thinking about hermit forest-dweller Bakugou who lives alone in his lodge…

You got a little lost off the beaten track and were so relieved when you happened upon his homey red-wood cabin, spotting smoke from the chimney and feeling your stomach gurgle from the promise of warm food when knocking on his door.

You’re so terribly sorry to bother him – but your phone has no cell reception, and the map you brought with you had gone pasty and torn in the rain and you have just no idea where you are or how to get back.

He’s rather handsome for a loner, you think. Rough around the edges – hairy and reeking of beer and barnacles. He grunts out a “come in” after you’ve explained yourself, and you follow with a relieved smile, already thanking him.

But only a short second after you’ve taken a step over the threshold comes a hard cack to the back of your head. And for a cloudy moment, you’re something akin to numb all over – only barely registering the harsh feeling of splintery wooden floors against your cheek where you’d fallen to – slowly succumbing to the darkness that forced your eyes to glide close – but not before you could recognize and curl your brows to the big pair of black mountain boots in front of you.

When you wake up, you’re in a bed. It’s a welcomed softness – a warm pleasantness against your wintered skin after you’d wandered aimlessly around in the cold rain – now getting toasty from the heat of the fireplace. 

But there’s something more – something not right. 

You’re not wearing any clothes. And your hands have been roped behind your back in a strict knot, keeping them locked tightly together. 

And you’re being rocked against the sheets – back and forth, back and forth – and you can barely breathe because of it.

And there’s something on top of you – and something fat and wet stuffing your cunt from the back, fucking your taut hole while your eyes flutter with sleep and the start of a pounding headache.

You try screaming when it dawns on you – try twisting your arms free – try getting up, but your mouth has been filled with what you think is your underwear and only muffled cries manage to escape it.

He gruffs out something like, “Quiet, whore.” Planting a harsh slap against your ass while keeping his rhythm steady, thrusting his thickness inside the wet welcome of your quivering little cunt as it seeps with slick for him, soaking him so sweetly it’s even trickling down your thighs in slim lines.

You cry, feeling the stranger touch and fuck you, his heavy hands gritty from work groping the soft fat of your ass while his booted feet kick yours further apart once you try pulling them closed – punishing you with another mean slap to your plush. 

The ache in your belly tells you he’s been at it for a while. Having fucked your tightness sore with his girthy meat – shoving it so hard it bends in order to fit all of him inside. His heavy-hung balls swing beneath him, clapping with wet slaps against your budding clit – making your cunt squeeze and suckle him despite your efforts to ignore it.

He groans at the feel before thrusting in all the way to the hilt in one harsh jab – spewing his gross warmth right into your womb. 

You’re shell-shocked. Eyes terror-wide, drying as you stare into nothing – waiting for it to make sense – but it doesn’t. A stranger had just spunked inside you and you can feel the warm fatty liquid trickle down your cunt and thighs once he pulls his chubby member out.

“S’been a while since I had my balls emptied like that. Good puss’ milked me dry.” He grumbles with satisfaction, lifting his pants from the pool around his boots and buckling himself back up – giving your puffy cunt a wet slap before he’d quite simply just walked off and gone about the rest of his day – returning to use you later.

From then on, you wear nothing but an old red flannel shirt – it smells of man sweat and other things and is so well-worn all the buttons are gone. The clothes you came in were used as easy firewood. He’d burned it all – every article in your backpack except one – the panties you’d worn – which he instead nailed to the wall like it was another pelt or the head of an animal he’d hunted down.

He keeps you on the floor most of the time. You’re leashed with a fat metal chain meant for a rottweiler – and a leather collar kept snug around your throat with a lock and a tag that reads Pup. He must’ve had a dog at some point, but you’re guessing it died – and you’re its replacement – and whether you want it or not, he’s going to train you into being his proper bitch.

During morning news, you take care of his morning wood – sometimes with your cunt and sometimes with your mouth. He’s still cuddly after waking up, needy for warmth, wanting you skin-to-skin – mostly seating you down on his lap, bouncing you lightly on his cock with his chin resting in the grove between your neck and shoulder. Groaning tiredly while pawing your tits. 

If he doesn’t blow his load before the news is over, he’ll bring you with him in the shower. And in the steamy heat, he’ll wake up to give you a real pounding. Your face mushed against the tiles – chin and cheekbone bruising from the force of it while he holds your arms behind your back and rams up into your cunt faster than the droplets fall to the floor. Quick juts until finally creaming inside you, resting his forehead between your shoulder blades while dumping every last drop in deep.

After a long day, he likes when you suck his balls while he drinks his beer and eats his dinner, watching sports. Licking the sweat off the back of his cock, no doubt tasting the dried piss from when he’d taken a leak in the forest. Sometimes he’ll say it. “Suck it clean, slut- be happy I didn’t take a shit, or you’d be tonguin’ my ass with that pretty face too.” Always threatening you with something gross that’ll kick you into the right gear – motivating you to be his little cock-eager whore – down there on your knees with your hands bracing against his thighs, throating his length while he holds a firm hand at the back of your head, fisting your hair so tight strands rip free from their roots while you desperately try and will away your gag reflex in order to please him – eyes squeezed tight with slobber making spit bubbles down your chin.

You’re not allowed dinner before swallowing his load. Dinner – being the leftovers he’ll scrape off his plate into a dog bowl. The first time around, you’d looked up at him like he couldn’t be serious, and he’d only squeezed your face rough and said, “Be happy I don’t piss in it, slut.” And then he’d spat on you, once on your face, then once more in your mouth. It was thick and tasted of brown nicotine and ash and you haven't gotten rid of the taste since.

He’ll throw his feet up on your back while you bow down to eat out of your bowl – using you like a warm footstool until the game is done. If his team wins, he fucks your cunt like usual – but if they lose, it’s your assthat’ll pay the price.

When you’re allowed on the couch, he likes sitting opposites so you can take his muddy boots off and massage his feet. They’re still clammy with sweat from work when you peel his woolen socks off. Chipped dry toenails and scaley callouses, the skin yellow and cracked and rough where you dig your fingers in. 

He’ll take his cock out after a while and gather your smaller, softer feet around it – rubbing himself through them while you keep rubbing his soles. When you’re busy with one, the other rests heavily on your tit, pawing it. Sometimes, he’ll even bark at you to suck on the toes.

But it's only until the news is over. After that, he has you crawl over to rest on his chest, nose stuffed with the musk of sweat, wood oil, and leather while he sinks his fat erection all the way up into your womb – storing it there, where it will stay nestled and warm while you watch a western or hunter’s documentary.

He’s hairy like a bear and it makes you feel extra naked. Feeling it tickle your soft skin while he rests an arm on your back – a hand absentmindedly twiddling with your pretty hair.

When he’s not outside cutting down trees and hunting or inside on the couch with a beer, he’s in the meat locker – skinning animals and sectioning flesh. He often fucks you in there. Bent over the cold metal slab, your face in the stags' blood while he growls at your ear how that’ll be you on one of them hooks if you don’t squeeze his cock harder. 

But he’s not always so mean.

He’s nicer to you when you act cute for him. When you lie belly-up, raising your thighs and keeping them spread wide for him – covering your gash with your hand while you work it into a nice glossy welcome, wet and ready to get fucked like a little breeding cow. Pretty words on your pretty lip while you beg him with pretty pleas, asking him to stuff you like one of those animals he’s mounted on the wall. 

Rich city sluts like you need to be taught you can’t fuck around in his forest without paying your dues. And you’ve learned your lesson – riding him like he’s a mechanical bull from the rodeo like a good tramp should – jumping on his fat shaft with your perky tits bouncing in his face. 

[sykestarot]

who are your guides?

1-2-3 (left to right)

I DO NOT OWN THESE IMAGES

hi guys welcome to this weeks reading! I started this reading last week and the energy just didn't feel right but here it is! I'm working on a website so I can schedule personal readings as well! If anyone has any tips for that I'd love to hear it feel free to dm me :). Anyways I hope you enjoy these messages they were all so very sweet!

Pile 1

“there will be mountains you won't move still, i’ll always be there for you” (The Hermit; queen of wands; 5 of wands reversed; 2 of wands; 6 of cups; knight of pentacles) Hi pile one! For you guys I feel like one of your guides is a familial figure, like a grandparent or maybe someone apart of your chosen family. I feel like you might’ve lost this person pretty recently. For some there is female energy and for others there male energy. I’d say for the female energies this would’ve been a firecracker of a person. They were probably always full of life and adventure and they want to guide you to be in that power as well. For the male energy I feel as though they were steady as a beating drum. A very reliable person in life and probably gave the best advice. This guide is here to help you with staying grounded. For some of you you could have both of them simultaneously, however i feel for most of you you have one or the other. But i must point out that this could’ve been a power couple if they were together in life lol. But I see that those with the feminine energy might be on the shyer side of things, and your guide would love to show you how it feels to fully step into your dark feminine energy. For those with the masculine energy this guide wants to continue to give you advice and wishes you would speak to them more. I also feel like some of you might come from a religious background and maybe feel like believing in guides could insight some shame for you. Your guides want you to know that shaming yourself for a belief will only hinder the progress that you’ve made and don’t be too hard on yourself. I see that these guides have so much unconditional love for you and when you feel most alone I promise you are not. Animal Spirits: Snake + Hawk Signs: canned pumpkin; all spice?; Pocahontas; racoons; pacific northwest; rivers; wood cabins; pine scent; Massachusetts; boats; church; white buildings; cold water; winter; snow; willow trees; vivid dreams; 555

Pile 2

“is there something supernatural fucking with you?” (2 of pentacles; knight of cups; Temperance; 4 of pentacles; 6 of cups; 2 of wands) Hi Pile 2 welcome and thanks for reading! I will say that your guide is a very funny one. I feel like this pile has one pretty good overarching energy. I don’t feel like this is someone you’ve known in this life but maybe a few lifetimes ago. I also feel like you are a very self aware reader or are at least in contact with your guides in some way whether you are conscious of it or not. This guide had lots of fun picking a song, and in turn I feel like was messing around with me. I get the energy of a guide who volunteered to be yours because they loved you so much in the last life. I also feel like you guys go around very uptight and stressed about most things in life, and I feel like their energy is supposed to help you loosen up. Like maybe your lesson in life is to find the joy in being alive instead of being super goal oriented or materially focused. I feel like this is the type of guide where you’d be painting something and then all of the sudden magically all the paint spills, or when you go to get some out you get way too much. Like this guide is trying to really show you that mistakes are just happy accidents. I feel like you guys suffer from catastrophic thinking. It’s like a domino effect for you and sometimes this guide will put things in your way so that you fail and have some realization that it wasn’t the end of the world and that there are other ways to get to the same outcome. I also see that this guide loves see you smile and will give you small rewards in the day. For ecample you might walk home from work and a cute neighborhood cat might say hi to you everyday. Or you get your order payed for by the person in front of you. This guide really does care for you and wants you to know that they’re always there for you and you can relax a bit, not everything is the end of the world. “Please do your breathing exercises!” Animal Spirits: Beaver + Eagle Signs: pranks; giggles; unnatural coincidences; kitties; empty streets; crisp air; chain link fences; playgrounds; small town; ambition; hikes; 11:11; painting; Bob Ross; bird chirps

Pile 3

“if I had the chance to relive those days I’d take it” (4 of swords; The Hanged Man; 2 of pentacles; Temperance; 9 of wands; 2 of swords) Hi pile 3! So for you guys it’s a little different than the other piles, I feel like this might not be a guide but a pet that’s passed on. Whether it was recently or a long time ago I feel like this was a kitty that had some health issues. I feel like you had to make a hard decision on whether or not to put them down and maybe you still carry that guilt with you. This little guy definitely doesn’t want you to hold onto that and they believe that they lived the best life with you truly. You took care of them and loved them so much. I keep hearing you loved me so much you let me go. They don’t harbor any resentment or harsh feelings for you on the other side. I even hear that they’d love to come back and be another pet of yours. Maybe you’re not ready for that just yet and that’s why they haven’t but they want you to know that they forgive you for the choice you made and they understand it. They want you to forgive yourself as well. I keep hearing them say I was really sick. They are so grateful of the life they lived with you truly. I see that maybe you were afraid to talk to them after they crossed the rainbow bridge because you felt like they wouldn’t want to hear from you. Trust me they very much do! They miss you so much and I feel like they always hang around in your energy and they love being close to you. Like I feel like they love to sit on your chest or your back. They never left you, not for a moment. They just want you to feel at peace and be happy. They still keep a very close and watchful eye on you, always wanting to protect you. I don’t know if maybe you’ve been having dreams of them or feeling them where they used to cuddle you. They want you to know that you were the thing that mattered most to them and still are and they hate seeing you continue to carry the weight of that decision after all this time. They think you are the most perfect human. “Please don’t beat yourself up!” Animal Spirits: Dove + Cat Signs: little league; tv static; gamecube; leapfrog; big windows, rays of sunlight; leaves blowing in the wind; green; chemtrails; airplanes; 90’s; reincarnation; green eyes

[fidgetspringer]

Hiked up to this old abandoned cabin today. It was built by an old hermit about 60 years ago. He lived here summer and winter, carrying his supplies AND his kicksled all the way up the side of this mountain every time he went into town to resupply.

[anavilante]

Cabin in the woods

Post war HC Once every couple of months, John and Gale make excuses for their wives in the form of urgent matters and retire for 7-10 days in a cabin in the woods.

John would have preferred a little more fun, but he knows that Gale loves this hermit type of recreation and therefore indulges him. They have a lot of sex in the evening by the fireplace, walks in the deserted forest, and think about what their lives would be like if they didn't have to hide.

Gale loves this time with John more than anything, he doesn't like quick meetings in cheap motels on the road for one night just to remember the warmth of each other's body (but sometimes he's happy with it because there's nothing else).

Gale loves such meetings in winter, when the forest becomes mysteriously deserted and it seems that there is nothing else on the planet except this forest, a warm cabin and his John. And John hugs him and makes love to him like he doesn't do this with anyone else. In these minutes, Gale is glad to forget that there is some other reality.

There is a joke between them that only they understand; they call it “the last two people on the planet.”

[marshmallow--galaxies]

FFRMC 2024 Day 16!!

Prompt: Spine-chilling

no men but animals by PtitsaSinitsa & @tomjopson

The year is 1899, and Solomon Tozer has become disillusioned with the new world. When he finds himself in trouble, he has to hightail it to Dawson City looking for an out. Luckily for him, friends direct him to a cabin, left by a recently dead hermit. The details don’t matter to Solomon: not when he gains land of his own. With no neighbors but the trees, he settles down for what he hopes will be a peaceful existence. Peace, however, is hard to come by in Alaska, and winter is not finished with him.

Time for a spooky one!! This fic does atmospheric horror so well!! It does an excellent job of building the tension, and the moments of action are always really spooky and exciting! It's also got Neptune in it which is huge.

[kolbietheaggrievedwriter]

white moonlight, haunted sub au!

so, i've been thinking about how i would definitely be pissed if chel was the only reason that i couldn't see my boys be happy, so maybe that's the strong emotion that caused me to linger?

or, extreme love in a twisted way that it had become an obsession, that lead to me haunting niren and elliot to the ends of their lives.

("Oh, my prince, don't you cry. You will forget of little, old me when you are a king. I am just a mere admirer, a mere suitor that futilely tried to gain your hand in love. You will look after our Elliot better than I possibly could, yes?" A hand reaches up to hold Niren's face gently, the fingers already cold from rhe rain and the blood loss. "I am sorry I couldn't do more, my beloved Niren. I'm sorry for not even being able to love you properly, for not showing myself earlier. I hope that— I can only hope that you love me back, my love, that we would've been lovers if I wasn't a commoner, if I was not born like this. My king, I will love you forever, even death can not make stop loving you."

His face turns to Elliot, his beloved knight and his other hand reaches out to him. He smiles softly when his hand is immediately grabbed by the knight.

"Elliot, I'm sorry I won't be able to make those meals I had promised you. I love you so much, my puppy. Maybe we would have been able to care of Niren together, to watch him flourish as the king of this kingdom. I'm so glad that you like my gifts so much that it's always my winter coat that you wear. Later, I left you and Niren some gifts in my cabin, so ask the street urchins for directions to the 'weird forest hermit, seamstress man's cabin', okay?" His cold hand squeezes the gloved hand that is desperately holding onto his. "My darling knight, won't you let me see that beautiful smile of yours? I—" A sharp cough rattles his whole body. "—I will always love you, my Elliot, even death will not part me from you.")

ghost!wm leading to cold spots in their rooms, the poisoned teacups coincidentally having cracks that caused it to shatter when put down, his bouquets that he left behind for them always blooming, the slight feeling of being kissed on the cheek or the whispers of "i love you" that they can barely recognise from their first and last conversation with their admirer.

the way that niren would find that his office was meticulously cleaned and everything was where he wanted them to be. the way that elliot would find that his swords never showed any signs of wear, even the ones that he never uses. the way that little prince's bookshelves stop showing signs of even a speck of dust. the way that the little princess' will always coincidentally be led by a gut feeling to a secret passage when she's running away to explore, never getting caught until the last minute.

sometimes, in his office or when he's in his lonesome, niren can hear a male voice — that he can barely recognise — whisper, "i love you, i love you, i love you—" or "my prince, my king, my darling, my love, my beloved—" and the phantom touch of someone cupping his face and kissing him on the cheek or lips. the now-king or crown prince should feel alarmed but all he can feel is the overwhelming and genuine if just a bit too obsessive love of the ghost.

maybe, elliot would feel the barely-there touch of someone's hand on his neck and just running their hands through his hair gently with the coo of "oh, my puppy, my kitty, my beloved guardian knight, i love you so much, love you, love you so, so much, ours, mine, mine—" when he's by niren's side and it's just the two of them, or when he's about to sleep. maybe elliot will sometimes feel someone kiss him on the lips or cheek just before he falls asleep, a soft "i love you" that is barely heard with the sound of wind outside.

every single day, niren and elliot would each find a flower placed into niren's office. when they look for the meanings, the flowers are always symbolised to mean love, to mean loyalty, to mean love even after death, to mean of being admired, or to mean of remembrance. these flowers would have frost on them, as if they were held by a being that is so cold that even a single touch will freeze over water. though, they've always been touched so, oh-so warmly.

My jaw dropped!!! So long and so beautifully melancholic!!! Man, you really painted that picture!!! 😭😭😭😭 It's so sad!!! Bittersweet!!!! Knowing you're loved but that the one you didn't get to love isn't even able to rest!!!! Quite literally haunting!!! Thank you for sharing. I feel like a cat that just got fed a handful of treats!!! Delightful.

[erandir]

Title: The Green Man and the Vampire 17/??

Pairing: Astarion/Tav

Summary: A no tadpole AU in which hermit druid forest man M'keon (Tav) finds a vampire in his shed and decides the best course of action is to adopt it like a wounded animal. As one does.

----------

"Astarion." He speaks the vampire's name carefully, soft into the relative silence of the cabin. Hoping only to break him out of whatever thoughts have him pacing like that. It doesn't work at first. He has to say Astarion's name a second time before the man stops in his pacing. Then he is slow to turn his attention toward M'keon. So slow that M'keon can see the way that he carefully schools his expression. How the crease between his brows softens, the hard set of his mouth turns to a gentle upward tilt.

"Yes, my dear?" he asks, a mask of nonchalance hiding the obvious turmoil in his mind. M'keon isn't sure why he even bothers.

It does make him hesitate before speaking, though. Maybe that's the point. M'keon doesn't like broaching the painful subjects any more than Astarion likes talking about them, and Astarion knows that. Perhaps he thinks a false light mood will make M'keon too polite to prod. He's almost right. It would be easier to pretend nothing is wrong. That this is just another uneventful late-winter evening. Except M'keon has known Astarion long enough to spot a ploy like this.

[seaspraycd]

[ @deathscn ] ronan  hadn't  felt  awful  that  he  had  been  ignoring  certain  duties  for  the  past  couple  of  weeks  but  he  did  recognize  that  being  in  a  new  space,  he  was  more  obligated  to  see  and  spend  time  with  the  community  of  demigods  instead  of  just  doing  what  he  wanted  all  the  time  —  the  fish  would  simply  have  to  wait. 

bringing  himself  and  a  few  books  that  he  thought  winter  might  like,  he  found  his  way  to  the  hades  cabin  and  gave  a  quick  rap  on  his  door  and  waited  for  a  certain  man  to  greet  him.  all  ro  could  hope  was  that  being  in  his  own  head  space�� for  the  last  few  weeks  didn't  cause  others  to  harbor  ill  feelings.

the  man  was  just  a  hermit  and  could  get  lost  in  the  world  of  data  and  research,  especially  as  he  spent  time  thoroughly  mapping  the  width  and  depth  of  the  camp's  lake.

[zz-chikorita]

Thought of a random idea/ au sort of dealio where post sun/moon, after Team Skull gets disbanded, Guzma goes and lives as a recluse on Mount Lanakila because fuck people and also the ultra beasts aren't able to sense him there for some reason. His pokemon don't come out of their balls often, all being bugs and unadapted for the cold so his day to day life is going out into the snow by himself to gather/chop wood, forage, etc. He only rarely goes to the mountain's pokécenter for supplies since it's like a full day's hike from his cabin.

He keeps himself mostly covered up so people don't realize it's him, but they still avoid and are cautious of him because he's just this very large, scary, hermit.

Anyways, blah, blah, blah, insert your favorite blorbo here gets lost/injured in the snow and wakes up in a cabin, roaring fire, is offered a mug of tapu cocoa by the person who rescued them yada yada yada- Oh this guy is kinda cute, he doesn't talk much but he's very kind- something, something takes off his many layers of warm, winter clothes and he's covered in gang tattoos and other ink OH NO HE'S HOT (and also a former crime lord which is a little terrifying but like he's really just a chill dude and wants to be left alone why is everyone afraid of him?)

[peebsplays]

🐸🐰🔮!

Sorry for the slow reply! I had a lot come up very suddenly.

🐸 Describe your aesthetic.

I think it's like a hermit who only wears black and wants to live in a studio mcgee style cabin with a spa. In the forest. In the middle of winter with a nice wood-burning stove. So whatever aesthetic that is. ❄️🌲🔥

🐰 What do you think says the most about a person?

How they treat animals.

🔮 What’s your dream job?

No job

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Resentment brings trouble, wreaths bring joy

What do we do with leftover holiday decor and fern gyroids? We make wreaths. After all there’s no reason to waste a bunch of perfectly good things like tinsel and pinecones. The holiday season might be over but that doesn’t mean we can’t prepare for next year. Besides, it’s not like we’re drowning in wreaths - there’s just enough for everyone to make at least two. As for the rest of the gyroids, they’re being used for a winter cabin themed set designed by Mabel and Arabella.

Sophea and Shinobu have dropped by with a couple friends to spend the weekend here. The four of them had gone up to Portsmith Summit to deal with something and the camp happens to be on the way back. Since it’s a long trip to Cardamon - where Julie and Shigeo live - Sophea thought it’d be best to take it easy for a couple days. I agree, long trips are a lot less daunting when you break it up with stops along the way, especially when you’re in no rush to get there.

After spending the past couple weeks being a potato by being a hermit at the camp, it’s nice to finally get back into the swing of things with a little event. Traveling’s fun but I’m still a homebody at heart so I often need breaks to kinda get away from it all and not be too overwhelmed. Like I’ve said before, I’m lucky to have friends who completely understand - partly because a lot of them are similar too - so I don’t constantly feel like I have to be “on” all the time and take as much time for myself without feeling bad.

That’s not to say that certain people close to me don’t respect that - I think it’s more like they don’t get it. I mean, I don’t mind when they call me up but it’s annoying when I try to leave and they sorta guilt me into staying longer even though there’s nothing else to say and then they complain that I’m boring them. Also, maybe it’s just me, but as soon as someone says that they want to leave then I’d be like okay and not force them, even if they have nothing going on.

And I know that they wouldn’t want to hear this as I would never say it to their face but as much as I love some of these people they really take a lot out of me. Like I love and support you but we absolutely cannot live together because we’re just way too incompatible and that will negatively impact our relationship. Sometimes the best thing you can do is maintain a healthy distance, especially when you do get along well but your personalities are almost completely opposite.

Anyway, enough about that, the gyroid event’s been a lot of fun. I think I like the way we’re doing events now, just more on the casual side and a bit more sporadic. This event wasn’t really planned and it ended up working out really well so I hope to have more like that. I’m more of a spontaneous person anyway so I don’t really like sticking to rigid planning and feel more comfortable going with the flow. Events take time, energy, and resources, so I don’t want to waste all that on something that might end up being a huge source of stress that accomplishes nothing.

What I’m saying is that I don’t want events to be some big flashy thing, I want events to provide memorable and fun experiences. Even if it’s seemingly mundane, there’s nothing wrong with finding something special in the ordinary.

As usual, Sophea’s been working on a case and Shinobu’s providing her assistance. Her client, Julie, had been reluctant to get some outside help but at Shigeo and Shinobu’s insistence, she finally reached out to Sophea. Part of the reason why Julie was hesitant to reach out was because it was mostly a family affair, which is understandable. However it’s escalated to a point where her estranged father, a powerful lawyer with lots of connections, and her mother’s parents, also some powerful people, have taken things too far.

With the way her family tends to muddle things, Julie figured it’s best to beat them by getting the truth out before they have a chance to warp it. The whole thing really started a couple years ago when her mother got arrested and Julie had to move in with her father. Before that Julie lived with her mother, who was also a prominent lawyer before the arrest. Her parents married young because she got pregnant and inevitably things didn’t work out. Julie mostly saw her father on weekends or when her mother was too busy with work - the latter which became more frequent as she got older and that put a strain on her relationship with her mother.

As for Julie’s relationship with her maternal grandparents, she finds it hard to believe that those people are the ones who raised her mother and uncle. Despite her mother’s flaws, Julie says she understands that she did the best she could, especially when it came to avoiding being like her parents. While she sympathizes with her mother for being under a lot of pressure as the eldest who also happened to be the gifted child, it doesn’t completely excuse her for some of the things she did. One of those things in particular is how she treats her brother, though Julie thinks her grandparents’s brainwashing is mostly to blame.

As one can infer, Julie’s mother grew up in a dysfunctional family and despite her accomplishments and former status, she was never able to escape their influence. Her uncle, Aki, who’s a friend of Shigeo and Shinobu, is considered the black sheep of the family, a topic of ridicule. He’s kind of person who’s considered a failure for not meeting unrealistically high standards, which explains why he doesn’t get along with them. As a result, Julie had this image of her uncle as someone to avoid being like, as in the lowest of the low, someone not worth acknowledging.

It wasn’t until she got to know to him that they don’t really know him at all. Meeting Shigeo and Shinobu furthered that point. Julie finds Aki to be a decent person, he may be a bit hard to get along with and can be exhausting to be around but he’s surprisingly easy to talk to. Shinobu confirms that Aki is indeed a good listener who actually tries to help without being intrusive or offering unsolicited advice, which kinda adds to why most people are baffled by him. Sure some of the things he does are questionable but that’s not much different from anyone else - in Shigeo’s words, he’s just some guy who tries to get by. So it doesn’t make sense why his parents are so determined to tear him down and pit other people against him.

Regarding the incident that got Mia arrested and ruined her life, it’s something that Julie still can’t wrap her mind around. I mean, who can blame her? Julie and her mother were visiting her grandparents and that happened to be the one time when her uncle came over too. That was when Julie started to get to know him as they were both trying to avoid the elders. Her mom was having problems that involved getting into fights with her parents so Aki would take Julie out to save her from being dragged into the conflict.

Then one day Aki texted Julie that he and his friend were stranded on the freeway because of car trouble so she asked her mom if she could take the car. Mia wasn’t happy about it and insisted on driving since it was winter and Julie wasn’t as familiar with the roads. On the way back after picking up the guys Mia and Aki got into an argument and next thing Julie knew, the car went off the road and flipped. She later found out that her mother walked out of the wreck, later confessing that she intended to leave the others in the snow. Aki managed to pull an unconscious Julie out of the car before it went up in flames while his friend, who was thrown out, died from his injuries.

From there, it all went downhill. Everyone had naturally assumed that Mia left the scene because she was disoriented and not thinking straight, which makes sense. So to hear her admit that she intended to flee the scene to avoid getting into trouble, even if it means leaving her own daughter stranded and almost killed, is shocking, to say the least. Though her mother has felt immensely guilty about it, Julie says she doesn’t know if she can ever forgive her. Leaving her own daughter and brother stranded and killing someone - even if it was an accident - doesn’t change the fact that she intentionally did what she did.

Not surprisingly, Julie’s grandparents tried to clean up the mess by pinning the blame on Aki and insisting that Mia was innocent. To make matters worse, Julie’s father, who never got along with his in-laws, took their side, though he dragged his ex through the mud too. Julie ultimately chose to go back to the city to live with her father - the lesser of two evils she said, the alternative being her grandparents - in hopes of putting the incident behind her.

Things didn’t quite work out that way as she found out that acting like nothing happened wasn’t going to help. She and Aki contacted each other in secret, which was how she later met Shigeo and Shinobu, and they went on like that for the next few years. With Aki and Shigeo’s help, Julie got into Mikawa University with a scholarship so that was her ticket out. After spending her first year in the dorms, she later moved into her own apartment.

Julie thought she’s be safe now that she was far away from both sides of the family. And for a while she and Aki were fine, at least until several months ago when her father found out. It wasn’t long before her grandparents found out too and they started harassing Aki, claiming that he was corrupting Julie. For a while they tried to ignore it but the harassment got worse. Eventually they started targeting other people like Shigeo, which Aki felt was going way too far - even more so when Julie herself became a target. Not knowing what to do, Julie turned to her mother for help and she suggested contacting Sophea since she knows things will escalate.

That’s why they went up to Portsmith and now that’s over with, all they can do is wait and see. Sophea mentioned that she worked with Mia in the past and that she was a good lawyer. It’s a shame that things ended up the way they did. Shigeo was aware that Aki didn’t get along with his parents but he never knew it was that bad. Even though he’s younger, Shigeo often worries about Aki like a concerned older sibling because he never lets on how much he’s struggling. Shinobu suspects it’s because he’s never had anyone stand up for him so that’s why he constantly has to prove himself. Sounds like she’s speaking from experience.

Although Julie was reluctant to reach out to Sophea for help at first, she’s glad that she did instead of trying to ignore the problem or deal with it herself. She pointed out that her mother’s family had a bad habit of pretending things never happened and playing the blame game in order to avoid responsibility and given their track record, she does not want to end up like them. Sophea added that it’s clear that both sides of Julie’s family are full of resentful people and sooner or later that’ll backfire on them.

In other words, Julie was lucky to get out when she did because if she stuck with her father, or worse, her grandparents, she’d probably end up like them. So while her mother isn’t perfect, at least she succeeded in making sure Julie didn’t end up like any of them by making sure she could stand up for herself and not be blinded or swayed by arrogance and bitterness.

Julie and Shigeo are still on winter break so they’re in no rush to get home. Aki would’ve come with them but he got knocked out with a cold so Shigeo’s mom has been checking up on him. They say he’s feeling a lot better but still contagious which is why they can’t visit him. Sophea plans to meet up with him in person before she gets back, hopefully by next week when he’s fully recovered.

The weather’s been really cold up here so it’s a good thing they decided to stop by the camp. We managed to collect a bunch of gyroids before shutting ourselves inside and making ourselves cozy by the fire.

Making wreaths has helped us unwind and take our minds off the cold. It’s fun to see what everyone comes up with when decorating our wreaths. And when we were done with that we got started on making furniture. Not surprisingly, Shinobu knows a thing or two about crafting furniture. She really is a jack of all trades. Shigeo mentioned that Aki tried to recruit her several times but she kept declining. They’ve been vague on what Aki does for work so I’m guessing no one really knows, not even Aki himself. All they can really say is that he tries to help people, usually in a roundabout way, and it ends up working out.

Tomorrow looks like it’s gonna be sunny - cold still but at least it’ll be bright - so hopefully we can venture out a bit to collect some more gyroids as well as show the others a bit more of the camp.

Read on AO3

[mountaindmned]

JACK FIDDLER, 45 year old hermit living alone on Madhee. A while back he was younger, he had a family of Mad Dogs. All gone now. It's mostly spite keeping him going nowadays.

Jack was born and raised on Madhee. His first prey kill was at 13, when he lost his eye. He went through the yew rite a few days later.

At night, the family would come together to hunt the prey to keep them on the mountain. At sunrise, a celebration that they'd survived the night. Jack would play fiddle, Gramps played drum, and Hawk played banjo. Others would sing or play their own instruments. The Mad Dogs always howling around a campfire or cabin fireplace. Singing the sun back into the sky. A celebration of breath in their lungs and blood in their body.

The numbers always varied. Ten bunk beds in that tiny cabin, rooms added on to rooms. There was always an ebb and a flow to the little family on the mountain. Then BOB WASHINGTON bought it, people were hesitant to join. The cops might get involved.

Those that died weren't replaced. The natural order was broken.

The graveyard took over most of the backyard by now.

Down in town, his eyes started carrying less weight. Only a few locals even knew what it was, much less the deal it brought. You keep the Damned up on the mountain, you get almost anything you want. Never too much. Just enough to survive.

More and more stores started saying, "corporate won't let me do that, sorry."

He'd had to start stealing supplies instead.

Jack worked on the homestead for a while. Chopping wood, carrying water all on his own. At least the prey mostly went silent. Jack wasn't a particularly tasty meal, apparently.

As his joints stiffened and his hearing began to ring, he wondered-- would there be another generation of Mad Dogs to keep the creatures corralled on the mountain? Or would they finally escape and wreak havoc on the town?

Hawk Fiddler was Jack's younger sister. They knew how to work together, silently. Move quickly. Kill the prey. Chop wood and carry water. Hawk was in charge, Jack was the brawns.

Hawk carried the pack through ten winters of hunting. Nine damned eventually whittled down to five.

Finally, Hawk passed away. Of infection of all the damn things-- the Washingtons had made it difficult for Jack to go gather mistletoe he needed-- she died in her bed. Jack had hefted her up in his arms to take her last breath out in the icy air.

Jack learned to read and write from Skye, only a few years older. She tried to call herself Wendy Darling when she first showed up on the mountain but everyone's shrugs and blinks made short work of that joke. She was only Skye Fiddler now.

Hawk hovered over her as the nearly empty car screeched up the mountain road, a lithe girl with a shiner and split lip. She became the main "alchemist", helped Gramps load up the flamethrower with the right mix of fuel, helped mix the gunpowder for the shotguns and fireworks.

CHAPTER #: THE GREER FAMILY

OTHER MAD DOGS LISTED HERE ! (tba)

[fmpcamerondavies]

American Folk Tales - Tailypo

The tale of Tailypo is a traditional American folklore story, particularly popular in the Appalachian region. The story typically centres around a hermit or an old man living alone in a cabin in the woods with his three dogs. The man encounters a mysterious creature, often described as having a long, bushy tail.

Here is a common version of the story:

A hermit, facing a harsh winter and struggling to find food, ventures into the forest surrounding his cabin, there he encounters a strange creature in the forest out of desperation he shoots the creature only managing to cut off its tail. Desperate for sustenance, he takes the tail back to his cabin and cooks it into a stew which he shares with his three dogs. After eating and drifting off to sleep, he is awoken by the creature at the foot of his bed, which in a chilling almost human voice demands the return of its "Tailypo" which immediately alerts the hermits three dogs who leap at the creature, chasing it out of the cabin into the woods, only two return.

The creature's chilling refrain often goes something like this: "Tailypo, Tailypo, where is my Tailypo?" As the nights go on, the creature becomes more persistent and frightening, each time one less dog returns until its just the man alone in the cabin. In the climax of the story, the creature confronts the man, who admits he cannot return the tail because he has eaten it. Depending on the version, the tale typically ends with the creature reclaiming its tail and the man disappearing, presumably taken or killed by the creature.

The tale of Tailypo is a cautionary story, emphasising themes of respect for nature and the consequences of desperate or selfish actions. It also serves as a chilling ghost story, designed to thrill and frighten audiences, especially children, around campfires or bedtime. The story's repetitive, eerie refrain and the suspenseful buildup to the final encounter with the creature make it a memorable and enduring piece of Appalachian/American folklore.

for a more consistent and visually interesting retelling watch the video linked below, its faithful to the source material and is genuinely a very nice recounting of the folk tale.

[stonewallsposts]

April 2024 Reading

Neve, cane, piede- Claudio Morandini  (2016)  Story of an old mountain man/hermit, Adelmo Farandola, who hates being around others. He lives alone high up in an alpine valley, when an old dog makes his way to him. At first he tries to chase the dog off, but the dog stays and they develop a companionship. Through a tough winter, the man reminisces to the dog about his abusive childhood, hiding in the mountains to avoid the wartime conflicts, and his learning to deal with hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation in order to stay hidden.  

But as Adelmo has gotten older, his memory is slipping and his thoughts, while locked in his cabin for the long winter months, are becoming more disjointed. He also struggles with sounds he hears from the movement of the snow and ice. Avalanches are an ever-present, and real, concern.  

Adelmo and the dog converse. The dog acts as a kind of 'second opinion' where alternative ideas are sounded out. The dog's opinion is the device for the old man's inner dialogue. Clearly, Adelmo's memory is slipping badly as the book moves along. In the spring, after they make their first trip down the mountain to restock on food, they discover a foot sticking out of the snow. 

Adelmo figures there is no rush to do anything about it since the man is dead already. The dog suggests maybe they should tell someone in the village about it. The man puts it off. Later he does attempt to tell the shop owner in the town, but she doesn't realize he is serious. At some point later, Adelmo begins to recall perhaps having shot the man some time earlier, and his body had come down in the landslide. He decides he will bury/hide the body in an abandoned mine. Adelmo then decides to lay down with the cadaver and has a long conversation with it too. 

Sicily- An Island at the Crossroads of History- John Julius Norwich  (2015) 

A history of Sicily. Sicily's history goes back to around 700BC. The island was colonized by the Greeks in the east and the Carthaginians in the west. After the Punic Wars the Romans had effective control over the island. When the Roman empire fell in 476AD, the island was left largely to itself until the Byzantine empire invaded in 535 and took back the island for itself until around the mid 800s. The Arabs were invited over, then conquered the island for themselves and Sicily became an Emirate until the mid 1000s. When the Normans came, Sicily entered a golden age of multi-cultural prosperity that was the wonder of Europe. But when the island was turned over to the Hohenstaufen (German) dynasty through marriage around 1200, the island ceased to be an independent kingdom. 

From that time on, the history of Sicily is told in the history of French, Spanish, and Austrian decisions made outside of Sicily. The island passed from one nation to the other with little to no regard for what the Sicilians themselves wanted. 

Relegated to provincial status, treated as a place to be exploited, Sicilians learned to trust no one, and look out for themselves and themselves only.  

As a Sicilian/American, it's heartbreaking to read. I loved learning more about the history of Sicily,  but it's tough to take at times.  

Thus Spake Zarathustra- Friedrich Nietzsche  (1883-5) 

Reading the prologue, it's not hard to see the philosophical connection between Nietzsche and some of the more heinous political systems that arose in the early to mid-twentieth century. I know Nietzsche fans will say that they didn't properly understand him, which may be true. I'm not saying that the Nazi's thought: Nietzsche's the thing... how can implement a system that best encapsulates his philosophy? 

But looking at the philosophical ideas floating around at the time: Darwin was relatively new and people were still wrapping their heads around survival of the fittest, and the evolutionary idea that selection will find a way to get genes into the future.  

Nietzsche talks about the coming superman; the fact that we won't be the superman, but we may be the direct ancestor of the superman. He speaks of the glory of manliness and being a warrior. These things tie in nicely with the idea of how we best bring about this new superman, who will usher in a new era of human proficiency. 

Fascism then saw themselves as constructing a society built on such new men. They preached the need or manly sacrifice, and the need for war to toughen men's bodies and keep them from getting soft. This new society would bring about new men, which would be better than the effeminate populace getting too soft on comforts, and unwilling to sacrifice for a greater good.  

I find it fascinating to read the book more for that sense of grasping the kinds of ideas that were capturing men's attention at the time. Fascism didn't just spring up out of nowhere with the idea: hey let's kill a bunch of people! It was a political response to people's fears and hopes of the times, and it must have seemed a plausible response to what people saw as the failures of the systems in place at the time. 

Nietzsche hated Christianity and saw its doctrines as effeminizing men and turning them into docile sheep with no creative ideas. He preached strength and virtue, but virtue in more of the old Roman understanding than the Christian. He thought equality was stupid and contra-nature. He criticizes modern (late 1800s for him) culture, but sees Christianity at fault for most of the weaknesses of that culture. 

One of the important concepts of the book is 'will to power'. But what exactly this means is hard to pin down. Maybe 'self-determination' would be a good word. Nietzsche writes that all creatures are obeying creatures. There are two sub-categories: those that command themselves and those that are commanded by others. Commanding oneself however is difficult and carries responsibility with it, so it is often avoided. Those then that are stronger will command others. But it is in the nature of life to continually surpass itself.   I think this is saying that the strong will naturally rise up and rule in power. Life inherently has the will to power, and it is the weakness of modern man that he has chosen to submit himself and be commanded. 

In the third part of the book, Zarathustra, defines existence as an eternal recurrence.  

The Return of the Native- Thomas Hardy  (1878) 

Hardy's novels, and I've now read five of them, tend to start slow, but by the time I'm halfway through, I can't put them down. This one concerns mainly two couples, and a few secondary characters. 

Thomasin Yeobright is a pretty young girl that lives on the Heath in England. She is engaged to be married to Damon Wildeve, known in the parts as a bit of a player. The marriage ceremony hits a snag and is unable to go through. We find out that Wildeve is perhaps more in love with another beauty on the Heath, Eustacia Vye. He had been involved with her, but when he expressed interest in Thomasin, Eustacia broke things off. Now they were meeting again, mostly because Eustacia sees him as a way out of the Heath. Wildeve and Eustacia both long to leave, while Thomasin grew up on the Heath and can't imagine leaving.  

Eustacia's interest is pulled immediately away from Wildeve on the arrival of Thomasin's cousin, Clym, just arrived from a successful business stint in Paris. Eustacia sees a way out of the heath in Clym, and shortly after, they are married.  

But Clym has no interest in leaving the Heath. He explains this to Eustacia, but at heart she thought she could bend him towards her will and change his mind. She grows morose when he insists on staying. 

Meanwhile, Wildeve comes into some fortune and Eustacia starts to reconsider her path: perhaps Wildeve would become the way out, but she feels she can't just leave her husband.  

Without giving away the ending, the story has to do with thwarted desires and frustrations, and the expectations of society versus personal desires. 

Agnes Grey- Anne Bronte  (1847) 

The novel really serves as an exposé for the treatment of governesses at the time. The main character goes to work for two families as a governess, where she is entrusted with raising children, but given no tools to succeed. In fact, both families raise their children to be dismissive and superior to those "beneath them". The governess is charged with teaching the children manners as well as schooling them, but they are allowed to rule over her. It is their wishes that must be followed, not hers. Yet she is blamed for the resultant problems. 

Cranford- Elizabeth Gaskell  (1853) 

A book with no discernable plot, about a group of ladies in the fictional town of Cranford. These ladies have sticks way up their butts about class, and they're way overconcerned about all the ways in which they can show themselves better to particular people. This is the main concern of their lives: finely dissecting the layers of society and then demonstrating to themselves that they are better than those "below them" in the execution of just about everything they do. Like I said... sticks WAY up their butts. 

There are occasionally funny lines, for example: "Mrs. Jamieson, meanwhile, was absorbed in wonder why Mr. Mulliner did not bring the tea; and at length the wonder oozed out of her mouth." 

As the book progresses, there is a severe financial setback for one of the characters and her reduced means force everyone to reconsider their evaluations of caste and value. 

Manon Lescaut- Abbe Prevost  (1731) 

The story of the young Chevalier des Grieux, who meets and immediately falls in love with the then 15 year-old Manon Lescaut. His unrestrained passion, and Manon's fickle attitude and desire for pleasures, lead him to repeatedly sink into troubles. Forced out of France, they wind up in New Orleans where Manon dies. The story is narrated by des Grieux, and I'm not sure I've found myself thinking: what are you DOING!? so much since the story of Pinocchio. It is both a love story and perhaps a cautionary tale about unrestrained passions. 

I will say though, this story had me engaged from page one. I read nearly the entire novel in a day. 

Steppenwolf- Hermann Hesse  (1927) 

"For of all things, what I hated, abhorred and cursed most intensely was just this contentment, this will-being, the well-groomed optimism of the bourgeois, this lush, fertile breeding ground of all that is mediocre, normal, average." 

The steppenwolf is the wild wolf of the steppes. Hesse considered that this was an alter-ego that lived alongside the civilized man that the world must be presented with. The wild wolf, he explains, has strayed into civilized territory, and can no longer find its home or the food it likes to eat.  

During the story, Harry, the central character, is handed a tract called the steppenwolf, that describes his life, and tells him he is wrong: his personality isn't two mutually exclusive characters, it is a thousand, or more, competing characters. He then meets the beautiful Hermione, a counterpart to his life, who further breaks down his analysis, and sets to build up areas of his life that are deficient- but solely for the purpose of showing him that even being proficient in these areas is still nothing but unfulfilling. 

The back cover contains a quote from a NY Times review: "The gripping and fascinating story of disease in a man's soul".  

So much of the story is really dealing with meaning. They blame it on the mundane meaninglessness of middle class life. But I think it arises from abundance, and the concomitant depressing thought that if this is all there is, what's the point. Perhaps in times past, or even current times where life is subsistence, the general sense is "If only I were to have enough", then I could really be whole". And it's true that in modern, western societies, we have enough. Many people still think, "I still struggle a bit, so If only I were to have a little more, then I could really be whole." 

But enough people, even more than a hundred years ago, had looked around at our prosperous modern western society, and thought, "wait... is this all there is?", and grew profoundly disappointed in it. 

On the Road- Jack Kerouac   (1957) 

The version I got is called the "original scroll". It's basically the original autobiographical narrative he wrote, with all the true names. The names were changed for the published 1957 version.   

There are no chapter or section breaks. Or even any 'paragraphs'. It is written as one gigantic stream-of-consciousness flow.  

The book is set in the period of 1947-49. Jack Kerouac and friends, particularly Neal Cassady, hit the road moving from NY to California and back, then do it again... then finally down to Mexico City where the book abruptly ends.  

They take 'carefree' to the limit of careless, then to criminal and insane. By 250 pages in to this 300 page book, I was so sick of these morons antics, that I was hoping they'd just get locked up. In search of 'kicks', they left a trail of brokenness, and hurt wherever they went. Even their own friends were disavowing Jack and Neal by the end of it.  

The Stranger- Albert Camus  (1942) 

A man kills another man senselessly, is put on trial, and is given the death penalty. Camus was an absurdist; which is a philosophy that proposed life has no purpose. It isn't that everything is "absurd" in the way we typically think of the word now. As the main character muses on his life and death, he sees no real point in either. 

2001: A Space Odyssey- Arthur C. Clarke  (1968) 

This book was a product of a collab with Stanley Kubrick. The story was made into a movie at the same time. Though only Clarke was credited as the author on the book. An unknown, but obviously alien, monolith is discovered on the moon. And a team is sent to one of Jupiter's moons to explore a second monolith, but things go off course when the onboard sentient computer, HAL9000, flips out. One survivor makes it to the monolith to discover it is a portal to other star systems. He is eventually led to the aliens, but we don't learn anything about them.