#buy a house in Woodburn

[saucetownproperties]

Buy Houses in Woodburn, OR | Saucetown Properties

Looking to buy a house in Woodburn, OR? Saucetown Properties offers a wide selection of homes for sale in this charming city. Whether you're a first-time homebuyer or searching for your forever home, we provide personalized service and expert guidance to help you find the perfect property.

[bullet-prooflove]

A black leather jacket, A bad reputation, Insatiable habits

Tagging: @kmc1989 @claymoresofinfamy23 @mandy426 @nellabear @queenslandlover-93

Companion piece to:

Summer - No one knows what Logan gets up to during the summer break.

There have always been rumours about Logan Howlett, about the fact he sweeps into Alberta in the June, disappearing again in the early September in that beat up pickup truck of his. They say the land his cabin is built on is cursed, the burnt out shell of the farm house haunted by the ghosts of the family that used to live there, the one he still belongs to.

There are rumours about you too, the fiddle player that came for the Calgary Stampede and never really left. They say you’re running from something in that life but no one can ascertain what or who.

“Sometimes a rumour is just a rumour.” You tell him one night during your third year together, his lips ghosting over the hollow of your throat as he helps you out of that black leather jacket, the one you’re wearing over that pretty yellow summer dress.

“And sometimes rumours have teeth.” He reminds you, his own nipping lightly at your jugular. You cry out at the sensation, head tipping back as his arm loops around your waist keeping you pressed against him. “If you’re in trouble...”

“I’m not.” You promise him, your hands tangling in his flannel shirt, the fabric bunching tightly in your fists. “But I would really like to get into some.”

Liar, he thinks but you’re entitled to your secrets, after all Logan has some too.

He spends the entire night, taking you apart. Long, hard strokes that have you scratching up his back, decadent kisses with just enough bite to push him right over the edge. As soon as it stops, it starts all over again because that healing factor, it comes with a short refractory period and he utilises it to his fullest advantage.

He leaves you sleeping in the morning, tangled up naked in his sheets, splayed across the mattress on your stomach. Your hair is wild, clashing against the colour of his pillow cases, burnished copper amidst a sea of blue.

There’s this feeling in his chest, it writhes inside of him, setting his nerves on edge as he heads outside to chop logs for woodburner. He knows without a shadow of a doubt you’re being hunted, that it might take a couple of years but that trouble you deny being into, it’ll come for you. It always does.

“My number.” He says, handing you a scrap of paper as he lingers outside his pickup truck when September comes around and it’s time to say goodbye. “If you need me.”

You both know what that really means but you don’t acknowledge it, that would mean admitting to something you’re not ready for just yet and he won’t push you. When you do tell him he wants it to come from a place of trust not obligation.

“What if I just want to hear the sound of your voice?” You ask him with a teasing lilt as you fold it the paper in half and slip it into the back pocket of your denim shorts.

“Use the number.” He murmurs, the edges of his mouth tipping up into a smile as he tucks a wayward strand of hair back behind your ear. “I’ll get you exactly where you need to go.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

The final Prison House build post! A follow-up to the gutting, landscaping and redooring posts.

There's a bit more of this build I did solo:

I built out from the original walls and roof with CLS to create space for wiring and insulation and to provide support for what would be my built-in desk.

Then uh got an electrician in, obviously. For the other bits. That require an electrician.

These lights belch out 4000 lumens each, which is pretty important to me as someone who loses her shit if things aren't brightly lit. Yes I use light mode on everything. Come the fuck at me.

I struggled magnificently with soloing anything that remained, not least because everything was heavy/above my head. Jim stepped in to take lead, partly because I'd helped with his office, partly because I was growing violent having to work from the living room sofa, and mostly as a birthday present.

Am I brittle about this? Yes slightly. In my mind, I was gonna finish Prison House myself. But 1) even as "hold this up there" labourer I was still heavily involved and 2) he is fast as fuck and has an incredible eye for detail, so I'm sure the end result worked out prettier than it might have otherwise.

So here's the rest:

The back wall in place! With glue! And then Stormlite so we wouldn't have to plaster! And a ceiling made of pine tongue-and-groove!

I did some painting in the night. Creatively, and unlike everyone else I know, I chose green.

I met several moths during this process, including a massive fox moth.

Left: the windowsill improved with ceiling off-cuts. Right: the desk supports. They're scaffolding poles left over from the time we used scaffolding poles to fence Max's poop field.

We'd stored a piece of worktop for probably eighteen months during the main house build, and finally got to use it now.

Three cuts, two coats of oil and an exceedingly long surge-protected power strip. It's been several months and I'm still in love with the industrial look of those wildly OTT poles and brackets. You can't really see them unless you stoop to look.

Here's the flooring and skirting board going in.

Mistakes were made with the flooring, if I'm honest. In the original post, back when this wasn't going to be a major project and Jim was ultimately going to reclaim it as a motorbike lock-up, you'll see I laid a load of soft matting to cover up the old roughed-up surface. We didn't rip that shit out. Always rip it out. There's compression in the foam still, which means the floor dips a little under pressure, and I think that'll ultimately lead to premature failure, especially as I bought the world's cheapest bargain bucket double-discounted clip-together boards.

Anyway, once that was in, it was time to add the woodburning stove we picked up in this old post.

I picked up some old flue pieces from FB marketplace and then we tried to figure out how the hell to slot it all together, roughing positions with a piece of old pipe.

This was in September, when we should have been done and well onto the final prep for Morocco, so we rushed like hell and I took few progress pics. Therefore not pictured: a lot of cutting, swearing, and buying heat-proof everything to make it all fit together. But it did fit together! I want to find another length of pipe to bring it to the proper height to stop it backdrafting, but as we're into spring now, I've got time.

Everything installed and complete:

[rose-honey-lemonade]

I mean fuck this lady cause she's selling a lie to people that she's "self sufficient" and not disclosing being married to an airline heir and also for spouting tradwife bullshit

BUT

AGA stoves were never meant to be what rich people use them for now. They're originally from small houses in very cold weather climates where it being on all the time also warmed your whole home. Similar to woodburning stoves in the northern US and Canada but just a bit bigger so it serves the triple purpose of also being able to use it as an oven and not just a stovetop and house heater like a woodburning stove.

You go in really old homes in a lot of cold climate European countries and many of them, if they still have original interiors, are gonna have an AGA style stove. And they're not only houses occupied by rich people.

It's not really wasteful if it's also your house's heating system, it tends to be about the same amount as using a regular stove plus standard modern heating at the same time.

Buying a new one and putting it in your big US farm house that also has normal central heating? Yeah that IS fucking wasteful but this style of stove in general isn't if it's used for it's actual intended triple purpose of stove/oven/ heat the whole house.

I'm not defending this woman at all, I just think the history of AGA style stoves is neat.

[gothicvamperstein]

I most certainly don't regret buying an old house with a woodburning stove, especially as I can decorating the way I want to. . . . #oldbuildinglover #oldhouse #oldhouselife #oldhouselove #oldhousesofinstagram #oldhousecharm #oldhouselovers #spookyvibes #spookydecor #spookyart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf4XexLuve/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[raisans-art]

Dream SMP Characters as Physical Art Mediums because I had Literally Nothing Better to do than Think about This.

Tommy: Crayons

Tommy wants to insist that he is a real artist but he couldn't be arsed to put any more effort than necessary. No one will buy him anything but a 12 pack of Crayolas.

Tubbo: Good Crayons.

Tubbo accepts his childish nature and just upgrades himself so that he can be a kid but with style.

Ranboo: Charcoal Pencils

Ranboo just likes working in black and white and the shading aspects that come with charcoal. He uses specifically pencils to keep his hands and, by extension, his suit cleaner than they would be otherwise.

Wilbur: Print

Wilbur enjoys the boldness of prints and the variety of techniques that are needed to make them look genuinely good. Of course, no one ever knows he does print making because the broke bastard doesn't have enough money to buy half of the materials for it. But whatever pictures he has on his flyers and documents were all printed by him.

Philza: Watercolour

Phil works well with the flow of watercolour. He is willing to let the colours do what they need to and work with any mistakes made. It's natural, easy-going, and fun. He doesn't hang up his works, just keeps them stored in bins at his old house.

Dream: Vector Art

Dream needs max control over his art. He needs to know exactly how everything blends, moves, forms, and bends right down to the tiniest point. He aims for perfection and cleanliness in his pieces.

Technoblade: Calligraphy pens

Techno would insist that he doesn't do art, but anyone who receives a letter from him would beg to differ. He's mastered the precision of cursive letters with help from his steady hand. He started because he heard it was good for sword practice from Phil.

George: A blue pencil

George doesn't work with colour and he mainly only does sketches of drifting thoughts. He keeps it simple and loose and finds the satisfaction of capturing an idea or a feeling over rendering pieces.

Sapnap: Woodburning

Sapnap calls it art but it's just an excuse for arson. However, he did begin to gain an appreciation for the artform and got rather good at making signs and pendants.

Niki: Ceramics

Niki started doing ceramics because it was somewhat similar to baking. She mainly does handmade things rather than using a wheel, but she did learn how to use the wheel. She will occasionally make a bowl or cup on it. She does it more often now because firing the kiln warms up the meeting room nicely.

Fundy: Mechanical pencil

Fundy works with whatever is on hand (always just a mechanical pencil) and just goes for it. The rendering depends on how he's feeling that day. He likes the ease of using a mechanical pencil with how cheap it is and how there is virtually no mess involved since he doesn't have to sharpen it.

Eret: Oils

Eret really enjoys making portraits of people on the SMP. He is more than willing to spend weeks on an oil painting and is a stickler for detail and realism.

Foolish: Marble sculpture

Foolish has had centuries to perfect the craft of sculpting and found that marble was the one to yield the best results in the end. He can and will spend months on a single sculpture if it means it'll enhance the mood of one of his builds.

Puffy: Whittling

Puffy never has the time to sit and focus on a craft so she whittles. It started as a stress reliever when it was just a random hunk of wood and her pocket knife but she really grew a knack for carving little trinkets and figures for her to set on her or other's shelves.

Ok peace

[impalas-r-important]

Branch Out - Chapter 1

Summary: Y/N left everything she's ever known, and Dean just wants to be left alone. With both of them trying to heal from heartache, they might just end up finding what they need in the last place they'd ever look.

Word count: 6219

Pairing: Dean x reader (eventually, maybe?)

Warnings: I don't think there are any for this chapter, but if you think i should add one, feel free to let me know!

A/N: I started this series a long time ago and just barely had the motivation to start it up again. I really love this series, and have been enjoying writing it. Let me know if you want a tag!

My Masterlist

Branch Out Masterlist

Thank heavens for GPS, there’s no way you would have found this place without step-by-step directions. A narrow gravel driveway branched off from the worn mountain road and wound to a homely cabin. You stepped out of your old pickup truck and pulled out the key the realtor had given to you. Buying a house sight unseen wasn’t the smartest idea and you second guessed your impulse decision as you took in the dense woods that were so foreign to you. The seasoned wooden boards of the porch creaked under your feet while you made your way to the door and let yourself into your new home. Dust rested gently on every ledge and the frigid January air was lined with a twinge of must from sitting unoccupied for so long, but something felt so promising about the sturdy structure.

A modest kitchen and living room made up most of the house with a bedroom and bathroom on either side of a small hallway. A small, metal woodburning fireplace sat just next to the backdoor and you had a feeling you would end up putting that to good use if you ever figured out how to use it.

Your hand was subconsciously touching the bruise that was prominent on your forearm and when you realized, you pulled your sleeve down to cover it. The decision to leave your family and friends behind was a heart-wrenching one, but you knew you had to make a change if you wanted to heal completely. You needed to do something for yourself, and you wanted a fresh start. A small cabin in the freezing cold woods of Idaho was about as far from what you knew to be normal as you could have gotten, but a seed of hope was planted firmly in your chest.

When a job posting for the assistant city accountant had fallen in your lap a few weeks back, you applied without thinking twice. A few online interviews later, you had secured the job and things fell into place effortlessly, as if some external force was paving your path to this small town. You bought this quaint home with the help of a local realtor, packed your things, and left the only home you had ever known in Arizona, despite the protests of your family. Not knowing what your future held was scary, but something about this place felt right from the moment you pulled in.

You had brought only what you needed to in hopes of making a quick escape, meaning you had only a mattress, some clothes and a few personal belongings. After working for a few years, you had a built up a good savings account and figured it would be easier to buy furniture once you got here instead of trying to move big pieces by yourself. It didn’t take long to move your things inside, and you felt grateful that you called ahead to have the power and water turned on so you could shower once you had unpacked what you needed for your first day on the job tomorrow. Anxiety sat like a rock in your stomach, so you skipped dinner and went straight to bed, burying yourself under a mountain of blankets to shield you from the winter chill that had settled in your bones.

Your nerves woke you up well before your alarm went off, so you dragged your feet across the frozen floor and pulled your clothes on quickly before digging through your boxes for some granola bars for breakfast. You leaned against the kitchen counter and began to make a list of things you would need to buy since you were essentially starting from scratch. Double checking the email that you had received with instructions for your first day, you took a deep breath and headed out.

City hall was a historic, two-story red brick building that was shared with the fire department. It looked like something out of a storybook, but then again, this whole town did. You pushed the door open and looked around at the empty lobby, checking your watch to make sure you weren’t crazy early. Rustic chairs lined the walls by the door, and a few empty desks were placed behind the tall front counter.

“Hello?” You asked, turning your head left and right to look for any signs of life.

“Oh!” A muffled voice responded, and distant footsteps quickly scuttled your way from the back room. “You’re here!” A pretty, dark haired girl gave a few excited claps as she made her way to you. “You must be Y/N. I’m Sarah. Sarah Blake.” She eagerly pulled you into a hug which caught you by surprise and she chuckled a bit to herself before taking a step back. “Sorry, my boyfriend says that my enthusiasm scares new people away. I’ve just been so excited since I heard they hired you. I’ve been praying for someone my age to come work around here for a long time.”

“Don’t apologize, you’re the first person I’ve met in town so it’s nice to see a friendly face.” Her warm welcome calmed some of your nerves.

“That’s right, you just moved in yesterday, huh?” You tiled your head in question, wondering how she knew that. “It’s a really small town, everyone knows everything, especially when it comes to new people. You’ve been the talk of the town the past little bit.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m the marketing/PR girl here, and we all just kind of pitch in with working the front desk. Come on back, let me give you the grand tour.”

Sarah led you around the corner and stopped at the first office on your left. “This is Ellen Singer’s office. You’ll be working under her, she’s the lead accountant.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Hmm, she should be here by now. I bet her car is giving her trouble.”

A friendly voice called out to Sarah from down the hall and she motioned for you to follow her as she stepped just inside the end office which was significantly bigger than the rest.

“Y/N, this is Garth Fitzgerald, he’s the mayor. Garth, this is Y/N.” Sarah introduced you and he stood to shake your hand.

“It’s great to meet you, Mayor Fitzgerald.”

“Please, call me Garth.” You smiled and nodded. “We’ve been excited about you around here. I think you’ll make a great addition to our community.” His phone ringing broke the conversation. “Excuse me, ladies. Oh, and welcome to Wallace, Y/N!”

“Next up is Arthur Ketch, he’s the city planner. Sometimes he can be a little abrupt, but deep down he’s a big softie. Don’t let him scare you.”

He was on the phone, so he simply waved to you two as you passed. Sarah’s attention was drawn back down the hall when two police officers walked in. “Jody, Donna!” She hollered to them.

“Heya, kiddo! Who you got with you?” The blonde officer sent a warm smile your way.

“You must be Y/N!” The other responded.

“Oh, that’s right! I heard you were coming to town. I’m Donna and this is Sheriff Jody Mills. It’s so great to meet you.” She pulled you in for your second hug of the day.

“Everyone here is seriously so nice. I don’t know why I didn’t move here years ago!” You joked.

“Well listen, if you need anything, you can always come to me, okay?” Jody put her hand on your shoulder. “We’re all so excited to have a new face around.”

“Thank you. You’re all making this transition so much easier than I thought it would be.”

Sarah waved to the officers as they left and pulled gently on your arm. “Come on, let’s chat while we wait for Ellen.” She took a seat at one of the desks in the front and you sat across from her.

“Thanks for showing me around, it’s nice to know that I have a friend at work already.” Sarah’s eyes lit up when you called her your friend.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been dying for you to get here. I knew we’d get along.” She folded her arms and sat back in her chair proudly. “So, where did you move from?”

“Phoenix, Arizona.”

“And you moved to Idaho in the middle of January? Are you crazy? I would give anything to go lay out in the sun for an afternoon.”

“Yeah, I might be!” You laughed. “I guess I just needed a change, you know? It was just time to move onto the next chapter of my life.”

“I get that. I grew up here and couldn’t wait to leave for college, but as soon as I was gone, I missed this place.”

“I can see what you’re talking about. It has a good feeling to it here.”

“So, now to the juicy stuff.” Sarah leaned forward. “Are you dating anyone? Because there’s a whole pool of eligible bachelors I could set you up with here.”

“No, actually I just got out of something kind of messy, so I don’t think I’m really looking for anything at the moment.”

A sympathetic look was sent you way. “I’m sorry to hear that. But if you ever feel ready, you let me know, okay?”

“You will be the first. What about you? I heard you mention you have a boyfriend. Tell me all about him.”

A smile spread across Sarah’s face and she pulled out her phone to show you a picture. “This is Sam, we’ve been together since high school.”

She handed you her phone and you looked at the tall, handsome guy whose arms were wrapped around her. “He’s cute, nice work!” She beamed as you handed her phone back. The expression on her face was clearly one of adoration as she looked at the picture.

“We actually broke up before we went to college. He went to Stanford and I went to the University of Oregon and we figured it would be easier to break it off on good terms rather than fade away in a long-distance relationship. That lasted about two weeks and we’ve been together ever since.”

“Do you think you’ll marry him? You guys are so stinking cute together.” You weren’t sure if you had ever seen a better fitting couple.

“I overheard Sam talking to his older brother about buying a ring. I don’t think he knew that I was just in the other room, but I’ll let him try to surprise me.” Sarah giggled. Your conversation was interrupted by someone walking in the back door.

“Hey, Ellen.” Sarah greeted. “Your reinforcement has arrived.”

Ellen looked at you with relief in her eyes. “Oh, honey, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Come on back here and we’ll get started.”

“Have fun!” Sarah left you to meet your new boss as she went up to help someone at the front desk.

“Y/N, you’ll have to forgive me for being so late. My stupid car has been giving me hell the past few weeks. You’d think with my husband owning the only mechanic’s shop in town, I’d have a reliable vehicle, but here we are.”

“No worries. It gave me a chance to meet some people around the building. I’m excited to get started though.” You sat in the chair across from her desk and she plopped down with a sigh as well.

“I’ve been begging Garth for two years for some help, so you are a light at the end of my tunnel. I’m hoping to retire in a few years and hand you the reigns, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

The next few hours were spent introducing you to all of the systems and procedures. After receiving a call from her daughter, Ellen decided to call it a day just after three in the afternoon and the two of you agreed to hit it hard tomorrow. You gathered your things and returned to the front area where Sarah was scrolling through her phone. She looked up when you entered the room.

“Hey! How are things going?”

“Ellen has to take off, so we’re going to call it a day and just work a little longer tomorrow.” You sat at the desk adjoining Sarah’s and set your things down.

“Take any desk. It’s just you and me out here. Charlie is the county IT girl and works out here sometimes, but she hops from building to building.”

“Well, I suppose this one is as good as any.” You unpacked a picture frame and a few supplies at the desk across from Sarah’s. “Hey, are there any places to buy furniture around here? I only moved with the bare essentials so I’m in desperate need of a few things.”

“So, what you’re saying is you need to go on a shopping spree? I’m in! I’ll drive.” Sarah grabbed her purse and coat and led you out the door.

She took you on a short tour of the staples around town before arriving at the only big box store nearby. You browsed up and down the aisles, pulling all the necessities off the shelf and tossing them in the cart. You’d have to order some of the bigger furniture pieces online since it was a small place, and they didn’t have anything like here.

Sarah had a basket and was creating a good-sized stockpile of her own. “Sam has been trying to put me on a budget for a while now, so I’ll have to hide this stuff before he sees.” A guilty smile pulled on the corners of her mouth.

“Just tell him you were shopping with an accountant and I approved all your purchases.”

“Hah! We’re going to be good friends.” She picked up a candle, smelled it, and placed it in her basket.

“Where does Sam work?” You asked as you looked through the bathroom towels.

“He’s the lawyer for Winchester Lumber, the sawmill in town. A lot of people work there actually, it’s kind of the main business that brings people in. Sam’s great grandpa started it and it’s stayed in the family. Sam’s older brother, Dean, runs the place right now, but I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to hand the throne over to their Dad when he gets back. He got cancer a few years ago and they moved to Kansas to be closer to medical treatment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. How is he doing?”

“He’s doing really well, actually. He’s in remission and they’re hoping to move back soon.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent checking things off of your to-do list and grabbing dinner with Sarah. She dropped you off back at your truck and you thanked her for showing you around before you went your separate ways.

Back at home, it took you a few trips to unload your haul, but you were just happy to have a few more things to fill your empty home. Your first day had gone better than you could have imagined, and you were filled with confidence in your decision to uproot your life.

Sarah opened her front door and did her best to sneak her shopping bags past Sam and Dean who were sitting in the living room, sharing a pizza and some beers. She successfully stowed her treasures away in the hall closet and joined the boys.

“Hey hon!” She placed a kiss on Sam’s forehead before grabbing a slice of pizza and plopping down on the couch next to him.

“You’re in a good mood.” Sam noticed his girlfriend’s chipper energy.

“I made a new friend today.” She took a big bite and gave a smile.

“Don’t you already know everyone in town?” Dean’s voice sounded as pessimistic as usual.

“No, actually. There’s a new accountant at city hall, Y/N. She just moved in yesterday.”

“That’s great! You’ll have to invite her over sometime.” Sam placed his hand lovingly on Sarah’s knee. “Where’s she living?”

“She bought a cabin up in the mountains sight unseen, so we went shopping for some essentials. I think she might be kind of close to you, Dean.”

Dean frowned, trying to think of which cabin the new girl would have bought. He moved up there to be alone, so the thought of a neighbor was disheartening. “You mean that old shack just off of Placer Creek Road?”

“Yeah, I think that’s the one.”

“She’s got a lot of repair work to do on that place.” Dean shook his head, glad that it wasn’t him that put any kind of investment into what he was sure was a money pit.

You awoke early the next morning to find that it had snowed overnight. Growing up in Arizona, you had never really experienced snow like this before. Every breath you took felt like your lungs were filling with ice and you couldn’t help but cough, willing the warm weather to find you soon. Winter was one thing you didn’t think about when moving to a mountain town, so you wanted to give yourself plenty of time for the commute. After packing a few things for lunch, you stepped outside to find your truck buried in a mountain of frozen powder.

“Ugh!” You groaned and threw your head back, looking around for a stick to help you dig out your vehicle. You made a mental note to buy a scraper after work. Ten minutes and one soaked pair of shoes later, you had finally freed your car. You twisted the key, forcing the engine to sluggishly turned over, then blasted the heat on high while you ran inside to change into dry shoes and socks before taking off down the road.

The feeling of your back wheels slipping around on the frozen dirt road was so foreign to you, and you weren’t a fan. About two miles away from the main road, your engine began to sputter as it struggled to trudge ahead through the wet snow.

“Please don’t do this to me…” You steered towards the side of the road as much as you could while the truck wound down to a full stop. An annoyed sigh escaped from your lips. “Great.” You turned the car off and then back on, willing it to start up again, but the clicks of defeat that sounded from under the hood dashed your hopes.

You hadn’t had the time to buy a heavy winter coat yet, so you zipped up the light jacket that you had on and began walking. You didn’t want to make a bad impression on your second day of work by calling in sick, so you picked up your head and kept going. One of the points of starting your new journey was to be more self-reliant, and this definitely fell under that category. Ten minutes had passed, and your toes were so cold that you were sure they would snap off and rattle around in your shoes at any point now. The sound of an engine coming down the hill made you look over your shoulder to see a snowmobile barreling around the corner and straight towards you. You quickly side-stepped out of the way, but not enough to avoid the kickback of snow that was thrown into your face as the machine drove past.

“Seriously?!” You yelled as you shook the snow from your clothes. The snowmobile stopped and slowly backed up to meet you.

“What are you doing up here?” The man abruptly asked as he pulled off his helmet. If you weren’t so annoyed and cold, you might have thought he was attractive.

“Being buried alive by some maniac speeding down the mountain.” You retorted and brushed the snow from your hair with your fingers.

“I’m going to assume that’s your truck back there?”

“Lucky guess.” The wind-chill blew through your jacket and you crossed your arms. “I don’t think it likes the cold, and I don’t exactly blame it.”

His eyes assessed you. “Crappy shoes, thin jacket, and no gloves. I’m going to assume that makes you the clueless new girl.”

“What an ass...” You thought to yourself.

“I guess it does, Kowalski.”

“Kowalski? Really?”

You were surprised he got your reference to Clint Eastwood’s infamously crotchety main character.

“If you’ll excuse me, I gotta get to work.” You didn’t find much point in continuing on this conversation with such a smug jerk, so you continued on your path down the road and heard the snowmobile make a sharp u turn to climb back up the trail.

Ten more minutes later, you could see the main road just ahead of you had been plowed, and you were thankful that you wouldn’t have to be hiking through any more ankle-deep build-up. You could hear a vehicle slowly coming up behind you and you made sure to move as far over as you could to avoid being blasted with snow again. The truck slowed to a stop next to you and you looked over to see the same man from earlier rolling the passenger side window down.

“Get in, I’ll give you a ride.” His voice still sported an undertone of condescension and he rolled his eyes when a doubtful frown from you was sent towards him. “Just get in.”

Hundreds of episodes of Dateline should have taught you to not get in a car with some stranger, but you figured that even if he didn’t murder you, you’d end up dying of frostbite and decided to you’d rather die inside a warm truck. You opened the door and took off your damp jacket before getting inside.

The man’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel tight. You placed your hand by the heater on the dashboard in hopes of defrosting your fingers enough to feel them again.

“You shouldn’t drive a pickup in the winter.” His gaze stayed firmly glued on the road ahead.

“Uhm…” You dramatically looked around, “aren’t we in a pickup right now?”

“Yeah, a pickup with chains on the tires and a weighed down bed.”

“Well, I’m still pretty new at this whole snow thing…”

The man glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. “I couldn’t tell. You’re Y/N, aren’t you?”

“Should I be concerned that you know my name?” You raised an eyebrow.

“No, no,” he must have realized how creepy that came off, “I know Sarah. She’s dating my younger brother and she was telling us about you last night.”

“Oh, it all makes sense now. You’re the grumpy older brother. Dean, right?”

Another eyeroll made an appearance, but you could tell he wasn’t going to make any further comments.

“Well, I appreciate the ride. I’m sorry if I screwed up your morning routine.”

“It’s no big deal.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that Dean wasn’t a man of many words, and you were okay with that. You weren’t really one for small talk either. Dean’s eyes moved to your arm that was extended towards the vent blowing heat.

“That’s a gnarly bruise. How’d you manage that?”

You pulled your arm back quickly, hoping that your sudden move didn’t come across as suspicious. “Oh, you know, just being a clutz. They never tell you that moving by yourself is a dangerous game.” You chuckled casually while watching his eyebrows knit together ever so slightly as he glanced at the bruise one more time. No further remarks were made so you assumed he bought your story.

Dean pulled up in front of City Hall and stopped as close to the door as he could get. Before you could reach for the door handle, Dean instructed, “give me your keys.”

“What?” Your face twisted in confusion.

Yet another fed-up sigh escaped from his chest. “Bobby Singer down at the auto shop owes me a favor. I’ll get him to tow your truck down and take a look at it.”

“Oh.” you weren’t expecting such a generous gesture from such a grumpy guy. “I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have.”

“Hand it over.” The tone in his voice remained gruff, but the bluntness was slightly faded at this point. You reached into your pocket and pulled out your key ring, sliding the truck key off and placing it into Dean’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Dean’s eyes avoided yours and you took the hint that it was time to leave.

The wind blew flurries in the air, forcing you to quickly sprint to the door, meaning that you missed Dean watching you with curiosity. Sarah, who was observing from the front desk, didn’t miss his wondering stare. He quickly averted his eyes when he saw her spying and peeled away.

“Kowalski.” He muttered to himself with a half-entertained chuckle once he was a few blocks away. Dean would have never admitted it, but he quite enjoyed the witty nickname.

Sarah couldn’t stop the mischievous smirk that crept up on her face and leaned on the counter to greet you the second you stepped through the door.

“You look like you’ve had quite the morning.” She greeted.

“Yeah, something like that.” You hung your jacket up on the coat rack in the corner to dry and stomped the packed snow from the tread of your shoes.

“Am I going blind or did Dean Winchester give you a ride to work?” She quickly cornered you.

“Yeah. My truck broke down and then he tried to bury me in snow, so he gave me a ride.” Goosebumps covered your arms as you made your way to your desk. You had never been more grateful for heat.

Sarah crossed her arms and sat on your desk as you took your seat. “You know, people call him the Grinch because he moved way up the mountain to be all broody and alone.”

“I can’t say I don’t understand it. It’s kinda fitting.” You logged into your computer, but Sarah continued to press for details.

“Well did he say anything on the ride over or did he just glare at the road?”

“A little bit of both I guess. He told me I shouldn’t be driving a truck in the winter, but that’s about it.”

Ellen arrived and cut the chatter short. “Hey girls. You ready to get started, Y/N?”

“You bet.” You stood from your desk, but not before Sarah pointed an accusing finger at you.

“This conversation is not over!” She warned.

After lunch, Ellen had given you some expense reports to review and organize. It was tedious, but you didn’t mind the slow afternoon after a crazy morning. Sarah was helping you to punch holes in the stacks of papers and organize them into departments while the two of you chatted away. The snow had kept most people inside, so it was a slow day at the front desk. Just before it was time to call it a day, the bell of the front door dinged, and Sarah walked over to see who it was.

“Hey, Dean. You going over to Benny’s tonight?” She greeted.

“Not sure yet.”

Dean’s hands were shoved into his front pockets as he stared Sarah down, not wanting to give her any more room to speculate as to why he was here.

“Hi.” You smiled softly, trying your hardest ignore Sarah’s curious stare as you joined in the conversation.

He pulled a key from his pocket and set it down on the counter. “She’s all fixed up. Battery terminals were corroded so I cleaned them up a bit, but you’re going to need a new battery soon. That one doesn’t have much juice left in it.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that you worked at the auto shop.” You remembered Sarah saying something about Dean working at the sawmill.

“No, I used to. But I figured it would be an easy fix, so I took a look myself. I stuck some old grates in the bed for some weight. Take it into Bobby’s tomorrow after work and he’ll take care of the rest. He knows you’re coming.”

“Wow, I really owe you one. Thank you.” You slid the key from off the counter and fiddled with the metal ring.

“Don’t read into it.” Dean tapped his fist on the counter twice before swiftly leaving.

Sarah was biting her lip, and you slowly turned your head towards her. “Spit it out.” You gave permission for her onslaught of questions.

“You didn’t tell me he was going to fix your car for you!”

“He said he would have Bobby tow it back to the shop and take a look at it. I didn’t know he was going to fix it himself.”

“I’ve known Dean for a long time, he’s pretty much my older brother at this point, so I can see past all the grumpiness. He’s a really good guy, he’s just been dealt a hard hand the past few years that made him swear off people.”

That was a feeling you could easily relate to. “He really went out of his way to bail me out today, so he can’t be all that bad.”

“He’s all bark and no bite. Granted, it’s a big bark.” Sarah checked her watch. “Closing time! Hey, would you want to come back to my place after we clock out? Sam’s playing poker at a buddy’s house tonight so I figured maybe we could grab some take out and find some furniture for you online?”

“Yeah, that’d be great actually! It definitely beats the PB and J I would be making otherwise.”

After work, you ran home to change and Sarah stopped for some Chinese food, then the two of you met at her apartment.

Some crappy TV movie played in the background while mostly empty take-out containers littered the kitchen counter. You were sitting on the floor with your laptop on the coffee table, browsing through loveseats while Sarah lay on the couch behind you giving her input.

The door gently swung open and the man you assumed to be Sam walked through. Sarah stood up and stretched before giving her boyfriend a hug.

“How was the poker game?”

Sam tossed his keys on the counter and pulled off his jacket. “About the same as always. Benny won most of the games, Cas still has no clue what he’s doing, and I lost a little too much pride.”

“You’ll get them one of these days. Come on,” she tugged on his shirt sleeve, “I want you to meet Y/N.”

You stood when Sam and Sarah walked into the room. “Y/N, this is Sam.”

“Ah, the infamous Y/N, I’ve heard lots about you the past day or so. It’s nice to put a face with the name.” He shook your hand. “How are you settling in?”

“Honestly, the move has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Everyone here has been super welcoming and helpful.”

“Including Dean.” Sarah gave a knowing look to her boyfriend, who was clearly confused.

“My brother, Dean?”

“The one and only. He gave Y/N a ride to work and fixed her truck up for her.”

Sam’s face read skeptical. “My brother, Dean?” He repeated.

“I found myself knee deep in snow and car problems this morning. I’m sure he helped me out of pity more than anything.” You tried to explain, not wanting to make a big deal of the situation.

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow. I guess that’s why he was late to work today. Well, I hope he didn’t scare you off too much.”

You shook your head with a smile. “Not at all, he really helped me out. But I have to admit, I feel bad. He would barely acknowledge my thank yous. I don’t want to come across as ungrateful.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he heard you loud and clear, he’s just hasn’t been properly socialized yet.”

Sam finished off the rest of the Chinese and got to know you a little better while Sarah sat next to you on the floor, scrolling through furniture.

“Where’d you go to school, Y/N?” Sam stacked the empty red food containers together and set them aside as he pulled his feet up on the couch.

“University of Arizona. I didn’t originally plan on staying so close to home, but a full ride soccer scholarship is hard to turn down.”

“No way! That’s awesome.” Sam’s face lit up with an idea. “Oh! Every summer we do this obstacle course race thing here in town as part of the summer festival. Maybe you can be on our team this year?”

“That sounds super fun! Count me in.”

“Yes!”’ Sam made a fist in the air. “We’ve used to win every year, but we’ve come in second the past three times, so maybe you’ll be our secret weapon.”

Sarah joined the conversation once she’d had her fill of online shopping. “I was thinking, Y/N, I don’t know if you’re much of a baker, but if you wanted to say thank you to Dean, he’s a sucker for a good pie. I know he wouldn’t just brush that off.”

“It’s true. He’s a pie whore.” Sam nodded.

“Sam!” Sarah scolded.

“Noted,” you said through your laughs.

The clock in the corner of your laptop screen caught your eye and you realized how late it was getting. “I should probably start heading home before I hate myself tomorrow at work.”

“At least it’s not supposed to snow tonight.” Sarah teased.

“Wow, it’s going to be like that, huh?! It’s a learning curve, okay?” You stuck your tongue out as you gathered your things.

Sam stopped you after Sarah had said goodbye. “Hey, Y/N, I know Dean doesn’t make the greatest first impression, but do me a favor and don’t write him off just yet. He’s had a rough go the past little while and could always use another friend in his corner.”

“I won’t. I’m sure there’s a great guy buried under all that angst.” You gave a reassuring smile and Sam gave you a hug before you left.

The next day was Friday and between training and helping out with the front desk, the workday flew by. You needed to take your truck in to get the battery switched and Sarah had agreed to give you rides while you were without transportation. After work, you dropped off your truck at Bobby’s, and Sarah took you home. You were glad for a little time to yourself so you could clean up the house before the first delivery of furniture tomorrow morning.

On your lunch break earlier that day, you had gotten all the ingredients to make blueberry pie bars as a thank you for Dean. Time was in short supply, so you hoped these would be a suitable place holder in lieu of a regular pie. You quickly threw them together and loaded up a plate once they were cool enough. Baking had always been a stress reliever for you, and the way it filled your small cabin with warmth and sweet smells felt so cozy and charming.

Dean’s place was only a ten-minute walk from yours, so you bundled up and began your hike. You had finally gotten yourself a suitable coat and boots and couldn’t believe the difference they made as you crunched through the snow that was matted on the gravel road. His cabin was much newer than yours, and considerably nicer. A long staircase on the right side of the house led up to a wide porch. Smoke spilling from the chimney and lights beaming through the windows told you he was probably home, so you knocked on the door.

Clattering of locks being undone broke through the silence a few moments later and an expressionless Dean opened the door.

“Hi,” you began, “I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out so much the other day.” Dean stood silent and stone-faced, so you awkwardly continued. “I, uh, heard you were a big fan of pie, but I didn’t have enough time to make one from scratch, so I hope these will do.” You extended the plate of goodies and he looked at them doubtfully.

“Look,” a gravelly voice ended his vow of silence, “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not looking for any new friends or whatever this is.” He began to shut his door when you interjected.

“Listen, this is nothing more than a simple thank you for bailing me out when I really needed it. I’m not going to force you to eat them, but I’m also not going to take them home with me. Maybe just wait until I’m gone before you throw them away though.” You set the plate on a neatly stacked pile of firewood off to the side of the door. “Don’t read into it.” You echoed his parting words from yesterday and took your leave. A sneaky glance over your shoulder as you walked away revealed that Dean had picked up the plate and was looking at it with a half-impressed nod. You assumed that was as much of a reaction as you’d get from him and marked the trip to be successful.

Chapter 2

[survey--s]

187.

Were you awake before 9am today? Yeah, I woke up at 3am for a wee and then I was wide awake and I didn’t get back to sleep until gone 6 -__- I didn’t get out of bed until ten though so actually I don’t feel that bad, all things considered.

Do you have an alarm clock, or just use your phone to set an alarm? I use my phone.

Do you own any shirts with wording on them? Sure, a few.

^ If so, what does your favourite one look like? One has Scar on and says “I am surrounded by idiots” and the other one is a plain grey sweatshirt that says “Eat. Sleep. Walk Beagle” which pretty much sums up my life, hahah.

What beverage do you prefer to drink in the mornings? Coffee - sometimes plain, sometimes flavoured. In summer I sometimes go for iced coffee.

Tell me what some of your nearest & dearest like to eat for breakfast. Mike doesn’t really eat breakfast, but if he does it’s normally cereal and/or fruit. My mum likes poached/scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and my dad normally has porridge or muesli with a whole load of dried fruit. My in-laws tend to have toast and sometimes eggs and/or bacon.

What colour was the last car you travelled in? Metallic grey.

Have you added any books to your shelves lately? No, I haven’t bought any books since December, to be honest.

Have you bought any new cosmetics or toiletries lately? Which? Just sunscreen. I caught the sun at work last week so I need to start being a bit more careful really.

When was the last time you bought a new pair of shoes? Last week.

^ What did they look like? Just plain black trainers for work.

Do you own any sparkly accessories? No. I’m not really into sparkles, unless you include diamond-style earrings.

Do your pets have a specific type of food that they prefer? Archie will eat pretty much anything but the cats are more fussy. None of them like gravy or pâté style foods - it has to be in gravy. And then Toby has a tuna intolerance so we can only really buy meat based foods.

When was the last time you ate one of your favourite foods for dinner? I had fish and chips yesterday and pizza a couple of days before that.

What’s your favourite variety of apple? Pink Lady.

Does anything you own have an image of a cat on it? I think I have a couple of sweaters with cats on.

Are you looking forward to anything within the next few days? Yeah, my mum is coming again tomorrow so she’ll join me at work and then we might go and grab some food somewhere too.

How have you mostly been feeling today? Relaxed, peaceful, calm and happy. I love my Sundays off.

Does anyone you know own a pocketwatch? Not so far as I’m aware.

Do you know what you’re going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Croissants with butter and jam, plus a coffee. It’s my go-to breakfast to make Monday mornings a bit more bearable, lol. 

How did you meet the last person you sent a message to on social media? Online dating.

When you woke up today, did you have unread messages on any social platform? Yeah, from my mum saying a friend of hers that I’ve never met has tested positive for COVID? I’m not quite sure what that has to do with me, but there you go lol.

Do you watch any costume dramas? How about medical dramas? No costume dramas, but I like House and Scrubs if they count as medical, and Grey’s Anatomy is okay too, though I haven’t watched any for months now.

Which of your physical features do you receive the most compliments about? Uh, none of them really. I guess my height.

Look around the room and name 5 random items. A red and cream coloured Sherpa fleece blanket, a fan thing for the woodburner  that’s designed to spread the heat faster, three cat litter trays, a Valentine’s card from a month ago and a snoring cat.

[lumassen]

The First Snow

I haven’t posted a drabble on here in a while so here u go <3

Summary: The Nordics have a tradition that each year, at the first snowfall, they retreat to their cabin to enjoy each others company and forget about the world for a little while.

Words: 2,200

Honestly, this drabble is just our Guys being Dudes™ inspired purely by @tolyys​ adorable headcanon that Sweden knits matching socks for the rest of the Nordics.

----

"Yo guys, can we slow down? I can't feel my feet!"

Iceland turned around to find Denmark now a good couple of paces behind the group as they walked the last stretch of the hillside up to their cabin. He was struggling, the bottom of his jeans were visibly soaking wet around his shins, as he trudged through the snow. Glancing back over his shoulder for a moment, Iceland first caught the expression on Norway's face as he rolled his eyes and hitched his backpack further up his shoulders. Then, Sweden shook his head and Finland shrugged as his gaze flickered to them, silently leaving Iceland as the obvious group choice to be the ‘Denmark saviour’ this year.

"Fine. You guys go ahead, we'll catch up." He muttered, pulling off his mittens and easing his way back down the hill to Denmark's aid, treading carefully as to not slip.

"Icey, I could really use one of your ugly, itchy sweaters right now." Denmark laughed breathlessly once Iceland reached him, his lips blue and his breath clouding around him.

It was a tradition for the five of them to take a trip to the cabin that they shared up in Kilpisjärvi once the first snow had fallen at the beginning of winter. Kilpisjärvi was a tiny village only a couple kilometres away from the Three-Country Cairn where the borders of Finland, Sweden and Norway met. This location was chosen to stop the bickering between Finland and Norway over whose house they should buy the cabin in. It was as close to fair as they could possibly get, though Finland was definitely smug about the fact that Kilpisjärvi was technically part of his land.

Iceland tutted at the sight of Denmark as he thrust his mittens hard against his stomach, winding him a little.

"We tell you every year that it's going to be cold, Dan. This is pretty much the Arctic Circle." he snapped, watching as Denmark's trembling hands took the mittens and shoved them on before he pulled his wooly hat a little further down over his ears.

Sweden, Finland and Norway were growing smaller and smaller in the distance as they neared the cabin that could now be seen poking through the trees. Unlike Denmark in jeans, leather boots, a smart sweater and a button down coat, they were dressed in winter waterproofs with hiking shoes and thermal insulation. Finland's laughter could be heard echoing cheerfully over the hillside as Iceland slowed his pace to match Denmark's trudging.

“But I got my hat... and my biggest coat! It snows... at my house too, y’know!” he cried in between breaths as he blew as hard as he could on his cold fingers in an attempt to warm them.

Iceland shook his head and smiled softly in spite of Denmark,  though choosing not to say anything about the fact that the chilly breeze that blew across the docks of Copenhagen was nothing compared to an open, arctic mountainside. Both of them were breathing heavily by the time they reached the top of the hill, but once they were out of the open and amongst the silver birch and arctic evergreen though the wind was considerably less biting, and Iceland could smell the smoke from the woodburner that Sweden must have already lit to warm the cabin. The winter sun was already getting low in the sky despite it only being 2pm, and long, dusky pink shadows stretched across the snow.

At the sound of Denmark dramatically stomping his feet on the decking to free his shoes from the thick layers of snow that clung to them, Norway opened and poked his head out of the front door.

“Ah, the stragglers finally made it, I see.” He said, opening the door a little wider and stood back as Iceland and Denmark hurried inside and out of the cold.

“The fire’s going and the coffee’s brewing on the stove.” Norway continued as he walked down the hall toward the living room, his bare feet padding softly across the hardwood floor, now dressed in his favourite Dale cardigan and pyjama bottoms that he would no doubt live in for the next week.

Iceland unzipped his windbreaker and hung it up on the coat hook beside Sweden’s before bending down to untie his boots and pulled a face as he accidentally knelt in the puddle of water that was quickly forming from the snow melting off Denmark's shoes.

“Tanska!” Finland called to Denmark from the living room, “Don’t leave your coat in the hall, it’ll dry faster in front of the fire!”

It was as though Finland knew that Denmark would see no problem in hanging his coat up with the rest despite the fact that it would just drip dry all over the floor. Now that his shoes were off and he was in from the cold, Iceland could feel the tips of his fingertips burning from the sudden change in temperature as he pressed them against the small of Denmark's back and ushered him out of the way and into the living room.

Their cabin was quaint and cozy, just big enough for the five of them, with a huge viewing window stretching across one of the walls in the living room looking out at the vastness of trees and snow beyond. They had even seen the Aurora Borealis a couple times and all camped out on the floor of the living room in sleeping bags with the lights off to watch them dance across the sky and fall asleep beneath them. A fire flickered in the grate and Finland sat cross legged on the rug in front of it, taking Denmark's coat from him and draping it across the back of a chair that he’d pulled up in front of it when he passed it to him.

Iceland had just flopped himself down on the couch when Sweden stopped rummaging around in his bag and cleared his throat, standing up with something clasped in his hands behind his back. Denmark and Finland stopped talking to look at him, and probably upon noticing the chatter quieten from the kitchen, Norway came through balancing a tray with five mismatched mugs on it. He set them down on the table in the middle of them all then took a seat next to Iceland and brought his legs up to his chest.

Sweden glanced to Finland for a moment, and Iceland watched as he nodded at him, a small smile on his round face.

“Thanks for coming, everyone. The First Snow has always meant somethin’ ever since we were kids; sufferin’ through the winters, fighting and arguing. It’s nice to be able to enjoy it together again now that’s behind us.” he said, his eyes darting between the four other Nordics before him.

“We wouldn’t miss it, Sví.” Sensing Sweden’s slight hesitation, Iceland sat forward on the couch and gave him a small smile as he took his hands from behind his back and revealed five small gifts wrapped in brown paper tied with string and a sprig of spruce. Sweden handed one to him, and Iceland held out his hands to accept it.

“Made these for you.”

Sweden too smiled now as Finland leapt up from where he was sitting on the floor and Denmark beamed, grabbing a mug of coffee from the table and his gift from Sweden.

“N’aw, Sverige, ya didn’t have to get us anything!” he said loudly, his voice filling the room as always.

Norway was the last to take his gift from Sweden, taking it from him with a mumbled ‘ takk ’ and a crooked smile, yet the first to open it; his nimble fingers gently tearing the paper to reveal a pair of thick woolen socks. Finland tore into his, Denmark doing the same only to gasp and slap Sweden on the back and spill a couple drops of coffee over the side of his mug onto the floor.

“You always were creative, bud! There’s nothin’ you can’t make!” he said, and Sweden looked pleasantly surprised at his words, so much so that he didn’t even pull Denmark up for spilling his drink.

Ever the observant one, Iceland took his pair of socks out of their wrapping and studied them before glancing around at the others as they clasped them in their hands. His own pair were grey with dark blue toe and heel patches and a tiny version of his flag stitched just above where they would sit on his ankles. The other’s socks all followed the same pattern of their patch colours matching the main colour of their flag, complete with the tiny flag.

“What about you, Sve? I’m sorry, we didn’t think to get anything this year.” Norway said, setting his socks down beside him on the couch as he fiddled absentmindedly with his hairpin, looking a little troubled at the thought that Sweden had made them gifts that they hadn’t returned.

But Sweden just grinned and pulled his trouser leg up to reveal his own pair, yellow and blue, and wiggled his toes.

“Made mine first then thought how disappointed you’d all be when ya saw how cool I looked.” he teased, and Norway rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Then, Finland reached for his coffee mug and held it in the air as if to toast. Quickly, Iceland leaned over to the table and picked up his mug and Finland passed Sweden the last one that remained on the tray before lifting his own a little higher,

“Happy First Snow!” he cheered, the others saying it back just as loudly as they all clinked their mugs together.

---------

By the time the fire had started to die down, the five were sat in a circle on the rug, feet clad in their matching socks. Denmark and Finland’s hair was still a little damp from where they had been out to the sauna while Sweden, Norway and Iceland had prepared dinner, which once served had covered every inch of the dining table.

Now, with full stomachs and fuzzy heads, the coffee had been replaced by beers and spirits as the outside world and their mobile phones were long forgotten about as they lay discarded around the cabin. There were no doubt missed notifications from their bosses, but neither of the five Nordic nations could bring themselves to care if only for tonight.

“I say we play “ My Ship ” next-” Norway began as he put the deck of cards back into the box, only to be interrupted by Finland who spluttered to get his words out after quickly swallowing the swig of vodka tonic that he’d just taken,

“Eiiii, Norja, My Ship is boring, especially when you three switch to saying words in Old Norse.” he said, narrowing his eyes at Sweden and pointing at him sat opposite him. Sweden raised his hands, feigning innocence, yet cast a knowing glance at Denmark who snickered and poked Finland in the side playfully.

“We only do it to mess with ya, Finny!” Denmark laughed heartily and the glare didn’t stay on Finland’s face for very long before his warm smile returned.

Tearing his eyes away from the glowing embers in the grate, Iceland stifled a yawn and pulled the blanket that was wrapped around his shoulders a little tighter and leaned his head against Finland’s shoulder for a moment, feeling sleep making his eyes heavy.

“Well whatever it is you guys decide, play it without me ‘cause I’m going to bed.” he said, then pushed off Finland and stood up though still kept the blanket draped around him like a cape. Numerous empty cups and glasses littered the floor as he picked his way around them before he stopped and turned around in the doorway.

“Góða nótt.” he muttered, then waited until the others had finished bidding him goodnight before he took himself off to his room. As much as the likes of Sweden and Denmark liked to pretend that they could still stay up until all hours like they could when they were younger, Iceland knew that it would only be a matter of an hour or so before they would follow his lead and excuse themselves to go to bed, leaving Finland and Norway to be the ones to stay up half the night until the vodka bottles were empty and just chat in hushed voices for hours by the window as they looked out into the nature beyond. It was the same every year without fail and Iceland had grown to love the familiarity of their cottage trips though he would never admit it.

Closing the door gently behind him, Iceland took the blanket off and tossed it onto the bed beside him as he sat down and got ready for bed, smiling once again as he peeled Sweden’s socks from his feet and draped them over the bedpost. They were only socks, but their symbolism was enough to create a warmth inside of Iceland’s chest.

Over the years, they had all had their differences, dragged between each other's houses and suffered under many a boss who thought what they were doing was right until eventually Iceland was the last of the five to gain his independence. Oddly enough though, that day in 1944 was the day they finally felt like a family.

Turning the light out and shuffling down under the covers, Iceland lowered his head down onto the pillow and closed his eyes, listening to the muffled laughter and chatter coming from the living room, feeling as safe and happy as he probably ever could.

[docholligay]

I love that they’re getting into the practical considerations of survival here. It’s true that they don’t have electricity, not enough to heat the place, and in no way is a school set up for woodburning heat of any kind. Does anywhere in Japan have woodburning heat? old houses here tend to have a fully functional fireplace, assuming some dumb shit didn’t replace it with a gas hookup, and even then you could try and tear it out assuming they didn’t fuck the chimney too bad. But I don’t know about there. That would be one of my top considerations!*

So will they try to go to somewhere like that, or will they try to adapt something? I mean, there are a lot of excellent considerations here, too, but none of them will be very useful if you’re fucking frozen to death MAY I SUGGEST DIFFERENT CLOTHES AT THE LEAST

*The dream house in my town that I am obsessed with, and if I am ever in the position REMOTELY when it comes up, will buy, has six! I already got my mom’s buyin! (she rents from us)

I have never seen this show and am watching it spoiler free!  Please no corrections, confirmations, hints, leading questions, even if it’s cultural, even if I should remember, even if you really want to!

[stumpyshocky]

Paper charts? Scribbles on paper? No, in this house we want to use a pinax in gold.

First time reading about the use of a pinax and man its taking all my willpower not to woodburn myself one and buy more stones/crystals to use just for that.

[peggysousfan]

I was tagged by @movrings Thanks you😊

What is the colour of your hairbrush? Grey

Name a food you never eat: Seafood of almost any kind, although I did have fried squid once and it wasn’t so bad. But fish, shrimp, and crab is gross to me lol

Are you typically too warm or too cold? Typically too warm, but I don’t mind. I love warmth.

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Making lunch for everyone in the house

What’s your favourite candy bar? It’s a toss up between Almond Joy, Snickers, and Reese's. Depend on the mood lol

Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I don’t think so. The only sporting event I’ve been to was my older brother’s football game and that was over 10 years ago.

What was the last thing you said out loud? “Well if you want any food, it’s done.” I was talking to my brother and letting him know lunch was done, even though he was being rude and has an attitude.

What is your favourite ice cream? Cookie dough and Strawberry

What was the last thing you had to drink? Dr. Pepper

Do you like your wallet? Yeah I guess so. Its a long pink, army, camouflage with fake silver spikes on each side. I’ve had it since I was like 10 lol

What was the last thing you ate? I haven't ate today yet, so the last thing I ate was Cajun Filet biscuit from Bojangles

Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? No

What’s the last sporting event you watched? Uhhh I think a few minutes of a basketball game I saw on TV? I’m not sure. This was yeas ago

What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? I don’t typically like popcorn unless it has a lot of caramel lol

Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My mom

Ever go camping? Haven’t been in a few years but I do enjoy it. The only annoying part is sleeping on the ground. It kills my back

Do you take vitamins? Nope

Do you go to church every Sunday? Not anymore

Do you have a tan? A little bit yeah lol I’m bi racial and my skin color naturally looks tan. It gets more golden-ish in the sun during warm weather.

Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Chinese food😋

Do you drink your soda through a straw? Nope. I don’t see a reason to use waste when I can drink it from the bottle or glass.

What colour socks do you usually wear? Any kind I can find that fit lol

Do you ever drive above the speed limit? I don’t drive. (I know I’m 18 with no license but I have anxiety and black out when I’m stressed.)One time I was driving as practice and I panicked and don’t remember how I got to the stop sign at the end of the road. I swerved a bit and freaked out so yeah...

What terrifies you? Driving lol, heights, spiders, and being abandoned by people who promise not to leave. (Which happens more often than not. I should be use to it and not afraid anymore but I am)

Look to your left. What do you see? Wall, TV, and a hanging bookshelf

What chore do you hate most? Dusting for sure. Its annoying.

What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent?

“’Ello mate!” 

What’s your favourite soda? Cheerwine and Dr. Pepper

Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? I love fast food and prefer to dine in, but because of quarantine only drive thru is allowed

What’s your favourite number? I actually don’t have one lol but I like all even numbers. Don’t know why, though.

Who’s the last person you talked to? My brother

Favourite cut of beef? Uhh steak or pot roast (Depends on how the roast is made)

Last song you listened to? Hysteria by 2Cellos

Last book you read? 1984 by George Orwell

Favourite day of the week? Friday or Saturday

Can you say the alphabet backwards? Nope

How do you like your coffee? I don’t like coffee

Favourite pair of shoes? Black combat boots

Time you normally get up? Around 6-7 am. I live on a farm and have chores and animals to help take care of.

Sunrises or sunsets? Sunsets, they are so beautiful. Plus I don’t like mornings lol I prefer nights

How many blankets are on your bed? One

Describe your kitchen plates. There’s a variety from glass to kiddy plastic ones for my 4 year old nice. Those are Easter colored, the glass ones are mostly white. Some have a blue strip near the rim and one is all green. It’s just all by itself lol

Describe your kitchen at the moment. It's a bit of a mess right now. Baby food is stacked on the counter and lunch was just made so its out.

Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? I’ve only ever tried three kinds: whiskey, beer, and strawberry daiquiri. And I have to say strawberry daiquiris are the best by far.

Do you play cards? Does solitaire count lol

What colour is your car? I don’t have a car. But my mom’s is a black SUV and my dad’s is a silver pick up truck.

Do you know how to change a tire? I do not...

Your favourite state? I don’t have one. Although I do want to move to either South Carolina or Tennessee

Favourite job you’ve had? I haven’t gotten a ‘official’ job yet. Does selling my art work count? Because I suppose that would be my favorite. The only way I’ve ever been paid for doing something was babysitting the new neighbors kids or doing small lawn work for the old neighbors before they moved, that and selling my woodburnings.

How did you get your biggest scar? I have two that are relevantly the same. One is a burn mark on my arm from making dinner for my brother and Grandfather, the other is on the same arm, but up near my shoulder. Its from a deep scratch when I got cut by barbwire.

I'm tagging @peggycarter46 @peggysousoversteggy @musiclmaiden @truth-renowned @a-wonderingmind @agentdanielsousa and anyone else who may want to do this

[friend-through-teenage-nights]

NIGHT TERRACE APPRECIATION POST

This series is my new favourite thing- an Australian sci-fi comedy drama, originally funded through Kickstarter but got broadcast on the BBC this year. The first episode is on YouTube and the rest are available to buy for a reasonable price on the official website as downloads. There’s currently a Kickstarter campaign to get a third series. 

It takes major cues from Doctor Who and Hitchhiker’s Guide, following Anastasia Black (played by “Susan from Neighbours”, Jackie Woodburne) reluctantly time-travelling in her house, the Night Terrace and dutifully saving planets from invasion and solving murder mysteries and the like. She’s accompanied by Eddie Jones, a student majoring in dance and minoring in transdimensional physics who happened to be on the porch when the house started moving and approaches a situation comparable to that of Arthur Dent with the attitude of Arthur Shappey. In each episode of the first series, they encounter a woman who calls herself Sue and gives them irritatingly vague, cryptic advice. 

It is definitely deserving of more attention, the writing is hilarious and creative, there is wonderful character development, and it occasionally gets political about topics like colonialism (is bad) and Nazism (is bad). My favourite episode so far is the fifth episode the first series which subverts the usual Nazi episode tradition of time travel series. 

Also its mascot is a dancing bilby hand puppet and a companion podcast, On The Terrace. 

[gothicvamperstein]

I most certainly don't regret buying an old house with a woodburning stove, especially as I can decorating the way I want to. . . . #oldbuildinglover #oldhouse #oldhouselife #oldhouselove #oldhousesofinstagram #oldhousecharm #oldhouselovers #spookyvibes #spookydecor #spookyart https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf4XexLuve/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thehappyhomecook]

I’m certainly going to miss this when I move. It’s great that I’m buying my own house, but it’s a new build and sadly does not have any of the period features I’ve become used to over the years!! #aristocrat #aristocracy #aristocratic #gentry #landedgentry #lord #lordofthemanor #duke #ducal #dukedom #fireplace #openfire #woodburner #periodfeatures #newhome #homeowner #firsttimehomebuyer #newhouse #bellway #bellwayhomes #funeraldirectorlife #morticianlife #funeraldirector #mortician #undertaker #confessionsofanundertaker #blog #blogger #influencer #weekendvibes (at Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvHyX2bAPY6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ncnffnu7a520

[faithfulcat111]

I spent today going to church, staining our front porch, buying carpet for said porch, remaking our numbers for the house on a plaque (which involved woodburning, staining, and painting (still have to seal it tomorrow) ). Now I have to get up in six hours to take my dad to surgery, then put another layer of stain down on the porch, seal the plaque, and actually see what I got paid two days ago and pay bills. Honestly, not how I wanted to spend my days off. I'm going to be exhausted going back.