#do not @ me i know there's natural beauty in the midwest but it is MUCH harder to find

[haloslips]

people are always surprised when i say i don't mind the rainy season in seattle for like some quite valid reasons but i cannot overstate how much the ecological experience of the pnw is sooooo good for my mental health. it doesn't get very cold, there's always a green plant around, and most of the time i can see the mountains and when i can't i have the water!! do you know how easy it is to feel better in the face of natural beauty?

[billthedrake]

BIG SKY

I won't lie to you and tell you that I've never perved on my brothers, but with Keith I managed to keep the lust in check. But objectively, my older, middle brother is a hunk. Even as I walked past security at the regional airport and saw him standing there waiting for me, I was struck by how attractive he was. 6-foot-even in casual summer clothes with a build that looked almost wiry-lean at first but was super solid when you got closer.

"Alex!" he called out to me to catch my attention. Then stepping up to meet me in a quick bear hug he added in a more normal voice. "So good to see you, bro."

OK, I mostly felt that normal fraternal affection and his excitement was rubbing off on as he clapped my lats through my polo shirt and I felt his own taut bod underneath some faded National Parks T-shirt he had on. At least I hoped his excitement was rubbing off on me. I was low-key dreading this trip and not so low-key resenting how much even the air ticket out west was costing me mid-summer, not to mention my share of the lodging costs.

Seeing Keith happy made it worth while. "Glad you could make it," he said, giving my shoulder a playful squeeze, as if we were still in high school and as if I weren't not taller than him. "I know it's not your thing."

I shrugged. I promised I wasn't gonna be an ass this week. I knew this meant a lot to Keith and to be honest I was glad and a little impressed he wasn't doing the typical Vegas thing, or even the typical Nashville thing. Keith loved the outdoors, so his buddies planned a week of fly fishing and light hiking in big sky country.

"Come on, Keith," I objected. "I'm glad to be here."

It was the right answer, but my brother couldn't help but tease me. "Dude, your idea of nature is Central Park." I had a carry-on that I knew how to efficiently pack, so we didn't need to wait for bags. I followed my brother's lead out toward the exit.

In addition to not being an ass, I had two related goals for the week: one, dial down the bitchy gay humor. I mean, I don't think of myself as bitchy or queeny or whatever, but I know these guys probably do, and I lived enough in the Midwest to know how my normal wit comes across.

And two: have fun.

"Look at you expanding my horizons," I said. Then as we stepped outside the doors, I saw a vista of the Rockies in the background. "Fuck, that's beautiful," I muttered.

Keith smiled, amused at my big city reaction maybe but I think also enjoying that I liked it here.

We got in his rental car and were on our way.

"You didn't have to pick me up," I said as I took in the scenery that unfolded in front of us, flat but also majestic.

"No need for everyone to get a car," he said. He gave a quick glance over at me. "I'm really happy you came, Alex," my brother said in that sincere tone of his that used to drive me crazy - I don't know it sort of seemed West Coast people talk super earnest about every fucking thing - but now it hit me in a certain emotional place. I felt bad that I even considered for a moment saying no to this trip.

"Of course," I replied. "Big step for you and Rebecca."

He grinned. "It is," he said. "We were taking our time, not rushing anything you know, and then all of a sudden, we weren't taking our time," he chuckled.

"It'll be great," I said. "You're a great couple."

He nodded and shot me another look. "What about you, bro? Anyone in your life these days?"

I wouldn't say I was the black sheep of the family, but whereas Keith and Mike were close with each other and close with our parents, I had established some distance.

"Nah," I replied. I about tossed out some bitchy-witty comment, but reminded myself that I was going to be a new Alex Miller this week. "I've been trying to date more seriously, actually," I admitted. "But that shit's hard."

Keith smirked. He was always the supportive brother. Whereas Mike could be the typical ex-jock, Keith had a protective streak about his kid gay brother. Still, he was sometimes amused by the differences between gay and straight life. "How so?" he asked.

"Man, I need a couple of drinks in me before I start in on that," I said.

"Fair," Keith replied. Maybe we weren't that different.

We drove for a bit more in silence before Keith spoke up again. "Listen Alex, I wanted to thank you again for showing us around New York on last visit. We had a blast, and it meant a lot to Rebecca, I know."

I muttered a thanks. I mostly was enjoying the big sky country unfolding ahead of us as Keith drove us to the place where we'd rented a couple of cabins for the week. But, yeah, I couldn't help but sneak glances at my big brother, looking hot as fuck as he relaxed in the driver's seat. Keith very much had the body I was working for - muscular but lean. I got annoyed with how straight guys made that kind of body seem effortless, though in reality, I knew they put in the work, too.

***

Mike was Mike. Pushing 40 and looking very much like the high school football coach he was - 6'3" with 230 pounds that was a combo of solid muscle and some married spread, including a slight beer belly that filled out the Ohio State T-shirt he had on.

"Alex!" his voice boomed as I stepped into the cabin. I set down my bags as he got up off the couch, where he'd been watching the Cubs game. "Guess the party's starting now," he laughed.

If Keith was the sincere, serious one of the Miller brothers and I was the wry, cynical one, Mike was happy-go-lucky one, like an overgrown kid who still hadn't gotten used to adulting. Even if we shared a lot of genetics, Mike looked the most midwestern, with fine, pale brown hair and a strong stockiness, and a booming Midwestern accent.

I felt his big body clasp mine and I could smell the body wash on him and feel the heat from his build. If I kept my lust for Keith well repressed, I hadn't been able do the same with Mike. We had a complicated history and the fact I'd sucked his meaty cock before made compartmentalizing that much harder.

"I'll let you guys get settled in," Keith said. "Dinner up at the big cabin in an hour?" he added. "But feel free to come up earlier if you want. We'll just be hanging out."

I got settled into my room and freshened up. The place we'd rented wasn't cheap, but it was pretty damn nice, I'll admit, and Mike and I had our own rooms in the smaller, secondary cabin, while the best man Ben and the other two groomsmen Ian and Nathan were sharing the larger cabin with Keith.

Mike was popping open a beer can when I stepped back into the main open living/kitchen area. "Vodka's in the freezer for you," he said. "Picked up your brand."

"Thanks," I said. Vodka-soda was my go-to, but after the long travel day, a martini sounded perfect. "You must think I'm a picky bastard," I said, half in self-deprecation.

Mike grinned. "Oh, I KNOW you're a picky bastard," he said, taking a sip of his beer. "It shows on your face every time your back home."

I shrugged. He had me there.

"How are things back home?" I asked, pulling out the vodka and the chilled rocks glass my brother had put in for me.

"Same ol, same ol," Mike said. "Cat and I are getting divorced," he said bluntly, like he wasn't dropping a bombshell."

"Jesus!" I exclaimed, setting my glass down on the counter. "Really?" then seeing his nod, "Fuck."

He gave a shrug but I knew my big brother was an emotional wreck beneath his boisterous personality. "Technically it's a separation. But writing is on the wall."

"How are Emily and Jase taking it?" I asked, referring to his kids, my niece and nephew.

"Fine," he said, blue eyes looking at me intently. "Maybe. I don't know, A."

"We don't gotta talk about it," I said.

"Thanks," Mike said reaching forward to clasp my shoulder and giving it a strong squeeze. It was friendly and brotherly and flirty at the same time. "I don't mind you knowing, bro, it's just some things can't be fixed, you know?"

"Yeah," I replied. His hand didn't leave, nor did his gaze relent. I lowered my voice. "You want some head, don't ya Mike?"

He gave a shy grin before his face grew bedroom serious. "It's all I've been thinking about since Keith told me you were coming."

I felt my throat tense up. I hadn't expected sex, not this soon, but the thrill of sucking my coach brother off was getting to me. "What about the other guys?" I asked.

His voice grew sultry. "I'll keep watch, A. Just work your magic. Please."

Before I had a chance to agree or to crouch down, Mike was leaning in. He was a little buzzed from the beer, but I loved his combination of relaxed and excited as we swapped tongues. This wasn't a first for us, but it was new territory, something we'd tried when we stole off surreptitiously last Christmas.

Even as we kissed I could feel him reach down, undoubtedly pulling down his shorts. "Please, A," he grunted into my mouth.

I nodded. Giving a quick look out the window.

"They're not coming to check on," Mike said with some horny exasperation. "Just suck my cock, man."

I wasn't sure I liked my brother in bossy mode, but I was into the naughty thrill of this. I crouched down and took a second to admire this hard tool. We had similar cocks, if I had to measure I was probably a half inch longer, while Mike Miller had about a half inch of extra girth. I ran my hands up his furry legs - if his middle had a softness, the legs were all hard muscle. I leaned in and traced my tongue up from the base.

"Fuck yes," he hissed. The tone was now appreciative and begging rather than commanding. Pariticularly as I teased the shaft some, wetting my big brother down before I craned my head up to position my mouth over his leaking head.

I tasted that sap, then the saltiness of his prick, as I went down on him. I'm not an OnlyFans expert at giving head, but I'm good enough. Even without his telling me, I knew I gave the best blowjobs my oldest brother ever had.

"Holy Christ, bro... yeah, just like that." I felt his fingers grip my head. Not roughly, more cradling my temples to encourage me as I went up and down.

I frickin loved my brother's dick. It's meaty and just enough of a challenge without being too much. I relaxed my jaw and willed my throat to cooperate as I began deep throating him at a good clip. Working up and down with long mouth strokes, feeling the thick rigidity in his bone spear my gullet in rhythmic succession. It's the kind of vigorous cocksucking that I can't kepe up for a long session, but I knew I wouldn't have to.

"Oh FUCK, Alex! FUCK!"

I felt the quiver of that hard cock and was being fed a healthy appetizer of pent-up sperm. I adjusted my sucking pace to milk out that load without overstimulating him.

"Oh shit," I gasped as I pulled off. I had a healthy sex life but brother sex was some of the hottest and made me feel like a starved man. "That was hot, Mike."

I looked up and saw a look of pure sexual contentment and gratitude. "Bro... you're the fucking best. Seriously."

I mean, I kind of knew that, at least in comparison to Mike's wife or his past girlfriends. But I liked seeing him happy and knowing I'd put him in that state. It was fucked up.

"Stand up," he urged softly. But Bossy Mike was gone and it was his normal buddy tone of voice.

That only made me more willing to do as he asked. I stood up, hardon aching. We'd done this before, maybe a half dozen times over the years. Sometimes I jerked off in Mike's presence after I'd sucked him off. I wanted to now, so I started undoing my shorts.

I got the surprise of my life to see my big stud brother kneel down. Right there in the kitchen of the rental cabin.

"Oh shit, Mike," I grunted. "Are you gonna?"

He didn't really answer. He just flashed a smile before his face got closer to my hardon. And before I knew it was feeling my brother's tongue on my dick.

It took me a second to even think. I looked out the window. The coast was clear. I absolutely didn't want anyone to walk in on this. But I also enjoyed the fact Mike was blowing me out here in the open.

I touched his skull like he had mine. Gentler, even, since I didn't want to spook him. Mike was better at this than I thought. Wisely, he didn't try to take too much dick in. Holding the base of my cock he worked the top in steady sucking motions. It was gonna work, all right. I was already turned on like crazy.

"Mike... I'm gonna..."

His lips and tongue worked me faster and he hummed around my prick. Then as I felt the first shot fire out into his mouth, he raised up off my dick and rapidly stroked out the rest of my cum. I fired a good five or six heavy jets, right on to Mike's handsome face, and splotching that Ohio State shirt stretched over his meaty body.

"Yeah... stud..." he encouraged, his blue eyes wide as he watched the last of my ejaculation.

I was breathing hard now and my dick twitched, even after Mike let go of it and stood up. I watched him pick up his beer and take a healthy swig. "I fucking hate the taste of cum," he announced, before taking another sip to wash the flavor away. "I don't see how you swallow, Alex."

I shrugged. "I don't know... it's the best part." I felt throughly drained, and yet the sight of my hunky big bro dripping with my semen was going to keep my boned.

Mike got self conscious all of a sudden and grabbed a napkin off the counter to wipe his cheek and chin of my seed.

The reality was sinking in. "That wasn't your first dick," I said softly.

He grinned. "I've been fooling around with one of my players. Graduated senior now. Yeah, yeah, I know that's dumb as hell."

It was my turn to reach forward and pat his arm. "Maybe. But it's hot as fuck."

That seemed to relax him. "I guess we got some catching up to do, huh?"

"Sounds that way," I laughed. I looked at my watch. "I guess we should make our way up."

Mike peeled off his shirt. He wasn't fit like Keith, but I loved the view of his body. For all our times together, I'd never seen him head to toe naked. "I'll go get a new shirt," he said, reaching down to pull his shorts back up.

My glass was no longer ice cold, so I swapped it for a fresh one in the freezer. I could use that martini. The first sips were great, and between it and the sex I was glad I'd come out here.

Mike came back out, with a polo shirt that was his version of dressy. He picked up his beer can and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm glad you came, Alex." He was surprisingly on the same wavelength as me.

"Me too," I said.

Mike paused and looked at me more intently. Then leaned in again. Soon we were kissing once more, not just a gotta-fuck kiss. But something else. I guess we'd figure it out this week. And try not to get into too much trouble.

[lovelytsunoda]

kiss me down by the broken treehouse // mick schumacher

summary: honeymoons in the midwest, heart shaped jacuzzis and scented bubble bath. this is how mick wants the rest of his life to be

pairing: mick schumacher x newlywed reader!

warnings: vague allusions to sex, two people being sickeningly in love, bathing together. nicolas cage should be a warning in itself

author's note: this is the last fic in the cozy collection and not gonna lie, it's making me very emotional. thank you for coming along for this cozy and warm, and sometimes scandalous adventure <3. i can't wait to share the christmas collection with you all.

the hotel suite was dim as she slipped the rose gold wedding band off her finger, dropping it on the dresser next to the almost identical one her husband wore.

mick was sitting by the window, lighting a tangle of scented candles as the heart-shaped jacuzzi tub filled with bubble bath.

"baby, what's all this?" she asked softly, leaning down to kiss him.

they had spent the day in town, visiting country stores and hiking trails, downing more apple cider than mick had ever thought possible. they were cold to the bone when they returned to the hotel, but that didn't stop mick from pulling his wife into bed and reminding her just how happy he was to spend the rest of their lives together.

"just another way to show how much i love you." mick hummed, reaching for the bottle of champagne he'd had room service deliver on their way back to the bed and breakfast. "i figured the best way to end the night was a nice bubble bath and a movie."

she smiled, giggling as she kissed the side of his head. "i knew there was a reason i married you."

she disentangled herself from mick, slender fingers making quick work of the belt holding her plush hotel robe together, fabric pooling over the floor and revealing her naked body to her lover.

blushing furiously, mick turned off the tap, quickly filling two champagne flutes before stripping out of his own hotel robe.

“after you, my darling wife.” he grinned, taking y/ns hand and helping her into the tub. he slipped under the bubbles after her, nuzzling into her back and pressing a kiss to her shoulder blade. “ich liebe dich.”

“I love you too, mickie.”

she settled on one of the built in tub seats, smiling at her husband before she looked dreamily out the frost covered window. the trees in the vermont woods next to the hotel were dyed shades of red-orange, the colors themselves beyond breathtaking.

“whatcha starin’ at, pretty girl?” mick pondered, kissing the top of her head as he settled in next to her.

“the trees. nature. it’s beautiful. how did you manage to get a room with such a great view?”

mick shrugged. “turns out, telling the hotel you’re on your honeymoon gets you special privileges. but that view isn’t as a great as the one I had earlier when I was on top of you. or the view I have every morning when I wake up with you in my arms.”

she giggled, playfully slapping his shoulder. "mickie!"

mick laughed, kissing the side of her head before reaching for the laptop next to the tub. "how do you feel about the nicolas cage dracula movie?"

"absolutley not! when i get nightmares, are you going to nurse me back to sleep?"

"yes." mick said solemnly, loading up amazon prime on his laptop. "one hundred percent."

y/n snickered, reaching for the champagne. once mick schumacher was alseep, not even a tornado could wake him up. "babe, we both know you'd sleep right through. you sleep like a goddamn rock."

"yeah, babe. you're right. but nicolas cage is in it, it wont be that scary."

“I’m not worried about it being scary; I’m worried about it being gory.” she rolled her eyes, taking a sip of champagne. “if I start watching ‘renfield’ through my fingertips, you’re on your own, mickie.”

mick giggled, hitting the play button before pulling his wife into his lap. “consider me warned. we can watch the original halloween afterwards.”

“you’ve got yourself a deal, husband.” she laughed, passing him a champagne flute.

the room was small and cozy, lit only by the blue glow from micks laptop and the candles around the bath, the air filled with the calming scents of vanilla, cinnamon and pumpkin. micks gentle fingers trailed up and down her thigh as they watched the movie together, sipping champagne and enjoying each others company.

every so often, mick filled the silence with a small praise, a gentle kiss against his wife’s skin. it was still so surreal to him that he would get to hold her in his arms, every day, for the rest of his life.

she rested her head on his shoulder, placing the empty glass back on the ledge outside the tub before she properly folded her body against his, fingertips mindlessly tracing shapes on his chest, the fine blonde hairs dotting his pecs matted to his skin by the water, a few errant bubbles still stark against his skin.

she loved him, truly madly and deeply.

it seemed like just yesterday they had met each other, although it had been almost four years. four great years of love and laughter and highs and lows. and in a blink of an eye, there she was, in her white dress, in micks arms as they danced to a bryan adams song.

four years of feelings she wasn’t sure she’d ever have the joy of feeling for another living, breathing person. and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

when the movie was half over, candle wax dripping into hardwood and the bubbles all faded away from the lukewarm water, skin dried out and pruny, only then did the newlyweds emerge from the heart-shaped tub.

micks touch was gentle as he helped his wife dress in her long, pale nightdress, silk dusting the carpet as she pulled down the handmade quilt, ready to fold herself into bed next to her husband.

he slipped into bed next to her, laying the laptop down in front of them. his fingers played with her hair, twirling strands around her finger before he began to lazily braid a small section, the last half of the movie playing on the small screen.

“mick?”

“yeah?”

“I’m so excited to spend my future with you.”

“me too, Liebling.” he smiled, kissing her forehead. “we’ve got so much to look forward to.”

BONUS

y/nschumacher ❤️🍂

TAGS

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @lorarri @diorleclerc @userlando @thatsdemko @oconso @sidcrosbyspuck @cartierre

[moki-dokie]

rating the birds in my backyard on their tendency towards violence

@luulapants inspired me to make a bird post as well. we should talk about our local dinosaurs more! (not including the same birds from their post we also have here)

great-tailed grackle 7/10 physical violence is not how you guys operate. you wage mental warfare with a barrage of unending noises on the most annoying frequency imaginable to man. also some of you have mastered mimicry in the wild and this is simply too much power for a beast like you to wield. (similar to the common grackle but infinitely more annoying)

american kestrel 3/10 she's beauty, she's grace, she'll smack an eagle in the face. fearless and skilled little predator that delights me every time i get to see one. bit more secretive than other raptors tho.

red-tailed hawk -1/10 a majestic cry that always gets used for eagles in voiceovers, absolutely stunning, and a staple of the midwest and west but... baby ain't got a single braincell. head empty. mobbed on the regular by birds a tenth their size. i've personally watched a single sparrow harass one for 30 minutes before it gave up and ran away. can't steal shit to save its own life. scared of everything ever. they're basically horses of the birds of prey, if horses were a little less psychotic.

mallard duck 1/10 just little dudes doing their own thing. females can get a little aggro when nesting thats about it. sometimes pushy when food is involved. otherwise just chill, beautiful guys. but do me a solid, my web-footed friends? stop fucking nesting in my garden!! i don't like stressing you out when i'm tending to it!!

northern bobwhite (quail) -5000000/10 you're doing great sweetie just keep doing what you're doing. bob-bobwhite amirite

red-winged blackbird 4/10 you lot have a scare tactic technique that sparrows wish they had by just squaring up in numbers and looking fabulous while doing so. no notes.

eastern bluebird 0/10 they've literally never done anything ever wrong. perfection. little fairies but without all the deviousness. absolute cuteness. a blessing to be in ones presence.

scissor-tailed flycatcher 9/10 ahhh yes our stunning state bird. the herald of summer. the graceful acrobatic dancer. the beautiful singer. the brutal serial killer of all things insect. watching them 'hunt' is spectacular. one of the few birds that can hover. they're deadly accurate. almost exclusively capture their prey mid-air. but sometimes they'll get a bug too big to snipe on wing and do you know what they do in that case? they'll take it to their perch and beat it to death. remarkable.

carolina chickadee 4/10 don't let their round sweetness deceive you. they are full of spite and precisely zero fear. will absolutely pick on birds twenty times their size. small man syndrome.

mourning dove 0/10 hwoo hoo hoo hoo?

bald eagle, 2/10 WHAT are you doing this far south sir. we are landlocked my guy. the ocean is that way. big rivers and lakes are the other way. certainly there cannot be enough fish for you here!! surprisingly docile, for a giant raptor.

golden eagle 10/10 he'll eat your dog in front of you and then fuck your wife while maintaining eye contact with you the entire time. everything is afraid of this motherfucker.

great egret 0/10 they're chill and serenity incarnate. and their smaller cattle cousins are exactly the same. their size is the only thing intimidating about them. fuckers are HUGE

american goldfinch 3/10 food aggressive, mostly. lovely to look at. they really like to bitch up a storm tho.

california gull 90000000/10 nature's biggest asshole. we don't even have large bodies of water here. get out.

hummingbirds, all (ruby-throated pictured) 10/10 they choose violence every waking moment. god help you if you've forgotten to refill a nectar feeder. all they know is speed, feed, make things bleed.

barn swallow 9/10 Do Not Go Near The Nest. willing and able to peck you to death.

baltimore oriole 1/10 goofy guys with a great sense of fashion and one of the prettiest songs. they're just here to flirt and have a good time

greater roadrunner 3/10 i love our mini velociraptors so much i dare not speak ill of them. also one of the few birds that fuck outside of the need to reproduce. hell yeah my dudes get it on you freaky little dinos.

northern mockingbird 5/10 i think these guys are on par with how the europeans feel about magpies. they don't really steal shit, but they will, like grackles, commit psychological warfare by being the most annoying little shit possible. and sometimes they're bold enough to chase you. their hatred of cats outweighs their sense of self-preservation, too. they will get into a metaphorical fist fight with a cat. and win, usually.

eastern meadowlark 6/10 i know our prairies are awfully tempting to go frolicking in but unless you crave an unusual death that involves being relentlessly shrieked at with drive-by stabbings, i wouldn't recommend it. these guys are lurking in the tall grass, just waiting to fuck up your day.

black vulture 1/10 slightly smaller than their red-faced cousin, way more common here, and so so chill. they're all bark and no bite, unless you're roadkill. is one in the road blocking you from passing because he's chowing down on a dead opossum? go around, bitch. you are not important enough for him to get out of the way.

wild turkey 11/10 (males) female turkeys are pretty cool. they can be a bit Extra but generally they just want to eat. males, however. males would love nothing more but to beat you to death and then take a shit on your corpse. persistent. unyielding. once you have become a target your only hope is getting in a car and quickly driving away. if they don't beat the shit out of your car first, that is.

desert cardinal 2/10 these guys are great. they're not even supposed to be here. i always mistake them for female cardinals at first. about the same temperament as normal cardinals. they're weird but everyone seems to be okay with them.

great horned owl 8/10 so, so stupid and yet so spiteful. not a great combo. so ironic owls are the posterchild of wise when they're perhaps one of the dumbest birds of prey. its a wonder they haven't stupided their way into extinction. only thing this idiot has going for it is being so photogenic and has the most creepy mood-setting song ever.

[camp-counselor-life]

Camp-counselor-life's guide to

Meeting your neighbors

So we've all see the posts that are like, you don't even know your neighbors, how are you going to defeat capitalism/fascism/all the other isms. But how do you meet the neighbors? Here is my method for meeting some* of your neighbors in a (semi) natural way.

Phase 1: Walks. Go for walks around your neighborhood on a regular basis (weekly or more). Doesn't have to be long walks, you can put in your earbuds, but like, generally look friendly. Note: this step is easier if you are walking with a friendly dog. Or are of the dominant ethnicity in your neighborhood.

Phase 2: Smile and wave. Continue going on walks, but smile and wave to people who are also walking or who are out in their yards. This can be combined with phase 1 if you're ready for it. Also, wait to move on until you get a positive response out of phases 1 & 2. Because if people aren't smiling back, they aren't ready to say hello.

Phase 3: Say hello. Now that you have smiled at people several times, say hello too. It's ok to work your way up to this, because it can be really scary at first. But that's all you have to do, smile and say hello, then keep walking.

Phase 4: Incidental conversation. Say, "hey, how's it going," compliment their flowers, say it's a beautiful/sunny/warm day today, or ask them their dog's name. Keep it light and fun, no more than 2 minutes at a time (even 30 seconds is fine), unless they keep talking. Don't overdo it at this step. If you are an awkward human like I am, keep it as short as possible without cutting the conversation off. Something like: "Hey, how are you [neighbor]?" "Good, you?" "Good, have a great day!" or "What lovely weather we're having!" "Yes, it's nice out today." "Yeah, have a great day!" Are totally great phase 4 conversations. The key is not to overthink it. Pretend you are a midwest small town lady who wants to meet everyone in a new town.

Phase 5: Meet the neighbors. This is the phase that you actually introduce yourself to your neighbors. Next time you see someone you have talked to about incidental things a few times, you can introduce yourself. Start with an incidentally conversation (flowers are looking great today, I love how sunny it's been lately), then say, I just wanted to officially introduce myself, my name is X. Most people who have engaged you in incidental conversations are willing to introduce themselves back, but don't read too much into it if they don't. Scariest step honestly.

Phase 6: Keep it going. You do NOT have to do more than smile at people every time you see them to keep a neighborly relationship going. A wave, a nice to see you, a smile, all are totally fine on a regular basis. But if you haven't talked to them in a while, it's time to do an incidental conversation OR ask them about some local happening.

Bonus ways to meet neighbors:

Attend community councils (volunteer-led meetings on local happenings)

Join a Facebook group (drawbacks to this one tho)

Join your HOA board or attend meetings regularly (if you are a home owner)

Join other neighborhood groups

Join community boards or support committees at your local elementary school (this may be dicey if you don't look like you vibe with kiddos)

Sign up for a class at a community center or library. Or through your school district's continuing ed department, if they have one.

*realistically, you will not meet 100% or even 50% of your neighbors.

One thing I will say is that you gotta be willing to commit to this if you want to maintain it. It is really hard to bounce back if you brush someone off more than once or twice. So, only move on to the next phase when you're ready for it. You don't have to rush the process.

Some people are also naturally more outgoing or friendly (and vice versa). Don't take it personally (this is suuuuuper hard for me). If someone doesn't respond to "hello," don't force conversation. Just smile at them as you see them and continue onwards.

I will also add this disclaimer: this might not work in all regions or neighborhoods, especially in those with a lot of untrustworthy behavior, or neighborhoods where absolutely nobody chills outside. It's also dependent on going for a walk being safe and accessible for you (which obviously it is not for everyone), whatever the reason. For additional ideas that are not walking-based, check out the above.

[spiteslucanis]

was tagged by the ever lovely @zhalar to share 9 albums i've been listening to, thank you for the opportunity <3 i've included my self-indulgent commentary on each, and i tried to mostly pick ones that i've specifically been listening to recently! (ps. thank you for songs you shared in the previous tag game we had, several ended up on my playlists)

lazily tagging anyone who sees this and wants to do it! just say i tagged you. i love hearing ppl talk about music

my album commentary under the read more cut bcs i ended up elaborating a lot

i. chappel roan, "the rise and fall of a midwest princess" — ALBUM of the YEAR. to me. i know it came out last year but still. no skips, love her and this album so so dearly. i need it on vinyl stat. inject that shit into my veins etc. current faves: guilty pleasure and super graphic ultra modern girl, but i did also recently listen to california for like a week non-stop

ii. ethel cain, "preacher's daughter" — again i'm LATE to this one, but as far as concept albums go, this is. the peak. like just. screaming crying throwing up, even. i made a powerpoint presentation abt this just so i could share its story with a friend. INSANITY. faves: american teenager, ptolemaea, sun bleached flies (i forgive it all as it comes back to me............. kill me)

iii. taylor swift, "tortured poets department" — i went to the eras tour earlier this month. speechless! wow. i still haven't recovered OR finished listening to all of anthology but i sure have been blasting who's afraid of little old me and but daddy i love him

iv. metteson, "look to a star" — actual album of the year for me. saw him live this spring and he was so so sweet (was manning his own merch booth afterwards and complimented my make up <3 also signed my vinyl) ANYWAY insane voice? like simply unbelievably beautiful. and this is just the debut album??? future records might simply eviscerate me i'm afraid. faves are second heart (!!!), naturally (but nothing comes natural to me / nothing comes naturally...... augh) and heavier than a heart

v. pet shop boys, "nonetheless" — breaking news my favourite old gay men are still releasing bops and bangers and heartbreaking melodies. this released close-ish to my birthday so i've claimed it as a birthday present. what more can i say, they're my favourite band of all time <3 faves rn: new london boy (skinheads will mock you, call you a fag / last laugh is yours, there's a brick in your bag!!) and bullet for narcissus

vi. orville peck, "stampede: vol. 1" — i adore this cowboy beyond measure. as i think i said in a different post, i don't usually care for features and duets, but this does indeed fucking slap. insane vocals as per usual. love the concept. can't wait for vol 2, and also, mr. peck PLEASE come to europe. faves: miénteme and cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other <3

vii. sea power, "disco elysium" — this is FINALLY on spotify!!! the game of all time, and the soundtrack is equally heartbreaking and hardcore (to the mega). i was going Through It at some point this spring and replayed DE and then just listened to burn baby burn outside whilst smoking. european depression core. faves rn: burn baby burn, saint-brune 1147 (small pinewood church) and precinct 41 major crime unit

viii. jan valta + adam sporka, "kingdom come: deliverance (OST)" — finally bought this recently when it was on sale and my god i'm so glad i did. an immensely entertaining game that you can tell was made with much love. henry of skalitz my SON. been listening to the soundtrack on/off, currently absolutely obsessed with the song poverty and famine (and särmä if you're reading i think you might vibe with this one?)

ix. alkemie, "pentiment (original soundtrack)" — rounding up with another video game soundtrack because i'll simply never get over pentiment. stole my heart in a major way. this soundtrack is STUNNING. can't do it justice with words. my faves rn: sic arsit historia kiersis and rüdeger's rehearsal

[superghfan]

“This is something I was hoping I would not have to write about, another young man taken. A sweet natured man. An Ohio boy like me. A man who had his demons — another thing we had in common. A young man I called son for the early part of our time together. Not this one!” “Tyler and I met when I visited his dressing room on the day he was about to camera test for the role of Nikolas Cassadine, my “son/nephew” on General Hospital. We went over the scene a few times. He was very green and eager, and he had a kind of grace and a connection to the heart of the material that was special. I felt connected to him immediately. I can’t say enough about the beauty of Tyler Christopher’s work. He was an actor who was all instinct and spontaneity. It seemed effortless for him. I knew I wanted to work with him. I knew he would make me better.” “Our Journey on GH spanned around seven years. In the beginning, he asked for advice, and I offered Michael Chekov’s Book, To The Actor, which had inspired me when I was starting out. Tyler gave so much to every scene. We connected in a deep way and lifted each other up. I know he was proud of the work he did even though he continued to look to me for approval. I reassured him that he was ‘there’ and to keep doing what he was doing. I called him ‘Baby Brando’. He always laughed about that, but I wasn’t joking. I can only imagine how much more could have been.” “I know that over the years Tyler had addiction issues. I understood and told him so. We talked about it and checked in over the years but never really got deep into the subject of recovery. I regret that. When I asked how he was doing, he would generally say, ‘good…fine.”  Some 20 years later, after several nominations, Tyler stood on that stage, with his Emmy in hand, and held up the book I had given him. I was thrilled for him, and so touched and honored that he had mentioned our early connection.  I had heard about Tyler’s troubles during his time on General Hospital. I checked in with him and he assured me he was fine.  In 2017, a few months before he started on Days of Our Lives, Tyler called and asked if he could meet me for lunch. He flew in from the Midwest. He told me he had been having a hard time and he was now sober and working to stay that way. He said needed to take care of his kids and he needed a job. I advocated for him, and it took a while, but he finally came over to Days. I know how desperately Tyler loved his children and wanted to be with them and provide for them. When we met, they were all he could talk about. I hope that his children and family members, friends, those who are feeling this great loss will, with the passage of time, find peace. My heart aches, but all I wish for now, sweet Tyler, is that you are finally at peace. We won’t soon forget you.” - Stephen Nicholas via Instagram on the death of Tyler Christopher.

[pianocat939]

Guys I’m sorry but I had to. The demons have come back to haunt me once more.

Tw: breaking-in, death, violence, obsessive behaviour, honestly this guy is literally so cute help-

Yandere Methuselah General Hcs

Introduction: For those of you who don’t know, Methuselah was a Galapagos Tortoise who died at the age of 130. He was one of the oldest tortoises in the world when he died. His death was caused by a shoe getting thrown at his head by a ginger 4 year old, which was me. After the incident, he succumbed to his injury two weeks later.

(I got so lazy with the shading lmao-)

(And now we start make Yan content of his mutant self-)

(He’s not 130 years old as a mutant, it is up to interpretation.)

Type: Violent + Affectionate

Before his mutation, he roamed the habitat of a reptile zoo, munching on plants and strolling around. He would sunbathe and nap all around the perimeter.

On one summer day, he wandered around as the people watched him: as per usual. He could hear the excited little chirps from the children as they pointed and waved at him.

Then when he turned around, something hard hit him in the head, right on the bullseye. It hurt a lot, but he paid no mind to the thrower.

Instead, his eye was caught by another human. A human watching him from afar, silently observing him. How interesting.

The next few days, everything was mundane. But suddenly, he started growing weak. He was the biggest one of the tortoises and still going strong. So why is his body failing him?

Two weeks after the incident, his body gave out on him. He died, pitifully so.

Then he wakes up once more. But no longer as a tortoise but rather as a humanoid version of himself. He was taller, much taller. His muscles enlargened, so much bigger than an average human's.

Nature has given him a second chance at life! With his current body much more complex than his old one.

He knew humanity wouldn't accept his appearance. So, he hid through the shadows, watching through the cracks.

One night, he spotted a human from afar. And not just any human, the one who watched him on the day of the injury. You were so fascinating! The way you act was adorable, cute, one might say.

Since then, he's snuck into your home every night.

Despite being 11'6, he manages to fit himself on your bed and snuggle up to you; without waking you up. Of course. He holds you firmly but gently, with little nuzzles to the top of your head.

"My dear~ you're always so nice to hold."

In his free time, he writes you love letters. All with love and sick thoughts. And along with said letters, he leaves stuffies with recorders in them so he can listen to you.

He 100% will walk into your house and wait for you to come home. And no I doubt you could kill his monstrosity of a size. He'll be all lovey-dovey, saying he's cooked food for you. He loves anything domestic, like seriously.

He plans to marry you, kidnap you wanting to be bound together. And if you're up to it, children as well (the memories from being at the zoo oddly bring comfort).

Now that we're done with most of the wholesome things, the reason he's listed as the violent type is that he will kill anyone that touches you. He hates it, he hates anybody interacting with his lovely future spouse.

"Let's not do such disrespectful things, alright?"

It isn't just you either, it could be your guys' pet dog or something and he'll be protective of it. No one is touching his family, no one.

Overall just very cute and wholesome...Minus the violent part.

Oh and he's got the Canadian/Northern Midwest accent.

——————————————————

I LOVE THE BEAUTY MARK I CANT-

I don't know how to feel anymore. Like, this tortoise I killed all those years ago has now become a mutant OC? Where did things take a weird turn?

- Celina

[pvtchurch]

nine favorite albums in no particular order

tagged by @simmyfrobby :)

Toxicity - System of a Down

you know me, I'm gonna take any possible opportunity to talk about SOAD. they're my all-time favourite band. they've got everything. leftism ✅ goofiness ✅ one of the best vocalists ever (and that's not even a controversial statement) ✅ drama ✅ drugs ✅ ... anyway, I've chosen toxicity because it's their most emblematic album, the one most people will know them for anyway, and the one that made me fall in love with them :)

Bright Green Field - Squid

my first windmill album (what spotify likes to call "uk post-punk revival" 😐 which I guess is not entirely inaccurate...) and one that I loved so much, I became obsessed with the entire genre. but I saw Squid play live this year, it was amazing. and how many bands have their drummer be the frontman? ollie judge my beloved xoxo

the moon & antarctica - modest mouse

this album taught me a little bit of what life is. RIP Jeremiah Green

Forever Young - Alphaville

this one supported me through the pandemic, but I especially associate it with summer. it's mostly known for the two singles Forever Young and Big in Japan but neither of these are the highlight of the album to me

Untitled (The Black Album) - Kino

this album feels like a part of my soul. as cringe as that sounds.

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan

it's just. so fun. and I enjoyed scream-singing along with all the lyrics when I went to her concert 😭 miss roan I adore you

Good Humor - Saint Etienne

this album feels like being on a train staring out the window wondering where you're gonna end up. it's a friend's favourite album and he made me fall in love with it!

Sno sna - Seine

I could wax poetic about this album, I won't, but I'm just letting you know that this made me feel so many things when I discovered it. awesome.

Les cinq saisons / Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison - Harmonium

such a beautiful piece of art. it's almost perfect to me. feels like all those classical concertos about nature, except it's prog folk from 70s québec.

at this point I've waited on doing this for so long that I don't really feel like tagging anyone, but if you want to do it, please tag me so I can see it!!!

[freakingoutthesquares]

PULP: I Spy Summer Festival Programme, 1996

Do you have good childhood memories of summer?

Yes. At the start of the six weeks of holidays from school, you've got the feeling of endless immensity and, for the first couple of weeks, carries on feeling like that. That's brilliant, and it's what everybody wants from a holiday. I'm trying desperately to tie it in with the festival.

The festival is a microcosm for that sort of thing, you’re getting a city condensed. Glastonbury is the archetypal festival, and the first time I went, we went to Stonehenge to watch the sunrise and I was taken in by it all. I had on this all-white outfit, for some reason, and I decided to hitchhike to Glastonbury from there. I felt very incongruous with all these grotty travellers, and I was walking down the road like a ghost and it was brilliant, I really got into it. Glastonbury was a great thing, but by the end of it there all these hippies dragging about in the mud, and it seemed so ugly. This beautiful spring birth thing ended up in mud and decay and disaster.

Do you have any particular summer memories?

Yeah, North Yorkshire, really, which makes you think of the kind of Hi-De-Hi sort of thing, but actually it has a coastline which is incredibly romantic in a kind of Brontës sort of way. You can find little secret coves, and if you're lucky there will be just half a dozen people looking for shellfish. I tend to get quite geological on holidays trying to find fossils and rare stones. On the beach you can occasionally find Amethyst and Amber and Jet. The Jet comes from an undersea petrified forest of monkey puzzle trees. I once found a huge piece of Amber and I like the weird local stones that you don't get anywhere else. Of course, when they dry out, they go dull, which is disappointing.

What would your ideal summer days be?

It would have to involve a picnic and a slight amount of swimming in a natural location. That's why I wouldn't live in London and have to go swimming in Hampstead Heath or whatever. (I did go swimming in London once and it wasn't a very edifying experience.) Family and friends would be there. I know exactly where I would be, but it's a very specific place in Derbyshire and hard to describe.

Summer music.

It depends on the place. One thing I found out about America was that music you couldn't listen to in England, because it would just be a joke, makes sense when you're driving across the desert. And awful Italian music that you wouldn't dream of listening to: when it's hot and you're in Italy you wouldn't listen to anything else.

How about here?

There's a lot of nice classical music Vivaldi, Verde and Beethoven have very good Summery songs.

Do you put your speakers on the windowsill?

What, to inflict it on the neighbours? No, that's very anti-social. But I tell you what I did like the idea of getting. A Peacock. They make a right good noise. It's really melancholy.

It's horrible. Don't you like it? I love it. I think it's great. I haven't had personal experience of them and maybe they're a bit impractical in the city.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How is all the touring going?

This particular bit of touring is perfectly comfortable (often with touring all becomes a bit of a grimy drag) but there is not much in the way of excitement. America was very exciting, believe it or not. I have the usual Anglophile disdain of America, but I started really liking it. I was travelling on the bus with the crew, which make all the difference. (Russell was travelling with the crew because of a morbid terror of flying.)

What memories do you have of touring?

The most exciting single thing that happened was when we played this God-awful little festival in the Midwest with all these Hick farmer types and bodysurfers, and it was incredibly still in the audience. Garbage were playing and the place was so dead that me and Candida went down the front to watch them and they were very good. By the end of Garbage we were quite fired up and decided, “Yes, we will get changed and jump about.”

Then our driver, who was an amateur Storm Chaser (he looked a bit like Anthony Perkins) had been watching the weather for the last two days, and he insisted that we leave quite early because he knew there were some storms ahead. We ended up turning all the lights off on the bus to watch this immense black cloud with lightning inside, which illuminated the cloud so you could see its internal organs, and we were listening to the local weather and it was saying ‘people in Springfield get inside the basement now, get out of your car and into a ditch! Being inside the car is no protection against the tornado!’ You could hear the panic in his voice. Then about 40 miles in front of us, you could see it pass by the road, and we followed it on the map.

We were getting near this cloud, which was about 30 miles away, and even though we couldn't see it, we knew we were in the flight path of this tornado. There was this one point where we've got in front of the cloud, but the driver was getting really agitated by the storm and needed to stop the bus to clean loads of bugs off the windscreen and Candida wanted to hire a taxi and drive into the centre of the tornado. I was tempted, but we’d driven past some of the damage that the tornado had caused. You know, I want to see a crocodile, but I don't want to put my head in its mouth!

I was very impressed with Candida. The driver had previously been saying, ‘Oh, I'd stop here, but I don't think the little lady would like it.’ She didn't give a damn. It was quite frightening and great.

Everything that day all seemed to be tied up with this Garbage business because we got to the next town and all over the toilet was all this Pulp and Garbage graffiti signed Ian. It transpired that it had been written by Ian Astbury (of the Cult) the night before. All this stuff like ‘Pulp and Garbage united together in pain and death meet up in the year 2000 and come to my city together’ or something and I was just thinking, ‘how did he know that there was this vibe happening?’ I've never met him, but I really want to meet him now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you feel different when it starts getting hot and sunny?

Well, yeah, it's that gland in the top of your head that starts getting over heated.

What happens?

You know what happens? There's a gland at the top of your head that activates sexual interest.

That's not true.

It is. That's true. Sunlight is the best for it. I think just getting a hot head isn't enough. I think it might be the ultraviolet that activates this gland.

Do you start screaming at girls and hanging out of cars?

Not really, but we can't help it, we’re chained to our own biology.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ankles-be-bitten]

i live in florida. pretty much everyone who lives here makes jokes like this--including myself--but most of the time it's just that: a joke. there are so many people up north who believe that all of florida is either the meth-head, backwater swamp hillbillies who have a pet gator in their airstream camper and eat crawdads raw out of the everglades OR the disney obsessed snowbird population who winter here and live in new england the rest of the year.

and the truth is? while these people do *technically* exist, they are by no means the majority. florida is a pretty ordinary state, 99% of the time, and i'm actually getting weary of the "[insert southern state] is hell on earth" rhetoric, a sentiment i've seen spreading pretty quickly amongst gen z, and i think part of the reason is that this presumed horror state we live in is used to invalidate our desire for a better future. don't like your governor because he wants to make it illegal for you to receive the support and healthcare you need? well shit! you live in florida, or you live in texas, no wonder you're miserable!! move to a blue state. so easy. shouldn't have been born in a red state, silly! everyone knows it's homophobic there :)

but my friends are here. up until recently, my whole extended family was here--and the family who don't live here anymore live in tennessee (where i was actually born), which is definitely more volatile than florida. i actually don't know why northerners think this about florida--is it our beautiful, diverse, and ANCIENT wildlife and native flora? is it our bloody, messy, and intricate cultural and social history? is it the anti-lgbtq+ legislature? we live in a region so geographically unique, the southernmost tip of the peninsula is the only place in the world where the alligator and the crocodile coexist naturally in the wild. is that hell on earth?

i used to hate my state. i used to hate where i live. i still fantasize about leaving, moving to some northern, walkable city, with accessible abortion care and a less volatile healthcare system to trans people. but i'm done feeling ashamed of where i live, where i grew up; i grew up in the town zora neale hurston grew up in, and one of my favorite books as a child, the yearling, was written by marjorie kinnan rawlings, who was FROM that rural florida that's apparently full of meth heads and rednecks. yes, it's overly urbanized in many places, including where i currently live; yes, it's incredibly difficult to navigate life here as a queer student; yes, there is a vast class disparity between the richest and poorest amongst us. but everyone i love lives here, and underneath the 5-lane highways is an intricate and valuable and one-of-a-kind ecosystem worth loving and cherishing.

i'm not going to condemn the place i live because it gets hot in the summer, or there's bigoted legislature, or the cities are unwelcoming to pedestrians. i'm not going to condemn my state because of the podunk, buttfuck, inbred hillbilly stereotype that originates from classism and the demonization of those who live in poverty or rural areas. remember: drugs are only morally reprehensible if it's a poor person making, distributing, or using them. when rich people do drugs, it's cool. so yeah, maybe putnam county is "full of meth heads," but have you considered why that is?

i love florida at it's worst, and i want to see it get better. i won't characterize the midwest as one-dimensional and barren; i won't call northerners self-absorbed, self-obsessed, and self-interested. please don't tell southerners that we live in "hell on earth." doing so erases all our history, natural and cultural, and boils us down to only the most classist of the stereotypes that apply to us.

the funniest thing to me is that florida is hardly even a "southern" state, technically it's a northern transplant. we're a whole lot more like you than you think--and you know what? so is everyone else.

[breakerwhiskey]

058 - FIFTY-EIGHT

Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit patreon.com/breakerwhiskey.

Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.

[click, static]

You know, I think I owe you an answer to a question, right? I can’t remember the last thing we talked about. It feels like you’ve been quiet for weeks, though I know that can’t be right.

So if you’ve got a question, send it on over. I’m bored. I’m stopped right now, eating some dinner, and—well, if I thought

Colorado was beautiful, it’s nothing compared to Wyoming.

That’s not fair to Colorado—I don’t know that there’s any purpose in comparing the two. Wyoming is just...its even more untouched by... anything. It’s empty in the same way the rest of the country is empty, except it doesn’t feel so hopeless here. The emptiness sits well inside of Wyoming, like that’s how it’s supposed to be.

And the views...I mean, this is the kind of stuff people write those hyper patriotic songs about. Purple mountains majesty and whatever.

It’s—it’s overwhelming. Is that silly? To be overwhelmed by the beauty of nature?

Maybe not silly but...well, it’s a little cheesy I guess. [click, static]

I would not describe myself as a particularly sentimental person. I know that might come as a shock, considering all my reminiscing yesterday and...well, all the other days, but what else is there to do but reminisce? It feels like my entire life is in the past and all that’s ahead of me is thinking about the days that have already gone by. All I have is nostalgia

[click, static]

Maybe that’s why looking at the Grand Tetons feels so...(deep breath) enormous. Like I’ve just breathed fresh air for the first time in a long time. I’ve been on the road for months and...

I get why people came West. Not to say that they were at all welcome and certainly not justified in what they did—they should have left well enough alone instead of killing and pillaging land that wasn’t theirs or at

the minimum they should picked up stakes and moved on to find whatever bits of land weren’t already occupied, I don’t really know how much of that kind of land there was back then but—

Anyway. [click, static]

All I’m trying to understand is that I think I understand a little why the Donner Party risked it. I lived in the Midwest and the Northeast pretty much my whole life and there is beauty there—there is so much beauty —but...maybe it’s the emptiness, maybe its the bigness, maybe its just the sheer fucking novelty of it but I...I feel free.

Whiskey out.

[click, static]

[aquilathefighter]

Ten Books To Know Me

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

Thanks for the tag @littledreamling and @mathomhouse-e!!

I'm taking non-ancient literally, you will be getting literature from the 19th century lmao. In no particular order:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

This book was my hook into the sci-fi genre! It's such a fun adventure to live in the world underwater in the Nautilus! I still have the annotated version my parents got me when I was around 9 or 10 with a very beat-up, well-loved dust jacket.

2. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut's style is so influential. I adore the non-linearity of the story, how Billy gets "unstuck in time" and we see snippets of his past and his future. Of course the anti-war message is near and dear to my heart and the perspective of people who have been to war is so critical to hear. Vonnegut also has a special place in my heart as someone who taught the Iowa Writers' Workshop because that program is something my home state produces that I can be very proud of.

3. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

C'mon, I'm an ecologist! I have a degree in environmental science! This is an obvious choice for someone who cares about the environment, as it demonstrated the dangers of DDT to the public. Carson is a personal hero of mine as she essentially kickstarted the environmental movement and became one of the best science communicators in the United States. Her writing is simple, clear, and easy to understand even if you have no background in biology and chemistry. An amazing way to make people see what we are doing to our Earth.

4. Welcome to Subbirdia by John Marzluff

Woohoo! First bird book on the list! I read this in my first year seminar in college and it opened my eyes to how cool urban ecology is. I learned so much about how inhospitable suburbia can be for wildlife and what we can do to invite them back to where we live, so we can actually live beside native plants, animals, and other organisms. It's a great entry-level book about birds, the biodiversity crisis, and urban ecology.

5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I love the weird, the silly, and the bizarre. Hitchhiker's Guide has had such an impact on my sense of humor and outlook on life. I'm gonna use this space to recommend the entire trilogy in five parts to you.

6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Are we shocked that a Neil book landed on here? I read this in 2021 when I was working just outside the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. It actually made me a friend who introduced me to Good Omens and then Discworld. I miss him dearly. Anyways, what a fantastic world that I really felt quite at home in as a Midwesterner. Sam Black Crow is one of my favorite characters of all time.

7. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

One of my earliest beloved poets. Whitman does so much with rhythm and sound in his poems; it's no surprise he's recognized as one of the American greats. I love his use of natural imagery and the way he explores the connections between people. And the powerful homoeroticism.

8. What Do We Know by Mary Oliver

Another poet, and a tumblr favorite at that! Oliver's poetry really speaks to my soul as someone who takes in the wonders all around us, big and small. Her prose poems are truly skilled, and if you read any of them I really adore At Blackwater Pond to get a taste.

9. Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

I am so, so soft-hearted for the ecology of the Midwest and for the people who take the time to look and listen and learn from all the living beings that surround us. I've shared a quote from this book before but it really gets to the crux of what is so beautiful about the essays and natural history within:

"It is fortunate, perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundred little dramas of the woods and meadows, one can never learn all of the salient facts about any one of them."

10. The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Edition by David Allen Sibley

Last but not least, my favorite bird guide! This thing has been everywhere with me. I'm 95% sure that some of the pages have my blood on them. It's certainly got dirt all over it. This book is my bible. I take it wherever I go when I lead birding trips and when I'm somewhere that has unfamiliar birds. It is the best field guide for North American birds in my opinion.

Not sure who hasn't done this yet! Obviously no pressure to do it <3

@altair214 @lenreli @galacticstingray @pintobordeaux

[tlstraveldiary]

A Weekend Full of Louis

I spent last weekend between Louisville, KY and St. Louis, Missouri. Both named after King Louies from France, though Louisville is after Louis XVI and St. Louis is after Louis IX. The main purpose of the trip was to attend the Kentucky Derby, though we made a few pit stops. A horse race, North America’s tallest monument, and what I’m counting as a new state later, here are my thoughts on the weekend.

I flew into St. Louis early Friday morning and my lovely friends, Madelynn and Alli picked me up from the airport. Madelynn is originally from right outside Louisville, but now lives in St. Louis and is the reason I came for the derby. I met her through my job, so, in addition to friends, we’re co-workers and sorority sisters. She is probably the most sociable person I have ever met, and talks to strangers with ease. She makes you feel like everything you’re saying is the most compelling thing she’s ever heard. Alli is also a friend, co-worker, sister, who flew in from San Diego for the weekend. Originally from northern California, she is incredibly put together, prepared for any situation. A spill barely has time to figure out what fabric it’s on before she pulls out a Tide pen. She has some of the most interesting lore, paired with the most beautiful hair.

We left from the airport to get some coffee, and tried out Omen Coffee Co in Midtown. I ordered the Chocolate Covered Strawberry latte which was uniquely delicious. After, we headed to Madelynn’s Cycle Bar class. If you’re in St. Louis, I highly recommend taking a spin class with Madelynn. She manages to find the perfect balance between pushing you to be your best, while also not making you feel bad about yourself if your best isn’t 100mph at the highest resistance. After class, we pretty quickly hopped in the car and headed for Louisville, knowing we’d be back to St. Louis.

What do you consider to count as having been to a state? For me it’s either leaving the airport, or getting out of the car. That’s why I’m counting Indiana as visited after last weekend, though all we did was stop at a gas station. We were hoping to snag some much needed diet cokes, but found the gas station soda fountain had been hit by a tornado and was out of commission. Luckily for the gas station, the soda fountain was the only thing hit.

The drive from St. Louis to Louisville is shockingly beautiful. The ignorant Texan in me thinks of the midwest as being entirely flat farmland, but there’s actually some rolling hills and trees. We pulled into Louisville and met up with two of Madelynn’s friends from college, Connor and Savannah, both of whom happen to also fall into the sorority sister category, at a local Thai restaurant. Then we all headed to Madelynn’s parent’s house, where they were nice enough to let us stay for the weekend, and went to bed.

The next morning was Derby Day! Madelynn’s mom made us a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls and mimosas, and we had the classic girlhood moment of getting ready together, listening to music and sipping drinks. I was having both a good make up and good hair day, believe it or not. After some debate, I ended up leaving my hair in it’s natural, straight state, and (shockingly) didn’t regret it. Once we were all ready and pictures had been taken, we headed to the Derby.

I’m going to do a separate post on what it was like sitting GA Infield at the Derby, but for now here’s all you need to know: it was fun, but it was exhausting. After the main race, we headed out for some much needed dinner. Leaving the Derby is not as easy as getting there. Hundreds of people leave the infield all at once, most of them needing Ubers, just like we did. We had to walk to the University of Louisville stadium before we could even hope to find a ride. Keep in mind, there are no seats in the infield, so at this point we had been standing in heels for hours, and we were exhausted and hungry. As we were walking, Connor was telling us about how her mom drives for Uber, and “wouldn’t it be so funny if we saw her?” Next thing we knew, we did see her. She was picking up two girls our age who had paid her cash to pick them up after she Ubered them there, and they were willing to let us hop in. It was nothing short of a miracle! She took us to Drake’s, where we had life-giving food.

We started with appetizers: friend pickles, soft pretzel bites, and BLT tots. The tots were life changing and I will but putting bacon, lettuce, and tomato on top of tater tots from now on. For my entree, I got mini burgers. As any meal is after you’ve been drinking all day, it was the best I’ve ever had. Even after all that, our day was not over. We originally headed to Tin Roof for drinks and dancing, but after seeing it looked dead and had an expensive cover, we switched our plans and headed to O’Shea’s. I can’t tell you if O’Shea’s is fun or not because we never made it inside. What I can tell you is that I’ve never had a queuing experience quite like that. We pulled up to find the line went for blocks, but decided to tough it out. El Nopal, the Mexican restaurant down the block was selling margaritas off the street, which we, of course, had to indulge in. We chatted and waited in line for about an hour before we decided to go ahead and head home. By the end of the day, my feet were screaming at me, but it was all worth it.

The next morning, we enjoyed brunch at Emmy Squared Pizza. I had the Becky, which was exactly what I needed. I’ve heard brunch is new for them, and I would highly recommend. Afterwards, we headed to what is apparently the best cookie shop on the USA, Please and Thank You. I, of course, had to try a chocolate chip cookie and, let me tell you, it was delicious, though I’d have to try it side by side to my beloved Levain before I could say which is better. I also ordered the butterscotch latte which was the perfect blend of sweet but not too sweet. We then checked out some local shops, namely Six Sisters Boutique, WOW - Women-Owned Wallet, and Vintage Vibe, before heading back to St. Louis.

When we arrived in St. Louis we headed straight for the Gateway Arch, as one does in St. Louis, before heading to try toasted raviolis at Mama’s On the Hill and grabbing concretes at Ted Drewes. Both were equally delicious. The next morning, Alli left on an early flight, but I had some extra time. I took another one of Madelynn’s CycleBar classes (seriously, try it out) and took myself to the St. Louis botanical gardens, which were beautiful. I originally wanted to see Degas’s ballerina statue at the St. Louis art museum, but it’s unfortunately closed on Mondays. After the gardens, I headed to the airport. I’ll make another post with my 24 hours in St. Louis itinerary, where I’ll go into more detail.

Last weekend was full of dear friends and new adventures, and was pretty perfect in my book. I’m so lucky to have a job that brought me friends like Madelynn and Alli, and to be part of an organization that has connected me with so many women, including Connor and Sav, across the nation. If you get the opportunity to have a Louis weekend for yourself, Louis XVI, Louis IX, and I definitely recommend it.

[dee-dee-monster]

A Spring Afternoon with Eddie

A/N: It’s a beautiful day here, and this idea was wiggling around in my brain - 650 words of just fluff. 

It finally feels like Spring has hit Hawkins. 

You never know what you’re going to get in the MidWest, but it’s actually warm! As soon as it was clear the sun’s appearance wasn’t just some cruel joke, you’d scrambled to set up the hammock on the old frame behind your trailer. Now you are swinging lightly in the netting with a good book. 

You’ll spend as much time as you can doing precisely this until the end of summer. 

It’s your favorite place. 

Which is likely how Eddie finds you so easily. 

You hadn’t heard any pounding at the front door or hollering of your name, just some shuffling in the grass and then Eddie’s lean form is staring down at you. 

“Hiya,” you glance up from your book. 

“Afternoon…I see you’re starting your Lizard ways…”

The way you try to soak up the sun always inspires reptilian comparisons from Eddie. He’s offered to buy you a heating lamp, which you honestly don’t hate. The jokes about bringing you crickets as a snack is far less precious, however.  

“Naturally,” you confirm. 

   Unsurprised, Eddie drops a kiss on your forehead and then starts maneuvering himself into the hammock, too. 

You’ve found the best way to fit both of you is to lay in opposite directions – and, yes, you two have tumbled out of this thing countless times to perfect the process. 

It’s something of an art form by now, though.

“...so tall,” you gripe when Eddie’s feet bump your shoulder as he settles himself. 

“Keep reading,” he waves off your complaint. 

He has a spiral notebook clutched in his hand, so you know he is set to work on his latest D&D campaign. You watch him struggle to pick his pen out of the binding inch by inch; when he succeeds with a quiet “hah!” you bring your eyes back to your book. 

   The two of you have wasted away innumerable Sunday afternoons this way. Warm and close, just enjoying each other’s presence. 

There’s nowhere you’d rather be.

Some days he’s antsy and excitable with all of his ideas, interrupting you every page or two with an update on his plans. Other days, like today, he is subdued in his imagination. He’s on a roll, scribbling away in his booklet. Every now and then he’ll tap your ankle and tell you he wants to share something when you’re at a stopping point. 

“Whattcha got, babe?” you slip your finger between the pages and offer him your attention right away this time. 

“Nah. I can wait til the end of your chapter…” his hair flicks this way and that as he shakes his head, eyes down.

“No problem. Just tell me…”

“Hey! I’m workin’ here!” he insists in a Dustin Hoffman impression that you have to admit is spot on.  

You return to your book so he can continue writing out his thoughts. 

You smile all the while. 

Sure you enjoy dynamic and frenetic Eddie – of course you do – but this is your favorite kind of day. When you don’t need words. When just being in each other’s orbit is enough. It’s intimate and reassuring and —

And, and, and. 

And you rush through the chapter until you can nuzzle your cheek against his shin and tell him you want to hear his latest and greatest. He grins and slides his pen up behind his ear until only the cap is peeking through his wavy hair. 

“Yeah?” 

“Uh-huh”

“...you’re actually at the end of your chapter?” he’s still smiling, though his eyes narrow in accusation. 

You scoff in offense. 

“Would I lie?” 

You would, is the thing, but you flip your book around so he can see you’re at a new heading.  He laughs and cranes his neck to nip the skin of your ankle where the hem of your jeans has left a gap. 

“Sure you’re ready?” his voice dips into the theatrical.

“Of course”

You always are for Eddie. 

[kinodraws]

Did you know that living in Fort Wayne, IN is not the desolate, bleak hellscape that every coastal resident would have you believe?

we have things such as:

- reasonable cost of living

- low mortgage payments/rates

- seasons!

- queer communities

- queer pride gatherings!

- vast expanses of nature to explore like grasslands, wetlands, forests, dunes and lakes

- unique food culture!

- fair/well paying jobs!

- maker spaces for things like welding, blacksmithing, ceramics, sewing and more!

- great spots for live shows/music!

I have lived in Indiana since early 2018 and I'm coming up on my fifth year of living here. I love it here. It feels like home to me. I have a very comfortable life, a great job, and I'm only about 3.5- hours in any direction to chicago, indianapolis, bloomington, toledo, detroit and more. Roach and I own a home, a goal that I never in my wildest dreams thought that I'd be able to attain at any age. We bought it for $75,000.00 and since buying it in February of 2021, it has appreciated in value to nearly $100,000.00. It's a comfortable three bed one bath with a huge basement, great natural light, wonderfully convenient location, great neighbors, and beautiful streets.

I just!!! All I want is for coastal folks to give the midwest a shot. You do not have to pay $2500 every month to live in a shoebox. Our house is 1500 sq ft and we pay $600 a month for it. You do not have to live coastally in order to succeed in the art industry. @ironcircuscomics is located in Chicago, IN THE MIDWEST, and is one of (if not the most) biggest indie comics publishers in the entire US. I work with Spike! It's possible! CAKE is in Chicago, and Fort Wayne has it's own Comic Con for pete's sake.

We have a lovely group of 10+ queer and LGBT positive friends who live within slingshot distance, we get together regularly for birthdays, holidays and other social gatherings (COVID willing), and my partner @roach-works has a great job as a welder that pretty much provides us with everything we need, if not more. We are so happy here. We have stability, equity, social/friend security, comfort, and peace.

If you need to be convinced further, please look at what kind of housing is available in our area and at what price:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1707-High-St-Fort-Wayne-IN-46808/73126186_zpid/

This house is literally under $700 a month for FIVE BEDROOMS AND TWO BATHROOMS. It is VERY possible to make this happen. If you have ok credit and a couple of well-trusted friends who are down to pitch in and sign a mortgage for a home like this, you could easily create an artist commune in a very vibrant midwestern city. You could have quail in your back yard and you could have a good sized garden if you wanted to try your hand at urban sustainable living! There really aren't any food deserts here either.

IDK. I want to show more people what is possible if you live/move out here. It isn't desolate, I promise. It is beautiful and vibrant and alive. You could be comfortable here.

Consider this an open offer: IF THIS SOUNDS APPEALING TO YOU, please talk to me! I have a realtor I can put you in touch with. I can explain what our homebuying process looked like. I can give you insight/help. We could host you if you wanted to tour the city. I DEEPLY love this place and I hope I can get more people to love it, too.