#horse pens 40

[so-i-did-this-thing]

What is All Creatures Great & Small about?

Hi!

ACGAS started off as a book series by James Herriott (pen name). It is a fictionalized autobiography of a British veterinarian mostly in 1930s-40s (later eras do happen) rural England. His writing style is very accessible and full of humor, but at the same time, can get very graphic about the realities of his practice. (Content warning for a lot of animal death.)

It's a lovely snippet of pre-war and wartime England through a mostly small-scale agricultural lens. While I'm unsure if the author had specific themes in mind, a big one is the resiliency of the Dales farmers in the face of tremendous change (automation, war, etc.)

The books focus a lot on various animal cases and sparked a love for the career in a lot of vets even today. (I myself considered large animal practice as a teen, specifically horses.)

The books got adapted into a long running series in 1978 (when the inspiration for many of the characters were still alive!). The adaptation works more like a series of vingettes, with some continuity (the main character gets married and has kids, another character graduates from college, etc.).

The revival 2020 series (currently wrapping season 5) treats the material as a setting for a more traditional period comic-drama. Details are shifted around or outright changed, and the focus is on characters. But the original DNA is all there. If there's an overall arc in the new series, it's how found family is making the characters better versions of themselves.

I recommend all 3 incarnations as some cozy, comfort media, but suggest they be treated as their own things. On their strengths: The books are a great look into an agricultural world that doesn't exist anymore. The 1978 series is full of delightful characters and brings scenes from the books to life. The 2020 series invests you in the lives of the characters and how they change over time. (Fwiw, both series have strong production connections to the original author and descendants, and the actors understand the importance of the legacy they are carrying on. There is a lot of love on screen.)

Anyway, I have loved this series for 37 years now and am delighted to see it pique folks' interest.

[deliciousangelfestival]

His Silly Princess | Bucky (Oneshot)

Character: Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x Princess!Reader

Words Count: 1,671

Summary: A modern royal love story. A naive princess who wants to get away from an arranged marriage. She never knew that her guard had loved her since the beginning. 

Main Masterlist || support me: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

Zylovia is a country where monarchy still exists. It’s a developed country located near Western Europe. 

It’s a prosperous country, and the number of unemployed is also the lowest. Tourists love coming here for the casino, race car, and music festival. 

But this country has one outdated rule. It didn’t apply to the citizens. Only for the royal family. 

“If the female royal member marries a commoner, she will lose her status."

You learned that rule when you were 12 years old as the youngest siblings and Princess Zylovia. You didn't put a deep thought into it. 

But now, when you are almost 30 years old, and your older siblings are already married, you think this is good for you.

Because you realize you’re not fit to do the duty as a princess. 

Your oldest brother has prepared since he was a kid to be the king. When he reaches the age of 40, he will be crowned as the king. Your second brother will be the second commander in the military. 

While you have a job as a painting conservator at the museum, your duty as a princess is to welcome the official foreign guest at the castle. You learned some languages, but you’re not allowed to give any opinion on politics.

You don’t hate being a royal, but sometimes you feel like living in a golden cage. 

And finally, you had enough because, on your recent birthday, your parents talked to you about marriage. 

The king and queen don’t want to be separated from their youngest daughter, but they hint that they wish for her future husband from the royal circle. In other words: arranged marriage. 

You clenched your jaw while smiling at your parents. If the man from the royal circle is a real gentleman, you wouldn’t mind. 

But the problem is, please pardon the harsh language; none of the men from the royal family are your type. 

Your type of man must have a stable job, look good in suits, and have a nice body. 

That’s why, for a couple of days, you’ve made a list of potential future husbands. After you write it, you realize most of the men are from the knights. Perhaps because you always went to meet your second brother at the military training ground, so you know some people. 

Steve Rogers

[Friendly, not married, nerd, loves to paint like me]

Ari Levinson 

[Funny, beautiful hair, handsome]

‘Knock, knock!’ Suddenly, someone knocked on your door.

“Come in.”

You didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. You have known him for years, and your ears are familiar with the sound of his footsteps. 

The person who walked into your room has been your exclusive bodyguard for years - James Barnes, but you always call him Bucky his nickname. 

Bucky is a commoner and an elite soldier. If there’s a shooting competition, he will be in the top three. Your second brother always hates him. 

He has received many medals of honors, but he rejects a knight title from your father. You don’t understand why he declined the offer. If he received it, he could enter politics, and he doesn’t have to follow her around anymore. 

He’s tall, handsome, with perfect blue eyes and has fine muscles on his body. Bucky also has a primarily female fanbase when he wears the military uniform and rides a horse at the independence ceremony. 

He became a celebrity overnight.

But you have never seen or heard any rumor about him with a woman. 

“Your highness, in two hours you are going to attend the tennis tournament.” 

You dropped the pen and dropped your head to the table. “Urgh. Do I have to?”

Bucky chuckled when he saw you unwilling to go. One thing you hate about your duty is to be the guest at the tennis game. You prefer to watch the race car, but it's reserved for your brother's. 

Even though you didn’t want to go, you still dragged your feet to the dressing room to grab your coat. 

When you were searching for the right outfit, you suddenly remembered. “Oh no!” You didn’t hide the potential list that you just wrote. You wish you could dig your own grave and disappear. 

And you were right; Bucky saw your writing. He furrowed his eyebrows while he read your paper. “What’s this? Potential man for marriage?”

You stand beside him; you don’t know why you feel scared. This is the first time you have seen him like this. 

His slender, pointed fingers scratched the two names with his nails. There’s a big X on your paper. 

“Don’t marry any of those men.”

“Why?”

A small smile appeared on his lips, along with a soft voice, “Steve hasn’t moved on from his last girlfriend, and Ari, he loves to drink alcohol. I know you hate the smell of alcohol.”

You felt disappointed; you crumpled the paper and threw it into the trash.

“Marriage? Why all of a sudden?” There's an annoyed tone in his voice.

You rubbed your head and muttered, “I need to get married sooner, or my parents will arrange marriage for me, their friend's kid. And you know the truth, I had enough of being a princess.”

Bucky crossed his arms. “But, why them?”

“What?”

He clenched his fist; Bucky stared at her with an annoyed expression. “Why didn't you put me on the list?”

“....”

You waved your hand. “It doesn’t matter, as long as I got married.”

“So, would you like to marry me?”

Are you having hallucinations? Did Bucky just propose to you?

Bucky got on his knees. “Let’s get married.”

You still haven’t come to your senses. Bucky started talking again. “Think about it. Both of us have known each other for a long time. We’ve known each other's likes and dislikes. We’ve been through many things together.”

He’s right. He’s the safest choice if you want to marry someone. You shrugged your shoulders and accepted his hand. “Alright.”

Bucky's beautiful smile appeared on his face. Before he shook your hand, he felt you slightly pull his hand. When you saw him smile, your heart raced. “But, if in the end, we don’t like each other, please wait after three years, then we could get a divorce.”

Bucky chuckled; his attractiveness is not just in his physical appearance but also in his ability to manage his emotions gracefully and restraintfully. He leaned closer to you, and his hands gently grabbed your chin. 

As his calloused hand touched your skin, a subtle warmth spread on your cheeks. You could feel you're blushing. “Silly girl, it will never happen.”

#######

[Bucky P.O.V]

Then he rests your arms on his. “Then you have the excuse to skip the tournament.”

“Hmm?”

“We should inform this first to His Majesty and Her Majesty.”

“Oh, right.” You nodded, then looked straight into his blue eyes again. “This soon?”

********

When both of you walk through the hallway to meet the King and Queen, Bucky tries his best to calm down. He almost lost his common sense when he saw you write another man's name, and there’s a word of ‘potential husband.’

He looks at you and thinks ‘his silly princesses didn’t realize his feelings for her.’ 

Didn’t she know he declined the offer to be a knight so he could be her guard?

If he became a knight, he would work with her second brother. That’s the last thing he wants to do. 

“So, Bucky, don’t worry about money. When I resign as a princess, the kingdom will give us money.”

Bucky chuckled, seeing his sweet princess worried about their future, “That’s so sweet of you. But you don’t need to worry about that.” He gently patted her arms. He wants to tell you that he owns the famous casino in this kingdom and 5-star hotel chains in a few countries.

When both of you are married, Bucky will ensure you don’t have to work anymore. He is pretty sure that her parents will give their blessings even though he’s a commoner (and he’s super rich). The royal family has outdated rules, but because of it, he could marry you. 

Both of you arrived at the king's office room. The guards bowed their heads to greet you. Then you said, “Princesses Y/N and her guard. Wait… and her future husband, James Barnes wants to meet the king.”

The guards and the butler who opened the door lost their composure. They should have known from your body language walking here together hand in hand when usually Bucky always stands behind you. 

This news is shocking compared to the crown prince, who got caught partying too hard and the second prince, who had a messy love life before he got married. 

It seems like your father, the King, hears your voice. Before the castle butler tells him, you hear the gentle voice, “Come in.”

########

[2 years later]

<Former Princess of Zylovia Y/N, blessed with male twins>

It's the biggest headline in the country after you gave birth. You feel overwhelmed; you can't believe that you're parents now. 

The King and Queen hold your oldest son, while Bucky has the youngest son in his arms. 

Bucky's eyes are full of love, looking both at his sons. He was almost scared to death since you gave birth one month early. But the doctor assured both of you this is normal since you're pregnant with twins. 

Even though you're not a princess, you're still surrounded by your family. 

And Bucky still treats you like a princess. You almost lost your mind when he told you his business, which turned into your parents, and your brothers already know it, too. 

You want to knock your head; you didn't even know Bucky's business helped increase the country's GDP. 

Everyone said Bucky was the lucky guy to marry the former princess, but they were wrong. It's you who is lucky to marry him.

-End-

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[colleendoran]

My art from Neil Gaiman's SNOW GLASS APPLES published by Dark Horse Comics. Adapted by me. Letters by Todd Klein. Winner of the Eisner, Ringo, and Bram Stoker Award. Pen and ink with digital color. A dark twist on a classic fairy tale, NOT FOR CHILDREN. 40% off right now at link, or ask for it at your comic shop or bookstore. The perfect dark gift for the ghoul you love.

The German edition from Splitter is at right!

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.9

This all of S1E2. Enjoy! I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks for the next part. Lemme know if you wanna be added to the tag list!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

Previous part - Next part

---

A few days had passed since Lee’s funeral and life on the Yellowstone was starting to return to normal.  Y/n was next to Rip against the fence of the round pen watching as Kayce’s horse put John into the sand.

“That is some gift,” the foreman commented.

She watched uncomfortably as the stallion careened around the pen and into the gate before successfully unseating John again.

“That’s one rank son of a bitch right there.  You ought to take him chest high in the river see how much buck he’s got then,” Rip suggested.

John shook his head, “this is a job for a young man with rubber bones.  That horse will make a hand out of someone.”

“Don’t recall him exploding on Kayce like that,” she commented pointedly when she pushed off the fence to collect Jimmy for his unfortunate job.

All the hands had gathered around the round pen to watch the scene that was about to unfold.  On either side of y/n were Ryan and Colby who did not share her concern for Jimmy as he was duct taped to the saddle.  In her head she was already planning on how to tell her brother what was going on with his ‘gift’.

“20 on the horse,” Ryan bet.

Colby added his own bet, “I got 40 on the wall.”

Y/n rolled her eyes at them and punched them both in the arm.  She caught the roll of tape that John threw their way and ran it through her hands nervously.

“I’d expect some resistance,” Ryan commented sarcastically, causing his girlfriend to groan.

Jimmy looked over at them, “define resistance.”

A level of unease settled in the pit of y/n’s stomach as she watched as the stallion twisted himself in knots in an attempt to unseat Jimmy.�� Ryan placed a hand at the small of her back, rubbing to comfort her.  She smiled gratefully at him before pulling out a cigarette to light.

“I do not miss being low man,” he joked as the horse continued to throw shapes.

John looked over at them, “low man’s what turns you into cowboys, it’ll make him one too.”

“I don’t recall you ever getting strapped to a horse tryna kill you when you was low man Ry,” y/n teased.

Colby gave her shoulder a shove, “you wouldn’t have noticed if he was ‘cause you’d have been too busy staring at his ass.”

“Shut the fuck up Colby.  Dad is right there he’ll hear you,” she hissed.

After a short while, the rest of the hands returned to their jobs around the barn, leaving just John and Rip against the round pen fence.  Y/n rode out past the corral with Lloyd to check on the herd, a horrible feeling in her gut about how it might end.

-/-/-

An hour or so later, y/n had returned from checking cattle to see that Jimmy was still strapped to the stallion.  At least it seemed to be coming to an end as he was no longer broncing the whole way round and just cantering.  After putting Comanche away, she returned to the round pen to join Ryan and Colby on the fence.  Ryan adjusted himself so that his arm was behind her back which she leant into.

“Well you’re almost a winner,” Colby said, looking at how the horse was starting to flag.

Ryan watched on, “day ain’t over yet.”

Y/n looked over to where Jamie had joined her father and Rip by the fence.  He was clearly in ‘lawyer mode’ and watched as they exchanged words before heading to the barn to continue their conversation.

“You gonna see what that’s about?” Her boyfriend asked.

She shook her head, “I’m not getting involved in any of that stuff.”

The boys left her alone on the fence where she watched Jimmy carefully, waiting for the horse to finally stop out of exhaustion.

Eventually, after what seemed like far too long for y/n, and several cigarettes later, the stallion finally came to a halt in the centre of the round pen.  She rushed off the fence to help Rip undo the tape around the stirrups and caught Jimmy when he collapsed off the horse.  

“You good?” She asked when they reached the side of the round pen.

Jimmy coughed, “I think I might be dead.”

“Welcome to cowboying,” y/n joked, “this whole fucking thing was uncalled for though.  Poor horse never gave Kayce any problems on the rez.”

He looked at her confused, “Kayce?”

“My twin brother, the most outcast Dutton.  He lives on the reservation with his wife and my nephew. Apparently the horse is some sort of gift but I can’t see how,” she explained.

She followed Jimmy back towards the barn, opting to take out the colt she’d been working with to see how he was coping with everything.  The familiar routine of grooming and tacking the horse up helped soothe the anger under her skin.

When she passed John still stood at the round pen she spoke, “I’m taking this one out.  Might miss dinner, don’t wait up for me.”

Y/n didn’t wait for her dad to respond, instead mounting up and taking off towards the mountains.

-/-/-

A few hours later, y/n had found a spot by the creek to sit and watch the sunset.  The colt had responded well to the work she’d been doing with him and was currently grazing close to her.  As she sat facing the mountains, listening to the creek and noises from the forest, y/n thought through the chaos of the last few weeks.  She felt exhaustion deep in her bones, the loss of Lee sinking in.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a horse picking its way through the grass to her spot by the water.  She looked around to see Ryan dismounting, leaving his horse to graze by the colt.  They didn’t exchange any words as he sat down beside her, they’d spent long enough together that he didn’t need to ask how she was to know all that was going through her mind.  Ryan slipped off his jacket and put it round her shoulder.  Y/n slipped her arms into it, reveling in the warmth and smell of his cologne wrapping around her.

“Seems you’ve worked your magic on him,” he said after a little while.

She nodded, “told you he just needed to work out how to trust himself.  He’ll make a good ranch horse in a few years.”

“You eaten anything since breakfast?” Ryan asked, knowing she would be avoiding the main house.

Y/n shook her head, “told dad not to wait up for me.”

He stood up, brushed the grass off his jeans and held his hand out to her expectantly.  She raised her eyebrows at him curiously but took his hand anyway, allowing herself to be pulled up.  They made their way to where the horses were quietly minding their own business and mounted up.

“Race you back to the barn?” Ryan challenged.

Y/n smiled, “you’re on.  I’ll warn you though, this boy has got some speed in them.”

Without waiting for a countdown, she clicked the colt forward into a lope and Ryan laughed, taking off after her.

-/-/-

After having dinner in the bunkhouse, y/n was sat at the table with Lloyd playing solitaire.

“Your father not gonna question why you’re having dinner and spending your evenings with us not up at the house?” He asked.

Y/n looked up from her cards, “it was part of the deal when I moved back in that he doesn’t get to question where I spend my time.  This is where my friends are.  Besides, the less time I’m in the same room as my sister the better for everyone concerned.”

She was distracted from their conversation by Ryan exiting the bathroom with his towel around his waist.

“You ain’t exactly subtle there darling,” Lloyd teased her, “everyone gonna know if you keep ogling him like that.

Y/n laughed, “after 8 years being subtle about my ogling I think I’m entitled to stare at my boyfriend if I want to.”

Their game of solitaire was disrupted by Fred pulling Jimmy off his bunk and pulled his shirt down to reveal the still healing ‘Y’ on his chest.  She made to interrupt the exchange but Lloyd gently pushed her back into the chair to deal with it.  Ryan headed over to her, dropping into Lloyd’s empty chair and draping an arm over the back of her chair.

“I’m not a fan of you being here while Fred’s around,” he voiced, “guy’s an asshole.”

She smiled at him, “sounds very overprotective of you Ry.”

“Waited years to voice it out loud sweetheart, can’t blame me for it,” Ryan pointed out.

They sat in quiet for a little while, Ryan pointing out where a card could go every so often but otherwise just enjoying being in each other’s company.  When she’d finished her game, y/n gathered her stuff and bid goodbye to the hands to return to the house for the night.  Ryan grabbed his jacket to walk her back.

“I didn’t ask before but I’m gonna now,” he started, “are you okay?”

She took a deep breath, “no.  I don’t know what I’m feeling but it certainly isn’t okay.  It feels like everyone else has moved on from him dying already.  They’re all so focused on burning the world down that it feels like they never actually stopped to mourn, y’know?  For 8 years it felt like he was my only ally in that godforsaken house and now he’s just… gone.  And I never got to say goodbye or tell him how much he meant to me.  Now I never get to have a conversation with my big brother again.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he hugged her tightly when they stopped in front of the house, “that’s a lot going on in that head of yours.”

They parted ways and Ryan watched her close the door behind her before he headed back to the bunkhouse.  Y/n headed through the house to her room, stopping in the living room when she saw the fire was still going on and John was sat with a glass of whiskey.

“Everything okay dad?  I told you not to wait up for me.”

John looked over at his youngest daughter, “not exactly.  It looks like we’re gonna have to cremate Lee.

“Just one question, do the ends justify the means?” She asked.

He sighed at her loaded question, “it’s to protect Kayce.”

“Whatever it takes to protect him,” y/n responded, “I don’t want to know anymore that could incriminate her.  Lee would understand why especially after all these years.  It’s about time you protected Kayce too.  Goodnight dad.”

---

Tag list: @child-of-of-the-sunshine @kendallroydefender

[frances-baby-houseman]

I have seen the film We Live in Time. I feel like maybe you want to see it so I won't say anything but like, I love Florence Pugh and obviously Andrew Garfield and like. You do not need to rush to see this one. You can see it on an airplane. But if you want to know more of my thoughts about this film you can read them below the cut.

This movie goes out of chronological order and often the only way you know what time they're living in is by Miss Flo's hair. that's an important note. Miss Flo has a LOT to do and as you will see Andrew has very little to do other than cry.

Andrew is getting a divorce. He has to go to a hotel and talk about weetabix. He cries in the bathtub while eating cookies.

He goes to the store in a bathrobe on a highway to get pens to sign his divorce papers. also gets a chocolate orange. Miss Flo runs him over.

They go out for milkshakes. Andrew cries a little because he is in pain from getting run over.

He gets together with Miss Flo, then they have a fight because he wants children and she gets REALLY mad that he puts this on her. He cries and leaves.

He inexplicably follows a pizza man into a baby shower to tell Miss Flo that he loves her and does not care about children, only the time he is currently living in. He cries out of newfound love.

They decide to introduce their parents. It is revealed in a conversation about Salt Lake City that Miss Flo was a competitive figure skater (but inexplicably she was not in Salt Lake for the olympics, just a different competition. weird choice.) Andrew tears up out of surprise for his very competetive girlfriend (at some point he learns by going through a box that she is both bisexual and a very competitive chef.)

Later that night miss flo gets a stomach ache, very bad, Andrew tears up with worry.

It is revealed she has ovarian cancer. She can have a total hysterectomy (good for actually curing it) or partial/keep her eggs so they can have babies, which she didn't even want, but now she does want for him. You can see where this is going. Andrew cries.

She gets better and they ride the carousel with the insane horse to celebrate.

~Fertility Montage~ Andrew is teary when the tests are negative and also positive.

Several false alarms to give birth to this baby.

They are in a tunnel to finally go to the hospital and it's new years eve and the traffic is stopped and Andrew gets out to investigate and when he comes back Miss Flo is gone to a convenience store where she is picking out every single food. They abandon the car, truly, we never hear of it again. Absolutely insane behavior.

Miss Flo gets locked in the gas station bathroom and the baby is COMING. Andrew, teary, kicks in the door with two employees, then they help Miss Flo give birth in the bathroom. This is a VERY LONG SCENE. Everyone is crying, especially Andrew. The baby is born.

Time passes. They move to what looks like Kate Winslet's cottage from The Holiday.

Miss Flo gets another tummy ache. Oh no the cancer is back. She got the baby but also got Chekhov's remaining ovary cancer. She doesn't want more treatment because she wants to live in the time she has. Andrew cries (this is literally the first scene in the movie).

She DOES get treatment but also she decides to compete in the Beaucoup D'or, which is a prize for chefs that looks like Iron Chef and will take like 40 hours a week to train for, in addition to her job and her family. She tells Andrew she's not doing it and he's teary with gratitude

Andrew proposes (these two are MODERN and are not married despite having a kid and a cottage.) Obviously, he cries. He makes cute little save the dates with a carousel horse on them.

They shave her head. This happens early in the film so you'll know what time they're in when it jumps around, but is stupid bc she just has a buzz cut and does not ever actually lose her hair. The buzz cut is just to tell you it's cancer #2 timeline.

She IS doing the competition and puking a lot, which is gross for a chef. We have no clue what andrew is doing when he's not crying in her presence. Presumably, a ton of childcare.

The doctor says the treatment didn't work and they eat some candy. Andrew OBVIOUSLY cries. Almut says she'll pick the kid up from school.

Almut forgets to pick the kid up from shcool and is very busy training for the beacuoup d'or. she comes home and Andrew is crying with rage and fear that she might be dead. She reveals the contest and is like, I want my daughter to remember me for more than just being her mother (fair!!) and Andrew cries out, "how can she remember you for something you are keeping secret!!" (EXACTLY my thoughts, andrew.) OH YEA the competition is the weekend of the wedding!!!!! So Andrew takes the box of save the dates out to the trash and takes each one out of the box and puts them individually in the trash can while crying.

Ok so now we are in Italy and Miss Flo passes an ice rink and looks at it meaningfully. Then it's CHEF COMPETITION TIME. Miss Flo's assistant (loved this character) throws up. TOO MUCH CHEFS THROWING UP!!!

Andrew and the baby who's like 5 now are in the audience. He is teary with pride. Miss Flo cooks but she doesn't stay for the results. She walks out with Andrew and the baby.

They obviously go to the skating rink and they skate around and then Miss Flo skates off and like, does this weird wave and then you know she is dead.

Andrew is now a single parent and taking care of the baby and getting the cottage chicken eggs. He actually is crying less now. They make pancakes or something.

the end.

[zoesblogsposts]

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

[1264doghouse]

Gibson F-12, National Geographic , November 1976, Horse Pens 40 Festival , Alabama.

[zooophagous]

Hi! I'm here from a popular post of yours about humanity's love for sheep and saw you were a sheep caretaker. This is a job i really want to do. That said i am extremely frail (i have no disability that i know of, but it still sucks) and fear that the job might be too physical for me. I cant find any resource detailing the average day of a sheep caretaker in my native language except for websites trying to hire. So i guess my question is... what does your day look like (or can you get accomodations of sorts, like focusing on milking the sheep idk)! I am really motivated and ready to accept a part time job but if i knew i could manage with a full time contract i would love to get that extra money lmfao

Hi friend. I'm glad the post inspired you to love sheep as much as I do.

I will preface this with a very important distinction: my sheep were petting zoo sheep. It was a very small managed herd in a relatively small area that was kept immaculately clean.

These sheep had lots of 1 on 1 time with humans and saw caretakers as a source of food and safety. A commercial sheep operation has the potential to be VERY different.

Range sheep are often barely handled except to be given vetting on a tight schedule, and otherwise live in large flocks outside where they don't directly interact with people on a daily basis. These range sheep can be semi feral and not at ALL cooperative like a small herd of sheep managed by a hands on shepherd like what you might see on, say, a smaller farm or just for fun operation.

So suffice to say, if you're working with a very large herd of range sheep, your experience will differ from my experience with my Jacob's sheep pals who saw me every day and got hands on messing with several times a day.

I know exactly how you feel with being frail. I've never been a strong person and I have a low heat tolerance. Farm work, even on a petting zoo setting, is always going to be very hard work.

My day consisted of raking out the sheep pens daily, including sweeping out any old hay or straw and replacing as needed. The entire pen, even the outdoor areas, was cleaned. I would then feed the sheep (a hay bag with approximately 5 pounds of hay per sheep) and water the sheep (five gallon bucket which had to be dumped and refilled and carried back to the pen by hand)

I also gave the sheep enrichment items such as branches or small pieces of fruit. Old enrichment items had to be removed and reusable items like balls or toys had to be cleaned. Reusable items would be taken back to the dish station far away from the pens, scrubbed, and returned.

In addition, I would also take the sheep waste in a large trash bin to the compost heap with the help of a small tractor. The waste bin containing the droppings and old hay could weigh anywhere between 15 to 40 pounds depending on how much water waste got into the hay that day. This bucket had to be loaded by hand into the back of the compost tractor.

These tasks would continue every day no matter what weather. Our weather here is highly variable and can range from 100F in summer to -50F in winter.

It is a very physically demanding job to care for a petting zoo, and while I was often physically exhausted, I did also gain quite a bit of muscle from the experience and by the end of my time there I had more strength and endurance than when I had started.

Keep in mind, if you were to get a position similar to mine, you would be dealing with more than just sheep. I was also personally responsible for horses, cattle, goats, chickens, rabbits, alpacas and a giant sulcata tortoise. So you will be doing all of the same stuff you did for those sheep for the other animals in your care, and if you get big ones like cows, the weight limit goes up. I often had fifty pounds or more of cow waste alone. And that too was loaded by hand.

My animals were friendly and a joy to take care of, but the level of cleanliness demanded by the facility meant that the work done was very messy and had lots of lifting.

If you work with range sheep, you probably won't be scooping poop with a rake while a friendly lamb bothers you for attention. You may be physically pinning an angry ewe nearly as big as you are in a pen to force feed her an antibiotic while she tries to smash you. You may be herding sheep on a four wheeler. You may be assisting with births and expected to perform procedures such as banding, docking or mulesing.

If that level of activity is off putting, you may be able to find some fulfillment in volunteering for a livestock rescue or even working part time at a livestock auction house. If you're strong enough to manhandle a sheep you could even learn to shear. But regrettably there isn't any physically easy way to care for sheep that I am aware of.

I hope this helps you get a feel for the level of activity you'd expect in a similar role. Livestock animals are very fun and rewarding despite the effort they take. I hope to own my own small herd of Jacob's sheep as pets and pasture ornaments some day.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

The Big Picture

Vio & Shadow-focused Four Swords Manga Adaptation | Rated G

Chapter 5: Realm Overworld

Vio groans, twirling his pen in his hand. He should have looted a pencil instead—or anything, really, with an eraser. He needs to focus on what matters, what is certain, what will actually help him and the others accomplish their goal.

- Is my existence inherently less divine than that of Link Prime? Do I exist in accordance with the Goddess’s will, or in spite of it? Am I only meant to be temporary? If Link didn’t like fish but I like fish, is there a chance I might like other foods he didn’t like? - When can I meet a horse?

Read the chapter on ao3 (ideal) or under the cut:

MARCH

Vio likes this part of being a person. Leaning up against a tree, he smiles to himself as he flips through the pages of a book. It’s a strangely topical resource, looted from a Castle Town bookshop during the group’s brief travel preparations. In addition to this volume, Vio had also helped himself to a blank journal, a beginner’s guide to dark magic (don’t worry about it), and a vampire romance novel.

This particular passage discusses Force Gems, a sort of magical currency that can power up the Four Swords. Just as the Blue Maiden had said, they seem to be the key to defeating Shadow Link and rescuing Princess Zelda. It’s still slightly unclear to Vio how exactly one generates and collects the Force Gems, but he supposes a practical study might make things more obvious.

“Bring it on, Blue!” shouts Green, mid-spar. He and Blue face off in a nearby clearing, bathed in sunlight. Compared to those two, Vio has found that he much prefers the shade—yet another difference between him and the original Link. Vio reminds himself to record that later in his journal.

“Here I come, Green,” counters Blue with a growl. Vio watches the two clash, making sure not to seem too interested. The blades of the Four Swords release tiny triangles each time they make contact. Blue and Green count together as they generate Force.

“Five!” Green exclaims with a competitive green. “Can you beat that?”

“I’ve got 40... 42.”

Vio manages to contain his scoff.

“But doing this is a pain,” says Blue, dropping his sword into the grass. “Isn’t there a way we can recharge these things faster?”

Vio glances down and flips a page, as if only just tuning in now. “Well,” he says, “this book does mention Force Gems.”

Blue raises an eyebrow, while Green rests against his sword. “Is that the one you stole from Castle Town?”

“It’s not stealing if the shop owners abandoned their post. Also, I’m the Hero of Hyrule.”

“We’re the heroes of Hyrule,” Green gently corrects.

“And this book is essential to our success,” counters Vio. “If it makes you feel better, I swear to return it once the kingdom is saved.”

Not for the first time, he feels a very specific pang of dread. Once the kingdom is saved, there won’t be a reason for any of them to exist. Vio understands this, logically, but still doesn’t know how to reconcile it with his present existence.

“Just tell us what your stupid book says,” says Blue, recapturing Vio’s attention. His mind does seem to wander far more frequently than Link’s—another observation for the journal.

“They’re condensed nuggets of life energy found in certain places,” Vio summarizes, dumbing down the far more elaborate text. Yet another thing the four don’t seem to have in common: reading comprehension.

“That’s much better than sparring,” says Green, more to the reflection in his sword than to anyone else. “Maybe we can find some, together.”

Meanwhile, Blue decides to heckle Vio. “You can’t read that any faster?”

Vio deliberately slows down. “It takes time to really learn anything. Try some patience.”

“Patience takes too long! I want to fight Shadow Link now!”

“And promptly lose again?” Vio scoffs, shutting his book. “Please.” He stands, ignoring Blue as he fumes, and joins Green and Red for dinner.

Vio has to admit, Red did a great job setting up camp. He pitched the tents with no complaint or issue, caught fresh fish from a nearby stream, and managed to skewer and roast them over a campfire. Even Blue seems to relax slightly as he sits down on a rock.

Red adds some final seasoning (also looted) with a smile. “I sparked the fire up with my Four Sword!”

Blue smirks. “Did it make a Force Gem?”

“I don’t think so.” Red turns to Vio, eyes wide. “Should it have?”

“You’re fine, Red. Blue’s just antagonizing you.”

“Oh! That’s fun!”

Blue bites the head off of his fish, clearly displeased with the reaction.

“Well, I’m glad you all can take it easy,” Green sighs, examining his blade for what feels like the millionth time. “I know we can’t rush things, but we have to repower our swords before the darkness gets too strong.”

Vio pictures Shadow Link, working with even more power than he’d possessed during their last encounter. Not only would that spell certain death for the heroes, but he’d probably also be super annoying about it.

“We can’t do it all tonight, ” says Red, offering Green a skewer. “So sit down, and let’s eat!”

─────────────────

Shadow watches the heroes from a safe distance, cloaked in the post-sunset twilight. Three of them turn in for the night, heading to their conveniently color-coded tents, leaving the purple one to keep watch. Based on observation, this hero prefers to work independently than collaborate with the others. It makes sense that he’d volunteer to stay out here alone, writing in a journal and completely missing Shadow’s nearby presence.

With the purple hero distracted, this seems like as good a time as any for Shadow to put his plan into motion. From the outcropping where he stands, he motions to an inconspicuous rock by the heroes’ dying campfire. At his call, the rock cracks open like a geode—but instead of a crystal inside, there’s a bloodshot eyeball.

Not a top-tier lackey, Shadow is aware. But hinoxes and dragons would be far less subtle, and his current goal is to remain undetected. And there’s only so much Shadow can pick up from a distance—having a spy, capable of relaying the heroes’ quieter conversations, has been both useful and entertaining.

The rock-creature Arrghus rolls its way over to Shadow, still failing to capture the purple hero’s attention. At the edge of the elevated outcropping, it launches itself into the air and lands directly on Shadow’s shoulder.

Shadow grins, his arms crossed over his chest. “The four fools won’t quit, huh?”

“Nope! Nope!” says Arghus, through no mouth Shadow can see.

“Did you hear where exactly they’re going?” Shadow asks, slightly insecure that he himself hasn’t been able to acquire that information. This path technically spans across the entire Overworld, so they could plan to leave it anywhere.

“The Village of the Blue Maiden!” chirps Arrghus. Ah.

Fondly, Shadow holds the small creature. It seems to enjoy pats, and Shadow enjoys having something to do with his hands.

He could definitely go without the giggling, though.

“Well done, my pet,” Shadow coos, tickling Arrghus beneath the eyeball. Yeah, still weird.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow watches the purple hero turn a page. His bangs fall over his face as he scribbles determinedly. “The heroes seem surprisingly well-educated on the nature of Force Gems.”

“Yep! Yep!”

Shadow’s expression sours. “Well, then. We’ll just have to smash them to bits before they restore the Four Sword.”

The purple hero chuckles to himself. Shadow wonders, only for a second, what he could have possibly found so funny.

“Now off you go,” Shadow says, drawing back his hand. He throws Arrghus towards the camp, watching it bounce off walls of rock on its way down. “Remember to keep an eye on them!”

Shadow laughs at his own pun. Now, that’s hilarious. There’s no way those stuck-up heroes are having more fun than he is.

─────────────────

Link Vio’s Field Guide Day 7 of Individual Existence Research - Means of acquiring Force Gems: combat, overworld exploration (more TBD) Observations - Light exposure preferences: Partial shade for R, full sunlight for G&B, full shade for V. If memory serves, Prime preferred partial, but unsure - V’s attention span is highly selective, stronger regarding topics of interest and weaker otherwise (compared to Prime, others unsure). Later: cross-reference with diagnostic criteria for attention deficit disorders - Prime did not enjoy seafood. This evening RBGV had lovely fish skewers Inquiries - Why is it called the Village of the Blue Maiden, when the Blue Maiden resides in Hyrule Castle? - Is it stealing if I’m we’re I’m the hero? - Could Prime be charged for V’s crimes? -What will happen to RBGV after the Princess is saved? -Can Prime and RBGV exist simultane -What is the point of

Vio groans, twirling his pen in his hand. He should have looted a pencil instead—or anything, really, with an eraser. He needs to focus on what matters, what is certain, what will actually help him and the others accomplish their goal.

- Is my existence inherently less divine than that of Link Prime? Do I exist in accordance with the Goddess’s will, or in spite of it? Am I only meant to be temporary? If Link didn’t like fish but I like fish, is there a chance I might like other foods he didn’t like? - When can I meet a horse?

Vio turns the page. Clearly, his mind is not in a productive place. It has been a long week of travel, with very little time alone to reflect. He might as well allow his mind to wander, just for a while.

Entry: Day 7 “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” A quote from one of the books I acquired in Castle Town. Like many other words on many other pages, the sentiment feels relevant to my unique predicament. While I have been cut from the same cloth as my fellow travelers, I can’t shake the feeling that the pattern from which I have been crafted is profoundly different, perhaps even defective. Of course, we all might feel that way, and just not discuss it. There is much we refuse to discuss, we the four heroes created from one, whose existence may be as temporary as the Four Swords we now seek to recharge. If I may pose a dangerous question: what would happen if we failed in our endeavors? Surely, the Princess would perish. Hyrule would suffer, blanketed in darkness. The Wind Mage and the hero’s demon shadow would see to our deaths to ensure the security of their victory. There is no survival in the case of my survival, so it’s simply not worth further consideration. So I really, really must stop considering. A distraction may be helpful. Now that I understand the nature of the Force Gems, I would benefit from another topic to research. I suppose it would be advantageous to better understand our enemies—the structure of their ranks, the exact powers they do and do not possess, why and how exactly the demon hero came into existence. I could certainly sink my teeth into those mysteries, leaving less time to spiral into existential dread. Also—and I apologize, Goddess, if this very thought defies your will—a better understanding of our enemy might just lead to a comprehensible reality in which we four heroes can survive. A hypothetical reality, of course. I wouldn’t delude myself into believing that I

Vio’s writing hand freezes. Something has shifted, in his surroundings… something small, but audible nonetheless. The breeze displacing forest brush, or a squirrel crossing the clearing where they’ve set up camp. For a second, Vio fears that his thoughts had offended the Goddess—but surely, a deity wouldn’t be so fragile.

It was a natural occurrence. Vio should get back to writing.

On a lighter note, today I met a raccoon. Red named it “Stripes,” because it had stripes.

Vio chuckles at the memory. Then, he sighs.

I am lonely. The others attempt to include me, and we obviously share plenty of qualities, but there still remains a new and unexamined part of my personhood that feels profoundly out of place. One week into my existence, I have realized that I would like others to regard me just as I have learned to regard myself—not entirely detached from the hero, but as one who may simply step to a different drum.

Satisfied, Vio shuts his journal. He surveys the dark forest clearing, so he can at least claim to the next person on watch that he’s been doing his job.

His eyes lock onto a nearby rocky outcropping, more a cliff than anything. For a second, he thinks he may see a figure up there, but then it disappears.

Probably a raccoon, Vio tell himself, reaching into his pack for some light reading. He withdraws the vampire novel, which he had hastily selected based on its dark aesthetic and the handsome young man on the cover. There’s a woman there, too, held tight in the vampire’s arms. She looks kind of like Zelda, Vio supposes. He appreciates her hair.

Had Link ever held Zelda like this? Vio honestly can’t quite remember. Even if the original hero had gone through the physical motions of holding the princess, any accompanying warm feelings are now unreachable. Not for the first time, Vio wonders why that could possibly be, and whether the others have lost those feelings too.

Oh, well, thinks Vio. Nothing I need to worry about right now.

He opens the book and his mind wanders elsewhere.

[geneeste]

Ok, for the weird writer questions: 2, 7, 10, 16, 27, 35 :D

Thank you so much for these! Such good choices.

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

I would be very sad to give up my keyboard, but I could do it! My very first novella fanfic was written mostly by hand on legal pads and in random notebooks, which I then transcribed when I had access to the family computer. I think I still have those pages saved in a binder in a box somewhere (or at least I hope I do - I'd be heartbroken to have lost it!).

I'm going to answer the second part too just because I wanna -- I'm a pen girly, all the way, even though it's kind of bonkers for someone like me to draft in pen (constantly changing my mind and editing myself as I go). Pencils just don't offer the same atmosphere for me, despite being way more practical.

7. What is your deepest joy about writing? Honestly, I think I'm still trying to discover it!

When I was a very young teenager, I wrote like crazy and really wasn't that worried about whether it was good or how it would be received. But then, as often happens, I started to get really self-conscious and perfectionist about anything I wrote, and I sort of skipped learning about the joy of a shitty first draft that you then edit to perfection.

That pressure of writing it perfectly on the first try is so stifling, and it really killed the joy of writing for me to the point that the only time I really truly enjoyed it was when I was 1) intentionally writing bad!fic, or 2) writing while tipsy/drunk. Which, as you can imagine, is neither a healthy relationship with creativity nor with alcohol.

It's getting better, but it's definitely something I'm still struggling with (even at nearly 40!), because on the one hand I love fangirling and I have these characters and ships that I adore, and I have so many headfics that I really do want to share with people. But on the other hand, I'm still learning how to be me as a writer and not be miserable. I love the outcome, so I'm trying to learn to love the process.

So I don't know, honestly! Ask me again in a few years. ;)

10. Has a piece of writing ever "haunted" you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Oh, absolutely, both in funny ways and serious ways.

This happens to me all the time with fic -- there's a line from Ryo Sen and Jo March's A Winning Strategy series from years and years ago that I still quote to myself: "Empty barn. Open Door. Horse very much gone." And @missparker wrote a Sam/Jack kid!fic series that to this day haunts my thoughts because of how good and how tragic it is -- it's just the best kind of unsettling. And there are many more fanfic that just stick in my brain.

And it definitely happens with my own fic, too. I wrote a character death fic back in 2007 that, almost immediately after writing it, I knew I'd have to revisit someday when I was ready to (which I finally did in 2021). And the fic I'm currently working on for the same pairing, I have a whole universe in my head that I'm constantly wandering into, playing with, building out the story and watching how the characters react.

Haunting, to me, is sort of a lovely thing. It might be the afterimage of a poignant or wonderful story, or the promise of story that might someday be. The outline's always there, but it's ephemeral enough that the meaning changes as you do.

16. What's the weirdest thing you've ever used as a bookmark?

Oh boy, this is probably a boring answer. I've used receipts, pamphlets, actual bookmarks, bills. I used an expired driver's license one time. I've started pressing flowers and using those as bookmarks recently. But sadly, I don't think I have a truly interesting makeshift bookmark to speak of. XD

27. Who is the most stressful character you've ever written? Why?

Probably Bones from the eponymous TV show, because she has such a specific voice and personality. And also because she's an iconically neurodivergent character, and I always felt that if she wasn't written with care, it would be very easy to create a caricature that didn't do her justice. It's also probably why I didn't write very many stories in the Bones fandom, because I was never totally confident that I got her character right.

35. What's your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

Ha! Probably that you have to ease readers into things. I tend to be more from the "Fuck it, readers are savvy and they'll figure it out" school of fiction writing. This is certainly easier to do with fanfiction, where most of the world and characters are already known and it's just the circumstances that are new. I haven't written original fiction in ages, but even as a reader it's what I prefer. I don't want to be carefully fed every point of character development or plot twist -- give me the clues and let me tease it out myself.

[rhymingwithpurple]

That ain't true. Told you where I came from. Goddamn farm. Had us caged like fucking chickens or cows or something. (Cows aren't kept in cages.) You know what I mean. They used real chicken wire, kept us penned in horse stalls. (Horse stalls now? Get your story straight.) Keeping us fed and watered. They were breeding us off, man. They were just waiting for all those women to catch pregnant so they could take the men one by one. As it was, somebody disappeared every night. The fucking lottery. (How many were there?) 30, 40. The only reason I got out is cause of one of em got hungry in the day. They kept guards on us inside the barn, even during the day. Came in my pen and grabbed the guy next to me. Left the door open, so I sprinted. Got out into the daylight before they could get on me. (You were lucky.) (I don't know, being kept alive to breed? I can think of worse fates.) Fuck off, asshole! I left my brother in there.

[theleechyskrunkly]

For the weirdly specific but helpful character building questions, #52 for Paige?

that's an interesting question!

Finn only acts impulsively when startled or when his instincts kick in. Horses have a strong sense of what's dangerous, so if he happens to sense danger, he'll go into fight or flight mode, usually choosing flight.

But if startled by an enemy (he tends to assume anyone who startles him is an enemy) in his attack vicinity, he will instinctively attack with his body, rather than reach directly for his magic pen.

So overall, Paige acts 60% on impulse, and 40% on facts. Not really what his peers expected from him 😭

Tagging: @thehollowwriter @xen-blank @cyanide-latte

[withywindle-valley]

Art for sale: On a Pale Horse, Author's Note series

Selling art! 175 x 105 mm, excerpts from On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, Author's Note section. Alcohol ink on paper.

Hands: $20 AUD

Pen in inkwell: $40 AUD

Typewriter: $60 AUD

Free shipping within Australia, nominal shipping internationally (just to cover costs)

[misspetsyourcats]

Things men have offered me in exchange for ownership, a nonexhaustive list:

- goats

- heroin

- “as much alcohol as I want”

- “the good weed”

- a farm full of goats

- a house

- a cruise every year

- shoes

- an apartment

- legal guardianship over said man

- more goats

- dabs

- “you’ll feel better trust me”

- enlightenment and the knowledge of gods

- weed and a massage

- $5

- a boat

- canadian citizenship

- the truth behind the CIA

- goats but only 3 this time

- a nice fish

- a truck

- also a truck but it was a toy and he was 6

- 16 alpacas and 2 goats

- plumbing work

- a space on his private bunker homestead

- sex with his wife

- a nice rifle

- the blessings of the old gods on my womb

- the “joys of birthing the next aryan generation”

- an enchanted knife and spoon

- a gold thumb ring with some sort of spirit in it

- not making me pay for condoms

- a whiskey tonic

- carrying my bag

- a tick

- “my heart”

- his virginity

- 150 goats

- tricare

- a house in Canada

- the position of holy whore in his totally-not-cult

- a joint that was 90% sage

- “the privilege of being owned by a true alpha”

- a collection of automatic rifles

- position as head of the harem he did not have

- “it’s a secret drug formula from the russian mafia, just lick the powder off my hand”

- goats AND the pen they live in

- he will make me toast

- airfare to his apartment

- “if you never have to be sober you’ll be happy by my side regardless, just pick your poison”

- free tattoos

- a coffee

- a coffee and a trip to france

- just the trip to france

- a cell phone that he would pay

- a single goat

- pretty rocks

- “I won’t hit you”

- a whole group of goats and a nice dress and wellies to tend the goats

- 40 acres of logging and gravel pits

- his dad’s house

- a few goats and some sheep

- to never give me a traffic ticket

- a nice pocketknife

- his ex’s lingerie

- as much vodka as I want but no jäger

- a four course homecooked meal

- everything in my etsy favorites

- his sister

- his FAVORITE goat

- a beach house

- position as his first wife

- position as his second wife

- a firearm he made in his garage delivered to me every few weeks

- protection from his militia

- the blessings of a god from dungeons and dragons

- to never need to see him again (as long as we had sex)

- only 8 goats (the ninth was his mother’s)

- health insurance

- use of his home gym

- literal godhood, as in he would bestow the power upon me

- meth.

- him stabbing me 37 times (not 81, that was for more important people)

- I could meet his ghost

- he would keep the ghosts away

- psychic powers

- keys to a nissan altima currently located in a ravine 20+ miles offroad

- his plug’s phone number

- cheese

- a pen

- a goat pen *but not the goats in it*

- his dad’s house (don’t worry the dad will die soon)

- an illegally imported russian sniper rifle

- a dog

- flowers once a week forever

- “if you don’t marry me my mom will be sad”

- a horse

- country club membership

- shrooms

- his left kidney

- a few acres of forest and pasturelands

- a new iphone

- good grades in x class

- a baby goat

- a tractor WITH the gas in it

- cocaine

- a free tattoo (but only one)

- a plant (iirc a lily)

- a gangbang every month

- a cashew farm

- a room in his house to be mine forever

- goat cheese

[oddityroadshow]

5, 12, 49 for Jamie

16, 40, 50 for Ron

21, 25, 28 for Marlin

Jamie: Jamie hates celery! Yuck. If it's a rainy day she will make a cup of tea and read books about horse facts or scientific studies about horse behavior. She loves to curl up with a book under a blanket! She'll also doodle in her journal.

Jamie has some scars on her knees from falling down as a kid. She's also got some scars on her arms and legs from climbing trees. Because she works with animals so much, she usually has scratches on her arms, but none so deep that they've scarred.

Ron:

Ron's ok at cooking, but knows how to pick the best veggies, so it usually turns out better than it would given his skill level. [follow the recipe type stuff, with a couple of standards that he knows well] Not afraid of blood, but he's only recently gotten to see all that much of it.

Neat cursive writing, oddly legible given the size of his hand compared to most pens.

Marlin:

Marlin can't play any instruments. He tried to learn but gave up too early due to lack of natural talent and not wanting to put the work and time in. Considering how much of a fan he is of musical theater, he probably gets upset and jealous at the musical ability of others. If he put time in he'd probably be great at whatever instrument he chose. Marlin does not make friends easily. His charm is superficial and he's volatile and self-centered. His most enduring friendship is with Cobb, which is a very weird codependent relationship. Marlin loves wearing jewelry. I should probably have him wear it more on the podcast! Anyone feel free to submit more asks from here!

[swaggy-skeletons]

I would like to share some of the most bizarre dreams I have had

FIRST DREAM (this one is from last night actually): So I had a bear in like a play pen or something at my house and my one friend was there but the bear started to break out so we ran to their house (which is actually no where near mine but in the dream it was across the street) and then i think my friend went inside but the bear was starting to escape more so i started running and after running for a while i ran into my friend's little sister (different friend, also lives no where within running distance) but then the bear started RUNNING after us and we kept running away and then i ran so hard i started flying and then i flew so hard and away that i woke up (the bear was not flying btw i don't even think it got close to me)

(i would like to add as a side note that whenever i have a dream in which i am running away from something (very frequent in my dreams actually) if i'm running hard enough i usually have the ability to jump very high and sometimes fly so i have multiple dreams where i am flying (but like not fun flying)

ANYWAY SECOND DREAM: So at the start of this dream i robbed a store (wow calm start) and also there was like some little pink girl there idk she doesn't show up anywhere else in the dream so yeah we rob the store and then i run away and like i was jumping on cars and stuff and i ran all the way down the road to what i can only assume is the summer camp i go to and i ran all the way down that path to the campsite my troop always stays in (btw this camp is like 40 minutes away from the store i robbed (the grocery store i go to) and in the complete opposite direction i was running) so i get there and the tf2 mercs we're there???? there was a bunch of trees surrounding us along with a campfire everyone was sitting at (more trees than there actually is at that campsite and probably a fire hazard but whatever) and i remember there was like a shallow bin of credit cards or something that i hid some card in for some reason. so i sit down at the campfire, a little panicky because the cops are probably after me, and i was like talking to the guys and i remember sniper tf2 said something to me that was i think some sort of advice for running from the law i guess. and then some cowboy lookin guys show up on horses and i try to hide and run away because they might be after me and i think they like wanted to join our group idk. i think like spy tf2 came to get me back to the camp cause i ran away or something (by the way when i was running i was also flying sort of low to the ground). the last thing i remember is running from the guys (i don't even think they were chasing me but whatever)

(i also would like to add that many of these dreams take place at this summer camp and usually at this same campsite although the camp and area around the campsite are always altered to some degree [that's actually common in my dreams, familiar places are never quite right whether that be location wise or whatever])

OK THIRD DREAM: So i was with this group of people some kids some adults and we were like villains? i think? we were certainly getting up to mischief. i don't remember a whole lot about this dream but i remember we were in some random house (it was also like a city where i think everything was sort of in the air and everyone flew i think) and i think there was a dance floor and we broke some stuff and then the cops or whatever came after us (i also remember that they were led by this girl with like dark red hair in a ponytail) and i was the last one out and for some reason i tried to like break the glass or something at the door to make them think i was already long gone, which did not work and they caught me leaving and chased after me and after i flew for a bit i woke up (i usually wake up after flying too aggressive and scaring myself awake lol)

FOURTH DREAM: i think this is the last one where i fly. so i was playing this game? i'm not sure if it was game or like i was running from the law? and i remember this one part my friends were there and we had to get away from this house or whatever that had some guy who was supposed to catch us but also he was like a really tired employee guy and he had like a dark brown buzz cut and i think like a walmart type uniform. so anyway we had to dodge this guy who was looking for us and we got outside but he was also coming outside so we hid in a chicken coop (i don't think there were any chickens) but he caught us and i flew away and then i woke up

FIFTH DREAM: (the rest of the dreams are a bit shorter i think) so it was like i was involved in a play for school (and it was set at the middle school so it wasn't a musical or anything i remember being in the front hall by the doors probably because middle school was my first experience doing theater and i remember being in that hall MANY TIMES) so it was like an interactive play? like it has a set up and characters and motives for said characters and things they are supposed to do. like we would go home and have to like solve the mystery that was going on and there was murder involved (not actual murder just plots between the characters for murder) and there was like a villain guy and this teenage boy and also a little girl who lived together and the evil guy was against this girl? i don't know much about their but i think she was my character? so the evil guy tells the teen dude to like find information about the girl (i think she was like 15 and the guy was like about the same age and the little girl who was i think his sister was like maybe 5) and she definitely knew something was up and i think she lived with their aunt because her parents were dead and i think there was like a funeral in the woods and he definitely didn't want to kill her at all and actually really didn't like the evil guy also they lived in this underground place (think team rocket in the journeys series) and the teen dude got in an argument with the evil guy probably about killing the teen girl and he left and took the little sister with him and that's about all i remember (i think i might actually try to write something about this because the story was really cool and like the coolest dream i've ever had lol)

ok these last few dreams are really short lol

SIXTH DREAM: so there was a people-eating shark that could walk on land. my friend from school was there. that's about it

SEVENTH DREAM: (ok this one is really fuzzy and kinda two dreams i think but still not long) so there was like a party concert thing in an ocean or something and there were lots of floating things and there was this like blob dude that was really getting on my nerves cause he kept bugging me i think and he like dropped a giant anvil or something idk. i kinda just yeeted him really far (like team rocket blasting off by it's a little blue blob guy) also spamton was performing also i think the concert had something to do with nickelodeon. however, the real spamton couldn't be there idk why so instead the got some guy to dress up as spamton but it was really bad and everyone booed the person dressing up and he got slimed. also same night different dream but i was in a hotel or something and i had a raspberry soap bar and it had a picture of mettaton ex on it and then i think he was actually there idk it was weird

So yeah basically i have weird dreams! if anyone wants to try to tell me what these dreams mean feel free.

Also i'm totally gonna try to write something about that one with the murder plots