#she wanted the romance of a homestead

[bethanydelleman]

I really liked Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, especially the nuanced, sympathetic, and realistic portrayal of Manchester's working class. But then the main characters moved to Toronto, Canada to work at a foundry because he's an engineer and um...

I see a long, low, wooden house, with room enough and to spare. The old primeval trees are felled and gone for many a mile around; one alone remains to overshadow the gable-end of the cottage. There is a garden around the dwelling, and far beyond that stretches an orchard.

This is Toronto, Canada, circa 1850:

And Gaskell should have known this because she knew Charles Dickens and he visited!

In 1841, the first gas street lamps appeared in Toronto. Over 100 were installed that year, in time for author Charles Dickens' visit in May 1842. Dickens described Toronto as "full of life, motion, business and improvement. The streets are well-paved and lighted with gas." Dickens was on a North American tour.

I'm sure there were log cabins in rural Ontario but realistically, these people are in an apartment building.

[susandsnell]

It's the obsession with wanting neat bows on trauma narratives and the tale as old as time that the right man will come along and wed and impregnate a broken girl allllll better

Do you mean Katniss Everdeen?

The original tag was @susandsnell’s but I assumed it was about Katniss Everdeen.

At least personally, I don’t think her getting guilt tripped into marrying Peeta and having children with him is a fulfilling ending for her whatsoever. I guess unpopular opinion, but her feelings for him always read to me as more platonic and that the romantic angle was more being forced on her. And she literally starts out the series explicitly stating that she never wants children!

I understand the thematic thing Collins was trying to do, where by suggesting that Katniss feels safe enough to have children, it illustrates that the games are like well and truly over and they live in a society that’s safe for children now. But I don’t care lmao I don’t think the protagonist’s wants and desires need to be crushed in order to make that theme happen. In the first book we also see how resentful Katniss feels about being forced into the role of a caregiver, and just, nothing about her suggests that, after All That Trauma, she’s somehow going to be more amenable?

If Collins really needed to make that point end it with her be a fucking school teacher idk. Or give one of her few still living friends a kid and note that she’s feeling optimistic about it. The entire nuclear family set up just felt truly gross and forced on her to me— and the emphasis on how traumatized she still is just read to me like she’s all around unhappy with her life. Like obviously trauma does not magically go away but it truly felt like the book was sacrificing all chances of personal happiness for Katniss to make that ending happen.

And even then, if the execution was good, if it was completely believable that that is what happiness looks like for her by the end of the story, I still dislike it narratively. Why must marriage and a baby be the only way the story telegraphs success and happiness for its female protagonist?

If the main point is about the future of the children of Panem, Katniss is herself a child, the epilogue’s timeskip notwithstanding. Why isn’t it enough to focus on her security and future without making her a mother?

The white picket fence ending feels like an especially bizarre choice to me next to the way the series also presents Snow trying to force an idyllic narrative on her for the Capitol audience. Like consider the framing of the showy wedding dress and fake wedding planning, Peeta claiming that she’s pregnant to try to garner more audience and therefore donor sympathy, or even the propaganda video they try to film in the third book where they try to make her look glamorous and it entirely falls flat, and they end up doing a candid video instead. The narrative keeps making a point of how Katniss is idealized and romanticized in this very traditionally feminine way and how alien that feels to her. And then… the series ends with her framed in the exact same way?

But then, that’s always been my main problem with the Hunger Games in the first place. It’s far too enamored with the pageantry it’s also trying to critique, and it ends up undercutting its own purpose. So yeah, I guess, it isn’t surprising that the toothless series has a toothless ending but shfhff doesn’t mean I have to like it!

[eulaliasims]

Veridia - introductions 1/2

Seax Farm

Norweni is Veridia's headwoman. The eldest of her father's two daughters, she grew up with a spear in hand and proved her worth in battle before seeing twenty summers. After traveling in her youth, she rejected every suitor that sought her hand and returned to Veridia to claim her father's homestead. She oversees Veridia's protection and disputes, and trains the local warriors. Norweni has defended homesteads, ended arguments between nearby villages, and chased down lost lambs.

(Fortune, 3/8/8/2/)

Fial, Norweni's sister, and her husband Dinn are often left to oversee Seax Farm by themselves, which suits them just fine. Sometimes, though, they wish they had a bigger family to fill their home, but they know they're lucky to have what they already do.

(Family, 7/3/3/6/7 | Knowledge, 6/8/4/4/7)

After a childhood spent idolizing his aunt, Kinet has unceremoniously been dubbed her protege. It's pretty cool, but it's also, like, a lot of pressure! Sometimes a guy just wants to watch the stars with some hot cider and a cute girl.

(Romance, 7/3/8/4/7)

Faun is Norweni's hunting dog. He spends a lot of time making the rounds with her.

Hill Farm

In his youth, Eisu spent time roaming the continent, where he met his husband, Liu Xiang, another traveler far from home. Adventures ensued, during one of which an orphaned baby ended up in their care. With a child to raise now, Xiang and Eisu decided it would be best for their adopted son, Drustan, if they returned to Eisu's village and settled down for a while.

(Family, 1/8/4/6/6 | Knowledge, 6/5/7/5/7 | Grow Up, 9/2/6/3/5)

It's nice of Elmet's brother, Eisu, to invite him back to live with them, but sharing a room with his little nephew is kinda cramping his style. So is the thing where Elmet now turns into a werewolf when the moon rises. Bummer!

(Pleasure, 2/8/3/6/7)

Hill Farm is also home to Mouse the cat, who is perfect in every way.

[hyperlexichypatia]

Since I've seen a few lists of "Conservative, right-wing, and/or borderline fascist ideas that get unquestioningly passed around leftist, liberal, and progressive spaces," I thought I'd add my own:

The amount of personal freedom or bodily autonomy someone has is inversely proportional to the amount of material support they receive from others/society/government. It is somehow "hypocritical" to advocate both material support for all and bodily autonomy for all.

Straight men want sex. Straight women do not want sex. Women want romance, commitment, monogamy, and marriage. If a man has sex with a woman without giving her these things, he is in some way harming, "preying on," or "taking advantage" of her. If a woman agrees to such an arrangement, she must be led astray, traumatized, or suffering from low self-esteem.

Someone's sexual desires or patterns of attraction are a large and important component of their overall morality as a person. Sexual desires and patterns of attraction, even if never acted upon, can mean that someone is an Intrinsically Bad Person.

People are marginalized for being smarter than other people. This is a real problem that has to be addressed.

Identities like nationalities, cultures, ethnicities, and religions are fixed and absolute, with firm, defined boundaries between them. Ferreting out people who transgress or "fake" these identities is important, necessary, and a good use of time and resources.

Cultural groups should generally remain separate and clearly distinct from one another. Cross-cultural influence (anything from loanwords to intermarriage to migration) is, by default, Generally Bad.

Religion is primarily a matter of external social identification by others, not a matter of choice, personal belief, or self-identification. Someone might choose to reject their family's religion or embrace a different one, but this is inherently inauthentic, play-acting, appropriation, or the result of manipulation. People are always "really" or "rightfully" the religion they were assigned at birth.

There is some sort of connection between health and morality. Whether it's "Being virtuous will keep you healthy" or "Being sick is a moral failing" or "Doing things that endanger your health is morally wrong" or "Medical doctors are moral authorities."

Having to do a lot of manual labor to survive is good for people. Virtuous people enjoy it.

The world would be a better place if production of food and other necessities were radically decentralized and de-mechanized, resulting in a lot more people having to do a lot more manual labor to survive. Economies of scale and labor-saving technology are bad. "Growing your own food" is possible, desirable, and virtuous.

There was a time in human history when life was good for everyone and there were no problems. Any inconvenient questions about problems that may have existed back then are just propaganda.

There are Intrinsically Bad People whose Intrinsic Badness can in some way be detected or measured through some kind of scientific, medical, and/or spiritual assessment -- whether it's "He has bad vibes" or "She's a diagnosed malignant narcissist sociopath" or "They're possessed by demons."

Violence is good and justified when dealing with Intrinsically Bad People, and if you disagree, you must be saying that Intrinsically Bad People and the Intrinsically Bad Things We All Know They Intrinsically Do are somehow good, which maybe means that you're also an Intrinsically Bad Person.

These are specifically right-wing ideas that have found new homes and new coats of paint in leftist, progressive, and liberal circles. I'm not even listing things that are just universal across the political spectrum, like "eugenics is good" or "children are property." Just the specifically reappropriated fascism and ethnonationalism reframed as "the people's" authoritarian homestead culture.

[itshaejinju]

Random BG3 headcanons ~Books~

Tav scouring all of Faerun for books to give their bookworm companions. Slowly learning everyone’s favorite genre and guilty pleasure books.

Tav always finding plenty of books for Astarion who has a wide list of books he wants to read attempting to learn more to stop Cazador and catch up what he has missed. (As Cazador never let him read much since knowledge is power.) But there is a bit of a guilty pleasure Astarion has, detective novels murder mysteries he loves the drama and suspense of them. Tav searches high and low finding any that fit the genre for him gifting them over with a warm smile. Astarion feels alarmed at first receiving gifts demanding Tav tell them what they expect in return. Utterly confused when they say nothing just knew you would like the gift. (He’s at a loss of words…)

Shadowheart at first was hard to find books for as Tav had to be sneaky as each time Shadowheart was spotted reading she would hide the book. Eventually Tav found any book about Shar, or a historical romance book seemed to bring an hum of approval as she took the books. Tav was not expecting the genuine smile when they found a homesteading and livestock guidebook meaning to sell the book but the smile on Shadowheart’s face made them hand it over. Shadowheart wanted to keep their privacy but it was calming to see Tav come over with a new book for them to read a book to inspire their dream of tending to farm animals and grow their own food.

Tav always snagging scrolls of spells for Gale, books on the history of magic and cook books. Tav spotted him in Tollhouse and saw he was going over a cookbook noticing he was one that offered to cook often picked up the clues. Finding all the cookbooks available handing them over promptly to help make this travel a bit more enjoyable. Gale enjoys every scrolls and cookbook he gets eager to learn the spell or attempt a new recipe to impress the group with.

[peachetteprice]

Mister Commander | Phillip Graves

Chapters Overview

Work Summary:

Phillip Graves - Dad's Best Friend - Summer in Texas Winnie Collins knows better than anyone that a homestead requires up-keep. When she returns home following the dissolvement of her engagement to the man she thought she loved, there's a stranger on her parent's ranch, during the height of May heat, in a town where nothing but dirt and sweat remain. Phillip Graves. He's her father's best friend - and he's here to stay. ______________________________ (Warning: Extremely Southern)

CW: Dad's Best Friend Trope (?), age gap romance, gentle crass language, extremely southern characters written by a Brit...

Chapter 1 - I'll Be Around

Chapter 2 - Tiger Rag

Chapter 3 - Paper Doll

Chapter 4 - Nobody's Sweetheart

Chapter 5 - Lazy River

Chapter 6 - Across the Alley from the Alamo

Chapter 7 - Pennies From Heaven

Chapter 8 - I Don't Know Enough About You

Chapter 9 - Lazy Bones

Chapter 10 - Big Boy Blue

Chapter 11 - Someday You'll Want Me to Want You

Chapter 12 - I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home

Chapter 13 - Don't Be a Baby, Baby

[kimberbohwrites]

IT'S HERE -- SPECIAL TWO CHAPTER RELASE Hope for the Gate Chapters One and Two Word Count: 6,089 Rated: Explicit -- MDNI! READ ON AO3 (or continued below)

CHAPTER THREE> Please don't forget to kudos/comment/like/reblog <3 Rolan x Tav art by @ ORANGEKITTYENERGY on tumblr

Summary: Eight months after the events of 'All I Wanted' (my first Rolan x Tav fic [see series]), Tav and Rolan’s relationship is tested by tragedy and turmoil. There will be drama, romance, political intrigue, action, and of course — smut. Is our favorite tiefling strong enough to handle it all and hold on to the girl? Tags/Warnings: Rolan (Baldur's Gate), Tav (Baldur's Gate). Post-Canon, Fluff and Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Porn with Feelings. Porn With Plot, Tiefling Biology (Dungeons & Dragons), Tieflings (Dungeons & Dragons), Rolan in Rut, Anti-Tiefling Racism (Dungeons & Dragons), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Eventual Smut

A cool breeze drifted in through the opened window in his study, and Rolan steadied the scrolls on his desk before him with a groan. On the wind came the sweet smell of flowers that now grew in the boxes outside his office windows. Tav had installed them here and outside the bedroom and kitchen windows. He’d designed garden beds for the large terraces around the tower for her to work in as well.

She called them “Sylvanus’ Blessings” the flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other plant life that she thrived on sustaining. He wasn’t sure about all of that — but what he did know was that Tav loved them and he loved Tav. The breath still caught in his chest most mornings when he awoke and saw her face still asleep in the bed they shared. He still couldn’t believe she was his. Nearly each night when they slept in the same bed it would be at Ramazith Tower where they both had obligations and responsibilities. Some nights they watched the stars go down in the solemn little clearing in the woods where Tav’s homestead blossomed. The nights he hated were the ones where they slept apart. Luckily, they were few and far between now that he’d improved a more permanent portal between the Tower and her home in the woods outside the city. For that, Rolan was grateful. 

Tav’s presence in his life is a blessing and one he is still fighting to fully understand. How the most beautiful woman he had ever known could actually love him was still a question that nagged at the back of his mind. Despite his lingering fears, he’d managed not to mess up things with Tav since they’d made things official. It had been nearly 8 months since the night of Astarion and Gale’s wedding, since they’d confessed their love and agreed to work through their challenges and be together.

The bracelet he’d given her which could portal two people between the two locations was no longer necessary. He noted that she still wore it everyday and he barely managed to hide his moon-eyed smile every time he saw it on her wrist. While the red stones had originally been picked to match the dress she’d worn the night of that fateful wedding, he’d come to think of it differently over time. Deep down, he now felt a sense of possessive pride that the red bracelet against her wrist so closely resembled those moments when his tail coiled around the same spot. Something he took great pleasure in doing as he kissed her and as he took her desperately on the nights where he felt that possessiveness arise in him once more. When his self doubt was the loudest.

It’s almost strange how well she fit into his life and the lives of his siblings — Cal and Lia. They’d always been content as a trio and he’d often worried about how difficult things might be when that dynamic changed. But Tav’s closeness with them had eased his fears and only served to make him love her even more. Tav had already been close with Lia,  they were truly the best of friends and often co-conspirators in various schemes and plans. To Cal, Tav had become something of another big sister. Only partially to Rolan’s chagrin as Cal already seemed to hold Tav’s opinion in higher regard than his own.

It has always made him uneasy, the idea of introducing a new dynamic into their lives. He had been responsible for Cal and Lia since their mother’s passing and while he’d done his best by them, he understood that he couldn’t be their only family forever. He’d always believed it would be Cal or Lia adding someone to their group that he would inevitably hate. He’d been partially right in that regard, Lia had started seeing Dammon just before Tav and him had gotten together. But Dammon had always been a part of their lives, since they’d grown up in Elturel. The blacksmith had gone by a different name then, one they’d all long since forgotten.

Sure, having Dammon now dating his sister was new territory but even Rolan had to admit that Dammon was a good man. Bringing Tav into the fold had been something new entirely. Not because Tav wasn’t good, in fact Tav was almost too good. It was an undeniable truth that the three of them would most likely be dead if not for her. Hells, Dammon too. It was her who convinced them to stay with the rest of the refugees on the road, who had rescued his siblings from Moonrise Towers and him from himself, and Tav who had helped overthrow the former master of Ramazith Tower after she discovered his many transgressions and abuses of power.

Of course any time he had attempted to point out her many contributions, she waved it off or pointed out how Rolan was also the hero in their story. He’d actually caught her once, telling a group of children all about how he’d been a hero when the refugees had been cornered by the absolute. She’d caught them, having snuck into the shop to see some magic with their own eyes. Instead of tossing out what most people would see as street urchins, Tav had sat them down and spun a tale of heroism about the Master of Ramazith Tower. That was just who she was.

He’d happened upon it, toward the end of the story when she told the kids how the brave man who had rescued refugee children, then helped overthrow the cruel former Master of the tower.

“But — but I thought the new Master of the tower was grouchy!” One child had interrupted.

“I heard he’s like me!” A little tiefling girl had added with excitement and a swish of her little tail.

Her statement had been met with boos and groans from the other kids and Rolan had almost made a hasty retreat before Tav spotted him. With her radiant smile and an outstretched hand, she had summoned him to her side.

“He is” Tav had said to the Tiefling girl as she put an arm around him warmly and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

The children had scattered away with peals of laughter and other sounds of glee, disgust, and excitement that came from seeing two adults express affection for one another. Even though he had helped raise his siblings, Rolan had never been great with small children and was always nervous in their presence. Meanwhile, Tav seemed to exude a natural warmth and light that children found magnetic.

He snapped back to attention as he noticed himself daydreaming and worrying again instead of focusing on the pile of scrolls in front of him on his desk. Dragging a clawed hand over his face with a groan, he shifted to a more comfortable position in his chair. While things with Tav were great, the pile of responsibilities and anxieties in front of him was ever-growing. Tav had her own troubles as well and his heart was still weighed heavy for her.

Wyll had returned to back to Baldur’s Gate a few tendays after Astarion and Gale’s wedding with the darkest tidings. His fiancé, Karlach had perished in Avernus leaving him in a dark pit of grief. In a stroke of cruelty, the archdevil Zariel had destroyed the plans and the architect behind Karlach’s infernal engine, eliminating their hopes of being able to permanently stabilize the device. Tired of fighting off the inevitable, she’d chosen to return to the mortal plane to allow her engine to combust and her along with it. Wyll had even apologized to them through bleary eyes for not telling them sooner, explaining that she didn’t want anyone else to see her at the end. 

Rolan really only knew Wyll from their brief time at the Druid Grove, but it was clear the man he saw delivering the devastating news to Tav was a shadow of himself at the loss. He couldn’t blame the young noble — at the thought of losing Cal and Lia he’d come undone and tried to drink himself to death. The thought of losing Tav, well, he couldn’t even bear to consider that.

Rolan wasn’t known for his emotional depth, but he’d tried to be there for Tav as she grieved the loss of her dear friend while attempting to also support Wyll. It was just like her to stretch herself so thinly to support everyone around her. She’d done her best to stay strong in the tendays that followed the news of Karlach’s passing. He knew that he couldn’t force her to start the grieving process, but it worried him to see her so eerily okay. After about a dozen days she’d broken down sobbing over the sight of a child with a stuffed bear.

Rolan had held her close as the tears began to fall, whisking her back to the Tower so she might have some privacy. 

He was honored to be the one supporting her, it was a duty he took seriously, trying to remember to place her always above his other responsibilities. It was hard. As Archmage of Ramazith Tower he has his work cut out for him. But he wants to be more than just a great wizard. He wants to be a great brother to his siblings and a great partner to Tav.

And Tav — well she’s already impacted him more than he would like to admit it. He had never found himself caring much about the things and people outside of his immediate circle, until Tav. The world had been a largely cruel place in his repeated experiences. But there was something about the way she cared so profoundly for the world around her that warmed parts of him he thought were long dead. Thus, he found himself listening to Tav’s stories of the refugee’s needs and reading the paper more to stay informed about the city he now called home. Hells, he’d even went with her quite often to deliver the produce she grew into the hands of the Gate’s most vulnerable citizens.

Both he and Tav had thought that with the defeat of the absolute, the death of Archduke Enver Gortash and the reinstalment of Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard to leadership of the city, things just might improve. The opposite had proven true. Rolan didn’t understand the politics at play within the city and neither did Tav, but to them it seemed like every one of Duke Ravengard’s best intentions was being undone behind the scenes.

Neither Rolan nor Tav were quite sure how to help. It had only been about 7 months now since Karlach’s passing and Wyll was understandably still grieving. Neither of them wanted to approach him about political matters. Tav had a hard time ignoring the growing signs of what she called “a rot” within the City. Intent to leave Wyll out of things, she had confided her suspicions with Rolan. He’d begged her not act rashly, to include him. In truth, he’d have asked her just to leave it alone but he knew she wouldn’t. 

If that wasn’t enough, things with Cal and Lia were also heavy on his mind. Lia and Dammon had been together for some time now and she was now over at the Forge of the Nine more often than he saw her around the Tower. He was happy for her, he was sure of it — but the change was hard. It made him uneasy as he often found himself anxious about what would happen if she moved out, they’d never lived apart before.

Cal on the other hand was a different stressor completely. While Lia was essentially the General Manager of Sorcerous Sundries, Cal hadn’t been interested in working in the Tower with his siblings. It had been a hard conversation to have, Rolan had been angry at first but in the end he’d understood. Cal’s interest seemed to lie out in nature lately, he’d begun taking the stable portal that Rolan had made for Tav out to her homestead. While Tav was around Tower more, Cal helped to keep up around the farm and he actually seemed to enjoy coming home at the end of the day covered in dirt.

Tav went on about what a natural he was and before long, she paid him to maintain the crops and orchards while she saw more patients at the Tower. When the harvest came, there had been a notably higher crop yield that Tav attributed solely to Cal. He’d had an idea about what to do with the extras and so Lia and Dammon had built him a handsome rolling cart that he pushed around the upper city. With Tav’s blessing, Cal planned to sell the extra fruits, vegetables, and flowers from her farm.

Admittedly, Rolan hadn’t been thrilled about this idea when he’d first heard it. It’s not that he didn’t support Cal in his endeavors— he just worried. Baldur’s Gate had just barely allowed the Tiefling refugees within its walls and there was still a lot of small minded people who called the city home. He wasn’t sure how well a Tiefling selling produce would go over in the upper city.

Worse, it turned out his worries weren’t completely unfounded, for the very first week Cal wasn’t able to sell anything despite his best attempts. Before Rolan could get upset and storm off to the upper city to curse out the first posh person he found, Tav had volunteered to go with Cal the next time he went out. He was sure that having the “Hero of Baldur’s Gate” might help and if it didn’t, it didn’t hurt that Tav was prone to bursting into the form of a massive owlbear when provoked.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the only time he’d ever seen her in that form. He’d assumed the lovely Druid was simply a powerful spellcaster like himself. The unassuming human had always seemed so calm and patient, almost gentle. That was until she pieced together where the bruises and cuts all over his face had come from when they reunited in Baldur’s Gate after surviving Moonrise Towers and Last Light Inn.

Lorroakan had called him “boy” as he shouted his orders and threats to Rolan, during his former master’s fatal attempt at caging the Nightsong and gaining immortality. That had been the very last time the sham of a wizard had used that word. A howling screech had pierced the air and where the mild-mannered Druid had stood just a moment before, there was a full grown and very angry owlbear. Rolan had found himself staring, mouth agape as Tav took a vicious swipe at Lorroakan that had sent the sham of a wizard sprawling across his study.

Yes, Rolan was well aware she could handle herself but he still worried for her. Maybe that’s why he found himself so wistfully lost in thought today. He had felt a little under the weather as of late. Combined with waiting for Cal and Tav to return, it’s left him more distracted than he’d like to admit. But he hadn’t seen anyone running terrified through the streets of the city, so he assumed his beloved had gone unprovoked.

Snapping him out of his thoughts for good, Dammon strolled through the doors of the shop, his eyes searching the familiar space.

“Ah, Dammon! Lia is off at the market, you just missed her!”

“I know, actually, I was hoping to catch you and Tav for a chat, actually.”

“Oh? Well Tav should be back shortly — is everything okay? Is Lia okay?”

Rolan couldn’t help the edge of panic that laced his last question. He also noted how flustered Dammon appeared.

“What? No I mean, yes! Lia’s okay, she’s great”

“Then what’s this about, Dammon?”

Dammon sheepishly looked down, as if the answer to Rolan’s question were written on the floor of the Sundries.

“Well I —“

The laughter and excitement approaching the opened shop doors were the only warning the two men got before Cal excitedly dashed in and up to Rolan. Dammon’s sentence left unfinished, blessedly saved by the interruption.

“It went so well, Rolan! We sold everything for the day!” Cal blurted out with glee.

“And someone met a girl.”

He raised his head from Cal at the sound of his Tav’s sweet voice, she was just walking in the door and coming to stand beside Dammon.

“She’s not a girl! She’s a woman!”

Rolan shook his head at Cal as he walked around him to put his arm around Tav. His tail coiling around her ankle before he was even aware. Lately he couldn’t seem to be close enough to her, like no amount of skin contact would satisfy. It’s not that he wasn’t usually affectionate with her, but in public his affection was careful and calculated whereas lately it seemed almost impulsive, desperate, regardless of the location.

“Although technically, she’s a monk!” Tav laughed as she leaned into Rolan’s touch.

“One thing at a time, please!” Rolan said holding a hand up in defeat.

“Well Dammon was here first,” Tav laughed.

“Alright, I can be patient! Like a monk! I’ll go upstairs and wash up” Cal said as he retreated for the stairs.

Tav moved to leave as well but found his tail still coiled around her leg, with him unaware.

“Would you mind staying? Dammon wanted to talk to you as well,”

“Is that a request or a demand?”

“What? Oh! Sorry!”

It was his turn to blush as she spotted his tail where it was currently latched to her thigh and released his grip. He felt a sweat rise on his brow at the lack of contact with her.

“It’s fine, love, I’m just messing with you. What can we help you with Dammon?”

Tav turned back to the blacksmith who had used the time Cal had unconsciously bought him to steady his heart rate and steel his nerve.

“I was wondering, if we might talk in private? Please?”

Rolan lead them a private office off the main floor of the Sundries and shut the door behind them, trying to shake off the fluttering feeling in his stomach and the heat rising on his face.

Rolan and Tav sat together on a couch while Dammon leaned nervously against the desk. Silence permeated the air.

“What’s this about, Dammon?” Tav said sweetly, clearly sensing the man’s nervous energy.

His answer came out all as one word, blurted in a near-shout to the surprise of everyone in the room, Dammon included.

“IWantToMarryLia!!!”

CHAPTER TWO

“I… I want to marry Lia.” Dammon tried again, calmer and more collected.

When the blacksmith finally got the nerve to check the reactions to his news he found Rolan staring at him, jaw dropped. Tav watched Rolan closely, her eyes anxiously looking between the two men. Silence hung in the air like the smothering heat from an opened oven. Rolan felt the start of sweat forming on his brow and noticed his tail had once again wrapped around Tav’s ankle as if it had a mind of its own. Tav finally broke the silence.

“Dammon that’s great news! Isn’t it Rolan?”

“Why are you telling us!?”

Rolan’s question cut through the air with a sharp edge to it that was unmistakable. Not an angry tone, but certainly an irritable one. He felt Tav’s hand on his shoulder, both a gesture of support and a warning of his temper. He took a deep breath and reached up to touch her hand in acknowledgment.

“Well, I know we’re not in Elturel anymore and there’s not much left of home, but I wanted to be old-fashioned about this. I wanted to talk to her family first.”

Dammon blushed but he held Rolan’s gaze steady as he answered. Tav couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s so sweet! But wait, why am I here?” She asked.

“Well, Rolan is the oldest and you two live together so I thought it made sense to talk to both of—“

“We don’t live together” Tav interrupted.

“We don’t?!”

“You don’t?”

Dammon and Rolan’s responses came at the same time. The former’s was laced with anxiety and confusion and the latter with anger and confusion.

“You think we live together? You never even asked!” Tav snapped at Rolan, momentarily forgetting Dammon.

“I just assumed…”

“Oh Rolan, no.” It was Dammon who groaned the words and reminded them of his presence, wilting a little as both sets of their eyes fixed on him.

“Right, we’ll talk about this later… Dammon that is exciting news!”

Tav’s tone and smile seemed happy but both Dammon and Rolan noted the look of frustration in her eyes.

“Thank you for talking to us Dammon,” Rolan cleared his throat and awkwardly refocused the conversation back to the original topic, “I can hardly believe you’re being old fashioned now, you basically live together and you, erm, bit each other ages ago — could have gone without having to know that by the way but Lia had to put the mark so high on your neck, Gods, I can’t believe this is happening—“

“You’re rambling, Rolan”

Tav’s reminder was both loving and angry sounding at the same time.

“Right. Well, Congratulations are in order I guess.”

Rolan stood and exchanged an uncomfortable handshake with Dammon.

“Be good to her, please.”

Dammon smiled in response, his eyes a little misty. Tav stood next and gave Dammon a tight hug, tears were in both their eyes.

“And yes, do be good to her please. I’ve defeated the avatars of the Dead Three and I know where you live.”

Tav smiled sweetly when she pulled away and issued her threat. The Blacksmith gulped as the Druid made for the door and exited the office without acknowledgement of the other man, leaving the two alone in the cold wake of her exit.

A pain throbbed in Rolan’s side suddenly and he sat back down on the couch, wiping at the sweat on his brow.

“Getting to be that time, brutal,” Dammon said after taking stock of his appearance.

“What?”

“Oh, um, never mind.” Dammon pushed off the desk and made for the door.

“I was going to wait a little longer to ask, I wanted everything to be perfect. So, if both of you could keep a secret — Cal is such a blabbermouth,” He continued as he reached the door, turning back to look at Rolan on the couch he added, “I’ll wait a few weeks, you might need it”

Before Rolan could ask what he’d meant the blacksmith was out of the office with the door shut behind him. By that point a layer of sweat covered his entire body, causing his clothes and hair to cling to him uncomfortably. Another stab of pain throbbed in his gut.

“Fuck” He muttered to himself as the answer materialized before him. What Dammon’s cryptic words had meant and why he’d felt so off lately. It had almost been a year since his last and he and Tav had never talked about his ‘cycles’. He wasn’t even sure she knew about Tiefling mating cycles and he’d been too nervous to ask.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. There was so much to take care of and so little time before he’d be forced to take time off. By the feel of it he had a day at best. Standing with a groan he crossed the room to sit at his desk and pulled leaves of parchment from within the drawer with a well-practiced motion. He began writing notes to each employee of the Sundries with instructions for what to do while he was indisposed. Thanks to his hard work in the just over a year’s time since he’d taken over the Tower and his own instruction, he’d grown much stronger at magic than even he could have anticipated. What used to be complicated was now just a simple spell he would use to deliver the missives at the correct time and place.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- A few hours later, it is Tav who wakes him after drifted off into a feverish sleep at his desk. With the letters and spells completed, he’d begun getting ahead of the higher-level matters that required his attention. The first thing he’d noticed upon waking was her delicious smell. She’d always smelled amazing to him, like cedar and cinnamon, but this was something more. Her eyes are bleary with sadness.

“I’m sorry for just storming off and leaving earlier, I didn’t want to fight.”

“Me either”

“Rolan, you can’t just decide things without telling me. We have to have a conversation about these things”

“I didn’t just decide I simply thought we were living together, we’re always together and I just thought…”

Rolan trailed off with a frustrated sigh. Even as terrible as he was feeling he could see now where he’d missed the important step of asking Tav.

“Zurgan”

He ran his hands down his face, the gesture is one of both frustration and self-soothing.

“Tav I - I’m sorry”

His apology must have come too easy because she is immediately suspicious. Moving to take a closer look at him and bringing her intoxicating scent so close it was nearly unbearable.  His tail swished behind him with agitation.

“You’re sorry?! Are you feeling well? You look terrible, my love. Can I make you a cup of tea?”

He groaned. Zurgan, she smells amazing, she’s so beautiful, focus on her words you dolt. He could actually feel himself salivating in her presence and not over the thought of tea.

“Tea isn’t going to help this, my dear”

She sits down on his desk, next to where he’s working and glances at the discarded drafts of his notes and back to him. Does she know how beautiful she looks? Gods. It’s all he can do not to lunge at her and take her right on his desk.

“Rolan, are you…” She sighs, “Are you in rut?”

His mind is sent reeling in surprise and he makes an audible choking sound. How could she possible know about that?

“What?! How do you even know about that… Lia”

Rolan answers his own question before Tav could even open her mouth. Cursing his sister in silent frustration.

“Yes! But I’m also a healer, remember? Plus, you can hardly blame her. Awhile back, Cal literally vanished for two weeks after coming down quite ill and you acted like he’d gone on vacation. Honestly, I would have been angrier at you for never talking about it with me— but I guess I understand how talking about what your brother might be going through with me would be weird.”

Rolan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Not sure what to say next and grateful when Tav pressed on.

“We should probably finish this whole debate on where I live once you feel better. It’s like getting really sick, right? Who will take care of the store? I need to help you”

“Lia’s more than ready to handle things without me, plus just in case I’ve left detailed letters with instructions and suggestions on how they might conduct themselves while I am away.”

Tav threw her head back and laughed at him. He used to hate it when she laughed at him. Before he’d ever worked up the nerve to kiss her all those months ago. After that moment he’d begun to love the sound of her laugh. But now, the sound of her laugh reached out and grabbed him by the heartstrings and tugged. The feeling reaching from his chest down to the deepest reaches in his gut where a fire was already smoldering.

He groaned at the sound of her laugh, biting his lip and tasting copper as he restrained himself in her presence. She studied his face from where she sat on the desk just above him in his chair, a look of concern on her beautiful face. Ever so softly, she reached out her hand to stroke his jaw and he groans in response. His tail immediately whipped out to wrap around her wrist to hold her close. She gasped in response.

“So, you know… everything?” He gritted out as his eyes searched hers with a desperate hunger. He rubbed his cheek into her hand, so needy for the contact. A blush had formed on her cheeks and stretched down to her chest where her breast heaved unconsciously at the charged question.

“I wouldn’t say everything… I know it’s a mating thing and that for some it’s rut and for others it’s heat, and that’s its really kind of painful and can be really disruptive to day-to-day life.”

“Is… Is that it?” He panted out, never taking his eyes off her.

“That’s not everything, it’s easier, less painful if you have a… partner to satisfy your… urges.”

Rolan could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as she explained. He needed her so badly it was already driving him crazy, and his rut hadn’t even fully started yet. Her thumb traced a gentle pattern on his cheek that felt as if she were working the very Weave with fingertips.

“And there are some… anatomical changes as well,” she added awkwardly while glancing away.

His tail had lowered her arm to her side and moved to coil around her waist to pull her closer. Her eyes widened as he drew her face to his.

“I hate to say this, but you should probably go back to your place until I can think straight again.”

Tav laughed right in his face. That beautiful devastating laugh reaching down into him once more and fanning the flames within.

“I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. I’m not leaving you, my love”

“But…”

“That is unless you don’t want me… I don’t wish to intrude.”

Gods, she’s so good right down to her core. She is honey and sunshine, and I am the miserable wretch who craves her sweetness.  Her kindness only served to fuel the fire within him. He feels delirious with need, but he tries to steel himself. This isn’t true desperation; he knows desperation is what will happen once his rut has fully begun.

“It’s not that… I don’t want to hurt you”

“Hurt me?”

Her eyes widen in surprise, her breath is cool on his face relative to the heat that pours from his skin.

“You don’t understand, it might be dangerous for a human — I don’t know if I can be gentle with you under those conditions.”

She considers his words for a few moments before she responds. His mind is left to wander. All he can think about is fucking her, filling her over and over until one of them can take no more. Then he sees a light as if she’s realized something and he fills with dread — the Druid has always been abnormally astute in her observations of him.

“Have you ever gone through a rut with someone, Rolan?”

She says it nervously and glances away like she knows the truth and is giving him a moment of privacy. He can’t help but let out a sigh.

“No, I haven’t”

She looks back at him when he answers. The truth doesn’t cool the atmosphere like he thought it would, if anything she looks more interested, almost turned on by that thought.

“I trust you Rolan”

He’s on her in a second, closing the gap between their mouths with a hungry kiss. Using his tail around her waist, he draws her near so she is straddling him in his chair. It’s like bathing himself in her scent and it pushes him closer to the threshold of madness. His hands reach up to grab the sides of her face roughly, dominating the kiss. Their tongues meet with a savage energy and moans fill the once quiet room. Using the last reserves of sanity in his mind he wills himself to pull away.

“Tav…”

“Rolan if you want me, I’m staying”

She doesn’t even let him finish before she pants out her argument.

“Gods, I love you”

“I love you too”

She leaves a sweet kiss on his forehead, right between his horns — a place she knows will melt him every single time. How can he resist her?

“What if we head to your cottage? It can be just the two of us”

He suggests it as he mouths kisses on her neck, trailing up to her ear. A rush thrills through him when he hears her gasp of joy, and his tail tightens around her at the sound.

“Really?”

He nodded. Tav had wanted to take a long stay away from this city for some time and had talked about it many times. There had been a few opportunities where it looked like they might be able to — but between tragedy and obligations every attempt had failed. This would be his first rut he experienced with a partner — a special occasion in the life of any Tiefling and he wanted to make it special for her too.

“Of course, just give me a few more hours to finish up here and pack some things. You might want to give Cal the week off too, I’m sure Lia could use him around the store and…”

He trailed off when Tav winced as his point was well made. They wouldn’t want Cal around to hear or gods forbid see what they would be doing for the next week.

“Of course,”

The next forehead kiss she leaves made him wince, but the reaction is not one of pain or discomfort. As her lips connected with his skin it feels as if a jolt of pure energy radiates across his body from that very point. A near euphoria washes over his body unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Hells, it feels good.

“Zurgan, Tav”

Rolan filled his lungs with a deep breath of air. Making one last desperate attempt to master himself, so he might have a shred of a chance of accomplishing what needed to be done before their “impromptu vacation.” It’s a mistake. The scent of her overpowers him and something primal is released as a result. “Mate, my mate” His mind screams it, but he refuses to give in, not yet. When he continues its forced sounding - through gritted teeth. 

“I need you to stay away from me until we leave. I can’t— “

Mate, my mate, so beautiful, need her, fuck her, fill her. He closes his eyes and struggles to continue.

“— I can’t think clearly when you’re around right now. I’m sorry.”

She dismounted his lap slowly. Peeling his tail away from where it was wrapped around her waist was a struggle -- he is reluctant to let go even if he needed it. Only after he heard her carefully cross the room, did he open his eyes once more. To find her by the door looking shy. A sense of emptiness filled him, her touch had eased some of the symptoms even in that short time and her absence was felt keenly.

“I’m sorry Rolan,”

“No need, love.”

Before she departed, they agreed to meet again at dusk ready to depart for their stay at her home outside the city. Awakened once more, Rolan still found himself struggling to focus. The sweet scent of his beloved is left behind on the desk where she had sat. As he works getting ahead on accounts, he caught repeated wafts which seemed to keep him in a constant state of arousal. Mate, my mate, fuck, fill, mate. His hardened cock strained against his pants as he worked. An uncomfortable and constantly nagging presence to deal with as he calculated costs and revenue projections in the ledgers before him.

When the accounts were finally finished, he sat back shakily still willing himself to ignore the constant presence of his arousal. After consideration, he had added a note in the book for Lia to double check his figures before they were finalized. Though he’d always prided himself on his brilliance in a way that some thought bordered on arrogance, he wouldn’t risk his responsibilities for any reason. Usually, he hardly required (and would sooner die before asking) anyone to check on his accounting. But there was a first time for everything. Humiliatingly, he was certain Lia would discover upon double-checking that most of the math he’d done today was in fact, wrong.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb:

A witty and deeply romantic modern reimagining of Disney’s Tangled, by the New York Times bestselling author duo Christina Lauren, part of the acclaimed and bestselling Meant to Be collection. "I dare you to not fall wildly in love with Ren and Fitz! Christina Lauren as a writing duo is a national treasure." — Jesse Q. Sutanto, National Bestselling author of DIAL A FOR AUNTIES and VERA WONG'S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.

Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fireon a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they've both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

Review:

A modern day retake on Tangled?! I am all in (and it was so cute!!). Ren is a girl who has been homeschooled her entire life and kept away from people, technology, and everything in between ... but now she is finally getting her chance to be in the real world and starting her first class at Corona College. Fitz has spent his life playing the part, pretending to be the most charming, wealthy, and attractive guy around, his entire life has been mapped out and he's determined to keep it that way... or he was until a certain ball of sunshine completely takes him off his tracks. Ren and Fitz end up in the same class and when Ren discovers that her family isn't really her family and that her DNA matches someone else, she is determined to go meet him, and when she catches Fitz cheating she makes a deal: she wont tell on him if he takes her to meet her biological father. Fitz hopes that he can just take her on the trip and get her out of his hair as fast as possible... but the more time they spend together the more he's beginning to realize that he is very much tangled up in her. Ren is everything Fitz's isnt, she's so true to herself, so kind and honest, and unjaded... and if he wants to make a relationship with her it means he'll have to take off his persona and truly let her in to know him or risk losing the only girl who has actually ever seen him. Oh I had an absolute blast with this book!! I love Tangled so much so hearing that it got a modern day romance remake I couldn't wait to pick it up! It's absolutely such a fun read and and I think the authors did a fantastic job of keeping the elements of the original story while adding their own take on it. The romance was really well done and I just fell in love with both characters! I would highly HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the movie!

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[sarahowritesostucky]

📖"Runnin' Roughshod"

Pairing: Bucky x black female Reader

Rated: Explicit

Tags: civil war, westward expansion, homesteader Bucky, Black!Fem!Reader, slavery, historic AU, forbidden romance, interracial relationship, racism, period typical attitudes, brothel, prostitution

A Bucky x Black!fem!Reader historical AU fic that I decided to bullet point for funsies, and then wound up writing half of the damn thing that way 🙄

You're a slave living in 1860 Missouri, just outside of St. Louis.

You're the property of (and half-sister to) Master Lewis. Lucky for you, Master Lewis Senior is dead, and Lewis Jr.'s young bride Darcilla is kind and agreeable, with progressive notions that she brought along with her trousseau when she came from Maryland to wed Master Lewis.

Life is very good for you, compared to some others. You work in the house, as lady's maid to the new Mrs. Lewis (who insists you call her Ms. Darcy), and sometimes help in the shop in town.

The Lewis's own a handful of other slaves who help run their household and dressmaker's shop, but since the death of your mother you've had no family (well, except for Master Lewis, though nobody counts that). You do your work and keep to yourself. Sometimes you make a little money at the dress shop, which Mistress Darcilla lets you keep behind her husband's back.

You save up every penny, but buying your own freedom is a far off dream. Your whole life, you've never seriously contemplated running away. It isn't worth the risk.

But when tensions in the county begin to rise and you hear rumors of secession, you grow worried. You begin to squirrel away what valuables you can, gain the trust of your mistress, and bide your time.

With the uncertainty of war brewing, Master Lewis announces his plans to move the family deeper south. You can no longer afford to wait. You have to get out now, before your one and only chance is lost forever.

Your money gets you as far as Topeka, where you're forced to stop until you can earn enough to join a wagon train out West. You find work at a saloon, serving drinks and making flirty conversation with the men who come in for a good time.

In the mornings, you begin to learn the piano from "Old Freddie," and during the occasional slow afternoon, Madame Lapierre, the French woman who governs the "upstairs" girls, will play a game of chess with you whilst she tries to make headway in convincing you to "expand your employment opportunities."

Topeka is Free-Soiler territory, but there's always the fear that Master Lewis might find you. And, on the verge of statehood, the Kansas territory has tipped into increasingly violent conflict between anti- and pro-slavery settlers. With conditions worsening and all out war looming on the horizon, you have no guarantee of safety there anymore.

Desperate to raise the funds to go West more quickly, you tell Madame that you're ready to start selling more than drinks and conversation. You become her newest "poppet" prepared to do whatever it takes to get out of town before your luck - and your freedom - run out.

You've never been with a man, but you know the rudimentary facts of life, and with a little help from the other girls and Madame, you prepare to become just another "sporting girl."

Your first afternoon on the job, a roughshod rider comes into town, seeking lodging, drink, and the sort of "company" that you're there to provide.

The white girls get first dibs on clients, but the roughshod asks for you to be sent up to his room. You wish he wouldn't have. Not because you want to put off the inevitable, but because now the other girls will be nasty to you. The man is handsome, and the girls were all eager to get their hands in his pockets.

You're shaking in your boots, but Madame gives you a shot of whiskey, a spritz of her genuine French perfume, and a tiny pewter snuff case for "wetting the way," (whatever that means). She tells you to put it in your bosom and use it "when the time is right."

Terrified but determined to see it through, you head upstairs to the roughshod's room.

It does not go as you expect. First, he demands to know if you're working there of your own free will. You admit that he is your very first client - which you regret doing, because his face goes even stonier when you do. He barks out orders at you, insisting that you leave the room at once and fetch him the house's tub.

He wants a bath - a hot one! - and with soap, and a towel!! You're very happy about that, because it costs a whole sixty-five cents more, and it will also mean extra time spent with you, which leaves you with even more money in your pocket at the end of the day. You're still nervous, but elated at the luck you're having on your very first client!

The other girls are stewing in the hall with jealously and make snide comments about your race and the man's preference for you. They refuse to help you prepare the bath, but you don't care one lick. That's just more time the roughshod will be paying to spend with you, while you haul bucket after bucket of boiled water up the stairs.

Madame catches you in the hallway and tells you not to mind the other girls. She's a bit drunk on sherry, and she jokes that at this rate, you'll probably only have to spread your legs for two or three minutes! (God, you hope so).

The man is filthy, and he's hurt - as though he's been in a fight or fallen from his horse. He asks you to help bathe him, and you get started with your heart in your throat. His manners are as rough as he is, but he isn't mean to you, and he doesn't try to grab you, which is a relief. With shaking hands, you proceed to wash him.

This is your first time touching a naked man's body, and you try not to look down into the bathwater as you wash him. You're embarrassed, but it's not just nerves; seeing and touching such a handsome man has you warming as though you've downed another three shots of whiskey.

You squirm and fight not to let the roughshod see your flusterment, as your belly tightens with the familiar, but never indulged, feelings of lust.

The roughshod stays in the bath until the water's gone gray and cold. You kneel beside the tub and wring out the cloth, but squeak when, all at once, the man heaves himself up to standing, the water streaming down his body and his ... his Johnson right at the level of your face!

He grunts and swings his leg out of the tub - exposing all of his manhood jostling around not even two feet from your face as he does so! You blush and look away, but you can feel him staring at you as he grabs up the towel and dries himself off.

Surely, you think, now he will ask you to take off your clothes and join him on the bed. You know only the basics of what goes where for the act, having witnessed clandestine coitus a time or two in your life. You wait, unable to look up at him, as you expect to hear his gruff voice order you about. And it does.

"Get up."

You stand, trembling. But what he says next isn't what you're expecting: "You know how to rub a man's muscles?"

You look up at him. He's got the towel in hand, making no effort to use it to cover himself. Then again, you think, why should he? You're just another painted poppet (or, soon to be). "R-rub what?" you stammer - quite idiotically. Of course, you know what muscles are. ... You're just not sure if he's using the word as a ... a euphemism.

He rolls his eyes and brings the towel up to dry his hair. "Knew I should'a asked for the China girl," he mutters.

You clear your throat and look steadfastly at his face. "You're hurt," you say, because you've seen every part of his body now, despite your efforts to keep your eyes trained North. And you know he's got bruises all on his legs and back and sides.

The roughshod nods and abandons the towel to the floor. "Yeah." He's not a talker, but you get the impression he's waiting to hear something from you.

You struggle to think of what that might be. "I ... have ... rubbed my mother's shoulders, when they hurt her. Um. And her feet?"

If you're not mistaken, the man's mouth twitches up the barest bit, beneath his beard. "Eh," he says, then turns around, presenting you with his - very manly - ass. "How bad can ya be?" He walks towards the bed, waving you along without looking back. "Well c'mere then."

He climbs up onto the room's bed and lies down, face in his arms. "What're you doing?" he grumps. "I said get over here."

Swallowing thickly, you hurry across the room. With his back turned, you have less trouble letting your eyes rove over his naked body. His back is broad and muscled, going from impossibly wide and tanned shoulders, tapering all the way down to his slim hips and his pale ass. His thighs are hairy and---no. You force your eyes true north again, looking at the bruises that you're increasingly starting to suspect came from a beating. "What happened to you?" you ask.

His head stays pillowed in the crooks of his arms. "Get up on the bed," he grunts. "Sit on my ass and I'll tell 'ya what to do."

Your eyes all but bug out of your head, when he tells you to straddle him. You do, your skirt rustling as you move and get up on him. You're hesitant to put your weight down, but he huffs and tells you to sit.

"Speck like you ain't gonna feel any more'n a feather. Sit."

He talks you through giving him - what he deems a "goddamn lousy" - massage. He grunts whenever you press on his bruises, pained, but once you get the hang of it, he at least goes quiet and doesn't complain anymore, so maybe you're not so horrible at it after all.

You rub his shoulders, his neck and back; your belly coiling tight once again, filling with a swooping feeling at having his warm skin and hard muscles underhand, at the feeling of his body held between your legs. You worry that he somehow knows how you're reacting, but you don't speak and neither does he.

When he eventually groans from pained-pleasure rather than pain, you can't help but smirk triumphantly. You keep expecting him to roll over and declare the massage over and demand for you to touch his Johnson, but that keeps not happening (though he does groan a little more).

You check the clock and see that it's now early evening. The light outside is almost gone. You worry that he's lost track of time and might refuse to pay for the hours he's spent with you, which will get your wages garnished.

So, tentatively, you slide your hands down to his thick waist, the swooping feeling intensifying at watching all the muscles in his back tense and shift underneath the skin.

"Why'd you stop?" he grunts.

"Are ... are you sure ..." You hesitate, not knowing how to seduce a man.

"Spit it out," he says, annoyed.

You lick your lips. "Well I just ... it's been awhile now and ... Are you sure this is all you want?"

"It feels good," he snaps, voice muffled in his arms. "That's what I'm payin' you for, ain't it?"

His uncharitable response should make you relieved, but instead it just leaves you worried and confused. Are you not seductive enough? Is he going to complain to Madame once he leaves here?

You need to speak up, take action, or else you may be in trouble. "Mister," you say, "I--"

"James," he grunts. "S'my name."

You pause, surprised that he wants you to use it, since he doesn't seem to like you very much. "James," you try again. "I want to make sure you're ... um ... getting your money's worth?"

He's silent and still, then drawls, "You don't sound too sure about that."

FOLKS THIS HAS BEEN OUT OF HAND FOR AWHILE NOW. LETS GO BACK TO AN ACTUAL FUCKING OUTLINE:

He has you lie down on the bed, and he regards you tenderly and seems like he's going to finally do it, but his face goes sour when you nervously reach your hand for his Johnson, and he tells you he doesn't need anything else.

"That's enough." He rolls away, comes back with a dollar bill, hands it over and gruffly tells you to go over to the mercantile and buy him a fresh shirt.

Relieved and yet somehow also terribly disappointed, you do so. When you return, his hair is tied back and he's got his pants on again.

You expect him to dismiss you, but he tells you he wants your company in the downstairs, too. He takes you down and the two of you eat and drink together at his behest. As it's now evening, the other poppets work on men nearby, shooting you jealous looks every so often.

James slowly opens up to you, engaging you in conversation over his dinner. You can't help but talk back, the conversation coming naturally and your shoulders relaxing. James is much more likeable after a whiskey or two, and the two of you even laugh and joke together. He decides to teach you a dice game, and the two of you have fun well into the evening, until he goes back up to bed -- alone.

Madame is drunk and very proud--because the roughshod actually pays for the entire time! In one fell swoop, you've made a handsome sum! You begin to hope that soon you'll be able to buy your way onto a wagon train and go West!

But the next day, your fortunes change.

A lawman shows up with none other than Mr. Brooks--Master Lewis' most trusted slave. Brooks tells the lawman that you are the one he's looking for. He has your papers to prove Mr. Lewis' ownership!

Being only tenuously free territory, the lawman has the say so on what happens to you. Just when it looks like he's going to hand you over to Brooks, the roughshod comes downstairs. He claims you're his property and that your name is Pearl. He has no proof, but says that's because he bought you from a 'chief down in Indian country' (the Oklahoma territory).

One of the white girls calls out that that's not true: you work there.

It seems that the lie won't work, but when the lawman asks Madame if that's true, Madame says your name is Pearl and you showed up with the roughshod the other day.

The marshal decides to trust the word of a white man over Mr. Brooks (who looks very angry indeed). He brandishes the papers and promises to come back with Master Lewis.

With no time to spare, you make haste. You have to leave town now, no matter the fact that you don't have the money to make it out West. You stuff your things in your bag and leave with the wages you've earned.

Outside, the roughshod grabs your arm and pulls you in. He demands you tell him the truth, since he stuck his neck out for you.

You confess everything--running away, your plan to set out West for San Francisco. You fear that he's had a change of heart and will take you to the lawman, but he gets stern-faced again and gruffly tells you to come with him back to his home with him.

You're confused, but he is bossy and all but forces you back to his homestead with him. There, he informs you that, after getting into a "scrape" with some locals himself, he has to leave. He offers to take you out West with him, and part ways in California.

You agree.

Sometime, months later, in California:

The country is at war, but it feels far away from where you are now, as do Master Lewis' chances of ever finding you again. James has hope that the North will win and slavery will be done away with, when the two of you arrive in San Francisco. You make him breakfast, and ask: "What now?"

He gets quiet for awhile. "Woman like you?" He says, chewing the last bite of a biscuit. "Sews, can play chess, hard worker, beautiful, and you cook like this?" He sticks his tongue in his cheek and looks away for a moment. When he looks back, there's false cheer in his eyes. "You're gonna make some man a fine wife someday."

You inhale deeply, fighting to keep the sting of that comment from getting to your eyes. "But not you?" you finally say, once you've gathered the breath - and the courage - to do so.

The false cheer bleeds to sadness, fond and regretful, and he shakes his head softly. "No Darlin'. Not me."

(spoiler alert: you wind up together with a happy ending anyway)

IM SORRY IT'S TWO AM WHY DID I DO THIS I NEED TO SLEEEEP 😩

(Will def be writing (more of) this fic in the future though!)

[goodappleapyl-has-moved]

The One where a Poor Little Cabbage has feelings. [6]

[First], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Outside of her failed attempt at romance for the first time, her time with the Lowland Kodan had actually gone well. So well in fact that she had been gifted a homestead by the local Claw, Stoic Alder. 

During her downtime after the failed attempt to slay the titans, Apyl had been decorating her new home and making it her own. It had occurred to her in all her years fighting the Elder Dragons, she had never once thought to put down roots. She had always returned to the Grove afterwards until she was needed once again. It was exciting to finally have a little piece of Tyria to call her own.

It also made her current work in Janthir a lot easier, given that she was now a local to the area. Of course the Astral Ward had set up waypoints around the Lowlands to make things easier but there was still something mentally tiring about having to teleport long distances to her. 

Thanks to the efforts of a particularly adventurous Priory member, the Titans had been tracked to a volcano in Janthir by the name of Mount Balrior. A plan of attack had been made. Tomorrow they would set out to take down the strangers, this time hopefully for good. 

Apyl had been to a number of post battle parties to celebrate victories, but it was the first time she had been to a pre-battle party. The kodan of Harvest Den had arranged a night of dancing and feasting to raise the spirits of those involved in the mission the next morning.

Whilst she enjoyed the festivities, she did not stay long. As she had a mountain to climb tomorrow and titans to slay, Apyl wanted to get as much sleep as possible. 

There was another reason for her early departure and that was, unsurprisingly, Isgarren. A number of the leaders of the Tyrian Alliance had come to Harvest's den for the occasion, the wizards, including Dagda and Waiting Sorrow, were among them. 

Apyl hadn't seen the Seer since he turned her down and wasn't yet brave enough to be around him more than she had to. After the speeches had concluded and everyone dispersed to enjoy the party, Apyl slipped away back to her house and to her bed.

***

Apyl didn't get a chance to react to the theatrical appearance of Isgarren in her bedroom.

“I cannot lose another, not again,” the Seer wasted no time in saying.

“Isgarren I—”

“Let me finish,” he said, raising a hand to gesture to her to be quiet. 

Apyl propped herself up in bed, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. Tomorrow morning she would set out to track the titans up a mountain and he decided now was the best time to talk? Was this some sort of payback for her confession months ago?

Whilst she was in the process of waking herself up, Isgarren floated over, sitting himself down on the edge of her bed. For a second he reached an arm out and Apyl wondered if he was about to hold her hand. The moment passed however and the wizard appeared to lose courage.

“Vass loved Tyria,” Isgarren began. “I have no doubt that she would have enjoyed your company, were she alive. I know what she would say, were she here. ‘Isgarren you old fool! Why do you turn away a second chance at happiness?’ I am afraid that I will lose in the same manner that I lost her.”

Apyl blinked back at him, her brain finally catching up to what was being said.

“Are you saying you changed your mind about…us?”

“Come back to me tomorrow,” was the Seer's answer.

Apyl freed herself from her blankets and shuffled to the wizard's side. Without saying anything, she reached out and took hold of his closest hand. As her eyes closed, she felt Isgarren's other arm wrap around her, pulling her closer until she was leaning into him. Apyl let out a content sigh. Nothing else needed to be said between them.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: july 2023

I don't have a cool and witty opening for this one. I read a fuck of a lot of books this month and I want to tell you about them LET'S GO

Black Water Sister (Zen Cho, 2021) - Black Water Sister has a very fun premise: a closeted lesbian and unemployed recent graduate moves back to Malaysia with her parents and is already having a bad enough time when she starts hearing the voice of her dead grandmother, who turns out to have been deeply involved in supernatural organized crime. our hapless protagonist becomes a medium against her will, and has to navigate to world of Malaysian spirits and superstition to lay her grandma to rest. unfortunately the actual style of the story wasn't more me; although definitely adult fiction, the prose is breezy in a way I affiliate strongly with YA, which is not to my personal taste but is still so hashtag valid. if you're one of the countless people trying to make that jump from YA to adult fiction and you like queer urban fantasy then Black Water Sister might be a great fit for you, although I should provide a warning for a pretty surprisingly graphic near-rape in the book's climax that really took me by surprise in a story that's otherwise pretty zany in its violence.

The Bride Test (Helen Hoang, 2019) - I think I said last month that Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke was the best so far of the romance-novel-every-month scheme I'm trying to pull off this year. the Bride Test has pretty swiftly displaced it; have I finally discovered the really good romance novels? (worry not; I know what I'm reading for August and my hopes are. low.) our two protagonists, Mỹ/Esme (her chosen American/English name) and Khai, are both genuinely charming and are pretty strong characters independent of each other, which cannot be said for A Lot of romance protags. despite the absolute insanity of how they met (yes, Khai's mother went to Vietnam and offered, uneducated a poor single mother a tourist visa in exchange for trying to seduce her autistic son. yes, that's shady. don't think about it too hard) and Esme waiting until WAY too late in the game to reveal the existence of HER LIVING HUMAN CHILD, I liked this book a lot. it's silly and heartfelt and I had fun; what else do you need? 5/5 eggplant emojis.

Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin, 1956) - there's probably nothing I can say about Giovanni's Room that I could say that someone smarter and gayer hasn't already said, but god. it really is breathtaking. I so often see this book talked about as a gay tragedy, and honestly that feels like almost too glib of a description. it's a really meticulous dissection of white male masculinity and the claustrophobic constraints there of, and our narrator's claustrophobic fear of divesting himself from the power that he's entitled to by virtue of being a white American man perceived as a heterosexual. this man would rather live in repressed misery for his entire life than risk being like those effeminate faggots at the gay club, but spoiler alert! being miserable doesn't make you better than your fellow fags; it just means you're miserable AND a fag. sharp and painful and so so so smart. also I'm going to summon @zaricats because I was supposed to tell you what I thought about this book. oops!

Lone Women (Victor LaValle, 2023) - okay so listen. did I just say Black Water Sister wasn't really for me because of the simplistic prose? yes. did I really enjoy the very sparse, straightforward style of Lone Women? also yes. leave me alone, I contain contradictions. anyway, Lone Women is a ripping piece of historical fiction spliced with supernatural secrets, based on LaValle's research into 19th century Black women homesteaders who made their lives in Montana. LaValle opens on a scene of irresistible intrigue - Adelaide Henry, lone woman, sets out for Montana with a mysteriously heavy trunk after burning down her family's California farm with her parents' mutilated corpses inside. and boy, does it escalate from there! it's a story about isolation and community and the people who are failed by so-called close knit small towns, and the ways in which vulnerable people band together to protect one another. it also makes the compelling point that maybe, just maybe, the real monsters were your local transphobe and her husband's lynch mob all along.

Black Disability Politics (Sami Schalk, 2022) - what a cool book! Schalk's argument begins with the idea that Black disability politics are distinct from predominantly white mainstream disability politics, and are therefore often overlooked in conversation, activism, and academia. Schalk analyzes the historical work of the Black Panthers and the National Black Women's Health Project to showcase what she describes as Black disability politics in action. in Schalk's conception, Black disability politics take a much more holistic approach to disability, conceptualizing as just one form (and, frequently, as a result of) of oppression tangled up with a myriad of others that cannot be meaningfully addressed when they're treated as separate issues. the book concludes in interviews with contemporary Black disability activists and organizers that shed light on ways in which the wider movement is often unwelcoming to folks of color, and an exhortation from Schalk for readers to continue the conversation well beyond the confines of the book. in a killer show of praxis, the entire book has been made available to read in PDF form, and I strongly recommend giving it a look!

The River of Silver (S.A. Chakraborty, 2022) - mentally I am kicking myself a little for waiting so long to read this continuation of my beloved Daevabad trilogy, because it did take me a minute to get back into the swing and mythology of the world and that did make me feel unpleasantly like I wasn't appreciating these character-focused short stories as much as I could be. but even having said that - man! fuck I love the world of Daevabad, and I adore these characters so much. getting to see them again, even briefly, was a delight, and I am once again congratulating Nahri and Ali on being the invention of heterosexual romance. (also, on a related note, but I ADORE the way Chakraborty writes her characters having crushes. they crush SO hard and it's very sweet. these books are such big drama all the way down.)

Men We Reaped (Jesmyn Ward, 2013) - an absolute powerhouse of a memoir, and devastating the whole way down. in Men We Reaped Ward attempts to make sense of a series of tragedies that befell her community when five young Black men - beginning with Ward's younger brother - died between 2000 and 2004. the word 'unflinching' is hopelessly played out, but it's difficult to figure out how to describe the head-on way Ward explores each young man's life and ultimate end and her own upbringing. the men in Ward's history - her brother, the friends she lost, her father and other male relatives - are never idealized; their demons, miseries, infidelities, addictions, and violence are placed on full display. but Ward is also insistent on displaying these men with dignity, compassion, empathy; showing them at their best and, most importantly, as men who were loved and deserved better than the violence that poverty and racism wrought on them. it's a furious memoir, one that will leave you mourning too.

Nimona (ND Stevenson, 2015) - did I only read this so I can make more informed complaints if/when I end up watching the netflix movie with my wife? YES. but listen, it wasn't JUST petty hater behavior. Nimona is just really good, and I think I got a lot more out of it this time around that I did when I first read it years ago. this comic is wild and unfettered and so spectacularly weird; I wish more things felt the way Nimona does. I also with more things starred small girls begging to kill cops and stage a violent overthrow of the government, that rules hard. also man I love Ballister, he's SUCH a good protagonist. he's curmudgeonly, he's deeply principled, he's held a grudge for years, he's paternal, he's even gay. what a guy!

[mysimsloveaffair]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

I was tagged by @sparkiekong forever and a day ago (I didn't forget, I just wanted to wait until Mase grew up). Thanks so much!

Here are some facts about Mason Banks (pictured with his dad, Kai)

Mase is extremely sensitive and seems to take bad news much harder (and suffers longer) than anyone else in his family. This is interesting because he does not have the gloomy trait.

2. Mase really admires his big brother, Dub, because he's good-looking, intelligent, and popular. But he's also a little envious of him for those same reasons.

3. Mase has a good relationship with his little brother, Dray. They share a "jokester" family dynamic.

4. Unlike Dub, Mase has no desire to leave the family homestead. He'd love to inherit it one day.

5. Mase has never had a "real" romantic interest in Perla (there's no romance bar, not even a crush). But she's one of his best friends.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 82: The Long Road Home

The Story of a Family

Not long into the new semester Luigi heard that Great Grandpa Chance, one of his oldest friends, had at long last passed on to the ever after.

At the same time his father got a similar phone call informing him of the death of Bianca, Chance’s beloved wife. He had first met her during his Strangerville adventure and had never expected her to eventually join his family and make a place for herself in his heart.

Family and friends of the departed gathered at Crash Into Flavor to commiserate and celebrate the lives of the two sims they’d all loved.

Peachy smiled recalling how Chance had encouraged him to move to The Bay and welcomed him into the homestead with open arms. Tess told tales from her and her “sisters” childhood, remembering fondly the love and laughter her parents had so often brought into their happy little home. August even surprised them with the recent story of how Bianca had encouraged him to retire.

She had told him in her no-nonsense way that everyone deserved a little time free of the “big boss man” before they kicked the bucket!

It didn’t escape Peachy’s notice that Candor had been unusually quiet throughout their meal, his small smiles and polite laughs obviously forced.

Peachy wasn’t as close to this great grandfather as he’d been to Chance, but it was plain he was deeply hurting and Peachy wanted to help if he could. As they said their goodbyes outside the downed aircraft turned eatery at the end of the afternoon Peachy pulled his ancient relative aside, gently offering his condolences and extending an offer to hang out anytime if he needed someone to talk to.

Peachy’s kind words were all it took to break through Candor’s thin façade of emotional stability. His frown deepened as he choaked out a thank you.

Voice shaking, Candor admitted that he felt responsible for Chance’s death. When Peachy was a child, they’d rekindled their romance briefly, but when Chance had wanted to take it slow Candor had met Anita and jumped into a relationship with her instead. If only he’d been more patient, he was sure they would have gotten back together, and Chance would be here by his side instead of with Bianca in the ever after.

Now both Chance and Anita were gone, and Candor felt lonely and adrift in his big empty apartment, unsure how to move forward.

Peachy felt like Candor was perhaps being a bit too self centered and hard on himself, but his heart nonetheless ached for the other sim’s loss.

He didn’t have all the answers, but he could help with feeling “all alone”, if Candor was interested. The homestead had a room for Candor whenever he wanted one. He knew Valentina would be happy to open their home to a friend in need just as he and Jack had done for her way back when.

Candor seemed surprised by the offer but gratefully agreed to come and stay for awhile. He knew the company of family would help him process his grief and begin to heal. In no time he’d given up the lease on his place and was once again calling the achingly familiar house by the bay his home.

While Candor was moving from the city to the bay, Chance and Bianca had made the move from the mortal realm to the great beyond.

When they awoke in Windenburg Bianca turned to her husband and gasped. At his confused expression she told him “We have to find you a mirror; I hardly recognize you!” Grinning she continued “Honestly, after all those centuries as an old geezer I’m not sure you’ll recognize himself!”

The couple barely had time to come to grips with the changes the afterlife had wrought when the doors to the mansion sprang open and a large collection of family came rushing out to greet them. Now it was Chance’s turn to stare. It has been so long since he’d seen his parents, brother, beloved niece, and son in the flesh… he could hardly believe his eyes.

After happy hugs and reintroductions all around Thorne took over, telling his baby brother “Welcome! Its wonderful to have you join us at last”.

He then led the couple to a portal that took them to a cute little house atop the Strangerville bluffs where they immediately felt at home. After extracting a promise to get together and catch up soon Thorne left the couple to get acquainted with their personal slice of paradise.

As he lifted his bride into his arms to carry her over the threshold of their new place Chance reflected that he may have taken the long road “home”, but in the end his immortal life had brought him much joy and he didn’t regret one minute of the time he had spent getting there.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[profoundbondfanfic]

Surprise! You get an extra list of fic recs. Fifth and final day of sharing our favorite aro/ace/demi fics. Tomorrow we will be sharing a masterlist of all 55 fics included in our lists this week sorted by tags, so stay tuned!

Part 8

Checked Out by whelvenwings [General, 27K, Demi!Cas]

Castiel Novak can think of many writers who would not be welcome under the roof of Heaven’s Gate library, where he is the librarian: Ayn Rand ranks highly (no explanation needed), as does Charles Dickens (he hasn’t forgiven Charles for the month he lost to The Pickwick Papers). And, of course, Dean Winchester. Dean Winchester, local author and obvious a-hole, who is entirely too handsome to be true and who is clearly totally lacking in profundity, intelligence, sincerity, and self-awareness. Unfortunately, though, Dean’s been invited to do a book signing at Heaven’s Gate - and Castiel’s about to be confronted by some unexpected feelings when he finally meets Dean for the first time.

space(dust) & fine metals by quillquiver [Explicit, 5K, Ace!Cas]

Castiel wonders, often, if his blue blood is not just as tainted; only a wild thing groomed to tame a wild people would flee. And flee, he did. The ship was called Impala, its purpose mysterious enough for its mechanic-cum-captain to take one look at the offered credits and nod. Or, On their eighteenth anniversary, Dean and Castiel retrace their steps.

Unbroken by SailorChibi [Teen, 3K, Aro!Dean, Aro&Ace!Cas]

Somewhere on your body, there's half of a shape that's unique to you and one other person on Earth. That person is your soul mate and together, you make a whole. But then there's the people like Castiel, the ones who are born with a whole shape, the freaks who don't have soul mates. Castiel grew up used to the pitying stares that told him he would always be alone. He's not sure why he thought Dean Winchester would be different, or why he had to ruin everything by trying to prove otherwise.

rejoining by sharkfish [Mature, 8,6K, Ace!Dean]

“You moved an alpha in and didn’t even think to ask me?!" “I didn’t ask you when I moved Charlie in.” “I didn’t live here then, jackass. And she’s a lesbian, so it doesn’t count.” “I thought it would be a little rude to ask Castiel his sexual orientation,” Sam says, being a fucking priss. “Maybe he’s straight.”

As You Walk On By by MercyBraavos [Explicit, 23K, Demi!Cas]

Dean and Castiel grew up together. Fell in love together. Lost their virginity together. Made plans for the future, their future, together. There’s only one problem: Castiel doesn’t remember any of it.

Plain and Tall by destielpasta & mtothedestiel [Explicit, 69K, Demi!Dean]

Dean is a Kansas farmer who only wants to work his land and care for his infant daughter. With his wife gone and his brother moving on to a life beyond the homestead, Dean finds himself in need of another pair of hands. Castiel, a lonely drifter freshly arrived in town, may prove the solution to Dean’s troubles. Over the course of four seasons, the two men face the everyday challenges of prairie life, and learn to overcome the betrayals of their past to discover a new definition of family.

Typecast by mnwood [Explicit, 74K, Aro!Dean, Ace!Cas]

Up-and-coming movie actor Castiel Novak knows he'll never be taken seriously if all he ever plays is betas, and as an alpha he certainly doesn't think it's a wise career choice to play an omega. However, when he's offered the omega role in a gay romance and learns that the much more famous (and his crush) Dean Winchester is playing the alpha, Cas decides maybe it's time to take a risk. But when they meet on day one, Cas isn't sure what to make of Dean's scent.

[pbandjesse]

Today was a really productive day and I actually slept pretty well last night. So I am still very tired but it's not as overwhelming.

I woke up this morning as James was leaving for work. I would stay in bed a bit longer.

I got up and got dress pretty quick. I was excited to wear this silly t-shirt. And my hair has dried really nice and I just feel cute and good.

I left here at 8. I had to run back in to get my sunglasses. But then I was off. And it was a really easy drive. I had My Chemical Romance going. It was a beautiful day.

I got to hunt valley at 830. One of the boys came over right away and asked if it was okay to eat in the car and I'm like. Do you see how dirty this car is?? I would eat some of my breakfast sandwich but I was mostly just happy to wait.

Once we had everyone in the car we were off. A quick ride over to camp. And when we got there Heather was just getting there too.

I would finish my breakfast and check in with Heather about who was doing what. There was a lot of painting to do. Callie would take charge of the latrine painting. I was wrong and it was actually the girls latrine and not the boys. I think the boys latrine is creepier but she disagreed. She would still take charge though and after we stopped at the art building for supplies they were off.

I took the rest of the crew down to nature. They were painting the new outdoor chalkboards and creating hopscotch. It would take a bit of cleaning before they could paint but they would all do a great job.

While they were doing that I would work on the nature building. Checking on the animals and setting up a new tank. Possibly to bring Crabcake to camp. Possibly just for some toads. Unsure. But it was a nice focused project.

I would go to the eyrie and collect supplies. Walk down to homestead to check in with Aaron. I truly hope he can handle being specialty staff because while I think he's going to do great with the animal care aspect. I am worried about the classes and teaching and that part. Because he just keeps bringing up lessons?? I wrote them? Just use mine. Especially if you think that there's so much to do and you don't have time to write lessons. I already wrote them! Just expand on what I've given you. That was the whole plan. And now I'm frustrated because I'm worried that the office might completely change their minds because of choices and behaviors that we are seeing (suggesting we shoot the fox with a bow and arrow?) but I am also just hoping he proves everyone wrong and does an amazing job. All I want is for every one to do an amazing job. And thus everyone have an amazing summer.

I would get so many steps in today just walking back and forth from the office to art to woodlands to homestead and around. At one point while I was at the chickee I saw the new kitchen staff walking down and I ran over to chat with them. I told them about the menu I created and they were really excited to hear about it and when I brought it to them later on they were so nice about it and said it would be really helpful. Plus they have one chef who is gluten free and another who is vegan so I truly hope that this summer is a lot better food wise.

I would have my little lunch at the office. The soup James packed was really good. And I got to start reading the graphic novel I just got in the mail.

This is a retelling of interview with a vampire from Claudia's perspective. And I don't know if you know this about me but I love the whole interview with a vampire universe. But I absolutely hate Anne Rice. I had had an ongoing feud with her and stopped consuming her work. But she's dead now so I can go back to enjoying the stories again. Another win for the lentzwiler household.

I would also chat with Callie and she told me she's picking up Daisy from the airport tonight. So I was wrong yesterday, I actually met Josephine! I would meet her again today. She seems really nice. I hope Daisy is also very nice!

The afternoon was a little tougher on me. I was both overwhelmed by stuff to do and lacking motivation to do any stuff. I would do some organizing at the chickee. I started building supply boxes and lists for the hands on programs. I would take a few breaks. Hanging in my hammock. Talking to the people who were still organizing string outside the art building. It was fun and nice. It was a very good day.

I would make one more stop at the office to talk to Heather. Tony was half sleeping with his head on my desk. We were all very tired. It wasn't to hot out but it's going to be. 90s here in out. Horrible. Today was so beautiful. But the sun was getting to me and I was ready to go home. I had a little upset stomach but mostly I was fine and working hard to stay hydrated.

I had an okay drive home. There was a bit of traffic. Which was annoying but it was fine. I got home at 5 and got a good parking space and was just happy to be home.

I was super excited to see James. They were listening to music and didn't know I was home and we were dancing at each other and just so happy to see each other. It was great.

I would bring Crabcake outside to get some sun. The Internet says he's not eating enough because he's cold. I am hoping that the heat from the summer will help. And I want to get a better basking stone for his tank.

James would make us dinner. It is so nice to be outside and I love this swing. It was such a good purchase. And I think the pompoms are such a good touch. They are just held on with pins right now but maybe I'll actually sew them down. Unsure. I might keep them pinned but get other colors and change them out sometimes.

James had a package for me and it had some things I purchased. Art tools. Things for camp. And a very silly teddy bear and a new bumper sticker. I was very excited to get a package.

Now we are just laying out here. Having fun. James is watching sports. Sweetp is watching the world. We just moved Crabcake inside for the evening. I feel very happy.

I'm going to take a shower soon. And perm my eyelashes. New new kit came in the mail today too. And then it is time to sleep.

Tomorrow I am hoping to get a lot of stuff done. I hope it is a good day. I hope you all have a good day. I love you all. Goodnight!!

[mickimagnum]

Calico Cassidy (She/Her)

This save has been lost.

Traits: Rancher | Horse Lover | Unflirty | Family Oriented | +Neat Aspiration: Championship Rider Status: Alive | Adult Sexual Orientation: Straight Located: Chestnut Ridge Homestead: High Winds Ranch Career: Horse Breeder Partner: N/A - Never Married, Doesn't Want To Be, Not Interested Children: Logan Cassidy Horses: Jewel (Paint) Hobbies: Cooking | Handiness | Horseback Riding | Mixology | Piano | Singing Likes: Purple, Red, & Yellow | Blues, Jazz, Ranch, Retro, & Soul Music | Family-Motivated, Funny, & Pet Enthusiasts Sims Dislikes: Pink | Hip Hop, Metal, Pop, & Romance Music | Egotistical & Romance Enthusiasts Sims | Gardening, Video Gaming, Wellness, & Writing

The Cassidy family has been breeding Paint horses for going-on five generations in Chestnut Ridge. Calico took over the ranch after the death of her father while she was pregnant with Logan. She says he was the only good man she ever knew and even named her daughter after him. She will occasionally, jokingly of course, refer to Logan as Junior. Logan hates it. Horses are Calico's life and she can't imagine doing anything else.

Calico's Posts

Calico's Genetics hair | skin overlay | face & body freckles | eyebrows | eye color

*+ = self-discovery trait or preference