#thomas mills wood

[duranduratulsa]

Up next on my 90's Fest Movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 🎦 📽 marathon...The Fugitive (1993) on glorious vintage VHS 📼! #movie #movies #actionadventure #TheFugitive #HarrisonFord #TommyLeeJones #SelaWard #JoePantoliano #JulianneMoore #andreaskatsulas #janelynch #thomasmillswoods #jeroenkrabbe #DanielRoebuck #lscottcaldwell #NickSearcy #RichardRiehle #vintage #VHS #90s #90sfest #durandurantulsas4thannual90sfest

[whatyadrawin]

The Fruit After The Flesh 18+ -Chapter 14

Minors DNI!

Masterlist

Approximately 4,989 words

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt (Headcanon) x AFAB reader

This chapters Warnings:  Sexual language and depiction of sexual acts, foul language, brief PTSD scene, mention of reproductive choices. This is Slasher smut, be mindful of that and use your discretion.

A/n: See the end of chapter for a special authors note since I dont want to spoil anything here. I feel pretty good about this chapter, the art has some sloppy work because I was passing out while working on them so please be nice, I hope theres no typos or weirdness in the edited writing either because I was also passing out for that. The censored image can be viewed raw on my google doc (By clicking that link you are consenting to seeing graphic adult imagery and you are over 18). Let me know if you want to be in the tag list. I update chapter progress on the masterlist whenever something changes.

Please enjoy this chapter! I worked very hard on it so reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated very much.

Tag List: @fan-goddess , @artxasa , @baybaybear1 , @amour-tae , @dij-ology , @jillian-mill

Chapter 14

                The day started with you getting a phone call from the contractor, he informed you that your house was fully repaired and ready to move back into; You immediately got changed and walked over, highly excited to see the finished work. You arrived quickly, opening the heavy wooden door where the smell of fresh paint and new wood filled your lungs. The sun’s rays lit up the rooms giving the home a cheery appearance, as if it was happy to see you.

You slowly made your way through the entrance to head straight for your room, when you passed through the doorway you felt a knot form in your stomach, the memory of the fire was making you feel fear as if you were experiencing it all over again. You let the anxiety hit you to really feel the emotions fully, you figured if you could handle the ghost of the past then you could strive to overcome it.

Within a few short moments, the feeling passed but the cortisol surge remained. You left the bedroom and sat on the couch in the living room exhaling deeply as you reclined. You looked out at the large storage container that you had yet to completely empty, it was costing you to keep it on the property and felt like a constant reminder of how new you still were to this country.

The entire day was spent emptying out the storage crate to fill up your home. Extra clothes and furniture found their place in every corner of the house, by nightfall you managed to get your bedroom and bathroom to look mostly normal again. The fire destroyed your bed and stained the wardrobes with soot, some floor lamps were melted and unusable as well as your window curtains.

-Looks like I need to buy a new bed and some furniture- You thought about how nice you could make your room, and what curtains to buy to cover the bedroom window with. -I think it might be good to invest in some security features too while I’m at it- Dover’s attack on you affected the way you felt when you were alone, it was now pertinent to have visibility from many angles and access to view them at any time in case someone tried to hurt you while you were unaware again.

After ruminating on your fears, you locked up and left the house, the moon was now high in the sky and you realized you hadn’t eaten all day. When you left and got to the end of your driveway, you saw headlights shining up the road heading in the direction of the Hewitts house. The driver gave a honk and when you squinted to look, you recognized the truck, it was Charlie.

He pulled up next to you and reached over to unlock the passenger door,

“Get in ‘fore you get ate by a coyote” he said through the open window.

You smile and hop into the passenger’s side of the truck; the seat is rough edged from wear and scrapes the exposed skin on your leg as you slide onto it. You shut the door and thank him for picking you up,

“Are there really coyotes around here?” You asked

He smirks, “Well now, ain’t a whole lot of wildlife really comin’ ‘round here no more.”

You wrinkle your brows, “Must be lucky then eh?”

He chuckles and raises his eyebrows, “Somethin’ like that”

You roll your eyes and give a tight-lipped smirk, you knew it wasn’t luck, if anything it was a whole lot of bad luck that accumulated on this land brought onto poor hapless victims taken from the outside world just to feed the starving Hewitts. This land really was a world of its own, it felt like you were existing in another universe, the remoteness didn’t help much with that either.

“What’s ‘at look for?” he was obviously trying to sleuth out your expression.

Your eyes widen and you quickly face the open window to prevent further incriminating looks,

“Nothing” you hope he would drop it, but he continues,

“You’re bein’ real suspicious ain’t ya? Somethin’ I should know ‘bout?”

You reply with a hint of annoyance in your voice,

“Oh my Goduh, nothiiiiiiiiing” -that should throw him off-.

Charlie laughs and changes the subject,

“You gon’ move back into Tilly’s house now that it’s fixed up?”

You continue to look out the window,

“Yeah, I have been bothering you guys long enough.”

He quickly replies, “You was never no bother girly, I know Luda Mae’s gon’ be real upset seein’ you less. She sure hates an empty nest.”

You didn’t think it would be that much of an impact, you felt like a total leech living there for as long as you did,

“I’m sure she will be relieved having less cooking and housework to do…she never let me help.”

Charlie laughs, “That woman? She’s been feelin’ like a mother again what with doin’ all the women’s work. Was always her happiest when she was carin’ for the boy. Obsessed with motherhood, guess it’s normal for womenfolk to think like that.”

You roll your eyes, you had become used to the way Charlie spoke about women in the time you lived with him, but it was still obnoxious to hear such outdated ideals in modern day.

Charlie puts his arm up on the bench seat, he gives you an inquisitive look, he asks,

“You think like her at all?”

You sigh, “Isn’t that a bit personal?”

He sucks his teeth and looks at the road, he continues,

“Shoot girly, it’s just a question.”

You remain quiet for a few seconds before responding, “No… it’s never really been a goal for me.”

“Huh.”

You replied, already feeling defensive, “What?”

“Just never encountered a ‘no’ from a woman regardin’ kids is all.”

Instinctively, you began preparing to hear the usual patriarchal bullshit thrown at women who choose a different reproductive path. You prepare the counter arguments in your head, you cross your arms and say,

“Ok, lay it out then, tell me how I’m going to change my mind someday or whatever. Let’s get it over with”

Charlie lets out a confused grunt, he turns to you laughing,

“Sweetheart, I couldn’t give two shits ‘bout you not wantin’ to get knocked up. Only reason I bring it up is ‘cus I heard some foolin’ around in the basement the other day.”

Your eyes widen and you tense up with embarrassment, he laughs again,

“Now don’t get yourself all twisted up ‘bout it, s’about time that boy got some tail.”

Your muscles relax a bit, you couldn’t help but blush at your seemingly private exploration being heard. He continues,

“If you n’ the boy are gettin’ that serious, I feel I need to warn you that he’s got no bullet with the blast”

Your nerves wanted out of this conversation, but your curiosity made you dig for information,

“How would you know something like that?”

“Tommy ain’t our blood, Luda Mae found him in a dumpster behind the meat packin’ shop she worked at back in the day. Was a large thing, that boy, t’was clear the momma didn’t want nothin’ to do with him so she tossed him like trash. He was uglier ‘n hell as a baby, not much different than now.” He laughs. “But he ain’t right, somethin’ in his dang blood made him grow into such a fuckin’ beast, made him stronger than any man I ever knew.”

The road was coming up on the house now, you wanted to know more, so you turned to fully face Charlie and asked,

“Being big and strong doesn’t make someone infertile…”

Charlie smirked as he parked the truck near the wheat field and shut off the engine, he leaned his head at an angle to look at you without turning his body,

“Girly, you remember we told you ‘bout the infection fuckin’ up his face?” You nod,

He continues, “He was in the hospital a few weeks getting’ medicine. If he was a normal kid he woulda died. The doctor told us he had some, uh… dang what’d he say now?” Charlie ran his hand through his hair as he thought, “I dunno what it was, somethin’ ‘bout his blood bein’ shitted up n’ to not expect any grandkids, specially with all the drugs they dun gave him. Luda Mae was real upset; I didn’t give no fucks long as he’d help ‘round the farm, and boy did he get useful.”

He got out of the truck and started walking to the house, you sat there mulling over the information you were given. -If he is infertile… No need for protection I guess- The thought of finally being able to safelyhave raw unprotected sex made you hot with lustful fantasies, sex was hard to fully enjoy when you always had the underlying fear of pregnancy looming over you.

You entered the house and made your way to the kitchen where you saw Luda Mae in a nightgown pouring from a teapot. She turned and saw you, a smile immediately formed on her lips,

“You been away all day dear, did you eat anything?”

You shake your head and walk closer to her, she continues,

“Just as I thought. I saved you some dinner in the fridge there, you can heat it up in the oven which is already preheated for you.”

She sets down the teapot and says,

“Did you get a lot done dear?”

You open the fridge and find a large plate filled with comfort food, you respond,

“Thanks for saving me dinner, you didn’t have to.” She smiles at you, and you continue,

“I got a ton of things done, I’ll be out of your hair once my bed arrives”

Luda Mae’s smile sank, you could tell she didn’t want to hear you were leaving. She saw you looking at her expression and quickly changed it back to a smile, saying,

“Well, that’s good for you dear, but don’t go feelin’ like you have to leave right away now. Take as much time as you need.”

You feel her hand gently placed on your upper back, she gives you some comforting rubs and you tell her,

“Don’t worry, I’m going to be over a lot. It’s just that the orchard needs someone there to care for it, and it’s a big job.”

She nods, understanding the need to get back to normal,

“Alright hun, you eat whatever you like and get some tea from the pot there. I’m headin’ to bed now but if you need anything, just knock on my door.”

You thank her again and she walks up the stairs. You see Charlie come in after her, he went straight for the bread buns in the basket on the counter.

“You headin’ to bed girly?”

You shake your head, he stuffs the bun in his mouth and begins to leave,

“thya ‘omarro” His words were muffled by the food he was chewing, you wished him a good night and listened to him walk up the stairs to his room, his footsteps thudding more quietly with each step.

You put the plate in the oven and let out a big sigh as you sat in the chair, you weren’t tired despite being busy all day. The thoughts of Tommy unloading his orgasms into you were energizing, you sat there feeling the ache between your legs gain intensity. -he must have gone to sleep by now, I better get changed out of these sweaty clothes-

You made your way to the bedroom and threw off your shirt and shorts, you took off your bra and exhaled in relief letting your breasts experience natural gravity again. You picked out a purple oversized T shirt that reached your knees, you felt immediately comfortable and paused before you left the room. -Might be fun to feel a little breeze as I eat dinner, everyone went to bed anyway- you quickly slipped your underwear off and tossed it near your bed, you blushed as you made your way to the kitchen giggling to yourself about the bold idea.

You step back into the kitchen and turn off the oven, you leave the plate in there to soak up the last bits of heat so it doesn’t have any cool pockets to ruin the meal. You turn and open the side door that leads to the porch, your bare feet touching the smooth wood floor. The moon was bright and lit up the land, you looked out at your home up on the hill, it was a barely visible white blob sitting lonely on the hilltop watching over the orchard.

You wondered what this town was like when it was busy, there weren’t many buildings around that you saw when you reached the gas station, but you also never drove up the road past the Hewitt house; as far as you knew, there was just tall grass and an evil man’s hiding hole.

The night air was refreshingly cool, it brushed under your shirt and tickled your naked body which felt invigorating. Back home it was rare if the nights were warm enough to stand outside half dressed, but you also didn’t have a large private porch to lounge in either.

Suddenly, a glow of warm yellow string lights lit up from the roof of the porch illuminating a large man standing in the doorway. It was Tommy, he bent down to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe and closed the door behind him. You were shocked to see him, and were now very aware of the fact that you were completely nude under this shirt, you almost missed the fact that he was shirtless.

You pull down your shirt to ensure it isn’t somehow lifting up and making your lower region visible,

“I thought you were asleep?” you ask

“Heard y’come in, wanted t’check up on ya” he spoke softly.

He moved next to you, putting his massive arms on the railing and leaning forward to look at the land. You felt nervous being so close to him with your secret hiding under the thin fabric of your shirt. -Why am I nervous? I was in a pond with him naked for gods sake!- Despite your previous escapades you still felt giddy at the thought of him discovering your hidden nudity.

You try to divert your nerves with conversation,

“Thanks for teaching me how to defend myself, it feels better knowing I might stand a chance now.”

He nods at you and smiles with his eyes, his dark mask hiding his damaged skin, you noticed his pushed back hair was wet and when he moved closer you could smell the fresh scent of a masculine scented soap, it was intoxicating. You shake your head a little to snap yourself out of it,

“S-so were you going to stay up here a while? I need to get my dinner out of the oven if you want to hang out as I eat.”

You quickly make your way to the kitchen hoping to escape his alluring scent, it was flooding your mind with wicked thoughts about his arms squeezing around you like a python while he fucked you. -god damn, why does he have to smell so good, and look so good, and be so fucking massive and hot!- You argued with your thoughts, you wouldn’t be able to try playing with him while Luda-Mae and Charlie were just one floor away, too risky, but you didn’t want to be obvious by pulling him downstairs.

You were wise to his antics, and you remember when he said “I’m gon’ start messin’ with y’now”he made sure you understood he was going to torture you with desire. He followed you into the kitchen barely being able to pass through the doorframe, you try to ignore him, you were onto him and wanted to see what he would attempt.

“I’ll get that for ya” he reached down into the oven without oven mitts and grabbed the plate without flinching, he sets it down on the table in front of you then reaches to get you a fork.

You touch the plate and it stings with heat,

“How didn’t that burn you?”

He shrugs, “Thick skin I guess”

He takes a seat next to you and hands over the fork, you thank him and begin to eat. He leans back in the chair and relaxes as he watches you, he then asks,

“That house o’ yers is done huh”

You nod, eating hastily not realizing how hungry you were. He continues,

“Y’gon’ move on out then?” His voice was vibrating the plate on the table from the low timbre.

You swallow the large ball of food in your mouth and reply,

“The orchard hasn’t been properly tended to in a while, I have to keep those trees alive and… Tilly made it a clause in her will.”

He crosses his arms and nods, leaning back and looking away,

“Won’t see much of ya ‘round then I s’pose”

You put the fork down and sit back, a serious look on your face, he looks over at you and notices the shift,

“What’s amatter?” he asks.

You look him in the eyes, “I wanted to run something by you actually”

He shifts in his seat and places one arm on his thigh and the other on the table while his torso was turned to face you,

“Y’can ask me whatever y’want”

A tiny smile hits your lips from his words,

“Well, Dover didn’t really teach me about caring for the trees. I figure I can read up on it and do my best to learn everything I can but…” You paused, you clenched the edge of your t-shirt bottom before finding the courage to push out the question, “I want to know if you knew anything about caring for orchards, and maybe, if you did… you could teach me the basics until I can do it myself”

Tommy was quiet, he put his hand to his chin and was deep in thought, you got nervous and added,

“Y-you can say no its ok, I know it’s a big ask since you already do so much around here, I just thought it would be nice to… spend more time together is all.”

He leaned back in the chair, it creaked under his weight,

“I’ll help ya. I dunno a whole lot ‘bout orchards but, I helped Tilly when she needed it, she taught me a thing or two”

You smile, “I’m really glad”

You got up to put the leftovers away, Tommy followed and stood up to open the fridge door from behind you as you placed the food back inside.

When he shut the fridge door, he kept is arms around you fencing you in. You spun around to look at him, he was towering over you, his steely blue eyes gazed at you through heavy lids. He moved his hand to gently caress your neck and trailed it under your jaw, lifting your face to look in his eyes.

“Y’don’t need no excuse to get me alone” his voice was smooth and enshrouded your mind making you feel a wave of arousal flood your body.

“Oh Yeah?” you speak in a breathy whisper.

He nods slowly, you touch the thick leather of his mask and say,

“What do I need to do to see your handsome face then?”

He hangs his head down and laughs, he lifts his head and brings it close to your face,

“Go ‘head then”

You excitedly remove the mask revealing his gnarled old wound that exposed his teeth through his cheek, the more you got to see his real face the harder you fell for him.

“Still likin’ what y’see?” he asks.

You smile and lift yourself up to his face, you look into his eyes and slowly move in to kiss his lips. He lets out a muffled hum as he kisses you back, you press in harder and lift your hands to cup his face, his stubbles was shaved off to a clean finish. You forgot how wonderful his lips felt, the kiss quickly became heated with passion, both of you began to breathe more hastily.

Tommy put his hands on the sides on your body, slowly moving them downwards until he reached where he wanted to. He wrapped his hands around your thighs and lifted you up onto his chest so your face was the same level as his, you stifled an excited squeal when your body lifted into the air so effortlessly.

He smiled and kept you in his arms while kissing you, you threw your arms around his neck to keep your body leaned forward past his bulky pecs to reach his face. You felt his hands move inwards towards your weepy slit. He was trying to get a more stable grip so you could sit comfortably, but when his fingers discovered no underwear, he stopped kissing you and gave you a devilish grin,

“What we got here?” he spoke through a chuckle

You blushed and bit your lip remaining quiet, unsure of what to say,

He kept tickling your labia with gentle flicks of his fingers, your breathing hastened and you suppressed a moan with your hand over your mouth,

“Bad girl, y’need to go to yer room huh”

You nod, “Put me there”

 He moves his mouth close to yours, but when you lean in for a kiss, he slowly pulls away grinning. He carries you through the porch door, entering sideways and leaning down to avoid hitting his head. He stops when he reaches the double door leading to your room, he turns around and places you on the railing of the porch which is wide enough for you to sit comfortably.

“Why did you set me here?” you ask.

“I aint givin’ in so easily” he grumbles through a smirk

“…do you want me to beg or something?” you laugh.

He gives you a smug look, “Maybe”

“Oh please, I can keep myself under control. No amount of flirting would make me want to be-“

He cuts you off by gripping your hips and pulling your body close to the edge of the railing top so you were flush against his warm torso. You huff defiantly until he presses his erection onto your cunt, your abundant juices coated the fabric of his sweat pants. You let out an unexpected moan and quickly cover your mouth to quiet it.

Tommy slowly rubs his stiff cock up and down the length of your lips, pressing in when his head met your hole just to tease you. He was grinning watching you hold your hand to your mouth as you hushed your whines. You so badly wanted to feel the skin of his dick move inside you, the cloth barrier was unbearable. He was enjoying the antagonization, his grip on your hips was firm you wouldn’t be able to escape even if you wanted to, he just kept pulling you closer to him until you gave in and said,

“Please, I want it” your words were like a song to him.

“Well, since y’asked nicely” he growled.

He threw you over his shoulder, making you giggle, and entered your room through the porch entrance closing the doors behind him as swiftly as he entered. He gently laid you on the bed gazing down at you while you writhed with arousal, you hesitantly spread your legs and lifted your shirt to reveal your lower half. Tommy got on the bed, it made a creaking groan under his massive weight. He leaned over you and placed one of his hands down between your folds caressing your entrance, you breathed in sharply and spread your legs further to let him have more access.

Tommy ran his fingers over your tender skin, his digits getting slick with wet the more he rubbed. You put your arms around his neck and pulled his face onto yours and kissed him, he moaned into your mouth and slipped his middle finger into your hole,

“Oh fuck” you whispered

His finger was almost as thick as an average man’s penis, and just as long. He slowly moved in and out of you, the calloused skin scratched your walls and bumped your g-spot sending your nerves into overdrive with pleasure, he feels your walls clench down on his finger,

“Y’got such a tiny lil hole” he says gruffly.

“Yeah? Why don’t you fuck it then” you command.

He pulls his finger out and runs his hand up your shirt skimming along your sensitive skin as he moves, he finds your breast and starts massaging the nipple making you moan with the electrical impulses that tickle your nerves.

“Y’want me bad huh” his tone was mocking.

You reply in a breathy tone “Please, fuck me”

Tommy pinches your nipple before he leans back and pulls his massive cock out from under his sweatpants, his erection was so full that he whined as he held it. Seeing his massive length was sending you over the edge with desperation. Tommy lowered himself down so his shaft lay on your clit, his dick was heavy and warm, the feeling of it on your swollen nub was making you feel drunk with desire.

He rubbed his length up and down your wet folds at an agonizingly slow pace, your wetness coating all along his cock making it glisten in the light of the moon. You tried to wrap your legs around his hips to pull him in but he quickly grabbed them with ease and pushed them all the way back so your knees were touching the sides of your chest.

You were so sexually frustrated with having him tease your greedy hole, you tried to raise your hips to entice him to slip inside but he remained steady.

Tommy saw how badly you wanted him to fuck you, he loved watching how your body beckoned him to enter it. He decided to have mercy on you and pressed his thick head on your hole, allowing you to slowly adjust to the width. He let out heavy sighs as your pussy began to slowly swallow his tip, the soft velvety feel of your lips made him moan deeply. The stretch of his girth sent waves of pleasure through your core and the vibration of his deep voice made it seem like you were mating with a beast.

You managed to slip halfway down his head before he couldn’t take much more and he began to slowly move his tip in and out. He was groaning, trying to control himself but your slicked entrance was beginning to bring out something feral from deep within him, he kept trying to slide more of himself inside but you weren’t opening up fast enough to allow him full entry.

You grab onto his wrists and dig your nails in, he was so wide that your poor little cunt couldn’t adjust fast enough to meet his lulling thrusts. You could feel a sting of pain with each movement as his width increased, the pleasure was overpowering the sting and you didn’t want him to stop. It felt like an impossible task to get even just the rest of his head inside, but you wanted so desperately to be penetrated by him, so you focused on relaxing your muscles to grant him deeper access.

He was quickly losing control over his movements and felt your vaginal walls loosening up, he fought the urge to just aggressively push in deep to get past the last hurdle. He was high on the feeling of your insides, his mind felt light and dreamy, as if his brain was swimming. He kept pressing in further with each forward motion until all of his head was finally inside you, he pulled out further before each hungry thrust to coat himself in more of your dripping sweetness.

“I want the whole thing, give it to me Tommy, I need it” you pleaded.

Tommy needed to get hold of his mind that was beginning to slip away, he had a strong carnal desire to just plow into you but he instead forced himself to remain still. You look up at him wondering why he stopped moving, your vaginal walls still pulsating around his tip from the incredible sensations it brought. He gives you a crooked grin and gently pulls out of you, then stands up off the bed and hastily puts his pants over his erection.

“What! Why?” you asked furiously

He laughs, “That’s payback, my angel”

Tommy walks out of your room and leaves you there a dripping, horny mess; You chuckled to yourself and flopped onto your stomach and yelled into your pillow. You now wanted to get past this cheeky stage and just start fucking like rabbits but you knew he was going to continue this provocatory teasing. It was time to pull out all your tricks and make it so unbearable for him to resist that he will give up messing around and give into his temptations.

Tommy got back into his room in the basement, his mask back on his face where it belonged. He was still fully engorged and now feeling pain from the intense pressure, he needed a release badly, but he also wanted to start practicing control over his desires. He was worried, he felt so close to just letting go and fucking you silly, he wanted to be fully present and aware if your needs when you two finally, properly, lay together.

He flopped on his bed and sighed; he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this up for. The next time, he may not be able to pull away so easily.

Special authors note: I wanted to stray from the norm of Thomas constantly being portrayed as having a breeding kink (it can be hot don't get me wrong) because I know there are a lot of women who don't want to read breeding/pregnancy kink for various valid reasons and its fairly hard to find AFAB x Tommy smut where he isn't depicted in such a way. If you were expecting that, I apologize for disappointing you but I try to cater to the people who don't often get catered to because inclusivity is important to me when making adult content. So from here on out, the rest of the chapters in this series will be for the gals who don't want to think of that stuff when reading smut. Thank you for taking the time to read my fic, likes, reblogs, and comments are extremely appreciated.

-Next chapter

[dreammakcr]

( most wanted ships! warning - this is an extensive list )

bellatrix black/tom riddle

george weasley/hermione granger

george weasley/angelina johnson

ginny weasely/draco malfoy

ginny weasley/harry potter

hermione granger/ron weasley

hermione granger/draco malfoy

lily evans/james potter

lily evans/remus lupin

narcissa black/lucius malfoy

neville longbottom/hannah abbot

neville longbottom/luna lovegood

rose weasley/teddy lupin

rose weasley/scorpius malfoy

alice cullen/jasper hale

alice cullen/bella swan

bella swan/edward cullen

carlisle cullen/esme cullen

charlie swan/sue clearwater

emmett cullen/rosalie hale

katrina denali/garrett

tanya denali/edward cullen

winona uley/renesmee cullen

alicent hightower/rhaenyra targaryen

sansa stark/theon greyjoy

myrcella baratheon/robb stark

adam auradon/belle

amelia thermopolis/nicholas devereaux

anastasia romanov/dimitri

ariel triton/eric

charlotte la bouff/tiana

flynn ryder/rapunzel

jasmine shah/aladdin

kim possible/shego

kim possible/ron stopable

megara/hercules

tiana maladonia/naveen

amarantha/tamlin

azriel/elain archeron

azriel/gwyneth berdara

cassian/nesta archeron

feyre archeron/tamlin

feyre archeron/rhysand

lucien vanserra/elain archeron

morrigan/emerie

blossom sungaze/nyx

tamlin sungaze/elain archeron

anne boleyn/catherine of aragon

anne boleyn/katherine howard

katherine howard/thomas culpeper

elphaba thropp/glinda upland

elphaba thropp/fiyero tigelaar

maureen johnson/joanne jefferson

mimi marquez/roger davis

dean winchester/jo harvelle

mary winchester/john winchester

aphrodite/ares

hades/persephone

bruce wayne/selina kyle

clark kent/lois lane

diana prince/bruce wayne

diana prince/steve trevor

harleen quinzel/pamela isley

phoebe halliwell/coop

phoebe halliwell/cole

piper halliwell/leo wyatt

inuyasha/kagome

mamoru chiba/usagi tsukino

amy santiago/jake peralta

bo dennis/dyson thornwood 

bo dennis/lauren lewis

david nolan/mary margaret blanchard

hale santiago/kenzi malikov

olivia benson/elliot stabler

regina mills/robin hood

veronica mars/logan echolls

elizabeth bennett/mr. darcy

elle woods/emmett forest

elle woods/vivian kensington

ian o'shea/wanderer

alessandra stathos/kallias

cardan greenbriar/jude duarte

elizabeth comstock/booker dewitt

karlach cliffgate/wyll ravengard

lou le blanc/reid diggory

wrath/emilia di carlo

[handeaux]

For Cincinnati’s Dandelion Hunters, Harvesting Weeds Was Often An Adventure

It was the spring of 1913. Cincinnati Police got word a craps game was operating in the shadow of the Fairview Incline. The gamblers picked a good location, with clear views all around. They could spot any police interference with plenty of time to conceal all the evidence. The cops determined that subterfuge was necessary to put a lid on this game.

It is likely Police Lieutenant Thomas M. Hall came up with the gambit, or maybe it was Officer William B. Meyer or Office John H. Rabe Jr., the two patrolmen who assisted him, but the strategy proved flawless. The three policemen disguised themselves as dandelion hunters. The gamblers paid no attention to three men in mufti filling baskets with spring greens. They were caught red-handed and flat-footed and all five of them ended up in the hoosegow.

Dandelion hunters? Who would have thought? Today, there would hardly be any cover story more suspect. Who goes out hunting for dandelions these days? A hundred years ago, dandelion hunting was a very big thing and dandelion hunters figured into some of the biggest mysteries in Cincinnati.

In November 1904, the body of 18-year-old Alma Steinigeweg was found, brutally murdered, in the field between the foot of Winton Road and the Mill Creek. An investigation dragged on for years, but no one was ever charged with the crime. For months, investigators didn’t even have a murder weapon. Then, in April of 1905, Joseph Raison of Madisonville took a break from his job at a lumberyard on Spring Grove Avenue to pick some dandelions for dinner. He found a splintered pickaxe handle with hair matted on one end just 150 feet from where the victim’s body had been found. It matched the victim’s wounds.

Then there was the case of Edmund Grossmann of Cumminsville. He was a grocer and butcher who one day walked out of his house and never returned. Grossmann’s family scoured the area for a week with no luck. And then, according to the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [26 February 1906]:

“Saturday, while picking dandelions on the side of Roll Hill, with her two children, Mrs. Maggie Markle, 3631 Borden Street, noticed the prostrate form of a man lying in the bushes close by. She thought it was that of a sleeping man and avoided the neighborhood.”

Returning home, Mrs. Markle described the incident to a neighbor, John Pherson, who walked over to Roll Hill expecting to chase away a tramp. He found Grossmann’s body. The grocer had strangled himself with a handkerchief and his own suspenders.

Vernon Presley, of 1504 Elm Street, found a much less macabre bit of criminal evidence when he and his wife parked their car along the Mary Ingles Highway in Daytona, Kentucky. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer [13 April 1955]:

“A dandelion hunter was $100 richer yesterday because, instead of finding dandelions, he uncovered a box containing stocks and bonds valued at $62,000.”

The box was part of the loot carried off from the home of William Peebles of Silverton, who had been robbed a week earlier while the family was out of town. Peebles gave Presley $100 for his acuity.

And then there was Viola Nolan of 1578 Baymiller Street, who told the Cincinnati Post [28 September 1923]:

“While picking dandelions on Price Hill, I cut one flower and found a plain gold ring on the stalk. The stalk had grown thru the ring which had been dropped.”

But dandelion hunting had its hazards as well as its rewards. In 1907 a good-sized hog escaped from the pens of farmer Henry Brink in Hartwell. The porcine fugitive established itself in Pfau’s Woods near the city infirmary (now known as Drake Hospital) and chased away children who came to the woods to hunt dandelions. The men of the neighborhood organized a posse to capture the beast. In another case, the Enquirer [14 April 1917] reported:

“Mrs. Mary Hurst, 55 years old, Rossmoyne, Ohio, was killed yesterday by a south-bound Dayton Express on the C. L. and N. Railway near her home. Coroner Bauer was informed Mrs. Hunt was picking dandelions at the side of the tracks and she was drawn under the train by suction.”

And some folks just didn’t cotton to random trespassers picking dandelions on their property. In 1909, George Wasser sued George Weyman in Campbell County Court because, while Wasser was picking dandelions on Weyman’s farm, Weyman shot him twice – in his hip and in a foot – permanently crippling him. Similarly, Denato Mariaus of California, Ohio, sued Jack Weiner for shooting at him while he hunted dandelions on Weiner’s property near Coney Island.

In the 1920s, with Prohibition settling like a wet blanket on the land, dandelions surged in popularity because of the ease with which they could be induced to create a sort of wine. The Cincinnati Post [18 July 1923] opined that dandelion wine had replaced beer as Cincinnati’s iconic beverage:

“Some Cincinnatians suggest adoption of the dandelion as the city’s official flower. How the mighty hops have fallen! Moreover, homemade dandelion wine isn’t bad, at all.”

So popular was this concoction, that the Enquirer [24 April 1930] facetiously investigated a mystery:

“We see a lot of people picking the dandelion blossoms without trying to dig the plants themselves out of the lawn. What can it mean d’ya suppose?”

Interestingly, the Volstead Act that created Prohibition allowed for modest production of grape or fruit wine at home. Since dandelions were not fruit, dandelion wine was strictly prohibited. Dandelion wine was so easy to make, Cincinnati revenuers generally ignored the law and looked the other way during the springtime harvest. If you want to try dandelion wine yourself, here is a recipe from the Cincinnati Post [7 April 1913]:

“To 4 quarts flowers, take 4 quarts boiling water, cover well with water, let stand 3 days. Add peel of 3 oranges and 1 lemon, boil for 15 minutes, drain and add juice of oranges and lemons to 4 pounds of sugar and one cupful of yeast. Keep in a warm room, strain again. Let stand for 3 weeks, then bottle and serve.”

[lover-also-fighter-also]

HUFFLE'S MC MASTERLIST (NOTE: LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Hi everyone,

I figured instead of cluttering my intro page with the links for my MC profiles, I would make a separate post for it, along with the status of my choices playthroughs, and whether or not I will be making MC profiles for them. (inspired by @cadybear420 's MC masterlist).

Note: The ones I marked TBD it's still to be determined.

Completed with full profiles:

The Elementalists: Anitha Russell

Birthday: December 26, 1999

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Bisexual (with a higher preference to guys)

LI: Griffin Langley

High School Story (Original Trilogy) : Ria Monero

Birthday: 7th September, 2000

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Lesbian

LI: Maria Flores

High School Story (Original Trilogy): Jeremy Rin

Birthday: 21st December, 2000

Gender: Cis-Man (he/him)

Sexuality: TBD (thinking bi-curious)

LI: Emma Hawkins

High School Story (Class Act) : Mila Delgado

Birthday: 15th April, 2002

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Biromantic and Bisexual

LI: Skye Crandall

Open Heart: Harshith Sharma

Birthday: 20th March, 1994

Gender: Cis-Man (He/Him)

Sexuality: Biromantic and Bisexual

LI: Aurora Emery

Veil of Secrets: Tanya Sharma

Birthday: 17th May, 1997

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Demisexual (with only preference to men)

LI: Flynn O'Malley

Completed with In-progress Profiles:

Blades of Light and Shadow: Halor (Last Name TBD)

Birthday: TBD

Species: Elf (the blue sprite)

Gender: Cis-Male (he/him)

Sexuality: Multisexual

LI: TBD (Im planning to pair him with Tyril, but also want to go for the Valax Route)

Bloodbound: Lexi Wong

Birthday: April 20th, 1996

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Pansexual

LI: TBD (Im thinking to pair her up with Jax, but Lily is also great!)

Crimes of Passion: Lauren Rose

Birthday: June 10th, 1995

Gender: TBD

Sexuality: TBD

LI: Trystan Thorne

Desire & Decorum: Jenny Mills

Birthday: November 2nd, 1795

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Lesbian

LI: Annabelle Parsons

Endless Summer: Alicia (no last name)

Birthday: 1st January, 1996 (but realistically undetermined- You know why)

Gender: TBD

Sexuality: Biromantic and Bisexual

LI: TBD (all of them are good!)

The Freshman Series: Audrey Jones

Birthday: 5th May, 1996

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Straight

LI: TBD (I have played the James route once and I really liked it, so mostly Im thinking to stick to it)

The Heist: Monaco: Ari (no last name)

Birthday: July 10th, 1993

Gender: GNC Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Polysexual

LI: TBD (Im leaning more towards Eris or Sonia)

Hero: Lucas Sanders

Birthday: 2nd January, 1996 (well, it may not be the real birth date, but that was the day his adoptive mom found him so it became his birthday)

Gender: Cis-Man (he/him)

Sexuality: Gay

LI: TBD (Still conflicted between Grayson and Kenji)

Hot Couture: Janice Moore

Birthday: 7th February, 1994

Gender: Trans-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: wlw

LI: Luz Estrada

Immortal Desires: Megan Reese

Birthday: 12th August, 2005

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Biromantic and Bisexual

LI: Gabriela Adalhard & Cassius Harlow

It Lives in the Woods: Jenna Salem

Birthday: 18th October, 2000

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Lesbian

LI: Ava Cunningham

It Lives Beneath: Melissa Vance

Birthday: 21st November, 1998

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Straight

LI: Tom Soto

It Lives Within: Prem Rathore

Birthday: 30th August, 1998

Gender: Cis-Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Demiromantic and Demisexual

LI: Amalia de Leon

Laws of Attraction: Dylan Parker

Birthday: 18th December, 1990

Gender: Trans-Man (he/him)

Sexuality: Bisexual

LI: Aslinn Tanaka

Mother of the Year: Andrea Kim

Birthday: 22nd January, 1981

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Straight

LI: Thomas Mendez

Murder at Homecoming: Valentine Daniel Stone

Birthday: 15th September, 2004

Gender: Cis-Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Gay

LI: Tyler Woods

Nightbound: Kate Williams

Birthday: 20th September, 1993

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Bisexual

LI: Vera Reimonenq

With Every Heartbeat: Willow Woods

Birthday: 2nd March, 2000

Gender: Cis-Woman (She/Her)

Sexuality: Lesbian

LI: Dakota Winchester (female hispanic sprite)

Replay for an MC profile:

Across The Void

America's Most Eligible

The Crown & The Flame

A courtesan of Rome

The Cursed Heart (bk 2)

Distant Shores

Foreign Affairs

Guinevere

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor

Kindered

Passport to Romance

Platinum

The Royal Romance + The Royal Heir + The Royal Finale

The Unexpected Heiress

Wake the Dead

Haven't Played yet (But may create MC profile):

Baby Bump

Bachelorette Party

Big Sky Country

The Deadliest game

Dirty Little Secrets

Getaway Girls

LoveHacks

Most Wanted

Perfect Match

The Phantom Agent

Queen B (bk 2)

Red Carpet Diaries

Ride or Die

The Royal Masquerade

Haven't Played yet/Jury Still out for MC profile:

Along Came Treble

Alpha

A Very Scandalous Proposal

The Billionaire's Baby

The Duchess Affair

Filthy Rich

First Comes Love

Guarded

Hearts on Fire

Home for the Holidays

Hot Shot

Kiss of Death

Make That Date!

Ms. Match

My Two First Loves

The Nanny Affair

The Princess Swap

The Promise of Forever

Rising Tides

Roommates With Benefit

Rivals with Benefits

Save the Date

Ship of Dreams

Shipwrecked

Slow Burn

Sunkissed

Surrender

Untamable + Unbridled

Witness

Wishful thinking

Wolf Bride

[tonytonychopprano]

\\ ERIDANUS SUPERVOID - 1 //

Bruno finds Thomas dead in their home.

cw: major character death. graphic descriptions of a corpse decaying. mentions of cardiac illness. bruno refers to thomas' residual limbs as nubs 1x or 2x (this character is ok with it tho).

nb: im actively learning french so pls kindly correct my mistakes.

It's recycling day.

Bruno's familiar with certain human concepts, though it was centuries since he's been one--the holidays, festivals, feasts. He distinctly remembers Kenneth telling him about the traditions of l'États-Unis moderne: Thanksgiving feasts, trick-and-treating, an entire day spent sharing candies and chocolates taken from the Saint of Valentine (so many days set aside just for eating! he wishes he could visit such a wonderful place), and the superb bowl of roses that seemed, to him, something like their way of beckoning the end of winter.

He is certain, though, they couldn't compare to recycling day.

Elsee had arisen him early that day, startling him from his trance with frenetic rapping on the window of their bedroom. A clot of ferals milled around it, pawing at the joints in the wood, digging their fingers into the cracks and nibbling the chunks of mortar they yank loose. Bruno narrows his thoughts into a needle and strikes, an opalescent waver sprouting from his skull and whipping through thin air, lancing through the clot. They scatter, hissing and growling, screaming back at him in their own minds fuck you fuck you we are HUNGRY fuck you and the sound echoes in the well of his brain like the clanging of a church bell.

Beside him, Thomas huffs and shuffles deeper under the comforter.

Elsee!--stop them; they are eating our walls.

Come o-o-o-on, it whines. It's shrill and pierces Bruno's brain. Gonna eat 'em. Gonna eat your whole house. It starts slapping weakly at the glass. Despite the bastard tone it's taking Bruno can sense the desperation, the panic. Elsee is so hungry. The Unflesh fear not just the humans but also their own bellies.

"Minou," Thomas moans, rolling to his side and pulling the covers over his head. "Make 'em go away."

His voice still has that catch in it, that tremble. His words are thick and his breath comes in hoarse rattles. He's been sick for three days, now--a flu, perhaps, or an infection. He wouldn't say. Only asked that Bruno leave him be when he said so. Bruno lays a hand on his sweaty forehead, cards his fingers through his red-gold curls. Settles himself, hones his thoughts to a pin and sticks himself down the center and nails himself in place. At once the feelings of his fellows evaporate; everything vanishes, his vision tunneling to a single blue-eyed, fair-skinned point.

Yum, yum. Pepperleaf wood. Elsee peels a splinter out of a board and nibbles it like a French fry. Spicy house. Tommybaby's gonna be sad we had to eat your house.

Mon ami, sil vous. You can leave without me this once. Can't you? He brushes his thumb over Thomas' ashen cheek and watches his eyelids flutter. He coughs, a miserable hacking sound. Pity seeps into him like he's been draped with wet wool. Poor Thomas; what an awful flu.

Poor Tommybaby. Poor us. Poor Elsee, it gets no trash and no garbage and will starve. Crinkleback says--and here it begins slavering, scraping at the sill, an irritating beast--Crinkleback says Lord Hand-on-dick passed some new law. No more surface dumps. All comes down for us now.

That--does bring him pause. How many dead, human and antisoul both?--hundreds of millions? More? The thought of so much refuse makes him shudder; his tattoos wriggle, sprouting shoots and buds that swell and burst and ripen into shiny, heavy fruits--medlars, peaches, fat ears of corn with kernals like fists. Is that really all for them now? For what reason? Bruno douses the suspicion blooming within him and chooses to focus on the bounty.

Show me.

Immediately there's a wash of feeling as his mind links with Elsee's: the sharp pangs of hunger boiling in its belly, the background fear all Unflesh feel, the faint wants of the far-off moonsick ferals that gradually strengthened as his connection did until, with a discomforting ripple that turns briefly his skull to jelly, he became one with his fellows and for a horrifying second he had ceased to be Bruno at all, felt nothing but the need to run and the vicious fear of La Famine and the curiosity--there was a human in his bed, warm and alive and full of blood with soft pink lungs endlessly drawing breath--

And then it passed, and his soul solidified, and all he could hear was the excited chirping of Elsee as it mentally displayed the bounty being dumped down the Grand Doline and falling through hundreds of miles of darkness to land in the detritus fields: fruit and vegetable peels and old papers and and bottles both glass and plastic; broken scraps of surface-world industry, commercial robots soaked in rich-smelling motor oils, small home objects like his petit's miniature-wave cooker and his mixer, all held in shiny, sweet-tasting bags that stretched like taffy and melted deliciously in his mouth. The images are warped and malformed--Elsee must have been terribly excited to have such a poor recollection--but it's enough to make Bruno's stomach flip.

You like?

He does. Terribly so.

But--ami, I can't. Thomas is ill.

So what? There's shittons of humans. Fuck a healthy one.

With a flick of his ears a torrent of his thoughts spill from his brain and slam into Elsee's chest, sending it crashing into the dirt with a cacophonous screech. Thomas jolts, sitting straight up in bed, chest heaving under his thin singlet. When he sees the Unflesh outside his window he draws the covers up over his chest and crosses his arm, grimacing. His fingernails dig into the skin of his breastbone there so tightly they leave red crescents behind. "The fuck was that?"

"It--nothing, abeille. Please, rest. It is only my fellows. We--we are hungry," he says slowly. As if ashamed.

"So go eat, cher. Ain't no fuckin' fun right now anyhow." He gives a wan smile. His moustache is unkempt and several days of beard growth long since turned his sideburns into misshapen blobs. His grip has relaxed; his hand comes up to idly rub his jaw, his neck. Is he mad?--Bruno senses something like a…a wobble in his heart's normal rhythm. "Look at me. You been sittin' vigil for days and I'm still here. Go out and have fun."

"Are you mad? Petit, it is so dangerous here, and you are so sick--my fellows come and go all day, what if we hurt you by mistake? You are human--tu es fragile--"

Thomas gives him a hateful glare that chills the room several degrees.

"Désolé," he says quickly. That had been one of the things le thérapeute had warned him on--coddling him. "I only-- I want to keep you safe." Bruno smiles. "I ate yesterday." I'll be alright.

Well, I will NOT, and the noise of it is so loud and sudden he flinches.

Thomas notices. Before he can ask the question: "Elsee is--it is very angry this morning."

"All the more fuckin' reason to head out, then, huh?" Now it's his turn to cut Bruno off--"Minou, you 'member what I told you? 'Bout goin' when I asked?" He flops back onto the bed. His breath catches when he does. "All I'm gonna do today is sleep anyhow."

Is it wrong to be excited?--he already feels himself beginning to shiver.

"I--you are serious, ma crevette?"

"As a--I--yeah, minou. I am."

(Later, he'd think of the way his face changed, the flash of agony. The fear.)

\\\ /// \\\ /// \\\ ///

The detritus fields had been ripe with treasures. They took the six mile journey at a sprint, racing each other, screeching with joy, clots of Unflesh breaking off from their groups at the sight of running and, madly, instinctively, darting through the ink-black tunnels after them. The cave walls echoed with chirps and chatters, the karst slick and pearly with moisture from the thick heat of Hannick City's heart pumping electricity up through the rocky earth and into the tall leafless trees Thomas called utility poles.

Within thirty minutes Bruno, Elsee, and the forty or so zombies they'd collected as they ran had carved out a little spot for themselves, nestling among a towering pile of cardboard boxes reeking of cured meat and grease. He'd eaten his cardboard strips and watched the millions of his fellows dig through the trash, picking through piles of garbage as tall as buildings. Some scrapped over who got the most fruit peels or who had more printer ink than the other; a couple had drawn blood with the ferocity of their fights. The entire chamber was a deafening blast of squalling, screeching--among the more intact Unflesh, actual speech--and the air was so dense and hazy with thought Bruno had found himself more than once thinking with someone else's brain by mistake.

Some hours had passed before they'd all eaten their fills (Bruno alone had had eleven of those delicious boxes, as well as several tin cans and six peaches--completely fine except for some bruising and webbing near their stems. It maddened him what people would dispose of--all the more for them, he'd supposed.)

It wasn't until Elsee and Spinach were walking him home that he remembered--Thomas. His chest bucks, a sick facsimile of a heartbeat. He'd been gone nearly four hours.

He waves them off before they can get within a few miles of their home, watching them gallop off into the darkness of the tunnels. Guilt pools and burns in his stomach like he's sipped acid. How was he doing?--had his nap helped? was he hungry? Bruno was a miserable cook but perhaps he could trade some of the cardboard snacks he'd taken in his pockets for human food. A soup, perhaps. Bruno has been dead for several centuries but even he remembers the healing warmth of a hot broth in an uneasy stomach.

Bruno is still fiddling with his cardboard--dividing it up (rather selfishly) into enough strips to be tempting but not so many that he won't have anything for himself later--when he comes upon his front door. Locked; he twitches his ear, flicks out a single needle-thin waver, slips it into the lock and listens to the soft sounds of tumblers.

He freezes.

All he can hear is the tumblers.

Where is Thomas?--he hates the silence. Fears it so greatly he will sleep with a radio blaring simply to not be alone in the quiet, no matter how groggy it makes him the next morning. Why is nothing playing? No music, no sounds?

Bruno pushes the door open.

The house is dark. A faint hissing noise floats towards him from the back of the house.

He relaxes; he didn't realize how tense he was until his shoulders drop and he laughs, a nervous guttural sound like gravel rattling in a tin. He's taking a shower. After three days stuck sick in bed, that's the first place he'd go, too.

Well--surely he wouldn't mind some company?

Bruno makes his way down the hall, making sure to slam the door and call out Thomas' name (the last thing he wants is to frighten him) before he does. When he gets to the washroom door he slips his jacket off and lets the fabric puddle on the ground, the air hot and heavy on his skin. His tattoos are writhing and growing uncontrollably, lashing with excitement, making his skin itch; a cluster of purple lupines and tree orchids explode into bloom on his belly and their seeds burst forth in a torrent (obscenely, he thinks, and cringes).

"Thomas?" he calls out, knocking. He rubs at the place on his stomach where the lupines grew and forces them down. It's difficult to control his tattoos, but not impossible. "May I come in?" (Of course he can, but--c'est courtois.)

There's no response. Not even his customary answering knock on the tin walls of the shower.

"Thomas?"

"Abeille."

"Petit, are you alright?"

A moment passes before he opens the door.

It's absurdly normal inside. So much so that when Bruno walks up to the shower and draws back the curtain he stares dumbly at where Thomas' head should be before he can manage to look down at the metal floor of the shower and see

him

laying

in a tangled heap on the floor and his eyes are half-lidded, death-dulled and sunken deep in his skull, lips blue and parted and coated in a thin sheen of watery bile. His hair is dry and matted; half of him is out of the stream of water and the skin there is rapidly turning the wax-color of a corpse.

"T--Thomas?"

Thinks, stupidly: Why would you play such a horrible joke?

He reaches out; there's a sickening ripple as his tattoos rush up and over his chest and down his arms and crowd his palms. Bruno touches his face.

A spike of pain screams through him--it's empty, it's completely empty, there is no thought in him at all--and instantly he's diving under the icy spray, dragging his limp

(it is not a corpse)

form out of the shower and laying him flat on the floor, pressing his ear to his chest, and when he hears nothing there he simply freezes. The scarred skin on the nubs of his arm and leg are puckered and wrinkled from the water and his eyes are cloudy grey. He must be freezing, but he's so still. He can hear himself saying his name, over and over, stroking his face and his damp hair with shaking hands, like a chant, some prayer that will bring him

(not back; he's fine, what's there to come back from?)

to full wakefulness.

"N-non," he whines, an involuntary keening sound like a whipped dog. "Non, ab--abeille, petit, please--"

He shakes his shoulders. Bruno's fingers sink deep into the skin and he shudders, nauseous, head spinning, watching with wide-eyed horror as a wodge of his flesh deforms and melts, peeling off his shoulder and clinging to his wet palms like clay. His vision blurs.

"Dieu, fuck! Thomas, please," he says, sucking in breaths so deep it makes his chest burn. "P-please--this isn't funny, Thomas, Tommy," he sobs, "please--w-wake up. S-say--talk, say anything," and his voice is a hoarse rasp, grinding in his throat, and he begs for him to wake up again

and again

and again, for nearly a half-hour--a half-hour on his knees, staring into his petit's blank, empty corpse-face and begging for him to come back until the soreness in his rotting lungs is so severe he can no longer take breath to speak.

The hissing of the shower's spray and the clicking sounds of his crying are the only noises in the room. The spray gentles; soon the water tank has emptied and the room goes silent. Bruno gives out and collapses, lays his head down on his chest; he hears neither the beating of his heart nor the pulsing of his blood and it's so--it's so ugly, it's a disgusting thing--to be so quiet there--he pulls back and buries his face in his hands so he doesn't have to see the depression he'd left, the way his ribs had bent in like reeds--hear the sound of it--he quails, moaning.

"Thomas."

The word hangs in the air like a spider's thread, fragile and useless.

He should have been here.

If he'd been here, he could have helped.

This wouldn't have happened if he'd been here. There are hospitals--even down here, in the caves, there are doctors, clinics--he didn't even ask if Thomas wanted to go, he didn't--do anything, nothing at all for him--

He'd run off and left him to die alone.

It comes to him so suddenly he flinches, closing off his brain lest one of his fellows was near.

It--he'd left him.

The look on his face as he'd been going--that single second of panic--why hadn't he noticed until now? What had he said to him before leaving? What was the last thing Thomas heard?

Surely not what he wanted. Needed.

He sinks down, inches as close as he dares and rests his head near the remnant of Thomas' right arm. The hairs there tickle and it's so familiar, comforting, he nearly screams.

A pop echoes through the room. He roughly gestures towards the shower with a snarl, a waver snapping out and turning the handle so violently it snaps off at the joint and clatters to the floor. But it sounds again and he turns, head swivelling. The noise is colossal--God cracking his knuckles.

It's coming from Thomas.

Mute from horror, eyes so wide they sting, Bruno watches.

Thomas' belly bulges out in a nightmarish imitation of a woman quickening, fat swollen lumps welling under his skin, his body bloating, skin browning; his stomach doubles, triples in size before a torrent of foamy white-green liquid froths out of his mouth, eyes, ears, and the corpse-bile spilling from him soaks into Bruno's jeans and he screams. It reeks of cadaverine, the stink of dead flesh--he gags, stomach constricting painfully, scuttling backwards until he slams into the far wall, whimpering. He has to bite down on his wrist to stop himself.

His stomach caves in on itself. His ribs collapse. He's--he looks--like one of them. A rotten body, waxen skin stretched tight over the bone.

It's silent again. Only the quiet trickling of bile dripping from his face to the tiled floor.

"T-Thomas--?"

His body lifts its arm.

The skin there, purple and mottled with blood, withered to the bone--reforms. Fleshes out, thickens. Old dead flesh dribbles off in rivulets as new knits together, a golden sheen covering him; patches of his body shine and gleam like precious stones and from those spots blood and warmth flow freely, coursing through him. The scars at the end of his limbs and the ones etched into his skin stiffen and split as his body reforms, fresh scar tissue flooding the gouges left behind; in a moment they're shiny-pink, new.

Bruno scrubs his hands over his face, laces his fingers behind his head. This is--not happening.

He's--he was poisoned. It's happened before, dozens of times. The trash--it always has hemocides or bleach or foul-tasting chemicals mixed into it, to hurt them, kill them--this time it was something--else.

Thomas' body jerks like a marionette, a crazy dance, arm and leg twitching, hand curling into a claw and scraping at the wall. His chest bucks as his organs reshape themselves, bones cracking and snapping into place; after a few dreadful minutes the only movement is the swell of his breast rising and falling as he draws in breath after ragged breath. Even his face pinks up, takes on a healthy glow. The ashen cast is gone. He looks--healthy.

Like he was never sick. Never dead.

Cautiously, Bruno relaxes himself. Lets his brain wander, feel.

Energy.

He crawls forward, reaches out with a shaking hand and taps Thomas' cheek.

"Mm--quit. Quit it. 'M sleepin'." He makes to roll over and when he feels only his own nakedness he startles. He gives Bruno a look so wounded, so hurt, he feels it like a knife in him. "Oh, fuck, minou--"

"Y-you--you were dead," he says numbly.

For four blinks, there is silence. Thomas' face crumples.

"B-Bruno, cher, I'm--Bruno, I'm so sorry." He flails, shifts himself to a sort of half-sit, and leans forward on his intact leg as far as he can without toppling. He wraps his arm around Bruno, nearly in his lap. He's warm. Alive. Bruno lays a hand gently on his back and feels the blood rushing under the skin there; he feels hot tears splashing against his chest as well. He hugs him tighter.

He doesn't say anything. Why bother?--who cares? He's alive. If he tells himself it was only a hallucination, some horrible waking nightmare--couldn't it be? He's alive.

He holds Thomas while he cries, his shoulders trembling.

Bruno is shaking, too.

"Thomas--cher abeille, please--is this...." He swallows hard. "This is--real? You are alright?"

Perhaps he tries to say something. Thomas gasps, chokes on his own sobs. Bruno cups his cheek, brushes the tears away with his thumb, feels the faintest tinge of regret.

"Um--uh, minou, w-we need to--to talk, I think."

[montecristohq]

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐏 — 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.

MONTE CRISTO .

monte cristo is a ghost town northwest of monte cristo peak in washington . the town was active as a mining area for gold & silver from 1889 to 1907 , and later became a resort town that operated until 1983 . following disastrous flooding of the road in december 1980 , and the decision not to make bridge or road repairs , the lodge closed for good . it burned under suspicious circumstances in march 1983 . people who hike to the monte cristo ghost town have reported voices yelling into the void , the sound of chopping wood , footsteps inside the cabins , the sound of hoarse laughter from the center of camp , and even apparitions that seem to shapeshift amongst the trees .

THE FISH LADDER.

ebbing off from a majestic waterfall, the fish ladder runs along the edge of the river. the incredible power of these falls have generated over the years, & the spring that flows through this narrow section of river is thunderous. however, the falls gradually become a turbulent stretch of thrashing whitewater. if you visit at lower flows you'll see the evidence of this power in the riverbed's smooth and sculpted granite. incredibly, a 240-foot tunnel was blasted out of the granite to allow the fish to access the fish ladder. built in 1954, they constructed what was at the time the world's longest vertical baffled fish ladder to provide salmon with an opportunity to reach the 30 miles of river above the falls.

OLD TRACKS & TRAIN BRIDGE.

the everett and monte cristo railway was built to transport gold & silver ores from mines in the central cascade mountains to a smelter in everett, washington. the first train reached what became the town of monte cristo in august 1893. however, the mining boom ended in 1903 as the failure of the railway to maintain service to monte cristo in the face of floods, landslides, winter snows, fires, and other disasters led to collapse of the industry. the railroad found a second set of customers among the timber companies. the everett and monte cristo tracks gave access to large areas of virgin forest, so the railroad was used to move raw logs down to existing mills. as the railway pushed further into the woods, new sawmills and roof shingle mills were established, and finished lumber and shingles were also shipped out by train. tourism was a part of the business from the beginning of the railroad. the mountain scenery was then and still is an attraction. a resort hotel, the inn at big four, was opened in 1921 along the rail line for guests who wanted more than a day trip to the mountains.

DWELLINGS.

maybe of the cabins are locked up, but old tools belonging to workers of the original township are still scattered about. these small buildings are less than half a mile from the main town & were mostly used as workshops and storehouses. *this will be the base camp. room assignments are as follows : kody + isla. reeve + kingston. milo + thomas. eliza + camille. muses are welcome to re-assign rooms or move thorugh in-character interactions.

THE GHOST TOWN.

the town survived as a tourist destination for several decades after its initial decline, but the county road was flooded out in december 1980, and the only remaining business in town, a lodge, burned down in 1983. that same year, a nonprofit group called monte cristo preservation association stepped in to save and restore the historical site ( cleanup of arsenic and other toxins left behind began in september 2012 and was mostly completed in 2015 ). notable buildings: the inn, the general store, the saloon.

THE MINES.

there are eight known mines surrounding the area of monte cristo : mystery, new discovery, pride of the mountains, pride of the woods, golden cord, comet, justice, and rainy mines.  some mining tunnels are dilapidated and unstable, making the traversing of them a daunting task.

ABANDONED HOMES.

MOUNTAIN CAVE.

[kemetic-dreams]

Granville T. Woods

Biography

(1856–1910)

Known as "African Edison," Granville Woods was an African American inventor who made key contributions to the development of the telephone, streetcar and more.

Who Was Granville T. Woods?

Granville T. Woods, born to free African Americans, held various engineering and industrial jobs before establishing a company to develop electrical apparatus. Known as "African Edison," he registered nearly 60 patents in his lifetime, including a telephone transmitter, a trolley wheel and the multiplex telegraph (over which he defeated a lawsuit by Thomas Edison). 

Early Life

Born in Columbus, Ohio, on April 23, 1856, Woods received little schooling as a young man and, in his early teens, took up a variety of jobs, including as a railroad engineer in a railroad machine shop, as an engineer on a British ship, in a steel mill, and as a railroad worker. From 1876 to 1878, Woods lived in New York City, taking courses in engineering and electricity — a subject that he realized, early on, held the key to the future.

Back in Ohio in the summer of 1878, Woods was employed for eight months by the Springfield, Jackson and Pomeroy Railroad Company to work at the pumping stations and the shifting of cars in the city of Washington Court House, Ohio. He was then employed by the Dayton and Southeastern Railway Company as an engineer for 13 months.

During this period, while traveling between Washington Court House and Dayton, Woods began to form ideas for what would later be credited as his most important invention: the "inductor telegraph." He worked in the area until the spring of 1880 and then moved to Cincinnati.

Early Inventing Career

Living in Cincinnati, Woods eventually set up his own company to develop, manufacture and sell electrical apparatus, and in 1889, he filed his first patent for an improved steam boiler furnace. His later patents were mainly for electrical devices, including his second invention, an improved telephone transmitter.

[blindingdreams]

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[theveriest]

A couple of weeks ago I asked about people’s favorite book or books they read this year. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and discord, I have a list of 123 books in no particular order that my friends and family loved this year. If it was a series then I listed the first book. Each star is an additional recommendation. I haven’t read all of these, they may or may not reflect my personal opinions, though my favorite books are on the list too. The most recommended books were How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler, one or all of the Murderbot books by Martha Wells, and Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, because if there’s one thing my friends have in common across platforms, it’s that you’re all nerds (affectionate). Enjoy, and I hope you find your new favorite book!

Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes de Mez

The Soul Of An Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

My Hijacking by Martha Hodes

Longhand by Andy Hamilton

Babel by RF Kuang*

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff*

Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler**

Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett*

I’m Stuck by Julia Mills

Entangled Life by Martin Sheldrake

Iris by Eden Finley

Hot Vampire Next Door by Nikki St. Crowe

Devil of Dublin by BB Easton

Tied by Carian Cole

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld*

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Where I End by Sophie White

Wool by Hugh Howey

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

Yellowface by RF Kuang

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

North Woods by Daniel Mason

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin*

The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera

The English Understand Wool by Helen Dewitt

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Love In The Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa*

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Prophet by Sin Blache and Helen MacDonald*

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki**

System Collapse by Martha Wells***

The Brutish Museums by Dan Hicks

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine*

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers*

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

The Lazarus Heist by Geoff White

The September House by Carissa Orlando*

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

The Last Smile In Sunder City by Luke Arnold

The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes by Zoe Playden

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Manywhere by Morgan Thomas

Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

Loot by Tania James

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

All Systems Read by Martha Wells

The Once and Future Sex by Eleanor Janega

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner*

The Door by Magda Szabo

Fluids by May Leitz

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Lieut. John Irving, R.N. of H.M.S. "Terror" in Sir John Franklin's last expedition to the Arctic regions a memorial sketch with letters

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Raven the Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Slewfoot by Brom

The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman by KJ Charles

A Line In The World by Dorthe Nors

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Glitter and Concrete by Elyssa Maxx Goodman

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Tragic Menagerie by Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (translated by Jane Costlow)

The 100 Years Of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Precise Oaths by Paige E. Ewing

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

A Dead Djinn In Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

[goalhofer]

2024 olympics Australia roster

Archery

Peter Boukouvalas (Georges Hall)

Laura Paeglis (Melbourne)

Athletics

Josh Azzopardi (Camden)

Reece Holder (Gold Coast)

Jacob Despard (Hobart)

Cameron McEntyre (Sydney)

Rohan Browning (Sydney)

Calab Law (Cherbourg)

Nagmeldin Bol (Toowoomba)

Joseph Deng (Ipswich)

Peyton Craig (Boyne Island)

Stewie McSweyn (King Island)

Olli Hoare (Sydney)

Adam Spencer (Melbourne)

Morgan McDonald (Sydney)

Tayleb Willis (Melbourne)

Ben Buckingham (Myrtleford)

Matthew Clarke (Melbourne)

Lachlan Kennedy (Townsville)

Sebastian Sultana (Schofields)

Liam Adams (Melbourne)

Brett Robinson (Canberra)

Patrick Tiernan (Toowoomba)

Kyle Swan (Kantirna)

Rhydian Cowley (Melbourne)

Declan Tingay (Perth)

Joel Baden (Geelong)

Yual Reath (Ballarat)

Brandon Starc (Lidcombe)

Kurtis Marschall (Adelaide)

Chris Mitrevski (Melbourne)

Liam Adcock (Sydney)

Connor Murphy (Randwick)

Matthew Denny (Allora)

Daniel Golubovic (Manhattan Beach, California)

Ashley Moloney (Logan)

Kristie Edwards (Brisbane)

Aleksandra Stoilova (Sydney)

Olivia Sandery (Adelaide)

Ella Kennedy (Burpengary)

Bree Masters (Hurstville)

Torrie Lewis (Brisbane)

Mia Gross (Melbourne)

Ellie Beer (Gold Coast)

Claudia Hollingsworth (Mentone)

Abbey Caldwell (Warrandyte)

Catriona Bisset (Melbourne)

Jessica Jolliffe (Shellharbour)

Georgia Griffith (Canberra)

Linden Hall (Melbourne)

Rose Davies (Newcastle)

Isobel Batt-Doyle (Adelaide)

Lauren Ryan (Melbourne)

Shelly Jenneke (Kenthurst)

Liz Clay (Sydney)

Celeste Mucci (Melbourne)

Sarah Carli (Wollongong)

Alanah Yukich (Gingin)

Amy Cashin (Melbourne)

Cara Feain-Ryan (Brisbane)

Ebony Lane (Echuca)

Genevieve LaCaze-Gregson (Gold Coast)

Sinead Diver (Melbourne)

Jessica Stenson (Naracoorte)

Jemima Montag (Melbourne)

Rebecca Henderson (Dandenong)

Nicola Olyslagers (North Gosford)

Eleanor Patterson (Leongatha)

Nina Kennedy (Perth)

Brooke Buschkuel (Melbourne)

Taryn Gollshewsky (Bundaberg)

Stephanie Ratcliffe (Melbourne)

Mackenzie Little (Sydney)

Kelsey-Lee Barber (Canberra)

Kathryn Mitchell (Monte Carlo, Monaco)

Camryn Newton-Smith (Logan)

Tori West (Townsville)

Badminton

Angela Yu (Brisbane)

Tiffany Ho (Sydney)

Setyana Mapasa (Sydney)

Basketball

Dyson Daniels (Bendigo)

Josh Giddey (Canberra)

Patrick Mills (Canberra)

Josh Green (Sydney)

Joe Ingles (Canberra)

Matthew Dellavedova (Canberra)

Danté Exum (Canberra)

Jock Landale (Geelong)

Nick Kay (Tamworth)

Jack McVeigh (Canberra)

Will Magnay (Brisbane)

Duop Reath (Perth)

Jade Melbourne (Melbourne)

Kristy Wallace (Logan)

Stephanie Talbot (Katherine)

Tess Madgen (Ashford)

Rebecca Allen (Melbourne)

Alanna Smith (Hobart)

Ezi Magbegor (Melbourne)

Marianna Tolo (Mackay)

Cayla George (Mt. Barker)

Isobel Borlase (Canberra)

Lauren Jackson (Albury)

Samantha Whitcomb (Ventura, California)

Anneli Maley (Melbourne)

Lauren Mansfield (Adelaide)

Marena Whittle (Melbourne)

Ally Wilson (Murray Bridge)

Boxing

Yusuf Chothia (Perth)

Charlie Senior (Butler)

Shannan Davey (Bundaberg)

Callum Peters (Adelaide)

Teremoana Teremoana (Brisbane)

Harry Garside (Melbourne)

Monique Suraci (Queanbeyan)

Tiana Echegaray (Sydney)

Tyla McDonald (Somerville)

Marissa Williamson-Pohlman (Werribee)

Tina Rahimi (Sydney)

Caitlin Parker (Perth)

Breakdancing

Jeff Dunne (Casuarina)

Rachael Free (Hornsby)

Canoeing

Tristan Carter (Canberra)

Timothy Anderson (Melbourne)

Jackson Collins (Gold Coast)

Noah Havard (Bondi)

Pierre Van Der Westhuyzen (Balgowan)

Jean Van Der Westhuyzen (Balgowan)

Thomas Green (Gold Coast)

Riley Fitzsimmons (Avoca Beach)

Jessica Fox (Penrith)

Noemie Fox (Penrith)

Ella Beere (North Avoca)

Ally Clarke (Caloundra)

Yale Steinpreis (Fremantle)

Alyce Wood (Maroochydore)

Alyssa Bull (Buderim)

Climbing

Campbell Harrison (Seaford)

Oceana Mackenzie (Melbourne)

Cycling

Simon Clarke (Melbourne)

Michael Matthews (Canberra)

Luke Plapp (Melbourne)

Logan Martin (Logan)

Izaac Kennedy (Gold Coast)

Matthew Glaetzer (Adelaide)

Matthew Richardson (Perth)

Leigh Hoffman (Adelaide)

Oliver Bleddyn (Adelaide)

Conor Leahy (Perth)

Kelland O'Brien (Kew)

Sam Welsford (Perth)

Lauren Reynolds (Perth)

Saya Sakakibara (Gold Coast)

Grace Brown (Camperdown)

Lauretta Hanson (Fern Hill)

Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Melbourne)

Rebecca McConnell (Canberra)

Natalya Diehm (Boyne Island)

Kristina Clonan (Maryborough)

Georgia Baker (Perth)

Alexandra Manly (Kalgoorlie)

Sophie Edwards (Adelaide)

Maeve Plouffe (Adelaide)

Chloe Moran (Adelaide)

Diving

Kurtis Mathews (Sydney)

Jaxon Bowshire (Sydney)

Cassiel Rousseau (Brisbane)

Domonic Bedggood (Southport)

Maddison Keeney (Perth)

Alysha Koloi (Brisbane)

Ellie Cole (Melbourne)

Melissa Wu (Sydney)

Belle Smith (Malvern)

Equestrian

Jayden Brown (Brisbane)

William Matthew (Stirling)

Chris Burton (Jondaryan)

Kevin McNab (Mareeba)

Shane Rose (Sydney)

Simone Pearce (Melbourne)

Thaisa Erwin (Middleburg, Virginia)

Hilary Scott (Valkenswaard, The Netherlands)

Edwina Tops-Alexander (Sydney)

Field Hockey

Lachlan Sharp (Lithgow)

Tom Craig (Lane Cove)

Corey Weyer (Gold Coast)

Jake Harvie (Dardanup)

Tom Wickham (Morgan)

Matt Dawson (Killarney Vale)

Joshua Beltz (Hobart)

Eddie Ockenden (Glenorchy)

Jacob Whetton (Perth)

Blake Govers (Wollongong)

Aran Zalewski (Margaret River)

Ky Willott (Lake Macquarie)

Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong)

Tim Brand (Chatswood)

Andrew Charter (Canberra)

Jeremy Hayward (Darwin)

Claire Colwill (Mackay)

Brooke Peris (Darwin)

Amy Lawton (Emerald)

Grace Young (Grafton)

Penny Squibb (Tambellup)

Alice Arnott (Tamworth)

Steph Kershaw (Townsville)

Kaitlin Nobbs (Perth)

Jane-Anne Claxton (Adelaide)

Jocelyn Bartram (Albury)

Karri Somerville (Melville)

Renee Taylor (Everton Park)

Tatum Stewart (Toowoomba)

Mariah Williams (Parkes)

Rebecca Greiner (Bundaberg)

Grace Stewart (Gerringong)

Golf

Jason Day (Forest Lake)

Min Lee (Perth)

Hannah Green (Como)

Minjee Lee (Perth)

Gymnastics

Brock Batty (Frankston)

Jesse Moore (Adelaide)

Kate McDonald (Balwyn)

Emma Nedov (Sydney)

Ruby Pass (Shellharbour)

Breanna Scott (Melbourne)

Emily Whitehead (Mt. Waverly)

Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva (Melbourne)

Judo

Josh Katz (Baulkham Hills)

Kathi Haecker (Melbourne)

Aoife Coughlan (Traralgon)

Pentathlon

Genevieve Van Rensburg (Ashtonfield)

Rowing

Simon Keenan (Melbourne)

Patrick Holt (Brisbane)

Alexander Hill (Loxton)

Fergus Hamilton (Jindera)

James Robertson (Melbourne)

Timothy Masters (Melbourne)

Joseph O'Brien (Dubbo)

Angus Dawson (Bedford Park)

Alexander Purnell (St. Leonards)

Jack Hargreaves (Wellington)

Angus Widdicombe (Geelong)

Spencer Turrin (Dungog)

Joshua Hicks (Perth)

Ben Canham (Melbourne)

Jackson Kench (Sydney)

Lily Alton-Triggs (Brisbane)

Samantha Morton (Rozelle)

Kendall Brodie (Sydney)

Tara Rigney (Westminster)

Annabelle McIntyre (Hamilton Hill)

Jessica Morrison (Melbourne)

Harriet Hudson (Warwick)

Amanda Bateman (Melbourne)

Molly Goodman (Rose Park)

Jean Mitchell (Melbourne)

Olympia Aldersey (Rose Park)

Caitlin Cronin (Brisbane)

Rowena Meredith (Sydney)

Laura Gourley (Narrabri)

Ria Thompson (Melbourne)

Kate Rowan (Brisbane)

Hayley Verbunt (Melbourne)

Lucy Stephan (Nhill)

Sarah Hawe (Bentleigh East)

Giorgia Patten (Perth)

Jacqueline Swick (Perth)

Katrina Werry (Noble Park)

Georgina Rowe (Sydney)

Bronwyn Cox (Perth)

Paige Barr (Bairnsdale)

Rugby

Tim Clements (Sydney)

Dally Bird (Manly)

Matt Gonzalez (Baulkham Hills)

Hayden Sargeant (Gold Coast)

Nathan Lawson (Sydney)

Nick Malouf (Brisbane)

Josh Turner (Hamilton, New Zealand)

Ben Dowling (Sydney)

Maurice Longbottom (La Perouse)

Dietrich Roache (Sydney)

James Turner (Sydney)

Lily Dick (Gold Coast)

Faith Nathan (Manly)

Dominique Du Toit (Toowoomba)

Teagan Levi (Gold Coast)

Maddison Levi (Gold Coast)

Madison Ashby (Penrith)

Charlotte Caslick (Brisbane)

Tia Hinds (Sydney)

Isabella Nasser (Brisbane)

Bienne Terita (Sydney)

Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea (Howick, New Zealand)

Sariah Paki (Manly)

Sailing

Grae Morris (Sydney)

Jim Colley (Sydney)

Shaun O'Connell (Sydney)

Conor Nicholas (Perth)

Brin Liddell (Belmont)

Matt Wearn (Perth)

Zoe Thomson (Fremantle)

Evie Haseldine (Sydney)

Rhiannan Brown (Belmont)

Breiana Whitehead (Townsville)

Olivia Price (Drummoyne)

Nia Jerwood (Perth)

Shooting

Joshua Bell (Camden Park)

Dane Sampson (Blacktown)

Jack Rossiter (Adelaide)

Sergei Evglevski (Berwick)

Mitchell Iles (Melbourne)

James Willett (Mulwala)

Dr. Elena Galiabovitch (Melbourne)

Catherine Skinner (Mansfield)

Penny Smith (Geelong)

Aislin Jones (Shepparton)

Skateboarding

Keefer Wilson (Nyora)

Keegan Palmer (Gold Coast)

Kieran Woolley (Kiama Downs)

Shane O'Neill (Melbourne)

Ruby Trew (Gold Coast)

Arisa Trew (Gold Coast)

Chloe Covell (Tweed Heads)

Liv Lovelace (Sydney)

Haylie Powell (Nambour)

Soccer

Mackenzie Arnold (Gold Coast)

Michelle Heyman (Shellharbour)

Grace Torpley (Brisbane)

Clare Polkinghorne (Brisbane)

Cortnee Vine (Moreton Bay)

Katrina Gorry (Brisbane)

Stephanie-Elise Catley (Melbourne)

Kyra Cooney-Cross (Torquay)

Caitlin Foord (Shellharbour)

Emily Van Egmond (Newcastle)

Mary Fowler (Cairns)

Ellie Carpenter (Cowra)

Tameka Yallop (Gold Coast)

Alanna Kennedy (Rosemeadow)

Clare Hunt (Grenfell)

Hayley Raso (Gold Coast)

Clare Wheeler (Coffs Harbour)

Teagan Micah (Redcliffe)

Courtney Nevin (Sydney)

Charlotte Grant (Adelaide)

Sharn Freier (Redcliffe)

Lydia Williams (Canberra)

Surfing

Ethan Ewing (Redland City)

Jack Robinson (Margaret River)

Molly Picklum (Gosford)

Tyler Wright (Culburra Beach)

Swimming

Ben Armbruster (Stanthorpe)

Max Giuliani (Hobart)

Joshua Yong (Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei)

William Petric (Melbourne)

Kai Taylor (Brisbane)

Cameron McEvoy (Gold Coast)

Kyle Chalmers (Adelaide)

William Yang (Sydney)

Thomas Neill (Brisbane)

Sam Short (Brisbane)

Elijah Winninghton (Gold Coast)

Isaac Cooper (Bundaberg)

Bradley Woodward (Kanwal)

Se-Bom Lee (Sydney)

Samuel Williamson (Melbourne)

Zaac Stubblety-Cook (Brisbane)

Matthew Temple (Melbourne)

Brendon Smith (Wollongong)

Jack Cartwright (Biloela)

Zac Incerti (Mt. Lawley)

Flynn Southam (Murdoch)

Kyle Lee (Perth)

Nicholas Sloman (Brisbane)

Raphaelle Gauthier (Montreal, Quebec)

Margo Joseph-Kuo (Northcote)

Putu Kusmawan (Werribee)

Zoe Poulis (Southport)

Milena Waldmann (Gold Coast)

Carolyn Buckle (Sydney)

Kiera Gazzard (Randwick)

Georgia Courage-Gardiner (Gold Coast)

Jamie Perkins (Melbourne)

Moesha Johnson (Tweed Heads)

Iona Anderson (Perth)

Jaclyn Barclay (Canberra)

Jenna Strauch (Bendigo)

Ella Ramsay (Ipswich)

Alexandria Perkins (Caloundra West)

Abbey Connor (Sydney)

Jenna Forrester (Sandton)

Olivia Wunsch (Sydney)

Meg Harris (Brisbane)

Shayna Jack (Brisbane)

Mollie O'Callaghan (Logan)

Ariarne Titmus (Brisbane)

Lani Pallister (Sydney)

Kaylee McKeown (Redcliffe)

Emma McKoen (Wollongong)

Elizabeth Dekkers (Brisbane)

Bronte Campbell (Brisbane)

Brianna Throssell (Perth)

Chelsea Gubecka (Nambour)

Table tennis

Hwan Bae (Sydney)

Finn Luu (Yarraville)

Nicholas Lum (Melbourne)

Min Jee (Seoul, South Korea)

Michelle Bromley (Blacktown)

Melissa Tapper (Melbourne)

Taekwondo

Bailey Lewis (Werribee)

Leon Sejranovic (Melbourne)

Stacey Hymer (Melbourne)

Tennis

Alex De Minaur (Alicante, Spain)

Alexei Popyrin (Sydney)

Rinky Hijikata (Sydney)

Matthew Ebden (Perth)

John Peers (Melbourne)

Alja Tomljanović (Boca Raton, Florida)

Olivia Gadecki (Gold Coast)

Ellen Perez (Melbourne)

Daria Saville (Melbourne)

Triathlon

Luke Willian (Brisbane)

Matthew Hauser (Maryborough)

Sophie Linn (Adelaide)

Natalie Van Coevorden (Campbelltown)

Volleyball

Zachery Schubert (Marion)

Izac Carracher (Sydney)

Mark Nicolaidis (Brisbane)

Thomas Hodges (Melbourne)

Taliqua Clancy (Brisbane)

Mariafe Artacho-Del Solar (Sydney)

Water polo

Lachlan Edwards (Melbourne)

Nic Porter (Peregian Springs)

Marcus Berehulak (Brisbane)

John Hedges (Perth)

Luke Pavillard (Perth)

Angus Lambie (Cronulla)

Charlie Negus (Sydney)

Chaz Poot (Cronulla)

Jacob Merčep (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

Matthew Byrnes (Sydney)

Miloš Maksimović (Novi Sad, Serbia)

Nathan Power (Newcastle)

Blake Edwards (Melbourne)

Tilly Kearns (Sydney)

Alice Williams (Brisbane)

Sienna Hearn (Allambie Heights)

Sienna Green (Mosman)

Genevieve Longman (Perth)

Danijela Jackovich (Cronulla)

Charlize Andrews (Brisbane)

Zoe Arancini (Perth)

Keesja Gofers (Sydney)

Abby Andrews (Brisbane)

Elle Armit (Townsville)

Bronte Halligan (Sydney)

Gabi Palm (Brisbane)

Weightlifting

Kyle Bruce (Blacktown)

Jacqueline Nichele (Rosemeadow)

Eileen Cikamatana (Rosebud)

Wrestling

Georgii Okorokov (Yakutsk, Russia)

Jayden Lawrence (Camden)

[bruhstation]

As someone who somehow enjoys Misty Island Rescue because of how campy and dumb it gets at points I'd like to suggest working it into either the BWBA or Legend of the Lost Treasure plots

Either way it involves Thomas getting stuck on an even smaller island just off of Sodor's coast that pretty much everyone thought was uninhabited, and is saved and taken care of by 3 hillbillies who have been living on the island unbeknownst to anyone elss

They seem entirely clueless of any of the happenings on Sodor, as well as certain modern inventions (and dropping hints they may have lived longer than they were supposed to. How? :) ), and they live in an abandoned logging mill. They pass the time fucking around and cultivating the trees (that Thomas is pretty sure aren't supposed to be able to grow here) and they're extremely reckless with the engines it looks like they built themselves out of scrap parts and wood harvested from the mill

(What happened to all the people who had worked at that mill before? Why isn't anyone on the main island or even the full mainland aware that this extremely exclusive species of tree is managing to grow on the opposite end of the world from where it should be? :) )

If you work it into BWBA the Logging Locos can take care of Thomas until he flags down another boat to try and get him back but Oops! It's plot time boy and you can't escape the horrors that easy!

If you work it into Legend of the Lost Treasure you can make it where Thomas' fight with Sailor John resulted in him getting washed out to sea and ending up on Misty Island which is why everyone thought he was dead, and the Locos are who direct him to a tunnel that leads directly to the "other island" as they call it. The tunnel is how they got to the island in the first place.

(Note: I marked a bunch of things with smile faces because it's Your Story of course and if you do use any of this for inspiration then the reasoning behind things is ultimately your call)

OHHHHH MY GODDD THIS IS. SO SO SO SMART HOLY SHIT OKAY OKAY

"and dropping hints they may have lived longer than they were supposed to. How? :)" AHHHHH. AHHHH I SEE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY..... OHOHOHO.... I'm DEFINITELY taking all of these into mind. I could possibly make it work by making it follow the legend of the lost treasure arc like you've just suggested.

imagine some guy you just met telling your coworkers that you died fighting a pirate. and they took him seriously. and they mourned for days/weeks and was about to throw a funeral for you..... while you got your sorry ass rescued and nursed by 3 random (YET SOMEHOW SUSPICIOUS) guys in an island that is even smaller and much lesser known compared to sodor. IMAGINE THE TROUBLE THOMAS GETS INTO WHEN HE EVENTUALLY CRASHED HIS OWN FUNERAL 😭😭😂😂😂😂 LMFAOOOOOO your ask is making me think so hard. perhaps misty island rescue can be salvaged

[uwmspeccoll]

It’s Fine Press Friday!

Special Collections just keeps on giving. Every time I find a book with amazing original prints I think for sure its the last, but there are more! 

This week we bring you Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress, by English writer Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) with woodcuts by Austrian printmaker, Bernd Kroeber (B.1942), printed in 1976 at The Stinehour Press in Lunenburg, Vermont for the members of The Limited Editions Club in an edition of 2000 copies signed by the artist. It was first printed for Thomas Warner at the Black-Boy in Paternoster Row, London in 1724. 

Bernd Kroeber cut twelve full page two-color woodcuts and fourteen smaller black-and-white woodcuts to illustrate this text. The prints embrace the grain of the wood blocks and the expressive cuts and figures seem to reference back to German Expressionist printmakers, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. 

Roxana could be considered a proto-feminist character, as she raises concerns over sexual freedom and women’s right to own their own estate. Roxana is quoted saying “the Marriage Contract is...nothing but giving up Liberty, Estate, Authority, and everything, to the Man.” 

Book designer Adrian Wilson (1923-1988) designed this book using Bembo type and larger sizes of Bembo and Goudy Ornate for display lines. Wilson also designed the crossed-sword heart motif. The paper was specially made for this edition by Monadnock Mill in Bennington, New Hampshire and the book was bound by Tapley-Rutter Company of Moonachie, New Jersey. 

For the colophon, a print of characters reading Roxana. Too Funny!

View more Limited Edition Club posts.

View more Fine Press Friday posts.

-- Teddy, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[believingispowerfulmagic]

The Christmas Cottage

Summary: In Storybrooke, there is a special cottage. It is said that couples who spend a night there at Christmastime will be blessed with happiness and true love for the rest of their lives. Regina Mills doesn't believe in such fairy tales...until she is forced to spend a night there with her ex-boyfriend, Robin Locksley, ahead of their best friends' Christmas wedding.

Able to finally find closure for how their relationship ended years earlier, they decide to give their friendship a second chance. Having Robin back in her life as well as being back home makes Regina question if she is happy with her life and if she has the courage to make the decisions she needs to in order to be truly happy.

FFN | AO3 | Wattpad

Excerpt (Chapter 1: Time):

Regina thanked her driver as she opened the car door. She shivered as the December cold filled the car. Stepping out into it, she closed the door behind her and quickly hurried toward the front door of the building in front of her. Reaching out, she wrapped her gloved hand around the golden handle and pulled the door toward her. The scent of pine wafted past her, coming off the festive wreath hanging on the door. It sent a pang through her heart but she pushed it aside as she strode into the warm building.

She stopped at her mailbox, opening it and finding it empty. Figuring her fiancé already checked it, she closed the door and continued into the main part of the lobby. It was decorated for the season with wreaths hung on the walls and in between the elevators. An evergreen bough entwined with colored lights lined the desk where security sat and a tall artificial tree sat in one corner, its lights twinkling and fake presents resting underneath it. To complete the festive atmosphere, holiday music played over the speakers and in the elevators.

It all seemed such a stark contrast to how her day had been. She was still trying to process everything that had happened as she passed their night security guard, Thomas. He tipped his hat to her as she headed straight for the elevator bank, in no mood to talk to anyone but her fiancé. Maybe then it would all feel real.

As she rode up in the elevator, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and she got lost in trying to sort them out. She jumped as the elevator arrived at her floor and the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, she exited the elevator and headed down the hallway to her apartment. Regina pulled out her keys and opened the door, stepping inside. "Daniel? I'm home."

He didn't respond but that wasn't unusual. Daniel often continued working after he left the office and he liked to listen to music when he did so, meaning he likely hadn't heard her. She knew he was home because the mail sat on the table where they kept it. Regina looked through the items and determined nothing needed her immediate attention.

After hanging up her coat and scarf, she headed down the hallway and entered the bedroom they had converted into Daniel's office. It was painted white with wood floors and decorated with framed black and white photographs of famous buildings. His drawing table was located by the large window in the room, giving him a gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline as he worked.

Daniel sat there, earbuds in his ear as his head bopped along to whatever song he was listening to. His pencil flew across the paper in front of him, sketching out a building Regina knew was going to be magnificent once it was built. She hated to interrupt him when he was in a groove but she needed to talk to him, so she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

He jumped and twisted his body to look at who had disturbed him, relaxing when he saw it was her. Daniel took out the earbuds and smiled at her. "Hey, babe. You just get home?"

"Yes," she replied, kissing him. She studied the building he was drawing, noting that it didn't look familiar. "Is this new?"

"It is," he confirmed. "With luck, this is going to win the bid and become the new centerpiece for the Belfrey Center in Seattle."

Excitement and pride filled her, pushing her other feelings to the side. She knew his firm was going to submit a bid to Midas Industries but there hadn't been a decision about which architect would be the one to design it. Daniel had been talking about it for almost two months and she knew he had been campaigning hard to be the one they chose. His hard work had paid off.

"Congratulations!" she said, rubbing his back. "This is a big deal!"

"Well, we haven't secured the contract yet," he said. "This is just for the bid."

"You were still chosen out of all the architects in your firm to create the bid. That means that they respect and value your work. Even you don't get the bid, this is the start of big things from you. I just know it," she told him.

He grinned. "Thanks. How was your day?"

The question brought her crazy and confusing day back to the forefront of her mind. Her good mood disappeared as she grew somber. "It was bad."

"Bad? How?" he asked, frowning.

"Albert Spencer died," she replied. "He had a heart attack last night. Or at least that's the assumption since the janitor found him stiff and cold at his desk this morning."

Daniel's eyes widened a bit. "How awful! What happens now?"

She sighed, leaning against the wall as she felt fatigue take over. "I think they're still working that out. We spent the day contacting all his clients. They are thankfully understanding and were expecting our work for them to pause for the holidays anyway. So now I guess it's just the funeral and then figuring out who will be working with his clients after the New Year."

"Are they going to replace him? Make someone else partner in his stead?" Daniel asked. She could see the wheels turning in his head and it made the knot in her stomach tighten even more, not loosen.

"I don't know," she replied. "Everyone was talking about it but I think the other partners aren't going to focus on that until after the New Year."

He nodded, rubbing her arm with a smile. "You're a shoo-in for it, you know. You're one of their best lawyers. Spencer had to know that or he wouldn't have kept you on his team."

She knew he had a point but still shook her head. "I think Spencer was grooming Arthur King to take his place and he's probably going to get it. Aside from Mal Draco, it's pretty much a good old boys club."

"That's not fair," Daniel replied, crossing his arms as he frowned.

"I know," she replied. "But think about it. How many women are in top level positions at your firm?"

He was silent before shrugging. "No company is perfect. I hope ours changes soon. But I can't focus on that. I need to focus on this."

Daniel tapped the paper on his desk and she nodded. "Right. Just like I can't focus on what the firm will do. I need to focus on Mary Margaret's wedding. Which reminds me—did you ask Thomas downstairs to put a hold on our mail and newspaper?"

"Oh." Daniel paused but the sheepish grin he gave her when he forgot about something and was embarrassed by it did not appear. Instead, he stayed somber as he said: "We need to talk about that."

"You're not coming," she said, backing away from him. She didn't pose it as a question—she just knew. Disappointment flooded through her as she pressed her hand to her stomach. "We've been planning this for months. I was really excited to go away with you."

"I know," he replied soothingly, rubbing her arms. "We can plan another getaway, one where there's no one else. Maybe we can spend Valentine's Day on a tropical beach."

"It wasn't just about us going away together," she replied softly. "I was looking forward to going to the wedding with you. For us to hang out with my family and friends in my hometown. You've hardly spent any time with them."

He sighed. "I know and I understand it's important to you."

"But," she prompted, hearing it in his voice. It made her feel even angrier.

"That's all your past," he said. "I'm more interested in our future."

Daniel slid his hand down her left arm until he could raise her hand up. She glanced down at the large square cut diamond sitting on a platinum band studded with smaller diamonds on her ring finger. Her heart melted a bit and she smiled softly. "Our future," she repeated.

"A future that will be even brighter if I nail this design," he said, letting go of her hand as he motioned to his drawing. He gave her an earnest look as he continued: "And that's why I need to stay here so I can work on it. I can't afford to be distracted right now."

Her ire rose again and she pulled her hand from his grasp. "My friends would just be distractions?"

"You know what I mean," he said.

"No," she replied, crossing her arms as she glared at him. "I don't. Please enlighten me."

Daniel sighed, carefully reaching out to rest his hands on her arms. "I meant that I would have way too much fun with you and your friends that I wouldn't want to ever go back to our room to work. And I have some tight deadlines I need to hit, so I would either not hit them or have to lock myself in our room and not spend any time with anyone."

"Oh," she said, her anger dissipating a bit. She should've known he had a good reason for what he said. Lowering her arms, she leaned closer to him as she said: "You should've started with that."

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't want to spend time with your friends or that I didn't care about them. I do. It's just now isn't a very good time."

She nodded, disappointed but more understanding. "I get it. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," he said, hugging her. "This will be our first Christmas apart."

[the-fiction-witch]

Take My Hand P6

Media 1912

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Abuse

Concept Take My hand Series

|Thomas|

He forced me back to the private deck shutting the doors on us, immediately he threw me to the wooden floor. "Must you be such an embarrassment. Those people were worth thousands" "Doesn't mean they were work impressing" I argued but he kicked my stomach "Stop behaving like this. I know your unhappy about all this but that doesn't mean you can pout this whole trip. Get over it. We all have to do things we don't want to do" he says "get changed we have dinner in the grand Dining room tonight" he says heading inside his own suite. Slowly I picked myself up and stroked my now forming bruises, i did as he demanded going into my suite and having a shower. As hot a shower as I could to soothe my many burns and bruises. I purposely took my time trying to avoid getting dressed but he often snapped orders thought the shared door so I eventually got dressed and followed him down to the grand dining room. I had to admit it was beautiful with impressive hard wood flooring, panneled walls and a strapwork ceiling a grand fireplace, various times with the finest settings, we were taken to a table and given our seats with rows of forks and various glasses which he immediately took and made it sing "AHH crystal" he smirked before ordering drinks. Many others joined us at the table and I forced a smile to greet them all. But I kept quiet not really listening to the discussion at hand. Dinner then truly began starting with mild horderves for people to mill over with their wine, then came soup a chicken soup to be precise which I forced down even if I didn't really like it. Then came fresh salmon with all the trimmings you could want even if you only received enough to just taste, then cheeses none of which I could force down and then desert of sticky toffee pudding which I savoured in the smallest of bites to try and make it last as long as possible and to avoid the chatting around the table as the wine for low. "He is such a handsome little thing, how you've remained a bachelor this long I'll never know" the woman smiled at me "Just lucky I guess" I answered not wanting to be rude "Well, we're going to be fixing that very soon" "What?" I asked as I turned my attention to him He chuckled and tapped my shoulder trying to force my silence "What do you mean we're fixing that?" I demanded, an awkward silence ran thought our table and he forced a smile "You're engaged. She's waiting in new York for us, and you're getting married" "You agreed to a marriage without even asking me!" "I did. And most boys your age would be thankful for that." He says sipping his drink "When did I say I wanted to get married?" "Thomas. Not now." He demanded thought gritted teeth "No! We're going to talk about it now. I never said I wanted to get married. You can't just arrange me a marriage without asking me." "Enough!" He demanded Which silenced me and the dinner continued I couldn't help my mind galavanting off on its own , I felt so betrayed that he'd done this, I struggled to hold back my tears just trying to stay quiet and behaved all the while my heart racing. Once dinner was over I he grabbed my arm and forced me back to the suite where again he threw me to the floor kicked my stomach and threw his ciggette on me shouting about how I made a scene, how I embarrassment him, how I should be happy. "You will not make another scene little that the rest of this trip do you understand me!" He shouted "Yes sir." "Good. The rest of this trip I don't want any scenes. Any lip. Any performance. Nothing. You will act your class and act your age. Now go to bed before you embrasse the two of us anymore" he says before heading out somewhere else. I forced myself up even if every inch of me hurt and I went to my bed laying down on the warm mattress unable to stop the flood of tears.

[aninsecurewriter]

100 must-read books!

This is a list of books considered "must-reads" from various lists and online posters. I'll be reviewing them as I go but mainly keeping track of what I have and haven't read here.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Secret History by Donna Tart

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Norwegian Wood bt Haruki Murakami

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Lolita Vladimir Nabokov

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Ulysses by James Joyce

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Gulliver's Travels by Johnathan Swift

The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

Persuasion by Jane Austen

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Macbeth by Shakespeare

The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) by J.R.R Tolkien

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally

London Fields by Martin Amis

Sherlock Holmes and the The Hound of the Baskerville's by Arthur Conan Doyle

My Man Jeeves by P.G Wodehouse

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Gladys Aylward the Little Woman by Gladys Aylward

Mindnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

Dissolution by C.J Sansom

The Time Machine by H.G Wells

Winnie the Pooh (complete collection) by A.A Milne

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Castle by Franz Kafka

Dracula by Bram Stoker

All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Misery by Stephen King

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

The Shining by Stephen King

The Odyssey by Homer

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte